I am very excited for this chapter. Hopefully you all will like it as well. Definitely the longest chapter to date but there's a good surprise at the end. I know you have all waited long enough for this chapter so here it finally is. Most people voted that they thought Ziva was having a girl with the second highest vote being twins. Now we shall see who was right. Also, it was my birthday yesterday and I will gladly accept reviews as late birthday presents :)
VillageVoice

2 Days Before Halloween

"How cool would it be if the baby is born on Halloween?"

"Abby he is not staying in here another two days."

"You don't know that. The contractions stopped and Lawrence said it could be any day now."

"Yes, but let us hope that that day is today. If I have to stay pregnant for another day I am going to cut him out myself. Dr. Jacobs has been wrong before. He wanted me to go back into the hospital the week after they released me because he said I was definitely going to go into pre-term labor again, but I never did." Her eyes lit up as an idea hit her. "Maybe he did something. Maybe the medication he gave me to stop my contractions did . . . something and that is why the baby is not out. It prevented my body from . . . making contractions."

Abby chuckled. "Well I hope she comes out soon. For your sake. And my own." She whispered. "And because she won't get to wear the adorable little costume I got her."

"Oh Abby you didn't?"

Abby winked.

"What did you get?" Ziva asked with a smile.

Abby jumped off the couch and ran upstairs. Ziva chuckled as she heard Abby running around. When she got back she thrust two little costumes at Ziva. "How freaking cute are they?"

"They are very small."

"They're for a baby. You don't think she's going to be born weighing twenty pounds, do you?"

"I hope not."

Abby took the costumes and stuffed them back into the bag. She couldn't wait to see all the little kids in their costumes. Ziva didn't feel much like dressing up this year, not that she dressed up any other year, but Abby did. It took her a while to find the right costume. After all this year whatever costume she picked did have to cover all of her tattoos. But she had come up with the perfect costume and she didn't even have to buy anything for it. She was dressing as a lab tech - a sexy/geeky lab tech. She was wearing the white lab coat she wore at work, her red and black plaid mini skirt with a tight black button-up shirt with only the middle few buttons buttoned and was borrowing a pair of Ziva's high-heeled boots she hadn't worn in months that were thick in the heels so Abby could actually walk in them. She was also planning to wear her glasses to cover the 'geeky' part. It was the perfect disguise. Dressing up as real self while pretending to be someone else. She could be herself; if only for one night.

Abby grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch and guided Ziva to lay down on her lap so that she could give her one of her famous head massages that almost always put the Israeli right to sleep. With the excitement they were anticipating come Halloween night, today was a lazy kind of day. They had a lot of Abby's Halloween movies to get through and with Halloween being in only two days and the baby coming anytime Abby wanted to put a good dent into the last of the movies while they still had time. Right now they were watching the last of the funny and musical Halloween movies starting with Beetlejuice, a personal favorite of Abby's. After that it was The Nightmare Before Christmas, although not really a Halloween movie Abby liked to watch it on Halloween. Beetlejuice wasn't really either, but again Abby liked to watch it on Halloween.

"Tony would be proud." Ziva said.

"Of what?"

"Me watching all of these movies. He always said that I did not watch enough movies."

Abby smiled and laced her fingers through Ziva's long, dark curls. "I think they'd all be proud of you right now."

Ziva grabbed Abby's hand and placed a kiss on her palm. "I believe they would be proud of us right now."

Abby chuckled. "Wait 'till we start the horror movies. Then Tony would really be proud."

Ziva sighed. As hardened as she was and with as much as she had seen, horror films still scared the life out of her. But these movies could be the last few movies she and Abby had time to enjoy together for the next few . . . years. So she was eager to watch as many as she could with Abby.

1 Day Before Halloween

Abby had finally finished putting the finishing touches on her 'laboratory.' She had originally planned on being a sexy/geeky lab tech, but the more decorating she did and the more body parts she pulled out of the bags of decorations the more she realized she needed to change her costume, 'tweak' it if you will. So instead of the sexy/geeky lab tech she started out as she turned into a crazy/bloody/sexy lab tech. She kept her original costume, sans glasses, and planned to tease and hairspray her hair up all crazy-like, button her shirt on the wrong buttons, rip a pair of her red tights and splatter fake blood all over herself and her sparkly white lab coat. She was pumped.

