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Chapter 2

Next morning was one of those times when Gibbs wondered if he had lost his mind. Everyone was up, running around, trying to get ready to go get their motors. Remy couldn't find his boots; Dean was still half-naked because his laundry didn't get done, and he didn't have clean pants. Tony was swearing because Tim had taken up a bit too much room in his SUV with luggage, so they were rearranging things so everyone could ride and he could still have everything he wanted. This meant that they had to put part of his stuff on the roof rack until they got to the storage. It took a bit of fiddling and some luggage straps, but they got the job done.

They all piled in, and Tim headed for the storage unit where they kept their motorcycles. Dean asked, "And why aren't we taking the Hummer?"

Tim snorted, then replied, "Because I'm going on from there, and there's no fuckin' way I'm gonna try an' drive that ... monster. It's nearly impossible. How the hell AJ manages is beyond me."

Tony laughed, showing white teeth. "At least no one's shootin' at ya. It's really not that hard; just point it in the right direction and floor it. If you run over something, won't hurt much."

Gibbs snickered, "... on the Hummer. Whatever you run into is flat."

Tony shrugged. "Who the fuck cares? They shouldn't be in my way."

Everyone laughed at that. Jimmy added, "You drive like Ziva. I swear."

Tony grunted. "Yeah. Tim? Heard from 'er?"

Tim nodded, keeping his eyes on the street. "Yeah. She's doin' good. But she's retiring. Just got the email last night and haven't really read it all. She's either bought or is taking over a grove of olive and lemon trees. There's some wine grapes in the mix too. She said she sent us all the same email. But I'd say it's caught in some filter somewhere. I'll check on it tonight and find it, or send you copies of mine."

Dean frowned over that. "And why do you get stuff when others don't?"

Tony answered that. "You really think the Navy is gonna let us get shit from Israel without vetting the fuck out of it? Please."

"True." Remy nodded.

Tim smirked. "I get what I want to get. Navy can't keep a civilian from getting email. You guys are just too precious to risk."

This got some hoots and groans. Tony announced, "I'd smack you for that if you weren't driving. Jerk."

Tim just replied, "Bitch," and turned into the parking lot of the storage.

Everyone piled out. While Remy and Cosmo got Tim's luggage back into the SUV, Tony and Gibbs opened the doors of the storage.

Tim took a moment to thank Remy and Cosmo for their help and say good-bye to everyone. He drove off with one final wave.

"Well, I hope his thing is better than that disaster Vance sent us on," Tony grumbled.

Gibbs shrugged. "He's not flying anywhere, so it should be okay. Besides ... you really think Penny would allow anything to happen?" He smirked.

Tony shuddered. "That woman is truly scary. Seriously."

There was a bit of laugher as they pulled the motors out of storage. Since Tony's motor was usually at NCIS, he'd brought it home the day before. Jimmy kept his trike in the garage at Mallard Manor and had also brought it to GHQ earlier. Dean eyed Tony for a moment, then said with awful calm, "And, now that I think of it, why the hell did you come? Your motor and Jimmy's trike are already at GHQ."

Tony grinned. "Who am I to turn down a ride with Remy?" He produced his helmet from a go-bag he'd tucked amongst Tim's stuff.

Remy just tossed him a look, muttering, "Bitch."

Jimmy shrugged and allowed, "Not stayin' home when everyone else is doin' somethin' fun." He also had brought his helmet.

They checked the motors over quickly, making sure that fittings were tight, tanks were full of gas, and tires inflated properly. Then they were off, headed back to GHQ to pack their things and head out themselves.

.

It didn't take them long to pack things up. They had to wait for laundry to finish so that Dean had clothes, but they used that time to make sure that everyone had what they needed. They had no plans to be on the road before 0700; Gibbs actually thought about later so that they'd miss traffic.

There was a lot of laughter when Jimmy announced, "Well, one good thing, I don't have to haul that trailer. It's a lot harder than it looks. But I'll miss Tim. Glad we've got radios so I can talk to someone."

Remy snorted, "Idjit." Jimmy maturely stuck his tongue out at him.

Gibbs allowed, "Wouldn't want that thing in my mouth either." He got a couple of mock wide-eyed looks, to which he returned, "Mats?" Heads quickly turned to contemplate other things of interest. He smirked, "Thought not."

Tony and Gibbs did a final check of everyone's gear, as usual. They always had someone check gear, as two sets of eyes on the whole thing was always a good idea. Gibbs frowned, "AJ, where the hell is the spare helmet?"

Tony scowled. "It's usually in the trunk of Jimmy's motor."

"Not there." Gibbs went to find Jimmy. He found him in the kitchen, checking the fridge for anything that might spoil before they got back. "Where's the spare helmet?"

Jimmy frowned at something in his hand. "In the far front of the trailer." He looked up from the container in his hand. "Son-of-a-bitch. It's still right there. I forgot it. I'm so sorry. I'll go get it right now." He eyed the container. "Um ... do you know if you can freeze cottage cheese? I found this behind the pickles and catsup."

