People! I have posted now four chapters of a five-piece story and forgotten my thank-yous. I am rude.
Thanks muchly to girleffect and Amilyn for all their help. Both are most awesome.
I love love. I love yous. Thanks for making this so great.
. . . .
Tony thought "The Erlenmeyer Flask" was one of television's top-ten most disappointing season finales ever, second maybe to Dr. Who reboot season three. Or Quantum Leap, season six. That Kennedy episode was rubbish. So was this government conspiracy stuff; he much preferred a Monster-of-the-Week. So did Liana. She was unafraid of the creepier season one X-Files. "Squeeze," with the hibernating, liver-eating Eugene Tooms, lycanthropic "Shapes." She'd laughed. That doesn't even look real, Daddy. He had just smiled back and told her about budgeting and Canadian actors and fledgling pilot seasons.
"Miracle Man" upset her. She'd seen tent revivals, heard the claims of snake oil salesmen, street corner preachers, slow-eyed dealers. They'd promised her treats that never came, "cures" that never cured. Your mom's real sick. This'll make her better. And Lyuda had carried on with her old tricks—quite literally. Until it had all been too much. Until the day she'd walked off into the swamp and left her daughter tied to the door of that fire station. Had she known she'd be dead within a month? Had she come to whatever sense she possessed and tried to at least make the kid safe? Had she simply given up?
Tony clicked off the television and sat in the dark for a while, listening to the sound of his own breathing. His chest rose and fell, rose and fell. The sofa beneath him grew softer and softer, but he snapped his head up and rose on creaking knees, bound for the bedroom. Lyuda had taken all of her secrets to some potter's field in Dade County and left Liana with the mess.
She and Ziva were sound asleep, curled together like cats in a basket. Liana had her hand up the back of Ziva's shirt, pressed over the invisible line that divided what she could feel and what she couldn't. Peas in a pod, those two. Bethesda's latest power couple. Zi-Li. Joined at the hip.
Liana sighed in her sleep and inched closer to Ziva. Tony's half of the bed grew to three-quarters. He slid beneath the blankets without bothering to undress; he guessed by Ziva's raspy breathing that he'd be up with her to do a nebulizer treatment before sunup.
But he wasn't. Tony slept deeply, dreamlessly, and woke with his alarm at six. He showered, dressed, and dabbed a little pomade in his hair before pausing briefly to sniff the air. Why did it smell like that fancy bakery in Columbia Heights? He listened hard. Ziva's breathing, the coffee pot bubbling, and the soft ting of a utensil on granite. Gibbs? He listened again; only Ziva's breathing. Liana was gone and he hadn't even noticed. Again.
She wasn't in the closet. She wasn't in her room, either, though her pajamas were in the hamper and her favorite sandals were gone. So was her little backpack. He barreled down the hallway, hoping she was too sick to get far.
The light in the stove hood was on. The oven fan clicked and turned off. A platter of fruit had been laid out, coffee, orange juice in a crystal pitcher that had been a wedding gift. Sticky cinnamon rolls cooled on a rack. This was not Gibbs' work, Tony deciphered dumbly. "Liana?"
She poked her head around from the entry hall. "I'm right here, Daddy."
"Did you do this?"
She turtled back into her shell. "Um, yes?"
The melon had been sliced into even half-moons. The grapes washed and arranged, the strawberries de-topped and cut in half. "Still life?" he asked.
Liana unfolded her birdy legs and slid off the bench. "It's breakfast."
"Oh."
She wove her fingers together. "I feel bad for how I acted yesterday."
Time slowed. Tony counted out thirty seconds, then forty, then fifty before speaking. "I know you work hard to be...ok," he said slowly. "But you don't have to."
There were bruise-like circles beneath her eyes. "I don't want to ruin things."
"You won't."
More silence. She was measuring her words, chewing her bottom lip. "My friend Simon said that it's really easy to ruin things. He knew a kid who got sent back because he wouldn't do his chores." One thin shoulder rose beneath her t-shirt. "I didn't act very nicely last night, and I thought that if I did some work you might let me stay."
