Chapter 9: Ornaments – 2035

"This is harder than I thought," Ziva commented as she and Tony sorted through the annual ornaments for Tali that they'd acquired over the years, including the current year. "Twenty-one ornaments from which to choose just one…"

Tony nodded, "We could just keep them all, you know." He gazed at the ornament for 2017, the year they had started the annual ornament for each child. That year, they'd bought one for Anthony, and one for each Christmas of Tali's life to that point. The 2017 ornament had been custom ordered using a drawing that Tali had created of their family. He held it up, "I really like this one."

"Yes; that is one of my favorites as well. And no, we are not keeping them all. Tali will get twenty ornaments to put on her Christmas tree next year when she and Chaim have their first tree," Ziva was adamant. She wanted each of her children to have their ornaments when they started their own families.

She held up a grand piano shaped ornament that was a picture frame. Inside was a picture of Tali from the piano competition in her eighth-grade year when she'd finished in second place. She'd chosen a difficult piece; Tali had been down on herself for coming in second, but Tony and Ziva were over the moon happy for their eldest in her first competition. The grin on the teen's face with her trophy and check in hand said it all.

"I like this one also," Ziva noted. "I think that was when she realized that she did not have to be perfect. That she only had to give it her best effort. Her playing matured that year."

"Agreed." Tony grasped the 2032 ornament in his hand. Tali in her cap and gown at her graduation from the community college on one side of the cap and diploma shaped double-sided picture frame ornament and at her high school graduation on the reverse. "Another milestone," he commented. "I like this one but not as much as the other two."

Ziva sighed, "You do realize we are choosing one to keep, yes? And then we have to do this again four more times in the future…"

Tony sighed in reply, "Yep. But I don't know why, Tali is an adult after all. She's getting married in February, starting her own family some day down the road… Gah. She'll always be my little girl, Ziva. I don't care if she's twenty-one or sixty-one; she's my baby girl…"

"Okay, depress me even more," Ziva gently punched his arm. "I think I have my choice down to two: 2017 and 2027. What do you think?"

"Hmm… 2017… no… 2027… no… 2017. Yeah definitely 2017," Tony finally decided.

~DiNozzo~ 2037

Tony sorted through the annual ornaments for Anthony; so far, his favorite was the basketball shaped picture frame with a picture of his son at ten in a basketball uniform for the intramural team. The grin on the kid's face was priceless.

"I like that one," Ziva peered over his shoulder. "I also like this one." She held the ornament from 2035 with the picture of her son sliding the promise ring on the woman who was now his wife and soon to be the mother of his child. She flipped the frame over to the picture of one-year-old Anthony cuddling six-month-old Katie, both sound asleep on the DiNozzo family room floor.

"It does capture them both really well," Tony gazed at the picture of the two babies, when had they gone and grown up on him? "I agree, the 2035 ornament is the keeper."

Ziva stared at the images, flipping the ornament over in her hands several times. She sighed and wiped at her eyes.

"My little boy is all grown up and soon he will have a son of his own. Where has the time flown?" she looked over at her husband with tears threatening to spill from her eyes. He wrapped his arms around her.

"He's a good man, Ziva, and a lot of that is because you are his Ima."

~DiNozzo~ 2044

Tony carried the large tote with the annual ornaments into the kitchen. He placed it on one of the chairs at the breakfast nook table. Ziva looked up from her tablet screen where she was reading emails.

"I know which ones we won't keep…" Tony smirked at his better half.

"You do?"

"Yep; the ones from 2025 with the pictures from the Princess Tea!"

Ziva chuckled at the memory, "You looked so cute in that princess dress."

He groaned, "I will never live that one down, will I? I swear one of the twins will tell that story at my funeral!"

Ziva laid her hand on his are, "They will tell it with love. How many fathers do you know who would wear a princess dress for a whole tea party brunch with five-year-olds and agree to pictures as well?"

"Yeah; only this Abba is insane enough to do that," Tony smiled at his wife. "They had matching ornaments that year if I remember correctly. Pink frame for Beth and blue or purple frame for Riv."

Ziva dug in the tote and stood up with a triumphant, "Aha!"

Tony cocked an eyebrow at her, 'What?"

"I found them," she held out the pink and purple crown shaped picture frame ornaments. "I think we should keep both."

"Agreed."

~DiNozzo~ 2046

"The end of an era," Tony joked as he and Ziva sorted through the annual ornaments for LJ. "Our baby is married and has a house of his own. He'll be a father soon as well."

"All five married and all five parents or soon to be a parent," Ziva summed up the lives of their offspring. "Do not misinterpret; I love being Savta, but I miss the days of children living in the house."

Tony grinned, "Being Saba means I can spoil them and then send them home. You know, there was a time when the thought of having a child scared the daylights out of me. Tali changed all that the day she walked into Leon's office. The minute I looked at her, I knew she was mine. I loved her from the minute she looked at me." He pulled Ziva's hand into his own and squeezed. "All because I love you…"

She wiped the tear at the corner of his eye, "You should have known her sooner… I will always be sorry for that…"

Tony wrapped his arms around Ziva, "Do I wish I had been there from day one with Tali? Yes, but Ziva, our story has unfolded just the way it was meant to be. Four of five from start to who knows, and hey, I had to be at Tali's start…

"Back to LJ; what ornament are we going to keep from his collection?" he placed two of his favorites on the table. The 2023 ornament shaped like a lion with a picture of LJ clutching his lion asleep in his grandfather's arms was a family favorite. The 2031 carved wood lion ornament that LJ made in summer art camp was another.

Ziva poked around in the box; she found the ornament she wanted. From 2041, the picture in the 'Best Uncle' frame had LJ with Anthony's twins, one in each arm, and the three little boys – Tali's Levi and Elijah, and Anthony's Anthony IV – all asleep on the floor by the loveseat in the family room on Mothers' Day.

"As much as I love that carved lion, since we kept ornaments with photos for the other four, I think we should also keep one with a photograph for LJ," Ziva reasoned. "I will admit that between these two, that is a tough choice."

Tony looked back and forth between the two, "I think the one from 2023. We will have other memories made with LJ and the little ones; plus, they are changing daily."

"Hmm… I agree. The 2023 also honors the special bond between LJ and his Grandpa Gibbs," Ziva put the other two back into the tote and set the 2023 ornament to the side. "What was that song you sang to the kids when they were little about circles?"

"The Circle of Life from The Lion King?" Tony sang part of the chorus to remind Ziva.

"Yes! That is the one. Our circle of life has been passed to the next generation, yes?"

"I prefer to think of it as the new circle that is around the one for our little family, which is around the one for you and me, sweetcheeks. Concentric circles that make an ever-widening pattern of family, our circles of life!" he sang the last three words as he pulled Ziva to him.