Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS, the agency or the TV show. I also don't own the 1989 movie or 2009 TV show Parenthood which I used in the summary.
"Zia?" Three- year- old Hanah asked as the agent sat on the couch in her and Tony's new house. She looked up from her book and said, "Yes tateleh?"
"Will you tell me a story?" She asked. Ziva motioned for the child to sit by her. She and Tony had bought the house a little over a month ago and both could hardly believe they were married and taking care of a child. Hanah got onto the couch and cuddled next to her guardian.
"What story do you want to hear?" Ziva asked as she put her book on the end table.
"The one about the fairy!" Hanah said happily. Ziva smiled remembering the story Tony had made up on the plane was the girl's favorite story. Sadly, Ziva did not have that story committed to memory yet.
"Do you want to hear a new story?" Ziva asked. Hanah shook her head. Ziva rolled her eyes upward knowing it would be hard to reason with a three- year- old. She smiled at her.
"Are you sure?" Ziva asked the little girl. Hanah looked at Ziva as if she were trying to make up her mind. Finally, the little girl nodded her consent.
"Once upon a time," Ziva started, "there was a prince who was going to get married. Girls and princesses from everywhere came to see if they could marry him. All the girls each had something special they could do-"
"Could they fly?" Hanah asked happily.
"One of them could. What do you think the others could do?" Ziva asked her. Hanah thought hard for a moment, her face fully concentrating on the question she was asked. Suddenly, the child's thoughts were interrupted by someone coming through the door. Ziva looked over the couch to see Tony come in the door. He was bombarded by Hanah who decided to attach herself to Tony's leg.
"Hey Hanah!" Tony replied as he picked the child up and spun her around. Hanah giggled before Tony put her down.
"Hey." Tony said kissing Ziva. She smiled after they parted.
"So, how was your day off?" Tony asked as he followed his wife into their kitchen.
"Interesting." Ziva commented as she took a sauce pan from the cabinet and filled it with water.
"How?" Tony asked as he took the meat that had thawed and put in the pan.
"Well, I had to take Hanah to the doctor with me first of all." Ziva started as she cooked the burger in the sauce pan.
"Okay." Tony responded not sure where she was going with their conversation. He pulled out a bot to boil water in as Ziva started to go on with her conversation.
"Zia!" Hanah yelled as the two adults were talking. She noticed they were not paying attention. "Zia!" She called again. Ziva looked down at the little girl as she handed the packet of spaghetti noodles to Tony.
"Tateleh, it is not nice to interrupt when people are talking." She told Hanah. Hanah looked down at her shoes.
"Sorry." Hanah said apologetically.
"Apologizing is a sign of weakness." Ziva heard Tony mutter. She looked up at him and lightly hit him on the leg.
"What was that for?" Tony asked as he turned away from the stove.
"She is three Tony." Ziva told him as she stood up. She turned back to Hanah.
"What did you want to say tateleh?" Ziva asked Hanah who was staring at the two agents like they were crazy.
"I drew you a picture!" Hanah said reverting back to her earlier, energetic state. The child ran out of the room and brought the piece of paper back. Tony and Ziva stared at Hanah's picture.
"Is this a princess?" Ziva asked as she tried to make sense of what the child coloured.
"Uh huh!" The child nodded. "It's one of de pwincesses in the stowy! She can control de wedew!"
"She can control the weather?" Tony asked looking at Ziva wondering what story she told the little girl.
"Rumpelstiltskin." Ziva told him. He nodded pretending he understood what was going on.
"Is dinnew weddy yet?" Hanah asked noticing the pot behind Ziva was boiling.
"No tateleh," Ziva said turning around to see the pot boiling just in time to turn the burner down and stir the noodles.
"Will you play wid me?" Hanah asked Tony.
"Sure kid." Tony told the little girl who took the agent by the hand and led him away from the kitchen. Ziva smiled at the girl's antics before going back to cooking dinner.
"Do you know Rumplestiskin?" Hanah asked Tony as he coloured with her.
"I do." Tony said as he picked up another crayon. He wondered where the child was going with the question.
"Will you tell me the rest?" She asked. The agent looked at his ward's face. He was unable to tell her, "No."
"Where did Ziva stop?" Tony asked the little girl. Hanah smiled at him and proceeded to tell him, in great detail, what Ziva told her. Before Tony could start where his wife left off, Ziva called them both to eat.
"I miss Savta Nettie." Hanah told Ziva as they ate. Tony and Ziva looked at each other.
"You know she had to go back home." Ziva said sweetly as she took another bite of her food.
"Why?" Hanah asked.
"Remember, she told you she had to go back to her house." Ziva said. "She missed it." The agents held their breathe hoping the child would take the answer even Aunt Nettie had given the child.
"She said she'd come visit remember?" Tony asked Hanah. The child's face lit up.
"When?" She asked happily. Tony and Ziva smiled, happy the little girl accepted the answer she had been given.
"Do you want to call her?" Ziva asked the little girl, knowing it was hard to be away from family for a long time.
"Now?" Hanah asked. The agent's laughed.
"After dinner." Tony told the little girl. "Eat your food please." He said. Hanah nodded eager to call her grandmother. A couple hours later, Ziva came into her and Tony's room.
"Did Hanah like talking to your Aunt Nettie?" Tony asked once his wife got under the covers.
"Ken." Ziva replied as she buried herself in the blankets. "She is in bed now." Ziva said after a few minutes.
"Good." Tony said. "Did she ask you to finish Rumpelstiltskin?" He asked her. Ziva smiled a little.
"Yes, and I did. She was a little scared when she found out Rumpelstiltskin was going to take the queen's baby." Ziva said.
"I would too." Tony replied. "Especially if he were my father." Ziva looked over at her husband after he said that.
"Tony-" Ziva started but was cut off.
"What did the doctor say?" Tony asked.
"He said that I am about five weeks." Ziva replied kissing his cheek.
"So, we, I mean, you, are?" He questioned.
"Yes." Ziva said. "But I do not want to tell anyone for at least another month."
"Agreed." Tony responded. Ziva smiled at him again before giving him another kiss.
"We are going to be parents." Ziva told him. He smiled back at her before they both drifted off to sleep.
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