CSI:M / NCIS FIC :: "Confluences: From Desert to Sea" Chapter 4 [Calleigh/Natalia/Ziva/Abby, PG13]
INDEX & DISCLAIMER INFO { DW || LJ }
Chapter Four
++ Natalia ++
(09-26-06)
"Calleigh!"
The word is tumbling off my lips before I come fully awake, adrenalin pumping through my veins as the nightmare refuses to loosen its grip on me. The rational part of my sleep-addled brain knows that this is little more than a bad dream; the irrational part hasn't quite caught up with that rational side yet. It takes another moment or two before recognition dawns that both Ziva and Abby are softly talking to me. Tears sting behind my lashes, and I cling to my beloved Sentinel tightly.
"What is it, neshama sheli?" she asks softly, hand stroking through my hair. "Talk to me."
Her lips press lightly to my temple, nuzzling me gently. At the same time, Abby molds herself along my back, chin resting on my shoulder. I readily take the comfort, feeling the keen loss of Calleigh's presence. When is this damned favor of hers going to be over with? The thought no more than forms and I feel the regret and guilt at even thinking it. Horatio and Marisol lost Eric; we all lost Eric. Who am I to demand that Calleigh be here with me when others need her, too?
"Natalia?" Ziva's soft voice calls me back from my thoughts.
Shaking my head, I lean in closer, taking solace in her embrace, and reach back to grip Abby's hand tightly. "It was nothing," I finally say. "Just a silly nightmare."
Ziva's nostrils flare as she inhales deeply. "No, it was more than just a silly nightmare, but I will not push you to speak of things you do not wish to. Instead I will simply be here for you, to protect you as I am able from the dark things lurking in your dreams."
There's no mistaking the slight rebuke in her tone, but I'm not ready yet to discuss this further. The fractured images, while still vivid when concentrated on, are only just beginning to fade into the realms of restless sleep. I'm not sure I can properly explain what I saw, what I fear it means. That thought takes precedence again, the fear choking me, and I cling more tightly to Ziva and Abby for a few moments. As time passes, their presences push away the worst of the nightmares. The sudden rumbling in my stomach breaks the silence in the bedroom, reducing me to slightly hysterical giggles.
Brushing the softest of kisses against my lips, Ziva smiles warmly and slips out of bed. My eyes follow the slight sway of her hips as she pulls on her robe and heads out into the hallway. Abby sighs, arms tightening around my waist, and I tilt my head back against her shoulder for a moment. Her lips on my temple bring a sigh to my own, my eyes fluttering shut briefly.
"She's only trying to help, you know."
Nodding slowly, I echo her sigh. "I know. I just…" At a loss for words, I shrug helplessly.
"It's okay. We'll figure it out," she says, determination steeling her voice, and throws back the covers. She shimmies into boxers and a skull tank top, tossing my robe at me. "C'mon, Tali, let's go get some grub before my tummy decides to be louder and less ladylike than yours."
Laughing, I do as she asks and follow her out of the bedroom, trying my best to let the tendrils of my nightmare fade away to the background. But I can't shake the feeling that Calleigh should be here with us and, as long as she isn't, I won't feel safe or whole again. She's become so damned important to me over the last several months. And I don't dare bring up the fact that there's a very real part of me that fears she'll remember her life in Miami before me, and never come back. They wouldn't understand…
++ Calleigh ++
It all happened so damned fast.
Maybe if Alexx hadn't mentioned the triple on the Causeway, maybe if I hadn't taken the back roads to get back to the lab faster, I'd just be stuck sitting in traffic for who knows how long. I'd probably still be on the phone with Ryan, discussing the evidence I collected. Instead, here I am, huddled pathetically at the side of the road, watching the last of the bubbles surface and explode as my Hummer is completely sunk to the bottom of the canal. All of that evidence is now completely ruined. All of that work that I did in the vic's apartment was for nothing. I don't have a chance to get to any of it, even if it wasn't already compromised.
