An apartment in Virginia, a job as a history professor at a community college, and no involvement with her parents’ politics. This was what Jasper Sheppard had always wanted for his granddaughter, and now she finally had it. To some extent.
Sarai kept her ear to the ground for any news of Jen and Eli searching for her, but her parents seemed to have understood why she’d left because they didn’t come after her. She went down to the gym regularly to spar with whoever felt brave enough to try, usually men who wanted a chance to ask her out, and she was always armed, but aside from that, she had left everything behind her in Tel Aviv.
While she could have switched accents in a heartbeat if she’d wanted, she chose not to lose the accent that marked her as an Israeli national, just as she kept her natural looks. Maybe it was foolish to highlight herself in so many ways, but she was tired of deception, so she just left things as they were. Unfortunately, one side effect of this decision was the gossip that followed her arrival. A gorgeous, young, distinctly Middle Eastern woman arriving in town was clearly big news, and the fact that Sarai kept to herself for most of the summer weeks leading up to the beginning of term didn’t much help.
The first day of classes saw her awake earlier than usual, and she glanced herself over in the mirror. Her dark hair hung in a loose curtain down her back, covering the slight signs of a knife and a small firearm at her hip. Sarai took a deep breath and smiled, letting her expression relax and fall into place, before heading out the door. A real smile flashed across her face for a second as she climbed into the pale silver Acura she’d just bought. Maybe it was a cliché, but she liked fast cars. They created just a little of the rush that she got off of her assignments with a slim to none chance of her getting killed comparatively. But there was a time and a place for everything, so she forced herself to drive at the speed limit all the way to the college and suppressed her sigh of regret when she turned off the ignition. She climbed out and made her way to the classroom she’d been assigned, frowning at the cold impersonality of it and making a promise to herself that she would add some life to the room. Sure enough, she heard the carelessly efficient footsteps of her new friend a moment later. “Morning Lisa.” She called out, not even turning around. “Go ahead and drop those papers on the table, I’ll go through ‘em in a minute.”
Lisa sighed, annoyed. “How do you do that?” she demanded. “I swear, sometimes I wonder if you’re blind or something, it’s the only reason I can think of that you know who’s coming by their footsteps.”
“Practice.” Replied Sarai. “That’s how. My brother and sisters were always trying to sneak up on me. Believe me, it was self-preservation.”
“Yeah, mine did the same thing, I just never learned how to avoid it.” Laughed Lisa. “Anyway, I’ve got your attendance sheets, syllabi, and that questionnaire you wanted.”
Sarai dropped the chalk onto the board’s little ledge and turned, wiping her hands on her slacks. “Thanks.” She flipped through the papers and set them down in three different stacks on the table, perching herself on the corner of it. “And now we wait.”
“So, how many of them do you think are going to be brave enough to actually ask?” Lisa leaned back against the wall grinning. “I’ve already been asked a million and two questions, and not one of them was about the course.”
“I’m sure it’s not that bad.” Laughed Sarai, rolling her eyes. “I mean really, I’m not that interesting!”
“You’re kidding me.” Lisa stared at her. “Honey, let me give you a sample.” She feigned a prissy little voice. “Do you know if she’s from Iraq?” she mimicked. “She’s so dark, are you sure she isn’t Pakistani?” Back to the normal voice. “And so I had to explain that Pakistan is a completely different place from Iraq. Oh, but are you sure she isn’t from there? I mean, do you know if she’s got a Koran?”
Sarai laughed at the imitation. “No!” she gasped, wiping her eyes. “Damn war’s got everyone looking for terrorists in their own backyard.” She giggled.
“Well, Professor Davis,” said Lisa seriously, a deadpan face. “You do have a very plain and historic name, and it’s really very clear that you’re from somewhere in the Middle East.” A second later the two of them were laughing so hard they were almost crying, unable to keep a straight face anymore.
“Oh, I’m so sorry you have to deal with that, Lis.” She gasped, struggling to regain her composure. “Damn, this should really be interesting then, shouldn’t it?”
Lisa nodded to the students trickling through the door, looking terrified of their new teacher. “And this is the Freshman class too.” She whispered conspiratorially, pushing off the wall. “Good luck. You’re gonna need it.” Sarai watched as students trickled in until all of the seats were filled and tucked a lock of hair back behind her ear nervously. Time to start her new life.



“Abby!” yelled Gibbs over the pounding rock music. He glanced in the wastebasket by her computer, heart sinking when he saw six Caf-Pows inside. The Goth turned to look at him, and he realized that she’d aged about five years with Kate’s death. He sighed and turned the music down to a semi-reasonable decibel level. “You remember that print I had you run a few years back?”
“You’ve had me run thousands of prints Gibbs.” She replied miserably, turning back to her computer.
“You know which one I’m talking about Abbs.” He told her quietly. “I need to talk to her.”
Abby turned away and began fiddling with the machines in her lab. “It’s been over six years since I ran that print Gibbs. Did you ever consider that she doesn’t want to talk to you?”
“Only ever single, damn day.” He retorted angrily. “And I’ve respected that for almost seven years, but I was told to back off Ari and I want to know why.”
Abby’s head jerked up. “You think she has something to do with it?” she demanded.
“I don’t know Abbs.” He sighed. “Can run a facial recognition program for her?”
“Can you describe her?” Abby volleyed back. “I can design a face and run it, but it’ll only be as accurate as your memory is.”
Gibbs nodded, steering Abby into her office and pushing her into her computer chair. “It’s not a face you forget.” He said grimly.
“Alright, shoot.” Ordered Abby. “Let’s see if our luck is any better now.”
Gibbs closed his eyes, trying to recall every piece of the face that he hadn’t seen in almost a decade. “Blonde hair, long and straight. Bright, dark green eyes. Light skinned. Mostly European features, but some Israeli.”
Abby frowned. “Well which ones are which Gibbs? I could combine them any one of a thousand ways.” she pointed out.
“Her bone structure was very aristocratic.” He clarified thoughtfully. “But she had a widow’s peak and darker-toned, bowed lips; more middle eastern.”
“And now we factor in height and weight....” muttered Abby.
“Five foot seven, eight, and a dollar fifty.” He offered.
She typed the statistics into the computer and the image adjusted slightly for the numbers. “Is that her?” she asked, leaning back in her chair.
“Yeah.” Gibbs dragged his hand through his hair, frustrated. “That’s her.”
Abby stared at the computer picture, frowning. “It doesn’t look right.” She commented. “I mean, I don’t know what she looks like, but the details just don’t really seem to go together.”
Gibbs glanced at her and then at the screen. “You know, you’re right.”
“The hair.” Realized Abby. “That’s what it is, I remember my cousin spent months trying to get her hair that colour, and when she finally gave up and went into a salon, they mentioned that it’s actually not possible for hair to be that colour naturally. You’ve got to strip out all the colour and then put in just the right amount of a really specific dye. It’s really hard to get it like that.”
“So what’s her real hair colour then?” asked Gibbs, puzzled by all the talk of feminine hair-related beauty.
“Not even I can tell you that, Gibbs.” Laughed Abby. “All we can do is hope that her hair colour isn’t as rare as her eye colour is. Genetically, it’s almost impossible to get green eyes. Usually both parents have to have green eyes, but there’s like a one in a million chance that one parent could have another colour. They’re often paired with red hair, but that’s also a recessive trait, and it’s not likely that this girl got more than one genetic miracle. You said European and Israeli. There’s a fairly good chance she wound up with black hair.” Offered Abby.
“Alright, try that.” said Gibbs, relieved to move away from topics he had no understanding of.
She typed a code into her computer and the silvery blonde locks were replaced by black. “Now THAT looks right.” Said Abby triumphantly, gesturing to the screen. “What do you think?”
Gibbs shook his head in disbelief. “I think it’s time to find out who ‘Secret’ really is.” He replied. “Run it against everything you can think of Abbs, military, agency databases, terrorist watch-lists, CIA, hell, even high school yearbooks.” He paused. “Actually, try the yearbooks. Anything near Quantico the last thirty years, okay?” He turned and began to walk away.
“That’s a lot of pictures to go through Gibbs!” Abby called after him.
“Better get started then!” he called back. “Call me when you have something.”



Three months later.

Gibbs hadn’t even gone home last night, and as per usual no one had arrived for work yet. He sat at his computer, tired eyes still attached to the screen, reading through Ziva’s report. She wasn’t such a bad agent, really, and he knew that her heart was in the right places, but he still wasn’t sure where her loyalties lay and that worried him a little. He was pretty sure that she would no longer blindly follow her father’s orders, but she was still Mossad, and it would take a lot to get her to care as much about NCIS’s interests as she did about Israel’s. He didn’t look up when the elevator dinged, so Abby’s excited voice startled him.
“I found her Gibbs, I found her!” cried Abby, racing out of the elevator. She skidded to a stop in front of his desk and held out a file proudly.
“Who Abby?” asked Gibbs, puzzled.
The Goth rolled her eyes. “Your runaway date, of course.” She sighed, like it was obvious. “I’ve been running her likeness past every picture I could find, and I just got a hit. We were right about the hair. Name’s Kyra Davis, she’s a college professor at University of Virginia, just started working there. Guess when?”
“Right after Ari died.” He said grimly. “What the hell is Mossad up to?”
“Dunno.” Shrugged Abby. “But I’d take a look at her file before you go see her. Anyway, I found her address and phone number. There’s not much on her, kept herself pretty clean, but what there is, I put in that file. My work here is done, good luck.”
Gibbs grabbed the file, pausing to kiss her cheek as he hurried over to the elevator. “Thanks Abby. Can you keep quiet about this for a while?”
She saluted him with a pleased smile. “Whatever you say, mon capitain!” she giggled, watching the silver doors slide shut between them.



Sarai wiped down the chalk-board at the front of her room as her students lingered over their packing. She’d noticed that no matter how many times she dispersed a rumour, there was always a new one to fill its place, a little like it had been when she’d first arrived at Mossad, and while it annoyed her a little, she actually found it entertaining to hear the theories, and encouraged her students to share what they’d heard. As it was, a lot of them would stay after class and chat with her about just about anything they could think of, and more than one had attempted to ask her out. She’d been getting a lot of that, actually, students, coworkers, and even some of the relatives who came to visit the school. She sighed, stacking a bunch of papers into a pile and trying to fit them into her already-full bag. She cursed under her breath as half of the papers slipped out of her hands and covered the floor, kneeling down to pick them back up.
“Here, let me help you with that.” The deep, familiar voice made her stomach twist and she forced herself to stay calm as Gibbs knelt down beside her, gathering up a small pile and handing it to her.
She tucked a loose strand of hair back behind her ear, nervously, and took a deep breath before looking up. As always, her mind went blank and her breath hitched when she saw those pale blue eyes watching her, his expression unreadable. “Thank you.” She replied hoarsely, clearing her throat with an anxious laugh. “Sometimes I think the inevitable fate of a teacher is to drown in homework.”
“This is not the way I expected to run into you again, Raz.” He said softly, taking the stack of papers from her frozen hands and setting them back in the table.
Her smile faded and she broke their gaze, shame and pain in her eyes. “I did not expect to see you again at all Jethro.” She murmured. “In fact, I counted on it.”
“Was it really that bad?” he asked, leaning in to whisper in her ear. “If I asked Ziva, would she say you’d moved on, or that you were still in love with me?”
“Ziva would say...” Sarai swallowed, closing her eyes. “...that if you called my apartment, there would be a seventy-five percent chance that a man would answer the phone, and a hundred percent chance that it would never be the same man twice.” She replied, smoothing her skirt down carefully.
He flashed her one of his lopsided smiles, amused, and she realized that both Lisa and the college kids that were still in the room were paying close attention to them, enjoying the show. “So you went back, huh? I don’t know if I should be flattered or worried.”
“It is not your obligation to be either.” She retorted, wiping at her eyes hastily. “It has been too long for any of it to matter anymore.”
“No.” he shook his head gently. “After what you’ve been through, nothing I could do for you in six months was going to make it matter.”
“And what have I been through?” she hissed, burying her heart in ice to control her emotions, just as she’d always done.
“You weren’t even fourteen in Queens.” He pointed out. “I have your, sorry, Kyra’s, file.”
“Papers can lie.” She whispered.
“Maybe.” He conceded, tugging on a lock of dark hair. “But your eyes can’t. They’ve always been very expressive, huh? And I know you well enough to hear what they’re saying.”
She shook her head, beginning to panic as she pulled her bag towards her and put away the loose papers. “No, no, I have to....”
“Your next class isn’t for another half-hour.” The slight desperation in his voice made her look up. “Please just talk to me, Razi. What did I do wrong?”
She sighed, biting her lip. “Nothing.” She replied, touching his shoulder for a brief second. “You did everything right, Jethro, I just....Can we talk about this later?”
He followed her gaze to the small group of girls that were inching steadily nearer in order to hear their conversation. “We will talk right? You’re not going to disappear on me again?” he clarified.
“I am not going anywhere.” She agreed, resignedly. “I take it my address is in that damn file?” He smiled and she nodded. “I thought so. Say hello to Ms. Sciuto for me, will you?”
“Bye Raz.” He turned and left, dipping his head to the girls as he passed them. They giggled, embarrassed, and hurried out as well.
She watched him walk out of the classroom, perfectly aware that Lisa had crept up behind her. “Forget about it Lis.” She sighed, turning back to the big oak table. “It is not important.”
“That look on your face says it is.” Pointed out Lisa, practically giddy with excitement at her friend’s little encounter. “Spill.”
“Maybe later.” Agreed Sarai vaguely. “Right now, I have a class to prepare for.”
Lisa rolled her eyes. “You know I won’t let this go.” She warned her friend/boss, folding her arms over her chest.
“I know.” Laughed Sarai. “Later.” And with that, she shooed the younger woman away and went back to her papers.



