AUL Chapter 14

As he approached the bullpen, Gibbs barked out an order to "Report!"

DiNozzo and David jumped up from their desks, DiNozzo taking the lead. "Boss, we spoke with Maggie Edwards, she was the employee running that bakery yesterday right before the kidnapping. She reported that an older woman came into the bakery just minutes before closing, which is about when Ethan went missing. She chose some chocolate pastries, told Ms. Edwards they were for her grandson who was coming to live with her."

"Get a description?"

"Yes, the bakery owner is on her way to the shop so Ms. Edwards can come in to do a sketch – you know, Abby's imaging program. We figured if Abby wasn't here yet McGee would know how."

"Good thinking, DiNozzo. David, call Mrs. Tyler and see if she has a recent photo of the grandmothers. One lives in Georgia, the other in Maryland. My gut's telling me it's Maryland. She's alone and lives closer."

"Yes Gibbs."

Tim had reappeared in the bullpen by then and had overheard Tony's report.

"Boss, I'll go down to the lab and boot up Abby's PC so I can get that description done, in case it isn't the grandmother. "

"Good, McGee. Uh…better let Abby know what you're doing."

"Good point Boss." Tim sent a quick text to Abby and headed down to the lab, figuring he'd have a response from her by the time he got there. He did, she reminded him of her start-up protocols.

Ziva hung up her phone, "Mrs. Tyler has recent photos of both grandmothers."

"Ok, Ziva, send Dorneget after them, need you here in the office."

"We do not need to go after them Gibbs; she is sending them to me through e-mail."

"Good thinking Agent David; that saves time."

She looked at her e-mail and smiled. "They are here, Gibbs. I have sent them to the printer."

She pulled the two photos off the printer and then reading what Mrs. Tyler sent on her e-mail, labeled them on the back.

Gibbs thought for a moment. "When she comes in, take her down to the lab and have her tell the two of you her description. If it's anything like either of the photos, then show her the photos. But photos are shown last; don't want to cloud her memory of the woman she saw, might not be Ethan's grandmother. Could be someone posing as one."

Just as he finished speaking, the elevator dinged and the doors opened to reveal a woman with an agent escorting her. DiNozzo nodded at Gibbs, this was their bakery worker. Thanking and dismissing her escort, he guided the woman to a side chair next to his desk.

"Ms. Edwards, thank you for coming in so quickly. We're going to take you to our forensic lab and we'll build a computer generated picture of this woman from your description."

The woman smiled, a little nervous but eager to help. Tony and Ziva escorted her to the lab where Tim had just finished Abby's start-up protocol. He'd just opened the program needed and nodded at the woman as they entered the lab. She quickly gave her description and they built the image online. When they finished, they asked Ms. Edwards to take a careful look, make sure they hadn't missed anything. She closed her eyes, no doubt picturing the grandmotherly woman she'd helped just before she'd closed the shop yesterday. Opening her eyes again she nodded, yes, this image matched the woman there.

Ziva opened the folder she'd carried downstairs with her, "Is this the woman you saw?"

Ms. Edwards gasped, "Yes, it is, oh I hope that little boy is all right, that he's safe."

"We hope he is too, Ms. Edwards. You've been a huge help to us, thank you!"

DiNozzo slipped off to call Gibbs with the news that it appeared that it was indeed the grandmother from Maryland who had taken Ethan or at least had bought him pastries near the park from which he had disappeared.

As Gibbs hung up after getting the update from DiNozzo, he rubbed his mouth. He'd seen Vance come in a few minutes ago and decided to update him. Since this now looked like a domestic kidnapping, perhaps even a misunderstanding, he thought Vance might prefer to turn the case back to Carter's team.

He made his way upstairs and shocked the Director by knocking on the door. Gibbs gave his boss the update and found his hunch was right. Vance wanted them back on their double homicide; he would alert local LEOs and send the two agents from Carter's team to retrieve Ethan. He did ask Gibbs to update Mrs. Tyler before he turned the case files over. Gibbs agreed and quickly made his way down to the squad room and to Carter's bullpen. The two agents had worked with them until late last night; he'd finally sent them home about 2300, now he saw evidence that both were in. He nodded approving of their work ethic, especially with a child kidnapping. He updated them and noticed they were relieved both with the news and that they would be the ones to close the case.

