Author's Note: Well here we are at the end of the arc! Thanks for sticking with it.

As always - enjoy!

Chapter Thirteen - Halftime

The day may not have started with an arrest, but it ended with one.

Once back at NCIS, Channing continued with his carefully constructed technically true responses. He said the money was sent to help Walker with finding a new lawyer and avoided references to certain projects he had been involved in which might have hinted at him being aware that Walker had the know-how to kill Bennett so quietly. Of course, they all knew there was more to it than that but they lacked the evidence to prove it and the interview had ended with him still a free man.

Before they had a chance to finish their deep dive into Channing's financial records and correspondence, the answer came in the form of Mrs Walker. It turned out Channing's unease at hearing her name was well-founded. She was wildly disgruntled and the way she'd stormed into the squadroom already at boiling point had made Gibbs refuse point-blank to let Ziva be in the room when she was interviewed as she appeared ready to start throwing punches. However, once seated in a quieter space, she willingly and succinctly shared everything she knew.

Admiral Channing and Captain Walker had known each other for years serving in the same unit on multiple occasions and working together on higher classified projects. Channing, who was nearing retirement later the following year had begun using his position to quietly siphon money from the WAIT accounts to pad his retirement fund. Eventually, Commander Bennett became suspicious and began investigating. While this had seemed largely private, no one they interviewed had known about the files on his computer, somehow Channing in turn had become suspicious of Bennett and worried that he would stop the private cash flow and report him.

Now wanting to cover his tracks, Channing brought Walker into his confidence and together they created the scheme to remove Bennett from the equation. Mrs Walker explained bitterly that her husband would do anything for a quick dollar, and as Channing promised considerably more than 'a' dollar if Walker was successful, he'd been unable to refuse. Walker, with visions of his own comfortable nest egg and still keeping the whole shady deal a secret from his wife, had used his career experience to poison Bennett the night of the WAIT fundraiser. As agreed, the men had avoided each other on the night and the weeks following, with Walker's payment to come when Bennett's death had been recorded as a medical incident and the whole situation had gone quiet. However, neither one of the men had counted on Abby's expert forensic work. When the news broke that Bennett was murdered, Channing, realising he was still in the clear had drained the WAIT accounts completely, letting Walker take the fall. Meanwhile, about to become the lead suspect, the Captain had confessed everything to his wife, saying she deserved to know the truth. However, still holding fast to his bargain with Channing, and optimistic the lack of motive would see a jury rule in his favour, he had begged her to cite marital privilege so she wouldn't have to testify against him. Torn between loyalty to her husband and a sense of justice, she had agreed to stay quiet, albeit reluctantly.

The situation became harder when his initial lawyer had withdrawn her representation and he began putting pressure on Mrs Walker to dip into their savings to retain a new one. Here, Mrs Walker had drawn a line, she would not incriminate him with her words, but she wouldn't help him any further with the money she and her children now had to survive on. Instead, she called Channing multiple times demanding her husband's payment, he'd refused at first, saying that the murder investigation voided their agreement but she had persisted until Channing had finally arranged to send a far smaller portion than originally agreed in cash with Cameron in an attempt to reduce the paper trail. When Ziva had contacted her the same morning the rest of the team had been interviewing Channing, and she'd heard that Cameron had become collateral damage in it all, she'd reached her limit. Walker was already in a world of legal trouble and the most she could do now was to make sure Channing got what was coming to him as well, knowing that it would condemn her husband in the process.

Of course, there were a few details Mrs Walker didn't know; what had tipped Bennett off, how he had given himself away to Channing or exactly where the money had been routed, but the candid information she could provide led McGee and the cyber team to begin tracing the stolen money more effectively and with a warrant to be issued for Channing's arrest with a slew of charges including fraud and conspiracy. Gibbs had, however, kept his end of the bargain and no further mention of the way he'd shoved Charlie was made, at least in any official capacity.

The bullpen was a different story. They gathered the next day, tired but relieved. The mood was light, revelling in the success of the last few days and anticipating McGee and Abby's wedding rehearsal and joint pre-wedding party planned for the weekend. With Gibbs out of the room for the time being, they were taking advantage of the opportunity to relax and reenact Charlie's first successful on-duty punch for Ziva's benefit.

"You were right about my wrist, Ziva!" Charlie agreed. "It hurts more than I expected though." Her hand had bruised and swollen overnight, and although she wasn't seriously hurt herself, she was still surprised by the side effects it had for her.

