Ziva grabbed the last box of their combined stuff and brought it into the house. Their house. She placed it in the entrance with the rest of their boxes and collapsed onto their newly delivered couch. Their temporary custody was fully approved…things were starting to move along. Jacob was first on the list once they got full custody of the children…but things were looking up. Tony walked in and sat down on the couch next to her. Giving her a grin, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "So, had someone told you three ago that we'd be moving into a house together and be engaged, would you believe it?"
She shook her head but smiled softly at him. "No, I wouldn't have. But that doesn't mean I'm not glad that we are in this situation right now."
His fingers ran through her hair in gentle strokes, his fingers toying with the curls she spent so much time attempting to tame, the curls that he loved. They sat in silence, wrapped up in each other and in their own thoughts.
They had taken possession of the house about a week ago and had spent the time getting the new furniture that they had ordered in place, along with painting the children's rooms. Jacob's room was now green and blue, while Daniela's was red and white. All of the furniture was inside the house and most of the boxes were sorted and put away. Their last load arrived today and now they were just waiting for Abby and McGee to arrive with lunch and the kids. They relished the brief silence they had together before things were in full swing again. He leaned over and brushed his lips against hers. There was something domestic and easy about the two of them like this. He loved it.
The door opened and he heard four sets of footsteps, two much faster than the others, and he looked up with a grin. "So what did we get for lunch?" He asked, untangling his arms long enough to grab Daniela as she ran by and gave her a soft hug.
"Burgers." She replied giving Tony a small smile before sitting on the end of the sectional.
Ziva stood and walked over and helped Abby with the drinks and scooped up Jacob with her free arm. They fell into a domestic, happy rhythm quickly and to anyone on the outside they were always the perfect family. Jacob waved his kid's meal and rested his head on Ziva's shoulder before she deposited him at the table.
"Come eat before the food gets cold." Ziva called as she pulled out containers of fries and burgers. She read them and passed them around, making sure that Daniela got the one that had no cheese.
"It looks great in here, guys." Abby commented looking around. Things were staring to look like it was THEIR house, instead of one that had just been purchased.
"So you guys are coming to the BBQ tomorrow?" Tony asked as he bit into his cheeseburger and scooped up some ketchup with his fries.
"Housewarming party, Tony." Abby said laughing. "Call it what it is. And the director gave the whole entire team the day off, so everyone can come." She said happily. "And we're all bringing presents!" She signed the last part and Jacob clapped his hands and nodded, a grin on his face.
McGee nudged Daniela softly in the ribs and waited for her to look up. "So Daniela, how do you like your new room?" He asked quietly.
The girl shrugged and picked off a few stray pickles on her burger. "It is good. Papa set up a trampoline outside like Lucy has. It is fun." She said, choosing her words carefully. "And Lucy lives down the street." Daniela picked up a fry and dipped it in the tiniest bit of ketchup before eating it. "And I got to see my new school. I like it." She gave the table a smile that didn't reach her eyes. Across the table, Tony and Ziva exchanged glances. Things HAD gotten better with Daniela, that was for sure, but at the same point she was still dealing with a lot. She still had nightmares, far fewer than she had earlier, but still at least once a week along with flashbacks and anxiety. Daniela wanted to make people happy so she acted the way she thought they expected her to act. She acted happy when necessary, acted sad when she had to, but neither Tony nor Ziva knew how she actually felt.
"Well now you and Jacob can ride your bikes…." McGee said resting his hand on top of Daniela's, who flinched slightly before relaxing.
"I've never ridden a bike." Daniela said with a shrug. "Tel Aviv was too busy and dangerous." She explained before going back to her burger, effectively ending the conversation. A few minutes later, Daniela crumpled up her burger wrapper and shoved it into the fry container before standing up. "May I be excused?" She asked without waiting for an answer and left, her bedroom door closing behind her.
"Is she any better?" Abby asked gently, her eyes on Daniela's room.
Ziva nodded. "Each day is different, but Dr. Parker said things should get better now that things are…more stable." She said reaching under the table and squeezing Tony's hand. He squeezed it back, his touch and smile saying more than either of them ever could.
#
Ziva moaned softly, biting down on Tony's shoulder as he thrust into her. Her knees were against her chest, their bodies moving against each other with sharp calculated thrusts. Her body shook violently, a strangled cry rising from her chest. Seconds later she felt Tony reach his finish and collapse against her.
