Chapter 2
Additions
July 2016
~~at the Hotel, Cairo, Egypt~~
Tony, Ziva and Tali had been spending the last two months in Cairo, bouncing from hotel to hotel, making sure that every time they went out on the streets, to dress and travel discreetly as they explored the city. Still, they managed to visit a few tourist destinations to make the wait more bearable, and enjoyable especially for Tali. As they stayed in a hotel room that had a clear view of the pyramids off in the distance, they waited for word as to when the all-clear would be given. As they sat at the table near the window, Ziva pushed the plate that she'd just finished away from her on the table, then looked out the window, smiling slightly at the sight of the pyramids, the hustle and bustle on the streets below.
"You done with that, hon?" Tony asked, snapping her out of her thoughts. He reached for Ziva's plate.
Ziva turned back to Tony and nodded. "Yeah, I'm done. I need to clean Tali up now. Looks like she's done eating, is that right?" She turned to Tali and smiled with the last remark.
"Me done!" Tali smiled and held her arms up high for Ziva to pick her up.
Ziva smiled and picked Tali up off the high-chair and cradled her and said, "Okay, let's get you cleaned up." She turned and walked the short distance toward the bedroom, where she could get Tali cleaned up and ready for the day.
"I'll clear off the table," Tony said to Ziva's retreating figure and started gathering up the plates and glasses and bringing them to the kitchenette, where he could start doing the dishes.
Ziva turned back to Tony and smiled. "That'll be wonderful. I'll be back when I'm done with Tali."
Moments later, Ziva came out with Tali, who was now wearing a clean set of clothes. Tali looked up at Ziva and asked, "Me play now?"
Ziva looked down at Tali and smiled. "Yes, you can play now. Your toys are over there in the bag." She pointed toward the bag of toys that belonged to Tali.
"Yay!" Tali rushed off to retrieve the toys and started to play with them.
As soon as Tali started to play with her toys nearby, babbling and making pretend conversations with her toy, Ziva turned to Tony and lowered her voice. "Alright, now. You know, we've been doing pretty good these last few days at maintaining a low profile. At least I think so." She turned to look out the window, letting out a sigh. "I have a feeling something might happen soon. That's why I've been thinking that now is the right time for me to tell – and show – you a few things. Just a couple of things I picked up while working for Mossad."
Tony raised an eyebrow and tilted his head to Ziva. "What do you mean by that?"
Ziva looked deep in Tony's eyes, and said after a short moment of considering what exactly to say to him, without revealing too much about her past life. "There are some things I must tell you now. Important things that you might benefit from."
"Like?" Tony smiled at Ziva. "Some things that NCIS doesn't necessarily teach you?"
"Correct." Ziva nodded, and left it at that.
Tony pressed a bit more. "Ziva, I'd like to know what you know, so I can do my job the best way I can." Tony picked up the TV remote and turned the volume up, so as to mask the conversation that they were having. It paid to be discreet, after all, especially in this line of work. He leaned over to Ziva across the table. "Something bothering you? I can see it in your eyes."
Ziva nodded. "I haven't heard from Adam in a while, now. I'm having this odd feeling that something might be happening soon." She cleared her throat slightly, then wet her lips as she looked into Tony's eyes. "The thing is, I have a feeling that danger is near. I just hope we hear from Adam, soon. Otherwise, we might have to disappear, just like that." Ziva snapped her fingers in the air in front of Tony.
Before Tony could say something, one of the phones rang, startling Ziva and Tony at the same time. They both looked at the phones that were on the counter. Tony muttered, "I wonder who that could be."
Ziva quickly strode over to the counter and turned both phones over. Her phone was showing that it had received a call, and was still ringing. Dropping Tony's phone back onto the counter, she looked up to Tony. "They called us on the burn phone here."
"So, answer it?" Tony asked.
Ziva nodded and answered the phone. "Hello?" she asked in Arabic.
A male voice responded, in Hebrew. "Please verify who this is."
