Here's chapter 8! Enjoy, and let me know what you think!

Eight

Tony's eyes opened the next morning and he reached over to grab his phone. He smiled. 07:30, November 12. He looked over at Ziva, who seemed to be in a deep sleep.

He put his phone back down on the bedside table and he moved the comforter to the side. He slid out of bed as quietly and carefully as he could. He didn't want to wake Ziva.

He walked over to his stack of laundry baskets in the corner of the room and pulled out a clean pair of sweats and his Ohio State hoodie and pulled them on quickly. He turned to walk out the door and thought better of it. He tip-toed back to Ziva's side of the bed and found a scrap piece of paper and a pen, to write her a note in case she woke up while he was gone:

I just went out to get a few things, I'll be right back, don't worry. Happy birthday Zi.

He laid the pen and paper back on the table quietly and made his way out of the apartment.

XXXXX

Tony was relieved to see that in the twenty minutes it had taken him to get to Grinder's, wait for his order, and walk back, Ziva had not woken up yet.

He sat down on his side of the bed and was surprised when Ziva's eyes popped open.

She looked up at him, and she was a bit confused. Why was he already dressed? Had Gibbs called? Had she missed it? She sat up.

"What happened?" She asked.

Tony shrugged. "Nothing. How's your head?" He asked.

Ziva shrugged. "It feels fine, just a bit tender." She told him.

Tony peeled off his sweater before he reached over to the bedside table and pulled a to go cup out of the tray and handed it to her.

Ziva took the cup gratefully and took a small sip. "Black cherry hot chocolate?" She asked, surprised.

Tony nodded. "And one of these." He said as he handed her a chocolate croissant, topped with almonds. "Happy birthday."

Ziva smiled. "You did not have to do this Tony." She told him.

Tony leaned back against the headboard and pulled his own cup of hot chocolate out of the tray.

"I wanted to." He told her.

Ziva smiled brightly and sat back beside Tony, resting against him. Tony wrapped his arm around him and pulled her close to him.

He smiled as he watched her eat her croissant, he knew that chocolate almond was her favorite. It was nice to see her so… he couldn't even figure out the word. Content, happy, peaceful. He loved watching her.

She popped the last bite into her mouth and tossed her arm over his chest.

"Thank you." She said, kissing his cheek softly.

Tony smiled and turned his head to capture her lips with his own.

"I have a present for you." He told her.

Ziva sat up. "What? You did not have to get me anything, this is perfect." She told him.

Tony smiled and set his cup down on the bedside table. He climbed off the side of the bed and knelt down on the floor, reaching to feel around under the bed.

Ziva was shocked when he pulled out a large, wrapped rectangle, about the size of her torso.

He sat down on the bed and held it out to her.

She shook her head. "This is too much, Tony, I-"

Tony interrupted her. "Just open it." He told her, reaching out to take her cup from her.

Ziva looked up at him unsurely and he nodded once more before she tore into the corner of the yellow wrapping paper.

She managed to get most of it unwrapped and Tony took the garbage off the bed before she realized that it was a picture frame.

She flipped it over and tears sprung to her eyes when she saw the photo of her family. Her mother and father were sitting in lawn chairs, with Tali on Eli's lap as Ziva hugged Ari tightly on the ground, it looked like she had tackled him.

She looked up at Tony. "Where did you get this?" She asked.

Tony smiled a bit. "I might have taken your phone a few weeks ago to call aunt Nettie."

Ziva laughed. "Of course." She said as she looked over the picture.

Tony nodded. "I asked her if she had any of all of you. I thought maybe we could hang it up in the living room."

Ziva smiled. "This is from my fifteenth birthday." She told Tony. "I have never seen this photo, but I remember the moment."

"What was it?" Tony asked.

Ziva laughed. "Ari had given me tickets to see my favorite band. Well one ticket, and he kept the other for himself. He was about to go into the army, and I wanted to do something with him before he did." She told him, wiping a tear off her cheek.

Tony smiled. "It sounds like he was a good brother." He said.

