Rifiuto: Non Miriena

Thanks to Sazzita, JonnyP86, torontogirl12, puppypants, Crawcolady, Reader, mcgeeksgirl, Girl with a pink flying carpet and Tiva-McAbby-Densi-Neric-4ever for reviewing 1.

"Tim, how exactly do you propose we take care of your goddaughter?" Tim sighed, meeting Ziva's gaze in the bathroom mirror. He knew that would be the first thing she latched onto; not if they were ready to be substitute parents, not if they should take Mychal in, not if they still belonged together, no, the first thing Ziva latched onto was how they were going to take care of Mychal. Frankly, if it had been Tim asking, he'd have asked if they were ready to be parents- even temporary.

He leaned on the sink counter, taking a deep breath. "I don't know, all right? But I will figure something out."

"I?" Even if she hadn't been trained by Mossad, Ziva would have picked up on the singularity in an instant. In her case, though, she just happened it pick up on it after the word left his mouth.

"Yes, Ziva, I. I will figure out the best way to care for her, I will make sure everything is provided for her, I will raise her, because Mychal is my goddaughter!" He snapped, moving away from the sink and going to the door, but she blocked his path.

"And I am your girlfriend, Tim. We are in this together."

"Really? Because all you've done is shy away from Mycha from the moment you met her." He replied, moving her out of the way and leaving the bathroom. Ziva groaned in annoyance, grabbing the door as it shut slowly, and followed, catching up to him in the hall on the way back to the bullpen.

"Tim! Timothy! Timothy McGee, will you listen to me?" He turned on her, the bottom of his coat whirling around him.

"What?" He snapped, causing everyone else in the bullpen to turn to the couple. "What is it, Ziva? You have already made it perfectly clear that you aren't ready for parenthood! Well, I'm sorry if you aren't, but I am! I love Mycha, and I would do anything and everything for that child, because her parents meant the world to me! Jace wasn't only my best friend, he was the closest thing to a brother I had! And now, thanks to some psycho running around, he and Tina are gone! They're gone! But Mychal is still here! And I am going to do my damnedest to catch the person who killed them, and if that means adopting her to keep her safe while I hunt for their killer, then I will! Whether or not you approve!"

"Tim, we can't take care of a child, especially a child with special... with no eye sight! How do you suggest we care for her, raise her? You cannot possibly consider raising her!"

A moment passed, before he swallowed, and in the calmest and softest voice Ziva had ever heard, he whispered, "I love you, Ziva, but I won't give up Mycha to make you happy, I'm sorry, but I can't. I won't. And if you can't accept that, then..." He shrugged, and then turned, going back into the bullpen and making his way towards the child in question. "Come on, sweetie, I'll take you home." He scooped her up, turning to Gibbs with a small smile. Then, without a second glance Ziva's way, he left.

He watched Mychal, curled up on the sofa, sleeping soundly with the TV on softly in the background. Dinner had been quiet; he'd called Gibbs and apologized for storming out of the office, but that he hadn't wanted to be anywhere but at home with Mychal, catching up on the six years he'd missed being in her life. He hadn't seen Ziva after leaving the office; on a subconscious level, he knew that he'd hurt her- there was a side to her that most people didn't see.

Tim sighed; he couldn't believe she'd given up on two years of their relationship, all because she didn't like kids. Or maybe she was just scared, maybe she wasn't ready, either way, it didn't justify her giving up on them. They belonged together, or so he'd always thought-

A knock on the door brought him from his thoughts, and he sighed, leaving the kitchen and going to the front door, to find Ziva waiting for him. "Can I come in?" A moment passed, before he stepped back, closing the door once she was inside. He led her into the kitchen, pouring her a cup of tea as she took a seat at the table. "I went for a walk, clear my bed, I believe you Americans call it."

"Clear your head." He corrected automatically. She nodded, filing the information away for further use later.

"Stopped by and talked to Gibbs; he basically told me I was being an idiot, and to come talk to you." She swallowed, as he took a seat across from her, setting the cup in front of her. "I meant what I said earlier, Tim. We are in this together. But..." She bit her lip. "But we cannot raise your goddaughter- we don't know what she needs or anything about her-"

"I know Mycha, Zi-"

"You said you hadn't seen her in years, Tim. Why?" He sighed, swallowing the lump in his throat, surprised that she had asked the question right out of the gate. A moment passed, before he got up, going to the sink and leaning against it.

"Jace and I... we had a pretty bad falling out, not long before Mycha turned a year old. A... stupid argument about... my leaving NCIS and joining the Navy; I'd looked into NCIS before I ever joined the team, and actually, directly out of college, I passed the FLECT test and joined the Naval Base team at Norfolk. My father had always wanted me to join the Navy, and he told me that he'd never been more disappointed than when I didn't. You know, I don't even really remember what the whole argument with Jace was about... I just remember storming out and... and never seeing any of them again." He turned back to Ziva, who had gotten up and moved around the table towards him. "But I got a call, from Jace, a few years ago, asking me to promise that if anything happened to them, that I would raise Mycha. I just never thought it would be so soon. She's all I have left of Jace and Tina..."

She went to him, wrapping him in her arms and holding him close. Suddenly, all her fears about raising a child seemed silly.