Sins of the Father
An NCIS Fanfic.
Ziva:
"Ziva, if you want to talk, we'll talk. I'm not going to beg."
Ziva kept the picture because it reminded her of her childhood, when all was innocent. There was no war in children's eyes, only fun and games. She could recall her mother snapping the photo. She had been only six. One arm she wrapped tight around Talia's shoulders, and the other snaked through Ari's arm. All three gave their best smiles.
She knew it fell apart when Talia died. She knew that was when she lost herself. And Ari.
And standing in Gibbs basement, years later, looking down on her brother's dead body, she wondered.
And when she was being tortured in Somalia, she wondered.
What if Ari was right about their father? What if his life was lived in lies? What if she didn't know him at all?
And that's when she knew that her family no longer existed. That her family was being recreated in her coworkers, her dear friends. In Tony's jokes, and McGee's smiles, and Abby's wacky wardrobe. In Ducky's stories and Palmer's ears when he blushed. It was in a whisper that Gibbs left in her ear.
And she bid Israel goodbye, to welcome America into her heart.
And when Eli David came back, she would not let his lies hurt her anymore.
A/N: Even after Enemies Foreign and Enemies Domestic aired, I still felt that TPTB left a lot of loose ends between Ziva and her father. Loose ends that have been piling up since her first appearance in Kill Ari. And I've always wondered if, after hearing Ari's story in Gibbs' basement, if she had questioned her father and his motives.
I hope you enjoyed. Review and let me know, yeah?
Disclaimer: NCIS is the property of Donald P. Bellisario and Don McGill.