A/N: This chapter mentions COVID-19, I know this is very real for a lot of people. If you're not up for reading, feel free to skip this one, I'll see you next week.
Senior thanked the woman at the reception desk, and turned around to see where Junior had claimed a seat.
Junior was sitting with his left foot on his right thigh, and reading a magazine aimed at retirees. He was wearing what he called his Dad uniform, cargo shorts and t-shirt.
Junior looked like a college student, even though he was closer to retirement than college.
Senior thought of college age Junior. Senior only saw him once during Junior's four year degree, for his niece Theresa's wedding celebrations. Senior had only gone to Long Island to try and borrow money from his brother Vincenzo, as Senior had been cleaned out by another messy divorce.
Senior couldn't even remember if he had stuck around for the actual wedding, after Vinny told him that he wasn't going to bail him out, yet again.
There was always something better to fly off to in those days.
It was always about the next deal.
He did know he never saw his big brother again. A heart attack claimed him mere months after his butcher shop closed.
The DiNozzo men were prone to weak hearts.
Senior shuffled across the foyer, taking in his surroundings as he moved. A pair of women were sitting in the corner and chatting. A man was being pushed toward the courtyard which seemed to catch all the sun.
Senior could see himself being happy here.
He took the seat next to Junior, and saw that Junior was now on his phone, no doubt texting Ziva. Now that they could communicate with each other freely, they were almost always in contact, at least when they were not already in the same room.
"I told Ziva not to wait for us," Junior said. "Tali gets so grumpy when she's hungry."
She was a DiNozzo after all.
"We shouldn't be too long," Senior offered.
This viewing was just a formality, he'd already packed.
"It's just sandwiches for lunch," Junior said. "It's too hot to turn on the oven."
Senior nodded. These summers were only getting hotter.
Even with all the air conditioning things felt hotter than when he had been a kid.
"If I'd have known we were going on an adventure, I'd have brought the car," Junior said. "It's almost too hot to be walking."
Junior leaned over to the chair next to him, where he had dumped his canvas shopping bag, and pulled out a water bottle. It was one of those stainless steel ones that kept the water inside teeth achingly cool.
Senior had set off from his current independent living apartment nearly two hours ago, first getting the shuttle from the retirement village to the metro station with other residents who were braving the heat, then getting the metro into town, before getting another metro train back out of town.
Junior had met him on the platform, like he always did, because even though the house was a short walk away, Senior was not trusted to walk from the station to the house.
Senior knew this was love. His family wanted to make sure he got to them safely.
This time instead of walking to the house, via the supermarket, Senior had directed Junior back toward the main road to what he wanted to show him.
The advertisement had said the new retirement village was just five minutes from the metro, in reality it was probably closer to seven minutes away.
But, Senior wasn't interested in the distance to the metro. He was interested in the distance to a little house, on a tree lined street, and a little girl who thought he was the best Pop-Pop in the world.
The map on the internet told him it would be a twenty minute walk at the max, and a bus ran right down the next street over.
He would be so close.
He would be able to see Tali everyday, if Junior let him.
"I could ask Ziva to pick us up," Tony offered, as he took another sip from the water bottle. "When we're done here."
Senior reached into his own canvas bag, and pulled out his own water bottle. It had been one that Tali had sent as a present for Seniors last birthday or maybe Father's Day. It had been customised so that Pop-Pop was written in orange over the blue of the bottle.
"We'll see," Senior said. "I don't know how long this will take."
Senior undid the bottle of water, and took a sip.
"Tali's gonna love her puzzle," Tony said.
In Senior's bag there was a puzzle that had a dog as the picture, a present for Tali.
Tali loved dogs.
Senior loved that he and Tali could share puzzles. He knew he was an older grandpa, having been an older Dad for the times, and with Tony already being in his forties when Tali entered the world, puzzles could be shared without Senior worrying about his saw knees or heart.
The DiNozzo men tended to have weak hearts.
Junior shuffled in his seat, and looked around the foyer.
A woman was pushing a walker along and stopping to chat with another woman.
"This place reminds me of a hotel," Junior said. "It's so fancy."
Senior rather liked that. He'd always loved a good hotel.
