Chapter 22 (Final Chapter)

Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

Christmas Day 2040

~~at Tiva's Farmhouse~~

A sudden burst of laughter from downstairs snapped Ziva out of her deep sleep, and her eyes clicked open. She carefully listened, and heard snatches of conversation, and thought she recognized the voices. She turned over in the bed slightly as she yawned. "Tony?" she whispered.

"Hm?" Tony sleepily responded, but didn't move.

"Sounds like Tali's up. John, too, maybe." Ziva flipped the covers off of her and sat up. Looking out the window, she was puzzled at the lack of snow on the ground outside. "Huh. Looks pretty warm out there."

Tony's head turned slightly. "Oh? Wonder how warm it is out there."

Ziva shrugged. "I'll go check downstairs. See what the weather's really like. Also to see who's up." She got up and walked out of the room, and headed downstairs to the kitchen.

"I'll be down in a sec," Tony said, yawning at the end.

At the dining table, Zack stretched out his legs as he sat back in his chair. "The way you talk about how active that baby is, maybe you should consider signing that baby up for soccer league."

Tali shut the refrigerator door and spun around to look at Zack, letting out a short chuckle. "That's what I told John the other day. And -" She was cut off mid-sentence by a kick that took her breath away, and she clapped a hand on top of her rounded belly, pushing the lump down a bit. "Ow, easy there! Right in the diaphragm this time."

"I heard that," Ziva rounded the corner. "Baby keeping you up, Tali?" She swiveled her head to Zack and smiled, surprise on her face. "Zack! When did you come in?" She quickly walked over to Zack and rubbed her hand through Zack's hair. "You're like a porcupine, now, with your hair. Just like Abba."

Tony chuckled as he walked in. "Me, a porcupine?"

Ziva turned and walked to Tony and tousled his hair, smiling at him. "Yes, you're a porcupine also. Your hair's all wild and out of control." Her hands made jagged motions in the air above her head, making the appearance of an out-of-control hairstyle.

Zack laughed. "Like father, like son, right?" He shifted in his chair slightly and ran a hand through his hair. "Got in 'bout half an hour or so ago. Went to talk with Morgan, but I can't stand that woman she's with." He let out a sigh. "I say something wrong, instant arguing match with her around."

Ziva tilted her head to Zack, concern on her face. "She must not like you being Morgan's friend, sounds like. What's her issue, anyway?"

Zack let out a derisive snort. "I guess she's jealous that I'm pretty much the only guy Morgan'll ever talk with. She just doesn't get it that we grew up being good friends. Like cousins, you know?"

Tony flicked his eyebrows up slightly. "Well, sounds like she's got issues. That girl, not Morgan, I mean. Control issues." He leaned himself against the door frame and tilted his head. "What's her good days like?"

"Gone," Zack said without thinking, then let out a short chuckle. "Any day that she's not around is a good day, to be honest. For both me and Morgan. When she's in the picture, it's like Morgan can't breathe without her permission."

Tony chuckled and his expression changed, and a sneer formed on his lips. "This girl have a name?"

Zack shuddered. "Nadine, or something. Why do I think of grenadines when I hear her name, anyway?" he muttered the last sentence to himself.

"Wow, a true zilla," Tony said, shaking his head as he flicked an eyebrow up yet again. "Those kinds of people you learn real quick to be careful around them and give them a wiiiide berth." He moved a hand far away from himself, as to emphasize the point.

Zack scoffed. "Yeah. That's what I try to do, anyway. I could tell Morgan wanted to talk with me, too, but Miss Jealous thinks I'm driving a wedge between her and Morgan, or something."

"But that's so wrong!" Tali gently slapped a hand on the table. "She's got no right to control Morgan and walk all over her like a doormat."

"You're right, that is wrong." Ziva said, but she was interrupted before she could say anything further.

John rounded the corner and walked into the dining room. "Who's being a doormat?"

"John! Good morning!" Tali looked to John as he walked up beside her and smiled up at him.

Ziva smiled at John. "Good morning, John. We were talking about someone we all know and love so much."

Zack nodded and lifted a hand up in the air briefly before dropping it back down on his lap. "That girl that's with Morgan, she's being a right pain these days."

John's shoulders sagged as if an additional weight was thrown on him, and he let out a sigh as he shook his head. "I wish I could boot Nadine straight back to wherever she came from. I've never liked her from day one."

