Chapter Thirty-three
They painted the room.
"I like it. It's bright, vibrant." Tim nodded as they looked over their handy work.
"Inspiring" Ziva offered softly. "I was thinking we'd make it a hobby room. We can come in here to have fun and keep this space lighthearted."
"That sounds like a great idea." Tim smiled as he wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed Ziva's temple. "We'll keep it carefree."
"We will."
They said, I do. Again.
"Ziva I swear, if you get frosting in my nose!" He warned as he took a step back.
"What about on it?" She smiled mischievously.
"Ziva" he whined.
"I'll be good if you will" she smiled brightly as she offered him the cake between her fingers.
"No you won't" he laughed, resigning himself to his fate as he took a step closer and lifted his hand toward her lips.
"No I won't" she giggled delightedly as she smashed cake into his face. Her laughter turning into a near squeal as he returned the favor and painted her cheek with frosting.
And they watched another year come and pass as they settled in to the generalities of married life.
"It won't be long, and he'll be walking." Ducky smiled as he watched Everett pull himself up with the bookcase's help.
"He's determined." Gibbs agreed, shaking his head in amusement at the way Charlotte hovered.
"It takes determination to make it around here." Ducky hummed as he listened to the party sounds echoing around his house. He was delighted that they had granted him the privilege of hosting a birthday party for the boy.
Gibbs nodded in agreement as he watched Abby shake a stuffed car in an attempt to entice her "baby boo" into walking her way. "You know," Gibbs lifted his cup from the coffee table. "There was a rough minute there where I wasn't sure if they would make it."
"Nonsense" Ducky chided as he lifted a coffee mug. "It was never a question of if, it was only a matter of when."
"You've gotta bottle that optimism Duck." Gibbs shook his head with a smirk.
"I think they found their own." Ducky smiled as Tony joined his family on the floor.
The man had had a rough go of things. After his son's birth he'd bottled everything up tightly, too tightly, and when no more would fit, he burst. Only he didn't have the strength to piece himself together again. It was then that Ducky found him at his door, broken and begging for advice. It was then that he realized they'd all ignored the signs as Tony spiraled to his breaking point. It brought him guilt, but that guilt was well served as he used it to help his friend.
A new morning, a few phone calls, and a night of convincing had Tony starting anew. He didn't like the stigma that came with mental illness, but he knew that his anxiety and depression were worsening, they were crippling him, and so he sought treatment. They could all agree that it was the best decision he'd made and though he still had hard days he was no longer seized by panic and they all witnessed as he slowly came back to life. As he transformed into a loving boyfriend, a proud father, and an overall happy man.
"Well while they're finding things, I hope they're finding space for all those toys." Gibbs couldn't help but eye the overflowing gift table once more.
"The shame of it is the lad will be happier with the package then he will the prize." The simplicity of a child was enviable.
"He's got some decent sized boxes; we could probably make a boat." Gibbs surmised. Everett was finally reaching the age of true interaction and he was genuinely looking forward to helping the boy's imagination come to life.
"Or a car" Ducky suggested but Jethro's expression was displeased so he conceded, "Though I'm sure he'd prefer the boat."
"I think right now we'd all prefer dinner Duck." He reminded the older man of his extended invitation. The official festivities had ended over an hour ago and all of their guests had long left, but the group of them had agreed to close the night with dinner and drinks.
"Hmmm" Ducky hummed as he glanced over his shoulder to the kitchen. "Do you suppose it's the Palmer's or the McGee's who've kept us waiting?"
"Only one way to find out." With that Gibbs headed for the kitchen.
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"You've outdone yourself this time Breena." Ducky toasted.
"I had plenty of help." She smiled as dishes were passed around.
"She's being modest." Ziva corrected, cooking was not her forte and the boys had to combine efforts to get the salad mixed together. Breena definitely deserved the credit.
"Either way, it's lovely." Ducky settled as they all started in on their meal and small talk began. Work, vacations, family, and the day to day were all discussed until finally their dinner reached its end and the topic turned back to the day's celebration.
"Mentioning presents" Abby took the end of Charlotte's sentence and steered it to the beginning of her announcement. "We may have gotten a few things to mark another special occasion around here." With that she opened the cabinet to retrieve a gift bag and a 'Happy Anniversary' balloon.
"Seeing as you have two anniversaries now, we weren't sure which one you'd choose to celebrate so we kind of chose for you." Jimmy explained as he pulled an envelope from his breast pocket.
"Yeah, so don't expect another gift in September."
"Thanks Tony" Tim shook his head in amusement as he watched his friend struggle with a squirming baby.
"Traditionally, paper is the gift of choice for ones first year of marriage so to honor tradition we followed that theme." Ducky announced as he retrieved an envelope of his own.
"Here, start with mine" Abby offered excitedly.
"You really shouldn't have" Still, Ziva accepted the gift.
" 'So You've Survived the First Year: A Guide to Marriage Management' " Tim read the title of the book Ziva showed him.
"Interesting choice there Abs" Gibbs shook his head in disbelief.
"Thank-you" Ziva smiled.
"I'm sure it'll be a great read." Tim offered a hug much to Abby's delight.
