So this is going to be the last chapter before a rather intense Tim and Gibbs conversation. There'll be a few bits after that but we're getting very close to the end of our story now. Hope you guys are still enjoying it and thanks for reading!
There was a chill in the air that bothered everybody but Tali. She was happily running in circles playing on the slide in the park while the group of adults watched her from nearby under hushed conversation. Or at least two of the adults did. One of them had occupied himself by watching the child intently as she chatted animatedly to Kelev in Hebrew as she went, her breath leaving puffs of hot air behind her.
Delilah was all too aware of Tim's lack of interest in their conversation but Tony gave a shake of his head when she looked to him for help. Just leave him be. Instead she turned the conversation back onto Tony, a subject he'd been avoiding for the last ten minutes or so.
"You still haven't said much about how you are. Every time I start you just talk about Tali."
"Do I?" Tony feigned innocence. "I hadn't noticed. But I'm fine, thanks for asking. Now-"
"Nuh huh, stop it Tony. Seriously, you're so concerned with everyone else and how they are but you won't talk about yourself?"
"I'm a private guy."
"Yeah right." Delilah snorted. She took a brief look to a still distracted Tim before continuing. "He's not ok, Gibbs isn't ok, you must be far from it."
Tony looked uncomfortably around at the trees before he met her eye.
"It's, been hard. I'm getting there. Baby-steps, or toddler-steps if you will. She makes me get there. Without her though," He shook his head, seemingly lost. "She makes me get there." He repeated.
Delilah smiled sympathetically, taking his hand.
"I'm glad you're home, both of you."
Tony smiled back nodding.
"Me too. Tali's really excited to have a sleepover at Uncle Tim and Aunt Lilah's house."
"Aunt Lilah?" Delilah raised an eyebrow.
Tony shrugged.
"Delilah is a big word for a two-year-old."
Apparently Tim's name had snapped him out of his trance.
"You realise how much of a hypocrite you sound when you say you're fine and then yell at everyone else who says it?"
"Oh so you were listening?"
"To bits." Tim shrugged. "For the record, I'm glad you're back too."
Tony clapped a hand to Tim's shoulder in appreciation. The sound of Tali shouting his name hit him not seconds later and he was on his feet quicker than Tim had ever seen him move before. Tali was being walked over to their table by a kindly old woman with veined hands and wispy grey hair, a little girl hot at her heels.
"The little sweetie took a tumble as she came off the slide, just went a little too fast I think, grazed her knee." She spoke, looking to Delilah. "Nothing I'm sure a cuddle from Mommy wouldn't fix."
The atmosphere at the bench turned suddenly. Delilah blushed a furious pink colour as Tali hiccoughed and reached for Tony.
"Oh, I-"
"Granny come on, Max is coming looking for us now." The little girl sighed heavily, tugging her Grandmother's hand towards an older boy looking around curiously by the swings.
"All right, all right, Annie, I'm coming."
With a smile and a nod to Delilah she shuffled away after, half dragged by her grandchild.
Tali had nestled herself in Tony's arms and was sniffing into his coat with Kelev tight in her hand. Tim watched Tony's stony expression melt as he rocked her gently back and forth. His jaw was still obviously clenched when he turned back to them.
"Tony, I'm sorry, I-"
"Don't worry about it." He interrupted. "She wasn't to know." He smiled in the hopes of relieving the tension but Delilah looked unconvinced. "It's just, some family did it while we were away, my Dad was watching her at the pool and he turned his back for a second and she slipped, got a face full of water and a fright. There was a woman had rushed to help but some other one got there first, thought Tali was her daughter. My Dad was quicker than I was at getting there and setting her straight. Needless to say, she was never going to assume a little girl was always with her mother anymore." He chuckled towards the end of his story, clearly amused by his Dad's quick defence. "It happened a couple of times actually, people assuming she had a Mom with her. Just got to me a little is all."
"Sorry Tony, it would anyone."
Tony nodded briefly to Tim in appreciation and gave Delilah a gentle squeeze on her shoulder to reassure her before doing what he did best and changing the subject.
"What's say we go get some hot chocolate to warm us up huh?"
Their walk to the diner was quicker than they expected, Tali swinging her hands between Tony and Tim as they went. Delilah was watching Tim's growing affection with interest. She wondered when it was he seemed to have gotten so good with children. They'd picked the booth as far away from the door as possible and sat, stiff with cold, for only a few minutes before their hands were occupied with warm cups filled with marshmallows and whipped cream.
Tali had chosen to sit on Delilah's lap when the hot chocolate arrived, Tony both pleased and kind of upset about it. Delilah had been feeling a little like a spare part for most of the morning as Tali had showed much more interest in Tim than her but Tony had figured it was possibly just the wheelchair that made her a little apprehensive. He was glad she seemed to have gotten over it though as the delight on Delilah's face was obvious. Tim had since regressed back into his quiet, overthinking self and Tony had no doubt as to why.
He didn't mention it until much later, after they'd went shopping where Tali acquired more toys than she would ever need- "You can never have too many toys Tony."- and had lunch at Delilah's new favourite place that Bishop had introduced her to- not that they'd been out in a long while, not since Ellie had started seeing more and more of Clayton- and they'd arrived back at Tim's place with take-out and a sleepy Tali.
Tony had fashioned her a makeshift bed on the couch out of his jacket and a throw Tim had pulled from the back of the closet. It wasn't until she was lying there that Tim noticed the glint of gold he hadn't registered earlier.
"Ziva's necklace." He mused out loud from his spot on the floor. Tony turned to look back at her from his own spot.
"Figured she'd want her to have it. Rightfully it belongs to her. She is half a David after all. I wanted her to have something other than a picture to remember her by."
Tim nodded silently, continuing to watch the shimmer of the star with every rise and fall of her chest.
"She's half a DiNozzo too." He indicated to the soft snoring sound.
"Ziva used to snore. She denied it of course."
Once again the conversation was back to her and both Tim and Tony were struggling with it.
"Delilah's been a while." Tony observed.
"She's giving us time to talk." Tim explained to a bewildered looking Tony. "She's not as subtle as she thinks she is."
Tony looked to the bathroom door where he could hear the rush of the water and a slight hum from Delilah as she brushed her teeth.
"Hmm, I see." He paused, looking around for a conversation starter. "Spring roll?"
"No thanks." Tim smiled.
"Just trying to fill in the conversation until we work out what it is Delilah thinks we should be talking about." Tony stared at him with wide eyes. Tim avoided his gaze and ignored him. "Like maybe a certain supervisory agent with silver hair and a sharp tongue?"
"Can we not Tony. We've had a good day."
"Yeah we have, me and Delilah and Tali at least. You've been in la-la land for most of it." Tony squinted at a cold piece of questionable looking meat from his chow mein before eating it anyway. "You want some advice?"
"Please no." Tim grimaced.
"Well I'm going to give you it anyway so listen up." Tim groaned and Tony coughed loudly to interrupt him. "You can moan and groan all you like Timmy McGee."
"What if I don't want to take the advice?"
"It's advice, not a piece of cake, I never said you had to take it."
Tim rolled his eyes.
"You know, you've been weird all day."
Tim continued to avert his attention from Tony.
"I dunno if you're worried about going back to work or seeing Gibbs or facing up to all of this or what. But, you know, if you're looking to talk to someone about it, I always found a boat was the best place to start."
Tim furrowed his brow in confusion.
"Oh and I hope you realise I'm staying here tonight. Not only am I totally against carrying a toddler to the car in the cold and driving home with her in said car after a certain time, I also think my Dad's more than earned his first good nights sleep in almost four months."