AN: You should all be happy to know I am still alive. This chapter will have another big old fluffy chunk in it because I think Bastian may just keel over if I don't let him write it. But once again I am choosing where to cut him off. Which means I may have to go into hiding once again.
MN: YAY! I have had this particular scene in my head since we were writing Chapter 2. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did!
Ziva heard the murmur of voices in the living room. Borden was back from his meeting. Quietly, she slipped out of bed, careful not to disturb the boy sleeping beside her. Originally he had started in the other bed, but he hadn't been able to fall asleep. She couldn't blame him, really. She hadn't been able to even come close to sleep herself, even long after she'd allowed him to climb in bed with her.
She opened the bedroom door and came face to face with Borden, his hand out. He had obviously been reaching to knock on the door. He took a step back and she exited the room, pulling the door shut softly behind her.
"I'm sorry to wake you, but we need to talk."
She crossed to the sitting area and curled herself into one of the armchairs. "I was not asleep. What's going on?"
He perched himself on the arm of the couch closest to her and shot a look to the other Marshalls. Wordlessly they stood and exited into the other bedroom. He waited until the door was closed before he spoke. "I'm sorry I have to dump this on you all at once, but once my Chief makes his decision you aren't going to be given any time to make yours. Some new information has surfaced on Thompson. It indicates that he was a serial killer, not a terrorist. Which means that you and Ori might not be in any danger at all. The Chief had a lot of information thrown his way tonight so he wants to sleep on it. He's not completely convinced that there's no threat. But, I think, he's going to leave the choice up to you."
Ziva struggled to comprehend what he was saying to her. "Choice?"
"To stay in the program or go back to your old life. Now before you decide, I want to make sure I give you all of the facts. If you leave the program, that means you lose the pull the Marshall's Service has on the family court judge. It'll be the same judge but he'll have your real file, not the one we created for you. And I've been assured that your position at NCIS is still available to you should you want it."
There was a soft knock at the door to the suite and Borden stood and crossed to it. From where she sat she couldn't see who was on the other side, only the file box that was handed through the opening before the door was once again closed and he returned to sit beside her, the box getting set on the couch beside him.
"I got your team to make copies of everything they found. I figure you have a right to know everything if the decision is going to be left up to you."
Her eyes had been focused on the box but now raised to his face. "My team?"
His smile was soft. "Yeah. They're the ones that figured it all out. Then blackmailed their way into the Chief's office so they could talk to him. Pretty determined, I heard. A guy named Gibbs apparently threatened a secretary with allowing someone named McGee to hack her computer and schedule themselves an appointment, and, when she didn't relent, he did it. From a smartphone. In under two minutes."
She laughed automatically. That definitely sounded like Gibbs and McGee.
"One part of the story I don't believe though. The secretary swears some tall skinny goth chick was with them, claiming to be part of the team."
Ziva shook her head with another chuckle. "I'm sure it's true. That would be our forensic scientist."
Borden's eyes widened. "Wow." They lapsed into silence for a moment and he stood. "Well, why don't we take this stuff over to the table and give it a going over?"
A sound by the stairs interrupted her before she could figure out how to reply. When she turned, Ori was standing at the bottom of the stairs, clutching his bear to his chest with both arms.
"What are you doing up? It's late." Her voice was soft and she wasn't trying to chide him.
His voice was barely above a whisper. "I had a scary dream."
She moved to stand but Tony beat her to it, crossing the room and scooping the child into his arms. "It's okay. Do you want a drink of water?"
She stared, shocked into silence as he took Ori to the kitchen for his drink. When they returned the boy was looking decidedly sleepy.
"Can you read me a story, Tony?"
Her partner smiled at the boy. "We'll need Ziva's help." He looked to her. "Haven't gotten the reading thing down yet. Give me a hand?"
She returned his gentle smile and nodded. "Yes." She stood and crossed the room, following them up the stairs.
She watched as Tony gently laid the child back in bed then stretched out beside him. "Ready?"
Ori nodded and reached for the book on the nightstand. "Ready."
She rounded the bed to the opposite side, sitting next to Ori. He handed her the book then reached for Tony's hand. Ziva opened the book and began reading, almost from memory. Her mother had read Maase Be-Chamisha Balonim to her when she was a child. "A Tale of Five Balloons…"
"What do you mean you've been summoned to testify?"
Abby's voice was shrill in his ears and McGee fought the urge to wince. "Both Gibbs and I. We had to release the new information to the lawyers and the prosecutor decided he wants us on the stand. We're scheduled up after Ziva. Which means you need to handle the adoption hearing."
The black clad woman was pacing the hallway in front of him. "So does that mean Chief 'What's His Face' hasn't made a decision yet?"
McGee reached out and took her by the arms, forcing her to stop and focus on him. "Actually he has. He's leaving it up to her. But she doesn't know that yet. Your mission is to make sure she's got all of the facts."
She nodded fervently. "Got it."
Gibbs appeared through a door in the hall and crooked his head at McGee. "Abby, I have to go. Make sure Ziva knows, okay?"
"I promise."
By the time she was through the story, the boy was soundly asleep. Silently she and Tony stood and exited the room. He followed her down the stairs and she stopped as she reached the bottom, turning to face him. "You are learning Hebrew?"
He reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "A little."
Every time she would think she had him figured out, he would surprise her. "Why?"
"For you." He'd spoken to her in her native tongue before, but only a single phrase at a time. And that had felt rehearsed. Now the words seemed to flow more naturally, like he actually understood them.
"I don't understand." What could have possessed him to try to learn a whole new language when she spoke his just fine?
He stepped closer to her, his eyes locked on hers. "Because, I love you."
She felt something shift in her chest and before she could stop herself she was pressing her lips to his.
The look on Ziva's face had been different when she'd returned to the stand after the midmorning recess and Abby was sure she had been told that the decision about her future was now in her hands. She was also sure she knew what Ziva had decided. As the prosecutor began walking her through Thompson's capture, Abby stood and moved out of the courtroom, her cell phone already in hand.
In the hall she brought the small device to hear ear and waited as she hear first one ring, then a second.
"Palmer."
"Jimmy, it's Abby! I think I might need backup. I don't have time to explain but get down here. Bring Ducky too. And Tony if you can. And hurry!"
She barely waited for him to confirm his understanding before she disconnected and resumed her earlier pacing.
AN: I am going to try my damnedest to get the next chapter up tomorrow, but I also want to finish my Criminal Minds oneshot and maybe write a post ep for the season finale there, plus Tel Nok Shock planted an idea in my head that is spinning itself into a nice McAbby fic. I guess I'm just gonna go ahead and get up early and spend the whole day writing.
MN: Oh, she WILL be writing the next chapter tomorrow. Cause I want to write the FLUFF for the next chapter tomorrow!