Thanks, as always, for all the reviews, alerts, and favorites! I try to get back to all my reviews personally, but if I miss you, know that you are definitely appreciated.
Ensign Wyatt's death was tragic and violent, but there were no leads or pieces of evidence time-sensitive enough to warrant investigating through the night. Around seven-thirty, Gibbs declared that they were done for the evening and they would jump right back on the case first thing in the morning. And by "first thing in the morning," Gibbs meant an hour earlier than their usual report time. But the team knew to savor what time they could when they were working a big case.
Tony was relieved to see that Annie was not terribly put out about his working late. She was in Abby's office, rocking out to 80's metal with Bert. When she saw him, she bounced out and hurried over to Tony, throwing her arms around him in a hug. Tony was startled at first, but quickly hugged her back.
Annie pulled back enough to look up at his face. "Too much?"
"No, no." Tony squeezed her once more, then tousled her hair. "I like hugs. Ask Abby. She hugs me all the time."
Annie laughed. "I think she hugs everyone."
"I totally do," Abby said. "That's just what the world needs, more hugs."
Though he wouldn't have chosen those exact words, Tony agreed, especially where Annie was concerned. So he hugged her again.
After a late dinner, Tony brought Annie back to his apartment. She had been the one asking the questions this time, about him and his life. Tony had glossed over the less savory parts of his youth, but he'd still been able to tell a few good stories. And then Annie, being a teenage girl, had started prying for information about Tony's relationship with Ziva.
"We're just friends," Tony told her. "Good friends. You know, we're partners. We watch out for each other."
"Partners like Starsky and Hutch or partners like Mulder and Scully?" Annie asked, then frowned. "Actually, that's probably a bad example, because some people think that Starsky and Hutch had something going on."
Tony laughed. Stacey had been a huge Starsky and Hutch fan when he'd known her. "So your mom makes you watch her old show, huh?"
"Actually, I kind of like it," Annie admitted. "But you totally didn't answer my question."
Tony would have loved to have been able to give her a straight answer. If he had one. Lately, it seemed like things were pushing him and Ziva closer together, that their always flirty vibe held more. But when they tried to talk about it, things came up, jokes were cracked, distractions inserted themselves. There were always reasons it wasn't going to work. Rule Twelve. EJ and Ray had been removed from the equation, but now Annie was an additional factor. "We goof around a lot."
"Do you think she's pretty?" Annie asked.
That, Tony could answer. "She's gorgeous. But that doesn't mean I want to get with every pretty girl I see – no matter what McGee might tell you. And he, by the way, has a crazy little crush on a certain lab technician of our acquaintance." If Annie wanted to play matchmaker, there was nothing like diverting her to another target.
"Oh, I know." Annie nodded confidently. "He came into the lab today, and it was so cute, watching him try to check her out when she wasn't looking. I asked Abby about him, and she says they used to go out, but they stopped when he got assigned here. Something about the boss having rules. But she still totally likes him The way she talks about him, I can tell."
"So is there anyone you like?" Tony asked. He supposed it was something he should know, if only so he knew who to threaten if it became necessary. He hadn't asked Annie about anything related to her knowledge of sex. It was important – and by seventeen, she was going to know about the birds and the bees. Tony just wasn't sure he wanted to know how much she knew.
"I'm totally in love with Daniel Radcliffe," Annie said, looking very serious, but then she grinned. "I know, in my dreams, right?"
Tony laughed. "Well, if we're going to bring him into it, then I have a full list of contenders to be your new stepmother."
Annie's smile turned shy. "There is this guy at my school; I have fifth period biology with him. But he probably has a girlfriend. I mean, I've never asked him, but he's totally hot. I'm sure some other girl got to him first."
"What's his name?" Tony asked.
"Caleb Jackson." Annie grabbed at her pocket. "Oh, right. I don't have my phone. We did a lab project together and I took a picture. He's so nice. He didn't try to make me do all the work like a lot of people do on group projects, and he always says hi to me in class."
Well, it wasn't a full background check, but knowing that this Caleb was nice to Annie was a start. It was weird to think that a week ago, Tony would have been trying to decide which designer suit to wear the next day, and now he was in his living room, listening to his teenage daughter talk about a boy she liked. The emotions were still swirling, and Tony knew they would probably be no easier to deal with when he faced Stacey. He was still winging it, but he was doing better than he thought he would.
When Tony realized that if Stacey didn't get rid of Lance, he would fight for custody, he knew things would eventually work themselves out.
Tony had just seen Annie off to bed and was getting ready to crawl into his own when his phone rang. It was Ziva.
Tony was glad to hear from her; he had been worried after she'd gotten sick. He felt a little guilty for not being the one to call her, but he'd gotten busy with Annie. He tried to sound casual as he answered. "Hey."
"Hi." Ziva paused for several long seconds. "I hope it is not too late. I know you have your daughter with you."
