A/N: Hey guys! It's me again! So, here's this new fic I came up with about a month ago. I always thought Tony and Ziva would make good parents. What do you think? This is how I would see it. This doesn't have Will Scuito or little Kate Gibbs in it. It's a new thing, not a spin-off of Another Scuito in the Family (which should have a new chapter soon. I'm working on it, I promise!). Please read and review! Thanks!

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or anything else mentioned in here. I only own the story line. But I would like to thank CBS and Don Bellisario. We wouldn't have this without them!

Ziva's POV

I cannot stop thinking about Paris. Sure, I had been there many times before, but this time Tony was there. That should not make much of a difference; we are co-workers, we are partners, we are friends, if not best friends. It was not my first time with a man there either.

While we were there, Tony was… different, for lack of a better word. Here, while we spend most of the time in the office apart, there we spent a great deal of time together. It was only on out second and final day there that he left me alone for two hours while he went to 'see the sights'. I did not mind though, I like hanging out with Tony.

I snap back to the real world after that last thought. It is Friday morning and I am sitting at my desk in the office. I am the first one here (as always at 0650) and the room is not bustling with people as it is during the day. A few minutes later, the elevator dings, and Gibbs walked into the room holding his ever-present cup of coffee.

"Good morning, Ziva," he said as he passed my desk.

"Good morning," I said pleasantly. I am usually in a good mood on Fridays.

It went back to being quiet as Gibbs is not much of a talker. The Bull Pen slowly filled around us; McGee came in ten minutes early with his customary cup of coffee and Tony came in five minutes late with a donut in a bag. Thankfully, Gibbs did not know Tony was late because he was up in MTAC.

"Good morning, Zee," he said cheerfully to me as he walked past my desk.

"Good morning, Tony. You are late," I said and smiled at him.

"Yeah, I know, I figured that out on my own, thanks. Where's our fearless leader?" he asked, looking over at Gibbs' empty desk.

"Up here, DiNozzo. You're late," Gibbs called down to him from the cat walk (which I still do not understand why it is called that as there are no cats in the navy Yard).

"Sorry, Boss," Tony said, not looking sorry at all.

"You will be. Grab your gear, we've got a dead Marine," Gibbs said as he came down the stairs. Tony, McGee, and I all grabbed our bags and met Gibbs at the elevator just as it arrived.

"Who found him?" Tony asked Gibbs once we were all in the car.

"His fourteen year old daughter and his six year old son," Gibbs told him as he drove, if at all possible, faster down the street.

When we got to the house, Gibbs started barking orders. "Ziva, go talk to the kids, McGee, pictures, DiNozzo, bag and tag," he yelled. Tony and McGee went off at once, but I did not move. "David, did you hear what I said?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes, I did, but why did you not give this job to Tony? He is better with kids than I am," I told him.

"Rachel Shane is a fourteen year old girl, she came home with her little brother, Max, to find her father dead on the floor of her living room. The girl is scared out of her mind and my guess is that it would be easier to talk to a woman than a man, especially DiNozzo," he said.

I nodded my head and went into the house and up the stairs to Rachel Shane's room. It was at the end of the hallway and the door was open, but I knocked on it anyway. There was a police officer in the room with her who looked like he would rather not be.

"I have it from here," I told him. He nodded and walked out, closing the door behind him. "Hello," I said to Rachel, her brother, Max, was watching TV and ignored us, "my name is Ziva David. I am with NCIS." Rachel was sitting on the bed; Max was sitting on the floor. Both had brown hair; Rachel's was long and strait, pulled back into a ponytail and Max's was cut in the same style as his dad's. Max's blue eyes were trained on the television and Rachel's green eyes studied me.

"I'm Rachel and this is Max, but you probably already knew that," she said, the ghost of a smile on her face.

"Would you mind telling me what you saw? I know this can be stressful, but we need to know what happened," I said, sitting down on the bed, leaving some room between us.

