Chapter 3

Looking Backward, Then Forward

End of July 2016

~~London, United Kingdom~~

After a few days had passed since they arrived in London, Ziva was sitting by the kitchen table in their hotel suite, having some breakfast with Tony. Tali sat in her highchair near Ziva eating her breakfast. Ziva finished off her breakfast, and turned to Tony and smiled. "Wow, this breakfast was so delish." She pointed to her plate with her fork before setting it down on the table. "This is almost the only thing that my stomach can take this early in the morning."

Tony smiled at Ziva, but before he could say something, Tali piped up. "Me done!"

Ziva turned to Tali and smiled. "You done? I'll get you cleaned up."

Tony chuckled to Ziva. "You seemed to love the eggs so much, that you finished off a second plate. Got a craving for eggs now?"

Ziva chuckled to Tony. "Tell me about it. I did the same thing when I was pregnant with Tali. I ate eggs with toast almost every day. Settled my stomach right down after my morning sickness. I think the baby likes it, too." She patted her stomach, then turned to Tali. "Might make sense why Tali loves eggs so much."

"That so? Well, then, I better make sure we have plenty of eggs for you, for the next 7 months, right?" Tony cracked a smile, then chuckled to Ziva, ribbing her.

"Yep, once I've had my fill of eggs in the morning, I – we - are happy for the rest of day." Ziva chuckled as she glanced down at her abdomen, which was now starting to be more obvious that she was pregnant.

"Maybe I should consider a chicken coop one day?" Tony muttered to himself, sitting back in his chair, and stretching out his muscles.

Ziva tilted her head to Tony and smiled. "Maybe that's not a bad idea, to have a chicken coop. Then you can go out and gather eggs every morning before breakfast."

Tony guffawed. "Yeah. I'll get Tali to help with me, when she gets a little older and our family has grown." Tony pointed a finger at Tali, nodding as he looked at Ziva, chuckles.

"I think she'll enjoy those chickens, and harvesting the eggs every morning. Part of our family tradition, fresh eggs for breakfast every morning, right?" Ziva patted Tony's shoulder with a smile.

Before Tony could say something, a ding sounded from the counter nearby. "That sounds like my phone. Wonder who could be sending me a text at this time." He got up from his chair and walked over to the counter and picked up his phone and looked at it. He suddenly burst into a smile. "That was my aunt. Adelaide's flying into Heathrow."

Ziva's eyebrows rose on her forehead and she smiled. "Oh, really? Good thing the airport's not that far from us. We can go pick her up. When's she arriving?"

"Let me text her and find out. I'll tell her that we'll be in to pick her up. After we pick her up, we can go out to sight-see for the rest of the day, if you want."

"That sounds awesome." Ziva sat back in her chair, thinking for a few moments. She looked at Tony for a few moments, considering some things, then as Tony typed out the text message to Adelaide, she asked, "Tony, does she know about me, or Tali?"

"Well," Tony looked up to Ziva as he sent the text message to Adelaide and put his phone down. "Well, like I might have said before, a lot of people thought you were killed in that explosion. Vance and Orli thought it was best to maintain that cover for now." Tony sighed, then shifted in his chair. "That's why we had that getaway. Ever since we took down Kort and his people, things have seemed to quiet down for now."

Ziva nodded. "Right, but is it okay to tell her now that I'm alive, and that Tali is in the picture now?"

Tony reached out and held Ziva's hand and said quietly, "Maybe not the world. But I think it'll be okay to tell Adelaide. She doesn't know about Tali, yet. I haven't told her because I've just not had the time."

"Hm." Ziva turned to Tali and cleaned her face off. "We're gonna go bye-bye soon." She smiled at Tali. She thought to herself, "I really wish my Ima were here to see Tali. I sure miss her. I'm sure Tony feels the same way about his mother not being here for him." She turned to Tony and asked quietly, "Wonder what Adelaide's coming out here for?"

Tony sipped his coffee, then looked at Ziva, "Well, she wanted to come out here and do some sight-seeing. Maybe go out to Scotland." Tony let out a short chuckle. "Scotland's always been one of her favorite places to go. We used to there a lot when I was little."

