NCIS 1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **This was supposed to be a short one shot story but as with most of my stories it grew and grew. Mostly a fluff piece. Hope you enjoy it.

**Bad Luck Turns to Good**

**Chapter 1**

The MCR team was enjoying a quiet day until the phone rang on Gibbs' desk. All three of them looked over as the Boss answered in his usual manner.

"Yeah, Gibbs."

They watched him listen for a moment then hang up with a mumbled, "Okay."

He got up without a word and headed upstairs.

"Ten bucks says Gibbs is in trouble with the director."

"Tony, why do you always think he is in trouble?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe cos he is about every other day lately."

"It's true, Ziva", McGee chimed in. "The Boss does seem to be having a run of bad luck. First the FBI got into our case, then that nosy writer from the Post ran that story about Gibbs, and what about that kooky guy at the crime scene last week?"

"Yes, I agree it has been a bad couple of weeks. Still, I am not taking that bet."

"I'll take it Tony. I think this time it's a case."

"Okay McOptimist, you're on."

While his agents were discussing his recent run of bad luck, Gibbs knocked and entered the Director's office.

"What is it now, Leon? I haven't left the office in two days."

Director Vance laughed. "Is that on purpose or just a happy coincidence?"

Gibbs had to smile. "I don't believe in coincidence."

"Well I need you to leave the office tomorrow. Ahmed Omar has finally been caught. He's in jail in a small town in North Carolina."

"What in the world is he doing there?"

"Seems he was involved in a traffic accident and when the locals ran his tag number it came back to one of the cars we had on the list as possibly being his. Really a fluke deal but I'll take it."

"I can't believe it. We've been looking for that nut job for months. You want me to go get him?"

"Yes. Take Ziva in case he wants to talk. You know he likes to pretend he doesn't speak English so if she's along maybe she can get him to tell us where he buried the body of Corporal Watson. I would really like to give her family some closure and at least a body to bury."

"Exactly where is he?"

"Carolyn has all the details in a file for you. I never heard of the place. It's a small town in the middle of nowhere from what I can tell. Anyway, you and Ziva drive down tomorrow, spend the night, get Omar and bring him home the next day."

"Car's a good place to get him talking. Let's hope he's ready to tell us what we want to know. Anything else?"

"Just be careful, Jethro. Your luck hasn't been the best lately."

"That's good advice Leon but I don't need it. We'll have Omar back day after tomorrow. Get a cell ready."

Gibbs picked up the file from Carolyn on the way out of the office and headed back to the squad room. When he didn't say to gear up Tony figured he'd won the bet.

"New problem Boss?"

"Now why would you think that DiNozzo?"

"You didn't say "gear up" or "dead Marine" so I figured it was some other bad luck thing."

"You figured wrong. Pay up whoever you had a bet with."

"Ziva you're with me tomorrow morning."

"Where are we going?"

"North Carolina."

"Am I allowed to know why?"

"Picking up Ahmed Omar. He got arrested down there at a traffic accident."

"You mean that nut job that wants everyone to think he's a terrorist?"

"That's right, DiNozzo."

"I'd say that's a bit of _good_ luck, Boss."

"You may be right, McGee."

Gibbs looked at his watch and decided to let everyone go home. He had some things to do at home before he left town so he wanted to head out himself.

"You guys go home. Ziva and I will be back in a couple of days."

He looked over at Ziva as she shut down her computer and picked up her bag.

"I'll pick you up at seven in the morning. Plan to spend one night down there."

"Alright. See you in the morning.

Ziva, McGee and Tony headed for the elevators not wanting Gibbs to have time to realize it was only four thirty. Gibbs cleared his desk, got his weapon and badge out of the drawer and headed for the stairs.

Stepping into the autopsy suite Gibbs found Ducky at his desk.

"Hey, Duck. You 'bout ready to go?"

"Yes, I am. Thank you for giving me a ride. The Morgan will be ready tomorrow."

"No problem but I can't bring you in tomorrow."

"Not to worry, Mr. Palmer is picking me up. Are you not working tomorrow?"

"Yes, but Ziva and I are going to North Carolina to pick up Ahmed Omar."

"Really? What in the world is he doing down there?"

"Probably running but he got in car accident and they ran his info and arrested him. They're holding him in some tiny town in the mountains. Pure dumb luck."

"Well perhaps on the way back here you and Ziva can get some information out of him. And maybe remind him his real name is John Larson."

"Maybe. I just want to know where he left the body of our Corporal."

"Yes indeed."

There was little in the way of conversation between Gibbs and Ducky on the way home but that was certainly not unusual. Ducky was lost in thought about the idea of Jethro and Ziva traveling together. Alone together. He had a very strong inkling those two had feelings for each other that went beyond their working relationship. He knew Jethro for one would be very unlikely to do anything about those feelings but he certainly wished he would. Ducky happened to think Ziva was the perfect person to bring Jethro happiness in his personal life. And, he thought Jethro was the man to help Ziva see just what a wonderful, loving woman she was. But all those ideas would stay firmly in Ducky's mind not likely to ever be spoken aloud.

After dropping Ducky at his house, Jethro stopped to pick up his laundry and dry cleaning and some take out at the Taco Bell next to the cleaners. He was trying very hard not to think about the next two days. The idea of spending time with Ziva and without the rest of his team was pleasant and frightening at the same time.

When he got home Jethro dropped his food on the kitchen table, took his clean clothes upstairs and changed into jeans and a tee shirt. After he devoured three tacos, a burrito and a beer he headed for the basement and some work on his latest project, a dollhouse for his goddaughter. He hoped the fact that he needed to concentrate on the intricate work involved in this birthday present would keep his mind from wandering to places it shouldn't. Places where he and Ziva were more than whatever they were now. Places where he could touch her and show her how much she meant to him. Jethro knew he wasn't ever really going to those places so he forced himself to think about tiny living rooms and kitchens and the delight Amira would take in this gift.

Just five short miles away Ziva was sitting down to dinner when her neighbor, Aaron knocked on the door. Aaron was a medical student at Georgetown and Ziva had met him when he helped her carry her new television in from the car the previous year. They bonded over pizza and beer late one winter night and had been fast friends ever since.

"Come in, I'm just having some stew. Have you eaten?"

"No. Got anymore?"

Aaron liked Ziva's cooking almost as much as he liked her.

"Of course. Just help yourself."

Aaron got a bowl and served himself some stew and grabbed a biscuit off the stove as well.

"We still on to run tomorrow evening?"

"No, I'm sorry I can't. I have to go out of town in the morning for a couple of days."

"Anything fun?"

"I doubt it. Gibbs and I are going to North Carolina to pick up a fugitive and bring him back here. Does not sound like fun does it?"

"Oh, I don't know. You and Gibbs alone for two days. Sounds like it could be fun if you let it."

"Do not even go there. Gibbs is my boss and nothing more. Well, he is a friend too but not in the way you mean."

Aaron had met Gibbs once when he picked Ziva up for lunch at the Navy Yard. And, he had heard many stories about him. He saw the way Ziva's face lit up when she talked about her boss and he knew she had some pretty strong feelings for Agent Gibbs.

"Look Ziva, I know you care for him. More than as just your boss. I understand it's a tough situation but don't try to tell me you don't care for him."

"Of course I care for him but. . ."

Ziva sighed and put down her spoon. She knew Aaron was only trying to be a friend but the idea of her and Gibbs was impossible and talking about it didn't change that.

"But it just cannot be. He _is_ my boss. Wishing things were otherwise does not make them so."

"Ah ha! So you admit you wish you and Gibbs could be more than what you are now."

"You know I do. We have had this discussion before. I have no reason to believe Gibbs has any feelings for me other than as a boss and a friend."

"Well, you never know what might happen if you let yourself be open to the idea. Just be ready if an opportunity presents itself. That's all I'm saying."

"Okay, I will keep that in mind. Now tell me about your love interest. Karen is her name, yes?"

"Karen is her name but she is, sadly, no longer my love interest. I'm afraid I have time only for work these days. She got tired of my horrible hours. I think my falling asleep on her couch two dates in a row didn't help either."

Ziva laughed. "No, I don't suppose that would help. Anyway, as you say you are too busy for a girlfriend right now. You will have to settle for my company I suppose."

"And that is not a bad thing. You are a better cook than any woman I've dated so far."

"Thank you."

The two friends enjoyed their dinner together then Ziva served them some cherry pie she had and sent Aaron home with the leftovers of both the stew and the pie.

"Think about what I said, Ziva. Life is too short not to go after what you want."

"I know. I will remember what you said."

"Be open to opportunity."

"Good night Aaron." Ziva gave him a playful shove out the door.

The next morning Gibbs woke up not feeling very well. He had some vague pain in his abdomen but after a shower he thought he felt better. He attributed his stomachache to a bad taco the night before. And maybe to some apprehension about this trip with Ziva. Regardless of all that, he rang Ziva's doorbell a few minutes before seven. He had coffee in the car along with a pastry he knew she loved. Despite his feelings for Ziva and his frustration that nothing could ever come of them, Gibbs was looking forward to this trip. He enjoyed being with Ziva and they always had a good time when they worked together. She was easy for him to talk to and she was comfortable with his long periods of silence.

"Good morning, Gibbs."

"Morning Ziver. Got coffee in the car."

"Wonderful."

Ziva threw her bag and backpack in the backseat and settled into her seat. She fastened her seatbelt and looked over at Gibbs as he did the same. The aroma of coffee filled the car. Gibbs handed her the paper sack that was between them.

"Gotcha that cinnamon thingy you like."

"Oh, the one with the pecans?"

"Yep."

"Thank you. Our day is off to a good start."

Gibbs just smiled and pulled out of the parking lot. _Yeah, you and me in the car for the next eight hours. A good day for sure._

Gibbs had chosen a route that kept them off I-95 which would take a little bit longer but he thought it was worth it. He, like most drivers in Northern Virginia, hated to be in I-95. He handed Ziva the map book open to the correct page and told her the route they were taking. Gibbs knew from experience that Ziva liked to study the road map when they were on a long drive. She liked seeing where they were in relation to the area and didn't like to rely on a GPS. She told him once when they were on a road trip to Delaware that reading a paper map helped her orient herself and learn about the country.

"This is a beautiful day for a drive, yes?"

"It is. Got about seven hours ahead of us. Have you found us on there yet?"

"Oh yes. I see where you are headed. What is the name of the town in North Carolina where we are going?"

"Arden. It's. . ."

"Do not tell me. Let me find it."

Jethro smiled. Ziva hated to do anything the easy way. She would pore over the map until she found the tiny town that was their destination. He knew it gave her something to do but the real reason she did it that way was simply her desire to do things on her own. That was one of the things Jethro admired about Ziva. One of the many.

"Found it. It is in the mountains. I imagine it is beautiful this time of year."

"Yes, it probably is. Too bad we won't be there long enough to enjoy it."

They were quiet for a while as Ziva studied the map.

"Have you ever noticed, Gibbs, how many towns there are in Virginia with the ending of 'ville' or 'burg'?"

"Not really."

"Well there are a lot."

Ziva closed the map book and watched the scenery go by. She was always struck by the beauty of Virginia particularly as they drove south and neared the mountains. The trees were so tall and so plentiful and that always impressed Ziva given she had come from a desert country. She enjoyed watching the scenery and was comfortable being alone with Gibbs. She knew they had a special connection because of what they had both lost in their pasts and their shared loss of Jenny. Ziva knew though that her feelings for Jethro Gibbs went beyond that bond of shared grief. She loved and admired him and whenever she was with him she felt better.

Ziva wanted do things well in her job because she wanted to please Gibbs. She didn't feel a need to earn his approval; she knew she already had that. She wanted him to be proud of her and she knew when the team did well it reflected favorably on Gibbs as the team leader. Ever since Ziva had profiled Gibbs for Mosaad she had had an undeniable desire to protect him or take care of him. She wasn't entirely sure what she thought he needed protection from; himself most likely but nevertheless she had those feelings. He most certainly would not have appreciated knowing she felt that way but she didn't worry about that. She never intended him to know.

Glancing over at her boss, Ziva thought he seemed to be lost in thought. Of course his concentration on the road was complete but something in his profile told her he had something on his mind besides the traffic. Then she saw him grimace just barely and she knew something was wrong.

"Are you okay, Gibbs?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Because you just made a face that looked like you are in pain."

"Just a bad taco last night. Nothin' to worry about."

Jethro's stomach pain had returned but seemed to just come and go. He hoped he wasn't coming down with full blown food poisoning. He was definitely deep in thought as he drove south that morning through the changing landscape of northern Virginia. His thoughts were on his companion and his very unprofessional feelings towards her. He knew they shared a special bond for many reasons including of course the fact that she had saved his life at the expense of her brother's life. Jenny was another common denominator in their lives and he knew Ziva felt her loss deeply just as he did.

Despite what many might think, Jethro Gibbs was a very perceptive man when it came to women. He liked women and he had been in enough relationships both good and bad to know how to read a woman pretty well. Ziva was not an easy person to know because she was naturally very guarded about herself. She and Jethro had had many talks about her father, her life in Mosaad and how she felt about the things she had done in that life. They shared a vague internal struggle about the lives they had taken in the course of their careers. Ziva was the only person Jethro had ever spoken to about his feelings in regards to the killings he had done as a sniper and how those sometimes haunted him.

All these deep discussions about very personal things took place in Jethro's basement. Ziva sometimes showed up with food and sometimes she just showed up late at night to talk. Jethro always appreciated the food and even though talking was not one of his favorite things to do, he didn't mind when Ziva was on the other end of the conversation. Sometimes he felt Ziva thought of him as a father figure and other times he knew that wasn't the case at all.

Ziva knew Jethro had been involved with at least four women since she'd known him. She didn't count Jenny because that was a special situation that had existed long before she knew either of them. She knew they had been in love at one time and probably still were when Jenny died. But besides Jenny there had been the attorney no one-except Jethro apparently-liked, Ms. Hart and then DC's most famous madam, Holly Snow, and most recently, the mind-gamer, Dr. Ryan. Colonel Mann was around the longest and seemed to make Gibbs happy but then even she left. Ziva had watched them come in and out of Gibbs' life and had been secretly glad to see each of them exit. Their absences hadn't seemed to affect Gibbs very much and for that Ziva was grateful. She was selfishly glad when they were gone because when there was a woman in his life, Ziva wasn't free to show up in the basement unannounced. If she had seen him truly happy with any of them, she told herself, she wouldn't have minded them being around but that hadn't seemed to be the case.

When they had been on the road for almost three hours Jethro stopped so they could use the bathroom and stretch their legs. When Gibbs got a bottle of water instead of coffee, Ziva wondered if he was still not feeling well. When he gave her the keys she was sure he was ill.

"Why don't you drive for a while."

"Gibbs are you sick? I am not saying that as a joke. You are not drinking coffee and you do not want to drive."

"Ziver, coffee equals pit stops. I've been up since five o'clock. If you don't want to drive I'll handle it."

His tone was nothing out of the ordinary but Ziva, because she was very tuned in to him, sensed something was not quite right. She didn't argue.

"I am fine to drive."

They had about four hours of driving ahead of them. Gibbs relaxed in his seat and before long he was asleep. Ziva took that as a great compliment because she knew he never fell asleep with anyone else driving. She looked over at him occasionally and he seemed relaxed and comfortable. She hoped her instinct that something was wrong was just that; wrong.

When they were only about twenty miles from Arden, Ziva pulled off to get gas. Gibbs had been awake for a while but aside from a comment about the passing landscape now and then, they had passed the drive without much conversation. Jethro felt fine and took over the driving as they pulled back onto the highway. Ziva had purchased a bag of cheese crackers and they shared that as they drove the rest of the way to town.

"Ziva, when we get there I want you to talk to Omar and see what you can get out of him. He doesn't like me much so I doubt he'll talk to me."

"Yes, you did make a rather strong impression on him when first you met. What are you most interested in knowing?"

"Where he buried Corporal Watson is my main objective. After that see if he wants to admit to any other killings. I have a feeling our Corporal wasn't his first and only victim."

"Got it."

They arrived at the police station in Arden shortly after three o'clock. Gibbs identified himself and Ziva and asked to see the police chief.

In just a few minutes a woman about Gibbs' age with short black hair and light green eyes came from an office down the hall.

"Agent Gibbs, I'm Chief Pennington. Call me Barbara. Welcome to Arden."

Jethro put out his hand and shook hands with the Chief.

"Nice to meet you Barbara. This is Agent Ziva David. Thanks for catching our suspect."

"My pleasure. I understand he's wanted for killing a Marine. I was an MP myself so I don't take too kindly to folks killing Marines. Come on back to my office."

Jethro and Ziva joined the Chief in her office.

"Coffee or a soda for either of you? Or water?"

"I'm fine. Ziva?"

"A water if it is not too much trouble."

The Chief reached into a cabinet behind her desk and produced a bottle of water which she handed to Ziva.

"Tell me Barbara, how exactly did you manage to apprehend Mr. Omar?"

"Mostly just luck which is the case in a lot of police work as I'm sure you know. He ran a stop sign here in town and plowed straight into one of our officers who was on his way to work."

Jethro and Ziva both laughed at that.

"Yes, that is luck alright. Incredibly bad luck."

"You said it Agent David. Anyway, his airbag deployed the whole nine yards. My officer was driving a pickup so he wasn't hurt. Your dirt bag, if I may use that term, wasn't hurt much either but he was pretty woozy. We took him to the hospital and had him checked out and while that was going on we ran his tag number and the id he had on him. The car was on the NCIC register and we just followed procedure after that."

"I'd like Agent David to interview him while we're here. Do you have a room where I can observe?"

"Sure. I'll have one of my officers put Mr. Omar in our interview room. Come on I'll show you where it is and where you can observe."

"You have a nice facility here. Seems fairly new."

"Yes, about two years old. All the modern bells and whistles."

"How long have you been chief?"

"Three years. I did a couple of tours in Iraq, finished my time at Parris Island then came home. I was on the force here for about a year when the previous chief retired and I was hired to take his place."

"So, this is your home?"

"Born and raised here. The previous chief I mentioned; he was my daddy."

Jethro laughed. "That never hurts but I'll bet you were more than qualified."

"I was and so far it's been good. I have a good crew and since most of them are also from here we've all known each other for a long time."

Gibbs and Ziva stood in the observation room while the prisoner was brought to the interview room. The chief showed Gibbs the headset he could use to listen to the interview and also gave Ziva an earwig so she and Gibbs could communicate.

"Just get him talking and do your thing Ziva."

"Got it."

Ziva exited the room and went into the interview room.

"You mind if I watch?"

"No, please."

Gibbs and Barbara watched and listened as Ziva made some small talk with Omar who just as Gibbs and the director had expected, acted like he didn't understand English. What he didn't know was that Ziva spoke several languages including Farsi which is what he was speaking. Or at least he was trying to. Ziva spoke to him in that language and he soon recognized he was out of his element and reverted to English. Ziva got him to relax by asking him how he learned Farsi and about his travels in the Middle East. Turned out he'd never been out of the United States; again just as Gibbs and the team had suspected. After about fifteen minutes Ziva started to hone in on what they wanted the know; the location of Corporal Watson's body.

"She's good."

"Yeah. I almost want him to resist telling her what she wants to know. Then you'll really see her go to work."

Barbara couldn't help but hear the admiration in Gibbs' voice.

"I notice an accent. Where is she from?"

"Israel."

"Mosaad?"

"Yeah."

"No wonder."

Ziva almost had the information she wanted but suddenly Omar clammed up. Ziva worked it for a few minutes then looked subtly to Gibbs for suggestions.

"Try threatening to leave him here with a female police chief who just happens to be ex-Marine MP. See how he likes that idea."

Gibbs glanced over at Barbara to see her smiling. Ziva gave a barely noticeable nod and started on that tack. Her nonchalant manner and the idea of actually being left in a backwater town scared Omar into telling Ziva what she wanted to know. The only disappointment was that he refused to admit to other killings. Gibbs figured they'd get that out of him on the way back to DC.

"She's really good."

Barbara didn't fail to notice the pride on Gibbs' face when he replied, "Yes, she is."

When Jethro stood up he was suddenly overcome by a shooting pain in his side. He almost doubled over and had to catch himself on the chair. He couldn't stop the groan that escaped.

"Hey, Gibbs you okay?"

"Yeah. Just a stomach cramp I guess. I'm alright."

Barbara didn't think so but she didn't argue with him. Having been with Gibbs for only about an hour she already knew he wasn't a man to argue with. She waited for him to gather himself then opened the door. They stepped out as Omar was being led back to his cell.

"Good work Ziva."

"Very impressive Agent David."

"Thank you. That was a good suggestion about leaving him here. I do not think he wants to stay with you Chief."

"Good. I don't much want him here."

Gibbs excused himself and headed down the hall to the men's room.

Barbara and Ziva went back to the Chief's office.

"You're a very good interrogator. I enjoyed watching you play him."

"Thank you. I had a good teacher. Gibbs is the best I've ever seen with a suspect."

Just as she had observed a look of pride on Gibbs' face when he spoke about Ziva, Barbara couldn't help but note a look of something more than simple professional respect on Ziva's face when she talked about her boss.

"Ziva, I don't think Gibbs is feeling well. He almost doubled over with a stomach pain when he stood up just now."

"He has been having trouble all day. Blames it on a bad taco he ate last night."

"Well, food poisoning can be pretty painful. I hope he's okay."

"Thank you for telling me. I will keep an eye on him."

Gibbs returned and told Barbara they would be back in the morning to pick up Omar.

"Okay, I'll see you in the morning. Where are you staying?"

"Got a recommendation?"

"Only a couple of places in town. My suggestion is the hotel three blocks down on the left. It's clean and there is a good café right next door. And, my aunt runs it."

"That settles it then. Thanks. We'll see you in the morning."

Jethro and Ziva registered at the small hotel and went to their respective rooms.

"I'm going to call the Director and have him get a team out to the location Omar gave you. Want to eat about seven?"

"Yes, that sounds fine. I will wait to hear from you."

"Okay. Good work in there today Ziver."

"Thank you."

They went to their respective rooms and settled in. Ziva sat on the bed and thought about how Gibbs had been acting today. She was concerned that he was ill and would not tell her. There wasn't much she could do about that except, as she had told Barbara, keep an eye on him. Ziva opened the curtains to let in the last of the evening light and settled on the bed with her book. She tried not to think about the fact that Jethro was in the next room.

After talking to the Director and giving him the good news about the location of the Corporal's body, Jethro stretched out on the bed and tried to relax. The stomach pains were still coming and going but overall he felt fine. He was tired from the drive but energized by the fact that Ziva had gotten Omar to tell her where their body was buried. She had come so far in the last few years as an investigator it was hard to remember how green she was when she started on his team. Jethro had to smile at himself when he thought about how he had protested to Jen having her on his team. Now he wouldn't let her go for anything.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Thanks so much for all the follows, favorites and comments. I appreciate each one. Here's our next chapter. This story is finished so I will post at least one chapter a day.

**Bad Luck Turns to Good**

**Chapter 2**

So here they were in an old hotel in a small town in North Carolina, separated by only a wall. Two people who loved one another but had never said so, not even to themselves. Kept apart by their relative positions; he the boss and she the subordinate. By the difference in their ages, their pasts, their individual sense of what was acceptable and right. Both comfortable alone but longing for someone to hold onto when the darkness overwhelmed them. Both accustomed to loss and both afraid to say out loud what they wanted. Maybe these two days away from everyone they knew would offer them a chance to reach out and take hold of what they wanted; what was just on the other side of the wall.

Jethro fell asleep and when he woke up and looked at his watch he was surprised to see it was six thirty. He gathered some clean underwear and a shirt from his bag and took a quick shower, brushed his teeth and got dressed. He was happy to realize he felt better than he had all day. By the time he was ready it was almost seven. In the time it took him to leave his room and step to the next room and knock on Ziva's door he made a decision that would eventually prove to be life changing. He decided to forget about who he was and who Ziva was, forget about their jobs and their many issues and just enjoy the company of a beautiful young woman. If that meant he put his arm around her or held her hand or even kissed her goodnight then so be it. He was just so damned tired of pretending. He decided couldn't do it even one more night.

Jethro knocked on Ziva's door and took a step back. A plan had popped into his head and he couldn't help but smile at the idea. He knew Ziva well enough to know she would catch on to what he was doing and, he hoped, go along for the evening. He heard her say she was coming and then she opened the door to him.

Ziva found Jethro standing in the hallway with a silly grin on his face. She wondered what he was up to.

"Good evening, ma'am. My name is Jethro and I'm in the room next door. I was wondering if you would be so kind as to have dinner with me tonight."

Ziva couldn't help but match his grin with one of her own. She had only rarely seen Gibbs in a joking or playful mood. This was a treat she was not inclined to deny herself.

"Why yes, you know I believe I would like to have dinner with you. My name is Ziva. Very nice to meet you Jethro."

Then neither one of them could stand it any longer and they both burst out laughing. Jethro held out his hand and Ziva happily took it in her own.

"Come on, let's go eat."

As they walked down the hall toward the exit, Jethro put his hand on the small of her back and she was reminded of how he used to do that with Jenny. Ziva decided to carry on the charade a while longer.

"Tell me Jethro what has brought you to this lovely little town."

Without hesitating Jethro replied, "I'm just passing through. How about yourself?"

"The same. I enjoy the mountains this time of year and drove down to see the foliage."

They were quiet then as they walked the short distance to the café next door. They were greeted by an older woman with the same black hair and green eyes as Chief Pennington.

"You must be the agents from NCIS. I'm Karen. Barbara said you might be coming in. Come sit back here and I'll get you some menus."

Jethro and Ziva followed her to a table next to the window that looked out onto the town square. Karen brought them some water and silverware.

"I recommend the vegetable soup and homemade rolls. Just made the soup this morning and the rolls will be out in five minutes."

Jethro looked at Ziva and she nodded her head.

"Sounds good. We'll both have that. Don't suppose you have any pie back there?"

"Peach and coconut crème."

"I'll let you know. Thanks."

"You are feeling better I presume."

"What do you mean? We just met?"

Ziva smiled that enigmatic smile she sometimes favored him with and said, "I forgot. But seriously, Jethro, are you feeling better?"

"I feel much better. Fine in fact."

"Good. Now, why are we playing at being strangers?"

Jethro looked out the window for a moment then he reached out and stroked the back of her hand with his index finger. She was immediately taken back to the day he did that to her in the interrogation room after she had returned from Somalia. She looked up searching his face for some clue as to what was going on. Her heart was thumping and she wondered if Jethro could feel her pulse racing.

