A/N: This one kind of kicked my butt. I hope it works for you guys. Can't thank you guys enough for the reviews. Makes me feel like the work I put into this is worth it if people are actually reading it.
***JIBBS***JIBBS***JIBBS***
Now that Julia was awake, the team decided to move the party into the living room. Ryan brought some food over to Missy on the couch and gently woke her up, knowing she needed to eat. They turned on the television so they could see the ball drop, which was set to happen shortly. Mary and Tony joined Ryan on the couch while McGee and Ziva brought over chairs from the kitchen. Ducky sat in one of the chairs near the couch and Gibbs sat in the other. Everyone but Ducky had gotten a cup of coffee. He enjoyed a nice cup of his Earl Grey.
It wasn't long before Jenny came out of the guest room after changing Julia's diaper. She looked around, happy to see her friends settled in comfortably. "Ziva or Tim - do either of you want a turn holding Julia? Don't feel you have to, but you're the only ones who haven't gotten a chance."
"Actually, we haven't either," shared Ryan, pointing to himself, Missy and Mary. "Gibbs only let us look."
Trying to ward off Jenny's disapproving glare, Gibbs piped up. "I would have let them but we were interrupted pretty quickly by uninvited guests."
Mary furrowed her brow. "I'm all for getting Gibbs in trouble but he's right."
He shot a look her way. "Thanks. I think."
Tim stood up. "I think I'd like a turn."
Jenny smiled at him. "Have you ever held one before?"
"I held Sarah when she as a baby. It's been a while, but I'm guessing things haven't changed too much."
Jenny smiled. "I think you might be right about that, Tim. Take a seat and I'll place her in your arms."
The agent stared down at the little girl, completely content to let her wrap her tiny fingers around his pinky. The sight of them warmed Abby's heart.
Jenny brought some of the food over from the kitchen, placing it on the coffee table, along with some drinks. She grabbed a bit for herself and Gibbs and then sat down on his lap. He wrapped his arms around her waist and took a bite of the pizza she held out for him.
Ziva enjoyed seeing her friends so happy. "Gibbs, I read the report. I do not understand how you hurt your hand."
He rolled his eyes as Jenny tried not to laugh. He pointed at his wife. "It's all her fault."
Jenny shrugged. "I said I was sorry."
Mary leaned forward on the couch. "Oh you have to tell us! What'd you do?"
Jenny looked at Gibbs and he signaled that she could be the one to tell them. "I was holding his hand during a contraction and broke his finger."
Those who work with Gibbs knew better than to laugh at him, but of course Mary and Ryan - and even Missy - weren't under any such constraint and indulged in laughter.
"That's pretty funny, Gibbs."
Ryan gave his daughter a hug and a kiss on her head. Jenny felt a huge weight lift from her shoulders upon hearing the young girl laughing.
Missy looked at those gathered with confusion. "When did all these people get here? Catherine, who are your friends?"
Jenny looked at Ryan, concerned. "Sweetie, don't you remember Catherine telling us her name is actually Jenny? These are people she and Gibbs work with back in Washington, D.C."
Ziva noted their concerned faces. "Did she suffer shock?" Ryan nodded. "Then it is quite possible she does not remember much from this afternoon. I saw that happen a lot back in Israel after bombings. It may be a blessing but also short lived."
"Your name isn't Catherine? I don't understand."
Jenny walked over to Missy and squeezed in next to her, relief flooding over her when the young girl didn't shy away from her. "You know how you play hide and seek sometimes with Laura? Well, I had to do that from someone too. And for me, that included changing my name so he couldn't find me."
"Jennifer, can you introduce me to your young friend?"
"Missy, this is my friend Ducky. He's a very smart man."
"And you seem like a wonderful young lady. But you don't need to worry yourself about your friend's name. You do know she cares about you very much."
Missy smiled. "I do. Maybe I should just go back to calling you Mrs. Gibbs?"
Suddenly everyone around them noticed their wedding bands.
"Oh my God, oh my God. You two got married without us?" Abby was crushed.
"Whoa, Boss. Get out of here. You two got married?" Tony's mouth was hanging open, which Mary promptly took her hand and gently closed it.
Tim and Ziva looked at each other and around at their friends, voicing their disbelief as well.
"Enough already." Everyone quieted down and looked at Gibbs.
Missy bit her lower lip. "Sorry."
Jenny hugged the young girl and planted a kiss on top of her head. "You have nothing to apologize for, sweetie." She looked at her husband, exasperated, before turning to the others gathered. "Jenny and Jethro are not married. We'll get married in Washington. But yes, Catherine and Leroy J. Gibson did… get married."
