Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS
'Happy first birthday' Tony and Ziva said together as they clinked glasses of champagne. Ziva leant forward and kissed Tony.
'We did it' she said, smiling. 'We survived a year.'
'Yes, we did. Only seventeen more to go.' Ziva laughed. The clock read 1.05am. Tali, who was fast asleep in the nursery, was exactly a year old now. Tony and Ziva were in the kitchen, toasting to Tali's first birthday. It was an idea that a friend of Tony's, from his mental health group, gave him. Every year, on the exact moment their child was born, he and his wife toast their child's birthday. So that was what Tony and Ziva were doing. Their little girl was one year old!
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Tony stood with Tali in the stroller, waiting for Ziva to catch up with them. The downside to being married to a photographer was that she stopped every four steps to take another photo.
The three of them were at the National Zoo for Tali's birthday. Tali had very little idea that it was her birthday of course, but Ziva and Tony kept telling her anyway. They had decided to go to the zoo because Tali absolutely loved animals. The menagerie of stuffed and wooden animals that lived in the wood toy box that Gibbs had made, were played with on daily basis. Tali's favourite, Doggy, was glued to her side all the time. Doggy has taken a fair beating over the past year, especially when Tali started teething.
'Sorry' said Ziva, as she caught up with Tony and Tali. 'I could not resist.' She showed Tony the camera screen. The photo was of a panda, asleep in the tree. Tony chuckled at it.
'Good picture' he said.
'Ima' said Tali.
'Yes, motek?' Ziva crouched down in front of Tali.
'Gee, gee' Tali babbled.
'Are you hungry?' Tali nodded. Ziva had practically stopped nursing Tali now, and took some crackers that Tony handed to her. She kissed the top of Tali's head as she ate.
Three hours later, Tony and Ziva were sitting on a bench at the zoo, as Tali napped in the stroller.
'She's perfect, isn't she' said Tony quietly.
'Yes, she is' replied Ziva. 'Especially when she is sleeping.' Tony laughed.
'You remember what we doing a year ago?' he asked, smiling.
'I spent most of the day in tears' said Ziva, smiling. 'I seem to recall constantly worrying if she was too hot.'
'Or too cold' added Tony. Ziva laughed. Tony had spent the day getting up and down off the bed to open the window, close the window, put the fan on, switch the fan off, close the curtains, and then open them again. If it wasn't that, Tony was going back and forth between the bedroom and the kitchen for Ziva who, after giving birth, could barely make it to the bathroom before collapsing on the toilet, where she seemed to stay for hours.
'Remember when I changed the very first diaper' said Tony. Ziva laughed.
'The noise you made when you saw what was in it. It was so funny.'
'It was definitely not what I was expecting, I can tell you that' said Tony, laughing with Ziva.
'I cannot image life without her' said Ziva very quietly after a while. Tony kissed the top of Ziva's head.
'Best year of my life, Zi.'
'Mine too, Tony.'
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Senior knocked on the door. It opened and he found Ziva and Tali standing on the other side.
'Hiya Grandpa' said Ziva. Tali giggled and Senior grinned at being called grandpa. As far as he was concerned, it was the best word in the English language
'Ziva!' Senior hugged his daughter-in-law. 'And how are you, birthday girl?' Tali grinned and threw her arms into the air as if to say 'Here I am'. Ziva passed Tali over to Senior who went to sit down next to Tony on the sofa. Ziva went back into the kitchen.
Tali's birthday party wasn't until the next day, 29th June, because Tony and Ziva wanted to something that was just family; Tali, Tony, Ziva and Senior. Since Tali had been born, Tony and Senior had become closer, and since Senior had moved to DC, they had family dinner every weekend.
'And then we went to see the goats and you fed them, didn't you Tali' said Tony, as he tickled her tummy. Tali giggled and all three of them had the DiNozzo grin across their faces.
Ziva stood in the doorway to the kitchen, smiling at the sight of them. She pulled out her phone and took a quick photo. It was something that Tony and Senior had begun to think would never happen; three generations of DiNozzo, all with the DiNozzo grin, celebrating the first birthday of the youngest.
Ziva's memory kept wandering off into the past all day. She just about remembered her sister's first birthday. She was four, and Ziva remembered seeing her Aunt Nettie and her Ima, but Eli was not there. He had not come to her fourth birthday either, which was only a couple of weeks before. Ziva remembered always having happy birthdays. Ima and Aunt Nettie always put on a good party, with lots of friends and laughter.
Yet, Ziva also remembered how sad her Ima was at those parties. Eli rarely attended. Ziva believed that Eli did not like them, that one had not earned them. He was forever squashing out anything that he felt would make his daughters appear soft, especially with Ziva.
Watching Tony and Senior with Tali, Ziva knew that history would not repeat itself. Tony was a devoted father to Tali. He would not miss any of Tali's birthdays and even if he did, Ziva knew that Tony would have a better reason than 'I was busy at work'.
