"It's over? Like, for real this time?"

"It is over. For real."

"So, you're coming home now?"

"I'm coming home."

Tony collapsed onto the lumpy couch, scrubbing a hand over his face before breaking into the first genuine smile he'd managed in weeks.

"God, Ziva, that's… great. That's awesome."

It was a weak reaction and he knew it. Great and awesome weren't the best words to describe how he was feeling - not by a long shot - but they were all he could manage. This whole thing had gone on for so long. And he felt so truly exhausted at this point. So, so tired.

"I just have to help Gibbs with something first."

And, okay, it probably wasn't the best response, but he laughed at that. Full bellied, only slightly hysterical laughter.

"You're…" He leaned back, taking a moment to clear his throat and force down the remaining chuckles before trying again, "You're kidding, right?"

There's silence over the phone, and he knows she missed her mark. If it was a joke, there would be a punchline. But instead, there's just a sigh.

"Tony…" Her voice is all soft and quiet, immediately reminding him of stolen kisses and cold feet. If he closed his eyes, he could almost feel her breath against his knuckles, his shoulder, even his lips. They hadn't dared to stay together long in Cairo, only renting a rundown hotel suite under false names for a weekend. And while it wasn't much, they'd taken every spare moment not spent doting on their traumatized toddler as a chance to reacquaint themselves in the biblical sense. This voice - she used it often then. It was always mumbled against his skin. And it always prefaced bad news. "Sahar had a kid. His name is Phineas and he ran away."

"And?" He hated to sound so callous, but pardon if he wasn't feeling overly sympathetic toward the psycho and anyone connected to her.

"And he's a missing child. I want to help find him."

"Help who find him? And why do you have to be the one to do it?"

"Sahar lived next door to Gibbs. He and the boy have formed some kind of… bond, I suppose."

Tony laughed again, but with even less humor than the first time. Gibbs. He should have known.

"This is the last thing I have to do. The whole team is working on it, so I do not imagine it will take very long. A couple of days… a week max."

"A week?" He wished she could see his face. Maybe then she'd realize just how ridiculous this whole thing was, "And what, pray tell, would you suggest I tell our daughter for the next week, huh? 'Hey, Tali. You know that thing Ima's been working on that's kept her away for so long? That's over now, but your mom's not gonna be back for a week. She'd rather spend time tracking down some other woman's kid instead of reuniting with her own.'"

He regrets the words the moment they come out. It's a low blow - even for them - and the choked sob he hears over the line causes him physical pain. He's not being fair. He'd venture to say he's being downright cruel.

But Ziva, of course, pulls herself together quickly. Somehow, that hurts him even more.

"That is not true and you know it. You and Tali are… you are everything to me. My top priority. Always." Her voice waivers in the middle of her sentence and it's that small hesitation that really takes the wind out of his sails. He opens his mouth to respond, but she beats him to it. She always beats him to it.

"I will not deny that these past years have been… torturous. To say the least. But I am not the only one who has been hurt here. And while I love you - both of you - so much," She pauses to breathe, and he swears he can hear her swallow as well, "I recognize the strain all of this has put on our family. I fully intend to spend the rest of my life working to fix what it is I have broken, that does not change the fact that this will be a hard transition for all of us. Perhaps these few extra days will help."

She takes a slow breath and in that moment he would give just about anything, anything to hold her. But that's not an option - yet - so he tries desperately to comfort her in the only way he can.

"You haven't broken anything, Ziva. Our family is intact… albeit a little out of touch. But we're still a family, okay? Sure, having you around is gonna be an adjustment for Tali and I, but DiNozzos are nothing if not flexible. Just come home. We'll get through this together."

"I am coming home, Tony. As soon as we find Phineas," There's another pause and a sigh so quiet he isn't sure he actually heard it, "This is the last thing I have to do."

"Where have I heard that before?" He said it jokingly, but they both heard the unspoken answer: finding Adam was supposed to be her one last thing. And that took months to accomplish.

"This time I mean it. I promise," Her voice lilts at the word, almost as if she's questioning how much weight it holds anymore. She'd made many promises over the last three years. Hardly any she managed to keep, "Phineas is just so young… and now he's all alone. The least I can do is make sure he is safe."