"I slept over my friend's house last night; her dad is a Marine, too. Her name is Nicole Abrams. She also has a little brother, Kevin, who's the same age as Max. Dad had to work late, so Mr. Abrams let us sleep over. When we got home today, the front door was unlocked, but I just figured dad unlocked it for us so we could get in. When we came in, though, I found him like he is downstairs," her voice broke and tears started running down her face.

Not really knowing what to do, I slid over and put my arm around her shoulders. Surprisingly, she leaned into me, putting her head on my shoulder.

"Where is your mother?" I asked her.

"She died a while ago. When I was nine, she was in a hit and run accident and they never found who did it. What's your name again?" she asked me.

"Ziva David," I said.

"Ziva, what's going to happen to Max and me?" she asked.

"You will go and live with family, I suppose. Where is your father's address book? Do you have any close relatives?" I asked.

"My mom was an only child and her parents died right before Max was born. My dad was adopted and his parents are in a nursing home in Oklahoma, which is where he's from," Rachel told me.

"Well then, pack a bag, you and your brother are coming back to NCIS with us," Gibbs said from the now open doorway. I did not know how long he had been standing there. He gave me a look that said, "Hurry up," then walked away.

"Can I do anything to help?" I asked Rachel.

"Could you help Max pack some stuff? How long are we packing for anyway?" she asked.

"Pack enough for a week and we will go from there," I said. She nodded then turned to her brother.

"Hey, Max," she said, turning the TV off.

"Hey! Spongebob was on!" he said.

"I know, sweetie, but it's time to get up and get moving. You and me are going on a trip," Rachel said to her brother, trying to keep her tone upbeat.

"Where are we going?" Max asked.

"To NCIS," I said.

"Who are you?" he asked me.

"My name is Ziva David," I told him.

"So, Max, buddy, you go with Ziva. Show her your room and pick out some clothes to take with you on this trip, okay?" Rachel said.

"Okay, my room is this way," Max said, pointing down the hall.

"Lead the way," I told him. We walked past several doors and he opened one to a large blue room. It was the average six year old room, cluttered, messy, toys all over the floor, unmade bed. It was the opposite of Rachel's clean and purple bedroom.

"Do you have any suitcases?" I asked him.

"Yeah, in the closet," he said and opened the door. He pulled out a plain blue duffle bag and handed it to me. "Why are you here? Why are we going on a trip?" he asked.

"I am here to get you and your sister back to NCIS to sort this out. You are coming with us so that we can keep an eye on you," I explained. "How about we pick out some of your favorite clothes, alright?"

Ten minutes later, Max and I had picked out enough clothes for him for a week and we had also packed some of his favorite toys. I told him to play in his room for a few minutes while I went to check on Rachel. When I got to her room, I found her sitting on her bed, staring at a picture on her bedside table. I looked closer and saw that it was a picture of a man in uniform (presumably Adam Shane), a pretty, young woman, a younger looking Rachel, and a baby boy. They were all smiling at the camera.

"I, too, know what it is like to lose family," I told her, again sitting on the bed.

"Who?" she asked, whipping hastily at her face. When she turned to look at me, her eyes were red.

"When I was twenty and my sister, Tali, was sixteen, I lost her to a Hamas suicide bombing. I lost my mother to a similar cause at age twelve. And four years ago, my brother, Ari, was shot in front of me," I told her.

"Wow. I'm so sorry," she said. "But you still have your dad, right?"

"I am sorry, too. Yes, I still have my father, but I have come to learn that he is not a good man," I said. "But I have a new family now."

"NCIS?" she guessed.

"Yes, they have become my new family and I will be forever grateful for them. Now, are you ready to go?" I asked.

"Max didn't see dad. Is he still downstairs?" Rachel asked.

"No, our Medical Examiner has moved him," I told her. He has had more than enough time, the body should be gone by now, I thought to myself. I took her bag for her and she went to go get Max. I went outside where Gibbs was waiting for us.

"They okay?" he asked me.

"Rachel is shaken; Max does not understand what is going on. Gibbs, they have no relatives to go to," I said.

