"Eva's got both PT and OT today. You coming with us? We could take her to the park afterward."

"It's tempting, but the yard's not going to mow itself and I want to get the new plants in before it starts to rain." Tim looked out at the flats of pansies they'd bought a few days ago. "How about you call me before you head to the park and if I've got enough done, you can swing by and pick me up?"

"Sounds good."

Despite his words, Tony looked a little cautious, but Tim understood. They'd been practically joined at the hip these last few months, but he was tired of living in fear. "I'll be fine. Gibbs can be through the fence in just a few seconds and we've got our codes."

"All right, just don't be afraid to use them, okay?" Tony scooped Eva up and took the diaper bag when Tim handed it over. "After her appointments are done, we'll plan on coming by to pick you up. We'll grab some lunch and then go to the park. Maybe Gibbs will come with us, too."

"Maybe. Call before you leave the clinic." Tim smiled and waved as he watched them leave. Yes, he could go with them. Yes, he could call Gibbs and Gibbs would drop everything to come over, but it was time to start taking back his life. He'd managed a few minutes here and there, today he could handle a full morning. He would handle a full morning.

-NCIS-

For the most part, McGee's front yard was pretty low maintenance – a lawn surrounded by lush beds. After that first month when he'd dyed the lawn there'd been a silent competition between the various neighbors on the street and Tim was very pleased that his yard was always one of the better looking yards on the block.

Grass mowed, he started on the beds. The more plants he had there, the less room there was for weeds, but he still had to pull a few right along the edge. An unfamiliar car came down the street, catching his attention and Tim shifted slightly. Squatting instead of being down on his hands and knees gave him more speed if he needed to move quickly. The car slowed down and pulled up along the curb in front of the house and he stood, making sure his lightweight jacket was covering the weapon tucked against his back. The driver got out and Tim felt the breath catch in his throat.

"Oh, my God, Ziva? We thought you were dead." Stepping closer, he pulled her into a hug. "Where were you? What happened to you?

"Where is my daughter?"

Instantly suspicious, Tim let go and stepped back, giving her a careful look. "Why did you just leave her at the hospital like that, Ziva? Why didn't you tell Tony when you first found out you were pregnant?" Staring at her, hoping for some sort of answers, he slid his hand into his pocket. They'd set up a series of text warning codes, memorized sending them without ever looking. The hope had been to never need them, but today he was grateful he had them. "After all this time, why now?"

"If Tony can handle it, then her difficulties must not be too extreme. It is time she came home to Israel with me."

"Umm, no, Tony is her father."

"And I am her mother, McGee."

He shook his head. "No, I mean legally. Both in Israel and here in the US, Tony went to court and got full legal custody. Let me know what hotel you're staying at and I'll make sure to pass the message along."

"You have no right to keep her from me."

"Me? No, I don't, but Tony has every right in the world." For a minute he thought she was going to physically attack him, but then she turned and stormed off without giving him any information.

-NCIS-

Gibbs had his trusty old lawn mower out and was starting the task of cleaning up his yard. Summer was just around the corner and he couldn't remember the last time his place looked so neglected. He enjoyed every moment he was with the boys and his granddaughter, and was glad to help with their safety, but if he didn't get the lawn back in shape, he'd have to borrow a herd of goats.

With the vibration of the mower, he almost missed it when his phone buzzed in his pocket, but quickly grabbed it. He stared at the string of letters, then dropped the handle of the mower, killing the engine. Sprinting into and through his house, he jammed his SIG into his waistband.

Nothing was out of place in McGee's back yard, so Gibbs slipped in the back door as he pulled his weapon. He cleared the main floor and when he reached the living room he saw Ziva out front with McGee.

His phone rang and he answered it quickly as he watched the confrontation brewing outside, not giving his caller time to say anything. "Stay in a populated area. I'll call you back when it's clear."

Boss?

"Just do it, DiNozzo." Gibbs didn't wait for a confirmation as he closed his phone. Tucking his gun back into his waistband, Gibbs tugged his shirt loose to cover it and went outside as the discussion between McGee and Ziva heated up.

"You have no right to keep her from me."

"Me? No, I don't, but Tony has every right in the world."

