A/N - This chapter was originally meant to be the end of the story, but inspiration struck and I just had to take it forward, cliche'd though the twist maybe! I apologize for the late update, and I make no promises as to the next one, for real life's being a bi*** right now... Ah well... Enjoy! R&R!


CHAPTER 7

"Happy Birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday to you, Lilly!"

Abby's voice rises above the general din, and Tony can't help but grin at her, even as he hugs his one-year old daughter close. She wiggles a bit, leaning over his strong arm toward the cake, watching the bright flames on the candle with big, wide green eyes filled with a childish fascination.

"Blow on the candle sweetheart," he says softly, and she looks up at him with a puzzled look. Ziva's soft hand slips into his own, and he smiles at his wife. They both bend down, and Lilly imitates them, and together they exhale gently, blowing out the small flame.

Lilly's face suddenly crunches up, and he has the sudden urge to chuckle at how utterly adorable she could be. She lets out a loud cry that startles them, and he looks down to see her forest eyes filled with tears.

"Canda!" she screams and waves her chubby little fist toward the plain, unlit wick. "Wight!"

The tears threaten to spill over, and she sniffles loudly. Gibbs, bless his boss, distracts the baby discreetly by clapping his hands and drawing shapes in the air with his arms. Lilly leans toward her grandpa, fascinated, the candle already forgotten, and he heaves a sigh of relief at the potential disaster averted.

"He is so good with her," Ziva observes quietly as their boss plucks Lilly from the younger agent's arms.

"That's because he's Gibbs, Ziva," Abby chirps. "He's awesome at everything."

"I think you will find, Ziva, perhaps, that Lilly is good for him," Ducky's statement made quietly, almost as an aside, but it is no less the truth for it. Jethro lifts her up high into the air, and the toddler squeals, raising her arms and burying her face in his shoulder as he lowers her.

"Cut the cake, Ziver," his azure eyes sparkle at them, and Ziva finds an answering smile spread across her lips. Abby's camera is in her hand, of course, and she raises it as she grabs the knife next to the huge skeleton shaped cake, courtesy of the forensic scientist. Gibbs returns Lilly to Tony, who holds her with one arm, his other hand taking her tiny hand in his, and places their interlocked fingers over his wife's, so that they are all connected.

Ziva accepts the gesture without comment, her heart warmed, and their hands move as one as they bring the knife down through the cake, slicing it.

Tony transfers the child to the other arm as Ziva pulls out the slice of rich, chocolate cake and offers it to her daughter on a paper plate. The girl looks at it suspiciously, and pokes at it experimentally, before picking it up and throwing at her father's face.

Tony is too stunned to say anything, and McGee's snigger turns into full-blown laughter when little Lilly pats her father's cheek happily, smearing chocolate all over him.

"Cho-co-ate!" she cries happily, and the entire room bursts into raucous laughter. Tony's face is comical, and Abby cannot help but snap a picture of him, quickly mailing it to herself so her friend will not be able to delete it which she knows he will try to as he glares at her, huffing.

"Throw cake at me, will you?" he asks his daughter grumpily, who simply claps her hands.

"It is very becoming of you, Tony," Ziva's voice is amused and he turns his glare to her.

"Well you're welcome to take my place any day, Zee-Vah," he replies snappishly, and her smile only widens.

"Don't crib, DiNozzo," Gibbs's grin is wide as the laughing twinkle in his blue eyes. "Your daughter's giving you her birthday gift."

"Yes boss, okay boss," he sighs as Abby takes Lilly and blows a loud raspberry into her tummy. Lilly squeals happily, grabbing a fistful of her dark hair and Abby winces, groaning lightly.

Ziva is so absorbed in watching her best friend and daughter, she does not notice the mischievous glint in her husband's eyes. She does, however, hear his attempt to sneak up behind her (she is not ex-Mossad for nothing, after all), and guessing, correctly, what he means to do, grabs McGee and pulls in front of her, even as Tony throws the cake in the computer geek's face.

"Tony!"

Tim splutters as he wipes the sticky cake from his eyes. Ziva's loud, throaty laughter rings out, and distracted as she is, she is not able to stop Abby from smearing cake all over her.

"High-five, Abbs!" Tony's grins back at his wife's annoyed huff, and ruffles her hair.

"Food fight!" Abby screams and a food fight it turns into, air thick with the fluffy chocolate cake. Gibbs's expression is to die for, Tony thinks, grinning to himself as Abby flings cake at the elder man. Sniper that he is, his throw is still poor as he retaliates, for he uses Lilly as a medium and raises her arm to throw with.

She giggles and throws it haywire, and it hits Ducky instead, who grins, and makes a pretty good shot for an eighty-year old guy as he aims at a surprised Palmer.