The new 'Labby' was in the formal and dining rooms complete with real Bunsen burners that would boil different colorful liquids, two autopsy tables one with a fake corpse with a Y-incision and various organs spread about and the other with a fake corpse under a sheet, toe tag slipped out. Abby brought the laptop in from the office and popped up some really creepy pictures of a step-by-step guide on how to create a Frankenstein. Jars were spread around the rooms with various body parts and little creatures floating in different colored liquids. Abby was planning on transforming some pumpkins into punch bowls and putting peeled grapes into some of them. Apparently they felt the most like real eyeballs. There was even a casket that someone would be popping out of periodically next to the fireplace and a whiteboard above it with complex chemical equations written out.

In one of the back corners there was an enormous spider web with real looking hairy tarantulas over where the spider-themed deserts would be placed. A skeleton was in the other corner with an arm draped over his mummy friend. Abby had named him Steve and the mummy she called Bob. Just because they looked like those names and they would be accompanied by the skeleton and mummy-themed desserts. All of the pumpkin-themed deserts would go around the pumpkin punch bowls and everything else would be placed wherever they could find room. It was going to be the best Halloween party ever . . . as long as the fog machine stopped acting up and decided to produce some actual fog. Everyone would start arriving as soon as the trick-or-treating hours were over so Abby had to get everything ready as soon as she could so she wouldn't be completely overwhelmed trying to do everything in the few hours before trick-or-treating started tomorrow. She was not going to leave this until the last minute.

But first she had to find her camera. "Hey Zi have you seen my camera?" Abby traveled into the living room where she had left Ziva in front of the TV. "You seen my camera?"

"No." Ziva replied barely taking her eyes away from the screen. She was watching Men in Black, for like the fifth time since Abby first introduced her to the movie.

"Are you going to watch anything else today?"

"No."

"Are you conscious?"

"No."

Abby nodded. "Have fun then."

"No . . . wait, what? Abby?" Ziva called, but Abby had already run out of the room. She shrugged and went back to the movie. Abby would have turned the movie off if it was important. Ziva had offered to help Abby set-up the lab and whatever else needed to be set-up, but the scientist had declined her offer. She wanted Ziva to rest and let her body prepare for and do what it had to do.

Ziva sighed. She would lay down doing what she had to do while Abby ran around doing what she had to do. Maybe between the two of them something would get done whether that be bringing a child into the world or unleashing Abby's enthusiasm for her favorite holiday upon the Island.

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Ziva woke from her nap just as the credits were ending with a sharp pain in her belly. Figuring they were just the same Braxton-Hicks contractions she had been having the past couple of days she got up and popped the second Men In Black DVD into the player and stretched out a bit. After a few seconds the pain disappeared so she checked in on Abby in the kitchen and smiled. There was flower and icing and various kinds of batter everywhere. Dishes were piling up in the sink and Abby was currently trying to get something sticky out of her hair. Ziva covered her mouth to suppress a laugh and grabbed Abby's camera from the shelf. She turned the flash off and took a quick picture before replacing the camera to the shelf and rejoining her soul mate: the couch, in peaceful slumber.

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"Ziva? . . Ziva?" Abby placed her hand on the side of Ziva's face and brushed her thumb across the Israeli's tanned cheek. "Ziva?"

Ziva slowly opened her eyes.

"Are you okay?"

Ziva closed her eyes. "Yes." She answered. "Why?"

"You were making noise." She explained. "You were . . . whimpering."

Ziva's eyes shot open. "I do not … whimper. What is a whimper?"

"It's . . . it's like when you . . . kind of . . . It . . ."

Ziva waved her off. "Doesn't matter. I was not whimpering."

"Okay." Abby nodded and placed a gentle kiss on Ziva's forehead. "I just have to run to Sam's real quick. Shannon's father is challenging the custody agreement -yet again, and wants Shannon to live with him permanently so Sam has a phone conference with her lawyer and needs someone to watch Shannon for like an hour, tops. Of course we really know that all he wants is more money and he'll go away for another couple of months. Will you okay for a little while? Do you need anything?"

