Title: Family Christmas

Author: fredesrojo

For: MatteaAM

Rating: K+

Disclaimer: Nope, not mine. As much as I wish it…

"Daddy?" The insistent whisper from the foot of the bed made Leroy Jethro Gibbs peek one bleary blue eye open.

"Whozair?" His gaze found the alarm clock. Oh-two-hundred. Honestly? "No, leave me 'lone."

"Daddy?" The whisper grew louder. "Daddy, get up!"

He groaned, pulling the covers up over his head. "Logan, go back to bed, son."

The room was blissfully silent again, and then something was tugging on his arm. Not again…

"Daddy, wake up!"

Oh, for crying out loud. He slit the eye open again, turning a rather formidable glare that made suspects quake in their boots at the tousle haired, green eyed boy standing in front of him. "Logan…go back to sleep, now."

"Daddy, you gots ta wake up! We gotta get mummy's presents 'fore she gets home!" Logan tugged on his father's arm insistently, exerting a surprising amount of force for a four and a half year old.

Gibbs sighed heavily, tugging his hand out of his son's grip. "Logan, seriously. It's two in the morning, bud. Go back to sleep. We'll get Mommy's presents later."

The young face set in a prominent scowl, faintly reminiscent of his mother. "No."

"Logan Jasper…" His tone dropped to that dangerously low growl that made DiNozzo hop to whatever he'd been told. "Go to bed. Daddy's sleeping. It's early."

The boy's lip jutted out, wobbling precariously as he sniffled, crocodile tears forming in his eyes. "Daddy…you promised!"

Gibbs dropped his head back to the pillow with an audible groan. "Logan, the stores aren't open now. If you climb up here and go to sleep with Daddy for a little bit longer, then we can go get Mommy's present. Okay?"

The pout stopped as Logan considered seriously, his green eyes focused on his father. Finally, he stuck a small hand out, pinky finger extended. "Pinky promise?"

He sighed, reaching out to twine his much larger pinky finger around his son's. "Pinky promise. Now can we go to sleep?"

Leroy Jethro Gibbs had never been a fan of shopping in the first place. Shopping with an excitable almost five year old? Well, there were reasons he usually let Jen take Logan clothes shopping.

"LJ, no." He reached out, corralling his son again by hooking a hand under his elbow. "We're not going in there."

Logan frowned, staring at the pink store. "But…you gotstded Mummy presents from there before!"

Gibbs winced, glancing sideways at the Victoria's Secret boutique as he pulled his son away. "Those are grown-up presents, bud. C'mon, there's better stuff down this way."

Logan glanced back one last time at the pink store, finally capitulating to his father's pull with a shrug. "Where we goin', Daddy?"

He shrugged a little helplessly. Shopping really wasn't his thing. "I dunno, what d'you think you wanna get your mum?"

The boy shrugged right back, tilting his head to the side. "I don' know. What are you getting Mommy?"

"That's a secret." Jethro leaned over, lifting Logan up on his shoulders. "You see anything you think she'll like?"

Logan frowned, worrying the edge of his lip with a new 'grown-up' tooth he'd gotten last month. "Oooh, over there, Daddy!" His arm shot out, pointing straight at a jewelry store. "Mommy likes pretty stuff!"

"You're killin' me, bud." He laughed quietly, lifting Logan back down. "Jewelry it is."

Logan stared wide eyed at the shiny, sparkly stuff arrayed before him, green eyes shining. His dad knelt by his side, explaining in his low growly voice what each thing was.

"I like that one." He pointed at a thin, silver chain, surrounded by an array of tiny little things. "What is it, Daddy?"

"Hm?" Jethro glanced at what his son was pointing at, surprised. Huh, not bad, for the kid's first time in a jewelry shop. "That's a charm bracelet, Log."

"What's a charm bracelet?"

"See, you buy the chain and pick out a few of those little things there around it. I'm sure they've got all sorts of things, they're like…tiny little pictures that have special meanings to you and Mommy."

"Is there a Ninja Turtle one?"