My god, I nearly died out there in the water. I don't understand it. Everything was going fine. Ryan was getting the lab prepped for the evidence. I'm not even sure he'd hung up the phone yet. And then, BAM! A sharp crack, almost like gunfire, and a sudden lurch as the Hummer was no longer in my control. Before I knew it, I'd been run off the road and into the water.
Do you know how quickly a nearly two and a half ton vehicle sinks? I don't, not really. Time played that trick on me where it was immensely short, but every second seemed to last a lifetime or more. The chill as that water began trickling in from every opening in the dashboard that it could find; the groaning of the metal as it fought succumbing to the pressure building up; the realization that none of the electronics were going to work since the engine was completely flooded. All I could do was stare at the evidence being compromised and watch the sunlight fade into the underwater world that would become my grave. It wasn't until that telltale crunch of spiderwebbing glass that I realized just how dire my situation was.
The next several moments are a blur. Obviously, my body went into complete and total autopilot from the second I busted in the window until I surfaced and got to the relative safety of the shore and the road. I have dim recollections of gasping for breath in a pocket of air against the roof of the Hummer, evidence envelopes floating around me in a sodden mess. There's a momentary sense of total paranoia as I fight to determine where the surface is. Once I drag myself out of the water, shivering, I struggle to hold back the hysteria, focusing instead on the cuts and scrapes covering all of my exposed skin.
I don't even have a phone to call anyone, let them know where I am and what has happened. Hopefully Ryan will figure it out and send someone out here for me. Once night falls, I'm really in trouble. The gators will smell the blood. And my gun is wet and useless right now. All I can think of is the fact that I had to come home to nearly die. And I haven't even talked to the rest of my pack today, haven't had the chance to even hint at telling them what they've come to mean to me. We were just too damned busy, and I had to put off that call.
"Calleigh?"
That voice pulls me from my thoughts, and I'm surprised to realize that it takes a moment to focus on his face. What the hell does that mean? I attempt a smile, but know it for the failure it is even without reading it in his eyes.
"Calleigh, I don't want you to move until we check you out," he says, kneeling down next to me. His voice is gentle; it takes a few seconds to recognize it as the one he uses with frightened children… or shock victims. "The paramedics are on their way."
"The evidence is…" I can't finish the sentence as an overwhelming sense of failure washes over me, and I force myself not to cry. What must he think of me? I'm better than this, damn it!
"Right now, sweetheart, that's not important. You are."
"But it's all compromised." It's so hard to talk with this huge lump of fear and failure in my throat.
"Yes. Everything but you, ma'am."
The sirens signaling the paramedics cues him to stand up, effectively cutting off anything I might have said. My eyes are drawn back to the water, silently willing the Hummer to miraculously rise up with the evidence still fully intact. Fat chance of that happening, Calleigh…
I’m not quite sure how, but I manage to block it out when the paramedics check me over. And then, as the rough blanket settles over my shoulders, bringing a welcome heat, the world registers more clearly again. Horatio is standing there, watching me intently. What is he doing here? He's still on leave, helping Marisol with the early stages of her recovery.
"What can you remember?"
"It was a blur. It just came out of nowhere." At the faint twitch of his lips, I let out a shaky laugh. "I'm an unreliable witness."
The sound of footsteps is almost ignored until I hear my name being said. Turning around, I see Eric walking up to me, worry heavily lining his face. Wait, that can't be Eric. He's…
"Calleigh? Are you okay?"
Blinking against the sun, I realize that it's Jesse Cardoza standing there, not Eric, and that sharp stab of loss hits me again. Will this never end? "Yeah, I'm okay." I hope I sound more certain to them than I do to myself. And I'll need to sound even surer of myself when I finally call back to Las Vegas and let my pack know what's happened. That's not going to be an easy conversation, not in the slightest.
++ Ziva ++
"Calleigh, we can be ready and in Miami in less than twelve hours."
"No!" The tone of her voice contradicts her words as they come rushing out in a frightened jumble. "I'm fine. The paramedics said I'm fine. Just a few scrapes and bruises. I just wanted you to know what happened, why I didn't call when I was supposed to. I didn't want Natalia to worry."
