Title : My One and Only Thrill
Song : "My One and Only Thrill" - Melody Gardot
Pairing : Ziva David x Anthony DiNozzo
Disclaimer : NCIS and all related characters are owned by CBS.

- - - - - [ NCIS ] - - - - -

"Birds may cease to spread their wings
But it don't matter, but it don't matter"

"I use to have a bird, you know."

Her voice is barely a whisper, faintly echoed by the crackling of the fireplace in her living room. The thunderstorm outside rages on but inside her apartment, both of them sitting so closely together on the couch? Neither of them notice the occasional flash of lightning or low rumble of the quickly following thunder. His arm is slung lazily over her shoulder, breathing in the scent of her sandalwood shampoo as she rests her head against his chest. The ending credits of 'Sound of Music' inch across the television screen, silent and reassuring in their familiarity in such an unfamiliar situation. They've grown close, and the second she opens her mouth and utters those words, she knows that they have grown far too close to be considered friends any longer.

His fingers dance along her shoulder in understanding, tracing unknown shapes over and over again. "What was his name?" His voice is low, matching the tone of the night as he shakes off his trademark joking attitude for something a little more refined. Tonight seemed like the night for such things, and as he rests his chin on the top of her head, it feels right. Everything feels right.

"Amit." A faint smile graces her lips. "It means 'friend' in Hebrew and it was an appropriate name. Throughout my lessons he would sit on my shoulder, content with waiting for me to finish so we could fetch his toys. He was very intelligent for such a small creature, and always knew how to trick me into giving him an extra treat. I always feared he would grow fat in such a manner." Her eyes were lost in memory, the fire breathing life into glazed over orbs.

She was caught in a distant land from a time he wasn't sure about. It was rare for her to open up about herself or her life before NCIS, and even rarer still to claim a memory out of the blue. Perhaps it was the singing in the movie that had struck a cord, or perhaps something he couldn't personally connect with the situation. She turns to look at him now, one hand resting on his chest, the other balancing herself on the arm of the couch. "He learned French with me that summer. He would constantly ask 'comment allez-vous' whenever guests arrived and bid them 'adieu' when they left. My language tutor often joked that the bird would get a better grade than I would."

He chuckles at the thought. She relaxes into him, and he notices just how perfectly they fit together. One leg is folded up just beneath her arm, the other stretched out the length of the cushions. Her back and his chest seem made for one another and as soon as she lets out a sigh, he lets out a breath he never realized he was holding. He realizes the reason for his tension despite their harmony and that like all things in her past, none have come with particularly fond endings. Part of him wants to bite his tongue and pretend that they grew up happily together in Israel, but as sure as her heartbeat matches his, the gnawing curiosity caves him in. "What happened to Amit?"

She sighs again, this time a more bittersweet sound as lightning flares just beyond the reach of her wine colored curtains. "I was young, too young to realize certain things at the time. I had already killed a man but to kill an animal was something foreign to me. I couldn't understand it. Eli took Amit and I to a small clearning just beyond Haifa, a spot we use to frequent as family. He told me it was to be my first lesson of Mossad and I was so thrilled at the time." Her eyes unfocused again, this time with the hint of anger he connected with her too well. "He took Amit and smashed him against a stone. He said 'Ziva, people will use the things you love against you. It is for that reason we should never grow attached, for it is a weakness we cannot afford to breed into Mossad.' It was the first and last time I have openly cried in front of my father." Her words faded off leaving only storms and regrets in their wake.

It took training not to ball his hands into fists, to clench his teeth or lock his jaw. Instead he focused on his breathing, in and out, over and over again until it became a mantra of survival. Eli David was no man, and he was certainly no father. A director for a military organization and nothing more.

Squeezing her shoulder, he kissed the top of her head, a gesture that caused them both to take pause. "...A life without love is no life at all." Nothing more needs to be said because nothing more is expected from either of them. As the rain pelts at the Washington area, windows fogged and unnoticed, they fall asleep in one another's arms and for the first time in years they both feel at peace. There is no waiting, no longing, and no heartache. There is just them. Two people, one couch, and the flickering static of a forgotten television.

- - - - [ NCIS ] - - - -

She wakes up on the couch alone, and it is exactly what she expected. What is completely unexpected, however, is the rustling of feathers and the clicking of a beak coming from her kitchen. As she moves silently across the floor, she takes stock of her rooms and enters as normally as possible, always on guard and always alert. There is nothing of interest, nothing except the small clothed surprise on her kitchen counter with a scrawled note taped to the front.

' I don't know his name yet, but I figured you would be better at that anyways. He's only a couple months old but he's got one hell of a bite, my pinky can testify on that behalf. I don't know if he's what you're looking for, but what's another chance at love, right? - TD '

She smiles as she removes the cloth from the cage, greeted by the sight of a small little bird. His eyes are shut tightly against the sudden invasion of light, but soon he ruffles his feathers and stretches his wings, glancing at her with curiosity and reckless abandon. He is young and he is clueless, but with enough guidance he could learn French. Perhaps even Spanish if she felt up to teaching it. She opens the door and cups him in her hands, feeling the warmth and his tiny little heartbeat. The softest of thumps in a steady rhythm. "Nes." She whispers his name to him, and he clucks his seeming approval.

Author Notes :

- 'Comment allez-vous' roughly translates to 'how are you'. (French)

- 'Adieu' roughly translates to 'farewell'. (French)

- 'A life without love is no life at all' is a quote from the movie 'Ever After'.

- 'Nes' roughly translates to 'miracle'. (Hebrew)