Her lips moved in an amused smile as she heard her front door open and close, Gibbs’s footsteps deceivingly light after years of practice. “I have a doorbell you know.” She pointed out, slipping a bookmark between the pages to mark her place and setting the paperback down on the side table. She curled up tighter to make room for him as he came around the couch.
He pulled out his Sig, setting it by her book and settled back into the cushions next to her. “I had an invitation.” He reminded her, glancing at the title on her book. “Don’t you get enough of the spy game in real life?” he asked. “Why read about it too?”
“It seems so much more fun when written about by people who have no idea what they are talking about.” She replied thoughtfully. “And this way I get to remember all the romance of it without the bad things.”
He glanced at her quizzically. “Remember?”
Sarai nodded, absently. “I finally got up the courage to tell my father to go to hell and make my own choices.” She murmured. “I am done with all of it, and I do not intend to go back.”
“I’m proud of you.” He told her gently, rubbing his thumb over her knee.
She looked down at her scarlet-painted toes, ashamed. “Don’t be.” She replied, her voice coming out sharper than she’d intended. “I caused too much damage, and my reasons for leaving were purely selfish. I cannot make up for what I have done.”
“You were a kid, Raz.” He said firmly. “What in hell did you know about all that? If anyone’s responsible for what you did, it’s your parents. You’re a good girl, you did what they told you to, nothing more.”
A memory flashed across her mind; an explosion rocking the whole world around her, her body flying into a wall, strong, camouflaged arms carrying her through the maze of smoke and destruction. She blocked the images quickly, not wanting to go back down that road. “Not always.” She said quietly.
“Good.” She looked up, surprised by his tone. “There’s no point in blindly following orders, it doesn’t help anybody.”
She couldn’t help the smile, feeling her heart warm back up at the praise. Before she even realized it, she’d moved herself into his lap, curling up with her head on his chest. He was surprised by the switch, but recovered quickly, wrapping his arms around her. “I did miss you.” She murmured, enjoying the feeling of him playing absently with her hair.
“Good.” He repeated, softer this time. “I missed you too Raz.”
“Me or the sex?” she teased, tilting her head up with a wicked smile, but there was a valid question in her eyes.
“You.” He replied confidently. He pressed his lips to her forehead, shifting a little to better accommodate the shape of her body.
She bit her lip gently, thoughtfulness replacing the curiosity. “Do you think I made a mistake?” she asked quietly. “About us? Should I have stayed?”
“I think there’s no point asking what could have happened because there’s nothing we can do to change it.” He replied slowly. “It’s better to ask what we want to do now.”
Sarai leaned up, brushing her lips over his, and she slipped back into the patterns from before. Her fingers slid into his hair, pulling herself as close as possible, trying to taste as much of him as she could while he was here with her. “Can you forgive me?” she rasped, the slightest anxiety showing in her eyes as her mouth hovered over his.
“For what?” he asked, too lost in her taste and scent to figure it out for himself.
She paused, hands framing his face, emerald eyes locked on his pale blue ones. He could see the struggle there and realized that there was something she was trying very hard not to tell him. “Everything.” She replied finally.
“There’s nothing to forgive, you haven’t done anything wrong.” He told her gently, fitting his hand in the small of her back. “So whatever it is you’re worried I’ll be angry about, I promise I’m not. I’m just happy to have you back Razi.”
Relief showed on her face before a wicked smile flashed across it. “And who says I am taking you back?” she teased.
“You would kiss me like that and walk away?” asked Gibbs, feigning astonishment and tightening his arms around her.
“Maybe.” She replied impishly.
“Well I guess I’m going to have to do something about that.” he growled back.
She let out a soft shriek as he picked her up easily, carrying her back through the apartment. “Arrogant bastard.” She laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly. She let her head fall back and he nipped at her throat before laying her down on the bed, acknowledging the silent request.
“So I’ve been told.” He agreed. He stretched out over her and dropped his mouth down to her skin, nipping and tasting his way along. “But I didn’t think you’d mind.”
“I guess not.” She moaned as she began to melt for his seduction. “I take it back. You may arrogant, but you have every right to be.”
He smirked against her soft skin. “Then we agree.” He observed, inching her blouse up. “We’ll give it another shot, a real shot this time.”
Sarai nodded, smiling up at him. “Shall I tell Lisa I have a boyfriend then?” she asked innocently.
“A very jealous boyfriend.” He added. “I saw the way those college boys look at you. I bet they like to stay after class and ask stupid questions.”
“As a matter of fact, they do.” She pulled his mouth down, kissing him as hard as she could. “But I assure you, I am all yours.”
“Good.” He said for the third time. “I like that.”
She slid her hands up his chest gently, popping the buttons of his shirt open. “Patience has never been one of my strong points.” She pointed out when he cast an amused glance at her.
He laughed, sending thrills up her spine. “Fair enough.” He murmured. He pulled out his cell phone and turned it on silent, dropping it on the bedside table, and then held out a hand for hers. She gave it to him and he turned it off as well. “No interruptions.”



Her body was still humming from his touch the next morning and she rolled on top of him, placing butterfly kisses along his jaw until he began to wake up. “Not morning yet.” He slurred, squeezing his eyes shut.
Sarai suppressed a laugh and kissed him full on the lips. He responded enthusiastically, making a low sound in the back of his throat when she pulled away but she just shook her head. “It is time to get up Jethro.” She purred. “We both have to go to work today, and I do not think I have anything that will fit you.”
“I’ve got a change of clothes in my trunk.” He shrugged carelessly, eyes tracing the flex of her muscles as she dressed. “Do you really need those?”
She tucked her seven-shot into the waist of her jeans, glancing at him over her shoulder. “It is just a habit I guess.” She replied absently. “At Mossad, you would have to be dead to go unarmed, so now it feels strange to be without my weapons.”
Gibbs frowned, pushing off the covers and grabbing his jeans. “I took Ziva’s weapons the first day she was on the team. Sig Saur, back-up pistol, and a knife.”
“Do you really think that’s all she had?” laughed Sarai, latching her bra and pulling a shirt out of her closet. “I taught that girl myself. As long as she is in the field, she will be better armed than that.”
“I’m going to have to talk to her about that.” he muttered. His eyes darkened when she pulled her shirt over her head, the scarlet silk clinging perfectly to every curve on her body. “I don’t think you should wear that.”
She glanced down, dismayed. “I like this shirt.” She protested, fingering the hem. “Is it really that bad?” He stepped closer, wrapping his arms around her waist. He nipped softly at her neck, his hands sliding down to rest on her bottom and pulling her hips flush against him. She gasped, curling her fingers into his arms at the feel of his arousal. “Oh!” She breathed, closing her eyes and pressing her cheek against his.
“I really like that colour on you.” He said hoarsely. “But this...,” He ran his hands up her sides and they caught on the soft fabric. “This is just cruel, baby girl. I don’t think you know what you would be doing to all those poor students of yours, let alone what it’ll do to me to think of you in this while I’m at work today.”
“In that case, I’ll be sure to wear it more often.” She replied innocently. He groaned, burying his face in the crook of her neck, and she laughed. “You will be fine Jethro, and my students will have to take care of themselves.” She pushed him away gently, kissing his cheek, and headed out.
He closed his eyes and took a moment to cool back down before getting dressed and following. He found her in the kitchen, fixing coffee and eggs. “You’re a morning person aren’t you?” he observed.
“The caffeine shots help.” She replied, handing him a cup. He sipped it warily, than relaxed when he realized she’d made it the same way he always drank it. She watched, amused. “I know my way around marines, Jethro.” She laughed, taking a sip from her own cup.
He raised an eyebrow at her. “That so?” he asked, watching her blush spread from the tip of her nose outward as she set her half-empty mug down.
“My grandfather was a marine.” She amended hastily. “He took care of me when Mamá was not around, which was most of the time. I also know you.”
He smiled at her embarrassment and pulled the velvet box he’d brought with him out of his pocket. He eyes locked onto it, shock flashing through them for a moment before she masked it. “I meant to give this to you last night, but I got a little...distracted.” he opened it and lifted the silver chain out.
Her expression turned soft with delight and amazement as he came over and clasped the necklace around her throat. Her fingers flew to the silver star, closing around it. “You kept this?” she whispered.
“It was important to you.” He replied, resting his chin on top of her head and putting his arms around her waist. “I just always figured I could give it back to you when I found you.” She shook her head in disbelief, covering his hands with her own where they rested over her stomach. “I never stopped loving you, Raz, and I’m really hoping you still love me.”
She pulled away, tucking back her hair nervously. “I am afraid to love you.” She whispered, pinned by his blue gaze. “But I can’t help it.”
“The one thing in the world you’re afraid of.” He sighed, cupping her cheek and rubbing his thumb across it. “What can I do?”
“Just...just give me time.” She replied. “Time to leave Mossad behind.”
“You’re really done, huh?” he asked, impressed and pleased.
“I am never going back.” She agreed confidently, then she faltered. “But you are a part of it all.”
He tipped her chin up gently, forcing her to look him in the eye. “I will keep you away from it.” He told her firmly. “I promise. You can do whatever you want with your life now, and I’ll help you every step of the way.”
“It is my life, isn’t it?” She smiled hopefully, considering this semi-new idea. Suddenly, she threw her arms around his neck, burying her head in his shoulder. “Thank you.” She murmured.
Gibbs hugged her back and she pulled away, looking much happier than before. He kissed her softly. “Come on, I’ll drive you to work.”

Lisa raised her eyebrows in surprise when she saw her friend lean over to kiss Gibbs before getting out of the dark sedan. Sarai waved as Gibbs sped off, and sighed when she noticed Lisa waiting for her by the door. The brunette’s smile only grew when she spotted the love-bites that Sarai had done her best to cover up. “Not important my ass.” She announced, crossing her arms. “Let’s hear it.”
“Hear what?” replied Sarai sweetly, deliberately provoking her friend.
“Damnit Kyra!” exclaimed the younger woman. “You can be so evil sometimes!”
“His name is Jethro.” Laughed Sarai, taking pity on Lisa. “I have known him...” Sarai frowned, counting back the years. “A very long time.” She finished, deciding she didn’t care about the actual number.
“Is he good?” asked Lisa pointedly, pushing the classroom door open.
The two women stepped inside and Sarai dropped her bag on the oak table. “At what?”
“You make girl talk really difficult, you know that?” sighed Lisa. “Is the sex good?”
Sarai shrugged vaguely. “It’s nice.”
“You’re putting out for sex that’s just nice?” demanded Lisa incredulously. “Honey, you’re going to have a problem if that’s true.”
“I just do not really see why you want to know about my sex life.” Replied the Israeli, grabbing a piece of chalk and starting to write on the board.
Lisa sighed. “I don’t. What I’m interested in, is my friend’s life in general, and since this Jethro is a new part of it I’m interested in why.”
“He’s not a new part.” Sarai flushed a little as she turned away from the board and sat down on the edge of the table. “We were together about eight years ago as well, but...he got called back to DC and I could not see a way to leave Israel.” She bit her lip thoughtfully, flashing back to the day she’d left Russia, the plane trip that she’d spent in silence trying to convince herself that she’d done the right thing.
“Called back?” asked Lisa curiously. “What, is he a Senator or something?”
Sarai shook her head. “A federal agent, NCIS. Just goes to show, I guess. Raise a girl in chaos and she falls in love with a cop.”
Her laugh had the slightest bitter tang to it, but Lisa was too focused on the earlier part of the sentence. “Whoa, in love? Kyra, that’s...” The TA struggled to find the correct adjective. “Those are big words, use them carefully.”
“Believe me Lisa, I do.” Sighed Sarai. “Let’s continue this conversation later, alright?” She glanced pointedly at the students that were beginning to trickle in, most looking half-asleep and like they’d rather be anywhere else.
Lisa nodded. “I think you need a better cover-up by the way.” She teased lightly, tapping her own neck to make the point. Sarai glared at her and she laughed, pulling a small container out of her purse and setting it on the table. “I always keep some around. You might want to step out before class starts.” Sarai rolled her eyes at her friend’s back and pulled out her class sheet.
She paused, glancing at the little bottle on the table and grabbed it, striding out of the room. “Oh, shut it.” She muttered to Lisa as she walked past the giggling younger woman.



Sarai was curled up on the couch with her head in Gibbs’s lap, neither of them really paying that much attention to the show they had on. “What made you decide to leave, Raz?” asked Gibbs, watching her face cloud over with something he couldn’t quite read.
“I shot someone.” She replied quietly.
“What was different about it?” he asked, puzzled.
She was silent for a minute before answering. “When I pulled the trigger, I did not feel anything. Not regret, pride, revenge, not shock. Taking his life felt the same as taking a step, like something unimportant that happened every day. And my sister was there and when she looked at me, I knew she could tell, and it scared her to see me like that. I just turned and walked away, left her there, came to Quantico. And that’s when I realized I had never really meant to go home at all. I had not taken anything with me, I had visited my youngest sister’s grave before leaving Tel Aviv, I had even considered calling you.” She glanced up at him apologetically. “No one knows where I am, and I don’t intend to let them find out.”
“I guess that means no one at work can find out either.” Sighed Gibbs. “Because of Ziva and Jen.”
“I hear she is Director now.” Murmured Sarai. “She’s got the head for it, I suppose. Are you up for more secrets, Jethro?”
“Depends.” He replied dryly. “Am I keeping for you or for Jenny?”
She smiled, slipping her hand into his. “Me.”
“Then yes, I absolutely am.” He petted her dark head gently. “I promised I’d keep you out of it, and I will. So, how do you like being a teacher?”
She stifled a laugh at the change of subject. “I find it very entertaining. I am teaching twenty year olds the PR version of things I was involved in. It is quite ironic, don’t you think?”
“I think it’s perfect.” He agreed with a smile. “Who better to teach the subject after all? Just don’t go trying to teach them what really happened.”
“Damn, that was why I took the job.” Teased Sarai. She reached up to brush his hair out of his eyes. “Are you staying tonight?”
He nodded. “Whatever you want Razi.” He promised quietly.



Four months later.