"I will be fine and no I do not need anything." Ziva shook her head and yawned. "But tell her that drink she gave me did not work."

"Except turn you into a zombie." Abby muttered under her breath.

"What?"

Abby smiled and kissed Ziva. "Love you. Be back soon." She bent down and placed a kiss on Ziva's belly. "Don't go anywhere 'till I get back."

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"Abby!" Ziva shot-up and tried to breathe through the pain as Abby had instructed her to do after watching some labor video. "Abby!" Still no response. "ABBY!" Ziva looked around the room. This pain was different; definitely not fake contractions. She waited for the pain to subside before she grabbed the baby book off of the end table and turned to the labor section. 'How To Tell if You're in Labor' After a couple of minutes of scanning the pages she made a mental note of everything to look for and went into the kitchen to clean up the mess she knew Abby had probably forgotten about. That woman had an amazing memory, but it was quite a selective memory when it came to cleaning.

"Ah!" Ziva doubled over as another contraction hit. She breathed through it and it was over in less than a minute. If another few contractions came with the same spacing as the first two and lasting as long or longer . . . well, she just hoped that Abby got home soon.

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"ABBY!" Cleaning the kitchen took a good while, but along with a clean kitchen came the realization that Ziva was definitely in labor. And Abby was still at Sam's playing babysitter. There was no way that Ziva could walk all the way down there and she tried Abby's cell, but whereas she couldn't tell exactly where it was she knew it was somewhere in the house as she heard the familiar ringtone each time she dialed the scientist's number. She didn't want to try Sam's landline because she was in a conference with her lawyer. The only option left was to breathe, try to stay calm and relaxed and wait for Abby to get home.

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"Zi!" Abby closed the door and rushed over to the stairs. "Ziva?" She was uncomfortable leaving Ziva in the first place but after that hour she was supposed to watch Shannon for passed and Sam needed her to stay longer an uneasy feeling came over her. With no response coming from upstairs she checked in the living room and saw Ziva sitting in the middle of the floor with her legs crossed 'butterfly style' as she told her young yoga students and her eyes closed. "Ziva?"

"Shh…"

Abby placed her bag on a chair and joined Ziva on the floor. Assured that Ziva and the baby were okay she then noticed the dimmed lights and classical music playing softly in the background. "Are you okay?"

"I thought you were only going to be gone for an hour." Ziva replied in a very calm voice.

"I thought so too. Sorry. I tried to call, but I left my cell . ." Abby trailed off noticing her cell lying beside Ziva. ". . here."

Ziva nodded, still keeping her eyes closed.

"Are you okay?"

"We are fine." She said as she let out a strong, steady breath.

"You in labor?"

"Yes."

"How long have you been having contractions?"

Ziva peeked at the clock across the room. "A couple of hours."

Abby shook her head. "We need to work on your communication skills."

"My communication skills are just fine."

"Yeah you just choose not to use them."

"But they are still fine. You are the one who left your cell phone here."

"Good point. I'm here now do you need anything? Do you want to move upstairs or into the tub? How's the pain?"

"One question at a time." She breathed as the contraction finally passed and she opened her eyes and looked at Abby.

"How's the pain?"

"Worse than the other day."

"You should have called Sam's house. She would have understood."

Ziva shook her head. "It's fine. This time the contractions are going to result in a baby."

Abby grabbed Ziva's face in her hands and leaned in for a kiss. "We get to meet our baby." She said through tears.

Ziva smiled and grabbed one of Abby's hands, squeezing it hard. "Once this contraction passes . . ." She let out a slow, steady breath. "We really need to decide on a name."

Halloween

"I told you Ziva you're not ready to have this baby yet. The contractions aren't close enough apart."

"I don't care what you say" Ziva began as she squeezed Abby's hand. "He wants to come out."

"And she will. But not right now." Ziva collapsed against the back of the couch once the contraction passed. "Here, turn away from me." Ziva turned around and Abby brought her hands to Ziva's lower back. Unlike the contractions she had a couple of days ago the contractions she was having now were causing pretty severe back pain. Abby hoped that a massage would help ease some of the pain or at least make Ziva a little more comfortable.

