Forever Love by Fanofhearts

Now each day is one day that's left in her life
She won't know love, have a marriage or sing lullabies

With a shaking hand Jenny knocked on Ziva's door. She shifted her weight, fidgeting with the tie on her sweat pants. She never wore sweats in public; it wasn't something she liked to wear out. It was not professional, but she was past the point of caring. Ducky had called her eight hours ago and explained what had happened to Ziva. She cut her 'vacation' short and headed back to DC. She didn't bother to stop by her town house to change into her usual attire. She rubbed her burning eyes. It had been a long seven days. She raised her hand again and knocked louder. The door suddenly flew open and a very haggard looking Ziva stared back at her. The circles under her eyes almost reached down to her cheekbones, her hair was a mess and her tank top was off center. She took one quick step forward and pulled the younger woman into her arms. She didn't want to give Ziva the chance to speak, when Jenny told Ziva about her vacation she had been cryptic and she knew she had hurt the younger woman.

Ziva was surprised by the woman who was standing at her door. She had expected Tony to come knocking tonight, not Jenny. She frowned, the woman in front of her was not the Director she was becoming use to seeing at NCIS, she was the tired and fragile looking woman that Ziva was sadly getting used to seeing outside of work. She felt the familiar sinking feeling in her stomach; she knew her lover was hiding something from her. Jenny's face was void of makeup and weary looking lines were clear around her eyes and mouth. There was a fading bruise on the side of her face from the tumble she took in MTAC right before her vacation. Before Ziva could say anything she felt strong arms wrap around her body. She stood frozen for a moment before the familiar smell of Jenny's perfume entered her senses. She relaxed into the embrace. "What are you doing here?" She murmured into Jenny's neck, "I thought you were on vacation."

Jenny pulled back and stepped into the apartment. She dropped her bag by the door and headed towards the couch. "I cut it short. Ducky called me; he said you had a close call."

"I am fine." Was the immediate response, Ziva locked the door and turned to face the other woman. "It was nothing, just that: a close call."

Jenny nodded, "You look like shit Ziva."

Ziva gave a small smile, her first in days, "I could say the same about you."

Jenny let out a bark of laughter, "Come then, let's look like shit together." She patted the spot next to her. Ziva paused half way to the couch, and looked at the woman in front of her. Jenny looked tough, that was the first word that came to Ziva's mind. When she met her she was so carefree much like herself back then. She noted she was letting her hair grow, it gently touched her shoulders now and she could tell she had stopped bleaching it as her red roots were starting to grow back. She thought back to a time when Jenny's hair was as red as a sunset, an Egyptian sunset at that. It was the first time she met the woman in front of her.

~@~

I don't care where this road goes
No I don't wanna turn around

Cairo Egypt January 2001

It was hot; the air in Cairo was dead still as Ziva hurried down the street. She was happy to have a job today; even if it was boring it got her out of the house. Her father was allowing her to show a visiting American federal agent around. She was in town on business but their transaction was delayed for a week. She knew it was just something to keep her out of his way but she could think of worse things to be doing. She turned the corner, about a block ahead was the American Embassy, and she would pick up her charge there. She began going through the file information she had on the woman. Jennifer Shepard, 37 years of age from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, single never married, had been with NCIS for seven years. She transfused to the Navy from the Philadelphia homicide department, no family left, and was just returning overseas from a six month leave in the U.S. for recovery from a bullet to the thigh. As she approached the Embassy she was again surprised by the sheer size of the building, it jutted up out of the street and seemed to be reaching for the sky. Her gaze dropped back down to the ground and focused on a woman a few feet in front of her. Long red hair flowed freely half way down her back, the shorts and tank top did nothing to protect the fair skin against the cruel Egyptian sun, she could already see a red tinge beginning. Her eyes moved back up to the hair, she had never seen a red head in person before, the sun seemed like it was lighting it on fire. It reminded Ziva of the sunsets against the Nile, the bright reds and oranges slowly sinking into the water. She was brought back into reality when she bumped into a young man whose attention was on the same thing hers was. She looked around the busy street, many people where staring. Such hair and skin in Cairo was rare. Ziva smiled, this had to be her woman.
"Jenny Shepard." She spoke quietly once she was within ear shot. The woman turned around suddenly her hair fanning out, Ziva's breath caught, the woman was gorgeous. She looked up into bright blue eyes and realized she could very easily get lost in those eyes. Jenny appeared much younger than what her file had said, she looked only a few years older than Ziva herself. She was snapped out of her trance when she realized the woman was speaking and had stuck out her hand.
"You must be Officer David's daughter, I'm Jenny." Her smile was infectious and Ziva couldn't help but smile back.
"Yes I am it is a pleasure to meet you." The hand under Ziva's was soft and the touch sent a jolt up her arm. "I take it is your first time in Egypt."
Jenny slowly released the younger woman's hand, "How could you tell?" She smiled.
"Your hair, your dress," She motioned to Jenny "I have some clothes that should fit you. You should not be running around with hair like that uncovered or skin like that naked to the Egyptian sun," she reached out and gently touch her elbow, the gentle pressure turned the skin white before the red pigment returned. "You are burnt already," she saw Jenny's face turn red with a blush, Ziva fought to keep the smile from her face, "Are you ready to go?"
"Lead the way. I guess I never thought about it before. It was very nice of you to offer to show me around, I've never been to Cairo before, and this is actually my first time in Africa."
"You have never seen the pyramids then?"
"No."
The smile bloomed across Ziva's face. "How do you feel about a field trip?"