Gibbs took the container, opened it and grabbed a fork. He shoveled a huge forkful into his mouth then mumbled around it, "We'll drop by and get the helmet on our way. It's only a couple of blocks off-route." Two more bites and he shoved the half-empty container into Jimmy's hands. "Finish that and put the thing in the trash bag, then kerb it."

"Okay." Jimmy took the container and started eating. "Only ... I don't like cottage cheese that much."

Gibbs shrugged, pausing in the doorway to say, "Tough," before returning to his check list.

Jimmy grumbled, "Asshat," but finished eating the remainder of the container. Another check proved that everything else would keep, so he shut the fridge door and headed out to check the doors and windows. Finding them all locked, he went out the front, locked it, and went to his trike. He put on his helmet, started the trike, jacked in, then said, "Radio check."

"Five by five. Ready?" Tony's voice replied. More voices demanded radio check, got a reply, and motors started as the checks cleared.

They rumbled down the street, headed for Mallard Manor and the required extra helmet.

Jimmy pulled into the driveway first, followed by Tony, then Gibbs, Cosmo, Remy, and Dean. No one dismounted except Jimmy. He hurried to the front door, opened it, deactivated the security system, then disappeared inside. He came back out a few minutes later with the helmet, which he put in the trunk of his trike. He turned to make sure the door was locked and the security system engaged. They all rechecked the radios, then headed back to the highway and the first leg of their journey south.

Everyone who was awake looked out windows as the cavalcade rumbled by. A few even ran out onto their porches to watch. No one was worried about the bikers, as they were used to seeing one or two of them in and out on weekends and odd nights, but the whole group was a sight to see. The deep rumble of the Harley motors echoed through the neighborhood.

When they hit the highway, Gibbs announced, "We need to make up about half an hour if we want to eat breakfast at a reasonable time." Since they'd been up at 0430; hitting the road at 0600 seemed reasonable. "Stoppin' at 0800. Someone figure out a place."

Tony's voice announced, "Fuck, Jet, that's Tim's job. He's the only one with hands on the road. We'll just have to eye-ball a place."

Gibbs grumbled, "Well, shit. Forgot about that. Start keepin' an eye out about an hour in."

An hour just barely got them out of DC. First, they'd run into construction; this slowed traffic to a crawl, and they were between exits, so they couldn't even get off the four-lane and onto side streets. They were tempted to take the shoulder and discussed it, but decided against it as being a bad way to attract attention to themselves. Second, the highway department, in its wisdom, finally detoured around the construction nearly a mile in. This had them making a circle around a six-block area of commercial zoning. Gibbs was ready to bite his own arm by the time they got onto real highway again. Since this was the I-95 and they had wanted to take I-81, they were all a bit pissed. They were going to have to circle back; after breakfast.

Tony suggested picking up I-266 to R-66 and finding some place along 266 somewhere.

They cruised by the usual bagel, Chinese, and chains. Nothing was open this early, except places like McDonalds and Wendy's, which they were not interested in. Finally, they saw a small Mom-n'-Pop off the beaten path a bit. They were lucky to notice it at all, as it was a couple of blocks from the highway; the only reason was because Tony saw it from the overpass. They took the next exit and backtracked.

Gibbs dropped the kickstand and got off his motor. The place looked clean, but you couldn't really tell from the outside. He sniffed; no funny smells.

Tony also dismounted. "Looks okay." His doubtful tone made Remy grimace. The last time they'd ignored Tony's nose, they'd all gotten a bad case of food poisoning. "Doesn't smell bad."

A quick check of the alley between the restaurant and the next building yielded the fact that their dumpster was empty and clean. This was a good thing. They decided to go in.

There was a soft chime when they opened the door, and a cheerful voice called, "Just makin' coffee. Find a seat an' get it warm."

They filed in and took the long family-style center table. The wall was lined with four-by booths, and there was a short counter at the back with six stools. A small display case bearing menus and the register cut the corner opposite the door. Everything was immaculate.

Earline came out of the back with menus under her arm and a coffee pot in her hand. "Water?" She handed out menus and poured coffee. "I'll be back with the water and take your orders in a few. If you need refills before I get back, just yell, or help yourselves. Bottomless cup." She smiled around, then walked back behind the counter to start rolling place settings.

The menu was simple, mostly eggs, meat, and sides; the only problem was going to be deciding between sausage, ham, and bacon. Remy sighed, then grumbled, "Bacon, or sausage. Then there's steak. Want it all."

Earline called, "We offer family-style. It's on the second page just before pancakes."

Tony flipped a page, then nodded. "I see it."

Remy made little humming noises as he read. Dean mumbled to himself. The rest of the group was quiet.

Gibbs finally said, "Okay, bacon, ham, sausage, steaks. Eggs scrambled?" He looked up to see everyone nodding. "Good. Hash browns, toast, biscuits. Pancakes or waffles?"

Earline called. "You can have both. We make up batter and keep it in the fridge."

Tony grinned then said, "Both. With butter and syrup."

Dean agreed. "Lots of both. I love dipping the bacon and sausage in the syrup."

Cosmo called, "You got peanut butter?"

Earline yelled back into the kitchen, then conveyed, "No. Sorry."

They agreed to do without. Not that that would be that much of a hardship.