Ziva smiled briefly at the phone, then swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. She knew what consequences lay in store for her if she failed to properly verify her identity to the phone. "Ziva David," she said into the phone. She reached out to hold Tony's hand; her anxiety had started to build up all of a sudden.
"Thank you. Your identity been verified. Just a moment." The voice on the phone spoke.
Ziva looked up at Tony, mouthing the words, "If you don't do it right, it would not be pretty for you." She quickly put the phone back up to her mouth and said, "I'll wait."
"What is it?" Tony whispered to Ziva.
The man spoke up after a very brief moment. "Please go to the elevator and get off on the third floor." The line went dead.
"Tony. Get our stuff ready. I'll get Tali ready. We're leaving now." Ziva looked up at Tony and sighed.
Tony sat up a bit straighter and his eyebrows rose. "What now? We meeting someone?"
Ziva got up and started gathering up Tali's things. She glanced over to Tony. "We don't have the time. Go, get our stuff ready!" There was a hint of urgency in her voice that propelled Tony out of his chair and to the bedroom, where he started packing up.
Several moments later, Tony, Ziva and Tali got on the elevator and went down to the third floor. As the door opened, Adam was standing there. "Good, you made it," he said in a low voice. "Follow me closely." He turned and walked away.
Tony and Ziva hurried to follow Adam, Tali in Ziva's arms, Tony pulling their bags behind them. "What's up?" Tony asked.
Adam turned to glance at Tony, and said, "No time to explain. I'll tell you when we go into a quiet place."
Ziva nodded. "Something's up," she whispered to Tony.
Adam heard it, but ignored it. "Here we are," he said as he opened the door to a room at the end of the hallway. He held the door open as Tony and Ziva walked into the room.
"Whoa, what's going on here?" Tony stopped short as he saw several women in identical-looking hijab clothing.
Adam closed the door behind them and threw the deadbolt on the door, locking the door. "Apparently, someone found out that you and Ziva are here," Adam said, looking at Tony. "I shot one of them, and this is why we have the decoys here." He held out a hand toward the decoys. "Best I can come up with on short notice."
"Who sent them?" Ziva asked.
Tony shook his head and muttered to himself. "It can't be. We did our best to keep a low profile. Who found out that we were here?"
Adam shrugged his shoulders. "No idea, to be honest. I – and the agency – believe that they are Kort's people. They're out for you, Tony." He pointed a finger to Tony.
"Gee, I wonder why," Tony said, a bit sarcastically.
Adam let out a forced chuckle. "They're not too happy about what you did. From our best estimate, one of them found out that Kort was shot dead by you."
Tony chuckled to Adam. "Well, the whole team opened up on him. Not just me."
Adam shrugged. "Whatever the case may be, danger is near. That's why we have the decoys here for Ziva." He turned to look at Ziva. "They're after you as well, you know. They couldn't find any sign of you at the farmhouse. These decoys will do their best to throw the... what do you call them, bounty hunters?"
Tony nodded, his face grimacing slightly with the realization that Kort had sent people over to try to eliminate Ziva with any means possible. "Yeah, bounty hunters."
Adam nodded. "With Kort out of the picture, they're not getting paid. Therefore, they're out for blood." He turned to Ziva and pointed a finger to her. "You must travel to the airport, alone. These decoys will do their job. One of them will be with Tony until he gets to the airport, also."
"So, wait, we're travelling separately?" Tony tilted his head to Adam. "Ziva's gonna pull a disappearing act on me again?"
Ziva stepped up to Tony and swallowed a dry lump in her throat. "Yes. The better to protect us. What about Tali?" She looked at Adam.
Tony let out a sigh, and said with a bit of anger, "No way. I don't go alone without my wife." He pulled Ziva to his side with one arm.
Tali turned her face up to Ziva. "Ima? We go bye-bye?"
Ziva looked down to Tali and nodded. "Yes, we're going bye-bye." She turned and stepped in front of Tony. "Tony, look. Think of this as a test. A mission, if you will. Yes, we will be together again, eventually, but you must do what you're told. It's our best chance to avoid the danger that has come. This is how the Mossad handles things."