"Abby," Ziva began as she gritted her teeth through another contraction.

"Yeah?"

"I have been thinking."

"Ziva how about right now you think about breathing through this contraction." Abby coached, rubbing circles on the Israeli's lower back.

"I do not like the name Kaia."

"I thought you did?"

Ziva took a couple of low, deep breaths. "I changed my mind."

Abby shrugged. "That's fair. But in all fairness I gotta tell you, I really don't like Noah."

"You don't?" Abby shook her head. "Why?"

"I kind of dated this guy named Noah in college. Not exactly a time of my life I look back on with a smile."

Ziva sighed as the contraction finally passed. "That is also fair."

Abby leaned back against the couch. "You do realize this means that in a few hours when she is born she won't have a name right?"

Ziva nodded. "Nope. He won't."

Abby nodded. "Wonderful."

Ziva braced herself as another contraction hit. "I just want him out."

Abby brushed a few sweat-soaked hairs from Ziva's forehead and smoothed the rest of her frazzled hair down. "She doesn't want to leave her mother. Think of how cool it is in there. It's warm, she doesn't have to do anything but swim around all day, she doesn't have to worry about food. It's a pretty sweet deal."

"Well I want her to leave." She looked down at her belly. "I give you permission to leave."

"You tell me how much you mean that when she's leaving for college."

Ziva sighed. "I will remember this day."

"Are you sure you don't want to try the tub? We can turn on the jets."

Ziva shook her head and leaned into Abby's touch. "Not yet."

"I'll go grab the heating pad."

"Could you bring me some water too?"

Abby placed a kiss on Ziva's cheek. "Sure. Yell if you have a contraction."

The plan for today had been to watch a movie early in the day so that they could use the rest of the day to finish everything up with the decorations and the baking. Now, however, the plan was to make Ziva as comfortable as possible. Abby hoped that by putting in the scariest movie she owned that Ziva's mind would be so wrapped up in the movie that she wouldn't notice the pain as much. Ziva looked up at the screen and screamed as the demonic clown showed up in the mirror looking back at one of the main characters. She looked away and shut her eyes as tightly as she could. Once the part was over and the dialogue returned to normal non-demonic speech she looked up.

Abby ran back into the room. "Another contraction?"

Ziva grabbed the remote and turned the TV off. "Never put that movie on again."

Abby hid her smile and nodded. "But it worked, right? It takes your mind off of-"

Ziva grabbed Abby's hand as all of a sudden she felt a rush of warm liquid leave her body. She looked up from the clear liquid on the floor to Abby. "That means the baby will come soon, right?"

Abby grimaced. "Not necessarily."

"What does it mean?"

Abby looked away. "That labor is going to get more painful and intense."

"More painful than it has already been?"

Abby nodded. "Hopefully now your labor will progress faster. But it is gonna hurt more." She smiled. "But hey, we're going to have a baby soon . . . hopefully."

The Israeli let out a long breath and looked back up at the blank TV screen. "You should have told me about this movie. I would have watched it a lot sooner."

"I did. I tried to get you to watch this movie last week, but no. You said to wait until Halloween."

"You should know better than to listen to me."

Abby chuckled. "I should by now shouldn't I?" Ziva nodded. "Alright let's get you up and changed."

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Abby ran down the stairs, taking them two at a time to open the door and stop the bell that had Ziva swearing in more languages than Abby knew existed.

"Sorry." Sam apologized, entering the house and shutting the door once Shannon followed her in. "This is the last trip I promise." With Ziva in labor they couldn't very well throw a party downstairs when Ziva was giving birth upstairs. Abby crossed her fingers. 'Hopefully giving birth.' They would have the party another night, but there was no need for all of the cakes and cookies and cupcakes and punch and other goodies they had already made to go to waste. They could make more. As for what they had now Sam was taking the majority of it for a bake sale they were having on the mainland to raise money for something. Something about buying a big boat for the school so the kids could go on field trips. Abby didn't really know nor particularly care. She was a little busy at the moment.

"Yeah." Abby nodded. "Everything else is right-"

"ABBY!"

