Chapter Five: Dreams Do Come True
Jenny paced nervously in the small room inside the chapel. It was time, March 20, the first day of spring and the first day of the rest of her life. Her wedding day had finally arrived. She'd chosen the day because of what it symbolized, new life. After a long, dull winter everything from the grass to the trees was coming to life again. The dead, brown earth was filled with life and color. Blue skies replaced gray, flowers bloomed, birds returned and the sun came back. It was one of the most beautiful times of year and a fitting day for Gibbs and Jenny's life together to officially begin. Their long and complicated past had given way to new life.
It had taken many hours and a lot of help from Ziva and Abby but Jenny had finally found the perfect dress. It was a long, flowing strapless gown made of white satin. It had enough flare and texture to make it look sophisticated but not so much it took away from her natural beauty. At eleven weeks pregnant, her baby bump was nonexistent but she had the radiating glow pregnancy often brought.
Her bridal bouquet was a mixture of butter cream and pink phalaenopsis orchids mixed in with ruffle-edged roses, magenta garden roses, pale, pink, rounded garden roses, and paler spray roses. Abby had ended up making it herself. The florist wasn't doing it to her liking so she'd gone behind the counter and taken over while Ziva shot the worker an apologetic look. When Abby finished both Ziva and the florist were impressed with her creation. Martha Stewart would've been proud.
Gibbs had secured his tuxedo and the groomsmen's suits just in time for the ceremony and earned himself a playful smack on the butt from Jenny for waiting so long. Abby had already been in the room Jenny was waiting in and assured her that Gibbs looked sharp in his light gray tuxedo and matching tie. The over ecstatic Goth had been happily bouncing around checking on the groomsmen, the guests, the photographer, the twins and Gibbs while Ziva stayed close by Jenny's side offering support and helping her keep her nerves in check.
The twins looked adorable, Bailey in his small tux that matched Gibbs' and Josie in her dress that complimented Jenny's gown. The bridesmaids looked stunning in their sage green spaghetti strap gowns and the groomsmen looked handsome in their black three piece suits with sage green ties to match the girls' dresses. The preacher had arrived, the flowers were arranged perfectly, the photographer was already making her rounds; everything was going perfectly but Jenny was a mess of nerves. A knock at the door had Ziva peeking out to see who was there.
"Is everybody decent?" Ducky asked.
"Yes Ducky, come on in," Ziva said moving aside so he could enter.
"I'm so glad you're here, Ducky," Jenny said. "Why am I so nervous? What's wrong with me?"
"Nothing's wrong with you, my dear," Ducky said with a chuckle as he rested his hands on her shoulders and led her over to one of the chairs in the room. "It's perfectly normal to be nervous. I'd be worried if you weren't."
"I'm not having any doubts," Jenny explained. "I'm just… I'm terrified and I don't even know why."
"It's just the anticipation and waiting around," Ducky said with a smile. "Everyone is where they're supposed to be and doing exactly what they're supposed to be doing. Abigail is doing a wonderful job of keeping everyone in line. Try to relax, it's almost time."
"How's Jethro?" Jenny asked. She was half tempted to break tradition and ask to see him before the ceremony.
"Jethro's fine," Ducky assured her. "He just got his picture taken with the twins and it was the most precious thing! He had one of them in each arm and they each kissed one of his cheeks while he smiled from ear to ear. It's definitely a shot for the mantle!"
Jenny smiled at the thought. "Thank you Ducky." Just as she started letting herself relax Abby came bursting into the room, full of energy.
"Come on Ducky, Ziva, it's time to line up!" She was nearly bouncing up and down with excitement. She hurried over to Jenny and threw her arms around her. "I'm so happy for you guys! I can't believe it's finally time!"
Gibbs stood at the front of the church, near the preacher and waited. The pianist started playing Pachelbel's Canon in D and the procession started. Jack walked down the aisle with Tony and Tim who'd been serving as ushers. The three of them took their places on the front row, each of them nodding to Gibbs as they passed in front of him. Next Mike escorted Abby down the aisle followed by Ducky and Ziva. Gibbs and Jenny hadn't picked a best man or maid of honor. Neither wanted to choose between friends. They valued each of them, from the two young men who'd agreed to be ushers to their long time friends and mentors.
