'Oh come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant…' Penny sang to herself as she decorated the tree in her front living room.
It was the twentieth of December and everyone was beginning to get ready for the festivities. Normally she'd have had the house decorated a long time before, but because she was decorating the house on her own it was taking longer than she'd first thought.
Thankfully she had a special guest on her way over to help out, the only other big kid who, like herself, loved Christmas.
As if on cue Abby rang the doorbell the Georgetown house. Penny jumped up and down as she opened the door, genuinely excited to have her friend with her over the holidays.
'Wow Penny this place looks amazing!' Abby exclaimed as she took off her coat, referring to all the decorations Penny had painstakingly displayed.
She'd twined bright red tinsel around the top of the banister of the stairs, and then twined individual silver pieces around each baluster. At the top of the stair case, where it widened at twisted round, there was a small artificial tree that was beautifully lit with white, flickering tree lights, a small angel on top and several, small, bright baubles.
'You wanna help with the tree in the living room?' Penny asked after a few moments.
'I sure do!' Abby replied with great excitement.
The two girls walked in to find a large artificial tree placed prominently beside the fireplace. It was still bare, but standing at seven foot tall it was most impressive. The living room also still looked bare, but they both knew that they'd soon put that right.
'Shall we start on the tree first?' Abby asked with a giddy smile.
'Well Gibbs is on his way over with a step ladder to help put on the lights and the star, but we can start on everything else.' Penny replied with just as much excitement.
Piece by piece they placed the decorations around the living room, putting lights up in the windows, tinsel on the fire place and decorations on the ceiling. Penny had even lit a few candles which were now emanating a warm glow and scene of caramelised apples. Now all that was to be done was the tree.
They didn't have long to wait before Gibbs arrived with his ladder, and he had a small smile on his face when Penny opened the door to him when he saw all of the decorations in place.
'You girls have done a great job.' He said as he took in the wonderful sights and smells.
Ever since their trip to LA Penny had made a vast improvement of how she dealt with Jenny's death. She no longer looked as if she was forcing herself to do the daily tasks and Gibbs could see her old self appearing once again.
'Right, where's this tree then?' He said as he made his way into the living room.
They spent the next hour unravelling the Christmas tree lights before Gibbs began to put them on. The tree was that big that it took approximately four-hundred lights to light it up properly, and it took Gibbs a further hour just to put them on, but when he was finished all three of them agreed that it was worth it, just for the sight before them.
'Wow Gibbs that looks amazing!' Penny said to the agreement of Abby.
'Well all that's left for you to do now is to put on the decorations.' He said to her before he handed her a small wooden box.
'What's this?' She asked with confusion, not recognising it.
'Call it an early present.' He said.
She took the box from him and opened it to find eight hand carved decorations. She took them out one by one and examined them intently. There was a boat, a bat, a dagger, a computer, a film reel, a hat, a small star and finally an Eiffel tower. Penny recognised each one as associated to a team member, but especially noted the Eiffel tower, since Paris had held so many happy memories for Jenny and Gibbs.
'They're beautiful Gibbs, thank you.' She said with astonishment at his work.
She got up and held him tightly and was slightly surprised to find that he reciprocated her hug. Not to be left out, Abby joined them in their embrace and Gibbs found himself hugging both the young women. After a few moments Penny jumped up and began placing each piece onto the tree, taking pride of place towards the top.
Gibbs then watched them as they decorated the rest of the tree and it looked even more amazing than before.
'Hey Penny, has Ducky invited you round for dinner on Christmas day yet?' Abby asked.
'He sure has, he sounded quite excited about it actually.' Penny replied with a smile.
'So are you coming?'
'Absolutely! Couldn't possibly keep me away. From my understanding we're all going.'
'Is that including you too Gibbs?' Abby added with a glance at him as he sat on the sofa, a glass of bourbon in one hand.
'Well if I don't go I will never hear the end of it from you two, so I think I better had.' He replied with a smile as Abby cheered in delight.
For the next few days both Abby and Penny had a full count down to Christmas day, ensuring everyone was ready. They had even been left in charge, by Leon, of the Christmas party, which they had arranged for Christmas Eve.
They went out and bought food and drinks and more party decorations than were imaginable. They'd spent the whole day decorating the squad room and were now back at Penny's getting ready. They'd been out shopping the previous weekend to get their outfits, and both had chosen dresses very fitting of them.
Penny's was a strapless dress, gold in colour but with black netting over the top and a black bow in the centre. It accentuated her hour-glass figure and perfectly matched the gold high heels that she'd borrowed from her mom's wardrobe.
Abby had gone for a knee length, halter neck, black dress with faint silver stars all over it. She had a silver, starred choker to go with it.
'I can't wait for this; it's going to be so much fun!' Penny shouted through to Abby, who was in Penny's en-suit shower.
Penny was already showered and was just styling her long red hair. Like her mom, Penny's hair was ever so slightly curly, although, much to her dismay, it never fell into proper curls, just small kinks; however, that was exactly how she liked it. All she had to do was pin her hair in a couple of places and add some spray and she was done. Just as Abby came out of the shower Penny began doing her make-up.
