Chapter 8 - The One That (Almost) Got Away (December 2042)
"If we get any more gifts for the grandkids, we are going to run out of places to hide them," Tony quipped to Ziva as they carried bags of toys and clothing for the seven grandchildren into the house. "And this is just the tip of the iceberg…"
Ziva grinned at her husband, "Yes, we spoil them, but it is one of the prerogatives of being a grandparent, neshama. Saba and Savta are allowed to overindulge those beautiful children. Plus, Elijah will be three right before Christmas."
He grinned back, "Really, only Noah and Elie will not be tearing open gifts; Anthony's twins are going to be into the gifts and stuff this year now that they are two. Our family room will be a sea of wrapping paper after they've opened their gifts." He leaned in to kiss his wife beneath the sprig of mistletoe outside her office, "But I wouldn't have it any other way."
"I am certain that Tali's twins will have plenty of help with their gifts; aunts, uncles, brothers, cousins, Saba…" she patted his cheek. "Just better you do not get on the floor with the children so that Anthony and LJ won't have to rescue their Abba."
"Oh, come on; my back isn't that bad... one little mishap in the yard this past summer does not mean this body is done for. I knew better than to sit on the grass with the boys in the splash pool," he grimaced at the memory of having his sons and son-in-law lift him off the ground when his back and hip locked up.
Ziva leaned in and kissed him again, "Well, I want you at your best… and it isn't hurt on the floor…" She pressed against him, "If you get my drift…"
He smirked at her, "That still works… wanna see?"
"Later, my little hairy butt, we have gifts to wrap and get ready to put under the tree," she replied with a wink. "And this year we also have some big gifts to assemble for the boys. Are you going to get LJ to help with the three bicycles?"
He locked gazes with his wife, about to protest that he could assemble three children's bikes by himself. Her glare made him rethink, "Oh-kay… I really don't need help, but to keep you happy…" She put a finger on his lips to shush him. He nodded and grinned.
"Wise choice." She turned towards her office, "Let's get wrapping!"
~Christmas Eve~
"Good night; laila tov," Ziva shut the front door as the last of the family headed home after dinner and the annual viewing of It's A Wonderful Life. Beth and Charles, and John and Rivka were staying at the Palmer house since Jimmy and Breena had flown to visit Tori and her family for the holidays.
Tim and Delilah had emptied their gifts for the grandkids into the DiNozzo family room after Anthony and Katie and their three kids, and Tali and her family had gone home almost immediately after the ending of the film. All but Noah had been asleep as parents and aunts and uncles carried the children to their car seats to head home.
LJ and Tony were cleaning up the last of the remnants of the popcorn, root beer floats, and assorted Christmas cookies from snacking. Ziva locked the front door and closed lights in the front rooms.
"Three bikes; one each for Levi, Anthony, and Elijah," Tony was telling LJ as Ziva entered the kitchen to help with the last of the clean-up. "Bright neon yellow for Levi; orange for Anthony; and red and silver for Elijah. I think all we have to do is take the frames with back wheels attached already out of the shipping cartons, put on the front wheels, seats, pedals, and handlebars and any accessories and they are good to go."
LJ grinned, "Famous last words, Abba?" He glanced at his mother, "I remember the Christmas you both stayed up until almost dawn putting together bikes for all of us. I was what? Four, maybe five?"
"Can't be four… that was 2025," Tony thought back to Christmases past.
"DiNozzo disaster!" LJ grinned even wider. "You're right, that wasn't the bike Christmas."
"2026," Ziva interjected. "If your father had not placed the directions that were duplicated over one of the bags of parts needed to assemble those bicycles, we would have been finished a lot earlier than 0500. I think we got about two hours of sleep."
Tony shrugged and gave a sheepish look, "Good thing she loves me."
"You have your moments," Ziva smirked in his face. She was about to add more when he locked his lips on hers.
When the couple broke for air, Ziva added, "Now, do we want to carry in all the other gifts first and then put bicycles together, or opposite?"
"Let's get all the other gifts out," LJ suggested, "That way we don't have to work around the bikes. We can put them together and put them out last."
"Good idea," Tony started towards the hallway to the master bedroom and his and Ziva's offices. "You think Grandma and Grandpa McSanta had a pile of stuff? You ain't seen nothin' yet…"
LJ smirked at his Ima, "You all spoil those kids. I just hope by the time I get around to having my own, you aren't tired of grandkids."
"Never, motek. Grandchildren are the rewards for surviving your own children," Ziva pulled the young man into a side hug. "I would not mind a house full of them. Seven already from Tali and Anthony; there are still three of you to go."
"Riv and Beth are a lot closer to that than me, Ima." He stopped between the two office doorways and glanced inside each of his parents' offices at the stacks of colorfully wrapped gifts. "That it?"
