Tony and Ziva huddled around the webcam, both waving like idiots, neither caring. Daniela and Jacob waved on the screen, both sitting in Abby's lab.
"How have you been for the Taylor's and McGee and Abby?" Ziva asked, elbowing Tony in the ribs so that he moved out of the way.
"Good." Daniela replied nodding off screen at McGee and Abby. "Abby took me shopping!"
"Really? What did you get?"
The girl lifted up her sweatshirt and revealed a black tank top. A skull with pink ribbons and pigtails smiled back at them.
"It is so cool." Daniela breathed.
Tony made a face off screen at Ziva, who plastered a smile on her face and turned back to the camera. "It is very nice Daniela!"
"Oh, and Jacob got a new shirt too. McGee buyed it for him." Daniela shoved her brother closer to the camera and the boy lifted up his long sleeved shirt and beamed at his new shirt.
"Star wars!" Tony exclaimed. "MCGEE!"
Jacob giggled at the look on Tony's face, laughing so hard he almost slid off his chair.
"It's an Ewok." Daniela said with a straight face.
Tony grabbed the laptop. "McGeek, you're dead when I get back."
"It's just a shirt Tony." McGee reasoned. "And I didn't pick it out, he did."
"Put Mummy back on Papa. Your head is too big." Daniela whined.
Ziva looked at Tony with a grin on her face and this time it was Ziva who was laughing. She clutched her stomach, lying on the bed, tears rolling down her face.
"Did Mummy die?" Daniela asked peering into the webcam.
"No, she's laughing at me." Tony replied, picking up the laptop and showing Ziva.
Daniela watched before shaking her head. "Can we get a puppy? Can we name it Ewok? Papa…have you seen Star Wars? Papa…Mummy is not laughing, no sounds are coming out. She looks like a seal."
Tony put the laptop down, tears streaming down his face. Maybe it was because they were still slightly jetlagged, or dehydrated, or just missing Daniela and Jacob, Tony and Ziva laughed. They laughed until McGee pulled the kids away from the camera and shut off their connection. They laughed until their stomachs ached. They laughed until they couldn't breathe. They laughed until they were crying. And then they cried. They cried until their eyes hurt and their lungs burned.
"Tony, tomorrow…tomorrow I would like to go see the Vancetti's gravestones." Ziva said through her tears.
"I think that's a great idea." Tony said with a hiccup. "Do you know where they're buried?"
"We can go speak to the families in their apartment. I am sure that they know." Ziva said laying her head on Tony's chest. "I want to go and apologize…"
"Apologize for what?"
"They should not be dead. Maybe had I been here, in Mossad, they would not be dead."
Tony shook his head, and ran his hands through her hair. "I think we should thank them."
"For?"
"Their kids, and an opportunity for us to take care of them. I'm not sure if you've notice Zee-vah, but I've changed since we've had Dani and Jake. And I'd like to think from the better. And it's all because of them. It's because of them I think about other people before myself. It's because of them I know how to make something besides frozen pizza. It's because of them I LIKE getting up for breakfast. It's because of them…I learned that there's more in life than just sex. And love isn't a substitute for sex." Tony sighed. "For all of that, I thank them."
Ziva crawled up his body, so they were face to face and placed a feather-soft kiss on his lips. "Anthony DiNozzo, you are a good man."
He grinned. "I'm glad you think so."
#
The apartment block was quiet, unassuming. Children played in the front, parents sitting on the steps watching. Ziva walked over to them, speaking quickly in Hebrew.
"You know Daniela and Jacob?" A young girl, probably Daniela's age, asked Tony.
He nodded. "Yes."
The girl gave him a small smile. "My name is Carmel. Are she and Jacob alright?"
"They're in the United States. They're safe."
Carmel smoothed the front of her school uniform. "Good. Can you say that Carmel said hi?"
"Sure." He smiled at he girl.
"I am glad that they are safe. Are they happy?"
Tony pulled a picture out of his wallet, and handed it to Carmel. It had Daniela hugging Ziva and Jacob perched on top of Tony's shoulders with all four of them smiling at the camera. "I'd like to think they are."
"They look happy." Carmel passed the picture back and Tony tucked it safely back in his wallet. "Are you their new Abba and Ima?"
Shaking his head, Tony squatted before the girl. "We're not going to replace Daniela and Jacob's Abba and Ima. No one can ever do that, but we want them to be a part of our family."
Carmel nodded. "That makes me happy."
"It makes us happy too." He ruffled her hair and stood up as Ziva walked by.
"I have the address for the cemetery."
