A/N: Lol...sorry for drowning you guys in chapters the last couple days, I figured I'd spoil you all a little bit since I'm probably taking a break next week. Thanks so much for commenting on all the new chapters, you guys really know how to brighten my day. The countdown in on! Baby in 3 chapters...
Hebrew: Lehiraot - see you later
Monday morning Gibbs was in a foul mood. The team took it without complaint for as long as they could, but at 1300 when he left for coffee, all three guys escaped down to Abby's lab. After asking permission, Matt whisked Tami and Sammy away to the breakroom upstairs, leaving Tim and Tony to consult Abby about the situation.
"We didn't do anything Abbs," Tony lamented. "Tim's kept the geek-speak to a minimum, I haven't been slacking off and Matt's been practically invisible. I don't get it."
McGee, always happy for an excuse to be with his wife, accepted the hug she offered to both of them, topping his off with a kiss. Tony watched, feeling a flare of jealousy as he thought about how many weeks remained before Ziva worked by his side again and they could share little moments like that. He sighed. She hadn't even been gone a month and even living with her never seemed to be enough. He just couldn't be with her too much. Tony had to face the facts: he needed Ziva like he needed air and it sucked not being able to breathe until he got home at night.
Abby turned her back and Tim obligingly started to rub her shoulders. "You know him best, any ideas Abbs?"
She rolled her neck, grateful for the massage, and shrugged one shoulder. "I have a guess, but it's pretty out there."
"We'll take anything at this point," Tony said eagerly, leaning forward.
Abby chewed on her lip. "Well, he said Celeste has to travel for work sometimes. Maybe she's gone and he misses her?"
McGee nodded. "At the wedding she mentioned having clients in LA. She goes out for a couple days to discuss things with them once she's finished with a book."
Tony frowned. "When did she say that? I don't remember."
McGee and Abby exchanged a glance and Abby smirked. "I think your attention was...elsewhere at that point Tony. Once Ziva came out, no one else existed."
He absorbed her comment and had the grace to look a little ashamed. "What can I say? She's my whole world."
Tim rolled his eyes. "They're so cute when they're in the honeymoon stage."
Tony raised an eyebrow at his friends - Abby leaning back against Tim's chest, her head resting on his shoulder, and McGee holding her loosely with a contented expression on his face. "Yeah, because at five and a half months you guys are so far out of that phase."
Tim chuckled but neither confirmed or denied the statement, simply changed the subject. "How serious do you think Gibbs and Celeste are? I mean, are they dating? Together? They obviously share a history, we witnessed part of it."
Abby made a face. "You know how I feel about outsiders, but if he's this grumpy because she's gone, he's obviously happier when she's around."
"They did seem kind of cozy at the wedding," McGee pointed out.
"And they worked really well together when we were moving Ziva's stuff," Abby remembered. "But as for details..." she shrugged. "Gibbs is never going to spill."
"So maybe we ask Celeste?" Tony suggested, but before he could get an answer, Tami and Matt came flying in the door.
"Or maybe we get back to work before we get fired!" Matt blurted. "Gibbs sighting outside the building. We have like, a minute to get back to our desks."
Ignoring the fact that five grown adults should not be scared at the mere mention of a man who was still mortal, boss or not, the guys hurried upstairs. McGee lingered long enough to kiss Abby's cheek and Matt sent Tami a smile, then with only seconds to spare they lit out of the lab like something was on fire. Two contemplative women stared after them.
Tami sank to the floor and ran her hand over Sammy's soft fur. After only four days the puppy was already a fixture and it was hard to tell who loved him best. Abby finally shook herself and looked at her assistant with raised eyebrows. "So, you and Matt...?"
The girl's eyes widened and she picked up the puppy. "You know, he still needs to go outside. I better take him. Be right back!"
"You can't escape that easily!" Abby called after her. She had to come back sometime, and when she did it was definitely time for secrets to be spilled.
NCIS
Once again Tony got off early to take Ziva to her doctor's appointment. This time when Mandy palpitated Ziva's abdomen to check for the baby's position, her eyebrows rose. Apprehensive, Tony took Ziva's hand. "What?"
Mandy felt again and shook her head. "The baby's dropped." At Ziva's look of confusion, she explained. "She's head down towards your cervix. It's the proper birth position."
"Maybe that explains the pressure I am feeling...there." She didn't look at her husband because some things were still uncomfortable to talk about with him in the room.
The doctor nodded. "And it's probably easier to breathe now that he or she is facing away from your lungs."
A light went on in Ziva's eyes. "Yes. I noticed when I got up this morning but I did not think anything of it."
Tony frowned. "You said that baby's in birth position. Does that mean she's coming soon?"
Mandy glanced sympathetically at her patient. "Ziva, I know how much you wanted to carry this baby to term, but thirty-six or thirty-seven weeks isn't bad, especially when I didn't think we'd get past thirty-five." She turned back to Tony. "In answer to your question, yes. We're looking at days, not weeks before this little one arrives."
Ziva caressed her belly slowly, heart racing. She wasn't ready for this yet, she wasn't ready for the baby to come now. Almost three weeks and she was still trying to get used to being married, let alone all the changes becoming a mother would bring.
