Chapter 43, You're Still the One: 2060
The usual trip to Israel for Tony and Ziva was delayed by an ice storm that hit the east coast from the North Carolina/Virginia line to Boston on 27 December. Luckily, there were only scattered power outages around DC, but everything, including the roads, was coated in about three inches of ice. No one went out during the storm, nor for the three days of subfreezing temperatures that followed, keeping the ice solid. Almost every airport along the Northeast corridor was closed, cancelling hundreds of flights and causing major problems for travelers trying to come into the region.
Tony and Ziva celebrated their anniversary at home in DC for the first time in many years. They were still able to have the traditional olive chicken dinner, but the dessert food was left over Christmas cookies. Tony joked with Ziva, "Christmas cookies are fine with me, because the REAL dessert is much sweeter."
The first flight they were able to get seats for Tel Aviv was on 6 January 2060, flying to Miami and then to Tel Aviv.
~TIVA~
Finally in Israel, the couple headed to the farmhouse. Because of layovers, they had been travelling nearly twenty hours and were exhausted, even with some sleep on the trans-Atlantic flight. Ziva told Tony she wanted to skip getting the usual perishable items at the grocery store until they had a chance to rest. That was fine by him! He just wanted to cuddle his ninja and sleep.
Tony lay on his back, with Ziva curled into his side, her head on his chest over his heart. Tony's arm was wrapped around Ziva, and he slowly traced his fingers up and down her arm and over her back. He ran his fingers through her hair, still as curly as ever, but now streaked with gray and white. His own hair still had some streaks of his brown, but was mostly a light gray. Ziva's hand rested on his chest. They had fallen asleep this way more times than they could count, each one needing the touch and security of the other to sleep peacefully. Ziva raised her head and gave Tony a kiss, "Good night, my love." He returned the kiss and murmured, "Night, sweetcheeks."
Twelve hours later, the couple awoke; Ziva spooned into Tony's front, his arm over her protectively. Tony nuzzled Ziva's neck, "Morning, beautiful." She purred, and rolled to face him, locking her lips on his. "Mmmm, hi, handsome. Is it still morning?"
"I don't care if it is morning, afternoon, or night. I have the most gorgeous, sexy, incredible woman in my arms." Tony fused his lips with hers. "The best part is that she is my wife, my soul mate, my best friend. I love you, Ziva." He kissed her again, drawing him to her.
"And. I. Love. You." Ziva punctuated with kisses. Just then, Tony's stomach growled. Both of them chuckled. "Maybe we should get something to eat and continue this afterwards." Tony nodded his agreement.
~TIVA~
On one of their trips to the supermarket, Tony and Ziva were holding hands while waiting in the checkout line, as they usually did.
A little boy of about three or four was with his father just ahead of them in line. The boy pointed to Tony and Ziva, "Abba, why are those old people holding hands?"
"Shh, Simy. It is not nice to point." The father turned to Tony and Ziva to apologize for his son, "I am sorry. He is always asking questions and does not realize he is being rude."
Ziva turned to the boy, "Little one, it is okay. I am holding Tony's hand because I love him very much, and I like to hold his hand." She held their interlaced hands up.
Little Simy looked at his father and then at Ziva, "Oh, I thought you were holding his hand so he did not get lost."
The adults all smiled. Tony responded to the boy, "I would never get lost from Ziva. I love her very, very much. If I got lost, I would be very, very sad."
The boy thought a minute and then replied, "Well then you better keep holding her hand all the time."
"I like that idea," Tony turned, smiling, and locked gazes with Ziva.
~TIVA~
Ziva and Tony walked in the orchard or the olive grove almost every day. They would walk with their hands interlaced, stopping to kiss or just enjoy each other's touch when they felt like it. They went to the hill overlooking Tel Aviv many times. On one walk, Ziva led Tony past the fruit trees to the farthest reaches of the property.
