Secret Santa Surprise

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Summary: On the day of Christmas Eve, after a day's work, Team Gibbs is preparing to celebrate Christmas with a Secret Santa gift exchange. Gibbs is, however, crankier than usual and Ziva's finally had enough and gives him a piece of her mind. Will there be more surprises than the Secret Santa gifts exchanged? Team fic with a healthy dose of Zibbs.

This is my contribution to our 2nd Annual Very Merry Zibbs Holiday story exchange organized by the wonderful Zivacentric. She is really awesome, guys. :) I wrote this fic for Woody2792 who requested some storm be it real or metaphorical.

Enjoy!

Ziva stepped out of her car with a stern expression but a smile came to her lips unbidden when she caught sight of Jimmy Palmer trudging through the almost knee-high snow that gathered at the curb of the sidewalk.

In the falling snow, she pulled her coat tighter around her as she waited for the man to get closer.

"Good morning, Jimmy," she greeted the man, her voice warmed by friendly affection towards him.

"Ziva," Jimmy looked up surprised and adjusted his hat to be able to see his friend. "Hi!" He grinned as Ziva fell into step beside him. "Don't tell me you're working the holidays… again."

"Someone has to," she shrugged. "I thought you are travelling home."

"I am. I'm pretty excited actually. I haven't seen my family in a long time."

"Then what are you doing here?"

"My train doesn't leave until early in the afternoon so I thought I'd spend my time useful like catching up on paperwork… that and I forget my little sister's present in my locker," he added sheepishly.

"It is the morgue for you then," Ziva said as they approached the elevator.

"Actually, I'd be glad to escort you to your desk," the young man offered, letting Ziva enter the elevator first. "That is if you don't mind," he added sheepishly lingering just outside the doors.

"That is very nice of you," Ziva smiled at him and chuckled when Palmer could just barely slip into the car through the closing doors. It was nice to have someone being so considerate around her.

"Oh," Jimmy said as they arrived in the bullpen and saw that both Tony and McGee were sitting by their desks buried in paperwork. "That is so sad," he remarked as Ziva shed her coat and settled down by her desk.

"Hey, Christmas Elf," Tony looked up at the new-comers, addressing the ME assistant. "Why's the long face? Someone stole your favorite Christmas sweater?"

"You're all working during the holidays?" he asked ignoring Tony's comment.

"Nah," Tony said, drawing out the word theatrically. "I'm just sitting here doing nothing. So much more interesting than doing it at home. Especially when you have McWhiny here to annoy." And just to stress his point, he threw a paper ball at McGee, who looked at him with narrowed eyes. "See?"

"I'm trying to work here, Tony," the other man complained and he did it in a tone that clearly indicated that it wasn't for the first time.

"Should do the same, DiNozzo," Gibbs walked past his desk, all business as usual, not even sparing a glance to the newcomers. Ziva sighed sadly as she turned on her computer and her smile wasn't so ready, either, when Jimmy said his goodbye, wishing a merry Christmas to everyone, and left.

During the day, she couldn't really concentrate on her work and around noon she noticed that the same report was sitting in front of her that she had opened when she arrived. Shaking her head, she noticed that McGee was still busy while Tony's ears were plugged in with earphones and his head was moving without a doubt to the rhythm of some Christmas song.

It seemed that Gibbs had also gone on another coffee run so Ziva took the opportunity to lean back in her chair and close her eyes for a moment.

Her mind was so troubled like the sea in a raging storm and all of this because of her insufferable boss.

Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

From the very first moment they met, there was a bond between them they had labeled with many a different name: understanding, loyalty, trust… friendship. None of these names, however, could do justice to the real relationship that had developed between the two of them during the years.

There was always something sizzling between the two of them. There was always something more than they'd been willing to admit to. But as their relationship became more defined, as they both gained more understanding of it, it also became more complicated.

That's real life for you.

If there is more at stake, it's sure as hell that people become more cautious.

That was how Ziva felt Gibbs was acting. She was waiting for him to take the lead but he seemed more reluctant to do so than ever. In the last couple of months it seemed that they'd come to a mutual, albeit unspoken, understanding that they had feelings for each other. There were lingering touches and stolen glances and Ziva was sure that Gibbs would come around eventually.

