A/N: Hey there, this is my first NCIS fanfiction, so I apologize if anything seems to be out of character; I'm not new to the series, but I watched everything so out of order and now I started from the beginning on Netflix a couple weeks ago and I'm halfway through Season 4... I just felt really compelled to write something about Tony and Ziva with that season finale we were given. Not that I didn't like the episode, I just didn't get closure and I was very upset that they killed Ziva off (I still refuse to believe she's dead). This take place one year after the episode.

Edit: Thank you to Guest for pointing out the year discrepancy, I fixed it. The NCIS wiki said she was 3 or 4, so I made it that a year after the events of the episode she is 4. (I couldn't' remember if they said how old she was in the episode.) Just thought I would clarify this.

Chapter 1: The Message

Tony sat on the couch with little four year old Tali in his lap. They had been watching Tali's favorite movie, Frozen.

It had been one year since he had met his daughter for the first time and since he had left NCIS. It had also been one year since he had found out about her death.

He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out the familiar golden chain with the Star of David strung on it. He tightly grasped it in his hand, one of the few memories he had of his daughter's mother and his one true love, Ziva David.

It was no secret to anyone at NCIS that there was some sort of chemistry between the two special agents. Even Gibbs knew that Rule 12 would not stop them. The two had made many memories during the cases they had worked together on. Tony smiled slightly as he had thought about their first undercover mission. He had never forgotten how beautiful she looked that night, in that green dress. That night was full of love and passion; even though it was meant to be a façade, everyone knew that it was all real.

After turning in his badge, he and Tali had gone off to Israel in hope of find answers about Ziva's death, but were unsuccessful. There was only one thing that gave him a small sliver of hope: Ziva's body had still not been found.

"…Aba?" a little voice squeaked.

"Tali?" Tony asked gently running his hand through her curly hair, that reminded him a lot of her mother. He had spaced out, and didn't realize that the movie had ended. He grabbed the remote control and turned off the TV before looking at Tali.

Tali looked up at him, their green eyes meeting. "Aba… When will we see Ima again?"

Tony's smile faded. This was not the first time that Tali had asked him this question. Tony truly believed that Ziva was still alive. But what if he was just telling himself that? What if he was just onto false hope?

"Aba?" Tali whispered again. "What's wrong Aba? You look sad…"

Tony put on a smile. "Everything is alright sweetie," he lied.

"Aba… How come you always look so sad when I ask about Ima?"

She's a smart girl, just like her mother, Tony thought, smiling sadly. He sighed. "I don't know where Ima is… I haven't seen her in a long time."

"How come you don't know? D-Do you not love her?"

That last question hurt him most. Tony felt his heart shatter into a million pieces. He pulled Tali close, tears welling up in his eyes. "Of course I love her, I love her very much. I miss her every day."

"Aba, don't cry," Tali hugged him tight. "I think that Ima will be back soon," she said innocently. Tony and Tali held onto each other for what felt like an eternity. Tony looked at the time. "Tali, it's very late, let's get you to bed sweetie."

"Okay Aba," she said yawning. Tony smiled slightly and carried her to her room carefully lying her down in her bed and tucking her in. "Laila tov, Tali," he whispered before gently kissing her forehead.

"Laila tov, Aba," Tali smiled up at him, but she could sense the hurt that lingered in her father's eyes.

After Tony turned off her bedroom light, he headed into his own bedroom and lied down in his bed. After about twenty minutes of tossing and turning, he saw a familiar face. He instantly knew who she was. She was dressed in a long white robe, a necklace with a wooden cross and a bright golden halo hanging over her head. She then addressed him, "Hey Tony."

Tony froze, not responding. He was probably dreaming, or imagining things. Or perhaps was this real? He wasn't really much of a spiritual person, but he decided to play along. "…Kate?"

Kate gave him a warm smile. "It has been too long, Tony." She replied.

Tony nodded. "Yes, it really has. Everyone misses you, Kate. By the way you look very cute as an angel," he said lightheartedly.

Kate rolled her eyes, but then she laughed. "Still the same old Tony. I've seen you taking care of sweet Tali, you make a great father, Tony."

Tony smiled proudly. "She is like my world now, I love her very much."

"I know you do."

"So, Kate, not that I don't like seeing you, but is there a reason you are here?" Tony asked curiously.

