For Kat and Kelsey, who have been asking me for this since we met Cotes in April.
I've rewrote this chapter multiple times to make sure it's good enough. Hope it is!
xoxo
The tension that filled the wedding reception room after Tony and Ziva's speech went unnoticed by most of Delilah and McGee's guests, besides those that sat at the intermediate table. Quickly after the maid of honor and best man speeches, the waiters brought out the food that Delilah and McGee had selected for their special occasion.
Ziva prepped Ty with a napkin in his lap to eat, followed by placing Isabella in a high chair. Mark leaned forward when he noticed Ty trying to reach for his drink, but Ty slapped away the stranger's hand, deciding that he would just rather not have a drink at all than have that weird man help him. Tony watched the four carefully, making no sudden moves to alert Ziva that he was watching them. Even though, he knew she was well aware that he had his eyes on her all night and would continue to watch over his family for the remainder of the wedding trip.
Once the plates were all set in front of guests, Delilah and McGee started to each and every one else followed suit.
"What is this?" Ty helped up his fork, a white, pinkish meat falling off of his metal utensil as he made a disgusted look.
"Salmon, my love. Try it, you may like it." Ziva inquired, cutting up smaller pieces for the boy.
"I don't like it…" Ty complained, wriggling his nose at the vegetables on the plate.
"You have not tried it," Ziva tried, taking a smaller piece of salmon onto his fork and handing it to him. "One bite, if you don't like it, so be it. You must try new things,"
Ty sighed, making eye contact with his father across the table.
"If he doesn't want to eat it, he doesn't have to." Tony chimed in, who hadn't even touched his plate yet.
Ziva scoffed, rolling her eyes. "That is great coming from someone who won't be an adult and eat the food."
Tony made a face back at her reply, taking his knife and cutting the piece of fish on his plate. He took a big bite, staring at Ziva while he did. "Eat one piece, Ty…for Ima. I did."
"Oh yes, you are so genuine, Anthony DiNozzo. You ate a piece of fish for me!" Ziva's tone was dripping with sarcasm. "Not like it is the only fish you have ate before….." Ziva shrugged, taking a bite of salmon and looked at Lisa with a smirk.
"Did she just-" Lisa growled, interrupted by Gibbs.
"ENOUGH!" The elder man grunted, glaring at the table around him. He wasn't going to let Tony and Ziva ruin Delilah and McGee's special day with their problems.
"She started it." Tony gave one last comment, knowing very well that Ziva would follow up with a comment.
"Oh my god, you are ridiculous. You started all of this," Ziva countered back, watching Tony smirk at her. Yeah, he still knew how to get under her skin and know how to get a reaction out of her despite them not being a couple anymore.
"I said enough, Ziver." Gibbs ice blue glare stared at her and she rolled her eyes again, a common theme of the night.
Ty and Isabella both stared at their plates still, Isabella grabbing asparagus pieces one by one and throwing them under the table. Ima and Abba would then think she was a great, big girl and ate all of her vegetables while Ty just played with the food on his plate. Like father, like son, Tony moved the pieces of food on the fine china around in a circle, making it look like he had ate more.
"Ty, you have to eat." Mark spoke up, looking at the little boy.
Ty gave him a dirty look in response, "No."
"Ty, come on!" Ziva reprimanded. "There will be no wedding cake if you do not eat some of your food. Salmon is healthy for you, healthier than pizza or a burger."
"Abba said we can get pizza later," Ty started, putting his feet up on his chair and sat cross legged.
"Abba does not have a say, you listen to Mark now and eat the food on your plate." Ziva tried, knowing well that everyone was listening when she heard the shatter of a glass.
Tony threw his glass to the ground, standing up from the table in a sudden flash. "I don't have a say?! They're MY kids too, Ziva."
"Oh, Tony. Sit down, you're embarrassing everyone. Do not ruin McGee and Delilah's day!" Ziva scolded, trying to stay seated and calm.
"DiNozzo!" Gibbs called from the end of the table.
"No, what's embarrassing is Dr. Chode, here, trying to tell my children what to do when they clearly think he's a fucking piece of shit!" Tony threw his napkin down on the table. "Wake up, Ziva. They are exactly like me when it comes to him and they can't fucking stand him."
"Who are you, again?" Mark asked, leaning back in his chair.
"Your worst fucking nightmare, buddy." Tony gripped the table cloth, clenching his teeth together as he stared at the man who was trying, but definitely not succeeding at taking his place.
"That's it!" Gibbs yelled, standing up from his spot at the table and walking over to Tony. He grabbed Tony by the shoulder, pulling him away from the table and Tony's plate went crashing to the ground. McGee set his fork down, standing up and helping Gibbs pull Tony back and away from everyone.
