Christmas Eve Day

Tony stood at the windows near his desk watching the snow fall. Roads had been closed around noon earlier in the day. It was Christmas Eve and he was going to spend yet another one here at NCIS offices. He looked forward to watching 'It's a Wonderful Life' as they always did in MTAC, but that was a choice, but that was a choice, now it felt like they were trapped.

He flipped open his cell phone and thought again about calling Maggie, and then closed it. She must be ready to kill him, but Senior being there wasn't his fault.

"She knows that you aren't to blame for Senior."

Tony jumped when Gibbs spoke.

"Really need to teach me how you do that. Sneaking up on people." Tony told Gibbs. "How'd you know I was thinking about Senior?"

"You've been looking at your phone all morning and you haven't called to check in."

"Maggie tell you that?"

"Nope." Gibbs took a sip of coffee. The heavy snow was keeping him from his usual coffee place and the stuff in the vending machine wasn't the same. "I haven't called yet."

Tony looked at Gibbs amazed.

"You haven't talked to your wife? We've been gone for over 12 hours."

Gibbs nodded. "I know how long we've been on the case. Maggie is used to me being stuck here."

"But still, it's a blizzard out there, the roads are closed and she's with your dad and my…our dad….Did you ever see any Stephen King movies? Snow, isolation, family dysfunction…..there's going to be blood."

Gibbs smirked at Tony and turned around to walk to his desk.

"Call your sister Tony; I'll talk to her after."

Tony flipped open his phone and tried Maggie's cell.

"No answer Boss."

Gibbs gave him an annoyed look. "Try the land line."

"Yeah, that was next." Tony sat at his desk and picked up the phone and paused. "What's the land line Boss? I always call her on her cell."

"Never mind." Gibbs picked up his desk phone and dialed his home.

"Hullo."

"Hey Dad, how's things going there?"

Jackson put down the baking sheet he had been putting in the oven.

"Things are fine here. Tony and I are baking cookies."

Gibbs mouth dropped open as he listened to his father.

"And Maggie's outside using the snow blower. Wife of yours is crazy. I keep telling her to wait."

"If you wait too long then you can't use it at all. The snow will be too high."

"That's what she said. She went out earlier in the morning to do the walks and the driveway so you'll have someplace to park when you get home. Speaking of that, any idea when that'll be?"

"Nope. Major roads are being worked on right now. Looks like we may be spending Christmas Eve here."

"Damn son, Maggie's going to be disappointed."

"Not you Dad?" Gibbs laughed.

"Hell no, I get the company of a pretty woman who appreciates my holiday spirit."

"Maggie is that Dad." Gibbs agreed. "How are things between her and her father?"

"First time you've referred to him as that." Jackson told his son.

Gibbs didn't respond.

"Things are pretty good here. Tony and I have been making cookies and he has one hell of an egg nog recipe."

"Family secret is the whiskey." Senior said as he put the cooled off snicker doodles on a tray.

Maggie came in the back door after finishing the latest round of snow removal.

"Here she is now son."

Jackson handed Maggie the cordless phone. "Give me your jacket before you freeze." He told her.

"You enjoying yourself?" Gibbs asked his wife.

"Snow blowing, love it. It's quiet and peaceful out there."

"Not inside huh?"

"It's actually not too bad. My kitchen is filled with the smell of fresh baked cookies, there's Christmas music playing and spiked egg nog in the fridge."

"And how are you?"

Maggie had taken the phone upstairs to the bedroom for some privacy.

"I talked to Senior for a little last night after you called."

"And?" Gibbs wanted to know if he was right.

"And he genuinely wanted to spend Christmas with his family. It's a bitter pill to swallow, our conversation didn't end in hugs and kisses and fatherly love. He admitted that he avoided me when I was young because he didn't want to remember how things used to be. And that hurt."

Gibbs was angry. He could hear the hurt in his wife's voice. "I'm going to come home."

"Leroy Jethro Gibbs you are not going to try and come home. The roads suck, it's still snowing and I'd rather you are safe and warm at work then stuck in a snow bank, your car wrapped around a tree."

Gibbs knew when Maggie used his whole name she meant business.

"Besides, it's getting late; I'm going to go start dinner when the cookie shop finishes up. It was just going to be me and your Dad tonight while you did your thing with the team..."

Gibbs turned around in his chair to shield his conversation some now that Ziva and McGee had come back from raiding the various vending machines for food.