"That is something you will get used to," Ziva said with a wise nod. With Channing and Walker in custody, she was beginning to feel much more at ease about these last few days at work and had begun packing up her desk, ready for Charlie's takeover. Currently, she was relocating things from her drawers into a file box. Charlie had already asked and been granted permission to keep the potted plant that lived in Ziva's workspace, but almost everything else needed to go. "It sounds like you did well, you listened in training."

Tony laughed. "You should've seen the look on his face Zi, or at least what there was to see behind his hands. Our little Probie got him good!" He cupped his hands over his nose, widening his eyes in an exaggerated imitation of the scene. The others made quiet eye contact and shook their heads, Tony had demonstrated Channing's response at least twice an hour since they'd arrived.

"Do you want me to empty that bottom drawer, Ziva?" Charlie offered, noticing the way Ziva pushed her chair back to make room to sit on the floor beside it rather than bending from her seat as she used to.

"Please," Ziva accepted with a relieved chuckle. "It is mostly things that are useful for long cases where you do not get to go home. Toothpaste and the like, you may keep anything you will find useful as repayment for your help."

"Sweet, I love a bargain!" Charlie knelt as Ziva took her seat. She found a pocket-size packet of tissues and a travel tube of toothpaste that she wanted to keep but tossed a stick of deodorant aside with a grimace, as grossed out about sharing personal items as she was food. "Eew, you've used it... uh, sorry. It's not you, personally, it's anyone... anyway, that's a hard no. Oh, and you can have the shampoo back too. Textured hair like mine needs a different kind. But uh... what about these?" She reached up, tossing something onto the desk that landed with a soft rattle.

Ziva picked up the foil pill packet and chuckled. "So that is where they went... I have not seen those in almost a year!"

"I can tell," Charlie said with a grin, delving back into the drawer.

"What long-lost treasures are you uncovering over there, ladies?" Tony looked across and Ziva waved the latest find at him in answer. "Ha... they would've been useful about nine months ago."

Ziva shrugged serenely a hand across her middle. "We would not be where we are now if they had been around then. Is there anything else you want to take, Charlie?"

She lifted a wrapped bar of soap to her nose and sniffed it. "Oh, this is the same kind you use at home, I love it! Wait..." she paused awkwardly. "That's not as bad as it sounds. I just noticed it on you when we were training that time... you smelled really good... I'm not making this any better am I? Here, you should keep it," she faded off realising the way Ziva was studying her with an amused smirk, one eyebrow quirked.

"You're really not," Tony chuckled. "She does smell magnificent though, I'll give you that."

"You're supposed to think that, Tony," Ziva replied but still smiled, flattered. She handed the soap back to Charlie. "If you like it so much, you may have it. I can get more. Anything else?"

Charlie claimed a sealed three-pack of chapsticks and an unopened nail file. "Thanks, Ziva, that'll do me. I'll pass on the birth control though, not exactly a thing I need to worry about," she finished with a laugh. Ziva laughed too, and tossed the pack into the trash.

McGee, who'd been deep in recovering the missing WAIT money had tuned in to their conversation just in time to hear Charlie's last words, and lifted his head suddenly, looking alarmed. "Oh god, Ziva. I think I got you pregnant!" he declared.

For a few seconds, there was bewildered silence. As far as his audience was concerned, only the announcement that he'd developed a sudden love for sea travel and intended to join the Navy could have been more surprising, but in terms of probability, even that seemed more likely than the bombshell he'd just dropped.

Tony was the first to recover. "Oh please as if I'd need help with that!" he laughed and shook his head. "I was there when it happened McGoo, you weren't even on our minds, I promise you."

"No, no not like that," he stammered, still looking extremely worried. "Ziva, can we talk privately?"

Thoroughly confused by now, she shot him a questioning glance. "Are you okay, Tim?"

"Yeah." He nodded uncertainly. "I just realised something. Can we go somewhere else and talk, please?" he repeated earnestly.

Charlie got out of the way and gestured toward the breakroom. "I can finish packing this up, go on." Ziva stood and exchanged a shrug with Tony as she followed McGee.

"Thanks," McGee sighed as they found a quiet spot in the hallway outside the bathrooms. "I mean, I know you're going to tell Tony anyway, but this is awkward enough to say without him sitting there cracking jokes."

"I don't understand, what happened back there?" Ziva leaned back against the wall and waited for him to talk.

He ran a nervous hand through his hair and took a deep breath. "Those pills Charlie found, they were birth control?"

"Yes." She nodded. "I used to take them. Obviously, I do not, now."

"Obviously," he agreed faintly. "But they were in your desk?"

"Yes?" The answer sounded more like a question. "Why is that unusual?"

"Not your go-bag?"