The last few months had been very different from the first few. Lisa had noticed the change and she was quite pleased for her friend. The Israeli had spent her first three months in Virginia either in her classroom or at her apartment, but then the boyfriend had arrived. Aside from that first conversation where she’d gotten his name, Jethro, Lisa hadn’t managed to get anything more out of her friend about the man. But he was by no means invisible. Lisa had seen the two lovers around town and he would drive the professor to work every morning and pick her up every afternoon, he just never seemed to stick around for an introduction. It actually worried her. She may only have met the Israeli a few months earlier, but she and Sarai had become fast friends, and men who weren’t interested in meeting friends were often not interested in anything real, at least in her experience. So when she recognized her friend’s mystery-man in the store, she made her way over in a very nonchalant fashion. “So you’re Kyra’s new friend.” She observed brightly, putting herself right in his way.
Gibbs looked up, surprised and momentarily confused by his lover’s alias, but his face lit up with understanding when he recognized Lisa. “I guess you could say that, yeah. Lisa, right?”
The brunette nodded. She was vaguely impressed by the aura of dominance and power that surrounded him, recognizing the pull to obey this man’s orders. “I guess she’s told you about me. Nothing too awful, I hope.”
“She says you’ve been a great help since she got here.” Replied Gibbs. “And a great friend. I’m guessing from your position,” he gestured towards the way she was blocking his path. “That she hasn’t told you anything about me.”
“Good guess.” Replied Lisa sweetly. “Kyra’s my friend, and I’d like to know something about the men in her life.”
“That’s very admirable.” He said, amused. “I’m not sure what you’d like to know, though.”
She shrugged carelessly. “Oh, you know, the basics. Do you have a job, are you married, any history of insanity in the family, that kind of thing.”
“I see.” Laughed Gibbs. “Well, yes, no, and I don’t think so. It’s nice to know Kyra has someone looking out for her.” He didn’t like using the other name, but he knew he had to.
“Just one more question.” Prompted Lisa.
He nodded. “Shoot.”
“Why don’t you ever stick around? You seem to always be in such a hurry to get in and out.”
“You think I’m not involved because I haven’t spent any time with Kyra’s friends.” Realized Gibbs.
“It did cross my mind.”
He cast her a curious glance. “My job doesn’t leave me very much free time, it’s not a flexible schedule, so I haven’t really gotten to meet any of Kyra’s friends. But I can assure you that it’s not because I’m not serious.”
Lisa smiled, semi-appeased. “Good. Then you won’t mind my saying that if you hurt her, I’ll give you a clip you’ll never forget.” And with that, she disappeared into the store.
Gibbs considered this and chuckled to himself, heading for the check-out line. Having been through four marriages and three divorces, he’d heard such threats before, but he had to admit that the petite brunette had certainly come up with a new way to make them.



“So, I’m officially your boyfriend now.” Commented Gibbs vaguely as Sarai dropped kisses down his chest that night.
“What changed?” she laughed, nestling into him.
He reached down to pet her dark hair contentedly. “Your friend, Lisa, she cornered me at the store today and threatened me if I ever hurt you. Somehow, it’s a little more intimidating coming from someone who’s a good foot shorter than you.” He added thoughtfully. “She was quite matter-of-fact about the whole thing, I’m actually pretty sure she’ll do it too.”
“How sweet.” Murmured Sarai, stifling laughter. “Really quite unnecessary though.”
“I’d be terrified to break your heart.” He agreed. “But apparently she was worried that I was just playing around because I haven’t stopped in to say hello when I pick you up from work.”
Sarai rolled off to lay beside him and tucked her body up against him. “I guess you will have to visit then.” She said lightly.
Gibbs played with her hair quietly for a while, lost in thought, before he finally spoke. “How long are you planning on waiting before you say it, Raz?”
She glanced up at him curiously. “I love you Jethro.” She said softly, pressing her lips to his shoulder.
He turned a little and kissed her gently. “I know that. You’ve said it every day for the last four months. I wasn’t talking about that.”
“I do not have anything else to say.” She said quietly, knowing it wasn’t true.
“This,” He pressed his hand flat against the faint rise of her belly. “Says differently. When were you going to tell me?”
Sarai pushed away, getting out of bed and pulling her nightgown over her head. “I was going to save you the disappointment.” She replied, unable to look at him. “I will lose it anyway.”
“You were a spy before, Raz.” He laughed. “Stress causes miscarriages, and I highly doubt that being a college professor is anywhere near as bad.” She dragged her fingers through her hair, folding one arm under her breasts and muttering to herself in Hebrew. He sighed and got up, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his hands on her belly. “Isn’t it worth a shot, baby girl?” he asked gently, kissing her neck. “Did you want us to just date and make love for the rest of our lives, or did you want something more? We’ve been making love for four months with no protection, I figured you wanted this.”
“Do you?” she asked uncertainly.
“I’d thought about it, yeah.” He replied slowly. “The way I pictured it, I’d at least gotten you to move in with me first, but yes, I want us to be a family, and kids would’ve been a part of that at some point.”
She turned in his arms, doubt and fear in her eyes. “Your last three marriages have ended in nasty divorces. I do not want to be just another alimony Jethro.”
“Please?” he asked quietly, putting on his most pleading face, the one that had never failed him yet where the beautiful ex-spy was concerned. “Just trust me, Razi. Let me take care of you.”
Her expression softened and he knew he’d won. “I will make an appointment to see the doctor.”
He tipped his forehead down to hers, smiling gratefully. “You’re going to be a wonderful mother.” He assured her, touching his lips to hers for just a second. “And I’m going to take really good care of you and our baby, I promise.”
“You are making a lot of promises, my love.” She warned softly, her eyes still full of doubt. “Do not make more than you can keep.”



He showed up at the college in the middle of one of her classes, leaning against the wall with an amused smile as he listened to her lecture on the history of relations between America and Iran. He had to suppress laughter at some of the questions the students asked, especially the ones that were meant to get a rise out of her Israeli temper. She handled them well, and he realized that she had been taught to keep her cool and to be a diplomatic politician. It impressed him and he began to wonder just how many talents she’d built up over the years. When the class ended and students approached Sarai with last-minute questions and conversations, Lisa stepped over to Gibbs, glancing at him approvingly. “You took my advice.” She observed.
“You made your point well.” He replied, nodding. “The last thing I’d want to do is lose Kyra because I was too proud to take advice.”
Lisa smiled at the deferential tone and politely disappeared as Sarai made her way over. She leaned up to kiss his cheek, a soft smile on her lips. “My handsome marine.” She murmured as he tucked a loose strand of hair back behind her ear. “What can I do for you Jethro?”
“Try this on, see if it fits.” He replied carelessly, tossing her a small box.
She opened it curiously and froze. “Wha....” she stared at the ring, astonished. “You....I do not....” People were beginning to notice the look on her face and she masked her shock carefully. “Are you proposing?”
He gave her one of his signature lopsided smiles, crossing his arms nonchalantly. “Not the most romantic proposal in the world, but I figured you’d be less likely to argue with me over it here.”
Sarai chewed on her lip thoughtfully before plucking the ring out of its box and slipping it onto her finger. “Perfect.” She smiled up at him, more delight shining in her eyes than she was allowing to show anywhere else.
“You have very talkative eyes, baby girl.” He told her, pleased. “Have I ever told you that?”
She laughed gently and looked down, folding her arms over her belly. “No, I do not think so.”
“Ah, well you do, and they talk more now than they used to.” He replied. “I can tell you right now that I’ve never seen anything but good things in these eyes. And I promise I’m not going to let that change.” She could read the double meaning in his words and he wiped the tears away with his thumb. “Okay?”
She nodded and hugged him tightly, kissing his cheek. “Thank you.” She muttered, her voice thick with emotion. “Now go, I have to find a way to stop crying before my next class.” She pushed him back gently, biting her lip. And he gave a tiny wave to her and Lisa as he headed out.
Lisa was at her friend’s side in a second, snatching her hand up and staring at the delicate white-gold band with a small ruby on it. “Oh my God.” She breathed. “It’s beautiful. Only four months in and he proposes.”
Sarai tried to control the giddy feeling rising in her chest. “Eight years.” She corrected, barely aware of her surroundings.
Lisa glanced at her friend curiously for a moment. “What was that thing about the eyes?” she asked.
Sarai paused, almost wanting to tell the truth, but she held her tongue. “In Israel, it is mandatory for every citizen to serve two years in the military after they turn seventeen. Jethro and I....We were together shortly after I finished serving mine and....” she closed her eyes briefly, curling her fingers around the star at her throat as she pushed back the memories. Lisa’s face clouded and then cleared with understanding. “I am not proud of what I did, but war does not leave you many options. For a long time, though, I couldn’t look in the mirror without seeing a monster. Sometimes I still do. He understood, more than most, what it was like to do something you hated to protect your country, and he understood what it was like for me to leave.”
“Did you two serve together?” asked Lisa. It was the first time she’d gotten Sarai to talk about her past and she was very curious. “I mean, did you ever end up assigned together?”
Sarai nodded, her eyes and mind far away from the classroom, in Queens, in Russia. “I was just a teenager the first time we met. He’d seen me on duty once, and I guess he was curious, as was I. But I was just a child to him at the time.”
“I guess so.” Agreed Lisa. “If you were seventeen, he’s definitely more than a year older, that would have been dangerous.”
“Not in Israel.” Shrugged Sarai vaguely. “Seventeen is the age of majority there, but he would have thought it dangerous, yes. I did not see him again for several years, he had joined NCIS and I was still deployed, so we never crossed each others’ paths. When I was twenty-one, I wanted to see the world from the civilian side of things and there he was, just as sweet, just as curious.” She glanced up at Lisa, suddenly back in reality. “It was the only stupid, thoughtless decision I have ever made, and I don’t think I have ever regretted it.”
“You went home with him?” Lisa was incredulous. “Just like that?”
“Just like that.” agreed Sarai quietly, twisting the delicate band on her finger. “Stupid, reckless, and impulsive, everything I had never been able to be. And then I fell in love and got scared. I went home, to my father, and I tried to forget, to prove it was not real.”
“That’s so sad!” fawned Lisa, awed by the story. “It’s just like a faerie tale. True love, star-crossed lovers, a tragic end and a second chance, it’s beautiful! What does your family think of all this?”
Sarai looked away, chewing on her lower lip thoughtfully. “I have not spoken to my father since I left Israel. My father and I....We had a disagreement about how I should live my life. I tried to help my sisters as best I could, but it was too late for me to do anything, so I did not stick around to watch. Mamá and I fell out when I was sixteen and I ran away from home, so no one really knows about Jethro, but I know they would disapprove.”
Lisa frowned. “Don’t you think you should tell them you’re getting married though? I mean, whatever happened between you couldn’t be that bad could it?”
“Bad enough for me to not tell them where I was going when I moved.” Replied Sarai shortly. “It is better for everyone this way.”
“Why don’t you ever talk about your past, Kyra?” asked Lisa curiously. “It seems like it would be better if you did, let out some of the feelings you’ve got all bottled up inside.”
“I talk to Jethro.” Sarai began walking back toward the front of the classroom and Lisa followed. “But I am not nearly as interesting as people seem to think I am, I just don’t like to dwell in the past, it distracts me from the present.”
“Well,” observed Lisa, taking the note that Sarai was done talking. “The present is looking pretty good for you right now. A good job, a good man, good friends, what more does any girl really need?”



“You look quite pleased today Jethro.” Observed Ducky curiously as the glass doors swished closed behind Gibbs.
The agent dropped into his old friend’s computer chair with a smile on his face. It was the day after he’d proposed, and he was really looking forward to this new life. A case had kept him out very late last night and his now-fiancé had already been asleep when he’d gotten to her apartment, so he’d left a note on the table and gone home. “I ever tell you about Moscow, Duck?” he asked thoughtfully, itching to share his good news, but not sure whether he should or not.
“I believe it did come up once or twice.” Replied Ducky.
“What’d I tell you about the agents on the case?”
“That one was Director Sheppard and the other was Callen.” Ducky glanced over, more interested than ever now, and pulled off his latex gloves. “Why?”
Gibbs waited for him to shut off the tap before replying. “We’ve been friends for a long time now, haven’t we?”
“Yes.” agreed Ducky, puzzled. “We have shared much, but I get the feeling that there is something you haven’t shared.”
“I trust you Duck, but some secrets you have to be especially careful with. I don’t want to screw this up, you know?”
The ME leaned against one of the stainless steel tables and crossed his arms. “I would never betray a confidence Jethro.” He assured his friend. “What’s going on?”
The agent was quiet for a moment, deciding. “I’m getting married.” He said finally.
Ducky burst out laughing and Gibbs glanced at him sharply. “Oh.” The Scotsman was surprised. “You’re serious. Well, my dear Jethro, that certainly seems like more of a reason for celebration than secrecy, unless there’s something I don’t know.”
Gibbs got up, clasping his hands behind his head as he paced the length of the autopsy room, and turned back around to face the ME. “She’s incredible, Ducky. Beautiful, smart, one hell of a fighter, and a temper to match anyone’s. She’s a teacher now, works down at Waverly.”
“But I take it she wasn’t always.” Observed Ducky.
“Yeah.” Gibbs nodded. “She used to be a spook. At least sixteen years, probably more like twenty. You know how that business is, once you’re in, it’s damn near impossible to get back out. I promised not to let her get dragged back in.”
“Thus the secrecy.” Agreed the Scotsman. “So why bring it up with me?”
Gibbs sighed. “I need somebody at work to know.” He replied. “In case something happens, you know? I don’t want her to have to find out over the news if I....” he trailed off but Ducky understood.
“I’m honoured that you chose me.” Said Ducky. “And I shall take my job very seriously. Do I get to meet this lady?”
Gibbs smiled, relieved. “I can ask. Would you like to?” When the other man nodded, Gibbs pulled out his cell phone and dialed.
‘Hello Jethro.’
He smiled at the sound of her voice. “Hi. I was wondering if you’d mind having a guest later this week.”
He could hear the panic in her voice when she spoke. ‘Who did you tell?’
“Just Ducky.” Soothed Gibbs. “I wanted someone to know, as a precaution, and he’s my best friend, he won’t tell.”
She sighed. ‘I understand. Alright, when could he come?’
“Friday?” Gibbs was asking both of them at once, and Ducky nodded again.
‘Sounds good.’ Replied Sarai. ‘Do you think you’ll be out late tonight?’
“Shouldn’t be. We haven’t got any cases so far and shift’s over in another couple of hours.” He promised.
‘Good.’ She sounded much more pleased. ‘I will make dinner tonight then. Bye my love.’
He smiled. “See you soon Raz.”
She hung up and he pocketed the phone, glancing up to see Ducky watching him curiously. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like this Jethro.” Commented the ME. “She must be quite special.”
“She’s....” he shook his head thoughtfully. “Razi’s something else, Duck.”
Ducky saw the look in his eyes. “There’s another reason you chose to tell me this, isn’t there?”
“I’m worried about her.” Admitted Gibbs quietly. “I think something happened that she won’t talk about, and I’d like to find out if there’s any trouble there. Do you think you could sort of look into that when you come over?”
“Of course.” Agreed Ducky kindly. “I shall be glad to.”



