Tony paced nervously around his hotel room, still dressed in his old pajamas, checking the clock every time he turned around after taking a few steps, hoping it would finally read 11:15a.m. At that time he would begin putting on his tux for his wedding which started at noon, to Ziva.
With three hours still standing between him and his bride, he just continued pacing until he heard a faint knock at his door. Glad he'd have somewhat of a distraction from the time, he looked through the peephole out of habit and was shocked to see his fiancé on the other side of the door. "Ziva!" he said with surprise as he let her in. "What are you doing here? Isn't it bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding?"
Ziva shook her head as she kissed him softly on the cheek. "I do not believe in that kind of thing and I couldn't stand staying in that room by myself. Abby isn't showing up for another hour and a half so I need some company and you were the next best thing."
"Well thanks," he said sarcastically.
She rolled her eyes then patted his shoulder, "Just kidding."
After leaning down and kissing her breathless, Tony smiled. "I'm glad you can't live without me either."
Biting her lip, Ziva grabbed Tony's hand. "Here, there isn't anything interesting to do just sitting in the room, so why don't we go and check on our decorations in the event hall.
Brushing off her remark about nothing interesting to do with a bed in the room, he let her lead their way out of the room and to the first floor.
As they walked hand in hand through their reception area with only a few circular tables and chairs all centered around one prominent table with their cake placed on it, they admired the cranberry drapes hanging from the ceiling which met in the middle on the gold, glimmering chandelier.
Once they spent a few minutes walking around the modest room, straightening cream tablecloths, accenting cranberry chair covers, and tall, dainty calla lilies in tall vases serving as centerpieces, they decided to go relax by the indoor pool for a while before they had to head back up to their rooms.
When the couple reached the chairs near the pool, Ziva took a seat and put up her feet, doing her best to try and relax as Tony kicked off his flip flops and stuck his feet in the lukewarm water. Even though she tried to relax, the stress from the wedding was catching up to her. She turned her head towards the man that was her partner for eight years and would now, in just a couple of hours, be her husband. With a smirk beginning to grace her face, she stepped up quietly behind him and swiftly pushed him into the water.
As she was laughing, she bent over to watch his completely shocked expression and before she knew what hit her, she was in the water as well, grabbing for Tony's arms to hold her up. After spitting her mouthful of water onto his face, he put his mouth to water level then did the same. She quickly splashed him then swam to the other side, trying to hide and give him a surprise attack but after being her partner for so long, he had learned most of her tactics and snuck up behind her then grabbed her from behind, twirling her around, making her laugh with surprise and pure joy.
For the next hour they nearly wore themselves out chasing and catching each other with the chance to steal a kiss. Once one of them realized the time, they pulled themselves out of the water, dried off the best they could then ran up to their separate rooms, hoping no one had noticed them.
When Ziva reached her room she just had the chance to shower, dry her hair, and slip into fresh sweats before Abby walked in, bursting with excitement. "Ziva! Are you excited? Are you ready to get dressed?"
Smiling from the girl's enthusiasm, Ziva put a hand on Abby's cheek. "Slow down, Abby! Yes, I'm very excited," she said, beginning to get nervous again, but not as much after reaffirming just how much she loved the man she was about to marry. "My dress is hanging on the shower rod, but I think—"
"—Right, we need to do your hair and makeup first," Abby cut in, already pulling out her supplies. "We only have about ninety minutes so we'd better hurry!"
Nodding, Ziva sat down where Abby gestured so the bride-to-be would have a view out the window then during next hour, she was pampered with her hair being put into a loose bun with a few strands framing her face and some light makeup applied to accent her natural beauty. Once Abby had finished, Ziva headed into the bathroom to slip on her long lace dress with laced straps that hung off her shoulders which showed off her defined collar bones.
As she stepped out of the bathroom, Abby gasped as she ran and hugged her friend, tears streaming down her own cheeks, so happy that her and Tony had finally realized they were there for each other all along. Ziva patted the scientist's back, not wanting to begin crying herself. "Hey, it's alright!" she encouraged Abby. "This is a good day, there is no reason to be crying."
After taking a deep breath, Abby pulled away and wiped her cheeks, straightening out her long cranberry dress with a black sash, then handed Ziva her bouquet, complete with twelve single red roses. "I've got to go fix my makeup," Abby said quickly as she ran off to the bathroom.
As she closed the door, Ziva walked over to the window and slightly opened the curtain, letting the sunshine warm her face while she slipped on her simple, white flats. Suddenly thoughts and emotions hit her like a hurricane, all hurdling at her at once. "Will we work out? Am I good enough for him? Will I be able to take care of him when we're old? Will I be a good mother? What if something happens to either of us?"
A few moments later, a knock at the door broke her out of her trance. When she opened it, a smile crossed her face as a single tear ran down her cheek. Gibbs stood in front of her in a classy suit with a cranberry tie, tying into the color theme Ziva had always loved. "Thank you for being here," Ziva said genuinely.
Gibbs took her into his arms. "I wouldn't miss it for the world. I'm so happy for you and DiNozzo. You two are so perfect for each other."
Right then, all the worries flew out of her mind. Somehow this man always knew what to say and at the right time in which to say it. She would never know how he did it, but she would always appreciate that he could.
A nod was the only thing Ziva could manage before a flood of tears came down, but Gibbs decided to keep things moving so the nerves wouldn't completely overtake her. "Are you ready?"
"I think so," she said softly. "Abby, are you ready?"
Right then the Goth came out of the bathroom, happier than ever. "As ready as I'll ever be!"
With each girl taking an arm, Gibbs led them outside and into his car. After a short drive to a nearby national park, Abby got out and headed up the nearby grassy hill that was being sheltered by a sky that had never been bluer. Once she was up it, Gibbs went over to Ziva's side and helped her out. Putting his hands on her shoulders, he looked her straight into the eye. "Are you ready for this?" he asked seriously.
After taking a few moments to think, she nodded with a smile on her face, "Absolutely."
Smiling back, he nodded, "Alright then, let's go."
Taking her boss' arm, she had never been more thankful for anything in her life— so glad to finally have a real father. Once they reached the top of the hill, a trail of leaves led them to Tony. McGee, Palmer, and Ducky were standing up with Tony and Abby was there to stand up with Ziva. With their pastor standing right in the middle, holding his bible, Ziva knew this was really happening, their day had finally come. After sending one last glance to Gibbs, he nodded, patted her hand holding firmly to his right arm then they began walking towards her future.
As she glided through the leaves, she took in the changing trees that were surrounding the field that overlooked the rest of the park—this field was the only secluded area in the park, right when they were in the middle of it they couldn't see anything but sky and trees, just the way they wanted it. Pulling her mind back to what she was doing, she locked her eyes onto Tony's. Once she did so, she realized he was tearing up; for a man that never cried, Ziva knew so much more just how much he cared and how much he loved her.
Just a few moments later, she finally reached Tony and took his hands. The next few minutes seemed to be a blur, all she knew was Tony's piercing green eyes baring into her deep brown, pouring so much love into them. All of a sudden, Tony captured her lips and right then she knew their lives had changed forever; from then on they were one.
As they held each other, they felt the breeze run through their hair and heard it rustle the leaves, then Tony leaned down and whispered into Ziva's ear. "Forever and always, Mrs. DiNozzo." This was the first time they both felt at peace, the first time they knew everything was going to be okay, the first time they had a new beginning. They were starting their lives over but they were both perfectly okay with that for they knew they would be starting over together, they would be together forever and always.