I totally forgot to think about this chapter the past couple of days, so don't expect anything too amazing! Lol.

***

That's all it takes. The smallest reminder and in an instant it feels like your stomach has fallen thirty stories and crashed into the steel roof of a truck. Loss is cruel like that; the days you think you think you're finally past it are the days it will punish you most.

~Beau Taplin

*****

Several days passed before Tony so much as looked at the box again. Sure, he was curious about its contents, but a reluctance to relive those memories prevented him from making any kind of decision.

Instead he spent the days wondering where to go next, what to do.

Paris was the obvious choice, but he didn't know if he could do it.

"We'll always have Paris," he'd told her. And now, he couldn't imagine going there without her.

"What do you think?" he asked Tali for the umpteenth time. 

She squirmed in her chair, paying more attention to Aryeh than to his question.

He sighed and handed Aryeh back to her.

They sat in silence until Tony's phone rang a while later. 

He raised an eyebrow when he saw the caller ID, and picked up immediately. "Boss?"

"Not your boss anymore, DiNozzo."

Tony sighed. "Old habits die hard. What's up? Is something wrong?"

"Can't a man call his family?"

Some warmth flowed through Tony's veins at the thought of Gibbs considering him family. The feeling was short-lived.

"How's Israel?"

He didn't answer right away, distracted by Tali half-falling off the chair. She scampered out of his range of sight, and he dutifully got up to follow her. There wasn't much of anything for her to get into, but he still had to make sure.

"It's fine," he said eventually.

Gibbs grunted in response, reaffirming Tony's surprise that he even called in the first place. Gibbs wasn't exactly a conversationalist.

"How's the team?" he asked.

"Good. They miss you."

The old Tony would've made a joke about how he was impossible to not miss. A joke was the last thing on the new Tony's mind.

"How is Tali?" Gibbs asked, using that soft voice he reserved for where children were involved.

Tony glanced over at his daughter again. She was bouncing both Kalev and Aryeh around now. "She's... She misses Ziva. But I think... we're making progress."

She grinned over at him.

"Good to hear."

Gibbs had never encouraged over-sharing, so Tony had no idea why he decided to keep going. It was all word vomit, honestly. There was just too much to keep in. "We went to the cemetery the other day and I explained to her... I explained that Ziva was gone. She seemed to take it well, but I don't think she fully understands. I... Some days I don't think I do either."

There was no response on the other end, but the line was still connected, and Tony suspected that Gibbs' mind was wandering back to his own losses. Still, silence was probably the best thing Gibbs could've offered. Tony was sick of the meaningless comments, the "I'm sorry"s, the "This must be hard for you"s,  the "How are you doing?"s. The pitying, cautious glances. Most people didn't understand. 

But Gibbs... Gibbs understood, to some degree.

"I think we'll go to Paris next. Soon. I... I don't think she's here."

"Keep us updated."

"Will do."

"Take care."

"You, too, Boss."

Gibbs didn't correct him.

***

It took hardly any time at all for Tony to pack up their things, although it took quite a bit of finagling to fit both of the boxes. Why couldn't Ziva have picked something easier to fit in a suitcase, like a folder or a small bag?

He almost laughed at the thought.

"Almost ready?" he asked Tali. 

He'd already checked, and there was a flight to Paris in two hours. Assuming no one snatched up all twenty-nine of the remaining seats on that plane between now and the time they got to the airport, they were golden.

Another country to add to their spur of the moment world tour.

Tali dutifully handed over Kalev so he could tuck the stuffed puppy into the backpack.

"Ready for Paris?"

She nodded, although he was pretty sure she had no idea what he was talking about. That was fine. At least she tried to humor him.

"Alright. Let's go." He patted the suitcase one last time, and once he was satisfied that the box was still there, he gathered up their things and took Tali by the hand.

Trying to pack everything into the car while also keeping an eye on a toddler would've once been his worst nightmare, but now he knew better. There were far worse nightmares to be had.

This was nothing.

Traffic was surprisingly light, and they made good time to the airport. Tony was thrilled to lay hands on a luggage cart so he could free up a hand. Even better, Tali thought it was a real hoot and a holler to ride on top of his suitcase.

He shoved the car keys in his pocket, remembering he was supposed to drop them off with Orli but at the same time not really caring. He could always mail them back. It's not like Adam desperately needed them back, if he was driving a company car.

Yeah, he'd do that. He could be the bigger man, but the old Tony whispered, "Why bother?"

He bought two tickets to Paris and then happily ditched the suitcase.

They found a restaurant on the way to their gate and stopped for a quick lunch. Tali picked at her food, as he expected, but he was ready with an entire pocket of the backpack dedicated to snacks.

He bought two paperbacks and a bag of pretzels, and then they set off for their gate.

*****

Sorry, nothing about the box today. Probably not this Friday either. But maybe next Tuesday. I don't know.

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