"Agent Tony! Agent Tony!" The young boy ran out of the elevator. Tony just had time to stand before the boy latched onto his leg.

"Hey, Robert. It's nice to see you. How have you been?"

"Good. Mommy and I saw Santa." He pointed to his mother who followed him off the elevator.

"You did?"

"I wasn't scared like before. I even sat on his lap." Robert smiled happily. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too. I don't have anyone to play Legos with now."

"How are doing, Evelyn?"

Robert's mother smiled sadly. They had met Tony following a drive by shooting that led to discovering that her now ex-husband was involved in a drug ring. He had been there bodyguard in a safe yhouse. "Some days are a bit harder."

"Mom, Agent Tony's gift." Robert bounced over to his mother.

Reaching into her purse she pulled out a box and handed it to the boy. He ran back to Tony with the box. "I picked it out all by myself."

"He did," his mother confirmed. She mouthed 'sorry' at the agent.

"Do I have to wait till Christmas or can I open it now?" Tony asked aware that both McGee and Gibbs were no longer pretending to work but watching the interaction.

"Open it now." Robert bounced in his excitement.

Tony tore the paper off and opened the tie box. It was a silk-screened tie. A Christmas tie.

"Do you like it?" Robert asked beaming.

"You bet I do."

"Put it on."

"Robbie, Agent Tony already has a tie on."

Ignoring the out Evelyn offered, Tony began to take his tie off. In less than a minute, he was wearing his new tie. "How did I look?"

"Great."

"Robbie, we need to go. Tell Agent Tony goodbye."

"Good-bye. I miss you."

"Well, you can come anytime you mom says you can. Merry Christmas, Robert, Evelyn."

"Thank-you." Evelyn had tears in her eyes at the young man's caring for Robert's feelings. The agent was usually very impeccably dressed. Yet here he was in a nice suit with an ugly Christmas sweater tie just to please a child.

As the elevator closed behind them, McGee cleared his throat.

"Not a word." Tony sat back down at his desk and smoothed this tie. "Not. One. Word."