Disclaimer – I don't own anyone.
Author's note – I apologize greatly for my absence. My mother has been in the hospital with two pulmonary embolisms and a virus in her heart. It has been stressful on everyone...but it seems like everything is going well now. Anyway...onto the story!
"Where did you move from?" Jessica asked Ziva, taking a sip of the coffee.
"Israel. I am Isreali, Tony is American. He works for Naval intelligence and I am a language instructor at the Naval Academy." Ziva smiled. "It was getting very dangerous at home, so we decided to move back to America."
Jessica smiled and looked at the photos on the shelf. "Who's that?" She pointed to the photo that Abby doctored to show Tony, Ziva, Daniela, Jacob and Isaac.
"Our other son Isaac." Looking at the young boy's face, she imagined Tali. A few years older, but their deaths mirrored each other's so closely she couldn't help but think of Tali. "He's....the reason why we moved."
"Oh." Jessica blushed. "I didn't mean to bring it up..."
Ziva shrugged. "It is okay, you did not know." She swallowed hard and led Jessica towards the backdoor to watch the four kids play outside.
"Your kids are adorable. Daniela seems really grown up for her age." Michelle commented with a smile.
"She is. Very grown up." Ziva replied as they watched Daniela boost Beau onto the swings. "She is a very special girl."
"I can tell." Michelle smiled at the younger woman. "We should get together often."
"I would like that." Ziva said with a small smile.
--
"So what school do you go to?" Jamie asked snapping her gum loudly.
"Krieger Schechter School." Daniela replied frowning as she lifted Jacob onto the play structure. "Do you go there?"
"No...that's the weirdo school. They speak funny...and the boys wear strange hats. I go to Westview Elementary. Why are you going to Krieger? All of the kids there are super strange...and they have to wear these stupid uniforms."
Pushing a stray curl off her face Daniela shrugged. She sighed and sat down on the swing, ignoring the rest of the questions the older girl peppered her with. Finally she hopped off and stomped inside.
"Daniela, where are you going?" Ziva called as the girl tore through the main room and slammed the door. "I am sorry." She gave Michelle a small smile. "She is having a tough time adjusting."
Michelle smiled. "Jamie lacks tact a lot of times." She scribbled something down on a piece of paper and passed it to Ziva. "Here is my phone number, give me a call sometime."
"Toda." Ziva stood up and walked towards Daniela's bed room as she heard Michelle call from where they were sitting.
"Keith, go get your children. Pretty sure your daughter is making enemies again." The small Asian woman said, pulling her husband up from the couch where he was still discussing sports with Tony.
"Sorry, guess we have to cut this conversation short." He stood up and started heading towards the back door. "I'll catch you later, Tony."
"Sure." Tony stood up and headed towards the backyard. The three remaining kids streamed in, Jacob making a beeline for the tray of remaining cupcakes. He had two of them in his hands before Tony could even reach them. "Guess I have to apologize." Tony said with a smile as he watched Jacob shove the cupcake in his mouth.
"No worries, it's what they're for." Keith grabbed Beau and propped him up on his hip. "And Jamie...you and I are going to have a discussion at home."
Michelle waved to Tony as they left the house. Tony sighed and looked at Jacob who was covered from head to toe in blue icing. "You are a mess."
Jacob grinned. No bath.
Grabbing the back of his hooded sweatshirt he shook his head. "No such luck, buddy." Tony looked at Jacob and rolled his eyes. "BATH."
The boy batted his eyes at Tony and sighed as he felt himself being picked up. "Ziva, I'm putting the smurf formally known as Jacob in the bathtub."
Ziva opened the door to Daniela's room and nodded. "Okay. Daniela and I are just talking." She turned back to the girl who was sitting on her bed. "What is wrong?"
"Why do I have to go to the weirdo school?"
Sighing, Ziva looked at the girl with a sad smile. "Daniela, you are old enough to understand what is going on. You have been through enough to know all of the information." She sat beside the girl. "The reason why we are sending you to Kreiger is because that is where the six children who have been killed went." She watched as the girl cocked her head to the side and peered up at her. "Daniela, what you and Jacob are going to do is very dangerous, but everyone at NCIS will keep you safe. We need you. We cannot research this case without you."
The girl chewed on her bottom lip and looked at Ziva, saying nothing. They kept their eyes locked until Daniela finally looked away. "Who were the kids?"
"Three girls, all about 9 and three boys, about Jacob's age. Their names were Sarah, Ruth, Rebekkah, David, Eli and Morrie."
"How did they die?" Daniela closed her eyes, thinking about her parents and brother.
"Daniela..."
"Ziva, how did they die?" Tears ran down her face. "I must know. Did they die in a fire like Aba, Ima and Isaac?" Ziva held the girl tightly.
"Daniela..."
"TELL ME!" The girl pulled away.
"They were tortured and shot." Ziva said softly. "Daniela, we cannot do this without you."
