Thank you again, Parachute, for helping me think of Tiva ideas. I don't own NCIS...
It had been a bad day to say the least. Throughout the entire day though, Ziva kept a straight face and held in her troubles. She had gotten the email while she was working. Her father…he wanted her to come home. He said that since Leon was in charge, there was no need to be at NCIS full time. Eli was on good terms with Leon and the Mossad director trusted Leon. So Eli David had given Ziva the notice to come home.
It really wasn't much to cry over. She was finally able to go home after three years in the States. She should've been happy, right? But, for some reason, Ziva was not happy. She had grown to love the United States; she had grown to love Washington DC. The Mossad officer did not want to leave her new home.
When Ziva got to her apartment is when she lost it. That was when she let the tears roll down her face. She couldn't believe that she was getting so upset over it. It was stupid, she thought. But she really didn't want to leave her new family behind. She had grown to love each and every one of them. Even Tony.
DiNozzo…how did the Americans say it? He got…on her nerves often. He teased her a lot, but…Ziva didn't know what it was. She kind of liked the teasing, their play arguments. When she first got to NCIS, after killing Ari, Tony would come over after work and spend time with her. They watched movies and Tony rambled on and on about American life. Ziva liked when he did that. He was the only one who really welcomed her to America.
And now, she couldn't even think of leaving him, and the rest of the team behind. Maybe that's why she was sitting on her couch crying. Ziva had contemplated becoming an American citizen for quite some time now, and now that her father wanted her home, Ziva thought that maybe now was the time to start the process of becoming a citizen.
Ziva immediately snapped out of her thoughts and her sobs instantly stopped when there was a knock on her door. Who would be visiting her? Not many people visited her apartment. There were the few occasional dates that came home with her, but that was really it.
Wiping her eyes, Ziva headed over to the door. She peeked through the hole in the door and saw Tony standing there nervously. Opening the door, Ziva said, "Tony, what are you doing here this late at night?"
It was indeed late. Ziva hadn't left headquarters until probably 10 PM. For Tony to come over this late was a slight shock. Not forgetting to be polite, Ziva motioned him inside. "Come in, Tony, and explain to me why you are here this late," she added.
Tony nodded and followed her inside, shutting the door behind him. "You okay, Ziva?" he said, looking at her once.
"Yes, Tony. I am fine. Do you want a beer?" she offered, walking into the small kitchen and over to the fridge. Ziva had learned to keep a couple of beers in the fridge for when Tony visited. Sure, it had been awhile since he last visited, but Ziva still kept the beers in there.
Tony nodded and thanked her when she gave him a bottle of beer. Opening it in one motion, Tony took a drink of it and then looked at her again. "Are you really okay, Ziva?" DiNozzo asked.
Ziva tried to hardest to avoid his question. She wasn't going to let him know how she was feeling. Talking about your emotions was a sign of weakness to Ziva. "Do you want to watch a movie, Tony? I bought some of the movies that you told me about. You were right; they are really good," she said with a smile, setting her beer on the table before getting a movie and setting it up.
Tony walked over to the couch, still watching her, unsure. "I told you they would be good. I know all the classics, Ziva. You really should listen to me more often," he joked, sitting down as she walked back over and sat down next to him.
The movie started and there was silence that settled between the two partners. They each drank their beer, Ziva getting up to get more bottles when they finished their first one. They both sat on the couch, Tony's arm draping gently around Ziva's shoulder.
After a few beers, Ziva started to cry again. Tony turned and looked at her. This was the whole reason he came to her apartment; he knew that she was upset. "Ziva, what's the matter?" he asked.
She turned away from him and wiped her eyes. "Nothing, Tony. Why would you think that something is wrong?" Ziva replied.
"Because you're crying, that's why," Tony said softly, looking down into her eyes.
"It's nothing you must be worried about," she murmured.
"It is something I have to be worried about, Ziva. You're my partner."
Ziva didn't reply to that. She just continued drinking her beer and watching the movie. By the end of the fourth beer though, she was crying again.
By now Tony was frustrated. He knew that Ziva kept her feelings to herself; that's how she had always been. But for her to be this upset over something…it had to be something serious. "Ziva, look at me," he said, grabbing her shoulder.
She turned and looked at him, the tears rolling down her face. "What, Tony?" she said, sobbing.
"Ziva, why are you crying? What happened? Did…" DiNozzo trailed off for a moment, trying to think of what to ask. "Did Eli contact you?"
Ziva didn't answer his question. She just tried to wipe the tears from her face. "I told you, Tony. It's nothing to worry about. I know…I think I know what I'm going to do," she replied.
Tony groaned and rolled his eyes. He really did hate when she did this to him. "Ziva, you know I am here for you to talk to. You know that you can tell me just about anything," DiNozzo replied.
Ziva thought about it for a few minutes and while she was thinking, the credits began to roll on the movie. She got up and changed the movie before sitting on the couch, Indian style, looking at Tony. She had made her tears stop, but her eyes were still red.
"He wants me to leave. He says that he doesn't need me here full time," she said. By now though the alcohol was doing all of the talking for her. Never in a million years would Ziva tell Tony flat out what was wrong.
Tony looked into her eyes and thought about what she said. "Wait. Eli says that he doesn't need you here? He wants you back in Israel?" DiNozzo repeated.
Ziva nodded, the alcohol still talking for her. "But I don't want to go back. I like it here. You, McGee, Abby, and Gibbs, you are all my family now. I can't leave my family behind," she said. Then, after a moment of pausing, Ziva added, "I was thinking about becoming a citizen. Now that he wants me to go back, I really think I am going to start the process to become a citizen. There's nothing there for me to go back to."
Tony looked at hr, confused. Is this what the alcohol did to her? Did it make her reveal her biggest, darkest secrets? If that's what it did, then Tony was going to use it to his advantage to help her. "What do you mean there's nothing for you to go back to?" he asked.
"My sister, Talia, is dead. My mother is dead. Ari, my brother, is dead. My family there is gone," she whispered.
Tony was surprised. It never really dawned on him that most of her family died since they were Mossad. Sure, he remember that she mentioned Tali when she first arrived at NCIS. And yes, he did remember Ari…but he never put the pieces together. "Ziva, I'm sorry," he replied softly.
The tears continued to roll down her cheeks and she brushed them away impatiently with her hand. "You are my family now. The team, I mean. You're my family and I can't even see myself in my homeland. I really must become an American citizen," Ziva explained.
Tony understood everything then. She was crying because she didn't want to leave the States. She wanted to stay and make a life here. Her life in Israel was over. She had to start over. "Ziva…please don't…please don't cry," he said awkwardly.
She looked up at him and then sobbed. "I am going to tell him that I am staying. He can't do anything about it," she said. Ziva then moved closer to Tony, resting her head on his shoulder.
DiNozzo wrapped his arm around Ziva and held her close. He was there to comfort her and that's exactly what he was going to do. He let her cry on his shoulder and then he kissed the top of her head. "Everything will be okay, Ziva. I'll help you through everything," Tony said.
And he believed and meant it all.