Tali & Monique, Age 21

            December 3^rd, 2039; Anthony DiNozzo Jr. was sitting in the living room of his five bedrooms, three and half bath home that he had shared with his wife; Ziva and their four children over the years. Over those years Madalyn had moved out of the house that she had spent a majority of her life in after her father had been told about her and Asher. Madalyn and Coop got married about a year or so after they had started living together. Asher, despite how odd it was had married this girl by the name of Spencer; that he met one day when he was playing a game on one of the Washington Nationals’ minor league teams. Spencer caught the ball Asher had hit as his debut solo home run with the Nationals’ triple A team two summers ago. Since then Asher and Spencer had been inseparable. About a year and a half after Madalyn and Coop had tied the knot, Asher took the plunge with Spencer.

            Like Kyle Luca; Tali and Monique were in their junior year of college. Kate and Kassidy were climbing the ranks within the branches of the U.S. Military they had gone into three years prior. Kyle Luca was definitely enjoying his junior year at LSU while he juggled fatherhood with being a husband at the young age of twenty and a half years. Tali and Monique came home days before from Ohio State to be with their parents, their siblings and their in-laws on their birthday. Of course whoever was around from the NCIS family would be celebrating the girls’ birthday with them this weekend. And as expected the girls got their yearly birthday phone call from both of their grandfathers, their mother’s mentor/Monique’s namesake as well as Kyle Luca and his family who had been living in Baton Rouge, Louisiana for almost three years now.

            On this particular morning, the team had the weekend off; partially due to the twins’ birthday and the fact that Jenny had convinced Jethro that the case of the U.S. Naval attaché’s death had hit a brick wall. Tony had been the first one up and it would be awhile before the rest of the family woke up. So Tony sat in the kitchen, staring out the window somewhat contemplating his life with his favorite brew of coffee that only he was able to drink in hand. Whenever he absentmindedly set his cup of coffees down on the table before him, he would twist his wedding band around the finger it had rested on for years now as he contemplated what he was contemplating.

            His mind had gone back to that fateful day, the day that Ziva had waltzed into the squad room after Kate’s death, after Jethro and Jenny left the agency for an hour.

            What if Kate didn’t die? What if that smug bastard missed?

            What if?

Tali was the first and what seemed like the only one out of the group that was sleeping to be awake. Tali stood where the stairs and the kitchen met with each other. She stood there watching her father stare off into space.

            “Contemplating life, huh Dad?” Tali said snapping Tony back to reality.

            “You could say that. Happy Birthday.”

            “Thanks. Let me guess, you’re wondering what your life would be like if Uncle Ari didn’t make the shot that killed Kate thirty-four years ago?”

            Tony didn’t say a word. Tali poured herself some coffee and made it just like Tony made his, only hers was a bit sweeter than his.

            “Your life could have gone two ways, dad.”

            “Hmmm.”

            “First off, Kate would survive in both scenarios.”

            “So how do you see it play out in the first scenario, Lee – lee?”

            “Well Kate survives, the two of you get married, Dr. Cranston becomes your sister-in- law, Kate becomes an NCIS Special Agent; completely ditching the Secret Service. You stay with the Baltimore PD and occasionally work with Gibbs. And Kate has your daughter which you let Kate name Kelly.”

            “Second scenario.”

            “Kate survives; you two marry and start family together. But after the kid is born due to the stress of work and parenthood along with whatever else adds to your stress level drives you to have an affair with Mom which then makes everything go haywire.”

            “Just like it does in the movies, huh?”

            “Pretty much.”

            “So I have it pretty good then.”

            “I’d say you do. A loving wife, three beautiful daughters, a son and two son-in-laws.” Monique said as she joined in the conversation.

            “Who has it good?” Ziva asked as she, Madalyn, Asher, Coop and Spencer came into the kitchen.

            “I do.”

            “That’s for damn sure.” Ziva said as she wrapped her arms around Tony as she stood behind him.

            Everyone else in the room smiled and somewhat laughed as they looked on.