Happiest Day

Authors Note: This story was written before Judgement Day aired, so parts are no longer strictly cannon.

6.

It took them a year. A year longer then they had planned. A long year of work, and life and trying to regain each other’s trust, but they still had a spring wedding. Compared to Gibbs’ other weddings this one was by far the smallest but Gibbs had promised himself and Tim he wouldn’t be comparing. They had found a resort with gardens attached, which sat high on a hill over looking the sea. After much arguing with the manager they’d rented the gardens along with the adjoining room, large enough for the reception with a wall of French doors leading straight out into the gardens. They’d finally decided, weather permitting, to have the ceremony in the pavilion in the garden, and they had been lucky in the fact that their had been neither bad weather nor terrorist attacks that day. Even with the good luck the wedding day was still chaos as usual.

Abby and Ziva arrived together in time to see Tony streak by, cell phone held to one ear.

“What do you mean you lost the order? How can you loose an order for a couple dozen flower arrangements? I mean the ceremonies only in a couple hours when where you planning on telling us you’d lost it?”

As Abby headed inside, Tony pointed at Ziva.

“Hey Ziva, if you see anyone looking anything like a caterer shoot first and ask questions later.”

He turned back to his phone.

“Look my boss and friend is getting married to another friend today and I’m a little short on patience so you find those flowers and you get them over here within the next twenty minutes or I am personally going to hunt you down.”

He slammed his phone shut and turned to Ziva.

“Who knew weddings were so complicated? I’ve planned and pulled off undercover ops easier then this. You and Abby didn’t happen to see Ducky or Derector Shepard by any chance, if they don’t show up soon I think Gibbs might kill someone.”

He regarded Ziva for a moment then whistled and she turned in a little circle for him to admire the sheer, floral patterned, dress she was wearing with matching heeled sandals.

“Looking good Agent David.”

“Why thank you Tony and you are not looking bad yourself.”

Tony smiles

“Yeah I wasn’t sure what to wear, seeing as how this isn’t a formal wedding and all, but I thought I’d go with a gentle grey.”

He did look very nice with a crisp white shirt and dove grey suit. He glanced back at the huge Victorian mansion-turned resort behind them.

“I hope everything’s going ok. Hey . . . ”

He pointed his phone at a truck that had just driven up with ‘Riverside Catering’ stenciled on the side.

“You people were supposed to be here two hours ago!”

Grabbing Ziva by the arm he headed towards the truck.

Tim stood upstairs in one of the rooms in the two-room sweet they’d rented for dressing and other preparing purposes. He was dressed a very expensive dark cream suit with a green silk shirt underneath which complimented his eyes. For now though he stood at he window, dress jacket thrown onto the bed looking down at the lawns and gardens, a small frown creasing his forehead.

“Getting cold feet McGee?”

Abby closed one of the ornate Victorian doors behind her, then swept across the room. Although technically the maid of honor, or Tim’s best man depending on who you asked, she had not worn white, which of course was only to be expect. However she had worn a flowing black dress that fall to the floor with full sweeping sleeves and panels of black lace in the skirt, and bodes. She’d bought it specially for the wedding and let Ziva do her hair. Tim turned, towards her one hip still resting against the windowsill.

“Can you blame me?”

She put one hand on his shoulder.

“He’s here isn’t he.”

Tim sighed

“Yeah, it’s just . . . how can I be sure. After all the times it almost hasn’t worked . . .”

On the bed Tim’s cell phone chirruped and Abby grabbed it then handed it to Tim.

“McGee. Yeah ok. No, it shouldn’t be a problem you still have time.”

He snapped it close.

“Sara’s running a little late, I guess she’s having her new boyfriend drive her.”

“But she’s going to make it, right? It is her big brother who’s getting married after all.”

He smiled for the first time since she’d gotten there.

“Yeah, she’ll be here.”

“But none of your other family is coming?”

He closed his eyes briefly.

“I thought . . . I thought it was for the best if they didn’t find out until after I’d already done it.”

Spontaneously she hugged him.

“It’s going to be ok Tim, you two have gotten this far, and yeah sure you fight, everyone does. The important part is you’re here and Gibbs is here and you’re both ready to do this, right?”

She pulled back and looked at him and finally he nodded.

“Yeah, I’m . . . I’m ready.”

She smiled

“Good.”

In the next room over, Gibbs sat on the bed next to Fornell passing Fornell’s flask back and forth. Fornell pulled up the sleeve of his dark grey dress suit slightly to glance at his watch.

“were is everyone? Jen and Ducky should be here by now not to mession the flowers.”

He grabbed the flask and took another swig.

“this is beginning to feel like my wedding.”

