Author's note:

Hello, guys! Thanks to all those who stopped by to read the last chapter.

Thanks to all Guest reviewers, you are amazing. I truly appreciate every word.

This chapter focuses on the wedding itself, so it's mostly Jimmy and Breena focused, but I hope you won't mind it since I threw some TIVA into that.

As for the wedding vows – I gave a lot of thought as to what to choose that those two should say to each other. But since we haven't gotten see too much them as a couple on the show, it's quite hard. So, I decided to honour one of my first ships ever and one of the most adorable couples ever on TV – Niles and Daphne from sitcom Frasier. Those two mean a lot to me, they are the perfect example of pure, chaste love and I love them immensely. One of those OTPs that actually got together and had their happy ending, even though they initially weren't supposed to end up as a couple. Twice the bonus when you consider that David Hyde Pierce who played Niles is gay in real life, and yet, you wouldn't tell that while watching him courting Daphne and later being in a relationship with her. They are perfect together, adorable and you cannot but love them. I thank to writers of this amazing show that give me laughs all the time since early 1990s and the amazing cast that was one of the strongest I've ever seen. Even now, more than 10 years after the show ended, the whole cast love each other like a true family. Rarely seen these days.

Thanks belong to my Beta Laitie for such a quick and generous edit, just as her amazing mother Debbie, and my surrogate sister Athena, for keeping me sane through the hard days. :)

Enjoy the wedding, readers!

Disclaimer:

I do not own NCIS or the characters, nor do I own Frasier.

Towel – Chapter 25

Ziva stood back in the hallway, kneeling on the floor as she tried to properly adjust the dress of the little 6-year old flower girl. She was one of Breena's cousin's twin daughter. A blond, sweet girl named Emma, she was supposed to walk with Ziva and play her important role in throwing the flowers all over the garden to announce the bride's arrival. Her sister Veronica was then to be led by their mother, having the same part in the wedding ceremony.

The flower petals consisted of roses, lilies and jasmines, mixed together with rice. Both girls had small adorable white baskets, which they held with sacred pride. It was obvious that, despite their age, they were proud of themselves to have such an important role at their mother's cousin's a wedding. They loved Breena with all their hearts and she always spoke about them with a smile on her face.

And Ziva didn't have any trouble understanding why. Emma was a real sweetie, showing her such love; as if she were her own blood. That girl wasn't shy, either. She kept asking various questions, allowing her natural, childish curiousness to show. Even though her mother had tried to curb her, reprimanding her for bothering people with her questions, Ziva had assured her that she didn't mind them at all.

Now, the cutie stood attentively in her floor-length white, chiffon dress. It had ribbon straps, and a black sash around her waist that continued downward, clasped with a white rose. She let Ziva adjust the dress so she would look like a proper flower girl, showing the right stance of a little lady. Ziva had to admit that it was adorable as hell, and the cuteness of it was making her think about her own kids. If she had ever had one, of course.

Emma was shooting question after question at Ziva, bringing up a wide range of topics. At first, she was interested in the wedding and the reason why it was happening and all. Then she started to be curious about Ziva's job and what it was like to be an agent. Ziva had a great patience with the girl and answered on each of the questions. Sometimes hesitantly, but still accurately enough to satisfy Emma's curiousness.

When Breena stepped out of the room into the hallway, she had to bend down to hug Emma and her sister. Straightening, she smiled at them and returned everyone else's hugs. But she couldn't hide her nervousness and shaking hands. She was sure that everything was perfect, but she kept thinking about whether everything was really done as it should be.

She had the most perfect dress in the world, she was about to get married with the most amazing man on this planet and in front of the most wonderful people she knew. Everything seemed so perfect. People around her had taken care of everything to make this day flawless. Even the old saying "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" was fulfilled.

She had her mother's veil she had worn for her wedding with Breena's father. Something old. Something new was a silver pendant that had been given to her by her maid of honour and best friend in one person. Ziva had lent her Israeli pearl earrings and Abby had bought her a blue garter.

She didn't have any reason to be worried, but the butterflies in her stomach wouldn't leave her alone. Everyone was wishing her good luck, including Ziva who went to hug her, too, whispering a few reassuring words into her hear. She appreciated all the help and love from all sides so much, that she was on the verge of tears. Her maid of honour didn't let her to cry, however, wiping away those tears before they could fall.

