A/N: Sorry about the wait in updating. Last weekend I had zero time to write, but this weekend is wide open, so here's a chapter to start, and I hope to have at least one more (maybe two, if I get inspired :D - reviews help there ;)) up before the weekend is over.
Chapter Fourteen
Gibbs returned from his coffee run shortly after and McGee headed back to his desk, though neither he nor Ziva could keep the smiles from their faces. Gibbs rolled his eyes as his phone rang and he picked up, listening to what the person on the other end had to say before hanging up and saying, "DiNozzo. Go see Abby."
Tony nearly knocked his chair over as he stood up, making Ziva laugh behind her hand. He glared at her and straightened his jacket, then headed for the elevator.
They did have test results running, but he and Abby had an ongoing date of sorts, to meet and discuss what was currently happening with their seemingly oblivious friends.
He stepped off the elevator and into Abby's lab, calling out a loud, "Got those results for me, Abbs?" and looking around in case someone happened to be around.
Abby spun to face him, grinning. "I'm all alone down here, Tony," she said, then added, "Well, I was, until you showed up. What's up?" She leaned in closer to him. "Are you experiencing cute overload upstairs?"
He rolled his eyes. "Definitely. Get this." He hiked a thumb over his shoulder like McGee was standing right behind him. "McWhipped is going to buy some expensive crib for the baby now." He shook his head, looking disgusted, as Abby cooed at the thought.
"Ohhhh, that is so sweet!" she said, clasping her hands together and bringing them under her chin, then twirling around. "Timmy is going to be the best daddy ever!"
"Whoa, whoa," Tony said, holding a finger up. "You're forgetting one important point, which is that . . . it's not his kid!"
Abby stopped twirling and put her hands on her hips, giving Tony a dirty look. "Do you think that matters to him? No, and it shouldn't. We all know that Ziva's mystery man hasn't reappeared and even if he did, there's no guarantee he'd want to be part of the baby's life. Ziva is lucky to have someone like Tim, who will do anything for her!" Tony still looked unsure, so Abby came over and gave him a gentle hug. "I know you're just worried because you care, Tony. But don't be. Once they know they can trust each other, they'll be so lovey-dovey, we won't be able to keep them apart."
"Yeah," Tony said softly. "That's what I'm afraid of."
Abby backed off him, punching him in the chest, and shook her head as she returned to her station, picking up a piece of paper and flopping it at him. "Here. Have your results." He took the piece of paper and looked up at her and she made a shooing motion at him. He frowned, but left her lab, leaving Abby shaking her head to herself.
"Typical DiNozzo."
McGee and Ziva spent the next few weekends searching and shopping for the perfect items for the nursery. In addition to the perfect crib Ziva had found, they found a beautiful changing table, a car seat and jogging stroller, along with other items McGee had to roll his eyes at, but still found adorable that Ziva wanted them.
They had just walked out of a specialty baby shop with a few bags and McGee commented on Ziva's latest impulse purchase. "Why would you need a $30 monkey?" he asked, unable to keep the grin off his face as Ziva made kissy faces at the stuffed animal.
"Because he is cute," Ziva insisted, shoving the monkey in McGee's face and making it dance around. She laughed and set it inside one of her shopping bags so it was looking out over the top of the bag. "Do not tell me you have not bought anything impulsively, Tim."
He shrugged. She had him there. "I guess. I just never pegged you as the . . . stuffed monkey type."
She laughed again. "I am not as scary as you think, Tim."
He grinned at her. "Oh, I know." She returned the grin and stepped off the curb without looking.
"Ziva!" McGee's arm went around her waist as he pulled her back onto the sidewalk as a car zoomed past.
Ziva could feel her heart pounding against her chest, and against McGee's, as he had pulled her into him and there was literally no space between them. It took both of them a few moments to recover from the near accident, McGee resting his head on the top of hers for a moment before speaking.