Gibbs saw Ziva clench her hand into a fist as he stepped closer. She looked over Tim's shoulder and her eyes went wide. He put every ounce of fury he was feeling into his eyes. All these months and not a word, not an indication that she was even alive. Now she just showed up, trying to make demands, trying to take Tony's little girl away, possibly out of the country? Hell, no, not on his watch. Before he could say a word, she turned and fled.

When the car burned rubber away from the curb and whipped around the corner, Gibbs turned his attention to McGee, taking his arm. Tim was trembling, which isn't a surprise, he was probably shaking a little bit, too.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, she just caught me off guard." Tim turned to look directly at Gibbs. "How did she know to come here?"

"That's a damned good question." Gibbs whipped out his phone and hit the contact button for DiNozzo. It was answered on the first ring.

What the hell is going on, Gibbs?

"Where are you?"

We're at the mall by the clinic.

"Go to the Yard, we'll meet you there. Don't let anyone stop you." As soon as he disconnected, Gibbs was making a second call, this time to the Gunnery Sergeant that was in charge of gate security at the Yard. "It's Gibbs, got a situation. Former agent Ziva David might be trying to get aboard the Yard. Even if she doesn't have a gun, consider her armed and dangerous. Full escort of your best men. Thanks, Dom, I owe you."

This time he did put his phone away. "Lock up and let's go."

-NCIS-

Vance had hoped to spend the day catching up on reports. The kids were both at friends' houses, so he'd come in early, dressed in jeans and a sweater Jackie had given him the last Christmas she was alive. It was supposed to be just him, his favorite doughnuts and his favorite music. Now he had DiNozzo in his office, pacing in circles, Eva picking up on his stress.

"Was it his dad?"

"I don't know. All I know is that Tim sent out the alarm, then Gibbs told me to stay where there would be witnesses. Then I got a call from him to come straight here and not let anyone stop me."

The desk phone rang and Vance answered it with DiNozzo hovering over him. It was Randall, the weekend guard.

Agents Gibbs and McGee are on their way up, Sir. I let them know Agent DiNozzo was waiting for them in your office.

"Thank you, Randall." He set the handset back in the cradle. "Whatever's going on, we'll know in a minute."

When the door opened, Vance expected DiNozzo to head straight for Gibbs. Instead, he stopped in front of McGee, reaching out to touch his arm. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Judging from his expression, that was a lie, but Vance stayed quiet and let them sort it out.

Gibbs told them what McGee did not. "Ziva showed up at the house, demanded Eva."

"What?" Tony stared at him for a moment. "You mean, after all this time, she just showed up and thought I would hand my daughter over?"

"Looks that way."

When Gibbs answered, McGee finally became animated. "I need my computer." He left without another word and they could hear his footsteps as he jogged down the stairs. Gibbs and DiNozzo looked at each other before they looked at Vance. Without anything else being said, they all followed McGee down to the squad room.

McGee was already at his computer, his fingers flying across the keyboard, so Vance reached out and touched Tony's arm. "Call your lawyer, make sure your custody is air-tight." Tony nodded and handed Eva over to Gibbs as he pulled out his phone. Since it was a Saturday, Vance expected him to leave a message with an answering service or on a machine, but he was talking to a real person within a minute.

Tim jumped up, his chair flying backwards. "I shouldn't be doing this here. I'll go home and..."

'Why?' was on the tip of his tongue, but then Vance realized that he was hacking into something to find out what she was up to. "It's okay, keep going." He went right back at it, not even bothering to right his chair. A few moments later, he straightened up.

"She flew into DC this morning, cleared customs at 0845, rented a car and drove straight to my house." A significant look passed between Gibbs and McGee. Tony caught on before Vance did.

"How'd she know?"

"Exactly what we were wondering, DiNozzo."

Tony still had his phone out from calling his lawyer. This time it rang several times before it was picked up and he put it on speaker.

Hello?

"Hey, Abs, you haven't talked to Ziva by any chance, have you?"

Ziva? No, but if I had, I would have given her a piece of my mind. Leaving her baby like that... I mean, Eva's so much better off with you and Timmy, but still... Why are you asking?

"Because she showed up at McGee's house, expecting him to just hand Eva over."

What? You're going to fight her, aren't you?

"Damn straight I am."