Tony tilted his head to Zack. "Could you see if she's got anything on her?"

Zack chuckled. "Yeah. Ran her name through the system. A couple of priors, but nothing real serious. Petty stuff when she was a teen. Clean as a whistle after that probation she had."

"Probation?" Tony's ears perked up. "What was she on probation for?"

Zack shrugged. "Ran up her mother's credit card charges, and slugged a teacher in school. Both on the same day."

"Well, Morgan needs to be rid of that woman, then." Tony shook his head. "She sounds like bad news."

"Yeah, but how?" Tali spoke up. "You know how Morgan is, with her big heart. She might not be able to get out because she doesn't really know how to say no."

"That's why I was trying to bring a little Christmas cheer when I went over to see her," Zack said. "But that Nadine had to come at the wrong time and throw a monkey wrench in everything." He harrumphed in the chair.

"Ooh, she walked in on you and Morgan?" John tried his best to stop himself from grinning, and put a hand on his mouth, and then came to a new realization. "And you were in the middle of getting it on with my sister?"

Zack shot him a look, then shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. When Nadine started with her screaming, I just had to get out of there. But, I did tell her she could come over for Christmas if she wanted to. Dunno if she'll come now, what with this Nadine woman."

Ziva shrugged. "Only way to know is to see if she does show up. I feel positive that she will show up, though."

John nodded, a smile on his face. "She usually does when my parents are around for Christmas."

Zack let out a sigh, then cracked a slight smile. "That'll be good if and when she shows up."

Matty bounded into the room and spread his arms wide, and smiled at everyone. "Hi, everybody! It's Christmas morning, and why is there no snow on the ground like I've always read about in those Christmas stories?"

Tony chuckled. "You can blame humankind for that one. It's all about the climate change. Twenty years ago, you'd have snow on the ground pretty much every Christmas. The last five years, you'd be dreaming of a white Christmas and waking up to a very drab green and brown one instead. It's just too warm for snow."

Ziva nodded. "I miss the sparkling snowflakes on everything, making everything shine like diamonds. The sound of snow underfoot when you walked in the snow." Her fingers fluttered in the air as she slowly moved her hands in the air, as if she was sprinkling fine powder over everything.

Tali smiled. "Those are things that I remember as a small child. Now, my baby will not know any of the things that I knew as a child."

Ziva nodded. "The world now is very different from the world then, that is for sure. And the world of tomorrow will be very different, and your child will master that world. Hopefully the world will become a better place by then."

"Better place," Zara's voice preceded her by a split-second before she entered the room. "Better Christmas," she said, holding up a drawing.

Ziva smiled at Zara as she took the drawing from Zara. "Did you have a good night's rest?"

Zara nodded, a small smile on her lips. "I drew the picture when I woke up and looked out the window."

Ziva looked at the picture and was amazed as always at the level of detail in the picture. The trees even had squirrels and birds in the branches, she noticed. "Those animals in the trees, they shouldn't be there in the winter, but the weather's been so warm, they could tolerate the weather." She pointed to the picture and showed it to Tony. "See here, look."

Tony reached up and scratched the back of his head as he looked at the picture. "Yeah, that's another thing I noticed. I haven't really seen that many birds migrating the last couple years."

"Already makes it an interesting Christmas, in our books at least." Ziva handed the picture back to Zara and smiled. "That's a very beautiful drawing. Show that to Tali, okay?"

Zara turned and smiled at Tali as she showed the drawing to her. "This is from this morning," she said.

Tali looked at the picture and smiled. "This is very beautiful. Do you want to put it up in the gallery?"

A sudden smile lit up Zara's face as she clapped her hands together and held them to her chest. "Yes!"

Tali nodded once and smiled. "Okay, we can do that next week, after the holidays."

John looked over Tali's shoulder at the picture and pointed to it. "No snow in that picture. Just like outside. The snow that people make in some places, just doesn't compare to the real thing."

"Well, at least they're trying to change that these days. You read about those big buildings that they're putting up, that's supposed to take millions of tons of carbon dioxide out of the air a year to be used in other manufacturing?" Matty spoke up. He'd always kept a close ear to technology in general, and green energy and climate change were the top two interests outside of his normal cyber security work.

Tony chuckled. "Gone are the days of sending crap out of smokestacks into the air, into our waterways, onto our land. I'm hearing big things about cleaning the planet up, too. About time, too. Wish they'd started this twenty years ago."

