A/N: For Tiva Lovah - so sorry! I forgot to post this at the beginning of last chapter but yes I can see your reviews :) Thanks for adding your name. And are you 100% sure you don't want to get an account? I'd even say pretty please :P I would enjoy replying to your reviews. But even if you don't, I still adore having you around. Thanks for all the support! ~Aliyah

PS. torontogirl12 - if you enabled PMs, I could reply to your reviews. Always love the comments you leave! Thanks!

PPS. Over 2000 review? I am flabbergasted. Thank you all so much!

Thursday was McGee and Abby's eight month anniversary and they celebrated with a candlelight dinner and The Princess Bride. Cuddling on the couch together, McGee watched Abby rub her belly and smiled. "What's Baby Beta up to?"

Abby made a face. "Cartwheels. He'll be eligible to join the circus at birth if he keeps this up."

Tim paused the movie even though they'd both seen it a hundred times. He played with one of her braids. "Why do you always refer to the baby as a 'he'?" McGee raised an eyebrow. "Know something I don't?" To his disappointment, he hadn't been able to make it to all of her midwife appointments.

Abby shrugged. "I have a brother, I spend most of my time around guys, I can handle a boy." She twisted her fingers together. "I don't know about girls, not really, and I wouldn't know what to do with one."

"So you want a boy?" The revelation surprised Tim, somehow it was something they'd never talked about.

Abby nodded. "Yes, I think so." She turned to him. "And you?" It was crazy that she was seven months pregnant and they hadn't had this conversation before.

Tim put his hand on her bump. "Dads are supposed to want boys I guess, carry on the family name and all that." He lifted one shoulder and let it drop. "But remembering when Sarah was little and holding Chaya...I think a little girl would be nice, especially if she looked like you." He saw the insecurity in her eyes and kissed her. "But whatever we get will be fine, of course. And it's not that far away anymore, less than three months."

"It's gone pretty fast," Abby agreed, trying to recall the last thirteen weeks and wondering if that's all it had been. "I think because I haven't had any problems, sometimes it doesn't seem like a big deal. Other than the fact that I'm getting huge."

McGee laughed. "Abbs, you're pretty much all baby. And this is isn't huge. You have a cute little baby bump, that's all."

She rolled her eyes "You're biased. Sweet, but biased." Her lips caressed his briefly. "So, it's time for dessert."

Tim kissed her back. "Before the movie is over?"

Abby gripped his shirt. "You better not make me wait that long Timmy, cheesecake is not to be trifled with."

"Ohhhh..." he drew the word out, "actual dessert. I thought you were talking about something else."

"Tim!" she smacked him. "You've been spending too much time with Tony if you start seeing everything as an invitation to the bedroom."

McGee sobered. "The old Tony, you mean. This new one must have the patience of a saint." He sighed. "I don't know how he can just wait like that. At least we can act on our love and attraction, but Tony and Ziva..."

"Somehow they're making it work," Abby confirmed. "When I watch them at the office I can't believe how much they've changed or how much is still the same. I hope someday Ziva isn't afraid anymore." She raised an eyebrow. "Now about that cheesecake..."

Tim stood and leaned down to taste her lips again. "As you wish babe. Happy Anniversary."

Abby smiled. "Happy Anniversary. I love you."

"Always and forever," Tim answered. "I promise."

NCIS

That same night across town, Gibbs and Celeste were in his basement, carefully drawing brushes dipped in varnish across the surface of the bar he'd made for Ziva's ballet studio. The two had spent days sanding it smooth, wiping it clean, sealing and varnishing it. This was the last coat and then it would be ready for transportation and installation.

Celeste lay her brush on the upside down lid for the varnish and leaned back against his workbench, watching as he finished his end. "It looks beautiful Jethro, Ziva will love it."

Gibbs wiped his hands and moved to stand in front of her, slipping his arms around her waist. "I liked working on it with you."

Her hands slid up his chest and around behind his head. "Do I get a reward?"

Smirking, he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her sweetly. Celeste deepened the caress almost immediately and it wasn't long before his hands were cradling her face and her fingers were working into his hair. They pulled apart to breathe and chuckled when Lexie looked up from her place on the floor and cocked her head.

Celeste smacked her hand lightly against her leg and the dog joined her mistress. She knelt down to pet her soft fur and Lexie nudged Celeste's face with her nose, her tongue darting out to catch the woman's cheek. She laughed. "I think you have competition for my affection Jethro, who can say no to a face like this?"

Gibbs rolled his eyes and joined them on the floor, his rough hand running over Lexie's shining coat. "I love her too girl, you're gonna have to share." Lexie pushed her head into Gibbs' chest, wriggling closer when he started scratching behind her ears. "Yeah, you're okay."

