Tony took a sip of his drink, and looked around the bar. It was a classic bar, with a mirrored drink shelf behind the bar, and high stools. Stools that were not good for his aging knees.
It was also one metro stop from their little house. When they had decided to move back to the states, Tony had worried that they would be stuck in the deepest darkest suburbia, but the area surprised him. They were closest to civilization that he thought.
Ziva took a small sip from her drink, and looked up at him with a smile.
"This was a lovely surprise," she said as she ran her hand through her hair.
Tony looked past Ziva, and to the restaurant. There was no sign of any of the tables becoming available.
The decision to take Ziva out to dinner had been a spur of the moment one, well as a spur of the moment as it could be with a seven year old to consider. As they prepared for the wedding, Tony had come to the conclusion that he and Ziva had not been on enough dates, and he wanted to rectify that.
"I should have booked," he said. "Didn't think this place would be so busy."
It was a Tuesday night, didn't the other suburbanites have things to do.
"It is okay," Ziva said. "We can have a lazy day tomorrow if we are out late."
He placed his hand over hers, and used his thumb to rub her wrist. He noticed her earrings poking out from her mane of hair.
"You've met our daughter, right?" he asked. "She doesn't do lazy days or quiet."
A smile ran through her, and she let out a half laugh.
"We will cross that bridge, yes?" she said.
She scooted closer on her stool, and their knee's bumped.
The world could fall apart outside their window, and neither of them would notice.
"You got that one right," he replied. "We'll almost."
Ziva smiled. A smile that ran right up to her eyes.
"This is nice," she said, as she looked around the bar. "With your father being so close we might be able to do this more often."
In one of the booths near the window a middle aged couple were downing drinks quickly, and barely speaking.
"Maybe not on a school night," he said. "But yeah, we should definitely do more of this."
He started his new job soon. He was about to become a backpack carrying complaing about the metro commuter. He was looking forward to it.
Senior had been so excited when Tony had called him earlier that day, and asked if he wanted to babysit later that evening. Senior had been ready to walk the two blocks to their house before they hung up the phone.
Tony took in Ziva. She was wearing black pants, and a black top that dipped at her back. His only instruction when he told Ziva that he had a surprise planned was for her to dress nice.
She was also wearing her red mules.
"I've got an idea," Tony said, as he looked past her shoulder at the restaurant. A waitress who looked barely old enough to drink, was clearing a table for two.
Ziva raised her eyebrow encouraging him to continue.
"Why don't you click the heels of your ruby slippers together three times, and get us a table," he said.
Ziva rolled her eyes.
"I am surprised it has taken you this long to make a joke about my shoes," Ziva said. "It has been nearly an hour since we left the house."
The mules had a slight heel, and their usual brisk walk to the metro station had been a little slower. Not that Tony minded as the heat had not broken yet.
"I'm half expecting them to run off by themselves," he said.
Ziva smiled, and then shook her head.
They had watched The Red Shoes together ions ago, when Ziva had a little apartment in Silver Spring, and Gibbs was on his Mexica sabbatical.
"Have you got all your jokes out?" she asked.
Tony looked down at his lap.
"Yeah," he said. "It's shoes just seem so out of character for you. You used to live in combat boots."
Ziva tugged at his wrist encouraging him to look up at him.
"I know," Ziva said. "I sort of brought them on a whim. I am still getting used to being back, where every choice I make is not about survival or getting back to you. I am still getting used to the idea that I can just buy things because I could. I am still working out what I look like now that I am not in the shadows."
Tony felt an ache in his gut.
"Well, I feel like a jerk," he said.
Ziva squinted her eyes.
"Please don't," Ziva said. "I seem to have gotten most of my impulse purchases out of my system."
That explained the summer dress that lived in their closet, and still had the tags on.
"They are nice shoes," he said.
The bright red against the black of her clothes was a nice contrast.
