Rifiuto: Non Miriena

Once the door to Tim's apartment closed, he pulled her close, kissing her deeply before slowly pulling away and tugging her back to the bedroom. "How about we make some room for your things when they arrive next week?" She crossed her arms over her chest, watching as he opened the doors to his small walk-in closet and turned to her. She smirked. "What?"

A shrug lifted and lowered her shoulders quickly. "Nothing. You just... seem excited."

The closet forgotten, he moved towards her, slipping his arms around her waist and pulling her close. She searched his face for several minutes, before opening his mouth, but he beat her to it. "My... wife gets to stay in America with me, at NCIS. After five years, we're back together- permanently. Am I supposed to be anything other than happy?" She slid her arms around his neck, meeting her gaze.

"No."

He waited. "But?"

She shook her head, her mind on something that had been bugging her since their marriage had been revealed. "Did Jenny seem disappointed today, when she told us that I could stay?"

Tim furrowed a brow, thinking. "Perhaps, but I didn't really notice, why?"

"It is just... I know Jenny is the director... and so... she probably expects everyone to follow her orders with no arguments. She and Abba are a lot alike in that respect." Ziva sighed, suddenly remembering. "What do we tell Abba? And your father? About the marriage- there is no way they will believe what Ari left us."

Tim thought a moment, before grabbing her hand and tugging her back into the living room. He took a seat in front of his laptop, pulling up Skype and logging into it. Ziva joined him, pulling over a chair, until he tugged her into his lap. Minutes passed, and Ziva turned to him, nuzzling her nose against his. It was as she caught his mouth in a soft kiss that Eli and John replied, having met at the embassy that morning for coffee.

"Shalom, Papa." John sat back in his chair, as Eli came around the desk to join the conversation.

"Ah, Timothy, Ziva! We were just discussing you-"

"Should you not be at work? Both of you?" Eli asked, perching on the edge of the short bookcase that sat behind John's desk.

"We were unexpectedly given the day off." Tim replied. "But that isn't why we called. We have something important to tell you." Both men instantly perked up.

"Oh Timothy, Zivaleh, that is wonderful! When is the baby due?" The pair shared a glance, not at all surprised their fathers would automatically assume that a child would be on its way, before Ziva shook her head.

"No, Abba, I am not pregnant. I can assure you, I am not." Eli seemed to deflate briefly.

"So Timothy is not satisfying you enough to conceive-"

Tim let out a soft groan of annoyance, his face in his hands. "Oh my God-"

"Abba!" She glanced back at Tim, who was shaking his head.

"Like we need to discuss the intimacy of our relationship with our-"

"Tim is... he is satisfying me just fine, Abba, I promise, but there is not need for us to try since we are nowhere near ready for parenthood. We are not trying to conceive at all, in fact, we would rather spend the next couple years getting used to marriage before we attempt the conception of a child."

Eli and John had been listening as Ziva had spoken, but her last sentence caused them both to jump in surprise. "I'm sorry, Ziva, I didn't hear you properly. The connection must be bad. What did you say?"

It was Tim that spoke up this time, sliding his arms around Ziva's waist and hugging her. "We are married, Da."

"What? When? And why haven't you let us-"

"Twenty-two years ago." Tim whispered, gently patting Ziva's hip as she got up and retrieved Ari's package from his bag. She settled back on his lap when she returned, and removed the contents, setting them on the desk. Ziva grabbed the letter, unfolding it. "When we got back here yesterday, we found an envelope addressed to us. It was from Ari."

"Ari? But... but Ari is-"

"We know, Abba." And so they explained everything to their fathers- how they'd found the envelope, the letter, the folders of what turned out to be their marriage license, the paperwork indicating a savings account Ari had apparently set up for them not long after discovering that day in the synagogue, the deed for a home in Be'er Sheva that Ari had bought not long after returning from Tehran, and a document saying that Rabbi Weisel had witnessed and approved the marriage, and the photographs, of which Tim scanned and e-mailed to them. Both Eli and John had sat listening, both two shocked to interrupt. When their kids finished, it was John who spoke up.

"How can you be sure this was from Ari?"

"I know his handwriting, Ambassador McGee. He was my brother. And the photos... they could not be doctored back in eighty-five. Ari- he also says in his letter that... if we do not believe him to," She swallowed. "To contact Rabbi Weisel."

Silence settled between the four, before Eli finally gathered his thoughts enough to speak. "So, according to Ari, you have... been married for... little over twenty years without realizing it." They nodded. The Mossad Director watched as Ziva played with Tim's fingers, and he chuckled softly; Rivka used to do the same with him, when she was alive. It always amazed him how much like her mother Ziva was. It was then, though, that he noticed the flash of gold encircling Tim's ring finger. "Timothy, what is that?"

The young man glanced down at the ring on his finger. He shrugged. "Just a ring."

"Where did you get it?" John asked, intrigued. He son thought a moment before frowning.

"I... I don't know. I don't... I've always worn it, for as long as I can remember." He glanced at Ziva, taking her hand and holding it towards the webcam. "Ziva has the exact same one." She shrugged, just as confused as to where it came from as Tim was.

"And you don't remember where you got them?" The pair shared a glance, shaking their heads. John nodded, glancing at Eli. "Well, this is quite a shock, as we were looking forward to your wedding." Ziva gave him a small smile. "But wonderful news nonetheless." He glanced over his shoulder. "We are very proud of both of you."

Tim caught Ziva's eye, wrapping his arms tight around her waist and kissing her sweetly on the lips. "Ken. Welcome to the family, Timothy."

Ziva narrowed her eyes at her father. "Abba, Timmy has always been family." She squeezed Tim's hands, meeting his gaze. "And I have always been theirs."