Then the door opened and out of the corner of her eye Ziva spotted a flash of colour and all of a sudden the bed sunk with extra weight. "Papa. STOP!" Daniela yelled, tugging on Tony's back. "STOP! You're hurting her." Her arms wrapped around his neck effectively cutting off his oxygen supply. Ziva managed to wiggle out from under Tony and quickly threw on a tshirt before tearing the little girl from Tony's neck. She held her tightly to her chest until her small body stopped shaking.
"Shhhhh…." She whispered. "Go outside. We need to have a talk." Ziva told the young girl before looking over at Tony who was trying to avoid all eye contact. "I'll go talk to her."
Climbing out of bed, Ziva pulled on a pair of shorts and grabbed one of their spare blankets before leaving the bedroom. Daniela was sitting out on the trampoline, her knees pulled to her chest. She glanced up when she spotted Ziva crawl on with her and wrap the blanket around the two of them.
"Are you okay, Mummy?" Daniela whispered, pressing her hand to Ziva's cheek and brushing some hair away. "Maybe we should tell Gibbs. Or the director."
Ziva swallowed a laugh and pressed a kiss to Daniela's forehead. "No, Daniela. It's fine. I am fine." She said resting her chin on the top of Daniela's head and sighed. "Daniela, what Papa and I were doing…it's called having sex and people who love each other sometimes do it with each other." She started softly. "People do it to have a baby or because it feels good."
"It didn't feel good when…" Daniela's voice caught in her throat and she shook her head.
"I know, baby." Ziva whispered. "But that was different. He did that to you to hurt you. He used it as a weapon. He did it to hurt you." She said holding the little girl close to her chest. "Do you understand, motek?"
"Kind of." Daniela admitted, playing with the hem of Ziva's shirt. "But Papa wasn't hurting you?"
Laughing softly, Ziva kissed her curls tenderly. "No, he was not." She said rubbing her back. "When two people love each other, sex is a good thing and it makes both people feel good." She said softly. "But only with a person you love." She added quickly. She wasn't sure if she was doing what was right or acceptable, but Ziva was doing what SHE felt was necessary for the situation.
After a few minutes of silence, Ziva looked at Daniela. "Do you have any other questions?"
"Do you love Papa?" Daniela asked softly.
"Very much so."
"And does Papa love you?"
"I believe so."
Daniela sat quietly before nodding. "I just did not want you to be hurt…like me." She whispered.
Wrapping the blanket around the two of them tightly, Ziva nodded her understanding. "I know, motek. I know. You are an amazing little girl Daniela, and Papa and I will spend the rest of our lives telling you that and protecting you. We love you so much."
"I love you too." Daniela whispered. After a few more minutes she looked up at Ziva. "Can we go in now? My toes are getting cold."
Standing up, Ziva wrapped the blanket around Daniela's shoulders as they returned to the house. She kissed the small girl again and knelt down so they were face to face. "You are sure you're okay?"
Daniela nodded.
"How about we go tell Papa that. I know it would make him feel better." Ziva knocked softly on the door of their room before opening it. Tony was sitting in the bed, fully clothed, playing a game on his phone. He put it down quickly and gave Daniela a small sheepish smile.
"I love you Papa." Daniela said softly. "And I am sorry I tried to kill you. I thought you were hurting Mummy like I got hurt." She said staring at her feet.
Tony waited until she looked up and he patted the bed. "Come here." He said gently and nodded to Ziva to join them. "I understand, Sweetie. And Papa is sorry he didn't lock the door. The next time we…uh…"
"Have sex." Daniela said simply.
"Yes. Have sex. The next time Papa promises to lock the door." He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "We love you, Princess."
"I know." Daniela yawned and rubbed her eyes. "I am going to go to bed now. You may lock the door and have sex now." She hopped off the bed and shut the door behind her.
Tony flopped back against the mattress. "So we didn't scar her for life?" He asked closing his eyes.
"No. She correlates sex with pain and torture. I told her that it is not. We talked for a bit and while I do not think she understood all of it, she understood that sex for us is okay because we love each other and that having sex was for people who love each other." Ziva said crawling into bed with Tony.
"You're pretty smart, ninja girl." Tony said kissing her lips softly before yelping as he felt Ziva's cold toes against his legs.
"I am. You are a lucky man to be marrying me." Ziva said with a smile.
He grinned and pressed his lips against hers again. "I am." He said softly. "I love you." He whispered against her skin.
"I love you too. Now sleep. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow." She placed her head on his chest and sighed. There were many things running through her head, but for the first time since the children came into her life, Ziva felt like she might actually be able to be a mother. She felt…worthy. Curling up to Tony she closed her eyes. She felt loved.