Author's Note: Thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews. I am constantly astounded and thankful. To clear something up because it's come up in reviews: when you are counting weeks in relation to pregnancy, it starts from the first day of your last menstrual cycle, NOT the date of conception. So for those who are confused at the math, I promise it's correct (I have a chart and everything!). Ziva was *technically* 8 weeks and 5 days in the last chapter but I had her round-up since, theoretically, she isn't going to know exactly until the doctor tells her the exact number. Unfortunately, the next chapter will probably take a little longer for me to post. I am in court 4 days this week so I'm not going to have a lot of time (and I didn't really have a lot of time for this chapter so I hope there aren't too many mistakes!) to write/post.
Disclaimer: Just because you wish for it doesn't mean you get it. I don't own any characters aside from E.E. and Dr. Mathews.
You take my hand and drag me head first, fearless.
December 5, 2015.
It was early morning and Tony and Ziva had woken not too long ago; Tony going out for firewood and Ziva practicing yoga in the middle of the living room. The early morning light came in through the large window, bathing the room and Ziva in a pale pink light. She squinted against it, closing her eyes as she focused on her breathing. Tony's long-sleeved shirt revealing her long, lean legs and toned abdomen.
Moments later, halfway through her silent mantra, Tony came running back into the cabin, not bothering to shut the door behind him as it banged against the wood wall and startled Ziva who was currently stuck in a scorpion pose.
"Let's go. We've gotta go." His voice and actions hurried.
Ziva lowered herself and watched him for a moment before standing. He was frantically searching the room for something. "What's wrong Tony?"
He paused in his pursuit of the rucksack. "They found us. We have to go."
"What?" Ziva ran to the window, allowing herself to look outside just enough not to be seen. He obviously hadn't seen anyone out there or they would already be out the bedroom window and halfway through the woods by now, foregoing any of the items they had brought. Still, the panicked expression on Tony's face hurtled Ziva into action and she ran across the room and into the bedroom to throw a pair of pants on. She hurried to don her socks and shoes and grabbed her gun from it's place in the nightstand. Ziva paused a moment to make sure she wasn't leaving anything behind before running back out into the living room.
Tony was swiping everything from the pantry into her backpack with one arm so Ziva began gathering items from the bathroom to throw into Tony's rucksack to speed the process up. In five minutes they had effectively packed everything they could readily find into the backpack and rucksack and were sliding into their coats by the front door. Ziva obliged when Tony motioned for her to stay back while he lifted his gun and made sure there was no one on the other side of the door. Once done, Tony grabbed her arm and led them both outside and off of the porch. He gripped her hand tightly as he led her up the hill further into the woods in an obvious effort to camouflage the both of them. They moved quickly, trying not to draw any more attention to themselves as they made their way due South.
Ziva's heart pounded wildly within her chest; a mix of adrenaline and fear. There was a time when she loved the thrill of it all. A time when she lived for moments like this, though, usually, she was the hunter, not the hunted. She felt a twinge of regret for all of the people she terrified and terrorized in her previous life. With Mossad there was no time for feelings or empathy. The orders were specific: acquire the target and assassinate. Feelings were for the weak, the left-behind. But now, a marriage and child later, Ziva was an entirely different person. The hunted was someone's child, father, mother, sibling, friend. The hunted meant everything to someone. She chanced a glance up at Tony. The hunted was someone's soul mate.
Her foot slipped on a rock and she inadvertently tugged on Tony's hand. He turned back, not truly breaking stride, to give her a questioning look as if to ask if she was okay. Ziva nodded at him before looking back down, her attention once again on navigating the slick, tricky terrain.
Five hours later, when they were both exhausted from hiking and too hungry to continue on, they agreed to sit down near an embankment. Ziva pulled two protein bars from her backpack as Tony placed the sleeping bag down on the ground for them to sit. They ate in silence until Ziva's curiosity got the best of her and she turned to Tony.
"Who did you see earlier, Tony?" She looked at the side of his face until he turned toward her.
"It's not who I saw, Ziva, it's what I read." He lifted a moment, pulling something from his back jean pocket before handing it over to her and resuming his consumption of the protein bar.
Ziva took the folded card from his hand and opened it. From the outside it looked to be a wedding card, congratulating 'Chad and Melony' on their wedding. However, on the inside Ziva recognized Gibbs' handwriting below the large printed 'CONGRATULATIONS'.
They are coming for you. Run.
A Ranch Thorns, Join Lost.
Ziva furrowed her eyebrows. "A Ranch Thorns, Join Lost? I know my English is still not the best, but that does not seem to make any sense."
Next to her Tony shook his head. "It's an anagram. We have to figure out the location from it."
Ziva nodded and then a thought dawned on her. "Tony, what if we have already gone the wrong way?"
Tony shrugged. "My own plan was always to go South. To Georgia or Florida or some other heavily populated southern town for the winter. I think Gibbs knew that. I don't think he would send us further North during the winter, it's too dangerous."
Ziva relaxed and re-folded the card, handing it back over for Tony to put it away. "I trust you."
Tony offered her a smile and reached over for her hand. "Good."
A moment of silence and then Ziva spoke again. "So what is the plan now?"
Tony sighed. "Well, we keep heading South, stopping each day when we can't go anymore or until we figure this anagram out."
Ziva contemplated the plan for a beat before nodding. "Okay."
She squeezed his hand and let herself relax; his hand in hers always quashed any anxiety she had felt. For the next ten minutes they stayed that way until it was time to pack up and start running again.
