Chapter 20, Phoenix Rising: Summer 2027
A/N What are the rest of the DiNozzos up to? See parallel story "Grandpa Gibbs in Charge"
The weekend was spent lazily at the Haifa house and beach. On Sunday evening, Tony and Ziva strolled through the Haifa shopping district, walking hand in hand.
Monday morning they got up early and ate breakfast before heading to the olive grove property to check on the progress of the new house. As they drove up, both were pleased with the house so far. The exterior design that they had chosen made the house blend in with the surrounding grove of olive trees. The dark wood double front doors welcomed them to the house. Similar to the Haifa house, this one also had a wraparound porch. Unlike the Haifa house, the new farmhouse had several wings and clusters of bedrooms. In addition to the master suite, with its own patio and section of the porch, there were three two-bedroom wings that had a shared bath for the pair of rooms, and a small sitting room area. A fourth wing held a home theater with seating for twenty. The large and open kitchen had the most up-to-date appliances and a large island. The family room had a fireplace and a cathedral ceiling, and a half-bath off to one side.
Some small cosmetic refinements and a final building inspection were all that remained before the certificate of occupancy would be issued. The contractor, who had met the couple at the house, assured them that things would be completed by the end of the week. Ziva nodded her approval and Tony shook hands with the man. They both thanked him for an excellent job.
Outside again, Tony took Ziva's hand in his, intertwining their fingers. They walked to the olive grove, Tony counting the trees and rows. When they reached the spot they were seeking, Tony turned towards Ziva and pulled her to him. He wrapped his arms around her, as she put her arms around him. Their lips met in a deep kiss. "I promise to be by your side for the rest of our lives, through good times and trying times, for better and for worse, and to love you and cherish you with all of my being." Tony gently touched Ziva's face as he spoke from the heart. His eyes glistened with tears.
Ziva leaned into Tony's touch, and she placed her hands on Tony's face. "I promise to walk by your side forever, and be your life companion through all of the rest of our days. I will love you with all of me for always." She then kissed him passionately, as tears streaked her face. "This place is the perfect place for us to renew our vows," she whispered to Tony. "Yeah, it is," he whispered back, tears on his face as well.
~TIVA~
Since the new farmhouse was nearly ready to occupy, Tony and Ziva spent most of the next three days purchasing furniture, bedding, linens, kitchen items, a washer and dryer, and décor for the house. The final inspection went smoothly and on Thursday afternoon, they received the certificate of occupancy. The furniture for the master suite arrived on Friday morning along with the dining room furniture. Friday night, they cooked the first meal in the house, working together to fix the lasagna and garlic bread.
After dinner, they sat on the porch swing watching the sunset. Ziva rested her head on Tony's shoulder; he wrapped his arm around her and stroked her arm with his fingers. He placed gentle kisses on the top of her head, her curls tickling his face as always. She turned towards him and returned the kisses to his lips. "I am remembering the night we most likely conceived Tali," Ziva looked at him with desire in her eyes. She took his hand and stood up, leading him into the house, kissing each other every few steps.
"The only thing different will be that I can't carry you to the bed like that night." Tony was undoing the buttons on Ziva's top as he kissed her. She smiled, looking into his eyes, those emerald green eyes that she never grew tired of gazing into. Her need for him grew with each kiss.
Tony looked into Ziva's chocolate orbs, finding himself mesmerized by them as always. This woman had his heart, soul, body and mind at her bidding unconditionally. He would love her to his dying breath. He would never tire of exploring her body and making love to her.
~TIVA~
The couple slept in on Saturday morning and then had a lazy brunch when they finally got up. They spent the day hanging curtains and wall decorations. The rest of the furniture would be delivered Monday and Tuesday.
On Sunday, they went back to the Haifa house for part of the day, and to pick up additional clothing and food to take to the farmhouse for the next four days. Gibbs had left a voice mail on Tony's phone that he and the grandkids had arrived at the cabin safely and that LJ had become his painting buddy. Tony sent a photo of the farmhouse and a text message that the house was complete back to Gibbs.
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were spent at the farmhouse, getting furniture in place and making the farmhouse into a home. The three bedroom wings each got a queen-sized bed in one of the rooms and two bunk beds in the other. Ziva wanted the house to be a welcoming vacation spot for all of her family, and for generations to be able to spend time together. She could envision the wings filled with her children and grandchildren. As she voiced her future visions to Tony, both recognized the irony. This new farmhouse was filled with the future, where the old one had been filled with the past. Ziva commented that it was like a phoenix rising from the flames and ashes to be better and stronger than ever.
~TIVA~
Thursday, as they finished up inside the farmhouse, Tony got an idea. He would pack a picnic dinner and they would sit in the olive grove and watch the stars come out. He checked what food they had there, and if there was any wine. Ziva was working in the master suite, so he went to let her know he was driving into Tel Aviv to go to the market. She nodded, half listening to him as she was trying to find the perfect arrangement of some pictures over the bed.
Tony bought the wine, some chicken and some fresh spinach, garlic and mushrooms. Since he could not get prosciutto in Israel, he would do without. He knew that Ziva loved his chicken saltimbocca and that was his plan for dinner. The wine was a Pinot Grigio from a local vineyard. He arrived back at the farmhouse and Ziva was still fussing with the pictures in the master suite.
