Because I just could not resist the idea of Tony and Ziva's kids as teenagers. And I just could not resist the idea of them getting into trouble – I mean, it is in their DNA.
This is a sequel to Fairytale, which is a sequel to Intoxicated, which means it is a sequel to a sequel. I would read those two first. Otherwise this will not make much sense. I mean, you could probably work some of it out, but still, I think you should read it.
DiNozzos-In-Training
"Tahlia, get down from there! Ima is going to kill us!"
"Via, stop being such a wimp. Besides, Papà and Gibbs will not let her."
"I am not kidding. I don't want to be any part of this." The younger of the two girls turned away and ran a hand through her dark, untamed curls. Both girls looked like their mother, however Flavia had green eyes like her father.
"Aha!" Tahlia beamed as her hand hit what she was looking for. She was balanced on top of a chair, searching the top shelf of her parents' wardrobe.
"This is wrong. I cannot… They are both going to flip when they realise that school was cancelled and we did not tell them."
"Look, what is the harm? We are just being curious…so long as Caleb does not find out and you do not blab, we shall not be in any trouble."
"Caleb doesn't find out what?" The teenager lounged against the doorframe, grinning a hereditary grin.
"None of your business."
"No, no, you can't pull that one on me. If you're doing something that involves standing on a chair and fishing around in Ima and Papà's wardrobe, it's my business." He walked over and hooked a foot around one leg of the chair. "I could always just…pull my foot towards me. Of course, Ima always was so fond of this chair, and I do not suppose Papà will be pleased if he has to leave work to take you to hospital again."
"Argh! You are so…"
"Clever, smart, ruggedly handsome...?"
"Annoying!"
"Flavia, what do you think to our big sister – our role model's – suspicious behaviour? Do you think Gibbs would be proud? Or disappointed? How about Auntie Abby?" Caleb said, his back still turned to the youngest, and the best behaved, of the three DiNozzo children.
"I think that both of you are acting irresponsibly and like children."
"And you spend too much time with Uncle Probie!" Tahlia snapped.
"Yeah, Via, that really wasn't the support I was looking for. I thought we had something, y'know, a connection…" He turned and looked at his baby sister. "I knew it since you kicked me when Ima was still pregnant with you, the day Grandpa Gibbs came home and you were born."
"You do not even remember that day. You were one." Tahlia hopped down from the chair, the black fabric bundle clutched in her hand.
"How do you know? You can't see inside my head! You don't know what I remember and what I don't!" There was a sound downstairs as the front door opened and all three children's eyes widened. Tahlia climbed back up, stashing the knives back in their original hiding place, and jumping back down again. "They're home early!" Caleb hissed.
"It is lunchtime, maybe they just came home for lunch!" The eldest whispered back. All three children whirled to glare at the door as their parents laughed and there was a clattering, followed by more laughter and heavy footsteps on the stairs.
"Okay, I have seen enough movies to be able to guess what that sounded like." Caleb wrinkled his nose, squeaking when the door to the bedroom flew open. All three DiNozzos-in-training wore expressions of horror as Ziva slid slowly down from where Tony held her, keeping one leg wrapped around his waist as the other foot touched the floor. Her blouse was halfway unbuttoned, Tony's shirt fully undone. Both had ruffled hair and flushed cheeks.
"I think I'm gonna be sick!" Tahlia groaned.
"I need a shower. Now!" Caleb pushed past his parents and fled to the bathroom on the floor below.
"Does anyone have the number of a really good therapist?" Flavia said as loudly as she could.
"Why are you not at school?!" Ziva yelled.
"Because school was cancelled…?" Tahlia shrugged after finding her voice.
"Okay, so what are you doing in our bedroom?" Tony looked angry, something that his children didn't see very often.
"Uh…"
"Flavia Lauretta David-DiNozzo, why does your sister look so guilty?" Ziva's voice was deadly calm as she glared at their youngest child. The child which could not lie, whether by omission or by stating falsehoods.
"She was looking for your knives, Ima. The ones that we know you keep up there. She said she wanted to learn to throw them."
"Via!" Tahlia's jaw dropped at her sister's inability to keep a secret. "You are just like Auntie Abby."
"And that is a bad thing?"
"No, of course it's not. I just wish you knew how to keep your mouth shut when you need to."
"Girls!" Tony snapped. He didn't like being interrupted, particularly not when they were on a very short lunch break. All three women turned to stare at him. "We did not think you would be home."
"That is obvious." Tahlia muttered and bowed her head when everyone glared at her.
"Now, you are not forgiven for not telling us that you were going to be home, but I think in this instance we shall minimise the punishment to having to witness what you already have." Tony watched as his girls breathed a sigh of relief. "However, you are not forgiven for going through our wardrobe. As such the three of you will not be joining us for morning runs for the rest of this week."
"Oh! Papà! That's not fair!"
"You need to learn."
"But…" She paused and a wicked smile spread across her face. "What if we just happened to let it slip in passing what we caught you two doing on your lunch break when everyone comes round for dinner tonight?"
"No!" Both Tony and Ziva yelled in unison and the teenagers grinned, high-fiving. Tony sighed. "Fine. No punishment, but this is a warning. Tell us next time you are home from school during the day, and do not go through our stuff." He walked out of the room, groaning and whimpering as he slouched off down the stairs.
"Nicely played." Ziva smiled at her two daughters. "But next time you are going through somebody's things without their permission, use gloves and be certain that you will not be disturbed. You may also want a better alibi. Oh, and Tahlia?"
"Yeah?"
"Next time, ask Caleb to be your backup, not Flavia." She winked before jogging out of the and down the stairs to join her husband, leaving two dumbstruck teenagers in her wake.
"Is it just me, or are our parents really confusing?"
For my reference: 22nd NCIS fic.