Just FYI, with the exception of the initial conversation scene in this chapter, there will be pretty big time lapses in this story, at the very least, this chapter. I'll do my best to make them clear. Sorry this is later than expected. Life has been busy. Happy early 4th of July and Happy Reading. :)
Chapter 2
On his lunch break the next day, McGee called Cara. After his initial blow-up at her, he had thought about what he said and he now felt bad for it and wanted to apologize.
"Hey, Cara, it's McGee," he said, when she answered the phone at work.
"Hi, Tim," Cara said cautiously. She still sounded nervous from their conversation the day before.
"I know you're at work, so I'll keep this short. Look, I'm really sorry about yesterday. I was out of line," said McGee.
"No, you weren't, Tim. It was justified," said Cara. "But I appreciate your apology."
"It wasn't justified," said McGee. "I let my feelings get the better of me. You were only trying to help and I pushed you away. I shouldn't have."
"It's OK, Tim," said Cara. "It happens. We're all still going through a really tough time. My offer still stands, though, if you need help."
"I appreciate it," said McGee. "I'll let you know. Feel free to come visit anytime."
"OK. Thank you," Cara said. "I'd better run here. We'll talk soon."
"Alright. Bye."
As McGee hung up, he felt somewhat better for apologizing to her. He hoped they would come visit soon. After Anna had died, they needed to spend time with the twins as much as he did, to fill the hole left in their own hearts.
December arrived and with it came the twins' first birthday, on December 10. Anna's parents and Johnny came down to D.C. from Philadelphia and McGee's parents and Sarah came from Bethesda to attend the birthday party.
McGee smiled to himself, as he came home that evening from work to discover his house covered in Thomas the Train Engine and Winnie the Pooh birthday decorations and the smells of three cakes baking in the oven filling the house; Abby had outdone herself.
"Hey, McGee," Abby said cheerily, walking into the kitchen to check on the cakes' progress. McGee noticed she had also tied blue and yellow balloons to the backs of the high chairs.
"Hey, Abby," said McGee. "I wondered where you've been all afternoon."
"Well, Gibbs knew I really wanted to do this for Sean and Lily, so he let me off at lunchtime, since we're not working a case," said Abby. "They'll all be over in a little while. They're at Tony's place, finishing wrapping presents. I'm baking a big cake for all of us and two little replica cakes for the twins to smash."
"That's awesome, Abby. Thank you," McGee said, smiling.
A little while later, everyone arrived, laden with presents. The presents were placed in the living room, to be opened after dinner and cake and ice cream.
After everyone had finished eating, they all moved to the living room, so the opening of presents could begin.
Sean and Lily received a small xylophone, one for each of them to play with mallets, from Ducky.
From Tony, Sean received toy cars (Ferraris, Chevelles, Lamborghinis, Mustangs, and Dodge Chargers) and Lily received building blocks.
The twins received pink and blue onesies from McGee's parents and Sarah.
From Anna's parents and Johnny, the twins received a box full of bath toys.
The twins received a variety of children's books, ranging from "Goodnight Moon" to "Pat The Bunny" from Palmer.
Each twin got their own special Winnie the Pooh teddy bear from Ziva, complete with teddy bear Navy and Marine clothing and infant age- and teddy-bear-appropriate accessories.
From Gibbs, Sean received infant-sized combat boots, and to Lily, he gave khaki and blue rattles.
"And this," Abby said, handing McGee the last present, "is from me."
Sean and Lily tore open the paper with their father's help, to reveal a photo album/scrapbook combination. McGee opened it: inside were photos, keepsakes, and freeze frames from videos from when he and Anna were dating, newlywed, pregnant with the twins, and from when the twins were born, up until Anna's death.
"That one is Sean's," Abby said, pointing to 'SEAN' embroidered on the cover. "Lily's is up in the nursery."
"Abby..." McGee said, holding back tears. "You're the best. Thank you."
Abby smiled and hugged him, pleased he liked it.
McGee handed Sean off to Gibbs and Abby handed Lily off to Tony, then they quickly went into the garage to get his present for the twins. They brought it back into the house, so as not to tear the wrapping paper.
