A/N: Wow. I wasn't really paying attention until someone pointed it out, but we just passed 1,000 reviews! Thank you guys so much! I am totally blown away! You are all amazing! Alright, new chapter :) Baby in 2...

Devon came online shortly after Ziva hung up the phone and her focus was more on her husband's state of mine than her session. The doctor had to repeat her name twice before Ziva acknowledged her. "Hello Devon."

"Hi yourself. Where were you just now?"

Ziva held up her phone. "Tony called. He has been walking on a case since last night." She sighed. "He did not sound very good."

Devon raised her eyebrows. "Was that your first night apart?" Ziva nodded. "How did you handle it?"

"Not well," she admitted. "I did not realize I had become so used to falling asleep with him until I tried to go to sleep without him." Ziva shrugged in bewilderment. "Devon, I never thought I would enjoy sharing my bed again. And even though we are not...doing anything besides sleeping, it is a comfort to have him there." She brought her hands up to her face. "Last night I dreamed of Africa and Tony was not there to tell me it was not real or help me feel safe." Ziva sighed. "I think I am a love sap."

Devon laughed, because even though she was used to Ziva's confusion with certain American words, this was a new one. "I'm not sure if you mean 'love sick' or if you were thinking along the lines of 'besotted fool', but either way, I guarantee you it's not a bad thing."

Ziva made a face. "I have never been so dependent before."

"Think of it as progress," her therapist suggested. "Now, tell me what's on your mind today."

She immediately brought her hands to her belly. "At my appointment yesterday Mandy said the baby has dropped. It could be any day now."

Devon looked interested. "How do you feel about that?"

"Like I am not ready. We have a nursery and baby things, I have read books and heard advice. Tony is so eager to meet this child and yet now that we are so close to that day, I am afraid."

"Why?" When Ziva felt like talking, Devon wanted to encourage her to keep going and listen carefully. It definitely happened more often than it used to, but her openness was not something to be taken for granted.

Ziva looked down. "It has been easy to keep my baby safe inside me. I am not sure how to protect her once she comes out."

Devon shook her head gravely. "Ziva, no one is going to do to your child what was done to you. As parents you and Tony can assure her the childhood you never got."

"I will fight for her innocence," Ziva declared, eyes flashing.

"That is only one of the reasons you will make a good mother," Devon countered.

Ziva sat back. "I am nervous about the birth. Feeling that much pain...there...what if the memories take over and I cannot focus on what my baby needs me to do?"

"Tony will be there to keep you grounded and your instincts will kick in Ziva, you'll know what to do."

"I suppose it will be worth everything once she is finally here."

"I agreed," Devon smiled. "Everything you've worked for, all you've endured, the life you and Tony have built, the home you're creating together - this child is only going to enrich that and empower you. You're better than the men who hurt you Ziva, you're giving life."

Ziva's baby moved and she wished she could describe how it made her feel. "Because I have life inside me, I was given a reason to live. Because I lived, I have a new life I never dreamed possible. Everything is connected."

"You deserve it Ziva," Devon told her sincerely. "You are worth it."

Looking at the rings she wore, Ziva knew she was starting to believe it. Surrounded by Tony's love, by her family, by everything good, the lies were so much harder to hear.

NCIS

At NCIS the day dragged on. It had been hours since the arrest and the team was still trying to get a confession from the man they had in custody, but he wasn't cooperating. Gibbs had gone to take another crack at it, though with fingerprints, skin cells and fibers, they didn't really need the man to talk.

The rest of the team worked on filling out the mountain of paperwork created by the case, most surviving solely on coffee and sugar fueled energy. Abby, who had gotten sick earlier, was sleeping in her lab and Tim was under strict orders to take her home the minute his report was finished.

Matt had left ages ago to take everything down to evidence lock up and Tony suspected he'd arranged to meet Tami and was stealing a little time to help her decompress. It was the lab assistant's first serial killer case and she'd taken it hard. Sammy, who might've been some comfort, was acting as Abby's breathing security blanket at the moment and could not be moved.

