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Chapter Text

Holiday Mayhem

Tony's Aunt Isabella and Ziva's Aunt Nettie visit the DiNozzos for the holidays in December 2022. Kids, pets, aunts, oh my.

Chapter 1 – Organized Insanity – Sunday 11 December

LJ DiNozzo ran past his Ima as she tugged on her boots and winter coat; the twins Rivka and Beth followed within minutes running in the same direction as their little brother. The day had been gray and overcast with cold temperatures, so the kids had not been out in the yard to play at all. Ziva sighed as the three kids and the dog raced past again.

Asher, being a greyhound, loved to run; it didn't take much to get him going. Ziva preferred that he not run in the house, but with five kids eight and under, someone was bound to be running inside. Asher would then be right behind whoever it was.

"Tony," she called out to her husband. "I have to leave for the airport to pick up Doda Nettie." When she had no reply, Ziva quickly walked to the family room, no Tony. He wasn't in the kitchen either. She peeked into his home office; there he was on the phone and computer.

"Tony," he held up a hand to ask for a minute; she didn't have any spare time. "TONY!"

He turned towards his wife, covering the mic on his phone with his hand, "I'm almost done on this call…"

She spread her hands in front of her, "I don't have time to wait; I need to get going to meet Doda Nettie at Dulles." She leaned in and pecked him on the lips, "See you in a while."

"Okay, this is my cousin Dori; she's going to bring Aunt Isabella to Baltimore so I can meet up with them and bring my aunt here. I will have to leave before you get back," he quickly explained. "I'll call Ellie or Clay to come stay with the kids."

Ziva gave him a thumbs' up and nodded, "I will see you whenever then." She hurried to her van to meet Doda Nettie at the airport.

Tony firmed up the plan with his cousin and then called Ellie Bishop to ask her to stay with the kids until either he or Ziva returned home. She and Clay both agreed to babysit. Tony let the five kids know the plan while he was waiting for the two agents to arrive at the house.

"Be good for Aunt Ellie and Uncle Clay; when Ima gets home, she will have Doda Nettie with her. When I get back, I will have Aunt Isabella with me. They are both staying for the holidays. Tali and Anthony, are the bed sheets changed in your rooms?" Tony had a mental checklist as he waited to leave for Baltimore.

Anthony gave his Abba a thumbs' up gesture, "My room is ready for Aunt Isabella. I moved my pillow and Ferrari bear to the bed in LJ's room."

"Mine is done also, Abba. Doda Nettie has fresh sheets and towels. My pillows and Kelev are in the top bunk of Riv's bed," Tali added.

"Good; we will have a house full when the two aunts arrive," Tony explained to the kids. He wasn't sure LJ or the twins understood that there would be two additional adults living in the house for the next three weeks. "LJ, you have never met Doda Nettie, and you are too little to remember Aunt Isabella." The one-year-old grinned at his Abba. "Riv and Beth, you also have not met Doda Nettie; we visited Aunt Isabella last year when LJ was a tiny baby."

"K, Abba," Riv gave Tony such a serious look that he had to bite the inside of his lip to keep from laughing. "Where Aunt Ellie?"

"She and Uncle Clay are on the way here, they will stay with you for a while," he explained again. "Please be good for them," he looked his mini-Ninja in the eyes, knowing full well the almost three-year-old had her Uncle Clay wrapped around her little finger.

"We be good, Abba," Beth grinned at her father. "We like Uncle Clay; he fun to play."

Tali answered the knock at the door; Ellie and Clay greeted everyone.

"I'm off to get Aunt Isabella," Tony hugged the kids. "Be good for Aunt Ellie and Uncle Clay." He turned to the adults, "Should be about three and a half or four hours tops, depending on traffic. I'm meeting my cousin in Baltimore to bring my aunt here. Ziva will probably be home before me; Doda Nettie's flight should be landing soon, if it hasn't already."

~Mayhem~

Ziva arrived at Dulles with plenty of time to spare; she found out just how much time she had to wait once she got inside the baggage claim area. Doda Nettie's flight had been delayed by forty-five minutes due to a weather system over the Atlantic that had to be circumvented. She was extremely glad she'd brought her laptop with her for the now slightly over ninety minutes wait.

She found a comfortable chair near a power outlet and powered up the computer to work on her final paper for her Contemporary Literature class. That paper and one exam on campus for her physical science class were the only two remaining finals for the term.

As she typed, she glanced up at the arrivals board every twenty minutes or so, hoping to see that the El-Al flight had landed. She finished the final paragraph and was running the spelling and grammar checker when she noticed that the arrivals board indicated that the flight was at its gate. Great timing!

After reviewing the suggested two changes, Ziva saved the final draft and powered down the laptop. She packed her bag and watched the doors from the concourses for her aunt. Nettie spotted Ziva first and called out to her.

"Zivaleh," Nettie caught her niece's attention.

Ziva made her way to the older woman, "Shalom, Doda." The two hugged and then Ziva led her aunt to the baggage claim area for the El-Al flight. The two chatted as they waited for the bags to arrive at the carousel.

"I cannot wait to meet the younger children; Tali and Anthony have grown so much since you were last in Israel. The baby is so cute, I just want to kiss his chubby little cheeks," Nettie reflected on the changes to her niece's family since 2019 when the DiNozzo family of four had flown to Israel for Schmeil' s funeral and celebration of life.

"LJ is just over a year old, the twins will be three in February, Anthony is five and in kindergarten, and Tali is eight. She is in the third grade this year," Ziva added. "I have almost finished my third term of undergraduate school. In fact, I finished my final paper for my English class while I was waiting for you to arrive."

Nettie hugged Ziva again, "Rivka would be proud of you, Ziva. Earning your university degree, raising a beautiful family, and so happy."

"We have added to the family this year," Ziva smiled. "A retired racing greyhound named Asher and two cats, Callie and Lightning. Lightning came to us just last week. We found her by the garage door, and she ran into the house."

The light flashed and the buzzer sounded to alert the waiting travelers that the baggage carousel would be moving with the bags to be claimed. Ziva and Nettie moved closer to the belt watching for the older woman's large suitcase.

"There it is," Nettie pointed to an oversized black case. Ziva grabbed the handle and lifted it from the belt. She set the case on the floor and pulled the handle out to maneuver the luggage across the tiles towards the doorway. Since it had four wheels the luggage was easy to move and steer.

"Did you bring your entire house?" Ziva joked, "This is heavy!"

Nettie grinned, "Well, I am staying for nearly a month…" She walked alongside her niece to the exit doors with her carryon bag slung over a shoulder.

"You will have Tali's room," Ziva turned to her aunt after they crossed the walkway to the parking garage. "Tony's Aunt Isabella will be in Anthony's room, so you two will share a bathroom."

Nettie patted Ziva's arm, "You did not need to have Tali move out of her room. I could just sleep on a sofa."

"Not for almost a month," Ziva retorted. "Besides, we have plenty of room for everyone. Tali will be in with her sisters, and Anthony and LJ will share LJ's room."

Ziva loaded the suitcase in the rear of the minivan with her computer bag. She glanced at the clock on the dashboard as she started the engine. Her phone chimed with an incoming text message alert, so she quickly swiped the screen to read her message.

Tony was headed back home with his aunt and expected to arrive in about an hour and one half. Ziva sent a return message to let him know she had Doda Nettie and was headed out of the airport towards home.

~Mayhem~

Ninety minutes later, Ziva noticed a familiar truck turning into the family's subdivision; she made her left turn soon after and followed her husband into their driveway. She and Nettie had been stuck in a traffic back-up on the Beltway caused by an accident at I-495 and I-95. She'd sent a text to Ellie to pre-heat the ovens and then put the pans of lasagna in to bake for dinner.

Tony helped his aunt from the truck and grabbed her wheeled bag as Ziva took Doda Nettie's luggage and her computer bag from the rear of the minivan. The two older women eyed each other.

"Doda, this is my Aunt Isabella," Tony made the introductions. "Aunt Isabella, this is Ziva's Doda Nettie."

Nettie extended a hand, "Nettie Levin."

Isabella grinned and wrapped the other woman in a hug, "Isabella DiNozzo. No formality here, we are family."

Tony kissed Ziva as their aunts hugged, "Traffic?"

"Yes, worse than normal," Ziva replied. "But we are all here, that is what matters."

The two aunts walked together to the front door followed by Tony and Ziva with their luggage. They chatted like long-lost friends as they walked.

"Welcome to our house," Ziva opened the front door to Clay running past with LJ on his shoulders and Rivka and Beth each clinging to a leg. Anthony and Tali had Nerf guns and were shooting at the others. All of them were laughing and yelling.

"Our organized insanity!" Tony joked.

Chapter Text

Chapter 2 – Aunts as Babysitters – Tuesday 13 December

"Are you sure you do not mind staying with the three younger children?" Ziva looked at the aunts as they sipped tea at the kitchen nook table on their second morning in the DiNozzo house. "Tony can change his work at home day from Thursday to today. I can text him to come on home if needed."

Nettie glanced at Isabella; both women nodded as Nettie answered her niece, "Zivaleh, we will be fine with the children. I am sixty-three years old; I can still chase after little ones if I need to do so."

"These three are a handful," Ziva warned.

"I raised two of my own, plus took care of many grandchildren in my day. I may be eighty-six years old, but I can still play and read to the little ones. Anyone who had Tonio for more than a day can tell you that if they could handle him, they could handle a houseful of bambinos," Isabella grinned. "That boy could stir up more trouble than…"

"Ima," Rivka ran into the room from the playroom. "LJ won't share the blocks again."

Ziva turned to the little girl, "Rivka, there are enough blocks for everyone. And LJ is just a baby, he does not understand about sharing yet."

The child put her hands on her hips and pouted, "Well, make him learn how to share!" The two aunts tried not to laugh as both were reminded of stubborn little ones who grew into this child's parents.

Ziva bent down to her daughter's level and lifted the pouting child's chin, "Yaldati, LJ is fourteen months old; he is too little to understand the concept of sharing. You were the same way when you were his age. He has to learn in his own time, just like you and Beth, and even Tali and Anthony."

"But Ima…" the preschooler's protest was cut off by a yell and barking from the playroom.

"NO LJ!" Beth yelled loudly; Asher barked at the children as LJ climbed the built-in bookcase. The dog ran around the little girl to the baby. He whined and barked again.

Ziva rushed to the playroom followed by Rivka and Nettie. Isabella was slower but not far behind. Ziva stopped short when she spotted her baby about half-way up the shelves.

"Please move back," she told the twins. "I do not want him to lose his grip if he gets startled." As the two girls moved back by the aunts, Ziva turned to LJ. "LJ, I am behind you, motek. I am going to come up to you and lift you down. Please hang on until I get to you." She moved carefully but quietly to her baby.

"Ima," LJ grinned at his mother. "Up!"

"Yes, I see you are up on the bookcase, motek. But you should not climb there. You could fall and get hurt," Ziva reached out and grabbed the boy around the waist. "Okay, now let go of the shelf."

"NO! UP!"

Ziva sighed and tugged at the little one hoping to loosen his grip; he resisted for as long as he could but finally had to let go as his mother pulled him away from the bookcase.

He noticed the aunts and the twins watching and grinned at them all. Then he buried his face in his Ima's shoulder.

"UP!" he started crying. "UP!"

"Let me take him," Nettie offered. Ziva slid the baby to her aunt's arms, hoping that would distract her little one from his idea of climbing the bookshelf. She handed her aunt one of LJ's favorite books as Nettie sat on the loveseat with the little boy.

Aunt Isabella chuckled, "He is so like his father. Tonio loved to climb when he was a little boy. One time at Vinnie's house he climbed a stepladder that had been left by their apple tree. That boy got himself into that tree and climbed so high off the ground that none of the men could reach him. He wouldn't come down because he got scared."

"How old was he?" Nettie asked.

"Three or four," the older woman replied. "We ended up calling the volunteer fire department to come get him down with one of their long ladders. When Vinnie's daughter called the fire department, they thought she said a cat was in the tree. Imagine their surprise when it was a kid!"

Ziva and Nettie chuckled as the twins laughed along with the adults. Asher sniffed LJ and then leaned on Ziva to comfort his person.

Nettie smiled at Ziva, "So the little one gets it from both sides; our Ziva climbed anything and everything also. She once climbed a ladder to the roof of the farmhouse and stayed on the roof without anyone knowing where she went. A worker put the ladder away not knowing the child was on top of the house. We could not find Ziva for almost four hours; Rivka was frantic. Finally, one of the neighbors spotted her on the roof and she was brought down to safety."

"I do not remember that," Ziva shrugged. "How old was I?"

"Three, maybe four. It was before Ari came to live with you."

Beth tapped Doda Nettie's arm, "Ima got stucked on the woof?"

"Ken."

"Ima bad? Go to time out?" asked Riv.

Nettie shook her head, "Her Ima was so relieved that Ziva was found that she did not punish her."

"I also used to climb the olive trees to sit and read in the branches," Ziva reminisced. "I could hide there for hours and no one would bother me."

While the aunts entertained the three little DiNozzos, Ziva studied a bit more for her science final. After getting the three down for naps, she headed to campus to take her exam.

"Thank you, Aunt Isabella; toda, Doda Nettie," she gathered her notes, calculator, and study guide that could be used during the exam. "I will be back shortly."

Isabella and Nettie worked in the kitchen baking bread and cookies and preparing dinner with the chicken cutlets Ziva took out of the freezer that morning. Tali and Anthony got home from school about the same time the other kids woke from their naps. The older women set out snacks of juice and cookies for everyone.

At the table, the kids talked about the day.

"Anthony, guess what?" Rivka grinned at her big brother.

"What?"

"Ima got stucked on the roof!"

Tali looked at her sister, "What?"

Beth high-fived with her twin, "Yep. Ima got stucked on the woof. Doda Nettie say so."

The aunts repeated the stories for Tali and Anthony and all shared in the laughs.

"We need to tell Abba that story," Tali chuckled. "He would laugh as well."

Anthony looked at his two great-aunts, "Doda Nettie, Aunt Isabella; are you like grandmothers for us? We don't have any grandmas like John and Katie have. Could you be our grandmas?"

Isabella brushed at her eyes, "Anthony, I would be proud to be your honorary grandma. Come give me a hug, please." Anthony rushed over and wrapped the old woman in a hug. "You are a good boy just like your father."

"Yes, we can be your honorary grandmothers. I know your Savta Rivka would be happy," Nettie wrapped the twins in a hug. Tali and LJ soon joined the others in a group hug, which is how Tony found them when he came home from work.

"Tonio, you have such wonderful children," Aunt Isabella gushed. "They want us to be their honorary grandmothers. I hope that is okay with you?"

Tony nodded, "I don't see why not; you and Doda Nettie are the closest that Ziva and I have to mothers who are living. Are you two okay with it?"

"KEN!" Nettie wiped at her tears.

"Oh, yes!" Isabella smiled at the children and her new friend.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3 – The Stories We Tell – Friday 16 December

"We will be having company for dinner," Ziva informed Doda Nettie as the two kneaded the dough for the Challah. Ziva was making a double recipe to make four loaves instead of the usual two when it was just the seven DiNozzos.

"How many in all?" Nettie asked as she worked her portion of the dough.

Ziva listed the family members who would be at dinner, "The McGees, that is four; the Palmers, that is another four; Gibbs, Clay and Ellie, that is an additional three; the seven of us, plus you and Aunt Isabella. That makes twenty in all."

"Do you always have Shabbat dinner with them?" Doda Nellie had not realized that Ziva and her family observed the traditions of Shabbat.

"A few times per year; we take turns hosting the family for dinner. Sometimes it is on Saturday or Sunday, occasionally on Friday. This weekend was our turn, but since Chanukah starts at sundown on Sunday, Tony and I decided to host the entire family tonight instead," Ziva explained.

She rolled her ball of dough in some flour and covered it with a dish towel to rise. "Shabbat is hit or miss for us; the only times of year that we are consistent with the Jewish holidays are Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Chanukah, and Pesach. For the Christian holidays, we celebrate Christmas and Easter."

Nettie covered her dough ball to let it rise and washed her hands. She patted Ziva's arm, "I think it is wonderful that you and Tony have chosen to celebrate both religions. It also means that your children will learn traditions from both sides. Rivka would be so happy and proud."

Isabella came into the kitchen followed by the three little kids who had just woke from naps. Ziva glanced at the clock and noticed that the school bus should be dropping off the older two in a few minutes.

"If you two will get these three started with snacks, I will be right back. Tali and Anthony's bus should be here any minute," Ziva headed to grab her coat from the hook by the front door and greet her children at the end of the driveway. The bus stopped to let the children off just as Ziva got to the street.

"Ima," Anthony hugged his mother. "We drew holiday pictures today. I made a menorah with candles and a Christmas tree for my picture." The boy dug in his backpack as the three walked to the front door. Inside he pulled the picture out, "See?"

"Very nice; you can show it to Doda Nettie and Aunt Isabella. They are preparing snacks in the kitchen."

Anthony hung his coat on his hook and put his backpack in his cubby. He ran to the kitchen with his drawing in hand, looking for the aunts.

Tali hung back, and Ziva noticed.

"Something wrong, Tali?" Ziva pulled her oldest to her in a hug.

Tali shrugged. "I don't like some of the girls in my class. They're mean," she hugged her Ima. Ziva waited for her daughter to continue. "They teased me about celebrating Chanukah, and about using Hebrew words. Why do they do that, Ima?"

Ziva sighed, how should she answer her child's concerns? "Perhaps it is that those girls do not understand a different culture from their own. I know it hurts when they tease you and make fun of you. I cannot fix that they are that way, but I can help you deal with it."

Isabella came into the entry foyer looking for Ziva and Tali for their snack. She overheard part of the conversation and remembered a boy not much older than Tali crying over his classmates' taunting.

"May I?" she asked Ziva and reached over to hug Tali. Ziva nodded for Aunt Isabella to continue.

"When your father was not much older than you are now, Tali, he got teased by his classmates. The school had a special Thanksgiving dinner for students and their parents. Your father didn't tell anyone about it because he knew his father wouldn't show up and by that time his mother had gone to the angels.

"The day came for the special dinner and Tonio sat all by himself at a table designated for his family. The other kids at first ignored him and from what I was told, the other parents kept glancing at the ten-year-old sitting by himself at a table. A child with a single parent was very unusual in those days and a child without at least one parent at a school-sponsored event was a rarity."

Tali and Ziva were listening closely as the three sat on the sofa in the living room for Aunt Isabella to continue her story.

"One of the older boys walked by your father's table and very loudly announced to the others for all to look at the orphan boy sitting all by himself. Tonio got angry at the other boy and jumped on his back from behind, hitting and yelling. He told the other boy to take back the mean words, that he was not an orphan.

