It had a been a long and hard day for Tony and Holly. A day spent mostly apart in awkward silence. Both Ziva and Gibbs had told him to talk to Holly and make sure that she was OK but not to pressure her. The conversation in Holly's room had been brief and had ended when Holly broke down crying and begged Tony to leave her alone. He complied, went to his room, and cried, himself. He wanted nothing more than for this to all be a horrible nightmare and for Noah to come running into his room, jump onto his bed, and embrace him. He wanted to have to rush home from work to get to Noah's big soccer game. His son had loved soccer so much, he had even talked about playing in college and then going pro. Instead he was dead at only fourteen years old. Tony remembered thinking that it was the end of the world when he blew out his knee and cost himself his basketball career. At least he was still alive, at least he didn't leave his family with a huge hole that could never be filled. Dating Ziva had helped to repair the hole left by Kate but it would always be there. When it came to Noah, even if Ziva and him did somehow have children. They would never even begin to repair the hole left by Noah. Even with Gibbs by his side, to help him through the devastating loss of a child. He still felt totally and completely alone. He had a daughter who was broken and he himself was completely lost. He curled himself up on the bed and cried. He was shocked that he had any tears left. He was surprised that he was not dehydrated. He had not eaten or drank anything since breakfast and that was just enough to get his blood sugar back up. Most of the day was spent in tears and when he wasn't crying. He was so numb that he actually missed the stabbing feeling of grief. Word of Noah's death had spread faster than Tony would have liked. Neighbors had seen the hearse. Most knew right away that it was Noah, because they knew that he had been sick but others had to inquire with Gibbs or Ziva. Vance had shot out an email to everyone at NCIS and Ziva had informed her fellow teachers. People had been coming by all day to drop off food, flowers, and cards. Luckily most of the visits were extremely short. Because he really did not want to be around anybody but Holly right now. Especially after the conversation with Kate' parents. There was no denying that they hated him and blamed him for the death of their daughter and now their grandson. He must have fallen asleep, because when he woke up the sun was beginning to set. He pulled himself out of bed and made his way downstairs. He would have to heat up one of the casseroles for him and Holly. He had just grabbed one of the fridge and was placing it in the oven. When he heard a knock on the front door. Groaning he set the pan on the stove and made his way to the door. When he opened it, he saw Abby, Bishop, Ducky, McGee and Delilah, Jimmy and Breena standing on the porch.
"Oh Tony! I am so! So! SO! SORRY!" Abby cried throwing her arms around him.
"I'm really sorry, Tony." Bishop added.
"Terribly sorry for your loss Anthony. If there is anything I can do, I am just a phone call and a short drive away." Ducky said.
"I am sorry Tony." McGee said.
"Please know that we are here for you Tony." Delilah added.
"I am sorry Tony and I wish that I could make all this pain go away." Jimmy said.
"We are here for you too." Breena added.
"Thanks guys, it means a lot it really does." Tony replied.
"How are you holding up?" McGee asked.
"Not so great, today has been a lot rougher than I thought. Holly will not even talk to me." Tony explained.
"I am surprised that Jethro is not here, helping you two out." Ducky remarked.
"I sent Ziva and him home this morning. I just wanted privacy." Tony replied.
"Oh, should we go?" Breena asked
"We were going to come earlier but Jethro said that we needed to keep our distance. Finally we just decided that it would be a good enough time. I am terribly sorry. If this was not a wise idea." Ducky replied.
"No it's fine. Come on in." Tony replied.
"We won't stay long." McGee assured.
Holly thrust the photo album she had been looking at, hard against the wall of her bedroom. The corner of the album made a small dent in the wall but she did not care. It was just a stupid wall. What was the point of getting all hysterical. It was nothing and meant nothing. All that mattered right now was Noah. He should still be here. He was supposed to be here. Teenagers were not supposed to die and twins were not supposed to die so many years apart. Twins were supposed to die at an old age. Just hours or days apart from each other. She could here her dad and his co-workers talking downstairs. Normally she would fly down the stairs and excitedly talk with them about their days (the parts they could/would share anyway) but not today. Today she just wanted to be alone. She wanted to cry and forget her pain. She wanted to mourn for Noah alone, in peace. Not with a bunch of people who had no idea what she was going through. Ziva understood her but Holly didn't even want to talk to her. She truly just wanted to be alone. She had tried to talk to her dad and it it was very nearly impossible. She just wanted to be alone. She walked over, picked up the album, closed it, and set it back on the shelf. She walked back over to her bed and for what felt like the millionth time that day. She burst into tears. Suddenly she wished that Ziva and her dad were there but she still more than anything wanted to be alone. Was this what her life would be from now on? Was it just going to be depression, rage, and misery? Or would their be a light at the end of the tunnel?
A/N: Will Holly be able to cope with her brother's death? New chapter will be up soon. Please review and thanks for reading.
A/N 2: Next chapter will be about the funeral in Indiana and then I will skip ahead a few weeks. Also after this story is complete. There will be the third and final installment. It will take place several years after the first two stories. Holly will be in college and raising her son and Tony and Ziva will have a few surprises themselves.