Earline pulled her pad out of her apron pocket, picked up the coffee pot, and went to the table. "Okay, guys, what'll it be?"

Gibbs ordered, as it would reduce confusion. "Ham, bacon, sausage. Steaks?"

Earline nodded. "Individual orders on those; who wants it what way?"

Gibbs looked the table over then decided, "Skip the steaks; too confusing. Hash browns. Toast, pancakes, biscuits. Eggs, scrambled. Gravy. Keep the coffee comin'."

Earline offered, "We've got juice ... apple, orange, pineapple/mango and ..." she craned her neck to look into the back. "that's all."

Everyone decided on orange, and Earline went away to turn in the order. The rather indignant cry of, "First damn thing is family-style?" made them all snicker.

They were probably going to eat more than the cook made, but they'd learned that it was just easier to order more than to argue with the wait staff, who would probably bring in management. So they settled back to wait for food.

They could hear the cook rattling around in the kitchen, swearing half-heartedly, and the smells began drifting into the dining room.

Tony's stomach growled loudly, and Remy exclaimed, "Damn, AJ, when did you get a puppy?"

Tony gave him a sideoogle, and said, "Huh?"

"Oh, you so did not sideoogle me. Sounds like ya got a puppy in your pocket." Remy thumped Tony on the shoulder.

Tony intelligently thumped him back. Everyone was a bit surprised when Earline yelled, "Knock that shit off. You wanna be stupid, take it outside."

Gibbs nearly hurt himself he laughed so hard. After a few seconds, everyone else was laughing too. Dean even replied, "Ma'am! Yes, Ma'am. Sorry, Ma'am."

Earline gave him a fish-eye and demanded. "Who's in what branch?"

Gibbs, still giggling, although he'd deny it with his last breath, said, "Marine." He pointed at each man in turn, "Navy, Navy, NCIS, Navy, Navy."

Jimmy protested a bit. "Jet, Marine, Retired; NCIS, current. Get it right." Gibbs gave him the finger. "Nice."

Earline nodded. "Ok, free coffee. Thank you for your service." She eyed Gibbs, then asked, "Gunny?"

"Yeah. You?" He recognized the earlier tone of voice.

"Twenty years, Master Gunny. I was in Supply, so don't mess with me." She grinned. "And stop fuckin' around at table. Idiots."

They all settled, as everyone in the military knew that you didn't mess around with a Supply Master Gunny, especially if you wanted anything. And she was in control of the food.

Earline gave one short nod in satisfaction, then went back into the kitchen to check on the food. "You 'bout done here?"

Lenny, the cook, just pointed. "Bacon, eggs, toast. Pancakes, sausage and gravy are almost done. Hash browns ... ask 'em if they want onions in 'em."

Earline stuck her head out the door and yelled, "Lenny wants to know if you want onions in the 'taters."

Gibbs yelled back, "Sure," then got up to make more coffee. He put his head through the kitchen door. "Out of coffee. I'll make some, if you don't mind."

Earline chuckled. "Put two bags of coffee per pot or it's piss-weak."

Gibbs nodded. "Roger that." He finished one pot, then decided to start another. "Makin' two."

Earline yelled, "Make the rank. I'll use it, sooner or later. If it's too strong ... tough. Put on a pot of hot water for the lightweights."

Gibbs did as she asked, grinning a bit. She was a woman after his own heart, even if she wasn't a redhead. He cleaned up the empty bags, made the hot water, then returned to the table with a pot in his hand. He poured himself another cup, then just passed the pot to Dean on his right.

The pot made the rounds and returned to Gibbs, empty. "More?"

Earline came to the table with a huge tray covered with platters. "Take one and do something with it, will you?" Gibbs quickly relieved her of her burden, taking a serving then passing the platter on. "Thanks, hun. Anything else?"

As the platters were quickly emptying, he shrugged. "Another order of everything."

Earline shrugged. "Clean your plates and ..." she glanced at the table; empty platters were stacked in the middle. "Never mind. I'll have more out in a jif."

There was laughter from the kitchen when Earline told Larry to make more of everything. Her voice floated out the pass. "Yeah, you jackass, yuck it up. You're the one who's going to be cooking forever."

"I don't mind. They're the kind I like to cook for." Larry turned back to his work, cracking eggs with both hands. "They'll eat what they get and be glad of it; they won't nit-pick it to bits. I intend for them to have the best I can make."

Tony yelled, "No shell in the real eggs, and I'm happy."

Gibbs followed with, "And don't burn the toast!"

The laugher around the table was echoed from the kitchen. Earline appeared with more platters of food, including steak. Larry yelled from the kitchen, "If you want it more than medium rare ... Tango Sierra! You get what you get."

The platters made their way to the table and went around, returning to Gibbs empty. He stacked them neatly on the corner of the bar, which was just a long arm away. He turned back to catch Tony stealing a pancake from his plate. He picked up his fork and stabbed it, snapping, "Mine!" Tony yelped dramatically and snatched his hand back. "That's better. Jerk."

Tony whined, "Selfish, that's what you are. I'm still hungry."

Gibbs snorted as he poured syrup on his stack of cakes. "Go make puppy eyes at Earline. Won't work on me."

