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ncisficathonTitle:Time and Space
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
nerdtopian/ imixfandoms
Written for:rodlox
Prompt: "He may be fictional, but Ziva David sympathizes with the Doctor {Doctor Who}"
Archive: Sure, but let me know.
Genre: Gen
Pairings: None
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: These characters belong to DPB, CBS, Paramount, et al. No copyright infringement is intended.
Word Count:1,076
Summary: Ziva gets a TV, and discovers a new interest.
Author's Note: Mild spoilers for Doctor Who, nothing serious. I've only seen Nine and Ten's versions, so hopefully that won't be a problem. ;)
It had taken three months of pop culture references before Ziva David bought a TV. One of the hallmarks of a well-trained Mossad agent was the ability to integrate seamlessly into whatever environment was required to complete the mission successfully. One of the ways that Tony, McGee and Abby bonded was through their shared culture of movies and television. As long as she isolated herself from it, she would be isolating herself from them. Gibbs had no interest in such things, but he didn’t need to in order to fit in. Besides, his hobby was working on the boat in the basement.
Three weeks later, Ziva bolted upright in bed, a phantom gunshot ringing in her ears. She’d had these dreams for years, and knew sleep would not come again for some time. Cursing softly under her breath, she trudged into the living room and sat down on the couch. She’d watched bits and pieces of television, but so far nothing had caught her interest. Perhaps it was time to give it another try.
-Click- Law and Order? Too much like work. It also seemed as though the criminals got away with their crimes far too frequently for her taste.
-Click- Jeopardy? Somewhat entertaining, but it was something she had to be in the mood for. Tonight was not going to be that night.
-Click – An infomercial peddling something called a Chia Pet, which made absolutely no sense and seemed like a total waste of money. She just couldn’t understand why anyone would paint what was essentially a pot with seeds just to watch it grow.
-Click- A group of women competing for ‘true love’ with a rock star? She couldn’t even come up with words to describe that one.
-Click- Doctor Who? What kind of a name is that? Now, this may be interesting.
-- ---
“Hey, Ziva...” Tony announced as he walked into the bullpen.
“Tony, you’re early.” She quickly tried to minimize the window she had open, but he was caught her.
Placing his hands on her shoulders, he peered past her at the computer screen. “There’s nothing wrong with browsing YouTube, Ziva, just don’t let Gibbs catch—“ His thought trailed off midsentence. “Since when do you watch sci-fi?” Tony questioned.
Shaking herself free of Tony’s grip, she turned in her chair to face him. “Since I wake up in the middle of the night and can’t go back to sleep. If you must know, I thought having a TV might help me figure out some of those references you, McGee, and Abby keep making to things I don’t understand.” Ziva replied, a bit more sharply than she’d intended.
“You could ask us, you know.” The sincerity in Tony’s voice made Ziva feel slightly guilty for snapping at him.
“I could, but I’d rather not.” She sighed. “I should be able to adapt on my own, without needing assistance. If this was any other assignment, I wouldn’t be able to ask for any assistance. “
“You have to admit, Ziva, this isn’t a typical Mossad assignment.” Tony decided now would be a good time to change the subject. “So, you’re watching Doctor Who. Which regeneration?”
“What?”
“Regeneration.” He paused for a moment, trying to figure out the simplest way to explain it. “It’s a plot device so they can change actors throughout the series. Whenever he’s near death, he regenerates and ends up looking entirely different. The personality’s still mostly the same, though. Each one has a number. They’re on Ten now, and that looks like who you’re watching.”
Ziva nodded. “Yes, Ten. That’s what Daisy called him. I remember now.”
“Rose.”
“What?”
“Her name is Rose, not Daisy.”
“Ah, I wasn’t quite clear on that. Why exactly was she traveling around with him anyway?”
“If you were travelling around the universe, wouldn’t you want to bring someone with you?” Tony grinned.
