"Bronwyn, is Alison up yet?"
Bronwyn checked her watch and replied, "Mhm. One moment."
Ziva had brought along Abby to Bronwyn's house, and upon introducing them to each other, she was delighted to see them hit it off immediately, especially when her friends discovered that they both participated in local bowling leagues. She also decided that since Bronwyn got on so well with first Tony and now Abby, that introducing the all of the Llewellyns to her friends was now in order.
As Bronwyn left, Ziva turned to Abby to say something, only to see that she was looking lost in her own world about something and even fiddling with a chain around her neck. Ziva found that last part odd because Abby normally wore a spiked collar or necklace, depending on the style of her outfit, but never both. She also couldn't see what was on the other end of the chain because the rest of it was hidden down the front of Abby's dress.
"Ima!"
A tiny but excited voice brought Ziva back to reality, and she looked around to see that Ella Brave had wandered in.
"Come here!" Ziva beckoned to her. "I missed you!"
Ella Brave loved cuddles from Ziva, so she ran to her and snuggled close for a minute when she picked her up before pulling away and tilting her head to the side, curious.
"Why sad eyes now?"
Ziva kissed Ella Brave's forehead and nuzzled noses with her—holding her at that moment, instead of as opposed to earlier, when she'd dropped her off, was different because the little girl was her daughter now.
"No sad eyes, dear little friend—I am just very happy to see you."
Ella Brave breathed a sigh of relief. "Is Ladybug happy?"
Ladybug promptly kick Ziva in the spleen, but even still, Ziva gave Ella Brave a reassuring answer. "Your sister is very happy right now. Would you like to know who else needs a hug?"
Ella Brave nodded seriously. "Yes!"
"Abby needs a hug today." Ziva turned towards her friend and guided Ella Brave's attention to her. "Will you give her a hug, please?"
Ella Brave lit up when she saw Abby, and leaned towards her, wanting to be held. Once again, Abby felt her heart both flutter and break as she thought of the secret she'd been sitting on.
But nevertheless, she was happy to hold Ella Brave.
"Hi, cutie pie!" Abby cooed. "I'm so happy to see you!"
"Me, too!" Ella Brave gave Abby a peck on the cheek. "You!"
Ziva happily watched the two as Abby engaged Ella Brave in a conversation. She didn't know what was going on in Abby's head, but she had a feeling that this was exactly what she needed.
"Ziva?"
Bronwyn had returned and was depositing Alison Joy into her arms.
"Here you go—one happy, wide-awake, and freshly changed baby girl. She'll be wanting her bottle soon, though."
"Well," Ziva chirped. "We will soon attend to that because we are about to go on a shopping trip that food and such things will be a part of."
"Ima!" Ella Brave called from Abby's arms. "We are going shopping?"
"Yes, we are, and Abby is going to come with us! How about you show her how you get ready to leave Nanny Bronwyn's house?"
Thrilled to have such an important task, Ella Brave occupied herself with it while Ziva and Bronwyn got Alison Joy completely ready to leave.
"We caught Miles' killer today, Bronwyn." Ziva told her friend.
"Who was it?"
"Liam."
Bronwyn shook her head and made the sign of the cross. "What a shame. Do I want to know?"
"It was petty, so it does not matter. What does is that we are packing up his place for him tomorrow and having a full Marine funeral on Sunday. Will you and your family help?"
"Of course—we'll help you however need it. Who is 'we,' though?"
"My team." Ziva explained as they put Alison Joy in her jacket and boots. "You have already met Tony and Abby, but it is about time that you have met the rest of them because…"
Her words trailed off as she felt a thrill of joy in her stomach at the thought of what she was going to say next.
"Because what?" Bronwyn prompted. "If you want me to keep it secret, I will."
Ziva had learned awhile ago that Bronwyn was a vault, so she proceeded to tell her what had happened earlier.
Overjoyed for her friend, Bronwyn gave Ziva's hand an affectionate squeeze. "I am so happy for you! If you were not in the picture, and this had happened, Mabli and I would have taken the girls in a heartbeat," (Mabli was Bronwyn's wife) "But they are going to be so very happy with you!"
Ziva smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Bronwyn. That means a lot."
Bronwyn winked. "You're quite welcome, and you are a great mother."
Their conversation came to an end when they heard, "Ima?"
Ella Brave and Abby had returned, and the little one was waddling beside her buddy, decked out in a parka, hat, mittens, and boots. She was waddling because everything she was wearing limited the full range of her movement.
"Me am ready! What 'bout Porc'pine?"
"She is also ready to go." Ziva said as Bronwyn helped her up and handed Alison Joy back to her. "Will you take Abby's hand? She will help you to the car."
Ella Brave jumped up and down, excited. "Let's go!"
