A/N: I cried while writing this. I am such a sap. ~Aliyah
September 2030 (Chaya = 21, Ben = 18)
Tony stood in front of the mirror fussing with his tie. "I've been tying my own tie for fifty years," he muttered, "and today of all days I can't get it right." Ziva heard and came out of the bathroom. Still tall, willowy and gorgeous, with dark hair partially compliments of Gabrielle's skill with dye, the sight of his wife still made his breath catch. Her nimble fingers took the place of his fumbling ones and soon Tony's tie was perfectly knotted and hanging smooth and straight down the front of his dress shirt. He forced a smile. "Thanks."
She touched his cheek. "It is almost time to go."
He stepped back and looked away, to the family portrait that hung on the wall, taken by Adrian when Ben had joined their family as a healthy newborn. His eyes caught on Chaya's beautiful smile and dark eyes and he blinked rapidly. "I don't know if I can do this Zi, I don't know if I can give her away."
Ziva turned him to face her. "You will still be her daddy Tony, for always. But it is Justin's turn to care for her now. Your job is not over, and your role in her life is no less important, only different."
Tony sank down onto the bed and stared at the floor. "I still remember the first time I held her Zi, all wet and covered in blood and guck, but I loved her before the first time I ever said her name, and when she held my finger in her hand later that morning, I could barely breathe. She's had my heart ever since, I'm not ready to let go yet."
Ziva pressed her hand to her heart, then his. "We must not be selfish with her ahuvi. Chaya has been such a gift to us. We have shared her love and her light with our family since she was only two weeks old. But now she is all grown up and she has found a man who loves her in a very special way. She is ready to take this step, to join her life and her heart to his. Justin is a good man. You have to let her do this." She kissed the corner of his mouth. "I know you would not stand in the way of her happiness for anything in the world. Let her find what we have Tony, and give her away today."
He pulled Ziva into his arms, not caring in that moment about crushing the silky royalty green dress she wore. Ziva felt tears on her hair and moved back just a little to wipe them away with her fingers. "Do not be sad Tony, today will be one of her best memories."
Tony cleared his throat. "Gosh I never thought it would feel like this, I never thought it would hurt to love her."
"Sometimes it is harder for the parents to let go than it is for their children to leave them behind. But Chaya will be back," Ziva assured her husband. "There has not been one moment of her life when she has not loved you, when you have not been the daddy she deserved. Remember that when you take her arm."
He blew out a breath and stood up, sliding his arm around her waist. "Let's get out of here before I change my mind."
NCIS
The spare room downstairs in Ducky's house had again become a bride's room, and the father of the bride knocked gently before opening the door and peeking inside. "Hey C."
She turned around and smiled at him and Tony suddenly didn't know what to say. The dress she wore was elegant and beautiful and perfect for her personality. It was strapless, with an intricately designed sweetheart bodice, fitted to her hips and flowing out into a full, ballgown skirt, with little jeweled designs scattered sparsely over it and a short train that fanned out behind her when she moved. "Hi Daddy." Her hair fell into its natural curl, the top part was pulled back and a small tiara held the sheer veil in place as it draped down her back. Around her neck was the jewellery he'd gotten for her as an engagement present, a small diamond studded heart. It was the only thing that had ever convinced her to take off the necklace that had been her seventh birthday present.
"Wow," he breathed, motioning with his finger for her to spin around. She did, slowly, and Tony walked over to brush his knuckles down her cheek. "You look beautiful honey. You're living up to your nickname today."
Chaya swallowed and she blinked. "Don't make me cry, not yet."
He took her hand and kissed the back. "Sure you're ready for this? There's still time for us to get out of here. I'll bring the car around and we can go get ice cream and take a walk through the park." Tony's voice was hopeful.
His daughter shook her head and she gave him a look that said he should know better. "I'm not playing the runaway bride Daddy, I couldn't do that to Justin." She looked over her shoulder out the window that faced Ducky's lawn, where the ceremony was to be held, then back at her father. "But I'll take you up on the ice cream and the park another day, okay?"
Tony clenched his jaw and tried not to let the tears win. "Can I hug you?"
Chaya's eyes were shiny as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Always Daddy. Only this time I can't tell you not to let go."
He kissed her hair and remembered how often she'd made that plea after a bad dream, or when she was scared, or when she just needed the security of being in his arms. Tony sniffed and released her. "I told you that when you were a week old. Your mom couldn't stand being in bed any longer, so I put blankets under the tree in the backyard and made her a picnic. She took and nap and I laid down on the ground with you, to watch you sleep." He swallowed and tried to get the rest of the words out. "You wrapped your tiny hand around my finger C and I told you to hold on, and promised I'd never let go. Today...I feel like today change all of that."
Chaya dabbed at her eyes with the handkerchief from Grampa Ducky as her something old, thankful Haven had insisted on using waterproof makeup. "You're not letting go Daddy, you're just trusting me to Justin. Ever since I was a little girl I wanted to be loved, to be looked at the way you look at Mom, I've never seen another guy so in love with his wife. You look at her like she's the only woman in the whole wide world, and in Mom's eyes you're her hero. I found that with Justin. He makes me happy. But you'll always be the first man who ever loved me."
