Sorry for the week-late post; I lost track of time. But not to fear, this week you get two updates! One today and one on Wednesday! Then it's back to once a week on Monday.
Thank you all for reading, the favorites, and the alerts. Thank you especially to LunaZola, Ncisfan, and VioletHawk for the lovely reviews! Enjoy the story and please take a moment to review, they are always appreciated.
"What's this about?" Gibbs asked once Tony flicked the emergency switch. The blue light cast the elevator in an eerie glow. Under the light Gibbs could see how nervous his agent was, the slight sweating, the eyes darting back and forth, the nervous bounce in his step as he paced.
"Ziva—and myself," Tony answered. Gibbs raised his eyebrows and he plunged forward. "She's pregnant, Boss. Two months," the words tumbled off his lips. Gibbs nodded and took a sip of coffee. He wasn't an idiot; he saw the glances between his two agents, the way DiNozzo would jump up every time Ziva moved, the utter care he started lavishing upon her once she returned from sick leave. "Aren't you going to say anything?" Tony asked after a moment.
"You still with her?" he asked. Tony nodded. "You going to stay with her?"
"Of course," Tony replied without hesitation. Gibbs took another sip of coffee and turned his head to the side for a second, studying his senior agent. The fact Tony was telling him was a step in maturity, the fact Tony wasn't running away the minute things became dicey was a huge leap towards adulthood.
"You're going to take care of this child?" he questioned one last time.
"With everything I have. I love both of them," Tony said immediately with a slight fierceness to his voice. Gibbs just nodded.
"Are you expecting a punishment?" Gibbs asked. Tony nodded. "For what?"
"For not being careful, for falling in love with my co-worker, for breaking rule twelve," Tony ticked off the list on his fingers. Gibbs smirked and took a step forward.
"One, you're an adult. Two, you can't help who you fall in love with. Three," Gibbs reached around a slapped Tony's head slightly harder than he ever had before. "You shouldn't have broken a rule. I'll give you that one. Scared, DiNozzo?" he asked conversationally after taking two steps back and another sip of his coffee.
"I'm going to be a father. It's a great responsibility," he said softly. "I don't want to screw it up." Gibbs smiled and clapped him on the back.
"You're going to screw up," Gibbs told him. "You're going to make mistakes. The only difference between you and your father is you have the guts to go back fighting. Never give up."
"I want to marry her, Boss," Tony said. It wasn't a question; it was a statement. Gibbs raised his eyebrows and looked at his agent. "I already asked and she said yes." He couldn't help the smile from creeping to his face. Gibbs smirked and nodded.
"Of course you did," he said softly. They reminded him so much of himself and Jenny at their age. He sometimes wondered what would have happened if Jenny had gotten pregnant, she was the only one he ever considered being with after Shannon. He pushed the past to the back of his mind as he looked once more at Tony.
"We need to keep Eli off our trail for about three months," Tony continued, "until we can get the license signed."
"Three months?" Gibbs asked. He knew the process wasn't that long. Tony shifted and pulled a card out of his pocket. It had a time and date across the top and it looked well worn.
"What's this?" Gibbs asked, flipping the card in his hand.
"It's my hearing," Tony explained, "to see the Rabbinical Court. I'm going to be Jewish," he said with a smile. Gibbs nodded silently and handed back the card. Tony tucked it back in his pocket.
"How long?" Gibbs asked. Tony looked at him confused. "It takes a while for the entire process. How long have you been pursuing this?" he asked again.
"A little over two years," Tony admitted. Gibbs did the quick math and stared at his agent.
"You started doing this around the time I went to Mexico," Gibbs concluded and Tony nodded.
"Just afterwards," he said. "We started spending more time together and I thought if I converted—" Tony started.
"She might want you?" Gibbs finished and Tony nodded.
"It became more than that though," he said struggling with the wording. "At first I was going just to be with her, but then I started going on my own. I found something, something good, so I talked with the Rabbi and began the process."