The phone call ended, but Vance was watching McGee. He was back at it with his computer, this time it was serious enough that he'd retrieved his chair. Judging from the background of the page he was scanning, he'd managed to get into Mossad. Vance was pretty sure he'd be hearing about this later, but his level of caring would be decided by what McGee found. "Well?"

"She's back on the payroll at Mossad, has been for quite a while."

Vance realized that he had never really seen DiNozzo mad before, not until now. "What? She thinks she wants to play mommy between assassinations? Not going to happen, not to my little girl." Tony took Eva back from Gibbs. "Come on, Hofstadter is meeting us at his office in thirty minutes."

"Do you want Eva to stay with me? Lara's at the house, she'd be more than happy to keep an eye on her."

Tony's arms tightened around Eva. "No. Thanks, but she's staying with me." Under the circumstances, Vance could totally understand that.

They had to wait a few minutes while McGee covered his online tracks, then the three men left. Vance returned to his office, but he'd lost his taste for the new album, the doughnuts were sitting like rocks in his stomach and he had no real interest in reading about a joint cyber-task force. Instead, he sat down and picked up Jackie's picture from his desk. "God, I miss you, Baby."

-NCIS-

The coffee was on and Nick Hofstadter already had the court records out on his desk. "The custody case was rock solid and her arrival shouldn't change that, but my biggest concern is that she could attempt to 'settle' for visitation rights. Other than Eva, she has no remaining ties in this country."

"You're thinking she could leave the country with Eva."

Hofstadter leaned forward, his elbows resting on the desk. "You tell me. How far would she go to get what she wants?"

Tony closed his eyes briefly as he remembered certain moments in their history, staring down the barrel of her gun was one of the first that came to mind. "Too far. So, what do we do?"

"I'm going to suggest that we be very proactive. Let's not wait for the courts to order a home study, let's go ahead and do it now. Let's line up all her therapists and doctors and show just how much progress she's made since you brought her home from Israel."

"Investigate her?"

There was no hesitation in answering McGee's question. "Yes, absolutely. Why did she abandon her child in the first place? Why does she want Eva back now? The more we know, the stronger we'll be in court if it comes to that."

-NCIS-

Back at the house, Gibbs ordered a pizza, reminding them that they had to eat and Eva needed her routine. There was no arguing with that and while Tony paced, Tim fed her sweet potatoes and some ground up chicken. She'd always hated the strained meat, but grinding up meat that they cooked themselves seemed to be a bigger hit with the picky eater. "That's my girl. You eat all of this and you can have a piece of crust to chew on. See if we can get a few more of those teeth to break through."

Eva grinned and wrinkled her nose at him and when Tim leaned closer, she grabbed his cheeks with sweet potato covered hands.

"Oh, yuck, Eva." Tim grabbed her hands to minimize the damage.

Behind him, Tony laughed and wet a wash cloth. "Did Uncle Timmy make a mess?" Still grinning at his daughter, Tony wiped down Tim's cheeks before tackling her hands, getting each chubby wrinkle washed out.

Watching the three of them had become a secretly favorite pastime for Gibbs and looking at this family he couldn't imagine anyone breaking them up. Unfortunately, the reality of their job showed just how often wrong prevailed. When Tony's phone finally rang, he was ready to move.

Tony looked at the display. "Don't recognize the number."

"Probably her, let's see what she wants." Gibbs leaned close so he could hear without having any of the tell-tale signs of the phone being on speaker.

Tony took a deep breath, looking at McGee and Gibbs, and answered the call. "This is Tony."

Hello, Tony.

"Ziva. I heard you visited McGee today."

I was hoping to see you and our child.

"Really? After all this time, we became important to you?"

Tony, you've always been important to me.

At one time that throaty little purr would always get to Tony, they all knew it. Now, Gibbs saw an annoyed look cross Tony's face. "What do you want, Ziva?"

Why not start with something simple, like dinner? Gibbs nodded, they needed more information. How about Nostos? Gibbs shook his head. Their territory, not hers.

"Umm, not really in the mood for Greek, how about Taylor's at 1800?"

Fine. They could hear the tenseness in her voice before the call was quickly disconnected.