That was until Gibbs completely shut off…

She was pulled out of her thoughts by the footsteps of the very same man who was the reason of her troubled state of mind and when she opened her eyes, the man's form flashed before her eyes.

"Slept well, David?" he asked, already with his back to her, as he took his seat.

Ziva didn't even bother to come up with an excuse; his quipping remarks had been just as frequent towards her as they were towards Tony. Instead she stood up and with an "I need a tea," she started towards the break room. But not before carefully retrieving two neatly wrapped packages from her bag. She gave a hard look to Tony as she caught him trying to spy on the packages then placed them under the Christmas tree that stood near to their working area. The numerous presents for the children had been delivered earlier that day so now only her two gifts sat there in the company of a haphazardly wrapped package and an expertly covered one. She let a small smile grace her lips as she looked at them but it quickly turned into a frown when she moved to look out of the large window.

It seemed that the morning snowfall hadn't let off, quite the opposite in fact, it developed into a full-fletched snow storm. She wondered whether Jimmy had managed to make it to the train station before the storm, then she made her way to the break room.

When she returned ten minutes later with a steaming mug of Earl Grey, she noticed a new package under the tree and a sullen looking Palmer sitting by her desk.

"Jimmy," she called to the man. "Why are you still here?" she inquired even though she knew the answer. The snow storm.

"My train got cancelled," Palmer informed her clearly at the verge of crying. Poor man, he was so looking forward to going home.

"Actually," McGee said without looking up from his computer screen. "Everything got cancelled. No trains, no buses and definitely no planes. Sorry, Palmer," he finally looked up.

"I'm stuck here," Palmer slumped back in Ziva's chair.

"At least you are stuck here and not on a train alone and in the cold," Ziva tried to console him but the inconsolable look on the young man's face remained.

"Cheer up, Jimbo," Tony added with a huge grin. "Ziva's right. You've got to spend Christmas Eve with us."

"Lucky me," Palmer muttered unenthusiastically. "I didn't exactly plan on doing paperwork tonight."

"Who said anything about paperwork?" Tony asked.

"Me," Gibbs finally joined in the conversation. "Get back to work. All of you."

"Well," Tony started. "Technically I'm not on the clock today so…"

"So go home," Gibbs retorted unimpressed. "Let the others work."

Tony exchanged a look with Ziva while Palmer stood up. "Well, I'll be down in the morgue if you need me," he said then started to leave.

"No," Ziva stopped him. "You can stay here."

"I really don't think that I'm wanted here," he protested, indicated behind his back towards the grumpy team leader. Ziva wanted to protest but McGee cut in.

"I think Abby finished all her reports," he offered and Palmer nodded in understanding, disappearing towards the elevator.

The little group returned to work in a solemn mood and not slightly distracted in the case of the three youngest members.

"All right, everybody," Abby trotted into the bullpen with an excited grin not long after four o'clock. Palmer was obediently following her. "Office hours are over," she declared jovially while she grabbed the remote from Gibbs' desk, ignoring his raised eyebrow, and with a single click she pulled the picture of a fireplace on the screen and suddenly the crackling of fire and gentle Christmas music filled the silence of the team's working area.

"Thank God," Tony exclaimed gladly giving up on pretending to work and pushed himself away from his desk.

McGee was more relaxed in finishing up his work and he took his time to retrieve two bottles of red wine from his bag and to pull up his chair in the middle of the working area. Tony was already there when he sat down, reaching for a piece of cookie Ziva had just placed on their makeshift table that was a filing cabinet.

"I am glad you like them," she remarked with a smile as Tony was merrily chewing on a rum ball.

"Here, try this," Abbie pushed a plate of shortbread in front of him. Tony gladly reached for one with rum ball still in his mouth. McGee rolled his eyes as he opened a bottle. "Come on, Jimmy," Abby turned to the young ME assistant as she unwrapped another plate of sweet goodies. "Pull up a chair."

"But I didn't bring anything," he stammered, stunned at seeing the practiced movements of his friends.

"Don't worry about it, Jimmy," McGee told him, accepting a piece of festively decorated ginger bread from Ziva. "Tony never brings anything. Here," he offered the other man a paper cup with wine.

