Fic: NCIS - A Long December - 1/8
Fandom: NCIS
Title: A Long December - Prologue
Author: Starbucks Sue
Genre: General
Rating: FRT
Characters: Mainly Jethro Gibbs, Anthony DiNozzo with a few others making short appearances
Summary: On a snowy December morning a body turns up in an alley in DC. Will Gibbs and his new Field Agent Anthony DiNozzo be able to solve the case before Christmas?
Spoilers: Although this is set pre-series there are spoilers for those who have not seen the early episodes as information not known in the early seasons is used in this story. You will find the characters a little different than in the series as this is set two years prior to Yankee White and the relationships would naturally have evolved in that time.
This is a sequel to my previous story 'Raining in Baltimore' found here
Disclaimer: NCIS and the characters portrayed in this story do not belong to me and no copyright infringement is intended.
Leroy Jethro Gibbs poured bourbon into his empty coffee mug as he ran a critical eye over his latest project; it was one of the few occasions since his temporary house guest had moved in that he actually had the house to himself.
Having been with Tony twenty four hours a day for the duration of their joint case Gibbs had an idea what to expect when his subordinate moved in. Tony still had occasional nightmares but they were far less frequent than the almost nightly terrors which had haunted the younger man throughout the case. Gibbs was glad that Tony was with him rather than alone at his old apartment or at a motel, years as a Marine had not only trained him to wake at the slightest noise but had also taught him how and when to pull someone quickly out of his nightmares before they could really take hold. It had worked well with Tony and encouraging the younger man to talk also seemed to be helping, Gibbs wasn’t much of a talker but he was a good listener.
Initially Tony had been rather clingy, deep seated insecurities combined with the trauma of the case had made him reluctant to let his mentor out of his sight for long. However the last three weeks had seen a gradual improvement as they settled in their daily routine, as far as working at NCIS could ever be called routine. Chris Pacci had returned from his bout of flu for the final two weeks of November which had helped. Chris had worked on the Major Case Response Team for a while but was taking the lead of the new Cold Case Team from the third of December, so he played his part in showing Tony around and helping him to get to know his new colleagues. Pacci also persuaded Tony to put his name forward for the NCIS basketball team which played regular matches with other teams based in the DC area.
December had been one of the slowest months Gibbs could ever remember having at NCIS in all the years he had been based at the Navy Yard. Having only Tony on his team had meant that they had been off rotation for much of the month. Although Tony didn’t have to undergo the full training that a new NCIS agent would normally be required to undertake due to his prior knowledge and experience in law enforcement there were still several seminars and lectures that he was required to attend at FLETC, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centre in Maryland, relating specifically to Naval procedures and working for a federal agency. Gibbs had accompanied him most days as many of the seminars only lasted for one or two hours and the senior agent had then supplemented Tony’s knowledge by taking him out to the Washington Field Office’s subordinate offices at Quantico, Annapolis, Patuxent River, Dahlgren and Bethesda and to the Norfolk Field Office and it’s subordinate offices at Oceana, Portsmouth and Little Creek. This had allowed Tony to meet the local agents and see how they worked in relation to the Navy Yard as well as to gain an understanding of military procedures and familiarize him with the local area.
In between lectures and field visits they had worked on few of cases, backed up on occasion by Pacci and his probationary junior field agent Dan Bennett, but for the most part they had worked together as a two man team.
On their first free weekend in December Tony had shyly asked Gibbs if he would help him find an apartment. Tony had poured over adverts in the local papers and over that weekend and their subsequent free weekend they had visited several apartments for rent within Tony’s price range. Tony had finally found one he liked in Arlington Ridge, close enough to DC and Pentagon City for shops, entertainment and nightlife but with an easy route to the Navy Yard, it was also only a ten to fifteen minute drive from Gibbs’ house in Alexandria West.
Built in the mid 1960s the apartment block looked a bit worse for wear, however, the light, airy, fourth floor apartment was currently being refurbished and would be ready for him to move in at the end of January. The apartment was being fitted with a new kitchen along with a new cooker, fridge/freezer, washer/dryer and dishwasher, all other furniture Tony would have to provide himself. By then Tony would have received two full month’s pay from NCIS and he had used the deposit from his Baltimore apartment as a deposit for the new apartment. With a new king sized bed on order and the spacious walk in closet already fitted out he could wait and get any other furniture he wanted at his leisure. He already had the solid oak unit which housed his television, DVD and entertainment centre and had been thrilled when Gibbs had offered to make bookcases to fit in the two living room alcoves in matching oak to house his substantial DVD collection, unbeknown to Tony, Gibbs was also making a coffee table and two end tables to match as a housewarming gift.
