Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS

Tony walked into the apartment to be greeted by a sight that made him stop in his tracks. Piles of books and DVDs littered the floor, dining table, coffee table and any other surface that could be found.

'Uh, Zi! What's going on?' Ziva came in from the kitchen.

'I thought I would do a bit of organising.'

'Organising or rearranging?' Ziva glared at him. Tony clambered over the piles to kiss his fiancée hello. He walked down the short corridor to their bedroom, only to be greeted by a second sight that made him stop in his tracks again. Their bedroom, and the nursery were covered in opened parcels.

'Uh…' Ziva joined Tony at the door to their bedroom.

'Oh, yes. Sorry. Lots of parcels came today.' Tony shuffled his way over to his side of the bed, a stack of DVDs now placed next to his nightstand.

'I thought we had everything for Bean.'

'We had some things, Tony. I placed a few orders of things a week or two ago, and it just so happens they all arrived today.' Tony took his shoes off and shoved them under the bed. Standing up, something caught his eye. It was a little light pink dress. It had flowers, leaves and little blue birds on it. He picked it up. It looked so small and sweet.

'This is cute' he said.

'Yes. I saw it and could not help myself.' Ziva came over and took it from Tony. Ziva struggled to not picture having a little girl, being able to indulge that side of her. The side that her father worked his best to squash it down, so that she would not seen as weak and vulnerable.

'Zi, we don't know if we're having a girl. It could be a boy.'

'I know. And if it is a boy, then the dress will not get worn straight away. Do not worry, Tony. The dress will get worn one day.' Ziva walked back into the living room. It took Tony a couple of seconds to realise what Ziva had said. Did she mean what he thought she meant? Would three become four one day?

Tony changed and joined Ziva in the living room.

'So, what are you doing in here?' he asked tentatively. It looked like complete chaos.

'I just thought of rearranging things a bit. The new shelves have been put up and we need get this place baby proofed.'

'Who put the shelves up? You didn't do it by yourself Zi?' Tony knew that Ziva was more that qualified to put up shelves by herself, just not when she was seven months pregnant.

'No.' Ziva glared at Tony slightly. 'Sofia from the shelter came over to help. She is working on her contractor's license.' Tony sat down on the sofa.

'I could have done that.'

'I know, but Sofia offered to help and you were busy with the case.' Tony looked at Ziva as to say that the case was no excuse. It had not been a straightforward case; investigating the rape of a female Navy officer, alongside the death of her male colleague. Rape cases were never easy to investigate. But Tony was old enough, and had worked in law enforcement long enough for him to be able to juggle work and life outside it.

It did concern him a little though. When Bean arrived would he run off to work at a moment notice? Would he rush things at work so that he could get home and see his family? What excuses would he tell Bean, to make for missing concerts, sports days and birthdays? He did not want to be Eli David, disappointing his children from day one.

Deep down, Tony knew that it wouldn't happen like that. Ziva knew what it was like to work the crazy hours at NCIS, and they both knew that if Tony did miss a family event, it would not be because of backlogged paperwork.

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Eventually the books and DVDs were back on the shelves, mostly in their original location, but with space to add a few extra things. Both Ziva and Tony agreed to get ride (donate to a proper home) five DVDs and books each. The new baby stuff that Ziva had purchased was either in the nursery, or stored in their bedroom.

Tony looked around the tiny room they had turned into a nursery. Once upon a time, it only contained cardboard boxes, and anything that didn't have a home elsewhere in the apartment. Now it contained furniture; a crib, a small dresser that doubled up as a changing table, an armchair, mainly for Ziva's used when she would nurse, and a small set of shelves with books and toys. A bassinet sat empty in their bedroom. Now, all the bassinet and nursery required was an occupant. In six weeks, there would be one.

They had also added a bit of decoration. A friend of Tony's, from his men's mental health support group had done some pencil drawing of animals. They had since been mounted on the wall above the crib. Some of the men in the group had children, therefore had already experienced Tony had, and was going to. He enjoyed talking to them, like Ziva enjoyed talking to other mothers. However, unlike Ziva, Tony still had a parent around, even if Senior was unpredictable. There were times Tony was acutely aware of Senior's existence, and it made him feel guilty sometimes.

However, as the grown-ups they were attempting to be, he and Ziva talked about it, Tony voicing concerns about his ability to parent. Ziva told him how much she loved and trusted him, and that they both needed to remember that they were in it together.

Looking around the nursery again, Tony noticed a wooden box that was under the crib. He bent down and pulled it out. It was a plain wooden box, with a brass latch and hinges. Tony opened it. It contained some of their sonogram pictures and a pair of baby booties.

'Zi, what's this?' asked Tony, curious. He walked into the lounge.

'It is a memory box. Callie has one for Arthur. I asked where she got hers from and bought one.'

'Couldn't help yourself?' asked Tony. Ziva nodded.

'When Bean turns eighteen, it could be nice to have a look back at all of this. I am going add the journal I have been writing in after Bean's born, and maybe its first outfit and photos.' Tony smiled. He liked that idea. The memory box that is, not the eighteen-year-old. Fortunately, they had a while before that happened.

'It's a good idea' said Tony. He passed the box to Ziva and disappeared into their bedroom. He came back with a few things in his hand. They sat down on the sofa.

Tony had pulled out some photos; his mother, Ziva's parents on their wedding day, the photo of little Ziva with Tali and Ari, a couple of photos of Tony and Ziva before they got together, team Gibbs, and the piece of paper they had written their 'wills' on.

'You want to put these in here?'

'This box is not just for us. It's for Bean as well. These.' Tony pointed to the photos. 'Are our family history. We made this this the day Bean was conceived, and I want to tell our children about their grandparents.' Ziva looked a little sceptical about that. She was unsure if she wanted their children to know about Eli.

'I do not know if…' Ziva trailed off. Tony knew she found it difficult to talk about Eli and Ari.

'They were family, and you have some happy memories of all five of you together, just as I have some happy memories of my parents.' Tony shifted closer to Ziva, placing an arm around her shoulders and a hand on her bump.

'Bean is going to have a better childhood than the two us, and we have worked hard to get where we are today. Our children should know that life can suck and there are hard times.' Tony held up the photos of his mother and Ziva's parents and siblings. 'But life can also be good and wonderful and family is something you can choose, not just born into.'

Ziva leant her head against Tony's shoulder. He was right. Bean, and any other children they might have should know that life is not always easy, but can be good. Their little, if slightly dysfunctional, family was good. And their children should know how it came to be.

Ziva passed the memory box over to Tony who placed the photos and list into it. He kissed the top of her head and stroked her bump, both feeling Bean move. They were a family, and had been one for sometimes now. And family comes first.

I think it's important for children to know that life is not always easy, but it can still be good, especially if you have the right people around you.

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Hope you enjoyed it