Broken Down Cowboys with Cranberry Sweet Dreams

Gibbs looked up in surprise as a familiar laugh erupted. He stood up and saw DiNozzo escorting his father from the elevator.

The old man caught his eye. "Leroy!"

"Dad, what you are doing here?"

"I said I was coming for Christmas."

"No, I told you that I was coming to Stillwater."

Jackson Gibbs made a face. "I'm tired of staring at those old walls. Besides I got a kid who's doing a bang up job watching the store. I'm starting to feel obsolete."

Gibbs hustled him into a chair while DiNozzo stood there fingering the box Jackson had handed him. "You shouldn't be here. I gotta' work, Dad."

"I'll just sit here."

"I know you. You'll try to help. McGee almost had a heart attack the last time you were here."

"I was trying to help him file things. Boy is way too buttoned up."

Gibbs regarded him with some suspicion. "You can sit there, Dad, but you're not an employee. You can't touch case files. I'll drive you home in an hour."

"I have my own damn car. How do you think I got here?"

"Cookies!" DiNozzo had the box open. "Your lady friends are the best."

"Where are you going for Christmas, Tony?"

Tony looked at Jackson while he munched on a frosted cutout. "I'm meeting my dad in Monaco."

"Monaco?! That's that country that kidnapped Grace Kelly and turned her into a queen. Refused to let her come home and make movies."

Tony frowned. "That's not exactly how I remember it."

"What do you know? Probably weren't even born when it happened. I'd tell you to be careful over there, but you ain't purty enough to catch a nobleman's eye."

"Uh…okay."

The elevator opened and McGee and Ziva emerged. Tony immediately tried to hide the box of cookies behind his back, but McGee spotted him. He zeroed in on Tony. "What are you hiding?"

"Nothing."

"Liar."

Ziva brushed past the two of them, beaming. "Jackson, it is so good to see you."

"Now, you'd be in danger of getting kidnapped if you went to Monaco."

"Excuse me?"

"Give me a hug, Ziva. It's been awhile." He pulled her in and kissed her soundly on the cheek.

"Hi Mr. Gibbs," McGee said before grabbing at the container of cookies Tony was holding out of his reach.

Tony held it high. "You can't have any. Boss says you're putting on weight."

"Boss!" McGee complained as Tony fended off his advances.

Jackson looked up at his son. "Seriously?"

"You have no idea, Dad," Gibbs said rolling his eyes. DiNozzo, put the cookies down!"

Tony reluctantly put the cookies down on Ziva's desk, and McGee quickly swooped in and picked a cookie out of the container and headed to his desk. "I'm not putting on weight. I'm putting on muscle."

"Where are you headed for Christmas this year, Miss Ziva?"

She looked up from her desk. "I'm going to Tel Aviv for a week. Christmas is not a holiday for me, but I would like to spend some time with my father."

"Good for you! People should be with family on the holidays. And you, McGee? Are you off to see your family?"

McGee blinked. "Uh…my parents will be in Okinawa. Sarah is going. I'll spend time with Penny, my grandmother."

"You call your grandmother by her first name?"

"She's sort of unique."

Tony cocked his head. "Hey McGee, you told me that Penny was in Brussels for a conference until New Year's."

"Well…uh, she's coming back for a couple of days."

Tony shook his head. "You are the worst liar, McGee."

McGee shrugged. "Okay, so she's not going to be around. Still, it'll be nice to have a couple of quiet days by myself. Maybe I'll come in and just catch up on some paperwork."

"Sounds like a great Christmas, McGrinch."

"Tony, stop teasing him," Ziva said.

Jackson shook his head. "Tim, you're not doing any kind of paperwork on Christmas. It's not right. You'll spend it with Leroy and me."

McGee's eyes widened. "No, I couldn't impose."

"Nonsense! You'll join us. Tell him, Leroy."

Gibbs nodded. "McGee, I'm afraid that this is not a battle you're going to win. You're coming over for Christmas."

Jackson looked at his son. "We're working on toys, right?"

Gibbs nodded.

"Then you need to bring an overnight bag tomorrow, Tim. We'll be up most of the evening finishing toys before Christmas Eve."

