Rifiuto: Non Miriena

Thanks to Reader for reviewing 45, 46, 47, 48; Sazzita for reviewing 46, 47, 48 and 49; mcgeeksgirl for reviewing 49.

Asher poked his head out of his room; he could hear his parents' quiet conversation in the kitchen, and quickly ducked back into his room. Going to his desk, he pulled out his list and quickly crossed them off, shortening it. Glancing over his shoulder to make sure he was alone, he took a seat and grabbed a notebook. Now that Ima and Abba were engaged, it was time to plan the wedding.

"I'm gonna go get lunch. What do you want?" Ziva looked up from her book. She shrugged. It was the team's turn to be off rotation, and so the family was spending some quiet time together at home.

"I do not care, Tim. Whatever you want." He chuckled.

"Chinese?" She perked up.

"With Tabasco and soy sauce?" He grimaced.

"Whatever you want." He replied, leaning close to press a kiss to her lips as Asher came into the kitchen. "Hey, buddy. I'm gonna go pick up lunch. You wanna come?" The boy nodded, turning to Ziva. She chuckled, nodding the okay. Asher latched onto Tim's hand, and after another quick kiss, Tim and Asher left. Once they were gone, she settled back in her chair, returning to her book. She didn't get very far.

A knock sounded on the door, and she got up with a sigh. Quickly checking through the peephole, she didn't bother hiding her surprise as she opened the door, revealing her sister, holding two cups of coffee and a paper bag. "Tali, what are you-" Her sister shrugged.

"I wasn't sure if you were at work or out or-"

"Gibbs' team is off rotation today. Tim took Asher, and they are picking up lunch. Come on in." As the door shut behind them, Ziva quickly turned off the TV- she'd kept it on for background noise- and headed into the kitchen. "How did you find us?" Tali chuckled, setting the cups and the bag on the table, accepting the plate Ziva set out.

"Now that, would be me to know and you to find out." She giggled at the confusion in her sister's eyes. "It's an expression." Ziva nodded, still confused.

"Ah... English is a... very confusing language. Asher picks it up faster than I do." Tali chuckled, picking up a doughnut.

"It gets easier the longer you're here." She said, taking a bite before holding out one of the cups. Ziva chuckled softly, accepting the cup before pulling out her chair and taking a seat. Tali followed, shifting her chair so that they faced each other. They sat in silence for several minutes, before Tali asked, "Have you settled in, Zivaleh?" She shrugged.

"As good as I can." She replied, sipping her coffee. "Asher has settled in well, though. Thanks to Tim. And for that..." She sighed. "I owe him everything. He... he turned his life upside down, for the son he never knew existed."

"Most men wouldn't do that." Tali replied. Ziva chuckled, watching as her sister took a bite of her doughnut, raspberry filling streaking her chin. She lost herself in her thoughts, not hearing her sister. "Zivaleh!" She jumped, turning back to Tali. "Daydreaming again?" The rose tint to her cheeks told the younger woman everything. "So, have you started planning for the wedding?"

"No. Not yet. We just... we just want to-"

"Take things slow." She nodded. "Understandable. You rushed things before, and... Asher was the result."

"Tali?" The woman nodded, mid-bite. "Do you... ever... regret... helping me? Before Asher was born? After Asher was born?" Her sister shook her head.

"No, God, no, Ziva! Of course not! Ziva, I love you, and I chose to help! I know I was only about eleven, but you were my older sister. I looked up to you-"

"I was the wrong person to look up to, Tali." She replied, glancing at the table. Tali reached over and took her hand.

"Abba may have thought that, but Ima, Ari and I never did. And I never have." She searched her older sister's face, seeing the guilt and the regret in the identical dark eyes. "You can't seriously think that having Asher was the wrong choice, Zivaleh."

"No. I... Asher was the best thing to happen to me... next to finding Tim again..." Tears gathered in the dark eyes, and Tali reached up to catch the tears as they fell. "Abba was right, Tali." Ziva sniffled. "I defiled the David name and..."

"No! Zivaleh, look at me! If anyone- anyone- is responsible for defiling the David name, it is him. Not us. Him! Okay? Get that into your head. He is to blame, not us. Not you." A slow nod, before Ziva got up. She disappeared down the hall, returning several minutes later with the chest Rivka had given her before Asher was born. Gently, she set it on the table and opened it up, rummaging around before pulling out a photograph.

"Do you remember this?" She held out the photograph, and Tali took it; she couldn't help the grin as she laid eyes on the photograph. She glanced at her sister, and nodded.

"Zivaleh?"

"Down here, Tali." Her dark eyes moved down, to find her sister sitting on the floor of the bedroom. Various articles of baby clothing scattered around her in haphazard piles, with small pairs of shoes lined up in front of her. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she sat cross-legged in the middle of the chaos, her belly protruding before her. The child quickly captured a snapshot of her sister, unable to pass up the opportunity.

"Are you okay, Zivaleh?" Tali asked; Ziva nodded, sniffling.

"Ken, I... I am okay. Just... just overwhelmed, is all. I am doing all of this alone, without him here..." She looked down, gently caressing her belly.

"You are not alone, Ziva! You have Ari and Ima and I!" Tali cried, reaching to take her hand. Ziva gave her a small smile but shook her head gently.

"I know, Tali. But it is not the same. I need the father of my baby here. We created this baby together; he should be here, so we can do this... all of this... together." After a moment, Tali stepped over everything and took a seat next to her sister, wiping the tears away. Then, she wrapped her in a hug.

"How could I forget? You were sitting in the middle of chaos; and your belly... you weren't very big-"

"Twenty-nine weeks. Just about to start my third trimester. I was terrified. More so because I did not have Tim-" She sighed, meeting her sister's gaze. "But he is here now, and he is doing everything he can to make up for lost time." Tali gave her a small smile.

"Good. I always liked him. I thought he would have been perfect for you, and I spent as much of my time as I possibly could trying to figure out how to get you two together, and then you did, and..." She gave her sister a small smile and reached for her hand. "Well, the important thing is you're together now." Ziva nodded, squeezing her hand gently. The door opened, and Asher rushed in.

"Ima!"

"Speak of the devil." Tali whispered, but waved it away at her sister's odd look. The boy skidded to a stop when he saw Tali. Ziva got up, going to Tim and taking the bags as he shut the door and removed his jacket.

"Tali? What are you doing here?" The younger woman waved at him, a nervous smile on her face.

"Just came to see my sister, but I should go-" Ziva grabbed her arm as she moved past with the bag.

"No. Stay, please." The woman glanced at Tim, who nodded.

"We have more than enough for four." He said, pressing a kiss to Asher's head before following Ziva into the kitchen. After a moment, Tali nodded.