Chapter 21 – Rain, Rain, Go Away!
"Hurry up Tony or we'll be late. You need to put your shoes and jacket on," called Jenny, stepping around Abby and walking towards the small bedroom.
"I can't find my jacket!" yelled Tony, his voice reverberating around the camper.
"I'm right here, Tony," replied Jenny calmly.
Tony turned to see his mother peering into the shared bedroom.
"I can't find my Jacket, Mom," he repeated.
"Yes, I heard you the first time. Where did you last put it."
Tony threw up his arms in frustration. "I don't know!"
"I've always thought that was a ridiculous thing to say," added Abby loudly, leaning over her platform boots as she laboriously hooked each shiny black button. "I mean, if you knew where you last put something, it wouldn't be lost."
"Yes, thank you Abby for that enlightening observation."
Gibbs tried to hide the smirk that was itching to escape following Jenny's sarcastic retort.
"And you could be more helpful," she said, shooting the accusation in Gibbs' direction.
Glaring at the bemused look on the man's face, Jenny rolled her eyes and continued, "Ziva's standing there with no sweater, let alone a jacket and sneakers that need lacing!"
Feeling suitably chastised, Gibbs creaked into action, wincing as his knee protested the change in position.
"This table will be the death of my knee," he complained loudly. "There's no room to stretch out."
"There's no room to do anything," snapped Jenny. "We are, without doubt, outgrowing this camper."
With plans to only stay two nights in Victor Harbor, Gibbs had decided there was little point in spending the time putting up the annex. His decision was made even easier when they arrived at the new destination surrounded by grey clouds and drizzling rain. However, this now meant the family were cramp inside the camper and it didn't take long for tempers to flare. Already tired from a night of little to no sleep, Jenny's patience was rapidly deteriorating.
Deciding it was best to remain silent, Gibbs crouched in front of Ziva and began re-threading the errant shoe laces.
"How come they're pulled out?" he asked, looking up into the innocent brown eyes.
Ziva shrugged.
"I don't know Daddy. I just found them that way," she replied.
When the laces were finally threaded and tied, Gibbs sent Ziva away to find a sweater and her jacket.
"Coming through," she said cheerfully as she passed by Jenny who was still standing in the doorway.
Skipping to the built in closet, she pulled opened the door and began rummaging through the various items of clothing.
"Got ya!" she said, pulling a purple waterproof jacket from its hanger. As her eye caught something bundled on the floor of the closet, Ziva bent forward until her head and torso practically disappeared from view.
"Found something else," she called in a sing-song voice.
Retreating out of the closet, she triumphantly held aloft Tony's navy waterproof jacket.
"Woohoo!" called Tony happily. Then, seeing the less than amused look on his Mother's face, added, "That was going to be the next place I looked."
"Really Tony?" replied Jenny. "I'd have thought the closet should have been the first place you looked."
Flashing an embarrassed grin, Tony snatched the jacket from his little sister's hand and high tailed it out of the bed room.
"You're welcome!" yelled Ziva. Rolling her eyes, she returned her attention to finding a sweater.
Jenny stifled a laugh. It appeared Ziva had been taking lessons in sarcasm as well.
"Everyone ready?" she asked surveying the family.
"Just about."
Abby's muffled voice called from the corner near the bathroom. With her head still bent low, she sighed loudly as she began working on the buttons of her other boot. Lifting a face reddened with the exertion of having it held low for a prolonged length of time, Abby grumbled, "I must have been out of it when I last took off these boots. I never undo all the buttons. It takes too long to put them on."
When Ziva reappeared from the bedroom, Gibbs gave a low chuckle. Walking over to his daughter, he lifted her and placed her on the counter.
"What Daddy?" she asked, frowning in confusion.
Gibbs laughed again.
"While I fully believe the pattern on the inside is just as good as the pattern on the outside, I'm not sure the general public is ready for your new fashion statement."
As Gibbs pointed to her sweater, Ziva flushed with embarrassment. In her haste to put it on, she hadn't noticed the garment was inside out. Lifting her arms as the sweater was removed, she waited patiently until it was turned the right way out and happily permitted her father to redress her.
With Abby upright again, Tony now wearing his 'missing' jacket and Ziva dressed to social conformities, Jenny opened the camper door. She stared out dismally. What had been light drizzle only a few minutes ago, was now a steady stream of relentless rain.
"Jethro," she called behind her. "Open the car please!"
