Chapter 24
Shalom, Eli
~~A trip to Israel, Eli David's Funeral, January 2013~~
Ziva slowly walked toward the front of the C-130 military transport plane, one hand absentmindedly rubbing the ring on her other hand as she peered through the few windows in the side of the plane, looking out at the hangars that lined the airport. Just then, she noticed a person running up toward the plane and meeting up with another person who was near the plane. She saw them talking with each other, and the new person pointing to the plane. She blinked her eyes, a bit taken aback by the sudden change in events, then shook her head slightly as she found a seat near the middle of the plane, and folded it down so she could sit in it. She wanted to be close to her father, who lay in the casket that had been secured to the floor of the plane.
The crew chief bounded up the loading ramp and made his way to Ziva and knelt beside her. "Sorry, but we just got word that there's a minor mechanical issue on the plane, so we're delayed for a few minutes."
"Alright," Ziva said, then let out a sigh, crossing her arms and sitting back in her seat. Tears started flowing from her eyes. I thought I'd be okay without Tony, but why am I not? Why do I keep pushing him away? She asked herself, deep in thought.
Shmiel walked up the aisle on the opposite side of the casket, checking to make sure it was secure, even though the crew chief had already done that for him. He patted the casket gently, then sat in the seat across from Ziva. "He was a good man, despite all of his shortcomings," he said, as the turboprops started up.
Outside the plane, Tony walked out of the restricted area, turned the corner – smack into Gibbs, who was standing there. "What're you doing here, boss?" he asked, surprised to see him there.
"Making sure everything's okay," Gibbs said.
Tony let out an exasperated sigh. "But it's not right for her to just go off by herself with no support from her partner."
Gibbs sighed. "Yeah, so? What can you do about it?"
"Well, if I could go with her -" Tony started.
Gibbs cut him off with a finger in the air, a slight grin on his lips. "Could be asking you why you're not on the plane with her," he said.
Tony blinked. "Boss? What do you mean?"
Gibbs pointed to the plane, which he could see through a crack in the fence. "That plane's not leaving without you. I told 'em to hold for you. Far as Ziva's concerned, it's just a slight mechanical hiccup."
"Oh, really? Then I guess I better be going – but what about my stuff?" Tony asked.
McGee walked up beside Gibbs, panting, heavily laden with bags. "Here I am. Did what you asked me to do," He let out an exhausted sigh, then held up one of the bags, straining with the weight slightly. "Got your bag here, Tony."
Gibbs turned to McGee and said, "Go with him. Make sure she's okay. Report back to me when you get there."
Tony sighed, slightly deflated. Damnit, he thought to himself. He realized that McGee had to have been inside his apartment gathering up his stuff for the trip. That he'd seen evidence of Ziva spending time at his apartment. Gibbs was on to Tony and wanted to try his best to enforce Rule 12 on him, he also realized. He shook his head slightly, letting out a slight scoff, and asked, "Why's he gotta go with me?"
Gibbs shifted his stance and stared at Tony, expressionless. "Because I said so."
Tony shook his head, then turned to McGee. "How much stuff did you get, anyway?"
McGee shrugged his shoulders and half-lifted the bags. "Wasn't sure how long the trip would be so I packed a bit more than necessary." He held up Tony's bag. "Here you go. Can we go now? Bags are getting heavy on me."
Tony chuckled. "Oh, buck up, McWimp. You sure you didn't pack the kitchen sink by accident?"
McGee let out a small chuckle. "No, just a few days' worth of clothes. Plus, your usual go-bag stuff."
Tony laughed at McGee, but before he could say anything, Gibbs gave Tony a head-slap. "Go! Get on that plane, now!"
"Oof!" Tony reached up and rubbed the back of his head, fuming inside against Gibbs. "Going now, boss." He turned and quickly walked toward the plane.
"Tony, y-your bag!" McGee called out after Tony.
Tony didn't look back, but beckoned McGee. "C'mon, McGee. You're the one that brought 'em here, you're carrying 'em on."
McGee groaned internally, then started following Tony, trying his best to keep up, while he carried the heavy bags.