"And this," McGee said, "is from me."
McGee helped the twins tear off the paper, since they weren't old enough yet to know how to do it themselves. He had gotten them a twin baby jogger, a perfect size for the twins.
Later, McGee assembled the baby jogger with Gibbs' help, then he and Abby put the twins to bed. Then they went out to the living room and settled down with everyone to watch a movie. McGee and Abby shared the larger couch, while Tony and Ziva shared the smaller couch. Jimmy and Gibbs sat in pillow chairs on the floor and Ducky relaxed in Anna's large Ottoman chair.
When the movie was over, McGee bid everyone Merry Christmas and goodnight, then headed upstairs to bed himself.
Christmas season was upon NCIS and holiday cheer could be found everywhere, right down to the honey dust Gibbs received in the mail, to Tony singing Christmas carols at his desk, drumming on the desk to the beat, to the garland Ducky and Abby hung everywhere. Abby had even gotten away with placing mistletoe over the door frame of the elevator.
A week after the twins' first birthday, McGee was in the process of finishing planning a Christmas party for him and the team. His and Anna's parents would be visiting in a few days, to spend Christmas weekend with him and the twins.
Tony and Jimmy were bringing the alcohol and dessert (pumpkin pie), respectively, while Gibbs was bringing little things like a meat and cheese tray, crackers, fruits, and vegetables to snack on, instead of a big dinner. Tony was also bringing "It's a Wonderful Life," for them to watch after dinner. Ducky was bringing a crock pot along, in order to roast wieners in his specialty grape jelly barbecue sauce. Abby was providing the music. Ziva was providing decorations.
McGee, who was in the middle of feeding the twins, went to answer the door when the doorbell rang. Pushing a barking Jethro out of the way, he opened the door to reveal a smiling Abby.
"Hey, Abbs," he said, smiling. "Come in. Don't stand out in the cold."
"How are you, Timmy?" Abby asked, bounding in. She was holding several CD cases. "Are you excited for tonight? Hi, Jethro," she added to the barking German Shepard, scratching his ears to quiet him.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world," McGee said, smiling.
"The tradition must go on, right?" Abby asked him.
"Right," McGee agreed. "What music did you bring?"
"All different versions of Christmas music; Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Michael Martin Murphy, Emmylou Harris, Brenda Lee, Kenny G..." Abby said.
"That sounds great, Abbs," said McGee, smiling.
"Tony and Ziva are still at the liquor store and Target," Abby said, following McGee into the kitchen, where he resumed feeding the twins. "But they'll be here soon."
"Wait," McGee said, "Ziva dragged Tony to Target?"
"Well, it's Christmas, McGee, so Tony's being... nicer than usual," Abby said. "Ziva asked him to accompany her, for his input on decorations, and he did."
"I see," McGee said, still skeptical.
"Is anyone else here yet?" Abby asked, looking around.
"Nope, you're the first," said McGee. "I'm feeding the twins, so we can put them to bed before the movie."
"That sounds like a good idea," said Abby. "So are your parents and Anna's parents visiting for Christmas?"
"Yeah, they're leaving Friday night after work and staying until Sunday night," said McGee.
"Cool," said Abby.
Abby went into the living room and put in Brenda Lee's CD "Jingle Bell Rock." Then she went back into the kitchen and helped McGee finish feeding the twins. They were cleaning the twins up when the others arrived.
"I brought pumpkin and chocolate pie," said Jimmy, going into the kitchen and setting the pies on the kitchen table.
"What all did you bring, Tony?" McGee asked Tony.
"Rum and Coke, Tom and Jerry ingredients for Ducky, margarita ingredients for the ladies, and white Sangria for everyone," said Tony. "But I drew the line at bringing bourbon for Gibbs, since I figured he'd want to get it himself."
"Well, thanks, DiNozzo, I'd hate for you to get the wrong brand," said a voice from behind him.
Tony whirled around. "You're welcome, Boss," he said nervously, waiting for the head-slap. When it didn't come, he went into the kitchen and put the wine and other alcohol into the fridge.
"You're late, Gibbs," Abby admonished him.