"The kid asked your father where his parents were then, and why they were not with the others for the special meal. Tonio started crying and told the boy that his father was away for business and that his mother was with the angels. A teacher pulled your father off the boy and made him go to the principal's office for fighting."

Tali looked at her great-aunt with wide eyes, "Abba got in trouble? That is so wrong!"

"Oh, he got in quite a bit of trouble because as the teacher was taking him out, several other boys started taunting him by calling him 'orphan boy.' Tonio broke loose from that teacher and punched about four or five of them. He broke one's nose and bloodied the lip of two others. Then another boy made a remark about Tonio's dead mother and he must have seen red. He punched that boy so hard he knocked him out."

Ziva was surprised, Tony didn't seem like the fighting sort to her, especially as a child. She wondered if the incident had changed him.

"Uh-oh; Abba dug himself a big hole, didn't he?" Tali was figuring out that her Abba had not acted the best way.

Aunt Isabella nodded, "He did. The school couldn't reach his nanny, so they called our house. I had just come in from the bakery to fix lunch to take back to the store for Angelo. When the principal told me what had happened, I wanted to rush right to the poor boy. I asked the principal to put Tonio on the line for a minute. I told him that I would be there as soon as I could, and that I loved him.

"I took Angelo his lunch and told him where I was going. I got on the train and went to Tonio's school. When I got there, the boy was asleep on the sofa in the principal's conference room. They asked me about his family, not realizing that his mother had passed away before he started at the school. Then they asked me how to contact Anthony Senior. I had to explain about his wandering ways and that the man was rarely home for his boy. That the boy was entrusted to a live-in nanny and a cook.

"No one knew where the nanny was at the time, so I took him to his home. When we got there, we found the note from the nanny to Senior that she quit because she found a better job. Tonio was devastated because he had finally started to like the woman and trust her."

Ziva understood her husband better just hearing those words; his life had been punctuated by the loss of women who were important to him. No wonder that he had built a wall around his heart by the time she met him as an adult at NCIS!

"I took him home with me," Aunt Isabella continued. "Angelo didn't want to anger his brother any further, so we had to let Vinnie be the one to find the man and tell him what happened. I still remember the words that Angelo said to Tonio that night.

"Angelo hugged Tonio, then said, 'Tonio, you know that I love you like a son. But fighting is not the answer. You are different from the others through no fault of your own; people are often scared of different. You have learned to accept your situation with grace and dignity. Keep your head high and be proud of who you are, son. First, you are a DiNozzo. You are a strong boy and you have dealt with much more of life's sadness than most ten-year-olds. I am proud of how you have grown and I'm sure Elizabeth would be extremely proud of you. I want you to promise me that you will use your brain and not your fists to show the world who you are.' Tonio cried in his uncle's arms for almost half an hour. But we never heard of him fighting again after that."

Tali looked at her Ima, "I think it get it. I am different, but that isn't bad. It's okay to be who I am and be proud of my family. And the other girls are just scared because they don't understand about what makes me different."

Aunt Isabella hugged Tali again, "Yes, bambina. Now, let's go get that snack that I came to tell you about!"

~Mayhem~

When Tony came home, Ziva hugged him extra tightly. He gave her a strange look and she replied that she just wanted to let him know how much she loved him.

The extended family started arriving, bringing their parts of the meal to be shared. Each family was introduced to the aunts as they arrived. Soon the kids were all playing as the final preparations for the meal were completed. Ziva pulled the chicken and rice casserole out of the oven; Nettie sliced the Challah; Isabella stirred her pot of minestrone.

Soon all twenty were seated at the dining room table for the meal. Ziva asked Doda Nettie to say the Shabbat blessing before the meal. Plates were filled and the hungry family scarfed up the food with light conversation among the adults.

When dessert was brought out, the selection included two pies that Ellie and Clay bought, a caked decorated with ducks that the McGee twins had helped their mother pick, and ice cream that Gibbs contributed to the meal.

The ducks started John and Katie giving details about their pre-school field trip to a farm that day. Both had liked petting the ducks, chickens, and baby animals until a duck nipped at John's hand.

"Johnny cried when the duck bit him," Katie informed the rest of the family.

"Well, it hurt!" her brother snapped back at her and held up his hand for all to see the bruise left by the duck.

Aunt Isabella chuckled, "Now that reminds me of a story from when Tonio was about your age. Do you want to hear it?"

Tony rolled his eyes at Ziva as the others all chorused a loud 'yes.' She patted his hand with a smirk.

"You will survive the stories," she spoke softly so just Tony heard her.

"Uh-huh; just like you will survive Doda Nettie stories," he smirked at her.

Aunt Isabella began the story with the others listening intently, "Tonio was three or maybe four. He was visiting with his parents to Vinnie's house near the park. It was a family cook-out with Vinnie supplying the meats, Angelo brought the bread and rolls, and the others making salads, desserts, and baked beans to share.

"Anyhow, Tonio got to running around the men at the grills. Elizabeth was afraid he'd get in the way or get hurt so she asked Dori and Vinnie's Estrella to take him to the park. She knew they had a slide and climbing equipment for the children to play. Estrella grabbed the bag of stale bread that they kept for the ducks so the three could feed the ducks, geese, and swans at the park as well. Tonio was excited about feeding the birds and skipped off down the street with his cousins."

Tony groaned to Ziva, "Oh god, the duck story… I am gonna just crawl under the table now…" Ziva shushed him and put her hand over his. She really wanted to hear the story now that her husband reacted the way he did.

"First the girls helped Tonio climb on the money bars; then they showed him how to go down the slide. He had a grand time zooming down the metal slide; Dori said he laughed and kept climbing back up to slide down again and again. He enjoyed the climbing too, but it was the slide that was his favorite that day.

"Then they went to feed the ducks at the pond…" Aunt Isabella looked around at the captivated family members and grinned. She winked at her nephew as he scooted lower in his chair. She sipped her water to drag out the pause.

"All started out fine according to Dori and Estrella. They fed the ducks, geese, and swans by throwing pieces of bread in the water. It wasn't long before some of the more aggressive birds came out of the water and closer to the group with the food. Tonio was startled by a swan that rose and spread its wings to try to get the smaller birds to leave.

"Dori chased the swan and two geese that were snapping at the kids. Estrella chased another swan and both girls forgot about Tonio for a few minutes. The ducks surrounded him and bit at the bag of bread he held and at his clothes. When he screamed in terror, the teens quickly dragged him away from the ducks. We heard his screams at the house."

Tony slunk lower in his chair as the family members chuckled and looked over at him. "It wasn't funny at the time…" he mumbled. Ziva gave him a sympathetic look and squeezed his hand.

"When Elizabeth heard the screaming, she knew it was Tonio and she went running down that street in her bare feet to her son. Most of the rest of us followed behind her and we could all hear the child screaming hysterically. Many of the neighbors came out to the street to find out what was happening. By the time we got to the park, there must have been thirty people trying to find out why a child was screaming in terror."

"Oh god, I will never live this one down," Tony whispered to Ziva as he slid even lower in his chair.

Aunt Isabella winked at her nephew again, "That is up to your family… So, thirty or so people are gathered around a woman holding a three-year-old screaming in terror and two teenaged girls trying to explain what happened when a patrol car rolls up with its lights flashing and two officers get out.

"The officers asked what was going on and Elizabeth started to explain that her son had been scared by the ducks when Tonio blurts out, 'DAMN ducks.' I know that I had to turn away to keep from laughing as did several others. Poor Elizabeth was mortified that her baby said what he did but also found it amusing. The officers were trying not to laugh also. Finally, Elizabeth just couldn't hold in her laughter any longer and she let out a big laugh. We all relaxed and had a good laugh. Even Tonio laughed and stopped his tears."

Laughter erupted around the table as everyone had a mental image of Tony and the ducks. LJ laughed because the others were laughing. Even Tony chuckled a bit. Tim walked by to take some dishes to the kitchen and when he went behind Tony, he tapped his brother's shoulder.

"Quack, quack… if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, is it really a duck?" Tim teased.

Tali looked over at her father, "Abba, are you still afraid of ducks?"

He nodded, "I don't really like them; not in my favorite animals at all." Callie picked that moment to jump in her person's lap, startling him. She meowed and it sounded like a duck; everyone, including Tony, laughed even more.

"So, Doda Nettie, when do we get the embarrassing story of Ziva with some animals?" Tony quipped.

Nettie thought a minute as Ziva shook her head, "I can tell one about Ziva and some chickens. She was about three at the time and was visiting my parents, her grandparents, at their farm home. Ima had just bought two dozen chicks at the market and put them in the yard with the other chickens."

Tony watched as Ziva slid lower in her chair and smirked at her, "This is gonna be good if you are reacting that way."

"Ziva saw the chicks and asked Rivka if she could go outside to pet them. Both Ima and Rivka told her yes it was okay to go outside. So Ziva took some of the feed for the chickens in her pocket and went out in the yard to see the chicks and chickens. She sat on the ground to get the chicks to come to her; when they did, she stroked their heads and backs with her fingers.

"She picked up one of the chicks who seemed friendlier than the others and cuddled it to her chest. She had on a sundress and shorts with a tie string at the waist. One of the chickens spotted the tie string and tried to grab it. Some of the others figured out that she had feed in her pocket and started scratching at her hip to get the feed.

"Poor Ziva panicked and jumped up with the chick still on her chest. It fell down inside her sundress and the chicken that had hold of the tie string did not let go when she stood up. It hung on to that string and was hanging from her shorts. I started to run out into the yard to help the child.

"Ziva took her sundress off to get the chick out and then she dropped her shorts to get the chicken to let go of the tie string. Another chicken saw the lace around the legs of her panties and grabbed hold. Ziva dropped her panties before I could get to her. She was naked in the yard, with the chicks and chickens on her clothes on the ground. Several of the hens were scratching at the pocket of the girl's shorts to get to the feed."

Tony laughed as Ziva glared at him, "What? You thought the story about me and the ducks was funny, and you laughed at me. I can just picture a naked little Ziva standing in the yard of chickens."

The others laughed along with Nettie and Tony. The aunts told such great stories about little Tony and little Ziva.

Jimmy quipped, "So the moral of these stories is that the DiNozzo parents should not be left alone with fowl!" Another round of laughter erupted as Tony and Ziva both stood to clear dishes off the table and escape to the kitchen.

Chapter Text

Chapter 4 – Preparations for Chanukah – Sunday 18 December

Anthony watched his mother and Doda Raba peeling potatoes for the latkes. "Ima are we having latkes and applesauce?" the boy was hoping his Ima would respond positively to some of his favorite food.

"Yes, and Abba is going to make his version of latkes also. The ones with Italian parsley like he made last year," Ziva added at her son's frown. "Remember that Abba made the first night meal last year because LJ was still tiny."

Anthony nodded, "Will LJ eat the latkes tonight? Oh, and since Aunt Isabella is not Jewish, can she eat them too?"

Over at the table, where she was grating the peeled potatoes into a bowl of ice water, Isabella chuckled. "Anthony, latkes aren't just for Chanukah or for people of Jewish descent. My mother taught me how to make potato pancakes when I was about Tali's age."

"Wow, that must have been a long time ago!" the boy exclaimed with a grin.

"Anthony…" Ziva warned.

"No mind, Ziva; he is correct. It was a long time ago; almost eighty years," Isabella motioned for Anthony to come to the table. "Would you like to hear a story about your father and potato pancakes?"

Anthony nodded, "But let me get Tali so she can hear it too." He ran off to find his big sister to come hear the story about Abba.

Ziva and Nettie smiled at each other; everyone loved to hear the stories about little Tony. Anthony and Tali came into the kitchen, followed by the three little kids just as Tony came in from the garage with a medium-sized tote labeled 'Chanukah.'

"Where do you want me to put this, Zi?" he held out the tote.

Ziva pointed to the dining room, "On the sideboard for now is fine. We will need to get the menorah out and I am sure the children will want to play with the dreidels. Toda, neshama."

He walked up behind Ziva, "Done; when do I need to start heating the griddles?"

"Not until after we light the candles," she glanced at the clock on the wall ovens. "I hope the McGees are still coming. Dee sent me a text after lunch asking what time they should be here. I told her to be here around 1615 to 1630."

Asher ran to greet the McGee family at the front door as it opened. Ziva heard the dog and smiled at her husband. Asher led the new arrivals to the kitchen and flopped down by his food dish.

"Not yet Asher; 1700 is your dinner time," Ziva spoke to the dog. He looked up at his alpha person with such a sad expression that everyone laughed.

Isabella greeted the McGees, "Ooh, you are just in time to hear another story about Tonio." She turned to the DiNozzo kids, "Let's wait a minute for the others to find a seat to listen to the story."

Tim and Delilah hugged the aunts and Ziva, then settled over by Isabella to hear the story. Tony sat at the breakfast bar and rolled his eyes at his wife who just smirked.

"Tonio was five, maybe six, the year we decided to try making potato pancakes for part of a winter meal. The whole family was at my house; Vinnie brought chicken cutlets for the meat. Vinnie's wife, Anna, made a vegetable soup and an antipasto tray. I had boiled the potatoes earlier to let them cool enough for making the pancakes.

"Tonio watched the women in the kitchen from a stool at the breakfast counter. I always felt for him being the youngest by many years because the other children mostly ignored him. Anyhow, I used the ricer to make the potatoes into bits, we added eggs, grated parmesan cheese, and spices to the mix to from patties to fry. One of the spices added was dried oregano from my garden.

"Dori grew catnip for her two Siamese cats that summer and dried it for them to have. Somehow the catnip jar ended up on the counter. Vinnie called us into the living room to see something on the TV, so all the women left the kitchen. Tonio stayed behind.

"Now, I need to explain that the boy loved oregano; he would add extra to his pizza, to his lasagna, to his meatballs, to just about anything including scrambled eggs. He decided that the potato mix needed to have more oregano in it. He spotted a jar of dried spice that looked like oregano to him. He opened the jar and added probably close to a quarter of a cup of the spice to the mixture without anyone knowing.

"We made the potato pancakes and sat down at the table for the meal. Everyone commented on the potato pancakes being delicious and having an unidentified taste. I wasn't sure what had made for the taste as I did a mental check list of what spices I had added. Nobody could figure it out, but the potato pancakes just about disappeared with the rest of the meal.

"We got up to clear the table as the men went back to watching the ball game on the TV. Tonio sort of wandered between the dining room and the kitchen. When no one was in the dining room, Dori's cats got up on the table and helped themselves to the three potato pancakes that were left. They were rolling on the food when we came into the room!"

Ziva nudged her husband, "Did you put catnip in the mix?" He shrugged; he didn't remember this story.

Aunt Isabella looked over at Ziva, "Tonio, you have a smart wife! Yes, Ziva, he put the catnip in the potato mix. After I saw those two cats rolling on the food and acting crazy like they did when Dori gave them catnip, I checked the spices on the counter. The lid of the jar of catnip was loose. Tonio came into the kitchen as I was putting the lid back on tightly. He saw me with the jar and confessed that he had added some extra oregano to the mix."

The family started laughing as Isabella continued, "I told that poor boy that he had put catnip in the food, and he had this really strange look on his face. He got unusually quiet and then whispered to me, 'Aunt Isabella, does this mean we are going to roll on the floor and get crazy like those cats?' Elizabeth and Anna burst out laughing. I had to explain to him that catnip and oregano are in the same plant family and that catnip has a different effect on humans than it does on cats. He looked quite relieved that it wouldn't make him act crazy like those Siamese."

Even Tony laughed; he could so see one of his kids doing the same thing just because they were DiNozzo and David mixed. He glanced at his watch; it was time to light the candles. Ziva noticed him looking at his watch and nodded as he retrieved the menorah from the tote, and she took the new box of candles from the drawer in the kitchen.

"Come into the dining room everyone, it's time to light the menorah," Tony called to the others. He handed Tim and John kippahs as he and Anthony donned their own. Ziva and Delilah put their scarves over their hair. Nettie nodded in approval at the observance of traditions.

"Doda Nettie, would you like to say the Shehecheyanu? I will say the candle blessing and the general blessing to start," Ziva looked to her aunt, who nodded. Ziva lit the shamash and said the two blessings and passed the shamash to Nettie who recited the first night only blessing and lit the single candle.

The menorah was placed in the center of the table, safely away from little hands and Ziva, Nettie, and Tony headed to the kitchen to fry the latkes and warm the applesauce. Delilah warmed the chicken strips she brought in one of the ovens.

Tali came through the dining room and noticed the candles were not lit. "Ima, the candles went out, but they didn't burn all the way down like they are supposed to."

Ziva looked towards the dining room as Beth came to find Tali. "I wonder why the candles are not lit?" she mused out loud. She relit the shamash and then the first candle and turned to head back to the kitchen when she heard a whoosh of air.

"Elizabeth Shannon DiNozzo; what are you doing?"

"Blow out the candles, Ima, like a birfday cake!" the almost three-year-old grinned at her mother.

Ziva sighed, "Beth, these candles are not meant to be blown out. They are supposed to burn themselves down to represent the miracle of Chanukah. Remember the story of the oil lasting for eight days?"

"Uh huh," the little girl nodded her head.

"We let the candles burn to remember that miracle, so no blowing them out, okay?"

"Okay Ima! I won't do it again," the child skipped off to the playroom to continue the game the kids were playing.

Nettie was chuckling in the kitchen; Tony grinned at her.

"I feel a little Ziva story coming," he joked.

"Yes! Our little Beth is just like her Ima," Nettie smiled. "Shall I tell the story now or wait until everyone is at the table?"

"Oh, do wait! Everyone needs to hear it, not just me!"

Twenty minutes later, plates of fried latkes, with and without Italian parsley, the applesauce, with and without cinnamon, chicken strips, and sufganiyot were spread across the table. The candles were about half burned down; they normally lasted about an hour. After each person had their plate full of food, Nettie began telling the story of little Ziva and the Chanukah candles.

"Zivaleh was just two years old that particular Chanukah. I was staying with Rivka for the holiday; I had just finished my studies at university for the term. We lit the candles for the fifth night; Rivka and I went to prepare dinner. Ziva was playing with some toys quietly in the living room.

"Rivka went to check on Ziva while I was frying some latkes for the three of us and noticed that the menorah candles were not lit. She moved closer and saw that all six had gone out well before they burned down, so she relit them. She checked that Ziva was still occupied with her toys and came back to the kitchen.

"We heard a noise from the living room, and Rivka ran to check on Ziva, thinking that the child may have climbed up on something and fallen or knocked something over. As she passed by the window with the menorah, she noticed that the candles were again unlit. She continued to the living room to check on Ziva. The little girl had dropped some books on the floor but was unhurt.

