Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS
I am not Jewish, so I did some research and thank you to DS2010 for helping me.
Ziva sat on the sofa, staring at the photo in her hand. It was one of herself, Tali and Ari when they were children. Tony had come home a week ago, and told her that Sergei was dead, that she and Tali were no longer under protective custody and that she and Tony could get married.
After rejoicing at the news, Tony explained how it happened. How Gibbs had lured Sergei to his cabin, that Fornell had shot Sergei, and how Sergei was Ari's half-brother.
Ziva did not know what to do with that information. She had never met Ari's mother, let alone known that she had another son. Ziva could only surmise that when Ari with his mother after graduating from Edinburgh University this was when the two men grew closer. Ari grew up with Ziva and Tali. Not Sergei.
However, their mother had died as a result of a retaliatory missile strike from Israel, and this must have been a triggered for the two men. Ziva knew that it changed Ari. It was after her death that Ari changed his name from David to Haswari. Something that Eli did not like.
Ari's relationship with Eli was always strained. It was one of Ziva's frequent memories, hearing the two of them argue. Tali would climb into Ziva's bed at night, when the arguing got too loud. Latterly if it wasn't Eli and Ari arguing, it was Eli and Rivka. Ziva would whisper into Tali's ear that it would be alright. Tali was the only one who could calm Ari down when he got angry. It was her singing that did it. Ari was always happier when Tali sang. Everyone was.
But when Tali died, any change of getting the old Ari back was gone. By the time that Ari killed Kate, he was no longer the big brother that Ziva looked up to. He was someone entirely different, and Ziva struggled to recognise the man in her brother's place.
Tony came out of the bedroom, a holdall in his hand.
'Hey.' Ziva turned the photo around and showed it to him. Tony smiled at the sight of little Ziva. 'You doing OK?' he asked. Ziva nodded.
'It was a shock for Ari to come up again. It was the last thing I expected.'
'For all of us.' Tony sat down next to Ziva.
'But there is nothing I could have done to change it. Ari was no longer my brother when he died. I have come to terms with that.' Tony smiled, proud of how far Ziva had come. Once upon a time, she had been in a dark place, living in past memories of sadness.
'I doubt Sergei knew the truth about Ari's death. He targeted Gibbs, not me.'
'He had surveillance photos of you.'
'But did he have simply because I was Ari's sister?'
'We will never know Zi. And it doesn't matter. You and Tali are safe and tomorrow, we are getting married.' Ziva smiled. There was a knock at the door.
'It's open' called Tony. Callie walked in, carrying a black garment bag. She saw Tony and Ziva sitting on the sofa.
'Tony, what are you doing here? You are supposed to be at Tim's.'
'I'm going. I'm just saying goodbye to my beautiful fiancée.'
'Well, say goodbye faster.' Tony hugged and kissed Ziva. The next time they saw each other would be at the chuppah. In keeping with tradition, Tony and Ziva would be spending the night apart, Tony's staying with Tim. Tim and Callie had been acting as the unofficial best man and maid of honour.
'I love you Zi,' whispered Tony into her ear.
'I love you to Tony' replied Ziva.
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Gibbs knocked on the door. He was wearing his best suit. The door opened and Abby stood there.
'Gibbs' she cried, hugging him tightly. 'I'll go and let Ziva know you're here.' She ran into the bedroom. Gibbs noticed Tali was in her play centre, playing with the wooden animals he had made. Gibbs went over to say hello. She grinned at him, once again confirming her parentage. Ziva walked in, wearing a dressing gown. Voices of Callie, Abby and Ziva's Aunt Nettie wafted through.
'Hi Ziver.' Gibbs hugged her.
'You said you wanted to talk?' Gibbs rummaged in his pockets and pulled pout a small wrapped present. He handed it to Ziva. She unwrapped it and opened the box. It contained a vintage silver locket, with a moonstone gem set in the middle.
'It was my grandmother's. She gave it to my mom on her wedding day, who gave it to Shannon on hours.' Ziva was moved.
'Gibbs, this is beautiful. Are you sure you…?' Ziva tailed off. Gibbs shook his head.
'No, Ziva. No one else.' Ziva hugged Gibbs, knowing that if Kelly had lived, Gibbs would have given it to her at some point.
'Thank you' whispered Ziva. They released the hug.
'I'll see you there' Gibbs said, kissing Ziva's cheek.
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It was early. Like really early. Tim was wondering what on earth had possessed Tony and Ziva when they decided to have their wedding at 7.45am. He was standing by a chuppah, handcrafted by Gibbs. It was 7.35, and Tim was in Yard's Park with Rabbi Reiss, Bob the photographer, and some guests. Ellie and Jake had arrived, a shad Vance and his children, Fornell and Emily, Ducky, Jimmy and Breena with baby Tori. Andrew and Arthur, Ziva's godson, were also waiting for the bride and groom. Callie, Arthur's mom, was with the bride. Schmeil Pinkhas had also been invited, but due to the short notice, a bout of sickness and previous engagements, Schmeil was not able to attend. Delilah couldn't attend as she was still in Dubai.
