A/N: Three chapters of pure unadulterated Tiva and Tali fluff. You have been warned.

"Ima stop!"

You will thank me one day, she silently thought, rubbing sunscreen into her daughter's cheeks, despite the toddler's protests in various languages. She chided her in Hebrew, the little one scowling at the reprimand to stop touching at her face and leave the sunscreen alone. "You will thank me one day," she said out loud, eventually, as she often did. It was something her mother used to tell her when she complained. She always thought there was no way that would ever happen. Once she released her grip and fell back on her heels, she laughed, Tali taking off to the water, waving her inflatable swan raft above her head.

The waves were relatively light today, washing up onto the shore lazily, playing tag with the little girl who knew her limits and danced among them, screeching as the cool water splashed up onto her pink wetsuit. She had delicate baby skin that burned easily, so instead of the skull-printed little baby two-piece she'd begged to wear, a gift from Abby, she'd had to settle for the pink little wetsuit one-piece with matching floppy hat. It was printed in daisies, her favorite flower. She reached to hold her hat on her head and walked in the wet sand, stomping her feet down and watching them sink for a moment before giggling and doing it again with the other foot.

To be a child again, Ziva wondered, it must be quite an imaginative and big place. She leaned back on the towel, crossing her ankles and digging her feet in the sand, watching Tali play. She heard footsteps moving towards her and a shadow cast itself over the blanket she'd pulled out, anchored in place with Tali's various bags and beach toys. "Took you long enough, I'm starving," she said, reaching up to grab the bag her…well she wasn't sure what you called their relationship these days.

"I'll take that as a friendly toda."

She smiled and dove her hand into the bag, removing warm pita and falafel from the stand he'd obviously dropped by before coming down to the beach. "Toda," she mumbled through a large bite of bread.

He fell down beside her and pushed his sunglasses up higher on his nose. "It's hot today. Can't get used to this heat."

"It's a dry heat, it's not that bad." She knew he liked it here. There was something very soothing about her home country. She didn't realize how much she had missed it until she'd come back. They both sat in silence, occasionally going for the snacks he'd brought down with him. She nibbled on a piece of bread, watching Tali drop handfuls of wet sand in a pile, building a sandcastle.

"This is nice."

"You were complaining of the heat not five minutes ago."

"Well now I like it, the breeze off the sea, and the palm trees, and the sand and stuff. It's actually not bad. I could stay here." They were going back to Paris in a couple months. Paranoia got the better of her from time to time and she didn't want to stay here for very long, just in case. He glanced sideways at her and then poked her arm. "Hey. You're in another world."

How could she be somewhere else when she was sitting right beside him? She glanced sideways and then frowned at him. He was just so happy. Sitting there with his face up to the sky. Wearing a stupid Hawaiian shirt she told him a thousand times to stop wearing because it just screamed 'American.' It didn't look horrible on him, but she liked to tease him about it. He just wore it to spite her. Today it annoyed her. She couldn't put her finger on it right now. Just…annoyed. "I'm thinking. I want it quiet. Can we have quiet?"

He shrugged and passed her a bottle of water. "You want a drink? Hydrate? Might make you a little friendlier."

"Friendly?" Now she was pissed. She scowled at him and rolled her eyes, grabbing the water bottle. The food was laid out nicely between the two of them. Even had plates now. She narrowed her eyes at it. It was like a little picnic. Well that was…she sighed, irritated with herself. He was being nice and here she was just… "I am sorry, I just…are we ever going to discuss what our future is?"

There, I said it. That's what had been weighing on her. Tali had turned three a few months before. They lived together, they raised their daughter together, they…she glanced away, staring off down the beach. They slept together on a very consistent and satisfying basis. Most people would be content with this type of arrangement. Most people would crave a long-term partner in life, a father for their child, and the ability to spend their summers lying on the beach in Israel and their winters in Paris. They would love for someone to kiss them when they woke up in the morning and before they went to sleep at night. It was something to cherish and hang on to, but…but she was still unsatisfied.

It was not that they did not talk about their relationship, but…they really did not talk about their relationship. The first time she'd said she loved him, she'd almost blushed. It felt surreal. They had never done this before and they had a lot to get through. Trust and intimacy issues. The fact they had a child she'd never told him about. Her faking her death for the second time with him. They'd been together a year, they laughed and they loved, and they fought of course, but always made up in the end. They just didn't talk. Not about these things. Well she was done with that. She picked up a carrot from the container beside her hand and bit into it, thinking for a moment before she glanced at him. He was watching Tali while she zoned out. "We do not talk," she finally said.

"We're talking now."

"I am being serious Tony." She didn't know where she was going with this, but she was going somewhere. She turned her head towards him and gestured towards Tali. "We have a child together, we have lived together for the past year, and we sleep together. We love each other." The last part she said, just the slightest bit wondering. She loved him, yes. She knew he loved her, but…she didn't know what she was thinking right now. It was so confusing. She sighed hard, the breath escaping her with a slight pain. When he said nothing, she continued to talk, filling the empty space between them with frivolous words. Meaningless words. "We love each other and we have a child…she should know her parents are together and are serious about their future together because we need to talk about these things, I know we did not plan any of this like most people and…and…talking is not always our strong suit but Tony we must…"

Finally she turned to glare at him, as he had said nothing during this entire time. It was uncharacteristic of him. He was just eating. She gaped, her hand slamming down onto the blanket. "What are you doing? Stop eating and talk to me!"

"I was waiting for you to stop talking."