"And you said that the decoys are there, for what? Throwing Kort's people off the scent?"
Adam nodded. "They will die if need be to protect you and Ziva. If they shoot or kill the decoy, you shoot back and get away as fast as you can. Don't stick around."
Tony let out a deep breath as he involuntarily reached for his gun, suddenly remembering that he no longer carried one. "Crap, no gun."
Adam smiled and held out a bag, holding it open. "You'll find what you need in here. Both of you." Adam nodded toward the bag. "Once you get what's in there, you're throwing your old phones away. In here."
"Here, let me put you down, Tali." Ziva put Tali down.
"Ima?" Tali asked again, looking up at Ziva.
"Just a second," Ziva turned to the bag and pulled out the phones and gun, and handed one of each to Tony. She pulled out her old phone and took Tony's old phone and dropped them into the bag. "Here's the old phones," she whispered to Adam.
"One more thing. Forgive me, but I must do this." Adam quickly walked toward Tali and picked her up and cradled her in his arms and started walking away.
"No! No!" Ziva grabbed Adam's arm as he walked away.
"Adam!" Tony shouted at Adam.
Adam held Tali close to him and turned to look at Tony and Ziva. "She will be in good hands. Listen to me. I have to make it look like a kidnapping." He turned to Ziva, then said, "Ziva, you leave the building with the decoys, please."
"Ima!" Tali cried out plaintively.
"Tali, you need to go with Uncle Adam." Ziva held out a hand, but not quite touching Tali. "We'll see you in a little bit."
Tony smiled to Tali. "And then we'll get on a big plane and fly somewhere else." He looked up at Adam, fuming internally, and whispered to him. "Something happens to her, or my wife, I'll have your head."
Ziva quickly turned to Tony and stopped him. She said, "Look, he's doing his job to protect us the best he can. I must go with the decoys. I'll be alright. Just do what Adam and I said, we will make it out safely."
Tony tilted his head to Ziva. "Now, how am I gonna be able to tell who's who?" He held a hand out toward the decoys. "They all look the same to me."
Ziva leaned toward Tony and hugged him tightly. She whispered quietly in his ear, "When you see me make a sign, you'll know." She stepped back and smiled at him, and then discreetly spelled out her name with her hand, unnoticed by either Adam or the decoys.
Tony raised an eyebrow and smiled at Ziva. "Ah. I see how, now." He turned to Adam. "What now?"
Adam nodded. "Tony, you go with one of the decoys. Take your pick which one. You will take separate paths to get to the airport. There's a safe house nearby where you can meet up. We should be there in no time if everything goes well."
Tony looked at the decoys, then let out a sigh as he stepped up to one that was just a bit taller than Ziva. "I'll go with this one." He turned to the decoy. "You up for the job? I mean, I don't know you, so I had to ask."
The decoy's eyes smiled as she simply said, "Yes, sir. I'm ready."
A few moments later, Tony walked with the decoy through the bustling crowds on the streets. They hadn't made it far when Tony heard a gunshot from behind him, and the decoy slumped to the ground like a bag of potatoes. "Oi!" Tony said as he quickly turned around and saw the guy that shot the Ziva decoy.
"Die, infidel!" The gunman turned his gun to Tony and pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. He looked at his gun, and realized that his gun had jammed. He quickly tried to clear the jam.
But not before Tony pulled his own silenced gun out of his back
and shot him. "Not today, scumbag!" As the gunman dropped dead to the ground, Tony quickly turned around and ran a short distance where he could slip into an alley. He went a short distance when another figure appeared beside him. He turned and hugged the decoy, and asked, "That you, Ziva?" He stopped himself and looked more closely at the decoy, realizing that it was not Ziva. He whispered to the decoy. "Sorry, thought you were her."
The decoy shook her head and chuckled gently, "She's safe. Let's go," she said in Hebrew.