"I just wanted to pretend we're two people who enjoy each other without all the baggage. You know what I mean?"

Now Ziva looked out the window and tried to gather her thoughts. Jethro was still running his finger over her hand and that small distraction was making it very hard for her to think clearly.

"Yes, I know exactly what you mean. But, Jethro, we do not have to pretend to enjoy each other. We already do. Right?"

"Yes."

"Then let us just do that; enjoy each other and our evening. Without any worries or complications."

"Best idea yet."

Karen returned with their soup and rolls and for a while conversation ceased. Jethro was grateful for the suggestion of soup for supper because even though he felt fine now he was a little worried about whatever had caused his earlier problem returning. The soup was delicious and the rolls were superb.

"This is the best soup I have had in a long time. Better then mine I have to say."

"I don't know about that but it is delicious."

As they finished eating Karen appeared and cleared away their dishes.

"Any room for dessert?"

Ziva and Jethro looked at each other and Jethro motioned for her to choose.

"I have never had coconut crème so I would like to try that."

"I'll help with hers and have some coffee as well."

"Very good. Coffee for you?" Karen asked looking at Ziva.

"Do you happen to have tea?"

"Sure, I'll bring you a selection with the water and you can steep your own."

"Wonderful. Thank you."

Ziva loved the pie so Jethro didn't get to be much help in eating it. They sat quietly finishing their coffee and tea and wondering to themselves what was next. Jethro paid the bill and they walked out into the pleasant fall evening.

"Would you like to take a walk around town? Check out the stores?"

"Sure."

They started off walking back toward the hotel and then past it to the stores that lined the five block long downtown area. There were several small antique stores and Ziva took her time looking in the windows, seeking treasures. All the stores were closed but the idea was to have time together so they didn't care that they couldn't go in.

Finally they stopped in front of an antique store on the corner and had to decide which way to go; across the street or back to the hotel.

"Shall we cross and see what is on the other side?"

"Sure."

Jethro was in no hurry for the evening to end and neither, apparently was Ziva. When they reached the other side of the street they stopped so Jethro could window shop at the hardware store. The display was of mostly new tools but there were some antique tools in the center. He was studying the display of hand tools when he put his arm around Ziva's shoulders and pulled her against him. He pointed to a small box of tools in the middle of the display.

"See that little square box in the middle? My dad had that same set when I was little. I remember when he bought it brand new."

Ziva reveled in their closeness and leaned into him to peer at the display.

"Did he teach you to work with wood? To build things?"

"Yeah. We actually built a boat together once. Not a real boat but a toy I could pull around the lake."

They were quiet then and started walking again. They stopped in front of a clothing store and Ziva admired a pair of boots. Jethro still had his arm draped around her shoulders. Ziva took a step away from him and turned to face him straight on. She put her hands on his arms and looked him in the eyes.

"What are we doing Jethro?"

He considered his answer for a few moments never taking his eyes off her face. He loved looking at her and tonight he could do so for as long as he wanted and no one would ever know.

"I don't know."

His voice was quiet and had a sort of wonder in it that Ziva had never heard from him before. She had almost never heard him say he didn't know the answer to something. His lack of certainty didn't bother her as she thought it might. In fact, it made her feel a little better. She had no idea what they were doing, or rather what they were going to do next and it was somewhat of a relief to know Jethro didn't either.

"I do not either but I think that is okay. I think there are things we need to figure out but we do not have to do it tonight."

"I just want to enjoy the evening with you Ziva. We don't have to be in a hurry. I don't have a plan. I'm in somewhat uncharted territory right now."

"We will find our way. I have no doubt about that."

They resumed their walk and before too long they were back at the hotel. Neither of them wanted to part ways but it had been a long day and they were both tired.

"I hate to say goodnight to you Ziver."

They were standing outside Ziva's room and Jethro pulled her into a warm hug. She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest. Her mind was swirling with thoughts and emotions. She had been in Jethro's embrace before but tonight was different and they both knew it. Ziva had to force herself to slow down her thinking and loosen her grip on her boss.

"We have an early morning coming and a long drive. I enjoyed tonight very much. When we get back I think we should take some time to talk about tonight and what we want to do next. If anything."

"You're right. I very much enjoyed our evening. I'll see you for breakfast. Seven o'clock?"

"Yes. Goodnight Jethro."

Jethro kissed her on the forehead allowing himself to linger there.

"Night Ziver."

Reluctantly they went to their respective rooms for the night. Jethro felt okay about the evening. He had enjoyed being with Ziva in a place where no one knew them or would question their actions. He had thought he would be anxious about suggesting a new way of them being with each other but as usual when he was with Ziva he felt calm and completely safe emotionally. Jethro never pretended to be something he wasn't with any woman and sometimes that had been a problem. There had been women who wanted him to be more or less than he was but with Ziva that was never a consideration. She knew him and accepted what he could give her without expecting more. Now though, he wanted to give her more and he wasn't sure how much longer he could deny himself that opportunity. But, he wasn't going to rush this, whatever it was, because he didn't want to screw it up and they couldn't just start acting like teenagers. They had too much to lose if he messed up this time.

Ziva sat on the bed in her room and contemplated the evening events. She was surprised Jethro had acted on his feelings. The fact that he had feelings for her was not a new idea but she had never expected him to do anything about them. It did surprise her a little that he knew she also had feelings that went beyond their friendship and work relationship. She thought she had been more careful. Then she reminded herself that Gibbs was one of the best at reading people, their thoughts and even sometimes their secrets. She knew she shouldn't be surprised that he had picked up on her attraction to him. What were they going to do she asked herself. Tomorrow was certainly going to be an interesting day.

Jethro channel surfed for a while then gave up and settled with a book he had brought with him. Whenever he traveled he missed being able to do something with his hands. He missed his boat. Tonight he was fighting the additional battle of staying in his own room instead of knocking on Ziva's door and asking to join her. As much as he wanted to do that Jethro knew he wouldn't. There was a part of him that knew being with Ziva was wrong. He could make a lengthy list of reasons why it could never be beginning with the fact that she worked for him and ending with the fact that he was old enough to be her father. Granted he was not as old as her father but the math still was not in his favor.

Ziva couldn't concentrate on her book and let her mind wander where it would. She often told herself not to compare herself to the women she knew Jethro had been with. Her most difficult comparison was of course Jenny. Ziva had listened to Jenny talk about Jethro for months when they were together in Cairo. Of course at the time she didn't know who he was or even his name; Jenny kept that a secret. When she profiled Gibbs for her brother she realized he was Jenny's lover. She had always thought Jenny was still in love with her unnamed lover. Then when she went to NCIS and saw them together it was obvious he still cared for her as well. She watched them circle around each other for so long and then just when she thought they might admit they still loved each other Jenny was killed. It had pained her terribly not to be able to comfort Jethro during those dark days. And then to be separated from him so soon after had been torture. Coming back to NCIS months later she thought Jethro was even more closed off than before. He was not the same man and it took him a long time to reorient himself.

Hollis Mann was never a concern to Ziva mainly because she couldn't begin to compete with Jenny who was still alive at the time Mann and Jethro were together. Although she was well suited to Jethro in many ways her timing couldn't have been worse. Then in the last couple of years there had been a veritable parade of women none of whom Ziva liked much. Naturally. Of course no one liked the lawyer Ms. Hart. Ziva could never understand why Jethro had come to trust her. But then she was gone. Holly Snow was intriguing and certainly it was not hard to see that Jethro liked her. And she him. Dr. Ryan was interesting and her presence during a difficult time seemed to help Jethro but when she didn't trust him and ran away, Ziva knew that was over. Ziva tried to see what she had to offer Jethro that none of those other women had. She knew she understood him better than any of them except Jenny. She figured that would have to be the deciding factor because she certainly didn't consider herself as beautiful as Ms. Snow. Or as sneaky as Ms. Hart and surely not as smart as Dr. Ryan. Maybe she had what Jenny had had once; the capacity to love him just the way he was and not expect to change him.

While Ziva was doing an inventory of his past girlfriends, Jethro was fast asleep. He had read two chapters then turned off the light and fallen asleep almost immediately. Good thing since his sleep, and Ziva's was interrupted at two thirty.

Jethro was so sound asleep he couldn't figure out what the noise was he kept hearing right next to his head. Finally he woke up enough to reach for his phone.

"Yeah, Gibbs."

"Sorry to wake you Agent Gibbs but our prisoner is dead."

That got Jethro's attention and he was now wide awake and sitting on the side of the bed.

"What?"

"Omar is dead. I figured you'd want to know right away. Want to come down here?"

"Yeah, we'll be right there."

Jethro didn't bother to ask the Chief any questions. He'd do that when they got to the station. He considered letting Ziva sleep but knew she'd be upset if he didn't include her and after all she was working the case too. He certainly wouldn't let DiNozzo sleep in when he was working!

Jethro pulled on his pants and called Ziva.

"Yes."

"Ziva, get dressed. Omar is dead and we're going to the jail."

"Okay."

Ziva hadn't been asleep nearly as long as Jethro had and she was barely awake as she got dressed and went out the door. Jethro was waiting in the hall and they silently went out into the night.

"Wanna walk?"

"Yes, that will help me wake up."

They covered the three blocks to the police station in silence. Jethro resisted the urge to reach for her hand telling himself they were back to work and it wouldn't be right. Along the way Ziva pulled her hair back in a pony tail and managed to wake up most of her brain cells.

Chief Pennington was waiting for them.

"What happened?" Jethro kept his voice neutral but there was a certain edge to it that didn't escape the Chief's notice.

"Believe it or not it looks like he had a heart attack. No signs of him trying to kill himself. No cuts or anything like that and he sure didn't hang himself. My guys checked him at midnight then again at two. When the officer looked in at two o'clock he thought the prisoner looked wrong somehow so he called to him but there was no response. Officer Sullivan opened the cell and found Omar dead."

The three of them went into the cell and Jethro did a quick survey of the area. He examined the body and as the Chief had said, there was no sign of any trauma.

"You have an ME here?"

"One of our local docs handles our autopsies. We'll take the body to the hospital and he can probably do an autopsy tomorrow morning. We're a small place as you've seen but we're pretty well equipped to handle things. Or, we can arrange to have the body shipped back to DC and your ME."

Jethro thought about it for a few minutes. He couldn't think of any reason to go to the expense or trouble of shipping the body to DC. On the other hand he doubted the town of Arden wanted to be responsible for the expense of burying Omar.

"I don't think we need to do an autopsy unless your guy sees something right away he's not comfortable with. But, what about burial?"

"He got any family you know of?"

Ziva spoke up and said, "Our investigation months ago didn't turn up any family. We know his parents are deceased and we found no record of any siblings. As far as we know he has no one. Certainly no one who would claim the body."

"Well in that case he will be cremated. We'll handle it, Gibbs. Don't worry about it."

"Okay, thanks. Wow, this is certainly a surprise. He seems kinda young to die of a heart attack in his sleep but I guess you never know."

"I am just glad you decided to have me talk to him yesterday instead of waiting until we were on the way back. I would hate to not have the information about Corporal Watson."

"Yeah. Well, thanks for calling me Barbara. Should we just go to the hospital in the morning then?"

"Yes, Dr. Cooper is usually at the hospital by seven and I'll tell him you'd like at least a preliminary report as soon as possible."

"Thank you. We'll take our time and have breakfast then head over there."

Chief Pennington walked out with them and the ambulance pulled up to take the body away as Jethro and Ziva headed back to the hotel.

"That was an interesting way to be awakened."

"Sorry. I guess I should have let you sleep."

"No, you should not have. I am glad you called."

Ziva reached out and laced her fingers with his and he didn't protest.

By mutual, unspoken agreement they went back to their respective rooms and agreed to meet in front of the hotel at eight o'clock for breakfast. That was a bit late for them normally but with their night interrupted and no schedule to follow the next day they decided to take it easy. Jethro knew Ziva would be up for a run early and he knew he'd be up for coffee. He would have loved to run with her but his knees couldn't stand it anymore.

"Night Ziver. Again."

"Try to get some sleep, Jethro. I'll see you in a few hours."

Ziva went back to bed but sleep didn't come easily. She was excited about the change in her relationship with Gibbs but she was also cautious. That was partly just her nature and partly her understanding of the man in question. She knew Jethro well enough to know he would have mixed feelings about them being together. She was sure a part of him would think it inappropriate for any number of reasons. Their age difference was one of the things she was sure he was somewhat uncomfortable with. She on the other hand was completely comfortable being with Jethro and didn't give his age a second thought. In her opinion his good qualities outweighed any challenges his age or his past presented. Ziva was not so naïve as to think an ongoing, personal relationship with Jethro would be easy; it would be interesting and fun and probably a bit volatile but certainly never easy and never dull. Ziva finally fell asleep wondering how she could help Jethro accept them as something very different than what they were today.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Thanks for all the follows and favorites and comments you have left. I appreciate each one. I hope you continue to enjoy the story.**

**Bad Luck Turns to Good**

**Chapter 3**

Sure enough the next morning Jethro was waiting for Ziva outside when she came out freshly showered and glowing from her early morning run.

"What time did you get up?"

"The second time you mean? Six. I wanted to run before other people were about. It was beautiful and nice and cool."

"Hungry?"

"Yes, very."

Jethro put his hand on her back and they headed next door to the café. After a breakfast of pancakes and fruit for Ziva and eggs, bacon and biscuits for Jethro they went back to check out of the hotel and get the car.

"You know if I ate like that every morning I would have to run to work and back home just to stay in shape."

"I know but it sure was good. You have to indulge yourself once in a while, Ziva."

She looked over at him and saw the classic half smile and a glint in his eyes and knew he wasn't talking about pancakes.

"As usual, you make a very good point. Should I consider you an indulgence?"

Jethro laughed. "Hardly."

At the hospital Dr. Cooper told them his preliminary findings supported the idea that Omar or Mr. Larson more properly, had died of a heart attack.

"His heart was in bad shape. I'd suspect some family history of heart disease considering his age. He needed a valve replacement for one thing. I can pretty much guarantee natural causes here, Agent Gibbs but I'll send you a complete report."

"Thank you Doctor. I appreciate you getting on this so quickly."

Gibbs handed the doctor his card and asked him to send the report directly to him.

"You'll have it within a week."

Jethro and Ziva thanked him again and walked out to their car.

"I want to stop and tell Chief Pennington goodbye then we'll be on our way."

"Okay. I am in no hurry but since we are finished here we might as well go on home."

"Agreed."

Again the half smile and the glint of something in those baby blues. Ziva wondered what was going on behind that handsome face.

They were on their way out of town both with a lot on their minds and a lot to say but not knowing where or how to start. Neither one of them were particularly comfortable with conversation especially of a personal nature. In this case though, closed up together in a car for the next six or seven hours they would need to find way to say what they needed to say. Before either of them could gather the courage to begin, Jethro's phone beeped at them. He handed it to Ziva who saw it was the Director calling and put it on speaker.

"Good morning Director."

"_Morning Ziva. Gibbs driving?"_

"Yes sir. We are just leaving town."

Jethro and Ziva realized at the same time that he had not called Director Vance and told him about Omar's death. Ziva gave him an evil grin and indicated in no uncertain terms it was his news to deliver.

"Leon, had a slight problem last night."

"_I'm afraid to ask. What happened?"_

"Omar died in his cell. Looks like he had a heart attack. Local doctor is doing the autopsy but he said this morning the guy's heart was bad and he needed a valve job at the very least."

"_Good grief. Well thank goodness you got the location of the body. I have a team out there now; DiNozzo's with them. If he told Ziva the truth, we should have the body recovered today."_

"Good. We'll be back late this afternoon."

"_Gibbs, try and get back here in one piece and I'll see you both when you get here."_

"Do my best."

Jethro nodded at Ziva to close the phone and she did.

"Guess in all the excitement I forgot to call him this morning."

"Apparently. No harm done."

They drove in silence for a few minutes. Jethro looked over at her as Ziva looked at him. She smiled at him and another little piece of his armor fell away.

"You in a hurry to get back?"

"No. Why?"

"Thought we might take the more scenic route. You know, see the foliage like you said last night."

"That would be lovely. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Again a comfortable silence fell around them. Ziva wondered what Jethro was thinking. She knew very clearly where she wanted their upcoming conversation to go but she was not at all sure her boss was going to be willing and/or able to go there with her.

Just as she was about to speak up, Jethro surprised her with a request. His voice was quiet and full of unspoken emotions.

"Tell me about Cairo, Ziver."

She knew of course what he was referring to but she couldn't resist teasing him just a little bit. And, she hoped to lighten the mood some because what he was asking about was anything but a lighthearted subject.

"Well, it's a very old city. There are some beautiful. . . "

As she had expected Jethro cut her off. She hadn't expected his hand on her mouth however; that was a surprise and not an unwelcome one. She enjoyed the feel of his hand softly silencing her. Ziva gripped his wrist carefully, kissed his palm and moved his hand off her mouth.

"Not what you wanted to hear?"

"You know it's not."

"Why do you want to know about this now? It was a long time ago and Jenny is gone."

"I know but she never told me about it and I wonder. You don't have to tell me if it's too hard."

"It is not that. I just hoped we could talk about more recent events. More important matters for the two of us."

"We can and we will."

"But not right now?"

"No. I'm sorry."

"Do not be sorry. We are not on a schedule. I will tell you about my time with Jenny in Cairo."

And she did. For the next half hour Ziva gave Gibbs a detailed account of her time with Jenny in Cairo as well as other locations in Middle East where they had worked together. She did not gloss over the difficult parts and she could see from his expression and the way his grip on the steering wheel tightened, that it was still painful for him to think and talk about Jenny.

"She told you about us? In Paris?"

"Yes. She did not tell my your name but of course I later figured it out. She loved you and she told me she regretted leaving you as she did. I believe she loved you until the day she died, Jethro."

"That's what Mike said. So many things got screwed up between us. I don't think I ever really got over Jenny but I couldn't tell her so and risk her . . ."

His voice trailed off and Ziva watched as he scrubbed his hand down his face. Neither of them spoke for a long time. Finally Ziva reached over and took his hand.

"You could not risk her leaving you again. And then she did. I understand, Jethro. Believe me I do."

He didn't look at her but he said, "I know."

After a while Ziva said, "My turn. Tell me about Stillwater."

Jethro chuckled and looked over at her. But he took a deep breath and plunged into the story of his growing up the only child of two loving but very different parents. He told her about the freedom of living in a small town in a time when doors were left unlocked and children played outside until the street lights came on. He spoke briefly about his mother's death but mostly he talked about happy times.

They were almost to Boone by now. Jethro asked her if she'd like to stop in the town and look around. Ziva was naturally surprised by the suggestion and her surprise must have shown on her face.

"Just want to have some time for us to relax together. Like last night. That was fun."

"I have to agree. Yes, stopping to walk around and look for a while would be very nice."

Jethro parked in a public parking lot near the old downtown area. Boone is a historic town in North Carolina in the Blue Ridge Mountains and Ziva was immediately taken by the beautiful scenery surrounding them. She and Jethro walked down the street, pausing to look in store windows much as they had done the previous evening. Before they had gone too far Jethro reached for her hand and laced his fingers with hers. Ziva leaned into him and just then decided she never wanted this little side adventure to end. It felt absolutely natural and right to be walking hand-in-hand with this man.

When they had covered the entire main street they discovered a small coffee shop on a side street and Jethro led the way. They ordered coffee and shared a wonderful cinnamon roll. After they each made a bathroom stop, they headed back to the car. Jethro opened Ziva's door for her and when he stepped back to let her in Ziva leaned into him and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you, Jethro. That was lovely."

"You're welcome."

He couldn't help the smile that came with that reply and Ziva couldn't help but notice the way his eyes darkened when he looked at her. He might have his reservations about them but his eyes gave away his deepest feelings and Ziva was confident the reservations would be overcome. Patience, she told herself, is the key.

Once they were on the highway Ziva gave into the realization that they were truly headed home. She had picked up several brochures in the coffee shop that detailed the town's history and present day state. To take her mind off the fact that her mini vacation with Jethro was going to end in a few hours she began reading through the material she had gathered. They were traveling on a two lane state road heading toward highway 81. Jethro was concentrating on driving and trying not to think about how much he did not want to be back in DC in a few hours.

Be careful what you ask for.

They had been driving for about thirty minutes and had just passed through a tiny town about ten miles back when Jethro saw the temperature gauge top out on HIGH and the check engine light come on.

"Damn."

"What?"

"Engine problem."

No sooner had he said that than their speed dropped considerably and Jethro pulled to the side of the road.

"Bad?"

"Could be. I'll take a look."

Jethro knew if the check engine light and the temperature gauge were both warning him something was definitely wrong. He pulled the hood latch, got out and raised the hood to take a look. Yes, it was bad. Nothing that could be fixed with duct tape that was for sure. Which didn't matter because since they were in a government car they didn't have duct tape anyway.

Ziva had joined him and was looking at the engine not quite sure what the problem was but she could tell by the look on his face that Jethro knew.

"Belt's broken. Gonna need a tow."

"Did you happen to see a garage in that little town we just came through?"

"Nope."

"What do you want to do?"

Now that was a loaded question but Jethro wasn't going to bite.

"See if your phone has a signal."

Ziva had a newer, more complicated phone than he did so Jethro was hoping she could find them a tow truck.

"Only one bar. Not going to do us much good since I have no number to call. We could walk back to town I suppose."

"We're probably almost ten miles from that little place. I don't think I want to walk ten miles today."

"Do you have another idea?"

"Let's wait and see if we get lucky and someone drives by. Someone friendly."

"Well, it is a beautiful day so I do not mind waiting."

They were parked on the side of a probably not very highly traveled road but at least the scenery was nice. Meadows on either side of the road extended to the foothills and the mountains rising above them. Cattle grazed on one side of the road, not paying any attention to the humans now sharing their space. On the side where they were parked, wildflowers were still blooming and several horses approached the fence to inspect the visitors.

Ziva walked through the tall grass and held out her hand to the only horse interested enough to come to the fence. Ziva held her hand palm down and let the horse sniff her. Then she rubbed the horse's velvety nose and finally her head.

Jethro watched this with a small smile on his face. He knew Ziva had grown up around horses on her grandfather's property and that she missed riding. He too, loved horses and he too, missed riding. That was something he was going to remedy first chance he got. For both of them.

He walked up and stood opposite Ziva, the horse's head between them.

In a hushed voice he said, "Beautiful".

"Yes, she is."

"Not the horse, Ziva. You."

Before she could react beyond a blush, Jethro had his fingers in her hair and pulled her to him kissing her softly on the mouth. He was on the verge of taking the kiss to another level when he heard a vehicle stop on the road.

"Thought you might need some help but I see my timing is all wrong."

Jethro and Ziva turned to see an elderly man standing on the side of the road smiling at them.

Jethro walked to the man and grinned, "Yeah I coulda used a few more minutes but I won't complain. Thanks for stopping."

"You know what the trouble is?"

"Serpentine belt's broken. There a garage nearby?"

"Bout eight miles on down the road. Fella there, Dale, has a tow truck. I could take you there and he'd come back for the car." The man looked at Jethro and winked, "Or, I could leave you two here and send him back for you."

Jethro had to laugh. The old guy had a wonderful way about him; reminded Jethro of his father in many ways.

"Will he have room for us in the tow truck?"

"Sure will."

"I think we'll wait. Government car, I hate to leave it on the side of the road."

The old man nodded, "Yeah, I can see why you'd feel that way. I'll send Dale right back for you. Unless you need a while."

"No, you can send him right on. Thanks."

Ziva had not joined the conversation which was unusual for her. She would almost always want to know what was going on and be in on whatever decision was being made. This time though she was content to let Jethro handle whatever arrangements he needed to. She didn't mind turning over complete control of the situation to him. That realization was just a bit unsettling.

Jethro stood by the car as the good Samaritan drove away. He watched Ziva petting and talking to the horse. She was a beautiful woman. A beautiful _young_ woman. Far from comforting him, that knowledge actually ate at his confidence where Ziva was concerned. For years Jethro had watched Ziva and Tony interact and he had often thought they were well matched. For all of DiNozzo's sophomoric behaviors he was an excellent agent and a good man with a lot of good qualities. Jethro had also seen Ziva turn the heads of many other men over the years and there was always the shadow of Michael in her past. Jethro wondered if he had what it would take to make Ziva happy and hold onto her for a long time. Ziva turned to look at him and when she smiled that beautiful smile he loved so much he told himself whatever it took, whatever she wanted, he'd somehow find a way to give it to her. He knew in his heart he'd never find another woman as worthy of his efforts as Ziva David.

Ziva returned to the car and leaned against the trunk beside Jethro.

"What did the man say?"

"He's sending a tow truck back for us. Said there's a garage in town about eight miles on up the road."

"Do you suppose they can replace the belt today?"

"Just depends on whether or not the guy has one in stock. I won't be surprised if he doesn't. We may have to spend the night. You alright with that?"

"Of course. As I said, I am not in any particular hurry to get back to DC."

"Good."

Jethro took her hand and pulled her around to stand in front of him. Ziva leaned into him and Jethro tunneled his fingers into her hair. He loved her hair and had fantasized many times about getting all tangled up in those luxurious curls. He pulled her closer and kissed her, picking up where he'd left off when their rescuer arrived. Ziva kissed him back and as she welcomed his tongue into her mouth, Jethro was well and truly lost in her. Now that he'd had even the slightest taste and feel of her in his arms he knew he wasn't going to be able to let her go no matter what.

Ziva felt her heart pounding and her blood rushing through her veins as Jethro deepened the kiss and held her securely in his big hands. When he eased back on the kiss she refused to relinquish her contact with his mouth; she hadn't had nearly enough of him to satisfy her desires. She allowed only the barest of space between them before she leaned into him again and took her own turn at controlling the kiss. She teased him with some quick, soft kisses at the corners of his mouth before she dove in with an open mouthed kiss that threatened to stop his heart. Ziva had been thinking about getting a taste of this man for a long time and she wasn't going to let this opportunity go to waste.

Eventually they had to breathe and Jethro had to have a little bit of space between them. His reaction to Ziva's closeness was obvious to both of them and since he wasn't willing to let things go any further he needed some relief in the form of Ziva not being plastered to his front.

"Damn Ziver."

"Yes, damn. I have been thinking about that kiss for a very long time, Jethro. I must say it was everything I hoped it would be."

"Really?"

Ziva ran her fingers down his chest and gave him a very quick peck on the lips.

