Tony walked into the house, he walked over to the couch where Ziva was laying, Izzy on her lap. They both had their eyes closed.
He smiled for the first time that afternoon. He walked over and placed a kiss on Izzy's forehead and then one on Ziva's lips.
Ziva moved a little and the movement woke up Izzy. The little girl opened her eyes and smiled when she saw Tony's face.
"Buongiorno" Izzy smiled sitting up. (Good Morning)
Tony smiled and picked the girl up and placed her on his hip. "Buon pommeriggio, piccolo"
(Good Afternoon, Little one)
Izzy smiled and placed her head on his chest as he carried her into the kitchen to see her mother.
"Mamma!" Izzy smiled brightly at the sight of her mother.
"Come sta il mio bambino facendo?" Jess smiled brightly at her daughter, placing a sloppy kiss on Izzy's cheek. (How is my baby doing?)
"Mi addormento! Poi Ony mi ha svegliato e Eva dorme ancora quindi dobbiamo stare zitti." Izzy smiled sleepily. (I fall asleep! Then Ony woke me up and Eva is still sleeping so we have to be quiet.)
"Avete fame?" Jess smiled tickling Izzy's stomach. Izzy turned into Tony, trying to get away from her mother. (Are you hungry?)
"Io sono!" Tony smiled. (I am!)
"Not you!" Jess smiled finally speeking in english.
"A little." Izzy smiled.
Jess nodded and went into the refridgerator and pulled out a plate that was already made for her.
"Here," Jess said to Tony, "Can you cut this up for her?"
"Cutting up pizza is a crime." Tony said carring the plate of Pizza over to the table.
"Oh, Shut up Tony." Jess said. "You know she has a gag reflex if she swallows anything to big!"
"I know," Tony said placing Izzy down on the booth and then grabbing a knife and fork and went over to the table to cut the pizza.
Once Tony was finished, Izzy pciked up the pieces with her hands and started eating. Tony got out a hand sanitizer from the top drawer and stopped Izzy.
"Hey," Tony smiled sitting next to her, "Give me your hands."
Izzy held out her hands and Tony placed a tiny drop of sanitizer on them and rubbed it in for her.
"Okay, you can eat now." Tony said stealing a piece of the pizza.
"Hey! That was MINE!" Izzy whined.
"That was MINE!" Tony mocked back.
"MAMMA!" Izzy yelled.
"Tony, stop antaganizing her!" Jess said.
Izzy smiled brightly as her uncle got in trouble.
"Hey, she is smiling, she is trying to get me in trouble." Tony said.
"No I am NOT!" Izzy smiled while her mother's back was turned to her.
"Izzy, eat. Tony, leave her alone." Jess said. "I thought you were supposed to be the adult."
"But she... and then you... GRRRR." Tony said walking out of the kitchena nd to the living room where Ziva was sleeping.
He walked over to her, she was awake and her eyes were open.
"Hey," She smiled.
"Good afternoon, beautiful." Tony smiled placing a kiss on her nose.
"Where is the little muskmouse?" Ziva asked.
"Muskmouse? Oh.. you mean Muskrat." Tony laughed. "She is eating in the kitchen. Would you like to join her?"
"Yes, please. I am starving." Ziva smiled. Tony nodded and lifted her up.
"Wait, could you put we down, I wanna try and walk." Ziva said.
Tony nodded and placed her down without placing her feet on the ground.
"All the way." She laughed.
Tony placed her feet on the ground but didnt let go of his grip on her waist.
"Let go Tony." Ziva said trying to take a step.
"No." Tony said. He kept hold of her waist as he walked in front of her, he held her close to him and she tried to step forward. She moved her foot a little and it was more of a shuffle, but it was a start.
"I did it!" She smiled looking up at Tony.
"Yes, you did." He smiled leaning down and placing a kiss on her lips.
"I can walk...ish" Ziva smiled brightly.
