Once the all important aspect of presents had been taken care of, the team dug into cake and snack foods and mingled around, chatting with each other and just enjoying the chance to be together without the threat of a case looming over them. Weekends when they weren't on call or working the hotline let everyone relax a little more than usual.

After about an hour though, Tony could see that Ziva was ready to go and they made their rounds to say thank you again before they left. Ziva also bid a final farewell to the group for several weeks while Tony went to his desk and pulled out a brightly coloured piece of paper. With great flourish he taped it to Ziva's chair and aimed a playful glare at Matt.

"Don't get any ideas newbie, this chair is filled."

Everyone laughed at his antics and Math held up his hands in surrender, grinning. He knew he was the odd one out on the team and he'd come to terms with not really fitting but just being. Ziva rolled her eyes and started to steer him towards the elevator, but the remembered the presents. Tim and Abby immediately volunteered to help carry all the bags down to Tony's car before anyone else had a chance and so the four of them ended up alone in the garage a few minutes later.

Having organized everything in the backseat, Tim stepped back to stand beside Abby, automatically taking her hand. It was rather like Tony with Ziva, they couldn't be that close and not touch. Tony made sure Ziva was settled in the car before turning to his friends.

"So we'll see you guys Sunday night then, around five-thirty?" he clarified, knowing Ziva would want to cook.

Because he wasn't watching closely enough, Tony missed the weighted glance the two exchanged and the look of apprehension that flitted across Abby's face before she swallowed. "Yeah, definitely, we'll be there."

"Okay then, have a great weekend McCouple."

His send off inspired a roll of the eyes from both Tim and Abby, but they had to admit that it wasn't the worst nickname he'd had ever come up with.

As they left, Tony glanced over at Ziva, who was leaning back in the seat with her eyes closed. He let his fingers slide through hers. "Hey, you okay?"

She turned her head slowly and blinked at him. "Yes, just a little tired."

Not sure he entirely believed her, Tony waited until the next red light to look in the backseat. "So that's a lot of baby stuff, want to drop it off at my place first and then I'll take you home?"

Because he was touching her, he could feel the way her muscles tensed a little. Without saying a word, he rubbed his thumb over her engagement ring to send a silent message and after a moment Ziva relaxed, turning her hand to fit in his. "There is so much to get used to," she explained, wanting him to understand her reaction. "Sometimes I almost forget how much things have changed."

"Not me," Tony laughed. "I'm keeping a countdown. We're currently at twenty-nine days until I no longer live in that big house all by myself."

Ziva scrunched up her face. "That is only four weeks Tony. We have so much to plan!"

He kissed the back of her hand. "Chill Zi, I think we have less to worry about than most people."

She raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

Tony signaled to turn and relaxed into his seat. "Well, Ducky's offered Mallard Manor for the ceremony, so location is covered. There are exactly five other people in our family, which makes choosing a wedding party much less of a hassle since one is father of the bride and the other two will probably bear the title of ushers. That leaves McGeek to be my sidekick and Abby to stand up with you. Our taste in music is a little bit different, so we might have to work on that, and you have to pick flowers and get a dress. But other than that, am I missing anything?"

Ziva passed a hand over her eyes. "You make it sound so easy. I also have to move again, we have to fit my things into your house, I have to find a dress that I am comfortable wearing in front of others, and it would be nice to hire a photographer." Her eyes met his significantly. "I only plan on being married once and I do not want to forget any of it."

"Huh." Tony frowned and tapped the steering wheel with one finger. "What we need is a list. Then we can cross things off when they're done and we won't have to worry about forgetting anything." Realizing they were pretty much in his neighbourhood now, he checked with her again. "So we can leave this stuff at my house?"

Not sure why it felt like such a big deal, Ziva nodded and rested her hand on her belly. Twenty nine years old and thirty-two weeks pregnant and she needed a nap because she was tired. The symptoms of pregnancy were starting to get ridiculous.

NCIS

After dinner, Tony sat down beside Ziva on the couch holding a wrapped package. He smiled and held it out to her. "What I gave you in front of the team, that was kind of a gag gift, you know, a joke? But this is what I wanted you to have."