"Yes. You are a very good kisser Agent Gibbs."

"You're not bad yourself."

"What are we going to do now?"

Jethro laughed and pushed himself off the car. He walked to the road and then turned back to see Ziva watching him with laughter in her eyes.

"Not any more of that for now."

"Too bad."

"Yes it is but any more of that and I'm afraid what the tow truck driver might find when he gets here."

It took all of Jethro's considerable self control not to take Ziva in his arms and show her what the backseat was good for.

Not too long after that a tow truck drove up, turned around and backed up to their car. A middle aged man got out and walked toward Jethro.

"Hi, I hear you've got a problem out here. Name's Dale."

"Jethro. Serpentine belt's broken."

"Well that'll bring you to a stop alright. Let me get you hooked up and then we'll be on our way."

Jethro and Ziva watched as Dale expertly hooked the car up and secured it. They climbed in the cab with him, Ziva in the middle of course and took off for town.

"You operate the garage in town?"

"Yes. My uncle, he's the one who stopped, he and I run the place together."

"You think you have a belt in stock?"

"I doubt it. That's a pretty new car and I don't keep a lot of belts on hand. Hopefully I can have you one here tomorrow. My helper's in Ashville picking up supplies and I'll call this in so he can bring it back with him. You folks in a hurry?"

Ziva spoke up, "Not particularly. This is such a pretty area I don't think we'd mind spending the day and night."

"You're here at a good time in a way and in another maybe not. Big crafts festival in town this weekend so the few rooms we have to rent are mostly full. There's a real nice bed and breakfast that might have a room left. You can check when we get back."

"That sounds fine. What sort of crafts?" Ziva was getting into the idea of again spending the night in a small town with Jethro now that things seemed to be moving in the direction she wanted them to.

"All kinds. People come from all around with whatever they've been working on over the summer. Lots of wood carvings, handmade toys, weavings. Just about anything you can think of. And of course, lots of good food."

"Sounds wonderful."

Jethro sat looking out the window enjoying the press of Ziva's leg against his. His side was beginning to hurt and he wasn't feeling all that well all of a sudden. He took some deep breaths and tried to concentrate on the fact that he and Ziva were free for another day.

They drove on in silence. Ziva looked at Jethro and noticed he looked tired. She wondered if he wasn't feeling well again. He had been very quiet for a while which of course was not all that unusual. It was just that he had seemed more relaxed earlier but now it was as if he was back to being Gibbs instead of Jethro. To Ziva, there was a difference. A small voice in the back of her head was asking if maybe he was having second thoughts. Wondering if maybe another night away was not what he wanted because it meant too much. The ugly little voice told Ziva that maybe Jethro wasn't as serious as she was and that he was just looking to take advantage of the situation. Ziva rubbed her eyes and silently told the voice in her head to shut up and leave her alone.

Pretty soon they were in town and as Dale had said the place was buzzing with activity. It was a small town, neither Ziva nor Jethro had noticed the name, but their town square was crowded with booths and tents and people and children were everywhere.

"Like I said, it's a big weekend for us. I can drop you at the B and B if you want. Then I'll call and let you know about the belt."

"Well, if you happen to have it we won't need the room."

"True but, Agent Gibbs, I'm fairly certain I don't have it. Whatever you want to do is okay with me."

Ziva slipped her hand over Jethro's leg and grasped his fingers. She sensed something was bothering him.

"Why not stop at the bed and breakfast and we can check it out and clean up at least and if the car can be fixed right away we go and if not we stay."

Jethro looked at her and saw concern on her face and a question in her eyes. He knew she was reading his unease with the situation and he appreciated that she stepped up and made a decision for them. He didn't even bother to wonder why that didn't bother him.

"Okay. Drop us off Dale and you can call me if you have the belt."

"That works."

A few minutes later Dale stopped in front of a wonderful old home with a wide porch and fall flowers blooming in the front flower beds. Jethro stepped out of the truck and held his hand out for Ziva. Dale helped them retrieve their bags from the car and told Jethro he'd call him one way or the other.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Once again thank you for the follows, favorites and comments. **

**Bad Luck Turns to Good**

**Chapter 4**

Ziva decided to take some control of the situation and walked up the sidewalk and across the porch while Jethro was still talking with Dale. She went in the front door and was greeted with homey, comfortable entryway that led to a small reception area off to one side. A middle-aged woman came from a back room and said hello.

"I understand you may have a room available. Or two."

"Yes, I have one room available. Not two, I'm sorry."

_I am not._ "One will be fine."

"It's a fairly large room with a sitting area where there is a pullout bed if you need it."

Ziva smiled, "That will be perfect."

"Are you alone, my dear?"

"No, my friend is coming. He is talking to Dale about our car which broke down and had to be towed."

"Oh my. Well, I'm happy to be able to accommodate you. As you saw outside, this is a busy weekend."

"Yes, it looks that way."

Ziva filled out the registration card listing both their names and the address at the Navy Yard.

"My name is Nora Walker. Here are two keys. It's the second door on your left upstairs. We will have breakfast available from seven until about nine in the morning."

"That will be perfect. Thank you."

Jethro walked in as Ziva got the keys.

"We are upstairs."

"One or two?", Jethro asked as they started up the broad staircase.

"Only one but there is a sitting room with a pullout bed."

Jethro groaned. He hated pullouts. They reminded him of an unhappy time in a marriage. Then he let himself think very briefly that he wouldn't need it. He almost gave himself a headslap at that thought even though it was a reasonable idea considering what had been going on the last twenty-four hours between Ziva and himself.

They arrived at their room and Ziva unlocked the door and stepped in. The room was nicely furnished and spacious. The door opened into a sitting area with comfortable chairs, a couch, table and a television on the facing wall. To the right was the remodeled, modern bathroom and to the left of the sitting area in cozy alcove was a queen bed, dresser and nightstand. The room was light and airy with blinds in the windows and a vase full of fresh flowers on the dresser.

Jethro dropped his bag on the couch indicating Ziva would have the bed. She had expected as much.

"This is nice."

"Yeah, it is. I think we're lucky to get it."

"I agree."

They were standing on opposite sides of the room and neither of them appeared quite sure what to do next. The air in the room fairly crackled with the tension between them. Ziva slipped off her jacket and pulled her hair back. Jethro watched her and knew he wasn't going to survive sharing a room with her.

Deciding to take matters into her own hands, Ziva stepped toward him and Jethro didn't hesitate any longer. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her softly at first but when he felt Ziva responding to him he deepened the kiss and stole her breath away. The kiss went on and on until finally they broke away to take a breath.

Jethro let her breathe but he couldn't make himself stop kissing her. His mouth trailed down her throat and up again until he recaptured her mouth and tasted her all over again. Ziva somehow managed to get her hands under his shirt and the sensation of her soft hands on his skin sent Jethro into overdrive. He pulled her closer and just as he was about to move her toward the bed his phone rang.

They didn't stop right away because neither of them could really formulate an understanding that the noise they were hearing was the phone. Finally Jethro came to his senses and pulled away.

"Dammit!"

He answered with his usual tone, "Yeah, Gibbs."

"Agent Gibbs, I don't have the belt as I suspected. I called my supplier and they don't have one either so I'm looking for one. I just wanted you to know it might not be here in the morning like I hoped."

At that moment, Jethro didn't care if he ever got the damn car fixed. He was happy to stay in this room, with this woman for weeks if necessary.

"No problem, Dale. Just let me know when you have it."

"Okay. I'll call you later today or tomorrow morning."

"Thanks."

Ziva was still standing against him with her hands roaming around under his shirt. He was amazed he had been able to hold even that short conversation with Dale. He related the news to Ziva who simply smiled at him and pulled him down to kiss her again. He happily obliged but it seemed the phone call had broken the spell. The kiss was still delicious but the uncontrollable heat that had been building was cooled. At least for the moment.

Ziva took a small step back and placed her hands on Jethro's chest. She looked up and noted his eyes were dark and the look on his face said he wanted her back where she'd just been.

"I think I would like to go look around and maybe get something to eat. How does that sound?"

"Not as good as what I was thinking but probably just what we should do."

"There is no hurry Jethro. We have waited this long perhaps we can take our time with each other."

As she said this her arms wrapped around his neck and she gave him another sweet, slow kiss. Taking their time was probably a good idea but at the moment, with her lips on his he was having trouble thinking why it was a good idea. Ziva slowly pulled away from him and he missed her even though she was still right there in front of him.

"I know we should take our time. Maybe we shouldn't even be doing this at all but damn, Ziver."

"I know. Please do not say we should not do what we want, Jethro. We are adults. We have very strong feelings for one another and we have the right to explore those feelings. Yes?"

"Yes. Definitely, yes."

"Okay. But first let us go explore this little town and find some nourishment. Perhaps we will need our strength later."

Jethro saw the spark in her eyes and couldn't help but laugh.

"Yes, perhaps we will."

Hand-in-hand they left the bed and breakfast and walked down the block to the town square. There were several booths set up on each side of the square so they began their exploration, moving in the direction of the food vendors on the far side. For anyone who noticed them, Ziva and Jethro appeared as a happy couple out for an enjoyable afternoon in a small town. They stood close together to peruse tables of homemade goods, laughed together and never lost physical contact with each other.

Jethro was of course, most interested in the wood crafts and handmade wooden toy and other items. Ziva paid the most attention to the colorful weavings and stained glass. When they came to a booth manned by an elderly fellow they were both taken with his craftsmanship with wood. He had a display of several small and medium sized wooden boxes many with inlaid tops. Jethro examined them closely and was obviously impressed with the man's expertise.

"These are really nice. You do all these yourself?", he asked the gentleman behind the table.

"You bet. Been at it for a pretty long time, maybe forty years now."

"My father used to do some inlaid work. I know it's tedious. You do beautiful work."

"Thanks. You ever try it?"

"I have but nothing like this."

Ziva spoke up, "He builds boats."

"Really? Big boats, I mean for real use on the water, not toys."

"Not toys. Small sail boats."

"Sounds interesting."

"Keeps me busy when I want it to."

Ziva was admiring one box in particular while Jethro and the man talked about different kinds of wood and which was easier or more difficult to work with. Jethro noted which one she liked and he and the man shared a look when she finally, reluctantly put it back on the table.

"It was nice to meet you, Mr. Combs. Your work is very impressive."

"Thank you. You two have a nice afternoon."

He winked at Jethro as Ziva turned to go and Jethro gave him a thumbs up. As the two of them walked away, Mr. Combs took the box Ziva had been admiring off the display table and put it away. Unless he was mistaken he was sure Jethro would be back for it later.

"I am starving. Could we please find something to eat?"

"Sure. What do you think you want?"

Ziva pointed to a young boy who was carrying a paper plate covered with something she didn't recognize.

"That looks good. What is it?"

Jethro laughed. "That's called a funnel cake. It's fried bread with powered sugar on top. They're delicious."

"I would like to try that. And something to drink."

"Your wish is my command."

Jethro wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close into his side. Then, just because he felt like it and he could, he kissed her softly on the mouth.

"It is nice to be able to be like this with you, Jethro. I like feeling you close to me, holding me."

"That's good because I intend to keep on doing it. You're right it does feel good."

They made their way to the food booths and located the one selling funnel cakes. While Jethro waited on a fresh one, Ziva got them each a bottle of water and Jethro a cup of coffee. Jethro watched her as she interacted with the young woman selling the drinks. Sometimes he forgot how young Ziva was because the life she had led made her so mature and wise beyond her years. And, he was reminded that her childhood was not exactly an easy one. Between her father's strict manner, her mother's early death and her sister's death, Ziva didn't have much of what Jethro would consider a real childhood. He wanted her to find joy in life and he wanted to be the one to share it with her. He wondered if that was being selfish.

Jethro accepted the hot, fresh funnel cake from the woman behind the counter and he and Ziva found a small table in sunny spot away from the crowd.

Jethro held the plate out to Ziva and said, "Just pull a piece off and eat it with your fingers. Careful, it's hot."

Ziva took a piece and yes, it was hot. She carefully put it in her mouth and her eyes lit up.

"Oh, that is delicious! Why have I not had this before?"

"It's mostly a fair type food. You usually don't find them anywhere except someplace like this."

Jethro took a small bite but he was wary of eating too much as his stomach was still bothering him. Every now and then he felt a sharp pain in his side.

"Well, we must go to more fairs or craft shows or whatever because I love this. I am sure it is not good for me but I do not care."

Jethro sipped his coffee and was content to watch Ziva enjoy the sweet treat. By the time the funnel cake was gone Ziva had powered sugar almost everywhere. He leaned in and kissed her on the corner of her mouth and then the other side and then on her chin.

"You have powered sugar all over yourself. I thought I'd help you clean up."

"I see. Well that is much nicer than handing me a napkin. Thank you."

"Welcome. What would you like to do now?"

"Sit here, very close to you and watch the people."

"Sounds good."

Ziva snuggled into his side and Jethro wrapped her in his arms. He kissed the top of her head and they settled in watching the people come and go and children running around the square. It was a warm fall afternoon and neither of them could imagine another place they'd rather be at that moment.

Ziva broke their long silence. "You know Tony was talking about the run of bad luck you have had and I think it did follow us on this trip."

"Whatta ya mean?"

"Well, you got sick. Our suspect died. The car broke down and the repair shop does not have what we need. To me that qualifies as a continuation of your bad luck streak."

Jethro thought about it for a few minutes then he replied, "I don't feel unlucky at the moment. Just the opposite in fact. If our bad guy hadn't died we wouldn't be sitting here right now. We'd be dealing with him. And if the car didn't break down we wouldn't be sitting here right now. So, all in all I'd say our luck, at least from my point of view, has been pretty damn good."

Ziva laughed and leaned up to kiss him. She had never heard Jethro say so much at one time.

"I stand corrected. I do feel very lucky at this moment."

Ziva looked him in the eye and her voice turned serious. "Jethro, I do not know exactly what is happening between us but I want you to know I trust you and I want us to see where this goes together."

Jethro traced her jaw line with is fingers and gently ran his thumb over her lips.

"Ziver. I just want you to be happy. If I can help make that happen that is what I want to do. You are more important to me than anyone has been in a very long time."

It took all Ziva's considerable willpower not to devour him right then and there.

"And you are important to me."

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Jethro needed to get up and move. He was beginning to have more pain, more often so he wanted to begin making their way back to the bed and breakfast.

"Let's walk around a little and head back."

"Okay."

They walked around the square taking their time and looking at various handmade crafts along the way. Jethro knew he had a stop to make and was working out how to get Ziva to go back to the room alone for a few minutes. When they came to the corner that led to the bed and breakfast he paused.

"I want to go talk to Dale and see if he found a belt. Why don't you go back to the room and call Vance and let him know what's going on."

"Oh yes, we never told him we are delayed. I will call. Should I say we will be back tomorrow?"

"Don't know. Just tell him we'll be in the office on Monday."

"Alright."

Ziva started to go but turned back and reached for his hand.

"Jethro are you alright?"

"Yeah, why?"

"You look pale all of a sudden. Are you sure you are not feeling ill?"

"No, I'm fine."

Jethro kissed her softly on the mouth. "Go on and I'll be there soon."

Ziva let go of his hand and walked off but she was not convinced he wasn't feeling badly again. She had spent years watching Jethro and reading his eyes and just now she knew she saw pain in those blue eyes she loved so much. But, Jethro was loathe to let anyone see him hurting so she knew it wouldn't be easy getting him to admit if he didn't feel well. She would find out though, of that she was certain.

When Ziva was out of sight, Jethro called Dale and asked about the belt. He was told Dale had located one and would have it there in the morning. He said he'd have the car ready to go by ten o'clock. Jethro thanked him and made his way back to the booth of the man selling the wooden inlaid boxes.

"I knew you'd be back."

Mr. Combs reached under the table and pulled out the keepsake box Ziva had admired. It was about the size of a Kleenex box and the lid was a beautiful inlaid scene of the mountains.

Jethro took it and lifted the lid and was surprised to find it was a music box. The tune was "Beautiful Dreamer" which Jethro thought was just perfect for Ziva.

"I didn't realize it was also a music box. I think she'll love it."

"If not bring it back and she can exchange it for another but she was sure looking hard at it earlier."

"Yes, she was. Thank you for putting it back."

Jethro handed Mr. Combs a one hundred dollar bill and accepted his change. Mr. Combs wrapped the box in several pieces of tissue paper and put it in a bag for Jethro.

"Thank you, I hope your lady enjoys it."

"I'm sure she will. Thanks again."

Jethro started back to the bed and breakfast but was suddenly overtaken by severe pain in his right side. He had to stop and sit down on a bench that fortunately was right there. He took several deep breaths and finally managed to get himself together. He considered calling Ducky and asking him his opinion but decided against it. Jethro couldn't remember the last time he'd experienced such pain but he was pretty sure a bullet had been involved whenever it was. Finally, after about fifteen minutes he felt steady enough to continue to the room.

When Jethro got back to the room he knocked before using his key to enter. He didn't want to surprise Ziva in case she was showering or changing clothes. As it was she had already done both of those things. He could smell the lingering scent of her body wash and shampoo. Ziva was on the couch in the sitting area combing through her still damp hair. Jethro watched for a moment, admiring the beauty he too often failed to notice in their day-to-day work life. Well, he didn't really fail to notice her beauty, he just refused to let himself appreciate it. Not anymore he silently vowed; not anymore.

Ziva looked up and caught him watching him. She smiled and patted the seat next to her.

"Come join me. I am all fresh and clean."

Jethro dropped his jacket and weapon on the chair and sat down next to her placing the package on the cushion next to him. He leaned over and kissed her on the temple.

"Umm, you smell very good."

"Thank you. The shower is wonderful. I feel much better now that I am all clean and in my comfy clothes."

Jethro took in the yoga pants and loose tee shirt and bare feet. She certainly looked comfortable.

"If I go take a shower will you promise to leave this package alone until I get back?"

Ziva looked across him and eyed the package.

"Only if you do not take too long. My patience is almost at an end."

Jethro smirked at her. "I know just how you feel. Ten minutes tops and I'll be back."

"Then the package will not be touched until you return but on one condition."

"And what is that?"

"You must kiss me before you go."

Jethro didn't respond to that demand; at least not verbally. Instead he stood up and pulled her up with him. He put his hands on her hips and maneuvered her against the nearest wall and proceeded to kiss her with an urgency he had not shown her before. He got his fingers in her hair and devoured her. When he let her breathe he moved his kiss to her neck, down to her shoulder and then when he figured she'd had time to catch her breath, he returned to her mouth. His tongue explored her mouth and his hands moved from her hair to slide up her back and press her closer to his chest. The little sounds she was making told him she was enjoying this as much as he was.

Eventually they pulled apart but only enough to be able to see each other and recognize the need they both felt.

"Ziver. You know how long I've wanted to do that?"

"No but I hope it is almost as long as I have wanted you to. I have wanted to be in your arms since I came back from Africa. I never thought it would happen."

"It probably shouldn't but. . ."

"Please do not say that. Not today anyway. Not when we have this chance to be away and alone. Let us have this short time and later we will deal with reality whatever that may be."

Jethro stroked her face gently. He didn't want to think about later and reality and rules. He didn't want to think at all; he just wanted to feel and enjoy.

"Maybe I don't need a shower after all."

He leaned down to kiss her again but this time Ziva kept it short. She put her hands on his chest and moved him back just barely.

"No, you go shower and let me organize some things I want to say to you. Then we will pick up where we have left off."

"Promise?

"Yes. I promise."

Ziva gave Jethro a gentle shove toward the bathroom and he reluctantly went. On the way he picked up his bag and soon Ziva heard the water running. She sat down on the side of the bed and told herself to calm down. She was having a hard time staying put and letting Jethro have the shower to himself. Ziva knew she was in love with her boss and she knew just as surely that those feelings could very easily be her downfall.

Ziva had watched women come and go from Jethro's life for the past several years and she didn't want to be another one of those women he was with for a few weeks or months and then suddenly they were no longer anywhere to be seen. As difficult as it would be to call a halt to what they were doing now it would much more painful later on. Ziva had always been very careful about her personal life and kept a tight rein on her emotions. That was about to go out the window with Jethro but before it did she had to know he was not looking for a short term fling with her. She was pretty sure he wasn't but until he told her so she was going to continue to keep his at arm's length. Or at least not get into bed with him.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks to all my followers and those who leave comments. I appreciate each one. To the guest reviewers especially, thank you since I can't thank you in a PM. **

**Bad Luck Turns to Good**

**Chapter 5**

While Jethro was showering his pain returned but not nearly as bad as it had been outside. He promised himself he would call Ducky as soon as they got home tomorrow afternoon. He had no idea what was wrong but he was getting tired of it. Ziva was right; the shower was really good. Whoever had done the updating in the bathroom had done a good job and Jethro was reminded that he needed to do some of the same things at his house. But, he stopped admiring the tile work and finished his shower so he could get back to the woman in the other room. There was some admiring he wanted to do there that was more important than bathroom tile.

When he came out of the bathroom wearing some old, lightweight sweatpants and a Marine tee shirt, Jethro found Ziva sitting cross-legged in the middle of the bed watching Jeopardy. Again, he just watched her for a moment until she caught him and turned off the television.

"Come here and let me see if you smell as good as you said I do."

"I promise you I don't."

Jethro went over and picked up the package and returned to sit on the side of the bed. Ziva leaned into him and made an elaborate show of sniffing him. She nuzzled his neck and kissed him on the cheek.

"Yes, you smell very good, Agent Gibbs. Very good indeed."

"Thank you. Here, this is for you."

"Why?"

"Because I wanted to."

Ziva took the package and held it for a moment without making a move to unwrap it.

"Open it."

"Be patient. I want to savor the moment. I do not think anyone has ever given me a gift just because they wanted to."

This made Jethro sad and it must have shown on his face because Ziva reached up and smoothed her fingers down his face.

"I did not mean to put a damper on the occasion. Do not be sad for me Jethro."

"Sometimes I forget you didn't have the life I would wish for you. Okay, enough of that, open it. Please."

Ziva did and when she unwrapped the last of the tissue paper her face lit up and Jethro was at least as happy as she was. Ziva carefully ran her finger tips over the lid and then opened it. When the music began to play she couldn't help the tears that sprang to her eyes. She looked up at Jethro and gifted him with the most beautiful smile he had ever seen.

"Oh my, Jethro it is so beautiful. And the music. . .it is a piece I danced to as a child. This is the most wonderful gift I have ever received. Thank you so very much."

Jethro had no idea she would be so moved and it made him especially glad he had decided to buy the box.

"You're welcome. I'm glad you like it."

Ziva set the box carefully on the bedside table and moved over beside Jethro and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. Jethro shifted and leaned into her and Ziva fell back on the bed pulling him down with her. He braced himself above her and searched her eyes for any hesitation or unease about what they were about to do. He saw only her desire and her love for him although he might not have known that was what he was seeing. Ziva saw the same thing in his eyes and she tugged at him with her arms around his neck.

"Kiss me Jethro. You promised."

He did. He kissed her softly and then more forcefully and then in all the ways she had ever imagined he might. When he tugged her shirt up and off over her head she returned the favor and pulled his tee shirt off and tossed it on the floor. The feel of his warm, firm chest pressing against her breasts caused Ziva to lose what little control she still had and she rolled them over to have her turn at directing the action.

Ziva pulled her hair back and fastened it with a band she kept around her wrist.

"No, I like it down", Jethro complained.

"Later you may take it down. Right now it is in the way."

Ziva kissed him and he forgot about her hair. She kissed along his jaw and then found a spot just where his shoulder and neck met that seemed to be particularly sensitive. She spent some time there tasting and soothing and driving him crazy. Jethro's hands were skimming up and down her sides and finally came to rest on her breasts. His thumbs were rubbing her nipples and Ziva was losing her ability to think. She returned to his mouth and Jethro rolled them over never losing contact with her luscious lips. As he was about to move down and turn his attention to her breasts his phone began chirping at them from the table.

"Shit!"

"Ignore it. It is not as important as the two of us."

Jethro looked at her and smiled. She was right. He lowered his head and licked a trail from the valley between her breasts back to her mouth. The phone finally shut off and Ziva ran her fingers through his hair as his mouth descended to her left breast. He kissed and licked there until her nipple was a hard peak and as he began to suck that lovely nipple into his mouth Ziva's phone rang.

Now it was her turn to be annoyed.

"Oh for god's sake!"

Jethro could barely contain his unhappiness. He looked up at her and took a breath.

"Did you talk to Leon?"

"I left a message. He was not there."

"You might as well answer."

Jethro refused to relinquish his position so he reached for the phone and handed it to Ziva. While she answered he turned his attention back to exploring her chest. Needless to say she was not much interested in talking to Director Vance at that moment.

"Hello, Director. Did you get my message?"

Jethro kissed his way from left breast to right and back again. Ziva tried to maintain her breathing as normally as possible.

Jethro heard her say something about him and looked up at her shaking his head.

"Yes, he is right here. We did not hear his phone. Perhaps it is turned down. Here he is."

Jethro glared at her but his glare hadn't scared her since about the second time he'd directed it at her so she just smiled at him. Still, he refused to move too far from where he was enjoying himself. He did roll off onto his side keeping one leg between Ziva's and leaning into her.

"Yeah Leon."

Silence from him while Ziva pushed him onto his back and began playing with his chest hair and dropping quick, soft kisses all over his chest.

"No, you're not interrupting anything. We were just talking about finding some dinner."

Ziva was torturing him by scraping her nails up and down his chest and when she leaned down and sucked on his left nipple he almost choked trying not to groan.

"Leon, we'll be back in the office on Monday. The car will be ready in the morning by ten."

Jethro tried the glare again but Ziva just smiled and moved over to straddle his hips. Now he really did have to get off the damn phone.

"Leon, the phone's about to die. See ya Monday."

Back at the Navy Yard, Director Vance looked at the phone receiver in his hand and shook his head. Something was going on in North Carolina and he was damn sure he didn't want to know what it was.

Jethro shut the phone, dropped it on the floor and pulled Ziva down for a kiss that suggested they were just getting started. About halfway through the kiss Jethro felt Ziva smiling against his lips and before he knew what was happening she was actually laughing. Needless to say Jethro was at a loss as to what was going on. Ziva eventually pulled back and then buried her face against his shoulder.

"What the hell Ziver! What's so damn funny?"

"I am sorry but the look on your face when I handed you the phone and while you were talking to the Director. It was priceless. I have never seen you so flustered, Jethro."