Celeste leaned her head on his shoulder. "You know the way to a woman's heart is through her dog, right?"

He glanced over at her. "Is it working?"

She kissed the corner of his mouth and sighed happily as he stood and wrapped her in his arms. "Definitely. I'm head over heels for you Agent Gibbs. I'm going to be impossible to get rid of."

Gibbs molded his mouth to hers for a long moment and only stopped kissing her when he ran out of air. "Good, because I'm not letting go this time Les. Not now, not ever. That's a promise."

Celeste smiled and the joy in her eyes made his heart hurt. When had it become okay to be so happy? Gibbs wasn't sure, but it wasn't anything he was willing to give up. Celeste had worked her way into his heart again, helped him heal in a way that shouldn't even be possible, and brought light back into his life where there'd only been shadows since his family died. And in a month he'd finally get to show her how much that meant.

NCIS

Friday bought the guys two hours to work on the basement and Tony was pleased at how well everything was coming together. They had the studio flooring laid and the layer of mats for the exercise area put together. Gibbs currently had a treadmill, punching bag and weights in his garage, plus the finished ballet bar in his basement. If all went according to plan, they'd be bringing everything over tomorrow.

Tony shook their hands as Gibbs and McGee prepared to leave. "Thank you. I know it's not much, but I really appreciate all you've done for us, for Ziva."

Gibbs looked at him. "You make her happy DiNozzo."

McGee nodded. "The woman we brought back from Somalia wasn't Ziva, but you found her Tony and if anyone can help her be herself again, it'll be you. You know her best of anyone."

He cleared his throat and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Thanks." There didn't seem to be any more to say.

Ziva returned home minutes later and went upstairs to check on their baby. Chaya was just starting to fuss and Ziva scooped her up. "Hello tatelah, Ima missed you." She settled the baby to nurse and looked at Tony. "Will you read to us? I miss hearing your voice telling a story."

With a grin Tony went to the bookcase and selected one called The Princess and The Three Knights. He sat down on the stool and began regaling his girls with a tale of true love.

NCIS

On Saturday morning Tony accompanied Chaya and Ziva to a parent and tot swim at the pool where she did swimming lessons. Although it was less than ideal, Ziva nursed the baby in a private cubicle in the family changeroom so she could take her into the water while she was still awake.

They stuck to the kids area and Tony enjoyed watching Chaya experience the pool. He sailed a small plastic ship around her making all the right sound effects, held her while in a colourful innertube just hanging out, and floated her in a circle laying on a flutter board while Ziva made sure she didn't fall off.

They had fun and took turns showering after to make sure neither dropped the slippery baby. Chaya was worn out by the time they strapped her into the carseat and only fought sleep briefly before falling into its grasp. It was shortly after eleven when the little family made their way home and found a message on the machine.

"Shalom Ziva, zot Lina. Mah chadash? I wanted to see how your first week back went. Do you have time this afternoon to go for a walk? Claire misses Chaya. Call me. Lehitraot." (Translation: Hi Ziva, it's Lina. What's new?)

Tony set the carseat down and went over to his wife. "Who was that?" The whole thing was in Hebrew and though he understood some of it, he didn't want to let on yet how much of the language he knew. His covert language lessons, now done on lunch while Ziva nursed downstairs, were slowly beginning to pay off.

"Lina. She wants to meet at the park later." Ziva turned around. "Do you mind? I have missed our talks."

"Nope, doesn't bother me. I can keep the princess if you like."

Ziva shook her head. "Thank you, but Lina will bring Claire, so Chaya should come too."

He sighed. "Well, I suppose I can start a James Bond marathon until you get back." Snapping his fingers like the idea had just occurred to him, Tony looked at his wife. "Why don't you see if Lina wants to go out for lunch? That would give you lots of time to catch up."

She smiled slowly and moved close. "I could not leave you alone for so long querido, you might be lonely."

Tony chuckled. "I'm pretty sure that wasn't Hebrew. You can't just stick to the one language I speak, huh?"

Ziva smirked. "Yediat safa ahat eina maspika."

He rolled his eyes. "What does that mean?"

She winked. "One language is never enough."

Just for that Tony dragged her into him and kissed her breathless, pulling back to lean his forehead on hers. "Seriously though, if you wanted to go out, I could find something to do."

Ziva frowned. "Tony, are you trying to get rid of me?"