Seeing the indicator lights flash, signalling the doors unlocking, Jenny sprinted from the camper to SUV. Opening the back door, she pulled the seat forward and waited while Tony and Ziva ran through the rain and crawled into the back seats. Leaving the door open for Abby and Tim who were quick on the heels of the younger two, Jenny climbed into the front passenger seat and was soon joined by Gibbs who brought up the rear.
"Phew," she said loudly, running her fingers through her, now damp, hair. "I hope it doesn't rain like this tomorrow."
"We can still see the penguins, can't we?" asked Ziva anxiously.
"It won't be much fun if it's pouring with rain," reasoned Jenny.
"I don't care if it rains," said Ziva, her eyes wide with impending disappointment. "And the penguins are wet anyway, so they won't care either."
Not wanting to risk a meltdown over something that may not even happen, Jenny smiled at her youngest.
"I'm sure tomorrow will be a much nicer day," she said cheerfully.
Ziva's sharp powers of observation didn't miss the doubt that lined Jenny's statement. Narrowing her eyes, she crossed her arms and said with determination. "Well, I'm going even if it's raining!"
Ignoring the comment, Jenny turned to the front and fervently prayed for a climatic turnaround within the next twelve hours.
Having decided, based on the weather, it would be easier to find somewhere to eat in for dinner rather than get take out, Gibbs cruised down the main street as the family looked out for a good place to dine.
"Pizza! Pizza! Pizza!" yelled Tony, the tip of his finger rhythmically hitting the window.
"Good spotting Tony," agreed Tim. "I'm in!"
"What about the rest of you?" called Gibbs to the occupants in general. "Happy with pizza?"
"It has a pasta bar as well," said Abby, reading the name of the restaurant. "I'm in."
"Me too!" yelled Ziva. "I want a Coke!"
Gibbs laughed. "I'm talking about food Ziva. You can get a Coke anywhere."
"I know," replied Ziva happily. "That's why I'm easily pleased."
Jenny and Gibbs exchanged a look of amusement.
"She gets that from you," they said in unison.
"Jinx!" yelled Tony. "Now neither of you can talk. Yay!"
"Only the people who speak at the same time can say jinx," called Jenny over her shoulder. "And unfortunately for you, we are both far too mature for such games."
"Jinx!" called Gibbs giving Jenny a devilish grin.
Tony guffawed loudly. "Ha ha ha, Mom!" he teased. "Now you have to be silent."
Parking the car in front of the restaurant, Gibbs leaned over and kissed Jenny on the lips. "Sorry hon, I couldn't resist."
"Hmmm," replied Jenny. While her tone indicated she was not amused, the twinkle in her eye said otherwise. "I'm sure I'm the only adult in this family sometimes."
"Mom! You're not allowed to speak," announced Tony loudly. "That's the rules."
"I released the curse when I gave Mom a kiss," replied Gibbs. "That's the rules!"
"Ew, gross!" yelled Tony. "I ain't never heard that rule before!"
"Haven't," corrected Jenny. "And it's a special rule for adults only." Lowering her voice, she looked at Gibbs and winked. "Along with a few others I can think of."
"Really?" inquired Gibbs his eyebrows shooting upwards, but Jenny had already opened the car door and was attempting to exit without getting too wet. Determined to finish the conversation later that evening, Gibbs followed suit.
Seated at a booth in a quiet corner of the restaurant, the family patiently awaited the meals they had just ordered with the waiter. With Ziva and Tony occupied completing the puzzles on their table mats, Gibbs decided now was as good a time as any to continue their lunchtime conversation about going home.
He cleared his throat.
"I gathered from our conversation at lunch, none of us would be opposed to heading back to the States soon?"
"What's opposed mean Daddy?" asked Ziva, her purple pencil suspended in mid air.
"Against," replied Gibbs. "None of us is against going home soon."
Ziva nodded but before she returned to drawing on her mat, she announced stubbornly, "As long as we see the penguins first."
Rolling his eyes, Gibbs continued. "So, penguins aside, is there anything else anyone really wants to do?"
"I'd like to visit my cousin, Boss," said Tim. "She's a fair distance away from here though, so I'd understand if we can't."
"Ah, Tim," groaned Gibbs apologetically. "I'd forgotten all about your cousin. She was the reason we chose Australia in the first place. Where does she live?"
"They're on a station somewhere between Leigh Creek and Marree," replied Tim.
"Where's that?" asked Tony, scrunching up his nose.
"A station?" interrupted Ziva. "Like a train station?"
Tim laughed at Ziva's question.
