Title: Fussy

Rating: K

Disclaimer: I actually do not own anything in relation to NCIS except dvds and an NCIS hat, so watch out.

Summary: Tony and Ziva's baby girl is rather fussy. They come up with a way to get her to sleep. Fluff. One shot.

Note: I don't know what happened, I was supposed to be writing a fic of a very different style, but I was listening to Somewhere Over the Rainbow and an idea just came to me or whatever. I just really love Tiva baby fluff. It makes my heart cry. This is for my good friend, Jadeth, who loves Tiva babies even more than myself and who deserves this fic because I have yet to catch up on her story Of Honeymoons and Jelly Doughnuts. Go read if you haven't!

Comments are forever welcomed and loved. I'll send you Abby to give you a hug from me.

Fussy

This was the third time this week that their little one would not go to sleep. They had tried all of the things in that pregnancy and after book that Tony had pretended not to read, which really did grind Ziva's hormonal gears the first few times he played dumb, but their baby was a picky and stubborn one. Their doctor had said it was simply a bad case of gas when Ziva had called and asked why her daughter was so fussy when she should be asleep.

Normally, the baby was quite cooperative, she'd lie against Tony or Ziva's warm skin and fall fast asleep. Skin to skin contact was in that after pregnancy book. Her favorite place to nap in the whole world was on her parents' chests. Ziva would feed her, burp her, and then transfer her to Tony who would be lying on the couch, a movie on mute or very low volume, and Ziva would gently lay the baby on her round belly on her father's chest. She'd gurgle some baby sentence of some sort, Tony would chat her up about his day (she was always the best listener), and he'd rub small circles on her warm back. That would normally knock her out quickly. He'd let her nap there for a while.

This whole not going to sleep deal wasn't normal for his little girl. She did not want to be laid on her belly or nap with her parents at all. She didn't want to sleep period. Abby had suggested some outlandish music to help put her to sleep, but Ziva wasn't too keen on trying to get the baby to sleep to Abby's friend's band. Tony was grateful that was the case. He didn't want to really listen to it being awake either.

It was turning to be 2:30 am and she was still fussing about. Ziva looked extremely overtired, cradling the back of the baby's little head, as she was lightly bouncing her to calm her crying business. Tony was flipping through the baby book, trying to look helpful before Ziva snapped at him for something meager like leaving his glass on the coffee table again. She scoffed and spoke to her daughter in a foreign tongue, probably asking her to calm down and that it was okay. Her hair was disheveled and mommy-looking.

Tony loved all of it. She wore one of Tony's old Ohio State shirts and these winter time pajama bottoms with penguins on them. They both had dark circles under their eyes, and surprisingly enough, dark circles took nothing away from Ziva's beauty. There was something different about her since the baby. She's not first and foremost a warrior anymore. (He would say she hasn't been that type of warrior for a while now) although, he knows pushing out a baby between the legs for a lady makes her one goddamn warrior, she was now first and foremost this baby's mother. That was something that could never be taken from Ziva. He knew that. They were both scared shitless, sure, but this baby was the closest and most personal belonging they'd ever have. He would never forget the look on Ziva's face once they heard her wailing cry. Their kiddo didn't want to scream right off the bat, she pulled a fast one on the doctors, but eventually she decided enough was enough and it was about time she was heard. Tony and Ziva were both so afraid when she didn't yell right away. He looked into Ziva's eyes and he could almost see and follow a Hebrew prayer rushing and repeating through her mind. She had been crushing his hand; she actually sprained his pinky finger during the delivery. He remembered not feeling anything until the baby wailed.

They then both started crying.

Even Gibbs cried. At least Abby had told Ziva so in secrecy.

Abby cried the most, however, and it wasn't even her baby. Going on a word tirade about how babies are created in love and trust, she then quickly switched to her scientific ways going into the scientific details of baby making and birthing and Gibbs had interrupted her, telling her to let the parents have a moment.

Tony then decided that his girl was going to be like Abby's baby anyway. Abby was nearly dancing waiting to be able to touch the pink, dark haired baby, tears falling down her face in joy.

"Tony. Can you please stop with that book? The answers will not be in there! We have looked many times and still nothing has magically appeared telling us what to do." She used quite a bit of staccato in her sentence.

"Okay, Zee… what do you want me to do?" Tony stood up from the couch and walked over to his wife, who was bobbing the fussy baby.

"I do not know, but I would like you to do something…"

Tony stopped for a minute and thought. "Ziva… remember that one time when we were going to McGee's place with her and the radio was playing that Somewhere Over the Rainbow song and she fell right asleep for the rest of the way?"

"Well, yes…"

Tony grabbed his shoes and began putting them over his bare feet. He felt Ziva watching him.

"We are going to go drive until she calms down?"

"It's worth a shot before she cries so much again that she pukes on another new shirt of mine."

Ziva rolled her eyes, "What did I tell you, Tony? I told you specifically NOT to wear your new shirt that day."

Tony stretched himself out after slipping on his shoes and motioned for Ziva to hand him their daughter. She gently placed the squirming one into his arms before she pulled on her jacket and grabbed Tony's car keys.

"Do you have the song?" Ziva asked, a sleepy eyebrow toying him.

Tony shifted the baby to his left arm and reached into his back pocket to pull out his iPod.

"Gotcha' covered."

Once they had strapped in the baby and turned on the heat for the car (Ziva had to run back into the house three times to make sure they forgot nothing, bringing along the baby's blanket, an extra bottle, and her tiny hat), they were ready to go.

She still whimpered and struggled in the back seat, Ziva sat in the backseat next to her, her hand inside the baby seat, her finger probably wrapped up by the baby.

"All right, here goes nothing," Tony said as he set the song on repeat.

He backed out of the driveway slowly.

They drove around the block in silence, not really talking, for they were worried that once their baby fell asleep, the voice of her parents would cause her to stir. Tony caught sight of the illuminated car time, telling him it was fifteen minutes past three. The song was beginning for the third time, and it was suddenly quiet in the backseat. He crossed the fingers in his mind for it not to be a fluke, and he saw Ziva gently fix the baby blanket in the rearview mirror. He caught her looking at him through it, giving him an exhausted grin.

She quietly spoke, "Well done, daddy."

Tony genuinely smiled, even through his sleepless features.

I cried. Not real tears, just my heart crying.

Hopefully your heart is warmed up a bit on the first day of fall!

-Cassie