Disclaimers: I do not own the dialogue that is taken from the episode, that belongs to the writers of "Legend, Part Two."
Warnings: Spoilers for "Legend, Part Two"
A/N: I took poetic license with this scene between Tony and Ziva and shifted it to the elevator. I thought it added a more dark feel. And Ziva might seem like a bit OOC, so you've been warned.
I was re-watching Season 1 of Once Upon a Time. Baby Emma Swan is Baby Kaitlin DiNozzo, all this little baby's facial expressions are exactly how I picture Kaitlin. I wish I could put a photo or clip in here to show everyone.
lunaz- by forward I hope you mean you are enjoying it :)
"There...Uncle Timmy is going to like this don't you think?" Abby asked her small charge, putting the finishing touches on her decorating.
"Abs?" Tony questioned when he stepped into the bullpen later that day. "What...what is going on?"
Kaitlin, clad in purple leggings and a pink sweater, was snuggled up against Abby's shoulder and McGee's desk looked more like, well, like a tiki-bar. Abby grinned at him and kissed the baby on her soft head of hair. "Mrs. Bradley had a family emergency. Don't worry-she said that everything is okay, she just had to bring her husband to the ER, guess he broke his ankle. She didn't want to bring a sick baby to the hospital. She tried to get in touch with you but you must have been in MTAC. I was first on your emergency contact list after Gibbs and she knew that he was away so-I picked Katie up and brought her here."
Tony frowned at the baby. Kaitlin had been feeling better that morning but he wasn't sure spending the remainder of the day flaunting around NCIS was the best. "I'll see if the neighbors can come pick her up."
Abby glared at him. "Tony, I'm perfectly capable of doing this. And I have nothing else really to do in my lab. It's a slow day. Otherwise I would have told Mrs. Bradley to call your neighbors. Besides, she helped me decorate McGee's desk. Doesn't it look great? I think he's going to really like it."
"Fine. She can stay for a little while. Get your baby fix in. But I'm going to have the neighbors come get her soon."
"You're no fun now that you're a daddy."
Tony rolled his eyes at her and then looked at her, sternly. "You have an hour and then I'm calling the Browns."
Abby pouted and stuck her lip out. "Can't she just spend the rest of the day with me?"
"No, Abs. One hour. She needs to get home and rest."
Kaitlin smiled at him, quite enjoying her snuggle time with Abby. Actually, she enjoyed time with Abby in general. The goth's highly animated nature was entertaining to her.
Abby was moving out of the bullpen and announced, "We're going to go take a tour."
"Hey!" Tony snapped at her as she made her way to the elevator. "Do not take my daughter down to autopsy! Abby? ABBY!"
"It wouldn't be fair if her visit didn't include Grandpa Ducky," Abby argued with him.
Tony jogged after her. No way in hell was he letting Abby bring his sweet, innocent baby downstairs where all that death was-no way. As he caught up to her and grabbed her by the arm, the elevator doors opened and Ziva crashed into them. She blinked in surprise and stepped back. The sudden, jerky movement made Kaitlin sputter and cry a little.
Abby hushed the baby and looked between the two agents. She could probably cut the tension with a knife.
"Kaitlin is here to visit?" Ziva pointed out, tersely.
"For an hour," Tony countered, coolly. "Her nanny had a family emergency, Abby offered to step in. I'm going to have the neighbors come get her."
"You should just take her home yourself," Ziva responded, glaring slightly at the infant.
Abby clutched Kaitlin protectively in her arms. She wasn't sure why Ziva wasn't warming up to the baby and she certainly hoped that it had nothing to do with all the secrets she was keeping. "We were just going to go see Ducky."
Ziva smiled, tightly. "He would like that, I'm sure."
Tony, shoulders tense and jaw tight, grabbed Ziva by the arm and pushed her back into the elevator. He reached out and pressed the button for the door and they closed in Abby's face.
"It's okay," she told them, "Katie and I will take the stairs."
