Underneath the Tree

Because I had to include a chapter in which they tell Tali and Senior:

December 25, 2018

"Ima, Abba, wake up it's Christmas!" Tali exclaimed, rushing into her parents' bedroom at precisely 6:30 am and jumping on the bed between them.

"Good morning motek." Ziva mumbled, still half a sleep and no longer used to waking early. Her daughter, however, took after her old habits. While a normally late sleeper, Tony was just like a kid when it came to waking early on Christmas morning. Knowing her would be awake, Ziva pressed a kiss to her daughter's arm before rolling back over and going back to sleep, still tired from waking from morning sickness an hour before.

"Merry Christmas Tali!" Tony pulled her down into a hug before tickling her. Tali immediately began squealing and kicking. "Shhh tesoro," he whispered, "let's let Ima sleep okay. C'mon, we'll make breakfast okay?"

"Okay Abba." Tali nodded, smiling. Tony picked her up, swinging her off the bed and into the kitchen, sitting her down on the island while he got out ingredients for blueberry pancakes, one of Ziva's latest cravings. "Daddy, can I pour in the blueberries?"

"Of course you can." Tony kissed her forehead. After living in America for over half a year, Tali had started calling him daddy more often, although Ziva was always Ima to her. Tony measured and poured the pancake mix into the bowl and instructed Tali to pour in the blueberries before adding milk (Tali swore milk made them better than water) and stirring the batter together. Tali wanted to help with the stirring as well so he let her take over, standing back a little as he knew she was going to make a mess. After a minute of stirring, Tali started getting tired so Tony took over, finishing getting all of the lumps out. He picked Tali up and carried her back into his and Ziva's bed, placing her next to her mother who she immediately curled up to. Tony went back into the kitchen and finished making breakfast, cleaning Tali's (and his) mess. 30 minutes later, Tony walked into their bedroom carrying a plate full of pancakes, 2 cups of milk, and his much needed coffee. The family ate breakfast in bed and, after finished, were led by Tali into the living room and sat in front of the Christmas tree which was twinkling in the corner. The video camera had already been sat up to catch all of Tali's reactions as she opened each toy and item of clothing. Tony and Ziva exchanged gifts while Tali was distracted with her Moana dress-up set. Once Tali calmed down, Tony and Ziva silently decided that it was the right time to tell her. "Tali baby, come here. Ima and I have one more present for you."

"But there's no more under the tree daddy," Tali looked at him with her head tilted, looking exactly like her mother when she got confused by the English language.

Ziva laughed and pulled a bag out from behind her back. "That is because it is right here." Tali sat down in front of her parents as Ziva sat the bag in front of her. She excitedly pulled out all of the paper and reached down into the bag, pulling out a shirt with print on the front. "Do you know what it says Tali?"

Tali concentrated hard on the shirt, sounding it out in her head before trying it out loud. "Big sister?"

"Do you know what that means Tali?" Tali shook her head at her father, looking to her mother for clarification.

"It means," Ziva started as she looked at Tony and grabbed his hand, "that we are having another baby. You are going to have a little brother or sister."

"Is that like how Victoria has baby Charles?" Tali asked, referencing to Jimmy and Breena's daughter Victoria and their five-month-old son Charles.

"Yes, Victoria is Charles' big sister, just like you will be to this baby." Ziva touched her belly. Tony and Tali both followed her lead, all of them with smiles on their faces.

"Does that mean I get to play with the baby?"

"Well not yet sweetie. First he has to grow in Ima's tummy and will have to get bigger than baby Charles and that will take a long time. But, when he is out of my tummy, you can hold him and help Ima and Abba."

"Okay Ima." Tali easily accepted Ziva's answer and cuddled up to her side for a minute, then jumped up. "Can we go to grandpas now?" Tony and Ziva just laughed, Tony choosing to pick up the wrapping paper and boxes from the living room while Ziva got Tali ready to go to his fathers.

"Merry Christmas my dears!" Senior welcomed them in, giving hugs and kisses all around. He took Tony and Ziva's coats as Tali threw hers off and ran straight to the Christmas tree, placing her grandfather's gift under the tree and sitting down, ready to start opening presents as the adults watched and laughed "Well it sure looks like someone's in a hurry."

"Oh you have no idea."

"Yeah dad, she came and woke us up at 6:30 by bouncing on the bed."

"Hmm, sounds like someone else I know on Christmas morning." Ziva said as she gave a side look to her husband. "Those are the times I know she is her father's child."

"Ha. Ha." Tony stuck his tongue out at Ziva, smirking as she reciprocated.

"Now now Junior, you were just like that as a child. I think the latest you ever let your mother and I sleep on Christmas morning was 6:00 am. You always were excited to open presents. Does she at least let you make breakfast first?" Tony looked sheepish as he responded.

"Well yeah. I guess that's the Ziva in her." He looked at his wife, pulling her into a side hug and kissing the top of her head.

"Of course I never celebrated Christmas until Tali was born, so there was never any reason for me to wake up early on December 25th. And you know how I like my breakfast."

"Ima, Abba, Nonno! Come on. It's time to open presents!"

Tony, Ziva, and Senior filed into the living room and sat around Tali. Senior handed Tali present after present, each of which she opened with surprise and enthusiasm. After Tali had opened all of her presents, she looked at her parents expectantly. At their approval, she grabbed Senior's present she had placed under the tree earlier and run up to him. "Merry Christmas Nonno."

"Ah, thank you sweetie." He said hugging Tali before looking at her parents. "You guys really didn't need to get me anything."

"I know dad but, just open it."

Senior slowly opened the neatly wrapped package, obviously Ziva's handiwork, and pulled out three boxes, numbered in the order he was supposed to open them. The first box held an ornament with a picture of Tony and Ziva on their wedding day. The second was a clear ornament that, inside, held a baby picture and recent picture of Tali. Another clear ornament with a picture on the inside was pulled out of the last box, placed just where he only saw the back of the photo. Expecting it to be a photo of the family of three, he was shocked when he turned it around and saw a sonogram dated one week ago. He looked up at Tony and Ziva, back down at the ornament, and back up at them before he could form words. "Are you serious? You're pregnant? You're having another baby?"

The parents just smiled and nodded. "Merry Christmas Dad."

"Merry Christmas guys, Merry Christmas indeed."

**Title inspired by Kelly Clarkson's "Underneath the Tree"

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