Sarai laughed as his arms closed around her waist, hands sitting gently over her belly. Gibbs kissed her cheek softly, watching her cook. “I’m sorry about earlier.” He murmured. “I just really needed to tell somebody and Ducky would never tell anyone. I wanted to make sure that if anything happened to me at work, you wouldn’t have to find out through the news or have to go talk to one of your contacts again. Are you angry with me?”
She smiled and transferred the food from the pan onto a plate. “If you trust him, so do I.” she reassured him gently. “But please do not talk like you expect something to happen, I do not want to lose you.”
“I’m not going anywhere, baby girl.” He promised. “Just being thorough. So, what does your incredible talent for knowing things tell you about Ducky?” he teased.
“Doctor Donald Mallard.” Recited Sarai, amused. “NCIS’s medical examiner. Mid sixties, used to live with his mother who is in her late nineties and in the last stages of dementia, but he put her in a care facility recently. It really was for the best, and he does enjoy his freedom. Like Abby and yourself, he’s one of the best at what he does, and his services have been requested many times out of house. He is studying to perform psychological autopsies as well as physical ones, and he has a gentle manner usually but will occasionally lose his temper. What did I miss?”
“Nothing I can think of.” Replied Gibbs, impressed. “How do you do that?”
She turned around in his arms, kissing him softly. “It was once my job to know things.” She pointed out, picking up the plate. “Open.” He opened his mouth obediently and she fed him one of the pieces she’d just finished making.
He’d discovered very quickly that she was actually an excellent cook, and he’d gradually become accustomed to trying new things. “That’s good.” She smiled, pleased, and he released her. “So, how many more months do you have on your lease here?” he asked casually.
She glanced up from serving out a couple of plates. “I pay by the month, I was not sure that I would be able to stay long enough to warrant a lease. I figured that if I was still here by the end of the year then I would get something more permanent.”
“I think you should move in.” said Gibbs. “It’s only a little farther from the university.”
“You are really serious about all of this, aren’t you?” she realized, setting down the plate.
“Completely.” He agreed. “I wouldn’t have proposed otherwise.”
She bit her lip gently. “I worried that it was because I was pregnant.” She admitted. “That you were just being kind. Or that...I was a replacement for Shannon and Kelly.”
“You’re not.” He promised, rubbing his thumb across her cheek comfortingly. “When I saw you that day, in Moscow, I don’t know what happened, but something made me look at you differently. And then you looked up at me with those damn eyes of yours and that sweet face and you asked me what I was thinking and if I’d like to come home with you. I shouldn’t have done it, any of it. It made no sense that I didn’t just turn you in right then, but I didn’t and then it was too late.” He set her arms around his neck, tipping his forehead down to hers. “You looked so pissed that afternoon, and it was the most gorgeous and adorable thing I’d ever seen.”
“No one had ever said something like that to me.” She told him quietly. “No one had ever been so blunt or so kind. It annoyed me, because I thought I had you all figured out and then you surprised me anyway. I did not know what to do with you.”
He smiled, amused. “And when I finally got my act together and realized that you loved me and that I loved you too, I felt like I shouldn’t be so lucky, but I was going to be selfish enough to hold onto you anyway. Yeah, I miss Shannon and Kelly, but that’s no reason to hurt us both by pretending I don’t love you. I want to wake up every day and see you there next to me, and I want to know that I’m the one who gets to piss you off by looking after you, okay?”
She laughed, tears in her eyes, and kissed him softly. “I would like that.” she murmured. “So, I take it you want Ducky to be coming to your house this Friday.” He nodded firmly and she smiled. “I guess I’d better start packing then.”



Sarai was just finishing a few last minute details when the front door opened and Gibbs and Ducky came inside. The older Scotsman blinked in surprise when he saw the young woman with her back to them. He glanced at his friend sharply and Gibbs shrugged apologetically. “Would you like anything to drink Dr. Mallard?” she asked, her soft voice startling him with its clarity as she turned around to face them, tucking a lock of hair back behind her ear.
“No thank you my dear.” He replied, getting over his initial reaction.
She held out a hand to him. “Razi.” She introduced herself.
“Ducky.” He said, doing likewise. He made an old-fashioned bow over her hand and she smiled, blushing a little. “It is a pleasure to meet such a lovely young lady.”
“Is it a requirement for NCIS employees to be so charming?” she asked, amused.
“Only the Medical Examiners.” Replied Ducky, eyes sparkling with laughter.
“I see.” Laughed Sarai. She gestured for the two men to follow her. “Dinner will be finished in a couple of minutes if you’d like to sit down. No guns at the table Jethro.” She reminded as she disappeared into the kitchen.
He rolled his eyes and put his Sig in the top drawer of the side table. “I’ll bet she’s still carrying hers.” He muttered, more to himself than Ducky.
“I’m not at the table, now am I?” she called from the kitchen.
“Busted.” Laughed Gibbs to Ducky. The two of them sat down at the table and Sarai came back out with a couple of plates. She handed one to each of them and then went back for her own. She set it down on the table before pulling out her seven-shot.
She snapped out the clip and locked the trigger, dropping both pieces in the drawer with Gibbs’s, and sat down. “I take it he knows, then.” She said to her fiancé, taking a bite.
“That you used to work in the intelligence business, yes.” agreed Ducky. “But not that you were an Israeli. Ex-Mossad?”
“Kidon.” Sarai nodded grimly. “Not the most pleasant side of the business.”
“I will admit, my dear,” said Ducky kindly. “You’re not what I’d expected by Jethro’s professional description. I pictured someone....” he paused, trying to come up with a way to say it delicately, but she said it for him.
“Older?” she smiled. “You are a doctor, how old would you say I am?”
Ducky was taken aback by the question. “Well, I would not dream of doing such a thing, but if I had to venture a guess, I would say...no more than thirty-five.”
“And you would be right.” She told him conspiratorially. She watched the shock spread over his face as he counted and realized that Gibbs had given him a number to work with.
“But, my dear girl, that would have made you no more than....”
“Ten years old,” She finished for him. “When I took my first assignment. Nothing about my family was particularly...conventional. A bastard child with an Israeli father, an American spy mother, and a marine grandfather. I suppose the simplest way of saying it would be that my birth sort of...slipped through the cracks. There’s no better ghost than one who has never existed.” Even Gibbs was surprised by this comment. He’d never heard her speak so bluntly about her family before. “But really, that’s all in the past now. Have you had any interesting cases cross your desks lately gentlemen?”
“We had a sailor who turned himself into a super-marine.” Replied Gibbs thoughtfully. He saw Ducky’s glance and shrugged. “Oh really, Duck, Mossad will already have the case from Ziva, and who else is she going to tell Duck?”
“Careful, love.” Said Sarai quietly. “Asking such questions invites answers, and I’ll thank you to have a little more respect for Officer Davíd. She is a good woman, and loyal to a fault. Not to Mossad, never to Mossad, but to the people there that she cared about. It is a loyalty that she has transferred to you and your team.” Gibbs looked properly abashed from the scolding and she took a careful sip from her glass. “My apologies for being so blunt, Ducky.”
The ME dipped his head, respectfully acknowledging the power he read in his hostess. “I don’t suppose you have any stories to tell from your time in Israel.” He asked, tactfully changing the subject back to the topic he’d come to observe.
She thought for a moment, and then her face lit up with amusement. “My little brother and sister, they...didn’t always agree to say the least. Michael would have done anything I said, no matter what, but my sister, she was much more headstrong. We were in London, the four of us, and Michael and I were trying to figure out how to approach our contact without tipping off his friends. By the time we looked up, the girls had come up with their own plan and they had the poor man three blocks away from the rest of the group, probably thinking he was the luckiest bastard alive. A couple of very friendly Italian girls who snuck away from their big sister and brother-in-law.”
Ducky chuckled at the story. “I would guess that your sisters got an earful for that little escapade, if not from their brother, then certainly from their big sister.”
“Michael did the honours.” She smiled. “Scared the hell out of contact, the man was convinced that he’d thoroughly pissed off an Italian businessman, and my sisters never really crossed Michael after that.”
“They’d never crossed you to begin with.” Observed Ducky.
“I went easier on them then some of the other agents.” Replied Sarai thoughtfully. “I think everyone did, really, which may have been a mistake. The three youngest, they got places because of our father, Michael got places despite his father, and I....” she paused, whetting her lips. “I did not have to fight nearly as hard as Michael did, but it certainly wasn’t easy for me.”
“How many siblings do you have, Razi?” asked Ducky, surprised by the seemingly-growing number.
She shrugged carelessly. “Three at any given time, I suppose. Until I left. I abandoned Michael in Israel and my youngest brother and sister are both dead, which really just leaves the two older girls, my sister and I.” Suddenly, she looked up at Ducky, curiosity in her eyes. “Are you trying to read me, Doctor?”
He nodded, apologetically. “I’m afraid I am rather, my dear. It was really just too fascinating an opportunity to pass up. It’s quite difficult though, I will admit. You, Ziva, and Jethro all seem to have a very good poker face. Is it something they teach you in the military environment?”
She watched him for a moment before going back to her dinner with a quiet reply. “You learn it there, certainly, but it is not something they teach. When you watch the people you trust most dying beside you, you learn to stop being afraid just long enough to tell them it will all be alright one last time. You put on a strong face and hope that they keep their faith in your promises right up to the end. You have to.”
“Yes.” sighed Ducky, his eyes turning from his young hostess to his friend and back again. “I can see how that would be the case. I suppose the only thing that can bring back our more innocent days is time.”
Later that night, Sarai got up to wash the dishes, but Gibbs caught her arm and shook his head. “I’ll get ‘em.” He told her. He squeezed her hand gently when she looked like she might argue. “You’ve been on your feet all day.”
She sighed and went out to the living room with Ducky, curling up in an arm chair across from the ME. He watched her intently for a while, and there was something in his expression that told her he’d finally gotten past her poker face. She leaned forward, murmuring conspiratorially, “You know, I could save you a lot of trouble if you would just ask the question you are afraid to hear the answer to.”
Ducky also leaned forward and matched her tone. “Who violated you, my dear girl?” he asked, his gentle manner and underlying protectiveness reminding her of her grandfather for some reason.
She leaned back without answering, and just then Gibbs came back into the room, handing out drinks to his fiancé and his guest. Ducky nodded to himself and settled back into his chair and Gibbs was left to wonder what exactly had occurred between them.



She stood, arms wrapped protectively around her belly, alone at the window and Gibbs watched her quietly. “You’ve never talked this much about your family, Raz.” He said quietly, concern in his eyes.
She turned her head to look at him for a moment before turning back to the window and rubbing her arms. “Ducky reminds me of Grandperé.” She murmured, half to herself. “I have been wishing I could talk to him lately. He always knew me better than anyone else, maybe because I never had to tell him anything, he was there for all of it, watching it happen.”
“He understood what was going on without your having to explain and relive all the memories.” Observed Gibbs. He came over and put his arms around her, resting his chin on her head. “Yeah, I know baby. You could go visit him, his grave I mean. It’s not the same thing, I know, but it might make you feel a little better.”
“I might do that.” She agreed softly. “He would have liked you, I think. You would have lost points simply for loving me, but he would have liked you anyway.”
Gibbs laughed quietly, kissing the top of her head. “It’s nice to know someone in your family would like me.” He said, amused.
“My sister likes you.” She whispered.
“Hmm?” He hadn’t quite caught her words.
She shook her head sadly. “Nothing.” She turned to kiss him softly. “Let’s go to bed,” she sighed. He nodded and guided her up the stairs and towards the bedroom. She moved around the room, familiarizing herself with it, as he stood in the doorway. A solid wooden bed-frame with a gold comforter over the sheets was the focus of the room, but there was an oak dresser and mirrored closet doors as well. Finally, she sat down on the edge of the bed, running her hand over the fabric absently. She felt his weight behind her, and his hands sat heavy on her shoulders as he moved his lips over her neck, enjoying the sound of her ragged breathing. He wasn’t all that surprised, though, when she pushed him back gently. “Not tonight Jethro, I am tired.” She murmured.
“Goodnight baby girl.” He petted her hair softly until she fell asleep, and for once she didn’t look peaceful with her eyes closed, she just looked small and vulnerable. He sighed and got up, heading down to his basement for bourbon and his boat.



