Work Text:
May 2021
“Thank you so much Ziva, Nick and I really appreciate it.” Ellie said as she pulled the woman in for a hug. Tali’s squeals rang through the apartment as she ran into the living room while Tony was wheeling Samuel inside in the stroller.
“Of course Eleanor! You both helped out so much with watching Tali last year and we wanted to repay you.” Ellie turned to Tony, accepting his hug as Ziva got Samuel out of the stroller just as Nick came out of the bedroom.
Suddenly the sound of little footsteps running down the hall could be heard as she ran to Nick.
“Hey my little ninja!” He scooped her up and hugged her tightly, only letting her down when she squirmed. “Tony, Ziva, hey.” Nick pulled Ziva into a hug the best he could with her holding the almost three month old before turning to Tony for a handshake.
“Nick, Ellie, thanks again for taking care of the kids. We love them but it’ll be nice to get away again, just the two of us. Even if it is for a night. You’ll understand one day.” Tony winked at him and Nick cleared his throat.
“Yeah man, no problem. Anything for my favorite kids.” Glancing over, he saw that Ellie was deep in conversation with Ziva as she went over Samuels routine and deemed it safe. “And uh, I hope we do.” Tony smiled, clapping Nick on the back. He and Nick had become closer since last year and knew that the woman he saw as a little sister couldn’t have picked a better man.
“Awe, look who’s all grown up.”
“Yeah well uh, I have Ellie to thank for that. And I guess you guys and Tali too, for helping me get my head out of my ass.”
“Oh you’re so welcome. I’m just glad to see you guys happy.” Nick nodded as Samuel let out a squeal and looked over to see Ellie holding him, laughing. Tony caught the look in his eye and smiled. “So, thinking about having a family one day.” Still facing his girlfriend, Nick thought back to his conversation with McGee a couple years ago.
“Yeah. I didn’t think I wanted to before Ellie but now, well I couldn’t imagine not having one with her.” Tony clapped him on the back.
“I know the feeling man. Trust me, I know.” They shared a look of mutual understanding before going to join their other halves on the couch. Tony and Ziva stayed for another hour before they had to leave, saying goodbyes to Tali and Samuel and promising to see them soon.
Tony and Ziva would be heading to Virginia Beach for the night to celebrate their anniversary and Nick and Ellie would be joining them tomorrow with the kids to spend the rest of the weekend.
Walking up behind the couch where Ellie sat holding Samuel and Tali was curled up against her he smiled. “So, you guys ready for a fun weekend?”
“Oh yeah!” Tali yelled as she jumped up and hugged him while Samuel clapped his hands together. Laughing, he picked the girl up and sat down next to Ellie on the couch, letting Tali curl up next to him as they turned on the newest Disney movie.
“Alright guys, we’re all packed.” Nick said as he climbed in the Jeep Saturday morning, glancing back at the kids. “Ready to go?”
“Yeah Uncle Nick! Me and Sammy are ready!” Tali yelled as Samuel babbled in his car seat. Smiling at the girl's enthusiasm, he turned to Ellie. “Ready Babe?”
“Yep! Let’s go.” Taking her hand that was resting on the console, he clasped it in his and pulled onto the road. The drive seemed to fly by and before they knew it they were pulling in beside Tony and Ziva at the beach house they rented.
As soon as the car was in park, Tali jumped out and ran up to the door that Ziva had just opened and was now running toward her.
“Ima!”
“Tali! Did you have a fun night with Aunt Ellie and Uncle Nick?” Ziva asked as Ellie came up next to them carrying Samuel, smiling as Tali started talking a mile a minute. They took the kids inside while Tony went outside to help Nick with their bags.
“Hey Tony! Nice house here man.”
“Thanks. A friend of Ziva’s actually owns it. She was nice enough to let us have it for the weekend.”
“Well, tell her thanks for us.” Nick lifted the kids suitcase and essentials out, handing them to Tony while he got out his and Ellie’s.
