Snowflake by TaylorGibbs

For primrose-lh


Since she'd first come to DC, Jen had been going past Jethro's house on Christmas Eve. It was always dark upstairs, the only lights shining in the basement. But this year it was very different. A single string of white lights decorated the porch, which was uncharacteristically alit. The house was almost blazing with lights, the kitchen and living room glowing brightly.

Jenny knew the reason why everything had changed. Jackson Gibbs had come to spend Christmas with his son. Jenny had heard about him but hadn't met him yet. Abby absolutely raved about the man, Tony couldn't stop chattering about him. Jenny suspected her friend had a crush on the much older man.

She assumed Abby was inside, along with Tony, most definitely Ducky, who had lost his mother earlier this year. Not for the first time, she wished she had the freedom to mingle with her employees but the problems of the last year were in the forefront of her mind.

Maybe she should just go see if Ziva was interested in doing anything…

She gripped the steering wheel lightly, the warmth of the house calling to her. It looked so inviting, especially on such a cold night. Snow flurries were drifting to dust the hood of her car. She was so tempted, but things were so tense with Jethro…

Jen's attention was taken by one large snowflake slowly drifting down. It was alone but was absorbed by its brethren when it touched the warmth of her car. She wished she could be like that snowflake, welcomed, a part of the big picture.

But her tenure as director had not exactly been good for building friendships…

"Hey!" Someone banged on her window and she scrambled for her gun in the glove box but suddenly her passenger door was thrown open, an elderly man sitting in the seat beside her. She didn't need the introduction. Those eyes told her exactly who this was even if his expression was far more open than his son's.

"Jackson Gibbs, I presume?" she asked, a smile quirking the corners of her mouth.

"Beautiful and smart. And a redhead too. Yeah, I see how you and my boy—"

She covered his mouth much as she'd covered Jethro's once he started talking about inappropriate things or memories better left buried. "Enough already. I don't want to know what he's told you."

"Leroy? Talk? You got the wrong customer, girlie." He'd somehow dislodged her hand and was giving her an innocent look. "Boy hasn't told me a thing. Never did much talking." He sighed and leaned back, resting his head against the back of his seat. "But I see things, hear things. You and my boy were quite the item. He break your heart too?"

"Too?" Jen asked stupidly, too shocked to form coherent sentence.

"Yeah. Redheads. Wives. Now exes. Didn't ever get to know any of 'em. Not sure I wanted to. But you, you're different."

Oh, this was intriguing! "Different how, Mr. Gibbs."

"Jack. Call me Jack, and I'll call you Jennifer."

She inclined her head, a smile playing on her lips. She waited not so patiently, watching the older man. At some point they'd entered a standoff and she hoped he'd find her worthy.

"Take charge kinda gal. Not someone who'd let my boy walk all over her. Or live in the past," he said emphatically. "That what got ya into trouble?"

Jen chuckled. "Maybe," she allowed.

"Gave him lip, I betcha. Leroy's mother was the same way. All fire. But when she was mad, oh boy…"

Jenny couldn't stop the smile. "Jack, your son and I were like oil and water. It just didn't work."

He looked her up and down, appraising her without being creepy. "Pity. You were close to his equal, I bet. See something in your eyes."

"You've known me for all of five minutes, Jack. Don't tell me you can read my expressions so soon. Only the best investigators are that good."

"Don't need special agent training to see shadows. Now come on. Get out of your car and go inside with me as my guest. Shouldn't be alone, Jennifer. It's Christmas."

She sighed, looking at the house. It seemed so damn inviting and her resolve was crumbling by the second.

As if Jackson Gibbs sensed it, he gave her a bright hopeful smile that was so different yet so reminiscent of his son's. "Got some great eggnog, spiked it myself." He lowered his voice, but it was still brimming with warmth and invitation. "They're partway to drunk and mellow. Come on inside, Jennifer."

Her hands clenched briefly on the steering wheel but he guided them off and gallantly came around to open her door. There was something about this man that made her feel so welcomed.

"Now, Jennifer, you're gonna go inside and you're gonna greet Leroy as if this is the most natural thing in the world. Then I'm gonna get ya drunk and they're gonna forget you're their boss. Understand me?"

The way he presented everything so simply gave her hope. She knew she was deluding herself but she nodded anyway and allowed him to lead her to the front door.

"Leroy," Jack called out as they stepped inside, "Look what the cat dragged in. She was all alone outside, didn't think you'd mind." With a wicked grin, he straightened her shoulders and stepped back, nodding.

"Jen?" He skidded to a stop, looked up, and then shook his head in Jack's direction. Jen's eyes followed his to where a sprig of mistletoe hung, swaying slightly in the breeze created by their movements.

"Merry Christmas." Jethro leaned in, eyes fluttering closed, and brushed a gentle kiss over her mouth. It was barely more than a whisper of warm lips against cool, of the spicy taste of eggnog being shared, of his tongue darting out to touch hers in a split second, but it meant the world to her.

Maybe there was hope for friendship—or more. Oh yes, the pressure of his lips increased and he let out a small happy sound before he pulled away. When she broke away, his eyes were twinkling just as much as his father's did. She read so many promises in his eyes and her heart soared.

Jenny cupped his cheek and then stroked a hand through his hair. "Merry Christmas, Jethro."