A/N: Thank you Thank you Thank you. I was a bit weary about posting since I'm not used to this site. I'm not a huge fan of the document uploading because I prefer Google Documents but I make it work. Thank you so much for the reviews, alerts and favorites. I will try to update once a week but I can't promise anything.
Disclaimer: Ain't nottin has changed.
"So, are you going to tell me what's wrong?" Tony prompted softly, making no demands just letting her know he would listen. She looked up at him from across the bullpen and smiled. He couldn't help but release a breathe knowing he had made the right decision.
"Not now, Tony, but later." Ziva agreed surprising him with the lack of denial. He cocked his head and decided it would do no harm to further investigate.
"How much later? 5 minutes or 5 days?" Tony prodded as he leaned forward against his own desk. Ziva shook her head without the energy to truly discuss it. Later would just have to mean later. Tony nodded with full understanding of her silence. Ziva reached into her bag slipping out a breakfast burrito stuffed with all the works and took a large bite.
"Geez, Ziva, didn't you eat this morning?" Tony asked raising an eyebrow after noticing it was still rather early for lunch. Ziva looked down at her desk trying to hide the slight pink tint to her cheeks. She could have easily lied; it would not be the first time she ate at her desk after skipping a meal. Tony laughed and approached her desk, preparing to continue taunting after getting such a reaction.
"If you keep eating like that, you're going to gain so much weight" Tony poked fun at her eating habits.
"Excuse me for being hungry, Tony. I am eating for two!" She whispered defensively. She had gone over several ways to tell him, many strategies and words. Nothing felt right and all were too frightening. It was quite possibly, most definitely, a cop-out but he had presented the perfect opportunity to blurt it out.
"Wow, you really need to practice your English expressions because what you just said means you're preggo with an egg-o." Tony chuckled as he came around the side of her desk to be closer. He thought about reaching out and poking her in the stomach but knew better than to irritate her or he'd lose a limb. Ziva took a moment to dissect his strange slang before answering him. She stood up in front of him, not liking the feeling of him towering over her as she sat. She needed to be on his level.
"I do not need practice." She responded smoothly.
"Wait... are you saying you are..." Tony mumbled still trying to interpret her vague statements. He erratically reached out and lifted her top to expose just her swollen abdomen. His brows knit together into one as he studied her slightly extended stomach. Ziva lifted a hand ready to swat Tony out of her personal bubble but didn't have a chance to do her damage.
"Pretty sure that's construed as sexual harassment, DiNozzo." Gibbs noted taking long strides into the bullpen. Tony jumped back and dropped the cotton fabric giving Gibbs no time to notice her changing figure.
"Let's go" Gibbs called ignoring any interaction between his agents, they were always doing stupid things that crossed some line or another but they knew their places. Pausing for a brief moment Tony turned his attention back to the Israeli before him.
"You shouldn't come with, Zi. It's not safe." Tony advised wearily only to be met with a defiant gaze in his direction.
"What is Gibbs going to think? I appreciate your concern but I can handle myself, Tony" Ziva replied icily pushing past him and racing to catch the elevator with Tony close behind. They stood shoulder to shoulder behind Gibbs exchanging only the quickest of glances.
"We were just comparing six-packs, boss" Tony fumbled.
At the beckoning of Gibbs' voice Tony turned to leave the crime scene only to collide with another person. Ziva sat on the ground staring up at Tony with a slight look of annoyance; however she had been standing rather close to him without his knowledge. The team glanced back and as McGee approached to help the Israeli up Tony's skin covered itself with nervous goose bumps.
"Don't, Ziva!" Tony ordered pointing at the woman, whom had been thrown to the ground. McGee dropped her hand and stared at Tony with confusion as the older man pulled out his cell phone plugging in a quick number.
"Hey, Ducky. What should I do if I knocked a pregnant woman down? Is it safe to let her get up?" Tony asked though his voice wobbled slightly. Mouths dropped and eyes flicked to face Tony, who had seemed to drop a giant bomb.
"Anthony! Why would you do such a thing? I am just outside with Mr. Palmer. I will be right there, until then have her stay where she is." Ducky scolded but continued with simple instructions. Tony nodded to himself before hanging up and squatting beside his partner ignoring the crazy looks he was getting.
"Alright, where is the woman you assaulted, Anthony." Ducky asked walking past the dead body and towards the team. Stunned, McGee pointed down to the pair on the floor as Dr. Mallard pushed past Gibbs to kneel beside the newest member of their team.
"How far along, Ziva?" Ducky wondered kindly, taking care to keep his voice calm and unspectacular.
"Nearly four months" Ziva mumbled ignoring the burning gazes of curiosity and confusion from the male members of Team Gibbs.
"May I?" Ducky asked pointing to her abdomen. After receiving permission in the form of a nod, Ducky lifted her top and pressed gently against her skin. After further examination
"I believe you are just fine, Ziva, but please make an appointment with your doctor for as soon as possible just to be sure." Ducky assured placing a hand gently on her shoulder. She nodded and watched as Ducky and Palmer approached the body.
"Ziver? Are you involved with the father?" Gibbs questioned, his mind lining the inquires up in random order. It may have seemed like a strange question at the time but had made perfect sense in his mind.
"I - I don't know." Ziva whispered stunned at her own answer.
