Vegas 14 vows - Final Chapter
Thank you all for this amazing ride, I have loved writing this story. It has been fleshed out for a while now and I have deliberately left some threads hanging because I may play again in this universe in the future. But right now, I have a few other stories that I need to finish first.
I do hope you enjoy the finale. It is short and sweet; I did not want to drag it out.
Happy Thanksgiving to my thanksgiving celebrating readers.
Bringing Kelly home from the hospital was peaceful and soothing for both Gibbs and for Tim. Vance and Gibbs quickly and quietly agreed that Tim should take a couple of days away from work, to help Kelly and allow himself to regroup.
About six weeks after the procedure, Kelly came to Tim after dinner that evening. He had been working in his office after dinner, doing some work on his latest manuscript. "Hey Sweetheart, is everything OK?" he asked, looking up at his wife.
"I have an idea I want to run by you." She said, taking a seat opposite him at the desk. Putting his pen down, he looked up and smiled at her. She knew she had his undivided attention, and she explained the plan she had thought up. "What do you think?"
"It's out there, but I love it." Tim declared, kissing his wife, thoroughly. "Let's do it."
TEN WEEKS LATER
"I can't wait to get this week over with." Tim sighed out loud. It was Friday morning and they had organised a dinner party at their apartment for that evening and the married couple would be departing from Dulles on Sunday for a three-week trip to Dublin, Ireland. Tim had found a famous property that was up for lease, at least one hundred and fifty years old and Kelly had fallen in love with it. They knew that the adventure of a lifetime was just waiting for them.
The mess with Ziva and Eli meant that Tim and Kelly had already rescheduled their dinner party three times before. Unfortunately, Eli David had been here on a fact-finding mission, preparing for the recruitment of Timothy to head up Mossad's cybercrimes department. He hoped by recruiting Tim, Ziva would follow her friend to protect him, and she would be back under her father's thumb and Mossad rule.
After some polite declining, Tim had been forced to fight fire with fire and had held his laptop random with a virus that Tim wrote for the occasion. Eventually, Tim made a deal with him that he would leave Tim alone and in exchange, Tim would remove the virus.
Both men shook in it and the deal was made in the presence of Ziva, Gibbs and Vance. Eli gave both his daughter and his dear friend his promise.
"Of course, you're ready for the weekend, you and the misses are going to your homeland, McNative." Tony teased the younger man.
"I've never been to Ireland before, it's hardly my homeland." Tim retorted, sending his final report to the printer. "That's it, I am done. No one better be late tonight."
Gibbs grinned at Tim in amusement, he and Ducky were the only ones truly privy to what the evening plans were. All Tim and Kelly had told people was that they were having a dinner party, and everyone was expecting to attend.
Kelly and Tim had hired a catering company to do all the cooking, despite Ziva's best attempts to persuade them to let her do the cooking. Tim and Kelly had been adamant.
Gibbs had a marine buddy he had served with whose wife made wedding cakes and he was planning to surprise them, after finding out that they would not be having a cake, because a dessert was provided by the caterer as part of the food package.
Ducky had been tasked with the most important role and he was happy to be asked. "An Honour" was how he described it when they had asked him, and he meant it. Ducky had been worried for the young couple, that they might drift apart after a loss like that, but it seemed to have drawn them closer and make them stronger.
By 1900 hours, their apartment was full of people and the dining room table was elegantly set. The Vance's, the Fornell's, the Marshall's and the Santorini's, as well as the team and Penny and Sarah were gathered.
Tim and Kelly caught each other's eyes from across the room and each excused themselves from whomever they were talking to. They made their way over to the kitchen, meeting in there and talking in hushed tones, Tim asked Kelly if they were ready. At her enthusiastic nod, Tim grinned at her, and they headed back into the living room. "Listen up." Tim said and almost the whole room stopped talking. "I'm sure you're all wondering why we asked you all to dinner."
"We have a little announcement to make, before we tell you why we're all here today." Kelly declared and both she and Tim saw Ducky and Gibbs exchange confused looks. "Four months ago, we had an unexpected hiccup in our life. Tim and I, we lost something very precious to us. Our unborn baby's heart had stopped beating. We didn't know that we were expecting, we find out because ... Tim and I decided to start a family of our own."
The noise heightened up as quick as it died down. Probably because most of the people gathered knew already or sensed there was more to the story. "After taking some time to recover, we're pleased to tell you all, our nearest and dearest. That Kelly and I are expecting again. The baby is due in March." Tim's announcement almost caused a stampede of people rushing to congratulate them.
Gibbs held back; he couldn't move even if his body wanted to. A baby, another baby. He had not long come to terms with the fact that although they weren't trying to get pregnant at the time, that they had been pregnant, and the baby had died. "What do you think, Dad?" Kelly asked and everyone had noticed Gibbs had yet to move from his spot on the coffee table, where he had been sitting when Tim had called for everyone's attention.
"Congratulations." He said as he hugged his daughter tightly, he pulled back and looked at her, before pulling Tim into the hug also. "Is everything OK? You know with the baby?" he asked, worried as he put his hand over her stomach, the way he saw Tim do in the hospital the day he had witnessed a private conversation between his daughter and his son in law.
"Had a scan yesterday. Everything looks good, we officially entered the second trimester day before yesterday." Kelly crowed loudly to her dad. She noticed that everyone had stopped to listen in to her answer.
"Now what's the real reason we're all here today, Probie?" Tony called from the back of the living room.
