Tony stood in front of the turned off television and looked at his reflection. He tugged at his dress shirt, the nicest shirt in his post-NCIS wardrobe. He crouched slightly and looked at his hair. The gray was slowly taking over. It was also thinner than he would like.
"Junior," Senior barked from his spot at the dining room table. "Sit down. You're up and down like a Jack in the box."
Tony tugged at his shirt, it was a little tight. His post-NCIS diet was not much better than his daughters, and there had been a lot of comfort eating when Tali went down for the night.
His plan had been to drop a few pounds once things settled down. But, Ziva had other ideas. She created culinary miracles in their tiny kitchen. Ziva had even gotten Tali to change her opinion on tomatoes that were not in sauce form.
For Ziva food was love, and cooking food for her family was showing her love. Ziva had so much love to give.
Tony sat down in front of Senior.
"You're nervous," Senior said, looking over his reading glasses.
From his and Ziva's bedroom, he heard Tali's giggle. Such a sweet sound.
"That tickles, Ima!" Tali's voice filtered into the living area.
Tony turned toward the room, and smiled. Tali was helping Ziva get ready, it was a real-life dress up. Tali loved to dress up.
Tony turned back to his father.
"Well, it's a first date," Tony said. "If I wasn't nervous I wouldn't be doing it right."
It had been nearly two months since Ziva returned to them, and now they were finally going on a date.
"It's not really a first date," Senior said. "It's not like she's going to ghost you if it doesn't go well. You two already live together, and have Tali."
Tony smirked, momentarily proud that Senior knew what ghosting was.
"Maybe not," Tony said. "But, this date has been a long time coming. I want it to be perfect."
"Two months is a long time," Senior said as he looked down at the paper on the table.
Senior still wrote letters and sent postcards. Tony wondered who Senior was writing to now. The man had so many 'friends' in faraway places.
"I've been planning this date for longer than that," Tony said. "Way longer."
Senior looked up.
"How long?" Senior asked.
"When we handed in our badges nearly seven years ago, I really thought it was finally our time," Tony said. "Then Ziva had to go to Israel, and everything happened there. While, I was trying to her, I had a lot of time to think. I started to imagine all the dates I would take Ziva on, once we came home. I never thought-"
He never thought Ziva would not be coming home with him. Even after their Casablanca kiss on the tarmac, he still expected Ziva to run up the stairs behind him. She had brought a ticket to get through security.
Instead he had waved from his window, until he could not see her anymore.
"Well, you get to make up for lost time now," Senior said. "And I'm here until Easter so you can take her on lots of dates."
Tony nodded, and looked toward the doorway to his and Ziva's bedroom.
"Good job," Ziva said, her voice in the special octave she used with Tali.
"You look so pretty, Ima," Tali said.
Tony turned back to Senior.
"Ziva hasn't really had someone who does romantic stuff for her," Tony said. "I want to give her that. She deserves that."
While Ziva had been recovering from the germs that Tali had brought into the house, she had told Tony that she was looking forward to their date. She had also explained that she had not been on many dates. Before she moved to America, her partners had usually been some sort of colleagues with benefits type situations, and then when she first moved to the U.S, she had tried to date but her job was always a stumbling block. So, she dated people who understand the job, often those who also had some sort of badge, and had no idea how to romance her.
Ray had tried to be romantic in a paint-by-numbers way, but he didn't really know her. He didn't know that Ziva would almost never order desert, but would share desert. Tony had learnt a long time ago to ask for two forks with desert.
"Well, I don't want to see you two until at least midnight," Senior said.
Tony chuckled.
"I don't think we'd make it until midnight," Tony said. "We're early birds now. Tali doesn't understand the concept of snooze."
Senior looked at his watch.
"The reservation is at seven right?" Senior asked.
Tony nodded.
"We wanted to be ready early," Tony said. "We don't know how Tali's gonna react. Since Ziva's been home we haven't left her anywhere. I told you what she was like on the first day of school after Christmas break, and what happened that time I got stuck on a train."