"Afraid I can't do that. I would have to leave my German Shepherd alone."

"Love dogs! What's its name?"

McGee flushed. "It's a boy. His name is…uh, Jethro."

"Huh?"

"Long story, Dad."

"Bring the dog with you."

McGee looked at Gibbs. "Give up, Tim. He's as stubborn as they come. Bring the dog to work tomorrow and a go bag. We'll be staying up all night tomorrow night painting toys. I'll teach you to drink bourbon while dad regales you with stories about what a pain in the ass kid I was."

"No!"

Everyone looked at Ziva who was frowning at her computer screen. She looked up. "The blizzard they were forecasting is coming in early."

"When?" Tony stood.

"Snow should be starting tomorrow night, Thursday, after midnight."

"Oh man! My flight is on Friday morning."

"As is mine."

Gibbs sighed. "Balboa takes call tomorrow at 5 p.m. If you can get an earlier flight and we have nothing urgent, I'll let the two of you out of here by noon."

"Thanks Boss!"

….

"Jethro!" Abby yelled when she saw Tim and the old shepherd. She'd been waiting in the bullpen for them the next morning. The dog's tail started swinging when he saw her, and Tim let go of the leash so the old shepherd could run at her.

Abby hugged him tightly, scratching his furry shoulders. "I haven't seen you in so long!"

"Whose fault is that?" McGee said as he set up at his desk.

"I know. I've been busy lately."

"You going to see family for Christmas?"

She looked up. "Yeah."

He smiled at her. "Your brother and his family will be happy to have you, Abs."

"I heard that my tiny Tim is on his own this year. If I'd gotten to you first, you'd be spending the holiday with me."

"Kind of glad you didn't, Abs. You know how shy I get around people I don't know. It'll be awkward enough to spend two days over at the boss' house. I'm going to run out of things to say after the first fifteen minutes."

The dog lay long on the floor, his legs curled in the air, while she massaged his belly. "You'll have a good time with Gibbs. He's really different when he's at home."

"I've never really been there except for work."

"You'll see."

Tony came in to the bullpen, and almost stepped on Jethro, terrifying both him and the dog. Jethro leapt to his feet barking wildly while Tony swung his backpack in front of him to fend him off. "Call off your beast, McGee!"

"Come Jethro!" As if pulled by an invisible string, the dog turned and immediately trotted over to McGee, lying down at his feet. The shepherd's wary brown eyes stayed focused on Tony.

"He hates me."

"You startled him, Tony," Abby explained.

Tony shook his head. "He's always watching me. Shows his teeth when I go over to McGee's place. Growls whenever McGee leaves the room."

"You're always teasing him, making weird noises to see what he does. Remember the time you tied a balloon to his collar, and he ran crazy all over the apartment trying to get away from it. He didn't like that, and Jethro never forgets."

Sounds like he's got your number, Tony," Ziva said as she came in. She put down her things, and went over to McGee's desk making kissing noises at Jethro. The dog jumped up and licked her face.

"Well, keep Cujo away from me today."

Ziva scratched his ears. "I pray we have a quiet day. I'm on standby for a flight at 6 p.m."

"Me too. I got standby for an 8 p.m. flight," Tony said as he walked warily around Jethro to get files off Gibbs' desk.

"There will be other Christmases, DiNozzo," Gibbs said as he walked in. "Call out."

…..

They stood and watched Ducky as he checked the liver temp on the woman stabbed to death on her bed. She appeared to be in her early fifties. There were stab wounds all over her torso, and defensive wounds on her hands and forearms. Blood streaked the bed everywhere. Near the pillow was a bloody handprint that made them pause. It was from a tiny hand, the hand of a small child.

McGee looked up from his fingerprint scanner. "It's a match. This is Louisa Garza, mother to Chief Petty Officer Lorena Garza Beckett. She was the guardian to the Chief Petty Officer's three children while she was deployed."

Gibbs turned his head sharply when DiNozzo walked in. "What does the neighbor know?"

"She got a call from Beckett this morning asking her to check on her mother and kids. Said that she'd been trying to reach her for over a day, and no one was picking up. That's when the neighbor found this horror show."

