Title: One Small Moment
Pairing: McGee/Ziva
Rating: K+
Genre: Angst, Family, Romance
Cat: Het
Spoilers: None.
Warnings: None.
Summary: A change in McGee's life makes Ziva realize what's been missing from hers.
Author's Note: Based off a dream I had.

The news had come as somewhat of a shock to them all at first, especially coming from McGee. He just came into work one day, stopped in the middle of the bullpen, and said, "I'm adopting a baby."

The work Tony and Ziva had been doing ground to a halt as they raised their heads to look at him, sure he was going to announce he was just kidding and oh, he had really gotten them with that one, but he wasn't. He was serious, and he was adopting a baby.

He told them how this was something he had thought about for quite some time and how he had always wanted a family, but with his luck with women, the only way he could imagine having one was to adopt. He wasn't sure if he'd be accepted, and there would be background checks and someone would most likely come to speak with his co-workers, which was why he was telling them all this now rather than throwing them for a loop later on, and he just really wanted them to support him.

That was months ago, and now McGee is happily raising a gorgeous little boy named Carter. Tony still makes jokes about how McGee just wanted a kid to catch ladies, but McGee doesn't miss how Tony comes over more often and tries to make the baby laugh, even if it is just by tickling his feet. Abby is in awe of such a small human, as happy for him as she ever is, but almost afraid to touch the baby, as if he is delicate china that will crack in her hands. Gibbs is proud in a quiet way, and gets that look of nostalgia on his face every once in awhile when he thinks no one sees, but McGee knows.

And then there's Ziva.

McGee knew she was a loving person, that she wasn't really the tough and hardened assassin she claimed to be and had a softer side, but even she had surprised him. She visits him probably the most often, offering to watch Carter so McGee can write or do whatever it is he wants to do in his off time. She is a natural with the child, and sometimes the sight of her cradling the infant in her arms makes McGee just stop and stare. It seems so right, so perfect, so . . . something he shouldn't even be thinking about.

He's always cared about Ziva, and he can't deny finding her beautiful and being attracted to her, but to think about her how he has been, when he sees her holding his son as if he were her own . . . That's just asking for trouble.

But he's never been able to make his heart make sense, and he continues to find himself hoping that Ziva just maybe thinks about things in the same way. And then, he thinks, they'd really be in trouble.

Ziva, well, she can't deny she feels a great deal of love for the newest member of her surrogate family. Carter has brought out her maternal side, and there are times she does wish he were her own child, and that thought makes her feel guilty more than anything else. But she is, above all else, McGee's friend, and she wants to help out where she can. She just never thought she would fall this deep.

She is on her way to his apartment today, because it's Saturday and she thought they could go to the park or something, the three of them, and she tries to push the thought of how domestic that is out of her mind. She is surprised he hasn't called her out on her behavior yet, but then, this is McGee and he is a gentleman above all else. Besides, maybe he enjoys the extra time with her.

She steps off the elevator on his floor, forcing herself to relax and enjoy their day together, but then she hears crying. It's distinctive as a baby, and she knows from what McGee says that he's the only one who has a baby on his floor, and it's entirely possible that someone is visiting someone and brought their baby with them, but she knows . . . It's Carter. And he sounds more distraught than usual.

She finds her heart speeding up and jogs softly to McGee's door, knocking loudly and calling out, "McGee? Is everything alright?"

When the crying continues and there's no answer from McGee, then her heart really starts beating.

She is in the apartment in a matter of seconds, stealthy and on the lookout for intruders, trouble, something to indicate that something is amiss. And then she sees him.

McGee is lying on the floor, unmoving, and Ziva sinks to her knees beside him, checking for a pulse and trying to stay calm. This is McGee. He never gets hurt. Nothing ever . . .

She shakes away her wayward thoughts and remembers what she's doing, finding a pulse and letting out a shaky breath of relief. But he's still unconscious and she doesn't know what's wrong, so she does the only thing she can think to do and pulls out her phone, pressing buttons and holding the phone to her ear, the ringing a dull noise in the background of her thoughts.