"Well you've never seen me in this particular position while on the phone with my boss before!"

Then Jethro couldn't help but see the humor in the moment and soon they were both laughing. Ziva stayed collapsed on his chest and Jethro pulled the band from her hair and contented himself with stroking his fingers through her thick curls. Their passion may have cooled off a bit but the wonderful feeling of intimacy they were still sharing was enough for them for right now.

After a few minutes Ziva moved onto her side and propped her head on one hand while the other traced random circles on Jethro's chest. He looked down at her and waited but after a long few moments when she didn't speak he couldn't stand it any longer.

"What's on your mind Ziver?"

"Is there anything you wish to ask me Jethro? About my past I mean."

"You mean like about men in your past or what?"

"Yes. I know about the women in your life; or at least some of them. Do you want or need to know about my past lovers?"

"Only if you want or need to tell me about them. We're not kids; me especially, and we both have a past life. I'm really more interested in what the future will be."

"Alright. I feel the same way."

"But?"

Ziva stilled her hand and in a moment she sat up sitting crossed legged beside his hip. Jethro sensed some seriousness coming so he too sat up leaning against the headboard.

"Talk to me Ziver. You said earlier that you trust me. You know you can ask or tell me anything."

Ziva had given this conversation a lot of thought and as much as she dreaded having it she needed to get it over with. She wanted no lingering questions between herself and Jethro as they went forward. Or wherever they were going.

She looked up at her boss, her friend, the man she was in love with, and searched his eyes for a clue as to how he was feeling. She saw a calmness there that was not all that common. On his face was only acceptance and affection. She took courage from that and began.

"Jethro, I have watched over the years that I have known you, women come and go from your life. Jenny of course but also Colonel Mann and others. Ms. Hart and Holly Snow and finally Dr. Ryan last year."

Ziva was watching his face for any hint of anger or upset and when she saw him about to speak she gently pressed a finger to his lips.

"Please let me finish."

Jethro grasped her wrist lightly, pressed a kiss to her palm and gestured for her to continue.

"I assumed at the time those women were around that you were involved with them outside of the office. I didn't like that of course but it was absolutely none of my business so I tried to ignore it and them and eventually they were gone. At least as far as I knew. What I am saying so poorly Jethro, is I do not want to be another woman you spend a few months with and then are through with. While I know I would enjoy those few months, that is not enough for me and I do not want to take the risks we will be taking for something so short-lived."

All that had come out in a bit of a rush and Ziva stopped to take a breath. Jethro did not indicate he was about to speak and they sat looking at each other for what seemed to Ziva to be a very long time.

"That is all. I just needed to say that and let you know that I want to be with you but not in a casual way or for only a little while."

The relief Jethro felt when he heard what Ziva said was beyond description. His secret fear was that Ziva wanted the opposite of what she had just described. He was afraid she was just looking for a relationship that while it might be serious, it would not be for the long run. He knew she had never been in a long term relationship and he had concluded in his own mind that that was a conscious choice on her part. To hear her say she wanted to be with him for the long term was music to his ears.

Jethro held his arms out and Ziva went back to her previous position of sitting on him, her knees on either side of his waist. Jethro smoothed her hair back and kissed her softly on the mouth. He held her hands and looked her right in the face.

"I want you to listen to me, Ziver and believe what I'm about to say. What I feel for you is way beyond what I felt for any of those women you watched come and go. I loved Shannon and I loved Jenny. I don't think I really loved my ex-wives and I surely did not love any of the other women you mentioned. As I told you yesterday, you are more important to me than anyone has been in a very long time.

You mentioned risk. I don't worry about what I might be risking to be with you but if there was some risk involved I promise you I would find you worth the risk. There is no way I would ever let us get into even the relationship we are in now if I didn't intend to be in it for the long run. I want to give you whatever you want, Ziver. I want to be with you in every way possible for as long as you'll have me."

Ziva fought to keep the tears that were filling her eyes from spilling down her cheeks because she knew how much it upset Jethro to see a woman cry. But, she couldn't help it; they fell. Jethro kissed them away and held her close against his chest.

"I have never heard you say so much at one time."

"There is one more thing I want to say."

Ziva pushed herself up and wiped her face.

"What is it?"

"I love you."

The silence in the room was deafening. Jethro just looked at her with a smile on his face and a gleam in his eyes. Ziva was stunned and had to take a moment to catch her breath and formulate her response.

"What a happy coincidence. I happen to love you."

"Whew, glad we got that settled. You think we could go back to where we were before we were so rudely interrupted by our boss?"

"Very definitely."

And that is exactly what they did. They explored and tasted and enjoyed each other and finally when they couldn't wait any longer, they made sweet love to each other. Their coming together was perfect and unhurried and took their collective breath away. Afterward they lay together, sweat cooling on their bodies and they held each other and fell asleep.

Some time later, she had no idea what time it was, Ziva awoke to find Jethro sitting on the side of the bed holding his side in obvious pain. She moved to sit beside him putting her hand on his back.

"Jethro what is wrong?"

"That pain I've been having is back. Just give me a minute and it will go away."

"Jethro, you need to find out what is wrong. Obviously it is not a bad taco."

He looked at her and smirked.

"Kinda figured that out already. I'll go see Ducky when we get back."

"How about we go find a doctor now."

"No, it's better now. It comes and goes and as long as it goes away I'd rather wait and see Ducky."

Ziva knew him well enough to know not to argue so she sat with him and rubbed his back and kissed his shoulder and waited for him to be okay. After about five minutes Jethro put his arm around her and kissed her on the top of the head.

"Why don't we go find some dinner? You hungry?"

"As a matter of fact I am. I had some rather strenuous exercise earlier and I seem to have developed an appetite."

"Really? Well, let's share a quick shower and go find some food."

The showering wasn't exactly quick and there was very little washing that went into the experience but they both enjoyed it. A lot.

While they were getting dressed, Ziva said, "I saw a little café in the next block while we were out. Should we try that?"

Jethro just stood looking at Ziva and didn't say a word. He was dressed in a pair of well worn jeans and a Marine Corps sweatshirt. He was waiting on her to finish whatever she was doing with her hair and found he was having a hard time keeping his thoughts straight. Just two days ago he was in his basement thinking about Ziva and believing he would never have the happiness he so desperately wanted. People who didn't know Jethro very well, and that was almost everyone in his world, would never think he craved the security of a family, but he did. He presented himself as very self sufficient and if not happy, at least content with his life. For the most part that might have been true but for the last few years Jethro had thought more and more about the absence of family in his life and he still wanted that. He wanted someone to come home to and someone to be with for the highs and lows and the regular, everyday happenings of life. The idea of having all that with Ziva had been a very distant dream for the last year and he couldn't believe that he was on the threshold of having that dream come true.

"Jethro, are you alright?"

"What? Oh yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking."

Ziva walked up to him and put her hands on his chest. Jethro snaked his arms around her waist and held her tightly.

"About what?"

"Us. What we're doing. How much I want you."

"That sounds like something I would like to hear more about."

"You know this isn't going to be easy right?"

"I know. You and I are both very stubborn and very accustomed to being alone. It will take some work on both our parts. I think you are worth the effort. _**We **_are worth the effort."

"Ziver, are you sure you know what you're getting yourself into? I'm not easy and you already know the names of several women who will verify that."

"I am very sure I want to be with you. Very sure I love you. As to what I am getting into, maybe I do not know for sure but I am willing to find out as we go along."

"Okay, let's go eat."

They left the bed and breakfast and walked down the street to the café Ziva had seen earlier. There were still a lot of people on the street and some of the booths were still open. After they had eaten they walked back to the square where there was a band playing. They found a bench off to the side of the busy food court and sat holding hands and enjoying the music. The evening was clear and warm and the festive atmosphere made the small town seem alive. Ziva leaned into Jethro and he put his arm around her shoulders. It felt so good to be able to touch each other without anyone questioning them or raising eyebrows.

As the night wore on Jethro began to realize he didn't feel all that great. He was now getting anxious to get home and see Ducky and find out what was going on. He wasn't in pain so much as he just felt nauseous and almost feverish. He found himself taking deep breaths and before long he knew he needed to get back to their room.

"Ziver I need to go back to the room. Sorry, but I'm not feeling too good."

Ziva looked at him with alarm. "Should we find a doctor?"

"No, I just want to lie down. I'm sure it will pass."

They made their way back to the room and Jethro went into the bathroom feeling like he was going to be sick. He came out a few minutes later looking pale. Ziva wanted to call Ducky and at least talk to him but Jethro said no so she didn't argue. She agreed he couldn't do anything over the phone so even though it would have made her feel better she let Jethro make the decision. He stripped down to his boxers and got into bed feeling feverish and still nauseous.

Ziva sat on the side of the bed and held his hand.

"Is there anything I can get you?"

"No, I don't think so. Sorry about this."

"Nothing for you to be sorry about. I am sorry you are feeling bad."

Ziva laid the back of her hand on his forehead and was sure he had a fever. She went to the bathroom and soaked a washcloth in cold water and brought it to him. She laid it on his forehead and Jethro smiled his thanks.

"Feels good."

"Just relax and try to sleep. I'll be right here."

"Why don't you sit in the comfortable chair. I'm okay."

Reluctantly Ziva agreed and after kissing him softly on the cheek she got her book and went to read in the little sitting area just off the bedroom. She could still see Jethro in the bed and looked up to check on him every few minutes. After a while he seemed to relax and he fell asleep. Ziva read for a while but eventually the day caught up with her and she fell asleep in the chair. She must have been very soundly asleep because she didn't hear Jethro get up about two hours later. He was in tremendous pain and had a high fever.

Jethro managed to get out of bed but he was in so much pain he could hardly move. He struggled over to the doorway to the sitting area and was leaning against the door jamb when Ziva suddenly woke up.

"Ziver." Jethro's voice was barely audible and was a dead giveaway as to his condition.

Ziva jumped up and went to him. She could see that he was weak and about to fall down. She wrapped her arm around his waist and led him back to the bed. Before either of them could do anything Jethro was violently ill. Ziva managed to get out of the way and held him as he vomited onto the floor. When he was through she guided him to the bed and wiped his face with the washcloth that had been on his forehead earlier.

Ziva picked up her phone and called 911. She didn't care what he said; they needed help.

"Jethro where is your pain?"

"Side mostly. It's bad Ziver."

"I am calling 911. Hold on."

Ziva got a clean, wet washcloth and wiped Jethro's face. He was burning up with fever. Ziva had seen Jethro hurt before but she had never seen him in such obvious pain and distress.

The 911 operator answered and Ziva said, "I have a man in terrible pain and a high fever. We need an ambulance."

She gave their location and the operator ask her if she could meet the EMTs in the lobby. Ziva said she would and hung up.

"Jethro, an ambulance is coming. I will go down and meet them and we will get you to the hospital."

He didn't argue which told Ziva he was definitely in a bad way. She had seen him refuse medical care after being shot and after being beaten and stabbed. For him to not protest going to the hospital much less the arrival of an ambulance spoke volumes. Ziva threw their used bath towels on the floor where Jethro had been sick. She got her pack and put Jethro's wallet, credentials and weapon in it along with hers and their phones. She would definitely be calling Ducky now.

In just a few minutes she heard a siren and was relieved that help was almost there.

"Jethro, they are here. I am going down to get them."

He didn't respond and Ziva was afraid he was going to pass out.

"Are you with me? Can you answer me, Jethro?"

"Hurts."

His breathing was shallow as if it hurt him to take a breath. Ziva knew she couldn't help him so she went out to meet the paramedics. In no time at all they had Jethro on a gurney and in the ambulance. Ziva got in the back and held his hand.

"You have a hospital here?"

"Yes, ma'am. It's small but we can handle most things. Do you know what's going on with your friend?"

"No. He has had pain on and off for a few days but it got really bad tonight. He vomited once. As you can see he has a fever and that is new tonight."

The paramedic leaned over and asked Jethro, "Do you have your appendix, sir?"

"Yeah."

Jethro's response was hardly more than a whisper, his voice laced with pain. His eyes were closed and Ziva was afraid he was going to pass out. Or maybe that would have been easier on him, she didn't know. All she knew for sure was in the future she was not going to listen to him when it came to matters of his health. Things were going to be different in the future in more ways than he knew.

"Okay. Well, sounds like you might not have it for long."

They arrived at the hospital on the edge of town in less than five minutes and Ziva was encouraged at the level of professionalism she saw from the nurses in charge. They took Jethro into a curtained area of the emergency room and a doctor quickly appeared to assess the situation. Ziva gave the man at the desk Jethro's insurance card and information. She kept one eye on Jethro while she answered the nurse's questions.

The doctor stepped out and said to Ziva, "Looks like your friend probably has a ruptured appendix. I'm taking him for a quick ultrasound and them most likely straight to surgery. This is a fairly routine procedure but we will need to see what exactly is going on. You can wait here but I'd suggest you come up to the second floor waiting area. It's more comfortable."

"Can I see him before you go?"

"Sure. We don't want to delay long though, he's in a lot of pain."

"Okay. I just need a quick minute."

Ziva went to Jethro's side and leaned down close to his face. She could see the pain in his eyes when he opened them to look at her.

"They are taking you to surgery. I will be there when you wake up. I love you."

"Love you. Sorry about this."

"You cannot help this. Just try and relax and I will see you soon."

She gave him a quick kiss and followed the doctor and nurses as they wheeled him to the elevator. They took Jethro off for the ultrasound and Ziva found the waiting room and settled in to wait. In about fifteen minutes a nurse came out and told her they were taking Jethro to surgery and that yes, his appendix had ruptured.

Ziva tried not to worry but she couldn't really help it. She thought about calling Ducky but when she looked at her watch she saw it was almost midnight. She decided there was no point in calling until she could give him Jethro's condition. It wasn't as if he could come sit with her after all.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

**Bad Luck Turns to Good**

**Chapter 6**

Ziva now had some time to think about what was going to happen when she and Jethro got back to DC.

She thought about how the team would react and hoped they would be supportive. The idea of not working with Jethro and rest of the team was not something Ziva wanted to contemplate but if that was what it took to be with him then she was ready to make the change. She knew of no written policy that said she and Jethro could not be in a relationship and still work together but she knew that often the unwritten rules were even more important than the ones in the policy manual.

While she waited she Googled 'ruptured appendix' and what she read didn't scare her as much as she had thought it would. Seemed the danger of infection was pretty serious but also that it was a fairly common problem. She tried to be confident in the hospital and the care Jethro was receiving. One thing she noted was the warning signs and the fact that early detection and treatment meant a much better outcome. Naturally, Jethro had not heeded the early warning signs; no surprise there. The man seemed to think he was invincible. Or did he just not care? That was something Ziva would change if they were together.

The time drug on and on until finally the doctor Ziva had spoken to earlier came out to give her a report.

"Agent Gibbs tolerated the surgery very well. I saw very little sign of infection but we have him on a strong antibiotic as a precaution. This is obviously not his first time in an operating room."

"No, hardly. When can I see him?"

"He's in recovery now and will be in a room in an hour or so. I expect we will need to keep him here for a couple of days but he should do fine. Do you have any questions?"

"We will be driving back to DC when he's able. How long before he could make that trip?"

"That really depends on how he feels. This is Saturday, just barely, and I expect I would discharge him on Monday. If he feels up to it he could go home then but I might wait a day just to be sure. Maybe you should plan on Tuesday. He'll be weak but he should be up to riding in a car for a few hours."

"Thank you doctor."

"You're welcome. Someone will come get you when he's settled in his room."

Ziva was nervously pacing the hallway when a nurse found her and took her to Jethro's room.

"He was just awake enough to leave recovery but he's still mostly out of it. He'll probably sleep for a while."

"Thank you."

Ziva stood next to the bed and watched Jethro sleeping. He looked very relaxed and she was sure that was the drugs working. She never tired of looking at him and this was an opportunity not to be missed. She studied his face and leaned down to kiss him on the forehead. Ziva lowered the side rail on the bed and sat down to wait. She took his right hand and kissed it then just held on and watched. She fantasized about waking up next to this man for the rest of her life and decided she liked that idea very much. She wondered if forever was what Jethro had in mind for them.

After almost half an hour Jethro began to rouse. He blinked a few times and finally opened his eyes and focused. He felt some small soft hands holding one of his and gradually he realized where he was. The smell and the beeping were his first clues.

Ziva stood up so he could see her.

"Hi. Welcome back."

"Hey" was all he could croak out.

The nurse had told Ziva to give him only ice cubes if he wanted them so she asked if he did and he nodded yes.

She spooned a few into his mouth and he quickly swallowed. He opened his mouth silently asking for more.

"Not too much too fast they said."

"I know."

"Not your first time is it? Do you have any pain?"

"No. What happened?"

"Your appendix ruptured. You had surgery and now you are going to be fine."

"Huh. You okay?"

"Yes, I am fine. It was a little worrisome but everything is okay now. I will call the Director later and Ducky too."

"How long?"

"Will you be here? A couple of days. We should be able to go home on Tuesday."

Jethro opened his mouth and Ziva gave him some more ice. She got a warm cloth from the bathroom and wiped his face.

"Thank you."

"You are very welcome. I am glad you are okay, Jethro. The doctor said you will be fine. They have you on some antibiotics but she said there didn't seem to be much infection."

"Can I have a kiss?"

"Of course."

Ziva leaned over him and gave him a gentle, sweet kiss on the mouth.

Jethro smiled at her and closed his eyes and faded back to sleep. Ziva sighed and settled down to wait again. She dozed on and off for the next hour as Jethro woke and went back to sleep about every twenty minutes. Ziva looked at her watch and saw it almost three thirty; no wonder she was so tired. Jethro woke up again and this time was awake for almost half an hour before he became restless and uncomfortable. Just as Ziva was about to call for a nurse, the young man walked in.

"He's been awake for a while but seems to be in some pain."

"Agent Gibbs are you having pain?"

"Some. About a six I'd say."

"You can have some pain medication now, in fact you're a little past due. How do you feel otherwise? Do you know where you are and what happened?"

"Yeah. I'm all here don't worry. Just starting to hurt."

Ziva was amazed and pleased that he would admit he was in pain. She watched as the nurse, Nathan, administered the pain meds through the IV.

"That should kick in pretty quickly and then I imagine you'll sleep for a good while."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome Agent Gibbs." Nathan looked at Ziva and said, "Just buzz or come get me if you need anything."

"Thank you I will."

When Nathan was gone, Ziva leaned over Jethro and gave him a proper kiss.

"Now, you go to sleep and when you wake up you will feel better."

"I want you to get some rest. Go back to the room and get some real sleep."

"I am not going anywhere. I do not trust you with the nurses around here."

"Nathan's not my type."

"No but Michelle is and she is also on duty. I am fine here. I can sleep in the chair."

"Okay. Love you."

And he was out.

A few minutes later Nathan reappeared with a pillow and a blanket.

"That chair by the window reclines and it's not too bad for sleeping. I know because I've slept in them before."

"Thank you. I will give it a try."

Ziva slipped off her shoes and settled in the chair which was actually not all that bad. She moved it so she could snuggle down and still see Jethro sleeping. She didn't see him for long though because after about three minutes she was sound asleep.

When Ziva woke up almost three hours later she greeted by the sight of Jethro's blue eyes watching her. He smiled at her and waggled his fingers to say a silent hello. Ziva ran her hands over her face and through her hair before getting up. She padded on bare feet to the bedside and took Jethro's hand in her.

"Good morning."

"Morning. You sleep pretty well in that chair?"

"It was apparently very adequate judging by the length of time I slept."

"What time is it anyway?"

Ziva looked at her watch and was surprised to see it was almost six o'clock.

"Nearly six. How are you feeling?"

"Better. Kinda hungry."

"Let me go freshen up a bit and I will go talk to a nurse about breakfast."

Ziva went into the bathroom, used the toilet then washed her hands and face and rinsed out her mouth. Feeling a bit better she went into the hallway to see what she could find out about the breakfast schedule.

Someone brought what they said was breakfast and Jethro ate it only because Ziva threatened him if he didn't. They sat for a while and talked about nothing in particular until Jethro insisted Ziva go back to the room and shower and take a nap.

"Maybe you should call Dale and see if by chance he has the car ready now. I know he said ten but maybe it's ready. If so maybe he could bring it to you here so you could go back to the room."

"What a good idea. I wonder why I did not think of that."

"Because you have me to do it for you."

Ziva turned serious for a moment.

"You know we have some talking we need to do. Before we go back to our normal lives we have some things we need to discuss."

Jethro reached for her hand.

"I know. Look, give me my phone and I'll call Vance and Ducky. You call Dale and then you go back and talk to Mrs. Walker about the room and rest for a while."

"Yes, I need to arrange to stay a few more days. I will bring you back your pants if you like."

"I would like very much to have my pants, thank you."

Ziva gave Jethro his phone and stepped away to call Dale about the car. She heard part of Jethro's call to the Director and was sitting beside the bed when he called Ducky. She could imagine the look on their friend's when Jethro told him what was going on. She signaled Jethro to put the phone on speaker and amazingly he knew how to do that.

"_Dr. Mallard here."_

"Hey Duck it's me."

"_Good morning, Jethro. Are you back home?"_

"No. Duck you won't believe what's happened since I left."

"_Nothing bad I hope. Where are you?"_

"We're still in North Carolina. You know our bad guy died right?"

"_Yes, Director Vance told me. What else has happened? Why aren't you home yet"_

"We started home on time but the car broke down. Had to get towed to this little town, don't even know the name. Anyway, they didn't have the part so we had to spend the night. . ."

Jethro had to stop and take a sip of water because his throat was still dry from the anesthesia. He passed the phone over to Ziva.

"Hello Ducky, Jethro had to take a drink so I will fill you in on the rest. Last night Jethro woke up in terrible pain, with a fever and vomiting. I called 911 and they got him to the hospital. His appendix had ruptured and he had surgery and now he is fine."

"_My goodness what an adventure you two are having. Jethro had you been feeling ill prior to this episode last night?"_

Jethro nodded at Ziva telling her in his own way to go ahead and answer for him. He reached for her free hand and laced their fingers together. Ziva grinned at him and continued with Ducky.

"Yes he had but he blamed it first on a bad taco and then he just ignored it. He was going to call you when he got home but that did not work out either."

"_Are you satisfied with the care he is getting, Ziva?"_

"Yes, they seem very competent. The doctor seemed to know right away what the trouble was. In fact even the guy in the ambulance knew. As I said, he is much better. The doctor said she would likely discharge him on Monday and we should be able to leave and be home on Tuesday. Does that sound reasonable to you?"

"_Yes, that sounds right. As long as he does well and doesn't overdo it as he is wont to do."_

"Do not worry about that. I will keep him quiet. Jethro will call you when he gets home I am sure."

"_Yes, Jethro do call me and I'll come over and give you my own checkup. I'm glad you were there with him Ziva. Thank you for calling me."_

"Bye Duck. I'll call you when I get back."

Jethro closed the phone before Ziva could say goodbye and she gave him a glare.

"Oh, sorry. Wanna call him back so you can say bye?"

"That is not necessary. I am sure Ducky is used to your phone etiquette or lack thereof."

"I'm sure he is. What did Dale say?"

"The car will be ready in about thirty minutes and he will bring it to me here. He seemed to know you were here before I told him."

"Small town. Probably big news when the ambulance takes a guest from the bed and breakfast to the hospital in the middle of the night."

"I suppose so. You look tired. Maybe you should relax and try to sleep for a while."

"I'm sure I will while you're gone."

Jethro was running his thumb back and forth on the back of Ziva's hand. They both fell quiet and were deep in thought when the doctor walked in.

"Good morning Agent Gibbs. How are you feeling?"

"Pretty good. Tired. Almost no pain though which is nice."

"You are doing very well according to all of our machines and charts. I hear you ate the breakfast and you're still feeling well so that's a good sign."

"Any real food in the near future?"

"You can actually have whatever sounds good to you within reason. I'd go easy on greasy or fried food but you can have pretty much anything."

"When will I be able to leave here?"

"I'd like to keep you until Monday morning. You should be good to make the drive back to DC on Tuesday with no problems. You could probably do it on Monday but you might not be very comfortable. Tuesday would be better."

"That's fine. Sure glad you were here last night, Doc."

"Me too. You would have been in much worse shape if you hadn't come in when you did. The biggest problem with a ruptured appendix is usually infection. You had very little so I'd say the extreme pain you felt was pretty much when it happened."

"I'm glad I only have one because I wouldn't want to do that again."

"No, I suspect not. Just relax today and sleep as much as you can. I'll check back this evening."

"Thanks."

Jethro and Ziva just looked at each other and still neither of them knew what to say. They both knew there were lots of things they needed to say. Things that needed to be talked about and decided upon but neither one of them had the vaguest idea of how to start the conversation. Finally, Jethro decided to step up and get things started.

"While you're gone this morning I want you to think about what we're going to tell people about us when we get home."

"Do we have to tell them anything? Maybe we should just keep this to ourselves. At least for a while."

"I'm not sure I want to do that but let's think about it. Maybe you're right. We have to agree and both be comfortable with whatever we decide. I'll think about it too. When I'm not sleeping that is."

Ziva looked at her watch and saw it was about time for Dale to arrive. She stood up and leaned down to give Jethro a kiss. He got his fingers in her hair and held her in place so they could have a proper kiss. When they both needed to breathe Jethro let her go.

"There is something else I want you to think about while you're gone."

"This is not sounding like I am going to get much rest. What else should I be thinking about?"

"Think about the fact that I love you. That I want to be with you for as long as you'll have me. Thing about that Agent David."

"I will. And you give some thought to how much I love you. Just to give you a clue, I love you more than I thought was possible. And I think I have for a very long time."

Ziva met Dale outside the front door of the hospital and went back to the bed and breakfast after dropping him off back at his garage. She explained to Mrs. Walker what had happened in the middle of the night and asked if she could keep the room for a few more days. She apologized profusely for leaving the room in such poor condition, meaning of course, two towels on the floor where Jethro had been sick. Mrs. Walker told her not to think a thing about it. Of course, she already knew about the ambulance and that Jethro was in the hospital. She assured Ziva the room was theirs as long as they needed it. Thanking her, Ziva went up to the room which had been cleaned and had fresh, clean sheets on the bed.

Ziva wanted a hot shower and some quiet time to think about what Jethro had said about telling people about them. She had thought they would go home and go back to work as if nothing had changed. She had not thought about Jethro wanting their friends and co-workers to know they were in a personal relationship. Now she had to rethink her ideas of what would happen when they returned to DC.

