I am sorry.
XV. Children Are the Keys To Paradise.
"Bye-bye." Elsie waved to the four people as they started to make their trek back to the car. Ziva stood behind her holding Mina and Tony stood next to her. As Abby rounded the corner with one final wave they shuffled back indoors.
"They better solve this case soon." Tony muttered to himself. "I don't trust McGee to feed Kate."
"Tony, your goldfish will be fine." Ziva shook her head.
"You know what we should have asked for?" Tony looked at her. "Movies. Old movies."
"Well yes, Tony. The food is unimportant, what we really need is a whole load of loud films that will distract our attention and of course, you cannot forget the flat-screen television, Blu-ray player and surround sound system." She said sarcastically.
"I was going to recommend a standard DVD player, but you're right – Blu-ray is the best way to go." He replied, kissing her temple.
"It is a very good job I know you are joking." She shook her head again.
"Wait, you thought I was joking?" He said seriously and laughed. "Everybody says I have to grow up before this baby is born." He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and placed his chin on her shoulder, pulling faces at Mina in her arms.
"Do not grow up, Tony. No matter how many times you are told to." She sighed. "I love you just the way you are."
"I do believe, Ziva David, that is the first time you have ever told me that you love me." He grinned.
"I think it might just be the first time I have ever said it and meant it." She whispered, watching him out of the corner of her eye.
"I love you, too." He kissed her shoulder and released her waist, sitting on the floor next to where Elsie was drawing a picture. "Who's that?"
"The man who hurt my mummy." She looked up at him and then to Ziva. Tony picked it up and showed it to Ziva.
"That might just help with identification." She traced her finger along the scar that crossed across the man in the drawing's face, pulling the corner of his eye down. "Did anybody talk to you about what you saw, Elsie?" She sat down on the other side of the child, sitting Mina in her lap.
"No." She shook her head.
"Can you remember anything else about him?" Tony asked as he took a picture of the drawing with his phone and texted it to McGee.
"He drove away in a red car. It was funny, it only had two seats." She laughed.
"Did the car have a roof or no roof?" Tony asked, looking to Ziva.
"I think it had a roof, but it was black." She took another piece of paper and started drawing. "Like that." She showed him.
"Looks like a two-seater convertible, if the shape is reliable most likely a Porsche, possibly a Carrera." Tony said to Ziva. "This is really good." He smiled at the child and ruffled her short brown hair.
"Will this help?"
"Yes, very much." Ziva smiled. "I will get McGee to run a search for red two-seater convertibles, focusing on Porsches, in comparison to drivers license photos matching the drawing." She took her phone out and handed Mina to Tony.
"When you stop protecting us, who are we going to live with?" Elsie asked, looking up at Tony sadly.
"I don't know." He sighed. "Do you have any family?"
"There's Aunt Muriel in Canada." She said after a slight pause. "She always sends a Christmas card. She's really boring." She whispered the last part to Tony, who chuckled.
"You can't say that. How would you like it if Aunt Muriel said you were really boring?"
"She wouldn't. She's so dull that she would fall asleep from boredom before she got that far." She whispered. He smiled again.
"We'll sort something out." He smiled.
"Can we stay with you and Ziva?" She asked. Tony looked up as Ziva walked over.
"I do not think that is possible." She sighed and looked at the children sadly.
"Why?" Elsie asked, crawling over and sitting in her lap.
"Well, because we don't even have a house." Tony chuckled. "And I don't think we'll be allowed."
"What if you asked really nicely and said please?" She grinned.
"I still don't think it's possible, I'm sorry." Tony sighed as her face fell. "Probie get anything with the car?"
"He said he will call when he does." She smiled, stroking Elsie's short hair. "But they are not even back at the car yet."
"Well, they better get back soon, it's getting dark." He nodded out of the window.
"They are with Gibbs. They will be fine." She shrugged.
"Yeah, you're right."
"Of course." She laughed.
"Oh, really. That's very modest of you. You're setting a great example." They laughed.
"There's a lot we need to think about." Tony kissed the top of Ziva's head. They had put the girls to bed and were sat together on the sofa.
"Like what?" She asked, her head resting on his chest.
