A/N: I'm sorry I haven't uploaded in a while. Truth is, I have had this written for a while, and I forgot that I had uploaded it:( so here it is!
It started with a single tear. But after the one came out, there was no stopping the rest. Over thirty years of pent-up emotions came flowing out.
Gibbs sat down inside the frame of the boat, pulling her shaking frame into his arms.
He had never see her do this before. She was Ziva, the unbreakable ninja.
Not anymore.
Salim had broken her on the inside. She hadn't let anyone see this, and she held herself together fairly well.
But she had mostly been silent since they got back. She had said almost nothing on the way home, except a mumbled thanks when they gave her water. But she didn't have to thank them out loud. Her eyes said it all.
Gibbs' paternal side took over, and he stroked her hair as she cried into his shirt. She needed this.
All of her life she had worked hard to make sure that no one saw what she was really feeling. But she had to work especially hard to keep her feelings inside this summer, and it had finally become too much.
Ziva PoV
She could not believe that she was doing this. This went against everything she had been taught.
But really, she didn't care. She desperately needed this.
His arms were wrapped around her trembling torso. They were so strong and sturdy, and she suddenly felt like a little girl.
Or at least how she thinks little girls should feel in the arms of their fathers. She really had no way of knowing.
And despite everything, she felt content. His heartbeat was steady in her ear, and this was surprisingly comforting.
She felt safe for the first time in months.
Ziva had forgotten what a comforting touch felt like, after being deprived of any contact that wasn't cruel for what felt like years.
She buried her head in his chest and continued to entrust her heart to him.
Gibbs PoV
Soon, her sobs subsided and her breathing evened out. He leaned down and kissed her forehead.
He felt like he was holding Kelly. He knew that Ziva is a very different person than Kelly would have been, but it didn't matter to him. They were both his little girls.
It angered him that Salim had gotten off so easy, and also become a martyr. He wanted to make him suffer for what he had done to his family.
And look where that got him the last time.
After she had gathered herself together well enough, she sat up and looked at him, an apology in her eyes and starting to form on her lips.
"Do not apologize, Ziver. You should not be sorry. Plus, you know-" he began as he wiped away her excess tears.
"It is a sign of weakness. I am weak," she finished sadly as he handed her the glass of bourbon that she had long ago abandoned. She gratefully accepted it and let the liquid trickle down her throat.
"Ziva, you are NOT weak. You are the strongest person I know. That was not what I was going to say. I was going to say 'You know that I do not mind.'" he gave her hand a squeeze.
"I know you do not want to talk about it, Ziver. I understand that you probably do not want to talk about anything. You need to adjust. So I am not going to make you say anything. You do not need to tell me about it. Eventually you will want to talk, and I will be there." he assured her. This was probably the most she had ever heard him say at once. She rested her head on his shoulder and sipped her bourbon.
For a long time, they didn't talk. But the silence was not uncomfortable.
Eventually, Gibbs stood up to get more bourbon, and work on his boat. Ziva lay down on the inside of his boat frame, putting her hands behind her head and staring at the ceiling. The only noise was their gentle breathing and sound of the sandpaper against the wood, sanding with the grain. All three were completely on sync. Sand up, inhale. Sand down, exhale. Up, in. Down, out...