Back on the plane, Ziva sat in her seat, wondering why the delay, listening to the drone of the idling turboprops. Shouldn't be taking this long for something minor, she thought to herself. Suddenly, she saw shadows moving around in the open rear of the plane, and turned her head to look in that direction. She saw the crew chief walking up the ramp, followed shortly by two people, one walking quickly and carrying nothing, the other carrying two large bags and trying to keep up. Ziva blinked back her tears and rubbed her eyes dry and looked. "Tony?" she muttered to herself.
The tall figure sat next to Ziva and smiled at her. "Wanted to make sure you were okay, so Gibbs had me go with you." Tony said to her. He leaned over to Ziva and whispered into her ear, "I'm not coming alone, either."
Ziva looked past Tony at the other figure, who still hadn't quite made it up the loading ramp by the time Tony had sat down. "Who's coming with you?"
Tony chuckled slightly. "Boss had none other than McGeek come with us." He leaned over to Ziva and whispered in her ear, "I think because he doesn't totally trust us together."
McGee had finally made it up into the plane and found a seat next to Shmiel and sat next to him, dropping the bags on the floor in front of his feet. "Made it just in time," he sighed with relief as the ramp closed behind them.
The crew chief walked up to them. "All good?" He held up a thumb, with a question mark on his face. His eyes flicked to the bags on the floor, then pointed to them and looked at McGee. "Sir, you might wanna put those on the seats next to you."
"Oh, yeah, sorry." McGee replied above the increasing whine of the turboprops as the plane started moving toward the runway. He leaned over and picked the bags up and secured them to the seat next to him before putting his own seatbelt on.
Tony whirled a finger above his head in the air. "Roll 'em, cowboy!" He flashed a grin to the crew chief.
The crew chief chuckled at Tony. "We'll be touching down in Israel about ten hours later or so. Might catch a refuel over Iceland if we need to." He walked up toward the front of the plane to his seat and sat down in it, then plugged his headset into the intercom jack and said something to the pilot.
Ziva let out a sigh, then sat back, her hand resting idly on Tony's lap as the plane made its way to the runway. Nothing was said the entire time; Tony and McGee stared at each other over the casket, Tony eyeing McGee warily, while Ziva studied Shmiel, who was quietly meditating and adjusting himself to be as comfortable as possible in the seat. She knew that these military transports were not quite made for comfort, and so she felt for the old man. Hope he's comfortable on the trip, she thought.
The turboprops rose from a buzzing whine to a deep-throated roar as the pilot advanced the throttles, and the plane lurched forward, then picked up speed as it roared down the runway. "Here we go!" Tony half-shouted over the roar of the turboprop engines, as he grasped Ziva's hand.
McGee noticed something shiny on Ziva's hand, and blinked his eyes. A ring? He asked himself. He started lifting a finger to point to it, but didn't finish.
Tony shifted his grasp on Ziva's hand to cover the ring. "See something, McNosy?" he bellowed over the engines. His eyebrows shot up.
Ziva looked down at her hand, then flicked her eyes up to McGee. She smirked at him, then looked at Tony. Her eyes asked Tony, should I tell him?
Tony's eyes told her, "No, I got this." He looked up at McGee and yelled across the casket, "You know why Gibbs has you coming with me, right?"
"Maybe," McGee replied back, shrugging his shoulders.
Ziva squeezed Tony's hand, drawing his attention back to her. She looked him in the eye. "Why did Gibbs send you and him with me, anyway?"
Tony shrugged. "Dunno. I was leaving when I ran into him. He told me go with you and sent McGee with me. Why, I don't yet know, but I might have an idea." He sat back in his seat next to Ziva.
Over the next several hours as the plane winged its way over the ocean, very little was said over the drone of the turboprops; the noise kept the conversation to a minimum. Yet, when they flew on, Ziva leaned her head on Tony's shoulder, sleeping while Tony stayed awake. Tony looked across the aisle from him at McGee and Shmiel. He sighed with relief at the old man, snoozing in his seat next to McGee. He flicked his eyes at McGee, who had been half asleep, half awake. He reached inside his pocket and got a piece of scrap paper he had forgotten he had in there, wadded it up, then tossed it across the aisle at McGee. "Wake up, McSleepy!" he said in a normal speech, so as to not wake Ziva.
