Tony showed up at the pool just as Ziva was getting out of the water. "Hey," he looked puzzled, "you didn't wait for me."
Ziva squeezed out her hair and then shook it, sending water drops flying into the air. "I did not know getting engaged meant we were attached at the elbow," she teased.
He rolled his eyes. "The saying is 'attached at the hip' Ninja." Tony shrugged. "We just usually come together, that's all."
She quirked an eyebrow at him. "But it is Saturday today, not Sunday and I have to study." Ziva headed for the changeroom. "You are not supposed to arrive until after lunch."
Tony grinned. "Are you saying I'm a distraction Zi?" He looked way too pleased about the prospect.
Ziva tossed him a smile over her shoulder. "Maybe I am."
He waited on the chairs until his fiancee returned, freshly showered, her damp hair pulled up into a ponytail. Tony picked up the conversation right where they'd left it. "Okay, so can I come over if I promise not to say a word?"
Her expression betrayed her surprise. "Not one word for three whole hours?"
Tony looked crestfallen. "Well...there's still breakfast, so it'll be closer to ten by the time we get back." He shrugged. "I think I can manage two hours. Can I watch a movie?"
Ziva laughed. "That is fine. I will study in the kitchen."
They took Tony's car to the diner because Ziva had walked and shared an hour of their typical banter before Helen came to get their plates. Spying the ring on Ziva's finger, their waitress winked at Tony. "Well young man, it certainly took you long enough."
He reached for Ziva's hand. "She was worth the wait."
It was hard for her not to melt every time he looked at her with more love in his eyes than she'd ever known one gaze could hold. With her finger, Ziva traced a pattern on the back of his hand and graced him with a special smile just between them.
True to his word, once Tony had walked her upstairs he zipped his lips, grabbed Mission Impossible off the shelf and settled in for an action movie that would hopefully distract him from staring at his fiancee for the next one hundred and twenty minutes.
With remarkable concentration, Ziva buried herself in citizenship test study materials - reading, highlighting, murmuring facts over and over under her breath, and using the flashcards they'd made to test her memory. Halfway through the movie Tony realized his plan wasn't working because he'd missed some of Tom Cruise's best moments and all he could think was how cute Ziva was when she was so focused on something that everything else disappeared.
Only once did Ziva look up and catch him staring. When Tony wasn't quick enough to avert his eyes, she just smiled and shook her head slowly, then went back to the notes she was taking. Tony leaned back against the couch cushions and found a grin on his face he just couldn't wipe off. It felt almost too good to be true that after all the events of the last six months, they had finally made it here, together.
A gentle hand on his shoulder brought Tony out of his musings. "I am finished for today, you may speak."
He sighed in relief. "Good. Want to watch the end with me?"
Ziva agreed and settled against his side. "The end is always the best part, yes?"
Tony wrapped his arm around her. "Nah, I think getting there is even better."
She smiled up at him and leaned her head on his chest, watching as the light caught her ring. "Yes, I think you are right."
NCIS
Sometime after the lunch they made together, causing quite a mess in Ziva's small kitchen followed by her laughter as she watched him try to clean it up, Tony looked at Ziva over a game of Pente. "So I was thinking we should probably start talking about wedding plans, if we're going to do this in a month."
Ziva narrowed her eyes at him. "You are trying to distract me," she accused.
He chuckled. "Not really, but it doesn't matter, you're going to beat me anyways."
She shrugged. "Maybe not."
Ziva finished her turn and as Tony was making his move, he leaned over and kissed her. "I guess I win after all."
She rolled her eyes at her fiancé and began putting the pieces away. "I suppose we need to pick a date."
"It's a good place to start," Tony commented, reaching into his backpack for the pocket calendar he'd started writing in once he was keeping track of Ziva's doctor's appointments and the weekends they were on call. He flipped the page to April and then glanced forward into May. "Mandy said you're due mid-May?" he checked.
"The eighteenth," Ziva confirmed, rubbing her stomach lightly. Even at thirty-two weeks, the end of her pregnancy still felt years away.
"Okay, well I want to be sure we have the wedding before she comes, so what weekend in April works for you?"
Ziva gave him a funny look. "I do not make plans with anyone other than you and the team." She lifted one shoulder and let it fall. "You pick, I do not care."
Tony closed his eyes and pointed to a date. "Alright, the twenty-first of April it is."
"We should tell Abby first, she will want to help with the details."
"What kind of details do we need to work out?" Tony asked, wondering if they should make a list.
Ziva frowned. "Location, wedding party, music, food, clothing. Shall I continue?"
He sighed. "I guess this is going to be more complicated than I thought. Well, I have a lot of nice suits, I'm sure one of them would work unless you want me to wear a tux."
She shook her head and brushed her hand down the front of his shirt. "I think you will look quite handsome in a suit Tony."
Tony puffed up his chest momentarily and grinned. "I do have that affect on the ladies."
