Chapter 29, Two Weddings and Two Births: 2036 – 2037
Tali and Chaim planned a January wedding. Both graduated with Masters' degrees in December, and Tali had already been hired by NCIS to work on the international desk. She would start her training at FLETC in late January. Chaim had applied for the Forensic Analyst position, and had Abby's recommendation. She was planning to retire at the end of 2037, and would train her replacement.
Chaim's parents flew in from Israel and stayed with the DiNozzos. Both had been born in the US, and had emigrated to Israel as a young married couple. Their three children had been born in Israel, but were US citizens. Tali had asked Uncle Jimmy to perform the ceremony, as neither she nor Chaim were actively practicing any religion. Ziva had suggested the ceremony be held in the family room of their house. Since they were keeping the guest list small (relatively, considering Tali's extended family), having the ceremony and reception at the DiNozzo residence made sense.
Tali's sisters were her bridesmaids. Both girls wore emerald green tea length dresses that made their emerald green eyes stand out. Tony looked at the two almost sixteen-year-olds and did a double take. His girls were no longer children, they were beautiful young ladies. Katie was Tali's maid of honor, and her dress was also the emerald green, but had an off-white lace overlay on the bodice. Tali's dress was tea length and had a lace bodice over white satin. She had emerald green and white roses in her hairpiece. When Tony went to see if Tali was ready, he took one look at his baby and tears ran down his cheeks. She was absolutely stunning.
Chaim had asked Charles and John to be his groomsmen and Anthony to be his best man. All four had slate gray suits with emerald green ties and vests. Chaim's tie had white stripes on the emerald green. Gibbs had a front row seat, along with Chaim's parents. Two seats were saved for Tony and Ziva.
Tim had a video camera set up to record the ceremony and LJ was in charge of the music. As the wedding party made its way down the improvised aisle in the family room, Delilah and Breena remarked at how beautiful they all were. Chaim grinned as his bride entered the room with her parents. Anthony had to resist the urge to whistle at his beautiful fiancé and at his sisters. Charles had eyes for Beth and John for Rivka. Both of them thought to themselves how gorgeous their girlfriends were.
Gibbs, Mr. and Mrs. Rubin, Abby, Leon, Breena, the Reeves family and the Torres family all stood as LJ started the wedding march. Delilah turned her wheelchair towards the aisle.
Tony, in his gray suit and green tie and Ziva in her forest green dress, escorted Tali down the aisle. Ziva and Tony kept wiping at their eyes, and Tali focused on Chaim. Tony and Ziva both kissed and hugged Tali as Tony passed her hand to Chaim. When Jimmy asked who gave Tali to be wedded to Chaim, both of her parents had to fight back tears as they said, "We do."
Tony and Ziva sat next to Gibbs with Ziva between Tony and Gibbs. Tony interlaced his fingers with Ziva's, and squeezed gently. She squeezed back and rested their joined hands on Tony's knee.
The ceremony ended, Jimmy told Chaim that he could kiss his bride and then presented the couple, "I have the honor to present Mr. and Mrs. Rubin." Ziva and Tony again wiped eyes and noses and Gibbs had tears running down his face. He would always have a special place in his heart for his first born grandchild.
The bridesmaids and groomsmen paired off to lead the recessional. Charles and Beth held hands and led the others to the living room for pictures. John and Rivka also held hands and Anthony and Katie interlocked arms. Ziva watched the three younger couples as they walked together, knowing in her heart she was seeing her children with their future spouses.
~TIVA~
Tali and Chaim spent a week at the Haifa beach house for their honeymoon. When they came home, Tali started her training and Chaim was hired to be Abby's replacement. They settled into Tony's old apartment as their first home.
~TIVA~
Katie and John graduated from high school in June 2036. Katie went to Ohio State with Anthony to major in elementary education and John went to Georgia Tech, majoring in computer engineering.