"Excuse me?" That took her aback. She squinted. He was up to something. He was just watching Tali play in the water and the sand, eating and generally looking as lazy as he always did. "Stop talking?"

"Well yes, because when you stop talking I was going to tell you to look in my bag."

The bag he'd brought with him was sitting by his elbow. She did as he said and rifled in it, pushing aside sunscreen, a clean change of clothes for Tali, and a spare towel. At the bottom she scraped against the fabric, her fingers closing around a small square object. With a thudding heart, she removed her hand and unclenched her fingers, revealing a small black ring box. Or at least, it had to be a ring box. With one look at him, he nodded, and she flicked it open, her breath catching in her throat. Oh my.

The ring was nestled in crushed black velvet, a beautiful diamond in a silver band, flanked with two smaller diamonds on either side. The band seemed to twist around them, holding the diamonds in place. It was old, she thought, lifting it up out of its enclosure. She twisted it in her fingers and the sunlight caught on the diamonds. She looked up at him, whispering. "You had this?"

He nodded. She swallowed hard. Wow. It didn't matter how long, but he had it. She lifted the diamond up to study it. It was 2.5 carats, easy. The color was…clearer than anything she'd seen, or it felt like that. It was square cut. She bit her lower lip and saw something on the band, tilting it up to peer at the underside. "To the love of my life," she murmured, reading it. "Your AD." She looked over at him, tears wavering in her eyes. "I am the love of your life?"

He nodded, whispering. "Yes. Except I didn't have that engraved. It was another Anthony DiNozzo."

Oh my God, she thought, her heart leaping into her throat. It was his mother's ring. She tried to swallow it back into her chest, but that was impossible. The tears trickled down her face and she smiled at him, still holding the ring tight in her fingers. It was a precious object, she thought, not to be lost. This was a great…a great honor, she thought, receiving it. She set it back in the box and then pushed it into his hands. "You…" she laughed, biting her lip again. "How did you get this?"

"Senior always had it. I thought it was gone. He gave it to me at Christmas, told me that if it wasn't on your finger by the following Christmas, he'd kill me and adopt you." He smirked. "I wanted it to be the right time. Now seems the right time." He shrugged, whispering, suddenly very unsure from his arroange a moment before. "You are going to say yes, right?"

Well...she smiled, twirling the ring around and then smiled slyly, looking up beneath the fringe of her dark hair that had fallen over her eyes. "You have not asked me anything."

It took him a moment to realize what she meant. The uncertainty went away immediately and he laughed, taking the ring back. "Well then…Ziva David…" he shrugged and held the ring up so she could see it again. He grinned. "Are you going to marry me or what?"

Well that was not how she dreamed of a proposal as a child, she thought, grinning. She was not a child though. This was the man she'd fallen in love with, against her better judgment, the man she had a child with, and who she planned to spend the rest of her life with. She laughed again and nodded, reaching for him. "Yes," she said, holding her shaking left hand out as he took it gently in his and slipped the ring onto her left hand.

The diamond sparkled there for a few moments. She stared at it. It was beautiful. It felt strange. Not…foreign or anything. It did not feel heavy or weighty. It was like it was meant to be there. Just a strange feeling to know that though. She looked up and smiled at him, reaching for him at the same time a small figure flung herself in their way, giggling hysterically and covered in sand and seawater. "Ima! Look!"

The little girl lurched forward and held out her hand, where she was holding a perfectly formed purple and gray clamshell. She grinned, proud of her discovery and expecting praise, which she received from them both, congratulating her on her new shell and admiring its colors, which she pointed out were 'burble' instead of 'purple.' "It is beautiful, neshema," she cooed, hugging Tali and not minding the sand and water getting over her. She grinned down at her daughter. "We will put it on your shelf in your room with your other seashells."

Tali sat up and looked at them both, clearly sensing something different. She grabbed for the bag, rummaging and asking for 'opicles.' "Popsicles are in the house, Tali Bear, we can go up later," he said, pulling their daughter into his lap. He poked her stomach and she squealed, looking up at him with adoring eyes. "Hey, do you want to be a flower girl?"

"Flow-ar?" Tali echoed. She looked up at them both with curious eyes, the concept unfamiliar to her. She returned to her shell, tossing it in her hands and smiling at it. Might be too soon to talk to her about that, she thought, but reached over to squeeze her daughter's little foot. Tali giggled and looked up at her. "Ima!"

That word never grows old, it never will, she thought, leaning in to brush her nose across her daughter's. "Ima and Abba are getting married," she whispered to her, still smiling. She looked up at him and he grinned down at her. "So? Who do we tell first?"

"Well Tali knows now."

That just left everyone else. She moved across the blanket, knocking aside things so she could lean against him, squeezing his hand and peering down at her ring finger. The diamond sparkled beautifully in the light. It was funny how much a simple thing like a ring could represent. They would still need to talk, but at least she knew where he stood on their future. She knocked her head back against his shoulder. "Do you realize this is the most romantic date I've ever been on?"

"Well it should, I mean you got a proposal out of it."

She smirked. "Yes. Picnic on the beach, a proposal, and my Tali." She squeezed Tali's little hand and kissed her cheek for good measure. She sighed, gazing back out over the azure blue of the Med. As one of the best days of her life, it was definitely up there, she thought, moving to get a large towel, wrapping up Tali, who moved against her and promptly dropped off to sleep. She stole another look at her ring and then out at the ocean, smiling and closing her eyes, drifting off.