{ TEN }
A week had passed since the horrific event, and Ziva was barely fitting into her clothes any longer. Avoiding Klaus as much as possible, she was actually quite glad to have ammunition and reason to do so that everyone knew of. However, Hayley and Elijah had yet to speak to her about their concerns, and they were tired of waiting. Traipsing into the parlor, the fatigued Israeli canted her head at the two.
"What did you two need to talk to me about?" She asked them, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"Have a seat, Ziva." Hayley spoke in a kind tone, one that was kinder than usual.
Sitting down in the chair on the other side of the coffee table, she looked to the couple who sat on the couch.
"Hayley and I wish to talk to about something, if you would be willing." Elijah explained, giving her a gentle and genuine smile. "Honestly, Hayley and I are concerned."
"Why?" Ziva questioned as if being concerned was not necessary.
"Ziva, we know." Hayley spoke before pursing her lips in a manner which looked like a smile but really was not.
"Know what… there is nothing to know."
"That is not true," Elijah refuted.
"You're pregnant." The wolf continued.
Her eyes grew wide with her shock. She had no clue how they could possibly know, but realizing who she was talking with, her eyes fell to her lap. A single tear fell from the Jewess' left brown eye.
"Please… you cannot tell anyone." Her voice was barely there, but still audible.
"Ziva… even if no one told anyone, your body tells everyone everything. I am sorry to point this out so harshly, but you're showing. You won't be able to hide this any longer, trust me." Hayley spoke bluntly, crossing her arms.
For a long moment, the pregnant woman said nothing before slowly standing up.
"I cannot do this." She spoke before rushing out of the room.
After leaving, she decided to go back to her bedroom, wanting nothing more than to sleep. It seemed that only when she slept that she could forget about the troublesome toll her real life was taking. However, she would not be sleeping anytime soon, for Klaus was sitting upon her bed, waiting for her to return. Getting up once she entered, he went over to Ziva and kissed her deeply. Slamming the door shut, he thrust her against it before pressing himself firmly against her. So caught up within the kiss, the engrossed brunette did not seem to care about the closeness they had then. And the Original hybrid did not seem to notice how different her body felt. All he cared about then was having her again.
Snapping back into reality, Ziva kept the kiss in motion. Though, as she did so, she blindly reached over for the light switch. If they were going to do this, it was going to be in the dark. Ziva figured he would not be able to see her this way. Suddenly, Klaus' hands began to tug at her shirt, taking it off before the other had the chance to stop him. To keep him from touching her, she pushed him back onto the bed and rushed over to him. Undoing his pants, she grinned down at him before taking them off. Carelessly, she threw them aside before crawling on top of him. Bending over, she tried her hardest to make sure her stomach did not touch Klaus, however it did. And this time, he was not as wrapped up in the passion. He noticed. Sitting up, he reached for the nearby lamp and managed to turn it on. This was the moment Ziva hoped she could avoid for a little while longer. Not daring to look at her sire, she merely watched as his hands went to the roundness of her abdomen, confusion, anger, and an odd happiness filling him all at once.
"What have not told me, Ziva?" He asked her, though he was fairly certain he knew the answer.
In that moment, she could not speak. Her silence led Klaus to force her to look at him, a finger remaining beneath her chin afterwards. He watched as Ziva's bottom lip quivered rapidly. No matter how hard she tried not crying, it failed. Shameful tears began to fall down her face like a waterfall, sobs filling her.
"I am so sorry," She cried. "Please don't kill me."
Her words were difficult to make out through the tears, but he was sure he had heard her correctly. The fact that she thought he would kill her because she was pregnant somewhat sorrowed him. A miniscule part of Klaus hated himself for becoming the type of person that Ziva seemed to see him as. Gently, he cupped her cheeks within his hands, the contact making her cry harder.
"Ziva, I am not going to kill you. I will not harm you. I promise you." He spoke softly, though she did not seem to settle in the slightest.
Pulling her towards himself, Klaus held her to his body closely. Her weeps became louder, more vehement, and even painful sounding. He knew Ziva was hurting in that instant, obviously not planning on him finding out this way. He rocked her gently, shushing her soothingly.
"It's okay, love. It's okay. It's going to be okay. I am not going to hurt you. It's okay." He repeated until she seemed to settle down.
Moving away from Klaus, her shaking hands tried aimlessly to rid her face of her tears. His hands gently captured Ziva's, shaking his head in refusal.
"Do not hide from me, anymore, Ziva. Please." He spoke in a gentler tone that the Israeli felt he was capable of. "May I… May I show you just how much I care about you?"
