There and back again
Title: There and back again
Spoiler: Judgement day, part 2
Summary: Tel Aviv isn’t home anymore. One shot, gen.
Disclaimer: I’m just borrowing them for a spin.
Aimlessly she drifted around in the streets of downtown Tel Aviv it was strange to be back; she still remembered every alley and every twist in the road. They had once been her childhood domains; she had roamed them with Tali and Ari sneaking into the backyards, climbing the rooftops and as they grew older they had used to sit and chat by the tables of the many outdoor cafés or in the night time hit the bars and clubs, she became curious and wondered if her one time favourite café over at Nachlat Binyamin street still existed.
She smiled slightly when she saw that it still was there, jazz tunes from within spilled out into the street through the open front door and she stepped into the dim light with hope that the familiar space would make her feel a bit more at home.
The coffee was the same strong, sweet and spiced up with cardamom served in a thick blue tinted glass, the man behind the desk wasn’t but she hadn’t expected him to be. She settled down on one of the embroidered pillows the well-known taste of the coffee brought her back in time and she got caught in the memories until the owner Mr Eleazar walked by and recognised her.
His wish for her to extend his greetings to Ari jolted her out of her happy memories and as soon as he had left she tossed down the remaining liquid and quickly exited the café his kind words only enhanced the loneliness she struggled to hold at bay.
They where all gone Tali, Ari, her mother there wasn’t anything left except the memories and her father that tied her to Tel Aviv, a father she didn’t know anymore and who she seriously doubted she had ever known if even a fraction of things she had heard in Gibbs basement was true. Still when her father had greeted her at the airport early this morning he had seemed like the same person as always, a bit distant but caring about her wellbeing none the less.
Gibbs words echoed in her mind “You’ve got to trust your judgement Ziva. Moment you don’t…” just as the last time she filled in the last part “…it won’t be almost.” Abruptly she stopped in her steps and stared up at the red brick building ahead of her and willed it to change into another a continent away. Because being back in Tel Aviv had made realize more than ever the truth behind the saying “Home is where your heart is” and her heart was screaming that home was many miles away on the streets of Washington, in her kitchen with warm yellow walls, in the busy bullpen or even in a dusty basement that smelled of wood shavings, coffee and bourbon. She shifted her gaze towards the sky and whispered into the evening air the thought that had been in her mind ever since her eyes briefly meet Gibbs’ after Vance completely unexpected words withdrew her position at NCIS. “Save me”
Shifting she closed her eyes, took a deep breath and steeled herself against the onslaught of feelings the words created before thoroughly tucking them away in the darkest corner of the heart. Gibbs would get her back the promise had burned in his eyes she only had to survive until he did.