Author's Notes: I was writing my A/N here and once I was done everything and had one sentence left of the end notes, mum (who was working on the freezer) unplugged the computer by accident as the freezer plug was meant to be there. Anyway so my notes aren't as they were, I wrote heaps and such but now I can only go by memory etc so I'll do it quickly and sorry for the lach of usual enthusiasm and comments as I can't remember and I'm peeved that I didn't save it in time.
Thanks mia58 (True, Tony and Ziva have known each other so long and had those "buried" feelings. Your guess is as good as mine; I don't know exactly how long Tony and Ziva have been together or a "family" but several months would be rather accurate), M E Wofford (Yes, but Ziva opened up about certain things...she still left out that Simon and Tony have a promise in common), Nepeace (Thanks, I'm glad my representation was really well and if you want information on Eve, next chapter would be one of the best for that so make sure you read it), shella-belle (More Nathan/Tony planned. True, Nathan is old enough to realise that "daddy" isn't perfect but right now Nathan thinks he is), Ziny-DiNozzo (thanks!), leobold1 (Your suggestion was funny, cuz I had something like that planned/written for this chapter anyway), swfap88 (thanks), NCISislikecupcakes (Thanks, and you may have trouble hurting Simon since he is currently dead), ZevirahWolf (To put it simply in explanation to your confusion: Nathan is 7 going on 8. Ziva met Simon almost 9 years ago but told Tony she'd met him 8 years ago as a clue as to who he was, avoiding voicing aloud who Simon was exactly) and libby (That specific question will be answered soon enough but as of right now Simon is dead).
And Thanks to: immirose (Glad you can relate to Nathan but sorry bout your mum, I have simular problems at times. Ek did not appear as a good sigh at first, thanks for explaining and you're right about Ziva talking about Simon bieng a bif deal since she preffered to just pretend it was nothing to her when really it was. Nathan had to overhear the vows, for reasons you'll come to understand in due time. Glad you liked the ending and thanks about my dog...she's great and has been growing!) and debook210 (I'm so thrilled to hear that Nathan is realistic and I agree: kids understand a lot more than they're given credit for. Your comments were a good read and true, and Tony is waiting to tell Ziva and Nathan of his decision because he's a bit shocked by it and is afriad of letting them down if he "promised" it. What do you mean by "if the decision will cost him in the end"? Cost him how, in your words? Thanks!). Haven't heard from amber-chick yet but I'm sure she's busy, oh well...I do love her double-reviews anyhow..make my day wonderful.
Note: This chapter contains some moments and references that may be inapropriate for younger children!
Chapter twenty-six: Between you and me
The following morning began as per usual, but with everyone sleeping in several hours longer than they normally would. Gibbs had told them the previous night that they only had to come into work if they picked up any leads or were required to take a case if any other teams were unavailable.
But as Sunday came around, bright and early, Gibbs had developed a plan and showed up on their doorstep an hour before sunset later that day. He explained how Nathan was staying with him for the night and before he had even been given the chance to say anything more, Ziva was getting very cranky. Gibbs then (with reluctant help from Tony) calmed her down before she inflicted bodily harm (it was also good that Nathan was upstairs playing). Gibbs was able to explain how he wanted Ziva and Nathan to be separated under non-threatening situations before it became unhealthy, and Nathan had been making his way downstairs when he overheard.
'I don't wanna go!' was the first thing out of the young boy's mouth as he ran over to his mother and clung to her fearfully.
'Is this really necessary?' Ziva asked Gibbs for what must have been the third time. She turned to Tony for support but he shook his head and shrugged as Gibbs did have a point but that didn't mean Tony liked it any more than she did.
'Please let me stay!' Nathan pleaded and sniffed loudly before Gibbs could say anything.
Ziva opened her mouth to complain and argue some more but then looked down at her son and took into attention the amount of grip he had on her. She trusted Agent Gibbs with her life and knew Nathan looked up to the man as well, yet the fear in his eyes and tone made her worry that perhaps it was becoming unhealthy to fear any form of separation. Ziva swallowed some air quickly even though it felt like she was swallowing lead and took a breath, turning to her boss.
'Fine' Ziva sighed and Nathan clung tighter to her.
Tony exchanged a slightly relieved but also worried expression with Gibbs as Ziva crouched down to comfort Nathan after being assured by Gibbs that he will have three other trustworthy people with him.