As Gibbs picked up his sanding block to continue working on the bookcases he thought back over the past month at how much Tony’s confidence had increased in those few short weeks and how his true self was beginning to show through, remembering with amusement the first night that Tony had gone out on his own with some of his new colleagues.
flashback
Chris Pacci’s last day with the Major Case Response Team at the end of November just happened to be a Friday. Gibbs joined the group at a local pub after work for a couple of drinks but, like Ducky, declined to join the younger people as they left for food and clubbing afterwards.
And it was for this reason that he was currently spending the first evening alone in his basement for about a month. Having allowed Tony to set up his entertainment centre in the den Tony had often settled to watch a movie or ballgame after they’d eaten and cleaned up, but somehow he had always ended up drifting down to the basement after a couple of hours, just sitting on the third from bottom step, often with a book, magazine or crossword, or simply watching Gibbs at work. Sometimes he would talk but most of the time he just sat quietly, content with the silent companionship. Gibbs hadn’t known what to think at first but in a sudden flashback had remembered his daughter Kelly doing the very same thing on nights when her mother was out and she was supposed to be in bed, she’d simply sat there, half asleep, content just to be in the same room as her father during one of his precious spells at home between his various tours of duty.
Working on the boat gave Gibbs valuable thinking time and a lot of his thoughts were about his subordinate. As of Monday the team would consist of just Tony and him. He’d guessed his new field agent would be a quick study but Tony was picking things up far quicker than even Gibbs had imagined, he absorbed knowledge like a sponge and had quickly familiarized himself with both Naval and Marine operations and traditions. On the Friday of his first week, to Tony’s delight, Gibbs had taken him on a tour of the USS Barry, moored close by. Tony’s enthusiasm had been both childlike and infectious as he’d followed Gibbs around, asking questions at every turn. It had been obvious to all within sight that Tony had enjoyed the visit.
As he poured himself another drink Gibbs heard the sound of the front door. He checked his watch, seeing that it was only 22:00. He hadn’t expected Tony back this early but then again, Tony had hardly let Gibbs out of his sight over the past couple of weeks and was still a little insecure and unsure of his place.
Sure enough a few minutes later Tony appeared at the head of the stairs, making his way slowly down and sinking to his usual spot on the third stair.
“Hey, Boss.” He said softly, uncapping the bottle of water he’d brought down with him, eyes flicking to Gibbs’ uncertainly.
“You have a good evening?” Gibbs asked casually. “Where did you eat in the end?”
“The Oriental Garden, they seem to know Chris there pretty well.” He grinned shyly up at Gibbs, relaxing slightly. “They do great Chinese food, the restaurant’s really nice and they do takeout as well. Dan Bennett joined us too; he really does seem like a nice kid.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard good reports about him, one of the reasons why Morrow and Pacci chose him for the team. Although he’s a probie he’s had a little field experience so will be of help when we need backup.” Gibbs stopped and laughed. “The Oriental Garden is a regular for Pacci, the Navy Yard is really outside their delivery area but Pacci managed to persuade them to start delivering just for us.” He cocked his head considering his next question. “You enjoyed your evening with them?”
Tony ducked his head again, not looking at Gibbs, obviously a little embarrassed. Gibbs moved closer and crouched down in front of him.
“What’s wrong Tony?” He asked softly.
“Nothing’s really wrong,” he began, looking up and chewing on his lip. “We had a good time and I did enjoy it, they’re a really nice crowd, much friendlier than at the PD. Lots of teasing and banter but none of the nastiness and bitching that used to go on at Baltimore on occasions like that. But…” he broke off as his teeth attacked his lip again. “I don’t know, Boss, they were going on to a club afterwards and asked me to join them and usually I love clubbing but…” he floundered again, obviously lost, and Gibbs realized that it hadn’t occurred to Tony how close he’d been sticking to Gibbs over the past couple of weeks.
“But you felt anxious to get home?” Gibbs finished for him.
“Yes, but I don’t know why,” Tony replied softly.
Gibbs sighed. “Tony, you’ve had a lot happen in the past few weeks, your life has been turned almost upside down and you’ve barely let me out of your sight these past couple of weeks.” He looked Tony straight in the eye, shrugging it off.
“Everywhere I’ve gone and everything I’ve done has been with you. Hell Gibbs, the longest I’ve been away from you was when I was taken to the hospital in New Jersey and look how I reacted to that,” he dropped his head into his hands with a groan. “I really am pathetic.”