“trust me it won’t be that bad.”

Fornell smiles slightly, but Gibbs knew he was right Ducky and Jen should have already been there. Originally Gibbs had asked Ducky as he had done for his last three marriages, only this time Ducky had said no. Gibbs had been so stunned for a moment he had just stood there gaping at his oldest friend.

“No, what do you mean, no?”

Ducky had sighed.

“Gibbs, I have been your best man for your last three weddings but this time is different. I will gladly attend you and Timothy’s wedding, I will even stay with you leading up to the event and stand by you on the day, but I cannot nor will not, be your best man. Ask Tobias, or ask Anthony.”

Gibbs had finally shut his mouth.

“Ok Ducky. I’m not sure I understand, but if that’s the way you feel.”

Ducky had only smiled and patted Gibbs on the cheek. In the end though Gibbs hadn’t asked either Fornell or Tony to be his best man.

“You want to me to be your best man? You have got to be joking.”

Jennifer Shepard regarded him from over her reading glasses.

“Jethro why?”

“well, Tim asked Abby.”

“So your just going for complete opposite of roles, then?”

He sighed

“No. It’s just, you know me and you know how much this means to me. How hard it’s been for both me and Tim getting here. Please Jen.”

She stared at him for a few more moments then sighed, and folded her hands on her desk.

“fine, then Jethro. I would be honored to be your best man at your wedding.”

He smiled

“Thanks Jen.”

He was half way to the door when she spoke.

“Just remember Jethro, I’m only doing this once. So don’t screw it up this time.”

Back at the resort Ducky finally entered and closed the door behind him. He was dressed in full, old-fashioned suit and glared at the two men.

“Tobias, Jethro! This is hardly the time to be drinking, you can do plenty of that after the ceremony.”

“Hey Duck. What took you so long?”

Ducky shut the door and moved over to stand next to Gibbs.

“I was picking Director Shepard up. She asked me to give her a ride.”

As Fornell passed the flask back over to Gibbs Ducky grabbed it and stowed it firmly away in his own suit jacket. Gibbs stood and Ducky ran a critical eye over Gibbs attire. Gibbs, like Abby, had opted for black, black dress pants, black turtleneck and black suit jacket, he had decided against bothering with a tie this time around.

“Do you have the rings?”

Behind Gibbs, and still seated on the bed, Fornell wordlessly held up the box. Ducky sighed with relief.

“Good.”

Strangely Gibbs grinned and Ducky threw him a baleful look.

“I don’t care what you always say Jethro it was not funny. And you would not have found it nearly so humorous if you had been the one who had to tell the bride that the wedding bands had been lost and under what circumstances. I still to this day feel I was lucky to have made it out of that room with my life.”

This time Gibbs actually laughed shaking his head as he moved across the room to the dresser were his stuff had been tossed.

“Not one of my best moves Ducky, the whole thing, including marrying her.”

“But this time is different.”

Gibbs half turned still smiling and glanced back at his two oldest friends.

“Yeah Duck, this time’s different.”

There was a banging on the door and Tony pushed his way in carrying a stack of white cardboard boxes followed by Jenny Shepard in a nicely cut cream suit.

“Flowers finally came Boss, err, Gibbs. But not before I had to threaten some people with bodily harm.”

Tony began passing around boxes and Fornell, Ducky, Gibbs, Jen and then finally Tony himself, all took flowers and began trying to affix them to suit lapels. Tony glanced over at Jen for a moment still trying to wrestle the small pin on the back of the flowers onto his jacket.

“Aren’t you not supposed to wear white to a wedding?”

“It’s not white, its cream and why not? I doubt the bride is going to be wearing it.”

Jen strode cross the room and grabbed Fornell’s lapel succeeding in pinning his white rose. Finally she turned to Gibbs who’d managed his own flowers.

“Ready?”

Wordlessly he nodded and she moves across the room and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

“Be happy.”

He smiled at her.

“I will.”

She smiled too, than turned.

“I’m going to go see how they’re coping next door.”

The actually ceremony took place about forty minutes later, outside in the garden. Tim and Abby walked out from the house arm in arm down to the pavilion in the middle of the garden where Gibbs and Jen waited the rest sitting in chairs facing the small white structure. Only their very closest friends were there only a couple dozen in all. Tim had wanted to write there own vows, but Gibbs hadn’t really felt like that was something he could do, so they said the normal wedding vows, the ones Gibbs had said four times before. They exchanged rings, and they kissed. Ducky held Jen’s hand throughout the enter ceremony and both Abby and Tony cried copious amounts at the end. After the ceremony Sara kissed both of them on the cheek and told them how happy she was. To Tim it seemed so unreal.