Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS. Here it is as promised.
Tony stood up and looked at his handywork. The bathroom in his old apartment was now spotless after having to accommodate Manheim Gold and his impromptu party. Tony had scrubbed for forty-five minutes to make sure no trace of the musician's party could be found.
'Tony!' called out Ziva.
'In here.' Ziva walked in with a tray of two coffee cups. She handed one over to Tony.
'All done?' she asked. Tony nodded. They were making final preparations for renting out Tony's apartment. The original plan was to sell Tony's apartment but they changed their minds and decided to rent it out, at least for a year. Tony still had some of his mortgage to pay off so they decided to use the rent to pay it off. After a year, they would decide whether to sell or continue to rent it out. Apart from a handful of things that Tony still kept at his old apartment, everything had been ready for the go-ahead. Until Manheim Gold's party.
Tony had come over to clean and get the place ready (again) before any new tenant moved in. Ziva had offered to help, but Tony insisted that she was not to do anything. He was starting to become over protective of Ziva in her current condition. He had taken over carrying shopping bags to reaching for a book she wanted. All things that Ziva was still perfectly able to do. At first, Ziva found it sweet that Tony was being so protective. Now, however, she was starting to find it highly annoying.
Ziva walked over to the built-in dresser. There was no furniture in the entire apartment. A cardboard box sat on it. Ziva peered in. It contained mainly odd items. Last few things that Tony had found in the corners of draw, or the handful of things that Tony hadn't moved to Ziva's. She flicked through its contents and pulled out a piece of paper. On one side it said 'I Will'. On the other it said 'We Will'. Ziva smiled, thinking of memories that it brought up. Happy ones of her return.
Ziva looked back in the box. Something caught her eye. A small black box. She picked it up and turned to look at Tony.
'Is this what I think it is?'
'Depends. What do you think it is?
'Tony!'
'Ziva!'
'Be serious.'
'Why don't you open it and find out?' Ziva did was he suggested. Inside was a ring. A thin gold band, with a single diamond set in the middle.
'It was my mothers' explained Tony quietly. 'Dad gave it to me years ago. Wanted to make sure it didn't get lost.'
'Why keep it here?' Tony took the little box from Ziva and examined the ring.
'I didn't want you to find it and think I was going to propose.' Ziva looked confused. 'Seven months ago, Zi, it was just the two of us, properly starting with this relationship. And then we found out you were pregnant and we had a third person to consider. And you had just left NCIS. So much had changed so quickly. I did not want you to think I was asking simply because you are pregnant.' Tony stroked Ziva's cheek.
'This is your ring, Zi. It always will be' he said quietly, showing her the ring again. 'I have every intention to asking you to marry me. I was just waiting until we were under slightly less pressure.'
Ziva did not know what to say. She looked back down at the list and her mind wandered back to the night they had written it.
It had been their reunion, at Ziva's apartment, when she returned from Israel back in September. After being debriefed at NCIS, Ziva had gone back to her apartment, Tony arriving a few hours later. They had made love (several times), and were lying on her bed, wrapped up in each other's arms, neither of them wanting to leave. Tony kept whispering endearments in her ear; Italian, Hebrew and English.
'I will always love you Zi.' That gave Ziva an idea. She climbed off the bed and went to get something from the other room. She returned with a piece of paper and pen. She handed the list to Tony.
'Your 'I will' list' he said. She nodded, and then held out the pen.
'Let's write our own list' she suggested plainly. Tony grinned, took the pen and started to write at the top of the page 'We Will'. They took it in turns until the page was full. Some were for only one of them: Ziva promised not to compare movies and books. Tony promised to always tells bad jokes.
Most of them, however, were genuine and from the heart. And for both of them: we will always have each other's backs; we will always be honest; we will always love each other unconditionally.
Back in the present, Ziva looked at the ring in the small black box, and then back at the man she loved so much. Tony, ever the gentleman, did not want to pile too much onto their relationship, for fear that it would break. The baby had been a shock, and they had taken their time to get their heads around the idea of being parents.
But as far as Ziva was concerned, she considered them married. They had committed themselves to each other. They may not have signed any legal paperwork, but they lived together as husband and wife. The list had been their vows.
The baby started moving. Ziva started stroking her bump. Tony noticed.
'Is Bean moving?' she nodded, and Tony's hand joined hers. They stared at each other, feeling their baby move. Tony leant forward and caught Ziva's lips in a searing kiss.
And with true loves kiss, the curse was broken, and the evil villain finally defeated.
Tony took the box from Ziva and knelt down on one knee.
'Ziva David, will you marry me?'
'Yes.'
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