Sorry for the long wait guys, here it is.

Please review and tell me what you like/notlike about the story. And where you think it is going.

Thanks again to my beta! Your Amazing

Chapter 6

Ziva invited Jimmy and Drew to come have dinner with her and the girls the following week as a thank you. It had been two days before the twins were back to normal again. Bit by little bit Ziva and Jimmy got to know each other like they really were. They enjoyed each other's company but there were also things they did not talk about. Like Drew's mother and Ariella's and Miriam's father.

They continued to visit with each other one or more days each week, and soon a month and a half had passed.

That afternoon was like the others that they had shared before. All three children had become accustomed to falling asleep at Jimmy's place or Ziva's then being carried to the car and back in their own bed. Like the first night, Ziva and Jimmy were watching a movie together when Drew came into the room. Ziva stopped the movie right away. From experience she knew the sound would only keep Drew awake.

"What's the matter Buddy?" Jimmy asked as he pulled Drew on his lap.

"Mommy."

"Mommy?" he asked. Right, tomorrow was her birthday. He had completely forgotten and didn't even think that Drew would know when his mother's birthday was.

"Can we visit Mommy tomorrow?"

"Drew you know…"

It was something in Jimmy's voice that got Ziva's attention. She tried not to listen to their conversation as it was something between father and son and she had nothing to do with it. But she got the feeling that something had happened between Jimmy and Drew's mother, so she couldn't help but listen further.

Drew nodded his head knowing what his father was going to say. "Mommy would like flowers," he said quietly.

Jimmy then understood that Drew wanted to visit his mother's grave.

"Alright, we will go in the morning, and on the way we will buy some flowers."

Ziva decided that Jimmy would tell her when he was ready; at least she hoped so. Jimmy was putting Drew back to bed and while alone, Ziva began to think of the father of her girls. Drew's question about seeing his mother had triggered the memories. Ziva thought of how the girls sometimes asked about their father. There was a lot they remembered as they were already five when he turned rogue.

Soon her thoughts were interrupted by Jimmy as he sat back down next to her. Without saying a word Ziva started the movie again. Both adults were really quiet, Jimmy looked at Ziva and noticed that she seemed lost in her thoughts and a bit sad. What Jimmy did next he did on his instinct. He placed his arm around Ziva and to his surprise she moved closer to him. Jimmy turned his attention back to the movie but every once in a while he looked at Ziva, to whom the movie went, unnoticed. Neither of them saw the end of the movie since they both fell asleep, Ziva still close to Jimmy.

Morning came way too early. They got the children dressed and fed and spent several hours playing board games and dress up. The children put a crown on Ziva's and Jimmy's heads and declared them to be king and queen. Jimmy's apartment was filled with laughter. All of a sudden it was deathly silent, then a pillow came rushing through the air and hit both adults at the same time. They turned around and saw three giggling children. They looked at each other and without speaking they stood up, each one grabbing a pillow and went on the attack. First it was the children against the adults but it quickly switched into girls vs. boys. Ziva hit Jimmy with a pillow right when he wasn't looking; he fell down but in the process he pulled Ziva with him.

Ziva was laughing while lying on top of him.

"Sorry," she managed to say.

Jimmy was captured by her laugh. He had seen another side of her but bits and pieces of her were still able to surprise him. The way her eyes sparkled when she laughed made him feel like he had fallen in love for the first time all over again. He had no time to think about what his mind had just told him because three small bodies soon became part of the human pile. This brought on more laughter but they were soon sorted out and calmed down. The kids all went to Drew's room, hopefully to rest. Drew reminded his father about the promise to go see his mother.

Jimmy nodded, saying they would go and for him to get ready. Ziva helped Jimmy to straighten up the living room, picking up pillows from various locations around the room.

When they were done Jimmy called Drew. "Hey,Buddy, ready to go,?" He listened for Drew to answer then turned to Ziva. "I don't know when we will be back. You can stay here if you want to though."

"How about you and Drew take your time and I will make dinner for us tonight my place."

"Okay, deal. We'll see you tonight." The five people left the house. "Bye Miriam, bye Arriella," Jimmy called as they were walking to their mother's car.

"Bye," they replied in unison.

With a little bit of concern in her eyes Ziva watched as Jimmy drove off.

Jimmy and Drew arrived at the florist and went inside and looked around for a minute or two.

"What do you think mommy would like?"

"She liked mums."