Jenny's head sunk into her hands as the team continued voicing their indignation. Missy tugged on her blouse. "Would you like me to get out the scrapbook and show everyone?"
There was a resounding "yes" said around the room. Jenny nodded and watched as the young girl went over to the bookcase and pulled it out. The others gathered around Missy on the couch as she played tour guide through their wedding.
Before she started, Julia started crying, causing Tim to look at Jenny like he was suddenly holding Kryptonite and he was Superman. She scooped up her daughter, noting the time on the clock. "She must be hungry again. I'm going to feed her. Do you want to stay out here or…"
Gibbs stood up. "I'll join you. I want my kiss at midnight." He looked at the others who were soaking up all of the information Missy was sharing willingly and it warmed his heart to see her so animated, even if it was because she was blocking things out. He knew the mind could do amazing things to protect a person. Gibbs put his arm around Jenny and the two went off to the guest room.
Ryan and Mary stood up, allowing the team the chance to get closer to the scrapbook to hear about the big day.
"How are you holding up, Ry?"
"This was definitely one crazy day." He eyed his friend carefully. "So do you have a confession to make to me too?"
Mary snorted. "Like what?"
He shook his head knowingly. "Care to tell me what you really do for a living? Because you're obviously not just some courier. You were mixed up in this up to your eyeballs."
She sighed. "You can't tell anyone, okay?" He nodded. "I'm with the U.S. Marshal service. I work for the witness relocation program, so I guess you could say I was Jenny's case manager."
Ryan sat down on one of the kitchen stools, a bit in shock. "I… I don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything. Listen, my own family has no idea. So please, I really need your discretion."
Tony joined them, putting his hands on Mary's shoulders. "Everything okay over here?"
Mary nodded. "Ryan's been given a lot to digest. It's not every day you find out your friends are in witness protection and that another is a U.S. Marshal."
"Well, on the bright side, you could have found out they were all mobsters or something. At least they're the good guys."
Mary looked at Tony. "Was that really supposed to help?"
Ryan laughed. "It kind of did, in a way."
"So there! Ha!" gloated Tony. Mary rolled her eyes.
"Tony, have you known Gibbs and Jenny a long time?" Ryan still had a lot of questions.
"Yeah. Gibbs longer. But still… They're really good people. I have a lot of respect for them. Gibbs has taught me so much and Jenny gave me opportunities that I probably should have appreciated her more for doing." He shared a knowing look with Mary.
"Where did you think she was this whole time?"
Tony swallowed. "Half the time we knew, the other half - we thought she'd died in a shootout. There isn't one person you see here that didn't take her death hard."
Ryan looked at Mary, overwhelmed. "So on that plane, Gibbs must have lost his mind when he saw her again."
"Or got it back." Tony sighed.
Ryan nodded. "Good point. Thanks."
"How do you figure into all of this?"
Ryan smiled at Tony's question. "I was a friend to Jenny when she needed one. She helped my daughter and I through a tough time. At one point, it looked like we could be more but it wasn't meant to be."
Tony's eyes went wide. "Does Gibbs know that?" Ryan nodded. "And you guys are friends? Interesting."
"Tip of the iceberg, my friend," joked Ryan, as he walked past them to rejoin Missy and the others.
Mary looked at Tony. "It's going to be crowded here tonight. Care to stay at my place?"
Tony's lips slowly curled up into a smile. "Are you offering me your couch or your bed?"
"Play your cards right..." she teased.
"I'm great at cards."
The TV began to bellow… "5-4-3-2-1... Happy New Year."
Tony drew Mary into a deep kiss. Ziva motioned for Tim to look and both shook their heads, smiling.
"I totally saw that coming," offered Abby as she kissed Tim's cheek. "Happy New Year, Tim."
Ryan hugged his daughter and wished her a Happy New Year. Ziva and Abby both went over to Ducky to give him a hug.
Inside the guest room, Julia had just finished getting burped and was being placed back gently into her infant seat, which was situated on the nearby nightstand. Gibbs, sitting on the bed next to her, gently guided his wife's chin towards him, capturing her lips with his own.
"Happy New Year, Jethro," she said afterwards, gently caressing his face.
"Happy New Year, Jen. Thanks to you and our daughter, for once I actually believe it will be."
His words deeply affected Jenny. She glanced lovingly down at Julia before returning her gaze to her husband. "Me too."
They kissed again, this time with more desire than they had since their daughter was born. The couple laid down on the bed, drinking each other in, letting their passion ignite until they realized they needed to stop before it went too far. They continued feeling each other - letting their hands roam, explore and comfort while acknowledging out loud their love. Gibbs held her close. "Oh yeah, it's definitely going to be a great year."