Ziva shook her head, puzzled about why he'd fixated on this. "No, they were always kept in my drawer. Because I take the go-bags home to wash the clothes after I wear them during a case, I would leave the pills here, so I did not forget to bring them back."

The horrified look on his face increased if that was possible. "Oh crap, Ziva, I really think I might have got you pregnant."

"I would remember if we had done that, McGee!" she laughed. "For that matter, I hope you would too!"

He shook his head and tried again. "No, not like that! I mean, I packed your bags for you when you went to Israel, right? You sent me to the house to get that black dress and the scarf you wanted for Eli's funeral." Ziva had chosen to honour a Jewish tradition when Eli had died, staying with his body from the moment she had been allowed in the room until the funeral service in Tel Aviv. With Tony out of action from the same car crash, Abby by his side in Ziva's stead, and Gibbs keeping his own quiet, immovable vigil over Ziva, it had fallen to McGee to make sure she had what she'd needed for the journey.

"I remember, thank you." She squeezed his arm gratefully for a moment. "You did well. Putting Tony's tie in for me was very thoughtful, it brought me a lot of comfort while I was alone."

McGee smiled briefly, he'd felt horribly awkward about being given such a personal task and second-guessed everything he'd chosen for her, so the reassurance a few months down the line that she still valued his help was a relief. "Yeah, but then I realised you'd need personal stuff. But I didn't want to go into your bathroom in case you thought it was creepy of me. So, I figured your go-bag would do. You know, toothbrush or whatever. You always seemed to have what you needed in that."

"It would not have been creepy, but I appreciate the consideration. And the go-bag was a good decision instead," Ziva confirmed. "But why is that such a problem now?"

"Because you didn't have everything in there... did you?"

Ziva laughed and shook her head, finally understanding why Charlie's discovery had caused such a reaction in him. "No, I did not, I realised when I unpacked that I should have told you about them. But I could tell that you tried to respect my privacy."

"You could?"

"Yes!" She nodded emphatically. "I could also that you packed my pyjamas with your eyes closed. If you had actually seen one of the things that you put in there, you would still be blushing to this day."

"Oh? Oh!" He cringed, the blush coming anyway. "I'm so sorry, how bad was it?"

"It was not the sort of thing one would think of wearing the night before they bury a parent... But it was nice to have when Tony stayed. I will say that much," she paused with a soft, affectionate chuckle. "Look, Tim, I understood why you had not packed them. I was, and still am very grateful for everything you did for me in those few days. You made an impossibly hard time liveable. Pursuing you because you did not include medication you did not know I was taking was hardly worth it."

"Yeah," he acknowledged with a shrug. "But because I didn't pack those you got pregnant."

"No, McGee," she said patiently. "I got pregnant because I had unprotected sex. Nothing more." She held her hand up, a motion to wait as another agent passed by them with a nod, then continued once they were out of earshot. "You did not know they were there, only Tony did. They were just a backup for the cases that kept us overnight, anyway. There was a packet by the sink in the bathroom at home that I was taking regularly."

The horrified expression was back. "Oh god, you mean if I'd actually gone and looked in there, I would have seen them after all? I am so sorry Ziva... this, I mean, it's changed everything, your entire life."

"It did," she agreed softly, wrapping her arms around her middle. "She brought me home, McGee. If I had not found out about her, I would have stayed in Israel until Eli's estate was finalised and by then the distance between Tony and I... well... it does not bear thinking about. You do not need to apologise for this, it was not your fault. But, if you had any hand in it all, the only thing I feel is grateful for everything it's given me."

He finally seemed to accept her forgiveness with a sigh of relief and shook his head. "Still... I can't believe I got you pregnant."

"You what, McGee?" They both spun around to find Gibbs standing behind them. "Somethin' you wanna tell me, Ziver?'

Ziva buried her face in her hands, finding it a lot less amusing this time around. "No, not like that!" McGee simply looked like he wished the floor would open up and swallow him whole.

"Then how..." Gibbs faded off and shook his head, trying to understand what he'd stumbled across. "You know what? I don't want to know. Back to work."

By the end of the wedding rehearsal the next day, there was little doubt in anyone's mind exactly how Tony felt about it; it was the funniest thing he'd ever heard. He teased McGee mercilessly for five solid minutes while the others were distracted discussing the placement of the tables for the reception, only stopping when McGee threatened to revoke Best Man privileges. It did not, however, stop him from proposing an informal toast when they gathered afterwards for Ducky's homemade cocoa, and finishing his otherwise very heartfelt spiel with "And to McGee... who's so excited to become a father, he needs to say he got my wife pregnant."

