Chapter 14
A knock came at the door. At first it was soft, and kind of melodic, but it then came to be desperate. Tony walked forward and wrenched the door open. And there he saw a sight he'd never thought he'd see again.
Jeanne Benoit
"Hello, Tony," she removed her bag to show a very large baby bump growing on her stomach. His eyes widened.
"It's been years…" his voice trailed off, his face lost in wonder.
"No, it's not yours," Jeanne shook her head, "The father wasn't the right man for me. I just wanted to come here to see if you wanted to get back together. My child needs a good dad, and you are the best." "I'm married," Tony told her bluntly.
"Excuse me?" "Married- Jeanne. You know when two people join union legally because of love."
"I'm aware of the concept," she responded coolly, "But to whom?"
"Ziva," he told her, moving back so she could come back inside. He then pointed at a photo. There was a nod of recognition, "Of course. Do you love her?"
"She's my world," Tony responded with a furrowed brow, "Why, Jeanne? Do you really want me back?" She nodded wordlessly. "And the baby's father, do you love him?"
She shrugged. "Well if you are unsure," Tony looked at her, "You should consider him. Do you want your son or daughter to not know who their dad is?"
"But I like you," Jeanne's eyes were wide in desperation, hope stabbing in her heart like Cupid's Arrow. Tony shook his head, "I love Ziva more than anything, but I can't deny I still have feelings for you. Feelings, not love. They will always be there. I don't want to hurt my wife."
"Ziva's very lucky to have you," Jeanne gave a pathetic smile, "It's lucky to have someone like you."
"Thank you," Tony gave a lopsided grin, "But Ziva can take care of herself. She's like a lethal ninja."
Jeanne smirked, "I'm sure she is. Maybe I should give Luke another try. I mean he is a good man- he provides a good amount of money along with my salary- he also tries really hard to like my friends and family. Even my mother."
"Okay," Tony gave her a kiss on the cheek, "Good choice."
Jeanne smiled and got up, skipping to the door, "Thank you Tony. For everything. Goodbye."
"Bye," Tony got up, "And you're welcome."
"Oh," Jeanne whirled round before she had crossed the threshold, "And it's Jeanne Creswell now."
"Goodbye then," Tony grinned, "Jeanne Creswell née Benoit."
The Next Day
There was a quick whirl of paper as the Italian-American flicked through The Washington Post. Finally, his eyes settled on a small cutting in the 'Anniversaries' Section.
Luke and Jeanne Creswell are proud to announce the birth of their son:
Anthony James Creswell at 21:00 on January 26th.
Tony got a tear in his eye as he closed no longer looked at the text. He shoved it on the table as Ziva called him from the kitchen.
Maybe Jeanne wasn't that bad after all.
Ooh, old faces return. Drama, drama, drama! The last chapter will be up tomorrow. I'm aiming for about 200 reviews, so please press the little blue button.
Peace be with you xxx
P.S For those who followed my Merlin story 'Crossroads,' I'm doing a sequel (probably started tomorrow) called 'Straight Paths.' It's advisory to read the first, or you'll have no clue about what'd going on.