"Thank you," she said, as she reached out to the bar, and picked up her drink. She took a careful sip, and put it down again. "I am glad we are doing this, I actually wanted to talk to you about some things, without Tali around."
"I wanted to talk to you about some things too," he said. "You first."
"We shall take turns," Ziva said, using the same voice she used with Tali.
"Deal," he said, as he nodded at her.
"I wanted to talk to you about Gibbs," she said, as she looked down at her lap. "About our visit last week. We have not really talked about that, yet."
They talked about everything now. The good, the bad and the ugly.
So far they had only had a surface conversation. Tony was glad to see the old man, and it was good to see how Tali took to him.
"It was good to see the old man," Tony said softly.
It had been so weird to be back in Gibbs house over five years after his last visit. The house seemed to have barely changed. Except for the new sectional in the living room, replacing that ugly checked couch that was probably as old as Ziva.
Tony, on the other hand, had changed. A lot.
Distance had brought clarity.
"And, Tali liked helping out with the table," Tony said.
Tali had met Gibbs only a handful of times, first when she had been brought to Tony, not that the old man had interacted with Tali much.
The second time had been with the three of them had flown in DC for their far too quick visit during Tali's spring break. They had only seen Gibbs for a few minutes when they stopped in the squadroom.
This time there was no rush. Tali could ask Gibbs all of her questions, and she had so many questions.
What was Daddy like when he worked with you?
Do you really build a whole table? Just for us?
Are you really going to walk Ima down the aisle? Their gonna get married in the garden. Did you know there are fairies in the garden?
Ziva and Tali often hung out at the end of the garden looking for fairies.
"What about you? Ziva asked. "How did you feel? It has been a while since you two have spent a whole afternoon together."
Tony frowned.
He and Gibbs had spent so many afternoons together, and late evenings. There had been so many arrests, and a few close calls.
It felt so long ago.
A lifetime ago.
"I still love the guy," Tony said, feeling his voice crack. "He was a big part of my life. I'm not gonna deny that he helped me grow. The cop he met in Baltimore twenty years ago is completely different from the man I am now. He's part of that change."
Ziva took another quick sip of her drink.
"I feel a but coming," Ziva said.
"It hurt that he didn't reach out after I left," Tony said. At some point during their visit, Ziva had taken Tali upstairs to get some fresh air, and Tony and Gibbs had been left alone. "We talked about it when it was just me and him, I get that he had to hold back because if you hadn't been alive it would have killed him. The whole thing was killing me."
Ziva reached out for his hands, and squeezed them.
Tony wondered what a waitress or other patrons might think if they could overhear their conversation.
Tony's stomach rumbled. He hadn't thought they'd be waiting so long to eat.
"Do you think the two of you will ever be close again?" Ziva asked.
"Maybe," he said. "I'm definitely gonna try. I don't want things to be awkward for you and Tali. I want him to feel welcome at our house."
"I know I invited him to dinner," Ziva said. "But, if you do not want him to come I will cancel."
The plan was for Gibbs to stop by the following Saturday, with the table, as it would be fully stained by then, and stay for dinner to help break the table in.
"It's fine," he said. "I've been thinking about things over the last couple of days. I think I don't need Gibbs in the same way that you and Tim do, and that's okay. Some people are closer to other people than others. Kinda like how Jimmy has always been closer to Ducky than the rest of us."
Tony still had Senior. He and Senior had done what Tim and Ziva couldn't do with the Admiral or Eli, they had built bridges. Tony no longer needed a father substitute.
He reached for his beer, and took a sip. This beer was going down too easily.
"As long as you are okay," Ziva said.
"I am," he replied. "And that table is beautiful. It's going to look amazing in our dining room."
Tony could not wait to share Thanksgiving feasts with all of his favourite people. Or to teach Tali how to make pasta, and for them to sit at the table enjoying their creation. He could not wait for the table to be the stage to their busy family life.
"It is," Ziva said. "What did you want to talk about?"