There are several moments of silence as he fiddles with the buttons on a tv remote. He's trying to read her over all of the miles between them, but he's either out of practice or out of range. He takes a stab at what he assumes she might be thinking.

"You know it's not your fault, right? The kid's mom was a wack job. If she hadn't gone off the rails - hadn't made killing you some long term crusade - none of this would have happened. It's not your fault she's dead."

She's quiet for a long time, and he wonders if she's even listening to him.

"I know it's not. But that doesn't change anything. I need to do this. It is important."

"To you or to Gibbs?" There's a slight edge to his voice. He knows he should hide it better, but he can't. After all these years - the wanting and the waiting and the worrying - it's still about Gibbs. It's 'Do This for Him' all over again.

"To both of us." She says it with finality, and he knows there's no more discussion. It's not the best conversation they've ever had, but he was choosing to count his blessings. At least she was safe and coming home soon - and really, what more could he ask for?

"Okay, well…" He catches a glimpse of Tali across the room, rolling over in the bed and falling right back to sleep, "If the coast is clear, we're gonna head back to Paris in the morning. I can… text you the address or something."

She laughs quietly into the phone and it slowly sinks in that he'll be seeing her in person soon. Hearing her laugh without the distortion of the line, "That won't be necessary. I know the address."

There had been several times over the term of their separation that Tony swore he could feel her nearby. He'd never let himself dwell on it too long, as even a confirmation that she was there wouldn't change anything. She'd still remain hidden in the shadows. But now he wondered just how accurate his gut had been over the years. He wondered if she'd brush him off if he asked.

"Of course you do," He feels the smile creep back across his face, "Keep me in the loop, okay? I wanna know everything. Wanna make sure you're staying safe."

"Do not worry, Tony. I did not go through all of this just to die now. I will help the team find Phineas, then I will hop on a plane to Paris. You stay focused on Tali. I'll be home before you know it."

"Count to a million?"

"A million is too long. 500,000 should do."

"500,000. I can do that," He sighed, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. He was soaking up every last moment of being on the phone with her. It was all he had to sustain himself for up to another week, "I love you, Ziva."

"I love you, too. Goodbye, Tony."

"See you soon."

She was the one to hang up, but he didn't blame her. It had to be getting late in DC, and she made it clear that finding this Phineas kid was a team priority. She'd probably been chasing down leads all day.

He tilted his head to the side and focused on the form of his sleeping daughter.

"Alright, Kid. We're in the home stretch."

She didn't react to his words - he swears she could sleep through the freaking apocalypse. She got that from him.

So instead he picked up his phone and opened the internet. He had plane tickets to book.

Sit rep?

He stared at the screen. The choice to text instead of call was one borne of necessity. While Ziva had likely spent the past 36 hours living it up in relative comfort as she assisted their former boss and the cast of characters acting as the MCRT, Tony had spent them re-packing, re-flying, and re-settling their five-year-old into the two-story villa currently functioning as their home-base.

Tali was a trooper in every way, but even she didn't take well to two transcontinental flights in two days (Had he really thought Canada was a necessary distance for their temporary lodging?). She was tired. She was confused. And to top it all off, he had chosen that moment - the one when they'd finally landed, taxied home, shared a truly exquisite take away pizza, changed into their comfy pajamas and decided to settle in for some much-needed sleep - to tell her about Ziva coming home.

Rookie mistake.

"Hey, Tali-wag," He mumbled into her hair as he rubbed comforting circles into her back. Her tiny shoulders shook with the force of her sobs and the sight of it wrapped around his heart and started to squeeze. No parent likes seeing their child upset, but he'd admit to being particularly sensitive to her pain. They had their rocky history to thank for that. "This is a good thing, remember? Ima's coming back. Don't you miss her?"

She nodded, lifting her head from where she had buried it in his chest and rubbing at her eyes with tired fists.

"Then why are you crying, Meatball?"

The corner of her lips twitched at his use of her favorite nickname (one he typically saved for special occasions, but what could he say, she was always his meatball). But just as soon as the smile came, it was gone once again as her lips pressed into a thin line and she started blinking fast to try and stave off the tears.

Sometimes he wondered if Ziva was lying, and Tali was actually a clone made in a lab. How else could they be this similar?