Tony tabled his rage. He'd heard plenty about this Simon, and the punk wasn't a friend; he was a bully and a manipulator. Sweet, earnest Liana didn't know the difference. "You don't owe us," he said quickly. "It's our job to take care of you-a job we wanted more than anything. It's our job to help you feel better when you're sick, or sad, or lonely. You remember that day we finalized, Lee-lee—the judge signed those papers and it was forever and I don't know that I have ever been happier."
She nodded vacantly and scratched a spot on her elbow. "I remember." She swallowed and prodded her throat, brows drawn. "I was always in the way," she said softly. "Lyuda would tell me I was a pest, like a tick." She blinked. "Ticks suck blood. You can get a disease from ticks called Lyme-"
He crouched and picked up her hand. Her cuticles were a ragged mess. "You're not a pest."
"But last night," she continued. "Last night I was..."
He tilted her chin toward him. "Last night you got some very sad news about your mother. Your mother who gave birth to you and whom you loved very, very much. You have every right to be sad or angry. Can I show you something?"
Liana nodded again. He went to the wall and carefully removed the photo of him with his mom. The photo. His favorite. The two of them dressed so smartly and standing under that marquee. He still handled the thing with such reverence. "See?" he said, holding it out. "That's me with my mom." Liana ran one finger along the edge of the Gibbs-made frame. "She was kooky and creative and loved film. And she died when I was eight."
Her eyes flitted up to his face and back down. "I'm sorry."
"Do you know what, kiddo? It still hurts. I still miss her. I still feel lonely for her, even though I'm old and grey now." She graced him with a tiny smile. He warmed at the sight. "My family didn't handle her loss so well. My dad sent me to boarding school. And then sleep-away camp. And then another boarding school. Trust me when I tell you that I know what it's like to be plunked down on a stranger's doorstep with a ditty bag and a whole lot of hurt feelings."
She looked horrified. "Why didn't your dad want to take care of you?"
He shrugged. "He was hurt, too. People in pain don't always do the right thing."
She crossed her arms. "You were only a kid."
"Your grandpa and I have moved on."
She coughed a barking cough into her crooked elbow. "Is that why he's not allowed to come here?"
The kid knew too damned much sometimes. "This is our home, sweetheart. This is our safe place. Grandpa isn't a bad guy, but he hasn't earned the right to be here. So when we see him, we see him in public. That's why we usually go out for dinner."
Liana nodded, thinking. "Can I see the picture again?"
He held it out. She took it and furrowed her brow again. "What was her name?"
"Mom," he joked, but she only nodded seriously.
"How did she die?"
"Cancer."
She frowned. "Was she alone?"
He had to steady himself. "No. We were watching "An Affair to Remember" on her little hospital TV. I looked over at her to say, I'll just take my ego for a walk and she was gone."
She tilted the photo and cocked her head. "What did you do?"
"I walked to the hallway and said to the first nurse I could find, I think my mom just died. She called the doctor on the telephone, and then I don't remember anything until my uncle drove me home that night. I laid in bed for a long time and tried to figure out what was going to happen to me."
Liana handed the photo back. "Did you cry?"
He couldn't look at the boy he'd been. "Not for a long time. Then all I did was cry. And act out. I got into a lot of trouble and kicked out of a lot of schools."
Her face pinched angrily. "Well they shouldn't have done that. You weren't a bad kid."
He touched her hair. She didn't back away. "It can be hard to see through someone's behavior to what's happening underneath."
She gave him a long look. "Yeah. I'll go back to camp if you want me to."
He groaned. "You heard us."
"I didn't know it cost so much money."
He sat on the sofa. "It's not about the money. I thought you were making friends."
"I'll try again," she resigned.
He gave her a look. "You told Ema you didn't like it."
She tensed and said nothing.
"You don't say that sort of thing too much, do you?"
Liana swallowed and cast her gaze around the room. "It's better to stay quiet."
Tony would pocket that one for later. "Did something happen at camp?"
She shifted. "No."
"Liana."
She rubbed her red-rimmed eyes. "I tried," she said quietly.
He touched her hair again. "You always do."
"No one would let me sit at their table. There were empty seats, but they always said someone was coming."
He understood. "Sucks to be the new kid, huh? Where was your friend Anna?"
"Sitting with her friends from last year. There were no spots left at her table."
"So what did you do?"
"There were tables in the back of the room. I sat there."
"By yourself."
"Yeah."
