Rifiuto: Non Mirena

Thanks to DS2010 for reviewing 2, Sazzita for reviewing 3, 5, mcgeeksgirl for reviewing 7, and Reader aka Sun Samurai for reviewing 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7.

Week Twenty-Two

He looked up at a soft knock on the door. Ziva was in the kitchen, fixing a cup of tea, and he'd found a book that had managed to capture his attention. Silently, he marked his place and then got up, making his way into the foyer. He slowly unlocked the door, pulling it open. "Yes?"

"Timmy." A moment passed, before he slowlyou pulled the door open further, revealing Sarah on the other side. Tears filled the younger McGee's eyes, and he soon stumbled back as she launched herself at him.

"Sarah?" He pulled away to study her; she'd grown up in the last few months. Her once long hair was now chin-length and lighter than before. She'd put on a little weight, gotten curvier as she'd gotten older, but her eyes, her smile were still the same.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't be here after you got out of the hospital. I here for the last two months and then I had to go back to Venice... I had an assignment I had to finish that needed to be in by last week and I couldn't get away, otherwise I would have been here sooner." She choked on a sob. "Oh, Timmy, I'm so glad you're okay." He let her hug him for several minutes before slowly pulling away.

"You're a... a photographer right, for National Geographic?" She nodded, grinning.

"Right. You didn't forget much from that accident, did you, Timmy?" She reached out, taking his hand and lacing their fingers, turning when Ziva came in from the kitchen. "Hey Ziva." Instantly, the younger woman let go of her brother's hand, wrapping her arms around her sister-in-law. "I'm so sorry I couldn't be here-"

"It's okay, Sarah. Your deadline was important."

"Oh, Ziva-" Tim watched as his sister wrapped her arm around his wife's waist, her other hand coming up to cradle the older woman's belly. "Look at you! You've got a tummy!"

"Yeah, I do." She sighed, glancing at her husband. "So, how long are you home for, Sarit?"

She led the younger woman into the living room, and after a moment, Tim followed, watching as the two settled on the sofa before taking a seat in the armchair across from them. He watched them both silently, unsure of what to say or how to react exactly to Sarah's return. He knew she'd graduated with a double major in English Literature and Photographic Journalism, and that she was one of the top photographers and writers at the magazine; she'd won several awards for her work, and lived in Silver Springs, not far from them. And yet... there was still that same girl who used to follow him around when they were kids.

"Three weeks, and then I'm going to Africa. I'm gonna do a piece of the faces of Ebola and how the country is combating the disease."

"You'll be back in time for the birth, right? She wants you here." Both women turned to him, and after a moment, he excused himself, slipping into the kitchen.

"How are you doing, Ziva? I... I mean, I know it's been hard with the baby, but... now that Timmy's out of his coma..."

"He has... post-traumatic amnesia, Sarah. He..." But Tim didn't hear the rest as he set to work fixing the tea. Had Sarah really changed that much in the three months he'd been in that coma? It didn't seem possible-

"My ankles have started to swell and sadly I can't fit into anything other than Tim's NCIS sweats- they are the only thing that's even remotely comfortable now. Toda, ahuva." He nodded, completely unaware that he'd fixed the tea and brought three mugs back into the living room. Clearly, this was something he was used to doing, so much so that it was pure muscle memory. He returned to the armchair, watching as Sarah once more reached over, laying her hand on Ziva's belly.

"Well maybe that's because you're still dressing as though you aren't pregnant, when you so clearly are." Sarah replied, taking a sip of her tea. "Have you gone shopping for maternity clothes?" Ziva made a face.

"Abby tried to get me to go a couple months ago, but-"

"Abby's tastes are... stranger than yours." Both women turned to him. "But then, again, Abby is stranger than everyone, so." He shrugged, glancing down at his mug.

"He has a point, Ziva." The Israeli sighed.

"I know, I just... I wanted Tim... to go with me... I know that sounds silly-"

"Why don't you and Sarah go? Spend some time together? And we can... spend some time together when you get back. We'll be together anyway, we're married and we're having a kid together, after all." Slowly, she nodded, struggling to hide the hurt in her eyes.

"Okay. You... you don't mind not going, Tim?" He shook his head.

"I think I'll stay here and... get reacquainted with everything." He looked around. Though he'd been home a week, this house was still as foreign to him as Ziva was. He missed his apartment, the quiet of it, the familiarity of home it held. But this is your home now... it has been for four years, according to her. You're married, you have a baby on the way, you need to get used to it...

But how?

"If you're sure, Tim." He nodded, meeting her gaze.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. You go, hang out with Sarah for a bit. Have fun."