Dr. Meyers caught Tony's eyes and looked towards the door, much like the last time when they talked about Ziva's test results. Tony sighed and kissed his wife's forehead. "I'll be right back babe. Just close your eyes for a few minutes."
Out in the hall, Mandy crossed her arms. "This is the part where you might regret that wearing that ring means sometimes you have to make the tough decisions, whether she likes it or not, when it's for her own good."
Tony eyed the woman warily. "I don't like the sound of this."
Mandy shook her head. "I can't, I won't let Ziva go through more than five or six hours of labour Tony. She's just not strong enough." Her gaze was unrelenting. "I need your permission to do a c-section if necessary."
He looked up at the ceiling and blew out a breath. "Mandy, that's something Ziva and I will have to talk about. I can't just make that decision without her."
The doctor stepped back. "Maybe not now, but if something goes wrong you might have to. Just keep that in mind."
Tony nodded. "Is that it?"
"Call me if you think anything is happening at all. I'm worried that she won't come to the hospital early enough for us to help if there's complications."
His jaw tightened. "You have my word." Ziva would be that stubborn.
"I'll leave you with her then," Mandy smiled. "By this time next week, I think you're going to be a daddy Tony."
He wished he was free to be happy about that. But it was hard with the dark cloud hanging over their heads. Ziva was laying on her side when Tony went back into the room and as soon as the latch clicked into place, she opened her eyes. "What was that about?" She did not like being left out.
Tony shrugged. "Just some stuff Mandy wanted me to know." He hoped she wouldn't ask for details but he knew better.
Ziva's gaze narrowed and she pushed herself up on one elbow. "Do not keep secrets from me Tony, I want to know what she said." As the words passed her lips, Ziva could feel a check in her conscience. She, who was keeping a secret, has no right to speak, but at the moment she did not care if she was a hypocrite. This was about her baby, their baby, and she needed to know.
He sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "Mandy's going to have to do a c-section if you're in labour too long." Ziva's expression dropped and he slid his fingers through hers. "If it means saving both of you, I have to give my permission."
Fear and concern flooded her face and she tightened her grip on him. "Tony, I need you to promise me that you will choose the baby over me if it comes to that."
Tony froze, then shook his head vehemently. "I can't...Ziva, please don't ask me to make that choice."
His tone bordered on panic and she used his arm to pull herself up so she could hug him. There would be no easy resolution to this because, as evidenced by the way he held her, Tony would not let go easily.
NCIS
After a leisurely supper, Ziva settled on the couch and waited for Tony to pick a movie. He was more reluctant than usual to be away from her side since their conversation at the doctor's and Ziva understood. Hopefully a couple hours of holding her would help allay his fears. And she certainly didn't mind being ensconced in her husband's strong arms. It was a win-win.
Just as he was narrowing down his selection, Tony's phone rang. He flipped it open, still running his finger over movie titles. "DiNozzo."
"Got a dead woman on the Marine base. Gear up."
Tony's heart dropped and he turned to look at Ziva, sighing. "Yeah, got it Boss." His eyes apologized before he spoke. "We have a case." They both knew that getting called in now mean he'd be pulling an overnighter and while that had never been a problem before, this would be their first night apart since their wedding.
Ziva nodded. "Gibbs would not call you in unless it was serious." She held out her hands for him to help her up. They stared into each other's eyes for a long moment before she gave him a small smile. "You better go. He does not like to be kept waiting."
Tony groaned and pulled her into his arms. "I'm gonna miss you tonight."
"It is only one night." She tried not to make it sound so bad, and he let go to frown at her. Ziva hugged him again. "But I will miss you as well. It is a comfort knowing you are so near."
He brushed his knuckles over her cheek and leaned in to kiss her softly. "I love you." He tapped her nose with one finger. "Be good."
Ziva made a face. "Try not to get headslapped."
Tony chuckled. "I'll text if I get time."
She rolled her eyes. "I love you. Now go before you get in trouble."
He bent down and kissed her bump. "Goodnight Chipmunk, Daddy loves you." He kissed his wife one more time and ran out the door with his backpack before temptation took over.
Ziva leaned against the door and watched him go, then looked around at the empty house. "What are we going to do now?" she asked the baby. It had never seemed so quiet during the day, but without Tony's voice and presence, the house felt very lonely indeed.
NCIS
The scene was chilling. A woman dumped in the front yard of her home, laying in a crumpled heap with eyes closed, but far too still to be sleeping. Tony took pictures and felt his guy coil when he saw the wedding band she wore. Some man would get off duty tonight to find a husband's worst fear come true.
Ducky knelt on the ground beside the victim, giving observations for Jimmy to write down and trying to answer Gibbs' questions. He pointed to the marks on the woman's neck. "Signs of manual strangulation. There's skin under her fingernails, so I daresay she put up quite a fight, but it was in vain. I'll have Abby run DNA when we get her home. The body bag if you please Mr. Palmer."
As he straightened her body out and opened her hand so Tim could scan her fingerprints, he found something. "Hello, what have we here?"
