------------"The Best Man For The Job"------------
Story by R. O. Knight
based on the hit television series "NCIS"
Created by Donald P. Bellisario
Morning in the squad room was a little bit weirder than usual on this particular day.
The team had not been assigned a case in a while so Gibbs and Abby had thought it would be a good time to see about the wedding arrangements.
Everybody was at their desks.
"Yeah I need to make an appointment for...as soon as possible." Gibbs said into his phone.
"An appointment for what...is he sick?" Ziva asked.
"No, for a fitting." Tony answered from his desk.
"Just for a fitting, yes." Gibbs said into the phone.
"What is he being fitted for?" Ziva asked.
"His Tux probably." McGee answered.
"Tux...you mean for the wedding?"
"Yeah, for the wedding." Tony replied.
Tony balled up a piece of paper and threw it at McGee.
"Ouch! Thanks Tony...I-I really appreciate that." McGee said sarcastically as he rubbed the side of his head.
"You're welcome Probie." Tony replied with a grin.
"So what does a typical American wedding look like?" Ziva asked, curiously.
"Well Ziva, here in the states...weddings can be big or they can be small--depending on which one the happy couple prefers to have." Tony began.
"No, just for the fitting." Gibbs said into the phone, sounding a little annoyed.
Tony threw another paper ball at McGee. He must be really bored.
"Tony, please stop doing that." McGee said as he turned towards Tony.
Tony chuckled.
"The groom, or Gibbs in this case, usually has a best man and a couple of groomsmen. His bride, Abby, has bridesmaids and a maid or matron of honor." Tony finished with a smile.
Tony then turned to McGee.
"Sorry Probie...there's nothing else to do, and I'm bored." Tony replied with a grin.
Tony threw a third paper ball at McGee.
"Tony." McGee fumed.
"The happy couple usually will invite their closest friends and family to come and watch them get married." McGee finished for Tony.
"AND...weddings are a great place to meet women." Tony added.
Ziva shot Tony a mean look that Tony read almost immediately.
"Er...I mean...that is...(clears throat)...if you're single. Which I'm not." Tony corrected himself nervously.
"Do you think they will have a big wedding or a small one?" Ziva asked.
"Knowing Gibbs...Small, probably." Tony said.
"No, no, listen I would like to come in THIS week if possible." Gibbs said into the phone.
Tony was about to toss another paper ball McGee's way, but Gibbs interceded.
"Just one second please." Gibbs said into the phone.
Gibbs lowered his phone to his chest.
"Throw it, DiNozzo, and I'll throw you--Out." Gibbs said sternly, pointing in the direction of the door.
"Sorry boss." Tony said as he lowered his hand and tossed the paper ball into his waste basket.
"DiNozzo, would you like me to give you something to do?" Gibbs asked.
"Sure boss." Tony said, nervously.
"Why don't you go see what Abby's doing." Gibbs said.
"On it Boss." Tony replied.
Gibbs returned to his telephone conversation.
Ziva chuckled, and McGee just grinned from ear to ear.
"Speaking of friends...best wedding movie--"My Best Friend's Wedding". Released in 1997, and starred Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, Cameron Diaz, and Rupert Everett." Tony said as he stood up behind his desk and pushed his chair back.
"What?" Ziva asked, confused.
"Yeah, Julia Roberts plays Julianne Potter, a woman who falls in love with her best friend Michael O'Neal, played by Dermot Mulroney, after he tells her he's going to marry Cameron Diaz. So, (Tony chuckles) the entire film is about Julia Roberts trying to make them break-up." Tony said, as he gave them a short movie synopsis.
"I have not seen that one yet." Ziva said.
"Well you should." Tony said.
Tony walked around his desk and headed towards the elevator.
"Funny, I've always thought of you as more of a wedding crasher." McGee said with a grin.
Tony stopped and turned to face McGee.
"2005. Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn. Two guys spend their time sneaking into weddings for women and booze." Tony said with a grin.
"You are right McGee...sounds just like Tony." Ziva chuckled.
Tony turned to Ziva.
"Very funny." Tony said.
Ziva grinned and blew Tony a kiss.
Tony turned and walked towards the elevator.
---------------------------------------
Abby walked into Autopsy to find Ducky and Jimmy standing over a corpse, and conversing with each other.
"Again, fascinating doctor." Jimmy said as he rolled his eyes.
Ducky chuckled, and then spotted Abby standing at the door.
"Oh hello Abigail." Ducky said with a smile.
Abby winced at being called Abigail.
"Ducky, I told you...I hate that name."
"My apologies then." Ducky said with a chuckle.
"So what can I do for you this lovely morning, soon-to-be Mrs. Gibbs?" Ducky asked with a knowing grin.
Abby smiled. "Can I speak with you in private, Ducky?" Abby asked.
"Why certainly." Ducky replied.
"Mr. Palmer, if you will be so kind as to finish stitching up our friend here for me." Ducky said.
