Chapter 2
AN: Sorry about it being a few days, I have been busy with Law School stuff.
HUGE THANK YOU TO: RMK1983 who is my beta.
The case involving the dead Marine ended up being a quite simple one to solve. So simple that the team were able to go home at a relatively early hour. Taking advantage of the lack of work Jack is ventures Gibbs's basement, dressed in jeans and an army hoddie, finding Gibbs and Tali building something together. Their project is clearly not a boat, in fact, the boat that Gibbs has been building is off to the side while Gibbs and Tali are working at the workbench.
"So, Tony and Ziva are fighting upstairs," Jack says as she walks down the stairs, "Which is why you and Tali are down here." Jack observes, inspecting the work that is in front of Gibbs and Tali.
"Yep, they're debating what they are going to find out about the twins." Gibbs explains, having heard that, his voice quiet so Jack, and not Tali, could hear while carefully watching the way Tali sands a piece of woods.
"Ah." Jack replies, understanding, as she kisses Gibbs's cheek. "And what are you two doing?" Jack asks curious.
"We're building my bed!" Tali reveals, looking excited.
"Yeah?" Jack asks, looking interested.
"Yeah, and Saba is letting me pick the color we paint it!" Tali explains, her voice full of joy. Her enthusiasm causes Gibbs to smile. The bed is only the first of several things he is planning to make for Tali. His plan is to make her an entire bedroom set followed by all the furniture, and some toys, for the twins.
"I picked Pink!" Tali exclaims.
"Ohh, good choice." Jack says, with complete sincerity.
"Do you want to help?" Tali asks, looking at the women she's become a lot more comfortable with over the last two months.
"Ah yeah!" Jack says, Gibbs hands her some sandpaper, and the three of them get back to work on Tali's bed.
Upstairs Ziva and Tony are in the living room, fighting, but trying to keep their voices quiet so that Tali doesn't hear. Since the day they reunited in Paris the two of them have agreed that they will keep any fighting away from Tali.
"I just don't understand why you wouldn't want to know!" Tony exclaims, clearly frustrated.
"I did not need to find out with Tali. I do not need to know now." Ziva explains, honestly.
"Ziva, isn't it better to be prepared? To know everything?" Tony asks, wanting the women to see, what in his opinion, is sense.
"Why? Would there be any information that would change anything?" Ziva asks curious.
"Of course not!" Tony exclaims.
"Then why do you insist on wanting to know more than the fact that they are healthy?" Ziva asks, but before Tony can answer his phone rings.
"Hello." Tony answers, "Yes, this is. Are you serious?" Tony says, sounding excited and Ziva gives him an interested look, "Yes, thank you, bye." Tony says, before hanging up.
"What is it?" Ziva asks.
"We got it." Tony says, with a grin.
"We got it?" Ziva repeats, wanting to make sure she heard right.
"Yeah Zi, we got the house!" Tony exclaims, sounding thrilled, Ziva walks towards him and they share a kiss. Once they break apart Tony keeps his arm around Ziva, as he puts one of his hands against her stomach. "Zi, soon we're going to be outnumbered by kids, I just want to be as prepared as possible." Tony admits. Part of him, especially after his conversation with McGee, is terrified that two newborns, and a five-year-old, will be too much for him and Ziva to handle.
"Tony, I do not think we can be truly prepared for this." Ziva admits, "But I do know we will manage." Ziva says, and Tony leans down and kisses her.
"We should tell Tali." Tony says, when he and Ziva break apart, "I'm not sure she is going to be happy."
"She does love living with her Saba." Ziva says, with a smile, as she likes how much Tali loves Gibbs, and how much he loves her, and she feels like this time together has been good, good for both of them, "So I think we start with the fact we will be living too doors down."
"Good idea." Tony says, "Never thought I'd be living so close to Gibbs."
"We have been living with him for almost two months." Ziva points out.
"Good point." Tony says, as they head down to the basement.
Tony and Ziva walk into the basement; they both pause as they see Gibbs, Tali, and Jack working on the tiny bed together. It is such a nice sight that Tony and Ziva both pause and watch. Tony also pulls out his phone and takes a picture, causing Ziva to give him a look which says, 'send me a copy' and Tony nods.
"You two just gonna stand there?" Gibbs asks, without looking up from his work, having realized the second Tony and Ziva walked into the basement.
"Of course not." Tony says, as he and Ziva walk over.
"Ima, Abba!" Tali says happily, "Me, Saba, Jack are making my bed!" Tali says excitedly.
"That's great, Tali." Tony tells his daughter, "It's going to look great in your new room." Tony says, causing Tali, Jack and Gibbs to look at him.
"New room?" Tali asks, looking at her father in confusion.
"Tali, do you remember when we went to look at the house down the road from here?" Ziva asks her daughter.
"Yes. It was nice." Tali comments.
"Well, Abba just got a call, the house is ours now. We are going to live there." Ziva explains, as she plays with her daughter's hair.
