Chapter One
It was Christmas Eve, it was late, and Gibbs was tired. He had just spent two hours talking to a prisoner at Rappahannock Regional Jail , a former Marine-turned-hitman-for-hire that would be transferred to a maximum security facility later that week, trying to get some information on a case he and his team had been trying to crack for weeks.
"Look, all I want to do is go home to my family," Gibbs had finally snapped at the man. "It's Christmas Eve and I've got a two-hour drive ahead of me. Now, quit wasting my damn time!"
The man, formerly Sergeant Michael Ranz, got real quiet. Finally, he nodded. "You're right, man. I'm being an ass. It sounds like the guy you want, his name is Parker Maritz. He's a leg-breaker for hire. We've crossed paths but I never cared much for his methods. I may be a hitman for hire, but I still had a code of honor, and this guy, he didn't. He enjoyed busting faces and would do extra for free if the guy was bigger than him, just to prove he could, even if there was a family involved, and especially if there was Navy or Marines involved."
"Where can we find him?" Gibbs asked, writing the information down.
"There's a bar, can't remember the name of it, but it had a funky pig with a motorcycle helmet and always smelled of barbeque. Just outside of Falls Church, I think. Think he's a regular there," Ranz admitted. "The waitress knew him by name."
Gibbs nodded. "Thank you. I'll see if I can get you a little something extra on your Christmas dinner tomorrow."
"Appreciate it, man," said Ranz.
After stopping to speak to the head prison warden and asking the man to put a little extra turkey on Ranz's plate, Gibbs stopped by a gas station to fuel up and make sure he had enough emergency supplies in case something went wrong. Then he got on the highway.
There was one problem; Gibbs had never ventured towards Rappahannock before and the map he had was a bit outdated. As for a GPS unit, he didn't have one, simply because it was "newfangled technology that was more of a hassle than it was worth," to quote him the last time Dabi had suggested it.
An hour later, he was cursing himself over it. Somehow he'd missed a turn or taken a wrong turn and now he was on a very lonely road and darkness was falling fast. The radio had reported a blizzard that was coming hard and fast through the region.
"It promises to be a nasty one, folks, so the best thing for everyone to do is get off the roads, get inside, and bundle up tight with your friends, family, and loved ones tonight. In fact, the only guy I trust to be out there tonight is the big guy in the red suit, folks!" said the radio announcer.
"I hear ya," Gibbs mumbled, looking around for lights, hoping to see a building or someplace he could stop and ask directions for.
But there was nothing.
Risking a glance at his cell phone, he was dismayed to note that there was very little in the way of a signal.
Then it happened.
He was trying to navigate a turn when his headlight lit up on a deer in the middle of a road. He yanked the car to one side to try and avoid it.
Then he hit black ice.
Gibbs didn't remember much after that. What he did remember was the throbbing pain in his head and shoulder from his seatbelt. There was a tree in front of him, a pine from what he could see, and it looked like the front of the car was mashed right against it.
The driver side door was covered in show up past the window and when Gibbs tried to open the door, he found it was stuck fast. The only way out was through the passenger side, maybe.
It took a bit of wiggling and a lot of cussing, but he finally got out of the car, grabbing the flashlight from the glove compartment. Then he saw the front of the car and the extent of the damage and he really started swearing.
"That's a write-off," he though. He brought out his cell phone, hoping to get a decent signal.
There was none, and the worst part? His cell phone battery was dying. He was in trouble and he knew it.
"Okay, keep calm," he told himself, trying to stem the rising panic he could feel. "Get the emergency road lights out; that's why you bought them, remember?"
After setting the emergency road lights out, Gibbs took out the emergency road blanket and bundled himself in it, trying to ease his shivering as he got back in the car. It was going to be a long night and he needed to try and stay awake as much as possible. The accident hadn't hurt him much, but the cold might surely kill him.
He took out the photograph he had of his daughter and stared at it. "I'm so sorry, Dabi," he thought. "I'm so sorry."
The thought repeated over and over in his head, even as the temperatures dropped and the car battery died.
It was dark, real dark, and when Gibbs looked out the passenger window, the sky was clear enough he could see the stars. One star in particular seemed to shine the brightest.
A song came to mind, one he'd heard while watching an old Christmas comedy movie with Dabi.
"Star light, shine bright
See me through the dark night.
Light my pathway
Guide me home for Christmas Day."
"I'm so sorry," he whispered, feeling the heady feeling of sleep coming on. Maybe if he just slept for a little while, he'd feel better and the night would go by faster...
Then he blinked, not sure what he was seeing. There was a little red light coming down the road towards him. As he watched, that little red light grew bigger and bigger, then a pair of bright headlights appeared.
They stopped near his location.
A moment later, a huge shadow appeared at his window and someone rapped on the glass.
"Hey, buddy! You okay in there?"
