She glanced at her phone one last time; no new messages. Her heart sank as she gathered her shawl and clutch, knowing that if she didn't leave now she would never make the ceremony. It was not so much that it was yet another empty promise, it was the humiliation of being stood up and having to face her colleagues and friends.

As Ziva sat in the back of the cab, she could just imagine the mockery Tony would greet her with. He had arranged a ride to Palmer's wedding with McGee, Abby, Ducky and Gibbs, a ride that she had declined rather gleefully as she explained that she would be attending with Ray. To make matters worse, Ziva had gone on to outline, and admittedly gloat a little, about the grand gesture of Ray's promise to fly to DC especially to escort her to the nuptials.

Ziva paid the driver and inhaled deeply as she glanced up the steps towards the old wooden doors, dwarfed by the grand church before her.

'Here goes' she thought to herself as she entered, spotting her colleagues in a pew about about halfway down the aisle. She briskly made her way to the row, motioning for McGee to move down as she slid in next to him, trying to ignore his puzzled expression as he looked back at the entrance, then at her.

''Did...you come alone?' McGee asked, the confusion in his voice evident.

Aware that Tony's eyes were resting on her from three places down, Ziva maintained a fixed gaze straight ahead as she answered with a terse 'yes'.

Tim's brow furrowed and his eyes shot to the left, as they often do when he is perplexed, his lips parted to ask what had happened when he caught Tony's stern look accompanied by two sharp shakes of the head.

'So Ziva, I can't imagine you have been to too many Church weddings,' McGee offered, hoping to lighten the atmosphere.

'I may be Jewish McGee, but I have many friends who are not and have of course been to a wedding in a Church before,' Ziva retorted while the altar remained seemingly captivating. 'I have been to many weddings in fact, of different religions and cultures'.

'Yes, but have you ever been to your own father's wedding?' Tony chimed in, in a half-whisper as he leaned forward to speak across Abby and McGee. 'Or make that weddings. That's like a whole different culture, well, it is with my father anyway,' he finished with a contemptuous grunt.

Ziva's attention was momentarily drawn to Tony and their eyes briefly met, hers no doubt conveying the surprise she felt that he had allowed her solo appearance to go without comment. McGee feigned interest in the hymn book Abby was studying beside him in a vague attempt to remove himself from the conversation entirely, when the mournful singing of strings filled the air and the bridal party entered.

Ziva smiled as she watched Palmer and his bride glide around the dance floor in their first dance as husband and wife. The smooth sounds of the jazz band provided the perfect accompaniment to the gentle glow of the fairy lights, soft creams and pinks that adorned the tables and the flickering candle centrepieces.

The speeches had provided guests with the appropriate selection from the emotional spectrum - humour, tears, warmth, sincerity. Ziva was seated next to Abby, which allowed them to compare all the meals on offer throughout the evening, as they shared the alternating dishes with one another to ensure an accurate assessment was made.

Ziva was grateful that no one had pressed her for an explanation of Ray's absence, especially as she could not provide one. And it was only now, as she watched Jimmy and Breena, that a sense of resentment towards him joined the disappointment she had managed to sideline for most of the evening.

'I bet you've got a stack of smooth moves Tony!' Abby exclaimed playfully as guests were invited to join the wedding party. 'I mean, you went to boarding school, I bet you had a heap of dance lessons. What, did you learn like the tango, foxtrot...'

'...tap dancing. Actually, that was more of an adult pursuit. I may have undertaken some dancing in my younger days,' Tony replied smugly, ' I mean, what young woman could resist a six-foot seventeen year old in an oversized suit jacket channelling Tony Manero?'

Abby jumped out of her seat and coerced Tony into following her to the dance floor with a forceful yank of his arm. Ziva let out a small laugh and turned to Ducky, who remained seated beside her, not expecting to be met with an expression of such intensity.

'Is everything ok Ducky?' Ziva asked as she tilted her head slightly, emphasising her concern.

'That is a very good question. Is it?' Ducky responded, Ziva immediately realising that his look of contemplation was in fact directed at her, which made her shift in her seat uncomfortably.

Sensing her unease, Ducky continued gently. 'Ziva, I'm sure there's a very good reason he couldn't make it'.

'Yes, but is it so difficult let a person know? A phone call, a text message, an email... You would think with so many different methods of communication he could have somehow figured out a way to say 'I am not going to keep the promise I made to you,'' Ziva spat out angrily. Even she was startled by the outburst.

'My dear,' Ducky said softly as he rested his hand on her forearm, her gaze searching his face for reassurance, 'you are here at this beautiful, happy occasion, yet you are clearly distracted by Ray's actions, or rather, inactions. But for now, look around you, your friends who care for you very much are dancing, laughing and they are here'.