Tony sighed. He was only halfway through his report and the chance to go home looked no closer now than it had twelve hours ago. His head pounded from too much caffeine, his eyes burned from lack of sleep and his handwriting was about to become illegible.

Gibbs strode back in and gave the bullpen's occupants a cursory glance, then waved his hand. "It's late. Go home. This will all be here in the morning. 0800," he said, stressing the change in start time.

As it was now 2000, that gave them the opportunity to get a decent night sleep before it started all over again. Tony didn't need to be told twice and grabbed his bag, eager to see his wife. It had been a long twenty-four hours and he needed to hold her, to hold them both. On a currently all guy team with men either married or having significant others, they were all too close to this one.

He made it home two minutes faster than usual and opened the door to find Ziva waiting on the other side. Gibbs must have called to say he was on his way. She welcomed him home with a hug that lasted minutes instead of seconds. Tony buried his face in her wavy hair, savouring her scent and her warmth.

Pulling back, he brushed his thumb over her cheek. "Did you miss me?"

She smirked. "It was very quiet." Ziva's eyes darkened. "It was worse to have the nightmares without you. I need you now to tell me it is okay."

Tony clenched his jaw and put his arms around her again. "I'm sorry Ziva. I promised to keep them away."

She pushed away and shushed him with her fingers, shaking her head. "I was not blaming you. They come when they wish. But I am glad you will be here tonight."

Tony tipped up her chin and stared into her eyes before kissing her longer and deeper than he'd let himself before. Ziva put her hands on his face, but instead of making him stop, she kissed him back with the same passion, allowing him the freedom to explore her mouth with his tongue, which hadn't happened before. But he could feel her hesitation when it became too much and broke the kiss, though it was almost painful to let her go.

He framed her face with his hands. "I think I'm addicted to you."

The smile reached her eyes. "You are delirious from lack of sleep I see." Ziva led him towards the stairs. "Perhaps it is time for bed?"

Tony slid an arm around her shoulders, blinking to keep his eyes open. "Probably not such a bad idea," he mumbled.

She shook her head but said nothing more. He was in bed before Ziva even finished changing into her pyjamas and she crawled over to lay by his side. Tony's lips curled up and he shifted to accommodate her without opening his eyes. "I missed this."

Ziva smiled. "Laila tov ahuvati."

He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her temple. "At levav sheli."

You are my heart. She shifted her head to listen to it beat and closed her eyes. Did it really get any better than this? Ziva was glad to have a lifetime with him to find out.

NCIS

Celeste had been home since mid-afternoon and was still buried in her new project several hours later. Papers spread all over her office table, a red pen balanced between her fingers and reading glasses perched on her nose. The doorbell rang, startling her out of the focused concentration. It went off again and she hurried to answer the summons.

She opened the door, confusion in her expression. "Jethro, you have a key."

He dropped it in her palm. "Didn't want to assume."

Celeste slid it back in his coat pocket. "Thoughtful. But keep it, someone should have a spare." Then she looked into his eyes and her face softened. He looked exhausted and...haunted, for lack of a better word. "What's wrong?"

Gibbs closed the door and stared at her. "Just wrapped up a case. Guy was going after Marine wives with red hair." He tipped her chin up, allowing her to see the vulnerability in his eyes. "Reminded me of all the women I've loved and lost."

"Oh Jethro." Celeste put her arms around his neck and held on tight, feeling the need in his touch. "I'm sorry."

He sighed into her shoulder, letting her warmth seep into him as she shared the burden. "Rule 6."

She ran her fingers through his hair. "I don't follow all your rules Agent Gibbs."

Gibbs let her go slowly but kept her close. "Need to be here for awhile."

Celeste touched his cheek. "You're welcome anytime. Your box is in the library."

He followed her down three steps and into the room that housed her impressive literature collection. A couch on the left side, a fireplace near it, comfortable chairs in the middle, and what doubled as Celeste's office in the right corner. Gibbs reached for his knife and pulled a piece of wood from the box by the couch. Since there was no boat here, he settled for whittling. It was a good place to work on new toys for his grandchildren. He already had quite the collection going and they weren't even born yet.

