A/N--I was surprised by the responses I got for "A Mangled Reminder", so I knew I had to write something else as a companion piece for those who wanted to know more. I quickly wrote this at 1AM last night, so if it's not perfect, that could be the reason ;) . This is set during "Faith", and begins when Tony gives the doll to Dolores. I tried to make the writing in this one less formal because I thought it fit the situation more. Both Tony and Ziva are in a much happier part of their lives than they were in "Truth and Consequences". I also played around with some parallelism within the story; I hope it doesn't come off as repetitive. Regardless, enjoy! And thank you very, very much to all those who replied to my first oneshot. I never knew I would get such wonderful responses :)
Disclaimer--I do not own NCIS or its characters. They are the property of CBS.
The man and the woman struggled in the hallway. She, pushing and pulling, he, trying desperately to get away. "Go back!" she ordered him, to which he replied with a constant stream of "I-don't-wannas". They continued in this manner for a few more seconds before the sound of an opening door interrupted their argument.
"Special Agent DiNozzo," said the rather stern woman coming from her office. At this point, Tony reluctantly turned around, facing that miserable Grinch of a woman, Dolores. Ziva stood a respectable distance behind her, encouraging Tony with a very obvious nod. He looks so uncomfortable, she mused to herself. Still, she knew him well. She knew he was not the kind of man to back away from a challenge or threat. Even as he stood hunched over in a defensive stance, clutching the long narrow box, she knew he would attack this situation with a certain force all his own.
"Merry Christmas, Dolores," she saw him say uncertainly. Wait for it, she thought to herself. Holding out the gift to her, he quickly said, "I got this for you. I looked in your personnel file, which is legal because I have that security clearance..." Ziva stared aghast at him and mentally slapped him in the head. Ugh. Not what I had in mind, she sighed. Still, she had to smile to herself as she watched him quickly gain control of the situation, exerting that natural confidence that he had.
As he began to climb out of the pool he had dug himself into (I am sure that is the correct phrase, she thought), her mind drifted back to an hour earlier. She was in the bullpen, filling out some paperwork alone. Out of force of habit, she mentally listed the locations of her team members: McGee is in MTAC (for some reason), Gibbs is home with his father, and Tony is running around like a chicken with its leg cut off trying to get Dolores' gift together. She allowed herself a smile at her clever use of the American idiom.
Finally finishing her preliminary report, she stretched her arms over her head, noticing the stillness of the office as the snow fell silent and dark outside. Her world was quiet, serene is this familiar place. Though there were no sounds to be heard, it was not the same silence she experienced in Somalia. It was softer, almost gentle in a way. She exhaled slowly through her nose, taking in her surroundings. This feels...right. That was it. That was all she needed to recognize. She smiled and nodded to herself as she opened her desk drawer to put her stapler and pens where they belonged.
Before closing it, she noticed a small, flat box in the corner of the neatly organized space. It was wrapped in a gold-colored paper and had a note stuck to it. Tony. She knew it was from him. Who else would have the nerve to go through her drawer? I told him. We have rules. No presents. Still, she did appreciate the gesture. She pulled it out, laying it on the surface of her desk. She pulled the note off, immediately recognizing his script. Upon reading it, she laughed to herself. What a mind reader he is. It read, "It's not a present. I'm returning what's yours, and giving you an update as well. It's not a present!--Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo."
Upon getting over the initial humor of his apparently new-found skill, she read the note again, puzzled. Did she give him something that he forgot to give back? She wracked her brain, thinking. No. There was nothing. She stared in confusion at the small box. Slowly, she picked it up and examined it. She determined it was fairly lightweight and not very large at all, about the size of her palm. Giving up on guessing, she unwrapped the gift to find a blue velvet case in her hand. Gingerly, she flipped it open.
Her heart stopped as it jumped to her throat. This is not possible. How did he...? There, lain gently in the box with care, was her Star of David necklace, the gold polished and shining as if just newly forged. But it was not new. She would recognize this particular piece of jewelry anywhere. Her eyes glazing over, mouth slightly agape, she tentatively stroked the thin chain, as if not believing it to actually be there.
However, it was only part one of two. The "update" was laid squarely in the center of the older Star. The pendant of a smaller Star of David necklace gleamed back at her, its more delicate and silver chain entwined with the larger gold one. She lifted both out of the box and examined them in her hands. Beautiful, she numbly thought as she examined the newer of the two. She held each necklace in one hand, silently staring at them for a few moments. In her left, the weathered gold weighed slightly heavy in her palm. In her right, she felt the lightness of the silver. There sat her old life and her new. An incomprehensible amount of thoughts and emotions flooded her mind and clouded her senses. Tali, she solemnly thought as she grasped the gold in her hand and kissed the fist holding it, a lone tear sliding down her cheek. She quickly wiped it from her face and laid the necklace back in its box. She turned the newer, silver necklace over in her palm.