McGee was thoroughly wound up by this point and turned on Tony with a glare. "I already told you, I didn't mean to get Ziva pregnant!" he exclaimed. Until this point, only Tony, Ziva and McGee himself had been privy to the exact details but an outburst like that needed more explanation. Before long, the entire wedding party had been appraised of the situation, amidst wheezing laughter from Tony and mortified apologies from the groom-to-be.

Ziva took the opportunity of the drive between Ducky's house and the hens-bucks-everyone-we-love party to warn him off further. "Stop it, Tony. He really is beating himself up over the whole thing, please do not give him such a hard time,"

Tony nodded, not taking his eyes off the road. "Hard time? Oh no, I owe him a debt of gratitude, that bit of lingerie, not packing your pills. I mean, it's like he willed it to happen and she's the best thing that ever happened to us."

At this, Ziva relaxed into her seat a little bit. "Besides, even if we are all adults, there are still some things I'd rather not discuss, particularly with Gibbs."

"Uh-huh," Tony continued as though she hadn't spoken. "But if he's going to keep saying he 'got you pregnant' like that, then I'm going to have fun with it... ouch, not when I'm driving!"

Fortunately, bowling with nuns proved to be more fun than harassing McGee. When the time had come to plan the party, Abby had questioned why those kinds of celebrations were so often separated by gender and declared her night wouldn't be complete without Jimmy and Tony's presence. McGee also hadn't been keen on a "traditional" bucks party, despite the successful one he had orchestrated for Tony and happily agreed to a joint party at the bowling alley with all of their friends and connections. Although she had dodged Thanksgiving and was making doubtful noises about any kind of Christmas gathering, Charlie accepted this invitation and proved herself utterly dreadful at the game but claimed her bruised hand put her at a disadvantage. Jase appeared too, said nothing, bowled a perfect 300 game against Jimmy and left without waiting for the food to be served. There was also an afterparty at one of Abby's favourite clubs where the Sterile Puppets played a regular set. Gibbs has slipped out after the toasts, and Ducky begged off with something about his protecting his hearing, while Abby woefully told Ziva, that no matter how she'd wheedled with the doorman ahead of time, there was no way he would allow a 36-week pregnant woman into the club for safety purposes. Ziva was considerably less regretful to hear this and Tony quickly latched onto the knight in shining armour role, announcing loudly that he had to take his wife and daughter home. However, Jimmy and Breena joined the much smaller crowd headed that way and danced the night away on everyone else's behalf.

Sunday started quietly, with overnight snow adding an extra chill to the air and beginning to back up traffic as everyone on the roads forgot everything they ever knew about driving. Charlie visited Casa De Tiva in the morning for a final bridesmaid dress fitting, having finished her alterations and added the necessary layer that would accommodate nursing just in case Baby Tiva decided to join the wedding in body as well as spirit. However, Ziva, assured her it wouldn't be necessary and predicted in a dire tone that she was sure she was going to stay pregnant forever.

"Alright, what can I do?" Tony asked when Charlie had left, declaring both the dress and Ziva once she was in it to be runway ready.

Ziva sighed, stretching out on the couch. "I am just tired and feeling the extra weight today. The cold makes everything seem slower... except the baby. She is making me painfully aware of body parts I only knew I had in theory up until now." She reached for his hand, laying it on her belly, demonstrating just how active things were inside.

"Yeah..." Tony chuckled, rubbing his hand over the smooth curve. "Guess you'd be toasty warm in there, huh, bambina?. But what can I do, Zi honey? You must be feeling bad if you've actually said something."

Ziva shifted forward on the cushions. They'd chosen the couch with the extra deep seat specifically to allow them both to fit while spooning. "Put on Love, Actually. It is Christmas Eve tomorrow, and I have not yet watched it this year, then come lay with me for a while and talk to her, she goes quiet when you do."

"You got it." He set the DVD playing, cuddled in behind her and began talking, simply by narrating the movie because the baby couldn't see the screen. It quickly turned out it wasn't just the baby who went quiet at the steady, soothing drone of his voice, Ziva was also asleep before Billy Mack had left the recording booth.

The peace didn't last, Tony never liked the movie much anyway but was stuck behind Ziva who, even in her sleep, grumbled and reached for the remote before he could turn it off, and was woken suddenly from the doze he'd dropped into when the front door burst open.

"Ziva!" Abby thumped into the room, McGee hot on her heels, begging her to calm down. "It's a disaster!"