"They actually did, Abba," Matty said. "It was all small scale back then, when people had a big awakening about how the climate was changing, places like Miami and Venice are being affected. Then people scaled up, big time."

Ziva smiled. "I think we can all agree on one thing. Christmas – and Hanukkah – waits for no one."

Tony held up a hand in the air. "Hear, hear! Let's all enjoy Christmas together, as a family. Lay our worries aside for the day and just, enjoy the spirit of togetherness and family, being together."

Ziva smiled as she walked next to Tony and put an arm around his waist and looked up at him. "That's the spirit of Christmas, isn't it?" She turned to the others.

Tony smiled at Ziva as he put his own arm around Ziva's waist and squeezed her into him. "So, where do you want to start while I get the smoker ready for the bird?"

Ziva tilted her head slightly toward Tony and smiled. "Well, we do need to prepare the salad and the sides for the dinner. Don't forget that Tim and Delilah are coming over sometime later today."

Tony flicked a finger in the air and smiled as he slowly nodded. "That's right. Tim's gonna help with the smoker when he gets here. Hope the traffic doesn't hold him up."

John let out a slight chuckle. "Yeah, traffic's been smooth. Just got a text from Dad that they're on their way and they just got off the turnpike."

"Splendid." Tony smiled as he turned on his heels and started walking toward the back door. "Gonna be getting the smoker ready now. Holler if you need anything."

"Will do." Ziva swiveled her head to Matty and vaguely waved her hand in the general direction of Tony. "Would you go help your Abba please?"

Matty smiled and started walking to the door. "Sure thing. At least til Uncle Tim gets here."

Tali nodded and smiled. "Wonderful. I'll go help out in the kitchen with Ima."

Zack stretched himself out in his chair. "I think I need a little shut-eye for a bit. It's a miracle to even be able to sleep with that woman there." He let out a huge yawn.

Ziva held a hand halfway up in the air. "Hey, now, don't forget! Food coming up in a bit."

Zack nodded. "I know, just wake me up when it's ready." He got up and staggered off to get some rest.

Ziva chuckled slightly to herself. "Get some rest. I'll come get you when the food's ready."

Zack held up a hand as he walked downstairs to his room, stifling a yawn. "Thanks, Ima," he said, his voice somewhat distorted by his yawning.

~~Family gathering for Christmas Dinner Party~~

Later in the evening, Tony sat next to Ziva on the couch, his stomach full, a smile on his face, holding Ziva's hand as he looked out at the rest of the family in the living room. He turned his head to the side slightly and smiled at Tim and Delilah, nodding his head slightly. "Oh, I'll tell you. I'm stuffed. Maybe one of the best meals we've had yet. Wouldn't you say?"

Tim nodded his head as he sat in a chair next to the couch, a small smile on his lips. "Definitely. Gotta love the taste of smoked turkey along with all the fixins. The green bean casserole? Absolutely divine."

Delilah let out a short chuckle as she wheeled her chair up next to Tim. "Because I was the one that made it, right?"

"Touche." McGee flicked his finger in the air toward Delilah and winked, smiling at her. He turned to Ziva. "I bet it's exciting to know you're gonna become a grandmother pretty soon, eh?"

Ziva let out a snort as she watched Tali ease herself into the other chair, John helping her. "So much to look forward to, that I'm not even sure where to start. I'm still trying to adjust to the idea that I will be a savta before I know it."

Delilah tilted her head slightly, a questioning look on her face. "I've never heard the term. Savta means grandmother?"

Ziva nodded once and smiled at Delilah. "Correct. And – God willing – you will also be a grandmother." She reached out and patted Delilah on her arm.

Delilah gave Ziva a look. "You know something I don't? I mean, I could see that they're clearly in love with each other, but John's not said anything about Tali except that he's been helping her out a lot lately."

Tony chuckled and shrugged. "That's just it. He's always been there for Tali, even for the doctor's appointments and such. He's really stepped up and become the man that he should be to Tali." Tony clicked his tongue and winked and held up a finger in the air.

Ziva looked as Matty and Zack started getting gifts out to pass out. "Yeah. I just have a feeling that they'll wanna be together forever. It's in their eyes and how they are toward each other. They're together all the time. I don't think it's a matter of if, it's now a matter of when. Look, they're getting ready to pass the gifts out."

Tony said, "I'm just happy that Tali's got a good man with her now. Night and day difference, I'm telling you. That other guy was a real flake, she didn't deserve to have someone like him."

