Ziva waited a few days to get used to the time zone before she joined Gibbs on his way to the Navy Yard. It was an easy task getting a visitor's badge—she was surprised how many faces creased into smiles at the sight of her. Gibbs only smirked. Still, Ziva cracked a grin of her own when Jethro nudged her playfully. It was strange to be back where her face was remembered, and stranger yet that it was remembered fondly. They parted at the elevators: he went up, to the bullpen, and she headed down. When the doors opened on her intended destination she was immediately awash in the pulsing beat of electronic music, loud enough to deafen the unsuspecting.

If she were honest- and she was making a deliberate effort to not lie to herself- Ziva was relieved to be seeing Abby first. It had been her first instinct for several reasons, foremost of which that Abby was her closest friend. However, Ziva knew that had she followed Gibbs to the bullpen first, it wouldn't have taken more than a few minutes for Tony and McGee to recognize her pregnancy for what it was. It was a can of worms she was not keen on opening with Tony, and in fact found herself avoiding it as long as she could. Surely Abby wouldn't mind.

Ziva turned the corner into the forensics lab and paused briefly to watch her friend bounce happily at her work station in time with the beat. Soon, though, her ears begged her to make her presence known. "Abby!" Her voice was lost in the din, and the scientist continued on, oblivious. "ABBY!"

Abby whirled finally, her dark pigtails swinging wildly. "Ziva!" she pealed excitedly, pressing a button that made the music lower to a more tolerable level. "You're here! I can't believe it! Well, I mean, I can, because Gibbs told me you were coming, and Gibbs wouldn't lie about that, but that's—" Abby ran out of breath and paused to inhale. Then she froze, her eyes widening as they looked Ziva up and down. She fit the clues together with a sharp gasp of surprise. "Oh—Oh my god! You're pregnant!" She squeaked, slapping her hands over her mouth. "You did know you were pregnant, right? Please tell me I didn't just—"

"Yes, Abby," Ziva assured her, clasping her hands gently. "I was fully aware. As is Gibbs."

Abby beamed, squealing as lunged in for a fierce hug. "Congratulations!"

"Thank you," Ziva returned graciously. She let the embrace continue for several long minutes, before politely extricating herself. Abby didn't protest, respecting Ziva's boundaries with unusual restraint.

"It's so good to see you, Ziva," Abby said, unable to tear her eyes away. "And you look great. How are you?"

Ziva tucked her hair behind her ear self-consciously. She accustomed to going unnoticed, and after months of looking after a dozen Afghani women, she was unused to being the subject of such a motherly stare.

"I'm… better," she answered. It was similar to the response she'd given Gibbs in Kabul, but it was no less honest than it had been then. "I am glad to be home."

"Are you?" Abby asked pointedly. She shifted uncomfortably, leaning one hand on her work table. Her eyes remained fixed on Ziva, solemnly serious. "Home, I mean? Are you going to stay after the baby is born? And, there's nothing to say you have to stay here before the baby is born, either…"

"I have no plans to leave again," Ziva said with a smile.

"Really?" Abby chirped brightly. "But what about your shelter? The girls?"

Ziva took a breath. "Do you remember my friend Monique?"

Abby nodded. "Tony told me about her. He didn't like her, but I think that's because she intimidated him. At the time, I wished I'd had the chance to meet her."

Ziva smiled. She considered what that meeting might have been like, and shared Abby's disappointment that it hadn't had the chance to happen. "I contacted her when I began making plans to return to America. She will be adding her expertise to the operation, and will fill in for me. To be honest, I think the girls will be in better hands than mine. Monique's network is far more expansive than my own. She'll keep the girls safe."

"That's really cool." Abby smiled, which quickly turned uneasy. "What did Tony say?"

Ziva worried her lower lip with her teeth. "I haven't seen them. Tony… does not know yet."

"Oh." Abby winced. "He still hasn't said much about what happened since you left. I don't think he's come to terms with you choosing to not come back with him."

Ziva was glad to be home, and even on some level looked forward to seeing Tony, but she had no intention of discussing the long-brewing tension between the two of them with Abby. The last thing Ziva wanted was for Abby to feel as though she had to pick a side. No one on the team deserved that, least of all the kind-hearted scientist.

