Disclaimer: Still own nothing. But I DO own a television on which I will be watching the new episode of NCIS on CBS tonight! Super excited! Speaking of new episodes, or relatively new episodes, was anyone else completely disappointed with the lack of Tiva shown in Silent Night? I mean, not even a kiss under the mistletoe? Come on! Okay sorry, happy reading!
A/N: Thanks for all the review kids! I love them! Here is the next part, it is a little longer. I know it kind of seems like the end, but there is still a few more chapters left! Thanks again!
"Gibby! Look!" the little girl whispered. Ziva walked over to the bed, uncertain of what was so shocking, and smiled.
"Hi, I'm-" She was cut off by the very excited little girl.
"I know who you are! You're Ziva! I'm Sophie. My daddy talks about you all the time!" Ziva was getting more confused by the second. Did she know this Sophie? Who was her father, and how did he know her? She looked up to Gibbs with questions in her eyes, but he only returned the glance with his massive grin still plastered on his face. She looked back down at Sophie and was about to ask when Sophie somberly turned to Gibbs and began to speak.
"Gibby? Where is Daddy? I want to see him."
"Daddy is filling out some paperwork to take you home, honey. He will be here in a-" He cut off as Tony entered the room.
"Papa!" Sophie yelled, switching over to Italian with a grin on her face.
"Ciao, bambina." He answered hurrying to the little girl's side.
Well. Ziva David was most certainly not expecting this.
"Vede il, Papa? La sua bella signora!" Confused, Tony turned to see Ziva standing there. Ziva saw a flash of fear go through Tony's eyes before he turned back to the little girl.
"Yes. Listen sweets, the doctors say you must stay here one more night before returning home so they can make sure you are all better." Tony said, keeping up the Italian with Sophie in her native tongue. "But I will be here with you the entire time, I promise."
"Okay, Papa." She replied, giving her father a sweet, sad little smile that melted his heart. He couldn't stand seeing her like this, all broken. He needed to fix her, but he didn't know what to do. They sat in silence for a few moments before Gibbs and little Sophie started talking to each other again. Tony took this chance to sneak a glance at Ziva, who was staring right back; they both looked away instantly. Gibbs saw this and decided to give them time to talk.
"Tony, you're tired. Take Ziva, get some coffee, and bring me back a cup."
"Uh, boss, I don't know about that right now. And besides, the hospital coffee is awful." Tony felt panic. He knew what Gibbs was doing, but he didn't want to talk to Ziva about this right now. He wanted to be with Sophie, no, he needed to be with her. Gibbs sensed this and was about to cave when Sophie spoke up.
"Go, Papa. I want to talk to Gibby. And I'm thirsty, too. Could you get me some apple juice? Please?" Tony couldn't say no to her. He hesitated only a moment before letting go of her hand and getting up.
"Uh, Ziva… After you?" And he followed her out of the door.
As soon as they were safely down the hallway, Gibbs turned to look at Sophie smiling, and smiled right back, giving her an extremely less harsh version of the 'knowing' stare he was famous for. "What?" she said, looking a little guilty, "I could tell something was going on." Gibbs laughed at that.
"You are a very astute five year old, you know that?" Sophie smiled, and resumed talking to him a mile a minute.
Tony and Ziva didn't even look at each other until they had paid for their coffee and had found a table in the cafeteria. A few minutes of silence passed as Ziva sat and waited for Tony to explain. She couldn't believe he had lied to her. Again! She thought that after that whole Jeanne thing he would stop lying to her, but apparently not. Yeah, well you haven't been so honest with him, either. She thought. Still, a child? He had a child he did not tell you about! That is even bigger than having a secret girlfriend! Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard him calling her name. "Ziva! Ziva are you okay?"
"Yes, I am fine, Tony. Just thinking."
"Oh, sorry, well I'll let you return to your thinking if you want-"
"No, Tony, just tell me what you wanted." She said, somewhat annoyed.
"I was just, I was just trying to explain…" He stumbled, obviously very uncomfortable.
"Yes."
"Well… in case you hadn't figured it out by now, that is my daughter." He stopped, waiting for her to say something, but she didn't so he continued rambling. "She's just about six, she's a smart little thing; she speaks three languages. Three! I sure couldn't speak three when I was six. Heck, I could barely speak proper English! I guess I was okay at Italian, but she is much better. Um, she is in first grade, she loves to dance, her favorite movie is The Sound of Music, kind of like you, Zi!" At this point he looked up from the coffee cup he had been staring into and locked eyes with her. "I wanted to tell you Zi, honest I did! I just needed to make sure this would work out before I told you."
"And if it had not have worked out, Tony, would you have ever told me?" She replied in a rather harsh tone.
"Of course I would have… it would just have taken a bit longer. You don't understand how much I love this little girl, Ziva. She is my world. I would do anything for her just to make sure she was safe." Ziva's anger was subsiding more and more each second she looked into his eyes. She knew he was completely sincere about this. She finally broke their stare, looking down at the table before daring to ask the question that had been on her mind since she first found out.
"So who is the mother, Tony? Some woman you had some one day lay with?"
He laughed a little. "I think you mean one night stand, Ziva, and no she isn't. Sophie is my cousin Maria's daughter."
Ziva was simply appalled. "You had sex with your cousin, Tony? Even in Israel we do not do that!" She said in a rushed whisper. Tony couldn't stop laughing for several moments, and took a few minutes regaining his composure. "I am glad you find this so funny, Tony." She said to him sarcastically.
"No, Ziva, oh God no! Ziva, Sophie is my Cousin Maria's daughter. She and her husband died when Sophie was two; Sophie is my second cousin… or something."
"But I thought you said she was your daughter? And she called you 'Papa'?" Ziva was so confused!
"Zi, I'm adopting Sophie. After her parents died I started the process, and since they lived in Italy it is considered a foreign adoption which takes a lot of time. Not to mention I had to completely stop it once before because of the whole Agent Afloat thing. Now I am so close to legally being her father; the paperwork is supposed to be done in two weeks, in time for the New Year. The second it was legalized I was going to tell you. I really have wanted you to meet her; I think you will really like her! She is so much like you in a way, Zi." She smiled a little at his words, and he stopped there, waiting to see if he would get a response. After a few moments of silence he whispered, "I'm sorry Ziva, honest I am." She didn't say anything. She stood up from the table and turned to look at Tony.
"Tony, I think I would like to properly meet this daughter of yours if you do not mind." She sighed. She could not stay angry at him, especially over this. She smiled as she saw a big grin appear on his face.
"Right this way, milady!" He offered his arm and she laughed, but took it and proceeded to the elevator for the fourth floor.
