5A/N: So I was working on Chapter 6 of "Reflections" last night, when it hit me at about 8:30pm that today would be both Easter and April Fools. Even though I was trying to get that chapter in before April hit, I realized that getting a holiday one shot or two written was more important. So I wrote this little Easter one shot as quickly as I could, and I'm hoping to get an April Fools one written after I publish this. Hopefully within the next day or two I will also get Chapter 6 of "Reflections" posted.
I am utilizing the Gibbs family I showed in Chapter 5 of "Reflections" (the "Life Before His Eyes" tag).
"Get ready...set...go!" Jenny Gibbs shouted enthusiastically, holding the camera up and taking a picture as her husband and children took off the back porch.
It was Easter, and they were doing a family egg hunt in the backyard.
Joshua and Jackson were both eagerly running around collecting all they could, old enough to want to do it on their own. Jethro, meanwhile, was carting their one year old, Jane, in order to help her. Jenny had charged herself with camera duty, knowing she wanted picture documentation of this hunt, and feeling guilty for not being so good in the past about taking frequent pictures.
She smiled as she watched Jethro with Jane. He would carry her in his hands and then stoop down, letting her reach out and grab what she could. He seemed to be patiently trying to show her that when she grabbed the egg she needed to drop it in her little basket. She kept throwing them or dropping them, so it took a few tries for each egg.
It never ceased to amaze her how completely adorable it was to watch her husband interact with their children, even though she had watched it an endless amount of times since Joshua was born over six years ago.
She moved around the yard, snapping a few more pictures of everyone.
Remembering how last year Joshua and Jackson had gotten into a fight over the amount of candy the other one had and trying to steal each others, she had taken a suggestion from Abby this year and assigned them each their favorite color of egg to hunt for. They told the children that whatever egg color they chose, the Easter bunny would use that specific one for them.
Joshua's current favorite color was apparently orange, so he was picking up all the orange ones he found. Jackson had a hard time choosing what color he actually wanted, and ended up settling on purple. They used yellow ones for Jane.
They gave Joshua and Jackson each the same amount of eggs with the same kinds and amount of candy. Jane was so little that they didn't put very many eggs out for her, and hers were filled with snacks like cheerios and animal crackers (aside from one egg that had a nice, small, soft Three Musketeers candy bar for her to suck and chew on). Joshua and Jackson both had a chocolate Easter bunny to find as well.
Abby had come by that morning to drop off some colorful stuffed animal Easter bunnies for the kids, and she had watched them and helped them color in their new coloring books while Jethro and Jenny had both hidden the eggs outside.
Jenny thought her children were perhaps too spoiled from so many loving family members. They had their Grandpa Jack, Grandpa Ducky, Aunt Abby, Uncle Tony, Aunt Kate, Uncle Tim, and Uncle Jimmy. She was grateful to have so many people willing to be in their children's lives though, since she and Jethro only had one blood related family member between the both of them.
The whole team was getting together this evening for Easter dinner at Ducky's, and the Gibbs family had been at Grandpa Jack's for an early Easter dinner the day before. Never in her life had she experienced holidays that were so busy. Years ago, she and Jethro had both been in the habit of spending them alone or working instead. They were really never different than any other day.
Then they got married and had kids.
Now, for the last few years, their holidays consisted of making them fun and memorable for their children, surrounded by loved ones. They were busy and tiring, but they were also so fun and fulfilling, and she was glad her life was much happier than it used to be.
"Mommy?" Jackson said, breaking her train of thought.
"Yes, sweetie?" Jenny asked, looking down at her little boy and ruffling his red curls.
"I need help," he said, pointing to the direction of the tree.
She looked over to where he pointed and smiled.
"Wow, it looks like the Easter bunny thought you were pretty tall," she said seriously, smiling at him.
She took his hand and walked over to the tree, hoisting the four year old up higher so that he could reach the egg.
"Thank you," he said when she put him down.
"You are very welcome, thank you for using your manners," she said to him before he darted off again.
She walked over to Jethro who was kneeling in the corner by the fence. He was patiently watching Jane as she grabbed her egg out of the grass and then toddled slowly over to her basket. She released the egg clutched in between her tiny little hands, dropping it straight into the basket.
"Good job, you did it!" Jethro cheered her on, beaming at her.
She squealed happily, smiling back at him, and he snatched her up and kissed her on the cheek. Jenny took a quick picture, wondering if her heart would always melt at such interactions. She had never been so easily affected by such things before she had children, yet she had been a cheesy and irrational woman ever since her first pregnancy.
