A|N: The first chapter is only a light beginning. There's more angst and plot following this chapter. Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own NCIS. However, plot and certain characters are ALL mine.
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"We haven't spoken in a week, Jessie", she yelled through stinging tears. Her eyes showing the mix of anger and brokenness that gripped her chest. "I woke up, in our bed, alone! You just disappeared! Without warning! I had no idea if you were even alright and now..."
"Look, just stop! I can't do this with you right now!"
She looked at her lover incredulously, "You can't do this? You've spent seven days avoiding me and hiding away, only for me to find you with another woman and you can't do this?"
Silence. It almost completely engulfed them— almost. The only noise in the ugly hotel room was coming from Tali as she tried desperately to choke back her sobs but it didn't work. Nothing seemed to work anymore. Her life, as she knew it, was in shambles. It was hard to think. Hard to breathe. The world was turned upside down and she— she was plummeting from the shift in gravity. There was nothing to hold onto. Nothing to keep her stable. Nothing to stop the pain that coursed through her body.
"If you didn't want to be with me, why did you...", she paused, trying to fight through her emotions and calm her breathing. It was futile. She screamed in anguish as her sobs wracked her to the core. She fell to her knees and looked up through blurry eyes at the woman who had stolen her heart. The woman who now stood across the room with that same heart in her hands— but it was completely broken.
"Tali, you're making this worse than it already is. Please, just get up. You had to know this was coming. Don't make this a bigger scene right now."
Her glare was weak, but hard enough to silently speak her feelings of betrayal. After a moment, she stood and tried to find her balance again. Eventually she did, then turned to walk away from the only woman she had ever loved. When she reached the door, she glanced back only once. The sight was too much to bear. She took a deep breath and left, slamming the door behind her. She got on the elevator to go to the hotel lobby, then exited the building and ran to her car.
Tali didn't drive off right away though. Instead, she sat there with her head in her hands and wept for her loss. Never did she ever expect for things to turn out like this. Not in a million years. She thought they were in love. She thought they would spend forever together. But now, now it seemed forever had run out. It was like taking a bullet to the chest— she imagined. That's what this pain was. This aching. This longing. It was definitely a bullet to the chest and the love of her life had been the one to pull the trigger.
Long moments passed by before her tears seemed to run dry. She leaned back in her seat and gripped the steering wheel. It was then that it caught her eye. The rays of the summer sun hitting the cut diamond that rested on her left ring finger almost perfectly— her engagement ring. Fresh tears sprang up like a well and, before she knew it, she had slid the ring off her finger and tossed it out the window. In that moment, the final nail was driven into the coffin. Yeah it hurt, but she was done. There was no going back, not after being wounded so deeply.
"Never again", she whispered to herself as started driving away. "Never again will I let someone get that close. Never again will I be so foolish. Never again will I love."
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Ziva was the first to stir from her blissful sleep to the reality of the incessant ringing of the doorbell. "Ugh", she groaned as she rolled over and tapped her husband, "Tony? Tony, wake up."
"Hmm", he huffed groggily, "Zi, what is it?"
"Do you not hear the doorbell?"
"Babe, whoever it is can come back at a normal hour." Tony turned a wrapped his arm around his wife, pulling her tight to him. Quickly drifting back to sleep until the ringing of the bell turned into a pounding banging on the front door that even he couldn't ignore at the late hour. He shot up and looked at Ziva, "Who the hell is that?"
"Someone who is going to be very sorry when I put a bullet in them", she quipped as she rolled out of bed and pulled on her robe.
Tony followed suit and both instinctively grabbed their side-arms from their respective nightstand drawers. He led the way quietly down the steps, and took a defensive position at the door. Nodding at the ready, Ziva swiftly pulled the door open with her gun pointed at the unwanted, and annoying, visitor.
"Oh shit!" The young woman threw her hands up and jumped back.
"Tali?" Ziva let out a deep sigh and lowered her weapon while giving her an irritated glare.
"What the hell kiddo", Tony nearly shouted as he pulled his daughter into the house and shut the door. He switched on the light in the foyer and gave Tali a puzzled look, "Do you realize we were both about to shoot you? Banging on the door like a madman like that, after the insane week we just had, is not a very good idea— at all!"
Tali looked between both her parents sheepishly. "Sorry?" She pouted and titled her head to the side, "I didn't mean to make you guys go all federal agent and super spy, but I left my house keys at..."
"It is 0300", Ziva interrupted, completely unfazed by the puppy dog eyes that Tali was giving her in a plea not to ask questions. "What are you doing here? Is everything alright?"
"Everything is fine, seriously I'm okay. I just left my house keys at my apartment and you guys weren't answering the door and my phone is dead so I couldn't call and I really didn't want to sleep in my car until morning and..."
"Tali, why are you here?"
"Since you seem to be okay, despite losing your mind with the door, I'm going to head back up. Whatever the reason for this middle of the night visit, I'll find out after the sun comes up", Tony shook his head as he walked back up the steps. "I'm going back to bed. Try to keep it down. Goodnight!"
Ziva stood there with her eyebrow raised and arms crossed over her chest, waiting for a response but still received none after a few moments. "Young lady, explanation, now."
Tali sighed in defeat, "Fine, I know you deserve an explanation for my randomness, but could you please but your gun away before I do?"
