The weeks leading up to her due date turn out to be the heaviest, busiest case load weeks they've ever had (according to Tony), the majority of it coming down to field work. The times the two of them do get to see each other, properly, are either the early mornings or late nights and even then they sometimes only communicate through lazy kisses.
She takes her maternity leave early, no longer able to sit comfortably behind her desk and walking back and forth (waddling, as Tony so lovingly put it) through the bullpen alone was wearing her out. Abby and Ducky come over to keep her company when they can although it raises Ziva's suspicions as to why the two of them can find the time to see her through it all.
Abby rubs her feet, paints her nails and generally keeps her boredom at bay while making her laugh as she throws ridiculous baby names at her.
"Come on Ziva, Thorn is a great name for a girl!"
They also go shopping for baby clothes like it's a sickness. Ziva never realized how beautiful and tiny those clothes were, they almost had an entire wardrobe filled with shirts, dresses, skirts. But the lion one piece Abby had found at a local boutique has to be her favorite.
Ducky comes to talk and bring her endless amounts of tea which she is grateful for, the comforting lull of his voice often putting her to sleep (that was becoming altogether impossible during the night) and putting a blanket around her while tidying up the place a little.
But she misses Tony and when she tells him so, with her lips pressed wet and lazy against the side of his throat one Monday night, he groans in agreement, wrapping his arms around her waist so that her back is pressed against his chest.
"Why are Ducky and Abby able to get away but you are not?" She doesn't mean it to come out as whiny as it does but honestly she doesn't care, under the circumstances, she's allowed to be a little whiney.
"Gibbs has me and McGee out all the time, investigating, we gotta investigate to bring stuff back for Ducky and Abby to do, don't we?"
Ziva rolls her eyes and elbows his chest lightly because it sounded so ridiculously made up, even for him but as he bites gently at the back of her neck and rubs low at her belly, where those aches especially got to her, she finds herself letting it go.
He was definitely up to something but she was sure she was going to find out (even if he didn't tell her) sooner or later.
And she does that following weekend with her due date less than two weeks away.
A miraculous miracle lets the two of them sleep in that Saturday morning and though he can barely touch her through the wall of pillows she created for herself, it's the loveliest, most relaxing mornings they've had together in awhile. They talk, catch up and he drinks in the sound of her voice, missing her just as much over the last few weeks. Eventually he gets up to make them pancakes (her craved food) and they eat together, right in bed.
But the morning's cut short when his cell phone goes off close to 10. Ziva lets out an offensive yell at the noise and chucks a pillow in the direction of where he dropped his pants the night before. Tony merely chuckles as digs for it in the pocket then flips it open.
"DiNozzo…Boss? Yes…okay. Be there in 20."
She gives him a pointed look as he shuts it and looks around the room, "Seriously?"
He shoves on his jeans, grabbing a clean shirt from a hanger.
"I'm sorry baby, he sounded pissed. I'll try to get back as soon as I can."
He comes around to her side of the bed and leans down, kissing her belly and then her forehead but she grabs the front of his shirt before he can move away and kisses him.
"You better." She says against his lips, tugging gently at his bottom one before pushing him away easily. She grins at the look on his face. She knew how to do it to him.
"Not fair." He yells humorously before he winks heading through the living room and shutting the front door.
Ziva flops back onto the pillows with a sigh. Seriously not fair.
But less than 10 minutes pass and the doorbell rings. It takes her five minutes just to get up these days but the person doesn't persist which left only two options: Abby or Ducky.
It's both. Abby lets out a shriek at the sight of her while Ducky smiles warmly, hat in hand.
"Yay! Ziva! We have got the most wonderful, best surprise for you, well Tony does but we all helped but it was his idea and oh, Ziva, it's the best, you're really really going to love it."
Ducky frowns and lets out a sharp cough, "Abigail?"
She was half dragging Ziva out the door, shoeless and still wearing one of Tony's shirts and a pair of his old college basketball shorts with a very bewildered look on her face.
"Surprise?" She asks in a tone of feign bemusement. Of course.
Abby quickly nods and pushes her back inside to let her go change. Ziva can hear her continuous shrieks and claps all the way to the bedroom.
"Come on, come on, let's go." Abby grabs her by one hand while Ducky is left to the lock the door, shaking his head a little with a sure smile on his face.
Already deciding that blindfolding her was definitely out of the question (an agreement reiterated by Tony) Abby covers Ziva's eyes with her hands once they get into the car as Ducky pulls away from the curb.
They drive for what feels like an hour and Ziva begins to tap her foot nervously and rub her belly at the same time while repeatedly demanding to be told where they were going.
When she's almost ready to shove Abby aside and somehow find a way to climb into the front, the car stops.
"We're here!"
She moves her hands away from Ziva's face and helps her out of the car and Ziva blinks blindly into the sunlight, getting her bearings. They were standing outside of her place. Which was only 15 minutes away, 10 if you drove fast (5 if you were Ziva).
"What are we….why did it take so long for us to get here?"
Ducky jiggles the keys as he comes around the car to stand beside her, "To throw you off the scent my dear."
Ducky and Abby lead her up the stairs and through the foyer into the elevator.