"Would you be willing to take them?" he asked.

"I do not think I am fit to take care of kids," I told him.

"They don't know any of us, and I think they've taken a liking to you. Besides, your place is biggest. It's just temporarily, Ziva," he said. "It's either your place or social services. Take your pick."

"Gibbs! You cannot just hand them over to social services like that!" I said.

"So you'll take them?" he asked.

"Yes, of course," I said. "You would not really hand them over to social services, would you?"

He paused, pretending to think it over. "Nah," he said and smiled. "And I'm going to send DiNozzo over to help you."

I felt like something was missing then. We were the only ones left at the house. "Where are Tony, McGee, and Ducky?" I asked.

"DiNozzo and McGee went back with Ducky in his van so we'd have room for the kids in the car. Here they come now," he said, looking over my shoulder. I turned to see Rachel carrying Max out to us. He was on her back and his bag was in her hand.

"Are you ready to go?" I asked them. They just nodded. "This is my boss, Gibbs," I told them.

"Okay, let's load up," Gibbs said. He held out his hand for the bag in Rachel's hand. He opened the trunk and we each put a bag in as the kids got in the backseat.

The ride back to NCIS was very quiet. Max did not understand exactly what was going on, but trusted Rachel. Rachel was strong, if only for the sake of her brother. Her composure was calm, but her eyes told the real story.

"How about we stop and pick up some lunch. You guys hungry?" Gibbs asked the kids. They both just nodded. Gibbs could be very intimidating.

We picked up some Chinese food before going back. When we got to the Bull Pen, I set Max up behind my desk with his plate while Gibbs gave up his desk for Rachel. I noticed that Gibbs is very good with kids.

The rest of the day passed by slowly. By the time four o'clock came around, the kids were bored. Rachel was trying hard not to show it, but Max, being six, had difficulty not showing it.

Gibbs looked around the Bull Pen around quarter past four and said, "Okay, Ziva, Tony, you and the kids can go. McGee and I can finish this."

"Wait, Boss. What?" Tony asked.

"DiNozzo, I'm sending you home with David tonight to help with the kids. Any problems with that?" Gibbs asked him.

"No, Boss, none at all. See you tomorrow, McGoo," he said cheerfully and led the way to the elevator.

Once we were out of the building, we each started heading for our own cars. Tony did not think this was a good idea.

"Zee, maybe you shouldn't drive with other people in the car," he said.

"What is wrong with my driving?" I asked him. He is always criticizing my driving.

"Ziva, what ISN'T wrong with your driving? I'm surprised it hasn't already killed you!" Tony said.

"I take it you want to drive?" I said.

"I just want to keep the kids, and myself, alive," he said in his smart-ass way.

"I would not harm them," I said, but followed him to his car anyway. We put the bags in the trunk and the kids got in the back. I reluctantly got in the passenger seat. We drove to Tony's apartment first so he could get some clothes, then we went to my apartment.

My apartment has three rooms, so we put Max in the middle guest room and Rachel in the one on the east. My bedroom window looks out of the front of the apartment building.

Tony brought some movies with him and put one on while I ordered a pizza. The kids were immediately pulled into the Disney movie, but Tony came out to the kitchen not long after he put it on. I was not in the mood to watch a movie.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked gently, leaning against the counter next to me.

"I told Rachel about my family today. Not very in-depth, but I told her how I have lost people as well," I said, not looking at Tony. Any other day I would have told him I was fine, but, for some reason, I opened up tonight.

"I'm so sorry, Ziva," he said. I had told him about Tali on the first day we had met and he knew about Ari, well, he thought he did. I suspected he knew about my mother as well.

"And, do you know what is worse?" I asked him. "You do not even know the truth about Ari."

"What's the truth then?" Tony asked. "Ziva, it's okay, you can tell me," he prompted.

"Do you remember the night he died?" I asked him.

"Yeah, Gibbs killed him in his basement," Tony said.

"Gibbs did not shoot him," I whispered, afraid my voice would break.

