When Tony stepped back into their latest hotel, he was definitely hiding something. Ziva narrowed her eyes at her boyfriend. "What are you hiding?" she asked him, amused.
Tali's eyes lit up. "Do you have something special, like a treat for us? Maybe candy?" she asked hopefully.
He laughed. "Nice try, Tali. But no candy today - maybe later," Tony promised.
Tali pouted for a split second before he whipped out what he was hiding behind his back. He handed a bouquet of flowers over to Tali then gave another one to Ziva. "Thank you!" Tali glanced down at her flowers before briefly hugging her father before returning her attention to the game she had been playing before he returned.
"Thank you," a grinning Ziva echoed. She leaned over and kissed the man she loved.
"You're welcome. Saw these and immediately thought of my girls." Tony loved doing little things like this if he could since they were mostly running for their lives these days. The three of them couldn't wait to get back to their normal, calm lives. Everything was way too chaotic right now, and he and Ziva were absolutely terrified. Tali had weirdly and surprisingly adjusted to this unfortunate new part of their life rather quickly.
"You're sweet." Ziva flashed him a smile and sat down next to their daughter, Tony joining her just seconds later.
Tali paused her game for a second. "Can you two stop being so sappy?" she pleaded.
"No but nice try, Miss DiNozzo." Ziva could only laugh.
"Some space at least?" she tried. Tali didn't want to admit it but she was getting really tired of all of this - the three of them desperately needed a break from each other soon.
"Sorry, kiddo, not happening any time soon." Tony wished they could. He and Ziva would feel guilty about this for the rest of their lives.
"We'll be home as soon as we possibly can." Ziva didn't want to promise her that so she didn't.
"I know." Tali hugged them both pretty quickly in an attempt to make them feel better before she hit play and ignored them for her game yet again.
Tony and Ziva grabbed each other's hands and she giggled when he kissed hers. "Stop sucking up," she teased.
"Never," he jokingly shot back.
Tali rolled her eyes and they exchanged an amused glance over her head. "Kids," she mouthed at him.
"What can you do?" he mouthed right back at her.
Ziva shrugged. "No clue."
Tali briefly glanced up at them. "What are you talking about?" She didn't really care but they did this all the time.
"Nothing important," Tony lied.
"Sure," she responded, not buying it for a second.
"Our child continues to take after you, Tony." An amused Ziva wouldn't change their daughter's personality for anything, however, and they all knew it. Side effect of Tony raising Tali on his own for several years.
"You love it, Ziva."
And the three of them went right back to their current lonely existence, the three of them against the world (even though their friends and colleagues were trying to help as much as they could).
Although they still had a ways to go before they solved this, Tony and Ziva were determined to get their lives back. The three of them would fight their way out of this together.