"Thank you," Jimmy accepted it with a grateful smile and settled down among the others with a less lost look.

"That is not true," Tony protested through a mouthful of shortbread. "I bring the Christmas cheer."

"I drink to that," Abby cheered, raising her glass that was quickly mirrored by everyone as they clunk glasses, well, paper cups. It wasn't until he downed his first glass that Palmer remembered something. Ziva watched the man run to his travelling bag and, madly rummaging through it, produce a plastic container. He returned to the group with a pleased look.

"I almost forgot about it," he stated, opening up the container. "I made these," he declared proudly just as Tony snatched the container from his hands.

"Oh my God," he exclaimed excitedly. "Peppernuts! I love peppernuts," he shared stuffing two little pieces into his mouth and pouted when Abby grabbed the container.

"This is delicious, Jimmy," she said as she passed the container to McGee who in turn passed it to Ziva.

"I did not know that you can bake, Jimmy," Ziva said smiling.

"Well, my mom loves to bake and I loved spending time with her so…" he shared then grabbed the container, pushed his chair with his legs and rolled to Gibbs' desk where the man was sitting in silence, not joining the festivities. "Here, Agent Gibbs, have one."

As an answer the young ME assistant only got a Gibbs stare that made him squirm. The four team members exchanged a look then Tony jumped up and snatched away the container. "I'll have another one," he said, returning to his seat. "Actually, I'll have all of it. Sorry, girls. Those cookies are really, really delicious but these… these are exquisite."

They spent some time like this, with friendly banter that was accompanied by some good wine and delicious cookies and they even sang a couple of Christmas songs. In a particularly nostalgic moment that was brought on by Palmer, who couldn't help but feel sad about not being home, they shared their favorite Christmas carols from their childhood and they even managed to persuade Ziva to sing a couple of Jewish religious songs.

They had such a good time that even their team leader's comments couldn't dampen their mood. Except for Ziva's who, though she enjoyed herself immensely in the company of her dear friends, became more and more withdrawn. It not only frustrated her that Gibbs was so unwilling even to try to have a good time, it hurt her to see him so isolated from the people who really cared about him. She suspected that the others felt this way, too, and that was the reason they were keeping their annual Christmas get-together at NCIS where Gibbs was always found this time of year.

Tony must have sensed the change in her mood because, just after their eyes met for a moment, he exclaimed, "I call Secret Santa!" And it made the trick as everybody's expression lit up with excitement and even Ziva's smile came easier.

"Secret Santa?" It was only Palmer, who looked baffled. "But nobody said anything about Secret Santa. I really didn't prepare…"

"It is all right, Jimmy," Ziva put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "There is always a plus one."

"Gibbs never buys a gift but we always leave one on his desk nonetheless," Abby explained, stealing a sad look at her old friend. "Guess this year it'll actually get appreciated."

"That's okay. You already have your Secret Santas, I really don't want to…"

"That's humbug, Tiny Jimmy," Tony quipped. "We don't have any Secret Santas… yet. What we have is a pile of Christmas presents," he shared, indicating towards the Christmas tree under which Ziva had previously put her two packages. "We just have to throw Scrooge's into the mix and we are all good."

"We don't pull the names until tonight," McGee started to explain, seeing Jimmy's confused look.

"Well, technically, we don't pull names at all," Abby helped but only managed to confuse the young man even more.

"I don't understand."

"We put numbers on the presents," Abby continued. "Then we pull these numbers and everyone gets the present that matches their numbers."

"This way we don't know from whom we got the present," McGee added. "It's like it really came from Santa."

"Well, not really," Tony grinned. "You can always tell from the wrapping."

"It doesn't matter," Abby protested.

"You see," Tony continued unfazed. "The one with the perfect wrapping is from Ziva," he said pushing Palmer towards the tree and indicating Ziva's neatly wrapped packages. "The ugly one there with the industrial amount of tape is from McGee and the one in the paper she got hers in last year is from Abby."

"I try to be sustainable," she explained.

"But you have to admit it kind of gives it away," Tony pointed out amused.

"Yeah, because we don't know that you have yours wrapped in the same shop every year."

"Well, yeah… Cindy has very talented hands," he said suggestively that made the others grimace.

