Don't freak out about the title, Tony IS NOT dead! This is an idea I had for a while, don't know how good it is, so... Read and review!
The boy had to be seven years old. He was on vacation at the family home in California, in the playground, when he heard a small noise. He looked at his dad, who was talking to his mom, then headed off to search for the noise.
He found the source of the noise in a bramble thicket, where he saw a little girl curled in a ball, sniffing. “Hello.” he said.
She jumped up. “Go away!” she said in a heavily accented voice.
The boy shrugged. “Okay.” He moved to turn away, but then she grabbed his arm. “No, I'm sorry. I... whipped out at you.”
“It's lashed out.” he corrected swiftly, then clapped a hand over his mouth. “Oh, sorry! I can't control myself.”
“She shrugged. “It's okay. I just... can't find my... my...”
“What?”
“My... I don't know...”
“Oh, are you from Israel?” She nodded and the boy continued, “You don't know the word you need?”
She quickly nodded.
“Okay, um, is it another person?”
She nodded again.
“Someone from your family?”
“Like, Mama or Papa?”
“Yeah. Are you looking for them?”
“No.”
“Do you have a brother?”
“Yes!”
“I guess you're looking for him, then.” The boy grinned at her.
The girl laughed. “You have a nice smile.”
“Thanks. What's your brother's name?”
“Ari.”
“Okay.” The boy led the girl out of the thicket and led her around the playground.
“Aw, we'll never find him!” She sat on the ground with a bump.
“No, wait. Is that him?” The boy pointed. Standing on the other side of the playground, looking bored, was a boy who looked a little like the girl.
“Yes!” The girl jumped up. “Thank you!” She began to run forward, but the boy stopped her.
“Hang on, how long will you be staying here?”
“For the rest of the....”
“Week?”
“For three more days.” She smiled.
“Can I meet you at that bramble thicket tomorrow?”
“Sure!” She looked as though she wanted to go to her brother again, but then he said,
“Wait! I don't even know your name!”
“It's Ziva. Ziva David. Yours?”
“Anthony DiNozzo.”
“I'll see you tomorrow, then, Anthony.”
The next day found Anthony teaching Ziva some English words and phrases. He realized she was much prettier when she was happy.
“Husband.” he told her. “That's a man who marries a woman. He becomes her husband. And she becomes his wife.”
“Wife.” She tried out the word.
“And they fall in love with each other.” He told her. “Usually he buys her candy or flowers, and then he takes her out on a date. When he wants to marry her, he gives her a ring and, if she wants to marry him too, they become engaged. They have a wedding. In America, the woman wears white and she is the bride. Her soon to be husband is the groom.”
“I'd like to get married.” Ziva said. “Maybe.”
“Why not?” Anthony asked.
“Well, I think that if I got married, I'd have to settle down. I never want to do that.”
“I wouldn't make you do that.” Anthony said. “I mean, if when we were older, we got married.”
She smiled at him.
Two days later, she ran to the thicket, half in tears. “Anthony!” He poked his head out the bush.
“What's the matter? Did you lose Ari again?”
“No, but... I'm never coming back here!”
Anthony scrambled to his feet. “What?”
“I'm never gonna see you again!” She flung herself on top of him and he tried to comfort her as best as he could.
“I got you something.” He held out a necklace. “I made it myself. It's a good luck charm. I hope it works.”
She smiled through her tears and took the necklace. “I love it!”
“And the ring.” He slid a gold band on her thumb, the biggest of her fingers. Even there it was too big. “Cause when we're older, I'll find you again. And I am going to ask you to marry me. I hope you'll remember me.”
“I will. Just don't forget me, okay?” She slid a necklace into his hand. “It's the star of David, so you'll never forget me.”
He smiled at her, gave her a quick kiss, and slid from under the bushes, and disappeared.
And she forgot.
For twenty-seven years, the necklace and ring remained in a little box, hiding in a corner of her closet.
His necklace remained on his neck, much too long after the string broke when he was ten and he overshot a little bit, but he always wore it. He remembered his Hebrew friend, but he forgot her name.
Isn't that the worst thing you could do?
Ziva was going through her jewelry when she came across the ring. She slid it on, not remembering who'd given it to her.
It fit perfectly on her left ring finger.
She admired it for a moment before taking the necklace and putting it on. It was a little long, but she loved it.
She remembered suddenly that a little boy named Anthony DiNozzo had given it to her, but it wasn't possible he was around. His family had reported him missing at age eleven. She'd stopped paying attention after that.
When she arrived for work the next morning, Tony glanced up- then froze. “Who gave you that?”
“Who gave me what?”
“That necklace!”
“Oh, an old friend.” She gave him a look that had the message she was trying to convey. Just drop it.
That evening, as Ziva got in the elevator, Tony entered after her. When the doors closed, he pressed the emergency switch. “Okay, where'd you get the necklace?”
“My friend Anthony. He vanished when he was eleven. I... I... Why do you care?”
Tony wordlessly drew the necklace from inside his shirt. The black Star of David glittered even in the dim light.
“Oh. Oh, my God!” Ziva cried, and flung her arms around his neck. “How could I have been so blind? Oh, I'm sorry, Tony. I didn't realize...”
“It's okay.” Tony blew it off. “I mean, look, there's something I promised to do when we were seven, and now I intend to keep that promise. Ziva, please. We were friends when we were seven, and I told you I would marry you, cause I knew I would find you again. And I did, so please, my ninja, my Ziva, marry me?”
“Of course!” Ziva said, flinging her arms around his neck.
“I don't care what Gibbs thinks, either. I'm keeping a promise to the girl from the bramble thicket.” Tony whispered to her.
She sighed into his shoulder. She'd found him. The little boy who'd helped her get back home.