"Then who did?" Tony asked, confused.

"I did," I said and my body betrayed me and let two tears run down my face.

"Why? How?" he asked confused.

I sniffled. "Gibbs asked me to come to his house and, if he was right, Ari would be there, waiting to kill him. I was to shoot Ari if he tried to kill Gibbs."

"Well, that's a good thing, isn't it? You saved Gibbs," he said.

"I saved a man I hardly knew, yet I could not save my own brother," I said.

"Wait, Ari was your brother?" he asked. "But you had different last names."

"He was my half brother. We had the same father, but different mothers. Ari, Tali and I were all raised as siblings," I explained.

"You shot your own brother to save Gibbs?" Tony asked.

"Yes," was all I could say. Then, Tony pulled me into a big hug, not unlike Abby's.

"It's okay to cry, you know. I won't think any less of you," he whispered into my ear. I broke then, just as I had with Gibbs. It was pain I could not keep inside. I cried into Tony's shoulder until the doorbell rang. I jumped and reached for my purse.

"No, I got this," Tony said. "You're letting me stay over, the least I could do is pay for pizza. Go to the bathroom and wash your face. I'll get Rachel and Max."

"Thank you, Tony," I said. Unexpectedly, I reached up and kissed his cheek. I turned away before he could see me blush.

I heard Tony call Rachel and Max for dinner as I closed the bathroom door. I splashed water on my face and washed my hands before going back into the kitchen. Tony had gotten both of the kids a slice of pizza and was cutting one up for Max. Rachel was just sitting in her chair staring at her plate.

"Hey, Rachel, are you hungry?" I asked.

"Not really," Rachel said.

"Do you want to sit in the living room with me then? I was going to put some music on," I said. She looked like she wanted to talk, but I did not want to push her, I wanted it to be on her own terms.

"Okay," she said, getting up and following me.

We sat down at different ends of the couch after I turned the radio on. She sat sideways on the couch with her feet tucked under her, facing me. I did the same.

"Are you sure you are not hungry? You barely ate your lunch," I said.

"I can't eat. This whole thing is just grossing me out. Why did my dad have to die? If Max and I had been home last night…" she said, not wanting to say the words.

"Rachel, this is not about being at the right place at the right time. It is a blessing you and Max were not home. You probably would have died had you been there," I told her.

"It's not fair! Why couldn't I have saved him? Why did he have to die?" she asked again, her voice shaking this time, but she was not crying yet. She was strong and she was a fighter; a lot like me.

"Life is not fair. If it was, we would not have lost our mothers, your father, my siblings. We would be happy. Instead, we are sitting here. But I will not let anything happen to you or Max. You are safe here," I told her.

"Max is going to ask where daddy is. I've been waiting for it all day. It won't be long now. I don't know how to tell him," she said. The tears were falling down her face now. For the second time, I slid over next to her and held her. Again, she did not pull away. Rachel needed a mother, but I was the best she could do right now. I just held her and stroked her hair and hummed a Hebrew lullaby that I used to sing to Tali when she was young. Rachel also reminded me of Tali. Tali was strong and the most compassionate of us, just like Rachel.

We stayed in the living room until Rachel felt a bit better. It took a little while, but it had been what she needed.

"Max needs a bath tonight," she told me.

"I will go set up the bathroom for you, then. Unless you want me to do it," I said. Rachel was looking very tired and stressed.

"No, I'll do it. I'll make it quick," she said.

"It is fine. Take your time in there," I told her.

I set up the bathroom for her then went down the hall to my room. I was surprised to see Tony sitting on the bed when I walked in.

"I thought you would be out in the living room watching a movie," I said.

"I can't stop thinking about what's going to happen to those kids. While you were with Rachel, Max and I were talking about cars, his dad knew a lot about them. He's such a great kid, Ziva," Tony said. I could see this was stressing him out as much as it was stressing me out.

"When the case is over, the two will most likely be put into social services. They have no living relatives and their father had a will, but it only states that everything goes to them. Rachel gets her half of the money in less than four years when she turns eighteen," I told him. "They will also most likely be split up if and when they make it into a foster home," I said quietly.