After a ridiculously long shower, Ziva dried her hair and slipped between the deliciously soft sheets. She tried to imagine telling her father she was in a relationship with Jethro but try as she might that conversation would not unfold in her mind. Finally, she gave up and let sleep pull her under its spell.

Back at the hospital Jethro was not sleeping as he had thought he would be. Instead he lay awake looking out the window and marveling at the turn his life had taken in the last few days. He never considered when Vance gave him the assignment to go to North Carolina that he would end up in bed with Ziva two days later. Certainly he didn't expect to be in the hospital in a tiny town he'd never been to before but even that paled in comparison to what had happened between Ziva and himself. Jethro had been well aware of his feelings for Ziva for a long time but he honestly did not know she had the same feelings for him. He knew they had a connection but he had always thought Ziva and Tony were destined to end up together; just like he and Jenny had all those years ago. Given how that turned out he was glad it hadn't happened that way for both their sakes.

Part of Jethro still believed that what he was doing, or contemplating doing, with Ziva was wrong. He reminded himself that he was Ziva's boss and that she was younger than him by a long way. But the rest of him just couldn't be convinced that loving her and having her love him was wrong. When he was with Ziva, Jethro felt complete and as if nothing could hurt him. He remembered feeling that way with Shannon and even though that bothered him some it also told him the relationship was right. He just couldn't say no to something that seemed so damned good.

Still, as sure as he was about his own feelings he wasn't all that sure what effect their being together would do to his team and that was a serious concern. NCIS was his life and had been for a long time. Being with Ziva would certainly mean he had more of a life outside work but he had no intention of giving up his job or even cutting back on the workload to any great degree. There was no prohibition about them being together but the dynamics of the team would surely be affected and that could ultimately be dangerous.

Jethro was sure he could work with Ziva if they were involved but he wasn't sure how the rest of the team would deal with it, especially Tony. Abby and Ducky would be fine and so would McGee most likely but DiNozzo was another matter. He and Ziva were partners in the field most of the time and Jethro knew Tony felt very strongly about Ziva and was very protective of her even though that was not necessary most of the time. He had no real proof that Tony desired anything more from Ziva than their working relationship and their friendship but he had long suspected that Tony was carrying a torch for her. He didn't want to lose Tony from his team, he was too valuable an agent and he cared about Tony deeply, but Jethro was not going to give up a life with the woman he loved to keep his team together. So, they would all, including DiNozzo and the Director, have to understand and accept a new reality.

With all that settled, at least in Jethro's mind, he finally let himself fall asleep. Across town at the bed and breakfast, Ziva was sleeping but dreams kept intruding and making her restless. She dreamed they got home and every time they tried to tell one of the team they were together that person disappeared and another was there in their place. They could never get to the final news about their relationship and each time they tried no one would listen. Her father drifted in and out of the dream and Jethro's father was there but only Ducky seemed to hear them. Even he was not really listening to them; he only wanted to see if Jethro was well. By the time Ziva came awake she was more tired than when she had lain down. She raked her fingers through her hair and tried to make sense of her dreams. She could only vaguely remember what was going on so she didn't spend much time thinking about them. She was anxious to get back to Jethro.

Unlike Ziva, Jethro slept soundly and the only dream he had was his father asking him over and over again when he was going to ask Ziva to marry him. They were in the store in Stillwater and no matter what they were talking about it always came back to Jack wanting to know when Jethro and Ziva were getting married. In the dream, Jethro never had an answer. Again, unlike Ziva, when Jethro woke up he remembered his dream clearly. He had always had very vivid and sometimes very painful dreams and he almost always remembered them when he woke up, even when he would rather not have. This time he was glad he remembered and he knew exactly what he wanted to tell people when he and Ziva got back to DC. Now all he had to do was figure out how to get Ziva on board.

Ziva got up from her less than restful nap and pulled on some clean clothes. After brushing her teeth, she braided her hair into one long braid and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked worried and she didn't like that. Ziva reached behind herself and gave herself a light slap on the back of the head. Now she smiled. That head slap seemed to do the trick. She was in love with a man who said he loved her back. What did she have to worry about? What difference did it make how they explained themselves; or didn't? Ziva had always felt safe when she was with Jethro no matter what was going on around them. She felt safe with him now and more than that she felt like she mattered. That was different and she liked it.

She gathered her bag and Jethro's clothes and shaving gear and headed back to the hospital. She had some things to say about their going home and she was in a bit of a hurry to get them said.

When Ziva walked into Jethro's room he wasn't in the bed and for just a brief second she was afraid. Then she saw a nurse standing by the bathroom door.

"He insisted on getting up so I'm here in case he has a problem. He's just washing his face and hands now."

"Thank you. Can I take your place?"

"Sure. He seems to be feeling pretty well so he may want to sit in the chair for a while."

"I brought him some sweat pants. Is it alright for him to put them on?"

"Oh yes. I imagine he'll be glad to have them. No one much likes to sit around in a hospital gown. Just call if you need anything."

"Thank you."

When the nurse had gone, Ziva knocked on the door and stuck her arm in waving Jethro's pants at him.

"Thank god. You can come in if you want."

Ziva stepped in the bathroom and Jethro immediately enveloped her in a hug and kissed her.

"Been wanting to do that for a couple of hours."

"I have barely been gone that long."

"I know but I missed you."

"Sit down and put these on."

Because he couldn't bend down without some pain Ziva helped him get his pants on and then pulled them up for him. Once he was situated he pulled her to him and kissed her again.

"Maybe we could get out of the bathroom and you could sit in the chair instead of the bed if you feel like it."

"Sounds good. Been in bed too long."

Jethro made his way to the chair and despite the fact he was recovering well he was tired by the time he got settled. Ziva straightened up the bed then pulled one of the small chairs up next to Jethro and sat down facing him. She reached out and linked her fingers with his.

"You look better than when I left. How are you feeing?"

"Pretty good. Tired. Did you sleep?"

"Not much. I had some crazy dreams that kept me awake. You?"

"I slept pretty well but not for very long. Did you give any thought to what we're going to tell people about us when we get home?"

Ziva laughed.

"I did. First I tried to think about how I would tell my father. That never came together in my head. I just could not imagine what he would say and how I would tell him in the first place. I didn't get much farther than that before I fell asleep."

"Yeah, I guess that will be a difficult conversation. He doesn't like me much so I don't think he's going to be thrilled about you and I being together. Does that worry you?"

"No. You know my father and I are not on the best of terms so I cannot worry about his opinion of my personal life.

"Do you want him to hear it from someone else? You know he has people watching and reporting back to him about you."

"How do you know that?"

Jethro shifted in the chair and took both her hands in his. He looked her in the eyes.

"I just know." He waited for her to respond and when she didn't he continued, "You did know that right?"

"I have suspected as much. Is he also watching you?"

"He will be I'm sure. But as you said, we can't worry about Eli. What about everyone else?"

Now the conversation was getting around to where Ziva had thought it would be in the first place. She had not intended to stray off track and talk about her father. She moved her chair around in front of Jethro and sat close so one of her legs was between his and she could see his face. She took a deep breath and plunged into her speech.

"I do not know if we should tell people or not. I am inclined to say no. Maybe we should just go about our business as we always have and keep our personal life to ourselves. We can still be together after work and on weekend but we do not have to advertise that we are together. After all we have separate homes and that will continue. I do want to wake up with you though so that might be an issue. We will have to go to work separately as well as leave separately. You will have to keep your hands to yourself and maybe not smile as much as you have been the last two days. We will have to be very careful around Abby and Ducky because they are the most likely to figure things out. Tony thinks he knows all about what I do but he does not really. Tim will not be a problem; he is too afraid of you to even think about your personal life much less say anything about it. So, I think we just go back and pretend everything is the same. What do you think?"

Jethro closed his eyes and smiled. She had spewed all that out at almost the speed of Abby on four Caf-Pows. He knew exactly what he wanted to say but he was still a little bit hesitant. When he opened his eyes Ziva was looking at him with a frown on her face and he knew she was wondering why he hadn't responded to her little tirade.

"Jethro say something. Do you agree or do you want to approach this in a different way? Do you think you can manage to act like nothing has happened between us? I am sure I can pull it off as you say but I wonder if you can. You are not acting like the Gibbs we all know so I wonder if you can fool everyone."

"If I had to go back to work and pretend I didn't even remember your name I could do it and everyone would think I had lost my memory not my appendix. I could pull off anything you wanted me to. But I don't want to do that. I don't want to pretend anymore that I don't love you like crazy. I don't want to live separately and go to work separately and go home separately. I've been doing that for a long time and I'm tired of it. I want to wake up with you and go to bed with you and do all the things in between with you. So, no I don't want to go back and act like nothin's happened."

"Then what do you want to do? What do you want to tell people?"

Jethro studied her for a moment then in his most nonchalant voice he said, "We could tell 'em we're married."

Ziva actually laughed. "Yeah right."

When Jethro didn't respond but just kept looking at her so solemnly Ziva began to wonder if he was joking or not. Of course he was. Wasn't he?

"You are kidding right?"

"Nope."

"You want us to go home and tell our friends we are married?"

"Well not unless we are. It'd be kinda stupid to say that if it wasn't true."

Ziva studied him and tried to read his eyes or his face or something. She couldn't fathom that Jethro was actually, really, seriously saying they should get married.

"Jethro are you serious? What exactly are you proposing? No pun intended."

"That's exactly what I'm doin' Ziver. Proposing. Will you marry me?"

"Marry you? That is your solution to what we should tell our friends? Do you have a fever?"

Now Jethro was getting worried that he had misunderstood Ziva's feelings for him. He had expected her to be surprised but this was a bit more than he was ready for. He took both her hands in his and pulled her to him for a quick kiss.

"I don't have a fever. My asking you to marry me is not a solution to what to tell our friends. I love you Ziva. I want to spend my life with you. I know this is sudden and maybe it's crazy and I understand if you say no but you have to know that I'm serious. I want to marry you and make a life with you. Now or sometime later, when you're ready."

Ziva closed her eyes and took three deep breaths. Jethro just sat very still watching her and waiting for her to gather herself. He knew he had surprised her; hell he'd surprised himself, but now that it was out there he was glad he'd asked her and told her how he felt. Whatever she decided he'd be okay with it. Well, not okay with no really but he'd just take some time and convince her and then ask again.

Ziva leaned back so she could look into those blue eyes that had captivated her for so long. The eyes she knew in her soul she wanted to wake up to every day for the rest of her life.

"Jethro could you ask me again, please?"

He felt his heart speed up at the realization of what she was saying. Now it was his turn to take some deep breaths. He had known when he first uttered the question that she would not immediately say yes. Now, he was pretty sure she was going to. His mouth was suddenly a little bit dry. He very gently kissed her before he managed to ask again.

"Ziva, will you marry me?"

She let the question hang in the air for about three seconds before she gifted him with her most beautiful smile and said the one word he so desperately wanted to hear.

"Yes. I will marry you Jethro. And the sooner the better as far as I am concerned."

"You sure? You don't want time to plan it and have a big wedding or even a medium sized wedding?"

"No, I have never thought I wanted that. I have not contemplated marriage in a very long time. I want to be with you forever, Jethro and the sooner we can start on our forever the better I will like it."

"So you're okay with doing it here before we go back? I don't mean here, in the hospital but here in. . . well, wherever we are?"

"Do you think we could?"

"I imagine. We'll have to check the law for North Carolina but I bet we can. Are you sure Ziver? About getting married?"

"Yes, I am sure. I have never been more sure about anything."

She kissed him again and Jethro was convinced he would never have enough of her.

"Are _you_ sure? You do not have to marry me to keep me, Jethro. I am not going anywhere even if we just decide to be a couple or live together or whatever."

"I know I don't have to. I want to marry you Ziver and I want us to have a family. I want us to have children together. How do you feel about that?"

Ziva covered her face with her hands and let the tears she had been holding at bay finally fall. Jethro gently took her wrists and pulled her hands down. He leaned in and kissed her tears away.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing. I just never expected to feel this way and to have you say these things to me. I have loved you for so long Jethro, but I never expected to have you love me."

"I'm sorry I didn't figure this out sooner. But now that I've got it, we're going to be fine. We're going to be better than fine. Come here."

Jethro pulled Ziva onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her. She laid her head on his shoulder and relaxed into his embrace. She had never felt so safe and so cherished. She wanted the feelings to last forever.

After holding one another for a long time Jethro felt himself falling asleep. There were some things they needed to talk about though so he moved a little and Ziva got up. She helped him stand up and Jethro went to sit on the side of the bed.

"I feel like I'm about to crash. We need to make some plans I guess."

"You rest and let me go talk to some people and see what we need to do. You are absolutely sure you want to get married here? You do not want to have Ducky here? Or Abby?"

"The only person I have to have here is you. Do you want to have the guys come down here? They could you know."

"I will think about it but right now I do not think so. We can have a party with everyone when we get home."

"That sounds good. Hey, do you have your papers with you?"

"Yes, I carry a copy all the time just in case. I want you to relax and have a rest and I will be back later."

Ziva stepped up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She looked him in the eyes for a moment then kissed him.

"You have made me the happiest woman on the planet today, Jethro. I love you with all my heart."

"Likewise. If you get out of here and breathe in some fresh air and come to your senses I'll understand."

She punched him lightly on the chest. "That will not happen. I assure you, I have all my senses about me now and I am sure about what we are doing. If you wake up later and realize all this was not a dream and you actually did ask me to marry you and you wish to change things I will understand. I will hurt you, but I will understand."

Jethro laughed and said, "That sure as hell isn't going to happen. If I'm dreaming, I hope I never wake up."

They shared an intimate, sweet kiss and then Jethro laid down and Ziva left him to his dreams. She had things to do.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

**Bad Luck Turns to Good**

**Chapter 7**

Ziva had been on many missions in her career but none she attacked with more seriousness and excitement than she did the mission to arrange their marriage in the next two days. She talked to the nurses, Mrs. Walker at the bed and breakfast and even Dale at the garage. Between them they told her everything she needed to know about how she and Jethro could get married on Tuesday. Dale told her where to go for the license, Mrs. Walker suggested a jeweler for rings and the nurses directed her to a dress shop they said would have something perfect for Ziva to wear; she was determined not to marry the man of her dreams wearing cargo pants.

Several hours after leaving the hospital, Ziva returned with some wonderful, homemade chicken noodle soup for Jethro and her to share for supper. Mrs. Walker had insisted and had included some fresh bread and even a big piece of German chocolate cake for dessert. Ziva's mouth was watering just thinking about that cake.

After they enjoyed the food and especially the cake, Jethro made room for Ziva on the bed and they spent the rest of the evening talking quietly and making plans for the next few days. Jethro would stay in the hospital another day to make sure his infection was completely gone and he had regained his strength. He was still running a low grade fever but was getting better as the day wore on. He was anxious to get out of the hospital but willing to stay since it meant less for Ziva to worry about. By ten o'clock Jethro was exhausted and managed to convince Ziva to go back to the bed and breakfast for the night.

She was reluctant but the idea of a soak in the tub and a good nights sleep were the deciding factors.

She had the long soak in a hot bath but even so she didn't sleep very well. Dreams plagued her and none of them were good dreams. She finally gave up about five o'clock, got up and went for a long run. She was back at the room, showered and dressed by seven and headed back to the hospital. There was a lot to do before Tuesday but today they would have to just wait and spend the day together planning.

She arrived in Jethro's room with a cup of coffee and some breakfast rolls and the newspaper. Jethro's breakfast had just been delivered when Ziva arrived. Although the coffee wasn't up to his standards the food wasn't bad. He drank the coffee Ziva brought and had a roll to go with the hospital food. He ate while Ziva told him about her night and the dreams that had kept her tossing and turning.

"I need you in the bed with me I guess in order to get a good nights sleep."

"Well, beginning tomorrow night you'll have me there every night for the rest of your life. Except when I'm working late of course."

"Of course."

Sunday might have been the longest day of their lives. Both of them wanted Jethro out of the hospital so they could get on with their plans but because it was Sunday they couldn't really do anything anyway. They passed the time reading, watching an old movie and talking about their future. After lunch Ziva snuggled onto the bed with Jethro and they took a nap together.

That evening while they were eating supper Jethro reminded Ziva that he was not an easy person to live with.

"Ziver, I screwed up three marriages and I don't even know how. Or I didn't at the time anyway. I have some ideas now but the point is I didn't know what I was messing up at the time."

"You do not need to worry about that, Jethro. If you are screwing something up with us I will be sure you know about it."

That drew a laugh from Jethro and the moment passed. Ziva stayed until eleven o'clock that night before she left for the bed and breakfast.

"I will see you in the morning and aid you in your escape. We have a lot to do tomorrow so get a good nights sleep."

"Okay. Hey, Ziver, I love you. I don't want you to worry about anything about when we go home. It will all be fine. I promise."

"I know. I am not worried. I love you. Goodnight."

Jethro kissed her and held onto her as if he wasn't going to let her go. If he had his way this was going to be the last time for a long time that he slept alone.

Ziva finally did sleep well that night and the next morning she arrived at the hospital at seven o'clock. Jethro was already up and in the shower when she walked in the room. She went in the bathroom and left his clean underwear and clothes on the counter. Ten minutes later he came out looking better than he had in several days. He looked rested and pain free for the first time since they left DC four days ago.

The next couple of hours waiting for the doctor passed slowly mainly because they were so anxious for Jethro's release. They had decided to get the marriage license, rings and a dress for Ziva that day and have the ceremony on Tuesday morning then drive back to DC. The plan was to tell everyone at the same time Tuesday evening at Jethro's house.

They talked at length about calling the team and inviting them down but decided against it. It didn't matter to Jethro really but Ziva thought if they invited the team and not Fornell or any of her friends someone's feelings would be hurt. She wanted to do as they said earlier and have a party for everyone after they were home. That way Abby could help plan it and some of the sting of them marrying without her there would be assuaged.

They looked at each other and the enormity of what they were planning seemed to hit them both at once.

"This is a pretty big deal, Ziver. I wouldn't blame you if you had second thoughts. About getting married I mean."

"Getting cold feet on me, Jethro?"

"No, but we are moving pretty fast. We can slow down and take our time if you need to. You can move in, see how things go and then we can get married later if you still want to. I mean it Ziver, it won't hurt my feelings if you need to take some time."

Ziva got up from the chair next to the bed and walked over to look out the window. Jethro was right, they were moving very quickly to do a very important thing. Marriage was not something Ziva took lightly and she intended to do it only once. Maybe they should slow down. Maybe she should take some time to make sure she could spend the rest of her life with Jethro. He could be infuriating and difficult that was true. He sometimes drove her crazy with his moodiness and his silences. He had a terrible history with marriage and had been with numerous women in just the last couple of years. Was he really ready to settle down with her? Working with Jethro was one thing but living with him every day would be an entirely different situation.

When she turned back to face him Jethro was studying her with a worried look on his face. Ziva looked at him and tried to imagine going through life without him beside her. She thought about the level of trust she had with Jethro and knew she had never, and would never, trust anyone else that way. He was the best man she knew; the most loyal and dedicated man she had ever met. His courage was without question and even though she knew he had operated on the edge of the law many times she believed his sense of morality was also without question.

Ziva believed him when he told her he loved her. She believed he wanted a life with her. Was there anything in her experience with Jethro over the past few years that told her he was wrong for her? No. To the contrary, everything Ziva knew about him screamed to her that he was the perfect man for her and if she didn't marry him either now or in the near future she would regret it for the rest of her life. So, the question became whether to marry him in the next two days or some day in the future. Why wait? She could come up with no logical reason to delay.

All this questioning and reasoning took just a couple of minutes in Ziva's head but Jethro was getting very nervous. She hadn't said a word since he offered her a postponement of the marriage and he was beginning to think she was going to take him up on the idea. He didn't want to wait but if that was what she needed that was what they would do.

Finally she walked back to the bed and took his hand. Jethro swallowed and waited for the verdict.

"I do not need to wait. I am very sure that you and I are meant to be married and I see no reason to delay. If you are willing and ready then I am as well. I love you Jethro and nothing in the world will make me happier than becoming your wife."

Jethro relaxed and smiled at her in relief.

"Thank god. I thought for sure you were going to say we needed to wait."

They laughed together and agreed there would be no more talk of backing out or delaying or anything else besides getting married on Tuesday. Jethro was getting agitated with the waiting so he walked down the hall and back stopping at the desk to ask about the doctor. The nurse there told him she was on her way and should be there in about five minutes. Jethro went back to the room to wait with Ziva.

Finally the doctor arrived with Jethro's discharge paperwork in hand.

"I understand you two have some pretty important plans for the next couple of days."

"We do. Anything I need to worry about?"

"No, Agent Gibbs you're in good shape. I just caution you to take it easy, especially today. Don't get over tired and I'd recommend no strenuous physical activity for a few days."

The doctor didn't fail to notice the smirk that comment provoked. She smiled at both of them and said, "Just take it easy. I'm not saying you can't be intimate but be mindful of your condition."

"Thanks doc."

With the paperwork signed, Jethro and Ziva left the hospital. Ziva took time to thank the nurses for their help and suggestions for her about the wedding plans. Jethro was more than ready to get outside and breathe some fresh air.

The rest of the morning was busy and by the time Ziva and Jethro got back to their room that afternoon they were both tired; Jethro especially. They had left the hospital shortly after ten o'clock that morning and gone straight to the courthouse to take care of the marriage license. They were told the county judge was not in on Mondays but would be there Tuesday morning at eight. They made an appointment for him to perform the marriage at eight-thirty so they could get on the road back to DC and get home at a reasonable hour.

After they left the courthouse they stopped at a small jewelry store not far from the bed and breakfast. Mrs. Walker had told Ziva about it and recommended it for both quality and price. After browsing separately for a few minutes as agreed beforehand, Jethro and Ziva each picked out two contenders. Happily, and not surprisingly to them, they had one set in common and that was the one they decided upon. The chosen rings were simple platinum bands with a beveled edge. Ziva loved them and spent several minutes convincing Jethro she didn't want a diamond. The jeweler had their correct sizes and said he could do the engraving and have the rings ready later in the day. They each wrote what they wanted engraved on the other's ring and handed their notes to the jeweler and told him they would be back later.

Jethro was craving coffee so they stopped in a diner and had a cup and sat for a while. Next Ziva went to a dress shop one of the nurses had told her about and Jethro went to the men's store next door to buy a dress shirt and a tie. He, like Ziva, refused to get married in his regular work clothes which was all he had with him. He told Ziva he wanted this to be as special as possible even considering the setting. Even though she would have been happy to marry Jethro wearing his sweat pants and a tee shirt she appreciated him wanting to look nice for her. She was doing the same thing after all in buying a dress to wear. Ziva's shopping took longer than expected and since she didn't want Jethro to see the dress yet he sat outside on a bench and watched the people go by.

While he was waiting, Jethro decided to call his father and tell him what was happening. Jackson knew Ziva of course and liked her very much. Jethro was certain his dad would be surprised but thought he'd be happy for him. That turned out to be an understatement. Jackson was thrilled with the news and told Jethro he expected to see them both before too much time passed. Jethro promised they would be in Stillwater the first weekend they had free. Before ending the call Jackson asked his son one more question.

"How are you feeling about this Leroy? I mean besides happy of course. You know what I'm asking?"

"Yes, dad I know. I feel like the weight of the world has been lifted off my shoulders. I have carried around so much negative stuff for so long. Once I admitted to myself and then to Ziva how I feel about her, it was as if everything changed. I feel. . .I don't know, really. Free, I guess. Like I can finally breathe again. Does that make sense?"

"Yes, son and that is exactly what I wanted to hear. I can't wait to see you and Ziva. Drive carefully home and come see me soon."

"We will dad. I love you."

"I love you Leroy. Give Ziva big kiss for me."

"Will do. Bye dad."

Jethro was more than pleased with his dad's reaction and knew Ziva would be too. He worried about her father's reaction to their news and dreaded Ziva making that phone call.

The bride-to-be finally came out of the store with a dress bag and another package containing shoes and what all else Jethro could only guess. They loaded their purchases in the car then decided to walk around town for a while before eating lunch. After a leisurely meal they went back to pick up the rings and then back to the bed and breakfast. It was late afternoon and Jethro was tired.

"I think you better relax for a while, Jethro. I do not want you to overdo it today."

"I am pretty worn out. Will you lie down here with me?"

"Try and keep me away."

They stretched out on the bed and Jethro told her about his conversation with his dad.

"He's pretty excited and wants us to go visit him asap."

"I think that can be arranged. First weekend we have off."

"When are you going to call your father?"

"Tomorrow. Maybe while we are on the way home. After we are married."

"Think he'll be mad?"

"I have no idea. You are not his favorite person but he loves me. I know that despite all our troubles. He will come around soon enough."

"Probably when the first grandchild arrives!"

"First?"

"Well yeah. I'm thinking three or maybe four."

"Jethro! How about two?"

"Whatever you want."

"For a while all I want is you. I want to enjoy just us for a while. Okay?"

"Whatever your want Ziver. I mean that."

"I know you do. Right now I want a kiss."

Jethro was happy to oblige that wish. One kiss turned into many and clothes were shed and there was lots of touching and caressing and laughing and then more kissing. They were trying to be mindful of Jethro's condition but eventually their passion overtook them. Jethro rolled over so Ziva was beneath him but when he did, he winced and she noticed a grimace pass over his face.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

But he had to admit he was in a little bit of pain.

"Jethro, we can wait. Just hold me for a while."

She could tell by the look on his face Jethro was not at all pleased with this development. But, he knew he wasn't up to this level of activity just yet. A quick memory of a similar "failure" with Jenny long ago flashed through his mind. Reluctantly, and with a deep sigh, he rolled onto his back.

"Sorry 'bout that."

"Do not apologize. You just had serious surgery two days ago. The doctor warned us. We have a lifetime to be together Jethro, today we can manage in other ways."

"Yeah, I guess."

His disappointment was obvious in his expression and tone of voice. Ziva knew Jethro hated to admit any weakness or pain. They had only been this familiar with each other for a few days and Ziva was smart enough to realize Jethro wasn't ready to share everything with her just yet. He had been pushing aside feelings and pain for a very long time and it would take a while for him to really and truly trust her with his emotional safety as much as he did with his physical safety. Ziva was determined to be patient and not get her feelings hurt when he seemed to be shutting her out. As if he was reading her mind Jethro pulled her closer so he could kiss her.

"Don't worry Ziver. I'm okay. Whatta ya say we have a short nap then go get some dinner?"

