Hi everyone! I'm so excited to be starting part 3 of this series! I've decided to try and upload on Saturday evening/night, that way I have time to work on writing during the week, but if I have a chapter I'm happy with before Saturday comes, it will definitely be posted! Anyway, read on, and I hope you enjoy this story!
One
Tony's leg bounced nervously under the table as he watched the psychologist in charge of his psych evaluations sitting across from him. He had been declared concussion free by doctor Roberts the week before, and he was getting antsy sitting at home doing nothing.
He watched the dark-skinned woman scribble notes quickly on her notepad before she looked back up at him.
"Thank you, agent DiNozzo, that's all I need for today." She told Tony.
Tony pushed the rolling chair away from the conference room table and stood up.
"Thanks." He said before turning to walk out of the room.
He closed the door behind him and took a deep breath. He hated psych evals, even if they were necessary. He jogged down the stairs toward the squad room where Ziva, Gibbs, and McGee were doing paperwork.
Ziva looked up when she noticed a figure coming down the walkway. She smiled when she realized it was Tony.
"How did it go?" She asked as he stopped in front of her desk, leaning against the small wall that separated Ziva's space from the walkway.
Tony shrugged. "Okay I guess. What are you working on?" He asked.
Ziva closed the file she was working on. "I actually just finished, I haven't started this one yet." She told him.
McGee looked up. "If you guys wanna get going I'll take it back Ziva."
Ziva smiled a bit. "If it is alright with you." She told McGee.
He nodded. "Yeah, sure, I don't mind." He said.
Ziva handed the file over to McGee and walked back to her desk to grab her coat.
"See ya later." Tony called as he and Ziva exited the squad room.
Ziva turned to wave and followed Tony.
They stepped into the elevator and Tony's hand reached for Ziva's. The Israeli tangled their fingers together tightly, squeezing Tony's hand.
"Are you alright?" She asked, looking up at him.
Tony nodded. "Yeah, I think so." He said.
Ziva kissed his cheek softly. "Do you want to go get the rest of your things now, or wait until we have some help?" Ziva asked.
They stepped out of the elevator on the ground floor and walked toward the entrance.
"I don't really think we need help, it's only a few more boxes." Tony told her, pulling the door open to let her out into the crisp November air.
Ziva nodded. "Alright, we can do that now if you like?" She said.
"Yeah, that's a good idea."
XXXXX
Tony grabbed the key to his apartment out of his jacket pocket and slid it into the lock. He twisted the key and pushed the door open and stepped into the apartment.
They both thought it looked strange with no movie posters or photos on the walls.
"Junior?" A familiar voice called from the kitchen.
Tony whipped around just in time to watch his father walk toward them.
"Dad?" Tony asked, shooting a surprised look at Ziva, who shrugged. She didn't know what he was doing there either.
Senior walked up to his son and wrapped his arms around him, hugging him tightly before he moved on to Ziva, hugging her, and kissing her cheeks.
"How are you?" Ziva asked politely.
Senior smiled. "I'm fantastic." He told her. He turned to look at Tony. "Where in hell is all your stuff?" He asked.
Tony bit his lip. "It's at Ziva's place." He told him.
Senior looked at Ziva, as if he needed confirmation.
The brunette nodded and Senior looked back toward Tony.
"So, you two are finally a… wow… took you long enough, Junior." Senior said.
Tony rolled his eyes. "Seriously?" He asked.
Senior shrugged. "It's true. I would've scooped her up the moment I met her." He told his son.
Ziva laughed. "Maybe I chose the wrong DiNozzo then." She told Tony playfully.
Tony reached out and pulled Ziva close to him, wrapping his arms around her from behind.
"I don't think so." He said simply, kissing the side of her head.
Ziva smiled brightly, leaning back into Tony.
"We just came to get the rest of the boxes." He told Senior, hoping it would move his father along.
"Do you want some help?" Senior asked.
Ziva smiled. "Help would be great." Ziva said.
Senior smiled. "Well let's go then." He said, walking toward the corner where the taped-up boxes were stacked.
Between the three of them, piling the boxes into the back of Ziva's Mini took no time at all, and soon they were standing beside the car in the middle of a conversation.
"Would you like to come over for dinner tonight?" Ziva asked.
Senior smiled. "Only if you'll let me cook." He told her.
"No, no, you are a guest, I can cook no problem." Ziva said.
Senior shook his head. "I insist." He said.