"What does she know about the kids?"

"The oldest is Scotty. He's seven years old, and then there are twins, Eddie and Ellie, four years old. The neighbor says she saw them playing in the courtyard just yesterday afternoon. She says they seemed fine."

"Any trouble?"

"Oh yeah. The soon to be ex-husband and father of the kids, Scott Beckett, was denied custody and visitation of the children last year after a domestic violence incident that left Lorena Beckett in the hospital with a broken jaw and a concussion."

Gibbs shook his head. "What do we know about Scott Beckett?"

McGee peered at his phone. "Also a Chief Petty Officer: he was dishonorably discharged from the Navy last year after the domestic assault. He is currently out on bail pending other charges related to theft while he was in the quartermaster corps."

Ziva held up a cell phone. "Mrs. Garza's cell phone shows numerous angry texts from Scott Beckett over the last couple of days. He was demanding time with them over Christmas beyond what the court stipulated."

Tony walked the length of the house from the front door to the bedroom. "I think one of the kids let him in. The front door hasn't been breeched. Mrs. Garza and at least one of the kids retreated to the bedroom."

Gibbs fingered the broken hinges on the bedroom door. "He had to kick the door in to get at her."

McGee pointed at the tiny handprint on the bed. "There's no way to tell if the kid on the bed with her was hurt or if that's the grandmother's blood."

Ducky shook his head. "There is no trail of blood out the door which you might expect to find if he harmed any of the children."

Ziva looked at the blood spatter on the ceiling. "This was a vicious attack. It's hard to believe that any parent would allow their children to witness this."

"It's about revenge. He thinks he's been unfairly denied his children, and he wants payback. Getting his kids back is secondary. He doesn't really care about anything but himself," Gibbs said shaking his head. "We gotta' find those kids."

…

The Chief Petty Officer hugged her middle tightly during Gibbs' report. On the screen in MTAC, she appeared larger than life, and the team could clearly see how her fingers trembled against her stomach. She couldn't maintain eye contact with the screen, and seemed lost as if struggling to track the events happening in front of her. The team had seen this state of shock many times after telling someone that they'd lost a loved one, but it never got easy to see someone in the grips of such agony. Behind her stood her CO, and he directed the next question at Gibbs. "What kind of resources do you have out there looking for the Petty Officer's children?"

"We have an Amber Alert issued. Every law enforcement agency in three states is on alert. We're taking this very seriously. Ma'am, has your…ex-husband ever been violent with the children?"

She shook her head. "He always took it out on me. He was impatient with them most of the time; acted like their play was designed to annoy him, but I always believed he loved them. I don't believe that anymore."

The CO put a hand on her shoulder. "We can get the Petty Officer on a transport in two hours. One of my people has offered to give her his seat, but she won't get home until tomorrow morning early. Hope to hell you can find that bastard by then so she can be with her children for Christmas Eve, Special Agent Gibbs. This woman has been doing important work for her country, and she deserves the best we can offer her."

Gibbs nodded. "I'm in full agreement, Commander, and you can be assured that we're working very hard on this. Ma'am, can you think of anyone your ex-husband would turn to at a time like this?"

She swallowed, her eyes wet. "His brother Willie. The two of them are inseparable."

"Do you think he would break the law for his brother?"

"Oh yeah. If anyone knows anything, it's Willie. Please find them!"

"We're on it, Ma'am."

She worked her mouth for a moment before speaking. "My children were very close to my mother especially Ellie. She followed my mom everywhere. They…must be so scared…please…"

She bent over at the waist unable to hold her emotion any longer, and her CO led her to a chair. He turned back to the screen. "You have 24 hours before I send my own people back home to take care of this for you."

"You're not going to have to do that, skipper. We'll be in touch." Gibbs turned and signaled for the feed to be cut.

Tony shook his head. "That means no Christmas for us."

Gibbs glared. "That a problem for you?"

"Nope."

Ziva cleared her throat, her eyes moist. "Bringing her children home to her will be enough of a holiday for me."

She grabbed DiNozzo by the arm. "Let's go make some calls."