She continues to speak, and a part of my brain follows her explanation, but I am more interested in the rise and fall of her voice, her tonality. There is a hint of something almost hysterical to the cadence of her words. I wish for nothing more right now than to be there, to take her in my arms and comfort her as she so desperately needs.
"Calleigh," I finally interrupt. "You say you are fine, but you and I both know you are not. I am sure that Dace and Anastasia can arrange a flight for the three of us to come to you."
She pauses and I can hear her ragged breathing over the phone. After a moment, the faint sob reaches my ears, and I barely contain the urge to call for Abby to go find Dace, get one of the private Hearts' jets ready for us to leave.
"Please, Ziva," she finally says softly. "Physically I'm fine. I'm just… I need to see this case through. I need to keep my promise to Horatio, to Eric's memory."
Exhaling slowly, I nod and glance toward the door. Abby and Natalia will be coming back any time now from their trip to visit Alexis with the children. "I do not like this, Calleigh, but I will abide by your wishes. Just know that the four of us will be having a very serious discussion when you return to us next week."
"Yeah," she says with a defeated sigh, "I can't say that I wasn't expecting that. Um, do you know when Nat and Abs will be back? I should talk to them, but I wanted to explain what happened to you first."
"Calleigh, chaverah, listen to me. I want you to take a deep breath and relax. After Natalia's nightmare this morning, she is not going to take this information very well. She will most assuredly want to come to you." Before I can say anything else, I can hear my girls coming into the house. With just another few seconds, I realize that they've brought Rose and the monkey twins with them. "Calleigh, they have come home and have the children with them. Are you home at this point?"
"Yeah, the paramedics cleared me, but Horatio and Alexx ganged up on me to send me home. Why?"
"I want you to have something to eat. Call for takeout if you need to. And then I want you to take a long soak in a hot bath. Take your phone with you, and we will call you once the children have been returned to their adults. At that point, I will explain what has happened to Natalia and Abby before we call you."
"Okay," she replies meekly, the exhaustion and fear clearly present in her tone now. "Thank you, Ziva."
++ Abby ++
"Wait! She what?" Natalia yells, on her feet immediately. "When? Why are we here? We need to go to her!"
She begins to race toward the bedroom to pack a suitcase, but Ziva stops her with a gentle grip on her forearm. "Neshama sheli, she does not want us there."
"I don't give a damn what she wants. It's not about what she wants." There are tears in her eyes and she's beginning to shake. "Let me go, Ziva. I have to go to her. I have to make sure…"
"We will call her so you can speak with her and assuage your fears, but she has expressly requested that we not go to Miami."
Nat stares at her for a moment, then reaches for her cell phone, immediately dialing with trembling fingertips. There is pain in Ziva's eyes as Nat wrenches her arm away and starts to pace again. I'm only slightly surprised that Ziva's not trying to stop her. And then, Ziva's words really start to sink in.
Calleigh almost died today.
Oh fuck! No! No no no no no! Calleigh almost died today. This can't be happening, can it?
"What in the hell gives you the right to tell us you don't want us there, Calleigh? It's bad enough that I missed Eric's funeral and the chance to help Horatio and Ryan, but this is too fucking much. You're not planning to come back, are you?"
What does she mean? Not coming back? She can't be serious, can she? I don't want to lose my family. I already lost Kate and nearly lost Tony. Now I've nearly lost Calleigh and she might never come back to us anyway? No…
"That is enough." Ziva's voice cuts through Natalia's tirade. She grabs the phone and quickly tells Calleigh that we'll call back later. She turns off the phone, tosses it onto the couch, and then grips Natalia by both forearms, shaking her slightly as she says, "Stop this, Natalia!"
The next thing that happens really just stops all of us in our tracks. The minute Ziva shakes her, Nat goes totally white and freezes up. She whimpers something and Ziva lets go of her as if burned. Nat just shakes for a minute before falling into Ziva's arms. Once they stumble to the couch, I join them only after Ziva calls my name.