"Don't ever do that to me again," he muttered, and he felt Ziva nod under his chin. He pulled away, looking down at her, and saw that her face had paled. "Oh, Zee," he said quietly and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
Ziva let out a deep breath and finally spoke. "I got careless," she said, and shook her head, pulling away from him, upset with herself. "This is when I need to be even more careful, and what do I do? Step into traffic without looking. Smart, Ziva."
"Hey," McGee said, closing the distance between them and touching her chin with his finger, making her look up at him. "We all get distracted. Just be glad I was paying attention." He smiled at her and she shook her head, but had a hint of a smile playing on her own lips. "So don't beat yourself up too much. You know that if you do, I'll just talk you out of it, right?" He laughed and Ziva rolled her eyes.
He was about to start walking toward the car when Ziva suddenly put her arms around him and pressed herself against his chest. Startled, he looked down and patted her head awkwardly, not really sure what was going on. "Ziva?"
She pulled away again, running a hand through her hair. "I am sorry. I just . . ." She started pacing. "If you had not been paying attention . . ."
McGee frowned at her and stopped her when she returned to his side, holding her still so she could look him in the eye as he spoke. "Ziva, don't," he said quietly. "It's over. Nothing happened, and you're going to be fine." He paused, then slid one of his hands down so it rested on Ziva's stomach. She looked down at his hand, then back up at his face, her eyes questioning. "You're both going to be fine. And I'm going to make sure of it."
Ziva held his gaze for a few more moments, then nodded. "I know you will," she said, and leaned against him again, allowing herself to regain her senses in the safety of McGee's embrace before they separated and headed for the car.
A few weeks passed, and Ziva's stomach continued to expand, leading to more and more whispered comments from passing co-workers at NCIS. Most of them backed off once they saw the glare the normally even-tempered McGee was sending them, something he'd continued to do throughout her pregnancy.
One morning, McGee was returning from the break room when he heard someone mutter, "You think one of her 'partners' knocked her up?" and laugh.
It was enough to break his stride, and he found himself in the joker's face, hissing, "You wanna say that again, to my face?"
Ziva happened to glance up and saw the skirmish and had to do a double take, before standing and calling out, "Tim!" in a shocked voice.
The sound of her voice shocked McGee out of his rage and he blinked, looking up at the man he'd accosted, who was staring back at him with wide eyes. McGee backed away, leaving his fellow employee mumbling to himself as he hurried away. McGee turned to Ziva, who had made her way to his side, ready to explain, but the look on her face made him reconsider.
"What was that all about?" she asked, her eyes dark with anger.
His jaw clenched as he thought about the other man's words. "You didn't hear what he said," he attempted to explain, but Ziva was having none of it.
"I can stand up for myself, McGee," she said, and he didn't fail to notice her return to using his surname.
He let out a sigh and attempted to right the situation. "I know you can," he said softly. "I just . . ." He balled up one of his hands into a fist, then released it again. "I hate all the gossip that's going on. People think they know what's going on, but . . ."
"People will talk," Ziva said, shaking her head. "It is what people do. There will always be gossip and now," she poked a finger into his chest, "they will be gossiping about you, as well." McGee rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest and Ziva smiled. "I cannot stay mad at you, though I wish you wouldn't make the situation worse than it already is."
He sighed again. "I'd rather people gossip about me than you," he said, and Ziva gave him a look.
"You do not mean that," she said.
He shrugged. "Maybe not entirely," he muttered, and she socked him gently in the chest. He grinned down at her. "Let them talk. We know the truth and that's all that really matters."
She smiled up at him, resting a hand against his chest. The urge to hug him overwhelmed her, but she held back, both to avoid the gossip train that was already running at full speed and to keep the feelings she'd been having in check. Just being near him was almost too much sometimes, and she wasn't sure when things had gotten to this point, but she wasn't sure how much longer she could keep quiet about it.
"Hey." The sound of McGee's voice made Ziva look up at him again, and she realized she'd gotten lost in her thoughts. He raised an eyebrow at her. "You okay?"