"It's new," Senior said. "It only opened it in June."
Junior frowned, and looked down at his lap.
"And, you want to live here?" Junior asked.
Senior nodded.
"Why?" Junior asked, his voice soft.
Senior felt an ache in his gut, he knew where this question was coming from.
This was coming from the little boy who he dumped at a boarding school, because he could not face raising him alone.
Senior had thought he was doing the best thing, leaving Junior with other kids, and professional careers, but it had been the worst.
At that age Junior looked so much like his mother, and Senior could not bear it.
"It's close to you," Senior said. "I could walk to your place from here."
Junior looked away from him, his eyes focused on the reception desk.
Senior could guess at Junior's thoughts, so now you want to be nearby. What about when I was a kid. What about when I needed you.
I was eight years old.
"I didn't know you wanted to live so close," Junior said.
"When your and Ziva's offer on the house got accepted, I started looking at places a little closer," Senior said. "I've been on the waiting list for this place since May."
Senior knew that the independent living studio had only become available because another resident had moved into a unit with more assistance or died.
Junior nodded, and swallowed thickly.
The two of them had built so many bridges over the years, but sometimes the water underneath caught a current, and the water splashed up.
"Don't you like where you are?" Tony asked.
Senior had moved into the assisted living apartment, once he returned from helping Junior settle into Paris. It had been something that had been on his mind ever since he moved to D.C to be closer to Tony, but with Tony now being so far away, and the fact he now had a grandchild, Senior had made the move.
Back then, the only criteria Senior had for the apartment, was that it was close to an airport, and close enough to the metro. Senior liked to visit an art gallery every couple of weeks.
The old place had for the bill being close to Dulles, and with a regular shuttle from the retirement village to the metro stop.
Now, it felt too far away.
"I do," Senior said.
Junior's phone buzzed, but he ignored it.
"You have all your friends," Junior said softly. "And, that lady you like to have lunch with."
Senior smiled as he thought of Jean, his lunch buddy for the last year once they were allowed to use the dining hall again. Her husband had been a dentist, and she had filled her days collecting art. She and Senior spent many a long lunch discussing the impressionists.
Jean had been moved into the memory care wing not long after the Fourth of July, and barely remembered Senior.
"The ones I've talked to understand why I want to do this," Senior said. "Family first."
Family first, Junior had said when he announced he was leaving NCIS to care for Tali.
"If I want to see them I can always get on the metro," Senior said. "And, we all know how to use video chat now."
Junior frowned.
"Okay," Junior said, "Because Tali's going starting at her new school in three weeks, and I start my job after Labor Day. I don't want you to be lonely."
Loneliness came with reaching this age.
"I can entertain myself," Senior said. "If last year taught me anything."
Junior grimaced.
The virus that had changed the whole world was mostly contained now, but people were only just beginning to unpack the trauma.
When Senior had been a child, his own mother had talked of being a young woman during the flu epidemic.
She had lost so many friends, and her sister. She's never quite recovered from that loss.
Senior knew now as he approached his tenth decade that there was no getting over loss.
Loss stayed with you, it changed you.
Junior was older than Seniors father ever got to be. Senior always nagged Junior about getting those heart check-ups.
DiNozzo men tended to have weak hearts.
Senior was the last of the three DiNozzo brothers left. Neither Sal or Vinny had made it to seventy.
Sal had driven himself into a tree, unable to escape the demons he had brought home from the war. He had been the only one of the three DiNozzo boys old enough to sign up after Pearl Harbor.
When Senior had heard via Vinny's widow that Junior had become a cop, Senior had worried that the same demons would haunt him.
Vinny had given too much of his life trying to keep that butcher shop afloat, even after the supermarket was built around the corner, and the area stopped being Little Italy.
Ziva was the same age as Juniors mother was when they took her to the hospital for the last time. Sometimes, Senior held onto her for a little longer when she hugged him. They couldn't lose her.
They had thought she was lost forever.
"Did you ever hear from that lady in Sweden?" Junior asked.
Senior took a deep breath.
Ebba had been a fellow grandparent he had met the last time he was in Paris. They had been staying in the same hotel, and between their grandparent duties they had visited all the tourist spots.