Ziva raised an eyebrow and flicked a finger in the air once. "I certainly agree with you on that. What was his name again? Antonio?"

Tony scoffed. "Yeah. Let 'im sleep with the fishes for all I care. I'm just glad we're shut of him now."

Ziva turned to Tony. "Me too. One question. What exactly did you mean by 'sleep with the fishes'?

Tony shrugged his shoulders. "Oh, nothing. Except that his father apparently had him whacked, his body dumped out in the open sea. Some say it was just a case of wrong place, wrong time, but I have my doubts on that one. You certainly don't wanna mess with the Mafia, that's for sure."

Ziva flashed a look at Tony. Her eyes said, Just like Eli. After a moment, she asked, "How did you know so much about how the Mafia operates?"

Tony chuckled. "It's an Italian thing. I've always kept my ears close to the ground, so I would know which family to avoid dealing with. This Vinci family, the main thing I know about 'em is that they're up and rising in the ranks. His father? Dante Vinci. He's more or less a street boss, you know, pretty high up in the food chain."

"Abba!" Tali let out a scoff and slapped a palm on the arm of her chair, causing everyone to look at her. "Can we not talk about this topic again? I'd rather not hear his name again, if you don't mind." Hearing the name again caused Tali's anxiety to spike within her, and she desperately wanted to not remember the name or the person.

Tony reached out to Tali and patted her shoulder. "Look, Tali, bottom line, I would never want to see my baby to get hurt. Or your baby. What matters now, is you've got a good man beside you now. This guy here, John." He poked a finger in John's chest. "This guy's always been there for you, no matter what. If you took his name, ain't no way they're gonna find the baby."

Tali smiled. "That'd be so sweet." She looked up at John and smiled up at him. "You the baby daddy now?"

John chuckled. "If that's what you want. I'm honored, I've always felt like the baby's practically mine just as much as yours."

"Gift exchange time!" Zack called out from beside the tree, holding up a gift.

"Oh, awesome!" Morgan smiled from her spot on the floor up at Zack. "Let's see what everybody got."

Matty held up a hand. "I guess the best way is, Zack calls out who, I pass the gifts out."

Tony clapped his hands together and smiled. "Wonderful. From the looks of all those presents under the tree, Santa's been kind to the family this year."

Everyone laughed at Tony and started exchanging gifts, opening them up, littering the floor with wrapping papers and Christmas ribbons.

Eventually, after everyone had exchanged gifts, John sat back in his chair next to Tali and smiled. "Well, that was a fun gift exchange. Lots of good stuff that everyone got."

Tony chuckled. "Most important part's all about being together as a family, and enjoying our time together. And of course the gifts don't hurt either."

Ziva smiled. "It is a time to be merry, after all. Our families spending the time together on this unusually warm Christmas day."

Tony nodded. "I've always loved Christmas, and Hanukkah as well. Each one have their own good things that I like about 'em. But they share one common thing: togetherness as a family. Also a nice time to see new families forming right before our eyes." He nodded slightly toward Tali and John.

McGee nodded and vaguely waved his hand in the general direction of Zack and Morgan. "More than one family? Look at 'em, they seem to really be into each other," he muttered to Tony.

Tony flicked his eyes in Zack and Morgan's direction, then back to McGee. "Yeah, time will tell. They seem to be in the finding themselves stage at this time. And I believe they will, in time, as long as they don't get lost along the way."

McGee chuckled. "Speaking of lost." He turned to John. "That reminds me, did you find what you were looking for earlier in the week?"

John got up from his chair, smiling at McGee, stealthily patting his pocket. "Oh, yeah. The thing I thought was lost, was found again."

"Ah, good." McGee smiled at John. "I figured you'd find it soon enough."

John laughed at McGee. "You sure had me going with your riddles and your ElfLord references." He walked over to the Christmas tree and looked at the different ornaments, as if in deep thought. "I did have fun with the treasure hunt, though, I'll admit that."

Tony chuckled at McGee. "Pulled out all the stops with the ElfLord thing, didn't you?" He shook his head. "Can't believe that's still around these days."

"Yeah, well, I read about new games coming out, and these RPG's, they keep getting better and better. The ElfLord games of today put my own games to shame."

