The boys went out Wednesday night. Tim wanted a low-key affair, no heavy drinking, shots, or naked woman. But they did do Karaoke. Only Gibbs did not participate, but he did cheer the others on.
"There is not enough alcohol in the world to get me up on that platform and sings words from a rolling screen." He stated.
Tony, Jimmy, Kyle and Ducky more than made up for the missing singer. Even Tim got up the courage to sing a song, which was actually kind of raunchy and even Tony admitted he did a good job at it. Luca enjoyed everyone's singing, but was in Gibbs' camp as far as getting up on the stage.
They got Tim to agree to one round of shots. "To Tim and Abby!" The group toasted. As one, they all downed their shots.
Chapter Twenty-Six: "Celebration"
The girls were at Gibbs' and Mimi's. Ziva couldn't drink, so she was Abby's ride home in case she should get schnockered. Unless of'course the boys got back before their party was over. Breena didn't drink either since she was still breastfeeding Jamie.
Abby made Jell-O shots and Margarita's. She made a virgin one for Ziva and Breena, which turned out pretty good. Karina had juice and clapped and sang along in her baby voice when someone else broke out in song. Jamie watched everyone with interest, gurgling occasionally.
They put Jamie and Karina together briefly to see how Karina would act around a baby. She seemed quite concerned that the little baby wasn't talking to her and kept looking a Ziva.
Occasionally, she would pat Jamie's back, or hold onto his arm, but for the most part, she was gentle, and seemed interested in him. Jamie just stared at her with his big baby gray-blue eyes.
"I think he's in love." Breena laughed.
Ziva considered it might be a good idea if she and Breena got together more often so that Karina would feel more comfortable having smaller babies around her. There were newborns at work, but they didn't have the older babies interact with them too much.
They talked about it, and they agreed to a weekly get-together, in additional to whenever they all got together at each other's homes.
Abby decided to play her own version of "Truth or Dare" which she called "Dare." Each person had to reach into a bowl and pull out a slip of paper. Whatever was on the paper, that person had to do.
They all agreed that no nudity would be involved, or anything that would be considered as "contributing to the delinquency of a minor," meaning Karina, since Jamie was too young to understand what they were doing.
Only Lily got a pass on what she drew, if it was physically impossible for her to do it because of her broken ankle.
Carol drew first. "Oh, man! Pretty lame!" She had to stand on her head. Carol put a pillow on the floor and soon she was balancing her little person body on her head. Everyone cheered.
"Ok, here is mine." Abby triumphantly drew out the paper. She gasped. "Who put this in here?" She asked.
She had to pretend to be Director Vance. She asked Mimi for help. She put on a coat of Gibbs', drew in a mustache with her eyebrow pencil and stuck a tooth pick in her mouth.
"I don't care if you have to blankety-blank a herd of buffalo, Gibbs. I want that report on my desk, now!" She said in her best Vance voice.
That got howls of laughter. Mimi drew next. "Oh, my. Well, this will be interesting." She stood in the middle of the living room and got up of her toes, posing as a ballerina.
Then in a high-pitched voice, she started to sing. "We…represent, the 'Lullaby League', the 'Lullaby League', the 'Lullaby League'. And in the name of…the 'Lullaby League'…we…wish to welcome you to Munchkin Land." She did the little dance with the song.
Everyone was rolling on the floor, laughing. "Oh, Mimi, that was priceless! I think you missed your calling!" Ziva and Lily were laughing so hard they were snorting.
"Ok, Ziva. You're turn." Ziva was a little nervous. She didn't mind singing in front of people, but trying to be funny was not something she thought she was good at.
She looked at her slip of paper and slightly smiled. Everyone looked a little confused when she tucked the bottom of her shirt up into her bra and lowered her pants enough to show off her slight baby bump. She then pulled out her iPod, and searched for a song. Satisfied, she got in position just as Mimi did, and turn on "play."
