Happy Snaps
It all started with Tony whining, a little alcohol, and a digital camera. My contribution to the holiday bonanza.
It might start off a little strange, but the idea came to me at work while I was stacking chairs.
xoxoxoxoxo
"Come on," Tony whined. "Please?"
"No," Ziva replied quickly, taking another sip of her drink.
The club wasn't that packed, probably because it was a Wednesday night, but the team had just solved a tough case and were taking the time to celebrate and relax.
"But Ducky and Palmer have gone home, so they can't ruin it," Tony began pleading.
"No, Tony."
Gibbs and Jenny were sitting just to the side of the pair, watching n silent amusement, both sipping bourbon with smirks on their faces. Abby and McGee were on the other side, watching the exchange with interest.
"But Ziva, it'll be fun," he was getting desperate.
Ziva sighed. "Why don't you ask Tim and Abby; they seem to be pretty interested in the conversation?"
Tony shook his head. "Oh, no, that is where I draw the line. Abby could handle it, but the Probie? Never!"
"What, are you scared that I'll do better than you?" Tim asked with Abby giggling beside him.
"As if," Tony scoffed.
"Then what are you afraid of?" Ziva put forward the challenge. "We can let Abby pick if you like?"
Tony dropped his head in resignation. "Fine," he sighed, drinking the last of his beer. "I'll do it; but I don't want to see any videos of me on youtube!"
Ziva smiled widely, and Abby began cheering as he walked up to the stage.
"Tony! Tony! Tony!" she was clapping along with the shouting, and soon Ziva and Tim had joined in. Gibbs and Jenny were openly watching their 'kids' now, wondering if they would all join in eventually.
Abby whispered in the bartender's ear, who immediately smiled and chose the song Tony would sing karaoke.
As the opening bars of the song began playing, he groaned, but picked up the microphone anyway.
"When I wake up, well I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who wakes up next to you
When I go out, yeah I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who goes along with you"
Tony started off quietly, getting into the rhythm of the song, but whenever he looked up from the screen with the lyrics on it, he stared right at Ziva.
In the break between the verses, he was so focused on her face that he didn't see McGee join him on stage.
"If I get drunk, well I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who gets drunk next to you
And if I haver, hey I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who's havering to you"
Abby was openly cheering on the men in her life, and was arguing for Gibbs to go up and join them. When he refused, she shrugged her shoulder and ran up instead, squeezing between Tim and Tony.
Everyone who knew the next verse in the bar began chanting the lyrics out with the three as the song went on.
"But I would walk 500 miles
And I would walk 500 more
Just to be the man who walks a thousand miles
To fall down at your door"
Ziva was amazed at what the song meant, and was surprised she had never heard it before tonight. The beat and melody of the song was persistent and enthusiastic, and she wasn't surprised when Jenny grabbed her hand and pulled her up to join the other three, leaving Gibbs on his own at the bar.
Ziva stood on the empty side next to Tony while Jenny took up a position on the other side of McGee, all ready to continue the song, with Abby bopping up and down in time with the music.
"When I'm working, yes I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who's working hard for you
And when the money comes in for the work I do
I'll pass almost every penny on to you"
Abby threw her arms around the shoulders of the men she was in between, motioning for the rest to do the same. She continued to beckon Gibbs up to the stage, knowing he needed to let loose sometimes. Jenny and Ziva were already smiling widely, and everyone's voices were growing more confident as the song went on.
"When I come home (When I come home), oh I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who comes back home to you
And if I grow old, well I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who's growing old with you"
Gibbs finally shook his head and joined them up on stage for the next chorus, chuckling as he moved.
"But I would walk 500 miles
And I would walk 500 more
Just to be the man who walks a thousand miles
To fall down at your door"
Tony pulled his arms off Ziva's and Abby's shoulders and began clapping in time with the beat, motioning for their growing audience to do the same, and as the annoying part of the song began, he motioned for everyone else to echo.
"Da d-da da, da d-da da, da d-da da, da d-da da
a-da-da dun-diddle un-diddle un-diddle a da da
Da d-da da, da d-da da, da d-da da, da d-da da
Da-da-da dun-diddle un-diddle un-diddle a da da"
No one noticed that one of the director's security detail, Melvin, stationed at the door had Abby's camera, and was snapping away without the flash on.
"When I'm lonely, well I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who's lonely without you
And when I'm dreaming, well I know I'm gonna dream
I'm gonna dream about the time when I'm with you"
Tony couldn't help thinking how this song explained his feelings for Ziva almost perfectly, especially of how he would do anything just to be with her.
"When I go out, (When I go out) well I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who goes along with you
And when I come home, (When I come home) yes I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who comes back home with you
I'm gonna be the man who's coming home with you"
Tony threw his arms back around the girls and began bellowing out the rest of the song, bobbing in time with the beat just like Abby. They were all sort of leaning forward, arms over shoulders, smiling and shouting out the chorus lyrics when Melvin snapped the photo he knew would be framed.
"But I would walk 500 miles
And I would walk 500 more
Just to be the man who walks a thousand miles
To fall down at your door"
The audience was cheering along with the family they saw up on the stage, all belting out the lyrics and echoing them as needed. The bartender just shook his head and made sure he had plenty of glasses ready for when the song ended and everyone would want drinks.
