A/N: Hey guys! Alright, this story I was made to write. The plot-line kept nagging at me and wouldn't let up. Just keep that in mind as you read! Make sure and review! ~Lynn D.
Tony's heart skipped a beat as he saw his bride walking down the aisle. He never thought he'd have the chance to be this happy without Ziva, and it turned out that he was right. Trying to explain the feeling he had inside while watching his partner of 8 years walk towards him was completely unexplainable.
Feeling a tear begin to run down his cheek, he quickly wiped it away. He needed to be strong for his bride to be, whom he was sure was trying to fight back tears as well. He knew under her tough Israeli-Mossad exterior, she was a sensitive woman whose heart could be broken. She looked so beautiful to him, and he was sure to every other man that was sitting in the small ceremony.
The couple had decided that they didn't want a huge wedding; just a small, outdoors wedding. He couldn't be happier with the results of all their planning. The sun was shining beautifully, and the September air was just cool enough that Ziva could get away with wearing a lace-sleeved dress. Just a few days before the wedding, Tony had convinced her that she didn't need to wear a lot of makeup, she was beautiful just the way she was. He honestly didn't think that Ziva could get much prettier than how she looked when she came to work every day, but his ideas were soon thrown away when he saw her for the first time; wearing the long satin dress with an adorning lace sash.
His thoughts were broken as she reached him. His heart dropped with an overpowering love for the woman that stood before him, he nearly forgot that they were about to get married and began to lean in for a kiss, but quickly composed himself and made his action look like he was just adjusting his suit, but Ziva knew what had happened because she had nearly done the same thing.
They had decided on a short engagement figuring they'd gotten to know each other well enough during their partnership and they really didn't want to wait any longer to finally be called husband and wife.
As the preacher began the ceremony, the couple joined hands and looked deeply into each other's eyes, hardly hearing anything the preacher was saying. The reverend realized what was going on and raised his voice a little bit to alert the couple their vows were coming up. The groom turned his head to the man to focus on what he was about to promise to the woman standing before him, before he said 'I do', he gently brushed a hand against Ziva's cheek then he smiled bigger then he ever had before, "I do."
Surprising Ziva, he continued. "Ziva, I promise to always love you, cherish you, and watch your back. You are everything to me, and nothing or anyone will ever change that, I love you." Tony could see Ziva's shoulders relax, he knew she had never gotten over what being in Somalia had done to her. After being told that no man would ever love her more times then could be counted, he was sure she was still in disbelief.
The preacher began to speak to Ziva, as he was talking, it was all Ziva could do to not just jump into Tony's arms now, but she held her composure. When it came time for her to say 'I do', she bit her lip and decided to say spur of the moment vows as well. She knew, however that they really weren't spur of the moment, at least on her end she'd pretty much thought them up every day the past few years of their partnership. "Tony, you were first my partner, and now the love of my life. Some days, I thought I loved you, some days I thought others loved me. But now, I am sure that it was you that has loved me all along." She paused to wipe a tear coming down her face, then looked into Tony's eyes and softly breathed, "I do."
Tony could barely hold himself back to wait until the preacher said that they were finally Mr. and Mrs. DiNozzo, but he felt a slight tug on the back of his jacket from Gibbs to keep him focused. Him and Ziva had decided to have their closest friends around them for their wedding, so Abby was Ziva's maid of honor and Gibbs was his best man. Tony wasn't quite sure where to put McGee at first, but after awhile of thinking, he finally decided on the ring bearer. He knew that was traditionally the best man's job, but Ziva reminded him that they weren't traditional people.
The revered finally uttered those life-changing 7 words, "I now pronounce you man and wife." He smiled over to Tony, knowing how long he'd waited to kiss her even if the ceremony was only a few minutes long. He was married himself and knew it felt like an eternity, "Anthony, you may now kiss the bride." Tony decided to take things slowly, so he carefully leaned down, looked into his wife's eyes, and after all these years, kissed her.
3 Years Later
A smile quickly graced Ziva's lips as she heard Tony coming home. She hurriedly jumped off the couch and ran into Tony's arms as he came through the door. "Tony! I thought you'd never get back! That case must have been quite intense!"
Tony smiled at Ziva's enthusiasm; he always had to remind himself of just how lucky he was. As she hugged him, he smiled as he felt his wife's stomach pressing against his. "You're going to squish the baby if you keep hugging me so hard!"
Ziva laughed as she held even tighter to her husband. "The doctor said it was impossible to squish the baby by just hugging! So, I'm not going to let up on you!"
Smiling, Tony carefully wriggled loose and dropped his backpack down on the floor by the coffee table then sat down on the couch as his wife followed. As they settled down on the couch together, they began telling each other about their days. Tony was still trying to get along with Ziva's temporary replacement while she was on maternity leave. He still couldn't get used to someone else having his back, he wanted his partner back.
