Kari sat on the sofa and bobbed her head to her mp3, the music loud and stinging on the ears, "KARI!" Ziva yelled out for the third time this evening, damn what was she listening to?

Kari blinked hard and took out one of the little headphones

"Yeah?" she asked as she stared at Ziva's reasonably annoyed face. "Damn I'm messing up already," she thought to herself as Ziva looked at her with a tired look. "I'm going to bed, you should too," she stated and walked off to her room, she didn't even whisper so much as a goodbye. Kari sighed heavily and felt the usual bottomless pain sting at her eyes. This really wasn't working out, but who could she really blame? Herself of course. Even the man who was meant to look after her said she was nothing more than a mistake. Silent tears streamed down her face as disturbing flash backs took over her. "Maybe he was right, Ziva obviously didn't plan on getting pregnant and-" she said out loud to herself, but was stopped by someone walking in "Kari.." Ziva began, she had heard most of the things, which Kari had said out loud, and damn she felt guilty. "Good night Ziva" Kari said and brushed past her. Her shoulder knocking into hers as she walked to the spare room, at the back of the apartment. The tears still fell, silently, and painfully.

Ziva rubbed her forehead, this wasn't going to be easy, and it was all too clear that Kari had been more than poorly treated in her absence. She was showered in shame and the fact she had been so stupid, and so young. "And now its turned into this" she whispered as a door was slammed, she closed her eyes and screamed mentally, before returning to bed for, what would probably be. A very restless night.

The night was cold; Ziva had made several trips to the bathroom to splash her face with cold water and instincts kicked in so she checked on Kari a few times too. She stood in the doorway, her one foot digging into the carpet for warmth. She couldn't help but smile at Kari's sleeping form, and if she had to say it herself, she looked so much like herself, the way she walked, talked, and how her anger got the better of her sometimes. She let out a silent yet meaningful laugh. But she frowned once more, what was running through that girls head? "I wish I could tell you the full story" Ziva whispered her voice aching to tell the story to someone, to tell that girl that she wasn't a mistake, and it wasn't her fault. Ziva cautiously edged forwards into the room, the floorboards creaking slightly, Slowly and caringly she placed a kiss on Kari's sleeping forehead. Kari twitched a little and seemed to ease into a more kinder and gentle dream. Ziva walked out of the room with the satisfaction of knowing she wasn't a complete failure at being a mother after all.

Not yet anyway.

Ziva and Kari slept more soundly the rest of the night. Kari woke slowly and rubbed her eyes, they stung. She dazedly walked to the mirror in the bathroom and noticed they were red from crying, she groaned and turned the tap, the cool clear liquid running onto her hands and splashing onto her face. "Ah" she let out a sigh and inhaled the smell of something cooking in the kitchen. She eagerly followed the scent and stopped dead in her tracks and gazed at the amount of food on the table. She poked her sides and sighed "I was trying to control my weight too" she joked to Ziva and pulled up a chair, "I wasn't sure on what you liked, so I made a bit of everything, take what you want" Ziva said with a smile, she wasn't used to having the company let alone having someone to care for and be cared in return, but she gladly welcomed it. Because sometimes change was a good thing. Kari poked at her food, not being that hungry so she settled for cereal. "You slept okay, yes?" Ziva asked, but she had a pretty good idea anyway, but hey. It was a good convocation starter. Kari shrugged "Not really" she said in all honesty, she really didn't want to start lying and keep secrets from her mother. Damn it felt weird to say that. Ziva looked at her concernedly "Kari, do you want to talk about it?" Ziva asked, doing her best to fit into the shoes of a mother, well doing what ever didn't seem to come naturally. Kari shrugged again and played around with her cereal. "Its nothing really" Kari lied, and she obviously hadn't done well in her profiling training because she sucked at lying her self. Ziva let it pass "If you say so" she reasoned and picked up her plate to take it to the sink, "You won't mind coming into work with me today? I don't really feel like leaving you on your own no matter how old you are" Ziva asked her but told her all at the same time. Kari smiled at Ziva caring so much "Sure, I'll come mom" Kari said and took in a mouthful of cereal. Yes she should respect her Israeli background, but she found it weird speaking a language different to English, Hebrew, was sadly her second language.

Ziva stopped for a second as she called her that, strange yet feel good feeling word. She let it sink in and small flash backs crept up on her. Pictures of a more younger and pregnant Ziva stopped her in her tracks, not the happiest memories in her past at all. She had taken more than a little stick from her father and more than one life was taken in his anger.

"You ready mom?" Kari called out as she put a few essentials in her small bag. Ziva blinked she must have been in a daze for a good 20 minutes if not more. "Uhh yes, lets go" she said warily and put the plate in the sink again, she would finish them later.

There we go!! Thank you Sophie for all the encouragement!

(Boheman buddy) I hope you like it!!

X x x