Tony wiped his tears away for the second time that day and stared into his daughter's eyes, holding her face gently between his hands. "I love you with all my heart Chaya Caprice DiNozzo, I want you to know that. Remember when you were little, and you asked me to marry you?" She blushed but he wouldn't let her look away. "I promised you then that you would marry a great guy and I'd make sure he loved you more than anything else in the whole entire world before I trusted him with my baby girl. I'm glad you've found him princess, I am. But it's going to be really hard to give you away."
She leaned up and kissed his cheek, batting her eyelashes softly against his skin. "If it were easy, then you wouldn't love me as much. This way, I know you do. I've never had to doubt that."
The music started and there was a knock on the door. Father and daughter took a moment to compose themselves and then Tony hugged her gently and offered his arm. "Let's do this."
Chaya smiled through her already fading tears, nervousness and excitement pooling in her stomach and making her insides all fluttery. Haven and Sunday preceded her across the lawn wearing yellow and lavender dresses and big smiles. Step by step Tony and his daughter walked down the aisle, to where her fiancé was waiting. As soon as Justin saw her, his face lit up and Chaya couldn't help but mirror his joy. She watched his expression and saw him trying not to cry. Behind him, Ben put his hand on Justin's shoulder and whispered something in his ear that made them both smile. Finally they reached the white wooden arch, similar to the one Chaya had always loved from her parent's wedding photos, and stood waiting for Father Nate to begin.
The minister nodded at Tony and he looked at Chaya for a long moment before taking her hand and placing it in Justin's. Kissing her temple, he whispered 'I love you' in Hebrew and moved to join Ziva. Father Nate smiled and opened his book. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the sight of God to witness the joining of Justin Alex Taylor and Chaya Caprice DiNozzo in holy matrimony." He glanced at Chaya's parents. "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"
Chaya turned to her mom and dad and watched Tony struggle for a moment before he could say the words clearly. Taking his wife's hand, he nodded, winking at his daughter. "Her mother and I do." The way Chaya's smile blossomed made it worth the sacrifice.
The ceremony sped by and the next thing Chaya knew Justin was sliding the gold band onto her hand, and they were pronounced man and wife. He stared at her with a tender expression before leaning forward and gently capturing her lips. Chaya slid her hand up to rest on his heart and smiled as soon as he pulled away. "I love you," she whispered, and he nodded.
"I loved you first." It was a little game neither ever won, because they could never quite figure out who loved who first. Justin had seen something special in her and put all his energy into pursuing her. Chaya had taken a long time to trust him, but when she did, she opened her heart to him in a way that still humbled him. Maybe at some point they would just call it a tie.
Hours later, once a delicious meal had been served, the DJ announced it was time for the father-daughter dance. Tony moved to the head table and offered his hand to his daughter. Chaya smiled at her new husband and followed her father to the dance floor. There he put one hand at her waist and took her hand in his as the music began to play.
"She spins and she sways to whatever song plays, without a care in the world/and I'm sitting here wearing the weight of the world on my shoulders./It's been a long day and there's still work to do/She's pulling at me saying 'Dad I need you./There's a ball at the castle, and I've been invited, and I need to practice my dancing./Oh please, Daddy please.'/So I will dance with Cinderella while she is here in my arms/'cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight and she'll be gone."
In Tony and Chaya's memories a little girl danced around the livingroom on her father's feet, and Tony remembered a twirly pink dress that his five year old princess had loved. He thought of her Junior High graduation dance where she'd bragged that her daddy danced the best, and the time in her first year of high school after a bad day when he'd taken her down to Ziva's studio, put on a CD of songs she'd made him for Father's Day, and danced with his daughter until she didn't want to cry anymore.
When the last strains of the song died away, Tony bowed and Chaya curtsied, and then he kissed her cheek and held her close. "I am so proud of you," he whispered. "I know you're going to have a great life with Justin. But don't forget to come home sometimes, okay?"
Chaya pressed her lips softly to his cheek and smiled up at him. "I'll never be too grown up to be your princess Daddy. Thank you for being the best dad a girl could ever want. I love you."
Then Justin walked up and Tony shook his hand. "Take care of our girl."
Justin nodded. "I will Mr. DiNozzo."
Tony shook his head. "We're family now and there's no such thing as formality. 'Dad' or 'Tony' will be just fine. Anything but 'Mr. DiNozzo.'"
The younger man chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind. And I promise I'll treasure her every day for the rest of my life. Chaya's worth it."
"Yes," Tony agreed, "she is." He returned to his wife and stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her.
"I can't believe how grown up she's gotten."
Ziva wiped away a few tears and thought of the months Chaya grew inside her, and the first time her brand new baby girl had fallen asleep on her bare skin. "We have twenty-one years of memories Tony. We are very blessed to have had her."
He kissed her hair. "How many parents can say they have two miracle kids?" Tony sighed. "That empty house is going to take a lot of getting used to."
She leaned into him. "We will hear the echoes of their laughter and love in every room yakari." Ziva turned around. "And you will still have me."
Tony grinned and joined their lips. "Then I will always be the luckiest man in the world. You are my greatest gift Zi."
She kissed him back. "And you are my home Tony. There is nothing better."
They looked back at the dance floor, watching their daughter with her husband. They were in love, that much was clear, and Chaya was right, the way Justin looked at her reminded him of so many moments he and Ziva had shared. If they had to give their little girl away, he was glad it was to a man who cared as much about keeping her heart safe as Tony did. But no matter what else happened, Tony would always remember that he had loved Chaya first, and those memories were enough to get him through the tears.