Author's Notes: Thank you to my reviewers, love you all! I'm happy that y'all liked the family-ness in last chapter! The TIVA-ness will be taking off soon enough, but still got a while to go - there are lots of pre-relationship stuff until then! And you'll see how hooked Tony has become next chapter, though slightly in this one as well.

As I mentioned, I have been going over this story and updating my writing style. Mostly, I add and expand moments or modify dialogue where needed, but ultimately I am not changing much. However, this chapter is an exception. I have altered the name of Nathan's teddy bear from "Toby" to "Koba". Reasons for this will be explained much later on in the story.


Tony helped Ziva carry the shopping and grocery bags inside, even when she'd insisted she was capable of doing it herself, and turned to go back to his car. Gibbs hadn't been very specific about how long Tony was supposed to watch over Ziva and Nathan, but he assumed it was mostly for the first night. He had done that, and now Tony had no reason to stay.

Or so he'd thought.

The moment he opened the driver's door of his car in preparation to leave, a yell from Nathan made him stop and turn around. He was "attacked" by the boy running to him, even leaving his special train behind, to wrap his arms around Tony's middle tightly. Nathan looked up at him with sad eyes, while Ziva approached them.

'Why are you leaving?' The seven-year-old asked.

'I am sure Tony wants to have a shower and sleep in his own home, Nathan.' Ziva said, unaware it was far from what Tony really wanted.

'It that true?' Nathan stared at Tony.

'Yeah.' He lied.

Tony felt it wasn't his place to stay. This was Ziva and Nathan's life, their home, and where they belonged. It wasn't his.

'But...' Nathan sniffed and his lower lip began to tremble. He did not let Tony go. 'We have a shower!' He tried to persuade him. 'You can have our bed.'

'He cannot have our bed.' Ziva frowned, stepping forward to place a hand on her son's shoulder. 'Nathan, you will see Tony again soon.'

'Please don't leave.' Nathan said to Tony, ignoring his mother. 'Please!' The boy begged and buried his tearful face against Tony's shirt.

Never in Tony's life had he ever felt so wanted or needed, and it broke his heart to see Nathan like this. The young boy who wasn't even his son, and had known him for a mere few days, was tearfully begging him not to leave. Tony placed a hand on Nathan's back to comfort him and looked up at Ziva. She only shrugged lightly, her eyes on his as she spoke.

'It is your choice.' She said. Secretly, Ziva hoped Tony would stay, and not just for Nathan's sake.

'Nathan.' Tony crouched in front of the boy so he was eye-level with him. The child released him and wiped his face with his sleeve, looking utterly miserable. 'I will stay.'

Nathan grinned and flung his arms around Tony's neck to hug him, and only stopped when he spoke again. The boy gave Tony his entire attention.

'But...' Tony continued. 'I need to get some clean clothes from my place or your mother will complain that I smell.' He partially joked, which encouraged a smile from Nathan.

'True.' Ziva replied.

'Can I come with you?' Nathan asked. 'I want to make sure you come back.' He shrugged.

Tony looked at Ziva, since it wasn't really his choice. She sighed and shrugged her shoulders again.

'We will take your train upstairs first, then we will go.' Ziva informed Nathan, who ran to get his train. 'I am sorry.' She said to Tony.

'It's no problem.' Tony told her. 'Really, I don't mind.'


Nathan and Ziva waited outside the building, beside the car, while Tony went up to his apartment to pack a bag of clothes.

Afterwards, he drove into town after they'd agreed to his suggestion of getting a pizza and renting some movies to watch. Ziva only allowed because Nathan was excited by the idea, thinking it was almost a "party" of some sort.

Ziva leaned against the corner of a small video store not far from where she lived, watching as Tony and Nathan picked out their movies. She didn't know about movies in the way Tony did, and trusted him to pick appropriate ones for her son, so Ziva really didn't care which ones they got.

As she carefully watched them looking at the covers and comparing their options, Ziva felt a bit strange. This was how she had imagined a family would look like; the sort of family she wanted to have. She heard Nathan's wonderful laughter again, and was surprised it was Tony who made her son laugh more than anyone.

'You have a very nice family.' The woman at the counter said when she looked up to see Ziva watching the boys, who were joking about which movie to get. Tony held up two and was saying something they couldn't quite hear, but Nathan was hysterical with laughter and insisting that he was being silly because his mother wouldn't want to see those movies.

Ziva glanced over her shoulder at the lady and didn't bother to correct the onlooker this time. For the twenty minutes they were in the store, Ziva just wanted to pretend Tony was indeed a part of their family.


Once they returned to Ziva's place, they settled in front of the TV and ate their pizza.

When the first movie ended, Nathan had wandered to the kitchen in search of more food, which caught Ziva's immediate attention.

'What did they feed you?' Ziva risked asking her son, knowing she never had to say "the kidnappers" for everyone to understand who she was referring to.

Tony looked over the counter to hear Nathan's answer as well, as he too was concerned about the boy's well-being.