~@~

The Mossad issued apartment Ziva was to be staying at was cool compared to the oppressive heat outside the windows. Ziva handed Jenny a pale blue hijab, "Here, put this on."
"Won't I roast in this?" Jenny asked attempting to drape it around her head correctly.
"Roast? Are you hungry?" Ziva's frown of confusion turned into a smile as she saw the mess Jenny was making with the hijab.
Jenny laughed, "No, roast as in sweat, be very hot."
Ziva smirked, reaching out and pulling the hijab from Jenny's hands before arranging it correctly around her face. "Sweat? No, the cotton is very breathable...as for 'hot'." She stepped back to admire Jenny, "Very hot indeed." She whispered.
Jenny again blushed, her breathing stopped as she got lost in Ziva's dark eyes. She moved forward slowly and was met by Ziva's soft lips. The kiss was slow and sweet but soon turned into something much more.
"Have-have you ever been with a woman before?" Ziva rasped as Jenny's lips blazed a trail down her neck.
"No, but I've always wanted to." She tried to block out the little voice in her head screaming that the woman she was about to devour wasn't even that. She's just a girl Jen, the Director's daughter for God's sake. The feel of Ziva trembling under her hands was enough to push that voice away. "Have you?"
"N-No...ohhh." Jenny's hand found her breast and Ziva let her head fall forward onto the taller woman's shoulder. "I have never...with anyone."
Jenny stilled her hand and stepped back, "How old are you?"
"Nineteen, I'll be twenty in a month."
Jenny almost stopped ALMOST, but one look in those deep chocolate eyes made her throw caution to the wind. She had never felt an instant connection like this with anyone before, not even Jethro, it scared her. "Are you sure?" She forced herself to ask.
Ziva's mind went to all of the teachings in Temple that had been pounded into her head. She looked up at this beautiful woman and smiled. "Positive." For the present moment the pyramids were forgotten, as was the Halakah. All that mattered was getting Jenny out of the hijab.

~@~

"Ziva?" Jenny's voice pulled her out of her memories. "Are you okay? You don't look so good. Sit down." Jenny pulled her down next to her on the couch. She searched her eyes, "Where were you?"

"Cario, 2001. You were in a blue hijab and we were going to see the Pyramids for the first time."

A slow warm smiled grew on Jenny's face, "That was the first time for a lot of things if I remember correctly." She watched as Ziva turned red.

Ziva thought back to first time. While beautiful had started out very awkwardly, seeing Jenny standing naked in front of her, her long hair flowing down her back had frozen the Israeli like a statue. When she did get her motor skills back her hands were shaking so badly she couldn't get the zipper down on her cargo pants. Finally Jenny's calm, cool fingers covered her own clammy ones. It was one of the most wonderful moments of Ziva's life. She knew from that day on that she had something, someone to live for. "Yes, well, I was very young then." She mumbled avoiding Jenny's eyes.

"And a year was forever and a day." Jenny whispered her smile fell from her lips; she sighed and looked down at her hands. Ziva had changed so much from that wide eyed nineteen year old girl she had fallen for. Sometimes, when it was just them she saw her, lurking behind the worldly woman that was now Ziva David.