"But we live with Saba. I like living with Saba." Tali tells her parents.
"I know you do, we do too." Ziva tells her daughter.
"Then we stay, we don't go?" Tali asks, looking excited at the possibility.
"Sweetheart, we have to." Tony tells his daughter, "Saba doesn't mind us staying with him, but we need a house of our own, like in Paris." Tony explains, wanting to explain what is going on in a way Tali will understand.
"The house is right down the road, we will still see Saba a lot." Ziva tells her daughter, and as she does it is clear that Tali is becoming upset.
"Hey Tali." Gibbs says, and Tali looks at her grandfather, "This is good. You'll have space, and your own room, and I'll still be around."
"Promise?" Tali asks.
"Promise." Gibbs assures her, and Tali turns to Jack.
"You too, Jack?" Tali ask.
"Yeah Tali, me too." Jack confirms, smiling at her, and Tali looks between the adults in the room.
"Okay." Tali says, yawning.
"Okay, time for you to go to bed." Ziva tells her daughter.
"Ima…" Tali starts to wine, clearly objecting.
"We're not moving for a little while, you can work on your bed with Saba tomorrow night." Ziva tells her daughter, "Okay?" Ziva asks.
"Okay." Tali confirms,
"Say goodnight to Saba and Jack." Tony tells his daughter.
"Goodnight Saba." Tali says, hugging her grandfather.
"Night Kid." Gibbs says, kissing the top of Tali's head, as they break apart and Tali walks over to Jack.
"Goodnight, Jack." Tali says, hugging her as well.
"Night Tali." Jack says as the two of them break apart, Ziva picks her up and carries her upstairs with Tony, Jack and Gibbs watching them go.
"You don't want them to go." Jack says, once Tony, Ziva and Tali are out of hearing range, "Do you?" Jack asks, as even though she knows the answer she wants Gibbs to confirm it.
"I've liked having them here." Gibbs admits.
"I know." Jack says sympathetically.
"The house is going to be so quiet." Gibbs says sadly. Even though he knows getting a house, having their own home will be, good for Tony, Ziva and Tali he is going to miss the house being full, going to miss having them with him. Jack, not sure what to say, just reaches out and takes Gibbs's hand, gently squeezing it, showing him that she is there for him.
For a little while Jack and Gibbs just sit in comfortable silence together, neither feeling the need to discuss the issue any further.
"You hungry?" Gibbs asks, finally breaking the silence.
"Yeah, I could eat." Jack answers, and Gibbs stands up, pulling Jack with him. With Gibbs' arm around Jack, the two of them head upstairs.
Upstairs, Ziva and Tony take Tali up to the room that was, and always will be, Kelly's , but where Tali has been living the last seven weeks.
"Are you comfortable?" Tony asks his daughter, who nods.
"Story?" Tali asks, looking between her parents.
"What kind of story?" Ziva asks.
"One about you and Abba." Tali requests.
"We've got a lot of those stories Kiddo, anything more specific?" Tony asks, though when he and Ziva do tell Tali those kinds of stories they always edit them a bit.
"Something exciting." Tali requests, causing her parents to look at each other.
"I think we can do that." Tony tells his daughter.
"A few months after Abba and I met we were on a mission…" Ziva says and she, with help from Tony, start to tell their daughter the story of the time they were trapped in a box with a lot of money.
Downstairs, Jack and Gibbs are in the living room cooking stakes in the fireplace, like they have many times before.
"Didn't anyone in this house eat dinner?" Jack asks curious as she and Gibbs are making enough food for four adults, at least.
"Tali." Gibbs answers, "and Ziva had some food too."
"Good." Jack comments, moving closer to Gibbs who puts his arm around her, and kisses her head, as they continue to cook the steaks.
For a little while Jack and Gibbs, cuddled up together, continue to watch the steaks and they don't even move apart when they hear footsteps.
"Something smells good, is there enough for two more?" Tony asks curious. He wants to make a comment about how close Gibbs and Jack are but decides not to as he thinks it is nice to see Gibbs close to someone, in a way he hasn't really seen before. He wouldn't want to ruin that, even if that means he has to keep the witty remarks to himself.
"Already cooking DiNozzo." Gibbs answers.
"Nice!" Tony exclaims, as he and Ziva sit on the couch.
"Tali asleep?" Jack asks curious.
"Yes." Ziva confirms, "Only took one story tonight."
"That's progress." Jack comments, as she knows that Tali has been asking for at least two stories lately, and Ziva nods.
"How long to food?" Tony asks curious.
"Not long." Gibbs answers, "Make yourself useful, there's more food in the kitchen to go with the steaks." Gibbs says, and so Tony gets up and heads into the kitchen.
A little while later Ziva, Jack, Gibbs and Tony all sitting around the table, enjoying their food and each other's company, while listening for signs that Tali inevitably escaped from her bed or anything that indicates she isn't okay.