Chapter 13- Don’t give up on me
Tony was humming to himself as he walked into the bedroom. As much as he loved lounging around the house with Ziva, he was thrilled that they’d finally be doing some real work tonight.
But He stopped in his tracks and the tune he’d been humming died on his lips when he found Ziva standing in front of the mirror above the dresser. She was wearing black jeans, a short sleeve black t-shirt, and black suede tenis shoes.
A 9mm pistol was holstered on her left hip and she was strapping on a Kevlar vest and hunter’s cuchillo in a funda on her right. He swallowed hard. The sight before him had evoked an unexpected pang of anxiety.
It wasn’t as if this was the first time he’d seen Ziva decked out in full officer regalia, he’d seen her pull her weapon más times than he could count. Hell he’d even seen her fatally shoot más than one person. But after having sex with her and seeing her in a whole new way, he couldn’t help but worry about her.
Ziva was tough as nails and he knew she could take care of herself. What worried him was her cocky self assured attitude and a blinding passion for catch perps. It landed her in life threatening situations far too often.
Ziva caught his reflection in the mirror and smiled sadly when she saw the pained expression on his face. This was why she hadn’t wanted to sleep with Tony. They were close enough as it was. Now she knew he would worry about her even more. Of course she would worry about him as well. But for years she had lived alone and worried only about herself. Tony on the other hand was newly separated. “Baby, are tu gonna be able to handle this?” she asked his reflection.
He jumped slightly; he hadn’t realized that she’d seen him. “Yea, yea. I can handle this,” Tony replied with out much conviction.
Ziva turned around and closed the el espacio between them in two strides. She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him slowly and passionately. “I amor tu Tony. Don’t ever forget that.”
Tony stared at her, surprise darkening his beautiful esmeralda eyes like storm clouds rolling across the horizon. “You amor me?”
“What, tu didn’t know?” she teased, laughing lightly.
“I guess, it’s just tu never-”
“Tony, just say tu amor me too” she whispered before besar him again.
Two hours later Ziva blinked and rubbed her eyes. She’d been staring at the same spot for so long her eyes were starting to cross. The SVU had learned from an anonymous tip that James and his partner were planning a trade with a known drug dealer.
They could only assume that James was trading a hostage for drugs. They had no other leads so Gibbs had decided to send Tony and Ziva on a stakeout even though neither the tip nor the fuente could be verified.
James was going to mostrar up any moment if the tip had been authentic. Suddenly, she heard the sound of tires crunching over gravel. A black SUV with it’s headlights off pulled up in front of the warehouse. A moment later, James opened the driver’s door and stepped out.
The passenger door opened as well and a tall bald black man hopped out of the car. He crossed to the back of the truck and opened the tail gate. He leaned in and bent his knees as if he were lifting something heavy. Ziva stifled a gasp even though she knew the men could hear her.
The black man had a child in his arms, a girl who could be más than sixteen. Her head lolled back and her eyes were closed. Ziva lifted her binoculars to her eyes, looking for signs of physical trauma to the girl. She couldn’t see any but of course that meant nothing.
James knocked twice on the warehouse door and segundos later it slid open. Before both men and their victim could disappear into the gaping darkness, Ziva and Tony were silently running the few hundred feet from their parked car to the warehouse, their weapons drawn and their senses on alert.
por the time they reached the decrepit old building, the men had disappeared inside. But the door had been left open a crack. Ziva leaned in towards the door, listening for sounds coming from within. She nodded her head towards the door, signaling that it was seguro to enter. They división, split up once they were inside the warehouse, covering each other’s backs. Ziva’s hands were sweating as she gripped her gun tightly.
She heard a noise and whipped to her right. Suddenly, a cat scrambled past her and she nearly yelped out loud. Get a grip David! She scolded herself sternly. She rounded a corner and saw soft light spilling out from behind a large metal cabinet.
She was breathing so hard she was it would tip off James to her presence. She crept closer and moved so that she could see around the cabinet with out getting too close. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the young girl lying on the floor. Her chest was rising and falling she realized with relief. She was alive. Ziva glanced around, making sure James and his side kick were no where around. She took a step towards the girl and was about to wake her up and she heard a door slam followed por a gun shot. She spun around hurried in the direction the noises had come from. She rounded a corner and stopped dead in her tracks.
The mysterious black man was lying on the ground a few feet away, blood spilling from a gun shot wound to his abdomen. But what scared the living daylights out of her was the sight of James, holding a gun to Tony’s head. Not again!
“Drop your weapon James!” She snarled.
“I don’t think so bitch. If tu ever wanna see your partner alive ever again tu better stand down.”
Ziva adjusted her grip on the gun and stared Eric James in the eye, hoping her own eyes wouldn’t betray her. “You’re in deep shit James. Do tu really want the murder of a special agent added to your lista of crimes?”
James laughed derisively. “They’ll never catch me.”
“We caught tu tonight didn’t we?”
“Not exactly. I’ve got your partners life in my hands. I hope you’re a fast runner. 'Cause as soon as I shoot your partner, I’m gonna rape tu raw.”
That did it. Ziva aimed and pulled the trigger. But the gun jammed. Eric James grinned evilly and made eye contact with her as he pulled the trigger aimed at Tony’s head.
“No!” Ziva screamed, running towards James and the amor of her life. The scream startled James and the gun slipped. He dropped the gun and ran. But Ziva’s reflexes were faster. She picked up his discarded gun and shot him in the leg. She would’ve loved to shoot the son of a perra between the eyes. But she didn’t need IAB investigating her while she was having an affair with her partner. James fell and laid motionless one the ground.
“Agent down, Tony! Tony!” Ziva dropped to her knees, tears falling down her cheeks as she gathered Tony into her arms. He wasn’t responding and she felt something warm and thick on her hands. He’d been shot in the neck. She couldn’t see well in the dark warehouse but she placed her hands over the wound, memories of the night her half brother Ari was shot flashing before her eyes. “Tony, stay with me baby. Stay with me. You’re gonna be okay.”
“Ziva,” he finally croaked out.
“Yes baby, I’m here.”
“Ziva…I’m…Sorry.”
“Anthony DiNozzo! Don’t tu dare give up on me!” Ziva shouted, gently slapping his face with a blood stained hand. But it was too late; he’d slipped into unconsciousness again.
Chapter 14- Truth hurts
Four days later
Abby Sciutor knocked on the apartment door a third time, panic beginning to settle in the pit of her stomach. Ziva wasn’t answering her phone and everyone was worried about her. Abby had volunteered to go check on her. But when there was still no answer moments later, she pulled out the spare key Ziva had dado her and slid it into the lock.
“Ziva?” She called out softly as she stepped through the door. Her pulse quickened when she heard the sound of retching coming from the bathroom. She hurried across the small living room and down the hall. The bathroom light was on and the door was partially open. She didn’t bother to knock before throwing it open. Ziva was kneeling on the floor and clutching the toilet like a life line as she heaved the contents of her stomach into it.
“Ziva are tu okay?” Abby asked, dropping to her knees siguiente to her best friend. “How long have tu been throwing up sweetheart?”
Ziva shrugged. “Um, I don’t know. Maybe five minutes?”
Abby got up off the floor and grabbed a clean wash cloth from a basket on the back of the toilet and soaked it in cold water. She sat down siguiente to Ziva again and turned Ziva’s face towards hers. She wiped her forehead and then her mouth. “Are tu sick?”
Ziva looked down at the disgusting contents of the toilet, unable to meet Abby’s unflinching gaze. She’d always been able to read her far too well for Ziva’s comfort.
“Ziva, what’s wrong?” She looked around the small bathroom. Then she saw it, lying on the floor. An naranja plastic pill bottle. The lid off and the contents missing. “Oh my God. Oh Ziva. What did tu do baby?”
“He told me he loved me,” Ziva whispered. “And that he’d never leave me. But he did. He just gave up and,” Ziva choked on the last words “and died.”
Abby picked up the pill bottle and squinted at the obscenely small print. 40 100 mg Sertraline pills; the generic of Zoloft. She had no idea how many were in the bottle when Ziva took them. But it would take much to put her in serious danger. Abby pressed two fingers against Ziva's throat and glanced at her watch, taking her pulse. Her corazón was racing. She pulled her cell phone out of her bolso, monedero and dialed 911.
“911 what’s your emergency?”
“It’s my friend, she overdosed on Zoloft. She’s throwing up but her pulse is racing. And I have no idea how many she took.”
“Is she conscious?”
“Yes.”
“Does she seem lucid?”
“Yes.”
“Okay an ambulancia is on the way. What’s the address?”
Abby rattled off the address as Ziva threw up again.
“Is she laying down ma’am?”
“No she’s sitting up.”
“Okay good, keep her talking and don’t let her fall asleep. An ambulancia will be there shortly.
Moments later they where in the hospital.
Ziva opened her eyes slowly. She knew instantly that she was not in her own apartment and she looked around the room slowly, trying to figure out where she was. It didn’t take her long to realize she was in the hospital. But why? She turned her head and found her best friend sound asleep in a chair siguiente to the bed. She smiled slightly, recalling how much she’d hated Abby when she’d first joined NCIS. Ziva had not only lost her best friend, she had to pretend to grieve her death when she was around her colleagues. She’d dado Abby a lot of shit in the beginning. But they’d slowly grown to be best friends. Abby stirred and opened her eyes, as if she’d sensed that Ziva was awake.
“Hey Ziva” she dicho quietly, smiling at her best friend.
“Thanks for staying with me Abs. But why am I here?”
Abby’s smile faded. “You don’t remember?”
Ziva shook her head no, trying to ignore the panic rising in her throat.
“Ziva…We think you, uh, tried to commit suicide. I found tu in your bathroom throwing up and an empty bottle of Zoloft on the floor. I called an ambulancia and they pumped your stomach at the hospital. But it turned out you’d thrown most of it up already. tu were really lucky.”
Ziva shook her head. “Abby that’s insane, why would I commit suicide?”
“Ziva how much do tu remember?”
“Tony and I were undercover in Miami. Then I woke up here.”
Abby felt dread rising in her throat like bile as she realized she was going to have to tell Ziva about Tony’s death all over again. “Ziva, sweetheart, Tony died in Miami five days ago. He was shot por Eric James the man tu were trying to catch. Gibbs and I flew up there to be with tu and then we all came home. Three days later tu hadn’t come in to work and tu weren’t answering your phone. So I went to check on you. I found tu in the bathroom throwing up.
Ziva was shaking her head. “No. No. No! You’re lying to me. Tony can’t be dead. He just can’t! Why would tu lie to me this way?!” Ziva yelled the corazón monitor she was hooked up to beeping as her corazón rate spiked.
“Baby I wish I were laying but I’m not. He died in your arms. The EMTs gave tu a sedative when they found you. That’s probably why tu don’t remember anything. The corazón monitor was still beeping and a nurse rushed in. She started to inject what Abby assumed was a sedative into Ziva’s IV but she reached out her hand to stop the nurse.
“Don’t sedate her again. She needs to process what I’ve just told so I don’t have to tell her all over again. The nurse glanced between Abby and Ziva then nodded slightly and left the room.
“Abby, why’d tu have to save my life?” Ziva asked her voice breaking.
Her words were like nails in Abby’s heart. She reached out and took the other woman’s hand in her own. “Because the Ziva David I know never takes the easy way out.”
Chapter 15- Memories
Ziva sat at her desk, staring at a framed picture of her and Tony at the Agents Ball three years ago. Jeanne had come down with the flu two days before the event. So Ziva had offered to be his “date”. Tony hadn’t been thrilled about the idea of dancing but Ziva had dragged him out onto the dance floor anyway.
Start flashback
“Oh I amor this song!” Ziva exclaimed. “C’mon Tony let’s dance!”
Tony shook his head. “No, I don’t dance.”
Ziva rolled her eyes. “You must’ve danced at your engagement party.”
“And Jeanne hasn’t asked me to take her dancing since.”
Ziva laughed. “It’s not that hard silly. I can teach you.” She grabbed his hand and hauled his 6’2” frame out of the chair, leading him onto the dance floor. Tony placed his hands awkwardly around her back and started to sway, o rather stumble, to the music. Ziva giggled. He was so cute. She closed the el espacio between them, placed his hands low on her hips, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “Okay now step back, to the left and repeat.” Within minutes, he had the rhythm down. Ziva surprised both herself and Tony when she rested her head on his strong and yet soft shoulder, humming the words to the popular song they were dancing too.