Matty laughed. "Now we're gaming on quantum computers and optical computers. The realism is just out of the world. You're basically turning your living room into a holodeck of sorts. Multiple projector systems hooked up to this beefy computer, and you wear this suit -"

"Beyond my scope." Tony held up a hand, smiling at Matty. "With my luck I'd take a step and smack my shin right into the coffee table when trying to walk in a game."

Matty laughed. "That'll be the sight to behold, indeed. I've seen videos of people trying out these early versions of augmented reality headsets and running into things, destroying their TV sets. That won't happen with these new systems. Or at least, it's not supposed to."

Just then, Tali got up from her chair with some effort due to her pregnancy, and walked over to John. "What're you thinking about, John?"

John looked over at Tali and smiled. "Oh, nothing. Except this," he said as he reached into his pocket and pulled something small out of his pocket, fumbling slightly. He held it up in his clenched fist in the air, shaking it triumphantly, then held it out in front of him and opened his hand to reveal a small reddish-colored box. He knelt in front of Tali and opened the box, to reveal a very ornate ring. "Tali Elizabeth Dinozzo, will you marry me?"

Tali burst in happy tears as she picked him up and hugged him tight, squealing in joy. "Oh John Timothy McGee, yes! Yes, I will marry you, John." Tali gave John a full-on kiss.

Shouts of cheering and whistles erupted in the room, and Zara cowered slightly from the noise, but otherwise kept drawing at the nearby coffee table, almost unnoticed by the rest of the family. After a few moments, Zara finished the drawing and got up and handed it to John, smiling.

John took the picture and smiled at Zara and said, "Why, thank you." He looked at the picture. "Tali, look at this!" He pointed to the picture.

Tali looked at the picture in John's hands, and smiled up at him. "She's accepted you as part of the family now."

John looked at the picture, then at Zara, then to Tali. "She... communicates by drawing?"

"Pretty much," Tali said as she nodded.

Ziva nodded as she added, "That's her main way of communicating with people. She will only talk with certain people, like us in the family. But drawing is her main way of interacting with the rest of the world."

"Ah." John turned to Zara and smiled. "Thank you for the picture, again. You've captured every detail of me and Tali, together in the hug."

Tali looked at Zara and smiled as she shook her head slightly. "Sometimes I wonder how her mind works, John." She looked up at John. "How she's able to capture every little detail in her drawings. Like a drawing camera, of sorts." She held up the picture for all to see. "See what I mean?"

McGee leaned forward to get a better look at the picture. "Wow. I've never seen anyone draw that good, until now. What do you think, Dee?" He looked over at Delilah, who was also looking at the picture in awe.

Delilah looked up at McGee. "I agree, this should be in an art gallery, or something. It's so beautiful, this drawing."

Zack spoke up. "Actually, there is a gallery of sorts, of her drawings. Me and Morgan went to check it out the other day."

Morgan shook her head and let out a deep breath. "Whoo, mindblowing how detailed those pictures are. I've always been captivated by the drawings."

Ziva smiled as she turned to McGee and Delilah. "We should definitely make a trip out to the gallery soon. You'll like the place, it's a bakery and gallery in one building."

"Ah. That's where you've been going all these times, John?" McGee looked at John and smiled at him.

John smiled and nodded. "Yup. Was helping Tali in my spare time, every chance I could get, to get the place up and running. Previous owner left the place in shambles, took a lot of elbow grease to get the place looking spiff again."

Tali nodded and smiled as she walked up to the McGees, taking a business card out of her pocket. "The address is on here. I'll be looking forward to seeing you in the gallery soon."

February 2041

~~At the hospital~~

At the hospital suite, Tali sat up in the bed, cradling her newborn baby in her arms. She gently rocked herself as she held the baby close to her. "Look, Ima and Abba are here," she softly cooed to the baby. Her face radiated joy at becoming a new mother as she looked up to Tony and Ziva, who were standing by Tali's bed, smiling at her.

"Oh my Tali, he's so cute!" Ziva leaned over the bed slightly, gently placing a hand on the baby's back. She flicked her eyes up to Tali as she smiled. "I'm so proud of you. You'll no doubt be a great mother to your son."

Tali looked up at Ziva and smiled. "Thank you Ima. Would you like hold him?" Tali carefully cradled her newborn son and lifted him up slightly to Ziva.

"Why, yes, I would love to." Ziva smiled as she reached down and gently cradled the newborn in her arms and held him close to her, rocking him gently.

