Rifiuto: Non Miriena

Thanks to mcgeeksgirl for reviewing 17; Sazzita for reviewing 16 and 17; Reader for reviewing 15, 16 and 17.

She turned to them all, giving them a soft smile. "I... I cannot even begin to describe how painful it was. Eighteen hours." She saw Tony cringe and chuckled. "But I assure you, it was worth it. I heard him cry, and... and then Ari laid him in my arms, against my chest, and... I had never seen anything more beautiful." She turned back to Tim after glancing at Asher. "Except you."

"Ari?" Tony was not the only one to pick up on the name. Ducky, Abby, Gibbs, they all sat up a little straighter at the name. Ziva turned to them, nodding.

"Ken. Ari delivered my son."

"Ari who?" Sarah asked, the only one of the group not understanding the signifigance of the name. Ziva swallowed, sighing.

"Dr. Ari Haswari. He is my half-brother."

"He's also a Hamas terrorist." Gibbs replied. Ziva turned on him; hackles rising at the attack on one of her family.

"Ari Haswari is not a terrorist! He is a Mossad officer working undercover in Hamas! I am his control officer, I know him!"

"Are you sure you are not getting him confused with the man who delivered your son, Officer David?" Gibbs asked, stepping up to her. She pulled herself up to her full height, refusing to back down.

"I will prove to you that Ari is not a terrorist!"

"Just like those terrorists didn't kill those Israeli athletes in Munich? Or what about the suspected terrorist in Norway in 'seventy-three?" She grabbed the front of his shirt, yanking him closer.

"That mistake cost us dearly!" She screamed. But Gibbs calmly removed the young woman's hands, stepping back.

"Is this the kind of life you wanted your son to lead, Officer David? Become an assassin in Mossad and die before thirty? Do as you are doing, and not live to have his own family? Is this the life you wanted to expose Tim too? Is that why you came to find Tim?" He was pushing, trying to get the young woman to admit a mistake, but she refused. Instead, she turned, hands on her hips.

"Ari is not a terrorist. I would not have allowed him around Asher if I had known. I will not expose my son to that life, Agent Gibbs. I have not. But if what you say is true-"

"Then we will let the press-" Ziva tilted her head to the side, raising an eyebrow as she spoke, hands slipping into her back pockets after tossing her bags down to the floor with a roll of her dark eyes.

"Are you threatening to go to the media?" Tim chuckled softly; there was the girl he remembered in Israel, the inquisitive, eager girl he'd been attracted to. Gibbs raised an eyebrow.

"If that is what it takes-" She shook her head, turning back to Tim.

"How do you put up with him?" She asked, stepping closer. He shrugged.

"It gets easier." Sarah again raised a hand.

"Um, Timmy?" When the siblings locked eyes, she licked her lips, asking, "So... if... if he's your kid..."

"He is, Sarah. I know he is. It all makes sense, and Ziva-" He stopped. She nodded, understanding.

"So..." She glanced around, wondering exactly how many people she would be pissing off when she asked. "So since you and Officer David have a kid, and... and had a kid when we were in Israel, so... so does that mean that he's-" She pointed to the boy, who looked up, suddenly shy, before ducking his head back down. "that he's my nephew?" Tim and Ziva shared a glance. He rolled his eyes.

"Yes, Sar, Asher is your nephew."

"What do I have to prove to you-"

"You don't have to prove anything to me, Ziva." She grabbed his arm on the way back to the bullpen, the boy in tow. "He's my son. Everything, the whole story, it fits. And he looks like me. You can run a DNA test if you want, but I can tell you already, the results will come back positive." She watched him go into the bullpen, as Asher came up and took her hand.

"Ima?" She glanced down at him, taking his hand. A moment passed, before she leaned down and pressed a kiss to his head. She started to say something, when her phone rang.

"Go with Abba, my angel." Once he was gone, she grabbed the phone, moving to the window and turning to stare out at the rain. "Shalom."

"Shalom, Zivaleh." Her heart jumped in her ribcage as her brother's voice penetrated her brain.

"Ari-"

"I trust that he knows?" She nodded, glancing over her shoulder, to see Asher approach his father. Tim gave the boy a small smile, before getting up and leading him to the break room.

"Ken, he knows. He knew the moment he saw my son-"

"Good. Asher deserves to be with his father. That is the reason I spared him at the shootout the day Agent Todd died." She longed to ask, but knew better to. "I have a favor to ask, Zivaleh." She held her breath. "I want to see my nephew, Ziva."

"Ari-"

"He needs to know, that I am not doing this because of him, that there was once good in me, and that he is one of the things that once provided it. I do not want my nephew to remember his uncle as a killer who took lives; only the doctor who gave life. Please." She sighed.

"Fine. Asher and I- we are staying with Tim until our things arrive from Israel. I can get you the address-"

"I know where Tim lives, Zivaleh."

"Ari- I do not want to lose you too."

"You will not. Once this is over, we will meet in Paris and start anew. All four of us. Until then. Shalom." As the line went dead, she glanced over her shoulder, to see Tim come back with Asher, but the image blurred as the tears in her eyes slipped down her cheeks and dripped from her chin.