"I have something to show you," Ziva explained when Tony gave her a questioning look. "Follow me."
In the clearing ahead, Tony saw a low rock wall and an old iron gate. As they got nearer, he could see that inside the rectangular area enclosed by the wall were head stones.
"This is the family grave yard," Ziva went on. "Ima, Tali, Ari, and Eli are all buried here as well as my grandparents." Ziva walked to a row of headstones that looked newer than the others, but were still time worn.
She pointed to the four markers, "Ima, Tali, Ari, Eli." Tony read the Hebrew markings on the stones. Ziva sat on a stone bench across from the stones and motioned for Tony to join her.
"Ima was so fun to be around, unless Eli was at home. After she told him she was pregnant with Tali, he stayed away more and more. She is the one who figured out that I could read when I was a little bit more than three years old. She is also the one who figured out that I could remember things that I had seen only once. She was so proud of me that she told Eli. Later she regretted that decision and apologized to me about a week before she died. When Eli told her that I would begin training to be his 'pointy end of the spear,' she wept. When Eli took away my doll, my ballet clothes, and my crayons, colored pencils and coloring books, Ima bought more and kept them hidden in a secret place in her clothes closet. Ima would have liked you; she liked to feed people with her cooking. She would have seen the kind and caring man you used to hide from others.
"Tali was the best of us. She loved nature and animals, and had the soul of an artist. Her music abilities would have taken her far. Eli wanted to force her to train for Mossad, but she stood up to him. I remember one time when she basically told him to go to hell. He slapped her for being defiant, and threatened to disown her. She dared him to do it. She was free and independent, and not afraid to show her feelings.
"The Ari that you saw was a broken man, broken by Eli. The Ari I loved was a good big brother; he laughed and played and was kind. The Ari who died in Gibbs' basement was the shell of a broken man; he really died when he found out that Eli had his mother killed. I think he went to Gibbs' house that day expecting, and maybe even wanting, to die.
"Eli, well, he was Eli. I loved him at one time, but even when I brought his body back here to be buried, Eli as Abba was dead to me a long time before. The final straw was when he lied to me about why he was in DC, and he killed an innocent person. Did you realize that Eli felt threatened by you, Tony?"
Tony looked at Ziva in surprise, "Not something I would have thought possible." He nodded for her to continue.
"Eli realized that he could not break you. That was the first threat. Then, when he realized that if I were forced to choose between you and him, I would choose you; that was the second threat. He KNEW that we were destined to be together, Tony, and that scared the hell out of him.
"Tony, if your soul had not called to mine, I would have been lying there with them years ago. I am so glad we found each other; you saved me by your love. After all these years together, I am so very glad your soul chose me. I could not imagine my life with anyone else but you. "
Ziva leaned into Tony's arms as she talked. He stroked her hair and kissed her head as she shared about her family.
"Thank you, Ziva, for sharing this place with me, and especially your memories." Tony turned Ziva's face toward him and wiped the tears off her cheeks. He rested his forehead against hers, and they sat that way, looking into each other's eyes, foreheads together, one hand on each other's face and the other hands interlocked, for nearly half an hour.
~TIVA~
Three days before they were scheduled to fly home to DC, Ziva and Tony had one last picnic dinner in the olive grove for this trip. Ziva made the olive chicken and rice, while Tony got the picnic basket, wine, dishes, glasses, and utensils, blanket and table cloth ready. They had found insulated, covered, individual plates for keeping food warm or cold while transporting several years ago. Ziva filled the plates, and put them in the wagon with the rest of the picnic supplies.
Hands linked, they walked to their special spot, still counting the trees and rows out of habit. Tony spread the blanket on the ground and Ziva folded the wagon sides down to a make-shift table. She put the table cloth over the wagon and set their plates and utensils on top. Tony poured the wine.