"Rivka relit the candles on the way back to the kitchen and checked for unusual drafts that might be the cause of the extinguished candles. No drafts, no obvious reason why the candles had gone out. She came back to the kitchen to help me put the food on plates for us to eat. We heard a noise in the room with the menorah. Rivka and I moved quietly to the doorway.

"Ziva was on a chair, trying to blow out the candles! Mystery solved. Rivka quickly got the child off the chair and told her to leave the candles be. 'Sameach! Sameach!' Ziva thought the candles were like the ones on her birthday cake the month before. Rivka tried to explain to her the difference, but we were not sure she understood. After all, the child was just barely two years old."

Tony winked at Ziva, "So our kid comes by this honestly…"

"Just like they get their mischief from you," Ziva shot back to laughter from the others.

Nettie finished the story, "Well, as we were eating, Ziva looked up from her plate. She then recited the entire candle blessing and the general blessing verbatim as her Ima and I sat there with our mouths hanging open. That was one of the very first signs we had of Ziva's intelligence. Rivka made me swear not to tell Eli."

Tony remembered something as the others laughed at the story, "When I met you when you were three and a half, you were already reading Hebrew and English. When did you start reading?'

Ziva shrugged, "I do not remember. To me it is that I have always been able to read. Doda Nettie, do you remember?"

Nettie nodded, "I believe you learned to read Hebrew about three months after that Chanukah. I do know that by the following Chanukah, when you were three, you asked for books in English to learn how to read them."

"Wow! And I thought Tonio reading a month after his fourth birthday was impressive," Aunt Isabella spoke to Nettie. "These children have two very intelligent parents; no wonder they are also bright and learn easily."

Tim looked over at Tony, "Aha! I knew that dumb jock schtick was all a front! BUSTED!"

Chapter Text

Chapter 5 – School's Out – Tuesday 20 December

"Yaaaaaaaayyyyy!" Anthony yelled as he ran all the way down the driveway from the school bus to the front door while Ziva and Tali walked behind him. "No more school until next year!"

Tali laughed at her brother, "He's like Abba sometimes." She turned to her mother, "Ima, Mrs. Greene liked the cookies and the basket of supplies. She said to tell you thanks."

"Good, I hope Anthony's teacher liked her cookies and school supplies basket as well," Ziva nodded. She'd purchased white board markers, sticky notes, red pens, and other classroom supplies for each teacher and filled a large basket for a holiday gift. A tin of holiday cookies also went to each one.

Anthony opened the front door to go inside and left it open for his mother and sister. Asher poked his nose out the door and spotted a squirrel in one of the trees by the driveway. He took off like the retired racing greyhound he was after the rodent.

"Asher!" Ziva called to the dog who was now in hot pursuit of the intruder into his yard. "ASHER!" She ran after the wayward pup as Tali headed inside the house. Ziva looked back over her shoulder, "Close the door so the cats do not get out please."

Asher was now in the next-door neighbor's yard barking at the squirrel in a maple tree. The squirrel was scolding the dog in reply. Asher ran around the tree trying to get to the rodent.

"Asher DiNozzo, get over here." Ziva almost laughed at herself, talking to the dog as if he were one of the children, or her big kid. Asher looked over at his alpha person; he barked and leapt towards the tree to try to get the squirrel. "Asher! Sit." The dog finally listened to Ziva and put his haunches on the ground. "Good boy," Ziva grabbed hold of his martingale collar to lead him back to the house.

As the two were walking back to the DiNozzo driveway one of the neighbors passed by with her Border collie, Daisy, on a leash. The family had two boys close in age to Anthony. Asher and Daisy sniffed each other and sat while their humans chatted.

"We have a house full, but if the boys want to come over to play this week, they are always welcome," Ziva extended an invitation to the boys.

"Thanks, I may send them over if they get too rowdy. I'm working from home the rest of the week since they are out of school," the other woman explained. "Asher run out?"

Ziva nodded, "Yes, he spotted a squirrel in the pine trees by the driveway. Anthony forgot to close the front door. I am so glad we took the dog to obedience training in September. He stopped when I told him to 'sit.' His training was worth the money."

The other woman agreed, "When Daisy ran after the Johnson's cat, I don't know what I would have done if Tony hadn't helped me catch her. I didn't realize she was so fast."

"You can send her over with the boys if you want; she and Asher can run in our back yard," Ziva grinned. "Dogs and children can get rid of some excess energy that way!"

"Sounds good; I'll text you in the morning and we can arrange a time," the woman waved as she and Daisy headed home.

Ziva and Asher trotted to the front door, "It seems that you have a play date, Mr. Asher. Let us go inside." She opened the front door, and the dog ran to the kitchen where the aunts were giving snacks to the five kids.

Ziva gave the greyhound a peanut butter, pumpkin, and dried beef treat shaped like a bone from the specialty dog store. Tony had found the store on a detour one afternoon when the main highway he used to get to work was shut down due to a vehicle fire. The woman who owned the store had three retired racing greyhounds; she named her store Three Dogs and a Chick. The name is what had first caught Tony's attention as he sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the alternate route. Figuring that he was going nowhere fast, he turned into the parking lot and explored the store. He came home with a bag of treats for Asher.

"Brent and Josiah are coming over to play tomorrow and bringing Daisy," she informed the kids. "They live across the street. Their family has the Border collie," she explained to the aunts. "Brent is in the first grade and Josiah is in kindergarten with Anthony. They are in the same class."

Isabella smiled, "It's always good to have friends where you live and at school. Will the McGee children go to the same school?" She knew the family lived nearby, so attending the same schools was a likely possibility.

"Yes; they will be a grade behind Anthony."

"That's good; poor Tonio didn't have friends where he lived and from what I've heard, not many at school either," the older woman shook her head with sadness for her nephew. "That boy had no one except for himself for so long. But enough sadness, I am so glad he has you, Ziva." She took Ziva's hand in hers. "You are probably the best thing that's ever happened to my nephew."

Ziva blushed, "Grazie. I think I can agree with that and he is the best thing that has come into my life ever. We saved each other in many ways."

"That you have," Nettie agreed wholeheartedly with her niece, knowing much of how the story of the two had unfolded over the years.

"Ima," Rivka tugged at her mother's shirt. "I want more snack." At her Ima's expression, she quickly added, "Please?"

"One more cookie each," Ziva walked to the cookie jar on the counter followed by the five kids and Asher.

Nettie turned to Isabella and spoke quietly, "I will tell you more of their story tonight when we have our chat before going to sleep."

"I will look forward to it," Isabella patted her new friend's hand. "Thank you."

~Mayhem~

The three women were enjoying a cup of tea and talk at the breakfast nook table while Tony finished reading a bedtime story to the three girls. LJ and Anthony were already tucked in for the night after story time with Ziva.

"Come sit, Ziva," Nettie patted the seat of the chair next to her. "Relax for a minute."

Ziva sat with the aunts and sipped her tea. "I hope you are enjoying your visit," she looked at the two older women. "Our house can get very crazy at times and I hope that the children are not wearing on you."

"Never!" Aunt Isabella smiled at Ziva. "They keep me young. It has been a long time since I have been around so many active little ones. Your five are like a breath of fresh air."

Doda Nettie placed a hand over her niece's, "You do not ever have to apologize for your children being children. I am enjoying every minute of this visit!"

"Toda, Doda. If you do need a moment of quiet, just know that I understand completely," Ziva grinned at the aunts. "My school classes and one day per week at the office help me keep my sanity. Do not misunderstand; I love my children, and my big child dearly, but I have learned that I must also make time for myself and my own well-being."

"I have a question for you," Nettie made eye contact with her niece. "I hope it is not too personal or intrusive…"

"Ask your question; if I do not want to answer I will say so," Ziva replied.

"I was just wondering if Tony is the boy you met when you were three? The American boy that you always talked about as though he were your knight in shiny armor," Nettie had wondered in 2019 when the four DiNozzos came to Israel for Schmeil's funeral and celebration of life. She'd not asked because the time just didn't seem quite right.

Ziva laughed, "You have a good memory Doda. Yes, he is that boy from so long ago. It took us about three months of working together before we realized. We seemed to have a connection that neither of us could explain from the first time I set foot in the NCIS squad room."

"I must hear more of this story!" Aunt Isabella exclaimed as Tony came into the kitchen. "How did you meet when you were children? Where?"

"Business trip with my father; I was almost fifteen. We stopped in Israel so he could broker a land deal with a 'big wig' in Mossad. I babysat Ziva for the better part of a day while her father and mine worked out the details. We went to the beach at Haifa," Tony winked at Ziva as both remembered the day.

"Abba bought the property in Chile that day," Ziva added. She squeezed Tony's hand as their gazes met; both were remembering another trip to Haifa in 2012, and a third in the summer of 2013 before Tony went back to DC. Those trips would not be told about in detail to the aunts!

Nettie nodded, "I remember him telling Rivka that he purchased the land. I think he told her that he was going to use the property as an investment for the future. Ziva talked about her American boy all the time. She would say that he was going to come find her and take her to America to her friends and they would laugh at her and tell her that he was just an imaginary friend. She stopped mentioning him to anyone but me or her sister."

"Oh, he is real," Ziva laughed as she wrapped her arms around her husband and placed a light kiss on his lips. "And I love him…" She released her hug and carried her tea mug to the dishwasher.

"Ladies, we are going to say goodnight. As I said at dinner, I will be working from home tomorrow and Thursday, so I must get up in the morning while the rest of the house can sleep in. See you tomorrow," Tony hugged Aunt Isabella and Doda Nettie.

"Laila tov."

"Buona notte, Tonio and Ziva."

The two older women watched the couple walk to the hallway to the master suite. Isabella winked at Nettie.

"That boy has never been subtle about anything; you saw the way they looked at each other. I would bet my last dime that they are not going to sleep any time soon," she joked.

Nettie nodded in agreement, "Practicing baby-making for sure…" She carried the two empty tea mugs to the dishwasher and followed her new friend to the bedrooms they were using, closing lights as she passed each wall switch.

"Now, about the story of how these two got to where they are today…" Nettie made herself comfortable in the armchair in Anthony's room as Isabella sat on the bed and began to tell the story as she knew it. It was well after three in the morning when the two finally fell asleep.

Chapter Text

Chapter 6 – Family Time – Thursday 22 December

Tony ended his phone call and logged off the FLETC secure account. He pushed his chair back from his desk and sighed a happy sigh. Ziva heard him from her office where she had just finished a translation of an interview with a suspect in a murder investigation. She clicked send on the email to send the file to her supervisor and logged out of the NCIS account.

"I am done; no more work until next year!" Tony grinned at his wife. "Free for almost two weeks." Ziva was reminded of Anthony's gleeful run down the driveway two days earlier. Like father, like son.

"Well, I am done with work until January as well," she retorted. "We can enjoy time with the aunts and with all of our extended family. I am glad we invited Doda Nettie and Aunt Isabella to share the holidays with us this year."

"Ditto, but I'm worried about the stories," Tony frowned. "You all seem to get a good laugh out of Aunt Isabella's stories though."

Ziva smirked, "That we do. And you get just as much enjoyment out of Doda Nettie's stories. Oh, can you just imagine the aunts and Ducky getting going on telling stories?"

"We'd all be sleeping and those three would be going on into the wee hours of the morning without batting an eye," Tony smiled at the memories of the old doctor.

The couple walked the hallway from their offices to the main part of the house; the aunts and children were in the kitchen preparing dinner. Nettie was showing the twins how to cut the biscuits from the rolled dough; Anthony had the rolling pin in hand and was wearing a good bit of flour on his clothing. Tali was helping Isabella roll the ground beef into balls, placing them in a baking dish, and flattening them slightly to make thick mini patties. LJ was playing quietly on the floor under the table in the breakfast nook with Asher keeping an eye on the baby.

Ziva paused to observe her children with the older generation, "I know Tali and Anthony have some good memories of their Doda Nettie and Aunt Isabella from this visit. I hope Riv and Beth will as well. I am afraid LJ is too young to have many memories that last into the years ahead."

"I know my memories with Aunt Isabella and Uncle Angelo are lasting, although some of the stories are new to me," Tony responded quietly. "These two aunts are the closest thing the kids have to grandmothers, you know."

"I had not thought about it that way, but you are correct. We should make sure to take many pictures of them together. Photographs help keep memories alive, yes?" Ziva leaned into her husband as the pair watched their offspring and their aunts.

"Uh huh," Tony took his phone from his pocket and snapped several pictures.

"Instead of standing there taking pictures, you should be helping, Tonio," Aunt Isabella scolded with a teasing tone in her voice. "The table needs to be set for fourteen, if I counted correctly."

"Thirteen," Ziva replied, "Gibbs is not coming. He and Abby are going to do the grocery shopping for Sunday's dinner tonight. With many people taking a day off for the Christmas holiday tomorrow, they want to get ahead of the crowds in the stores."

"So just us and the McFamily?" Tony asked as he counted forks from the flatware drawer.

Ziva nodded, "That is correct; oh, and remember that tonight is your night for lighting the candles and saying the blessings."

Anthony stopped rolling the last bit of dough to be cut into biscuits, "I thought tonight is my turn to say the blessings and light the candles, Ima. You said I could have my first ever turn this week."

"Night five is your night," Ziva mentally counted the nights so far. "Oh, it is night five tonight! So, yes, it is your turn, Anthony." The boy grinned at his Ima; he had been practicing the two blessings with Doda Nettie and Tali during the day in anticipation of lighting the menorah that night. Ziva looked at her husband, "Night seven is yours then. Doda Nettie will say the blessings and the Shabbat blessings tomorrow night."

"Who gets night eight?"

Rivka looked up from cutting biscuit shapes, "Uncle Tim!"

Everyone looked at the little girl who pointed her flour-covered hand to the kitchen doorway, "Uncle Tim."

"What about me?" Tim waved from the doorway at the faces that greeted him.

"Riv volunteered you to say the Chanukah blessings on Sunday night," Tony snickered.

Tim swallowed hard, "Um, me? At Gibbs' house with the whole family there? NO WAY, Tony!"

"No way what?" Delilah rolled up behind her husband. "The kids are hanging their coats on the hooks."

Ziva chuckled, "Poor Tim thought he was going to have to say the Chanukah blessings on Sunday at Gibbs' house." She patted Tim's cheek, his mouth still hanging open in silent protest. "I am sure you could learn if you want. Tony learned all three blessings…"

"Hey!" Tony waved the fistful of knives and forks in his left hand as he slid into Ziva's personal space and stared into her eyes. "I have the sharp implements…" He grinned wickedly and continued to lock his gaze with his wife's.

Ziva burst into laughter, followed by the others and finally Tony. "It is too easy to catch your goat, mon petit pois," she pecked him on the lips. "But I love you just the same."

John tugged at Aunt Isabella's apron, "Aunt Isabella, what's for dinner? I'm hungry!"

"Are you sure you aren't a DiNozzo?" the old woman smiled at the boy. "We are having biscuit and hamburger sliders with or without cheese and extras like tomato or onion slices. We also have pickle slices, ketchup, mustard, relish, sliced olives, and lettuce that you can add."

"Yummy," John and Tim replied at the same time.

Delilah grinned at her two boys; John and Tim gave Tony and Anthony a good competition when it came to eating just about any foods. It still seemed weird for the McGees to be calling the aunts Aunt Isabella and Doda Nettie, but the two older women had insisted. As Nettie explained to Dee, the McGees were family and family didn't stand on formalities.

"Well, I hope you made a lot of biscuits and burgers for this bunch. You've seen the boys, big and small, eat," Dee joked with Nettie and Isabella. "Tim and Tony may not be blood relatives, but they ought to be the way they are so alike with food!"

Nettie chuckled, "Those men and boys can eat a lot of food. We have forty-five biscuits and forty-four burgers. I sure hope that is enough for this bunch."

Anthony was listening to the conversations, "I can eat four all by myself."

"I can eat as many as Anthony," John boasted.

"One at a time, cucciolo," Isabella tousled John's hair and grinned at him.

"You as well, motek," Nettie tousled Anthony's hair.

Plates of burgers, biscuits, and toppings were set at each end of the table. Ziva called everyone to come to the table and handed the shamash candle to Anthony.

"Are you ready?" she asked her son.

Anthony nodded as Ziva lit the candle. He recited the blessings perfectly and then lit the five candles on the menorah in the correct order. As Tony moved the tree of life menorah to the center of the table, Anthony grinned like a Cheshire cat. Doda Nettie hugged him tightly and congratulated him on saying the blessings correctly.

An hour later, the candles were just about burned down, and the only food left on the table was one biscuit. Tony and Tim had each downed six of the miniburgers with toppings; Anthony had five, and John managed to eat four. Even LJ consumed two of the miniburgers and biscuits. Although he didn't have any toppings, he did have a slice of cheese and a piece of tomato on the side as well as a handful of sliced olives. The baby tried the sliced pickle but made a face at the taste that had everyone laughing.

"If anyone leaves this table hungry, it is their own fault," Tim commented as he loosened his belt. "That was delicious, Aunt Isabella and Doda Nettie. Thank you."

Ziva spoke to Tali, "You can get the dreidels. Then you and the other children can play the dreidel games with Aunt Isabella and Doda Nettie. Abba, Uncle Tim, Aunt Dee, and I will clean up from dinner."

"Should we use the jar of pennies or the chocolate gelt, Ima?" Tali set the bag of dreidels on the table.

Tony responded instead of Ziva, who was carrying a pile of plates to the kitchen, "Use the pennies to play and then when we have room for dessert and chocolate, each one can exchange pennies for candy. Deal?"

The kids gave him thumbs' up signs; LJ mimicked the others and grinned when he saw the dreidels. Tony had just wiped the kid down from dinner and set him on the floor. The baby toddled over to Doda Nettie and raised his arms to be picked up. She set him in her lap as the dreidel games started.

In the kitchen, Tim volunteered to wash the pans from the meat by hand as Ziva and Delilah loaded the dishwasher. Tony rinsed the cloth he used to clean up LJ in the sink and then rinsed the hand-washed items and set them to dry in the drainer.

"LJ was not too messy tonight; either he is getting better at getting the food in his mouth or…"

Tim snorted, "He's a DiNozzo, the food is going in the mouth!"

"Just you wait; the day will come when that kid outeats us all. He's in the ninety-fifth percentile for height and weight for his age," Tony retorted. "He's gonna be a big-un."

The joking in the kitchen was interrupted by a yell from the dining room, "Rivka, shin is share. You hafta give some of your gelt from the kitty to another person. Don't take mine!"

"Dat's not shin," the little girl protested to her older brother.

