Title: Buster
Author: dizzy - in - the - izzy
Disclaimer: I may or may not have nothing better to do with my life...
A/N: I like fluff. Is that apparent yet? I'm a fan of fluff. And children. And, apparently, Tim/Ziva more than I let on. I think I'm abandoning all my other ships. I'm going down with this ship. I need to go back to sleep.
They've been engaged for three months when they have the discussion. She asks him if he wants kids, and he admits that the thought's passed through his mind. He sees the look immediately, and he somewhat panics. And though she's not sure exactly what she's saying, she admits to him that she's afraid of bringing a child into the world, and then being a bad parent to it. Her face tells him just how deep this fear is, and he tries to tell her she'll do fine, that any child she has will be loved. But his words fall on deaf ears, and she just finds herself angry at his words. So, he plans, and figures a way to try to remedy her fears. He talks to Gibbs, and one day he leaves work early.
When she arrives home, she looks tired and confused at him standing at the door. He covers her eyes and leads her to the kitchen, where he lets her look and she's surprised to see a puppy looking back up at her. It's small, small enough to fit in her hand, and it looks up at her expectantly. She doesn't know what to do, so when he lifts the puppy up and places it in her hands, she's scared. But the puppy snuggles into her hand and licks her skin, and she relaxes a bit.
She doesn't ask him why he's bought her a puppy, because she knows. And after they've named the little Boston Terrier (Buster, at his insistence, because he's not having another dog named after their boss), she sits on the floor with it and lets it chew on her fingers. She watches it carefully, and eventually puts it back on the news paper as it pees. And he watches, noticing how gentle and cautious she is.
He knows she's scared of hurting another being, another creature. He's aware of how worried she is that she'll hurt him, even though he's assured her that she never has, and he's sure she never will. But, deep down, she has some deep set fears, and he's out to show her that in some ways, she's wrong.
Not only does she successfully potty train Buster, but she teaches him sit, shake, roll over, speak, and play dead. The dog listens to her, and it's apparent early on that he's attached to her. She's able to teach Buster to wait, and heel when he's on the leash. And even though he's a small dogs, and small dogs are usually hyper, he's calm and just likes to curl up in her lap and sleep.
Slowly, he sees how much Buster has taught her. And even though she refuses to admit it when he pesters her, on the couch as Buster sits and watches his masters laugh, her maternal side is strong and her fears are irrational.
Buster is two when she announces that she's pregnant. They're married at this point, and have been trying for a while. She smiles, and he sees the hidden fears in her eyes. He takes her out to dinner, and they sit in a booth, cuddled up close to each other. He keeps his hand on her thigh and tells her that she's not allowed to doubt herself, because no one else does. And though he sees the retort, the quick lips wanting to tell him he's wrong, he silences her by kissing her, and the rest of the evening she's quiet.
Her pregnancy seems long, because around six months she's ordered out of the field and to take it easy. She ends up at home all day, with just Buster and her thoughts. He constantly comes home to find dinner made, and the house clean. He knows it hurts her to be home all the time, but he sees something of a light at the end of the tunnel. Buster stays by her side, hovering and keeping an eye on her. And she seems to be more loving to the dog than usual. Which he doesn't mind, even when she lets the dog sleep in their bed for the first time in weeks, months. And as the dog and she snores, he just grins because it's soothing.
At eight months, the dog takes to sleeping at the end of the bed, on the floor. And it's a wise decision, because with her huge belly and his long body, there isn't much room. But one night, he wakes up to the dog hurriedly licking his face, and pawing at his chest. He almost tells Buster off, but then he sees that Ziva isn't in bed. Turns out, she's in the bathroom, her hands on either side of her stomach as she shuts her eyes in pain. And he's never loved the dog more.
After hours and hours of labor, and a nearly broken hand and ear drums, he's staring down at a baby girl. He can feel his eyes prickling and his heart swelling, and when he finally gets to hold her, he lets a couple tears fall. His boss stands next to him, just as happy and proud, and they both agree she's beautiful.
When she finally gets to hold her daughter, she's nervous. And he watches her carefully, telling her it's okay. She's going to be fine, and no matter what, he's there. And so she carefully holds the baby, supporting her just like she did her sister. And as the baby looks up at her, it's small eyes not focusing on any particular point, she lets a small sob escape her body.
She's done it.
When they finally bring little Aria home, Buster is more than excited. They scold the dog, and tell him to be good and calm, and when he first sees her, he looks like he wants to lick her. But he just sniffs her feet, and then sits down on the floor in front of where they sit, watching as Aria nurses and clings to her mother.
It isn't until Aria starts moving around, almost as big as the dog, that Buster is able to freely be around her. And that's when he's able to finally prove to her that she's done right.
They sit on the floor in the living room, watching as Aria waddles between them. She's walking towards her father, her hands outstretched and her eyes locking on his hands. She's shaking, and she suddenly falls. She lets out a cry, and before he can pick up his daughter, Buster is there, nudging the child with his nose. And even though she's obviously upset she fell, and they both want to pick her up, they watch as she rolls over and hugs the dog. And Buster just lays down and lets the child hold his neck, albeit somewhat tight.
"Oh my gosh," she whispers across from him, and he smiles at her.
"I told you you'd do fine, Zee," he says, and she moves over to him. She lets her head fall onto his shoulders, and he smiles. He wraps his arm around her waist, and they watch as Aria makes gibberish at Buster. And the dog just snores, and the baby giggles, and they smile.
"I love you Tim," she says quietly, and he kisses her head. Aria yawns, and he knows she'll soon fall asleep holding her favorite teddy bear.
"We love you too," he says as his daughter giggles again as the dog snores and his wife smiles at the sight.
And he smiles too, somewhat because he's right after all, but really because he's overwhelmed with happiness that he knows is a mutual feeling in the room.
A/N: Did I warn you about the fluff and gooiness and just plain... love this fic is filled with?
I hope it wasn't too confusing with the pronouns. And Buster is based off my dog, a little Boston that loves all children, especially babies. He's so calm too, so there.
Reviews are always appreciated.
-Izzy