Bailey and Josie walked down the aisle together, the ring bearer and flower girl. Josie waved at the familiar faces as she tossed rose petals on the floor and Bailey kept his eyes on Gibbs, just like he'd been told. It had taken some convincing just to get the shy three year old to walk down the aisle but once he learned he'd be next to his sister and walking towards his dad, he seemed to be okay.
Once the wedding party had their places at the front, the pianist paused and waited for Jenny to appear at the entrance of the sanctuary. Everyone rose and turned towards the middle aisle as the pianist started playing again. Jenny started towards Gibbs with a radiant smile on her face and a happy tear in her eye. The chapel was small but filled with close friends and family. Jenny had respected Gibbs' wishes for a smaller, more intimate ceremony. She made it to the front of the chapel, repeatedly reminding herself not to walk too fast. She turned and faced Gibbs, smiling so much her cheeks hurt.
"You look beautiful," Gibbs mouthed, his smile as radiant as hers.
Jenny brushed the tear from her eye as the preacher welcomed everyone to the ceremony and gave a brief history of the happy moments in Gibbs and Jenny's past. The two were so wrapped up in each other that they almost forgot about the ceremony taking place around them.
"Jethro and Jenny have decided to create their own vows and present them here today," the preacher said.
Jenny passed her bouquet to Abby who was standing right behind her then pulled out the small note card she'd prepared. She took a deep breath, smiled at Gibbs then started, making sure not to rush her speech and to speak clearly. "Jethro, you are the most incredible man I've even known. You're my best friend, my soul mate. You're the reason I believe in love. You've shown me what love feels like and how to love with passion, purity and unconditional acceptance. You're my dream come true, the love of my life."
"I promise to spend the rest of my days by your side. I promise to always listen to the words you speak, and listen even harder for the ones that you don't speak. I promise to love you without hesitation, comfort you in times of need, encourage you to be your best, laugh with you, cry with you, and grow old with you. I promise to always be open and honest with you, and to cherish you through whatever life may bring us. Today, I give you my hand to hold, my life to share and my heart to keep." She sniffed back a few more happy tears as she smiled up at Gibbs.
Gibbs smiled back at her as he pulled his notes out of the inside pocket of his tuxedo jacket. He cleared his throat then started. "Jen, because of you I laugh, I smile, I dare to dream again. I want with all my heart to be the best person I can be for you. I'll laugh with you when times are good and lift you up when times are hard. I promise to wash away your tears with my kisses and hold you with passion. My affection will know no bounds. I promise to always be your confidant, your lover and your friend. I will always be there to love you, to hold you, to protect you and appreciate you."
"I promise you my deepest love, my fullest devotion and my tenderest care through the pressures of the present and the uncertainties of the future. I will always cherish you and the family that we share together. I give to you my body, my mind, my soul, my entire being; I give you my hand to hold for eternity."
"Who knew Boss was romantic like that?" Tony whispered from his seat receiving a smack from Tim who was sitting next to him.
"May I please have the rings, young man?" the preacher asked. Bailey looked up at Gibbs, forgetting what he was supposed to do. At Gibbs' nod he put both rings in the preacher's hand. Gibbs smiled and winked at him and Bailey smiled back shyly before taking Mike's hand and moving over to stand next to him.
The preacher handed Gibbs and Jenny the appropriate ring and the two joined hands. He briefly explained the tradition behind the wedding ring then turned to Gibbs. "Do you, Jethro, take Jenny to be your wife? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and protect her, forsaking all others and holding only unto her?"
"I do," Gibbs said gazing into Jenny's eyes.
The preacher turned to Jenny. "Do you, Jenny, take Jethro to be your husband? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and protect him, forsaking all others and holding only unto him?"
"I do," Jenny said smiling at her groom.
"You may now seal your vows with a kiss," the preacher said after they'd exchanged rings.
The two leaned in and pressed their lips together then smiled at each other before looking back at the preacher.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, may I now present to you Mr. and Mrs. Leroy Jethro Gibbs, husband and wife." Everyone in the audience clapped and cheered as Gibbs and Jenny joined hands and walked down the aisle together followed by the wedding party. Jack was the first one out to hug the bride and groom and congratulate them followed by Tony and Tim.
Gibbs and Jenny stood outside the small chapel to shake the hands of their guests as they filtered out. It was absolutely beautiful outside. The snow had melted, the sun was out and there wasn't a cloud in the sky, flowers were blooming, the grass was turning green and there was enough warmth in the air to be out without bundling up. Bailey and Josie played happily on the front lawn, chasing each other and picking flowers while the adults shook hands before their guests got into their cars and headed over to the reception.