“I…don’t know. Does whoever travels with him live forever like he does?”
Tony shook his head. “Nope. They’re still human.”
She considered that idea before answering, a sad look on her face. “So, he ends up losing everyone he ever cares about. I don’t know if the adventures are worth it in that case. No one wants to be alone.”
Tony really didn’t know what to say, and with Gibbs and McGee arriving, he didn’t have a chance to continue the conversation.
--- --
Every night, after work, she watched more Doctor Who. The more Ziva watched, the more sympathy she felt for the Doctor. She could see the loneliness and isolation behind the façade he showed Rose and the inhabitants of the worlds he visited. Ziva understood in a way she couldn’t elaborate, couldn’t share with Tony, though she did appreciate his effort in trying to make her more comfortable.
Ten had no one who truly understood him, being the last of his kind. All the Time Lords had been wiped out, except for him. The last person who truly understood Ziva was her brother, Ari. He was dead now. She’d shot him in Gibbs’ basement. She and Ari had never had a ‘normal’ brother and sister relationship, but they had been close. Killing him was one of the most difficult things she ever had to do, yet somehow she felt he would understand. It had been quick and clean, precisely the way he would have wanted to go. She owed him that much, after all.
Just as Ten would always be an outsider wherever he went, so would she. No matter how much pop culture she immersed herself in; she would never be as close to Tony, McGee, or Abby as they were to each other. Ziva was a replacement for Kate, who Ari killed, and at times she felt like a poor replacement indeed.
Ziva’s feelings of kinship with the Doctor were not fueled solely by loneliness and isolation. He had been forced to make some terrible decisions, and the memories of those decisions continue to haunt him. Ziva had lost count of the number of times she woke in the middle of the night, sightless eyes watching her. Perhaps that was to be the price she paid, for continuing to live where so many others had died.
It’s not something she would admit to Tony, but the idea that someone understood how she felt, even a fictional alien, made her feel just a little bit better. No one wants to be alone, especially for an eternity.
Author:
nerdtopian/ imixfandomsWritten for:
rodloxPrompt: "He may be fictional, but Ziva David sympathizes with the Doctor {Doctor Who}"
Archive: Sure, but let me know.
Genre: Gen
Pairings: None
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: These characters belong to DPB, CBS, Paramount, et al. No copyright infringement is intended.
Word Count:1,076
Summary: Ziva gets a TV, and discovers a new interest.
Author's Note: Mild spoilers for Doctor Who, nothing serious. I've only seen Nine and Ten's versions, so hopefully that won't be a problem. ;)
It had taken three months of pop culture references before Ziva David bought a TV. One of the hallmarks of a well-trained Mossad agent was the ability to integrate seamlessly into whatever environment was required to complete the mission successfully. One of the ways that Tony, McGee and Abby bonded was through their shared culture of movies and television. As long as she isolated herself from it, she would be isolating herself from them. Gibbs had no interest in such things, but he didn’t need to in order to fit in. Besides, his hobby was working on the boat in the basement.
Three weeks later, Ziva bolted upright in bed, a phantom gunshot ringing in her ears. She’d had these dreams for years, and knew sleep would not come again for some time. Cursing softly under her breath, she trudged into the living room and sat down on the couch. She’d watched bits and pieces of television, but so far nothing had caught her interest. Perhaps it was time to give it another try.
-Click- Law and Order? Too much like work. It also seemed as though the criminals got away with their crimes far too frequently for her taste.
-Click- Jeopardy? Somewhat entertaining, but it was something she had to be in the mood for. Tonight was not going to be that night.
-Click – An infomercial peddling something called a Chia Pet, which made absolutely no sense and seemed like a total waste of money. She just couldn’t understand why anyone would paint what was essentially a pot with seeds just to watch it grow.
-Click- A group of women competing for ‘true love’ with a rock star? She couldn’t even come up with words to describe that one.