'Do not worry, you will be fine' Ziva kissed atop her son's head and straightened up. 'Agent Gibbs will take very good care of you' she nodded and turned to Gibbs, casting the elder man a glare as if to say "or else".
Nathan nodded sadly and looked over at Tony, hoping that he would tell him he didn't have to leave.
'Don't worry tough guy, Gibbs is a really scary man to the bad guys…you'll be in safe hands' Tony flashed an encouraging smile and nod. Nathan sighed in defeat and turned to stand beside Tony as his mother headed upstairs to pack his things.
'If you need to say goodnight or you just want to talk then give us a call' Ziva said firmly to her son as they hugged goodbye.
'I will' Nathan mumbled, still not very happy that he had to leave his mother and Tony for a whole night.
'See ya' Tony added as Nathan turned to leave but the boy paused and ran to him, hugging him the best he could with his height disadvantage. Tony ruffled his hair and stood beside Ziva as Gibbs took Nathan's outstretched hand into his own and the pair left.
'I can not do this' Ziva said as she saw her boy leaving but a firm hand on her arm prevented her from running after him.
'You can, it'll be good for you both' Tony said, hiding the fact that he too was slightly nervous about not having Nathan around but had full confidence in Gibbs.
Ziva bit her lip as Gibbs's car drove away and she quickly shut the front door and leaned her back against it, closing her eyes slightly in dread.
Tony stared at her and wondered if it would be considered safe to approach her or if a distraction would be a better idea.
'So…you up for some pizza?' he asked, remaining his casual self as he reached for the phone.
'I am not hungry' Ziva replied stubbornly, looking annoyed at him as she re-opened her eyes.
'Pizza it is' Tony nodded and dialed a number he knew off by heart.
Ziva rolled her eyes and seated herself on the couch in annoyance. Gibbs had "taken" her son away and Tony was ignoring her attempts to be miserable about it.
'Okay, pizza is on the way' Tony told her as he hung up the phone but got no response, which made him laugh at how she was behaving like a child by turning away from him and crossing her arms. He didn't think it was going to be too bad once Ziva got her mind off her son's absence and then they could watch a movie without having to check the volume was quiet or it didn't have too high a rating. It was just the two of them so they could do whatever they wanted without worry about disturbing a child, or getting up early because of a routine or…but then a thought occurred to Tony and he did a rethink; he and Ziva had the entire night to themselves.
'What?' Ziva asked as she snuck a glance at him and saw a grin on his face as he watched her.
'Nothing' Tony smirked and sat beside her. 'Just…realized we can do whatever we want tonight...with the exception of hunting down Gibbs' he added quickly at her look.
'So?' Ziva shrugged, still annoyed but then her expression changed as she made a connection to his words and the grin on his face. 'Oh' she said and looked away, almost as if to conceal a blush.
Nathan stared nervously out of the car window, remembering how Gibbs had said there would be three trustworthy people with them so he felt rather calm but nervous all the same.
'Where are we?' he asked worriedly as they parked outside a very unfamiliar apartment building.
'Picking up McGee, you don't mind do you?' Gibbs asked casually, falling into a parental mode but felt he was more than a grandparent to Nathan than anything else as Tony was like an annoying son to him and Ziva a independant daughter that not-so-recently became a member of their family.
The boy just shrugged and said nothing until McGee got into the car with his overnight bags and greeted the boy rather cheerfully.
Gibbs then picked up dinner for five and drove home, where McGee helped Nathan with his bags and tried to hide his shock that Ziva had actually given her son up for the night and that Gibbs was still breathing.
Just as the small group were heading towards the house, another dark car parked outside and non-other than FBI Agent Fornell got out.
'You're late, Tobias' Gibbs smirked at him.
'None-sense, with your driving?' Fornell smirked back and as Gibbs raised his hand to the doorknob it opened to reveal Abby with a large smile plastered all over her face.
'Good evening, I wish to welcome you to the house of Gibbs' Abby said and moved aside to let everyone in. 'You're late' she added to Fornell, making Gibbs smile humorously at the look on the FBI Agent's face.