Jethro laughed at that, shaking his head. "No, probably not, bud." He stood from his crouch, waving one of the store clerks over. "He wants to see that charm bracelet there, please."

Logan stood on tiptoe to look at all the little charms, his brow furrowed in a slight frown. "How many can I pick?"

"The nice man there said if we buy the chain, you can pick out three for this Christmas. Then, next Christmas, we can come back and get another one for Mommy."

The boy nodded solemnly, his eyes narrowed in concentration as he stared at all the tiny little charms before him. "Well…" His hand darted out, pointing to a small L. "That's a L, like my name, right?" He remembered it from watching Mommy and Daddy write his name for him on cards.

"Mmhmm. That's one. You've got two more." Gibbs watched as his son's face set in concentration again, searching the charms for something special.

"Here! This one's a lion! Mommy always calls me her little lion man."

He had to grin at that. "Okay, there's two. You can pick one more, buddy."

Logan was silent for a while, before he turned to his father with a troubled look. "I don't know what else to get."

Gibbs leaned over and picked him up, holding him against one hip as he surveyed the mass of charms. "Hmm…let's see. Well, this one is a garnet, that's your birthstone, for January. And here's Big Ben, for London…that's where you were born."

He considered the two critically, before pointing to the tiny clock tower. "That one."

"There we go, all set, bud." Jethro accepted the bag from the clerk with a polite smile, walking with Logan back out into the mall.

"Daddy?"

"Hm?"

"Where's Mommy at again?" Logan had stopped in front of a store display with a large globe.

"Hm, well, let's see. Mommy is in Cairo, Egypt right now, which is in Africa." He reached out, spinning the globe slowly. "This big bit of land here is a continent, called Africa. Egypt is right up here in the top corner. Egypt's a country. And Cairo…Cairo is that little dot right there."

Logan set his finger on top of the little dot his dad pointed out, his eyes wide. "Wow. Where are we at, Daddy?"

"We're in Arlington, Virginia, which is part of the United States. The US is a big part of the continent of North America. This bit over here is North America, and the United States is right there. Virginia is on the East Coast, one of the original thirteen colonies, and Arlington is that little tiny dot there. We're next to Washington, D.C., which is our country's capitol."

He set his free hand on the other dot his dad pointed out, frowning at the distance between the two. "Mommy's a long way away."

"Yeah, she is. But she'll be back tomorrow night, Jasper, remember?" He knelt by Logan's side, his larger hand covering the small one over Egypt. "She's gonna get on a big airplane here in Egypt, and they're gonna fly up into Europe, stopping in Paris, France, and then London, England."

Logan's eyes lit up excitedly as he interrupted. "London! That's where I was borned, Daddy!"

"Yes you were. Then, Mommy's plane is going to fly all the way from London, across this big blue Atlantic Ocean here…all the way to Washington, D.C. And then we'll meet her at the airport."

"Planes can do that?"

"Fly across oceans? 'Course they can. How do you think your Mom and I got you from London to here? We had to fly on a plane."

"I flew on a plane?"

Gibbs nodded as he led Logan away from the store display, sitting on a bench to give his knees a break from crouching. "You were still a little baby, only about six months old."

"Why was I borned in London, Daddy?"

"Your Mommy and I were working in London when we found out we were going to have you. The doctors in the hospital said we needed to wait a bit after you were born before we took you home."

"Work like you do with Tony and Tim?"

"Yeah, work like that."

"Were Tony and Tim there?"

"No, Tony and Tim didn't work with me yet. Uncle Ducky was, though."

He perked up considerably at the mention of his adopted Uncle. "Why was you workin' in London?"

"Uncle Tom asked us to, bud. You know how sometimes Daddy has to go on trips for work, and you stay with Mommy?"

Logan nodded, his brow crinkling. "'An you call me on the phone so you c'n reads me stories for bedtime!"

"That's right, Logan. Well, Mommy and I had a job sort of like that. Uncle Tom needed us to work in London for a little while."

"Well…okay, then. Can we get hot choc'lit 'fore we go home, Daddy?"

"Sure, buddy. We'll stop and get some on the way out."

Jenny Shepard-Gibbs relaxed happily as the wheels of her plane finally touched down on American soil, letting out a low sigh. The Anti-Terrorism Conference in Cairo had been nice, but she was ready to see her husband and son again.

The elderly gentleman who had sat next to her the entire flight smiled politely as he stood to let her out. "Have a Merry Christmas, ma'am. I hope you have a nice holiday with your family."

"Thank you. Merry Christmas." Jenny lifted her suitcase, exiting the plane with the rest of the passengers once they'd docked at the gate.

Green eyes searched the crowd, looking for the familiar silver hair of her husband. She'd told her detail she didn't need to be picked up at the airport, as Jethro always managed to be a detail himself. Her gaze finally stopped on a tall, silver-haired man leaning against the wall of the terminal, a sound asleep little auburn haired boy in his arms. She smiled, making her way through the crowds.

"Hey."

"Long time, no see." Jethro smiled, shifting his grip on Logan to lean over and give her a light kiss hello, his blue eyes brightening. "Your plane was late."

"We were delayed in Paris." She eyed Logan, still sound asleep in his father's arms, despite the clamor all around him. "I assume he insisted on staying up until my plane landed?"

He smirked faintly, nodding. "Fell asleep half an hour ago."

"Here. Let me take him." Jenny set her bag down, shifting close to Jethro so they could shift him over. The boy stirred briefly, mumbling 'Momma' once before he tucked his head under his mother's chin and went back to sleep with a happy sigh.

"How was Cairo?" Jethro picked up her bag effortlessly, walking along with his hand at the small of her back.

Jenny shrugged the shoulder not supporting Logan's head, glancing sideways at him enigmatically. "Enlightening. Not much for me to do as Assistant Director, though. Mostly policy meetings."

He grunted shortly in answer, leading her through the throngs of people and out into the cool night air. "You stop in France long enough to see anything?"

"Five hour layover. I went to the bridge." She shrugged nonchalantly again, one hand rubbing slow circles across Logan's back. "It wasn't the same."

"Ah, so you did miss me." Jethro smirked, fishing the keys out of his pocket as they stepped up to the car.

"You want me to get him?" Jethro stood behind Jenny in the driveway, both currently regarding the slight issue their sleeping son presented, sprawled out as he was in the backseat.

She shrugged, grabbing her bag and heading towards the house. "Sure. He'll want to sleep in our room, though." She smirked briefly as Jethro muttered under his breath about interfering children and two week security conferences.

He stopped off in Logan's superhero themed bedroom briefly, changing the sleepy boy into pajama pants featuring Wolverine and a black t-shirt, before he continued on his way to their bedroom. He set Logan down in the center of the bed, next to Jenny, who already lay curled up in her pajamas, glasses on as she reviewed a few spare case files.

Jenny glanced up as he emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later, in boxers and a t-shirt, ready for bed. "Why is my side of the bed already messed up?"

Jethro didn't meet her eyes, looking suspiciously guilty. "I…I just came in and fell asleep after the last case. It was easier."

"My side of the bed is farthest from the door, Jethro."

The back of his neck flushed as he made a show of setting his wallet, badge, and pocket knife down on the dresser, his back to her.

Jenny grinned, removing her glasses with a smirk. "Aw, how adorable. You really did miss me."

He rolled his eyes, slipping into bed slowly. "So nothing interesting really happened?"

She briefly considered telling him, but then decided to wait for Christmas again. "Nothing much. Just your usual, boring bureaucratic conference. The exact sort of thing you hate." Jenny offered him a slight smile, leaning over Logan to kiss his cheek. "Night, Jethro."

"Night, Jen."

Jenny woke slowly, squinting in the early morning light. She glanced over at the clock on the bedside table before she abruptly sat up and moved quickly and quietly over to the bathroom, leaning over the sink. Well, if that didn't confirm things, the test results sitting in her briefcase downstairs from her mid-conference doctor visit in Cairo sure did. She sighed, wiping her mouth and swishing a glass of water to wash the taste out of her mouth. Only two days 'til Christmas, and then Jethro would be getting the surprise of his life.

