Still not mine…
Okay, guys, seriously? This story is not about Ziva dying. It's about her team and father and children living. I spend a year writing a story, and the effect seems to be the same as it would be if I just put "Ziva died. The End." Maybe I'll just do that next time.
Okay, okay. I'm done whining. But seriously, guys, you could at least say something else in your reviews, like "I wonder what Gibbs is making", or "I'm laughing my head off imagining the look on Eli's face when Abby hugs him", or something like that, instead of being shocked that Ziva died when you knew that was going to happen already, or saying that you can't possibly read any more.
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The little girl poked at the ventilator tube, seemingly annoyed by her inability to suck her thumb.
"Sorry, kid, but your lungs can't function without it, so you're going to have to deal with it. I'll admit I probably wouldn't like it if I had tubes all over my face, but it won't be for too long, I promise. They're going to find you some better lungs soon, okay? Good. And I'll even concede that under that mass of tubes and wires, you're probably just as pretty as your mom."
"Why are you talking to the baby? You're supposed to be kind of quiet in here."
Tony jumped as McGee accosted him from less than a foot away.
"You do that again, McNinja, and I'll Gibbsslap your computer so hard it'll need to get… whatever the heck it is you do when your computer gets a concussion."
McGee rolled his eyes and walked over to the baby boy, who slept quietly.
"Hey, there. You've got to be tough and strong, okay? You need to get out of the hospital soon and be okay. And don't worry; your sister's going to be fine. And you know what? You've got to be her protective twin brother, because she's going to be so pretty all the guys are going to be chasing her, and you are required to scare them off."
"No offense, McBrother, but I think Ari will probably take over that department."
McGee thought about it, then nodded.
They looked back and forth between the two babies. Tony sighed.
"Poor girl. She's never going to have a boyfriend."
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Ziva opened her eyes to reveal a grassy field, with flowers dotting it here and there. The blue sky overhead was utterly cloudless, beautifully serene.
She stood up, feeling like she could run a marathon and not be winded. Glancing down at herself, she realized that she seemed to have been rewound until she was twelve or so, young and fit.
Cresting a nearby hill, she noticed a sparkling stream at the bottom. Laughing, she ran towards it, arms outstretched.
The water splashed around her feet, soaking her and the white robe she wore. Flinging herself onto her back, she closed her eyes, the happiest she'd ever been.
Normally, the splashes that started off in the distance and were getting closer and louder would have put her on alert, would have made her think she was under attack, but somehow, she couldn't make herself be frightened.
Ziva!
She stood up, overbalanced, and would have fallen forward on her face into the water if a strong arm had not reached out and caught her at the last moment. She looked up-
Ari!
Her brother looked exactly like he had on what was perhaps the happiest day of her life, when the two of them and Tali had gone to the beach and stayed for hours, splashing each other, building sand castles, napping on the warm sand, watching the sun set…
Ari smiled, reached down, and scooped up their baby sister, handing her to Ziva. She giggled and kissed the little girl's cheek, smiling so broadly she thought her cheeks might split. Ari flung his arms around them both, inadvertently pushing them past their balance point. All three splashed down into the water and came up sputtering.
Laughing hysterically through gasping for air, Ziva skimmed her hand over the water, splashing her siblings. They responded in kind, grinning.
Done play-fighting, they lay in the field, sunning themselves. Ziva caught her brother's eyes, reciprocating the unspeakable love she saw there.
As they lay there, she finally left behind the guilt she'd been carrying for more than four years, poisoning what little happiness she could find.
She was at peace.
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An alarm cut through the NICU. Abby looked up from the little boy she'd been teasing with the tip of her finger.
Doctors rushed into the room and over to one of the nearby beds. Abby gasped as she realized that one of the other babies was in serious trouble. Someone shoved her out of the door.
"I'm sorry ma'am, but you have to leave."
Abby complied, concerned. As she left, she noticed a couple standing near the sick baby, tears streaming down their cheeks.
Her own soon joined them.
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Ari smiled at the little girl who sat at the table next to him. It was time for lunch. A bag of chips, an apple, chocolate milk, and some M&Ms.
She waved back with the typical childlike friendliness.
"Hi."
He beckoned her over, wanting to talk to someone who was remotely close to his own age. He liked the team, but they were still adults. Adults never made much sense.
The girl opened a plastic container of pudding and spooned it into her mouth, painting her face with it. Ari grinned and shook his head. He had never managed to be so carefree.
He finished eating as the little girl told him everything about her- her name was Charlotte, she was actually seven, her best friend in school was named Tina, her teacher was Mrs. Charles, she really liked that because Charles was a lot like Charlotte, her favorite color was pink, she was really excited because she had a new brother, but upset because she wasn't allowed to see him, and she was worried because her parents had said that he was sick.
Ari wanted to tell her about his own siblings, and how they were doing, but he found it hard to interrupt her happy monologue. Eventually, he gave up and simply enjoyed listening to her happiness. It was nice to know that there were kids who could be happier than him.
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The team sat in the waiting room, unable to do anything since they had been kicked out of the NICU. Abby had her head bowed and was praying under her breath.
Ari walked in, about to tell the team about his new friend, but stopped with his mouth open when he noticed how quiet everyone was. Instead, he sat down just as a man and a woman came in, crying.
They stood together, arms around each other, oblivious to the world around them.
Finally, two people who looked like they worked at the hospital walked in. They went over to the anguished couple and drew them away into a corner.
A few indistinct whispers reached the team's ears. Ari caught the word "sorry". A horrible suspicion washed over him.
The door to the cafeteria opened and Charlotte walked in. The friendly smile on her face faltered as she noticed the people in the corner crying. She ran over.
"Mommy? What's wrong-?"
Ari felt like he'd been punched in the stomach as he realized what had happened to Charlotte's brother.
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Author's note: … Okay, you might have a point about the amount of death in this story. I do apologize. But I promise you it's going to get happier. Eventually. The next few updates might take a while due to the fact that I will be travelling for the next week and a bit for Thanksgiving. Anyway, this is Shestrun, signing off…