A/N: Thanks for bearing with me guys! My family is trying to figure out how to handle that holidays separated instead of all together, so that's happening. So, the last chapter was kinda short and this one is longer to make up for it. I hope everyone has had a happy Easter! Here's the story!
Ziva at down at a table in a cafe for lunch. She looked around, hoping no-one from work was here. She knew that if someone saw, she would be in a lot of trouble. Ziva was broken out of her thoughts when she heard a familiar voice.
"Hey Sweetcheeks."
Ziva stood up and smiled. "Hi Tony." They hugged and both of them sat down for lunch. She watched him as he looked through the menu. "So, what have you been doing today?"
Tony smirked and shrugged. "Not much." He paused while the waitress came up and took their orders. "Senior called this morning asking if we could meet up today to handle some 'business'." He added, putting finger quotes around 'business'.
Ziva gave a slow nod. "So what was the meeting about?" She knew that Tony wanted nothing more than to have his relationship with his dad fixed and always had so much hope for every time the two men got together. She also knew that deep down, Senior wanted to change, but he didn't know how to exactly.
Tony shrugged. "I thought he wanted money again, but he just wanted talk." He gave Ziva on of his signature smiles before continuing. "I actually asked him if he was dying and he told me that he just wanted to try to catch up and 'be more involved in my life'. I don't understand why he wants to start now, but it's better than always fighting over money."
Ziva smiled at how relaxed Tony looked, and even though he tried to downplay it, she could tell just talking with his dad made Tony happy. She nodded. "I'm glad."
Their food came and silence followed for a few minutes while they ate. Tony wiped his mouth and pushed his plate away first.
"That was really good. We should come here more often Sweetcheeks." He smirked.
Ziva smiled at him. "Yes, the food here is very good. Maybe we can come for dinner sometime."
Tony nodded. "Sure, but tonight we are gonna have dinner at home."
Ziva raised an eyebrow and gave him a questioning glance. "Which one?"
He shrugged, smirking. "I'll let you know." He leaned over the table to get closer to her. "Maybe neither, we can do whatever we want."
Ziva snorted and leaned back. "Come over tonight for supper and a movie afterwards."
She stood up and paid for her part of the meal. Tony stood up with her and quickly wrapped her in his arms. He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss before giving her a hug. "See ya tonight, Sweetcheeks." He whispered in her ear.
Ziva hugged him back, smiling at his nickname for her. She pushed him away finally and smiled at him. "See you tonight Tony."
They walked out together, but as soon as the left the cafe they separated and left in two different directions.
After lunch the three agents sat at their desks once again to work on the paperwork they all dread. The rest of the day was uneventful and full of boring paperwork. The team was finally packing up when Abby came into the bullpen with the twins following her.
"Gibbs! Gibbs!" She ran over before he could leave.
He turned around and waited for her. "Yeah Abs?"
"What are we going to do with Matthew and Andrea? Tony isn't here today, so he can't take the. Home and it wouldn't be fair for us to spring this in him at his doorstep. So who is gonna take them home tonight?" She rushed, not breathing until she stopped talking.
Gibbs looked around at the two agents and forensic scientist in front of him. He thought for a second and smirked. "They'll come with me tonight." He said.
At that, both Abby and the twins brightened when Gibbs said that. Matthew and Andrea grabbed their backs that were sitting next to Gibbs' desk and they followed the older man over to the elevator.
Ziva and McGee waited until everyone had left for the night before turning to the plasma screen. McGee brought up two pictures he found during the day.
"Okay, here is Tony's picture." McGee said while he pulled up a picture taken from a crime scene.
Ziva looked at the picture and have a slight smile. She remembers taking the picture. It was right after they started dating and she said something that made him laugh. The picture captured the wide smile that rarely met his green eyes and she could see how relaxed he wa at that moment, even if they had been at a crime scene.
"And here is a family picture that Andrea had shown me." His words brought Ziva out of her thoughts and saw a second picture come up onto the plasma.
This picture looked to be at least two years old, since the family of three looked relaxed and happy at the moment while they posed for the picture at what looked like a backyard barbecue in the summertime.
The two agents walked over and studied the two pictures side by side. McGee broke their silence with an obvious observation. "Andrea looks exactly like her mom."
Ziva nodded in agreement. "She does. And Matt has Tony's eyes and facial expressions." She commented.
McGee looked closer and chuckled. "Yep. There is no doubt that Tony's their dad. Matt's a spittin image of him, down to the smirk on his face." He turned back to his desk and looked up at Ziva. "Do you want me to leave these up?" He asked.
Ziva checked her phone for any text message before shaking her head. "No, I need to get home as well."
McGee nodded and closed the pictures and grabbed his bag. "Night Ziva." He called, walking to the elevator.
"Goodnight Tim." She called before she grabbed her own bag, walking over to the elevator, but she decided to take the stairs. She wanted to get home and relax, and not to think about what was going to happen when Tony shows up for work tomorrow.
Gibbs turned the car off and helped Matthew and Andrea carry their stuff inside. They didn't have a lot with them, so he guided them into the living room. The twins put the stuff on the couch and watched as Gibbs grabbed some water. He sat down with them on the couch, watching as they drank the water.
"You guys hungry?" He asked. He hadn't had any kids stay with him for years, and felt a little awkward about what two 9 year-olds would like.
Matt shrugged and leaned back against the couch, deciding to stay silent. Andrea gave him a soft glare before turning to Gibbs. "Yes, we're both a bit hungry." She answered for them both.