After the group settled to eat, Nathan found himself calming down while the worry began to ease off and before long he was rather enjoying himself. He listened to Abby's jokes and McGee comments, and then Fornell talking about his daughter until Gibbs changed the subject to boats and the others complained. Nathan waited until Abby was finished talking about something he didn't understand before he took the chance to bring up a topic of his own., now feeling more confident with being a part of the group.
The pizza was long-gone and the movies had ended; now Ziva and Tony sat curled up on the couch under a warm rug with their only light being the TV and a dull lamp on the end table.
'Tell me something personal' Tony then said to Ziva, breaking the silence. 'Something no one else knows about you'.
'And what do you wish to do with this information?' Ziva eyed him suspiciously.
'Laugh, mock…' Tony joked but then raised his eyebrows at her. 'I won't tell'.
'I do not believe you' Ziva replied but took a breath but tried to think of something as Tony shifted on the couch to get more comfortable. Ziva ran through many memories that no one knew about her but had trouble selecting one in particular so decided on something that would be more useful to Tony rather than the more darker parts of her past. 'I do not want to leave America' she said and he looked momentarily surprised but remained listening. 'I prefer NCIS to Mossad'.
'You do?' Tony wasn't expecting to hear that but knew what she was doing: telling him something she hadn't told anyone else but not in relation to her past or directly related to herself but more involving the things around her. 'Alright…let's play 20-questions' he changed his mind.
'What is that?' Ziva wondered.
'We ask each other 20 questions in turns and each of us have to answer them all honestly but with "yes" or "no" responses only' he said and noticed her nervous look but felt relieved when she nodded in agreement.
'I will start' Ziva said quickly, beating him to it. 'Did you join NCIS for a reason other than justice?'
'Yes' Tony shrugged after thinking about it for a moment. 'Can you really dance?'
'Yes' Ziva replied, thinking his answer over but brushed the possibilities aside. 'Did you really lose your virginity at the age of 15?'
'Yes' Tony replied and frowned at the weird question. 'I feel you're at an advantage though, being a Mossad lie-detector and all' he sighed. 'Um , Do you really hate you father?'
Ziva's jaw clenched slightly at that question and her eyes narrowed as she answered slowly. 'Yes…' she said and redirected the same question at him, now feeling that while "20 questions" weren't enough it could also turn out to be too many.
--
But after leaving the topic of their fathers, the pair turned to ask lighter questions and it did become quite fun and educational by the time they reached the last few.
'Have you even fallen in love, before me?' Ziva asked but still had a little trouble reminding herself that Tony did love her; his name and that word did not usually fall into the same sentence.
'Yes' Tony said and pondered on his next question carefully. 'Do you ever think about our future?'
Ziva stared at his expression and saw it wasn't just a curious question for him, there was something else hidden in his gaze but she could not identify it…he was getting better at slipping through her "lie detector" as he called it. 'Yes' she replied and noticed they seldom answered anything with "no".
Tony breathed a little in relief that he wasn't the only one but felt a little busted as he heard her next question…her last question.
'Do you think that one day you will consider Nathan as your son?' Ziva asked, taking advantage of the fact that the questions had to be answered honestly.
'No' Tony told her and she looked a bit shocked but mostly annoyed, as though he'd rudely rejected her for something so he knew he had to elaborate. 'I already do'.
'What?' Ziva's eyes widened in surprise. 'You do? Since when?'
'I don't know' Tony said a bit too quickly and she frowned.
'You are lying' she observed.
'Your 20-questions were up' Tony side-stepped her statement and asked his last question but felt he needed to redirect away from the previous one before a sudden thought occurred to him and he was filled with curiosity and a mixture of other less-pleasant emotions. 'Do you hate Ari for what he has done, even though he was your brother?'
Ziva wondered why he'd asked that but glanced away and really had to think about that one. 'I do not know' she replied. 'I did not know Kate, but I do not like that he…shot her. He helped me find Nathan until our father intervened and he also tried to shoot Gibbs. But he was my brother. I cannot answer that question, it is both. Why do you ask?'
'Just the way Nathan talks about him' Tony shrugged and shifted on the couch again, making himself inches closer to Ziva as she'd showered recently and he could smell a flowery scent in her hair that was rather enchanting along with the deep stare they seemed to be sharing.
'He is a child and does not understand' Ziva replied and changed the topic barely a second later. 'It is past his bedtime, he did not call' she said a little sadly.