“That everything?” Nick started to say yes when he stopped, remembering something he wanted to talk to Tony about.
“Actually man I uh, need to ask you for a favor.”
“So Eleanor, how was it taking care of two kids this time?”
“Oh it’s great! I mean, it’s obviously more work than one and I’m not their mom so I’m not with them every day but, it makes me think Nick and I can handle it some day.” Ziva smiled, laying down the towel she was using and turning to look at Ellie.
“So, you are thinking about kids?” Ellie smiled, remembering their conversation last year and the many after that.
“Yeah. I was a little nervous at first because I knew I wanted kids, I always have, but Nick said a family wasn’t in the cards for him. Last year he admitted that watching Baby Cody made him realize he could be a parent and that he wanted to have that with me.” Ziva brought one hand up to cover her heart while grabbing Ellie’s elbow with the other.
“Oh my goodness that is the sweetest thing I have ever heard. Who knew he could be such a romantic.”
“I know right? I guess I always wondered but now I know that under that tough guy exterior he’s really just a big sweetheart.” Just then the door opened and Nick looked over to where they were standing in the kitchen.
“My ear’s burning. Were you guys talking about me?” He sent his girlfriend a smirk as she blushed and hid her face, confirming his suspicions. “Well, ladies don’t let me interrupt.” Following Tony, Nick placed Tali’s things in her room and brought the rest of their things into the second master downstairs before joining the women in the living room.
With a look to his wife, Tony nodded before putting his hands on his hips and looking around the room. “Alright guys, who’s ready to go to the beach?”
“Me!” Tali yelled, practically bouncing in her excitement.
“You know the drill, go get your bathing suit on.” Not needing any other prompting, Tali raced upstairs, her giggling trailing down making the adults laugh. “Ziva and I will get Samuel ready and meet you guys down here in about fifteen minutes. Sound good?”
“Yeah, sounds good.”
After everyone was beach-ready, they met in the living room, Ellie and Ziva taking the kids outside while Nick grabbed the cooler and Tony carried the diaper bag. Walking behind, Nick couldn’t help but watch Ellie as she held Samuel, thinking of a day when it would be their son she was carrying.
The beach was filled with families of giggling kids and Ellie couldn’t help but look around, dreaming of a day when this would be her and Nick with their own children. They quickly set up their blankets close to the water so Samuel could splash around while his sister played in the ocean. Ziva and Ellie quickly joinedTali playing in the waves, leaving Nick and Tony to watch over Sam.
Nick waited until he knew Ellie was out of hearing range and turned towards Tony. “Hey man uh, I know we talked about going out to dinner tonight and then going for dessert but uh, I was wondering if you and Ziva could take the kids after dinner. There’s something I need to do.”
“Yeah, absolutely. Is there anything I can help with?”
“Just, don’t say anything to Ellie.”
“Absolutely, I can do that.” It was quiet for a moment as they kept their eyes on Samuel until suddenly Tony spoke up. “Hey. I’m really glad you guys are taking this next step.” Nick’s eyes went wide at the realization that Tony had caught onto his plans.
“How-how’d you know?”
“I acted the same way. The nervousness, the looking around to see if she was there before talking. It’s all the classic signs.” Nick took a deep breath.
“When did you know you wanted to marry Ziva?”
“Honestly? It was when Jimmy was getting married. We had both been through a lot and, I think subconsciously I knew I loved her, had for several years, but it wasn’t until we were sitting in the bullpen one night alone talking about weddings that I knew I wanted that with her.” Tony got a far away look in his eye as Nick started thinking.
“Wait a second, that was almost ten years ago!”
