Hi Friends! Here's a good dose of TIVA for you all. Probably one more chapter to go on this story. Please read and drop a review. Thank you to all my readers and a special thanks to MaidenMoonshine for being the best editor ever! Happy Weekend! : )

Chapter Fourteen

Ziva woke with a start at 4 am. Almost immediately she knew she couldn't go back to sleep. Between her state of pregnancy and the time difference from Paris, Ziva was tired but fully awake.

After using the bathroom and checking on Tali, Ziva crept back into the bedroom, grabbed her running clothes with an eye on a slumbering Tony and slipped into the bathroom to change.

Tony's decree that she not run for two weeks was ever present in her mind as she shimmied into her athletic wear. But I need to get out, Ziva reasoned with herself. Nevertheless, instead of feeling excited for a run she felt like a fugitive. Two weeks is simply too long to wait, she told herself as she laced up her shoes. And I did a good thing! That woman could have been hurt in that mugging!

Ziva placated her guilty conscience as she turned the bathroom light off before opening the door to their bedroom. She took another look at Tony before starting to cross the room with ninja prowess.

Unfortunately, Ziva wasn't the only person in the room with extra heightened senses from years of training.

"Zi?" Tony called out, not moving in the bed.

Ziva froze in place. Maybe he was sleep talking?

"Come here," Tony said, sounding more awake.

Ziva muttered something under her breath in Hebrew and turned around to make her way to Tony's side of the bed. He sat up fully and his gaze darkened as he took in what Ziva was wearing.

"Ziva David DiNozzo, you weren't trying to sneak out for a run, were you?" Tony asked in a leveled tone.

Ziva sighed as she leaned against the side of the bed and put her hand on her belly. It was a rhetorical question, of course, given that her husband had just caught her creeping out of their room in her running wear.

"Ziva," Tony said with disappointment in her voice. "We haven't even been home for 24 hours!"

All of a sudden, going for a run didn't seem important as she looked at Tony.

"Tony, I am sorry, Ziva said, still grasping at how to defend herself. "It was a reflex. I run almost every morning. It is like taking a shower or brushing my teeth! You would not want me to not shower for two weeks!"

Tony stared at Ziva, not relenting in his stern demeanor as she tried to explain away her disregard for their agreement.

"Reflex? Come on, Zi. You obviously knew you were doing something you shouldn't. You were sneaking out!"

Ziva opened her mouth to say something – anything – but promptly closed it as she knew she was grasping at straws. Tony took her silence as admission of guilt.

"You know, I asked Gibbs if I was being too harsh given the circumstances and he didn't think so. In fact, he thought I might be under-reacting. Then I find you sneaking out to run the first chance you get. Maybe he was right."

Tony looked up at Ziva and saw that her initial defiance had been replaced by regret and fatigue. His gaze softened and he took her hand.

"Ziva, be honest with me," Tony asked as looked up at her. "Do you think taking two weeks off of running is unfair?"

Ziva shook her head vigorously. She complained about it but she wouldn't have agreed to the restriction if she hadn't seen Tony's point of view. She had put herself and their baby in unnecessary danger.

"It is not unfair, Tony," Ziva conceded.

Tony opened his arms, which Ziva quickly fell into. She curled up against him, inhaling his scent as he tucked her further into his embrace.

"You look exhausted, Zi," he said, rubbing Ziva's back. "You need to slow down. No more trying to run again for two weeks. I'm serious. You pull this again and it'll be three weeks. Got it?"

Tony felt Ziva stiffen at the possibility of a longer sentence, nod against his chest, then bury her head further into Tony's embrace. Tony felt her relax after a few minutes and they laid there in silence for awhile while he played with her curls. The tension passed as the grey sky turned blue out their window.

"Would you like breakfast?" Ziva asked, making to get up. "Omelets sound good."

"Sure."

Ziva got up, and bent over to kiss Tony softly.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you, Zi," Tony said as he returned the kiss. But before she could straighten up, Tony reached out and landed a single, solid spank to Ziva's thinly covered bottom.

Ziva jumped back and yelled in surprise more than anything. But the smack also left a substantial sting. She glared at Tony, who looked slightly amused with the situation.

"Tony!" Ziva exclaimed, rubbing her left cheek. "Why did you do that?"

Tony just grinned and hopped out of bed to start the day.

"Reflex."