A/N - apparently there will be one more chapter. I didn't want to make this chapter a million and half pages long, so I'll cut it in two. I leave for a program out East in a few days, but Inshallah I'll be able to get some writing done there!
And always, if you like what you see (or don't!) please let me know!
Ziva stepped out of the washroom to gasps.
"You look beautiful." Abby breathed, her eyes never leaving Ziva's slight frame. The dress clung to her curves, flailing out at the bottom. The ivory dress made her olive tone skin seem darker, the sequins and jewels sewn in, sparkling as she moved.
Stopping in front of the mirror, Ziva stared at her reflection. Her hair was still hanging in damp tendrils down her back, her face bare of any makeup...but Abby was right. She was beautiful. Ziva didn't grow up imagining her wedding like most little girls. Her funeral, yes, but not her wedding. She never imagined marriage, certainly not children. But here she was. She met Abby's eyes in the mirror and blushed softly. "I never imagined I could get anything like this. That I deserved this." She whispered.
"You deserve all of this." Abby said softly. "The white dress, the fairytale wedding…" She grabbed a wide tooth comb and slowly started to comb out Ziva's hair.
"I just want to pin my hair back. Tony likes it curly." Ziva said softly. Jenny had Daniela in her room, so the two women had some quiet time alone. Abby carefully combed out her hair and zipped up Ziva's dress.
Ziva ran some product through her curls and pinned it back on both sides. She applied some eyeliner, eyeshadow, mascara and a deep red lipstick. Turning to Abby, she gave her a small smile. "So?"
"Breathtaking." They heard from the doorway. Jenny smiled as she entered wearing the deep emerald and ivory dress that Abby also wore. Daniela stepped into the room before stopping in front of Ziva.
Her blue eyes opened wide and she stared at Ziva for a few long seconds before speaking. "Wow, Mummy." She whispered. She was wearing a smaller replica of Jenny and Abby's dress. "I...Papa is going to cry when he sees you." She mused softly. "You look so so so so so beautiful." She wrung her hands in front of her body.
Ziva reached over and hugged her daughter tightly against her chest, kissing her hair. "I love you so much, motek."
Daniela sniffled and pulled her face away from Ziva's dress. "I do not want to wreck your dress." She mumbled. Wiping her eyes, she gave a soft smile. "I love you too, Mummy." The girl whispered. "I am glad we came to America."
Tony retied his tie for the 30th time and picked off the invisible lint that was on his pant leg. He looked over at Gibbs who was finishing tying Jacob's tie and helping the boy slide into his suit jacket. "There, just like Daddy."
"Papa." Jacob said rolling his eyes. He flattened his hair and beamed up at Tony. Palmer and McGee walked in, wearing the same suit and tie as Tony, each wearing an ivory and green tie and a dark grey suit. Gibbs was the only one different. Tony had approached him about being his best man, but he was turned down, Gibbs saying that he had something to do already at the wedding.
"So, are you ready, Tony?" McGee asked, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"More ready than you can ever imagine." Tony replied with a smirk. "Like I've been waiting my whole life for this moment with this woman." He said honestly. "From the moment I met her...I was hooked." He shrugged and cleared his throat. "Guess you guys will hear the rest during our vows." Tony said quietly.
Jimmy smiled softly. "You're a lucky man, Tony." He said quietly. Reaching down he scooped up Jacob and smiled at the boy. "You have it all. A kick ass, beautiful woman, and two great kids."
Looking around, Tony nodded in agreement. "I agree, Palmer. I am lucky."
Gibbs had snuck out of the room, leaving the younger men to have some time by themselves. He remembered being like Tony at his wedding to Shannon. Walking down the hall to the womens' room, he knocked on the door and gave Abby a grin when she opened it. "Hello beautiful." He told her giving her a soft kiss on the cheek.
"Just wait until you see ZIVA." Abby exclaimed as she grabbed his hand and dragged her inside.
Ziva stood in the middle of the room with Jenny gently pinning on her veil. The dark haired Israeli turned and gave Gibbs a shy smile.
"Wow, Ziver." The grey haired Marine whispered.
She shrugged softly and met his eyes. "How is Tony?"
Sitting down on the bed, Gibbs straightened Jenny's necklace and looked up at Ziva. "Nervous. Pretending he's not. I think he thinks you're going to bail." The older man admitted. Daniela crawled onto the bed and snuggled between Gibbs and Jenny, wrapping Jenny's arm around her shoulders.
"I do not think Papa needs to be worried." She said softly, watching as Ziva slipped her feet into a pair of ivory flats.
"Me neither." Gibbs whispered, linking his hand with Jenny's behind the little girl's back. He watched as the young woman he considered his daughter get ready for one of the biggest days of her life. "You look stunning." He said softly. "Tony is going to be all over himself." He looked around the room and stood up slowly, pulling a small box out of his pocket. "I know you've already got something borrowed." He said. The earrings that she wore were Jenny's. "And something blue." Noting the blue clips that held her hair back. "And something new." Daniela grinned since she had helped pick out the simple bracelet that Ziva wore. "But I wanted to give you something old." He opened the box and a simple, delicate gold chain laid there. "It was Shannon's. She wanted to give it to Kelly when she got married." He walked over to Ziva and removed her Star of David necklace and gently thread the chain back through the clasp and clipped it back around her neck.
"Gibbs…" Ziva breathed, her hand flying to the Star of David. "It's...it's too much." She whispered.
"It's perfect." He replied kissing her head. "And don't cry, you don't want to have to redo your makeup." He added with a soft smile. Gently he brushed his thumbs down her cheeks, catching any stray tears. "Aht yafah me'od." He whispered, his lips close to her ear.