It was not often that Senior got to make new friends.
When Senior had returned to the states, weeks earlier than planned, his assisted living facility was under lockdown, with most of the residents not allowed to leave their apartments.
Senior and Ebba had shared emails, and then video chats, with Senior making plans to see Stockholm for the first time in forty years, once this all blew over.
Then one day in May, Ebba had started complaining of a cough.
And, the emails stopped.
Senior had tried to google her, but she did not have much of a footprint.
Then after his fall that September, and after three unreturned emails, he had googled her again, and found a death notice.
Google translate had said she died after a sudden illness, and Senior would always wonder if it was the virus.
"She died," Senior said. "Last year."
Junior's hand reached for his, and patted it.
Senior thought of another death, another funeral, of a little boy in a brand new suit.
He thought of the bottle of scotch he had opened, as soon as he woke up on that morning.
He thought of his brother Vinny's offer to take care of Junior for a while. Vinny had a wife, who had always wanted a big family, but had not been able to have any more children after her only daughter.
Junior would have fitted right in.
They would have given him nothing but love, but Senior had refused.
"I'm sorry, Dad," Junior said.
Senior nodded.
"Life is short," Senior said. "And during the last year I had lots of time to think about what I want for the rest of my life."
He probably had a decade at the very most, and he wanted to be with his family.
A nurse walked out the elevator with an urgent look on her face, before heading straight to the reception desk.
"You're okay, right?" Junior asked. "Health wise?"
Senior knew where this concern came from. It had been nearly a year since Senior had came too on his bathroom floor, and in a fair amount of pain.
The hospital had been surreal. All those doctors and nurses in masks and face shields.
He had never liked hospitals, and in this one he had been all alone.
Senior could still remember the pain in Junior's voice when they finally spoke.
Are you sure you're okay, Dad?
Do you need me to come? I'll get on a plane.
Junior was willing to get on a plane during a pandemic to get to him, even though he was at higher risk, and even though Ziva had only been back with them a few months.
His son was a better man than he could ever be.
"I'm okay," Senior said.
Still, he always felt like he was living on borrowed time.
He had lived almost twice as long as his father.
He had outlived both of his brothers by decades.
And, he had lost the love of his life so young.
But, every afternoon spent doing puzzles with Tali was a blessing. So was every dinner with Junior and Ziva. Ziva was such a good cook.
He was so proud of how far Junior and Ziva had come.
"Good," Junior said.
A quiet moment passed between them. Two nurses got in the elevator together.
One of the ladies in the corner erupted into a cackle.
"Junior," Senior started. "Do you want me to move here?"
Junior looked down at his lap.
"Tali would love it," Junior said.
It was a lot of weight to carry being Tali's only living grandparent.
Junior's mother would have loved Tali. She'd always wanted a little girl.
"What about you and Ziva?" Senior asked.
He was forcing this proximity, but what if Junior liked the distance.
They had built so many bridges over the years, but maybe they weren't as strong as Senior thought they were.
"Ziva would love it too," Junior said, "She loves you."
Senior loved her too. She brought so much joy to all of them.
"And you?" Senior asked again.
"Of course I love you," Junior said.
"I love you too," Senior said. "But, do you want me to move here?"
Tony nodded.
"It'll be nice not to drive all over the place to take you home," Junior said, "Especially, when I start working, but if this falls through I don't mind driving you."
Senior had given up his driver's licence a while ago.
"I like the idea of you being close," Junior said, his voice much smaller. "If something happens."
Senior nodded.
"The hospitals are supposed to be really good here," Junior said. "If we need them."
Senior looked to the reception desk, and then to his watch, the tour was supposed to start five minutes ago.
"It's a really nice area round here," Senior said.
They were not quite twenty miles from the heart of D.C, but far enough away to feel like a small town. Tali would grow up being able to walk to the park, and to school, while every food option she could ever want was a metro stop or two away.
"It reminds me of Uncle Vinny's neighbourhood," Junior said. "You know where you could walk to all the stores from his store, or from their little house. Where we lived it always felt like we were marooned on an island. The houses probably weren't that far apart, but as a kid they felt miles away from each other."
