Rifiuto: Non Miriena

Thanks to Sazzita, JonnyP86, Reader and SpiritWriterXXX for reviewing 1.

Washington, D.C.

2005

He glanced up at his reflection, the water dripping off his chin. A moment passed, before he left the bathroom and headed into the bedroom. It didn't at all surprise him to see her sprawled over the entire bed, her head buried under the pillow. He had offered to take the sofa or the small guest room, but had soon found himself in the bed, holding tight to her, as she sobbed for three-quarters of the night before finally falling asleep. He didn't mind sharing the bed, but she had a habit of kicking the other occupants off in the middle of the night. A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he quickly grabbed some clothes and changed. He'd known her his whole life, and still, he was amazed at the hold she had over him; all she had to do was look up at him with those big eyes, and he'd bend to her will like the collapsing Twin Towers.

As he headed into the kitchen and started the coffee, his gaze landed on a photograph hanging on the fridge, beneath a small purple heart magnet. Taken that first year in Israel, it showed him and his little sister, then thirteen, sitting at a table outside a small café, pieces of pie in front of each of them. He was laughing at his sister, who had whipped cream on the tip of her nose.

After extracting the milk from the fridge, he set it on the small table, becoming lost in the memory. He and his little sister had essentially been babysat by the Deputy Director of Mossad's oldest and only son, Ari, then twenty-seven, had come home from England for break, where he was finishing his studies. Ari's two younger sisters, Ziva, seventeen and Talia, known as Tali, ten, had tagged along. Eventually, they'd stopped at the small café, ordered something to eat and drink, and taken seats outside in the hot Israeli sun. Ari had taken the photograph, catching not only Tim's sister with whipped cream on her nose, but his own little sister, Ziva, sneaking a bite of Tali's pie and ending up with her sister trying to smash part of Ziva's own pie in her face. Before they'd left Israel, Ari had given him the photograph, signing and dating it on the back. That had been nine years ago.

He sighed, shaking his head. He'd often wondered about what had happened to the David siblings after they'd left Israel. The only one he really knew about was Ari, because the man had been terrorizing NCIS, specifically Gibbs' team, of which he was a part of. From holding Ducky, Gerald, and Kate hostage, to trying to kill Abby, to finally murdering Kate, Ari had done everything possible to show them that he was a murdering son of a bitch; not the young man he remembered that long ago year in Israel. He'd had no word on either of the David girls, but knowing them, they most likely ended up in the Israeli Army, something all young Israelis ended up joining upon reaching a certain age.

Once the coffee was done, he grabbed a couple mugs, pouring the steaming coffee into both before adding cream and sugar, just as he heard footsteps shuffle into the kitchen. "'orning." He glanced over his shoulder, chuckling softly at her as she ran her fingers through her tangled hair.

"Feeling better?" He asked, handing her the cup. She accepted it with a nod.

"Yes. Thank you." She took a sip, before saying, "Sorry about... showing up last night. I just... I didn't have anywhere else to go and... besides, you always have a way of fixing things." He chuckled, reaching up to brush a strand of hair off her cheek.

"That's what I'm here for. To fix things. And to... be a paper towel when needed." She chuckled. "Now go get dressed, you'll be late."

"I don't think I'm gonna go, if that's okay. Would it be all right if I... stayed here for today?" He thought a moment.

"Let me get this straight? You're actually going to skip?" She shrugged.

"I just... seeing... that bitch..." He set his cup down, taking her shoulders. She didn't have to say anymore, unless he wanted to watch her burst into tears again.

"It's fine. Stay here as long as you want." She gave him a small smile.

"Thanks." He grinned, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"I have to get to work; just, try not to get into trouble, okay?" She nodded, watching as he headed into the bedroom before coming back, slipping his holstered weapon and badge into his belt before grabbing his jacket and keys. "Tell you what, we'll order pizza after I get back from work. How's that sound?" She grinned.

"Okay." She followed as he headed to the door, grabbing his arm as he pulled open the door. "Tim?" He turned back.

"What's wrong?" All she did was lean up on her toes, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"Thank you."

He stepped off the elevator, coffee in hand, lost in thought until he entered the bullpen and stopped. His gaze moved to Kate's empty desk, and he felt his heart constrict. It wasn't fair, that just twenty-four hours earlier, Kate had been standing on the rooftop of that building, talking and laughing with Gibbs and Tony, and now, she lay in Autopsy, a bullet hole in her brain, the back of her head blown off. Taking a deep breath, he continued on to his desk, taking a seat and logging onto his computer, but his mind kept wandering back to the day before, the shootout with the sniper, and the clues they'd found since then. A moment passed, before he got up, making his way towards the bathroom. As he splashed water on his face once again and glanced in the mirror, Gibbs' words from the day before came floating back to him.

"DiNozzo's right. You do owe that terrorist a thank you."