"That sounds perfect."

Ziva laid her head on his shoulder, one leg between his and her arm around his middle. When she was situated Jethro kissed her on the top of the head and let himself fall asleep. Ziva soon followed and for the next two hours neither of them moved.

Jethro woke up first and laid very still absorbing the feeling of having the woman he loved wrapped around him. Try as he might he couldn't block out the memory of not being able to make love to that woman a few hours ago. He told himself it was just because he was tired and still recovering from surgery and he knew that was all true. He also knew he was old enough to be Ziva's father and he would be an old man long before she was an old woman. They would not grow old _together_. He would grow old while she matured into an even more beautiful woman. He would be in his sixties with children in grade school even if they started having children right away. As much as he loved Ziva and wanted to be with her he couldn't stop thinking that maybe he was being selfish by asking her to spend her life with him.

Ziva was awake but she didn't want to move. Jethro's hand was idly moving up and down her arm and she knew he was awake too. Knowing Jethro as well as she did, Ziva was quite sure he was worrying about not being able to do all he wanted to do earlier. Then she looked up at him and smiled.

"I can hear you thinking, Jethro. What is going on behind those baby blues?"

"Just thinking I could use a good meal."

Ziva shifted so she could see him better and decide if he was hiding something from her. His expression was neutral and when his stomach growled as if on cue, she laughed.

"Yes, it sounds as if you could. We should get dressed and go find something before you expire."

They did just that and Jethro enjoyed a steak and baked potato and felt better than he had in days. His earlier doubts and questions still lingered in his mind but he was an expert at keeping thoughts like those buried; even from Ziva.

"That was delicious. I am very glad you were so hungry because apparently I was as well."

They had talked about tomorrow and telling the team and her father. They decided Jethro would call Director Vance after the ceremony and then he would call Ducky and ask him to bring Abby and the boys to his house at six thirty. They would tell everyone together at that time. Ziva was particularly nervous about Tony's reaction but Jethro assured her it would be fine. After all, what could he say?

"He'll be fine with it. Might take a little getting used to and he'll be a pain about it for a while but he'll be okay. Any reason he should be extra unhappy?"

"Are you suggesting there is something between Tony and myself? Because if you are then the answer is of course not!"

"I'm not suggesting anything at all. But you have to admit, you two are close and I have sometimes wondered. That's all."

"Well you do not need to wonder. I love Tony like a brother or favorite cousin. There has never been anything romantic between us."

"Okay. Ready?"

"Yes."

Jethro paid the bill and they walked out into a crisp fall evening.

"Want to walk for a while?"

"Yes. You must be feeling better."

"I am. And, I feel like I haven't had any exercise in days and days. And, I miss my boat."

Ziva laughed. It had been a long few days. Certainly not uneventful but still.

"Now that we are getting married I expect I will learn the secret of getting the boat out of the basement."

"Not necessarily."

"Jethro! Surely you do not intend to keep secrets from me!"

"Maybe just a few. Like getting the boat out of the basement and where I hide your birthday presents."

"We will see. I am a spy you know. I can find things that people think are well hidden."

"Were a spy! Not anymore."

They stopped at the end of the block and Jethro pulled her against his chest and kissed her thoroughly. He knew he would never get tired of doing just that and he ignored the little voice in his head that had been there since he woke up earlier. They made their way back to their room with Ziva wondering what was on his mind.

Jethro was on the couch in the sitting area watching Ziva sitting at the small dressing table, brushing her hair. It pleased him to no end that he was the only one who would ever have the pleasure of watching her do that particular task while wearing nothing but her underwear. He was supposed to be reading but his book didn't hold his interest nearly like Ziva did. He took in her lustrous hair, her muscles as they moved under her soft skin and the way she ignored him even though he was quite sure she knew he was staring at her. A beautiful young woman for sure.

With that last thought, Jethro tore his eyes away from Ziva and looked at the two ring boxes on the table in front of him. In about twelve hours he was going to slip one of those rings on Ziva's finger and she was going to put the other one on his. And then they were going home. . .together. There would be a woman living in his house this time tomorrow. A woman who would expect him to be home by a certain time, who would not want him to spend hours in the basement sanding and drinking and brooding. A woman who would surely not want him sleeping on the couch.

_What the hell am I doing?_

"Jethro, did you say something?"

"Huh? What?"

"You said something but I did not understand what it was. Did you ask me a question?"

_Shit, did I say that out loud?_

"No. Never mind".

Ziva put down her brush and looked at him. Something was bothering him she was sure of it. She saw him staring at the ring boxes and she knew; he was having second thoughts. If she was one hundred percent honest with herself Ziva would have to admit she too was wondering just what in the world she was doing. Tomorrow she was going to promise to love, honor and care for Jethro for the rest of their lives. She was going to begin living with him. Give up her own home to live in his. Give up her routine and her private life to join his routines, his life and his way of doing things.

What if she didn't like how he kept the bathroom? What if he left dirty clothes all over the place? What if he refused to come out of the basement?

Before any more crazy questions popped into her head, Ziva got up and went into the bathroom and shut the door. She was beset by a sudden, almost overwhelming urge to run away. It was Monday night and just four days ago she and Jethro had left DC to go to North Carolina and pick up a fugitive. How in the world did that evolve into her getting married to her boss? Nothing in her training had prepared her for the feeling of dread and uncertainty she was experiencing at this moment. Ziva had faced down some terrible, fearsome circumstances in her life but right now, in a bathroom in a tiny town in North Carolina, she was more scared than she had ever been before. Was she making a mistake? Was she just overcome with the moment, the idea that Jethro loved her? The great sex? What if in a few years she found herself the fourth ex-wife of Leroy Jethro Gibbs?

Ziva looked at herself in the mirror and took several deep breaths. She splashed some cold water on her face and tried to calm her racing thoughts. She knew she needed to think rationally and calmly about what she and Jethro were doing. She told herself to get a grip and think about why she had agreed to marry Jethro in the first place. Well, she told herself, first of all she loved him. She felt safe with him in every respect. He was the only man she had ever trusted completely. Whenever he came into a room she felt better no matter what had been going on. She wanted to be with him, take care of him, grow old with him. But did that mean she had to marry him TOMORROW?

Sitting alone in the other room, Jethro knew Ziva had picked up on his mood. She knew him better than anyone had since Jenny. And, he knew her and he was sure she was in the bathroom wondering much the same thing he was; what were they doing? He gave her a few more minutes then he got up and started to the bathroom. Just as he was about to knock Ziva opened the door and stepped out.

"I was comin' to see if you're alright. Are you?"

"Yes, I am fine. I was going to ask you the same thing. You have been very quiet since we got back. More so than normal I mean."

"Just thinking."

"About?"

"You know. Stuff."

He reached up and brushed her hair back and Ziva grasped his wrist.

"Are you having second thoughts, Jethro?"

"Not sure. I don't want to make a mistake with you Ziver."

"Does what we are doing feel like a mistake to you?"

"No. But neither did any of the others."

At that Ziva let go of his wrist and walked past him. She felt the sting of tears in her eyes and forced herself to breathe steadily. She kept her back to Jethro and began pulling her sleep clothes out of her bag. She hadn't intended to need them tonight.

Jethro knew immediately he had hurt her feelings.

"Ziver, I didn't mean it like that. You are nothing like the others. I just meant I don't want to hurt you."

"Too late."

"Dammit Ziva! I'm sorry. You have to know I didn't mean it like it sounded. I love you. Please look at me."

Ziva turned back to look at him and the regret and apprehension was plain to see on his face. She forgave him instantly.

"I know you do Jethro. I think you are having second thoughts about us getting married and that is understandable. It has been a very confusing and unexpected few days. If you want to change our plans I understand."

"That's not what I want."

When he didn't continue Ziva knew he was he was unsure of his feelings.

"But?"

"Can you honestly tell me you weren't in that bathroom questioning all of this?"

Knowing she could not lie to him Ziva answered, "No I cannot tell you that. Questioning and changing your mind are two different things Jethro. Which one are you doing?"

Jethro stepped up very close to her and put his hands carefully on her shoulders.

"I am questioning, Ziver. I love you very much and I do not want us to make a mistake. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand. Is this because of what happened earlier when we were making love and had to stop? Is that bothering you somehow?"

"No, not really. But it does make me think about our age difference and the fact that I will be an old man when you are barely a middle aged woman. Our kids will have a dad old enough to be their grandfather."

Ziva tried not to be exasperated by this line of thought but it was difficult. She forced herself to be calm when she responded.

"I thought we had settled this already. There is nothing to be done about the fact that you are older than I. If that is reason for you to not want to marry me then there is nothing I can do. I may very well end up taking care of you. That could happen next week, Jethro. How many times have you been injured on the job? How many times have I already been to see you in the hospital? What if I get sick next month? Our children will have a loving, attentive, wonderful father and I do not give a damn what other people think about our age difference. If you do then that is your problem. Do make it OURS!"

"Ziver are you angry at me?"

She almost laughed at his expression. He looked as if she had taken away his last bottle of bourbon and all his sandpaper.

"No, I am not angry with you, Jethro, I am frustrated and scared and in love with you. I have my concerns but they are much more mundane and silly than yours. And no, I do not want to discuss them right now. All of a sudden I am very tired. I think we should sleep on it and decide tomorrow. We could talk about this all night but really, we each need to decide for ourselves what we want and then together, we can make our decision. Remember what I told you before, you do not have to marry me. I love you and I will be here for as long as you want me. Jethro, we do not have to get married in order to be together."

"I know, but. . . Let's go to bed and tomorrow we'll decide what to do."

The tension in the room was so thick Ziva could have sliced it with one of her knives. Jethro went into the bathroom to get ready for bed. The evening certainly wasn't ending the way he had imagined it would. And, he thought, he had no one to blame but himself. His doubts and fears were once again getting the best of him and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't put them to rest. He wondered what mundane, silly things Ziva was worried about.

Ziva took several calming breaths and changed into her sleep clothes. She told herself that no matter what Jethro decided about getting married she wasn't going to lose him either way. She had meant it when she told him he didn't have to marry her to keep her in his life and in his bed. She would prefer to be married because she wanted children and would not allow herself to get pregnant if they were not married. But, if the only way to be with Jethro was as an unmarried couple she could live with that. Temporarily.

When Jethro came out of the bathroom, Ziva was already in bed. He went over and sat on the side of the bed beside her. He leaned over and kissed her. He rested his forehead on hers for a moment then he kissed her again and told her he loved her.

"I'm going to read for a while. Go to sleep and I'll be back in a bit. Unless you want me to sleep on the couch tonight."

"Of course not! I want you here with me and pretty soon."

"Yes, ma'am. 'Night, Ziver."

"Goodnight, Jethro. I love you."

Miraculously, considering all she had on her mind, Ziva fell asleep almost immediately. Jethro, on the other hand, was awake for at least two hours longer. He read for a while but most of the time he spent watching Ziva sleep. He imagined them at home together, eating meals together, working in the yard together, traveling together. He tried to picture himself at home alone but he always came back to Ziva being there. In his heart he knew he didn't want to go home alone anymore. Once he made up his mind what he was going to say to Ziva in the morning he finally relaxed and began to doze off. He woke up on and off for another hour thinking about all the things he wanted to do to the house if Ziva moved in. He pictured all the changes and upgrades he wanted to do and then began wondering about moving.

About three hours after Ziva had gone to bed Jethro gave up and joined her. As he slid into bed, Ziva barely roused and moved over closer to him. Jethro laid on his side and spooned up behind her draping his arm possessively over her mid-section. Ziva wriggled back against him and in no time Jethro was sound asleep.

Sunlight peeking through the blinds and the aroma of breakfast cooking downstairs, began to reach Jethro and Ziva at the same time. They both woke up slowly and Ziva came fully awake to find Jethro kissing her shoulder while his hand smoothed up and down her leg. She rolled onto her back and smiled up at him.

"Good morning."

"Mornin' beautiful."

Jethro rolled over and braced himself above her keeping most of his weight on his arms. He kissed her softly and then more urgently as Ziva's hands began exploring his chest and sides. Jethro made his way from her mouth to her neck and then the soft spot just below her ear where she was particularly sensitive. He stopped kissing her only long enough to divest her of her cami then he resumed his exploration, kissing along the swell of her breasts before giving each of them some individual attention.

Ziva was getting very hot and bothered and the little noises she was making were driving him crazy with desire for her. When her hands snuck under the waistband of his boxers, Jethro got pretty hot and bothered himself. He returned to her mouth and kissed her with as much passion and love as he could muster. Ziva wrapped her arms around his neck and as soon as his tongue entered her mouth she rolled them over. They never broke the kiss and when they finally had to breathe, Ziva let him have only seconds to catch his breath before she was back for more. Jethro pushed her shorts down and she settled on him more completely. His thought processes were seriously hampered by now but somehow he managed to remember there was something he wanted to ask her. As they came up for air again he managed to flip their positions once more. He brushed her hair back and when she started to speak he quieted her with a finger softly placed on her swollen lips.

"Wait."

They both took some much needed breaths never taking their eyes off the other's face.

"Ziver, I love you. I waited long enough to tell you that and do something about it. I don't want to wait any longer. Will you marry me? Today?"

Relief ran through her with the speed of a jet. She had feared when she went to bed last night that Jethro would want to postpone their marriage. In fact her last thought before sleep claimed her was; 'I wonder if I can get a refund on the dress and shoes'?

"Yes, Jethro I will marry you today. I would like nothing more in this world than to do that very thing."

"Thank you, Ziver. I promise to do my best to always be the man you deserve."

"You are that and so much more. Now, could we get back to where we were before you proposed?"

"Absolutely."

And they did just that. They spent the next hour making love, recovering and then doing it all again. Then they both fell asleep and woke up with just an hour to go before their appointment at the City Hall. Luckily they were both accustomed to getting ready in a hurry. They showered together-to save time-dressed, packed and headed down for some breakfast, all within thirty minutes. Mrs. Walker had saved them some bacon and eggs knowing they were leaving right after the ceremony and wouldn't have time to eat.

"You two make a very nice looking couple this morning. Ziva, that dress is perfect on you."

"Thank you, Mrs. Walker. And thank you for saving us some breakfast."

"Yes, thanks. We're running a little late this morning."

"Well you two just enjoy your food. There's more coffee in the pot on the sideboard."

After they ate, Jethro went to find Mrs. Walker at the desk while Ziva put their bags in the car. Jethro paid the bill with the NCIS credit card. He had left a generous tip in the room from his own money.

"Mrs. Walker, we can't thank you enough for your hospitality and your help these last few days. You have a very nice place here. I suspect Ziva and I will be back one day."

"Agent Gibbs you are very welcome. It has been my pleasure to have you two here. I'm glad you're feeling well. Congratulations on the wedding. Please do come back."

She came around from behind the desk and gave Jethro a hug. Ziva came back in and thanked Mrs. Walker and gave her a hug as well.

"Oh, I almost forgot. I wanted to thank you for recommending the jeweler and show you the rings we chose."

Ziva took the boxes out of her bag and opened them for Mrs. Walker.

"My dear, they are perfect. You made a wonderful choice. And not just in the rings," she added with a twinkle in her eye.

Ziva leaned into Jethro and he smiled back at her, "Yes, I think you are right. Thank you again."

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: This is a bit shorter than the last few so there will be another short on coming along right behind this one. Thank you to all of you who have left comments and who are following or have favorited this story.

**Bad Luck Turns to Good**

**Chapter 8**

By eight forty-five Jethro Gibbs and Ziva David were husband and wife. The ceremony was of course, very simple and took all of about seven minutes. They signed the requisite paperwork, shook hands with the judge and were on their way home by nine o'clock. Ziva did have the presence of mind to have the clerk take their picture so at least they would have a photo of the occasion.

Before they got in the car, Jethro pulled Ziva into a toe-curling, breath-stealing kiss.

"That should hold us until we get home."

"Oh, I doubt that but it will surely get us a few miles down the road."

Jethro drove the first hour then let Ziva take over and he called Director Vance. He put the phone on speaker and held it between them so Ziva could hear the conversation.

"Leon, we're on our way back to DC."

"_How are you feeling Jethro?"_

"I'm fine. No problems at all. Listen, Leon are you alone?"

"_Yes. What's the matter now?"_

"Nothing's the matter. I want to tell you something and ask you to keep it to yourself until tomorrow."

"_Of course."_

Jethro looked at Ziva who was glancing back and forth between him and the highway. He took a deep breath. He decided to just put the news out there and see what happened.

"_Gibbs, you there?"_

"Yeah. Leon, Ziva and I got married this morning."

There was a prolonged silence during which Jethro was sure he heard Director Vance mutter at least two swear words and cough a couple of times.

"_You're kidding me right? This is some kind of joke you and David cooked up to give me an ulcer isn't it?"_

"No joke, Leon. Married by a judge this morning. Listen, I know this may cause you some heartburn but we'll talk about it tomorrow. As far as I know there's no rule against it and we'll keep our personal life out of the work. Don't worry, Leon."

"_Yeah right. Don't worry. Does Eli know?"_

Ziva spoke up, "Not yet. I will call him later. Director Vance I assure you this will not affect our work. This has been a surprise to us and I can only assume it is more than a surprise to you."

"_You have a gift for understatement, Mrs. Gibbs. I will keep your news to myself until I see you two in my office at oh seven hundred tomorrow. Congratulations. And good luck Ziva."_

The call disconnected before Jethro or Ziva could say anything else. They looked at each other and laughed.

"I think that went pretty well, don't you?"

"Yes, I guess so. Better than my call to my father will go, I can assure you."

As the miles rolled away and they came closer and closer to home Jethro got sleepy and before long Ziva looked over to see him asleep. She knew he was still not a hundred percent from his surgery so she was glad he was resting. It had certainly been an interesting few days. It seemed the bad luck that had been plaguing Jethro before they felt had followed them to North Carolina and then morphed into something very different. Ziva chose to believe they had simply been blessed by good fortune and the happy coincidence of a lot of little things coming together for them at the right time. Jethro might not believe in coincidence but Ziva was beginning to see things differently.

They stopped for lunch shortly after noon and afterward Jethro took over driving so Ziva could call her father. She kept stalling and trying to talk to Jethro about different things but he simply encouraged her to get it over with. Finally she took out her phone and punched in her father's number.

After the initial greeting Ziva put the phone on speaker and held it out so Jethro could hear what her father said.

"Father I have some news for you that I hope will not upset you."

"_Ziva are you alright? Has something happened?"_

"I am very much alright. Something has happened but it is a good thing. It is rather a long story but the end of it is that Jethro and I were married this morning."

Just as had happened with the call to Director Vance there was an extended silence.

Finally Ziva said, "Father, please say something."

When Eli spoke it was in Hebrew, very fast and just a little bit loud. Of course Jethro had no idea what Ziva's father was saying. He heard his name a couple of times but that was the extent of his understanding. Ziva rolled her eyes and shook her head. Jethro reached out and put his hand on the back of her neck caressing gently.

Eventually Director David seemed to be winding down and Ziva was able to respond. She spoke to him in Hebrew and they went back and forth a while. Finally Eli spoke in English again.

"_Agent Gibbs are you there?"_

"Yes, Director I'm here."

"_My apologies for not speaking in English."_

"No problem. Ziva will translate for me if I need to know something."

"_I know you had a young daughter and lost her. I know you understand how I feel about my Ziva."_

"Yes sir, I do."

"_Then you will understand when I say that if you ever hurt my daughter in any way I will make you pay."_

"I understand, Director. I can assure you that will not happen. I will never intentionally hurt Ziva and if I do you will be justified in whatever you do."

"_I believe you, Agent Gibbs. You and I have not always seen eye to eye but apparently we both love the same woman. I trust you to take good care of my daughter. If Ziva loves you as she says she does then you must be a good man. My Ziva doesn't make mistakes about people."_

"Ziva makes very few mistakes about anything. I love her very much and I promise she will be safe and well loved."

"_Good. Ziva, I expect to see the two of you here for a visit in the near future. Congratulations to you both. Be good to each other."_

"Thank you father. We will talk about a visit. I love you."

The call ended and Ziva breathed a sigh of relief. Jethro reached for her hand and laced their fingers together.

"That wasn't so bad. Anything in the Hebrew that I need to know?"

"Not really. Just as you would expect; he was surprised, why had I not told him about us, that sort of thing. He actually took it better than I expected. I would like to go for a visit when we can."

"Maybe after the first of the year?"

"Yes, that would be nice."

"I guess I better call Ducky and see if he can have everyone at the house by six-thirty."

Ziva punched in Ducky's number and handed Jethro the phone.

"Dr. Mallard here."

Hey, Duck."

"Well Jethro are you two finally on your way home? How are you feeling?"

"We're on our way and I feel great. No problems. Listen Duck, can you get the boys and Abby and meet us at my house at six-thirty or so?"

"Yes, I imagine. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, just some stuff I need to get everyone up to speed on. Nothing to worry about. See later Duck."

"Yes, I will have them there. See you soon."

Ducky hung up wondering what his friend was up to. He had noticed a different tone to Jethro's voice even in that brief conversation. He wondered if what Jethro had to tell them had any relation to the way Director Vance had been smiling and shaking his head as he boarded the elevator earlier. Very curious.

As they came closer to DC the traffic on I-95 was slow, as usual. They actually came to a stop for a short time due to a wreck and the resulting rubbernecking. They had been quiet for a long time and now Ziva reached over and laid her hand on Jethro's thigh.

"How does it feel being married again?"

Jethro started to give her a joking answer but when he looked over at her the seriousness on her face told him not to do that. He thought for a few moments then tried to put his feelings into words; not normally an easy task for him.

"I'll tell you what I told my dad; I feel like I can breathe again. This, with you, feels a lot more like the first time than like any of the other three."

He looked over at her quickly to see how she reacted to that statement. He rarely spoke of Shannon and their life together even to Ziva who had known about her longer than even Ducky. When he saw she was smiling the relief he felt was enormous.

"Ziver for the longest time I have expended so much energy hiding my feelings for you. Now, I feel like a tremendous weight is gone. I feel like life is good again."

"Wow, that makes me feel very good. Thank you."

"How about you Mrs. Gibbs, how do you feel now that you've been a married woman for almost eight hours?"

"I feel like the luckiest woman on earth. I feel alive and happy and excited. I feel like if this traffic doesn't start moving I will lose my mind!"

Finally they were nearing the exit that would take them home.

"Jethro, if you will drop me at my apartment I will pick up some clothes and things and drive over to your house."

"Our house."

"Yes, our house, I like the sound of that. It will take some getting used to but I like it. Just as I like the sound of you calling me Mrs. Gibbs."

"Really? I figured you'd want to keep your name."

"Only for work. I think it would be safer for one thing. For another I do not want both of us turning around every time someone yells, 'Agent Gibbs'."

"That makes sense. Okay, I'll drop you off but only if you promise to hurry."

"I promise. I will order the pizzas for delivery at six-thirty. You have drinks enough for everyone?"

"Yeah."

Jethro dropped Ziva at her apartment and she promised to be at the house by six o'clock. When she walked in her cozy little two bedroom apartment she took a moment to look around and realize what she would soon be leaving behind. She had loved the apartment the first time she saw it because of it's hardwood floors, spacious living area and wonderful kitchen. She would miss having things just the way she wanted them; and all to herself. Jethro's house definitely needed some updating and Ziva was determined that would be a conversation they would have sooner rather than later.

When Jethro got home he also took stock of his living quarters and realized he would soon, very soon, be sharing them with a woman for the first time in many years. He took in the stack of books on the mantle, the worn couch and the ironing board in the dining room. Things would have to change and pretty darn soon he told himself. As if to prove that point, he folded the ironing board and took it upstairs along with his duffle bag.

While Ziva was at home packing a few clothes and other things she wanted to take with her, Jethro was busy putting clean sheets on the bed and cleaning the bathroom. He was a neat person by nature so there wasn't clutter or a mess anywhere. When he was finished upstairs and satisfied Ziva would be okay with the bedroom, he went to the kitchen to make sure he had plenty of beer and soda along with ice and paper plates. Once he was sure he had everything he would need to feed the group he set about straightening up the rest of the house.

He collected his mail and sorted it, throwing out most of it and keeping only a woodworking magazine and a couple of bills. Then he stood in the dining room and took stock of his house. It needed a lot of work and he hoped Ziva was up to living with a mess for a few months. He had been thinking for a year or more about all the things he wanted to do but until now he hadn't had the motivation to do anything. Instead he used all his creative energies in the basement on various projects and his boat. Now though he wanted to give Ziva the house and the home she deserved and as he stood surveying the place he'd called home for over twenty years he knew it wouldn't fill the bill.

Ziva arrived a few minutes before six and found Jethro in the kitchen with a beer in one hand and a pencil and sketchpad in the other.

"Hey, I think I was supposed to carry you over the threshold wasn't I?"

"Maybe we can do that another time. What is all this?"

"Just thinking about making some changes to the house. You up for that?"

"Of course. You do not have to do that for me you know."

"Don't have to but I want to. Been thinking about it for a long time and now I have someone to do it with and for. We'll talk about it soon. Right now how about a kiss for your husband?"

Ziva smiled at him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"I will never get tired of hearing that. I love you Jethro."

"I love you back."

They kissed and kissed again and just before things got too heated they heard the front door open and DiNozzo's voice in the hallway.

"Hey, Boss you home?"

Jethro and Ziva quickly got themselves calmed down and Jethro stepped out into the dining room.

"Right here, DiNozzo."

Ziva came out of the kitchen with the paper plates and some cups for drinks.

"Ziva, you playing hostess tonight?"

"Just helping out, Tony. You didn't screw up anything while we were gone did you?"

"Course not."

"Beer's in the fridge Tony."

"Got it Boss. You want one Ziva?"

"Sure."

Within a few minutes everyone had arrived. So far no one had noticed the wedding rings but then Abby was still busy telling them about the bowling tournament she and the nuns had won over the weekend.

When everyone had taken some pizza and a drink and found a place to sit, Jethro went to the kitchen to take a moment. He was suddenly, unexpectedly nervous about what he was about to do. Ducky soon joined him.

"Jethro, is everything alright? You seem a bit on edge for some reason."

Jethro turned to his best and oldest friend and grinned at him. Then, instead of speaking, he simply held up his left hand so Ducky could see his newly acquired wedding ring.

Ducky's mouth opened and closed without emitting a sound. Jethro put his finger to his lips asking Ducky to not say anything.

But Ducky could not resist. Very quietly he asked, "You and Ziva?"

"Yep."

