Four Days...
Kristi lifted her head carefully from the pillow, and sighed as her eyes landed on the clock beside the bed. The face read 6:13 in bright red letters, only ten minutes since the last time she'd looked at the clock. With a soft groan, she rolled away from the clock, and buried her face in her pillow. Her hand slipped beneath the blanket, and she gently rubbed at her thigh, hoping to make the dull ache go away.
When the pain continued, she carefully sat upright, and climbed off the bed, grabbing for the cane that leaned against her night table. The click of the cane against the hardwood was the only sound as she made her way out of the bedroom, and down the hall to the bathroom. As she flipped on the light, and closed the door, Tony rolled over, and yawned, frowning as he opened his eyes to see Kristi's side of the bed empty.
Stretching, Tony sat up, and swung his feet to the floor, before following Kristi's path to the bathroom. Instead of pushing the door open, he wrapped his knuckles on the wood, and waited.
"...yeah?"
"Kris?"
"...come on in, Tony..." He hesitated, but nudged the door with his fingertips, looking in to see Kristi's cane leaning against the sink while she sat on the edge of the tub, grimacing lightly and rubbing her thigh. Sighing, Tony shook his head, and sat beside her.
"It still hurts?"
"It's driving me nuts..." she replied, lowering her head to his shoulder. "I went to bed around...what, twelve?" she asked, glancing up a little. He nodded, hooking an arm around her back. "I think I spent four of the past six hours tossing in an attempt to make it stop..."
"Did you take your meds?"
"Yeah...one before I laid down...and one about thirty seconds before you knocked." Tony gently rubbed his hand against her back, and kissed the top of her head.
"You should try and get in with the doctor today, see what he says...four days from today is your day, you shouldn't have to be in pain during it," he replied, smiling a little. Kristi blushed, but nodded.
"Yeah...I know...do you really have to work today?" she asked, sitting up a little and adjusting her position as she stretched out her leg. Tony watched her wince and groan as she put her foot back down, and lowered his head, nodding.
"Yeah...yeah, I do...but you can always have Noah drive ya...consider it practice before he gets his license," Tony pointed out, with a smirk. It was hard not to chuckle, and Kristi knew it. Nodding with a smile curled on her lips, she looked over at him.
"Good point...alright...you need to shower, don't you?" she asked, already pushing her hands against the side of the tub to push herself to her feet. Without a second thought, Tony stood and helped her to her feet, stopping to look at her before she could grab her cane.
"Yeah...but you should go lie down for a little bit. I'll call the doctor for ya, so you can attempt to sleep. Go on," he replied, kissing her forehead as she grabbed her cane and headed for the door.
"Love you, Tony," she said softly, glancing back at him and smiling.
"...ditto, Kris." She rolled her eyes, and turned, making her way to the bedroom as Tony shut the door, and flipped on the water in the shower.
Page Break
Night had fallen long before Tony made it back home from work. As he closed the door, he heard video game gunfire in the living room, and chuckled, shaking his head as he stepped into the room and kicked off his shoes. Noah leaned forward from his seat on the couch, tongue pressed into the corner of his mouth, not blinking as he stared at the video game he was playing.
"Call of Duty?" Tony asked, unzipping his jacket. Noah blinked, but didn't look up.
"Modern Warfare..."
"How was your mom's appointment?" he asked, shaking his head. Noah bit a little on his tongue as he killed one of the characters in the game, before pausing it, and looking over.
"I'm guessing not well...she was unhappy when we left, and barely said much on the ride home...we got back and she took a shower and went right into the bedroom..." Tony frowned, but nodded.
"Thanks for driving her, kiddo." Noah smiled, and shrugged.
"No problem-o, daddy-o," he replied, turning his attention back to the game. With a soft chuckle, Tony made his way down the hall, and wrapped on the bedroom door before pushing it open.
"Kris?"
"What?" Her voice was sharp, and irritated, and it caught him off guard. He stopped short, barely into the room, and frowned, leaning around the door to see her.
"I didn't do anything, don't snap at me," he said, knitting his eyebrows together.
The curtains were open, and Kristi sat on the window seat, not looking at him. She had dragged his desk chair beside her, and had her leg resting on it as she stared outside. Her cane was on the bed, beside her coat, her purse, and a bottle of medication.