Tony and Ziva had chose the Yard's Park, in the Navy Yard, for their wedding. It was a place that Ziva had always loved, right on the bank of the Anacostia River. The sun rise had been just after seven am, meaning that by the time the wedding started at 7.45, the sun would have fully risen.
Tim scanned the park, looking for any guests who were still to come. He spotted Gibbs walking across the bridge, accompanied by Leyla and Amira. Leyla and Ziva had become quite close in the past eighteen months. It turned out that the two women had a lot in common.
Just behind Gibbs and Leyla, Tony and his father started walking across the bridge. Both wearing their best suits, they looked happier than Tim had ever seen them.
'Thanks for holding the fort Tim' said Tony as he and Senior arrived at the chuppah.
'It's OK Tony. We've been waiting a long time for this day.' Tony chuckled. He turned to Gibbs.
'Did you see Ziva?' Gibbs nodded.
'Yeah. She looked beautiful and happy. As did Tali.' Tony grinned. Rabbi Reiss glanced down at his watch, 7.40. The bride would be arriving at any moment.
As if on cue, Abby, carrying Tali, Callie and Ziva's Aunt Nettie started walking across the bridge. Tony met them at the end of the bridge. He took Tali from Abby and kissed her cheek. She was wearing the dress that Ziva had bought a couple of months before Tali was born; the little light pink one, with flowers, leave and little blue birds on it. Tali was finally big enough to wear it.
'How is she?'
'Happy' said Aunt Nettie, happy that her niece had found a good man.
Tony smiled and handed Tali back to Abby, and they made their way over to the chuppah and the rest of the guests. Everyone seemed to have arrived and Callie sent a quick message to Ziva and a nod to the musicians. The string quartet they had hired were four music students at Georgetown who had created a quartet for weddings. They started playing Canon in D Major by Johann Pachelbel. A moment later Ziva appeared on the bridge, with a bouquet of cala lilies in her arms, and started walking down to Tony.
She looked beautiful. Ziva wore a champagne coloured lace dress, with a deep V-neckline and sheer sleeves. It draped almost to the floor, the hem that Callie had put in meant that it didn't touch the ground. Her hair was draped over her right shoulder, a silver and pearl clip in her hair just above the left ear, and the locket that Gibbs had given her around her neck. Ziva walked down to Tony, the two of them looking at each other as if they were the only people in the world.
'Hi' he whispered when she got there.
'Hi' breathed Ziva, ever so quietly.
'You look incredible Zi.' Ziva grinned. Ziva handed the bouquet to Callie, and Tony took her hand.
'Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered to celebrate the wedding of Ziva and Anthony. You have come here to share in this formal commitment they make to one another, to offer your love and support to this union, and to allow Ziva and Anthony to start their married life together surrounded by the people dearest and most important to them.' Rabbi Reiss turned to Ziva. 'Ziva, do you take Anthony to be your lawfully wedded husband, forsaking all others, till death parts you?'
'I do.'
'Then repeat after me'
'I, Ziva, take you Anthony, to be my lawfully wedded husband. I take you with all your faults and all your strengths, as I offer myself to you with all my faults and all my strengths. Before these witnesses I pledge to share my life openly with you, to speak the truth to you in love. I promise to show up every day and try. I promise to honour and care for you, to cherish and encourage your own fulfilment as an individual through all the changes of our lives. I choose you as the person with whom I will spend my life.' Aunt Nettie and Abby sniffed, dabbing tissues to the corners of their eyes. Rabbi Reiss turned to Tony.
'Anthony, do you take Ziva to be your lawfully wedded wife, forsaking all others, till death parts you?'
'I do.'
'Then repeat after me'
'I, Anthony, take you Ziva, to be my lawfully wedded wife. I take you with all your faults and all your strengths, as I offer myself to you with all my faults and all my strengths. Before these witnesses I pledge to share my life openly with you, to speak the truth to you in love. I promise to show up every day and try. I promise to honour and care for you, to cherish and encourage your own fulfilment as an individual through all the changes of our lives. I choose you as the person with whom I will spend my life.' Senior was now dabbing at his eyes. Rabbi Reiss spoke again.
'Ring are a symbol of the never-ending circle of love. Love has no beginning and no end, no giver and no receiver, for each is the giver and each is the receiver. May they always remind you of your vows of fidelity and undying devotion.'
'Ziva, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and faithfulness.'
'Tony, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and faithfulness.'
'With the power invested in me by the District of Colombia, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.' Tony pulled Ziva towards him and caught Ziva's lips in a searing kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck as everyone cheered and clapped.
There was the sound of smashing glass and laughter.
'Mazel Tov!'
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Ziva looked around at the people at the table. Everyone there was someone she loved. Twenty-four people sat around the table, celebrating the marriage of Tony and Ziva.
