Rifiuto: Non Miriena

"Did you mean it, Tim?"

He raised an eyebrow over the rim of his coffee cup at her. The pair sat at a small table in a secluded corner of the cafe that serviced the Navy Yard, having left NCIS Headquarters not long after Tony arrived. His green gaze studied her face, and he set his cup down after taking a sip. Her cheek was red, the skin slightly swollen from the impact; a slight imprint of a hand could be seen if you searched for it. He reached over, gently brushing his thumb over her cheek; despite the facade she wore, Ziva winced at his touch. "Mean what?" He whispered, clucking his tongue gently, being tender as he caressed her cheek.

"When you called me your wife."

Their gazes locked, and Tim lowered his hand, folding his arms on the table. "Ziva," He saw her deflate slightly, and reached out, squeezing her hand quickly. "According to Ari, we were married that day in the synagogue, in a self-uniting marriage. In America, it's called a Quaker marriage-"

"What is a... Quaker?"

"They're a religious group. They settled the state of Pennsylvania during the American Revolution. Essentially, they believe in Christianity, but also have a very high religious tolerance, if I remember my history right. So, what we have is a self-uniting marriage, we had no officiant, no witnesses-"

"Ari and Rabbi Weisel witnessed it, only we did not see them." Ziva whispered. "And the officiant we had was God, Tim." She met his gaze. "Couples are united in marriage before God every day; just because they do the whole ceremony and flowers and dress and party... does that make their marriages any less legitimate than ours? What does it matter that a piece of paper has our signatures or not?" She reached out, taking his hand in hers, their fingers lacing. He met her gaze. "God does not care how many guests were at the ceremony or if there were any guests at all; He does not care about the cake or the dancing or the... flower girls and bridesmaids."

She took his other hand, sliding her hand against his before their fingers laced together, squeezing gently. "All that God cares about is that those getting married love each other; that is all that matters to Him. That the people standing before him truly love each other and are willing to do everything possible to make their marriage and their life together work. That is the only thing that God truly cares about. That you and I love each other and will do everything in our power to make sure our marriage succeeds." She met his gaze. "Okay?"

He sighed, nodding silently. Giving him a quick smile, she leaned over the table, stealing a kiss-

The sound of someone clearing their throat caused the pair to break apart. Gibbs stood before them, coffee in hand, eyes filled with questions. "You two with me." And without another word, he turned on his heel, stalking out of the cafe. Slowly, the pair got up, following. Once they returned to NCIS and slipped into the elevator, Gibbs hit the break halfway towards the bullpen and turned to the pair. "Care to explain your little declaration in the bullpen, McGee?"

Tim swallowed, glancing at Ziva before,

"Not particularly, Gibbs."

The older man nodded. "Well you're gonna have to. Because Abby and I weren't the only ones you told."

Tim and Ziva sighed, realizing who he meant.

Now silent, Gibbs turned and flipped the brake off. When they reached the bullpen, Gibbs led the pair up the stairs towards the Director's office; Tony and Abby- who had gone crying to the Senior agent as soon as he stepped behind his desk- watched as Gibbs led the way into Jenny's office. She was waiting for them, her gaze on the national mall across the river.

"Agent McGee, Officer David, have a seat, please." The pair shared a glance. "At the table."

Once the quartet were seated at the table, Ari's evidence laid out before them, and the story explained, Jenny spoke up, even as she leafed through the photographs. "Well, it seems you both left out quite a substantial part of the story. A self-uniting marriage that has been in existence for nearly twenty-two years."

"I can assure you, Director, neither Ziva nor I knew. We didn't know about it until last night, when I found the envelope in my mail."

"From Ari's letter, everything is true. Our marriage exists, because it was self-uniting. We did not know, Jenny. I promise you, we did not know."

Gibbs and Jenny shared a glance. "Would you both excuse us for a moment, Ziva, Tim?" The pair watched as they stood, slipping out of the office, catching hands as the door closed behind them. Jenny sighed, getting up and wandering to the window. "I can't allow this, Jethro."

"They're kids, Jen. They'll learn not to do it again."

"I don't mean that, Jethro. I'm talking about the team." She returned to him, taking a seat beside him and picking up Ari's letter. "There has never been a couple on the same team before." He raised an eyebrow at his former partner, and she sighed. "I don't mean that." She quickly scanned the letter before setting it aside. "There has never been a married couple on the same team within the history of NCIS. It's not done. For the simple fact that eventually the relationship will take precedence over the team- and in the situations we face every day, that is unacceptable. I can't allow it."

She moved to gather the things Ari had sent, but Gibbs beat her to it, and after a moment, she stood, leaving the room. Gibbs hurried to catch up, the envelope in his hand. As he and Jenny headed down to the bullpen, they found Tony and Abby sitting at his desk, watching Tim and Ziva across the room. Ziva had pulled the chair from her desk over to his, and they sat, heads together, hands linked and voices soft. As they entered the bullpen, Gibbs watched Tim reach up, brushing a tear off her cheek. He pulled her into his embrace, rubbing her back, whispering softly to her.

Jenny stepped forward, clearing her throat softly. The couple leaped apart, turning. Instantly, they were on their feet, waiting. "Well, what's the verdict?" The director gave Tim a sad smile. She folded her hands before her, taking a deep breath.

"I understand that your relationship began long before either of you crossed paths with NCIS. And as you both know, NCIS is a civilian agency, under the control of the Secretary of the Navy. And because of that, our jobs are often dangerous." She glanced at Ziva, seeing the tears on the young officer's cheeks. "Never in the history of NCIS, has a team been partially comprised of married agents, and there is a reason for that. Because one case- one bad decision, one instance of turning your back on your partner to protect your spouse in a dangerous situation- can jeopardize the entire assignment. I'm sorry, but I can't allow it. Now, I can either transfer Agent McGee to another team, or I can terminate your liaison position with NCIS and you can return to Mossad, Ziva. Those are the choices. I'm sorry."

Ziva turned to Tim, her eyes glassy. A moment passed, before she excused herself, dashing down the hall towards the bathroom. They watched her go, before Tim sighed. "Director, I mean no disrespect, but Ziva isn't an official agent at NCIS, remember? She's a liaison. From Mossad."

And without another word, he went after her.