The paper bounced off of McGee's head, causing him to jerk wide awake with a start. "What?!" he bellowed across the plane to Tony.
"You're watching us, right? For Gibbs," Tony half-shouted to McGee. He held up two fingers to his eyes, then to McGee.
Tony could see McGee gulp. McGee's mouth moved a couple of times as he held his hands up in the air. "I-I don't know what you're talking about?" he bellowed to Tony over the turboprops.
Before Tony could reply, he felt the plane bank into a turn, and he held up a finger, then looked out the window. He saw land sliding under the plane, replacing the ocean that they'd been flying over the past several hours.
The crew chief got up and walked back to Tony and put his mouth up to Tony's ear. "Feet dry. We're gonna be landing in a few minutes. Welcome to Israel."
Tony nodded to the crew chief and held up a thumb.
Ziva stirred awake and looked up at Tony. "Are we there yet?"
Tony smiled and nodded at Ziva, patting her hand gently. "Yeah, we're gonna be landing soon."
Ziva sat up straighter, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "Must've fallen asleep, didn't realize it," she said to Tony. She noticed that the plane's engines had been pulled back to almost an idle and the plane had a noticeable downward tilt.
"Must be on the final approach now," Tony said, smiling at Ziva. He turned back to McGee. "I'm watching you," he mouthed at McGee as he flicked his eye-fingers back and forth between him and McGee.
Shmiel woke up just then. "We home yet?" he asked.
McGee turned to him and said, "Yeah, we just arrived."
Shmiel smiled and said, "Good, good. I expect that as soon as the plane stops they'll unload his body."
Moments after they'd landed and the ramp dropped, Ziva stood up and waited as the ground crew unlatched the straps from the casket, then stepped back as the pallbearers from the Mossad did their duty and lifted the casket and carried it off the plane reverently. Ziva followed close behind, with Shmiel escorting her off the plane.
Tony and McGee got up and started walking toward the rear of the plane. Tony stopped and swung an arm around, smacking McGee in the chest and stopping him in his tracks. He held out his hand. "You're here on Israeli soil. You say nothing but observe. Show the lady some respect." He flicked his fingers up and down on the hand that he was holding out to McGee. "Your phone now, please."
McGee looked down at Tony's hand, then back up to his eyes, a puzzled look on his face. "My phone, why?"
"I know why Gibbs really sent you. To spy on us, right? Make sure we don't violate Rule 12, right?"
McGee gulped. "I hadn't thought of that." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. "But how are we gonna -"
Tony cut him off. "I'll report to Gibbs, not you. Your laptop too, hand it over."
McGee protested. "But why are you asking for my phone and laptop?" He slung his backpack off his shoulder and handed it to Tony, along with his phone.
"That little slip-up of yours months ago jeopardized our friendships and positions at NCIS. You think I'm gonna let that happen again? Think, McGee!" Tony looked at McGee with a serious look on his face. "Gibbs is testing us. Me and Ziva especially."
"He's not!" McGee shot back, then stopped himself. McGee's brain suddenly stopped, then he thought about what Tony just said to him. "Is he?"
"C'mon, McGeek!" Tony exclaimed. "Get your head out of your bits and bytes and codes and look around!"
Ziva stopped and turned back to face Tony and McGee. "Boys, boys! Enough with the bickering!" She let out an exasperated sigh, then turned around and looked at the casket being loaded into the hearse.
Tony held a finger under McGee's nose. "You do nothing but observe. Nothing happened except the funeral services, got it?"
McGee nodded, surprised at the sudden heat in Tony's voice. He realized that he'd slipped up, that Gibbs had set him up by running him ragged until he slipped. He suddenly saw how Gibbs had suspected for a long time about Ziva and Tony, and used McGee to try to find out more about them. He watched Tony walk up toward Ziva and give her a comforting rub on her back, and Ziva leaning her head onto Tony's shoulder.
Ziva whispered to Tony, "What were you boys arguing about?"
Tony let out a small sigh, then whispered back to Ziva, "Gibbs is watching us. Using McGee to do it."
"Oh my gosh" Ziva looked at Tony, a puzzled look on her face. "Do you think Gibbs really knows?"
