Soooo this might be the longest chapter on record. I'm currently at the lake with no internet except for my hotspot. And when I start writing…I just write.
Hopefully you all enjoy this chapter. The story is soon wrapping up….BUT I have some ideas for a sequel. Please let me know if you would be interested in reading a sequel.
The two weeks had gone by so quickly, it almost took Tony by surprise when he checked the calendar and he saw Friday quickly approaching. He was sitting in the SUV he and Ziva had purchased waiting for Daniela to get out of school. Ziva had already picked up Jacob from kindergarten and dropped him off at the YMCA where they had him in half-day daycare. When Daniela rushed out of the building, he raised his eyebrows as she threw herself into the vehicle and slapped the back of his seat. "Hospital." She ordered, buckling her seatbelt.
"What, no Hi Papa? No How was your day Papa? No kiss?" He teased, looking back at the girl.
Daniela rolled her eyes, but leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Tony's neck and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Hi Papa. I hope you had a good day, now can we go to the hospital?" She sat back and batted her eyelashes at him. "I NEED to see Jenny."
Since Jenny's diagnosis, Daniela had become a fixture at Jenny's bedside. Jenny had always been good with kids, but now that she had her director vest off her love of kids was obvious.
Tony nodded and pulled away from the curb and headed to the hospital. He pulled into the parking lot and put the vehicle in park. "Do you want me to come up?"
Daniela shook her head and pulled out the cell phone that Tony and Ziva gave her in case of emergency. "Nope. You can go back to work. Mummy said she would come and get me later." She started to climb out of the vehicle. "I will be fine, Papa." Before she got out, Daniela wrapped her arms around Tony and kissed him softly.
He watched as his daughter bounded into the building and disappeared through the sliding doors. Daniela had been to Jenny's room numerous times so she headed for the elevator and made her way up to the fifth floor. Signing her name with careful letters, Daniela grabbed a visitor pass and clipped it on her shirt before walking to room 512. She spotted Jenny sitting up in bed and Daniela knocked gently on the door ad waited for the ex-director to notice her. The older woman looked up over her glasses and grinned, waving the girl in.
"Come on in Daniela."
The little girl skipped into the room and climbed up onto the bed. "I brought contraband." She said pulling out a bottle of gingerale and placed it on the table. "Mummy gives it to me when my stomach is not good." She explained. "And I brought cards." She pulled out a cribbage board and a deck of cards.
The former director couldn't help but swallow a small sob seeing the generosity and caring in the young girl. Daniela looked at her and frowned. "If you do not want to play cards, we can just visit…." She said, her eyes wide.
Jenny shook her head and wrapped her arms around Daniela. "No, I want to play. You're just…. an amazing little girl."
Daniela smiled and shrugged shyly as she pulled out the deck of cards and started to shuffle them. She dealt the cards and gave Jenny a smile. "How are you feeling?" She asked tentatively. "Mummy said an extra prayer each Shabbat for you."
Reaching out, Jenny wrapped her arms around Daniela and kissed her curls softly. "I'm feeling okay." She said softly. "Thank you for visiting." She rested her cheek on the top of Daniela's head. The little girl showed more courage and grace than most adults she knew. Daniela cuddled up to Jenny's side and played with the older woman's fingers as they sat there. Jenny knew that it took a lot of courage for the girl to come back to the hospital that brought back so many bad memories for her. The diagnosis devastated Jenny, a lesser person would've cracked under the diagnosis, but the former director of NCIS was not going to crumble. She was going to fight. She looked at the little girl beside her and ran her fingers through her hair. Just like the fighter beside her.
A few hours later, Ziva came into the room and stood in the doorway, smiling as she watched Jenny help Daniela with her homework. "Daniela?"
The two on the bed looked up and Jenny ruffled Daniela's hair. "Okay girlie, it's time to head home."
Daniela nodded and gave Jenny a light hug. "Feel better." She said jumping off the bed, and moved over to Ziva. She wrapped her arms around Ziva's middle and looked back at Jenny.