Ziva looked up at Tony, who laughed lightly to himself, and she conceded. "Alright, alright, you can cook."
Senior smiled brightly. "Excellent. I've got a car, I'll follow you over?" He asked. "Actually, we better stop at a grocery store first." He corrected.
Ziva nodded. "Alright, that is easy enough." She said.
Senior split from the couple and got into his rental car, waiting for Tony and Ziva to lead him to a grocery store.
Tony closed the car door and looked over at Ziva as she started the car.
"Why is he here? Why didn't he call?" Tony asked quickly.
Ziva shrugged. "I suppose we will find out." She told him honestly.
She pulled out of the parking garage and watched the rear-view mirror as Senior followed her.
She pulled into the parking lot of the grocery store that was closest to her apartment and took the key out of the ignition.
Tony jumped a bit when Senior tapped on his window with his key. He opened the door and stepped out of the car.
"What do you feel like?" Senior asked the couple.
Tony and Ziva looked at each other.
"Chicken?" Tony asked.
Ziva nodded. "Sure." She said as she began to walk toward the store to get out of the cool air.
Tony and Senior followed her quickly. They were embraced in the warmth of the store and Senior grabbed a basket out of the stack.
Tony reached for Ziva's hand as they followed Senior through the store, watching him pick out what he needed.
"I won't have time to make dessert, are you two okay with store-bought pie?" Senior asked, turning around to look at them.
"We don't really need desert dad." Tony objected weakly.
Senior shook his head. "Ziva hasn't ever experienced a true DiNozzo dinner, and I won't skimp out on the first one." He insisted.
Tony groaned, rolling his eyes. "There's only three of us! An entire pie is ridiculous!" Tony told his father.
"Pie is good for a few days after its baked son, it doesn't have to be eaten in one sitting." Senior said.
Ziva bit back a laugh as she watched the two men interact. She loved that even if Tony's relationship with his father was… complicated, he still had some sort of relationship with him at all.
Tony rested his head in his hand, realizing that his father wasn't going to give anything up.
"Fine, we'll take a pie." He mumbled.
Senior smiled. "Apple or cherry?" He asked confidently.
Tony gestured for Ziva to answer.
"Cherry." Ziva said, laughing lightly.
Senior grabbed the pie and put it in the basket and headed for the checkout.
Tony took Ziva's hand and walked with her through the store, watching his father walk happily in front of them.
XXXXX
"And that got you expelled? Really?" Ziva asked Tony as they sat eating the pie that Senior had bought.
They had found themselves on the topic of how Tony got himself kicked out of six boarding schools.
Tony nodded. "Every time." He told them.
Senior laughed. "I still don't understand why. He didn't do any damage to the property."
Tony shook his head. "I mean the sprinklers went off, but they turned them off pretty quick."
Ziva rolled her eyes. "How did you even get your hands on firecrackers at fourteen?" She asked.
Tony shrugged. "I had people."
Ziva laughed. "What people did you have when you were fourteen Tony?" She asked.
"I never reveal my sources." Tony told her.
Ziva shook her head. "Ridiculous." She laughed.
Senior set his plate down with the other two on the coffee table and sat back in his chair.
"Can you grab the big plates and bring them into the kitchen?" Ziva asked Tony as she stood up and collected the smaller plates that the pie had been served on.
Tony nodded and grabbed the dinner plates before following Ziva into the kitchen.
He put the dishes down on the counter and turned to walk out. Ziva reached out and caught his hand before he could leave.
Tony turned around. "What's up?" He asked.
Ziva's eyes examined Tony's face for any signs of discomfort.
"Are you alright?" She asked.
Tony nodded. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine." He told her.
Ziva nodded slowly and released Tony. She turned to the fridge to grab the last few bottles of beer that she had.
She uncapped them and handed one to Tony and took one out to Senior.
"So, you had the day off to move or something today?" Senior asked as Tony sat down.
He looked over at Ziva, reaching for her hand silently.
"What's wrong son?" Senior asked. He set his beer bottle down on the table and leaned forward, curious.
Tony turned back to look at him. "I, um, I haven't been working for the past few months." He told his father quietly.
"Why not? Is everything alright? Are you sick?" Senior questioned.
Tony looked down at his hands, staying silent. Ziva squeezed his hand gently and slid closer to him on the couch.
"You don't have to." She whispered so only he could hear as she kissed his cheek.
Tony nodded. "I was raped." He mumbled.
