Hello, dear readers! Since last year's NCISanta fanfic was a success (hooray!) I've decided to make it a yearly thing (hopefully). I can't speak for future Christmases, but this one certainly will have a Christmas fic by me . So welcome—welcome one and all to my second annual NCIS Christmas fanfiction!
I'm starting early so I have time to write. Finals are coming up, but then I have winter break, which is when I wrote last year's fic. Anyway, let's introduce this thing…
I have no clue how many chapters this will be. More than two for sure. We'll see how it goes. I'm attempting to combine two great plot-bunnies into one fic, so it will be interesting.
Setting: This is set before Gibbs' crazy "makeover" in season 13, so say, season 9. The good ol' days. In this fic McAbby is already established, they are dating again, and Tiva is not yet dating but they definitely have unspoken feelings for each other. I will fit as much Tiva and McAbby as I can into this fic. I love them.
This will feature Gibbs. It's not quite a "Christmas Carol" thing, but he's definitely gonna get a reboot on his Christmas Spirit. All of the other characters will have their moment in due time, I promise.
TIVA / MCABBY / PAPA GIBBS / NCIS FAMILY – Don't like, don't read…unless you want to. But if you hate it because you hate Tiva or something, just don't review. This is for people that do like it.
Moving on…
Without further ado…
Operation Bring Back Christmas: Chapter One
"Special Agent Gibbs," Vance called out from the balcony overlooking the squad room.
Everyone looked up from the annual holiday party that was taking place. It was still two weeks till Christmas, but since a majority of the employees worked that week, they decided on an earlier date to get it out of the way.
Vance had been watching for a while now. Many people wore ugly Christmas sweaters. He chuckled when he watched Tony showing off his light up one, Ziva laughing loudly and leaning comfortably against him. McGee had set up all of the televisions to show a crackling fireplace and fun holiday music played in the background. Vance liked to give his employees a time where they can have fun and socialize. In fact, NCIS was well known by the other government agencies for the best Christmas party. It wasn't unusual to have a few other people show up from the FBI or NSA. He could see just a few people that he recognized from joint cases dancing near the music booth. The song Step into Christmas by Elton John was currently playing and Abby, decked out in a crazy Christmas outfit, was dancing to it with McGee by her side. Vance smiled. He would rejoin the party soon enough, but he enjoyed being able to see the smiles on people's faces.
From his perch high above the bullpen, his eyes moved across the sea of red Santa hats to see Gibbs at his desk, filling out paperwork. He furrowed his eyebrows and called out to him. The music stopped briefly and Gibbs stood from his chair, climbing the stairs in no hurry.
"Carry on," Vance nodded to the party below, which immediately resumed, except for Team Gibbs. They were all too curious to see what was happening.
The director ushered Gibbs into his office, prompting him to sit down. The music could still be heard through the door, but Vance ignored it.
"You mind telling me why you're such a Scrooge every year, Gibbs?" Vance accused.
Gibbs shrugged. "I don't do parties."
Vance rolled his eyes, "I've noticed," he said sarcastically, "but really, why can't you just enjoy this time with your team? It's one night, then you can go back to scowling at the Salvation Army and ripping beards off of Santa Clauses."
Gibbs chuckled. "I've got work to do."
"No, you don't. You cannot do paperwork at a Christmas party, that's an order, Gibbs. Go back down there and socialize." Vance said, slightly louder.
"I can't."
Vance sighed. "What am I going to do with you? Have some Christmas spirit, for goodness sake."
For a moment, there was silence. "I used to," Gibbs said quietly.
Vance didn't speak. He registered what Gibbs had just told him. Of course Christmas was a painful time of year for him. Every Christmas tree he looked at probably reminded him of the one his family used to decorate. Every mall Santa probably reminded him of Kelly's eagerness waiting in line to see Santa Claus. Every mistletoe probably reminded him of the one true love he had lost, Shannon. He couldn't imagine what he would do if suddenly his own family—Jackie, Kayla and Jared—were suddenly gone. He figured he'd probably be just like Gibbs, drinking bourbon in his basement alone on Christmas Eve.