"Listen to me, both of you," she says in a low voice. "Yes, Calleigh was very nearly killed today, but she is going to be fine. She has a job to do, and intends to see this through, just as she would expect of any of us, yes?" When we nod slowly, she sighs softly and strokes Nat's cheek. "Neshama sheli, I am sorry. I did not mean to frighten you or make you think of that bastard that beat you. But you were getting hysterical and I needed to stop you from saying something further that could not be taken back. Can you understand that?"
"I -- I’m scared, Ziva," she murmurs pitifully. "What if Calleigh really doesn't want to come back to Las Vegas?"
"Then we move to Miami to be with her."
It's only when they both turn to stare at me that I realize I'm the one that said those words.
"I don't--"
"No, Nattie, hear me out," I reply, getting back up to start pacing as I lay out my argument. "If we're in Miami and something like this happens, we can be there for Calleigh, right? In fact, we'd have probably been working with her on the case. And even if not, we'd be there and we'd be able to take her home with us, make sure she's okay."
"But Ziva's training with Dace--"
"Is relatively complete," Ziva cuts in smoothly. "Natalia, I cannot stay here much longer in close proximity to Dace and Alexis. I am feeling the pull to fight for dominance, and this is not even my territory."
"So…"
"So you want to go back to Miami, do you not? You have been anxious ever since Calleigh left, and not just because she is not here. Your family is in Miami, Natalia, which means you want to go back home. I have no family to speak of, other than the three of you and, as I told Calleigh, where you are is my home."
She's totally right. With Gibbs, Tony, and Timmy up in New York playing teachers and watching over Lindsay and Jamie, I don't really have any reason to go back to DC. And I really like Nat and Calleigh, like, a lot. I'm still terrified as hell over Calleigh's accident, but that's normal when you love someone, right?
The next thing I know, Nat's grabbing for her phone again. I'm pretty sure I know who she's calling, but she confirms it with her words.
"Calleigh, please don't hang up," she says, tears filling her eyes again. "I'm sorry. I just -- I got scared and--" She stops and nods, eyes closing for a moment as she listens to Calleigh. I don't know what she's saying, but I can hear her kinda angry voice. "I know. But I think I have a solution for us…"
++ Calleigh ++
(09-28-06)
"Horatio, I don't trust him. I can't guarantee that he hasn't turned bad. I can't prove it yet either way."
He nods slowly, studying the file I've given him. As he flips through the file, I can't stop myself from looking around, searching out the person we're currently discussing. How in the hell did Jake Berkeley end up in Miami after all this time? It's been over ten years since I last saw him back in New Orleans. I mean, I get that he's undercover to get information on the Crypt Kings, but still… They're rough, brutal, and I highly doubt he's completely clean. I really wanted to wipe that smarmy grin off his damned face when he called me a bitch. Then again, I don't think Frank was too happy with him, and he didn't necessarily know who Jake really is.
"Calleigh?"
"Sorry, Horatio," I reply, flushing slightly.
"Is there going to be an issue with Mr. Berkeley?"
Looking up sharply at the blatant unasked question couched within the question he's asked, I don't break his gaze for a long moment.
"I will admit that it's a bit of a shock to see Jake again after all this time," I finally reply.
"There was something more than a work relationship then?"
Flushing again, I sigh. "You know me far too well, Horatio. I don't intend to pick up that relationship again, if that's what you're asking. I have someone in my life, three someones in fact, and I don't want to lose that. I just wasn't expecting to ever have to deal with Jake again. Seeing him again so soon after nearly drowning really threw me for a loop."
"And yet you didn't want Natalia and the others to come out here after the accident, did you? Wouldn't that be a reason to have your pack with you? Particularly now, to help you deal with this ghost from your past?"
"About that…"
"Agent Reyes has already called me. She and I are working to get the four of you brought into the lab here. So here's what I need you to do for me. Gather all of your evidence and your notes; get it all into a tidy little package for me. Then you go back to your condo, pack your suitcase, and go back to Las Vegas."