"Alright, here we go," Tony nodded, then walked as he held her hand. "We're not that far, are we?" He turned to look at the decoy.
The decoy nodded to Tony. Not too far." She suddenly noticed a suspicious person behind her some distance away. Lowering her voice to a whisper, she said, "Follow me. We must hurry."
"Someone following us?" Tony asked in a whisper.
The decoy nodded. "Tall man in black, about thirty meters behind us. "Here, down this way." They slipped down a side street and quickly made their way closer to the airport safe house, taking a circuitous route to get there.
Some blocks away, Tony and the decoy had almost made it when a man on a motorcycle ran up and swerved in front of them and stopped his bike. He quickly got off his bike and said in a rough voice, "Ha! Now I got you, Tony, and Ziva. You're not going anywhere."
Tony blinked his eyes. "How do you know our names? Besides, how do you know how we look?" His hand surreptitiously reached around his back, inching toward the gun that he hid on his back.
"We were sent to find you," the man said in his rough, gravelly voice. He put the kickstand down on his bike and slowly stepped off his bike, holding the gun on Tony the entire time. He took a couple of steps, but before he reached them, Tony's phone rang.
"Why now?" Tony muttered and pulled his phone out of his pocket.
"Uh-uh!" The man shook his head and held out his hand. "Gimme your phone now!" He flipped his hand up twice, then held it out flat.
"If I don't?" Tony said derisively to the man. "It's not like I'm carrying the world secrets with me."
Then man turned his pistol to the decoy and pulled the trigger, shooting the decoy dead.
"You shot her!" Tony looked at the decoy, then back at the man. "You want my phone, you can take it!" He tossed the phone just hard enough to make it land behind the motorcycle.
The gunman scrambled to catch the phone, missing it. He quickly went around his bike and picked the phone up. The phone was still ringing the whole time. He stood up quickly and held the gun on Tony and held the phone. He pointed with one finger toward the dead decoy, still holding the phone, and asked, "Tell me, is that Ziva David?"
"Maybe, maybe not." Tony shrugged flippantly. He saw movement in the distance and flicked his eyes in that direction. He saw another woman – a decoy? He asked himself – holding up a hand, and signing "Phone!" to him. He flicked his eyes back to the gunman and slowly stepped back.
"You running away, coward?" The gunman taunted Tony. He held the pistol higher, toward Tony's head. "Maybe this infidel is afraid of death. Don't worry, it'll be quick." But before the man could pull the trigger, the phone suddenly rang again, startling the gunman slightly. He quickly looked at the phone.
"Maybe your momma's calling you," Tony chuckled at the gunman, who was puzzled as to why the phone rang again. "You might wanna tell whoever it is that you're not a nice guy and that I'm dead."
The gunman cackled evilly and said, "Maybe I'll do just that." The gun never moved as he answered the phone. "State your business, infidel!" he cursed in Arabic. After a moment, he spoke again. "Who's there? Anybody there?" Suddenly, the phone exploded, sending shards into the gunman's head.
"Oh" Tony exclaimed as the now-headless gunman dropped to the ground. "What just happened?" Just then, he felt someone slam into him and shoved him toward the bike. He turned to look to see who it was, and noticed it was another woman, dressed in the same hijab. Another decoy?
The person looked at Tony and signed, "Me, Z. No time."
"Wha-?" Tony started.
Ziva cut him off. "Not here, not now! Get on that bike. We're not far," she whispered to him as she got on the bike.
"Wow, okay," Tony muttered as he looked at the blood-spattered bike, then shook his head and quickly got on the bike and kicked the kickstand up and revved up the engine, and said, "Hold on!" He gunned the engine as Ziva held on, and he sped toward the airport safe house.
When they reached the safe house a short time later, Tony saw that the garage was open, and a car was inside it. He quickly drove the bike up into the garage next to the car. "We made it," he said as he put the kickstand down and got off. He let out a sigh, then said, "I don't think they'll like seeing people with blood on their clothes."