At Thanksgiving, John gave Rivka a promise ring and Anthony and Katie became officially engaged. At the family Christmas celebration, Tali and Chaim handed Tony and Ziva a wrapped package. They opened it to see a photo frame with the words "When a child is born, so are grandparents." Ziva looked at Tali and back at the frame, and back to Tali. Tali and Chaim both nodded and Ziva and Tony were speechless. The others had not seen the frame yet and wondered what was going on. Ziva held up the frame and smiled through her tears. Abby squealed, and Gibbs grinned.
"We are going to be parents in July," Tali shared the news with the family. Hugs and congratulations were freely given by the family. While they were all celebrating Tali and Chaim's news, Tori and Jared called on Skype. Tim answered the call and turned the laptop so all could see. After greetings were made all around, Leon and Abby and Jimmy and Breena moved near to the screen and nodded to the couple.
"We have some news for everyone." Tori stood up and Jared made sure the camera captured her baby bump. He placed his hand lovingly on her and together they announced, "Baby Jackie Elena Vance will make her debut in early May." Tori sat back down and the family congratulated the parents to be, and the grandparents to be. Tali and Chaim walked over near the computer and made their announcement to Jared and Tori.
"Congratulations, Tali and Chaim and Aunt Ziva and Uncle Tony."
Leon proposed a toast to the new generation. Gibbs then stood and raised his glass, "I never thought I would be around for grandchildren, let alone great-grandchildren. I love you all and you have made me the proudest Grandpa in the world."
~TIVA~
Tony and Ziva were alone on New Years' Eve for the first time in twenty four years. Anthony and Katie had gone back to their apartment in Ohio, Beth and Rivka were out with Charles and John and several of their friends, and Delilah had invited all four to spend the night at the McGee house. LJ had gone to Gibbs' house for the night.
"Our house is so quiet, Tony." Ziva missed the sounds of her family. She and Tony were snuggled together on the loveseat in the family room half watching a movie. Both were still processing the news that they would be grandparents in the near future. "Just think, a year from now, we will be grandparents. Before we know it, the sound of children will be our grandchildren in the house. Are we ready for this?"
Tony turned towards Ziva, "At least we have seven months to get ready!" She smiled at him."And we get to be the ones spoiling the grandkids now. Maybe Dad will share some secrets with us."
"Well, I know one thing, you, Saba DiNozzo, are one sexy grandfather." Ziva kissed Tony, and caressed his face.
"Mmm, my beautiful, sexy ninja, you make one gorgeous Savta!" Tony locked his lips on hers. "I think I'll keep you." He grinned at Ziva and pulled her to him, kissing her again.
"Keep that up and you will have to do more than kiss, Saba." Ziva pressed her body to his and fused her lips with his. "Shall we take this party to the bedroom?" Tony took her hand and led her to their room, kissing her with every step. They slowly undressed each other, punctuating each move with kisses and caresses.
As they lay wrapped in each other after they made love, Tony heard the clock strike midnight. "Happy New Year and happy twentieth anniversary, my love," they spoke together as one. They kissed and cuddled, falling asleep with thoughts of the other in their minds. They truly were one mind, one soul and one heart in two bodies.
~TIVA~
Baby Jackie made her debut on 5 May 2037. Leon and Abby flew to Okinawa for a month a week after she was born. Abby helped Tori with the baby. While they were there, Jared was promoted to Major.
~TIVA~
On the evening of 23 July, a frantic Chaim called Tony and Ziva to let them know he and Tali were on the way to Bethesda Hospital. Tali had asked her parents to be at the hospital for the birth, so they headed over to meet the couple at the birthing center. At 0228 on 24 July 2037, weighing 8 pounds, one ounce and measuring twenty one inches long, Levi Jethro Rubin took his first breaths in the world. Chaim cut the umbilical cord while Tony held his grandson and Ziva held Tali's hand and wiped her face with a damp cloth. Tony handed Levi to Chaim, who put the baby on Tali's chest. Tali cradled her baby, with tears in her eyes, "Hi, there Levi, you are so beautiful and I love you so much already." Ziva and Tony openly wept at the sight of their baby with her baby. Chaim grinned from ear to ear.