Back at his desk, he called Mrs. Tyler remembering to apologize for the early hour and explaining that they knew who had taken Ethan. When he told the woman it was her mother, she was shocked. She wanted to go with the two agents, Gibbs
and Vance had discussed the possibility; Vance had decided to send a second car with another agent, that way if there was trouble Mrs. Tyler would not be in harm's way. Gibbs hung up the phone, his gut telling him there would be no danger. Now they could return to their still puzzling double homicide.

Gibbs rubbed his eyes and looked around the bullpen which was once again populated with his three field agents. Everyone was showing signs of fatigue and he planned on sending them home to get some sleep but wanted them to finish their paperwork on the kidnapping case while it was fresh in their minds. He cleared his throat and waited till he had their attention, "Great job on the Ethan Tyler case. I know we're all tired and ready to go home, but we need to finish the remainder of this paperwork."

Tony groaned and began whining, "Aww c'mon Boss, can't it wait until tomorrow? We've already been here for close to twenty four hours now."

Glaring at Tony, Gibbs shook his head, "Stop acting like such a baby DiNozzo! The longer you bitch about wrapping this case up is time you could already be home in bed. I don't want to hear another word about it, do I make myself clear?"

Gulping and slightly embarrassed, Tony nodded, put his head down and got to work. Thirty minutes later, Tim and Ziva were handing in their reports while Tony was trying furiously to catch up. After being given the okay from Gibbs, Tim gave Ziva a high five and they returned to their desks to shut down and pack up.

As Tim closed out of his email an alert popped up on the screen, "Boss, you've got to see this."

"Put it up on the plasma, Tim."

Within seconds the entire team had gathered around the main plasma in the bullpen. They were surprised and happy to see the BOLO had come back on Jack Shiner. The Savannah GA PD was currently holding their suspect after he'd been stopped for expired car tags.

Tony laughed, "Bet he's feeling pretty stupid right now. Of all things to get pulled over for, what an idiot."

Gibbs was busy running through the list of Marine Bases near Savannah in his head. He'd known of an Army Base but it would be too much of a hassle to get Marine transport clearance on an Army Base. Tim was already busy pulling up the closest bases. Many were a few hours away which would require renting a car and driving after the transport.

"Boss, the closest base is going to be Atlanta. It's still a few hours' drive to Savannah from there. Want me to look for commercial flights?"

"Yeah, let me call Vance and get the okay. Tony call Savannah PD, let them know Shiner is not allowed out of their sight. We already lost him once, it better not happen again. Zeever, gather all the files on this case and have them ready to go."

While his agents went about their assigned tasks, Gibbs called Vance to give him an update. After agreeing it would be easier to fly directly into Savannah, the Director told Gibbs to take one agent with him while the other two worked the case from here. Before he hung up, Gibbs was already thinking of all the things he could do to his Timmy once they were away from the team. This little getaway - if you could call it that - had come at the perfect time. After hanging up with Vance he walked over to Tim's desk, "Find any flights leaving later today? We can get some rest and then head to the airport."

"We?" Tim whispered as he scrolled through the flight itineraries.

"We." Gibbs smiled and raised his eyebrows slightly. "Vance is allowing me to take one member and I've made my choice."

Tim blushed under his lover's attention, "There's a flight leaving at 1700 that gets into Savannah around 1900. That will give us time to rest or whatever." He smiled coyly and winked.

"Sounds like a plan."

Ziva spotted Gibbs and Tim awfully close while they whispered and laughed. Something was definitely going on between the two of them. She shrugged her shoulders, if they wanted it known then they would tell in due time.

Half an hour later the entire team was headed home for some much needed rest. Tim was relieved when Tony didn't complain about not being picked to go to Savannah. He figured after being snowed in with lingers and Ziva for a few days, the man was more than happy to be staying home. Tony and Ziva would return to the office around seven that night and handle any additional case work from here while Tim and Gibbs headed to Georgia.

XXX

As Gibbs pulled onto his street, he chuckled. Tim's rental car was parked in the street near his house, empty. Gibbs parked in the driveway and headed in. He opened the front door to be pulled into the more private dining area and greeted with a very welcoming kiss. He loved those expressive lips on his, loved the possessiveness that his Tim was displaying. He started to wonder what would have happened if he had actually flirted back with that Carleton woman and then his mind went blank and he let the pleasure engulf him.