"Does she know?" Gibbs asked, cocking his head to the side. A smile crept to Tony's face as he smiled.
"Yeah, she says by the time of my hearing I'll know more about the faith than she does," he joked, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck. Tony dropped his head and sighed; Gibbs waited, knowing a thought was forming in his Senior Field Agent's mind that he was struggling to communicate. Tony took a breath, raised his head with a serious expression, and looked his mentor in the eye. "I'm not marrying her out of obligation or because this new faith says this baby is my responsibility. I love them and I want to marry Ziva and have this child because they mean the world to me. Yeah, I'm scared out of my mind but I know that if she's with me; everything will be alright," he said in an even tone but the fire in his eyes blazed with unspoken emotions. Gibbs could only nod.
"Damn, DiNozzo, you really are growing up," Gibb said, clapping Tony on the shoulder, and Tony smiled, losing some of the stress that had over taken him in the past month.
"The hearing is in three weeks and I'll know within another week what the verdict is," Tony informed Gibbs who only nodded.
"I'll see what I can do," Gibbs said. "I'll talk with the Director."
"Couldn't ask for anything else," Tony grinned. Gibbs flipped the switch and the elevator came back to life, shedding white, florescent light everywhere. "Wedding's about seven weeks after the hearing," Tony said.
"Yeah, DiNozzo?" Gibbs said, looking at him. Tony shrugged his shoulders.
"Thought you might want to come," Tony said off-handedly with a smile. The door dinged and just before they opened, Tony opened his mouth again. "Presents are expected, Boss," he managed to say before dashing between the opening doors. Gibbs smiled and watched as Tony flew to the squad room.
"I'm sure they are," Gibbs said with a smile to no one in particular as he exited the elevator.
XXX
Tony sat in the waiting area, looking at the opposite wall as he tried to work out what he was planning to say. As a recent convert, he didn't know how well his asking the Rabbi to marry Ziva would be taken; especially since they wanted the wedding in less than two months. He leaned his head against the wall and touched the ultrasound picture that resided in his pocket. He still couldn't believe that she was pregnant, that a life was growing inside of her. He pulled out the picture and traced the outline of the tiny baby, smiling and imagining the day he would be able to hold his child in his arms.
"Tony, congratulations on your conversion," Rabbi Rav Shmuel interrupted his thoughts. Tony put the picture back in his breast pocket, stood, and warmly shook his Rabbi's hand. Shmuel motioned to his office and Tony followed.
"Thank you very much," Tony replied, "and thank you for all your help. If it wasn't for your guidance and suggestions I would probably be the only man to be rejected all three times," he joked lightly and Shmuel laughed.
"They knew your heart, Tony, and your intention. The Lord rejoiced the day you made your decision and on the day of your mikveh, as did we all," Shmuel smiled. "Now, I know you're not here to talk about the Court's decision. What can I help you with?" he asked, taking off his glasses and setting them aside.
"I have a request and I'm not sure how well this is going to be taken," Tony forewarned and Shmuel nodded. "You know I love Ziva very much; I want to know how to marry her." Shmuel leaned back in his chair and studied Tony for a moment.
"May I ask why?" Shmuel questioned, intertwining his fingers across his stomach. Tony reached into his breast pocket and pulled out the ultrasound photo, placing it on the desk between them. Shmuel sat up and looked at the photo, his eyebrows raised.
"She's pregnant," Tony replied. He couldn't fight the smile that appeared as he thought of their doctor's visit where they heard the baby's heartbeat. "She's a little over 3 months."
"Congratulations," the Rabbi offered and Tony nodded his head in thanks. "Are you marrying her because she's pregnant and the law dictates you should?" he inquired but Tony shook his head.
"I'm marrying her because I love her. I proposed to her because I love her. I also love this baby and will do everything in my power to bring this child up right. I want to do this because I love them," Tony answered, looking Shmuel in the eye. Shmuel studied him for a moment before leaning back.
"When would you want the wedding?" he asked.
