Rifiuto: Non Miriena

She watched through the window, as the kids chased Jethro through the backyard. They'd been at Penny's for three days, and the kids had so far enjoyed themselves; even the dog had settled down, seeming now to understand that these three children were his to protect and love, and there to do the same for him. A moment passed, before she felt slender arms slip around her waist and a chin rest on her shoulder. "I can't believe you and Timmy agreed to take that dog." Ziva chuckled, pulling away and glancing over her shoulder to meet her sister-in-law's gaze.

"I know, but the kids... they fell in love with him. They have been wanting a dog, and asking for one and Tim and I have been saying 'no, we cannot afford it', or 'no, our apartment is not reciprocated for a dog-'"

"Equipped." Ziva furrowed a brow. "Equipped for a dog." The older woman nodded. "They seem to really like that dog."

"They love him. So, so much."

"And you and Timmy?" Ziva shrugged.

"We are... warming up to him. He is turning out to not be such a bad dog after all." Both women turned as Penny stepped out onto the porch and called the kids in for dinner. Tali, Michael and Damon helped bring the food to the dining room table, chatting and joking, like people did at family gatherings. As everyone began to gather at the table, Tim's cell rang, and he picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Can the call not wait, Tim?" Ziva asked, gently patting his ass as she passed by. Tim waved her away, listening to the person on the other end of the line.

"Now, Boss?... o... okay... we... Zi and I will be... we'll meet you... we'll meet you there..." Ziva looked up from scooping Zipporah into her arms.

"Gibbs called?" She asked, settling their daughter in her chair and brushing a wild strand off her child's forehead with a kiss. "About what?" Tim sighed.

"About... the U.S.N.S Chimera. There was a death onboard, and we're to meet him at the Anacostia." Ziva raised her eyebrows.

"Well... can they get another team?" Tim bit his lip.

"It came across Gibbs' desk first." Ziva gripped the back of Zipporah's chair, other hand on her hip. The rest of the group watched in silence.

"We are supposed to be on vacation, Timothy. Do you not understand that?"

"Believe me, Ziva, I do-"

"Does Gibbs?" He sighed, stuffing his hands in his pockets and she swallowed, holding back what she really wanted to call her boss at the moment.

"Zi, I'm sure it won't take that long. We'll get in, figure out who murdered the man, arrest them, and then be back before Saturday." She shook her head, turning to grab something off the counter when he grabbed her arm. She turned back, knife in hand. Tim briefly stepped back, before taking her wrist and gently prying the steak knife out of her hand. He pointed it at her for a moment before setting it in the sink. "Zi, I promise. We'll be back before you know it." A moment passed, before his wife puckered her lips and then turned, storming through the lower floor towards the stairs. Tim sighed as his wife tossed 'bastard' over her shoulder, more at Gibbs than at him.

They found themselves on the Chimera, a ship that appeared to be abandoned in the middle of the ocean. Ziva looked around. "Boss, I don't have a real good feeling about this." Tim said, following Gibbs, Ziva joining them and latching onto Tim's hand, with Tony bringing up the rear behind Ducky. As they moved through the ship, they found it abandoned, as if the crew had left in a hurry, leaving clothing, playing cards, food, where they were, as though they'd been ordered from the ship.

A ghost ship.

As the trio made their way towards the cargo hold, Ziva took Tim's hand, squeezing. She looked around as they stepped inside. "Someone or something is on this ship. With us. I can feel it." She turned to her husband as Tim and Tony walked about the space of the cargo hold. Tim saw genuine fear in his wife's eyes. "Shh! Did you hear that?"

"No." The two men replied in unison, following her through the cargo hold.

"There's something aboard. Other than a rat." She said, referencing how Tony had jumped at the rat scurrying across a box past the senior agent.

"What do your... astute other-than-former-Mossad senses tell you it is?" Tony asked. Tim rolled his eyes, as Ziva's gaze shifted around, ears peeled for the slightest sound.

"In Mossad, part of the training is to be open to things you cannot see... or even understand." She said, continuing on, the guys following.

"You mean the supernatural, Zi?"

"Call it what you want, not everything can be explained by the laws of the natural world."

"You believe in ghosts?" Tony asked.

"I do not not believe in ghosts." Ziva replied, glancing back at her husband quickly; she reached behind her, taking his hand and squeezing but refused to let go. "Or demons. Or monsters. We are on a ship called The Chimera."

"Chimera meant delusion or fantasy." Tim added. Ziva nodded, squeezing his fingers.

"In Greek mythology, a chimera is a monster with a lion's head, a goat's body and a dragon's tail."

"So you think they named the ship The Chimera because there's a monster on board."

"They did not name it the puppy." Ziva replied, stopping at the next noise. Slowly, she reached out, reaching for the door handle. But it opened before she could grab it; Gibbs stood before them.

"Boo." The trio jumped, and Gibbs turned, motioning for them to follow.