Chapter 46, A New Generation 2062 - 2066
Richard Chaim Rubin was born on 2 October 2062. Big sister Rachel liked that he was born almost on her third birthday. She showed him off to anyone who came to visit. When Tony and Ziva visited, Rachel took her Saba Raba's hand in one of hers and her Savta Raba's hand in her other. She led them to her sleeping brother and told them, "He is very little, but he cries a lot and he even poops."
Tony and Ziva shared a knowing glance. The apple never falls far from the tree.
~TIVA~
With the elder Palmers gone, Tali and Chaim took over hosting Thanksgiving dinner for the family. Memories were shared and toasts made to those no longer alive.
Two stockings were moved to the memorial side and one added to the living side of the annual display of Christmas stockings at the DiNozzo house. The family gathered on Christmas Day to open presents, and for dinner. Rachel helped everyone tear wrapping paper. Dinner was prepared by the five DiNozzo children and their families and hosted by Tony and Ziva.
Elijah brought his fiancée, Shoshanna McMurray; Elisheva and her boyfriend Harland Manning arrived together and when the gifts were opened, Harland proposed. Kelly and Brian were planning their March wedding. Anthony and Margaret announced their addition to the family in May. Shannon and Michael announced that they were expecting twins in May. 2063 was looking to be a year of weddings and births for the DiNozzo and McGee families.
The day after Christmas, Tony and Ziva met with their five children, asking if any of them had any preferences about which overseas property they would inherit. Tony explained that they wanted to have all five be co-owners of the Tel Aviv farmhouse, but each one could pick one of the remaining properties. Tali expressed an interest in the Paris flat. LJ preferred the Berlin flat. Anthony had no preference, but he said that he would take whatever was left. Beth thought about her choice for a bit, and then asked for the Rome flat. Rivka preferred the Haifa beach house. Anthony was happy to have the Curacavi house. Ziva wrote out their preferences, and explained that the deeds to transfer the properties would be drawn up and ready to go for when the elder DiNozzos were no longer able to travel.
~TIVA~
Tony and Ziva took their annual trip to Israel, leaving on 29 December from Dulles. They arrived at the farmhouse with a carry-on bag each and bags of groceries bought in Tel Aviv between the airport and the farmhouse.
On New Year's Eve, the two made their traditional meal of olive chicken together. They packed the meal in the two insulated plate carriers. The wagon was loaded with the meals, glasses, a bottle of wine, eating utensils and two light weight folding camp chairs. They walked with hands intertwined, counting the trees and rows out of habit. Tony set up the chairs side by side as Ziva turned the wagon into a make-shift table. Tony poured each of them a glass of wine.
Ziva raised her glass, "To another year of you by my side, my love. Happy anniversary, Tony. I love you so much. You are so intricately woven into who I am; I sometimes wonder where I end and you begin. You are my soul mate, my forever, my completion."
Tony touched his glass to Ziva's, "I would be nothing without you, Ziva. My love for you is unbounded and forever. The most amazing is that you are my wife, my better half."
They each took a sip of their wine and Tony took her glass and put both down. He helped Ziva to her feet and embraced her. She looked into his eyes, meeting his gaze. Time stood still and the two long time lovers, best friends, soul mates, and partners danced in the olive grove to their own music of the souls. Their kisses and caresses seemed almost choreographed to a celestial song. Both recalled that dance in Berlin so many years ago.
Tony pressed his forehead to Ziva's, "Who would have thought that you and I would be here, at ages ninety four and eighty three, dancing in the olive grove under the stars? You are my life, Zi." He fused his lips to hers, drawing her to him. "Ani ohev otach."
"Ani ohevet otcha," Ziva whispered back to him. "Perhaps, though, we should eat our dinner before it gets cold, yes? I will take a rain ticket for later."
Tony smiled, even after all these years, she could still make him smile when she mangled an American idiom, although he suspected she had done this one on purpose. "Rain CHECK. Consider it yours, redeemable any time."
They ate their dinner, enjoying each other's company and punctuating it with kisses. Fifty six years together, forty five of them as husband and wife, and he loved her so much he could not put it into words. Even when they had been interviewed for the documentary, he had trouble finding the right words to express his love. Fifty six years together and forty five married, and she felt so much love for this man who had completed her and whose soul drew hers like a magnet. When they had recorded the interviews, she had said something similar. The bond of their souls had led him to find her from across the globe three times. That bond had told him, without a doubt, that she was alive and waiting for him, even when all others believed her dead.
~TIVA~
The pair's winter vacation in Israel seemed to fly by in 2063. Anthony had a copy of the documentary on BluRay for his parents. The network planned to run it again during the summer, as all three parts had been the number two most watched shows each day that week.
Brian and Kelly were married on 31 March. They spent a week at the Haifa beach house for their honeymoon.
May kicked off with the births of Mark Ryan and Maria Rose to Shannon and Michael on 3 May. Eighteen days later, Anthony D. DiNozzo V was born to Anthony IV and Margaret.
Tony's ninety fifth birthday saw a houseful of children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Ziva and Tony both welcomed the sound of little ones in their house again. They were also keeping track of how many new stockings and ornaments they would need for Christmas.
Elijah and Shoshanna became husband and wife on 3 November, followed by Elisheva and Harland on 28 December. Noah and his girlfriend Deanna were living together and committed to each other, but had decided to wait on marriage, so that she could use trust fund money to complete her undergraduate degree.
Ziva and Tony added four new stockings and ornaments for the new generation and the new extended family member. Ziva and Tony now had fifty eight ornaments each, one for each year they had been together.
Ziva Rose DiNozzo joined brother Tony on 16 August 2064. Sean Michael was born to Kelly and Brian on 1 June 2065. Two and one half weeks later, Rivka Elizabeth added to Elijah and Shoshanna's family on 18 June.
On Tony's birthday, family pictures were taken of the individual families, the grandchildren with grandparents, and the great-grandchildren with Tony and Ziva and with Tim. Elisheva and Harland announced their Christmas baby addition to the family. Again four new stockings and ornaments were added to the display in the DiNozzo house. On 27 December 2065 Avigail Ziva became great-grandchild number nine for Tony and Ziva.