"Gibbs," the voice on the other end says, and Ziva has to force herself back to reality, and she blinks a few times, like she's forgotten why she called him. "Ziva? You okay? Talk to me, Ziva."

"It's McGee," Ziva finds herself blurting out, and she realizes then how very not calm she is. "Ah, I am here, at his apartment, and he is . . . uh, he's not breathing, Gibbs, and -"

"I'm calling 911 and I'll be there as soon as I can, Ziva," Gibbs interrupts her, adding, "What about the baby?"

Ziva comes to then, her senses awakened by the question, and she pushes herself to her feet again, entering Carter's room and finding him thankfully unharmed. She lifts him from his crib, his face still scrunched up from the force of his crying, and she pulls him against her chest, breathing into the phone, "He is fine."

"It'll be okay, Ziva," Gibbs says and then disconnects the call. Ziva closes the phone and leaves the room again, pressing her lips to Carter's soft little head as she prays that this is all some bad dream and she'll wake up in a cold sweat in her own bedroom.

But she knows as she returns to McGee's still body sprawled across the narrow hallway of his apartment that this is no figment of her imagination, and she finds herself on her knees again and she thinks how she should be doing something, but she's so frozen and there is a very real baby squirming in her arms.

Still, she attempts CPR to no avail and tries not to cry when it doesn't work, and she isn't sure how long it is before there's a loud knock on the door that forces her to compose herself when a deep voice calls out, "EMTs, you reported an emergency?"

She hurries to the door, opening it and allowing the EMTs inside, while she stands in the background, feeling useless as ever as she cradles McGee's son to her chest.

As she stands there and waits for something good to happen, she feels a presence behind her and turns to find Gibbs standing there, his eyes worried. "It's okay," he says, and Ziva finds herself nodding despite herself, then looks down at the child in her arms, smiling as he looks up at her with his big brown eyes.

"Are you his wife?" a voice from the other side of the room asks, and Ziva looks up, as if she's expecting someone else to answer, but of course the EMT is talking to her. She shakes her head and looks back at Carter, who has no idea at all what is going on right now. The EMT nods and says, "Well, why don't you ride along with us, anyway. You can tell us what happened."

"I do not know," Ziva says automatically, feeling the need to correct him. She steps forward, and senses Gibbs right behind her, watching her every move. "He . . . This was how I found him when I arrived. We, uh, we work together and I heard the baby crying, so I let myself in."

The EMT nods. "It's a good thing you found him when you did. He'll be fine. His red cell counts are low from anemia, which is why he passed out. We're going to take him in to get his levels back to normal."

Ziva closes her eyes in relief and doesn't realize how much this has affected her until she feels Gibbs' hands on her elbows, supporting her.

"Easy, Ziva," he says, and she nods. "Go get Carter's diaper bag and I'll get the car seat from McGee's car. I'll take you to the hospital." She turns slightly then, handing over possession of the baby to Gibbs while she heads past the EMTs to the nursery, packing up what will be needed for however long they find themselves at the hospital. It crosses her mind again how comfortable she is here, like this is a room in her own home, and she has to rid herself of the thought before it consumes her.

When she looks up, she finds Gibbs standing in the doorway, bouncing Carter up and down, and he asks, "You gonna be okay?"

"Of course." The lie slips easily off Ziva's tongue, as she is still rattled and isn't sure how long it will take her to regain her equilibrium. "I am just . . . shocked. This was supposed to be a nice afternoon. I had not expected to spend it at the hospital." She slings the diaper bag over her shoulder and holds out her hands to take Carter from Gibbs' grip. He hands the baby over and she kisses the top of his head again, then looks back up at Gibbs. "We should go."

Gibbs watches her for a moment before nodding. He allows her to go ahead and follows her out, the EMTs having left minutes before. It's a tense ride down to the ground floor and quiet walk out to the street, where Gibbs heads for McGee's car to retrieve the car seat, while Ziva stands by, trying to keep her patience. He makes quick work of the car seat and Ziva buckles Carter in before returning to the passenger side of Gibbs' car.

