Tony awoke to the unmistakable smell of bacon and eggs and...was that pancakes? As he cracked open his eyes and allowed the dim sunlight coming from the window to hit his view, he realized that it was morning. He smiled.
Pushing up out of bed, he shucked on a robe over the teeshirt and sweatpants he'd thrown on the previous night, and headed up the hall from the guest room toward Gibbs', to see if it was him who had gotten up to cook. But the lead agent was just sitting up, swallowing down another painkiller.
"Morning, boss," Tony greeted with a smile. "I guess Jack is downstairs cooking. The smell woke me up. Merry Christmas!"
"Bah, humbug," Gibbs groaned lightheartedly.
"Feelin' bad again this morning?" Tony grimaced and headed further into the room.
"Like I got hit by a truck," he replied, sounding almost whiny, which was a rarity for the man.
"Can I get you anything? I can bring up some breakfast..."
"Coffee," he replied shortly, and rolled back over in his bed, pulling the covers up over his shoulders.
"Sure thing." Tony hurried out of the room.
Gibbs grinned and pulled the covers off again, pushing up off of the bed to throw on his robe. He didn't feel nearly as bad as he'd let the agent believe. But he wanted him to head downstairs for the surprise he knew was waiting for him, without becoming suspicious.
Gibbs made his way out of the room and up the hall to the stairs and began to descend them just in time to hear Tony's reaction...
*~.~*
Tony headed straight to the kitchen without even glancing at anything else. What surprised him, however, was the fact that there were more people in the kitchen than he'd assumed...
"Abs? McGee? What are you doing here?" he asked, a bit shocked. "I thought you'd had plans..."
"We did," Abby told him.
"To spend Christmas with family," Tim added as he stood from the table. Tony was surprised to be the recipient of a hug from McGee. Surprised, but also overwhelmed with a feeling of...something he couldn't exactly put his finger on. But it was something akin to belonging... "Merry Christmas, Tony," Tim told him before pulling away.
Abby was the next to give him a hug. This one was a bit more painful, but no less warming. "Merry Christmas," she told him softly.
"Yeah, Merry Christmas, kiddo!" Jackson called from the stove.
"Guys..." Tony shook his head in amazement, and wanted to tell them all how much he appreciated them. But Ducky entered the room, no doubt having come from the restroom.
"Ah, Anthony!" he smiled. "Happy Christmas morning, my boy!" he came up next to him and gripped his shoulder before patting it.
"Ducky! You never told me you were comin' back!" Tony exclaimed.
"Was kinda the point," he turned at the sound of Gibbs' voice behind him; he was leaning in the kitchen doorway with a satisfied smirk on his face. "What's Christmas without a few surprises, eh?"
"You did all this, boss?" he asked incredulously.
"Knew Abs and Ducky were comin'," he admitted. "McGee, though...thought you were headed to Sarah's after helpin' out here?" he said to Tim.
"I'm gonna go for New Year's," he told him with a small smile. "I just...really wanted to be here, this time."
Gibbs grinned at him and gave him a small nod of approval.
"Ah, Jethro," Ducky spoke up, "I have something here in the guest room I need you to take a look at; preferably before breakfast..."
"Sure, Duck," he said, narrowing his eyes in a bit of curiosity. Then he turned to Tony, "Go ahead and dig in. I'll be back in a minute."
Tony grinned brightly and went to sit at the table with his friends and Jack set a plate in front of him.
As Gibbs and Ducky headed out of the kitchen, there was a knock on the door. Gibbs glanced at Ducky. "Lemme get that, and I'll meet you in there." Ducky nodded in acknowledgment, and Gibbs headed to the door. He opened it, and was almost floored by who was on the other side...
Tbc...