Disclaimer: I only own Talia and social worker :/
Chapter 9
Fifteen minutes later Tony came in carrying a box and asked:
"Did I bring right box? And what do you have in here?"
"Yes, Tony, thank you", Ziva answered. "And you will see what it is inside this."
Tony nodded and was about to leave when Ziva said:
"No Tony, please stay".
Those were the only words Tony needed to hear. He sat down right next to Ziva and was ready to offer support if needed.
Ziva opened the box, sighed, said something in Hebrew and took first item out.
It was a knife. Tony, Gibbs and Vance knew that Ziva usually had one with her. And they all knew what Mossad was capable of. But Ziva's explanation still surprised them:
"This is my first knife. I was four when I got it. It was my fourth birthday when my self-defense-lessons begun. That was my father's decision and either I or my mother had nothing to say about that. My father took me outside our home and Mossad officers started to teach me how to use knife. It might sound innocent, but it was not. It was not a lesson about how to handle a knife so that I will not hurt myself. I needed to learn how to use knife as a self-defense and even kill with it, if I have to. And I was four! I was still a child. Do you want Talia to go through the same thing? Because it is going to happen and there is nothing no one can do to stop it.
"It is social workers problem in Israel, not mine, not yours and no one else in this room", social worker shot her opinion.
"Social work in Israel is not going to stop it. It is considered as normal thing in there. I know it is not easy to understand it, but I know. I grew up in that region", Ziva told and took next item to her hand. "This is a photograph of me. I am learning how to use bigger knife. And I am only five. And no one said anything. They were proud of me."
Everyone watched a picture of Ziva as a child. She was wearing camouflaged pants, brown t-shirt and green scarf. She had a knife in her hand and she was about to throw it. Gibbs, Vance and Tony looked quite pale even though they suspected this. But social worker showed no emotions.
"And this is the knife", Ziva showed.
Tony looked really pale and same thing could be said about Gibbs and Vance. They were in shock, because the knife was big and they couldn't imagine giving it to a child.
"And next picture", Ziva continued. "I am still only six years old and I am learning how and where to kick and hit so that I can defend myself even against bigger men and women. I started lessons with other children, but pretty soon they realized that I was like a little soldier so I started fighting with adults. Sometimes I won, sometimes not."
Ziva tossed pictures to table and after a while she said:
"And this is what I looked like after one hard lesson. Here in America the child would be placed to a foster care, but in Israel it did not happen. These kinds of things are a sign that the child still needs practice. And it is not a crime or even wrong."
Ziva looked awful in that picture. She had multiple scratches in her face, hands and legs. Her face was swollen and she was clearly in pain. Her clothes were covered with blood.
"I fight against a woman who about two times bigger than I. It was a first test if I could be a good soldier or Mossad officer."
Ziva wiped tears away from her yeas. She knew that she needed to continue if she wanted to keep Talia.
After that Ziva took a gun out of the box. Social worker stood up, but Gibbs pulled her back.
"It is not loaded", Ziva said. "But this is the gun I got when I was nine. I was like a child soldier. I did not attend to war, but I prepared to do so later in my life."
Next item was a paper. There were times and numbers in it.
"These tell how fast I shot for example ten targets down or how many targets of twenty I got down", Ziva explained.
In next picture Ziva was in a ballet costume. She was surrounded by two other children and a woman.
"This is my mother Rivka and my siblings Ari and Talia. My father Eli is not in this picture, because he never came to any of my performances. I was a soldier to him, not a daughter. I was not allowed to be a child in his yeas", Ziva explained meaning of that picture.
Tony let a small smile come to his face. Ziva looked cute in a ballet costume. But after that picture Tony didn't smile anymore, because Ziva took another gun out of the box and told that it was her next gun.
"Here fathers are proud when their children have good grades from school or are good in some hobby or behaving well. But in Israel it is normal to be proud if your child can shoot well. My father was proud to give me this."
Next item was another paper. It was a picture and instruction to something. Tony, Gibbs and Vance all had a clue of what it was. And unfortunately they were right. Ziva was sitting in ground building something.
"I am ten and I am building a bomb. Another reason for my father to be proud", Ziva told.
Social worker seemed to be scared.
"After this my mother took me and Talia with her and left my father. Ari was already in his own missions. My mother had enough and she wanted different kind of a childhood to us. But I did not know how to be a child. I did not know anything about being innocent. My childhood was already over. I never got a change to be vulnerable child. My mother was good to us and she tried her best, but my father was a powerful man. He became more dangerous later in his life. We were allowed to laugh as a child and somehow my father maybe even enjoyed hearing it. I would have wanted to cuddle to my father's lap and fell asleep against his chest, but I never dared to do it. My childhood is not something I want anyone to go through. I was not forced to join the army or Mossad, but I was trained to be a killer since I was four. That was the only way of living I knew. Having a family or stay alive to adulthood was not something I had in my mind every day. I did not know how to show my feelings. Sometimes I only had death in my heart. I wanted to fight for my country", Ziva told. "And this is next picture. I am sixteen and going into an army."