Before Ziva could say something, a man stepped into the garage from the house. "In here. Get changed," he said, waving them inside.
They needed no further encouragement as they entered the house. "What was that all about, back there?" Tony looked at Ziva.
"Saved your life. No time to explain. We must hurry!" Ziva said.
The man pointed toward the back bedroom. "Your new clothes are in there. Get changed."
"Thanks," Tony said breathlessly, then quickly made his way to the bedroom, Ziva following close behind.
Ziva called out from the room, "Where's Adam?"
The man said, "Not to worry. You'll meet him again at the airport. And the little one also."
"We must hurry, then," Ziva said.
Moments later, Tony and Ziva came out with clean clothes on. "We're ready, I think," Tony said, letting out a sigh. Things were getting a little hairy right now.
The man smiled as he walked toward the garage. "We go now."
The short drive to the airport took several minutes. No conversation took place on the drive there because the recent events weighed heavily on their minds. Once they arrived at the airport, they quickly made their way into the airport and reached a secured area, where Adam and Tali was waiting for them. Tali's face lit up at the sight of Tony and Ziva, and she ran toward Ziva. "Ima!" she exclaimed in excitement.
Ziva smiled and scooped Tali up into her arms. "Hi Tali! I sure missed you so much!" It had only been a couple of hours, but she still missed Tali and happy tears flowed down her cheeks. "Thank you," she said as she looked up to Adam.
Adam walked toward Tony and smiled. "My contacts informed me that you got away clean. Amazing job you did back there." He looked Tony up and down once. "You passed that test with flying colors. Danger is behind us, for now."
"For now? You're saying that it's not over?" Ziva was puzzled.
Adam shook his head. "You never know with Trent Kort. We are still not sure if there are any more people that worked for him. We're keeping our eyes and ears open for any more signs of danger."
"So, what does this mean, exactly?" Tony asked Adam. He was still somewhat distrustful of Adam, but he was starting to realize that even with all of his shortcomings, he did care and was just doing his job in keeping the DiNozzos safe.
"You must leave. Immediately." Adam let out a sigh, then said, "There's a plane waiting for you. All your things have been taken care of. I had my men retrieve them for you."
"Alright, that sounds good." Ziva took a deep breath, nods at Adam, looking at him going to Tony.
Adam walked up to Tony and smiled at him, patting him on his shoulder. "You take good care of your family, now. Thank you for placing your trust in me so that your family can be safe."
Tony smiled and nodded; his smile was forced. The recent events were still fresh on his mind. "Will do, and thank you for protecting my family from danger." Tony reached out his hand for a handshake.
Adam smiled and shook Tony's hand. "Go. Don't miss the flight. My men will meet you at the plane."
"Thanks." Tony nodded to Adam, then he glanced over to Ziva, who was holding Tali's hand. He smiled to Ziva, and asked, "Alright, where would you like to go?"
Ziva chuckled and looked at Tali, then turned to Tony. "How about we showing Tali what Paris looks like? I'm sure she'll like it there." Ziva tilted her head, smiling as she patted Tony on his back.
Tony slowly nodded as he smiled. "That sounds like a good idea."
~~Tivali in Paris, France~~
On the morning of July 8th, Ziva was in the bathroom, looking at herself in the mirror. Her stomach turned and she looked a bit peaked. "Again with this morning sickness? I've been having them the last few days now. Just like I had when I was pregnant with Tali. I must tell Tony that I am pregnant." She turned the cold water on, and splashed it on her face, then took a hand towel and wiped her face off. She shook her head, chuckling to herself. "Wonder what Tony'll think when he finds out," she thought to herself. She turned to the door and opened it and walked out to the main room.
Tony looked up from cleaning the kitchen table, smiling at Ziva. His face changed when he noticed that Ziva was looking a touch pale, and he asked in a concerned voice, "Are you alright?" He put the washcloth down and walked toward Ziva and reached out to stroke her face.
