"Hey Ziva." He said in a soft tone.
"Hi." She replied, her voice hoarse.
"So, this is where you work, huh?" He asked, looking around the office.
"Yes." She answered, crossing her arms over her mid-section, trying her best to hide the bump that already started to form.
"How are you holding up?" He asked, stepping a couple feet closer to her.
She had this overwhelming urge to step farther away from him. She didn't want him getting too close, in fear that he might see it. She definitely didn't want him knowing about this. Tony noticed her hair was a mess and her eyes were filled with unshed tears. He saw how hard she had tried to hold them back and he wished he could just wrap his arms around her and hug her. He watched as her arms tried their best to keep something concealed. When she put her arms down he saw that she had put on some weight. He was glad. She looked a bit healthier now that she was back at home.
"I am fine, Tony." She lied.
She was far from fine and Margery wanted to intervene but all she could do was sit on the sidelines and watch as they lied to each other. At least while she lied to him. Tony walked up to her, unable to resist the urge to any longer. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and hugged her.
"I miss you." He whispered in her ear. "When you're ready to talk you know where to find me." He told her.
When Tony pulled away she nodded and wiped a tear away. She watched as Tony walked away and said nothing. Margery came up to Ziva and looked at her as if she were crazy.
"Are you insane?" She asked.
"What are you talking about?" She asked, wiping away another tear away.
"He was right there, willing to listen to you, and you didn't tell him!"
"He has NOTHING to do with this!" She said, raising her voice.
"But he wants to." She argued.
"Why? Why would he want anything to do with me? He is not the father!"
"No. Your rapist is, Ziva. You're letting him win again by pushing away the ones that love you most. How is blocking Tony out going to help you?" She asked, waiting for her answer.
"I do not know." She said; a saddened look on her face.
"Exactly. You need as much support as you can get and let's just say I do not quite fit that bill."
"You mean, you think he should father these children as if they were his?" She asked in disbelief.
"He may be willing to help." She offered.
"Not when he finds out who did this!" Ziva refuted. "He will never be able to love me. NO ONE will be able to love me after what happened."
Margery was stunned silent and she couldn't speak. She had nothing to say. Both women went back to their desks when Ziva's phone rang. It was Director Vance.
"Director?" Ziva asked, obviously stunned.
"Yes, David. Now, I am aware that you have another job."
"That is correct."
"Well, Ziva, if you want to come back here that would be up to you but I will not force you to choose. But, if you do come back we need to talk about…it."
She knew what he meant by it. She didn't want to talk about the pregnancy. She was still ashamed of it.
"Okay." She said in a shaky voice.
"Ziva, you can come in now. Look, you aren't in any trouble, Ziva. We just need to talk about it and assess the situation. Is that okay?"
"Yes." She said, sounding as though she might cry.
She couldn't help it. Vance listened over the phone as Ziva cried.
"Ziva, shhh. Hey, where are you?"
"I am at Dawson law firm in Georgetown. Why?"
"I will be right there to come and get you. Hell, I'll invite you to dinner. Jackie and I could both talk to you."
She only cried harder, indicating to Vance that she didn't want this.
"Ziva, come on. Let us help you. Look, you need to talk to someone about this and Jackie and I are willing to listen."
Later that evening Jackie, Leon, and Ziva were sitting at the dinner table but Ziva was not eating. Jackie grew concerned.
"Ziva, eat. Do you not like it?"
"I am not all that hungry, is all." She said.
Her voice made her sound as though she might start to cry and this worried Jackie. Jackie reached towards Ziva's hand but Ziva cowered away from her and curled up into a ball on the chair. She had brought up on leg as best as she could and just stared at the food in front of her. Jackie grew concerned and pulled Vance aside.
"Leon, what's wrong with her?"
"She has PTSD and she's…"
He paused and took a deep breath.
"She's pregnant by a terrorist who had raped her several times while she was held hostage." He informed her.
She cupped a hand over her mouth and looked over at Ziva. She watched as her shoulders shuttered. She was crying. Jackie shook her head and listened as her silent crying became audible. Ziva stood up and tried running to the front door but Jackie stopped her.
"Ziva, hey, hey, stop. Stop this." She said in a soothing voice. "Running from this isn't going to work, it won't help."
Ziva couldn't help but sob even more and Jackie hugged Ziva.
"Shhh." She hushed repeatedly as she somehow managed to get her to the couch.
She sat her down and held onto her as she cried. Her sobs were relentless and depressing too. Jackie grew scared for her.
"Ziva, please, stop crying." Jackie pleaded, lifting her up. "Talk to me."
She looked at Ziva, analyzing her entire frame. Her tank top looked almost too small for her. It was sad the situation she was forced into.
"I am pregnant by a terrorist. What else is there to talk about?" She asked.
Jackie could only let out a sigh. She didn't know what to say. Little did the rest of the team know was that they were in for a big surprise the next day.
