Sweet Gestures

Chapter 11

Gibbs pulled up in a deserted, unplowed parking area off a side road, Damon's Humvee close behind. All Tony knew was they were on the far side of Rock Creek Park and that it looked very dark and uninviting.

After Tony had suggested an outing for the whole team, a couple of nights ago, Gibbs had taken the bull by the horns and had run with the idea. Tony had trusted Gibbs to follow through and, indeed, it appeared that the whole operation had been planned with military precision.

They all piled out of the two vehicles and looked around at their surroundings. It was dark and isolated, and from the looks on the faces of the team members, they were ready to hop into the Humvee and head back to civilization. Tony pulled his collar up and shoved his hands in his pockets, knowing that if anyone could pull this off, it was Gibbs.

Palmer jumped up and down, his arms clasped around his chest, and McGee pulled his knit cap firmly over his ears and looked grumpy.

"I say, Jethro, it's a bit nippy out here," Ducky said, censure coloring his voice. He frowned at Tony's bare head. "Young man, go and fetch your hat." Tony rolled his eyes and went to grab his knit hat off the front seat of the truck, but didn't put it on.

Gibbs stood in the beams of his truck's headlights and gathered everyone around him. The snow, coming down at a slower rate, dusted their heads and shoulders with fluffy white snowflakes. Gibbs removed one of his gloves, stuck a couple of fingers in his mouth and emitted an ear-piercing whistle. Suddenly the area was flooded with illumination from a dozen stadium lights. Below them a long, snow-covered hill as steep as a ski run, with a large flat field at its base, was revealed. Way off on the other side a man appeared from a small park ranger's hut. He waved and Gibbs waved back.

Tony grinned. "Nice going, Gibbs. What is this place?"

Gibbs said, "There's a playing field at the bottom of the hill under all that snow. Tonight it's our sled run."

"How'd you get him to turn on the lights, Boss?" asked McGee with interest.

"The rangers damned well know it's NCIS who fishes any bodies out when the ponds thaw," Gibbs said with a crooked smile. He ordered in his best drill sergeant voice, "Werth, get everyone geared up."

Damon opened the back of his vehicle and started pulling out a variety of sleds and toboggans, one large enough to carry two people. Abby squealed in delight and smiles appeared on everyone's faces. "Hey, I had a flying saucer like this as a kid," exclaimed McGee, a broad grin lighting up his face as he pulled out a battered circular aluminum sled. "Where'd you get these?"

Damon explained, "Tony borrowed a couple from his neighbor's kid and I bought a couple of the plastic sleds. The others came from some buddies."

"Well," Ziva said, "It was very thoughtful of Gibbs and Tony to come up with this idea. And very nice of you to help out, Damon." He ducked his head and blushed at the compliment.

Abby took hold of Tony's arm and whispered in his ear, "Wedding bells by June. Betcha."

Gibbs called out loudly, "Palmer! Hot drinks!"

Jimmy emerged from the back of Damon's vehicle with a large coffee urn. He placed it on the lowered tailgate of Gibbs' truck. He went back to the Hummer and returned with another urn and Abby helped out by fetching a box containing enough mugs for everybody. Palmer announced, "There's hot cider here. And this urn contains hot coffee for, of course, Special Agent Gibbs." He quickly poured the beverages and handed them out. "Dr. Mallard, hot mulled cider?"

"Thank you, Jimmy. Cider inside 'er inside?"

"Oh yes, " Jimmy said with a laugh. "'There was an enchanting young bride, who ate many green apples and died. The apples fermented, inside the lamented, and made cider inside her inside.' She probably died a horrible death with a gastric ulcer, her stomach lining literally fermenting in an bubbly, oozing..."

Abby pulled a face and cried, "Jimmeee!"

"Oh, was that an inappropriate comment?"

"C'mon, everyone," Tony said. "Let's go have some fun. Put that coffee down, Jethro." He barely gave his boss enough time to put his cup aside before dragging him over to pick out a sled. Tony chose the two-man wooden toboggan. "It even has padded seats," Tony pointed out. "Your leg going to be okay, Boss?"

Jethro balked but he saw the hopeful look in Tony's eye and gave in. "Just put your damned hat on, Tony, or you'll catch a cold," he said gruffly. Tony did as he was told. By the time they had arranged themselves, Gibbs in the front and firmly in control, Tony behind with his long legs wrapped around Gibbs, with his feet braced out of harm's way, Ziva had taken off and so had Abby, racing down the hill at a fast rate on their borrowed sleds. Abby screamed all the way down and almost crashed into a laughing Ziva near the bottom of the run.

Ducky and Palmer followed gamely on individual sleds but McGee tried out the flying saucer. He took off down the hill fast, but halfway down, the circular sled rotated and he ended up sliding the rest of the way backwards until he rolled and tumbled into the powdery snow with a shout. Damon took a running start and jumped face first on a long glider. He rapidly overtook the others and finally came to a halt thirty feet beyond everyone else. He fell off his sled and came up laughing, covered in snow.

Tony, backseat driving, yelled instructions to Gibbs all the way down the hill, to which the ex-Marine turned a deaf ear. Their combined weight took them down the run at breakneck speed, but when Tony leaned too far to one side they ran off-course and plowed into a snowbank. Tony struggled to his feet, laughing. "Wow, wipeout!" He dusted snow off his hat and chest and checked out Gibbs, still sprawled in the snow.