Tony looked over at Ziva.
'Hey, is dinner ready? I'm hungry'
'Yes, me too' added Senior.
'Gee, gee' said Tali, smiling. Ziva laughed at how similar all three DiNozzos were.
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'Happy Birthday!' everyone cried as Ziva and Tony helped Tali blow out the 1 shaped candle on her cupcake. Every parent Tony and Ziva had ever met told them one thing about throwing a child's birthday party: Keep It Simple. And that is what they did.
Ziva did most of the planning, given that Tony had team leader duties with Gibbs out of the game for the time being. She decided have the party where they got married, at Yard's Park at the Navy Yard. Everyone invited brought their own food with them, as they were having a picnic. Ziva made a few extra snacks, and some birthday cupcakes with a 1 on them. The theme of the party was rainbow. Simple and easy to replicate.
The guest list was kept short as well. Anyone they considered family; Senior, Abby, Callie and her family, Tim and Delilah, and any friends Tony, Ziva and Tali had made over the past year from playgroup and day care.
Ellie popped by briefly to give Tali her birthday present (books). Gibs had also been invited but declined, saying that he was still recuperating. That was technically true. He still had another three months off, as well as dealing with being betrayed by Luke Harris. Tony had other suspicions as to why Gibbs wasn't attending. When he and Tali visited Gibbs in hospital, his reception to Tony was a little frosty, though he warmed up to Tali. Tony was a little glad that Gibbs wasn't going to be there. He didn't want the frostiness between the two of them to infect the party.
Tony laughed as Tali smudged cake into her mouth, and the rest of her face apparently too. The cupcakes that Ziva had made were delicious. Tony walked over to Bob the photographer, cupcake in hand, leaving Ziva and Callie chatting. Ziva had hired Bob again for the party because she didn't want to worry about taking photos.
'Have some birthday cake' said Tony, handing Bob the little cake.
'Thanks.' Bob unwrapped it and bit into the cake. 'Mmm. This is delicious. Who made these?'
'Ziva' answered Tony, nodding over to Ziva, who was still chatting with Callie. Tali was on the blankets, with Abby.
'A beautiful woman, who can cook, bake and is good at photography? No wonder you married her' said Bob. Tony laughed. 'Thanks for hiring me again' Bob said, a little more seriously.
'We've given you a lot of business over the past year.' Bob laughed.
'Yeah, you have. It's good though. It's kinda nice seeing Tali so much bigger than before.'
'Doubt we'll be hiring you any time soon, though' said Tony. Bob's eyebrows went up. 'No big events for the DiNozzos coming up in the next twelve months.'
'Well, you have my number' laughed Bob. He walked away to take more photos. Tony wandered over to Ziva, who was now holding Tali.
'Pap' said Tali. 'Pap, pap.' She kept wriggling in Ziva's arms.
'What is it Bean?' asked Tony. They followed Tali's pointed finger. She was pointing towards Senior.
'Pap.' Ziva and Tony laughed. Tony waved his father over to them.
'Tali, who's this?' asked Tony, pointing to Senior.
'Pap.' Senior face exploded into a grin and he reached over to take Tali from Ziva.
'Dada. Ima. Pap.' Tali listed off the three of them, entertaining everyone in the process.
'Happy birthday, Tali' said Senior, giving his granddaughter a kiss on the cheek.
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Tony was already in bed when Ziva climbed in beside him. They were both exhausted. It had been a busy weekend, first with the Zoo on Saturday and then the party on Sunday, but both of them would agree it had been amazing.
It had been a good party. Tali had started calling Senior, Pap, which of course he loved. Tali managed to cover herself in cake. Tony and Ziva flipped to see who would have to give Tali a bath. Ziva considered herself the winner of that. She did not have to battle a one-year-old at bath time, only organise the mountain of presents that Tali had been given.
'I overheard you and Callie talking today' said Tony. Ziva had shuffled over to him, his arm draped over her.
'Oh.'
'About how this won't be the only first birthday party we'll throw.' Ziva laughed slightly and turned to face Tony properly. 'You want to have another baby, Zi?'
'Maybe. I do not know. I just know how much I loved having a brother and a sister.' Tony nodded, remembering how Ziva had talked about knowing the love of a sibling. He had never had a chance to experience that.
'I've been thinking about it too.' Ziva sat up, attention caught.
'Really?'
'Yeah. Not necessarily this year, or even next year, but I want us to have another baby Zi. Before Tali starts kindergarten.'
'That gives us four years' said Ziva smiling. Tony matched her smile.
'So, we're agreed?' he asked, happily.
'Yes, Tony. I want us to have another baby, before Tali starts Kindergarten. But right now, I quite like to just practice.' Tony grinned, but had a twinkle in his eye. Ziva leant forward and caught his lips in a searing kiss.
For those who want to know, Tali was born in chapter 15.
Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed it