Note: I know this chapter comes late, BUT… I needed a perfect idea, and it didn't come to me quickly as it usually does. And with all the bad news from the corona virus and with the horrible news that NCIS will only have 20 episodes in season 17. (Brian Dietzen (Palmer) wrote on twitter they are shutting down the production after the 20th episode this season." I needed some joy, so I finally got the idea for this chapter. I hope you enjoy it.
"Thanks for taking care of his heart." That was what Ziva had said. Ziva said thanks to Jack for taking care of his heart. She was most likely talking about Gibbs. Who else would it be, right? Ziva did say that Gibbs speaks very highly of her. She hadn't expected anything less from Gibbs; although he isn't exactly always found of her work when she is trying to get into his head at the end of the day, she knows he respects and values her opinion and her work.
It had been some very emotional past few days. Gibbs had been on an emotional rollercoaster and with him the entire team, along with herself. Now, Phineas is safe and found. He is on his way home with his foster parents in Philadelphia. Ziva is on her way to reunite with her daughter and former Special Agent Tony DiNozzo, and whatever he is to her. Jack has been trying to figure out what the nature of Tony and Ziva's relationship is, but no one has been able to label it in anyways. Maybe that doesn't matter. Perhaps the important part is that Phineas is safe. Gibbs is secure, and Ziva is on her way to be reunited safely with her family. And Jack, she has just left the office, and instead of driving home, she drives over to Gibbs's house.
Gibbs is as usual in his basement, working on his boat. She can hear sandpaper grinding on wood coming from the open door leading to the basement. Jack walks down there, and as Jack walks down the steps, he leaves the sandpaper and walks over to the table and finds a glass jaw and pours a glass of bourbon for her. He hands her the glass as she approaches him. She silently accepts the glass, and he pours a drink for himself.
"How are you doing?" she finally asks.
"fine." He just simply says and walks back to his work on the boat.
"How are you feeling about Ziva leaving again?" Jack asks.
"stay out of my head Jack." He says, and he is standing with his back to her while he continues his work on the boat.
"she is going to be with her family, as she should." He states with no apparent emotions, but it is just a fact.
"you are going to miss her."
"she did what she came back for, and now Ziva is going to be with DiNozzo and Tali as she should be."
"you are shutting down your own emotions," Jack says and leans against the wall. She is just observing him.
"you have had to say goodbye to two people that you care very much about within the last 24 hours."
"Jack." He says and drops the sandpaper on the boat and turns around. "did you just come here to annoy me and try to get in my head, or did you come here for a real reason?"
"Okay, you got me." she says after they have been having a starring contest for almost 30 seconds. "it was something Ziva said to me."
"she gets confused about the English language, sometimes Jack. She confused Kasie too. Don't overthink it." Gibbs says with a smile as he remembers some of the funniest times where Ziva got confused with English expressions.
"I don't think she was confused about the English language," Jack says and walks around the boat to stand across from him. he has continued his work on the boat. "she said you speak very highly of me."
"why wouldn't I?" he casually asks as he focuses on his work.
"wow, Gibbs…" she says sarcastically. "you really know how to compliment people."
"Just because I don't say it. Doesn't mean that I don't mean it," Gibbs says, never looking over at her.
"what did you say to Ziva about me?" Jack asks when Gibbs finally looks up at her and meets her eyes over the boat.
"why?"
"there was something else she said to me. She whispered to me, thanks for taking care of his heart."
Gibbs looks down and continues his work the moment the conversation gets too emotional. Just like he always does.
"I told her you are a valuable asset to the team," Gibbs says as he can feel Jack is standing right behind him now. He is focusing more intensely at his work on the boat.
"she asked why you were at my house when we discovered Phineas was gone."
"What did you tell her?" Jack asks. She is now standing right next to him. She places her hand on top of his that is holding the sandpaper. He let go of the sandpaper and slowly turn his body to face her. He continues to look down to avoid looking into those dark brown eyes.
"I told her you are my friend. That I trust you, so I asked you to come over," he admits.
"you didn't ask me. I basically begged you to let me come over. You didn't even want me around." Jack says teasingly.
"I always want you around," he says a little too fast before he realizes what he just said. He looks up to see a big soft smile on her face. He leans in and places a kiss on her lips.