He had to do something. This poor guy could not continue spewing gloom all over the cheeriness that was always present this time of year. His team had tried everything: inviting him to parties, movie watching nights, dinner at Ducky's place—it was time for him to step in and make an executive order. Granted, Gibbs would not like it, but in the end Vance was confident that this would change him for the better.
Finally, he spoke. "Gibbs, I've made a decision. You cannot go on like this—isolating yourself during the holiday season. We have to do something about this. It's becoming a problem-"
"I don't like where this is going," Gibbs warned, rising from the chair.
"SIT DOWN Agent Gibbs," Vance said, raising his voice. Gibbs scoffed and sat. "I know you miss Shannon and Kelly, but this has gone on long enough. You need professional help."
"I am not going to see a psychologist if that is what you are implying-"
"You can get past this. I hate to see you wallowing around every darn year. As a friend I can't let this keep happening."
"It's none of your business anyway!" Gibbs shouted. He strode angrily toward the door.
Vance stood and walked to where Gibbs was standing out in the hall. "There is another option, but you'll hate me for it," he whispered.
Gibbs turned on him and gave him a cold stare. Most people would crumble in fear at that look, but not Vance. He'd learned to return that stare just as sternly. "What is it?" Gibbs finally grumbled.
Vance moved their conversation over to the balcony. They both looked down for a minute. "You see those people down there? Look at their faces. Look at those smiles and laughs. You can't tell me that you're not the least bit jealous of the fun they're having. Look at your team."
Gibbs obeyed and glanced down at his closest friends—his family, really. Abby was weaving around the crowd hugging nearly everyone she saw. There was pure joy on her face and she bounced up and down in excitement. Tim followed her close behind, shaking hands with people. It looked like the party was winding to a close already and they were getting ready to leave. He then saw Palmer and his wife Breena talking to Ducky and eating what was left of the snacks. He could tell that Ducky was telling a story of some Christmas past, most likely of a party he attended years ago. Breena didn't even seem to mind the tale of the old M.E.'s youth. He finally glanced at Tony and Ziva, who were slowly dancing to the song I'll be Home for Christmas by Michael Buble. Gibbs saw the looks on their faces; Tony held Ziva close, swaying gently to the beat. He looked like he never wanted to let go of her, like he was cherishing every moment of their dance. Ziva had a similar look; her eyes were closed and she sighed as if this was the moment she had always wished for. Gibbs knew they thought they were fooling people into thinking this was just a dance between close friends, but honestly the whole office knew about their feelings toward each other…except them.
Vance broke his contemplation. "Gibbs, I'm asking you to participate in all of your team's Christmas festivities this year. That means watching Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer until your ears bleed, having a nice Christmas meal with your team, and," Vance paused, "getting them all gifts."
"You think that will help me?" Gibbs asked, still gazing down at the squad room.
"I do." Vance nodded.
Gibbs thought this over. It definitely wasn't like him to do this, but then, he couldn't deny that he loved his team like family. He used to go all out for Christmas, and part of him missed that. He made his decision. "Okay."
"What?"
"I'll do it," Gibbs nodded. "I'll celebrate Christmas this year."
Tah dah! Since this is a Gibbs-Transformation fic, he probably will seem a bit out of character, but remember, he's becoming a new man (or maybe the old version of himself—the way he was when he had a wife and daughter). I'll do my best to make it as believable as it can be. It's not exactly supposed to be canon-worthy; it's Gibbs FLUFF! And we all like fluff .
Future chapters? I hope to make you laugh, cry, and everything in between.
Tell me how I did! Christmas time is here folks! Wanna know my Christmas list? Reviews! I'll take size small, medium, and large. They're all great! Reviews help me figure out how to make the following chapters more enjoyable for you.
And if you're bored while you await an update on this fic, you can read last year's Christmas fic, NCISanta.
Follow and Favorite if you feel so inclined.
Thanks for reading! I hope you like it so far. Bye for now!
~NCIS Obsession