Rifiuto: Non Miriena

A/N: Huh... I just noticed, that I started this series with a 54 chapter story, and I'm... well, essentially ending it with a 54 chapter story. I might come back and revisit this universe and Tim and Ziva's family later, but for now, at least, this is the last story in this... saga, if you will. I hope you all enjoyed the ride- I certainly did- and I'll see you all at the next story I post or update. Until then, much love and keep reading. :)

Thanks to puppypants for reviewing 51 and 53, and Reader for reviewing 51, 52 and 53.

Silver Spring, Washington, D.C.,

October

The team gathered together around the table. All were there to celebrate Maura Werth's birthday, and the child had asked for a Celtic Fairy theme- lots of green, lots of Celtic knot decorations and fairy decorations, to which everyone complied. Jack-o-lanterns and witches, ghosts and other various Halloween decorations covered the house, and Maura, in a green fairy dress with white and green wings, had insisted that she help decorate, even though it was her party. They'd all set about decorating every room to the girl's standards- instead of the usual pink princess decorations, the child had insisted on green, orange, black and white, with Jack-o-lanterns and Celtic knots. The end result was a conglomerate mix of Halloween and St. Patrick's Day- exactly what the child wanted.

Tony and Bishop had since returned from England, with the news that the raid was successful, and the two major groups since disbanded or destroyed. It had, however, taken time for the Republic to get back on its feet, and adjust to the many casualties lost in the fighting. No one had heard from either Tim or Ziva, but that wasn't unusual, since they were most likely also trying to get back to normalcy, but now, with Maura's birthday, all the little girl wanted was her aunt and uncle to be there, for her cousins to be there.

"What're you lookin' for, Brigid?" The child jumped, turning from the window, the curtain falling back into place. Gibbs stood behind her, watching her closely. The child swallowed, something clicking in her mind.

"Who's Brigid?" Gibbs joined her on the sofa, and lifted the curtain.

"She is a patron saint of Ireland. She was a follower of Saint Patrick, if I remember my Celtic mythology correctly." He replied, following her gaze through the glass.

"Oh." Silence settled between the pair. Suddenly, she whispered, "They aren't coming."

Gibbs furrowed his brow, confused by her simple statement, and Damon spoke up behind him. "Tim and Ziva. She's waited by the window every birthday, hoping they'll come up the drive, but they never do. And we've explained repeatedly why they can't come, but..." He shrugged, as Gibbs nodded. Damon turned to his daughter. "Come on sweetie, time to blow out the candles." The child let her father pick her up, and after a moment, Gibbs followed. They all gathered in the dining room, around the table, where a pretty cake sat waiting, with candles all lit to be blown out.

Sarah pulled her daughter into her lap, and the girl listened as those closest to her sang her happy birthday. When the singing finished, Sarah brushed the girl's bangs off her forehead. "Make a wish, Mauraleh." She pressed a kiss to her daughter's head. Tony quickly counted the candles in his head- there was the usual number, plus the one to grow on, but why the extra?

"Um, Sarah, why-"

"Remember what we do with this one, love?" The girl nodded, sitting up. "Say a prayer like we do every year and ask Mr. Jackson to take it to them for us." The others in the team shared a confused glance, but Gibbs just chuckled softly.

"Can I make a wish instead? Or will he not take it?" Sarah sniffled, brushing a tear off her daughter's cheek.

"Of course he'll take it, baby. Mr. Jackson will take whatever we ask for. Right?" She turned to her son, and the boy nodded, laying his head on his father's shoulder. She pressed a kiss to her daughter's forehead. "They are very proud of you, baby, and I know you want them here, but they can't be. But maybe they will be for Christmas." The girl turned back to the candles. Sarah wrapped her arms tight around her daughter. "Now think real hard. Make sure your wish is nice and clear, so Mr. Jackson understands, because the last thing we want is for him to have to come back and ask because your wish wasn't clear."

The girl closed her eyes tight, taking several moments to think of her wish, before taking a deep breath and blowing out her candles. As she blew the last one out, the front door opened, but no one noticed, they were all too focused on the little girl.

The rain that had started earlier in the day began to fall harder; lightning split the sky, and the door slammed closed, unheard by the loud roar of thunder directly over the house. The person who'd entered the house softly made their way back towards the dining room. One of the windows left open in the kitchen allowed the wind to enter, and as it danced throughout the lower level of the house, snuffing out the candles in the jack-o-lanterns, another burst of lightning split the sky. Sarah glanced over her shoulder; it was bad enough her daughter had to have been born on Halloween, but that she was now officially freaked out-

She turned back to her daughter, pressing a kiss to her child's curls as Damon cut the cake. Footsteps entered the dining room, and as Sarah turned, another bolt of lightning split the sky. She gasped softly, before realizing who stood in front of her. "T..." But she couldn't get the words out. Although, Maura had no trouble when she saw who it was.

"Uncle Tim! Auntie Ziva!" The child leapt from her mother's lap, rushing towards the couple. Tim caught his niece as she threw herself into his arms, and it was then that Sarah realized that her brother and sister-in-law were soaked through to the skin. Minutes passed, before the front door opened and closed once more, and after several seconds, Asher and his siblings appeared, also soaked through. "Mommy, Daddy! My wish came true! Mr. Jackson made my wish come true!" Maura cried, throwing her arms around her aunt. Ziva caught the child, as Sarah climbed to her feet and rushed to her brother.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, wrapping her arms around her brother. Tim pulled away; the others soon jumped into action, grabbing towels and blankets, tending to the teenagers and Ziva, whom Maura refused to be parted from. "Timmy, it's storming out-"

"I know, Sar. We... we caught the first flight we could out of Dublin..." He shivered, even as Sarah accepted the blanket Tali had gotten and wrapped it around her brother's shoulders. "Couldn't miss another of Mauraleh's birthdays. She's as... important as Asher and his siblings are." Sarah reached up, gently taking her brother's face in her hands. She choked on a long held-back sob, brushing her thumbs over the apples of his cheeks.

"Why? Maura would have understood. She's understood every birthday before this one." He shrugged.

"She's family. And..." He sighed, wrapping his arms around his sister's waist. "After everything, we just..." He glanced at the team, watched as Maura latched onto Ziva's neck and refused to let go. "We just needed to be with family." Sarah grinned, pressing a kiss to his cheek, before wrapping her arms tight around his neck.