He drew her nearer. "You did that every day for two weeks?"
She nodded and rested her head on his arm.
"You never said anything."
"I thought you might say I wasn't trying hard enough."
He put his chin on her head. "You need to speak up so we know when something's wrong."
Liana chewed her lip. The coffee pot beeped and turned off. "Lyuda wanted to me be quiet and stay out of her way."
Bingo. "That wasn't fair."
She leaned harder on him, tired, feverish. "It's not always hot in Florida."
He played dumb. "Yeah?"
"Yeah. Sometimes it's cold. Not cold-cold, like here, but it gets chilly in the winter, especially at night."
"Bet that made it hard to sleep, especially if you were at the beach or the park." Talk, kid. Talk. I'm here.
"There's a mall across the causeway and we went there one night to get warm. It was Christmastime. There were lights everywhere. And we walked around for a little, but Lyuda said she was tired and wanted to sit. We watched everyone. There were a lot of people there and they were buying everything. Some people had like, ten bags of stuff."
"People go a little crazy for the holidays." Guilty as charged.
"There was a toy store near where we sat, and I watched all the kids playing with all the toys. All of them. And some parents, too. And...and the people who worked there hung all these toys up by the door—stuffed toys. And there was this one little orange cat that...I liked it. But I knew I couldn't have it because we didn't even have money for food or a place to live."
Tony knew where this was going. "You told her that, huh?"
"Yeah, after the mall closed. We were walking back to the beach and Lyuda started talking to me. She never did that, but she told me all about what life was like when she was a kid, how no one was allowed to know her family was Jewish or they'd get sent to prison, but here everyone was so lucky because there were menorahs all over the place. That's why she liked living by the beach so much—there were lots of Jewish people there."
He hugged her. "You're safe here, sweetheart."
She hadn't heard him. "I thought it was ok to tell her that I liked that toy, but it wasn't. She got mad. She got really mad. She hit me and pushed me and called me greedy. We were on the causeway again and she shoved me against the railing and it hurt my back. I thought she was going to throw me in the water. Or into the tents where the bad guys live."
"That was harsh. You didn't deserve that."
Liana turned and wrapped both arms around his neck. He sighed. So did she. "I'll go back to camp if you really want me to."
He turned it back on her. "Do you want to?"
"Daddy—"
"Liana, answer me please."
She put her face against his neck. "No. I want to stay home."
"Then that's what you'll do." He patted her on the back. "I need to go to work soon, Lee-lee."
"I know. Take some breakfast with you. Maybe Tim will want to share."
He eyed the cinnamon rolls on the island. "Did you make those?"
"There is a recipe in Ema's book. It had a star next to it."
He rubbed his neck. "No more with the oven, kiddo. It's not safe without supervision."
"Ok," she agreed easily.
Tony lifted her into his arms. She was light and thin-limbed and burning hot. Her small hands clutched his collar. He gave her a dose of Tylenol and carted her right back into their bedroom, where she climbed in next to Ziva and closed her eyes.
"I love you," she sighed.
He kissed her hair. "I love you, too, Lee-lee."
She smiled and dozed. He watched for a long time, ignoring texts from McGee and Abby. Watched his wife and daughter breathe. Listened to the rain patter on the bathroom skylight. His own pulse hummed along nicely.
Gibbs thumped through the front door and startled him. "You're late, DiNozzo."
He straightened up, grabbed his bag. Next to it was a package of cinnamon rolls, ready to go. "Thanks, Boss."
Gibbs gave him a wry half-smile. "Wasn't me."
. . . .
Ziva greeted him at the front door. She tumbled into his arms the minute he put down his go-bag and put a tender kiss on his mouth. "I missed you," she said.
He cupped the back of her neck and kissed back. "Missed you too," he said when they broke apart. "Rough day?"
She looked tired, but there were no dark circles under her eyes, no pallor to her skin, and she was dressed in a cotton skirt and t-shirt. Her skin was cool and soft. "Yes," she sighed.
His heart sank. Were they in for another long night? "Ya ok?"
"I am fine," she said firmly, and he knew she meant it. "But Liana is asleep. I believe she is down for the night." She peered into the bag he'd brought home. "Did you have to buy so many, Tony?"
He pranced a little, put on the spot. "I...wanted her to have them. And this way she has backup."
