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"EVERYTHING"

Chapter III - Diamonds & Go-Bags

When they left Mossad headquarters, Tony still had no idea what he was actually doing. Sure, it felt great to know that someone else shared in his hope that Ziva was alive but, he was partially terrified that he may actually be wrong. Still, he decided to listen to Orli and search for some clues. Before doing so though, he had to feed a very hungry and cranky Tali. They had stopped on the way back to the hotel to buy some lunch and he was now sitting in the small room trying to get the two year old to keep the food in her mouth instead of dropping it on her shirt.

He sighed when she spit out another spoonful, "You really don't like this stuff do you? Guess I should have let Uncle Jimmy make us some to-go food to bring along. Come on kiddo, help abba out here. I know you're hungry, just eat this and then I promise to find us something better for dinner later. Maybe pizza?!"

His begging tone, or maybe it was the pitiful look in his eyes, seemed to get Tali to cooperate as she went from frowning to smiling and accepted the assorted mix of steamed vegetables. Actually, it was probably the mention of pizza. It was like she knew how to get her way with him already. Tony could only think about how much the little mini Ziva was just that ... a mini Ziva ... always playing on his need to make sure she was happy and had what she desired.

Okay, maybe that's a little sophisticated for a toddler, but she does seem to be a lot like Ziva. I wonder what she's actually inherited from me ... well, besides pizza love.

A short while later, after completing the tasks of feeding her, giving her bath, and changing her clothes, Tony sat Tali on the bed to watch a movie on his laptop while he began his inspection of her go-bag. At first glance, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. If Ziva had truly told Orli that the bag was meant to benefit Tony more than Tali, then he couldn't readily identify why. It was full of all the things a toddler would need, not stuff for a grown man— well, except for the picture of him and Ziva in Paris and the scarf that smelled exactly like the love of his life. Her scent so strong that it seemed as if she had bottled up that totally Ziva mix of coconuts and Shea butter then sprayed it on the scarf so he'd never forget her smell. Like he would ever forget. That was impossible.

Less impossible than me finding any type of clue in this damn bag!

He grunted in frustration and was almost startled when Tali mimicked the sound next to him. Looking down at the giggling toddler, he smiled and spoke, "Uncle Jimmy was right, huh? You mirror what you see— and hear for that matter. Noted." Tony kissed the top of the toddlers head as her attention quickly went back to the Disney princess singing and dancing on the laptop screen.

Tony shook his head, marveling at how his movie collection would now have to expand to add every princess movie ever made. After giving it a few more moments of thought, he drew himself back to the task at hand. Not wanting to pull everything out of the bag one by one anymore, he dumped all of its contents at the far end of the bed. As expected, apart from what he already identified as 'not for toddlers', everything else in the bag was for Tali's use— a few outfits, a sweater, lotion, diapers/pull-ups, sippy cup, etc.

"Maybe Orli was wrong. There aren't any clues or hidden messages", he spoke under his breath as he stood up to return the items back to the bag. Making quick work of putting everything back the way it was to fit properly, Tony almost didn't notice the small white rock that fell out of Tali's sweater pocket and onto his barefoot before hitting the floor.

What the hell?

He bent down to pick up the object and instantly his eyes grew wide when he realized exactly what it was. "Dia-mon!" Tony's face twisted at Tali's exclamation of the uncut diamond he held in his hand. Silently nodding as Tali yelled again, "Dai-mon! Mine Abba! Mine!"

"Yours Tali?" The toddler gave an animated nod in response as he sat on the bed next to her. Obviously temporarily uninterested in princess movies, she climbed into Tony's lap and inspected the object with him.

Tali placed her small hand on the diamond then looked up to her father, "Ima have two!"

Tony looked at her confused. He thought she was saying 'too' as if to inform that Ziva also had a diamond with her. In his mind, it hadn't registered that this was a clue. Tony didn't get that Tali was actually informing him that there was a second diamond.

When he did not move after a few moments, Tali moved from her spot on his lap and crawled to the end of the bed. She grabbed her sweater and sat on Tony's lap, this time turning into him more. He watched intently as the toddler pulled out another diamond, this one larger than the one Tony was holding. His mouth hung open wide in shock as Tali placed it in his other hand. She pointed to the first diamond, "mine!" Then she pointed to the second, "abba's!"

"Tali's", he questioned softly while raising that diamond she'd pointed out as hers. When she nodded with a smile and he did the same gesture with the other, "abba's?" Again she nodded then took her diamond and found interest in her movie again. Leaving Tony stunned as he stared at 'his' diamond. Eventually, his mind drifted to the plane ride he and Ziva took to Berlin in their search for Ilan Bodnar a few years ago. She had said that her father led her to Berlin by way of:

"'Diamonds. He had setup a network of dealers in place just in case he ever needed to get out fast. He told me to setup a network of my own. Random dealers. Difficult to trace.'"

Was it possible? Had Ziva done what Eli had told her to do? If she had, then maybe the random diamonds in their daughter's sweeter weren't so random at all. Tony looked over at Tali, it was clear to him now that Ziva had taught her more than just who he was. He had a feeling that maybe, just maybe, Ziva had trained the 2 year old enough to help him come find her. It seemed far fetched in his head, but Tali seemed really smart. Too smart. Just like her mother, she saw things and noticed things and ...

"I need to take her to the farmhouse", he abruptly thought out loud. If the diamonds in the go-bag really were a clue that Tali knew about, then he wanted to see what else she might know. Tony reasoned with himself that taking her back to what was left of the only home she'd ever known could serve as some form starting place for them both to find answers, and to find Ziva.

It's a long shot, but so is a two year old surviving mortar fire and walking around with diamonds in her sweater.

He reached over and closed the laptop, causing Tali to look at him with an angry face for cutting her movie short. Tony chuckled as he picked her up, "you look just like your mother when she's pissed, but I promise you can finish you movie later, Ninja Jr. Right now, we have to take a little trip. Okay?"

Tony wasn't really looking for a response as he strapped Tali into her stroller and handed Kalev to her in place of him taking her diamond away. He slid his shoes back on, placed both diamonds in his pocket, and grabbed the classified file off the nightstand then set out to find something, anything to help his search. Starting with tapping into his new found courage to actually see the place where Ziva had supposedly died. Surely there had to be answers there.

Oh, I cannot wait for the next chapter!

Y'all still riding with me? Let me know you're alright!

P.S. — I have papers I've been procrastinating to write,

sooo do not get used to all these updates in rapid succession. LoL

I will try my best to keep up with this pace though ...

- Chide