"But--"
"Bring your family home, Calleigh. The lab and the cases will be waiting for all of you. After all, we never close."
Original post @ Dreamwidth with
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Chapter Four
++ Natalia ++
(09-26-06)
"Calleigh!"
The word is tumbling off my lips before I come fully awake, adrenalin pumping through my veins as the nightmare refuses to loosen its grip on me. The rational part of my sleep-addled brain knows that this is little more than a bad dream; the irrational part hasn't quite caught up with that rational side yet. It takes another moment or two before recognition dawns that both Ziva and Abby are softly talking to me. Tears sting behind my lashes, and I cling to my beloved Sentinel tightly.
"What is it, neshama sheli?" she asks softly, hand stroking through my hair. "Talk to me."
Her lips press lightly to my temple, nuzzling me gently. At the same time, Abby molds herself along my back, chin resting on my shoulder. I readily take the comfort, feeling the keen loss of Calleigh's presence. When is this damned favor of hers going to be over with? The thought no more than forms and I feel the regret and guilt at even thinking it. Horatio and Marisol lost Eric; we all lost Eric. Who am I to demand that Calleigh be here with me when others need her, too?
"Natalia?" Ziva's soft voice calls me back from my thoughts.
Shaking my head, I lean in closer, taking solace in her embrace, and reach back to grip Abby's hand tightly. "It was nothing," I finally say. "Just a silly nightmare."
Ziva's nostrils flare as she inhales deeply. "No, it was more than just a silly nightmare, but I will not push you to speak of things you do not wish to. Instead I will simply be here for you, to protect you as I am able from the dark things lurking in your dreams."
There's no mistaking the slight rebuke in her tone, but I'm not ready yet to discuss this further. The fractured images, while still vivid when concentrated on, are only just beginning to fade into the realms of restless sleep. I'm not sure I can properly explain what I saw, what I fear it means. That thought takes precedence again, the fear choking me, and I cling more tightly to Ziva and Abby for a few moments. As time passes, their presences push away the worst of the nightmares. The sudden rumbling in my stomach breaks the silence in the bedroom, reducing me to slightly hysterical giggles.
Brushing the softest of kisses against my lips, Ziva smiles warmly and slips out of bed. My eyes follow the slight sway of her hips as she pulls on her robe and heads out into the hallway. Abby sighs, arms tightening around my waist, and I tilt my head back against her shoulder for a moment. Her lips on my temple bring a sigh to my own, my eyes fluttering shut briefly.
"She's only trying to help, you know."
Nodding slowly, I echo her sigh. "I know. I just…" At a loss for words, I shrug helplessly.
"It's okay. We'll figure it out," she says, determination steeling her voice, and throws back the covers. She shimmies into boxers and a skull tank top, tossing my robe at me. "C'mon, Tali, let's go get some grub before my tummy decides to be louder and less ladylike than yours."
Laughing, I do as she asks and follow her out of the bedroom, trying my best to let the tendrils of my nightmare fade away to the background. But I can't shake the feeling that Calleigh should be here with us and, as long as she isn't, I won't feel safe or whole again. She's become so damned important to me over the last several months. And I don't dare bring up the fact that there's a very real part of me that fears she'll remember her life in Miami before me, and never come back. They wouldn't understand…
++ Calleigh ++
It all happened so damned fast.
Maybe if Alexx hadn't mentioned the triple on the Causeway, maybe if I hadn't taken the back roads to get back to the lab faster, I'd just be stuck sitting in traffic for who knows how long. I'd probably still be on the phone with Ryan, discussing the evidence I collected. Instead, here I am, huddled pathetically at the side of the road, watching the last of the bubbles surface and explode as my Hummer is completely sunk to the bottom of the canal. All of that evidence is now completely ruined. All of that work that I did in the vic's apartment was for nothing. I don't have a chance to get to any of it, even if it wasn't already compromised.
My god, I nearly died out there in the water. I don't understand it. Everything was going fine. Ryan was getting the lab prepped for the evidence. I'm not even sure he'd hung up the phone yet. And then, BAM! A sharp crack, almost like gunfire, and a sudden lurch as the Hummer was no longer in my control. Before I knew it, I'd been run off the road and into the water.