Close to crying again, she nodded and forced herself to quit. Gently, her sire lied her down on the bed, adjusting the pillows a bit.
"Are you comfortable?" He asked her, to which she nodded. "Good."
Leaning down, he kissed her lips more softly than he ever had before. That raw and aggressive passion which usually came with a kiss between the two had melted into something loving and sensual. It was more than just him needing her. It was him loving her. Slowly, Ziva allowed her arms to drape around Klaus' neck, returning each kiss with one of equal measure. After a while, his lips moved down her frame and at her baby bump, he stopped. Covering it in gentle kisses, he then moved further downward, ridding her of her pants before delving between her legs. His mouth began to pleasure her, moans and inaudible whispers following the act. One of her hands went to the headboard, and the other's fingers wove into the Original's hair.
"Klaus!" She exclaimed vehemently, allowing her head to go back in ecstasy.
After about three hours, Klaus finally moved to lie down beside her, his left arm holding Ziva close, and his right hand rubbing gentle circles on her abdomen. He still could not get over the fact that she was pregnant. Thinking back on the last few months, he realized he probably should have picked up on it a lot sooner. Though, it was far too late to care about that. What he had to worry about was taking care of Ziva.
"How far along are you?" He asked her in a soft whisper.
"I will be five months along on the 9th of March. And Klaus… they are twins." She spoke softly in response, unable to believe it was only a week away. "I am so sorry I did not tell you sooner."
He shook his head. While angry about this, it was petty to hold it against her when he had far greater concerns.
"Love, you must stop apologizing about this." He murmured, kissing her briefly before pulling her even closer, the pair falling asleep shortly thereafter.
The next morning, Ziva awoke with Klaus' body wrapped around her own as best as he could manage to do so. Smiling into his neck, she inhaled his aroma. A low hum left her which caused her sire to stir. For a moment, he thought that maybe all of this was a dream. When he saw Ziva lying there, it became all too apparent that it indeed was not a dream. It was merely a beautiful reality.
"Are you awake?" He asked his lover gently, feeling her nod into the crook of his neck. "Mm, that is good. Are you hungry? Because we just got another shipment of blood bags in, and I want you to get as much nutrients as possible."
"I am starving," Ziva confessed, giggling at how casually her sire spoke of the blood bags.
Rolling over onto her back, she looked to her rounded belly. She swore it had gotten bigger overnight. Klaus was able to get up far quicker than she was, but was more than willing to help her out of bed. Almost waddling over to the closet, she grabbed a shirt that would hug rather than hide her belly and a pair of sweatpants. The Original soon went over to Ziva, crouching down just enough to become level with her baby bump.
"Hello, my littlest wolves." He murmured, wishing that perhaps he could have done this with Hayley. Then again, his relationship with her was far different than the one he had with Ziva. "Did you have a lovely rest, or were you up all night bugging your mother, hmm?"
"Klaus, stop that!" Ziva laughed, unable to help herself.
"Alright, then. But, just for right now… do not think I will not be doing that again, and again…." He warned, putting on his shirt.
Klaus' words began to fade, as did everything around her. At first, the hybrid though this had to do with her having another fainting spell. But, this was proven false the moment she realized this was like nothing she had experienced during fainting spells. Suddenly, Ziva's eyes fluttered open. It was a dream. All of it was not real, merely a manifestation of her mind. She must have gone to bed after her talk with Hayley and Elijah.
Turning over, she sighed as she glanced to the electronic alarm clock. It was already one in the afternoon. It figured that that entire moment with her sire had been a dream. Of course he would not have been so caviler. He would be pissed beyond belief. He would be hateful, and cruel. This is what Ziva assumed all along. To her, it would be foolish to think otherwise.
Getting out of bed, she went to her closet and grabbed an obscenely large hoodie tactlessly. She put it on over her night shirt, leaving on her pajama bottoms. Her bare feet padded against the wooden floors of the compound, wondering if anyone was there. When she discovered she was alone for the first time in months, Ziva smiled to herself. However, her smile faded when there was a knocking emanating from the main door of the compound. The hybrid could not help but to wonder who on Earth would be behind the door. Moving as fast as she humanly could, she went to the door and opened it. Brows furrowed, she thought the woman standing there was none other than Elena Gilbert. The woman standing there did not dress as Katherine Pierce would, but not exactly like the doppelganger she met last year. However, if she had to guess, she believed it to be Elena.
"Oh, Elena; what are you doing here?" Ziva questioned.
"My dear, I am not Elena Gilbert." It was a sentence the woman said often. "I am Tatia Petrova."