Intertwining Our Pasts

Tiva For Want of a Nail: A terrorist looking for vengeance against Eli David forces seventeen-year-old Ziva, along with her younger sister, Tali, and older half-brother, Ari, to temporarily move to safety in Long Island, New York. There, she stays with her Aunt Batia and meets a seventeen-year-old Tony DiNozzo, recalled by his father from military school. First in the Ripples in the Tides Series.

Regarding the timeline: to make Tony and Ziva the same age, I've had to fudge the timelines quite a bit. Their birthdays are now somewhere in between their old ones, so comes NCIS they'd both be in their early thirties. That means this fic is somewhere in the 80's. It will probably seem more like the 90's or early 00's though, simply because I'm more familiar with that. Just go with it.

Regarding the languages: Assume all the Israeli people (including Ari) are speaking in Hebrew when speaking to other Israelis unless otherwise stated. Language differences will become more evident later on, when the story moves away from Israel.

Also ...how 'bout some reviews, guys? I'm not the type who holds a story "hostage" or begs for reviews, and I'm writing this for myself more than anything... But a little love would be nice. :)

Last Night II

Ziva finally left Tali to make a few last phone calls to her friends, feeling better than she had before she'd talked to her sister. She was still far from ecstatic about the forced trip to America, but at least she no longer felt the urge to punt her fist into the wall. In fact, she had calmed enough that she was now in search of her other family members, especially Ari.

It was a far cry from the family manor they had lived in before, the large house in Haifa that had been passed down from her great-great-grandfather. At one point, it had housed many of her relatives. Now though, with everyone's lives so scattered, it was home only to a caretaker and whoever happened to be available during the summers.

As she walked in search of her brother, the sun had begun to set, casting the hallways in a fading golden light. A glance out the window showed the busy streets of Tel Aviv locked in traffic. It made her long briefly for her uncle's farm, with all it's forests and Arabian horses. Though she'd grown up in the heart of the city, summers had been spent helping out her uncle at his farm. They'd made quite an impression on her, and while she appreciated the convenience of urban living, a part of her ached for somewhere closer to nature.

On her way to Ari's room, she could see that the door to her father's study was closed tightly, and there was the muffled noise of a man speaking harshly in Hebrew. She wisely left it alone and continued in search of her brother instead. Unfortunately, his room proved to be empty, making her frown. Hopefully, it only meant that brother was elsewhere in the house instead-downstairs, most likely-and not out somewhere.

Her hopes were answered when she found Ari in the kitchen, going over case files with a look on intense concentration in his face. There was a cup of tea on the counter, long cold. She mentally rolled her eyes at the sight. He was always terrible about taking care of himself. That cold cup of tea was likely the only thing he'd had all day. Despite herself, a fond smile began to take root on her face as she watched her brother's seemingly oblivious expression. While she still held some resentment over Ari's inclusion in the mission, the long talk with Tali had managed to lessen those flames considerably.

So much so that she'd managed to realize with some surprise that in her preoccupation with her own frustrations over the situation, she hadn't noticed that the older boy had not been rubbing in his "win" over her as per usual. Other than a smug look during the announcement, and some light ribbing after, he had been surprisingly quiet about his most recent "point" against her. It was most unusual, since experience had once proved him capable of gloating for over two weeks straight. Their competitive streaks were the stuff of legends, and though neither would ever admit it, they were both sore losers. They weren't the best winners either, since every time one of them one upped the other, they had a tendency to rub it in. So it was all very out of character for him, and it provided another reason why she needed to find the older boy.

She stood for few long moments by the stairs with no acknowledgement from the other boy, before she finally gave up. A faint rumble in her stomach made her remember her priorities. She'd hoped to find Ari here but her initial reason for coming into the kitchen was more personal. With a short huff of exasperation at her brother's antics, she made her way to the refrigerator. There wasn't as much in the way of variety or quantity as she'd like. Still, it would be enough for a quick meal for four people if she was careful.

After their mother's death, they had hired a housekeeper who did most of the cooking and cleaning around the house. Ziva always tried to cook herself whenever she could though. Her mother had taught her well, before her passing. Now, it was one of the few pleasures she allowed herself, justifying it by also cooking for whoever happened to be in the house at the time. No one had complained.

