Revelations Chapter 17: At Last, a ncis fanfic

The wedding guests gathered in the Garden Room following the ceremony. More red and white roses adorned the space. The heavy drapes were opened to reveal the lovely view of the courtyard garden. The ground was covered in a blanket of snow that sparkled from the white lights and fat candles placed about, lending an almost magical air to the scene.

Abby directed the group to enjoy the appetizers they found waiting for them, then to search out their names for the dinner seating.

There were three round tables arranged in a slight inverted V shape. Gibbs and Ziva would be sitting at the middle table, joined by Jackson, Ducky, Fornell, and Judge Kaplan. Another table was set up for Abby, Tim, Tony, Palmer and Breena, and Damon; the third table would hold Leon and Jackie Vance and their children, as well as Mike Franks, his daughter-in-law, Leyla, and his granddaughter, Amira.

Tony pulled the concierge to the side and advised him they had a couple of unexpected guests. In addition to Eli, Callen had come. He'd been restless and ready for more than a little space between him and LA after the recent case, so Gibbs had invited him to fly back with him and McGee for the wedding. Callen would stay at Ziva & Jethro's house while they were on their honeymoon in Hawaii.

Hector assured Tony he would take care of the extra place settings and would speak to the chef about the food.

Tony decided Callen would sit at the table with the team; a place setting for Eli was added to the head table as it seemed insulting to do anything else, though Tony had some misgivings about putting Gibbs and Eli at the same table. Ziva's place was already arranged between the two Gibbs men; rather than change that, Tony put Eli on Jackson's right, so there was an extra buffer between Ziva's father and the newly married couple. Fornell would be on Eli's other side and the Mossad director's chair backed up near Vance's, who would be sitting at the next table.

In the interest of maintaining the delicate truce that seemed to be in play at the moment between Ziva, Gibbs and Eli, Tony figured it was best not to overtly slight Ziva's father with the seating arrangements. However, that didn't mean he had to be stupid about it.

Fortunately, the chef had extra of all three entrees, as Ziva had ordered additional food prepared so that the staff working that holiday night could also enjoy a meal at their convenience. After all, some of them were only working because extra help was needed for their event. Even with two unforeseen additions, there was plenty. Hector secured Callen and Eli's dinner choices with minimal fuss.

The bride and groom appeared in the doorway to the Garden Room, arms wrapped around each other's waists. Happiness practically radiated off them in waves.

Abby noticed them immediately, of course, and led the group in a round of applause and whistles for the blissful couple. Ziva pressed closer to Gibbs as they smiled at their friends and family.

The maid of honor quickly took charge.

"We need to snap a few wedding photos, then dinner will be served," she informed the group as the photographer stepped near Jethro and Ziva. "In the meantime, keep mingling and munching," she ordered with an imperious wave of her hand, though her sparkling smile assured that no one would take offense.

The photographer had unobtrusively snapped some pictures during the wedding. In addition to the arrival of the groom and Ducky, Abby, then Ziva and the fathers, she'd caught Ziva's impetuous kiss, the sweet moments during the video where Ziva had rested her forehead against Jethro's while seated on his lap, and the final kiss. She couldn't wait to print those out, certain they would be some of the loveliest photos she'd ever taken.

Without being told, the photographer knew that Gibbs was not the kind of man to want a lot of fuss with this part, so she herded the bride and groom, Ducky, Abby, Tim, Tony, the judge, and the dads back to the Drawing Room where she worked efficiently but creatively to capture them in various groupings and poses.

They returned to the Garden Room where Ziva and Gibbs spoke briefly to each guest, exchanging hugs and hand-shakes as appropriate. Callen pressed a kiss to Ziva's cheek and offered his congratulations. He hoped she didn't mind that he'd crashed the wedding and also thanked her for sparing Gibbs the past week. She assured him she was glad he was there and that they'd gotten to the bottom of things – before the wedding, she'd added with a wink.