Ziva jerked awake in front of him and he tightened his arm around her before she threw herself off the couch. "Steady on, Ninja, it's just an Ab-alanche. Whatever happened to knocking?" They both pulled themselves upright, watching as Abby wore a path in their rug.

"Emergencies don't need knocking! And we have keys."

McGee held his hands up placatingly. "It's not an emergency, Abs... it's just..."

"It is!" she insisted, flinging her overcoat onto the coffee table and throwing herself dramatically onto the cushions at the far end of the couch. "How are we supposed to get married now?"

"Whoa! You know I was kidding about the whole McGee getting Ziva pregnant thing?" Tony cut in hastily. Abby had laughed about it when she was told, but he knew as well as anyone what 24 hours of thinking time could blow up into, especially when it came to Abby.

Abby paused the teasing from the previous day all but forgotten. "What? Oh, that. No, he totally did. This is way worse!"

"Abby," Ziva moved down the cushions to sit next to her, taking Abby's face in her hands and meeting her eyes. "Look at me, centre yourself and breathe. Again. Now, achoti, slow down, and start at the beginning."

"You learned that from Marlee," Abby accused, referring to Ziva's midwife and the various breathing techniques they'd been practising for labour. She did, however, calm down for a moment, before declaring. "It's too bad... I can't even say it. You tell them, Tim!"

Her almost-husband propped on the coffee table opposite them. "So Abs rang Cathy, our wedding celebrant, to make sure everything is good legally, you know all the paperwork bits.."

Apparently, even the smallest amount of context was too long for Abby, who jumped in again. "She said she wouldn't marry a gay couple if they contacted her!"

"But you're not..."

"I know we're not, Tony!" she exclaimed with an exasperated flap that had Ziva shifting back out of reach. "But thousands of other people are! She gets to tell two people that she doesn't think they should be allowed to get married just because she wouldn't do it. How is that fair?" She didn't wait for an answer before ploughing on. "It's not like anyone's saying she has to go marry another woman anyway. We can't possibly be married by someone who doesn't think love is for everyone! It's like telling everyone everywhere that we don't care about equality. I can't believe I didn't think to ask how she felt about it when we met her, to begin with. But we're getting married in eight days and I just fired our celebrant. There's no way we can find someone new in that time!"

"Okay," Ziva said calmly. "So we find someone ne-"

Abby cut her off. "But we'd been working with her for months! She understood exactly what we wanted the whole ceremony to look like and what was important to us and when we met and how we got to this place to get married and how could someone new get their heads around all that in just a week?"

"I already kn-"

"If we can even find anyone, that is!" she wailed. "That's why we came over. We have so many phone calls to make! I know you were hoping for a quiet Sunday, but I need to call in a massive Maid of Honour favour on this one. You can still talk lying down, anyway. Do you still have all the brochures and things Jimmy and I gave you when you were planning your wedding? We're going to need fresh names. We already spoke to a whole bunch who weren't a good fit before we decided to go with her... hopefully, there are still some people we haven't called on the lists I made for you back then."

Abby paused for breath and launched into another tirade. Ziva shook her head and motioned for McGee's phone, simply letting her vent. He handed it over with a curious expression and then watched as she opened the contacts section and scrolled till she found the name she wanted, giving it back to him with a nod.

"You're a genius, Zi." Tony said, craning his neck to see what was going on.

McGee glanced at the name on the screen, a smile widening on his face. "That's perfect, Ziva. Abs, calm down I ha-"

"And it's New Year's Eve!" Abby was on her feet again, pacing around, not even noticing as the men took refuge in the kitchen. "Don't tell me to calm down, Tim! It's only, like, the biggest party night of the whole year. You know how busy everyone is during the holidays. That's why we booked everything so far in advance. The DJ and Luca's flights, and the flowers and the celebrant! Who's going to be available to marry us then?"

"Abby! Stop!" Ziva stood up now, too. "There is a very simple solution to all of this."

With Ziva now directly in her path, Abby halted somewhere between her eighth and ninth laps of the coffee table. "There is?" she asked, hopeful but almost too afraid to believe it.

"Yes, ask Ducky." Ziva nodded. "He knows you both almost as well as Tony and I do, he already understands why you two want to be married and I have no doubt that he enjoys a celebration of love and togetherness, whatever form it takes, especially if he gets to talk about it."

Abby's rollercoaster of emotion rose quickly again "Ducky! Of course! And he's already certified to do it because he got you and Tony married! Why didn't I think of that?" she exclaimed, appearing as though all of her prayers had been answered. In typical Abby form though, she faltered on one last obstacle, becoming anxious again. "But it's so much to ask of him. He's already given us his home to hold the wedding, and he's spending all this week dealing with the contractors who are extending the parlour room with the tent for our reception. Do you really think he would?"