She nodded, allowing her hand to drop to her side, and turned back to her desk. "Yes, I am fine. I should get back to work." She returned to her chair, leaving McGee looking after her with a thoughtful expression on his face.
He was just about to head for his own desk when he heard the tell-tale clomp of Abby's boots running toward them. He looked up and smiled at her as she arrived. "Hey, Abby," he greeted her, but she blew him off, heading straight for Ziva's desk.
"Agent David," she said, and Ziva looked up, slightly amused at the expression on the lab tech's face. "I have an idea."
McGee groaned behind her and she whipped her head around to glare at him momentarily before returning her attention to Ziva, who looked doubtful. "What sort of idea, Abby?" she asked.
A grin slowly made its way over Abby's face. "I'd like to plan . . ."
". . . A baby shower?" Tony repeated once McGee told him. "You want me to go to a baby shower?"
"Look, Tony," McGee said, pulling him aside so Ziva wouldn't overhear. "Ziva only agreed to the shower if it were a small gathering of just us."
"Who's 'us,' McPartyPlanner?" Tony asked. "I mean, you go ahead and have your little shower, whatever. You're pretty much expected to be there, anyway."
McGee hitched an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Rather than give away the fact that the two of them were being less than subtle with how close they'd become, Tony coughed and said, "You never answered my question about who 'us' entails, McGoo."
McGee rolled his eyes. "The team. You, me, Abby and Ziva, obviously . . . Ducky, Palmer . . . Gibbs . . ." At the last name, Tony burst into laughter, causing McGee to glare at him, crossing his arms over his chest. He waited a few moments as Tony caught his breath, then asked, "You done?"
"Yeah, sure," Tony wheezed, still giggling a bit. "Just . . . the thought of Gibbs actually attending a baby shower . . ." He doubled over in another fit of laughter, just before they heard . . .
"I happen to like babies, DiNozzo."
Tony's laughter died away as he straightened and looked at Gibbs, who had just joined them. "Ah, hey, Boss. I didn't meant to imply that you didn't like babies . . ."
"DiNozzo . . ."
"Shutting up, Boss." Tony turned back to McGee. "So when's this baby shower? And what do we buy?"
McGee grinned. "The shower is going to be in 3 weeks at Ziva's apartment. As far as what to get, here." He handed them each a packet of papers.
Tony flipped through his, then looked back to McGee. "What's this?"
"Ah, Abby took the liberty of compiling a list of things she thought every new mom should have."
"Baby Bjorn with hidden knife sheath?" Gibbs read.
McGee smirked. "I think that one's a joke." Gibbs responded by rolling his eyes, folding the packet in half and throwing it in a nearby trash can, then walking away, leaving McGee frowning. "Can I put you down for one, Boss?" he called after him. Gibbs waved the question away and McGee's frown deepened, as Tony started snickering again.
"Oh, Probie, you're gonna have your hands full once the mini ninja arrives," he said, slapping McGee on the back.
McGee turned to face him, his expression thoughtful. "That's the second comment like that you've made in the past 10 minutes, Tony," he said, and Tony tried to remain nonchalant, but McGee saw the panic that flashed in his eyes. He crossed his arms over his chest and continued. "You think Ziva and I are . . ."
"Of course I do!" Tony sputtered, unable to keep it in any longer. McGee raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't say anything, allowing Tony to continue. "The way you two act . . . It's bordering on disgusting, McGoo. She has you completely whipped."
"Tony, she's going through a lot right now . . ."
Tony wagged a finger at him. "Oh, don't you even play that card, mister. Things may have been like that at first, but now . . ." He shrugged, and McGee gave him a pointed look.
"Alright, you know me so well, DiNozzo? Then what do you think is really going on?"
"Why don't you tell me? Seriously, McGee." His expression turned serious. "Are you in love with her?"
A/N: Ooh, what will McGee say? Stay tuned. ;) Thanks for sticking with me/this story! I hope you read some of my other fics if you've enjoyed this one. :)