Disclaimer: NCIS is property of DPB and CBS. I make no claim on it and write this purely for entertainment purposes. No copyright infringement intended.

Pieces of the Puzzle
Chapter Seventeen: Bury Your Dead

The apartment is deserted aside from the two of them, but it still manages to feel crowded. There are memories in this place, and though she cannot know what they are, she can still feel them pressing down on her. Memories and heartbreak.

"You ever lie to someone you love, Ziva?" The faint crack in Tony's voice makes Ziva flinch inwardly. Lies have been a part of her life for so long, she can barely recall a time when they were not.

"Yes," she answers shortly.

"Promise me you will not!" Tali's eyes are pleading as she grasps their hands tightly in hers. "Papa's war has already taken too much from us! Please… I could not bear to lose you too."

Ziva squeezes her little sister's hand and glances at her brother. Ari's dark eyes are as inscrutable as ever, but also soft. Tali has long been his favorite, the one he doted upon, the one whom he could never say no to.

Still, even now his expression is one of conflict. "Tali," he starts.

She cuts him off. "Please, brother! Mossad is a death trap!" She pauses, taking a deep breath, and then continues. "Promise me that you will not join Mossad. That is all I ask."

Ziva bites the inside of her cheek. This is a promise she knows she cannot keep. Still, when her mouth opens, all that comes out is, "Very well." Ari too echoes the promise.

Ziva's heart twists at the relief that crosses the sixteen-year-old's face. Later, she confides her discomfort in Ari.

He shrugs. "It is not as though we are going to tell her," he points out. "Nor will Father. He will not recruit her as he recruited us." She tries not to be affected by the bitterness in his tone. Ari looks at her. "Let Tali have this, Ziva. If our promise grants her some peace, what harm is there in it?"

Of course, it is all for nothing a few weeks later. One of the many explosions that rock Tel Aviv leaves nothing but a burnt corpse that used to be their beloved Tali. In the aftermath, the murderous rage Ziva feels wars with the guilt. Not even finding the architect of the attack and splashing his blood over a room deep inside Mossad headquarters assuages it.

"They ever forgive you?" Tony asks hoarsely.

Ziva swallows hard. "They… never found out." She refuses to cry. Not now, not ever again. The tears she has shed for Tali, for the lies that she and Ari wove around their youngest, most beloved sibling, have been innumerable, but they will change nothing.

"Mine found out," he replies, his voice barely above a whisper. The agony in his eyes lashes out at her like knives, and she cannot remain long in the face of it. She leaves soon after, hoping that Tony will be strong enough to endure this.

Thank you for reading! Feedback appreciated!