"He would," Tim said, coming back in from the kitchen. "I called him while you were shouting at Ziva. In his own words, he is 'delighted to be asked my dear lad' and he's promised me that he would marry anyone who asked him. He'll talk to us during the week and look at the notes we'd made for Cathy."

There were no words for a few moments, only hugs for everyone and a very long kiss for Tim, before Abby wilted onto the couch relieved and overwhelmed. "Whoa... and I promised I wouldn't go all bridezilla on anything."

"Well, if you were going to pick anything to get upset about, that is a good cause." Ziva agreed. "But perhaps next time, ask for advice before you blow it up into cancelling the whole wedding?"

"Yeah," Abby agreed sheepishly. "But there's nothing else to panic about now... except maybe you going into labour during our vows."

"You do not need to worry about that. She is far too comfortable to ever think of coming out." Ziva sighed, letting Abby feel for more kicks.

"Sorry we crashed your party like that," McGee added. "I tried to tell her we should at least call, but..."

"But Abby," Tony finished understandingly. "It gave Zi something else to think about for a bit anyway, she was feeling kind of rough this morning," he added in a low tone.

"Happy to help." McGee glanced over at the women; Abby's face lit up but Ziva's creased with discomfort. "Don't suppose you've got any more brilliant ideas about where to find the money Channing stole while we're here?" he asked.

Ziva, leaning back against the top couch with her eyes closed, shook her head. She winced again. "Please, motek, be gentle."

"Whoa, that was huge! You want a go, Timmy?" Abby enthused, stretching for his hand.

Nothing short of a life-threatening emergency could have convinced McGee to feel the baby kick. "We should go, Abs," he said instead. "Let Ziva get some rest. Thank you though, really. I don't know if I would've thought of asking Ducky either, at least not until Abby had stopped panicking some."

"What else are bridal parties for?" Tony joked. "Consider this repayment for skipping out on the last half of your shindig yesterday. Come on, we'll walk you out."

"I wasn't entirely kidding about the WAIT money," McGee added on the threshold after the farewells had been said. "It's the last thing we need to resolve."

Ziva opened her mouth clearly on the verge of saying no but caught herself and touched her stomach thoughtfully. "What about his family? Channing has a married daughter," she suggested. "In a family as traditional as theirs, she likely gave her children her husband's name. No one would question a doting grandfather starting a college trust for his grandchild."

McGee thought this over for a minute. "The grandkids..." he mused quietly before his entire face lit up. "If he's done it right, his name won't be on it! I have some research to do!"

Tony understood the look on his face well. "You want company while you do your geek thing?" he offered. "I know you're not even going home after this."

"No, thanks. You two might be the lead partnership on the field, but when it comes to computers, I've got all the backup I need right here," he motioned to Abby proudly. Her typing speed and understanding of encryption and cyber forensics would be unmatched by anything Tony or Ziva could offer right now. "But thanks, Ziva. This might be the answer we need to get the money back to the charity. Ready, Abs?"

"As long as we stop for Caf-Pow," she nodded eagerly and reached to press her forehead against Ziva's for a second. "Love you, Zivvie."

Ziva leaned into Tony watching the pair crunch their way back through the snow no one had shovelled off the path yet, calm and focused, a complete reversal of the moods in which they had arrived. "Maybe now you will stop taking jokes too far?" she asked.

He moved back a step to look at her, confused. "What, now?"

"The look on your face when Abby said they couldn't get married, you assumed it was because she was worried that McGee had actually got me pregnant... perhaps you can learn from that?" she explained looking at him seriously. "For a moment there, you really thought it was your fault, and for all you laugh now, you would not actually want to cause trouble for them like that."

"Okay, maybe I went a bit far with that one, but only a tiny bit," he conceded with a smirk. "But it's still kind of funny. And it's always good watching him squirm."

"It is less funny when Gibbs is the one asking the questions I promise you!" she snorted.

"Okay, point taken," he agreed bending for a kiss. "You want to go sleep through the rest of the movie?"

"I was not asleep!"

He grinned and rolled his eyes. "Sure you weren't. But, back to the couch?"

By the time they were settled in again, Billy Mack was in the middle of taking off his pants on live TV.

They were summoned to MTAC late the next afternoon. With an absence of other active cases, the day had been mostly finishing their reports on Admiral Channing, taking part in the office Secret Santa exchange - none of the team had pulled anyone they knew particularly well this year, settling for Bed Bath & Beyond vouchers or similarly impersonal options - and generally tidying up and passing the time.

