Abby stepped off the elevator into the squad room. She walked over to where the team sat and looked around. "Where's Gibbs?"
"Coffee run" Ziva responded as she looked up and saw the forensic scientist's somewhat stressed out face. "Everything OK Abby?"
"Yeah, I just need to talk to Gibbs" Abby shared in a slightly excited, yet stressed tone as she walked through the bullpen toward the back elevator on her way to her lab. The team watched her go then looked at each other perplexed.
"What was that all about?" Tony asked, looking at McGee.
McGee looked around to make sure Gibbs hadn't returned yet, and that Abby was gone, "Abby wants Gibbs to be Santa for the holiday party today."
"Abby wants Gibbs to be Santa?" Tony asked McGee with shock in his voice
"Yeah. I think he'd make a good Santa." McGee responded.
"If you want all the kids to get a head slap, he would." Ziva responded.
Abby was fretting. She was in charge of finding a Santa for the holiday party at the Navy Yard for the children of deployed Sailors and Marines.
She had hoped that McGee would do it, but when he dressed up as Santa, there was no way any child would ever think that he was Santa. He was too skinny now, even the fat vest didn't fatten him up enough to be Santa. Plus, while he dealt with Tony very well, real children could still eat him alive.
Tony was out. He had just started to deal with his fear of children, there was no way he could deal with all the children Santa would need to meet & greet at the party.
Ducky might be an option, but the party was only 3 hours long. If Ducky started on his stories with every kid, they would never get through all the kids before the party was over.
Vance scared her, there was no way she was going to allow him to scare the kids.
Palmer. Palmer as Santa? No Way!
Gibbs. He was the only one who could be Santa. Abby was sure of it. It was legendary how good he was with kids. Abby was sure he would do it, especially if it was her that asked him.
Abby entered the lab, picked up the phone and hit speed dial 1. 'Gibbs' came the familiar greeting once she was connected. Abby spoke excitedly into the phone, 'Gibbs! I need you in the lab right now! It's urgent!' before Gibbs had a chance to say anything, Abby hung up. She looked at the phone and smiled. She was sure that Gibbs would be in the lab as soon as he was able, and that he would agree to be Santa…she hoped!
She would put the box with the Santa suit on her desk and as soon as he agreed, would send Gibbs in here to put it on. As she was about to move the box, McGee came in.
'Abby! I got a gift for you, ah, for Christmas. I thought it might Cheer you up a bit. It isn't anything, er, ah, serious, it is meant to be fun. Ah, if you don't like it, you can exchange it. I mean, you know…." McGee stood there holding the box out to Abby, a little embarrassed, a little hesitant.
Abby snatched the present from McGee's hands. "Oh McGee! You didn't have to get me anything!" She moved McGee under the mistletoe she hung in her lab and planted a huge kiss on McGee's cheek, leaving a lipstick print. "Merry Christmas, McGee!" Abby smiled her huge contagious smile at McGee who returned her smile, with a slight blush.
Abby ripped the paper off her gift, to reveal a box. She took the top off the box to reveal a very revealing two piece lingerie bra and thong in red and white lace with skulls silk screened onto the front of the thong and each cup of the bra. Abby's eyes grew wide and her mouth opened wide in excitement. "McGee! This is beautiful!" she held it up to her body. Then looked at McGee, eyes narrowed, interrogating him, 'you want me to wear this for you later, don't you?"
McGee stammered, 'Ah, um, yeah, I mean, Um, if you want, I mean, ah, yeah, I thought, ah, um, er, you know. Um if you want to, ah…'
Abby didn't want to torture McGee anymore. "McGee, it's OK. I would love to wear this for you later." McGee was still under the mistletoe and she planted a huge kiss on his lips. McGee's eyes went wide. "Abby! Rule #12!"
"McGee!" Abby stared at the startled agent with her hands on her hips, "you know how many times we have broken rule #12!"
"But never, um, ah, at work!" McGee stammered.
"But McGee! Rule #18 overrules rule #12 anyway!" Abby said slyly.
McGee thought about it for a few seconds, "I think you're right! I wonder who we have to seek forgiveness from?"
"McGee! As always, as long as they don't know, it'll be OK." Abby said as she put her arms around McGee's neck. McGee immediately went rigid.
"Abby! Are you sure no one knows?" McGee asked a little worried.
"Well, Gibbs knows." Abby said matter-of-factly
"Gibbs knows?" McGee questioned, a little panicked.
"Of course Gibbs knows. He knows everything!" Abby responded. "Speaking of which, Gibbs is on his way down here right now!"
"Ah, I am suppose to be doing something…. I better leave." McGee broke from Abby's embrace, "So, you want to come over after work?" McGee asked hopefully.
"Of course, McGee! Do you have those little lights like last year?" Abby asked inquisitively.
McGee chuckled slightly, "I set them up just for you."
"I'll be there," Abby responded with a very gravelly seductive voice.
The elevator dinged.
McGee's eyes went wide.
"Out the back, McGee." Abby pointed to the far end of her lab.
McGee bolted, faster than Abby had ever seen him move, through her office area, through the ballistics lab, and was just through the door when Gibbs walked through her front entrance, "Whadya got for me, Abs?"
Abby turned to Gibbs "Gibbs!" She had her 'sweet innocent' face on, "I have something that is more important than anything!"
Gibbs gave the stare to Abby. "What!"
"Gibbs! I need someone to play Santa for the kids at the Christmas party for the children of the deployed Sailors and Marines based at the Navy Yard. The Party is this afternoon. You need to do it."
Gibbs glared at Abby. "And how long have you known you needed a Santa, Abs?"
