Jethro stopped breathing as he heard his front door open. For the last three hours, he'd been sitting in the hull of his boat with a bottle of bourbon. Four hours ago, he was in the middle of chaos. The women had planned a full day of shopping on Black Friday. At 0400, the alarm jerked him awake as did Jenny hitting him with a pillow ten minutes after she'd left the warmth of bed. She dragged him along on the shopping trip and ordered him to drive. He wasn't thrilled to be in the car with her, Helen, Katie, and Lizzie. As soon as he saw the opportunity to disappear, he took it and left his wife in the men's section. According to her, he needed new clothes, but he was perfectly content with his wardrobe. Jethro sought refuge in the basement and slowly took a swig from the mason jar, listening as the footsteps came down the stairs. He thought for sure he was a dead man when the visitor began climbing into the boat. There were only a handful of people that would know where to find him. Unfortunately, most of that handful was redheads. His eyebrows rose in surprise.
"DiNozzo," he greeted sharply. "What the hell are you doing?"
"Oh, hey boss...didn't think I'd find you here," Tony answered, making himself comfortable in the hull of the boat.
"It's my basement and my boat."
Tony noticed the bourbon on the floor. "Got another glass?"
Gibbs smirked and dumped nails out of a tin jar, shoving it at his company. DiNozzo made a repulsed face, wrinkling his forehead and crinkling his nose. "Boss, nails were in there."
"Uh huh."
"Mind if I drink out of the bottle?"
"Yes," Gibbs answered gruffly, snatching the bottle back to refill his glass of choice. "DiNozzo, if you get me caught..."
The younger man held up his hand. "I know, but it's genius. Liz won't figure out where I am."
"DiNozzo, don't you know anything?"
"Yeah."
"You don't. If Lizzie can't find you, she'll tell Jen. Jen'll call me. When I don't answer, Jen'll come over here."
"Oh...didn't think about that." DiNozzo strangled a wince as he was smacked upside the back of his head. He snatched the bottle of bourbon from Gibbs and poured a small amount into the makeshift glass. He swallowed, feeling like he'd consumed rust and whatever else. He was doubtful the rust caused his throat to burn, and he was certain the proof of the alcohol was the reason why his throat was on fire when he examined the bottle.
"Boss?"
"What?" Gibbs responded, mildly aggravated. He had enjoyed the three hours of peace and quiet. Now, he had an uninvited drinking buddy, and the possibility of getting found was more probable.
"How bad is a redhead's temper?"
Jethro chuckled in amusement at the question. "Why do you think I kept this house?"
"The boat?"
"No, DiNozzo. If Jen gets pissed, I come over here."
"That bad?"
"You'll learn." He smirked and watched DiNozzo move to climb out of safety. "DiNozzo!"
"I'm going to get a glass."
Gibbs shook his head, rolling his eyes. Seconds later, DiNozzo was asking about food. He was instructed to look in the pantry and to enter at his own risk. Ten minutes later, DiNozzo returned with his arms full. He was carrying several bags of chips, a can of dip, real drinking glasses, and a package of Oreos. "Not bad, DiNozzo."
A half hour later, Jethro felt his phone vibrating and ignored it. He muttered when his wife left him a voicemail. The message count was now up to eight. He looked up when he heard DiNozzo's phone vibrating. DiNozzo answered his phone after a nod from Gibbs.
"Hey. How's shopping?"
"The sales are amazing. I bought you a few things."
"Oh, you did?"
"A few ties, shirts, and jeans."
"I can't wait to see them." Tony knew Lizzie had an impeccable sense of fashion, but a female purchasing clothes for him was a new experience. He did the purchasing, and the items were never anything that could be worn outside of the bedroom.
Lizzie smiled to herself then groaned a second later as her mother's elbow made contact with her ribs.
"What was that?"
"Nothing."
Before she could ask a question, the phone was snatched from her ear. "DiNozzo," Jenny spoke in her Director tone. "Where is Jethro?"
Gibbs shook his head fervently and glared at his uninvited companion. Tony cleared his throat. He knew the consequences of coming between the two professionally but personally was more precarious. With a fleeting glance to Gibbs, he recognized that boss was a larger, closer threat than the one at the other end of the phone. "Ma'am, I don't know. Boss doesn't call me to hang out with him. If he did, I'd think the world was ending…it wouldn't be like Orson Welles' 1938 War of the Worlds broadcast. If Gibbs called and wanted to have a drink with him, the world would be ending," he continued to ramble.
"Thank you, DiNozzo!" Jenny returned Lizzie's phone. Her temper had risen with each unanswered call. There was no doubt in her mind as to her husband's whereabouts. She would be waiting for him at home, or she would ambush him and show him where he could put that bottle of bourbon.
The soft clearing of his girlfriend's throat broke DiNozzo from his rambling, and he gave Gibbs a thumbs up. Lizzie listened to her mother's muttered detailed threats of punishment and torture as she confirmed her evening plans. The shopping bags were loaded into the trunk, and the power shoppers settled into the sedan. After getting off the phone, Lizzie attempted to calm her mother down. Helen wasn't helping matters. Katie was thoroughly entertained. She hadn't seen her mother so furious in years.
Katie leaned over to her sister's ear. "She hasn't been this mad since daddy bought her that wood planer instead of tickets to the ballet for her birthday."
Lizzie cringed as she nodded her head. The fight had been epic and one of the worst the twins could remember. Jenny had thrown the hand wood planer at Jethro after the yelling match. He'd ended up with stitches, painkillers, and numerous apologies that were unaccepted. In hindsight, he should have known better. He'd deserved the planer to the back of the head.
The girls continued talking quietly in the back of the car while the occupants of the front were silent. The women had spent nearly the entirety of the day together. On Sunday, there were plans for a family breakfast before taking Helen to the airport. Hopefully, Jethro would be in attendance, and the girls were contemplating what would happen if he wasn't. After a curious look from their grandmother, Katie and Lizzie decided to end speaking conversation and continue through texting. Once inside the Georgetown home, the women went their separate ways. Jenny went to the study to catch up the paperwork she'd neglected as a result of the holiday, and Helen said goodbye to her grandchildren and left for the upstairs. She had dinner plans with one of Jasper's friends. The girls left for their apartment. With the new wardrobe additions, both of them would need to rearrange their closets.
Jenny thought of numerous ways to exact her revenge on her husband. Ultimately, she made the decision not say one word to him when he entered the door. In marriage and life, it was better to pick and choose battles. Jethro would be expecting a fight, but he wouldn't receive a hostile word or glance from her. This Thanksgiving had not been too badly marred with quarrels between them, and she wouldn't be the starter. She would carry on with her paperwork and nurse a tumbler of bourbon. Her mother would be leaving on Sunday, and the household would be less tense. Thankfully, the Christmas holidays would be more relaxed. Helen would stay in California and ship her gifts to everyone. Jackson Gibbs would be in D.C. for Christmas. Jenny's lips pursed into a grin as she thought about Tony's reaction when he learned Jethro's father would be in town in less than a month. He would be in for surprise if he expected Gibbs to a carbon copy of his father. She signed off on a case report and thought about next year. For New Year's Eve, she and Jethro would have their getaway at the cabin before launching into another year at NCIS. A new year always brought changes. She was optimistic yet weary of the coming year. In her family, changes were welcomed and not welcomed. Jenny had a sinking feeling that the changes would affect everyone's life.