Author's Note: Thanks for reading and Happy Holidays to everyone!

Chapter 7

"On The Job"

McGee uses his tweezers to clip the corner of the bloody Christmas card. Opening an evidence bag he carefully drops it inside as to not smear the could-be fingerprint the back of the card.

"I know Christmas is all about red and green, but this is just too much." DiNozzo comments, then takes another picture of the victim that lays at the same level of his feet.

A beautifully decorated Christmas Tree sits, lit, in a corner where two walls meet, in front of a large window with its curtains slightly open.

"There is something Abby-ish about this scene." DiNozzo continues. "Well…anyone in here agree?"

"Shut up, DiNozzo." Gibbs holds back the urge to head-slap him. "Pictures?"

DiNozzo lets his index finger slip and within seconds Gibbs is blinded by the flash. When his vision has adjusted and he can see again his lips grow tighter as DiNozzo's eyes grow bigger.

"That was an accident boss, but I gotta say when the photo comes out, you are going to look so-"

Gibbs rips the camera out of his hands and pulls it upwards so the strap rips from around his neck. Tossing the camera to Ziva who somewhat expects the incoming object, he grunts.

"Don't ever…EVER…do that again."

DiNozzo nods, but stands in place awaiting the hardest whack to the back of his head he has ever had. After several seconds he doesn't feel the familiar sting, so he turns and walks away to investigate a different part of the crime scene.

"What'd you find on the body, Ziva?"

"Nothing." She walks around the body again. "I did not find a wallet or any sort of identification."

"If you ask me, boss-"

"I didn't." Gibbs eyes his Italian agent. "Ma-Gee, what'd you find around the body?"

"This." He holds up the evidence bag with the Christmas card in it at such an exact pace he almost seems like he runs on batteries and he as a switch, when around Gibbs. "Bloody Christmas card."

"Addressed to our victim?"

"Uh, addressed to no one." McGee's lower lips stick out a little further as he shrugs a his shoulders a bit. "Seems kinda odd."

"Ya think, MaGee?" Gibbs doesn't wait for a response because he knows his tech agent would not dare to speak again unless spoken to. "Anyone see any sign of Ducky?"

Tony stands next to Ziva. "Well if he let the autopsy gremlin drive, he's probably stuck in a ditch somewhere."

The team falls silent and just waits.

Her hands fall under the facet to catch the cold water no one at this time of the year wants to even think about, never-mind feel on any part of their body.

Sighing, she splashes the freezing liquid onto her face and waits with her head bent over the sink. With every droplet of water that rolls down her face and falls from her chin, she feels her walls begin to shake and pulsate with rage.

DiNozzo flips through a magazine he has no business bringing to work and imagines what his Christmas will be like. "Two more days, McElf. Two more days…" He flips a page merrily. "I'm tingling with excitement!"

"You sure you're not coming down with something?"

"Funny. Probie." DiNozzo turns another page. "Just because nobody loves you, especially on Christmas, doesn't mean you have to be a little man…unless you are a little man…" He looks at him from head to toe, then a grin begins to form "…little man…"

McGee reaches for a dull pencil and throws it at Tony's head.

"HEY!" He nearly falls off the chair. "Cut it out! You nearly took out one of my eyes."

McGee shrugs. "You still have the other one."

Tony turns his nose upwards a little. His hands still holding the magazine open. "You smell bad."

"Would have expected you to do better than that, Tony."

"Well I expected you to have come out of the closet by now, but surprise-surprise McFairy, you're still hiding your pixie dust inside your purse."

"You have never seen me in a purse."

"That you know of." He gives a sly smile.

"I don't even own a purse."

"…that you know of…" His smile grows wider.

McGee glares at his talkative partner. "I hate you."

DiNozzo smiles brightly at his upset partner. "Aw. I love you too, McHater."

Closing his magazine, DiNozzo quickly puts it inside his file cabinet and secures it with a slam. Banging around at the top and the sides of it, he makes a ear-bleeding bing, bang, boom.

"I don't understand why you're allowed to have one of those things so close to your desk."

"Well, I'm special. That's why it comes before my name."

McGee stills his fingers. "Uh…and what would the special before my name mean?"

DiNozzo smiles as if he is the Grinch with the most awful thought in the world throbbing at the tip of his head. "What did the special in your name mean when you were a little kid, McGeek?"

McGee reaches for another pencil, then lets it go when he realizes Gibbs is approaching the squad-room.

Standing behind DiNozzo, Gibbs listens quietly.

"Don't even try it, McGee." DiNozzo warns as he eyes the pencil that threatens to make contact with his face. "I can hurt you."

"I wish you weren't such a jerk."

"I wish you weren't such a jerk." DiNozzo whines, then sticks his tongue out like a bratty child. "You're such a baby, McCryer."

"Hey, I'm not a baby. I just don't like it when people call me names."

"Well get used to it because you've got a face that subjects you to insults until the day you leave this terrible, terrible world-"

Gibbs puts his coffee in his other hand, then whacks DiNozzo on the back of his head.

McGee smiles; satisfaction written all over his full and healthy face.

DiNozzo glares and winces at the same time.

"What should you be doing?" Gibbs asks while he still lingers behind his leading agent.

"Uh…" DiNozzo ponders the question as he begins to develop a headache. "…working on the case?"

"Yeah." Gibbs steps ahead of him and turns around to look at him. "Get to it, chatter box."

McGee breathes a chuckle at DiNozzo's new nickname.

"Right, boss." DiNozzo says lowly; slightly red in the face.

A moment of silence passes as McGee waits for his bosses orders and questions, and DiNozzo plants himself inside his desk chair.

