Rifiuto: Non Miriena

A/N: It's time for Sarah to learn Tim's secret...

"Timmy, what's so important that you needed to talk to me alone?" He handed Sarah the mug, taking a seat beside her on the sofa. He'd slipped out before Ziva left to call his sister and ask her to come over so they could talk about what happened the day he and Ziva got caught. He glanced down at his cup, and took a deep breath.

"Sarah, what do you remember about the night after the embassy dinner?" She stared at him strangely, before licking her lips.

"Um... Daddy was pissed. When the embassy security didn't find you, he sent Mom and I back to the apartment. When I woke up the next morning, Daddy said you'd been hurt and were at the hospital. After I got dressed, he and Mom took me there." Tim nodded; he remembered well the attack in Ziva's room, and while they had learned of that today in Director Shepard's office, they hadn't learned about what happened after. "Timmy?" She leaned over, trying to meet her brother's gaze. "What happened when we got home from the hospital?" He sighed, and she set the cup on the table, reaching out to take the cup from his hand. Once done, she took his hand, squeezing. "Timmy, please, you're scaring me." But he only stared at their hands, silent. She swallowed, struggling to hide the fear in her voice. "Timmy, what did Daddy do? What did he do to you? Please, tell me."

He met her eyes, and then took her face in his hand, resting his forehead to hers. "I don't want you to think any differently about me than you already do." He pressed a kiss to her temple.

"What do you mean, Timmy?" She asked, pulling away to look at him, her green eyes wide with fear. "What happened?" But he only pulled her closer, resting his lips against her hair.

"I have always loved you, Sar, no matter what. You're my baby sister, you will always be my baby sister, no matter what Mom and Dad say. Remember that."

The tears were openly flowing down her cheeks now, as he kissed her hair again, and squeezed her hand. "Timmy, you're scaring me." He pulled away, getting up. After checking that Asher was still asleep- Sarah couldn't help the thrill that went through her as she saw the Daddy in her brother come out- he returned to the living room, and began pacing.

"Dad sent you to your room not long after we got back from the hospital."

He watched his little sister go, never feeling so relieved to hear the click of the door behind her. Because he knew then that she wouldn't see what their father had in store for his oldest. He took a deep breath, hearing his mother's voice and knowing that while she loved him, she ultimately supported John's punishment because she had no choice. "John, you don't have to do this now. It was a mistake, a spur-of-the-moment accident. Nothing is going to happen. They were careful. This will all blow over in the morning-"

"Were you careful, boy? Timothy!" His head snapped up, and he met his father's cold green eyes. "Were you careful when you fucked the Deputy Director's daughter last night." He winced at how one word could ruin a night of beautiful passion. He heard his mother gasp.

"Oh, Tim."

"And if she ends up pregnant with your bastard?"

"I'll be there to support her." His father laughed.

"You'll support her. How sweet, such a romantic notion." He struck his son hard, nearly sending the boy's head around. His mother did nothing; while she didn't support the abuse, she wasn't too keen on giving up her position as the Ambassador's wife, and wouldn't allow anything to take it away; if it came to her son or her social standing, her social standing came before her children. "Do you know what you've just done? You've just destroyed any hope of talking with Mossad! Of drawing up contracts of any kind with Israel! All because you wanted a tumble with the oldest daughter of Mossad's director!" He struck him again, but the boy didn't move to stop him. "Take off your shirt and turn around."

Tim stood his ground. For the first time, he met his father's gaze willingly. "If Ziva is pregnant, I won't abandon her. I'll be there for my child, through everything! I'll be more of a father than you've ever been!"

John grabbed his son's shoulders, forcing him around with a shove. He grabbed the poker from the fireplace, and then silently, studied the stitches along his son's back and shoulders. Then, without a word, he took the poker and ran it along his son's back, opening each stitch until blood began to pour freely. Tim didn't flinch or cry out at all, and his mother did nothing to stop the abuse. Once the stitches were open, he took the poker and proceeded to beat him with it. Even when his son fell to his knees, he continued until Tim's back was a bloody mass of mangled skin. When he finished, he tossed the poker aside, pulled the boy to his feet, and whispered, "You will be on the first flight out tonight. And if I ever, ever hear from you or see you again, or find out you've contacted Sarah, I won't hesitate to kill you. Are we clear?"

Tim didn't respond. He shoved Tim towards his wife. "What about Sarah? You're just going to leave her here? How do I know you won't do the same to her?"

"Because my daughter is a good child. You and that little Israeli slut deserve everything you get. You are no son of mine!"

Sarah looked up at Tim. She shook her head. "No, Daddy wouldn't do that... he... he wouldn't..." Slowly, Tim unbuttoned his shirt and turned, shrugging the shirt off his shoulders, revealing the various scars on his back. Sarah sobbed harder. "Oh, Timmy! I'm so sorry..."

Eyes dry, Tim pulled his shirt back on and turned to his sister. "The doctors said it was a miracle I wasn't paralyzed, but Dad knew what he was doing. If he'd paralyzed me, his career would be over. I convinced him to let you come with me, and after I dropped you off at Penny's, I went off to John Hopkins and then MIT. Dad disowned me, cut me off completely, so I went to school on scholarships and worked the rest of the time. And I thought about Ziva a lot."

"And now she's here, and you have an eight-year-old little boy." He nodded, taking a seat beside her.

"Yeah, we do. And you know what? Finding Ziva and Asher, it's one of the best things to happen to me. Sarah, I'm a father. And I am going to be better than Dad ever was. Asher and Ziva come first. I will never put my career before them. Never. I've been given a chance to break the cycle, and I'm going to. I lost them once, I won't lose them ever again." He reached up, taking her face in his hands. "Sarah, you have to know that I love you, I have always loved you. You're my baby sister. And you have a nephew that you can spoil rotten. I just... I need to know that this doesn't make you think any differently of me. Please." She reached up, brushing a stray tear away.

"Timmy, you're my big brother. The only thing that's changed, is that you're stronger. You're stronger than Daddy; you protected Ziva and Asher before you ever found out about him. You're already more of a father than Daddy ever was, and I'm so proud of you. I love you, Timmy." She wrapped her arms around him, breaking down. He held her close, relief flooding him. He pressed a kiss to her hair, squeezing her tight.

"Thank you."

On the other side of the door, Ziva was sitting on the floor in the hall, struggling to contain her tears, Tim's words ringing in her head.