His eyes widened in shock and guilt, though he hoped she didn't see the second part. "Of course not. I just-"

The phone rang then, saving him from trying to explain. Ziva kept her eyes on him and picked up the receiver. "This is Ziva." Her expression brightened. "Hello Grace, how are you?" She listened and her gaze flickered to him. "Well no, we did not have plans but-" Grace said something else and Ziva paused. "Oh, I would love to see your garden. Yes, that is fine. Twelve-thirty? I think that will work." She looked over the couch at her sleeping baby. "Of course I will bring Chaya, she will be very glad to see you. Alright, thank you Grace. Goodbye."

She set the phone down and her eyes narrowed. "You planned that."

"What? No I didn't!" Tony protested. "Come on, it's Grace, she'd never do anything underhanded. If it was Abby, you could be suspicious." As soon as they words were out of his mouth, he wanted to take them back. If she started wondering about Girl's Nights, their whole plan could be shot.

Ziva sighed. "We are invited for lunch, but it is the girls only. Grace thought looking at flowers and old photo albums might bore you."

"It's nice of her to think of you," Tony pointed out. "It's been awhile since she came over, right?"

"Two weeks," Ziva confirmed. "It is so hard to keep up with friends outside the team. I do not know how other people do it."

Tony chuckled. "Other people have nine to five jobs and time to include friends in their plans." He kissed her. "What do you want to do until it's time to go?"

She linked her hands behind his head. "I will watch James Bond."

He grinned. "Good answer. I love you Zi."

She tilted her head. "Because I watch your favourite movies?"

Tony shrugged. "That and about a hundred other reasons. You're...ha'or hakayim sheli, the light of my life."

Ziva leaned in and slid her lips over his. "Someone is teaching you all the good things," she purred in his ear. "I think you get points for that."

He grinned. "After what I got the last time they were cashed in, I think I'll save them for something big. It's definitely worth the wait."

She hugged him, her lips grazing his neck. "Ani ohevet otcha. Toda hakol beeshveel." I love you. Thank you for everything.

Tony sighed into her hair. "Anytime."

NCIS

As soon as Ziva's car was out of sight, Tony grabbed his keys and headed over to Gibbs', this was what they'd hoped for. But even with three of them, they realized another person was necessary to load the equipment onto the trailer Gibbs had borrowed again. A quick phone call gave Jimmy a break from worrying about his exam results when he quickly agreed to help. Tony knew the Autopsy Gremlin was just excited to be included. He pulled up fifteen minutes later while the guys were enjoying some lemonade Gibbs had apparently made. It shocked his agents and when he wasn't looking, Tim whispered that Celeste must've helped because it tasted really good.

"Black Lung!" Tony grinned. "Thanks for coming." He crossed his arms and glared. "You are hereby sworn to secrecy. Tell Ziva what we're doing and we'll..." he paused to think of a good threat.

"Shoot him," Gibbs offered, looking dangerous.

Jimmy paled. "I uh...promise. Cross my heart and everything Agent Gibbs...sir," he stuttered, edging closer to Tony.

"Let's go," Gibbs waved at them, "got a deadline."

Even knowing Ziva was going straight from lunch with Grace to meet Lina, which gave them three and a half hours at least, Tony still worried that something would change and she'd find out. However, three hours and four very sweaty guys later, he stood back and grinned. "Wow."

It looked great. The mirrors made the space look twice as big and reflected the light from the half-windows. The punching bag hung in the back left corner with the weight rack in pieces on the wall in front of it. The treadmill sat near the edge of the matted part, creating a separating between space for dancing and working out. It wasn't working yet, Tim would have to come back and fiddle with the electronics, and Tony still wanted to find a refurbished stereo to set up so Ziva could have music too. But they were so close to done and that the finished product so closely matched his original vision only made it better.

"When it's 100% complete, we'll go out to dinner on me, though that's hardly anything compared to everything you guys have done."

Gibbs checked his watch. "Better go, no buffer today." Which just meant Ziva wasn't with someone who was in on the plan and no one wanted to get caught and ruin everything they'd worked so hard to keep confidential.

"Yeah, good idea. She's already suspicious."

Gibbs glared. "Why?"

He made a face. "I was trying to get her out of the house today by encouraging lunch with a friend and I guess I pushed too hard. Then a lady we know called and invited her over, so she thought I had something to do with it."

The older man smacked him. "Don't blow this."

"Yeah, working on it Boss. Thanks guys, see you later. I better be watching James Bond when she walks in the door." Another week should do it, then he'd finally get to show Ziva her surprise.

NCIS

"Well," Devon said brightly Tuesday morning, "did you miss me?"

Ziva looked around. It was disconcerting to not have her baby here as a distraction. She slipped her hands between her knees. "I noticed, yes."

"That look on your face is very telling Ziva, care to share?"