Do you know how quickly a nearly two and a half ton vehicle sinks? I don't, not really. Time played that trick on me where it was immensely short, but every second seemed to last a lifetime or more. The chill as that water began trickling in from every opening in the dashboard that it could find; the groaning of the metal as it fought succumbing to the pressure building up; the realization that none of the electronics were going to work since the engine was completely flooded. All I could do was stare at the evidence being compromised and watch the sunlight fade into the underwater world that would become my grave. It wasn't until that telltale crunch of spiderwebbing glass that I realized just how dire my situation was.
The next several moments are a blur. Obviously, my body went into complete and total autopilot from the second I busted in the window until I surfaced and got to the relative safety of the shore and the road. I have dim recollections of gasping for breath in a pocket of air against the roof of the Hummer, evidence envelopes floating around me in a sodden mess. There's a momentary sense of total paranoia as I fight to determine where the surface is. Once I drag myself out of the water, shivering, I struggle to hold back the hysteria, focusing instead on the cuts and scrapes covering all of my exposed skin.
I don't even have a phone to call anyone, let them know where I am and what has happened. Hopefully Ryan will figure it out and send someone out here for me. Once night falls, I'm really in trouble. The gators will smell the blood. And my gun is wet and useless right now. All I can think of is the fact that I had to come home to nearly die. And I haven't even talked to the rest of my pack today, haven't had the chance to even hint at telling them what they've come to mean to me. We were just too damned busy, and I had to put off that call.
"Calleigh?"
That voice pulls me from my thoughts, and I'm surprised to realize that it takes a moment to focus on his face. What the hell does that mean? I attempt a smile, but know it for the failure it is even without reading it in his eyes.
"Calleigh, I don't want you to move until we check you out," he says, kneeling down next to me. His voice is gentle; it takes a few seconds to recognize it as the one he uses with frightened children… or shock victims. "The paramedics are on their way."
"The evidence is…" I can't finish the sentence as an overwhelming sense of failure washes over me, and I force myself not to cry. What must he think of me? I'm better than this, damn it!
"Right now, sweetheart, that's not important. You are."
"But it's all compromised." It's so hard to talk with this huge lump of fear and failure in my throat.
"Yes. Everything but you, ma'am."
The sirens signaling the paramedics cues him to stand up, effectively cutting off anything I might have said. My eyes are drawn back to the water, silently willing the Hummer to miraculously rise up with the evidence still fully intact. Fat chance of that happening, Calleigh…
I’m not quite sure how, but I manage to block it out when the paramedics check me over. And then, as the rough blanket settles over my shoulders, bringing a welcome heat, the world registers more clearly again. Horatio is standing there, watching me intently. What is he doing here? He's still on leave, helping Marisol with the early stages of her recovery.
"What can you remember?"
"It was a blur. It just came out of nowhere." At the faint twitch of his lips, I let out a shaky laugh. "I'm an unreliable witness."
The sound of footsteps is almost ignored until I hear my name being said. Turning around, I see Eric walking up to me, worry heavily lining his face. Wait, that can't be Eric. He's…
"Calleigh? Are you okay?"
Blinking against the sun, I realize that it's Jesse Cardoza standing there, not Eric, and that sharp stab of loss hits me again. Will this never end? "Yeah, I'm okay." I hope I sound more certain to them than I do to myself. And I'll need to sound even surer of myself when I finally call back to Las Vegas and let my pack know what's happened. That's not going to be an easy conversation, not in the slightest.
++ Ziva ++
"Calleigh, we can be ready and in Miami in less than twelve hours."
"No!" The tone of her voice contradicts her words as they come rushing out in a frightened jumble. "I'm fine. The paramedics said I'm fine. Just a few scrapes and bruises. I just wanted you to know what happened, why I didn't call when I was supposed to. I didn't want Natalia to worry."