Eventually the two stumbled up the stairs to Jethro's room, clothes discarded along the way. They'd thought they were tired but managed to muster enough energy to make love to each other. As they rested, sated and now truly exhausted and wrapped in each other's arms, Tim's watch alarm went off. Gibbs pulled back, "Timmy, don't tell me it's time to go? Not sure I can walk yet!" Tim snorted into his shoulder and then paused to take stock of his own body, "Yeah, you have a point there. But no, love, it's not time to go. I knew what I wanted to do with you, thought you might want do the same thing with me. I really didn't plan it to be so…timely, but we have 6 hours to rest." Gibbs nuzzled his neck, "Hmm, that's good, Timmy, very good planning on your part. We should rest." Tim squirmed, "Jethro that tickles!" The two played a bit longer until Jethro noticed Tim had become awfully quiet. Looking at the young man, draped over his chest, he saw his lover's eyes were closed, sound asleep. Gibbs relaxed and pulled him closer. This was one of the many things he loved about Tim, he loved to snuggle as much as Jethro did. He kissed him tenderly and then laid back and closed his own eyes, knowing Tim would have set his alarm to give them plenty of time to get ready and get to the airport.

XXX

As it turned out, they were a little late leaving for the airport, having gotten entangled in each other once again. Luckily, Tim had planned the drive based on his driving rather than Jethro's, so the lost time was more than made up.

While they were waiting at the gate to board, Gibbs' cell phone rang with a call from Ducky. "Jethro, I hear you and Timothy on your way to Savannah to pick up our murderer? "

"Yeah, Duck, we're just about to board our flight. Whatcha got?"

"An id on the second victim. His name is Titus Redmond. Anthony is contacting the sheriff in Fort Valley to see if the name is known to anyone there. Abby will help search for information on the man."

Gibbs glanced over at Tim, who had been standing close enough to hear Ducky and saw he was already searching on his phone.

"That's fine, Duck, but McGee is already searching, hang on." Tim nodded and then showed Gibbs what he'd found. When his lover squinted, Tim increased the font size and Gibbs nodded his thanks.

"Duck, is DiNozzo there?"

"No, he's in the bullpen."

"Tell him that Shiner was paying Redmond, looks like every week. Tim's just bringing up one of the checks now…ah, yeah, the memo on the check says 'ranch work', looks like this guy was a ranch hand for Shiner. Let DiNozzo know that, will you? They can dig deeper, but that gives them something to start with. Uh, gotta go Duck, we're being called for boarding."

Jethro ended the call and smirked at Tim, "Nice going, babe! They can build on that, figure out what happened."

Tim's eyes sparkled as he gave him a shy smile. "Had it right here, Jethro, seemed like a waste to have Abby do it or make DiNozzo tear his hair out looking."

They moved onto the plane and found their seats. The flight was uneventful; they talked of this or that, being careful to avoid work or intimate conversations. Since they were seated in a section with just two seats, nobody noticed that the two of them were holding hands. Once in Savannah, they picked up their rental car and started for their hotel. It was one of the pricier places, the only hotel and room available at the last minute with two beds. It was a shame they had to reserve it, but they needed to maintain their cover with the agency. The hotel was on Savannah's River Street and Tim had done a little research to see what was there. Once he saw everything, he wished they'd made arrangements to stay a second night; he didn't care if he had to pay his own way.

After checking in, the two anxiously made their way up to the room. Jethro couldn't get the door open fast enough as Tim pinned him up against the door. Groaning as the younger man's crotch rubbed against his ass, he was relieved when the lock finally released and the two tumbled into the room. Backing Jethro up to the bed, Tim pushed him down and then like a hungry lion pounced on his prey. Straddling his lover, Tim leaned down and captured Jethro's lips between his own. They sucked and nibbled enjoying the familiarity and closeness as they both fought for dominance. Sucking on Tim's bottom lip, a major turn on for the younger man, Jethro suddenly pulled away.

"Babe, what's wrong?"

"I realized we've yet to have a proper first date. Would you do me the honor tonight?"

"Hmm can I think about it?" Tim teased as he tweaked one of Jethro's nipples.

Growling, Jethro playfully swatted Tim's ass, "I'll give you something to think about." Catching Tim off guard he quickly turned the tables and rolled the two of them pinning his lover's arms above his head. Leaning down he peppered the younger man's face with kisses causing Tim to thrust his crotch upwards in excitement.

Gibbs chuckled, "Down boy! Feel like releasing some of that energy with a joint shower?"