After an endless number of photographs of the bride and groom, the twins, the wedding party and family members in every combination imaginable, the group got into the limo and headed for the same fine dining restaurant in Falls Church, Virginia that Gibbs had proposed to Jenny at. They'd enjoyed the atmosphere, the beautiful surroundings and the food when they were there so they'd decided to have the reception at the same place.
After a wild ride, the limo pulled up in front of the restaurant and let everybody out. As they approached the private dining room they could hear the band playing while everyone snacked on hors d'oeuvres. The music stopped and the DJ introduced the wedding party first. After they'd all taken their seats, Gibbs and Jenny were introduced.
"Now may I present to you the happy couple, Jethro and Jenny Gibbs!"
More applause and cheering erupted as they entered, hand in hand and made their way over to their table. Instead of having the traditional head table on a platform, they'd chosen to go with the less formal round tables. Tony, Ziva, Tim, Abby and Jimmy sat at one table while Gibbs and Jenny sat with Jack, Mike, Ducky and the twins. After a few toasts from family and friends dinner was served.
Gibbs and Jenny both enjoyed one of their favorites, steak au poivre with creamy mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus while their guests enjoyed their choice of the steak, herb crusted chicken tenderloin with a smoked parmesan cream sauce or broiled salmon seasoned with bread crumbs, garlic, lemon and butter.
"Daddy, is Mommy a 'fficial Gibbs now?" Bailey asked with a mouth full of food as he tugged at the sleeve of Gibbs' tuxedo jacket.
"Yes, Mommy is an official Gibbs now, just like you and Josie," Gibbs answered as he patted his boy's back. "We're all Gibbses now."
"We're a family," Josie said happily.
"Yes we are," Jenny agreed, "one big, happy family."
"Are you and Mommy still going on a'cation?" Bailey asked.
"Yep," Gibbs said, "Mommy and I will be gone for a few days but we'll still talk to you on the phone. Grandpa Mike is going to stay with you and Tony and Ziva, Tim and Abby are going to take turns having sleepovers."
"You guys are going to do just fine," Jenny assured them. "You're going to have lots of fun."
"Where's you going, Grandpa Jack?" Josie asked.
"I've got to back home and run the store, Sweet Pea," Jack answered. "I wish I could stay with you guys longer but I'll be back later on in the summer to stay awhile."
"Promise?" Josie asked.
"I promise," Jack answered. He was planning on coming back around the time the baby was scheduled born to offer his help wherever he could. With Mike in town and some additional help from Gibbs' team, Jack knew the twins would be fine. He knew they'd need more help when the baby arrived.
"Alright, I need you two to stay here with your grandpas," Gibbs told the twins. "Mommy and I have to go cut the cake."
"Cake?" Bailey asked, his eyes lighting up.
"Cake," Gibbs repeated.
"Can I have some?" Bailey asked.
"Yep," Gibbs said, "but you're going to have to wait a little bit. I want you to eat a couple more bits of your chicken and Josie, eat some of your potatoes please."
While the kids finished eating their dinners, Gibbs and Jenny made their way over to the small table their cake was sitting on. It was a three tiered white cake with an intricate pattern of roses scattered on each of the layers and two large pink roses made of frosting perfectly placed on the bottom tier. Their photographer snapped a few photos of the cake then took pictures as they cut the first slice together and fed it to each other. As boring as Tony thought they were being, they didn't smear it all over each other.
The band came back out and started playing once again as people were finishing up their meals. The cake was taken back to the kitchen to cut and serve. Gibbs took Jenny's hand and led her out onto the dance floor for their first dance.
"I love you," he said softly as he wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him.
"I love you too," Jenny said melting into him as they swayed around the dance floor.
The world around them faded as they danced to the slow rhythm of the music, completely wrapped up in each other. At that moment nothing else in the world existed. The entire room sat and watched the bride and groom dance, captivated as the new couple moved at one.
As the song ended, Tony grabbed Ziva's hand and pulled her out onto the dance floor while Abby grabbed Tim and did the same. Jenny danced with Bailey while Gibbs danced with Josie, letting the little girl stand on his feet while he held her hands and spun her around. The wedding photographer snapped pictures of Gibbs and Jenny dancing with each other and with the twins as well as the others on the dance floor. The dance floor soon filled as people finished eating. Partners were exchanged as love and laughter filled the air.