"Better, now. Something didn't quite agree with me this morning, for some reason." Ziva shook her head slightly, then let out a sigh. She looked up at Tony and smiled. "It's no big deal."
Tony smiled at Ziva. "Gorgeous day out for a change. How about we go out to see the Eiffel Tower again?" He looked down at Tali. "She hasn't been to the Eiffel Tower."
Ziva smiled at Tony. "Let's get out of here, then. It'll be good for us to get our minds off of what happened back in Cairo."
"Splendid idea." Tony reached out and held Ziva's hands.
Sometime later, they reached the Eiffel Tower park complex. They strolled down the streets surrounding the tower, and as they passed the line of gift shops, restaurants, and other shopping establishments, Tali caught sight of a stuffed animal in the window. "Bunny! Bunny!" she exclaimed and pointed to the stuffed bunny in the window.
Ziva looked at the stuffed animal and smiled. "Oh, Tali loves bunnies. I forgot to mention that to you, Tony." She looked up at Tony. "Let's go inside and look around and see what we can find."
Tony chuckled at Tali. "We can get her the bunny while we're at it," he said to Ziva in a soft voice. "Let's go on in."
They entered the shop and was greeted by a large assortment of stuffed animals, Eiffel Tower souvenirs, shirts, bags, and little knick-knacks. "You can take Tali and have her look at some things," Ziva said to Tony.
Tony chuckled. "Anything for Tali," he said. He took Tali's hand and looked down at her. "Wanna go see the stuffed animals? Maybe pick a bunny out for yourself?"
"Yeth!" Tali hopped up and down in excitement, then ran into the store, leaving Tony behind.
Tony hurried to catch up with Tali. "Hey, wait up!" He caught up with Tali just inside the door of the store.
Ziva chuckled as she shook her head slightly to Tony. "I'll look around in here as well," she said to Tony as she followed him into the store.
Tony glanced behind him, then back to Tali. "Alright. Lemme know what you got."
"Will do." Ziva smiled and turned and walked to another part of the store while Tony stayed with Tali, looking at the different stuffed animals.
~~Tony gets the surprise~~
Several hours later, Tony and Ziva arrived back at the hotel room, Tony carrying a tired Tali as Ziva carried the bags full of things they had bought at the various stores. When Ziva closed the door behind her, Tali awoke with a start. "Tired," she muttered.
Ziva quickly dropped the bags next to the coffee table and reached out for Tali. "Here, let me take you and get you ready for bed, alright?"
Tony looked down at Tali, who then reached out for Ziva. "We're here. You can go with Ima." He handed Tali to Ziva, then flopped on the couch to get the weight off of his feet, breathing out a deep breath of relief as he sank into the couch. "Ooh, that feels good to be off my feet for a change."
Ziva chuckled at Tony as she carried Tali into the bedroom. "Let's get you ready for bed," she said as she took Tali's clothes off and put on a fresh sleeper and a fresh set of pajamas.
Tali looked up at Ziva. "Ima, sing me bed?"
Ziva looked down at Tali and smiled at her as she sat on the bed next to her. "Alright, I'll sing one sing, then it's bedtime for you."
Tali smiled and snuggled up under the blanket, listening to Ziva as she started singing the lullaby song to Tali.
As Ziva sang the lullaby song, Tony quietly walked into the bedroom and leaned against the door frame, and looked at Ziva. He smiled at the sight of mother tending to daughter, and it brought up feelings inside him that he didn't realize existed until that very moment. "What a happy child we have," he whispered to himself.
Ziva heard Tony whispering to himself, and looked up at him, smiling. "We really have a happy baby here. Full of energy."
"Oh yeah, there's no doubt that she's one happy child. Our pride of joy." Tony nodded as he walked closer to Ziva. As he walked closer, he noticed that Ziva's eyes were sparkling in the semi-darkness of the bedroom. "What's on your mind?" he asked.
Before Ziva could answer, Tali piped up from the bed. "Ima, sing me." Tali then threw the blanket aside and climbed onto Ziva's lap as Ziva sat on the bed.