Cocking one eyebrow, Tim replied, "Hmm do I have time to think about that too?"

"Somebody is cruisin' for a bruisin' Timmy!"

Grabbing his lover's hand he pulled Tim towards the bathroom, each of them stripping off clothes along the way. After taking the time to thoroughly love, wash, caress and massage each other they both stepped out of the shower and took their time getting dressed. Finally ready to hit the town they intertwined their fingers, headed out the door and to the elevator.

Stepping outside, the winter chill sent shivers down their spines. The variety of restaurants and bars was overwhelming so they decided to start walking to keep warm and find a cozy establishment to enjoy dinner. When Tim saw the sign for the "Olde Pink House", he pulled Jethro toward it. "I read about this place, the food is supposed to be wonderful and we can eat in the piano bar downstairs, so we don't have to worry about too much fuss. They have all kinds of local dishes – shrimp and grits and something called she-crab soup."

Jethro laughed at his lover's enthusiasm, "Sounds perfect for our first date, Timmy."

Tim frowned, looking at something on his phone. "What's the matter, babe?"

"We do need reservations and the earliest they have is 10 PM. Just this once, I'm going to see if I can line jump."

"Huh?"

"See if Mr. Gemcity can get us in any sooner." Jethro grinned, he'd forgotten about Tim's famous alter ego. Tim sent another text and then grinned at the reply. "Ok, we're in at 20:30, that's only 15 minutes from now. I explained we hadn't expected to be in town and we're only here for one night."

"You know, Tim, I may really get to like being spoiled like this, we need to keep Mr. Gemcity around!"

Tim flushed, a little embarrassed. "I don't usually do this, Jethro, but we're only here this one night – and it is our first date."

Jethro pulled him into a spot between street lamps and kissed him lovingly. "I was not complaining, sweetie, nor will I, ever. This is perfect!"

While they waited their fifteen minutes, they went inside the building. Walking in was like walking through a time machine. Tim could picture the antebellum culture and Gibbs was ogling the woodwork. After checking in with the host, they made their way downstairs to the piano bar. They found seats, ordered drinks and sat listening to the very entertaining piano player. Tim received a text when their table was ready and they were led to the Vault, a special and private place to dine. Their server was gracious and friendly, full of historical knowledge about the room and the building in general.

While the two men took a tour of the room, enjoying the privacy, they sipped their drinks. Tim had ordered one that was a specialty of the house while Jethro had stuck with his favorite bourbon. Finally they returned to the table and the extensive menu. Deciding to try one of the local favorites, Tim ordered an appetizer of 'southern sushi', that is smoked shrimp and grits rolled in coconut nori. For his entrée, he decided on the Bourbon Molasses Grilled Pork Tenderloin, sweet potato with pecan vanilla butter and collards. He'd never had anything that sounded like that before, not to mention collards. Jethro made a somewhat quicker selection than Tim, having spotted two favorites. He started with blackened oysters on the half shell, following it with an entrée of Fillet Mignon with Green Peppercorn Demi Glace. The two agreed they would share both appetizers and entrees. While they waited for their appetizers, they tried the cornbread and biscuits their server brought them. The cornbread was so good Jethro had to restrain himself from moaning aloud. Tim had held back at first and tried a biscuit which he found delicious. He was picky about cornbread; most of what he'd had in restaurants on his book tours had been horribly dry. However, when he saw his lover having to hold back the moans he dove in for a piece and soon joined Jethro in cornbread heaven. Before their appetizers arrived, their server arrived with a plate of samples. Tim had asked about the Fried Green Tomato with Apple wood Bacon Sweet Corn Cream but was reluctant to order it without a taste first. He and Jethro each had a few bites now and agreed it was wonderful and a dish either would order if they were to eat here again.