They passed Leon Vance on the way out. He stood at the top of the stairs, arms folded, looking down at Gibbs. "You need anything, and I make it happen. You understand?"

"Thinking about those kids?"

"That woman is living my biggest nightmare; a nightmare you understand only too well."

"Go home, Leon. Be with your kids. There should never be any regrets. I can do this."

"I got time. Let's get Fornell on the phone. That man's got more contacts than a call girl."

…..

A smile started on Gibbs' face when the familiar face appeared out of the elevator. Fornell looked like an accountant at his most intimidating, but the man could be more tenacious than a terrier with a bone.

Gibbs cocked his head. "Jeez Tobias, all I asked was that you put some resources into our search. Didn't need you to show up."

"So this is no longer a priority then," Fornell said as he took off his overcoat and slung it on top of a filing cabinet.

"Didn't say that."

"Truth is that I'm at loose ends."

"Come on. You should be at Toys-R-Us standing in line. You got a daughter to shop for."

"Did it all online two weeks ago. They even send it gift wrapped these days. Besides, I don't have Emily for Christmas this year."

"You always have her Christmas Eve."

"Diane and Victor are taking her to Aspen for the holidays. They're at the airport now."

"Well, that sucks."

Fornell shrugged. "What could I do? I should force the issue so she can spend three hours with her old man on Christmas Eve? She was way too excited. Victor's going to teach her how to ski."

"So I'm guessing you're here because you need a dragon to slay."

"Either that or I sit at home drinking scotch and pushing pins into my Victor doll."

"Everyone's looking for these kids. What can you offer?"

"No offense, Jethro, but we do the manhunt thing better than you do. And we don't have a lot of time. We got a blizzard starting some time after midnight. If we don't find them quick, the weather is going to cripple the search for at least a couple of days."

"Boss!" McGee came jogging into the bullpen followed by Tony and Ziva. He dropped into his chair and attacked his keyboard. "Willie Beckett turned on his cell for a call. Wasn't on for long, but I think Abby and I got a fix. Give me a minute…Give me a minute…"

"Hurry up, McTurtle!" DiNozzo said as he paced in front of McGee's desk.

"Okay…here it is. Bellecourt's Motel outside of Norfolk!"

Gibbs grabbed his coat. "Let's go!"

"Damn!" Fornell said as he followed them into the elevator.

Gibbs patted him on the shoulder as the elevator door closed. "What can I say, Tobias? You might be better at the manhunt thing, but you don't have a McGee."

…

They split up at the motel. Gibbs and Fornell went to the front office and got the room number while McGee covered the front and Ziva and Tony covered the back of the broken down motel. Gibbs came out and handed the key to room 106 over to McGee, and then he and Fornell got into position.

McGee thought about Tony's advice to be relaxed and act bored as he walked along the sidewalk. He was wearing a light jacket and jeans, and dressed like that, he didn't remind anyone much of a federal agent. Just as he got to the door, a pickup pulled into the motel lot and drove past McGee slowly. He could feel the driver's eyes on him, and so he deliberately walked past 106, and stopped at 110. He fumbled through his pockets as if looking for a lost key. By this time, the pickup had stopped in the middle of the parking lot. The man in the truck was bent over something, and McGee felt his heart in his throat as he struggled to stay cool. He made a sideways glance in Gibbs' direction hoping for a signal, but the boss was out of sight.

McGee was pantomiming an attempt to open room 110 with the key for 106 when the door to 106 burst open and a man ran out. McGee dropped the key and pulled his Sig from his waistband yelling, "Federal agent, get down on the ground!"

The man ran toward the pickup, but the driver had already gunned the motor and squealed out of the lot. Then there were voices yelling everywhere. Fornell ran out to the middle of the lot barking orders into the phone about the escaping vehicle. Gibbs was shouting for Ziva and Tony to give chase to the man on foot while he ran for his own car. McGee saw a small head peek out of the door to 106. He knew without orders that his job was going to be to secure the children.

Gibbs and Fornell squealed out of the lot while Ziva and Tony disappeared into the wooded area behind the motel. McGee approached 106 carefully. The small head turned his direction and dark eyes widened when they saw his gun. McGee let his gun hand go limp and he crouched. "Are you Scotty?"