"I will speak with him," she allowed, unwilling to say anything further. She squeezed Abby's hands reassuringly. "Will you come by for dinner tonight? I would like to catch up, if you have the time."

"Absolutely," Abby confirmed. She wrapped Ziva in one last brief hug. "I'm really glad you're back."

Ziva left the lab with a light heart. That lightness lingered on the elevator ride up to the bullpen, and then evaporated the instant Tony laid eyes on her. His features brightened at the sight of her, and in the heartbeat that followed she watched him notice the subtle swell of her belly and put the pieces together. A dark shadow cast itself across his eyes, shuttering her partner deep behind the mask he hastily plastered on as she neared.

"The prodigal daughter returns!" Tony called out jovially, rising from his chair to greet her. "You came back from the desert with a new friend, didn't you, Benny?"

Ziva rolled her eyes, recognizing a movie quote when she heard one. "For that, I am hugging McGee first." To prove her point she made a beeline for Tim, who had perked up at Tony's shout and quickly moved out from behind his desk to greet her.

"Ziva! It's great to see you." He hugged her quickly, barely glancing at her. "Don't mind Tony. His quotes have been more erratic lately. I think he's losing his touch. You look great…" He released her and finally looked at her, trailing off as he did. "You look… pregnant. Oh." He straightened, shooting a pleased grin in Tony's direction. "I get it."

With a sigh, she turned towards the culprit himself, who smirked good-naturedly. "Hello, Tony."

"Hey, Ziva." For all that his mask was in place, he did seem genuinely glad to see her, and when he opened his arms his embrace was gentle and warm. "Long time no see."

"Too long," she agreed. "I trust you have been taking care of McGee in my absence?"

McGee bristled, getting into the act with false offense. "Hey! I do not need taking care of!"

"That's not the 'taking care' she meant, McGee." Tony met Ziva's gaze and held it. "She meant am I keeping you humble, and the answer is yes, I have. Gladly. Happily. Most enthusiastically."

"Oh." McGee paused. "Yeah, he has. Mostly because he's sore that he didn't get to go to Kabul."

Ziva knew Tim meant it in good fun, that he was only giving as good as he got. But the way Tony's gaze darkened, it was as though he'd been dealt a deadly blow. His eyes darkened further, and Ziva had to wonder how much McGee had told him about her presence in Afghanistan, and how much it had made Tony wish all the more that he had been the one chosen for the field mission. She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Gibbs' arrival before she could start.

"Dead Marine at Riverbend Park," he announced brusquely, striding into the bullpen with coffee in hand. "Gear up." All three men moved to collect their badges and weapons, leaving her standing alone in the center of the squad bay. Gibbs was the first to rejoin her, and he wrapped her in a one-armed hug. "Sorry, Ziver. I'll make it up to you."

"It's fine," she assured him. "We will have plenty of time to catch up."

McGee straightened excitedly. "We will?"

Ziva nodded, resting a hand on her belly. "I'll be around," she said simply. McGee's features lit with delight, and when he had his go-bag on one shoulder he swept her up into a fierce hug, one nearly as ferocious as Abby's had been.

"Congratulations," he said. Then, more softly, "I'm glad you're happy."

"Thank you, Tim," she returned, cupping his cheek with a light pat when he pulled away. She watched him leave, and saw Tony hesitate, lingering though his team was already heading for the elevator. He seemed to battle with himself, until Ziva spared him the trouble. "Go," she urged. "You don't want to get left behind."

It earned her a tight-lipped nod, but she was relieved when Tony turned his back and trotted to the waiting elevator. Ziva saw the keys Jethro had left for his personal vehicle, clearly meant for her to use to get back home without him. After a moment's thought, however, she turned and left them sitting on his desk. She had the urge to ride the bus today, and if it deposited her somewhere in the heart of DC, she was okay with that. She could do with a long walk.