"I will do it for Isaac." She pulled her legs up to her chest and hid her face in her knees. Ziva watched as the girl stayed still until she left.
--
"How did you get icing in your hair?" Tony rubbed Jacob's hair with shampoo. "Seriously Jake."
The boy grinned and picked up a handful of bubbles.
"Wonder what your sister and Ziva are talking about..." He signed Daniela's name and then Ziva's. Jacob threw his pile of bubbles up in the air and giggled. "Thank goodness you're cute." He pulled the plug on the bathtub and wrapped the boy up in his green frog towel. "There you go little man."
"Thanks for doing that Tony."
Tony looked up and saw Ziva smiling down on him. "You were busy." He pulled her down onto his lap. "How is Daniela?"
She shrugged. "I told her."
"Told her what?" He wrapped his arms around her back.
"Everything, Tony. I told her about the case, about the children." She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against his chest. "She wanted to know...Tony..."
"How is she taking it?"
"I am not sure Tony."
They sat in silence until they heard a loud crash. "Jacob." Tony sighed. "I'll go get him."
Both were so entrenched in their thoughts they didn't even take a second glance out their window. Perhaps had they, one of them would have seen the person outside the house...
--
"JACOB! YOU NEED TO GET DRESSED!" Tony chased the boy around the couch, finally catching him and pinning him down.
"It appears that Jacob likes ties as much as you do, Tony." Ziva remarked as she straightened Daniela's vest. "You look very nice Daniela."
Daniela smiled and smoothed her skirt and then her Star of David necklace. "It is working, correct?"
"It is working. Tony, do you have Jacob ready?" Ziva handed Daniela her books.
"Mmmmm hmmm." He pulled the boy under his arm, grabbing his backpack and books on the way out. "Got the squirt."
"Got your lunches?" Ziva asked gathering her jacket.
"Got them." Daniela waved the two lunch kits.
"Gym clothes?" Tony asked.
"Yep."
"I think then we are ready." Ziva said, ushering the two kids out of the door, Tony shutting it behind them.
--
"What is wrong?"
Tony looked over at Ziva briefly before turning back to the road. "Hmm?"
"What is wrong? It is not like you to be this quiet."
"I just hope that they're okay today..."
Ziva swallowed a grin. "I am sure they will be fine Tony. We will see them in...less than six hours." They pulled into the Navy yard.
"It's going to be a long day."
--
Daniela played with the necklace around her neck and sighed. She stared at the board of Hebrew and rolled her eyes.
"Miss Della Rovere, do you have something to add?" The teacher asked, stopping the class.
"No Miss." She picked up her pencil and began to copy the letters, something that she had done since she was old enough to read.
"Do you know what it says?"
"Yes Miss. It says that today is Monday and we are very thankful for the wonderful weather and wonderful friends we have in our class." Daniela translated easily.
The teacher looked at the girl warily. "Could you write something about yourself on the board?"
"I can." She got up and walked up to the board and began writing the boxed letters quickly on the board. After a few minutes she stood back and admired her handywork. She felt probing eyes on her. "My mom speaks to me in Hebrew..." Daniela explained. "And I lived in Israel..." Her voice trailed off and she stared down at her patent leather shoes.
The whispers began with the word Israel. Heads bent together, stares questioning the new girl...not one set of eyes avoiding her. Daniela sighed and shuffled back to her seat and waited for the lunch bell...which for her could never come quick enough.
--
She leaned against the chain link fence that separated the two school yards. The other girls were playing hopscotch, something she found to be a complete waste of time, and the boys were playing soccer...something pointless in her school uniform. Jacob sat beside her, quietly eating his pita and hummus, playing with a hotwheels car that Tony had packed in his lunch kit.
"Hi."
Spinning around she peered through the fence at a boy who was smiling down at her. He held a young girl by the hand.
"Hi."
He smiled and sat down along the fence. "My name is James...and this is my sister Helen."
"Daniela...and this is Jacob." She looked at the boy who smiled at her. "Why aren't you playing? It's lunch."
"I could ask you the same thing."
Daniela smiled. "Touch."
James grinned. "I think you mean touché. And I'm not playing because I hate hopscotch."
"I'm not playing because I hate...everyone."
"Me too?"
"Not you."
--
"DiNozzo, do your job." Gibbs said, slapping the younger agent on the back of the head.
"Sorry boss." He winced and rubbed the back of his head gingerly. "Has anything new come up on Jacob or Daniela's feed?"
"Not since five minutes ago Tony." Tim rolled his eyes. "Go back to your desk and do something."
"What's that?" Tony pointed to something on the MTAC.
"A kid. They're in school." He turned to Ziva and rolled his eyes.
"Take him away Ziver, let McGee do some work."
Ziva steered Tony out of MTAC with a smile on her face. "Come on Tony...let McGee do his job."
"But I can help!" Tony whined.
"You can help over at your desk." Ziva placated with a small smile. If this was going to be the case for every day at school...