Sam smiled. "Go. We know where everything is. And here," She began, handing a travel mug to Abby. "For Anna. It will ease the pain of the contractions so she can get some sleep before the baby's born."

"Thank-you."

"And we're leaving the big cakes." She shouted up the stairs after Abby. She turned to Shannon. "They're going to need something to eat when that baby is born and they're too tired to do anything other than sleep."

Shannon giggled.

"Maybe we should make them some real food before we leave. Unlike you, they can't live on cake." She guided her daughter toward the kitchen. "I just pray that baby is nothing like you were."

Abby kneaded the muscles deep in Ziva's lower back. So far it was the only thing, besides the tub, that gave any relief to Ziva's contractions. There was only so long she could stay in the tub without her skin getting wrinkled and the hot water running out.

"Why are the contractions not coming closer together?" Ziva asked.

"They are. They're just not doing it as fast as you would like." Abby answered. "We could always call Lawrence. I'm sure he'd make a house call for his favorite patient."

Even in the middle of a strong contraction Ziva rolled her eyes. "I bet he would."

Abby chuckled.

"Is it dangerous right now? For me or the baby? Are things progressing too slowly that something might be wrong?"

"No." Abby shook her head. "You're good, baby's heart rate is nice and strong. Everything seems fine." When she went back to D.C. for her birthday, Abby had stopped and spent the day in LA so that she could take an eight hour introductory course in 'baby birthing' as she called it. It was basic, but covered all of the bases. She had also been taking a couple of classes on the mainland twice a week. She kind of told Ziva a little white lie and said that they needed her to work an extra day down at the lab when she really snuck over to the mainland for a three hour class once a week and another that was two hours a week she took when she and Ziva made their weekly trips to the mainland. That added to the reading she'd been doing and the videos she'd been watching made her a lot more confident to deliver this baby than she had been when they first discussed the topic.

"Then we will wait." Ziva gritted her teeth.

Abby smiled and nodded; the only thing she could do really. She already put a call into Dr. Jacobs and there was a helicopter standing by on the mainland if anything happened. "Standard protocol" he said. This baby was the first baby ever to be born on the island so they were taking all possible precautions. Dr. Jacobs' brother was a helicopter pilot so he put a call into him whenever he needed a favor. Apparently his brother owed him a lot of favors.

"Maybe I should try walking. I read that that can sometimes help move labor along."

"We can try, but there really isn't any place to go up here. We can walk around the room or the hall I guess."

"We have the entire house Abby. It is quite big."

"Ziva you can't walk around the entire house."

"Why not?"

"Because if you do somehow make it down the stairs there is no way you are going to make it back up. I know you want to have the baby in the water, but I don't think the ocean is the best idea. The tub's warmer. And fish free."

Ziva chuckled. "Then we can walk around here."

And they did. They walked around the room, which granted was pretty big, they walked down the hall to the baby's room, took a walk in there hoping the baby would want to come out and see all of his or her stuff, walked past the windows along the back of the house to the other side of the floor, walked past the two guestrooms, walked out onto the balcony on the front of the house, back into the house, back into their room and started the process all over. Many, many times.

They were both exhausted. Neither had slept much through the night and with all the walking their energy was just about depleted. Abby suggested Ziva try to get some rest as she was going to need all the energy she had when it was time to have the baby, but with the contractions coming closer and stronger she couldn't.

"You know if we went to the hospital you could get an epidural and sleep. Pain free."

"Is that when they stab the big needle into your spine?"

Abby nodded.

Ziva sighed and leaned back against the pillows on the bed. "Even if I was in the hospital I would not get that."

Abby leaned back next to Ziva. "I sure would."

"Really?"

"In a heartbeat. Medicine advances every day, why not use it?"

"Yes, why use it?" Ziva responded. "Putting a needle into your spine? That does not sound enjoyable."

"Ziva I am a scientist. I will always take science over . . ." She thought for a moment. "Pretty much everything else. Diseases have been wiped off the planet. Vaccines have decreased mortality rates and increased the life expectancy-"

Ziva grimaced. "You have made your point."

Abby smiled. "Thank-you."

"What time is it?" Ziva asked as she took a sip of the lime green beverage Sam brought for her.