She slipped out of the bathroom just as silently, green eyes traveling over to the bed, where Jethro and Logan still lay, sound asleep. Logan had moved in his sleep, ending up sprawled halfway across his dad's chest, his tousled head resting above Jethro's heart. Jenny smiled, grabbing her cell from the nightstand and sneaking a few pictures for posterity before she disappeared downstairs to hunt out something for breakfast.

When Gibbs and Logan shuffled into the kitchen an hour later, both boys' hair sticking up in the back adorably, Jenny sat at the kitchen table, reviewing another stack of case files.

"Mommy!" Logan perked up considerably seeing his mother, scrambling forward to wrap his arms tight around her middle in a hug. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, honey. Were you good for Daddy?"

Logan glanced uncertainly over his shoulder before nodding with a crooked grin, his eyes sparkling in a mischievous look reminiscent of his father. "Tim an' Tony took me sledding Friday, 'cause Daddy had to help Uncle Tom in the big TV room at work! 'An Abby an' Kate took me out to lunch after, 'cause Tony messed up his leg sledding and Tim had ta take him to the hosp'i'al!

"Sledding and lunch with Abby and Kate, huh?"

"Uh huh."

Gibbs sipped at his coffee, smiling at the picture before him. He'd fought tooth and nail with Morrow to keep Jenny on his team after he proposed in Paris. When they found out she was pregnant while on an op together in London a few years later, he couldn't have been more excited. Logan Jasper Gibbs had been a welcome addition to their family, sporting his father's trademark smirk and his mother's green eyes. Morrow had offered her the Assistant Director position two years later, giving Jethro the reassurance of at least having Jenny out of the field. And, despite the fact that he sometimes hated to admit it, his wife was good at the politics game. He came out of his thoughts as Jenny gave him an odd look, shaking his head slightly. "What?"

"I said, there's pancakes and bacon in the oven."

"Oh. Thanks." He set the coffee down, shuffling around to get a plate together for himself and Logan, assuming that Jenny had already eaten. "You want a refill?" He nodded towards the empty cup by her hand.

"Hm? Oh, no, I'm fine for now. Thanks."

"Here ya go, Wolverine. OJ, milk, or apple juice?"

Logan considered briefly, his forehead wrinkled in a comical frown. "Milk, please."

"Milk it is." He grabbed his own coffee cup and set the kids cup of milk in front of him, leaning over to give Jenny a proper kiss good morning before starting in on his breakfast. "So, what are we doing today?"

"Can we go to your work, Dad?"

Gibbs shrugged after a moment, nodding. "I don't see why not. What do ya wanna go there for, bud?"

Logan mirrored his dad's shrug, chewing on a piece of bacon. "We made Christmas orna…omna…Christmas stars in Ms. Ashley's class, and I made one for Uncle Tom an' I wanted to give it to him. Is he gonna be there?"

"Yeah, he'll be there. That was nice of you, making Uncle Tom a Christmas present."

He grinned at the praise, swinging his feet under the chair. "I made one for Uncle Ducky, too! But you said we're goin' to his house for dinner on Christmas, so I figured I could wait an' give it to him then."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Jethro glanced over at Jenny. "I assume you'll need to go in anyways?"

"I need to drop off a few case reports, and Tom wanted to talk to me about something. Shouldn't take long. I was going to take LJ Christmas shopping after, if you'd like to tag along."

He grimaced, shaking his head sharply. "I'm good, thanks. I'll get some work done on the boat."

Logan bounced on the balls of his feet excitedly as he stood in the elevator with his parents, hands firmly stuffed in the pockets of his leather jacket he'd gotten for his birthday the year previously, claiming he needed a cool jacket like his dad.

"Logan…" Gibbs lowered his voice to a warning growl, setting a hand on his shoulder. "Don't just go running off where you please, bud. Stay with me or your mom, okay?"

"Okay. Can I go see Uncle Tom first? I wanna give him my present."

"Sure. You stick with your mom; she's heading up that way anyways. I've got to stop by my desk for a few things."

He nodded vigorously, reaching out to take Jenny's hand. "Come on, Mom!"

Jenny laughed, following his insistent tugging towards the stairs. "Hang on, honey!"

Jethro smiled, shaking his head slightly as he stopped off in the bullpen, walking over to his desk. He sank down in his chair, reaching over to his lowest desk drawer, where he withdrew a small velvet box from the same jewelry store he'd visited with Logan. He popped the box open, grinning at its contents before he shut it again with a 'snap', slipping it into an inside pocket of his jacket.

"Hey, Boss. Didn't think you'd be here today, since Assistant Director Shepard was back from Egypt." Timothy McGee walked into the bullpen from the back, presumably coming from Abby's lab.

"Assistant Director Shepard is upstairs talking to Director Morrow. I needed to pick something up."

Tim nodded, taking a seat at his desk.

"What are you doing here, Tim?"

"Finishing up a few files for Tony, he sprained his ankle when we took Logan sledding the other day."

"You don't have to do that, Tim."

The tech agent looked up at him with a small grin. "Considering that I've just given Abby video documentation of his reactions to painkillers in the hospital to be distributed to the masses, I figure this should lessen the retribution if he finds his work already done for him."

Gibbs laughed shortly, giving him an impressed look. "I teach you that attitude?"

"It was bound to show up sometime, Boss."

"Dad! Uncle Tom really liked it!" Logan came barreling down the stairs and over to his father's desk, bouncing on his toes excitedly.

"That's good, son, but what did I tell you?"

He gave him a strange grin and shrugged. "Mom told me you'd say that, and told me to tell you she told me to come down here while she talks with Uncle Tom."

"Uh huh."

"Can we go see Abby? Uncle Tom says she's here."

"You can ask Tim if he'll go with you to see Abby. I'm going to check a few things." Gibbs stood, striding out of the bullpen and heading for the elevator, presumably to visit Ducky in autopsy.

Tim looked up, meeting the curious green eyed gaze of the boy standing in front of him, biting back a smile at the pleading look Logan threw his way. "Yes?"

"So? Can we go?"

"Sure, kid. C'mon. Abby's got hot chocolate in her lab."

Jenny Shepard sat at Tom Morrow's conference table, sipping the coffee he'd ordered from his assistant. "So, um…what did you need to see me for?"

Morrow smiled, leaning back in his chair. "You gave up quite a few things when you insisted that you be allowed to stay on your husband's team."

"Yes, and I'm quite alright with that. As I've said before, my family is more important."

Tom held up his hands in a disarming gesture. "I know, I know, I was merely stating a fact."

"You still offered me the Assistant Director's position, so I don't really see why any of this is relevant."

"Yes, and it's taken you longer to get where you originally intended when I met you."

Jenny frowned, not entirely sure where he was going with this. "Yes, and I reiterate again, I'm happy with my life and career so far."

"But you would like it better if you didn't have to travel so much."

She nodded. "Yes, I would. LJ's going into Kindergarten this coming school year, and I'd like to be home with him more."

"Then I made the right decision." Morrow stood, walking over to his desk and fiddling with the edge of a blue personnel file.

"What do you mean?"

"I've been offered a Deputy Director's position in Homeland Security."

"You would leave NCIS?"

He glanced up at her, an enigmatic smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "The agency could use some younger blood."

Her brows knit in confusion. "Wait… you aren't saying…not…me?"

Tom smiled. "Well, do you accept the position?"

"I—I…you want me as Director of NCIS?"

"You're inherently good at politics, you know how to talk to people, you can control Agent Gibbs, and…well, again, the agency could use some younger blood." He held up the file, tapping it with a finger. "Do you accept the position?"

"I—I'd be honored to, sir."

"Tom, please. You're the Director now."

"N—now?"

"Well, you will be by the beginning of the new year." He set the file down, opening it and making a note before signing. "Just sign here, and the transition will begin."

Jenny walked over to sign her name in stunned silence. She hadn't been expecting this at all. "Who…who will be taking my place?"

"Seniority wise, there are two candidates. Leon Vance, and…your husband."

"Oh, no." Jenny laughed, shaking her head. "Jethro would hate my job."