As they get in and prepare to take off, she doesn't have to tell him to be careful driving, because of the infant in the backseat, and the ride to the hospital seems to take ages, but at least they arrive safely.

On the way, Gibbs makes a few calls, and Ziva hears him say Ducky will meet them there. He knows he should call Tony and Abby, too, but he also knows that Abby especially is going to cause more stress than is necessary at the moment. He tells himself that once Ziva has settled down, he'll let Tony and Abby know.

As they arrive at the hospital, Ziva is quick to take the car seat out and head into the hospital, eager to find out more on McGee's condition. The EMTs said he would be fine, but she can't help but worry, and she tries to tell herself it's because of Carter, because she doesn't know what will happen to him if . . .

"Ziva." She jerks her head up at the sound of her name, clutching the handle of the car seat a little tighter, and finds Gibbs giving her a curious look. "Maybe you should talk to the nurse, let her know you're watching McGee's son and would like to know when he wakes up."

"Of course." Ziva seems like she's coming back to her senses and quickly does as Gibbs suggests, while he takes a seat in the waiting room, wiping a hand over his face.

He knows McGee will pull through and he isn't worried about that, but the thought of what might happen after he wakes is what really has his gut in a knot. It's a complicated thing going on between these two, and he knows the result will either be everything they've wanted or else . . . it will ruin everything.

"Hey, Duck." Gibbs looks up as the older man enters the waiting room, removing his hat as he does so.

"How is Timothy, Jethro?" Ducky asks, sitting down next to Gibbs.

"Haven't heard anything yet," Gibbs says, and Ducky sits back, his gaze falling to the person across from them.

He smiles as he asks, "Is she alright now?"

Gibbs gives a small smirk at the sight of a sleeping Ziva, Carter napping on her chest. "Yeah, it's been a long day for her. Good thing she has something to keep her distracted."

"You know," Ducky starts, "I think most everyone was surprised at how quickly Ziva took to the child, but I always knew she would do well with children."

Gibbs' smirk disappears as he watches Ziva sleep. "Yeah, well, she better watch herself, because I think she's falling a little too fast."

"She may be too late for that already, Jethro," Ducky says, and all Gibbs can do is nod his agreement. A few minutes of silence pass between the two men, before Ducky continues. "Once Timothy awakens -"

"Excuse me," a nurse interrupts, entering the waiting room. Ziva hears the voice and opens her eyes, pushing herself up straighter in her chair. "Are you with a Timothy McGee?"

"Yeah," Gibbs confirms before Ziva can say anything and she adjusts the still sleeping baby nervously.

The nurse smiles. "He's awake now, and he's asking to see his son."

Gibbs looks over at Ziva, asking, "You okay to go by yourself?"

She rolls her eyes at him. "Yes, Gibbs. I am fine." She stands up, looking back to the nurse. "Will you show me the way to his room?"

"Of course," the nurse responds, and Ziva bends to grab the car seat before following the nurse from the waiting room, leaving Ducky and Gibbs alone again.

Ducky lets out a sigh once the women are out of sight, saying, "They are going to have a lot to discuss."

"Yep."

Down the hall, the nurse stops outside a room. "He's in here, Mrs. McGee."

"Oh, I am not . . ." Ziva starts, shaking her head, "We're not a couple."

"I'm so sorry!" the nurse apologizes, blushing slightly. "I just assumed you were his mother." She nods her head at Carter.

Ziva gives her a sad smile. "No, I am not."

"Well, I'm sorry once again," the nurse says and motions at the door again. "He's all yours!" She wanders off then, headed back for the nurse's station, and Ziva tries not to let her words get to her. Instead, she looks down at Carter, amazingly still asleep on her shoulder, and pushes the door open to McGee's room.

When she looks up again, McGee is watching her and she tries to quell the tingling she feels in her stomach. "I heard a rumor you wanted to see a certain brown-eyed cutie," she says in an attempt to lighten the air. When he doesn't respond, she realizes her faux pas and adds, "I meant Carter, of course."