"Well, none of the letters are for take the way we play. Shin is for share; nun is for nothing, gimel means give, and hay is for half," Anthony reminded his sister. "You don't take my gelt." The sound of a hand striking flesh was heard by all as Anthony slapped his sister's hand away from his pile of pennies.

"Eeee-maaa, Anthony's being mean," Rivka started crying and pouting. She got out of her chair and ran to the family room, flinging herself into Tony's recliner.

"Rivka's being a jerk," Anthony snapped.

Ziva sighed and she and Tony walked into the dining room. She turned to her husband, "Rivka or Anthony?"

"I'll take Riv," he replied and headed towards the family room.

Ziva motioned for Anthony to follow her to the kitchen, "The rest of you can keep playing the game. Anthony and Rivka will be dealt with. Please leave their piles alone."

In the kitchen, Ziva pointed to the breakfast nook table, "Five minutes in time-out. Then we will talk about why you should not hit your sister." Anthony slouched in the chair and scowled at the floor.

Tim and Delilah went to the dining room to join the dreidel games with the others. Ziva watched as the timer on the microwave counted down the five minutes. Anthony continued to scowl at the floor. When time was up, Ziva sat next to the boy and gently lifted his chin to get him to look at her.

"Motek, do you understand why you had time-out?" she asked quietly.

"Uh huh, I hit Riv, so I had to sit in time-out. But, Ima, she was being stupid and trying to take my gelt."

Ziva nodded, "I understand that your sister was not playing by the rules, and Abba will take care of that part. Even though she was trying to take your pile of pennies, you still should not hit her. Hitting people is not the way to settle a disagreement."

"But Ima…"

"Think about what you should have done instead," Ziva tried to get the boy to focus on his behavior that needed correcting.

Anthony thought a minute, "I could have asked a grown-up to stop her from taking my pennies. Aunt Isabella and Doda Nettie were right there and you and Abba were in the kitchen. I guess that I shouldn't have slapped her hand even though she had some of my pennies."

"That is good thinking. Asking an adult to help you solve a conflict is a good idea. You may return to play dreidel with the others now," Ziva hugged her child and sent him to the dining room.

In the family room, Tony watched silently as Rivka kicked the back of his recliner and muttered to herself, "Bad Anthony. Mean Anthony. Not nice Anthony." He waited until she stopped her crying and kicking before moving next to her.

"Hey," he spoke softly. "What was that all about?"

"Anthony is bad and mean. He hitted me," the little girl explained.

"And did you do anything to him?"

Rivka paused, "Well, no… um, maybe…"

Tony waited and when she didn't continue, he spoke again, "Like maybe you tried to take his pile of pennies?"

"Um… no, yes, Abba," the child hung her head. "But the dreidel said I could."

"Sorry, but the way we play the game, no one takes, Rivka. If you misunderstood, that's one thing, but if you just decided to change the rules because you wanted to, that's wrong. You can't do that in the middle of the game," Tony explained.

"I wanted to take. Anthony had a huge pile and it's not fair," she whined slightly.

"Life isn't always fair, kiddo. Sometimes you get less than the others. Here's what you are going to do," he replied to the child. "I want you to apologize to Anthony and the others for changing the rules. Then you may play again, but no more making up your own rules. Okay?"

"Yes, Abba. Me sorry."

Rivka and Tony joined the rest of the family in the dining room. Riv apologized to all for making her own rule and to Anthony for trying to take his pile of gelt. Anthony apologized to his sister for hitting her. The family then continued playing the game.

"They are so like their mother," Nettie mentioned as she had her turn to spin the dreidel. "When Ziva was in her first year of school, the children had a holiday party for Purim. They were drawing pictures and sharing crayons and colored pencils. One of the boys sitting next to Ziva wanted the pencil she was using and grabbed it from her hand. Ziva punched that boy so hard she knocked out a tooth. Luckily, it was not a permanent tooth. Rivka was beside herself that Ziva would hit another child. When Ziva explained that her Abba showed her how to fight, Rivka nearly went off the train tracks. Poor Ziva was punished by the school, by her mother, and by Eli. I felt sorry for her but had to keep my opinion to myself."

Tony winked at Ziva, "And then there was Schmuel Rubenstein… his only crime was saying that he liked Ziva. Didn't you knock him out, sweet cheeks?"

"Wait, you knocked out another kid, Ima?" Tali was surprised.

Ziva nodded, "Unfortunately, yes I did. I was a bit of a strapper in those days."

"Scrapper," Tony and Tim corrected simultaneously.

"But, enough about hitting people or using one's fists to settle a dispute. It is not the way to behave at all. Who wants dessert? We have cookies or ice cream," Ziva looked around at the family. All of them were nodding as they eagerly anticipated the dessert of cookies and ice cream.

Chapter Text

Chapter 7 – Christmas Eve – Saturday 24 December

Nettie and Isabella were in the two rooms they were using, while the children were all resting or napping to be able to stay up that night to watch It's a Wonderful Life with the family. The two aunts were also 'resting' if you asked the kids but were secretly wrapping Christmas gifts for the whole family. It started into a major project when Isabella showed Nettie the matching hat and mitten sets that she'd knitted for the five DiNozzo children. She had brought her knitting needles, yarn stash, and pattern books so that she could knit sets for the adults as well.

Nettie noticed plenty of left-over yarn in the colors Isabella used and asked if she could crochet matching scarves for everyone. That then snowballed into sets for the McGees, the Palmers, Clay, Ellie, and Gibbs. Nettie had also crocheted a shawl for her new friend and Isabella had made a hat and mittens for Nettie. While the older woman knew that her new friend would probably not need the warm coverings in Israel, she figured that she might need them while visiting in the US.

"I think the wrapping paper with the princess-theme should be for the girls," Isabella announced as she looked over the assorted rolls of paper Ziva had given the aunts to use. "And I like the one with the trucks and trains for the boys. What do you think?"

Nettie nodded, "Yes, I agree. You can write their names in English and I will write the Hebrew version of the names on the tags. We will give them a lesson in languages."

"Ooh, great idea. I will also write 'Merry Christmas' in Italian as well as English and you can write the Hebrew," Isabella grinned at her friend and the two shared a high-five.

Nettie held up some dark blue paper with shiny silver stars on it, "For Ziva and maybe the other adults." Isabella nodded her agreement but then found a roll of silver foil paper with shiny blue stars.

"How about the silver with blue stars for the women, and the blue with silver stars for the men?"

"That will do," Nettie started wrapping the sets for the girls as Isabella wrapped the sets for the boys, making sure to label each one immediately so that the correct colors were given to each person. Red for Beth, blue for Rivka, purple for Tali, pink for Katie, and green for Tori. The boys had orange for Anthony, blue for John, brown for Charles, and a bright green with a lion's face design on the backs of the hands for LJ.

Nettie picked up a large item wondering what it was. Isabella grinned at the other woman.

"A dog sweater for Asher; I read somewhere that greyhounds need to have some sort of covering to stay warm in colder weather because their bodies don't regulate their temperature well. I thought that red would go well with his colors."

"It is beautiful, Isabella. I am sure he will love it. I have a confession," Nettie exclaimed. "I made blankets for the cats." She held up the two squares, just the right size for a napping feline, to show her friend.

The two finished their gift-wrapping about the same time as the kids started getting up from naps. Nettie wrapped Isabella's shawl while the older woman was in the bathroom. Isabella wrapped Nettie's hat and mittens while the Israeli was getting them refills for their tea mugs.

~Mayhem~

"Outside!" Ziva pointed to the sliding door to the back deck as she tried to corral the nine kids and one dog running through the house. "Today is a sunny day and it is not too cold. Put on your jackets and run around in the back yard please." She checked LJ's diaper and then bundled the little boy in his winter jacket with a hood. Dee checked that jackets were zipped for Charles Palmer, the DiNozzo twins, and her own twins as Tony slipped the fleece dog coat on Asher.

Jimmy pulled on his coat and offered to watch over the kids outside. "Let's go everyone! We can play follow the leader or tag, or whatever you want." The nine children ran out into the yard with Asher running along with them. LJ waited for Jimmy to help him down the steps into the yard and then ran after the other kids with a huge grin on his face.

"Finally, some quiet," Ziva sighed. "Let them run off the excess energy outside instead of inside."

Isabella chuckled and nodded, "I wish we could borrow some of that energy. They are all so active, but I know they have fun as well. It's great that the children are all close in age."

"Having cousins is the best; well next to having siblings," Breena reflected. "Stevie and I were inseparable as kids and our cousins lived close by."

Ziva watched Tony as the conversation turned to the benefits of having siblings and cousins close in age to one's self. She could see him listening quietly to the others as they talked about their siblings. While Tim's sister Sarah was quite a bit younger, he still had a sibling. Of the six of their generation, only Tony had never known what it was like to have a sister or brother.

"Yeah, my sister has always been my best friend," Dee added with a smile.

Tony got up to go to the kitchen; Ziva followed him to make sure he was okay.

"Hey," she put her hand on his arm as he stood by the counter next to the refrigerator, seemingly lost in thought. "Is the talk about siblings bothering you?"

He nodded, "A little. My cousins were so much older than me, and, well, you know about my sister…" He sighed heavily and shrugged. "It's not the same having brothers and sisters as an adult. Don't get me wrong, I love Tim, Jimmy, Dee, and Breena, but…" He trailed off as Ziva wrapped her arms around him.

Their moment was cut short by Jimmy bringing two crying kids inside. Charles had a visible bump on his head and John had a bloody lip.

"They collided," Jimmy explained to the others. "Do you have some ice?"

"Even better," Tony opened the freezer. "How about some ice packs?" He placed a pack in each of the two dish towels that Ziva grabbed from the drawer by the sink and handed one to each boy. Jimmy helped the two kids get the packs in the correct places to help with the injuries.

Jimmy checked John's lip, "He'll be okay. The cut is small enough that he doesn't need stitches. It'll probably be a bit sore for a few days." He showed Delilah and Tim the puncture wound from John's tooth.

Next, he checked Charles' head, "He's gonna have a big ol' knot on his head for a few days. Probably will turn colors from the bruising." Breena helped her son with his ice pack and comforted him.

"ABBA!" Anthony ran inside calling for his father. "Come quick. LJ is stuck!"

Tony and Ziva shared a look and ran to the family room. Anthony was pointing to the back corner of the yard where the crown-of-thorns bushes planted by the previous owner were in a raised bed. Asher was alternating barking and sniffing at the baby. Tali and Tori were trying to lift the little one without success.

Ziva quickly ran to her office to get one of her knives as Tony pulled on his winter jacket and followed Anthony to the back of the yard.

"He's stuck, Abba," Tali shrugged in frustration. "We tried to lift him out of the thorns, but his jacket is hooked on them."

Tori tugged at the sleeve of LJ's jacket, "Yeah, he's really hooked good. It's got him big time. Is my brother okay?"

"Charles has a bump on his head, but your dad says he'll be fine; John's lip is gonna be swollen and tender for a few days, but he is okay as well," Tony replied as he checked how LJ's jacket was caught in the crown-of-thorns.

"LJ climbed up in there even after we told him not to," Katie explained to her uncle as Ziva approached the group.

Beth looked worried, "Is he gonna be okay, Abba? He got stucked all by himself."

"The thorns on these bushes have tiny hooks on the ends of them so when they get caught on clothing, or skin, the hooks make it hard to get free," Ziva explained to the girls and Anthony. "How many thorns do you see in his jacket?" she asked her husband.

"I count at least a dozen." Tony was trying not to tear the jacket as he gently moved LJ to determine the number of places where the jacket was caught on thorns. "You got your knife?"

She held up the knife in its sheath, "This one will cut through the stems and thorns if we need."

Rivka looked at the knife her Ima was holding, "Cool knife, Ima. Can I have one like that some day?"

"When you are older," Ziva replied as she cut a thorn freeing one of the points of capture. She looked at Tony, "This will take a very long time if I have to cut them one at a time with LJ still in the jacket."

"How about I take him out of it and then you can cut the jacket free?"

"That should work better." Ziva backed off with the knife as Tony unzipped LJ's jacket and slowly freed the baby from the piece of clothing. He carefully lifted his little boy to avoid catching any more clothing in the thorns.

"Okay, he's free," Tony motioned to the other kids to follow him inside as he carried LJ to the deck. Ziva quickly cut the remaining sixteen thorns with her knife to free the jacket.

Once inside, Nettie and Isabella helped the kids remove jackets while Tony took LJ to his room to change his diaper and check for thorns in his pants legs.

Ziva came inside with the jacket; she put it in the laundry room to work on removing the thorns from the fabric at a later time. She sighed as she returned to the family room.

"I have been meaning to get those bushes removed," she commented to her Doda. "I procrastinated because of the raised beds. I did not think any of the children would climb up there."

"Boys will be boys," Isabella joked. "He takes after his father."

Tim smirked and quipped, "Ooh, ooh, another little Tony story!" The others gathered around as Isabella told of Tony's run-in with thorns.

Tony came back with LJ and saw the family gathered around Aunt Isabella. He guessed correctly that she was telling another story about him as a boy.

"Tonio was too little to climb the maple and oak trees with the older boys. I think he was about three, maybe four at the time. He spotted the hawthorn tree in the back of Vinnie's yard. The tree had branches lower to the ground and wasn't as tall as the maples and oaks. Tonio climbed into the branches not realizing that the limbs had thorns on them. When he tried to climb down, his pants and shirt got caught on the thorns and he couldn't move.

"The older boys didn't realize that he was in the hawthorn and came inside to get something to eat for an afternoon snack. Poor Tonio was stuck in the hawthorn and all alone in the yard. Since the tree was in one of the back corners, no one could hear him calling for help. He must have been stuck there for almost an hour before anyone realized that no one had seen the boy in a while. We looked all around the house including in the bedrooms, thinking he may have fallen asleep somewhere.

"Vinnie Junior decided to look outside since that was the last place anyone remembered seeing Tonio. He heard the boy's cries for help and alerted the family. Vinnie had to get the branch lopper out of the garage and cut the boy out of the hawthorn tree. Tonio was so scared he wet himself and he was embarrassed so much when he was finally free that he ran inside and shut himself in the guest bedroom.

"The door didn't have a lock, but somehow it got jammed and couldn't be opened from the hallway. The men tried pushing on the door and using a crowbar to get the latch unstuck. By then Tonio was crying pitifully and Elizabeth was worried sick about him. Anthony Senior was shaking his head and saying that boy was just a magnet for trouble. Angelo finally had enough and told his brother to shut up or be shut up. It almost came to blows before Elizabeth stepped between them telling the two men that fighting wasn't helping poor Tonio."

Tony put his head in his hands and sighed softly. Ziva patted his thigh in sympathy, "You must have been terrified…" He nodded recalling the feeling of being trapped in the small room with a single window.

"After several tries to get the door opened, Vinnie got the extension ladder out of the garage and set it by the window to the room. Vinnie Junior managed to climb in the window. His father handed him a hammer and rod to take the pins out of the hinges on the door. When Tonio was finally freed, all he wanted to do was go home. I don't blame the kid one bit. Anthony Senior didn't want to leave just yet, so Elizabeth drove their car home with Tonio."

Everyone looked over at Tony with sympathy. He shrugged at the group, "What can I say? I was scared, wet, and embarrassed. All I wanted was to be at home so I could hide. I was good at getting myself into a pickle." Nettie looked confused at the idiom, so he further explained for her sake, "I got into the weirdest troubles sometimes."

"Oh, just like Zivaleh!" she grinned. "You two must have been cut from the same cloth." She noticed the children giving her confused looks. "They are so alike that they should have the same origins."

"Oh!" Tali and Anthony exclaimed together as Tim and Jimmy laughed out loud.

"The understatement of the century," Tim joked to the laughter of all the adults.

Tony and Ziva both stood up as Ziva announced that it was almost time to light the menorah and get dinner ready. They looked at each other and grinned with silent acknowledgement that yet again the two had acted as one.

"Great minds," he whispered to her as the couple entered the kitchen.

"Always!" Ziva handed her husband the candles for the menorah and checked on the soups in the three crockpots. Her soup was a lentil and vegetables mix to which she also added barley; Breena brought a creamy chicken, rice, and vegetable soup and Delilah made 'loaded' baked potato soup. Isabella had made several loaves of Italian bread earlier in the day to have with the soups.

Rivka and Anthony set the table for the family meal putting spoons at everyone's place and knives for butter at the adults' places. Tim helped by getting a stack of soup bowls and small plates for bread set out on the counter by the food as Nettie and Delilah sliced the bread.

"Time for the candle-lighting," Tony called out for everyone to come to the dining room. Once the family gathered, the men and boys except LJ had donned kippahs, and the women had covered their hair with scarves, Tony lit the shamash. He recited the blessings and lit the seven candles in the menorah. He moved the tree of life menorah to the center of the table as the others went to the kitchen to get food.

~Mayhem~

After dinner and clean-up, the family played dreidel games for about an hour. Tim and Doda Nettie had the most gelt when they stopped playing. Tony wanted to start the film around 2000 since he wanted to allow for the two-hour plus running time to include a break about half-way for hot chocolate and cookies.

He loaded the DVD while the family got comfortable in the family room. As they settled down, he stood with the remote in his hand ready to start press play.

"Welcome to the DiNozzo family tradition of watching It's a Wonderful Life on Christmas Eve. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the story," he pressed the play button and sat next to Ziva on the loveseat. She snuggled into him. LJ was in Aunt Isabella's lap in the recliner. Doda Nettie had Rivka, Beth, Charles, and Katie on the smaller sofa. John and Anthony were on the two large floor pillows. Tali and Tori sat together on a beanbag.

At 2105, Tony paused the playback. Ziva, Breena, Delilah, and Doda Nettie prepared the hot chocolate and put cookies on trays to bring out to the family room. With their snacks available, everyone resettled in the family room and Tony resumed the film.

By the time the end credits rolled, the kids who weren't already asleep were close to it. The Palmers and McGees headed home while the DiNozzo parents got their five in bed. Nettie and Isabella put their wrapped gifts out under the Christmas tree before heading to sleep themselves. Tony and Ziva were the last to head to bed; their usual late-night, last minute gift wrapping kept them up until about 0130.

The last of the gifts for the family in the household had been placed under the tree. Tony pulled Ziva to him and pointed upward, "Mistletoe!" The couple locked lips and then headed to the master bedroom to catch some sleep before the kids woke them in excitement.

Chapter Text

Chapter 8 – It's Christmas – Sunday 25 December

"Good morning, Ziva," Isabella entered the kitchen to make her morning tea. She did not expect to see the younger woman in the kitchen at 0530.

Ziva turned from the pan of lasagna that she was assembling for dinner later at Gibbs' house. "Good morning and Merry Christmas, Aunt Isabella. Or should I say Buon Natale?"

