My longest chapter yet. Hope ya'll like!

VillageVoice

"I hope it is a boy." Ziva stated one night as she and Abby were lying on the couch in a hotel room in Barcelona. She and Abby had spent the past four months traveling throughout the countries from Europe to Asia to Canada to South America to Africa and back to Europe again. They had been in Barcelona for over a week. Longer than they had stayed in any country thus far and were relaxing on the couch after a long day spent at the beach. They didn't go out much, but when they did they liked to make the day out of it. Four months later they still only went out at night and for short periods of time during the day, but once in a while they simply had to get out.

Ziva was lying on her back while Abby was on her side between Ziva and the back of the couch. The expecting mother was running her hand subconsciously back and forth across her protruding abdomen as the forensic scientist was lying against her yet completely engrossed in some subtitled forensic show.

Abby pried her eyes away from the TV screen. "Why is that?" She asked.

Ziva placed a soft kiss on Abby's lips. "I am not good with girls. They cry-"

"Zi, no matter what the baby is it's going to cry."

"That is not what I mean. Girls get . . . emotional and when they get like that there is no reasoning with them."

Abby grabbed the remote off the armrest and turned off the TV, looking down at Ziva "There is no reasoning with any child until they get to be about twenty anyway. And sometimes even not then." She joked.

"That is not what I mean either."

Abby brought a hand to cup Ziva's face and bring her dark eyes to meet Abby's own light. She used her other hand to stop Ziva's hand from rubbing her belly. "You see what you're doing there? You're protecting the baby. It's not even born yet and you are already protecting it. You already love this baby Ziva. Everything else will come."

Ziva laced her fingers with Abby's. "What if-"

"No 'what ifs' Ziva. You are going to be an amazing mother, I know it."

"How do you know it Abby? My mother died when I was fifteen, and my father . . . How do you know Abby?"

Abby smiled. "Because I know you - and you are not your father. I see you when you don't think I'm looking, talking to the baby or rubbing your belly even when you don't know you're doing it. I also know you keep tabs on me wherever I go." Ziva looked away guiltily. Abby wasn't meant to know that. Her impending motherhood and time away from Mossad and NCIS were making her skills a bit rusty. "It doesn't bother me Ziva." The Israeli looked back at her. "I love that you want to make sure that I'm safe, as I know you will do the same with the baby too. If you ever let it out of your sight." The Goth joked and pulled Ziva in for a kiss. "Your father didn't protect you Ziva. He threw you right in the middle of things and made you find your own way out. The fact that we are where we are right now shows that you are nothing like him." She brought Ziva in for another kiss. "You're going to make an amazing mother."

Ziva smiled. What Abby had been saying the past few months was finally starting to kick in. "You think so?"

Abby smiled back. "I do." As if to voice its own little opinion, the baby gave a couple of kicks for good measure. "And what's more important, the baby thinks so too."

Ziva furrowed her brown in confusion. She had been so intently listening to what Abby was saying she hadn't even noticed the baby beginning to move. Abby pressed Ziva's tanned hand down over her belly so that she could feel the tiny baby's light kicks against her palm. It brought tears to the hardened officer's eyes. She looked down at her belly. "Hi little baby"

Abby smiled. They were going to be just fine together, just the three of them.

After a few seconds Ziva sighed and leaned back against Abby.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know. I just …" Ziva fumbled, trying to find the right words to say. "This is not a baby conceived under the best of circumstances, not even good circumstances, what if-"

"I am going to ban 'what if' from your vocabulary. Ziva, this is your baby-"

"Our baby." Ziva corrected.

Abby smiled. "Our baby. We are going to raise it and influence it. The only thing the baby has from its father is some genes." She scoffed. "So what? Nurture over nature."

Ziva smiled and wrapped Abby's arms around her, snuggling deep into the Goth's embrace. "Nurture over nature."

"Do you know what that means?"

"I do not. But I don't need to." She leaned up and kissed Abby. "It sounds good." She looked down at her belly. "Doesn't it baby?"