Senior had been so proud of that grand house being the gate. It was a sign of how far he had come. Anthony DiNozzo had always felt he was better than his family business.
His brother Vinny had settled for his parents' shelf-stable life.
His brother Sal had tried to create something of himself, but he could never outrun what he had seen.
Anthony had been destined for the finer things in life.
Except it was all built on a house of cards, and one wind could blow it all down.
He had lost that house to the bank less than a year after he buried his wife.
"Vinny lived in a nice place," Senior added.
Junior could have lived there too, at least for a while while he got himself together.
"I think Uncle Vinny would be glad we're here now," Junior said. "He always wanted us to-"
Senior patted Junior's hand.
Vinny had always wanted the two Anthony's to find a way to each other.
There's nothing more important than your kids, Vinny had said when he refused to lend Senior more money.
Quiet passed again. Senior looked across to the reception desk, and checked his watch.
"Between you here, and the McFamily across the street, Tali's gonna be surrounded by all her favourite people," Junior said.
Senior knew his son was using Tali as a proxy. Junior wanted to have all his family close, to make up for his lonely childhood.
He had read somewhere that when people became parents they tried to correct the things they had not liked in their own childhoods.
"I was talking to Judy when they came over after the viewing," Senior started. "She said she picks the twins up from daycare a couple of days a week. This place is right between your house and Tali's school."
Junior looked toward the main door of the building.
"We don't need the childcare help like Tim and Delilah do," Junior said. "Ziva doesn't have a job."
Senior frowned.
"Maybe not," Senior said, "But, if you and Ziva want to go on an impromptu date, or if something happens I could help out."
A woman in a suit stopped by the reception desk. Her heels clacked on the floor. Senior wondered if that was the sales rep that was supposed to give them a tour.
Junior's phone buzzed, and then played the Magnum P.I theme song.
Junior picked it up. A smile crossing his face. Senior knew exactly who was calling.
"Hi," Junior said. "Yeah we're still here."
Then Junior was quiet again, and listened.
"Yeah, it would be nice if he got it," Junior said. "But between him being a block over, and the McFamily across the street we won't be able to have any secrets."
Junior was quiet again, and then he let out a little laugh.
"Okay," he said, "I think we'll be okay to walk. We'll stop off on the way home. Yeah, milk, onions, and toilet cleaner. I'll call you when we're getting the yoghurt. I know you are very particular about your flavours."
Senior had been married seven times, and nearly married almost twice as many times, and he could never remember having these types of conversations.
Anthony D DiNozzo Senior was the king of the grand gesture, and often brought home trinkets, but never got himself in the day to day management of a household.
At least never one that involved other people.
Senior had lived a long life, but he had missed out on so much.
"Yeah the mango one was pretty nice," Junior said. "No, I didn't finish it. You let me try some, and that was the only time I ate it."
It was quiet again.
"Okay. I'll call you later," Junior said. "Love you too."
Junior ended the call, and slid the phone into his pocket.
"Sorry," Junior said. "I know that was rude."
Senior shook his head.
"I know I sprung this on you," Senior said. "It's just these places move pretty quick."
Junior nodded.
"You know the McMotherInLaw is going to live with Tim and Delilah," Tony said.
Senior knew this. Over grilled meat and salad Judy had mentioned that she was helping Tim and Delilah with some money for renovations, and that she liked the idea of having a garden again.
"Yeah," Senior said, "You wouldn't think that place has an in-law suite. From the outside it looks kinda small."
When Senior had first seen the house across the street with its ramp, and the occupant looking closer to Senior's age than Junior's, he had wondered if the need for the wheelchair was polio.
He could remember so many new school years where some friends did not come back, and others came back wearing leg braces.
"Have you seen the basement in our place?" Junior asked.
Senior had seen it once, when Junior took him on a tour of the empty house. The basement was large, had its own bathroom, and had a side entrance that was probably not up to code.
"Yes," Senior said.
"It probably wouldn't be too hard to turn that into an in-law suite," Tony said. "We probably wouldn't put a full kitchen in there, but we could make it quite nice."
Junior was a better man than Senior would ever be.
"Tali would love it," Junior added.