"Oh, nice. So, you and your parents also went to Scotland when you were little?" Ziva tilted her head to Tony.

Tony let out a derisive chuckle. "My father? Not a chance in hell. No, my mother and I went all the time. With Aunt Ade, usually."

Ziva smiled at Tony as she got up from her chair and started tending to Tali. "That makes sense now. I mean, why you're so close to your aunt."

Tony nodded. "Yeah. When my mom died, Ade became like a mom to me. Even though she always had this loud voice, I somehow found that comforting. Her personality was very similar to my mom, yet so different." He let out a sigh, then continued. "Now that I think of it, I think she'd be good company to be with on our sight-seeing."

Ziva looked up from tending to Tali and peered into Tony's eyes, smiling at him. "I wouldn't mind having her along with us. She's a kind soul to be around." She looked down at Tali and muttered more to herself, "I believe she'd make a great Savta to Tali." She looked down at her abdomen and added, "And our new baby as well."

"I don't see why she wouldn't." Tony reached over to hug Ziva, and planted a kiss on her lips.

Ziva broke from the hug and looked at Tony. "What do you think about getting Tali to know Adelaide? I know she's your aunt, but I think our mothers would have liked Adelaide to take their places -"

Tony smiled and put a finger on her lips, stopping her. "I don't see why not. A god-grandmother in a sense, right?" He took his finger off of Ziva's lips and then said, "How do you say grandmother in Hebrew, anyways? I forgot."

Ziva smiled at Tony and stroked his cheek as she said, "Savta. We can bring that idea up with her, right?"

"Savta, right." Tony nodded and smiled at Ziva. "I think Ade would have loved that. It's too bad that she isn't that close with her children, but I think this'll make up for it for her."

"Ima? Abba?" Tali tugged at Ziva's sleeve as she looked up at Tony and Ziva. "We go bye-bye now?"

Tony chuckled as he looked down at Tali. "Yes we'll go bye-bye. We need to get ready first, though."

Ziva nodded to Tali. "Let's find you some clothes for the day."

~~At the airport~~

Tony pulled the car into a parking stall at the arrivals section of the parking garage and turned the engine off. He turned to Ziva and said, "I'll be back. Shouldn't take long. You see anything out of the ordinary, don't hesitate to call me."

Ziva smiled and nodded. "Alright." She turned to look at Tali, then looked back at Tony. "Good thing Tali's asleep in her seat. Hopefully she stays that way when you're in there."

Tony nodded as he opened his door and got out of the car. He stuck his head back in and reached for his phone. "Hopefully she's not delayed too long, if at all." He closed the door and waved to Ziva through the window, then headed on into the airport.

Ziva watched Tony walk into the airport, then picked up her phone and surfed around on the Internet while she waited.

Tony made his way toward the arrival area of the airport and waited for Adelaide to arrive. It seemed like an eternity, but it was only about twenty minutes before he saw Adelaide in the sea of people streaming from the gate. He held up his hand so that Ade could see.

"There you are!" Ade's loud voice carried across the distance. "Long time no see!" she exclaimed as she reached Tony and hugged him tight."

Tony hugged her back, then when they separated, he looked her in her eyes, and smiled. "Too long. Let's go get your bags from the baggage claim area." He mimed carrying a suitcase.

Ade nodded and started walking toward the baggage claim. It took them only moments to reach the baggage claim area, and not that much longer to find Ade's luggage. Tony took the suitcase off of the carousel and said, "Lemme carry this to the car for you."

"Oh, sweet of you!" Ade said/signed to Tony as he picked up her suitcase and walked with her. "I'm parked not too far from here. Let's go this way."

Adelaide put her hand on Tony's arm, getting his attention. "I heard Ziva was killed in an explosion. True?"

Tony sighed and shook his head. "You saw the news piece about that explosion?"

"How awful. I'm sure she's in a better place now," Adelaide said.

Tony smiled at her. "Oh, she's in a better place, alright. Just not what you think." They reached the doors leading to the parking garage. "My car's not too far from the door. I can never get used to driving on the wrong side of the road here," he said, chuckling at himself. "I mean, the steering wheel's on the wrong side of the car."