"In two months?" Tony phrased it as a question. "If her father finds out she's pregnant he'd call her back. I can't let that happen," he quickly explained.
"I will want to do some pre-marriage counseling but I don't see why that can't work," Shmuel replied. Tony looked at him in disbelief. "You thought I would say no?" he smiled and Tony grinned sheepishly.
"I thought it would be more difficult than that," he admitted and Shmuel shook his head with a laugh.
"I have known Ziva for over three years and you a little over two years. I have seen you two together, personally and professionally. It would give me no greater joy than to marry the two of you. I do require pre-marriage counseling but that shouldn't be too difficult. We can schedule the first session for sometime this week. I like to wait a week between sessions; it gives the couple the time to sit and talk about what happened during the session," Shmuel replied, pulling out his schedule book and opening it. "There's a class starting up on Sunday nights: a series of four classes that are for couples getting married which is also a requirement. There is another class on Wednesday afternoons if you can't make it on Sunday."
"Wait; there are classes and these sessions, that's it? That's all we have to do?" Tony asked and Shmuel nodded. Tony blew out a sigh of relief and smiled. "We'll do it," he said and Shmuel smiled. He made an appointment for Thursday night and left feeling lighter; he couldn't wait to get home—home to Ziva. He climbed into the car and debated calling her but settled on surprising her when he arrived home. He pulled the photo out of his pocket again and gazed at it, the smile growing as he thought about his child. It still felt like a dream, one he didn't want to wake up from. A half hour later, Tony unlocked the door and the smell of dinner greeted him. He placed his keys in the basket, kicked his shoes off next to the table, and threw his coat over the couch before walking into the kitchen. Ziva turned and smiled from the stove where she stirred something.
"How did it go?" she asked nervously, taking the spoon out of the pan and stepping away from the stove. Tony walked over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders, massaging them before pulling her into a hug. She melted into him and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"We have to go through a few pre-marital counseling sessions and four classes but that's it. He said two months shouldn't be a problem," he answered. He kissed the top of her head before pulling away a little to look at her. Her smile was infectious and soon he had one too. He bent down and caught her in a gentle kiss, caressing her cheek and tangling his hand in her hair. Ziva closed her eyes and moaned in delight as she moved her arms to wrap them around his neck and he backed her against the counter.
"Two months?" she pulled back a fraction of an inch and whispered against his lips. She could feel him smile and she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his again. Tony broke the kiss before wrapping his arms around her waist, picking her up, and spinning her gently in a circle. He set her down before getting to his knees, his face in front of her stomach. Ziva ran her fingers through his hair, lightly massaging his scalp, while Tony splayed his hands across her abdomen.
"Hey baby," he cooed softly, stroking her stomach through her shirt. "It's your daddy. I love you very much; you and your mommy. I love her so much, we're getting married. How does that sound, baby?" he asked. A gentle kick to his hand made Tony turn his gaze to Ziva.
"I think the baby agrees," she murmured, placing her hands over his. Tony stood and captured her in a quick kiss, until her stomach rumbled in hunger.
"I think someone is hungry," he replied and she nodded. He let her go to take care of whatever was on the stove while he went to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of sparkling grape juice. He had bought it a while ago and figured this was the perfect moment to celebrate. He carefully poured two glasses of the drink while Ziva made up two plates of fettuccini alfredo—his favorite next to pizza.
"This looks amazing," he commented as they sat. He took Ziva's hands in his, intertwining their fingers, inwardly smiling at the feel of her engagement ring against his finger, and said a prayer before they began to eat.
"It was quick and simple. It has been a long day," she replied. Tony gently squeezed her hand and gave her a smile. They ate dinner, talking about the wedding and plans for the nursery and work. Later that night, after Ziva curled into his arms and drifted to sleep, Tony moved one hand to her abdomen where their tiny child lived. He gently stroked the smooth skin under his worn-out BPD workout shirt, praying for his child, his future wife, and their future life together until he fell into a peaceful sleep.
Thank you for reading and have a wonderful day!
