Angel. Tony hadn't realized there were so many meanings to that word until she was gone. And once she was gone there was only one meaning that mattered. A woman in a white robe with wings and a halo who sits on heaven's clouds and watches over the good people of the world, God's wonderful creations, His children. She sits on top of Christmas trees, her beauty shining brightly above the twinkling lights. Until one night, she fell and a friendship was shattered.
Kate Todd and Anthony DiNozzo were partners and friends for life, and that Christmas after her body was laid under the rich soil he recreated her beauty into an exquisite doll, the angel.
It was a cold morning and Tony felt it as he shivered in his heavy coat. Three months had passed since he placed his flower on her coffin. It was now December eleventh and Tony felt like Ebenezer Scrooge the penny pincher miser of Christmas Spirit. Little did he know that he would soon be experiencing a Christmas carol of his own.
The wind howled and the snow stung the special agent's face as he wrestled with the snow that had blanketed his car. To his annoyance when he finally found the door handle and climbed in, it wouldn't start. After a few wheezing noises the engine roared and Tony smiled with relief.
His path to work, however, was blocked by a fallen tree that hadn't been able to handle the snow. Frustrated he turned off to a side road only to find it led to a free-standing building. It was an antiques shop that was holding a special. A bright red sign hung in the window and in florescent green was written "Handmade Angels:
"Angels huh, too bad I have no angel," Tony said to himself, sighing miserably. Sighing he stuck a hand in his coat pocket for a mint and touched a piece of paper and took it out.
"What in the world, oh it's only you Kate, must have fallen out of the album, god I miss you" Tony said to the little picture.
"Kate, you always were following me around" he then said and chuckled as though there was someone else enjoying his little joke. With another look at the sign he had an idea. "I'm not sure what memories this will create, since you aren't around Kate but maybe it will help somehow" he said and it was settled.
He walked into the store, a small ding of a bell announcing his arrival. A chubby, short man with a twirled moustache came out of a back room and smiled at him.
"Why good morning young fellow how may I help you" he said pleasantly and Tony gave him a small smile.
"Good morning, I saw your sign and I'd like an angel," he said. The man smiled.
"Wonderful, Angels truly bring out the best of Christmas don't they?" the man asked and Tony nodded. "You know I started this a long time ago when I was a young boy, I was carving this angel and my when my mother saw it, she cried, I've been making angels since" The old man carried on as though Tony were a statue.
"That's great sir, look I'm really busy can you make out my bill and I'll come back for her later" Tony said and the man turned and frowned.
"Of course" he said politely and gently took the photo from Tony's hand. "She is beautiful, though to me all men and women are, the lord is a wonderful man just like his son for whom we praise Christmas Eve" the man said with a smile and Tony chuckled.
"I know the story, listen I really have to go" Tony said his patience running thin, the man was another good Santa but Tony just wasn't in the mood did no one understand?
"Right, but first what shall I inscribe on the angels locket, she needs a name" he said and Tony sighed.
"Kate, I'll be back later for her"
"I'll be waiting, what is your name son?" The man asked as Tony turned and touched the doorknob.
"It's Tony" Tony responded and opened the door but paused. "Happy holidays …."
"Tom, have a good day Tony, may the lord bless you" Tom said and Tony smiled slightly.
"You too Tom" he said and left the door and the bell chimed once more.
Even with Tom's warm smiles and cheery good heart Tony still felt sullen and depressed. He soon forgot about the store and its warmness as yet another day of murder arrived.
Ten minutes later he entered the building when a thought occurred. There was an award ceremony taking place and Gibbs would be getting another award that he would have to accept.
"Great just what I need now, Jen is so not going to be happy about this" he muttered and went off to the room where he found the team.
"There he is Abs, now will you get your nails out of my arm" Tony heard the youngest agent Tim McGee complain and he chuckled.
"Hey sweetie, I was so worried about you, doing okay?" Abby asked when he sat in between her and Ziva. Tony nodded but Abby could tell he wasn't, if she was anyone else he would have told them to mind their own business, but as Abby hugged his arm and rested her head on his shoulder he could only sigh and breathe in the nice smell of her jet black hair tied in pigtails.
Jenny soon called out Gibbs name and Tony eased Abby off and walked up and gave Jen his best apologetic smile.
"Good evening" he began but no one was interested in the DiNozzo speech, they wanted LJ Gibbs the man of the hour and it only made Tony feel like he had been shot in the chest.
As though being ignored hurt enough, the tightness in his chest went worst as he got into the squad room and corrected another idiom for Ziva. Her glare made him chuckle and suddenly he couldn't breathe. He liked Ziva, he knew that but he couldn't like her that much, it wasn't possible.