Kate nodded. "Yes, there is Tony. It is something I could have told you a year ago, but I couldn't." There was a brief period of silence before Kate spoke again. "I understand if you will be angry for me not telling you sooner, but I was just following her wishes."

"Her wishes?" Tony asked. He met his old friend's eyes. "Kate. Is, she alive?"

Kate nods. "Yes. I talked to her when she was in the hospital after the explosion. She said… That it was too soon for you to know."

His neutral expression changed into one of anger. "Why?! Why did she make me go through the past year thinking she's dead? Why didn't she tell me about Tali? Did she think if she told me about her I would just leave her to raise Tali on her own? I love her, how could she do this to me?"

"Tony, she has her reasons, I mean I would be frustrated too if I were in your position, but I don't blame her for it."

4 Years Ago, Tel Aviv

Ziva had just arrived home from the hospital. She had just given birth to a baby girl, who she had named Talia, after her late sister. She sat down on the small couch holding the baby close in her arms. She was still trying to comprehend all this. Ziva, who was trained to be a Mossad agent where she was trained to kill and cover her tracks, was now a mother; this was something that she had never pictured happening. She looked at Talia. Her green eyes made it obvious who the father was, and Ziva already knew the only biological possibility. 'Tony…' she thought to herself as memories with the NCIS special agent played through her mind.

Suddenly in front of her stood a beautiful woman with long brown hair. Ziva did not recognize her, she was dressed like an angel. "Hello," Ziva quietly greeted her.

"Hi, my name is Caitlin Todd, but please just call me Kate," the woman replied.

"It is nice to meet you Kate, my name is Ziva..." then it dawned on her who she was speaking to. "You, were an agent at NCIS, yes?"

Kate nodded. "Yes, and I know that you used to be one as well."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, I know all of Gibbs' team were all very fond of you," Ziva slightly bowed her head.

Kate smiled. "They were like family to me."

Ziva nodded, "Yes, same with me… Gibbs was like a father to me, Ducky and McGee had accepted me right away, I warmed up well to Abby over time, and Tony was…" It hurt her to say anymore.

Kate briefly looked at Talia before looking back at Ziva. "Ziva, you know that Tony loves you. Talia is his child as well, he deserves to know. You know that he will come. He wouldn't abandon you."

"I… I want to tell him, but I don't want to force him into this…"

"Ziva, you wouldn't be, like I said she is his child too. You can't do everything alone."

3 Years Later

Ziva woke up in a hospital bed, her energy was still drained from the events that had occurred on the previous day. She had been severely injured in the explosion, but was very lucky that she was not inside the farmhouse otherwise she would have stood no chance at surviving.

Tali had probably arrived in America by now. She wondered how Tony was going to react. As much as Ziva wished she could have gone with Tali, she couldn't, not in this condition.

Once again, the beautiful brunette angel that had once visited her two years prior, sat in the chair beside her bed. "It's been awhile."

Ziva nodded. "yes it has."

"Tali is a very sweet child, I'm glad that she was unharmed in the explosion. I wanted to let you know that she safely made it to America." Kate smiled. "She already has Tony and the rest of the team wrapped around her little finger."

Ziva smiled. "I am so glad…"

"Ziva… You know you cannot avoid Tony forever."

"Kate, I went two years without telling him that he has a child and now he thinks I'm dead. Will he still even want to see me? Will he ever forgive me for this?"

"Of course he will. Tony misses you dearly, I know. He was devastated when your supposed death was reported. As well as everyone from the team. It's not too late to return and make things right. I know you are a strong woman, you can get through this."

After a short period of silence which felt longer than it was, Ziva looked at the former agent, "I will talk to him, but… Not right now. I will do it when I am ready, no matter how long that may take."

Present

Tony listened intently to his friend. By the time she was finished explaining the situation, he didn't know what to think. No matter how long that may take? She really has no intent of seeing me again… he thought feeling a mix of anger and sadness. I love her very much, as much as I love Tali, why can't she see that?

A/N: It took me a while to figure out where I was going with this; the idea with Kate appearing wasn't initially planned. He was originally going to be visited by someone from the team, but then after thinking about it more I eventually thought of the Kate idea! Please please review! It's what helps me improve my writing and keep me motivated to continue writing! Any suggestions and constructive criticism is always welcome. Thank you for reading!