'I know, I can't wait to see the looks on everyone else's faces. I think it was a great idea to have the party at NCIS, saves everyone having to go home from work if they don't want to and it was a lot cheaper too.' Abby replied with a laugh, making Penny smile too.
'Are you sure you're happy to stay the night here Abs? Only I'd understand if you wanted to spend Christmas morning at your own place.' Penny said as she looked at her friend.
'Penny of course I want to be here. What better way is there to spend Christmas than with family?' Abby replied as she gave Penny a bone crushing hug.
With that neither girl said anything further to each other, but continued to get dressed quickly. Gibbs had agreed to pick them up from the house at eight. He hated going to these things, but both Penny and Abby had begged him to go, and since they'd worked so hard on it, it seemed rude not to go.
At five to eight Gibbs's truck pulled up outside and they both collected the last of their belongings before they headed out, but as soon as Penny opened the front door she could feel that something wasn't as it should be. She glanced down at the welcome mat outside the front door and found a small box wrapped in brown paper. There was a sticker on the front with her name and address on it, but no return address or stamp. She glanced up and looked around but saw no-one other than Gibbs staring back at her, although she could feel someone else watching her.
'Is everything alright Penny?' Gibbs asked as he approached her, a look of concern firmly fixed to his face.
'Yeah, yeah I'm fine thanks Gibbs; just someone left this on my doorstep that's all.' She said as she held the box up. 'Must be another Christmas present; I'll just put it under the tree before we go.'
She ran into the house and placed the box under the tree for the morning before they left for the party. As she got into Gibbs's car she could still feel somebody watching her, but as hard as she tried she couldn't see anyone. She decided to put it all to the back of her mind, realising that she was probably just being paranoid, and went off to join the party.
Both she and Abby were delighted to see most people already there enjoying themselves. The rest of team Gibbs were standing in the bullpen waiting for their arrival and were excited to see their three friends.
'Hey guys we were just talking about you; we were wondering when you were going to arrive.' Tony explained as he passed them all a drink.
'You both did a great job; everyone looks to be enjoying themselves.' McGee added as he looked round at everyone.
'Yeah it's great; just don't let Jimmy drink too much, you know what happened last year…' Abby said as she pulled a face of grimace at the memory.
'…and the year before…'
'…and the year before that one.'
Penny and Ziva said one after the other, which made everyone laugh at the memories, just as Ducky and Jimmy joined them.
The party was a huge success but Penny and Abby had planned a surprise for everyone, and the team were all so busy chatting and laughing that they didn't notice Ducky "duck" out. Everyone suddenly stopped when the lights dimmed and a single light shone onto the catwalk above them. Everyone glanced up to see Ducky dressed as Santa appear from one of the doors.
'Ho Ho Ho!' He shouted with a jolly laugh.
Everyone below him clapped and cheered as he slowly made his way down the stairs with a large sack on his back. He placed it on the ground and began lifting secret Santa gifts, reading out the names written on each one. One by one the recipients of each gift approached Ducky and took the gift from him, stopping to get their photograph taken by Penny.
Once everyone had received their present there was more dancing and drinking until the party finally came to an, but before it did there was an explosion of confetti and a net of balloons was released from above them.
'I know that you're all desperate to get home to do some last minute wrapping and preparation for tomorrow, but before you do I just want to say a few quick thank yous.' Leon said to everyone below him as he stood on the catwalk. 'The first thank you is to Penny Shepard and Abby Sciuto, as without them this party wouldn't have been possible.' He added and collard the two friends towards him.
The whole squad room erupted into cheers and clapping as they walked up the staircase where Leon greeted them both and presented them with a bouquet of flowers each.
'The next thank you is to Doctor Mallard for his participation in this evening's events.' Leon continued as Ducky then also joined them on the catwalk, where he was given a bottle of scotch.
Leon then went on to thank everyone for all their work over the last year, before rounding off the evening by paying tribute to all the agents, including Jenny, who had died in the line of duty that year. He then bid them all good night and a safe journey home before the agents all dispersed.
Gibbs took Penny and Abby home, where they were grateful to finally get of their feet. It had been a great night and they were both elated at how successful it was, but now all they needed was their beds.
'Goodnight Penny.' Abby said as she retired to her bed.
'Good night Abs.' Penny replied sleepily as she watched her friend retire from the living room and up the stairs.
Penny wasn't too far behind her, she just wanted to make sure all the plugs and lights were off, and that the doors were all locked before she went to bed. However, as she went to the front living room curtains to close them, she saw a figure in the dark looking towards the house. She blinked a couple of times and strained her eyes to try and make out who it was, but it was too dark for her to see. She quickly retreated upstairs towards her bed, but before she climbed in she decided to have one last look outside. By the time she got to her bedroom window though, the person outside was gone.
Penny spent the rest of the night tossing and turning, unable to get any sleep. She couldn't get the person outside out of her mind. She wasn't sure what to do for the best, or whether or not she should feel scared. She finally drifted off to sleep in the early hours of the morning, deciding to leave any decision making until after Christmas.
The next morning she was awoken by a very excited Abby, who was happily bouncing around the house singing Christmas songs.