Stepping into the room, Tony closed the door, and turned to toss his jacket onto the bed. Kristi's head was turned, and he couldn't see her face, but he knew something wasn't right.
"Kris, what happened?" he asked, moving over to her. Very carefully, he lifted her foot, and sat down, resting her leg back over his. She sniffled, and finally raised her head to see him, where he realized she'd been crying. Her eyes were red and puffy, but no longer wet with tears.
"The doctor said my pain is because of the rod. But they can't take it out yet because if they take it out now, we'll have to cancel the wedding so I can stay in the hospital. Since they can't take it out, I have to deal with the pain through the wedding, instead...and because of the pain, and the rod, and all that shit...I won't be able to dance without enduring excruciating pain." Tony frowned, and gently rubbed his hand over her shin.
"Are you sure?" Kristi looked at him, her lip trembling slightly.
"I thought I was going to pass out just walking across the bedroom without my cane, Tony, there's no way I'll be able to make it through the ceremony without that cane, or a lot of medication..." she said, her voice shaking as she looked back outside.
"But you were dancing the other day..." Kristi shook her head, and ran a hand over her face.
"And it took all my power to not whimper and cringe," she sheepishly admitted, lowering her head.
"Kris..." The tone in his voice told her he wanted to say that she knew better, but rather than continue, he trailed off, and sighed, closing his eyes. "...it'll be fine. You'll do just fine, even if we have to strap you to Gibbs to get you down the aisle, and strap you to me so we can get it over with." The moment the words left his mouth, Tony knew he should have thought about it a little longer. Kristi lifted her head, and looked at him, frowning.
"'Get it over with'?" she asked softly, uncertain.
"Okay, not the way I meant that to sound..." Kristi grimaced, but pulled her leg off his lap, and forced herself to her feet, hobbling over to the bed. Tony jumped up to catch her, knowing the pain she was putting herself in, but she dropped her body onto the bed with a soft whimper.
"There's no other way for 'get it over with' to sound, Tony...just...just leave me alone," she said, tossing her cane, coat, purse, and medication to the floor before yanking the blanket over her body, and rolling away from him.
"Kristi, c'mon..."
"Leave. Me. Alone." The tone of her voice was sharp, but sad, and Tony knew it – without questioning, and without pressing, he walked out of the room, pulling the door closed behind him. As it latched, and she heard him move down the hallway, she buried her face in the pillow, and began to cry.
Page Break
Three Days...
As the sun broke over the horizon, and pierced through the curtains on the side of the room, Kristi grimaced, and squeezed her eyes closed, rubbing her hand over her sleepy face. Carefully, she rolled away from the window, and sighed, opening her eyes to see the rest of the bed empty. Frowning, she pushed herself up, looking around the room. Despite her blurry eyes, she could see no sign of Tony having come back into the room the night before except for the open closet door across the room. With a soft sigh, Kristi put her feet onto the floor, and stood, shuffling slowly towards the bathroom. She stopped short at the door, and looked down at her legs, before turning her head to look back into the bedroom. While there had been no pain in her leg when she climbed off the bed, it was beginning to tingle, and she knew she would need her cane before she got out of the room. It was no longer on the floor where she had tossed it – instead, now, it was leaning against the dresser, with a note attached to it. Frowning, she reached for it, and lifted the note to see it.
Kris –
I waited until you fell asleep to come back into the bedroom. I know you're angry, and unhappy, and I know it's in part because of the pain, in part because of the medication. I had to go into work today, but tomorrow is the first day of my vacation, so tomorrow I'm not letting you out of my sight. Try and rest today, and I'll grab dinner tonight.
Erm...by the way...sorry about what I said last night. Really didn't mean it.
Love ya.
Tony
She couldn't help herself. A smile formed across her lips as she blushed, and shook her head, setting the note back down, and heading out into the hallway.
Page Break
The night was drawing to a close, and the team sat at their desks, finishing up their reports so they could leave. Tony, however, had already finished his, and was simply sitting at his desk, clicking away at the mouse as he looked over the computer screen. Ziva glanced across the floor, and raised an eyebrow.
"Tony?" He glanced at her, but didn't respond as he looked back at the screen. "...beginning to worry about the wedding?" she asked curiously.