He had never told anyone his feelings, it didn't seem manly. McGee saw him as a playboy who adored movies. Abby, well she was hard to read but Tony knew she was suspicious and Kate gossiped to her but would she admit she liked him too?
He had liked Kate, no he loved her, it was the whole kit caboodle, the teases, jealousy, even trespassing into her stuff just to find out who she was with, it was total love and it was gone.
It was a week later, Christmas Eve that Tony returned to the shop due to a three car pile up. He smiled as he saw the same shop that now had its windows painted with kids building a snowman, Santa coming down the chimney and so many great memories.
Tom displayed Jesus and the wise men in front and he took in a deep breath of the cold winter fresh air and walked in with the same bell ringing his arrival. Tom came out from the back and Tony was happy this time to see him smile.
"Merry Christmas Tom, I guess I got sidetracked, is Kate ready for me?" he asked with a wonderful young boyish smile that pleased Tom's soul.
"Of course, she was an angel the whole time, get it, the picture was an angel for me" tom said as he disappeared in the back again.
He laughed as Tom returned with a brown box. "Kate always was a good girl Tom" he said but his mouth stayed open though as the eight inch delicate angel was taken out and Caitlyn Todd was reunited with him once more.
"Oh my god" was all he could stutter and Tom chuckled.
"Beautiful isn't she Tony?" he asked and Tony nodded unable to speak, his eyes firmly glued to the doll.
"How come you let her go?" Tom asked and Tony looked at him and his eyes filled with tears.
"Oh I apologize, it's not my place" Tom said quickly but Tony shook his head, this was what he was searching for, a person who was kind and would listen but not preach about his life.
"She was shot by a terrorist, we worked together under NCIS, Naval Criminal Investigative Service and were after the man that ended up killing her" Tony said and Tom gave him a compassionate smile.
"God will care for her Tony, she has no fear now, I will pray for her tonight and for the man who killed her, I assume you brought him down" he said.
"Yeah the bastard is dead thank goodness" Tony's voice was ice and Tom gave him a displeasing look.
"Do not be so cold to him Tony, I'm sure the man had his problems too as everyone else, there is no hope for man if we do not learn to forgive man" Tom said and Tony looked at him with respect in his green eyes.
"I should introduce you to McGee; he's a writer, a good one I admit"
"I'd like that, I don't write or read much but he sounds like a good person if he is a friend of someone as kind as you are Tony"
"Right, anyway you did a great job on Kate, she looks just like I remembered her" Tony said looking at the angel again.
"I take great pride in my work Tony, I often have to stare at the angels photo to see who they are like but Kate, her eyes glisten when she smiles at a joke or if she's teasing a friend, she has a wonderful personality and is friendly but when faced with a decision can get serious and get the job done, am I correct?" Tom asked as he took the doll and played with her hair.
Tony smiled "She's all that Tom and yet so much more" he said and felt the silky midnight blue dress, her soft feathery wings and halo and then her glass face with the sparkling green eyes, she was perfect for any tree.
It was getting late Tony realized and Tom took the thirty dollars from Tony hands and the doll was placed into a bag. Before he left Tony turned and gave the old man a hug and to Tom's surprise when Tony let go and left there was a twenty in his shirt pocket.
Tony went back down the now deserted road and into his house. He took out the angel and looked at his tree and all its pretty ornaments when a knock interrupted his thoughts.
"Ziva, what are you doing here?" he asked as he opened the door to find the slightly shivering Israeli who was carrying a large pot and a tray with a cover over it.
"I was making dinner and I realized I made enough for two, do you mind if we share Tony?" Ziva asked and Tony shook his head.
"Not at all Ms David, though I must wonder is this an accidental overdose of food preparation or is the little Mossad officer lonely?" Tony asked with a wry smile and Ziva gave him a teasing smile.
"Hey I'm offering you free dinner and you're fussing" she said and Tony threw his hands up in mock defeat.
"All right no needs to go kung fu on me with your crazy ninja skills" Tony said teasingly and Ziva thrust the food in his arms and turned him to the kitchen.
"Just go heat the food like a good little boy DiNozzo"
"Whatever you say Ms David"
Tony put the pot down on the stove and lifted the cover only to see emptiness. "Is this my punishment mommy because I am really hungry" Tony said and Ziva laughed.
"We have to make it silly, its called stew, now all you have to do is peel the potatoes and carrots I brought without hurting yourself" Ziva said
Tony gave her a wry look and snatched up the food, a bowl and peeler and cockily strolled to the table and a few minutes later had six perfectly peeled potatoes and carrots.