Curious, Ziva peeled back the paper to reveal a framed picture of the two fo them. She couldn't tell when it had been taken but it looked to be somewhere near the beginning of their partnership. She was laughing and he was smiling at her with something in his eyes that was just a little more than friend.

Tony shrugged. "Abby...uh, found all these old pictures from crime scenes that McGee left on a memory card. It had gotten stuck in the lining of one of the camera cases and she only noticed it...last summer." He swallowed hard and she knew exactly when the forensic scientist has presented him with long ago pictures of them - it was when he thought she was dead and never coming back.

Ziva leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you Tony, I love it." She held it out and looked at it again. "I will put it on my nightstand, where I will see it before I go to sleep."

A grin spread over his face. "So you can dream of me?"

She shook her head. "No. So I can remember who it is I am waking up to. And what a gift this chance is."

It was incredibly hard for Tony not to crush her in his arms and kiss her entirely senseless, but he restrained himself and only brushed his knuckles down her cheek. "You're my best gift Zi and I'm never going to forget." The look in her eyes, the love that he saw, was more than enough. In fact, it said everything he'd ever wanted or needed to know.

NCIS

Down in Gibbs' basement, Celeste sat on the couch with a book in hand while her ex-husband pulled a plane over the ribs of his boat, smoothing the wood. After awhile she stopped paying attention to the story and started watching him. While she could probably count on one hand the number of times she'd seen him truly happy, he didn't usually look this morose. Finally she set her book down and walked over to lean against his workbench.

"Jethro, you're brooding."

He scowled at her and wiped at some sweat on his forehead with his arm, only succeeding in smearing sawdust across the skin. She hid a smile and waited. "I don't brood," Gibbs growled eventually.

Celeste raised an eyebrow. "Yes, well, whatever you don't do, that's what it looks like." She picked up one of his chisels and ran her fingers over it. "What are you thinking about?"

Gibbs stared at her for a long moment, unsure whether to be glad or frustrated that she knew him so painfully well. He dropped the tool on the workbench and sighed. "I'm proud of Ziva, for today. But that country is where she was born, it made her who she is today and it will always be part of her." He rubbed the back of his neck. "For her there's no such thing as a former Israeli, just like I'm not a former Marine. It's who we are."

She listened and observed, then stepped closer and put her hand on his arm. "She made her choice Jethro," Celeste countered quietly. "She wants to be here. She wants to be part of the people who have taught her how to love." A smile claimed her lips. "And between you and me, I think Ziva made a pretty good choice."

He grunted. "Yeah, maybe. But it's also one more loss and her quota should be filled by now."

Celeste shook her head sadly. "Unfortunately, there's always a possibility of one more. But we can't live in fear of what the next one will be. That ruins our ability to cherish today."

Gibbs needed space and picked up some sandpaper. "I'll put you to work when you get bored of that book."

She laughed, accepting that she wasn't getting anything else out of him at the moment. "I'm only spectating tonight." She tilted her head to one side. "But maybe some other time."

He held onto her words like a promise and got back to work. It was the easiest way not to think any more.

NCIS

It was a tired, sweaty but very content Tony that walked into his house Saturday afternoon following a pick up basketball game with some old buddies from college. Now that the weather was turning nice they tried to get outside as often as possible and it felt so good to be on the court again.

He dropped his keys in the dish on the table in his entry and started for the stairs, thinking of a nice cool shower and hopefully a visit to see his favourite ninja. That was about two seconds before it registered that said favourite ninja was currently curled up on his couch fast asleep, wearing her new black American flag t-shirt and a pair of tan cargo pants.

Confusion, surprise and indecision warred within him as questions flew fast and furiously through his head. But even if he wondered why, what and why again, the need for a shower pushed everything else into the background. Even a fiancee would not appreciate being dripped on because curiosity overrode good sense.

Tony's shower, of course, was cut much shorter than originally intended and less than ten minutes later he was jogging back downstairs in bare feet, black sweatpants and a college t-shirt - the quickest, cleanest things he could find to put on. He had laundry facilities in a closet between the kitchen and bathroom, but sometimes getting his clothes all the way from upstairs to one flight down was more effort than he felt like putting out. Something that would have to be remedied immediately upon his return as a married man one month from now.

