AN: I don't own NCIS.
As Ziva recited the words that would dissolve her ties from Israel forever, she looked behind hoping to see Tony standing irresistibly in a fine Italian suit with a bright smile. The disappointment she felt when she saw that empty seat brought her back to a memory when she was a young girl looking for her father in the crowd smiling and clapping for her. The
"So help me god." Abby stood by her smiling, delighted that her friend was officially a U.S. citizen. She gave Ziva a bone-crushing hug before saying congratulations. McGee gave Ziva a hug and then wished her congratulations.
"Now because you are a official United States citizen, I think a celebration dinner is in order. It's on me!" Ziva faked a smile as they gathered their things and exited behind the line of other new U.S citizens and friends of them.
"How does it feel to be a American citizen?" Abby inquired as they navigated the room, her mood still giddy from Ziva's swearing-in ceremony.
"It feels good."
After dinner and an well deserved glass of wine, Abby dropped Ziva at her apartment after saying congratulations for the hundredth time that night. Abby's car was still idling as Ziva waved from her door with the American flag that Abby had given her. Abby drove away when Ziva entered the apartment and turned on a light.
Ziva kicked off her heels as she plopped ungracefully onto the couch. The heels landed unceremoniously on the carpeted floor on the other side of the apartment. She rubbed her feet hoping to rid of some of the pain from wearing the heels. She never understood why Jenny loved wearing heels so much because the additional inches that added to her height weren't worth the pain.
Tony had broken his promise to be there, just like her father had so many years ago, guarantying to be in the crowd when in reality he was not in the crowd. In the bullpen earlier, Tony had said he would be there. Ziva knew the moment she saw the empty seat that Tony was not there for a reason. She pulled herself up from the couch and sauntered over to the picture frame resting on the nearby bookcase. It was a picture of her and Tony that must have been taken at a crime scene because they were wearing their official NCIS caps and jackets. Abby had declared the picture was too sweet to delete and had insisted Ziva should frame it. She picked up the picture and couldn't resist the smile from gracing her lips. Ziva had her arms crossed and was glaring at Tony for a reason she didn't know why anymore and he had had a big smile on his face.
"Tony DiNozzo, whatever reason you had to not be there, I hope it was a good one." She reflected out loud in the empty apartment and placed the frame back in its place turning off the light as she exited the living room.