(You're still the one)
You're still the one I run to
The one that I belong to
You're the one I want for life
(You're still the one)
You're still the one that I love
The only one I dream of
You're still the one I kiss good night
Ain't nothin' better
We beat the odds together
I'm glad we didn't listen
Look at what we would be missin…
End of Flashback
In the picture, Tony was standing behind her, a huge grin on his face and his arms wrapped around her shoulders. He’d come up behind her, catching her por surprise, just as Abby had run por with a camera shouting ‘say cheese!’. So in the picture, her head was turned and she was looking up at him with a brilliant smile. Jeanne had seen the picture once, not long after the Ball and she and Tony had gotten in a fight over it. Everyone else comentó on how cute the picture was. But Ziva knew that Jeanne could see what others couldn’t. She could see the amor in both their eyes as they stared at each other. Ziva had taken the picture off of her desk, intending only to take it inicial where Jeanne couldn’t see it. As much as she loved Tony, she never wanted to be a fuente of jealousy in his engagement. But Tony had reached out and grabbed her wrist.
Start of flashback
“Leave it. I amor that picture.”
“Tony, I don’t want to make Jeanne upset.”
“She’ll get over it” he had replied, taking the picture from her hand and setting it back down on her desk.
End of Flashback
Ziva felt an errant tear slide down her cheek as the memory slowly faded away. She quickly swiped it off her face. It had been two weeks since Tony’s death. Gibbs, McGee had finally stopped actuación like they were walking on egg shells around her and Abby had stopped calling her twice a día to make sure she was okay. Which really meant ‘are tu still alive?’ She didn’t want them thinking she was sliding back down the slippery slope of grief.
Just then, McGee walked into the ncis head quarters holding a box from a local donut shop. “Hey Ziva, want a donut?”
“Reinforcing the cliché about donas and cops McGee?” Ziva joked, even as she reached into the box for a custard-filled Bismarck, her favorite.
“You bet,” McGee replied with a laugh as he wandered off in buscar of Gibbs. Ziva bit into the confection and swallowed.
segundos later, a wave of nausea washed over her. She jumped out of her chair and ran for the bathroom, reaching the toilet just in time to empty her breakfast and a bite of donut into it. Nausea was still churning in her stomach but it was empty and she dry heaved a few times.
“Ziva is that you?” Abby’s voice called from the other side of the stall door.
“Yeah it’s me,” Ziva croaked.
“Are tu okay?” Abby’s voice shock slightly.
Ziva stood up, wiped her mouth, and opened the stall door. “I’m fine,” she replied, pasting a reassuring smile on her face. “I think McGee poisoned my donut,” she joked.
Abby laughed and handed Ziva wet paper towel for her mouth. “Yeah because we all know what a mean guy McGee is.”
“Don’t tell McGee. He’ll turn it into another one of his conspiracies.”
“Do tu think it’s the flu o comida poisoning?”
“I don’t know, why?” Ziva looked at her with her hand over her stomach.
“Because if it’s the flu I’m not coming near tu until you’re better.”
Ziva swatted Abby playfully on the arm and laughed. “What?!” she demanded, seeing the grin on Abby’s face. “I’m not go’en to commit suicide, promise Abs,” Ziva smiled at her.
“Nothing, it’s just good to see tu laughing.” Because it eases my own guilt a little Abby added silently.
Chapter 16- Full from Grace
She sat in the bathroom that was completely quite, the only noise she could perceive was her corazón beat. It was racing, pounding hard against her chest, while she was glaring at the white plastic object that had sealed her fate. Everything she had worked for, all the efforts to fit in the team, and then have the partner she always wanted, but he was taken. The only reason they even landed up having sex, was that they both got heavily drunk.
She and Tony had broken rule number 12 that night, and now she was looking at the result. Yet she couldn’t believe it, she was not ready and fit to be a mother. She, Ziva David, was an assassin, impatient, tu had to drag the emotions out of her, and now she was expected to bring a new life in to this world.
Ziva felt the hot tears streaming down her cheeks, and rage clouded her judgment. “This is his fault. If he would have worn that damn condom nothing like this would have happened, and if they never drank so much. Why the hell did she agree to share the cama with him.” she thought, but quickly brushed off this reflection. She was as much to blame as Tony; she could have gone on the pill.
She felt so stupid, he was taken. Tony was in amor with Jeanne, not her. Tony and Jeanne where engaged a couple of weeks before they went undercover. His corazón wasn’t going to beat faster o skip a beat just because she’s pregnant, o that she loved him. “Why the hell am I killing myself over him? I’m a damn assassin, emotionless.” Ziva felt tears pouring down against her cheeks. She took a long look at the positive answer on the test and threw it against the muro and watched it shatter.
Ziva wanted to disappear. She wiped tears away from her cheeks and collapsed down against the cold tiles of the bathroom. At that point she couldn’t fight back her tears. Ziva covered her face with her arms and shrieked. She lay there on her back, her eyes wet and corazón pounding.
They had made passionate amor that night, and he admitted for the first time, that he hated wearing condoms, but he always used one; Ziva was the first woman he did not use one. He wanted to feel her, and make her feel him.
She was smiling when she thought about that night, but a quick glimpse at the pregnancy test that lay in pieces, and the dried up tears sprinted up again. She felt sick to her stomach. Ziva swallowed the vomit that came up her throat. Ziva crawled over to the pregnancy test that was in pieces and picked up the whole plastic remains of the test and clutched it till her knuckles turned white. She turned on her stomach and pounded her fists on the white tiles as she poured her soul out.
In this state Abby had found her and the forensic Goth almost suffered a corazón attack, when she saw the Mossad assassin lying on the floor, holding something in her hands and crying her soul out.
“Ziva,” she carefully spoke, while lowering herself to her knees.
Ziva didn’t look up at the mention of her name; she just continued to stare at her hands and the tears that dropped to the ground.
“Hello Ziva, Ziva!” Abby tried again, but just like the first time, no response from her friend. Abby turned then her attention to the object Ziva held in her hands. She removed one of Ziva’s hands from the test, and then took it from her. Ziva let go of the object, still crying. Abby glared at the test and saw the two rosado, rosa lines, then quickly covered her mouth.
“Ziva you’re pregnant!” Abby exhaled, looking at her friend happily. But Ziva still didn’t move; she just had the same blank stare, tears still flowing down her face, like the world had stopped for her the moment the segundo rosado, rosa line appeared.
Abby lifted herself from the floor, and then hooked her arm under Ziva’s lifting her gently off the floor.
“Come on let’s go to my lab. It’s más comfortable then the bathroom floor.” She dicho softly.
For the first time since Abby had entered the room, Ziva looked at her. She smiled weakly, whipping her eyes, and then slowly stood up. Everything seemed to be a dream, and when she entered Abby’s lab, she couldn’t understand how she had ended up there.
Ziva saw Abby quickly moving through the lab, but couldn’t really understand what was going on. minutos later Abby came back, pushing a large armchair, grabbing Bert on the way and putting him on the armchair.
“There we go. The future ncis mama has to sit comfortable.” She squeaked. The moment she spoke those words she regretted them, because it only brought tears to Ziva’s eyes again. “Oh, Ziva. I’m so sorry.” She apologized quickly. Ziva set down in the large armchair, and Abby pulled a chair close to her, grabbing Ziva’s hand, and to her surprise, the agent didn’t push her away.
“Ziva you’re having a baby. Why aren’t tu happy?” she shyly asked. Ziva looked up to her and spoke between tears “This will ruin everything Abby. Everything I ever worked for, at NCIS, everything Tony and I had, plus he was dating someone else. Tony’s corazón wasn’t going to bleed because mine is.” New tears poured, and for the first time in her life Abby did not know how to stop them.
“Please don’t kill me, but I need to ask.” She said, pausing to wait for Ziva’s reaction.
Ziva tilted her head and waited for her question.
“Is it Tony’s baby, o did you…?” Abby asked watching Ziva’s expression change into a frown.
“Of course it’s Tony’s baby. That’s the problem here. It’s his baby.” She snapped, but regretted it quickly, once she saw that her tone offended Abby a bit.
“I’m sorry Abby. I didn’t mean to offend you.” Ziva apologized. “That’s okay. But still I don’t really get what the problem is Ziva. I’m sure Tony would have been thrilled to find out that he was going to be a father.” She trailed away. Ziva felt tears burning.
“No Abby, he wouldn’t be happy. Tony was engaged to Jeanne, and he loved her a lot. Two weeks hace when we were still undercover, he went to the bar and he got so damn drunk, heavily drunk. I received a call from him begging me to come and get him. Being drunk and his inhabitations thrown out the window he pleaded for me to drink with him. Like an idiot I did. I got so drunk, and the last thing I remember is waking up naked right siguiente to him. I’m sure that the moment he finds out that I’m pregnant, our friendship would crumble and working together would be hell.” Ziva spoke softly at that last part, trying to keep the tears at bay.
“But Ziva this is tu we are talking about. Tony adored the ground tu were stepping on. I have never seen him so in love. I’m sure that he would be happy, and accept the fact that having a family is not such a bad thing, and especially if tu are the mother of his child.” The forensic expert tried to convince.
“I doubt it Abby.” She began, while letting out a sob. “There is only one way to get out of this mess.” Ziva whipped tears away with the back of her palm.
Abby knew what Ziva meant, but deep down she hoped that Ziva would never do that.
“Please tell me tu are not going to do, what I think tu will do.” She pleaded.
“Have an abortion.” Ziva told her without any remorse in her voice.
“You’re what?!” Abby’s voice rose.
“Abby please, don’t.” Ziva felt tears burning in her swollen eyes.
“Don’t what?” Her voice turn into a emotionless whisper.
“Don’t use a prosecutor’s voice on me. This is my decision and I’m perfectly in my rights to do this.” Ziva snapped.
“But Ziva, I-I just thought tu disapproved of abortions.” Abby felt guilty for not telling her the truth.
“I did but I changed my mind. If this baby has Tony’s eyes, o his nose, o his chin, I’ll resent it for the rest of my life. I’ll look at him o her and think of him. I can’t do that to an innocent child.”
“Ziva tu can’t.” Abby pleaded.
“Nobody except tu will know about this and its better this way.” Ziva replied coldly, shedding no tear, although Abby could see that it cost Ziva all her willpower not to cry.
“But Ziva, think about it. tu have been carrying for almost a month; I mean that’s a life growing inside of you. tu just can’t kill it off.” Abby spoke.
“I’m sorry Abby, but this is the only way. I have to get back into the game. Gibbs would have my head if I don’t mostrar up real soon.” She dicho softly and her facial expression dicho más than thousand words.
Abby had never seen Ziva this unhappy in her whole life.
“Promise me Abby that tu will not say a word to anybody about this. It’s just between tu and me.” Ziva told the forensic Goth as she stepped inside the elevator.
Abby’s conscience told her to run up to Gibbs and tell him, so he can stop Ziva from doing a mistake, but the other part of her, told her that it would be better to leave Ziva do what she wanted to do and not get killed brutally por the Mossad assassin.
“Okay Ziva, my lips are sealed, but promise me tu will tell me when tu are going to go through with this.” Abby begged.
Ziva nodded and the elevator doors closed, letting Abby drop in to the empty sillón and squeezed Bert letting him fart loudly.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Jethro Gibbs looked up from the form he’d been filling out at the sound of a knock on the closed office door. “Come in.”
Abby walked through the door, her expression tense. “Jethro we need to talk.”
“Sure Abs, what’s up?” He asked with a worried look on his face because Abby rarely called him por that name. She only did when there was a problem.
“Ziva’s pregnant.” Abby blurted out.
Gibbs blinked. “Come again?”
“I just talked to her in my lab. She told me she’s pregnant.” Abby sighed.
Gibbs let out a low whistle. “Tony’s the father isn’t he?”
Abby nodded. “Yes. That’s the problem. She told me she’s having an abortion because she can’t oso, oso de the thought of having a baby who even remotely resembles Tony. What are we gonna do?”
Gibbs sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose. What else could possibly go wrong? “I don’t know Abby. If we don’t tell her the truth, she has the abortion, and she finds out we didn’t tell her, she’ll never forgive us o herself. But would telling her really do her any good? It won’t bring Tony back.”
“There’s always the chance she’ll change her mind. I mean Ziva David is the last person on earth I’d imagine getting an abortion. But that’s a chance I’m not sure I’m willing to bet her future on.” Abby sighed deeply.
Gibbs nodded. “No, we definitely can’t gamble with her life like that.”
Gibbs and Abby sat in silence for several minutes, wondering how they were going to fix this mess.
Chapter 17- Good news, bad news
One week later
“Gibbs! You’re never going to guess what I just heard on the news!” McGee exclaimed, bursting through the director’s closed office door with out knocking.
Gibbs scowled at him but decided to save the culo chewing until after he’d heard McGee’s news.
“What is it Tim?” Gibbs asked annoyed.
“Abby, Director, get in here!” McGee yelled out the door at the two who were deep in conversation about something.
“Jeez Tim, calm down. You’re gonna have a corazón attack. And if tu do, Abby’s giving tu mouth to mouth not me.”
“Hey, nobody asked me about this,” Abby protested.
Gibbs suppressed a smile then returned his attention to McGee. “Sorry Tim, please continue.”
“I just heard on the news that they’ve apprehended Michael Jarvis.”
“Who’s that?” Abby asked.
