5

Time Flies

March 23 2042

He stared at the casket, trying to fix in his mind one simple fact; the best friend he ever had in the world was gone. They'd been told three weeks ago that he could go at any time but it was still a shock when he took his last breath and Anthony DiNozzo was gone. Except he wasn't, not really, Tim felt the tears stinging his eyes as he looked at the bowed heads of Alicia and Marcus DiNozzo, Tony's legacy. Tony had been happier than he'd ever seen him the night the twins were born, sitting beside Zoe on her hospital bed, grinning so much it seemed his jaw might break.

Where had the years gone? One minute Tim was agreeing to be godfather to the twins, the next he was Director of the Navy branch of the newly formed Criminal Investigative Division: Armed Forces, applauding along with her proud parents as Alicia DiNozzo graduated top of her class from FLETC. She had looked so eager, ready to take on the law enforcement mantle from her mom and dad, she was doing well, and had been about to take up her first field posting in San Diego when they got the news about Tony's condition. Marcus had hurried home from Cornell University where he was studying veterinary medicine and the family had heard the news together.

The diagnosis had shaken them all to the core, Tony had lived with damaged lungs so long it was easy to forget he'd ever had the plague, but he had, and after a life lived to the full he'd contracted a bout of pneumonia he couldn't shake; his overworked lungs couldn't cope any longer. There was one blessing, and it was one they all held on to, Tony had time to see his family and friends, to say his farewells, to leave no one in any doubt he loved them, that the feeling was mutual could be seen in the grief-stricken faces in the hospital waiting room, faces that transformed into smiles the minute they entered his room, they wanted his final memories to be good ones, to see smiles even if they were often accompanied by red rimmed eyes.

Without conscious thought Tim twisted his wedding ring as he often did in moments of stress, he'd never take it off, never forget her…Delilah, killed in a car accident two days before their fifteenth wedding anniversary. Without Tony he'd have lost it then, lost the will to go on alone…no, never alone. In the eight years since her death he'd become a member of Tony's family, felt the warmth of the love shared by Tony and Zoe thaw the shards of ice embedded in his heart when he saw Delilah's lifeless body. He'd helped the twins with their homework, their college applications, listened when they felt the world didn't understand them, and this week he'd held them when they cried.

Tim felt a hand on his arm. "Oh Tim, we've done this too often."

He nodded and took Abby's hand in his. "Too many funerals, too many dying young…"

"If we could choose, we'd all go the way Ducky did I guess."

He gave a brief smile, who could disagree with her? If anyone had a good end it was Ducky, gone in his sleep in his ninety-third year after a game of bridge with friends, followed by his nightly glass of single malt. His final years had been some of the happiest of his life as he shared his home with Jimmy, Breena and their two children, Victoria and James Donald, JD to one and all. It hadn't been Ducky's original plan, his intention had been to gift his townhouse to Jimmy and move into a retirement community. Breena and Jimmy would only accept the gift if Ducky stayed with them, after some initial reluctance he'd given in and spent his days being the best GrandDucky any child could ask for. The children brought joy into his home and he spent fourteen years offering help and support and sharing love with the Palmer family. "He had a great life."

"Tony did too."

"I know Abs, just seems it was over too soon."

"We want to hold on to everyone, sometimes…we have to accept…it's their time, however short the time is." She held his hand tight, funerals had always been tough enough to deal with, especially one…until Delilah died Abby had thought nothing would compare with losing Gibbs. He'd been killed in the line of duty just after the twins first birthday. The loss had been devastating and for a time she couldn't even walk into the squadroom, the place seemed so empty without him, but over time she'd come to understand things better. Gibbs had gone the way he'd have wanted, saving two children from armed kidnappers; a grand old age and a quiet death in his sleep never seemed on the cards for Gibbs. Abby found comfort in knowing her Silver Fox had been reunited with Shannon and Kelly, but every day she'd continued to work at NCIS she wished he would walk into her lab, Caf-Pow in hand with a kiss on the cheek for a job well done.

She missed him, missed all those who had been lost, Kate had gone first, then Jennie, and Ziva…maybe she was lost to them even before the mortar fire had ripped into her body as she defended the country of her birth. She'd walked away from them, and after a few desultory emails and Skype conversations contact had ceased, Ziva had chosen Israel and seemed to feel the need to make a clean break. Her death had come as a shock, but in truth it was no surprise, she had lived her life surrounded by violence and the threat of a sudden end, when the call came that she'd been killed it had felt like the inevitable end to the life she had chosen.

"Abs...you okay?" Tim knew she wasn't, how could any of them be okay today?