The usher came in and told them that it was the time to begin. With the final good-luck wishes being sent toward Breena, Ziva took Emma by the hand and, when the orchestra began to play the soft music, she led the flower girl through the French doors straight into the garden.

Emma threw the petals all over, tightly holding on to Ziva's right hand as the sister in front of her did the same. The wedding guests were looking at them with smiles on their faces, following their trail to the gazebo where Jimmy stood anxiously. Abby was with him, of course, to give him the needed support. Just in case, all of the groomsmen sat in the first row of the groom's side.

The marriage officiant observed the whole scene with a smile, as well, watching as Ziva, the girls and their mother arrived in front of the gazebo. They assumed a position on the bride's side, just below the gazebo stairs, to throw the rest of the petals and flowers once the ceremony was over. Ziva wasn't at all against it, even though she should stand on Jimmy's side as his guest. But at least she could look at Tony for the whole ceremony.

She couldn't take her eyes off him, and once their eyes locked, she was lost. Even though he was sitting quite a few metres from her, she could see all the love he was trying to express through his gaze. They stopped perceiving the world around themselves. Luckily for them, no one was noticing their reverie, because everyone was watching the maid of honour with the ring bearer coming down the aisle. The ring bearer happened to be the maid of honour's 5-year-old son.

They made it to gazebo, climbing up the stairs and joined the main party with the groom, his best man and the officiant. Emma tugged at Ziva's hand, trying to gain her attention, but Ziva was purely focused on Tony. She didn't know she could be so captivated with just looking at him, but she didn't care. She just knew that she wanted to see the face every day. Wake up next to it, kiss it, caress it, whatever else.

They both forced themselves to break eye contact, however, when Richard Wagner's 'Bridal Chorus',-or, 'Here Comes The Bride', as it is generally known-started to play. Breena emerged into the garden as her father led her towards the gazebo, taking their steps in the rhythm with the music.

Ziva heard as Jimmy gasped, struggling to breathe. But she hoped that Abby was able to calm him. She had her own problems at the moment. She tried to fight back tears. She hadn't known Breena for far too long. But, over the last few weeks, they had become great friends. And she didn't wish Jimmy anything else but happiness. That man truly deserved it.

When Breena passed by Ziva and Emma, taking those few steps up to the gazebo, Ziva's eyes turned back to Tony. He was watching her, as well. As if he were reading her mind and knew that she would want to look at him. It was just the mutual need of comfort they both suddenly felt. And they knew that they would find it in the eyes of the other. She sent him a small, assuring smile, which he returned with delight.

Finally, they turned their attention to the events inside the gazebo, where Breena's father was finishing the handover of his daughter to the man she was about to marry. He patted Jimmy's shoulder and left, taking the seat next to his wife. Breena turned to Jimmy, giving out a deep sigh in happiness, as she couldn't believe that this day had finally come.

The officiant smiled at them, and, after receiving a nod from both, started his speech. "Dear family and friends, we are gathered here today to celebrate one of life's greatest moments. To give recognition to the worth and beauty of love, and to add our best wishes to the words which shall unite Breena Slater and James Palmer together in a marriage." Breena and Jimmy stared into each other faces with smiles. Everyone in the garden fell silent, listening to his words and enjoying the happiness they felt for the couple.

"Breena and James, life is given to each of us as individuals, and yet we must learn to live together." The officiant continued, turning his attention to the bride and the groom, respectively. They both looked at him and listened attentively. "Love is given to us by our family or by our friends. We learn to love by being loved. Learning to love and living together is one of the greatest challenges of life – and is the shared goal of a married couple." The officiant uttered with seriousness, addressing those words to every person who was there.

Gibbs couldn't do anything but cringe at the speech. Sure, it was all true, but the man who had been married fourth times knew better. It wasn't only about married life, but about life in general. Too bad people would often fail, including him. He tried to ignore the longing gaze Tony was sending in Ziva's direction, but he noticed that she was looking at him, too. And that made him happy for some reason. They were so obviously in love and he was actually proud of that.

When the officiant was sure that the message was delivered, he waved his hand in the air and invited the bride and the groom to hold hands and exchange their personally-made vows.