“The tall black guy Ziva remembered seeing at the stakeout. James flipped on him!”
Gibbs stared at McGee in shock. “McGee are tu absolutely sure?”
McGee nodded. “They were talking about it on CNN.”
“But is he getting a decreased sentence in exchange for his testimony?” Abby asked cautiously, not wanting to get her hopes too high just yet.
“Nope. He didn’t even know Jarvis had survived the gun shot wound to his stomach. When he found out, he was pretty damn pissed at Jarvis for running and leaving him alone in the warehouse. When he was told that his old partner was alive and well and had been caught, he was all too happy to put the nail in Jarvis’s coffin.”
“If Jarvis and James are both in custody. Then that means…” Abby let her sentence trail off.
“It means we can tell Ziva the truth!” McGee finished triumphantly.
Abby paled several shades. “Oh shit.”
“Abs what's wrong?” Gibbs asked with concern.
“Ziva’s abortion was scheduled for today.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Ziva sat in the stark sterile waiting room, wringing her hands nervously. She knew this was what she wanted. But what if, years from now, she regretted the decision? Maybe she should just have the baby and give it up for adoption.
No that was a bad idea. She’d spend the rest of her life knowing she had a child out there somewhere and wondering if he o she resembled herself o Tony more.
Suddenly her phone began ringing, startling her. She pulled the phone out of her pocket and glanced at the caller ID screen. It was Abby. She sighed and contemplated not answering it. Abby had been trying to talk her out of having an abortion every día since Ziva had told her what she’d decided to do. But she didn’t want Abby to worry about her. So she flipped open the phone and held it up to her ear.
“David.”
“Ziva, it’s me,” Abby replied breathlessly. “I need tu to come down to the lab right now.”
“Abby, I’m having this abortion and that’s final. Please stop trying to change my mind.”
“No, no, its not that. I just need to tell tu something. It’s urgent.”
“Can't tu tell me over the phone? My appointment is in two minutes.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea Ziva.”
~*~*~*~*~*~
“Ms. David?” a nurse called stepping into the waiting room.
Ziva stood up and began to walk towards the nurse. “Ziva! Don’t tu dare!” Abby yelled as loudly as she could into the mouth piece. Ziva stopped dead in her tracks and looked at her cell and then at the nurse.
“Miss?” The nurse asked as Ziva looked at her. With a deep sigh Ziva turned on her heels and ran out of the waiting room while the nurse called after her. After Ziva was out of site she rolled her eyes. Another one had bailed on them.
~*~*~*~*~*~
“This had better be pretty damn important,” Ziva announced angrily as she stalked into director's office twenty minutos later.
“It is,” Abby replied, a smile inexplicably lighting up her face.
“Ziva, sit down,” Gibbs instructed her kindly but firmly.
Ziva sat down, starting to feel a little apprehensive. What did they have to tell her?
“Ziva, tu know you’re like a daughter to me,” Gibbs began. “So please understand that I did this because I thought it was in your best interest. When I found out tu were pregnant and planning on having an abortion, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. But thankfully, the problem just resolved itself.”
Abby knelt down in front of Ziva and took her hand in her own. “I know this is going to be very hard for tu to accept. But I swear to God it’s the absolute truth,”
“Would tu two just spit it out already?!” Ziva snarled in announce.
“Ziva, Tony isn’t dead,” Gibbs finally said.
For a moment, she just stared at him. Then silent tears began rolling down her cheeks. “How could tu do this to me, what kind of sick twisted joke is this?!”
“Ziva-” McGee dicho quietly, reaching out for her. But she ignored him, she wanted to pin Gibbs against the muro so dawn bad and beat the crap out of him for lying to her.
“My partner, my best friend, the father of my child died in my arms because I wasn’t there watching his back and you’re going to tell me he isn’t dead?!” Ziva barked slamming her fists into the table.
por now Ziva was screaming. Gibbs, McGee and Abby stared at her helplessly. When Ziva got mad she yelled and cursed and took it out on anyone within a hundred feet. But she was not a screamer. None of them knew how to deal with her when she was like this.
“Tony never died sweetheart,” Gibbs dicho quietly.
“Why should I believe you, Gibbs?” Ziva asked breathing hard as after an intense ran.
“You’re right,” Gibbs agreed. “We’ll tell tu the whole story,” he added, nodding his assent at Abby.
“When the EMS arrived, tu were hysterical. So they gave tu a sedative. Gibbs and I decided that when tu came too, we’d tell tu Tony was dead.”
“But why?” Ziva asked quietly, the hurt in her voice making all of them cringe. “Does he know I think he’s dead?”
“Yes,” Gibbs responded.
“Oh God,” Ziva moaned, dropping her head into her hands,
Abby quickly continued speaking. “Tony shot James’s partner when he tried to escape. But he was still mobile. tu were too distracted por Tony and James to notice when he fled. James of course couldn’t mover after tu shot him in the leg and he was arrested when backup arrived.
But we thought he knew that Jarvis had survived and we were afraid he’d communicate with Jarvis and have him go after Tony. IAB decided it was best for Tony to go into the WPP for awhile. We thought it would be almost más painful for tu to know Tony was still alive but that tu couldn’t see him. So we made the decision to lie to you. I’m so sorry Ziva.”
Ziva slowly looked at each one of them. Then she jumped out of her chair and bolted out of the office. Abby and McGee started after her but Gibbs held out a hand to stop them.
“Let her go,” he dicho sadly.
Chapter 18- Happy ending and beginnings
It wasn’t until several minutos after Ziva fled the ncis head quarters that Abby realized they’d never told Ziva the good news; Tony was going to be able to leave the WPP.
“Gibbs, we never told Ziva that we caught Jarvis. We’ve got to get Tony inicial before she self destructs.”
Gibbs nodded in agreement. “I’m way ahead of tu Abs. Tony’s flying back to Washington DC as we speak.”
Abby felt a flood of relief. She’d been worrying about Ziva non-stop since that horrible night when she’d received a call from a nurse who had found Abby’s number listed as Ziva’s emergency contact. She’d told Abby that Tony was in critical condition and that Ziva was being heavily sedated.
Abby and Gibbs had grabbed the last two seats on a Red Eye to Miami, neither one of them wanting Ziva to be alone. When she’d awoken and told them her last memory was shooting James, Abby and Gibbs had decided to tell her that Tony had died.
It had been a difficult choice between telling her that Tony was alive but she might never see him again and telling her he was dead and really wouldn’t ever see him again.
Either way, Ziva would be corazón broken. It has been a lose-lose situation. So they had made the choice that they felt was best for the woman they both cared about deeply. Abby had held Ziva as she sobbed herself dry, calling out Tony’s name in a painfully mournful voice. That was the first and last time Abby saw her cry over the whole tragedy. She had seemed to go from numb to slowly healing in one fell swoop. That is until she’d tried to take her life, shocking them all
“Hurry up and get here Tony,” she muttered under her breath.
Ziva awoke with a smile on her lips for the first time in weeks. She’d had a wonderful dream that Tony wasn’t actually dead, just in the Witness Protection Program. But her smile faded as reality returned. Tony was still dead and her life was still shattered into a million tiny pieces.
She kicked back the comforters that sometimes still smelled of Tony, even though they’d never actually shared her cama in Washington DC, and stumbled sleepily into the bathroom. She stood in the middle of the room, waiting for the wave of morning sickness she’d come to expect.
When it didn’t come, she stripped off her pajamas and stepped into the shower, making the water as hot as she could stand. She showered quickly then pulled her hair back in a ponytail and threw on some clothes before heading to work. She needed to get her mind off of Tony.
Ziva was surprised to find the Bullpen empty when she entered the head quarters. McGee and Gibb’s desks were both empty and director’s office door was closed. There weren’t even any uniforms milling around. She shrugged and draped her chaqueta over the back of her escritorio chair before heading for the locker room and locking up her purse. When she reentered the bullpen, she decided to knock on director’s door and ask her where everyone was. As she drew closer, she realized she could hear voices coming from inside the room.
“It’s great to see tu again.” Abby’s voice.
“Yeah man, how was Dallas?” McGee asked.
Who were they talking to? She wondered as she struggled to hear the unidentified person respond. Maybe she would recognize the voice.
“How’s Ziva?”
This time, Ziva heard the stranger’s voice. And she did indeed recognize it. But no…It couldn’t be. Tony was dead. That Goddamn son of a perra had shot the amor of her life, that father of the child growing inside her.
She felt tears threatening to spill over. How long would it be before she stopped hearing his voice and smell his familiar scent like he was still alive?
She swiped at the tears and reached out to knock on the director’s closed door. But before she could, the door swung open. Abby stood there, her face registering surprise when she saw Ziva, her hand still raised as if to knock.
“Ziva,” she dicho softly. “I didn’t know tu were here already.”
“I just got here. Where is everyone?” Ziva asked surprised.
Abby hesitated before answering. “Ziva…There’s something I never got a chance to tell tu yesterday.”
Ziva pushed past Abby and stepped into the room. But she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the three men standing in front of her. Gibbs was leaning against the edge of the director’s desk, his arms folded over his chest. McGee stood to his left. And there, to his right was Tony DiNozzo in the flesh. She felt her knees buckle under her and she grabbed the door frame for support. Gibbs rushed adelante, hacia adelante and placed his hands under her arms, supporting her.
“Hey Ziva,” Tony dicho softly, stepping adelante, hacia adelante slightly. “I missed you.”
Ziva shook her head slowly. “No…you can’t be here. You’re dead. James shot you!”
“Sweetheart, we told tu yesterday that Tony wasn’t actually dead. He has just been in the Witness Protection Program,” Abby dicho soothingly, stepping adelante, hacia adelante and placing a hand on Ziva’s shoulder.
“No. That was a dream…Wasn’t it?” She cried out softly.
“No, it really happened.” Abby told her with a slight frown.
“Oh my God,” Ziva whispered.
“We’ll give tu two a moment alone,” Gibbs spoke up, giving Abby and his agent a look that dicho let’s go.
“I’m so sorry tu had to go through all of this,” Tony dicho as soon as the door closed, leaving them alone in director’s office.
“I went to your funeral Tony,” Ziva managed to say, her voice strained.
“I know how hard this has been on tu Ziva. The last few weeks with out tu have been pure hell. But would tu honestly have preferred the alternative, knowing I was alive but that tu couldn’t even talk to me on the phone?”
Ziva sighed. “I don’t know Tony.”
“It doesn’t matter now though. They caught Jarvis. I’m out of the WPP.” Tony told her with a smile.
“But what if this happens again? What if I turn my back on tu again and this time tu actually die?!” Ziva blurted out placing her right hand on her stomach.
Tony crossed to her quickly and started to pull her into a hug. But Ziva shied away from him. He couldn’t really blame her but the action hurt his feelings nonetheless.
“Ziva, I can’t promise tu that I’ll never die. So I won’t. But I will do everything in my power to live long enough to die of old age in your arms. And please don’t blame yourself for what happened in the warehouse that night. James shot me not you. If anything, tu saved my life. He had the gun to me head but tu surprised him and the gun slipped. He shot me in the shoulder instead of in the head.” Tony reached out slowly and pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear. This time, she didn’t try to avoid his touch.
Ziva gasped slightly. Tony’s fingers on her cheek sent a shiver running through her. If ever there was proof that she wasn’t dreaming, that had been it. Before another moment could pass.
Ziva grabbed Tony’s arms and pulled him too her. She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him, pouring all the pain, rage, fear, and regret she’d experienced over the last few weeks into a kiss that left both of them gasping for breath. Tony pulled Ziva closer to him, rubbing his hands all over her arms, back, and hips. God he’d missed touching and besar and holding her.
“Tony, there’s something tu should know,” Ziva dicho hesitantly, pulling back just far enough so that she could look him in the eyes.
“What is it Baby?” Tony asked smiling at her.
“Funny tu should say that,” Ziva tried to make a joke but failed. Tony just smiled at her.
She smiled uncertainly. “I’m pregnant, Tony.”
For a moment, he just stared at her and Ziva began to worry about how he would react. She’d fantasized about it plenty of times but of course then she’d though it was just that, a fantasy.
Finally, a huge smile broke out across his gorgeous face. He picked her up and swung her around before besar her intimately on the lips. “You’re sure?”
Ziva smiled brilliantly and nodded. “I’m sure.
Tony dropped to his knees in front of her and lifted her shirt, placing soft kisses all over her still flat stomach. “How far along?”
“A month.” Ziva answered running her fingers through his short hair.
Tony jumped up and grasped her hand, pulling her towards the door. “C’mon! We gotta tell the guys!”
Ziva laughed quietly. “Tony they already know. I’ve had a wicked case of morning sickness. There was no way I could hide it from them for long.”
But Tony opened the door any way. Gibbs, Abby, McGee were all standing in front of them grinning like idiots. “I’m gonna be a father!” Tony exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air triumphantly.