Abby dashed for the stairs. She quickly climbed down, holding onto Kaitlin tightly, whispering in her ear, "Be glad we aren't in that elevator, baby. Your daddy is mad and when he's mad...just stay clear."
"Do you have anything you want to say to me?" Tony challenged Ziva immediately after shutting the elevator down. "Go on, I'm listening."
Ziva raised her chin slightly. "Did I miss anything while I was gone?"
Tony shook his head. "No. All the excitement is happening in another area code. Are we...fighting?"
"If we were you would be on the ground bleeding."
"Fair enough. Are you mad at me?"
"You should not be surprised."
"Because of this morning?"
She glared, her brown eyes so dark and threatening that he took a step back instinctively. "You did not think I would identify Michael as a Mossad operative."
Tony clenched his jaw. "I didn't say a word."
Ziva looked away briefly. "You did not have too."
"So you think you did the right thing?" Tony questioned, his voice low, subtly hiding his anger.
"You think I did not."
"Maybe you should have told them more...like how well you know him."
Ziva paused and looked up into his green eyes. She could see the accusations there, his anger. After all this time they had spent together, he was actually had the nerve to do what, exactly? Challenge her motives? Question her loyalty? Or was this just Tony inserting his nose into business that did not concern him like usual. "How well do I know him, Tony?"
Tony's eyes narrowed. "You know him better than they think you know him."
She was quickly losing whatever patience she had left and he knew it. He had to, he had to see the dark look in her eyes. "And you know that how?"
"Well you saw him when he was in D.C three days ago. And you didn't tell them when you had the chance and I'm just wondering why, that's all."
"Are you questioning my loyalty?"
"No," Tony responded, keeping his tone level, cool. "I'm questioning why you didn't tell them you saw him three days ago."
Ziva squared her shoulders. "Are you jealous?" she asked, almost hopefully.
Tony glared. "No. I'm worried, because you don't seem to understand that your secret friend is interfering with this agency's ability to do its job-to shut down a terrorist cell."
"Interfering? How is he possibly interfering?"
"He's already killed two suspects."
"Well, in my country that would be cause for celebration!"
"We're not in your country and neither is he!"
Ziva raised her chin in defiance. "Are you done?"
Tony snarled and placed his body in front of the controls, preventing her from escape. She might know how to disarm but he wasn't such a bad fighter himself, especially when he was angry. "No," he said lowly. "Do you know where we can find him?"
"No."
"If you did, would you tell us?"
"I would tell Gibbs."
Tony took a step closer and once again getting dangerously close to her. "What's with you Ziva? Am I not a good enough partner for you that you don't trust me? We've been working together for almost three years now and suddenly you keep secrets. We're a team, Ziva! We don't keep secrets!"
Ziva scoffed at that, not in the least bothered by him so close to her. "Oh? We don't? How come we didn't hear about Kaitlin until two days after her birth?"
His eyes grew so dark they looked almost black in the dim light of the elevator. "That is entirely different. But since you brought the subject up-let's discuss it. Care to tell me why you look at my daughter like she's vile? Like poison that should be avoided? She's two months old, I can't think of what she could have possibly done to you to make her such a hated being in your life."
"Our job is no place to have a family," Ziva snapped. "It was selfish of you."
"Selfish? How the hell is my decision to keep her selfish?"
"Her life will be nothing but violence and pain! Is that what you want for her!"
"Are we talking about Kaitlin or you Ziva?"
Ziva shoved him out of the way and hit the emergency switch. The elevator groaned back to life and the doors flung open. She angrily stalked out, her mouth nothing but a thin line and her eyes glazed over. Tony had not been expecting to elicit such an emotional response from her, but perhaps, he was now onto something. Ziva saw herself as a child, saw her father breeding her and her brother to be killers and she was projecting that hatred of what her father had made her onto the baby.
Tony sighed and hit the button to close the doors. He resisted the urge to call Gibbs. The boss was busy dealing with Rivkin and shutting down that terrorist cell. He'd talk to him when he got back. Right now, he had to make sure that Abby kept tabs on the Mossad agent and that he kept tabs on Ziva.
