Ziva:
Time was flying by at a speed that Ziva David did not care for at all. Once again, she and her family were preparing for another milestone birthday for Tali. Unlike her daughter's previous milestone birthdays, this particular birthday was a little different for Ziva to deal with. Nearly eighteen years ago, as Ziva was thinking of what to name her daughter; one name kept coming to her. While Ziva held her daughter for the first time all those years ago, she decided that there was no other name that would be better suited for the beautiful baby girl in her arms when Ziva had decided to name her daughter after her late sister. Now Ziva knew full well that by giving her daughter the name that her sister had carried with her for sixteen years would present the child with a monumental burden to carry.
Looking back on that day, Ziva saw how resilient Tali had been over the past eighteen years. Like Ziva, Tali had survived the mortar attack on the farmhouse in Israel. Tali had traveled across the world with Mossad agents and her maternal grandfather's Mossad replacement/old flame; at the young age of two following a traumatizing event to meet her father for the first time while she wondered why her mother wasn't with her as she traveled. From what Ziva had learned and observe from a distance while she was trying to quell the threat that Sahar presented all those years ago, Tali was just as strong and resilient as her namesake had. Carrying on her Aunt's name was not a burden to Tali from what Ziva saw, it was an honor.
"Where's your mind at, Ziva?"
Hearing Tony's voice snapped Ziva out of her reverie.
"It's right here." Ziva answered.
"You know what I mean..."
Instead of answering Tony, Ziva just looked at him.
"You're thinking about your sister, aren't you?" Tony questioned.
"It's a possibility."
"I had a feeling that this birthday for Tali was going to be hard for you, just like her last birthday was."
It was then that Tali came up to her parents.
"Ima, I don't think Aunt Tali would want to see you sad. She would want you to be happy."
"My beautiful girl, how did you get to be so smart?" Ziva asked as she kissed her daughter on the head.
"I am the best parts of you and Aba, it was bound to happen." Tali said with a little laugh.
A smile came to Ziva's face.
"So when is our flight tomorrow?" Tali asked.
The family of three would be flying out to Washington DC in the morning. Tali had never had a birthday in the States and she had wished that she could spend this birthday were the rest of her family was.
"We have to leave here at six, the flight is at nine tomorrow morning."
It was then that mother and daughter shared a look after Tony had answered Tali's question.
"What?"
"You're not the easiest person to get motivated in the morning Aba."
"She has a point, Tony. Or did you forget that time we were under cover…"
"Was that the time that you guys were under cover as married assassins and you kept Uncle Tim guessing on whether or not you two slept together?"
Tony blushed some as Ziva tried to hold back a laugh.
"Yes it was, and if I recall correctly; your father also forgot to close his bathrobe while we conferenced with Gibbs and Jenny."
"And didn't you have to pour water on Aba just to wake him up one morning while under cover?"
Ziva was about to answer when Tony put a stop to them ganging up on him.
Tali:
The following morning came up fast, faster than what Tali wanted it to. But she knew by the end of the day it would be worth it. As Tali got out of bed and went about her morning routine, she could smell the coffee brewing which meant that one of her parents were up already. Once Tali had her brown hair pulled back in a messy bun, she wandered into the kitchen to snag a cup before she went back into her room to get dressed and double check that she had everything packed for the flight to the States.
"Who's is picking us up at the airport?" Tali asked as she nursed her coffee.
"Gibbs."
"Oh okay, that makes sense."
"Are you ready yet?" Tony asked.
"Almost…"
Tony started to say the one thing that Gibbs had said to Abby when he had been stopped.
"Don't say it, Tony. You're not Gibbs." Ziva said as their daughter laughed.
Tony handed Ziva a cup of coffee as Tali took her coffee back into her bedroom. Tali checked over her packed bags as she half listened to her parents. Apparently Senior would be meeting them at the airport. It was always entertaining for Tali to see her grandpa with the team. She enjoyed hearing Gibbs call Senior Chief. The camaraderie between Senior and Ducky was sweet just like the utmost respect that Torres, Vance, McGee and Palmer had for Senior. Tali couldn't help but smile and laugh when Senior was the ever charming flirt with Bishop, Cassie and Jack.
A few minutes later, Tali came out of her bedroom with her suitcases and her carry on along with her coffee cup in hand.
"I'm ready to go…" Tali called out to her parents.
Shortly after Tali had called out to her parents, they had joined her. Tony surveyed all the luggage they had as they left their home.
"I still can't believe you named a goldfish after me…" Ziva said as they rode the elevator down to the taxi that was waiting for them.
Tali laughed as they disembarked the elevator and drew closer to the waiting taxi. Ziva and Tali got into the taxi while Tony assisted the taxi cab driver load the luggage into the cab.
Now came the long flight over to the States.
Tony:
Over eight hours later, the family of four were making their way to where Gibbs said he would be waiting for them. Of course it didn't take them that long at all to find Gibbs. Tali couldn't help herself when she left her luggage with her parents and grandfather so she could run over to Gibbs to say hello.
"Uncle Jethro!"
"How'd you grow up so fast? You're not suppose to be eighteen yet." Gibbs said as he hugged Tali.
Gibbs could tell that there was a bit of Abby's cheerfulness instilled in Tali. Tony, Ziva and Senior caught up within a matter of minutes.
"Chief." Gibbs said as he shook Senior's hand.
"Good to see you again, Gibbs."
Senior joined his granddaughter so that he could allow his son and Ziva to greet their former boss/surrogate father.
"Boss…"
"Tony."
Then men shook hand and shared a quick hug. A smile came to Ziva's face as she came face to face with Gibbs.
"Jethro…"
Gibbs smirked as he recalled the one time Ziva had called him by his name.
" Ziver." Gibbs said as he hugged and kissed Ziva on her head.
"It's good to see you."
"Yeah its good to see you too. And thanks for keeping it so we didn't have to come searching for you." Gibbs quipped.
Ziva smirked as she recalled the time that Gibbs had originally said that to her after the whole thing with Sahar had been put to rest officially.
After the pleasantries had been exchanged, the group had made their way over to where Gibbs had parked. As they made their way to Gibbs' house, where Tali's eighteenth birthday party was being held; Tali could hardly wait to tell everyone what her plans for after high school were and where she had been accepted into for the impending fall semester. There was one other thing that she had to share with Bishop and Jack that she had been waiting to tell them for some time now.