"I was delayed. The regular full-time barista wasn't at Stargrounds, so my order got made wrong three times. The new girl eventually got it right after I threatened to make it myself," Gibbs said smoothly, smirking.
"That all looks great, Boss," McGee said, looking at the homemade meat and cheese tray Gibbs balanced on one hand, and a crackers, fruits and vegetables tray on the other hand.
Gibbs smiled and went into the dining room and set the trays down on the table, while Ducky went into the kitchen and plugged in the crock pot. He made the barbecue sauce to roast the wieners in while McGee and Abby fed the twins their dinner and everyone else helped Ziva put up the decorations she had brought.
"Weatherman says we're supposed to get snow tonight," said Abby, as she fed Lily her bottle, as well as a spoonful of squash-flavored baby food.
"Who trusts the weatherman?" Tony scoffed lightly, as he strung Christmas lights along the mantle above the fireplace.
Once the decorations were up, the wieners were cooked, so everyone milled around the smorgasbord and ate. After finishing eating, Abby helped McGee with dishes, then she helped McGee put the twins to bed for the night. Finally, at about 8:30, everyone settled down in the living room to watch "It's a Wonderful Life."
Two years later, things have started to get back to normal for McGee and the now-three-year-old twins. McGee is still trying hard to handle everything himself. Living a normal life was still hard, but he was raising the kids right.
The delicious smells of peanut butter kiss and sugar cookies filled the house, on Christmas Eve, 2012. McGee, the twins, Anna's parents, Anna's brother Johnny, McGee's sister Sarah, McGee's parents, and three of the twins' little friends from preschool attended the party to cut, bake, and decorate the cookies and spend the day together. With everyone occupying the house for the weekend, McGee had also given Tiffany time off to go spend the holiday with her family.
After getting home from work on Christmas Eve night, McGee had used his father's sugar cookie dough recipe and had made up the dough that night with the kids, whose winter break from school had started three days ago. By the time the twins' friends arrived for the party, McGee was well into the baking of the peanut butter kiss cookies. Abby had brought three bags full of cookie cutters, decorations, and icing for the sugar cookies.
McGee put a cookie sheet on the card table, to put the dough on to bake the cookies. He and the others cut out the cookies in a variety of shapes— Santa sleighs, bells, mittens, gingerbread people, candles, and more. When each tray was filled with cutouts, McGee put them in the oven and baked them for eight minutes.
They all spent the morning baking the cookies, then had pizza for lunch. They watched Home Alone while they ate, to allow all the cookies time to cool. A couple hours later, the decorating began.
By dinnertime, the cookies were all decorated. McGee and the others placed the cookies in plastic containers, separated by sheets of wax paper, and placed them in the garage freezer to chill overnight. They spent a few hours sitting around in the living room area, talking and eating some of the peanut butter kiss cookies, then the little guests went home.
McGee looked over at Sean, who, although quiet by nature, was quieter than usual.
"Something bothering you, buddy?" he asked.
Sean didn't answer for a moment, in the middle of enjoying a bite of cookie.
After swallowing, he said, "Daddy, our friends from school who came today, they were talking at school about their mommies and daddies dropping them off. They were all excited. So... what happened to our mommy?"
McGee hesitated, thinking wildly for a moment about how to break this to his son and daughter.
Then he said, "Let's go into the living room and get comfortable and talk about it, OK? We'll snuggle in the big chair."
"OK," said the twins.
McGee smiled and went with them into the living room and sat down in Anna's big Ottoman chair with them. He took a moment to get his emotions in check, then spoke.
"First, I want to start by saying your mom loved you guys very much," he began. The twins nodded and seemed to understand, so he went on. "She didn't want to leave, but she was sick."
"Sick, like she had a cold?" Lily asked, confused.
"No, she was very sick. She had what is called cancer. Her body stopped working. She couldn't walk or run or eat or sleep anymore," said McGee. "The only way she could get better was to go to Heaven, just like they teach you in Sunday school."
"So does it mean that, if we get sick, we'll die?" Lily asked, tears forming in her eyes.
"No. Just because you get sick doesn't mean you will die," McGee explained, pulling them closer to him. He cast around for an example to help them understand. "Remember when you came home from school the other day and told me your classmate Ryan's fish had died?"
