Oof, I know I haven't updated in a while, but I'm finally on break from college. Plus, I have rewritten parts of this chapter a gazillion times trying to get it right. Hopefully what I have here works out the way I want in the end.

Enough chit chat, enjoy the chapter!

The hours that Abba was gone were filled with lots of crazy shenanigans with Grandpa. It started when Tali stuck a bow from her bag in his thin white hair, and proceeded to run away giggling. Grandpa then decided it would be a good idea to try to do her hair, but it ended up looking more like a bird's nest than a braid like it was supposed to. After that, Tali found one of Abba's t-shirts in his hamper, a grey one with red letters on it. Her first attempt at putting it on wasn't the greatest… it ended with her head stuck through one of the arm holes, and somehow her leg through the other. Luckily Grandpa was there to straighten it out. The bottom of the shirt reached all the way to the floor, but Tali thought she kind of looked like an angel wearing a robe, so the flapped her little arms all over the living room like they were wings.

The longer Abba was gone, however, the less Tali felt like playing around. Grandpa seemed to sense this, because after a while he flicked on the TV and they settled down to watch a movie. Tali nuzzled into his side as they sat in a comfortable silence. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.

She woke to the sound of the doorknob turning. Abba was home! Tali sat up straight and waited impatiently for Abba to appear. The door swung open to reveal a very tired Abba. His eyes brightened a little upon seeing Tali, but the dark circles under his eyes weren't hard to miss.

"ABBA!" Tali shouted, springing off the couch and running to him.

Abba immediately dropped his bags to the floor and sunk down to his knees, scooping Tali into his arms. Tali hugged him tight. She was so glad that he was home.

Abba had his head buried in Tali's (even messier than usual) curls, and Tali could hear him sniff every so often. He was shaking. Grandpa was still sitting silently on the couch.

Tali wanted to say something, but all the chaos from the last few days made it hard for her to think, much less speak English. After what felt like minutes of standing there with Abba in the entryway, she managed a single word. "Okay?" she asked.

Abba let out a relieved chuckle, pulling back slightly but keeping Tali close to him. "Yeah, Tali, I'm okay. Everything is okay now."

"So you got him?" Grandpa asked, though Tali didn't know who they were talking about.

Abba nodded and ran a hand through Tali's hair in an attempt to smooth it out. Now that he had a moment to take in his surroundings, he acknowledged the t-shirt Tali was wearing with a slightly amused, slightly sad smile.

"How do you feel?" Grandpa asked.

Abba stood, his hand still firmly grasping Tali's. Tali was grateful for that. She did not want to leave his side any time soon. "I don't know," he answered. "It's strange."

Grandpa sighed. "You know, Junior. You have a chance to do something both Gibbs and I never got to do." Abba's eyes met Grandpa's. "You get the chance to be a great father, something I know I wasn't and Gibbs was only able to be for a short while."

Abba squeezed Tali's hand and they moved to the couch where he set her on his lap and ran comforting circles on her back. For his comfort or her own, Tali didn't know. Perhaps both.

"I think I've been ready to be a father for a while now," Abba announced, "I just didn't know it."

Grandpa smiled. "I did."

Abba's hand stopped moving and he was silent for a moment. So many thoughts and emotions passed over his face. "The only problem is, I don't know how to do it without her." His lip trembled slightly.

Grandpa came to sit next to Tali and Abba, placing a hand firmly on Abba's shoulder. "It won't be easy," he said honestly. "And it's not fair that you three never got the chance to be a family." Tali leaned her head back onto Abba's chest. Family. That is what Ima had said they would be one day. Now she wasn't so sure.

"Why did I ever leave her in Israel?" Abba pondered aloud, a tear making its way down his cheek.

"Don't blame yourself, son," Grandpa said.

Abba shook his head. "None of this makes sense."

"It's a lot to take in—"

"No," Abba interrupted, "Why wouldn't she tell me? We tell each other everything! Or at least we did."

Grandpa's voice was laced with something like pity. "Junior—"

Realization came across Abba's face. "And why would Ziva have that picture frame in her go-bag? And Tali's favorite stuffed animal. It's almost like she…"

"Anthony, slow down," Grandpa stopped him. Abba had a crazed sort of look in his eye. "Listen, you're grieving right now. You need to give yourself time to comprehend the last few days. Try to figure out what your future will look like.

Abba ran his hands over his face and leaned back into the couch cushions. "I know," he said, his voice muffled by his hands. "I know."

"Are you going to go back to NCIS?" Grandpa asked after giving Abba a few moments to think.

Abba seemed to surprise himself by the speed at which he answered, "No."

Grandpa nodded in understanding.

