"Order for DiNozzo."

Tony's head snapped up from his phone screen. He waded his way through the crowded shop, narrowly dodging waiters and high-chaired toddlers in his pursuit of the take-out counter.

"DiNozzo," He muttered to the cashier as he flashed a receipt and reached for the bags of food.

"Bon appétit," The young man behind the counter had grey eyes and an impressively bushy mustache. These details, for some reason, stuck in Tony's head.

Probably because they offered him an escape from all the other things stuck in there.

"Thanks," He dropped a fiver in the jar and scooped the bags under his arm, "I mean - merci."

Okay, so take out as the first official family meal? Not ideal. But neither was burning down the house by cooking in his distracted state. Besides - Lo Scoglio held a special place in their home. Ziva would have to buy in at some point. And maybe, just maybe, there's something poetic about eating out of plastic takeaway bins. A bit of 'old times sake'.

Plus, the ordering, waiting and picking up of the food allowed him a moment of reprieve. They were two hours into this whole family-unit thing and he could already feel those boundaries - Remember those? Discussed at length and outlined in his therapist's office barely 24 hours prior - going out the window. Ziva was so hypnotizing. Even in the quiet, seemingly contemplative state she'd slipped into upon leaving the airport. Everything about her was drawing him in. And he didn't need to be drawn in at the moment. He had too much to accomplish first.

To be fair, she seemed to be fighting the pull as well. It helped a bit that Tali - bless her little heart - hadn't stopped talking long enough to even take a breath since they got in the car. She pointed out everything as they drove: street signs and corner parks and funny shaped trees. She named every restaurant they'd ever eaten at on their route and told elaborate stories about every plaza they'd visited while exploring the city (including the story of when Tony turned his back for 30 seconds to buy them an ice cream cone and Tali took it upon herself to wander through the crowds of people alone for upwards of an hour. He could have done without the retelling of that one.). But it was sweet, really. The girl was so excited to share her home with Ziva, she's gotten a serious case of the yabba yabba. She came by it honestly.

Their car was parked along the curb about half a block down from the storefront. It was facing him, so as he approached he could see the girls moving through the windshield.

Tali was out of her car seat (Big surprise there. She'd houdinied herself out of every one he'd ever put her in) and was leaning halfway into the driver's seat with her knee on the center console. She was talking fast, making big gestures and flashing shy smiles. Ziva was nodding along, constantly switching her attention between the chatty girl and the white piece of paper she was holding in front of herself. Her eyebrows furrowed as she pointed at the center of the paper and seemed to ask a question. Tali jumped at it, her eyes wide with excitement as she pointed at another spot on the page before clasping her hands together and giggling. She tilted her head back, and that's when she noticed his approach. Her face fell - which in any other context, he might have taken as an insult - and she quickly grabbed the paper from Ziva's hand and folded it. She said something that caused Ziva to look up and notice him, too. Instead of frowning at him, she flashed a small smile.

The one he flashed back was completely involuntary.

"- and don't show Abba," Tali was saying when he opened the door.

"Don't show Abba what, exactly?" He leaned over his seat and set the bags on the back floorboard.

"Shhhhh," She held her finger to her lips and gave Ziva a look, "Our secret."

The smile Ziva flashed as she took the folded paper out of Tali's hand and tucked it into her shirt pocket was anything but small. "Our secret," she repeated.

"Good," Tali spun around to face her dad and blew a big raspberry in his face before retreating to the back seat.

"I see how it is. Ima comes back and suddenly I'm old news," He slid inside of the car, "But you better buckle up, buttercup. I may not be your favorite parent anymore, but you're still my favorite person under four foot, so we're not moving 'til you're strapped in."

She remerged then, tapping his shoulder to get his attention and then blowing another, even bigger raspberry. He blew one in response, which made her giggle, and then she settled back into her car seat and fastened her seatbelt. Tony watched her belt in through the rearview mirror. Meanwhile, Ziva watched him.

"What?" He asked when he noticed her staring.

She shook her head, eyes darting forward as she leaned back in her seat.