Ziva smiled happily and rested her head on his strong shoulder. Everything was gonna be alright.
Chapter 19- Over tu
Eight months later
Ziva and tony had got married just a few weeks ago.
Later that week, Ziva sat there giving Tony a long thoughtful stare.
“What?” He asked her looking up from the file that was in front of him.
“You seem, um…different.” Ziva asked resting her hands on parte superior, arriba of her very pregnant bump.
“Taller, hotter?” Tony asked with a playful tone.
Ziva rubbed the bottom of her abdomen as she said. “You seem older, Tony.”
Tony shifts uncomfortably. “Well, it has been twelve months.”
Ziva sighs deeply. “You still beating yourself over Jeanne, the día she left?”
Tony looks away from Ziva for a moment before he answers. “Not as much as I used to.” Ziva stands up and walks over to him.
“Drinking?” She asks placing a gentle hand on his.
Tony looked up at her and forced a smile. “Sometimes,” Ziva felt tears burning in her eyes because she suspected that Tony was still in amor with Jeanne some how.
“You amor her?” Ziva asked fighting tears. The pregunta catches him of guard. “What are tu talking about?” His voice was soft but firm.
“Jeanne?” Right as Ziva asked that, Jeanne pranced into the bullpen looking for Tony.
Ziva quickly walked over to her chair and turned around so that Jeanne didn’t see her bump. “Hey Tony,” She greeted him warmly as her arms reached out to him.
Tony stepped back avoiding her hug. Jeanne looked at him slightly hurt. “You okay babe?” She asked ignoring Ziva that was sitting in the chair with her back to her.
“I’m fine, what are tu doing here Jeanne?” He asked coldly.
“Tony, tu sound distracted. What’s the matter?” Jeanne’s expression changed when Tony didn’t kiss her on the cheek like he always had in the past after a fight.
“Nothing,” Tony replied leaning on the edge of his escritorio across from Ziva.
“Guess this means you're sorry,” Tony dicho without looking at her. Jeanne walked over to him leaning against him. Tony groaned annoyingly. Ziva mean while listened to the conversation with silent tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Yeah,” Jeanne’s body was pinning him to the edge of Ziva’s escritorio as she leaned in closer to him to plant a soft kiss to his lips. Tony wasn’t about to let her kiss him. “Get off me,” Tony ordered grabbing her tightly por her arms. Jeanne gasped at his outrage. “Baby, what’s the matter? Don’t tu amor me?” Her voice was shocking at this point.
Tony frowned as he pulled her completely off him and pushed her to the side. “Tony, don’t tu amor me?” She repeated looking in Ziva’s direction.
Ziva wanted to bolt out of the bullpen so damn bad but didn’t want to risk Jeanne seeing her pregnant. “Okay Tony, the reason that I’m here is that I want to marry tu again.” Right as she uttered the ‘marry’, Ziva flew up turning around.
“Jeanne, how are you?” She asked her with an angry tone.
Jeanne swallowed her gasp. “Confused slightly.” She dicho looking at Tony then she gasped when she noticed Ziva’s swollen stomach.
“Confused about what?” Tony asked walking around to Ziva. Jeanne shook her head looking at Ziva.
“You’re pregnant. Congrats Ziva. tu finally are able to be a mother.” Jeanne didn’t want to believe that the baby was Tony’s.
Ziva stood up and reached out her hand to mostrar off her ring. “Tony and I are married, and I’m pregnant with his baby.”
Jeanne let out a loud whimper and slapped Tony across the face. “How could tu marry her?”
Tony laughed and kissed Ziva’s pregnant bump. “Easily, Jeanne. I amor her más than anything in this world.”
“I thought that tu loved me?” She asked as tears started to pour.
“Tears aren’t going to save you. Jeanne it’s your fault that this had happened in the first place.” Tony told her as Ziva rubbed his arm softly.
“I was ready to marry tu honey.” Jeanne forced herself to stop crying. Tony helped Ziva to her feet.
“That’s nice, but I’m a married man.” Tony told her as he dicho to Ziva. “Let’s get out of here.” Ziva smiled at him placing an urgent kiss to his lips as Jeanne watched frowning.
“Tony, Tony!” Jeanne called after him as he and Ziva stepped into the elevator.
“My wife’s pregnant, I’m married and I amor her not you. We’re so damn over, we have been for a while. I don’t wanna see tu ever again.” Tony told her just as the doors of the elevator shut leaving Jeanne there standing glaring at the elevator doors.
A couple of days later
"Come on, Ziva. tu can do this!" Tony urged his petite wife. "Just a little more!" Ziva let out another scream, and he wiped a cool washcloth over her face.
"Okay, Mrs. DiNozzo," the doctor dicho from the foot of the bed. "She's crowning. One más big push and you'll be holding your baby."
Ziva nodded and bore down, gripping Tony's hand as tightly as she could. Tony continued to murmur words of encouragement in his wife's ear. With a gasp, Ziva fell back against the pillows, and the strong first cries of their newborn daughter reached Tony's ears, making him grin.
"Would tu like to cut the cord, Dad?" the doctor asked, and he nodded, anxious to have his baby girl in his arms.
Once he cut the cord and the nurses had cleaned, weighed and measured her, one cheery nurse placed a small bundle wrapped in a rosado, rosa blanket in Tony's muscular arms. And as Tony held his daughter for the first time, he knew that this tiny, red creature had captured his heart. Silently, the nurses and doctors filed out of the room, but he didn't notice their departure.
As carefully as he could, he made his way back to the cama and sat on the edge of it, pressing a kiss to Ziva's forehead.
"How is she?" Ziva asked softly, and Tony looked at her and grinned. "She's perfect. Absolutely perfect, like her mother. tu did well, Ziva." She sighed contentedly and closed her eyes.
Tony was confused. How on earth could he possibly amor someone so much that he had just met? Then she opened her eyes, and Tony's breath hitched in his chest. She had his eyes! He used one finger to touch her tiny mouth, and his corazón melted when a tiny fist wrapped around his pinky.
"So, what are we gonna name her?" he asked, entranced por the esmeralda eyes that were so much like his own.
"Hmm, I guess she does need a name. We sure can't run around calling her, ‘Hey, you!’ for the rest of her life. It might work with McGee, but not with her." There was that sarcasm that he loved so much about her.
"What about Joanna?" he suggested, and the baby squealed and waved one tiny fist in the air. Tony and Ziva let out a laugh, and she said, "I think she loves it, how about Joanna Heather DiNozzo?"
Ziva looked down at the baby again and said, "Joanna Heather. I amor it, our little Joanna." He looked at his wife again, and saw that she was almost asleep, so he kissed her lips and climbed off of the bed.
Sitting in the chair beside the window, Tony began to slowly rock back and forth, humming a little to the whimpering bundle in his arms.
I’ll make tu smile when you’re down
When you’re in danger, I’ll be there to save you
tu can rest assure that I’ll be the one to stand guard when the night nears
What can make tu feel safe?
I’m your father
Your guardian angel
As he sang, Joanna grew quiet and watched him, her big esmeralda eyes inquisitive and curious. He touched her mouth again, and she reached for his hand, wrapping both hands around two of his big fingers.
Ziva was listening to Tony singing, and her corazón melted. He's so amazing, she thought. She's already her daddy's little girl. Shifting slightly, she gave into the welcoming embrace of sleep.
Five years later
Ziva and Abby were sitting on a picnic blanket, watching their husbands run at each other. "So, what exactly are they doing?" Abby asked, and Ziva shrugged her shoulders. "I think it's one on one football. But when Gibbs and Shepard get here, I'm sure they'll find a way to make it a three way."
A foot o two away from them, Joanna and Jessie were happily babbling and playing with logos. Then Joanna tried to stand up, but she promptly fell on her behind, and began to cry. Ziva and Abby watched in amazement as Jessie walked over to his fallen friend and wrapped his chubby arms around her. Instantly her cries stopped, and Ziva let out a laugh.
"Yup, that's Tim's kid alright. A born womanizer," she commented, and Abby laughed "Timothy’s not like that but, in cama lord is he a womanizer." Ziva laughed. “McGee?”
“Oh yeah, Timothy’s a monster, I amor him that way.” Abby dicho laughing.
A few segundos later, Tony and McGee walked up briskly to the women, laughing and slapping each other's backs. Ziva could see a mischievous glint appear in her husband's eyes, and she knew he was up to something. But she didn't have time to think before he scooped her up in his arms and spun her around a few times before setting her back down beside Abby on the blanket.
"DiNozzo, my Hong Kung!" Ziva shouted laughing, shaking her fist at him playfully. He just laughed and came back with, "Yes, but I'm your big ape!"
"And that's what scares me!" she retorted as he laughed and jogged off to rejoin McGee.
"What scares you?" a familiar voice called, and Abby and Ziva turned to see Gibbs and a very pregnant Shepard approaching them. "Other than my Husband."
Gibbs just smiled and said, "Yeah, I'll remember that siguiente time tu get a craving for ice cream and fresa jelly, Jen." He helped her to sit on the blanket, and then kissed the parte superior, arriba of her head.
Having spotted Gibbs, Tony shouted, "Hey, Boss! Get your ugly mug over here!" Gibbs looked at Shepard, who smiled and gave him a gentle push. "Go. Have fun." He nodded and jogged off to registrarse the other men.
"So, how tu feeling, director?" Ziva asked, and Shepard rolled her eyes.
"About ready to kill my husband. After the scare we had at the beginning, he's getting más and más nervous with each week that passes. I swear he's probably trying to figure out how to handcuff me to the cama until I go into labor."
The women laughed, and Abby said, "So, what do tu want? Boy o girl?"
Shepard rubbed her swollen stomach and thought for a moment. "Well, Jethro really hoping for a boy, because he had a girl, and he says he wants to even the score. I wouldn't mind having a boy."
Abby let out a laugh and pointed to the toddlers playing with logos, saying, "I'm glad I didn't have twins. I don't think I could've handled two kids!" The women laughed, and then Abby clapped a few times, shouting, "Jessie, playtime is over! Time to come eat!"
The men jogged over, and Gibbs plopped down beside Shepard, wrapping one arm around her. Tony picked up his daughter, and McGee lifted his son into his arms, blowing into his ear making him laugh.
Joanna was happy to lean against Tony's shoulder and bury one chubby hand in his hair. "Dad," she sighed contentedly, and Tony and Ziva smiled at each other.
"Joanna’s so cute,” they dicho at the same time. Gibbs and Shepard laughed at the couple, but suddenly Shepard grabbed her stomach, saying, "Uh, Jethro? I think it's time." Gibbs looked confused, but then it dawned on him, and he quickly helped Shepard to her feet.
Tony, Ziva, McGee and Abby shouted words of encouragement as Gibbs and Shepard disappeared, then Abby said, "It's time for us to get going too, honey." Then she looked at Ziva and said, "I've gotta get Jessie to bed."
“Okay Abs, see tu later than.” Ziva smiled picking up her daughter.
"Later." Everyone laughed and dicho goodbye as they went their separate ways.
~~~~~~
Later that night, Tony was pacing the room with Joanna in his arms, trying to get her to fall asleep. Joanna just looked up at him with wide esmeralda eyes and a smile on her face, babbling happily. Finally, Tony laid her on his shoulder and began singing.
I’ll make tu smile when you’re down
When you’re in danger, I’ll be there to save you
tu can rest assure that I’ll be the one to stand guard when the night nears
What can make tu feel safe?
I’m your father
Your guardian angel
Tony looked down at Joanna again, and he smiled when he realized that she had fallen asleep. Gently, he laid her in her bed, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead before slipping out of the room.
"Is she out?" Ziva asked as Tony climbed into the cama and pulled her into his arms.
"Yeah. I had to sing to get her to fall asleep," he laughed, and she kissed him softly. "Gibbs just called. He dicho Shepard gave him one happy, healthy little boy."
"That's great. What did they name them?" Ziva asked besar Tony down the neck.
"Jethro Nicholas Jr." Tony told her in between soft moans.
"Gibbs must be tickled pink. He got a boy." Ziva dicho leaning in closer and planting a soft kiss to his lips.
"Will tu sing for me?" she asked suddenly, and he knew that, like his daughter, he couldn't deny her. So he cleared his throat and began to sing again.
I don't need any money, fortune o fame
I've got all the riches, baby, one man can claim
When you’re in danger, I’ll be there to save you
tu can rest assure that I’ll be the one to stand guard when the night nears
What can make tu feel safe?
I’m your husband
Your guardian angel
The man to turn to when you’re in danger, o just sad
When you’re in danger, I’ll be there to save you
You’re the one for me
I don't need any money, fortune o fame
What can make tu feel safe?
I’m your husband
Your guardian angel
As he finished the song, he looked down and realized that Ziva had fallen asleep in his arms. He chuckled softly and kissed her hair, then nuzzled his face into her neck, closing his eyes.
These are my girls, he thought sleepily. And they would always be his girls.
