The next few months were challenging. There was a lot to do and she didn't have enough hands to get it done. Her entire life she'd been either at the Israeli Army or at Mossad and that's all she really knew how to do; so working as a secretary was a whole new world for her. She had to learn new skills and she was happy about the fact that her job description didn't require her to kill anybody. She mostly had to answer phones, write emails and print and send letters to whomever she was asked to. It was a calm environment, a safe place to work and something she would be proud to tell her daughter about. She didn't want Sarah to know that her mommy had worked at Mossad and she definitely didn't want her to know what she did at Mossad. So now that Ziva wasn't a part of Mossad anymore, she would be more than happy to explain to her daughter what she did for a living.
Every day, Ziva woke up at six a.m., she'd get showered and have breakfast and then she'd have enough time to spend with Sarah. She would wake her daughter up at around seven a.m., feed her, change her and then go to work. At noon, Ziva would go down to the daycare facility and feed Sarah and spend some time with her. Then, at around five, she would pick her up and they'd go home together. She would give her a bath, change her into her onesie, feed her and then put her down to bed. It had become a routine, and it was perfect. It was something Ziva had always said she'd avoid at all cost, but now, it was everything she'd ever wanted. Happiness.
With her new job and her new hours, she had enough time to be with Sarah, who was getting bigger and bigger by the day. She couldn't believe her daughter was already five months old, but what's more, she couldn't believe she'd been a secretary for about three months. Nevertheless, she still had to find a new place, because she was more than determined to move into a new apartment. She was looking for something not too expensive, but big enough for the both of them. After all, she was on a budget. She ended up finding the perfect place: it was a beautiful apartment with two and a half bedrooms, two baths, it was an open-layout sort or place, it was in the third floor and in a very safe neighborhood. She couldn't have been happier with it, and, although it was just a bit out of her price range, she'd decided to put down an offer. After a few days of back and forth negotiating the price, she got a call from her agent. The apartment was hers.
Every weekend Ziva would use her time to pack and put everything in boxes and drive them to her new apartment. The last things to pack would be Sarah's belongings, her crib and her clothes and diapers. Ziva would need an entire day for that, because she'd need her daughter's room to be ready the same day she moved in.
While she was packing, she started cleaning up and throwing away things she didn't really use that took up unnecessary space. She threw away some boxes, old clothes she didn't wear anymore and stuff she'd even forgotten about. When she was organizing her closet, she came across her safe. The first thing she saw when she opened it was Tony's business card, which brought everything back. There was something about that card that made Ziva reconsider her choices. Should she call him? "He probably won't remember me"… Should she come visit and introduce Sarah? No, I can't do that… What if he has a girlfriend? I can't change his life like that" She really wanted to go see Tony, to catch up, to be with him and maybe pick up where they left off over a year ago. She knew it would be very unexpected to show up with a five-month old daughter, but sometimes she just couldn't take it. Sarah looked so much like Tony and every day she did something new -whether it was a chuckle or the way she looked at Ziva- that reminded her of the father that wasn't there. Of the man she'd left behind. She still dreamed about that night, and she still remembered every detail. She needed to tell him. She needed him to know.
Two weeks had passed and she was ready to move out of her old apartment and into her new one. She was ready to leave that part of her life behind her and more than willing to start a new one. She had left, on purpose, one item unpacked. Her telephone. And she'd left it out to call Tony. She figured it must be around nine p.m. in Washington D.C., so she dialed his home phone number. Saying she was nervous would be an understatement.
"Hello?" His voice sounded just like she remembered.
"Hey… Am I interrupting something?" Her voice, on the other hand, was low, almost whispering. She was so scared of him rejecting her.
"Ziva? Is that you?"
"Yeah…" She found herself smiling.
"Wow… Hi… Uhm… How have you been? I guess you found, and kept, my card, huh?" He was surprised, but glad to hear her voice. He'd missed her more than he ever thought he could.
"I'm alright and, yeah, I found your card. It was very nice of you to slip it in my jacket. Thank you. Do you have a minute to talk… or are you busy?"
"No, I'm just a bit tired. We closed a case today… it was a long one. But we can talk… I'd like that…"
"Ok… Well, there's a lot that has changed in my life in the past year and a half…" She wanted to ease into talking about Sarah, not just drop that kind of news right away.
"Really? Like what?" Since they first met, Tony had always been able to see the person Ziva really was, and he knew that, not only did she deserve better, but she wanted better. And he was excited to find out what that was.
"Well, to start with, I resigned from Mossad. It's kind of a long story, but the short version is that I got tired of my father bossing me around and telling me to do things I didn't really want to do"
"My God! You really resigned? Way to go, Ziva! That's great! Are you happy about it?... Wait, did you get another job or…?" He was excited for her and happy that she was finally building a life of her own without her father.
"I am very happy, thank you… After I resigned, I made a list of all the jobs I didn't want, narrowing the list to the jobs I could work on. And, after looking and looking, I am now a secretary" Tony could tell that she had a smile on her face.
"A secretary… wow! Out of all the jobs in the world, I would've never pegged you for a secretary! I bet you're really good at it… Do you like it?" There was no judgment in his voice, just happiness.
"Well, it's not the job I was trained to do and it was hard at first. Having said that, yeah, I do like it. It's very different than anything I've ever done and I'm happy about it"
"Great! Any other big changes in the life of Ziva David?" He found it a bit embarrassing how happy he was for her and how he must look like an idiot with such a big grin on his face.
"As a matter of fact, yes. I am in the process of moving out of my apartment and into a new one. In fact, I am talking to you sitting on the floor because the only thing left unpacked at my place is my telephone. I had a very important call to make"
"Yeah? Who'd you have to call?" He wasn't kidding.
"You" She smiled at his innocence.
"Oh… So, uhm, new apartment, huh?" He smiled. He was important to her.
They talked for over an hour, telling each other what had changed in their lives and what had stayed the same. Ziva's plan was to ease into telling him that she'd gotten pregnant after their night together and that he had a six-month old daughter. But soon she realized that that's the kind of news you tell someone in person, not over the phone.