He prepared the chicken for baking and set the wine to chill. Once the chicken was baking, he packed the basket they had used to bring food from the Haifa house. He put in plates, forks, knives, wine glasses and a corkscrew. He found the cloth napkins and table cloth they had purchased earlier in the week and took one of the blankets from the linen closet.
The kitchen was starting to smell like dinner and Ziva came out of the master suite. "Is that chicken saltimbocca? It smells wonderful." Tony grinned at her and showed her the picnic items.
"Dinner will be a picnic in the olive grove and then we will watch the stars come out." Tony watched Ziva's reaction and smiled. She moved to him and kissed him. The timer on the oven chirped just as he was starting to deepen the kiss.
"Hold that thought for later," he looked at her with desire. "Dessert will be even better than dinner."
Tony put the baking dish on the stove top to cool and let the flavors finish mixing. He then wrapped the baking dish in foil and placed everything in the garden wagon they had bought for moving the plants and shrubs that they had planted in the yard around the house.
Tony took Ziva's hand in his, interlacing his fingers with hers, and pulled the wagon with the other hand. He counted out the trees and rows, wanting to go back to the spot that held so much meaning for them. Ziva helped him spread the blanket on the ground and then take the various items out of the basket. Tony flipped the basket over to make a make-shift table which he covered with the table cloth. He set the wine glasses, forks and knives and napkins on the table. He served each of them chicken and poured wine into the glasses.
"To my beautiful, sexy, intriguing, magnificent wife; I would be nothing without you. I love you so much that I don't think there are words to describe how much." Tony raised his glass.
Ziva raised hers, "To my handsome, caring, thoughtful, sexy, and wonderful husband; you complete me. I love you to the ends of the earth." She touched her glass to Tony's and they each took a sip of wine. Ziva put her glass back on the table, and leaned towards Tony and kissed him. "To be continued," she teased.
They ate dinner and Ziva complimented Tony on the meal. "Even without the prosciutto, this is delicious." After they finished the meal, she put the dishes in the wagon and poured them both more wine. She sat down next to Tony and rested her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her and traced his fingers along her arm. He shifted so that she was sitting between his legs and resting against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, softly kissing her neck and head.
The sky was darkening, and Ziva snuggled into his embrace. They watched as the stars began to appear. "Make a wish, Zi, on the first star you see." Tony pointed to where he saw a star, "I wish that we will always have this peace and togetherness for the rest of our lives."
Ziva pointed to the first star she saw, "I wish that our children and grandchildren will come to love this place as much as we do." She sat up and turned so that she was facing Tony. She placed her hands on his face and caressed it. He melted into her touch. He drew her to him and fused his lips with hers. She eased him down onto his back and the kisses became more heated. They made love under the stars in the olive grove just as they had on that night in 2013.
~TIVA~
On Friday, after sleeping in, they had breakfast and packed up the remaining food to return to the Haifa house. They closed the shutters on the windows and checked that all was ready for them to leave for the states. In Haifa, they packed suitcases, and closed up the Haifa house for their absence as well. Saturday saw one last walk to the beach and the couple loaded their luggage in the rental vehicle. Their flight would leave Tel Aviv around 2030 on Sunday.
The flight to JFK was smooth and without delay. They were supposed to have a two hour layover in New York, but storms delayed the flight to Dulles by another two hours. Tony commented that they could have driven to DC in the time that they had to wait for the connecting flight. Finally, they arrived at Dulles about 1540 on Monday afternoon, weary from travelling, but glad to be home. Gibbs met them at the baggage claim with LJ in tow. The other children chose to stay at home under Tali's supervision.
LJ hugged his Ima and Abba and told them all about painting with Grandpa. "When we get home, I will show you all of my pictures. I painted nineteen pictures in all."
The DiNozzo parents were glad to see their family and many hugs were exchanged and many stories were told. Pictures and photos were shared. As Ziva looked around at her family, she smiled. She had a husband who was her soul mate, five beautiful children and her Abba of the heart. She was content and happy with how her life had turned out. She could not ask for more.
~TIVA~
Life Goes On: School year 2027
After the summer trips, the family settled into a routine with school and extracurricular activities. Tali continued her piano lessons twice per week and took honors classes in the eighth grade. Anthony continued with the photography club at school and became a junior photographer for the school newspaper. He was also elected class president for the fifth grade class. Beth and Rivka continued with gymnastics, and also started piano lessons once per week. LJ decided that he would rather go with Grandpa Gibbs after school and paint. Gibbs retired from NCIS in September 2027 to spend time with the grandchildren and to enjoy his senior years.
Ellie and Clayton's baby boy, Jason, was born on 13 December 2027. Big sister Savannah, at just sixteen months old, was not quite sure what to make of him. Ellie became a stay-at-home mom. Tim went through five probies in six months before finding a good fit for the MCRT in July 2028.
Leon Vance's daughter Kayla was married in early December 2027 to a widowed Navy officer, Lt. Kyle Washington, who had two young children. They went to Australia shortly after to her husband's new assignment in Perth. The family all attended the wedding, and reminisced about the weddings past. Jared Vance was unable to get leave from his duties in the Air Force, so he Skyped with the family from Ramstein AFB during the reception. Abby had been Leon's date for the wedding, and they had let the others know of their relationship and plans after the reception. They were married in a civil ceremony on Valentine's Day 2028, with just Gibbs, Tony, Ziva and Tim as witnesses. Delilah had an important video conference meeting and had to decline attending.