Tim and Kelly exchanged looks and knowing grins. "Tim and I had a Vegas wedding, and we know that we hurt a lot of people were hurt by us not exchanging vows for you all to witness. So, we're going to do it all over again. Right here, right now!" Kelly announced. "What do you say, Dad? Want to give me away?"
"I can't wait." Gibbs beamed at the happy couple. He was truly happy he was going to get this moment after all this time.
"Well, let's get this show on the road." Ducky said before sending Gibbs, Tony and Tim into Tim's office and Kelly and Linda into the bedroom to get ready, while he put everyone to work.
The only disappointment of the evening for Ducky was that Abby hadn't shown up, despite both his and Gibbs encouragement. Tim had extended her the invite and she had all but thrown in back in his face. She had not taken the news of Tim's marriage very well at all. She had been downright nasty and vindictive. She tried to emotionally blackmail everyone around them and when that didn't work, she tried actual blackmail. When that failed, she forged Tim's signature on some divorce papers and asked her friend to serve them to Kelly. But her friend got antsy and served them hastily, while Tim was standing with Kelly, in their apartment.
A quick call to Gibbs and Vance, along with producing his driver's license, his NCIS creds and a publishing contract proved to Kelly that the papers were forgeries. Even though they knew that Abby had been the one who had done it, they had no hard evidence.
It wasn't until she screwed up on some evidence for a case, that they had hard proof. She had set Tim up to take the fall for mishandling evidence but forgot that Tim was on assignment for the Director and not working the case with the rest of the MCRT.
After her suspension, Tim confronted Abby and told her in no uncertain terms that he loved Kelly and that they wouldn't be separating any time soon. Abby chose to distance herself from all the MCRT, telling them it was either her or Tim. That they couldn't have both of them in their life. She had been confident that Gibbs and Ducky would take her side and was angry when they didn't. Gibbs and Ducky had tried to reason, and Tim had extended an olive branch to her, inviting her to various get togethers, to no avail.
Tony slipped out of Tim's study at a look from Gibbs. "Tim? I owe you an apology. You're a good husband to Kell and I am honoured to have you as a son in law."
"Thanks, Gibbs." Tim said, sincerely as he patted Tim on the cheek and left the room to go and find his daughter.
"You ready, man?" Tony asked stepping back into his friend's office. "Let's go McDaddio." Standing up with Ducky, in front of their fireplace, with Tony by his side. Everything suddenly felt very real to Tim. Tony put steadying hand on his friend's back, and he relaxed when he saw Linda walk toward him and Kelly come into his line of sight.
She was wearing a simple ivory lace dress, similar to the same style dress she had worn the night they decided to get married. Her hair down and in the loose curls that he loved running his hands through. Gibbs looked suave as he held his daughter's arm. As he reached the fireplace, he shook Tim's hand before hugging him, then placed Kelly's hand in Tim's, taking the saved seat beside Penny.
"Welcome." Ducky began "it is a pleasure to share today's wonderful occasion with you. Many people believe that entering into marriage is the final step in a romantic relationship. A couple meets, get to know one another and fall in love, decide they want to spend their lives together, and then take the final step into marriage. Not that this is how their marriage played out, but they found the love they share together along the way. Marriage is hardly the final step in a couple's relationship; rather it is the beginning of a grand adventure! You have shared the joys, blessings, and challenges of married life for a little while now, but not the joy of allowing us all to celebrate with you. Today you want to reconfirm your commitment to working together and ensuring your marriage blossoms for years to come. May this renewing of the vows you took to become husband and wife remind you that despite the stresses inevitable in every life, your love, respect, trust, and understanding of each other will continue to increase your contentment and heighten your joy in living."
"On your wedding day, you exchanged rings as a symbol of the never-ending circle of love. Rings serve as a reminder of your vows to each other, and your commitment to living in unity, love, and happiness. At this time, reconfirm the meaning of the rings you wear. Please join your left hands together so that timothy's hand is on top. Timothy, please repeat after me. Kelly, I wear this ring you placed on my hand as a symbol of my love and commitment to you. Now, with Kelly's hand on top of Timothy's hand, please repeat after me: Timothy, I wear this ring you placed on my hand as a symbol of my love and commitment to you."
"I ask that you each continue to cherish each other as special and unique individuals and that you respect the thoughts and ideas of one another. And most of all, be able to forgive each other, and not hold grudges against them. Live each day in love with each other, always being there to give love, comfort, and refuge, in good times and bad. Timothy and Kelly, today you have renewed the vows you made to each other on your blessed wedding day. You have symbolized the renewal of your union by the joining of hands, the taking of vows, and by the wearing of your rings. It is with pleasure that I conclude the ceremony of renewing the vows of marriage that joined you and binds you as husband and wife. Please celebrate this renewal of vows with a kiss."
Tim and Kelly sealed their vow renewal with a kiss, each pouring their feelings for each other into the kiss, as their guests cheered. Gibbs' cheers were the loudest, easily bellowing over Tony's. Breaking apart, Ducky declared that they should join the married couple for dinner in the dining room.
As they sat down to dinner, the landline of Tim's apartment rang. Startling everyone including Tim and Kelly because with the exception of Abby, everyone who mattered was in the dining room with them.
Tim picked up the cordless phone off the base in the dining room and stepped away to answer the phone. Tim was gone a while and Penny and Gibbs exchanged worried looks with Sarah and Kelly. Finally, Tim stepped back into the room. He looked shocked, looking around the room, he took a deep breath.
"My father is dead."