Gibbs chuckled, making Tony look up in surprise.
“No you’re not. You’ve just had so many things ripped away from you that you’re feeling a little insecure at the moment. Don’t worry bud, you’ll soon get over it,” Gibbs reassured him.
“Jethro it’s embarrassing.” The look of chagrin on his face made Gibbs smile again as did the use of his first name, he’d told Tony he could use it when they were at home but Tony still used Boss or Gibbs most of the time.
“It’s just a little separation anxiety, nothing to be ashamed of after everything you’ve been through.” Gibbs grinned. “I had a puppy when I was a kid, got him trained during the summer holidays and everything was okay until I went back to school in the fall, he whined the whole time and left puddles on the kitchen floor, used to drive my Dad mad, he built him a kennel outside the store in the end and took him with him every day.” He laughed out loud at Tony’s face.
“Thanks Gibbs, I haven’t peed on the floor yet,” Tony denied hotly, laughing all the same, the friendly banter achieving what Gibbs had intended it to do.
“Just make sure you don’t. If you do you’ll be cleaning it up,” he teased, standing and returning to the boat.
end flashback
Gibbs laughed to himself as he remembered the conversation, in the last three weeks Tony had come on in leaps and bounds and the confident and assured young agent who had grabbed his gym bag and followed Pacci and Bennett out of the bullpen today laughing and joking along with them had been an almost different person than the man who had tentatively descended into the basement almost three weeks previously.
Gibbs had to admit, despite preferring to live quietly on his own he was enjoying Tony’s company. Tony wasn’t intimidated by Gibbs the way a number of his subordinates had been in the past and wasn’t scared to question or challenge him which Gibbs found particularly refreshing. He had offered Tony a roof over his head without even thinking about it, but he couldn’t imagine offering his guest room to any of his previous team members. Tony had really let down his guard in front of Gibbs and Gibbs was beginning to realize that the younger man was worming his way past the solid defences that he had built up so many years ago.
Although they had worked over Thanksgiving to allow their colleagues to spend the holiday with their families, Gibbs had bought slices of cooked turkey and had cooked potatoes, vegetables and gravy which he’d served along with pumpkin pie which Ducky had cooked. He’d learned enough of Tony’s background to know that Tony didn’t have good memories of the holiday and had found himself wanting to give the young man some happier ones. Tony hadn’t been with him when he went shopping and had been touched and delighted at the effort Gibbs had gone to.
As Gibbs sanded, his mind drifted further. Christmas was only a few days away and he knew that it was another holiday that held no special meaning but a whole host of unhappy memories for his new friend.
Christmas in the DiNozzo household had been all about showing off Tony’s father’s wealth and status to his business associates and those who worked for him. The house had always been decorated by professionals, the food prepared by caterers and impersonal presents purchased and wrapped by one of his father’s assistants. The Christmas Eve banquet had obviously been elegant and carefully planned; however, it had meant nothing to the small boy who, more than any toy, wanted his parents’ love and attention. Tony had often jealously watched the children of his father’s guests’ curl up contentedly with their parents to watch the Christmas movie which DiNozzo Senior had shown on a hired screen in the drawing room, while he had to sit politely whilst the movie played out to the visitors. He’d tried to sit on his mother’s lap once when he was about five but had been rebuffed by his father on the grounds that it was undignified, Tony had never tried again. The evening had always ended with his parents attending Midnight Mass; Tony had wanted to join them but had never been allowed, despite being one of the altar boys at their church.
Gibbs knew all of this and wanted to make a difference. Like the Thanksgiving holiday, both Gibbs and Tony had volunteered to be on call over the holiday period, but Gibbs was secretly making plans. Ordering a whole turkey was completely out of the question, the likelihood of actually being able to cook it without the interruption of a call-out was pretty slim, however, Ducky had a friend whose brother was a butcher and had promised him a small stuffed turkey breast, which he had assured Gibbs would cook quickly. Gibbs himself could easily handle the rest and was plotting to make this Christmas a happier one for his guest.
He'd also seen Tony look on with envy at the Christmas trees and decorations which were springing up over Washington. It had been many years since Gibbs had put up a tree or decorations but this year he was going to unearth the decorations which he knew were hidden somewhere in the back of the basement and would pick up a real tree. He’d already bought some new lights guessing that his old ones probably wouldn’t work any more. As Gibbs sanded he realized that for the first time in a long while he was actually looking forward to the holiday. It was time to put his memories in the past, where they belonged.