He smiled.
"Our honeymoon," he announced.
Ziva raised her eyebrow.
The mood between them got lighter.
"I thought we were not taking one," she said, "We are getting married on a Sunday."
The Sunday ceremony was decided on because the Rabbi did not work on Shabbat, and because a handful of the guests were under eight. The plan was to keep it casual, with the ceremony happening around lunch time, and the food being available immediately.
Tali was rather disappointed that the ceremony would be in her words so boring, but after all the drama they had been through Tony and Ziva wanted something boring.
"Well we wouldn't take it directly after the wedding," he said. "But, I would like to take you away somewhere, to celebrate."
This wedding had been a long time coming.
"I think Tali has some time off in February," Ziva said. "We could go somewhere warm."
"We could definitely do that," Tony said, "But, I also want to whisk you away for a weekend. I've already talked to McUncle about cashing in some of the babysitting he keeps offering."
Fear flashed over Ziva's face.
She and Tali had not spent a night apart since Ziva came back to them.
"We would not be taking Tali?" Ziva asked.
"She'a a great kid," Tony replied, "But, she'd definitely cramp our style. Besides, a winery isn't exactly kid friendly."
"I am not so sure," Ziva said.
"Maybe in France a winery would be more kid friendly, but definitely not here," Tony said.
"You know what I mean," Ziva said.
"She's getting older," he said delicately, "Sleepovers are going to be a thing soon, and maybe even sleep away camp. You're gonna have to spend a night away from her at some point."
Her eyes flitted around the room.
He could hear her thoughts, I have spent too many nights away from her.
"I know that," she said. "I am just not sure if I am ready."
He had spent his first night away from Tali the previous April, when he had stayed back in the states for a few extra days after Ziva and Tali flew back to Paris.
Those first few hours had been so weird. The freedom was scary.
By the second day he longed for his family.
"I don't think you're ever gonna be ready," Tony said, as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. "But, this place I was looking at is really lovely."
He navigated to his browser, and opened the browser. He opened one of his bookmarks, and brought up the bed and breakfast he was looking at.
He handed Ziva the phone.
"I was thinking just one night," Tony said, giving her a lifeline. "We could leave early on Saturday morning and be back Sunday afternoon. It's less than two hours from our place."
Ziva swiped through the photos.
"It looks lovely," Ziva said.
"If we go a couple of weeks after the wedding, the fall foliage would be at its peak," he said. "I know how much you like the fall leaves."
Autumn was Ziva's favourite loved crisp air and coloured leaves.
"I think Tali would like to spend some time with the twins," Ziva said.
She was coming around to the idea.
"Shall I book?" he asked. "These rooms go pretty quick."
Ziva handed Tony the phone.
"Yes," Ziva said. "But, not the weekend directly after the wedding. Maybe the week after."
Tony nodded, and opened the booking form on the page, and selected the last weekend in September.
"This is gonna be good," he said, as he clicked through the booking.
"There was something else I wanted to talk to you about," she said.
He got an email confirming the booking, and slid the phone back into his pocket.
"I'm all ears," he said.
"I wanted to talk about your birthday," she said.
He frowned.
"That's not for another eleven months," he said.
"I mean your last birthday," Ziva said. "We did not do anything for your last birthday."
His last birthday had been the same week as Tali finished school, and a few days before they hopped on the plane for DC.
They had celebrated by going out for dinner, mostly because all of their cooking supplies were packed up. There had been a little Italian placed around the corner from them.
"It was a great birthday," he said. "I celebrated with my two favourite people."
Tali had managed to drop most of her pasta down her shirt, and Ziva's face had caught the evening sun perfectly. It was like a scene from a movie.
"I just wish we could have made more of a fuss," Ziva said. "So you know that we appreciate you."
Tony's throat dried.
"I know you appreciate me," he said.
"I know birthdays are a big deal for you," she said.
"Not really," he replied. "At least not now."