"No, it's a cattle station, like a ranch," he explained. "Hang on, I'll get the details," he added, fishing into his pocket for his phone. "When we were deciding to do this vacation, I called Aunt Penny and got the details from her." He scrolled through his contact list while the others waited silently.
"Found it," he announced gleefully. "The address is a roadside mail address but I have a phone number so I'll give them a call tomorrow."
"Well," began Abby, furiously typing into her phone. "According to Google Maps, Marree about a ten hour drive away.
"Wowsers!" shouted Tony. "That's a long way!"
Tim's face fell.
"It's possibly too far," he said sadly.
"Not at all," replied Gibbs and Tim looked up in surprise. "We can't come to Australia and not experience at least some of the outback. Besides," he added earnestly. "This is family. And family is important."
"So, how big is the station?" asked Jenny. "I've heard Australia has some huge farms in the outback."
"I don't know exactly," replied Tim. "The land belongs to Michael's family. That's Tracy's husband. I think it's pretty big though."
Just then, a waitresses appeared carrying two large trays of pizza. As she placed them in the middle of the table, Jenny quickly helped Ziva pack up the pencils while a second waitress brought bowls of pasta and salad to share. Tony eyed the double pepperoni with delight and waited as Gibbs passed out the plates and silverware.
As Tim helped himself to pasta and salad, he felt Tony nudge him in the ribs.
"What?" he asked, wincing at the sudden jab.
"Can you pass me some napkins?"
"You already have one," replied Tim, pointing to the napkin folded around the knife and fork.
"Yeah, but it's pizza, Tim," argued Tony. "I'm gonna need more than one."
Sighing, Tim reached over to the end of the table and grabbed an extra three napkins for Tony. He wasn't taking any chances on the boy saying he still didn't have enough. Passing them to Tony, Tim picked up his fork and, staring at his plate of pasta and salad, wondered where to start first. He was just about to dig in when he spied something black in the middle of the salad. With a horrified squawk, Tim leaped back from his plate.
Everyone looked up in surprise.
"What is it?" asked Gibbs, staring at the young man who had paled significantly.
"A…a….sp…spider in my salad," stammered Tim.
"What?" cried Abby. "Let me see!"
Leaning across the table, Abby squinted at Tim's plate. "Ew, that's disgusting," she exclaimed. "Call the waiter over. Demand another meal."
"No, it's OK," replied Tim, feeling the colour return to his face. "I'll just put the salad to one side. I don't feel like eating it anyway."
"No way, Timmy," said Abby angrily. "If you won't complain, I will."
Thrusting her arm into the air, Abby attempted to get the attention of the young waiter.
"Abby don't," growled Tony softly, turning red with embarrassment. "It's not a real spider."
Reaching across to Tim's plate, Tony extracted the small black spider.
"It's just a pretend spider, see," he said, holding it out for everyone to see. "It was a joke."
"Tony!" groaned Tim. "That's not funny. You know I don't like spiders."
"Yeah, I know," replied Tony grinning. "That's why I chose you."
Looking around the table, Tony's face fell when he saw the look on his Mother's face. "It was just a joke," he repeated a little less confidently than before.
"Give it here, please," said Jenny, holding out her hand.
Tony sighed and handed her the plastic arachnid.
"Will I get it back?" he asked dolefully.
"I'll think about it," replied Jenny, inspecting the toy. "Where'd you get this from, anyway?"
"It was in my prank book," said Tony. "Be thankful I used that one. The book suggested I find a real spider to use instead. Well, a dead one, but one that had been alive."
Jenny turned to Gibbs. "Still think the book was a great idea?"
"It's kind of funny," said Gibbs. Then, seeing the incredulous look on Jenny's face, added, "Oh come on Jen, it could have been worse."
"Yeah, I could have used a live spider," interjected Tony, pleased to see his Dad wasn't angry with him.
"I'd stay quiet if I were you," advised Gibbs. "Quit while you're ahead."
Tony closed his mouth with a snap.
Suddenly Abby laughed. "Good job I didn't call the waiter over. That would have been embarrassing."
"Anymore fake spiders?" asked Tim, cautiously picking up his fork again.
"No, that was the only one," replied Tony. "Sorry, Tim. I didn't mean to really scare you."
Tim laughed. "S'OK," he said, elbowing Tony in the ribs. "I guess it was a good prank to play. That spider looked pretty realistic. When did you put it in my salad?"
When you were grabbing the napkins," replied Tony smirking.
