Far Away

Up in the Air

Ziva tapped her foot impatiently.

The information board updated and said yet again in taunting green letters that her flight was delayed due to extreme winds. Safety precautions, or something like that.

Which was all fine and dandy, except she hated being stuck at the airport.

Especially in a place that was neither DC nor Tel Aviv.

She sighed and shot a quick message to her father, letting him know she'd be even later than she'd thought.

She scrolled through her texts again, just making sure that there wasn't anything from Tony. She hadn't seen him or heard from him since that night.

He'd been gone when she woke up, and while that hurt like hell, she knew it was only because he didn't want to have to say goodbye and make it seem final. She didn't want that either.

But he at least could have called. Common courtesy, right? Let her know that he got home safe, or that he was shipping out, maybe even that he was safetly on the boat?

She shook her head. She wasn't his keeper. He didn't need to keep her updated on his every move.

She stared at the screen, willing a message to pop up from him. Even just a smiley face or something stupid like "hi."

Anything.

But her screen remained blank.

Eventually it came time to board, and she reluctantly tucked her phone in her pocket. Maybe there'd be a message waiting for her when she got back off the plane.

***

Tony stared at his phone in disgust. He'd been trying to connect for a good fifteen minutes, and it just wasn't cooperating.

So much for his promise to stay in contact.

Well, they had a tentative stop in Lisbon, Portugal, next week. Maybe he could call her then, apologize and try to make up for the lost time.

He tried one last time before giving up.

Hopefully she'd accept his excuse and not murder him over the phone. He had no doubts she could find a way.

"Special Agent DiNozzo!"

He spun around, pulse skittering all over the place.

The youngster in the doorway smirked.

"Need something, Sammy?" Tony asked, rubbing his face tiredly.

"Nah. Wanna join us for a hand?"

The only good thing to happen so far was the speed at which everyone seemed to accept his presence. He already felt like one of the guys.

He'd rather be back in DC, no question, but he'd take what he could get.

"Sure, I'll be there in a minute." He looked his phone again and sighed.

***

"Ziva."

She only offered him a tight smile in return.

Eli David held out his arms, and Ziva reluctantly walked into his embrace. "It is so good to have you back."

She didn't want to lie, so she remained quiet. She was not happy to be back.

"Come, let us get you settled in."

She was hardly surprised when their cab pulled up in front of a well-to-do apartment building. Eli was always trying to use his money to make up for his shortcomings.

"Only the best for my daughter," he rumbled, helping her with her bags.

That little action was the first thing to raise an alarm in her mind. Why would he bother to even touch her bags when he had a handsomely-paid chauffer to do it for him?

She raised an eyebrow but still didn't comment. She didn't trust herself to keep her tongue in check.

"It is a bit of a climb, I am afraid, but the top is the best." And only the best for her, right.

"Is there not an elevator?" she asked finally. She was sure that if her father tried to do eight flights of stairs, he would have a heart attack.

"There is, but I thought perhaps-"

"Let's take the elevator." She pounded the up button and let her bag rest at her feet for a moment.

"I hope it is to your liking. I had a designer handle it, but we were not sure of your tastes."

"I an sure it is fine." Where was the elevator? What was taking it so long?

Maybe they should've taken the stairs afterall. Then he'd be too winded to talk.

Finally there was a muted ding and the polished doors slid open. She held in a sigh as they shuffled into the small space and waited for the ascent to begin.

The ride was thankfully short, and Eli didn't try to fill the silence for once.

That ended as soon as they stepped into the apartment. Her eyes scanned over the sparsely decorated front room, butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

"Is it to your liking?"

"Yes, it is fine, Abba. Thank you." It wasn't home, but it would do.

"If you have any needs, there are phone numbers on the table. The designer, the landlord."

She sighed as she picked up the list and found the file underneath.

"I was not sure if you wanted to take your time settling in or if you would prefer to start working right away, so I prepared something for you," he said. His voice was level, but she knew what was expected of her.

"I will start right away," she murmured, her heart sinking as she skimmed the first page.

She'd hardly been back an hour and she was already nothing more to him than an expendable weapon.

"I am glad to hear. Stop by my office when you are ready."

Right.

He kissed her cheek and then left.

And so it began again.

*****

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