Tony chuckled as Ziva met his gaze and both rolled their eyes, "This, my boy, is just the tip of the iceberg. There are more piles in our room both in the closets and under the bed, in the…"
"Garage behind the totes for the outdoor decorations, and in the drawers of the tool chest and toolboxes; in the laundry room in the cleaning supplies closet on the shelves on the side where the door sticks; in the linen drawers in the sidebar in the dining room between the tablecloths; in the secret compartment of the credenza in Abba's office…" both parents' mouths gaped as their youngest rattled off what they thought had been secrets all those years.
"Wait!" Tony gave LJ a surprised look. "You know all of our hiding places?"
LJ laughed, "All of us do and have known them for years. Why are you so surprised Abba?"
"What secret compartment?" Ziva asked LJ and Tony.
"Yeah, about that one," Tony tried to deflect.
"He always hides your gifts there Ima," LJ answered. "Except the year of the bikes; he couldn't hide your bike in there."
Ziva frowned, "I knew about the bike anyhow. This one is a new hiding place for me. I did not know of it until now."
LJ turned to his Abba, "Um, sorry, Abba… I didn't mean to spill the beans."
His Abba shrugged, "It happens." He turned to Ziva, "Seriously? You didn't know?" He popped the door by bumping his fist into the upper outer corner of the side of the piece of furniture. "I can show it to you because there is nothing in there this year…"
Ziva peered into the small hidden cabinet, "Very nice. I wonder about the history of it since this office furniture belonged to your grandfather. Convenient place to hide cash from would-be thieves. Set a chair alongside and no one would be the wiser as to the secret of the credenza."
LJ shook his head at his parents; he knew his Ima too well. She was dying to find out what reason for Abba hiding her gift elsewhere, but acted totally uninterested in the mystery gift. Her comments about the history of the piece were just a deflection. "Well, hidden gift, money stash, or whatever, we do still have a bunch of gifts to get put under the tree and bikes to assemble," he glanced at his phone, "And it's nearly midnight!"
~Christmas~
"Wow! Santa bringed us MORE presents!" Elijah fidgeted with excitement as he, Anthony, Levi, Shannon, and Kelly stared at the huge pile of gifts, the bikes, and a doll house in the DiNozzo family room.
"We will open them when Grandma and Grandpa McGee get here," Ziva knelt by the little boy. "They have a longer drive than everyone else to get here but they are on the way."
"Do we hafta wait?" Anthony VI complained to his Saba.
"Sorry, kiddo, Savta makes the rules in this house. I just follow them," he tousled the boy's hair with a grin. "But, while we wait, we can eat Savta's cinnamon rolls or biscuits with honey." And the boy's scrunched up face, he added, "Or biscuits with turkey sausage or turkey bacon…"
Anthony grinned at his Saba, as the other four older kids perked up at the mention of food. Tony took his grandson's hand and led him, Levi, Elijah, Shan, and Kelly to the kitchen.
"And Uncle LJ is gonna help," Tony made eye contact with his youngest. "Please?"
"Sure Abba," LJ followed the youngsters to the breakfast nook in the kitchen. He helped the girls onto booster seats as Tony uncovered the plate of biscuits on the counter.
"Who wants bacon and who wants sausage?" he asked the five.
"ME!" they chorused as LJ laughed at his Abba.
"Okay, let's try this again… bacon?" Five grins flashed back at their Saba; he really didn't have to ask as he knew they all preferred bacon over sausage. He placed a bacon biscuit on a plate for each one; LJ put the plates on the table.
Tony uncovered the platter of biscuits again and looked over at his son, "Bacon or sausage?"
LJ walked over with an empty plate, "One of each will do. Good thing Ima made so many this morning."
"Uh-huh…" Tony spoke with a mouthful of sausage and biscuit. "Hey, I need your help with something," he lowered his voice and glanced around.
"What's up?" LJ gave his father a questioning look.
Tony looked around again before he replied, "I… um… I… sorta… lost Ima's Christmas gift. If you could kinda on the D L help me look for it?"
"Look for what?" Tali came into the kitchen from the dining room to check on her older two.
"Nuffin'" Tony took a large bite of his biscuit to deflect, and walked over to the table to check on the grandkids.
LJ shot a look at his oldest sister, "Abba lost Ima's gift."
"Oh! The secret door on the credenza in his office?" she mentioned the usual hiding place.
"Nope; he said last night that he put it someplace else this year. Showed Ima the secret shelves and they were empty. Did you know Ima didn't know about the hiding place?"
"Really?" Tali responded with surprise. "How do you know that?"
"I sorta spilled the beans last night when we were getting all the gifts under the tree," LJ explained. "And let on that we all have known their hiding places for a long time now."
Anthony overheard the last part of LJ's reply, "You told them?" He tapped the palm of his hand on the back of his younger brother's head. "That means we'll have to snoop harder next year."
"No one is snooping for hidden gifts," Tony quickly added as Ziva entered the kitchen. She shot him a look as their offspring watched in amusement.