Tony turned to Ziva and said, "Yeah. I'll handle McGee." He added in Hebrew, "Just like you taught me how to handle someone when they screwed up."
Ziva gasped at Tony's speaking in Hebrew, then looked up at him. "I didn't know you knew more than those words you told me back on the plane. I'm impressed." Ziva nodded at Tony appreciatively, then looked back at McGee. McGee's face was
showing a bit of puzzlement.
Tony glanced back at McGee. Satisfied that McGee hadn't understood a word of Hebrew, he looked back at Ziva and smiled. "Not really in that way, just mess around his with mind. A little lesson for him to learn, right?"
Ziva smiled at Tony and took his hand. "Hopefully you two can keep it civil with each other when we are here," she said quietly to him. How'd you learn the Hebrew?"
Tony shrugged and held his hands up in the air briefly. "Yeah, well, your father has given me inspiration during that blessing not too long ago. So, I looked up a few words and did my best to start learning a little bit of Hebrew. Besides which, the way you speak the language brings a smile to my face because it sounds so beautiful."
Ziva smiled and leaned her head on Tony's shoulder, holding onto his arm as they both walked toward the waiting car, McGee in tow.
~~Olive Grove, David Family Property~~
After Eli's body had been dropped off at the synagogue, Tony, Ziva, McGee, and Shmiel headed over to the David property. Just before they entered the house, Shmiel turned around and stopped the group just short of the doorway. "Here we are." He leaned over to Ziva and whispered into her ear, "She doesn't know, yet."
Ziva nodded to Shmiel, then turned to Tony and McGee. "This is my father's childhood home. It's been in the family for generations. His youngest sister lives here now. My aunt Avira." She held up a finger, then said, "Stay close to me when we go in."
"Avira, eh?" Tony smiled slightly at Ziva as she put her hand on the doorknob. "Looking forward to meeting her." He turned to McGee and whispered to him as Tony put a hand on McGee's chest. "Remember what I told you back there? Say nothing, do nothing, just observe."
Ziva shot them both a look. "Boys, enough! Not here, not now, please." She turned the knob and stepped inside.
McGee gulped at what Tony'd just told him and nodded. "Observe what happens, right."
"That's the spirit," Tony said as he smiled at McGee, clicking his tongue at him and winking. He turned and entered the house behind Ziva and Shmiel, McGee in tow.
Ziva stopped in the living room and looked at them. Shmiel had already walked on ahead into another room. "Wait here. I'll be a moment, let me find her. I think I hear Shmiel talking to her." Ziva turned and walked into the other room, finding Shmiel talking to the caretaker who was there with her aunt Avira.
"She's not been herself lately. Keeps going on and on about danger," the caretaker said softly to Shmiel in Hebrew.
As if to punctuate the caretaker's comment, the older lady spoke up in Hebrew. "Danger approaches! It is here!" She kept rocking back and forth, obviously distressed, upset.
Ziva walked toward Shmeil and the older lady. She cleared her throat slightly and said softly, "Aunt Avira?"
Avira's eyebrows flew up in delight. "Oh, my Ziva!" she exclaimed in Hebrew, her arms waving around in the air to try to feel for Ziva.
Ziva looked into Avira's eyes, which were completely white. She's totally blind now, she thought to herself as she reached out and took one of Avira's hands. "I'm here, Aunt Avira," Ziva said in Hebrew.
"Let me feel you more," Avira replied in Hebrew as she ran her hands over Ziva's hair, face, arms, and hands. "My Ziva, it is you!" She smiled at Ziva.
Ziva glanced back at Tony and McGee through the doorway, then back at Avira. But before Ziva could say anything, Avira started again. "Ziva, danger has come! I see more danger, my darling."
Ziva gasped as she looked at Avira. "What kind of danger are you talking about, Avira?"
Avira broke loose from Ziva and started walking toward the front room, then stopped at the doorway, putting her hand on the doorway, turning back to Ziva and Shmiel. "I sense other people here. Danger has come here!" She started to flail her arms around, trying to feel for the other people.
Ziva quickly walked over to her, along with Shmiel. "Yes, there are others here as well. They came with Ziva," Shmiel said in Hebrew.