Before Gibbs could direct Tony to arrange a seat and a meal for Eli and Callen, his senior agent informed him he was already on it. Jethro wordlessly squeezed his shoulder in thanks.

Everyone found their seats and the serving began. Dinner was both enjoyable and delicious. At one point, Jackie started tapping her spoon on her water glass. With expectant grins, most of the others quickly joined in.

Ziva's eyebrows furrowed slightly in confusion. She looked around the room, then at Jethro.

"What are they doing?" she whispered to her husband, leaning in close to him.

"Tapping their glasses," he answered with his characteristic half-smile.

She gave him a look that clearly communicated that he should tell her something she didn't already know.

"Obviously," she noted succinctly. "But why?"

"Every time they do that, we're supposed to kiss," he informed her from his position of experience. After all, this wasn't his first rodeo.

Her look of confusion transformed into one of delight.

"Do you think we can get them to do that a lot?" she grinned up at him.

"I'll see what I can do," he promised with an answering smirk, then proceeded to kiss her brainless.

"Maybe they should be careful with that tapping," she observed breathlessly when he had raised his head and she could put a coherent thought together, "or we will not make it through dinner."

He laughed out loud, causing more than a few people to drop their jaws in surprise. Many in the room had never heard that particular sound come from that particular man.

When dinner was over, it was time to cut the cake. The pastry chef wheeled out the wedding cake with unmistakable - and befitting - pride. He had created a masterpiece. A ribbon of white frosting that looked exactly like the ruffle on Ziva's wedding dress spiraled down, encircling the three tiers. Fresh red and white roses were placed strategically on and around the cake for a beautiful effect. An open crystal heart stood in sparkling elegance on the top, surrounded by more roses.

The top and bottom layers were a rich chocolate cake, as that was Ziva's favorite. The middle layer was the more conventional white cake, though it had been split into two smaller layers separated by a raspberry crème filling. The chef had managed to introduce a lovely tint of silvery-gray to the white buttercream icing that covered all three layers, adding another touch of elegance and setting off the ribbon of white frosting and the roses to perfection.

Ziva and Jethro cut the first piece traditionally, with him pressed close behind her and her hand over his on the knife. They even fed each other the first bite, though Ziva kept waiting for him to pull some kind of trick on her. To her surprise, he was very sedate in offering her a bite – then he swiped his finger through the icing on their piece and quick as a wink had it painted across her bottom lip just so he could capture her mouth and clean it off. She laughed and he grinned through the whole kiss. Their enjoyment spilled over onto their guests, especially when she returned the favor.

The staff served everyone a piece of the cake, while Gibbs and Ziva stopped to talk with the guests at the other two tables. After a short while, McGee caught Ziva's eye. He looked toward the music station he had set up in the corner, then back at her with raised eyebrows. Ziva had no use for the customs of tossing a bouquet and a garter, which suited Gibbs just fine, but they were going to share the first dance alone. She tugged at Jethro's hand which she'd been holding since the cake-cutting and whispered in his ear. With his patented half-smile, he nodded; she passed the go-ahead on to McGee.

Tony joined Tim at the music table and announced that it was time for the bride and groom's first dance and made a crack that he hoped the rumor that Ziva had worn steel-toed wedding shoes was true. Chuckles ran through the crowd, while Gibbs managed to throw a visual version of a head-slap DiNozzo's way.

Ziva grinned as she led Jethro to the dancing area.

"Come on, husband," she directed. "You can show him that no steel-toed shoes are necessary."

As the strains of "At Last" began, Jethro pulled her into his arms. His right hand rested at her waist while he captured hers with his left and tucked it in close to his heart. Her left hand smoothed up to rest against the back of his neck. The others faded to the background as they lost themselves in the music, both thinking of the first night they had danced to this song.

"Remember when I said that the night you asked me to marry you would always be the happiest night of my life?" she asked in a quiet voice, gazing up into his face.

"Mhm," he assented, waiting to see where she was going with this.