"What about we pull the numbers," McGee suggested, reaching for a piece of paper and a pen on Tony's desk. He quickly tore it up and wrote the numbers on it. As he put the numbers on the presents and the rest in Palmer's hat that he found on the floor next to Ziva's desk, Palmer turned to Abby.

"He didn't try to make an algorithm or something to deal out the numbers?" he asked.

"He tried," Ziva told him, sharing a knowing look with Abby, remembering the time when McGee had actually written a computer program to do their number-pulling for them.

"I persuaded him not to," Abby shared with a wicked grin.

"All right, everybody," McGee spoke up when every number was in its place. "This year we had an agreement that we all make something by ourselves and not buy the presents," he explained to Palmer then turned to Gibbs. "Boss, are you sure you don't want to join?"

"Just get over with it, McGee," Gibbs said without looking up from his report.

"Right," he sighed. "Here we go…"

"Wait!" Palmer cried before Abby could reach into the hat. "I have something," he exclaimed, turning to go to his traveling bag again. When he returned there was a neatly wrapped package in his hand. "It wasn't me per say but it is home-made." He offered the package and smiled when Ziva put a hand on his arm.

"All right then," McGee said, turning to take the number from the box that was placed under the tree by Ziva, her second gift, and to put it on the one Palmer had just handed him.

"Don't," Ziva stopped him gently. "Leave that," she said, referring to the number on her box. "I think we should write a new number for that one."

"Okay then," McGee did as he was told while Abby and Tony looked on in silence, knowing well that Ziva's second present always remained unnumbered and thus given to Gibbs. But maybe it was time for the man to learn. "It seems this year every present gets a number." Ziva sighed sadly as McGee offered the hat to Abby to pull a number.

Pulling the numbers went quickly and finally everybody was holding their presents, only a lonely one still sitting under the tree. They looked at it then at Gibbs, then Abby went to retrieve it. She walked up to Gibbs and tentatively placed the package in front of him. The man looked up at her then reached for the present. For a moment, Abby looked excited that the man might accept their gesture but when all Gibbs did was to push it sideways before returning back to his work, she returned to the group crestfallen.

"That is enough!" Ziva had finally enough of Gibbs intentionally being a jerk and she stormed up to his desk, all but throwing his present back at him. "Look at yourself, for God's sake! There are so many people who deeply care about you and what do you do? Feeling sorry for yourself and pushing them away," she almost spat it in a disgusted tone. "Would it be really so hard to appreciate what you have got? To hold on to it? What are you so afraid of? Losing them? Because I have news for you – you are doing perfectly to achieve that. So stop it!" she commanded sharply. "You think you had it bad?" she asked, knowing well the reasons behind Gibbs' behavior but being unwilling to accept it. "Look around you, Gibbs. Look at your friends. They may have not lost so much than you but they did lose something along the way… and they do not have much to go home to, either. They…" she stopped here to take a deep breath, then continued, correcting herself, "we are lonely, Gibbs. We are so lonely that we'd better come in here than sit at home. We are just like you. But we won't let our individual misery spoil the only thing that is worth cherishing in our lives – our friendship. So you'd better suck it up otherwise you will know what being really lonely means." And with that she turned on her heals and stormed away. It didn't escape anybody's attention that she was wiping her eyes.

When Ziva's form disappeared into the general direction of the restrooms, all head turned to the team leader.

"What?" he barked.

"You really screwed this one up," Tony pointed out the obvious.

"You should talk to her, Boss."

"Please," Abby added.

Palmer was too stunned to say anything so he opted for holding onto his present in silence.

"Godammit," Gibbs muttered as he pushed himself away from his desk then, with determined steps, followed the route Ziva had taken towards the restrooms.

In the restroom, Ziva had just wiped her face when she could hear the door open. Without looking, she turned to leave but stopped when Gibbs' form appeared in her sight.

"Gibbs," she breathed surprised then quickly composed herself. "I am so…" The rest of her intended apology was mumbled into his mouth as he pressed his lips against hers in a forceful but not unwelcome kiss.

"What was that?" Ziva asked breathlessly after they pulled apart just enough to let their foreheads touch.

