The Soldier

what they needed but destiny did not want

Tessa did not move, she did not say a word, staring at Ziva in front of her. She looked older, good ten years older actually, but that was not important. She was alive.

„How... come in.", Ziva said, but Tessa still could not move.

Ziva was alive. She was alive, she was fine, she lived in an old house and opened the door, a smile directed at any stranger standing at the other side of it. Ziva was alive.

Slowly she took the couple of steps necessary to enter Ziva's home. They were still staring at each other as if they were looking at a ghost.

Following her gut feeling, Tessa touched Ziva's shoulder, who dragged her into a tight hug. She was sobbing, holding her as close as possible and Tessa felt at peace, more than ever since Ziva...

„You are alive, Tessa. Tessa, how... I missed you so much.", Ziva said, holding on to her a little stronger.

Tessa was not able to say something, found herself only holding on to Ziva like her own life was depending on it. Which was not even a lie.

„Mommy? Who is that?", the voice of a young boy led to Ziva letting go of her, wiping away her tears fastly and turning around, patting a blonde head.

„This is Tessa, sweetie.", Ziva explained while Tessa tried to process that Ziva was the mother of that child. That meant -

Tessa noticed the ring on Ziva's finger now, the engagement ring Tessa planned to wear on a necklace back home in case there would ever come a time where she did not feel like crying every time she saw it, visibly worn on a necklace around Ziva's throat.

„I...", Tessa cleared her throat, looking around in that family house, suddenly feeling like she would not belong here.

„Chris, why don't you go play in your room for a bit? You can even use the toys your dad brought you yesterday, okay?", Ziva said, the urgent tune in her voice leading to an agreeing nod from Chris before he vanished.

Tessa was still processing the ring around Ziva's finger, the fact that she was alive and lived together with her child and that child's father in Stuttgart.

„Please, come in, we... we should probably talk.", Ziva said, moving to the nearest room, a small kitchen where she sat down, offering Tessa the chair opposite from her.

Once again they just stared at each other. Once again, Ziva was the one to break the silence.

„How did you survive, Tessa? I am so glad you're fine, and... I would love to understand it, maybe you can tell me? I thought you were dead for the past ten years, I thought I would never see you again and then you just appear in front of my door, not looking a day older than when you... than the last time I saw you ten years ago in... when you... when I thought you died.", Ziva said, trying to understand what was happening.

Tessa just looked at her, so happy to see her again.

„It doesn't matter, Ziva. We are back together, we are here and we are alive, that's all that counts, right?", Tessa answered, ignoring her gut feeling.

Not paying attention to the rational voice inside her mind which screamed that this was not the same Ziva Tessa lost.

Tessa was not able to take her eyes off her. She would never leave this place again, Loki could try to drag her out of that reality for how long he wanted, she would not leave it. Ziva was alive here, and that was all that mattered.

„I see that a bit differently, Tessa. I... I have a family now, I'm married, I have a child, I... I had to move on, and I...", Ziva nervously played around with the ring on her finger, biting her lip. This insecurity was what gave Tessa hope.