AN: prepared to be killed with feelings from this year's Christmas episode 12x10 'House Rules' :) -kittiesgalore101

Timothy McGee's Point of View

Out of all the ways I was thinking of spending this Christmas, my father's funeral was not anything close to what I had in mind.

There's always something different about your last Christmas with a relative. You want it to be normal, you want to enjoy it like you'd have dozens more for years to come. But deep down in your heart, you know that's not the case. I could just feel myself going into the next stage in the infamous grief cycle as the crowd left the funeral home of the church I grew up in. If I remember anything from that psychology course I took my Junior year of high school, I'm pretty sure I'm in the anger part.

I'm not mad at dad for canceling his surgery. I'm not mad at out helpful cyber terrorist friends for keeping me away from some of my father's last days. I'm mad at myself.

My entire life, I thought dad was hurting me, thought he didn't love me. But I guess what I just didn't realize was that all along, dad pushed me because he cared about me. And in the end all I did was push him away.

It takes a man to make a man, right?

It's not like I was the only one with a tough dad. I mean, look at Gibbs, his father raised him with a code of honor, but much like myself, he didn't realize that his father did it out of love until it was to late. And don't get me started on Ziva. That little Israeli Ninja, her dad made her into a killer. But she was able to take her lessons, her skills, and use them for good. And if you can find a common theme here, it was the day she watched her father die, that she figured out that she wouldn't be the same without him.

"Tim?" I heard the Reverend slowly open the door. "The hearse is here to take the Admiral to the cemetery for tomorrow."

"Thanks, Rev. I'll get going," I took a deep breath and walked towards the front doors of the church.

"Hey, son," I turned over my shoulder at the Rev's voice. "It'll be okay."

I barely managed a smile and almost failed miserably at not crying at least until I was in the car. As I got into my car and decided not to hold back my tears, my phone buzzed. It was Abby, I had pretty much forgotten it was Christmas to tell the truth. "Hey, Abbs."

"Aww, Tiny Tim,you sound like you need some jazz," Abby said sympatheticly. Her comment made much more sense when I remembered she was raised in New Orleans.

"Considering all I've heard all day was a pipe organ tuned out by my own tears, that actually doesn't sound half bad," I actually smiled.

"Well, I'm in Gibbs' basement," Abby laughed. "And the gang's all here, so if you need some un-biological family time."

"Only if you have gingerbread," I smirked.

"You know I do," Abby's laugh always made me smile.

Abby Sciuto's Point of View

My heart broke for my poor Tiny Tim. The one last Christmas he got with his dad was his funeral. All I want to do is lay in bed and hug him. Wait- did I really think that? I mean I just want to hug him...

"Abbs?" my highly awkward thoughr's were interrupted by our own Agent Ellie Bishop, poking her heard in the basement. "I heard your voice and thought I'd check out the infamous basement."

Ellie was adorable, she was like a kid in a candy store. "Oh hey. Ellie, meet the basement." I faked a smile over the sorrow we were all facing.

"You okay?" okay Ellie's better with people than I thought.

"Not really. I just called Tim, and he wrapped up the funeral and he's heading over here." I brushed a pigtail out of my face.

"I can only imagine what he's going through. I've lost people before, but parents are just a whole other story," Ellie hopped up on Gibbs' work bench and crossed her legs (as to be expected).

"So," Ellie and I both turned our heads abruptly as we saw Tony poke his head in the door. "Are you two just gonna mingle in the basement, or are we gonna go give McGee some ginger bread?"

"He's here?" I almost ran into Ellie, and then almost fell up the stairs, but anything to hug my Timmy.

"Woah, Abbs, slow down. You're gonna hurt yourself," Gibbs had to catch me because I managed to smack into a wall right next to him,

When Tim saw me he opened up his arms and accepted my Abby-style hug. "Hey, Abbs."

"I'm so sorry, Timmy. I know what it's like to lose your dad."

"Hey hey hey look where you two ended up," Tony had intricately placed a peice of plastic mistletoe on the ceiling.

"Rule number one, DiNozzo, rule number one," McGee gave Tony the look.

"Well, then consider both of my partners screwed because I did the same thing to Mister and Mrs over there!" Tony pointed to Ellie and Jake.

"It's true, he did."

"Oh what the hell," McGee said before he got a huge smile and his face and passionatly kissed me. "Merry Christmas, Abbs."

"Merry Christmas, Timmy," I said before kissing him again, even though we'd ended up quite aways away from the infamous mistletoe.

The End