A/N MERRY CHRISTMAS, This is a one shot, set in the same AU Verse as It's Halloween McGee. (You don't have to read that first, but it helps!)
If you recognize it I don't own it although I may be related to it, but that's it!
Christmas in the Ne'er.
This year was a year of change for the major case response team.
Ziva had left off to parts unknown, alive but deciding to tread a new path of her own. Tony had come back and was rediscovering himself, Gibbs was adjusting to the new team and Ellie Bishop had now joined and was challenging Gibbs' supreme authority as Abby called it but despite this she was actually fitting in. Abby herself was…well still Abby; bouncy happy and grabbing Tim every spare moment she could get to find out more about the Ne'er. Ducky was still Ducky older and wiser and Jimmy was getting older and expecting to be a father soon as Breena had found them a birth mother whom they liked and were now awaiting the arrival of their first child and Tim, Well Tim's biggest secret was out there and he had finally met his mother, and was living his crazy life, sometimes in the mortal realm, sometimes in the Ne'er.
All of them apart from Ellie who had joined after the Stillwell Case knew about Tim's lineage and had promised to keep his secret.
Gibbs closed the folder on their latest case and looked up at McGee, DiNozzo and Bishop. "OK guys, you're off until the new year so get out of here." He told them.
Tim had been worried about Christmas this year, usually he didn't celebrate, allowing the lie of him going to his fathers to cover for him, he'd go home, spend the day playing with Cerberus or listen to Sykes chatting as he made something for the Ne'er folks who did celebrate Christmas.
He had been invited most years to Leon's however since Jackie had died his visits to his uncle's house had diminished, he loved Kayla and Jared his cousins but the sadness in the house permeated the walls and it was for him a very painful place to be. Leon had always hated that the kid was alone, but having been forbidden to raise him by his mother he hadn't but had tried to include Tim wherever he could.
Ellie grinned "I'm gonna make my flight." She said and grabbed her bag, "I'll see you guys in the new year," she said heading to the airport and her flight to her family in Indiana.
As soon as the elevator closed Tony walked up to Gibbs, "We still on for the Christmas thing boss?" Tony asked.
"Yep, will meet you at my place in three hours," Gibbs replied.
"You ok McGee?" Gibbs asked,
Tim grabbed his bag, "Yeah boss, I gotta go I gotta feed the dog." He said and headed for the lift.
Leon walked down the stairs and joined them, "Did you tell him?" he asked watching Tim's face as the elevator closed.
"Na and ruin the surprise, are you sure Sykes is ok with it?" Gibbs asked.
"It took him a while to understand the dynamics of a mortal Christmas, but I think he got the gist of it. I'm bringing the food over to him later so he can cook it; he's even closing The Inn." Leon said with a grin. "The kids are going to love it; Jackie was mortal and my children half mortal and they have never been to the Ne'er so it's an adventure for them." He smiled after the year they had all had, it was important for the kids to be happy; also having them meet their grandfather meant Leon wanted to show them some of his world too.
Tim walked into the back of The Inn and nodded hello to Sykes as he crossed the floor to his room. He threw his bag on the big bed and went to feed the huge 7ft hell hound. "Come on Cerb." He said as he opened the door and let the dog bound out into the yard.
Sykes walked in with a bowl of Were Stew and a hairy purple hangover. "I got your dinner kid." He grinned.
"Thanks Sykes." Tim said, pulling on his jeans and hopping on one foot as he pulled his boots on as he crossed the room,
"Slow down child the food will still be here." Sykes told him, "Unless you are going back to work?" he asked.
Tim shook his head as he took his first bite of the spicy stew.
"Nope we're off for Christmas." He smiled, "So I get a week off." He grinned.
"Christmas? That's the mortal holiday right?" Sykes asked.
"Yeah kinda like Yule." Tim said remembering the meal they'd had a few days ago to celebrate the Fae holiday.
Sykes nodded, "Are you going to celebrate with your friends?" he asked.
Tim shook his head, "No, they all have families, they spend the holidays with them, I picked up a new book I thought I'd read, it's by The Glaistig, Child rearing and Cattle farming in the Ne'er.
"You thinking of having a child now the ban is over boy?" Sykes grinned at him.
Tim blushed, "Not right now…Ew!" he said, "But there are going to be kids here soon, Pix is expecting which is awesome and Lust's girl is having a baby too! I'm not going to be the youngest anymore." He grinned.
"What about you and that Abby girl?" Sykes teased.
"Sykes!" Tim threw himself face first onto his bed. "It's not funny!" he sulked as the older man walked out of the room laughing.
Tim grabbed his book and threw a pile of fur blanket and pillows in the corner on his bed and started reading.
Sykes looked up as the door opened to The Inn and Leon, his children, Gibbs and DiNozzo entered with boxes of supplies.
"Sykes." Vance said in greeting.
"Leon…So nice to see you again and these must be your children?" Sykes looked at them, "Oh half mortal, I wondered how you escaped the ban."