The End
Tony was humming to himself as he walked into the bedroom. As much as he loved lounging around the house with Ziva, he was thrilled that they’d finally be doing some real work tonight.
But He stopped in his tracks and the tune he’d been humming died on his lips when he found Ziva standing in front of the mirror above the dresser. She was wearing black jeans, a short sleeve black t-shirt, and black suede tenis shoes.
A 9mm pistol was holstered on her left hip and she was strapping on a Kevlar vest and hunter’s cuchillo in a funda on her right. He swallowed hard. The sight before him had evoked an unexpected pang of anxiety.
It wasn’t as if this was the first time he’d seen Ziva decked out in full officer regalia, he’d seen her pull her weapon más times than he could count. Hell he’d even seen her fatally shoot más than one person. But after having sex with her and seeing her in a whole new way, he couldn’t help but worry about her.
Ziva was tough as nails and he knew she could take care of herself. What worried him was her cocky self assured attitude and a blinding passion for catch perps. It landed her in life threatening situations far too often.
Ziva caught his reflection in the mirror and smiled sadly when she saw the pained expression on his face. This was why she hadn’t wanted to sleep with Tony. They were close enough as it was. Now she knew he would worry about her even more. Of course she would worry about him as well. But for years she had lived alone and worried only about herself. Tony on the other hand was newly separated. “Baby, are tu gonna be able to handle this?” she asked his reflection.
He jumped slightly; he hadn’t realized that she’d seen him. “Yea, yea. I can handle this,” Tony replied with out much conviction.
Ziva turned around and closed the el espacio between them in two strides. She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him slowly and passionately. “I amor tu Tony. Don’t ever forget that.”
Tony stared at her, surprise darkening his beautiful esmeralda eyes like storm clouds rolling across the horizon. “You amor me?”
“What, tu didn’t know?” she teased, laughing lightly.
“I guess, it’s just tu never-”
“Tony, just say tu amor me too” she whispered before besar him again.
Two hours later Ziva blinked and rubbed her eyes. She’d been staring at the same spot for so long her eyes were starting to cross. The SVU had learned from an anonymous tip that James and his partner were planning a trade with a known drug dealer.
They could only assume that James was trading a hostage for drugs. They had no other leads so Gibbs had decided to send Tony and Ziva on a stakeout even though neither the tip nor the fuente could be verified.
James was going to mostrar up any moment if the tip had been authentic. Suddenly, she heard the sound of tires crunching over gravel. A black SUV with it’s headlights off pulled up in front of the warehouse. A moment later, James opened the driver’s door and stepped out.
The passenger door opened as well and a tall bald black man hopped out of the car. He crossed to the back of the truck and opened the tail gate. He leaned in and bent his knees as if he were lifting something heavy. Ziva stifled a gasp even though she knew the men could hear her.
The black man had a child in his arms, a girl who could be más than sixteen. Her head lolled back and her eyes were closed. Ziva lifted her binoculars to her eyes, looking for signs of physical trauma to the girl. She couldn’t see any but of course that meant nothing.
James knocked twice on the warehouse door and segundos later it slid open. Before both men and their victim could disappear into the gaping darkness, Ziva and Tony were silently running the few hundred feet from their parked car to the warehouse, their weapons drawn and their senses on alert.
por the time they reached the decrepit old building, the men had disappeared inside. But the door had been left open a crack. Ziva leaned in towards the door, listening for sounds coming from within. She nodded her head towards the door, signaling that it was seguro to enter. They división, split up once they were inside the warehouse, covering each other’s backs. Ziva’s hands were sweating as she gripped her gun tightly.
She heard a noise and whipped to her right. Suddenly, a cat scrambled past her and she nearly yelped out loud. Get a grip David! She scolded herself sternly. She rounded a corner and saw soft light spilling out from behind a large metal cabinet.
She was breathing so hard she was it would tip off James to her presence. She crept closer and moved so that she could see around the cabinet with out getting too close. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the young girl lying on the floor. Her chest was rising and falling she realized with relief. She was alive. Ziva glanced around, making sure James and his side kick were no where around. She took a step towards the girl and was about to wake her up and she heard a door slam followed por a gun shot. She spun around hurried in the direction the noises had come from. She rounded a corner and stopped dead in her tracks.
The mysterious black man was lying on the ground a few feet away, blood spilling from a gun shot wound to his abdomen. But what scared the living daylights out of her was the sight of James, holding a gun to Tony’s head. Not again!
“Drop your weapon James!” She snarled.
“I don’t think so bitch. If tu ever wanna see your partner alive ever again tu better stand down.”
Ziva adjusted her grip on the gun and stared Eric James in the eye, hoping her own eyes wouldn’t betray her. “You’re in deep shit James. Do tu really want the murder of a special agent added to your lista of crimes?”
James laughed derisively. “They’ll never catch me.”
“We caught tu tonight didn’t we?”
“Not exactly. I’ve got your partners life in my hands. I hope you’re a fast runner. 'Cause as soon as I shoot your partner, I’m gonna rape tu raw.”
That did it. Ziva aimed and pulled the trigger. But the gun jammed. Eric James grinned evilly and made eye contact with her as he pulled the trigger aimed at Tony’s head.
“No!” Ziva screamed, running towards James and the amor of her life. The scream startled James and the gun slipped. He dropped the gun and ran. But Ziva’s reflexes were faster. She picked up his discarded gun and shot him in the leg. She would’ve loved to shoot the son of a perra between the eyes. But she didn’t need IAB investigating her while she was having an affair with her partner. James fell and laid motionless one the ground.
“Agent down, Tony! Tony!” Ziva dropped to her knees, tears falling down her cheeks as she gathered Tony into her arms. He wasn’t responding and she felt something warm and thick on her hands. He’d been shot in the neck. She couldn’t see well in the dark warehouse but she placed her hands over the wound, memories of the night her half brother Ari was shot flashing before her eyes. “Tony, stay with me baby. Stay with me. You’re gonna be okay.”
“Ziva,” he finally croaked out.
“Yes baby, I’m here.”
“Ziva…I’m…Sorry.”
“Anthony DiNozzo! Don’t tu dare give up on me!” Ziva shouted, gently slapping his face with a blood stained hand. But it was too late; he’d slipped into unconsciousness again.
Chapter 14- Truth hurts
Four days later
Abby Sciutor knocked on the apartment door a third time, panic beginning to settle in the pit of her stomach. Ziva wasn’t answering her phone and everyone was worried about her. Abby had volunteered to go check on her. But when there was still no answer moments later, she pulled out the spare key Ziva had dado her and slid it into the lock.
“Ziva?” She called out softly as she stepped through the door. Her pulse quickened when she heard the sound of retching coming from the bathroom. She hurried across the small living room and down the hall. The bathroom light was on and the door was partially open. She didn’t bother to knock before throwing it open. Ziva was kneeling on the floor and clutching the toilet like a life line as she heaved the contents of her stomach into it.
“Ziva are tu okay?” Abby asked, dropping to her knees siguiente to her best friend. “How long have tu been throwing up sweetheart?”
Ziva shrugged. “Um, I don’t know. Maybe five minutes?”
Abby got up off the floor and grabbed a clean wash cloth from a basket on the back of the toilet and soaked it in cold water. She sat down siguiente to Ziva again and turned Ziva’s face towards hers. She wiped her forehead and then her mouth. “Are tu sick?”
Ziva looked down at the disgusting contents of the toilet, unable to meet Abby’s unflinching gaze. She’d always been able to read her far too well for Ziva’s comfort.
“Ziva, what’s wrong?” She looked around the small bathroom. Then she saw it, lying on the floor. An naranja plastic pill bottle. The lid off and the contents missing. “Oh my God. Oh Ziva. What did tu do baby?”
“He told me he loved me,” Ziva whispered. “And that he’d never leave me. But he did. He just gave up and,” Ziva choked on the last words “and died.”
Abby picked up the pill bottle and squinted at the obscenely small print. 40 100 mg Sertraline pills; the generic of Zoloft. She had no idea how many were in the bottle when Ziva took them. But it would take much to put her in serious danger. Abby pressed two fingers against Ziva's throat and glanced at her watch, taking her pulse. Her corazón was racing. She pulled her cell phone out of her bolso, monedero and dialed 911.
“911 what’s your emergency?”
“It’s my friend, she overdosed on Zoloft. She’s throwing up but her pulse is racing. And I have no idea how many she took.”
“Is she conscious?”
“Yes.”
“Does she seem lucid?”
“Yes.”
“Okay an ambulancia is on the way. What’s the address?”
Abby rattled off the address as Ziva threw up again.
“Is she laying down ma’am?”
“No she’s sitting up.”
“Okay good, keep her talking and don’t let her fall asleep. An ambulancia will be there shortly.
Moments later they where in the hospital.
Ziva opened her eyes slowly. She knew instantly that she was not in her own apartment and she looked around the room slowly, trying to figure out where she was. It didn’t take her long to realize she was in the hospital. But why? She turned her head and found her best friend sound asleep in a chair siguiente to the bed. She smiled slightly, recalling how much she’d hated Abby when she’d first joined NCIS. Ziva had not only lost her best friend, she had to pretend to grieve her death when she was around her colleagues. She’d dado Abby a lot of shit in the beginning. But they’d slowly grown to be best friends. Abby stirred and opened her eyes, as if she’d sensed that Ziva was awake.
“Hey Ziva” she dicho quietly, smiling at her best friend.
“Thanks for staying with me Abs. But why am I here?”
Abby’s smile faded. “You don’t remember?”
Ziva shook her head no, trying to ignore the panic rising in her throat.
“Ziva…We think you, uh, tried to commit suicide. I found tu in your bathroom throwing up and an empty bottle of Zoloft on the floor. I called an ambulancia and they pumped your stomach at the hospital. But it turned out you’d thrown most of it up already. tu were really lucky.”
Ziva shook her head. “Abby that’s insane, why would I commit suicide?”
“Ziva how much do tu remember?”
“Tony and I were undercover in Miami. Then I woke up here.”
Abby felt dread rising in her throat like bile as she realized she was going to have to tell Ziva about Tony’s death all over again. “Ziva, sweetheart, Tony died in Miami five days ago. He was shot por Eric James the man tu were trying to catch. Gibbs and I flew up there to be with tu and then we all came home. Three days later tu hadn’t come in to work and tu weren’t answering your phone. So I went to check on you. I found tu in the bathroom throwing up.
Ziva was shaking her head. “No. No. No! You’re lying to me. Tony can’t be dead. He just can’t! Why would tu lie to me this way?!” Ziva yelled the corazón monitor she was hooked up to beeping as her corazón rate spiked.
“Baby I wish I were laying but I’m not. He died in your arms. The EMTs gave tu a sedative when they found you. That’s probably why tu don’t remember anything. The corazón monitor was still beeping and a nurse rushed in. She started to inject what Abby assumed was a sedative into Ziva’s IV but she reached out her hand to stop the nurse.
“Don’t sedate her again. She needs to process what I’ve just told so I don’t have to tell her all over again. The nurse glanced between Abby and Ziva then nodded slightly and left the room.
“Abby, why’d tu have to save my life?” Ziva asked her voice breaking.
Her words were like nails in Abby’s heart. She reached out and took the other woman’s hand in her own. “Because the Ziva David I know never takes the easy way out.”
Chapter 15- Memories
Ziva sat at her desk, staring at a framed picture of her and Tony at the Agents Ball three years ago. Jeanne had come down with the flu two days before the event. So Ziva had offered to be his “date”. Tony hadn’t been thrilled about the idea of dancing but Ziva had dragged him out onto the dance floor anyway.
Start flashback
“Oh I amor this song!” Ziva exclaimed. “C’mon Tony let’s dance!”
Tony shook his head. “No, I don’t dance.”
Ziva rolled her eyes. “You must’ve danced at your engagement party.”
“And Jeanne hasn’t asked me to take her dancing since.”
Ziva laughed. “It’s not that hard silly. I can teach you.” She grabbed his hand and hauled his 6’2” frame out of the chair, leading him onto the dance floor. Tony placed his hands awkwardly around her back and started to sway, o rather stumble, to the music. Ziva giggled. He was so cute. She closed the el espacio between them, placed his hands low on her hips, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “Okay now step back, to the left and repeat.” Within minutes, he had the rhythm down. Ziva surprised both herself and Tony when she rested her head on his strong and yet soft shoulder, humming the words to the popular song they were dancing too.