"The system is screwed up," Tony said. He patted the bed next to him. "Come and sit down."

I sat down and he hesitantly put his arm over my shoulders, waiting for me to move away. I did not move away, though. I put my head on his shoulder; it had been a very long day and I was tired.

"Thank you for being here, Tony. I do not think I could have done this alone," I said.

"Any time," he told me. "They're good kids." We heard muffled talking from the bathroom down the hall. "Hey, what are we going to do about school? I mean, I know it's Friday, but you don't live in the same district as they did. Did Gibbs say anything about it?" Tony asked.

"To be honest, I had not even thought about it," I told him.

"Well, we have to bring them to NCIS in the morning and we'll ask Gibbs then. Do you know how long they'll be staying here?" he asked.

"No, I have no specific date," I said. Again, it was something that had never crossed my mind. I would take these kids as long as I needed.

"Well, knowing Gibbs, he'll have answers," Tony said.

Then we heard the bathroom door open and Rachel said, "Ziva?"

I got up and walked down the hall to the bathroom. "Yes?" I asked.

"Can you help me get him dressed? I want to take a shower, if that's okay?" she asked me. Max was in her arms, wrapped in a maroon towel that was far too big for him.

"Of course," I said. "The towels are in the closet. Take as long as you want. If you need anything, just call for me."

"Thanks," she said.

"You do not have to keep thanking me, Rachel. I am not doing this because I have to, I am doing this because I want to," I told her.

"Well, thanks anyway," she said with the ghost of a smile on her face before she disappeared into the bathroom.

I took Max down the hall to his new room, between Rachel's and mine. The walls were a deep, navy blue and had been like that since I got this place. My room is a soft, sea green and Rachel's is a nice shade f purple. When I had first moved in, I had no problem with the colors, so I had not changed them. Max picked out a pair of Superman pajamas and I let him get dressed, telling him to call me if he needed any help.

When I went back into my room, Tony's bag was open on the bed and my bathroom door was closed, through it, I could hear Tony singing Sinatra over the noise of the shower. I just smiled and shook my head and went to look for pajamas for myself. As I walked past the bag on my bed, I just peeked inside. Tony had put some of his work shirts and pants into it. They were the only things folded. Everything else was a mess. He had also put some of his sweatpants and OSU t-shirts into it.

Before I gave myself time to think, I grabbed my favorite of Tony's t-shirts (that he had just happened to bring and was conveniently on top) and a pair of his sweatpants from his bag. When Gibbs had left for Mexico a few years ago, Tony and I had had many movie nights at his house and I had borrowed his clothes a few times. I loved this shirt and all of the memories that it brought back to me.

I quickly changed and left my room. I liked to have tea after a long day at work, so I went back to the kitchen to start it. When the water was done, I poured it into my favorite mug (the one that was orange and said 'New Orleans' on it. It had been a birthday present from Abby a few years ago) and put the tea bag in. I jumped when I heard a voice behind me.

"Hey," the voice said.

"Oh, Rachel, it's just you," I said, trying to get my breathing back to normal.

"Sorry I scared you," she said. She was wearing blue plaid pajama pants and a large black shirt and her hair was combed strait and pulled back into a ponytail.

"It is alright. Would you like some tea?" I asked her.

"No, thanks, I don't really like tea," she said.

"Would you like to sit with me?" I asked.

"Sure," she said. "Where?"

"Right here," I said. I put my mug down on the counter and then sat down beside it. Rachel just looked at me. "What?" I asked.

She just smiled. "Nothing. I've just never seen an adult sit on the kitchen counter just to drink tea," she said. "It's just funny."

"Well, it is my apartment, so I can do whatever I want. If I want to sit on the counter and drink my tea, then I will," I said and also smiled. She just hopped up and sat beside me.

"So, are you and Tony, like, going out?" she asked.

"No," I said too quickly. "Of course we are not. Why would you say that?" I asked.