Chapter One
Title: A Long December - Prologue
Author: Starbucks Sue
Genre: General
Rating: FRT
Characters: Mainly Jethro Gibbs, Anthony DiNozzo with a few others making short appearances
Summary: On a snowy December morning a body turns up in an alley in DC. Will Gibbs and his new Field Agent Anthony DiNozzo be able to solve the case before Christmas?
Spoilers: Although this is set pre-series there are spoilers for those who have not seen the early episodes as information not known in the early seasons is used in this story. You will find the characters a little different than in the series as this is set two years prior to Yankee White and the relationships would naturally have evolved in that time.
This is a sequel to my previous story 'Raining in Baltimore' found here
Disclaimer: NCIS and the characters portrayed in this story do not belong to me and no copyright infringement is intended.
Leroy Jethro Gibbs poured bourbon into his empty coffee mug as he ran a critical eye over his latest project; it was one of the few occasions since his temporary house guest had moved in that he actually had the house to himself.
Having been with Tony twenty four hours a day for the duration of their joint case Gibbs had an idea what to expect when his subordinate moved in. Tony still had occasional nightmares but they were far less frequent than the almost nightly terrors which had haunted the younger man throughout the case. Gibbs was glad that Tony was with him rather than alone at his old apartment or at a motel, years as a Marine had not only trained him to wake at the slightest noise but had also taught him how and when to pull someone quickly out of his nightmares before they could really take hold. It had worked well with Tony and encouraging the younger man to talk also seemed to be helping, Gibbs wasn’t much of a talker but he was a good listener.
Initially Tony had been rather clingy, deep seated insecurities combined with the trauma of the case had made him reluctant to let his mentor out of his sight for long. However the last three weeks had seen a gradual improvement as they settled in their daily routine, as far as working at NCIS could ever be called routine. Chris Pacci had returned from his bout of flu for the final two weeks of November which had helped. Chris had worked on the Major Case Response Team for a while but was taking the lead of the new Cold Case Team from the third of December, so he played his part in showing Tony around and helping him to get to know his new colleagues. Pacci also persuaded Tony to put his name forward for the NCIS basketball team which played regular matches with other teams based in the DC area.
December had been one of the slowest months Gibbs could ever remember having at NCIS in all the years he had been based at the Navy Yard. Having only Tony on his team had meant that they had been off rotation for much of the month. Although Tony didn’t have to undergo the full training that a new NCIS agent would normally be required to undertake due to his prior knowledge and experience in law enforcement there were still several seminars and lectures that he was required to attend at FLETC, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centre in Maryland, relating specifically to Naval procedures and working for a federal agency. Gibbs had accompanied him most days as many of the seminars only lasted for one or two hours and the senior agent had then supplemented Tony’s knowledge by taking him out to the Washington Field Office’s subordinate offices at Quantico, Annapolis, Patuxent River, Dahlgren and Bethesda and to the Norfolk Field Office and it’s subordinate offices at Oceana, Portsmouth and Little Creek. This had allowed Tony to meet the local agents and see how they worked in relation to the Navy Yard as well as to gain an understanding of military procedures and familiarize him with the local area.
In between lectures and field visits they had worked on few of cases, backed up on occasion by Pacci and his probationary junior field agent Dan Bennett, but for the most part they had worked together as a two man team.
On their first free weekend in December Tony had shyly asked Gibbs if he would help him find an apartment. Tony had poured over adverts in the local papers and over that weekend and their subsequent free weekend they had visited several apartments for rent within Tony’s price range. Tony had finally found one he liked in Arlington Ridge, close enough to DC and Pentagon City for shops, entertainment and nightlife but with an easy route to the Navy Yard, it was also only a ten to fifteen minute drive from Gibbs’ house in Alexandria West.
Built in the mid 1960s the apartment block looked a bit worse for wear, however, the light, airy, fourth floor apartment was currently being refurbished and would be ready for him to move in at the end of January. The apartment was being fitted with a new kitchen along with a new cooker, fridge/freezer, washer/dryer and dishwasher, all other furniture Tony would have to provide himself. By then Tony would have received two full month’s pay from NCIS and he had used the deposit from his Baltimore apartment as a deposit for the new apartment. With a new king sized bed on order and the spacious walk in closet already fitted out he could wait and get any other furniture he wanted at his leisure. He already had the solid oak unit which housed his television, DVD and entertainment centre and had been thrilled when Gibbs had offered to make bookcases to fit in the two living room alcoves in matching oak to house his substantial DVD collection, unbeknown to Tony, Gibbs was also making a coffee table and two end tables to match as a housewarming gift.
