Somehow they had managed to stay hand-in-hand for most of the trip around the mall. Whether it was the 'don't mess with me' glare that Ziva had permanently planted on her face or the fact that she had refused to leave her belt-knife at home, Tony wasn't sure. Either way, they had received a wide-berth by most of the manic patrons at the mall.

The place was a madhouse. And they had only walked through half of it. Tyson's Corner Mall was, admittedly, one of the largest in the region.

They had split up for just a few moments, Tony wanting to stop into a shoe store and pick up a new pair of boots and Ziva, not having the patience at the moment to fight the crowd in the store, agreeing to meet him up ahead.

With his boots on order, Tony slipped into the jewelry store immediately next door. Had Gibbs asked, he would have been forced to admit that he didn't really need shoes- he just needed an excuse to be alone next to the jewelery store.

He tucked his new purchase into his pocket, politely having declined a bag from the clerk, and headed back into the throngs of people.

A sea of people moved through the mall aisle ways, but somehow they surged around the dark haired beauty standing stock still in front of a display window.

The sight of her far-off look made Tony's heart catch in his throat and he slid up next to her, lacing his fingers with hers.

When he saw what had caught her eye, he shifted from her side to behind her, wrapping his arms around her firmly.

"You ok?" he whispered in her ear. He knew she wasn't ok.

"Yes," she replied with a firm nod. "I will be."

They stood a few moments longer, neither saying anything, merely enjoying the display in front of them.

Pillowed on white cotton mimicking snow, a small Christmas tree and a Menorah stood side by side. Gift boxes with baby blankets and baby clothes decorated the baby-store display. Small bibs with stars of David embroidered on the front, Christmas trees on others.

A large sign above claimed "Happiness and Love know no bounds. Give the gift of happiness this year: make a baby smile."

Tony mentally nodded at the sign- it was a good marketing technique. The timing for Ziva, however, wasn't the greatest.

He stepped away slightly and when she turned her head with a confused look, he reassured her with a wink. Tony reached into his pocket and pulled out the gold chain, and in one smooth move, he draped the chain around her neck, clasping it in the back.

Ziva looked down and took in the simple but elegant Star of David. This pendant, however, different from her other necklace- it was adorned with a small purple stone.

"Amethyst," he supplied as she fingered the pendant. "It would have been her birth stone."

She looked at him, her eyes somewhere between amazement and shock.

Tony half-shrugged. "This way she's close to your heart."

"When did you get to be so considerate?" she asked.

"Being in love does that to you," he said, shrugging off her compliment with a wink and a grin.

"Thank you." She leaned up, kissing his lips quickly.

Tony settled a hand on her lower back and steadied her against a suddenly jostling crowd. "Consider it an early Hanukkah present."

She merely nodded, returning to toying with the pendant absently.

"Tony," she started as they rejoined the flow of traffic, hands firmly linked against the crazed shoppers. "You lit five candles the other day."

"Yep," he said, knowing her question without her elaborating. "Ari, Jenny, Kate, Paula and the baby."

Ziva regarded him out of the corner of her eye and he sighed, knowing she wanted more information and would continue to glare silently until he supplied it. "Jenny and the baby are pretty self explanatory. Kate and Paula because they taught me it was ok to love. Ari because he brought you to me."

She tightened her fingers around his in a gentle squeeze. "Tali, Ari, Jenny, Kate and the baby," she supplied, even though he didn't ask. She knew he was curious even if he didn't admit it. "Same reasons."

"All things considered, we've been pretty lucky, huh?" he asked, his thumb tracing the back of their joined hands. "Friends that love us, good people to work with, and jobs we enjoy."

"Yes," Ziva nodded. "A good reason to celebrate Thanksgiving, I think."