Ziva could could hear Abby's infectious giggles as Tony twirled her and even Gibbs was smiling as he and McGee observed the same scene from the bar.

'I am not saying that you shouldn't be hurt,' Ducky continued, 'but there is little you can do tonight to resolve what is clearly a bigger issue than a simple lack of communication. Try to put it to the back of your mind for the rest of the evening and enjoy what is right here in front of you'.

Tears glistened in Ziva's eyes as she exhaled and explained calmly, 'it is resolved Ducky. It's over.' Regaining composure she added, 'and you are right. There is nothing that can be resolved tonight.'

With a supportive squeeze of her arm Ducky stood up and extended his hand. 'I would be honoured, Miss. David, if I could have this dance'.

Ziva reponded with a smile as the pair made their way onto the dance floor and Ducky, well versed in the art of dancing, led her in a fast paced waltz.

As the notes slowed to signal the end of the song, Abby bounded over excitedly.

'Ducky, you have to dance with me for this next song, that is, if you don't mind of course Ziva. It's just that, well, I still have to dance with Gibbs and McGee and then there's this guy I was talking to when I was waiting to sign the guestbook and he said we should dance later...I'm not sure if he was just being polite or if he meant it...either way, my night is becoming very full and I would just feel terrible if someone missed out because of bad planning on my part'.

'Of course' Ziva replied with a grin as she stood back, 'it was a pleasure Dr. Mallard'.

As Ducky swept Abby away, Tony made his way over to Ziva, feigning an expression of hurt.

'Well it seems our dance partners got a better offer' he said, gesturing over his shoulder with a slight turn of the head, 'seems a shame to waste my dancing prowess just standing here'.

'Are you asking me to dance Tony?' queried Ziva, knowing full well that was precisely what he meant, but tonight she really needed to hear him say it.

'Ziva, would you ilke to dance?' Tony asked, bowing slightly before ending the mock chivalry with a cheeky grin.

Ziva's considered reponse adopted the same jovial tone as she replied with a nod, 'that would be lovely'.

Tony's right hand rested gently at the base of her back, taking her other hand in his as Ziva placed her left hand on his shoulder. Physical contact had become more comfortable over the past year and a half, most often to show support or comfort, but this was different and they both knew it the moment they began to sway in time to the music.

'Is there another way you can go?' Ray asked impatiently, but the cab driver merely shrugged. 'I really need to get there as quickly as possible, I'm already going to need to do a lot of explaining'.

The driver's eyes conveyed little interest and Ray shifted his own from the rear view mirror to the corsage on the seat beside him. He knew that it was going to be difficult to convince Ziva that his absence really was a matter of bad luck and air traffic control mishaps, but felt quite confident that the surprise of arriving at the reception would alleviate at least some of the tension until they could talk properly.

'So do you think she'll take his surname? Coz I don't know that I'd be jumping on board the Palmer wagon if my name was Breena. Breena Palmer, it's just got a funny ring to it don't you think?' Tony pondered out loud in an attempt to distract himself from the closeness to his partner. 'But then I guess you have a whole lot of other potential issues if you hyphenate...'

'...or in some cultures the man takes the woman's name', Ziva interrupted. 'I am not sure what good it does to contemplate such things Tony, she will no doubt do whatever it is she wants'.

'No doubt,' Tony answered cautiously. 'Why do I get the feeling that we're not just talking about name options here?'.

'Why are you being, so...nice?' Ziva's abruptness was not unusual, however, this time the question was laced with a sense of sincere bewilderment. 'You have not even been the slightest bit curious as to why I am here alone? Not had even the slightest urge to make a remark about 'CI-Ray's' hollow romantic promises and to remind me of how I grandstanded them myself?'.

Then Ziva saw it. Just for a second, the hurt expression Tony had pretended to wear earlier flashed across his face, only this time there was no pretending.

'Hey, that's what friends are for!' Tony tried to joke, before bringing them both to a standstill. Tightening his grip of her hand and peering into her eyes he added, 'he isn't here, you are. Right now, that's all that matters'.

Ziva stared back into Tony's eyes, a familiar intimacy that comforted her, and scolded herself for thinking he would ever revel in her unhappiness. The left side of her mouth curled upward in a half smile, which was reciprocated by the softening of Tony's face as he looked at her with the affection reserved for moments such as this between them.

Ray slammed the cab door and strode towards the reception venue, pausing to straighten his tie and ensure there were no hairs astray. Through the glass panels of the double doors he could see Ziva, a sight to behold in her full length gown, floating around the dance floor. And it was at that moment that he saw her face, fixated on the man in front of her, the pair completely lost in one another, oblivious to their surrounds. She had never looked at him in that way and Ray knew.

'Goodbye Ziva' Ray uttered under his breath, as he turned and signalled to the driver of the idling cab that he would need another ride.