Pivotal Moments

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June 30th, Washington DC

The jingle of his cellphone roused Tony from deep sleep, and he groggily swiped at the nightstand until he realized he'd left it in the livingroom the night before. Darting out of bed with a gasp as cool air enveloped his naked body, he dashed out of the bedroom and answered the phone seconds before it switched to voicemail.

"DiNozzo," he gasped.

"Get in here. Bring Ziva," Gibbs barked.

Tony opened his mouth to question the order, but Gibbs had already hung up. With a shrug, Tony glanced toward the windows. Dim light was filtering in, but it was still early. What was Gibbs even doing at the Navy Yard? And what did he need Ziva for? Tony headed back into the bedroom. Sometimes Gibbs was just inscrutable, but this time he thought there might be a very good reason.

A smile grew on Tony's face as he watched Ziva stretching, cat-like, across the bed.

She looked up at him with raised eyebrows.

"Gibbs. He needs us both, right now."

Ziva wrinkled up her face. "It's only 0545."

Now Tony grimaced, but he said simply, "It must be important then."

Ziva nodded and stood, and Tony appreciated that he could look unabashedly at her body. She had some fresh but fading scars, and her right wrist was still in a cast, but otherwise her body had more or less recovered.

Ziva caught him leering and rolled her eyes. "Put some clothes on, Tony. Gibbs will not want to see you like that."

He chuckled and did as he was told.

***

The bullpen was empty when Tony and Ziva entered, but the phone on Ziva's desk rang immediately. She reached for it at once and got out a quick, "David," before pausing to listen. Tony grinned maniacally at the sign of her, returned.

She looked up at him, distressed, as she hung up. "MTAC."

The couple ascended the stairs quickly, and Gibbs opened the door before they could lean in to be scanned.

"Good, you're here," he said tersely, and led them inside.

Standing below the main screen were Vance and Rebekah, both with cautiously blank faces.

"We wanted you to join us to see this," Vance said, and used a remote to turn on an Israeli news channel.

Ziva stared up at a picture of her father over the words Mossad Director Caught in Suicide Bombing. After a moment, the voice of the news anchor began to register. Just days after questions began to be raised in the international community of the fitness of Mossad Direction Eli David for his post, Director David was apparently caught in the blast of an IED on a remote road as he traveled from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem with an aide, Amit Hadar. It is unclear at this time whether the car was specifically targeted, but experts currently believe the type of bomb used was too uncontrollable to have been designated for any particular vehicle.

Ziva slowly became aware of Rebekah behind her, murmuring a translation to the others. Tony's hand settled on her left shoulder, and Ziva leaned into his touch. After a moment, she turned to Rebekah, and spoke in Hebrew. "I'm glad you got Hadar, too."

Her friend's lips quirked. "It wasn't uncontrollable, don't worry. I know what I'm doing."

Ziva nodded, smiling slightly herself. "I know you do."

"Ziva?" Tony asked hesitantly.

She turned to him.

"Are you alright with this?"

Ziva tilted her head, examining her feelings. It would be wrong to say she felt pleasure, but there was a certain...release. Some anxiety about who was watching her and controlling her and what they might make her do that had pervaded her entire adult life was gone. She looked up at Tony. "I feel free." He pulled her close, hugging her with no regard for what anyone else in the room might think, and she hugged him back.

After a moment, she stepped away because Vance had started to speak. "Ziva, as we discussed last week, we've found loopholes that allow us to employ specially trained foreign individuals."

Gibbs snorted. "Same loophole that lets Kort work for the US government, so we really oughta think about closing it, but we're glad to have you."

She smiled appreciatively.

Now Vance turned to Rebekah. "And Officer Meir, we appreciate your help in this matter enough that we'd like to extend the same offer to you if you're interested."

Rebekah nodded slowly as she processed his words, but then bit her lip, her face regretful. "I think my place may be back in Tel Aviv, especially now while the agency redefines itself under a new director."

Vance nodded briskly, business done. "Agent David," he said pointedly, "take bereavement leave, if you'd like to return to Tel Aviv for the funeral. Otherwise, I'll see you back at work when your doctors have all cleared you." At her nod, he left.

The others stood around a moment, uncertain, then Gibbs nodded, dismissing them. "Tony, you might as well get to work," he called after them, and Tony winced.

Ziva chuckled at his expression. "Rebekah can drive me home," she said softly, and squeezed his hand in farewell as she left with her friend.

***

Rebekah watched Ziva as she drove them back to Ziva's apartment, waiting for a cue what tone to take. She knew something was going on in her friend's head, even if Ziva would admit no rational problem with her father's death.

By the time they entered the apartment, Ziva had been silent long enough that Rebekah spoke up. "What are you thinking?"

Ziva turned to her. "My father is dead," she said softly.

Rebekah nodded.

"After the last month, how could I possibly care?" Ziva sat down on the couch.

Rebekah joined her. "When Ari died, you told me that you regretted the death of the boy you remembered, the sweet big brother who looked after you," she offered.

Ziva nodded slowly, then looked at Rebekah with tear-filled eyes. "I'm trying but I can't seem to find any good memories of my father."

Rebekah wrapped her arms around her friend. "Then mourn that," she whispered, "and remember you have me and your friends here, and that my parents will always take you in, no matter what you do to their garden."

Ziva laughed through her tears, then relaxed in Rebekah's arms, letting the tears come and complete the release of so much pain.

When the women finally separated, Rebekah glanced around at the living-room. Take-out containers were strewn around, and one of Ziva's t-shirts was draped over the television. She turned to Ziva with a teasing smile and Ziva buried her face in a pillow, her cheeks burning.

Rebekah delightedly wrested the pillow away from her. "Well?"

Ziva laughed, then stilled self-consciously, bright-eyed. "I love him."

Rebekah squealed and hugged her friend again, this time in joy. After a moment she pulled back. "That took a whole lot longer than it should have."

Ziva smacked her with the pillow and rose to straighten the room, chucking things at Rebekah as her friend continued to tease her. And she was happy.

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A/N You know, I've gotten so sucked into this alternate storyline I've created that when I'm reminded of how season 6 really ended, it makes me sad.

My greatest thanks to M E Wofford, Foxtail-Padfoot, mia58, aqiran, tigerlily25 and, I'm sure, a few others I'm forgetting, for their regular reviews; you guys kept me eager to post as often as I could. And to those of you who haven't taken the time, please let me know what you think of this as a whole now that it's finished! And thanks to everyone for reading. ~Em