Rifiuto: Non Miriena

Fairy Wings and Mystical Dreams

Shop and Cafe

Two Hours Later

By the time they left the mall and returned to Tim's apartment, Mara had several new articles of clothing including a coat that Tim insisted she would need if she were going to stay longer. New England winters were something the girl was not accustomed to- hell, snow was something the girl was not accustomed to, and it the coat could soften the shocking blow of the cold...

Mara stopped, her gaze drawn to something in the store window before her. Tim turned back, raising an eyebrow before realizing what she was looking at. After a moment, he beckoned her to follow him. She hurried after him, surprised at the ease with which her father entered the shop. The small wind chimes over the door rang out, signalling their entrance, and she soon found herself surrounded by a variety of... everything, it seemed. Books, trinkets, candles, clothing... everything from charms and pendants to love potions and healing crystals filled the small shop, and in the back was a small cafe.

She hurried to catch up to Tim, who greeted the owner with a small smile. "It's been a long time, Timothy." The woman said, moving away from the cafe counter and going to him. She wrapped him in a hug, pressing a soft kiss to his temple. Mara watched in silence as her father embraced the woman, holding tight to her for several minutes, before pulling away. He whispered something in her ear, before turning to the girl and nodding for her to join them.

"I have someone I want you to meet, Penny." Mara started, surprised to hear him on a first name basis with the woman. He turned to Mara, never letting go of the older woman's hand. "Mara, this is Penelope Langston, my grandmother." He took a deep breath, glancing at the woman in question. "And... Penny, this is my... this is Mara."

"Explain it to me again, Timothy. She is the product of a one-night stand?" Tim nodded, glancing over his shoulder at the girl. Mara wandered through the shop, drinking everything in, oblivious to the conversation taking place in the cafe.

"Remember the trip to Berlin that Sarah and I took back in oh-two? The trip that..." He swallowed. "That Sarah..." Penny reached over, grabbing her grandson's hand and squeezing.

"Of course I remember that trip, Timothy. How could I not? That was when our family changed."

"Well, it... it changed in more ways than one. Not just Sarah's death, but-" He glanced back at Mara. "As my sister died of a drug overdose, I was getting a girl pregnant." He took a deep breath. "A complete stranger- who, it turns out, is an officer with Mossad. Her name is Ziva David, and Mara is her daughter... ah... our... daughter."

Penny noticed how he seemed to choke on the words, how he struggled to keep from accepting his part in the girl's conception, even as he admitted to being partially responsible for her existence in the world. "I figured as much, Timothy, love." His gaze shot to hers, confused. "She looks like you. Has your nose." She replied, tapping the appendage. Tim blushed. "She's a very beautiful girl. How old did you say she was?"

"Eighteen." Penny nodded.

"That seems about right." She sighed, getting up and grabbing the coffee pot, pouring another cup for them both before returning to her chair. "So it was a one-night stand." Tm nodded. "On the night Sarah-"

"Please don't, Penny. I blame myself enough for Sarah, I don't need you blaming me too."

"I don't blame you, Timothy, love. I don't blame you at all for what happened to Sarah. She was too trusting. Eventually, she would end up trusting the wrong people." She reached up, gently caressing her grandson's cheek. "You are not to blame for Sarah's death."

She ran her fingers over the small bottles of potions, drinking in the beautiful calligraphy on the labels- love potions, wishing spells, potions to mend a broken heart, oils to increase libido, to slow down death- some bottles were small, others big, all containing beautifully colored liquids. She glanced down at the things in the bag she'd grabbed when she'd left the cafe to look around- a bracelet of turquoise, coral, and yak bone- all set within disks of brass, copper and nickel. From what the description said, all were said to improve health. There was a pendant of black tourmaline- known for being able to ward off negativity. She had several blank journals, a deck of tarot cards, a book on incense and oils, a book on Wicca, a pretty little box with a black cat wearing a witch's hat on its head on top, and an encyclopedia of herbs- things she really wanted to look through. Things no store carried in Israel.

After a moment, she reached out, her gaze catching the name of a certain bottle.

Potion of Acceptance.

Quickly, she set the basket down and lifted the bottle off the shelf. Gently, she uncorked it; the scent of rosewater and lavender wafted up to meet her, a subtle hint of vanilla following moments later. After a moment, she replaced the cap and tucked the bottle into her basket before making her way into the cafe at the back of the shop. Her father looked up, and she blushed, setting her basket on the table.

"Ah, looks like you found a few things." She nodded silently at the older woman as Penny began removing items and quickly placing them into piles.

"I... will not get all of this, I just... we do not have stores like this in Israel and... I wanted to look..."

Penny waved her away. "If they strike your fancy, then there's deeper meaning than just 'looking', isn't there?" The girl blushed as Penny pulled out the tarot cards. She made a face, meeting the girl's eyes. "Have you ever done tarot before?"

"Penny." The older woman glanced at her grandson, before waving him away; Mara shook her head. She'd had friends in the IDF that had played around with tarot cards, but she herself had never handled them.

"Then you'd better start out easy- a beginning swimmer does not try to cross the Aegean Sea her first time, right?"

"She is your Savta, yes?"

Tim glanced at her as they finally returned to the car, bags in hand. "What?"

"Grandmother. Savta is 'Grandmother' in Hebrew." He nodded, filing the information away for later. Silently, he unlocked the car and the two climbed inside.

"Yes, she is." Mara nodded as she buckled her seat belt.

"She is... not exactly normal, is she?" Tim snorted softly, starting the car and heading back to the apartment.

"Nothing's normal about my grandmother."