He's sound asleep when a tiny hand smacks him in the face. He opens his eyes, and finds his fourteen month old daughter sitting in bed with him. At the edge of the bed he sees his wife. The baby squeals when she sees his eyes open.
"Da-da!"
"Good morning pretty girl," he kisses her on the cheek. He pushes her thick dark hair out of her face. Her hazel eyes stare up at him.
"Time to get up," Ziva insists.
"Five more minutes," Tony argues.
"We have to go to work."
"I just need five more minutes with my girl."
"I'll be in the kitchen," she turns, and leaves the room.
After she leaves the room he lifts the fiery little girl onto his chest.
"Good morning Maia."
"Hi," she chirps.
She lays down on his chest, with her head pressed to his heart. He lies there in silence with her, for several moments. Finally he slides out of the bed, with her on his hip. He carries her into the kitchen, and places her on the floor. She toddles over to the stove, where Ziva is standing. She wraps her arms around Ziva's bare leg.
"Mama?"
Without a word Tony trades her places. Ziva lifts the little girl off the floor, and onto her arms. She kisses face, and moves towards the table. She straps the pajama clad baby into the high chair. The little one wears a pair of pink footy pajamas. Ziva pours a handful of cheerios onto the surface of the highchair tray.
"Thank you," the little girl smiles, as her chubby fingers reach for a cheerio.
"You're welcome. Can I have one?" Ziva asks.
Maia looks at the cheerio between her thumb, and forefinger. She smiles, and puts it into her mouth.
"I love you," Ziva reminds her.
"I love," Maia answers, adding another cheerio to her own mouth.
"Can I have some?" Tony asks.
"No," she smiles sweetly.
"Ziva I am telling you we shouldn't have taught her that word. She is already using it against us."
That night, he finds Ziva in the nursery, in the rocking chair. She rocks the sleepy baby, as she reads to her. She finishes the book, and she still hasn't noticed that he's in the doorway. She clings to the little girl. Maia snuggles into her shoulder. Ziva inhales the scent of baby wash, and baby lotion. Tony clears his throat to make his presence known. She looks up, as if to tell him she already knew that he was there. She rises from the rocking chair. He meets her at the crib. She kisses the baby's chubby cheeks, and hands her to Tony. The little girl rests against his shoulder, for a few moments. He pats her, and kisses her forehead. He lays her into the crib, and covers her with her blanket.
"Night Maia," he coos, as they head for the door.
Ziva turns out the light on their way out. She follows Tony into the bedroom. He crawls in bed with her. She flips on the lamp, and reaches for her book. He flips on his lamp, but instead of reaching for a book, he just stares at her. Her hair is longer than it has been in a while. She's wearing his t-shirt, and a pair of pajama pants. She looks tired, but happy. She turns, and looks at him.
"Why are you staring at me?"
"Because I can."
"It is creepy," she reminds him.
"I was just thinking, that's all."
"About what?"
"How beautiful you are."
"I see."
"And how happy I am. I was just thinking about how grateful I am to you."
She raises an eyebrow, "For what?"
"Making me the happiest man on the planet. You turned this bachelor into a happily married man, and you gave me the most incredible little girl."
"I didn't do all of that," she argues.
"You did all of the hard work."
She smirks, "That is true."
"I love you."
"I love you too."
He smiles widely, "Yeah, but I love you more."
"I want to finish this book before bed."
"I'll just watch a movie, then," he reaches for the remote.
Her hand wraps around his wrist as he reaches over her. He stops, with his face centimeters from hers. He plants a kiss on her lips.
"Nice try," she tells him.
He leans back, and folds his arms across his chest.
"Don't pout," she warns.
"I am not pouting," he insists.
"You are."
"Do you remember when this was the last place we would have ever considered being at," he pauses to look over at the alarm clock, "nine o'clock on a Friday night?"
"Yes, it wasn't that long ago."
"But it seems like forever ago."
"Do you want to go do something? You can go do something, I don't care. You deserve that. You never ask to go anywhere. When was the last time you went to see a movie?"
"How old is Maia?" he responds.
"Take yourself to a movie."
"I am already showered, and..."
She furrows her brow, "You are the one who never wants to go anywhere. I tried to get you to go to dinner last weekend, just the two of us."
"Who would watch her?"
"I have a long list of people willing to watch her, for free."
"What if they..." he begins.
She rolls her eyes, and cuts him off, "You are more obsessive than I am."
"I just don't want anything to happen to her."
"Do you honestly think that Abby, or Gibbs are going to let anything happen to her?"
"No."
"Then next tomorrow night we are going to go out for dinner, and a movie."
"But..."
"We don't spend time together..."
He cuts her off, "We work together, every single day."
"Alone," she finishes.
"Why do we need to spend time alone without the baby?"
She gives him a devilish grin, "I thought that you wanted another baby."
His heart skips a beat, "I thought that you didn't."
"I changed my mind."