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"Morning, Dr. Mallard." Jimmy held up a crocheted Christmas card. "Did you get one?"
"Why yes I did. How are you this fine morning, Mr. Palmer?"
"Ready for Christmas to start already. What do we have to work on this morning?"
"Just reports. Be glad for the respite. When Christmas season picks up, the bodies really start falling," Ducky warned.
Jimmy shook his head sadly. "It sucks that there are so many people that feel the need to hurt others during what should be a happy time. I always look forward to Christmas even if the only plans I have are to spend it alone watching TV."
"I'm sure that doesn't happen to you often."
Jimmy shrugged. "More often than I'd like."
"Cherish the time together while you have it then."
"Exactly."
"Christmas is a great time to remember all the good times and to appreciate those around you. You never know how long anyone else will be around."
"Abby's a good example of the Christmas spirit. She's always so bubbly." Jimmy grinned. "How long do you think it took her to make the crocheted Christmas cards?"
"She's got a good heart and it gives her something to do besides bowling when hanging out with the nuns."
"The nuns bowl?" He'd heard Abby and Gibbs talk about the nuns before, but not bowling.
"Oh yeah. They're getting really good at it too," Ducky admitted.
"Wow. Is the handmade cards a normal thing at NCIS? I know the nuns are an Abby thing. Though they're kind of a Gibbs thing too I think."
"No. Abby frequently comes up with some new crafty handmade cards. She doesn't like doing the same thing every year, but no one else does. A lot of them don't even exchange holiday cards."
"I didn't know Abby crocheted."
"Doesn't really fit the goth image, does it?" Ducky mused. "But that's part of the fun for her. She doesn't like being stuck in a box. So usually her Christmas cards are some new hobby that she's picked up, sometimes purely to be able to make new Christmas cards."
"That's neat. I never would have thought of making a holiday card using crochet, but they're super cool and fit Abby. She took the time to customize them too. Really made it feel like she put a lot of time and energy into it."
"Agreed, Mr. Palmer. I have no idea what the design is, but I appreciate Abby's thoughtfulness and unique card."
"I do not think my Holiday Cards are anywhere near as unique." Jimmy frowned.
"I'm sure anyone you give it to will love it just the same, Mr. Palmer."
"As far as the design on Abby's card, if it's the same as mine, it's probably a skull flake."
"A skull flake, Mr. Palmer?"
"It's a snowflake made with skulls. Makes it a little more Goth and I'm sure that's why Abby chose that particular pattern."
"I'm sure, Mr. Palmer," Ducky murmured as he stared off into space.
Jimmy left Dr. Mallard to his thoughts and moved to organize the supplies and grab his reports. He'd only been working at NCIS for a few years and was still getting a feel for what was normal around the office and what wasn't. The first year, he'd hardly known anyone so to get a card from Abby this year really made him happy. He couldn't help wondering if he would get any other holiday cards. He doubted that any would match what Abby had made. The whole card idea was super unique and impressive.
Would other people expect him to do something equally impressive or unusual? Was a normal holiday card ok to send out? Were there rules about what or how holiday cards were exchanged? Jimmy could feel the frustration mounting as he tried to figure out what to do about his holiday cards.
"I can hear you thinking all the way over here, Mr. Palmer. Penny for your thoughts?" Ducky interrupted.
"It's nothing, Dr. Mallard."
"Oh, contraire. You're clearly bothered by something. Do share, my dear boy."
"Just wondering if people will be disappointed by my more generic store bought holiday cards."
"Everyone will love and appreciate them, Jimmy. Don't worry. Abby is a special snowflake in a lot of ways. Don't judge people's expectations based on what she does. They'll be happy you thought of them. I promise," Ducky explained.
"Thanks, Dr. Mallard."
"You're welcome, Mr. Palmer, but now we best get back to work. Those reports won't write themselves and then we need to take inventory if we don't get a case."
"Understood, Dr. Mallard."
They worked in silence for a while. Jimmy puttered about checking on various supplies and notating anything they needed a refill of. He paused at the sight of something he didn't recognize.
"Dr. Mallard?"
"Yes, Mr. Palmer?"
"What is that?" He pointed to what appeared to be a lumpy brown package.
"Intriguing. I've never seen that before. Where did you find it?"
"Right there. I haven't touched it."
"Is there a note?" Ducky pondered.
Jimmy moved closer and peered carefully at it. "Not that I see, Dr. Mallard."
Ducky hummed. "We have ourselves a mystery. How shall we solve it?"
"Send it to Abby to have it thoroughly inspected for any dangerous substances?"
"A very good first step."
"I'll just run this up to her."
"Don't forget protection, Mr. Palmer."
Jimmy stopped just short of touching the package at the reminder. He turned around to his drawer and grabbed a pair of gloves to use to touch it.
"I'll let Abby know you're on your way up."
"Thanks, Dr. Mallard."
Jimmy wondered what could possibly be in the package and who had left it? On closer inspection it had turned out to be a paper bag scrunched down around its contents. Was it someone's lunch? Why they would have left it in Autopsy he had no idea.
Maybe it was supposed to be some sort of evidence and had been left there by accident? That didn't seem like something he or Dr. Mallard would do, so it would have had to be another agent. Hopefully Abby could tell them something.