The sobs that he had heard through the phone on the hurried afternoon still haunted him. He never wanted to hear his daughter be that upset again.
"It'll get easier," Senior said.
Tony nodded.
"Yeah, it will," he said. "But, for the time being we plan for it. I mean the last few weeks have been really good. All this planning might be for nothing."
Tali might send her parents off on their date without so much as a wobbly lip, knowing they would be home soon.
Her parents would always come back. Both of them. Always.
Eventually, Tali would internalise that fact, and would not need reminding.
Senior's eyes flitted around the room. Tony knew where the older man's head was drifting off too.
Senior had dumped Tony in boarding schools and sleep-away camps without a second thought.
Tony had never known where his remaining parent was, or when they would be coming back.
"You're a good father," Senior whispered.
Tony shook his head.
"It was Ziva's idea," he said. "She's the one who had to deal with the meltdown last time."
Ziva had been the one to suggest that they let Tali know what they were doing. On the planner on the fridge, Ziva had written Daddy and Ima's date underneath the meal plan. Tony had been the one to suggest that they give themselves ample time to get ready, in case Tali had a melt down.
During Tali's much earlier than usual bath time that day, they had talked to Tali again. As far as Tali was concerned, they were going out to eat gross adult food, and go for a boring walk, while she got to spend the evening with her Pop-Pop. As far as Tali was concerned she was going to have a better evening.
"I think she'll have a tougher time leaving, than Tali will," Tony added.
Except for the morning runs, and occasional visits to the store, when Tali was not at school, Ziva was available to her. Tali just had to call for her, and Ziva appeared.
"She's trying to make up for lost time," Senior said. "Give her some time to find her feet."
Tony looked down at the table.
He knew this dance. He and Senior had been dancing this dance for a decade now.
Water was under the bridge, but the scars still stung when they were prodded.
"I know," Tony said. "We're working through things."
There was a lot to unpick, but they were doing it stitch by stitch.
Tali's giggle rippled through the apartment.
"You look like a Princess, Ima," Tali cried with delight. "So pretty."
Senior and Tony looked at each other and shared a smile.
Senior scribbled something on his paper.
"Who are you writing to?" Tony asked. "Lady Ebba?"
Ebba, Seniors new friend who he had met near his hotel, had returned to her native Stockholm the day before. For a few weeks, between their separate grandparent duties, the two of them had shared art gallery visits and dinners. It was all rather sweet.
"No," Senior said. "We exchange email addresses, and I am thinking of visiting Sweden in the summer. Ebba promised to show me around."
Tony smiled.
"The letter I'm writing is for Ellie," Senior announced.
"Ellie, as in Ellie Bishop?" Tony asked.
Senior nodded.
"The one and only," Senior said.
"Why?" Tony asked.
"To say thank you," Senior said. "I am writing one for each member of the team. They helped bring Ziva home to you and Tali, I want to thank them for that. I am so glad Ziva is home."
Tony's mouth dropped open, but nothing came out.
"I never thought-," Tony started. "I mean I've said thank you to Tim, and Jimmy when they've called, but I never thought about writing a letter."
Those calls were always far too brief; time zones, kids, and cases always got in the way, and since Ziva came home the calls had to be shared. Ziva had six years to catch up on.
Tony had tried to say thank you to both men individually, but both had brushed it off.
I'm just glad it all worked out, McGee had said, before launching his angst about his vasectomy.
"You've been busy," Senior soothed. "Let me say thank you on behalf of the whole family."
His family. Ima bear, Daddy bear, and their little cub, with regular visits from Pop-Pop bear.
"So are you going to deliver them when you go back?" Tony asked.
"I was going to," Senior started. "But April is a long time away, I might send them to Jimmy, and get him to distribute them. I want them to read them soon."
"Can I see them?" Tony asked.
Senior looked down at the letters, and frowned.
"It's okay," Tony said, "I know they're private. I just wanted to know what you said."
Senior picked up an envelope, and handed it to Tony.