'Bread rolls and fruit. Stuff like that.' Nathan shrugged and grabbed a packet of chips from the pantry before he settled himself on the couch between Tony and Ziva again.

While Tony and Nathan negotiated on watching a slightly scarier movie that Nathan wanted to see (The Haunted Mansion), Ziva did her best to control her anger towards the people who had barely fed her boy. Her lists of reasons to kill them constantly increased, and she did not like it.

'Is it scary?' Nathan winced, as he wasn't as convinced anymore than he wanted to see the movie he'd picked.

'I honestly don't know.' Tony shrugged. 'Never seen it.'

'I know something that may help.' Ziva rose from the couch and disappeared for a moment. When she returned, Nathan jumped up from the couch and startled Tony.

'You kept him!' Nathan squealed with joy and took the bear from Ziva to hug it tightly.

'You never did name him.' Ziva replied.

The special bear had been the only thing of Nathan's she could hold onto from the day he'd been taken. It was the same one she'd just given to him before he was stolen from her arms. He'd dropped it that day, and she'd kept it in good condition for his return.

'Koba.' Nathan smiled. 'His name is Koba Bear. I thought of it ages ago.' He grinned and went to show Tony his bear, and share the story with him.

Ziva smiled at the boys and moved to seat herself on the couch. She loved Tony even more when she saw how good he was with her son, and Nathan clearly liked him as well.

'This is going to be scary.' Nathan said.

He was anxious and excited, as he hugged his bear close and stared expectantly at the TV screen. He was cuddled next to Ziva, but had to reach and tug Tony's shirt to bring him closer until the boy was snug between them both as the movie started.

Tony was uncomfortable and squirmed, until he could only place his arm draped over Ziva's shoulders as they watched the movie. Ziva felt his movement, but his eyes were fixated on the screen so she knew he was only trying to get comfortable. Even so, she could not help leaning back so her neck was touching his arm.

Nathan hardly moved his head as he glanced at his mother and saw Tony's arm over her shoulders. A small smile crept across his lips as he hugged Koba bear closer.


It was getting rather late by the end of their third movie.

Ziva had taken her shower right after Nathan's bath, and now they were sitting on her bed to wait for Tony, who was finishing his shower.

Tony moved the white towel Ziva had lent him through his hair and yawned. He gathered his things and was about to enter Ziva's room when he paused. The bedroom door was partially open and the pair inside were talking, but it was something in Nathan's tone that made Tony stop to listen.

'Mama?' Nathan asked as he shifted closer to her, where they sat cross-legged on the covers. 'Can...Can Tony be my daddy? My papa?'

Tony was glad they didn't appear to know he was standing just outside the room, because there was no way he'd have been able to react or express the shock he felt to hearing Nathan's words. At the same time, he was honoured that Ziva's son thought so highly of him. Though Nathan's question had startled him, it was Ziva's reply that made Tony feel as though his heart had stopped.

'I would like that, Nathan.' Ziva smiled as she combed her hand through his hair. 'But Tony has his own life, and he is just a friend.' She said sympathetically.

It was also because explaining rule 12 to Nathan would be hard. And she was afraid that while Tony was enjoying the time he spent with them now, such as all weekend, she feared he would soon tire or get bored of them being around all the time.

'It is complicated.' She added to her son.

Tony slowly counted to three, waiting for his mind to straighten out before he casually entered the bedroom. He was in disbelief to notice Ziva seemed to have forgotten they had been waiting on him, or that he'd even been there, when usually she instantly knew when he was eavesdropping. Tony realised that when she was with Nathan, the world around her did not exist. It was the opposite of her Mossad training and general self. It felt as though, for the first time, Tony was finally seeing all of the real Ziva. The one behind her bodily threats and blank expressions; he was seeing the woman behind the warrior.

And it only made him fall in love with her even more.

When Tony walked into the room, Ziva and Nathan climbed under the covers of the bed to wait for him to join them. They hadn't even discussed it, as one look from Nathan at the mention of "bedtime" told the adults he would want Tony with them once again.

Ziva had her gun under her pillow as she always did, but moved it away from Nathan as she felt him cuddle up to her with Koba held under his arm. Nathan then reached over and grabbed Tony's hand to place it onto his chest so it was easier to hold.

Nathan thought for a moment about what his mother had said about her and Tony only being friends, and how it was one of the reasons he could not be his papa. Nathan smiled as lay on his back and reached for his mother's hand to place it over Tony's. Now Nathan's hand was on his own chest, with Tony's over his, and Ziva's over Tony's hand.

'Goodnight.' Nathan said with a smile, closing his eyes while gripping his bear with his free hand.

Tony and Ziva stared at their connected hands and looked at each other, before they turned away and tried to get some sleep. Ziva squeezed her hand slightly and felt Tony shifting closer. Normally he slept right near the edge of the bed to give them their space, but now they were like they'd been on the couch: close and warm.

It only took them minutes to fall asleep, each looking the very picture of a loving family.


Author's Notes: Please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter. I love hearing your comments and it's very motivating.

-Mel