"I didn't know that you spoke Italian!" the older woman smiled at her niece by marriage. "How do you say it in Hebrew?"

"Chag Molad Sameach."

Nettie entered the kitchen, "Merry Christmas to you both. Zivaleh why are you awake so early?"

Ziva moved to the side to show Doda Nettie the pans of lasagna, "I am preparing the lasagna for the family Christmas dinner later today. We will bake them here and take all four pans to Gibbs' house in insulated carriers."

"Where is Tony?" Nettie inquired.

"I sent him to the superstore for more ricotta cheese. I thought I had enough but seem to be a tub short," Ziva grinned at the aunts. "Besides, it gets him out of the way and keeps him from sampling the food."

Isabella laughed, "He is a true DiNozzo! The DiNozzo men are always trying to sneak a taste of the food for as long as I have been a part of the family. It has to be in their genes. Mark my words; your Anthony and LJ will be swiping food from their wives' kitchens one day!"

The aunts watched with glee as Tony came into the kitchen from the garage setting two bags on the counter by the microwave. He then placed the container of ricotta on the counter next to Ziva's pans of lasagna. He kissed his wife and dipped two fingers in the pan of meat and sauce on the counter to gather a taste.

"Merry Christmas, Buon Natale, Chag Molad Sameach," he grinned and popped his tomato-sauce covered fingers into his mouth. "Mmmm. Which pan is mine?" he teased Ziva.

"None of them if you keep taking a taste," she retorted playfully. "Please open the ricotta for me. If you are good and do not take any more tastes, I may let you take a bite from the corner of one of the pans after they are baked."

Tony peeled the plastic seal off the container of cheese and leaned into to give Ziva a peck on the lips, "Ani ohev otach, neshama." He gave her his best puppy eyes eliciting a grin and a low chuckle from his wife.

The couple's antics were observed by the two aunts. Isabella laughed quietly as Nettie smiled at her niece and nephew.

"Oh, to be so much in love like that," Isabella commented softly. "Those two are truly soulmates."

Nettie nodded her agreement, "That is the truth."

The moment was cut short as Anthony and LJ came running into the kitchen. "Ima, Abba, it's Christmas! When can we open presents? When are we eating breakfast? I'm hungry," Anthony chattered nonstop to his parents before realizing that Doda Nettie and Aunt Isabella were sitting at the breakfast nook table with their morning tea.

"Merry Christmas," the boy greeted his great-aunts. He looked to his father as he spoke, "Buon Natale and Chag Molad Sameach." Tony nodded to his elder son; the boy had practiced the greetings in both Italian and Hebrew since the family first learned that the aunts would be with them for the December holidays.

LJ grinned at the aunts and raised his arms for Isabella to lift him into her lap. "Eat!"

"You are just in time for a special breakfast," Tony told the boys. "When Ima sent me to the store for more ricotta, I also bought two dozen cinnamon rolls for breakfast." He pulled a box from one of the bags by the microwave. "Who wants theirs heated?"

"What heated?" Tali came into the kitchen followed by Rivka and Beth.

"Cinnamon rolls," her Abba replied. "From our favorite bake shop." He placed six of them on a large plate and heated the treats in the microwave as Tali grabbed forks for everyone from the drawer. Nettie helped Anthony pour orange juice for the family and set the glasses on the dining room table.

Tony put the six cinnamon rolls on individual plates for the kids and popped the next half dozen into the microwave to heat. Ziva finished preparing the last pan of lasagna just as the timer beeped. He plated rolls for the adults; the family enjoyed the special breakfast with all but four of the cinnamon rolls demolished by the DiNozzos.

"We'll save the last four for later or if the McFamily would like to have them," Tony said to no one in particular as he cleaned up from the meal. "Who's ready to open presents?"

"Meeeeee," the words 'open presents' had no sooner left his mouth than the five children ran to the family room where the area under and around the Christmas tree was overflowing with brightly wrapped gifts.

Tali and Anthony spotted the two bikes to the side of the tree. At Tony's nod, the sister and brother ran to check out their new wheels. Tali's bike had a purple frame, pink handlebars and seat, and pink wheels with white tires. Anthony's blue-framed bike had white handlebars and wheels, a darker blue seat, and green tires.

The siblings were about to start riding in the house when Ziva put a stop to that. "There are too many people inside to ride. After we open gifts and you get dressed, you may ride out on the driveway before we go to Grandpa's house."

"Okay Ima," the two responded together.

Isabella grinned, "So much like their father. Tonio rode his shiny red tricycle around the house until Anthony Senior put a stop to it. The boy was three that Christmas. He is eyes lit up like a Christmas tree when he saw the trike by the tree. He climbed on as soon as he was told it was for him and rode all over the ground floor of the Vinnie's house."

"Is that the tricycle I wrecked when I was five?" Tony had vague memories of careening down a hilly street on a red tricycle that was out of control. He had hung on to the handlebars so tightly that his knuckles had turned white. At the bottom of the hill, he'd hit the curb so hard that the large front wheel was bent beyond repair. He had gone flying over the handlebars and flipped onto someone's lawn. He told the others what he remembered.

"The same one," his aunt replied. "I think you were more scared than hurt."

Ziva laughed at Tony's story and the faces he made as he told the family his side of the memory. As the others started retrieving gifts from under the tree and handing them to the intended recipient, Ziva pulled her husband closer.

"At least you landed on a lawn…" she whispered. "When I was four, the horse I was trying to ride…" She was cut off by a chortle from Nettie.

"Tony was lucky to land on some soft grass," she began. "Little Ziva was not as lucky when she tried to ride a horse the first time."

'Oh shit,' Ziva whispered to Tony. "I was hoping she forgot that story."

"Shh, I want to hear this," he replied with a smirk.

"Ziva rode that horse around a penned area. She rode to the fence to climb off, but the horse thought she was trying to get him to jump the fence. He stopped quickly and poor Zivaleh was thrown over the fence into a pile of manure. She had to get hosed down twice before Rivka would let her into the house to take a bath," Nettie grinned at Ziva. "I had to tell it…"

Ziva shrugged, "I know."

Tony smirked, "Well that was a shitty story…" Ziva punched his arm teasingly.

"Language, Tonio. There are bambinos present," Isabella scolded. "Poor Ziva. I'd bet that was a crappy day for you."

"I survived the fall, and the insulting place to land," Ziva sighed. She looked at her five, "Do not try that at home." Tony guffawed at the joke as he and his better half high fived.

"Wait; Ima, you fell in poop?" Anthony smirked at his mother. "That must have been really stinky."

"Eee-maaa stinky pooooooo," Riv and Beth sing-songed and giggled. "Stinky, stinky!" The two almost-three-year-olds broke out laughing as they looked at each other.

"That is enough!" Ziva tried to get everyone's focus back on the gift opening. "Let us open presents now. We have to be at Grandpa's house around 1100."

Tony opened his mouth as if he were going to say something, but the look Ziva gave him made him think twice. He shut his mouth and handed a wrapped gift to Tali. She tore the paper off the flat package to see the set of books from her wish list.

"Thank you for the Anne of Green Gables books," she exclaimed. "I really wanted these!"

Soon torn paper was flying everywhere and oohs and ahhs could be heard throughout the room. Everyone liked their hat, mittens, and scarf set from the aunts. LJ wanted to put his hat on right away and the adults snapped several pictures of the baby in his lion face hat.

Isabella loved her shawl from Nettie and wrapped it around her shoulders immediately. Nettie donned her hat and mittens from Isabella and the two women hugged. Both Tony and Ziva snapped pictures of the aunts hugging.

The last of the gifts from and to DiNozzos were being unwrapped when the McGee family came in the front door bearing more gifts. Soon more paper was piling up on the floor as the gifts exchanged with Tim, Delilah, Katie, and John were opened. Everyone put on their hats, mittens, and scarves for Aunt Isabella and Doda Nettie to take pictures.

"DiNozzos need to get dressed now!" Ziva announced to her five. Tony scooped up LJ to change the baby to his Christmas outfit, or more precisely, his first holiday outfit of the day. Nettie offered to help the DiNozzo twins get dressed as Isabella heated the last four cinnamon rolls for the McGees. Isabella and Ziva put the pans of lasagna in the ovens to bake.

An hour later, the pans of lasagna were in insulated carriers in the back of Ziva's minivan. The gifts for the extended family were also piled in the cargo area alongside the food. Isabella rode in the front passenger seat with Ziva, and LJ, Rivka, and Beth were in their car seats in the usual places in the van. Tony, Tali, and Nettie were in Tony's truck. Anthony asked to ride with the McGees. The caravan of vehicles headed to Gibbs' house.

Tony parked on the street so that Delilah could park her minivan in the driveway for easier access to the ramp Gibbs built for her. Ziva pulled in behind Dee, allowing room for the rear hatch of the McGee minivan to open. Everyone except LJ entered Gibbs' house carrying something. Tony and Tim enlisted Clay and Ellie's help to get second loads from each van.

Gibbs greeted everyone; Abby was in the kitchen stirring pots of vegetables and mashing potatoes. The turkey and roast beef were sitting on the counter waiting to be sliced. The Palmer family arrived as Tony and Tim shut the respective rear hatches of the minivans. Jimmy, Breena, Tori, and Charles stepped onto the front porch with arms full as Leon Vance pulled his SUV in behind Tony's truck.

Isabella and Nettie followed Ziva to the kitchen with the carriers containing the pans of lasagna. Abby turned around to greet the women and Ziva nearly laughed out loud when she heard Isabella gasp.

"Hey everyone! Ziva, put the lasagna on the kitchen table; we are getting that set up as the food line," Abby flitted around the kitchen and talked in her usual fast run-on sentences. She waved her arms in excitement as she spotted the two aunts.

"Hi, I'm Abby," she greeted the older ladies as they set the carriers on the table. Abby hugged each of them in her signature bear hug.

"Oof," Isabella tried to get Abby to relax her hug. "I am Isabella DiNozzo, Anthony's aunt."

Nettie bit her tongue as her turn came for a hug, "I am Nettie Levin, Ziva's doda." She met gazes with Ziva and rolled her eyes.

"I'm soooo glad you're here. The more the merrier; we can't have too many family for Christmas," Abby gushed as Nettie and Isabella shared a look. "But right now, I have to get back to cooking. We can visit and get to know each other later."

"Come, Doda Nettie and Aunt Isabella, let me introduce you to the others," Ziva herded the aunts towards the living room.

Nettie stopped the group in the hallway, "Ziva, is that girl okay?"

Ziva grinned, "That's Abby. She's a bit… unusual…"

Isabella turned to her Israeli friend, "I think Ziva is being nice; that girl is strange!"

Tony came into the hallway with a bag of soft drinks that Leon had brought and overheard the conversation. "We all are used to Abby. She is different, that's for sure."

"In my day, she would have been in an institution," Isabella added.

"Meshugana," Nettie smiled as she moved her finger in a small circle by the side of her head. "And what is with her flapping her hands like that? Is she mentally challenged?"

"Abby is… well… Abby is Abby," Tony grinned at the aunts as he continued to the kitchen with the bottles of soft drinks.

Nettie shrugged, "Every family has their weird relative, I guess. You know, the one that is off the tracks."

Isabella nodded, "That one that is not quite right in the head… I'm not sure I like her. Those clothes of hers. Who wears black fishnets with jingly bells and a black t-shirt with a skull Santa? And those clunky boots? That is plain crazy if you ask me."

Ziva introduced the aunts to Leon and reminded them of the names for Gibbs, the Palmer family and Clay and Ellie. Both older women took a shine to Leon and chatted with him while waiting for the family to open gifts before dinner.

Gibbs was sitting in his recliner with LJ in his lap; the baby was happily babbling to his grandfather and to his stuffed lion that Grandpa had given him. Nettie commented to Isabella that she was happy to see that the DiNozzo children had a surrogate grandfather.

"Grandpa," John and Anthony approached the recliner. "Is it time to open presents yet? Please?"

"Where are the others?"

"Playing upstairs with the dollhouse and blocks," Anthony pointed towards the ceiling. "We got bored with that."

Gibbs tried not to smile at the two five-year-olds. "Go get your cousins and siblings to come on down to the living room and then we can open gifts."

"Thanks Grandpa," the two boys raced to the stairs to get the others.

Tony was coming from the kitchen as Anthony and John clomped up the stairs, "Sound like a herd of elephants. Easy on the running, boys."

Nettie nudged his arm, "That weird girl Abby would make more noise with her boots. Leave the boys be. They are just excited to open gifts."

Tony grinned and nodded, "Truth. But I also want them to remember that there are a lot of others in the house and they do need to tone it down a notch."

Nettie flashed a thumbs' up, "On a change of subject from the boys. Is there something wrong with that Abby? She seems to be hyperactive, overly excitable, and makes those strange flapping motions with her hands. Her manner of speaking is also odd and do not get me started on the clothing choices…"

"Doda, she is… well, she's… she's one of a kind. We all just are so used to her quirkiness that we tend to overlook it most of the time," Tony replied as Ziva walked over to them.

"Oh, I was more concerned about her being around the children than anything. I do not want her to be a bad influence on them. Isabella thinks she is strange as well. We agree that the children need to be around others who are different and may have challenges to what is considered normal life, but at the same time we do share concern for the nine children," Nettie explained.

Ziva shrugged, "Abby is Abby. She is a perpetual child. The children do have fun with her, but they also do get tired of her at times."

Anthony and John came back down the stairs and overheard some of the conversation among the adults.

"Aunt Abby is weird. She says so herself," Anthony piped in.

"Yeah, we let her play with us until we get bored or she goes away," John added. "Dad says we should be tol… tol-er… tolerant."

"Good idea," Ziva high-fived the two boys. "Are you ready to open gifts? I am going to get Aunt Abby, Aunt Breena, Uncle Clay, and Aunt Ellie from the kitchen."

"YAY! PRESENTS!" the cousins ran into the living room and sat down next to the small Christmas tree and the stack of gifts to be opened.

The other children came downstairs chatting with excitement about the pile of gifts under the tree. They were all eager to see what Grandpa had made for each one this year. Katie mentioned that Aunt Abby gave some cool presents as well.

"Except those strange farting stuffed animals, we each got two years ago; mine was so ugly I threw it under the bed," Tori whispered to Tali.

"Remember Beth screamed and cried when she saw hers?" Tali smirked in reply. "And your brother wouldn't even touch his…"

"Mom gave ours away to the donation place by the mall," Katie added.

The kids all sat near the tree; Abby clomped in from the kitchen and plopped herself down in the middle of the kids, chatting about how they were all going to love their gifts from her. Nettie and Isabella shared a look and shook their heads.

Abby grabbed a wrapped gift from the piles, "This one says: 'to Uncle Clay from the DiNozzos.' Who wants to take it over to Clay?" Rivka took the package to Uncle Clay and grinned as she handed it over.

"Merry Christmas, Uncle Clay."

"Thank you, Rivka… and DiNozzos."

Soon paper was being torn at record speed and gift recipients were ooh-ing and ahh-ing over their gifts. Thank yous were in the air. Everyone liked the hats, mittens, and scarves from Doda Nettie and Aunt Isabella. The two women promised to make a set for Leon and one for Abby. Abby insisted that hers should be black mittens and a black scarf with no hat; she said that she did not wear hats ever. That got another shared eye roll from the two older women that both Tony and Ziva noticed with amusement.

Tony leaned closer to Ziva, "I guess Abby is just too much for the aunts." He spoke softly so only his wife could hear his comment.

Ziva nodded in agreement and whispered, "She can be a bit overwhelming."

Abby jumped up and declared that it was almost dinner time, pointedly staring at Gibbs when she commented that the turkey and roast beef needed to be sliced. Gibbs had LJ in his lap and the baby was asleep.

Leon offered to slice the roast and Jimmy jumped up to carve the turkey.

"Turkey is my specialty since Doctor Mallard made me the honorary turkey carver a few years back," Jimmy quipped. "After all we now host Thanksgiving in his memory."

Meat was sliced, vegetables and mashed potatoes were dumped into serving dishes with lids, and Ziva's lasagna was uncovered from the insulated carriers. Family members gathered around the kitchen for a quick blessing over the meal from Abby and then they all dug into the delicious food. Kids sat at the dining room table along with a few adults. LJ had his highchair, and the other adults carried their plates to tray tables in the living room.

Nettie and Isabella sat at a card table in the living room with Leon and Clay. Nettie watched Abby carry her plate into the room and nudged Isabella.

"Oh my, look at her plate," Isabella whispered to her friend. "Not one item of food is touching any other different food. How odd is that?"

"Very."

Isabella chuckled, "She certainly did not grow up in an Italian household. We pile anything and everything on the same plate as high as possible. Who cares if the green beans touch the mashed potatoes?"

The two watched as best as they could as Abby meticulously ate each food one at a time and wiped her fork and knife on a paper napkin between foods. Nettie and Isabella both had to check themselves from clucking their tongues at the strange behavior of the oddly dressed woman.

Isabella rose to refill her plate and Tony quickly got up to help his aunt if needed. He followed her to the kitchen with his own plate in hand.

"Tonio, what is wrong with that Abby woman? She certainly has some very odd behaviors."

Tony sighed as he put more lasagna on his plate, "She's different… we all just have gotten used to her peculiarities over the years, I guess."

Isabella laid a hand on her nephew's arm, "I do not mean to sound rude or mean, but she acts like she is not quite right in the head. What did Vinnie always say? Her elevator doesn't go all the way to the top. Is she mentally unstable or does she have some developmental problems that are not treated?"

Tony shrugged, "She is a perpetual child in her behaviors and emotions, but she also is a good forensic scientist…"'

"Well, I don't like her I am sorry to say," Isabella spooned more gravy over her slice of turkey and pile of mashed potatoes. "I think Nettie doesn't like her either."

"Not a problem."

"Thank you for understanding Tonio. Now, let's go enjoy the good food. Ziva's lasagna is delicious."

"Wait 'til you taste Gibbs' apple pie and Delilah's tunnel of fudge cake," Tony quipped. "You'll be glad I picked this family." He gestured around the room as he helped Aunt Isabella to her seat at the card table.

The rest of the day went well with the extended family enjoying each other's company and watching Gibbs and LJ nap in the recliner. Tim and Doda Nettie sat in the kitchen having a conversation for nearly two hours. Just before sundown, Tony retrieved the bag with the menorah and the last nine candles from his truck. He set the candelabra up on the dining room table and had Anthony distribute kippahs to the men and boys. Nettie, Ziva, Isabella, Delilah, Ellie, and Breena wrapped scarves over their hair in honor of Judaic traditions. Only Abby refused to cover her head; Ziva ignored the look from Doda Nettie as she rounded up the family for the lighting of the candles.