“Now you know why we were pushing for you guys to get your act together. We could’ve been together back then, had ten years together instead of one but, ya know, life has a funny way of working itself out.” Although Nick didn’t know what it was like to go through what Tony and Ziva went through, he still understood what the man was talking about. “Anyway, as soon as I knew Ziva was alive I knew that I was gonna ask her to marry me when she got home. I had already bought a ring from before she stayed in Israel and I chickened out and I could never bring myself to get rid of it and now I’m glad I didn’t. I think I waited a month after she got back to propose. We’d waited so long already we didn’t waste too much time before getting married and I gotta say, it’s been the best year of my life.” Nick couldn’t deny he got a little teary-eyed at that and took advantage of Tony’s attention on Samuel to wipe away a tear.
“Well man, I’m glad you guys finally got your happy ending.”
“Yeah, me too. And you’re gonna be getting yours soon.”
“Woah, slow down. She hasn’t even said yes yet.” Tony scoffed, looking out at the ocean where his wife, daughter, and Ellie were playing and he looked back at Nick.
“But there’s really no question she will.” Looking up, Nick caught Ellie’s eyes as she looked his way and smiled as she sent him a small wave. He really hoped Tony was right.
“Oh my gosh that was like, the best seafood I’ve had in forever!” Nick laughed as Ellie complemented her meal yet again as they walked out of the restaurant. “Oh! Do you think they deliver?”
“I don’t know Babe.” Nick chuckled as he pulled her into his side. Tali was walking slightly ahead while Tony pushed the stroller with Ziva walking next to him. With Ellie leaning against him, Nick looked over her head at Tony and winked, letting him know it was time.
“Hey guys, if you don’t mind Ziva and I would like to take the kids for ice cream tonight. Ya know, a little family time.”
“Yeah of course guys.” Nick stopped on the sidewalk, Ellie stopping with him as they watched the others walk down the sidewalk, Tali cheering at the promise of sweets. As soon as the family turned the corner he looked down at his girlfriend. “Walk with me?” He held out his hand and she immediately grabbed it with hers.
“Of course. Where’re we going?” Diverting them from the sidewalk, he pulled her gently with him as he led her to the beach.
“I thought we could take a nice, moonlight walk along the beach.” Ellie’s smile was wide as she looked up at him from where she was clinging to his side.
“Oh, how romantic.” Unable to resist her, he leaned down and kissed her lightly before continuing on their way. They were almost back at the beach house when he stopped. Curious, Ellie looked up at him before she recognized her surroundings. They were standing right next to the pier where they had visited last year, only this time there were rose petals littered across the sand. Turning to Nick, she gasped as she saw him down on one knee in front of her and her hand immediately went to cover her mouth as her eyes started tearing up.
“Ellie. Last year we visited here with Tali, not knowing that everything was going to change between us. I have never been happier than I have with you in this past year and I hope that we can have many more years together - as husband and wife and hopefully one day parents. Eleanor Bishop. I love you so much. Will you marry me?”
“Yes.” The word was whispered and she smiled through the tears running down her face as he looked up at her in astonishment.
“Yes?”
“Yes! Absolutely yes!” He immediately slid the ring on her finger and she couldn’t help but notice it had a striking resemblance to her mom’s ring before she was being picked up by Nick. She giggled as he spun her around, letting out a loud cheer. Finally setting her down, he pulled her into a kiss that she quickly deepened. Before they could get too carried away in public, Nick pulled back and grabbed her hand, leading her to a spot under the pier where a blanket was laid down and adorned with flameless candles, champagne, and a box of what she assumed was chocolate. “Nick? How did you do all of this?” She asked as she sat down.
“With the help of a certain ninja.” He popped open the champagne, pouring them each a glass as he watched the wheels turn in her head.
“Wait a second, is that what took so long when they went to change Samuel’s diaper?”
“Maybe.” Ellie let out a loud laugh then at the look on his face and smiled, bringing her free hand up to caress his cheek.
“Thank you, it was perfect.” She wanted to kiss him then but instead held up her glass, mirroring his for a toast.
“To us. And a lifetime of happiness.”
“To us.” This time she did lean over, meeting him halfway for a kiss that they quickly got lost in.
