Work Text:
Haifa, Israel
13:00
June 1987
===================================================================================== “Aunt Nettie!” Tali squeals throwing her little arms open, running into her aunt’s arms.
“Lamb! I’m so glad you came.” Aunt Nettie replies hugging the younger of her two nieces. “Where is your Ima and sister?”
“Fightin’, ZeZe wants to stay with Papa for the week.” Tali explains quickly. Nettie makes a face as she hears her sister-in-law and her eldest niece arguing.
“I do not understand why I cannot stay with Papa, Ima?” Ziva asks for the hundredth time.
“Because he will be too busy, he cannot have a little girl in his way.” Rivka tries to explain to her stubborn daughter.
“I will not be in the way. I will help him when he is at home and when he is at work I can take care of myself.”
“You are seven years old. You are still a child. A child should not be able to take care of herself,” Rivka argues.
“I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. Papa took care of himself when he was younger than me.”
“Only because his Papa and his Ima could not afford to have him watched, when I was your age my grandmother and my aunts would take care of me and my brother.”
“Well I am not you. We are here not there. I will be up in my room if there is an emergency.” Ziva proclaims telling everyone with her eyes that this argument is over.
“Lamb, why don’t you go try to see what is up with your sister?” Aunt Nettie asks Tali. “While your mother and I get you some snacks.”
As Tali climbs the stairs and out of ear shot, “I cannot take Eli’s influence over Ziva anymore. I can take her learning about knives. I could even take her handling the knives but now he has her throwing knives. I was okay with the self defense classes, the girls need to know how to defend themselves. After I got off the phone with you to tell you I was driving up, Tali and Eli came home, Tali smelled like dirt…”
“What happened to you?” Rivka asked Tali as she goes over to the sink grabs a washcloth and starts washing the dirt of Tali’s face seeing Eli climbing the stairs to his study.
“Papa blindfolded Ziva and I and we went for a drive. I was scared because I did not know where Papa was taking us but Ziva was not. She held my hand all the way there.”
“Where is there, ahava?” Rivka asked.
“There were lots of trees. I couldna’ find Papa ZeZe told me that he was gone, that” Tali explains to Rivka. “ZeZe told me she knows the way out and that I should take that way. She would take the opposite way so that if any of Papa’s men came looking they would know, I was scared so I took the way ZeZe knew.”
“How did Ziva get back?” Aunt Nettie asks.
“She got home after dark, covered in mud, dirt. She looked exhausted but walked up to Eli’s study and talked to him for an hour. I asked her today what they talked about; she told me it was none of my business.”
“Ari is here!” Ziva exclaims running down the steps followed by Tali’s squeals of excitement as she runs out the door. Ari hugs his little sister as she comes running out the door. Rivka could not hear what her step-son was saying but the way she smiled gave her a good idea. Looking at her two daughters now, they were complete opposites. Tali loved dolls, playing dress up and wearing dresses and skirts while Ziva’s favorite doll was G.I. Joe, preferred riding bikes and climbing trees and liked wearing pants and baggy shirts.
Ari entered the house with one arm around Ziva and the other arm around Tali. “How is Rivka doing today?” He sees through her smile, which cues Aunt Nettie, “Tali-bug, Motek let us go out and get your bags. Will you tell me all about school?”
“ZeZe punched a boy during her play time, Aunt Nettie” Tali squeals running to her aunt beaming as Ziva crosses her arms while rolling her eyes at her younger sister, stalking out the door to the car.
“Please tell me what is wrong, Rivka” Ari asks sitting down on the stool in front of the wooden island in his Aunt’s kitchen.
Rivka sighs, sitting down alongside her step-son, “I am highly considering leaving Eli.”
“I had my suspicions four years ago, when my father demanded that Ziva stop her dance classes. The Rivka that my father fell in love with would never put up with that.” Ari explains sadly. “What has my father done to you?”
“Other than give me two beautiful daughters. One who I fear will turn out exactly like her father and one who turn out exactly like her grandmother.”
“Your mother?” Ari asks confirming his theory getting up from the stool to get himself a glass of tea.
“Yes, she was such a compassionate woman, never wanted of anything,” Rivka reminisces as she too slides off her stool to get herself something to drink.
“I see with Ziva you have your hands full” Ari chuckles taking off his leather jacket and sitting back down.
“You have no idea. I had to come and get her from school because she punched a boy in her class. I don’t have you to blame for this do I?”
“No, I believe that is all Amit. I heard from father before I came here, that he is beginning to teach her Krav Magna.” Ari explains eyeing Rivka’s reaction.
“He is never home anymore. Always on missions, I cannot have him put his job before his family any longer,” Rivka replies angrily. “It doesn’t help that no matter what I say, Ziva tells me that Papa lets me do this and that or Papa wouldn’t make me do that”.
“Why don’t I take Ziva for a walk on the beach and talk to her?”
“She’s more likely to listen to you than me,” Rivka replies getting up from her stool and walking out of the room.
Ziva walks in with a knapsack on her back, “Little Sister, you want to go for a walk on the beach, just you and I?” Ari asks her as she looks up.
“Ken,” she replies as she throws her knapsack on the couch.
“I must ask you why you punched the young boy,” Ari asks as they both begin walking the beach holding their shoes.
“His name was Shmuel, we sat next to each other in class. I only punched him once and he fell down,” Ziva says proudly. “He told me he liked me.”
“Are we talking about Officer Rubenstein’s son, the man with glasses and the big nose?” Ari asks her trying his best not to laugh and encourage her.
“Yes, his son,” Ziva replies standing up a little taller.
“You asked me what it was like being a Mossad officer the last time I came to visit, yes?” Ari asks her. Ziva nods as he continues, “You train constantly and you follow orders. Orders that you may not like, orders that you may not want to do but you must do them. You must do them for your country. To keep the one’s you love safe. Do you understand?”
“Yes, that is why Papa misses so much. He’s following orders,” Ziva says trying to understand.
“Yes, something like that. It’s just like listening to Rivka. You may not like what she wants you to do or even want to do what she wants you to do but you should do it anyway. If you want to join up the ranks, you have to listen and not defy orders. Do you understand me still?” Ari asks her again making sure to keep eye contact.
“Ari, you underestimate me,” Ziva replies with a smile.
“Do you promise me you will listen to Rivka and do as she says, if not for my sake then how about Tali’s? You told me once that you wanted to protect her, right? You want to be a great big sister?” Ari asks her, stopping and squatting down in the sand at her level. Ziva nods again “I heard you were fighting with Rivka on the drive up here. Do you think that’s setting a good example?”
“No,” Ziva says quietly though not breaking eye contact.
“Don’t look so sad, Ziv. I love you.” Ari exclaims picking her up and twirling her around in a circle.
“I love you too, Ari. I always will,” Ziva cries as her bare feet land back on the rough sand.