Merry Christmas

Author's note sorry this update has taken so long. All of my stories updated within the next month now that I have more free time to write.

Callen open the front door and struggled to drag the tree into the house. The girls were both on the couch watching a movie and had to giggle as their dad tried to get the tree over closer to the dining room.

"Daddy did you have to get the biggest tree they had?" Asked Anna.

Mac to the doorway left shaking her head and holding Christopher.

"Seriously Callen I told you this last year we don't need the biggest tree you can find in the state."

Callen just looked at this wife and smiled. "I'll come on Chris's first Christmas he deserves a big tree."

Clara got up from the couch and walked over to the tree looking at it. Callen picked her up and held her so that she could see the tree better.

"So little bug when you think of our tree this year."

"It's big daddy."

"You had outdo Deeks again this year didn't you?" Asked Mac.

"Of course I did you see the tree Deeks brought home?" Callen put Clara back down and walked over to give us what kiss. He had to laugh when his son kicked him.

"Somebody wants to see daddy." Callen took his son and showed him the tree. "See Chris this is your first Christmas so daddy got you the best tree."

Chris reached up and grabbed Callen's ear. Callen laughed and handed his son back. "Ok, I'm going to get the rest of the stuff out of the car."

Mac looked at her husband's retreating back. "More?"

Callen stopped and smiled back at her. Ten minutes later Clara and Anna were standing in the open door watching their dad blow up an inflatable snowman.

"Mommy we got a big snowman now." Yelled Clara.

"Oh good lord." Mac had put Chris down for a nap and went to look. Callen had giant candy canes along the walk and was blowing the snowman up next to the driveway. "Callen you have really lost it this year."

"Oh come on the entire neighborhood puts stuff out."

"Again you have totally lost it."

"Momma can we decorate the tree now?" asked Clara.

"As soon as your dad is done outside."

"Daddy hurry up, we want to decorate the tree." Yelled Anna.

Callen finished with the snowman and headed inside.

"Ok girls I need to get the lights on first."

The day before Callen had gotten all their Christmas stuff out of the storage place and had it stacked in the dining room. Callen picked up the box that said lights and started pulling them out. By now Chris was up and crying. Mac went and got him before taking a seat on the couch to watch the show. Her phone rang.

"Hey mom, no you're not interrupting anything. Callen went and got the biggest tree he could find and is now putting the lights on."

"Did this one fit in the house?"

The year before Callen had chosen a tree that was two feet taller than their celling.

"Yes but it's a whopper."

Callen stopped and looked at Mac and made a face. Mac stuck her tongue out at him and laughed.

"Keep it up MacKenna."

"Come on daddy hurry up." Said Clara. She was holding an ornament and bouncing up and down.

"Mom the girls are just as excited as Callen."

"Your father and I will be over soon. We have some ornaments for you that your father brought back from Romania on his last trip."

"With this tree we are going to need it."

Mac hung up with her mom and watched as Callen finished with the lights. "What's your mother brining over?"

"Dad picked up more ornaments for us in Romania."

"Great."

"Momma why are all of or ornaments so old?" asked Clara looking at the one in her hand.

"Well you see when your dad and I were first together Grandma Hetty bought us a bunch of them from Russia and Romania. So we just kept up buying them."

Clara looked at the old wooden ball in her hand. "Aunt Kensi's tree has all shinny ones."

Mac looked up at Callen.

"Maybe we can get you a small tree for your room and you and your sister can pick out what you want to put on it." Said Mac.

"Can we mommy?" said Anna.

"I don't see why not." Mac looked at Callen. "I said a small tree Callen."

"Yes dear."

By the time Sara and Victor got there the lights were all on and the girls were handing Callen ornaments to put on the higher branches.

"Oh the tree looks lovely."

"Granma momma is going to get me my own tree with shiny ornaments." Said Clara.

"She likes Kensi's tree."

"Ah I see." Sara smiled at Clara. "I can take her shopping after school tomorrow if you want."

"That's fine mom. Anna do you want to go too?"

"Can I? I want purple ones."

"I want pink." Added Clara.

Mac simply shrugged and handed Chris over to her dad.

"Ah here is my little prince." Victor took Chris and settled on the couch. "He has grown."

"Yep up three pounds in only a couple of weeks."

"That is good. He's going to be a big boy." Victor smiled at baby and started to talk to him in Romanian.

Callen had half the tree decorated by now and was interested to see what his in laws had brought.

"Victor found them in a little shop and had to bring them home for you."

"Oh mom they match some of the ones Hetty got us."

"They may have come from the same area originally."

"I recognized them right away." Said Victor. "The shop owner just said they were sold to him a few years ago and he had forgotten he even had them."