The boy nodded.

"Is your brother and sister in the room with you?"

The boy nodded again.

"Any other adults in there?"

He shook his head solemnly.

"My name is Tim. I was sent by your mother to look for you."

The boy's eyes were fixed on the weapon. "Are you going to shoot my dad?"

McGee shook his head. "Nope. Just want to make sure you're safe."

Despite the boy's discomfort, he didn't holster the weapon. He went to the boy, put a hand on his shoulder, and steered him back into the room. It was dimly lit, and it smelled stale and old like rooms did when there was little ventilation. The bedspread on one of the beds was messed, and cartoons blared on the TV. Tim leaned over, "Turn off the TV, Scotty."

The little boy went for the remote and shut off the TV. Then there was no sound at all and no sign of anyone. "Where are Ellie and Eddie?"

"In the bathroom."

McGee turned and locked the door to the room and then sat Scotty on the bed. "Wait here while I bring them out."

He eased the door open slowly, still unsure that there were only children in the room. The shower curtain was pulled across the tub, but McGee could detect whispers. He holstered his gun finally, and stepped up to the curtain. "It's okay, kids. Your mom sent me to help you."

He pulled the curtain back slowly and saw two small children huddled together in the bottom of the tub. The little boy was lying on top of his sister. McGee knelt. "My name is Tim."

The little boy clutched his sister more tightly and she moaned beneath him. McGee reached in and pulled him off her. "It's okay, Eddie. Everything is going to be okay."

The little boy squirmed out of his grasp, and ran out of the bathroom. McGee reached in to pick up Ellie, but she let out a deep, low keening sound when he touched her. He pulled back.

"She's sick."

He turned to find Scotty standing there.

"She was with Grandma when Daddy hurt her, and it made her sick. All she does is cry and moan. She won't talk at all."

"She's just really scared, Scotty."

"Is Grandma going to be okay?"

McGee swallowed. "We'll talk about that in a little bit. I'm going to pick up Ellie now because she needs to know that she's safe. It's okay if she cries. Okay?"

Scotty nodded.

McGee gently picked her up and she started wailing. He pulled her in tightly and stood up. Then he walked back into the bedroom rocking her gently. Over and over, he softly told her it would be okay and that her mommy was coming. The two little boys sat on the bed and watched him attempt to sooth her. Finally he nodded to Scotty, "You can turn on the TV again."

The boy eagerly scrambled for the remote, and the two boys huddled together on the bed watched SpongeBob while McGee held Ellie in the corner and gently rubbed her back while she sobbed.

…..

Tony herded Willie Beckett out of the elevator, one hand on the man's shoulder and the other gripping his cuffed hands. The man stumbled, and Tony pulled him upright. He looked over his shoulder. "You gotta' be careful, Man."

"I gotta' be careful?! I got to be careful?! I spend half an hour chasing you through the woods; my shoes are ruined, I got scratches everywhere, I got bruises on my knees, and you want me to be careful. You got some nerve."

"I didn't do anything!"

"Shut up!" Tony said propelling him forward. Barking erupted and he jumped back.

Abby grabbed Jethro before he could advance and sat him between her legs. Jackson Gibbs chuckled. "Don't like dogs, Tony?"

Tony glared at the animal. "I like 'em just fine. However, this one has no sense of humor."

Jethro let out a rumble from deep in his throat.

"You should be nice to Jethro," Abby advised.

"He should leave the past in the past. You tie one balloon to an animal and he never forgets it."

Ducky strolled in. "Are the children here yet? Jethro wanted me to look them over."

"There's nothing wrong with them!" Willie Beckett said with a scowl. "My brother would never hurt his kids."

"You are an idiot," Tony said rolling his eyes. "I got to get him out of here. The kids are coming up in the next elevator."

At that moment, the elevator sounded and Tony yanked on Beckett pulling him toward the interrogation room. Gibbs came out carrying one boy and holding the other boy's hand. Ziva had everyone's pack, and then McGee emerged with a little girl tightly gripping him around the neck.

"Hey Dad, you shouldn't have come down. I won't be able to leave for hours."

