A.N.: So, here it is, the Ziva half of the events from the last chapter. For those of you wondering, I believe that the next chapter will be where the two stories merge. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything recognizable and have not visited Cape May, so if anything sounds like something specific that really exists, I must have tapped into some latent psychic powers.
Ever since they arrived at the airport in Philadelphia, Annie had been in a state of awe. She clung tightly to Ziva's hand and Ziva could tell that her daughter was teetering between excitement and fear. All through the airport, she kept smiling down and saying quiet phrases of reassurance to the little girl.
As Ziva was packing their bags into the trunk of the rental car, Annie tugged at the cuff of her shorts.
"What is it, metuka?"
Annie's voice was barely more than a whisper, "May I have Oogi?"
Ziva smiled and unzipped Annie's backpack, pulled out a plush rabbit, and handed it to her daughter who clung tightly to the rabbit.
After nearly an hour of driving in relative silence, Ziva checked in the rearview mirror to see if Annie was awake. She was indeed awake and holding Oogi.
"Do you need to take a potty break?"
Annie shook her head.
Ziva bit her lip in thought, "Hungry?"
"A little," Annie said.
"What would you like to eat?"
Annie looked to her mother and thought for a moment, "Hamburger?"
"You want a hamburger?"
Annie nodded.
Ziva saw a sign at the next exit for a fast food restaurant and she pulled off and made her way to the restaurant.
Over a dinner of hamburger and apple slices, Annie seemed to be getting a lot more comfortable.
"How much longer until the beach?" Annie asked as she stacked her apple slices into a little tower.
"We are about halfway there," Ziva said, instinctively catching one of the slices as Annie bumped it with her elbow. She watched Annie for a little while longer before asking, "Are you excited to be here?"
Annie looked a bit confused, "In a Burger King?" she said with a raised eyebrow.
Ziva rolled her eyes at her daughter's snark, "No, silly, in the United States."
"Oh," Annie chirped, "I am. But I'll be happier when we get to the beach."
Ziva smiled, "I am glad that you are happy, metuka."
When they arrived at Cape May, they stopped at a grocery store before going to the condo they had rented. Annie froze when they got to the pool toy aisle.
"Mama," she said, in awe.
Ziva chuckled a little, coming up behing her daughter, "Yes?"
She pointed at the packages of inflatable pool toys, "Can I have one?"
Ziva laughed and shook her head, "Which one?"
Annie surveyed the assortment of colorful images before her, then grabbed one package and held it up, "This one!"
Ziva took the package and looked at it. It was a simple red, yellow, blue, and white beach ball. "This is the one you want?" she said incredulously.
Annie nodded.
"You are sure that you wouldn't prefer the dolphin float ring or the unicorn?"
"I like the ball," Annie said simply, grabbing the front of the grocery cart and pulling it a few inches toward her mother.
Ziva shrugged and tossed the package into the cart, "Alright. If that is what you want."
When they arrived at the condo, Annie hesitantly began to explore the rooms while Ziva unpacked their suitcases and the grocery bags. Annie walked through the kitchen and smiled at her mother before continuing on to the living room. She stopped for a moment and looked at the television and checked a shelf below it while mumbling something about movies. Ziva sighed and shook her head. She was her father's child.
Whether or not Annie was satisfied with what she found in the shelves, Ziva never got a chance to ask because Annie immediately let loose a squeal of excitement. Ziva jerked her head from below the counter, where she was storing groceries, and looked toward her daughter. Annie was standing before the large sliding glass balcony door, completely frozen.
"What is it?" Ziva asked, walking toward her daughter.
"Look, look, look, look, look!" Annie demanded, pressing a finger against the glass.
Ziva came up behind Annie and gazed out at the ocean, colored a dark blue as the sun had begun to set behind them.
"The ocean, mama," Annie said, obviously still in awe.
"Yes, it is the ocean, metuka," Ziva said, "Would you like to go hear it?"
Annie looked up at her mother, eyes wide, "Can we?"
"If you promise to not lean on the rail," Ziva warned.
Annie nodded with vigor and Ziva slid the door open.
The seabreeze hit them instantly and blew their hair back, tangling it, no doubt. The wind was heavy with the scent of salt and the humidity and spray-filled wind left their skin slightly damp and bearing the unmistakable feel of being near the ocean. Waves crashed against the beach, creating an almost steady rhythm; the sound was a calming ambience.
Annie had not moved since Ziva opened the door. She stood, transfixed, staring out at the ocean. Ziva sat down in a deck chair and called out to her daughter, who tilted her head toward her mother. She motioned for Annie to come to her and she did. Ziva lifted the young girl into her lap.
"It's beautiful, is it not?" Ziva asked.
Annie nodded and said, "I love the ocean, mama."
Ziva smiled, "So do I, metuka."
It was not long before Ziva noticed Annie's eyelids drooping and felt her beginning to lean her head upon her mother's shoulder, the sound of the waves having lulled her to sleep.
Ziva carried Annie inside, to a small room with coral colored walls and pale teal bedclothes and tucked her daughter into bed. She watched from the doorway as Annie rolled over and went out like a light.
The next morning, Ziva was still adjusting to the time change and let herself sleep far later than she usually would. All that ended in a flash, though, when something landed atop her, bouncing up and down while shouting, "Mama! Mama! We're late! Wake up! Wake up!"
For a moment she forgot that she was on vacation and thought that she was late for work, then she remembered that they were on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean and she was thoroughly confused. "What is it, metuka?" she asked, eyes half open.
"We're late for the beach!" Annie said, exasperated, pointing toward the window.
Ziva looked at the clock beside the bed, it was a little after ten a.m.. "Annie, the beach is not going anywhere," she laughed.
"Mamaaaaa," Annie groaned, sliding off of her mother and tugging on Ziva's arm.
Ziva sat up on the edge of the bed and looked at her daughter, who was already clad in her a sky-blue and white striped swimsuit. "Wow, you are ready to go, aren't you?" she chuckled.
Annie, eyes wide in exasperation, nodded, "Come on, mama."
Ziva stood, "Alright, alright, I am getting dressed." She grabbed her own swimsuit from the dresser and disappeared into the bathroom.
It was all Ziva could do to keep Annie from bolting out the door while she packed a bag of towels, sunscreen, and anything else she could think of that they might need on the beach.
By the time Ziva tried to put sunscreen on her daughter, Annie was practically hopping.
"We can go now?" she asked as Ziva rubbed in the last of the lotion on Annie's leg.
"Alright," Ziva said, standing up and putting the sunscreen back into the bag, "we can go."
Annie bolted to the door and Ziva followed closely behind.
For the next hour or so, Ziva and Annie spent their time playing in the sand, building mountains, collecting shells, and burying Annie. All the while, the little girl kept throwing nervous glances to the surf.
"What is it, metuka?" Ziva finally asked.
"I think I want to play in the ocean," Annie said.
"You think that you do?" Ziva asked, a little confused.
Annie nodded before adding, "But I don't want to get eaten by a shark."
Ziva almost laughed, but then noticed the serious look on her daughter's face and bit it back. "How about this," she offered, "We will go get into the ocean, but we will not go any deeper than this?" she pointed at a her leg, not far above her ankle.
Annie stood next to her and measured the height against her own leg. She looked deep in thought, "Is that deep enough for sharks?"
Ziva smiled and shook her head, "No, it is not deep enough for sharks."
Annie nodded, "Alright. Let's go."
When they reached the surf, Annie was a little hesitant, but it did not take long before she was jumping and splashing in the foam.
Her playful spirit was contagious and Ziva soon found herself joining right in.