"I am so proud of you." Tony said hoisting her up bridal style and walking into the kitchen.
Tony placed her down on the booth, across from Izzy, who had pizza all over her face and hands.
"Is that good?" Ziva asked the messy girl.
Izzy nodded and continued eating.
Ziva laughed.
"What do you want Ziva? We have, hmm... we have pizza, spagetti, umm..."
"Pizza is fine, Izzy seems to be enjoying it." Ziva smiled.
"Pizza it is!" Tony smiled grabbing out the plate with the rest of the pizza and creating a plate for himself and Ziva. "Cold or hot?"
"Cold is perfectly fine." Ziva smiled.
Tony nodded and brought over both plates. He sat down next to Izzy, and grabbed a napkin, wiping off the pizza sauce from her face.
"You are one messy child." Tony laughed looking at her shirt, which was covered in red sauce.
"Stop!" Izzy whined pushing his hands away from her.
"Leave her alone Tony." Ziva said. "She should just be allowed to eat."
Izzy smiled as Tony listened to Ziva.
"She is so spoiled." Tony mumbled sticking the pizza in his mouth.
Ziva laughed and continued to eat lunch. Jess, finally stopped cooking and sat down for lunch with them.
Lauren came in about twenty minutes later, and found Tony had moved over to sit next to Ziva and Jess was sitting with Izzy, standing beside her, leaning into her mother's shoulder. Izzy was short for her age, so when she stood, she was only up to her mother's shoulder.
"Hello Lauren." Ziva said noticing the shadow at the door.
"Hi, how did you notice me?" Lauren asked walking into the kitchen
"Well," Tony smiled placing his arm around Ziva's shoulders. "She is a ninja."
"What?"
"Ziva, she used to be an assassin, she notices everything. Nothing can ever get passed her." Tony smiled.
"Tony," Ziva said.
"ZIVA! You have got to be kidding me, you are the most self confident person I know and you don't want to tell people that you are this amazing kick as- butt assassin." Tony said catching himself on his words.
"Shut up Tony." Ziva said placing her hand over his mouth. "We are done with this conversation."
"Alright." Tony said noticing how agitated she was getting. He placed a kiss on the side of her head.
"So Ziva, where do you work?" Lauren asked sitting on the bar stool.
"I work with Tony. We are partners at NCIS." She said.
"Interesting, a girl working in the field." Lauren said.
"What? You don't think a girl can work in the field?" Jess said.
"I never said that." Lauren said. "I just, think it is interesting that a NCIS, previous, assassin, could get beaten by an amateur."
"Lauren." Tony said in a warning tone.
"No, it is very interesting. Please, tell me how it happened? Did he charm you? He made you feel special?" Lauren asked.
"LAUREN." Tony said louder.
"Did you go to him? Admit it, you wanted him and then you decided that he wasn't enough so you came back to Tony?" Lauren asked.
"LAUREN!" Tony yelled standing up and walking over to her.
"What, you know that it is true." Lauren said to Tony, placing her hands on his forearms. "She is just using you, she liked the violence, she has been through it all her life. I bet it even turns her on."
"THAT IS ENOUGH!" Ziva yelled loudly. "Jess, could you please take Izzy into the other room, I have some things I would like to say."
Jess followed Ziva's orders and picked up Izzy and carried her into the living room.
Ziva slid to the end of her seat and placed her feet on the ground. She slowly stood up, holding onto the table. Tony ran to her side, but Ziva put her hand up and slowly, moved closer to Lauren.
Once she was standing right in front of Lauren, Ziva sat down in one of the chairs.
"Tony, could you please give us a moment." Ziva said.
"Ziva,"
"That was not a question, Tony." Ziva said not taking her eyes off of Lauren.
Tony quietly walked out of the kitchen, but stayed right on the other side of the door.
"It seems we need to have a talk." Ziva said placing her hands down on the counter. "What is your problem with me? Why do you hate me? I didn't do anything to you."