She continues to speak, and a part of my brain follows her explanation, but I am more interested in the rise and fall of her voice, her tonality. There is a hint of something almost hysterical to the cadence of her words. I wish for nothing more right now than to be there, to take her in my arms and comfort her as she so desperately needs.
"Calleigh," I finally interrupt. "You say you are fine, but you and I both know you are not. I am sure that Dace and Anastasia can arrange a flight for the three of us to come to you."
She pauses and I can hear her ragged breathing over the phone. After a moment, the faint sob reaches my ears, and I barely contain the urge to call for Abby to go find Dace, get one of the private Hearts' jets ready for us to leave.
"Please, Ziva," she finally says softly. "Physically I'm fine. I'm just… I need to see this case through. I need to keep my promise to Horatio, to Eric's memory."
Exhaling slowly, I nod and glance toward the door. Abby and Natalia will be coming back any time now from their trip to visit Alexis with the children. "I do not like this, Calleigh, but I will abide by your wishes. Just know that the four of us will be having a very serious discussion when you return to us next week."
"Yeah," she says with a defeated sigh, "I can't say that I wasn't expecting that. Um, do you know when Nat and Abs will be back? I should talk to them, but I wanted to explain what happened to you first."
"Calleigh, chaverah, listen to me. I want you to take a deep breath and relax. After Natalia's nightmare this morning, she is not going to take this information very well. She will most assuredly want to come to you." Before I can say anything else, I can hear my girls coming into the house. With just another few seconds, I realize that they've brought Rose and the monkey twins with them. "Calleigh, they have come home and have the children with them. Are you home at this point?"
"Yeah, the paramedics cleared me, but Horatio and Alexx ganged up on me to send me home. Why?"
"I want you to have something to eat. Call for takeout if you need to. And then I want you to take a long soak in a hot bath. Take your phone with you, and we will call you once the children have been returned to their adults. At that point, I will explain what has happened to Natalia and Abby before we call you."
"Okay," she replies meekly, the exhaustion and fear clearly present in her tone now. "Thank you, Ziva."
++ Abby ++
"Wait! She what?" Natalia yells, on her feet immediately. "When? Why are we here? We need to go to her!"
She begins to race toward the bedroom to pack a suitcase, but Ziva stops her with a gentle grip on her forearm. "Neshama sheli, she does not want us there."
"I don't give a damn what she wants. It's not about what she wants." There are tears in her eyes and she's beginning to shake. "Let me go, Ziva. I have to go to her. I have to make sure…"
"We will call her so you can speak with her and assuage your fears, but she has expressly requested that we not go to Miami."
Nat stares at her for a moment, then reaches for her cell phone, immediately dialing with trembling fingertips. There is pain in Ziva's eyes as Nat wrenches her arm away and starts to pace again. I'm only slightly surprised that Ziva's not trying to stop her. And then, Ziva's words really start to sink in.
Calleigh almost died today.
Oh fuck! No! No no no no no! Calleigh almost died today. This can't be happening, can it?
"What in the hell gives you the right to tell us you don't want us there, Calleigh? It's bad enough that I missed Eric's funeral and the chance to help Horatio and Ryan, but this is too fucking much. You're not planning to come back, are you?"
What does she mean? Not coming back? She can't be serious, can she? I don't want to lose my family. I already lost Kate and nearly lost Tony. Now I've nearly lost Calleigh and she might never come back to us anyway? No…
"That is enough." Ziva's voice cuts through Natalia's tirade. She grabs the phone and quickly tells Calleigh that we'll call back later. She turns off the phone, tosses it onto the couch, and then grips Natalia by both forearms, shaking her slightly as she says, "Stop this, Natalia!"
The next thing that happens really just stops all of us in our tracks. The minute Ziva shakes her, Nat goes totally white and freezes up. She whimpers something and Ziva lets go of her as if burned. Nat just shakes for a minute before falling into Ziva's arms. Once they stumble to the couch, I join them only after Ziva calls my name.
