"After nine months the secret comes out." ~ Yiddish Proverb

No one was saying a word as the team exited the elevator hauling their suspect with them as they began to lead him to interrogation. As they passed the bullpen McGee spotted something by Tony’s desk that wasn’t there when they left and as far as he knew wouldn’t belong there at any other time either.

“Uh, Tony?” the younger agent asked, “Do we have a witness with a baby coming in?”

“What?”

McGee stopped with the rest of the team following his lead and he nodded towards the stroller that was parked by Tony’s desk. “The stroller, Tony. Not exactly something you would need.”

Tony’s eyes landed on the baby item and then quickly began to dart around the floor. He wasn’t expecting a visit at the office just yet, but as the realization of what was scheduled for today hit him his heart lurched. Maybe there’s something wrong, he fearfully thought.

Gibbs eyed his senior agent suspiciously as he saw the beads of sweat breakout on the younger man’s brow. He had known that Tony was keeping a secret for awhile and a major piece just fell into place. “Go find whoever she is,” his tone said they’d talk more about it later.

Without a word Tony landed over the custody of their suspect to Gibbs and raced towards his desk to check for a note. The stroller sat empty and his desk held no clue to the whereabouts of who he was looking for. A moment later as Gibbs, McGee, Bishop, and the suspect rounded the corner that lead to the interrogation his phone rang. Snatching up the receiver he put it to his ear and heard Vance’s voice come through the line, “DiNozzo, upstairs. Now!” He didn’t say a word, just hung up the phone and took the stairs two at a time. The director didn’t sound mad, he noted his whole way up. He sounded like he had been laughing actually. He entered Vance’s office with barely a stop from his secretary.

“There’s Abba!” Ziva cooed at the little bundle in her arms that Vance was also fawning over.

“You never mentioned that you and Ziva were expecting a child, DiNozzo,” Vance scolded as Tony muscled his way to his child and the woman holding her.

“Is she okay? Her check-up went well, right?” he questioned, completely ignoring Vance.

“She is fine, Tony,” Ziva assured him as she softly patted his face. “The doctor says that she is perfectly healthy for a six week old baby. I know we said we would not let everyone know right away, but I just could not keep her from family any longer.”

Tony eased his little girl from Ziva’s arms and cradled her against him. “Uh, surprise! Ziva and I had a baby,” he cheekily told Vance after he was sure his daughter was okay.

“So, I’ve been informed,” Vance tried to sound harsh and unapproving, but was failing miserably as he held his finger out for the little girl to grasp onto. “I take it this is what happened when you took vacation to- where was it?- Fiji? Almost a year ago?”

Tony and Ziva shared a sheepish look before both nodding in confirmation to the director’s questions.

“I was not aware you two had been in contract since Ziva left the agency,” Vance murmured to Tony as he smiled widely at the baby.

“We were not for the first eight months,” Ziva explained for Tony, “but then I called him at home and we talked and we spent many hours on the phone and on Skype for the next few months. That is when we decided to meet up in Fiji.”

Vance looked between the two, “obviously you did not spend much time touring the island.”

Tony chuckled. “No, I guess we didn’t, but I thoroughly enjoyed my time there.”

“As did I,” Ziva added.

Nodding to the baby Vance smiled, “I think just about everyone can figure that one out. So, where was the baby born?”

“Here is DC,” Tony answered.

“I returned here to the States when I was six months into my pregnancy,” Ziva filled in. “At first I was going to stay in Israel, but Tony wanted me to be here and wanted her born here and I could not refuse him.”

Vance nodded with every word. “And you’ve kept this from everyone for all this time?”

“Yes,” Tony and Ziva said in unison.

“Even Gibbs?”

“Even Gibbs.”

“I don’t think he’s going to take this well.”

Tony placed a kiss to his daughter’s head. “Of course he’ll be upset for a minute, but nothing melts a guy as much as a grandchild does.”

Not the least bit phased by the choice of the agent’s words Vance sighed, “I suppose you are right. Babies have that magical power of turning even the harshest person into a puddle.”

After a few more minutes in the director’s office the tiny family left and made their way down to the bullpen where they sat at Tony’s desk. Ziva filled Tony in on every detail of the doctor’s appointment as the baby rested on Tony’s chest. “That’s my girl,” he praised her every so often. Lacing his free hand with Ziva’s he smiled. “Thanks for bringing her by.”

Gibbs rounded the corner into the bullpen ahead of the other two members of the team and took in the sight before him. McGee nearly toppled over the Boss as he stopped, wide-eyed. The newest agent craned her neck around the two men, an astonished look on her face.

“Ziver,” Gibbs said easily as he made his way towards the family. He bent down and pressed a kiss to Ziva’s head once he was within reach. “She’s yours?” he nodded to the bundle of pink that lay on Tony’s chest.

“She is,” Ziva smiled. “She is ours,” she amended after a moment as she gave Tony’s fingers a gentle squeeze.

Without asking Gibbs picked the baby up off of Tony and cuddled her to him. “She gotta name, DiNozzo?”

“Elizabeth, but we call her Beth.”

“Elizabeth DiNozzo,” Gibbs tried the name out. “I bit of a mouthful, but I like it.”

“You two had a baby and didn’t tell us?!” McGee’s shocked voice filtered through the small gathering. “When did you even see each other?”

“Fiji and we just… we needed some time to figure some things out,” Tony explained.

Gibbs looked between the two. “You got it all figured out now?”

Tony and Ziva exchanged a look and smiled. “Yes, I do believe we have everything sorted out,” Ziva confirmed. “We are going about this a bit backwards, but Gibbs,” she looked at him with big eyes, “would you mind at all to walk me down the aisle in six weeks?”

Gibbs looked between the two and smiled, “is that so?” Tony nodded and Gibbs nodded in return. “I’d be honored, Ziva.”

Abby came running into the bullpen just then and squealed, “Oh my God! It’s true! Ziva!” she flung her arms around her wayward friend. “And there’s the baby everyone has been whispering about! Is she really yours?”

“Yes, Abby, she is really ours.”