Author's Note: Once again thank you all so much for the reviews, I really do appreciate them and love reading what y'all are thinking. This chapter I'm gonna warn you, even though I personally do not think it is 'racy' some make find it too much. Honestly, there's not much (at least I don't think) so read at your own risk and I apologize if I offend or anything, honestly it's not my intention. Also, the weather is getting warm here and I find a lot of my time being spent outside with my muse & other munchkins so updates will probably be rather sporadic at best.
Betherzz: I actually did not even think about Tali being able to use the 'y' sound, I'm just so used to writing her as saying 'Abba' and I wasn't aware that was Dad in Hebrew LOL.
DISCLAIMER: NOPE, DON'T OWN NCIS!
The sheets are sweaty and twisted around Tony and Ziva, both breathing heavily. Ziva rolls off of Tony, curling up beside him and resting her head on his chest. He snakes his arm around her as she traces lazy circles in his chest hair.
"And I thought sex was the first thing to go in a marriage," Tony chuckles, sighing contentedly.
"Not everyone is as 'dedicated' as we are," Ziva says as she smiles wickedly at Tony.
Tony smirks at Ziva and she smiles, giving him a questioning quirk of the brow. Tony gives her a cheeky grin then quickly rolls over, pinning her beneath him. Ziva can't help but laugh slightly at Tony but he stops her, capturing her mouth with his. Tony deepens the kiss, catching Ziva pleasantly off guard. Tony uses this to his advantage and pins Ziva's arms above her head.
Both are so involved in one another they do not realize the door to their room opening slightly and Tali, carrying her hippo, walking into the bedroom. Tali rubs her eyes with one hand as she walks over to her parent's bed. She stands by the bed for a moment, waiting for her parents to notice her. Becoming annoyed with her parents and waiting on them Tali lets out an annoyed sigh, both Tony and Ziva freeze and slowly turn to face Tali.
"Tateleh, wh…how did you get in here?" Ziva asks as she pushes Tony off of her and wraps the sheet tightly around her bare body. Tony is too horrified to say much of anything, mumbling incoherently as he sits up in bed, making sure he is properly covered with the sheet, trying his best to pull some of it from Ziva's death grip.
"Mama," Tali whines as she holds her arms out to Ziva. Ziva, making sure the sheet does not slip, bends down and picks Tali up, placing her in her lap.
"Tali, did you climb out of your crib?" Ziva asks her daughter, looking her in the eye. Tali does not respond, instead she rests her head against Ziva's chest and closes her eyes. Ziva looks down, slightly shocked at Tali then glances over at Tony. He also is very shocked by their daughter.
"Hey Princess, whatcha doing in here?" Tony asks as he gently touches Tali's arm. Tali turns around and smiles sleepily at Tony then returns her head to Ziva's chest. Tony and Ziva give each other questioning looks then turn their attention back to Tali.
"Do you want Mommy to hold you until you go to sleep?" Ziva asks Tali, resting her chin on Tali's head. Tali nods as she yawns and Ziva can't help but smile at her.
The three of them sit quietly on the bed as Ziva hums softly to Tali, rocking her gently back and forth. Tony can't keep the smile off his face as he watches the sweet moment between mother and daughter. Ziva glances over at Tony and shoots him another questioning look when she sees the smile on his lips. Tony does not try to explain, instead leans over and gives her a kiss then gets out of bed, grabbing a pair of discarded shorts from the floor. Ziva's eyes do not leave him as he puts on the shorts and when he turns to look at her he is surprised to catch her watching him, a wicked glint in her eyes. Tony chuckles slightly to himself and walks over to her side of the bed, looking down at Tali who has fallen back to sleep.
"Here, I'll take her back to her crib." Tony carefully takes Tali out of Ziva's arms, making sure he does not disturb her. Tali rests her head on Tony's shoulder and lets out a slight sigh in her sleep then settles.
"We are going to have to fix her crib," Ziva says as she wraps a robe around herself.
"Where are you going?" Tony asks, disappointed that Ziva is now out of bed and clothed.
"I am going to the bathroom; do you have a problem with that?" Ziva asks with a raise of her eye brows.
"Don't be long," Tony says as he walks out of the bedroom and to the nursery, Tali still sound asleep.
Having made sure that Tali is sleeping soundly, her hippo beside her and her quilt tucked around her, Tony heads back into the bedroom. He is pleasantly surprised when he sees Ziva lying in the middle of the bed, her robe slung to the foot of the bed. Tony lets a pleased moan escape his throat and Ziva smirks at him.
"See something you like Tony?" Ziva asks coyly.