February 14, 2014.
Ziva stood in the middle of the bullpen with Gibbs, Tim, Palmer and Abby at quarter 'til 5 on a Friday afternoon. She had been listening to Tim, Palmer and Abby recant the first case Gibbs and Tim had received since their reinstatement as Agents at the beginning of the week, while Gibbs had sat at his desk listening to them ramble on, grunting occasionally when appropriate in the context of the story. Tony had been down in autopsy for the better part of a half an hour bothering Ducky about Ziva's horrible case of morning sickness and what he could personally do to fix it.
"I was told I could find a Mrs. DiNozzo here?" Five heads simultaneously whipped around to stare at the intruder and then back to the brunette standing near her old desk.
Ziva blushed. "Yes, that is me."
The delivery man stepped forward, brandishing a large bouquet of sunflowers and a clipboard. "Please sign here."
He handed her the clipboard and watched as she signed her name and moved to return the clipboard before he took swapped it with the flowers. Ziva breathed them in deeply and sat them on the desk next to her, pulling the card from the bunch. She could feel the eyes on her as she read it to herself.
'To my wife and mother of my unborn child: Thank you for standing by my side for the last eight years. I hope for many more. Will you be my Valentine? Check yes or no.'
The card had two hand drawn boxes beneath the message which made Ziva giggle despite herself. She grabbed a pen and marked the box labeled 'yes' and turned back toward the gathered agents. "Abby? Will you deliver this to autopsy?"
Abby squealed and nodded, snatching the card out of Ziva's hand as she bee-lined for the elevators. Ziva called after her. "Do not read that!"
Ziva turned back and rolled her eyes at the questioning stares she received from both Tim and Jimmy. "Sometimes I think you two are just as bad as Tony. Remove your minds out of the gutter. It is simply personal."
In contrast to Tony, at least the two of them had the decency to feel bad about their assumptions. Also, neither bothered to correct her English. Tim spoke up. "Sorry, Ziva."
"No bother." Ziva waved off another apology from Jimmy. Out of the corner of her eye she caught Gibbs rolling his eyes.
"Andiamo, bambina!" Ziva whipped her head around at the familiar command.
Tony sauntered up to her side from the elevators. She played along, wondering if he would remember. "Dove?"
He winked at her and she shivered. Of course he remembered. "It's a surprise."
Ziva watched as Tony went and pulled Tim in for a hug, clapping him on the back. "Glad you got your job back, Probie." Tim rolled his eyes but Ziva could see a hint of a smile.
"See you guys later!" Tony called and Ziva said her good-bye's quickly before joining Tony, allowing him to grab her hand and lead them to the elevators.
Despite repeated requests to do so, Tony refused to tell Ziva where they were going until they were in a parking lot, staring at a large, ominous building in front of them.
"What is this, Tony?" Ziva scrunched her nose, staring at the sizable building.
Tony flashed her a grin, pulling her in through the glass doors. "An indoor ice rink!"
"Oh, wow. I have not been ice skating in...a very long time." Ziva looked at Tony. "This was very thoughtful."
He squeezed her hand and pulled her in, kissing the top of her head. "Just because you're knocked up doesn't mean we can't have a great Valentine's Day."
Ziva rolled her eyes at him, pulling away and frowning. Today marked twelve weeks and almost the end of her first trimester. "Am I allowed to ice skate while pregnant? I am unfamiliar with the rules."
Tony handed the guy behind the counter a twenty dollar bill and held out his hand to be stamped then motioned for Ziva to do the same. He waited until they had exited the line and moved over to the ice skate rentals before answering her question. "Ducky said it's fine this early as long as you land on your ass, not your stomach, if you're going to fall."
Ziva eyed him. "I am sure that Ducky did not use the word ass."
They had decided that, while they were waiting to tell everyone else, they would tell Ducky of Ziva's pregnancy as he was much easier to reach than her obstetrician for all of their typical pregnancy questions. He had proved to be a great source of knowledge for them in the last few weeks, helping to dispel many fears and give them tips on various things her doctor was too busy for. That and the fact that Tony was extremely eager to tell someone and Ducky had been a compromise between the two.
Ziva watched as Tony knelt down to lace her ice skates before moving to put his own on. While she was barely showing, it was still uncomfortable to bend completely at the waist to tie shoes or skates. She reached for his hand as they stepped onto the ice. Couples skated past them as they entered the rink. The lights were low and a ballad was blasting from the speakers which was accompanied by a disco ball with only pink and red lights adorning it. Ziva glanced at Tony who seemed much more excited than the room full of teenage boys trying to score with their own dates.
"You did not have to take me here to get in my pants." She whispered to him as they started to glide across the ice.
He turned toward her surprised, then motioned to her stomach. "Obviously not!"
She swatted his arm with her free hand, lightly enough to signal to him that she knew he was joking.
They skated halfway around the rink before he spoke up again. "I didn't bring you here to get into your pants. I just thought you deserved a nice Valentine's Day, that's all."
Ziva's stomach fluttered and her heart pounded. She squeezed his hand tighter. "Thank you, Tony."
Their Valentine's Day ended when Ziva placed a soft kiss to Tony's surprised lips, thanking him for a wonderful day, before they crawled into bed that night. In return he pulled her to him and rubbed her little bump of a stomach as they collectively drifted off to sleep.
A/N #2: Sorry, no answers again but we're going places now! Review, please? It'll make my brutal week in court 100x better to hear from my beautiful readers!