"Cruel. Just cruel." But Tony got up to stick his head in the kitchen door and say, "Any chance of ..." he interrupted himself to exclaim, "Waffles! Great!" he took the platter, saying, "I'll just take this in for you, Ma'am. Gibbs'll bogart them otherwise."

Gibbs said, indignantly, "Will not. It's just because you're on my left. Sucks to be you."

Tony helped himself to waffles then passed the platter to Gibbs. He didn't take one because he still had a tall stack; he passed it on to his right.

Since there were only six of them on this trip, they'd partnered up the usual way: Tony/Remy, Dean/Cosmo, which left Gibbs partnered with Jimmy. So, Gibbs took head of table and Jimmy took foot. Remy usually sat on Gibbs' right, with Cosmo next to him; which put Dean on Jimmy's right, then Tony next to Dean. This put him at the end of the circle and last. He bitched mightily about that.

Earline nipped further bitching in the bud. "You all shut up. There's plenty, and family-style is charged same as all-you-can-eat. We'll just keep fixin' until you're all full. You take it, you eat it. Damn buncha Squids." She eyed Gibbs, who'd opened his mouth to argue. "An' I'm includin' you and him ..." she pointed at Jimmy, "guilty by association. Jarhead."

Gibbs shut his mouth and smirked at her. She smirked back and poured more coffee, saying, "At least you make a decent cup of coffee." She turned to Tony, hazelnut creamer in hand. "And what's with all that shit in your coffee?"

Tony grimaced wryly, "PTSD. Lets me know I'm here. Try gettin' that in Afghanistan or Iraq."

Earline scowled at that, but agreed, "Whatever it takes."

Dean nodded. "True. I swear, I wish they'd figure out how to make really crisp fried chicken MREs."

Cosmo snorted. "Never happen."

"Cos, they've made pizza."

Cosmo made a face. "Yeah; you tasted it yet?"

"Well ... no. But a man can dream, can't he?" Dean stabbed a slice of ham, folded it over his knife and stuffed the whole slice into his mouth. He chewed with an expression of bliss.

Cosmo shook his head. "MRE's are okay, but home cookin' ... that's the stuff of dreams."

Earline returned to the table with the coffee pot and asked, "Refills? As if I really need to ask. Anything else to eat?"

Gibbs eyed her for a moment, then said, "Pie?"

She gave him a fish-eye, but nodded. "Could do. I'll go see what we've got. Any preference?"

"Fruit. Apple, if you've got that." Gibbs swallowed a slug of coffee and sighed. "Good stuff."

It turned out that, between making enough food to keep six very active men satisfied, Larry had been baking. Pie, and there was apple. Earline brought the whole thing to the table. "Who wants a slice?" It seemed that they all did, so she sliced it into six pieces and passed the small plates around.

Everyone dug in with moans of appreciation and soon had their plates scraped clean. Jimmy even went so far as to start to lick his plate. Dean kicked him under the table, exclaiming, "Dude! Seriously?"

Jimmy flushed and put the plate back on the table, mumbling, "But it's so good."

Gibbs checked the table with a quick look. "Coffee?" No one wanted any more of anything, so Gibbs nodded to Earline, "Check?"

"Right on it." Earline only took a minute to add up; she ripped the check out of her book and handed it to Gibbs. He eyed it, dragged a credit card out of his wallet and handed it to her. She took it and went to the register to ring them up. She was a bit unhappy, as Gibbs hadn't written in a tip, but she wasn't going to make a big deal out of it.

While Earline was ringing up and swiping the card, the guys were taking up their usual collection for the tip. Everyone put in five dollars which, times six, was a nice tip indeed.

Gibbs collected his card, signed the register slip, took his receipt and smiled. "Here you go. We never put the tip on the card because I know how hard it is to get it out of the owner. Here." He handed over the fold of fives.

Earline grinned. "Well, thank you very much." She winked, "I don't have trouble getting my tips as I'm co-owner ... with Larry. We served together, bought this together."

Gibbs nodded. "Good, good. Glad to see you doin' well. Good-bye."

They all trooped out to their motors, calling out to Larry and nodding to Earline.

They mounted up and headed back to the highway.

.

Gibbs snarled, "Damn it. We should have taken a look at a map before we left. I have no idea where to go from here."

Tony sped up to ride in the front. "I can read the signs fast enough to follow them. Follow me."

Jimmy grumbled audibly, "I wish Tim was here. He could read while we keep our eyes on the road."

Dean replied, "Not like the damn things are huge or anything."

They followed the signs through Marshall, Markham, and Linden; as well as half a dozen unnoticed small villages and subdivisions. This didn't see them out of city; just out of DC.

It took them thirty minutes to get from Earline's place to I-66. A quick left put them on the way to I-85, which was another hour or so. Traffic wasn't that bad, no worse than they'd been expecting, so they made good time. The interchange at I-66 onto I-85 was more or less out in the middle of nowhere. They decided to ride for another two hours, then look for lunch.

Tony thought for a few miles, then asked, "Why don't we stop in Lexington, Va.? That's a fairly large town, and we ought to be able to find somewhere. You want something out-of-the-way, like local, or some franchise place?"