"Abby told me you found the kids. I figured I'd bring some snacks for them. A lot of young mothers came to my store. I know what the little ones like to eat these days."

"That's nice, Dad." Gibbs leaned over and handed him a little boy. "This is Eddie. He was just telling me in the car how hungry he was."

The little boy settled into Jackson's lap while he pulled crackers and fruit bites out of a grocery bag. Gibbs tried to urge Scotty to join him, but the older boy was focused on his sister. "When is my mom coming? Ellie is sick."

Ducky touched the little girl's flushed forehead. "She does seem warm, but I think this might be more a case of shock than flu." He tried to pull her off McGee, but she let out a high-pitched scream.

McGee shook his head. "Better leave her, Ducky. She's still pretty scared."

Ducky looked her over. "She's going to need some fluids. I have some Pedialyte that I can bring up. Do you think you could get her to drink?"

"I'll try," he said as he sat down with the little girl. She buried her face in his neck. He looked over at Gibbs. "I can't be of much help right now."

"Just keep her feeling safe. We'll take care of the rest."

Jethro sniffed at the little girl for a moment, and then lay down at his owner's feet. Abby stood and watched McGee and the little girl for a long moment. She chewed at her bottom lip. "I wish I could help."

"I know, Abs," McGee said softly. "My little friend here isn't giving me a lot of options. We still need to track Scott Beckett. I'm going to need you to do what I usually do. Okay?"

"Tim's right. Fornell and I lost him, but we have lots of evidence to process."

Abby sighed. "Okay. I get it. I'm going, but if there's anything…"

Gibbs nodded. "Abs, remember you got a plane to catch. Pass off the evidence to another lab rat and get going. Have a good holiday."

She trotted over, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Then she leaned over and kissed Jackson. She looked at McGee, but his new friend was resting peacefully so she blew him a kiss, and then headed back to the lab.

Scotty looked up at Gibbs. "How's Grandma? Is she at the hospital? We should probably go see her. I know she's pretty worried."

Gibbs leaned over and searched the 7 year-old's face. The boy still carried a lot of fear, but he was determined to take care of his family the best he knew how.

Eddie patted Jackson's shirt, shaking his head. "My daddy was mean to Grandma."

Before Gibbs had a chance to respond, Vance walked into the bullpen. "Seeing these kids safe is a welcome sight. Good work!"

Gibbs met his eyes, and he could tell Vance had heard the boy's question. "Scotty here needs some good news."

Vance nodded. "I just got off the phone with your mother, Scotty. She's on a flight right now to Wiesbaden, Germany. She should be on a plane to D.C. in a few hours. How does Christmas with Mom sound?"

"Mommy!" Eddie crowed, spraying a mouth full of animal crackers.

Gibbs put his hand on Scotty's shoulder and noticed how the little body seemed to relax at the news of his mother's return. McGee leaned over Ellie. "Did you hear that, Honey? Your mom is coming."

The little girl only clutched him more tightly and McGee rubbed her back gently.

Vance surveyed the group. "We have a problem. If we put these kids into foster care, their mother might not get here in time to get them out before ever the courts close down for the holidays. With the storm coming, there's a good chance her flight will be delayed."

Gibbs sighed. "Christmas Eve is a Friday. Courts shut down early. They'll be in care and she won't be able to see her kids until Monday. Can they make an exception?"

Vance shook his head. "Courts don't make exceptions especially not on a holiday."

"We'll take 'em, Director," Jackson offered.

"Dad! We're on a case."

"You told me on the phone that Tobias was going to handle the manhunt," Jackson said and then nodded at McGee. "Besides, that little girl isn't going to want to deal with another stranger."

Vance looked at Gibbs. "What do you say? The mom should be here in about 18 hours."

"Come on, Jethro. You have a basement full of wooden toys. We'll have fun."

Gibbs sighed and then nodded at Vance. "Let the Chief Petty Officer know her children will be at my house."

Vance smiled. "I'll get on the phone with her right now."

Scotty tugged on Gibbs' arm, his face pinched with worry. "I'm worried about my grandma."

Gibbs touched the little boy's cheek. "Let's you and I take a walk, Scotty."