Ziva smiled a real smile and he melted. "I understand. I would have done the same thing." She pulled on his hand. "Want to go swimming?"
He had his shirt and shoes off in a heartbeat. She locked the door behind them and shimmied out of her top. Tony shed his pants he waited for her, but she waved him in and got down to the pool's edge by herself. He smiled. "Doing better today, huh?"
She shrugged and eased into the water. Her hands found his shoulders. "I slept until almost ten this morning."
"You needed it."
"I like mornings with you."
He rested his mouth on her neck. "Me, too. Is Li in our bed?"
"No, hers. I think she needed her own space." He pushed off the bottom and tugged her along with him. Ziva sighed. Her breath raised goosebumps on his chest. "I missed you," she said again.
"Me, too."
He whirled and pinned her gently against the side of the pool. Water eddied around them. She gave him a nip on the collarbone and traced his nape with her fingers. "You know that patience is not my strength."
Tony growled a little and grinned. She laughed. It was all so familiar-the water, the rhythm, the way she hummed against his shoulder. He peaked quickly and brought her down slow, liking how she groaned and panted. He put his forehead against hers, but only for a moment; she pushed away and swam a lap, dark head sleek like a seal's as it broke the surface.
He put one hand out when she rejoined him against the wall. She took it. "That was nice," she murmured.
"Yeah."
She lifted one hand and watched water drip from her fingertips. "It was a difficult day."
He stayed where he was. "Tell me about it."
Ziva gave him a long, steady look. "I want Liana to be...permitted. I want her to feel as though she is allowed to grieve." She swirled her hands to stay afloat. "You and I-we were not allowed, Tony. No one gave us the time or space and it had lasting implications for both of us."
He nodded. "I know."
"I hope Liana is able to forgive her mother someday. Maybe not for the abuse, but for the choices she made because of her illness."
"Did you?" he asked.
She blinked. "Forgive Liana's mother? No. I never will, Tony. You know it is not my nature."
"Yours, I meant."
She blinked again. "I suppose. I did not have much time. She died, and I took over at home for a few years before my father enlisted me in the IDF."
Tony watched and waited. She'd taught him patience and it always paid off.
"I dreamed about her often when I was in the hospital," she said softly. Her rs lilted a little; nostalgia always brought out her accent. "I remembered the way she used to talk on the telephone. How she would stand by the window in the living room, how she held the receiver. She smoked." She smiled, wistful. "It was Tel Aviv in the 80s- everyone smoked."
He scoffed a little, joking. "Israelis don't believe in lung cancer?"
Ziva's eyes hardened. "Many Israelis do not live long enough to get cancer."
"Oh."
She retreated back into her memories. "She was gentle. She was demanding, too, but she was gentle and kind. She never raised her voice to us-only to my father. And only when he deserved it."
Tony couldn't hold back. "Sounds like someone else I know."
She grinned and it was beautiful. "Jewish women are tough, Tony."
"Don't I know it."
She wound her arms around his neck. He took most of her weight. "I wanted her when I was sick."
"All sick kids want their moms."
"I do not think I understood how lonely I was. Everything was so vague. It was like I spent six months underwater."
He breathed on her ear and she shivered, delighted. "Not anymore," he murmured.
"No. I am so glad. I did not like how far away everything felt."
He kissed her. "Me either. You ready to get out?"
She kissed back. "Yes. I need to check on Liana."
He hauled her out. They toweled off and re-dressed, flirting, and he warmed some leftover chicken while she went silently into Liana's dark bedroom. He chewed and imagined her sliding the quilt away from their daughter's sleeping face, kissing her brow to check for fever, smoothing her hair away from her eyes. He had to exhale hard to keep his chest from tightening. A family life was a good life.
She returned as he was putting his plate in the dishwasher. "She is sound asleep."
"Did you put your hand on her back to make sure she was breathing?"
"Yes," she confessed. "She is the quietest sleeper."
He nodded. "I've done that, too." She giggled. He went warm. "We had a long talk this morning. She seemed ok when I sent her back to bed. I gave her Tylenol, too."
Ziva sipped mango juice and nodded. "The fever broke around noon. We talked for a little while after she took a shower. She wanted to know about my family." She fell silent, thinking. "I could not tell her anything. She knows things are strange and awkward between my father and me, but I just could not…"
"That's your right, Zi," he agreed.