The midwife took Levi to clean him up, put on a diaper, and swaddle him in a lightweight blanket. She handed him back to Tali, and Tony took a picture of the new family with his phone. He sent the picture with Levi's vitals to Anthony, Katie, Beth, Rivka, LJ, Tim, Delilah, Breena, Jimmy and Gibbs. Tim forwarded the picture to his team. Soon congratulations were being texted in to both Ziva and Tony from the family. All sent their love and congratulations to the new parents also.
After a quick picture of Tali, Tony, Ziva and Levi, Tony and Ziva said their goodbyes for the night. The new family needed time to bond and to rest before the wave of visitors later that morning. Great-grandpa Gibbs was the first visitor at 0900. Tali made sure to get a bunch of pictures of him holding Levi. She sent them to her siblings, her parents and Chaim's parents.
~TIVA~
Tali had accumulated six weeks of vacation and comp time, plus her six week maternity leave, so she went back to work twelve weeks after Levi was born. Ziva and Tony offered to take care of him two days per week, and the other three days, he stayed in the NCIS daycare. Ziva enjoyed having a little one in the house again, and Tony doted on the little boy. Ziva decided to encourage him to call them Saba and Savta as he learned to talk.
~TIVA~
Over Labor Day weekend, Anthony and Katie came to visit and meet Levi. Before the family gathering on Monday, they asked Tim and Delilah and Tony and Ziva to meet them for breakfast. Ziva and Delilah both had mother's instinct that they were about to have some big news. Tony and Tim joked that only the McGees were not grandparents yet. Little did they know that was about to change.
Anthony and Katie arrived last, noting that their parents were already at a table for eight. They greeted both sets of parents and sat down. Katie fidgeted her fingers and Anthony looked at a loss for words. He took Katie's hand and took a deep breath.
"Ima, Abba, Uncle Tim, Aunt Delilah, we have some news to share with you." Anthony looked at his parents and Katie at hers. Both sets looked at their children with love. "We are expecting a baby in March and we plan to get married on 15 September in Ohio. We have already set up the date with a campus minister." Anthony watched his parents for a reaction as Katie watched hers.
"And we have a plan for completing our degrees. I have just this semester to go, and the part time job with the photography studio has been offered to me as a full time position when I graduate. Katie can continue her coursework online for the first year and then do her student teaching. I will have flexible hours, so I can be at home with the baby." Anthony wanted to get it all out at once and then hear from their parents.
Ziva and Delilah smiled and high-fived each other. Anthony and Katie were not quite sure what that meant, but when Ziva explained that the two mothers had already figured it out, they breathed a sigh of relief. Tony and Tim looked at each other and laughed. "So, McGrandpa, how does it feel?"
"Wow, just wow." Tim was still in shock. "Wow."
Ziva stood up to hug Katie and Anthony as did Tony and Tim. They then hugged Delilah as Ziva went to the doorway. Tony's eyes followed Ziva and saw Gibbs standing with her. She whispered something in her Abba's ear and he broke out in a huge grin. Ziva brought him over to the table, and he hugged the kids.
"Best breakfast I have had in a long time," Gibbs congratulated the parents to be and the grandparents. "Breakfast is my treat."
~TIVA~
Katie and Anthony were married on campus with their parents and Grandpa Gibbs present. Afterwards, they all went out for dinner. Gibbs toasted the newlyweds and Ziva, Tony, Tim and Delilah wiped their eyes and noses many times.
~TIVA~
In November, Gibbs, Ziva, Tony, Tim, Delilah, Jimmy and Breena celebrated Tim and Jimmy's sixtieth birthdays. All of the younger generation were busy with their own lives, school and work.
Christmas 2037 was the first one with toys under the tree in many years. Great-grandpa Gibbs made a wooden rocker seat for Levi that could be converted to a rocking horse as he got older. Anthony and Katie received plenty of baby supplies and a cradle made by Grandpa Gibbs, with help from Uncle LJ.