Ziva looked up at him, a bit surprised at the compliment. She knew how Tony felt about her brother. He had killed Tony's friend.

Tony noted her reaction and reached toward her, resting his hand on her knee gently.

"I don't hate him." He told her.

"Really?" Ziva asked.

Tony nodded. "I hate what he did, and what he became, but I know that before all of that he was just your big brother, and you loved him, and from the looks of that picture, he loved you too. I can't hate him for that." He told her.

Ziva stood and walked across the room to put the large picture frame on her dresser before she returned to the bed.

Tony leaned back against the headboard once more and she rested against his chest. He kissed the top of her head gently.

"Tell me about them." He requested.

Ziva looked up at him. "What do you want to know?" She asked.

Tony smiled. "Everything, I want to know about all of them, including Ari. I don't want you to be afraid to talk about him with me. It's okay." He reassured her.

Ziva nodded. "Alright."

She took a sip of her hot chocolate, trying to sort out her thoughts.

"Ari was two years older than me, and he lived with his mother most of the time. We were in the same town though, so we spent a lot of time together, and we were all very close." Ziva started.

"What was his mother's name?" Tony asked.

"Hasmia." Ziva told him. "She was a Palestinian woman from Jerusalem."

"Keep going." Tony urged.

Ziva smiled. "I do not know what to say. Ari was very… clever, and witty when he was young, well he was when he got older too. He was very protective of Tali and me. Mostly Tali." She said with a laugh.

"She was the baby." Tony said.

Ziva nodded against his chest. "I remember one time, when we were all still in the same school, I was nine, which would have made Ari eleven, and Tali maybe six or seven, it was her first year at school, one of the boys in her class was making fun of her for something, I do not even remember what, and she told Ari."

Tony winced. "Bad thing to do, messing with the David's." He said.

"Ari told the boy to knock it off, and he ran and told his older brother, who happened to be in Ari's class." Ziva shook her head. "It caused so much… I suppose drama is the word I am looking for… Anyway, the older brother confronted Ari, and he insulted Tali. Ari wouldn't use violence against someone younger, or smaller than him, but he had absolutely no problem going after someone his own size. He beat up the older brother and was suspended from school for two weeks." Ziva told him.

Tony laughed lightly. "And what happened to the other boys?" He asked.

Ziva shrugged. "I do not remember." She told him. "But Tali was never picked on again."

This made Tony laugh a bit harder. "So definitely a good big brother." He said.

Ziva nodded. "He was. He and I were also close. When we were young, we would spend hours exploring our father's property. And when we got older, after he went into the army and we did not see each other as often, when we did see each other, we would just walk around and talk. About everything."

Tony smiled. "That sounds nice." He told her. "You said that his mother was a Palestinian woman, was she Muslim?" Tony asked.

Ziva nodded. "She was, yes."

"But Ari was Jewish? How…?" He asked slowly.

Ziva smiled. "He converted when he was ten. He went through the entire process, and he loved every minute of it." She told him proudly.

"And his mother was okay with it?" Tony asked.

Ziva nodded. "She was. She fully accepted it. My parents invited her to Shabbat when Ari was with my father, and she did most of the planning for his Bar Mitzvah, which was Jaws themed by the way. It was his favorite movie." She told him.

Tony laughed. "That's actually pretty great. Was it fun?" He asked.

Ziva nodded. "Surprisingly it was. He fell almost every five minutes, it did not matter what he was doing, walking, dancing, running, he always seemed to end up on the floor."

Tony chucked. "Which is weird considering he became Mossad." He said.

Ziva laughed lightly. "I used to joke that the army had made him a tightrope walker. He was never clumsy on an op. In a safehouse alone he broke almost every dish in the cupboards, but he was incredibly skilled when he needed to be." She said.

"And he never learned how to tie a tie." Tony mentioned.

Ziva nodded, smiling. "No, he did not." She said, shaking her head.

Tony smiled.

"I think, maybe if you had met him when he was younger, you would have liked him. He was very fun-loving when he was young. He was a lot like you. His mother's death changed that." Ziva told him.