"Not for me...for Kris..." Ziva frowned, and Tony sighed, leaning back in his chair. "The doc said she can't get the rod taken out of her leg until after the wedding, or else we'd have to reschedule everything. And with the rod in her leg, she's in pain, and the doc said she probably won't be able to dance, and she's barely able to walk without her cane." It was clear Ziva felt bad for what he said by the look on her face, and the shake of her head.
"I am sorry, Tony..."
"I'm just...lookin' to see if there's anything she can do for the day, so she can walk down the aisle, and dance at the reception...Hey, boss, here's the report..." he said, thrusting his folder out for Gibbs to grab as he walked by.
"Go home, DiNozzo, and tell Kris to rest her leg until the wedding...and tell her I'll carry her cane down the aisle so she can walk, but she'll have it if it's needed," he replied, not looking over as he sat down at his desk. Tony gave a small smile, and nodded, shutting his system down. Grabbing his jacket and bag, he stood, and glanced over.
"Thanks, boss. See you guys tomorrow night for the rehearsal," he grinned, before heading down the hall, and stepping into the elevator.
Page Break
The door swung open as Tony nudged it all the way with his foot. After a second, he moved through, a bag of take-out in one hand as his other reached out to push the door shut.
"I hope Chinese is good, but if it's not, we're just gonna have to order a pizza," Tony called as he moved to put the food in the kitchen. Before Kristi could get her hand on her cane, Noah jumped off the couch and followed the smell of food into the room behind his dad. Shaking her head and chuckling a little, Kristi used the cane for support, and climbed off the couch to follow them both.
"Chinese is fine, Tony..." She made her way into the kitchen, moving the cane like she always did, but barely using it to support her weight. As she entered the kitchen, Tony turned, and smirked at the smile on her face.
"Something's cheered you up." Blushing, she shrugged, and nodded.
"My leg doesn't hurt right now...today has been a good day," she replied, waiting in the doorway while Noah grabbed silverware out of the drawer.
"Good to hear, Kris...divvy this up in here? Or just park in front of the TV?" Tony asked, hand in the bag. Kristi smirked, and raised an eyebrow, as she turned and made her way back to the living room. "Ah, I believe that our answer is to park in front of the TV."
"Really, dad? I never would have got that," Noah said sarcastically, already ducking out of the kitchen. Tony hissed, making both Noah and Kristi snicker, before he brought the food into the room, and laid it out on the table.
"Dig in."
Page Break
Two Days...
The pews were mostly empty. Tony, McGee, Ducky and Jimmy stood lined up on one side of the alter, clad in their jeans, tennis shoes, and shirts – Ducky in a button-up dress shirt with one of his bow ties, McGee and Jimmy in T-Shirts, and Tony in a turtleneck. Mallory, Abby, and Ziva were lined on the other side of the altar, similar to McGee, Ducky, and Jimmy, dressed in their "comfort clothes" – Mallory in khakis and a T-shirt, Abby in a plaid mini skirt and black top mixed with her spike bracelets, dog collar, and studded belt, and Ziva in jeans and a tank top. At the end of the aisle, looking up at everyone, was Kristi, holding tightly to her cane in her opposite hand, as Gibbs took her other hand on his arm.
"How's your leg, Kris?" he asked, glancing at her.
"...it's definitely there..." she said softly, as they made their way down the aisle.
"Well...at the ceremony, I'm happy to carry your cane for you until we get to the altar," he offered, glancing at her. "I told DiNozzo to tell you, but..."
"He forgets sometimes...I appreciate it, Gibbs...thank you," she said, smiling at him as they reached the end. He smiled at her, and helped her to her place beside Tony, before moving to the pew where he was going to sit for the actual ceremony.
As the group finished the rehearsal, and gathered their things to head off, Kristi hobbled away from Tony, and reached for Gibbs' hand.
"Gibbs? Can I talk to you for a moment?" she asked, moving out of the way as Ziva and Ducky said their goodbyes, and headed off. He shrugged, but smiled a little.
"Sure...what's up?"
Tony chuckled, and patted McGee on the shoulder, nodding his head.
"Alright...thanks for comin' out tonight, you guys," he said, smiling at Mallory and Abby. "We'll see you...well, Probie, I will see you tomorrow night. Mallory, Abby, I will see you two at the wedding," he smiled, grunting but returning the embrace as Abby hugged him.