"This is a really, really close second," she beamed happily, her gorgeous brown eyes twinkling.

His patented half-smile tugged up the left side of his mouth as he moved her easily around the dance floor. "You sure this doesn't beat that night? This is a lot fancier."

"I do not need fancy; only you," she told him, moving her left hand to caress his cheek. "I love having the people closest to us here for this, but that night was just about you and me and forever. Nothing can surpass that."

He raised her hand to his lips in appreciation.

"Besides, without the question, we would not be here, yes?" she pointed out lightheartedly. "So it deserves a place of honor at the top of the list."

"True enough," he agreed. "Where does our second first date fit on this list of yours?"

"It is tied for third place with our actual first date," she answered without hesitation.

"Giovanni's is on par with the jazz club?" he asked, eyebrows raised in disbelief.

"Definitely," she confirmed. "Although, to be honest, the tie has more to do with you than the places we went."

"Now who's sexy and smooth-talking?" he murmured into her ear. Delight lit her features as he repeated the words she'd said to him at the jazz club. She brushed her lips against his neck with a secretive smile that hinted at the private moments they were reliving.

"Could you tell how nervous I was on our actual first date?" she asked after a bit, looking up at him curiously, a suggestion of self-deprecating humor in her eyes.

"You were nervous?" he asked, clearly surprised. "Even after being the one to make the first move?"

"Oh, yes," she admitted. "My stomach was so fluttery it is a wonder I could eat."

He reflected on that for a moment, then came clean with a secret of his own.

"Mine, too," he confided.

She was so astonished she'd have been the one to step on his feet if he hadn't guided her so adroitly.

"Why were you nervous?" she asked, amazed.

"Why were you?" he returned.

"You are Gibbs," she answered with a movement of her hand, as though that explained everything.

"So?" he asked.

"So? !" she retorted in a gently exasperated tone. "You are practically a legend. You are strong, smart, frighteningly capable, unbelievably sexy…I could go on."

He shook his head. "Sounds more like you. I was just a guy who hoped you really wanted him half as much as he wanted you…even though you had every reason not to."

And once more, her heart simply melted. She hoped it never stopped.

"There you go again," she whispered, her voice husky with emotion.

He gave her a perplexed look.

"Saying the perfect thing," she clarified. She pulled his face down to nuzzle against him intimately, then tucked her face into his throat.

He brushed his lips across her temple and they finished out the dance, content to just quietly hold each other.

The guests were nearly mesmerized as they watched the two of them together. Tony and Abby stood side-by-side, as enthralled as everyone else.

"Look at them, Tony," Abby directed in a soft voice. "How did we miss that?"

"Only because they wanted us to, Abbs," he responded quietly.

"They're perfect for each other," Abby whispered.

Tony silently agreed, then went back to his announcer duties at the music table.

The song ended and Jethro pressed a brief kiss to Ziva's mouth.

"Well, turns out Gibbs can add 'good dancer' to his resume – who'da guessed?" Tony snarked, ignoring the look he received from the groom. "How about a round of applause for the happy couple, folks?"

After the guests had complied, Tony continued his antics. "And, as if dancing with one blue-eyed Gibbs wasn't enough, our lovely bride is fortunate enough to have another one waiting in the wings. Jackson? Come on down."

Holding hands, the couple walked toward the elder Gibbs. After giving Jethro's hand an extra squeeze, she released it and held out her other hand to her father-in-law. In the back of her mind she spared a brief, nervous thought to wonder what she would do about dancing with her own father, but she refused to let it truly take hold. Nothing was going to ruin this moment with Jackson; he was special to her and she wanted him to know it.

As the song she'd chosen started to play, she took his hand with a smile.

His feet stayed put for a moment.

"You sure you want me to be next?" he asked dubiously.

"I am sure," she replied firmly. "I chose this song just for you."

They moved onto the dance floor and into the conventional embrace. They were comfortable with each other and neither felt the need to speak at first. Then, Ziva asked him softly, "Are you listening to the words?"