Abby chuckled and wrapped her arms around Ziva. "I've been thinking." She began.

"We're in trouble now." Ziva whispered down to her belly.

Abby feigned hurt for about a nanosecond. "I resent that. But anyway," The moment passed and she continued right along. "I was thinking that since Gibbs knows that you're alive anyway that maybe I could tell him about the baby."

"Gibbs knows what?"

"Did I not tell you about that?"

"No you did not." Ziva answered as she swung her legs over the side of the couch and sat up.

Abby sat up and scooted next to Ziva. "It's Gibbs! Gibbs knows everything."

"Abby." Ziva sighed.

"I swear I didn't tell him. He just knew."

Ziva smiled sadly and brought her hand to the side of Abby's face. "I know." It was dangerous for anyone to know that she was alive. From the beginning it had been her and Ben, but Ben had been killed in the accident that supposedly killed Ziva David. That was not in the plan and Ziva knew better than to believe in coincidences. Her gut told her that he had gone with her on his own suicide mission, but for what reason she didn't know. Then she revealed the secret to Abby and now Gibbs knew too. Anymore people and they were in for some serious trouble. Abby had no idea what would be done to her if Mossad found out she had deserted and faked her own death. But she also knew that the two people who knew would never tell anyone under any circumstances. Ziva didn't trust easily, but she trusted them. "It's not your fault. I should have known he would figure it out."

"Yeah." Abby crossed her arms over her chest and nodded. If Ziva should have known than it was clearly not her fault. "You should have."

Ziva felt like she was being chastised by her mother. It was looking more and more as each day passed, that Abby was going to end up being the disciplinarian to the future child she was carrying and Ziva was going to be the one who said yes to everything. Abby did have the guilt trips down pat. Deep down inside Ziva had a feeling they would both be 'yes' parents. The baby just kept looking cuter and cuter with every ultrasound they had. It was tricky, having an ultrasound once a month in different cities and countries, but Abby had made sure that the appointments had been made and gone to. If Ziva was an insecure person she may have begun thinking that Abby was going to make a better parent than she. Abby had more experience with babies and children and the forensic scientist always seemed to have the right answer and say the right things. But slowly, day by day, Abby was convincing Ziva that any child would be lucky to have her as a parent. And little by little, Ziva was starting to believe her.

Ziva smiled and uncrossed Abby's arms so that she could lean back against Abby and wrap them around herself. Abby did the last part for her, wrapping her strong arms around Ziva and placing a gentle kiss on that spot behind the Israeli's ear. Ziva never felt so safe as when she was in Abby's arms. It was a strange feeling, especially as she knew Abby didn't have much in the line of combat or defensive training. However, the Israeli was learning to stop questioning things and to just go with what she was feeling. It was hard letting go of something she felt powerless against, but as with everything else Abby was helping her through it. The past four months had been nothing but a whirlwind of change for Ziva David, but she wouldn't have it any other way.

"So does this mean I can tell him?"

Ziva laughed. Abby had a one-track mind when it came to some things. "I suppose that if you could find a safe way to do it I would not object." It would help to have Grandpa Gibbs when they were finally able to go back to America and NCIS. Her child would need a grandfather figure as she would give up her own life before she let her own father anywhere near this baby.

"You will not object?" Abby repeated questionably.

Ziva nodded. "I watched a court show this afternoon when I woke-up for my nap." She shrugged. "I had to do something until you came back." Growing a baby was a lot of work and was draining Ziva's energy faster than she thought it would.

With nothing else to do, Abby went out while Ziva took her afternoon naps. She wasn't out long – two, three hours tops, but it gave her a chance to get some shopping done and have some alone time. She loved Ziva, but everyone needs some time to themselves. With her and Ziva being on the run and in hiding they spent a lot of time in their hotel rooms together and that left very little alone time. It wasn't like she went out all that often either. Maybe two times a week. She loved it when they took naps together and often forfeited her alone time in favor of some naptime.