Taking one end of the chain in each hand, she reached around her neck and deftly connected them, creating one unified loop around her throat. She reached up to touch the lighter, more airy pendent. Just as the office had seemed to her earlier, this new piece of jewelry felt right. It just fit. Reaching down, she lifted the box in her hand, the past laid out before her in every link of the gold chain. It was the life she left behind, the woman she no longer was. She felt a stab of remorse and regret as she remembered the last time she wore it, Salim tearing it from her neck.
Still, it held so many fond memories as well, the joy interweaved with the grief and sadness. Her first day at NCIS, she wore this. The day she brought Abby black roses for her birthday, she wore this. The day she played a game of Scrabble with McGee (the game that wasn't really a game), she wore this. The day Gibbs hugged her tightly after she returned from Israel, she wore this. The day Tony returned from his months at sea, she wore this.... It was too big a part of her life just to leave in a box, collecting dust.
She left her memories behind as Tony said, "I got this for you," and clumsily handed his gift over to Dolores. As she wearily accepted it, Ziva thought once again of the jewelry around her neck. What a gift it truly was. She smiled to herself again. What a new life it truly is. And she was wearing it well.
As the single, middle-aged, lonely woman opened the box, Tony felt a wave of relief flow over him. She was smiling. She was actually smiling! He grinned, knowing that he'd pulled it off. Still smiling himself, he looked past Dolores to Ziva. She looked happy and content tonight. She's beautiful that way, he thought before he could stop himself. Thankfully, before he could mentally berate himself, Dolores stepped toward him and hugged him tightly. Stunned for a very brief moment, he awkwardly patted her back.
He looked over the shoulder of the woman in his arms and looked at Ziva again. She stared back at him with a look of pride, maybe even love, on her face. He smiled inwardly as he saw the thin chain around her neck. He'd been hoping that she would find it before the night was over. She carried herself taller these days, he thought as he continued to look into her eyes. Tonight especially, she radiated a certain special something, and he couldn't help but think that maybe it had something to do with the update he had given her. He knew he was right when he thought she wore it well.
Twenty minutes later, Tony collapsed in the driver's side seat of his car. He sighed in relief as he thought of his good deed for the night. He was happy, thrilled that Dolores liked her gift. Smiling to himself, he turned to put his backpack on the passenger seat. He stopped before setting it down. There, in the center of the seat, was a small, flat box. It was wrapped in a plain piece of copier paper and had a note stuck to it. Ziva. He knew it was from her. Who else would have the skill to break into his car? She told me we have rules. No presents. He smirked as he leaned over to pick it up. It was fairly lightweight and not very large at all, smaller than the size of his palm. He pulled the note off, immediately recognizing her neat cursive. It read, "It's not a present. I'm returning what's rightfully yours. You deserve to have it. It's not a present!--Probationary Field Agent Ziva David."
He smiled knowing the pride she must have swallowed to use the P-word in relation to herself. Still, he was very curious as to what the box held, staring at it as it rested innocently in his hand. He unwrapped it to find a blue velvet case. His curiosity quickly turned to confusion at recognizing the gift box he had given Ziva. He slowly opened it and found himself staring, yet again, at Ziva's golden Star of David necklace, relaid with care inside.
He didn't understand. After months of debating with himself whether to give it back to her, he finally decided it wasn't right for him to keep it from her. He reasoned that even if it brought with it painful memories, he knew she would still want to have it. He knew her well. He knew she wasn't the type of woman to hide when faced with something difficult. She was too stubborn for that. He knew that she would be able to face her past with a certain force all her own.
But now it sat in his hands. Again. Unsure of himself, he lifted it from the box yet again, holding it in his left palm. He also reached over to his bag and pulled from it his NCIS badge. He studied both, one in each hand. Two very different paths. Two very different lives. Two very different people. Ziva, he thought as he clutched the golden necklace in his fist, bringing to his lips, not to kiss, but just to hold there. He pulled it back, and pinned it in its rightful place, behind the steel of his badge.
The next morning, he pulled into his parking space at work, and stepped out of his car. He pulled out his badge and attached it to his belt where it belonged. He smiled to himself as he thought of the secret it once again held. Looking at his badge, he thought he wore it well.
A/N--As before, reviews and critiques are greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading :)