AN: Okay, I said I wouldn't update until after finals, but this was much more fun than writing an essay on the Eisenhower presidency for honors history. Procrastinators of the world unite! Tomorrow! Please review!
Ziva rolled over to glance at the clock on her nightstand. It was only one in the morning; she'd been asleep less than an hour. She sighed and sat up, knowing she wouldn't sleep tonight. Her whole body throbbed with a dull ache, not bad enough to be agonizing or require medicine, but just nagging enough to keep her from sleeping soundly. The doctor had warned her that some pain was to be expected for a while, until she had healed. That and the cramps from the damn pill she'd insisted on taking; it felt like her body was being turned inside-out.
Tony lay beside her, face down, halfway off the bed. He muttered in his sleep, "Oh, yeah...hmm..." Ziva couldn't help but chuckle. At least one of us is sleeping well!
Bored, she considered her options. She wasn't the type of person content with sitting in front of a TV, watching something for hours just to pass the time; where was the accomplishment in that? She could go for a run? Glancing out the window at the maelstrom flooding the city, she decided against it. Even if it were clear and warm, and in the middle of the day, she wouldn't feel safe running alone right now. And she wasn't about to wake Tony, just because she feeling cowardly. She had very few hobbies, most of which involved exertion which her body wouldn't allow right now.
She heard a loud 'thud' as Tony finally rolled off of the bed, still in a deep sleep. He didn't even flinch. A little bit of drool formed at the corner of his mouth as he snored in a low tone. Laughing softly to herself, she took a picture of him with her phone. This was something she'd hold over him for years, and now she had a nice piece of evidence to go with it. She considered sending it to someone, Abby would get a kick out of it, but odds were everyone was already asleep. Flipping through the address book in her phone, one number stood out; one she hadn't called in years. It was morning in Tel Aviv.
She waited for a few rings, giving him a chance to pick up. Who was she kidding? He would never- "Boker Tov?" a familiar voice sighed, obviously stressed. So like her father; eight in the morning, and already stressed to his limit.
"Aba?" she managed, her voice sounding a little weaker than she'd meant it to sound. She'd never been so happy to hear his voice.
"Ziva?!" her father's voice warmed and softened, "How have you been, my child?"
"Not so good, Aba..."
They spoke for nearly an hour. He didn't want to know all of the details as to what happened, but he listened intently to all she had to say, and however much she was willing to divulge. He had hoped that being in America would protect her from some of the evils in the world, but in his heart he'd known that those evils would follow her, just as they followed everyone in this unforgiving life.
"What was that all about?" Tony had finally hauled himself up off of the floor, "I understood 'Shalom' and 'Aba', that's about it." he sat up next to her on the bed, "You were talking to your father? Is there gonna be a bloodbath, 'cause I'm really sick of those."
She smiled, "No, no bloodbath. We just talked." she lay back, tired, "What time is it?
"Almost two." he tucked her in, "I got the impression that whenever you and your father were in the same room, or even time zone, it was like putting a couple of pit bulls together."
"No, that would be me and my mother." she chuckled, feeling the nagging pain returning as she did so
"You're not that bad," he assured her, "You're a lot more relaxed than you used to be." he'd seen her evolve from an assassin, a fighter, and a spy to something more human and normal; something he was growing to love
"Perhaps that is why this happened, yes? I became too relaxed, I let my guard down, and-"
"No!" he wouldn't let her think like that, "There's nothing you did wrong. What that asshole did isn't your fault. You can't stop insane people from doing insane things for insane reasons. That's insane!" he handed her a cup of water and her medication, "Here, Ducky said those will help the pain; and yeah, I can tell you're hurting, so just take them." he hated seeing her like this, but at the same time there was nowhere else he'd rather be, "He said they'd make you dizzy, so if you have to get up and pee, do it now; I don't want to find you collapsed on the floor in the morning."
Reluctantly, she took the pills, "It is not bad," she rolled her eyes a bit. Trying to maintain her composure, she settled down on her pillows, sipping at the water.
Tony sat beside her, watching her carefully, "What's wrong? You're barely eating anything, you aren't sleeping, and you're obviously in pain." he felt her brow with his palm, "Do you want me to call the doctor, see what he says?"
"Tony, I'm fine!" she was getting tired of saying that all the time, "I just need some sleep."
"Which, at this point, you've gotten how much sleep?" he was starting to worry about her, "You've slept what, an hour?"
"Or two. I can get by on less." she assured him, feeling the drugs start to take effect as her head felt heavy and limp on her shoulders, "My father is coming to visit." she informed him casually
"Why?" he was a little frightened of that notion; Director of Mossad, coming for a visit? That couldn't be good...
"I could not dissuade him. Believe me, I tried. However he is coming in the morning."
Tony came around, opening the car door for her. Chivalry didn't suit him. "Tony, I am fine. I do not need you to hold doors for me!" while she appreciated the gesture, she hated being sheltered and coddled.
"Come on, Gibbs caught the bastard!" his voice was bright with excitement, "All you have to do is point a finger, and he's off to Leavenworth!" he locked arms with her, a bit of a skip in his step, "You ready for this?"
She nodded, hitting the button on the elevator that somehow still worked after all these years of abuse. "Yes, I think so."
Up in the bullpen, Gibbs stopped her right before she turned down the isle to their desks, "Ziva, you've got company." he gestured to her desk, where she saw her father seated casually, waiting for her no doubt, "He can't stay here; he keeps asking about Mason. I'm pretty sure he'll kill him if he gets a chance." he wasn't so sure that was a bad thing, but he was sure the Director would frown on that, and he would take the heat for it; something he was more than happy to do
"Aba?" she walked up to her desk, surprised to see her father so soon, "What are you doing here? When you said you were coming, I did not think you meant here!" she let him wrap her in his arms, something he hadn't done since she was a little child
"Ziva," he sighed, "I will not allow the man who did this to you to get away with this. I've seen the way American laws work; there are loopholes, exceptions, and with a competent lawyer they can get out of it. I will not allow that. He must pay for what he did to you and your friend; I will not let him hurt another man's child as he has with mine." he paced the walkway like a caged animal, "Agent Gibbs, if you do not tell me where he is, I assure you I can find him on my own."
"If that were true, you would have already," Tony pointed out, "He'd have been dead hours ago if you knew that." he knew of course the feeling was mutual
"Come on," Gibbs gestured for the man to follow him. Director David followed Gibbs down the hall to the interrogation rooms, Ziva at his heels, "Down here."
"Gibbs, you have never seen my father when he is furious. Now that I think about it, he is a lot like you!" Ziva pleaded with him, "If you show him that man, he will kill him! I am not saying that he deserves to go free. What I am saying is that it is his right to have justice, just as we do!"
"There is no justice, Ziva," Gibbs opened the door into observation, "Just us."
AN: Next chapter (which will actually be after finals ei: Wednesday at the earliest) all hell breaks loose! Reviews give my ego a much needed stroking!