"Ziva?" Eli asked softly as his daughter entered his room.
"Of course father." Ziva said quietly, her arms wrapping ever so slightly tighter around her daughter.
"Come here." He requested softly. Ziva cautiously moved toward her father's bed. "It's alright Ziva… I'm not going to chew."
Tony chuckled as Ziva smirked. "It's bite." She corrected him.
He gently pressed his old wrinkled hand to her cheek. "I've been a horrible father to you Ziva." Eli said softly. "For that I am truly sorry."
Ziva bit back the pain that was threatening to spill over. "It's okay." She said simply. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm getting old Ziva." Eli said quietly. "I think it's nearly time for me to go."
Ziva shook her head. "They can treat you… You should let them take care of you." She said softly.
"Ziva I have nothing to live for." Eli replied quietly. "I've lived a long and full life. I don't need to defy God's will in order to live longer."
Ziva opened her mouth, not believing what was about to come out of it. "You have a granddaughter to live for. She needs a grandfather, even if he lives around the world."
"Ziva…" Eli began to protest.
"You ruined me! But you don't have to ruin her!" Ziva yelled at him angrily before pushing the wooden door open and escaping.
"Excuse me." Tony said breathlessly before following Ziva into the hallway. "Ziva are you alright?" Tony asked softly.
Ziva shook her head. "It hurts… I can't pretend it doesn't."
"Is everything alright?" Tim asked as he poked his head out from Abby's room.
Tony glanced at his co-worker before returning his attention to Ziva. "We're gonna be fine." He said more forcefully than intended, causing Tim to retreat back into the room.
"Is everything alright?" Abby asked as Tim came back into her room.
Tim regretfully shook his head. "Ziva's hurt… She's not going to admit it but she's breaking inside."
"Her dad's in the hospital Tim…" Abby pointed out softly.
Tim saw her tears coming before she did. "Abby." He said gently pressing his lips into her hair.
"I miss him so much Tim." Abby said softly. "He wanted grandchildren so badly... And I never gave him any."
"Abs." Tim comforted softly. "Your parents would be so proud of you. You're beautiful and strong and you've shown more tenacity than almost anyone I know."
Abby smiled through her sniffs. "I've never been able to give up on anything easily."
"That's part of what makes you, you Abs." Tim said quietly as he sat down next to her.
She nestled back into his chest and smiled. "Do you really think they'd be proud of me?" She asked softly.
Tim pressed his lips into her hair. "Absolutely." He promised her.
"I'm so sorry Timmy… everything about this pregnancy… you probably hate me." Abby began to apologize.
Tim sighed as he pulled her closer to him. "I could never hate you Abs."
"I put both me and our baby in danger today…" Abby protested. "I never should have put you through that." She said softly as tears began to fall.
"Hey." Tim said softly. "It's alright…" He promised her. "I promised to spend the rest of my life with you, through the good and the bad. We're just going to have to get through the bad for now."
"I don't want to be fat again Tim." Abby said softly. "I know it's silly… But I don't want to go through another pregnancy."
Tim shook his head. "It's not silly Abs." He assured her. "We never planned on any more children. It's alright for you to be scared."
"I'm not scared!" Abby protested. "I just… hate being pregnant." Abby admitted softly.
Tim smirked. "I promise to take care of you and our baby boy." He said as he put his hand onto her slightly rounded abdomen. "I'll get you everything you need and I'll be with you every step of the way."
Abby furiously wiped the tears flowing from her eyes. "I'm sorry… I just can't control…"
Tim looked down at her. "You're absolutely perfect Abs." He assured her.
Abby laughed as even more tears fell down her face. "Are you trying to make me cry?" She asked as he bent down to capture her lips in his.
"If you being happy makes you cry, then absolutely." Tim joked softly.
Abby smirked before he captured her bottom lip between his once again. After a few minutes Abby began to feel rather queasy. "Tim." Abby mumbled as she tried to pull away. "Tim!" She tried more urgently this time.
"Hm?" He asked distractedly.
"Tim." Abby moaned, feeling bile rising in her throat.
"What's the matter?" He asked more specifically this time.
"Sick." Was the only word she managed to get out before her hand flew to cover her mouth. Tim immediately bent down and picked up the trash can and put it beneath her. She promptly drained the contents of her stomach.
"I'm so sorry Abs…" Tim said softly as he ran his fingers through her tangled locks.
Abby moaned. "I hate… this… so… much." Abby said softly.
"I know Abs… I know…" Tim whispered as she leaned back into his chest.
Abby sighed. "Can't we just fast forward five and a half months?" she asked him with a smirk as she placed her hands on her stomach.
Tim gently covered her delicate hands with his. "We're going to get through this Abs." Abby responded by laying her head into the crook of his neck.
She was almost asleep when the door swung open. "SHUT UP DINOZZO!" Ziva screamed at Tony as she opened the door.
