The apartment was empty when she arrived home from a last minute shopping trip. The video game McGee wanted had been sold out for weeks, but she had managed to track someone down who wanted to sell her his copy for a reasonable price. She couldn't wait to see the look on his face tomorrow, when the team got together on Christmas Day.
Shrugging out of her coat, she glanced at the Christmas tree and noticed a present that hadn't been there earlier. After removing her wet boots, she padded over to the tree, and picked up the gift. It was light and soft. She frowned, then assumed Tony must have gotten her the sweater she had seen a week ago.
After putting the present back, she checked her phone for missed calls or messages, wondering where Tony had gone. He hadn't mentioned going out when she left earlier. With nothing else to do—Tony had insisted on heating up lasagna as they'd have a festive dinner tomorrow—she plopped down on the couch and grabbed one of the novels he had gotten her for her birthday.
Stumbling in the hallway brought her back to reality fifteen minutes later. Placing the book on the coffee table she walked towards the door cautiously, but relaxed when she heard Tony faintly mumble. They weren't expecting visitors, perhaps he bumped into one of the neighbors. She opened the door and found him stuffing something in his coat, clutching it closed as he looked at her in surprise.
"You're home earlier than expected," he said as he walked through the door, his arms covering the bulge underneath his coat awkwardly.
She closed the door behind him, turned and heard him mutter something under his breath while looking down at the bulge. Crossing the few feet that separated them, she leaned up and pecked him on the lips. "Did you buy yourself a present you didn't want me to know about?"
His eyebrows squished together. "What?"
"You already got me a present," she said pointing at the brightly wrapped gift underneath the tree.
"Oh, that's not your present," he blurted out with a smile, looking down at her. "That's your," he started than tilted his head, "your present's present." Ziva frowned, then stepped in even closer, intent on making him talk. She looked up at him seductively. "Is it a present for the bedroom?"
Tony chuckled. "No, but it'll probably end up there whether we want to or not."
He was grinning at her, clearly happy at having the upper hand over her. She narrowed her eyes, considering a different interrogation technique, when the bulge underneath his coat moved against her stomach.
Tony guffawed as she jumped back in surprise, then opened his coat slowly.
She gasped, eyes wide, as a light golden puppy poked its head out and yipped. Speechless she stepped closer again, stroked the soft fur, then met Tony's gaze. They had talked about getting a dog a few months ago; whether it would be fair with their work schedule; whether they had the time and energy to give it the attention it deserved. He gazed at her with dancing eyes and his trademark smile, then handed the puppy to her.
As the dog's warm body wriggled and turned in her arms, she felt a lightness and warmth that momentarily made her forget the decision they had come to back then. The puppy clawed her way upwards and licked Ziva's face enthusiastically. She giggled, trying to evade the wet tongue, then realized Tony had started snapping pictures with his phone.
Any effort to give him a stern look failed as the puppy kept worming her way into her heart. She was still grinning when she said, "I thought we agreed to wait until the timing was right?"
He reached out a hand and caressed her cheek. "I've wasted enough time waiting for the right time," he said with determination. Leaning in to kiss her, he unfortunately drew the puppy's attention who started squirming in Ziva's arms in an effort to lick his face.
Evading the puppy, he planted a lingering kiss on Ziva's forehead instead, then locked eyes with her. The love she saw there made her stomach flutter, and she leaned closer to hug him, careful not to squash their new family member.
"Merry Christmas, Ziva," he murmured in her ear.
"Merry Christmas." She placed a quick kiss on his cheek before taking a step back and looking at the puppy, wondering how they were going to manage a dog and work.
Tony held up a hand, not giving her a chance to voice her concerns. "The breeder's daughter is a dog sitter and trainer," he said as he scratched the puppy's head. "She has excellent references, and is willing to take care of her when we have to go out of town on short notice for a case."
Ziva gently placed the dog on the floor, and wrapped her arms around Tony, leaning her head against his shoulder, as she watched the pup wag her tail in excitement while exploring her new home.
"So, you have thought of everything," she said smiling, before looking up at him briefly.
"I have." He smiled smugly, then kissed her temple after she focused on the dog again.
She watched the puppy try to chew through the side of the couch. "Did you think of putting aside money for new furniture?"
Tony stood up straighter and followed her line of sight. "Hey!"
A/N: This drabble was inspired by a gif set created by a friend on tumblr; dove-cotes tumblr com/post/168773381312/dove-cotes-tony-ziva-holiday-au-pup Go check it out, I wrote this fic as a prequel, so the gif set is sort of a follow-up.
Thanks for reading, and for the feedback on all my previous fics, it warms my soul like hot cocoa and marshmallows :)