"Oh no, I see something I love." Tony practically runs over to the bed, his shorts discarded on the floor.
They waste no time as they begin kissing, neither wanting another interruption. Their bodies are immediately entwined, each kiss and touch filled with more need and want. They are both so caught in the moment they once again do not hear the tiny feet hit the floor, patter across the hall or enter the bedroom. This time Tali does not wait to make her presence known, instead she walks over to Tony's side of the bed and once again lets out an annoyed sigh.
"Dada!" Tony and Ziva both bounce, startled by their daughter and Tony can't help but let out a frustrated groan.
"C'mere Princess," Tony says as both Ziva and he sit up in bed, once again tucking the sheet around themselves.
"No," Tali shakes her head and points to the nursery. Tony, thoroughly in shock of his daughter and her tendency to interrupt, dramatically flops back against the pillows. Ziva rolls her eyes at her husband, only slightly amused by his theatrics.
"Tateleh, we will put you back to bed," Ziva says as she grabs her robe, wrapping it around herself. Tali walks over to Ziva's side of the bed and sticks her arms up to Ziva. Ziva smiles at Tali and picks her up, placing a kiss to her temple. "Tony, get up; you are going to fix her crib tonight so she does not get hurt climbing out of it." This is not a suggestion but an order and Tony, grumbling, grabs his shorts once again that night.
"Do you expect her to interrupt us again tonight?" He asks completely horrified by the thought. Ziva turns to face him, her eyes narrowed.
"Continue whining and she will not have anything to interrupt!" Ziva turns back around and heads into the nursery.
Once in the nursery Ziva, curious as to how Tali is escaping her crib, places Tali in it. Tony and she stand in the middle of the nursery, watching as Tali glances at them. At first Tali narrows her eyes, unhappy to be placed back in the crib as her parents stare at her. She then, letting yet another heavy sigh of annoyance escape her, stands up in the crib. Gripping the bars tightly she begins jumping slightly in the crib, bouncing up just enough that she can maneuver her chest and stomach onto the rail. Tony's jaw has dropped as he watches and Ziva, while slightly worried, cannot keep the amused expression off her face. Huffing Tali swings her leg over the rail, her other leg wrapping around the railing of the crib until she places her foot on the edge of the mattress between the bars. She then brings her other leg over the railing, her right hand clutching tightly to the top of the railing, she grabs one of the side bars of her crib with her left hand. She finally lets go of the top of the railing and grabs another side bar with her right hand. She then takes her right foot off the mattress, slowly lowering herself down until she feels the bottom crib rail. She places both feet on it then leaps from the railing, landing on her feet. She looks up at her parents and smile proudly.
"Oh My God," Tony mutters, completely shocked by his daughter. Ziva bites her bottom lip, forcing herself not to laugh.
"Tateleh, that is not safe; you could get hurt." Ziva kneels down in front of Tali as she speaks to her.
"Mama up!" Tali sighs exasperatedly, lying her head on Ziva's knee. Ziva lets out a slight chuckle, shaking her head at her daughter's persistence then picks her up.
Ziva settles in the rocking chair with Tali in her lap, humming to her once again. Tali rests her head on Ziva's shoulder, her fingers running through Ziva's hair as her eyes grow heavy. Tony immediately heads to retrieve a screwdriver and returns a moment later. Ziva watches in amazement as her usually 'handy-man challenged' husband manages to remove the side railing of the crib and lower the mattress without once harming himself or swearing. Tony then places the railing in Tali's closet where it will more than likely stay until one of them remembers it at a much later date.
Standing from the rocking chair Ziva walks over to the crib-now-converted-to-toddler bed and carefully lays Tali in it. Tali sighs in her sleep, hugging her hippo closer to her and snuggles down into the bed. Ziva smiles at her and covers her up, tucking a ringlet behind her ear and giving her a goodnight kiss.
"Laila Tov Tateleh," Ziva whispers to Tali then stands up straight.
Ziva is slightly surprised when Tony snakes his arm around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder. Both stand there a moment watching as their little girl, their baby, for the first time sleeps in a bed that is not a crib. For a moment neither speak, unsure of the feeling that has washed over them but as they continue to watch Tali's chest rise and fall as she takes even breathes, several curls falling in her face, they realize that this is just another way to mark that their baby is no longer a baby.
"Weird huh?" Tony whispers against Ziva's neck. Ziva nods and takes one more look at Tali before she takes Tony by the hand and begins walking to the door.
"Let's go before our little interruption wakes up." Ziva gives Tony a quick kiss then leads him to the bedroom.