"You are not right or Tony. He needs a gentler woman, someone who doesn't handle knives and guns for a living." Lauren snapped.
"Oh," Ziva laughed. "And you fit that profile?"
"I am perfect for him. I am not risking my life every day, I do not get into fights with other men. I am not hard to handle and I know exactly how to please him." Lauren said, giving the last sentence with a smile.
Ziva laughed. She laughed so hard that tears started to form in her eyes. "Lauren, you do not realize what you have done." She said getting serious. "You ruined Tony's life. Well, not anymore, but back before, he was totally, ruined. He didn't trust anyone. You turned him into a monster, and do you know how long it took him to let his guard down after your ripped apart his hear?"
Lauren didn't answer.
"DO YOU?" Ziva said loudly. "Do you realize what he gave up for you? He was willing to marry you. I know he will never say this to you, but I am not him and I can say whatever I want to you. You are his biggest regret. If he could go back, he would have stopped dating you, you are the reason he would die for a man who was trying to get home to his wife. YOU are the reason that Tony would give up everything in the world to save someone he loves."
"I am what is best for him. NOT YOU!"
"Lauren, I am telling you the truth. He does not love you. He LOVED you. Past Tense, not future." Ziva said.
"I can make him love me." Lauren said.
"HE WILL NEVER LOVE YOU!" Ziva screamed! "You broke him! YOU destroyed every trace of the old Tony DiNozzo! You destroyed the man I never got to know. I only know the man who his so careful with his heart. I have no idea who this boy is that freely talks about things? You got your chance, but you ruined it! There are no second chances in life, and if someone is lucky enough to get one, then you better use it damn wisely."
"What would you know about second chances?"
"I am a second chance. My whole existence. Everything I am is because I got a second chance at life. I am taking full advantage of that chance now and I am going to make it work." Ziva yelled. "Tony saved me, he gave me a second chance, and there will be a cold day in hell when I ever let anything happen to him. I owe him my life, and I am not going to let you walk in and ruin everything. I am going to make him happy, and I will love him, I will never cheat on him, with his own brother. I will do everything he asks of me and more because I am reminded that every day I open my eyes, it is because I got a SECOND CHANCE. Because he gave me a second chance."
Lauren starred at Ziva. She could not form words.
"Lauren, I think you should really question why you came here." Ziva said. "If it had anything to do with getting back together with Tony, then I suggest you pack your bags, because he is taken, and I have no intention of giving him back."
Lauren let out a low growl and stormed out of the kitchen, when she reached the hallway she saw Tony, standing there. She looked at him, begging him to follow her instead of going back into the room with Ziva. Tony shook his head and turned into the kitchen.
Ziva sat at the counter as a tear fell down her cheek. She didn't know why she was crying, but she was.
"Ziva?" Tony said walking into the kitchen.
Ziva turned and looked at him with glassy eyes. She tried to blink them away but another one slipped past her defenses and rolled down her cheek.
Tony didn't say anything. He quickly walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her.
"How much of that did you hear?" Ziva asked resting her head on his chest.
"Uh…."
"It is okay," Ziva said pulling him closer to him. "None of it was a secret, I had hoped you knew everything."
"You do not owe me anything." Tony said, whispering in her ear.
"Tony, you saved me. YOU. You deserve everything you want, you deserve to be happy and I will make sure I pay you back somehow." Ziva said.
"I just want a promise." Tony said.
"I promise." Ziva said.
"I didn't even tell you the promise yet." Tony chuckled.
"Okay, fine, tell me." Ziva said.
"Promise me, that, you will wake up every day by my side. Promise me that I don't have to go a day without kissing you, or holding you. Promise me that you are mine, forever." Tony said.
"I do." Ziva smiled.
Tony leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. The kiss was full of passion, lust, love, regrets, every emotion they had every felt towards each other.
"Does this mean there is going to be a wedding?" Jess asked poking her head through the door.
