Tony was happy for McGee he really was. He knew that while Abby had wanted to stop at one child but his Probie had always dreamt of a big family. When he married Delilah, he adopted Julia and they became a family of four. Still McGee had dreamt of having at least one more baby. Now he was getting that wish. It wasn't that he was angry or resented his Probie. He was more jealous than anything. He wanted a baby, he wanted to be married again but even more than that. He wanted his old life back. He wanted Kate back and he wanted the twins to be little again. That evening he remained in the bullpen until well after the Probies had left and Gibbs had gone to say goodnight to Ducky and give Abby her last Caf-Pow of the day. The elevator dinged and Gibbs stepped inside.
"What are you doing here, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked.
"Thinking" Tony replied.
"Why can't you think at home. With your twins. It's almost six. I am sure they are worried sick. The last time you didn't come home or call was the incident with Agent Cade." Gibbs asked.
"McGee is having a baby, Boss." Tony replied.
"I know I was there." Gibbs replied.
"I really hope you mean in the bullpen when he announced it." Tony remarked.
"I can still give the twins a reason to worry." Gibbs warned slapping Tony on the back of the head.
"Right, anyway McGee is having a baby." Tony replied.
"We've established that. Now what's going on with you? Why is McGee and Delilah's pregnancy affecting you?" Gibbs asked.
"I am jealous OK!" Tony snapped.
"Why on Earth would you be jealous?" Gibbs asked.
"I don't know. I can't explain it. I mean I went so many years not wanting to love again and I thought sure the twins were enough. Then I meet Miss. David and all of the sudden everything is thrown on it's axis. Now all of the sudden. I am ready to try this whole love thing again but even if we start dating. Babies aren't exactly something most people want right away." Tony explained.
"Well right now be happy for McGee and appreciate the twins. Be forever grateful Ari didn't take them that day as well." Gibbs offered.
"Why the hell is everything so fucking confusing?" Tony asked.
"It's hard to fall in love again after being hurt the way we were. I made three bad mistakes and now I am bitter and alone. You made one mistake and were heading down the same road. Yes you are blessed to still have your babies but they would eventually grow up and leave. The other difference is that you are doing something I don't have the courage to do and that is fall in love again." Gibbs explained.
"It happened so fast. It just flipped everything upside down." Tony replied nervously.
"Kate sent her to you." Gibbs replied.
"Why didn't Shannon send you anybody?" Tony asked.
"She did but I was too stupid hold on to it and now she is gone forever. Yes she had ALS in the end but we could have had time. Maybe we could have had a family." Gibbs explained.
"See that's the thing. What if I date Ziva and we get married but then she gets some terrible disease, in a car accident, or somebody kills her. She has a little girl. I don't want to leave two little girls without their mommy." Tony explained.
"Tony! You are not allowed to spend your life living in fear!" Gibbs snapped.
"I know but it's hard, boss. It's so hard." Tony replied.
"Get the twins fed and then come to my place at twenty one hundred. There is something that I want to show you." Gibbs replied.
"The last time I fell for that one McGee had burrowed Sarah's roommate's pet rat and dressed it up like a vampire." Tony sighed.
"You had photo-shopped his head on the body of a nineteen fifties nurse." Gibbs reminded.
"I know but I didn't do anything to you!" Tony whined.
"I know but still I want to see you in my basement at twenty one hundred or I will hunt you down and drag you there." Gibbs replied.
"Deal" Tony replied.
Ziva stripped off her jacket and hung it up on her coat-rack. She heard her baby girl laughing from the den. She picked up the two sided picture frame that sat on the small table by the front door. She held it in her hands and ran her fingers over the faces. She missed her family so much. They were all gone now. All except for Eliana and so many of them were bad. They had all started out good but life had forced them down the wrong path. That's why she had moved to America. She wanted her children to be spared that fate. The son she had lost still hated her. Even though it was nearly a decade ago. His death was cruel because. He was in America, he should have been safe but two teenagers fighting over a girl in the hallway had ended his life before it even began. The doctors had told her that the miscarriage and her injury shouldn't impact her ability to carry more children but still she had her fears. Not that it mattered. Adam had gone back to Israel once his responsibility was gone. They had reconnected when she went back for her father's funeral or so she had thought but it turned out that he had just wanted sex. He never called to check in on her and he hadn't even acknowledged her friend request on Facebook. She had finally cut him loose for good and besides she had Eliana in her life now. The little girl had been in her life since her dad died and her step-mom decided that she didn't want to raise a child. She didn't even know about her half-sister until she went back home for the funeral and saw Ruth with the baby. The baby girl that she was going to drop off at the orphanage. Ziva had could not let her sister grow up in an orphanage. So she had convinced Ruth to let her to take her home and raise her as her own. Balancing being a single mom and a teacher was not an easy task but she loved Eliana and wouldn't trade her for anything. She set the picture down and walked into the living room.
"Look who's here Eliana?" Grace cooed.
"Ima!" Eliana cried.
"Hi baby girl. Were you good for Grace" Ziva asked.
"Yes" Eliana replied.
"Was she?" Ziva asked.
"She was a perfect little angel. Much better than yesterday." Grace assured.
"Well thank you again and I will see you tomorrow." Ziva replied.
"Of course. Oh before I go. Did that dad come back to the school today?" Grace asked.
"No but he gets off late." Ziva replied.
"Have you at least called him?" Grace asked.
"No I was going to call him during my planning period but another one of my other students had a family emergency and I had to console her." Ziva explained.
"How about I stay a little longer and you try to call him?" Grace offered.
"No I need to be with my little girl. Besides he is still mourning his wife, the twins mother. I don't think he is ready to date." Ziva replied.
"Well don't let him slip through your finger-tips. You deserve happiness and Eliana deserves a father who will care for her." Grace replied.
"I will call tomorrow unless my students need me more." Ziva replied.
"Good" Grace replied.
Tony got the twins fed and listened to them talk about their days. Then was off to Gibbs's house by eight thirty. Reminding them that bedtime was still at eleven even if he wasn't home, reminding Noah to brush his teeth and take his medicine before bed, and giving Holly the secret signal reminding her to keep an eye on her brother. Before he left. Even with stopping at Dairy Queen to grab a blizzard. He still made it to Gibbs's house with five minutes to spare. He climbed out of the car and let himself into his boss's house. He didn't even have to ask. He just automatically walked down to the basement and found his boss working on the Palmer's bookshelf.
"Evening DiNozzo" Gibbs greeted.
"What did you want to see me about, Boss?" Tony asked.
"You knew Kate better than any of us and so I am sure you knew just how much she liked to be on top of everything." Gibbs explained.
"Of course that's what I loved about her." Tony replied.
"Well she knew what all LEO's and federal agents know. That there is always a risk and they could be killed at any time." Gibbs added.
"And she was." Tony sighed.
"She was always prepared." Gibbs replied.
"Why are you telling me this?" Tony asked.
"She asked me to give this to you. If anything ever happened to her." Gibbs explained handing Tony a box.
"Kate's been gone ten years. Why am I just getting this now?" Tony asked.
"This was to go to you when you were ready to start dating again." Gibbs explained.
A/N: Good to know that Ziva has similar feelings as Tony. What is in the box that Kate left for Tony? New chapter will be up soon. Please review and thanks for reading.