"Ziva!" Tony called in protest as he followed her into the room.
Abby shot up abruptly, shaking in confusion. "What's going on?" She asked shakily.
Tim pressed his lips to her hair. "It's okay… I think…"
"If my father doesn't want treatment then he can just die!" Ziva yelled angrily.
"Ziva you don't mean that…" Tony argued.
"I don't know what I mean anymore. But if my father…" Ziva began before Abby suddenly burst into tears.
Tim gently pulled her into his arms. "It's okay Abs…" He said softly. "Everything's fine."
Abby shook her head. "I want my dad back…" She sobbed softly. "I want my mom."
Ziva looked at Abby guiltily. "Tim I didn't mean…"
"Don't apologize to me Ziva…" Tim cut her off. "If you're going to apologize, apologize to Abby."
"Abs…" Ziva said as she moved over to her best friend. "I'm sorry." She said softly as she rubbed Abby's arm.
Abby shook her head. "You don't understand what it's like… to know you'll never see your dad again." She said quietly. "I know he wasn't always good to you… But he's your dad Ziva… He deserves as many chances as he needs to get it right."
"I can't do that Abby…" Ziva began.
"What if Tony made a mistake with Sienna… and lost her trust?" Abby ventured. "Would you want her to never give him a second chance?"
Ziva shook her head. "Tony's not like that…" She argued.
"BUT WHAT IF HE WAS?" Abby argued. "Then what?"
"He's not!" She argued, knowing this wasn't the game Abby wanted to play.
"People aren't always what they seem." Abby said quietly. "People lie…and hurt you… because they think it's a part of life. Life's just a game and we're all players. People you love hurt you, and you'll never know why. But it's up to you to know if they mean enough to you. He's your father Zi… He should always mean enough to you."
Ziva shook her head. "You don't understand Abby… Your family wasn't like mine." She dismissed the forensic scientist.
Abby looked at her tears in her eyes. "You think my life was perfect?" She asked in disbelief. "Just because my Dad didn't train me to be in the military…"
"Look Abby… I don't need you right now." Ziva cut her off before quickly pushing open the wood door to the room in a desperate attempt to hide her own tears.
As the door shut Tim let out a breath he didn't know he was holding as Abby broke into sobs. He instinctively tightened his arms around her in a meager attempt to console her.
"I'm so sorry Tim…" Tony said apologizing for Ziva. "She's… running on less than four hours of sleep and dealing with a lot." He explained softly as he took Abby's hand. "Abs she didn't mean it…" He tried to assure his surrogate sister.
Abby shook her head. "Ziva never… Not even…She's never said anything like that to me before. I'm sure she has to you, or you Timmy… But not me. If she said it she meant it."
Tim sighed softly as he rubbed his hand along Abby's shoulder. "Are you sure you're not overreacting?" He pressed.
"If Ziva doesn't need me anymore than I simply won't be there anymore." She replied sternly as she shifted in attempt to get more comfortable.
Sorry. Tony mouthed to Tim once again before he spoke up. "Gibbs has Sienna, he said he was going to head over to your house and check up on things… I'm pretty sure he'll be back soon."
"Thanks Tony." Tim said as he watched his friend depart from the room. Several minutes later he looked down and realized that Abby had fallen asleep, in a position he was sure she would kill him for if he allowed her to remain in it due to the back pain it was sure to induce.
Tim shifted gently, rearranging Abby's back into a far less uncomfortable position, but at the same time waking her. "Sorry Abs." He said softly as he ran his fingers through her hair.
"Why would you do that?" She asked grumpily.
Tim shook his head knowing it wasn't worth the explanation right now. "I'm sorry go back to sleep." He said with a kiss to her forehead.
Abby smiled in response and snuggled back into him, falling back asleep almost instantly.
Nearly twenty minutes later a knock sounded at the door. "Come in." Tim called as loud as he felt he could without waking his wife.
"Hey Mcgee." Gibbs said uncomfortably.
"Is everything alright Boss?" Mcgee asked, concerned by his boss's composure.
Gibbs closed the door behind him and set his coffee down across the room from Abby for good measure. "Mcgee…" Gibbs said awkwardly, making a sour face as if he had smelt something terrible.
"Look Boss… I don't know what I did…" Tim began awkwardly.
Gibbs shook his head. "I owe you an apology Mcgee." Gibbs admitted softly.
Tim looked at him curiously. "Never…" He began awkwardly once again.
"Tim I messed up." Gibbs admitted. "The way I reacted… When we were back at the house… I never should have yelled at you the way I did. If I had been in your situation I would have been just as terrified."
"Boss you don't have to…" Tim cut him off.
"Tim. I'm sorry." He replied with a small smile as he looked at Abby. "How's she doing?"
Tim nodded with a smile at his boss. "Better." He assured him. "We're fine… everything's going to be fine. It's going to be hard… but fine."