The idea of having their wedding in the morning was born from the idea of getting married in a park. Granted in was still February, but DC was a popular place to visit, and on a weekend many parks became busy quickly, as did one of their favourite restaurants. Tony and Ziva and decided to have their reception at Brock House, an upscale boutique café that was a fifteen-minute walk from the park. Brock House opened at seven every day, and were only too happy to accommodate the reception in a private parlour.
Tim tapped his glass with his spoon and got up. Ziva had asked him to give a toast.
'Um, Ziva asked me to give a toast, maybe because I'm a writer, I don't know. Tim cleared this throat before continuing.
'Love isn't perfect. It isn't a fairy tale or a story book and it doesn't always come easy. Love is overcoming obstacles, facing challenges, fighting to be together, holding on and never letting go. It is a short word, easy to spell, difficult to define, and impossible to live without. Love is work, but most of all, love is realising that every hour, every minute, every second of it was worth it because you did it together.
'To say that Tony and Ziva have had their fair share of obstacles and challenges is an understatement.' Everyone laughed. 'Yet, here we are, celebrating with them on their wedding day. A day that many of us, including Tony and Ziva, did not think would happen. To Tony and Ziva and Tali.' Tim raised his glass as did everyone else.
'To Tony and Ziva and Tali.' Tali giggled, squishing pancake into her hands and mouth. Ziva was regretting the choice of dress a little.
After everyone finished eating, everyone was invited back to Tony and Ziva's apartment. Vance and his kids, Fornell and Emily, and Leyla and Amira all had to go, leaving Team Gibbs, Senior and Nettie to continue celebrating. Eventually though, even Team Gibbs had to go, with Jimmy, Breena and Tori leaving first.
A two hours later, after Abby and Callie had left, Senior handed Tony an envelope.
'What's this?' he asked.
'Open it and find out.' Tony did as he was told. Inside was a certificate for a two night stay at the Adam House Hotel. In the bridal suite.
'Dad, you shouldn't have' began Tony. Senior raised his hands in protest.
'I wanted to. Nettie and a few others chipped in as well. Me and Nettie will stay here with Tali.'
'Thanks Dad' said Tony
'Yes, thank you. Both of you' added Ziva. She pulled Aunt Nettie into a hug.
'Anything for my niece' whispered Nettie. 'You deserve it Ziva.' They released the hug. 'You married a good man Ziva' Nettie added, gesturing to Tony.
'Here, here' said Senior.
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Tony handed the porter his tip. The boy, who couldn't have been more than twenty-five, looked very happy with it. Ziva came out from the balcony as Tony closed the door.
'So, what do you think?'
'Not bad I suppose.'
'You've just come in from the balcony and walked past the mini bar, to the complimentary fruit basket.' Ziva picked up a grape from the basket. 'This is perfect' said Tony as he walked over to the TV. 'Ooh, a hundred channels. Lot choose from.' Ziva walked over and took the channel card from Tony and took his hand.
'I take it you're not interested in the channels.'
'There's only one thing I am interested in right now.' Ziva smiled at Tony, who grinned back at her. They kissed passionately, pouring their love for each other into it and wrapping their arms around each other.
Tony broke the kiss.
'Hold that thought' he said quietly. He pulled out his phone, scrolled to find something and plugged it into the room's speaker system. Julie London's I'm glad there is you started playing. Tony walked back over to Ziva. He took her hand and pulled her into the middle of the room.
'They're playing our song sweet cheeks' he said. Ziva listened to the song as they started to dance. 'You remember the last time we danced to this?'
'The Berlin nightclub.' Tony nodded. 'We kissed.'
'Best kiss of my life.' Ziva chuckled.
'Really?'
'Yeah. I was falling in love with you Zi, and I was terrified that you wouldn't feel the same.' Ziva smiled. She had felt exactly the same. 'Then we kissed and then after Bodnar was arrested, we made love for the first time.'
'We said I love you.'
'I didn't.'
'You might not have said it, but I knew that you did.' Tony looked confused. They carried on swaying to the music. 'When I said that I am in love you, you pulled me closer to you, and I saw it in your face, and when we slept together, Tony, no man has ever treated me the way you do. You are the love of my life, the only man I have ever loved.' Tony wrapped his arms around his wife and kissed her passionately.
'You ready to have your world rocked, Ziva David?' Ziva laughed.
'DiNozzo.'
'Huh?'
'Ziva DiNozzo, not David.' That caught Tony's attention.
'I thought you weren't going to change your name.'
'When we got engaged, I was not planning to. Then we had Tali and you can tell she is a DiNozzo whenever she smiles.' Tony laughed. 'And any other children we might have will also be DiNozzos, and everyone calls us The DiNozzos.' Ziva reached up and cupped Tony's cheek. 'I am no longer Ziva David, Tony. It's time for me to be Ziva DiNozzo.'
Tony took her hand from his face and kissed the palm. He pulled Ziva towards him, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her. Ziva melted into his embrace.
'I love you Ziva. More than words can say.'
'Ani ohevet otach, Tony.'
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