Merry Christmas Gibbs

Tony wouldn't hold still while he, Kate and McGee were observing Gibbs's interrogation. Kate and McGee both stood looking through the one-way glass and into the room. Kate stood with her arms crossed over her chest as McGee slumped against the door frame with his hands in his pockets throwing the occasional glance Tony's way then re-settling it on the Interrogation.

"Come on guys, it's Christmas, loosen up." Tony said as he went to shake McGee to limber him up and moved to loosen up Kate's stance as well.

"Wait its Christmas?" McGee said sarcastically as a smile came over his slightly pudgy features.

"Yah apparently, you didn't get the memo either?" Kate said teasingly as she turned her head sideways to look at McGee and smiled at him.

Tony sighed and rolled his eyes heavily.

"You can't be serious!" He exclaimed as both McGee and Kate turned their attention back on the interrogation. McGee chuckled lightly at Tony's reaction while Kate merely rolled her eyes trying to ignore him. Tony sighed once more and jumped in front of them and threw his arms in the air. "We know what's going to happen; PO Lee's going to play dumb, Gibbs's is going to book his ass, causing our friendly neighborhood rapist/killer to jump and squeal like a girl." Tony said as he notched off his proceeding on his fingers.

Seconds later the door burst open revealing Gibbs into the room. Tony jumped and let out a very feminine scream. McGee hid her smile with the back of his hand and coughed to conceal it. Kate gathered up her things and chuckled at his sudden jolt in his usual cocky behavior.

"Problem DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked absentmindedly as the foursome made their way to the elevator.

"No boss just super excited for the holidays." Tony said putting on a fake smile of sorts. Tony was practically skipping the remainder of the way ahead of them. As they arrived McGee's cell began to vibrate at his hip she looked at the caller display and rolled his eyes and answered.

"Hi mom…" He continued his conversation a little further away from the group facing the corner.

Kate stood at the edge of the steel door tapping her foot lightly impatiently as they waited for the cable car to open.

Gibbs however stood behind the group and secretly stared at Kate. He took in her medium length dark-caramel brown hair that was pinned up as a crown at the top of her head in loose waves, he then made his way down catching her cranberry-red wrap-around sweater and beige corduroy pants; looking at every curve taking in every movement from her tapping boot to the movement of her head as she talked to Tony. He shut his eyes and sighed silently as he thought. The door opened and Kate and Tony both hurried in with anticipation. Gibbs stepped in and stood furthest away from Kate but he sadly had to endure Tony's humming of Rudolph the red nose reindeer.

"McGee!" Gibbs yelled. Tim turned around from the corner he was in and disconnected his call and jogged in the elevator.

"Sorry, my mom needed to make some final arrangements." He apologized and stood beside Kate talking in low voices.

"So what have you got planned for the holidays McGeek?" Tony asked as he took out a bright red Santa hat from his pocket and plastered it onto his head bobbling his head to cause the little bells sown to the rim to jingle.

"Not that it's any of your business Tony but I'm going down to San Fran to spend it with my family." He said checking his inbox for messages at the same time as participating in a pointless conversation with Tony.

"You going to bring Abs?" Tony asked coyly staring at him with raised eyebrows.

"And what if I was?" He said with slit eyes as he listened to his message from the Goth in question.

Kate smiled and shook her head in amusement as she listened to Tony and McGee's usual run of the day banter. Gibbs rolled his eyes and against his better judgment went and stood beside Kate. He was close enough he could smell the type of shampoo she used and the smell of her scent that she portrayed. He leaned in close enough so that she was the only one to hear him.
"You've been quiet, anything wrong Agent Todd?" Kate blushed a little when she could feel Gibbs's hot breath tickle her cheek. She could smell a faint tinge of coffee on his breath and she smiled lightly.

"Nothing Gibbs, I'm fine." He raised an eyebrow and she knew she hadn't fooled him.

"I haven't been an NCIS Agent for 19 years to dismiss every 'I'm fine' I hear Katie." He said as the elevator opened to release them into the bull pen. Kate could feel her eyes well up and quickly wiped the moisture away before they quickly cascaded down her lightly pink blushed cheeks.

McGee followed Kate to her desk and gave her a stiff hug, he was one of the very few she had told her sad past experiences to, and after that their friendship had grown to the occasional moments when Kate would come up to McGee's defense and vise versa.

"Don't worry about it Kate, just enjoy the holidays; no work, and absolutely no dwelling on the past just enjoy your Christmas okay…and if enjoying it brings Gibbs there then so be it." McGee said with a knowing smile on her face. Kate laughed slightly but hit him on the shoulder teasingly. Kate sniffed back some tears that had escaped her control and squeezed her friend's shoulder hard.