Gibbs looked up from his notebook. "Whatcha got Duck?"
"It seems someone has left us a note Jethro."
Gibbs reached for the folded piece of paper and opened it. He stilled, read the words again and handed it to Tony. "Bag it. McGee!" he barked. "Get back to NCIS. I want you and Abby on this."
Tony handed the bag to his friend, noting the web address scrawled at the bottom, and watched Tim absorb the message. His startled gaze came up and he bolted for the car. The note made it clear there was no time to lose.
She is the first. One of them will die every eight hours until you stop me.
NCIS
By midnight they were still scrambling to find answers and leads to follow. A countdown ticked off seconds and minutes on the plasma, Abby and McGee were wearing the skin off their fingertips trying to trace the source, Ducky and Jimmy had finished the autopsy but still scoured the body for clues, and Tony was running former Marines with a grudge while Matt checked everyone and anyone who might have had something against the husband and wife themselves.
Gibbs was impatient - running around barking orders and demanding answers. But they all understood because the closer they got to 3 am, the closer another woman came to meeting the same fate. By 0245, Gibbs ordered the team back to base and they started patrolling. Gibbs' phone rang at three-ten am to tell them they were too late. Another woman had been found in her yard, the back this time. The crime scene process started all over again and when the clock hit 0700, they were barely closer to having a suspect than before.
At 0800 Tony stood in front of the plasma screen, noting that they had only three hours left to find something before they got another body. Since McGee was still in the lab, he had been bouncing his ideas off Matt for the last little while. He tapped the remote against his chin and stared at the scan of the note that had been left.
"What did he mean one of them?" This wasn't the first time he'd tried to figure out the riddle and Matt waited in silence, wondering if he would have anything new to add this time. Tony pondered the phrase. "Is he talking about women in their thirties? Marine wives? Red-haired women? I mean, come on, it has to be something significant."
Matt sighed. "Until we know who this guy is, talking ourselves in circles isn't going to help. Unless we know if his mom ignored him or a red-haired woman broke up with him or his wife left because he was in the Marines, this train of thought is useless."
Tony turned and glared at the younger man. "Who gave you permission to think, Assistant Probie?" The irritation he felt as the deadline approached had begun flaring rather unpredictably at the other members of the team. Matt looked at him cooly for a minute and then thought about the lack of sleep they were dealing with and decided not to take the comment personally.
A gleam lit Tony's eyes and he started typing a list. "Actually, you might be on to something. Have these women been separated from their husbands? Were they unfaithful? Were they pregnant? Newly married? There's got to be a common denominator between them, a reason he targeted them specifically."
"Or were their husbands working similar jobs, possibly with high clearance levels?" Matt added, catching onto his process. They brainstormed like that for several minutes. It didn't really get them anywhere but they felt better doing something.
Suddenly a break-through came - Abby and McGee had cracked the encryption and traced the website back to its creator. He was useless, having been paid just to set it up to start at 7 pm the night before. But by tracking the money transfer into his account, McGee got them an address and a name. No one was home when they barged in with guns drawn and they were running out of time. A hit on the guy's licence plate put him at the base and Gibbs broke land speed records getting them back.
They caught a man trying to sneak through the gates and when he ran Matt and Tony gave chase. For former football players, they tackled him cleanly like a tonne of bricks. No one had any sympathy for the man's dislocated shoulder or his three broken ribs.
And even though they had tried their best, a happy ending was yet to be found. The woman's body was still warm but Ducky's mournful expression and shake of the head declared her too far gone to be revived. They were too late. Gibbs threw his phone across the yard and watched it shatter against the porch, cursing the man, their timing and a failure someone else would pay for.
Tony slapped his hat on the ground and looked down at another wife they had not saved. And though it was not gruesome or gory, McGee's thoughts of his own wife in the same position caused him to lose his lunch behind the bushes. As soon as he wiped his mouth however, he was on the phone to Abby, wanting to make sure she was safe.
Retreating to lean against the side of the house, Tony took a deep breath before dialing his wife's number. It was just after 1100 and he knew her session with Devon started soon, but he so desperately needed to hear her voice. He closed his eyes, fatigue crashing over him, but it wasn't yet time to rest.
"Tony?" Ziva answered almost as soon as it began to ring, but there was only silence on the other end. "Tony? Are you there?" She frowned. She could hear his breathing, but nothing else. Her tone softened. "Talk to me ahava, please. Tell me you are alright."
The emotion was thick in his words. "I'm not hurt."
His clarification told her a lot. "It will be okay Tony."
He sighed. "I'm not so sure." Gibbs yelled for him because they had work to do and Tony rubbed his face. "I gotta go Zi, but I just wanted to hear your voice. I love you."
"Ani ohevet atacha," she said quietly. "I will be here when you get home."
Tony uttered something that sounded like, "Promise?" before he swallowed and tried to pull himself together. "I'm not sure when I'll be back. Don't do too much, okay?"
"I will not," Ziva whispered. "Shalom ahuvati sheli."
"Lehiraot," he replied and closed the phone. It was going to be a long day.