Chapter 10: Dec 31

Jennifer Shepard was not surprised to find herself in the kitchen yet again. Her sister seemed to magically forget all the cooking disasters she'd ever had when she needed a hand with the food.

It was an old joke in the Shepard family that she couldn't cook one meal without almost burning the place down. She didn't think it was entirely fair, mainly because Lily had been going through an arson phase at the time and most of the small fires had nothing to do with her.

But the charge had stuck and she wasn't a good cook anyway. If someone else was happy to do the work, she wasn't going to complain.

Lily, on the other hand, was fully aware that she would offer to help if asked. And given all the sugary delights planned for New Years Eve, Jenny wasn't overly surprised by her sister's actions.

They hadn't had much time together, just the two of them. Children tended to appear out of nowhere and demand attention, and with other people around as well, getting alone time was tricky. But Abby had persuaded everyone to settle down for a festive showing of Wolverine and Lily had all but dragged her out the door into the kitchen.

"I thought you wanted to watch the movie," Jenny mused, rolling out the dough. "Hot guy, shirtless most of the time…"

"I think it's best watched with ice cream and alcohol," Lily replied, not looking up from her cake making. "After a bad day to de-stress. And don't deny it."

"I wouldn't argue with that assessment," Jenny countered, confused.

Lily shook her head, sticking a finger into her cake mix and testing it.

"You are aware everyone has to eat that," Jenny warned. "Saliva and all."

"It's not like I'm putting my finger back in," Lily whined. "You want to see Hugh Jackman topless as well."

Jenny debated the pros and cons of arguing. "Point taken," she conceded.

Her sister set about spooning her mix into cases. "You ever get fed up watching kids programs?"

Jenny stifled a grin. Camilla and Rose loved to watch the same movie over and over again, until she could quote the script. And they wanted her to watch with them, regardless of however much work she had to handle. Jethro ran interference but she recognized the need to spend time with her angels.

Even if their halos were choking them.

She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen a new cartoon on the TV. It was always repeats, all of the time. At work, she had ZNN on all the time in the background. Going without her news fix was painful, but her children came first.

She vaguely wondered what Jasper watched. Judging by his intelligence, not much. Jenny was more likely to find her nephew with his nose in a book than in front of the TV.

"What exactly is in those fairy cakes?" She changed the subject before they ended up sounding like old women, gossiping about their children and moaning about how life was different for them 'in our day'.

"The usual." Lily opened the oven door, almost threw the trays inside and set about making another mix.

"And I'm guessing you don't want me to mention the jalapeños."

Leroy Jethro Gibbs took the fairy cake gingerly. As though he expected it to be a miniature bomb, he examined it carefully.

Lily had made them; she'd been proudly announcing it since she and Jenny had bought out the goodies. And knowing her, she had to have done something to them.

Especially as both Jenny and Jasper had passed on the offer. They definitely knew something he didn't. And yet she was offering them to everyone else, so it wasn't a plot against just him.

Unless she'd poisoned this one in particular to get her revenge for the snake…

He eyed her carefully, already deciding to check his boat the moment he returned. He didn't put it past her to have used part of her missing two days to drive to DC and take her anger out on something of his.

Something precious.

It was an hour before the New Year began. Only Gabriel was asleep; Jasper had asked politely if he could stay up and Lily had immediately given him permission. Meanwhile, Camilla and Rose had 'somehow' found Lily's secret stash of chocolate biscuits and were on a sugar high.

If it wasn't for them all leaving for DC tomorrow, he would have forced Lily to reveal her stash. As it was, he felt allowing them to run about the room would slowly drive his nemesis up the wall. And he was trying to hint to his little girls that they could sleep in Aunt Lily's bed tonight.

Served her right. If she got them this excited, she should have to deal with the aftermath.

He stared suspiciously at the cake again. It was a slightly odd color but it didn't look as though it was going to kill him. Glancing over at Lily, he saw her put another one in her mouth and wave one under Jenny's nose. Probably not poisoned.

Giving it one final glare in the hope it would give up whatever secret it was hiding, Gibbs took a big bite.

And almost immediately began to splutter.

Somehow managing to swallow it, he threw the offending cake in the nearest trashcan and growled at Lily. She smiled innocently.

"I didn't burn them," she pointed out, opening her mouth and starting to eat a third cake.

"What exactly is in them?" he demanded.

"Margarine, sugar, eggs and flour," she recalled.

"Lil," Jenny prodded gently.

"And jalapeños," Lily added. "You don't like them?"

Gibbs wondered if he should mention the roof of his mouth was burning or find some water first. The kitchen became his priority for a moment and he left the living room and the horrendous cakes.

One glass of freezing cold water later and another one clutched in his hand, just in case, he headed back to the warm room. Jasper glanced up as he walked back in.

"Never eat a cake Mom gives you," he advised.

"I tell you what's in them!" she protested.

"Only after I ask," the boy shot back. "Did you make any chocolate ones?"

"Usual hiding place," she answered. "Don't give any to LJ."

He glowered at her. From the looks of things, Tony had also tried a cake by accident. Ziva seemed to be enjoying them, helping herself to more.

"It's an acquired taste," Lily grinned at him.

Tony DiNozzo was still feeling the aftereffects of the jalapeño cake, but several glasses of water later and after brushing his teeth, he felt almost human again.

He really couldn't understand why his Mossad chick was happily eating the offending items, but knew better than to say anything. After all, he was dating a person who admitted to eating maggots on at least one occasion. He wouldn't put it past her to give him a taste of them too.

New Year's Rockin' Eve was blaring from the TV and he smiled, settling back in the chair he was sharing with Ziva. It felt good to be celebrating the New Year with his 'family', all of them crammed into one room and just relaxing together. No work to worry about, no fear he was about to be called to deal with a dead body.

Just his family.

Gibbs, the father figure, simultaneously trying to glare at Lily while calming his twins down. Not very successfully, but hopefully he would get some sleep tonight.

Jenny, the mother. Always willing to listen and offer advice if asked. The only one capable of calming el jefe down and frequently the one to rile him up. Normally very busy but willing to put time aside when needed.

McGee, the little brother. A geek, used to be teased and almost accepting it now. Kind and caring, yet tough, in a way, when he needed to be.

Abby, the favorite. Everyone would do anything for her without hesitation. Capable of being playful with Gibbs during work hours, able to joke with him and get a smile. The little sister who thrived on hugs and affection.

And then there was himself and Ziva. He didn't want to think of her as a sister – he wasn't a fan of incest. There was a bond between them, a bond he knew had been tested time and time again and was somehow still strong. He loved her teasing, her banter, her complete failure with idioms, the fact she could creep up behind him without warning…

The way she made him feel.

Himself, the older brother. Allowed by the law of older siblings to embarrass and annoy young Timothy, while protecting Abby – as much as a bubbly Goth needed protecting from the world, especially one who had an ex-marine wrapped around her little finger.

The countdown began on the television and everyone began to chant. He smiled to himself. He didn't want to be anywhere else but here.