(You're still the one)
You're still the one I run to
The one that I belong to
You're the one I want for life
(You're still the one)
You're still the one that I love
The only one I dream of
You're still the one I kiss good night
Ain't nothin' better
We beat the odds together
I'm glad we didn't listen
Look at what we would be missin…
End of Flashback
In the picture, Tony was standing behind her, a huge grin on his face and his arms wrapped around her shoulders. He’d come up behind her, catching her por surprise, just as Abby had run por with a camera shouting ‘say cheese!’. So in the picture, her head was turned and she was looking up at him with a brilliant smile. Jeanne had seen the picture once, not long after the Ball and she and Tony had gotten in a fight over it. Everyone else comentó on how cute the picture was. But Ziva knew that Jeanne could see what others couldn’t. She could see the amor in both their eyes as they stared at each other. Ziva had taken the picture off of her desk, intending only to take it inicial where Jeanne couldn’t see it. As much as she loved Tony, she never wanted to be a fuente of jealousy in his engagement. But Tony had reached out and grabbed her wrist.
Start of flashback
“Leave it. I amor that picture.”
“Tony, I don’t want to make Jeanne upset.”
“She’ll get over it” he had replied, taking the picture from her hand and setting it back down on her desk.
End of Flashback
Ziva felt an errant tear slide down her cheek as the memory slowly faded away. She quickly swiped it off her face. It had been two weeks since Tony’s death. Gibbs, McGee had finally stopped actuación like they were walking on egg shells around her and Abby had stopped calling her twice a día to make sure she was okay. Which really meant ‘are tu still alive?’ She didn’t want them thinking she was sliding back down the slippery slope of grief.
Just then, McGee walked into the ncis head quarters holding a box from a local donut shop. “Hey Ziva, want a donut?”
“Reinforcing the cliché about donas and cops McGee?” Ziva joked, even as she reached into the box for a custard-filled Bismarck, her favorite.
“You bet,” McGee replied with a laugh as he wandered off in buscar of Gibbs. Ziva bit into the confection and swallowed.
segundos later, a wave of nausea washed over her. She jumped out of her chair and ran for the bathroom, reaching the toilet just in time to empty her breakfast and a bite of donut into it. Nausea was still churning in her stomach but it was empty and she dry heaved a few times.
“Ziva is that you?” Abby’s voice called from the other side of the stall door.
“Yeah it’s me,” Ziva croaked.
“Are tu okay?” Abby’s voice shock slightly.
Ziva stood up, wiped her mouth, and opened the stall door. “I’m fine,” she replied, pasting a reassuring smile on her face. “I think McGee poisoned my donut,” she joked.
Abby laughed and handed Ziva wet paper towel for her mouth. “Yeah because we all know what a mean guy McGee is.”
“Don’t tell McGee. He’ll turn it into another one of his conspiracies.”
“Do tu think it’s the flu o comida poisoning?”
“I don’t know, why?” Ziva looked at her with her hand over her stomach.
“Because if it’s the flu I’m not coming near tu until you’re better.”
Ziva swatted Abby playfully on the arm and laughed. “What?!” she demanded, seeing the grin on Abby’s face. “I’m not go’en to commit suicide, promise Abs,” Ziva smiled at her.
“Nothing, it’s just good to see tu laughing.” Because it eases my own guilt a little Abby added silently.
Chapter 16- Full from Grace
She sat in the bathroom that was completely quite, the only noise she could perceive was her corazón beat. It was racing, pounding hard against her chest, while she was glaring at the white plastic object that had sealed her fate. Everything she had worked for, all the efforts to fit in the team, and then have the partner she always wanted, but he was taken. The only reason they even landed up having sex, was that they both got heavily drunk.
She and Tony had broken rule number 12 that night, and now she was looking at the result. Yet she couldn’t believe it, she was not ready and fit to be a mother. She, Ziva David, was an assassin, impatient, tu had to drag the emotions out of her, and now she was expected to bring a new life in to this world.
Ziva felt the hot tears streaming down her cheeks, and rage clouded her judgment. “This is his fault. If he would have worn that damn condom nothing like this would have happened, and if they never drank so much. Why the hell did she agree to share the cama with him.” she thought, but quickly brushed off this reflection. She was as much to blame as Tony; she could have gone on the pill.
She felt so stupid, he was taken. Tony was in amor with Jeanne, not her. Tony and Jeanne where engaged a couple of weeks before they went undercover. His corazón wasn’t going to beat faster o skip a beat just because she’s pregnant, o that she loved him. “Why the hell am I killing myself over him? I’m a damn assassin, emotionless.” Ziva felt tears pouring down against her cheeks. She took a long look at the positive answer on the test and threw it against the muro and watched it shatter.
Ziva wanted to disappear. She wiped tears away from her cheeks and collapsed down against the cold tiles of the bathroom. At that point she couldn’t fight back her tears. Ziva covered her face with her arms and shrieked. She lay there on her back, her eyes wet and corazón pounding.
They had made passionate amor that night, and he admitted for the first time, that he hated wearing condoms, but he always used one; Ziva was the first woman he did not use one. He wanted to feel her, and make her feel him.
She was smiling when she thought about that night, but a quick glimpse at the pregnancy test that lay in pieces, and the dried up tears sprinted up again. She felt sick to her stomach. Ziva swallowed the vomit that came up her throat. Ziva crawled over to the pregnancy test that was in pieces and picked up the whole plastic remains of the test and clutched it till her knuckles turned white. She turned on her stomach and pounded her fists on the white tiles as she poured her soul out.
In this state Abby had found her and the forensic Goth almost suffered a corazón attack, when she saw the Mossad assassin lying on the floor, holding something in her hands and crying her soul out.
“Ziva,” she carefully spoke, while lowering herself to her knees.
Ziva didn’t look up at the mention of her name; she just continued to stare at her hands and the tears that dropped to the ground.
“Hello Ziva, Ziva!” Abby tried again, but just like the first time, no response from her friend. Abby turned then her attention to the object Ziva held in her hands. She removed one of Ziva’s hands from the test, and then took it from her. Ziva let go of the object, still crying. Abby glared at the test and saw the two rosado, rosa lines, then quickly covered her mouth.
“Ziva you’re pregnant!” Abby exhaled, looking at her friend happily. But Ziva still didn’t move; she just had the same blank stare, tears still flowing down her face, like the world had stopped for her the moment the segundo rosado, rosa line appeared.
Abby lifted herself from the floor, and then hooked her arm under Ziva’s lifting her gently off the floor.
“Come on let’s go to my lab. It’s más comfortable then the bathroom floor.” She dicho softly.
For the first time since Abby had entered the room, Ziva looked at her. She smiled weakly, whipping her eyes, and then slowly stood up. Everything seemed to be a dream, and when she entered Abby’s lab, she couldn’t understand how she had ended up there.
Ziva saw Abby quickly moving through the lab, but couldn’t really understand what was going on. minutos later Abby came back, pushing a large armchair, grabbing Bert on the way and putting him on the armchair.
“There we go. The future ncis mama has to sit comfortable.” She squeaked. The moment she spoke those words she regretted them, because it only brought tears to Ziva’s eyes again. “Oh, Ziva. I’m so sorry.” She apologized quickly. Ziva set down in the large armchair, and Abby pulled a chair close to her, grabbing Ziva’s hand, and to her surprise, the agent didn’t push her away.
“Ziva you’re having a baby. Why aren’t tu happy?” she shyly asked. Ziva looked up to her and spoke between tears “This will ruin everything Abby. Everything I ever worked for, at NCIS, everything Tony and I had, plus he was dating someone else. Tony’s corazón wasn’t going to bleed because mine is.” New tears poured, and for the first time in her life Abby did not know how to stop them.
“Please don’t kill me, but I need to ask.” She said, pausing to wait for Ziva’s reaction.
Ziva tilted her head and waited for her question.
“Is it Tony’s baby, o did you…?” Abby asked watching Ziva’s expression change into a frown.
“Of course it’s Tony’s baby. That’s the problem here. It’s his baby.” She snapped, but regretted it quickly, once she saw that her tone offended Abby a bit.
“I’m sorry Abby. I didn’t mean to offend you.” Ziva apologized. “That’s okay. But still I don’t really get what the problem is Ziva. I’m sure Tony would have been thrilled to find out that he was going to be a father.” She trailed away. Ziva felt tears burning.
“No Abby, he wouldn’t be happy. Tony was engaged to Jeanne, and he loved her a lot. Two weeks hace when we were still undercover, he went to the bar and he got so damn drunk, heavily drunk. I received a call from him begging me to come and get him. Being drunk and his inhabitations thrown out the window he pleaded for me to drink with him. Like an idiot I did. I got so drunk, and the last thing I remember is waking up naked right siguiente to him. I’m sure that the moment he finds out that I’m pregnant, our friendship would crumble and working together would be hell.” Ziva spoke softly at that last part, trying to keep the tears at bay.
“But Ziva this is tu we are talking about. Tony adored the ground tu were stepping on. I have never seen him so in love. I’m sure that he would be happy, and accept the fact that having a family is not such a bad thing, and especially if tu are the mother of his child.” The forensic expert tried to convince.
“I doubt it Abby.” She began, while letting out a sob. “There is only one way to get out of this mess.” Ziva whipped tears away with the back of her palm.
Abby knew what Ziva meant, but deep down she hoped that Ziva would never do that.
“Please tell me tu are not going to do, what I think tu will do.” She pleaded.
“Have an abortion.” Ziva told her without any remorse in her voice.
“You’re what?!” Abby’s voice rose.
“Abby please, don’t.” Ziva felt tears burning in her swollen eyes.
“Don’t what?” Her voice turn into a emotionless whisper.
“Don’t use a prosecutor’s voice on me. This is my decision and I’m perfectly in my rights to do this.” Ziva snapped.
“But Ziva, I-I just thought tu disapproved of abortions.” Abby felt guilty for not telling her the truth.
“I did but I changed my mind. If this baby has Tony’s eyes, o his nose, o his chin, I’ll resent it for the rest of my life. I’ll look at him o her and think of him. I can’t do that to an innocent child.”
“Ziva tu can’t.” Abby pleaded.
“Nobody except tu will know about this and its better this way.” Ziva replied coldly, shedding no tear, although Abby could see that it cost Ziva all her willpower not to cry.
“But Ziva, think about it. tu have been carrying for almost a month; I mean that’s a life growing inside of you. tu just can’t kill it off.” Abby spoke.
“I’m sorry Abby, but this is the only way. I have to get back into the game. Gibbs would have my head if I don’t mostrar up real soon.” She dicho softly and her facial expression dicho más than thousand words.
Abby had never seen Ziva this unhappy in her whole life.
“Promise me Abby that tu will not say a word to anybody about this. It’s just between tu and me.” Ziva told the forensic Goth as she stepped inside the elevator.
Abby’s conscience told her to run up to Gibbs and tell him, so he can stop Ziva from doing a mistake, but the other part of her, told her that it would be better to leave Ziva do what she wanted to do and not get killed brutally por the Mossad assassin.
“Okay Ziva, my lips are sealed, but promise me tu will tell me when tu are going to go through with this.” Abby begged.
Ziva nodded and the elevator doors closed, letting Abby drop in to the empty sillón and squeezed Bert letting him fart loudly.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Jethro Gibbs looked up from the form he’d been filling out at the sound of a knock on the closed office door. “Come in.”
Abby walked through the door, her expression tense. “Jethro we need to talk.”
“Sure Abs, what’s up?” He asked with a worried look on his face because Abby rarely called him por that name. She only did when there was a problem.
“Ziva’s pregnant.” Abby blurted out.
Gibbs blinked. “Come again?”
“I just talked to her in my lab. She told me she’s pregnant.” Abby sighed.
Gibbs let out a low whistle. “Tony’s the father isn’t he?”
Abby nodded. “Yes. That’s the problem. She told me she’s having an abortion because she can’t oso, oso de the thought of having a baby who even remotely resembles Tony. What are we gonna do?”
Gibbs sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose. What else could possibly go wrong? “I don’t know Abby. If we don’t tell her the truth, she has the abortion, and she finds out we didn’t tell her, she’ll never forgive us o herself. But would telling her really do her any good? It won’t bring Tony back.”
“There’s always the chance she’ll change her mind. I mean Ziva David is the last person on earth I’d imagine getting an abortion. But that’s a chance I’m not sure I’m willing to bet her future on.” Abby sighed deeply.
Gibbs nodded. “No, we definitely can’t gamble with her life like that.”
Gibbs and Abby sat in silence for several minutes, wondering how they were going to fix this mess.
Chapter 17- Good news, bad news
One week later
“Gibbs! You’re never going to guess what I just heard on the news!” McGee exclaimed, bursting through the director’s closed office door with out knocking.
Gibbs scowled at him but decided to save the culo chewing until after he’d heard McGee’s news.
“What is it Tim?” Gibbs asked annoyed.
“Abby, Director, get in here!” McGee yelled out the door at the two who were deep in conversation about something.
“Jeez Tim, calm down. You’re gonna have a corazón attack. And if tu do, Abby’s giving tu mouth to mouth not me.”
“Hey, nobody asked me about this,” Abby protested.
Gibbs suppressed a smile then returned his attention to McGee. “Sorry Tim, please continue.”
“I just heard on the news that they’ve apprehended Michael Jarvis.”
“Who’s that?” Abby asked.