Gibbs pulled out his phone. "Hey, Bishop, put on a fancy dress. You and your husband are going out to dinner."

-NCIS-

Tony adjusted the wire slightly so that it wouldn't show as he sat at the restaurant, waiting for Ziva to arrive. Ellie and her husband were a few tables over; close enough to hear, but far enough away to not be too obvious.

Another new hire was busing tables and Dorney, along with several other agents were out of sight in case there was trouble. If it weren't for the lack of Gibbs and McGee, it would be like any other op. Movement at the door caught his eye and he saw Ziva walk in.

Dressed for seduction, she caught the eye of almost every man in the restaurant. Time, distance and a new view on life gave Tony the ability to look at her from a more clinical approach. There was a hardness to her now that the make-up and designer clothes didn't quite cover.

"Hello, Tony, you are looking wonderful." She leaned close and kissed his cheek.

"Beautiful as always, Miss David." Tony didn't respond past that and eventually she got the hint and sat down, the host helping her with her chair.

Orders were placed and wine poured before their waiter slipped away. Tony wet his lips with the wine as he watched Ziva down almost half the glass before she set it back down. "Nervous?"

"Should I be?"

"A lot of people would think so." Tony just stared at her for a moment. So many questions were running through his head, what to ask first? "Why?"

"Excuse me?"

"Why?" He was as interested in how she would interpret the question as he was in how she would answer it.

"I couldn't watch another family member die, Tony. I just couldn't."

The same basic answer Ben-Gidion had given when they'd arrived in Israel. That was interesting. It was a good answer and up until a few months ago, he would have bought it. Somewhere along the way, however, things had changed – he had changed. 'I'm not buying it' – the words were on the tip of his tongue, but he held them. Information, they needed information. "So, where have you been since you left the hospital?"

"I've been traveling, singing in clubs. Morocco, Istanbul, Nicosia, all over."

The same cover she'd used before, that was also interesting. "And now?"

"I realized how much I missed you." She reached out and rubbed her fingertips across the back of his hand. "How much I missed us."

It was all Tony could do not to jerk his hand away and scrub it on the tablecloth. "So, does that mean you're in DC to stay? Gonna try to get your old job back?"

"Can we start again, Tony? Just the three of us, someplace new."

"Just the three of us? Someplace new?"

She had gall, he'd give her that. Sure, someplace away from the team, he'd wake up some morning and Ziva and Eva would be gone – or worse, he'd have his throat slit and wouldn't wake up. She was smiling at him now, leaning forward even more and using her arms to push her boobs up. He didn't want to be here with her, he wanted to be home, playing with Eva and teasing McGee.

"I wanted to do that almost two years ago, Ziva. I never got a straight answer then either." He stood and tossed his napkin on the table. "Tell you what, when you decide what exactly you're doing here, give my lawyer a call. My daughter's life is here and she and I aren't going anywhere."

"Tony..."

"No." Leaning into her face, he planted his fists on the table. "What's her name?"

"What?"

"It shouldn't be that complicated, Ziva. What is the name of our daughter?" She stumbled over her answer and he pounced. "Yeah, I didn't think so. Her name is Eva Grace, she loves bananas and bubble baths and her current favorite toy is a stuffed bunny Uncle Tim gave her, named Boo-Bee. The people in her life know that and you're nothing but a stranger."

The pretext of seduction gone, Ziva's voice became hard. "You cannot keep my daughter from me, Tony."

"You've already abandoned her once, Ziva, and I'm not letting you hurt her again. You're going to have to prove yourself to me before I let you near her." Finished, he tossed some money on the table and stormed out, seeing her throw her napkin at his chair as he went out the door.

-NCIS-

Gibbs was giving Eva slices of banana, watching her squeeze them between her fingers and slurping them up. He was also watching Tim pace in the family room. There was no doubt that Tim was scared, but he was pretty sure the fear had more to do with family than any possible threat, even though the possibility of a threat was why he was here with Tim and Eva and not at the restaurant with DiNozzo. "Tony won't do anything stupid."

Judging from the flinch, he'd been right and Tim shook his head. "They've got a history together, Boss, and she is Eva's mother."