She looked at him with those big brown eyes again. "She wants to meet him."
Tony wasn't sure how to respond.
"She has asked twice now. And he wants to meet her, at least via Skype, but I cannot permit it. He is so manipulative and she is still so fragile."
He tensed; he'd kill the bastard if he ever laid a hand on Liana. Hell, if he even thought about it. "I don't trust your father any farther than I could throw him."
"I know," she acknowledged. "And that is difficult, because I think he loves me, and he loves Liana, but he has done some terrible things that I am not ready to forgive." He spooned ice cream out of the carton and into his mouth. She made a face. "Get a bowl, you cretin."
He grinned and did it again. "How would your mother handle this situation?"
Ziva frowned and cocked her head. "I do not know. She was unable to protect us, but she was watchful when we were all together. Vigilant. Perhaps hypervigilant. And he was not allowed to care for us until we were older. Tali was three before she let him put her to bed."
Tony finished the carton of ice cream and tossed it in the trash. "Let's think of it like this-Liana has been here for just a year now. To us she's only one. Maybe when she's three-to-us she can spend time with him."
She nodded and licked the stitches in her lip. "That sounds reasonable. Do you think I should let them Skype supervised?"
"If he can love her without ulterior motives, then yes. She's hungry for family. I don't think it's right to withhold anyone."
"You do not like him, Tony."
"Nope, I don't. I hate the way he looks at you. He pities you. He's condescending."
She rolled her eyes. "He has been like that always."
"Yeah, and that makes him kind of a bastard, but he made you so I need to check myself."
"Thank you," she said quietly.
"Did you show Li the pictures of her father?"
She dipped her head. "She did not believe it was real, Tony. She thinks her father is a jack."
"John. Damn. Where's the file?"
"She put it in a box in her room. She will not let me touch it. I asked if she wanted to frame the photo of her mother and she got very angry. And then she apologized so many times I had to ask her to stop. I want to put her back on anti-anxiety medication, Tony."
He swiped a hand over his face. Poor kid. "I agree. She's going to run herself into the ground if we just let her go. Any progress on the playdate?"
"I did not ask."
"Probably better."
"Yes," she said firmly. "Did you finish season one of The X-Files last night?"
He rolled his eyes. "Worst finale ever. All that hype for the movie. Such crap."
Ziva came near and wove her arm around his waist. She worked one hand beneath his shirttails and tickled the divot just above his waistband. "Can we start season two?"
"I'm afraid of the dark," he deadpanned.
"Liana said you can borrow her nightlight," she replied seriously.
He smirked and shrugged and held out his hand. "C'mon. Let's get cozy on the couch."
She took it and arched one eyebrow. "Cozy?"
"You, me, 'Little Green Men.' Sexy."
She guffawed. He lead her to the media room and flicked on the television. She transferred onto the sofa, arms trembling, and let her head fall against his chest. "Do you think Liana will wake up?"
"I'll turn the surround sound off."
"From a nightmare, I mean."
He found a secret stash of pretzels. "Hope not, but we'll stick her in with us if she does."
"I read an article today that said co-sleeping can help with bonding."
"Put the Crunchy Parenting magazine away, Zi. Liana has her own room that she happens to really like."
She harrumphed. "I am just saying that I like when she sleeps with us. She is sweet in a way that we do not often see."
He loved it, too, but wasn't about to admit it. "'Cause you can't feel it when she kicks."
She hit him. He umphed. They both laughed.
"Seriously," he complained once they'd both sobered. "She's strong. I have bruises."
Ziva clucked. "She is small for her age. Surely you are not so sensitive."
"Sensitivity is manly," he carped.
She took his hand. "You are a very good father, Tony. I am proud of you."
He blushed. Blushing was manly, too. "Thanks."
She leaned forward and took his face in her soft hands. "I mean it-you had no model. You had no one to go to for advice. And yet, Tony, you are so good with her. You make me proud every day."
He melted into the sofa cushions, grinning. "Thanks," he said again, awed, and panned forward from "Little Green Men" to "The Host."
Ziva elbowed him. "Why did you do that?"
He kissed her ear. "Tonight is not a night for a crisis of faith."