Tim stepped forward as Tony lifted the shamash candle from the holder. "I want to try the first blessing for the candles," he declared. He looked over at Doda Nettie who gave him the thumbs' up sign. "Doda Nettie has been helping me learn."

Tony handed his brother the candle and grinned at Ziva. Tim lit the candle and recited the first blessing without errors. He handed the shamash to Tony who said the second blessing and handed the shamash to Aunt Isabella. The matriarch of the family lit the eight candles and placed the shamash in its holder.

"Chag Urim Sameach," those who knew the traditional Chanukah greeting replied to each other and the kids echoed the adults.

"Merry Christmas," everyone said together.

"Merry Chanukah!" Charles grinned at the adults as Ziva put the dreidels on the table for the kids to play.

Chapter Text

Chapter 9 – Snowy Day – Tuesday/ Wednesday 27/28 December

"The temperature is dropping like a rock out there," Tony came into the kitchen through the garage. He'd turned his truck and Ziva's van around so that they were facing out towards the street. That way if they needed to go out, it would be easier than backing out a snow-covered driveway. "There are a few snowflakes flying around already in the north wind."

"Good thing we are off of work and school and no one has to go anywhere in the morning," Ziva jumped slightly as Tony brushed his cold lips on her cheek. She turned to face him and pulled him to her, fusing her lips on his. When she broke for air, she joked, "Now those lips are warmed up properly!" Tony was about to lean in for another kiss when Rivka and Beth stormed into the kitchen.

"It's my turn to play," Beth spat at her twin. "You played two turns."

Rivka stuck out her tongue, "Did not. Anthony hogged the remote for two turns."

"I'm telling Ima," the younger (by twenty-two minutes) twin retorted.

Riv put her hands on her hips, "Fine! I'm telling Abba!"

Both little girls started talking at once when they spied their parents at the counter preparing dinner. Rivka complained to her father about her twin being pushy and grabbing the remote from her hands. Beth shared her frustration with her twin for taking longer than she should have to hand over the remote for the next turn.

"Time," Tony made a T with his hands. "Everyone is talking at the same time and we are getting nowhere." Ziva nodded her agreement. "So, here's what we're gonna do. Riv, did you take two turns? Simple yes or no answer please."

The child hung her head and mumbled, "Yes, Abba. But… Anthony…"

"Abba said answer yes or no," Ziva reminded her middle child. "Anthony is not here to tell his side."

"Yes, Ima."

"Beth, did you grab the remote from your sister?" Tony reminded her to answer yes or no.

"Yes, Abba… but she taked two turns!" Beth noticed her Ima's glare and quickly shut her mouth before adding more.

Ziva looked at the two little girls, "It sounds to me that you are both in the wrong. I think three minutes in time-out is called for here." She pointed to the chairs at the breakfast nook table as Tony finished chopping the vegetables for the soup for dinner.

Before the three minutes were up, Tali ran into the kitchen looking for her sisters. She stopped short when she saw them sitting at the table and glanced at her parents. Tony nodded in reply to his eldest's silent question.

"They are in time out," Ziva confirmed. "Both admitted to acting wrongly. Did you need something?"

Tali pointed at her sisters, "I was gonna tell Riv it's her turn to be on Doda Nettie's team, but if she's in time out…"

"The girls will be back to play in a few minutes," Tony explained. "They can have turns when they do come back to play."

"Okay, Abba," Tali headed back to the playroom to let the others know that Rivka and Beth were in time out and would return shortly.

Ziva stirred the soup, beef with barley and vegetables, as Tony dumped the diced bits of tomato, onion, carrot, green beans, celery, and potato in the large pot. The last pieces plopped into the broth just as the three-minute timer beeped.

"I got this," Tony shut off the timer and walked to the breakfast nook. "Okay, little ninjas. Your time is finished. Beth, tell me what you did that was not nice."

The child looked at her Abba with her best puppy eyes, "I tooked the remote from Riv."

"Uh huh, and Rivka, what did you do that was not nice?"

"I tooked two turns," the older twin also gave her Abba her best puppy eyes.

"Yep. Are we gonna do our best to share and take turns?" Tony looked from one to the other.

"Yes, Abba."

"Good; let's go see what the others are doing," Tony held out a hand to each girl to help them off the chairs. He pulled both into a hug, "I love you no matter what; even when you get in trouble."

The girls ran to the playroom with Tony following. Doda Nettie and Anthony were playing a race game on the Xbox. Nettie had just won by a car-length. She noticed the two little girls returning.

"Anthony and I are going to play the tank game; do you want to play in teams or each one separately?" she asked the twins. "Tali? Are you going to play?"

Tali looked up from watching Aunt Isabella knitting. "No thank you, Aunt Isabella is teaching me how to knit." She held up a ball of yarn in shades of purple and a pair of knitting needles. "I'm gonna make a scarf I think."

Tony declined to join as well, preferring to watch the kids and aunts enjoying time together. LJ was asleep in the dog bed with Asher curled around him and Callie curled in front of the baby. The greyhound opened his eyes and gazed at Tony and sighed softly. The dog would protect his baby human even if tempted with treats.

~Mayhem~

After the dinner of hearty soup and homemade biscuits, Tony, Ziva, Nettie, and the four older kids bundled up in warm coats, their hats, scarves, and mittens, and boots to go out in the backyard. There were about two inches of snow on the ground and deck, with more coming down. The wind had calmed, and the air wasn't as arctic as earlier. Asher and the kids ran around the yard until Ziva called them to come inside. Isabella made hot chocolate for everyone and put out some of the remaining Christmas cookies for dessert.

Nettie shook the snow off her coat and scarf, "The snow is beautiful. Now I can say that I have been outside in a snowstorm!"

"Oh, this is nothing," Tony grinned. "The worst is yet to come; wait until the wind is blowing the snow in all directions, it's falling fast in large flakes, and one can't see three feet in front. I can do without blizzards, thank you very much."

Isabella set the trays of cookies on the table, "Tonio, do you remember the year you made snow angels with Dori and Estrella?"

"Not really, but I do remember snow at your house and at Uncle Vinnie's."

Anthony and Tali shared a look; another Abba story was about to be told! Ziva high-fived with Nettie as the family settled at the table to hear the story of the snow angels.

"Tonio was three or four; he had on one of those bulky one-piece snowsuits. You know, the kind that make the child look like the Michelin Man waddling around in the snow… Anyhow, the snow was a wet snow, and the boys were having a snowball fight in the neighbor's yard. Dori and Estrella were watching over Tonio. They decided to make snow angels in the unbroken snow in the backyard.

"The two girls showed Tonio how to fall back gently onto his backside and then lie down to make a good body-shape. He moved his arms to make the wings. The three got up to view their angels and flopped down again to make more. Unknown to all of them, Tonio's first angel was in a place where the snow had partly melted, and the back of his snowsuit got wet.

"On the third snow angel, Tonio went to get up from the ground and couldn't. The snowsuit froze to the ground! It took the two girls and the older boys all pulling to break him free from the icy ground under his back. When they did get him loose, a huge sheet of ice was on the back of his snowsuit."

Anthony smirked at his Abba, "So, Abba was basically an ice person like in Frozen?"

"Yes! The poor boy could hardly walk with all that ice stuck on his back. We had to take him out of his snowsuit on the back porch. Elizabeth was so worried about him catching a cold that she filled the bath and put him in the warm water to keep him from getting a chill. She left to get him a towel from the linen closet and he decided he'd had enough of the bath. He climbed out of the tub and came downstairs looking for his mother stark naked.

"He was extremely lucky that he didn't get chilled running around the house with no clothes on. We had to put one of Estrella's pajama tops on him because his shirt was still damp from rinsing the spilled chicken parmesan on the front. The pajamas had pink hearts with white lace trim on the flannel. We had to roll up the sleeves quite a bit so he could use his hands.

"Elizabeth had to excuse herself for a few minutes; when I went to find her, she said that Tonio looked so much like Margaret that she thought she was seeing a ghost child. Anthony Senior came back to the house with the other men; they had gone to a poker game up the street. He was furious that the boy was in girls' clothing and demanded that Tonio take the pajama top off immediately.

"The little boy was frightened at the tone in his father's voice and stripped right there in the living room. I quickly wrapped the blanket from the sofa around him to prevent the child from getting a chill. Anthony Senior just shook his head and ignored the boy. Elizabeth was furious, but she tried not to let her anger show. No need to upset Tonio further."

Tali looked over at her Abba, "Is that why you are okay with wearing pink? Or some other reason?"

"I really don't know, Tals. I just remember being sad that I had to take off the warm pjs," he replied with a shrug.

Nettie patted his hand, "So you liked to run around with no clothes on also? Little Ziva was almost impossible to keep her clothing on in the summertime. Her third summer, between her second and third birthdays, was record-setting heat. Rivka would dress Ziva in the lightest weight clothing possible all summer to keep her cool, usually a cotton sundress. She would let Ziva go out into the yard to play at the farmhouse in the morning and early evening when the sun wasn't so searing hot.

"Almost every day, Ziva would take all of her clothes off to play. She said her clothes were too hot. Many times, we found a nude little Ziva playing in the dirt or in the grass. Or a visitor would come to the house and mention that our little girl was without clothes."

Tony waggled his eyebrows at his wife. "Still likes to get naked," he whispered in her ear.

Ziva smirked at him and patted his cheek, "I think it is time to watch a movie before bedtime. Who's turn is it to choose?" She looked at Tali and Anthony, who both pointed to their Abba.

"Then I choose 101 Dalmatians; we haven't watched that in a while."

~Mayhem~

When the movie ended, Ziva carried a sleeping LJ to his room to change his diaper and settle him in his crib. Anthony rubbed his eyes sleepily and peeked out the window at the falling snow.

"Are we gonna play in the snow again tomorrow?" he asked his Ima. "I want to build a fort and have a snowball fight and…"

Ziva smiled at her son, "We shall see what the day brings, motek. For now, you have to go to sleep so you can play outside tomorrow if it is possible."

In the girls' room, Tony tucked his three daughters into their beds. "Sweet dreams, my little ninjas. Tomorrow we may be able to play out in the snow again. Depends on the weather and especially the outside temperatures. Laila tov."

In the morning, Isabella was the first one awake. She was familiar enough with the kitchen now that she easily found everything needed to make banana bread and cinnamon rolls for breakfast. She was pouring the batter for the banana bread into two loaf pans when Nettie came into the kitchen.

"Busy, busy."

"Yes, I decided to make banana bread and cinnamon rolls for breakfast," the older woman pointed to the baking pans ready to be put into the ovens. "There's hot water for tea in the carafe; help yourself."

"Toda," the Israeli grabbed a mug from the cabinet and choose her tea bag for her morning hot beverage. "Shall I make a refill for you?" She nodded at Isabella's mug on the counter.

"Thank you, yes, please. Morning blend Earl Grey for me," Isabella slid the pans of cinnamon rolls into the top oven and set the timer for twenty-five minutes. She put the loaves of banana bread into the bottom oven and set its timer for sixty minutes.

"Have you checked the snow outside yet?"

"It was dark when I got up, and then I got busy making the food, so no, I haven't checked. The forecast last night said we would have six to nine inches overnight and then another three to five today before the storm moved out to sea," Isabella replied.

Nettie walked to the sliding door to the deck and peered through the vertical blinds, "Oh my. Everything is covered in white outside. The steps are not visible and based on the snow piled on the table on the deck, I would say there is close to twenty-five centimeters of snow." She did a quick mental conversion, "About ten inches."

The two aunts sat at the breakfast nook table enjoying their tea and each other's company. The oven timer for the cinnamon rolls beeped. As Isabella was placing the last pan of rolls on the cooling racks, Ziva and Tony came into the kitchen.

"Mmm, smells awesome in here," Tony inhaled deeply and spied the cooling pans of cinnamon rolls. He grabbed his coffee mug from the mug tree and poured his first cup of the morning. He motioned to the pot of brewed coffee and looked at Ziva. She nodded so he filled her mug as well.

"Cinnamon rolls from Uncle Angelo's recipe and banana bread. The bread is still in the oven," Aunt Isabella informed the couple. "It is a perfect day for special breakfast treats."

Anthony, Beth, and Tali entered the kitchen and greeted the adults.

"Yummy," Anthony spied the cinnamon rolls on the counter. "I'm so hungry that I can eat three of these."

Isabella ruffled his hair, "Banana bread in the oven as well. The cinnamon rolls are almost cool enough to add the icing. Then you may have one."

Ziva headed to the kids' rooms to check on LJ. She met Rivka in the hallway. The little girl was rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Boker tov, yaldati," Ziva hugged her middle child.

"Mornin', Ima. I'm hungry."

"Go to the kitchen; Aunt Isabella has made cinnamon rolls and banana bread," Ziva grinned at the child. Riv grinned at her mother and ran towards the kitchen as Ziva entered LJ's room. The baby was just waking and stood up in his crib when he spied his Ima. He held out his arms to be picked up.

Ziva changed the baby's diaper and then set him on the floor. LJ ran ahead of his Ima to the kitchen with Asher by his side.

After the delicious and filling breakfast, Tony showed the kids the backyard snow via the sliding door to the deck. Based on the height of the deck railing and the snow, he estimated that about thirteen inches of the white stuff covered the ground.

"Abba? We go outside?" Beth tugged at Tony's robe. "I wanna play in the snow."

"Soon, little ninja. See how the wind is blowing the snow that is coming down? That makes it quite cold out there. Even all bundled up in your snowsuit with the mittens, hat, and scarf from Doda Nettie and Aunt Isabella, you would get chilled quickly. We'll wait for a while before we go outside. If the wind stops, then we can build a snowman."

"A snow fort!" Anthony almost shouted in his excitement. "Then we can have a snowball fight. Doda Nettie is on my team!"

LJ slapped his hand on the glass and checked out the snow, "No!"

"Yeah, that's snow, buddy. White and cold snow," Tony knelt beside his youngest as the baby grinned at his Abba. "Later we can go outside and play in the snow. Maybe we can teach you how to make a snow angel too."

Feeling the protests of pain in his knees, he quickly scooped the little one into his arms and stood up. He pointed to a squirrel running along the fence, knocking piles of snow to the ground. LJ clapped his hands and giggled. Asher spotted the squirrel and scratched at the door to be let outside.

"Go get it, boy," Tony slid the door open just enough to let the greyhound slide through to the outside. The blast of cold air had him rapidly shutting the door to keep the frigidness where it belonged. Asher went bounding through the snow towards the rodent.

Rivka, Beth, and LJ all laughed at the dog's antics and the squirrel trying to escape along the fence top. When the bushy-tailed critter reached the section of fence nearest to the neighbor's tree, it leapt across the space. It landed on a slim branch that moved with the sudden extra weight sending snow cascading down.

Asher sniffed around the yard as the squirrel scolded him from the hanging branches of the tree. Suddenly, the greyhound shot up and raced to the house. Had Tony not seen him coming and opened the sliding door, the dog may have run into the glass. Once inside he whined until Ziva retrieved the dog's foot towel from the laundry room and wiped all four feet dry.

"Poor puppy Asher; I will get your feet dry," Ziva rubbed lightly to warm the cold paws. Asher flopped onto the dog pillow and held out his paws for Ziva to dry.

"That is one spoiled dog," Isabella chuckled. "He has you wrapped around his paws, Ziva."

Tony grinned, "Ziva is his alpha person. Asher will go to her first."

Ziva sent Tali to get a dry coat for Asher from the stack in the pets' supply cabinet. She removed the fleece dog coat that had gotten wet outside and put the dry one on the hound. He sighed and laid down to take a nap. Callie and Lightning settled against the dog and the three animals soon dozed off in happy warmth.

After an early lunch of grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, the three youngest kids took naps. When they woke, the wind had died down. Ziva and Tony bundled the little kids in snowsuits; Nettie and Isabella helped put boots on each one. Tali and Anthony put on their warmest coats and the winter bib overalls they wore on cold days outside. Ziva put Asher's new sweater under one of the looser fitting fleece coats to layer him up for outside adventures.

Tony went out first with Tali and Anthony to clear a path through the snow on the deck and on one side of the deck steps and ramp. Once the aunts had a safe way to traverse the deck, everyone was outside to enjoy playing in the snow.

Ziva was helping Aunt Isabella as she noticed LJ run across the deck to the side of the steps that were still covered with the fifteen inches of snow. Before she could react, the baby reached the step and face-planted in the snow. Tony and Nettie ran to the little boy.

"It's okay, LJ; Abba's got you," Tony spoke to the baby as he pulled him into his arms. LJ had a shocked look on his face at first, but after he looked at his Abba and at the snow, he laughed.

"Mo, ba!" LJ pointed to the snow and squirmed in Tony's arms. He pointed to the ground to indicate that he wanted to be put down, so Tony placed him in the snow at the bottom of the steps. The little one ran after his siblings as best as he could in the snowsuit.

"Why does he look like a toddling marshmallow?" Tony grinned at Ziva and Aunt Isabella.

The snow was a great consistency for making snow people, so the family spent most of the time outside building a snow family. Asher stayed outside for about fifteen minutes and then decided he wanted back inside where it was warm. Ziva wondered if the dog did not like getting his feet cold and wet; she told her husband that she would look for dog boots for the greyhound online later that day.

Snow people built, energy spent, and an hour and one half later, the nine people headed inside to warm up with some hot chocolate and banana bread snack. All of them had pink noses and cheeks from being outside in the cold air, even with the scarves to keep their faces somewhat warm.

"That was fun," Doda Nettie commented to Tali and Anthony later in the playroom. She and Isabella were showing the two older kids how to knit and crochet. Tali preferred the crocheting but quickly picked up on both techniques. Anthony had a definite preference for knitting; his practice piece was already almost four inches long.

He held up his work as Ziva entered the playroom to check on everyone after tucking the little kids in their beds for longer naps. LJ had fallen asleep at the table during the family snacks.

"Ima, look, Aunt Isabella is teaching me to knit. I'm gonna make a scarf!" the boy held the ball of orange yarn in his hand to show Ima. "Doda Nettie is teaching us how to crochet, but I like to knit best."

Ziva inspected the completed work so far, "Very nice, Anthony. You are doing a great job with your scarf. Most beginners make a few mistakes, but I do not see even one in your work." She high fived with him before checking Tali's completed piece so far. "Thank you, Aunt Isabella and Doda Nettie for teaching them a craft that they can work on any time."

"Our pleasure," Isabella replied. "Does Tony still remember how to knit?"

"I do!" a voice from the playroom entrance had the others all looking in that direction. "When I was at Ohio State, I often knitted in my dorm room to relax after a stressful day or after a particularly tiring practice. Somewhere I still have my bag of knitting needles, pattern books, and accessories. The most ambitious project I ever attempted was a cabled sweater. I was so proud of it that I kept it even after it became quite ratty from being worn so much. Unfortunately, it was thrown in a box for the donation center when I worked homicide in Baltimore."