His summer birthday often meant he had no friends nearby to celebrate with him.
"And, for the past two years we have not been able to make a fuss of you," Ziva said.
While they had been out of the first lockdown for his first birthday after Ziva came home, they had not ventured far. They had gone to the park and had a picnic making the most of being outside without restrictions.
"What's this about?" he asked.
Ziva looked down at her lap.
"You always said you wanted a surprise birthday party," Ziva said.
"When did I say that?" he asked.
This was news to him.
"We were watching a movie," Ziva said. "It was when I lived in Silver Spring."
He remembered those movie nights, where Ziva would feed him a hearty meal, and sometimes as the credits rolled they would end up stumbling into Ziva's bedroom.
Then the next day as they slogged through another case they would pretend that nothing had happened.
"That was what, fifteen years ago?" he asked "How do you even remember back that far?"
"I have a good memory," she said.
That was both a blessing and a curse.
"Well it's not that good," he said softly, "Because I'm pretty sure that surprise party ended with a mob hit."
Ziva puffed her face out. That had not been the point.
"Besides, that was fifteen years ago," he said again. "That was before I had you and Tali."
"Would you like a surprise party?" she asked. "One day."
"Well it wouldn't really be a surprise if I asked for it," he said. "But, yeah maybe one day."
It would be nice to have all of his favourite people in a room just for him.
"Then again I'm eligible for AARP," Tony said, "So my memory isn't as good as it used to be."
Ziva smirked.
"Seriously," he asked softly. "What's this about?"
"I just want you to know that I love you," she said. "That I appreciate you. You like big gestures, and I do not think I do enough of them for you."
They had both read the love languages book, and his love language was definitely grand gestures. Ziva's main one was act of service, if she made you dinner, it meant she loved you.
"I know," he said. "I promise I know that, and I love you too."
He watched a relief washed through her. He hoped the spiralling thought had been quashed.
"There was something else I wanted to talk to you about," he said. Ziva looked at him, with a raised eyebrow.
"Okay," she said, encouraging him to go on.
"I want to get a dog," he declared. "I know that we were talking about getting one next year, but why wait?"
Ziva's face lit up. She hadn't been expecting that.
:"Really?" she asked.
"Yeah," he replied.
"I thought Tali and I would have to spend weeks trying to convince you," she said. "Tali already told me she was going to ask for one for every birthday until we get one."
Tony smiled. He could imagine Tali asking for a dog at the top of her Christmas list.
"Well, now you don't," he said. "I know Tali wants a puppy, but I'd prefer an older dog. A rescue."
He wanted a dog who hadn't had the best start in life to come and live out the rest of its days with them. They would be like a family in a cereal advertisement; Mom, Dad, happy kid, and dog knocking a glass off the table.
"You have really thought about this, haven't you?" Ziva said.
He wanted a dog to round out their family. They might not be able to give Tali a sibling, but they could give her a canine companion.
"Yeah," he said. "It's a big decision, but I think it's the right one."
"Tali will be very happy," Ziva said.
Tony remembered seeing Tali talk to Odette's dog. Listening to his girl tell the dog all of her secrets.
"We won't let her name it," he said. "She called her toy doggy."
"She was a year old when she named him," Ziva replied.
Tony nodded. Feeling that familiar pang when Ziva spoke of the times he had not been with Tali.
What had Tali been like as a one year old?
Ziva realised that she had hit a nerve, and looked down at her hand.
"It's okay," he murmured, as he tugged at her hand.
They had made peace with the past, and all that they could not change.
"So, when will we be getting this dog?" she asked.
"I've been looking at the local animal shelter, they've got a few dogs that might fit the bill," Tony said. "We should probably get it sooner rather than later. I don't want you to be stuck training it, just because you'll be home all the time."
At the end of the month Tali would be starting at her new school. And, a week later Tony would start at his new job.