"Jack…" he says and takes her hands in his and gently rubs his thumb over her hand. "I know I have been pushing you away over the past few days. you were right to call me out the other day."
"It is okay. I understand. You care about that boy; I get it. the whole team does." Gibbs looks into her dark brown eyes. They are so soft and understanding.
"Thanks." He says and places another kiss on her lips before he walks away from her. He turns to his table, where he keeps all his tools. He is searching for something on his desk. Jack leans against the boat.
"next time you start pushing me away…" she starts waiting for him to turn around to face her, but he doesn't he is busy searching for something. "please don't kick trashcans after me next time." Gibbs can't hear in her voice whether she is joking or not, so he looks back at her over his shoulder. She is leaning casually against his boat, but he can't weather she was serious or not. He finally finds what he was looking for and turns around and walks over to her again.
"I didn't kick it after you."
"you nearly hit me."
"But I didn't." they are both very persistent, and they both know that none of them are going to give up on their view. A smile comes up on Jack's face when she starts to find their intense starring contest amusing. She looks down at his hand, where he is holding a bottle of bourbon. It is the same kind as the one they shared last Christmas.
"I want to crack this open. You are in?" Gibbs asks and holds the bottle up for her.
"are you going to light a fire?" she asks. Gibbs nods with a smile, and Jack starts smiling.
"I'm in," she says with a smile. Gibbs grabs her hand, and they walk up the stairs to the living room together.
Jack drops down on the couch and watches Gibbs light a fire in the fireplace. She likes how he knows how to do it, and she finds it quite attractive even though she isn't going to admit that. When Jack relocated from California, Jack never thought she would find the rustic cowboy-style attractive. She grabs a blanket that is on the back of the couch and wraps it around her.
"ill get the fire going quickly, Jack." He says once he looks over at her and sees she has wrapped herself in a blanket. He leaves the living room to go and get something for the fire. Jack notices some piece of paper lying on the dining table. She gets up to look at it. It seems like topographical maps. Jack feels the wind coming into the house when Gibbs reenters the house. The cold breeze makes her shiver. Gibbs comes back in and kneels in front of the fireplace with some chunks of wood he just brought in.
"What is this, Gibbs? Are you going camping?" Jack asks, referring to the maps on the dining table.
"Nah. Maybe. I just thought about going to my cabin for a couple of days. just to clear my head after all of this."
Jack laughs. "is not going to be cold?" she asks. He chuckles.
"for a California girl like you? Yes. For me, Nah. I have done that before."
"Okay, okay, cowboy, I got it. I don't fit into your cowboy lifestyle." She jokes.
"I wouldn't mind some company, though." He says and blows on the small fire that he has just gotten started. "if you can stay warm." He adds with a teasing smile that she can't see. He adds some more wood onto the fire before he stands up and wipes his hands clean in a dirty piece of cloth, he has lying next to the fireplace.
"I thought you went to the cabin to be alone?" she says with a teasing smile to see if he really meant it when he said he wouldn't mind some company.
"I usually do, but… if a city-girl can stay warm out there, I wouldn't mind you coming along."
"or you could keep me warm." She says with a daring smile.
"sounds like a deal." He says to her big surprise. She wasn't expecting him to play along with her game. He looks back at her over his shoulder. She is pretending like she isn't noticing him. She looks at a photo of the cabin while she is hugging herself to stay warm until the fire is heating up to the living room. Gibbs stands up and wraps his arms around her. At first, it catches her by surprise, but then she leans into him.
"I could get used to this," she says as he places kisses down her neck.
"hmmm…" he mumbles into her neck. He places one last kiss on her neck before he leaves the room, and she is once again feeling the cold air in the living room. "that is cruel Gibbs." She calls out after him, and she can hear him chuckle as he runs up the stairs to the top floor of the house. She is left alone in the living room, and as she sits down on the couch, she notices something hanging in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room. She gets up to take a closer look. Once she realizes what it is, she chuckles to herself. She would never have expected to find a mistletoe hanging in Gibbs's house.
"you know you have to stand under it to get a kiss, right?" his reappearance catches her by surprise. She turns around and sees that he has brought down some blankets.
"I would never have taken you for a romantic, Gibbs." Jack jokes and walks back over to the fireplace, where Gibbs is placing the blanket on the floor.
