Effortless

Authors Note/Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS, all credit to the writers/creators.

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Summary: They found their family.

One Shot

Tony had never considered that he would be standing with her, in a room full of children wishing for a better life. Never in his life had he considered that this would be his journey. He hadn't been ready for something like this; after all he had been a playboy going from woman to woman, never intent on settling down.
When she walked into his life, at first it was annoyance, her presence irritated him because she wasn't Kate but over time he felt himself being swept away. At night he envisioned her, when they were together he missed her, he notice her quirks and somehow falling in love became effortless, so much that he did not notice the transition from friendship. To be truthful he wasn't sure when they became a couple. It started with dinner after work three or four times a week then it was movies and dinner at his house which led her to staying over, the next step was the acknowledgement that her apartment was useless because she spent every night at his house. She broke her lease and on that first night he kissed her before they went to sleep, that was the first sign that they were no longer friends.
Telling Gibbs and the team scared them but to his surprise they already knew or at least they had suspected. Gibbs had just nodded, told them not to let it interfere with work and that was the end of the discussion. He was relieved because for a moment he was prepared to leave NCIS just to be with her.

It was a few months later when she made the comment that lead them to this moment. Children. They had spoken about it and if he was truthful he hadn't imagined that Ziva would want to be a mother but she admitted to feeling that burning desire as she got older.
That had sent him into panic and he had found himself in Gibbs' basement with a glass of scotch. Being a father terrified him; he didn't want to be like senior, absent from their life. Gibbs had talked him round, made him realise that it was a choice he didn't have to be like senior. He went home that night and told Ziva that they would be parents eventually. Two weeks later she brought up adoption, he found himself terrified again but he listened while she spoke and his nature softened because his ninja Ziva wanted to give children that had nothing but a family. He loved that side of her, and despite everything he agreed.

No one had told him how fast they would move, how four months later they would be standing in his room with children in front of him.
So he found himself here in her country, she didn't want to just adopt from America, no she had wanted to go home and bring a child back to America. He felt good about it, giving them a home and a family to love.

"Don't you wish we could bring them all home with us?"

Ziva's voice broke him from his thoughts, he was just now seeing the maternal expression on her features, the sadness as she looked at the children either reading or playing with wooden blocks. It was sad, this scene made his childhood look exceptionally bright. "It would be nice," He admitted, however he knew they couldn't afford that. "They each deserve a home." He rubbed her shoulder gently, out the corner of his eye he saw girl around eleven sitting at the table colouring.

"The older they are, the more likely it is they won't find home."

Tony turned to see an American walking towards them, no older than twenty one. "You are?"

"Camille, a volunteer from the states. I am on a three month program."

Ziva pointed to the twins sitting on the carpet. "They are?"

Camille smiled fondly. "Elijah and Erza, they are our mischief making twins. Three years old but incredibly bright and loving boys. Is that your preference, would you like a son? Are you looking for a singleton or perhaps twins?"

Tony looked horror struck at the question, did people usually come to orphanages with a preference. "No, we are open to either. Gender certainly does not matter."

Ziva looked up at Tony, then back at Camille. "How does this work, what…"

Camille smiled softly, seeing the nervousness in both their features. "In this room we have the children that are eligible for adoption. You are free to speak with them, most use English however I have read your paperwork and have no doubt that Ziva will be able to communicate with them otherwise. If one child imparticular is of an interest please don't hesitate to ask about their background. I'll check back with you shortly."

Tony watched her walk away, frowning slightly as he looked at Ziva. "They make it sound like picking fruit out of a supermarket."

Ziva smirked slightly but at the same moment shook her head. "Don't be rude, Tony. Who do you want to speak with?"

Tony looked around the room, taking his time to study all the children. The twins Ziva had pointed to before were playing with wooden blocks, there was a girl and boy sitting by the window with books, another girl reading to herself not far from them. A boy playing with a few wooden cars on the table and then a girl colouring. "Her," Tony gestured to the girl colouring. "Wait, are we after a small child or…" He had heard Camille's words and they had touched him slightly, the older the children got it was harder for them to find a home.

Ziva patted his arm. "It doesn't matter Tony, we will go with whatever feels right." She led the way to the girl and swiftly slid into the chair trying not to startle her. "Hello."

Tony gently down beside Ziva. "Hi."

The girl looked up, giving them a small smile as she placed her pencil down. "You must not feel obliged to speak to me. There are younger kids here."

Tony felt his stomach drop, did the girl sitting before him expect that they would ignore her simply because of age. He felt for her, imagining that it was what other people had done, and now she felt herself accustomed it. The way she spoke also made him feel uncertain; she wasn't speaking as a younger child but as a teenager. "How old are you?" The question slipped from his mouth before he could stop it.