Ziva ran her fingers through Daniela's hair softly and looked at her Jenny with a small smile. "We are going to court on Friday."
"I know, and I'll be there. I wouldn't miss it for the world."
NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS
They were finishing supper when the DCFS social worker showed up. Tony placed his plate in the sink as he went to answer the door. Pulling the door back, he automatically knew who the stern woman in the pinstriped pantsuit was before she opened her mouth to speak.
"Celia Black. I'm here to do a home inspection for the department of child and family services for the children….Daniela Vancetti and Jacob Vancetti."
It had been so long that Tony forgot that their legal names were still that of their biological parents. "Right. We're…just finishing supper." He said opening the door wider.
Celia nodded and toed off her square-toed shoes and followed Tony into the kitchen where Ziva was laughing heartily at something Jacob had done, while Daniela shook her head, though with a smile. "Guys, this is Celia Black." He said motioning to the woman beside him. "She works for the department of child and family services. She's here to check things out and then ask us some questions."
Daniela signed to Jacob who took a mouthful of vegetable lasagna. The little boy signed back quickly and the kids had a conversation, fingers flashing back and forth.
"I would like to speak to you two, first." Celia said looking at Tony and Ziva. "And then a tour of the home before I speak to the children."
Ziva's eyes flicked to Tony's before looking back at Celia. "Of course. Daniela, once you and your brother are finished, may you place your dishes in the sink?" Ziva asked placing her own in the sink before standing up and kissing each one of their heads and giving their shoulders a soft squeeze.
Following Tony into the living room, the two NCIS agents sat down on the loveseat together, their hands immediately reaching for one another's. Celia opened her folder and gave the couple a small smile. "Before we continue, I just want to remind you that I am on your side. I'm not hoping to take these children away from you. We just have to make sure that with you is the best place for the children." She flipped through the folder pulling out a pair of glasses.
"They ARE in the best place." Tony muttered, shutting up when's Ziva's foot caught his ankle and he yelped. Celia ignored the noise and turned to the couple.
"So, both are agents with…NehCees…" She started slowly before Ziva interrupted.
"NCIS. Navy Criminal Investigative Service. We investigate crimes against members of the Navy or Marine corps." She explained, her hands twisting nervously.
"I see." Celia said making a note in her folder. "And this job, it takes you out of country often? With lots of late hours?"
Tony shrugged. "Not usually. The hours depend on the crimes, but there are lots of different teams, so we rotate." He looked at Ziva with a small smile. "We do have a daycare though, and our neighbours have watched both kids before. And we have some of our co-workers if we have to stay late."
Celia nodded and made a few more notes. Turning to Ziva, she tapped her pen against the paper a few times. "Miss David, you're not an American citizen."
"That is a statement, not a question." In times of vulnerability, Ziva reverted to her Mossad training…and here, she was under attack. Her spine straightened, her eyes narrowed, her face held taught with tension.
"Er…yes. So, being an Israeli citizen, isn't it mandatory to do military service?" Celia asked, glancing up at the Mossad officer.
"It is, but I have already done mine. And it does not matter anyway. I am in the process of applying for citizenship." Ziva said proudly.
The notes kept coming. Celia seemed to write down something for every comment they made and Tony wasn't sure if it was a good thing…or bad. After a while, Celia put down her pencil. "Would you like to be present when I speak with the children?" She asked. "Normally I wouldn't, but I read through their files and spoke with Dr. Parker and I'd rather not…exacerbate any problems."
Tony nodded. "Yeah. But…are we passing? This test, I mean."
Celia gave him a small smile. "There are no marks for this test, Mr. DiNozzo." She said softly. "Could I get a tour of the house, before we invite the children?" Celia asked, standing up.
Ziva nodded. "Please excuse the dishes…we were in the middle of eating." She twisted her engagement ring on her finger, around and around and around.
