A/Ns: I'll be away on vacation (what a glorious phrase!) this week and will have, at best, limited internet access. Rather than delaying posting, I'll post 2 chapters tonight (28 & 29), please read at your leisure. Would love to hear your thoughts about the story as it moves along. You might not get an alert for chapter 29, so please do look!

Momcat, thank you for the heads up about 'Chapter 57', that was a note to myself that should have been removed before posting! I've fixed it. Fictional Amzida is in the European region of Turkey. Other than that, it can be anywhere you want it to be! Also, I've always heard good things about the people of Turkey, not just here in the story. I don't know that I've ever met anyone from there. I think the 2 young men from Cyprus my friends and I met in Athens decades ago were as close as I've been. They were very friendly, interesting and a lot of fun.


Chapter 28

Artie and Tim decided it was time to wrap up the party or at least time for them to go. They would have Dad's pickup for the next few days.

Before they left Ducky's, they changed from their wedding finery to casual clothes, hanging their wedding clothes in their garment bag. James had offered to take their garment bag home and to the cleaners for them. That way, their formal wear would be ready for their 'second wedding' in Brambury the Saturday after they returned to the UK.

Kissing the children, they wouldn't see them until Tuesday evening, they said goodbye and thanked everyone. They'd see the out-of-towners and their parents at brunch tomorrow, at the hotel they were staying in tonight. After the brunch, they'd check out and head for their secret hideaway on Chesapeake Bay.

Still floating on air, the couple drove the short distance to the hotel, checked in and headed for the honeymoon suite. They made mad sweet love until falling asleep in each other's arms. Awake early, they made good use of the time; the brunch wasn't until 9 AM.

As they were getting dressed, Artie say, "Tim, how attached are you to our bedroom?"

He looked at her quizzically and then smiled, "The bed, chairs, sofa, drapes, artwork, rug…you're thinking we should move to the other master?"

"Yes. We'll have more privacy. The closet is a little smaller, but ours isn't full anyway."

"I can wire that room for the TV and move it. Great idea, honey, we'll be all the way down the hall from the kids, but still close enough if they need us."

"Will you mind being so far from your office?"

He shook his head, chuckling, "That's what, maybe 40 feet? I think I can handle it. Want to ask the landlord if we can paint? I don't think anything's been done to it since it was renovated from nursery to 2nd master in the 80's."

"Yes, let's do that. And change the light fixture, we'll swap."

"I forgot that's mine, the one that was there when we moved in is in the basement with a few other things. So yes, swapping is good. How sunny is it in the morning?"

"I don't remember but I prefer drapes anyway."

"Ok and I really like the andirons in our room."

"Me too, good, another swap! This will be fun and we'll have more privacy."

"Exactly. The other thing I was thinking of is making the old schoolroom into an office for you. I know we can't do too much but we can at least air it out, clean the walls, floors and windows, see what the lighting is, might need re-wiring."

"What if, instead of moving and having to store everything that's in there, we put up a folding screen?"

"Good idea! I bet the frames are easy to build, have to make sure they're sturdy and balanced, then decide whether you want fabric, paper like the Japanese screens or wood inserts."

They smiled at each other, their first ideas, discussion and decisions as a married couple. Hand in hand, they wandered into the restaurant just as Dad, Lu and the Galanises arrived. Bride and groom smiled, kissing their respective parents, Tim adding a kiss to Sophia's cheek and a handshake for Mr. Galanis. He'd decided he'd better think of him that way or he might slip up, call him Kosmos which he thought was a pretty cool name. Artie kissed both Jethro and Lu.

The Porters, Biros-Santos', Donovans and Artie's former roommates, Cheryl and Hannah arrived and they were seated. Dad looked at the newlyweds, "Senior can't make it, said to say congratulations again and he'll see us next time we're home."

Artie's eyes widened and she turned to Tim, "Does he only show up at Christmas?"

"Mostly. He used to show up in town at odd times and somehow our team always had to rescue him from something."

Mr. Galanis' eyebrows lifted, "Rescue him?"

"Let's see, the first time he dropped in, in the middle of a highly sensitive international murder case, he was accused of giving information to foreign nationals who were involved in the case. And we were the ones accusing him. We went to his location with weapons drawn, looking for a traitor."