He did something stupid then - or, something that had the potential to be very stupid and very bad. He reached out for her hand where it was resting casually on the console and slid his fingers in the space between hers. She looked at him sideways, peeking out from under a curtain of spiraled curls with only the very edges of her lips giving away the smile she so clearly wanted to hide. It was a familiar scene. From years ago. When there was so much to say and so little actually said. He opened his mouth, determined to change that.

"Abba, look!" Tali called from the back seat, leaning as far forward as the seat belt allowed and pointing out of the windshield, "School!"

She was really pointing at a street sign, labeling the road down which several miles from their current spot, her preschool building sat.

"Yeah, T. School," He offered a withering look at Ziva before eyeing Tali in the back seat, "How about Ima comes with us to drop you off on Monday? You can show her then."

Seemingly satisfied with her father's offer, Tali sat back and folded her hands in her lap.

But, alas, the moment was over. And hey, that was probably for the best.

"Alright, homeward bound," He turned to face forward, bringing his arm across his lap to change gears so he wouldn't have to let go of Ziva's hand. That made her chuckle. And that made it all worth it.

"Home, sweet rented home," He boasted once they reached the front door of the villa. He was balancing Ziva's duffle along with two out of three bags of food, and yet somehow managed to unlock and open the door for the ladies standing behind him.

"Come on," Tali took off in a run, trying to pull her mom behind her, "I wanna show you my room! Papa painted it pink and blue!"

"Woah nelly," He reached out an arm (amazingly, he had one to spare) and caught Ziva by the waist just before she crossed the threshold, effectively halting the child as well, "How about you save that for after dinner, huh? Then we can give Ima the grand tour."

"But-" Tali had spun, clearly unimpressed with her father's alternative plan.

"Tali…" He said in his best and most practiced Dad voice, "Your mother's probably starving. Strike that - I'm starving. Sit down and eat, then you can show her anything you want. Deal?"

She considered this, eventually countering with: "Can I at least show her my toys?"

"You can show her one toy. Of your choosing. Then you eat."

She narrowed her eyes at him, gauging her odds of countering, before nodding her agreement, "Deal."

She held her hand out for a shake, but Tony's here a little occupied.

"Ima will shake in my place. But the deal stays the same."

She nodded, extending the hand toward Ziva and they shook on it before Tali pivoted and disappeared up the staircase.

"You taught her to barter?" Ziva asked, a little incredulous, as she followed him through the living room.

"It's a valuable skill. Plus, the kid's got some wicked puppy dog eyes. If we didn't shake on things, they'd never get done," He defended, shelving the food on the dining room table and tossing the duffle across the room to the couch. He watched it bounce, then turned toward her in mild horror. "There was nothing fragile in that, right?"

"No."

"Uh, good," He clumsily wiped his hands on his pants, "Wouldn't want to go breaking any of your-"

He paused when he got a glimpse of her face. Strong and steady was sorta Ziva's M.O. And in the moments that it wasn't, she had a poker face to rival that of Gibbs. But her eyes never shut up - if you knew how to read them. And even after all this time, he was still an expert.

"Hey" He muttered, stepping up behind her slowly and getting her attention with a gentle hand on her shoulder.

It took her a moment to react. To stop looking around the room with wide eyes - taking in the couch and the TV and the dining room - and meet his eyes. And that when he really saw it. The cracks in her resolve.

"You okay?"

She nodded. He watched her chest heave with each breath and decided she most certainly was not okay.

"I am fine."

"You wanna say that again without the shaky voice?"

The smile she managed was small and didn't quite take the edge out of her expression, "Not really."

"Ziva…"

"No," She had his hand off of her shoulder and lightly held between both of hers before he could continue, "I am not panicking. I promise. It is all just…"

"Overwhelming?" He offered.

"Yes. Overwhelming," She glanced to the side and gave the livingroom another once over. It was an open-concept space, only a half wall littered with junk and an upgraded fishbowl (Don't worry. Little Ziva got a new name) separating one room from the other. The dining area then led into the kitchen with only an island to act as a divider, "This place is beautiful."