"Who?" Avira asked.
Ziva turned to Tony and McGee and said quietly, "Tony, come please."
Tony nodded and turned to McGee and whispered to him, "Wait here. I'll see how things go." He then slowly walked up to her, and looked at Avira. Her eyes chilled Tony to the bone. He had never seen anybody whose eyes were so white. He gulped as he looked over to Ziva, then pushed his initial fright down as he smiled at Ziva and Avira.
As if Avira could sense exactly where Tony was, she reached out and put a hand on his cheek. Tony started to reach up, but Ziva grabbed his wrist and whispered to him, in English this time, "Allow her to feel you."
"Alright," Tony said quietly. "Nice to make your acquaintance," he said to Avira.
Avira felt his face and hands. "A strong man to protect you, my Ziva. Confident, sure of himself," she muttered in Hebrew. "There is no danger within him. What is his name?"
Ziva smiled and said, "This is Anthony DiNozzo. He likes to be called Tony."
"Ah!' The wizened old lady smiled and patted him on the cheek. "He does not come with danger."
"No, he does not," Ziva said reassuringly to her aunt.
Avira turned to Ziva, who was standing next to Tony, and took her hands. Her fingers felt the ring on Ziva's hand, and she felt it more carefully. "Married, Ziva?" she asked in Hebrew.
Ziva shook her head, but smiled at Avira. "Not yet. Soon enough," she answered in Hebrew.
Avira turned to Tony, then back to Ziva. "To this man?" A smile suddenly formed on her lips. "I see him being a very good husband to you and a good father to your children," she said in Hebrew as she patted Ziva on her hands.
Ziva blinked at her, surprised at what Avira had just said. An oracle now? She thought to herself. "Thank you," she said simply to Avira.
Suddenly Avira's face become clouded. "My Ziva, where is Elijah? I no longer see his light. Is that why I feel death near?"
Ziva swallowed the lump in her throat; she knew that she would have to tell her, and soon. "Yes. I bring news to you. It is not good news," she half-whispered to Avira. She blinked away sudden tears that had formed in her eyes. Her eyes flicked to Tony, telling Tony to be prepared for anything. She then looked back at Avira and said, "Aunt Avira, Elijah - my father - is no longer with us."
"Death! Danger!" Avira started flailing her arms about and crying out in Hebrew. "Death has befallen our family!"
Shmiel quickly walked up to Avira and put a reassuring hand on her shoulders and back, whispering to her in Hebrew, "there, there, it'll be okay."
"No! Death has befallen our family!" Avira shrieked, her wailing voice echoing throughout the house.
Tony stood rooted as Ziva tried to console her aunt, unsure what to do next. He was trying to process what had just happened, being able to understand only the occasional Hebrew here and there, when Ziva turned to him and said, "Get a chair, now! Help us!"
"Chair coming right up!" Tony turned and quickly grabbed a chair from the dining room adjoining the living room and brought it to Ziva and set it in front of her aunt. Tony caught the baffled look on McGee's face and he said quietly, "I didn't expect this at all."
"Thanks," Ziva said breathlessly as she took the chair and sat it behind Avira as she and Shmiel helped her sit in the chair.
Tony walked out to the living room and sat down in a chair in the living room and watched what was going on in the other room through the partly-open doorway.
After a few long harrowing moments of Avira screaming Eli's name over and over again, things fell quiet. Ziva came out moments later and walked into the living room, looking at Tony and McGee. She sighed, then sat down in her own chair. "I have to apologize about my aunt. Shmiel's with her right now."
"What was that all about, Ziva?" Tony asked her quietly.
Ziva blinked her eyes. "Not exactly sure. I think she can sense danger and death now. I think she's become an oracle now."
Shmiel's quiet footsteps reached Ziva's ears, and she turned toward him. Shmiel let out a sigh, then said, "I had to sedate her. She's resting for now."
"Wait, what's an oracle, again?" Tony asked, suddenly interested.
"A seer, a clairvoyant." Ziva sighed as she kneaded her hands together for a few moments, "Ever since she became blind from some illness when she was very young, Avira's always been my father's favorite sister. She thought the world of him.
Eli made a promise to himself that no matter what, all of Avira's needs would be provided for, no questions asked."