McGee chokes out a laugh and smiles then, nodding his head. "I thought you were coming on to me or something," he says, and Ziva tries to laugh it off.

"Now, would I take advantage of someone in a hospital bed?" she teases, but McGee can tell she's not really in a joking mood. She turns her focus back to Carter. "Ah, he has been asleep for awhile, so if you want me to wake him . . ."

"Ziva, I think we need to talk," McGee says softly, but his voice is stern, and Ziva knows what he will say, so she tries to deflect the conversation.

"Yes," she agrees, "you need to tell me why you never said anything about your anemia."

McGee has the grace to look sheepish. "I never had any problems in the past, so . . ."

"So if I had not happened to be at your apartment when I did, you could have died." Ziva has forgotten that she was trying to stay calm, and she can feel her face heating up in anger and concern.

"Ziva, it's okay," McGee says, trying to calm her. "I'll be okay. I'm sorry. I didn't think -"

"What?" Ziva asks, and she is too emotional to be using the logical part of her brain right now. "You did not think I would be bothered if something happened to you? If something happened to you and I lost the two best things that have ever happened to me?" As soon as the words are out of her mouth, she seems shocked that she said them, rather than just thinking them.

McGee is just as shocked as Ziva at her words, but he recovers quickly and leans forward, reaching out for her hand. "Hey, I'm okay. And now you know, so you can . . . I don't know." He laughs. "You can set up a security system in my apartment to keep an eye on me or something." She doesn't laugh at his joke and he tries a different angle. "Ziva, did you mean what you just said?"

She doesn't want to look at him, but she finally does and says, "I would not be so upset if I hadn't." McGee lets out a sigh and moves his legs over, a signal for her to sit down on the bed. There is a moment of silence before Ziva says, "I guess I never realized until this guy came along." She looked down at the slowly awakening baby on her shoulder and gently removed him, cooing, "Do you want to see your daddy now?" She turned him around to face McGee and found him with an almost pained expression on his face. "What?"

"Well, I guess as long as we're sharing," he says, and Ziva feels her heart sink into her stomach. He swallows and pushes himself up straighter in the bed, not making a move to take his son from Ziva's hands. He looks Ziva in the face. "Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to watch you with my son . . ." Ziva pales and looks almost horrified and McGee reaches out for her hand before continuing, "when all I can think is how right it seems for you to be holding him . . . And then not know if you feel it, or if you want the same thing I do?"

"What do you want?" Ziva asks, her voice nearly a whisper.

"What do you want?" McGee counters, and a beat passes before Carter interrupts with a loud cry, causing them both to laugh. McGee reaches out for his son then, taking hold of him and quieting the crying infant before looking back to Ziva. "My question still stands, Ziva."

"So does mine," she says calmly, then lets out a long breath and says, "But I think we may want the same thing."

McGee's mouth quirks up into a tentative smile. "You're not just saying that because he's so cute?" He holds Carter up next to his face, pouting at her, and she laughs, rolling her eyes.

"No, I'm saying it because he is cute . . ." she slides further up the bed, "and so are you." McGee's tentative smile turns into a full-blown grin and Ziva feels relaxed enough to smile herself. She reaches up and runs her hand over Carter's head, while he looks around curiously, oblivious to the life-changing event he's become a part of. "It was like you knew, McGee. You saw Carter and said, 'Here he is. The one Ziva won't be able to resist.'" McGee laughs at her and she looks up to meet his eyes again. "I am not quite so mad at you for not telling me about your anemia now."

He continues to smile at her, his eyes glowing. "I promise you, Ziva, you'll be the first to know about everything from now on." He reaches out for her hand, but Ziva brushes it away, instead leaning in to press a soft kiss to his lips. His eyebrows raise in interest and he begins to return the kiss, but they are soon interrupted by crying coming from Carter and they pull away, laughing.

"I really hope he doesn't do that every time we try to kiss," Ziva says, and they both start laughing again, and their laughs make the little boy between them laugh, as well. They smile down at him, amazed that someone so small, someone who isn't even a part of either of them, could bring them together and show them that they were capable of the kind of love they thought was impossible to find.

THE END!