In two short weeks the DiNozzo twins would be graduating middle school. Sadly only Holly would be present at the ceremony. Noah was not strong enough to be out of bed for the two hour ceremony. He had gone down hill, so much faster than Tony could have ever imagined. Only two weeks had passed since Noah was first given his terminal diagnosis but he was already like a different child. He had lost ten pounds already. He had been readmitted to the hospital to have a feeding tube inserted. It had been a week and a half since he had eaten anything by mouth. Just sitting up seemed to totally zap him of energy. Still he tried to spend time with his family every day. He would have Tony wheel him into Holly's room or help him down to the living room so they could watch TV together. Most of the time Noah would fall asleep and Tony would have to carry him back to his bed. He was no longer able to go to the bathroom on his own and was using catheters now. Tony had learned how to change out the catheter and insert the feeding tube. He had become Noah's round the clock nurse. Noelle and Beverley was great but helping care for his son, gave Tony piece of mind. It was hard to see his once strong teenager revert to a giant baby but caring for him gave Tony extra moments that he would cling to when his son was gone. Suffice it to say the past couple of weeks had been hell for the DiNozzo family. Tony was miserable and Holly was completely devastated. The only thing worse than knowing that his son was going to die at any moment. Was hearing Holly cry herself to sleep every night and know that there was nothing he could do about it. Ziva was the family's saving grace in this time of need and misery. She would take Holly to and from school every day and transport her to any off campus activities she needed to attend. On the weekends she took Holly shopping or swimming at her apartment complex. Anything to distract her from her brother's eventual demise. For Tony she was a loving and devoted girlfriend. She would hold him when he cried and she would sit with Noah and Holly, so that he could go to the gym or for a run or drive, anything that allowed him to clear his head and let his frustrations out. Presently Tony was resting his head on Ziva's chest, crying his eyes out. Noah had not woken up in eighteen hours. He didn't even notice when Tony and Noelle came into the room to tend to him. He didn't even flinch when his catheter was changed and his feeding tube inserted and then removed. He had been placed on high flow oxygen around six the evening before. The only good thing about his coma like state was that he did not require hourly doses of morphine as he had the day before.

"What am I going to do if he doesn't wake up? What is going to happen to Holly?" Tony asked.

"I cannot answer that but I know that I will be there for both of you. I will never leave your sides. I will always be there." Ziva explained.

"I know you are but I am still so scared. I need him. Oh Ziva! I need him!" Tony cried.

"I know Tony, God if it were Eliana in this situation. I wish that I could just make this OK but I cannot." Ziva explained.

"I don't expect you to make it OK but I wish that I could take Noah's pain away. Without him having to die but he is too far gone. He was by the time he was diagnosed. I should have seen that something was wrong faster. I should have gotten him treatment faster. I should have been able to save him." Tony sobbed.

"Don't worry about what could have been. Just appreciate the time you have left with Noah. That is precious." Ziva explained.

"I shouldn't have to treasure these memories and worry that every second will be his last. I should not have to hear Holly cry herself to sleep every-night. I should not have to deal with this. Why is this happening to me?" Tony asked.

"I do not know Tony." Ziva replied.

"I think that I need to be alone." Tony sniffed.

"If you are sure, then I will run and get Eliana from the sitters. Call me if you need anything and I will be back in a flash." Ziva explained standing to leave.

"I just need to lie down in a dark room." Tony replied.

"Rest well Tony." Ziva replied, kissing him on the lips.

"I will try but I don't see myself being very peaceful or relaxed." Tony replied.

Tony watched as Ziva left the house, he thought about going up to check on Holly but she was probably in the process of doing her homework and even before Noah got sick. Holly hated it when her homework time was disrupted for something that was not an emergency. She did it as soon as she got home and checked it three times throughout the night. Not wanting to upset his daughter anymore than she already was. He sat on the couch and ran his hand through the gap between the cushions. His hand hit something hard. Confused her cupped his hand around the mystery object and pulled it out of the cushion. It was Ziva's pocketbook, he wiped dust off of the smooth, red leather. He unzipped the zipper and studied the contents. It was mainly just checks, cash, and Ziva's credit cards but on the other side was a photo section, the pictures were mostly of Eliana and a girl he guessed to be Talia but he noticed a picture of him and the twins at the St. Patrick's Day parade and could not help but smile at the picture of a happier and more innocent time. Behind the photo album was a piece of rough paper, that Tony guessed was news-paper. Curiously he pulled it out and held it in his hands. It was old but not ancient and stained by tears. It was an obituary. The picture looked familiar but he could not put his finger on it until he read the name...

"In loving memory of Ari Haswari March 13th 1969-September 27th 2005, Preceded into death by mother, Ruth Haswari, step-mother, Rivkah David, and half-sister Talia David. Survived by father Eli David, half-brother Sergei Mishnev, and half-sister Ziva David...

"Ziva is that bastards sister and she never told me?! How could she still love him? She should hate him! He is a killer and a monster! He killed the mother of the twins she claims to love! She is such a hypocrite!" Tony snapped throwing the pocketbook and obituary down on the floor and kicking the couch. He did not need this. Not now, not today.

A/N: Poor Tony, knowing the terrible truth. Can his and Ziva's relationship be saved? New chapter will be up soon. Please review and thanks for reading.