Rifiuto: Non Miriena

Thanks to Sazzita for reviewing 7.

His signature screamed at her; every time she lifted a pen to add her name, something stopped her. Something in the back of her mind told her not to sign. The baby, perhaps? Maybe it knows what you've asked Tim to do, that you've asked him to sign away his rights to it, and it's trying to stop you from filing. She shook her head, scattering her thoughts and got up, making a pot of herbal tea.

Six weeks along, when she'd last seen her doctor. The sonogram had taken her breath away, and she'd burst into tears when she saw the heartbeat flutter on the screen. She'd been forced to tell Vance, and Gibbs, Tony and Tim had promised to keep a close eye on her; the director had made it very clear, that as she got closer and closer to her due date, that she was to remain at her desk and not go out in the field. Ziva had bristled, but understood and agreed.

She jumped as the kettle whistled, and as she moved to turn off the stove, the sonogram image fluttered to the ground. Kneeling to pick it up, she stopped, staring at it. She'd only been half paying attention as the doctor had explained the changes with the baby, so focused on the fluttering image on the screen had she been. Her eyes instantly filled with tears, and she stood, grabbing her coat and fleeing from the apartment.


Tim chuckled, listening to the other person on the screen. They'd been Skyping together for the last few weeks, while she got settled in Japan; making sure to make weekend visits home to see him in between settling into her new apartment. "Well, I hope you can pick up Japanese faster than your roommate can."

She laughed, shaking her head. "Like how you picked up Spanish so fast when we were in Barcelona?"

"Hey, I got it eventually!" He replied.

"Yeah, and the only phrase you could remember when we left the airport was 'How do I find the bathroom?'" She laughed, as he blushed, rolling his eyes.

"Hey, I was in college. And you're lucky I let you tag along-" He stopped at a knock on the door. "I've gotta go, but it was wonderful talking to you. See you this weekend?" She grinned.

"Absolutely."

"Good. I'll see you this weekend. Love you."

"Love you, too." They quickly signed off, and he shut off the camera, heading to answer the door. Safe to say, he couldn't hide the surprise in his gaze when he saw Ziva standing in the doorway.

"Ziva? What are you doing here? Is something wrong?" She shook her head.

"Can I come in, Tim?" He nodded, stepping back. Once the door closed, he took a seat on the sofa; she joined him.

"So, everything all right? Is the baby okay?"

"The baby is fine, Tim." She said, removing her coat. "Actually, that is why I came over." She pulled the sonogram image from her bag, holding it out to him. "It's my first sonogram. The baby is right there." She pointed to a small image, sniffling. "And the heartbeat..." Tim's eyes filled with amazement as he gazed at the image.

"Ziva, this is... wow. I wish I could have been there." She licked her lips.

"You... you will be, next time." He looked up at her. Her gaze was on her hands; she was twisting her fingers so hard, it was almost as if she were trying to break them. "I..." Slowly, she met his gaze. "I want you there. At my next doctor's appointment." She took a deep breath. "And... and at my lamaze classes when I start those and... and at the birth center when I meet my midwife, and... and I want you there, Tim. I want you there to help." Tears slipped down her cheeks, and she sniffled, turning away.

He set the sonogram image down, confusion in his green gaze. "Let me get this straight, Ziva. First, you don't want me involved in your pregnancy at all, saying that it's my choice, and now you want me involved? Make up your mind!"

"It is your choice, Tim! It has been your choice from the beginning! You were the one who agreed to sign away your parental rights. And I... I tried to sign the agreement. I really tried, but... everytime I picked up a pen... I stopped. It was like... like the baby was telling me not to... I... I cannot ask you to sign away your rights, Timothy. No matter what I think or feel, this is your baby, too. This is your baby growing inside me. And I cannot keep it from you. And I... I realize now that I do not want to..." She burst into tears, her guilt beginning to eat her alive. A moment passed, before he gathered her in his arms, holding her close.

He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close, letting her cry.


Ziva awoke on the sofa. She could smell the scent of cider, and looked up, to see McGee turning from his laptop, flexing his fingers. He'd been working on his novel while she slept. "You're awake, good." He set a cup of steaming apple cider on the table in front of her. She sat up, looking around.

"Tim? What happened?"

"You fell asleep." He replied, taking a sip of his own cider as he sat beside her. "You okay now? You were really upset." She nodded, swallowing as she picked up the cup.

"Yes. Toda." He gave her a small smile, patting her knee. A moment passed, before she asked, "So, where do we go from here?" Tim sipped his cider, thinking. He got up when Jethro came into the kitchen, and quickly filled the shepard's food bowl, scratching behind his ears before returning to the living room.

"We amend the original agreement, I guess." She nodded as he took a seat beside her.

"To what?" She swallowed the lump in her throat as he met her gaze.

"Do you want me in the baby's life?" She nodded, tears coming to her eyes.

"Yes, Tim. Ken. I do. I want you in the baby's life and in mine." She whispered. He gently reached up, brushing a tear away with his thumb. "Do you want to be?"

He nodded. "Yes. I do. I want to be in your life and in the baby's." She gave him a watery smile.

"So..."

"This is such a Friends-With-Benefits situation." He muttered, chuckling. And then he stopped, thinking it over again. "Only, it's more like Friends-With-Baby-Benefits." He laughed at the absurdity they'd found themselves in, and after a moment, Ziva's laughter joined his.