Gibbs locked the glass autopsy doors behind him and sat down in Ducky’s computer chair. “What do you think?”
“I think you’re pushing your own boundaries a little too far with this one, Jethro.” Replied the doctor, not looking up from his autopsy. “The girl is a good decade younger than you and just as stubborn. Either your marriage will work out perfectly, or it will turn into your worst divorce yet.”
“That’s not what I meant Duck.” Sighed Gibbs, rolling his eyes. “My mind’s already made up on that.”
Ducky picked up his needle and thread and began sewing up the body in front of him. “I’m not sure I feel comfortable being used to help you read your fiancé, Jethro.” He said, finally glancing back up at his friend. “It just seems a little invasive. But, seeing as I’ve already done it, I may as well share my findings. I’ll give you a preliminary warning, however, I still have much to learn on this subject, so not all of my conclusions may be accurate.”
“I’ll bare that in mind.”
“Alright then.” The Scotsman set down his needle carefully. “A brilliant and determined woman, quite confidant in her own abilities, and well-aware that she’s even a little over-confidant. Loyalty means everything to her and she would rather die than betray someone she cares about. She does not expect that same loyalty from others, though, in fact she has a hard time trusting anyone outside of her immediate family. A family that she loves, but has separated herself from for some reason. The separation is only for her parents sake, though.” He added curiously, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back on the autopsy table facing his friend. “She doesn’t see her mother and father as parents, but more as friends and employers. Because of this, she seems to have taken on the responsibility of her sisters, perhaps to keep them from the life she lived. Her brothers she has less concern for, and I believe the one, Michael she called him, is merely metaphorical, a childhood friend that she shared something so personal with that she’s almost closer to him than she is to her blood relations. The other brother, she doesn’t seem to care for him much, or perhaps she just never spent much time with him. She’s a woman who has fought for everything she has, despite growing up wealthy, but she had no problem throwing it all away, which leads me to believe that she sees everything as temporary. I would guess that there was always something that took permanent things away from her, or perhaps someone. She hates herself for the work she did, probably because she enjoyed it so much and gave up everything she had for it, only to realize something that made her leave. She sees her leaving as a betrayal in itself to Michael and her remaining sister, but believes that she had no choice. And on the subject of betrayal, I believe that’s where her biggest problem lies. She feels betrayed, by her parents for forcing her into that life as a child, by someone in her old life that made her leave, and by someone else, someone who hurt her so much that she couldn’t find it in her heart to trust or to love anyone. Which brings us to you. She loves you very much and it terrifies her. She thinks of herself as damaged and a monster, and she can’t believe that anyone would love her, let alone someone who knew her when she was a spy. There are probably a thousand things she’s afraid to tell you because she thinks they’ll make you love her less, including the identities of her family. I would venture a guess that she’s afraid you would think of them as monsters and come to see her that way as well. The one thing I am quite certain about though, is that the loyalty that she values so much, she would put you before even her sister, she has put you first, and I would even guess that you are the source, direct or indirect, of the betrayal that made her leave Mossad and Israel.”
Gibbs was surprised by this thought, and he wasn’t sure he liked it much. He knew she missed her family and even her old lifestyle sometimes, and he didn’t want to be the reason she’d given everything up, even if it had brought her back to him. “Is there anything I can do to help her trust me?” he asked quietly.
Ducky considered this for a moment. “Well, the first thing I advise is be damn sure you want to marry her before you do, because another betrayal isn’t going to help her much, especially one from you, but then once you are sure.... Appeal to the more child-like side of her every now and then, before she started to become so jaded and hurt, because that will bring back the memories of that trust that children have in the world. Don’t treat her like a child, she’d hate that, but let the world be a innocent and simple for her every now and then.”



Three days later.

He would never understand how doctors could tell anything at all from an ultrasound machine, it just looked like a jumble of coloured clouds to him. He could, however, read expressions, and he did NOT like the one on the nurse’s face. “I wouldn’t recommend letting this pregnancy go through.” She said finally. “The chances of a healthy birth are....”
“Nonexistent.” Muttered Sarai, wiping at her eyes hastily.
“Actually, they’re pretty good.” Corrected the nurse. “You have a pair of very healthy twins in there, Ms. Davis. It’s your chances of surviving the birth that aren’t so good. There’s some damage, but it seems to have healed up fairly well and neither of the fetus’s will be putting direct stress on it.”
Sarai looked up at her, stunned. “I...I was told...My baby will be alright?”
The nurse nodded. “Two, Ms. Davis. They should both be fine. But you are a different story. There’s a very good chance that your body won’t be able to handle the pregnancy.”
The Israeli was quiet for a moment. “I don’t care.” She said, decidedly.
“Raz!” Gibbs grabbed her hand, immediately a part of the discussion. He glanced at the nurse. “What are the numbers, at least?”
“In her case? About sixty percent against.” Replied the woman grimly.
Gibbs leaned back in his chair slowly, rubbing his forehead. “No. Absolutely not.”
Sarai turned to him, eyes pleading with him. “Jethro, please....”
He shook his head firmly. “No. It’s not worth your life.” The nurse was both pleased and impressed with his resolve against his girlfriend, although it did cross her mind that maybe he was just relieved to have gotten out of fatherhood.
“I have held daughters in my arms that never got to breathe Jethro.” She said quietly. “And she says our babies will live. Think of what we will have.”
“I’m a little stuck on what those kids and I have sixty percent chance of not having, Raz.” He retorted, frustrated.
“I will be alright.” She promised gently. “I am always alright, remember?”
“That’s what I’m worried about.” He sighed. “What if your luck ran out when you came home, huh?”
She turned the full force of her eyes on him and he faltered at what he saw there. “Please.”
To the nurse’s surprise, he turned to her, a helpless look on his face. “Is there anything we can do to help her chances?” he asked quietly.
The nurse realized that he was completely wrapped around her finger and would do whatever it took to make her happy. She sighed, resignedly. “Do everything by the book, don’t do anything you shouldn’t, do everything you should.” She glanced at the Star of David around Sarai’s throat. “You’re religious?” Sarai nodded slowly. “Pray.” Added the nurse. “It would also be helpful to know what kind of accident you had that caused this damage, just in case.”
Sarai took a deep breath. “I tripped over my brother’s puppy when I was a girl, I was carrying a cutting board and knife to my mother.”
The nurse nodded and scribbled down the story. “Alright, well, the doctor will be in shortly.”



Gibbs leaned back against the doorframe, watching his fiancé scrub at the dishes. She could feel his eyes on her but refused to look up and kept washing. “You want to talk about this?” he asked quietly.
“No.”
“They told you that you couldn’t have children didn’t they?”
She sighed and closed her eyes, leaning her palms flat on the counter. “Yes.” she replied softly. “After my last miscarriage, they said the damage was too bad and I would never carry past five months.” She started scrubbing again, more furiously this time.
“There has to be a better way to do this Raz, a way that won’t kill you.” He pleaded. “I can’t lose you.”
“I am not going to die.” She said shortly, gritting her teeth.
“You can’t know that.”
“But I do.” She folded the dishtowel around her hand carefully. “I say I will not die, and I won’t.”
“Oh, that’s logical.” He said sarcastically.
“What do you want from me Jethro?” she demanded, glaring at him.
“I want you to think about what you’re doing!” he exclaimed. “I want you to live! That’s what I want from you, is it really so much to ask?”
“I do not know!” she yelled, wiping her eyes as she turned back to the sink. She kept her eyes down and her body braced against the counter as she spoke carefully. “If there is a forty percent chance that I can have you and our children, than I am willing to take it. I have taken assignments with worse odds and this means so much more to me than any damn assignment.”
“But you could do something to change those odds, Razi.” He pointed out desperately. “When people say all you’ll be able to do is pray, that’s your sign to back up and make another choice. For once, please just listen to me!”
“Don’t you want this?” she begged.
He dragged his fingers through his hair in frustration. “Damnit, that’s not fair!” he sighed. “You know I do, but not if it means losing you.”
She shook her head, a soft smile on her lips, and came over to him, sliding her hands over his shoulders. “I will be fine.” She assured him. “I do not know how I know it, but I do. I need you to...to just trust me on this, okay? If there is one thing I will always be able to do, it is survive, that will never change.”
For some reason, he was comforted by the quiet faith in her voice, finding the same faith in his own heart. He tipped her chin up gently. “You will do everything I say.” He clarified. “You’ll let me take care of you and...and make a lot of fuss and be all ‘better safe than sorry’ about it?” she nodded and he sighed. “Damnit, I’m whipped.”

Gibbs watched his now-wife’s belly grow and fretted over her constantly. She started her maternity leave a little earlier than was strictly necessary, but he’d been quite adamant about it since the extra strain on her body exhausted her so much. So when he got the call, a whole month early, that she had gone into labour, he rushed out of the building, barking last minute orders at his confused team. It was over surprisingly quickly, although he knew it must’ve felt like a century to Sarai who hadn’t made a sound since he’d arrived. Her silence worried the doctors beyond belief, but Gibbs could see the determined light in her eyes and as long as he saw that, he was confident that she was alright. When everything was over and he, Sarai, and the two tiny bundles that they held had been moved out of the delivery room, Gibbs kissed her forehead, relieved. “I guess you were right.” He laughed, brushing her hair back from her eyes.
“I am always right.” She teased.
“In that case, maybe you’d better name them.” He said seriously. “I might screw up.”
“Jaedyn and Benjamin.” She said promptly, then backpedaled. “What do you think?”
He looked down at their son in her arms, and the infant’s big, dark eyes stared back at him, then he looked to the tiny, delicate girl in his own. “That sounds perfect.” He agreed gently.
She smiled, pleased. “Jaedyn Kelly Gibbs and Benjamin Jasper Gibbs.” She murmured, turning the names over on her tongue.
He glanced at her, touched. “Thank you.” He said quietly, leaning in to kiss her.
“Names,” she replied. “Are a very powerful thing. You can honour someone with them, or you can burden them with it. Jaedyn is honouring someone important to her father.”
He smiled gratefully. “Shall I put Kyra or Razi?” he asked, only half joking.
She thought for a moment, eyes on their son. Much as she wanted to connect her real name with her children, it wasn’t wise. “Kyra Gibbs.” She replied slowly. “But thank you for asking.”
“I like this.” He said thoughtfully, filling out the birth certificates. “It’s not exactly what I’d imagined, but I like it anyway.”
“Good. I never thought I would say this, but I like being a civilian.” Added Sarai. “And I like being normal, and I like being yours.”



Two months later.

Sarai glanced through the peephole in the door when she heard the knock, and her heart dropped. She opened the door slowly, holding Jaedyn tightly to her chest, and stepped back to let Ducky in. “Jethro?” she whispered, her breath catching in her throat.
“Stable.” Assured the Scotsman gently.
Sarai closed her eyes in relief, but then she remembered what ‘stable’ meant. “Would you like anything Ducky?” she asked automatically, going into the living room.
“May I?” he asked, casting a fond glance at the little girl he’d gotten to see on occasion in the last two months. Sarai passed Jaedyn to him and they sat down on the couch. “She’s getting bigger and more beautiful every day.” He cradled the baby fondly as she looked up at him with curious, silver-flecked blue eyes.
“That she is.” Agreed Sarai. She bit her lip and finally asked the question she was afraid to have answered. “What happened to him?”
Ducky sighed and looked up at her. “A bomb went off on a ship. He and another agent were the only ones in the cabin, and Jethro seems to have gotten off lucky. He got out of surgery an hour ago.”
She dropped her head into her hands, rubbing her temples and taking a shuddering breath. “Who is with him?” she asked quietly.
“The Director and Abigail.” Replied Ducky.
“Damn.” She breathed, more to herself than Ducky. “Damn.”
“I’ll call you the moment he wakes up my dear.” Promised Ducky. “He’ll pull through, he always does.”



One week later.

Gibbs opened his eyes, glancing around blearily, and they landed on the young woman asleep in the chair by his hospital bed. She seemed to hear the slight rustle as he sat up and her eyes fluttered open. She smiled at him gently. “Welcome back Gunny.” She said quietly.
Her accent was heavy, but it sounded beautiful to him. “I’m sorry, maám, I don’t really remember much right now.” He said respectfully. Something about her tugged at his memory, but he couldn’t catch the feeling long enough to remember.
She didn’t seem to mind though, and her voice was still gentle when she spoke again. “Fall, ‘92. You joined NIS after Shannon and Kelly died.” He closed his eyes, grief and pain washing over him again. “And you met me.”
He looked up warily. “We work together?” he asked.
“We met through work.” Laughed Sarai quietly. “Maybe our orders even made us cross paths, but we were hardly on the same team. I was blonde at the time, if it helps any.”
“I’m sorry, I still don’t....” he trailed off as an image flashed in his head for a second. The petite blonde standing over a dead dealer, the gun still in her hand. Then the same woman smiling up at him as the Acura roared down the street. “I think I’d really rather you didn’t kill me.” He told her, dryly.
She laughed again, a little brighter this time. “I may have done things a little differently, Jethro, but we were always on the same side.”
“Were?” he clarified, a faint nervousness in his eyes.
“I have been retired for over a year.” She agreed. “We are still on the same side, I am just not playing the game anymore.”
He frowned, confused. “Then why are you here?”
Sarai leaned forward a little and he could see her green eyes sparkling even in the darkness. “Moscow,” she replied, by way of explanation. “Fall of ’99, still blonde.”
Her sweet breath spilled over him and made him dizzy as he spun backwards. She felt incredible and tasted even better, he thought to himself vaguely before he snapped back to the present, his breathing slightly less steady than he would have liked. She smiled again, like she knew which images were playing through his head. “But according to the doctors, that’s still nine years ago.” He pointed out. “If we haven’t seen each other since then....” a tiny sound cut him off, and she was no longer paying attention to him, murmuring in another language to something by her feet. He squinted a little in the dark, not quite sure if he was seeing what he thought he was seeing.
“I went to Israel after.” She informed him, not looking up from Jaedyn and Benjamin’s car-seat. “And you went back to DC. When I quit, I decided that I would like to go back to where I grew up in Quantico. I teach now, political history, believe it or not.”
“Who better to teach it than a spy?” he chuckled to himself, before pausing. “That is what you were, right?”
“So were you.” She flashed a smile at him before going back to the twins. “They miss their Papá.” She murmured, half to herself and half to him. “He has never been gone more than a day or two before.” She lifted an unhappy Jaedyn out of the rocker, settling her on her shoulder and pressing her cheek to the girl’s head as she murmured to her in Hebrew.
“Does he know what you used to do?” asked Gibbs curiously.
She nodded. “Yes. He knows some of it, but not all. It is better that way, yes?”
He shrugged. “Depends on who he is I suppose. I still don’t understand why you’re here.”
“I had hoped you would remember on your own.” Sighed Sarai. She kissed bounced her daughter gently. “Would you like to hold her?” she asked.
“Sure.” She laid Jaedyn carefully in Gibbs’s arms, smiling as the little girl burrowed into her father’s warmth. “She’s a pretty little thing, isn’t she? What’s her name?”
“Jaedyn.” Answered Sarai. “Jaedyn Kelly Gibbs.”
As if she’d recognized her name, Jaedyn turned her head to stare up at her father with his own pale blue eyes. He saw those eyes looking up at him, but Sarai was the one in the hospital bed, pain written all over her face even though her lips were pressed tightly together to hold in her screams. And then farther back, the Israeli asleep next to him, his hand on her belly as he spoke softly to the twins. Then even before that, the day he’d proposed to her, the way her eyes glowed at him whenever she looked at him. “Oh, God.” He whispered, his eyes darting over to Sarai. “Razi, I....How could I forget? I’m so sorry, I....”
She put a finger to his lips, laughing. “You forgot everybody, it is alright. Ducky warned me before I came.”
“Why didn’t anyone else tell me I was married?” he asked in disbelief. “That I had kids again?”
She swallowed and leaned back. “No one else knows.” She said quietly. “I am not someone that can simply retire from the business and expect to be left alone. Since both Ziva and Jen are in contact with my father.... We thought it would be best if no one knew. As far as the rest of the world is concerned, Kyra Davis has no connection with the woman who left Israel or with you. Ducky only knew so that if something like...like this happened, I would be told before the reporters were.”
“You’re hiding from Mossad.” Remembered Gibbs.
“Yes, I....”
Just then, Ducky poked his head into the room. “The Director is on her way, my dear.” He said. “Ah, Jethro, you’re awake.”
“I have to go.” Murmured Sarai. Gibbs passed Jaedyn back reluctantly and Sarai squeezed his hand gently. “I will be back when I can.”
“Bye.” He watched her vanish down the hallway and shook himself a little, trying to sort out his emotions and thoughts. He remembered that he’d been with Sarai for almost a year, and the time they’d spent together before then, but he still couldn’t make himself believe that it wasn’t 1991, and it felt like a betrayal to love the dark beauty when Shannon was so recently dead, or he thought she was. “Ouch. Damnit.” He sighed, rubbing his head. It would make more sense eventually, wouldn’t it?



