Rifiuto: Non Miriena

A/N: Now for a little sister time...

"I still-"

"I know. Neither can I." Ziva looked up, her gaze taken from the cup of coffee she held to her sister's face. The sisters has slipped out of the living room, taking refuge at the small breakfast nook not used for company, to catch up. Ziva sat pressed against the far wall, with a good view of the kitchen, but that was the last place her gaze was on.

It was on Tali.

Or, Talia, as she was known here, but she would always be Tali to her older sister. Her dark chestnut curls were tight against head, held back with a white headband, and the red blouse she wore with the black slacks and red ballet flats was a huge contrast to Ziva's simple purple spaghetti strapped dress with the ruffles on the bottom and the black heels she wore. Her hair was also down in loose waves, and her make up was nonexistent. It still didn't seem real, that she was sitting across from Tali, after all these years...

"You look good, Zivaleh." She gave her sister a small smile, reaching out to take the younger woman's hand.

"So do you." She bit her lip. "Tali, tell me. How did-"

"Did I get out? How did I survive the explosion that killed Ima?" Ziva nodded, silently. She sighed, taking a deep breath. "Abba found out. That Ima and I had been... helping you... that we had been supporting you through your pregnancy, and... he put a hit out on us. But by then, Asher had been born, and you were doing okay on your own and... and I was going to school, looking at colleges... and Ima and I... we just happened to be in downtown Tel Aviv when the bombing happened. Honestly, I don't remember that day. I remember the blast, and feeling something sharp hit my head, and when I woke up, I was on a plane, bound for the States. Michael was one of the people who helped me. I later found out that he was part of the Peace Corp, and..." She shrugged. "He helped me get situated here, and we started dating. Got married a year later, and I received my citizenship a year ago. I had Esther when I was eighteen-"

"Guess it runs in our blood, ken?" Ziva joked softly. Tali nodded.

"And Benjamin a year later." They lapsed into silence for several minutes. "When I inquired about you, Zivaleh, I was told you had been killed, in a Palestinian drone strike. And all I thought about, was Asher, and how... how he was an orphan." Ziva grabbed her hand.

"No. No, Tali. I was safe, I was okay. Asher was fine, he is fine. Tali, I found Tim. I... I do not know how, but I found him. Told him about Asher and..." She shrugged. "We are a family. Tim is... the most amazing man... I could ask for. I do not deserve him... and I do not know what I did to receive such a precious gift... but we are here. We are all here and we are safe."

Tali nodded, tears in her eyes. She chuckled softly, reaching up to brush away her tears. "I am a midwife."

"Oh Tali, that is wonderful." Her sister nodded. She glanced down at her cup, before casting her sister a sheepish look.

"So... any chance..." Her gaze flicked to Ziva's stomach. "you're going to need a midwife soon?" Ziva shook her head.

"No. Tim and I... we are taking it slow. Getting settled, giving Asher some... stability." She sighed. "I am working at NCIS, with Tim."

"That's good." Tali swallowed, giving her sister a small smile. "So are you an agent-" Ziva shook her head.

"No. No, Tim is an agent, but I..." She tapped the side of her mug. "I am a liaison. A Mossad Officer attached to the team." Tali's face fell at the mention of the agency their father ran.

"Oh Ziva, no!" She struggled to think of something to say, before, "Ziva, Ima talked to you-"

"I had no choice, Talia!" Ziva snapped, dark eyes meeting her sister's. "I had Asher to raise, and I could not depend on the kindness of others my entire life! I needed to raise my son, I needed to care for him, and I could not do that without some form of payment! If I hadn't had Asher, it would have been different, but it was not. You can only live on fantasies and daydreams for so long, Tali. But those will not put bread on the table." She took a deep breath. "I know Ima begged me not to, but I had to. I had to raise my son! Had Tim come and taken us away, it would have been different, but he did not. He did not even know Asher existed until a few weeks ago! I had no way to contact him back then, no other options!" She slammed the mug on the table. "Asher was my priority. He has always been my priority, and he always will be!"

She stood, storming into the living room, causing Tali to catch up. The other conversation stopped as the sister's entered. Tim immediately went on alert. "Zi, is everything all right?"

"Zivaleh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean... I just..." Ziva stopped, taking a deep breath. "Ziva please, I didn't mean to-" She took a deep breath. "I just... I prayed that you had avoided Mossad like I had, and..." Slowly, Ziva turned to her sister.

"I was never so lucky as you, Tali. Abba groomed Ari to be a mole and turned him into a monster instead. I was groomed to be a Mossad officer, and he made me an assassin. Now Ari is dead, at my own hand," She took a shaky breath. "Ima is gone, and our father disowned one daughter to protect another. You were always Abba's favorite. We all knew it. And when I got pregnant, when I got caught by Abba that morning, it only confirmed what we all knew. I have always been the bad influence, and my mistake just made it even more clear." She swallowed, looking around. "I... I am sorry, I... am just tired. It has been a long day, and we have work in the morning." She turned to Tali. "I am sorry, that I could not be the sister you needed."

"You were the sister I wanted, Zivaleh." The younger woman replied, going to her and taking her face in her hands. She wrapped Ziva in her arms, holding tight to her. "Promise we will see each other. Perhaps for coffee. Tomorrow or this weekend?" Ziva nodded, as Tali pressed a kiss to her head. "I love you, Zivaleh." Gently, Ziva pressed a kiss to her sister's lips before pulling away.

She turned to Tim. "I will meet you in the car, ken?" He nodded.

Once the door closed behind them, Tim unlocked the car and let Asher rush off to it, wanting a moment alone with Ziva. "Are you sure you're okay, Zi?" She nodded, not meeting his gaze.

"Ken, Tim, I am fine."

She started down the driveway before he grabbed her arm, stopping her. "Ziva-" She turned to him, breaking down as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Back at the house, on the front porch, Tali wiped away her own tears.