Ex-Files Take Two
- Chapter 4: White Dresses, Blue Satin Sashes -
For Ellie, for the inspiration of Emily's promise and the motivation to actually finish this story.
Emily Fornell had been lectured numerous times about having patience. At this, her fifth grade graduation, she still had not learned any and sat tapping her foot in irritation. Of all the events in her young life there had been none she had looked forward to so much as this one, that was until another event showed up on her very busy day planner. That event she had been waiting for a much shorter time, true, but still she had wanted it to happen since she was a tiny little girl, not the big girl she was today.
"Emily Fornell." The booming voice announced over the speakers and just as she'd practiced she crossed the stage, shook hands with her teacher accepted her little diploma. Her father was sitting at the edge of the row with a tape recorder as certain aspects of her family were unable to make the morning event together. Emily returned to her seat and shifted around as the rest of her classmates names were called. Finally, the event was over and she scrambled from her chair towards her parents.
"Let's go!" The little girl demanded.
"Excuse me young lady?" Diane commented.
"Let's go please!" Diane looked toward the father of her child.
"She's your kid," he sighed taking his daughter's hand as she raced for the car.
"Daddy we need lights!"
"The lights are only for when Daddy's working."
"We're going to be late!" Emily wailed.
"Emily Fornell I don't want to hear another word out of your mouth until we get there!"
"But Mommy!"
"Emily," Diane growled and noticed the little girl huff and turn to stare out the window. "Whose idea was this again?"
"Your offspring's," Tobias reminded. After what seemed like hours to Emily they pulled into the area and Emily was out of the car and running. "Emily!"
"I got her!" A voice called out, Ziva David was found with one arm around the squirming Emily.
"Let me go!"
"You will not want to wrinkle your clothes," Ziva said and felt the little girl stop resisting. Abby came from around the corner of the small building that was there, smiling widely.
"Great you guys made it!"
"Of course we made it," Emily remarked.
"Emily, mind your manners," Diane scolded.
"Sorry," the girl mumbled. Abby and Ziva smiled faintly.
"I can take her from here," Abby suggested to Diane and Tobias who nodded gratefully and went around the front. Abby and Ziva led Emily into the building. They helped her get into white chiffon dress with a blue satin bow. Abby was just finishing pinning in the blue bow when there was a low cough from the side door.
"I wanted to see the flower girl too." Emily smiled brightly at the visitor twirling around to show off the dress. "Very lovely."
"It's time," Ziva said from behind them. Abby took Emily's hand and led her to the back of the building. They stood at the edge of a garden.
"Now remember," Abby began.
"Step throw, step throw, I got it!" Emily whispered loudly.
"Okay." Abby gave Emily a little push as the music started and the little girl proudly walked down the aisle insuring that flower petals were evenly distributed on both sides. She smiled widely to her Uncle who stood at the end and he smiled back at her before his attention turned. Ziva and Abby came up behind her, Abby holding Emily to stand right in front of her. Emily thus had the best view possible as the music changed and the few guests stood and looked toward the back. She glanced briefly at her Uncle and saw something she would not again see till see herself walked down the aisle. It was some glimmer that she didn't understand and so turned back to the woman in ivory walking up the aisle on the arm of the good Doctor Mallard. She listened quietly as she'd been instructed to do, and watched the couple in front of her.
"The ring?" She watched her Uncle Tony look clueless for a second before producing a golden band and receiving himself a head slap. She watched as her uncle slid the ring along the thin finger of her aunt. "I know pronounce you husband and wife, you may kiss your bride."
"Finally," She heard her uncle mutter as he leaned down and kissed her aunt softly gently. Abby quickly covered her eyes and she vocally protested.
"Abby I can't see!"
"That's the idea," Ziva remarked sighing.
"Boss there's a minor present," Tony piped up.
"Not that we don't mind the view, but please enough of it at work, could you please get a room?" Abby finally complained. The kiss was broken off with a small chuckle from each party involved and they turned back down the aisle, taking their first steps as a married couple. Emily watched from beside Abby and Ziva as the guests congratulated the newly married couple. The photographer finally came over and whispered something to them, they nodded.
"If all the members of the wedding party could please come over, we'd like to start photos." They wandered over to the couple that was standing along side the fountain, smiling at each other. "Wonderful, now first the flower girl and the bride."
"Come on Emily."
"Aunt Jenny!" The little girl walked rushed over slowing down to avoid damaging the dress. They sat together posing for the pictures before Gibbs joined them. "Hi Uncle Gibbs."
"Hey Emily, you look very pretty," he complimented.
"See I match Aunt Jenny!" She pointed to the small flowers in her hair.
"Yes you do." He smiled at Jenny who laughed before leaning over and kissing his cheek.
"Very pretty, flower girl, the prettiest one in all the lands," Jenny assured. She noticed Gibbs grabbing a box from his jacket and nodded. "Emily sweat heart."
"Yes?"
"We wanted you to have something special for being our flower girl," Jenny explained. Gibbs held out the box. The little girl unwrapped it and to her surprise found the charm bracelet she'd been begging her parents for, with two charms, a flower, and a heart.
"We wanted to thank you," Gibbs said tapping the little girl's nose.
"See I told Daddy this was my idea, he didn't believe me," Emily sighed and then thanked both her Aunt and Uncle with kisses and hugs. It was much later when Gibbs and Jenny were off dancing on the floor caught up in each other and the team was sitting around watching with Emily. Emily was slowly becoming sleepy from the day's activities and the team wanted to give her a present from them.
"Hey Emily," McGee said gently.
"Hm?"
"We wanted to give you something for your graduation, and for being the flower girl," Ziva continued. Emily perked up at the idea of another present.
"Yea see because of you, I won a lot of money, so we decided to get you something," Tony continued.
"Don't listen to Tony, Jenny and Gibbs got married because you gave them a push in the right direction."
"What?"
"You...made them realize that they're better together," Ducky attempted to explain.
"Oh, so that's a good thing?"
"Very good thing," Tony assured remembering the amount of money he'd won with this pool. "So we got you something." Abby held out the box, and she found her very own video recorder and camera.
"Thank you!"
"Your very welcome," Ducky said tapping her nose again. Tobias and Diane watched from the sidelines smirking slightly at the next words that fell from their daughter's mouth.
"Maybe I could convince them to give me a cousin for Christmas?"
"Oh yea, you do that," Tony agreed getting a head slap from both Ziva and Abby. They laughed lightly all turning back towards Emily when they realized Gibbs and Jenny were looking over at them. Their suspicions allayed they turned back to each other.
"So a cousin for Emily?" Jenny whispered in her husband's year.
"Sooner than he thinks," Gibbs replied, kissing her as he thought about the wedding present she had left him by the sink that morning. "Remind me to thank Emily." She giggled and nodded and they were once again lost in their own world consisting only of each other.
END