AJ had been gone for six weeks, and Ziva was five weeks along. It was too soon to tell much but thus far Dr. Turner was confident. All babies were amazing gifts but this one would be extra special. This child was clearly a gift from AJ. It would be a healthy baby that would complete and heal a broken family. That night the family gathered around the living room. They had lit the Menorah and said the traditional prayers. Ziva gave the children and Tony their presents. Lily received her first Dreidel, Marley got sweatbands, and Tony got new boxer shorts. Tony surprised Ziva with a new clasp for her Star of David necklace.
"Thanks for the sweatbands, mom and dad! Can I go upstairs? Taylor was going to video chat with me around eight." Marley requested.
"I want to play with Tiki before bed!" Lily added.
"Actually girls there is one more surprise for you." Tony replied.
"I thought it was only small gifts after the first night." Marley commented.
"Well this is a huge surprise but we only found out today." Tony explained.
"What is it?" Lily asked.
"Marley, Lily here are your other two gifts." Ziva replied, handing each girl a small box.
Marley and Lily exchanged curious glances, before rushing over to their couch and ripping the paper apart. It was not long before each girl had released a gasp of excitement. Each girl received a copy of Ziva's ultrasound. Marley received a shirt that read "Thing One" and a basketball pacifier. Lily received a big sister t-shirt, and a teddy bear pacifier. The shirts were meant for the girls but the pacifiers were to be given to the future baby.
"Are you, serious?!" Marley gasped.
"The doctor confirmed it this afternoon." Ziva replied.
"What does this mean?" Lily asked.
"You are going to be a big sister! Ziva is pregnant!" Marley cried.
"Is it a brother or a sister?" Lily asked.
"We won't know for a few more weeks." Tony replied.
"This is so exciting! I can't wait to tell everyone!" Marley cried.
"We want to wait until we are one hundred percent sure that everything is OK, but you can help us plan our big pregnancy announcement for when the time comes." Tony explained.
"I am five weeks along and we do not want to say anything until the second trimester. So it will be at least seven weeks. Can you promise to wait that long?" Ziva added.
"Yes, yes I can." Marley assured.
"That's my girl. Now you are excused, tell Taylor I said hi." Ziva replied.
"Don't let the cat out of the bag!" Tony called.
The girls were now sound asleep, and Tony and Ziva were curled up together in bed. Tony placed his hand on Ziva's still flat stomach. In eight more months they would have a new baby in the room with them. The baby was another twist in the winding road they called their relationship, but this one was a welcome twist. This was something they had dreamed of for a long time. Something they feared would never happen for them. They were beyond thrilled but also terrified. The miscarriage had happened nearly two years prior but was still fresh in their minds and the new pregnancy brought all the rough memories right back to them. They did not know what the future held but they were trying to remain positive. Holding out on hope that this would be a healthy and happy baby.
"How are you feeling?" Tony asked.
"The nausea has been rough but at least now I know what is happening." Ziva explained.
"Are you as nervous as I am?" Tony asked.
"This is my fourth pregnancy and I only had one child be born. They said it was stress with the one we lost last year. We are still stressed over AJ. I am scared." Ziva admitted.
"Remember what you have been saying to me, since I got the PTSD diagnosis?" Tony questioned.
"We will get through this together." Ziva replied.
"Exactly, we will get through this together." Tony vowed.
"I want it to look like AJ." Ziva confessed.
"So do I." Tony agreed.
Tony was up hours before Ziva and the girls. He laced up his running shoes and took off for a run around the block. He wondered how many more times he would run around this block. The house was big enough for them and a baby but everybody just wanted to get away from AJ's ghost. They wanted to hang on to him but they did not want the pain of seeing his empty room. Most of his furniture had been taken away. Most of what remained would be donated but some would be re-purposed for the new baby's room. Wherever that may be. As Tony rounded the corner he spotted a house with a for sale sign in the front. His mind flashed to how excited AJ would get whenever they passed it. It was a lovely house but it did not accommodate AJ's needs. He stopped and studied the house. As he stood there an incredible peace came over him. He could see Marley shooting hoops in the driveway, Lily chasing her siblings around. He saw a boy and girl, who were clearly twins. He caught his breath. The children looked identical to their lost brother. He could see Ziva sitting beside him on the porch as they watched the children play. Ziva looked at him and smiled, before patting her swollen stomach. It was a pleasant image that Tony prayed was more vision than fantasy. He was so overcome by emotion and pride, that he could not help but cry. For the first time in months he was crying tears of happiness and relief. He was finally going to have the family he dreamed of. He just wished that AJ could be a part of their lives.
"Are you OK sir?" A passing man asked.
"Yeah. I am fine. Just fine. I just had the most wonderful thought." Tony replied, before carrying on his way.
A/N: Tony is finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. New chapter will be up soon. Please review and thanks for reading.