For once, the justice system didn't take long to decide Lilian Weaver's punishment, 10 years in jail for assistance to child abuse. Tony and Ziva both testified at the trial, Ziva even mentioning her rape. Kate was asked to testify too, but Tony told the prosituction that Kate didn't know anything of use, and she didn't have to testiy. After only a day at trial, the jury found Mrs. Weaver guilty and she was sent to jail.
Two weeks after the trail and Tony and Ziva were still livng with Gibbs and the others. Then, one day at dinner, Gibbs made an anouncement.
"I have found Tony and Ziva a new home."
"No Gibbs!" Kate shouted, "You can't do that."
"I won't let you." Abby agreed.
"You didn't let me finish." Gibbs restarted. "I found Tony and Ziva a new home here with us."
"Really Boss?" Tony asked slightly syrprised.
"Don't question the man Tony." Kate said slapping the back of his head. "You get to stay, both of you."
"We are staying here, right? In this town I mean." Mcgee asked.
"Yep, we're stayin." Gibbs answered.
"Yeah!" Abby squealed as she jumped aronud the kitchen.
"Abigail settle down." Ducky requested and Abby did as she was told. Ziva still hadn't said a word (actually, she hadn't said anything since the day of the trial).
"Ziva, we're staying, isn't this great?" Abby asked. Ziva didn't answer, she just stared into her food.
"Ziva, you okay?" Mcgee asked.
"No, I am not." She answered. "I don't want to stay here."
"Why?" Tony asked, confused.
"They all know, I'll be the freak. I'll get these looks, people will tell me they are sorry when they didn't do anything. Don't try to tell me that's not true, I have recieved the same treatment from you guys." Ziva answered, and no one knew what to say. Ziva, feeling as though she proved a point, went back to playing with her food. Everyone stared at her, she was right. All of them at some poin or another treated her like that. Finally, Gibbs spoke.
"Are you saying you want to go home, back to Isreal, back to Mossad?"
"No, but..." Ziva didn't have a reply.
"You can't send her back!" Kate shouted. "I won't let you."
"And why not?" Gibbs asked.
"Because... because.... well I can't tell you why but..." Kate was saying, until Ziva spoke.
"My father was abusive, worse then the Weavers. I missed school for a month because of what he did to me." Ziva's eyes were misty. "When I came here, I did so without my father's permission, he was firious. When I transported Ari's body home, he almost killed me with his beating, and he would have, but he recieved a call from the Jenny asking me to work for NCIS and he reluctantly agreed. Jenny saved my life. Now, I was in the exact same position, and I can't take much more. I can't stand the looks, can't stand the pain, I don't want to try."
"Ziva... I..." Abby tried to say something, but for once she was speachless.
"No one has to say anything. I'll just have to manage." Ziva reasoned, her voice barely a whisper. "Excuse me." She stood up and left the house. They heard her open the grage, grab her paintball gun and some bullets, and run into the woods.
"Poor Ziva." Abby whispered.
"Yes, it is very tragic to hear stories like that, especially when we see it break down someone so strong." Ducky agreed.
"Hey, where's Gibbs?" Tony asked. No one had an answer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No one had seen him leave after Ziva, even she hadn't seen him. Now in the shadow of the trees, he watched her as she took shot after shot at a tree and even though she was only standing five yards back, she was missing her mark every time. He could see the tears being supressed in her eyes. Finally, he stopped her.
"Can I take a shot?" He asked, making her jump.
"Jezze Gibbs, you scared the crap out of me."
"That was my intention. You okay?"
"Obviously not." Cold as ice.
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why are you not okay?"
"Why the hell do you have to ask? For ten damn months I was being abused. Attacked everyday even if I did nothig wrong. I was fuckin raped, Gibbs, and you need to ask why the hell I'm not okay!" it was harder for her to stop her tears now, slowly they began to fall. "And to top it off, I'm going to have to go to school and be the odd one out, the one who was played with. I'll get looks from everyone teacher included! I can't deal with that Gibbs, not again, never again." she was really crying now. Her legs couldn't hold her anymore and she fell to the ground as her tears began to flow faster and faster, quickly soaking her face.
"Ziva, I asked you so this would happen. You needed this, you needed to feel like this, this was good for you." While he was talking, he started to make his way over to Ziva. By the time he had finished talking, he was on his knee next to her trying to comfort her, but she kept pulling away from his touch. He finally was fed up, and tried to hold her, but she fought against him, hitting his chest and pulling away. He wouldn't let her be. Finally, she stopped, reluctantly letting him hold her, comfort her, not liking it, but in the same way cherished it. Soon, she calmed down, her tears weren't coming as quickly and then they stopped all together. He still held her, and she didn't refuse. She began to talk though.
"Gibbs, why did you do that?"
"Because you needed it." he answered.
"No, why did you hold me."
"Because, I felt like I should. You never had a father Ziva."
"Yes I have. Sure he wasn't the best father, but I did have one."
"Ziva, Eli David is not your father. He hurt you Ziva, that's not what a father does. A father is supposed to protect, not hurt, love, not hate. He, Ziva, he's not a good man, he's not a father."
"So, a father is someone more like you?" She asked, but didn't let him answer. "Yes, Gibbs, you are a father, our father. None of us would be here with out you. Look at Abby, you already are her father. I'd like to think of you as a father, and I think the others would too."
"Ziva, I can't..."
"I know, you lost Kelly, but Gibbs, it's not your fault. You couldn't have stopped it. Plus, she's not dead." She added the last part in barely a whisper, hoping he wouldn't hear her.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Ziva finally confronts what happened
Chapter End Notes:
Again, one of the sappier chapters
Please R&R
Please R&R