"Be good, Tony, I don't want to have to boil you alive," Abby said nonchalantly, grinning sweetly before waving to the others and bounding off. Tony shook his head, chuckling, before raising an eyebrow, and pointing over at Kristi and Gibbs, who were talking quietly near the door.
"Any idea what that's all about?" he asked. Mallory turned to look, and smirked, but shook her head.
"Not a clue. See you later, Tony," she said, taking McGee's hand and pulling him off before Tony could question her.
Kristi smiled, and nodded her head.
"Thank you so much, Gibbs...I'll see you at the wedding," she said, leaning over and kissing his cheek. He patted her arm lightly.
"Get some rest, Kristi," he replied with a half smile, before turning and heading out, too. Tony stepped up, and put his hand on her back.
"Kris?" She turned her head, and smiled sweetly.
"Hey...where's Noah?"
"I'm right here, ma," Noah said, moving down the hall from the bathroom. "Can we grab dinner on the way home?" he asked, hopefully. Kristi glanced up at Tony with a raised brow.
"Can we, Tony? Please?" she asked, trying not to giggle. With a chuckle, Tony nodded, and motioned for them to head out first.
"Only if we can go get in the car."
Page Break
One Day...
Kristi stood at the closet, looking in at the parted clothes, and her dress hanging in the middle, covered in plastic. Beneath it, she had placed her shoes, and on a second hanger beside the dress, was her veil. She blinked a few times, before turning off the light, and closing the door.
"Tony?" He stepped into the room, and tossed his duffel onto the bed before looking over at her.
"Yeah?"
"You sure you wanna go to McGee's? I mean...I can go over there, and McGee can come over here..." Tony moved over, and hooked his arms around Kristi, pulling her into a hug.
"Stop worrying about it. You stay here, and Mallory will be over any time. You two relax, Noah and I are going to stay at McGee's tonight, and we'll see you tomorrow. Just rest." Kristi sighed, and rested her head on his shoulder.
"...do you have everything? Your shoes, your tux, your spare clothes, your..."
"Kris. Stop. I have everything I'm going to need for tomorrow, and all the stuff I need for the honeymoon is already in the car," he answered, kissing the top of her head. With a sigh, she nodded, and let go of Tony.
"Okay...okay...you should go, or I'm going to keep pestering you," she said softly, hobbling a couple of steps and sitting on the bed. He closed his eyes for a second, before sitting down beside her, and putting an arm around her shoulders.
"Just relax, Kris. Tomorrow is going to be fine, everything will work out just fine," he said, looking at her. With a soft chuckle, she nodded, and leaned against him.
"I know. Look...go on, have a good time tonight..." she said, kissing his cheek. He smiled, and gave her a secure but gentle hug.
"You too..." After a second, he stood up, finished tossing a few of his things in the duffel bag, and headed out of the bedroom.
"Noah! You ready?" he called, glancing around. Noah poked his head into the bedroom.
"Love you, mom." She blushed, and smiled, waving at him.
"Love you too, baby...be good." He rolled his eyes, but chuckled, and waved, following Tony out of the apartment. She sighed, waiting until she heard the door close, before flopping back on the bed, and closing her eyes.
Page Break
Five Hours and Counting...
Nudging the fridge closed, Mallory sighed, and moved into the living room, holding a water bottle out to Kristi.
"Drink. Relax a little. I know you're nervous, Kris, but it'll be alright. Everything is going to be fine," she said, dropping into the chair a few feet away from her best friend. Kristi sighed, and twisted the lid off the bottle, taking a rather large drink, before putting the closed bottle onto the table.
"I know, Mal...I know...everything will go just fine, I just...you know that feeling you get, when you think something is going to happen? Yeah...I got that now," she said, shaking her head and putting her hands over her face. Mallory frowned as she put her bottle down, before reaching out for Kristi's hand.
"Even if I have to snag Tony's weapon out of the lock box in the closet for you, things are going to go off this weekend without a hitch," Mal said, smirking as Kristi laughed.
"Thanks, Mal," she said, turning her head to look at her best friend. "...we should get the car packed up so we can get to the church and get ready, shouldn't we?" she asked, smiling a little as she put her cane tip on the ground, and pushed herself up. Mallory, with a smile, stood, and nodded.
"You bring things out of the bedroom, I'll take things down to the car – the less you walk, the better," Mallory ordered, smirking a bit before pulling her shoes on.