Once back on the main floor, Tony knelt in front of the couch and brushed back a piece of hair that had fallen over her face. "Zi," he said quietly, but she didn't move. "Ziva?" he asked again, and this time she stirred, blinking as if he was something she had imagined. Her brow furrowed.

"Tony?"

"Hi." He wasn't sure exactly what else to say until she either explained her presence or ... or something.

She sat up slowly and looked around, her eyes falling on the clock. "When did you get home?"

Tony's smile widened when her words registered but he bit it back, not wanting to point out the significance of what she'd said and make her uncomfortable. "About fifteen minutes ago."

Ziva sighed disappointedly. "I was going to make you something for dinner, it was supposed to be a surprise." She glared down at the comfortable couch and innocent looking throw pillow, blaming them for ruining everything.

"Well it's still a nice surprise to walk in and find you sleeping on my couch." He cupped her cheek. "Do you do that a lot?" As much as he wanted to be, Tony knew she wouldn't allow him to spend every moment of his free time at her place, so maybe he was missing something that had changed.

She shrugged one shoulder. "I do not think so, but I have been feeling very tired today."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "How many laps this morning?" She would wear herself out with the exercise unless someone kept her accountable.

Ziva looked away. "I did not even make it to twenty." Her gaze fell to her belly and she folded her arms on top of it. "Being in the water is the only time I do not feel big and clumsy."

He looked her up and down. "Big would not be an accurate description sweetheart."

Her eyes had a steely glint that made him nervous. "How would you describe this then?"

"Zi," Tony said softly, "it's a baby. It's about this big," he held out his hands, trying to recall what he'd read when he was doing some research on pregnancy and development, "and has just eight weeks left before she is ready to meet us." He slid his hand along the side of her bump. "And really, you're not that big. Trust me, I've seen pictures."

She had to smile. "Are you haunting maternity stores and doctor's offices now Tony?" The mental image was more than a little amusing.

He pursed his lips. "Hadn't thought about that being an option. All my information comes from Google and Google Images. Gotta love modern technology."

Ziva rolled her eyes. "Yes. Well, now that you are here, shall we start dinner?"

Tony offered her a hand up. "I'll do whatever you want as long as you keep saying 'we' and acting like this is home Zi."

She patted his chest as she walked by, ignoring what he was trying to do. "Did you have fun at your game?"

He stopped and narrowed his eyes. "How did you know where I was?"

Ziva gave him a look. "You are not the only one with sources Anthony."

"Ooh, a woman with skills," he whistled, "nice. So," Tony joined her in the kitchen, watching what she was getting out and helping when he recognized the recipe, "did your sources tell you what else I did today?"

She tilted her head as if trying to recall something. "I will let you tell me."

He kissed her cheek. "I found us a photographer."

Ziva's eyebrows rose. "Really? We did not even make a list yet."

"Yes really," he confirmed. "And when we make a list, we can cross that off first."

"Who is it?"

"One of my frat brothers, Adrian Platz, is in advertising, but he does a little photography on the side. I told him what was going on and he offered to do the wedding. He'll be practically invisible, you'll hardly even notice him." Tony pursed his lips. "Okay, well, you might notice him, and probably Gibbs, but I doubt anyone else will worry about it. We'll get a lot of nice candid shots that way."

She shook her head. "I am impressed. You work fast."

Tony leaned against the counter beside her. "You said yes Zi, for that I'll make anything happen."

"You are very sweet," she acknowledged and in the same breath changed the subject. "Can you do the chicken?" Ziva made a face. "I am not handling raw meat very well right now."

"At your service m'lady," he offered gallantly, and as they worked together to make supper in his kitchen, Tony relished how it felt like the most natural thing in the world.

NCIS

Sunday morning they drove to the pool but after less than fifteen laps, Ziva stopped and slowly moved towards the steps that lead out of the water. Tony frowned and dropped his phone, hurrying over to her. First of all, it was rare for her to do less than thirty laps and even then he usually had to coax her away. Secondly, she never ever took the steps out of the pool, she always hoisted herself out on her arms and one knee.

