Hey guys!
Here's the next chap set during 6x14 Love and War! XD XD XD
Chapter 44 – Cupid's Sparrow
It had been almost a week since Tony and Ziva got married, and Tony legally adopted Catryn, and still the only person they had told was Jenny (so their NCIS files could be changed). They had agreed that at NCIS Ziva would still be Officer David, but everywhere else she was Mrs. DiNozzo.
It was quite awkward on the NCIS team. McGee and Abby hadn't spoken more then necessary since their break up and Gibbs had started sending Kate down to help Abby with the computer stuff rather then McGee. That and Tony still refused to talk to Abby at all, and if he absolutely had to he would call her Sciuto.
Tony walked into the study (soon to be nursery) where he saw Trina sitting at the computer playing some sort of game.
"Almost time for bed Kitty, start shutting down and get ready for bed."
"But its holidays!"
"Its 10 o'clock."
"Can I stay up? Just 'til 10:30, please?"
Tony chuckled, "Depends. What are you doing?"
Trina shied away, "Playing an online game?"
"With McGeek?"
"Yea…"
"Yea?"
"Well he doesn't know it's me. I'm just trying to cheer him up."
Tony looked at his daughter suspiciously, "What do you mean?"
"I told him my name is Claire."
"Claire?"
"Yea and I'm a twenty-nine year old computer programmer."
"Uh huh."
"And Dad guess what."
"What?"
"I'm a level five sorceress!"
Tony chuckled, "What happens when the McGenie does a background check on 'Claire'?"
"What?!" Trina said, her eyes wide,
"Just jokin'; I think it's very sweet trying to make the McGook feel better."
"Really?"
"Yep."
"So I can stay up?"
Tony thought for a second, "Only if I can join you."
"Yes! Thanks Dad."
He laughed and ruffled Trina's hair, "You are most welcome Sorceress Claire." He bowed, and Trina giggled.
Together they chatted to McGee, talking about their fake job, and fake family, and fake friends.
* * *
Ziva stepped out of her bubble bath and dried herself with a white fluffy towel. She walked into her room and felt water drip from her hair, down her back. She found Tony's old Ohio State shirt and pulled it on before grabbing a clean pair of his boxers and stepping into them.
She walked to the study and saw Tony sitting at the computer with Trina sitting in his lap. She smiled and slowly walked up behind them without making a sound.
She kissed the top of Trina's head. "Why aren't you in your bed?"
Tony and Trina jumped.
"Hey Mum!"
"It is past bed time."
Tony smiled, "I said she could stay up 'til half past."
"It is quarter to eleven."
"Really?" asked Tony, "Better hurry up and get in bed kiddo."
Trina jumped up and kissed her parents cheeks then walked to the bathroom to prepare for bed.
Tony stood and walked behind Ziva, wrapping his arms around her waist, kissing her soft neck. "You know you drive me crazy when you where my clothes."
Ziva smiled and lent into his touch. "It is late."
"Bed?"
"Yes." Ziva turned in his arms and kissed Tony softly, before walking away.
Tony grinned to himself then sat at the computer and sent one last message to McGee.
'It's getting late Tim; I think I'll go to bed. We should meet up sometime. :) :)'
And he logged off, shutting the computer down.
Tony stretched and walked to Trina's room, where he saw Ziva sitting in the dark, on the side of Trina's bed, singing a lullaby in Hebrew.
* * *
Monday morning had Tony and Ziva sitting in the bullpen alone, both on the phone and both extremely irritated.
"I already rebooted the system, Frank! Twice!" Tony yelled into the phone.
"Four hours!" Yelled Ziva, "That is how long I waited for your cable repairman."
"You've already said that sentence!" Exclaimed Tony,
"Four hours!"
"No, I will not reboot again. I will never reboot it again!"
"Oh! Reschedule? So you can waste another Saturday?" Asked Ziva, incredulously,
"Just admit you have no idea how to fix the problem, and then we can both get on with our lives!"