Adelaide laughed heartily. "You silly!" She said/signed to Tony. "It's not a problem for me, I come out here all the time."

They reached the rental car that Tony and Ziva had been driving in. "Here, let me put this in the trunk. I have no idea why they call this the boot, anyways." He opened the trunk and put the suitcase in and closed it gently, so as to not wake Tali from her slumber.

Adelaide looked into the car, then back at Tony. "Who's in the car?"

Tony smiled at her. "Someone you know. And there's a little one in the car, too."

Adelaide walked up alongside the driver's side door and looked in, and gasped. "Ziva! You're alive!" Her loud voice echoed in the garage. She turned to Tony and exclaimed, "You found her! How?"

Ziva quickly put a finger on her lips, signaling Ade to lower her voice, but it was too late. Tali awoke with a start and started crying.

Tony quickly walked around to the back of the car and opened the door and looked at Ziva and mouthed, "I got this." He turned to Tali and gently picked her up from her car seat and cradled her in his arms, standing back up. "Hey, it's okay. Abba's here now."

Tali quieted down, just as Ziva got out of the car and walked around to Tony, Tali, and Adelaide. She stepped up toward Tony and patted Tali on the back. "Ima's here, too." She looked up to Adelaide. "Good to see you again. It's been a long time," she spoke clearly enough for Ade to read her lips.

"Yes it has," Adelaide replied to Ziva. She turned to Tali and said, "And who might this be?"

Tony smiled, wincing internally at the loudness of her voice. He looked down at Tali, who was looking warily at Adelaide, clinging on to Tony's shoulders, a thumb in her mouth for comfort. "This is Tali." He reached for Ziva with his free arm and pulled her close to him as he looked up at Adelaide, and said, "Our daughter."

Adelaide's mouth was wide open in surprise. "Wow," she fingerspelled. "She looks so adorable!" she said in her usual loud voice.

"Why she loud?" Tali whispered to Tony. She tried to bury herself into Tony's arms more.

Tony chuckled gently and said, "Because her ears don't work very well. She has to talk louder so she can hear herself."

Tali let out a small grunt and buried her head into Tony's chest.

Tony looked up at Ziva, then Adelaide and whispered, while making sure his lips formed the words clearly, "She's a little shy. Give her time."

Adelaide smiled and nodded to Tony and Ziva. "She's such a cutie-pie." She pointed to Ziva. "You look beautiful. How have you been doing these days?"

Ziva smiled back at Adelaide. "Doing good. I'm expecting another child, too." She turned sideways and smoothed out her blouse, revealing the baby bump.

"No way!" Adelaide breathed out as she signed the words. "When are you due?"

"We're thinking sometime in February next year. I've not had the chance to see a doctor yet. After this trip, we'll go see one."

Adelaide nodded. "Well, you look good." She turned to Tony and asked, "Why haven't you contacted me and let me know about this?"

Tony shrugged. "Lots happening at once. Can't talk about it much. Not a lot of people know about Ziva still being alive yet. It's complicated." He waved his hand in the air as if he was shooing a fly from his face. "Take too long to explain."

Adelaide laughed. "I have all the time in the world now. You can tell me about it on the drive to Scotland."

"Right on." Ziva nodded. "I think we're ready to go, now." She turned to Tony and held out her hands. "I'll take Tali and put her in the car seat and sit beside her." She pointed to Adelaide, then the front of the car. "You can ride up front with Tony."

As Tony handed Tali over to Ziva, Tali smiled at Ziva and piped up as she held out her arms toward Ziva, "Ima!"

Ziva smiled and nodded to Tali. "Yes, it's me, Ima. I'll sit by you, okay?"

Tali nodded as she moved from Tony's arms to Ziva's waiting hands and arms. She settled into Ziva's arms as she got into the car.

Adelaide got in the front passenger seat and closed the door as Tony got in the driver's side. She looked over to Tony, and when he had closed the door behind him, she said, "Your mother would have been proud of you."

Tony nodded to Adelaide. "Yeah, speaking of that. I think you'd do wonderful as a substitute for Tali. Think of it as being a god-grandmother."