'Maybe he didn't need to' Tony replied, brushing some hair behind her ears that had fallen over her deep hazel eyes.
Ziva's breathing changed pattern slightly at his touch, feeling Goosebumps spreading down her neck and arms under his intense stare and softness of his hands. She lost her thread of thought and tried not to calculate how long it had been since she had slept with someone but then had to also not work out how long it had been for Tony as well. Ziva felt she was doing something wrong by pushing aside the worry she had for her son as Tony read the need in her eyes and moved even closer so there was little room between them and the blanket slipped off them onto the floor.
'You know…we can sleep in tomorrow' Tony said, his breath sending shivers down her spine as he whispered against the side of her cheek. It surprised her as well because normally she could control her responses to everything but there was something about Tony that just seemed so different to any other man she'd encountered. Perhaps she was right in considering him her soul mate?
'That is true' she said as her hands snaked up his chest and then wrapped around his neck, moments before his lips came crashing down onto hers and the passion erupted between them but Tony pulled away and stood up, pulling Ziva with him.
Ziva did not like the idea of being carried to the bedroom but realized that if he didn't then they would end up making love on the couch or floor and a bed would be more desirable. As he dropped her lightly on their bed and then gently landed over her with a mischievous grin, the lack of sexual activity began to override their senses and in and instance their lips had contacted again while the hands fumbled with clothing and their lungs fought for oxygen.
It was already past 10:30pm at night when Fornell and Gibbs broke off their conversation about the kidnappers and looked over from the table to the living room where the other three members of their group were. McGee had his head rested back against the couch while Abby lay curled up beside him and was using his lap acting as her pillow. Seated on the floor in front of them in his blue pyjamas sat Nathan as he continued to watch a movie on Abby's portable DVD player. The elder men shared an amused look as the boy seemed a bit tired judging by the darkness around his eyes but sheer determination and worry kept him on full alert.
After receiving approval from Gibbs, Fornell signaled Nathan to join them and he came over, unaware of the strategy that was being put into play.
'Aren't you tired?' Fornell asked the boy as Gibbs just sipped his coffee and examined the youngster's expression.
'Nope' Nathan replied so easily that one would think he was telling the truth.
'He's learnt more from his mother than he realizes' Gibbs said so quietly that only Fornell overheard.
'Agent Gibbs was just telling me about how brave you were running away from those kidnappers' Fornell said and Nathan shifted slightly in his chair but seemed a little honored by the praise. 'And you're still being brave'.
'Thanks' Nathan replied, not sure what else to say.
Gibbs felt a bit guilty for "ambushing" Nathan like this but they had to; this boy was there only link to the kidnappers and with all the secrets he was keeping...one of them was bound to help. But the longer Nathan kept them to himself the better he would get at hiding them and that worried Gibbs.
'You also helped identify the kidnappers' Fornell continued. 'But you never mentioned the man that…chased you' he phrased, referring to the man that Nathan had shot moments before being found.
'I had never seen him before' Nathan verified what the elder men had been thinking. 'And I just want you to throw them in jail' he shrugged.
'Oh believe me' Gibbs added. 'So do we' he smirked slightly and encouraged a small smile from Nathan before Fornell continued.
'How are you feeling now?' Fornell wondered as nicely as he could. 'Since we have two of them in custody, they won't be going near you ever again'.
'I know you got Bruce, who is the other one?' Nathan asked, his alertness rising even more.
'Jack' Gibbs replied.
'Oh' Nathan said, not looking surprised at all. 'He's a bit dumb'.
'More than a bit' Gibbs added, sipping his coffee to hide his smirk about how Jack was still locked in that interrogation room at NCIS and refusing to talk.
'Well I wasn't there when you told NCIS about the kidnappers, could you fill me in?' Fornell asked, hoping he wasn't pushing it too much. 'I would very much like to catch them too'.
'Will you throw them in jail?' Nathan wondered.
'Erm, yes' Fornell nodded, although he'd much rather shoot them.
'Good' Nathan nodded and thought for a moment. 'You know Bruce, big and mean…and Jack is stupid. But Jack was a driver and had the boring jobs. It's Kenny you gotta worry about, he's scary and likes to blow things up. He's Jack's brother but they fight a lot' Nathan shrugged. 'Spike is weird, he eats fruit a lot and acts odd all the time'.