"We found 'em all, you're a pro," Jethro complimented the little girl, kissing her on the nose.
Jenny came up behind him and put her arms around his waist, pecking Jane on the cheek by his shoulder. He balanced the little girl in the crook of one arm and rested his other over Jenny's hands.
"You're lucky you have such a caring father to help you," Jenny told her daughter.
"Nah, she didn't need my help, she can do anything she sets her mind to," Jethro commented.
"At this rate, she won't have an ounce of humility by the time she's grown," Jenny chided.
"Sounds like a woman I used to know, back in the day, when I was undercover in Paris," he teased.
"Oh, really? I was thinking it sounded like the egomaniac I used to work for in '98. The one who I got stuck partnering with for an op in Paris in '99. He was so full of himself, he even had his own rules and everything, seemed to think the world rotated around him," she shot back.
He turned in her arms and faced her.
"Sounds like a real jackass," he said seriously, smirking at her.
She nodded knowingly, smiling at him.
"He got much better. In fact, it turned out I liked him a lot," she mused.
"Guess I need to make sure you don't run off with this guy," he replied.
"Too late, I'm already stuck with him for good," she retorted.
He bent down and put Jane on the ground by her basket, and then wrapped his arms around Jenny and kissed her forehead before resting his own forehead on hers.
"You keep forgetting to not swear in front of the children," she reminded him.
"She's practically a baby, Jen, she never understands half of what goes on around her," he remarked.
"Little pitchers have big ears," she said, pecking him on the lips.
She felt Jane pull herself up using her pant leg, and looked down at the small child.
"Ma, mama," the little girl gurgled, holding a hand up at Jenny, requesting to be picked up.
Jenny pulled back from Jethro and bent down, picking up Jane, while Jethro grabbed the Easter basket.
"Mom, I can't find anymore," Joshua said as he walked over to them.
"Count how many you have, I think the bunny was going to leave fifteen for you," she told him.
He began counting his eggs, and she wandered over to Jackson to help him count his.
When they confirmed that all the hidden treasures had been found, they wandered inside, where the boys began popping open their eggs and getting excited over their candy. She warned them to not eat too much candy, knowing they wouldn't listen, but not feeling too concerned over it. It was one day, they were children, it was Easter, and she was too tired to fight any battles with them.
The more children you had, the less strict and the more tired you became, and she realized she was a much more relaxed parent than she had ever envisioned herself being. Back in the day, she would have judged other mothers harshly for parenting their children the way she did now.
That was when she was young, inexperienced with children, and completely naive about a family lifestyle. Now, she understood a lot more, knowing there was still so much to learn.
Jenny heard a click, and looked up from the couch to see Jethro taking a picture of her and Jane. Jane had fallen asleep in Jenny's arms, a few stray cheerios littered around them. Joshua and Jackson were laying on the floor with their stuffed animals. Coloring books, crayons, empty eggs, and candy wrappers surrounded them, as they watched a Winnie the Pooh movie called Springtime with Roo.
She smiled at Jethro and pointed to the boys, wanting him to get a picture. After doing so, Jethro put the camera down and sat down beside Jenny, putting his arm around her. She relaxed into his side, getting more comfortable.
"Might need a nap before Ducky's tonight," he said.
"Mm, I know the feeling," she replied, sighing.
"Think I might be too old to have these energetic kids," he quipped. "Knees hurt from all that bending over earlier, and I'm pretty sure Josh and Jack could outrun me, my entire team, and any suspect I've ever chased."
"Well, we've got at least 17 more years to go, and I won't have you dying on me, so you better just suck it up, buttercup," she retorted, rubbing his thigh soothingly.
"That an order, Di-rec-tor?" He asked, smiling mischievously at her.
"It certainly is, Special Agent Gibbs," she replied, nuzzling his chin with her nose. "I couldn't do this without my best agent by my side."
"Guess I'll just suck it up, then." He maneuvered his head and tenderly kissed her, letting his lips wander and kissing different parts of her face. "Happy Easter, Jen," he whispered in her ear.
"Happy Easter, Jethro. I love you," she said, inhaling his scent as she kissed his neck.
"Love you too," he replied, squeezing her against his side.
They both slowly drifted off to sleep, three of the five Gibbs family members snoozing together on the couch. The two boys on the floor continued to happily watch their movie and eat their candy, cuddling with their stuffed bunnies that Aunt Abby gave them, and eagerly waiting to see all their family members at Grandpa Ducky's tonight.
Hope you all had a wonderful Easter!