Her father stepped foot in the kitchen only to make coffee, and while Ari could make a few simple dishes, he did not usually have the patience or inclination to cook. Tali... well, she certainly had enthusiasm in spades. After the incident involving the oven six months ago, however, she had been summarily forbidden from any and all cooking attempts for the foreseeable future. She had pouted rather heavily at that until Ziva had promised to teach her how to cook. Abba had relented to the lessons so long as Ziva would keep a close and wary eye on her younger sister's movements. So far, the lessons had not being going as well as they'd hope, not the least because neither had enough time to keep it up regularly.

Ziva glanced back up to see that Ari had yet to look up from his reading to acknowledge her. She could see the slight twinkle in his eyes that betrayed his amusement at her annoyance though proving that he was paying more attention that he seemed. Though he was normally a fairly serious person, he also possessed a playful side that tended to go into overdrive around his siblings. For someone in his twenties, He could be very immature. Shaking her head with fond exasperation, she resisted the urge to throw a carrot at his head. Her brother was such a pain sometimes that the urge could be very hard to resist.

Instead, she looked down at what she had started to take out from the fridge, pausing as she reconsidered the number. There was was no telling what time her father would finish up his business. Considering past experience, it was entirely possible that it would go on well into tomorrow morning. Anything she made now would simply end up in the refrigerator once again, untouched. Tali would probably come down at some point later, though. She resolved to make enough for three people, but reminded herself to leave Tali's share covered in the pan to keep it warm for her.

Decision made, she returned her attentions back towards placing everything on the chopping block she had laid out. The weight of the chopping knife was heavy and familiar. She allowed herself to get lost in the rhythm of cutting up the vegetables, even humming an old Hebrew pop song under her breath.

It wasn't long before the savory smell of stew began to fill the kitchen.

oOo

By the time she was done, Ari had long stopped pretending not to notice her presence. Despite his disinterest in the act for himself, he loved to observe her cooking. In his more sentimental moments, he could admit that it reminded him of similar days watching his mother (both of them).

"I'm going to miss your cooking most when you are gone," Ari commented with a measure of honest wistfulness.

Ziva was a little surprised that those were his first words to her after his little fit of silent treatment. The sudden change of mood left her feeling flatfooted, which was a feeling she definitely didn't like. It didn't take long for her to regain her bearings though.

"Flatterer," she said flatly, but didn't hide the slight upturn of her lips that softened the blow and showed her pleasure at the comment.

He grinned, his expression lightening. "Only when it's true."

She rolled her eyes, unimpressed. For some reason she could not understand, people seemed to fall for her brother's charms easily. Half of the girls in her class had developed instant crushes on him after he'd met her after school once. It was frustrating, to put it lightly. Some of the more persistent and less intelligent had taken to bothering her about his schedule. Needless to say, she eventually resorted to semi-violent measures to get them to stop. It was around that time that her reputation had begun to grow.

"If you don't stop, you won't be getting a single bite of my cooking," she warned him.

He immediately signaled his surrender. "I will be good," he promised, before getting up to help her set the food on the counter.

They ate mostly silently after that, with only the sound of the cutlery clanging against the plates and a few sighs of appreciation from Ari To disturb the quiet. It made for an uncharacteristically soft night, as the kitchen's yellow bulb cast the room in a warm glow and the soft strains of an old jazz song drifted from the radio she had turned on. It was nice, for a lack of a better word, and she was almost sad to have to end it.

They were halfway through the meal when Ziva's patience ran out and she finally broke the companionable silence to ask about something that had been bothering her.

"I am surprised you have not been lording your victory over me," she started casually, nodding at the folders under the table that contained all the pertinent information regarding the man gunning after their father.

Ari raised an eyebrow, not buying the "casualness" of the statement at all. "Would you rather I did?"

"Would you rather I not cook for you?" She asked him, mocking the inanity of his question.

"I was simply being considerate of your position," he admitted, after a long moment.

Ziva glared at him then. Her brother really should've known better. If there was one thing she hated, it was pity. He knew that-he was the same way after all.