'How odd?' Gibbs wondered. 'What did he do?'
'He was nice to me sometimes, but then other times he was mean; he'd help me when I was really hurt but then he'd take things from me or yell at me' Nathan shrugged. 'But like I said…Kenny is the big trouble. He puts bombs in parks and then we leave and they blow up'.
'And what about Eve?' Fornell asked, getting down to the true point of the conversation/interrogation.
Gibbs watched as Nathan tensed at the mentioning of Eve and took charge.
'Nathan, why are you afraid of her the most?' Gibbs asked, his tone softening. 'I won't tell anyone' he added, hoping the boy will open up to him.
Nathan looked hesitant and turned to Fornell suspiciously.
'I left my phone in the other room' Fornell said; picking up on the gaze and left the room to give them space.
'It'll be our secret' Gibbs added to Nathan as though nothing had happened.
Nathan lowered his gaze and thought about it for a moment and then got off his chair, walking to stand right beside Gibbs and spoke in a whisper.
'Eve isn't her real name' Nathan said, feeling scared to just be thinking about her but he trusted Gibbs, he knew that he wasn't going to get in trouble for as long as he had Gibbs, his mother, Tony or NCIS around.
'What is her real name?' Gibbs encouraged, trying not to get too hopeful but he was on the edge of a breakthrough.
Nathan sighed and then spoke even quieter. 'Agent Gibbs, I don't know why they took me away from my mama but I think Eve did it for a different reason than the others. She used to come into my room a lot...' he swallowed but built up the courage to continue. 'Sometimes she would just talk to me about stuff or teach me English and Hebrew. But other times she was mean and told me what to do before they went to blow things up. I don't like her…she's the boss' he shivered slightly but then took a deep gulp of air before letting out a shaky breath. 'Her name is…Eva and she worked with my mama before they took me away from her'.
'Wow' Tony breathed out heavily as he and Ziva lay awake sweating in their bed.
'Yes' Ziva agreed breathlessly, knowing that they were both experienced in the sexual area but wasn't so sure if that was the reason for it being a lot more than she had been expecting for her first time to sleep with Tony.
'That was…' Tony tried to talk again as he turned to rest on an elbow and stare at her.
'Indescribable' Ziva finished for him, turning to stare at him as well but didn't move.
'That's a big word for you Zee-Vah' Tony said, not sure what else to say.
'You think I can't handle a big word, Tony?' Ziva asked but her tone and look indicated she wasn't actually referring to the word she'd said.
'Oh, I believe you can handle many things' he smirked back and she rose to lean her face right in front of his
'Is that so?' she whispered and kissed his lips softly while moving her fingers over the back of his neck.
'Well, I'm still not convinced' Tony joked. 'I think I will need to see enough evidence before I can really judge-' but he never got to finished his teasing because Ziva managed to gracefully swing each her legs on either side of his hip and press him against the bed so she was now seated on top of him, staring down into his eyes with a glint of mischief.
The pair just remained still, staring at each other with smirks and teasing glances before at the same time they leaned towards the other and were once again locked into an affectionate and loving embrace as they kissed.
'The first time was great…' Tony gasped as they broke apart their lips for a moment.
'We needed it' Ziva agreed but wasn't sure if she should be annoyed or surprised as Tony regained control and flipped her back onto her back with him now on top. 'Think you can handle being in control, Tony?' she mocked slightly as he looked determined.
'Yeah' he replied and kissed down her collarbone, smirking slightly as she let out a groan when he reached her sensitive spot right at the base of her neck. 'Think you can handle me being in control?' he whispered into her ear.
'Like you said, Tony: I can handle many things' Ziva said in a sly tone and then the battle for who was to be on top for round two began…
Author's Notes: Okay so I've taken some deep breathes and the incident that lost my notes before has passed, stupid electricity-needing computer! Anyway, I utterly forget what I put here so just gonna say that you know the drill: please review! I was going to update on Wednesday but I didn't not recieve all of my reviews in my emails and thought I only got a few short ones so I waited and then discovered I hadn't received them. I will update say around...Monday? Tuesday? So yeah. If you have any questions etc please let me know! Also while this chapter gave more info to Eve, it's not exactly as much as some would like but next chapter should make up for it in that department. Plus this chapter was longer than usual.
Anyways...review and I'll update soon!
-Mel