"Well, I just assumed you didn't play basketball for OSU. Where are you from anyway? Sorry, that was rude," she said.

"It was not rude, trust me. I am from Israel, my whole family was. My father still lived there," I told her.

"What brought you to America? How did you get to working for NCIS?" she asked.

"One of my closest friends, and NCIS's former director, Jenny Shepard, offered me a liaison position a while back, almost four years ago, and I have been here ever since," I said, not wanting to tell her why and how I got the job; she did not need to know.

"Why is she the former director? Did she get a new job?" Rachel asked.

"No, she died in a house fire a year and a half ago," I said, knowing I had to stick with the cover story. I could not tell her the real version even if I had wanted to.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"Me, too," I said.

We were lost in our own thoughts for a few minutes before Rachel asked, "What's going to happen to us?"

"I do not know. Gibbs did not tell me anything," I said. "Until we find you somewhere else to stay, you and Max will be staying here."

"Somewhere else as in Social Services?" she guessed.

"Yes. With no living relatives fit to take care of you, you have nowhere else to go for now. But, until this case is over, you will be under NCIS protection," I told her. "Now, I have a question for you."

"Okay, go for it," she said.

"Are you or Max allergic to anything? Foods? Medicines?" I asked. If there were any things in the house not to give them, I wanted them put away safe.

"I'm not allergic to anything, but Max is allergic to strawberries and blueberries. I don't get how those two things are related at all, but strawberries make him break out in hives and blueberries make his tongue swell and his throat constrict. I keep an epi-pen in my bag at all times and on the way out of the house this morning, I grabbed the one dad keeps taped to the wall in the kitchen for you. We've never had to use them, but it's better to be safe than sorry," she said.

"Rachel, that was very good thinking. Also, what do you guys usually eat for breakfast? I do not keep a lot of food in the house, since I am not usually home for long periods of time," I said.

"I usually have raisin bread toast and Max usually has Cheerios with banana slices in it," she said.

"Ok, and are there any foods you do not like? Every child has certain foods that they cannot stand, so tell me and I will not make them," I said.

"Um, not really. Max doesn't like fish, but that's about it. The only thing I won't eat is broccoli. I used to like it, but now, I just can't eat it," she told me.

"Well, that is easy enough," I said and it was. They seemed to be very easy kids.

Rachel looked over at the clock on the stove. "Wow, is it really eight o'clock already? It's Max's bedtime. After I tuck him in, can I go on the computer for a few minutes?" she asked.

"You can go on the computer whenever you want to. I will write down my password for you and leave it over there, okay?" I told her.

"Thanks, I know you said you don't mind, but thanks anyway," she said.

As she went into Max's room, I went over to the computer and wrote down my password on a piece of paper on the desk. Under it, I wrote her a note saying I would be in my room if she needed anything and not to stay up too late. I put the paper over the keyboard and went into my room. Tony was lying on the bed watching one of the movies he must have brought.

"Hey, Zee," he said as I came in and shut the door.

"You might want to turn that down a little," I said, nodding at the TV. "Max is going to sleep," I told him. He turned it down to an almost inaudible level. "You can turn it up a little so that you can at least hear what they are saying," I said, smiling down as I sat down beside him.

"Nice pj's," he said, taking in my outfit.

"What is wrong with them?" I asked.

"Well, to start, they're mine," he said. "Stealing is a federal offence."

"I did not steal them. I just borrowed them," I informed him.

He just smiled and out his arm around my waist and pulled me closer. I did not resist. "You could have just asked, you know," he said into my ear.

"But, what would be the fun in that, my Little Hairy Butt?" I asked him.

A/N: Hey guys! So, what did you think? So, I just watched the newest NCIS and it was AMAZING! Omfg! What's gonna happen next week? Pumped! Well, please review for this! Thanks! I love you guys! More to come!

And thank you to my beta: gibby101. She officially named this and she's been my beta all the way through Another Scuito in the Family and a few others. Thanks dude! I owe you one!