Warm This Winter

by Dr. JulietBurke

Summary: Jenny/Gibbs. When one of the team is injured in the lead up to Christmas, will it bring two of the agents closer together? Gibbs/Tony friendship.

for TaylorGibbs

At NCIS HQ things were beginning to wind down for the holiday season and with each passing day less and less people seemed to be in the office. Gibbs' team remained intact for now though, including Abby, Ducky and Palmer. Gibbs knew that inevitably soon his team members would be returning home for the holidays, he had already heard Ziva and Abby discussing their plans. He was grateful that no one, so far at least, had had the stupidity to ask him what he would be doing for Christmas. Christmas was certainly not a holiday that Gibbs enjoyed; in fact he doubted he could name one that he actually liked. Things had been different before of course, back when he had had Shannon and Kelly to spend each holiday with. He could still remember with bittersweet clarity the look of pure joy on Kelly's face each Christmas morning when she woke to find that Santa had arrived. He and Shannon would stay up until the early hours of the morning, decorating the house for Kelly and leaving a generous stack of presents neatly stacked under the large Christmas tree. He had so many happy memories of the Christmases they had spent together that it meant the festive season even more difficult to endure. He knew how this year would be, just last the previous few, him alone in his basement with several bottles of bourbon.

"Gibbs, we've got a case," Tim McGee called from across the bullpen, rousing Gibbs from his thoughts. He looked across at the young agent who had his hand over the telephone's receiver. He simply nodded and McGee assured the caller that the team would be there as soon as possible.

Gibbs summoned Tony and Ziva, and the four of them headed for the elevator, assuming that this would be an ordinary case. Maybe it was a missing person, a dead petty officer's wife, or an accusation of rape? None of them knew the terrifying implications of taking on this case.

"Director," Cynthia stood nervously in the door way of Jenny Shepard's office. "There's an urgent call for you, Agent DiNozzo's been injured. He's at Bethesda now, he's in surgery and they don't know if he's going to pull through." Jenny paled.

"Oh God, Cynthia what happened?" She had pushed herself up from her behind her desk and leaned back against the window sill for support.

"Gibbs was," Cynthia paused for a moment trying to find an adjective that summed up the agent's tone. "Abrupt, he didn't really explain. He just said that they were working a case and he got shot, twice, and he's in a critical condition. I'm sorry that I don't have any more information, Director."

"Thank you, Cynthia." Jenny replied, her thoughts reeling and an irrational part of her wondering why Gibbs had chosen to ring her secretary rather than speaking to her directly. She had her theories but even considering she was one of the few people who had been underneath Leroy Jethro Gibbs' skin, he was still quite often a mystery to her.

Cynthia took her cue to leave and left the Director to her thoughts. Jenny didn't know what to do; working at NCIS could be a dangerous job and over her two year period as Director of the agency, she had seen many of her agents end up in hospital, even Gibbs himself. Of course she had visited him in hospital, but then they had history together and she had known, if the roles had been reversed, Jethro would have been by her beside, no matter who he was having dinner with at the time. She wasn't aware that she had made a conscious decision about how to act until she was slipping on her black jacket and slipping out of her office. Cynthia looked surprised to see the Director leaving.

"Ma'am?" She questioned, looking up from her computer screen.

"If anyone calls for me, please tell them I'll be back later this afternoon, thank you," Jenny replied briskly before striding out towards the elevators.

Anthony DiNozzo was aware of a throbbing pain in his chest and fiery agony every time he tried to move his right leg. Everything seemed hazy and he could barely open his eyes. He could sense the presence of people in the room though and he was pretty sure that some of the team were here among the doctors and nurses. He blinked furiously, trying to clear his vision but the painkillers were making it harder and harder to fight against his body's urge to sleep.

"Gibbs," He managed to croak before the blackness of exhaustion swallowed him. Gibbs, who had been sitting on a particularly uncomfortable plastic chair in the far corner of the room sipping a cup of terrible coffee, suddenly sprung to attention. He crossed the room in eager strides until he was kneeling beside the low hospital bed.

"DiNozzo, damn it!" He barked, his deep rooted concern masquerading itself as annoyance. "Tony!"

"He's out cold," A pretty redheaded nurse told Gibbs gingerly. "He needs his rest, I suggest you come back in a couple of hours, we don't want to disturb his recovery."

Gibbs nodded with a sigh, hating the fact that the nurse was right. "Is it okay if I have one of my team sitting with him at all times,"

The nurse agreed and Gibbs was glad because it had been a rhetorical question. He leaned over and squeezed DiNozzo's limp hand before going down to the cafeteria where the rest of the team we eagerly waiting for an update. As soon as he walked into the cafeteria a whirlwind of black and red hit him, arms gripping almost painful at his torso; he hugged her back.