"Do you think he's got it?" Charlie asked. McGee had been largely invisible, spending his day with the cyber team.

Tony shrugged. "Dunno, but the grandkid suggestion certainly made him think about it differently, and it's Christmas Eve... if there was ever a day for miracles, this is it. Don't look at me like that Zi, Hanukkah's been and gone, you had your chance to claim divine intervention," he chuckled.

Ziva's eyes narrowed playfully before a sharp whistle from the catwalk headed off any rebuttal. They looked up finding Gibbs waiting for their attention, he jerked his head towards the door to MTAC and spun on his heel.

They knew how to take a hint and followed him up the stairs curiously. The elevator on the top level opened as they reached the landing with Ducky and Jimmy inside, apparently having received the same summons.

"I told you today was the day for miracles," Tony commented, reading the atmosphere as they filed into the room. McGee was already there, beaming with pride as was Abby, who seemed to be barely containing her excitement. Jase was absent, presumably still hiding down in the lab, but even Vance looked unusually pleased. "Look at McGeek, grinning like the cat the cream. It's good news."

"I prefer hard work to miracles, Agent DiNozzo," Vance replied dryly as the door hissed closed behind everyone. "In this case, the hard work has paid off. I've just finished debriefing with Agent McGee. Seeing as all of you have been involved in the case from the beginning, I thought I would let you all know at once the outcome of the-"

"WAIT's getting their money back!" Abby burst out, unable to keep it in any longer. "Sorry, Director, I was just so excited about it."

"Thank you, Ms Sciuto." The stern voice was softened by the twinkle in his eye. "Yes, Agent McGee, Ms Sciuto and the cyber team were able to trace the money that Admiral Channing had been embezzling. They've spent today starting the necessary processes to recover the funds. It will take time, but the charity will have what was taken from them restored and be able to continue their good work."

A unanimous cheer and round of applause broke out, combined with a sigh of relief.

"So, where did the money end up?" Charlie asked when the noise died down a little.

McGee grinned, triumphant. "An offshore trust fund in one of his grandchildren's names. He'd set it up in a way that kept his name out of it entirely, like a sock puppet almost. It's even a different financial institution to his legitimate transactions, it never showed up as being linked to him when we first started looking."

"I was right?" Ziva said, surprised.

"Yep," McGee nodded. "It was all set up in the name of his daughter's first child. Even that wasn't easy, the kid is from her first marriage, but she got remarried and took her new husband's name, so it was less obvious again. I don't know what gave you the idea, but I'm glad you had it, thanks."

"Thank the baby." Ziva eased herself into one of the high-backed chairs in the room. There'd been less kicking overnight, and she'd slept well, but physical comfort was still high on her priority list. "She kicked right before I tapped out and said I had no more ideas. It reminded me that she will not have an obvious link to Eli by name, and I suspected it would be the same for Channing's family."

He grinned awkwardly at Ziva's belly and the way Abby immediately bent down to follow the instruction literally. "I think I'll save the handshake for when she's born," he said. "But solving a case in utero has got to be some kind of NCIS record."

"An agent in the making, perhaps?" Ducky chuckled gently.

"If a third DiNozzo joins the agency, it better be after I retire!" Vance snorted. "But before you're all done celebrating, I have more good news. In the short term, both Mrs Channing and Mrs Walker have made substantial donations to WAIT as a sign of good faith and apology for their husbands' behaviour. It's not even a fraction of the money that was taken, but they were uninvolved in the crimes and have done what they can to make sure the families who rely on the charity don't suffer." There was a quiet, approving hum at this news.

"In the coming months, with the case closed, Commander Bennett's brother has now been given permission to begin his duties as executor of Bennett's will and has no plans to contest it." Vance continued. "WAIT will be receiving another substantial donation when that's finalised and along with the recovered funds, I've been told this will put the charity in the position to acquire another two houses that they will use for emergency accommodation. Agent Rossi in cyber has volunteered his time to help the board members double down on the security of their accounts."

"It's really starting to feel like Christmas!" Jimmy declared. "Everything's coming together and turning out the way it's supposed to."

Abby latched onto the idea quickly. "We've even got our very own nativity scene right here in MTAC. Mary and Joseph and the baby that everyone's waiting for." She gestured to Tony and Ziva. "The three Wisemen, Ducky, and Tim and Gibbs. Then, Director Vance is like the shepherd, watching over his flock. I guess that makes me the Christmas Angel, bringing everyone joy wherever I go," she finished.

"What does that make me?" Jimmy asked.