In the spirit of good friendship, Abby picked up the tab for the girls' clothes and even fed Alison Joy her bottle while Ziva and Ella Brave tried on different dresses to wear to the funeral. Two stores and a trip to the food court later, Alison Joy had Abby so wrapped around her little finger that she would go to nobody but the goth. Ziva still wondered what was going on in Abby's head, so as they sat together and watched Ella Brave burn off her energy at the indoor playground, she decided to just start the conversation.
"Abigail Autumn Rose Scuito," Ziva began. "What is going on with you today? I know that you are a very affectionate with children because that is your way, but never have I seen you as affectionate with children as you are with mine."
Deciding not to ask how Ziva had even discovered her full name, Abby countered with a question of her own. "Does that bother you?"
"No, because Ella and Alison are needing all of the love that they can get right now, but I am concerned with you because you are also wearing a necklace in addition to your collar, and even though I saw you a few times today at work, you always hid the chain in your shirt before I could see what it was. You have also been fiddling with it."
Abby sighed and removed the chain, handing it to Ziva. "I got engaged last night!"
The ring was a vintage diamond engagement ring that was very beautiful and winked and shimmered in the overhead light. It also wasn't too far outside of Abby's wheelhouse of taste.
Ziva handed the ring back after a moment of examination. "Abby this is wonderful! Who proposed?"
Abby put the chain back around her neck and beamed. "You're looking at the future Abigail Autumn Rose McGee!"
"I have been wondering for ages when he was going to ask! Did you say yes to Tim?"
"Oh, absolutely—he's my soulmate and there is nobody besides him I want to be with for the rest of my life."
"But…?"
"Five minutes after that, I got a call from my doctor that I'd been waiting on for all day because I went to see her before work."
"What did she tell you, Abby?"
"I'm… thirteen weeks pregnant."
Ziva's wanted to hug Abby, but she she kept from it when she saw that even though she was happy, her expression was a little sad yet.
"Is this a good thing?" Ziva asked cautiously.
Abby gave Alison Joy an extra cuddle as she nodded. "Yes, because I'm older than I look, Ziva, and I thought I'd missed chance for a husband and kids altogether. The doctor also told me that I'm having twins."
"I am so pleased for you and Tim because you are like a sister to me and he has always been as good as a brother to me, but why am I sensing that there is a caveat?"
"Because there is—I've known for years that I carry a gene that could cause one or both of the babies to be born deaf."
"Oh, Abby…"
"I lucked out by learning how to sign when I was little because I have some deaf relatives and I've been prepping for this my entire adult life, just in case, and Tim is preparing, too, but we saw them this morning on the screen before work…"
"And that made it all feel more real, yes?"
"Yes, but I'm also scared."
"I cannot say that I blame you." Ziva admitted, thinking of her newfound relationship with Tony and the promise he'd made to her. "I will not begin to know what it is like to have a child who is different or one day could be, but I would still do as you and Tim are, and prepare for the possibility of one or two deaf children. I am sure you two already have more than enough love to give them."
Abby smiled and glided her hand over her petite bump, more apparent now that Ziva was are of it. "We're hopelessly in love with our kids, don't get me wrong, but of all the challenges I've ever faced alone or together with someone I care about, this is the biggest one ever."
"You speak sign language, yes?"
"I'm bilingual, and it's my second language."
Ziva had ten languages in her arsenal, making her a hyper-polyglot—a fact that she was immensely proud of. "It is my second language, as well. Does Tim know sign language?"
"Only English and French. I'll have to teach him."
"And anything you forget, I shall teach him."
Abby suddenly felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "Thank you, Ziva! That's really nice of y—what's that noise?"
A light smacking sound could be heard in the din, and Ziva nodded to Alison Joy. The baby was making a pucker face and smacking her lips, much like a fish, and was reaching for Abby's hand. Abby gave Alison Joy her hand and turned goo when her little fingers curled rightly around hers and continue to smack her lips.
"She is blowing you kisses, Abby." Ziva told her.
"Aww." Abby propped Alison Joy up in the crook of her arm, simultaneously speaking and signing the next words to her. "I love you."
Alison Joy perked up, cast her teething toy aside and signed back.
Abby looked over at Ziva in surprise. "Alison signs?"
Ziva nodded proudly. "Just the basic things, but yes—I have been teaching her."
Abby returned her gaze to the baby and began fussing over her, promising her that she'd help teach her sign language, too. Alison Joy made happy noises, in love with all of the attention from her new friend.
Ziva watched the two of them interact, and as she did, she saw all of the fear that Abby had previously been harboring wash away, only to be replaced by love.
Abby was going to be a wonderful mother.
As Tony knocked on Ziva's door later that night, he had a duffle bag of his things to keep at her place (because she had invited him to bring his things at the last minute), along with a bag of yet more food because he'd been serious earlier about making her something to eat… and she seemed to really like his cooking, even telling him that Ladybug did, too.
Ziva called out that the door was open, and when Tony entered, he heard a sound that he'd been expecting at some point: Alison Joy was crying, and whatever was bothering her, she was extremely upset. Unfortunately, Ziva couldn't figure out what it was.