"That was me pulling my head out of my six," Gibbs answered, squeezing her hips as if seeking reassurance. And Ziva answered with a giddy chuckle. Gibbs smiled with her but sobered up quickly.

"I'm no good for you, Ziver," he stated resigned.

"No," Ziva started reaching for his hands and bringing them between their bodies, "you are not. You are perfect for me," she reassured the man, holding his hands in a firm grip. There was a smile playing on her lips as she straightened to look up at him. "And even though you do not believe it, I am happy that you are willing to try to believe so."

"You gave me quite a reality check back there," he chuckled dryly, clearly not proud of his conduct that day, and truly in the last few weeks. "But you were right. Maybe it's time for me to accept what's around me and be grateful for it… instead of feeling sorry about something that can't be changed. I do appreciate you, Ziva, the whole gang of you. Well, you a lot more than the others."

"I am glad to hear that," she smiled then snuggled against his chest, enjoying the feeling as Gibbs' arms wrapped around her. "I was afraid that I imagined all of this," she admitted after a little while.

"Not a chance. I love you, Ziver."

"You are such an idiot."

"Not the thing a man wants to hear after a confession like this."

"But well deserved," Ziva pointed out, straightening in his arms.

"Can't argue with that."

Ziva gave him a "you think so? look then tilted her head, regarding the man in front of her. "You are a stubborn old fool," she smiled at him lovingly.

"Well, my love, it seems that this relationship is starting off on an excellent start," he said bemused and with a little chuckle. "We seem to agree on all things."

Ziva didn't share his chuckle, though. She just stood there awestruck. "Say that again," she asked him.

"What? That we agree on everything?"

"What you called me," she clarified, clearly eager to hear it again.

"My love?" he asked, not fully realizing that he'd said that. Ziva nodded. "My love," he repeated with twinkling eyes as the endearment rolled off of his tongue.

Ziva thought that her chest would burst with happiness as she pulled Gibbs into a deep, sensual kiss.

"I love you, too," she reciprocated when they pulled apart.

A truly sincere smile appeared on Gibbs' face but when he was about to say something to that, they were rudely interrupted by the door opening and another agent stepping into the little room. The woman stopped in the door shocked by the sight of Agent Gibbs standing in the ladies' room, with his Israeli agent in his arms nonetheless.

"I'm sorry," she stammered and promptly turned to leave. "I'll just…"

"No," Ziva called after the woman. "We were just leaving," she said, pulling Gibbs behind her towards the door. With a somewhat embarrassed smile she pressed herself past the female agent, still holding on to Gibbs' hand, who was obediently following her.

"Merry Christmas, Johanna," he told the woman, his open smile still plastered on his face, as he passed her, leaving the woman completely flabbergasted.

On the way back to the team, the new couple shared some more kisses – Gibbs even pulled Ziva into his "office" for a heated making out session – before composing themselves as they reappeared in the bullpen.

When they returned, they found the others silently sitting around the table decked with cookies. Ziva left Gibbs' side and took her seat, giving a warm smile to the others, who regarded her with curious eyes.

"What are you waiting for?" she asked referring to their still unopened presents and trying to divert the attention from herself and Gibbs. "Open them!" And to make a point she peeked into the paper bag that had left Palmer's bag not so long ago.

Palmer was the first to follow example but as he started to open the box that bore the mark of Ziva's expert wrapping, the box disappeared from his hands.

"That's mine," Gibbs said curtly, snatching the box out of Palmer's hands. "You can have the other one," he referred to the abandoned present on his desk. He stepped behind Ziva's chair and as the two shared an affectionate smile, the others got to opening their presents as well, McGee handing Palmer the package from Gibbs' desk that was haphazardly wrapped, with the paper held together with altogether too much tape.

"That is quite… eclectic," McGee, who was the first to open his present, observed as he thumbed through the paper-bound little notebook in his hand. The working of the cover was rather crude and the pages in it consisted of from white office paper to squared sheets of paper that must have been torn from an exercise book.

"Well, what can I say?" Tony shrugged a little sheepishly. "A couple of years ago I attended a book binding course. I'm a natural."

"I like it," McGee concluded with a contemplative look, turning the little notebook in his hands. "Thank you, Tony," he smiled. Tony just shrugged again.