"Hey Abby," Jimmy greeted as he entered the forensics lab.
"Jimmy! What do you have for me?"
"We don't know. We found it in Autopsy."
"Oh. Show me. Ducky said you were bringing something up to have it analyzed following the hazmat protocols."
"Yeah. We have no idea where it came from and thus no idea whether it's safe, so we wanted to make sure before we opened it."
"Abby's on the job." She opened the package in a sterile and entirely air tight compartment where releasing it would not harm anyone even if it was dangerous somehow.
Abby started laughing as soon as she looked at what the sensors were telling her.
"What's so funny?" Jimmy prompted.
"There's nothing dangerous about this bag."
"No?"
"Nope." Abby smiled cheerfully.
"Then what's in it?"
"My Christmas card rejects."
"Your what now?"
"You didn't think I made enough perfect skull flakes for everyone without screwing up a few, did you?"
Jimmy shrugged. "I kind of did."
"That's sweet, Jimmy, but I had a lot of failures," Abby admitted. "I was going to use them for anyone that I received a holiday card from that I didn't expect, but then I misplaced them. You and Ducky can keep them if you want."
"Oh. Uh. I'll let Ducky know." Jimmy didn't have any idea what to do with a bunch of rejected skull flakes.
Abby gave Jimmy back the bag, complete with its contents. "Oh. They make great coasters too."
"I'll keep that in mind." Jimmy headed back down to autopsy, still very confused about the contents of the bag.
"The bag is safe then, Mr. Palmer?" Ducky asked as he returned.
Jimmy blinked. "Uh, yes, perfectly safe."
"Great. So what's in it?"
"I'm not really sure. Abby says it's her Christmas card rejects and that they make great coasters." Jimmy was still very confused about the whole situation. Abby just gave them to him and Ducky because they found them? She didn't want them?
"Well, bring them here. Let's see for ourselves."
"Oh. Ok." Jimmy set them on an empty Autopsy table between them. "Are we still on for tonight?"
"Absolutely, dear boy. I wouldn't miss our tea time for the world and maybe we can use some of these to protect my table." Ducky lifted up one of the rejected holiday cards.
Jimmy eyed it in concern. It was obviously not as good as the one he'd received. "You really like them that much?" Jimmy blurted.
Ducky hummed. "There is beauty in all things. I remember this one time a friend of mine was downsizing and they were ready to throw out basically everything. They held a yard sale and a couple of little boys came with their mother. She was looking for new clothes for them or something, but the boys saw this old rusty damaged toy car that no one else had wanted and both of them clamored for her to get it. She ended up having to get a second one that wasn't in quite as bad of shape, so that both boys could have one. They loved those things. It just goes to show that one man's trash is another man's treasure."
Jimmy nodded. "That's cool. But what are you going to do with the cards?"
"You'll see when you come over for tea this afternoon." Ducky winked.
Jimmy laughed and they returned to work. By the time he arrived at Ducky's house, Jimmy had forgotten all about the rejected holiday cards. Or he had until he was confronted with them as a new coffee table.
They usually put the tea tray on the coffee table and sat in chairs on either side of it. This time, however, the coffee table was covered in the rejected holiday cards. Ducky had arranged them such that they looked like an elaborate pattern or puzzle put together. They each had a different flaw according to Abby, but you couldn't tell that by looking at them for the most part. They just looked like they fit together.
"Wow. This isn't what I expected rejected holiday cards to look like."
"Abby is very particular about most things. That's why she's so sought after in her field."
"I think that's called being a perfectionist."
"Perhaps, but that's not all there is to it. Do you know why she gave these to us?"
"Because she felt sorry for us or just wanted to get rid of them and we were perfect suckers?"
"Not at all. She gave them to me because she knew that I would appreciate the beauty in them. I suspect she knows the same is true of you. She always makes extras so that no one feels left out."
"She sounds like a really nice girl."
Ducky gazed off into the distance. "Yeah. The truth is there used to be a holiday card competition, but it was shut down because people kept getting their feelings hurt. Someone else's card would always look better than theirs and they didn't like it. Some of the agents put a lot of effort into making their cards and when they lost they were very hurt and down, which was not at all what people wanted from the holiday card competition.
"Seems like Abby is still putting a lot of effort into the holiday cards."
"Yeah. Although now she sends them to everyone, so no one can get hurt over them. It's no longer a competition to be better than her."
"Huh. I never thought about it that way. Spreading beauty throughout the world. One holiday card at a time."
"It's a sweet gesture."
Jimmy nodded and slid a card across the table to him. "This one is for you."
"You didn't have to, Jimmy."
Jimmy blushed. "Just open it already."
Ducky quickly read the card and a genuine smile spread across his face. "Thank you dear boy. The sentiment is appreciated. You mean a lot to me too." Ducky held out a different card to Jimmy. "This one is for you."
Jimmy took the holiday card from Ducky and read what he'd written. Neither of them were complicated crocheted holiday cards, but the sentiments were heartfelt and the handwritten message inside, powerful. Jimmy really hoped that this would be the start of many good years and happy holidays for him at NCIS. It was good to have a coworker that he could consider a friend.