"This one is for Nick," Senior said as he handed it over. "I know you two have never met, but he's a good man."
Tony heard so much about Nick through the regular chats with Jimmy, and McGee, and Ellie's emails that he felt like he knew the guy. Especially now that Ziva had met him.
He reminds me a little of you, Ziva had said when she described the younger man. He puts on a mask sometimes, but the person underneath is a good person.
"I didn't write as much to him," Senior said, as Tony opened the letter, and read the words on the expensive paper.
His father had such beautiful handwriting, something Tony had not inherited.
"What does this P.S at the bottom mean?" Tony asked, pointing to the bottom of the off-white paper. "Ziva says stop being a wuss. Life is too short."
Senior chuckled to himself.
"Ziva says that Nick likes Ellie, and she thinks Ellie likes Nick too," Senior said. "She's encouraged him to ask Ellie out a couple of times now."
Tony laughed.
He remembered when he and Tali had finally settled down in Paris, and McGee had video chatted revealing his elaborate plan to propose to Delilah, with the sun in a perfect position. Something that would not be happening for months.
Even though Tony had been hurting, his advice had been simple.
Don't wait, life is too damn short.
And a week later he had received an email with a photo of Delilah showing off her new ring.
"She met them twice," Tony said. "How could she even know?"
"She said you can smell it from a mile away," Senior replied. "I think she meant that you can see it. But she's right. Those two have something."
Tony raised his eyebrow.
"How come you never told me about this?" Tony asked. "You've met this Nick guy a few times, and you and Bish go out to lunch all the time."
Senior swallowed thickly.
"It seemed a bit cruel," Senior admitted. "To talk to you about two work colleagues who like each other but are afraid to admit it, considering yours and Ziva's history. I didn't know what it would bring up."
He and Ziva had wasted so much damn time.
"I doubt Nick and Ellie are as complicated as Ziva and I," Tony said.
Senior shook his head.
"No," he said, "But, it just felt cruel, especially when it was just you and Tali."
Senior had not known Ziva was alive until Tony called him on Christmas eve, and asked the older man to make sure he was sitting down. Then Tony had moved the computer camera, so that Senior could see Ziva and Tali playing. Then once the old man had calmed down, had given Senior a very sanitized version of what had happened over the last three years.
"There were things you couldn't tell me," Senior said. "And, with the information I had, I thought I was doing the right thing."
"It doesn't matter," Tony said. "It's just the age old story. Two people who can't get it together. That's the stuff movies are made of. Hopefully those two sort it out, sooner rather than later."
Senior handed Tony another letter. This one was addressed to Ellie.
"I am still making sense of the last four years," Senior said. "I got a bit carried away in my letter to Ellie, she's a good listener."
Tony ran his eyes over the letter. He read how Ellie had helped make Senior the happiest Pop-Pop ever, and how everything was going well in Paris. Then he got to the lines about how Senior was finally starting to understand why Tony had chosen to stay in Paris.
Tony laid the letter down on the table.
"I'm sorry," Tony said, as he looked at his father. "I'm sorry I never told you that Ziva -."
"I've read the Gabriel Allon books," Senior interrupted. "I know whatever Ziva was caught up in, was bigger than all of us."
"Oh it was," Tony said. "It was hard keeping you in the dark, but it had to be done. For everyone's safety."
The less people that knew the better.
"I understand," Senior replied. "Well, I'm trying to."
"I had to keep it all a secret," Tony said. "And, well Gibbs' has a rule about secrets."
"I didn't think you followed all of his rules anymore," Senior replied.
Tony smirked.
They should have broken that pesky rule twelve years ago.
"Well, not all of them," Tony said. "But, I do follow this one. It's rule 4. The rule is if you have a secret, the best thing to do is to keep it to yourself, the second best thing is to tell one other person, there is no third best. Ziva already told me her secret, I couldn't tell anyone else. It was too big a secret to risk."
Senior nodded.