"I like him, the way that you describe him." Tony told her. "I know he wasn't always what he became in the end."

Ziva nodded silently.

"What about Tali?" Tony asked.

Ziva's smiled returned to her face as she remembered her little sister.

"She was completely different than the rest of my family. Well maybe not completely." Ziva said. "She loved to perform and be on stage. She loved classical music. She was talented."

Tony smiled. "She didn't want to be Mossad?" He asked.

Ziva shook her head. "She was looking forward to doing her time in the army, she wanted to serve her country, but then she wanted to get some sort of a degree in music."

"Wow." Was all Tony could think to say.

Ziva nodded. "When she died… we were devastated. I was nineteen, and Ari was twenty-one. It was the year after my mother died… we were lost without them."

Tony nodded. "That's understandable. I remember losing my mom… I've never felt anything that could compare to that day." He told Ziva.

Ziva kissed his cheek softly. "I am sorry." She told him.

He shook his head. "Keep going."

Ziva nodded. "After Tali died, Ari and I used to visit her every chance we had, and we always went to sit with her to celebrate her birthday, with red velvet cake. It was her favorite." She told him.

"When was her birthday?" Tony asked.

"November twenty-fourth." Ziva said.

Tony smiled. "Your birthdays were only a week apart?" He said.

Ziva nodded. "And my mother's birthday was November thirtieth."

Tony smiled. "What was her name?" He asked.

Ziva smiled. "Rivka. She was… amazing."

Tony nodded silently, giving her the chance to continue.

"She served four years in the army, we are only required to do two, and then she became a teacher." Ziva told him.

"How long were you in the army?" He asked.

"Two years, I volunteered for Mossad after my mandatory time was up." Ziva said.

Tony nodded. "What did your mother teach?" He asked.

"History, and music." Ziva told him.

"So she never wanted to be Mossad?" Tony asked.

Ziva shook her head no. "Not even a little bit." She said.

Tony nodded. "So Tali took after your mother more than your father."

Ziva nodded. "Definitely." She said. "My mother was always very family oriented, she loved to be around her family, like Tali. Especially on Shabbat and holidays." Ziva said.

Tony smiled. "That sounds nice."

Ziva nodded. "It was. We would come home from school on Friday and the first thing we smelled when we opened the door was fresh Challah." She said. "It was her own recipe, and it was amazing."

"I've never had it." He said.

Ziva smiled. "Maybe I will make it for you one day." She told him. "She always made Challah for Shabbat. We really were not the most observant family, we believed in God and everything, but most holidays and Shabbat were just about family for us. And sometimes the routines were comforting."

Tony nodded. "That makes sense. I like that though, the family aspect, that's something that a lot of people don't think about on holidays. It just seems like a day off work here."

Ziva nodded. "To my mother everything was about family. She was very… mama hare?" Ziva said. "Very protective of us, and Ari."

Tony laughed. "Mama bear. Hare's are big rabbits." He reminded her.

Ziva smiled. "Right." She said. "She also taught me and Ari how to drive."

Tony rolled his eyes playfully. "You mean there were more people in the world who drove like you?" He asked.

Ziva laughed. "At least two."

"What about your father? What was he like before he became director of Mossad?" Tony asked.

Ziva smiled softly. "Kind. He was always Mossad, since before I was born, so he was away for long stretches at a time, but when he was home he was just my father. He was happy, and kind. He was one of my favorite people." She said.

"And now?" Tony asked.

Ziva sighed. "He is my father, and I love him. But I do not trust him… he has… betrayed me, too many times. I cannot do it again." She told him sadly.

Tony hugged her tightly. "He doesn't deserve you." He told her, kissing her forehead lightly.

Ziva tightened her grip on him. "Thank you." She said softly. "For the photo. And for letting me talk about them."

Tony smiled. "You can always talk to me Zi, about anything."

Ziva nodded against him. "Alright."

XXXXX

Tony sat down in his usual spot in Paige's office that afternoon and leaned back against the chair.

Paige closed the door and sat back down at her desk.