Ziva was going to be home for six hours a day for at least four days a week. She had not spent that much time alone since before she came back to them.
"So, before the wedding," Ziva said.
"I guess so," Tony said, as he reached up and tugged at the tips of his hair. "Or maybe we should wait until the winter holidays. We could say the dog is a Christmas present."
"I do not think that is the best idea," Ziva said. "I think we should get the dog soon. It is like you said, why wait?"
He smiled like a kid at christmas.
"I'll make some calls tomorrow," he said. "And, we'll check in with Tali. Maybe, she won't want a dog after all."
Ziva chuckled.
"I do not think there is any danger of that," Ziva declared.
Tony reached for her hand, and admired her ring finger. Her engagement ring glistened in the light.
"Things are gonna look so different by the end of the year," he said.
He and Ziva would be married. Tali would be settled into her new school, and Tony into his new job. There would be a dog tearing up their backyard.
And, the McFamily would be across the street. Their offer had gone unconditional over the weekend, but the house needed some renovations before the family moved in.
Delilah was currently in talks with her work to reduce her security clearance so that she could work from home at least twice a week. If that happened, a secure office would be built in the McBackyard, reducing their tiny garden even more, which meant the DiNozzo house would be the destination for summer barbecues.
"They will," she said with a smile. A smile that did not reach her eyes.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Yes," she said. "I am looking forward to the rest of the year. Who knows what it will bring."
They were still not being careful when it came to having another baby, but had both made peace with the fact it might not happen.
Maybe, a dog could fill the space where a sibling might have been.
"You're really okay?" he asked. "You don't seem to be sleeping well."
Nightmares haunted her, and stole her sleep. Sometimes all the thrashing around woke him up too.
Most mornings he woke up to her side of the bed being both cool and empty.
She was going for such long runs these days.
"It is August," she said, as an explanation.
The nightmares were always worse in the height of summer. The heat seemed to do something to her brain. The old ghosts had nowhere to hide.
"That's all it is?" he asked. "Things seem worse than last year."
Ziva broke his gaze, and looked around the room.
"It has been an adjustment being back here," Ziva said. "I love being home, and I love seeing Tali meet everyone we used to know, but it has been an adjustment."
In Paris, it had been easier in some respects, just them in their little bubble.
"You'd tell me if things got too much, right?" he asked. His voice cracking.
He had nearly lost her too many times. He did not want her to drift away.
It felt like a storm was coming, and he did not want that to pull her under.
"I promise," Ziva said. "And, I promise I am looking after myself."
He opened his mouth, ready to tell her how much he loved her, but the waitress who had asked them to wait at the bar appeared with two menus held to her chest.
Tony scrambled off the stool, and offered his hand to Ziva so she could get down. She refused his arm, and took her spot next to him.
The waitress apologised for the delay, and rattled off the specials. Not that Tony listened, he had decided what he was eating when he scanned the menu while they were waiting.
"We should probably tell your father we will be late," she said, as she followed the waitress, her stupid red shoes clip clopped on the floor.
He followed her, admiring the way her top dipped down her back.
The smell of steak sizzling wafted from the kitchen.
"Will do," he said, as he caught up to her, and placed a hand on her waist. "And, then we'll look lovingly into each other's eyes, and I'll try to make up for all the dates I never took you on."
"I really like that idea," she said with a smile.
A/N: I don't own a thing.
This chapter is setting some things up. Things that will see fruit in future chapters.
The inspiration for this chapter was a picture that made the rounds on Tumblr a few months ago. It was a comic of a dark haired woman wearing red mules, and a tawny haired man sitting at a bar. The pic was reblogged from 'The Storeroom', but I don't know who the original artist was. I don't know where you might find it.
We're more than halfway through this fic folks. I'm aiming to have at least two more chapters up in December. Thanks for your patience dear readers.
Thank you so much for all the kind words, reviews, and tweets etc. I'm so behind on review replies but please know I appreciate every single one.