She sighed. "Do you remember when I used to be difficult?" The therapist bit her lip to keep from emphasizing 'used to be' and nodded. "I think it takes too much energy to fight." Ziva toed off her shoes and crossed her legs. "A lot has happened in the last two weeks."

Devon raised an eyebrow in interest. "Alright, is it easier for me to ask questions or just let you share?"

Ziva shrugged one shoulder. "As your questions."

"How was your first week back to work?"

"Surprisingly easy,"Ziva admitted. "We only had two cases, nothing very difficult, and it was nice to be with my team again."

"I hear a 'but'," Devon observed.

"But I miss my baby. It is so strange to one day be with her twenty-four hours and the next see her for only three or five hours out of the whole day, leaving her in the care of people she does not know." Ziva sighed. "Weekends are made all the more precious because I do not have to be without her."

"For the last six months your whole identity has been as a mother and for two months all you have been doing is taking care of Chaya. This change will take time to get used to and I hope you are always excited for the time you get with your daughter. But work is very important for getting your independence back, so I'm glad for your sake that you chose to take one more step towards normal."

Ziva nodded but didn't have anything to say to that and Devon continued. "So, with a return to work also came a return to the gym, right? How's that going?"

Her eyes brightened. "I feel a thousand times better. Even if it is awhile before I see the difference in my body, I am thankful for the outlet of exercising again."

Devon leaned back in her chair. "Is that outlet something you've felt the need for recently?"

Ziva averted her eyes, trying to will away the blush that rose to her cheeks. She swallowed. "It started on Father's Day."

The other woman sat straight up. "What did?"

She still couldn't meet her doctor's eyes and shrugged, at a loss for words. "More."

Devon's gaze immediately fell to her notes where a question was highlighted with a star beside it. If Tony asked you for a little more, what would you say? Last time they talked, Ziva hadn't known the answer. "And?"

Ziva wrapped her arms around her waist. "And at first it was just kissing, then the next night I gave him a massage, which led to more kissing." She twisted a piece of hair around her finger. "But it was too much for Tony and he left. He was gone for so long and I was very hurt. When Tony came back, I moved to the couch but he would not let me stay there."

Letting out a breath, Ziva continued. "Saturday after Chaya was in bed, we talked about...intimacy things. I told him..." her throat closed and she blinked rapidly. "I told him about Somalia, every detail I could remember. After when he asked me if we could try more...I said okay. I am still trying to decide if it is."

"Wow, Ziva, that's-"

She shook her head. "Do not tell me it is progress or a big deal, because it did not go well. The morning after our talk we were laying in bed kissing and he had his hand under my shirt." Ziva swallowed and closed her eyes, both ashamed and embarrassed as she hugged her knees to her chest. "For the first time since Somalia I felt desire for a man and it scared me more than I can say."

"Why Ziva?" the therapist asked softly.

Ziva rubbed her eyes, trying to hide the sheen of tears. "I already told Tony, I do not want to say it again."

"Okay, skip that part and tell me the rest then." So much for not being difficult, but Devon could tell this was a very tough topic for her patient.

Ziva's fingers combed through her hair. "Tuesday night he finally asked to try something - he wanted to hold me in bed with nothing on but my underwear."

"Did you let him?" She was opening up so much and she didn't even realize, Devon wished Ziva could see the progress the rest of them did.

Nodding reluctantly, Ziva continued. "But I did not enjoy it. Tony's hands are so gentle on my body, yet I cannot stand them near where my underwear covers. He paid attention very well to anything that bothered me, but that did not make it any easier." She sighed. "Last night was seven times of doing the same thing and I still cannot take it as a compliment when his desire is obvious because we are so close." Ziva dropped her head into her hands. "I think I am hopeless Devon."

Dr. Andrews arched an eyebrow. "You think one week is going to erase a month and a half of time when men's hands took advantage of your weakness and hurt you and were always unwanted? Ziva, you're practically naked in bed with an aroused man holding you. The fact that you didn't end up in the nearest corner screaming and shaking from a flashback doesn't seem like an accomplishment to you?"

Ziva sighed heavily. "I only see what I am unable to handle. I am only aware of how far I have left to go to get back to normal."

"Look behind you Ziva and see how far you've come. Forget normal," Devon ordered. "Normal has nothing to do with what the last year has looked like for you. Focus on the changes - from no touching to allowing full body contact, from occasional kissing to what sounds like making out, from unable to even think the word sex to feeling desire. Ziva, you astound me. Concentrate on the positives, on how much trust you've given Tony, and be grateful for how much more you can do now. There is no need to carry such a burden when this healing need only be taken one step at a time and then celebrated."

It took a long time for Devon's words to filter into Ziva's heart and mind. But finally she made eye contact and lifted her chin. "I will try." For now that was all any of them could ask.