All In The Family
Rating: FR7
Pairing: McGee/Abby, Gibbs/Ziva, OMC/OFC
Summary: College brings surprises but who gets the last laugh?
Note: Secret Santa 2010. Written for Maria. Merry Christmas, sweetie.
The house was bright and cheery for the first time in months. The Gibbs' home had seemed so empty and quiet since August when they had dropped Rebekah at college. After eighteen years the pair had been left alone again and they had taken advantage of being empty-nesters several times that first week. The months had passed quickly as they continued to investigate murders, rogue sailors and terrorists. Suddenly December was upon them and their beloved daughter would be coming home for a few weeks.
Ziva had spent days getting ready for Rebekah's vacation. She'd already cleaned the house from top floor to ground floor, leaving only the cluttered basement where another half built boat stood waiting to be finished. She and Gibbs had raised the tree and decorated it with all of the ornaments she had made throughout the years as well as a few Ziva had found in an old box that had belonged to Kelly. She had recruited McGee and Tony to put up lights on the outside of the house when Gibbs had gone to visit his father's grave one Saturday morning. She'd even set up the Menorah on the fireplace mantel and added a sprig of mistletoe that Abby had given to her above the kitchen threshold.
"I do believe," Gibbs said suddenly walking through the backdoor with a large frozen turkey in his arms. "This is the last turkey in all of D.C." He set it down on the counter before turning to kiss his wife in greeting.
"Very well done, darling." Ziva smiled as she picked up a knife to cut the binding strings.
Gibbs went to the overstuffed refrigerator and pulled out two beers. He opened them both and threw the caps away before setting them down on the counter and resting his chin on Ziva's shoulder as he watched her unpack the turkey.
"When are they coming?"
"Tim and Abby should be here by seven and Rebekah said they should be here about a half hour later."
Gibbs sighed and kissed the side of her neck. "So then I have time to-"
"Jethro!" Ziva cried with a wide smile and turned to face him. "We have company coming in an hour and our daughter right after. No, we do not have time to…"
Gibbs started laughing as he pressed a kiss to her lips. "Ziva, I was going to say that I have time to take a shower."
"Oh," She said, her face falling slightly. "Well, good, cause I have to get this prepared for the oven tomorrow and could you turn the lights on when you pass. I want Bek to come home to perfection."
Gibbs smiled as he nodded his head and slapped her on the butt lightly. "Guess I know where you were for a second."
Ziva looked at him with mock fury and threw the dish towel at his face. "Go take your shower."
He laughed as he plugged in the Christmas tree and then hit the switch for the outside lights as he passed by on the way to the stairs. In the kitchen, he could hear Ziva singing softly in Hebrew as she washed the turkey with warm water. He shook his head. She had always liked to cook but for a woman who hadn't been sure if she even wanted children, her motherly instincts had kicked in almost immediately after their daughter, Rebekah, was born.
Moments later, Jethro Gibbs stood under the hot spray of the shower allowing the steam to relax all of the tension that came with the holidays and fall from his body. He could quite possibly stand there forever just thinking of the gorgeous wife he had downstairs. Lucky number five, he thought with a smile. Rebekah had come along twenty years after the death of her older sister and he had breezed right back into being a father. He'd read bedtime stories, check for hidden monsters, nursed his second daughter through the Chicken Pox and had been building another boat with her on the weekends. Rebekah's boat was nearly finished when the time for college had fallen over the household; now it sat in the basement, Gibbs unwilling to finish it on his own.
Half an hour later the water had begun to run cold. Gibbs turned off the shower and stepped out to dry himself. Downstairs he could hear soft music playing along with Ziva's beautiful voice singing a song they had played at their wedding. The doorbell announced the early arrival of Tim and Abby just as he pulled some jeans and a dress shirt from the closet. He smiled, knowing that they too were anticipating the arrival that was to come shortly.
"I should have known you'd be early." Ziva smiled as she opened the door to allow Abby and Tim to enter. The two woman embraced as Tim watched with an adoring smile.
"Abby would never pass up a chance to see Bekah." Tim said as he handed a bottle of wine over.
"Hey," Abby said playfully, whacking Tim on the back of the head. "I want to see Micah too."
"Oh, hey." Tim said quickly and looked over Ziva's shoulder. "Where's Boss?"
Ziva chuckled lightly at Tim paranoia. "He's upstairs taking a shower."
Ziva led the pair back through the living room on the way to the kitchen holding the bottle of wine in her hand. It took her a good minute to rearrange everything in the refrigerator to make room for the bottle. It really did look as if she planned on feeding a small army when it was just to be the six of them with a possible visit from Tony.
"Does Gibbs know?" Tim asked cautiously.
"That the kids are coming home together? Yes." Ziva said.
"No, I know but does Gibbs know?"
"Do I know what?" Gibbs said suddenly as he joined the trio in the kitchen. He gave Abby a quick kiss on the cheek and a crushing hug before slapping Tim on the back.