As Gibbs picked up his sanding block to continue working on the bookcases he thought back over the past month at how much Tony’s confidence had increased in those few short weeks and how his true self was beginning to show through, remembering with amusement the first night that Tony had gone out on his own with some of his new colleagues.
flashback
Chris Pacci’s last day with the Major Case Response Team at the end of November just happened to be a Friday. Gibbs joined the group at a local pub after work for a couple of drinks but, like Ducky, declined to join the younger people as they left for food and clubbing afterwards.
And it was for this reason that he was currently spending the first evening alone in his basement for about a month. Having allowed Tony to set up his entertainment centre in the den Tony had often settled to watch a movie or ballgame after they’d eaten and cleaned up, but somehow he had always ended up drifting down to the basement after a couple of hours, just sitting on the third from bottom step, often with a book, magazine or crossword, or simply watching Gibbs at work. Sometimes he would talk but most of the time he just sat quietly, content with the silent companionship. Gibbs hadn’t known what to think at first but in a sudden flashback had remembered his daughter Kelly doing the very same thing on nights when her mother was out and she was supposed to be in bed, she’d simply sat there, half asleep, content just to be in the same room as her father during one of his precious spells at home between his various tours of duty.
Working on the boat gave Gibbs valuable thinking time and a lot of his thoughts were about his subordinate. As of Monday the team would consist of just Tony and him. He’d guessed his new field agent would be a quick study but Tony was picking things up far quicker than even Gibbs had imagined, he absorbed knowledge like a sponge and had quickly familiarized himself with both Naval and Marine operations and traditions. On the Friday of his first week, to Tony’s delight, Gibbs had taken him on a tour of the USS Barry, moored close by. Tony’s enthusiasm had been both childlike and infectious as he’d followed Gibbs around, asking questions at every turn. It had been obvious to all within sight that Tony had enjoyed the visit.
As he poured himself another drink Gibbs heard the sound of the front door. He checked his watch, seeing that it was only 22:00. He hadn’t expected Tony back this early but then again, Tony had hardly let Gibbs out of his sight over the past couple of weeks and was still a little insecure and unsure of his place.
Sure enough a few minutes later Tony appeared at the head of the stairs, making his way slowly down and sinking to his usual spot on the third stair.
“Hey, Boss.” He said softly, uncapping the bottle of water he’d brought down with him, eyes flicking to Gibbs’ uncertainly.
“You have a good evening?” Gibbs asked casually. “Where did you eat in the end?”
“The Oriental Garden, they seem to know Chris there pretty well.” He grinned shyly up at Gibbs, relaxing slightly. “They do great Chinese food, the restaurant’s really nice and they do takeout as well. Dan Bennett joined us too; he really does seem like a nice kid.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard good reports about him, one of the reasons why Morrow and Pacci chose him for the team. Although he’s a probie he’s had a little field experience so will be of help when we need backup.” Gibbs stopped and laughed. “The Oriental Garden is a regular for Pacci, the Navy Yard is really outside their delivery area but Pacci managed to persuade them to start delivering just for us.” He cocked his head considering his next question. “You enjoyed your evening with them?”
Tony ducked his head again, not looking at Gibbs, obviously a little embarrassed. Gibbs moved closer and crouched down in front of him.
“What’s wrong Tony?” He asked softly.
“Nothing’s really wrong,” he began, looking up and chewing on his lip. “We had a good time and I did enjoy it, they’re a really nice crowd, much friendlier than at the PD. Lots of teasing and banter but none of the nastiness and bitching that used to go on at Baltimore on occasions like that. But…” he broke off as his teeth attacked his lip again. “I don’t know, Boss, they were going on to a club afterwards and asked me to join them and usually I love clubbing but…” he floundered again, obviously lost, and Gibbs realized that it hadn’t occurred to Tony how close he’d been sticking to Gibbs over the past couple of weeks.
“But you felt anxious to get home?” Gibbs finished for him.
“Yes, but I don’t know why,” Tony replied softly.
Gibbs sighed. “Tony, you’ve had a lot happen in the past few weeks, your life has been turned almost upside down and you’ve barely let me out of your sight these past couple of weeks.” He looked Tony straight in the eye, shrugging it off.
“Everywhere I’ve gone and everything I’ve done has been with you. Hell Gibbs, the longest I’ve been away from you was when I was taken to the hospital in New Jersey and look how I reacted to that,” he dropped his head into his hands with a groan. “I really am pathetic.”