His palms somehow end up on her cheeks and he's not entirely sure he decided to move them there. After a few seconds, she meets his eyes.

"Sorry I didn't say it earlier - twerp kinda called dibbs - but welcome home, Ziva."

She lays her own hands over his and smiles, "Thank you, Tony. I'm happy to be here."

Then there's a sort of lull and that gravity from earlier seems to rear its tempting head. Had her lips always been this pink? Had they always looked this soft?

"Ima, look!" Tali was down the stairs, around the corner, and thrusting a stuffed dog into her mother's arms before either parent had gotten a chance to react, "It's Kelev!"

Ziva smiled, only letting her eyes betray the whiplash she clearly felt, and took the dog carefully, "Kelev, old friend. It is good to see you again."

"Looks like Kelev brought a buddy," Tony said while eyeing the stuffed elephant still in his daughter's grasp, "I thought we agreed on one toy."

Tali reeled, clearly feeling caught, "But Daddy-"

"Don't you 'Daddy' me. We had a deal. Kelev can stay, but you need to put Horton on the couch until after dinner."

Her shoulders slumped, then she eyed the stuffed animal for a second before looking at her mom.

"Ima…"

Ziva was quick to shake her head, "Abba said one. You shook on it, remember?"

Her responding sigh was long and dramatic, but she eventually nodded, "Okay."

They watched as she disappeared behind the half wall and set her elephant on the couch.

Tony punched Ziva's arm playfully, giving her a small wink to convey his message. Parents:1 Tali:0. He could get used to having his partner back.

She was standing there, leaning against the wall of the hallway, when he emerged from Tali's bedroom.

"She's asleep." He wasn't entirely sure why he was whispering. The kid slept like a rock.

"That's good," was her simple response. She was whispering as well.

"Have you, uh, been out here the whole time?"

Getting Tali down for the night had taken longer than normal - caused by a mixture of her caffeinated state and the conversation they'd had about the day's events.

"Alright, Kid. I'll read you a story, but first I need an update."

She looked up at him with moon eyes.

"Ima's here now. How are we feeling?"

That got him a shrug, and then she scooted away from him on the bed to cross her legs.

After a full minute of contemplation, she finally spoke: "She's prettier than I remember."

It struck him as an odd comment, but he couldn't say he disagreed, "Yeah. She's really pretty."

"And nice!" She perked up a bit now, as if her father's support emboldened her, "I really like it when she hugs me. Or holds my hand. Or calls me 'motek'."

And if she wasn't a kid after his own heart, "You know what? I like those things, too."

But then she paused, and her lips twisted in a bit of a frown, "I'm not sure I like it when she tells me what to do. Like earlier with Horton."

He chuckled at that, "Okay, first: she wasn't telling you what to do. I was telling you what to do."

"Yeah, but she took your side."

"There are no sides in a family. Besides, we had a deal, and you tried to change the rules."

"I know…" She let out a long sigh, "I'm sorry."

"I forgive you, okay? But there's something you need to know about your mom. She's super protective of the people she loves. She just wants the best for them."

"So?"

"So… if she does tell you what to do - scratch that, when she tells you what to do - you should probably do it. She's always looking out. For you especially."

She scrunched her face, clearly not agreeing with his logic, "I'll try. But it might take a while."

"That's fine. Take all the time you need. She'll still be here when you're ready."

Ziva smiled slightly, reaching down to tug at the pants of her pajamas, "I went to change."

"Yeah… I should have warned you about that. I let the Mini pick those out."

She shrugged, fingering the fuzzy material of the pants with a sort of reverence, "It is fine. I quite like them."

He almost teased her about that - a quick line but not knowing she liked Olaf already primed on his tongue. But he held it back. They may not be her style, but they were from her daughter. And he could understand the sentiment.

Besides, she pulled them off pretty well.

"So…" He filled the silence, as surprisingly comfortable as it was, with mindless noise. That was sorta his specialty.

"So.." She started, gently pushing herself off the wall and stepping into his space, "It is getting late."

"Not too late."

Her hands found his forearms and coaxed them around herself, "No. Not too late."