Gibbs offered, "Let's just cruise the main drag and see what's there. Anything clean."

So they took 56 over to Business 11 and went into the main part of town to look for somewhere to eat. They rumbled down the street, looking over the various restaurants as they drove. Tony pointed out one, but no one really wanted Denny's.

They finally stopped at a gas station at the end of the business route and asked. The attendant shrugged. "We got the usual chain places, Denny's, Subway and the like. They're okay, but I'm partial to Mac's B-B-Q." He squinted for a moment. "Just keep on Eleven until you're almost back at I-81. You'll see an old stone barn set back a way. Can't miss it, the sign's huge. Food's good, not terribly expensive, and servings are good-size." He fished around in his pockets for a moment. "Here you go. Even got six. Free drink."

They took the time to fill up, taking a total of 12 gal. The attendant snickered, then said, "I swear, you boys were runnin' on fumes."

Jimmy laughed. "I've got the biggest capacity of all of us at just under eight gallons."

The others just laughed at the joke and ante-ed up for the gas. Gibbs counted, then handed the bills over to the attendant, saying, "Keep the change. Thanks for the directions."

The attendant, whose name they would never know, just nodded at them, tucking the money into his change bag, saying, "I'll get the change, end of shift. Thanks."

They roared away in a cloud of exhaust smoke and rubber.

They rode for several minutes then Cosmo announced, "Anyone think to ask mileage?"

"Nope." Gibbs' laconic reply made Dean snicker. "Doesn't really matter. We on some sort of schedule?"

Remy offered, "Like to get to Ma'mere's before the reunion start."

Tony said, "And when, may I ask, is that? As if I didn't know."

"Ya know very well it starts on the second and goes through Monday after." Remy's disgusted tone made everyone snicker. They had four days to get there before the reunion started. They'd planned on taking three days down and two back up. The reunion would last four days. Remy wanted to stay a couple of extra days to help his grandmother around her home, and they were going to have some fun as well. Then they had no idea what they were going to do.

As they drove along, they took quick glances at the scenery. Tony grumbled, "Kinda wish we'd come in the Hummer. We could take turns driving so everyone had a chance to see the sights."

Dean replied, "And when we get there, we've only got one set a' wheels."

"True. That's why I said 'kinda wish' instead a' shoulda."

Another three miles went by with them still looking for a sign. Tony suddenly chuckled. "I think we're there." The sign said, Mac's Ribs 'N More and half-blocked sight of the natural stone building that obviously had begun life as a dairy barn. They turned in, skirting the brick-and-gravel island that surrounded the hard-to-mow-under sign and rumbled down the drive.

They decided to park on the verge of the lot, away from the barn; too many people had no idea how to park next to or near a bike, and they didn't want to come out to find that someone had knocked one, or all, of the bikes over. It didn't take them long to shed jackets and helmets and lock them away.

They entered the stone building and looked around. They were in the usual foyer with a podium topped by a seating chart and reservation book. A sign said, "Take a Seat," so they stepped into the main room.

This turned out to be most of the ground floor of a rather large dairy barn with hardwood floors and raw stone walls. It was decorated with obvious relics of its former use. The back bar was dedicated to coffee station, pastry case, and a pass-through. You could see through the pass and into the kitchen, which was sparkling clean, well lighted, and issuing savory aromas.

Tony and Gibbs both wandered back to take a look at the back end, wondering where the grills and smokers were. They were greeted by a rather dirty man who asked, "Can I help you?"

Gibbs eyed him, then said, "We just seated ourselves; hope that's okay."

"Yeah; I was out back tending the smokers. We're running a bit late today; brother and his wife were in a wreck."

Tony grimaced. "They okay?"

"They'll be fine, but he's in the hospital ... that's where my wife and sister-in-law are. I called in some help, but they'll take a bit to get here. I need to go clean up so I can man the grill. Choppin' wood and tendin' fires is dirty work. Help yourselves to coffee and whatnot. Excuse me." The man, obviously Mac, headed off into the depths of the building to clean up and change.

"Wow. Sucks." Tony went to the coffee station. "I'll make coffee. Jet? Drinks?"

Gibbs nodded. "Okay, you animals, who wants what to drink ... and we are not all serving ourselves. There's not enough room. I'll get it."

Remy, Dean, and Jimmy wanted sweet tea. Gibbs grunted, "I'll get my own coffee as soon as the pot's done. You?"

Tony glanced around. "I really want a beer. But I'm not havin' it. Drivin'. I'll settle for coffee too."

Gibbs got two cups and three glasses of tea, then he realized that Cosmo hadn't said what he wanted. "Cos?" Gibbs looked around. "Where the hell's Cos?"

Jimmy jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "Head."

Tony shrugged. "He can get his own damn drink. I'm sittin' down."

They settled in their chairs with grumbles from Jimmy. "Menus. We forgot menus."

Cosmo approached the table with a length of paper towel draped over one arm. "Menus? Water? Soda? Sweet tea?" he formally placed a menu in front of each seated man. "I'll be back to take your orders in a moment."

Dean just got up, grabbed him in a head lock and dragged him to his chair. "Sit the fuck down, doofus."

Cosmo poked him in the gut. "Not."

