Tony cut the two sandwiches in half and put them on the plates, that both featured characters from a winter themed movie, of which Tony had recently had to sit through the sequel. The noise of Tali's movie filled their tiny Parisian flat. Tony closed the dishwasher he had left open, and then looked back up the clock on the oven. Time was moving at a snail's pace.

Ziva's plane was about to land.

He pulled out his phone, and checked the flight information again. He bounced on the soles of his feet. Excitement pulsed through him.

Everything was on time.

That would have to be a first for Air France.

Tali's movie reached its happy ending. The cartoon animals were reunited with the other cartoon animals, and the song that was meant to be a comeback for a young starlet played.

Tali would be singing it for weeks.

Tony checked his phone again.

There was no update on the flight, so he flicked back to the text thread. He had spammed Ziva with as many videos and photos of Tali that he could.

And, each time Ziva said thank you. She was grateful for every single glimpse of their daughter.

Tony flicked through the texts, that Tony started sending once Tali had gone down for the night. They had organised for Ziva to get a cab home, as the metro workers were on another strike, and Tali was still crabby from their recent travel.

I have disrupted your life enough already, had been the text Ziva sent, when Tony sent an Uber estimate.

And, those words had stung.

Tony had decided that he would call her then. She was already in line to board the plane.

I just need you to know you're not disrupting anything. We are excited to see you.

Tony, Ziva had started, before another voice told her she had to put her phone away.

So the call had ended, and Tony had texted

Count to a million, right?

There was only one problem, he hadn't told Tali about her mother's impending return.

Tony was not sure why. Maybe it was his childhood, and all those times his Dad didn't keep his promises. Not that Senior had ever let Tali down.

Maybe, it was because he didn't really believe it was over. He had spent three and half years looking over his shoulder, and expecting the worst, and just like that, it was over. He hadn't even had to use the gun he hid at the top of his wardrobe.

Maybe, it was because he was worried about how he and Ziva were actually going to do this. It had been three years since they had seen each other for that all to brief afternoon in Cairo, where Tony had left so many questions unasked.

Could he and Ziva even make this work?

"Daddy," Tali whined as the credits rolled on her movie. Tali pointed at the screen, and then to the collection of kids DVDs in the cheap cabinet it had taken Tony hours to assemble. "Zootopia now."

"Can we have a campfire first?" Tony asked. "While we eat."

Tali frowned and looked toward the television.

"I want to talk to you about something," Tony said. "You're not in trouble."

The obsession with being in trouble was a product of her school. Maybe, when Ziva got there, they could look at a new school.

Tali presented herself at the table, and Tony put their matching Elsa plates on the table. When he returned to the kitchen, to collect their cups of water, his phone buzzed.

Ziva's plane had landed.

Ziva had also sent a text.

Landed. Still okay that I come.

Tony frowned.

Yes, we're waiting for you.

He added a photo of Tali from their adventures into the countryside, to go see a Christmas light display in a Northern town.

When Ziva had called Tony, he had hustled a sleepy Tali into the car, and started to drive toward the airport. He had switched cars and used the secret passport and drivers licence Ziva had given to him, to rent a car. If someone knew to look for Tony's name, they would think Tony had hopped on a plane. Instead, he and Tali had headed North to see the lights.

Or rather Steven Smith, and his five year old daughter had.

"Daddy?" Tali asked, with her mouthful. "No phones at the table."

Ima, was definitely going to have a few things to say about both of their table manners.

"Sorry kid," Tony said, as he walked toward the table, and slid the phone into his pocket. "I was just talking to someone very important."

Tony sat down at the table, and despite wanting to dig into the sandwich, took one of the carrot sticks and bit into it.

Parenting was all about modelling, right?

"Who?" Tali asked, as she fiddled with her slice of apple. "Uncle Tim?"

He had tried hard to get the kid to call Tim McUncle, but she was hesitant.

"No," Tony said, as he chomped down another carrot stick. "I was talking to Ima."

Tali dropped the apple slice she had been holding.

"Ima," she echoed. The tiny creature frowned in the same way Ziva used to when she was confused.

"Yeah," Tony said, as he picked up his sandwich and bit into it.

Peanut butter and jelly. Classic.

Tali continued to frown, and looked down at her plate.

