NCIS ~ I Will Love You Thru Everything

part 41

Gibbs strode into the bullpen. Frowning in confusion, he looked around. Where was everyone? He checked his watch..it was 7 a.m, when work was supposed to start. He took the elevator down to autopsy. Same thing, Ducky and Palmer were gone. What the heck...thought Gibbs to himself. He flipped open his phone, and dialed Dinozzio. . .

Ringgg! He could hear it coming from down the hall. Abby's lab! Halfway there, the ringing stopped.

He walked thru the doors and jumped back in surprise, when all of party poppers went off and everyone shouted, "SURPRISE!!" Gibbs swiped a streamer off him and looked at everyone. Tony and Ziva were holding hands, and beaming at him, and Ducky held out a cake towards him. Gibbs looked at it in confusion.. Ducky looked at him in astonishment. "You forgot your own birthday, Jethro?!?" he exclaimed. Understanding dawned on Gibbs. A smile stretched across his face. He turned and saw Mcgee and Abby, both also grinning brightly at him. They weren't touching, but their closeness told him that Mcgee had talked to her. At least they weren't making out in the back halls, like Tony and Ziva had. On second thought...Gibbs studied Mcgee face. He seemed to have black lipstick smeared on his cheek and ear.

McGee looked nervous. "Something the matter, boss?" Gibbs smirked. He gestured at Mcgee's ear, and joked, "You got a little something.."

Mcgee and Abby both turned beet red as everyone turned questioning eyes on them.

As usual, Palmer broke the awkward silence. "Wow, you guys are together?! Congratulations! Brinna and I would love to double with you sometime." Nobody spoke for a few seconds. Then all of a sudden, Ziva giggled. She finally burst out, "It's about time Mcgee told her!" That broke the awkwardness, and everyone began laughing.

Ducky stuck a lit candle into the middle of the cake and held it out. Gibbs chuckled, then leaned in to blow it out, but Ducky stopped him. "Ahh, ahh..you have to make a wish, Jethro." he scolded.

Gibbs thought for a moment, then took a look around. What he saw made him realize he was happy. Abby's smile, Mcgee's having turned into a fine agent, Ducky as a good friend, Palmer..as Palmer. Ziva, her eyes shining, and Tony finally at peace with Kate. Not just at peace, but happy. And in a blinding flash, Gibbs realized that he was happy too. Happier than he'd been in a long time. He hadn't been this happy since before..Shannon.

Realizing he had just been staring, he shook his head. "Nahh, Duck.. i've got everything I need. This is just to celebrate it," he said. He blew out the candle and smiled when everyone cheered. Cake on plates was passed around, and everyone stood around Abby's lab talking and laughing. Gibb's took a mental snapshot, remembering every detail. This is a team, he thought to himself.

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