"Its okay, Abs, his surgery went reasonably well. He just needs his rest. One of us at a time can go and sit with him but under no circumstances must he be disturbed." Ziva and McGee nodded soberly in reply and Abby finally untangled herself from Gibbs.

"Can I be first to go and sit with him please?" Abby asked, looking around at everyone in turn.

"Of course," McGee replied instantly, knowing how he would feel if it was Ziva who had been fighting for her life today. Gibbs nodded too.

"Goes without saying, Abby, just be careful with him, okay?" Abby smiled the ghost of her usual grin and bounded off towards the elevator. "Why don't you two head back to NCIS, Abby can call you if she needs relieving of her duty, and we'll contact you if Tony's condition changes."

Ziva and McGee agreed, if a little reluctantly, they hated the thought of leaving Tony here, especially with Christmas being so near. Gibbs watched them go, knowing he would be no good back at the office but he also respected Abby's need for some privacy. This was hard for him, he had already lost Shannon and Kelly, and Tony had nearly died from , then Kate had been fatally shot. He couldn't bear to lose Tony too and he knew it would break Abby. He bought himself a cup of coffee and hoped it would be more decent than the last he had had here, and took his drink over to a table by the window.

"Jethro," Gibbs looked up in surprise at the sound of his name being called.

"Jen," He replied incredulously. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard about Agent DiNozzo, why didn't you call me Jethro?" She asked, hoping the hurt didn't show in her green eyes or that Gibbs would be too wrapped up in worrying about Tony that he wouldn't notice.

"Jenny, if I'd had to tell you personally that I thought Tony was going to die I wouldn't have been able to stay strong for everyone else." She sat down across from him and at his next words; she reached out and squeezed his hand. "I can't lose another person I care about,"

"Jethro," She said gently, caressing his palm with her fingers. "I spoke to the doctor in charge of Tony's care, and he thinks that if he makes it through the rest of the day and tonight he'll be in the clear."

"How did you find that out? We've only been getting snippets of information because we're not his family." Jethro's light blue eyes became steely. Jenny smiled slightly.

"Ah yes, but you're not Director of a Federal Agency either," Even Gibbs managed a small, appreciative smile at this.

Abby Scuito stepped nervously out of the elevator when it arrived on Tony's floor and wiped slightly sweaty palms on her tartan mini-skirt. After getting directions from a nurse at the desk, she made her way towards Tony's room. She slipped inside silently and pulled the chair Gibbs' had vacated closer to the bed. A sob caught in her throat when she took in Tony's appearance. His skin was pale and he was linked to so many machines and monitors that Abby didn't even know what half of them were for. She leaned over and took one of his hands in both of her's. She fought against the tears that threatened to fall as she squeezed his hand. This was not how she had envisioned her first Christmas with Tony since they had become a couple; she knew she could not bear to lose him, not now.

"I love you, Tony," She whispered and hoped that somehow he would hear her and understand.

"Where are Ziva and McGee?" Jenny asked after a few minutes of silence had passed between them. She could see the anguish written clearly on Gibbs' face and she hated the fact that she could do nothing to ease his pain.

"I sent them back to NCIS; we can contact them directly if we need them." He replied, almost robotically. "Shouldn't you be getting back too, I'm sure you've got plenty of paperwork to do." His words came out almost acidly.

"I want to be here, and, as much as I'm sure you'll deny it, I think you need me to be here." She said softly, her eyes never leaving his.

"Thank you," Was all he said in reply, looking away and breaking their eye contact. Jenny was one of the few people who could see past the facade he hid behind and right now he could not afford to break down in front of her.

Jenny was shocked by this show of emotion from him and she was beginning to see how much this team truly meant to him. She realised now that they were his surrogate family and the way he treated him was simply his way of showing them how much he cared. She had never felt the urge to hold him as strongly as she did right now. She was about to act on this sudden need for intimacy when Abby ran into the cafeteria.

"Oh Gibbs! I don't know what happened but one minute I was sat their holding his hand and the next the machines started beeping. A whole bunch of doctors forced their way in and told me to leave. I'm so scared!"

Gibbs stood up and enveloped the Goth in a bear hug, holding her while she sobbed. Jenny produced a tissue from her purse and held it out to the younger woman. Abby accepted it gratefully, the fact that the Director was there didn't seem to cross her mind.

"Cute," McGee commented as Ziva tried on a Santa hat at the gift shop on the way out of the hospital. Neither of them knew quite what to say or do.