"I think we both might be pleasantly surprised, but there is another option. Vance is the head of the OSP in LA. He's got a family there, and he's settled down. I think he would much rather stay there. I thought we could split the Assistant Director position into two parts. Vance takes the traveling, politics end of it. He has a vast network of contacts, and he's a damn good agent. Jethro can help out on this end, basically reducing your workload so you're able to be home more."

"You would do that for us, sir?"

"I've liked Jethro since the day I met him. He's a good agent, and he made an excellent choice with you."

She blushed, glancing down. "Thank you, sir."

"Yes, well, anyways, my idea was to split the position so neither of them has to move. Jethro can continue doing what he loves, while simultaneously having a little bit more authority, which I think will help with some of his more high-profile cases. And, you will always be here to, ah…smooth over any ruffled feathers, if you know what I mean."

"You would have to talk with Jethro…I mean…"

"I will, in due time. I wanted to make sure you wanted this position first."

Jenny nodded again mutely, staring down at the file. "I'm very…honored that you chose me."

"You're clearly the best for the job, my dear." Tom clapped a hand on her shoulder, smiling. "You'll make an excellent Director, Jenny." He squeezed her shoulder briefly. "Now, I know you want to get back to your family. We can discuss this more after Christmas."

"Tom…wait. There's one more thing…"

"Why're we goin' shopping, Mommy?"

Jenny smiled, walking along with Logan's hand securely gripped in hers. "You still need a gift for Daddy, honey. And Mommy needs to get one more little thing for Daddy too."

Logan nodded, walking along obediently. Despite the fact that he actually found shopping incredibly boring, he always agreed to go, just so he could spend some time with his Mom. She had to travel a lot, because of her job. His dad traveled too, sometimes, and he got to spend the night at Abby's or Uncle Tom's, but Daddy wasn't gone nearly as much as Mommy. He glanced around at all the displays, eyes shining. "What are we gettin' for Daddy?"

"Well, I don't know. Did you have any ideas?"

He frowned, glancing around until his eyes lit on something. "Can I get him a new coat?"

"Hm?"

"He ripped his black coat, last week, when he was fightin' with one of the bad guys."

"He did?"

Logan glanced over at her guiltily. "I wasn't really supposed to tell you. Uncle Ducky said he hurt his shoulder, but Daddy said he was fine."

"Well, then, it can be our little secret." Jenny led them into the shop, browsing with Logan through the racks. "You see any ones you like?"

"How about this one?" Logan gestured to a long black overcoat, similar to the one his father had torn. "It looks like his old one…and Dad likes black."

"If that's the one you like, I think it looks good, LJ." She slipped through the rack, finding a coat in Jethro's size. "It was nice of you to think of something like this, honey."

He grinned. "Well…Daddy woulda just kept wearin' the ripped one, an' then he'd be cold."

"Of course he would."

They purchased the coat, getting it gift-wrapped, before exiting the store. Jenny looked around, her eyes falling on one last store. "Over here, honey. I've got to get one more gift for Daddy."

Logan followed his mother into the same jewelry store, keeping silent as she made her way around, looking over the items in the cases. The clerk who had helped him out the day before caught Logan's eye and gave him an exaggerated wink, putting his finger to his lips in a hushing motion.

"Can I help you, ma'am?"

Jenny looked around, smiling politely at the clerk. "Yes, actually." She reached into her pocket, pulling out a slim silver bracelet. "I was wondering if you had anything like this here."

"Certainly, ma'am." The clerk took the bracelet carefully, leading them over to a counter. "Were you looking to have this one replaced?" He indicated the large crack that ran across the center of the flat panel linked by the chains.

"Not replaced, exactly. I just…I want to get him something similar."

"We've got these, right here." He reached into one of the cases, pulling out a tray. "Would you like it engraved? The same as this one?"

"No…no. Um…here. I do want it engraved, just…with this." She pulled a note-card out of her pocket, handing it to him as he put the old bracelet in her hand.

"We can have that done for you in half an hour, ma'am."