"Oh I know!" Abby exclaimed practically jumping off of the couch. "I'll call McGee's cell phone. You know, the one you gave him that no one but you, McGee and Gibbs know about."

"I am the only one with the number to that phone Abby. Even McGee does not know the number. How are you going to call him without arising suspicion when the only person who knows the number is me?"

"And you're dead."

Ziva nodded. "Technically."

Abby sat back down. "Good point."

"Do you even think he still has the phone?"

"Another good point." Abby thought for a minute. "Maybe Gibbs took the phone from McGee when he figured out that you were still alive. To make sure no one else found out and tried to contact you from that cell believing that you would think it was McGee and respond."

Ziva looked confused. "I don't know Abby."

Abby smiled and slipped into her own mind. She was Abigail 'I-Never-Give-Up' Sciuto and she would figure it out.

"Abby! . . . Abby!"

Abby groaned and opened her eyes. Ziva was standing over her, completely dressed with her backpack on and duffel bag in hand. "What's going on?"

"We have to leave." Ziva answered as she dropped her duffel bag next to Abby's near the door. She had already packed all of the Goth's things.

Abby rubbed her eyes and sat up, looking for a clock. "Ziva its two o'clock in the morning. What happened?"

"We need to leave."

Abby detected the urgency in the Israeli's voice immediately and thought it best not to argue. She got out of bed and changed into the clothes Ziva had laid out for her, handing her pajamas to Ziva to put into her duffel bag.

"Are you ready?" Ziva asked.

Abby looked over at Ziva. She was sitting on one of the chairs around the little table by the window with her jacket on, peeking every few seconds through a tiny sliver where the curtain met the wall, sliding the curtain right back once she'd gotten a good enough look. Her other hand never left her belly. Abby gestured toward the bathroom. "Can I have five minutes?"

Ziva nodded and Abby quickly went into the bathroom. By the sink Abby found her toothbrush, toothpaste, face cream, hairbrush and two hair ties. She was about to call out to Ziva asking where her black lipstick was, but then she remembered throwing it into the Seine River while they were still in Paris. Ziva was telling her about life in on the run and blending in, being unnoticeable. At that Abby had promptly dug her lipstick out of her bag and chucked it as far as she could. She couldn't bring herself to do the same with her beloved platform boots, so they just stayed at the bottom of her suitcase. Abby was tall enough as it was. She didn't need to draw any more attention to her height by wearing the boots.

Abby came out of the bathroom a few minutes later. "Ready."

Ziva grabbed her bag and handed Abby's to her. "Let's go."

They didn't speak as they made their way through the little town. There were no lights on in the city. Abby had to stay close to Ziva. The Israeli was somehow able to see despite the pitch-blackness, but Abby was not. Neither woman spoke. They walked for close to an hour, far out of the limits of the tiny city they had been staying in, before they hopped into a cab that would take them the rest of the way. Ziva conversed in the driver in whatever language they spoke in their current city, Abby did not know, and then they were off.

"You should make yourself comfortable." Ziva said. "It is a long ride to the hotel."

They must have changed cabs at least fifteen times in the span of nearly seven hours before they finally reached the hotel. They booked in under different names, different rooms on different floors and opposite ends of the hotel, and with a twenty-minute difference between their book in times. They also wore wigs and colored contacts, which Abby thought was a little extreme, but said nothing. An hour after they checked-in Ziva knocked on Abby's door. Abby went to say something, but Ziva held up her hand and checked the room for bugs before any word was spoken.

"Your room is clean." She walked over to the bag she had dropped on the bed and took out a small, cell phone and handed it over to Abby. "I need your old cell." Ziva got them new, untraceable cells every few weeks, so Abby didn't ask any questions. Despite the fact that they only had their 'old' ones for three days. Abby took the cell out of her pocket and handed it to Ziva who promptly snapped it in half. "I will dispose of it later."

Abby nodded and sat down on the bed, rubbing her temples. "So," She began. "What is this all about?"

"My father is here."

Abby snapped her head up toward Ziva. "Then why are we here?"