"Mhm," the twins said. "It was flushed down the toilet."
"That's right," said McGee. "Well..."
"Mommy didn't get flushed, did she?" they asked simultaneously, suddenly horrified.
"No, Mommy didn't get flushed. She was cremated after the funeral," McGee explained, almost chuckling at the stunned looks on their faces. "Her body was put into a very, very hot room, until her body turned to ashes. It didn't hurt her. She couldn't feel it. Her body turned to ashes, but her soul went to Heaven, just like Ryan's fish."
The twins nodded, as the tears fell.
"And I promise, I'm very healthy. I'm not going anywhere. And your grandparents, they're all here and the team, too, and they all love you, just like I do," said McGee, holding them close.
The twins nodded again.
"I have an idea," said McGee. "Do you want me to show you where we scattered her ashes after her funeral?"
"OK," said the twins.
"OK, we'll do that tomorrow. Your mommy and I also made some videos of us, while she was alive. Would you like to see one of them right now?" McGee asked.
"Yes," said the twins, their faces lighting up.
"OK, let me go get one and we'll watch it," said McGee. He went upstairs, into his bedroom, and went to the very back of the closet, where a box filled with videos lay hidden. He picked one out that was labeled 'McGee and Anna- Wedding' and put it in the VCR player and everyone sat down to watch it. As the video started to play, he told them about it. "That is your mom," he said, pointing at Anna on the screen. "Wasn't she beautiful?"
"Yeah," they agreed, smiling.
"She was so beautiful on that day," McGee said, holding back tears. "She was beautiful every day in so many ways. But she made me breathless that day. It was one of the happiest days of our lives."
The movie finished and it was time for McGee to put the twins to bed. He helped them get into their pajamas, brush their teeth, and combed out Lily's long silky hair, as he did every night before she went to bed. Then he kissed them goodnight and left the room, leaving the door open a crack behind him.
"No, Abby, please, I don't want them to do this," McGee asked the gleeful forensic scientist, two days later.
"Oh, come on, McGee," Abby whined. "Why not?"
"I don't want them to get hurt," said McGee. "I think they're too young."
"Oh, calm down, McWorrywart," Tony said, "they'll be fine."
"It's a kid rite of passage. Don't tell me you didn't do it?" Abby asked.
"Of course, I did, but— " McGee began, but Abby cut him off.
"Then it's settled. We're going," she said firmly.
McGee sighed, then groaned as the forensic scientist hugged him happily, as he relented.
"Where are we going, exactly?" Tony asked.
"Rock Creek Park," said McGee. "I figured it was the safest place around."
"Aha!" Abby exclaimed. "So you were planning on letting them go."
McGee rolled his eyes and chose to ignore her question.
A little while later, the kids were dressed in their winter coats and hats and were ready to go. They were going to put on their snow pants when they got to the park, so they wouldn't overheat on the ride over.
"Lily, come back and get your mittens or you will get very cold fingers!" McGee called after Lily, who ran closely after Abby, dragging her toboggan behind her, when they arrived.
Lily looked up at Abby, rolled her eyes, smirked, then turned and ran back to her father and took her mittens from him. McGee smiled as she turned and ran back to Abby. Sean soon joined them, laden with a sled that was taller than he was when he stood it up.
"Thanks for letting us borrow the truck, Boss," McGee added to Gibbs. "All these sleds wouldn't fit into Anna's Camry or my Porsche."
"Not a problem," Gibbs said casually, smiling.
"Remind me again why we are doing this?" Ziva asked Tony.
"Because it's fun, Ziva," said Tony. "And it's tradition."
"Another American winter tradition," Ziva noted.
"Yes," Tony said. "You never did anything for winter in Israel, did you?"
"We do not have winter, Tony," Ziva reminded him. "Israel is a desert."
"Deserts get snow sometimes," McGee pointed out. "It's rare, but it can happen."
"I did not see snow until I came to America," Ziva said, as if that settled the matter.
"Did you ever take Kelly sledding, Gibbs?" Abby asked, as they drove to Rock Creek Park.
"Oh yeah," Gibbs answered shortly, before returning to focusing on his driving.
