JUST ANOTHER DAY
By
Ashleigh Anpilova
A sequel to Not According To Plan.
Tony and Ziva plan their wedding and just how the rest of the team will be involved.
An established relationship story.
Written: April 2013. Word count: 2,440.
"Hey, Ziva, what kind of wedding do you want?"
"Small and quiet."
"Because I was thinking - What did you say?"
Ziva smiled and took Tony's hand. "I said, Tony, I want our wedding to be small and quiet."
"Oh. How small?" Tony didn't know why but he felt just a little bit let down. It wasn't that he wanted the big Church wedding with musicians and a florist's shop or two of flowers and half a dozen brides-maids and everyone in morning coat and Ziva in an expensive, elegant dress with a long veil and train and maybe even a flower girl or a ring-carrier - or both. He didn't want that at all - well he wasn't absolutely against it; in fact the more he thought about it the more he wanted . . . He wanted someone memorable.
She shrugged. "You, me, Gibbs, Ducky, Abby, Tim, Jimmy and Breena, Director Vance and your father."
"My dad? You want my dad at our wedding?"
She stared at him for a moment and then lowered her head and her gaze and took her hand away from his. After a moment or two she lifted her head and he saw tears shining in her eyes and immediately he felt ten times of fool.
"Oh, Ziva," he murmured, pulling her into his arms. For a moment or two she fought him, but then she sighed and let him hold her, even though she made no attempt to relax against him nor did she put her arms around him. "I'm sorry, Ziva," he whispered, kissing her cheek. "I'm a fool; I didn't mean to - I didn't mean to hurt you, Ziva. I just wasn't - Of course Dad will be at our wedding."
"Do you really wish him to be there?"
"Yes." He answered automatically and then paused and thought about it and found he was smiling as he realized he spoke the truth. "Yes, Ziva," he said, pulling her a little closer, "yes, my very own ninja, I do want Dad there."
She stared at him for a moment and then smiled a little; the tears still shone in her eyes but she smiled and after another second or two she rested against him and even put her arms around him.
He held her tightly and once more kissed her cheek. "So that's it; ten people - including us. That's what you want your wedding to be like?"
"I . . . No, Tony, it is not quite how I want our wedding to be. I want my father, my mother, Tali, even Ari and Jenny to be there. But that is not possible. So, I want it to be about people who matter; people I know. I do not wish to look around the room and wonder who someone is. But if you wish to invite more people, then say so."
"Well," he said, "two other people come to mind."
"They do?"
He nodded. "Dornie and Gibbs's dad."
"Dorneget? You wish to invite Ned Dorneget to be part of our wedding?"
He shrugged. "Well, Ziva, he has been working with the team on a fairly regular basis for the last nine months. I feel it would be . . . Well not right not to invite him. I know none of us know him that well, but then none of us really know Breena that well, do we?"
She shook her head. "No, but we have to invite her she is Jimmy's wife; it would not be proper to invite Jimmy and not Breena. And you are quite correct; Dorneget should be there; I did not deliberately intend to exclude him."
"And Gibbs's dad? What about him?"
"Why do you wish to invite Jack, Tony? Are you trying to appease Gibbs?"
"No!" she just stared at him. "No, Ziva, for once I'm not. It's just that . . . Well . . . Look, Gibbs has called you, Tim, Abbs, me, even Palmer his 'kids' more than once, hasn't he?"
She nodded slowly. "Yes, but - Oh, I see. You think because Gibbs sees us as his family, that the family ties extends to Jack?"
Tony nodded. "Something like that, yes. Plus, I'm sure he'd enjoy a wedding."
She smiled and lightly kissed his cheek. "Sometimes, Tony DiNozzo, you still surprise me."
He maneuvered her in his arms a little and put his mouth on hers and kissed her with more than a degree of passion and intimacy. "Let's hope I'm still surprising you in forty years time."
She took her mouth away from his for long enough to whisper, "Oh, fifty at least, Tony." And then she not only put her mouth back on his and parted her lips for him, she pushed her body more closely against his and began to caress his back, letting her fingers run up and down his spine as she pushed her lower body against his as hard as she could.
SEVERAL HOURS LATER
Ziva wrapped her hair in a towel and pulled on clean underclothes, sweat-pants and a sweater before going to join Tony in the kitchen where he was 'making' dinner. Usually she did the cooking, while Tony took care of other chores, but occasionally she enjoyed having something she hadn't had to cook - even if it was either a take-out or something reheated from the freezer.
He looked up and smiled at her; she smiled back and not for the first time allowed herself to wonder if she had ever thought she would end up engaged to and planning a wedding with Tony DiNozzo.
She still wasn't quite certain when she went from being irritated by him, but not caring enough about him to like or dislike him; to being irritated by him and disliking him; to being irritated by him and occasionally believing she might actually be able to like him; to being irritated by him and admitting to herself she did like him; to being irritated by him and knowing she not only loved him but that she was also deeply in love with him. He did still at times irritate her - but she actually hoped the day never came when he ceased to irritate her, because that would be the day when he ceased to be the Tony DiNozzo she knew and loved.
He held out a glass of red wine and she crossed the room and took it from him. "Thank you." She took a sip and let it sit in her mouth for a second or two before swallowing it.
Ten minutes later they were sitting on the couch, trays with plates of lasagna and salad on their laps, glasses of red wine, together with the bottle, on the table in front of them.
"So ten plus us," Tony said, picking up a forkful of lasagna and putting it into his mouth.
"If you would be happy with that, yes." As she had showered following their lovemaking, Ziva had realized she hadn't really give any thought to what kind of wedding Tony wished for; not really. She had asked him if he wished to invite anyone else, but she still felt she hadn't quite taken this wishes into account.