"Argh!" Ziva and Tony both slammed their phones down. "Someone will die today."
"Bad morning?" Asked Kate as she walked in,
Tony grunted and Ziva curled her hands into fists.
"I'll take that as a yes."
Kate walked to her desk as McGee walked into the bullpen, a grin on his face "Morning team."
"Morning?" Asked Ziva, staring at McGee,
"Team?"
"You are in a particularly good mood today, McGee?"
"Yeah and I don't like it. What gives?" Asked Tony,
"I had a good weekend." McGee said as he fixed Tony's computer, "Had a very good weekend."
"Golden Girls marathon?"
"No, Tony, actually, I met someone."
"What's his name?"
"Her name is Clare. She is a computer programmer."
"Where did you meet?" Asked Ziva coyly,
"Well, actually, we, uh, we haven't met yet in person. We met online."
Tony laughed, this was too perfect.
"Of course you did. Go figure."
"When's the first date?" Asked Kate smiling slightly,
"Hopefully as soon as possible; this girl, she's perfect. She's gorgeous, she thinks I'm hysterical and she is a level 5 sorceress."
"Oh God!" Said Tony trying hard not to burst out laughing,
"What?"
"No! The sadness when I hear you talk like this. You don't know who these people are. It could be 45-year-old overweight man in Minnesota." Or an eleven year old girl and her step-father, "I mean, like you said, you two haven't even met yet."
"What part of 'level 5 sorceress' don't you understand?" Asked McGee,
"All of it." Said Gibbs as he walked into the bull pen to his desk,
"Boss to be a level 5 sorceress, you have to conquer... Not important."
"No. But we got a missing Navy captain who is."
* * *
"Becky's dad was supposed to meet us last night for dinner at Mangiamo's, but he never showed." Said Kevin Nelson, the ex-fiancé of Rebecca, Captain Jennings' daughter,
"You know why he never showed." Said Rebecca,
"Becky please." Muttered Kevin, "They got into a fight yesterday."
"Yeah; yesterday, and the day before yesterday, and the day before that."
"About?" Asked Gibbs,
"My father has his ideas about how I should be living my life."
"Most fathers do." Said Ziva, a hand wrapping itself around her swollen stomach,
* * *
Tony finished taking a tire track from the road at their crime scene; they had found Captain Jennings disembowelled in a warming hut.
"I got things under control here, Probie." said Tony, "Why don't you head down to the hut, help Gibbs."
"Nah, it's a bit small down there. Wouldn't want things getting cramped."
"Right. Got it." smiled Tony, "Chicken." He clucked,
"What?"
"Five years; still can't handle the bloodbaths, can you?"
"Yeah, that's what it is." Said McGee sarcastically, "Look, I told you before, I had a good weekend. I'm just trying to stay in the nice head space."
"Yeah. Carla."
"Claire."
"Whatever." He sighed, "Enjoy it while it lasts. Women are trouble. Haven't you learned anything from me?"
"Yeah. Not to go on undercover dates with a doctor whose father is the world's biggest arms dealer."
Tony stared at McGee, "That's low, Probie."
"Oh, and not to loan your friends money; you still owe me 40 bucks."
"Don't change the subject! What are you talking about?"
McGee smiled and crouched down next to Tony, "Tony. I understand what's going on here; you're jealous. You haven't had a date in a few weeks. It's okay."
"Me? Jealous of the Elf Lord? I think you have me confused with someone who's far less awesome. Have you forgotten Ziva?"
"Tony I know you. You're a player; you're missing the single life, the one night stands."
"Let me rephrase the question. Have you forgotten that I'm engaged to the incredibly sexy Ziva?"
"Level. 5. Sorceress."
Tony laughed.
"What?" Asked McGee,
"Oh nothing, I just thought she would have told you by now. We agreed that she could tell everyone."
"What are you talking about?"
Tony stood, "So she really hasn't told you."
"Who hasn't told who what?" Asked Kate,
"You don't know either?"