"Maggie, I don't want you to wake up Christmas morning alone."

"Honey, I'm not alone. Hopefully by tomorrow morning the roads will be open and you can get everyone here for dinner."

Gibbs was quiet.

"Gibbs, I mean it. Don't try to drive home tonight."

"No promises." Gibbs told her.

"Fine. But if you get in an accident coming home I will kill you." Maggie warned. "And I'll tell Ducky to give you lousy autopsy stitches."

Gibbs smiled into the phone. "Merry Christmas Maggie. I love you."

McGee, Ziva and Tony all heard Gibbs say that. Their shocked faces looked at each other as Gibbs hung the phone up. Gibbs ignored them as he opened his bottom desk drawer and looked at Maggie's Christmas present. They had said no big gifts this year. Neither of them really needed or wanted anything, they had all they needed, but Gibbs had started his gift not long after they had gotten married. To keep Maggie from snooping he'd leave it locked in his truck when he wasn't working on it and bring it to w cork when he was there.

"Ziva David." Ziva answered her phone when it rang. "Shalom to you too Maggie, what can I help you with?"

Gibbs peeked around his computer and looked over at Ziva. Why was Maggie calling Ziva.

"Yes, I completely understand, it is too dangerous…I will…..I will make sure that he does not…You did? Okay, I will check. Merry Christmas."

Ziva looked over at Gibbs who was waiting.

"Well? Do I have to guess?" Gibbs asked his agent.

"Maggie has given me express orders to make sure you do not attempt to drive home until the roads are clear."

Gibbs snickered and looked back at the paperwork on his desk.

"I have permission to do whatever it takes to stop you."

"I'd pay money to see that. Gibbs vs. David. Who would win?" Tony pondered out loud.

"My money would be on Ziva." McGee said from his desk causing Gibbs to give him a look of disbelief. "Come on Boss, you'd never hit Ziva."

"If it meant stopping me from getting home to spend Christmas with my wife I might." Gibbs commented.

Ziva put her hands on Gibbs' desk and leaned forward. "And your wife would kill me if anything happened to you. I like your wife."

"What did Maggie want you to check on?" Gibbs asked Ziva.

"It appears that Maggie cooked up a surprise with Abby and we are to go down to Abby's lab."

Gibbs stood up and told the team to follow him to the elevator.

"They're here." Abby said to Maggie who had called after she hung up with Ziva. "I'll make sure too. Merry Christmas."

"What's the surprise Abs?" Gibbs started to ask and then he saw the food on the table Abby had set up in her office.

"Maggie knew you'd be here for Christmas Eve so she wanted you all to have something good to eat." Maggie handed everyone a paper plate and some plastic silverware.

"Where did you keep this all?" McGee asked as he saw the trays of lasagna, eggplant parmesan, meatballs and sauce along with rolls and salad.

"I kept it in a freezer in the morgue." Ducky said as he came in with a cart of waters and soda and ice.

"Alone right?" Tony wanted to know.

Gibbs slapped Tony on the back of the head.

"And I heated it up in here."

"When did she plan all this?" McGee asked Gibbs.

"Damned if I know." He answered as he piled lasagna on his plate.

"She and I cooked it up." Ducky admitted. "We were talking about Christmas Day and I told her she should come to the annual film showing in MTAC, but she declined. Something about it not being a favorite movie and that some traditions should be kept."

"How does anyone not like 'It's a Wonderful Life'? Even I like it and I don't celebrate Christmas." Ziva commented.

"It's DiNozzo thing." Tony muttered. "Movie reminds her too much of my Dad and she never watches it."

Gibbs took his plate and walked out into Abby's outer lab. The only light in the room came from the strings of lights Abby had hung up. He looked up at the windows and wished he could be home with Maggie right now. He wanted to thank her for thinking of his team and setting all this up with Ducky.

"Don't make me use my handcuffs." Abby said as she came to stand next to him.

"You too Abs?"

"Maggie doesn't want to lose you because you have to be stubborn and do things your way." Abby threaded her arm though Gibbs' and rested her head on his shoulder. "Maggie really loves you."

Gibbs nodded his head. "I know Abs."

"And you don't have to say it, but I know you really love her too. I can tell. I've never seen you look this content."

Gibbs kissed Abby on the top of her head.

"But if you try to leave, I will handcuff you to Mass Spec."