Kristi lowered herself onto the arm of the couch, very carefully pulling her shoes on as she waited for Mallory to come up from taking the last piece outside. As Kristi tied the last knot on her left shoe, and lowered her foot to the floor, she heard a knock at the door, and chuckled a little.
"Mal, the door isn't locked," she said, but stood up and opened the door anyway. The color drained from her face rather rapidly as she found herself looking out at a woman who looked similar to Kristi, only older, and with red hair. "...mom?" she asked, her voice faulty and shaken. The woman smiled, and removed her oversized, leopard print sunglasses from her face as she raised an eyebrow.
"Hello, darling...it is wonderful to see you!" she announced, stepping into the apartment, and stopping with the spike of her heel on Kristi's foot. She whimpered, and shook her head.
"Mom, you're on my foot," she said, yanking her leg back and grimacing at the pain that shot through her thigh at the sudden movement. Her mother turned, and looked down.
"Oh, apologies, darling. These shoes, I can't feel a thing. So, I heard you were getting married today – I would have RSVP'd to the ceremony, but my invitation must have gotten lost in the mail." Kristi sat back on the arm of the sofa, rubbing at her thigh as her mother began to move around the room, looking at the pictures on the walls. Unable to answer, in part from the pain, and in part from pure surprise, Kristi looked at her mother's wardrobe, and shook her head, looking away. Her mother matched every article she wore to her sunglasses – she had a leopard print skirt and blouse, a matching wrap, and matching two inch heels. Shaking her head once more, Kristi turned to see Mallory appear in the doorway, and formed a pleading look in her eyes.
"...M...Mallory? Are we ready to go?" she asked, not acknowledging her mother's comment about the RSVP. Her mother turned, and raised a brow, but smiled, and stepped over.
"Yeah, we're read-...who's this?" Before Kristi could answer, her mother extended her hand, and smiled.
"Catherine Reis, Kristine's mother." That didn't get by Kristi without a dirty look, and she stood, shaking her head.
"Don't do that. You haven't been 'Reis' since you left this family. You have no right, no stance, and no grounds to use that last name..." she said quickly, picking her cane up from the wall near the door. Catherine looked over, surprised.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me. We have to go – and you aren't allowed to stay here. Out," she said, pointing to the door. Catherine shrugged, and nodded, stepping outside of the apartment and pushing her sunglasses back onto her nose.
"That's fine, dear. I'll just follow you to the church. I do hope that you and Tommy are going to buy a real house, so you can have a real family...I mean, if you still can, I know you're getting up there in your years," her mother said, smiling innocently as she moved down the steps and out of the building. Kristi's face turned a bright red, and she bit down hard upon her bottom lip.
"Mallory...can you help me downstairs? If I go alone, I will follow her and beat her to death," she snarled, reaching for her best friend's arm.
"We'll have to be each others' support for this one, Kris...I just have one question..." she said, as they started down the stairs. "...who's Tommy?"
Page Break
Mallory pulled the car around behind the church, and parked it, looking at Kristi as they glanced through the back window. Catherine's Lexus pulled into a parking spot across the lot and down a few, and Kristi sighed, closing her eyes.
"...when we get inside...you go find Gibbs, please," she begged softly, shaking her head as she climbed out of the car, and grabbed for her cane.
The girls headed into the church, Catherine following them both with her sunglasses in her hands.
"...I didn't say that you were invited to the wedding, Mother," Kristi said, not turning to look at the woman behind her. Abby and Ziva looked over from their place in the dressing room, and raised a brow as they looked at each other.
"Kristine, darling, don't be silly. I'm the mother of the bride, of course I'm invited."
"You are mother only by blood, I never said you were in-"
"Stop talking nonsense, dear..." she said, shaking her head as she hung up her purse and wrap. Kristi closed her eyes, and took in two deep breaths, before reopening them, and looking over at Abby and Ziva, simply shaking her head.
"If you call me dear one more time, I'm going to throw you out the window," Kristi murmured, limping across the room to look into the mirror.
"...oh, honey, what happened to your leg? You can't possibly walk down the aisle with a limp and a cane..." Kristi felt her blood boiling as the door opened behind Catherine, and Mallory poked her head in.