Breena grabbed Jimmy's hands, sensing, as he gripped them tightly, that he had been longing to hold on to something familiar. He was nervous just as she was, but once their hands touched, they both felt great relief. It was all about them. What they were about to say wasn't something they hadn't said before. It should be easy. The nervousness was caused more by the fact that they had to say all those things in front of other people.

"I, Breena Slater, do take thee, James Palmer, as my husband." She started as she looked deeply into his eyes, her voice shaking. But with each word, her voice was gaining the confidence and certainty. "I promise you my fidelity and my support, my laughter and my tears, my constant friendship and my unending love as long as we both shall live." She continued, making short pauses to gulp and wetting her lips with her tongue.

Jimmy squeezed her hands to thank her, his eyes shining with unshed tears. He'd heard that weddings were emotional, but he would never had guessed they were this emotional. He felt like passing out. But to marry the woman of his dreams was too amazing to destroy it with his clumsiness. He felt Abby behind his back and saw the smile on Breena's face, and that gave him the courage he needed to start with his vow.

"I, James Palmer, do take thee, Breena Slater, as my wife. I vow to you my fidelity and my support, my honour and my respect, my honesty and my protection. You are my comfort, my joy, and my one true love." He said shakily, falling silent when Breena couldn't hold it back any longer and gasped as she let the tears fall, moved by his words. "I will cherish you every day of my life and treasure the journey that has brought us to this most wonderful and perfect place." He finished with difficulties, his vision blurring as the tears found their way out of the corners of his eyes.

Breena returned him the squeeze and sniffed. In the meantime, both Ziva and Abby were tearful, too. Ziva's gaze often turned to Tony's to find the comfort she desired. He always gave it to her with his dazzling DiNozzo smile she loved so much. If she didn't know him well enough, she would have sworn that she had seen the gleam in his eyes that suggested that he would love to be on Breena's and Jimmy's place.

But she didn't have much time to give it a deeper thought, because the officiant was moving to the next part of the wedding ceremony – the ring exchange. "The wedding ring is the outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual bond which unites two loyal hearts together in endless love. It is a seal of the vows James and Breena have made to one another. May she and he, who give them, and who wear the rings, live together in unity, love and happiness for the rest of their lives." The officiant blessed the rings.

The maid of honour took her son by his hand and nudged him to fulfil his role in the ceremony. The boy turned to the couple and lifted up his hands in which he held a pillow with two wedding rings. Since Breena was the first one to make the vow, she took Jimmy's ring with shaking hands, sending a smile to the ring bearer and turning back to Jimmy who extended his hand obediently.

"I give you this ring as a symbol of our vows, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honour you. With this ring, I thee wed." She said, her voice quivering with emotions as she tried to hold back the tears of happiness. But it was useless. She put the ring on Jimmy's finger and looked at him expectantly.

Jimmy also smiled at the ring bearer, who seemed to be even more nervous than he was. He took the beautiful golden band Abby had helped him to choose for his wife-to-be and lifted Breena's hand, focusing solely on her ring finger. "I give you this ring as a symbol of our vows, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honour you. With this ring, I thee wed." He repeated after Breena, feeling a bit more confident than before. The ring fit her perfectly, and she smiled at him widely as the tears fell down her cheeks.

The officiant nodded and finalized the last steps of the marriage. "In as much as you, Breena and James, have consented before these witnesses to join together in marriage, and endeavour to love, honour and respect one another, and by the power invested in me by the state of Virginia, I now pronounce you husband and wife." He continued speaking in his ceremonial way, gesturing when he addressed the couple as a married one.

"You may kiss the bride." He told Jimmy, knowing that, after signing a protocol from the bride and the groom, as well as their witnesses, his job here was done.

Jimmy didn't hesitate to take Breena into his arms and kiss her chastely on her lips to express his joy. The music started to play to celebrate the newlyweds as everyone started clapping, as well. Ziva finally allowed to herself to wipe away the tears, catching Abby doing the same in the corner of her eye. Her eyes, however, searched for Tony who stood up and, after the applause, joined the others to congratulate to the new husband and wife.

Jimmy pulled away and looked into the radiating face of his beautiful woman, whispering how much he loved her while trying to get rid of the wetness on her face. She returned the confession, kissing him on the cheek, unable to stop smiling. Then, they both turned to the wedding guests and started to accept the congratulations from their families and friends, including their kids.