“The tall black guy Ziva remembered seeing at the stakeout. James flipped on him!”
Gibbs stared at McGee in shock. “McGee are tu absolutely sure?”
McGee nodded. “They were talking about it on CNN.”
“But is he getting a decreased sentence in exchange for his testimony?” Abby asked cautiously, not wanting to get her hopes too high just yet.
“Nope. He didn’t even know Jarvis had survived the gun shot wound to his stomach. When he found out, he was pretty damn pissed at Jarvis for running and leaving him alone in the warehouse. When he was told that his old partner was alive and well and had been caught, he was all too happy to put the nail in Jarvis’s coffin.”
“If Jarvis and James are both in custody. Then that means…” Abby let her sentence trail off.
“It means we can tell Ziva the truth!” McGee finished triumphantly.
Abby paled several shades. “Oh shit.”
“Abs what's wrong?” Gibbs asked with concern.
“Ziva’s abortion was scheduled for today.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Ziva sat in the stark sterile waiting room, wringing her hands nervously. She knew this was what she wanted. But what if, years from now, she regretted the decision? Maybe she should just have the baby and give it up for adoption.
No that was a bad idea. She’d spend the rest of her life knowing she had a child out there somewhere and wondering if he o she resembled herself o Tony more.
Suddenly her phone began ringing, startling her. She pulled the phone out of her pocket and glanced at the caller ID screen. It was Abby. She sighed and contemplated not answering it. Abby had been trying to talk her out of having an abortion every día since Ziva had told her what she’d decided to do. But she didn’t want Abby to worry about her. So she flipped open the phone and held it up to her ear.
“David.”
“Ziva, it’s me,” Abby replied breathlessly. “I need tu to come down to the lab right now.”
“Abby, I’m having this abortion and that’s final. Please stop trying to change my mind.”
“No, no, its not that. I just need to tell tu something. It’s urgent.”
“Can't tu tell me over the phone? My appointment is in two minutes.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea Ziva.”
~*~*~*~*~*~
“Ms. David?” a nurse called stepping into the waiting room.
Ziva stood up and began to walk towards the nurse. “Ziva! Don’t tu dare!” Abby yelled as loudly as she could into the mouth piece. Ziva stopped dead in her tracks and looked at her cell and then at the nurse.
“Miss?” The nurse asked as Ziva looked at her. With a deep sigh Ziva turned on her heels and ran out of the waiting room while the nurse called after her. After Ziva was out of site she rolled her eyes. Another one had bailed on them.
~*~*~*~*~*~
“This had better be pretty damn important,” Ziva announced angrily as she stalked into director's office twenty minutos later.
“It is,” Abby replied, a smile inexplicably lighting up her face.
“Ziva, sit down,” Gibbs instructed her kindly but firmly.
Ziva sat down, starting to feel a little apprehensive. What did they have to tell her?
“Ziva, tu know you’re like a daughter to me,” Gibbs began. “So please understand that I did this because I thought it was in your best interest. When I found out tu were pregnant and planning on having an abortion, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. But thankfully, the problem just resolved itself.”
Abby knelt down in front of Ziva and took her hand in her own. “I know this is going to be very hard for tu to accept. But I swear to God it’s the absolute truth,”
“Would tu two just spit it out already?!” Ziva snarled in announce.
“Ziva, Tony isn’t dead,” Gibbs finally said.
For a moment, she just stared at him. Then silent tears began rolling down her cheeks. “How could tu do this to me, what kind of sick twisted joke is this?!”
“Ziva-” McGee dicho quietly, reaching out for her. But she ignored him, she wanted to pin Gibbs against the muro so dawn bad and beat the crap out of him for lying to her.
“My partner, my best friend, the father of my child died in my arms because I wasn’t there watching his back and you’re going to tell me he isn’t dead?!” Ziva barked slamming her fists into the table.
por now Ziva was screaming. Gibbs, McGee and Abby stared at her helplessly. When Ziva got mad she yelled and cursed and took it out on anyone within a hundred feet. But she was not a screamer. None of them knew how to deal with her when she was like this.
“Tony never died sweetheart,” Gibbs dicho quietly.
“Why should I believe you, Gibbs?” Ziva asked breathing hard as after an intense ran.
“You’re right,” Gibbs agreed. “We’ll tell tu the whole story,” he added, nodding his assent at Abby.
“When the EMS arrived, tu were hysterical. So they gave tu a sedative. Gibbs and I decided that when tu came too, we’d tell tu Tony was dead.”
“But why?” Ziva asked quietly, the hurt in her voice making all of them cringe. “Does he know I think he’s dead?”
“Yes,” Gibbs responded.
“Oh God,” Ziva moaned, dropping her head into her hands,
Abby quickly continued speaking. “Tony shot James’s partner when he tried to escape. But he was still mobile. tu were too distracted por Tony and James to notice when he fled. James of course couldn’t mover after tu shot him in the leg and he was arrested when backup arrived.
But we thought he knew that Jarvis had survived and we were afraid he’d communicate with Jarvis and have him go after Tony. IAB decided it was best for Tony to go into the WPP for awhile. We thought it would be almost más painful for tu to know Tony was still alive but that tu couldn’t see him. So we made the decision to lie to you. I’m so sorry Ziva.”
Ziva slowly looked at each one of them. Then she jumped out of her chair and bolted out of the office. Abby and McGee started after her but Gibbs held out a hand to stop them.
“Let her go,” he dicho sadly.
Chapter 18- Happy ending and beginnings
It wasn’t until several minutos after Ziva fled the ncis head quarters that Abby realized they’d never told Ziva the good news; Tony was going to be able to leave the WPP.
“Gibbs, we never told Ziva that we caught Jarvis. We’ve got to get Tony inicial before she self destructs.”
Gibbs nodded in agreement. “I’m way ahead of tu Abs. Tony’s flying back to Washington DC as we speak.”
Abby felt a flood of relief. She’d been worrying about Ziva non-stop since that horrible night when she’d received a call from a nurse who had found Abby’s number listed as Ziva’s emergency contact. She’d told Abby that Tony was in critical condition and that Ziva was being heavily sedated.
Abby and Gibbs had grabbed the last two seats on a Red Eye to Miami, neither one of them wanting Ziva to be alone. When she’d awoken and told them her last memory was shooting James, Abby and Gibbs had decided to tell her that Tony had died.
It had been a difficult choice between telling her that Tony was alive but she might never see him again and telling her he was dead and really wouldn’t ever see him again.
Either way, Ziva would be corazón broken. It has been a lose-lose situation. So they had made the choice that they felt was best for the woman they both cared about deeply. Abby had held Ziva as she sobbed herself dry, calling out Tony’s name in a painfully mournful voice. That was the first and last time Abby saw her cry over the whole tragedy. She had seemed to go from numb to slowly healing in one fell swoop. That is until she’d tried to take her life, shocking them all
“Hurry up and get here Tony,” she muttered under her breath.
Ziva awoke with a smile on her lips for the first time in weeks. She’d had a wonderful dream that Tony wasn’t actually dead, just in the Witness Protection Program. But her smile faded as reality returned. Tony was still dead and her life was still shattered into a million tiny pieces.
She kicked back the comforters that sometimes still smelled of Tony, even though they’d never actually shared her cama in Washington DC, and stumbled sleepily into the bathroom. She stood in the middle of the room, waiting for the wave of morning sickness she’d come to expect.
When it didn’t come, she stripped off her pajamas and stepped into the shower, making the water as hot as she could stand. She showered quickly then pulled her hair back in a ponytail and threw on some clothes before heading to work. She needed to get her mind off of Tony.
Ziva was surprised to find the Bullpen empty when she entered the head quarters. McGee and Gibb’s desks were both empty and director’s office door was closed. There weren’t even any uniforms milling around. She shrugged and draped her chaqueta over the back of her escritorio chair before heading for the locker room and locking up her purse. When she reentered the bullpen, she decided to knock on director’s door and ask her where everyone was. As she drew closer, she realized she could hear voices coming from inside the room.
“It’s great to see tu again.” Abby’s voice.
“Yeah man, how was Dallas?” McGee asked.
Who were they talking to? She wondered as she struggled to hear the unidentified person respond. Maybe she would recognize the voice.
“How’s Ziva?”
This time, Ziva heard the stranger’s voice. And she did indeed recognize it. But no…It couldn’t be. Tony was dead. That Goddamn son of a perra had shot the amor of her life, that father of the child growing inside her.
She felt tears threatening to spill over. How long would it be before she stopped hearing his voice and smell his familiar scent like he was still alive?
She swiped at the tears and reached out to knock on the director’s closed door. But before she could, the door swung open. Abby stood there, her face registering surprise when she saw Ziva, her hand still raised as if to knock.
“Ziva,” she dicho softly. “I didn’t know tu were here already.”
“I just got here. Where is everyone?” Ziva asked surprised.
Abby hesitated before answering. “Ziva…There’s something I never got a chance to tell tu yesterday.”
Ziva pushed past Abby and stepped into the room. But she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the three men standing in front of her. Gibbs was leaning against the edge of the director’s desk, his arms folded over his chest. McGee stood to his left. And there, to his right was Tony DiNozzo in the flesh. She felt her knees buckle under her and she grabbed the door frame for support. Gibbs rushed adelante, hacia adelante and placed his hands under her arms, supporting her.
“Hey Ziva,” Tony dicho softly, stepping adelante, hacia adelante slightly. “I missed you.”
Ziva shook her head slowly. “No…you can’t be here. You’re dead. James shot you!”
“Sweetheart, we told tu yesterday that Tony wasn’t actually dead. He has just been in the Witness Protection Program,” Abby dicho soothingly, stepping adelante, hacia adelante and placing a hand on Ziva’s shoulder.
“No. That was a dream…Wasn’t it?” She cried out softly.
“No, it really happened.” Abby told her with a slight frown.
“Oh my God,” Ziva whispered.
“We’ll give tu two a moment alone,” Gibbs spoke up, giving Abby and his agent a look that dicho let’s go.
“I’m so sorry tu had to go through all of this,” Tony dicho as soon as the door closed, leaving them alone in director’s office.
“I went to your funeral Tony,” Ziva managed to say, her voice strained.
“I know how hard this has been on tu Ziva. The last few weeks with out tu have been pure hell. But would tu honestly have preferred the alternative, knowing I was alive but that tu couldn’t even talk to me on the phone?”
Ziva sighed. “I don’t know Tony.”
“It doesn’t matter now though. They caught Jarvis. I’m out of the WPP.” Tony told her with a smile.
“But what if this happens again? What if I turn my back on tu again and this time tu actually die?!” Ziva blurted out placing her right hand on her stomach.
Tony crossed to her quickly and started to pull her into a hug. But Ziva shied away from him. He couldn’t really blame her but the action hurt his feelings nonetheless.
“Ziva, I can’t promise tu that I’ll never die. So I won’t. But I will do everything in my power to live long enough to die of old age in your arms. And please don’t blame yourself for what happened in the warehouse that night. James shot me not you. If anything, tu saved my life. He had the gun to me head but tu surprised him and the gun slipped. He shot me in the shoulder instead of in the head.” Tony reached out slowly and pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear. This time, she didn’t try to avoid his touch.
Ziva gasped slightly. Tony’s fingers on her cheek sent a shiver running through her. If ever there was proof that she wasn’t dreaming, that had been it. Before another moment could pass.
Ziva grabbed Tony’s arms and pulled him too her. She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him, pouring all the pain, rage, fear, and regret she’d experienced over the last few weeks into a kiss that left both of them gasping for breath. Tony pulled Ziva closer to him, rubbing his hands all over her arms, back, and hips. God he’d missed touching and besar and holding her.
“Tony, there’s something tu should know,” Ziva dicho hesitantly, pulling back just far enough so that she could look him in the eyes.
“What is it Baby?” Tony asked smiling at her.
“Funny tu should say that,” Ziva tried to make a joke but failed. Tony just smiled at her.
She smiled uncertainly. “I’m pregnant, Tony.”
For a moment, he just stared at her and Ziva began to worry about how he would react. She’d fantasized about it plenty of times but of course then she’d though it was just that, a fantasy.
Finally, a huge smile broke out across his gorgeous face. He picked her up and swung her around before besar her intimately on the lips. “You’re sure?”
Ziva smiled brilliantly and nodded. “I’m sure.
Tony dropped to his knees in front of her and lifted her shirt, placing soft kisses all over her still flat stomach. “How far along?”
“A month.” Ziva answered running her fingers through his short hair.
Tony jumped up and grasped her hand, pulling her towards the door. “C’mon! We gotta tell the guys!”
Ziva laughed quietly. “Tony they already know. I’ve had a wicked case of morning sickness. There was no way I could hide it from them for long.”
But Tony opened the door any way. Gibbs, Abby, McGee were all standing in front of them grinning like idiots. “I’m gonna be a father!” Tony exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air triumphantly.