. . . .
It was past ten-hundred before Liana wobbled out of her bedroom. She was pale and sleepy-faced, but didn't look sick anymore. Tony poked his head into the hallway where she stood clutching the framed photo of his mother and him. "Hey," he said cautiously. "How ya doing, sweetheart?"
She nodded vacantly and held up the picture. "I didn't mean to take this."
"It's fine. Want me to hang it up?"
She looked at it, then at him, and said nothing.
"Want to keep it?"
She stared.
C'mon kid, he urged. Gimme something.
Liana screwed up her face. "Um, is there another copy?"
"We can print one this afternoon and find a frame for it. Want something to eat? Been awhile."
He picked her up. She perched on his hip like a little bird. "Where's Ema?"
"Shower."
"Is Saba helping?"
He carried her into the kitchen and popped a bagel in the toaster. "Nope, she's got it, kiddo."
"What if she falls?"
Tony studied her worried little face. "What if she does? What would we do?"
Her golden gaze wandered. "Um, help?"
"How?"
"Help her up. Make sure she's ok. What if she isn't?"
"What do we do then?"
She looked at him steadily. "Call an ambulance or Saba to take her to Dr. Monroe."
He smiled and touched their noses together. "You got it, kiddo. What do you want on your bagel?"
She toyed with the shoulder seam of his t-shirt. "Um, creamed cheese."
He put her down. "That's what your mom likes."
She blushed. Busted. "Yeah. I am done talking about Lyuda," she said.
"Doesn't work like that," he replied evenly. "We don't just decide when we're better from all our hurts. It takes time and patience, and sometimes intervention like therapy or medication."
She watched him put a schmear on her bagel. "Ema wants me to do both."
"How do you feel about that?"
She took a bite and chewed slowly. "I'll take medicine."
"What about the shrink?"
Liana took another slow bite. He thumbed a bit of cream cheese from her lip. "I don't think I want to go to therapy again. I don't want to talk about that stuff anymore."
Tony pushed the toaster against the backsplash. "What if you need to?"
She blinked those feline eyes. "Then I will."
He knelt so they were eye-to-eye. "That doesn't mean you can't talk to us."
She nodded. "I just want Lyuda to be gone."
"She still hurts you."
Liana closed her eyes and nodded. "It's hard to try new things. I...hear her sometimes. She called me names."
He drew her near. "I'm sorry."
She leaned into him. "It's ok, Daddy. It's not your fault."
"No, but I hurt when you hurt. And I got you something. A few somethings, actually."
She reddened from her hairline to her collarbones. "You don't have to buy me a present every time I have a bad day."
"There are worse things than letting me spoil you a little, sweetheart. Here."
She handled the paper shopping sack the way Ziva handled his gym bag. "What is it?"
"Not a pony."
She giggled. Actually giggled. Tony would've taken off like Superman if he could've. "Cats!" She pulled one from the bag, frowned, and looked again. "So many of them. How did you know this was the one?"
He fumbled. "Ya know...internet."
"Did Tim help you?"
Now he was was busted. "Yeah."
They were more like little beanbags than actual stuffies, and small enough that she could hang all five over her forearm. "I love them. Thanks, Daddy." She gave him a one-armed hug and kissed his unshaven cheek.
Ziva rolled out from the bedroom with a wet head. She wore a cotton skirt and t-shirt again. "Did you get presents, Lia-girl?"
"Daddy bought me cats like the one I liked."
She knew the story. "He knows you well, my lioness. How do you feel?"
Liana rearranged her cats. "Fine."
"I was not speaking strictly physically, Lia."
She wouldn't look at Ziva. "I am finished talking about those things."
Ziva's mouth fell open, but Tony held up a hand. "Liana agrees to medication, but not therapy for now."
She smiled and took Liana's free hand in hers. "My brave girl. I am very proud of you."
Liana climbed up on her lap. "I'm proud of you too, Ema."
Ziva laughed. Tony wanted to hug their whole house, but he had business yet. "I got something else for you, Lee-lee."
She and Ziva both looked up. Their resemblance was startling in certain light. He fumbled. "Abby gave me a kit with a swab. We can do a DNA test to see if that Raul guy really is your dad."
He got the box from his go-bag. It was the same size as an old-fashioned videocassette. "Want to give it a try?"
