What a Sweet Surprise
I hadn't planned on making a follow-up, but then this happened.
November 4, 2018
"Good morning, my little hairy butt." Ziva purred into her husband's ear, rubbing circles over his bare back as she was propped up on one elbow, leaning over her husband of one year.
"Mmmm. Good morning sweetcheeks." Tony turned on his side, leaning up to meet Ziva half way. He pressed his lips firmly to hers and Ziva quickly returned the kiss, opening her mouth and pressing her tongue against his lips to deepen it. What started as their customary good morning kiss quickly turned passionate and Tony pulled his wife on top of him, ready for an encore of last night's activities. When air became a necessity, the couple pulled away reluctantly, looking at each other with heated gazes as they tried to catch their breath. "Happy anniversary Ziva."
"Happy anniversary Tony." There was a light breeze blowing through the open windows and the sun was beating down through the palms, filling their ocean bungalow with warmth.
"Can you believe we've been married for a year Zi? It seems like just yesterday I was asking you to marry me and now were here, in the Bahamas, a week to ourselves." Tony spoke slowly in between kisses placed on his wife's face and neck while rubbing his hands up and down her arms.
Ziva moaned in appreciation of her husband's actions. "It has been a good year, has it not?"
They both thought back to the last year and a half since Tony proposed, followed by their short 6-month engagement, both too impatient to wait any longer than necessary. They had a small outdoor ceremony in DC with Senior, Tali, and their NCIS family in attendance. Ziva looked radiant in her off-white, long-sleeved chiffon gown, matching Tali's who acted as their flower girl. Their two-week-long honeymoon was spent traveling around the world to Israel, Berlin, and Spain, even spending some time in California, making new memories in places once visited by them for a case only. Senior met them in Paris with Tali where they settled into married life seamlessly. They stayed in Paris for 5 more months before deciding they missed their family and wanted to raise Tali in America, wanting to move back to the DC area before Tali would start preschool. After much deliberation, and investigation into the school systems, the parents decided to move to a quaint home in Rockville, Maryland, in early May. Bi-weekly dinners with Senior and their NCIS family quickly became their norm throughout the summer. Ziva began teaching English as a second language classes at the community center and Tony decided to become a basketball coach for the local little league team while Tali began preschool in the fall and started spending her Friday nights with either Senior or Gibbs to give her parents time alone. To surprise his wife, Tony booked them a week-long vacation in the Bahamas to celebrate their one-year anniversary while Tali stayed with her grandfather.
"It certainly has. And I wouldn't trade it for the world."
Ziva rolled off of her husband, snuggling into his side and splaying her hand across his chest and running her fingers through his chest hair while Tony's arm came around her shoulder, clasping her free hand in his. "Neither would I. I am glad we moved back to America. I forgot how much it felt like home."
"Me too. I kinda missed being close to everyone, although I'm glad we kept our flat in Paris so we can go back anytime we want."
"Maybe we could take Tali back for her fifth birthday in a couple months, to celebrate."
"That's true, Paris in May is pretty spectacular." He said dreamily, thinking of walking down the streets of Paris with his little family, Tali taking in the sights with Ziva by his side.
Ziva hummed lightly, tapping Tony's chest. "I was thinking maybe February would be a better time to go."
"But it's cold in Paris in February, plus it won't even be Tali's birthday yet." Tony whined, not yet understanding why Ziva wanted to go that early in the year.
"Yes, but, it is close enough. Plus it may be the last time we can go back for a while."
"Wait, I don't understand. Why wouldn't we be able to go back for a while?"
Ziva just rolled her eyes, tired of dropping hints that her husband obviously wasn't catching on to. She sat up, pulling the sheet against her chest, wanting to see Tony's face when she told him the news. "Tony, I am pregnant."
Tony looked at her in shock, his eyes wide and mouth open. Ziva couldn't keep the smile off of her face as she watched him process the information he was just given. A smile slowly started to spread across his face that rivaled hers. "You're preg, pregnant?"
"Yes. I just found out last week, I believe to be about a month along, although my doctor's appointment next week will confirm. I am positive I am right though, I was with Tali."
"You're pregnant. You're, we're really pregnant?" He looked up at her with such joy on his face that made Ziva wish this was the second time she had gotten to see his reaction. She shut that thought down quickly, knowing it was water under the bridge and instead she just nodded, tears filling her eyes that she tried to keep at bay. The tears spilled over though as Tony reached up to caress her face tenderly, placing a passionate kiss on her lips. He could taste the salt on her lips from the happy tears streaming down her face. When they pulled away, Ziva reached up and rubbed her thumb under his eye, wiping away tears he hadn't known were there. "We're having a baby." Ziva just smiled and nodded, placing her forehead against hers.
"Yes. We're having a baby Tony. And we're doing it together this time."
"Together, I like that. I want to be there for everything Ziva. The appointments, the morning sickness, the cravings, and the most important part, the delivery. I'm not missing anything."
"Good. Because I want you there for everything. Although you may regret saying that later. With Tali I had the weirdest cravings. And I do not know why they call it 'morning sickness' when it does not just happen in the morning! It lasted throughout the entire last 4 months before."
Tony grimaced but squeezed her hand. "I promise Zi, I'll be there for anything you need." Ziva kissed him again, gently this time, before laying back down. Tony's hand reached over to touch her stomach, marveling at the fact that there was a child growing inside of her, the child that they made.
"You know Tony, 10 years ago I never would have believed you if you told me this is where my life would be. I never thought I wanted to be married, let alone be a mother. I guess life just, just has a way of, of showing you what you were made to be. And now I know that this is what I am supposed to be, a wife and a mother, and I would not want to be anything else. I love this life that I have Tony and I am so glad it is you with whom I am sharing it with. I love you."
"I love you too Ziva. And I love you too little one, I can't wait to meet you." Tony leaned down and kissed her belly, imagining what a pregnant Ziva will look like.
"Are you imagining me pregnant?"
"Um, yes?"
"Good."
*Disclaimer: The characters belong to CBS, I just borrowed them.
**Title & last Ziva paragraph inspired by "What I Never Knew I Always Wanted" by Carrie Underwood
***Ending inspired by Tony and Ziva's conversation in "Undercovers"