Senior sat quietly for a moment, stunned. He looked up at Ziva, who gave him an intense look that clearly said, 'don't fuck it up.'
"Look at me, Anthony." Senior said in a much gentler voice than Ziva was expecting.
Tony's eyes lifted to meet his father's slowly.
"Are you alright?" Senior asked. "Did they catch whoever did it?"
Tony nodded. "I'm okay. And they're in prison, they're still waiting for a sentencing hearing." He told his father.
"Good." Senior said. "You could have called me. I would have been here in two hours." He told Tony.
Tony nodded silently, looking away from him.
Ziva kissed Tony's cheek softly. "I am going to go wash the dishes." She told them. She squeezed Tony's hand once more and walked into the kitchen, giving father and son a bit of time to talk.
Senior stood from his chair and moved to sit on the couch beside Tony. He reached out, resting his hand on Tony's shoulder.
"I'm glad you're alright son." Senior told him honestly.
Tony's eyes flicked up to meet his father's momentarily.
Senior smiled. "I love you, Anthony. You know that right?" He asked.
Tony nodded. "I love you too dad."
"Are you going to go back to work?" Senior asked curiously.
Tony nodded. "My doctor told me I could go back to desk duty, I had appointments for psych evaluations yesterday and today."
Senior nodded. "That's good. Hopefully you'll be back soon then." She said.
Tony nodded. "Hopefully."
"How long has it been?" Senior asked.
Tony thought for a moment. "Just over two months, it happened August twenty first." Tony told him.
"That's not that long ago junior, I don't know…" Senior said.
Tony shook his head. "I want to go back. I think I'm ready. And if I'm not I can always wait a bit longer." He said.
Senior nodded. "You're right.. so when will you know if you passed your evaluations?" He asked.
Tony shrugged. "Whenever they call me and tell me."
"You don't have to go to any more appointments for them though, right?" Senior asked.
Tony shook his head. "Nope, I'm done.. now I just wait."
"We can get together tomorrow if you want, I'm only planning to be here a few days." Senior said.
Tony nodded. "Yeah, sure, just call and let me know."
Senior nodded. "Alright." He said as he stood up. He turned toward the kitchen door. "Do you need any help in there Ziva?" He called.
Ziva turned the water off and walked out of the kitchen, drying her hands on a towel. "No, I am finished." She told him.
Senior smiled. "I'm gonna head out, but I'll definitely have to see you again before I leave." He told Ziva, opening his arms to her.
Ziva accepted his hug and returned it. "How long are you here for?" She asked.
"I fly out on the fifth." He told her.
Ziva nodded. "Alright. You know the way back to your hotel from here, yes?" She asked.
Senior smiled. "GPS is a magical thing."
Ziva nodded. "Right."
Tony walked up to stand beside her, and Senior held his arms open for his son. Tony hugged him tightly.
"See ya later." Tony said.
Senior nodded. "I'll call." He said as he pulled his jacket on.
XXXXX
"Are you alright?" Ziva asked Tony as he climbed into the bed.
Tony turned off the lamp on his bedside table and laid down beside Ziva. She wrapped her arms around him.
"Yeah, I think so… I wasn't expecting him to react like that." He told Ziva honestly.
Ziva nodded. "That is understandable. He is a very… traditional is the wrong word, but… traditional." She said.
Tony nodded. "He lived in the time where women were victims and men weren't." He clarified.
Ziva nodded. "Exactly."
"I wonder why he's here." Tony said. "There aren't really many reasons why he comes to visit me."
"Well what are some of the reasons he's visited in the past?" Ziva asked.
Tony thought for a moment. "He's in trouble." He said.
Ziva shook her head. "We would know by now if he was… he's not a subtle man." She said.
Tony nodded. "That's a fair point. He's getting married. Or divorced, I never know."
"Wouldn't he have brought her with him?" Ziva asked.
Tony nodded. "Right, not subtle." He said, laughing lightly. "Maybe he's sick?" He asked.
"I think he would have told you… well maybe not on the first day of his visit… it is possible." Ziva said.
Tony sighed, starting to get worried.
Ziva brought up her hand to run through Tony's hair. She saw where his mind was taking him.
"Do not panic until you are given a reason to love." She told him quietly. "There is another possibility you haven't considered."
Tony looked up at her. "What?"
Ziva kissed his forehead softly. "He is getting older, maybe he just wants to spend time with his only son."
Tony thought for a moment. "You're right." He told Ziva. "I never even thought about that."