Her eyes hardened. "That will not do."
He kissed her fingers and amended his statement. "No worries Zi, there's only one woman I want to have that affect on and she's already wearing my ring."
Ziva sat back and grew quiet as she fingered her jean skirt. "I cannot wear a white dress," she whispered, eyes downcast.
Tony didn't like the look of things already and put his finger under her chin so he could see into her heart. "Why not Zi? Do you have a different tradition in Israel?"
She still wouldn't look at him. "White is for purity, for a bride who is not defiled. I just..." Ziva shook her head. "I cannot wear it Tony."
Biting back the words he wanted to say because he'd said them before and obviously they weren't getting through, Tony played with her hair. "Alright honey, that's fine. I know you'll look beautiful in whatever colour you choose." He leaned closer to whisper in her ear, "But just so you know, when I look at you I will see white. You may think you can't wear it and I won't argue, but I think you've earned the right."
Before he could change the subject, Ziva suddenly shifted her eyes back to his. "Will you not be embarrassed to be walking down the aisle with a bride who is already pregnant?"
"Hey," Tony said sharply, "cut that out Ziva, you know better." But in case she didn't he told her again, resting his hand on her bump to feel the baby move. "I'm proud to see you like this Zi. You're giving life and that's a victory and a strength. Besides, now it's our baby you're carrying and no one will ever be able to tell me different." He emphasized 'our' and Ziva wondered how it was that he could love this child so much already.
Leaning forward, he held his mouth a breath away from hers, not wanting to take advantage just because he could. Her hand on his face encouraged him to close the gap, even if she couldn't make the first move. Several sweet seconds later Tony looked into her eyes again. "I can't wait to meet her. I'm gonna be a good dad Zi, I promise. Neither one of us had good examples growing up, but I'm going to be there for her every step of the way."
His words caused tears to flood Ziva's eyes and she furiously wiped them away, hating that she couldn't always control what the hormones did to her. Tony let her calm down a little before stroking his fingers over the back of her hand and broaching a new topic.
"Ziva, I'd be honoured to have you take my last name, but I don't want you to feel like you're losing any part of yourself. If you want to keep David or hyphenate it...whatever you want Zi, I'm okay with that. And the baby..." Tony trailed off, not wanting to assume.
Ziva smiled gently, a little more in control of her emotions now. "She needs your name Tony. You have waited a long time to be her father. And I have waited my whole life to belong somewhere. So I will be Ziva DiNozzo in five weeks when I say yes. Gibbs always uses my first name anyways."
A grin took over Tony's face and he pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly. "You sure do know how to make a guy happy Zi."
She rested her head on his shoulder and put her hand over his heart. "You know how to make me feel loved Tony. That is no small thing."
NCIS
That night Ziva walked Tony to the door when the episode of Crossing Jordan - that day's old TV show - ended. He paused on his way out and turned back to her. Ziva loved looking into Tony's eyes these days - they were clear and unburdened for the first time in months, maybe ever, and his beautiful green gaze reflected every ounce of love his heart held for her.
What a change from two months ago when everything had seemed so complicated because she was scared, and he was still fighting so hard for a place in her life. She used to have to look away to avoid the truth she saw shining in his eyes, now that truth filled her with the kind of happiness she never thought would be hers to have.
"Ziva," his voice was low, his expression full of want, "can I kiss you goodnight?"
Her eyes widened briefly until she caught sight of his ring on her finger. Then she smiled gently and nodded once. Tony moved closer until their bodies were touching, which wasn't as close as either wanted because of the baby getting in between them, but it was better than nothing. He slid his fingers along her cheek and Ziva raised her face, tentatively tilting her head to let him capture her lips.
It was sweet and just a little too short, but neither of them were pushing things, not now. There was be time for exploring all the lines that had been drawn and the boundaries that were still set after they said their vows. Right now in this moment, all that mattered was that their love for each other was no longer hidden.
NCIS
Sunday afternoon found the newly engaged couple curled up together on the couch, absorbed in a drama that kept them both on edge until it ended with hope and happiness. Shutting the TV off with his remote, Tony stretched his arm out above Ziva's shoulders and settled back into the cushions of his new couch. He reached for her hand and started playing with her engagement ring.
"Zi?" he asked quietly.
Ziva was feeling so comfortable and warm and at home that she barely moved so as not to disturb the peace. "Mmm?"
"What's it feel like for you, being engaged?"
She leaned her head back against his arm and though about it for a minute. "Like knowing I will never be alone again," Ziva answered finally. "It feels like something out of a dream I thought I would never be allowed to have." She drew her finger slowly over the back of his hand, a new habit Tony noticed she'd picked up. "When I said yes, somehow all the walls and barriers I had used to try and keep you out just fell away. When you told me you loved me, I knew that moment was what I had been waiting for."
They sat in silence until she turned the question back on him. "What is it like for you?"