"Just after noon. Why?"

Ziva downed the entire mug and pulled the blankets up. "Because I have been in labor for almost twenty hours now. It is time for a nap."

"Can you sleep?" Abby followed suit and pulled the blankets up to her chin.

Ziva shrugged. "We will see. Even if I can't sleep you still should. We are going to become parents tonight. At least one of us needs to be able to stay up with him tonight."

Abby leaned over and gave Ziva a quick kiss before scooting back over to her side and getting comfortable. "I'm so on it."

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Abby tip-toed out of the room careful not to wake Ziva. Whatever Sam had given her had put her into a deep, peaceful sleep. Hopefully by finally being able to sleep Ziva's labor would speed up and they would have a baby before the next Halloween.

Having a feeling that Ziva would be waking up soon she headed into the kitchen to make some tea. A canister she didn't recognize was sitting on the counter with a note in front of it.

'Red raspberry leaf tea - It has been shown to speed up labor as well as promote relaxation which is always important before having a baby. There is eggplant parmesan in the fridge Shannon and I made earlier. Some people say it can help bring on labor or strengthen the contractions, but we just think it tastes good.'
-Sam & Shannon

Abby smiled and put the kettle on to boil, grabbing Ziva's favorite mug from the cabinet and setting it beside the tea. "Can't hurt." After all it was only tea. The kettle whistled and Abby poured the hot water onto the tea leaves. She took her time mixing the drink and went for a walk through her laboratory while she waited for the tea to cool a bit.

She stood in the middle of the two rooms and looked around. "This would have been really cool."

"It still can be."

Abby smiled over at Ziva. "Maybe for us. Trust me I was there when my brother had Rebecca and then the twins. For the first few weeks all you want to do is sleep. When the baby's awake you're awake and when the baby is asleep you're asleep." She shook her head. "No time for parties."

Ziva followed Abby into the kitchen. "I will be able to watch the baby by myself for a couple of hours."

Abby waved her off. "It's okay."

"No. You should have your party Abby." Ziva began, carefully settling herself at one of the stools at the island. "You have been looking forward to it for weeks."

"I tell you what," Abby placed the tea in front of Abby. "When and if we have the party we will do it together. As a family."

"Yes." Ziva smiled and sipped her tea. "As a family."

"And she can wear her little bee costume." Abby jumped up and down in excitement. She always went crazy shopping for baby clothes when her niece was little and then for her nephews. It was even better now that she got to shop for her own kid.

Ziva shook her head with a chuckle.

Abby sighed. "Anyway how are you feeling?"

"Good."

"Are the contractions any closer together?"

"Yes." Ziva nodded. "They are about a minute apart now."

Abby choked on the water she had been chugging, feeling unusually parched. "They're what?"

"A minute apart." She winced. "Perhaps shorter now. That drink Sam made . . . The pain is . . . not bad, yes?" She asked. Making sure she used the phrase correctly.

"Yeah-A minute apart? Why didn't you tell me? We need to get you upstairs and into the tub."

"I did not know until I woke-up. That was the best few hours of sleep I have had in a long time. Do you think she could make some more?"

"No point in getting more." She said, helping Ziva to her feet. "The baby's coming and with or without the drink you're not going to be sleeping. Come on."

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"Ziva PUSH!"

"I don't want to."

"What?" Abby repositioned herself on the back edge of the tub. "What do you mean you don't want to? For the past nine months all you've been saying is that you want the baby out."

"Abby do not be ridiculous. Perhaps the past nine weeks, but not the past nine months."

"Same difference. All I'm saying is that the baby is here. She is right here Ziva and she wants to be born." She reached over and gently guided Ziva's chin up until their eyes connected. "You don't have a choice in the matter."

Ziva smiled. "Nice prep talk."

"Pep talk."

"Same difference."

"Leave it to you to be all sassy when you're about to have a baby. Now . . . are you ready?"

"No." Ziva gripped Abby's hands as a contraction peaked. "But I will do it anyway."

"Good. Now push!"

"Wait. We should decide on a name first."

"Ziva David stop stalling. PUSH!"

Ziva grabbed the back of her legs and pushed as hard as she could.