"That's fine." Jenny nodded, taking Logan's hand. "We'll be back in a bit, then. Thank you."

"Mommy?"

"What's wrong, honey?"

Logan settled down on a bench in the middle of the mall, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his jacket. Despite inheriting his mother's green eyes and a bit of her temper, his reluctance to talk about things that bothered him was all Jethro. "Why are you always gone?"

"What?"

"You're always goin' on trips an' stuff."

"Oh, honey…" Jenny sat next to him, putting her arm around his shoulders. "Logan, honey, look at me."

He swallowed, raising green eyes that mirrored her own to her face.

She grasped his little hands, squeezing "I promise, things are going to change soon, baby. I know I'm not around much."

"Why?"

"It's my job right now, baby. I have to travel so I can meet with other people around the world so we can catch all the bad guys." She caught his chin as Logan dropped his gaze. "Baby, look at me. I promise that before your birthday, things will be different. I will be home more." She smiled, leaning forward to press a gentle kiss to his forehead. "I'll even drive you to school on your first day."

"Mo-ooom!" He wriggled away as she ruffled his hair, making a fake disgusted face. "You're messing up my hair!"

"Logan…I promise, things are going to change. I'll be home more, and we'll get to spend more time together, my little lion man."

"Raaaar!" Logan giggled, lunging forward to hug her. "Okay."

"So we're good?"

"Uh huh."

The bedroom door slammed open, the patter of small feet running into the room. "Santa came! Santa came!"

Jethro Gibbs groaned, tugging his pillow over his head. 0540. Did the kid never learn?

"Your son is awake." Jenny's voice flowed into his ear, sleepy and distinctly amused.

"Before 0600, he's your son." He turned over, pulling the covers over his head.

"Wake up, wake up! Santa came, Mommy! You gotta wake up!" Logan vaulted onto the bed, landing squarely on top of his father.

"Graaaagh…" Jethro groaned, reaching above the covers with one hand, latching onto his son's foot. "Logan…Jasper…Gibbs."

"What?" Logan bounced up and down excitedly, grinning.

"Why is it always me?" Gibbs twisted, wrapping his arms around Logan in a bear hug. "Go back to sleep, boy!"

Jenny sighed as Logan yelled in laughter, trying to get out of his dad's hold. "Jethro…"

"Fine, fine, fine, I'm up."

He let go of Logan, jerking the covers down and sitting up. "C'mon, bud. Let's head downstairs. You haven't opened any of your presents yet, have you?"

Jenny smiled as the two Gibbs men continued talking as they headed downstairs, sitting up in bed and reaching out for her silk robe. She made her way slowly down the stairs, listening as the sounds of Jethro clattering around in the kitchen sounded.

"Coffee?"

He appeared at her side, a steaming cup of coffee held out.

"Thanks."

Logan bounced around the living room, staring longingly at all the presents stacked up under the tree. "Can we open them now?"

"Go ahead."

Jenny sat on the couch curled into her husband's side, sipping her coffee as Logan tore into the presents with all the tenacity of the superhero pictured on his pajama pants.

"Whoa there, Wolverine, slow it down, bub." Jethro laughed shortly as Logan tripped over an already opened present in his quest for a new one.

"Here, Mommy!" He scrambled over, a bit of wrapping paper stuck in his hair. "This is for you."

"Thanks, baby." Jenny slipped a finger under the tape, pulling away the paper from the small box. She glanced at the familiar logo, her eyebrows raised, before she opened the thin velvet box. "Oh…oh, Logan, honey, this is—this is beautiful."

He nodded, clambering up into her lap. "There's an L for my name, 'an a lion, 'an this." He reached out, pointing to the small clock tower charm. "Daddy said that's in the city I was borned in."

"It is, London. I love it, honey." She wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, kissing his cheek. "Here, I'll have Daddy put it on. Why don't you go get your gift for him, LJ? It's right over there."

Jethro sat back, surprised, as Logan ran over, plunking a large flat box in his lap. "Thanks, bud." He pulled the paper off slowly, lifting the lid of the box. He glanced guiltily over at Jenny, swallowing nervously as he lifted the new black overcoat out of the box. "This is great, Logan. Thank you."