Tony barked, "You are too. Sit."

Gibbs smirked. "Thanks for the menus at any rate."

They looked the menu over and realized that the fare was the usual B-b-q of various sorts and sides. One feature was the combo platter, which consisted of a four-rib plank, pulled pork, jerk chicken, brisket, and burnt ends. It came with a choice of three sides: coleslaw, baked beans, potato salad, mac n' cheese, mashed potatoes, fries, garden salad, or sweet potato fries. You also had your choice of biscuits or garlic toast.

They were just discussing sending someone in search of a server when a young girl came out of the back. "I'm so sorry. I had to come in from East Lex. What can I get for you?"

Gibbs smiled at her, putting her at ease. "Relax. We're not in a hurry. We got our own drinks at the grill master's suggestion."

The server, whose name tag said 'Grace', sighed. "Well, that's good. Uncle Don and Aunt May had a wreck early this morning, and the whole family is in an uproar. They'll be okay. Broken leg, bust rib, stuff like that; but it scared us all. So ... sorry for the babble. Are you ready to order?"

Tony eyed the table, checking; everyone nodded. "Yeah, we're all ready, Grace. Brace yourself."

Grace giggled, "If you guys are anything like my brothers, don't bother with anything but the combo." She glanced into the back. "If you all order it, I bet Dad would let you have it family-style. Let me check real quick." She looked at each of them in turn, and they all just said, "Combo." "Right. Back in a sec."

She disappeared into the kitchen and they could hear her talking to Mac. "Hey. Good news. They all want the combo. If we go family-style, that'll take a load off. Offer them a choice of ... how many sides?"

Mac's voice floated out the pass. "Standard. How many at the table?"

"Six."

"Okay. Just take out three servings of everything. Biscuits and bread. I'll start dishing up, you just take it out as I get it plated."

Things started rattling, and Grace soon came out with a platter of biscuits and garlic toast. "I'll have more in a sec. Anyone like greens?"

Remy offered. "Could bring greens and leave the mashed 'taters." A quick glance around the table got nods from everyone. "An' double up on the slaw?"

"Ok, you got it." Grace smiled at the group and wished she was about four years older, never realizing that, at 20, they would still consider her a bit too young. She headed back to bring out the rest of the food.

She was joined by Mac himself, carrying the huge tray of dishes. Grace started setting out the food; Gibbs took charge. "Just set it around. We'll deal. And don't bother with that serve from the left stuff. With this bunch, it's more throw it in the general direction of the animals and run." Grace giggled at that. Everyone else groaned.

"Jerk."

"Dick-face."

Tony barked, "Language, Dean; innocent ears."

Dean flushed. "Sorry, Miss Grace."

Grace shrugged. "Remember, I've got brothers. I've heard it all. If I haven't, I need to."

The whole table laughed at that, but they resolved to watch their mouths. Especially as Gibbs gave them all a stink-eye.

They minded their manners as they passed serving dishes around and helped themselves. The platters and dishes were piled high with delicious-smelling food. Remy was pleased to see that the greens hadn't been 'slopped up' with butter or something.

He smelled the forkful before stuffing it into his mouth. "Oh, man. So good. Got smoked bacon in it. Wonder where he got it?"

Dean snorted into his drink. "Smokehouse? Where do you think, knothead?"

Remy eyed him, then rubbed the bridge of his nose with his middle finger. "Jerk."

Grace, returning with a pitcher of sweet tea, snickered, then said, "I saw that. More tea?" She poured tea as requested, then took a platter and several bowls off the table. "More ... slaw, or ribs?"

Gibbs nodded. "That would be good. Thanks."

Remy added, "More of whatever we can have."

Grace checked the empties quickly. "Ribs, slaw, greens, sweet potato fries and ... garlic toast?"

"Yes, please. Thanks." Tony gave her a gentle smile and Grace walked away, hands full of dirty dishes.

They were working on their second serving of everything when a rowdy bunch came in, banging chairs and in general creating havoc. Grace just walked over and said sharply, "Sit down. Behave. I'll be back as soon as I let Dad know you're here." And with that, she stomped off to tell her Dad that the cousins were all here.

Mac rubbed his face wearily. He'd been up most of the night at the hospital, gotten home in time to send his wife, Helen, to the hospital, then grab a couple of hours' sleep. He was tired, pissed, and worried, and not in the mood to deal with the McAlester boys. They were generally referred to as "The Cousins," as they were all related through one grandfather, who'd had nine boys by three different women. They were rude, rowdy, and dumb. He shook his head. "Don't put up with any shit. If they give the other customers trouble, call me."

"Ok, Dad. But don't worry. That bunch at the middle table took like ... trouble on legs. Came in on huge motorcycles." She added, "Real polite too." Grace filled her water pitcher and braced herself.

Meanwhile, in the dining area. Gibbs eyed the rowdy group with a very jaundiced eye. He poked Tony, who sent the poke to Dean; it made its way around the table. Gibbs murmured, "Keep an eye on those yokels. They're trouble."

Everyone at the table nodded. There was a bit of shuffling as they moved around so that no one had his back to that side of the room.

