Wow i haven't written NCIS in a while. :P HAPPY BIRTHDAY MADI! (Ozbabe for anyone who's interested in her awesomely amazing poems and fics) See how special you are? You got me to write tiva again, even if it is very short, not so wonderfully written tiva. But i really hope you like it anyways :D

Disclaimer: Don't own them :'(

Memories

A young, dark haired girl bounced down the stairs into her mother's arms. "Is papa home?" she asked eagerly, her whole being just radiated energy. The mother's smile slipped a little, but she caught herself just in time, "I'm sorry Ziva," she said quietly, pushing a stray curl of hair behind the girls ear, "He could not make it back today, he is far away in Europe, but he will be home next week, so we shall celebrate with him then – but for today, it can be a special girls day. You're old enough now for one of those, and we can include your sister, yes?" her mother's chocolate brown eyes and soothing voice won her over, and even at that early age, she had already learned to shove her feelings aside when they were not practical. So she just nodded, and watched a smile of relief pass over her mother's face.

"Happy birthday sweetheart," she whispered, and Ziva hugged her. "When did you grow up so quickly?" she asked, her now eight year old daughter. But the girl just smiled, and ran into the other room, yelling for her sister.

At the time she had mistaken the sadness in her mother's eyes for missing her father, but when she looked back she realized that the sadness was there because she was getting older too quickly. Too quickly for her mother to protect her, the older she got the more she was stripped of that protection, and there was nothing either of them could do about it. Her mother knew she would watch her sweet, if slightly closed off, caring girl, turn into a cool, emotionless young woman, who her own father had designed to kill. She had also known there was very little she could do about it.

But on her eighth birthday, she hadn't seen any of it coming. She had dismissed the look in her mother's eyes easily, she had opened her presents and smiled and laughed, she had still been a child. And she hadn't known that it was possible to grow up quite so quickly.

But there was no point thinking about the past, her mother was long gone, and she liked to think that she would be proud of the person she was today. But she always thought of that day, every year on her birthday. The day she turned eight. It had been the last birthday before everything had changed. The memory was like a bittersweet taste in her mouth, there was the happiness it held, but more prominent was the regret, the potential sadness.

She felt Tony's gentle hand on her waist, and the hand pulled her round to face him, "Happy birthday sweetcheeks," he whispered, kissing her softly. She smiled once he'd pulled away, and with just one kiss, the memories were gone. Forgotten for another day. He wrapped his arms round her and kissed her again, and as his lips moved down the silky skin of her neck, it was almost too easy to stop thinking. Too easy to stop thinking, and easier yet to just feel.

Reviews would be great if you have any thoughts on it :) But of course there's one person whose opinion i care slightly more about this time :P

but thanks to everyone reading :D

Emily xxxx