"How was your first week back at work?" Paige asked.

Tony thought for a moment. "Exhausting." He told her.

Paige nodded. "That's understandable."

Tony shrugged. "I guess. It was mostly paperwork. I think Ziva had a tougher time than I did." He told her.

Paige nodded. "I saw her in the waiting room, what happened?" She asked.

Tony sighed. "She was making an arrest, and the guy slipped out of the cuffs, he hit her."

Paige winced. "How have you been doing on desk duty?" She asked.

"I hate it." Tony told her blankly.

Paige nodded. "I don't doubt it, but we both know that you aren't ready to be back in the field." She said.

Tony nodded. "I'm not claiming I am, I just don't like seeing Ziva… I don't like seeing any of my team get hurt."

"Sometimes it's unavoidable. You have a dangerous job, accidents happen." Paige said.

Tony shrugged. "I guess."

"What do you feel like you could do to protect them?" Paige asked.

Tony shrugged, staying silent.

"Do you trust your team to protect you?" Paige asked.

"Of course I do." Tony said quickly.

Paige nodded. "Then take a deep breath and try and let yourself trust them to protect each other. I know it's hard not being there right now, but you will get back there eventually." She told Tony.

Tony nodded. "I know." He said softly. "I'll try. But I won't like it."

XXXXX

Ziva led Tony down the hallway to their apartment that afternoon. She picked her house key out of her keyring and slid it into the lock.

She pushed open the door and she was immediately enveloped in the warm scent of roast beef and Abby, McGee, Gibbs, Ducky, Jimmy, and Breena sitting in the living room, waiting for them.

Abby smiled brightly and ran over to Ziva as she stepped into the apartment.

"Happy birthday!" Abby exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around Ziva tightly.

Ziva smiled. "Thank you." She said as Abby released her.

"There's a roast in the oven, it's almost done, and we've got potatoes, corn, carrots, and of course there will be gravy." Abby listed.

"That sounds perfect Abby. Is there anything I can do to help?" Ziva asked as she took off her coat and shoes.

Abby shook her head. "Not on your birthday."

This made everyone laugh a bit.

"Alright then." Ziva said.

She spotted her hammer on the coffee table and eyed it curiously before looking around the room to see what they could possibly have needed it for.

She smiled when she saw the large photo that Tony had given her that morning hung up on the wall across from the couch.

She turned around to Tony, who was leaning back against the closed door.

"You did this?" She asked.

Tony nodded. "Left the picture out for Gibbs to hang before we left, gave my key to Abby yesterday, sent McGee shopping earlier, Ducky brought wine, Jimmy made desert, and Breena offered clean up." He told her, unable to keep the proud smile off his face because he had managed to keep this a secret the past few weeks.

Ziva turned back to look at her team, her family, who were all sitting, smiling brightly toward her.

"You did not have to do all of this." She told them as she walked toward them. She sat down with Tony on the floor in front of the coffee table, across from Ducky, Jimmy, and Breena on the couch.

"We know." McGee said.

The rest of the team nodded their agreement.

Ziva smiled a bit as the conversations began to pick up again. She leaned against Tony, who wrapped his arms around her and kissed her temple softly.

Abby stood from her chair and walked into the kitchen. Ziva listened carefully, trying to extend her hearing to Abby's movements, in case she needed help.

"Roast is done!" Abby called triumphantly. "Give me ten minutes and we'll have gravy!"

XXXXX

"That was amazing Abby, thank you." Ziva said honestly as she put her empty plate down on the coffee table beside Tony's.

Abby smiled. "If there was one thing Grammy Sciuto could do, it was cook a roast." She said.

"She did it well if it tasted anything like yours." Tony told her.

Ten minutes later, Jimmy and Breena collected the empty plates and retreated into the kitchen.

"How long have you been planning this?" Ziva asked Tony.

Tony shrugged, looking at Abby and McGee. "Two weeks? Maybe three?" He guessed.

McGee nodded. "Seems about right."

"I think the better question is how did you keep it a secret?" Ducky asked.

