Sisters for Life - Tiva

***Something Meaningful***

Tony opened the door to his home. His wife was in the kitchen, making dinner. The girls were upstairs, probably doing homework. He closed the door and leaned against it, letting out a stressed breath. He stayed for a few moments.

"Tony," Ziva called from the kitchen, "is that you?"

Tony came around the corner, "yeah."

She was turned away. "What did the director want? You were really late."

Tony's mind scrambled. He began to walk away as he murmured, "It was just.. stuff. I'm gonna go wash up for dinner, okay?"

"Wait!" Ziva stopped him. She walked over and smiled at him. A kiss on his lips, and she was back to cooking. "I'll have dinner ready in five minutes, let the girls know."

~~~

"Dad, are you feeling okay?" Cassie questioned during dinner that night. He nodded. "Really? because you haven't spoken a word and you barely touched your dinner."

"Enough already! I'm fine!" He snapped. Ziva got up abruptly and took her plate into the kitchen. Tony leaned back and rubbed his eyes with a sigh. She was upset.

He glanced at the girls, giving them a 'stay here' look. He followed Ziva into the kitchen, closing the door behind him. He watched her washing dishes, slightly shaking her head every once in a while.

"If you scrub that plate any harder, it'll break," he said to break the silence.

She ignored his comment and continued washing while saying, "You know, I tried to ignore it--your mood. I really did. You were secluded when you came in. That was fine. You were quiet; I figured you'd tell me later. But then-" she paused with a sarcastic snort. "You yell at my daughter. It's enough, DiNozzo!"

She turned around now, wanting an explanation. Tony stared at her. He was speechless. His decision was hard. Should he tell her now? It would only add to the emotion. He took a deep breath.

"Ziva, I'm sorry." she scoffed. he continued, "Hear me out... My meeting with Vance didn't go so well..."

Ziva lowered her eyebrows, taking a few steps to Tony. "How not so well?"

He only looked at her. She could tell by his eyes that she was not going to like it. Still, she pressed on.

"Tell me!"

He looked away from her pleading face for a moment. "I screwed up..."

Ziva's eyes widened. "He didn't fire you..."

"No, no," Tony said quickly. "He didn't."

"Then what?"

Tony was about to say it, but Sam poked her head in. "Can we come in yet? We need to clean up dinner."

Ziva looked to Tony. He said softly, "Come in here with your sister. I need to tell you something. Might as well get it done at one time."

The girls came in, and soon, everyone was waiting for an explanation. Tony kept his glistening blue-green eyes down, not looking at the beautiful women he was about to upset.

He took a deep breath and explained, "I've been recruited, in a way."

Their faces asked the questions. Ziva took her usual defensive position, her brain and heart building a wall to prevent being hurt. She expected the worst. Sam, who was a lot like her mother, only stared at her father. Behind her dark brown eyes, she was worried beyond imagination. Cassie, who took after her father, immediately bit her lip in worry. She expected bad but hoped for something good. No one spoke a word.