"Wow, sounds like she is a special lady. So, an oracle could see the future?" Tony asked.
"Yes, or sense what has already happened. The person may not immediately understand the what or why. For reasons I cannot adequately explain, she seems to be very attuned to people. She can read people like that, even better than I can." Ziva snapped her fingers.
"Ah." Tony twisted his face into a serious look. "I take it she didn't take the news very well?" he asked Ziva.
Ziva shook her head. "Somehow, she knew that my father was killed. She doesn't know how he died, though. Maybe better that we not tell her at this time." She let out a sigh.
Shmiel nodded his head and said quietly, "For now. Let her rest. She's been sedated, like I said before. The news upset her greatly."
"Wow, they must have been very close to each other growing up," Tony murmured to Ziva.
Ziva nodded and chuckled slightly. "Inseparable. Ever since our grandparents passed away, Eli had taken it upon himself to care for her. Many good memories with her. My sister and I always loved to visit her when we were growing up, hear her stories that she told us of when she grew up."
~~David Family Burial Plot~~
After Tony, Ziva, McGee, and Shmiel arrived at the burial site, Ziva and Shmiel made their way to the gravesite, where Ziva joined the circle of women who were already present. Shmiel stood slightly off to the side, as the women started wailing in their custom to send the spirit of Eli off to the next plane of existence.
"This is certainly different to me," Tony whispered to McGee. As he watched, he saw Shmiel turn and beckon Tony toward him with a bent finger. He turned to McGee and patted him on the shoulder and said, "Stay here and watch. I think he wants me up close." He turned and slowly walked up to Shmiel.
Shmiel turned to Tony and whispered, "Watch and observe. I understand that your customs differ somewhat."
Tony nodded as he watched Ziva wail as she knelt with the other women, waving her arms around in the air. "Yeah, yeah it is." He took a couple of steps closer so as to see a bit better.
Shmiel stopped him from going any further. "No! Only observe, please. Follow along, and do as I say, please."
"O-okay," Tony stuttered slightly, taken aback by Shmiel. "Whatever you say. She'll be alright, though?"
"Yes." Shmiel turned to look at Tony, then turned back to the gravesite. "You have a lot to learn about our customs in order to be part of the family. Surely Ziva has told you this?"
Tony chuckled. "No. Her father told me this, not her. I'm all ears," he whispered to Shmiel.
"The women wail and mourn like this in order to help send off the deceased into the afterlife," Shmiel whispered to Tony. He patted Tony on his shoulder. "It's part of our tradition for burying the dead. If you watch carefully, the other women follow Ziva, since she is the daughter. All pay her respects when she is burying her father."
"Ah, I see now," Tony muttered to Shmiel as he watched the proceedings from a short distance away. "How can I comfort Ziva, then?"
Shmiel looked back at Tony, blinking his eyes, fumbling for a memory he remembered from years ago. He let out a sigh, then said, "One thing I can tell you now is this. Years ago, when Rivka - her mother - was alive, any time when Ziva or her little sister Tali – sometimes both! - was sick or upset or had anything that was bothering them, there was one thing that Rivka did would always help them be at ease again."
Tony looked at Shmiel. "And what would that be?"
Shmiel chuckled. "A lullaby song. She – Rivka, I mean - would sing that to them, and they'd fall right asleep."
Tony scoffed slightly, but covered it up so it sounded more like he was clearing his throat. "Lullaby songs? But Ziva is no longer a child," Tony murmured to Shmiel.
Shmiel smiled and shook his head slightly. "Trust me, Anthony. Try it sometime. It'll help put her at ease."
"Right. Remind me to find her favorite lullaby songs," Tony whispered to Shmiel.
Shmiel chuckled under his breath, then leaned over to Tony. "Layla, layla," he whispered to Tony. "An old Hebrew song. I'm sure a man with your skills would have no problem finding the lyrics to that." He smiled at Tony.
"Layla, layla," Tony whispered to himself, nodding slightly. He whispered to Shmiel, "Got it. I'll look it up."
Shmiel looked to the gravesite, where the women had finished with their wailing. "You didn't hear it from me," he whispered to Tony.