Tony laughed. "I can keep a secret. I know some pretty good ones." He defended playfully, which made everyone, including Gibbs, laugh.

Breena poked her head around the corner from the kitchen and nodded, and Ziva watched as Abby pulled a digital camera out of the bag that had been sitting in front of the couch.

Ziva was surprised as a spirited rendition of 'Happy Birthday' suddenly spilled out of her co-workers.

She laughed, which hurt her face a bit, but it was worth it as she watched Jimmy Palmer walking toward her, carrying a homemade chocolate birthday cake, with a '28' candle stuck in the centre of it.

Jimmy set the cake down in front of Ziva as their song ended and she smiled brightly, thinking for a second before she blew out the candles.

The team broke out in a round of applause and Ziva shook her head, laughing. This was absolutely ridiculous, but she loved every second of it.

"What did you wish for?" Tony asked from his spot on the floor behind her, his arms still wrapped around her waist.

"This." She told him, resting her hands over top of his.

He smiled and tightened his grip on her momentarily.

Jimmy handed Ziva the first piece of cake on a small plate with a fork.

Ziva smiled. "Thank you." She said, taking the plate from him.

She dug her fork into the cake and took a bite. She let out a small moan of approval when she tasted the rich chocolate.

"This is the best chocolate cake I have ever had." Ziva told Jimmy honestly.

Jimmy blushed. "Thanks… it's an original recipe." He told her as he handed out cake to the rest of the team.

Ziva smiled. "I did not know you could bake."

Jimmy nodded. "Yeah, I got into it in high school. Wanted to be a pastry chef for a little while. I practiced a lot."

"And your practice paid off mister Palmer!" Ducky said from his seat on the couch. "This is delicious!"

This only made Jimmy blush more, which the team found entertaining.

Breena finished off her small piece of cake quickly and waited patiently for the rest of the group to finish before she stood, collecting the plates. Ziva stood up to help her.

Breena smiled as she watched Ziva. "You sit. Let me do my job." She said, pointing Ziva back to where she had been sitting with Tony.

Ziva shook her head. "No, I can't, you are a guest here, I can do the dishes." She insisted.

Jimmy looked between the two most stubborn women he had ever met, wondering how this would end.

Breena's eyes narrowed. She was determined to let Ziva relax. She knew the other woman must be in pain, the bruises on her face told her that much, and besides, it was Ziva's birthday.

Breena watched Ziva carefully for a moment. "Will you let me wash the dishes if I let you take them into the kitchen?" She asked.

Ziva smiled a bit, knowing that Breena wasn't going to give up. She knew she liked her for a reason.

"Deal." Ziva said before she bent down to collect the plates from the coffee table.

She carried them into the kitchen and scraped them off quickly before Breena managed to shoo her out of the room.

XXXXX

Four hours later the dishes were long done, and sat air drying in the dish tray, Ziva insisted that Breena had done enough, she could handle putting the dishes away in the morning.

The team had started to slowly trickle out, with Ducky, McGee, and Abby leaving first, each hugged Tony and Ziva warmly and wished Ziva happy birthday once more before they headed out the door.

Gibbs pulled on his jacket and hugged Ziva tightly. He kissed her forehead gently.

"Happy birthday Ziver." He said softly.

Ziva smiled. "Thank you."

Gibbs smiled and pulled Tony into a quick hug. "I'll see you both at work Monday." He told them before he walked out the door.

Finally, Jimmy and Breena were the last ones pulling on their coats and boots.

Breena stood patiently waiting for Jimmy.

"I put all the leftovers in plastic containers in the fridge, it looks like there's enough to last for about two days, and I really wish you would let me put those dishes away." Breena snuck in.

Ziva laughed. "Not a chance." She told Breena. She turned around to look at Jimmy. "Get her out of here before she tries to find my vacuum." She told him playfully.

Jimmy laughed and shuffled past Ziva. He reached out and turned Breena around and rested both hands on her shoulders as he pushed her out the door jokingly.

"See you guys later." Jimmy said as he ushered his girlfriend down the hall.