Grace returned with water and her order book. "Okay, I know you jerks don't need a menu so ... what do you want?" She kept out of arm's reach, only getting close enough to put the pitcher on the table.

"How about a nice fuck? Right here on the table?" The idiot that had made the suggestion was about six feet tall, rangy in the way of some teens, and not that clean.

Grace just snorted. "Not ever. Not even if you clean up. You want food ... order. You want anything else ... talk to your mother." She stepped back another step. "I'm going into the back and not coming out again." She tossed her pad onto the table. "Write down what you want and one ... one..." she held up one finger in warning. "of you bring it to the pass. Jerks." And with that, she stomped off to the back.

Remy glanced around the table, then stood up. He ambled over to the troublemakers and snarled, "Y'all sit there, eat, and leave. You even look like you're gonna cause that little lady any grief, an' I'll pound y'all. All y'all. Now ... what can you afford ... as opposed to what ya want?" He picked up the order book and waited.

There was some grumbling, but a hard glare shut them all up. Remy wrote down what they wanted, eyed them over, added the prices and said, "Pay now. I know how you idiots do."

Mac hollered from the kitchen, "They'll pay. I know their Mamas, an' I'll tell. Thanks."

Remy just went to hand the order through the pass. As he did so he offered, "We'll watch 'em. They cause trouble, they're out."

Mac looked a bit worried. "Not too sure how that'll go. That's a tough bunch. Only thing keeps 'em in line is the fact that I'll ban 'em, and their mothers will make it stick."

Remy smirked meanly. "SEAL, me. NCIS an' Marine. They want war, we got plenty a' practice."

Mac blinked then grinned. "Thank you for your service. In more ways than one. Drinks are on the house."

Remy smiled. "Tank ya." He returned to the table and took his seat.

Tony and Gibbs both kept a sharp eye on the cousins. Finally one of them gave them the stink eye and demanded, "What are you lookin' at?"

Tony replied, "Nothing much." then went back to eating.

Gibbs snorted and leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, eyes fixed on the obvious ringleader. He mumbled to Tony, "AJ, if we got rid of a couple of the older ones, the whole gang would fold."

"Yeah, but the local LEO's would sorta frown on gankin' 'em."

"True. But a man can dream."

Grace came out of the kitchen with a tray of plates, "Special of the Day all 'round." She glared at two of the group. "Except for you two morons. Half slab for Enos and pulled chicken for Dave." She slapped at a groping hand. "You draw that back now, or draw back a stub in two seconds." The hand withdrew.

"Bitch."

Grace didn't bother to get mad; remarking, "And a crazy one, too. Don't you forget it."

Tony started to get up but Grace gave him a sunny smile. "Don't bother. That's the last time I'm gettin' anywhere near that table. They just lost bottomless glass. One-serving drink." She glared over her shoulder. "You've got ten minutes to eat and get out."

"Or what?" One wise ass started to get up.

Remy and Tony blocked him so fast they caused a breeze. "Miss Grace, please bring to-go cartons for all these gentlemen."

Grace didn't argue, she just went into the back, declared the whole group banned as she wasn't ever waiting on them again, and grabbed to-go carriers for the table. Mac didn't even look up; he just reached for the phone.

Grace hurried out with the cartons and found herself faced with a dilemma; she wanted the cousins out, but she didn't really want to get near them. She was relieved when the older man took the containers and said, "I got this; you go back to the kitchen."

Remy, meanwhile, was making sure that all the cousins paid their bill. As soon as he gave the okay, Tony handed them a carton and supervised the transfer of food from plate to carton. They weren't having any 'accidental' breakage. One of the cousins asked, "What about our drinks? We paid good money for those."

Grace snorted, "Free," but went to get to-go cups for their drinks. She handed them over saying, "And no bitching because you don't have a full cup. Just get."

No one was very surprised to see a sheriff's cruiser pull up to the front door and park in the walk zone. The deputy got out, eyed the bikes then the ratty van. He hitched his belt up and walked in. "Okay, what's goin' on?"

Grace pointed to the cousins. "Their usual. These gentlemen were kind enough to keep them from ... whatever. And ..." she eyed them for a moment. "I'm considerin' pressin' charges of assault on a minor. Maybe even sexual assault."

One of the older boys said, "Hey! No! Didn't mean anything by it. Just foolin' around."

Grace eyed him for a moment then said, "You touched me when I didn't want you to. That's assault. It was what the teachers call a naughty touch; that's sexual assault. Deal with it." She turned to the deputy. "They're not allowed in here anymore. Take them all out. Their food is there." She pointed to the carry-out boxes, then turned to smile at the pod. "Thank you all. Once they're out, we'll settle up. Okay?"

Tony gave her one of his most brilliant smiles. "If you weren't jail bait ..."

Grace snorted. "Sorry," she grinned back. "Taken."

Tony shrugged, then said, "Make sure he's good to you."

Mac came out of the kitchen to speak to the deputy, overheard the exchange and said, "Her boyfriend is a good guy," he winked at Tony. "Or else." He turned to the deputy and they went to the register to talk.

After a couple of minutes, during which the pod kept an eye on the cousins, the deputy returned to the group to say, "Okay, here's the way it is. Mr. Deacon, Grace's dad, wants to press charges." He turned to Grace. "Point 'em out."