Okay, Ziva's kind of out of character in that last scene... oops. Sorry. Please comment anyway!
The boy had to be seven years old. He was on vacation at the family home in California, in the playground, when he heard a small noise. He looked at his dad, who was talking to his mom, then headed off to search for the noise.
He found the source of the noise in a bramble thicket, where he saw a little girl curled in a ball, sniffing. “Hello.” he said.
She jumped up. “Go away!” she said in a heavily accented voice.
The boy shrugged. “Okay.” He moved to turn away, but then she grabbed his arm. “No, I'm sorry. I... whipped out at you.”
“It's lashed out.” he corrected swiftly, then clapped a hand over his mouth. “Oh, sorry! I can't control myself.”
“She shrugged. “It's okay. I just... can't find my... my...”
“What?”
“My... I don't know...”
“Oh, are you from Israel?” She nodded and the boy continued, “You don't know the word you need?”
She quickly nodded.
“Okay, um, is it another person?”
She nodded again.
“Someone from your family?”
“Like, Mama or Papa?”
“Yeah. Are you looking for them?”
“No.”
“Do you have a brother?”
“Yes!”
“I guess you're looking for him, then.” The boy grinned at her.
The girl laughed. “You have a nice smile.”
“Thanks. What's your brother's name?”
“Ari.”
“Okay.” The boy led the girl out of the thicket and led her around the playground.
“Aw, we'll never find him!” She sat on the ground with a bump.
“No, wait. Is that him?” The boy pointed. Standing on the other side of the playground, looking bored, was a boy who looked a little like the girl.
“Yes!” The girl jumped up. “Thank you!” She began to run forward, but the boy stopped her.
“Hang on, how long will you be staying here?”
“For the rest of the....”
“Week?”
“For three more days.” She smiled.
“Can I meet you at that bramble thicket tomorrow?”
“Sure!” She looked as though she wanted to go to her brother again, but then he said,
“Wait! I don't even know your name!”
“It's Ziva. Ziva David. Yours?”
“Anthony DiNozzo.”
“I'll see you tomorrow, then, Anthony.”
The next day found Anthony teaching Ziva some English words and phrases. He realized she was much prettier when she was happy.
“Husband.” he told her. “That's a man who marries a woman. He becomes her husband. And she becomes his wife.”
“Wife.” She tried out the word.
“And they fall in love with each other.” He told her. “Usually he buys her candy or flowers, and then he takes her out on a date. When he wants to marry her, he gives her a ring and, if she wants to marry him too, they become engaged. They have a wedding. In America, the woman wears white and she is the bride. Her soon to be husband is the groom.”
“I'd like to get married.” Ziva said. “Maybe.”
“Why not?” Anthony asked.
“Well, I think that if I got married, I'd have to settle down. I never want to do that.”
“I wouldn't make you do that.” Anthony said. “I mean, if when we were older, we got married.”
She smiled at him.
Two days later, she ran to the thicket, half in tears. “Anthony!” He poked his head out the bush.
“What's the matter? Did you lose Ari again?”
“No, but... I'm never coming back here!”
Anthony scrambled to his feet. “What?”
“I'm never gonna see you again!” She flung herself on top of him and he tried to comfort her as best as he could.
“I got you something.” He held out a necklace. “I made it myself. It's a good luck charm. I hope it works.”
She smiled through her tears and took the necklace. “I love it!”
“And the ring.” He slid a gold band on her thumb, the biggest of her fingers. Even there it was too big. “Cause when we're older, I'll find you again. And I am going to ask you to marry me. I hope you'll remember me.”
“I will. Just don't forget me, okay?” She slid a necklace into his hand. “It's the star of David, so you'll never forget me.”
He smiled at her, gave her a quick kiss, and slid from under the bushes, and disappeared.
And she forgot.
For twenty-seven years, the necklace and ring remained in a little box, hiding in a corner of her closet.
His necklace remained on his neck, much too long after the string broke when he was ten and he overshot a little bit, but he always wore it. He remembered his Hebrew friend, but he forgot her name.
Isn't that the worst thing you could do?
Ziva was going through her jewelry when she came across the ring. She slid it on, not remembering who'd given it to her.
It fit perfectly on her left ring finger.
She admired it for a moment before taking the necklace and putting it on. It was a little long, but she loved it.
She remembered suddenly that a little boy named Anthony DiNozzo had given it to her, but it wasn't possible he was around. His family had reported him missing at age eleven. She'd stopped paying attention after that.
When she arrived for work the next morning, Tony glanced up- then froze. “Who gave you that?”
“Who gave me what?”
“That necklace!”
“Oh, an old friend.” She gave him a look that had the message she was trying to convey. Just drop it.
That evening, as Ziva got in the elevator, Tony entered after her. When the doors closed, he pressed the emergency switch. “Okay, where'd you get the necklace?”
“My friend Anthony. He vanished when he was eleven. I... I... Why do you care?”
Tony wordlessly drew the necklace from inside his shirt. The black Star of David glittered even in the dim light.
“Oh. Oh, my God!” Ziva cried, and flung her arms around his neck. “How could I have been so blind? Oh, I'm sorry, Tony. I didn't realize...”
“It's okay.” Tony blew it off. “I mean, look, there's something I promised to do when we were seven, and now I intend to keep that promise. Ziva, please. We were friends when we were seven, and I told you I would marry you, cause I knew I would find you again. And I did, so please, my ninja, my Ziva, marry me?”
“Of course!” Ziva said, flinging her arms around his neck.
“I don't care what Gibbs thinks, either. I'm keeping a promise to the girl from the bramble thicket.” Tony whispered to her.
She sighed into his shoulder. She'd found him. The little boy who'd helped her get back home.
Okay, Ziva's kind of out of character in that last scene... oops. Sorry. Please comment anyway!
