A/N: Hello my nerds! Two quick things: 1) this story takes place between 'She' and 'Daughters' so things have happened, but not The Big Things we've seen. Just wanted to make sure y'all are up to speed on the timeline. 2) Tile and lyrics are from Red Jumpsuit Apparatus' 'Your Guardian Angel'

Okay: on to the fun stuff! Enjoy!

I will never let you fall (let you fall)
I'll stand up with you forever
I'll be there for you through it all (through it all)

Even if saving you sends me to heaven
Cause you're my, you're my, my true love, my whole heart
Please don't throw that away
Cause I'm here for you

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He's standing by the fence with all the other parents waiting for the two Kindergarten classes to come outside for pick-up. Normally, Tali would be going to after school care until he got off work, but seeing as it was the first truly warm and sunny day they'd had in months, Tony had left work early to spend the afternoon with his daughter.

The bell rings, and the courtyard fills with noise as the nursery and pre-k classes are led out by their teachers, followed closely by the Kindergarten classes. Tony scans the sea of kids, quickly spotting Tali with her class: purple jumper dress over a white heart printed shirt, swinging her lunchbox around like a wild woman as she talks to a friend. He smiles, secretly snapping a picture of her on his phone, preserving that moment forever.

Tali's happiness doesn't last long though, because the second she spies her dad, her thousand-watt smile is replaced with a pout and tears welling up in her eyes. Tony sees the change in her demeanor and furrows his brow wondering what had made Tali so upset in the last thirty seconds. "Abba!" Her screaming sob has him shoving pash parents to get closer to the gate. "Abba!"

It must be something truly awful as Tali hasn't called him 'Abba' in nearly two years; at least not unless she's sick or very hurt.

Tali's teacher locks eyes with him and lets her run through the gate, gesturing that she needs to talk to him. Tony nods, quickly focusing on Tali who throws her lunchbox away and crashes into his stomach. He has to take a step back to account for her momentum and puts a hand on the back of her head as she continues to cry.

"Hey," Tony says. "Tali, what's wrong?" He kneels down, getting closer to her face. "Tali girl, what's wrong?" He wipes her tears away and holds her red face in his hands.

"My necklace! It's ruined!"

"What happened to it?" Tali had worn that necklace nearly every day since he'd given it to her, everything from soccer practice to ballet recitals and her first days of school, that necklace was as a part of Tali as her wavy hair and dimples. Tony knew something would happen to that necklace, especially with how rough and tumble Tali played, he just hated that it happened while she was at school.

"Holden broke it!"

"Can I see it?" Tony asks. Tali slips off her backpack, digging into the front pocket and coming out with a plastic baggie with the gold necklace safely inside. He opens the bag and pours it into his hand, examining it as carefully as he would evidence at a crime scene. The pendant wasn't harmed, but the thin gold chain was snapped in half, the lobster clasp broken beyond repair. Tony sighs, squeezing the pendant into his fist before putting it back into the bag.

"He did it on purpose!"

"Oh, I don't believe that. I'll bet it was just an accident."

"No, it wasn't! He did it on purpose! He's always mean to me, Abba! And now he broke my necklace!" He couldn't argue with the bullying part. Tali and Holden had been adversaries since the beginning of the school year, though it hadn't escalated beyond some playground tiffs and light teasing. Until today. "Holden! You're not my friend!" Tali's harsh shout at her bully as he, too, stays behind with his mom, makes Tony wince.

"Tali," he scolds, "I know you're angry, but there's no need to yell," Tali growls, stomping her foot and crossing her arms over her chest. Tony looks at his daughter taken aback; she'd always resembled her mom, but in that moment Tali was Ziva's spitting image. He looks over at Holden and his mom and notices the boy crying. "I am so sorry," Tony says to Holden's mother, apologizing for his daughter's behavior.

"No, I should be the one apologizing," The woman confesses. "Holden had no right to be breaking, let alone touching, Tali's necklace. We will be replacing it, you don't have to worry about that."

"I wasn't, but thank you," Tony replies. And if he's being honest: he hadn't even thought about how he would replace the necklace; he was still in shock over the whole thing.

Holden is still crying, and while his mom tries to comfort him, and Tony gets Tali to calm down a bit, their teacher finishes releasing the last of the class and heads in their direction. Tony had to admit that the kids in Tali's class were very nice to her. More than one of them on their way out stopped to hug her or say how sorry they were that her necklace broke. One little girl even gave Tali a new necklace made of construction paper to try and cheer her up.

"Okay, I think we should talk," the teacher says, joining the group, clasping her hands in front of her.

"What happened?" Tony is the first to ask.

"Well, let me start by saying that I, personally, wasn't there. Our aide was and she filled me in on the situation. Apparently, Tali had taken her necklace off before lunch recess and left it in her cubby. When they came back and everyone was using the bathroom, a group of boys, Holden included, snuck into the cubby area and were messing with other kids' things. According to the boys who were with him, Hold saw Tali's necklace, picked it up and started playing with it."

"Holden? Is this true?" His mom asks, looking down at her son.

He nods, not meeting his mom's eyes. "I just wanted to look at it! Tali never lets me see it! I just wanted to see it!"

"Did you try asking her? Maybe if you'd asked, she'd let you see it."

"I ask all the time and she always says no!"

"Holden," Tony starts. "Tali's mom gave her that necklace, and it is something very special to both of them. So you messing with it and breaking it, I think it makes Tali feel scared and sad." He looks to his daughter, who cuddles close to him, but doesn't argue his assumption.

"Why is she scared"

"Because my Ima went away and my necklace is all I have that's hers. It's special to me, and I'm mad and sad that you broke it."

"I'm really sorry, Tali. I didn't mean to break it, I promise."

"Okay," Tali looks down at the ground, still trying to control her emotions. She knew it was okay to have those feelings, she just didn't like other people seeing her have them.

"I think we can safely say this has been resolved?" the teacher asks looking between the two parents. When they both agree, she wishes them a good night and heads back inside.

Tony and Holden's mom exchange phone numbers and make plans to have the necklace chain replaced. The two kids gather their backpacks and lunchboxes, take their parents' hands and the two families head for home.

"Will Ima be mad her necklace got broken?" Tali asks him once they're off school property.

"She doesn't have to know. I'm not going to tell her, are you?"

"No, but she'll know it's not the same one."

"Tali, this is not the first time that necklace chain had to be replaced."

"It's not?"

"Nope. Ima had it for a long time before she met me and for a long time before you were born and I bet she's had to fix it at least five times. So don't worry, okay?" He shakes their joined hands, smiling down at Tali.

"Okay. Hey Daddy?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think when I'm Star of the Week I can bring pictures of Ima to show everybody?"

"I think that's a great idea. You can tell your class all about her."