Tony leaned by Ziva, looking at the baby "He's so adorable," he said, his voice cracking slightly with emotion. A tear leaked out of his eye. "Finally get a second chance."

Ziva leaned against Tony and whispered to him, "Yes, you do. Watching a firstborn come into the world. With our daughter this time." Ziva looked over at Delilah and smiled. "Would you like to hold our grandson?"

Delilah nodded as she smiled. "Certainly." She held out her arms to receive the baby as Ziva gently placed him in Delilah's arms.

Tim looked down at the baby and smiled as he clapped John on his shoulder. "Now I pass the torch on to you, to raise this Elflet and teach him all the proper teachings. You got this."

John chuckled softly. "Thanks, Dad. For being there for me all these years."

McGee nodded. "Not a problem, that's what fathers are for, right?" He patted John on his shoulder yet again, then pulled him in with a one-armed hug.

"You fill out that birth certificate yet?" Tony asked John.

John nodded. "Yeah. My name as the father, Tali as the mother. It's all set."

Ziva tilted her head to John and smiled. "That's good. That should keep the family safe, should it, Tony?" She turned to look at Tony with the question.

Before Tony could answer, the door opened. In walked Jimmy, his smile lighting up the room as he entered. "Hi, everyone, hope I made it in time."

"Uncle Jimmy!" Tali exclaimed. "You got my message I sent you the other day?"

Jimmy held up his phone in his hand and nodded. "And got a call from John earlier today, too. Tried to make it over as fast as I could." He looked over at Tony and Ziva and waved. "It's been a while since we saw each other, it's good to see that you're still doing well."

"It's a good surprise to see you, as well." Tony smiled at Jimmy and nodded his head. "Been keeping busy?"

Jimmy nodded. "Yup. I get called out to officiate weddings as well as working at the funeral home these days."

Tony craned his head around to Jimmy. "Really? Weddings as well?" He looked over to John and Tali, realization slowly dawning in his head, then looked over at Ziva and said softly, "I think I know why he's here now."

John chuckled. "Yeah. Figured now's a good time as any to get married, now that the baby's here. Gotta make the birth certificate legit by marrying."

Delilah wheeled herself up closer to Tali's bed and held the baby up for Tali to cradle in her arms. "Here you go, Tali, your son." Delilah sat back in her chair once Tali had taken the baby from her, and smiled up at Tali. "What name did you two come up for the baby?"

Tali looked at the baby in her arms, smiling, then up at John. Her eyes looked questioningly at John, asking for his approval to reveal the baby's name.

John nodded slightly and smiled at Tali. "It's okay, go ahead, tell 'em." He put a hand on her shoulder, rubbing it gently.

Tali smiled and turned to look at Tony and McGee. "Will the grandfathers come up, please?"

"Sure thing," Tony and McGee almost simultaneously said as they stepped up to the side of Tali's bed, waiting for what Tali would say next.

"Let it be that you are the first to know the names, because we wanted to honor the both of you. We decided on Ian Anthony McGee for our baby's name." Tali looked down at the newborn, and said softly, "Ian, meet your grandfathers." She held the baby up slightly, and Tony gently cradled the baby in his arms.

"Hi, little man," Tony cooed to the baby, smiling at him. He glanced up to McGee. "What have we done now, McGee?" he muttered to McGee.

McGee chuckled softly to Tony as he reached out and gently stroked the baby's head. "We must've done something right," he whispered back to Tony.

Ziva chuckled. "No, I know we did something right. We raised some very fine kids, and they turned out wonderful." She patted Tony and McGee on their shoulders.

Delilah added, "And we're seeing something beautiful that is greater than the sum of these two individuals."

"And that's why I'm here," Jimmy said as he smiled and started taking a couple of things out of his small bag he carried with him. "Now that everyone's here to witness this union between John and Tali, let's begin, shall we?"

Tali smiled and nodded. "I've been looking forward to this all this time."

John nodded. "Even though this might be a bit unusual considering the situation, it's still all good. We still become our own family."

Ziva smiled and patted John on his arm. "And I have all the confidence in the world that you will be a fine man to Tali, and your family. I've seen it in the way you act toward her."

"Well, let's tie the knot already," Tony said, chuckling.

Moments after a small, yet beautiful ceremony filled with happiness and tears of joy for Tali and her new family, the charge nurse came into the room just after Jimmy had taken his leave. "Just needed to see how baby and mom are doing," she said.