The smile on Jethro's face warmed the heart of the medical examiner. He was thrilled to see his friend so happy and also thrilled to know his own intuition was still spot on.

"Wonderful! Let's get out there and you share your news."

"Kinda nervous, Duck."

"Nonsense. They will be thrilled. We have all been waiting for the two of you to come to your senses."

"You what?"

Jethro was incredulous. He had no idea anyone else had ever had any inkling about him and Ziva.

"My friend everyone on your team has known for ages that you and Ziva care for each other. We've just been waiting for it to be clear to you two."

"DiNozzo?"

"Probably the first to know."

Ducky gave him a serious look. "You just remember, we all love Ziva too so don't screw this up my friend. Not that I think you will. This was meant to be Jethro. Enjoy it."

Ziva walked in and Ducky wrapped her in a tight hug.

"Congratulations my dear."

Surprised, Ziva could only say, "Thank you Ducky. Jethro, are you coming back out? We have something we need to say."

"Coming. Just needed to take a minute."

"Are you worried about this?"

"Not now. Apparently, according to Ducky at least, we are the last to know about us."

"Really? Well then let's get on with it."

Ducky went back to join the others and after one more serious kiss, Jethro and Ziva joined him.

After his conversation with Ducky, Jethro found his announcement very easy to make.

"Listen up, you guys. I thought what I am about to say would be a big deal to you but according to Ducky it won't."

Everyone looked at him and then at each other and then at Ducky before focusing back on the Boss and Ziva who they now noticed was standing very close to him.

"Ziva and I got married this morning."

There was a moment of stunned silence and then Abby squealed and ran to the happy couple and that started the round of congratulations that followed. Much to Jethro and Ziva's relief, the team was happy for them and once everyone was assured Ziva was staying on the team they were even more pleased. Several toasts were proposed and drunk to and everyone seemed happy for the newlyweds.

Later, Tony followed Jethro into the kitchen to throw out the pizza boxes.

"I'm happy for you Boss. I just want to say, and I'm serious now, if you hurt Ziva I'm not going to like it. She's important to me. Don't screw this up."

Jethro looked at his senior agent, the one he thought was in love with Ziva, and realized he hadn't been too far off the mark. Tony did love Ziva but not in a romantic way. That actually made Jethro feel good. He knew Ziva would be safe with Tony, maybe even more so now. DiNozzo would never let anything happen to Ziva for fear of what Jethro would do to him.

"I don't intend to screw it up, Tony. I know you care about Ziva. I'll continue to depend on that. Thanks for accepting this so well."

"Oh hell, Boss, I've been waiting for this for a long time. I have some serious money coming. I'm just glad you didn't wait any longer."

"Why is that Tony?"

Jethro had a wary look on his face and DiNozzo wasn't sure he should answer that question. He had already said too much. Luckily for him, his phone rang.

"Gotta get this Boss."

When Tony hung up he said, "We got a case. Dead Marine found in the woods behind the range at Quantico. We gotta go Boss."

Jethro and Tony stepped back into the living room.

"Gear up. We got a body at Quantico."

"Are you sure you're up to working, Jethro?"

"Yeah, I'm fine Duck. You can ride with us. Call Palmer and have him meet us there with the truck. Let's go guys. Abby, we'll see you back at the Navy Yard."

And just like that, things were back to "normal".

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

**Bad Luck Turns to Good**

**Chapter 9**

Jethro and Ziva didn't get back home until late Wednesday night. The case was still going but after pulling an all-nighter on Tuesday and working through supper on Wednesday, Jethro knew they all needed a break. By this time, Ziva wouldn't have noticed if the sheets were dirty and the bathroom a wreck; she was too tired to care anyway. She and Jethro shared the shower and then fell into bed and were both asleep within minutes. Not the wedding night most couples have but then this was no ordinary couple.

The meeting with Director Vance had been postponed until they had time and that didn't come until Friday morning. The case was closed and Jethro and Ziva met with Leon before anyone else was in the office. He assured them they could remain on the same team as long as their work wasn't affected. Both Jethro and Ziva told him there would be no change in how they operated.

When they got back into the routine of working together, Jethro made it a point to continue to send Ziva out with Tony just as he had always done. They were a good team and he needed their experience working together. Things were going smoothly at work and mostly smoothly at home. Living with another person, even the person you were so deeply in love with, was difficult for both of them after living alone so long. Ziva hadn't moved very many of her belongings to the house yet and despite his conscious effort not to let it, that began to both Jethro after a couple of weeks. The little voice in the back of his head that always mocked his happiness was back sometimes when he was alone, and it began to scare him. Finally, one night while they were sitting on the couch enjoying the fire he decided he had to ask.

"When do you think you want to move your stuff over here?"

"I have not thought about it. We talked about doing some work on the house so I guess I was waiting until we discussed all that. Why are you asking?"

Ziva saw a look pass over his face and understood immediately what was going on.

"It's just that you still have the apartment and I well. . .I was hoping . . ."

Before he finished his sentence Ziva had moved and was sitting, straddling his lap. She took his face in her hands and kissed him sweetly and then more passionately. She let him catch his breath but just barely and then she kissed him again. Jethro's hands managed to get under her sweater and the feeling of his big, rough hands on her bare skin was amazing. When she eventually had to have some breath of her own, Ziva leaned back and looked into those blue eyes she woke up to every morning.

"You were hoping what, my love?"

"Huh?"

Ziva laughed and kissed him on the forehead. Jethro held her against his chest and nuzzled her hair. God, he loved this woman! He couldn't get enough of her and he was ashamed of letting the little voice get the best of him.

"I was just wondering when you were going to move in that's all."

"You were worried were you not?"

"No, not really. I just want you here, all of you and your stuff. It's stupid I know but it makes me kinda nervous that you still have the apartment."

"Well, we had talked about some work being done here and I guess I was waiting to see what that would be."

So, they talked that night about all the things Jethro wanted to do to the house. As the list of things he had in mind kept growing Ziva had an idea.

"My lease isn't up for another three months and it will cost me too much to break it. Maybe we should just move into the apartment while the house is being done."

"Why didn't I think of that? That would be perfect, Ziver. Great idea."

And that is what they did. Jethro rented a storage pod and they moved a few pieces of furniture and other things from the house Jethro wanted to keep into the pod in the driveway. Jethro had an ambitious plan in mind for the house including adding on a breakfast room off the kitchen and after meeting one Saturday morning with a contractor he was convinced the work could be done by the time Ziva's lease ran out. He planned to do some work himself but all the major construction would be done by the contractor and his crew.

Ziva helped design the kitchen and much to Jethro's delight, she had lots of good ideas about the rest of the house as well. They were blessed with good weather and everything was on track as the holidays approached. Jethro went by the house every day to check on the progress. The addition was finished by the middle of November and as Thanksgiving approached the kitchen was taking shape. The floor plan was opened up and before long the downstairs was completely new. The upstairs wouldn't need as much work and the contractor was waiting to start work up there until after Thanksgiving.

Jethro and Ziva went to Stillwater to visit Jack over the Thanksgiving holiday. When they got home the team was swamped with cases until the second week of December and Jethro lost track of what was happening at the house. By the time he checked in on the work, the kitchen and downstairs were practically finished and the workers had moved upstairs. They had made such good progress and done such good work that Jethro gave them several days off at Christmas time.

Christmas was spent in Israel visiting Ziva's father and other relatives. Jethro and Eli took a long walk one afternoon and when they returned to the house, they understood each other better and agreed they would each be lost without Ziva.

When the new year rolled around it looked like the house wasn't going to be ready in time after all. The crew had run into some problems in the master bathroom and the walk-in closet Jethro wanted was proving problematic. Ziva was able to negotiate another month with the landlord and after that everyone breathed a little easier.

Even long married couples often struggle during a house remodeling. Jethro and Ziva being newlyweds were not immune to the problems and disagreements that went with choosing everything from door knobs to flooring; from cabinet pulls to paint colors. Jethro had definite ideas about what he couldn't live with in terms of colors and Ziva was happy to abide by those ideas. He was less concerned about bathroom fixtures and drawer and cabinet pulls and all the myriad of small decisions that had to be made. He trusted Ziva's judgment on those things and was pleased with what she chose. Since the kitchen would be her territory Jethro let her choose whatever she wanted in there and in the end he loved what she decided upon.

There were definitely some rough patches for them as the house was nearing completion and more and more details had to be finalized. Jethro's readiness to allow Ziva to choose what she wanted seemed a good idea most of the time but every now and then she wanted his approval rather than his "whatever you want, Ziver" response. After a while it sounded more to her like, "I don't care". She found she didn't want to make all the decisions.

"Jethro, dammit I want you to tell me which one you prefer. Do not simply say I can choose. I have chosen the last thing I am going to without your input!"

When that small explosion had taken place late one Friday night Jethro was surprised and not at all sure how to respond. They were standing in the new master bathroom looking at the catalog of fixtures the contractor had left for them. They were trying to choose a new toilet and Jethro really and truly had no preference. As far as he was concerned they were all fine as long as they did the intended job.

"Ziver, honestly I do not care. As long as it works, it fits in the space and it's white that's all I care about. I don't care if it's round or oblong."

"Well you need to care because I do not want to make this decision by myself."

Something else was going on. That much was obvious to Jethro but for the life of him he couldn't figure out what it was. He knew Ziva was tired; they had had a rough week, and the house remodeling had gone on longer than they'd expected. But really, the toilet?

Jethro reached for the catalog and studied the choices. First of all he thought the prices were outrageous which showed how long it had been since he'd purchased a toilet. He couldn't imagine paying such a price even for a true necessity.

"Okay, the automatic flushing one is out; costs too much. The oblong one is out because it looks like it belongs in an office bathroom. I like this one."

He pointed to a plain, white commode with a traditional flush handle. Nothing special about it at all. It was a name brand he recognized as being known for quality and it seemed moderately priced.

Ziva looked at his choice and then at him. She liked the one that flushed when you waved your hand over the tank lid. It was very expensive though. She hesitated to disagree with Jethro after making such a big deal about him choosing.

"You like the auto flush one don't you?"

Sheepishly she admitted that she did.

"What if you want to put things on the lid like we do now? You know, your lotion and the Kleenex and like that?"

"I had not thought of that. Okay. We will get the one you chose. Now, what about the fixtures?"

"I prefer the brushed nickel. I don't really like the shiny one. Isn't the brushed nickel what you picked for the kitchen?"

"Yes. I prefer that as well. For all the fixtures here and in the guest bathroom?"

"Yes, make it all the same. Door knobs, all over, everywhere."

"I get it , Jethro! Which light fixture do you like?"

Jethro sighed. He looked through the catalog and pointed out three that he could live with. Ziva liked two of the same ones so they were at least narrowing it down. When they couldn't choose Jethro flipped a coin and the decision was made.

"Can we go home now?"

"Yes, I am tired and hungry and would love to be in bed with you in the not too distant future."

They closed up the house and headed back to the apartment stopping along the way for take out since neither of them wanted to cook.

Later that night, Jethro came out of the bathroom to find Ziva already in bed. She was sitting up reading. He sat on the side of bed beside her hips and motioned her to move over a bit. He leaned down, one hand on the bed beside her.

"Tell me what's wrong babe."

"Why do you think something is wrong? Because I required you to make a decision tonight?"

"Because you're still upset and you had a minor breakdown about a toilet."

He was almost kidding but not entirely. He shifted and ran his hand up her arm and around the back of her neck, pulling her in close for a kiss. Ziva raked her nails down his back and kissed him back with more energy than she thought she had. When a breath was absolutely necessary, Jethro sat back and waited.

"I am just very tired I think. There are so, so many tiny little things to be chosen. I never gave any thought to what all we had to decide upon. I am really okay, I promise. I love the house and I am just very anxious to be living there with you. I am very much over apartment living!"

"Me too. You know I would live in a hut if I had you there, right?"

"I know. But we need to get moved pretty soon."

Now Ziva was having trouble concentrating on what she wanted to say because Jethro's hands were roaming and his mouth was following. They had not had much time for each other lately and they were both in need of the other's undivided attention.

Jethro pulled her cami off over her head and any thoughts of wall colors or drawer pulls or light fixtures were erased from her mind. The only thing on Ziva's mind was Jethro and what he was doing with his hands at the moment. Likewise, Jethro wasn't concerned about flooring or insulation or which window to buy; all he cared about was his wife and being as close to her as humanly possible for as long as possible for the rest of the night.

Finally, a few weeks later the house was finished and ready for them to move back into the third week of February. Jethro and Ziva spent almost an entire Saturday shopping for furniture. Jethro sat on more couches that day than he had in his entire life. Once again they both had definite ideas about what they wanted.

"Jethro, I want you to have a comfortable chair that is yours to relax in in front of the fire. It does not have to be something I would choose but it cannot be ugly."

"Ugly is in the eye of the beholder, Ziver."

"Very funny. I like both of those," she pointed to two leather recliners that Jethro had indicated he liked.

"Pretty pricey."

"But you are worth it. Just sit in that dark brown one and tell my you would not enjoy sitting in that and falling asleep in front of a fire."

"I'd rather fall asleep on the couch with you."

"But you know, Jethro there are times when I might not be there. Just sit in the darn chair!"

Jethro sat in the chair and just as Ziva had known he would, he fell in love with it.

"Damn, this is really comfortable. You're right, I need this chair. And, I think you might fit in here with me!"

"I thought so. Now the couch over there goes very nicely with the chair."

Jethro agreed and they moved to the bedroom section to spend some more of Jethro's savings. Next was a new table and chairs for the breakfast room. By the time they got home that night Jethro could almost hear his credit card crying. He told himself it was only money and considering how long it had been since he'd spent any money on the house it wasn't that bad.

Later that night as they got ready for bed Ziva brought up something that had been bothering her for days.

"Jethro, I do not think you should pay for all of what we bought today plus all that was done to the house. I have money and I want to pay for some of what we are doing."

"What do you mean you have money? Have you been holding out on my all this time?"

Ziva crawled across the bed and settled on his lap. She let her hands skate across his chest playing with the soft curly hair which she loved almost as much as his blue eyes. She leaned in and kissed him on the mouth.

"I have not been holding out on you. My aunt who died last month, my mother's sister, she left me some money and it just showed up in my account this week."

"Nice. Did you know she was leaving you money?"

"No, it was a complete surprise to me. Apparently she inherited some land from my grandfather and then sold it and kept the money in a trust fund or something like that. Anyway, she left the money to me. It is not a fortune but it will certainly help pay for all the fun we had today."

"You sure you want to do that? You don't have to."

"Of course I want to. It is found money really and I do not expect you to pay for everything in this marriage. We are partners, Jethro. I want to do my share."

"Okay. That's great. Now, let's not talk about money for a while."

"Hmmm, what would you like to talk about?"

"Nothin'."

So for the next hour or so they didn't talk about anything. They communicated but in their preferred, non-verbal way. They fell asleep then, wrapped up in each other, anxious to move into their house and leave apartment living behind.

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

**Bad Luck Turns to Good**

**Chapter 10**

Jethro carried Ziva over the threshold the Saturday they returned to their practically new house. They had taken the previous two days off to move in, arrange everything, clean Ziva's apartment and finally, finally get settled living together like normal people. Jethro had been thrilled to be able to move out completely while the remodeling was being done but given the size of the apartment it hadn't taken long for them to be tripping over each other. He had missed his basement and his boat which had been neglected for months now.

Ziva too was thrilled to be out of the small apartment and living in a spacious, almost new house. She was looking forward to springtime when she could plant flowers and enjoy a yard for the first time since moving to America. She wanted to cook in her new kitchen and entertain their friends in the new house. She also was anxious for Jethro to get back to his boat; she knew he missed it and that he needed that solitude even now.

On Sunday after they moved in, they invited the team and Director and Mrs. Vance over for drinks and snacks to show off the new house. Jethro was very proud of what they had done and Ziva was happy to be a hostess in her lovely new home. She finally felt like things were becoming settled for her and Jethro.

That night the happy couple, still newlyweds by most measures, christened their new bed and unbeknownst to them created a new life. The next day they went back to work and their lives fell into a comfortable routine of work, enjoying their home and each other. Things weren't always perfect but both Jethro and Ziva were determined not to let any small irritation turn into something big. Jethro still brooded at times but as the weeks went on he became more and more comfortable having Ziva in the house and he found himself spending much less time in the basement. He didn't like to talk about cases at home; that had always been a rule with him and that continued now. Ziva was fine with that rule since she already knew what was going on at work. The difference now was that Jethro had someone to come home to who understood why he might be in a bad mood or angry or sad even. And, he was becoming more and more willing to allow Ziva to comfort him when he had those feelings. Rarely did Jethro feel the need to keep his feelings to himself these days. He loved coming home to find Ziva already in the kitchen with something delicious cooking. He was getting spoiled and he knew it. And he loved it.

Ziva might have had a more difficult time adjusting to marriage than Jethro simply because she had never been married before. Learning to let someone else be responsible for part of her life was not easy for Ziva. She was the one who always checked the door, she managed the food, the bills the laundry. Now she had a man in the house who was quite capable of doing some of that as well. And, he was willing to do it. Just as Jethro was learning to let Ziva comfort him, she was learning to let Jethro take care of her.

They talked about everything all the time and never really argued. Most people who knew them would have been surprised at how much conversation they had. They both enjoyed having someone to talk to about books they had read, places they had traveled or things they had experienced in their pasts. Of course they would both say they really, really enjoyed the sex that came with being married but each would have also said they enjoyed the other forms of intimacy they experienced. Jethro loved touching Ziva. Holding her hand, having her next to him on the couch, kissing her whenever he felt like it. Ziva found she actually craved his touch. She wanted him close whenever they were at home. Sometimes she feared she would smother him with her desire to be close but so far Jethro had not seemed to mind. She too enjoyed the freedom to touch or kiss him whenever the urge struck her; except at work of course. So far, being at work had not been a problem. For some reason when they stepped onto the Navy Yard business took over and they managed to keep their hands to themselves-mostly. There was one time when Ducky walked in on them in autopsy and one time in the conference room when poor Dorneget had surprised them, but so far that was it. All in all things were going very well for the newlyweds.

At the end of March Ziva began to feel out of sorts and realized she had missed her period. She waited a few weeks then, without alerting Jethro, went to her doctor for a checkup. When she left the office she was happy and anxious at the same time. She went back to work and told Jethro everything was fine.

That night she fixed one of her special meals and told Jethro she was pregnant. She worried that he would think it too soon but of course he was thrilled. Ziva would have preferred to have waited until they had been married for a year or so but she was excited and very happy to be carrying Jethro's child. They celebrated their good news that night and Ziva felt a tenderness and passion from Jethro she had not experienced before. He never stopped smiling.

They had planned to take some time off and go somewhere warm for a few days but work simply would not cooperate. One case after another kept them tied to DC until the second week of April. One morning that week Ziva woke up not feeling well and Jethro convinced her to stay home from work. They were only doing paperwork and hers could be done tomorrow. Ziva fell back to sleep after Jethro left but woke up a few hours later in pain and when she got up she realized she was bleeding. She called Jethro and told him to come home.

Coming home from the hospital that night was the hardest thing Ziva had done in a long time. She hated coming back into the house without her child in her womb. The doctor had assured her the miscarriage was not due to anything she had done or not done; it was simply a sad fact that it happened many times in the first trimester and did not signal anything wrong with her. He assured her she was in good health and could safely get pregnant again when she was ready.

They both stayed home the next day. Ziva was heartbroken and closed herself off from Jethro, too consumed with her own grief to see his. Even though the baby had been unplanned and quite a surprise, she had fallen in love with him (she was sure it was a boy)and now was inconsolable at his loss. Jethro tried his best to say and do the right things but nothing seemed to help. He knew Ziva needed her space so he retreated to the basement and consoled himself with the rhythm and familiarity of working on his boat. He too was heartbroken at the loss of their child and he needed the comfort that only his wife could give him.

Ziva slept most of that day with Jethro silently checking on her almost every hour. He stood in the doorway of their bedroom and watched her sleep. He longed to be in bed with her; holding her and telling her everything would be alright. He knew though that she needed time and space and he had to give that to her. It was all he could do at the moment. After watching her for a few minutes, Jethro would wander back down to the basement and resume his sanding therapy. It had worked for years and years on many other hurts and he was counting on it working again.

Late in the evening Jethro heard her footsteps upstairs and realized he hadn't checked on Ziva for over two hours. When he heard her coming down the stairs he put down the sander and brushed the fine covering of sawdust from his hands, arms and shirt. He stood by the workbench watching Ziva descend the basement stairs.

Wordlessly Ziva approached him and when Jethro opened his arms to her she fell into his embrace and clung to him for dear life. Jethro held her tightly and gently rocked them back and forth. Ziva had thought she was out of tears but being in his arms, inhaling the scent of him, she cried and cried all over again. Jethro didn't even try to hold back his tears. He knew Ziva understood his grief was as intense as hers and he had no hesitation in letting her see that.

Finally the first of June, Jethro managed to get them some time off and they went to Sanibel Island in Florida for a very delayed honeymoon. They had managed to find a small condo for rent on the beach and left DC on a Friday afternoon flight. There had been a difficult few weeks for both of them after the miscarriage but they were finally moving on and even talking about getting pregnant again soon. Ziva was in perfect health and Jethro didn't want to wait much longer to start their family. In fact he had high hopes of Ziva conceiving while they were on vacation. He certainly had plans to spend a lot of time trying!

The condo was fabulous with a gorgeous beach view from the deck that wrapped around two sides of the condo. They could see the beautiful blue of the Gulf from their breakfast bar. They deposited their bags in the bedroom the evening they arrived then set out to explore their beach and watch the sunset. Walking hand-in-hand on the white sand beach Jethro knew he had never been happier or more at peace since losing his wife and child. He loved Ziva more every day and appreciated all the blessings she brought to his life.

Ziva was also happier and more content than she had ever been. She was excited about her future with the man she loved more than life itself and looking forward to starting their family. She was just as anxious as Jethro to try for another pregnancy and she wanted very much for that to happen on this trip.

"So, Mrs. Gibbs, how do you like married life so far?"

They were sitting on the soft sand in front of their condo watching the sun disappear below the horizon.

"I think it is the best thing I have ever done. I love my husband more each day and there is nothing I can say in the negative about being Mrs. Jethro Gibbs."

"Wow."

"Is that all you have to say?"

"No. I have to say that I love you more than I did the day we got married. I love everything about being married to you. I will never have enough of you."

"It seems we made a good decision that day in the hospital then."

"An excellent decision. Really, Ziver is there anything I can do to make our marriage better?"

Ziva turned to look at him and pulled his hand to her mouth and kissed his palm. Where, she wondered, was that question coming from? Had she somehow indicated to him that she was unhappy about some aspect of their life together?

"Why do you ask?"

"Is there?"

"Absolutely not. You are a wonderful husband, Jethro. Thoughtful and loving, attentive and understanding of my many moods. You are everything I could ask for. Why did you think to ask such a question?"

"I just know that in the past I've screwed up and not known it until it was too late. I don't want to do that with you. With us."

"You won't. Jethro, you make me so happy. Do you know that when you walk into the room I immediately feel better? When I look at you and know that I am going home with you and will be able to sleep with you and wake up with you every day for the rest of my life I am almost overcome with joy. I thought maybe that would fade over time but it has not. I am proud to be your wife. I am excited to think about our future; our children."

"Speaking of children, do you think you might be ready to try again pretty soon?"

"How does tonight sound?"

Jethro laughed and answered her with a kiss that stole her breath away.

"Tonight sounds perfect."

They spent a relaxing ten days at the beach. Every day was beautiful and fun and Ziva wanted to stay forever. They slept late, sat in the sun and then the shade, played in the water and took long walks on the beach. They went out to dinner only twice preferring to stay in and eat by themselves. They sat on the patio in the mornings and watched for dolphins playing in the gulf and in the evenings they sat and watched the sun disappear. And of course they worked on making a baby.

Ziva had wondered before they got together, what kind of a lover Jethro would be. She had in fact fantasized about it innumerable times, a fact she reluctantly admitted to him late one night when she had had maybe one too many glasses of wine.

"You did huh? So, do I live up to the fantasy?"

Jethro was lying on his side next to her, tracing random patterns on her stomach and only occasionally straying to let his fingers caress her breasts. He had his head propped up in his other hand and his top leg wedged between hers.

"Oh my dear you more than live up to the fantasy. You surpass it."

"Tell me more."

Ziva scrunched her face up and tried not to laugh at him. He was so serious and yet he expected her to talk in complete sentences while lying naked with him running his hand over her, setting her skin afire with his touch.

"More? You mean like what I fantasized about you doing?"

"Yeah."

He scooted just a bit closer and she knew he was getting turned on by this conversation.

"Well, I used to have this dream that you and I got locked in the elevator and you made love to me there. You were very demanding and never said a word, you just took me. It was very hot."

"The elevator? You want me to do that sometime?"

"No, I do not! Good heavens! That was simply a wild fantasy. You, in the flesh are much more exciting and fulfilling than any fantasy I ever had."

Jethro leaned down and kissed her. His mouth traveled down her throat and he kissed each breast before returning to her mouth to taste her again. He moved over on top of her and braced himself over her on his elbows. They were touching in all the right places and Ziva once again was reminded how much better reality was than fantasy.

"Tell me another one."

Ziva closed her eyes. Jethro dropped his head and nuzzled her neck, kissing across her collarbone and back to that certain point below her ear that made her a little bit crazy.

"There was one where I came to see you in the basement and you were working on the boat wearing only some worn shorts. I was wearing a coat but nothing underneath. We had wild sex against the boat."

"I think we've done that already in real life."

"Yes we have and again, it was much better than my dream."

After that Jethro didn't need to hear any more stories. He set about proving to her again that things really were better in real life than in her dreams. That was the night they made a baby.

Returning to DC after such a perfect vacation was difficult but as usual work was so intense they didn't have time to dwell on missing the beach. Ziva was paying close attention to her monthly cycle and as soon as she was a week late she bought a home pregnancy test and to their great delight, found she was pregnant again. They didn't share their news with anyone at first, preferring to wait until the first trimester had safely passed. Once that milestone was reached they happily told the team their good news.

This pregnancy was picture perfect. Ziva felt very well throughout and worked right until two weeks before the baby was due. They had learned the baby was a boy so Jethro painted the nursery a pale blue and they spent an entire weekend stenciling and painting a water scene with fish and a sailboat on one wall. Jethro brought Kelly's baby bed down from the attic and after a thorough cleaning he made sure it was still as sturdy as when he'd built it then put on a fresh coat of paint and sealer. Ziva and Abby shopped for Clothes, sheets, blankets and all manner of things Jethro didn't know babies needed.