LJ nudged Tali and muttered, "This could get interesting in a hurry…" Both his sister and brother nodded and grinned as the three watched Ziva march over to her husband.
"Do not, I repeat, do not start teaching these little ones to be so nosy that they snoop for hidden gifts," her gaze fixed on Tony's emerald green orbs. "Saba does not need to be an instigator…"
Tony cut her off by pointing up above the table, "Mistletoe!" He locked his lips on hers effectively cutting off her scolding.
"Saved by the mistletoe!" LJ quipped drawing laughter from the adults. As his parents turned to the children to help them get cleaned up from their brunch snack, LJ pulled Anthony and Tali into the dining room.
"What's up?" Anthony looked at the other two, who obviously knew something he didn't.
LJ glanced back into the kitchen before explaining. "Abba lost Ima's gift. He asked us to help him find it on the down low."
"Secret cabinet?"
Tali shook her head, "I already asked the same. Not there…" She noticed Riv and Beth watching them and motioned to her sisters to join the group.
"Whatcha doin'?" Riv questioned her siblings.
"Abba lost Ima's gift," Anthony replied.
"Secret cabinet?" the twins asked at the same time.
"Nope," LJ made sure their mother was still occupied with the little ones. "It was empty last night when we were moving gifts; long story, but Abba said last night that he hid Ima's gift elsewhere this year. Problem is no one knows where."
The sibling pow-wow to help their father was cut short when Tim and Delilah came in the front door, greeting everyone with an enthusiastic "Merry Christmas everyone!" The five grandkids who were now mostly cleaned up from the food heard them and went running.
"Grandma and Grandpa are here! We can open presents!" Anthony VI shouted as he ran to the entryway. "Yay!" he wrapped his arms around Tim's legs as the boy crashed into his grandpa. Shannon and Kelly climbed into Dee's lap as Levi and Elijah also hugged their Uncle Tim.
"There is no way someone can claim this kid doesn't have DiNozzo genes," Tim grinned to Delilah as he wrapped all three boys in his arms. "Merry Christmas!" He started gently prodding the kids towards the family room as Ziva and Tony came around the corner at the other end of the main hallway.
Levi ran back towards them, "Savta, they're here; we can open presents now, right?"
"Very soon, motek." Ziva hugged Dee and then Tim as the family began collecting in the family room. Little ones squirmed with glee and excitement to open gifts. LJ played Santa, and handed each one a wrapped package to open. Soon the room was filled with squeals of delight, flying paper, and laughing adults. Temporarily, the missing gift was forgotten.
Tali, Katie, Ziva, and Delilah were attempting to keep the kids' gifts in separate piles. Tony, John, Chaim, and LJ moved about the room with trash bags to snag torn bits of wrapping paper between snapping pictures of the kids opening presents. Tim checked the video camera periodically as near-pandemonium ruled for close to ninety minutes.
Finally, there was a lull in noise and action when Beth noticed the stockings still hanging from the mantel. She stood up to remove them from the hooks and distribute to the kids and adults.
"You can leave mine and your Abba's; they are empty," Ziva suggested to her youngest daughter.
"Okay, Ima," Beth moved slightly and bumped her parent's stockings, which were on the same hook. Something was in the toe of each one. "Um, yours isn't empty, Ima. Abba's too," She removed them from the hook and passed both to Riv. The older twin carried them to her parents where they were side by side on the loveseat.
"Finally got that lump of coal Tony?" Tim quipped.
"That's in your stocking," he shot back to his brother.
Tali shook her head at the banter; those two would probably rib each other on their death beds. "Everyone got something from the Rubins in their stocking this year," she let the others know about the small gifts the family brought back from Israel in the spring.
Ziva dumped her stocking into her lap, "I have two wrapped gifts. I assume the blue and white paper is from you, Tali. I wonder who the other one is from?" She started unwrapping the shiny red and green paper from the small box.
Tony's eyes widened as he noticed what Ziva had in her hands; the missing gift! "That's from me… and now that you have it, I can admit, that is what we were talking about earlier. I forgot I slipped that box into your Christmas stocking when I brought it home last week." At Ziva's frown, he continued, "The snooping and secret hiding places?"
Tim looked up, "The secret cabinet in your office credenza?"
The five DiNozzo adult children laughed at the expression on their Abba's face as he retorted, "Who didn't know about that one? Raise your hand."
Only Ziva raised her hand, "I did not until last night." She continued unwrapping the gift to find a white gold charm bracelet with silhouette charms for each grandchild engraved with names and birthdate. Each charm also had a small birthstone. "It is beautiful, Tony. Will you help me put it on? Toda raba."
He wrapped the chain around her wrist and fixed the clasp, then sealed his lips on hers. "Merry Christmas," he whispered in her ear as she hugged him after the kiss, "Sexy Savta…"
A/N: Tali's kids are Levi (5), Elijah (3), Noah & Elisheva (4 mos.); Anthony's kids are Anthony VI (4), Kelly & Shannon (2)