"It's for work! So you don't get cold."

"Of course it is. Thank you, buddy."

Logan grinned, turning back to his own presents.

"That's to replace the one you ripped last week." Jenny gave him an arch look over the rim of her coffee mug, raising one eyebrow inquisitively.

"Uh huh." He set the coat back in the box, glancing sideways. "Duck tell you?"

"No, actually, your son did. He was worried that you would get cold and sick at work if you kept wearing the torn one."

"Right." He met her gaze warily, raising a hand slightly to stave off her tirade. "I was going to tell you, honest."

"Uh huh." She glanced sideways at him, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "We'll let it go for now."

Gibbs nodded, leaning over to snag a present from the floor, setting it in her lap with a significant look.

"Oh, for me?" Jenny raised her eyebrows, opening the wrapping. Yet another box from the jewelry store. "I see you and Logan had the same ideas."

"Well…not exactly." He leaned over, opening the box to reveal a glittering necklace. "Remember this?"

"Oh…Jethro, how did you find it?"

He grinned, shaking his head as he sat back.

Jenny sucked in a breath, picking up the necklace. It was a rather simple affair, a small pendant hanging from a silver chain. It was an exact copy of another necklace she had lost in an undercover operation in Prague years ago. "Jethro…it's perfect."

"Here." He leaned over, brushing her long red hair back and slipping the necklace around her neck, his callused fingers fumbling briefly at the clasp. "There." He leaned in for a kiss, stroking her cheek gently. "It looks beautiful."

She nodded, the fingers of one hand playing with the pendant hanging above her collarbone. "Thank you, Jethro." Jenny stood, walking over to grab two small wrapped gifts from the fireplace mantel. "These are for you."

Jethro raised his eyebrows, giving both boxes a significant look. He reached for the larger of the two, when Jenny stayed his hand.

"Open the other one first."

"Okay…" His eyebrows rose into his hairline as he opened the box, revealing a thin silver bracelet like the one he'd damaged two years previously in a car accident on the job. He lifted it, squinting to read the inscription. January 2001 & July 2006. "2006? What's happening in 2006?"

Jenny smiled mysteriously. "You can open the other one now."

Jethro set the bracelet down, opening the larger of the two packages. A thin double picture frame, with a picture of Logan at his last birthday and a black and grey, grainy image. "Jenny? Is this…?"

"Uh huh." She smiled, reaching over to clasp his hand tightly. "You're gonna be a daddy again, Jethro."

"Why's Daddy crying?"

Jenny smiled, leaning over to wipe the single tear that ran down his cheek. "He just got some very good news, baby."

"What news?"

She grinned, leaning over to grab him around the middle, lifting him into her lap. "You remember what you asked for your last birthday, LJ?"

Logan frowned in thought for a minute. "Yeah…I said I wanted a baby brother."

"Well…it's going to be a little late for your birthday, but you're going to have a new baby brother or sister come summertime, baby."

"Really?"

"Really." Jenny smiled, kissing his forehead gently. "And, I have one more thing to tell the both of you."

Jethro glanced over at her sharply from his perusal of the ultrasound picture. "Jen?"

"You know that promotion we talked about a while back?"

"Yeah…what about it? You said Morrow wasn't planning to retire for a while."

"He got offered a Deputy Director position at Homeland Security. That was the thing he wanted to talk about the other day."

"He offered you the Director's position at NCIS?"

She nodded slowly. "Less travel, and if his other plan goes through, we'll be able to spend a lot more time together as a family."

"You're not goin' away no more?"

"Not as much as I do now, baby. I only have to go to a few conferences a year and most of them are in the summer."

Jethro smiled, moving over to slip his arm around her shoulders. "This is great, Jen. You got it?"

"Signed the papers in Tom's office the other day." Jenny met his eyes, smiling sincerely. "I'll be home more, I'll be closer to you, and we'll have our family here, together."

Jethro Gibbs gave a content sigh, the arm around her shoulders tightening as he hugged her and Logan close. This was really turning out to be a wonderful Christmas.