Senior looked around the lobby of the retirement village. He knew that for some people these places were hell, but he rather enjoyed it. He was the definition of an extrovert and liked to sit with different people everyday.
"We could put you in the spare room until we finish it," Junior said.
"I'm sure you need that room," Senior said.
"We don't," Junior said. "We're probably not gonna have another baby."
Senior had thought he had the two of them say something to Tim the first time he came over.
He hadn't pressed either of them on what he had overheard, if they had news they would tell him eventually.
"Sorry," Senior said.
"It's okay," Junior said. "Tali always seems kind of relieved when the twins go home. Maybe, she is meant to be an only child."
Senior smiled as he thought of the McTwins. He was rather fond of both of them. Johnny could be so serious, Morgan was so loud, and watching the two of them bounce off Tali was great fun.
It was so sweet to hear the laughter of a gaggle of children.
"We wanted to give you a sibling," Senior said, feeling strange as he spoke of him and his late wife as a unit. "It just didn't work out."
There had been two losses, either side of Junior, both had sent Elizabeth to bed for weeks.
Senior had mumps as a teenager, and maybe that had affected some of his plumbing.
"What about with the other wives?" Junior asked. "You never had any kids with any of them."
"Most of those marriages didn't last long enough for kids," Senior said.
Junior coughed. He had ended up with a child who was the product of a goodbye.
"If any of them had wanted kids, maybe it would have happened," Senior said, "But, I'm glad it didn't. I don't know if I would have doubled down, and tried to make up for the mistakes I made with you or made the same mistakes all over again."
Junior looked down at his lap.
"It probably would have hurt you either way," Senior said.
Senior remembered that time he and Junior were in the same room at Theresa's rehearsal dinner. The two of them just say there staring at each other. Junior was just twenty, not even old enough to legally drink, and yet definitely no longer a child.
Senior had just turned his back for a second. He just needed a moment to get himself together.
Junior had been eight when he dropped him off at boarding school, and all of a sudden he was twenty. How had Senior let so much time pass?
It was a lot to come back from.
Perhaps, too much.
"Probably," Junior said.
Yet, they had come back from it, and they moved forward.
And, then when Junior was faced with a similar situation, a motherless child, and a lot of pain, he had stepped up.
Quiet passed between them again.
"Listen, Junior," Senior said. "About the basement it's a nice idea."
Junior chuckled.
"I know we'd probably drive each other crazy," Junior said, flashing him a grin. "But, if this one doesn't work out the offer is there."
Senior felt pride move through him.
His son had become such a good man.
"And, there's definitely room for you," Junior said, "We're always losing each other in that place. It's so much bigger than the apartment."
Senior nodded.
"I'm waitlisted for every facility within five miles of your house," Senior said. "I'm serious about being closer to all of you."
Junior smiled. He had his mother's smile. It was one of the things he had passed onto Tali.
It was so strange to see glimpses of Elizabeth in Tali.
"I'll talk to Ziva about you helping out with pick up," Tony said. "She's thinking about going to college so we'll definitely need the help."
The sales woman in the tan skirt suit moved across the lobby, holding a clipboard, her shoes clacked on the floor.
"Mr DiNozzo," she said, looking flustered. "I'm sorry to keep you waiting. Shall we get this tour started?"
A/N: I don't own a thing.
I assure you dear readers that this is the last character that decides to move close to the David-DiNozzo's. I know it's a bit unrealistic, to have them all living within walking distance from each other, but it's fanfic.
Please let me know what you think of this chapter being from Senior's point of view. As a character he has always fascinated me, because of how far his relationship with his son has come.
In terms of the parts of Senior's life I added, you can take it or leave it. This is definitely one of those chapters where I as an author prevent my very specific head canon, and don't know how it will go when released out into the world.
I've adopted what seems to be the fandom wide headcanon that Tony's mother's name was Elizabeth. I also know that a few authors have the headcanon that Tony had an Aunt and/or Uncle who offered to look after him when his mother died, but the rest has been made up from the various bits and pieces Tony mentioned on the show.
For those asking why we haven't seen Gibbs yet, we will see him next week. Ziva is going to visit him.
Thank you for all your reviews, I appreciate all of them, but please keep the reviews on topic rather than attacking other reviewers.