"Uh, do- do you know when the uh, parade… is on." Tim said, trying to cover the real conversation and failing.
"Well Tim, I don't know if you've realized but they generally have the Christmas parade on Christmas day."
"Right."
Abby chuckled and leapt forward to help Ziva with the last preparations for their dinner while Gibbs opened the bottle of wine and pour four glasses full. Tim was distracted thinking of how the evening could possibly be a horrendous one for Micah.
"To our children," Ziva said breaking Tim's trance. "To Micah, our resident future Criminal Psychologist and to Rebekah, a beautiful doctor-to-be."
The four clinked their glasses together as they heard a car honking from outside. The girls both completely ignored their drinks as they walked to the door. Tim and Gibbs shared a smile as they followed their wives outside to greet their beloved children.
"Mom," Rebekah said as she wrapped her arms around the slender woman. Rebekah Gibbs was a near double of Ziva with her olive skin and long dark hair. Many had said the only thing she'd inherited from her father was her 100-watt smile, bright blue eyes and short temper.
Micah had gained many things from both his parents but the most visible was his knowledge and thirst for more. He got out from behind the wheel and was enveloped in a hug before he could even close the door. He laughed softly and circled his arms around his mother as he looked at his father and the man he'd always lovingly referred to as Grandpa Gibbs.
"Hey Dad, I thought I told you Bekah ordered a white Christmas" Micah smiled.
"Santa hasn't been here yet. Never know what he might bring to a good girl like Rebekah." Tim laughed as he gave his son a one armed hug.
Rebekah laughed as she greeted her father and whispered into his ear. "You haven't told him about Santa yet, Dad?"
"I thought it best not to destroy all of his illusions." Gibbs laughed, kissing her cheek.
"So Aunt Ziva, what's for dinner?" Micah asked, his arm still around Abby's shoulder.
Ziva laughed quietly. "Micah McGee, you do not think I forgot about your stomach when I started cooking do you? I thought a nice home cooked meal would be just the thing for you two after months of cafeteria food. I made your favorite tonight."
Ziva's statement was cut off as she saw Micah closing the distance between them and picking her up off the ground completely in a giant bear hug. "Aunt Ziva, I love you."
"Excuse me, I'm your mother." Abby said with a smirk.
Micah turned with Ziva still in his arms. "Oh, well I love you too, Mom."
"Put me down or you will starve." Ziva laughed.
Micah looked down to the woman in his arms and then heaved her over his shoulder with a laugh and started running for the front door. Ziva was beating on his back the entire way with playful threats of pain and injury. He set her down just inside the door and looked at her, grinning.
"You wouldn't hurt me, Aunt Ziva. We both know you wouldn't."
Ziva paused for a moment thinking of the underlying meaning and then smacked him on the back of his head before she retreated back into the kitchen. Micah laughter continued as he was joined by the rest of the family. He took Rebekah's jacket and hung it on the rack next to the door.
"Why did Mom smack you?"
"Oh, I reminded her of something, is all."
Dinner had been a success and Gibbs had volunteered the three men clean-up duty so the girls could chat in the living room. Micah made coffee while Gibbs refilled the four wine glasses before they joined the girls in front of the fireplace. Tim joined Abby, planting a small kiss on her head, while Gibbs wrapped an arm around Ziva. Micah and Rebekah sat side by side on the floor, leaning against the feet of their parents.
"What time should we be here tomorrow, Ziva?" Abby asked.
"Turkey should be ready by one-thirty. Jethro got a huge one. Tony said he wasn't certain if he'd make it or not. I think he said something about going to the parade with Jeanne and Alexis."
It had been a chance run-in twelve years ago that brought Tony and Jeanne back together. They'd started over with full knowledge of who each other was and the lies that had brought them together so many years before. Now they were living happily, day-by-day with their own daughter.
"Bek, honey, could you get your old man a refill?" Gibbs asked after a few moments of quiet.
She smiled and got to her feet, with the help of Micah who had grabbed his coffee cup and Abby's glass. The pair walked into the kitchen without a sound and stopped at the doorway.
Without hesitation the pair started to kiss. They wrapped their arms around one another and silently explored each other's mouths. While telling Ziva and Micah's parents that they'd started dating shortly after starting school together, Gibbs had been the only one who wasn't aware of their affections for each other. Rebekah had caught sight of the mistletoe hanging above the door and made quick plans to have them 'accidentally' end up under it in case her father were to catch them.
"What is taking those kids so long?" Ziva asked aloud.
CRASH!
"What in the world was that?" Abby asked, looking toward the direction of the kitchen.
"That," Gibbs said through his teeth. "Would be Micah breaking my favorite mug instead of putting it down before kissing my daughter."
Three pairs of eyes turned to him suddenly. Tim's mouth was contorted into his famous confused gaze.
"I thought that you three had figured out twenty years ago, I know everything." He said and pressed a kiss to Ziva's temple.