The music was exotic and what Ziva did made everyone's mouth drop open: she proceeded to belly dance in front of them. And it was not an "I'll think I'll pretend I know how to belly dance" dance; she was doing the real thing and doing a great job at it.
Karina was moving her hips back and forth with her mother, trying to mimic her moves. "Look at Karina!" Lily said. They all covered their mouths so they wouldn't disturb the little girl who had her eyes glued to her mother.
Once Ziva was done, she was treated to whistles and applause. Abby stood up and glared at her. "How come you never told me you could belly dance?"
Ziva looked at her friend, amused, while readjusting her clothing. "It never came up and didn't seem like something I would interject into a normal conversation."
"Hmmm…what else can you do?"
Ziva sat down, tired after her performance. "Dancing you mean? Ballet, salsa, normal dancing..."
"Does Tony know?" Abby pressed.
"That I can dance? Of'course he does. We have danced many times." Ziva answered.
"Evasive, Ziva. That's what I love about you. But I meant the Belly dancing, and you know it." Abby's eyes were trained on her.
Ziva got a wicked smile. "What do you think?"
Abby looked shocked. "I can't believe he's never said anything! I mean at least to Tim. He should be bragging about his wife who can shake her hips and mean it!"
They all started laughing again. They took a breather to get some more "refreshments" and eat some of the delicious food prepared by Mimi and Ziva. Abby had taken the rest of the week off, in preparation for the wedding. Ziva took Friday off.
This meant tomorrow was a work day. Mimi was fortunate in that she could do a lot of her work from home, as 75% of her job involved research and writing.
She actually had clinic in the afternoon tomorrow, so she had the luxury of sleeping in.
Ziva was dozing on the sofa when the men folk got back. They had been true to their word, and did not get Tim roaring drunk. In fact, none of them were drunk.
Tony went home and got their car, then drove back over to Gibbs' to pick up Ziva and Karina, who was also asleep.
"Need any help there, Tony?" Gibbs asked, looking at his two sleeping girls. Tony grinned. "No thanks, Boss. Ziva will wake up in just a second, and then we'll be fine."
He went over to Ziva and sat next to her. He put his arm around her. She turned and snuggled into him. Something in her brain made her realize she and Tony were not in their bed and her eyes slowly opened.
"Hi." She said. "Have a good time?"
Tony kissed her. "Yep. How about you wild women? Look at you, all worn out." She glared at him. He stood and helped her up.
"Go ahead and get in the car, Gibbs will help me with Karina." Ziva yawned and nodded, as she waved goodbye and walked toward their car.
Gibbs carefully picked up the sleeping baby, while Tony folded up the playpen. Mimi walked out with them. "I know it's only around the corner, but be careful." She said.
Tony waved and took off with his precious cargo. Gibbs and Mimi watched them leave until they were out of sight.
Tim had managed to get Abby home without any problems. Carol was spending the night with them. Jimmy, Breena, Jamie and Ducky all left together.
"So we got a call from Tony so we could hear someone singing karaoke. That wasn't you by chance was it?"
Gibbs looked at her like she was nuts. "Hell no! I wouldn't be caught dead up there. What song was it?"
Mimi frowned as she thought about it. "I don't know the name of the song, but it was fairly…R-rated, I guess. Didn't quite make it into the X-rated category but came close."
Gibbs laughed. "That was Tim." Mimi's eyes got huge. "Well, who would thought our little Tim would belt out a song like that." She laughed as well.
"OK, it's a school night. Off to bed." Mimi and Gibbs slowly climbed the stairs.
Saturday, September 14, 2013
The day of the wedding dawned cool and clear. The temperature was supposed to reach the low 80's with low humidity, so they were happy about that.
Abby had her wedding dress at Gibbs' and Mimi's since she got it. She admired it now as it lay across the bed. There was a knock on her bedroom door, having spent Friday night with them.
