Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS and am making no profit:)

Spoilers: Silent Night

Thank you for all the reviews, alerts, etc. They made my day!!! Please note: I do not know Tony's dad's name so I made him a junior

and no I do not own It's a Wonderful Life either.

Gibbs didn't know why he had returned to the Navy Yard. Perhaps it was because there was no where else for him to go except to revel in the depths of his basement under the hull of a half finished boat. The ding of the elevator brought him back to the present. He stepped out and headed toward familiar and comforting territory. Settling into his chair and placing his steaming cup of coffee on the desk and he was ready. He began to pore through some cold cases, anything to get his mind off of the evening. Seeing Ned's face: the fear, the anticipation of being rejected, the joy of being accepted. .. Gibbs missed those feelings. All of them when it came to family. He let his gaze rise to the MTAC where his team had watched a movie together. He told them not to wait for him and he was glad he did. After dropping Ned off, he got lost in a conversation with his father and a long walk around the block...hours later he found himself here. Gibbs kept his gaze on the door, his gut suddenly churning. He could have sworn he saw a light flicker from the room. Impossible. No one else should be here on this floor anyway. Vance had taken off hours ago hadn't he? Gibbs stood up and headed toward the stairs noticing the voices getting louder although they were voices he didn't recognize... until he got closer that is. One voice in particular stood out.

Anthony DiNozzo was sitting in the front row clutching his carmeled popcorn in one hand and the other his cell while images of It's a WOnderful Life flickered across the screen. Gibbs snuck in the back row and sat down , afraid to interrupt whatever was about to go down.

"Sure, I'll hold."

Gibbs heard the fatigue on his agent's voice.

"Yeah, hi, I need to speak with Anthony DiNozzo, please."

Gibbs gathered from the one sided conversation that the woman said he wasn't available.

"Tell him it's his son." Gibbs could almost feel Tony's disgust at admitting it.

"A message? Is he at a meeting?"

Tony's sigh seemed to echo in the empty room against the film's monologue.

"No, that's OK. I understand. Yeah, Merry Christmas to you too."

He sealed the cell shut.

"Come to watch the film?"

Gibbs smirked in the darkness. Tony always seemed to know he was there.

Gibbs stood up and headed to sit next to his agent.

"I thought you watched it already?"

Tony shrugged passing the bowl over to Gibbs who greedily stole a handful of sugared goodness.

"I did, but it is a DiNozzo family classic...."

Gibbs eyed Tony and wondered how much was just a Tony DiNozzo Jr. tradition.

"Where were you?"

Gibbs cocked his head allowing a grin to escape. He could almost hear the disappointment in his friend's voice at his absence.

"Dropped Ned off to see his daughter."

Tony 's eyes widened in wonder as he stared at GIbbs and responded, " Really? I thought he didn't want anything to do with her?"

Gibbs reached for another handful of popcorn getting lost momentarily in the voice of Jimmy Stewart.

"It's not that he didn't want to see her. I think he thought they were better off without him. Too much time had elapsed, he had said..."

Tony swallowed as he felt Gibbs stare on his half shadowed face. He knew the implication of that statement and how it related to his recent call.

"He didn't want to talk to me. I call him every year thinking....hoping...."

Tony trailed off. Gibbs let the trail run cold.

"Good popcorn."

Tony shoved the rest of the bowl over to Gibbs lap.

"It's yours. I think if I eat another bit I will regret it."

Gibbs chuckled. Tony stood up and headed to turn off the movie.

"What're you doing DiNozzo?"

Tony lifted his hand off the controls and faced his boss.

"Getting late, Boss. Think I should head home."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow. "Big plans?"

Tony gave a wry smile as his own words poised to McGee reflected back at him.

"You're looking at it."

He didn't know why he had just admitted that watching the movie was the highlight of his holidays but he decided to chalk it up to being extremely exhausted.

Gibbs gave a brief nod and reached out his hand and patted the chair beside him.

"The highlight of my night was drinking bourbon and sanding. Say got any bourbon around here?"

Tony wasn't sure if Gibbs was serious or not.

"No alcohol on the premises, Boss. You know the rules."

Gibbs grinned widely proud and relieved that he didn't have to worry about his agent drinking alone.

"Just making sure you did too, DiNozzo."

Tony walked over to the chair and sat down. He reached over to the popcorn and swiped some.

"Thought you couldn't eat another bite?"

Tony shrugged. "Got my appetite back."

There was a moment of silence.

"This is a good movie. The only thing I don't quite believe is that one man can make a difference. I think it takes many men...and women" Tony was careful to add, " to make things change."

Gibbs twitched. "I think one man can make a difference."

Tony laughed, " OK, well maybe if he's you...but us mere mortals...."

"Wasn't talking about me, Tony."

Tony looked at his Boss's face hidden in the shadows, blue eyes still strong.

"Got it, Boss."

Tony grew silent and continued to face the screen.

"What did Ned do anyway when he got there?"

Gibbs thought to all the emotions flashing through the man's eyes and the one that stuck out the most, came forth into his hands.

"He gave me this."

Gibbs handed the portraits of the team into the waiting hands of his second in command. Tony gently fingered the picture for fear that it would shatter if he touched it too much.

"Ned knew she was always his family."

Tony stared at Gibbs who paused to take a breath., " Just as he knew these people are mine." His finger brushed Tony's lightly on the paper he held. Tony smiled and relaxed into the chair taking Gibbs' words to heart.

"So Boss, how long has it been since you've seen this movie?"

Gibbs leaned back as well and sighed contentedly. Sanding and bourbon would have to wait.

I rewatched Silent Night and just saw how forlorn Tony looked when he heard Gibbs wouldn't be there. I had to make him happy:) Hope you liked. Please review? Thanks!