Tony sat next to Ziva on the bed. "We'll sing the song together, right, hon?" He glanced up at Ziva, then back to Tali.
"That's right. We'll sing once more." Ziva cradled Tali in her arms and started to gently rock her as she started to sing the lullaby song again.
Tony sang a few verses with Ziva, and when he noticed Tali starting to nod off, he leaned over to Ziva and whispered into her ear, "I'd like us to try to maybe have another baby." He smooched Ziva on the neck when he finished whispering into her ear.
Ziva looked up at him, as she continued singing the lullaby, a smile on her lips. Her eyes told him volumes, but she dared not let it slip that she was pregnant. Not just yet. She looked down at Tali, who had just now fallen asleep. "She's asleep, looks like," she whispered to Tony.
Tony reached out to take Tali. "Here, let me help you. I'll put her down in the playpen where she can sleep." He gently picked Tali up, managing to not wake her up. He slowly stood up from the bed, then walked to the playpen and gently settled her down in the playpen, pulling a cover over her.
"Thanks, Tony," Ziva said as she got up. She walked out of the bedroom.
Tony walked behind Ziva, then stopped next to the door and looked back at the playpen, making sure that everything was as they should. He reached up and turned the light switch off and whispered toward the playpen, "Sleep tight, little one."
Ziva walked toward the couch, then picked up the bags next to the coffee table and set them on the coffee table and sat down on the couch and waited for Tony.
Tony came out of the bedroom seconds later and sat down on the couch next to Ziva. "She's out like a light. Was no problem at all putting her down in the playpen to sleep." He pointed to the bags on the coffee table. "Looks like you got more than what I got for Tali. Saved the best for last, didn't you?" Tony looked at the bags, then turned to Ziva, smiles at her.
Ziva nodded and smiled. "The big one is from me and Tali. She wanted to see you open it but she's so tired." Ziva shrugged her shoulders as she smiled at Tony, rubbing his arm.
Tony nodded at Ziva. "That's not a problem. She had a lot of fun today, that's what matters. Let's see what Tali got for me," Tony said as he reached out for the big bag.
"Yeah, that one." Ziva smiled as Tony picked up the large bag from the coffee table.
Tony pulled out a navy-blue T-shirt, that had an image of the Eiffel Tower on the front. Underneath it, it said, "Best Dad, Paris". He gasped in surprise and a big smile widened his lips. "Oh, wow, this is so awesome! I'm the best dad to Tali?" He looked up at Ziva and wagged his eyebrows at her.
"Oh yeah, you have been such wonderful father to Tali, I am proud of you, and I am thankful for that" Ziva smiled, a happy tear appearing at the corner of her eye. She quickly reached up and wiped away the tear.
"Oh, thank you," Tony leaned to give Ziva a kiss, stroking her face.
"There's more. See what they are," Ziva smiles at Tony.
Tony looked at the other two bags, and picked out another, smaller bag. "Let's see what in this bag first." This bag was flatter than the rest, but still looked full. He pulled out a bunch of tissue paper before reaching the bottom of the bag. "Wow, a lot of tissue paper? No, wait, what's this?" He pulled out two small pieces of stiff paper and held them out. "Tickets to London? Wow, nice!"
Ziva nodded and smiled at Tony. "That was why I was on the laptop earlier. I remember you said something about wanting to go to London. So, I set everything up for us."
"That's so sweet," Tony smiled at Ziva, and leaned toward Ziva, hugging and kissing her. He sat back and looked at Ziva, and said, "You didn't answer my question about maybe wanting to make another baby earlier."
Ziva chuckled to Tony. "We'll see. Maybe." Ziva stroked Tony's cheek. She looked over to the coffee table, then back to Tony. "The best, best for last. What's in the last bag?" She pointed to the remaining bag on the coffee table.