Not even realizing that it was still in her hands, Ziva unwrapped her arms from over her chest and looked at the weapon. Rolling her eyes, she turned and placed it on the side table then went back to her expectant stance. "Okay, now speak."
Tali tried to flash her best charming smile. "Would you believe me if I said I just felt like taking a drive and ended up here, so I decided to check up on my Ima and Abba?"
"You just felt like taking a ten hour drive? From Atlanta to DC?"
"Well yeah! Why not? It's the summer! No school kids to teach, so here I am! What, you don't want to see your beloved motek", the young woman asked jokingly. Just like her father, she always resorted to trying to joke when she was trying to hide her real emotions.
Ziva knew better and did a quick scan over her daughter. Taking in the way she stood and couldn't meet her gaze for longer than a few seconds. There was a clear heaviness and nervousness about her, which was far from her normally light and confident demeanor. Also, her eyes were puffy and red, and her hair was disheveled. Given the late hour, she knew Tali had been driving all night— not to mention crying while doing so. Then there was the visible absence of something on her person. Ziva let out a sad sigh then lightly lifted Tali's left hand, "Your ring... Is it over?"
Before she could stop them, the tears came back with full force and Tali fell into her mothers arms. "She... there was..."
"Shhh, it is okay motek. You do not need to explain anymore." There was nothing more to say as Ziva wrapped her arms tighter around the broken young woman. Silently she tried to clear her own thoughts of killing the woman who had broken her child's heart. It was easier said than done when Tali cried the way she did. It hurt the mother to see her daughter in so much pain. 'She is not going to get over this easy.'
XXXXX
When the sun finally rose, Tali groaned and pulled the covers over her head to block the light that was coming in through the blinds. She wasn't ready to get up. She wasn't ready to face the day. To face her reality— alone. She felt so alone now. What was left of her heart ached severely. She felt like crying again, but the tears had finally dried up. There was nothing left. It was really over. Two years and seven months of being faithful and committed, for what?
"To be played and look like an idiot", she sighed to herself.
Realizing that she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep after laying under the covers for another hour, and smelling the fresh coffee brewing downstairs, Tali decided to drag herself out of bed. She made sure to avoid looking in the mirrors as she made her way to the en-suite bathroom into her room. She feared seeing her reflection and what her fiancé— 'ex-fiancé —had reduced her to.
Making quick work of brushing her teeth, Tali walked down the steps and followed her parents voices to find them in the kitchen. "Morning", she greated dryly as she grabbed a mug from the cabinet then poured herself a cup of coffee.
Tony looked at her worriedly when she sat at the table next to him in the breakfast nook and sipped the coffee without adding cream or sugar. "Okayyyy", he said slowly and drawn out. "Now I know this is really serious if you're drinking straight black coffee."
"Too early for vodka or tequila", was Tali's shrugged reply between sips, "Need something strong,"
"Ima, uh, told me why you came..." Tony let the sentence hang in the air. Not really knowing exactly what to say to try and make things better.
"Don't want to talk about it."
"You need to", Ziva said gently from across the table. "There is no use in keeping your emotions bottled up. You cannot heal and move on from..."
"I've stopped crying. I'm fine", Tali spoke sharply. "The emotions are gone. I've moved on. Jessie can have fun with her little piece of ass, or another stupid bimbo for all I care. It doesn't matter to me. I'm over it!"
"Tali", Tony cleared his throat as he wrapped his arm around the obviously still hurting young woman. "You drove ten hours in the middle of the night to run away from reality. People who are fine don't do that, kiddo. Now, your mother and I have no problem with you being home, but don't try to hide what you're obviously feeling. Breakups suck. And this one, well, this one is probably the worst of them all so..."
"Please", Tali sighed, "I can't talk about it yet." She nestled into Tony's half embrace and looked across at Ziva, "After the way I broke down yesterday, and again last night, I really just don't want to talk about it right now. I need a break from thinking about my failed relationship and almost marriage."
Ziva nodded, "Okay. But when you are ready..."
"When I am ready to talk, I will. I promise."
"What do you need in the meantime then, kiddo", Tony pulled back slightly to look in her eyes.
Tali looked up at him then over to her mother, "Maybe some of Ima's famous chocolate chip pancakes?"
Ziva chuckled as she stood up, "Of course, my angel. I will make us a special breakfast, including my famous pancakes."
Tali gave a half smile in appreciation then frowned as she pulled away from Tony's embrace slightly to look at her coffee. "Um, Ima, while you're up, can you..." Before she even finished making her request, Ziva sat the sugar and cream on the table in front of her. Tali looked at her mother curiously, "How did you..."
"I am Ima. I know you like I know your father. There was no way you would get through half that cup without a half pound of sugar", Ziva joked which elicited a genuine laugh from Tali.
She needed it. Needed this. To be home and surrounded by the love of her parents. Yeah, she was hurting badly, but the pain eased away little by little as she focused on what was here in the moment. Later she'd probably breakdown again and maybe even scream. It wouldn't be easy, but she knew eventually she'd do as her mother said and move on. For now, Tali just let her father hold her in his protective arms and watched her mother cook her favorite comfort food. At least, at the moment, she didn't feel so— alone.
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A|N: Please, let me know what you think about this beginning. Been messing with this idea for a while and have written a few chapters. Truthfully, the way I've mapped it out, this could be a short fic or rather long— depends on the feedback. Hope you enjoyed!