Ziva waited for Tony to get into the line, standing next to him, trying to hide the secretive smile. It was that kind of smile that signed that she knew something and the others didn't. Her hand 'accidentally' brushed against Tony's, and he returned it while trying to look completely normal as always. They played with their fingers like that, hopefully unnoticed by other people.

When Tony finally got to Jimmy, he took him by his shoulders and pulled him into a giant hug. "You made me very proud, autopsy gremlin. Congratulations, and good luck in the future." He wished him, meaning it in the most sincere way he was capable of. Jimmy nodded in thanks, unable to say a word since he had said the words 'thank you' at least a thousand times today.

Ziva, who went right after Tony, hugged Jimmy too, noticing Breena's smirk as she had seen them standing next to each other. She shot her a short, warning glare, but that wasn't able to stop the newlywed from teasing them. Tony didn't notice anything and hugged Breena, too, feeling sincerely happy for the couple. Maybe he was a bit sceptical about this relationship at the beginning, unable to comprehend how the nerdy pathologist had managed to pick up such a gorgeous chick. But that didn't matter anymore. They were made for each other.

"Congratulations to you both, of course, Mrs. Gremlin." He wished her as he pulled back, failing to understand the real meaning behind her grin.

She nudged his shoulder teasingly, winking at Ziva. "Thank you, Tony. Actually, likewise. Congratulations." She said knowingly as Tony furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

Ziva didn't let him to question it as she embraced Breena to congratulate her. "I will kill you." She whispered into her ear. But on the outside, she looked like a happy bridesmaid. Breena only chuckled, knowing that Ziva didn't mean her threat.

Ziva grabbed Tony's hand and dragged him out of the gazebo into the garden, so the rest of the wedding guests could express their wishes to the newlyweds. She didn't even notice that she had intertwined their fingers, so that it looked more as if they were a couple. They joined the groom's side, since Emma was under the direct supervision of her mother from now on, and Ziva didn't have to look after her anymore.

Once the congratulating session ended, Breena and Jimmy stepped down from the gazebo, and the girls threw the rest of the flowers and rice over them. Abby and the maid of honour followed, with the officiant behind them. They went back to the hotel together to sign the marriage protocol and make the life event official. The orchestra was playing Mendelssohn's 'Wedding March' and the guests applauded the couple once again.

After the couple disappeared, the guests started to disperse and the ushers began to prepare the garden for the after party. Tony and Ziva joined Gibbs, Dr. Ryan, McGee and Ducky, commenting on the ceremony. They were both aware of the investigating look their boss was giving them, so they tried very hard not to give away their secret. Though it was really hard. The ceremony was quite emotional and since it was a celebration of love, they wanted to fall into the arms of each other and never let the other one go.

After everything was prepared and the waiters had placed everything on the tables, the usher went out of the hotel and gained the attention of the guests in the garden. "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Mr. and Mrs. Palmer!" He announced, opening the doors for them.

The couple entered hand in hand, accepting the glasses of champagne from the waiter as the other guests got their glasses, as well. "To the newlyweds!" The usher shouted and raised the glass. The guests repeated it after him and drank together with the couple on their happiness.

The usher left and the party started. Breena squeezed Jimmy's hand and smiled at everyone in the garden. "Thank you all so much. I guess we will take some photos now. And then, all you single ladies, don't run out on me! We have to find out whose wedding we will be going to next." She said, waving with her bridal bouquet to stress what was about to come. The tradition dictated that she had to throw the bouquet into the group of the women who weren't married yet.

Everyone cheered, and only Ziva seemed a little bit hesitant. Tony noticed her discomfort but he didn't have a chance to talk about it with her, because the photographing craziness had begun. They participated a lot in the group photos and all, so he had to wait until they would be alone for a little while. That chance came when the couple went to take photos all over the garden and the beach, so they would have a full album of wedding photos.

Ziva distanced herself from the others, standing alone in a corner with a glass of wine in her hand. It wasn't that she didn't want be a social person, but she had no desire to even be near Tony with Gibbs' X-ray gaze and Abby watching her every step. Let alone even trying to finish the conversation from before. She needed to be with her thoughts for a little while, to digest all those emotions and gain some of the self-control back. With each look at Tony, she was losing it.

