Rifiuto: Non Miriena
Thanks to Tiva-McAbby-Densi-Neric-4ever and JonnyP86 for reviewing 2.
Be'er Sheva, Israel
2005
Her eyes slowly fluttered open, the warm air caressing her face through the slightly open window. She closed them again, only to have them snap open as she sat up. Something didn't feel right. Quickly, she climbed out of bed, slipping into the hall and going towards the living room, having snagged her gun from the bedroom nightstand as she went. After a quick check of the house, she returned to her room, only to find a new occupant of her bed. She relaxed, realizing who it was, and slowly lowered her gun.
"What are you doing in here?" She quickly removed the bullets from her gun, and went to the nightstand, returning the gun to its place before climbing into the bed beside the new occupant. They didn't say anything. "Hey, look at me." Slowly, they turned to her. Gently, she reached up, brushing the hair way from those beautiful eyes, and searching his face. "What is wrong, huh? Tell me."
Instead of speaking, they burrowed into her chest. She wrapped her arms around the other person, holding them close before laying back down. It was barely eleven in the evening, and she'd finally gotten the sleep she'd so desired until this. She had spent four months away from this beautiful old house, the house she was born in, the house...
She shook the thought from her mind, returning to the matter at hand. No, there was no use in dwelling on the past, when the present was here, in her arms.
A moment passed, before she pulled away. "Hey, look at me, my angel." Slowly, she reached up, lifting the face towards her. "What is the matter? You can tell me." Silence filled the room, before they buried themselves in her chest again, asking,
"What was he like?"
Her arms moved again, wrapping tight, as she lay her cheek on the messy hair and sighed. This subject was always the most painful for her. From the moment he had been ripped from her arms, she had vowed to never forgive her father, nor his. By taking him, they had ripped out her heart; but a small piece of it had been restored when this one came into her life, but she knew that she would never be whole again until she was back with him. For good.
She lifted her head, shifting to look at the stars through the window. "He was beautiful, brilliant. Funny. He was sweet, a gentleman. I know I annoyed him, but he never complained, never raised his voice. He would tell me stories, about what it was like moving from base to base, about living in England, when his father was stationed there, and Germany, and Japan. And he had the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen. I have never seen another pair like them, until you came into my life." She pulled away, looking into those same eyes with a soft smile.
"But what about your father?" She swallowed. Her father was a sensitive subject, almost as sensitive as the man she'd lost. Though she had made it clear why he refused to have nothing to do with her, it still hurt. "Does he not love us anymore?"
"Oh my angel, he never loved us. Not really." Gently, she smoothed the messy hair, sniffling.
"And him?" A small smile graced her lips.
"If he had been allowed to be here, I know he would love us both. Now come, it is late and sleep is greatly needed." As they settled down, she turned her attention back to the stars, struggling to control the tears running down her cheeks.
She awoke at oh-two-hundred, her dreams colored with memories of that night he was ripped from her arms, of when she was taken from her family, of when she was forced to endure everything alone. Silently, she climbed out of bed, making sure not to wake her companion, and headed into the bathroom. She leaned against the mirror, her mind racing back to that day everything but her heritage had been ripped from her.
"You are not of our blood anymore! Do you not understand that?"
"Eli, she made a mistake-"
"I did not make a mistake, Ima-"
"No, you chose to defile the David name, by sleeping with an American! By letting that... that boy destroy you! By giving him yourself! And now, you expect us to just turn the other cheek while you... Well, we won't, Ziva! You will not set foot in this apartment again!"
"Eli! She is a child! She needs us!"
"She did not need us that night, Rivka! Nor does she need us now! She has made that perfectly clear!"
"I am not asking for money, Abba. I am just asking for support, for love-"
"You do not know the first thing about love, Ziva!"
"And you do not know the first thing about family!"
She winced, even now as she thought back on it. He had struck her hard, in front of not only her mother, but her brother as well. Rivka had had to hold Ari back, for fear Eli would strike him as well. Tali had hidden in the next room, but had seen everything. She had then grabbed the few things she'd been able to gather from her room and turned to go, when her father shoved her out of the apartment and towards the stairs. He'd then proceeded to kick the few boxes and bags she'd gathered down the stairs, before turning to her.
"If I ever catch you around here, or talking to my children again, I will not hesitate to kill you."
She had met his gaze, searching his face for an ounce of the love and compassion she'd seen as a child, before she'd turned to go. She'd reached the stairs faster than she expected, the wind escaping her and leaving her unable to breathe. When she'd looked up, her mother, sister and brother were beside her, helping her to her feet and gathering her things.
She'd awoken in the bedroom here not long after. Not long after graduating school, she'd joined the Army, like all young Israelis, and then joined Mossad. David was a common name in Israel, and though people made the connection, she no longer confirmed nor denied the link to the Deputy Director. For the millionth time since that night, she thought of him, of where he was now, if he was married, if he had children, if he was happy. Tears coursing down her cheeks, she stood, not for the first time wondering if she would ever get the chance to tell him of the gift he had left her.