There seemed to be no such thing as a cool night in Israel, but despite the humidity, Tony pulled on a T-shirt as he headed out of his room, leaving his partner to her peaceful, much needed sleep. Long flights never went down well with him, and his sleeping pattern was definitely affected the worst. Whether it was solely due to the flight or the fact that he had a lot on his mind, he didn't know and he didn't want to dwell on it, but perhaps he could grab a moment or two to take a walk and hopefully clear his head. It was only half five in the morning, but already the country was well awake.

"I thought that was against the rules," Michael's voice sliced through the early morning silence like a knife through butter. The Israeli looked like he had been awake for hours, but not by bags under his eyes or a tired expression, in fact he looked quite awake, probably fuelled by caffeine. He had stood behind the corner, choosing to speak just as he heard the NCIS agent approach.

The sudden voice nearly caused Tony to jump out of his skin, his hand instinctively going to cover his heart, "Jeez! Scare a guy, why don't ya?" In a way, it was hardly reassuring that the voice belonged to Michael; he still didn't trust the guy and lurking around at half five in the morning wasn't helping his case. "What's against what rules?"

"Sleeping with your partner. Surely that is forbidden somewhere, right?" Michael lifted his gaze from the floor, eager to see the other man's reaction to what he had said. Purposefully he had said it as if it was the most casual thing in the world, like it was even a surprise that he knew, but inside he had all sorts of plans of what he could now do with this kind of knowledge.

How on Earth did he know? It had been hard keeping it from Gibbs for three months, and yet they had only been in Israel a matter of hours and already their secret was out? Was it just Michael who knew? Already, Tony had so many questions, but he couldn't just surrender there and then, not even bothering to protest. He lightly shook his head, pretending to laugh, "You think Ziva and I are sleeping together? Come on, man, I know she's hot and all but like you said, it's against the rules. Trying to ignore the situation, Tony carried on a few strides down the hallway.

"So, when were you going to tell us that she's pregnant?" Again, the use of a casual and care-free tone always got the reaction he was searching for. And, this time, he got it.

Tony stopped in his tracks, his mind suddenly running at a hundred miles an hour with questions. He spun on his heel, looking to Michael, reading his expression. Tony knew that he couldn't pretend now. Lying about sleeping with somebody wasn't that big a deal, but there was no way he could lie to Michael, a clearly respected officer, about Ziva being pregnant. Consequences were unthinkable. "How do you know that?"

Michael couldn't help but laugh. What a pathetic attempt. He paced over to where the American stood, almost grinning, "Oh, come on, DiNozzo. You think I didn't notice her bump when we met earlier? What, about eighteen weeks, right?"

"Seventeen," Tony corrected, though there wasn't really much point now.

Snorting, Michael shook his head, "Shame, really. Ziva's a great girl, I'm sure she'll be a great mom too, but you? I'm not so sure. I've heard a lot about you, DiNozzo, we all have. Last I heard, you put bullets through her boyfriend, Rivkin? Don't blame you, that guy was an ass, but not sure that's a good example."

"Self-defence," Tony replied simply, starting to feel a slow build-up of frustration. "And I'll do the same to you if you don't back off,"

"I'm sure you would. Seems like you're quite the jealous type, so I'll give you a little test." Michael shifted on his feet, folding his arms over his well-built chest, "Ziva and I used to date. Well, when I say date, I just mean sleep together. Six years ago, before she left to sort out your little problem, every night we'd meet up and have the most amazing sex, though you'd know all about that." He lightly chuckled, shrugging his shoulders, "Now, Ziva's loyal, she wouldn't go behind your back but me, on the other hand, I would. All you two have to do is argue some time and all I have to do is swoop in and…"

Tony didn't even allow the Israeli the pleasure of finishing his sentence. He grabbed fists of Michael's shirt, throwing him against the nearest wall. The sound of his body colliding against the concrete was actually quite satisfying, but the anger Tony felt was still boiling high, "If you even dare go near Ziva, I'll do a lot worse than put bullets in your chest," His voice raised, saturated with anger and frustration.