Reaching out, Celia placed her hand on Ziva's forearm. "I shouldn't be telling you guys this…but…I am only here to see if the children are happy. I'm not going to judge you if there are dirty dishes in the sink or laundry in their hampers or their beds aren't made. They're children, those sort of things happen. I'm here to make sure that they're cared for in a safe environment." She squeezed Ziva's arm reassuringly. "You two might not think so, but as far as I can tell, you are doing a great job with them. So don't worry."
Ziva's face visibly relaxed and a ghost of a smile flickered across her features. "Allow me to give you a tour of the house."
They walked through the large house, the family room, the kitchen, the backyard, the children's room. Daniela looked up from the book she was reading and gave Tony a look, her eyebrow arching. He couldn't help but laugh, shaking his head. Jacob was on the floor busy constructing some thing out of Lego. He smiled and tugged on Tony's pant leg and signed for him to come and play. Later. Celia marked a few things down in her file before looking at the children. "May we talk?"
Daniela relayed the sign to Jacob who nodded. She looked up at Ziva and Tony, both who gave her a reassuring smile. "We will stay." Ziva said softly, opening her arms to Daniela as the little girl stood up. Tony scooped up Jacob and the four of them walked back to the living room, the children sticking close to Tony and Ziva.
"So, I'll start with a few simple questions. Do you enjoy living with Tony and Ziva?"
Daniela carefully signed to Jacob who looked at Celia with a strange look and shook his head. LOVE. He signed. His sister nodded in agreement. "I do not understand why people keep asking us these questions." She muttered, her fingers toying with the hem of her shirt. "I love it here. I love my brother, I love my Mummy, I love my Papa." She shook her head nervously. "I do not want to leave here."
Making a few careful notes in her folder, Celia gave Daniela a small smile. "I'm not here to take you away." She said softly. "Now, can you tell me three memories you have with Tony and Ziva?"
Papa and I play catch. And we all watch lots of movies and we go to the synagogue on Saturdays. Jacob signed quickly. He wriggled free from Tony's arm and ran to his room and grabbed a framed picture that was on each one of their dressers. It was a picture of the team with the two kids in the middle. Jacob handed it to her and pointed at each person and signed his or her name. At the end he signed family. "He says that we are family." Daniela said quietly. "It does not matter that we are different than some families, we are still a family." She cuddled into Ziva's side. Ziva kissed her head and whispered soft Hebrew to her, the girl calming down. "I cannot choose three memories." She said quietly. "Because not one is more important than the other. Today we had breakfast and Papa dropped us off to school. Then Mummy picked me up at the hospital where I was visiting Jenny. Mummy and I go running and she takes me shopping. Papa is learning how to braid my hair. I do not want big memories." She said swallowing hard. "I want this. I want normal and I want my family. All of us." She ended and buried her face in Ziva's side. Tony looked at Celia and nodded.
"I…I think she's had enough."
Celia nodded in agreement. "I have a few more people to talk to, but Mr. DiNozzo, Miss David?"
Both agents looked at her. "You have a beautiful family and you are doing a great job." She slipped on her shoes and looked at her file. "I have already spoken with Doctor Mallard and James Palmer. I meet with Abigail and Timothy tomorrow morning. Tonight I am going to see if I can catch Leroy Gibbs and Jennifer Shepard."
Tony pulled out his phone and called Gibbs who answered with a grunt. After a few minutes he put it down. "They're at the hospital. Jen has breast cancer, but….they're both willing to speak to you. Bethesda."
Celia nodded. "Thanks for your time." She exited as quietly as she came leaving the four of them sitting together in silence. After a few long minutes, Tony hopped up off the couch. "I know what we need…" He turned to Jacob and held him under his arm. "ICE CREAM!" He roared before tearing off for the kitchen. Daniela sat up and rested her cheek against Ziva's side and sighed. "Do you think we did good?" Ziva ran her fingers through her thick curls and nodded. "You did good."
NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS
"Tony says a social worker is going to come and talk to us." Gibbs said as he sat down on the edge of Jenny's hospital bed. He hated hospitals. Fucking hated them, but he was going to see Jenny through this battle, regardless of his trepidation in being there.
"I heard." She said with a smile, moving over on the bed. "Jethro, relax." She said crossing her feet at the ankles. "You can go home if you want. I'm not sure they're going to allow you to bring your bourbon up here." She said with a grin. He grunted and kicked off his shoes, climbing into the bed with her.
"Shut up and get better." He muttered, wrapping his arm around her.
"Those two things aren't mutually exclusive." Jenny laughed, leaning against him. Her chemo started tomorrow, but she was going to be at that court hearing for Tony and Ziva, even if it killed her.
"Yeah, but you'd get better faster." He retorted, interlacing their fingers. They sat there like that until a soft cough caught their attention.
"Excuse me…" Celia stood in the doorway looking uncomfortable. "Jennifer Shepard and Leroy Gibbs?" She asked, twisting the file in her hands.
Jenny shoved Gibbs gently and sat up, straightening her hair. "Yes, come in." She said with a smile. Gibbs moved to the chair and grabbed his coffee.
"I'm Celia Black, I'm a social worker for the DCFS." She said pulling up a chair to the rolling table. "I'm here to ask about Anthony DiNozzo and Ziva David."
"Damn good agents." Gibbs said gruffly. "And better parents to Jake and Daniela. They dote on them." He said before taking a swing of his coffee.
"Noted. Is there anything we should be concerned about with their jobs?"
Jenny shrugged. "Our jobs, like police officers are dangerous, but would you refuse an adoption to two police officers?" She asked rhetorically. "Tony and Ziva are good agents, and they're careful. The hours might be slightly inconsistent." She admitted. "But the kids are never left alone."
"Do you trust Anthony and Ziva?"
Gibbs guffawed and put his cup of coffee down. "If I didn't I'd be dead. I trust them every day with my life."
"And with the children?"
Jenny took a few minutes to think before she answered her question. "Tony and Ziva have grown into the role of parents with the children. Are they perfect? No, and they will make mistakes, but they love those kids with every fibre they possess. They are fiercely loyal and would, and have done everything for Daniela and Jacob."
Celia made a few more notes before looking up at Jenny and Gibbs. "My last question. Do you think that Anthony and Ziva would make good parents for Daniela and Jacob?"
"They are their parents." Gibbs grumbled before putting his coffee down and sitting back on the bed. "Just make it legal."
NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS
McGee and Abby sat in the conference room, waiting for the social worker to arrive. He ran his hands over his hair and sighed. "If I screw this up, DiNozzo will never let me live it down." He muttered.
"I wouldn't worry about him. Ziva would kill you first." Abby said with a nonchalant tone to her voice. "But Timmy, all we have to do is tell her what we think of Tony and Ziva as parents." She said picking at the varnish on the table. "And personally, I think that they're great parents. Tony's calmed down a lot, like, he doesn't talk without thinking so much and he's nicer to you and really he's just a whole lot nicer and Ziva, well she has feelings. I mean, once I told her that she didn't have feelings that she was a feelingless robot, but that was old Ziva, that was the Ziva when she first got here and she was still all Mossad like but new Ziva, she's almost…mushy." Abby said with a shrug. "And I love Daniela and Jacob. I want to take them home and smoosh them and braid Daniela's hair."
McGee shook his head and started to say something when the door swung open. A woman walked in and she sat down at the table. "I'm Celia Black, I'm a social worker for the DCFS. I'm here to ask about Anthony DiNozzo and Ziva David."
"Timothy McGee." McGee said extending his hand.
"Abby Scuito."
Celia nodded. "So, how long have you known Anthony and Ziva?"
"Five years for Tony, three for Ziva." McGee said first. "Eight and three for me." Abby added.