"I'm not. It isn't mine." He says while he is busy arranging the blankets. "it is Kelly's." He explains, and he stops moving around once he says her name out loud. "she used to call it her magic kissing-thing." Jack notices the little smile on his face as he recalls his little girl. "she would run around with it and hold it over her head and tell me to look at her. that was a hint for me to come over and kiss her." It makes Jack smile too. She can imagine Gibbs must have been an amazing father. She has seen how he is around the McGee-twins. She can only imagine how he must have been with his daughter. "she never really got the concept of hanging it up." Gibbs says with a smile of the memory of his little girl. Jack walks over and sits down on the blankets that Gibbs has finished arranging. He gets up to Jack's surprise and walks over to the mistletoe and takes it down. He walks back over and sits down next to Jack and hands it to Jack.
"it is plastic?" Jack says, surprised at her observation. Gibbs nods.
"Yeah. Kelly loved that thing. I hang it up every year."
"in the same spot?" Jack asks. Gibbs nods.
"Yeah. The last Christmas we spend together, I finally convinced her to hang it up. So, she and I hanged it up over there while Shannon was in the kitchen. Kelly called her to come over, and both Shannon and I placed a kiss on Kelly's cheeks." Gibbs says while he is looking into the flames. The memory of his two girls still feels so fresh in his mind especially around this time of year. He seems lost in his memory for a while. Jack is just observing him. She doesn't want to disturb his memory of his family. Then he looks over at her with a smile.
"it was a long time ago." He says and leans an arm around her and pulls her closer to him. They enjoy the quietness as they are just sitting together in front of the fire. The heat from the fire is starting to warm Jack up.
"you didn't plan on going skiing this year?" Gibbs asks.
"Naah… with everything craziness that is going on, I figured I was better of not making any plans. My Christmas plans over the past three years since I moved to DC hasn't exactly gone as planned.
"Sorry about that he says and places a kiss on her head.
"just because they didn't go as planned doesn't mean I didn't have a good time." she says, look up at him with a smile. "last Christmas was pretty good." They both smile at the memory of last Christmas. They spend most of the time drinking bourbon in front of the fire in Gibbs's living room. They might have had a few too many glasses because Jack doesn't remember much of the evening, but she does remember that she had a great time with Gibbs and that she saw a completely different side of him that night on Christmas eve last year. They enjoy the time in front of the fire as they drink their bourbon. After a few hours, Jack is starting to feel the effect of alcohol. The mood is light and joyful between the two friends, but there is also something else in the air. The elephant in the room. Jack can feel it, and she knows Gibbs is aware of it too; otherwise, he wouldn't have given her the painting, but still, they haven't spoken about it since then. He kisses her on the lips every once in a while, but other than that. Nothing has happened. Sometimes she doubts whether it has something to do with her battle scars. She is so used to them being a turn-off. So maybe he just doesn't find her attractive. The thought makes her sad, and the alcohol quickly makes the idea leave her head. Over the few hours, Gibbs hand resting over her shoulder, holding her close and his hand that at first rested on his upper arm are sliding down lower and lover until she takes his hand in her hers and intervenes their fingers. It is starting to feel more natural for her to hold his hand. He has taken her hand a few times for reassurances, but now it just feels natural and comfortable.
Jack hates to bake their closeness and the moment, but she needs to get up and go to the bathroom. Gibbs takes that as a moment to go to the kitchen to grab two glasses. Once he reenters the living room, Jack is standing near the window towards the street. She has her back towards him as she is taking off her big hoodie she was wearing. Her top that she is wearing under her hoodie is climbing up and reveals part of her skin. Gibbs politely and a little shyly looks away from her, but then he hears her chuckle under the hoodie.
"you know I can see you, right?" she asks as she finally manages to get the hoodie off. "in the reflection in the window." She explains to his bewildered look that asks her how she could see him when she had her back to him and a big hoodie covering her head. She runs a hand through her now messy hair and then pulls her top down again. She could feel how his eyes were staring at her and especially the revealed part of her skin. She never breaks eye contact with him even though he is trying to avoid her guilt-tripping stare at him, even though she doesn't mind the attention he is giving her. She then drops the hoodie over the bag of one of the chairs while Gibbs places the glasses on the coffee table. Jack sits down next to Gibbs.