"Should I buy it?" She asked. "It might cheer Tony up." McGee nodded.

"It might," He agreed, handing over the money for Ziva to pay for it. "I'm really worried about him," He confessed as they walked out of the hospital into the cold, late December afternoon. "Tony always acts like he hates me but I'd like to think of us as friends." Ziva smiled, linking her arm through his.

"He treats you like that because you are his friend McGee, the team at NCIS are a better family than my biological one hands up."

"Down, Ziva, it's hands down." McGee replied, laughing lightly in spite of himself.

Gibbs, Abby and Jenny headed back up to Tony's floor, determined to get some answers this time.

"And if all else fails, I'll just phone Condoleezza Rice," Jenny said and Abby smiled in return. Gibbs felt like he was missing the punch line of a joke but right now he had far more important things on his mind. He was stepping out of the elevator before the doors had even fully opened and Jenny and Abby struggled to keep pace with him as he swept down the corridor.

"I want to know what's going on with Anthony DiNozzo now," He bellowed, in his best 'Special Agent' tone. "We may not be his true family but he might as well be related to us. I also have the Director of NCIS with me," He left the sentence hanging as a young male doctor stared on open mouthed.

"I'll just get my superior for you," He said and disappeared in a flash of his white lab coat.

"Hello," A voice said from behind them. "I'm Doctor Thomas, how can I help you?"

"Please tell us all you can about Tony DiNozzo's condition," Abby blurted, barely able to contain herself.

"He's had a bit of a relapse," The doctor replied, taking his glasses off, folding them and putting them in the top pocket of his lab coat. "He didn't respond particularly well to some of the medication we gave him so we've changed his prescription and upped the dosage. He should be out of the woods for now, but the next few hours will be crucial." Abby nodded.

"And if everyone goes well, how long will he have to stay in hospital for?" Dr. Thomas frowned.

"I'm sorry to say that I doubt he'll be able to come home before Christmas,"

"Can we see him?" Gibbs stepped in, impatient at the doctor's slow manner of speaking.

"Yes, one at a time, please," The doctor replied and Gibbs nodded at Abby, signalling that she should go first.

"How do you fancy another cup of that god-awful coffee from the cafeteria?" Gibbs suggested when he and Jenny were alone in corridor. She could see that he was much more relaxed now that they had a more definite prognosis.

"Sounds good to me,"

"I'm sorry I scared you," Tony croaked, his throat dry despite the ice chips Abby was feeding him.

"It's okay, you're safe now," Abby replied, slipping another ice chip over his chapped lips. "Gibbs was really worried about you, I mean really worried."

"Wow, I must have been a really close to my deathbed then!" He laughed but it turned into a dry cough.

"Don't joke about that, Tony, it's not funny! I thought I was going to lose you, again!" She paused. "And Gibbs really was worried, he cares about all of us a lot more than we realise."

"I know," Tony sighed. "Even though he treats us like idiots a lot of the time, he's a far better father figure than my real father." Abby smiled.

"There's one small problem though." Tony looked worried.

"What's that?"

"We're not going to be able to get away for our Christmas break; the doctor said you won't be out of here in time for the holidays."

Tony looked disappointed but said. "Oh well, there's always next Christmas." Abby felt herself glowing; it seemed that Tony's transformation from womaniser to monogamous lover was complete.

"Love you, Tony." She said, kissing his forehead.

"I love you too, Abs." He replied.

Gibbs and Jenny stood looking out of the floor to ceiling window that looked out over the hospital grounds, sipping awful coffee from white polystyrene cups. Neither of them said much but just being in each other's company was enough; it always had been.

"So, dare I ask, what are your plans for Christmas Jethro?" She asked, a small smirk twisting at the corners of her mouth.

"Visiting Tony at the hospital," He replied and Jenny frowned at him disapprovingly. "Why, what are you doing?" Jenny shook her head.

"Nothing special," She said vaguely. "Unless you wanted to spend Christmas with me," When he looked at her in astonishment, she continued, her voice increasing in speed. "I mean, my house is nearer to the hospital to yours, and I have plenty of bourbon."

"Jen," Gibbs took her cup from her hand and threw their trash into the nearby bin. He closed the distance between them and pressed his lips to her's. Jenny almost pulled away, she didn't want to take advantage of Jethro in this situation but it was only a kiss. Although as soon as their lips began to dance together, Jen knew that this was the understatement of the year. She had forgotten how absorbing and amazing Gibbs' kisses were and she found herself getting lost in him. Her arms were locked tightly around his neck, keeping his lips pressed to her's. Gibbs held onto her equally tightly, his hands tight around her waist, holding them together as one. He hadn't expected anything good to come out of today, but he was happy, for once, to be proved wrong.