Tony didn't hesitate. "The little drummer boy," he sniggered.

"Okay!" Vance held his hands up amidst the laughter and chorus of pa rum pum pum pum that had broken out. "Let me finish. As we all know, tomorrow is Christmas, which means WAIT holds its annual lunch to host the families it's helped this year. We have been invited to the DC event as they're holding a memorial for Commander Bennett, I expect as many of you who are available to attend."

"But of course," Ducky agreed solemnly. There was a general hum of agreement. There was a plan for a quiet group dinner in the evening at Tim and Abby's apartment, but a few moments in the afternoon to pay respects to Bennett was an easy ask. After almost six weeks on the case, countless dead ends and red herrings, and losing jurisdiction entirely at one point, the closure of farewelling the fallen Marine who had started it all felt only fitting.

"And finally, the last good news is that Cameron Muir has woken. His parents are with him, and he is doing as well as can be expected. DiNozzo and McGee, I want you to head out to Norfolk on Wednesday and speak with him. Confirm his side of the story and if there are any further details he can provide. Once that's done, however, this team is on standdown from any active investigations until the temporary agents join Gibbs and Delaney on January 2. You're still expected to report for work until any leave you have booked begins, but it will be for desk duty only."

"You got it," Tony agreed. "Of all the cases to get on our last one together... this one really took the cake. Untraceable poison, stolen money, our Probie taking her first proper swing at someone. Talk about going out with a bang."

"But it is closed," Ziva sighed with relief. "Being able to say that I am done, and mean it feels good. Thank you... all of you." The words hung heavy in the air as they all registered what this really meant for them going forward.

Vance moved towards one of the empty seats and collected something concealed there. "On that note, good work and the end of an era deserves recognition. Non-alcoholic, of course," he added with a nod in Ziva's direction. He lifted his hands and revealed a bottle of champagne and several plastic cups. He popped the cork and they gathered together, passing out the drinks. "Agent David, on behalf of all of us at NCIS, thank you for your service and loyalty. You will be very much missed. We wish you all the best in this next chapter and hope that it brings you all the joy you deserve. Agent DiNozzo, you take care of her, we want her back one day."

"Hear, hear," Gibbs chimed in softly, lifting his drink in a silent salute.

Ducky raised his cup, too. "To Tony, Ziva and..." he trailed off hopefully, glancing at the couple to fill in the blank. Tony and Ziva looked at each other, sudden realisation hitting them both. Not once in the months gone by had the thought of naming their baby crossed their minds.

"We should probably talk names at some point," Tony laughed nervously. "Let's pencil that in soon, hey?"

Ziva nodded. "We should," she agreed. "She will need a name."

"She is a she, right?" Jimmy asked. "You did actually find out, didn't you?"

Tony shrugged cheerfully. "Nope. But Ziva says so, that's all the confirmation I need." He slid his empty hand into Ziva's with a confident squeeze. "Guess we're all just going to have to wait till Ziva goes into labour to find out for sure."

"Well, to Tony, Ziva and the new baby," Ducky amended. Everyone leaned in, touching their glasses, echoing the toast.

Vance cleared his throat. "One last thing, I understand there's a tradition some of you hold on Christmas Eve. One that, I believe, is particularly important to Agent DiNozzo. I think, this year it deserves something a little special. McGee, if you would?" He turned, passing a DVD case to McGee, who gave his cup to Abby and moved to the large control console to insert the disc. The big screen at the front of the room lit up and a second later displayed the opening title for It's A Wonderful Life.

"Whoa," Tony murmured with approval. "This is even better than knowing we won't catch another case this year. Thanks, Director."

"Take your seats and enjoy," Vance said simply, holding his cup for one more toast. "Merry Christmas."

They all lifted their glasses again, bumping against the others in a soft gesture of cheers. "Merry Christmas."

A/N: Yes, for those of you keeping count from the previous chapter, it has only been six days since Tony said it was twelve more days. I wonder what else the next six days can throw at them...

Are my timelines on warrants and subpoenas and the like accurate? Probably not, but if the show can handwave them, so can I.

In terms of Love, Actually, Billy Mack's opening scene in the recording studio ends less than 5 minutes into the movie, while his strip show on TV is about 2 hours in.

Same-sex marriage had been legal in DC since 2010 but was still prohibited (and marriages performed in other states not even recognised) in many neighbouring states, including Virginia in 2012 when this was set. I'm never quite clear on where Ducky is supposed to be living, I assume he's in VA. It was not legalised nationwide until 2015.

Thank you all for your love, patience, reviews, faves and kudos.

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Much love, M xx