It is a while before they are forced to stop, having run out of cake. The game, however, is not over, and the fling-the-cake-at-Tony-because-he-is-so-easy game turns into a game of tag as Jethro sets Lilly down. She runs to her father, grabbing his pants and hiding behind his legs.

"Cach Lil-lea!" she points to herself with a short, stubby finger and the smile that lights up Gibbs's face is so soft, so tender, Tony is forced to blink.

"C'mere you," he grins and reaches toward her. She screams gleefully and abandons her spot behind Tony in favor of her mother's legs.

"Mommy, mommy, mommy!" she cries, raising her hands and Ziva lifts her up, turning away just as Gibbs pounces.

"Aw," he sighs good-naturedly, putting on a show for the kid, who grins happily. She squirms, letting her mother know that she is to be put down, and when she is on the floor, she runs to Ducky, and pulls on his trousers.

"Tag!" she cries and darts away, even as the old medical examiner pursues her with an enthusiasm unmatched.

Abby, never one to be left out, pulls McGee in along with her, and Tony cannot resist grabbing the camera and videotaping the game, before he is ushered into the game as well with another loud cry of 'Tag!' from Lilly. He leaves the camera on the coffee table, however, the tape running, even as he chases after his year old daughter.

Twenty minutes later, Lilly is crying when Palmer catches her and flings her into the air. She beats his chest with her tiny little fists and he frowns, worried, handing her over to Ziva, who soothes her with soft noises and clicking sounds.

"Way to go, Palmer," Tony grumbles and the younger man looks startled.

"I didn't do anything, Tony!" he protests.

"Of course you did not, Mr. Palmer," Ducky assures his student with a gentle pat to the shoulder. "I believe Lillian is simply tired and bringing it to our attention the best way she knows how."

"Oh good," the medical student sighs and bumps Tony's shoulder. The green-eyed man grins at him unabashedly.

"This place is gonna be a bitch to clean up," he whines, flopping on the cake-covered floor with a loud thud.

"No swearing around the kid, DiNozzo," Gibbs's hand sneaks beyond Ziva to headslap his agent and Tony winces.

"Yes boss," he agrees quickly, rubbing the sore spot, and glares at a smirking Ziva as she settles herself next to Jethro, who places Lilly on his lap. She snuggles upto him and falls asleep almost immediately, thrusting her thumb into her mouth.

Abby's ever observant eyes fall on the camera on the coffee table, still running, and she picks it up, pulling out the tape and handing it to McGee, who rolls his eyes.

"Play it, Tim," she orders, and he, sighing, rushes to do as she demands and pushes the tape into the player. The Goth walks into the kitchen and pulls out drinks from the fridge, making McGee carry them for her and whips up a quick batch of popcorn, passing it around the people seated on the floor.

"Here you go, lazy bums," she grins, getting comfortable next to Tony, who wraps an arm around her shoulder. McGee takes the spot on the floor by her feet, leaning against her knees, and Abby's other hand finds its way to stroke Lilly's dark hair, even as she rests her head against Gibbs's shoulder. Palmer is on the floor next to McGee, and Ducky next to him, his back to Ziva's legs.

They are sticky and messy and covered in icing, but it makes no difference as they laugh hysterically at the tape playing over the events of the past hour. It is so good to be together, and so very fulfilling to be here, with each other, this wondrous day marking the anniversary of their little sunshine's birth.

And yet Tony finds himself filled with a tinge of sadness, as he watches the Lilly on tape running away from the Duck-monster. He glances at her sleeping form, and his heart lurches unexpectedly, and the joy is bittersweet. She is so beautiful, so precious and so important to him. He is a simple man, and no grand gestures or big words could describe the feel of his child in his arms, and he wonders how much longer he can hold onto her, before she flies far away.

Melancholy fills him for a second, but is quickly chased away as the tape plays forward. Ziva notices his sudden silence, but chooses not to comment. She suspects she understands what he feels, for she feels it too, and she smiles to herself as her husband returns to reality with a huge grin as he watches McGee get splattered with cake.

She laughs out loud at the image of Palmer's expression when Lillian started crying in his arms, and so engrossed is she, the doorbell startles her enough to jump up.

"I shall get it," she grins at the others, who nod and go back to eating popcorn and turn their attention back to the screen.

She throws the door open, grinning, when the smile freezes on her face, and her entire countenance shifts from joyful to hostile within seconds.

"Father," she murmurs, her long, brown brows drawing together in a displeased scowl. "Abba."

"Hello, Ziva," Eli David's face is expressionless, except perhaps for a glint in his eyes. "I have come to see my granddaughter."