There was a moment, a full beat, where she let her words dangle in the air between them. They were charged. She was clearly hinting at something. Something they still had time to do. Something it wasn't too late for.

But the moment passed, and while it was nice and fun and familiar to fall back into that same old pattern (standing too close and hinting too hard and ultimately flirting for entirely too long), he found himself feeling a little relieved when her next words came out less weighted.

"I, for one, spent many hours on a plane today. So I think it is about time we discuss the sleeping arrangements."

Her voice was cool, but not entirely detached. She seemed to know what was coming, having deduced as much from the tone of their house tour just a couple of hours before.

"The guest bedroom is at the end of the hall," Tony sighed as he said it, "Clean sheets and everything."

"And that is where I am to sleep, correct?"

He sighed again. She wasn't making this hard, but she also wasn't making it particularly easy as she stood there in that little white tank top and let her hands rest on his shoulders as they spoke.

"I-if you want. I mean… it's really up to you, I guess."

She chuckles quietly, and he's thrilled to be close enough to feel it this time, "I am aware that there are certain things… privileges… that I will have to earn here."

"You don't have to earn anything, Ziva."

"But I do," Her hands slide down his arms and she takes a half step back, still within reach, but no longer pressing up against him, "I recognize that. Cairo was a flute. I cannot expect the same level of intimacy now without putting in the work."

He smiled at her - a big, almost painful grin as he lets the familiarity of her flubbed phrasing wash over him. He'd missed her so much.

"Fluke. The word you're looking for is fluke. But you're wrong. Cairo was…"

"Borrowed time?"

As much as he hated it, she had a point, "Yeah. I guess. But it wasn't a fluke."

"Okay. But things are different now, yes?" Her thumb brushed across his bicep and dipped under the sleeve of his shirt. It was amazing how she could claim him using such a small action, all the while talking about having no claim to him at all.

He didn't respond, and she took the moment to roll onto her toes and give him a proper hug. One that screamed I love you and We'll get him and At lo levad all at once. He let himself sink into it, embracing the way she overpowered all of his senses, if just for a moment. Her smell. Her skin. The true weight of her in his arms. She was real. She was there. And he was never going to let her go again.

When she finally pulled back, he let out a small groan in protest. That made her smile at him.

"Do you want me to sleep in the guest bedroom?" There's a challenge to her voice, but not a dark one. She's not testing him - she's daring him to tell the truth. And who was he to back down?

"No," The word fell out just as his hands fell lower on her hips and the sheer amount of defeat in his tone is enough to make him frown, "I don't."

She nodded. Then stepped out of his arms and smiled. He watched her turn and walk farther down the hall to the last closed door on the left. She reached for the doorknob, seemingly ready to call it a night, but paused just before grabbing it. She looked at him across the hall with an unreadable expression.

"Earlier. When we were in the car. You grabbed my hand and were about to say something. What was it?"

He shrugged, then mustered but a dazzling DiNozzo grin, "Just that you're my favorite person over four foot."

She laughed quietly and opened the door, hesitating in the hall for another moment, "Goodnight, Tony."

"Goodnight, Sweet Cheeks," He whispered into the empty hallway after she'd disappeared.

He crossed to his own bedroom door and entered without a sound. He didn't bother turning on a light, instead crossing the space by memory and falling onto the empty bed. He knew it was for the best, and he knew they were doing the responsible adult thing here, but that didn't change the basic reality he'd come to accept long ago.

Boundaries totally sucked.

Just some domestic fluff. Gotta love it, right? Tiva being parents and Tali starting to just barely push the envelope to see how far she can get now that there are two adults around to make decisions.

And as the sun sets on our lovely little family, let me warn you that there will be a time jump in the next chapter. So don't be alarmed.

Working on finishing it now. Hopefully it will be up in the next couple of days?

Thanks again for the awesome reviews. Y'all are so sweet and also so helpful! Pointing out the parts of the story you really enjoy helps me to reign in all of my ADHD thoughts and keep my story centered on what matters (here, Tony and Tali's adjustment). More reviews would be much appreciated.