"Good, good." Abby coached. "Five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten and breathe. And again one-"

"What no break?"

"For a crazy ninja chick your stamina isn't what I thought it would be. In bed is one thing, but-"

"One, two…" Ziva began counting for herself as she pushed.

Abby smiled and took over. "Three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten." She placed a hand on Ziva's exposed belly and felt the contraction stop. "Now you can take a break."

Ziva leaned her head back against the pillow Abby had placed on the edge of the tub. She took a few deep breaths. "We really need to talk about a name."

"Okay so talk." Rather than speak Ziva made a face letting Abby know another contraction was hitting. "Again?" She asked.

Ziva nodded and grabbed her legs again.

"One, two, three, four, five-"

"AHHHH…"

"-six, seven, eight, nine, ten."

"Is this going to be much longer?"

"That depends on you. Again. One, two, three, four - Ziva I need you to push harder - five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. Ziva you need to push harder."

Ziva took a deep breath, grabbed the back of her legs, put her chin to her chest and pushed with every ounce of strength she had in herself. Tapping in to pool of strength she hadn't used in a long time. Not since she fought for her life in Russia.

"One, two - excellent Ziva - three, four, five - I can her head keep pushing - six, seven, eight, nine, ten. Again. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. And breathe."

Ziva took a couple of deep breaths and tried to relax her body with each breath. She knew that the more relaxed she was the easier this would be.

"One more push like that and I think her head will be out."

"Can you see it?"

Abby smiled. "Yeah."

Ziva nodded. "Okay." A panicked expression quickly came over her face. "I should get out of the tub."

"No. Ziva relax. Just stay here the water is helping you deal with the contractions right?"

"Yes, but I do not want the baby to drown. When he takes his first breath he will be underwater. Help me up."

"The baby won't take a breath until she is out of the water. It's the exposure to oxygen that makes the baby take its first breath."

Ziva thought for a moment. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Ziva nodded. "Okay. Because I have to push."

"I'm ready." Abby smiled. "One . . . two . . . three . . . four . . . five . . . six . . . seven . . . eight . . . nine . . . ten" She drew out her counting and true to her prediction by the tenth count the baby's head was out. She used her hands to feel around, but refused to look down at the baby yet. She and Ziva would see the baby together. "Head's out. Not long now."

With scary determination and dedication on the part of both women the baby was out and wailing its little head off in no time. Abby smiled as she handed the baby to Ziva.

Ziva looked unsure. "I don't know . . . how do I…"

"Support her head." Abby instructed.

"Her?" Ziva looked down at the baby. "It's a girl."

Abby smiled. "It's a girl."

Ziva smiled and held her daughter close. This was one instance in which she did not consider crying to be a sign of weakness. "I have a daughter." She looked down at the face the tiny baby in her arms as Abby busied herself cleaning out the baby's nose and mouth and clamping the cord. Ziva ran a finger down the baby's cheek. She was beautiful, albeit red, slimy and swollen. Her skin was flawless. It had an olive tint to it, but they wouldn't know what color her skin was until she was cleaned up and dried off. She had long eyelashes and dark, 'M' shaped lips, an adorable little nose and a full head of dark hair.

Abby smiled as she brushed a wet facecloth across the baby's face and hair, eliciting a loud wail from the infant. "You did good."

Ziva placed a hand on Abby's cheek and brought her in for a kiss. "We did good." She looked down at the baby. "You were right. She was a girl."

Abby took the baby and very carefully held her body under the gently running water to wash her body off. Once she was clean she toweled her off and wrapped her in a warm, fluffy white blanket. She placed a kiss on the baby's forehead. "Well," She began. "I had a fifty-fifty shot." She handed the baby back to Ziva. "Now we have a real reason to celebrate Halloween every year."

Ziva chuckled. "Like you need a reason."

Abby shrugged. "No. But how cool is it that she was born on Halloween."

Ziva looked down at her daughter. "It is pretty cool."

A/N: Poor Ziva. No one believed her that the baby was a boy. About the twins thing, really? I put that there as a joke. Did people really think it was twins? Or did it throw you off so it seemed plausable? Anyway, all those who voted a girl give yourselves a pat on the back.