An hour later, after finishing what she discovered to be chocolate covered strawberries and the bottle of champagne, they made their way back to the house. Glancing at the time, they knew the kids would be asleep and opened the door slowly.
As soon as the door opened behind them, Tony and Ziva turned around on the couch, staring at their friends. After a moment of suspense, Ellie held up her hand to show off the ring. “We’re engaged!” Ziva jumped up immediately, running over to pull Ellie into a hug.
“Congratulations dear!” Tony followed his wife, pulling a now free Ellie into a hug while Ziva walked over to Nick.
“Congratulations Ellie. It’s so good to see you happy.” Wiping a tear away, Ellie looked at the man she thought of as a bonus brother and smiled.
“Thanks Tony, you too.” She glanced over at Ziva who was clearly teasing her now-fiance if his expression was any indication.
“I am so proud of you Nicholas.” Ziva said as she pulled the man she saw as a brother into a hug.
“Thanks Ziva. And thank you for all of your help. I really appreciate it.”
“It is the least I could do for all that you have done for me.” Ziva brought a hand up to pat his cheek. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you.” He pulled her in for another hug, kissing her cheek. Ziva moved aside, letting Elie take her place beside Nick as Tony came up to shake Nick’s hand and clap him on the back.
“Congrats man. And remember, if you hurt her, you’ll be answering to Ziva.”
“Anthony!” She shrieked, smacking her husband’s stomach lightly. “Be nice.” Ziva waited until the other couple had stopped laughing before looking them in the eye. “Although he is not wrong.” Nick visibly jumped and Ellie rubbed a hand across his back reassuringly. “Now come dear, let us leave these two alone to celebrate.”
“Alright, alright. I’m coming.” Tony held up his hands as he walked backwards towards the stairs, Ziva following him. “Just remember there are kids in the house so keep the celebration down.” Ziva pushed his shoulder to lead him up the stairs, laughing along with him. Ellie’s face turned crimson at Tony’s insinuation and she hid her head in Nick’s shoulder to hide her embarrassment as Nick bid the couple goodnight.
As soon as they heard the door close upstairs Ellie looked up and smiled as she leaned in to kiss her fiance. “So babe? What do you say we start celebrating?”
Lost in the sensation of his lips trailing down her neck, she could only mumble her agreement and let out a quiet squeak when he suddenly picked her up. “Nick? What’re you doing?”
“Carrying my fiance into our room so we can properly celebrate.” He kissed her again, this time on the spot behind her ear he knew drove her crazy, causing her to moan lightly.
“Fiance. I like the sound of that.” A slow smile crossed her face as he deposited her on the bed and turned around to close and lock the door behind them. Stripping off his shirt and pants, he joined Ellie in the bed and pulled her flush against him, kissing her deeply.
With his arm wrapped around her waist, hand splayed across the skin of her stomach, he pressed a kiss to Ellie’s head as she sighed and snuggled closer. “Goodnight El. I love you.”
“I love you too Nick. And I can’t wait to be your wife.” The smile was evident in her voice, making his face light up.
“And I can’t wait to be your husband.”
In the morning, Nick woke up to the smell of coffee coming from the other room and smiled, opening his eyes to see Ellie still in his arms. Moving carefully so as not to wake her, Nick crawled out of bed, slipping on sweatpants and a t-shirt, and shuffled into the kitchen.
Hearing footsteps behind her, Ziva turned around from the stove and placed a cup down for her new companion. “Goodmorning Nicholas. Sleep well?” Nick could hear the inflection in her tone and rolled his eyes.
“Yes, but not why you think.”
“You know I only tease.” Ziva laughed, ruffling his hair before focusing back on breakfast. Things were silent for a moment until NIck spoke up again.