"This place is terrific" Jimmy announced as he passed McGee the envelope. Within was a certificate to a spa and it wasn't long before Breena was echoing her husband's sentiment and saying, "The massages there are fantastic."
"That'll be a nice way to finish out a rough week."
"Like last week" Tony began a sigh that echoed around the table.
"Perhaps you can make a day of it: A night on the town from me." Ducky offered his gift complete with dinner reservations and show tickets.
"This is too kind of you." Ziva smiled gratefully as she passed the theatre tickets to her husband.
"It really is," Tim agreed in the slightest bit of disbelief. "We weren't expecting a thing. So, for you to have done this…"
"Alright, Alright, lets keep the speeches to a minimum." Tony interrupted what was quickly turning in to an emotional moment. "At least until the birthday boy can understand them."
"Actually, it's not a speech but…" Tim looked to Ziva for confirmation before returning his attention to the full table. "We do have something we've been wanting to announce."
"It's not another wedding is it? Because I got to tell ya' McGee, those things start getting tacky after two." Tony quipped, much to everyone's amusement.
"It's not another wedding Tony, but I am waiting for the invitation to yours." McGee shot back, amused at the panicked look that crossed his best friend's face.
"I'd need a blow torch to defrost those cold feet of his." Charlotte huffed in good humor. "So in the meantime, how about you finish the announcement he so rudely interrupted."
"I didn't interrupt it." Tony denied. "He hadn't even started yet."
"And there you go interrupting again!"
"We'll if you ever do get married, you've got the squabbling down pat." Breena snickered.
"We don't squabble." Jimmy protested.
"Every couple squabbles Mr. Palmer." Ducky assured over the slight ruckus that had started up.
"Well we don't" Jimmy once more began to deny but before he could truly refute the claim he was silenced by a piercing whistle.
"As interesting as this is," Gibbs offered sarcastically as the chatter died out. "I believe McGee was attempting to say something." All eyes turned to the aforementioned man and with a slight nod Gibbs encouraged, "Go ahead McGee."
"Well" he found himself suddenly nervous under such scrutiny and was more than thankful for his wife when she noted his discomfort and picked up for him. "As we all know, the last few years have been a roller coaster of the unexpected. Some of it was pleasant and some of it not so much, and if you're anything like Tim or I, you've all but reached your tolerance for surprises."
"You're rambling babe" Tim murmured softly as he squeezed her knee in reassurance.
"I'm nervous" She barely exhaled before steeling herself and stating, "What I'm trying to say is that after all of that we've figured some advanced notice would be appreciated before the next life changing event."
"We wanted to offer everyone a little foresight for a change." Tim agreed.
"So, this is our warning to be prepared for a future surprise so that we're not surprised?" Abby's words twisted into as much of a question as her face.
"No" Ziva shook her head even as she smiled over at Everett who was squealing and trying to move Tony's place setting to the floor.
"This is us informing you of a decision we've made and hoping that in turn you'll each be there to help and support us along the way." Tim smiled as Tony and Ziva stood, an excited Everett being passed across the table.
"If it's a support system you need, you've got it." Palmer nodded as he wondered, along with everyone else, what they were so hesitant to name.
"Thank you Jim" Ziva's smile only grew brighter as she cuddled Everett close, his fingers wrapped around hers. "Timothy and I have been discussing our future quite a bit lately and though we haven't made any definite decisions yet, we have agreed that we would like to start a family of our own."
"Oh my gosh" Charlotte near swooned as she placed her hands over her heart. "You guys are going to have adorable kids. You're already so good with Everett. You're going to be great parents." Abby nodded fiercely in agreement as her hands clapped quickly and she repeated, "Yes, yes, yes!"
"There's no escaping it, I'm going to catch baby fever." Breena joked.
"Keep your distance and I'll get you an antipyretic." Jimmy offered seriously as Ducky shook his head.
"I've got to say, I'm not sure if you're supposed to congratulate an intent or not."
"I think it's more of a, Good luck getting pregnant, kind of thing boss" Tony explained even as he turned to Ziva and offered more sincerely, "You've got my best wishes with you Ziva."
"Thank you, but like I said, we haven't reached any final decisions yet." Ziva reminded as she bounced Everett slightly.
"Meaning" Tim immediately began to clarify. "We've agreed to start a family, but not necessarily how we'll be starting that family. We still aren't sure if pregnancy is the best route for us. There are a lot of options we're still considering and we want to have a few discussions with our councilor before making any final decisions. We have decided however, that no matter what the method we're going to begin the process this year."
"I'm so excited for yous." Charlotte beamed as Abby echoed, "So excited! Don't you worry about a thing! We'll support you in whatever you need. Medical advice, organization research, anything, just name it. We're all ears!"
"Indeed" Ducky agreed. "No matter the method, I think we all agree that we wish you well in this endeavor and when the time comes there will be more than enough space at this table for a broadened brood."
"To a bigger brood" Gibbs lifted his glass with a quirked brow, laughter echoing around that Ziva's thoughts easily drifted in as more glasses were lifted in toast.
This was right. This was their family and she would gladly expand it. She was content in it and that feeling only grew as her husband draped an arm around her. His warmth as comforting as the voices in her ears and the weight in her arms. She had been given a second chance and she knew it was one she wouldn't regret.