Shaking his head, Tim said, "Didn't think you needed more than one. With the rate of speed it takes you to finish a pizza, the food doesn't have time to stick to your fingers.
Grinning triumphantly, Tony took a large bite of his pizza.
Later that evening, just before the family started watching a DVD, Gibbs called Tony into his and Jenny's bedroom.
"What is it, Dad?" asked Tony as he entered the room. "Am I in trouble over the spider."
"Nah," replied Gibbs shaking his head. "Although, I wouldn't advise you play any tricks on Mom at the moment. She isn't overly impressed with that book."
Tony giggled. "I won't," he agreed.
"Last night after your nightmare," began Gibbs slowly, taking a seat on the bed. "I called Grandpa Jack and told him how scared you were in the basement."
Tony face fell. "But why, Dad?" he accused. "I don't want Grandpa to feel bad about it."
"Neither do I, Tony," said Gibbs quickly. "That's not why I called him."
"You shouldn't have called him at all," continued Tony angrily. "Now he'll feel bad and think I'm a baby."
"Hey," interrupted Gibbs. "That's not true. Yes, he's worried about you but he knows you understand why he had to turn off the lights. He also knows that Mom and I think it was the best thing for him to do."
Gibbs reached out and pulled Tony onto his lap. Resistant at first, the boy eventually allowed himself to be nestled against his Father's chest.
"I called Grandpa to give him a heads up. Mom and I think it would be a good idea for you to have a chat with him about that night."
"He's not mad at me for telling you, is he?" Tony's voice was small and unsure.
"Not at all, Bud," said Gibbs emphatically. "He just wants to hear your voice and know that you're OK. He's worried you might be mad with him."
"With him?" said Tony in surprise. "Of course I'm not mad with him. He was trying to protect me."
"And that's exactly what I need you to tell Grandpa," replied Gibbs gently. "I think it would be good for both of you to have a chat."
Tony nodded and Gibbs pulled out his cell. Dialling the number, he held the phone out to Tony when he heard it ringing.
The phone clicked.
"Hello?" said a familiar voice.
"Hi. Grandpa?" said Tony.
Without appearing too obvious, Gibbs listened to the conversation.
"Tony!" exclaimed Jack. "It's so good to hear your voice. Are you having a good time in Australia?"
"Yeah," replied Tony shyly. A few seconds of awkward silence passed. "Um…Grandpa?"
"Yes, Son."
"I….well Dad…thinks it might be a good idea if we…well…talked about that night…you know….in the basement?"
"Listen Tony," began Jack. "I'm sorry you were so frightened that night. I didn't even think about how scary the darkness might be. I guess I was too worried being scared about what was happening upstairs."
"You…you were scared too?" asked Tony softly.
"Too right," replied Jack. "I was terrified. All those gun shots and people yelling. And then Ziva screamed."
Tony frowned and Gibbs noticed his eyes glaze over as he was reminded of that night. "I…I forgot about hearing Ziva scream. It was real loud too. How could I forget that?"
Gibbs tightened his hold on Tony and tenderly kissed the boy's head.
"There was a lot going on that night, Tony," said Jack. "I'm not surprised you don't remember everything."
"I didn't know you were scared too, Grandpa. Maybe we should have just hugged each other until the noises stopped."
Gibbs heard Jack's voice falter. "I…I think that would have been a very good idea. I wish I'd thought of that."
"Me too," said Tony sighing. "But, I'm OK now Grandpa," he added cheerfully. "I'm not mad or anything."
"I'm glad, Son," replied Jack. "I'm glad you're not mad at me for turning off the lights."
"I could never be mad at you Grandpa. You were just trying to keep me safe."
"That I was, Tony. That I was."
There was a brief silence as both parties came to terms with the conversation. Finally, Jack broke the silence.
"So, what have you been up to," he asked cheerfully.
Suddenly feeling as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders, Tony began to giggle.
"You'll never guess what I did to Tim tonight," he said, his eyes dancing animatedly.
Gibbs smiled and stood, sliding Tony to the floor. Leaving the two to finish their conversation in private, he stepped out of the room.
Collapsing onto the sofa near the table, Gibbs leaned back and closed his eyes. He opened them again as Jenny rubbed his arm.
"Everything OK?" she asked, looking into his eyes with concern.
"Yep," he replied, reaching out and hooking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "It is now."
AN - Thanks to OzNCISLover for reminding me about Tim's cousin. I guess there might be a few more chapters still to write before I'm finished with this one! :D