Gibbs chuckled, making Tony look up in surprise.
“No you’re not. You’ve just had so many things ripped away from you that you’re feeling a little insecure at the moment. Don’t worry bud, you’ll soon get over it,” Gibbs reassured him.
“Jethro it’s embarrassing.” The look of chagrin on his face made Gibbs smile again as did the use of his first name, he’d told Tony he could use it when they were at home but Tony still used Boss or Gibbs most of the time.
“It’s just a little separation anxiety, nothing to be ashamed of after everything you’ve been through.” Gibbs grinned. “I had a puppy when I was a kid, got him trained during the summer holidays and everything was okay until I went back to school in the fall, he whined the whole time and left puddles on the kitchen floor, used to drive my Dad mad, he built him a kennel outside the store in the end and took him with him every day.” He laughed out loud at Tony’s face.
“Thanks Gibbs, I haven’t peed on the floor yet,” Tony denied hotly, laughing all the same, the friendly banter achieving what Gibbs had intended it to do.
“Just make sure you don’t. If you do you’ll be cleaning it up,” he teased, standing and returning to the boat.
end flashback
Gibbs laughed to himself as he remembered the conversation, in the last three weeks Tony had come on in leaps and bounds and the confident and assured young agent who had grabbed his gym bag and followed Pacci and Bennett out of the bullpen today laughing and joking along with them had been an almost different person than the man who had tentatively descended into the basement almost three weeks previously.
Gibbs had to admit, despite preferring to live quietly on his own he was enjoying Tony’s company. Tony wasn’t intimidated by Gibbs the way a number of his subordinates had been in the past and wasn’t scared to question or challenge him which Gibbs found particularly refreshing. He had offered Tony a roof over his head without even thinking about it, but he couldn’t imagine offering his guest room to any of his previous team members. Tony had really let down his guard in front of Gibbs and Gibbs was beginning to realize that the younger man was worming his way past the solid defences that he had built up so many years ago.
Although they had worked over Thanksgiving to allow their colleagues to spend the holiday with their families, Gibbs had bought slices of cooked turkey and had cooked potatoes, vegetables and gravy which he’d served along with pumpkin pie which Ducky had cooked. He’d learned enough of Tony’s background to know that Tony didn’t have good memories of the holiday and had found himself wanting to give the young man some happier ones. Tony hadn’t been with him when he went shopping and had been touched and delighted at the effort Gibbs had gone to.
As Gibbs sanded, his mind drifted further. Christmas was only a few days away and he knew that it was another holiday that held no special meaning but a whole host of unhappy memories for his new friend.
Christmas in the DiNozzo household had been all about showing off Tony’s father’s wealth and status to his business associates and those who worked for him. The house had always been decorated by professionals, the food prepared by caterers and impersonal presents purchased and wrapped by one of his father’s assistants. The Christmas Eve banquet had obviously been elegant and carefully planned; however, it had meant nothing to the small boy who, more than any toy, wanted his parents’ love and attention. Tony had often jealously watched the children of his father’s guests’ curl up contentedly with their parents to watch the Christmas movie which DiNozzo Senior had shown on a hired screen in the drawing room, while he had to sit politely whilst the movie played out to the visitors. He’d tried to sit on his mother’s lap once when he was about five but had been rebuffed by his father on the grounds that it was undignified, Tony had never tried again. The evening had always ended with his parents attending Midnight Mass; Tony had wanted to join them but had never been allowed, despite being one of the altar boys at their church.
Gibbs knew all of this and wanted to make a difference. Like the Thanksgiving holiday, both Gibbs and Tony had volunteered to be on call over the holiday period, but Gibbs was secretly making plans. Ordering a whole turkey was completely out of the question, the likelihood of actually being able to cook it without the interruption of a call-out was pretty slim, however, Ducky had a friend whose brother was a butcher and had promised him a small stuffed turkey breast, which he had assured Gibbs would cook quickly. Gibbs himself could easily handle the rest and was plotting to make this Christmas a happier one for his guest.
He'd also seen Tony look on with envy at the Christmas trees and decorations which were springing up over Washington. It had been many years since Gibbs had put up a tree or decorations but this year he was going to unearth the decorations which he knew were hidden somewhere in the back of the basement and would pick up a real tree. He’d already bought some new lights guessing that his old ones probably wouldn’t work any more. As Gibbs sanded he realized that for the first time in a long while he was actually looking forward to the holiday. It was time to put his memories in the past, where they belonged.
Chapter One