'Come on Penny, it's Christmas, it's Christmas!' She shouted.
Penny finally agreed to get up, not that she could complain too much since it was nearly ten o'clock. She threw off the bed clothes and threw on her dressing gown. They both ran down stairs to open their presents and start on breakfast.
Penny had opened all of her presents within a few minutes, getting a couple of bright coloured sweaters, some jewellery and a few DVDs. With all the mess around her she'd completely forgotten about the box that had been left on the doorstep the previous night; that was until Abby handed it to her.
'Don't forget this one.' She said and Penny accepted it with a weak smile.
She turned it over in her hands a couple of times before she ripped off the paper, revealing a white box. When she opened the box she found a snow globe inside. The globe was ornately decorated with an angel inside and a key underneath to play music. Penny's blood ran cold as she looked at it.
Jenny had been the only one who ever bought her snow globes, it had been their little thing and there were only three people who really knew about this; herself, Gibbs and Jenny.
'Wow Penny that's beautiful, but who's it from?' Abby asked.
'I've no idea; there was no note in the box.' Penny replied, still staring at the item before her.
She twisted the key below and the music began to play, instantly recognised by Penny. It began to play "How great thou art", her favourite hymn; but again there was only one person who knew that.
Penny shook the thoughts from her head, reminding herself that it wasn't possible; after all, Jenny had been killed almost a year ago, so somebody had to have been playing a cruel practical joke on her.
Putting the globe to one side she began to tidy up and get ready for breakfast. She decided to speak to Gibbs later about everything that had been going on in the last couple of days. At least he'd be able to shed some more light on it, or offer the comfort she needed.
Once they'd had a light breakfast both Abby and Penny began to get ready for Ducky's house. They'd heard many times before that Ducky's Christmas dinner was divine, and they both felt privileged to be spending Christmas day with him and the rest of their "family".
At one o'clock everyone began to arrive at Ducky's house, each having brought something with them. Abby and Penny brought the vegetarian option as well as a dessert. Everything looked and smelt heavenly.
'Can I give you hand with anything Ducky?' Penny asked politely.
'You're more than welcome to start putting these out onto the table.' Ducky said as he indicated the dishes on the counter next to him.
She took them through to the dining room and placed them on the table. She noticed Gibbs was sat at the table on his own, glasses perched on his nose, reading the newspaper. It was then she took the opportunity to speak to him about the recent events.
'Gibbs can I get a quick word with you about something?' She asked, a slight quiver to her voice which made Gibbs give her his immediate attention. 'Last night someone left a parcel on my doorstep, but there was no note or card with it. I opened it this morning and someone has sent me a snow globe. The thing is only mom, you and I know that I collect them and the significance of them to me.' She explained.
Gibbs's face contorted with confusion and concern as he began to realise the significance of what Penny was suggesting.
'The other thing is that I'm convinced I'm being watched. I noticed someone last night, and I'm sure there was someone outside the house this morning.' She added quietly.
'I don't want you to worry about it. I'm going to make a few phone calls…' Gibbs began to say but they were interrupted by the arrival of the others as Ducky brought in the turkey.
Neither spoke of the incident further for the rest of the afternoon. The whole team enjoyed their Christmas dinner together and they later played games and watched a couple of films. Before they knew it they were all ready to head home, tired, happily fed and full of Christmas Spirits.
Gibbs took Penny and Abby home, dropping Abby off at her apartment before driving the rest of the way to Penny's. He followed her up to the front door and led her inside. After months of secrecy it was time for Penny to hear the truth about what happened in the Mojave Desert.
'Penny I need you to sit down for a few minutes, there's something I need to talk to you about.' He said as he made her sit in the warmth of the living room.
She looked at him with grave concern, with no idea of what was about to happen, but she knew by his tone that what Gibbs was about to say was serious.
'I need to speak to you about your mom…and about what happened at the diner. You have to understand that we've been trying to protect you for the last seven months, from things we weren't even sure what we were fighting. When your mom realised the danger she was in at Decker's funeral, she tried to deal with the situation on her own, even though she enlisted Mike's help they realised that they were way over their heads, and she was concerned that you were in danger as well. That's when she called me.' He began to explain, making Penny's eyes already prick with tears of betrayal. 'As soon as I got that call I flew out to LA to join them. When Svetlana's men arrived the three of us faced them together, not just your mom. She was shot in the arm, but not fatally.' He added, making Penny's heart skip a beat.
The words that she had just heard played round in her head for a few moments, trying to make sense of what she'd just heard, but no matter how she replayed it she still couldn't understand it.
At that moment the living room door opened and Jenny walked in. Penny stood up from the sofa and stared at the figure before her, the person she'd prayed every night to see again, but never believed she truly would. She quickly raised her hands to her face as her tears ran down her face. She wasn't sure how to feel, angry, upset, relieved…maybe a mix of them all.
Jenny looked at her daughter and felt her own tears stinging at her own eyes. She felt devastated that she was the one who was upsetting her daughter, but she felt so glad that the truth was finally about to be revealed and that all the lying could stop. It now just required a full explanation.