"What are you talking about DiNozzo?"
Tony just laughed, "You'll see."
Ziva walked over "We are to go to Captain Jennings' house Tony."
"Ok sweet cheeks."
Ziva smiled and made to go to the car but Kate stopped her.
"Do you know what Tony is talking about?"
Ziva frowned and looked at Tony,
He held up his hands defensively, "I was just curious if you had told them yet, haven't said anything specific."
"No, not yet."
"What are you talking about?"
Ziva grinned and looked at Tony,
"Whenever you want to, you tell 'em." He shrugged,
Ziva turned to Kate and McGee, "Tony and I got married last Tuesday."
"Oh my God!"
"What?!"
Kate came forward and took Ziva's hand in hers looking at the ring.
She felt tears form in her eyes as she looked at the small engraving. Tony was married. She bit her lip and forced her tears back before placing a half faked smile on her face.
"Congratulations." She hugged Ziva, "Why didn't you tell us?"
"It was a surprise Tony had planned."
McGee walked to Tony and patted him on the back, "I'm happy for you Tony, you and Ziva are perfect together."
"Thanks Probie; that means a lot coming from someone who hasn't even met their girl/boyfriend."
McGee rolled his eyes and gave Ziva a small hug and a kiss on the cheek which she returned.
Kate walked up to Tony and pulled him out of McGee and Ziva's ear shot.
"I thought I was prepared for this." She whispered,
"What?"
"For four years I prepared for the day I would hear about you being happily married with kids."
"Kate…"
"I know. I'm being selfish, but Tony. I'm happy for you, really. You're gonna be a great husband and father, Trina is proof of that."
"Thanks Kate. You're gonna be a great wife and mother one day; you deserve that."
Kate smiled through her tears. She wanted to tell him she knew he had wanted to marry her, that she had found the ring. But she didn't. It didn't matter now. He had a wife, a step daughter, and another child on the way. He was happy. That's all that mattered.
She placed her hands on his shoulders and went on her toes to kiss his cheek softly. "I'll miss you Monster." She whispered,
"I'll miss you too Puppy." He held her in his arms for a minute and kissed the top of her head.
"DiNozzo, Todd, stop playing grab ass and do your jobs!" yelled Gibbs as he walked past, "McGee, Kate, with me!"
* * *
"Oh boy." Muttered Tony as he and Ziva walked into Captain Jennings' house.
"Problem?" Asked Ziva,
"Waiting for you to find out."
"The man had a pentagram on his back, Tony. That does not make him possessed."
"Fear the house, Ziva. Always fear the house."
"I will keep my eyes open for any poltergeists."
"Not the ghosts I'm worried about; it's the pentagram-happy, dungeon-building freaks that always live in wholesome places like this."
"Then I will keep my eyes open for any dungeons." She picked up a photo of Captain Jennings and his late wife, "They looked happy. It is nice when a couple has so much in common," Tony frowned at her back,
"…like McGee and his new sorceress friend." Continued Ziva,
"Oh yeah, I was going to talk to you about that." Chuckled Tony, nervously. "It's... it's kind of funny, actually. Uh, let's see." Ziva got up and looked at Tony, "How do I put this delicately? Um, she... she's not real."
"You did not." Sighed Ziva,
"Trina did. She feels sorry for him after Abby and I was bored. It was late. I just watched Weird Science. Next thing I knew, I was redoing a fake online profile and IMing with McGee."
"He really likes her! Tony, you have to tell him!"
"I know." Laughed Tony, "It's actually kind of flattering... in a creepy way."
"What did you think would happen?!"
"I didn't know! The flaw in the 'plan'... was the 'plan'. But I got another plan to end it." Said Tony,
"Which is?"
"You ever see 'Fatal Attraction'?" but Ziva didn't reply; she was starring at something behind him,
"Poltergeist is behind me, isn't it?" He whispered,
"Can I help you?" Asked a middle aged woman,
"NCIS. Who are you?" Asked Ziva
* * *
Tony and Ziva grabbed their gear
"So," Tony said, "how's it going with your other special friend?
