(Park – 2 pm)
-"'ibbs, daddy, look!"- Mini shouted excitedly in Hebrew as she ran in front of both men, straight to an exhibit which held lions with their cubs.
Gibbs chuckled, "Of course." Turning to Eli he asked, "Why am I not surprised?"
The other man smiled. A hint of sadness lay in his eyes as he remembered better times, "She was about her current age when we visited a circus for the first time. The circus also included Animal Acts. Ziva would not stop talking about those, especially the one involving tigers and lions."
"Big cats," Gibbs scoffed, "Most girls fall for them."
"True. Though Ziva also did not failed to make her dislike of the 'mean man' known, who was the tigers' trainer. " Eli added in afterthought.
-"'ibbs, daddy!"- Ziva called impatiently, seeing that the men still haven't caught up with her.
"Already there, Ziv." Gibbs smirked as he came to an halt next to her.
"You slow!" Mini-Ziva stated matter of factly.
Eli knitted his eyebrows together, "Ziva."
The little girl suddenly looked sheepishly at her father, who stood to her right. "Sowry Aba."
Eli smiled, "So who do we have here?"
"Uhm.." Ziva frowned, "What their namez?" she asked, directing her question at Gibbs.
"Well, let's see," the team leader carefully lifted Mini-Ziva into his arms, before pointing to the group of lions which were closest to them, "All animals you see here are called Lions. And these here are the female lions with their kids, also called cubs."
"How you know it girlz, 'ibbs?" Ziva looked from the lions to Gibbs and back.
"'Cause they don't have a mane, like he has," Gibbs pointed to another lion who lay a bit further away from the group.
Ziva frowned and looked around, "He only boy?"
Eli smiled, "Yes, at least he is the only grown up boy, yet."
"He haz' name?"
"I think it's Luke." Gibbs stated.
Mini-Ziva watched Luke for a while, "Why no o'ter boyz?"
"I don't know, kid" Gibbs lied shamelessly, while Eli tried to suppress his laughter, not at all feeling sorry for the other man.
Suddenly Eli's cell started to ring, causing the man to excuse himself and walk a bit further away.
After watching the lions for a while in a comfortable silence, a thought struck Ziva, "'ibbs?"
"Yea?"
"Can I haf' ohn'?" Mini-Ziva pointed to the cubs, who were chasing and tackling each other.
Gibbs smiled, "Sorry kid, but if we took one of them with us, her or his mother would miss her baby."
The little girl nodded, "Cub would miss itz' Ima, too," she sadly added.
"Yeah," Gibbs gently squeezed her to him, causing Ziva to bury her head in the crook of his neck.
"When Aba leave?" She quietly asked, her voice muffled by Gibbs' scarf.
"In about an hour," Eli answered as he lay a hand on Ziva's back, having come back just in time to hear her question.
Hearing this, Ziva's eyes widened and she immediately let go of Gibbs, in order to look at her father. "Lo!"
"An hour?" Gibbs asked as he handed a now squirming Ziva over to Eli.
Eli nodded, "The call was work related. I'm needed back in Israel as soon as possible."
-"No, you can't go!"-
-"Precious," Eli gently brushed Ziva's hair back while the little girl clung to him, quietly sobbing into her father's shoulder, -"The time when we next see each other again will be sooner than you think."-
-"I want to come with you!"- Ziva protested, her voice thick with tears.
Behind Gibbs, Eli could see one of his officers discretely standing a few steps away, waiting for his director to notice him. Eli silently nodded to the man, before turning to Gibbs, who had watched the exchange.
"Ziv?" Gibbs softly stated.
"LO!" Ziva furiously shook her head, fastening her grip on Eli.
Eli sighed deeply, -"I wish I could stay or take you with me, but I can't do either thing. I need to go back and make it possible for you and the others to return home."- He gently pried Ziva's fingers loose, while looking directly into her tear-filled eyes. -"I love you. No matter how far away I am. You know this, right?"- He gently kissed her forehead.
Mini-Ziva slowly nodded, -"Daddy..."- She looked at him with sad eyes but didn't protested any further as her father handed her over to Gibbs. Silent tears still running down her cheeks.
Eli cast her a small smile before turning his attention to Gibbs, "I think it is the best if we part here."
"You sure about that?" Gibbs inquired, his gaze resting on Ziva.
"Yes." Eli straightened, "Less cause of - alarm, for all of us."
Gibbs nodded, "Alright." His lips curled upwards, "I guess one of those 'watchdogs' in front of my house took care of your luggage?"