"He'll be here in a minute," she said, closing the door and raising a brow at the fuming look on Kristi's face.
"Thank you, Catherine, for pointing out something that has me incredibly self conscious..."
"Well, there's nothing to be self-conscious about, dear, all regular people have proble-"
"Regular people? What, because you wear clothes that you think make you better than us, you think we're regular people? I don't know if you noticed the badge on Ziva's waist, Catherine, but she is an armed Federal Agent. Abby is a brilliant Forensic Scientist. Mallory is a magnificent photographer. And I'm a mother, and about to become a wife, to a wonderful man, and fellow Federal Agent. We are not regular people, Catherine, but we are better than you, and that isn't ever going to change." Catherine frowned, and planted her hands on her hips.
"Don't talk to me like that, Kristine, I'm your mother..."
"You're a whore, and you'll always be a whore!" Kristi snarled, shaking her head.
"Young lady! Watch your tongue! I am the mother of the bride, you will not ruin this day for me!" The girls in the room widened their eyes enough that, if it were possible, they would have rolled right out of their skulls.
"Your day? Who do you think you are?" Kristi exclaimed, stopping to catch her breath. A knock sounded at the door, stopping her from continuing, as she turned her head. "Who is it?"
"Gibbs..." A small look of relief washed over Kristi's face as she quickly stepped to the door, and yanked it open.
"I don't want you here, Catherine, and I never wanted you here," she commented over her shoulder, stepping back for Gibbs to enter the room.
"Don't be silly. Every daughter needs their mother at their wedding..." Gibbs looked at Kristi, then at Catherine, and then back at Kristi, seeing the look of anger and despair on her face.
"She doesn't need you, Catherine," he answered before Kristi could.
"Excuse me? I don't even know you," she retorted, frowning.
"But I know you. Catherine Lomax, formerly Catherine Reis, formerly Catherine Sylar by your maiden name...I know more about you than you could possibly imagine," he remarked, narrowing his eyes as he leveled her with his serious and determined blue eyes. Catherine swallowed, hard, as she looked at Gibbs, then at Kristi, and then back at Gibbs. "Get out, don't ever come back."
"...I didn't even want to come to this stupid thing anyways. But you sent the invitation, and I felt rude not accep-" Before Kristi could open her mouth to reply, Gibbs' rough but low voice filled their ears.
"She never sent you an invitation, Catherine. And you've got ten seconds to get your things, and leave," Gibbs said, lifting his arm to watch the time click off. She hesitated, but when she saw the badge clipped to his jacket, and the beyond serious look on his face, she grabbed her things off the hook by the door, and stormed out, grumbling and swearing beneath her breath as she went. Kristi watched the door close, and exhaled, closing her eyes.
"Gibbs, I owe you a million thank you's, and a million more cups of coffee," she said, moving over and hugging him gently.
"Don't mention it, Kris...you concentrate on this day...it is yours, after all," he smirked, gently patting her cheek as he turned, and headed out of the room, sipping his coffee.
Page Break
Reception
Music played over the crowd. Abby, Ziva, and Mallory sat at the table with McGee, Jimmy, and Ducky, sipping drinks, laughing, and talking. Kristi sat at the front table with Tony, her hand in his beneath the cloth, as she looked around the room, and chuckled a little at the sight of Gibbs, standing at the refreshment table, waiting for the bartender to pour his small glass of bourbon, while Noah stood beside him, talking, and sipping out a similarly sized glass of soda.
"And think, Tony...he's not even working on his boat," Kristi pointed out, giggling a little. Tony snorted, and leaned over, planting a light kiss on her cheek.
"Hard to fit one in here, considering there is no basement...or is there? I didn't think to ask when we rented the place. Not really a priority for the wedding," he said, shrugging, and making her laugh a little more. "How's your leg?" he asked, gently patting her good thigh.
"It's there," she replied, shaking her head. Before Tony could reply, the music quieted, and the DJ put the microphone to his lips.
"Alright, everyone! Let's get the happy newlyweds onto the dance floor for their first dance as husband and wife," he announced, smiling. The party applauded as Kristi's face burned a bright red, and she looked at Tony.
"Time to dance..." Gently, Tony stood up, and helped her from her chair, leading her down to the dance floor. As the music began to play, Tony carefully hooked his arm around her waist, and pulled her close to him, slipping his other hand into hers.
