The Circus Cometh...

Ziva laid tongue out and panting, enjoying Nick’s hands digging into her winter coat and scratching her skin.  She’d spent long ass hours in human form hovered over the throne wondering how one little cubblet could cause her so much trouble. 

By day three, Nick overrode her desires to keep family at bay and called them…all of them to seek some answers.  That’s how she ended up in her wolf body with nine sets of adult eyes and two sets of cub eyes watching her every move.

“Dad, is she gonna do it again soon?” “Yeah, is she?”  Loki and Thor demanded in less than whispered voices.  “She looks funny puking like a girl…”  “I wonder what it looks like as a wolf.”

“Boys…enough.  Go on outside, shift and play in the snow.”

Lupa bless Marissa.  She really was feeling a little pukey and could do without the boys rooting her on.

“Ah, we wanna see it.”  “Look, she’s getting drooly.”

“BOYS!” Mooney barked, but it was Nick’s alpha growled that brought not only theirs, but several other eyes in the room, to the floor.

“Yes, Sirs.”  “Yes, Sirs.”

Both cubs hightailed it out of the room with Marissa yelling after them…”Wear the booties over your paws.”

“Awww…” “Mom…”

Ziva whined, watching Nick’s sister-in-law perform her mother duties so perfectly.  How could she ever measure up to such standards?

“Out of the way Vernon, Mooney.”  Mrs. Elly, the only better mother than Marissa set a bowl in front of her and knelt down to rub her ears.  “This ought to settle your stomach for a bit dear.  Even the vet approved it so no worries.”

Ziva started to smell the concoction only to have Nick pull the bowl up to his own face.

“What is it?”  His loud sniffs settled her nerves a bit, trusting he wouldn’t let her eat anything funny–not that she worried about Elly trying to poison her.  It was his protectiveness that helped settle her nerves.

“NICK!”

“Vernon, hush, Nick is worried about the mother of his young.  I’m glad he’s concerned.  My dear, it is just an oat mix moistened with a touch of yogurt and a drop of peppermint.  My mother made it for me and I intend to make it for all the pregnant women in my family.  There’s even protein in the mix through the yogurt…good for a wolf mama and her babe.”

Tears sprung to Ziva’s eyes as Nick slid the bowl back in front of her.  Elly was a treasure, a woman she secretly wished the women in her family would emulate.

“Ugh-o,” her mother took that moment to share her unwanted thoughts on Elly’s generocity. “Oat mash sounds like herbie food to me.  All you need sweetheart is to figure out which grape year the little one like’s best.  You were a 64’ red and your sister there, well, she preferred for me to eat the worm…”

Oh Lupa…  Fighting her way to her feet, she flew over the bowl and around her horrified sister and a laughing Reetha to hit the back door.  She was mortified to be using their swinging dog door, but even more so at what her mother just admitted.

“ZIVA!  Baby, come back.”

At the top of the hill she knew she couldn’t wait any longer and brased herself for the inevitable.  Her claws curled into the snow as her stomach moved to her throat.

“She’s puking, she’s puking!”  “Totally cool!” “You should have seen the time she ate that sick rabbit, now there was some puke.”

Ziva fell to her side and continued to gag, leave it to Reetha to share that with Loki and Thor now.  Snow blew up around her and a wild growling and barks filled the air.  Nick, in wolf form, stood above her warning each person away from his fallen mate.  She should get back up to take some of the pressure off him, but she was just too tired.

###

“Everyone move.”  Leo pushed his way through the crowd around the expectant Ziva and the irate Nick.  NOW!”  What a circus this turned out to be.

He knew both families were a bit on the crazy side, but he’d not realized how dysfunctional his Cami’s female role models were and poor Ziva, having to monitor and probably raise all three. 
Thankfully, she had Nick.

“Vernon, please take Ziva’s aunt and mother home.  Mooney, could you take your sister and the boys elsewhere.  Elly and Marissa, please stay to help me with Ziva.  Cami, please go grab my bag from the car, love.”

Leo used his Dom voice to make sure his orders were followed before turning to Nick and the patient. 

“Now Nick, I think you should let me take a look at Ziva.  I just want to make sure she’s okay.”  Nick’s hackled rose along with his growl.

This was going to be harder than he thought…
~~~

Have a wonderful weekend!


Serena