Raucous Reception

A/N1: Thanks to my wonderful beta Kristen!

A/N2: Some of the lines were shamelessly pilfered from Mock the Week. I couldn't resist, and neither could Lily. The lines involving Nibbles, the tattoo, and Imhotep (in the next chapter) are not mine.

For Aly, who requested Jibbs fluff. This is the only thing that might qualify from my little collection.

Chapter 1: The Meal

Ziva smiled as she looked around the reception hall. Jenny had arranged for it to be tastefully decorated with beautiful flowers and the odd nice-smelling candle. The wedding had not been a particularly large one, mainly attended by various friends. Gibbs and Jenny were seemingly entirely focused on each other, leaving another redhead to scowl and lurk.

The Israeli had enjoyed the wedding; she did not see enough of them in her opinion, spending most of her time at funerals. But a wedding was good, especially considering who it was. Jenny and Gibbs were perfect for each other. They argued like kittens and puppies at work, but they cared about each other. Jenny might be the fifth Mrs. Gibbs; however Ziva had a funny feeling she was going to be the last.

Although the other redhead was certainly capable of throwing a spanner in the works. Lily was busy being a nuisance, as usual. The CIA agent had been made to promise that she wouldn't do anything to interfere with the wedding, but Ziva did not trust her. She was always up to something; her scheming mind never rested. And the wedding was not over yet…

She looked over to where Abby and McGee were wrapped up in their own world. The Goth seemed to be taking mental notes on the things she liked, planning for her own forthcoming wedding. McGee was obediently trailing along behind her, making his fiancée smile and laugh to break her focus.

Tony and Ducky were in the middle of a group of Jenny's female friends. Tony was shamelessly flirting with anyone and everyone, while Ducky was being far more polite and… gentlemanly. Fornell appeared from the middle of the crowd, his face very pink. Ziva decided that she did not want to know what had just happened.

Her attention was caught by the arrival of food. Everyone rapidly found their seats. Ziva was amused to note that the team had been placed at the same table, while Lily, being the Maid of Honor, was sitting on the other side of Jenny. Her face had an innocent expression, which Ziva had learnt the hard way to associate with trouble. Now on her guard, she continued to scan the room.

Tony sighed as he tucked into his food. The salmon was gorgeous! He hadn't tasted anything as nice since…

He tried to remember. Probably the date with Mandy from Accounting, when they'd gone to the new restaurant only a block from the Navy Yard. He had spent the weekend lying on the bathroom floor, and the health inspectors had shut the place down not long after.

Shuddering, he placed his knife and fork down. The food might be nice, but it was giving him very bad flashbacks to the time he had wanted nothing more than to curl into himself and die. He reached for his glass and took a long drink.

"There a problem?" came a familiar voice behind him.

Tony glanced up to the main table first, to check which sister he was dealing with. Gibbs was paying her close attention, so Lily had to be the one behind him. "Not too fond of salmon," he confessed.

"I'm sure there was a chicken dish," Lily tried to recall. "And pork, because I've got that."

"Pork?" McGee checked. "Are you sure? It's not normally served at receptions."

Lily shrugged her shoulders softly. "Come to think of it, I'm sure my crackling had a tattoo…"

Tony winced, before spotting the grin on her face. "Quit joking around," he told her.

"Couldn't help it," she replied. "I could get you the chicken dish if you want?"

"Why are you being so nice?" he asked, suspicious. Lily always had something up her sleeve.

"My boss just paged me," she retorted. "Jenny sent me to call him and I don't want to. Wasting time is fine by me."

"I am sure your boss would want you to call him," Ziva added.

"He's only going to yell at me," Lily admitted. "Help yourself to Nibbles. He was our favorite hamster; it's what he would have wanted."

She walked away without a backwards glance. Tony chose to peer carefully at everything on offer. She might have been joking, but you never knew with Lily…

Lily returned from her phone call and settled back into her seat. She hoped begging Jenny for pork at the reception would be worth it – she had slipped laxatives into all the other food. From her brief walk around the tables, she had only seen two others tucking into the same meal as her. With a good bit of luck, the pills wouldn't start to take effect until everyone was leaving.

She might need the bathroom at some point tonight. She didn't want to end up in a horribly long queue. And she had a few more tricks to perform as well. She had never liked playing her games without some form of an audience, and she didn't make a habit of it. Jenny and LJ would want her dead by the end of this, if all went to plan.

And it usually did. She was a master at planning and execution, something her sister often forgot about. When she could be bothered, she could come up with dangerous, complex, fun games to play.

And this was no different. It was a game. Just because LJ had managed to persuade Jenny to walk up the aisle didn't mean the games were over. It certainly didn't mean she was going to take their relationship lying down. She was happy for her sister, but at the same time she felt as though she was being pushed out.

This would remind Jenny who was in charge. It would also remind LJ not to cross her. They had made her promise not to interfere in the wedding, but she hadn't been made to promise anything about the reception.

She had been planning for months, ever since Jenny had sat her down and told her about her engagement. Her mind had been working overtime, coming up with ideas to stretch her. She knew exactly what would happen in a few minutes – the toasts would begin.

The game was on.