"Sweetheart," he asked, concern lacing his words, "what's wrong?"

Ziva made her way unsteadily to the nearest chair and sank down, cradling her head in her hands, water dripping from her dark hair onto the tile floor. Tony realized she was shivering and grabbed the blue towel she always brought to drape around her shoulders. She thanked him with a nod and finally looked up.

"I feel...tapped," Ziva answered at last, "like all of my energy is just...gone." She waved her hand towards the entrance as if it had just suddenly flown out the door.

Tony knew she meant 'drained' but correcting her common sayings wasn't a priority at the moment. "Maybe you've had enough for today babe," he suggested, knowing she wouldn't like the answer.

Ziva surprised him by agreeing almost immediately. "Do you think we can make breakfast at your house, instead of going out?" They hadn't missed a Sunday morning at the diner since their last weekend on call, she loved the security of knowing it was something they were going to do. So changing that meant she really wasn't feeling well.

Trying hard to hide his worry, Tony pasted on a grin. "Bacon and eggs, toast and oatmeal, french toast, waffles, omelettes - take your pick."

She smiled briefly and pushed herself out of the chair. "I will be back soon."

He watched her go with no small amount of unease. It only grew when 'soon' turned out to be so long that he almost knocked on the changeroom door to see if she was still there and hadn't escaped out a window or something. Eventually Ziva reappeared, her swimming bag slung over one shoulder.

Tony looked her over cautiously. "You okay?"

Ziva slipped her hand into his linking their fingers, and leaned into his shoulder a bit as they walked out. "Will you feel terribly ignored if I lay on the couch for awhile?"

He brushed his hand over her stomach, hidden underneath the black maternity coat that made her look fashionable even in a long sleeved t-shirt and yoga pants. "Baby's tired, huh?"

She chuckled. "Yes, that is a much better excuse. We both need a nap."

Tony didn't bother to point out that it was barely ten o'clock in the morning. He simply tucked her into his car, drove back to his house, and watched her settle on her side facing the back of the couch. He turned his phone over and over in his hand, wondering if he should call Dr. Meyers. But it was a Sunday and she had kids and it wasn't technically an emergency. Besides, Ziva had her next appointment Monday afternoon, only a little over twenty-four hours away.

By the time his fiancee was asleep, Tony had talked himself out of playing the panicked husband/father since he couldn't claim either of those titles yet, and began preparing the kitchen for what would be one spectacular brunch buffet as soon as Ziva woke up. Until then, he could think of far worse things to do than watching the woman he loved while she slept.

NCIS

Several hours and lots of relaxed, enjoyable time together later, Tony opened the door when the bell rang and found Abby and McGee standing on his porch holding hands. "Come in."

Abby smiled but it dropped quickly and she looked nervous. Tim's expression was carefully blank, but Tony could almost feel the tension coming off his friend. Suddenly the odds of this being a good announcement plummeted and Tony's stomach clenched.

Ziva came out of the kitchen and smiled at the couple. "I put the casserole in a little late, there is probably still twenty minutes left before it is ready."

Abby sighed. "Time to get this over with then and decide if you still want us to stay for supper."

Ziva frowned. "Why would we not want you to stay?"

Slowly Abby pulled the chain out of her shirt. McGee had already freed his wedding band from the keychain and reached into his pocket to slip it on. Abby took the chain off and slid the rings on her finger. Tony and Ziva looked on in shock.

"You are...married?" Ziva asked, struggling to understand.

"Five months," Abby said softly. "But that's not all." She turned to McGee, unable to finish.

Tim laced his fingers through hers. "Abby is fifteen weeks pregnant."

Tony's eyes hardened. "You let us worry about you for two months, thinking that something might be wrong, and you were married the whole time? Why would you do that?"

The anger in his friend's tone put McGee's back up. "I didn't want to wait any longer to be with Abby for real, forever. But Ziva," he let out a breath and looked into her eyes, pleading with her to understand, "I knew you needed things to stay the same for awhile. At the beginning I thought it was best and Abby went along. And then," McGee shrugged, "it didn't seem like such a big deal to keep the secret anymore."