"Da-da?" Isabella squeaked, cocking her head to the side, a move she learned from watching her mother constantly. Why was Uncle McGee and Grandpa Gibbs holding Daddy back?
"DiNozzo," Gibbs warned, using McGee's help to lure him away from the table. "You go settle down elsewhere or you don't come back at all. You got that?"
Tony shook his head, McGee pushing him towards the exit and following after him, towards the hallway from the ballroom of the hotel. In the hallway, Tony clenched his fists and walked further down to the men's restroom, located at the end of the hall. Luckily, no one was inside because everyone continued to finish their dinner inside the reception.
"You're not okay…" McGee started out, but was interrupted when Tony's fist collided with the brick wall of the restroom.
"NO! No, I'm not fucking okay, Tim!" He yelled, holding onto his now bruised fist with his other hand. "My wife is trying to replace me in all aspects of her life! With her, with our children...who the hell knows where he sleeps at night! He could sleep in my bed, Tim!"
"Okay, Tony, I-I know you don't want to hear this…but what did you think would happen when Ziva found out about Lisa? You know Ziva never treads lightly when it comes to revenge." McGee reasoned with his friend.
"Tim, I don't even remember meeting Lisa. Honest to God! I woke up in a hotel room with her and suddenly Ziva was at the door! I was so damn happy to see her because of the fight we had and then I saw the look on her face when she realized someone else was in the room with me… Fuck, Tim. I swore on my mother's grave…." Tears started falling from Tony's face, his cheeks growing redder as the conflicting emotions swirled through his head. "I swore on my mother's grave that I would never hurt Ziva or my kids. God damnit!" He swore, gripping at the edge of the cool, porcelain sink that was in front of him. He looked into the mirror, staring back at himself and the man he had become over the past year. "I would never in a million years do that to Ziva…. You should've seen the look on her face." Mucus dripped from his nose as the tears formed a pool at the bottom of the sink, slowly making their way down the drain as if Ziva were flushing her remaining feelings for Tony down the drain. "Now, I can't even touch my kids, touch her…let alone look at them for Christ's sake!" He looked down the drain, a pain wrenching through his fist.
-x-
"Where did Tim go?" Delilah questioned, sipping out of her wine glass.
"He followed Tony out," Palmer suggested, looking at Ziva to see what her reaction was to the absence of the two men.
"Oh," Delilah commented, "I'll just wait here then. I don't want to go mingle with the other tables until he's back."
The rest of the table, excluding Mark, stared at Ziva, who looked in question at everyone else back.
"What?" Ziva asked, rocking Isabella in her lap to settle the little girl down when she began to act up as soon as she saw her father leaving the venue.
"Do you mind going to find Tim?" Delilah requested, putting her lip out in a pout.
Ziva bit her lip in response, shaking her head, "It is not my job to watch the boys anymore. Those days are long gone!"
"It's not your job, but I need my husband to get back here, so our guests don't begin to ask questions. You're the maid of honor, that's why I'm asking you to do this. We're supposed to go around to each table now and thank everyone for coming to the wedding…" Delilah explained, nervously looking around at the guests who were now done with their dinner.
Sighing, Ziva stood up and set Isabella down, whispering in her ear "I'm going to go find Daddy…" and patting Mark on the shoulder as she walked away from the table.
Ziva walked down the halls of the hotel, looking for any signs of McGee and Tony. She figured she had run out of places to look when she came to the end of the narrow hallway, past the lobby and fitness room. She was about to turn around and head back to the ballroom, giving up because it wasn't her duty anymore to play hide and seek with the two men, when the wall to her left rattled.
Dingo.
Dingo? Lingo? She was still working on the whole idiom thing.
Just then, McGee opened the men's restroom door to walk out, noticing Ziva. He stood in the doorway, opening the door a bit more for Ziva to peek in. Inside, Tony was bent over, heaving on the ground, pieces of glass all over the floor. Ziva peered up, the mirror over the sink completely broken and then back down at Tony, who held his bloody fist. His mumbles were practically audible, only "I miss her, heard by Ziva at the door. He cried harder, the pain making the pain in his heart worse.
"Talk to him…please." McGee whispered to her, pushing the door back more for her to be able to walk in.
"Your wife wants you back in the reception." Ziva said, out loud for Tony to hear. He looked up at her, his eyes squinted from the tears that were leaking out of his eyes. She stared back at him for a few seconds, resisting the urge to walk in and hold him because she could never take it when he cried. But instead, she took a few steps backwards, moving from the door frame of the men's restroom and began to walk down the hall.