"Because - I - don't - want you - to - leave!"

Nearly every word was punctuated with either a gulp or a sniffle right up until the last one - leave - where she threw her tiny body forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. She even balled her fists in the material of his jumper, as if she was scared he was simply going to vanish from her arms.

Realization washed over him in a wave, leaving him sad, scared, and a little nauseous. Tali had memories with her mother. And she had memories with her father. But aside from the less than 48 hours spent in Cairo (the majority of which was her and Ziva, given the kid barely knew him back then), she had practically no memories of her parents being together. Even in the same room. In her mind, she could have Ima, or she could have Abba. Having both at the same time wasn't an option.

He should have seen that coming. No kid gets shuffled around the way she did without consequence. Ziva had her time alone with Tali. And then he had his. And now it was time to pay the piper.

"I'm not going anywhere, T. I'm staying right here, okay? I'll never leave you."

"But Ima-"

"Is gonna come here and live with us. Both of us."

Her little eyebrows drew together and formed the tiniest little crease in her forehead, "But…"

Her confusion at the idea - her complete lack of family as a concept in which both Tony and Ziva could be present - brought about a whole new wave of nausea. He needed a better approach.

"You know Ali?"

Tali tilted her head at his question but nodded. Of course she knew Ali. That was her best friend. They met on the playground of their preschool.

"You know how, when you go to Ali's for a playdate, she has her mommy and her daddy living with her?"

Tali nodded again.

"That's how we're gonna be, okay? You, me, and Ima. All under one roof. Nobody leaves. Nobody goes away. We're all here, together, as one big family. How's that sound?"

Her head tilted to the side again, but this time in consideration. She narrowed her eyes at him a moment later.

"But Ali's mommy and daddy love each other. They're - um - married."

She said the word slowly and placed a little too much emphasis on the d, giving him the distinct impression that she was parroting it more than understanding it. And given his status as single and the record run that has been his bachelorhood, the word certainly didn't come from him. Looks like he'd be having a talk with miss Ali's parents.

All of this thought about where she learned the word 'married' was thankfully enough to distract him from the stinging slap that the rest of the sentence should have brought. All of these years, he'd been so focused on keeping Ziva's memory alive and making sure Tali knew her mother loved her - he never thought to address the fact that she loved him as well.

"Tali - your mom and I love each other. We love each other very much. That's how we got you," He poked her stomach on the last word and she smiled at his silly gesture. But it didn't last long. She quickly looked confused again.

"So you are married?"

"Uh - no. We're not married."

She nodded slowly, "Are you gonna get married?"

He chuckled awkwardly, reaching out to 'pet' Kelev as an excuse to do something with his hands. Was interrogation an inheritable skill?

"You are just full of questions tonight, huh?"

She shrugged, then stared at him.

"Right, uh. Marriage is something that grown-ups do when they want the whole world to know they're together. That they're in love."

She waited expectantly for him to go on.

"And - uh - Zi- I mean Ima and I… we've… never felt the need to tell the world we're in love. Or anybody, for that matter."

His throwaway comment went over his daughter's head, as he expected it to.

"Why not?"

"Well, uh, because we never thought it was that important. We know we love each other," He cocked a mischievous smile as he reached down to tickle her side, earning himself a chorus of girly giggles, "Now you know we love each other. As far as your mom and I are concerned, the whole world does know."

She pushed his arm playfully and slid off his lap, coming to sit cross-legged on her Elsa comforter with an expression of serious exasperation.

"That's not the whole world, Abba. That's three people!"

He smiled down at her, letting his eyes get wide in excitement, "Look at you with the counting. Miss Mary Poppins must really be teaching you something, huh?"

"Poppit! Miss Poppit!" She threw her hands up in feigned frustration but smiled goofily at her dad the whole time. They'd had this conversation a hundred times. Just about every day since she started preschool and got assigned a teacher with the most perfect name Tony could have ever asked for.

"Miss Poppit. Right. I forgot." He unleashed a full DiNozzo grin, and she returned it tenfold. He wondered to himself - not for the first time - how he ever survived without the little human in front of him.

"Alright, Squirt. Time for bed, huh?" He tussled her hair (sometimes it makes her smile) and moved to stand up.