Gibbs chuckled at their behavior and nodded. "Okay. How about some steaks? I cook 'em in the fire over there." He said, pointing to his fireplace.
Andrea nodded. "Sure. Maybe you could teach us how to cook them too."
Gibbs smirked. "Alright. First, let's bring you bags upstairs into the bedrooms." He took both of their bags and walked upstairs, motioning for them to follow. He took then to his guest bedroom first. "Andrea, you can have this bedroom." He said, setting both bags on the bed. He turned to Matt, who was silently following the older man wherever he went. "Matt, you can have my bedroom after I move some things around." He said, heading back downstairs. "But first we'll eat."
The twins followed him back down to the living room and watched as the older man cooked three steaks over the small fire in his fireplace. Gibbs could feel their eyes on him when his back was to them, but didn't really know what to do. Yeah, he knew them when they were little and he had casually kept tabs on them for a few years, but after he 'retired' he forgot about the family of three until today. He didn't know what interested the two kids, how they were feeling about everything, or if they even wanted to meet their dad. Gibbs sighed and shook his head at his thoughts while he took the cooked steaks off and onto some plates.
Without being told, the kids silently sat down at the kitchen table and began to eat. Gibbs watched them for a moment before eating himself. They sat in silence except for the sound of their silverware on their plates. Gibbs pushed his plate away first and looked up at the two kids still eating. He sighed and got their attention. "So...Matt, Andrea, I know that this is terrible and what you're going through is unimaginable, but are you guys interested in meeting your dad?" He asked.
Matt looked down at his plate, refusing to answer. Gibbs couldn't read his expression entirely, but he caught a flash of what he took as anger and resentment in the young boy's eyes. Andrea shrugged while she took her last bite of food. After she swallowed, he looked up at Gibbs.
"I don't like that Mom's gone, but she isn't in pain anymore so that helps. I'm interested in meeting our Dad. Mom always said that he was a hero and would save people from the bad guys." She explained, sounding as innocent as the nine year-old she was.
Gibbs chuckled and nodded his head. "Yep, Tony is definitely a hero, but you won't ever hear him say it himself."
Andrea gave him a confused look. "Why?"
He shrugged. "He doesn't like bringing that kind of attention to himself. He does what he does and to simply save people is his reward. He doesn't want fame, just wants to know that he is helping people." Gibbs explained.
At his comment, Matt snorted and shook his head, but still refused to look up at the other two. Both Gibbs and Andrea turned to him and Gibbs raised an eyebrow.
"Do you want to add something, Matt?" He asked.
Matt looked up a bit and shook his head. "No sir, just thought of something funny. That's all."
Gibbs nodded his head slowly, his expression showing that he didn't believe the boy. "Okay, well if you want to join in, you're more than welcome too." He said before turning back to Andrea. "But he is a hero and once you gain his trust, he'll do anything for you."
Andrea nodded, and looked down at her lap. Gibbs heard her give an almost silent sniffle before she looked back up at him. He saw her eyes moistened with tears and she took a deep. He placed a hand on her shoulder and waited.
"G-Gibbs? What if...what if he doesn't like us? What if he doesn't want us? Where will we go?" She asked, her voice cracking slightly.
Gibbs got up and walked over to her. He kneeled down in front of her and opened his arms, engulfing her in a hug. He was silent while she cried into his shoulder. Gibbs understood where her fears were coming from, and just let her get her emotions out. After Andrea stopped crying, he let go of her and placed his hands on her shoulders, staring into her moist eyes.
"Andrea, I want you to look at me, and remember what I am about to tell you." He paused while the little girl nodded, sniffling. He smiled. "Good. I want you to remember that Tony will always love you guys. Once he meets you, he'll do whatever is necessary to keep you two around. And I want you to remember that no matter what, my door is always open for you. Whenever you need something, or nothing at all, I'm here for you. I made a promise to your mom, and I don't plan to start breaking my promises now. I will always be there for you two, and so will Tony, and so will everyone else on our team. You got that?" He asked, waiting for her digest everything she was told.
Andrea sniffled and nodded. "I-I think so." She mumbled before reaching out for Gibbs again.
He pulled the young girl in for another hug and took the chance to look over at her brother. Through their whole conversation, Matt just sat at the kitchen table, slowly eating his steak, pretending not to be aware of what was going on around him. Gibbs sighed, knowing that when dealing with Matt, it won't be as easy as with his sister,
After everything was cleaned up, Gibbs brought the twins down to his basement and showed them all of his woodworking equipment. He gave them small, simple projects to work on and he headed upstairs to get his room ready for Matt to sleep in. Once that was ready, he returned to the basement to find Andrea fighting sleep while Matt worked with an intensity and focus Gibbs hasn't seen from the boy before. He smiled and lead them upstairs to the second floor for bed.
Once they were situated and 'Goodnights' were said, Gibbs stood in the hallway, watching both rooms. He couldn't help but smile when he saw peace and innocence on their faces. That look was something he has really seen on them, considering everything they have gone through in only 9 short years. He smiled when he thought how lucky DiNozzo was to have a chance at a family. He chuckled when he thought about how he would also be a big part of the towns' loves a surrogate grandfather, considering he was a surrogate father to DiNozzo.
Gibbs checked each room one more time before heading downstairs to the couch. He laid down and closed his eyes, letting his mind drift off to sleep with those pleasant thoughts running through his mind.
A/N: Remember to review! Have a great day!