He raised his glass, "To us, soul mates, lovers, best friends, life partners. Ani ohev otach." Ziva touched her glass to his, "Ani ohevet otcha, ti amo, te quiero, je t'aime, ich liebe dich, I love you." They ate the meal punctuated with kisses and sometimes feeding the other, just because they could. The rest of the world did not exist for them as glances became gazes. Ziva kissed Tony another time and then suggested that they pack up the now empty food dishes and utensils and keep the rest of the wine and the glasses handy. They folded the sides of the wagon up.
Tony sat down and Ziva sat between his legs, leaning her back on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, and together they watched the stars appear in the darkening sky. The nearly full moon rose and the couple were bathed in moon light. Had someone been present to capture a photograph of the two, it would have been the perfect capture of soul mates who had been together for a very long time.
Ziva turned and placed her hand on Tony's cheek, leaning in to place her lips on his. He drew her to him, wanting her with every cell in his being. They lay down side by side facing each other, kisses and touches building the fire and electricity that defined their physical relationship from the start, fifty four years ago. They made love, their way, under the night sky, and lay entwined together after.
Tony broke the silence, "We may regret this, Zi. Not the sex, but being on the ground. I hope we can get up!" She nodded. They listened to their old bones creak as they slowly got up off the ground. When both were finally on their feet, Tony pulled Ziva to him. He chuckled as he wrapped her in a hug, "Not too bad for ninety one and eighty, Mrs. DiNozzo. You're still one sexy ninja."
"Ninja? I do not think so. You are one sexy old man, Mr. DiNozzo." Ziva laughed and kissed Tony. "Have I told you today how much I love you?"
~TIVA~
Tony and Ziva flew home to DC on 18 March. Anthony picked his parents up at Dulles. Inside the terminal, near the arrivals ramp to baggage claim, he spotted them immediately. They were the only two in a gray-haired pair holding hands as they walked. Watching them, he was in awe of the love they shared, and reaffirmed mentally that the request he had of them would have an awesome outcome. He hugged his Ima and Abba as they found him in the baggage claim area.
Anthony picked up the one checked bag from the carousel. Ziva and Tony had learned to travel light, having clothing at the house in Israel. He sent a text to his son who was in the cell phone waiting parking lot. Tony and Ziva hugged their grandson, and got in the SUV, as Anthony put the luggage in the back.
Twenty two year old Anthony drove, easing into traffic headed to Virginia. "Have you asked them yet, Dad?" Anthony (III) shook his head no, and turned around to face his parents.
"Ima, Abba, we have a request for you. As you know, Anthony has been working for me since December, when he graduated from Georgia Tech. We have had a project in the wings on long- lasting love, and we came up with an idea.
"We are going to interview couples of varying ages, but we would like to feature you two in the documentary. I have always known that you two have a special connection. I work to make my marriage like yours, as do my sisters and brother. Everyone says you have something special.
"Would you be willing to be interviewed and filmed as the primary couple in our documentary?" Anthony looked at his parents, noticing that they were holding hands, and that their sides were against each other.
Tony and Ziva both were speechless for a few minutes as they digested their son's words. Anthony watched as the two turned towards each other, locking gazes, all in synchronous motions. He watched as they seemed to be communicating without words, their eyes fixed on the other. As he witnessed the connection between his parents up close, he understood, for the first time, just how rare and special their relationship was. "TIVA-land" was not just a joke; they really did shut out the entire world. Together their world was them alone. Anthony turned and wiped the tears from his eyes.
"Yes, we will do it." Tony and Ziva said together.
~TIVA~
Father and son did a preliminary interview with the DiNozzo patriarch and matriarch to put together a presentation to pitch to the network. Around Tony's birthday, the project was given the go-ahead.
During August and September, they hired multiple people to work on the project. One of the women hired, a graduate of Carnegie-Mellon University, caught Anthony's (IV) eye. Margaret Philipp was energetic, bright, creative and not afraid to question the "status quo." By the time the filming of the interviews began in December, Anthony and Margaret were dating.