"Oh, I'm doing pretty good," Tali said, a bit of tiredness still in her voice. "Just got married a few minutes ago."

The nurse stood up, surprise on her face. "Oh, really? Was it that guy I just saw leaving the room that married you two?"

John chuckled. "Yeah. Good family friend, we call him Uncle Jimmy. He came over and married us right here in this room. Now the birth certificate is legit." He held up the newly-signed wedding certificate.

The nurse put her hands in her hips and smiled at them. "Well, congratulations to you two on your wedding." She then picked the chart. "And on your new baby. One new family just starting out."

"Yup, that's about it in a nutshell." Tali looked up at John and patted him on his arm. "He's been my rock through the whole thing."

Ziva patted Tony on his arm and whispered to him. "Maybe we better give them a little space. Let them spend their time with the new baby?"

Tony looked down at Ziva and muttered to her, "Yeah, was thinking the same thing. Tali could use the rest, after all. Gonna be a lot of sleepless nights coming up for the both of 'em." He made a subtle sign to McGee, and half-whispered to him, "Hey, Elflord, let's give 'em a little space."

McGee stepped behind Delilah's chair and nodded to Tony. "We'll be back a little later," he said to John. "We're gonna let you two rest and spend your time with the baby.

Delilah waved at them. "It's been a joy to see you two, and welcome your new baby into the world. I'll see you two later, when you get settled back home with Ian."

Just then, the baby started fussing a little. "Oh, sounds like your baby's hungry," Ziva said as she walked up to Tali and leaned over and placed a kiss on her forehead and smiled at her.

"We'll call you later, if we don't come by first," Tony said as he stepped up to Tali's bed and leaned over and kissed her on her forehead.

Tali smiled up at Tony and Ziva. "Thanks so much for coming over. It means a lot to me." Tali looked over to Tim and Delilah and said, "You two, as well."

As Tony and Ziva stepped back, McGee wheeled Delilah up close to Tali's bed. He looked down at Tali, smiling at her, then looked up at John. "Anything you need, let us know."

Delilah nodded. "We'll stop by and check on you every once in a while as well." Delilah lifted a hand and waved at them. "You take care, now."

Tony and Ziva started walking out of the room, followed by the McGees. Just before the door closed, Ziva could hear the baby fussing – and another sound that brought tears to her eyes. "Tony, she's singing the lullaby to the baby!" she whispered to Tony.

Tony muttered to Ziva, "Yeah, the bird song. I heard it, too. I've not heard it in a good while, now. Always makes me happy, I don't know why."

McGee smiled as they walked toward the elevators. "I've only heard pieces of it, but never understood the language as well as you two did. But I'll tell you, it still sounds beautiful, the way it's sung."

Delilah nodded. "I thought I recognized it."

Ziva smiled and nodded. "I sang it to my kids all the time when they were growing up. Even when your kids had sleepovers with ours." She smiled and sighed as she looked up at Tony as she put her arm around his. "It'll be fascinating to watch our families as they grow and then eventually have their own families, over the years."

Tony nodded and chuckled as he put his arm around Ziva's waist and pulled her in to him. "Yup. I think that's the whole purpose in life. Make families, make good memories, and try to leave this planet a little better place to live in for the future generation. Just like we did, hopefully."

Ziva smiled up at Tony and hugged him from the side. "Despite all the difficulties and challenges that get thrown into our paths, we somehow made it all work out in the end."

Just then, the elevator dinged at them. "Ah, the elevator's here," McGee said as he wheeled Delilah toward the elevator doors.

"Our chariot awaits," Tony said, grinning at McGee and holding his arm out toward the elevator doors that had just started to open.

"Indeed it has," McGee said, and started wheeling Delilah in, after ensuring that there was room in the elevator. "Where, oh where would this portal take us?"

"As long it doesn't take us to some massive boss that we gotta kill off before we exit the building," Tony said, chuckling at McGee.

Ziva smiled and shook her head slightly at the banter between Tony and McGee. "You and your games," she said to Tony and McGee.

Delilah laughed and shook her head. "Must be a guy thing," she said in an undertone to Ziva.

Ziva laughed. "Let 'em have their fun," she said to Delilah as they all entered the elevator, and the doors closed.

A/N: Dear Readers, I wanted to say thank you for your time to enjoy this final chapter in this whole series, and there will be a Sequel in the works that will be coming up soon. Also thank you for the reviews, tweets, messages and kudos.