For all his brains, McGee could be so dense sometimes. Gibbs stood and lifted Eva out of the high chair and handed her to McGee, sticky fingers and all. Months of experience let him set her on his hip and easily wash her hands before taking her upstairs for her bedtime routine. Gibbs followed him, leaning on the bedroom door. "So, she gave birth to Eva. How many times has she put her to bed? Read her a bedtime story? Rocked her when she was sick? You're more of a mother to Eva than Ziva ever will be."

"Maybe." Tim sat down in the rocking chair with Eva and kissed the top of her head. "But eventually Tony will find someone to love. Then..." Tim's voice trailed off and he shook his head.

Gibbs wasn't one for platitudes so he didn't say anything as he laid a comforting hand on Tim's shoulder. If only Tony could fully move past the preconceived notions about life and love, but he couldn't push them along that path, only wait for one of them to make a move.

-NCIS-

Tony pulled the Prius into the driveway and left it there, eager to be home before Eva's bedtime. Once inside, he heard McGee's voice in the familiar cadence of the current favorite story, The Hungry Caterpillar. Smiling, and feeling the tension slipping away, he crept up the stairs. The story was just ending as he stepped into the room so he joined McGee at the side of the crib.

Wanting to reconnect with his family, Tony wrapped an arm around Tim and kissed Eva's head. She wasn't quite asleep, but she was pretty close. Tim smiled at him and quietly transferred Eva from his shoulder to Tony's. She burrowed her face against his chest and he just held on, enjoying the moment before he laid her down.

They had things to talk about and it wasn't a conversation for in front of his little girl, even if she wasn't old enough to understand the words. Tony smoothed the blanket over her and watched for a moment before leading them downstairs.

-NCIS-

"Did you eat?"

"I was at a restaurant, McGee." Tim gave him that look and Tony rolled his eyes. "Okay. No, I didn't eat."

Tim turned toward the kitchen, presumably to get Tony some food, just as headlights flashed in the front window. They were cautious, until they saw it was Bishop's car. Her husband stayed behind the wheel as she came up to the door with a bag.

Gibbs unlocked the door. "Bishop?"

"Here, he paid for it, somebody might as well eat it. And don't worry, she never had a chance to touch it."

She was gone in a flash and Tony tried to grin. "Hey, it's Bishop. She never misses when it comes to food. So, did McGee actually eat or just cut his food into microscopic pieces?"

Gibbs didn't answer but when they sat at the kitchen table he set a Styrofoam box in front of both he and Tim. Once the boxes were opened Tony realized he'd automatically ordered McGee's favorite for Ziva. Good thing they hadn't made it to actually eating, she hated linguine with the clam sauce, but there was something about watching McGee forget his fears for a few minutes and dig in that put a warm feeling in Tony's stomach.

They'd listen to the tape tomorrow, for now Tony just gave them the basics. "She was pretending like she just wanted to pick up where we left off, like abandoning Eva was nothing more than leaving her with a sitter for an afternoon. I'm done with her. Everything from this point on will go through our lawyers."

"Does she have one?" Tim held out a bread stick. It was barely browned, which Tony preferred. He checked the two in his box and found the darkest one to trade.

"Don't know, don't care. He handed Tim the darker bread stick, dipping the lighter one in the clam sauce before pulling his hand back. "You want some, Boss? Hey!" Tony gave a half-hearted swat at Tim's hand when he snuck a bite of Tony's lasagna.

"Nah, I actually ate dinner when it was dinner time." Gibbs was grinning and shaking his head.

"Okay." For the life of him, Tony couldn't figure out what Gibbs found so funny as he scooped up a little more of the clam sauce from Tim's box.

As had become their routine, Gibbs stood outside the back door, watching as they set the alarm. It was only when he saw the flashing light on the control panel that he returned home for the evening. Once it was the two of them, Tony turned very serious and stepped closer to Tim.

"I'm not sure how to define us," he waved his fingers between the two of them, "but the three of us," this time the wave was wider as he pointed up to Eva's room. "We're a family and she's not breaking that apart, okay?"

"Okay."

If he'd had any doubt, the relieved tone to Tim's voice would have told him how worried he'd been. "Good. Now, we need to know everything she's been up to, everyplace she's been, everything she's done."

"Don't worry. By the time I'm done, we'll know everything about what she's been doing since she fell off the grid."