'All That Matters'
Anthony DiNozzo Senior sat quietly in a coffee shop people watching, with him was a little girl who had entered his life just 2 months. Her name was Tali and she was currently fast asleep in her pushchair. He had been rocked to the core, when his son had told him that he was a 'Grandpa'. He had almost given up hope of being given the blessing of a grandchild (but this was something he had actually kept to himself), to dote upon, yet here she was and she already had him wrapped around her little finger and he wouldn't change it for the world, this was especially true when she smiled at him. A smile so like her mother's. Ziva he thought with a hitched breath, taken so soon from this earth. He had loved that girl dearly and he so wished that she and Tony could have made it work, he always knew that they cared deeply for each other, ha who was he kidding, he knew Tony loved her, was still in love with her. However when he broached the subject in the past Tony would brush it off through some deflective sarcastic comment that he was just so good at. It had taken the unexpected passing of Ziva and the surprise arrival of Tali that he finally acknowledged it to him.
So caught up in his thought he hadn't heard or seen the waitress approach until she asked
"More coffee sir..?"
Ordinarily, he would have picked up on the fact that she was attractive and flirted with her, but so caught up in his thoughts about Tony and Ziva, he simply said "Yes please" and handed her his cup. She handed it back and said
"And what would you like young lady?"
Senior looked over to see who she was talking to and realised that Tali must have woken up from her nap. He got up when she started to cry and said soothingly
"It's OK sweetheart, Grandpas here."
He took her out of her pushchair and held her close, whilst running his hand up and down her back to calm her. Her tears subsided, he sat back down. The waitress asked again if she would like some juice. Becoming shy she dropped her head onto Senior's shoulder and looked at the woman through her long eyelashes but said nothing. Senior looked at Tali and asked
"Would you like some juice Tali?"
The little girl shook her head and whispered "want Abba".
"I know you do kiddo, daddy will be here soon"
The waitress smiled and said "I'll tell you what why don't I bring some over, just in case..."
"Thanks"
"No problem"
Senior turned his attention back to Tali reaching over to her pushchair to get her beloved Kelev, which she gladly took and cuddled tightly. The waitress came back "Here you go sweetheart".
"What do you say Tali"
"T-you"
"You're welcome"
The waitress smiled at the grandfather/granddaughter interaction, senior smiled back when he looked up. She exclaimed
"She's adorable and so well behaved"
"Thank you. She is, but she is just getting over a cold, so she is much quieter than usually. She certainly keeps her daddy on his toes.
"I bet she does and what about mommy?"
Senior coughed and replied with a slight gravelly voice
"Er... actually, we lost her other 2 months ago"
"Oh. I'm so sorry"
"It's not your fault, you weren't to know"
"Still I am sorry"
He smiled his thanks at her. Just then Tali sat up and struggled to get off his knee.
"Tali, what is it? What's the matter?"
She smiled and pointed as though it was obvious "Abba".
"I think she has spotted somebody" remarked the waitress.
Senior looked at where Tali was looking and slowly and carefully helped her down so she could run to her father. Tony upon seeing his little girl (and light of his life) stopped walking and crouched down and threw his arms open so Tali could run into them.
"There's my girl" he said with a big smile, as Tali peppered his face with wet kisses.
A few of the other occupants in the coffee shop (women in particular) looked over and smiled at the beautiful scene in front of them. Tony carried Tali over to his own father and sat down.
"Hey dad."
"Hey junior. Junior, this is... I'm sorry I don't know your name"
"Catherine"
"Catherine, nice to meet you. I'm Anthony, this is my son Tony and this little munchkin is Tali".
"Hi. Nice to meet you." Catherine said taking in and appreciating Tony's good looks.
Senior noticed this, but said nothing.
"Hey" replied Tony quickly.
His attention was 100% focussed on his daughter who was babbling away to him about she and grandpa had done today. He English was getting better each day.
"Would you like a drink some coffee son"
"Yes thanks. Has Tali had a drink?" he queried.
"She has some apple juice. Here you go sweetheart"
Tali took the carton and drank the whole contents. Senior smiled
"Stubborn little miss wouldn't touch it before"
Catherine came back with Tony's coffee.
"It's nice to see that she has perked up a bit. I think all she needed was a hug from her daddy and I don't blame her"
She smiled apologetically and bustled off to another customer. Tony blushed, there would have been a time when he wouldn't have minded and would have said something back, but since Tali had arrived in his life he had all the female attention he needed embodied in his beautiful daughter and he was quite content with that. Tali seemed to be too as she had drifted off to sleep again on his knee.
"I think she likes you" Senior chuckled
"Don't"
"Son, it's been 2 months, Tali has settled nicely. It would have been what Ziva wanted for you. For you both..."
"Well we don't know if that is what she would have wanted now will we" Tony said bitterly.
"I have to know dad. Like you said Tali is settled now and I only agreed to wait until she was settled before I went looking for answers."
Senior went to retaliate, but deep down he knew that his son was right and deep down he agreed with his son wholeheartedly. After all Ziva was special to him too, more so now that she had given him Tali.
"So, when do we go to Israel and Paris?"
"We..?
"Yeah you don't think that I am not going to sit back and not help.
"Dad, thank you but you don't have to.
Senior waved his hands as if to say think nothing of it. Tony sighed in defeat and for the first time he truly appreciated the fact the Anthony DiNozzo Senior was his father. He knew that he had the love of his family to help him with his 'quest' to get Ziva no matter how long it took and that was all that matters.