A bit early for Xmas stuff, but I've had this short fic in my head for a while. Major fluff alert
The soft thud.
A door creaking.
Light footsteps creeping their way along the hall.
It's time.
Ziva couldn't help but smile to herself when she heard the inevitable sequence of noises. It wasn't enough to wake her sleeping partner—almost nothing was these days—but she herself could hear it all with such clarity that she could practically see it in her head. The excitement had been palpable for days now. Lord only knew what they were in for today. And that was why she'd been awake for an hour now, keeping an ear out for the oncoming wake-up call.
With a soft exhale, she turned to Tony. His mouth was hanging open, his hair was sticking up in all sorts of directions, and he was snoring into the morning air. This only made Ziva smile again, not least because she had to wake him up now.
''Tony,'' she whispered, along with a gentle shake of his shoulder.
He merely grunted in between snores.
Ziva sighed to herself and shook him harder. ''Wake up.''
The mulled wine from the night before must have knocked him right out because there was still no sign of him rising from his slumber any time soon. After rolling her eyes to herself, Ziva decided to go for a change of tactics. There was always one sure-fire way to get Tony's attention, even when he wasn't technically conscious. She shuffled closer to him and leaned over to give him a heavy, slow kiss. She lingered just long enough to make him think she was waking him up for a very different reason.
Sure enough, that earned her a moan of intrigue.
''Tony?''
''Hmm.''
She kissed him again for good measure. ''I think we have to get up.''
He still hadn't opened his eyes yet, but a look of pure disdain morphed his features at the prospect. ''Time?''
She glanced at the alarm clock on their bedside table. ''0530.''
This time his eyes opened by just a whisker. ''We said six.''
''It's in the right ball-park.''
''Nope.''
Ziva chuckled quietly. ''She is already outside our door listening.''
That was enough for him to finally wake up. His eyes were practically bulging out of his head, in fact, as he lifted it to look towards the doorway. She could see the defeat in his them, even before he let out a heavy sigh. When his head hit the pillow again he stared up at the ceiling and groaned as if the fresh smile on his face didn't completely betray him.
''We're in trouble now.''
After giving his chest a soft pat, Ziva looked over to their door again. ''Any second.''
He yawned. ''What's holding her back?''
''She is making sure we're awake.''
''That's never usually been something she takes into consideration.''
She smiled fondly. ''She's growing up.''
That earned the ceiling another grin from Tony. ''I know. I don't like it.''
They both shared a look of understanding just as the handle turned and a familiar figure appeared from the other side of their door. Much like her father, Tali had a habit of radicalising her hairstyle in her sleep. Something told Ziva that a hairbrush would be the last thing their daughter would be interested in today. Hell, they probably wouldn't even get her to sit still for the next week.
''Ima?''
She squeezed Tony's shoulder as she sat up. ''Good morning.''
Tali smiled at her, but it fell when her eyes switched to Tony. ''Is Daddy awake?''
''I think so.''
''No. Daddy is not awake,'' Tony informed them. ''Daddy is very much asleep.''
That was all the permission Tali needed to venture further into the room, and she laughed as she approached Tony's side of the bed. ''No, you're not. You're talking.''
Ziva smiled at Tony's resulting frown. ''I am?''
Tali hit his head with Kelev a few times to emphasise her point. ''It's Christmas Day!''
''But it's still night-time,'' Tony said, playing dumb.
''No! My clock is pointing near the six! We said six, right Ima?''
The excitement in her daughter's eyes never failed to make Ziva all warm and fuzzy inside, and she couldn't help but side with the child on this occasion. ''That is what we agreed.''
Tali bounced up and down on her feet. ''We need to see if Santa came!''
With a soft grunt—one that didn't go unnoticed to Ziva—Tony sat up and reached over to smooth down some of her wayward curls. ''But have you been naughty or nice? That's the question.''
Ziva rolled her eyes.
The look he received was far from impressed. ''Daddy, I'm always nice.''
''He knows you are, sweetie,'' Ziva assured her. ''He's just being silly.''
Tony laughed as he swung his legs out from under the covers and stood up. He tussled her hair on the way to fetch some clothes. Tali decided that this left her with the irresistible opportunity to jump on to his vacated side of the bed and bounce over to her mother with a squeal of delight. It was only when little arms were thrown around her that Ziva realised she was being attacked by a hug.
''Merry Christmas, Ima.''
The surprisingly soft tone caught Ziva out, somewhat, because she hadn't expected it from an excited child on Christmas morning. For some reason it brought a lump to her throat and made her eyes slightly misty before she could truly justify it. Maybe it didn't need justification, though. Maybe, as she sat there embracing the most precious thing in the world on Christmas Morning, it was the simplicity—the normality, even—of the moment that had caught her off guard. This was a hugely significant day for Ziva, and it seemed that Tali could feel that, even if she didn't fully understand it.
This year they were whole.
''Merry Christmas, my child.''
Tali pulled back with a grin. ''I think Santa came.''
''Oh you do, hmm?''
She nodded. ''I hope he got you presents, too.''
Ziva kissed her forehead. ''Shall we find out?''
From over Tali's shoulder, Ziva could see Tony smiling down at them after he'd wrestled himself into some jeans and a t-shirt. ''Your mom has definitely been naughty.''
Ziva raised her eyebrows at him just as Tali turned around. ''No, she hasn't!''
The victorious smile Ziva then sent his way let him know that the girls would always have each other's backs. That didn't seem to bother Tony too much, though, as he rubbed his hands together, signalling at least some of his true excitement levels. They were so alike, the way their moods could fill an entire room and infect everyone around them. It was something Ziva loved about both of them. In fact, she suspected Tony was probably just as excited as their daughter.
Well, maybe not quite.
Tali was on the carpet beside him in a flash. ''Let's go—let's go—let's go!''
''Do you think he saw our sign?''
''He's magic, Daddy.''
''Oh, yeah,'' he smirked. ''How could I forget?'' Once he gestured towards Ziva, she took it as her cue to get to her feet and reach for her dressing gown. ''We'll all go together, OK?'' she heard Tony add from behind her.
''OK.''
''Good girl.''
Ziva stepped into her slippers and joined them in the doorway, the warmth and fuzziness being dialed up to the max when she looked at both their faces. This was everything she had fought for. Her whole world was in this little Parisian apartment and she once again thanked the powers to be that she was here. The weight of the occasion threatened to overwhelm her, and she could tell Tony could sense it when his look softened significantly.
''You ready?'' he asked her.
She reached over to run her hand over his shoulders. It grounded her. ''Yes.''
He gave her a smile that was full of understanding, before looking back to Tali. She was practically squirming by this point. ''OK, Tali-Di, lead the way.''
She shot off down the hall like a one hundred metre sprinter, and they had barely travelled a few feet in her wake before they heard a shriek of pure glee that made Ziva stop in her tracks. Judging by Tony's face, however, this was par for the course. She'd never known a DiNozzo to be so full of energy before 6am.
''I knew he would come!''
They both smiled. It was only a few minutes later that Ziva allowed herself to shed a few tears.
Uber fluffy, I know. But I need this little family to be happy, goddamn it!