Ziva patted Tony's arm, "You should make another one. I find knitting and crocheting to be quite relaxing even if the needle arts remind me of a strange undercover operation from many years ago. I had to find a way into a group that was selling arms to terrorists, and they used a knitters' and crocheters' group to front their sales. The women put secret pockets in the blankets and sweaters that they made with directions for the sales. The notes told where and how to meet to exchange money for goods."

Tony smirked at his wife, "Let's find a sweater pattern that has versions for both of us and make each other sweaters for Valentine's day!"

"Game on," she murmured in his face as they locked gazes.

Chapter Text

Chapter 10 – New Year's Eve – Saturday 31 December

"We should be back home by one AM or so," Tony informed Aunt Isabella and Doda Nettie. "Thanks for watching the kids so we can go to the Palmers' New Years' Eve party. I know Tim and Delilah appreciate that you are watching their two also."

Nettie nodded, "Our pleasure. They are all good children. Who is caring for Victoria and Charles?"

"Ed Slater, Breena's father, and his wife have them for the weekend," Ziva interjected. "This is the first time in many years that the adults have had a chance to gather without the children present. Besides Jimmy and Breena, and Tim and Dee, I believe that Clay and Ellie, Nick Torres and his girlfriend, Abby and her brothers, and several others will be there. Kasie was unsure when I talked to her before Christmas. She said it depended on what her wife wanted to do."

Tony continued, "We will be taking my truck; the keys for the minivan are on the pegboard by the front door if you need to go somewhere. Gibbs is about twenty minutes away so you can also call him. He said he was going to be working on some project in his basement tonight, but that if you needed his help to just call."

"We will be just fine," Isabella reassured her nephew and niece. "Have some fun and don't worry about us. And if you want to stay out later, no worries." She winked at the couple and grinned. "Sometimes life's pleasures are better enjoyed away from home…"

Ziva smirked at Tony as the couple met gazes, he grinned back as the children hugged their parents.

"Be good for Doda Nettie and Aunt Isabella," Tony reminded them.

Anthony giggled, "See you next year, Abba and Ima!"

"Next day, next week, next month, next year," Tali one-upped her brother as she hugged Ima. "Are we allowed to stay up 'til midnight?"

Tony nodded, "Yes, but once the New Year is here, you do need to listen to your aunts about when it is time to go to bed."

The door opened to the McGee kids and Tim. "Dee's in the minivan." He handed John and Katie their backpacks with their pajamas and change of clothes for overnight. Tim turned to the aunts, "Thanks for watching the twins. Dee and I really appreciate getting a chance to get out with just other adults for the evening."

Nettie hugged her adopted nephew, "Enjoy, Timothy. Isabella and I are delighted to watch the children. As we told Tony and Ziva, just have fun without worrying about the children."

"Toda, Doda." Tim turned to his brother and sister, "Ready to go?"

"Yep; we'll follow you to the Palmers'." Tony helped Ziva with her coat and followed Tim to the driveway. Once he and Ziva were in the truck, he turned to his wife, "We could stay at a hotel overnight and celebrate our anniversary…"

Ziva chuckled, "I do not think we will get much sleep if we do."

"You are complaining?" Tony took her hand and squeezed it gently. "I wasn't planning on sleeping…"

~Mayhem~

As Tali and Anthony set up the Xbox games in the family room, Nettie looked over at Isabella. The older woman winked to her new friend.

"I do not think that Tony and Ziva will last until midnight at the party; not with the plans he has for celebrating their anniversary," Nettie grinned.

"Ah, young love," Isabella nodded her agreement. "She will certainly be surprised when he takes her to the honeymoon suite at the Adams' House. And we know what happens on a honeymoon!" She winked and raised her eyebrows with a smirk after.

Nettie gestured towards the five DiNozzo children, "We have evidence."

"Doda Nettie, will you be on my team? Please?" John interrupted the adults' conversation with two game controllers in his hands. He handed one to each of the aunts with a smile. "Aunt Isabella, you can be on Tali's team. Anthony and Katie are the other team."

Anthony motioned to Katie and Beth to sit with him on the sofa. "We are the blue team; John, Riv, and Doda Nettie are the red team; and Tali, Aunt Isabella, and LJ are the yellow team. Since we score more points for building things instead of wrecking other teams' stuff, we are gonna focus on building as much as we can. Got it?"

John shared a similar strategy with Doda Nettie and Rivka. Tali and Aunt Isabella decided to build a defensive wall first and then build for themselves; with LJ as the third team member, they would have to watch the baby's moves on the screen in case they needed to undo damage he caused.

An hour later, Tali and Aunt Isabella high-fived as the game ended with them in the lead by less than one hundred points. Surprisingly, LJ had been an asset to the team by sneaking supplies from the other two teams for his team. Tali really thought it was just luck that he was attracted to the very items she and Aunt Isabella needed to build their town. The first two times he'd stolen supplies, she and Aunt Isabella joked about their little thief. The third theft earned him a hug and a high five, so he kept doing the same things.

"Who wants a snack?" Aunt Isabella scooped LJ into her lap as the four older kids chose between another game or a movie for everyone to enjoy next. Rivka and Beth were alongside their great-aunt and jumped up with excitement.

"ME!" the twins yelled as one.

"Ice cream?" Riv grinned as both girls gave the aunts their best puppy eyes.

Nettie smiled at the kids, "We have something even better! While you were all resting this afternoon, your mother and I made chocolate chip cookies and then put chocolate ice cream between two cookies to make ice cream sandwiches."

John heard 'chocolate chip cookies' just as Anthony heard 'ice cream' and the two five-year-olds left their sisters to decide what movie to watch.

"I can eat two!" Anthony boasted.

John was not going to be bested by his cousin, "I can too!"

Isabella helped LJ out of her lap so she could stand up, "Well, then let's all go to the kitchen for ice cream and cookie sandwiches." LJ heard the words 'ice cream' and 'kitchen' and took off running with a loud "Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!"

The other kids followed the baby as the two aunts ambled to the kitchen.

"That baby is pure DiNozzo," Isabella bragged. "He has the appetite already!"

Nettie agreed, "However, he is also a David with that dark curly hair and the big brown eyes. Each of the children is a mix of the parents; each one different. Your nephew and my niece make some seriously cute and beautiful children."

Isabella nudged Nettie. She leaned in and whispered in the Israeli's ear, "Perhaps they will make another bambino tonight?"

~Mayhem~

Tony watched Ziva mingling with the guests at the Palmers' party. The little black dress she'd chosen showed off all her curves in the right places. Her engagement ring, the ring that had been his mother's ring before it graced his woman's finger, caught the light just so and sparkled to his view. She was beautiful, the love of his life. How had he been so lucky to capture her heart when she stole his? As he watched her chatting with friends, acquaintances, and others neither of them knew, he thought about the black lace thong and the black lace bra she wore under the dress. His eyes undressed her…

"A cent for your thoughts," Ziva's voice startled her husband who appeared to have been zoned out. She had been talking with Breena's brother and his girlfriend when she noticed Tony sitting on the arm of a loveseat by himself. The expression on his face caught her attention immediately; it was like he was somewhere else.

He pulled his wife to him and fused his lips on hers. When they broke for air, he brushed a stray strand of her curls from her face.

"Worth a lot more than a penny," he grinned at her with the smile that still melted her insides all these years later. He glanced around the room and took her hand in his. "Come, to a place a bit more private," Tony pulled her to the hallway to the master suite.

Ziva furrowed her brows, "Tony! We are not going to…"

He smirked at her, "Well, I now know where your mind is, Mrs. DiNozzo. Not that mine isn't, especially with you in that dress. I will enjoy removing it later." He reached into the inside chest pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out an envelope. He handed it to Ziva, "Happy anniversary, sweetcheeks."

Ziva shot him a questioning look as she opened the envelope. Inside were two hotel key cards for the Adams' House! "When?" she was stunned at his gesture for their anniversary.

"When you sent me to the warehouse store for paper goods, detergent, and whatever else was on the list, I stopped at the hotel to get us checked in. Thankfully, you and Doda Nettie were engrossed in baking those chocolate chip cookies when I snuck our overnight bags out to my truck," Tony grinned again. "Change of clothes for tomorrow mostly; we won't need clothes overnight…"

Ziva hugged him tightly, "Toda, neshama. Do we need to call the aunts to let them know we will not be home until tomorrow?"

"Already done; they were in on it." He brushed his lips on hers and then deepened the kiss. "Ani ohev otcha…" She locked her lips on his for another kiss.

The sound of a person clearing his throat broke the couple apart. "Was wondering where you two snuck off to," Tim tried not to act like he'd been staring at them. "Jimmy wants everyone in the dining room for some sort of New Years' game."

~Mayhem~

After the snack of ice cream sandwiches, Nettie took LJ to his room to give him a bath, change his diaper and put his pajamas on. Tali and Katie helped Aunt Isabella clean up the kitchen. Anthony had made good on his claim and eaten two of the ice cream sandwiches; John managed also to consume two, but Nettie had watched with amusement, and some concern, when the boy almost had to force himself to eat the last two or three bites. Tali and Katie shared the last of the dozen treats. LJ enjoyed his, wearing some proudly, but he did manage to get most of the ice cream in his mouth.

"Before we start the movies, everyone needs to get into their pajamas," Isabella told the children. "We will have a pajama party movie festival New Years' Eve."

"But Aunt Isabella, aren't we going to watch the countdown to midnight?" Tali questioned.

"Of course; we can watch as midnight and the new year begin, but first you must get ready for the night. Pajamas on everyone," Isabella herded the children to the bedrooms. She helped Rivka and Beth as needed.

"Last one to the family room is a turtle butt," John ran by the girls' room in his robot pjs.

Anthony ran after his cousin, "Not me!"

Tali and Katie shared a look and ran after the boys. Rivka put her clothes in the laundry hamper and took off after the others. Beth frowned; she still had to put her pajama pants on and get her clothes in the hamper.

"I not a turtle butt," she stomped her foot as she put it through the pants leg. "No turtle butts."

Isabella felt sorry for the little girl, "John didn't say kids only. You know I am slow so I will most likely be the last one to the family room." She tousled the child's hair with a grin.

"No, you not turtle butt. You Aunt Isabella."

'Stubborn as her father,' Isabella noted to herself. To Beth, she replied, "Nobody is really a turtle butt; but I promise you that you will not be the last one to the family room. Deal?" She held up her hand with the palm facing the little girl.

"Deal," Beth high fived her great aunt with a DiNozzo grin. She dumped her clothes in the hamper and shot out of the doorway towards the family room.

Nettie pulled LJ's footed sleeper over his shoulders and zipped the front. She smoothed his damp curls and told him to find the other kids in the family room.

She checked that his clothes from the day were in the laundry hamper, and the towels were hung to dry. In the hallway, she met Isabella leaving the girls' room.

"They certainly are a lively bunch," Isabella commented with a smile. "I'm glad we get to babysit the children so their parents can enjoy a night out. The adults need time for just them periodically. That is something I remember so well with my in-laws. Angelo and I would watch Vinnie's kids for a weekend so he and Anna could have time alone. They did the same for us."

"You should suggest that to Tony and Ziva and Timothy and Delilah. I am sure both sets of parents would agree to help each other get time for themselves," Nettie liked the idea. "I am glad we have the children for the night as well. I have very much enjoyed getting to know them, all of them, with the visit. And meeting a new friend."

Isabella hugged the Israeli, "Friend but also family, Nettie. You are family!"

Nettie hugged back, "As Tony says, family are the ones who matter to the heart."

The two aunts entered the family room to the bickering of the children. The seven were told they could choose two movies to watch until it was time to view the countdown to the new year on the television. They had three DVD cases on the coffee table and seemed to be arguing over which two of them to pick.

"You can't have two boys' movies," Katie snarled at her brother.

"And you can't have two girls' movies," John spit back. "Besides, Dad said we had to choose a movie we all could agree on so no one would be upset."

Nettie stepped in, "Which ones are the boys' movies?"

Tali pointed to two, "Air Bud and The Jungle Book."

"And which ones are girls' movies?"

"The Jungle Book and The Princess Diaries," Anthony answered and pointed to the two.

"Then it is settled. We will watch Air Bud and The Princess Diaries," Nettie proclaimed. "If we eliminate The Jungle Book, you all agree we have one boys' movie and one girls' movie, yes?"

"Yea, but we don't want to watch any princess movies," John complained as he pointed between himself and Anthony.

Tali looked him in the eye, "Well, we don't want to watch any dumb basketball movie." Rivka and Beth put hands on hips and glared at the boys.

Isabella tried another approach, "Since both boys and girls picked The Jungle Book, we should watch that one and another. You all agree on Jungle Book, right?" The kids nodded as she continued, "For the second movie, Doda Nettie and I will choose."

"Okay…" a few grumbles but it did make sense to the older four. Nettie chose Rio, to which Isabella agreed readily. They settled in to watch movies until time for countdown. LJ was on Isabella's lap on the sofa; Rivka and Beth were on either side of Nettie on the sofa with Beth between the aunts. Tali claimed her father's recliner, John stretched out on the loveseat, and Anthony and Katie piled up the floor pillows to share. Soon all nine were enjoying The Jungle Book.

By the end of the almost two hours of the film, Anthony and Katie were more lying than sitting on the floor pillows. John had wrapped himself in the small throw that was on the back of the loveseat and was lying down as well. LJ had dozed off but awakened as the end credits rolled. Rivka and Beth had snuggled into the aunts and were quietly watching the screen. Nettie pressed the remote to pause the start of the Rio.

"Stretch and potty break," Isabella announced to the children. She placed LJ on his feet and stood up. The kids moved around the room and used the bathroom as needed. Tali made popcorn for everyone as Nettie pulled juice boxes from the fridge for the children and fixed cups of tea for herself and Isabella.

Once settled again, this time with LJ in Nettie's lap and the DiNozzo twins flanking Aunt Isabella, Tali pressed the play button for Rio.

At the end of the second movie, Tali changed to broadcast television and a local countdown that also showed other East coast cities. They had about twenty minutes to go until midnight. LJ had been asleep in Nettie's lap for at least an hour, so she carried the baby to his crib for the night.

"Laila tov, motek," she kissed him softly on the head as she lowered him into the crib. She made sure his lion was nearby and covered the baby with the light blanket with the lion design.

Rivka and Beth had been dozing on and off as had Isabella. Nettie smiled at the three cuddled together on the sofa. She checked if John was still awake; he smiled at her and gave her a thumb's up. Anthony and Katie were lying on their stomachs with heads propped on arms watching the countdown show.

As midnight drew closer, all the kids seemed more alert. They all, aunts included, counted down with the announcer, "Five… four… three… two… one… Happy New Year!" Sounds of fireworks in the neighborhood could be heard inside; someone blew an air horn as well.

"Happy New Year," Isabella hugged Riv and Beth. "Now this old lady is going to head to bed soon. I'm up past my bedtime!" She held out a hand to the twins and the three headed to the bedrooms.

Tali switched off the TV; she and Katie were going to sleep on the sofa bed in the family room; Nettie helped them pull the bed out and get the sheets on as John and Anthony trudged off to LJ's room.

"Laila tov," Nettie hugged the two older girls. "Sleep well."

"Love you Doda Nettie," Katie mumbled sleepily.

"Ani ohevet otcha, Doda," Tali replied as Nettie turned out the lights and headed to her room for the night.

~Mayhem~

At 2350, Jimmy pressed the remote to power up the television, "Quiet, everyone. It's almost countdown time! Grab your significant other; you know what they say… the one you kiss on New Year's Eve is the one who will be with you for the entire new year…" He pulled Breena into his side as he sat on his recliner.

Tony wrapped an arm around his wife as she leaned against him, "I got you for the rest of our years." He fused his lips to hers.

"Hey, those two are starting early," Stevie Slater teased.

Tim smirked, "Ah, leave them be; they are in their own world anyhow." He snuggled closer to his wife on the loveseat they shared.

"Tiva-land," a somewhat drunk Abby joked to no one in particular. She had been rather proficient at the impromptu game of beer-pong and the effects of her skill were now showing in her slightly slurred speech and quieter than usual behavior.

"And the ball is starting to move," the announcer on the TV spoke as the camera panned to the tower. "Five, four, three, two, one… Happy New Year!"

Couples smooched and shared new year greetings with each other; Jimmy and Breena, Tim and Delilah, Clay and Ellie, Nick and his girlfriend Allison, Kasie and her wife. Abby and her brothers and two of the others who did not have romantic dates, went out in the yard to shoot off fireworks.

In their space slightly back from the others, Tony and Ziva locked lips in a deep and passionate kiss, only stopping when they needed air.

"Happy New Year, neshama," Ziva locked gazes with her soulmate.

Tony fell into the chocolate orbs that gazed at him with so much love, "Happy New Year, sweetcheeks and happy anniversary." He leaned in to fuse his lips to his wife's yet again. Neither one was aware of the others moving about the room to go outside for fireworks. The pair were only aware of each other.

"Ani ohev otcha, Ziva DiNozzo." Tony pulled Ziva against him, "Let's say our goodbyes and get to our hotel."

Ziva grinned at her husband, "Ani ohevet otach, Anthony DiNozzo. I was just about to suggest that very idea…" She pressed her body against his, "There are other parts of you that I want to give attention…"

"Same wavelength…" he grinned at her and waggled his eyebrows.

They found Jimmy and Breena outside watching the fireworks and said their goodbyes to the host and hostess as well as the others.

Tony tried not to break any land speed records driving to the hotel, but he was glad the roads were mostly free of traffic. He parked the truck in the hotel's parking garage and led Ziva to the elevator.

On their floor, he inserted the key card in the door lock and just barely opened the door. He scooped Ziva into his arms and pushed the door open with his foot.

"The honeymoon suite?" Ziva's jaw dropped open.

"Uh huh; we never had a proper honeymoon. Heck we haven't done any of this in the usual way, so why not have our honeymoon tonight?"

Ziva chuckled, "That is an understatement! Well, we did have a two- and one-half year-old child and another on the way on our wedding day…"

"Yup," Tony placed Ziva on her feet and pulled her in for a kiss. "But tonight is for us… no talk about kids, et cetera… just you and me."

"Whatever we want?" Ziva teased.

He nodded and released his hold on her briefly to kick off his shoes. He tossed his jacket on a chair as Ziva wandered over to the sixty-inch television and picked up the remote.

"I wonder if they have premium channels?" she mused.

Tony slid over next to her and plucked the remote from her hand.

"I take it you are not interested in premium channels, Mister DiNozzo?"