Tony leaned forward and got the bag, then sat back next to Ziva, letting out a sigh. "Alright, let's see what is in there." Tony reached into the bag and pulled out a duckling beanie, and looked up at Ziva, a puzzled expression on his face. "Oh, a duckling beanie?" Tony raised an eyebrow to Ziva. "Wait a minute. What's this about?" He held the duckling up and shook it slightly in the air.
Ziva giggled to Tony. "What do you think, Tony?"
"That you're up to something, Ziva." Tony smiled at Ziva, then reached over and tickled the back of Ziva's leg. He knew that Ziva was particularly sensitive in that area. "You're trying to wrack my mind, right?"
Ziva let out a small squeal of laughter. "Oh my gosh, Tony! We got to be quiet. Tali's sleeping." She stifled her giggle, then waved her hand toward the bag. "There's more in there," she whispered to Tony.
"There is? Let's see what's in there." Tony reached into the bag and felt something cloth-like. He pulled it out and held it open. It was a Tali-sized shirt, that read, "I am a big sister, Paris." He stared at the shirt for a very long time, speechless.
Ziva craned her neck at Tony. "Tony? Say something. What's on your mind?"
Tony gasped as he turned to Ziva. His mouth moved without saying anything for a short time, then words found their way out. "Uh... what's this mean?" He held up the shirt. "What are you getting at, Ziva?"
Ziva chuckled at Tony's reaction, then leaned over to whisper in his ear, "I'm pregnant. Happy birthday, Tony."
Tony sat back in the couch, his mind still trying to process the latest bit of news. He stared at the shirt for a long time, and then turned to Ziva. "For real? How'd you... find out?"
Ziva giggled a bit, then said, "Oh, I was late for 2 months. Plus, the morning sickness. Same thing I had when I was pregnant with Tali. When the morning sickness started, that's what confirmed it for me."
"Two months," he muttered to himself, snapping his fingers. He tried to bring up his memory of what happened in Cairo.
Ziva looked Tony in his eyes. "The wild night in Cairo when you found me, remember?" She grinned at him. "We really went at it, didn't we?"
Tony chuckled at the memory that just popped up. "Oh, wow, you certainly kept me up all night that night." He shook his head to Ziva. "That makes more sense now. I'm just glad we're having another baby. Our family's growing now." He reached out and pulled Ziva close to him in an embrace, looking down at her belly, which was just now starting to show a slight bump. "Another one in the oven," he muttered to himself as he gently caressed Ziva's belly.
Ziva chuckled at Tony as she put her hand over Tony's and rubbed her belly along with Tony. "I know you weren't there when I was pregnant with Tali. Now's your chance to be with me during my pregnancy. See the whole thing."
"Yeah, I'm not gonna miss this chance, now." Tony reached over and put his arm around Ziva's neck and kissed her full-on. He sat back and looked at her. "You look... radiant. Glowing. I never noticed that until just now."
Ziva positively glowed as she smiled at Tony. "I love you, Tony," she whispered to him as she moved herself over and sat on Tony's lap and encircled her arms around Tony.
Tony chuckled gently and whispered to Ziva, "I love you, sweetcheeks. I never expected this to turn out to be my best birthday, ever. Just hearing you say that you're pregnant, that tops it all." He leaned his head forward and gently kissed Ziva full on.
Ziva smiled as they broke for air. "There's more where that came from. Let's stay here and just be together." She leaned into Tony and snuggled up in his arms and smiled.
Tony smiled at Ziva and made himself a bit more comfortable and held Ziva in a loving embrace. "Sounds like a good idea. Let Tali sleep. We're fine out here, on the couch."
Ziva chuckled and said, "Let's not talk anymore." She got up just long enough to switch positions to where she was sitting on Tony, facing him, her legs on either side of him. "Let's do this instead," she whispered huskily to Tony.
Tony chuckled at Ziva and whispered, "Good idea." He gently pulled her close to him in a tight embrace, kissing her full-on.
A/N: Dear Readers, Thank you for enjoying this chapter, more to come, Also in the advance, Thank you for the reviews, tweets, messages, and kudos.