"That has never stopped you before," she pointed out testily.

He held up his hands. "I know how frustrated I would be in your position."

She only continued to glare at him.

"These last few days have been stressful enough. I would not want to be want pushed you over the edge," he elaborated.

Ziva lessened her glare but did not allow the frown to slip off her face.

Ari smiled, adding, "After all, I would not want you to test your newly acquired knife-throwing skills on me."

"That possibility is not yet off the table," Ziva reminded him warningly.

"I thrive in high-risk situations," he responded easily, making her roll her eyes.

"You are deliberately deflecting from the topic."

"What do you want me to say, Ziva?" He asked, exasperated. "I am telling you the truth."

"But not the whole truth," she concluded shrewdly, intimately familiar with the concept of half-truths.

Her brother broke his gaze, conceding defeat.

"I don't want our last conversations with each other to be about a childish feud," he finally admitted.

"We are not leaving for America permanently," she pointed out, brow furrowed in confusion. "What are you not telling me?"

Her mind whirled with the possibilities. Officially, he was a graduating student at one of the universities in Tel Aviv, awaiting acceptance into the medical program in Edinburgh. Unofficially though... Well she knew enough about her father's plans to be worried and not nearly enough to have any idea of what was going through her brother's mind. She didn't like not knowing anything about that.

Also, Ari might not have been "officially" Mossad, but that did not exempt him from being given the missions of one. After all, even though he was only a college student, he was supposed to be stating in Tel Aviv as back up for her father's operation against the terrorist bent on revenge against him. Had something changed? Was there already a serious problem that needed his attentions?

He shook his head, wordlessly denying her suspicions-which only made them stronger.

"Death is always waiting at his doorstep."

That was a remarkably fatalistic statement, even if it did possess a kernel of truth. Living in a country like Israel meant that all of them-even the innocents like Tali-had a closer relationship with death that they might've preferred. It was always a possibility, at any given time, and they had all learned to accept that to some extent. They tried to make the time they had count. Stil, none of that had ever stopped him before.

"Has something happened?" She asked, staring at his face as though she could see all the answers there.

His expression darkened minutely, confirming her suspicions and making her insides tremble with a sudden burst of fear.

"No," he denied firmly, his eyes telling her to drop it.

Ziva hesitated. They had always shared a close relationship despite-or perhaps because of-their rivalry, but it was not the kind that involved heart-to-heart talks and sharing secrets. In the end, they were both too alike, too proud and too guarded.

After a few minutes of tense silence, she decided to let it go. She hoped she wouldn't regret it. Ari finally let the tension bleed out of his expression when she made it clear that she would not be persuing the topic.

"Promise me you will be careful," was the only thing she said, knowing it was the most she could ask.

He nodded seriously.

"Promise me you will take care of yourself in America as well," he asked in her return, a flash of worry flitting across his expression that made her regret the decision not to ask already.

She did not say anything though, choosing to return to her forgotten plate after one last pointed look.

They finished the rest of the meal in silence. Unfortunately, it was not quite as companionable as the one in the beginning. There were too many unsaid things lingering in the air for it to be truly quiet.

oOo

As Ziva predicted, Tali eventually showed up to the kitchen.

Ziva and Ari had both long finished dinner, though they had not yet cleaned up. Instead, they had wordlessly agreed to leave behind the seriousness of their last conversation and try to lighten the mood of their last night together. So they had caught each other up with the latest gossip on their mutual acquaintances, the breaking news stories from the paper, and all manner of other mostly unimportant things. They both stopped talking once they saw their sister though, mostly because they'd ended up in a rather heated debate regarding one of Israel's political enemies that involved liberal use of words they would both rather keep from the one remaining innocent David's ears.

Tali skipped down the steps with a bright smile on her face before greeting both her siblings warmly. Ziva and Ari shared a fond look between them. They both shared the opinion that Tali was the best of them. She had a heart filled with kindness and a smile that brightened up both their worlds. It would not have been much of an exaggeration to say that she was their light.

"Oohh, you made dinner, Zivi?" Tali asked eagerly upon seeing the dirty dinner plates still on the table.