"Maybe," Abba amended. "But not as a field agent. I can't do that to Tali. I'm all she's got."

"Take your time. This is a big change."

Abba looked down at Tali, a puzzled look on his face. "I've been thinking about my time off. I want to take Tali to Israel."

Grandpa raised his eyebrows. "Israel?"

"Yeah, I just—I need to see the farmhouse. Something doesn't feel right," Abba said, shaking his head.

"You think Mossad lied?" Grandpa asked.

Abba shrugged. "Wouldn't be the first time."

Grandpa looked like he wanted to say something, but wasn't sure how. "Be careful about what you hope for, Junior," he warned.

Tali was starting to get tired. It was getting dark outside again, and in her defense Abba's t-shirt made for a very comfortable nightgown. It smelled like him. Ima had a very similar shirt that she wore to bed a lot.

"Then what will you do?" Grandpa asked, his voice getting quieter. "What if you don't find anything?"

Abba shook his head, his lip trembling. His expression was pained. "Then I guess I'll have to learn to live without her."

Grandpa's frown was so severe that his entire face sagged, making him look like a sad puppy dog.

"I'll put Tali to bed," Abba said, scooping Tali up off the couch and straightening the oversized t-shirt she wore.

Tali whined a little, pointing toward the picture frame that was currently sitting on the coffee table. That photo had been by her bedside for as long as she could remember. She needed it to be close by so she could sleep.

"Want… Ima!" Tali said. "Say… Night night!" She wanted to say goodnight to Ima, just like she used to do back in Israel with Abba. To give Ima's picture a kiss. Abba stopped in his tracks, sighing heavily. Abba put on a smile, turning back and grabbing the frame like she asked.

"Sure, sweetheart." Abba's eyes were clearly avoiding the photo as he carried Tali to his room where her crib was still set up. Like the night before, Abba sat with Tali on his bed and read her a story, Tali cuddling up against him as her eyelids fell shut.

"Say layla tov to Ima, Tali," Abba said softly, his voice coming out lower and more shaky than usual.

Tali smiled sleepily. It was almost exactly what Ima used to say to her. "Layla tov, Ima." After Tali had placed a kiss on the glass of the frame, Abba set the photo on the bedside table facing her.

"Goodnight, Tali." He leaned down and placed a kiss on Tali's forehead, ruffling her hair before stepping back from the crib.

Tali curled up with Kelev in her arms. "Ani ohevet otcha, Abba."

Abba froze, a tiny smile appearing on his lips. "I love you too."

-.-.-

Tali was roused from her sleep by the squeak of a floorboard. She peered out at the still-darkened room to see what had made the noise, and saw Abba pick up the picture of him and Ima. Sitting on his bed, he held the picture in front of him.

He didn't seem to notice that Tali was watching him. The moonlight streaming through the windows illuminated the tears in his eyes as he whispered, "Ziva…" He bowed his head, shoulders slumping. "I'm so sorry." With his thumb, he brushed the front of the frame fondly. The room was silent for a few minutes besides the occasional tearful sniff. It was even silent outside. No sirens or shouting. Peaceful, in a way, for once. Tali was drifting back to sleep when she heard Abba speak again, so soft she could barely make out the words. "I love you, Ziva."

Moments later, Abba stood suddenly, seemingly angry at someone. Perhaps at himself. He paced the room as quiet as he could, but it didn't matter. Tali was already awake. She stayed silent, however, as Abba ran a hand through his hair, looking close to tearing it out. "…should have been there," he muttered under his breath, shaking his head. "…should have told her."

With that, he tossed the picture frame onto the bed. It shouldn't have made much of a sound when it landed, but when it did, Abba froze. There was an unusual clank that came from inside the frame. Tali sat up quietly to see what was happening, but stayed out of sight. Abba had bent over the bed and was holding the photo like it was the most precious thing in the world. Slowly, he turned the frame over and popped the backing off. Tali could tell he was shaking as he pulled out a shiny disc and a note. Since when had those been in there? Abba nearly sprinted out of the room.

Tali followed as quickly and quietly as she could, climbing over the raised edge of the crib and landing on her feet on the other side without a sound. She made her way over to the door and peeked out, making sure to stick to the shadows so she wouldn't be seen. Abba was frantically running around the apartment, and Grandpa was sitting up on the sofa bed, squinting against the bright lights Abba had just turned on. They were talking in hushed tones, but Tali could make out what they were saying.

"Where is my CD player?" Abba said as he opened every single cabinet in the room. After finding what he was looking for, he sunk to his knees and pressed play on the machine. The brief hustle and bustle of the living room had gone quiet once again. Starting softly, a song began to play. Tali knew it well. Ima used to sing it as a lullaby. It was French. La Vie en Rose. Its melodious tune was almost hauntingly beautiful given the current circumstances. Abba's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. He glanced down at the piece of paper again and read it aloud.