"This is Kayla and Jared, Yes their mother Jackie was mortal." Vance said to him. Sykes had heard Vance's wife had died and wisely didn't bring her up.
"Are you a pixie?" Kayla asked looking at the small man.
Sykes let out a huge belly laugh. "No small one, I am a leprechaun, and owner of The Inn."
"Wow!" Jared said looking at the stuff in the room, "You look like a hobbit." He grinned.
Sykes rolled his eyes and grinned at Vance, "Would you children like a hairy ogre hangover, it's a popular child's drink here, I am going to take one into Time's room soon, maybe you'd like to come to his playroom with me?" he asked.
Gibbs and DiNozzo put their boxes down, "I'll get started on this Gibbs," Vance said, "Go with the children wake up that Nephew of mine."
As Vance predicted Tim had fallen asleep reading his book.
"TIM!" Kayla and Jared yelled as they walked into his room seeing their cousin asleep on the huge over-sized bed.
"Huh?" Tim yawned and sat up moving his book as his cousins jumped on the bed. "Kayla? Jared? Why are you in the Ne'er?"
"Daddy brought us, and Mr. Gibbs and Tony." Kayla said.
"But aren't you supposed to be getting ready for Christmas?" Tim asked.
"You think we'd have Christmas without you McGee?" Gibbs said.
"Boss? Tony? But I…don't you have family to be with?" Tim asked.
Tony shrugged, "Nope Senior called, I think I'm getting another stepmother, so he's in Hawaii with her."
Gibbs shook his head, "LJ Moore and My Dad are going to Vegas for Christmas…I dread to think what they are planning to do." He smirked. "So we are all yours."
"Who do you spend Christmas with?" Tony asked.
Tim shrugged, "The Fae don't do Christmas, Some do Yule, but most wait until midsummer for their celebrations, I figured I'd just read and play with the dog."
"Is it true, is your dog Cerb really 7ft tall?" Jared asked.
Tim motioned to the back yard "can you see him?"
Jared looked out in the yard he couldn't see anything, Tim held his hand and his eyes grew wide, "WOW HE'S HUGE!" he yelled.
Tim laughed, "Tony and Gibbs can't see him." Tim said conspiratorially.
"But how come?" Jared asked confused, "I mean he is huge!"
"Mortal. Cerb is a Hell hound; you can only see him because I am touching you." Tim let go and the dog faded to a black mist.
"Wow, Can I tell dad?" Jared asked.
"Sure." Tim said as Jared ran out of the playroom to where Sykes and Vance were talking.
Gibbs and DiNozzo walked over to Tim, "I don't know if it will work on Mortals but Tony do you want to try?" Tim asked.
Tony held out his hand and Tim grasped it, he looked out into the gloom and jumped back as a huge dog face appeared in the glass, big dark brown puppy eyes and a slobbering tongue suddenly appeared.
"Whoa!"
Tim smiled at Tony's reaction. "Cute dog Tim."
He let go of Tony's hand and Tony watched as the Dog disappeared. "Boss?"
After Gibbs had seen the dog he turned to Tim. "When did you discover you could do this, it wasn't something you mentioned before."
"About five minutes ago boss, I thought it might work with Jared being half Fae, but you and Tony, I'll admit I wasn't sure of."
"This may come in handy, if there are any cases where you can see more than we can." Gibbs said thoughtfully.
"Little one?" Sykes called from the other room.
Tony grinned as Tim stood up and walked to the door. "Yeah?" he called.
"You want to gather your friends in here?" he asked.
Tim turned and motioned to the others, "Come on." He said trying to keep the excitement out of his voice.
Gibbs and Tony grinned following him, "He may be older than us Boss, but I think 'little one' still suits him."
They walked back out into the empty Inn. It had been transformed, Garlands hung from the ceilings a huge table was laid with festive fare and Gibbs thought to himself it looked like something out of a Christmas Carol.
"Gonna find a seat Tiny Tim." Gibbs said.
Tim looked at him, "Really Boss, A Christmas Carol? You know the ghost of Christmas present wasn't really as Dorky as the book made out."
"Wasn't really?...I'm not sure I want to know,"
"They weren't even Ghosts," Sykes said holding out a chair for Kayla, "They were Fae."
"It really happened?" Tony asked in awe as he took his seat.
Tim laughed, "Nope but it was a good story when I told it to Charlie."
Tony looked at Tim like he'd grown a new head. "You…you told the story…to Charles Dickens?"
"Over drinks one Christmas." Tim nodded, "He took the story and put a unique spin on it. Made it his own, but he gave me the writing bug after reading it."
Sykes laughed, "Old Charlie never did get over his visit to the Ne'er."
"You met him?" Gibbs asked.
"Yeah he spent a full year with Tim here."
Sykes brought a turkey out along with all the trimmings.
"Merry Christmas people." Sykes said as he laid the turkey in the middle of the table.
Tim looked at Tony and Grinned.
"Merry Christmas and God bless us every one." Tim said.
Gibbs and Vance fell about laughing and despite Tim thinking he would have another lonely Christmas he ended up having the best Christmas ever with family and friends.