He grinned at the love of his life, "There is only one thing I am interested in right now…" He fused his lips on hers yet again and guided her towards the king-sized bed.

As he lowered the zipper on the back of her dress, she tugged at his shirt to free it from his waistband. "That is good, very good, because there is only one thing I am interested in as well… and that involves a lot less clothing…"

"Mmmm hmmm…" he was not going to disagree with her at all.

Chapter Text

Chapter 11 – Happy New Year – Sunday 1 January 2023

"Boker tov," Nettie entered the kitchen to find Isabella sitting at the breakfast nook table with LJ in her lap. The two were looking at a picture book. The other children were still asleep. She glanced at the clock on the microwave: 7:12.

"Good morning," Isabella replied. "The water for tea should be ready. This little one woke me up. He must have climbed out of his crib." LJ grinned at his aunts.

Nettie chuckled, "Little monkey." She tickled LJ under the chin. "Stay here with the baby; I will bring your tea."

"Grazie."

Nettie grabbed two mugs and put tea bags in each, then poured the hot water into the mugs for their tea to steep. She carried the steaming mugs to the table, being sure to place Isabella's out of reach of LJ's hands. She found one of the sippy cups and poured some apple juice for the little boy.

"I'll bet that we won't see Tony and Ziva before noon," Isabella commented to the younger woman. "Didn't he say that check-out time is one PM?"

Nettie nodded, "He did. I hope they stay until they must leave. Time alone is good for them. Besides, maybe these five will have a sibling in nine months?"

"Time will tell," the older woman grinned. She shifted LJ in her lap, "From what Ziva told me, this little guy was unplanned. But he is a sweetheart; they are all…"

Anthony and John came into the kitchen rubbing the sleep from their eyes. Isabella had to chuckle at Anthony's hair sticking out in all directions. The boy definitely had his father's baby fine hair with Ziva's color.

"Morning," Anthony mumbled, still not quite awake.

John smiled at the aunts, "Good morning, Doda Nettie and Aunt Isabella; what's for breakfast? I'm hungry!"

Nettie hugged the McGee boy, "Are you sure you are not a DiNozzo? Boker tov, motek. Did you sleep well?"

He hugged her back, "Yep, well mostly. Anthony and LJ snore. Can we have pancakes for breakfast?"

Anthony hugged Doda Nettie as John hugged Aunt Isabella. "Pancakes with chocolate chips? Please?"

Isabella winked at Nettie, "I think that is a possibility. Who do you know who can make pancakes with chocolate chips?" She pulled Anthony into a hug.

"Abba makes the best pancakes," he replied. "But he's not here. Where are Ima and Abba?"

The old woman ruffled the boy's hair and then smoothed some of it down, "Who do you think may have taught your father how to make pancakes? Your parents spent the night at a hotel. They'll be home around lunch time."

Anthony and John shared a look before Anthony replied, "You taught Abba?"

"I sure did; now, let me get LJ moved off my lap and I will make those pancakes for my hungry boys," she tickled their tummies with a grin. "How many can you eat?"

~Mayhem~

Tony opened his eyes as he slowly awakened. His face was buried in Ziva's hair as she spooned into him. As best he could tell, she was still asleep under his arm over her torso. He savored the feel of her skin against his own. A night of adult activity had preceded a deep sleep that both of them needed. The last time he'd looked at the clock before drifting into slumber after their third round of lovemaking, it had been 0520. He wondered about the time at the present but did not dare move so as not to disturb his better half. She turned in his arms and opened her eyes to his gaze.

"Good morning, beautiful; well… I think it's still morning," he grinned at her before kissing her.

"Boker tov, neshama," she pressed her lips to his. "What time is it?" When he shrugged, she propped herself up on an elbow and glanced at the clock on the nightstand behind her husband. "1030," she announced as he pulled her against him. She pecked his lips again, "Hold that thought; I will be right back."

Tony watched as his wife padded to the bathroom. He sat up and swung his feet to the floor, following her. "My turn next," he entered the bathroom.

After rinsing his hands, he pulled Ziva into a kiss. He kept his lips on hers as he pulled her to the bed, walking backwards. The backs of his legs hit the side of the bed and he wrapped his arms around the woman who meant everything in the world to him. They couple fell onto the bed as Tony's stomach growled.

"Always ready…" Ziva teased with double meaning. "Shall we order our brunch before we continue?" She picked up the TV remote and found the onscreen menu to order their food. They chose to have the meal delivered to the suite in about an hour.

Tony plucked the remote from Ziva's hand as she powered down the TV, "Now, where were we?"

~Mayhem~

"I cannot believe we made four dozen pancakes," Nettie loaded the last of the dishes into the dishwasher as Isabella cleaned the griddle in the sink. "Those children can eat!"

Isabella nodded her agreement, "Anthony consumed eight pancakes and John had seven. Even LJ ate three. That's a dozen and half with just the three boys. Tonio was the same way when he was their ages. He could pack away his favorite foods with the best of them. One time when he spent the night with us on a weekend, he ate an entire loaf of bread toasted with butter for breakfast. It was a running joke in the family to make extra food if Tonio was coming for a meal.

"The last Christmas he spent with us, when he was ten, he ate half a pan of lasagna in one sitting. We had four pans of lasagna for the meal; there was a half a pan left after everyone had their fill, so Anna put it on the back porch to save for reheating later in the day. We all were in the living room watching a holiday show on the television. Tonio mentioned to me that he was hungry, so I suggested he go find a snack in the kitchen.

"Half an hour or so later, Angelo noticed that the boy was not with the rest of us. Anna and I got up to start getting food out for supper, and when we entered the kitchen, there was Tonio with an almost empty pan and a fork in his hand. He'd eaten the rest of the lasagna!"

Nettie laughed out loud, "If these five children are anything like their parents, then Ziva and Tony will have their hands full. I remember Rivka telling Ziva, 'I hope you have a child just like you.' It seems that she has five!"

Isabella was about to comment that Tony also had five 'mini-mes' when LJ ran into the kitchen without any clothes. Tali was not far behind him.

"Doda Nettie, Aunt Isabella, LJ took his diaper off! He was trying to get his sleeper off, so I helped him and then he took off his diaper. He ran away when I tried to get him to go to his room so we could put another diaper on him," Tali explained as the naked baby ran about the kitchen and family room with a huge grin.

Tali and Nettie tried to corral the little boy, but he was fast. As they were chasing him between the rooms, Tim arrived to get John and Katie. LJ spotted his uncle and ran to him laughing all the way.

"What's up little man?" Tim reached for the baby. LJ grinned and took off running back to the family room.

"We have been trying to catch him, Uncle Tim," Tali hugged her uncle and then followed her little brother.

Nettie hugged Tim, "Did you have a nice New Years' Eve?"

"Yes, thank you, Doda. Dee and I had a relaxing morning; we even got to eat a decadent breakfast omelet. That's something the kids won't eat," he returned the hug. "Need some help corralling that run-away DiNozzo?"

"Please!" The two followed Tali and LJ to the family room. Isabella joined them and the four managed to block the baby from running off. Tim scooped him into his arms and blew raspberries on his bare belly. LJ giggled and squirmed to get down.

"Oh no you don't, one chase is enough," Tim passed the baby to Nettie so she could take him to his room to get dressed.

John and Katie realized that their father had come to get them. The twins ran to hug their daddy, chattering nonstop about all the fun they had with the aunts and cousins.

Tim hugged the kids and then reminded them to get their bags packed up to go home. He thanked the aunts again for watching the twins.

~Mayhem~

"That'll be our brunch," Ziva commented as she and Tony heard a knock at the door as they donned robes after the post lovemaking shower. She opened the door to the busboy with the cart of food. He rolled the cart into the suite and left it by the table at Ziva's instruction.

Tony lifted the domed covers on the dishes to reveal their order of a two-person omelet, made-from-scratch biscuits, orange juice, and coffee. When Ziva raised the last cover, she smiled at the complimentary plate of chocolate-dipped strawberries. The berries were huge; some were dipped in milk chocolate and some in dark chocolate. She swatted her husband's hand away from the treats.

"The berries will be the last thing we eat," she told him. "I want to savor the treat."

Each picked up a fork and broke off a piece of the omelet; they shared bites, feeding each other between kisses and laughter. When the eggs and biscuits were gone, Ziva uncovered the strawberries again. She raised one to Tony's mouth for him to take a bite. He offered a second berry to his wife for her to bite into. The berries were sweet and juicy; Tony's first bite had strawberry juice dribbling on his chin. Ziva laughed and licked the juice from his face with a smirk.

"The berries are delicious, but I think that you are also just… just delicious… as well," she joked.

Tony grinned the infamous DiNozzo grin at her, "I can arrange for another taste if you desire…"

She laughed, "If you do, we may not check out on time, neshama." He took the final bite of the berry from her hand as he offered her final bite.

"Two down, ten to go…"

~Mayhem~

The older four DiNozzo children were finally getting out of their pajamas for the day just before lunch time. Aunt Isabella had teased that whoever didn't get dressed out of sleep clothes would have to wait for lunch. Tali and Anthony exchanged a look and ran to the bedrooms to change to jeans and long-sleeved t-shirts. Rivka and Beth followed their older siblings. Nettie helped the little girls with their leggings and tops.

While the kids played, Isabella made pizza crust dough. She had just punched down the dough to shape it into individual-sized pizzas when the five ran into the kitchen with Nettie behind them.

"What's for lunch, Aunt Isabella?' Anthony noticed her working at the counter.

"Pizza, you get to make your own, toppings and all," she replied. "And you and Tali can even shape your own crust. Nettie and I will help the little ones with theirs."

She had them wash their hands and dry them thoroughly. "Your hands must be as dry as possible, so the dough doesn't stick to them. Now, flatten the ball of dough with your palm, like this." She showed them how to press the dough ball flatter.

"Good, now use your fingers to press the dough out from the center into a circle. Good, Tali, you are getting it. Anthony, let me help you a bit," she instructed. Nettie also worked a piece of dough.

Tali looked at her circle of dough, 'Is this good, Aunt Isabella?"

"Perfect! Would you like to make another? We need seven in total." Tali nodded and was handed a second ball of dough. She formed another crust and placed it on the baking sheet with her own.

Anthony got his flat and mostly round with a bit of help from his aunt. Nettie made a crust for herself and one for LJ. Tali grinned when Aunt Isabella let her make a third crust.

"But it doesn't look like pizza," Anthony frowned. "Where are the toppings and cheese?"

Isabella smiled at the boy, "First we need to put the sauce and then the toppings and cheese. Watch how I use this spoon to spread the sauce in a thin layer on top of the crust." She demonstrated spreading the red tomato pizza sauce over the entire crust.

Tali struggled with getting hers evenly spread; Anthony grinned as his pizza started to look like Aunt Isabella's. He spread sauce on the other two crusts that Tali made. Nettie got her own finished about the same time Isabella completed LJ's pizza.

Next were the various toppings with each of the children adding the toppings of their choice to a pizza round. Tali helped Beth as Anthony helped Rivka with putting pepperoni slices, crumbled sausage, chopped black olives, and sliced mushrooms on top of the sauce.

Finally, each one added shredded cheese to the top of the pizza. Isabella slid the baking sheets into the oven that had been preheated to 450º.

Rivka and Anthony set the table for lunch, while Tali and Beth helped Nettie clean up where they had assembled the pizzas. When the oven timer beeped, all of the children gathered to watch as their creations came from the hot oven. The cheese was bubbly and nicely browned.

"Yummy; those pizzas smell delicious," Anthony rubbed his belly with a grin. "How long until we can eat ours?"

"Let them cool for about ten minutes so you don't burn your mouth," Isabella cautioned. When the pizzas had cooled some, she cut each one into four pieces to make mini slices.

"Dis good pizza," Riv commented with a mouthful of her food.

"Yep," Beth agreed with her twin. "Bestest pizza!"

Anthony remembered to swallow his mouthful before he spoke, "Aunt Isabella, will you show Ima how to make this pizza? It's really, really, really good!"

"I will never eat another store-bought pizza again; I must have the recipe to take home with me," Nettie commented. "I agree with the children, this is good pizza."

LJ grinned with pizza sauce on his face as he reached for another of his slices. "Mmmm," he mimicked Anthony rubbing his belly. The aunts and older two kids laughed at the baby's antics.

Tali had been quietly listening to the others as she ate. After she laughed at LJ, she spoke up finally, "Doda Nettie, Aunt Isabella, I want you to stay with us. Do you have to go home?"

The two women shared a look, not quite sure how to answer their great-niece. Nettie was about to answer when the front door opened.

"We're home," Tony called out from the entry foyer as he put his and Ziva's overnight bags on the floor so they could hang coats on the hooks by the door.

"Ima! Abba!" the five children ran to hug their parents.

Nettie and Isabella looked at the relaxed expressions on the faces of their niece and nephew and winked at each other. Definitely had been a good night for the two…

Chapter Text

Chapter 12 – Do You Have to Leave? – Tuesday 3 January

"Breakfast is ready," Ziva called to the family as she set the bowls of hash-browns covered with scrambled eggs, cheese, bacon bits, and for some of the family, mushrooms and onions, on the dining room table at each place.

She lifted LJ into his highchair and put his bowl of scrambled eggs with cheese and bacon bits on the tray. He grinned at his Ima and grabbed the spoon she offered to him.

"Smells delicious," Tony wrapped his arms around his wife from behind her.

She leaned into his touch, "Me or the food?"

"Both," he replied with a wink as he sat in his chair. He began to eat as the children and aunts came to the table.

As the family ate breakfast, Ziva checked Doda Nettie's flight information on her phone again. She had just put the phone face down on the table when the McGee family came in the front door to say goodbye to the aunts.

Katie ran to Aunt Isabella as John wrapped Doda Nettie in a hug.

"Do you want some breakfast?" Ziva had made extra food knowing that the McGees were planning to stop by.

John heard food mentioned and looked up from hugging Aunt Isabella, "I do; please, Aunt Ziva."

Isabella teased the boy, "I'm telling you, Johnny, you are a DiNozzo, cucciolo. You certainly eat like one."

Ziva placed a bowl in front of the youngster; he attacked it as if he had not already had breakfast at home.

Dee and Tim hugged the aunts as well. Dee made sure she had both contacts in her phone and that each of the older women had both hers and Tim's numbers in their phones.

"Timothy, I am happy that you are part of my Ziva's family. You and your beautiful family are always welcome to visit in Israel. Come with the DiNozzos or on your own. You are my family now," Nettie brushed away a tear. She would miss the McGees as much as she would miss the DiNozzo family.

Isabella drew Tim into a hug, "You are the brother my Tonio needed. Thank you. And as Nettie said, you are my family as well. Come visit any time."

Ziva cleared the dishes from the table with Tali and Tony's help. They loaded the dishwasher and put the single serving of food that was left into a container for refrigeration.

"I wish Doda Nettie and Aunt Isabella didn't have to leave," Katie hugged them both again and cried. "I wanna have them stay here forever."

Anthony held his cousin's hand as she cried; he felt bad for her that she was so sad, but he too felt sad that the aunts had to leave for home.

"Ima can Katie ride with us to the airport?" he hoped Ima would agree to the plan. That way she could visit with Doda Nettie a bit more.

"If it is okay with Aunt Dee and Uncle Tim, then yes, she may," Ziva smiled at her son's thoughtfulness and caring. He would do just about anything to cheer his best friend.

"Please Aunt Delilah?" Anthony made his best puppy eyes. "Please?"

Dee looked to Ziva, "Are you sure it's okay? I don't want to add any more to you having to watch kids, get Doda Nettie checked in, and deal with the craziness of Dulles."

"She will be fine; Anthony, LJ, and Tali are going with me. One more to keep an eye on LJ is always helpful. He is getting too good at escaping from the toddler harness we use at the store and other crowded places. I have resorted to putting a safety pin through the zipper pull and the harness straps to keep the zipper closed."

Dee looked at her daughter, "Be good for Aunt Ziva and help her if she asks."

"Thanks Mom!" Katie hugged her mother and high fived Anthony.

Ziva smiled at the two five-year-olds, "I will drop her at your house on the way home, yes?"

Tony and Tim loaded the aunts' luggage and other bags in the respective vehicles. Tony also put the twins' car seats in the back of seat of his truck.

"Riv and Beth, potty time," he herded the two little ninjas to the hall bath. "We have a long ride ahead of us. But Ima packed us some snacks and we will get to eat lunch in Delaware where we are meeting my cousin to get Aunt Isabella the rest of the way home."

Tim, Dee, and John said final goodbyes to the aunts and headed home as Tony buckled the little girls into their car seats.

Isabella and Nettie hugged each other. "I will miss you, Nettie. But we'll chat on the phone every month. I'm glad you are part of my family." She wiped at her tears.

"Isabella, I am happy to call you family. I have enjoyed the past three weeks getting to know all of my American family," Nettie didn't even try to hide her tears. She moved to the truck and hugged Riv and Beth another time each.

Tony helped Aunt Isabella into the passenger seat of the truck. Before he shut the door, Nettie reached in for one last hug. Tears streamed down both of the aunts' faces. Tony turned away to wipe at his eyes and blow his nose.

The two women let go of each other so he could close the door. Nettie wrapped her nephew in a hug.

"Thank you for being such a wonderful husband and father to my Ziva; Rivka is smiling her approval from the heavens. You are a good man, Anthony DiNozzo," Nettie took the tissue Tony handed to her and dabbed at her eyes as she waved to the occupants of the truck.

Tony swiped at his eyes another time and backed the truck from the driveway.

Ziva strapped LJ into his car seat as Anthony and Katie climbed into the third-row seat and secured their seat belts, looping them under the clips on the booster seats. Tali sat in her usual spot behind the front passenger seat.

"Next stop, Dulles," Ziva quipped.

~Mayhem~

A little over four hours later, Tony turned the truck into the driveway. Ziva's van was parked in the usual spot but he knew she'd only arrived home about fifteen minutes before him. The twins were napping in their car seats.

He woke them gently, leading the still sleepy preschoolers to their room. He tucked his girls into their beds to complete naps.

Tali and Anthony were watching a children's show on one of the streaming services. LJ was out like a light in his crib. Ziva was in the laundry room putting sheets into the washer.

"Hey," he handed his wife a sheet. "Uneventful ride up and back down. Riv and Beth fell asleep on the way home south of Baltimore. I put them in their beds to finish napping."

"Toda. I loved having the aunts visit, but it is nice to have just us in the house again," Ziva spoke quietly as she wrapped her arms around her human teddy bear. "One more day and then we are back to our usual routine."

"Mayhem, chaos, and family," Tony joked. "But I wouldn't have it any other way."

Ziva nodded, "Same."