"Come on in, unless you're Timmy." She called out. Mimi peered around the door. "It's only me. Want some breakfast?" Abby nodded enthusiastically and headed downstairs.
She joined Lily and Gibbs, who were already at the table. "Here comes the Bride!" Lily sang out as she caught sight of Abby.
Lily had seen her doctor the day before and he had removed her cast. He was allowing her to just wear the flats for the wedding, but the minute the ceremony was over, she was to put on the pressure walking boot.
Lily didn't mind. She didn't care if she danced or not at the wedding. She was an experienced "chair dancer," meaning she could get into the music just fine without leaving her seat.
By noon, all the bridesmaids were at the house, getting ready. Abby decided to dress her hair up a little bit by wearing it in a French twist. Ziva threaded little black and white pearl gems into her hair.
Abby had found the perfect dress. It was white, but had a diagonal cascade of black and white crystals, sequins and pearls on the bodice and trailing down the skirt to the hem.
Abby had a terrific figure, so her dress was form-fitting, the bodice lightly boned and a mermaid style skirt.
She really didn't want too much on her head, so her veil was attached at the back of her French Twist, dotted with crystals.
She had a bouquet of blood red roses on medium length stems, tied with a black and white gem encrusted bow. Her shoes matched the dress, white with the diagonal arrangement of crystals.
The Bridesmaids all wore fitted black sheaths with white crystal belts. Ziva was a little worried she might not fit hers anymore. Her small baby bump showed, but the dress was not in danger of coming apart at the seams.
Their bouquets were smaller versions of Abby's bouquet, with crystal sprays springing from the tops.
Ziva would not allow Karina to wear black, so she had on a light red satin dress with puffy short sleeves and a full skirt, with little crystals on it. Her hair was getting longer and thick enough that Ziva pulled a small amount up on top and tied it up with a red bow. She had on white lacey tights and black "dressy" shoes.
She was also wearing the gold bangle baby bracelet Ziva's father had sent her when she was born. She had now grown into it, so it would not fall off of her arm.
Tony thought it was silly to spend such an extravagant amount of money on a piece of jewelry that Karina would only be able to wear for such a short time.
Ziva explained this was a tradition and not only had this bracelet been hers and Tali's; it had been originally given to her mother when she was a baby. She did admit, though, that she was shocked Eli still had it in his possession, and that he would think to send it to them.
The limo arrived at 1pm, and Abby came downstairs, where Gibbs was waiting for her. His eyes watered a bit when he saw how beautiful she looked.
He kissed her lightly on the cheek, not wanting to mess up her makeup. "Tim is the luckiest man alive today." Abby was just beaming.
"Are you ready?" Gibbs asked her. Abby looked at her friends, all surrounding her. "Let's go put on a wedding!" She said.
They all piled into the limo. Mimi would be taking care of Karina during the ceremony since Ziva and Tony were both in the Bridal Party. Once Gibbs was done with his part, he would sit in the pew with Mimi and Karina.
They arrived at the convent at 1:40 pm. There was a small room attached to the vestibule of the chapel that they waited in. Ziva's phone rang.
"Hi, Tony. Yes, I will tell her. Yes, Karina looks like a princess, you will see her soon. Love you, too." She ended the call. "The guys are all here." She said, looking at Abby.
Until that moment, Abby hadn't realized how worried she was that Tim might actually not go through with it. That was silly, of'course, but the mind can't always dictate how the heart feels.
She felt as if a great weight had been lifted off of her. At 2 p.m., it was time to start. Abby had come up with her own idea of how to get her two brothers and Gibbs walk her down the aisle.
Tim, Tony, and Jimmy were standing in the front of the Altar, waiting for the processional. Carol came first, followed by Lily, then Breena. Finally, Ziva, as Matron of Honor came down the aisle and took her place opposite her husband.
Gibbs then walked down the aisle by himself to a point about three pews from the wedding party and the Priest, and stood, waiting.