"You get to vacuum up your own shavings this time," Celeste commented without looking up. She read a few more lines, crossed out something, and scribbled a note in the margin. Gibbs watched her with interest. He'd forgotten how intent she always was on her work. Finally Celeste sighed. "I can feel you watching me."

He turned his attention to the small block of wood and cut away one corner. "I'm allowed to look," Gibbs pointed out.

She raised one eyebrow. "It's kinda hard to concentrate when you do."

A smile lifted the corner of his lips. "You saying I'm a distraction Les?"

Seconds later Celeste invaded Gibbs' space and sat down in his lap. "Am I?"

He eyed her warily, shifting slightly. "Yes," he ground out.

She patted his cheek and stood up. "Just making a point."

Gibbs scowled. "Not playing fair Lady."

Celeste laughed. "Do we need rules Jethro? Like no teasing?"

Leaning back against the couch, Gibbs chipped away some more wood. "No fun in that."

"I agree." Celeste put her glasses back on. "I'm ignoring you now."

Gibbs snorted. "At least you warned me."

Regardless of how hard it was, Celeste paid no attention to the presence of her ex-husband sitting in her library for another two chapters, then finally set her glasses down and rubbed her eyes. "I could use a drink."

Gibbs jumped on that boat fast, returning with a glass of wine for her and bourbon for himself. The bottle he'd brought over was at the back of her liquor cabinet, but at least she'd kept it.

She accepted the glass gratefully. "Thank you." A sip cleared her head and she curled up in one of the chairs facing him, swirling the liquid around thoughtfully. "Do you have nightmares after the bad cases Jethro?"

A swallow of alcohol followed her question and Gibbs kept careful attention on his project. She couldn't tell yet what it was going to be. Finally he admitted something he'd never told any of them. "Don't sleep if I think I will."

The insight told her a lot, and finally made sense of some of his behaviour during their marriage. Celeste appreciated his honesty. "And tonight?" she asked gently.

Sharing didn't come easily, but Celeste wasn't so much prying as caring. "Lot to be done on the boat," he said at last.

That sent her into silent contemplation for long enough that Gibbs looked up, wondering what she was thinking. "Do you like puzzles?" she asked seemingly out of nowhere. "I don't remember ever playing any sort of game with you."

Games reminded him of Shannon and Kelly and everything that had been. Gibbs could see that idea had occurred to Celeste as soon as the words left her mouth and her eyes sent a silent apology. He shook his head. "Not much for games. Put together puzzles for a living."

Celeste rolled her eyes. "Picture puzzles Jethro, not case puzzles." She got up and pulled a card table from behind the couch. "My last roommate adored puzzles, she got me hooked."

Without waiting for him to say something, Celeste went to a shelf and selected a large square box. She dumped it out on the table and started turning all the pieces right side up. Gibbs watched her in silence for some time before he offered his two cents' worth.

"Start with the corner pieces, goes faster."

Celeste pretended she hadn't heard him and began fishing through the pieces, looking for any two that would fit together. Finally Gibbs sighed and got up to join her. They worked separately for awhile until part of the picture began to take shape and Gibbs frowned.

"Titanic?"

Celeste's expression admitted her attempt to slip it by him. "It is my favourite movie Jethro."

"It sank," he said bluntly, "how can you love that?"

"You're talking to the woman who spent four months researching a paper on that ship. I'm a history buff. Plus," she shrugged one shoulder, "there's a great love story that goes with it."

He shook his head vehemently. "Don't do chick flicks."

She chuckled. "I didn't ask you to watch it with me."

"You were going to." Having been married to her once did give him inside knowledge.

Celeste flicked a piece across the table at him. "Well now you'll never know."

He snapped several more pieces into place before opening a new subject. "How's the book?"

Her project from Jenna was taking up a lot of her time lately and Gibbs was glad, if only because it meant she stayed in DC and didn't have to make any more trips to LA in the near future. The team had borne the brunt of his frustration, even though he wouldn't admit to the loneliness that came from knowing Celeste wasn't just around the corner.