3 days later.

When Jenny and Gibbs arrived at the hospital, Abby was already at Tony's bedside, both of them were wearing Santa hats and the room had been decorated with fairy lights and tinsel. Abby got up and hugged them both.

"Merry Christmas," She beamed before resuming her seat on the edge of Tony's bed.

"How are you feeling?" Jenny asked Tony while Gibbs added their presents to the pile underneath the small Christmas tree in the corner.

"Much better, thanks Jenny." Tony beamed, wrapping an arm around Abby.

"Where are Ziva and Tim?" She asked, noticing that there were another two vacant chairs in the cramped hospital room.

"They're on their way," Abby assured her and then grinned impishly. "I think they wanted some alone time, it being their first Christmas together and all."

"How nice for them," Tony muttered darkly, but the fact that almost all of his pain was gone and he was surrounded by three of the people he considered part of his real family, and that it was Christmas morning, made him realise how lucky he was. Abby chose to ignore this comment and hopped off the bed, crossing the distance to the small Christmas tree in quick steps.

"Shouldn't we wait until Ziva and McGeek arrive?" Tony asked, as Abby settled herself back on the bed next to him, a heap of gifts on her lap. Just as he spoke, there was a soft tap on the door and Ziva and McGee stepped into the room.

"Merry Christmas," They chorused and made their way over to the free seats on the opposite side of Tony's bed.

"How are you feeling?" Ziva asked, leaning forward in her chair to study the patient.

"Better," Tony grinned at her and as he scanned the other faces in the room. He had never felt so surrounded and loved before. He wondered when the transition from co-workers and, in Jenny's case, boss, had occurred and how he barely notice it happen. These people were part of his life now and he wouldn't have chosen to spend Christmas Day with anyone else, although he would much rather be spending it anywhere than this damn hospital room. Still, the news was good and he was healing nicely, perhaps his best Christmas present was the knowing that in a week he would free of these four walls to go home with Abby.

Jenny and Gibbs left the hospital after lunch, Tony was tiring a little now and, despite Jenny proving to be the Director of a powerful agency, the nurse in charge asked some of the party to leave. Ziva and McGee had left first, promising to visit the following day and wishing everyone a Merry Christmas.

"He looks so much better," Jenny said, linking her arm through Gibbs' as they exited the hospital and crossed the parking lot. The man beside her looked so lost in thought that she had resorted to small talk to bring him out of it. "Are you okay, Jethro?" She knew today must be hard for her, imagining what it would be like if Shannon and Kelly were alive and he was spending the holiday with them. Nearly losing another member would probably throw Gibbs off the edge, after all only a few years had passed since the death of Kate Todd.

"Just thinking of how close I came to losing yet another agent, Jen." He said, pausing to dig his keys out of his pocket. Jenny reached up and cupped his face in her hands.

"But you didn't Jethro, not this time. Tony is going to be just fine." She assured him. Jethro looked into her eyes, the proximity lighting a fire in him. They had avoided talking about their kiss a few days previously, but he could see now that they were going to have to discuss it, or at least try it out again. He chose the latter option and leaned in to close the small gap between their faces and rub his lips against her's. She responded to his kiss, moulding her mouth to his and pulling him closer to her. The kiss in the hospital cafeteria the other day had seemed almost like a dream afterwards and Jethro's indifference made her believe he had viewed it as a mistake. But now, here he was, kissing her again and this time she wouldn't let him get off so lightly. As the kiss came to an end and they struggled to breathe, Jethro slipped his hands around her waist and looked down at her. Jenny smiled up at him, running her hands down Jethro's arms until they rested over his wrists.

"Merry Christmas, Jethro," She said, pressing a short, sweet kiss to his lips before she tried to escape from his embrace. He wasn't giving up though.

"Don't fight me, Jen," He said, stroking hair out of her face. "I was wrong to ignore our last kiss; I just needed to figure out if we could do this, if we could make it work this time around." Jenny smiled up at him.

"And what was the conclusion you came to?" She asked. He pulled her up into his arms again.

"I'm prepared to do anything to try and get back what we shared before." He swallowed. "Almost losing Tony; almost losing someone else I love, made me realise that I won't lose you again." Jenny felt tears spring in her eyes as she smiled at him. Such heartfelt words were rare. "I'm glad, because I don't want to let you go either. I love you, Jethro." Jethro kissed her again.

"I love you too," He replied. They stood looking at each other for a while before climbing into Jethro's car and driving away from the hospital; off to spend their first Christmas together in far too many years.