"Just thinking…looking back…"

"Regrets?"

She shook her head vigorously, she knew he meant marriage and children, she never felt cut out for either. "Waste of time and energy, I have a good life, good friends…lots of honorary nephews and nieces, my charities keep me busy and I love spending time helping out."

"You have a big heart Abigail Sciuto, I'm glad you decided to share some of it with us. Did you see Ellie?

"She looks great, so chic, and the kids, they're adorable."

"True, Ellie and Jake make great parents." They did too; after working with the MCRT for five years Ellie had upped sticks when Jake was offered the job of his dreams at the International Criminal Court in the Hague, deciding the time had come to put her career on hold and concentrate on family. In the end it hadn't been Jimmy and Breena but Ellie and Jake who'd gone ahead and adopted children; two girls, orphaned when their parents died after taking contaminated cocaine. Their early upbringing had left Bridget and Maria with some real challenges, Ellie and Jake dealt with whatever was thrown at them and now the girls were happy and settled, a credit to them.

He glanced at his watch. "We should go, I'll get Ali and Marc, we'll meet you inside."

He walked slowly toward the casket where Tony's loved ones were standing, holding tight to each other. "Uncle Tim…" Alicia's cheeks were wet with fresh tears, he took a handkerchief from his pocket, handed it to her and put his arm round her shoulder, there was no need for words, they were family. He led her to the door, and with an incline of his head, invited Marcus to join them; by tacit consent leaving Zoe alone for a private farewell to her husband.

The service passed in a blur, familiar words, all too familiar emotions melding together to form a closure of sorts. A formal farewell to a man who had touched so many lives, Tim tried hard to maintain control, to keep the tears at bay; he wanted to do justice to Tony. Before he was ready, not that he'd ever be ready to say goodbye to Tony, the priest called him forward. He stood beside the large portrait photograph of Tony, taken two years ago at his seventieth birthday dinner, he looked so…Tony. His still athletic frame complemented by a smart tuxedo and bow-tie combo, the hair cut shorter than of old, more salt than pepper, his eyes sharp and intelligent as ever and his smile…Tim laid a gentle hand on the picture and sighed. "We're going to miss him." He turned to face the congregation. "Guess you all know that, he was one of a kind, a man who loved life, embraced the good and didn't let the bad make him bitter." Tim couldn't help thinking about Tony's dad at this point, he'd tried to be a better grandfather than he'd been a dad, but in truth domesticity and DiNozzo Senior were destined to remain strangers…Tony had feared he might repeat his father's mistakes, impossible, he was too warm, had too much empathy to ever treat his own children the way he'd been treated. At least by the time Senior died his finances were in order and there was a little left over to put aside for college funds. Tim gave himself a mental head slap, concentrate, don't screw this up Probie.

"Tony was one of the best agents NCIS ever had, a great dad, a loving husband, a warm, generous friend…that's not to say there were no cross words in his life, he was too passionate to let things go, when we started working together…let's just say things didn't always run smooth." There was a ripple of laughter around the church, they all knew Tony, and they'd all heard stories about the Probie days. Tim took a deep breath.

"When Gibbs was killed, Tony, he took on a load of guilt, no one but him thought there was blame to be had. He stayed with NCIS for a year; promised he wouldn't leave until I was ready to take over the MCRT, I tried to tell him I'd never be ready to work without him, but with Gibbs gone, his heart wasn't in it. His heart was with his family, with Zoe, and Alica and Marcus all he wanted was to take care of them." He turned to Zoe, hoping he wasn't letting her down, hoping she knew she'd been the perfect match for Tony, they laughed, loved, fought, shared everything good and bad, and were acknowledged by the twins' friends as the coolest parents around. "I know he told you every day how much he loved you all, and I know he gave thanks every day you were in his life. I want to thank you too, for making Tony whole, before you, there was always something missing…a family. His family saved me too. When I lost Delilah…I was in a bad place and he rescued me, made me see I still had something to live for, you all took me in, shared with me the love you have for each other…I remember…more years ago than I care to think, among all the McNicknames he gave me, there was one…I never forgot, McFrere he called me, brother…he meant it too, showed it by dragging me out of despair and helping me to live again." He swallowed hard, he was determined to be there for Zoe and the twins in future, the way they'd been there for him, he took a moment to compose himself and continued.

"There are no words to express the loss we share, he lit up our lives and without him the world is a little darker. I'll miss him every day of my life, but I'll give thanks every day too. Without Tony our lives would have been a lot poorer, he touched us all, made us feel better, and we are all fortunate because we have shared the joy of knowing the one and only, very, very special, Anthony DiNozzo."

THE END