After a few songs Gibbs and Jenny slipped away to greet their guests and thank them for sharing in their special day. The wedding cake was served and the room was buzzing with excitement as some people chatted over coffee and cake and others danced. With no one any the wiser the twins managed to con Jack out of a piece of cake, then Abby out of another piece before hitting up Jenny. When they asked Gibbs for what would have been their fourth piece of cake he got suspicious, knowing Jenny had already given them one and their little game was up.
"We need to be out of here within the next half an hour," Gibbs whispered as he led Jenny back out onto the dance floor for one final dance before they had to leave to catch their flight.
Jenny hummed in pleasure as she moved her body against his. "Too bad we have such a long flight before we can clip into bed," she whispered back. Gibbs wrapped his arms around her waist and held her to him as he swayed gently back and forth. It was definitely going to be a long flight.
Before Gibbs and Jenny left to get changed for their flight, all the single women were gathered for the bouquet toss. Despite Abby's best efforts to grab it, the bouquet landed in Ziva's hands, surprising her. Ziva quickly passed it onto Josie, delighting the little girl. She took Josie and Bailey over to the table Ducky was sitting at and while he explained the origins of the bouquet tossing tradition, Gibbs retrieved the garter from Jenny's leg.
The men lined up and in a move that would've made his old football coach proud, Tony snatched the undergarment right out of the air. While Tony proudly showed off his catch, Gibbs and Jenny left to get changed. Tony, Tim and Abby sat down at the table with Ducky, Ziva and the twins to wait for Gibbs and Jenny to come say goodbye.
"You know, the tradition of throwing the bride's garter to the men at the wedding started way back in the 14th century," Ducky said. "Yes, it was a way to show proof of the bride and groom's consummation of their marriage. Family and friends would go into the room with the couple and would return with the garter as proof."
Ziva laughed, almost spitting out her water. "Sounds like something Tony would do."
"I think that's a little awkward, even for me," Tony said, scrunching his face at the idea.
"Anyways," Ducky continued, "things could sometimes get out of hand. You see, having a piece of the bride's clothing, especially her undergarments, was considered good luck. At some weddings, onlookers would just start grabbing at the bride, trying to rip a piece of her clothing off. As you can imagine, that wasn't appreciated by either the bride or the groom, hence the tossing of the garter out the door. The idea was that people would chase after that and leave the newlyweds to—" Ducky stopped short and looked over at the twins who both listening intently, "…well, to do what newlyweds do on their first night of marriage."
"What do they do?" Josie asked curiously.
"Well," Ducky struggled, "they uh—"
"Cuddle!" Abby piped in.
"Daddy and Mommy cuddle with us," Bailey said happily.
"It's not exactly that kind of cuddling," Tim said without thinking.
Josie thought for a minute and something suddenly clicked in the little girl's mind. "Is it the kind of cuddling where the baby comes to live in the mommy's tummy?" she asked.
"Whoa, you are one smart cookie!" Abby said. "Nothing gets past you."
"Mom and Dad better lock their bedroom door," Tony added.
"Alright guys," Gibbs said as he joined the group. "We're leaving. You guys should have everything you need. The phone number of the hotel is on the fridge at home, the kids insurance cards are on the counter, Ducky has the emergency cash and we will see everybody on Friday."
"Are you and Mommy going to cuddle now?" Josie asked.
Gibbs narrowed his eyes at his team as he lifted his little girl out of Abby's lap. "Mommy and I are going on our honeymoon," he said. "Remember, we talked about this?"
Josie nodded her head as she reached up and rested her hand on his cheek.
"You two are going to have lots of fun with your aunts and uncles and your aunts and uncles are going to stop filling your heads with things you don't need to be concerned with." Gibbs glared at the group, silently telling them he meant business.
"Ducky started it," Tony piped up but quickly stopped talking when Gibbs slapped the back of his head. "Sorry Boss."
Gibbs smiled at Josie and kissed her cheek. "I love you, Baby Girl. Can I have a goodbye kiss?" Josie kissed Gibbs' cheek and gave him a hug. "Thank you. Give Mommy a kiss too," he said passing her off to Jenny before he picked Bailey up. After hugs and kisses goodbye Gibbs grabbed onto Jenny's hand, they waved goodbye to the group then they were off to the airport.