Grace pointed to the two oldest boys, the ringleaders Gibbs and Tony had pinpointed, "Him and him. Jarod and Isaac."

Deputy Smith moved forward. "Okay, I'm gonna take you into custody. Cuffs and all. If you resist, I'm ..." he frowned.

Gibbs gave the group a nasty smirk. "If you resist, we, in our capacity as federal agents, will deal. And you won't like it." He made a motion that everyone recognized as 'turn around'. "Deputy Smith."

Deputy Smith slapped cuffs on both young men, then pulled a small card out of his pocket and began the Miranda rights. Everyone in the pod recited them along with him, from memory. He chuckled as he put the laminated card he was required to read from into his pocket. "I know it too. But lawyers ... what can you do?"

Tony grinned. "Well, you can't shoot 'em."

Gibbs added, "You can't ignore 'em."

And Deputy Smith finished, "So, just humor 'em and get on with it."

They all laughed, much to the cousins' disgust. Deputy Smith took a moment to examine credentials, then let Gibbs and Remy help him get his prisoners into his car for transport.

Remy eyed Jarod and Isaac for a moment. "You need some help with them?"

"No. They won't be any trouble. They know better. If I have trouble with them, I'll tell their Daddies. They're the black sheep of the family, and they're notorious for getting the younger boys in trouble. That whole pack needs a good ass whuppin'." He checked that the back doors were properly locked, nodded to both men, and said, "Thanks for the offer, but I actually expect the Sheriff to pick up escort within a mile." He got in the driver's seat, started the engine and drove away.

Meanwhile, in the restaurant, Mac was finishing getting the rest of the group out the door. He handed all the food containers to two of the boys and bags of drinks to another. "Here's your food and drinks. Do not come back unless you're with your family. Any more trouble, and you won't set foot in the door until you're old and grey, no matter who you're with." He chivvied them toward the door, backed up by Jimmy and Dean.

There was some muttering and a veiled threat from one boy. He got a smack in the head from Mac and was told, "That does it for you. I'll be callin' your Mom and Dad. Do not come in that door again ... ever. Threaten to burn down my place? In front of witnesses? You better damn well hope nothing happens for the foreseeable future. Get out!"

They all got, grumbling and moaning. One boy was heard to whine, "When my Daddy gets home he's gonna beat what my Momma left over."

Tony turned to Mac. "You gonna be okay?"

Mac nodded. "Yeah. They won't come back. Their families are okay. Just that one small group is out of control. Most of their fathers aren't around, and their mothers have to work. They're at loose ends and get into trouble. I think they're gonna be okay with Jarod and Isaac out of the picture. I'll drop a word with the sheriff and judge. Get them into a community service program or something." He grinned evilly. "I know the sponsor; he'll find things for them to do. Think the ballpark fences all need paint."

Gibbs snickered, having had his own experience with fence-painting in the heat of summer. "Yeah, that'll take some of the starch out of 'em. Good luck."

Mac nodded. "Thanks. Keep it between the ditches."

Gibbs nodded then glanced at the register. He could see Tony tucking some change into his pocket so he assumed that the bill was settled. He was right, so they mounted their motors and headed for the highway and their next stop, which was Knoxville, TN, which was four and a half hours away, if traffic cooperated.

Jimmy grumbled, "Four hours plus with nothing. Isn't there something fun to stop at?"

Tony sighed into his microphone. "No idea. Tim always takes care of that sort of thing. We could maybe find a tourist thing and get some brochures or something."

Remy offered, "If we get there early, we could go see Seminole Pete. He got a 'gator show. Maybe take a tour or somet'in."

The general consensus was, as they were on a main artery instead of the back roads they usually took, they should just make the run down as quickly as possible. They could see some sights before the reunion, help out around the place, and relax.

Jimmy sighed. "We need to pull over for a bit so I can do a search and find someplace. Maybe make reservations."

They agreed to look for a rest area.

Tony finally motioned to pull over.

They were passing a safety rest area with a small cluster of picnic tables and a small brick building with restrooms. He parked, turned off the motor and got off. He stretched and grumbled, "One glass of tea too many. Shit wants out."

Jimmy snorted. "Yeah, me too. I'll do my search and, while I'm takin' a piss, you can decide where we're stayin'." He shifted to the back seat of his trike and pulled the laptop out of its pocket. He did a quick search, then headed for the facilities, calling over his shoulder, "Someone look for a good restaurant within walking distance."

Tony sighed, finished his business, and went to the sink to wash his hands. He glanced into the mirror and realized that he was really scruffy-looking. He hadn't shaved that morning, and his beard was darker than his hair by at least three shades. He chuckled to himself; vacation was under weigh.

Jimmy joined him, looking just as scruffy. "Ought to shave, but ...Meh. Not." He splashed a bit of water on his face and dried it on his sleeve.

"Find anything worth finding?" Tony headed for the door.

"I found a lot. I'm not pickin'. We'll vote on the top ... three?" Jimmy went to lean over Remy's shoulder. "See anything?"

Remy pointed. "That's good, stayed there before. An' it won't break the bank."

.