"She's in bed." Tony shut the door to his room so the sound wouldn't carry and disturb Annie. "Which is where you should probably be, if you're still feeling like you looked today."
"I am fine," Ziva insisted, a little too quickly. "It is...embarrassing, but that is all."
"I don't think anyone else saw, if it makes you feel any better," Tony said, "but you might want to let Ducky check you out tomorrow."
"It is nothing." Ziva didn't sound as sure as she should have. "It has come and gone for the past week."
"You've been pretty stressed out lately," Tony pointed out. "Have you talked to anyone since the Ray thing?"
Ziva scoffed. "I have survived worse than Ray Cruz, I assure you. And I am not stressed out."
"Sure you are." Tony knew Ziva liked to be the brave soldier whenever possible, but it wasn't good for her. "Breaking up is enough to stress you out. Then add the cases we've had lately, and Valentine's Day coming up, and the commute to work...ergo, you get stressed out. And stressed out people get sick. Unless you're pregnant."
"Do not even joke of such a thing," Ziva snapped, though not angrily. More like anxiously.
"Oh, Zee." Tony sighed. "You think that might be it?"
"The thought has crossed my mind," Ziva admitted, her tone perilously uneven. "Ray and I...the night before the dinner we planned, we..."
Tony spared her having to explain further. "You welcomed him back. Got it. That was, what, four weeks ago now?"
"Almost five," Ziva said.
Enough time for her to have had another period – as much as Tony tried to avoid even thinking of that subject most of the time. She wouldn't have been worried if things were normal in that department. "So it's late enough to take a test."
"I bought one, but I have not used it yet," Ziva told him.
"So what are you waiting for?" Tony asked. "Go, do it. I'll wait."
"But what if it is positive?" Ziva asked. "Then what am I supposed to do?"
"Get used to the idea that your kid's going to have Dumbo ears and bad hair?" Tony joked.
"Tony!" Ziva hissed.
"Sorry." Tony had known that was a dangerous – and terrible – joke, but it let him take the conversation a level deeper. "You're really scared, aren't you?"
"I am not ready to be a mother," Ziva confessed. "Perhaps one day, but definitely not now and definitely not his child."
"One night," Tony reminded her. "I know you were smart enough to use protection."
"Yes," Ziva allowed, "but it is not fool-proof."
Tony had the living proof of that sleeping in his spare room, but that wouldn't calm Ziva. "Listen, Ziva, you've got options if you are, but if you're not, wouldn't you rather sleep easy? You is what you is."
"I know," Ziva admitted. "I am being foolish."
Tony wished he could give her some in-person moral support. "I can't leave Annie by herself, but if you want to come over here so I can hold your hand after you pee on the stick, I'll wait up." He knew Ziva would see past his bluster.
"No, that is all right." Ziva sighed deeply. "I will do it. As you said, maybe I will sleep easier tonight."
Tony waited on the phone while Ziva went to retrieve the pregnancy test and use it. When she came back on the line, he asked, "Well?"
"I have to wait three minutes," Ziva said. "Should I watch it or leave it be?"
Tony guessed she was asking herself the question, but he answered anyway. "If it's positive, it'll probably turn quicker than that. If it's still negative, that's a good sign."
"How do you know these things?" Ziva asked.
"Phys ed major," Tony reminded her.
"Oh, right." Something that sounded like Ziva's stove timer went off in the background. "Let me look." She sounded apprehensive, but calmer than before. Her next words were in Hebrew, but she sounded relieved.
"Negative, huh?" Tony guessed. "Congratulations. No ninja babies for you."
"It is good to know." Tony could hear her mood lighten. "At least that is not the explanation for the queasiness."
"I'm still going with stress." Her initial stress had probably started it, then worrying she might be pregnant pushed it over the top. "I know, you've been through worse, but your life isn't on the line with this one. You don't have adrenaline pushing you to survive. There's just adrenaline with nowhere to go. Talk to Ducky; he may know someone. Or talk to Ducky. Or, hell, talk to me. Gibbs, anyone. Just...talk it out."
Ziva was resistant at first, but slowly, she opened up. As she told Tony of the times she felt Ray didn't care, of the cruel things he said to hurt her when they fought, of how she was worried she might never find someone who appreciated her, Tony wanted to deck the guy. And to think he'd encouraged Ziva to consider marrying that asshole. He was glad Ziva had punched Ray. Her bruised knuckles had healed, but her bruised heart was taking longer.
It was far too late for either of them to be up when the conversation finally wound down. Uncharacteristically, Ziva had done most of the talking.
"Thank you, Tony," Ziva said quietly, just before they hung up so both of them could get some sleep.
"Any time," Tony told her, and he meant it. What else were friends for? And even if there might be more than friendship down deep, it was not the time to worry about that. "Good night, Ziva."
"Good night."
Tony hung up the phone, put it on the charger, then checked on Annie one more time before he got into bed. He fell asleep quickly. Though most days he was up before his alarm, it would not be one of those days.