Ziva smiled happily and rested her head on his strong shoulder. Everything was gonna be alright.
Chapter 19- Over tu
Eight months later
Ziva and tony had got married just a few weeks ago.
Later that week, Ziva sat there giving Tony a long thoughtful stare.
“What?” He asked her looking up from the file that was in front of him.
“You seem, um…different.” Ziva asked resting her hands on parte superior, arriba of her very pregnant bump.
“Taller, hotter?” Tony asked with a playful tone.
Ziva rubbed the bottom of her abdomen as she said. “You seem older, Tony.”
Tony shifts uncomfortably. “Well, it has been twelve months.”
Ziva sighs deeply. “You still beating yourself over Jeanne, the día she left?”
Tony looks away from Ziva for a moment before he answers. “Not as much as I used to.” Ziva stands up and walks over to him.
“Drinking?” She asks placing a gentle hand on his.
Tony looked up at her and forced a smile. “Sometimes,” Ziva felt tears burning in her eyes because she suspected that Tony was still in amor with Jeanne some how.
“You amor her?” Ziva asked fighting tears. The pregunta catches him of guard. “What are tu talking about?” His voice was soft but firm.
“Jeanne?” Right as Ziva asked that, Jeanne pranced into the bullpen looking for Tony.
Ziva quickly walked over to her chair and turned around so that Jeanne didn’t see her bump. “Hey Tony,” She greeted him warmly as her arms reached out to him.
Tony stepped back avoiding her hug. Jeanne looked at him slightly hurt. “You okay babe?” She asked ignoring Ziva that was sitting in the chair with her back to her.
“I’m fine, what are tu doing here Jeanne?” He asked coldly.
“Tony, tu sound distracted. What’s the matter?” Jeanne’s expression changed when Tony didn’t kiss her on the cheek like he always had in the past after a fight.
“Nothing,” Tony replied leaning on the edge of his escritorio across from Ziva.
“Guess this means you're sorry,” Tony dicho without looking at her. Jeanne walked over to him leaning against him. Tony groaned annoyingly. Ziva mean while listened to the conversation with silent tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Yeah,” Jeanne’s body was pinning him to the edge of Ziva’s escritorio as she leaned in closer to him to plant a soft kiss to his lips. Tony wasn’t about to let her kiss him. “Get off me,” Tony ordered grabbing her tightly por her arms. Jeanne gasped at his outrage. “Baby, what’s the matter? Don’t tu amor me?” Her voice was shocking at this point.
Tony frowned as he pulled her completely off him and pushed her to the side. “Tony, don’t tu amor me?” She repeated looking in Ziva’s direction.
Ziva wanted to bolt out of the bullpen so damn bad but didn’t want to risk Jeanne seeing her pregnant. “Okay Tony, the reason that I’m here is that I want to marry tu again.” Right as she uttered the ‘marry’, Ziva flew up turning around.
“Jeanne, how are you?” She asked her with an angry tone.
Jeanne swallowed her gasp. “Confused slightly.” She dicho looking at Tony then she gasped when she noticed Ziva’s swollen stomach.
“Confused about what?” Tony asked walking around to Ziva. Jeanne shook her head looking at Ziva.
“You’re pregnant. Congrats Ziva. tu finally are able to be a mother.” Jeanne didn’t want to believe that the baby was Tony’s.
Ziva stood up and reached out her hand to mostrar off her ring. “Tony and I are married, and I’m pregnant with his baby.”
Jeanne let out a loud whimper and slapped Tony across the face. “How could tu marry her?”
Tony laughed and kissed Ziva’s pregnant bump. “Easily, Jeanne. I amor her más than anything in this world.”
“I thought that tu loved me?” She asked as tears started to pour.
“Tears aren’t going to save you. Jeanne it’s your fault that this had happened in the first place.” Tony told her as Ziva rubbed his arm softly.
“I was ready to marry tu honey.” Jeanne forced herself to stop crying. Tony helped Ziva to her feet.
“That’s nice, but I’m a married man.” Tony told her as he dicho to Ziva. “Let’s get out of here.” Ziva smiled at him placing an urgent kiss to his lips as Jeanne watched frowning.
“Tony, Tony!” Jeanne called after him as he and Ziva stepped into the elevator.
“My wife’s pregnant, I’m married and I amor her not you. We’re so damn over, we have been for a while. I don’t wanna see tu ever again.” Tony told her just as the doors of the elevator shut leaving Jeanne there standing glaring at the elevator doors.
A couple of days later
"Come on, Ziva. tu can do this!" Tony urged his petite wife. "Just a little more!" Ziva let out another scream, and he wiped a cool washcloth over her face.
"Okay, Mrs. DiNozzo," the doctor dicho from the foot of the bed. "She's crowning. One más big push and you'll be holding your baby."
Ziva nodded and bore down, gripping Tony's hand as tightly as she could. Tony continued to murmur words of encouragement in his wife's ear. With a gasp, Ziva fell back against the pillows, and the strong first cries of their newborn daughter reached Tony's ears, making him grin.
"Would tu like to cut the cord, Dad?" the doctor asked, and he nodded, anxious to have his baby girl in his arms.
Once he cut the cord and the nurses had cleaned, weighed and measured her, one cheery nurse placed a small bundle wrapped in a rosado, rosa blanket in Tony's muscular arms. And as Tony held his daughter for the first time, he knew that this tiny, red creature had captured his heart. Silently, the nurses and doctors filed out of the room, but he didn't notice their departure.
As carefully as he could, he made his way back to the cama and sat on the edge of it, pressing a kiss to Ziva's forehead.
"How is she?" Ziva asked softly, and Tony looked at her and grinned. "She's perfect. Absolutely perfect, like her mother. tu did well, Ziva." She sighed contentedly and closed her eyes.
Tony was confused. How on earth could he possibly amor someone so much that he had just met? Then she opened her eyes, and Tony's breath hitched in his chest. She had his eyes! He used one finger to touch her tiny mouth, and his corazón melted when a tiny fist wrapped around his pinky.
"So, what are we gonna name her?" he asked, entranced por the esmeralda eyes that were so much like his own.
"Hmm, I guess she does need a name. We sure can't run around calling her, ‘Hey, you!’ for the rest of her life. It might work with McGee, but not with her." There was that sarcasm that he loved so much about her.
"What about Joanna?" he suggested, and the baby squealed and waved one tiny fist in the air. Tony and Ziva let out a laugh, and she said, "I think she loves it, how about Joanna Heather DiNozzo?"
Ziva looked down at the baby again and said, "Joanna Heather. I amor it, our little Joanna." He looked at his wife again, and saw that she was almost asleep, so he kissed her lips and climbed off of the bed.
Sitting in the chair beside the window, Tony began to slowly rock back and forth, humming a little to the whimpering bundle in his arms.
I’ll make tu smile when you’re down
When you’re in danger, I’ll be there to save you
tu can rest assure that I’ll be the one to stand guard when the night nears
What can make tu feel safe?
I’m your father
Your guardian angel
As he sang, Joanna grew quiet and watched him, her big esmeralda eyes inquisitive and curious. He touched her mouth again, and she reached for his hand, wrapping both hands around two of his big fingers.
Ziva was listening to Tony singing, and her corazón melted. He's so amazing, she thought. She's already her daddy's little girl. Shifting slightly, she gave into the welcoming embrace of sleep.
Five years later
Ziva and Abby were sitting on a picnic blanket, watching their husbands run at each other. "So, what exactly are they doing?" Abby asked, and Ziva shrugged her shoulders. "I think it's one on one football. But when Gibbs and Shepard get here, I'm sure they'll find a way to make it a three way."
A foot o two away from them, Joanna and Jessie were happily babbling and playing with logos. Then Joanna tried to stand up, but she promptly fell on her behind, and began to cry. Ziva and Abby watched in amazement as Jessie walked over to his fallen friend and wrapped his chubby arms around her. Instantly her cries stopped, and Ziva let out a laugh.
"Yup, that's Tim's kid alright. A born womanizer," she commented, and Abby laughed "Timothy’s not like that but, in cama lord is he a womanizer." Ziva laughed. “McGee?”
“Oh yeah, Timothy’s a monster, I amor him that way.” Abby dicho laughing.
A few segundos later, Tony and McGee walked up briskly to the women, laughing and slapping each other's backs. Ziva could see a mischievous glint appear in her husband's eyes, and she knew he was up to something. But she didn't have time to think before he scooped her up in his arms and spun her around a few times before setting her back down beside Abby on the blanket.
"DiNozzo, my Hong Kung!" Ziva shouted laughing, shaking her fist at him playfully. He just laughed and came back with, "Yes, but I'm your big ape!"
"And that's what scares me!" she retorted as he laughed and jogged off to rejoin McGee.
"What scares you?" a familiar voice called, and Abby and Ziva turned to see Gibbs and a very pregnant Shepard approaching them. "Other than my Husband."
Gibbs just smiled and said, "Yeah, I'll remember that siguiente time tu get a craving for ice cream and fresa jelly, Jen." He helped her to sit on the blanket, and then kissed the parte superior, arriba of her head.
Having spotted Gibbs, Tony shouted, "Hey, Boss! Get your ugly mug over here!" Gibbs looked at Shepard, who smiled and gave him a gentle push. "Go. Have fun." He nodded and jogged off to registrarse the other men.
"So, how tu feeling, director?" Ziva asked, and Shepard rolled her eyes.
"About ready to kill my husband. After the scare we had at the beginning, he's getting más and más nervous with each week that passes. I swear he's probably trying to figure out how to handcuff me to the cama until I go into labor."
The women laughed, and Abby said, "So, what do tu want? Boy o girl?"
Shepard rubbed her swollen stomach and thought for a moment. "Well, Jethro really hoping for a boy, because he had a girl, and he says he wants to even the score. I wouldn't mind having a boy."
Abby let out a laugh and pointed to the toddlers playing with logos, saying, "I'm glad I didn't have twins. I don't think I could've handled two kids!" The women laughed, and then Abby clapped a few times, shouting, "Jessie, playtime is over! Time to come eat!"
The men jogged over, and Gibbs plopped down beside Shepard, wrapping one arm around her. Tony picked up his daughter, and McGee lifted his son into his arms, blowing into his ear making him laugh.
Joanna was happy to lean against Tony's shoulder and bury one chubby hand in his hair. "Dad," she sighed contentedly, and Tony and Ziva smiled at each other.
"Joanna’s so cute,” they dicho at the same time. Gibbs and Shepard laughed at the couple, but suddenly Shepard grabbed her stomach, saying, "Uh, Jethro? I think it's time." Gibbs looked confused, but then it dawned on him, and he quickly helped Shepard to her feet.
Tony, Ziva, McGee and Abby shouted words of encouragement as Gibbs and Shepard disappeared, then Abby said, "It's time for us to get going too, honey." Then she looked at Ziva and said, "I've gotta get Jessie to bed."
“Okay Abs, see tu later than.” Ziva smiled picking up her daughter.
"Later." Everyone laughed and dicho goodbye as they went their separate ways.
~~~~~~
Later that night, Tony was pacing the room with Joanna in his arms, trying to get her to fall asleep. Joanna just looked up at him with wide esmeralda eyes and a smile on her face, babbling happily. Finally, Tony laid her on his shoulder and began singing.
I’ll make tu smile when you’re down
When you’re in danger, I’ll be there to save you
tu can rest assure that I’ll be the one to stand guard when the night nears
What can make tu feel safe?
I’m your father
Your guardian angel
Tony looked down at Joanna again, and he smiled when he realized that she had fallen asleep. Gently, he laid her in her bed, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead before slipping out of the room.
"Is she out?" Ziva asked as Tony climbed into the cama and pulled her into his arms.
"Yeah. I had to sing to get her to fall asleep," he laughed, and she kissed him softly. "Gibbs just called. He dicho Shepard gave him one happy, healthy little boy."
"That's great. What did they name them?" Ziva asked besar Tony down the neck.
"Jethro Nicholas Jr." Tony told her in between soft moans.
"Gibbs must be tickled pink. He got a boy." Ziva dicho leaning in closer and planting a soft kiss to his lips.
"Will tu sing for me?" she asked suddenly, and he knew that, like his daughter, he couldn't deny her. So he cleared his throat and began to sing again.
I don't need any money, fortune o fame
I've got all the riches, baby, one man can claim
When you’re in danger, I’ll be there to save you
tu can rest assure that I’ll be the one to stand guard when the night nears
What can make tu feel safe?
I’m your husband
Your guardian angel
The man to turn to when you’re in danger, o just sad
When you’re in danger, I’ll be there to save you
You’re the one for me
I don't need any money, fortune o fame
What can make tu feel safe?
I’m your husband
Your guardian angel
As he finished the song, he looked down and realized that Ziva had fallen asleep in his arms. He chuckled softly and kissed her hair, then nuzzled his face into her neck, closing his eyes.
These are my girls, he thought sleepily. And they would always be his girls.
The End