"Flight 951 to Tel Aviv is now boarding. Will all passengers please make their way to Gate 7." The female voice over the tannoy echoed throughout the airport, alerting passengers to the urgent message.
"That's us," Tony said quietly, now weaving his way through the numerous amounts of people who wandered about the airport, his partner by his side. After patching things up at Ziva's apartment, the air between them seemed to have calmed, quite different to the raging storm-like atmosphere which had been there previously. With his overseas bag, containing all the essentials, slung over his right shoulder, Tony glanced around the enormous space as he tried to find the arranged meeting space for the teams rendezvous.
"We are going to miss the flight, Tony," Ziva said rather questionably, trying to keep up with her partner as he aimlessly turned in all different directions.
Glancing over his shoulder, Tony laughed lightly, "Nah, we won't. We got plenty of time, don't worry about it,"
Rolling her eyes, Ziva softly shook her head, "Well, if you keep going that way, we will definitely miss the flight," Grabbing his hand, she pulled him in the correct direction, her knowledge of the airport's layout being slightly more accurate, "They're over here,"
"I knew that," Tony replied confidently, though the tone of his voice was definitely not convincing enough. "I was just..you know, showing you around,"
Looking up at him, the look in her chocolate eyes clearly not impressed with his excuse, "That's my job for when we get to Tel Aviv," She remarked, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips in an almost playful way.
Discretely leaning down, Tony placed a soft kiss to her jaw, whispering, "I look forward to it," Being in Tel Aviv would certainly be painful, emotionally that was. The last time the team had visited the foreign country, they'd left one member behind and just a few months later had feared her dead. The Israeli city held many a memory, some Tony didn't wish to remember, some he hoped wouldn't be brought back up. Not only would the distant memories be an issue, but if NCIS were to cross paths with Mossad, that was a whole different picture. It was going to be one thing telling Gibbs about their situation, but the Director of Mossad? That was one conversation, or even idea, which Tony had failed to discuss with Ziva, one which would have to be resolved before they spent too long on the hot Israeli soil.
"You're late, DiNozzo!" Gibbs called as the two other agents came into his line of sight.
Lightly jogging up to join Gibbs and McGee, Tony smiled one of his classic DiNozzo smiles, one which would usually charm anybody but, as he knew all too well, it took more than his smile to charm Gibbs, "Yeah, I have to give Ziva a lift here and, uh, the traffic was kinda bad getting here, and then you know how big this place is and we just kinda…shutting up, Boss," Tony soon cut his explanation short, the look Gibbs was giving him was one of 'Shut up, or it's a head slap'.
"Well, get your asses to Gate 7…unless you want paperwork duty here," Gibbs said in his usual monotone voice, starting to turn on his heel before he too was cut short of his action.
Ziva took a small step forward before she spoke, "Actually, Gibbs, can Tony and I talk to you for a minute?" She asked, the mere words of the question and the realisation of what was coming next sending her heart into a slightly faster beat.
The senior agent looked between Tony and Ziva before nodding once, indicating he could spare a minute for whatever they needed to tell him. "Well?"
The Israeli woman briefly glanced up to her partner, her eyes a complete mix of emotion. She lightly bit the inside of her lip, feeling like her stomach was doing flips with nerves. Gibbs was unpredictable at the easiest of times, but now it was near impossible. "Gibbs…" Ziva started, her gaze soon lifting from her partner to focus on their boss in front of them, "Tony and I…Well, for the past few weeks, months even, we have been…seeing each other, you would say,"
Flicking his steely gaze between the two agents during their confession, Gibbs barely reacted to the news, using a simple reminder of one of his rules, "Rule twelve?" That particular rule had been in place for a long time, one of the originals, mainly for his personal use, but applying it to his employees hadn't seemed to have had the same effect.
"I know, Boss, but it isn't quite as simple as that," Tony jumped in, quickly forming his next sentence in his mind so that it wouldn't sound quite so unprofessional. It had to be quick, like ripping off a band aid, or taking a tablet, only he knew that the reaction wasn't going to be quite the same. "Ziva's pregnant, Boss,"
As stoic as he usually was, Gibbs could not help the slight shocked expression which appeared on his features at the revelation, the news coming completely out of the blue. His blue eyes turned to Ziva, looking at her questionably, "This true?"
Only able to nod in confirmation, Ziva's eyes lowered, ready for the inevitable yelling and discipline which was to follow. In a weird sense, it felt like she was fifteen years old again, being disciplined by her father for not doing something correctly during training or causing trouble with the other officers. Despite her presumptions as to what Gibbs' reaction would be, the raised voice never came, only the complete opposite.
"Well, I guess congratulations are in order then," Gibbs responded, a smile creeping over his lips as he gently pulled Ziva into a fatherly embrace. Despite his rules and expectations, Gibbs was never one to yell at what was a part of life. Of course, since it was two partners, there would be things he would have to discuss but that could wait. After embracing Ziva and giving Tony a firm, congratulatory handshake, he looked between the couple, "We're gonna miss the flight just standin' here…" He mentioned, almost in a joking fashion.
Briefly glancing up to Tony, Ziva couldn't deny the smile which effortlessly danced across her lips. Her chocolate brown eyes seemed to glisten with surprise and relief as she moved past the two men, heading to catch up with McGee on the way to their flight.
Just as tony took a step forward to follow the trail of his partner, he felt a firm hand on his shoulder, his attention immediately focusing on his boss. This, is what he should have expected, "Boss?"
"You know what I have to do, right?" Gibbs asked, a subtle hint of pain in his tone. He knew the rules and regulations, the ones which were not set down by him, and as much as it pained him to even consider it, it was something he had to do.
The senior agent nodded slightly, aware of the procedure which was to follow, "I know. Just, don't go too harsh. This wasn't her fault, Boss, and I can't bear to see her hurt. I know she's been worried about this trip, and I don't blame her, but I know you have no choice whilst we're out there."
Gibbs nodded in understanding, taking the Italian's words into consideration, "You're a good Agent, DiNozzo, as is Ziva, I can only afford to lose one of you because of this,"