"I promise that the only thing I'll do is make and eat cookies, get drunk on eggnog and laze about all day and watch Frosty and Rudolf." Kate whispered.

"I have to go now, remember what I said…and no work!" McGee said as he backed up slowly towards his desk, he gathered his coat, took out his cell and called Abby. On his way to the elevators she picked up.

"Hey Abs, I'm on my way." He entered the metal box and waved a silent farewell to his co-workers.

Kate blew her nose and tossed the tissue in the trash bin beside her desk and turned towards her desk and wrapped her woolen scarf around her neck snugly and brought up her heavy cashmere coat and flung it over her shoulders.

"Tony, are you going to spend all your time with what's her name?" She snapped her fingers towards Gibbs. He looked up at her as he too was getting ready to leave, wrapping his dark scarf around his neck and flipping the lapels of his jacket up.

"Dominique?" Gibbs guessed amused at the game of trying to guess Tony's latest squeeze.

"No, I'm pretty sure there was an 'm' in it." Kate said as she pulled on her mittens and turned off her lamp and computer. "Maureen? Mindy? Melissa…Help me out Tony." She said as she reached in her bottom drawer and withdrew her purse.

Gibbs pushed his chair in and was slowly heading towards the elevator and waited for his two subordinates to catch up.

Tony sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Monica." He simply said as he hit the Main Floor button and watched the doors close.

"Right…so you are going to spend it with Monicaaah?" She teased him stressing out the last syllable of the name. Gibbs leaned against the wall and watched amused at the banter Kate was Tony were spewing back at each other.

"Like a told you hundreds of times. I don't date married women Kataahh." He replied stressing her name as well.

Kate punched him lightly on the shoulder and smiled when Tony started to complain.

"Come on Boss you had to have seen that!" He said as he turned towards Gibbs who merely shrugged his shoulders mocking innocence.

Tony turned towards the doors and crossed his arms over his chest in a disappointing matter.

The first stop was Tony's floor where he would meet up with his current flame.

"Merry Christmas Katie, Boss." He said kindly completely forgetting his previous feud with Kate. Instantly he pulled her in a hug and squeezed her tightly. Kate's eyes widened slightly as she stalled for a second before she wrapped her arms around his waist and patted his back.

"Happy Holidays Tony." She replied fondly. As he withdrew he handed her a small wrapped present and her eyes lit up. "Aww Tony that's so…not you." She said, it raised a chuckle out of Gibbs and caused Tony's mouth to fall open in disbelief. "I mean I love it thank you." She dug in her purse and brought up a golden wrapped gift and passed it to Tony.

"Kate, you shouldn't have." He exclaimed loudly causing the whole lobby to stare at them. Kate's cheeks began to redden fro the sudden attention it was getting her as he crazily unwrapped it. "Wow! Magnum PI Limited First Edition!" He yelled causing more people to turn around and scowl at his behavior. He hugged her excitedly again and she laughed out loud. Gibbs was leaning against the stairs a little off to the side with a wide grin on his face.

Tony left with his girlfriend talking animatedly and continuously look down at the box set in his hands.

Kate watched them leave and made her way to where Gibbs sat on the stairs and smiled lightly at the little parcel in her gloved hand and brought it up to her ear and shook it to render a guess at what is was, She tucked it in her purse and reminded herself to put it under the tree when she got home.

"How did you know what to get him?" Gibbs asked as he dusted himself off as they headed for the door. Kate smiled as she tugged on her red toque over her head and snuggled it over her ears.

"Are you kidding, ever since he found a Magnum PI lunch box it was Magnum this and Magnum that." When they reached the door they stood there when finally Gibbs popped a question.

"Earlier I asked you what was wrong; you said nothing but started to cry." He said as he pulled out his leather gloves from his coat and slid them over his hands.

"Oh that…" She pinched the bridge of her nose embarrassed and avoided his eyes. "Umm you wanna go for a walk?" She asked suddenly her smile stretched out to a timid line as she waited for him to accept or decline.

Gibbs raised an eyebrow as he thought a minute about how so many things could go wrong but found himself unable to say no to her.

"Sure" He said steadily as he opened the door and they were met with an icy breeze. He closed his coat against the wind as she did the same thing against the rigid weather, but the fact that he was out in this weather with Kate it made it all the warmer.

They walked in the park, where all the trees were decorated with several white Christmas lights; reflecting the white from both the snow on the ground and the snow in the trees. They walked in comfortable silence through the Winter Wonderland gazing at the array of people holding hands on the path and those kissing under mistletoe hanging from street lamps.