"I thought I could do it one last time for this one over here," she explained wryly, pointing at Ari with a spoon.

Ari stuck his tongue out childishly, making Tali giggle and Ziva roll her eyes.

"Your share is still in the pan, tateleh," she informed her sister kindly.

Tali cheered and moved to find a plate. Ziva shook her head at her sister's antics, but let a smile grow on her face all the same. The kitchen seemed brighter all of a sudden despite the darkening night, thanks to her presence. With Tali around, it was hard to hold to the darkness.

"What were you two talking about before I came down?"

Ziva sent Ari a brief accusing look. He had been the one to start the conversation that had degenerated into an argument filled with swear words that their sister should never hear.

"The latest in Iranian politics," Ari answered smoothly.

They all knew how much Tali hated talking about politics. She thought it was all too needlessly confusing.

Tali shot him a doubtful look. "It sounded pretty heated."

"We have very strong feelings about the candidate this year."

Ziva had to force herself not to laugh. Ari's deadpan look was very convincing, but their sister clearly knew him too well to fall for it.

The younger girl was pouting fully now. "You're lying!"

"Of course not," he denied quickly. "Why would I lie to you, tateleh?"

"Because you two were talking about something bad, again."

The older boy wore an exaggerated look of indignation. "Bad? Me? I would never!"

Tali continued to look accusingly at him, while Ziva finally let out a bark of laughter, well familiar with her brother's antics.

"How was your talk with your friends?" She eventually asked, taking pity on him and distracting the younger girl from her line of questioning against him.

Thankfully, Tali took the bait. Her sister brightened immediately as she started rambling, "It was great. I mean it was a little sad 'cause I won't be seeing them for months, Leilah promised to call every day and you know how funny Samuel is-I was laughing the entire time we talked."

"That's nice," Ziva said indulgently, shooting a quick smirk towards Ari that told him how much he owed her for getting their sister off his case. Ari glared at her, silently telling him how little he appreciated the help.

Tali continued to tell her story, oblivious to their exchange.

oOo

After that, they stuck to safe topics, talking about school, friends and plans for America. The youngest David's enthusiasm was contagious and laughter often followed their conversation, usually at Ari's expense, as the two girls teamed up to tease him. It made for a rare postcard perfect moment for the small family.

Despite their best intentions, it was rare to find the three siblings together for more than a few moments.

They all had lives that took too much of their time. Ari was finishing up his last year of university here and preparing for medical school in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was hoping to get his acceptance letter in a few months. Meanwhile Ziva was spending more and more of her time in training for Mossad, even as she did double duty as a high school student who managed to maintain high grades and a surprising amount of extracurricular activities. Though Tali had the least amount of obligations out of the three, she also had the widest and most active social circle (discounting all the Mossad contacts available to the other two) and she was often out with one friend or another. Also, unlike Ziva, she had kept up her dance and piano lessons, though she'd been focusing much more on her art lessons lately. Their busy schedules meant that more often than not the most they saw of each other was when they bumped into each other in the hallways on the way out of the house.

It made Ziva almost wish that Ari was going with them to America. In an unfamiliar place filled with unfamiliar people, they would no doubt be forced into some much appreciated sibling bonding time while the acclimated to the new environment.

Moments like this were all too infrequent, and she couldn't help but wish it could last longer. Time did not wait forever though. The night grew long, and eventually, Tali broke into a yawn halfway through a sentence.

"Come on, tateleh. It is time for bed," Ziva announced sternly, her tone leaving no room for argument.

Tali pouted. "But Zivi..."

"We must wake up early for our flight tomorrow," she reminded.

The younger girl was still resistant but another yawn slipped from her mouth before she could begin to protest.

"I will help her to bed, Ziva." Ari offered, already getting up from is chair. "You work on the dishes."

"I don't need help going to bed!"

"You just don't want to clean up the kitchen!"

The sisters cried out at the same time, sending twin glares in his direction. Ari ignored their objections, even grinning shamelessly as he quickly half-walked, half-carried Tali out the kitchen and up the stairs to her room. He left Ziva cursing his name under her breath as she began gathering up the dirty plates.