Serious fluff alert. Like, seriously.
Ziva was just about to dry the last of the dishes when she heard the front door open. She knew who it was, even before the sound of her daughter shrieking out 'Daddy' echoed through the house, but the sound of the greeting made her smile nonetheless. She bent down to put the plate away, grunting slightly as the seven-month old baby bump made the task harder than usual. She absent-mindedly rubbed it in a soothing motion as she stood back up and left the kitchen. After a whole day of toddler duty, her weariness was starting to get the better of her, so she was even more grateful of her husband's arrival. He was always very good at helping to keep Lilia occupied.
''How's my little munchkin?''
Tony sounded tired, and maybe even a little bit down, but the giggles suggested he had still got his hands on the toddler. ''Good!'' Lilia replied giddily.
Ziva rounded the corner to see father and daughter sharing an almost identical toothy grin. It only took one look at Tony's face for her to notice the bruises on his jaw and around his left eye socket. Her initial concern was suppressed, though, when she realised the child in his arms still hadn't noticed. Not yet, anyway. One look at Ziva—one shared gaze—was all Tony needed to tell her that it was nothing too serious.
Tony gave the little girl a quick kiss on the cheek. ''You been good for your mom?''
She seemed to be aware of her mother's presence for the first time, and her little smile grew proudly. ''Uh-huh,'' she nodded. ''I eated all the pasta!''
''All of it!? I'm so proud of you, princess!''
Ziva snorted at Tony's exaggerated reaction, but just as she reached the end of the hall to join them, Lilia had apparently seen that her daddy's face looked different than it had done when he left for work earlier that day. Her smile abruptly fell away and was replaced by a frown. It was hard to tell if she was worried or simply confused. Ziva suspected it was a mixture of the two.
''You hurt your face, Daddy?'' Lilia asked, reaching up to run her fingers over the dark patches with surprising gentleness for a toddler.
He winced slightly. ''It's nothing, sweetie. Daddy just had a rough day at work. Don't worry about it.''
Ziva reached up to turn his face in her direction, forcing another wince. ''What happened?''
''Our perp decided that double murder and armed robbery weren't serious enough charges, and thought it would be a good idea to add 'assaulting a federal officer' to the list.''
''Hmm,'' Ziva frowned as she inspected the injuries further. ''That cannot have ended well for him.''
He shrugged. ''Does it ever for these people?''
She supposed he had a point. ''Were you checked for concussion?''
''Palmer gave me the all-clear,'' he said dismissively, readjusting the squirming child in his arms so he could lean down and kiss her. ''Hi, by the way. Everything good with the baby?''
''Yes, everything's fine,'' Ziva returned, before poking the bruise by his eye lightly. ''You should put ice on this.''
His face suggested he was entirely against the idea. ''Already have,'' he said as he began to carry Lilia through to the living room where her cartoon could still be heard blaring from the TV. ''For hours and hours.'' He looked down at his daughter and made a face. ''If I apply any more ice my face will be able to sink the Titanic.'' That elicited another giggle from Lilia. ''Is that funny, my little hyena?''
It certainly seemed to be. ''You're silly!''
''Well, that makes two of us.''
Ziva followed after them with a fond smile tugging at her lips. Tony had dropped down onto the couch with a relieved groan by the time she had walked through the doorway. The way he immediately tipped his head back against the cushions with closed eyes showcased his obvious exhaustion even more. Lilia got to her feet and bounced up and down next to him, apparently oblivious to his tiredness as the TV screen held her attention.
''Let your father rest, motek,'' Ziva said gently. ''He is tired.''
Lilia stopped bouncing and turned around with innocent curiosity. ''Daddy's sleepy?''
Ziva sat down next to her, momentarily taken aback by how relieving it felt to take the weight off her feet. A heavy yawn escaped her mouth before she could try and hold it back. ''Yes, he is sleepy,'' she replied eventually.
The little girl leant into her now, all wide eyes and messy curls. ''Ima's sleepy, too?''
Ziva smiled. ''Yes,'' she admitted softly. ''A little.''
Lilia reached over and placed her hand gently on her little brother's baby cocoon. ''Gotta rest for the baby?'' she asked in a whisper.
That forced Ziva's smile to grow as she felt her chest warm. ''That's right.'' She rested her hand over her daughter's for a moment before lifting it up and kissing her tiny fingers. ''I have to rest so the baby will be happy and smiley when we meet him. Like you.''
Lilia nodded, seemingly satisfied with the reasoning, and slid off the couch with a soft thud. ''Lie down, Ima,'' she instructed.
Her eyes widened slightly, despite her drowsiness. ''I do not have a pillow, neshomeleh.''
''Daddy's a pillow.''
Ziva couldn't help but chuckle, and with a quick glance at Tony's face she could see him smile under his closed eyes. ''I've been called worse, I guess,'' he murmured.
''Sshhh, Daddy,'' Lilia admonished. ''You gotta rest. You hurted your face.''
He cracked open an eye to look down at her in amusement. ''Is that what the doctor orders?''
''Yes. Ima's gonna lie on you.''
With a quick shrug of his lips, he closed his eyes fully again. ''Well, who am I to refuse?'' he asked, reaching out to Ziva. ''Snuggle up, sweetcheeks.''
Ziva started to readjust herself and shuffled in his direction slightly. ''There is a perfectly good bed upstairs, you know.'' She caught Lilia shaking her head just as she lay down her head in Tony's lap.
''Too far,'' Lilia told them.
That forced a chuckle out of both her parents. ''Kid makes a good point,'' Tony agreed in a submissive tone.
Ziva had to admit, this position was easily comfortable enough to fall asleep in, and she felt sleep beckoning her after mere moments, only vaguely aware of Lilia pottering around the room looking for something. She felt Tony's hand come to rest against her stomach, and she looked up to see him smiling to himself. Overwhelming affection is the first feeling that washes over her, but she couldn't help but be curious.
''What are you smirking about?'' she whispered.
He shook his head, opening his eyes to look down at her. ''Just wondering where the hell we found her,'' he whispered back.
Ziva's own smile is filled with pride. ''She came from us, apparently.''
His eyes flicked to where she assumed Lilia was, and there was a sparkle in his eye that had become achingly familiar since her birth. ''She's going to be a great big sister.''
''She already is.''
Her own words caused tears to gather in Ziva's eyes all of a sudden—damn hormones—and she took hold of Tony's hand as it rested over her bump. Not for the first time since she'd become pregnant again, she pictured the future that lay ahead for their little family. It never failed to fill her with hope. It seemed as though she had finally done something right with her life. Her attention was brought back to her Lilia when she returned to the foot of the couch with a blanket rolled up in her hands.
''Got to be cosy for the baby,'' she whispered up to her mother. ''Ken?''
Ziva felt Tony squeeze her hand just as the tears threatened to spill again. She smiled down at Lilia and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead, earning herself a full DiNozzo grin in return. ''Ken. Thank you.''
She helped to fan the blanket over the couch, and couldn't help but have similar thoughts to Tony about how they could possibly have created someone as precious as this. A large part of her wasn't all that surprised, though. Not really.
''Ima's gotta rest,'' a soft voice rose from the floor. ''For the baby.''
The TV held Lilia's attention once more, but it was clear that their little munchkin still had their backs. Ziva closed her eyes after another sleepy smile, and it wasn't long before she slipped away into a blissful slumber. Violent perps aside, they had found their peace.
Been a while since I'd written anything. Not sure where that fluffy sappiness came from, but maybe we all need some these days. Hope you enjoyed.