"Listen to me, both of you," she says in a low voice. "Yes, Calleigh was very nearly killed today, but she is going to be fine. She has a job to do, and intends to see this through, just as she would expect of any of us, yes?" When we nod slowly, she sighs softly and strokes Nat's cheek. "Neshama sheli, I am sorry. I did not mean to frighten you or make you think of that bastard that beat you. But you were getting hysterical and I needed to stop you from saying something further that could not be taken back. Can you understand that?"
"I -- I’m scared, Ziva," she murmurs pitifully. "What if Calleigh really doesn't want to come back to Las Vegas?"
"Then we move to Miami to be with her."
It's only when they both turn to stare at me that I realize I'm the one that said those words.
"I don't--"
"No, Nattie, hear me out," I reply, getting back up to start pacing as I lay out my argument. "If we're in Miami and something like this happens, we can be there for Calleigh, right? In fact, we'd have probably been working with her on the case. And even if not, we'd be there and we'd be able to take her home with us, make sure she's okay."
"But Ziva's training with Dace--"
"Is relatively complete," Ziva cuts in smoothly. "Natalia, I cannot stay here much longer in close proximity to Dace and Alexis. I am feeling the pull to fight for dominance, and this is not even my territory."
"So…"
"So you want to go back to Miami, do you not? You have been anxious ever since Calleigh left, and not just because she is not here. Your family is in Miami, Natalia, which means you want to go back home. I have no family to speak of, other than the three of you and, as I told Calleigh, where you are is my home."
She's totally right. With Gibbs, Tony, and Timmy up in New York playing teachers and watching over Lindsay and Jamie, I don't really have any reason to go back to DC. And I really like Nat and Calleigh, like, a lot. I'm still terrified as hell over Calleigh's accident, but that's normal when you love someone, right?
The next thing I know, Nat's grabbing for her phone again. I'm pretty sure I know who she's calling, but she confirms it with her words.
"Calleigh, please don't hang up," she says, tears filling her eyes again. "I'm sorry. I just -- I got scared and--" She stops and nods, eyes closing for a moment as she listens to Calleigh. I don't know what she's saying, but I can hear her kinda angry voice. "I know. But I think I have a solution for us…"
++ Calleigh ++
(09-28-06)
"Horatio, I don't trust him. I can't guarantee that he hasn't turned bad. I can't prove it yet either way."
He nods slowly, studying the file I've given him. As he flips through the file, I can't stop myself from looking around, searching out the person we're currently discussing. How in the hell did Jake Berkeley end up in Miami after all this time? It's been over ten years since I last saw him back in New Orleans. I mean, I get that he's undercover to get information on the Crypt Kings, but still… They're rough, brutal, and I highly doubt he's completely clean. I really wanted to wipe that smarmy grin off his damned face when he called me a bitch. Then again, I don't think Frank was too happy with him, and he didn't necessarily know who Jake really is.
"Calleigh?"
"Sorry, Horatio," I reply, flushing slightly.
"Is there going to be an issue with Mr. Berkeley?"
Looking up sharply at the blatant unasked question couched within the question he's asked, I don't break his gaze for a long moment.
"I will admit that it's a bit of a shock to see Jake again after all this time," I finally reply.
"There was something more than a work relationship then?"
Flushing again, I sigh. "You know me far too well, Horatio. I don't intend to pick up that relationship again, if that's what you're asking. I have someone in my life, three someones in fact, and I don't want to lose that. I just wasn't expecting to ever have to deal with Jake again. Seeing him again so soon after nearly drowning really threw me for a loop."
"And yet you didn't want Natalia and the others to come out here after the accident, did you? Wouldn't that be a reason to have your pack with you? Particularly now, to help you deal with this ghost from your past?"
"About that…"
"Agent Reyes has already called me. She and I are working to get the four of you brought into the lab here. So here's what I need you to do for me. Gather all of your evidence and your notes; get it all into a tidy little package for me. Then you go back to your condo, pack your suitcase, and go back to Las Vegas."
"But--"
"Bring your family home, Calleigh. The lab and the cases will be waiting for all of you. After all, we never close."
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