"And what do you think about their ability to parent Daniela and Jacob?"
"They're awesome!" Abby exclaimed, her face lighting up. "Seriously, awesome. Like Tony is SO good with Jacob and at first Daniela was pretty shy around him, I mean I don't blame her after everything she's been through, but Tony told me that she's helping him learn Hebrew in the evenings and it's just SO cute and Ziva, well she used to be all hard and stuff, but now, she is SO good with Jake and Daniela. Like…so good. She makes their favourite foods and I know she sings them lullabies and…" Abby stopped to breathe and Celia smiled at her.
"So they're good parents, then."
"The best." Abby said grinning.
McGee nodded. "They're great parents. They bought a new house, they're looking into cochlear implants for Jacob…they spend time with them, not just money. They're…just great parents."
"And we're a great aunt and uncle." Abby said proudly.
Celia couldn't help but smile at the forensic scientist's enthusiasm. "I'm sure you are."
She wrote a few things down on her file and asked a few more general questions before standing up. "I think I have everything I need to know." She said sending a smile their way. "I guess I will be seeing you on Friday?" She asked knowing the answer.
"You betcha." Abby said grinning. "None of us are missing it."
Celia nodded and reached for the door. "I can tell."
NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS
Friday came around quicker than any of them could ever have imagined. Tony woke up at five am and spent the next hour watching Ziva sleep until she finally rolled over at six and gave him a small grin.
"Morning." She whispered, rolling out of bed and grabbing her running clothes. "Quick run and then we should have breakfast and get ready." She said slipping into her tights and her shirt. Tony nodded and watched her with an appreciative smile.
"Think, in five more hours, we could be the legal parents of two children." He said leaning back.
"You two, me three." She said with a smirk and leaned down and kissed him. "I will be back." She said as she left the room.
She needed the run to calm her nerves, to clear her head. In less than five hours, she, Ziva David, could possibly be a mother. She, Ziva David, trained Mossad assassin could possibly be a mother. Her time was faster than normal, as she jogged up to their house and headed for a long steaming shower. Deciding to leave her hair down, she wrapped it in a towel before getting dressed in a simple royal purple shirt and a pair of grey slacks and black flats. She put on a bit of makeup before emerging from the washroom and tossing a wet towel at Tony. "Get dressed. I shall make pancakes for breakfast." She walked out and started to make the pancake batter and carefully made stacks of pancakes and cut up fruit before heading to awaken Jacob and Daniela. The little boy rubbed his eyes and sleepily walked out, sitting on the chair and greedily grabbed a pancake and drowned it in syrup. Daniela on the other hand was awake, reading a book with her headphones in. Ziva gently tapped her leg and the little girl put her book down and joined her brother.
"I am nervous." Daniela admitted, picking at her pancake and rolling a few blueberries around on her plate. "What if they say no?"
"Then we try again." Tony said as he emerged from the bedroom, his hair wet and combed. He was wearing a light blue-checkered shirt with a matching tie and grey slacks along with fancy Italian shoes. "I've told you before, we're not giving up. Ever." He snagged a pancake and took a bite before leaning in and giving Ziva a kiss. "Once you're finished breakfast, you both are going to have to shower. McGee and Abs will be here soon, and you need to get dressed."
Daniela nodded and pushed her plate away. "I am not very hungry." She mumbled and headed for the washroom. Soon, running water could be heard. A little while later she came out of her room with wet hair and a scowl on her face. "I look STUPID." She muttered, throwing herself on the couch. She was wearing a dress, the top half black, the bottom half a soft pink. Ziva smiled and sat down beside her. "You, look beautiful." She said softly. She started to say something else when there was a knock at the door and Abby and McGee walked through.
"Ziva, you look so pretty!" Abby exclaimed. She was understated today, wearing a black and teal dress, her hair still in pigtails, and only small platforms. McGee was wearing a black suit jacket and an ivory shirt. "And so do you Daniela."