"Well, we're going to need to think about a house, to start with."
"Yes, but we still have time." She shrugged.
"You need to get a scan." He said.
"Another good point."
He paused. "What about marriage?"
"Are you asking me, Tony?" She frowned, sitting up and looking at him.
"No, because I would be doing it in a much more impressive manner than this." He grinned. "I just want to know your thoughts."
"It is not something I think about a lot." She shrugged. She looked at his eyes, the excitement in them. "Tony, you realised that around a third of pregnancies do not reach full term, I do not want you to get overly excited about this." She sighed.
"Yeah, but one third isn't a lot."
"It is, Tony, and the first trimester is the most uncertain."
Tony swallowed and frowned. "Why'd you know so much about this?"
"I read about it." She turned away from him.
"Ziva, please don't lie to me." He tilted her chin towards him. She wiped away the tear that trickled down her cheek.
"I was young, irresponsible." Her voice wavered. "Nobody even knew I was pregnant." The tears slipped down her face.
"I'm sorry, Ziva." He pulled her shaking form into his chest and held her. "I shouldn't have asked." He kissed the top of her head.
"You had a right to know." She whispered, her whole body shuddering with tears.
"You didn't tell anybody?" He asked, stroking her cheek.
"Not even my father." She swiped the salty tears away and looked at him. "I was 19, unmarried, it was a one night stand with a man I had been undercover with." She shrugged.
"You were in Mossad when you were 19?" Tony frowned, trying to distract her.
"I was in training from the age of twelve, Tony." She shrugged. "Joined Mossad officially when I was 18."
"Officially?"
"Well, I had done some…volunteering." She shrugged.
"Isn't that illegal?"
"My father is the director of Mossad. He can do anything he wants." She sighed. "Nobody wants to be on his dark side."
"Bad side. Dark side's where Darth Vader tried to persuade Luke Skywalker to move to." He smiled at her frown. "We're gonna watch Star Wars when we get back. We'll start with episode IV, watch them in the proper order."
"Why would starting with the forth be correct?" Her confusion deepened.
"Well, they made episode four, then five and six. Then, around 20 years later they decided to make three more episodes, from before, and they numbered them one, two and three, and numbered the original trilogy four, five and six."
"I'm confused."
"Don't worry, I was confused too at the time." He smiled and hugged her again. "I love you. More than you can ever know."
"I disagree with that." She said. "Because I think I might just love you more."
"This baby is gonna be the luckiest kid in the world." He smiled as he kissed her.
"And why is that?"
"Because you are gonna be a great mum. Boy or girl?"
"I do not mind." She traced spirals onto her stomach. "When I was a child I wanted one of each." She chuckled quietly. "But then I also wanted to become a ballerina and live in America."
"You have already got one of those wishes." Tony smiled, enjoying the snapshot into Ziva's childhood. "Although I can't imagine you as a ballerina."
"I was actually quite good." Ziva looked at him. "I lived in my own little world of fairy-tales until I realised the reality of life."
"You must have been a cute child." Tony smiled and shook his head slowly.
"I believe I was much like Elsie, although I had longer hair." She exhaled slowly. "I am sorry Tony."
"For what?" He frowned and looked at her.
"I have not been as…cheerful as you have." She rested her head on his chest, fiddling with his fingers.
"Well." He sighed and shook his head. "I don't think that's a fair assessment."
"I do. You have been so excited about the whole thing and I…"
"You are being calm and collected about it. It's understandable." He kissed the top of her head. "You're keeping me grounded."
"I believe that is a form of punishment."
"No. Well, yes, but I meant it in the sense that you're keeping me more down to earth."
"Can you not just say that then?"
"No. My way makes more sense." He flashed a grin. "It's late. You should sleep."
"No, Tony. I slept last night." She protested.
"We take it in turns. I'll wake you up after two hours, then you can wake me up after two hours, alright?" He smiled, not planning on waking her up until the morning. She looked exhausted and he could just make coffee if he felt himself falling asleep.
"I guess." She said warily, shifting to the other end of the sofa and curling up so her feet rested on Tony's lap. "Thank you, Tony."