Abby hesitated, "Not long, Gibbs. I just found out two days ago. I tried to find someone, McGee - too skinny, Tony - scared of kids, Ducky - too many stories, Vance - I didn't want to scare the kids, Palmer - come on, really? Gibbs! Only you can be the Santa for those kids. You have some idea of what they might be going through. What Kelly went through….." Abby's voice trailed off.
Gibbs gave Abby the stare much longer than she was comfortable. He had heard that she wanted him to be Santa, and while his first reaction was 'no way!' as he thought about it, turning the idea over in his mind, he thought it was the least he could do for these kids. He remembered the deep pain of being separated from his family during holidays while deployed, and it was probably worse for the kids. He recalled the Christmas tree that Kelly had colored for him and sent the Christmas he was deployed, the last Christmas she had been alive. She had drawn herself with Shannon and him holding hands next to the tree, and the note on back "Daddy, the only thing me and mommy want for Christmas is you to come home, Love Kelly" There were little hearts colored all over the page. Maybe if he was Santa, he could at least give the kids a little assurance that their parents missed them as much or even more than they missed their parent. He could do that.
Gibbs looked at Abby with a slight hint of anguish mixed with resolve on his face, "OK, Abby. I'll do it."
Abby was so excited. She nearly leaped onto Gibbs. She engulfed him in a huge embrace, nearly smothering him "Oh! Thank You Gibbs! I knew you wouldn't disappoint me! You'll make a perfect Santa!
Once Abby released Gibbs and he was able to breath again she pointed to her desk in the back room, "Gibbs, the outfit is in a box on my desk. Go ahead and put it on, we can go directly to the party."
Gibbs went into Abby's inner office and looked on her desk. There was only a small box. He saw a larger box over in the corner, but Abby said the box was on the desk. He opened the box and what he saw cause his eyes to go wide. Gibbs had opened the box with the lingerie that McGee had given Abby. Gibbs smiled widely. He took the skimpy garments in his hand. He stepped out into the lab and said "Abs! I'm really not sure this will fit me right!" He couldn't wait for Abby's response.
"Gibbs! You will look fantastic! You'll be the best Santa ever…." Abby's voice trailed away and her face suddenly became beet red as she turned and saw what Gibbs was holding out toward her. She then realized that she never moved the Santa outfit to her desk when she was interrupted, and instead left the gift that McGee gave her on her desk.
Abby quickly gained her composure. "But Gibbs! You would look so cute in that outfit!"
Gibbs smiled, still holding the outfit in two fingers above his head, "But won't McGee be a tad upset if I showed up in this?" He was grinning from ear to ear.
Abby's face went straight-laced "I don't know what you are talking about, Gibbs. You're talking crazy talk!"
Gibbs leaned over and whispered in Abby's ear "I know when rule #12 is broken."
Abby couldn't look at Gibbs when she said the lie that came from her lips "I have no idea what your talking about, Gibbs."
Gibbs smiled and looked at her not looking at him, "uh-hu".
Abby thought about confronting Gibbs about it, but realized it would be a very bad thing because anything she said would just confirm to Gibbs that her and McGee were breaking rule #12.
Instead, Abby decided to ignore Gibbs' accusations. She grabbed the lingerie out of his hand as she brushed past him. "Sorry Gibbs, I thought those might fit you better, but maybe you should wear the traditional Santa outfit." She lifted the box with the Santa uniform onto her desk. Gibbs had followed her back to the desk.
"Here you go, Santa!" Abby said as she brushed past Gibbs on her way back to her outer lab.
Gibbs grinned. He actually was relishing being Santa, but he couldn't let anyone else know. He opened the box with the Santa suit. He took off his jacket and polo shirt and put on the 'fat vest' over his t-shirt, then the Santa coat. He shunned his pants and put on the Santa pants, then fastened the beard in place. There was a chalk stick in the box. He took it and rubbed it over his eyebrows to make them white, like his beard.
After Gibbs completely made himself over, he stepped out into Abby's lab and let loose a really deep "Ho, Ho, Ho!" Abby shivered at the sound.
Her eyes brightened up. "Santa?" she said excitedly and ran over to Gibbs.
"Just me, Abs", Gibbs said.
"But Gibbs, it isn't just you! Maybe between us, but to the kids, you're Santa! You have to remember that!"
Gibbs smiled. "Abs, I'll remember that more than you will ever know!"
Abby and Gibbs left the NCIS building to go to the other side of the Navy yard for the party with the children of the deployed sailors and marines. Abby poked Santa Gibbs "You need to wave to people! Everyone expects Santa to wave!" Gibbs glared at Abby. "Well, I guess not all Santa's have to wave," Abby backpedaled.
Gibbs was waiting just outside the room where the party was being held. Abby had gone in ahead to get the guests excited for Santa's arrival. While waiting, Gibbs flashed back to the phone call he had with Kelly on Christmas day over 20 years ago, "Daddy! Santa said that he would make sure you stayed safe and that you will be with us for Christmas next year." She was so excited. He wished he could have been there with her then. He responded "Kelly, if I could be there today I would. I think Santa is right. Next year I should be home with you and mommy." Next year never happened. Shannon and Kelly died before he came home.
Gibbs shook the memory from his head. He was here for the kids. To tell them their moms & dads would be home next year for Christmas. Hope was the only thing he could give them.
Gibbs could hear the noise coming from the room. Abby had everyone shaking bells and singing 'Here comes Santa Claus' at the top of their lungs. He took a deep breath. "Ho, Ho, Ho, Merry Christmas!" Gibbs bellowed as he entered the room.