“Hey Ziva.” Sensing his serious tone, she turned the burner down and stood across the island from him. “I uh, just wanted to thank you. For everything you’ve helped me with. Especially when you should’ve been focusing on your family.” He thought back to all of the conversations they had via email after she went back to Paris. At first it was just him checking in and her asking him if he’d done anything about Ellie yet. After his accident though she called him, wanting to see how he was doing. It was after that night that they started talking about their similar experiences, her with Mossad and him undercover, and the effect it had on them. Eventually talking with Ziva made him realize some of the feelings he had been pushing away that had gotten worse after being drugged were signs of anxiety and she helped him find someone away from NCIS to talk to.
“Nicholas, you are family.” She reached out, laying a hand over his that was on the island and squeezed. “And it was the least I could do for how much you helped me get back to Tony and Tali.” They shared a look of mutual understanding before Ziva patted his hand and turned around, getting the current batch of French toast off of the stove and starting on the next.
“Need help with anything?”
“If you would not mind setting the table. Then I will have to go wake Tony up. I swear that man could sleep until noon if you let him.”
“I get that. Ellie’s always a late sleeper on our days off and it usually takes the smell of bacon to wake her up.”
“Mmm, do I smell bacon?” Ellie’s sleepy voice sounded from the hallway as she slowly made her way into the kitchen.
“See, told you.” Nick whispered to Ziva who just laughed, watching as Ellie sat down on the stool and rubbed her eyes before being presented with a cup of coffee from Nick. “Morning babe.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead as she took a drink, letting the warm liquid slowly wake her up.
“Good morning.” She leaned her head up, kissing him briefly before going back to her coffee.
“You two are so adorable.” Ziva smiled at the young couple, causing Ellie to blush and hide her face with her cup.
“Eh, mostly her.” Ellie’s cheeks flushed more and Nick couldn’t help but smile at her embarrassment. Suddenly the sound of little feet drew their attention to the staircase and Ziva walked over to greet her daughter. .
“Well good morning my Tali.”
“Good morning Ima.” She said sleepily as Ziva kissed the top of her head. She woke up more when she saw who was standing in the kitchen. “Morning Aunt Ellie and Uncle Nick!” This time Nick was ready and braced himself for the crash of Tali into his legs. Picking her up, he sat her next to Ellie and they listened intently as she told them about her night while Ziva went upstairs to wake Tony and bring Samuel down.
After they had all finished eating, Nick sent Ellie a glance over Tali’s head and silently agreed to tell her now.
“Hey Tals.”
“Yeah Uncle Nick?”
“How would you like to be a flower girl?” Tali looked to Ellie, head tilted to the side.
“But, I was already a flowergirl for Ima and Daddy.” Glancing up at Nick she smiled at the girl’s words.
“Well, how would you like to be a flowergirl for me and Uncle Nick?” Tali’s eyes widened and she looked back and forth between Nick and Ellie before finally settling on Nick.
“Does that mean you’re getting married like Ima and Daddy did?”
“It does.” Nick’s smile was wide, matching Ellie’s. None of the adults were prepared for the squeal she let out as Tali jumped up and ran around the table.
“This is the best news ever!” Laughter rang out and she started dancing in excitement.
“Geez, she wasn’t this excited when we told her we were getting married.” Ziva lightly jabbed her elbow into Tony’s side but was stopped by him wrapping his arm around her shoulder.
“Oh hush Tony, let her enjoy this.” Glancing across the table, Ziva watched as Nick scooted over to take Tali’s seat and brought Ellie’s chair closer, pulling her into his side. With a smile on her face, Ellie turned to face him, bringing her lips to his for a gentle kiss. “Look how happy they are.” At his wife’s whisper Tony turned, looking at the other couple.
“I’m so proud.” The parents turned their attention back to Tali who was now leaning over Samuel and telling him about Aunt Ellie and Uncle Nick getting married.
On the other side of the table, the newly engaged couple was in their own little world as Nick rested his head on Ellie’s forehead, paying no attention to what was happening around them.
Tali was right, this was the best news ever.