Eli grinned slightly, "Yes." Turning his attention back to his daughter, he took a step forward and gently kissed her forehead one last time. -"Remember what I told you. I love you, Precious."-
Mini-Ziva smiled through her tears, hiccuping. -"L-love you... too... daddy..."-
Eli gave her a smile in return before taking a step backwards. His gaze on Gibbs, "Agent Gibbs." The men curtly nodded at each other before Eli turned around without another word, walking away with his officer in tow.
"Aba!" Ziva whimpered in Gibbs' arms.
"It hurts when your parents leave you, but you'll see him again," Gibbs soothed as he walked on purpose in the opposite direction that Eli had taken.
(Gibbs' House – 5 pm)
"Tony?" Gibbs called out as he entered his house with Mini-Ziva in his arms.
"Kitchen!" The teenager called back, sticking his head around the corner for a second. "I'm making us homemade pasta."
Gibbs laughed quietly at hearing this. "What's up with him and making pasta from scratch," he asked amused as he set Mini-Ziva onto the couch. Though the little girl kept quiet.
"Not in the mood to talk, huh?" Gibbs asked softly, while removing her shoes, "I don't blame you, squirt. I wouldn't want to talk either. But let's try to eat some of the food Tony is cooking for us, okay?"
The only response he got was Ziva curling up on the couch, taking Mar Mikâh, who had been sitting in the corner of the couch, with her in the process.
Gibbs sighed and covered her small form with a nearby blanket, "I'll be just a few steps away, helping Tony. If you feel like having company..."
(Kitchen)
"I hope it's enough for everyone," Tony pointed to the saucepan in front of him as Gibbs walked into the room.
"Will be enough for the three of us," the older agent stated gruffly.
Tony looked puzzled at him, "What? Someone's not hungry?"
"Someone's not there anymore."
"Wait... what? Eli? He left?" the teen asked confused. He had thought that Ziva's father would stay at least another four days.
Gibbs sighed, "Business came up." He took a smaller cup out and purred some milk into it, before adding cocoa powder to it.
"Ziva?"
"Upset." Gibbs gave the teen a pointed look as he put the cup of cocoa milk into the microwave. "Try not to be too happy about Eli been gone."
Tony nodded numbly. "Wouldn't do that."
"I know," Gibbs smirked slightly. "So how was your day? You wanted to visit one of your new friends. Thought you wouldn't be home before midnight."
"Apparently his mother was the opinion to literally throw everyone out at 4 pm. Said something about my friend having to do his homework and cleaning up." Tony gritted his teeth.
Gibbs laughed, "Mom's do that sometimes."
"She reminded me more of a witch. Like in one of these old Halloween movies, where kids sneak into the witch's house and then the witch comes home and chaos arise." Tony answered surly.
"DiNozzo, you've seen too many movies, already." Gibbs laughed as he took the chocolate milk out of the microwave.
"Can I haf' 'mallows, too?" A small voice asked from the doorway.
Surprised, both men looked at Ziva, who had Mar Mikâh safely tucked under her arm.
"Who says that the chocolate milk isn't for me?" Gibbs teased.
"You no drink t'at..." Mini-Ziva stated as she tiredly leaned against the door frame.
The older man grinned and waved her over. "Oh, I do, sometimes. But you're right, this one is for you." Gibbs lifted Ziva up on the kitchen counter, so that she could sit on it. "How many do you want?"
Ziva's mood perked up. "Fohr!"
"Four won't fit into the cup, bug."
"But me want fohr!" The little girl crossed her arms over her small chest and gave Tony a pouting look.
Before they could argue further, Gibbs intervened, "Only three will fit," Gibbs showed his shrunken agent the cup with the marshmallows in it, "How about you eating the fourth separately?"
Ziva beamed at him, "Uh huh!" She immediately took the offered marshmallow and started to eat it. "Mar Mikâh, too?" The little girl looked pleadingly at Gibbs, who shook his head.
"Nah, animals aren't supposed to eat sweets, squirt."
Ziva's face fell. She had hoped to get another marshmallow.
"Tony could have one," Gibbs offered instead, clearly amused.
Mini-Ziva looked over to the teen, contemplating if he should get a marshmallow or not. Though seeing the teenager's pleading look, she eventually agreed. "O'tay. Tony haf' ohn' but only ohn'!"
Laughing out loud, Gibbs offered Tony a single marshmallow, which was greatly accepted by the teen.
~ Fin ~
-"..."- = always foreign langage
Aba = Father
Ima = Mother
Lo = No
Mar Mikâh = Mister Mikâh