Tony saw the distress and quickly put his things away (and his gun in the safe by the door) and relieved Ziva of the squalling infant.
Just like magic, Alison Joy stopped crying and began yawning and rubbing her eyes, exhausted.
Ziva threw up her hands, exasperated. "Of course she stills when abba-leh comes home! We have been back from our night with Abby for nearly an hour, and she was crying for the last thirty minutes because she wanted you and not me!"
"Are you okay?" Tony asked carefully.
Ziva got to her feet and sighed, smiling quickly because she never had the willpower to stay dour when Tony was visiting. "I am fine because I love when you come home to us, and I am particularly thankful to have a grown-up to talk to because I thought I was going to lose my marbles."
"How is Ladybug?"
"Needing a proper name so I know how to call her when she is being obnoxious."
Tony winced. "She isn't a fan of Alison crying, huh?"
"Correct, and she has been kicking me for nearly twenty straight minutes, taking it out on my spleen."
"And where is Ella?"
"There." Ziva pointed. "She has been making like an ostrich."
Tony followed Ziva's direction to see Ella Brave crouching at the other end of the couch, her little rear in the air and her head hidden amongst a pile of pillows.
"Has she done a handstand yet?" Tony asked in amusement.
"Surprisingly, no. Will you remind her about breathing while I go change? I am still wearing what I wore to work."
"Take your time, Z. I'll take care of them."
Ziva kissed Tony on the cheek in thanks and headed in the direction of her bedroom, although she doubled back and hid just out of sight to see Tony still holding Alison Joy in one arm while playfully dangling Ella Brave upside down as he struck up a conversation with her about getting ready for bed.
Ziva couldn't wait for scenes like this every night.
When she returned, wearing comfortable clothes, she was very surprised to find Alison Joy asleep in her bassinet on the floor at the end of the couch, and Ella Brave nowhere in sight, presumably in her bed.
"They both fell asleep?" Ziva asked in amazement as she sat with her beau. "I was gone for fifteen minutes!"
"It looks like your little night to wherever with Abby wore the kids right out. Is the baby still kicking?"
"Yes, but finally not my spleen."
"You said earlier that you wanted to talk to me about something important—maybe we should focus on that take your mind off the kicking?" Tony suggested.
Ziva gave a nod of agreement, but went at it like a freight train. "A few years ago, I was almost engaged."
Tony had a record scratch moment because he hadn't been expecting her to say anything like that. "R-really? What was his name?"
"Ibrahim Yosef, and our engagement was being arranged by my father and his. He just wanted into my family for the money and power."
"You're wealthy?"
Ziva blushed. "In Israel, yes. Here, I believe the term is well off."
"Gotcha. You saw through Ibrahim's plan and called it quits?"
"Much to the dismay of Ibrahim, his father, and my father, I broke things off altogether. I was nearly nineteen."
"Wow. I'm glad you got out of it."
"As am I."
Tony tugged on Ziva's hand, pulling her towards him so that she was on his lap, straddling him—they both seemed to like that position when having a one-on-one.
"Ziva, why are you telling me this?"
"Because when was talking with the director and the judge, we discussed a few different ways for me to become an American citizen so it will be easier for me to adopt the girls for good and stay here so I can become an NCIS agent."
"You want to be a full NCIS agent?"
"Mhm. What do you think?"
"That all of that working out would be an amazing opportunity."
"Speaking of amazing opportunities, my dear," Ziva slipped Tony's hands under her shirt so he could feel the baby move. "The best way for me to become a citizen is to marry one."
The pieces fell into places in Tony's head. "You mean… you and me?"
Ziva nodded and proceeded to tell Tony everything that had been explained to her earlier, including her time frame.
"I love you very, very much already, Tony, and I already do not want to imagine my life without you, even though we have not yet known each other for even two years." She told him. "I know that with me kissing you at work today as I did shows that, but I just had to say it."
"I understand because I fell for you very quickly after you first arrived, and I can't imagine my life without you or the kids now. I want nothing more than this to be an every day thing… for the rest of our lives."
"You are saying that you would marry me, and not just to help me?"
"You're the absolute love of my life, Ziva David. I want to marry you, and I will ask you when the time is right, but how about we go on a few dates first?"
Ziva could hardly believe what she was hearing because she hadn't expected things to go so well, but she nodded. "That sounds perfect."
"Would you like me to hold you?" Tony asked when he noticed that his partner was physically trembling because of all of the emotion she was feeling. "You look like you could use a hug."
"Thank you, Tony, and I really could use a hug."
Ziva immediately changed positions in Tony's lap so that she was leaning against him. She snuggled close and relaxed when Tony found a blanket and cast it over them. Before long, Ziva felt Tony's wam hands against her bare skin again as the baby moved around, getting comfortable.
The couple sat quietly together, listening to the beginnings of a rainfall outside as they took joy in the fact that even though nothing had been officiated, they were going to be spending the rest of their lives together.
That was Heaven for both of them.