On a cold, blustery Thursday in March, Ziva called Jethro at work and told him he needed to come home. He made it in record time which was a good thing because all of a sudden their son was in a hurry. They were in the hospital barely an hour when Zachary Paul Gibbs made his grand entrance into the world. Ziva knew she would never forget the look of utter joy on her husband's face when the doctor handed him his son. Jethro couldn't stop smiling at the red, crying baby and tears filled his eyes.

He took his tiny, squalling little boy and handed him to his mother. He leaned down and kissed Ziva on the forehead.

"Thank you Ziver. Thank you so much."

"Oh, Jethro he is perfect! I cannot believe we finally have our son here."

"He's wonderful, just like his mom."

The nurse whisked Zachary off to be cleaned up and weighed but soon she brought him back wrapped in a soft blanket and sporting a knit cap. While the nurses tended to Ziva, Jethro cradled Zachary in his arms and ran the tip of his finger gently over his oh-so-soft cheeks. He whispered to him how much he loved him and promised he would always protect him no matter what. He wiped away a couple of tears that threatened to escape.

The happy family spent the rest of the day basking in the joy of a safe delivery and a healthy baby. When the lactation specialist came in to talk to Ziva, Jethro took the opportunity to make the necessary phone calls. As promised he called Ziva's father first then his dad and then the team. As difficult as it was, they agreed to wait until the next morning to visit. Jethro knew Abby was going crazy to see the baby but he was going to be selfish and keep Ziva and Zachary all to himself just for this one day.

Ziva took her full complement of maternity leave and Jethro stayed home for a month after the baby was born. He had missed the first month of Kelly's life so there was no way he was going back to work any sooner. He helped as much as he could but of course feeding was almost exclusively mom's area. Occasionally they supplemented breast milk with formula so Jethro did have that bonding time with his daughter. Much to Ziva's disappointment, breastfeeding did not work out for them after the first month but at least that meant Jethro was able to help even more with the overnight feedings. That was the only glitch in an otherwise perfect baby experience.

Zachary was an easy baby who loved to cuddle and was sleeping for four hours at a time when he was five weeks old. Once Jethro went back to work Ziva concentrated on getting Zachary on a proper day/night schedule. She was dreading the thought of going back to work and Jethro was dreading the idea of Ziva being shot at or punched or any of the other things that could happen to her when dealing with their suspects.

One Friday night after a particularly trying week at the office, Jethro decided to broach the subject of when Ziva was going back to work and what that work was going to be. They were lying in bed, both exhausted but neither ready for sleep. Ziva rolled onto her side and looked at her husband who was staring at the ceiling. She began letting her fingers wander over his chest and kissed him on the shoulder.

"What are you thinking about?"

"You going back to work."

"And?"

Jethro turned his head and moved away just enough to be able to look at her. The idea that this beautiful woman was his wife and the mother of his child still made his heart race. He hoped he never got over that feeing.

"Just wondering about you being in the field. Are you okay with that?"

They hadn't talked about this at all; not during the pregnancy and not since Zachary was born. Somehow they just avoided it because neither of them had the answer and they both knew the other was worried about it. They still had almost two months before Ziva's maternity leave would be up but obviously Jethro was worrying so they needed to talk about it now.

"I am not sure. I know I want to go back to work. I am not ready to be a stay-at-home mom yet. As much as I love Zach and enjoy being home now I know I need to work. What would I do if I was not on your team?"

"Good question. You want me to talk to Vance and see what he says?"

"Actually, I was thinking I might come in one day next week and talk to him. I could bring Zachary to meet everyone and if you were not busy we could go to lunch."

"That sounds good. Any idea what you'd like to do?"

"Maybe threat assessment or something where could we would use my language skills. I have skills I wasn't using on the team because they were not needed but surely there is something else I could do."

"I'm sure Vance can find something. Now, about those other skills; the ones you weren't using. Could you demonstrate a couple on me before I fall asleep?"

"My pleasure."

"I hope so."

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Oops, sorry for the mixup in the last chapter. Originally the baby was a girl named Hannah but I changed my mind and decided on a boy named Zachary. I thought I caught all the Hannahs in my proofing but obviously I didn't. Thanks to two sharp-eyed reviewers for catching it and asking about it.

**Bad Luck Turns to Good**

**Chapter 11**

Ziva and Director Vance met on the following Monday. He had been thinking about other positions for her because he had an idea Gibbs wouldn't want her in the line of fire anymore; he was just enough of a chauvinist to not want the mother of his child being shot at on a semi-regular basis. Leon agreed with that sentiment so had taken it upon himself to look for other ways to use Ziva's skills. While Jethro showed off his son to anyone who hadn't met him yet, Ziva went upstairs to talk to Director Vance about her future at NCIS. She was prepared to look for work somewhere else if necessary but she hoped that wouldn't be the case.

When Ziva hadn't returned after almost an hour Jethro was beginning to get nervous. Much to Abby's displeasure, Zachary would only let either his father or Tony hold him. He seemed to have what everyone thought was a strange attachment to DiNozzo and right now as sitting on Tony's lap while the senior agent talked to him about movies.

"Don't talk to him about any crazy movie stuff, DiNozzo."

"Right Boss. John Wayne only. I got it."

Jethro just smirked at him and at the same time marveled at the way his son was captivated by the person most unlikely of them all to be able to entertain a three month old. Secretly Jethro was pleased because besides himself and Ziva he knew Tony was going to be the most protective of Zach. And, Tony was the person Jethro most trusted with his son; besides Ziva of course.

Abby and McGee left to work on some problem in the lab so it was just Jethro and Tony in the bullpen waiting on Ziva.

"So, Boss, is Ziva coming back or not?"

"Not to the team."

"That her choice?"

Jethro looked at him for a minute trying to sort out exactly what he meant.

"You mean did I kick her off the team? No I did not."

"Not what I meant. I figured you didn't want her in the field anymore since you two have this little guy to worry about. I know I wouldn't want my wife getting into the stuff we do. Especially since Ziva isn't exactly the shrinking violet type. She won't know how to avoid the good stuff."

"You're right about that. We decided together. We're hoping Vance can find her something to do that doesn't require her to get shot at on a regular basis."

Tony held Zachary up and looked at him intently. He still couldn't believe his hard-nosed, obstinate boss had married Ziva and then produced this adorable little kid.

"Sure looks like you Boss. Doesn't look a thing like his mom. Too bad."

"Yeah, thanks DiNozzo. Maybe the next one will be a girl and she'll look like her mom."

"Next one? You already planning number two?"

"Not planning but I imagine it will happen."

Tony just shook his head and gave Zach a kiss on the cheek. He stood up and handed the boy over to his dad.

"I gotta hit the head. Don't let Ziva leave before I see her, okay?"

"Okay."

Jethro paced around the room talking softly to Zach while they waited for Ziva to reappear. Any agent who knew Gibbs as the leader of the MCRT was surprised to see him nuzzling a baby and talking to him about the pictures on the wall and the trees outside the window. Several stopped to congratulate him and comment about how cute Zachary was. Tony came back and was surprised to see Ziva had still not come downstairs. He went over to Jethro and Zach at the window and indicated he would take the baby.

"You want to go up there and see what's taking so long, Boss?"

"I want to but I don't think I should."

"Why not? Ziva's on your team and the director is talking to her about a new assignment. I'd say that's your business. Not to mention she's your wife. Let me have this handsome lad and you go find out if I'm going to have to get a new partner."

"Okay but don't go takin' him around to get the women to talk to you. He's not chick bait."

"Geez, Boss give me some credit. I wouldn't use your son like that."

"I know you won't. 'Cos if you do I'll kick your ass."

"Right."

Tony took Zach and as soon as Jethro was out of sight he headed to the breakroom where he happened to know a couple of female agents were having lunch. Tony knew his boss knew exactly what he was going to do and the threat to kick his ass was just that; a threat that would come to nothing. Probably very few of the agents who knew Gibbs would have said he was a changed man since he got married but Tony knew differently. His boss was definitely very different than the man who left for North Carolina all those months ago. Not only had Ziva convinced him to let his hair grow a bit longer, she had softened his rough edges and she kept in an almost constant good mood. They still solved the toughest cases and the bad guys still had the fear of God put in them by Gibbs but his team recognized the differences Ziva had made in him every day.

Jethro stopped in the outer office and asked Shirley, the Director's assistant, if he could go in.

"Sure. I thought they were waiting for you."

Jethro wondered about that, knocked once on the office door then walked in. Ziva and Vance were sitting at the conference table and the both looked at him when he walked in. Then they looked at the clock on the wall and Ziva held out her hand to Vance.

"I win. You owe me five dollars."

"Should have known."

Jethro looked at them and smirked. "How much longer should I have waited Leon?"

"I figured you'd be here fifteen minutes ago."

Ziva smiled at him and indicated he should sit down next to her.

"Director Vance has offered me a new job in the intelligence and threat assessment division. No field work to speak of and fairly regular hours. What do you think?"

"It's up to you. You know how I feel about you being in the field but I sure hate to lose you on my team."

"I think this is the best thing for me now. It sounds like I will be busy and will be useful as well. I will take the new assignment, Director."

"Great. When is your maternity leave up?"

"I have six weeks left. I really need to take it all unless that will pose a problem."

"No, that will be perfect. Now, where is that little one?"

"He's with DiNozzo. Probably being used to help Tony chat up the women in the breakroom."

"Really, Jethro! Why do you let him do that?"

"Ah, he loves Zach and for some reason Zach seems to like Tony. It won't hurt for him to get some extra attention."

"You mean Tony or Zach?"

"Actually I meant Zach but I'm sure Tony's getting some too."

When he went home that night Jethro felt better about the idea of Ziva going back to work than he had since Zachary was born. He was relieved but also sorry she wouldn't be on his team, next to him all day, every day. Maybe, he thought, this will be better; too much togetherness can be a problem.

The next month seemed to fly by and before they knew it Ziva had only two weeks of leave left and they hadn't decided what to do about childcare.

"This should have been decided weeks ago, Jethro. What if we can't find a place we like?"

"I thought you wanted to hire someone to stay with Zach at home."

"I do but that will be very expensive and we haven't even started interviewing."

Ziva was near tears and Jethro realized this was really stressing her. He hadn't given it much thought because he had been so busy at work especially since he was short one person on his team.

"Ziva we can afford a nanny don't worry about that. Why don't you talk to Jackie and see if she has any suggestions. Are you worried about something else because you seem pretty upset."

They were getting ready for bed and it was late; Zach had not gone to sleep until almost eleven o'clock and now they were both tired and knew he would probably be awake again by three or four.

"I am just very tired tonight. And, I am dreading going back to work since I do not know who will be caring for our sweet baby. I cannot believe we put this off so long."

"Hey, come here." Jethro pulled her into his arms and held her close. "Everything will work out fine. We'll find someone and if we don't then we'll just deal with it. But, we can't do anything about it tonight so let's get some sleep. You know your son will be up in a few hours."

"Ah, so now he is my son! I seem to recall he looks an awful lot like you, my love."

"That's what everyone says. I'll get up with him this time so you just relax. Talk to Jackie tomorrow, okay?"

"I will. Jethro, I love you."

"Love you more."

As luck would have it Jackie Vance did know someone who she thought would be perfect for Ziva and Jethro. The young woman, Natalie, had done some babysitting for the Vances and both Jackie and Leon recommended her highly. She was going to Georgetown at night and working as a waitress but not making enough money so was thinking of dropping out. Jackie invited her to lunch one day and introduced her to Ziva and Zachary. At just under five months old Zachary was already a charmer. He had a cute smile, curly light brown hair, and of course his daddy's blue eyes. Natalie was taken with him right away.

The next weekend Ziva invited Natalie to the house to meet Jethro and have a more formal interview. The idea of choosing a person to care for their child all day every day was daunting for both Ziva and Jethro. Neither of them had ever had to make a decision quite like this one. They asked Natalie dozens of questions about her experience with babies, her ideas about childcare and her knowledge of child development. Natalie assured them she knew what babies needed most; love and security. She told them she had three younger siblings and had been babysitting since she was fourteen. She explained she was studying pre-med in hopes of one day being a pediatrician. She knew about feeding and bathing, tummy time and cuddling. Leon had already assured Jethro that he had fully vetted Natalie before he let her babysit for Jared and Kayla. After the two hour "interview" the nervous parents were agreed that Natalie would be a wonderful caregiver for Zachary.

The week before she went back to work Ziva had Natalie come over a couple of times for just a few hours so she could get to know Zach and vice versa. Ziva took the opportunity to get her hair trimmed and her nails done one afternoon and the other day she went to lunch with Jethro and Ducky. When she returned home those days Zachary was fine of course and Natalie assured her they had gotten along fine.

When the big day came for Ziva to go back to work she had to manage the morning by herself because Jethro had been called out on a case in the middle of the night. She hated that aspect of his job especially now that she wasn't going with him. She worried about him constantly. Luckily for Ziva, Natalie arrived fifteen minutes early and was able to take Zach off her hands so she could finish getting ready.

"He has eaten already and should be ready for a nap about ten. He has been up much too long already!"

"Please don't worry about us Mrs. Gibbs, we'll be fine. Call me as many times as you need to. Is there anything I can do for you in the house?"

"Oh Natalie, just concentrate on Zach and your studies if you have them. Do not worry about the house at all. Thank you for being here early, Jethro had to go out in the middle of the night so I was not quite ready on time myself."

"No problem. I'll see you this evening."

Ziva kissed Zach on the head and forced herself out the door. She knew in her brain that Natalie was completely trustworthy and more than capable of taking care of Zachary but she hated the idea of being away from him all day. As she drove to the Navy Yard she called Jethro to see how the case was going.

"Hey, Ziver. Everything alright this morning?"

"Yes, thank goodness Natalie was early. I hated leaving him, Jethro. I miss him."

"I understand. You know you don't have to work, you can stay home if you want."

"No. Not yet. Maybe after the next one. How is the case?"

"Not sure yet. Looks like a fairly routine murder if there is such a thing. Gotta go. Love you."

And he was gone. Ziva was sure she would never get used to him hanging up before she could respond. She reminded herself he did it to everyone and if that was the worst habit he had she could surely live with it. Especially considering all the good habits he had!

Going back to work proved to be a good thing for Ziva. She enjoyed the new job and managed to "run into" her husband at least twice a day. She missed the field work and the team but took solace in the fact that she was doing some critical work in her new position. Ziva was always home by six o'clock and had a couple of hours with Zachary in the evenings. Jethro made it a point to be home most evenings as well. Natalie was proving to be a wonderful nanny; she even did some light cleaning and laundry. After the first month Jethro quietly gave her a raise and thanked her for all the extra things she did for them. He knew Ziva liked the house to be neat and clean but she didn't want to take away time with Zach to do housework so Natalie helping out was worth its weight in gold to Jethro. Anything that made Ziva happy was priceless to him.

Zachary was thriving with Natalie. He was always happy and clean when Ziva or Jethro arrived home. As the months passed he was meeting all his milestones right on time and his well baby checkups were always perfect. Zach's six month birthday happened to fall on his parents' wedding anniversary so the three of them celebrated with cake and ice cream. Jethro let Abby babysit Zach the next Friday night and he took Ziva out for dinner and then dancing. It was the best night out they had ever had together as far as Ziva was concerned. On the way home she looked over at Jethro and thanked her lucky stars for him. And Zach.

Before they knew it Zach was coming up on his first birthday. He was on the verge of walking, babbled all the time and was a happy, healthy little boy. His parents adored him and Ziva tried her best not to spoil him but it was hard. Jethro assured her he was fine and told her over and over again that loving him so much was not spoiling him. Zach's grandfather came from Pennsylvania for the birthday and they had a fun celebration with Jethro's team. Ziva's father had seen Zach only by Skype but he promised to visit within the year. Ziva told Jethro she would believe that when he walked in the door. That day would come sooner than she thought and not under the circumstances she would have chosen.

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Thank you to all the readers who left comments, followed the story or made it a favorite. I appreciate each of you. This is the final chapter of this story and it's a short one but I felt it needed to stand alone. I hope you enjoy it.

**Bad Luck Turns to Good**

**Chapter 12**

"Jethro", Ziva shouted for her husband who was supposed to be getting dressed but was not.

"Yeah?"

Ziva startled and almost dropped the brush she was using to fix her hair. She was in front of the mirror in their master bathroom and her very sneaky, quiet husband was leaning against the door frame in their bedroom watching her. She had no idea he was in the room. Jethro never got tired of watching Ziva do even the most mundane things. Seeing her standing there wearing only a tiny little slip and a bra took his breath away even though he had seen her in that and less many times over the past almost three years that they had been married.

"My god, Jethro you scared me. Why do you insist on sneaking up on me?"

"I didn't sneak up on you. I was merely standing here admiring my beautiful wife."

"Are you dressed?"

"No, I'm standing here naked with my father downstairs. Of course I'm dressed."

Ziva was in no mood for his silliness. They were going to be late if he didn't get it in gear in the next ten minutes.

Jethro pushed himself off the door frame and walked into the bathroom. He dropped his tee shirt in the laundry hamper and stood very close behind Ziva. His hands were on her hips and he leaned his chin on her shoulder. His hands slipped around to cover her belly where their daughter was safely growing.

"You're beautiful you know. I love you, Ziver."

"Thank you, Jethro. And, I love you, but you still need to get dressed. I do not want to be late. Is Jack ready?"

"Yes, he's downstairs reading Zach a story."

"Good. Why are you not getting ready?"

"Because I'd rather stand here with you. How about I stay home with Zachary and you take Jack tonight."

Ziva sighed and turned to face her annoying but very handsome and sweet husband. She put her hands on his chest and pushed him away. Then she sidestepped him and went into the bedroom to get dressed.

"You are not staying home. I do not intend to have to explain to my father why you are not present at a dinner in your honor. Now, your suit is hanging on the back of the closet door. I suggest you take a very quick shower and then get dressed. Your pouting will not do any good tonight."

"But. . . "

"Jethro! Honestly, you are worse than a child."

She refused to say anything else or look at him. Jethro did as instructed and a mere seven minutes later he stepped out of the shower, dried himself off, pulled on a pair of briefs Ziva had left on the counter, and stood at the sink shaving. He towel dried his hair and went into the bedroom to get dressed. He hated going to big, fancy dinners especially if, as on this occasion, he was going to be the center of attention.

While Jethro was showering, Ziva took a few minutes to reflect on why they were getting all dressed up and going to dinner at the Israeli Embassy.

Two months prior Jethro had stepped in front of a bullet meant for the Israeli Ambassador to the US. He, luckily, was wearing a bullet proof vest and was only bruised. The Ambassador was bruised as well when a security guard pushed him to the ground but he certainly wasn't complaining. The gunman was killed by DiNozzo who was covering his Boss. The whole thing took less than thirty seconds. Jethro insisted he was only doing his job and did not want anyone to even mention the incident much less make a big deal about it. Nevertheless, the Israeli government wanted to give some official recognition. Ziva had spoken to her father and managed to get them to keep the fanfare to a minimum by having a dinner at the Embassy and no public statements.

Seeing her husband dive in front of the Ambassador hadn't phased Ziva at the time but once the adrenalin rush was over she was furious with him and scared to death at the same time. She reminded him in no uncertain terms that she did not want to be a single parent of a toddler and a newborn. Jethro had just smiled at her and then winced when she hugged him fiercely.

Now Jethro sat on the bed putting on his socks and watching Ziva finish her makeup. He wondered why she bothered; she sure didn't need it in his opinion. She was ignoring him but Jethro didn't mind. He knew before they left he'd get some lovin' and he'd extract a promise from her to make it up to him for not putting a stop to this whole dinner thing.

"You want to pick out the tie, Ziver?"

Ziva stood up and smoothed her dress as she walked over to Jethro standing by the bed holding up four potential candidates. She immediately indicated two were unacceptable and then held each of the remaining two up next to Jethro's chest.

"I like this one," she said indicating the one in her left hand.

"Then that is the winner. How about a kiss before you put on your lipstick."

"Excellent idea."

Ziva wrapped her arms around his middle and Jethro leaned down to kiss her softly at first and then with a bit more heat. He pulled her closer and Ziva knew she'd better be careful. His hands went down to her bottom and pulled her even closer still.

"Whoa, there my love. Remember, we are on our way out not just coming home. You need to hold that thought and if you are really good tonight we will definitely get back to that later."

"Define really good."

Jethro hadn't let go of her but he did loosen his grip and let her move back a fraction.

"It means you just be the charming, gracious man I know you are. And, you are nice to my father."

"I'm always nice to your father. I promise I won't piss anyone off and I'll use my best manners. You sure you don't want to just take Jack and let me stay home with Zach?"

"I am sure. Emily will be here in a few minutes and she is quite capable of taking care of Zachary for the evening."

"I know."

Jethro let Ziva out of his grasp and began putting on his tie. The idea that Emily Fornell was old enough to babysit was still hard for Jethro to accept. Of course the fact that he had a child who needed a babysitter was also hard to believe. Zachary was eighteen months old and had his parents wrapped firmly around his little finger. He was a fun little boy, always running around, always busy and into one thing or another. He loved cars and books and everyone who knew him thought he was about the cutest kid ever. Jethro wondered how he would react to the new baby. They'd find out in about five months.

Before they left the bedroom, Ziva looked at herself in the mirror and frowned. As overjoyed as she was to be pregnant she did not relish the idea of getting fat again. Jethro saw her looking at herself and came to stand behind her.

"You are beautiful. New dress?"

"Yes, you like it?"

"I do. I look forward to taking it off of you later. Do you have any idea how much I love seeing you pregnant?"

"I hope a lot since you keep getting me in this situation."

"Not by myself. I'm excited about this baby, Ziver. She's going to be just as beautiful as her mother."

"Just as long as she is healthy that is all I care about. You are happy this is a girl, yes?"

"Absolutely. Don't worry about me. I am happier than I ever thought I'd be, Ziver. You are the reason for that. Never forget it."

"Jethro when you jumped in front the Ambassador I thought I would die. I knew you were wearing a vest but just the idea of it. . . I cannot imagine my life without you. Promise me you will always be careful and let Tony go in the door first."

Jethro laughed at that idea. "You know that's not how it works, Ziver. I am careful. I don't take chances anymore. I want to come home to you every night for the rest of my life and I plan on that being a long time. But. . . ."

Ziva stopped him with two fingers on his lips. "No, do not go any further down that road. Just leave it that you will always come home to me and our children. Nothing else needs to be said."

"Okay. So, whose car are we taking?"

"My father is sending a car for us. We should go downstairs and get Zachary ready for Emily."

The dinner wasn't nearly as painful as Jethro had imagined it would be. The food was delicious and the Ambassador and his wife were very gracious in their thanks to him. His dad had a wonderful time and as usual, charmed all the women in the room. Eli was thrilled that Ziva was pregnant again and he spent most of his time with her. He and Jethro had a good relationship these days so Jethro was happy to share his wife with her father for the evening.

As they were leaving, Eli took Jethro aside for a quiet word.

"There will be some men around the house very early tomorrow. They will be unobtrusive and probably no one but you and Ziva would notice them. Just a precaution."

"I understand. We'll be expecting you about eleven. Zach is excited you're coming."

"I am excited to see him as well. I imagine he has grown quite a bit since I last saw him."

"Oh yeah. He's a busy one. Goodnight, Eli. Tonight was very pleasant, thank you."

"The thanks is all mine, Jethro. Not only for the ambassador but also for the life you have made with Ziva. For my grandchildren. For the happiness is see in my daughter's eyes. You have no idea what it means to me that she is happy and safe."

"She is well loved I assure you. And safe. See you tomorrow."

Ziva approached her two favorite men and kissed her father goodnight.

"See you tomorrow, Abba. Tonight was lovely."

When they got home, Jethro paid Emily and she called her mom to let her know she was on the way home.

"Call when you get home, okay."

"Sure. You know, you worry too much Gibbs. Night."

"Night Em."

Jackson kissed Ziva goodnight and headed off to bed. Ziva waited for Jethro to lock the front door then met him on the stairs.

"I was hoping you would help me out of this dress", she whispered in his ear as they started up.

"So, I guess I was good tonight?"

"The night is not over so that remains to be seen but based on my experience, I would say yes, you are very good."

"Mrs. Gibbs you are too much, you know that?"

"Not too much for you I hope."

"Nope."

Jethro did indeed help her out of her dress and then he behaved very 'badly' for the next hour or so, reminding Ziva just exactly what she liked most about her husband and them being naked together. He took his time and made sure to pay attention to all the places she especially liked him to notice and by the time he finally entered her she was way past ready. In fact, she threatened him with bodily harm if he didn't get on with it in the next ten seconds.

About four o'clock that morning, Jethro woke up and slipped out of bed to go to the bathroom. Then he went down the hall and looked in on his father in the guest room and then checked on Zachary. Jethro sat down on his son's bed and straightened out his covers. The little boy was sound asleep clutching his favorite stuffed animal; a bear Jackson had brought him just two weeks after he was born. Zach carried that bear with him everywhere.

Jethro thought about the blessing this little boy was in his life. His son was his pride and joy. He couldn't wait to teach him to catch a ball, swim, ride a horse, all the things he had loved doing with Kelly. He thought about the baby girl they were going to welcome in just a few months. Jethro knew their daughter would be just as beautiful as her mother. He looked forward to seeing Zachary as a big brother, protecting and aggravating his sister. Tomorrow Zachary would have both his grandfathers in the house together for the first time and Jethro wondered how his little boy would be able to absorb all the attention and love he was going to get from those two men. He leaned down and kissed his son on the forehead and then headed back to his own bed and his wife.

When he slipped back into bed, Ziva rolled over and reached for him.

"Everything alright?"

"Yeah. Go back to sleep."

"Promise we will always be as happy as we are now."

"I promise. I love you Ziver, nothing will ever change that."

"Good. I adore you, Jethro. Nothing will change that either."

Ziva snuggled closer and Jethro kissed her hair and she was back to sleep. Jethro laid awake for a while thinking about that fateful trip to North Carolina. When they started on that trip he was in the midst of a run of bad luck. Tonight he knew he was in the midst of the best run of good luck a man could ever have. Ever since he had told Ziva he loved her he had been looking forward instead of backward. As he fell asleep that early morning with the love of his life in his arms he liked the way their future looked.

END


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