"I am praying my leg holds out," Kristi murmured, biting her lip as they swayed.
"If it doesn't, I've got you," he answered, brushing a light kiss against her cheek.
"Life is like a gift, they say, wrapped up for you every day. Open up and find a way to give some of your own. Isn't it remarkable, like every time a raindrop falls? It's just another ordinary miracle today..."
Kristi's cheek flushed a bright pink as the song played out, and faded away, leaving the two of them in the middle of the floor, still holding onto each other. Their feet stopped moving, and he placed a light but sweet kiss on her lips.
"Love you, Mrs. DiNozzo."
"...I love you too, Mr. DiNozzo."
Tony took her hand, and began to lead her off the floor, but before they got far, Gibbs moved up, empty-handed, and reached for Kristi.
"It's our turn, Kristi," he said, smiling sweetly at her. Tony frowned, somewhat surprised, as Kristi returned the smile and let go of Tony, taking Gibbs' hand.
"That it is..." she answered, heading back onto the dance floor with him. As Gibbs slid one arm around Kristi, and lifted her hand with his other hand, the music began, and before too long, Frank Sinatra's voice filtered through the speakers.
"...What good would it do? For tears would fill my eyes. My heart would realize that our romance is through..." Tony took his place at their table, and watched Kristi and Gibbs move about the floor. Not once during their dance did she flinch, grimace, or wince in pain. Instead, there was a smile on her face that Tony hadn't seen since her father was alive, and it made him smile.
Page Break
Honeymoon
The door closed behind Tony as he put their bags on the floor just inside the room. Kristi stepped out of the bathroom, and crossed to the closet, hanging her dress inside, and covering it once more with the plastic that had been on it that morning. He looked up as she carefully crossed back to the bed, and took a seat on the end of it, looking up at him.
"Mr. and Mrs. Anthony DiNozzo, Jr.," she spoke, letting her lips curl into a smile. Chuckling a little, Tony nodded, and sat beside her, slipping his arm around her waist.
"Mr. and Mrs. Anthony DiNozzo, Jr.," he repeated, kissing her temple. "I know...it's about damn time."
"I didn't want to say it, it was such a beautiful day," Kristi said, but nodded, and giggled, hugging him tightly. "I l-"
"Hey, Kris?" he asked, looking down as he returned the embrace.
"Hm?"
"...when did you and Gibbs decide to dance the second dance?" Tony asked curiously. She chuckled, and shook her head.
"Hm...I talked to him about it after I talked to him about walking me down the aisle...and we finished setting it all up the other day at the rehearsal," Kristi admitted, releasing Tony from her grasp, and carefully standing, moving across the room to the bar for a drink.
"What song was it?" She hesitated, and glanced at him.
"'I'll Never Smile Again'," she answered simply. When Tony raised a brow, and silently prodded her to explain, she sighed, and turned around. "When I was little...dad used to help me plan my wedding. Everything changed as I grew up – the dress, the style, the colors, the location...the 'first dance' song...everything except one thing. We always agreed that we would dance the second dance together...and I'll Never Smile Again was our favorite song, so I promised him over everything that we would dance to that song at my wedding. It...it didn't feel right not dancing to that song. Gibbs...Gibbs understood, and agreed before I had to fully explain myself," she said, her voice soft. Tony frowned, and stood, hooking his arms around her lovingly.
"Kris..." Tony began softly, kissing the top of her head.
"I know...The past two years, I hated my father...and I didn't want anything to do with him...but..." She closed her eyes, and pursed her lips, sniffling softly. "He was...an amazing, dedicated Marine...and he was a wonderful father...yes, he made mistakes once he retired, but..." Tony cleared his throat a little, sighing softly, as she spoke, and she lifted her head a little, and opened her now wet and red eyes to see him. "but, Tony...he was my daddy...and I would never live with myself if I broke my promise." Her voice was shaky, and Tony closed his eyes, holding her close.
"I wasn't going to ask, Kris. Come on...it's been a long day for everyone, but especially you. So...how about we take a bath, and go to bed?" he asked, moving a little to push her hair behind her ears. A small smile formed on her lips as she looked up at him, and nodded.
"That sounds really nice, Tony." Tony returned the smile, and turned, helping her towards the bathroom.
"...I love you, Kristi."
"I love you, too, Tony."