Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS

Breena's phone lit up as it started to buzz on the stand next to her hospital bed. She picked it up to see that Ziva was calling her. She pressed the green phone button and Ziva's face filled the screen.

'Hey' she said, smiling happy. 'How are you Breena?' Breena grinned back.

'Tired. Sore but great.' Breena grinned back.

'How's baby Victoria? Tony told me her name. It's lovely.'

'She's asleep at the moment.' Breena moved the phone over the plastic bassinet that was next to her bed. A sleeping newborn baby girl was in it.

'She is precious Breena. Where is Jimmy?'

'Gone to pick up my parents and brother. His mom's arriving next week.'

'I am sorry about the gift back Tony gave' said Ziva, via the tiny screen. 'I gave him strict instructions, and given that we've just had a baby ourselves you would think he would know what to do. Anyway, I will endeavour to make sure you get the one I had intended for you.'

'It's alright Ziva. We're going to save the wine for our anniversary, and you never know, those ear buds might come in handy. How are you with the whole protective custody thing?'

'I will be glad when he is caught and Tali and I can leave the apartment building.' She paused. 'It is getting to me a little, not being able to leave like we used to. But if it keeps Tali safe, I will do anything. Breena smiled sympathetically. Her own position was nowhere near as drastic as Ziva's was. Team Gibbs had taken some measures to keep herself and Jimmy safe. Breena and Jimmy were not as close to Gibbs as Ziva and Tony were, but there was an armed agent outside their building all day and night, and Breena was only going to necessary places, accompanied.

A little hand appeared on the screen, pulling the phone down. Tali's face filled the screen. She had climbed onto Ziva's lap and grinned at the sight of Breena's face.

'Hi Tali' said Breena. She had spent some time with the little girl and Ziva during her pregnancy. Unlike Ziva, Breena had more experience with babies before her pregnancy due to friends and family. But Tali was the youngest baby at the time of Breena's pregnancy and Breena wanted to get some of Ziva's advice.

Baby Victoria started to wake up. Ziva took the phone from Tali, but still kept her in frame.

'We had better go. If you ever need to talk or ask anything, I am on the other end of a phone.'

'Thanks, Ziva. And hang in there.'

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Ellie turned to Tony, wanting to ask him something. They were driving to Rhode Island to visit Tony's old school, Remington Military Academy. Their victim had graduated from there last year.

'What probie?'

'Nothing.' Ellie quickly went back to looking out the window.

'Clearly something's on your mind. Talk.'

'How do it? You and Ziva?'

'Do what?'

'Have a relationship and not talk about work.' Tony looked at Ellie sympathetically. He knew of the strain on her relationship with Jake.

'Well, Ziva and I never really dated and worked together simultaneously.'

'Huh?'

'Our relationship didn't really start properly until abut a month before Ziva resigned. We didn't go public with it until afterwards. There was only a small overlap.'

'I thought your anniversary is in April.' Tony tried to think how to explain it to Ellie. This was not the first time someone had questioned his and Ziva's relationship beginning.

'Well, yeah it is. And technically we did start in April, but then Ziva was in the middle east that summer and we sort of restarted when she came back, in September that year. The day to day practicalities of dating and working together never really happened for us.'

'So, when you two talk, you talk about…'

'Tali, mainly. But also, what Ziva's doing at work, and her photography. Books, movies, friends and family. Is this about you and Jake?'

'When I was at the NSA, everything came naturally to both of us. It didn't matter what we talked about because we could talk about anything. Plus, we worked similar hours.' Tony glanced at Ellie. She looked pensive. 'Now that I'm at NCIS, we spend less time together and have less things to talk about. Everything that we do feels forced, conversations, the classes.'

'Look, Bish, I wish there was something I could say that would give you some inspiration, but there isn't. I am no expert. There are things I cannot tell Ziva because they're classified, but given that she resigned from the agency, she probably wouldn't want to know anyway. Your entire relationship with Jake has been surrounded by the NSA. Now it isn't. Maybe you just need more time to adjust.'

'Yeah, maybe' said Ellie, as she stared back out of the window.

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Ziva came out of the nursery, after putting Tali to bed. Tony was sitting on the sofa.'

'What is that?' asked Ziva. Tony was staring at a photo. He flipped it around and showed her. It was the photo of a photo that Ellie had taken at RMA. Of a seventeen-year-old Tony DiNozzo.

'Is this you?' asked Ziva, taking the photo and smiling. Tony nodded.

'Yeah, at seventeen. Bish spotted a picture of me at RMA. Took one of it with her phone.'

'Cute' said Ziva, smile, handing it back to Tony. Ziva pulled a box off one of the shelves in the living room and sat down next to Tony. She pulled out a photo and handed it to him.

'This you?' he asked, though he already knew the answer.

'Yes, at seventeen.'

'Beautiful' said Tony quietly, smiling at teenage Ziva. Her hair was a little bit wilder, and at seventeen, both her Ima and sister were still alive.

'I was so different back then.'

'Young and carefree?'

'Something like that. You?'

'Pissed at my dad. He had sent me to another boarding school. I hadn't seen him in couple months. Thought he would've actually come to see me.' Tony looked at the photo. So much had changed in over twenty years.

'Ima died two months after this was taken' Ziva said, solemnly. They sat, quiet for a minute.

'Well, just so you know, seventeen-year-old Tony would have been all over seventeen-year-old Ziva.' Ziva laughed.

'Tony, you are nine years older than me. When you were seventeen, I was eight, and when I was seventeen, you were twenty-six.'

'You know what I mean, Zi.'

'I do, and I love you for it.' She closed the lid on the box, and put it on the floor. 'What do you think Tali will be like at seventeen?' asked Ziva. Tony grimaced.

'Not going to happen Zi.'

'Like it or not Tony, our daughter will one day be seventeen.'

'Yeah, not for another seventeen years.'

'Sixteen years, Tony. Tali is one in five months-time.' Tony rubbed his eyes with his hand.

'I can't believe there's less than six months till her first birthday. This time last year it was less than six months till she was born.' Ziva laughed, remembering the second half of her pregnancy.

'I was thinking of having a party for her' said Ziva, a little solemnly again. 'Outside somewhere. A small picnic with just family.'

'Really? Sounds nice.'

'Yes. Then I realised that we might still be under protective custody and that a party outside would not work.' She looked sad and disappointed.

'Hey,' said Tony, pulling Ziva closer to him. 'We will get him before Tali's birthday, Zi. I promise you, we will have Tali's first birthday party outside, in the park.'

'Tony, you cannot promise that. We do not know when Sergei will be caught and all this will end.'

'Then I will make sure it happens Zi. Anything for you and Tali.'

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Tony ran into the apartment. Ziva was at the table, Tali in her highchair, giggling and covered in baby food. Tony grinned at the sight. He had come home to similar sights over the past few months, and it made his heart soar. Ziva turned and saw Tony grin at her.

'Tony, what it is?'

'We got him, Zi.'

'What?' Ziva stood up.

'Sergei is dead. Fornell shot him.

'Really?' Ziva asked quietly, praying that it was all over. She could feel tears begin to well up. Tony nodded.

'Yes, really. We've checked.'

'So that means…'

'It means you and Tali are not under protective custody anymore. It means…'

'Tony…' Ziva tailed off. Tony stepped towards her.

'Ziva, it means that you and I are getting married next week.'

Anyone guess what the next chapter will be about? It will be up on Sunday

Hope you enjoyed reading