The girl exhaled, taking a moment to breathe. "I will be twelve in two weeks. My name is Adabelle; I have been here since I was seven. My parents did not want me, I have one sister," She pointed across the room to the girl that Today had seen reading by herself. "Her name is Brielle, she is nine. People do not wish to adopt siblings, I won't leave her." She looked directly at Tony. "You can leave now."

Ziva smiled at her. "You have spark, very intelligent also. Tony…"

In truth he had been curious about her since they walked in, she was oldest girl in the room and despite having a sibling that she seemed protective over, she was indeed sitting alone. He didn't understand how people could walk in and just pick a child until that moment, the fact that Adabelle wasn't expecting anyone to choose her, and she seemed to be ushering them towards leaving, it intrigued him. He couldn't help but wonder what it would be like it they left her here, if no one adopted her because of her age. What would happen when she turned eighteen, where would she go? "Zee…"

Ziva gestured across the room to Brielle. "May we meet your sister?"

Adabelle raised her eyebrow, taking a peek at her sister. "Sister, come here, please."

Tony watched with interest as Brielle placed her book down almost immediately and skipped towards the table. "Hi." The word fell from his lips again and he wished he had said something else, luckily he had Ziva.

"Hello Brielle, this is Tony and I am Ziva, pleasure to meet you." She held her hand out to the younger girl, but Brielle looked towards Adabelle for guidance.

"They are looking to adopt." The older sister whispered.

Brielle smiled brightly. "Hi!" She mimicked Tony's earlier word. "I will not go without Ada."

Tony reached for Ziva's hand under the table, that was the sign they had agreed on. It was a quick decision but he had this feeling. He felt as though if he walked away he would be forever filled with regret and wonder. It felt right, especially the loyalty they showed to each other, how their immediate response was that they wouldn't leave without the other. He hated the thought that they could potentially be split up, perhaps it was because he had never had a sibling but he imagined that if he did then he would react in a similar way. "Zee…"

Ziva turned to him, trying to keep somewhat quiet to keep the girls from hearing. "I…a son?" She didn't speak in a full sentence but he understood, despite her not mentioning it to him. Ziva had obviously come into the room looking for a son, not necessarily not wanting a daughter but also wanting a son. It was why they had been open to the option of taking two children home to America. "That sounds horrible." She admitted to him, knowing that these two girls beside them needed a home just as much.

"If you want a son, Adam, he is perfect. We love him, and he would be lucky to find a home." Adabelle pointed to the little boy that had been watching Ziva and Tony since they came into the room, he had been playing with wooden cars originally but they were now abandoned.

Ziva gasped. "I didn't mean…"She felt horrible but truth being she had caught him staring and it made her stomach flutter.

"It's okay." Adabelle whispered.

Ziva turned to Tony. "I know three wasn't our deal, but we discussed possibly coming back in a few years. What if we, well…"

Tony looked at the twelve and nine year old before him, then at the younger child across the room, his hand gently rubbed along Ziva's back. "Is that what you want, an instant family of five? It would be work." A part of him was instantly terrified, another child, three children. That was not part of the initial plan, she hadn't even spoken to Adam yet but even he had seen the child staring at them longingly from across the room.

"But worth it. If we don't do this Tony, if we walk out…"

"We'll regret it." He finished her sentence, taking a moment to look at the girls. "How would you feel if we took you back to America, if you…we would like to take you with us but of course, you have a say."

Adabelle frowned. "You do not know us, you have no asked of our family or if we have problems. You want a son."

"You past is no problem, we will learn about each other and travel this path today."

"Just because I would like a son does not mean I do not wish for a daughter…daughters. Perhaps Adam would like to be with us as well. How old is he?"

"Six."

Tony nodded to Ziva, and he watched as she stood up and walked across the floor to kneel down in front of the little boy. He could see the way her body went from stiff to relaxed when he smiled at her, he had always had this niggling thought that Ziva would be good with a son. When he heard the shuffle of feet he looked back at the girls. "Today you found your forever family, Ziva and I promise to take good care of you. Today marks the first day of our journey." He stood up from his chair and walked around the table bringing the girls into a hug. He didn't need to see their faces to know of the disbelief they were feeling. He looked across the room and saw Ziva smiling at him; she had Adam in her arms as she walked across and ran her hand through Adabelle's dark curls, Brielle clinging tightly to Tony.

Instant family. Instant love.

He didn't know how he got so incredibly lucky but as he said from the beginning, everything with her was effortless.

Thoughts?

Much Love. x