Tony nodded. "Okay, let's go. Bye Carmel."
"Bye."
"Flirting with girls, are we Tony?" Ziva asked with a smile as they got back into the rented car.
"You know, girls of all ages just can't resist me." He flashed her a grin that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Yeah yeah." She pulled away and they drove in relative silence towards the cemetery.
Ziva put the car in park and opened the door. "We are here."
They walked through the cemetery, hand in hand, until they were standing in front of three, still new, headstones.
"Marcus Vancetti." Ziva read slowly. "Beloved father and son. 1974-2010."
"Lisa Vancetti." Tony started. "Beloved mother and daughter. 1979-2010."
They stared at the headstones, and read the smaller one in silence. Ziva pulled smooth rocks out of her pocket and placed them on the headstones. She passed some to Tony. "We do not leave flowers at gravesites, we leave stones. They represent permanence." She placed her hands inside the pockets on her khakis. "I shall leave you alone with Marcus." She said with a smile, placing a hand on his arm.
Tony took a deep breath and stood in front of the grave. Thoughts ran through his mind, what to say, how to explain…but nothing came out. He though of Daniela and Jacob when they first met. Jacob's willingness to try anything and everything, his desire to have a family. And Daniela. Her apprehension, her combativeness, her anger and her eventual change to the girl she was today. "I know this is strange. Heck, I mean I'm talking to a tombstone. I…just wanted to…say thanks. I know that I wouldn't be anyone's first choice to be a father. I know that I wouldn't be my own first choice, but thanks for letting me have a chance. I promise, I'll be the best father that I can be. I know that I won't replace you, that I could never replace you…and I don't want to. You're their father, and you always will be, but what I can be is the one they cry to when they scrape their knees. I'll tell them stories about how much you loved them. I'll be the one that tucks them in at night. I'll be the one that keeps them safe until it's their time to see you again." He stiffly wiped a tear out of the corner of his eye. "Thank you for your amazing kids."
Standing to the side, Ziva juggled stones in her pocket, staring at the Hebrew engraving on the headstones. She pulled her hair into a ponytail and knelt down in front of the headstones. Saying a prayer in Hebrew, Ziva ran her finger over the engraving. "Lisa, your children they are in good hands. Tony and I, we may not be who you would have first picked to raise your children, but we will do the best we can. We have great people back in the United States that will help us. They'll grow into the children you wanted them to be." She kissed fingers and placed them on the headstone before taking a step back.
"You ready to go?" Tony came from behind her and snaked his arm around her back.
Ziva placed her hands back on her pockets. "Yeah. I think so."
He leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead. "We leave tomorrow."
"We do."
"Ziva, you still have to go see your father."
She sighed. "I know."
They walked back to the car in silence, their footsteps heavy on the gravel. "I'll be right beside you the whole way."
"I know." She unlocked the doors and sat in the front seat. "Tony, it is just…"
"Ziva, everyone has the right to be afraid. Even you." He sat down beside her and gently pulled her face so that he was looking into her eyes. "And trust me, your dad is scary as hell."
A smile played on her lips. "Thank you for everything, Tony."
He shrugged. "What're fiancées for?"
She glanced at the diamond ring on her finger. "You are right Tony." Putting the car into drive and almost stepping on the gas pedal they tore off towards Mossad's headquarters.
#
Eli David could hear her footsteps thundering down the hallway far before he saw her. He also heard a set of footsteps, struggling to keep up. He knew instinctively that Agent DiNozzo was jogging alongside her. His office door flew open and Ziva stormed in, her eyes narrowed and cold.
"Ziva."
She slammed her hands down on the dark wood of his desk. "Do NOT Ziva me father."
He flinched, her face coming within millimetres of his. "Father, I am quitting Mossad. I am leaving Israel. I am getting married to Tony. We are adopting Daniela and Jacob. You have no say in the matter." She shook her head. "I may not have stood up to you when I was a child, Father. I may not have stood up to you when I was a teenager. I may not have stood up to you until now, but Father, you cannot stop me." She turned and started walking out. "Father, you are welcome in my life, but on my terms. NOT yours. It will never again be on your terms."
Tony stared at Eli for a second before turning around.
"Agent DiNozzo…"
Tony clenched his jaw and refused to look back. Never look back.
He caught up with Ziva, wrapping his arms around her shaking figure. "Ziva…Ziva, it's done."
She nodded, looking up at him her eyes clear. "I know Tony. Tomorrow we are going home."
"Back to America. Back to everyone. Back to the kids."
"Our kids."
.