He looked at her and swallowed. "You know what, Ziva, yeah, I would be. I guess I'd always thought I'd have a big wedding well at least not a small one, because that's the kind of wedding I always though most girls would want."
She picked up her wine glass and took a sip. "I am not like most girls," she said softly as she looked at him.
He held her gaze and acknowledged her words in silence; his eyes saying so much, telling her he understood; letting her know, as he always let her know, just how much he loved her. "Do you have any idea where you want to get married?"
"Well," she said slowly, wondering if her idea was a foolish one. She wiped her mouth with her napkin, took another sip of wine and said, "I was wondering if it would be possible to get married in Ducky's home. I am sure that's a foolish idea," she hastened to add, not even giving Tony a chance to reply. "And even if it was possible, I doubt Ducky would want -"
His finger on her lips silenced her. "I know Ducky would love it, Ziva. And I think it's a great idea."
"Do you?" She couldn't hide the surprise from her voice.
"I do, Ziva. I really do."
"And it is possible?"
"Yes, Ziva, it is. I'm not sure of the exact details, but it is. So we'll ask Ducky tomorrow - he's probably buds with someone who can marry us."
She looked at him. "Do you really think so?"
"I sometimes think Ducky's buds with half of the US." Ziva laughed softly. "Why Ducky's home? I really do think it's a great idea, but why?"
Again she paused as she wondered if she was being over-romantic (the idea that anyone could consider her over-romantic, or quite possibly even romantic, made her smile). "It is just that I would like the people who come to our wedding, the wedding party I believe you would call them, to be involved; at least I would like as many of them as possible to be involved and not be merely guests. That is why I only want to invite those people who matter."
He smiled at her and shook his head. "I won't tell anyone," he said, leaning forward and kissing her cheek.
She frowned. "You will not tell anyone what?"
"That you, Ziva David, are a closet romantic."
She opened her mouth to deny the charge and closed it again as she felt her cheeks become a little warm. "I know that it may not be possible to involve quite everyone, even though we are only inviting a small number. But I really do wish as many as possible to play a part. So Ducky's house - assuming he agrees."
"I told you; he'll agree."
"And then I thought that Gibbs could give me away. Abby could be my maid of honor."
Tony grinned at her. "Tim can be my best man."
"Which leaves Jimmy, Breena, Dorneget, Director Vance, your father and Gibbs's father. As we have worked with Jimmy for a number of years, I would really like him to be involved in the ceremony in some way. As well as your father," she added softly.
He stared at her for a moment and she saw he was thinking. "Witnesses," he said. "We'll ask Jimmy and Dad to be witnesses."
She smiled and nodded. "I like that idea. You do not think Breena, Dorneget, Director Vance and Gibbs's father will feel left out at all, do you?"
Tony shook his head. "No, they'll see what we're doing and approve and understand, and it's not as if it's only one or two people not involved."
"And you really would be quite happy with that?"
He put his tray down and took her hand. "Yes, Ziva, I'd be more than happy. I confess when you said 'quiet and small' I half thought it would be just another day, but this won't be. This will be a very special day, a memorable day, the day I get to marry the woman I love."
She smiled at him and shook her head. "I will not tell anyone," she said, leaning forward and kissing his cheek.
He frowned. "You won't tell anyone what?"
"That you, Anthony DiNozzo, are a closet romantic."
They both laughed.
TWO MONTHS LATER
Ducky had, as Tony as predicted, been delighted to be asked if Tony and Ziva could get married in Reston House. And also as Tony had predicted he did happen to be friends (they played Bridge together) with a judge who had conducted many weddings in people's homes.
For a moment or two Ziva had been slightly worried that as the judge was a friend of Ducky's that it would be expected that he would remain after the ceremony. However, Ducky had reassured her, telling her that unless he was actually marrying people he knew, the judge made it a point never to remain, not even if he was invited to do so.
Ziva stood with Abby in Ducky's dining room, allowing Abby to adjust the simple clasp of flowers and ribbon she had used to tie part of her hair back. Her dress was simple and elegant; it was calf length, had short sleeves, was slightly fitted and the color matched the opals in her ring perfectly. The ribbon in her hair was the same red as the ruby in her ring and the flowered clasp and the small posy of flowers she carried were also the same color. The biggest challenge had been finding shoes both she and Abby were happy with; in the end she had settled for a pair that matched her dress, rather than going with Abby's suggestion of ruby red shoes.
Abby's own dress was also elegant and Ziva was surprised by how un-Abby-like it was; it had, however, been Abby's choice. It was the same length as Ziva's and had long sleeves. It was a very dark red and suited Abby perfectly. All of the man wore tuxedos and Abby had reported that Breena's dress was lovely too.
"You look beautiful, Ziva," Abby said, brushing her lips over Ziva's cheek. "Tony's going to fall in love with you all over again."
Ziva felt her cheeks flush slightly. They flushed even more when Gibbs said, "He better - if he knows what's good for him." She turned around, she hadn't heard him come into the room, and stared at him. He didn't often wear anything formal, but from the way the suit sat on him and the way he wore it you'd have thought he dressed up every day.
As she stared at him just for a moment she felt tears threaten her as she thought of her father and how it should have been him about to take her to Tony and not Gibbs. The next second Gibbs was by her side and had tucked her arm through his. "Your dad would have been proud," he whispered in her ear, "just as I am," he added. And then in a slightly different tone said, "You know what? I reckon he is." He squeezed her hand and in his normal voice said, "You ready?"
She blinked back the hint of tears and swallowed before she smiled up at him. "I am ready."
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