Jimmy walked to the man behind the counter and asked if he could make a bouquet of mums. Once the bouquet done and paid for, they left. Drew held the flowers in his lap while they drove to the cemetery in silence. Jimmy parked the car and they got out. Somehow Drew knew the right way. Jimmy had to be honest with himself, he had not even thought of visiting her grave or even of going to the funeral.

When they arrived at his mother's grave site, Drew bent down and laid the flowers down.

Jimmy read the inscription of the headstone.

Lisa Curtrow

Loving mother and daughter

He looked down at his son. Before the boy began to speak he searched for his father's hand. Jimmy took the small hand in his and Drew clasped it tightly.

"Hey, Mommy," Drew spoke, softly. "I really miss you a lot. Thank you for sending me to Daddy. I really love him; I still wish you were here. Daddy and I are going to eat with Ziva tonight, she is really nice, and she reminds me of you, Mommy. "

The rest went unnoticed by Jimmy. Al he could think of was Lisa; he had never thought it would hit him as it did. He thought he had been over her, in fact he knew he was, but a feeling of guilt was getting a hold of him.

Time passed by and it was not until Drew tugged at Jimmy's hand and asked if they could go that Jimmy realized how long they had been there. Fifteen minutes later they arrived at Ziva's place. Dinner was almost ready so they sat down. While they were eating Ziva noticed that Jimmy did not have his mind on what was happening around him. Around 6pm, when Jimmy wanted to leave, Ziva stopped him.

"Please stay here; you seem out of it, I do not think that it is smart for you to drive right now."

He did not argue but let himself fall back onto the couch. Ziva put Drew and the girls to bed. Ariella and Miriam were able to get ready by themselves and read until their mother came to tuck them in.

She carried Drew to the study, which also doubled as a guest room. "Ziva, what's wrong with daddy?"

Ziva stroked the little boy's hair as she tucked him in. "He is just a bit tired. Do not worry, Little Man, it is time for you to go to sleep."

After all three of them had been tucked in, Ziva walked back to the living room to find Jimmy in the exact same position as she had left him. She sat down beside him, her eyes never leaving his face.

"What is wrong?"

Jimmy turned his head toward her voice. He had not even noticed that she had come back into the room.

"Jimmy, what is wrong? Ever since you came back this evening you have seemed preoccupied."

"There's nothing wrong."

Ziva made a short sound that seemed like a little laugh. "And I thought I was the one that kept everyone out." Then she turned serious again "Was it something with Drew's mother?"

Bingo, she hit the right spot as Jimmy hung his shoulders.

"So it is. Does she want Drew back? Is that it?"

He shook his head "She could not get him back even if she wanted."

"I do not understand."

"She's dead."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Is that why you have Drew?"

"Yes. I didn't even know he existed until the day he was brought to me. Lisa, she…she had cancer; it wasn't detected early enough and she lost the fight. We met when we were in college. We were together for about a year before she had to leave. Then about six and a half years ago we ran into each other again and, I don't know, we clicked. After about half a year she began to act weird, trying to make me mad, get me to leave. Then we had this one huge fight and I left her. I had no idea that she was pregnant with Drew. She wrote a letter to me saying that she was afraid of what I would think of her and that I was not ready. I wasn't sure what she meant at the time, but she was right. I was insecure. I had lost all prospective as to who I was. It took me until I began to work with Doctor Mallard to get myself back. Today we went to her grave, and when Drew was talking to her, I just…" He looked at Ziva, his eyes full of tears still with a manly proud "It's my fault. I shouldn't have run away; I should have stayed. It's my fault Drew doesn't have a mother anymore."

"Stop it."

"I left her alone, and when she got sick I was not there for her. What if she had been scared? I don't deserve Drew."

Ziva's hands flew up and grabbed Jimmy's face and made him look at her. The first tears fell from his eyes and went all the way down to touch her hand. "Stop it, Jimmy. You did not know she was pregnant, you said yourself you were not ready even if you had of known. Lisa, she must have been trying to protect you. If she had told you and you had stayed, would you have been happy?"

"No."

"See. And Drew would have known that you would rather not be there and when Lisa had died you would not have been able to be there for him the way you are now."

"But if I had stayed, if I had not gotten angry at her, then she would not have died."

"You do not know that. And you cannot change what happened. Please, Jimmy, put it behind you. What matters right now is that you have a wonderful son that loves you." She took her hands from his face and wrapped her arms around him. After a few seconds she felt his arms wrap around her.

That was it, nice and long no?

Please review, the plot bunny wants you to :D