Chapter ten
A/N: isn't it funny how when a person is so full of life and energy and seems to have everything but when you pack it all up for storage, their whole life fits into a mere twenty boxes. I'd like to thank you for all the support you've given me with both my writing and with personal matters, your kind words and support are what is helping me to continue with this story and keep moving at such a troublesome time. I was going to post this on Saturday but it just won't leave me alone also the five cups of coffee it's taken me to finish my biology report that isn't due for another month has ensured I will not be sleeping tonight. Thank you so much brain for making me do stuff at ten o clock at night that I don't need, this chap is going to be a real emotional one for Tony (just a warning), and it's not just because Senior is visiting.
A/N: I don't own the show, I'd have a lot more money than I do if I did.
Walking into the bull pen Monday morning holding his fiancée's hand Tony expected to see everyone waiting for them so they can get the first news on their updated relationship status. What he was not expecting was for McGee to be hard at work and Gibbs to be nowhere to be found 'musta gotten a case after we left on Friday' he thought, but mostly what he was not expecting was to see his father sitting at his desk, obviously waiting for his arrival, "Junior, good to see you" he said shaking Tony's hand "ah what um, what are you doing here dad?" Tony stammered "can't I visit my son once in a while?" came his father's incredulous reply. Tony didn't mind his father being there, not anymore and especially not after everything he and Ziva had talked about concerning her father. He just wished he could have talked to his father first, he knew his dad would spot the ring on Ziva's hand and he knew his dad wouldn't have time to question it before he recognised it.
He wanted to explain before, "where is that Israeli beauty you call a partner" the Senior DiN0zzo's voice broke the Junior out of his thoughts "ah there she is" Tony Sr. called out wrapping his arms around Ziva who in recent years has learned to accept the embrace "how you doing sweetheart?" Senior asked skimming his hands down Ziva's arms from her shoulders to take her hands, but before she could respond Senior's thumb ran over the beautiful ring on her left hand, "your engaged? Since when? To who? Let me see?" "Dad wait…" Tony tried, but it was too late, his father had gone silent and pale, Tony tried again "I was going to call tonight, I was going to tell you." "How long have you had it?" came his father's whispered reply, "she slipped it in my pocket when I gave her that last hug" Tony choked out. "You didn't tell me?" his father questioned, "She asked me not to" Tony answered.
"What's wrong Tony?" Ziva questioned innocently, "the ring its" Tony started "I wanna tell the story" his father interrupted. "Okay" Tony moved to stand behind Ziva leaning on the edge of her desk and pulling her to half sit half lean against him. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Abby, Ducky and Palmer and out of the corner of the other he spotted Gibbs at his desk, it seemed this story had even gained his surrogate fathers interest. Director Vance had even joined to listen in.
"When I was much younger" Senior started "about Junior's age, I was wild. I partied every weekend, had a new girl every week, I was a real playboy and I loved it. That was until I met this girl, she was beautiful, gorgeous even and she loved to flirt, her name was Elizabeth. She flirted yes, but she refused to go out with me, said she knew what I was like with women and that she didn't want to be just another notch in the bed post. At first I thought it wouldn't matter, I enjoyed just hanging out with her, she was a real books kinda girl, I taught her everything I knew about movies. Before I knew it, she knew more than me about them, she became my best friend, and for a good six years that's all she was, or at least all I thought she was. Then she got into a car accident, and that scared the living daylights out of me. I didn't think she would make it, but thankfully she pulled through and I helped her out with her recovery and her physio. On her last day there when they gave her the all clear and told her she'd made a full recovery, she said to me, she said 'you've been amazing these last months if there is anything I can do to pay you back I want to do it, it's the least I can do.' And without even thinking of what I said I asked her to go out with me and she agreed, we were together for a good year before I'd gotten up the guts to ask her to marry me, I took her to this little restaurant, one we'd gone to once when we'd started spending time together, I'd always considered that to have been our first date even though we were only hanging out at friends"
Tony felt Ziva nuzzle into the side of his neck, he felt her smile where her lips barely brushed his flesh at the curve between his neck and shoulder and he knew that he wasn't the only one who saw a similarity in that part of the story, he knew who his father was talking about and he knew how much it must pain him to talk about her like this, this was the most he'd ever heard him talk about her and he was just as eager as the others now to hear his dad finish the story, he'd never heard the story about how they'd met, she hadn't even told him, whenever he'd ask she would say 'it's in the past Tony, the only good thing in the past is original movies plots.' And Tony would accept it and walk away but hearing the story now he can understand why she wouldn't tell him, it wasn't a pretty beginning or in fact an all that pretty end but the middle bit there, that was pretty beautiful.
Kissing Ziva on the temple and tightening his arms around her he tuned back into his father's story, "that woman, Elizabeth, she was, IS Tony's mother." Senior said almost sadly taking hold of Ziva's left hand and lifting it so the small delicate silver band with the diamond in the centre that wasn't too big or too small would catch the light "this ring right here, this is the ring I gave to her the day I proposed to her." Dropping Ziva's hand sadly Senior turned away from the group and headed towards the break room. "Tony, I…" Ziva began but Tony cut her off with a shake of the head, this was something he had to deal with, this might just be his only and last chance to reconnect with his father, "don't worry baby, I got it" with a kiss to Ziva Tony turned and followed after his dad.
"Dad, hey, you okay?" Tony said as he poked his head into the room, checking to see if his dad was alone. "Yeah Junior, just a lot of memories is all" came his father's watery reply "good memories or bad?" Tony asked, "Both son both, I know I wasn't there a lot but…" Tony cut his dad off the same way he cut off Ziva, with a shake of the head, "you did the best you could considering the circumstances" he said, after a pause Tony spoke up again "you loved her didn't you" "still do" came Seniors reply on a single sad chuckle "I'm glad though," Senior said "that it was Ziva you gave the ring to, not that Wendy bitch, didn't like her all that much. But Ziva, her I can, DO see as a daughter. I'm proud to call her my daughter, even if she's my daughter – in – law."
Tony gave a questioning look to his father at his Dad's melancholy one "when your mum found out she was sick, she was pregnant, she was so sure it was going to be a girl, even had me convinced I was going to have a daughter, but the radiation and the chemo and everything. She couldn't hold on, she lost the baby. Even now I still think about what the baby would have been like. I like to imagine Ziva as what my little girl would have been like; smart, funny, beautiful and kind." Tony swallowed the sudden lump he found in his throat, it took everything he had to hold back tears. He hugged his father trying to stop himself from imagining loosing Ziva and their child (if and when they have one) in the same year, he couldn't handle the imaginary scenario and he didn't think he'd survive the reality.
Breaking away from the hug, the two men cleared their throats and pretended that they weren't just hugging, Tony knew that after this he would forgive his father but for now they'll pretend nothing happened in this room. Walking out into the bull pen again the two men walked as far apart as seemed natural, turning the corner into their little section Tony saw Ziva being engulfed by their friends in hugs and kisses, even Gibbs seemed to be in the jumble of bodies. As soon as the group spotted the two men they separated, clearing a path for Senior who hugged his soon-to-be daughter-in-law with a whisper just loud enough for the still close together group to hear "welcome to the family sweetheart, officially at least."
A/N: that's it for now guys, sorry for the feels (I totally did not cry writing that [sniffs obnoxiously loud and wipes nose with a tissue] nope not a single tear here) tune in next time for the case they were working on when our favourite couple walked in. Love Sky xoxo