Chapter Seven

On Saturday morning, Ziva was getting dressed when her phone rang. She looked at the caller ID and smiled to herself at who it was, answering with, "Did Jethro wake you up early this morning?"

McGee laughed on the other end and said, "I think he knows there will be another person to harass today. And don't worry, I won't let him get too rough with you."

The care he was showing for her well-being – for her baby's well-being – warmed Ziva's heart, and she said, "Thank you. I appreciate that."

"Well, I don't want anything to happen to that baby of yours," McGee said, and Ziva grinned to herself.

"If you were here right now, McGee, I think I would have to hug you," she said, which earned a chuckle from McGee.

"Then it's a good thing I'm not," he said jokingly. "Not sure I could survive a Ziva David hug."

Ziva rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Now you may never know," she joked back, then said, "Alright, I was just finishing getting ready. I can be there in 20 minutes?"

"Sounds good. I look forward to seeing you, Ziva."

"Same here," Ziva said, then hung up, smiling. McGee had just become the best person to spend time with lately, and she especially appreciated it now, when she needed someone. She knew she could rely on anyone from the team, but there were some things she didn't necessarily want to share with everyone. McGee was a private person, much like herself, so she felt comfortable going to him, and he seemed honored that she trusted him enough to do so.

She shook her head free of her thoughts and stepped into the bathroom to pull her hair into a quick ponytail, then headed out to meet McGee and Jethro at McGee's apartment.

McGee was just clipping Jethro's leash to his collar when he heard a knock on the door. Jethro scrambled to his feet and ran toward the door, barking, and McGee followed him, grabbing his collar and holding him back as he opened the door – not an easy task, as Jethro was a large dog, and kept trying to wiggle out of McGee's grasp.

"Hey, Ziva," he said, and Jethro escaped then, running to Ziva and pawing at her legs.

"Oh, hello, Jethro," Ziva said, squatting to rough up the dog's fur. He panted happily at her and licked at her face, as McGee groaned.

"Jethro, no!" he said, and the German Shepherd backed off, laying down at Ziva's feet and putting his head between his paws with a sheepish look on his face. McGee turned to Ziva. "I'm sorry about that."

"It is alright, McGee," she said, and turned her attention back to the dog, petting him softly. "I do not mind being licked all that much . . ." She lifted her eyes to McGee and smirked. "It just depends on who is doing the licking." McGee rolled his eyes, causing Ziva to laugh to herself, and he held a hand out to her to help her back to her feet. She took it and he drew her up, and as she was standing, Jethro stretched his legs, throwing her balance off and sending her into McGee.

She regained her balance after a minute, feeling her heartbeat speed up at the close call, then realized McGee had his hands on her hips, holding her up should she have fallen, and she was clutching his shirt like it was her last lifeline.

"You okay?" McGee asked. He could feel her shaking a bit against him, and took a step back to give her some room.

She nodded after a moment, looking down at the floor. "Yes, yes, just surprised, that is all. Thank you." She released his shirt and stepped back to the doorway, squatting to pet Jethro again, as McGee watched.

"Well, I'm ready to go, so we may as well get out of here, before someone causes any more problems," he said, laughing.

Rather than join in the laughter, though, Ziva just nodded and turned to leave. McGee's smile fell and he quickly grabbed Jethro's leash and followed her out, locking the door behind him, quickly catching up to Ziva as she arrived at the elevator.

"Hey, you know I was talking about Jethro, right?" he asked softly, worried he had offended her.

That caught her attention and she turned and gave him a look of surprise. "Of course, McGee." He let out a breath, relieved she wasn't offended by his crack. She turned back to the elevator, looking up at the arrows and waiting for one to light up. "It just made me realize how much more careful I must be now. Every move I make . . ." She let out a shaky breath. "I am responsible for two lives now."

McGee pursed his lips thoughtfully and decided that he could risk her wrath if he touched her and placed a hand on her back, giving it a gentle rub. "You're gonna be fine, Ziva." He smirked a little. "You're one of the most aware people I know."

That made Ziva smile a bit, and she turned her head to look at him again. "That is usually true," she agreed, taking a step forward as the elevator doors opened, as if on her cue.

McGee grinned and followed her into the car, Jethro following obediently and sitting between the two of them as the doors closed.

The trio walked down the sidewalk, Jethro a few feet ahead of Ziva and McGee, only stopping to sniff at things he found interesting along the way.

"So, uh, you ever find out what Tony was acting so weird about?" McGee asked as a way of making conversation.

Ziva nodded, trying to decide how to best approach how to tell him. "I did, actually. And I am not sure if you will find it flattering or be offended." She laughed softly.

He glanced over at her, trying to keep Jethro from pulling his arm out of its socket. "Yeah? Why, did it involve me?"

"You were a rather main part, yes," she said, her tone hesitant, which McGee didn't fail to notice.

"What, did he think you were having my baby or something?" he said, laughing. He looked over at her, grinning, but his smile turned confused when she didn't respond. "That's not it, is it?" His smile slowly faded when he saw a slight blush tint Ziva's cheeks. "Ziva, come on. We both know that's ridiculous . . ." Ziva's blush deepened and McGee sensed he may have said something wrong. "Uh, it's not ridiculous?" he tried correcting.

