Rifiuto: Non Miriena

Thanks to Sazzita for reviewing 13 and 14; Reader for reviewing 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14.

As Ziva opened her mouth to continue, Sarah spoke up, intercepting. "Wait, Timmy, I... I don't understand." The pair turned to look at her. "If her dad disowned her after he found you two together, then how did Daddy react when-" But Tim shook his head, indicating that he didn't want to discuss it now, and that he would tell her when they were alone; that it was a conversation for the siblings and no one else.

Ziva took a deep breath, glancing around the room. "I got more and more scared as it got closer to..." She licked her lips. "I started to blame you, for what you had done to me, and then... and then I realized that... that it was not your fault. You had not planned it. Neither one of us had. It just happened." She sniffled. "And then, I... I began to realize it was a gift, that you had given me. A precious gift, because..." She reached, taking his face in her hands. "Because residing inside me was a part of you."

She stood by the window, staring out at the olive groves; it was noon, the sun was warm on her face. Rivka had just taken her to see the midwife, and the woman had soothingly told her that she was twenty-six weeks; nearly halfway through her pregnancy. She had been surprised to find that her navel was showing, and her mother had laughed softly, telling her that it would return to normal after the baby was born. "Enjoying the sun?" She looked up, as Rivka joined her, and gave her mother a soft smile. She nodded, hands moving over her belly. She wore a simple blue button-down, and had quickly unbuttoned it upon returning from her doctor's appointment. The skin stretched and curved over her tummy; it was a smooth, soft slope, protecting the precious cargo within.

"Ima?"

"Hmm?" She bit her lip, before looking up at her mother.

"What if Abba was right? What if I should have..."

"Should have what, Ziva?" The older woman took her daughter's chin in her hand, forcing her to look up. "Should have aborted the baby?" Her daughter looked away, tears in her eyes. "Now you listen to me, Zivaleh." A moment passed before the girl slowly brought her gaze back to Rivka's. "I know that this is not what you wanted with your life, that this is not what you hoped or planned, but the best things often are unplanned." She sighed. "Ziva, may I ask you something?"

"What is it, Ima?"

"If you had known this boy from the beginning, if you had grown up with him, would you love him as much as you do?" Her head snapped up.

"Ima! I... I am not... I am not in love with him! I do not hardly..." But her mother held up a hand.

"All I am asking, Zivaleh, is if you had grown up around this boy, if you had known him as children, would you still have made the decision you did? Sleeping with him? Would you still have made the decision to carry his baby if you had known him your entire life?" Ziva bit her lip, turning away from her mother. She had a point; they had only known each other four months, and had spent most of the time arguing or antagonizing each other. But even so, she had found herself falling in love with him; sure, she probably had driven him crazy, but he also made a point to listen and correct her if she was wrong, he was kind, caring, and genuinely took an interest in something she was interested in. After a moment, she looked up at her mother, nodding.

"Ken, Ima. I think, that if I had known him my entire life, I still would have slept with him, I still would choose to carry his child. But... the only difference would be that he would be here, with me, going through this with me. Watching me grow and change," She turned her attention briefly to her belly, caressing the skin softly. "and helping me prepare." She looked up at her mother. "But he is not. And this baby... this... little person growing inside me..." She sniffled, tears slipping down her cheeks. "is all I have left of him. He is the only link I have... he is all I have left, Ima, and I cannot lose that..." Her mother took her face in her hands, brushing the tears away before pressing a soft kiss to her cheek.

Neither heard the click of the camera as the moments were captured forever frozen in time.

She sniffled, glancing over her shoulder at the little boy in question. Asher looked up, meeting his mother's gaze. She gave the child a small smile, fresh tears sliding down her cheeks. "Not having you there made it harder. Scarier. I was doing this all alone, and while I had my mother and my siblings, I did not have you. I did not have the father of my baby. And I did not know how to contact you." She bit her lip. "But I dreamt of you, every night. I dreamt of you, coming back and taking me... taking us... away from Israel. I dreamt of us being a family. And I kept you in my heart."

Slowly, Sarah raised a hand. Everyone turned to her, various looks of confusion and interest on their faces. "Um, Timmy?" He met his sister's eyes. "Is... this why you broke it off with that Delilah in college? Because of-" She pointed to the child, who ducked his head. Tim sighed, rolling his eyes.

"No, Sar. I broke it off with Delilah because she had everything planned out for us, from our engagement to our gravestones. I've never met a more... anal person in my entire life, and that's-"

"Saying something." Sarah finished, the slight thrill going through her as her brother grinned softly. She loved it when they finished each others' sentences; it was like the language they'd invented when they were younger. It was something time could never erase. Tim nodded.

"Yeah. Delilah was the exact opposite of Ziva." He turned back to the Israeli. "But those... four months I knew her... I've never met anyone as... calculatingly chaotic as her, and... I guess that's what drew me to her." He shrugged, acting like a schoolboy on his first date, as Ziva grinned softly. "Surprisingly, I happen to like calculating chaos."