"Sure thing Doctor Mallard." Jimmy replied.
Ducky removed his gloves and tossed them into the waste basket, and then moved over to the sink, washed his hands.
Ducky and Abby then stepped out into the hallway where they could speak alone in private.
---------------------------------------
"What can I help you with Abby?" Ducky asked quietly.
"Well see I just got of the phone with my brother." Abby began.
"Ah yes you're brother...Andrew right? How is he these days?" Ducky asked.
"He's good." Abby replied solemnly. "And so is Gloria (That's her mother)."
Ducky sensed a "But" in there somewhere. "But..."
"But she said that Frank (Frank is her father) hasn't been well, and that he may not be able to give me away at the wedding." Abby continued.
"How dreadful." Ducky said.
"I know." Abby agreed.
"So...how can I help?" Ducky asked sincerely.
Abby's hands fidgeted nervously in front of her.
"Would you do it Ducky...give me away I mean?" Abby asked nervously.
Ducky stared at Abby for a moment before a big, warm smile crossed his aged face.
"Why, Abby, I would be honored to do so." Ducky said with a smile.
A look of relief spread across Abby's face as she let out a relieved breath.
"Oh thank you Ducky...thank you." Abby said as she wrapped her arms around Ducky and embraced him in a hug.
"It'll be my pleasure." Ducky said with a smile as he patted her on the back.
---------------------------------------
A few minutes later Tony stepped into Abby's lab, but there was no Abby to be found there, and no music playing either.
Tony stood in the doorway.
"Abby?" Tony asked the empty lab quietly.
Nothing.
"Abs!?" Tony tried again quietly.
"Looking for me?" Abby said suddenly coming up from behind Tony.
"Oh! Goodness...Abby...you scared me." Tony said as he jumped forward into the lab.
Abby stepped around him and headed for her office, chuckling with a grin as she did so.
"Sorry about that." she apologized with a grin.
"Didn't mean to scare ya."
Tony took a moment to catch his breath, and to let his heart stop racing.
"You didn't...you didn't SCARE me, so to speak...you just startled me is all." Tony insisted as he forced a grin.
---------------------------------------
"So, tell me Agent DiNozzo...what can I do for you today?" Abby asked cheerfully, with a grin as Tony entered her office space.
"Gibbs sent me down here to see what you were up to." Tony informed her.
"Ah, my charming husband-to-be." Abby sighed.
"Yeah, that would be the one." Tony said slowly.
Abby chuckled.
"Well I just got back from autopsy." Abby said.
"Really," Tony said with a sly grin. "Well then, I have to say Ducky would make an excellent mortician." Tony said with a grin.
Abby laughed at Tony's joke.
"Not bad Tony...not bad at all." Abby said with a grin.
"But seriously...what did you two talk about?" Tony asked as he leaned on the door frame.
"Ducky's going to give me away at the wedding." Abby said cheerfully.
"So your dad won't be there then?" Tony asked.
"Oh no, he'll be there. Him and Gloria both will be there, but Frank's health hasn't been all that great."
"Bummer." Tony said.
"Yeah...but everything's taken care of now so, no biggie." Abby said, with a smile.
Tony ran a hand through his hair while he watched Abby fiddling around on the internet on her desk top computer.
"So have you picked out a dress yet?" Tony asked.
"Sort of. I have an appointment at the dress shop at 11:30 today." Abby informed him.
"Gibbs is upstairs trying to get an appointment for a tux fitting." Tony informed Abby.
"Is he now?" Abby said with a grin.
"Yep." Tony replied.
"And how was it going?" Abby asked.
"Well, before I left...not so great, and now I don't know." Tony said as he propped himself up on the edge of Abby's desk.
Abby laughed.
"What color scheme are you guys going with?" Tony asked, as he tried to see what Abby was up to on the computer.
"Black and white." Abby replied, casually.
"Oh okay, so you guys are gonna go traditional wedding then." Tony remarked.
Abby grinned a sly grin.
"Not...exactly." she said with a grin.
"What d'ya mean...not exactly?" Tony asked, confused.
Abby turned her computer screen so that Tony could get a good look at what she meant.
Tony's eyes widened when he saw what was on the computer screen. It was an image of a Bridal Dress and a Groom's Tuxedo side-by-side.
"Oh, so he'll be wearing white and you'll be wearing black...with a parasol." Tony said slowly, as his brain processed the new information that he was just given. "Yeah, I uh...I'd definitely say that's...that's different."
"And we're gonna have the wedding outside...sort of a compromise if you will." Abby said with a chuckle.
"I see. So you get to pick out the outfits and Gibbs gets to pick the location. Nice." Tony said, as he rubbed his eyes.
"Exactly." Abby said cheerfully, with a grin.
"What about the Bridesmaids and Maid-of-Honor?" Tony asked.
"They'll be wearing white--like Gibbs." Abby replied. "And Chloe will be our little flower girl." Abby said with a smile.
