Rifiuto: Non Miriena

Thanks to Reader aka Sun Samurai for reviewing 7, 8 and 9.

Tel Aviv,

Israel

Shirah looked up from her homework; her laptop pinged, signalling an incoming Skype call. Instantly, she stopped her homework, moving away from her bed towards her desk. After accepting the call, the screen appeared; Yoni was on the end, looking exhausted and certainly the worse for wear. Shirah chuckled softly. "Jeez, what happened to you, baby dove?"

The nickname had at first been Si-si's for the girl not long after she'd been born, but soon, Shirah had picked it up also, deciding- after a few issues with having her sister come along- that it would be her nickname for her baby sister, not Sarah's. Yoni was her baby sister, after all, and the toddler had been quick to remind her aunt of that fact.

"Gibbs happened, Shi. He decided that today would be a 'close combat day' and took us down to the gym. And while Ima and Abba and To-to were grappling, I was stuck boxing with Gibbs. Although, Ima jabbed To-to in the family jewels and he bounced back fairly quickly, which means he must have a high pain tolerance, or he is just used to it-"

Shirah snorted at the image of Tony going up against her parents; only the girls were allowed to call him 'To-to', and no matter how old they got, the nickname was still in use, would always be. Just as she opened her mouth to reply, another call pinged, and Shirah accepted, to see Nara on the other end. The girl looked as tired as Yoni probably felt. "Hey."

"So, how is working on a movie set, Nar?" Shirah asked, taking a seat at her desk. The younger girl yawned.

"Not so bad the first few days, now it is just exhausting. The other actors are nice, which is a plus, I guess. But I miss being home."

"You have only been down there a week-"

"I know." The girl sighed. "And we will not be here much longer- we are going to be filming the majority of the scenes in Turkey."

Yoni choked on her tea. "What? And you did not tell Ima and Abba?"

"I just found out! Besides, Hetty made it very clear that Agents Hanna and Callen are to go with me." She rolled her eyes. "I am not a baby-"

"Well Ima and Abba seem to still think we are, and they treat us as such. Monitoring us like we are about to plan some sort of massive jewelry heist-" Shirah rolled her eyes. She loved her baby sisters- they were hers and hers alone to look out for, even when she was a million miles away, no matter how childish they acted.

And their parents-

Tim and Ziva had done their best to make sure the girls grew up in a house filled with love and laughter and happiness. They'd given the girls everything they could have asked for, making sure that they were happy and healthy and loved. "They do their best, Ima and Abba. And they are just trying to protect us-"

"Well they are holding on too tight. I am about ready to strangle. I am eighteen, Shi! I am sick and tired of being told what to do! At this point, I want to go to Syria to help as much as to get away from them-"

"Yoni, they love us. They just want what is best-"

"I know, Shirah! I understand, okay? I just... how can you not feel smothered?"

"Well, for starters, Shi is clear in Israel-" Nara replied, pulling her hair back into a ponytail. Their older sister shook her head before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"And they still manage to smother her! Look, I love both Abba and Ima, but I just want them to stop treating me like a child and leave me-" A knock sounded on Yoni's door, and the girl quickly turned. "Ima-" Ziva leaned against the door frame.

"Tony is here; you are still going to stay the night, ken?" When the girl didn't reply, her mother added, "I think it would be a good idea if you spent a couple days at Uncle Tony and Aintin Zoe's. Maybe spend some time with actual adults who do not treat you like a child." She then shut the door softly behind her, leaving the girl alone. Yoni sighed, turning back to her sisters.

Nara whistled softly. "Remember what happened the last time Ima told someone to stay the night for a couple of days? Abba ended up staying with Gibbs for a week before she allowed him back in the apartment, let alone their bed."

"Well, to be fair, Abba did kind of deserve it." Shirah replied. "And I hate to say it, but I think you might deserve it too, Yoni."

The teenager narrowed her gaze. "Thanks, Shi."

"Just go easy on them, they are doing the best they can, and they love us, they really do." Yoni sighed.

"I know. I had better get going. I love you, Nar, Shi."

"Love you too." Once Nara had signed off, Shirah sat back in her chair.

"Look, I know that Ima and Abba tend to treat you like a baby, but maybe part of this is because you act like one occasionally. Temper tantrums, really, Yoni?" The younger girl slouched in her chair, crossing her arms. "Maybe a couple days with To-to is what you need. I think all of you need a break from each other. But if you ever want to talk-"

"I know, Shi. Toda."

"Al lo davar."

The younger girl glanced at the time on her laptop. "I'd better-"

"Same here. I love you, baby dove."

"... I love you, too, Shi." Once they'd signed off, Shirah sat back in her chair.

"That your sister?" She turned; Jacqi Williams kicked the door of their apartment closed and set her backpack down. Jacqi was Shirah's best friend; they had grown up a floor apart, and both girls had gone into the archaeology profession when they got to college- though Jacqi's was more from a sociological standpoint; the girl was also getting a degree in Comparative Religions. The girls had grown up together; both of them being of Israeli-American descent, they'd had a lot in common- not only celebrating the holidays of both faiths, but the same interests.

"Yep. Both of them."

"How are they doing?" Shirah shrugged, getting up and going into the kitchen. She filled the tea kettle and turned on the burner, leaning against the counter.

"Okay. Nar's in L.A.- she is going to be in Turkey filming that movie, and Yoni is going to be in Syria- if she can meet Gibbs's requirements. But she is going to be spending the night at To-to and Zoe's- Ima heard her complaining-"

Jacqi winced. "Been there, done that." Shirah nodded. "So, how far did you get on the research?"