It's a long road when you face the world alone;
No one reaches out a hand for you to hold.
You can find love if you search within yourself
and the emptiness you felt will disappear.

And then a hero comes along
with the strength to carry on
and you cast your fears aside
and you know you can survive.

So, when you feel like hope is gone
look inside you and be strong
and you'll finally see the truth
that a hero lies in you.

He nodded, but confusion was evident on his face.

"I am not exactly sure what the singer meant to say with this song," Ziva began to explain, "but when I listen to the words, I think of you."

"I'm nobody's hero, honey," he denied.

"You are mine," she corrected him, love and trust shining out of her eyes just for him.

He shook his head, but pulled her in a little closer, resting his chin on the top of her head. His heart was too full to speak.

As the song neared its end, Ziva spoke quietly and sincerely into Jackson's ear, "Thank you for being the father I have needed." Her oblique reference to their conversation in his kitchen two months ago was not lost on him.

With tears in his eyes, he hugged her close.

"You know…you could call me Dad," he offered almost shyly, "if you want."

"I would like that very much," Ziva husked past the lump in her throat, unshed tears of her own turning her eyes to diamonds as she looked at him.

The brightness of both their smiles could have lit the room and then some.

Meanwhile, Gibbs stood at the edge of the dance floor watching his wife dance with his father. Though he didn't turn, he felt Eli's presence as the older man stepped up beside him.

"So, Special Agent Gibbs," the Israeli began, "though perhaps I may call you Jethro now that you are married to my daughter - ?"

Gibbs smirked, then finally turned his head toward his father-in-law and leveled a look directly into the other man's eyes.

"Sure," he granted. "Eli." His tone somehow managed to be flat yet dripping with sarcasm at the same time.

The director acknowledged the loaded reply with a brief tilt of his head.

"I received your message this week," Eli continued almost conversationally, his eyes resting on Ziva and Jackson in a seemingly relaxed manner. "You are certain you wish to threaten the director of a powerful secret intelligence agency?" His tone stayed as even as if he were discussing the weather.

"I'm certain I'll threaten anyone who even thinks about hurting her," Gibbs fired back, not quite as calm about the situation.

"Duly noted," David offered, secretly pleased that this man was not afraid of him. Perhaps the agent was worthy of his Ziva after all. Maybe.

As the current song was coming to an end, Eli revealed, "I believe I will see if my daughter has a dance for me…if you have no objections?" he asked with raised eyebrows.

"Not as long as she doesn't," Jethro replied, "and as long as you remember the message."

Eli smirked. He started to step away, then turned back with a finger raised in the air for emphasis.

"It so happens I have a message for you, as well," he informed his son-in-law in a voice meant for his ears only. Despite Ziva's warning from a few weeks ago, he leaned in close and advised Gibbs, "Treat her better than I have or they will never find your body."

Something akin to approval flared momentarily in Jethro's eyes as Eli walked out to intercept his daughter without looking back.

As her father stepped onto the dance floor, Gibbs threw a speaking glance at McGee. Tim gave him a thumbs-up to say he had it covered. He'd started searching for an appropriate song as soon as Gibbs and Ziva had taken to the floor with their opening dance, just to be on the safe side. Tony had no idea what to say into the mic about this situation, so for once he kept his mouth shut.

As Jackson and Ziva as neared the edge of the dancing area, her father stepped up to them. With a small smile, he questioned, "May I have the honor of the next dance, Ziva?"

Jackson kept a protective arm around his daughter-in-law, and looked at his son. The younger Gibbs nodded almost imperceptibly, so Jackson turned his attention to Ziva.

With a look that was almost shy, she nodded. After pressing a kiss to Jackson's cheek, she removed her arm from his waist and, for the first time in her life, moved into her father's arms on a dance floor.

Oh, God – the music she thought. Her slightly panicked whiskey-brown eyes found McGee, who smiled reassuringly. With the press of a button, he sent the voice of Elton John into the room.