Tony chuckled at the image that popped into his head. "I assume the flowers will be dead then." Tony said with a grin.
"No, of course not." Abby chuckled. "They will be very much alive."
"Oh well then that's good." Tony said, as folded his arms across his chest.
"My bouquet won't be though." Abby said, with a sly grin.
"Oh, well then. I guess this wedding is shaping up to be more like "Bride of Chucky", than anything else." Tony said with a grin.
Abby couldn't help but laugh at Tony's jokes.
"Oh, I almost forgot something." Abby said.
"And what's that?" Tony asked.
"The Groomsmen and Best Man will be wearing black--you know to match my dress." Abby said.
The two of them laughed with each other for a little bit until Abby realized what time it was.
"Oh, shoot." Abby said, as she jumped up from her desk.
"What's wrong?" Tony asked, as he watched Abby gather her things up.
Abby pulled her lab coat off, and threw it over the back of her desk chair. Then she straightened her pig tails, and her skirt.
"It's already 10:50...I'm gonna be late for my appointment at the dress shop if I don't hurry." she said quickly, as she gathered up her things and headed for the door.
Tony followed her to the elevator.
"Well be careful then. I'll tell Gibbs you left." Tony said as he parted ways with Abby, and headed for the stairs.
"I will. And thanks Tony." Abby called to Tony from the elevator, as the doors closed.
---------------------------------------
Later that day at NCIS HQ...
It was late in the evening in the squad room, and Tony and Gibbs sat by themselves.
McGee had already left with Cindy (His girlfriend), and Ziva was down in Abby's lab with Abby.
"So did you manage to get that appointment Boss?" Tony asked Gibbs from his desk.
"Yep." Gibbs replied.
"Good." Tony said, as he leaned back in his desk chair.
"Who all's going to be at the wedding...I mean have you even decided yet?" Tony asked.
"Yeah DiNozzo, I have." Gibbs said, as he leaned forward at his desk. "That's something I've been meaning to talk to you about."
"Really?" Tony asked, confused and shocked.
"Yeah, you know McGee is gonna be one of the Groomsman and Jimmy Palmer will be the second Groomsman." Gibbs said.
"Yeah I had heard that." Tony replied. "And Ducky's gonna give Abby away."
Gibbs shifted, a little bit, in his seat.
"Right." Gibbs said.
"You know I don't have a whole lot of FRIENDS, so to speak, except you guys." Gibbs began.
"Of course." Tony said, with a grin.
"And I guess one could say that you're my BEST friend." Gibbs continued.
"Sure." Tony replied.
"What I'm trying to say, DiNozzo, is that I would like you to be my Best Man." Gibbs said.
Tony sat stunned for a few moments not sure if what he was hearing was actually real.
"Well, boss I-I'd be honored to be your Best Man." Tony finally said, with a smile.
"Good." Gibbs said, breathing a sigh of relief. "You'll be holding Abby's ring, while Ziva holds my ring." he added.
"Cool." Tony said, with a grin.
"Oh, and DiNozzo...if you should happen to lose that ring..." Gibbs started.
"I know Boss. And it is for that very reason...(Tony swallowed)...that I hope I don't lose it." Tony said.
After a moment though a sudden realization, of something that Gibbs had said in his last sentence, finally struck Tony.
"Wait a minute..." he started.
---------------------------------------
Down in Abby's lab Abby and Ziva sat in Abby's office talking.
"...Cause Chloe is going to be the flower girl, and Jenny and Cindy are going to be my Bridesmaids." Abby said, finishing her current sentence.
"That is a good idea." Ziva said. "And, does Tony know that Gibbs wants him to be his Best Man?" she asked.
"Well, he should by now." Abby said, with a chuckle.
Abby shifted in her seat a little bit, which made her pig tails bounce slightly.
"You know, I do not think that I have ever been to an American wedding." Ziva mused out loud.
"Well, that's kind of why I called you down here." Abby started.
"Really?" Ziva asked, confused.
"You see, Ziva, when you first got here I know we didn't exactly get along--at first." Abby continued.
"Right, I do recall that, yes." Ziva agreed. "But that has changed, yes?"
"Of course." Abby said, with a grin.
"Now we're good friends--actually we're all more like one big happy family here." Abby said with a smile.
"Ziva, I would be honored if you would be my Maid-of-Honor." Abby said, with a big smile.
Ziva sat, staring at Abby, for a moment or two--utterly speechless at Abby's request.
"Abby I...I don't know what to say..." Ziva tried at first. "...Abby, I would be most honored to be your...Maid-of-Honor." Ziva said finally, with a smile.
Abby smiled too.
"Great!" she said cheerfully as she wrapped Ziva in an unexpected hug.
------------To Be Continued in "The Little Flower Girl"------------
Author's Chapter Notes:
Gibbs has to choose who will be his "Best Man" at the wedding. Likewise, Abby has to choose her "Maid-of-Honor".
Chapter End Notes:
Enjoy and God Bless!!!!