One more week.

“It is not that easy Jethro!” she exclaimed, watching him throw together a small bag, just the basics. “It takes a little more than me packing a bag and walking out the door!”
He zipped up his bag, still furious at himself, at Jen, at the idiots who ran the government, everyone but his wife and the two infants who were sleeping quietly in their crib. He pulled Sarai up against him, a little more roughly than he’d meant to, and kissed her hard. “Do whatever you need to do and come join me then.” He rasped. “I can’t stay here baby girl, not after this.” He kissed her again, softer this time, and her eyes were hazy and confused when he pulled away. “You’ll come?” he asked, pulling the bedroom door open. She nodded mutely and he left, headed for a beach in Mexico where he could get away from all the people and the politics.



A couple of days later, Gibbs smiled when he felt his wife’s slim arms slide over his shoulders. “My handsome marine.” She murmured, resting her forehead on his shoulder lightly. “You build more than boats, hmm?”
He turned around, ducking his head to kiss her, but she moved just a little to avoid his lips. He paused, holding her close. “What’s up?” he asked, concerned. It was then that he realized she was by herself. “Where are Jae and Ben?”
“At home.” She replied, not looking at him.
“Why?” He tucked a loose strand of hair back behind her ear and let go of her.
She sighed. “I am not staying Jethro. You cannot support all four of us on just your retirement check, even here. It would have been difficult enough with both our salaries.”
“It’ll be fine, Raz.” he laughed.
But Sarai shook her head sadly. “You are not thinking this through, Jethro. There will not be enough money, and I will not be able to get a job here.”
He frowned. “I’m not going back to NCIS.” He told her firmly.
“You do not have to.” She assured him. “I understand that perfectly, you know that. But...can’t you be retired in Virginia?” she pleaded.
“This is no different from when you quit Raz.” He said, shaking his head. “You got the hell out of Israel, I needed to get the hell away from all of it. There’s no difference.”
“Yes, there is!” she exclaimed, frustrated with his stubbornness. “When I left, it was just me. I only had to worry about my own sanity, not anyone else’s needs. We have children, Jethro! Babies! You cannot make a decision like this without thinking everything through. You have responsibilities! I gave you every chance to back out of them and you did not, so now you have to deal with them.” She paused and took a breath to calm herself. “You have two choices.” She told him quietly, running her hands over his chest absently. “You do not have to come home right away, you have earned your retirement, you have earned a break. Stay here for a while, relax, it will be good for you, but I have to go back and look after our children. Now, you can stay and have this nice little bachelor pad with Mike for the rest of your life, or you can come home.” She touched his cheek, drawing his eyes back to hers. “The man I fell in love with, the one I married, he would come home, it could be today, it could be two weeks from now, but he would come home. What is your choice?” She watched his face, waiting for an answer, and she could see his choice in his eyes. He saw the cool blankness silence the green eyes he loved so much and he thought he might even have seen some disgust. Sarai leaned up and kissed him as hard as she could. “Just remember that this was your own Goddamned fault.” She murmured against his mouth, giving him one last kiss before she strode away from the small house.
“If you let that girl walk away, you’ll be making the biggest mistake of your life.” Pointed out Mike from the porch. They watched her disappear and Mike shook his head. “She’s right you know. Sixteen years ago, your family was taken from you, now you letting it go by choice.” He drawled. “You ain’t the same man you were Probie.”
Gibbs ignored him and hauled himself back up to the roof to work on repairs.



Ducky helped her buckle the twins into their car-seats the next day, and somehow she was managing to hide the fact that her heart had been shattered like glass, that she was on the verge of tears. “Thank you so much for looking after them, Ducky.” She said. “You did not have to, but it was very helpful.”
“It was my pleasure, my dear.” Smiled Ducky. “I’m just glad you got him to change his mind. Besides, it’s good for them to have a few days with another ME, I won’t be working forever. Did he say when he was coming back? Because I’d be happy to....”
“No thank you.” She shook her head, not letting him finish. “It is very sweet, but no. I will see you later.” She climbed in the front seat and waved to him before driving off. When she reached the house, she brought the twins into the living room, sitting on the floor with them in her lap. She smiled as Ben squirmed away, determined to make it across the room under his own steam. Jaedyn stayed nestled in her lap, perfectly content to watch her brother and learn from his mistakes rather then make them herself, she always seemed to be the less adventurous of the two. When Ben finally admitted defeat and plopped down on the floor with a furious wail, Sarai dragged him back gently and held him to her breast. He suckled at her hungrily, his tiny hands fisted against the soft warmth that was his mother, and then he gave a raspy yawn and lay his head against her. She glanced down to see if Jaedyn was hungry too, but the baby girl was fast asleep in her lap. Sarai let her head fall back on the couch behind her, gazing up at the ceiling. What the hell was she going to do? She’d gotten herself into trouble so much worse than what she’d been warned about with Gibbs, and she’d burned all her bridges by now. She glanced at her phone, wishing it would ring and it would be her husband telling her he’d changed his mind, he was coming home, but she knew it wouldn’t. So she closed her eyes and wished for sleep to come, like it had for her children, but it never did.



After a week, when she realized that she couldn’t sleep in the house knowing as she did that he was never coming back, she started packing. It only took her a couple of hours to have everything packed, leaving the house exactly as it had been before she moved in. She’d had lots of experience just picking up and leaving, but it hurt this time, and she kept looking back at the house as she put boxes into her Acura, buckling the twins into the backseat. Just as she was finishing, Ducky’s Morgan pulled up in the driveway. The ME got out and it only took one look for him to know exactly what she was doing. “He isn’t coming back is he?” she shook her head mutely. “Where are you going my dear?” he asked gently.
“Anywhere.” She replied, her voice rough with the tears that were rolling down her cheeks.
“You can’t run forever Razi.” He said quietly.
“Sarai.” She corrected, wiping her eyes. “Razi is my middle name.”
He shook his head. “Regardless, Sarai, running solves nothing and will only exhaust you.”
“I was not going to run.” She sighed, closing the door. “I...I have a life here, I just cannot...” she looked up at him miserably. “I just cannot stay in the house. I, uh, I still have few months on my maternity leave, and then I will be back to work, so I...I need to be done moving before then.”
“Where are you going?” he asked again.
She shrugged. “I will find a place.”
“Well, I have a very big house, and no one in it.” Said Ducky thoughtfully.
“Oh, I couldn’t intrude, Ducky.” She murmured, smiling at the offer.
“Nonsense.” Replied the Scotsman firmly. “Plenty of room for the lovely lass and the two bonny babes, hmm?” he saw that she was going to argue, and raised a hand to stop her. “It’s an empty house that desperately needs a modern woman’s touch. I insist, my dear girl.”
She hugged him tightly. “Thank you Ducky.” She murmured gratefully. “Thank you so much.” She followed his car back to his house and he helped her carry her things up to the guest room. When they’d gotten the twins settled in for a nap, he led her downstairs and fixed a couple of cups of tea while she sat at the kitchen table. He gave one to her and she flashed him a grateful smile as he sat down. “Did Jethro ever tell you how we met?” she asked quietly.
“No.” Ducky shook his head. “Although he did imply that it something to do with his time in Moscow.”
She gave a small laugh, wiping at her eyes hastily. “I suppose that’s one way to look at it. It was not the first time, though. When I was a girl, almost fifteen, I did not do much spy work, just.... No one expects an assassin to be a child.” She finished bitterly. “But, uh, my mother sent me to Queens on an assignment, a drug dealer, nothing really big. And Jethro was on a stakeout there. I did not realize he was watching me until after, and I...I thought it was funny, so I smiled at him.” She paused, gazing down at her tea thoughtfully. “He reported the kill, but I was long gone, and a couple of months later, I was at the store with one of my contacts, and he saw me. We talked for a minute, or, I talked and he listened. And he let me go. It confused me, that he would do that, and I looked into him a little more. Then in Moscow, he thought I was tracking them, and he just started flirting with me. I do not know why I did it, I do not think I ever will, but I asked him if he wanted...if he wanted to come home with me.”
Ducky watched her intently, and she was far away, in her own memories. He touched her hand where it sat on the table and she looked up at him, brought back to reality. “I’m honoured that you would share this with me.” Said Ducky gently. “But, may I ask why?”
“Grandperé would have liked you.” She answered, wrapping her hands around her cup of tea. “You are a lot like him. He always told Mamá, you’re going to ruin that girl.” She said, fading back into memories. “They thought I could not hear them, but I could. He gave up eventually, he saw that I was having fun, so he just tried to keep me a child as much as he could. I hated him for it until he was killed, and then I understood. He was trying to keep me from entering that world before I was ready. But I was already in it then, so I made myself ready. That was all I had left to do.” She glanced up at Ducky curiously. “Would you mind if I told you a story?”



Her skin had taken on a golden tint over the months in the sun, and she looked more beautiful than ever. She was sitting in the sand, watching the tide lap at Jaedyn and Benjamin, and her eyes were warm and soft and happy, no hint of the old pain that used to always lurk just behind them. She seemed to feel him watching her and turned her head, laughing. He smiled back and walked over, sitting down next to her. She reached down to the water, cupping her hand and...
“I’m about out of patience with you Probie.” Declared Mike as he recapped the water bottle after having splashed his old partner with it. Gibbs sat up, slowly, rubbing his forehead. “It’s been four months since you went back to help clear that Israeli girl of yours, five since you first showed up here, and you still haven’t apologized to that pretty little thing you married. What the hell’s wrong with you?”
“Razi can take care of herself.” He muttered, slowly waking up. “Besides, she won’t take to well to me showing up at the front door until she’s cooled down a little.”
“Are you crazy?” demanded Mike. “Cooling down takes a couple of days, tops, it’s been months! You’ve basically told the girl you’re done with her Jethro! She’s probably been at her parents’ house for the last three months, and they’ve gotta be ready to kill you.”
Gibbs shook his head. “Razi isn’t going back to her parents.” He told Mike tiredly. “Look, what am I supposed to say to her Mike? Hey, sorry it took so long, but I’m ready to come home now, what’s for dinner? Really? She’d shoot me.”
“Yeah, well at this point, I’d say you deserve it.” Retorted Mike. “Besides, a little thing like that, she can’t be such a good shot.”
“The woman used to be a Mossad assassin, Mike.” Sighed Gibbs, rubbing his eyes and pushing himself to his feet. “She shoots me, that bullet’s going exactly where she wants it to.”
“Hell, that’s still no excuse!” exclaimed Mike. “I thought you were a marine, Probie, why don’t you act like one and tell her to her face that you’re done with her, instead of hiding behind a border like a coward.”
“I can’t tell her that.” muttered Gibbs.
“Why the hell not?” Mike demanded. “That’s what you’re saying by staying here, the only difference is, if you say it out loud, she can get on with her life, just go and tell her you want a divorce.”
“But I don’t!” retorted Gibbs, his temper getting the better of him. “Why the hell would I lie about that? I love her, why would I want a divorce?”
He stopped, realizing what he’d said, and Mike grinned. “You’re a damn fool, Jethro. If you love her, you’d better go and tell her that before she serves you divorce papers. You know you’ve been getting bored here anyway, you’re not ready to retire yet.”