Adelaide's eyes went wide with surprise, and she smiled to Tony. "Oh, I would be so honored to be a god-grandmother. Elizabeth would have loved that! Me as a grandma to your children."

Tony smiled at Adelaide. "One thing I need to tell you first. In Hebrew, the word for grandmother is 'Savta'." He fingerspelled the word out to clarify for Adelaide.

"Toda, Tony." Ziva spoke the Hebrew word for 'thank you' from the back seat. She reached for Tony's shoulder and grasped it and rubbed it.

Tony looked up in the rear-view mirror at Ziva and smiled at her. "Anything for my wife," Tony said.

Adelaide turned sharply to Tony and gently slapped his leg. "You're married already?"

Tony chuckled to Adelaide. "Long story, but yes, we're married."

"Oh, wow!" Adelaide's loud voice filled the car. She turned to Ziva and said, "I'm so happy for you two. Don't lose this man. He's a good one." She patted Tony on his shoulder.

Ziva smiled and shook her head. "Never lose sight of him. He's been there for me all the times that I've needed him."

"What languages do you speak, anyway?" Adelaide asked, a thought occurring in her mind suddenly. "Savta for grandmother, and what's toda?"

Ziva giggled. "I know several languages, but Hebrew is my first language. Toda means 'thank you'." She signed the words as she said, 'thank you', to clarify what the word meant. She winked at Adelaide.

"Todda? Did I say it right?" Adelaide asked.

Ziva nodded and said, "Almost like that. It's pronounced 'Tow-da'," she clearly enunciated the last word so that Adelaide could see how the word was pronounced.

"Ima?" Tali tugged at Ziva's sleeve. "We go now?"

Tony blinked his eyes and turned in his seat and looked back at Tali and Ziva. "Yeah, sorry about that. Fascinating to watch you and Ade talk," he said to Ziva. He shifted his gaze to Tali and said, "We're going bye-bye now. We'll see lots of things and have lots of fun."

Tali smiled and clapped her hands. "We go bye-bye now!"

Adelaide let out a hearty laugh. "We go see Scotland today. We go bye-bye now." She waved to the airport as she smiled to Tali.

Ziva smiled to Tali. "That's right. We go bye-bye now."

As Tony started backing the car out, Tali clapped her hands and exclaimed, "Yippee!"

~~Traveling to Scotland~~

Once Tony, Ziva, Tali and Adelaide had made it into Scotland, they drove through rolling hills and postcard-perfect scenery. The miles went by them as they drove deeper into the country. After a while, they reached a location that was familiar to Tony and Adelaide. "Here we are," Tony said.

Adelaide smiled. "You remembered!" She turned to Ziva and said, "We used to come here all the time when Tony was a little boy."

"It was just my mother and aunt Adelaide on these trips. My father never really cared for Scotland. He wasn't around much." Tony shrugged his shoulders. "All water under the bridge, I guess."

Ziva looked out the window at the ancient castle, marveling at how it had stood the test of time through all the years it had stood on this land. "This is beautiful. Different from Cairo, for sure." She turned and smiled at Tony.

Tony chuckled. "Yeah. Lots of ancient buildings in Egypt, but such a different culture there. The pyramids were for the pharaohs. These castles were for the kings of the lands."

Tali squirmed out of her car seat and pressed her face against the window, enthralled by the enormous building. "Castle," she said to herself, testing the word out. "Same as book picture?" She turned to look up at Ziva.

Ziva smiled and nodded at Tali. "That's right. We'll go look at it." She turned to Tony. "My first time seeing a castle up close and personal," she said quietly.

Tony opened the door, followed by Adelaide. He got out of the car and waited for Ziva and Tali to get out. "We'll go in together and look around. I remember the building itself, but not all of the rooms. Thought we'd come out here and refresh my memory. Create new ones with my family here." Tony stepped

closer to Ziva and hugged her at his side.

Adelaide smiled at Tony and Ziva standing together, with Tali in Ziva's arms. "Such a cute family," she said to herself. She turned to the castle and started walking to it, then looked back over her shoulder. "C'mon, let's go."

