Tiva Short Stories

One Call Away

"She wanted to change"
"She needed to move on "
"She had to do this alone"

I force the foul phrase through my teeth- poisoning my tongue and leaving my mouth with a bitter taste

"She wanted to change"
"She needed to move on "
"She had to do this alone"

Yet still, no matter how many times I repeated the words, the meaningless jumble of vowels and consonants could not penetrate the barrier around my heart: the heart filled with love for Ziva David.

"She wanted to change"
"She needed to move on "
"She had to do this alone"

I had been sitting alone in my dark, lonely apartment for the entire night, chanting to myself, hoping that I could talk myself out of what I was about to do next, accept that she was gone. However, as it neared 3 in the morning, I could no longer stand it, I needed to find Ziva!

I threw open my laptop and took out the torn piece of paper with McGee's AFIS database password from the breast pocket of shirt, Next to my heart, where it should be, as it was my key to finding Ziva, and therefore the key to my heart. I am not proud of my methods for obtaining it, however I could not bear another day without hearing her sweet voice, to hear the little ways she misspoke the English language, another day without hearing the Israeli pop in her car, which frankly I never noticed much as I was too busy fearing for my life when she was driving, another day without looking into her fierce brown eyes, loving - yet dangerous.
I began to type the jumble of number and letters into the password blank - sending a shiver up my spine when I hit "Z". "Wow Dinozzo " I thought to myself "survived bubonic plague, saved children from fires, and was tortured by the best of the Middle East, and I'm being defeated by a letter on a keyboard"

"She wanted to change"
"She needed to move on "
"She had to do this alone"

I hit enter without hesitation and began to type her name into the search bar "Ziva David"- 1 hit.
I found her phone number- and began to enter the numbers into my phone until I realized I did not know what to say. Who was she ? What had changed in 2 years ? Was her hair still curly? Did she still drive so fast ? Was she still obsessed with books? Instead I took note that the phone was an IPhone - meaning that the pictures backed up to iCloud ! I removed a "borrowed" password cracker from Abby and turned it on . While it began to work I closed my eyes and dreamed of our nights undercover, the laughs we'd shared in the elevator after the bomb, the first time I'd met her....
<<BING>> I was awoken from my daydreams by a successful attempt to retrieve her password. I hit enter.I opened her photos and began to look at them - and the years began to melt away ...

First I saw a picture of a book . A book on her lap next to a cup of coffee in her other hand... I smiled at the thought that she still loved to read

Next I saw a picture of a dancer.She was standing on her toes. Her flexible tan leg was pulled over her head. She was wearing a beautiful , teal gown. As I looked closer I saw that it was her. She had finally pursued her dream .

Then I saw a picture of her with small children. They were wearing white karate uniforms. She was teaching them, her muscular leg raised for a kick, with the young children mirroring her, looking up at her with awe. She always was good with children, and she was so well trained, and seeing her like this warmed my heart

Following that I found a video. She was singing. At first I didn't recognize it, as it was not in English , but I had come to realize it was Bella Bellisima by Hadag Nahash, the same song I had found in her iPod what seemed like a world away

Next, A picture of her and an old man ! I almost cried with joy when I realized who it was, SHMEIL ! Her old
Friend and her had gone out for dinner at a cafe whose name I couldn't read as it was in Hebrew

I saw an image of her. A selfie . Her hair was large with the Israeli heat and humidity, and her smile was full . As I looked past her face, tears were brought to my eyes as I saw that the Star of David had returned to her neck, and I thought of the old one of hers I had in my desk .

The last picture I saw before I closed my laptop was one of a wall of knives. "My ninja was still a ninja " I murmured to myself.

I shut my laptop and entered the last number into my phone, my ninja was still so beautiful, she still was my fury little Isreali , and above all the love of my life.

I hit call.. And felt my heart hit the floor as I heard the words
"Shalom Tony"

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