Title: Movie Madness
Fandom: NCIS
Author: Alidiabin
Words: 1,521
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Warnings/ Spoilers: Spoilers up to 9x10 but mostly for 9x09.
Parings: None.
Summary: Tony watches a movie with Amira.
Movie Madness
Leyla found herself in a bind. It was a Saturday morning and she needed to take her mother to the doctor. She was certain Shada only had the flu but Shada had insisted on a doctor's visit. Leyla knew a doctors surgery was no place for Amira who picked up germs like Tony picked up women. Leyla considered calling her usual babysitters Ziva and Gibbs, but Ziva taught self-defence at the women's shelter on Saturday morning and Gibbs had babysat last time she asked. Leyla considered risking taking Amira on the bus and to the doctor's surgery. There was a knock at the door disturbing Leyla from her fretting.
Tony stood in front of Leyla's door. He had been cleaning out his apartment because Ziva had gotten Thanksgiving confused with Spring Cleaning and Abby was looking through his things because there was a pre-holiday season auction to raise money for the homeless shelter. He had given Abby some of his lesser watched DVD's and some of the books he had read. While he was cleaning out, he had found a couple of childrens DVD's. The DVD's included Up and Happy Feet. He had brought them at a DVD store which was selling old rentals,to introduce Ziva to children's cinema to teach her to lighten up, she had enjoyed them but they had never rewatched them. Now, they would hopefully find a home with Amira.
Leyla opened the door and found Tony DiNozzo a man she had met only a few times standing at her door holding two DVD's.
"Hi, Tony." Leyla said with uncertainty present in her voice.
"I found some DVD's Amira might like," Tony replied holding up his gifts.
"Oh, thank you," Leyla uttered as a smile crossed her face. She was touched by his kindness as the DVD's would be handy on the cold winter days when Amira could not go out to play. "When would you like them back by?"
"She can have them, I don't watch them." Tony responded. An idea crossed Leyla's mind.
"Tony, could you maybe," Leyla paused as she doubted her idea. Surely, she shouldn't leave Amira with someone she barely knew but then again Gibbs and Ziva trusted Tony explicitly and Leyla trusted them. "Maybe you could watch Amira for an hour maybe two?"
Tony stopped in his tracks. He was certain this was the big guy upstairs testing him. He revealed his fear of children to the Chaplin and walked into that day care, now he had to face a child by himself.
"It is just my mother needs to see a doctor and I do not want her going alone. I would take Amira but she seems to pick up germs." Leyla continued. "And Ziva and Gibbs are busy,"
Tony heard Leyla, he felt sorry for her. She was looking after a child and an aging mother. He was sure he could do it. It was just Amira. On the few occasions Tony had met Amira she had been a cute kid and not caused any problems. There had been no tantrums like he had seen the mall or when he channel flicked onto Supernanny. What was the worst that could happen? he thought.
"Sure," Tony finally replied.
A massive look of relief crossed Leyla's face as she heard Tony's reply. She led him into the lounge where Amira was eating with her grandmother. Shada looked a little bit pale and let out a deep cough. Shada said something to Leyla in what Tony assumed was Arabic. Tony felt awkward.
"Amira," Leyla called in an excited voice, "Look what Tony got you." Tony held up the DVD's.
"Balloons," Amira squealed pointing to the DVD case for Up.
"Yeah," Tony replied awkwardly. "Once your mom and grandma go, we can watch the movie."
"Yay," Amira shrieked. Leyla smiled from across as she held a cup of tea. She had been a little worried about leaving Amira with Tony but it seemed things would be just fine.
"Ok," Leyla said, "my numbers are on the fridge. The bus comes in ten minutes we need to go."
"Does she have like naptimes or anything?" Tony asked looking at the child who was now drawing.
"We will be back before then," Leyla answered. "There is fruit in the fridge if she gets hungry. If she wants crackers she can only have two. There are some chocolate biscuits in the back of the cupboard but those are for adults only."