"Happy birthday!" Breena called back before Ziva shut the door.

XXXXX

Tony pulled back the comforter on Ziva's side of the bed, so she could crawl into it easily when she came in.

Ziva settled into the bed and sat back against the headboard. She picked up the bottle of water on her nightstand and unscrewed the cap.

"I think I'm ready." Tony said suddenly.

"Ready for what?" Ziva asked before taking a sip of her water.

"Sex." Tony said simply.

Ziva choked on her water. Tony reached out to take the bottle out of her hands and screw the cap back on before he dropped it onto the nightstand. Ziva looked over at him, taking a deep breath.

Tony laughed lightly. "You seem surprised."

Ziva nodded. "I am." She told him honestly.

"I don't mean like right this second, I just want you to know that the option is there." Tony said.

Ziva sat back against the headboard. "Alright…"

Tony reached out to take her hand. "Zi, look at me." He said softly.

Ziva turned to look at him unsurely.

"What're you thinking?" He asked.

Ziva shrugged. "I… I do not know."

Tony nodded. "C'mere." He said, opening his arms to her.

Ziva slid closer to him and leaned into him. She wrapped one arm around his waist and laid her head on his chest.

"I don't want sex right now." He told her firmly. "I think we should talk about it first, as awkward as that'll be."

Ziva nodded. "I agree."

Tony's arms tightened around her. "You're in control."

Ziva shook her head. "No."

Tony looked down at her. "No?" He asked.

Ziva nodded, sitting up. She turned to face him. "Sex is something that we do together Tony. We have equal say in what happens. If one of us wants to stop, we stop." She said firmly.

Tony nodded. "I know Zi." He said softly. "I just mean, and I know you don't want to hear it, but what happened to me was… nothing, compared to what you went through, and-"

Ziva cut him off. "Tony-"

Tony held his hand up to stop her. "Okay, I know, I know, don't compare traumas, I get it. But you're scared Zi. I know it, I can see it in your face… you're not that hard to read…" He told her. "You're scared to have someone, or something inside you." He said bluntly.

Ziva nodded silently.

"I would be too Zi." He said softly, pulling her into his lap.

Ziva wrapped her arms around his neck. "You are scared too."

Tony chuckled. "Yeah, I am. But not the same way you are. I'm not scared of you having something inside me, cause I'm fairly certain that's not gonna happen with you. I'm scared that I'll hurt you somehow, or that I'll… I don't know… I'm scared, but not like you are."

Ziva nodded. "I trust you Tony." She said softly. "I know you will not hurt me." She told him.

Tony pulled her close to him. "I trust you too Zi, more than anyone."

Ziva smiled softly and sat up straight. She watched his face silently for a moment before she leaned in to press her lips against his gently.

She pulled away a moment later, resting her forehead against his. "You have just as much right to say no as I do, you know that right?" She asked.

Tony nodded. "I know."

"And you know that if you do not like something, you can tell me, and we can move on, no awkwardness, right?"

Tony pressed his lips against hers once more. "I know." He said as their mouths parted.

Ziva nodded. "I want to try." She told him.

"What like now?" Tony asked.

Ziva laughed lightly. "Not if you don't want to, just soon." She told him.

Tony nodded. "I can live with soon." He said.

Ziva kissed his cheek softly. "Okay." She said simply.

Tony shut off the lamp on the nightstand and settled in beside Ziva. They slid closer to each other, and wrapped their arms around each other, unsure of who was holding who at this point.

"Thank you, for today… it was the best birthday I have had in a really long time." Ziva told him.

Tony smiled. "I'm glad you had a good day. I plan to make every birthday special." He told her. "And every other day too."

"Every day is already special Tony. I get to be here, holding you, being held by you… that is all I have wanted since I met you." Ziva told him honestly.

Tony's grip on her tightened as he pulled her impossibly closer.

"I love you." He told her simply.

Ziva smiled. "I love you too." She said, kissing his forehead softly. "Goodnight love." Ziva said, already beginning to feel drowsy.

Tony sighed contently against her. "Goodnight Zi. Happy birthday."