Ziva turned to him then, her embarrassment disappearing as she smiled at him. "I told him if that were the case, he would have known about it," she said. She let out a deep breath. "I hope that you are not insulted that Tony assumed because we were spending time together, that must mean we are sleeping together."

To her surprise, McGee just rolled his eyes. "Ziva, it's Tony. He's convinced everyone sleeps with everyone else."

Ziva smirked. "Everyone with everyone, huh?"

He gave her a dirty look. "I didn't mean it like that, smart ass. And, really, if anyone should be insulted, it should be you."

Ziva looked taken aback. "Why do you say that? McGee, have I not made it clear that I more than appreciate your friendship?"

He gave her a look. "Appreciating my friendship is one thing. Tony assuming our friendship has benefits is another." Ziva continued to stare at him, so he shook his head. "Look, I'm not insulted, you're apparently not insulted," Ziva scoffed and he frowned, "and everything's cleared up. We good?"

Ziva looked at him for a moment before smiling. "Yes. Now, you may want to return your attention to your dog before you end up paying someone for him peeing on their car." She laughed behind her hand as McGee whipped his head toward Jethro, who was busy sniffing the rear tire of a bright red Corvette.

"Jethro, no!" he hissed at the dog, who turned toward him with a blank expression. McGee shook his head and tugged on the dog's leash. "C'mon, mutt." Jethro started panting and continued the walk down the sidewalk, as Ziva slipped an arm through McGee's as they followed.

"That is not nice," she said, leaning into him a bit. "I do believe he is a purebred German shepherd."

"Well, it doesn't mean he doesn't act like a mutt," McGee muttered, shaking his head, but then smiled as he glanced over at Ziva. "I'm glad you came up with this idea. Makes taking Jethro for a walk a much more enjoyable experience."

"You are not just saying that because I am pregnant, are you?" Ziva asked, squeezing his arm gently.

"Of course not," he replied honestly. "I enjoy spending time with you, pregnant or not."

That made Ziva laugh, and she nodded. "That is good to know." She paused, then added, "I feel the same about you."

That made them both laugh, and as they reached the park, both wore a glow of happiness on their faces.

That day in the park was just the first of many similar trips to come in the next few months, and it became more part of their routine than anything else. Jethro loved the extra attention, and both McGee and Ziva enjoyed having someone with whom to spend their time away from work. It didn't feel overbearing, stifling, as it can often be when one spends a lot of time with another person. If anything, they grew more comfortable with each other, something which didn't go unnoticed around the office.

Tony would watch from his desk as Ziva and McGee shared a secret smile at something Gibbs or he said, like it was an inside joke only they would understand. He saw how happy they both seemed, and Ziva's new sheen could be attributed to that natural shine pregnant women get, but McGee . . . He thought about Abby's words, how if there were something going on between their friends, they'd know about it – but he wondered if they'd know about it before McGee and Ziva.

Ziva was about four and a half months along and just starting to show, and Tony caught McGee shooting dirty looks at whispering agents who passed by, a warning that they should mind their own business . . . or risk never being able to get another credit card. It wasn't a very dangerous threat, but Ziva had relayed it to Tony once and seemed to find it charming, but he couldn't tell how much of her smiling laughter had been in relation to the idea and how much of it had been about McGee in general.

The work day was just ending one day and Tony and Gibbs were off tracking down a suspect when McGee and Ziva looked up from their computers at the same time, meeting each other's eyes. They broke into laughter at the same time, and McGee spoke.

"We keep doing that," he said, grinning, and Ziva returned the smile, brushing some hair behind her ear. She looked pensive, like she had something she wanted to say, so McGee quirked an eyebrow as he asked, "Got something on your mind?"

"Yes, actually," she said, and let out a deep breath. "I wanted to wait until Tony and Gibbs were gone."

McGee's smile faded and his eyebrows knitted together in concern. "What's up, Ziva?"

Ziva gave him a warm smile to ease his worry, and he got up from his desk, joining her at hers. She waited until he was perched the edge of her desk before continuing. "Ah, it is nothing bad. I have made a doctor's appointment and, well, I would like you to come with me."

"Okay, that sounds fine," he said, not understanding what the big deal was. "Come on, did you really think I wouldn't go with you?"

Ziva shook her head. "I do not think you are grasping the importance of this particular appointment, Tim," she said, and he tipped his head at her, encouraging her to continue. She looked up at him. "I am far enough along now that I can find out what I'm having. And I would like you to be there with me when I hear."

A/N: I'm going to see how much more I can get written in the next few days, but chances are I won't be able to update again until the weekend after next, and maybe not even then. Gah! Too busy. :P I want to be like, c'mon people, just when I'm getting into a fic, you steal me away for other things. :P But I guess, I don't get to spend tons of time with my friends, either. :) But that's what's going on there. I will try to work on this a lot this weekend, though! And I have two other fic ideas I want to work on, too. :P Of course. Haha. Anyway. Like my Facebook page and I'll try to keep you updated there!