"Daddy?"

Uh, oh. She used 'Daddy'. He was in for it now.

"Yeah?"

"Can we watch a movie?"

"Movie?" He glanced at the paw patrol clock on the wall. It was getting late. Really late. Like, so late it was almost early. But they had really only landed a few hours ago, and their brains were still functioning six hours in the past, so it was no surprise that they'd managed to stay up this long. "You think you can stay awake through a whole movie?"

"Yeah!" She jumped off her bed and ran over to her movie shelf (a modest collection, but seemingly growing by the day), expertly choosing a film and holding it up for his inspection.

He eyed her, then he eyed the movie, and quickly made a decision. One he wasn't sure he'd be able to make in a few days' time when his semi-single parenthood turned into co-parenting with his partner.

"Okay. We'll watch a movie. But no popcorn. It's too late for food."

She nodded and took off, slipping out of the doorway to her bedroom, down the stairs and into the living room before he could say another word.

And that was how they ended up here: on the couch with her head on his chest and her entire body weight causing his arm to tingle uncomfortably. She was asleep. Shocker. And the movie was only now nearing its climax (he knew she'd pass out based on the film she'd chosen alone. Zootopia. She'd seen it at least fifty times. Nothing exciting to stay awake for).

He looked down at her little body nestled so securely against his. She was snoring (a Ziva thing) and had part of his shirt clasped in her little fist (also a Ziva thing). Sure, the earlier conversation about being a family hadn't gone exactly as planned. But he knew she'd come around to the idea. She just needed time to get used to it - and for him to prove he wasn't going anywhere.

The sound of his phone ringing nearly caused him to jump, and he quickly snatched the device before it woke up Tali. He turned it to silent and checked his messages.

Phineas contacted an old friend of Sahar's for help. It's not ideal, but it makes him trackable.

That was good news… he supposed.

So it looks like things are winding down?

She responds in just seconds, and it makes him pause for a moment to consider calling her. He could whisper, right?

We are getting close. Have you arrived in Paris?

Landed late last night - er - mid-afternoon for you. Any chance you've booked a flight?

Talking to Tali earlier had made him aware of some added barriers to their happily ever after… but it didn't mean he was any less ready to get it started.

Not yet. I will tell you the moment I do. Promise.

Got it. Stay safe.

Of course. Xoxo.

Then, in a moment of weakness - or perhaps a moment of pure bliss at their newly open lines of communication (after years of near radio silence, a few texts felt like everything) - but he opened the photo app on his phone and started scrolling. There were hundreds of pictures of Tali on there. Oh, yeah. He was one of those dads.

Finally, he found one he liked. It was actually a photo of the two of them, both standing in the doorway to their kitchen and looking almost surprised at the camera being on them. It was taken about a month ago while Senior was in town for Thanksgiving. They may be halfway across the world, but American traditions still won out.

He cropped himself out of the picture (she'd seen enough of his face in her lifetime) so it only showed Tali smiling wide and leaning partially against a wall. That was the money shot. He sent it to Ziva.

She didn't respond. He didn't expect her to. He just hoped it made her smile. Or maybe tear up a bit… in a good way.

Welcome to my actual, genuine reunion fic.

First things first: Eynn kemo bevayitt = 'home sweet home' or 'there's no place like home' in hebrew. Creative, I know. I hate picking titles, okay?

I've written so many post-reunion one-shots because I've never quite been able to craft my ideal reunion in my mind. Until now. Something about 'Paris can wait' really got my gears turning, and I decided that I can see value in waiting just a tiny bit longer before reuniting. I mean, I've binged surprise reunion fics as much as the next gal, but that might not be the best move for them all emotionally. They need to process a little.

That being said, Ziva's gonna be home in the next chapter (spoiler i guess?) so don't worry. You won't be waiting too long for the big moment.

I'm about 4 chapters deep in this story so far and I'm not entirely sure how many chapters I plan on having... we'll have to wait and see. But expect chapter 2 - like - soon. Really soon.

Thanks for reading! Reviews are promptly read, collected, then boiled down into concentrate that I then inject directly into my veins. Okay, that analogy got weird. But seriously, reviews are great.