Ellick "Painless"

Chapter 7- Pregnant?

General: In the Squadroom

"You got her pregnant?!?!" Gibbs screams down the stairs, and everyone looks at each other.

"Ellie's pregnant?!" Tim looks to Tony, shocked.

"She did not look pregnant." Ziva says calmly, but she's worried about her successor.

"I'm confused McBlind. You said there was something going on between them. Not that something was already there! How could she be pregnant with his child and you not know??" Tony points angrily at the door and turns to McGee.

"We don't know that she is!" Jack exclaims.

"I- I don't know! It didn't seem serious! I didn't think she was pregnant!" McGee stares blankly at the door.

"Well." Tony says, laughing mockingly. "There's the problem, McGenius. You were thinking."

"Tony!" Ziva and Tim both said, Tim's voice inflicted with pain, whereas Ziva's was frustration.

"What? Our little Bishop is pregnant with some new heehaw, and you don't notice anything???"

"He's been here for five years!" Jack points out.

"When Jake cheated we knew within a day! I would think she would tell me she was pregnant!"

"Again with the thinking!"

"Look, Tony, Nick is a good guy! His father left when he was little-" McGee begins.

"Oh, so it's gonna run in the family??"

"NO! I was going to say that he wouldn't do that to his kid! Why do you hate him all of a sudden?!"

"I- I don't hate him! I just... it's our little El! Ellie? A mom? I can't see it! She's too... her. A kid ties you down! You can't go out partying, or work late. You always have to be there."

"I couldn't see Ziva as a mom a few years ago, but now you do great together! It's going to take some getting used to, but we'll all adjust... right?" Tim looks worriedly from Ziva to Tony.

Tony stares him down, and Tim begins to doubt himself.

"It'll take time. Ellie. A mom. Ellie. Pregnant. How can she be pregnant? How could you let that happen, Boss???!!!" Tim spins to Gibbs, beginning to panic. "Ellie can't be a mother! Especially not with Nick! They're such opposites! And- and rule 12! How didn't you notice?!"

"Thank you, Bambino. She's not ready!"

"You have no idea what Eleanor is ready for!" Ziva objects,stepping between the men.

"She obviously has feelings for Nicholas that are quite mutual, and if they're ready to take it a step farther it's their choice. We did, Tony."

"That's different."

"How?" Ziva squares herself with her husband, looking straight into his eyes.

"Well, because... I don't know! It's just different."

"Ellie? Pregnant? Nick? Together?!" McGee keeps whispering to himself as Gibbs slams the stairwell door closed.

"McGee. Find Bishop."

"What?"

"The ping thingy. Beep beep beep, you know."

"You want me to track her?" McGee asks incredulously.

Gibbs nods, and McGee begins walking to his desk. Ziva takes Tim's arm and gives him a look. They stare at each other for a minute.

"No." McGee says quietly, watching Ziva who smiles satisfied.

"Excuse me?!" Gibbs takes a step closer, but stops when Jack pulls him back.

"I'm not going to do it." He turns to Gibbs scared, as Tony stands next to Gibbs. Their faces are identical, both glaring at him as if he just insulted the Queen.

"This is personal, Gibbs. Not professional." Jack joins Ziva and McGee opposite Tony and Gibbs. "It wouldn't be right."

"What's not right is two of my agents breaking one of my rules!"

"Everyone's broken that rule, Gibbs." Ziva cries out. "Tony and I. Tim and Abby. Eleanor and Nicholas. You and J-" Her voice dwindles as she sees the look Gibbs is giving her. Glancing at Jack, who is nodding her on encouragingly, then realizes what Ziva is going to say next, she shakes her head 'no' vigorously. Changing on the fly, Ziva continues. "Jenny Shepard." She finishes her sentence, and she can sense Tim tense at the name while Sloane relaxes.

"That was my mistake. I'm not going to let Bishop make the same one."

"She won't! She's not like you!" Jack shakes her head, disbelieving.

"Do you even know she's pregnant? What did he say?" Jack presses on.

"He said 'our kids.' " Gibbs mutters.

As Tim smiles, Tony scoffs. "That might be theoretical then." McGee turns to Ziva, grinning.

"There's nothing theoretical about 'our kids'. If it was theoretical, he would have said 'our possible kids.' " Tony doesn't understand how blind his wife could be.

"Everyone needs to breathe. In..." Jack takes a deep breath and holds it in, but notices that no one else is, and they're just staring at her like a maniac. Dropping her arms to her side, she exclaims, annoyed. "Okay, we do not have any solid proof one way or the other! Both Ellie and Nick take their jobs very seriously! If they are dating, it's clearly not for that long! She was with Jake for years and they never had a kid. She's not going to run off and get pregnant by Nick after a couple hours!"
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