A.N. Okay guys, this is my Christmas NCIS fic. I'm in the Christmas spirit, and I've been listening to Christmas music all day, so this is the first instalment. It's also the best way I could find to procrastinate instead of doing the huge assignment that I have due in my Anthro class tomorrow. SO if I still can't force myself to do the project, you might get another update later tonight. Haha. Of course, I don't own any of the characters, and no copyright infringement is intended.

NCIS Director Jenny Sheppard was sitting behind her desk reading over case files that had to be signed and submitted to the proper authorities. Again. Or was it still? She couldn't tell. All she knew was that for the past few days she'd barely left her office and had spent the vast majority of her time at work in this very room, looking back and forth between paper printouts and her computer screen. Rather than going home the night before, she had grabbed a few hours of sleep on the sofa in the office so she would be in the building to oversee a special tactical operation going on in Serbia from MTAC. It had gone flawlessly, and she hadn't had to do a single thing besides cross another picture off of the NCIS "Most Wanted" wall.

She grinned ruefully when she considered what she must look like right now. Her long red hair, which had been straightened and loose the day before, was pulled haphazardly into a loose ponytail that fell down her back. She was wearing the same pant suit as the day before, although it was slightly more wrinkled and the jacket was currently slung over the back of the sofa. To top it off, she had no makeup on, unless you counted the remnants of yesterday's mascara. She was perched on the edge of her seat, her shoes under the desk, and one foot tucked underneath her. All in all, she looked more like a graduate student pulling an all-nighter than the director of a federal agency.

She yawned and stretched, kneading one particularly stubborn muscle at the base of her neck. She should get home and get a real night sleep, but considering that it was only...she glanced at her watch...only 6:37, she would try to tough it out for another couple of hours. She pulled up her left leg to join her right, and positioned herself so that she was sitting cross-legged before she grabbed another case file off of the never-ending stack in her inbox. She had just begun to skim the preliminary report when there was a knock at her door. Her brow furrowed in confusion before she remembered that her assistant, Cynthia, was taking a week off in order to spend the holidays with her family in Nebraska.

"Come on in!" she called, slipping her feet into her shoes again lest someone catch her looking so unprofessional. As soon as she saw who entered the office she realised the futility of that small effort.

"Jen," her visitor said, by way of a greeting. He had a bag in his hand, which she realised was probably soon to be her dinner. Her stomach grumbled in anticipation, and she realised that she hadn't eaten all day.

"Jethro," she responded warily. She had no reason to be suspicious of him, but she couldn't help but wonder at his ulterior motives when he pulled something like this. "You knocked."

"Yeah well, Merry Christmas," he said without meeting her eyes, pulling to-go containers out of the bag and setting them on the coffee table in front of the sofa and chair. That chair certainly looked more comfortable than the one she was currently residing in, so she picked herself up and crossed the room, folding herself into the plush seat.

"Today isn't Christmas," she stated, simply.

"Well it's better than you'll get if you wait for tomorrow."

She snorted softly. She had no doubt that her Christmas day would be spent in her office chair, much like today. Maybe there would be few enough people at the office that she could spend the day in track pants, or at least jeans.

"Why did you bring me dinner?" she asked him, although she eagerly took the plate that he offered her. Turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, and asparagus; how festive.

"Aren't you hungry?" he asked, even as he watched her dig into her potatoes as though she would never get another meal.

"Very. But also curious," she answered between mouthfuls. Her eyes followed him as he got up off the couch and crossed to her liquor cabinet, pouring two glasses of her best bourbon. For once, she didn't mind. He set her glass on the table in front of her; on a coaster, she noticed with half a smile, and cradled his own.

"It's Christmas, Jen," he answered. She met his eyes over her glass as she took a sip of the deliciously smooth liquid. At four hundred dollars a bottle, this bourbon wasn't a luxury she usually indulged in; her practical side usually winning out over her cravings. But hell, it WAS Christmas.

"Christmas Eve," she reminded softly. "Do you have any plans?"

"For tonight?" he asked, "Or tomorrow?"

"Either," she answered. He gave her a long look, but she met his eyes, unblinking. She finally looked back to her plate and tried to scoop up the last of the gravy with her last mouthful of turkey. Gibbs' eyes narrowed for a split second before he reached back into the brown bag and came back with a dinner roll, handing it to her. She smiled at him and broke it to scoop up the rest of the gravy.

"Abby asked me to go out to Christian's tonight. I guess the team is going out for a little holiday cheer together. She told me to ask you as well," he finally answered her question.

"Are you going?" she asked, so stunned that she actually stopped eating to look at him in curiosity.

"No," he answered, giving her a look as though that answer should have been obvious before finishing his own meal and putting the used plate back into the bag. That was one nice thing about him bringing her meals; no preparation and no clean up.

"I'll go if you go," she challenged. His piercing blue eyes met hers, searching for her motivations.

"You should go anyway, Jen. You should do something fun. You look awful."

"Always so charming," she said, rolling her eyes and taking another deep sip of her drink.

"You know what I mean," he responded. And she did. They sat in silence for a few more minutes, finishing their drinks and enjoying the company that neither would admit they missed. She watched him silently as he collected the remnants of her meal and stood to leave.

"Thank you, Jethro," she said, "For dinner."

He grunted a response as he tossed the bag into her trash can. "Get your coat."

"What?" she asked, confused. "Why?"

"I'm taking you home to shower and put on something nice, and then we're going to go spend Christmas Eve being social," he demanded. The way he said it hardly left room for debate.

"With each other?" she asked in mock horror, keeping a straight face.

"If necessary," he responded, equally serious. She sighed audibly, causing him to raise an eyebrow before she grinned and stood.

"If you say so." She was secretly glad of the interruption, and happy that he'd changed his mind and was insisting she come with him tonight. Not that she'd taken a lot of convincing.

A.N. Please review! I promise it will get more festive in the next chapter. I look forward to hearing how far ya'll think I should go with this! Love you guys!