"I still do not understand why blindfolding me was necessary."
Abby bumps her gently, "Come on, it was fun, like a treasure hunt."
Ziva just gives her a look that slips into a smile and she shakes her head as the elevator dings to her floor.
Waiting for Abby and Ducky to lead her, she's surprised when she turns back to find them remaining in front of the elevator doors.
"Go on, we'll be in soon."
Ziva frowns but Abby flicks both her hands towards her, unable to remain still beside Ducky and Ziva continues down the hall, coming to her door that is slightly ajar.
She pushes it open carefully and it's when the door is all the way open, as far as it can go, that her heart just stops. The place had been transformed.
A brought to life living room, with pieces of artwork that were her favorite merged with several movie posters she recognized across the wall, their plasma hanging beside two large book shelves filled with books, a large couch with a baby blanket hung across it, a bassinette in the corner, a high chair she spots at the kitchen table as she walks in further. The fridge she had hardly ever used was covered with pictures, of herself with Tony, of the team, baby pictures of a boy and girl she recognized as herself and Tony.
It was her taste blended with his perfectly. It was a house, it was theirs; it was a home.
He had turned her hellhole, full of darkness and sadness into a bright, peaceful, loving, familiar place. And this was only the beginning.
"Hey sweetheart." He comes in from the direction of her bedroom and it's then that she realizes she's crying, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"I know this must be pretty overwhelming."
She can only nod as he walks closer, taking her hand and leading her in.
The windows were pulled open, letting the sunshine in with the curtains blowing gently from the wind. She could smell lavender and rose: flowers.
"Let me show you around. It was hard getting our stuff in without you noticing that things were missing but a lot of it's here already, your books and the dvds, the photos and posters."
She squeezed his hand as she took it all in and follows him as he led her down the corridor towards their bedroom.
"This is our room, I hope you don't mind the furniture too much, I know you never liked your old bed and the pictures too, I moved them but they're all here, hanging on the wall."
And they were, above their bed, splayed to see. A bassinette sat against a sidewall and she could see the walk in wardrobe filled with their clothes, neatly assembled with her side and his. They had never had that at his apartment, their clothes just kind of sat together.
It was beautiful, all so beautiful and just so them, every flavor that was them and just as she thinks her heart will not be able to hold all of this, what he has done for her, he leads her into what used to be her study.
The baby's room.
The mural on the wall is the first thing she sees along with the painted word, family just above a wooden crib, painted white. The room itself has been painted a light pink. The doors to the balcony are open and just in front is a rocking chair, a book shelf against one wall already lined with toys and books.
"Tony," She whispers through her closed throat.
"Gibbs made all the baby furniture and McGee and I painted."
She can't say a word, her heart beating so hard, right against her chest and she spots a picture of the two of them on the ledge of the changing table. It was taken on one of their first dates; in one of those photo booths at an amusement park he had dragged her to. She has her head faced away from the camera as she kisses his cheek and she remembers licking his ear to make him smile.
"If you hate it or if it still makes you feel uncomfortable or not right, we'll move, wherever you wanna go, I just want this kid to know it has a place, to feel like it has a home, that it has us, you know?"
But she rushes forward, wrapping her arms around his neck, letting her heart bloom against the skin and she kisses his cheeks and his chin, his lips because this man, the father of her child, she loves him, has loved him for the best part of 5 years and she can't ever remember feeling like she was exactly where she belonged than in this place, this home, with him.
It's what she whispers in his ear and marry me, is what he whispers back.
"Marry you?" She whispers, her voice shaking and she laughs, sniffing back the tears, "Marry you, marry me, Tony. Marry me."
He grabs hold of her hand and kisses it, giving her a smile as he brings her back into the living room.
And standing there, was her makeshift family, the people she has assembled in her life, the people that love her, faults, flaws, Zivaisms and all. They have loved her enough for that place in her heart where her real family sat, to remain okay, safe.
"I…I do not know what to say." Ziva trembles and she cups her hand to her mouth, shaking her head, letting the tears overflow.
Gibbs gets to her first, wrapping his arms around her, "Welcome home, Ziver."
She laughs heavily as he moves back, letting Abby fly right into her.
"Abby," Ziva whispers warmly, kissing the side of her face.
"I'm just, so happy." She hears herself saying, the only real logical thing her brain can form through words right now. Her heart felt overwhelmed with it all, was consumed for a first time, not by grief, self preservation, anger but pure happiness.
"That was kinda the point, babe." Tony says lovingly against her ear, sliding his arm around her as they sat together in the longue, all of them. Abby, Gibbs, Tim, Jimmy, Ducky, Tony. All of them.
"Oh and Vance wanted to make an appearance but him and Jackie sent the pram."
Ziva wildly whips her head around to look for it, her eyes wide, "Director Vance gave us a pram?"
Tony nods, looking momentarily just as stunned.
"Better than a protection detail, DiNozzo."
"Or a slap to the head." Tony mutters under his breath.
Ziva laughs as Gibbs reaches for him teasingly, a wide smile on his face and the banter and chatter around her continue, their new home, filled to the brim with laughter and warmth for the first time of many.