The house was empty. Well, not empty, but empty of her. Gibbs sighed, dropping down on a box in the basement. Of course she’d have cleared out when he decided to stay in Mexico, and of course she’d have done it so thoroughly. She used to do this for a living, you idiot, he thought to himself. There was nothing left in the house that hadn’t been there before she moved in, nothing to show that she’d existed in his world at all. He shook his head, furious with himself. “Why didn’t I come home when you asked me to baby girl?” he asked himself quietly.
“Am I interrupting something?” asked Fornell from the top of the stairs.
“What do you what Tobias?” sighed Gibbs. He didn’t feel like trying to explain to the man what was going on.
Fornell’s expression was solemn. “A favour.”



Gibbs waited for the rest of the team to leave autopsy before asking his question. “Have you talked to Razi lately, Ducky?” he asked quietly.
“No.” replied the ME tersely.
“Would you tell me if you had?” asked Gibbs, wryly.
“No.” repeated Ducky. “You knew what it would do to that girl to break her heart, yet you did it anyway. Now would be a good time for you to break your moratorium on apologies, but it still wouldn’t make up for what you’ve done.”
“I know that Duck.” Sighed Gibbs. “I know there’s nothing I can do, but I’ve got to try.”
Ducky turned on the agent, furious. “That girl put every last bit of trust she had into you, and you walked away from her, Jethro. If you had any heart at all, you’d stay the hell away from her. Let her heal in her own way and stop breaking open old wounds. And get rid of that damn mustache!”



It was a long shot, she’d probably left Virginia entirely, but it was worth checking. He kept telling himself this as he parked at Waverly and headed towards his wife’s classroom, or what had been her room if she was gone. The mustache was gone, and he’d looked everywhere else before going to talk to her in such a public place. He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard her voice, clear and confident, from inside the room. Just to be on the safe side, he waited outside the door until the bulk of the students had left, and then went in. She looked up once at the sound of his footsteps, then went back to her papers, ignoring him completely. He rolled his eyes. It was better than being shot at, he supposed. He came up to the table and touched shoulder lightly. “Hey.” He said quietly, watching her dark head. “Can we talk?”
“Not unless you are comfortable being yelled at in Hebrew.” She replied, not looking up. “Why don’t you go back to your damn beach, Jethro, I am sure Camilla is wondering where you are.”
“I don’t have an excuse, Raz.” He began carefully, but she cut him off, her tone biting.
“Oh, that will be a first, will it not?” she laughed, her accent getting heavier as she fought with her emotions. “Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs admitting he has done something wrong. Go tell your team you are sorry, Jethro, because I do not want to hear it.”
She got up and started to walk away, but he grabbed her arm, pulling her back. “Well you’re going to.” He retorted, frustrated. “We have a half an hour, and I’m going to use it.”
Sarai looked him in the eye, and for once he couldn’t read what they were saying, couldn’t read her. “No, I am.” She replied quietly. She strode to her office and he followed, a little nervous about being alone with her. She closed the door behind him and turned around, her expression cool. “I put up barriers for a reason, Jethro, I have every reason never to trust anyone. But you were never very good with boundaries, were you? You broke down every wall I ever put up, you made me trust you, you made me love you, you just kept working at it until I had nothing left to protect me. All that time, I was telling you things, letting you decide what happened to us, I was yours, completely, and what I got back was ‘I love you’, and that was enough. I believed you every time you said it, and when the babies were born, you looked so happy, and I thought, maybe I had gotten through a little of your shell, maybe you could be happy like that, with me. But you were not. Me, Jaedyn and Benjamin, we were not enough to hold you here. You made decisions for you, Jethro, not for us. You did not know what you wanted.” He had listened to her rant in silence and now that she was done, she was waiting for one of his arguments, but he didn’t make one. He just stood quietly, watching her with sad eyes. Finally, she couldn’t take the silence anymore and she fell. “Are you going to say something?” she demanded.
He shrugged. “You’re right.” Was all he said. She just stared at him, surprised. “I had no idea what I wanted or what I was doing, all I knew was that in ’99 we were in love, and you might have the answers I needed about Ari. I had no right to come back into your life the way I did, but the second I saw you, it was like being back in Moscow when you were walking next to me, letting me hold you, and you just looked so sweet and beautiful. I couldn’t help myself, I never can with you. The year I had with you was better than anything I could have imagined and it was only getting better. I just got so confused with the coma, nothing made any sense, and I was just trying to figure out how to make everything fit together in my head again. I know I screwed up, no one has to tell me that, and nothing I do or say is going to make up for it, there is no excuse. But I’ve spent all of the last five months trying to figure out where the hell I went wrong, and I know what I want now. I want my family, my beautiful spy,” he reached out hesitantly, and she let him touch her cheek. “My kids, my team, that’s my family, and I’m begging you to give me just one more chance. I won’t screw up this time, I swear.” His hand was pressed to her cheek and he stepped closer, expecting her to pull away, to yell at him, something, but she stayed perfectly still, her eyes locked on his, frozen. He slipped his hands into her hair and pressed his lips to hers carefully.
Both of their breathing was ragged as he moved hesitantly to her jaw, her neck, her throat. “If you do anything like this again, I will kill you.” She whispered, closing her eyes and letting the sensations wash over her.
“Ducky’ll get to me first.” Laughed Gibbs quietly, pulling back but keeping one arm coiled around her waist and the other rubbing her cheek soothingly. “Does everyone react this strongly to you?”
“Only men.” She replied, smiling with amusement. “Women are much better letting me take care of myself.”
He smiled back, letting go of her waist to twine his fingers with hers. “Are these women who know you’re packing?” he asked dryly.
“No, only you and Ducky know about that.” she replied smugly. “I know what I am doing, Jethro, I have been doing it for....” the door opened and a dark, petite college girl jumped, embarrassed, as Sarai freed herself from her husband. “Yes Sarah?” murmured the Israeli, slightly flushed.
“Oh, God Professor, I’m sorry, I...I can come back.” Stammered Sarah.
Gibbs offered an easy smile. “It’s alright, I was just leaving.” He maneuvered around the girl, nodding to the two women as he left.
“What can I do for you Sarah?” asked Sarai again, a little more controlled this time.



Sarah McGee leaned back against the wall, watching her brother work quietly. “I saw your boss at my school today.” She said conversationally.
McGee glanced up, surprised. “Doing what?” he asked, curiously. “NCIS doesn’t have any business there.”
Sarah cocked her head pointedly. “But he did. Very, very hot business.”
“Gibbs is dating a college student?” asked McGee incredulously.
“No, one of the professors.” She corrected. “Uh, Political History, Davis I think.”
“How could you tell they’re dating?” he asked curiously.
She rolled her eyes. “It was kind of obvious, they were standing reeeally close together,” she pressed her hands together to make a point and then twined her fingers together. “And they were holding hands, and he had his hand on her cheek and everything. She’s married you know, I saw the ring.”
“Not to Gibbs.” Commented McGee dryly, leaning back in his chair. “He’s been married four times, and he’s as much of a player as Tony. Plus, he just got back from Mexico a month ago.”
“They’re having an affair?” Sarah shook her head. “Weird.”
“Huh.” He frowned again. “Gibbs doesn’t seem like the type. Then again, that might be why he’s been married four times. What’s she look like?”
Sarah thought for a moment, picturing the dark beauty. “Green eyes, black hair, probably dyed, body like a swimsuit model.” She said decidedly.
“Sounds more like Tony’s thing than Gibbs’s.” Laughed McGee. “I’m sure you’re just missing some part of the story.”



He came back that evening, just as she was packing up. “I don’t suppose you’ve forgiven me enough to come home.” He observed quietly.
“I am just not ready yet.” Sighed Sarai, latching her bag. “It has been too long, and I still.... We just need to give this time.”
He nodded, looking disappointed, but not surprised. “Can I at least say ‘hi’ to the twins before you go?” he asked.
“Yeah.” She bit her lip gently. “Come on. They are getting so big, you know, and Ben’s eyes are getting lighter.” She led the way out to the child-development centre and when they got there, she signed the log, turning to the woman who had come over to greet them. “How did they do today, Kelsey?” she asked with a smile, going over and picking up Jaedyn. The little girl didn’t put up too much of a fuss about being buckled in, although her expression was quite clear about not liking it.
“They were fine, Kyra, Ben’s just been quite happy about being able to move around these last couple of days. Jae’s really quiet, though, and I haven’t found anything she’s interested in besides the people. She just sits and watches.” The young woman frowned slightly, helping Sarai gather the pieces that had spread from the twins’ bag.
Sarai laughed, petting her daughter’s head briefly. “She takes after me.” She murmured. She caught up Ben as the boy sped towards her on all fours. “Just like this one takes after his father.” She added. Ben was buckled in next to his sister before he had a chance to put up a fight and the two babies exchanged a furious look. Gibbs smiled, fully aware that the statement was aimed at him more than the young woman. “Speaking of which....” Sarai glanced at him dryly. “Kelsey, this is my husband, Jethro. He has been away for a while.”
“Nice to meet you.” Smiled Kelsey, shaking Gibbs’s hand.
“You too.” He agreed. “I’ll get those Kyra.” He shouldered the twins’ bag and Sarai’s as well, nodding to Kelsey as he moved away.
Kelsey peeked after him. “Strong and silent type, huh?” she observed sympathetically.
“Marines.” Replied Sarai, and Kelsey’s expression lit up with understanding. “What can you do? Thank you Kelsey.” She pushed the stroller after Gibbs, heading towards the car. She settled Jae and Ben into their car seats and popped the trunk, putting everything else into it. Gibbs was standing by the open door, playing quietly with Ben. She folded her arms across her chest, watching. “Benjamin never stops moving, Jaedyn never really started, she is a perfectionist watches her brother first, then does it on her own. They are both stubborn as hell, he has got a word or two, she does not make much sound at all.”
“I’m sorry baby.” He sighed, looking up at her sadly. “I never meant to for this to happen.”
She avoided his eyes carefully. “You could have called.” She pointed out. “I did not change my number.”
He nodded slowly. “I was afraid you’d hang up.” He said softly. “Look, I know this sounds pathetic, but please don’t make me go home alone again. Waking up without you for six months is more than I care to deal with.”
“You are right.” She replied, closing the car door gently. “It does sound pathetic. If you think it was any easier for me, Jethro, you are mistaken, but I am not ready to trust you that much right now. I have to go.” She walked around to the other side of the car and got in, backing out carefully. He watched her drive away and headed over to his own car. He hadn’t expected it to be easy, but he was beginning to realize how much he’d been hoping it would be.



Sarai started awake to the sound of her phone buzzing on the nightstand, switching the lamp on. She pushed herself up, tucking it under her ear. “Davis.” She murmured tiredly, rubbing her eyes.
“I woke you up didn’t I? Sorry.”
His voice made her even more awake and she pushed the covers back, glancing at the clock. 8:30, was it really so early? It felt later somehow. “Jethro. No, I.... Never mind. What is it?”
“Just taking you up on your suggestion to call.” He replied. “Have you been at Ducky’s this whole time?”
She started. “You followed me?” she laughed. “That is sweet Jethro, a little creepy, but sweet.”
“I’d come in to see you, but I’m a little afraid of Ducky right now.” Said Gibbs, amusedly.
“That’s probably a good idea.” She agreed, then paused. “Wait, are you here?”
She could hear the smile in his voice. “Look out your window Juliet.”
She got up slowly, moving to the window and pulling back the curtains, and there he was. He raised a hand, giving her a little wave, and she smiled. “You brought me flowers.” She observed quietly.
“I remembered that you said you liked white roses once.” He said hopefully. “I was hoping I could ask my wife out on a date. I’ll even cook.”
“It will have to be a double date.” She murmured, sitting down on the window seat and tucking her feet underneath her. “It is almost impossible to get a sitter for two infants.”
“I wouldn’t want it any other way Raz.” He assured her.
She bit her lip, glancing at the twins, sleeping quietly. “Alright.” Then, just to earn back her advantage she teased, “I didn’t know you could cook.”
“I can’t.” he laughed. “But I’ll try. It can’t be that hard, can it?”
She smiled, stifling laughter. “Not all of it.” She agreed, amused. “Goodnight, Jethro.”
“Goodnight Razi.” She let the curtain fall back across the window and turned out the light as she curled back up under the covers. The sound of a car door closing and the engine turning over told her that he had left. She sighed and buried her face in the pillow. Damn him for being so sweet, she thought to herself. But it was too late, she was falling all over again.



She had parked in the driveway five minutes ago, but she couldn’t get out. All she kept doing was replying the various scenes from the last couple of days, Gibbs’s very persuasive argument at the college, his performance at Ducky’s house, and of course, Ducky’s reaction to hearing about it.
“He’s trying Ducky, he really is.” She insisted. “He really does mean it.”
The Scotsman just looked at her and, as always, she was sure he could see right through her, just like Jasper always had. “It’s not me you need to convince of that my dear.” Was all he said.
Sarai sighed and opened the door. As if on cue, Gibbs came out front, pulling Jaedyn out of her car-seat carefully. The little girl looked at him for a moment and then curled into him with a contented sound. He smiled softly, a little surprised by the interaction. “She remembers you.” Sarai told him quietly. “She is very shy, takes a while to accept new people.”
“A child of habit.” He laughed, nestling Jae into his shoulder. “What a surprise.” Sarai rolled her eyes at him and picked up Ben, shouldering the inevitable baby-bag. “Come on, dinner’s ready.”