Tony nodded and smiled at Shmiel before turning back to watch the proceedings.
Later that night at Jerusalem, Tony, Ziva and McGee arrived at their hotel suite that they had reserved for the night. Ziva took a deep breath as she stood in the living room, watching Tony and McGee putting their things on the table. After a few moments, she walked toward the bathroom. "I'll be out in a bit. Give me a bit." She walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her, locking it.
McGee looked at Tony. "Ziva gonna be alright?"
Tony let out a sigh as he plopped himself in the chair. "Yeah, I think she will," he said as he adjusted himself in the chair, making himself more comfortable. "I really hope so, anyway. For her sake." He thought about what had happened throughout the day, still coming to terms with how different things were over here in Israel. He let out an exhausted groan as he rubbed his head. He didn't realize how tired he had been until now. He had been on the go for well over thirty hours by now.
"Alright." McGee plopped himself down on the couch and looked back at Tony. "How do we update Gibbs on -"
Tony held up a finger and pulled his phone out. "I'll handle this," he said. He hit the speed dial for Gibbs and held the phone up to his head and waited for a few moments. He got an answer. "Yeah, boss. Funeral's done. Well, the burial itself is. Tomorrow we head out to the Wailing Wall."
"I thought that was the Weeping Wall?" McGee whispered to Tony.
Tony held up a finger, stopping McGee. "Yeah, she's fine. Talk to you later, boss," he said to the phone before he hung up. "Wailing Wall. Keep brushing up on your geography and history lessons, and you'll maybe learn other useful facts besides codes, algorithms, search patterns, and whatever other techy stuff you work on all the time."
McGee blinked at Tony. "But how can I -" he started.
Tony cut him off and pulled out a laptop and tossed it to McGee. "Here, you can use it to read up on the Wailing Wall. For your information, that's in Jerusalem."
McGee caught the laptop, almost dropping it in the process. "I'll do that. Thanks." He opened the laptop and turned it on. But he couldn't access the Internet, not in this hotel. He looked up from the screen. "What's the bright idea of checking into a hotel that has no wifi access? Never mind a port where I can connect a modem to?"
Tony guffawed at McGee. "You'd think that I wouldn't be onto you sending out little secret emails to Gibbs telling him more than what I want you to say?" He wagged a finger in the air. "Nuh-uh. Not gonna let that happen."
"Oh, come on, Tony!" McGee protested. "You know I'd never," he said, a bit more subdued.
Ziva came out of the bathroom just then. She looked at both of them before she walked over to one of the beds and flopped down onto it, looking at Tony and McGee. "I heard you guys talking in there. Can't I have a peaceful bath without you going at each other?"
McGee tossed the laptop on the couch and stood up, looking at Tony and Ziva. "I'm sorry, you guys. I didn't mean for anything to happen – if it did happen." He sighed, then said. "I'll be back in a bit. Need to go out for a little fresh air, to think for a bit." McGee walked to the front door of the hotel room and stepped out.
Tony watched McGee leave, then turned back to Ziva and sighed. "Sorry about that, Ziva."
Ziva shook her head at Tony. "What exactly was that all about, anyway? You've been at each other almost since we landed."
Tony stood up from his chair and walked over to the window and looked out the window for a few moments. "Gibbs." He turned to face Ziva. "More specifically, what Gibbs might think of us. I think he put McGee with me because of Rule 12. I'd rather not have Gibbs be pissed off at... me, I guess."
"What do you mean?" Ziva asked Tony.
Tony scoffed. "I don't think Gibbs wants us to be alone alone, you know what I'm saying? That's why he sent McGee to be with us. Make sure everything's above the board."
Ziva sighed, then patted the bed next to her. "C'mere, please. Lay by me so we can talk."
Tony nodded and laid on the bed, smiling at Ziva. "Alright. Feels good to be close to you," he whispered to Ziva.
Ziva took his hand and held it. "I do appreciate you being there for me. Giving me comfort. I love you for that. But I think you guys need to learn how to let it go. Gibbs'll find out eventually, anyway. Time will tell what happens, and when it does, we'll get through it." She smiled at Tony and tapped a finger on Tony's nose.
"But McGee -" Tony started, but got cut off by Ziva.