Later that night, Gibbs found his home filled to bursting with family, voices, and laughter. At the heart of the hubbub was Ziva, whose seat on the couch was flanked by Abby on one side and Palmer on the other, both scientists thrilled like children at Christmas. Palmer perhaps was the most excited of them all, unable to contain his excitement at having an expecting couple to converse with. He babbled continuously about his preparations for his and his wife's planned adoption, and Ziva weathered the deluge gracefully.

Gibbs caught her eye when she turned her head to listen more carefully, and she smiled warmly at him. He settled back in his own seat, enveloped in the hubbub. He'd missed this. Not just Ziva's smile, but this—laughter and love and life in his house. He knew he would get used to it. With a baby on the way that noise would remain for a long, long time. For now, though, he basked in the novelty of it.

"Well, Ziva," McGee interjected when Palmer paused to take a breath, "you'll at least be happy to hear that Vance has fast-tracked your reinstatement. I saw your name flagged in the system before I left for the weekend. I wouldn't be surprised if you were an agent again by the end of the month."

Abby squealed with excitement at the prospect of having her friend back at work again, but Gibbs paused, watching Ziva's reaction. Her smile remained in place but it turned hollow, all trace of mirth evaporating in an instant. As he watched Ziva swallow as though it was suddenly painful, and lowered her eyes to her empty water glass. The rest of the room quieted at her distinct lack of enthusiasm. Abby's eyes shadowed with disappointment. "Ziva? Aren't you happy?"

Ziva inhaled. "It…" she paused, searching for the right words. "It was kind of the Director to think of me." She'd tried to spare Abby's feelings, but it was for naught. The scientist's eyes filled with tears, which Ziva deliberately did not see. Eyes on her glass, she rose abruptly. "Excuse me."

She stepped over Jimmy's legs and disappeared into the kitchen. The team watched her go, then turned their eyes on Gibbs for an explanation. Gibbs debated remaining where he was, not because he minded, but because it was strange to be the expected go-between. In the end he followed her wordlessly, if nothing else than to escape the waiting eyes. Ziva stood absently against the sink. The faucet poured water down the drain, her empty cup forgotten on the counter beside her.

She only looked up when his hip brushed hers, as he came to stand beside her. "What did you tell him?"

"That you were home," he responded.

"You didn't ask him to—"

"No," Gibbs said swiftly, shifting closer until their shoulders brushed. He had respected the peace she'd found in the past year, and refused to assume that her presence here equated a return to NCIS and all that she had deliberately put behind her a year ago. "It's your decision. Even if you'd already decided, I wouldn't discuss it until you were ready."

Ziva exhaled, some of the tension bleeding from her shoulders. Then she shook her head, spine straightening slightly with decided purpose. "I cannot go back to NCIS."

Gibbs nodded. "Okay."

"If I have learned anything this past year," she continued, as though she had not heard him, "it is that I cannot rewrite my past. But to find peace, and happiness, I can choose to leave it behind, and avoid the paths that threaten to lead me back to it. It would be one thing if our cases were limited to the usual assaults, even homicides, but they never are. Every year there is some new conspiracy, always some new threat that returns me to that dark place. And you can promise that I will never be asked to assist on those missions, but we both know that you won't always have the authority to keep that promise. I am a valuable resource, and if I am an agent then NCIS will be obligated to use me. Vance has already proven that much to be true by making the effort to reinstate me, however well-meaning he may be, and I have been in the country for less than two weeks."

Gibbs couldn't argue the validity of that. Vance presumed too much, and while Gibbs understood the reasons, and could even believe Vance though he was doing it in the interest of his team, as a favor to them, but ultimately the world of national security boiled down to a bidding war, and Vance would certainly want to stake his claim before another agency tried to snap her up.

"I cannot return to that world and expect to keep what is left of me. I love all of you, and I want to help keep you safe—but it will destroy me, Jethro." She brushed tears out of her lashes with the back of her hand. "I'm sorry…"

Gibbs wrapped an arm around her shoulders and tugged her close. After a moment's resistance Ziva turned and melted into him. "Don't be sorry." It would pain everyone in the house for Ziva to remain apart from NCIS, but they'd get used to it once they realized she would be no less present in their lives. Finally, she was following her heart. In that moment, Gibbs had never been more proud.