"I get it," Senior said. "And, I'm just really glad it all worked out."
"Me too," Tony said softly.
Senior handed Tony another letter, this one addressed to McGee. Senior had talked about how natural it looked to see Tony, Ziva and Tali together. Finally.
You know the two of them as well, or maybe even better than I do, and you know how much they have been through. It is just so right to finally see them be happy. And, I am happy by extension
"Honestly Junior, I was getting a little worried about you," Senior said softly. "With how you always used to refer to Ziva in the present tense, and how you only ever told Tali, that her Ima was 'away'. When I booked these tickets last fall, I got it into my head that I was finally going to talk to you about that. I was going to tell you that you had to start using the word dead, and making efforts to move on."
Tony nodded. He remembered the dating app Senior had downloaded on his phone, and the gentle prodding by Senior for Tony to make other efforts to move forward.
"I'm glad that we don't need to have that conversation," Tony said. "Really glad."
"Me too," Senior said. "Though who's to say, whether I would have actually said what I planned to."
Tony ran his hand along the edge of the paper.
"You could have written me a letter," Tony said. "You're good at these."
"When you were in school," Senior started. "I thought about writing you letters, and explaining myself. I always used to take the notepads in hotels, telling myself I would write you a note. I never did. I was so caught up in myself back then."
Tony frowned.
He wondered if his ten year old self might have been soothed by a note from his father in a faraway place. Or if it would have just added fuel to the fire of his anger. He was such an angry child.
"I get it Dad," Tony said softly. "Your wife died, and you suddenly had a kid to look after all by yourself. I've seen it from both sides now."
"Before I knew the truth about Ziva," Senior started again. "I wondered if your lack of moving on was because of me. If it was because I moved on too quickly, and you didn't want to make my mistakes. I mean you quit your job within days of finding out about Tali. You've never hired a Nanny. You didn't even pretend to be interested in dating. I was engaged again, not even two years after your mother died."
Tony reached across the table and took his Dad's hand.
"It's like I said," Tony said softly. "I've seen both sides now. I know that when you put me in schools and camps, you were doing the best with what you had. Things were different when Mom died. I let it go a long time ago. I'm glad I did, because I don't know how I would have gotten through the last few years without you."
A tear fell down Senior's face.
"Tali loves her Pop-Pop," Tony said.
The door of his and Ziva's bedroom opened, and Tali rushed out.
"Daddy," Tali called as she rushed toward him, skidding so that she did not crash into him. "Ima is so pretty."
Tony moved some of Tali's hair away from her face.
"Hello Munchkin," he said, "I know, Ima is pretty, just like you."
"Today, she is extra pretty," Tali announced. "She did make-up. The brush for the make-up tickled my nose."
Tony smiled as he studied his daughter's face, mentally tallying the features she had inherited from him, versus the ones she had inherited from Ziva.
God, they had made a beautiful child.
"Did it?" Tony asked, as he pulled himself up from the seat, and took Tali's hand. He turned back to his Dad, who wore a smile, and was putting the letters back in the envelopes. Tali tugged at his arm. "Did Ima say she was ready to go?"
"She did," Ziva called from the hallway.
Tony felt a breath hitch as he caught sight of her. She was wearing a burgundy dress that hit just above the knee, over a pair of sheer black tights. The dress had long sleeves with cuffs at the wrists, like so much of the wardrobe in her new life, but what got Tony excited was the neckline of the dress. It dipped low. The date Tony had planned involved a lot of them sitting opposite each other. Tony would have a long time to admire the view.
"You look amazing," Tony whispered, as he stepped forward, and took in the rest of Ziva. Her hair was pulled back, showing off the curve of Ziva's neck. Earrings hung from her ears, and Tony could see Ziva had put on some make-up, a natural look that had taken hours to perfect.
"You scruff up well too," Ziva replied.
"Scrub up," he corrected, as he took her hand into his. "Where were you hiding that dress?"
Their apartment was tiny, and except for a few high cupboards lacked hiding places.