"Ooh, tough guy now? Just remember who Ziva's father is and that I report directly to him. I'm pretty sure his opinion of you is already pretty low and if he were to learn that you knocked up his daughter, well, I don't think he will be very happy. Though he has always wanted a grandson; somebody to carry on working here when he's too old. Yeah, that bit he might be happy with,"

His grip tightened on Michael's shirt, his fists pushing into Michael's chest, "My child will not be cannon fodder for the Director to dictate. He won't have a thing to do with my son or daughter's life. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure that he, no matter how powerful he thinks he is, will not interfere with mine, Ziva's or our child's life. You got that?" By now, Tony was pretty much yelling. The subject of his child was definitely sensitive, as was the subject of his relationship and if anyone even thought they were going to dictate it because of some tradition or power, he'd tell them otherwise.

"Tony!" Ziva exclaimed, walking quickly over to where the two men stood. The sound of raised voices had attracted her attention, waking her from her sleep, and when she recognised the two voices, she had to investigate. Since all of her belongings and clothes were in her own room, she had had to settle for one of Tony's shirts which swamped her smaller frame, "What are you doing?"

"Nothing." He replied, sounding sharper than he had intended.

Lightly, she rested her hand on Tony's arm, "Let him go,"

Reluctantly, he released his grip on Michael's shirt, adding a small shove as he did.

"What on Earth are you two fighting about?" Her voice sounded tired, possibly due to the early hour combined with the stresses of needing far more rest than usual.

Tony sensed the tone, instantly feeling guilty. He always hated it when he let his temper get the better of him; it never resulted in anything good. He knew Ziva shouldn't be having to sort out fights like they were two eight year olds, especially in her condition, "Nothing. Michael here was just leaving."

Ziva sighed, briefly closing her eyes before looking to Michael, "Rayon tov," Good idea.

Michael rolled his eyes, glancing to Tony with a small grin before looking back to Ziva, his grin turning into a smile, "Mazel tov," he said, giving a knowing look before turning, heading down the corridor.

Tony scoffed, shaking his head as he walked passed Ziva, his usual b right gaze glued to the floor beneath his feet. Now, he just felt awful; this was totally unfair on Ziva.

"Uh Tony," Ziva lightly jogged up to him, standing firmly in his path, arms folded stubbornly over her chest, "You're going to tell me what happened."

"Zi, please, just drop it. You should be resting and not dealing with petty little fights," His eyes moved easily to hers.

"That was not a petty fight. We have been here less than a day and you already assaulted the guy we're supposed to be working with. What happened?"

There was no use in arguing, it'd only make things worse than they already were. "He…told me about you guys. You know, what you were before you left six years ago. Your 'fling', I suppose," He kept the main fact as to why it got so out of hand quiet for now.

Letting out a slow breath, Ziva pinched the bridge of her nose, the beginnings of a headache coming on, "That was in the past. So this is what, jealousy?"

"No…well, maybe a little. He just made some snide comments about you and I and that he's gonna try and break us up and then hell…ugh, just the thought of him with his hands all over you made me lose it a little,"

"You know that will never happen," Ziva lightly took his hand, placing it on her stomach, "It's just you, me and this little one here,"

Her words caused tony to smile gently, his fingertips lightly tracing over her stomach as his eyes met hers, "I know. The problem is that Michael knows that too. He knows about us and he knows you're pregnant, pretty much to the week. I don't know if he was bluffing, but if not, then I'm sure your father will know by the end of the week too,"

Habitually, Ziva pulled her lower lip between her teeth, a way of keeping herself calm. Matters concerning her father were rarely ever calm. It'd been hard keeping their secret from Gibbs, a man she looked up to as a father, but keeping it from her real father was a different story. Not only was their situation a breach of the religious rules she had been raised to respect, but it also broke numerous unwritten rules her father expected from his daughter, "He will not take it lightly, "

"Yeah, I know," Tony sighed softly, bringing his free hand up, cupping her cheek in his palm, "Just try not to worry. Don't listen to what they say. No doubt they'll be insulting you, me, our child, everything but just don't listen. You just have to promise me one thing."

"What?" Ziva asked.

"That you'll come home,"

The words almost stung, but Ziva knew that that fear was true. The last time, she hadn't gone back and, yes, she did now consider America to be her home. Although it didn't hold childhood memories or important mile stones like graduation, it was where she felt safe, where she could be with those closest to her and where she would raise her family with the man she loved. Her eyes threatening tears, she flung her arms around Tony, hugging him as if he would just slip away at any moment, "I promise," she whispered, burying her head into the crook of his neck.

His arms circles around her waist as he kissed her temple, "It'll be alright. I love you and I love our baby, that's all that matters. We have each other and I will do whatever it takes to make sure that you two are safe. That is my promise."