Tony nodded. "Coming!" he said, as he walked toward the castle, guiding Ziva in his arm toward the castle. He looked down to Tali and said, "We get to see what the inside looks like. How's that sound?"

Tali smiled and clapped her hands. "We go in castle!"

Moments later, they reached the highest rooftop of the castle. Tony walked up to the parapet on top of the roof. As he stood at the railing looking out at the rolling hills that surrounded the castle, the sun shone down on them. Ziva walked up beside Tony and asked him, "How are you feeling now?"

Tony turned to look at Ziva, and smiled. "Feels good being up here. Quiet. But it's even better with you here, with me." He pulled her closer to him.

Ziva rubbed Tony's back with her free hand. "I love being with you in places like this. Makes me feel special." She looked down at Tali, and smiled. "Look out there, Tali. What do you see?" Ziva pointed out toward another hill, at a distant building.

Tali looked out toward the hill. She gasped, then said "'Nother castle!" She clapped her hands in excitement.

Tony chuckled. "That's right. It's a smaller castle. What was built before this one."

Adelaide walked up between the two. "This castle was in our family ancestry, a long time ago."

Ziva turned to Adelaide and raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Tony chuckled. "Oh, yeah. My great, great, great... great? Grandfather. I don't rightly remember how many greats preceded it. Way back in the 1400's, maybe 1500's. He was the king of this land."

"That's right!" Adelaide signed/said to Tony. "Good memory. I don't remember how many greats either. But it was a very long time ago."

Ziva tilted her head to Adelaide. "Which side of the family was he on?"

Adelaide smiled to Ziva and said, "Mother's family side. Her mother's mother's line. It goes way back up that line."

Tony nodded. "I remember hearing a lot of stories from my grandmother. My mother's mother," he clarified for Ziva. "The Italian side is all my dad." He let out a chuckle.

Ziva smiled to Tony. "That makes sense to me now. I've always wondered where your family came from. I've known about your Italian side, but never your Scottish side."

Tony shrugged. "After my mother died, we kinda stopped coming over here for all these years. This is my first time back here in all these years."

Ziva looked at Tony, surprise on her face. "You never told me about this. I find this fascinating."

Adelaide nodded. "It wasn't the same without Elizabeth anymore." She looked up at the sky, then down at the rolling landscape. "I feel that Liz is smiling down on us for returning to this land, standing in the very castle that one of our family was a king of."

Tony turned away from the parapet and looked out over the courtyard of the castle. "One of the stories that my grandmother would tell me about was about the large gatherings that happened in that courtyard out there. Someone standing out there and reading out loud the notices to the crowd of people. People sharing a large feast during the holidays. Knights coming and going. That courtyard was a busy place, for sure."

Ziva looked down at the courtyard and tried to imagine the hustle and bustle back in the Dark Ages. She imagined the sights and sounds of knights in armor riding horses in the courtyard, their armor clanking with every move, the sound of the blacksmith working on swords and axes, the hubbub of people mingling at the markets. "How different the times were back then," she breathed to herself.

"Me down, Ima?" Tali patted Ziva on her arm.

Before Ziva could say something, Tony stepped up. "Here, let me take her. I wanna show her some places."

Adelaide laughed. "Tony loved running around in the castle. Sure gave his mother a fright one time when he got lost in the castle for a couple of hours."

Ziva looked at Adelaide, then back to Tony. "Really, now?" She blinked toward Tony, and a small smile formed on her lips. "You're not gonna lose Tali, like you lost yourself, are you?"

Tony laughed to Ziva. "Nah, it was more like I got so interested and carried away at looking at all the little things in the castle that I got separated from the rest of the crowd."

Ziva chuckled at Tony. "Don't lose her, now." She shooed Tony toward the castle proper. "Go have fun. I'm sure Tali would enjoy seeing the castle with you."

"I'll be back before you know it," Tony said as he smiled at Ziva. He turned and walked away, with Tali in his arms.

Adelaide walked up to Ziva and said, "You doing okay? You look a little tired."