"Da d-da da, da d-da da, da d-da da, da d-da da
a-da-da dun-diddle un-diddle un-diddle a da da
Da d-da da, da d-da da, da d-da da, da d-da da
Da-da-da dun-diddle un-diddle un-diddle a da da"
Melvin communicated quietly with the other members of the director's detail who were in the club, making sure the party the team had started had not caused any trouble, all the while continuing to snap more photos for Abby's yearbook.
"Da d-da da, da d-da da, da d-da da, da d-da da
a-da-da dun-diddle un-diddle un-diddle a da da
Da d-da da, da d-da da, da d-da da, da d-da da
Da-da-da dun-diddle un-diddle un-diddle a da da"
As the final chorus began to play, Tony leaned in closer to Ziva, hugging her to his body. She smiled wider, if possible, at the unexpected act of affection he showed.
"And I would walk 500 miles
And I would walk 500 more
Just to be the man who walked a thousand miles
To fall down at your do-o-or"
They dragged out the last word, and the moment it finished, Tony turned to his partner and kissed her full on the lips, just the way he'd been wanting to for months.
Melvin smiled. DiNozzo wouldn't be the only one getting action tonight; the other two couples on stage turned towards each other and kissed as well. He snapped another memorable picture, before turning the digital camera off. Abby would be pleased with the results.
xoxoxoxoxoxo
Six weeks later – two days before Christmas
Jenny sat in her office, reclining in the comfortable leather chair with her feet resting on the edge of the wooden desk. The family would be in momentarily to exchange Christmas presents before taking a few days off separately. Abby exclaimed she had the best presents for everyone, even a few for some.
The door burst open, not that Jethro's loud entrances surprised her anymore, and the men and women she thought of as her family walked in; Abby last, pulling a little red wagon behind her.
"Don't ask," Gibbs warned her, leaning in to kiss her. "She won't tell you."
Jenny smiled and opened her bottom drawer, pulling out five envelopes. "You ready?"
Tony nodded, pulling some items out of his pockets, Tim, Ziva and Gibbs doing the same, while Abby simply bounced in front of her wagon.
"I'll go first," Jenny offered, standing up to pass the envelopes out. She watched Gibbs' face to gauge his reaction, smiling widely when she saw the confusion turn to a smile.
"Really?"
Jenny nodded. "Really really."
Ziva had to hit Tony, forcing him to close his mouth, before handing out her gifts. "It is not much, but it is enough," she said, passing out her five envelopes.
Tony knew what it was, so he handed out his packages at the same time.
McGee blushed as he handed out his envelopes, knowing the teasing wouldn't stop for a while.
"Rock Hollow, Probie?" Tony asked.
Tim shrugged. "I get a book launch party, it's only fair you guys get to come; after all, the characters are somewhat based on you."
Ziva giggled. "So you do finally admit it?"
McGee sighed. Abby continued to bounce. "Is it my turn yet?"
"Yeah, Abs," Gibbs said, his hand not leaving Jenny's.
"Yay!" she exclaimed, turning to the wagon. She handed everyone a beautifully wrapped box.
Confused, Ziva opened hers first. Sitting in it was a leather-bound photo album with a framed photo sitting on top. Inscribed in the leather was the quote 'All I want for Christmas is you'.
Jenny gasped at the framed picture. It was the six of them, the night they sang that stupid karaoke song at the club. They had their arms around each other's shoulders, smiling and belting out the lyrics. It was printed in black and white, but it showed the true happiness on their faces that normally stayed hidden.
Tony groaned when he opened the album. On the outside, they all looked the same, all leather-bound, with the same inscription, the same framed photo on top, but inside Abby had scrapbooked many different photos of him and everyone else from the time they had met.
The photos he treasured most, however, were the ones in the back half of the album, the ones that took up the most room. The ones of him and Ziva.
A tear appeared in Jenny's eye, not that she moved to brush it away or anything. She was amazed at the beauty of the album and the effort Abby had obviously gone to, to create such a lovely gift for them all.
"There's still room to add more," Abby whispered. "But when the baby's born, I'll make another special one just for her."
"How do you know it'll be a girl?" Jenny asked.
Abby shrugged. "Just call it a gut feeling."
They all smiled and surrounded Abby in a massive group hug.
"Thank you so much, Abs," Gibbs whispered. "This means the world to me."
"It's the least I could do," she eventually replied. She turned to the door, dragging the wagon behind her. "Merry Christmas everyone," she said, before disappearing through it.
The remaining five people stared at the closed door, wondering what she had just done.
Gibbs and Jenny were standing together, as were Tony and Ziva. Tim was standing on his own, just staring at the spot Abby had just vacated.
"Well, what are you waiting for, Probie?" Tony said, not moving his arm from around Ziva's waist. "Go get your girl."
He didn't need to be told twice.
xoxoxoxoxo
So, it leaves room for a continuation. I will leave that up to someone else, because I am writing a massive series right now. The second story is almost finished, it's called Forever, and the series is Ad Infinitum. Hopefully it should be up in the next couple of weeks, only two or so more chapters to go!