Tony put his feet up on the coffee table and slouched down, nudging Ziva into a more comfortable position beside him. He sighed. "It feels like a weight lifted off my chest from all those months I couldn't love you out loud. It feels like freedom to say those words and freedom from the stress and worry of not having a place in your life that let me into things and of never being sure you'd say yes." He reached over and rubbed her belly gently, then leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Basically it feels like the best thing that's ever happened to me."
Ziva slid her hand over to rest on his, stilling his movement while they waited to feel the baby. An elbow grazed her skin from the inside and Tony chuckled. "Hey there Chipmunk, feeling left out?" Kicking in response, the baby continued squirming for several seconds before settling into a comfortable position. Tony kept his hand the last place he'd been able to feel something. "Don't worry baby, Mommy and Daddy haven't forgotten about you."
Looking at Tony's face, Ziva's eyes grew troubled. She curled her fingers around his. "Tony, are you sure?"
His focus quickly shifted, wondering what made her so serious this time. "Sure about what?"
Ziva's voice was even quieter this time. "About being her daddy, especially when-"
Tony's finger touched her lips gently, cutting off any more words. "Don't say it Zi." He grasped her hand firmly in his. "I've had three months to be sure. I've thought about it since the day you told me you were pregnant." He smoothed his thumb over her knuckles. "By then you'd already been part of my future for more time than I'm willing to admit. I've thought about it since the first time you felt her move and wanted to show me, since your first doctor's appointment when I heard her heartbeat, since I was finally able to feel her kick." Tony lifted his palm to her cheek. "Zi, I've been ready to be her dad for a long time."
Tears pricked the corners of Ziva's eyes and she closed them briefly. "How can you be okay with this baby not being part of you? How can you be okay with how she was conceived?"
He waited until Ziva could look at him again and his tone was grave. "I'm not okay with you got pregnant Zi, not by a long shot, no one is. I hate every second we wasted not trying to find you because we didn't know, and what happened because we were late. But sweetheart, this baby is part of you and you've been part of my heart since before Somalia, so really she is a part of me. That's what love does, it makes family where there wasn't any before."
Though Tony had said all the right words and she had no doubt that he meant every single one, Ziva was still struggling with the whole concept of him raising a child he hadn't fathered. However, neither could she deny that she'd grown to love the baby in her womb just as she'd fallen in love with Tony - slowly and without hardly even noticing.
Tony watched the emotions tumble across her face and tried to guess what she was thinking. "Are you okay with me talking to the baby and calling myself her daddy?" He didn't know what he'd do if she said no, there wasn't any way he could change the way he felt about either of them now.
"I think," she said slowly, "that I love you even more when you do." Ziva looked up at him and Tony wondered if she was asking for his touch without saying the words.
He leaned closer, preparing for rejection if he'd read her wrong. But Ziva accepted his kiss, brushing her soft lips over his as he deepened it just a little, aching for more contact with her. When she pulled away, Tony had to work hard to think clearly. He flashed her a grin. "I guess I'll take that as a yes?"
Ziva laughed and tucked herself back against him, slipping her hand under her head which was resting on his chest. Tony enclosed her in his embrace once more and she sighed happily. "Definitely yes." Then he kissed her head and settled back to watch the rain fall while sunshine peeked through the clouds. Tony had never been this happy.
NCIS
Gibbs sighed in relief when he got into Celeste's car after spending several hours in the office clearing paperwork from his desk. She glanced at him as she pulled out of the Navy Yard. "Long day?"
"Lots to think about," he admitted, glad the rain had stopped so they could have the top down.
Celeste chose a quiet backstreet to take them down and drove slowly, letting the silence settle for awhile before she poked his arm gently. "Anything you want to share?"
Gibbs rubbed both hands over his face. "Tony asked Ziva to marry him on Thursday night."
Celeste signaled to turn and found a road that took them down by the river. "Are you concerned?" She only knew the barest of facts about what had happened to Ziva, but enough to understand that Gibbs had good reason to worry about her and how she would handle this change.
Gibbs made himself more comfortable in the seat. "It's a tough road they've chosen, not gonna get any easier just because she said yes."
She smiled gently. "You need to have more faith in your people Jethro."
He looked out at the water, wishing life was as simple as spending it out on a boat where so much more made sense to him there. "Yeah, maybe," he agreed finally.
Celeste watched him out of the corner of her eye while she paid attention to the road. "What can I do?"
Gibbs glanced over hopefully. "A drink would be nice."
She laughed. "Too early for that yet. What else?"
He'd figured as much, her rules for drinking were much more structured than his. Gibbs watched the wind tease her hair away from her face before staring back out ahead of them. "Let's just drive for awhile."
Celeste patted his knee. "That I can do. Close your eyes and enjoy it Jethro. Things will work out, you'll see."
Following orders, Gibbs leaned back against the seat and blocked out the world. All he could do was hope she was right.