"Look at this one mommy it has birds on it." Clara held it up to her mother. The glass was decorated with tiny white doves.

"They must have belonged to a very wealthy family at one point. Most people in Romania would not have had the money to buy such things." Said Victor walking over with Christopher. "This one is my favorite." He picked up a blue ball that had the mountains painted onto it.

Callen placed a hook onto the ornament and Victor placed it onto the tree. Chris stated to fuss so Victor handed him back over to Mac. "I think this little one needs a change."

"Thanks dad." Mac said trying not to laugh. Victor chuckled and went back to helping the girls go thru the ornaments. There were about twenty in all. Once the tree was finished Victor brought out a bottle of wine.

"I picked this up on my travels. It's a local wine I am thinking of offering to my customers." He handed Mac a glass. "Your cousin Petra makes it with some of his friends."

"This is good."

"We should give Sam a bottle for Christmas you know how he loves his wine." Added Callen.

"Yes that is a good idea. I brought several crates home with me."

"Here give me the baby." Said Sara. She took Christopher and walked him over to the tree to see it. "Look little prince your first Christmas tree."

Chris was four months old now and really had no idea what was going on but seemed to like the blinking lights.

Mac looked over to see Anna and Clara both yawing. "Ok girls say goodnight to everyone."

"Do we have to?" asked Anna.

"Yes tomorrow is a school day."

After the girls went to bed the adults had some more wine.

"I brought some traditional items back for the girls for Christmas." Said Victor. "Some clothing and toys."

"I'm sure they will love it all."

"Yes the girls do love their gyspy heritage." Said Callen.

"You should know that Alexis's beach house was burned to the ground a few months ago." Said Victor. "No one knows how."

"No big loss." Said Sara. "It had sat empty for years."

"True."

Callen downed his wine and filled his glass again.

"I am sorry for the bad memories son."

"It's not that." Said Callen. "I just wish things could have been different."

"Yes but if things had been different we wouldn't be here now." Said Mac.

"Good point."

Christopher was now sound asleep. "I'm going to put this little man to bed."

"Let me." Said Sara.

Mac handed him over. "His jammies are by the crib."

"Don't worry I can handle this little one."

"I showed the family photos of the little prince. Mirela was very pleased to get the family photo you sent to her."

"How old is she dad?"

"Let me see I think around ninety now."

"I can't believe she's still going strong."

"The women in our family live very long lives. The men not so much."

"Tell her the news." Said Sara coming back into the living room.

"Ah yes. Mirela has decided she want to come her to visit. She wants to see Christopher and Clara for herself."

"You're kidding right?"

"I got the ball rolling on her paperwork for a visa before I left. She insists she must come and see the children. I am not about to tell her no."

No one in the family told Mirela no. She was the oldest of the family and treated with great respect. That and if you disrespected her she'd give you the eye and curse you.

"Your father is afraid of her."

"Of course I am. The woman has powers. No one tells her no ever."

Sara laughed.

"There was that one time that one of the neighbors ran her goat over with his car. She gave him the eye and the next day all his teeth fell out."

"I thought they fell out because your uncle Ivan punched them out?" asked Sara.

"Yes but Ivan never had a reason to punch him." Victor sipped at his wine. "It was the eye I tell you."

Callen had to really try not to laugh at the story. Honestly the old woman scared him too and he had only met her once.

"When is she coming?" asked Callen.

"After the new year. I will go back and bring her here. She wants to stay a month."

"Well this should be interesting." Said Mac. She liked her aunt and was looking forward to spending more time with her.

"It's late Sara time to head home."

Mac gave her parents a hug at the door. "I'll take care of getting the girls their tree and ornaments tomorrow."

"Thanks mom."

"It will be fun."

This year everyone was doing their own thing for Christmas. Nell and Eric were headed to visit Nell's family. Sam and his family were going on a cruise and Kensi and Deeks were taking the kids to Mammoth to see the snow. Hetty was spending Christmas with them so she wouldn't miss Chris's first Christmas.

Sara was planning on coming over on Christmas eve and staying the night to help Mac cook dinner the next day. Vlad and Victor would come over on Christmas eve and come back the next day.

"So do you think you have enough Christmas stuff now?"

"I guess so."

"Callen I think they can see the house from space."

"I should ask Eric to get us images."

Mac shook her head at him. Poor Eric he was in for it tomorrow.

Callen stood looking at the tree.

"You ok." Mac wrapped her arms around him.

"Just remembering our first Christmas tree."

"If I remember it looked a lot like this one."

"What else is bothering you?"

"Nothing is bothering me. I'm just thinking about spending our first Christmas with our son." Callen shook his head. "I once told Hetty I didn't want to settle down till I found my own family. I know what happened to my mom and sister but I still haven't found my dad."