"Will you go to it?" Tony's voice pulled her out of her thoughts as he stood next to her, but in a reasonable distance, so no one would think they were standing too close to each other.

"No, I won't." She answered firmly.

It didn't have anything to do with an aversion to the wedding customs or anything. She just couldn't stop thinking about the gleam in Tony's eyes and her own desire to settle down. But it was a bit too soon to think about a marriage with Tony. Not that she was sure that she would be the one to catch the bouquet, but the possibility was high. And she didn't want to influence their relationship with some wedding superstition. It would probably only bring uncertainty into their relationship, nothing else.

"You should." Tony advised her immediately, sipping his own wine as he watched Jimmy and Breena taking photos in the distance.

She raised a questioning eyebrow on him, wondering what was behind his desire to make her go and try to catch the bouquet. "Officially, you are still a single woman. If you don't go there, it might raise questions. So, if no one is supposed to know about us..." He clarified, trailing off in the end to let her to think through what might happen if she didn't participate in the usual wedding customs. Especially if she had participated in the previous ones without objections.

"I'm not so sure that we are a secret anymore." She told him, scratching her head and looking around to be sure that no one could hear them.

He snapped his head in her direction in surprise. "You told someone?" He asked her unbelievingly. McGee had tried to get something out of him, but Jimmy's nervousness had kept them occupied enough. He had kept his mouth shut, just as they had agreed.

She sighed, taking a sip from her glass, avoiding Abby's gaze as she tried to make an eye contact with her. "Didn't have to. I don't know how, but Abby knows." She broke the news to him, even though he didn't seem surprised. Considering McGee's questions, even he had the feeling that their two friends knew something more than they were supposed to. Moreover, it would explain the conversation of his girlfriend and the Goth in the hallway he had interrupted. "So does Breena." She continued, focusing her eyes on the bride suspiciously. She had a pretty good reason to suspect that Breena might try to throw the bouquet right into her hands, just to tease her more.

"How?" Tony asked, now really surprised. He would have never guessed that the autopsy gremlin's wife might know anything about them.

"Because she planned it from the very beginning. Didn't you wonder why we got the rooms we're in? Her doing." She informed him, still taken aback by the actions of her friend.

He chuckled in response, putting two and two together and figuring out that Breena had made Ziva buy the amazing cyan blue dress for him. "That's why she congratulated me? I guess I should thank her, then." He said amused. Jimmy had married a little minx, that was for sure.

Ziva's face suddenly broke into a wide smile she didn't try to hide in any way. "I already did." She told him, sending him a smile as she put the glass of wine into his hands and started her way back to the gazebo. The throwing of the bridal bouquet was about to start.

A few minutes later, Ziva stood helplessly in front of the gazebo with the bridal bouquet in her hands. She tentatively accepted all the congratulations from other single women who hadn't had the luck to catch it. Not that she had caught it. For some reason, the events of the last few minutes were a blur. She didn't remember much. She only knew that she tried to be as inconspicuous as she could and the bouquet landed in her hands by accident.

She heard Breena's squeal in happiness but she didn't have any strength to react. She was confused and dumbfounded, not really knowing how to feel about the whole thing. She had been thinking hypothetically about catching the bouquet and dealing with the superstition that she would be the one to marry next. Now, she had to face it all of a sudden, because everyone would expect it from her.

Her eyes found Tony, but it didn't bring the usual comfort as always. He had an unreadable expression on his face, not givingg her any indication as to what he was thinking. That made her feel uneasy, since Tony was usually a well of emotions. Now, she couldn't tell what he was thinking. She just hoped that she hadn't just doomed the future of their relationship. She didn't want it to end before it had even begun.

The End of Chapter 25

Hm, another cliffhanger? Did anyone expect it? Am I so predictable or not? *evil laugh* Don't worry, it will all end up good. :)

Well, I hope you liked it guys, if so, it makes me happy like nothing else. I already finished writing this story, so two more chapters are ahead of us – the last one and an epilogue. ;) But don't worry, I've started writing Christmas story, so it won't be too long and you will hear from me soon. :)

Enjoy the beautiful autumn and have a nice October!