A/N I really liked how the writers developed the brother bond with Tony and Tim, so it will be strengthened and developed throughout this story.

Chapter 6, The Third Time's the Charm: Summer 2016

Tony and Tali had left for Israel two days after Tali's birthday. Tony had kept the celebration low key, with just Senior, Gibbs and Tim stopping by for pizza, cake and ice cream. Tali loved her doll from "Unka Gee" and her doll furniture from "Grampa Gibbs." Tali had warmed to Tim quickly, and would hug him when he came over to share information with Tony. At first, Tim was stunned at the DVD, and then he thought Orli was playing a cruel game with Tony. When he started researching the bank account information and was able to retrieve not only names and account info, but also balances and what documentation Tony needed to access them, Tim started believing Tony's hope that Ziva was alive could be valid. He had also helped Tony update Tali's US passport, and Delilah had called in a favor to speed up the process.

Once in Tel Aviv, Tony had retrieved the documents Ziva had listed, had the bank add him as a co-holder of the accounts and box, and transferred some money from the deposit account to his bank account. The Tel Aviv bank had also issued him a bank card for the account.

After he had finished at the bank, the first thing Tony did was look at Tali's birth certificate. One side was in Hebrew and the other in English. Her full name: Talia Elisheva DiNozzo. Ziva had given their daughter his name! He looked at the lines for parents. She had given his full name as the father, Anthony D. DiNozzo, Jr. For herself, she had not given any middle name, just Ziva David. Under citizenship for all three she had given "US." He had correctly deduced her birthday, and even very close to the time of birth. The fact that Tali had HIS last name gave him more hope.

Adam Eschel watched Tali for a few hours one afternoon while Tony drove to the remains of the farm house. He almost turned around, but decided he needed to put closure to the fire, if not for himself, for Tali. He looked around, using his investigator's eye to canvass the scene. Not much remained of the house itself, and what was there was barely recognizable as once being a house. The one thing that puzzled him was what appeared to be a deep hole near the center of what once was the farmhouse. He turned away from the charred remains and headed into the olive grove, carefully counting trees and rows until he reached the spot he wanted. He took a small shovel out of his backpack and started digging. A small thud told him he had found what he was seeking; the box holding Ziva's new "I will" list. He carefully lifted the box from the hole and brushed dirt off the lid. He hesitated; did he really want to do this? Memories of that day in 2013 flooded his brain and tears welled in his eyes. Shaking his head to clear it and shake off the tears, he carefully lifted the lid. Folded neatly inside was her list. He opened it and read, noting that she had added several items to her list: "be a good mother," "bring Tali to her family," and "tell Tony."

He refolded the list and put it back into the box. The box went into his backpack. He would take this with him, either to save for Tali to know her mother some day or to give back to Ziva to add to and complete. It was then that he noticed another smaller box that had been underneath the other. He lifted it out of the hole and brushed it off. The same numbers from the third line of the DVD were on the outside of the box, deeply engraved into the metal. The numbers that, thanks to Tim, he now knew were coordinates of longitude and latitude. The location in Paris of the flat that he and Ziva had stayed in many years ago. Inside the box were a key, and a note. "Jean-Paul: we will always have Paris. The flat is ours. Sophie."

Tony put the smaller box in his backpack and checked the hole one last time before filling it in and tamping the dirt down. He strode back to the car he had borrowed from Adam, placed his backpack in the passenger seat and headed back to the hotel where he and Tali were staying. As he drove, he made a mental checklist of things to do tonight, the first of which was to book a flight to Paris. He would also try to Skype with Tim and let him know the latest progress. He had sworn Tim to secrecy, not wanting the others to think he was crazy to be dragging his two-year-old daughter all over the world in a search for a woman believed to be dead. Tim had taken them to the DC airport, and hugged Tony, saying, "Find her and bring her home." Tony had choked up and told Tim that he was like a brother. Both men had tears in their eyes, but neither would admit it.

As Tali was napping, Tony was able to find a flight to Paris that left three days later. He booked the seats for himself and Tali. He hoped this would be the last flight for a while, but also questioned his sanity. Was he crazy for clinging to the belief that she was alive? Was his heart telling him the truth that he could feel her out there somewhere, or was he being too emotional to be objective? No, stop second-guessing yourself, DiNozzo. Go with your gut. Second-guessing and self-doubt had caused him too much pain already. This time, when he found her, he was going to tell her how he felt and NEVER let her leave his side again. He needed her in his life and Tali needed her Ima and Abba. He snapped out of the thoughts swirling in his head when Tali came out of the bedroom, rubbing her eyes and holding Kelev.