Ziva sighed and nodded. "I'll be fine. Just need a place to sit for a few minutes." She walked over to a nearby bench and sat down to rest. "Ooh, that feels good to get off my feet for a bit."

Adelaide sat next to her on the bench. "We can talk here while we wait for Tony to come back. Or we can walk when you've rested a bit. Your choice."

Ziva smiled and nodded. "It's beautiful out here. Not like my homeland. I mean, my homeland has its own kind of beauty, but I've never seen anything like this." She looked out over the landscape through a slit in the parapet. "We have hills, but nothing like this green landscape. It's all desert, mostly."

Adelaide raised an eyebrow. "It sure sounds interesting, Israel. I've read a little about the country. Plus, I still remember what Tony has been telling me about the country when he was over there on his exchange course work."

Ziva smiled at Adelaide. "A lot's changed, yet a lot has remained the same. Israel's an interesting place. Very different than London, Paris, New York City." She let out a small sigh, then said, "I think I like America a little better than Israel, now. Too many memories in Israel."

"What about America interests you so much?" Adelaide tilted her head to Ziva. "I mean, besides Tony."

Ziva chuckled. "It's the sights in the cities. And how people act compared to Israel. They're more... free. Choose any religion, choose any job you want. You are free to decide."

Adelaide raised an eyebrow. "You sound like the people don't have as many choices in Israel."

"No, I didn't mean that." Ziva shook her head. "It's just... the culture there is very different. Steeped in religion. Jewish and Muslim, mostly. Over in America it's a mixing pot." She used her hands to signify a mix of people.

"Did you mean 'melting pot'? All sorts of different people coming together." Adelaide asked.

"Melting pot, yes. I could never get some of these idioms right," Ziva said.

Ade nodded. "I understand. I struggle with some of the hearing terms myself. I feel like they don't translate well for me."

Ziva smiled at Adelaide. "Us two people with foreign languages in America. The only difference is, you were born there, I was born in Israel, yet we struggle with the same kinds of things."

Just then, Tony and Tali returned. "She really enjoyed looking at the different parts of the castle," Tony said to Ziva, smiling.

Ziva looked up at Tony. "That didn't take long."

Tony chuckled. "She wanted to run around and look and touch different things in the castle. Thought I'd come back with her, before I would have lost her."

"Ima?" Tali held her arms out to Ziva.

Ziva looked up at Tali and held her arms out to pick Tali up out of Tony's arm. "Here, come to Ima.".

Tony nodded as he held Tali up for Ziva. "There you go. I think she's a little hungry, too."

As if to emphasize Tony's statement, Tali piped up to Ziva, "Me hungwy."

Ziva craned her head around to look at Tali. "I think we all are. How does food sound?"

Adelaide's eyes brightened and she smiled at the two as she clapped her hands together. "Let's go eat. Food's on me."

~~London~~

After they'd come back from Scotland and stopped at a restaurant to have their fill of food, they arrived at the hotel just as the sun set below the horizon. As Tony opened the door, he smiled at Ziva and Adelaide as they walked into the hotel. He patted Tali on her back as she cradled in Ziva's arm, as Ziva passed Tony. "Back for the night," he said with a sigh.

Ziva nodded to Tony. "I really enjoyed looking at the castle and the landscape in Scotland. It's so peaceful there. I just hope we can find something like this in America."

Tony chuckled as he closed the door behind him and walked behind Ziva, rubbing her back at the same time. "Yeah, it's different. I'll wait out here while you get her ready for bed." He made a beeline for the couch.

"I'll wait out here, too." Adelaide said to Ziva as Ziva cradled an exhausted Tali.

"Thanks." Ziva nodded at them. "I shouldn't be too long." She turned to walk into the bedroom as Adelaide sat in the couch next to Tony.

Tony stretched out his legs on the couch and stared at the blank TV for a second, and let out a sigh. He turned his head to look at Adelaide and said, "Thank you for coming out here to visit. It's good to see you again."

Adelaide smiled to Tony. "I enjoyed my time with you, too. Being in the castle brought back many good memories. I remember you the most of all, running around in the castle like a maniac." She let out a short chuckle.