"Ok," Tony responded slowly nodding his head as he tried to remember everything Leyla had told him.
Leyla hugged Amira and spoke to her in Arabic. The little girls lip quivered. Leyla spoke to her again and the child seemed to brighten up.
"Be good Amira and good luck Tony," Leyla said as she closed the door.
"Movie?" Amira questioned as she stood in front of Tony.
"Yeah," Tony said. "Do you wanna get a snack first?" Amira nodded with a smirk. Tony guessed Amira wanted more snacks that she got.
"Biscuits?" Amira asked. Tony remembered that she was not allowed the biscuits.
"No kid," Tony replied, "How about some fruit?"
Amira accepted her loss gracefully and followed Tony to the kitchen. She told Tony where to get the fruit and how she wanted the apple cut up. He grabbed the two crackers she had been allotted and decided to make a smiley face. The apple was the mouth and he took two cheerio's with little raisins in the middle to make eyes. Amira clapped her hands in approval.
"Ok kid," Tony said. "Eat up then we'll watch." Amira ate her snack quickly while Tony set up the DVD.
Amira came and sat next to him as the copyright warning played on the small television that sat in the corner of Leyla's lounge room. Amira sat still and watched. She asked Tony questions but he refused to answer not wanting to spoil it.
Leyla was tired and rather frazzled when she finally made it home at 1500 hours. Her mother as it turned out only had a mild case of the flu but had probably caught something worse in the doctors surgery during their hour and half wait. The bus home had been late and they had been forced to stand for the twenty minute journey because some parent on the bus had parked their stroller in the middle of the isle stranding the other passengers. She also had a headache as another parent had let their kid run wild on the bus screaming like a gremlin. She was thankful to make it home.
When Leyla opened the door of her house she heard the menu of Up playing on her small DVD, she noticed some mess in the kitchen and when she looked into the lounge and saw Tony asleep on the sofa and Amira laying with her head on Tony's shoulder. Suddenly, the bus ride and the long walks did not seem so bad.
"That boy will make a good father one day," Shada said as she began to clean up the mess. "He and the Jewish girl seem close."
"They're too stubborn," Leyla responded as she debated trying to wake Tony up or just letting him sleep. In the end Tony woke up without prompting.
"Um … hi," he said squinting. Leyla moved to the couch to pick up Amira who also woke up.
"Thank you Tony," Leyla said. "I owe you."
"It's all right, turns out me and Amira had some fun," Tony replied sincerely.
"Did you and Tony have fun?" Leyla asked Amira.
"Yes, he made smiley face crackers and we watched Up, it has balloons and flying. The house flies." Amira told her mother excitedly. Leyla ran her fingers through her daughter's thick hair. "Can Uncle Tony come next week? We have to watch Happy Feet,"
"I'm sure Tony has things to do," Leyla said. "Maybe we could watch it,"
"No," Amira said, "Me and Uncle Tony watch movies with smiley face crackers."
"I might not be able to do it next week but soon we will watch Happy Feet," Tony said.
He was determined not to let Amira down. He liked the sound of Uncle Tony and would like see Amira more often. He didn't want to be like his father and let the kid down.
"Yay," Amira said.
"Is that ok?" Tony asked Leyla.
"I think she'd like that and it would make shopping easier if she was with you." Leyla said.
"I think we can do that kid," Tony said standing up.
"Ok little one," Leyla said, "Say goodbye to Tony."
"Bye Tony," Amira said as she wrapped her hands around his legs. It didn't feel as scary as it had when the little kid at the day care had hugged him in the same way.
The following Sunday Tony turned up at Leyla's house to watch Happy Feet the week after he spent the afternoon of Black Friday watching the Finding Nemo which was one of the three new DVD's he got for half price. The movie sessions would be become a regular thing.
A/N: Confession: I don't like kids, I don't deal with kids on a regular basis. So writing Amira was hard. Also, my lovely beta is knee deep into her thesis. So sorry that is bound to be laden with bad grammar.