Ziva sank down to the couch, grateful for Tony's hand on her shoulder. "Abby," she asked gently, "how long have you known about the baby?"

Abby twisted her fingers together. "I found out the first week of March, but I didn't even tell McGee until the week you guys got engaged." Her words started to flow faster, desperate to fix the hurt in Ziva's expression. "At first I didn't know what to think and then...I couldn't tell you Ziva, not when we're happy and you..." Abby couldn't say it, couldn't bring up what had happened to her friend.

Ziva held out her arms to Abby and the other woman gladly accepted. "It is alright to be happy about your baby Abby," she said softly. "Just because I did not plan to get pregnant does not mean I would be upset." Ziva looked back at Tony. "He loves both of us and it is a greater gift than I ever imagined."

Abby was crying into Ziva's shoulder now. "I'm sorry for not telling you that we were married, there just never seemed to be a right time and I got to like the secret. But we shouldn't've let you worry."

Ziva stroked Abby's hair gently. "I do not have to worry now Abby, it is alright." She met Tony's eyes again and with one look he understood. Dragging a hand down his face, he sighed and then put on a smile, holding his hand out to Tim.

"Congratulations."

McGee let out a breath and smiled a little, accepting the handshake. "Thanks Tony."

The older man gave him a mildly disbelieving look. "Geez, who know you were so good at keeping secrets McGoo?"

Tim glanced at Abby. "I had pretty good incentive."

Tony held up his hands. "Whoa there! Let's not be giving away too much information there McTim."

McGee rolled his eyes. "Really? That's the best you can do?"

Shaking her head at the boys but glad that they were acting normal again, Ziva smiled. "Well," she began once Abby pulled away, armed with a handful of kleenex, "I think it is time for supper."

The group agreed and they followed her across the room. After a little shuffling, they all found places around the table while Ziva pulled the casserole out of the oven and Tony went over to help her dish it up. Drinks were inquired about and delivered and finally they were all sitting down together.

Abby took one bite of the food and closed her eyes. "Mmm, comfort food, good choice Ziva."

The other woman smiled. "I was not sure what to expect when you said we needed to talk, but I assumed that we would need something that would help ease the tension." Ziva shrugged. "Good food has a way of making friends out of enemies, even if we do not qualify to be enemies."

Tony stroked the inside of her wrist idly as they ate. "So, any other secrets you two want to share while we're at it?"

Tim glanced at Abby and then back at Tony. "Well, as long as we're putting everything out there uh...Abby and I bought a house."

Tony dropped his fork. "I wasn't serious about the secrets."

"Yeah, well," McGee shrugged, "surprise!"

Abby bit her lip at Tony's expression. "That's the reason we had to do New Year's at Gibbs' place."

Ziva looked back and forth between her friends. "Perhaps we can come over sometime and take a tour."

Tony made a face. "I have had enough house tours to last me until I die!" he said dramatically.

Abby tilted her head. "Suppose the tour was accompanied by Andy Griffith re-runs and board games?"

He perked right up. "Ooh, you know my weaknesses Abs."

She laughed. "I better, after..." she squinted, "how many years have I know you for?"

Tony leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers on the table. "You joined the team in 2000 and I was less than a year later so...wow, over eight years now." He grinned. "I'm impressed, all that time and I'm still alive."

Abby took another bite and leaned her head on one hand. "You were an interesting case. Drove me absolutely crazy the first few months and then you suddenly changed, as if you'd figured me out and knew exactly what kind of person I needed in my life. At a year I still wasn't sure you were going to make it with Gibbs, by two years we were friends, and when we hit year three I could definitely call you my best friend."

Tony scowled at McGee. "And then he showed up and ruined everything." His tone was teasing and his eyes showed he didn't mean it so McGee didn't bother trying to come up with a retort.

Abby's eyes were drawn to the ring she still wasn't used to seeing on her husband's finger, but it felt so good to know that her claim on him would be obvious to everyone now. "Five years together made us closer than blood and now at eight years we are definitely family." She twirled one of her pigtails thoughtfully. "Any regrets?"