"Are you okay with that I am not wearing my hoodie?" Jack asks.
"sure," Gibbs says a little uncertain as to why she would be asking.
"you know that I have the scars om my back, but I can just cover them with my hoodie if…"
"no need to." Gibbs says and takes her hand reassuringly in his. "it is a part of you, Jack."
"but they aren't exactly pleasant to look at."
"I don't mind." Gibbs says and reassuringly squeezes her hand. "we all have battle scars." He says with a reassuring smile and hands her a glass of water.
"Thanks." She takes a sip of her water. "I am just so used to men loose interest in me once they see my scars." She leans back on the couch. Maybe it is the alcohol that makes her feel more comfortable bringing this up now, or perhaps it is because she is tired of their "thing" not going anywhere even though they are both aware of it.
"I have seen your scars, Jack. And if men lose interest in you because of them, they were never interested in you in the first place."
"that is what scares me," she admits. Gibbs turns his upper body to focus more on her. Their heads are close now.
"why?" he asks. And is just looking at Jack. Jack looks up into the ceiling. This subject is very emotional for her, but she knows if there is anyone she can talk about it with, it is Gibbs.
"because…" she starts to feel the tears forming in her eyes. "I haven't had a long-term relationship since I came back from Afghanistan. What if I never will, because of what that monster did to me?"
"Maybe you just haven't found the right person yet. I haven't had a long-term relationship. "he admits trying and make her feel a bit better. "that actually where a happy relationship or not work-related. "he adds, which makes her smile. "no since Shannon died."
"I'm sorry about that." She says and places a hand on his face and gently touches his cheek. "Maybe we are just two broken birds destined to be alone." She says with sadness in her voice.
"no reason we can't be alone together. Gibbs says, trying to make her smile, which works. They both start chuckles.
"that sounds like a great plan." She looks into his deep blue eyes. Her brown eyes are so soft and sweet, and she is so close to him right now. All he has to do, to show is to move those few inches closer to her and kiss her. He can't stop looking at her lips. They seem so soft and so close to him right now. Gibbs receives a text on his phone, and it breaks the moment. He growls a bit when he takes his phone out, but the irritation of the broken moment is quickly replaced by a big smile that intriguer Jacks curiously for the received text.
"it is from DiNozzo," Gibbs informs Jack without her asking.
The text reads.
"Thanks for reuniting my family, Boss. You told me years ago to take care of my family. I promise I will. Merry Christmas, Boss. D." Gibbs scrolls down and sees an added line a few lines down it reads: "I look forward to meeting Special gent Sloane someday. I hear she is very special." It just makes Gibbs chuckle. That is so DiNozzo. Ziva or McGee must have mention Jack to him.
The smile on Gibbs's face is unmistaken for pure joy and love for his former senior field agent. Soon after, another text arrives on Gibbs's phone.
"Mery Critmas from me to, uncle Gibs. Tali." The text makes Gibbs smile even more. The spelling arrows in the messages has its charm.
"How old is she?" Jack asks when she sees the text from Tali.
"she must be about six years old now. She is from either late 2013 or early 2014." Gibbs says and drops the phone on the coffee table.
"Ziver is going home to her family, and Phineas is with his foster parents where he belongs, and Sahar is gone." Gibbs sums up the happy events from the last week.
"I would say that is a merry Christmas," Jack says.
"yeah." Gibbs agrees. They both take their glasses of bourbon from the table and cling the glasses together before they take a sip.
"Merry Christmas, Gibbs," Jack says.
"Merry Christmas to you too, Jack," Gibbs says with a smile and places the glass back on the table, and Jack does the same. Gibbs takes her in for her hug, and she is expecting him to place a kiss on her head like he did last year when he wished her Merry Christmas, but when Gibbs doesn't she looks up at him, and he captures her lips in a sweet Christmas kiss.
Note: Tony DiNozzo is NOT easy for me to write. So, if you have any suggestions of improvement on how I can capture the essence of DiNozzo in that text, please let me know.
Side note: I have updated the chapter: "Phineas Christmas" with an extended version. There were some ideas I didn't get in the first upload. I hope you enjoy it. (updated March 14th, 2020)