-Click- Doctor Who? What kind of a name is that? Now, this may be interesting.
-- ---
“Hey, Ziva...” Tony announced as he walked into the bullpen.
“Tony, you’re early.” She quickly tried to minimize the window she had open, but he was caught her.
Placing his hands on her shoulders, he peered past her at the computer screen. “There’s nothing wrong with browsing YouTube, Ziva, just don’t let Gibbs catch—“ His thought trailed off midsentence. “Since when do you watch sci-fi?” Tony questioned.
Shaking herself free of Tony’s grip, she turned in her chair to face him. “Since I wake up in the middle of the night and can’t go back to sleep. If you must know, I thought having a TV might help me figure out some of those references you, McGee, and Abby keep making to things I don’t understand.” Ziva replied, a bit more sharply than she’d intended.
“You could ask us, you know.” The sincerity in Tony’s voice made Ziva feel slightly guilty for snapping at him.
“I could, but I’d rather not.” She sighed. “I should be able to adapt on my own, without needing assistance. If this was any other assignment, I wouldn’t be able to ask for any assistance. “
“You have to admit, Ziva, this isn’t a typical Mossad assignment.” Tony decided now would be a good time to change the subject. “So, you’re watching Doctor Who. Which regeneration?”
“What?”
“Regeneration.” He paused for a moment, trying to figure out the simplest way to explain it. “It’s a plot device so they can change actors throughout the series. Whenever he’s near death, he regenerates and ends up looking entirely different. The personality’s still mostly the same, though. Each one has a number. They’re on Ten now, and that looks like who you’re watching.”
Ziva nodded. “Yes, Ten. That’s what Daisy called him. I remember now.”
“Rose.”
“What?”
“Her name is Rose, not Daisy.”
“Ah, I wasn’t quite clear on that. Why exactly was she traveling around with him anyway?”
“If you were travelling around the universe, wouldn’t you want to bring someone with you?” Tony grinned.
“I…don’t know. Does whoever travels with him live forever like he does?”
Tony shook his head. “Nope. They’re still human.”
She considered that idea before answering, a sad look on her face. “So, he ends up losing everyone he ever cares about. I don’t know if the adventures are worth it in that case. No one wants to be alone.”
Tony really didn’t know what to say, and with Gibbs and McGee arriving, he didn’t have a chance to continue the conversation.
--- --
Every night, after work, she watched more Doctor Who. The more Ziva watched, the more sympathy she felt for the Doctor. She could see the loneliness and isolation behind the façade he showed Rose and the inhabitants of the worlds he visited. Ziva understood in a way she couldn’t elaborate, couldn’t share with Tony, though she did appreciate his effort in trying to make her more comfortable.
Ten had no one who truly understood him, being the last of his kind. All the Time Lords had been wiped out, except for him. The last person who truly understood Ziva was her brother, Ari. He was dead now. She’d shot him in Gibbs’ basement. She and Ari had never had a ‘normal’ brother and sister relationship, but they had been close. Killing him was one of the most difficult things she ever had to do, yet somehow she felt he would understand. It had been quick and clean, precisely the way he would have wanted to go. She owed him that much, after all.
Just as Ten would always be an outsider wherever he went, so would she. No matter how much pop culture she immersed herself in; she would never be as close to Tony, McGee, or Abby as they were to each other. Ziva was a replacement for Kate, who Ari killed, and at times she felt like a poor replacement indeed.
Ziva’s feelings of kinship with the Doctor were not fueled solely by loneliness and isolation. He had been forced to make some terrible decisions, and the memories of those decisions continue to haunt him. Ziva had lost count of the number of times she woke in the middle of the night, sightless eyes watching her. Perhaps that was to be the price she paid, for continuing to live where so many others had died.
It’s not something she would admit to Tony, but the idea that someone understood how she felt, even a fictional alien, made her feel just a little bit better. No one wants to be alone, especially for an eternity.
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