The two began dancing, but Ziva felt uncharacteristically stiff and a little unsure. Her eyes were staring unseeingly somewhere beyond his shoulder.

"Relax, Ziva," her father murmured. "I am not likely to trip you. This is not the first time I have danced."

After a pause, she looked up at him with eyes that were both vulnerable and on guard.

"But it is the first time you have danced with me," she pointed out quietly.

He looked a little surprised, then realized she spoke the truth.

"Then I am long overdue for correcting that oversight, yes?" he observed with a small smile, though he allowed her to see the hint of regret in his eyes.

Finally, she relaxed.

"Yes, you are," she replied crisply, a small smile of her own hovering about her lips.

They danced quietly until the words of the song resonated between them.

And can you feel the love tonight?

It is where we are

It's enough for this wide-eyed wanderer

That we got this far

And can you feel the love tonight

How it's laid to rest?

It's enough to make kings and vagabonds

Believe the very best…

"These people…" Eli spoke again at last, "they care for you very much."

She nodded.

"I am glad," he said simply.

They danced the rest of the song in silence. As it ended, Eli cupped Ziva's face in both his hands and looked at her…really looked at her...seemingly oblivious to their audience.

"They are not the only ones who love you," he said quietly in Hebrew, then pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. She closed her eyes, but a single tear escaped to start down her cheek. He caught it with his thumb.

"Shhh now…I cannot take you back to your husband crying or I will not make it out of here alive," he noted wryly.

His words had the desired effect and she laughed lightly.

"True," she agreed, blinking back the rest of her tears.

"Speak of the devil…" her father muttered, lowering his hands as Jethro reached his wife.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and pressed his lips to her temple. "You all right?" he murmured, speaking to Ziva but looking at Eli.

She nodded. "I am more than all right," she reassured him, molding herself to his side. "I am a little thirsty, though; could we go to our table?"

Jethro nodded and the trio moved off the dance floor. The room seemed to release a collective bated breath.

"Aba?" Ziva turned back to her father. She was not naïve enough to think that it would be all rainbows and roses with this man from here on out, but he had made overtures today that meant a great deal to her. Perhaps they could find their way to a comfortable middle ground. "Toda."

"You are welcome, Zivaleh," he answered with a smile.

While Eli went to sit with Vance and Jackie for a while, Gibbs pulled Ziva onto his lap at their table. She bypassed her champagne and reached for her water glass. After slaking her thirst, she returned the glass to the table and wrapped both arms around her husband's neck.

"You seem to prefer me sitting on your lap tonight instead of in my own seat," she observed, rubbing her nose against his teasingly.

"Someplace else you'd rather be?" he asked archly.

"Nowhere," she breathed, and bent her lips to his.

"Sheesh, Abbs, they're at it again!" came the unmistakable voice of one Anthony DiNozzo. "You two managed to keep from kissing each other in front of us for two years and now you can't go two minutes - !"

Their mouths separated, grinning.

"Making up for lost time, DiNozzo," Gibbs smirked up at his senior agent.

"Well, you've got plenty of time for that later tonight," Abby pointed out. "Right now the moment has come for you two to dance with us." Refusing to take no for an answer, Abby and Tony tugged the bride and groom back onto the dance floor. Several other guests soon followed suit.

The rest of the night passed in a blur of talking, dancing and laughing. Ziva danced with every male there and Abby, as well. Vance's young son, Jared, was among her partners and his obvious infatuation with the bride was adorable.

After a while, her father said goodbye and took his leave. He and his security detail were staying at the Israeli embassy as he could be more easily protected there. Besides, DiNozzo wasn't the only one looking to safeguard this still-fragile relationship between the Mossad Director and his daughter - and her new husband. Eli figured some space in their togetherness was undoubtedly prudent.

