Heartland still beat Nine lives, but Nine lives still rocked!

This is the second time I'm doing this. Grr. Crosses fingers, Hoping it works this time!

I'm totally watch the first epi of the terminator series and OMG Cameron tried to shoot John. He was stroking her hair and all sorts last season. Break his ickle heart! Lol.

Chapter Nine

Ziva became a regular fixture at NCIS after agreeing to help Abby to organise parts of her wedding. When she could she brought Lissy, but always had Ben with her. She finished work at four o clock as agreed when she joined and as the team at NCIS didn't leave until six at the earliest she had a good two hours a night to talk with Abby or sometimes to Gibbs, Ducky or the rest of the team. This went on for about a week since Ziva had first visited at NCIS, the guards at the front desk where asking to give her back her badge so they didn't have to sign out all the forms every time she arrived as a visitor. Gibbs pointedly told this to Ziva who remarked that she was still thinking about it.

She was, since her meeting with Gibbs who asked for her to return as a NCIS agent she had done very little but think about it. Her job at the embassy was perfectly, it was suited around her son which is why she chose it. She had loved her job at NCIS and if she didn't have Ben there would have been no question. But she did have Ben and there was a question. She had spent many an hour talking to Abby about what she should do, and Darren and Michael Bashan on occasion. She had yet to talk to Tony about Gibbs' proposal but she felt he already knew.

It was coming up to the middle of July and Ziva had been visiting NCIS for about 9 days. It was a particularly warm Friday and Ziva had been allowed to leave the embassy early to go and pick Ben up so she could spend the rest of the afternoon with him. She had done just that, taking him to the park for an hour. She arrived at NCIS later than normal as she had spent so long running around and pushing her son on swings. Ben was sleeping in her arms when she arrived, completely worn out by his afternoon antics. Ziva walked through the bullpen stopping to ask for a quick word with Gibbs in private after leaving Ben with Abby to watch over.

McGee heard this and quickly offered to watch the little one. Ziva had allowed the pair of them to watch him last Sunday as Abby had said she wanted kids and Ziva had offered to let her and McGee look after Ben to test if they were capable. Turns out they were and both had bonded very much so with Ben. Ziva thanked McGee before handing the little boy off into McGee's arms who cradled the little boy in his lap as he sat at his desk. Tony watched Ziva hand Ben over and then walk off silently with Gibbs. Gibbs and Ziva walked into the conference room they had previously occupied to discuss her return to NCIS.

"You made a decision?" Gibbs asked before he had barely shut the door.

"Yes." Ziva answered quickly. "Although it would require my being allowed to leave if at any time I need to do so for Ben or Lissy. Okay and I'm not having you berating me if I am late, or have to bring Ben with me because believe it or not baby sitters do not often work 24/7."

Gibbs simply smiled. "That can be arranged." He slid a gun and badge across the table towards her. "Welcome back David." The two smiled at each other as Ziva pinned her badge and gun to her waist. She walked out with Gibbs back into the bullpen where Agent Lee was moving her things to the desk near to McGee's. Ziva looked at Gibbs his eyebrows raised. "It was never really a choice David." He smirked and she just laughed. Glad to be back home.

Within Minutes Abby had arrived in the bullpen silently hopping around, McGee having rang her and gave her pre warning Ben was sleeping in the same room so she couldn't be noisy. She hugged Ziva tightly and to most people's surprise and raised eyebrows by McGee Ziva hugged her back. Abby just clung to her even tighter, refusing to let her breath. After a while McGee pried her off, handing the sleeping Ben over to his 'Aunty Abby' who gently rocked him as he wriggled in his sleep. After a while Ziva and Gibbs went off to the director's office to go and sort out some paper work and Abby and McGee were left with Tony and Agent Lee in the bullpen.

Agent Lee was busy working as well was McGee, Tony however was playing a game on his phone. All of a sudden however, Abby was standing over him.

"Watch Ben, I need to go back to my lab, I was running some tests and they should be finished. Langer will have my head if I don't call him when I get the results. He is so grumpy." Abby didn't even give him a chance, laying the sleeping infant across Tony's chest who managed to drop his phone in his attempts to force the infant back on Abby. By the time he stood up without waking the child Abby was already at the elevator. Tony looked over at McGee who was speedily typing, either writing a chapter for his latest novel, or repeating the computer diagnostics he often ran when bored.

"McGoggly? Watch the kid, you're good with him."

"He's sleeping Tony, It doesn't matter if you're good with kids, just keep him asleep or Ziva will kill you."

"Thanks McHelpful." Tony muttered realising the child was murmuring in his sleep, possibly trying to wake up. He gently laid the child in his arms and walked back and forth cradling the eighteen month old to sleep. The child quickly fell back into a peaceful sleep, his small fists clutched at Tony's shirt, making sure he kept a tight hold of him. "Get off kid. Soon as you're mother comes back she's gonna take you back off me."

"Quite right DiNozzo." Ziva said stood behind him, he turned around and Ziva held her arms out, asking silently for DiNozzo pass the sleeping child to yet another body for the third time that afternoon. He did so quickly, and the boy instantly nestled his face back in his mother's neck, one arm dangling to his side the other over Ziva's shoulder.

"Don't you trust me or something? I can look after Kids." Ziva looked up to find Tony watching her as she sat down behind her desk, readjusting slightly so Ben could sleep in her arms.

"It is not a case of trust. I trust a lot of people. Does not mean I want them around my son. Bad influences." She answered, looking him directly in the eye. Tony broke the gaze fully aware of what she had just told him. What she had meant to say was, 'I do not want my son to abandon his own children.' She just didn't have the gall to do it in front of Gibbs.

