Hi, everyone! Yay! Another chapter - I'm so glad to share this with you. :D Thanks to all the reviewers - Troubled-Angel-26, his-red-head, Hetwaszoietsals, Loads of Randomness, didodado, Suzy Q1068, Fashionista-girl, Guest who, S, HappyGuest, Fan, and KrisShannon. I'm glad to hear from all of you! (And I AM trying to update more regularly!)
Enjoy!
...
"Come on, Ziva. Time to go," Jenny called to the toddler. Ziva looked up from the sandbox where she was destroying sand castles with her best friends, Izzy and Benny, and shook her head.
"Pway!" she told Jenny. Jenny sighed.
Why does she have to be so cute while she's being stubborn?! It makes it so hard to be stern!
"No, Zizi. It's time to go," she repeatedly lightly, reminding herself that Ziva did not do well with negative tones of voice.
Ziva continued to ignore her, laughing as Benny poured a shovel full of sand over her sneakers.
That's a mess.
"Ziva, time to go home," Lora added, walking over and trying to take the toddler's hand to lead her over to the waiting mother. Ziva pulled away and let out one of her tiny, high-pitched squeaks that threatened to turn into a full scream. Jenny watched, hoping to discover that the child worker had some secret technique that would avoid one of Ziva's ever-more-frequent temper tantrums. As Lora tried to take Ziva's hand again, Jenny could see the tell-tale signs of one about to happen.
"Ziva. Come." Jenny said sternly, hoping to distract Ziva from screaming. It did not work.
"No doh!" Ziva screeched. She ran away from Lora and in the opposite direction of the gate where Jenny was waiting. Ziva tried to climb up the ladder to the slide but Lora caught her with little effort.
"Ziva, no," she said, scolding the toddler as she dragged her over to her mother. "You're not allowed to climb up there without help and it is time to go home anyway. Be good and go to your mommy."
"Nooo!" Ziva whined, trying to stall her departure by lying on the ground of the play yard. Lora picked her up and carried her, kicking and crying, to Jenny who took her upset daughter.
"Oh, stop it!" Jenny scolded. "You don't act like that when Mama says it's time to say goodbye. We need to go. You'll be back tomorrow."
Ziva just kept crying.
"Look on the bright side," Lora suggested. "At least she isn't upset about staying here through the day anymore.
Jenny smiled wryly.
"Small blessings?"
"Small blessings!"
"Now, come, Ziva. Let's go see Mr. Gibbs."
...
"Mitter Dibbs?" Ziva whimpered through her frustration-induced tears. Mama and Miss Lora had interrupted her very fun time in the sandbox with her friends. Benny and Izzy were still playing and she was going to have to go in her car seat. It did not seem to be fair that she was being victimized in such a dreadful way. But if they were going to go see Mr. Gibbs ...
"Yes. Mr. Gibbs is coming over to our house for supper."
That was pure excitement making Ziva wiggle to be let down so that she could run to the car. She was all ready to go!
"Yay! Doh caw!"
...
Jenny shared a secretly amused glance with Lora and then carried the toddler off to the car.
Motherhood could be very confusing.
...
Ziva did not understand why Mama was taking forever to take her to the car. Mr. Gibbs was waiting! Mama needed to go faster!
Toddlerhood could be very confusing.
...
"Hello, Ziver. Did you have a good day?" Gibbs asked as the toddler barrelled into his legs and immediately tried to climb him.
"She didn't want to leave," Jenny remarked wryly.
"There was an issue?" he asked as he picked her up and kissed her cheek.
"She ran around, refusing to come."
"That's not good," Gibbs said, looking at the unashamed little girl. "You need to go to Mama when she calls you."
Ziva tilted her head and watched him for a second, listening. Then her little face broke out into a delighted grin, tiny dimples in her cheeks.
"Pway!"
"Yep, we'll play," Gibbs said. He could not help chuckling at her exuberance as she wiggled out of his arms onto the sofa. She danced around excitedly before running over to her basket that held her toys.
"You need a toy box," Gibbs remarked. "I'd better make one for you."
"You would do that?" Jenny asked. Gibbs could hear hope and delight in her voice that someone else loved the little toddler as much as she did.
"Of course. I'd be happy to," Gibbs assured her.
They made eye contact. There it was - their spark, alive and well. The darling little girl was a fan that was helping to infuse more life into that spark, turning it into a brilliant flame. Although they had not discussed it - in typical Gibbs-Shepard fashion - it was there and they both knew it. They both loved it too.
Ziva, preferring love being pointed toward her in action, tipped over her basket and located her favourite toys.
"Pway!"
Gibbs smiled as he took a seat on the living room floor. He was immediately bombarded by toy cars.
"Don't you have any girl toys for her?" he asked Jenny.
"I would have thought that you would have been in full support for little girls to play with cars," Jenny commented as she put away several groceries that she had picked up on the way home.
"Oh, I am," Gibbs said as Ziva handed him a red car, "but doesn't she like dolls?"
"She had a few in Israel, but seemed to like her cars more. I think it was partly because they were gifts from her brother who she absolutely adored. And honestly, since we moved I've been buying furniture and clothes. I haven't had a whole lot to spend on entertaining her. She found a toy car that she wanted and I bought it for her, but she generally ends up playing with anything that she can find - half the time that is items in the kitchen. Her birthday is coming up and I will buy her toys then."
"When is that?"
"November 12."
"Coming right up in a month and a half. Are you having a party for her?"
"I don't know."
Gibbs drove a car along Ziva's arm, causing her to giggle. "Abby'll want her to have one. Probably host it too, if you let her."
"Probably." Jenny paused and let the idea sink in before turning to Gibbs. "Would that be safe, Jethro?!"
Gibbs chuckled. "I'll make sure that she understands any ground rules. She loves Ziva. Everyday at work she is asking about when I last saw her or when she'll get a chance to babysit or showing me her updated gift basket."
"Gift basket?"
"She's decided that she wants to have a basket of little gifts in the lab so that whenever Ziva comes to visit NCIS, then she can give her a gift. I think today's new addition was glitter stickers."
"Diders?!" Ziva asked hopefully, parking her car and crawling into Gibbs' lap to make sure that she had his full attention. She waited expectantly for the craft supply that had become a favourite since sticker day the previous week at the daycare.
"Not here," he told her. The big eyes watching him intently became sad. He quickly added "But Abby has some for you. She'll bring them soon."
Ziva tilted her head and grinned at hearing Abby's name.
"Dabby tum?"
"She'll come soon, or you'll go see her. She loves you."
Ziva rubbed her eyes - obviously her busy day was catching up with her - and leaned against his chest as she sleepily echoed "Wuv."
Abby was not the only one that loved Ziva, and the toddler's sweet accent had just melted the heart of the man who adored her. Gibbs squeezed her in a hug until she jabbed back at sleep and wiggled with refocused energy as she began reaching for her toys again.
"Pway!"
"Okay, okay, Ziver - we'll play. But Jen?"
"Yes?"
"What are you doing tomorrow night?"
"Do you have something in mind?"
"Yeah. What do you think about Abby babysitting?"
...
:) I am SO excited for the next few chapters - lots of surprises coming up soon!