Ziva slipped out of the room to check in with Hector to make certain the staff had eaten and to extend an invitation to anyone who was off shift or not otherwise occupied to join their party in celebration of New Year's Eve. She also asked if someone could possibly take a couple of pieces of wedding cake up to their room as she'd barely gotten more than a bite of the delicious confection. The concierge was more than happy to oblige.

She stopped in the ladies room, then headed back toward the reception. As she walked past an alcove, she suddenly found herself pulled into the secluded area and pressed between her husband and the wall. Her body softened against his instinctively and she wrapped her arms around his neck as he claimed her mouth in a blazing hot kiss.

Trailing a line of kisses to her throat, he murmured, "Remember the honeymoon plan about getting you naked?"

"Yes…" she drawled slowly with a sensual smile. Arching her neck, she silently encouraged him to continue exactly what he was doing with that talented mouth of his.

"I'm thinking that's a really good plan for tonight, too," he revealed, never lifting his lips from her smooth skin.

"Mmmm…I could not agree more," she breathed, "as long as you get naked with me."

"Think we could start that, say, sometime really close to…now?" he husked.

She gave a sexy laugh and agreed. "Most certainly."

She skimmed her lips along his jaw. "We should say goodnight to our guests first," she murmured. "And will you dance with me one more time?"

Unable to deny her anything tonight, he nodded and they returned to the party, anticipation of their wedding night nearly humming through their veins.

They began making their rounds, thanking each guest for coming and saying their goodbyes. Ziva reminded Abby to make sure every guest and the staff got roses to take with them. Hector was going to make sure the top tier of the cake was wrapped up for the bride and groom to take with them when they left tomorrow. Their flight for Hawaii didn't leave until evening, so they would be stopping by their house for a while before heading to the airport.

Damon and McGee were chatting easily at the DJ table when the couple stopped there last. While giving her teammate a hug, Ziva whispered a song selection in his ear for her last dance with Jethro. Tim smiled; it was a perfect choice.

The whole team had had fun creating a play list for the reception, and this was one of Tony's contributions. He had actually been a making a cheeky reference to his boss' functional mute status, but Ziva and Abby had seen beyond the title to the words. Besides, Ziva pointed out, she was not exactly a chatty…what was the name? Chatty Cathy, Tony supplied. Yes, that was it.

Guiding her husband to the dance floor, Ziva twined her arms around his neck as he wrapped her in close. "Listen to the words," she whispered as she brushed her lips against his ear.

It's amazing how you can speak right to my heart
Without saying a word, you can light up the dark
Try as I may I could never explain
What I hear when you don't say a thing

The smile on your face lets me know that you need me
There's a truth in your eyes sayin' you'll never leave me
A touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall
You say it best, when you say nothing at all

All day long I can hear people talking out loud
But when you hold me near, you drown out the crowd
Old Mister Webster could never define
What's being said between your heart and mine

In contrast to their other turns on the dance floor tonight, their communication during this song was completely non-verbal. The singer's words cocooned them in a world consisting only of each other, their bodies pressed so closely together a whisper couldn't have passed through. Loving smiles, expressive gazes, and the brushing of lips said all they wanted to and heightened the desire simmering between them.

When the song ended, Ziva and Jethro simply held each other for a long moment. Then, in silent agreement, Ziva collected her bouquet and they made their way to their room, eager to shut out the rest of the world and lose themselves in the first night of their marriage. At last.

A/N: This chapter was determined to be difficult in places, but here it is at last - hah, no pun intended there. =D "At Last" is by Etta James, "Hero" is sung by Mariah Carey, "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" is by Elton John, and "When You Say Nothing At All" is sung by Alison Krauss. I have links to all the songs on my profile page if you want to listen to any of them. I own nothing connected to the songs or the singers, of course.

Oh, and a bit of trivia: red and white roses together signify unity. Perfect choice for a Zibbs wedding, don't you think? ^_^ There's a link on my profile for you to check that out, too, if you like.

One more chapter to finish this story out, which is both exciting and poignant for me. Thanks to you all for reading and reviews really mean a lot. =)