Gibbs nodded. "Thank you." He said softly.
"For?" Tim asked curiously as he looked up at Gibbs.
Gibbs sighed. "For taking good care of her." He explained. "She deserves someone as good as you to take care of her."
Tim smiled and shook his head. "Abby doesn't need taking care of." He assured him. "She's got that one covered on her own. She just needs help every once in awhile."
"Well… thanks for being that guy for her. Because if it had been someone else I'm sure Abby never would have let me meet him for fear I'd kill him." Gibbs admitted.
Tim smirked. "She trusts you Gibbs."
"I don't trust anyone with her." He told him. "Nobody but you."
Tim shook his head. "I honestly don't deserve any thanks for this… I may have given her some of the best things… but all of the worst came along with them."
"That's what family's about Tim." Gibbs said gently.
"Gibbs…" Tim said gently as he pulled out from underneath Abby, causing her to stir lightly but not wake up. "Can we talk outside for a minute?" He asked softly as the pair headed into the hallway.
"You're nervous." Gibbs assessed the situation as soon as the door was shut.
Tim nodded. "I don't know what to do…"
Gibbs waited for a moment. "You're going to have to be a bit more specific Mcgee..." Gibbs pointed out.
Tim sighed. "Abby wants us to make sure that both the twins are important." He tried to explain. "But she's terrified… I don't know when to bring it up and when not to…"
Gibbs just smiled. "You're never going to know. There's no guidebook that says how to handle these kinds of things Mcgee. It's always hit and miss."
"I can't afford to miss anymore right now Gibbs." Tim admitted. "Not with Abby's emotions where they are and with two teenagers in the house."
"It's going to be alright Mcgee. No matter how all of this turns out for the team…it's going to be alright." Gibbs assured him. "Hit or miss."
Tim sighed. "How are Caitlin and Anastasia?" He asked tiredly.
"They're teenagers… A bit shaken up by everything… but they're coping by eating conspicuous amounts of junk food and watching a television marathon with Sarah." Gibbs replied with a smirk.
Tim nodded with a smile. "Those are my girls."
"I hear it's a boy." Gibbs said conversationally.
Tim looked at him and nodded. "It's a boy." He confirmed. "And… a girl." He said softly.
"You two thought about names yet?" Gibbs asked him as they went back into the room so Gibbs could retrieve his coffee.
Tim shook his head. "It's going to be a hard process when we do." He assured him. "Naming our little girl… it's going to be…"
"If you two ever need a few days without the girls, tell me." Gibbs told him firmly. "You can count on us to take care of you guys."
Tim nodded. "I'm sure there will be some point where we'll take you up on that offer. But for now I'm just focusing on getting through today." He admitted as Abby began to wake up.
"Tim?" Abby questioned softly.
"Right here." Tim assured her as he held her hand. "Did you sleep well?"
"What was that, like twenty minutes?" Abby asked grumpily.
Tim looked down at his phone before looking back and nodding. "Yup." He confirmed for her. "But you haven't been getting much sleep I'm sure anything is worth it at this point."
Abby smiled as he leaned in to kiss her. "I'm still tired." She admitted. "But I can't sleep."
Tim immediately knew what was bothering her. "Sweetie Ziva didn't want to hurt you." Tim assured her.
What happened? Gibbs signed to Abby, their traditional way of discussing things.
Abby shook her head and burrowed into her pillows.
"Ziva… got a little bit angry at Abby." Tim tried to explain. "She said she didn't need Abby… and the combination of that and Abby's hormones…"
"I'M NOT HORMONAL!" Abby yelled into her pillows.
"Of course not Abs." Tim and Gibbs replied immediately.
Gibbs nodded at understanding of the situation. "This team is going to have to make up and fast." He pointed out. "Ziva needs Abby and Abby needs Ziva."
Tim nodded as they listened patiently to Abby's protesting. "I don't need that backstabber!" She proclaimed angrily into her pillows.
"And I need a team." Gibbs said with a sigh as he sat down with his coffee.
Tim looked at him in realization. "No one's been to work in at least a week." He pointed out.
Gibbs nodded. "Vance is starting to get on edge. His best MCRT has been out of action and the press is demanding some cases to be solved. In addition to that Abby's temporary replacement is nowhere as good as she is. The other teams aren't getting things done either."
"We've got some serious work to do." Tim agreed with a sigh as he fell into the chair next to his boss. "I just hope we haven't gotten past reparations."
"Me too Mcgee… Me too."
Author's Note: AAAAAAH! Guys I'm so sorry! I haven't updated this in so long, I almost cried… But I did NaNoWriMo last month and just didn't have time to write both a novel and this :( But now it's over and I'm back to my regular writing schedule! Thanks so much to my faithful readers! I love all of you! Hope you're having a great holiday season!