"Ugh," Ziva muttered as she brushed her teeth. Her stomach had been doing flips that made her sick. That cheese Tony had insisted she try at the fair must have been bad but of course it didn't make him sick with his cast iron, well mostly, stomach.
"Ziva?" Tony called through the bathroom door, "you ok? Open up."
Ziva pulled open the door and shot Tony a quick nod, "I am fine. Just a small upset stomach."
"Really?" Tony said with a grin she didn't expect.
"What is that smile all about?" Ziva waved her hand in front of his face as she stepped away from the sink. "If this is some sort of prank it is not funny, Tony."
"No," he took her hand and led her through the doorway before taking a seat on the bed, "I am just wondering…"
Ziva peered down at him curiously as she stood between his legs, "Wondering what?"
"Well, Ziva, we have been on our honeymoon," Tony smiled wide, his eyes practically dancing, "and we have been engaged, quite often I might add, in pleasurable honeymoon activities for the last three weeks here in Vermont not to mention back in DC."
"Yes," Ziva tilted her head trying to figure out what Tony was getting at then she suddenly understood. Her heart sank a little seeing his excitement, an excitement that she hadn't been sure if this ever was to really occur she'd see from Tony; but now she knew and it warmed her heart.
Ziva touched Tony's face with both hands and leaned against him, "Tony, I am not pregnant. It was simply something I ate."
"How do you know?" Tony settled his hands on her hips and tugged her closer, "I mean we haven't used protection at all. There could be a little DiNozzo squirming around in there as we speak."
"I have an IUD, Tony," Ziva stated flatly. "So it is not possible."
"Oh," Tony clearly sounded disappointed. "Well…let's have it taken out, ok?" he asked with a nod.
"Tony," Ziva sighed, "I will but once this is all over."
"I don't want to wait that long, Ziva," Tony stood and held her close, "I want to have a baby with you. I want to be a parent with you. It's time. I'd rather not be so old that I can't play baseball with the little bugger."
"You are young, Tony," Ziva kissed him softly, "but right now…. It is simply not the right time. I cannot even admit to being alive much less pregnant. You will have to return to NCIS at some point and-"
"And I don't care about NCIS anymore," Tony kissed her temple, "I have been thinking, we could talk to CIA or we could just do it on our own. We could relocate and I could get a job on a local police detective unit or anything. I just want a family with you."
"Tony, you love NCIS and the team and-"
"The team isn't the same without you," Tony stared into her eyes, she could feel the love he felt for her, hear the longing in his voice, "maybe we could convince McGemcity to come with us?"
"I love you, Tony DiNozzo," Ziva kissed his lips, his neck then pulled back, "Let's take this one day at a time, ok?"
"Fine," Tony nodded, "but don't think I am giving up on having a baby with you anytime soon."
"Trust me, Tony," Ziva slid her hands up his chest, "once I get the IUD out I don't expect not to be pregnant with you around," she winked.
"Wanna practice some more?" Tony waggled his eyebrows at her.
"Later," Ziva kissed him then looked for her sandals, "I thought you wanted to go to town for more fishing supplies?"
"Yes," Tony raised his fist, "there is this trout in the pond that is mocking me!"
"I know," Ziva chuckled to herself as she slipped on the sandals, "but you still cannot shoot him. You must fight fair, Tony and use the fishing rod."
"I shall defeat the evil spawn of Jaws!" Tony announced as he followed Ziva out of the bedroom.
"He is not a shark, Tony," Ziva shook her head.
"He thinks like a shark," Tony assured, "if he was a few feet bigger I'd be more worried for your safety."
"My safety?" Ziva smiled, "Ok, thank you oh great protector of ex-Mossad officers and former Federal agents who have a wicked bedside manner," she said as she tugged on Tony's belt.
"I live to serve," he grinned as they reached the bottom of the steps and pulled her back into his arms. "To serve," he kissed her neck, "protect," he kissed her collarbone, "and serve some more," he kissed her lips, drew her into a deeper kiss as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Come on, DiNozzo, you have fish to torment," Ziva said as she stepped back and grabbed the car keys from the front table.
"Ok, but how am I supposed to concentrate when you look like that?" Tony copped a feel of her bum as he moved up behind her.
Ziva glanced down at the white sundress she wore with the tan sandals and laughed, "That's right, you mostly saw me in pants not dresses."
"Especially," Tony moved around her and took in her outfit, "one so fetching. We should do more shopping up here in beautiful Vermont."
"You would have loved a blue dress I once wore undercover," Ziva teased, "it plunged all the way down my back."
"I'll have to save up and get you a replica made just so I can slip it off later," Tony responded in kind.
"That reminds me," Ziva opened the front door, "We are rich, Tony," she said as she walked out to her former mini cooper which McGee had bought back from his friend Terri for them. She'd given McGee twenty grand to take care of whatever he'd needed to from her DC stash and she knew Tony thought that was all she had but it wasn't.
"Excuse me, ninja?" Tony stopped in his tracks just outside the cottage.
