Rifiuto: Non Miriena

Thanks to Reader aka Sun Samurai for reviewing 12 and 13 and amiebeca for reviewing 13.

Ziva bit her lip, thinking. She glanced at Tim, who gave her a small smile, and set Nara back on her feet. "What does she believe about Masada? Or Judaism in general?"

Shirah thought a moment. "Masada."

The couple shared a glance. "Well, I believe that... that these people faced desperate circumstances. I think they faced a horrible fate at the hands of the Romans, and I think that in order to preserve their faith and... and their identity, they chose to face death on their own terms. I believe that desperation can lead to actions that may not necessarily be what the person would do when thinking rationally. I think, that the Jews that were here at Masada had weighed their options, and finding surrender would not be possible because of who was after them, that the next best thing was death, because with death, they would not face such horrible atrocities as they would have at the hands of the Romans. I think they chose the choice that was best for them, and best for their people at the time. Now that does not make it right, what they did, but they chose it anyway, because it meant they would not suffer at Roman hands. Every choice you make has to be made with your best interest in mind, not just up here," She tapped her own temple. "But down here as well." Her fingers tapped gently against her heart. "If you know that the choice you are making is right in your heart and your mind, then you can never go astray. Okay?"

The girls nodded, and after a moment, rushed when Eli called to them, showing them the mosaic Nettie had found in sixty-eight; Sarah and Roy followed, listening as Eli told the girls all about Nettie's excavations and discoveries. Tim and Ziva watched them disappear into the thermal baths, finally alone. She turned to him. "Shirah is going to give all her history teachers-"

"Hell?" Tim suggested, meeting her gaze.

She grinned, her nose wrinkling. "Ken." She turned to him, sliding her arms around his waist. "Absolute hell." She rose up on her toes, meeting him halfway, before taking his hand and tugging him along. They wandered the ruins, recalling stories Nettie had told them-

"Oh, Tim," She stopped, tugging gently on his hand to pull him back.

"What is it?"

"Look." They stood before the remains of the Byzantine church, the single window still within the last standing, facing wall. She glanced at him, before moving forward. "Remember this?" She turned to face him, holding loosely to his hand as she walked backwards, her sandals lightly kicking up centuries old dust as she moved. They stopped near the window; Tim furrowed a brow, thinking. "The photograph, on our bookcase? You do not remember?" A moment passed, before he chuckled, nodding, and she grinned. "You do remember."

"I asked you to... be my girlfriend. And you said that-"

"I thought I already was." She giggled, reaching up to take his face in her hands as his moved to grasp her waist. He chuckled softly, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath before resting his forehead to hers. "What are you thinking, baby?"

"Just... that Nettie would have loved our girls."

Ziva smiled softly, brushing her thumb over his cheekbone. "She does love our girls, Tim. I know she does."

He pulled away, meeting her gaze. A moment passed, before she rose onto her toes; they met in the middle, a soft kiss that soon turned deep and needy. She tugged him closer, feeling his arms tighten around her waist, lifting her briefly off the ground. The palla she wore slipped down the back of her head, exposing her dark hair to the sun above, and after a moment, she reached down, sliding an arm around his shoulders.

Twenty minutes later, Eli and Sarah were leading the others to the church, when they stopped. Sarah giggled softly, a blush coloring her cheeks at the sight of her brother and sister-in-law, wrapped in each others' arms. She quickly pulled out her phone, managing to get a shot as Tim slowly broke the kiss. It was a moment, caught forever in time, and Sarah couldn't help thinking that such a scene had come straight from Dovekeepers.

"Ima! Abba!" The girls pulled away from their grandfather, rushing towards their parents, and the moment Sarah had captured was broken. Tim turned, kneeling down and scooping his girls into his arms when they got close.

"What do you say we go see the synagogue, hm?" The girls nodded, and Tim scooped Nara up, settling her on his hip as Shirah and Yoni took their mother's hands. They soon found themselves on the steps of the synagogue; Eli and Roy were sitting on the steps with the girls, telling them stories and keeping them entertained, while their parents and Aunt Sarah slipped off to the opposite end, talking softly together.

"What do we do? We haven't been back here since Auntie died. How... how do we tell them about her?" Ziva reached out, rubbing her sister's back. She shrugged. They had told the girls the basics about Nettie; that she had been an archaeologist, that she'd excavated at Masada for forty-six years, and that she had dedicated her life to maintaining and keeping the memory of Masada alive. Ziva swallowed, pulling Sarah close. "They'll never know what an amazing woman Auntie was, or... or how she would light up whenever she talked about her excavations or..." She swallowed, curling into Ziva's side. Her sister-in-law pressed a firm kiss to her head, wrapping her other arm around her waist. "How do we explain this to them? They're little girls-"

Tim glanced over his shoulder at his daughters, before turning back to his sister. He slipped his bag off his shoulder, pulling something out of it. He glanced at the girls, raising an eyebrow. "I think I know how."