"Hi, princess. Did you have a good nap?" Tony shut the computer and scooped up his baby girl, kissing her forehead and getting a hug and kiss on the cheek in return. "Abba. Hungry." This kid seemed to have inherited the DiNozzo food genes; she was almost always ready to eat. He heated some rice and chicken left from last night's dinner in the microwave and split it between the two of them. As he and Tali moved to the table to eat, he opened the computer and noticed that he had just missed a call from Tim.

He clicked the call back icon and Tim's face appeared on the screen. Tali looked over and said, "Hi, Unka Gee!" Tim smiled and greeted Tali and then Tony. "I have info on the flat in Paris. Ziva owns it." Tony stopped mid-bite with his forkful of food. "Owns it? Wow."

"Yep. Looks like she bought it around the time Eli was killed. Think she was planning a safe house?" Tim knew Ziva almost as well as Tony in some aspects. Tony nodded; he had the same thought. "So, what's next?" Tim questioned.

"Paris in three days, and we'll be staying in the flat. I found the key today." Tony was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that Ziva owned the flat and that he had found the key. Rule 39, there is no such thing as coincidence. Tali broke his thoughts by asking for more food and juice. "Will call you again later or tomorrow, Tim. I need to spend some time with Tali." Tim nodded and disconnected the call.

The flight to Paris was uneventful and thanks to the short learning curve, Tony had packed enough books and DVDs for Tali to be quietly entertained while on the flight. She had slept twice in his lap, snuggling her head into his shoulder, her wild curls tickling his chin. Just like her mother, he thought as he rubbed her back and planted a kiss on the top of her head. Customs and baggage claim went smoothly and Tony made a mental note to thank the gods of karma. They had arrived at the flat tired and hungry, but soon settled in and then went out for food. Tali spotted a McDonalds and since it was convenient and food she would eat, they went there for dinner. After returning to the flat, Tony got Tali ready for bed and put on Finding Nemo for her to watch on his computer. He sent a quick text to Tim to let him know they had arrived in Paris and were at the flat. Tali had fallen asleep, so he scooped her up and put her on the cot and then got himself ready for bed. For the first night in a long while, Tony slept without tossing and turning or waking up.

Tony and Tali explored Paris. He told her stories about Ziva and himself. He delighted in watching Tali discover new things and new experiences. Her laugh when she petted the giraffe and the deer at the zoo filled him with love. He recorded her laugh on his phone and later e-mailed the video to Tim. Summer led to September and the beginning of autumn neared. Tony began to wonder if he had been selfish and foolish to drag Tali half way across the world on the hope that Ziva might be alive. His head told him that he should be thinking practically and not emotionally, but his heart said don't give up. On a rainy morning in mid-September, he was feeling a bit unsettled. He had just set his and Tali's breakfast on the table when there was the sound of a key in the door. He quickly moved Tali to the bedroom and told her to stay put. The squeak of the hinge as the door opened had Tony instinctively reaching for his handgun, but it was no longer there. He would fight to protect Tali, no matter what. NOTHING was going to hurt his little girl; they would have to come through him first.

He stood still as the door opened further, the mass of dark curls made his heart jump. He barely breathed as he watched the woman slowly look around the flat, just as a trained investigator would. When she turned so that he could see her face, his breath hitched. Could this really be his ninja, his Ziva standing a mere 15 feet from him? She spotted him about the same time, and stopped. They locked eyes, and neither one moved until Tali came running out from behind Tony. "IMA, IMA!" Tali flung herself into her mother's arms. "Abba, look, Ima! Ima, look, Abba!" The joy in Tali's voice had both of the parents in tears. Ziva took a step forward and closed the flat door behind her.

"Oh, baby, I missed you so much. Tali, Ima loves you." Ziva was overcome with emotion at seeing her daughter for the first time in four months. Tony watched mother and daughter reunite, letting the tears flow. "Hey," he softly said to Ziva. She looked at him and reached her hand out to him, gesturing him to come closer.

He walked as if in a daze, afraid to blink in case this was only an illusion. He touched her hand, taking it in his own and stroking the back of it with his thumb. Tali turned and put her left arm around Tony's neck, leaving her right arm around Ziva. Tony lifted his left arm and caressed Ziva's cheek, wiping away a tear. She leaned into his touch and each one felt the other for the first time in forever. Ziva opened her mouth to speak and Tony cut her off by placing his lips on hers. It was like they had never been apart; it felt right, it felt like home!