Rifiuto: Non Mirena
Thanks to Reader aka Sun Samurai for reviewing 24 and 25.
"I could kill her, I could just-"
Ziva stopped, watching as Tim struck out, kicking at the fence in anger. Silently, she made her way towards him, reaching out and managing to grab his wrist before he broke his fingers punching the streetlight. He glanced at her, breathing heavy. Without a word, Ziva slipped herself into his arms; sliding her hands up to cradle his face, thumbs gently stroking his cheeks as she rested her forehead to his. "Shh... hush, Tim. Please, calm. You are going to make yourself sick."
He closed his eyes, sliding his arms around her waist and pulling her closer. "I'ma... sorry..."
"Do not apologize, you have nothing to be sorry for. You are angry, both you and Sarit. It is understandable. You both look at what they have done as abandonment, even though it was with your best interest at heart-"
"They did abandon us, Ziva." Tim ground out, teeth clenched. She swallowed, and he sighed, sliding a hand up her back. "I'ma sorry, Zivaleh. I dinna mean-"
But she rested a finger to his lips. She shook her head. "Shh." Her arms went around his neck, and she held him close, tangling a hand in his hair and gently scratching her nails along the bottom of his hairline. They met in a soft kiss, before he buried his face in her shoulder, tightening his hold on her. One of Rivka's soft Hebrew lullabies began to flow from her lips, and she gently swayed with him, hoping the movement would help calm her boyfriend's frantic heart.
It was in this position that Sarah and Tali found them; the two younger women shared a glance, before joining their siblings. Tim pulled away, reaching out to take Sarah's hand. The woman squeezed, moving close to lean into his side. He brushed a soft kiss to her head, sighing. "I'm not going back in there."
"Tim-"
He shook his head, pulling away from his sister. "No, Ziva!" She sighed. "Look, I love you, but I'm not going to go back in there and play nice with those two..." He sighed, thinking. "Those two child abandoners! Because that is what they did! They abandoned us! They sent us to Israel without any explanation, without any promise to send for us or bring us back, and now they suddenly show up fifteen years later, expecting us to just come back with them, to a country we don't remember, to a home we didn't live in very long, with a couple we only vaguely know as our 'parents.' They came down here, expecting us to follow them like the good obedient sheep we're supposed to be. Well I'm sorry, but I'm not going! I have a good life here, both Sarah and I do, and they are not going to take that away from us!"
"Tim?" Tali moved towards him, reaching out and taking his hand. "Maybe you are overreacting, just a little?"
"God, Tali, who's side are ye on?" Sarah demanded. Tali started.
"I... I am on neither side, Sarit. I just... I do not think that either of you are thinking with your minds. You are running on your hearts, not your heads."
"Use our heads, is tha' wha' ye wan' us t' do, Tali?" Tim asked, and slowly, she nodded.
"I just... I think you would be safer, if you both calmed down and listened to what they had to say before making any rash decisions. You do not know what it is like, converting- and you will be converting to Judaism; there are infinite things you can and cannot do, such as eat pork-" Sarah scoffed, shaking her head, and after a moment, Tali sighed, rubbing her forehead. Why did she always have to take on the role of peacekeeper? "Look, all I am saying is that you are both running on your tempers; you both have a right to be angry, ken, but making any rash decisions while you are angry is only going to cause trouble later on. You know what Abba says in regards to emotion-"
"Esh ktanah nishrafah harbey meod tiras." Ziva cut in. Her sister nodded.
"Right. 'A little fire burns up a great deal of corn.'"
"I've never understood that saying." Sarah replied, glancing at her brother, who shrugged.
"It loses something in translation." Tali tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "But I think what it means, in a sense, is to never let your emotions cloud your judgement, because once that happens, you cannot make decisions properly." The McGee siblings shared a glance. "At least allow them to explain, and then make your decision. Please?"
A moment passed, as Tim and Sarah shared a glance; but before Sarah could reply with some snarky comeback, her brother cut in. "Fine. We'll listen."
"Tim!" He met his sister's gaze as she rounded on him. "You canna be-"
"Tali's right, Sarah. We can listen t' them. Least we can do before we go ahead wit' it." Ziva winced. She only hoped that listening to the McGees would make Tim and Sarah see how important their faith was to them, and see how much she and everyone else in the family, loved it. A soft sigh escaped her throat, and she held out a hand to Tim; a moment passed before he took it, lacing their fingers and squeezing gently. Tali slid her arm through Sarah's, tugging her close.
"Will you try to relax, Sarit? Give them a chance to explain, and then Ziva and I will allow you to kill them, okay?" Once the two disappeared into the house, Ziva turned to her boyfriend.
"You going to be okay, Tim?" He shrugged.
"I can't just go in there and listen to them, Zivaleh. I mean... they'll probably be lying anyway. How do Sarah and I know if anything that comes out of their mouths is the truth?"
She went to him, reaching up and catching his chin. "You do not. But if they are lying, you listen, like Tali said. You do not have to believe them."
"How do you know? This isn't your entire life that's being uprooted."
"You are right, it is not." Slowly, Ziva slid her arms around his neck, kissing him softly. "But I have faith that you and Sarit will make the right choice." She then pulled away, tugging him towards the door and back into the house.