McGee watched as Gibbs took the boy's hand and led him out of the bullpen. "The boss is really good with kids."

Jackson smiled. "You should've seen him with Kelly. My son was the best dad I ever knew."

…

McGee sat on Gibbs' old couch and gave Ellie sips of Pedialyte. It had taken most of an hour for her to drink down a glassful. The house was filled with activity around him. Jackson Gibbs had a car full of groceries, and before they could be put away, there was the matter of making the kids comfortable. Toys were brought up from the basement after Jackson complained that kids didn't like dark, dingy basements. Pillows and blankets were pulled out of closets and set up in the spare bedroom and in the living room for guests, big and small. While people worked around her, Ziva stayed on the phone with Fornell regarding the latest on the manhunt for Scott Beckett.

McGee was no longer distressed that the little girl who clung to him was keeping him from doing his work. As the hours passed, he thought less about the case and more about bringing her back to life. He wondered what he'd done to deserve her trust. The few times he'd suggested that someone else take her, she'd stiffened and started to tremble. He'd come to accept that he was the temporary answer to her trauma, and he took that responsibility very seriously.

Gibbs knelt in front of the fireplace putting in kindling for a fire while Scotty sat nearby and watched. He'd been quiet since Gibbs had told him the truth about his grandmother. He seemed to understand that his siblings were too young to process the information, but it left him carrying a burden far too large for a boy of seven years. Eddie had two of Gibbs' wooden train cars in his hands, and he'd discovered Jethro the dog. The patient animal lay on his side while the little boy ran one of Gibbs' wooden trucks through his thick fur muttering to himself about how that they were 'in the jungle'.

Tony came in, rubbing his cold hands together. "Got all the groceries squared away, no thanks to you, McLazy."

McGee looked up. "Can you find some of those goldfish crackers? Eddie says she likes them."

"It's like you don't even register my insults."

"Mr. Gibbs knows where they are." McGee said as he brought a cup up to Ellie's mouth again.

"Tony," Gibbs said. "After you take care of that, you and Ziva can take off. The snow is starting to fall. You should probably head straight to the airport before it gets bad."

"Case isn't over, Boss."

"Fornell is in charge of the manhunt. Nothing left to do here but sit with these kids until their mother arrives."

Ziva got off the phone. "They haven't found him, Gibbs. He may still be a threat."

Gibbs shook his head. "Earlier today, I told you that there would be other Christmases. That was a stupid thing to say. Family is important, and we can't count on everything staying the same. Today was a good example of this. Go. Be with your families."

Tony looked at Ziva.

"Seriously, I mean it. Go. You have a chance to be with your families. Play a little Texas Hold 'Em for me, Tony."

Tony chuckled. "That's not really Monaco, Boss, but I'll play a hand of Baccarat for you."

"You're sure, Gibbs?" Ziva asked.

"We'll be fine. Right, Tim?"

McGee nodded as Tony tossed him a box of crackers. "Boss is right. We're good."

The little girl picked a goldfish cracker off his palm, and stuffed it in her mouth. McGee smiled. "See."

Ziva shook her head. "I still think this is where we should be."

Tony took her arm. "Ziva, if you don't get on that plane, your father is going to send a team to kidnap you. Gibbs is right. Let's go."

Ziva ran over, kissed Gibbs and then McGee. "Please have a good time. Laugh. Have fun."

Seconds later, the front door slammed and the only sounds were that of a roaring fire. Scotty got up, walked over to McGee, and put his hand on Ellie's leg. "Do you want to come play with Eddie and me?"

Ellie shook her head and clutched McGee's shirt tightly.

"Why are you mad at me, Ellie?"

She buried her face in McGee's chest. Gibbs stood. "Ellie's not mad at you."

"But she won't play with us. She'd mad at me because I let Daddy hurt Grandma."

He knelt beside the boy. "Not true. She just wants to feel safe, Scotty. She needs an adult to protect her until your mom gets here."

Scotty looked at McGee. "You can only have her until my mom comes."

"I understand."

The little boy reluctantly stepped away and joined Eddie on the floor as the boy ran trucks back and forth across Jethro's fur.

….

TBC….