"Someday."

"I hope so."

"Come on Callen lets go to bed."

The next week went by fast. The girls got their tree and Callen stopped buying Christmas stuff.

"At the rate he was going we'd need a bigger storage room." Said Mac to Kensi.

"I never figured Callen for a decorator."

"Yeah me neither but he's gone overboard this year."

They stopped when Callen and Sam walked in.

"Thanks for your help Sam."

"Any time G."

"What did you do now?" asked Mac.

"Nothing."

"Callen."

"I had Sam help me put together some of the kids gifts. Have you ever tried to put a bike together?"

Sam laughed. "G as much as you take stuff apart you really can't put anything together can you?"

Callen glared at Sam and went over to his desk. Sam laughed and gathered up his stuff. "Well I will see you all in the new year."

"Have fun Sam." Said Deeks as he got his own stuff together. "Come on Fern we don't want to sit in traffic."

Kensi rolled her eyes at her husband and followed him out.

"I will see you both tomorrow night." Said Hetty. "I'll bring a nice bottle of Scotch for us to enjoy."

"Sounds good Hetty." Said Callen.

"Did you get the bikes together ok?"

"Yes. As well as the baby gym for Chris."

"Good thing for Sam."

"You can say that again."

CHRISTMAS EVE

The girls were so excited that Hetty told them to open one gift each. It was the first Christmas that Clara really knew what was going on. Anna picked a box and opened it. Inside was a miniature bedroom set. Anna looked confused a bit but thanked Hetty for getting it for her.

Clara got a toy tea set and was busy playing with it. Everyone hid a smile knowing that in the morning the gift Anna opened would make more sense. Gibbs had set the doll house a few days before and it was hidden in the garage.

Around nine the girls were all in so Mac but them to bed. Victor and Hetty started putting out the rest of the gifts. Callen and Victor headed out to the garage and brought in the bikes and the doll house. Gibbs went all out with the house. It had lights that worked and had two panels on the back that opened up.

"Anna is going to love this." Said Sara.

"I'm heading home. I will see you in the morning." Said Victor. He kissed Sara and Mac then headed out the door.

"I'm going to leave too. I will see you all early in the morning."

Sara went to Chris's room where they had a bed for her to stay over leaving Callen and Mac alone.

Callen had decided to put the bikes and the doll house in the office and close the door so they would be a last minute surprise for when everyone was there.

"Callen I think you should open a gift tonight too."

"Lucky me." Said Callen pulling Mac close.

"Not me." Mac pulled away and pulled a box out from behind the couch and sat down. "Come sit down."

"Ok this must be important."

"It is."

Callen sat down and looked at Mac. "I asked Gibbs for help on this. He has some contacts in Russia and they were able to get this for me."

Callen swallowed hard and took the box. He took the lid off and looked inside. There was a file on top labeled Nikita Aleksander Reznikov.

"It's his KGB file."

"How?"

"Gibbs pulled in a few favors."

Callen leafed thru it realizing it was all in Russian.

"I translated it all. It's in the note book for you."

"I don't know what to say."

"Keep looking there is more."

Callen pulled out an old envelope inside were photographs. Several were of his father in his uniform. One was of both his parents where his mother was heavily pregnant. He also pulled out several medals.

"This one was for bravery. He saved several lives during a riot to receive it."

"This is crazy, I can't believe you found all this."

"Gibbs has been working on it for over a year now."

Callen felt the tears fall. "I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything." Mac wrapped her arms around him. "I have frames for the photos."

"Ok."

"I thought we could put them up on the shelves in the bedroom."

"Ok."

Callen ran his hand over his face.

"I'm going to bed. Don't stay up too late."

Callen stayed up till dawn reading about his father.

The next morning the girls were up early and wanted their gifts.

"Ok girls Grandpa and Grandma Hetty will be here soon so you can each open two gifts till then."

Anna ended up opening two more boxes of stuff for her doll house. The poor girl was really confused. Clara got coloring books and a new stuffed bunny dressed as a lady bug.

Victor and Hetty got there soon after and Mac handed out coffee to the adults. They watched the girls open their gifts. Mac and Sara opened the ones for Chris while Callen gave him a bottle.

Once they had all the gifts open Callen gathered up all the paper and Anna sat there looking at all the stuff in front of her.

"What's the matter baby?"

"Nothing."

"I think that there might be a few more things in the office." Said Mac.

Anna got up and opened the door and screamed.

"I got my doll house."

Callen taped the moment and texted it to Gibbs.

Victor helped pull the doll house out so that Anna could put everything into it.

Callen wrapped his arms around his wife. "Best Christmas ever."