The entire team knew only Abby could get away with asking a question like that.
"Is Jimmy coming?" McGee asked, breaking the awkward silence.
"He was behind us," said Abby. "Not enough room in Bossman's truck for eight of us."
A few minutes later, Ducky and Jimmy pulled up in Jimmy's Mitsubishi Eclipse.
"Ducky?" McGee asked, surprised. "I wasn't sure you were coming."
"Oh, I wouldn't pass up the opportunity to see your young ones experience their first sledding outing," said Ducky. "Besides, I thought I would be good to have around, in case of mishaps."
"Oh, don't talk to him about mishaps, Ducky," Abby said, as McGee cringed. "It took us half an hour just to convince him to even let the kids come."
"Not to worry, my dear boy," Ducky said fondly. "Sledding is a child's rite of passage in life. It'd be a shame to pass up, especially with all this nice snow. Why, I remember when I was a boy in Scotland and I went sledding with a school friend in my year. His sled went too fast down the hill and hit a large rock, and he was sent sailing through the air, only to land between two enormous tree branches that formed a Y. Fortunately, he wasn't more than bruised, but we had a difficult time getting him down."
Meanwhile, as Ducky finished his story, Tony was trying to convince Ziva to join him sledding down the hill.
"No," said Ziva.
"Come on, Ziva," Tony begged her.
"No! Absolutely not," said Ziva, shaking her head.
"Please? It's the only way you're gonna keep warm. If all you're gonna do is stand there, you'll get cold. You keep warm by walking the sled back up the hill."
Ziva frowned, realizing she was not going to win this battle.
"Very well," she said, "I will go down once with you."
"Alright! You will love it, trust me," said Tony. "It's so addictive. Plus, my sled's freshly waxed, so it will be super-fast."
"Wonderful," Ziva said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.
Tony and Ziva got down and positioned themselves on the sled, Ziva in front of Tony.
"Maybe I should wrap my arms around you, so you don't fall off," Tony suggested.
Ziva glared at him.
"OK, I take that back," Tony amended, withdrawing his hands. "Maybe not. I mean, you do have the balance of a ninja assassin on your side, after all."
"Plus, Tony," McGee added, "she might kill you for that with her bare hands. Right, Ziva?"
"Well, not right away," Ziva said sweetly. "I would make certain that he has time to regret it first."
"McGee, give us a boost, will you?" Tony asked him.
Instead of McGee, Gibbs stepped forward and shoved them with one foot, sending them careening down the hill. Tony and Ziva both yelled gleefully before their sled came to a stop. Then they looked at each other and laughed, as McGee came down the hill on a sled with Lily, going at a moderate pace.
As they trekked back up the hill, Palmer started to sled down the hill with Sean. As they neared the bottom of the hill, they gained too much momentum, causing the sled to overturn, sending both of them into the snow. Palmer was sent rolling down the hill the rest of the way, as Sean watched innocently. McGee heard him yell in pain as he landed wrong on his ankle.
"Palmer, are you OK?" McGee asked, rushing over to him.
"Ahhh..." Palmer groaned, lifting his foot gingerly.
McGee and Tony pulled Palmer to his feet and supported him as he limped up the hill with their help. They helped Jimmy into the front seat of the Sequoia, so Ducky could examine his ankle.
"Well, it is most definitely a bad sprain, my boy," Ducky said, as he examined Palmer's painful ankle. "At least you are surrounded by plenty of ice."
Palmer, who continued to groan in pain, obviously didn't appreciate the humor.
"Just remember to RICE it- Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation," Ducky instructed, as everyone began to get ready to leave, the sledding outing clearly over.
"Let's all go back to my place for hot chocolate," McGee suggested.
"Here, here!" said the others, as they all headed back to McGee's house.
Oh, lookit, McGee, McGee's family, and the team have survived the Apocalypse! Just kidding... Haha, sorry, buzz kill. :D
Thanks to tiffaroolou for helping me out with this chapter. You guys should thank her, too. The company name 'Stargrounds' belongs to her and she has given me permission to use it.
As always, don't forget to review. Thanks. I'll post up chapter 3 as soon as possible.
