Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS
Beginning of September 2021
The room was filled with laughter. Lots of laughter. Everyone was happy, especially the bride, the groom, and their seven-year-old daughter. Who wouldn't be happy today? It was Tony and Ziva DiNozzo's wedding day.
Just over eight months since Tony proposed.
It had been a mammoth of a task to plan the wedding. Firstly after the debacle that 2020 was, many people had postponed weddings and naturally wanted to marry. Secondly, there was the regular issue of trying to find a venue. In Paris. Tony and Ziva had been incredibly lucky in this regard. They went to a boutique hotel near their apartment. It just so happened that this particular hotel had a cancellation twenty minutes before Tony and Ziva arrived for their appointment. They snapped it up quickly, otherwise, they would've had to wait another year which no one wanted.
So, at the end of January 2021, they booked the venue for their wedding in September. In roughly seven months' time.
Tony and Ziva knew from the beginning they wanted a small wedding. Only the people closest to them. Having a fixed number of guests helped with finding a venue, caterer and cost. Tony and Ziva also decided that the only person they wanted in the wedding party was Tali, who named Best Person and Maid of Honour. Tali took them to be very important roles.
Ziva selected her wedding dress and flowers. Tony selected the music and decorations. Tali made sure the cake tasted just right.
Then the day was upon them. The room was decorated, guests arrived and the ceremony made Abby, Annalise and Senior tear up.
Everyone was sitting down, enjoying the food the caterer had prepared when Senior tapped his glass with his spoon gently. Everyone turned to look at him.
'Dad?' asked Tony. 'What's going on? You making a speech?'
'Not me, son.' Senior nodded over in the direction of the microphone. Tali was standing on a chair with Clara's help, holding a piece of paper.
'My name is Tali Joy DiNozzo. I am the Best Person and Maid of Honour which makes me the most important person in this room.' Everyone laughed. 'I used to live with my Ima. Then I lived with my daddy. Now I live with both Ima and Daddy. There are some important things you need to know.' Tony and Ziva looked at each other.
'One. Ima is a much better cook than Daddy. Two. Daddy knows where to get the best ice cream but Ima has the best taste in ice cream. Three. Ima likes to read with me but Daddy's wicked witch voice is better than Ima's.' Tony looked pretty pleased with that line. 'Four. Daddy also tells better jokes than Ima.' Tony looked please again. 'Five. This is the most important thing to remember. I have the best Ima and Daddy in the whole world and I love them to bits.'
Everyone clapped and Tali jumped down from the chair she was standing on. She ran over to Tony and Ziva who pulled her into a massive hug. Tali wriggled as Tony and Ziva kept trying to kiss her.
'Thank you Tali' whispered Ziva. 'That speech was lovely.'
'We love you to bits too' said Tony.
In her research, Tali found out that the Best Person and Maid of Honour gave speeches at weddings. So, with the help of Clara, Papa, and her friends, Tali wrote her speech.
The photographer came over and took a photo of the three of them together. Tali sat down and started attacking her dessert.
Ziva laughed at a joke Tony told and looked around the room at all their guests. Team Gibbs was there; Tim and Delilah and the twins, Ellie, Jimmy, Ducky, Abby, and of course Gibbs himself. Nick, Kasie, and Vance were back in DC, holding down the fort. Some of Tony's colleagues from the consulting firm were sitting at another table, as were some of Ziva's colleagues from the American Library in Paris. At other tables sat Ziva's friends from temple (including Clara) and the support group, and some of Tony's friends he had made over the past few months. Expanding his social circle had become a slight priority in 2021, now that he wasn't Tali's only parent.
2021 had been full of change for the DiNozzo's so far, but it had been a good change, just like Tony and Ziva had told Tali.
Tali had excelled at school in all subjects, including math. Her friendships, especially with Ottie and Maddie had grown stronger and Tali had even joined the after school dance club twice a week. She absolutely loved it, as did her parents as it was a good way for Tali to burn off the energy she had.
As a result of no longer being a single dad, Tony was able to shift things around at work. He was still a security consultant but he was able to take on a little bit more work and responsibility which he liked. It also meant a very small salary increase. Not that money was an issue for the DiNozzo's. Tony had also joined a local movie club. They met once a month to discuss various films they had all watched in the previous month. Kind of like a book club but for movie lovers. Initially, Tony had been worried about an age difference but in the end, it turned out to be nothing.
Ziva had probably had the most change in the last nine months. Firstly, she started working at the American Library in Paris. Just four hours a week but Ziva thrived like never before. She worked to help with shelving and organising the books. In January 2021 Ziva had an interview for the American University of Paris only to be offered a place three weeks later. Ziva was due to start classes next week and to say she was excited was an understatement. On top of everything else, Ziva also started doing some admin work for Abby and The Rose and Clayton Reeves Foundation on a part-time basis and completed the Paris marathon 2021 in just over three and a half hours. Tony and Tali were convinced Ziva was becoming Wonder Woman. As a result of all the changes, Clara had been rehired as Tali's nanny two days a week.
Dinner ended and the band began to strike up. The singer turned to the microphone.
'Can we please have Mr. and Mrs. DiNozzo on the dance floor for their first dance?' Everyone cheered and clapped as Tony and Ziva took to the dance floor. The band began to play.
'You remember this?' asked Tony, as he and Ziva swayed to the music. Ziva thought for a moment. Julie London's I'm Glad there is You. 'They're playing our song, sweetcheeks' he whispered into her ear.
Ziva laughed and smiled, and Tony pulled her closer. Ziva had decided to take Tony's surname. They had been the DiNozzo's unofficially for a while now and Ziva had been ready to shed the name David long before Tony proposed.
Others started to join in with the dancing; Abby and Ducky, Tim and Delilah, Senior and Tali. Ziva noticed Jacques and Annalise also dancing together. It was well known within her support group friends that those two were close, but in the year that Ziva had known them, they had become infinitely closer. Anton was starting to set up a pool to guess when Jacques and Annalise would get engaged.
The dancing continued, the band starting to play more recognisable songs. Ziva was sitting down, her feet sore from dancing in heels. She watched as Tony and Tali were dancing together. Tali was going to have a sleepover with Senior back at the apartment as Tony and Ziva were spending their wedding night at the hotel.
Tali turned and waved at Ziva, who waved back. Tony actually went over and pulled Ziva up onto her feet.
'Come dance' he said.
'My feet hurt' said Ziva.
'Tough' said Tony. 'It's our wedding day.' Ziva smiled and went to join her husband, daughter and all their loved ones on the dance floor.
It had been sixteen years since Tony and Ziva had met. Sixteen years, one surprise daughter and the rest of their lives together.
Thank you so, so, so much for reading. I really hoped you enjoyed it.
When I started writing this at Christmas 2019, I didn't know where the story was going to go. I really enjoyed writing this story though and have no plans to stop writing at all. I still have The Call to finish and I also have a few ideas that I am planning.
I've never planned a wedding, let alone a wedding in Paris so it might not be 100% accurate.
Big thanks to: Alidiabin, DS2010, SueDooley, Bohogal1998, DramaComedySoapRealityFan, Celestrial Moon, and anyone who left a review. Thank you. Thank you
Stay safe and see you soon :)
