Thanks to NicoleRayn, Scare4irony, Ranel U. Owle, sarahsrr, and ltjv1026 for suggesting quotes, providing editing help, and otherwise just giving me encouragement in writing this story. I couldn't have done it without y'all! Thanks to everyone read this story, even if y'all didn't review, the fact that y'all looked at the story made my day! To those of you who read and reviewed, Thank you sooo much I really appreciated it! I love reading what other people think about my writing even if it is critical.
For this last chapter, I chose to write from more than one person's point of view, so if y'all will guess (i've given some clues) in what order I write these people's perspectives, I'll make y'all a batch of virtual cookies and give ya some!! Thanks for participating in this!!
Disclaimer: I only own seasons 2,3 and half of 4 of NCIS dvd collections...nothing more.
And now onto the SHOW!!
After all, tomorrow is another day- Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind
A man's heart often tells us how he lived. Sometimes, it might even tell us how he died, but contrary to popular myth, it never tells us how he loved.- Ducky in Ex-File NCIS
After everything that had happened, it seemed almost anticlimactic watching him help her with everything. Granted that's the way life ought to be. A guy helping out his girl, no matter what. But life wasn't always so simple. Sometimes, instead of guy just helping out his girl, it turned into partners helping each other out in different ways. Both healing and both hurting.
It had taken time for them to even get to this point. They didn't have much going for them. There was the trust issue, he had broken up her last relationship and had kinda sent her, inadvertently, into a spiral of destructive behaviors..that and her father took advantage of her skills.
Then there was rescue. At first, she wouldn't accept help because of his role in the rescue and what it had cost him. Sure he had all four limbs and a head, despite the numerous times a day that Jethro "reminded" him of reality. But there was something missing, something that was essential to who he was as a person. That was due in part to waiting for some call, some sign that told him that she was all right. But the other part was due what he saw….
I couldn't believe that Gibbs let us leave work early! It was always a good day when we got to leave work early especially when it wasn't because of a case. Usually if we got off early that meant that we had either wrapped up an emotionally draining case or we were in the middle of one and needed to recharge.
But there was reason for us to leave early. We were meeting Ziva, who was finally out of the wheelchair and now on crutches, not that didn't make her any less irritable, especially at Tony. He seems to think that she's made of glass and she'll break at the slightest pain or step she takes.
Of course that could be due to the fact that she was almost died because of the torture. I only saw her after they got back to DC and had her in the hospital…Just seeing her connected to all those tubes and wires and not seeing her awake was awful.
So perhaps knowing what I saw just in the room and the list of injuries that the doctor rattled off when telling us about her condition was horrible enough for me, perhaps I should cut Tony a break….
I couldn't believe that Today was the DAY!! I've only been waiting for this moment ever since Tony told me that Ziva wasn't coming back to the States… I knew that something was wrong when he told me that. But I also knew that somehow someway that Gibbs would fix it! He fixed it the last time so I knew he would be able to fix this time..
Of course there were times in which I doubted but no more.. those doubts are forever raised to the ground and I have risen above them. Besides there are more important things to dwell on like…my new redecoration of Labby. It looks so much better with different pictures or perhaps a rearranging…anyways, Today's the picnic day!!
Ziva wouldn't go on a picnic until she was cleared for crutches…now I almost had to beg to get to agree to this and to pled with Gibbs….because while I can beg with an Israeli assassin, I won't go begging with Gibbs. I can however plead with him.
But Today's the day and its so funny watching Tony and Ziva try to get Ziva settled. They've made a lot of progress in their relationship as friends and as potential coworkers. I know Gibbs will give her a job but whether she will take we're all not sure about… I think that's part of the reason that Tony has been so careful around her and around her around Gibbs…
"Okay, Okay. I get the memo. You can do it yourself" I held up my hands in frustration, in submission and in defeat. Ziva kept glaring at me as she lowered herself down onto the blanket and made herself comfortable…
Well as comfortable as you can get on a blanket on the Washington Mall. I was glad that Abby had asked Gibbs and Ziva for a dinnertime picnic. Gave me a chance to see my family again..
All of my family.
Seeing her here, is amazing.. When we took off in that cargo plane all those months ago, I never dreamed that we would be here all together celebrating something amazing. Celebrating our family.
To be completely honest, this has been hard on me. Not that I'll ever admit that to anyone. Finding Ziva in the place where she was, looking as awful as she did, did a number on me.
I knew that when she woke up, that all of those memories would come flooding back in. And she would hate me forever because if it wasn't' for me then she would still be in D.C. hale and hearty. So while I desperately needed her to wake up and begin mending, I cherished every moment that we had together. I could pretend that perhaps she was just in the hospital because of some bad guy that we got but not quite soon enough. It didn't always work but it worked some of the time.
After she woke up and started talking with everyone, we started working on our relationship…such as it was or is. I'm still not sure exactly where we fit as partners, as friends, or even perhaps as more than just friends. It's all kinda confusing….
"There that's better. See I knew I could do it!" Being able to do some of the simplest things was amazing. Three or four years ago, I would have scoffed at my amazement at being able to sit down on a blanket with those whom I consider my family.
But then again three or four years ago, I was still on lockdown, emotionally and was exactly who my father wanted me to be. An assassin who is able to go in and get the job done without any ties or connections other than those that would help Mossad. I was his personal weapon.
Things change.
Now I will not do whatever he asks, simply because he asks it of me. Now I will make connections and form relationships that have nothing to do with who I am or whose daughter I am or what agency I work unless I choose to do so.. I enjoyed working at NCIS while I was a Mossad officer attached to a team here in D.C. A team that became more than just somewhere to work. A team that became my family.
And now I can do whatever I want, as long as I don't overdo it and as long as I don't have Tony or Gibbs acting like mother hens. Well actually Tony is more of a mother hen but Gibbs is more of like a dragon who is actually quite friendly and is willing to listen to you but bump up against his secrets or his rules and you will get burned.
Currently, Tony and I are playing with fire. Because of the necessity of needing someone to help me until I have complete control of all my limbs and the lack of trust and many other things, Gibbs has been letting rule twelve slide for a few months. However once I go back to NCIS, He may not be so lenient….
Rule twelve was getting to be a bother these days. I knew I made it up for a reason (Paris) but with the situation between Ziva and Tony, it's getting hard enough to keep justifying it especially with everything that they've been through.
Yet I have my rules for a reason…and yet rules are meant to be broken.
I know I've broken enough of them myself. However I don't have to decide about that right now.. Right now I'm going to sit down and enjoy some good food, good weather and perhaps even enjoy the company…
For as Scarlett once said, (Gone with the Wind was one of Shannon's favorite movies), "After All, Tomorrow is another day."
Well I have a blast writing this story, getting comments from everyone to finding new quotes from both NCIS and classic movies. I have really enjoyed reading everyone's comments and reviews about the story. However...school is starting soon and I have to focus on my studies and 12 chapters is a nice even number and is far more chapters than I ever dreamed of writing. So thank you for your comments and please, please review this last chapter and let me know if I'm completely off based on any of the characters.
-Debook210