"Claire... I don't know. She's gotten a bit clingy. I didn't respond to an e-mail of hers right away, and she freaked out. Starts going on about how computers are destroying civilization; which is really weird because she's a computer programmer."
"Kick her to the curb."
"I think I'm gonna give her another shot." Said McGee, "Well, we connected, you know? And it's not every day that you find a-"
"Level 5 sorceress." Finished Tony, "I know..."
He and Ziva made their way to the elevator, "You have to tell him the truth." Whispered Ziva,
"Maybe. Not until I'm absolutely sure lying won't work."
Ziva sighed, "I do not like knowing McGee may be falling for my husband and daughter."
Tony laughed, "You have nothing to worry about."
* * *
"So much for my date tonight." Groaned McGee,
"What are you doing?!" Exclaimed Tony, "So you giving the psycho another chance?"
"Well I was. I guess now I got to cancel."
"What is that silliness?"
"Sorry?"
"Ziva and I will cover the interviews for you."
"That is awfully un-Tony of you, Tony."
"Just doing you a solid, Probie." Grinned Tony, "Because you having a date is about as rare as Ziva turning down s- ow, ow, ow, Let go of my ear!"
Ziva let go of Tony's ear still glaring at him.
* * *
"Heard you got stood up last night, Probie." Tony said,
"She never even called."
"Ah, that ends that, huh?"
"Maybe."
"'Maybe'? Know when to fold 'em, McGee." Tony knocked on the door of the apartment, "NCIS; open up." He turned back to McGee, "This girl's not worth it. Trust me."
"Tony, I'm not like you. It's not that easy for me to meet women. Never has been." Sighed McGee, "That's why I was hoping this girl might be, you know..."
"Oh, you'll find your girl."
"Thought I did."
Tony looked at McGee and became sincere, "You could always talk to Abby. You two, you're good together."
McGee sighed, "Abby's great but… She hasn't spoken to me since she threw me out of her apartment."
"Over Maple Syrup." acknowledged Tony, "Her pregnancy has really got her over reacting. You know she's not talking to me or Ziva? She hasn't apologised to me once since Kate told her Ziva and I got married."
"Kate told me she's been staying with her." said McGee, "She's trying to convince her to talk to me."
"Why don't you? Ditch the psycho cyber girl and get back with Abby, raise your baby. You'll be great McFamily."
* * *
"Is killing for love really any different than killing for money?" Tony asked Ziva, Kate and McGee as they sat in the bullpen finishing off a pizza, "Speaking of love, how's that, uh, cyber-romance going, McGee?"
"It couldn't be worse. She sent me another e-mail. Said she's getting back together with her ex-boyfriend. I'll tell you what though. I'm not giving up on her. No, we got too much in common. I think she might be scared, but you know what? We can work through it. I'm telling you, I think this girl might really be the one."
Tony and McGee both reached for the last slice of pizza.
"Take it." Said Tony,
"Really?"
"Sure."
"Thanks. Hey, listen, I hate to ask, but-"
"Sure. I remember." Said Tony, pulling out his wallet, "Forty dollars; with interest." He gave McGee three twenty dollar bills, "Sorry it took so long. All right, see you guys later." He grabbed his stuff and kissed Ziva on the cheek, "I'll relieve the baby sitter." He smiled,
When Tony was safely out of ear shot McGee let a coy grin form on his face.
"I didn't tell you so you could torture him, McGee." Scolded Ziva, "And you can not blame Trina for trying to make you feel better." McGee held out one of the twenty dollar notes. She took it and shrugged, "Very well."
Reviews are love!!
oh and BTW there might be a longer then usual gap between updates cos i ran out of stuff on my story plan and need to think about that ok? if you have any ideas i'll be happy to consider them.
I've worked out this story is gonna be 70 chaps give or take, LOL (anyone vote for fast forwarding Ziva/Abby's pregnacy's?)