"Daddy," Tali whined. "DiNozzo's don't lie, it's rule number 1."

Tony felt his heart sink.

This kid wasn't even six, and she knew too much pain.

Those first few weeks, when Tali came into his life, came flashing back. She would be fine during the day, only to cry herself to sleep calling for her mother.

He pulled out his phone and opened up the text thread between him and Ziva, and pushed in front of Tali, even though she was only just learning to read.

"I'm not lying Tali. She is on her way. She's missed you so much," Tony said, as he flicked through the text thread. "Remember that video we sent her? She loved that."

Tali snapped her apple slice in half.

Tony remembered the frantic googling he had done the night before, after Ziva got on the plane.

Effects of trauma on 5 year old.

How to help 5 year old deal with change.

Parent returning after a long absence.

The next few months promised to be an uphill battle, but he and Ziva were used to hard, messy and complicated.

An idea came to Tony, as he watched Tali. God, she looked so much like Ziva.

Tali wants to see you, he texted, video?

Tony's phone buzzed a mere second later.

"Tony," Ziva said, as her voice filled the apartment. It sounded so sweet. Tony pulled the phone up, so he could look at Ziva. He could see the rings under her eyes, and the friz on her hair. She was in the back of a car. "Tali. Where is she? I don't see her."

Tali knelt up on the chair. Curious.

Tali reached for the phone.

These kids and their screen time.

Tony moved the phone so that Tali and Ziva could see each other.

"Hello Tali," Ziva's voice cracked through the cell phone speaker. "It is so good to see you. I have missed you so much."

Tony watched as Tali studied the screen.

"Are you excited to see Ima?" Tony asked.

Tali nodded. It was the same nod Tony had seen, when he first got Tali and they sat with the photo from Paris.

Ima. Abba.

"I have to go," Ziva said. "The car is going to go under a tunnel. I will be there soon."

Tony felt his heart heave.

"I love you Tali," Ziva said, and then the line went dead. Tony took his phone back, and saw the call had cut out.

"See," Tony said. "I told you."

Tali looked at the phone, and then up at the Tony.

"How are we feeling, kid?" Tony asked.

Tali shrugged.

"I'm excited," Tony said. "I've missed Ima very much."

Tali looked toward her bedroom. In America, the warren-like room would be considered a closet, but it suited Tali just fine.

"Where is Ima going to stay?" Tali asked.

Tony picked up a piece of carrot, and looked around the small apartment. It had two bedrooms, and when Senior came to stay, Tony took the couch. A couch he had brought for its comfort level, and not its style.

"In my room," Tony said.

Tali frowned.

"Where are you going to sleep?" Tali asked.

Tony remembered what he read on all the internet forums. Kids will want to be reassured about their daily routine.

"In my room," Tony said. "With Ima."

Obvious relief washed over Tali. Her frown slowly moved into a smile.

She looked back at the phone.

"Did you think I was going to go somewhere?" Tony asked.

Tali shook her head, and then nodded.

"Ima didn't want me" Tali said, the words coming out quickly, without breath between them. "Now Ima wants me again. She's gonna take me away from you. I don't want you to go."

Tony's mouth dried.

"Oh no," Tony said. "We're going to be all together. Ima's been fighting for us to be together. Ima has always wanted you. She's missed you so much."

A tear fell down Tali's face. Her lip quivered.

She looked just like her mother.

"Come here," Tony said, with his arms open. "It's gonna be okay."

Tali leaped from the table, and wrapped her tiny arms around Tony.

Tony buried his nose in her wild curls.

"If Ima doesn't like you," Tali declared. "She can stay in my room."

Tony smiled.

"Why wouldn't she like me?" Tony asked.

Tali broke from the hug, so they were facing each other. Her tiny hands pressed into his thighs.

The kid was getting heavy.

"You smell," Tali declared. "And, you make noises when you sleep."

Tony raised his eyebrows.

"What noises?" Tony asked.

Tali made a farting noise with her mouth.

Tony laughed. Tali laughed with him.

The storm had passed with minimal damage. This time.

"I'll think you'll change your tune, when you hear her snoring," Tony said, with an all knowing smile. "Why don't you go and tidy your room, so you can show Ima your zoo?"