A lump grew in her throat and Ziva swallowed hard to clear it. "Anni ohevet otxa, abba."
Father. Her father was still alive, but to her, Gibbs was closer to a father than Eli ever was. He loved her for who she was, not for what she could do or him. Throwing her arms around him, Ziva hugged him tightly, not caring if her dress was wrinkled. After a few long minutes, Ziva pulled away and gave Gibbs a weak smile.
The silence in the room was deafening, the air heavy with emotions and unspoken words. Abby was the first to speak, as usual. "We should get going to the synagogue if we want to get there on time." She said, getting to her feet and helping both Daniela and Jenny. "We'll meet you in the limo."
Gibbs nodded in silence and watched Ziva, who gently fingered the delicate chain. When the trio left, she sat down on the edge of the bed and looked up at Gibbs. The man was comfortable in silence, Ziva not so much. "Nervous?" Gibbs asked, sitting down on a chair in front of her.
"About marrying Tony, no." Ziva replied softly. "About being a wife, yes." She brought her thumb up to her mouth and started to chew idly on the nail before pulling it away with a blush. "I do not know how to be a wife, Gibbs."
The grey haired man looked at her with a slight shake of his head. "And I assume that Daniela and Jacob came with an instruction manual?"
She cocked her head to the side and shook her head. "Of course not."
"Well you've done a pretty damn good job figuring out how to raise them." He said softly. "And you will do the same with marriage." Reaching out, he took Ziva's hand and helped her to her feet. "Let's go before they come looking for us." He said gently. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, they walked down the hallway and into the elevator. "You don't give yourself enough credit, Ziva. You'll be a wonderful wife. Tony is lucky to have found you." He pressed a gentle kiss on the top of her head.
Walking out to the limo, Gibbs helped Ziva in, sliding in beside Jenny. Daniela cuddled up against her Mom while Abby chatted with the former director. Gibbs watched as Ziva spoke softly to the young girl, brushing a stray curl off her face. He had seen the change, the growth in his two agents, but none was so obvious as Ziva's. There was a softness in the way she carried herself, the brash young officer disappearing, a young mother taking her place.
"I can't wait for Papa to see you." Daniela breathed softly as she played with the edge of Ziva's dress. "You look like a princess and this is a fairy tale."
Jenny grinned and exchanged an amused look with Abby. "It kind of is." The redhead said with a smirk.
"The Princess met her Prince!" Daniela exclaimed as they made their way to the synagogue.
The men were already inside so that there was no way that Tony would see Ziva. The ladies walked into the synagogue and Abby busied herself with getting their bouquets ready and handing Ziva hers. A few minutes later Jimmy, Tim and Jacob walked back, the ceremony about to start. Jimmy gave Ziva a shy smile.
"You look beautiful." He said, his ears glowing red.
Tim nodded in agreement, though leaned over and gave Abby a gentle kiss.
"Are we ready to roll?" Gibbs asked looking around.
Jacob nodded. "Yessir. I got the rings." He said pulling out a box from his pocket and opened it. "Gotta be careful."
The music flowed through the opulent building, Tony standing nervously at the front, his eyes scanning the crowd. His father was there, Jackie and Leon Vance and their kids, Michelle and Keith, Keiran and JJ, and friends from work. He smiled shyly and stared at the doors. First Jimmy and Jenny walked down the aisle, Jimmy holding tightly onto her arm and helped her into her position. Then McGee and Abby, exchanging shy smiles between them. Next Daniela and Jacob. The girl held her brother's hand and dutifully walked down the aisle, splitting off to separate sides.
Everyone craned their necks watch the doors as they opened, Gibbs arm in arm with Ziva. Tony thought his heart might stop watching her. She was radiant. The dress hugged her every curve, the colour accenting her olive toned skin. And her smile. Her eyes sparkled and she shared a smile with Tony.
Once Gibbs and Ziva got to the front, Gibbs gave the Israeli a kiss on her cheek and shook Tony's hand and stepped back. Their eyes locked, Tony's veiled in unshed tears. He reached out and took her hands in his. "Ziva." He whispered. "You are...so beautiful."
She smiled, her hands shaking ever so slightly in his grasp.
They stood under the chuppah, their hands linked as the ceremony started. It wasn't 100% Jewish, despite being held in the synagogue. There were elements of both Tony and Ziva's faiths intertwined from the ketubah to the priest that oversaw the ceremony. As Tony slipped the ring on Ziva's finger, he grinned at her and held his hand out. The cool metal slid on his finger and he looked up at Ziva. His wife. Ziva David, his wife. Embracing her, he pulled her down for a deep kiss, ignoring the hooting and hollering behind them. They were married. Pulling away, he grinned widely. Their signatures, hs scrawling and messy, hers tight and perfect adorned the bottom of the ketubah. Both legally and religiously they were man and wife.
He stood in the crowd. The ultimate chameleon, he blended in with all of them. Look happy. Act happy. Eyes on the bride. She was beautiful. Her husband stood tall beside her, grinning with pride. Their children stood in front, the boy wrapped his arms around his father's legs while the girl quietly held the bride's hand at her side. They were truly a beautiful family. But he was a soldier of Israel, he was a soldier of Eli David. Part of him almost felt bad for being there. Almost.
Watching as the bride and groom got into their limo to head to the dance hall, he walked back to his car and pulled out his phone. "Eli. Too many people here. NCIS is a federal agency, and they have friends in the FBI. I will wait."
"I NEED her back." Eli David hissed into the phone, venom dripping from his words. "You get her back here."
THe bride and groom drove away, the group starting to dissipate. He followed the dark haired woman and fair man as they led the kids to a military issued vehicle. He didn't let Eli down. Ever.