Tony laughed heartily. "I thought it was boring the way the adults talked about the castle. I imagined myself like an adventurer in some distant land, looking for hidden loot inside the castle."

Just then, Tali ran out of the bedroom, her little feet pattering on the floor as she squealed in laughter and dove into Tony's arms. "Abba!"

Ziva walked out of the bedroom, shaking her head. "I was looking for something, and turned my back. Next thing I know, she just took off. I don't think she wants to miss anything here," she said as she chuckled. She walked to the other end of the couch and sat next to Tony.

Tony chuckled at Tali as she settled down in her arms. He looked at Tali and asked, "You don't wanna miss anything, do you?"

Tali giggled to Tony and shook her head.

"What does 'Abba' mean?" Adelaide looked at Tony and Ziva.

Tony turned and smiled at Adelaide. "That's father, or daddy, in Hebrew."

"Interesting! Three languages at once. I'll have to learn how to keep them straight in my head," Adelaide said. "English, ASL, and now Hebrew."

Tony let out a short chuckle. "Don't ask me about the other languages that Ziva knows. I don't know how she does it. I mean, I know a little Italian, but her Italian is way better than mine."

Ziva laughed at Tony. "It's not that good. But yes, I know seven or eight different languages."

"So, you teaching her all the different languages?" Adelaide asked.

Tony laughed. "Just Hebrew and English for now. I think sign language is next on our agenda now that you're in the picture more."

"Me book," Tali piped up, tugging on Ziva's sleeve.

Ziva looked down at Tali and smiled. "You want to read a book?"

Tali nodded and smiled up at Ziva. "Castle book." She snuggled up in Tony's arms.

Tony looked down at Tali, then up at Ziva. "Maybe Adelaide could read her the book for a change," he spoke softly to Ziva. "See if she'll warm up to her."

Ziva nodded and got up. "I'll get the English version out." She turned to the bedroom and returned moments later with the castle book. "Here we go. Got the castle book for you, Tali." She smiled as she sat next to Tony and looked at Tali as Ziva held the book out for her.

"Do you want to read with Savta?" Tony asked Tali.

Tali looked up at Tony, then snuggled deeper in his arms as she looked over to Adelaide, a small smile on her lips.

Ziva handed the book to Adelaide and said in a clear voice, "This one is her favorite book. She loves looking at the pictures. Maybe you can read the book to her while she listens."

Tony moved over a bit, then looked down at Tali. "Here, let's have you sit here, next to me." He patted the space between him and Adelaide. "How's that sound?"

Tali nodded and moved to sit in the empty space. "Me Savta book?"

Tony and Ziva both nodded to Tali while smiling at her. Ziva spoke up first. "Yes, you and Savta can read the story together."

Tony said in addition to Ziva, "I think you'll be fine here. Have a little fun listening to her tell you a bedtime story."

Adelaide looked at the cover of the book. "Wow, a big castle!" She pointed to the picture on the cover of the book as she showed Tali.

Tony winced slightly and pointed to his throat, then brought a hand down slightly, signifying to Adelaide to try her best to modulate her voice so it wasn't so loud and not startle Tali as much.

Adelaide flicked her eyes up toward Tony, catching the sign, and nodded subtly, then looked back at the book. "Here, let's read together," Adelaide said, this time trying her best to lower her voice a little.

Tali smiled and looked down at the book as Adelaide opened the book, and started reading the book out loud to Tali, signing as she went along. Tali was suddenly fascinated with how Adelaide's hands moved as she spoke.

After a few moments, Ziva looked at Tali, and satisfied that she was engrossed in the book and at Adelaide's signing, she gently tapped Tony on his arm and whispered in his ear, "Let's leave the two alone. Come with me, please." She slowly, quietly walked from the couch.

Tony glanced up at Ziva and nodded, and slowly eased himself off the couch, watching Tali the whole time. Satisfied that he hadn't distracted Tali from the story, he tiptoed up to Ziva. "Let's go in the bedroom and talk," he whispered to Ziva.

When Tony and Ziva entered the bedroom, Ziva walked to the bed and sat on the edge and patted the bed next to her, smiling up at Tony. "Let's see how long Tali lasts with Ade."