"Will do his job, like always." Ziva finished for Tony. "If you try to control the situation too much, Gibbs will see that and that's what he wants. When he sees this, poof, say goodbye to your job. And mine."
Tony nodded slowly, finally understanding what Ziva was trying to get at. "So, just act like normal, like we've been doing all this time?"
Ziva smiled and nodded. "Exactly. It'll all work out eventually."
"Just keep in mind, no matter what, aht lo le-vahd. You're not alone." Tony leaned over and kissed Ziva full-on.
Ziva returned the kiss, then broke and smiled at Tony. "Thank you for being there for me. At the funeral." She stretched out on the bed and looked at Tony. "I'm tired. We should get some rest before tomorrow." Just then, she heard the door open, and she looked up at the door, Tony following suit.
"You got that right," McGee's voice reached their ears. "Just came back from walking around, thinking about things. I hadn't realized how much things meant to you two." McGee stood at the foot of the bed. "Learned a lot, saw a lot."
"Right." Tony stretched out and yawned. "Ooh boy, so tired. I really need the shut-eye."
"Yeah, it's getting late." McGee said. "I'll take the couch."
Later, in the wee hours of the night, as McGee lay fast asleep on the couch, snoring away lightly, Tony stirred awake, alerted by a new sound. He sat up and listened, and realized it was Ziva, whimpering in her sleep, as if having a bad dream. He quietly got up from his bed to check on Ziva. In the pale street light glow, he saw her slowly squirming about in the bed, crying out occasionally, whimpering. "Must be a bad dream," he whispered to himself as he tiptoed to her bed.
"What're you doing?" McGee's whisper caused Tony's head to jerk in McGee's direction.
"It's nothing. I got this. Go back to sleep," Tony whispered to McGee.
"Alright. Thought I heard something." McGee curled back up and closed his eyes.
Tony watched as McGee curled up, then knelt by Ziva's bed and gently put his hand on Ziva's shoulder and whispered into her ear, "It's okay, Ziva. It's me, Tony."
Ziva woke up with a start, then settled down when she realized it was just Tony by her side. She reached out and took Tony's hand and whispered to him, "Just hold me, please."
Tony nodded as he slowly, gingerly climbed into the bed with Ziva. "I'm here. You're safe with me, it's alright." Tony rested his back on the wall, as he cradled Ziva in her arms.
McGee watched the whole thing with one eye open, realizing that Tony had been there for Ziva, as a soulmate would be. He saw the true love between them, and realized that this was the side that he had never truly had the chance to see, until now. As the realization sank into his mind, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Tony watched McGee adjust himself to a more comfortable sleeping position, then adjusted himself where Ziva lay more comfortably in his lap and his arms. He looked down at Ziva as she started to sleep more comfortably, then started singing softly, his voice above a whisper:
Hebrew versionLayla layla haru'ach goveret
Layla layla homa hatzameret
Layla layla kochav mezamer
Numi numi kabi et haner
Numi numi kabi et haner
Layla layla Numi numi kabi et haner
Then, continuing in English, he sang the same song:
Night, night - the wind blows
Night, night - the tops of the trees whisper
Night, night - a star is singing
Go to sleep - blow out the candle
Go to sleep - blow out the candle
Night, night Go to sleep - blow out the candle
Ziva opened her eyes and looked up at Tony, surprised to hear him singing the lullaby song to her. She smiled up at Tony as Tony looked down at Ziva and gently stroked her cheek. The warmth of Tony's touch instantly calmed Ziva. He whispered to Ziva, "Are you okay?"
Ziva smiled and reached up to stroke his cheek, and whispered to him, "I wasn't before. Now I am, with you here with me." She adjusted herself to be more comfortable in Tony's arms. "Sing it again, please," she whispered to him.
Tony smiled as he sang the lullaby to her, repeating the lyrics over and over again until she slipped into a deep, calm sleep. He looked up at McGee and noticed that he, too, had fallen fast asleep. He smiled at himself, then finally allowed himself to fall into a deep sleep, still holding to Ziva.
A/N: This chapter is at post episode of Shiva, Thank you for enjoying this, along with those awesome reviews, messages, and kudos. More to come soon.