Finding out that Ziva was pregnant 5 months ago was a huge surprise for the couple, but they were both extremely happy. The moment Gibbs found out, he told her she was not going another day being an agent until after she'd had the baby, he wasn't going to let anyone's child be put in danger.
Abby's first actions were a huge hug for the couple then promised to be their permanent babysitter. McGee said they no longer had to worry about bedtime stories, he would write them a whole collection. When they had gotten home that night, they were amazed by what true friends they really did have.
Tony put his arm around Ziva and snuggled into her, he'd really missed her out in the field today. "Did you feel the little pumpkin today?"
Ziva smirked at her husband's nickname for the baby. They wanted it to be a surprise on the gender, so for now they were calling it anything they could that didn't imply if it was a girl or boy. "As a matter of fact, when I was making dinner tonight I nearly dropped everything on the floor when I felt a kick!"
Tony perked up a little bit. "Did I hear dinner?"
Ziva giggled as she began to get up, but the force of gravity pulled her back then she looked to Tony. "Babe? Will you please help me up?"
He stood to help her up, then he chuckled a little bit as he extended his arm, "My lady."
Ziva played along and nodded graciously, then headed into the kitchen to get dinner on the table.
As the couple sat down and Tony took his first bite a huge smile came across his face. "Man Zi! I should've married you when I first saw you just for your cooking! You never cease to amaze me."
Ziva's eyes lit up. "Thank you! You always do know how to make a girl's heart melt."
Ziva could've sworn his smile got bigger as he kissed her cheek. "I try."
"How about this?" Tony asked as he pointed to a lace bassinet.
Ziva shook her head. "Tony, what if we have a boy?"
Her husband snickered. "Oh, guess not!"
Ziva turned her head and caught sight of a crib and ran over to it. "Babe, come here!"
Tony abandoned the bassinet and went to join his wife then looked down to see what Ziva was so thrilled about. She had found a Winnie the Pooh crib with a mobile that had all the characters on it. Tony smiled at it, then looked to Ziva. "It's perfect! I'm sure pum—" Tony stopped when he noticed Ziva beginning to turn away from his gaze and move away from him, so he went after her and put a hand on her waist. "Zi? What's the matter?"
She sniffled then looked up into Tony's piercing green eyes, "I'm fi—"
"Un uh, don't give me that, you're not fine. Now Zi, what's bothering you?"
She let it all out and began to cry, so Tony took the initiative and sat her down on a nearby bench out of the main flow of people. He'd never seen her like this until she became pregnant, he could've sworn all the emotions she'd held in over the years were coming out all at one time.
Once they were sitting down, Ziva laid her head on Tony's shoulder. "What if I don't have a boy? I know you want one so badly to carry on the DiNozzo name. Would you be disappointed if we don't have a boy?"
Tony smiled then brushed a hand against Ziva's cheek. "Zi, I want a healthy baby. I don't have a preference. If I have a boy, I'll have a basketball player like his dad. If I have a girl, I'll have a replica of my amazing wife. Honestly honey, it's a win-win! Now, let's go buy pumpkin's crib, okay?"
She reached over to him and hugged him, needing his comfort, then bit her lip. "I'm sor—"
"Hey!" Tony interrupted her, "Rule 6."
Ziva smiled then nodded as they went to purchase the final piece of their nursery.
Tony sat down and let out a deep breath as he wiped his brow. Looking up, he smiled at the newly completed nursery. The team had just left after spending a whole day painting, cleaning, and assembling furniture. Ziva came back into the room after letting everyone out then sat down by her husband, "Hey!" she smiled.
Putting an arm around her waist, Tony smiled. "Hey! What do you think?"
Ziva let out a breath as she smiled broadly. "I love it! I cannot believe how everything turned out so beautifully! I am so excited to finally have the baby," she said as she put a hand to her stomach. "So we can have a little life to occupy it! You know, it has really just hit me. We are going to have a little life to take care of, together. I hope we can do a good job."
Tony tightened his grip on his wife. "I'm so excited too! You are going to be a great mom!"
"Before we get too sappy," Ziva laughed, "we still have the task of picking out names! Before you know it, the baby is going to be here and we aren't going to have a name even picked out yet."
"Yea, I guess that is a problem." Tony snickered, "Well, didn't Abby bring over a baby-naming book when they got here?"
Ziva nodded as she got up to go get it, she quickly returned and sat back down. "Okay, do you want to start with girl or boy names?"
Tony began to respond as he looked at the cover of the book. "This is an Israel baby-naming book! You've gotta hand it to Abby!"
Ziva's eyes lit up. "You mean you like the idea? I didn't think—"
"Israel is still part of you, Ziva. I can't take that away from you. There are some beautiful Israeli names, I think it's a great idea!"
"Well, " Ziva sighed, "let's get started!"
Awhile later after they'd gone through the boy's names they'd decided on Sela. Now they were beginning to go over the girl's names and after they'd gotten halfway through the alphabet, nothing had caught their eyes.
A few moments later, Ziva gasped and a tear began to run down her cheek. Tony looked up at her, then looked to the names and noticed she had run across the name 'Talia'. "Oh Zi, I'm sorry."