"There. He was there. At the other hotel."

Abby sat for a minute. "Did he know you were there?"

"I do not know. I cannot believe that it was simply a coincidence."

Abby nodded. Gibbs spoke against them so often she would be surprised if anyone at NCIS believed in coincidences. "Did he see you?"

Ziva shook her head in the negative and sat down next to Abby on the edge of the bed. "No. The baby was kicking a lot making it hard for me to sleep, so I decided to go for a walk. It always calms me. I thought it may do the same thing for the baby."

"You went for a walk in the middle of the night, by yourself, in a strange city? And without letting me know?" Ziva looked down at her hands, but remained silent. Abby sighed. "Did it help?" She asked, running a hand over Ziva's protruding belly.

"Yes." She nodded. "However when I came back I saw two of my father's body guards getting out of a car across the street from the hotel."

"Did you see your father?"

"No, but he was there. The guards never go anywhere without him the same as he never goes anywhere without them. Their sole purpose in Mossad is to stay with my father at all times."

"How long are we staying here?"

"Not long. Long enough for us to get a couple of hours sleep. Tonight we will head out again and go-" Ziva pulled a little map out of her bag and showed Abby. "Here. I know for a fact that my father is not allowed in that country."

"Why don't we just hop on a plane and get as far away from here as we can?"

"Because if they were there to find me then they are going to be monitoring flights out of surrounding areas for the next few days. We need to lay down."

"Lay low." Abby corrected.

"No, I need to lay down." Ziva stated, collapsing back onto the bed. "I am not in the shape I once was." She chuckled.

"Aw." Abby laughed as she laid down next to Ziva. "I like your new shape."

Ziva smiled. "I never knew that growing a human being was so exhausting."

Abby propped herself up on her elbow facing Ziva. "I'll never know."

"Why not?" Ziva questioned. "You don't want to experience all of this?" She asked with a laugh, then turned serious. "It is the most challenging thing I have ever done. It is exhausting and my skin is so stretched out that I have serious doubts that it will ever go back to what it was. Most of the other things I would have liked to go without, but . . . when I feel this little person inside of me kicking I know it's all worth it." She mimicked Abby's posture and propped herself up on her elbow, reaching out to twirl a stray tendril of hair that had fallen in front of Abby's face. "Do you not want to experience this?"

"What I want and what is possible are two different things."

"Being in Mossad I never thought it would be possible for me to have a child. But I quit Mossad and for all intents and purposes Ziva David is dead. I never thought I wanted it, but-"

"Zi," Abby began with a deep breath. "I was nine when my grandmother died from uterine cancer, twelve when my one of my father's sister's died from it and twenty-nine when my mother's sister was diagnosed. Your chances to develop uterine cancer increase when you have a family history. Also, is having endometrial hyperplasia which I had when I was fourteen. I was supposed to get checked every six months because of the hyperplasia and my family history, but I was young, naïve. I thought I was indestructible. I last saw my female doctor when I was sixteen and then when I went on my twenty-first birthday . . . it was too late."

Ziva reached up and wiped a tear from Abby's cheek.

"Stage three uterine cancer spread to the uterus, the cervix and both ovaries. I was lucky to get out with my life. . ." She looked down at her hands. "But they had to take everything out, so any hope of ever having a biological child or carrying a child were gone. I should be grateful I'm still alive."

"It is hard to be grateful when something like that happens. I had to give up all hope of getting married or having a child when I joined Mossad. It is not an easy thing to accept."

Abby smiled sadly. "No."

Ziva leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss upon Abby's lips. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Abby shook her head. "I accepted the facts a long time ago."

"Just because you can't have a child of your own doesn't mean that you cannot have a family." The Israeli said as she reached out and took Abby's hand, lacing their fingers together until she could no longer tell whose fingers belonged to who.

"I know." Abby nodded, playing with their entwined fingers. "I was looking into adoption. Russia, maybe."