She didn't look nervous. "You're going to rub inside my cheek, right?"
"Yep. There's something else, too-Abby can do a test to see what your ethnic heritage is. Would you want to know that?"
Liana furrowed her brow. "I'm Russian."
"Belarusian," Ziva corrected. "Your mother was from Minsk."
She made a soft scoffing noise. "That must be a horrible place."
"It may have been, for her. But for you it is just a faraway city in a faraway land. Your home is here."
"Yeah. And we can do that test, Daddy. Is it expensive?"
"Free," he lied. Liana opened her mouth. Tony swabbed it and put the stick in the proper envelope. He scrawled his signature on the line and tucked it back in his bag. "Done. Abby will have the results in a month."
Ziva hugged her tightly. "It is hard to be patient."
She nodded. "Remember when you said I had to have a playdate?"
"I meant that, Liana."
"I know. Can we call now?"
"For later in the week?"
Tony almost jumped up and down. "Sure. Want me to come home early?"
She nodded shyly. "Can you play shark with us in the pool?"
"You're gonna need a bigger boat."
She laughed. Ziva smiled. "Shall I call now?"
"Is that ok?"
"Yes," she and Tony chorused.
He scooped Liana out of Ziva's lap and held her aloft. "C'mon, let's find a basket for your new kittens while the emas work out a plan."
"Ok. I think there is a basket in my closet."
He toted her into the bedroom. She found said basket and tucked the cats inside, adding a spare pillowcase and some silk flowers just because. She put the whole thing on her night table and uttered a soft, oh.
"What, sweetheart?"
She held something out to him. "I still have this. It's Natasha's. I was supposed to draw it for art class homework."
It looked like a rock. "Oh. Well, you and Ema go to the art store a lot. I'm sure you can return it next time you go."
"I shouldn't have taken it."
He put his hand between her shoulderblades. "I am a hundred percent positive that you did not mean to."
"I didn't."
"See? I knew that. I'm the great Carnac."
"You're Daddy."
"You bet. What kind of rock is that?"
"It's a fetish."
"A what?"
She held it up. "A Zuni fetish. This one is a mountain lion."
Tony smiled. Of course it was. "My lioness has a lioness."
Liana pulled out her sketchbook. "I drew one, too."
He flipped pages. She'd drawn a lot of them, apparently, and they were all good. Really good. "How did you learn to do this?"
"I don't know."
"You're amazing."
"I'm not."
He held up a drawing of the mountain lion fetish. The turquoise heart line seemed to point right at her. "Anyone who can do this is amazing."
She flushed. "I made that for Ema when she was in the hospital."
"Why didn't you give it to her?"
"I didn't think she would like it. And then her hands were...not so good and I didn't want her to think I was teasing."
"Let's do it now. She'll be thrilled."
Liana looked uncertainly at his face and then the drawing. "Ok," she conceded. "But it's ok if she doesn't like it."
Ziva was there, silent and sneaky as ever. "Ok if who does not like what?"
"My drawing," Liana said glumly. "I made it when you were in the hospital but you don't have to like it."
Tony handed it to her. She gasped. "It's lovely. Is this one of the fetishes you were talking about?"
Liana lit up. She liked to teach about things. "Zuni fetish. The Zuni are a Pueblo people. They live in New Mexico."
Ziva knew to take the bait. "Why do they make fetishes?"
"For rituals. They have a three-deity religious system. Now they're made mostly to sell, though."
"This blue arrow-"
Turquoise, Ema."
"This turquoise arrow-what is that?"
"It's the animal's life force. It goes from the mouth to the heart."
"And my people say food is love."
Liana touched the twine and tiny arrowheads. "These are for the hunt."
"It is a lioness?"
She fidgeted. "Yeah."
"What does that mean, Lia-levi'yah?"
"The cougar is for healing, Ema."
The air changed. Tony's skin rippled. "Wow, Lee-lee. That's heavy."
She studied their faces. "Maybe it worked."
Ziva smiled up at him, eyes aglow. "Perhaps you are right, my Lia-girl." She opened her arms. Liana climbed into them, but turned and reached for Tony's hand. He squeezed it gently. Ziva kissed her hair. "Perhaps you are right."
FIN.