~@~

Ziva's twentieth birthday was something she would never forget. It had almost been a month since she had met Jenny; even though her assignment had expired a week ago she had talked to her director and had been given a position as a liaison officer between Mossad and NCIS. Ziva was ecstatic, at first she was afraid her feelings were one sided but her birthday changed all of that. Jenny managed to get her paper work wrapped up before five and took Ziva by surprise driving them down to a small hotel near the Nile. "Surprise," She whispered, leaning across the seat to brush her lips against Ziva's neck.

"What is this?" Ziva asked looking out the passenger side window of the Mossad issued car.

"Happy birthday my darling."She placed a quick kiss on Ziva's gaping mouth. "Two days of just us and a beautiful view of the Nile." Jenny stepped out of the car and when around to the passenger side. "Come on my dear." She held her hand out to the shocked girl, she still hadn't moved, "Ziva?" For a second Jenny panicked. "What's wrong? Don't you like it?"

Ziva shook her head and stepped out of the car, "Show me to our room?"

Jenny nodded and grabbed the overnight bag she had secretly packed for both of them. She received the key to the room and led a silent Ziva upstairs. Jenny had to fiddle with the lock but the door finally gave way on creaking hinges. The hotel was not new by any means but it was clean and offered one of the most amazing views in the country. She set the bag down and crossed the room pushing open the long white curtains that hid the deck. Outside the red sun was slowly setting behind the Great Pyramid. Jenny turned back and held her hand out for Ziva. "Come here Cherie." Ziva approached slowly, she reached out for Jenny's hand and allowed her to pull her into a hug. "What's wrong, don't you like this?"

Ziva shook her head and pulled back, "No, Jenny it is...it is amazing." She gazed out into the setting sun slowing sinking its way behind the pyramids casting a red glow on the Nile. "I just can't believe you did all this for me." She whispered.

"Ziva, it's your birthday! And...and I love you." Jenny whispered. She never thought she would say those words out loud. She had been hurt so many times she vowed to never love again, but here she was saying it, meaning it to this amazing young woman who unknowingly had stolen her heart in such a short time.

Ziva closed her eyes and let herself soak up those words, they were so rarely spoken to her. Occasionally her mother would end their phone conversations with an 'I love you' but she couldn't remember anyone else ever saying it to her. Last week she had gone to her father to ask to be transferred back to Tel Aviv with Jenny when she was moved to the Mossad headquarters next month. Her father had laughed out loud. He then explained that he could not believe she would want to be around that dreadful woman longer than was necessary. When Ziva inquired he told her of Jenny's reputation of a 'nachash'. He explained that the only reason he had assigned Ziva to her because he did not want to entertain such a wrenched woman. Ziva was stunned; again it was all a game to him. She was still his poor little daughter, someone to pawn off to someone else. Now, standing and looking into the deep blue eyes of this beautiful woman in front of her Ziva felt the sting of her father's words melt away. She nuzzled the taller woman's neck, "Jenny, I love it. I just cannot believe you went through all this trouble for me." She whispered blinking back tears.

Jenny beamed, kissing Ziva before bounding over to her bag. She unzipped it and pulled a small package from the compartment before returning to Ziva's side. "Here, open it."

Ziva looked down at the neatly wrapped gift. She was stunned, the last time she remembered getting a wrapped present was on her Bat Mitzvah when she was twelve. "Jen, you should not have gone through all the -"

"Hush, open it." She saw Ziva's hesitation. "Go on, it won't bite."

Ziva smiled sheepishly and carefully removed the shimmering blue and white paper. She set it aside and reviled a deep blue velvet box. It squeaked as she opened it to reveal a gold Star of David pendent. She stopped breathing, it was beautiful, and the setting sun hit it in a way that made it look like it was on fire. "Oh Jenny." She breathed looking up at her lover. "It is- I do not know what to say."

"You like it?"

Ziva looked up at her with tears flowing down her face. "I love it, I love you." She pulled Jenny to her to kiss her mouth, "Please put it on?"

Jenny's hands shook as she clasped the delicate chain around Ziva's neck. She turned her around, "It looks good on you."