"I'm impressed; you learned how to cook while you had sex?" She asked and Tony stuck his tongue out.
"So adorable, now we add spices right, oregano, garlic, pepper stuff like that?"
"yeah, I cooked the pork and cut up the mushrooms so now we toss in the spice add all our ingredients and let it cook for forty-five minute"
"All right and while that is going we can watch the Bourne ultimatum, he's not as great as bond but the man does kick ass" Tony said and hurried off to find his DVD.
Ziva rolled her eyes at Tony's childishness but walked over and sat next to him on the couch. Tony put an arm around her and Ziva leaned against him and closed her eyes. Tony looked down at the officer and grabbed a blanket that was resting behind them and covered them both.
He sighed as the movie came on and soon was lost in the action as Ziva snored on his shoulder. A timer made him jump and Ziva woke.
"Oh the stew is done, I'm sorry Tony I guess I fell asleep" Ziva apologized and Tony took her hand.
"Forget it Ziva, I'm glad you're here though, you made me feel better than I had in a week" Tony admitted and Ziva smiled.
"Good, you were beginning to annoy me, now let's eat my hairy butt"
Tony turned off the stove and using pot holders gently walked the steaming pot to the table and ladled out big bowlfuls of the wonderful smelling food and then poured out two glasses of wine.
"To wonderful friends and family we are blessed to have" Tony toasted and Ziva nodded and clinked his glass.
"Most of all may we always be happy Tony" she said and picked up her spoon and blew on the hot liquid before sipping it and smiling happily.
It was a half hour later that Ziva was taking out a tray of homemade cookies they decided to make from scratch. They had laughed as they covered themselves in flour right after. The kitchen floor was a mess but at that point Tony didn't care.
Just then as she closed the over door the doorbell rang. Tony shook his head and patted out the flour as music was then heard and voices were singing
"Silent Night, Holy Night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace"
"'McGee, what are you all doing here?" Tony asked as four smiling faces ended their song
"It's Christmas Tony, Abby, Sarah, Jimmy and I want to spend it with you, is Ziva with you?" Tim asked and Ziva came to the door.
"Happy Holidays Ziva" Tim greeted her and she nodded. "You too Tim, what's going on?"
"Were carolers Ziva, were going around singing traditional songs and you two should come" Abby said happily and after a few minutes of begging the two closed the door and the four walked in the snow sadly.
It was a minute later though that Tim felt a snowball on his coat and turned to be smacked in the face with another.
"You guys can't wait even two minutes, how cruel" Tony said holding another ball.
Abby gave him a wry look and picked up some snow and Tony ducked, the ball hit Ziva and knocked off her cap.
"Oh you're dead Abby" Ziva exclaimed and Abby screamed and a snowball war began.
It went on for an hour and then none wanted to sing anymore, they were too busy shivering so they said goodbye and Tim took Abby's hand while Sarah grabbed Palmers arm and the two couples disappeared after walking back to Tony's place.
"You guys I have towels and fresh cookies you know?" Tony said suddenly in a giving mood but Tim had other plans.
"So does Abby DiNozzo, I think we left them in her coffin right?" he asked with a teasing smile and Abby grinned.
"Sweet, see ya Tony, bye Ziva merry Christmas" Abby yelled and ran dragging Tim with her and Ziva chuckled.
"So why don't we watch another movie and enjoy the cookies?" Ziva asked and Tony nodded grateful she would stay longer.
They went under the door and Tony remembers the mistletoe he hung there and paused afraid to ask. Ziva noticed his pause and looked at the plant.
"That's the big kissing plant Ducky was going on and on about?" she asked and Tony nodded trying to hide his anxious look and Ziva shrugged and put her arms around him and kissed his lips.
Then she took his hand and walked in and first mopped the floor up as he cleaned the counters. Then she served the cookies and they sat back to watch the pirate movie Tony chose.
It was two hours later when the film ended Ziva left and kissed Tony's lips once more under the mistletoe.
"Good night Tony" she said and he waved and walked in to see the box still sitting on the floor and he suddenly remembers Kate's angel.
He placed her top of his tree and stared at it a few minutes. "Thank you Kate, I don't know how you did it but I know it was you that took me to Tom and gave me my happiness back" he said and stroked the angels hair once more before turning out the light and heading for bed.
The End
I hope you all enjoyed the better written tale and have a wonderful holiday whatever you may celebrate.
"So not bad for a Mossad officer Anthony?"ﾝ She asked teasingly and he blushed a little. For the highlighted part, use whatever terms you have Tony call her earlier.