His half-grin promised an interesting answer. "Only that we didn't grow up as siblings, I imagine you were a lot of fun when you were little."

Her eyebrow rose lazily. "There are some things that will always be a secret Tony."

They locked eyes for a long moment and then it broke, and other people were welcomed into the conversation. But Tim and Ziva didn't worry at all about being left out. Watching Tony and Abby together, acting like the brother and sister they'd adopted each other to be, was a special thing. And with Tim being married to Abby and Tony and Ziva's wedding only weeks away, it was safe to assume that family was a definition for their group that would only get stronger as time went on.

NCIS

A couple hours later Abby and McGee walked down the front steps after saying goodbye to their friends and Abby drew her first full breath in what felt like weeks. Understanding completely, McGee locked their fingers and rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand.

"So now that we've told...?"

She looked at him with eyes that caught the moonlight and he still thought beautiful was not a good enough word to describe her. "It feels like a thousand pounds I'm not dragging around anymore." Abby sighed. "I think you were right."

Tim's eyebrows shot up. "Words I'm sure every husband dreams of hearing. I hate to spoil it by asking what I was right about."

Abby cracked a smile. "It's better to tell. The secret was fun, having it just between the two of us, but I'm glad we had to finally let the others in on it. It's just better."

"Gives me a lot of reasons to look forward to tomorrow," McGee commented.

She didn't follow. "Like what?"

He shrugged. "Wearing my ring to work, the freedom to claim you and shut up all of the guys that stare, just knowing that I can talk about you as my wife now, not my girlfriend."

Abby glanced back at the lights glowing in Tony and Ziva's...in Tony's house, wondering when they had to say goodnight or if Tony was right now trying to talk her into staying. "With their wedding everything changes Timmy."

He opened the car door for her and leaned on the top. "Why?"

Her forehead creased. "Ziva's off work for months, there's a new guy who will take her place even if Tony won't let him near her desk." They both smiled, remembering Tony's sign. "Tony and Ziva will have a baby, then we will. It'll be all couples except for Gibbs and Matt." She fluttered her hands. "We're more family now than ever before, but I..." Abby stared down the quiet street, "I don't like change McGee."

"You don't like certain kinds of change," he clarified, getting in on his side. Tim claimed her hand again. "It might scare you to think about now babe, but when it's happening it'll go so fast that you'll be afraid to miss something."

"Maybe." Abby changed the subject when he kissed her fingers. "I have my first appointment with the midwives at the birthing center after work Wednesday. Can you try to get Gibbs to let you off before seven?"

Tim grinned. "I'll be there even if I have to get Tony to create a diversion and make a run for it."

Abby laughed. "Gibbs would still know."

"Yeah, well, he never says no to you, maybe some of that will rub off on me."

"Unlikely," she countered, patting his chest, "but nice try." Abby looked back again even though the DiNozzo house was far behind them. "Do you think Tony and Ziva are ready for this?"

McGee was quiet as he thought back through life since September. "I think they've been married since those two weeks she stayed with him," he said finally, "and it just took them this long to figure it out."

A smile curved over her lips. "I guess hearts know it before heads."

"But now," Tim let out a breath, "now they're going to have the best of everything. I don't think I've ever seen two people who love each other the way Tony and Ziva do. They've been part of each other since long before Somalia and they work best together." He met his wife's eyes. "You remember what Tony was like when she was gone."

"I'd rather not," Abby admitted, "because he wasn't Tony, just some shadow that looked like him."

Tim's expression was serious. "That's my point. They have the strongest connection I've ever seen. They have to be with each other or nothing is right at all." He stared straight ahead like he'd suddenly figured something out. "Maybe that's what soulmates means."

Abby leaned back into her seat. "Mr. Gemcity, I think you just made a wonderful discovery to use in your book."

She had a feeling that as much as it mildly annoyed the team to be written into fiction, on some level they enjoyed it, because Tim could type things he wasn't necessarily good at saying out loud. And making his friends his characters was a unique way of telling them how much he cared.