Palmer was grateful for being part of a wonderful, if slightly dysfunctional family. They might tease and torment him on occasion, play pranks or use him as scapegoat every once in a while, but when it came right down to it, every single one of the "family members" was there for him. Especially in light of his upcoming wedding.

McGee had thrown him one hell of a classy bachelor party. (Palmer just didn't trust Tony in that regard, no way, no how.)

Abby had taken it upon herself to pamper his bride, and had given Breena her mother's wedding dress. Breena's mother was a short and plump woman, so her wedding dress was out of the question. When Abby had heard that, she had insisted on donating her mother's dress, stating that she--Abby--wouldn't ever marry anyway and so she wouldn't need it. Breena looked stunning in the long, ivory-colored dress that caressed her body as if it had been made for her.

Ziva had taught Palmer how to dance. It was one of the many things Palmer had been worried about: dancing at his own wedding. He had two left feet, and the mere idea of waltzing through the ballroom with Breena made him break out in cold sweat. But Ziva was a very good teacher with the patience of a saint, and before he knew it, Palmer could dance the night away.

Gibbs, the taciturn team leader who, Palmer felt, barely tolerated his existence as Ducky's assistant, surprised bride and groom with an early wedding present: a hand-carved cradle for their firstborn. How the hell Gibbs knew that Breena was pregnant when they hadn't told anyone about it yet, not even their parents, Palmer had no clue.

Tony would act as Palmer's best man, and despite all the jokes and poking fun at the "Autopsy gremlin and gremlette", Tony took his job extremely seriously. It had started with him having helped Palmer pick out the engagement ring monts ago and continued by having Tony organize a week in a secluded resort on a tropical island for just a few hundred bucks for their honeymoon. Palmer didn't want to know how Tony had managed to pull that off but assumed it had to do with one of Senior's contacts.

What he was mostly grateful for, however, was Ducky's offer. It sounded simple, downright trivial, in fact, but it meant the world to Palmer. He wanted to look his best on his wedding day, and it was easy enough to wear a tux and polished shoes, but when Ducky offered Palmer to teach him how to tie a bowtie... It was the kind of old-fashioned quirk that he knew would charm Breena, and so he jumped at the chance to learn how to do it. Ducky was just as patient with him as Ziva had been, because Palmer seemed to not only have two left feet but also two left hands, but finally, after hours of practice, he finally managed to tie his bowtie.

And, just as predicted, he managed to charm Breena's socks off with this little skill.

Nobody needed to know that his hand-tied bowtie was the only thing he still wore during their first night as a married couple--especially Ducky. Though, Palmer thought with a chuckle, the old gentleman would probably approve.

AWW! Love it ;)

Thank you! :)

Oh, lovely! It's nice to see Palmer being included in the 'family' dynamic. Very nice contributions all 'round. And hee! That's definitely one advantage over a clip-on!

Oh, I'm pretty convinced that Palmer's considered "part of the family" even if certain members of this family like to torment him occasionally. *g*

And yeah, a clip-on would be somewhat painful, wouldn't it? LOL!