"That's nice Abby, but I was talking about this." She moved their entwined hands down to her belly. "We have not really talked about the baby and how we are going to handle . . . things. I presumed that we would raise the baby together, but I never did ask what you want."

Abby moved her hand over Ziva's belly. "What do you want?"

Ziva ran her thumb across the back of Abby's hand a few times before finally looking up at the woman before her. It was getting easier to express her feelings, but it was still hard. "What do I want? Or what is actually possible?" Abby just looked back at her. "What I want is to not have to run anymore. I thought I would be able to do it, but I did not count on doing it while pregnant." She attempted to joke, but she found that she didn't find it quite so funny. "What I want is to settle down some place warm." She smiled at seeing a smile come over Abby's face. "Maybe on the beach. Or in the woods. Less chance of nosey neighbors if you're surrounded by trees." She reached over and wiped the tear from Abby's pale cheek. "What I want is to have this baby, with you. To take it home, to our home and our life that we build together."

"I think" Abby began, swallowing the emotion that was so close to spilling over. It had taken her so long to get Ziva to open up and every day the Israeli surprised her even more. She sat up and pulled Ziva up so that she was sitting too and took Ziva's face in her hands. "That I fall more in love with you every day." She turned her head slightly so that she could capture Ziva's lips as her hand moved up to caress the side of the other woman's tanned face. "And I would love nothing more than to raise this baby with you, Ziva David, or whatever name you're using now." They both laughed. "I would love to be a family and make a life with you." They kissed again.

"I don't know Abby." Ziva admitted once they'd pulled away. "I was trained in Mossad ever since I can remember. They teach us to disregard our emotions, to trust only ourselves. I do not know what has come over me. Never before have I felt such a need to . . ." The Israeli fumbled around finding her words. "share my feelings so openly and to be so . . . affectionate. It was never who I was. I do not think I ever knew how important it was to me to have someone." She reached up and tucked a few fallen hairs behind Abby's ear. "I am glad that I found you."

"You know what?" Abby began, wiping the tears from her eyes. This was a big step and for that Ziva deserved to be rewarded. "In the morning we will dig out a map, close our eyes and just pick a place. But as for right now," Abby hopped off the bed and turned toward Ziva, slowly lifting up her shirt. "I have a better idea."

Ziva played dumb and shrugged her shoulders. "And what would that be? Do you have some more photographs you need developed?"

Abby smiled slyly and kept raising her shirt until it was over her head and tossed it at Ziva. She puckered her lips into a pour and she instantly knew that Ziva was done for. She never could resist it when Abby pouted.

[10 Days Later]

"Ziva?" Abby gently shook the Israeli awake. "Ziva?"

"Mmm?"

"We're here."

Ziva opened her eyes and looked out of the window of the tiny little plane.

"Where is here exactly?" Abby asked.

Ziva pushed herself up in the chair she had been sleeping in. "Um . . . one of the Seychelles Islands. I am not sure which."

"Great. And where are these islands?"

"East of Africa, northeast of Madagascar. Indian Ocean."

Abby nodded and sat back in her chair next to Ziva. "They have to have lost us by now. Ten days, fourteen countries…"

Ziva looked over at Abby and smiled. "Let us hope."

Abby smiled weakly and nodded. Ziva was the ex-Mossad officer, trained in both offensive and defensive fighting styles. However, now Ziva was seven months pregnant. Abby felt an innate need to protect the Israeli. They had been traveling so much the past few days, dodging Ziva's father and anyone else who may be looking for her or even looking for them both. Ziva was trained; she knew what to do and how to do it. But she didn't take into consideration her limitations as a pregnant woman.

The plane came to a stop and Abby stood up and grabbed her bag. "I'm gonna go call Gibbs before we head to the hotel."

Ziva nodded and watched as Abby exited the plane. Once she was sure her father and his goons were back in Israel and no one else was following them, she was going to have to have a serious discussion with Abby about temporarily settling down somewhere until after the baby was born. She would never admit it to anyone, but it was getting harder and harder with each passing day to continue with this life on the run. She wasn't the "crazy ninja chick" she used to be. "Okay." She grabbed onto the chair in front of herself and hoisted herself up. "Now I know why whales do not walk."