"You don't know? How could you not know, Ziva? Do you even know who he is?" McGee burst not being able to contain his growing ache to know. 4 months and they didn't pick up on a thing; she was already showing.
"Leave 'er be, McGee" Gibbs silenced before turning back to Ziva.
"I only ask because I figured you'd want to call him and talk to him about what's going on." Gibbs continued comfortingly.
"He doesn't know." Ziva said simply. Gibbs only nodded and directed their return to NCIS.
After settling back into their places back at NCIS, Ziva found herself twiddling her thumbs. She knew she should tell the father, she should tell Tony, but how should she bring it up? At the same time her ears burned knowing that Gibbs was just upstairs talking to the Director about the new development within their team.
With a surge of courage Ziva stood and signaled Tony to follow her settling into the corner beside the stairs.
"I know, I know. You're going to kill me. I shouldn't have blurted out your secret like that but I wasn't thinking and I told you not to come." Tony babbled in a hushed tone once joining her in seclusion.
"Tony, there was no danger. Your clumsiness was the only danger!" Ziva argued slightly distracted from personal mission, "however, that's not what I wanted to talk to you about."
"What? Next your gonna tell me it's mine, right?" Tony snorted with amusement but his face dropped as soon as Ziva's eyes glazed over.
"But, how?" Tony mumbled stupidly.
"That is a conversation you should have had with your parents." Ziva commented snidely. Waiting for Tony to catch on took too long; he wasn't making the right connections.
"Paris, Tony" Ziva sighed with only an ounce of frustrated. She watched him waiting for something to click yet his face didn't change.
"And? How does it prove the baby's mine?" Tony asked quietly instantly regretting his choice in wording, though there probably aren't better ways to say it. A small flash of anger followed by frustration shown in Ziva's eyes.
"I - I have not since then... since Paris. I have no doubt that -that you are the father. Have -have you been involved since..?" Ziva stuttered on unstable lips. Her mouth felt like cotton at the thought that he had been with someone since her, that it was so meaningless to him. Tony shook his head while looking at his feet, and Ziva let air flood her lungs again.
"I don't know what you want me to say, Ziva" Tony muttered softly his eyes trained on the floor. He couldn't yet look up at her.
"If you have no interest in the child, Tony, than I will just take care of it." Ziva insisted, this time no understanding in her eyes.
"What do you mean take care of it? Terminate the pregnancy?" Tony asked rushly in a slight panic. His head flipped up in shock to stare at her face and upon that, Ziva was pushed off the edge. He knew he was in trouble when he saw her clench and her teeth grind together.
"I meant, take care of the baby myself." Ziva responded, her respect for the man in front of her fleeting quickly.
"I just assumed -" Tony began but was abruptly cut off by Ziva's rage.
"You assumed that because I was an assassin that I would have no problem ending my own child's life? Do you think I have no respect for life? Have you forgotten that I am human?" Ziva cried in anger, every word coming from her mouth slightly louder. She ended the conversation by spitting in Tony's face, though with her carelessness her saliva had landed on his shoulder. She stalked away furiously while fighting the tears threatening to fall. She could feel her body shake with the rage that racked its way through her. Gibbs caught Ziva by the arm and escorted her to the conference room, rubbing small circles comfortingly on her back.
Tony was left standing beside the stairs, stoically brushing the spit from the lapel of his sports jacket.
"Ziver" Gibbs whispered sitting her in a chair and crouching next to her. He handed her a tissue and watched as she sniffled, trying to keep the tears at bay.
______
"S'okay, Ziver, you're allowed to be upset. You've got yourself another 5 months worth of irrational tears, at least right now you've got a reason." Gibbs assured as he pushed her hair back and gathered it to one side.
"Do I? Have a reason, Gibbs?" Ziva explored feeling she was just overreacting. She probably should have never told Tony in the first place.
"Well Yeah. I heard your fight with DiNozzo. I should have known." Gibbs explained looking Ziva right in her watery brown eyes. Knowing what he was implying Ziva tore her gaze away from his understanding, calm blue eyes. She couldn't help but feel ashamed. It wasn't supposed to happen, especially with a colleague, her partner.
"I will not argue with you. Paris." Ziva vaguely confirmed his suspicions, after all it was Paris where Jenny and Gibbs had fallen in love. Gibbs smiled up at her knowing very well where her head was.
"It happens."
"It should not have happened. We knew better." Ziva replied sheepishly but smiled knowing he wasn't about to reprimand her.
"Somethings you just can't avoid, Ziva. Rules have been broken before. Listen, Tony'll come around. Give'im time." Gibbs murmured in the most comforting voice but Ziva shook her head in disagreement.
"He has already made his decision." she denied sadly, still shaking her head in denial.
"No, Ziver. You made the decision for him. You had a stupid misunderstanding and read too much into each others' words." Gibbs insisted, this time more forcefully, taking her chin between his thumb and pointer finger and lifting her gaze to meet his.
"Gibbs, he said-" grumbled in her own defense.
"No, he didn't and let me make it very clear, you will not put your child in harm's way again. I don't appreciate that you knowingly did that, for who knows how long." Gibbs interrupted.
LOVE YOU GUYS! If you wanna, I wouldn't mind if you left some love.