Ziva reached up and fingered the pendent, she turned and looked out at the beautiful view in front of her. She pushed open the glass sliding door that lead to the patio and sat heavily onto one of the iron chairs. She heard Jenny follow her out and close the door. "My Grandmother was at Auschwitz." She began slowly. "23543." She whispered in Hebrew. 'Never forget that number Ziva; never forget what has happened to your people.' She would tell me. She lost her family, each and every one of them walked into those gates and she was the only one to walk out, an entire generation gone, just like that. She was young, sixteen when she went in. She said she never knew how she survived, why her and not one of her brothers or her mother, her father? They went in late, '44 after a year of living in Krakow. Soon after she was liberated she met my grandfather and they moved to the newly formed Israel. He was in the camps too, but would never speak of it. He trained my father to be Mossad, it was his life's duty he said, so it never happened again." She raised her red eyes to Jenny's, "That is what I want to do, I want to make sure it never happens again."Her knuckles had turned white as she clutched the Star. Jenny knelt down next to her.

"Ziva, if the pendent is too much to wear we can take it back."

Ziva's eyes flashed, "Don't you dare say that, this is the most beautiful thing anyone has ever given to me. It will never leave my person." She let go of the charm and reached for Jenny's hands. "Todah," She pulled Jenny's mouth to her's, "Thank you."

~@~

Ziva fingered the gold pendent that still hung around her neck, "Jen? What is going on, why are you here?"

"You're not glad to see me?" The hurt on Jenny's face was obvious.

"Of course, you know you are always welcome here, but it is very unlike you to start quoting musicals, and you are in sweats, and you are on vacation which, I remember you telling me I was not to question you about but yet you are at my door at," She glanced over at the clock on the wall, "12:15 in the morning."

Jenny sighed; she knew she had to tell her, that was why she came all this way. That and to make sure Ziva was okay, seeing her now she knew she would be fine. The woman next to her was tough, she would get through this just like she got through every other tragedy she had seen in her young life, "Do you remember that fall I took two weeks ago?"

Ziva nodded, her fingers gently tracing the pale discoloration around Jenny's eye. "It looked pretty bad." She remembered watching Jenny slip coming down the stairs in MTAC. She had quickly run to get ice once she saw the swelling. Ziva helped her to her office and suggested that she could drive Jenny home but Jenny refused to leave in the middle of a case. They had sat in that quiet office for almost an hour, Ziva reclining on the couch with Jenny in between her legs. The Director had clung to Ziva refusing to let go until Gibbs called her out on a case. Ziva finally left after making Jenny promise she would see Ducky. That night when Ziva stopped by Jenny's house after work they sat curled up on the couch watching a movie, something they rarely did.

"It was, it...it lead to some tests. I've been pretty clumsy lately Ziva, and that's not me."

"I know you are a very elegant woman Jen." Ziva began thinking back. Last month they both had a weekend off Jenny had been in the kitchen getting lunch together when Ziva heard a loud crash. She found Jenny standing in the middle of what had once been a bottle of wine. Jenny had sliced her foot from stepping in the glass. She refused to go to the doctor but did allow Ducky to look at her. She frowned, she remembered a few weeks ago being in Jenny's office discussing a case when Jenny had spilt her coffee down the front of her shirt. She had been shaking when Ziva stepped around the desk to help her, "Your coffee, a few weeks ago." She mused out loud.

The red head nodded, "There have been quite a few incidents as of late, too many." Jenny pursed her lips and leaned forward. She ran a hand through her hair. "I had Ducky run some tests; I didn't know what was going on. I was having horrible headaches and my vision would swim. I thought I need new glasses-"

"Jenny." Ziva reached her hand out, pulling her hands from her face. "Why did you not tell me?"

Jenny chewed her lip, "I thought it was probably nothing, I didn't want to worry you. You're busy and we are around each other so much as it is I didn't want to seem suspicious." She treaded her fingers through Ziva's.

"But you know that does not bother me Jen. I don't care what people think."

"I don't either but you, having an affair with me; the director of NCIS could affect your career."

"And yours as well." Ziva sighed letting her head fall back against the couch, "I know we have been over this one hundred times before."

"It doesn't matter for me anymore Ziva."

The dark head shot up, "What?" Ziva leaned forward, her eyes searching for Jenny's blue ones that refused to look up.

"I-" she took a deep breath, trying to blink the sting out of her eyes, she thought she would be out of tears by now. "Ziva, I'm dying."

Continued.

I have this finished, the more reviews, the quicker I'll post updates. Please review, it only takes a second. Thanks for reading!

Songs: She Thinks His Name was John by Reba

I'd Rather Ride Around with You by Reba