"Gibbs!"

Gibbs stood up and walked over to the elevator. Once inside, somewhere the floors of autopsy and Abby's lab, he flipped the emergency stop switch. They were the two most secure floors in the building. "It's about time Abs."

"Sorry Gibbs. We've kind of been on the run."

"Anything I need to know about Abby?"

"No." Abby looked around while twirling her hair. She desperately wanted to tell Gibbs, but with the appearance of Ziva's father and bodyguard goons their vacation around the world turned into a run for their lives.

Gibbs didn't believe the Goth woman for a second. But he let it go. "How is Ziva doing?"

"Oh you know, getting bigger and more stubborn by the day."

Gibbs furrowed his brow. "Am I missing something?"

"Ziva's pregnant Gibbs." Abby answered. It was best to be as direct with Gibbs as possible. "Something happened when she was on assignment in Russia." She knew she didn't have to say anymore for Gibbs to know what happened.

"How far along?"

"Seven months."

"I bet she looks beautiful."

Abby smiled and looked toward the plane as Ziva was just stepping out. Abby chuckled as Ziva struggled to see the steps below her protruding belly. "Yeah."

"What are you guys doing?"

"We just landed in-" She caught herself before she gave away their location. "-some country somewhere."

"And Ziva is…?"

"Getting off the plane." Abby explained. "You don't want to know what would happen to me if I offered to help her with her bags one more time."

Gibbs chuckled. "No. I probably don't. . . Put Ziva on."

"But Gibbs-"

"Just put her on Abs."

Abby stomped her feet a few times and spun around. "Gibbs-"

"Don't make me ask you twice Abby."

After a few more stomps around, Abby walked over to Ziva and handed the phone out. "For you."

Ziva put her bag down and glared at Abby. "I cannot talk to him Abby. I told you this. As of right now he has no proof that I am alive except for your word."

"Ziva do you really think Gibbs doesn't know?"

"No. But he doesn't have to have proof either. Anyone could be listening into this call." Abby held the phone up higher and pouted. Ziva snatched the phone. "Fine. But I am not talking long."

Abby smiled and quickly grabbed Ziva's bag before the Israeli could say anything and headed toward the door where a car was waiting outside with a smile on her face.

Ziva sighed. Gibbs knew she was alive, did she really think that by not speaking to him and hearing his voice that she could convince herself otherwise? She looked down at her belly and took a deep breath as she brought the cell to her ear. It would be damn near difficult for anyone to trace the call from her end anyway as they were in a specially designed airplane hangar that blocked nearly everything from getting in, including anyone trying to track a phone. She couldn't be sure about Gibbs' end though. But she trusted him. "Gibbs."

"I hear congratulations are in order."

Ziva remained silent.

"Ziva . . . take my advice. Stop running. I know you can't come back here, even though I could protect you." He attempted to hide his hurt, but he knew Ziva was doing what she felt she had to. "Settle down somewhere and make a home to welcome this baby into. It goes by so fast Ziva. . . You don't want to waste a minute."

Ziva nodded and swallowed the lump in her throat. "I know." She hated this over-emotional side effect of growing a human being. She reached a hand up and wiped away a tear that had escaped. "Gibbs? . . We'll be back. I promise. When it is safe I promise you that I will bring Abby home."

"You and the baby too Ziva."

Ziva smiled through the fresh wave of tears. "Us too Gibbs."

"Take care of yourself."

"Gibbs." Ziva said quickly. She had to ask him one thing before he hung up. "I was hoping…that, when we do finally come home, Abby, the baby and I, that you wouldn't mind being a sort of … grandfather figure for the child-For my child-My and Abby's child." Ziva heard a short laugh before the dial tone. She smiled. "I will take that as a 'yes.'"

Gibbs stepped off the elevator with a big grin plastered on his face. "Grandpa it is."