Ziva was in army uniform. She had a helmet in her head and she was carrying a rifle.
"My sister did not join the army or the Mossad, but this is what happened to her anyway", Ziva said and showed an article and picture of suicide-bombing.
Next picture was from a gravestone. There read Talia David 1984-2000.
"My sister died in Hamas suicide-bombing when she was sixteen. Hamas also killed my mother. That caused me to fight even more. I went for several missions all over the world and I managed to save lives, including US soldiers and a former director of this agency. That gave me a little happiness to my life, Ziva stated."
Ziva tossed rest of the pictures to the table. They were taken from her in every kind of places and situations. In every picture she had some kind of an injury. After that Ziva put a helmet and an army uniform, bullet proof vest and boots to table. They all had signs of bullet holes and blood. Last picture was clearly taken in London. Ziva was smiling, but she still had a cast in her finger and plaster in her forehead.
"There is one picture I want to show you, Ziva begun.
It was a picture of Ziva and Jenny standing in front of some building. They were both injured.
"This is Jenny. She was my first friend. I saved her life in Cairo and she saved mine later by arranging me to come here. I would not be alive without Jenny."
"She was one kind of a woman", Gibbs suddenly said. "I knew her years and right now I am thankful that she brought Ziva here."
"Me too", Tony and Vance admitted.
"This is my life", Ziva stated. "And if you have not noticed, these are not typical pictures. Usually people have pictures of their children when they are dancing, drawing, swimming, smiling, sitting in someone's lap, learning how to ride a bike or a car and so on. But mine are full of guns, knives, bombs, injuries and death.
I am okay now. I do not consider myself dangerous anymore. It took over four years for me to realize that I do not have to be a cold-blooded killer to survive or find happiness. In Somalia the killer part in me died. I do not have death in my heart anymore. Gibbs said it to me, but I did not believe it immediately. But after I resigned from Mossad and started studying to become US citizen, I finally realized how much I have changed. I allowed myself to be happy and to care about other people. I even learned to love.
Now I just wish to live a long, happy life with my family. It has taken a lot of patient from my family in here to teach me normal life. I have not been the easiest student."
"But that is why we all love you", Tony said.
"You are one of the bravest women I have met", Gibbs said. "You're beautiful, yes, but also one hell of fighter. You have saved my life…
"And mine", Tony said. "Shutting up not boss."
"Like I said, you have saved my life, and many others. And it has been an honor for me to be part of your life."
"Yes, you have thought us so much new things and I would be lost without you. I was lost when you were gone. The hell, whole team was lost. This place wasn't the same without you."
"Those months when you were gone, felt longer. I had to push everyone further all the time and I don't want to do that ever again", Vance said.
Ziva just nodded and continued after that:
"I do not want Talia to go through this. I want her to live free and happy life. I want her to feel safe all the time even without a knife and a gun. I do not want her to grow up as a cold-blooded killer. And I do not want her to learn how to love when she is an adult. That is something I want her to learn as a child. I want her to feel loved. I want her to able to cuddle when she wants. She has to learn that she can show her emotions and talk about them instead keeping them inside. I do not want Talia to grow up in Israel in the middle of the fear and war."
"You were born in over thirty years ago. I'm sure it's not as bad anymore", social worker said.
"It has not changed. And it will not change. Talia's mother was part of Mossad and Talia will be too. There are not social workers or foster parents to keep her safe. If Talia will be returned to Israel, it will be against her parent's wish. And this is going to be her life too."
Social worker didn't become any softer in her opinion, because:
"I'm sorry what happened to you, miss. David, I really am. But this doesn't change my opinion. She must be returned immediately. Israel is her home. Good bye!"
"She will not go back!" Ziva said with tears in her yeas. "She is not safe in there. I want to raise her and give her a good and safe home. She will be surrounded by a family in here. And her family will love her. That would not happen in Israel."
"You have to respect and obey same the same law despite being federal agent. Return her or I will make sure that you face some sort of a charges. I will not change my opinion and I'm willing to fight against you, social worker shouted.
"And so will we", Tony said.
"We know the law too and we will do everything in our power to keep this child safe", Gibbs continued.
"We will fight as long as we have to", Ziva stated.
"And be informed that we will use every method we can think of. And we have power too", Vance threatened.
"We'll see you in court!" Ziva, Tony, Gibbs and Vance shouted back.
Social worker went out and slammed the door. Ziva was crying and Talia had woken up. Tony wrapped her arms around Ziva, Gibbs was standing behind her and baby Talia was in Vance's arms. He had found a bottle.
"I'm sorry, little Talia", Vance said gently. "We will take care of you. You don't have to be afraid."
"How did it go?" Abby and McGee wanted to know.
"I threatened social worker", Vance told.
"Oh dear", Ducky said.
"Well, thank God this is a federal agency", Palmer stated.
"Yes, we will put up a fight!" Abby commented.
Everyone nodded. Suddenly Abby noticed the things in table.
"What are these things?" she asked.
"My life", Ziva answered.
How will team react? What will happen in court? And no, I don't have anything against social workers. I've worked with them. I'm just building up some drama.