The little girl growled from the couch and hid her face under a pillow.
"Would you mind watching her?" Ziva asked, as she loaded the dishwasher. "I must go and finish my hair. Tony is getting Jacob dressed." Ziva turned to Daniela who was still hiding on the couch. "You need to get your hair brushed."
Daniela growled in return.
Both moved to the couch and Abby tugged the pillow away from Daniela. "Come on, let's get your hair done." The little girl glared, but slid down so she was on the floor in between Abby and McGee. She reached in front of her and grabbed the children's detangler and two wide-tooth combs. "Be careful." She warned them and handed each one.
McGee looked at the comb and leaned down to look at Daniela. "You want me to comb your hair too?"
She shrugged. "My hair takes a very long time. And you cannot be worse than Papa." She said honestly. "It takes him forever because he thinks he is hurting me so he only combs a little bit at a time."
Abby grabbed a bunch of butterfly clips and pulled most of the child's hair up on her head. "We'll start from the bottom." She told Daniela spraying the detangler all over her head. She started to work methodically while McGee copied her. Soon they got into a rhythm and Daniela looked up at them with a small smile. "You are very good. Even you, McGee."
McGee shrugged. "I used to help with my little sister's hair." He admitted. Abby shot him a wide smile and squeezed his knee.
Once they were done, Daniela stood up and tugged at her dress. "I look stupid."
"No…" Abby started before Tony and Jacob emerged, the little boy wearing a light blue shirt and matching bowtie along with navy pants. "You gentlemen look exquisite." She said standing up and rushing towards them.
McGee turned to Daniela and patted the couch. "You look beautiful, Daniela." He said gently. "And think, you will only have to wear a dress for a few hours…and then when you are legally a DiNozzo…or David….I'm not sure which last name you want to use…then you don't have to wear it anymore."
She looked at him and smiled. "Thanks." She whispered. Her hair had started to dry and curl. Leaning against him, she curled her legs up under her.
A few minutes later, Ziva reemerged, and grabbed her bag and jacket. "Are we ready to go?" She asked, giving Abby a wide grin as they both spotted McGee and Daniela.
They piled into two vehicles and headed for the court house. Gibbs and Jenny were waiting in front as everyone piled out. They started to make their way inside when Tony heard his name called. Turning, he spotted Director Vance and Jackie coming up behind them.
"Uh…di..rector." He said slowly, turning back to Ziva and making a face.
"It's not every day that two of my agents become parents." Vance said with a smile. Jackie grinned and walked up to the group. "We're both proud and wanted to show our support." She knelt down and straightened Jacob's tie. "And you, look very beautiful." She told Daniela.
"So I have been told." She retorted, earning a glare from both Tony and Ziva. "I mean, thank you." Jackie stood up and laughed. "We should probably head in."
Filing into the court room, they spotted JJ who lead them to their seats. Tony tapped at the table nervously as the judge came in, beads of sweat starting to build under his hairline. This person, had the power to decide their whole lives. He looked at Jacob who was sitting up on his knees and looking around and then Daniela who was staring at the table. She could literally make or break their family.
"Anthony DiNozzo and Ziva David." She called. Both stood up. "I have decided to reject your application for permanent custody of Daniela and Jacob Vancetti." The judge said, pushing her glasses up her face.
Tony felt all the energy drain from his body and he looked down as Daniela signed to Jacob who burst into tears. He scooped the boy, his son, up and kissed his head. Ziva sat down and pulled Daniela into her lap. They both started to move to leave.
"Instead…" The judge continued. "I would like to grant you legal guardianship and sign off on your application for adoption. These are now your children."
Neither had been listening until Tony felt a strong hand on his shoulder. "We didn't get them." He whispered, holding back tears. Gibbs nodded to Abby who scooped up Jacob and started to sign to him. A sharp slap on the back of the head made him straighten.
"You didn't get custody." Gibbs said softly. "You got THEM." He said looking between his two agents. "They're yours."