"I have my places," Ziva said. Her painted lips made her smile more obvious. "Shall we get going?"
"Yeah," Tony said. "Before we go, I wanna show you what Dad's doing."
"Has he finished the letters?" Ziva asked.
"He told you about them?" Tony asked.
"He mentioned them the other day, on our walk," Ziva said with a smile. Since Senior had come to Paris, he and Ziva went for walks every couple of days, from what Tony had been told of them Senior did most of the talking. "He just really wanted to say thank you. I thought it was very sweet."
"It is," Tony said. "Maybe, I should write some too. I tried to say thank you, but I don't think I really said enough. It's just hard to be on the other side of the line."
During his career, Tony had worked at least two cases where a wife and mother had to fake their death for her family's safety. There had been the happy reunions, but Tony had always wondered what happened after when everything went back to normal.
Now, he knew too well.
"I tried to say thank you too," Ziva said. "And, it did not feel like enough either. Maybe, all we can do is keep moving forward, and show them how thankful we are by being happy."
"Well, we can definitely do that," he said softly.
Ziva leaned forward and placed a tiny kiss on his lips.
"I wanna send mail too," Tali announced, reminding her parents that they were not the only ones in the room.
"You could draw some pictures," Senior suggested. "I'm sure Ima and Daddy's friends need something pretty to put behind their desks. Why don't you get your drawing things?"
Tali got up from her seat at the table, and rushed toward her bedroom.
"First, say goodbye to Ima and Daddy," Tony said as he broke apart from Ziva, and checked his watch. "We're going to dinner. Tomorrow you can show us all of your pictures."
Tali stopped, and looked at her parents. Tony waited for her little lip to wobble, but dipped her head to the left, something she did when she had questions.
"Dinner," she repeated.
"Yes," Ziva said. "That is why you helped me get ready. So I would look nice for dinner."
Tali nodded.
"So when you get home, I'll show you," Tali asked.
"Nuh-uh," Tony said dramatically shaking his head. "You'll be asleep when we get home. You'll show us tomorrow. Pop-Pop will make sure you go to bed on time."
Tali looked at her parents, and then at her grandfather. Senior winked at Tali.
"If you're good, I might let you stay up," Senior said, holding up his thumb and forefinger. "Just a little."
Senior knew when Tali's official bedtime was, and how late he could push it. These were the privileges that came with being a grandparent.
"Okay," she said. "See you later."
Tony's heart moved to his throat.
Had it really been that easy?
Tali stood in front of both of her parents and moved so that she could hug both of them.
"We will see you later, Motek," Ziva said softly, as she patted Tali's back. "Love you."
"Be good for Pop-Pop," Tony said, as he patted Tali's hair. "Love you."
Tali snuggled closer, and then stepped back to look up at her parents.
"Be good," she commanded, before running off to her room. "Love you.""
All three of the adults laughed.
It took less than two minutes for Tony and Ziva to put on their coats and shoes, and slip out of the apartment.
"Well, that was easy," Tony said, as they stood outside the door.
Ziva looked longingly at the door.
"It was," she said softly. "I think things are getting easier."
Tony took her hand, and squeezed it.
"Are you okay, with leaving her?" he asked, as they stood outside their apartment door.
Ziva nodded.
"Yes," she said, flashing him a full beam of a smile. "And, I am very excited for our date."
"You better be, Ms. David," he replied. "Because, your world is about to be rocked."
A/N:
I don't own a thing.
Thank you for all of your kind words, reviews, and love. I'm so behind on review replies, but please know that I treasure every single comment.
The Gabriel Allon books, is a series of spy novels, about an Israeli operative who is also an art restorer. Those books are always in airport bookshops. So, my personal head canon is that Senior picked up a book at some point for the art, but kept reading. Especially, when he was reunited with his son, and met his future daughter-in-law. You can take that or leave it.
The next chapter will be set in March 2020, so will include mentions of current events in March. I will put warnings on the top of chapters that mention COVID-19. Please stay safe out there friends.