sorry this took so long to get up, my computer is retarded. i was going to keep who played sant a secret until the last minute, but it was more fun this way. thanks to everyone who reviewed!

disclaimer: alas, i own nothing, except the idiot at the end. isn't that great? i own and idiot.

now on with the story!

Kate was scheming.

McGee was geeking.

Gibbs was getting coffee.

Tony was so bored that comatose was about to set in.

They had all finished their paper work, but it was too early for Gibbs to let them go home. Kate was considering whether it would be safe or not to enlist Abby's help in her 'crusade' to have Gibbs play Santa. She knew that as soon as she got up to go see Abby, a case would come in, and Gibbs would be pissed if she wasn't right there, ready to go. And she did not need him pissed if this was going to work. She was hoping that they might get a case so that she could work late, because she knew he would never agree in front of Tony. Checking her watch, she figured it couldn't hurt to go talk to Abby now. But, just as she stood up, guess who walks in.

"You going somewhere Kate?" Gibbs asked, hanging up his cell phone.

"Hopefully," please let there be a case, please let there be a case. She had her fingers crossed behind her.

"Grab your gear. DiNozzo, get the van."

They all jumped up and scrambled to find all their stuff, then raced to the van. Tony was excited that they finally had something to do, but then a thought hit him while everyone was getting in the van.

"Oh, crap!"

"What's with you, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked, as he pulled out of the parking lot at like 70 mph.

"I hope this is a quick case, the party's only two days away, I don't want to be doing paper work while everyone else is having fun."

"All the more reason to solve it fast!" Gibbs snapped, irked that, once again, DiNozzo was only thinking about parties and whatnot and not work. He sighed. This could be a long day.

Again, Kate did not listen to the rest of the conversation. Her plan may have just been ruined. How did she know this wasn't going to turn into one of those horrible cases that take them sleepless days to figure out? She might get plenty of time to convince Gibbs, but what was the point of him agreeing if none of them could go to the party anyway? She hoped this would be quick.

When they arrived at the scene, a small house only about 20 minutes from DC, they found a young petty officer lying in the middle of her living room. There was a puncture wound through her heart and another through her stomach.

"Well, I'm pretty sure we won't need Ducky to tell us the cause of death," Tony remarked, looking around, "this idiot even left th- a knife!"

It was true. About a foot away from the deceased women, a long bloody knife lay on the floor. But however obvious it was that this was the murder weapon, Tony wasn't about to say that with Gibbs within hearing range. That could earn him a slap for assuming something, and Gibbs was already waiting for an excuse to slap him after the boat comment earlier.

"Kate, get statements. McGee, bag and tag. Tony, pictures and sketches." Gibbs barked out orders then went to find out who found the body. Tony started snapping pictures and McGee was putting the bloody knife in a bag. Kate walked out the back door and started heading to the front yard.

As she was walking along the side of the house, the bushes started shaking, and a man jumped out and grabbed her. She cried out as he gripped her throat and tried to cut off her air supply. She was struggling, but somehow she found her self pinned to the ground with both the man's hands strangling her. When did that happen, she was thinking, her vision blurring and her head spinning. She needed air, and she needed it now She heard a thump from above her and saw the man fall off of her, and Tony standing over her.

"Kate, Kate, are you ok?" he asked, looking concerned.

Before she could answer, Gibbs started shouting.

"DiNozzo, what the hell happened?" Then he saw her lying there in the dirt. He rushed over and knelt down beside her. He helped her sit up, putting his hand on her back to keep her from falling back down. He held her down when she tried standing up.

"Hold on, Kate, just sit for a few minutes."

She looked at Tony, who was cuffing the man, then at Gibbs. She was surprised by the concern in his eyes. Well, not the concern in general. She could always tell he was worried when one of his agents was hurt. What she was surprised about was how much concern she saw. He had actually looked a little scared for a second there.

"What happened?" she asked when she could talk again.

"I heard something odd, so I went outside to see what it was. I was just about to go back in after checking out the back yard when I saw this guy," Tony kicked the man on the ground a few feet away, "choking you, so I kicked him off of you, and I guess I got him in the head, cause it knocked him out." Tony finished his little story then started to take the guy to the van.

Kate looked around again, then realized Gibbs was still holding on to her.

"Gibbs, I think I'm fine now. I think I can stand up."

"Oh, right," he said, as if he too was just realizing he still held her, "Here, give me your hand, I'll help you up."

When she stood up, with Gibbs help, of course, everything started spinning. She grabbed for his arm for support.

"Ow, I must have hit my head harder then I thought when I fell, I'm really dizzy." She was grateful when he put his arm around her shoulders to help balance her. It was really comforting, too.

"I'm going to have Ducky look you over, then your going straight home. Can you drive, or do you need me to take you?" he asked, once again looking worried.

"No, Gibbs, I'm fine, really. I don't need to go home. I've got too much paperwork to do, and I'm not letting you, Tony and McGee do it for me." Not only did she not want to make them do her work, she needed time to talk to him about being Santa for the party! She would never be able to if she went home, because even if he took her home, it would probably be too awkward. Wow, she thought, I must be feeling better already if I'm concentrating on the party after being attacked like that.

"If Ducky says you have a concussion, then you're going home, deal?" he offered, locking his beautiful blue eyes with her chocolate brown ones. Damn she loved those eyes.

"Deal" she said, still looking in his eyes.

Ducky looked at her head and said that she did not, in fact, have a concussion, and that the dizziness should subside shortly.

"Actually, this reminds me of someone I once met in Kalamazoo. You see she was…" Gibbs cut him off before he could get on a roll. He'd never stop then.

"So she's ok to go back to work?"

"I see no reason why not, unless she would rather go home?" he shot an inquiring glance at Kate.

"No, I want to go back to work." So there Gibbs, she thought, looking at him and smiling.

"Alright, well, DiNozzo and McGee finished processing the scene, so we can head back now."

Still feeling dizzy, Kate didn't object when Gibbs put his arm back around her shoulder and took her hand. She could get used to this. ; )

now review, or i will turn this into a Gibbs/Tony/Mcgee slash triangle of doom!