It only took a month or so for her to move back in, it really was nice to have help with the twins, and Gibbs was very good with kids. He remained sweet and careful, not wanting to push whatever trust he’d gained with her. But his caution only made it harder for her to hold her barriers up, and it wasn’t long before she realized that they were moving around each other comfortably again. There were no more eggshells to walk on and she no longer felt that flash of uncertainty when he said he loved her. The twins were just a couple of months short of a year old and her own birthday was approaching quickly. She decided that for once in her adult life, she would find a way to celebrate, and she was pretty sure she knew how to do it. When she woke up that morning, she sighed, not particularly happy about being thirty, and rolled over, burying her face in the pillow. She felt him move next to her, and he ran his hand along her back gently. “What’s wrong?” He asked, concerned. His throat went dry as he caught sight of the flash of scarlet silk under the blankets, right next to creamy white skin. She may have moved back in, and he wasn’t sleeping on the couch, but, aside from a few stray kisses, their relationship had remained strictly platonic since he got back. He recognized this as a sign of some lingering trust issues, and hadn’t pushed at all, but he was starting to go a little crazy. “Raz?”
“Today is my birthday.” She replied, her voice muffled by the pillow, and she turned her head to look at him, resting it on her arms. “And I feel older.”
He smiled, relieved. “You don’t look older.” He laughed, pushing the covers back. “You haven’t changed much in the last decade, baby girl.”
“Thank you Jethro.” She murmured, smiling gratefully. She got up and walked over to the dresser, pulling out the red silk top that she knew drove him crazy and a pair of jeans.
He watched her dress, trying not to swallow his tongue at the way the fabric curved with her body. “So how old are you?” he asked curiously.
“Thirty.” She replied absently, fixing her hair. She glanced back at him, her eyes tracing the lines of his body for a second. “Thirty and married for a year and a half. That is not something I ever expected to say about myself.”
“You don’t give yourself enough credit.” Murmured Gibbs, his eyes soft. “So, since it’s your birthday, do you want to do anything?”
“No.” she leaned over and kissed him softly, slipping her tongue past his lips to explore gently. “The last time I celebrated a birthday, I was sixteen years old, and I do not care to remember that particular birthday.”
He frowned. “Why not?”
Her eyes lifted to his, her body still leaning to be near his lips, and she moved her fingers through the short hair at his temples. “Grandperé had just died.” She replied quietly, her eyes darting to his mouth and back, and she kissed him again. “My mother was trying to cheer me up, but I was not interested.” She straightened up, self-consciously. “I’d better go wake Ben and Jae.” She disappeared and he felt a stab of guilt at having to ask a stupid question at the same time as he was grateful that she trusted him enough again to answer at all. He sighed, rubbing his eyes, and got up. By the time he’d showered, dressed, and made his way out to the kitchen, Sarai had gotten both the twins up and ready to go. He never ceased to be impressed by the way she managed to keep their adventurous son out of trouble without looking like other harried mothers. He picked the little boy up just in time to keep him out of the silverware drawer. “You do love trouble, my little man.” He laughed, rubbing Ben’s back lightly.
Ben stuck his thumb in his mouth, a self-satisfied smile on his face, and giggled. “No trouble.” He announced decidedly. “No trouble, Papá.”
“Yeah, that’s what you said yesterday, too.” Chuckled Gibbs, setting him back down on the ground. Ben trundled over to the table and sat down on the floor, still looking quite pleased with himself. Gibbs glanced back at Sarai to see her watching him amusedly. “Just what you needed, huh? Another troublemaker around the house.”
“At least Ben is still too small to do much.” She teased lightly. “I hate to think what will happen when he figures out that he can climb things.” She handed him his coffee. “Say hello to Ducky for me. And thank him for dinner the other night, it was very sweet of him.” Gibbs and Ducky had been getting along a lot better since Sarai had forgiven her husband and now their friendship was pretty much back to normal. The older Scotsman adored Ben and Jae and would often stop by for brief visits with his ‘niece and nephew’. So far, Ben had figured out how to say Ducky, and Jaedyn had stopped hiding her face in her mother’s arms when he came over, even reaching out to be held by the ME on occasion.
“I will.” He agreed. “Good luck with the tests today.”
She rolled her eyes and pushed him towards the door gently. “I ought to make you grade them for that.” she muttered. He gave her a little wave and got into the car, driving off.



A small box sat on his desk when he got in to work that morning, and he picked it up curiously. He frowned curiously when he recognized Sarai’s handwriting across the cardboard, slicing through the tape with a pair of scissors. He glanced inside and started, his eyes darkening at the contents. He pulled out the small receipt slip and blinked, incredulous. What the hell...?



McGee wasn’t really paying attention to his boss, but the sound of Gibbs opening something made him look up. The team leader’s reaction was completely bizarre and McGee watched, puzzled, for a second as Gibbs put the little slip of paper and tucked the box under his desk, taking an extra big sip of coffee and turning on his computer. Gibbs glanced up at his agent, trying very hard to keep his expression clear but still a little wide-eyed, and McGee was surprised by the openness on his usual unreadable face. “What are looking at, McGee?” asked Gibbs, none of his usual annoyance in his voice.
“Uh, nothing Boss.” Replied McGee, confused. “I just....Never mind.” He went back to his report, wondering what had made his boss seem so...surprised.



When Gibbs’s cell rang and he recognized his wife’s number on the screen he swallowed. “Yeah?” he answered warily.
“I take it you got my package.” She said, amused.
“Uh huh.” He agreed, wishing he could find a way to make the conversation sound more normal as he noticed Tony’s ears perk up at his caution. “I’m not exactly clear on the purpose, though.”
“You have been a...perfect gentleman.” She purred on the other line. “I thought this would make a very good birthday present, do you agree?”
“I don’t really have an answer for that.” he sighed, getting up and striding over to the elevator. He hit the button and waited impatiently for the silver doors to open.
“It was not very nice of me, I suppose.” He could practically hear her smile. “But I really could not help it. It has been...” she paused, thinking. “About a year since I got to make love with you.”
He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and stepped through the elevator doors quickly, slamming a button, any button, a little harder than he’d meant to. “I know.” He replied carefully, watching the doors slide closed and begging them to hurry up. As soon as they were closed, he shut off the elevator. “I’ve been waiting for you to say you were ready.” He said, a little less strain in his voice.
She noticed the difference, that much he knew. “I am ready.” She purred seductively. “I even got all dressed up for you.”
He closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the metal walls. Any hope he’d had of not spending the rest of the day picturing her in that damn shirt had just flown out the window. “What happened to you not celebrating birthdays, Razi?” he teased.
“My seducing you has nothing to do with my birthday.” She murmured.
“Oh, okay. I suppose you think you’re going to get away without me giving any hell back for this.” He observed, amused.
“I had hoped so.” She agreed.
“You know me better than that, baby girl.” Laughed Gibbs. “You should have stuck with subtle, I’ve got warning, and I’m going to plan on a little fun for myself now.” He could hear her breath hitch and smiled, pleased. “But I don’t give hints. You’re just going to have try to figure it out all by yourself.”



They had both been going slowly crazy all day, each one having placed an idea in the other’s mind about what their secret surprise was. Unfortunately, Gibbs knew that Sarai had the advantage of days to plan her seduction, rather than just a few last minute ideas, and her teases were much tangible, much more difficult to escape from. The worst part was that damn receipt. Why the hell would she have bought.... No. He cut off that line of thinking, making another fruitless attempt to think only about work. Damnit, he was just going to have to wait, and waiting had never been something he was good at.



The house was in absolute darkness when he got home, but her car was in the driveway, so he knew she was home. He pushed the door open carefully and moved through the rooms one by one, getting a bit nervous. He climbed the stairs and peeked into Jae and Ben’s bedroom carefully. Both of the twins were fast asleep and he closed the door again silently. He continued down the hallway to their room and stepped inside. She closed the door and locked it behind him, sliding her hands up over his shoulders. “I hope you brought that box home with you.” She murmured, pulling his jacket off.
He turned around, pushing her up against the wall and setting his lips just barely touching hers. “Whoops.” He replied with a smile. “You only got half your order anyway.”
“Oh, I got all of it.” She smiled back.
She slipped her fingers into his hair and yanked his mouth down, gasping as he slid his hands up her sides. They caught on the soft fabric of her shirt and he controlled the desire to twist his fingers into the fabric and see if it would hold under pressure. She trembled, feeling like he was going to swallow her whole, and she pressed as close as she could. He smiled against her mouth and pulled back, toying with her hair carelessly. “Well, I think this is going to be my night.” He informed her confidently. “So you won’t need it.”
She cocked her head to one side, interested. “What exactly makes you think I will give up so easily?”
“You’ve never exactly been the dominant one in bed, Raz.” He pointed out. “All I have to do is make you lose your breath once,” he undid the buttons on her shirt slowly. “And this becomes my seduction.”
“Arrogant.” She rasped, raising an eyebrow at him.
“It’s not arrogance if it’s true.” He retorted. She gazed up at him for a second and then darted away. He caught her by the waist, curling one arm tightly around her, and pulled her back against his chest. He played with the hem of her shirt for a minute before letting it hit the ground. “I really like that shirt.” He said thoughtfully. And then he began his touching, brushing his fingers over her skin, exploring every part of her that he could reach. After almost a year and a bout of memory loss, he wanted to relearn every part of her body before he made love to her again, it felt a little like starting over. He was fascinated by the way she reacted to his touches, how soft she felt and how breakable, how quiet her sounds were, barely loud enough for him to hear, and the way she moved to fit his intentions. He pressed his lips to the crook of her neck, breathing in deeply. “You taste incredible.” He murmured against her skin, appreciating her soft gasp at his words. “I missed this.”
She laughed breathlessly, turning to capture his mouth with her own. “I am glad to hear it.” She purred. “I guess this is your night.” His mouth curved into a smile and he traced a scar on her hip lightly, making a mental note of the fact that it made her whimper and press back into him. He found another scar and followed it from beginning to end, establishing the pattern. She loved it when he touched those marks of her dangerous past, even if she would never talk about how she got them. Then he found one on her belly, the one that had made her pregnancy so dangerous, and he flattened his palm against her, looking at her with a question in his eyes. She shook her head slowly and he kissed the tip of her nose. “Two is plenty.” He promised her softly. “I love you Razi.”
“I love you too Jethro.” She pushed at her jeans impatiently and he laughed, amused. He helped her slide them down her legs, happy to have more to explore, and soon she was lost in his caresses, abandon written across her face. He brushed past her sex and she stumbled a little, catching herself on the bed frame. Her lips parted in a whisper-soft cry as he kept his fingers working against her and she trembled in his arms, desperate. Suddenly he stopped, placing a kiss on the back of her neck to show that he was done exploring, and she let out a mewl of confusion. He picked her up and carried her over to the bed, hovering over her and kissing her until she was drowning. Clothes melted away along with caution, and he started tracing designs over her skin, leaving behind a trail of silky powder. She cuffed him lightly on the side of the head as he kissed along the trails, smiling. “I thought you forgot it at the office.” She laughed, arcing into his kisses.
“Weird.” He rasped back. “I could’ve sworn it was still under my desk. I think I like the way you taste without the honey-dust better.” He added thoughtfully.
Sarai lifted the container out of his hand and set it on the nightstand, wrapping her arms around his neck. “It was not for you.” She purred silkily. “I had other plans for it, for us, when I thought I would be running tonight’s entertainment.”
“Maybe later.” He cupped her cheek, kissing her deeply. “I think I’ve got a better plan for right now.”



There’s a visible change in interactions between people when they’ve slept together, some small decrease in tension once they’re no longer trying to fend off their desire for fear of rejection or some other damage. It’s not always something the couple themselves notice, but in this case, it was quite clear to both Gibbs and Sarai that the atmosphere had changed with this ‘new’ section of their life. Sarai lay her head on his chest, his arm draped around her shoulders. “That felt...very good.” He sighed, pressing his lips to her forehead contentedly.
“There would be very little point if it did not.” She pointed out dryly, licking her lips. Her body was humming pleasantly and she twisted her hair into a coil, letting it spill over her breasts. She was quiet for a moment and he glanced at her, curious, wondering where she was. “I think....” She began finally. “I think we should talk Jethro. There are...a couple of things I should tell you.”
He sat up carefully, pulling her with him and she leaned back on his chest. “I’m all ears.” He promised. If she was actually going to talk to him about her life, he certainly wanted to hear it, and he wouldn’t make it any harder than it already was for her.
She chewed on her lip slowly. “In Russia, you asked me what my name was, and later you told me I could call you by your first name. But we both made substitutions. Jethro is your middle name, and Razi...Razi is mine.”
He played with a lock of dark hair gently, resting his chin on the crown of her head. “I never expected you to have given me a name that would help me find you, not that first day.” He shrugged. “And I didn’t really expect you to fix the record either, I’m glad you feel safe enough to do it though.”
“You are my husband, now more than ever.” She replied thoughtfully. “We are a different kind of partner than Ziva and Agent DiNozzo are, then Michael and I were, but we are still partners in life, and partners have to be able to trust and rely on each other. I know I trust you, but for you to truly do the same, I have to tell you the truth, or at the very least tell you that I cannot say.” She twined her fingers with his, eyes on the thin gold band around her finger. “The one thing I owe you, though, is my name.”
“You don’t owe me anything.” He corrected gently. “And I do trust you, with my life, but I would love to know your name anyway.”
“Sarai.” She told him quietly. “Sarai Razi Davíd.”
“That explains a lot actually.” He laughed. “Does Ziva know?”
She shook her head sadly. “No. My half-sisters.... I tried to protect them as best I could, you know? But there is only so much you can do. Tahlia is dead, and Ziva, she has a broken heart. But at least neither of them ever had to do the things I did, at least Ziva has had you and your team to keep her from getting completely lost. I never did thank you for that.”
“Ziva’s a good girl.” Replied Gibbs, proudly. “I wouldn’t have been doing my job if I didn’t teach her how to survive at NCIS.”
“Thank you, regardless.” She tipped her head back to kiss his jaw. “And thank you for listening.”
Gibbs sank back down under the covers, holding her in his arms so that she was surrounded by his bigger body. “I like that you trust me.” He told her, shrugging. “If it’s important enough for you to want to talk about it, it’s important for me to listen.” She was warm and safe in his arms, and he could see the sleep in her eyes. “Go to sleep baby girl.” He soothed. “We have forever now, remember?” She smiled and let her eyes fall closed. He watched as her breathing leveled out, dark lashes sweeping her cheeks as she slept, and he sighed heavily. Somewhere in Tel Aviv, a very pissed of Director of Mossad thought his eldest daughter had been missing for almost two years. Damnit.