As the organ music surged, Abby came down the aisle, escorted on both sides by her two brothers Luca and Kyle. When they reached Gibbs, they each gave her a kiss on the cheek and went and took their places with the rest of the groomsmen.
Abby then turned to Gibb, who held out his right arm. Smiling, she placed her left arm through his and he walked her down the remaining part of the aisle, to stand next to Tim.
Tim was overwhelmed when he saw Abby. Tony reached out and put has hand on his shoulder, remembering how he felt when he saw Ziva walk both times down that aisle. "Don't ever forget this moment." Tony whispered to him.
Tony was also overcome, seeing Ziva in her black dress, their baby just beginning to show beneath her dress. He felt a surge of pride and love for his family.
Karina had been waving at everybody as they came down the aisle. "Hi!" She said to each of them as they all walked by. Tony blew a kiss to his daughter, which made her grin.
Gibbs gave away the bride and placed her hand in Tim's. He then went and sat down next to Mimi and Karina in the front pew, putting his arm around them both. Tim's Mom, his grandmother Penny and some cousins sat on the opposite side.
Many of Tim's gaming friends were there, as well as numerous NCIS people. The Vance's were all in full attendance.
The ceremony was short, but Tim and Abby wrote their own vows, which were very moving. Finally they were pronounced husband and wife and everyone erupted into cheers and clapping.
Karina laughed and clapped with everyone else, excited by all the flowers and the pretty dresses. They all waited around for pictures, then finally piled back into the limousines and cars to head to Tony and Ziva's for the reception.
The house was decorated with black and white linens on the tables. Beautiful long stem white roses were placed in vases throughout.
The deck was draped with greenery and crystals, with the beverages outside. A dancing platform had been placed in the yard and a DJ was getting his equipment ready to go.
Abby had a lot of friends, and she had trouble whittling down the guest list. Notably missing was Sarah, Tim's sister. She was in Graduate School in San Francisco and could not get out of some commitments. She promised to meet them down in San Diego for an evening while they were there for their honeymoon.
The DJ presented "Mr. and Mrs. Timothy McGee!" Amid cheers and whistles, they went out on the stage and danced their first as a married couple. Abby then danced with each of her brothers and Gibbs. McGee danced with his Mom and Penny. Then, like Tony had, he danced with Mimi.
Soon everyone was dancing and having a great time. Karina once again danced with everyone, including Lily, who held her hands while she was standing and let Karina move back and forth, up and down with the music.
Tony scooped her up and danced with his daughter. Gibbs grabbed her next. Tim seemed content to just dance with Abby, but was forced to relinquish her time and again to her family and friends.
Gibbs and Mimi were dancing a slow dance. All the couples on the floor were appropriately matched. Mimi laid her head on his shoulders. "Just one more, then all the kids will be married." She sighed.
Gibbs chuckled. "I don't think Lily's in any rush. Besides, there's still Ducky." Mimi laughed at that. "We need to find him a woman, Jethro."
"I'll put that at the top of my 'to do' list." Gibbs said.
They danced for a while. "You know, and I am not telling you this to gross you out or anything; but Abby threw up this morning."
Gibbs pulled back and looked at Mimi. "Hell, I threw up the day of my wedding."
"Which one?"
Gibbs looked closely at Mimi, wondering if she was making some sort of commentary on their own relationship and the fact that they had not spoken of marriage themselves.
But she was smiling, knowing he was making a joke. "Have you ever known Abby to throw up when she was nervous; which by the way she wasn't this morning?"
Gibbs stopped dancing. "Are you suggesting what I think you are suggesting?"
Mimi shrugged. "Just thought I'd share some Intel." Gibbs laughed out loud at that. Mimi was quick to pick up their lingo.
"Hmm." Gibbs said as he began dancing again. "I guess we'll know soon enough, won't we?" Mimi's eyes were sparkling as she nodded.
Yay! They're finally married. The summer months took up a lot of time. Things will move along faster now. Thanks as always for the great reviews.