Tony sat on the bed by Ziva. "Yeah. As long as Ade remembers to control her voice somewhat." He cocked his head toward the living room. "But I think this is a good opportunity for Tali to get used to her. The book's a good start."

Ziva nodded and smiled to Tony. "I remember the first time I met Ade. I was surprised at how loud she was, at first. But now, I'm just now getting used to it. Being around normal people for all this time, and now with Ade, are two different experiences." She let out a small chuckle. "Worlds apart in how they speak."

Tony chuckled softly. "You can say that again. You'd never miss her in a room full of people."

Ziva let out a sigh. "The real reason I asked you to come out to the bedroom is this. I'm approximately three months along, and I've decided that it's time for me to settle down. Be a mother and wife for once."

Tony looked at Ziva and whispered, "Where are you thinking about, if not here?"

"I was thinking about the New York City area. I've always loved the area, ever since I went with you there. It's always had a special place in my heart," Ziva said. She turned to look at Tony more fully. "Maybe we could find a quiet place in or near the city."

Tony smiled widely. "I don't see why we can't live there. Tell you what. As soon as we get back, we can start looking for a house to raise our family in. How's that sound?"

Ziva smiled. "I'd love that. I'm ready to settle down." She moved herself up on the bed and stretched out. "Oh, that feels good to lay down for a bit." She lay there for a few moments, then tilted her head toward the living room. "Do you hear that, Tony?" she whispered to him.

Tony tilted his head toward the living room. He suddenly realized that it was quiet in there. "I don't hear Ade reading to Tali anymore. Let me go see what's up." He got up and tiptoed to the living room and looked in there. He turned to Ziva and waved her up. "C'mere, I think you need to see this."

Suddenly interested, Ziva sat up and slid herself off the bed and walked over to Tony, smiling. "What's up in there?"

"Have a look." Tony pointed out the door.

Ziva looked out the door, and saw Adelaide sitting on the couch comfortably. Adelaide looked up at Tony and Ziva, and pointed to Tali, then signed "Sleeping."

"Aw, that's so sweet," Ziva whispered to Tony as she tiptoed out to the living room and looked at Tali.

Tony chuckled. "Out like a light. Amazing how quick she took to Adelaide."

Ziva nodded to Tony. "I think she'd make a wonderful grandma to Tali." She looked down and patted her abdomen, and added, "And our baby."

Tony looked up at Adelaide. "How long are you staying?" He whispered, making sure to mouth the words clearly.

Adelaide signed to Tony while whispering. "I fly back in a couple of days. Why?"

Tony smiled and glanced at Ziva, then looked back at Adelaide. "We can look at the London Tower, the Buckingham Palace, stuff like that. Then, we'll fly back together. We're heading to New York City the day after tomorrow."

Adelaide's eyes went wide as she smiled broadly to them. "Awesome! We fly back together?" she signed to Tony as she whispered.

Tony smiled and nodded to Adelaide. "Yeah, we'll go to the beach house for a bit and go from there, while we look for a house up in New York City."

Ziva nodded, and walked up to Adelaide. "Let me take Tali and put her in bed." She gently picked Tali up, and turned toward the bedroom. Before she left, she turned to Adelaide and said, "Good night. See you in the morning."

Adelaide waved to Ziva and said, "Good night."

"Let me get some covers for you and a pillow." Tony held up a finger, then went into the bedroom and returned moments later with a spare blanket and pillow. "You gonna be comfortable sleeping on the couch?"

Adelaide nodded and smiled at Tony. "Oh, sure. I'll be fine here."

Tony nodded and smiled. "Alright. Rest tight. See you in the morning. I'm gonna hit the hay and call it a night."

"Okay, good night, Tony." Adelaide smiled at Tony.

'Night." Tony smiled as he held up a thumb, then walked off to bed.

A/N: Dear Readers, Thank you for enjoying this chapter, also in the advance, thank you all for the reviews, tweets, messages and Kudos. Please be aware that there will be a month-long hiatus on my writing as I go on vacation. I should be back on writing around the 20th of January 2022.