"What've ya got, McGee?"

"A rash."

"DINOZZO!" Gibbs hollers; extremely irritated. "WAS I TALKING TO YOU?"

"No. Sorry, boss." DiNozzo looks sheepishly at his computer screen.

McGee wait's a second, then realizes that Gibbs irritation is on the verge of shifting from DiNozzo, to him.

"Talk."

Nodding, McGee begins to pull up information on his computer.

"Don't show me. Tell me."

McGee watches as Gibbs practically inhales what could possibly be half or all of his steaming hot coffee.

"Uh…" McGee swallows. "I located the paper company that printed the Christmas card."

"Name."

"Printing Paper Palace."

"Wow." DiNozzo says somewhat lowly. "It doesn't get much cliché than that."

Gibbs' eyes roll to the side as he does his best to ignore the comment.

"Where?"

"Just at the corner. Near the bookstore." McGee takes his hands off his keyboard. "I could go with you."

"You go." Gibbs orders, then tosses a look to DiNozzo. "Take him with you."

"You serious, boss?" McGee practically whines with his eyes, but his voice doesn't do a bad job either.

Gibbs smirks. "Do I look serious?"

McGee waits for a moment, then breaks into a tiny smile. "No?"

Gibbs loses his smirk and his eyebrows seem to become pointier. "Get up. Go." He spits at McGee.

"Yes, boss."

Tony watches as McGee rises from his chair slowly; stepping backwards and nearly fall backwards over his chair. Grabbing his backpack, he tries his best to slink past Gibbs and the open space without any part of him touching his frightening looking boss.

"Gee McGee-"

"DiNozzo. Don't. Speak." Gibbs narrows his eyes at him. "Go. Now."

"…" DiNozzo closes his mouth, grabs his bag, and rushes to the awaiting elevator doors.

Sitting down, Gibbs takes the last drink of his coffee then throws the empty container in his trashcan. Clearing his throat a little, he looks out the large windows and notices a few snowflakes dancing in the air.

As he drags his eyes away from the windows he notices that his Liaison Officer is not present. Knitting his eyebrows he puts on his glasses and reads the tiny numbers. As he puts his glasses away he rises from his chair and decides to visit Abby's lap in hopes that she will have news for him and he will meet Ziva in his travels.

Stopping dead in her tracks, Ziva begins to think quickly as she begins to pull the collar of her coat up. Covering her neck and most of her face, she ducks into the space between two buildings; hoping she is completely out of sight from her partners.

Grinning, Jackson crosses the street as if all the cars have stopped or slowed for him to cross. Once on the other side of the street he sneaks up behind her and grabs her by her sides.

With her heart pounding, she quickly pushes his hands from her sides and fights an instant reaction to hurt him.

"Who are we hiding from this afternoon, Ziva?" His eyes twinkle as he leans in for a kiss. When she pulls back, his eyes twinkle even more. "Something tells me it's me you're hiding from."

"What are you doing here, Jackson?"

"Standing in front of the woman I love."

"I told you to never show yourself when I am at work."

"There's a lot of things you've told me never to do." He shrugs; cockily. "I still do them."

"You are jeopardizing my position."

"Oh, and what position are you in today, Ziva?" He grins, then looks each shoulder before looking back at her. "The dutiful investigator or the stone-cold killer? Oh, my apologies. I seem to be the only one with enough coldness to kill for no good reason."

"Jackson. Stop it."

"What's the matter, love?" He tries to pin her against the wall. "Does the truth about me hurt you more when I say it rather than when you spit it into my face?"

She pushes firmly against his chest with her two hands, but he knows all of her tactics therefore he knows how to block them with his own strength.

"JACKSON!" Her voice is a violent whisper. "I have my weapon."

His mouth breaks into a sick smile, then he throws his head back. "I've got more than one, baby."

Soon his laughter turns into a cold chuckle as his breath becomes stale and cold. He breathes on her; trying to chill her.

"What is it that you want?"

"Your heart." He hollers. "Your heart…" He says in a loud whisper this time. "…but suddenly I'm just not good enough to have your heart. Suddenly I make you fucking sick to your stomach. Suddenly…you fucking ignore me as if I'm not worthy of your love."

"Jack-"

"DON'T!" His fist slams into the concrete and slightly scratches his flesh creating wounds that will begin to bleed in a few minutes. "The worst thing you ever did was tell me how you truly felt." A sick smile forms again. "If you were true to yourself before you were true to me you would have realized that the only way to get rid of me was to kill me yourself." His other fist comes to slam into the wall on the other side of her head. "You fucked yourself, Ziva. You gave me the power. You gave me the control."

Wrapping her hands around his wrists, she tries to yank them off the wall and from trapping her. "I gave you the chance to be decent!"

At the sound of that word one of his hands leaves the wall to smack her across the face. In her mind she prays that the oblivious passerby's continue to be unaware of what is happening in their semi-lit corner.

The last thing she needs is to draw attention.

Staring deep into her eyes, he watches to see what her next reaction will be, but she never reacts.

"You don't ever have to love me again. You don't even have to like me, but you will respect me, Ziva." He growls murderously. "You will respect me!"

"Never." She stands her ground and as tall as she can as her face numbs with pain.

Just then two shots are fired and the screams of civilians can be heard. Getting thrown off guard, Ziva uses this opportunity to push him away from her. As he steps back to balance himself, she sees DiNozzo fly past her with his gun drawn; the tails of his suit jacket flapping in the wind.

"NCIS! FREEZE!" He yells.

Taking one more look at Jackson, she puts the collar of her coat down, and reaches for her weapon.