"When I was young Christmas was a big thing at my house. We would join our neighbors and sing Christmas carols at Town Square. My mom and I would make cookies together at night, and in the day my dad and I would go tree hunting. It was my job to put on the star at the end of the decorating." Gibbs looked over at her. Her cheeks were rosy and her nose pink, but what really caught his eye were her own eyes; going back in time and recalling happy moments gave them a brilliant shine, he couldn't believe how much happiness was stored in her chocolate brown eyes. Snowflakes had fallen on her toque and hair to where it ended slightly below her shoulders, the white of the snow causing a big contrast against her medium brown hair. She looked over to him and her smile widened at the sight of him.

"What?" He asked a smile dancing both on his lips and in his eyes, yet after a moment his expression returning to its old neutral self.

"You were smiling, I like it, you should smile more often." She said looking down at her slick black boots, watching as it was being pelted with thick white flakes.

Gibbs swallowed and looked ahead slightly embarrassed but happy at the same time.

"Anyway…it would be the same at every Christmas, never a change. Midnight Mass Christmas Eve, leaving out cookies and milk out for Santa and watching Holiday Specials before bed." Kate continued. For a minute all she listened to was the crunching of their feet on the snowy path and the distant song of carolers.

Kate hugged herself against the blast of icy wind sweeping across the park; playing with their scarves and dancing with falling snow.

Gibbs stepped closer to offer both moral support and heat. At that moment he contemplated putting his arm around her, but upon gazing at her shivering form, and the smile he loved had vanished into a remorseful line he threw all caution to the wind and slipped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer. Her eyes widened for a moment but returned to a less then happy chocolate brown. She slowly unlatched her arms from around herself and timidly laced it around his waist offering him heat as well.

For a second Gibbs had forgotten to breathe; worst case scenarios were running through his mind like a black and white movie. But slowly he remembered to breathe and loosened the tenseness from his shoulders and relaxed to her gentle touch.

"It was same for every Christmas, never a slight change. Except one year; at my 9th Christmas holiday my school put on a Christmas festival of sorts. Some classes would perform songs, dances or recite poetry. My class was in charge of the Winter Play. I remember being so excited that I could eat my supper that night because of the butterflies in my stomach. I had one of the major roles in our play I was the Sugar Plum Princess." Gibbs smiled at that he could imagine little Katie Todd as a princess; her hair done up with ribbons and curls, her little body in a pretty dress and tiny black shiny shoes adorning her little feet.

Kate's bright nostalgic tone changed after that, to a tone of hurt and tragedy.

"Both my parents were working that night but got off early to arrive before the play started. I remember standing there on stage looking over the sea of parents to find my mom's red hair and my dad's blond one. I carried on with my performance satisfied that they were in the back tapping everything. At the end of the night I sat on the steps outside waiting for them to arrive. It was then I noticed headlights approaching me and I snapped my head up all eager only to discover that the lights belonged to a patrol car. Long story short the car was meant for me. It turned out that they were on their way to my school when my dad hit a patch of black and swerved off the road. Neither of them made it." Kate choked on the last bit of her story has silent tears trailed down her cheeks and glided their way over her lips and dripped down her chin.

Gibbs turned to face her and took in her frail appearance: one look at it and without letting his brain refuse it he brought her in his arms and held her tightly as she cried against his chest.

Kate closed her eyes tight and brought her arms together as she hugged his waist. She cried a little harder but most of time but was continuously aware of how close they were and of the heat that was coursing through her body.

Now Gibbs spoke softly as he ran his hand up and down her back in consolation.

"I know this is probably the last thing you need right now, but I was wondering since you don't have anything planned for the holidays if you would like to spend it with me and my family?" He asked as he tilted her chin up with his gloved hand until he was staring into the eyes of wounded soul. For a moment Kate did not react to his proposition but a tired and sad smile spread across her lips as she gazed into the crystal blue eyes that have been enchanting since before she could remember. He had told her that eyes could lie numerous times but piercing her gaze threw his she saw nothing that would hint regret or even pity, but sincerity and something she just couldn't place. She sighed and tucked her head beneath his chin and tightened her grip around his torso.

"I don't want to impose Gibbs, Christmas is a time of celebration with your loved ones, and not dwelling on a co-worker's past. Besides I was planning on doing some paperwork and stuff like that, you know take it easy." She un-wrapped herself from Gibbs embrace and took a step back plunging her hands in her pockets to stop them from shaking.

Against her better judgment she withdrew them and slowly and gently placed them on both sides of Gibbs's face. He stiffened and his eyes widened as she brought him down slowly to her height and turned his face so she could kiss his cheek. Her lips lingered there longer then needed but found herself giving more, letting her silky yet slightly chapped lips tickle his cheek. She finally drew back and turned to leave.

"Merry Christmas Gibbs." She walked away; head hung low against the wind and hands in her pocket against the cold. Leaving him standing there beneath a street lamp; him watching her retreating form and bringing a gloved hand to his cheek where she had kissed not even 10 seconds ago.