Tali's bed was covered in soft toys. Her collection had grown rapidly from little Kalev, in the go-bag.

Tali got up to go to her room, but hovered by the front door.

"I know it's gonna be different with Ima at home," Tony said. "It's a big change for all of us. But, we'll keep having campfires. Remember rule number two."

Tali nodded.

"DiNozzo's talk about things," Tali declared. "Even if its scary."

Tony smiled, as he watched Tali scamper to her room.

Tony checked his phone again.

The driver says twenty minutes.

Tony felt a tingling in his hands. Excitement and nerves all in one.

Twenty-six minutes later, and of course Tony was counting every second, Tony got a text.

I am here.

Tony had switched between looking out the window for the cab, and hovering by the front door, for all of those twenty-eight minutes.

Tali had been distracted by tidying her room, and making a list of all the games she was going to play with her Ima. Then, in an attempt to distract her, Tony had put a movie on for her. The kid was engrossed.

Tony opened the door carefully, and slipped out, leaving a shoe as a doorstop. He looked toward the end of the hallway, and waited.

And, there she was.

Finally.

"Hi," Ziva said, as they saw each other for the first time in three years.

Tony felt a lump in his throat. It was real.

"Hi," he whispered, as he reached out for her face. He had to be sure she was real.

Ziva stepped forward, and Tony wrapped his arm around her. They stood facing each other.

"I am so sorry," Ziva said, as her lip quivered. "I have made such a mess."

They looked the same when they were sad.

Tony pressed a finger to her lips.

"Ssh," he said. "We're not going there. Not today. You're home, that's all that matters."

Tony pressed a kiss onto Ziva's forehead.

"I've missed you," Tony said softly.

He watched as Ziva sucked in a deep breath.

"I have missed you too," Ziva said, as she pressed her forehead into his. "Both of you."

They broke from their embrace, but Tony took Ziva's hand.

"I should let you know that Tali might be a little slow to warm up," Tony said, as he opened the door. "We've talked about some things, but she's still kinda making sense of it all."

"I suppose that is to be expected," Ziva said, not even bothering to hide how much that hurt.

The door swung open, and the parents found their daughter standing in front of the television, holding kalev.

"Daddy," Tali whined, not looking away from the television. "Wheredyougo?"

Tony stepped forward. Ziva squeezed his hand tightly.

"Look, who I have with me," Tony said.

Tali looked up from the television. He watched as her tiny eyes met Ziva.

"Ima?" Tali asked her voice still unsure.

"Yes," Ziva said as she moved toward Tali. "Oh Tali, look at you, you have gotten so big."

Tali moved toward Ziva.

"It's because I eat my vegetables," Tali said as she and Ziva stood within touching distance. "Daddy says vegetables make you big and strong. He says he doesn't eat them all the time because he is too big and strong already, and he doesn't want to be like the hulk."

Ziva smirked and then looked up at him, with an eyebrow cocked.

He hoped she did not have a comment about what his diet of croissants and kid food had actually done to his body. Especially, because Ziva looked like she needed a good hearty meal.

Tony shrugged. Tali reached for her mother. They hugged.

"The fruit of our loins," Tony declared, as he pointed to Tali. "In all her glory."

Ziva let out a laugh. Tali laughed too, even though she had no idea what her father had just said. Then Tony joined in. The three of them laughed until their bellies hurt, and then they laughed some more.

It had been the most laughter heard in the apartment for a long time.

And, it was the start of a lifetime of laughter.

A/N: I don't own a thing.

So this is the last of the post 17x11 reunion fics. Thank you so much for all of your reviews, love and support.

The plot holes in terms of what Tony was actually doing when he was 'hiding' in 17x10/11, were so large, my plus size self could fall through them. So, I did what I could.

Also, genuine apologies to anyone who actually spends time with 5 year olds. I know I've written Tali terribly here. I did google some stuff about five year olds, but I don't think it was enough.

I know I promised that I would be extending 'And, The Heart Beats in Threes', but the muse is calling for that to be a separate fic. I plan to write about our little family's first year all together, including some of the impacts of their separation on everyone. I'm planning to start sharing those chapters in February, hopefully on a weekly schedule. I'm also looking for some lyrics to use as the fic title.

I'll be replying to logged-in reviews soon. Thank you so much for them.