They had planned on ordering dessert but were too full by the time they finished their entrees. As they had chatted with their server throughout their meal, he'd told them of several things Savannah offered visitors at night. The first was a carriage ride and tour through the historic district, complete with commentary and champagne. The other thing that sounded like fun was a tour of some of the ghostly buildings. Knowing they were only here for one night and wanting to make the most of their first date, they decided to go for the carriage tour. Their server had checked the times and found they wouldn't make the last history tour of the night. He disappeared only to reappear with the manager of the restaurant who told them his brother worked for the tour company. He then stepped aside to contact him and when he returned he'd had made arrangements for a late private tour just for them. Smiling, he gave them directions and after they settled the check, Mr. Gemcity giving both the server and the manager his autograph and generous tips, they headed out. By now it was getting late, but neither of them wanted their unexpected night of fun - and first date - to end too soon. They weren't due at the City Jail until 10:00 tomorrow morning so had plenty of time to catch up on their sleep…and other things. When they exited the restaurant, they were surprised to find the horse and carriage just clip clopping into place in front of the building. Tim made a mental note to mention the restaurant, the manager and server and the tour company in his next book. In fact, he told Jethro that Mr. Gemcity might need another trip down here to do some more research. Jethro grinned happily at him as they climbed into the carriage. They found warm lap blankets waiting for them as well as a chilled bottle of champagne complete with two flutes and cloth napkins in a small basket. As their horses, Jeb and Bleu, took them around the city, they snuggled and cuddled, enjoying the champagne, the tour and most of all, each other. Rather than drop them back at the restaurant, their tour guide took them straight to the hotel, much to the amazement of the front desk staff.

Noticing the cozy hotel bar adjacent from the lobby they debated whether to enjoy another drink or retreat to their room for the night. Already slightly buzzed from the drinks at dinner as well as the champagne, they finally opted for the room. They were both exhausted and didn't feel like interrogating Shiner with hangovers. Stumbling into their room, Jethro headed for the bathroom while Tim toggled through the songs on his phone. Finding his collection of Barry White he found his favorite tune and pressed play. Jethro smiled as he emerged from the bathroom naked except for his boxers. Tim pulled him in for a kiss, moaning as the minty fresh breath of his lover tingled against his tongue. While sucking, nibbling and exploring each other's mouths, Jethro began unbuttoning Tim's shirt.

"Timmy, I want you naked!" Jethro growled against his lips.

Breaking the kiss, Tim raised his eyebrows slightly and smiled. "You want me naked? That can be arranged."

Grabbing the older man's hand he guided him to take a seat on the edge of the bed. As the music continued to play, Tim danced along sexually, parting his lips slightly and looking deep into the sparkling baby blues of his lover. His long slender fingers grazed his belt buckle and he slowly unbuckled it, pulling it out of his pants. Folding it in half he wrapped it around Jethro's neck and pulled him in for a searing kiss. After a moment of playing dueling tongues, Tim was ready to continue with his strip tease. Dropping the belt he broke the kiss and began unbuttoning the remaining buttons on his shirt. Shrugging it off his shoulders he let it slide down his muscular arms before pulling it off. Gently throwing it in Jethro's direction the older man caught it and immediately inhaled his Timmy's scent.

Sighing in contentment he was startled when Tim grabbed his hand, laid it over his pectoral muscle and flexed. Giving it a gentle squeeze, Jethro ran his fingertips down the unmarred alabaster skin and stopped at his belly button. Blushing, Tim gyrated, moving his hips up and down while his hands caressed his stomach and hips. Jethro was panting, keeping constant eye contact with his lover until Tim reached for the waistband of his boxers. Leaning back, Jethro hissed as Tim's warm slender fingers made contact with his skin. While he lifted his hips, Tim slid the boxers off and onto the floor. Grinning, the younger man gave Jethro's cock a gentle squeeze, swiped the pre cum off with the tip of his finger and sucked if off. Humming in delight, Tim unbuttoned his own pants and gradually slipped them off, moving his body with the rhythm of the music. As he glided his thumbs beneath the waistband, Jethro waggled his eyebrows and gave him a small smirk. Although he was enjoying the strip tease from his Timmy he wanted to suck, nibble and touch and he wanted it now. Swinging his hips, Tim groaned as his cock was freed from the confines of fabric. Leisurely sliding the boxers down to his knees, he let go, dropping them to the floor. Growling, Jethro reached out, grabbed Tim's hand and pulled him onto the bed.
"That was the hottest strip tease I've ever seen. Thanks for doing that for me Timmy."

Tim smiled warmly, "Anything for you my love."

A/N: Information about Savannah Georgia came from personal experience and the internet, since it's been more than 20 years since Gottahavemyncis was there. Details about "Olde Pink House" came from Yelp: /biz/the-olde-pink-house-restaurant-savannah. Details about the historic district carriage ride (except the private tour, pick up and drop off which is creative license) came from - including the horses' names. If you can get to Savannah, do so, it's wonderful, one of Gotta's favorite places on earth.