"I finally get what it's all about…" he recited a few times aloud before realization came across his face, and with it, a sliver of hope. "

"What is it, son?" Grandpa asked.

Tears filled Abba's eyes again as he clutched the note tighter, chuckling to himself. "Something's Gotta Give," he said, "Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton… 2003. Ziva loved romantic comedies, go figure."

Grandpa didn't seem to understand what Abba was talking about. "But what does it mean?"

Abba was smiling fully now as he looked back and forth between the photograph and the note. There was something in his eyes now. Tali recognized it as love. He sniffed. "At the end of the movie, there's this scene in Paris. On a bridge, this guy is just standing there. He just lost the only woman he'd ever loved, she's with someone else…"

"And then?" Grandpa prompted.

Abba let out a laugh. "And then she shows up and tells him she still loves him too."

Grandpa blinked. "You don't think…"

"No—" Abba interrupted. "I know."

Tali had no clue what was happening, but it seemed pretty important. Abba was on his feet again, moving toward his shelves full of movies. Grandpa, too, had pulled himself out of bed.

"Leave it to Ziva to send me a message in the form of a movie quote," Abba said, his eyes twinkling like Tali had never seen them before. He rummaged through the shelves until he found the case he was looking for. "Ziva got it for me a couple years ago for my birthday," he added, gesturing to the DVD case.

When he opened it, another slip of paper fell out. After picking it up, he read it aloud. "Happy birthday.' That's all it says."

Grandpa looked over Abba's shoulder at the plastic case. "Dead end?" he asked, his voice apologetic.

Abba smiled and shook his head. "No. No, this wasn't here when she first gave it to me."

"What are you saying?"

Abba couldn't contain his joy. "I'm saying Ziva set up an emergency meet-up plan a while back and she is almost definitely alive!"

"Paris?" Grandpa asked.

Abba nodded. "Paris."

Grandpa was grinning ear to ear, the same grin that Abba wore. "This is wonderful news, Junior! How can you be sure?"

Abba answered immediately. "Ziva and I always said that if we ever needed a secret rendezvous point, we would find a way to get a message from one person to the other. This is her message."

"So what will you do?" Grandpa asked.

Abba grinned. "Tali and I will go to Israel like we planned and poke around a little. Then when its time, I think I know exactly where Ziva will be."

"The bridge from the movie." Grandpa finished.

Abba nodded again. "In the movie, they go to Paris for the female character's birthday. I'll bet you anything Ziva is planning to meet on that bridge on November 12th."

Senior didn't seem totally convinced. "Junior, that's nearly 6 months away—"

"Then she must have some unfinished business." Abba was resolute. Calm. Confident. Where there once was mourning, there now was hope. "She'll be okay on her own. Tali and I will wait for her in Paris. I have plenty of leave time saved up. Then once we're all together—"

Tali was still standing in the doorway listening. Although they had been talking very fast in a language that was not her native tongue, she had caught the gist of the conversation. Ziva, Ima, was waiting for them somewhere. They were going to be a family, just like Ima had promised

Tali couldn't contain her excitement. Forget hiding behind the door, she wanted a big hug from Abba! She sprinted as fast as she could into his arms, catching him completely by surprise.

"Woah, my little ninja!" Abba said, smiling wide. "Sneaking out of bed, are we?"

"Ima!" Tali cheered, ignoring Abba's question. Abba didn't seem to mind.

"We're gonna find her, Tali," he promised. "We're gonna find your Ima."

Woo! We're finally getting somewhere! I thought about prolonging Tony's belief that Ziva was dead, but that didn't line up with the episode's whole "taking Tali to Paris, Ziva loves Paris" thing. Instead, you get a lot of roundabout explanations for her being in Paris that hopefully make sense in the end.

If you are confused, so am I ask any questions you have in a review or PM me. If its something that won't be cleared up in the next chapters, then I will happily answer them.

And before I forget, thank you SOOOOOO much for all the lovely reviews, favorites, and follows. They really warm my heart (and would make excellent Christmas gifts to me, am I right?)

I guess that's my way of asking you to let me know what you think about the direction this story is going in. And as always, don't forget to follow so you get updates.

Merry Christmas / Happy Holidays!

~NCIS Obsession

(P.S. I almost forgot to exclaim my happiness and complete adoration of last week's episode of NCIS, 16x10, "What Child Is This." My mind is STILL blown. I have watched it 4 times. Even if you hate the recent seasons of NCIS, I encourage you to give this episode/season a chance. It is certainly a different show, but this season has been a breath of fresh air.)

Okay, that is all.