"And do you like yours, Tony?" Abby asked excitedly, seeing that Tony had already opened his present that was wrapped in the very same paper he had wrapped Abby's present the previous year.

"Oh yeah," he answered with a smile that clearly said that he had no idea how to reply to that question. "I've always wanted a… box of scrap paper."

"That is not scrap paper, Tony," Abby admonished him. "That is a puzzle."

"Oh, a puzzle!" Tony's eyes lit up as he took another look into the box. "I like puzzles," he said before a frown appeared on his face. "But those are a lot of pieces in there."

"You bet," Abby grinned and the others laughed. There was no way that Tony would be able to put together that puzzle.

"What you've got, Abbs?" Gibbs asked.

"Something soft," she shared before tearing away the paper. "Aww," was all Abby said when the wrapping paper fell away from her present. "It is so adorable," she squealed, clutching the cute knitted reindeer to her chest. "Thank you," she said beaming at Ziva.

"You are very much welcome, Abby," she returned as Gibbs squeezed her shoulders. "And I really like my present, too," she turned to Palmer holding two jars of honey, clover and wild flower. "Thank you." As an answer, Palmer just grinned. Actually he grinned for so long that Abby had to nudge him.

"Your present, Jimmy," she whispered loudly and everybody chuckled.

"Oh, sorry," he stammered embarrassed then started working on the tape that covered the wrapping paper. "Wow, you made them?" he looked up surprised at McGee, who looked equally surprised at Palmer's apparent joy. "This is so cool." He placed the three hand-made candles on the table with sincere awe.

"Thank you," McGee answered slightly baffled, wholly aware of the sniffled laughter around him. "I'm glad you like them."

"I always wondered how they make these."

"Well, do what McCrafty here must have done: Ask YouTube," Tony grinned and clapped McGee on the shoulder. "Write in the search field: how to make candles in hideous colors. But I'm sure you have to ask him how to make it smell like fifty years worth of Christmases."

That did it for the others and everybody burst out laughing.

"I'm not that good at crafting," McGee admitted. "I couldn't really figure out this whole marble coloring thing and apparently the wax I used was too soft," he said referring to the rather moldable state of the candles while the others tried to breathe through the intense smell. "And yes, I poured a little bit too much fragrance oil in it."

"A little bit?" Abby coughed.

"I really like it," Palmer repeated unfazed.

"Glad you do," Gibbs told him. "But now wrap them back up."

"And how did you like your present, Boss?" Tony asked his boss whose mood had significantly improved after he had disappeared with Ziva.

"Oh, I love them," Gibbs answered with a half-smile.

"But you didn't even open it," Palmer observed as he packed up his candles.

"Don't have to."

"Those are his favorite cinnamon biscuits," Tony informed the others with a knowing look. "He gets them every year."

"And I truly appreciate them," Gibbs said looking at Ziva then raised his eyes to run them around his team. "I truly appreciate all of you," he said as an apology and watched with warming heart as a smile appeared on the face of each and every one of them.

"Merry Christmas, Boss," Tony said and everyone echoed the gesture, exchanging greetings and smiles and enjoying a moment of warmness in the familiar surrounding of the bullpen while a snowstorm was raging outside. "So, what do you say about raiding the fridge down at Accounting?"

Merry laughter followed Tony's suggestion but nobody objected. They stood and started towards the elevator, Tony leading the way in their food hunt while Abby clung to Palmer and McGee's arms, pulling the two men after the Senior Field Agent. Ziva and Gibbs fell behind, following their friends at a leisurely pace.

When Ziva felt a little pull at her hand, she looked down to see Gibbs' fingers barely touching hers then looked up at the man and stopped when he stopped.

"Happy holidays, Ziver," Gibbs whispered, pulling her in front of him.

"It turned out to be very happy indeed," she answered with a smile that still adorned her lips when Gibbs captured them in a kiss.

"Come on, Boss," Tony's petulant whining interrupted their moment. "Stop groping your girlfriend. We are starving here."

The couple shared a smile that was full of promises then hand in hand they joined the others in the elevator, Gibbs' free hand connecting with Tony's back of the neck in a playful Gibbs-slap just before the doors closed on the merry group.

THE END

Thanks for reading!