"Surprisingly good for a first solo work," Celeste admitted, "I'm twelve chapters in and I've been intrigued since Chapter two. I'm still trying to figure out who did it."

"Edits?"

"There are some issues with repetitive wording and flow, but I haven't turned the document too red yet."

"This one's red, huh?" She picked a colour theme with each book she worked on, unable to handle using the same colour of pen every time.

"Purple is up next," she revealed. "But this will be my baby for at least a month." Working diligently on one of the smokestacks, Celeste remembered something. "Does Tim still write?" He hadn't said anything at the wedding and that was the only time she'd seen the whole team together so far.

Gibbs sighed. "He took a break for awhile, but Abby let it slip that he's working on something new."

She waved towards one of her many bookshelves. Gibbs could see all six of McGee's thick, hardcover books lined up together. "I happen to be one of his biggest fans." Celeste grinned at Gibbs' unbelieving look. "It's so much more fun to read them when I know the people he's writing about."

Gibbs made a dismissive nose in his throat and Celeste shook her head. "Don't be so cynical." She pushed his shoulder lightly. "He captured you pretty good."

"Needs better code names," Gibbs said firmly, and Celeste took his side this time. "Well yes, that part was kind of obvious. But only if you know that Thom E. Gemcity is really Tim McGee, NCIS Special Agent."

"He's got nerve, I'll give him that," Gibbs grunted, filling in the waves washing around the prow of the ship.

It's quite an honour to be immortalized in fiction," she informed him.

"Good thing none of you guys write," Gibbs decided.

"Afraid of the secrets ex-wives could tell?" Celeste teased.

He froze and looked up at her slowly. "No. Afraid of what I might see."

Compassion filled her gaze. "A marriage doesn't fail with one person. It takes two people never facing the problems, always thinking that - if ignored - they'll get better by themselves."

"But?" Gibbs prompted, hearing more than what she said. It paid to have been married to her before. He could always read her. Well, almost always. Not when it counted, not when it mattered, not back then when they might've had a chance to fix things the first time.

"But they don't. And both of us had to be willing, or both you and Stephanie, or both you and Diane. We all dropped the ball, we all let our marriages to you fall apart. Maybe we didn't realize how difficult it could be, being married to a federal agent. Maybe we didn't understand how much the job affected you. Maybe we didn't try hard enough. For that I'm sorry. It wasn't only your fault Jethro." There had to be a way to make him understand that.

Gibbs put his hand over hers, finding his throat thick. "I never meant to hurt you. I wasn't ready to deal with the loss of...the girls. I wanted someone who could make it better. I'm sorry I used you."

That might've been the first time Celeste had ever heard her ex-husband utter those words. She turned her hand to hold his. "I'm not sorry I married you. There are some good memories. And now I know things about you that have drawn me back year after year to be your friend and learn more. I'm ready for our second chance and at least this time, I know what I'm getting myself into. Are you ready Jethro? Can you forgive yourself for everything that went wrong the first time so maybe we can have a future?"

Gibbs had never been overly good with words, not since Shannon and Kelly died, because much of him had died with them. Instead he stood up, walked over to his first ex-wife, and bent down to kiss her. It was their first kiss in sixteen years and everything about her was familiar - her scent, her touch, the smell of her perfume, how she tasted sweet like the wine she favoured - but new at the same time, tinged with time and experience and hope.

For Celeste, it felt like coming home and she knew she'd been away too long. The kiss was short and sweet, that kind of touch so easy to fall back into. Gibbs smiled against her mouth. "If I have to do a whole puzzle about Titanic, I need more alcohol."

Celeste closed her eyes and laughed, drawing him in closer as she stood up. "My couch is always open if you can't make it home." She turned and headed upstairs to change into something more comfortable, then glanced back over her shoulder. "My bed however..." Celeste shot a pointed look at her left hand, grinning as she wiggled her fingers, "that you will have to earn, Leroy Jethro Gibbs."

Gibbs' eyes followed her upstairs and for the first time in a decade, he was beginning to think it might just be worth the work.