The next few hours passed by uneventfully. Ziva almost nodded off with Ben in her chair, before he awoke with a new burst of energy which he used to leap out of his mothers arms and attempt at running off. Ziva had taken this as a moment to take him home as if he fulfilled his desk wishes he would have emptied most of the contents of her, Gibbs and McGee's desks. Mainly because all three would have allowed him to. McGee loved Ben already and Gibbs had quickly fallen for the little boy already just not showing it in public.

Later on that evening after Ziva had successfully tired Ben out for the second time that day, and herself as well. She was sitting on the sofa with Darren when Lissy jumped on them both in an accurate imitation of Ben; they both yelled and started tickling the teenager who squealed loudly. Lissy's yelling and laughing almost caused them to miss the knock on the door. Lissy however leapt up, catching her breath and listened; when she heard the second tell tale knock she ran out to get the door, panting slightly.

"Hi, how may I help you?" She answered after peering in the peephole and ascertaining it was probably the gas man. Darren came and leant on the wall near the door to the lounge room where Ziva was still sitting. The man at the front door looked Darren up and down before muttering something.

"What's that?" Darren asked politely.

"Who is it D?" Ziva called, getting up to walk out to the door, picking her gun up as she went. She walked into the hallway to see Tony standing there looking extremely awkward. She raised her eyebrows.

"Tony! Do you want to come in?" She asked politely. He nodded and Ziva led him into the lounge shutting the door behind them.

"Who is that man? You're boyfriend? Husband?" He dove straight in, jealousy cutting through his voice.

"My brother." Ziva answered, completely calm. She had learned a new type of patience, living with Lissy and having a child of her own. Tony hung his head obviously ashamed at his sudden outburst. "Why are you here Tony?"

"Oh, well I was wondering… about Ben?"

"You want a paternity test doing or something? I could get Abby to do one tomorrow. She already tried when I refused to tell her Ben's father." Tony's head snapped up at this. Ziva smiled. "Tried Tony. She failed. I got Ben out of there sharpish." Tony smiled slightly.

"Well, no. Yes. I would like a paternity test, but I would want to get to know him, if that's ok with you. McGee and Abby had him one day, I'm meant to be you're partner right. It'd be odd if everybody else got to watch you're kid and not me."

"Sure Tony. If that's what you want."

"Tomorrow? Can I watch him tomorrow? Please." Ziva raised an eyebrow.

"I guess."

"Alone. I won't take him far. Just to the park. I promise, you can come and watch over us if you want but I'd like to be alone with him a bit. Please?" Ziva seemed to be deliberating this but she eventually caved.

"I will be there; you will not leave my sight. Or rather Ben will not leave either or out sights. Got it?" Tony nodded before exiting her house. Darren and Lissy who had been listening in from the dinning room re-entered the lounge smirking at Ziva, who swiftly threw a cushion of the sofa at them both.

Saturday came quickly for Tony and Ziva. She had informed Ben that her friend from NCIS would be going with them to the park; she had arranged it with Tony that morning. He agreed to meet them at the park Ziva often frequented to spend some time with his supposed son. Ziva had first persuaded Ben to allow her to swab his mouth from one of the DNA swabs she had in her evidence bag. She placed it in her work bag to have Abby analyse on the quiet on Monday morning.

When they arrived at the park Tony was already waiting for them. He was sat on a bench as Ziva carried Ben over balanced on her hip. Tony stood up and walked towards them, the two headed towards the play area, which was relatively deserted so early in the morning. Ziva sat on a bench and told Ben to stay with Tony at all times before handing the boy over to Tony who walked steadily towards the play area, stopping to ask the boy what he wanted to play on first. He pointed to the swings and Tony headed off in that direction as Ziva watched from her bench seat.

Tony had pushed Ben on the swings for twenty minutes before the little boy had decided he wanted to play on the jungle gym for toddlers. Tony and Ben wandered around for nearly half an hour on the play things, Tony pushing Ben down slides and putting him on the top of the tower. Ziva laughed from her seat in the distance, glad her son was having such fun with his father. The father he had never known. Ben next wanted to go further into the play area, to the end near to the road. Ziva stood up to move closer to them to make sure she always had a perfect vision of her son, but somebody caught hold of her arm.

"Shalom Ziva."

She spun around to see a man she did not recognise. He increased his grip on her arm and grinned evilly looking over her shoulder, Ziva saw a black truck pull up on the road at the other side of the playground. Ziva pulled her arm out of the strangers grip and punched him in the nose flat palmed. He was either knocked out immediately, or killed. She neither knew nor cared. She turned around and ran towards Tony and Ben. She saw two men walking towards Tony who pulled Ben up off the floor and stood straight as the men approached him.

One of them punched Tony straight in the face, he was unable to defence himself quickly because Ben was in his arms. The second man pulled Ben away from Tony while he was distracted. The first man kicked him in the stomach and kneed him in the head when he fell to his knees. Ben was already being carried away in the truck. Ziva ran past Tony just as the truck pulled away she chased it half way down the road screaming constantly.

She lost it at the end of the road. She stood there for what must have been thirty minutes at least, watching as the truck that her son was in disappeared in to the distance. When she next realised Tony was standing next to her. He was bleeding from his nose and it took all of Ziva's strength not to punch him also, him being the man who she had left her son with. She knew however it was her fault, she could not blame Tony for something she had obviously done to her own child. She just had to figure out what.

"You're nose might be broken. We should get Ducky to look at that."

What did you think!?