Chapter 6

"He's mine?" Tony gasped as his eyes went wide. "All this time."

"Tony." Ziva tried to interrupt.

"No!" Tony roared as he set Theo on the ground.

"A year, Ziva! The first year of his life, the only year of his life, you stole that from me!" Tony said. "A year of my real life! A year of our marriage!"

"Tony." Ziva said trying to calm him down.

"No, no. You don't get to talk." Tony hissed pointing his finger at her. "You didn't tell me. How could you not tell me? You just let me fall in love with both of you all over again."

"What?" Ziva whispered as she looked at Tony and Theo tugged at her pants. She gave him a smile and settled him on her hip.

"Oh please, don't act like you didn't know." Tony said. "Since I woke up. There's been this feeling in my chest, this ache. I wanted to be around you all the time. At first I was just trying to figure you out, find out where you fit. And Theo, I loved being around him and the way he looked at me."

"I'm sorry." Ziva said softly.

"I lied about having dates because I didn't want to freak you out because I thought you were still grieving your husband. I've had all these feelings and haven't known why or what to do with them. You should've told me, Ziva." Tony glared. "The night I went to your room, when Theo was born. God damnit, you should've told me I was holding my son for the first time."

"What would you have done if I did, Tony?" Ziva asked.

"I don't know." Tony said shaking his head. "Why did you let me fall in love with you? If you didn't want me to know I was your husband, Teddy's father." Tony asked then caught himself. "Theo's father."

"I like when you call him Teddy." Ziva said as she locked eyes with Tony.

"Do you know why I call him that?" Tony asked tentatively and Ziva nodded. "Is that why you named him Theodore?"

"No, you chose Theodore early in my pregnancy and I liked it and agreed." Ziva said. "I did not know why until I heard you on the baby monitor."

"But my father didn't take him from me this time, you did." Tony sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. "Why don't I remember this?"

"Because you took a bullet for me and cracked your skull open!" Ziva answered. "Can I explain myself now?"

"You can try." Tony said. "Can we move this to the futon back there please?"

"Sure." Ziva said and followed Tony. "I'm sorry, Theo." Ziva whispered against his ear.

"Go ahead." Tony said as he sat on the couch and held his arms out for his son. Ziva handed him over and sat next to Tony on the couch.

"We are what you called star crossed lovers, one of your movie terms I suppose." She started as she kept her eyes on the back on her son's head. "And you woke up and had absolutely no clue about who I was."

"I know, I was there." Tony said stroking Theo's neck trying to soothe him to sleep.

"I came to the conclusion, by myself, that this happened so you could do the last couple years of your life over." Ziva said and Tony shook his head in disapproval. "That you were given a second chance, to do things right."

"Look where I ended up." Tony laughed. "In love with my wife and son. Some do over."

"You do not have to stay. That was the whole point of this!" Ziva cried. "You are not supposed to feel obligated to be with us."

"Obligated? Ziva if I didn't think you were grieving for your husband I would have been over your place every night spending time with you and Theo. I wouldn't have spent nearly as much time fighting wanting to throw you on the bed and having my way with you." Tony said as Theo finally settled into a sleep. "Then I would move you back into my house, our house?"

"Yes, we bought it because of the schools and big backyard."

"Do you have any idea how lonely that house is?" Tony swallowed as he rested his head on the back of the futon and stared at her with watery green eyes.

"Yes, I spent a month in it alone. Scared to death because I did not know if you were ever going to wake up." Ziva responded happy to see his eyes soften.

"Has he said Dada before?" Tony asked softly.

"No." Ziva smiled. "But I refer to you as Daddy when I talk to him about you."

"So it's not a surprise at all." Tony laughed as he nuzzled his son's hair.

"Oh, yes it is." Ziva smiled. "That you could just walk into the room and he called for you, it is very sweet and surprising."

"Remember when I said I wanted to talk to you when I gave him his present?" Tony asked.

"Yes."

"This is what I wanted to talk about." Tony sighed. "Seeing if maybe you wanted to try a relationship with me, if you were ready."

"And when I said I wanted to talk. I was planning to tell you we were married and shared a child." Ziva admitted and Tony gave her a weak smile as Theo stirred on his father's chest.

"Guess Theo took care of that for us." Tony laughed as he pulled the blanket from the back on the futon and wrapped it around his sleeping son. "I almost cheated on you."

"No, not really." Ziva said. "I love you, Tony. I wanted you to be happy and I thought not telling you was the best way to make that happen. I did not want you find out you were a husband and father and freak out and ruin what could have been your life by forcing yourself to stay and hating it."

"I can understand it, but I don't like it." Tony said. "But why not tell me when I kept coming over, when I became your babysitter so you and Abby could go out and you could take a break."

"I did not want to ruin what was happening." Ziva shrugged. "The way you talked to Theo, just talked to him about things you could not feel you could talk to any one else about."

"You talked to Ducky didn't you." Tony laughed and Ziva nodded. "I don't know what else there is to say."

"Me neither." Ziva sighed.

"I'm gonna go put him down in his play pen so he can sleep." Tony said as he stood from the futon.

"Tony." Ziva said also standing. "The ring?"

"What about it?" Tony asked glancing at his left hand.

"Are you going to keep it?" She asked her nerves returning to her voice.

"Of course." Tony laughed. "I'm married aren't I?"

"Technically." Ziva said.

"I love you, Ziva." Tony said stepping closer to her. "I may not know everything about you, but I've learned a lot over the year. I know how kissing is, even though it's been a long time."

"It has." Ziva smirked.

"But we can work the rest of this out." Tony said. "I'll try and get over the fact everyone has been lying to me this past year, eventually."

"I'm sorry, Tony, but it's not their fault. It was my decision." Ziva said as she played with his hand.

"Okay." Tony said and kissed her softly. "I just need time to process."

"I can give you that." Ziva nodded with a smile.

"Are you going to move back into the house now?" Tony asked with a little smirk.

"If that's what you want." Ziva teased. "Can I just try one thing?"

"Sure."

"Good." Ziva said as she moved around her son and kissed Tony softly. He groaned and immediately opened his mouth so his tongue could duel with hers.

"Good?" Tony grinned as Theo woke and pushed his parent's apart.

"Sorry Theo." Ziva whispered as she kissed her son's hair and let it linger as she looked at Tony. "I still have a couple months left on my lease."

"You think we should date until your lease is up?" Tony joked and Ziva nodded. "What? Why?"

"I want you to be absolutely sure, Tony." Ziva said seriously. "Marriage is not easy. Living together is not easy. Parenting is not easy."

"Fine, we'll do it your way until your lease is up." Tony said slightly frustrated. "But after that you'll move back in with Theo?"

"If that's what you want and it's what's best for all three of us." Ziva nodded with a smile and let him kiss her again before their son pushed them apart again.

A/N: So I don't like how this turned out, I'll probably do an epilogue.