"Every time I remembered to tell you I kept getting distracted by your lips," Ziva winked as she leaned back against the car, "Eli left me everything. Everything he had and everything he had inherited from our other family. It is about eighteen million in cash and another ten or twelve million in property plus the five million or so in diamonds that are stashed around the world. There is a Swiss bank account but I have not had time to verify the amount in it and there might be another bank account in New York but again I have not had time to go through all the papers."
Tony stared at her for a long moment, "Um, yeah, you're rich."
"We are rich, Tony," Ziva went back to him and slipped her hands up his arms, "what I have is yours too."
"Ziva," Tony's tone turned serious, "with those kind of resources we could vanish all on our own. Hell we could buy this place and live here, raise a family-"
"I know, Tony." Ziva nodded, "and if we cannot help the CIA any further then we will do whatever you want. But for now, we should be available in case-"
"In case they want to use you as bait and get you killed?" Tony bit. "I am not a fan of that plan."
"So how about today we plan on capturing your fish rival?" Ziva smiled as saw Tony visible soften. She knew he still wasn't convinced that waiting on the CIA was a good idea but for now it was the best she could do.
Tony agreed not to argue and they headed off to town. They bought a few things at the grocer and then Tony insisted she buy another couple of sundresses. Ziva stopped in the pharmacy and Tony went off to buy some large candy apples he'd seen in a bakery window and finally they ended up at Herman's Hardware and Bait and Tackle shop. It was an interesting shop that was mostly hardware but the back section had an array of fishing supplies. Ziva enjoyed Tony's enthusiasm for acquiring the right lure but decided to wander off and poke around the store when he got into a detailed discussion about the live bait.
Ziva spotted some cheery kitchen towels she decided to get for the cottage then went over to look at the kitchen utensil display by the front window as she heard Tony coming up behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and saw him with a big grin then turned back, her eye catching one of the store's patrons exiting and opening his car trunk to load his purchases. Ziva stopped and stared at the trunk for a long moment then reached back to Tony as he stepped up next to her, "Do you see what I see, Tony?"
Tony stiffened next to her and picked up a large kitchen spoon but never took his eyes off the man's trunk lid. "Scratches."
"Those do not look like normal wear of the inside upholstery, do they?" Ziva asked.
"I see you haven't lost your Federal agent eye, my ninja," Tony threw her a slight grin as the man re-entered the store to grab another bag of sod.
"Clearly he is carrying gardening tools in that trunk but we have seen those type of tears before," Ziva observed quietly.
"Those weren't made by gardening shears," Tony nodded, "someone was in that trunk or maybe more than one someone and tore at the lid."
"What do you want to do?" Ziva asked.
"Let's investigate," Tony whispered before turning to the cashier/owner and smiling. "Looks like that guy does a hell of a lot of gardening, eh?"
"Oh yeah," Herman said as he started to ring Tony up, "Karl loves his dirt. He is in here at least once a week picking up supplies. Has a place out off route 82 were he grows practically everything, apple trees, strawberries, pumpkins, all sorts of vegetables really and plants. But he doesn't like visitors, brings the stuff in to the local farmer's markets instead of letting folks go to his place and pick. I keep telling him that people love to pick off the farms and he could make a mint but no he's not interested. However, if you folks want to go picking I can give you a list of local farmers that allow it and even have nice little eateries off the farms."
"We were driving over on route 82 the other day was his place the one with the long dirt road?" Tony thought he'd be safe by describing a dirt road since there were so many in the area.
"No," Herman replied as he rang up the kitchen towels, "Karl's place is the one with the river rock entrance columns and the big old oak trees lining the border between his property and the road. He got one of those backwoods hidden lots and I think he likes it that way. He is one of those leave me and my dirt alone types. But he does come out for the church socials. Mrs. Karsy says some girl or guy must have broken his heart in a million pieces once and now he just wants to grow things. I think he has an ex somewhere who gave him such a hard time with the divorce that he wants nothing more to do with marriage."
"He doesn't know what he's missing," Tony turned and grinned at Ziva.
Ziva smiled up at Tony before glancing back over to the window and watching the man drive off.
"Is his name Karl Mallard?" Ziva asked as she moved her hair over one shoulder.
"No," the owner replied, "it's Karl Garrison, why?"
"Oh no," Ziva chuckled, "We know a Karl Mallard who went through a hellacious divorce and suddenly decided to become a hermit but he moved to Arizona."
"Ain't that the kick," the owner laughed, "some women break a man. But I see you two are for the long haul."
"The real long haul," Tony nodded before kissing her temple. "Thanks for the tips. That trout shall be mine!" he declared before signing the credit card receipt as Tony Ranier. He'd have to thank McGee for mailing out the cards and things with a case of Nutter Butters.
Tony grabbed the bags and they headed for their car, sharing their knowing glances on the way.
"Karl Garrison, off route 82," Ziva stated as she clicked her seatbelt.
"River stone columns and large oak trees," Tony nodded, "care for a killer road trip, my ninja?"
"I am really not wearing the right dress for this but drive on, Tony," Ziva nodded, "we have some snooping to do."