She sniffled, "It is okay. We had good times, I just wish she was here to see the baby, she would have loved to be an aunt."
Tony smiled, "I've got an idea, if we have a daughter, why don't we call her Talia in honor of your sister!"
A glimmer of hope shone through in Ziva's eyes. "Would you really be willing to do that?"
Tony encouraged her. "I would be honored!"
2 ½ Months Later
Ziva abruptly sat up in bed with cold sweats and she looked over to Tony who was fast asleep. A gasp escaped her lips as she felt her water break. She started to become anxious even though she was almost never afraid, the danger was always something she could confront, labor was not one of those things. Putting a hand on Tony's arm she got out of bed and went into the bathroom to clean up before getting ready to go to the hospital. At Ziva's touch, Tony jumped out of bed when he noticed his wife was gone. "Zi? Is it time?"
When she didn't respond, he went after her in the bathroom and looked into her soft brown eyes, worried about her. "Are you okay?"
She straightened up and let out a deep breath, trying to release some pain. "I am ready."
Tony rubbed Ziva's belly. "Hey Pumpkin, you ready to come meet the world? There are a lot of people waiting for you so they can spoil you!"
Forgetting her pain for a few minutes, Ziva put her arms around Tony's neck and softly kissed him, needing his comfort. She knew this wasn't going to be easy.
"Do you want me to call everyone?" Tony asked after the doctor said it would be within the next hour or so.
"No, all they are going to be doing is waiting. Just have them come when the baby is here." Ziva decided.
Tony nodded at her decision and clipped his phone back onto his belt. "Are you getting nervous?"
Ziva faintly nodded. "Yes, but I can handle it."
Hearing machine's going off and beeping, Tony ran down the hallway as fast as he could from getting something to eat. Praying to God there wasn't anything wrong with Ziva or the baby, he went into the room. Doctors and nurses were running around the room yelling to one another.
Noticing Tony standing there, one of the nurses solemnly looked at him and nodded for him to come in. Quickly taking the opportunity, he ran to Ziva's side and a flood of emotion washed over him. Ziva was hardly moving and extremely pale, "Ziva!" he yelled worriedly as the doctors were beginning to take the baby.
As much as he wanted to go see the new addition to the family being born he would not leave Ziva for anything. "Babe, look at me." He told Ziva as he looked into her fading eyes.
Ziva weakly turned her head towards her husband and put a hand to his face. "I'll always be with you." She smiled faintly as she looked into Tony's eyes. "Please never forget that. I love you so mu—"She was interrupted by the doctor delivering the baby and announcing it was a girl.
Ziva smiled and peacefully closed her eyes as she let out her last breath. Tony looked at Ziva then checked her pulse, "Doctor!" he screamed frantically. "My wife! Help her!"
With that, the doctor pushed him away and tried to revive the new mom. It was all Tony could to do to hold back tears he kept asking nurses what was going on but no one had the heart to answer. Tony was frozen to the spot he was standing until Gibbs came in. He had called Gibbs while he was getting something to eat and said it was okay for him to come. He was sure Ziva wouldn't mind him being here.
Looking around the room and realizing what was going on, Gibbs ran over to Tony. "Is it Ziva?"
Doctor Matthews came over to the agents and let out a deep breath. "Agent DiNozzo, I'm so sorry. There was nothing we could do."
Tony faintly nodded then went over to Ziva's side as the doctor and nurses left the room. A few moments later, Gibbs came over to him. "I'm so, so sorry, Tony. Ziva was one of the best agents I've ever had and was a wonderful person, wife, and would have been a fantastic mother. But DiNozzo, you have a little girl to take care of now."
Tony leaned down and gently kissed Ziva's cheek then went over to the new little life that would need him now. He looked over to his little girl wriggling on the table then back to his wife that lay motionless on the bed.
Sadly, he stood up and walked over to the nurse that was cleaning up his little girl and the nurse smiled to him encouragingly. "She is so beautiful!"
Tony nodded and smiled bitter sweetly as another tear fell down his cheek. "Just like her mom."
"Oh, I'm about to fill out the birth certificate, what was the name you and your…your wife decided on?"
Tony looked to Gibbs then back to the nurse. "Talia Rose DiNozzo."
The nurse smiled as she finished swaddling the tiny new life. "That's a beautiful name, it definitely suits her! I'll go write that down and then I'll be right back. While I'm gone, you can hold her."
Tony bit his lip and just stared at the little girl looking up at him, looking deep into his soul with eyes just like her mom's.
Gibbs nudged him. "DiNozzo, you've gotta be a dad now, no matter how much it hurts."
Tony nodded as he lifted up the little girl and rocked her softly to calm her, he knew she needed the comfort as much as he did.
As Gibbs watched Tony rock Talia and begin to sing to her, he knew they would get through this together. Yes, there would be hard times as well as good times, but when there is love, anything and everything is possible.