"Ya think, DiNozzo? You have to keep your weight over the center, like ballast," Gibbs groused from where he lay in deep snow. He sat up and glared at Tony.

"Just give me your hand, Gibbs." He held out his hand towards Gibbs and waggled his gloved fingers.

"How about next time you leave the driving to me?" Even though some freezing snow had gone down his neck Gibbs couldn't help grinning, what with Tony standing over him, dusted in snow and looking so damned good. He stuck his right hand out for Tony to grab.

"The way you drive it's amazing we didn't hit any oncoming traffic," Tony joked as he leaned back and hauled Gibbs off his ass.

Gibbs brushed the snow off his rear end and narrowed his eyes at Tony. "You got a problem with my driving, DiNozzo?"

"Man, do you know that when you're all angry and covered in snow, you are hot, Gibbs?" Everyone was trudging back up the hill to take another run, and since nobody was looking their way Tony grabbed Gibbs, wrapped his arms around him and delivered a hot kiss to his mouth. It was only intended to be a short kiss, but somehow it became much more. Cold noses bumped each other, heads slanted, tongues played and steamy breath warmed their cheeks.

Jethro's warm mouth covered Tony's, and then his lover - his partner, his other half, his soul mate - made a small sound of acceptance and melted into him.

They both lost all sense of time but eventually broke their kiss and looked into each other's eyes. There was no mistaking their love for each other, their deep connection. Tony couldn't stop smiling and Gibbs threw his head back with laughter. A clapping sound intruded and they looked up, startled, suddenly aware that they had an audience.

Halfway up the slope, knee-deep in powdery snow, stood the NCIS team, their sleds in hand. Ducky grinned and clapped together his leather-clad hands in applause. Palmer's smile was just about wide enough to split his face. McGee was red-faced, only partially from the cold. Abby wrapped her arms around Tim and managed to jump up and down at the same time, almost knocking them both over. "Go Gibbs! Go Tony," she cheered.

Damon, with one arm slung around Ziva's shoulders, looked a little perplexed. And the Israeli woman, although obviously surprised at witnessing the spectacle of Tony and Gibbs in an all-out passionate clinch, raised one hand, thumb in the air as a sign of approval, and called out, "Sealed with a kiss, no?"

Christmas Eve

"That was a success, Jethro," said Tony as he hung their outdoor clothing to dry in the mudroom.

"Are you still cold?" Gibbs poured himself a cup of coffee.

"I'm warmer now. I wouldn't have been so cold in the first place if Ducky hadn't started that snowball fight. I think I still have some snow down my back."

Gibbs laughed and rubbed Tony's shoulders when the younger man sidled up and leaned against him. "The snow will all be gone by the time we get back next week. Want something to eat?"

"Sure. We need to eat up that lasagna in the fridge. It won't keep til we return. I'll heat it up."

All through their dinner Tony kept smiling and once when he looked up he caught Jethro chuckling. Tony said, "Thanks for setting it up, with the lights and everything." Gibbs shrugged but Tony could tell he was as pleased as he was at the outcome. When they had finished their meal, and Jethro was washing the dishes, Tony said apologetically, "I didn't mean to out us like that by kissing you. I didn't think anyone would see us."

Jethro shrugged Tony's worries off. "Won't change anything. If anybody has figured out we're together in the past year, they haven't said anything. Not to my face, anyway."

"I don't think we have to worry about any of the team having loose lips," Tony reasoned. "And Damon won't talk. He's too loyal to you." Tony knew he'd have to endure a lot of ribbing from Ziva, when they were all back at work in the new year, but he would deal with it as it happened. "Uh, there is one thing I should let you know…"

Jethro steeled himself. The way Tony was squirming it was obvious he was afraid to reveal something. Unsure of he should be patient or annoyed, Jethro settled on a long-suffering sigh. "Spit it out."

"Well, don't get man, but I signed us up for a January audition with the Gay Men's Chorus." Tony backed up a pace at Jethro's horrified expression. Tony then cajoled, "I really loved hearing you sing, Jethro, and I know you enjoyed singing, too." Jethro took a step menacing forward so Tony quickly suggested, "Or I guess I could un-sign us?"

Jethro tidied the kitchen while Tony turned off the tree's lights and locked up. They were already halfway up the stairs when Tony said, "Wait, it's Christmas Eve! I have to put your gift under the tree." He ran the rest of the way upstairs and soon hurried back down, holding a small wrapped package the size of his hand. He placed it right next to a gift-wrapped package that had miraculously appeared under the tree. It was about the same size as his gift for Jethro but, whereas Tony had wrapped his in bright red paper and an oversized bow, Gibbs had used what appeared to be the funnies page out of the newspaper as gift wrap, and he'd tied it up with heavy white string.

Gibbs said, "Had it hidden away in the kitchen."

"Sneaky."

"I figured you're the kind of kid to sneak a peak, Tony." He caught the bashful look on his partner's face and let out a humph. "We'll open them in the morning, okay? We have to leave for the airport by noon."

"Ah, cocktails at sunset, on the beach," Tony said with a faraway gleam in his eyes. "A wonderful way to begin our second year together."

"And many more to come. Happy anniversary, Tony," Jethro said tenderly. He shifted his weight and muttered, "Oh hell, I'm gonna regret this but when's this audition thing you want us to go to?"

Tony fell into Jethro's embrace and whispered, "Happy anniversary to you, too, Leroy Jethro Gibbs. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"Damned right I am." They shared a kiss and went up to their bedroom to make love.

***end chapter 11***