"Obviously, you proved his innocence."

Tim tilted his head, "We proved he wasn't guilty. Not sure I would ever call him innocent."

He looked at his dad, an eyebrow raised. Gibbs gave him a look and then said, "The worst time was in France, luckily we weren't there. He met a lovely seemingly-well-to-do woman in a casino he wasn't used to frequenting. He usually played in Monte Carlo, but financial issues sent him to Nice. He wined and dined this woman for a couple of days and then made his move. And found himself face down on the floor, handcuffs on his wrists as the woman, a U.S. Federal Agent, accused him of treason, laundering money for terrorists. He'd walked into a undercover operation. He looked, dressed and acted enough like the real criminal to be tagged for it. He kept his wits about him and gave her our names. I got a call at 2:00 AM from another federal agency asking if I'd vouch for him. I told them to call our director. Leon sent a couple of NCIS agents to the casino and they were able to prove he wasn't the suspect the other agency was looking for. Luckily, the takedown was in a private room so they hadn't blown their operation. While one of our guys stayed with Senior, the other one went downstairs to help restart the operation and spotted a terrorist we'd been chasing for several years, one with a personal connection to our team. Arrested him and the right traitor. That was a win-win situation. I don't think he's been back to Nice since."

"My, he sounds…uh, interesting?"

"Word for it. He means well and he's trying hard to connect with his son."

"And seeing how close Tony is to all of you, he infiltrated the team?"

Dad chuckled while a surprised bark of laughter escaped from Tim. He laughed so hard he had to have a glass of water. "Excuse me! That's perfect!"

Artie's friend Hannah, who'd said it, grinned. "Glad to oblige!"

Their server arrived with their meals and conversation changed to "this is delicious" or "please pass the jam". After he'd eaten, Mr. Galanis told a few tales of wayward diplomats that had them laughing again.

The Porters, Donovans, Biros-Santos, Cheryl and Hannah were returning to Boston on the same flight, so they said their goodbyes all at once. Tim and Artie looked after them sadly and then grinned at each other. "We'll be able to visit them in eighteen months!"

Artie nodded and then added, "Maybe sooner if they come visit us!"

Sophia smiled, "That's a good idea. Artemis, Timothy, we're hoping you'll allow Jason and Marissa to spend tomorrow afternoon with us, and then we'll pick up Gregory and Kyle to join us for dinner at the Embassy, they have a separate dining room for families. Would that be acceptable?"

She relaxed when her daughter and son-in-law nodded and Tim said, "Thank you for including Greg and Kyle." He looked at his father, "Dad? You're in charge of our babies for the next 3 days, does that work?"

"It does, Timson. We'll visit their father and their mother's grave tomorrow afternoon. If you'd like, I could bring them to you, save you a trip. Patrick, their father, is in a hospital in Baltimore; we'll go through DC on the way back."

Mr. Galanis looked startled and then shook his head, "Excuse me, I had forgotten about your brother, Timothy. Yes, that will be fine. Do you still have a military ID?"

"Yes, I do."

"Then if you will bring that, the guards will allow you entrance. I'll leave word."

"Appreciate it. My turn for a question or two. You're leaving the 31st, correct?"

"Yes. It was the only day we could get seats on the diplomatic flights."

"I see. We'd love to have you for dinner on the 30th, spend a little more time with our family. How about we make it early, at 5:00? That way you'll have some time to pack or whatever you need to do before leaving."

"Thank you, that's thoughtful. Yes, we'd love to come."

"Great, is there anything you don't particularly like? We'll probably have a chicken dish."

Tim looked at his wife, she smiled her agreement and he said, "Dad, we'll make dinner, if you don't mind giving up the spatula?"

"That's fine, son."

Artie beamed, saying, "We'll make a recipe Tim and I developed together. It's a fusion of two recipes, Greek and American."

Mr. Galanis nodded and Sophia smiled, "That sounds wonderful!" When their car arrived, they said their goodbyes. After they were sure the Galanis were gone, all four sat back at the table to relax for a few minutes.

Dad shook his head, "I hope I'm not expected to call them Mr. and Mrs. Galanis for the rest of our lives."

Tim huffed, "I am."

"That's different, you're their son-in-law. I'm their peer, your parent."

"What did you call Shannon's father?"

"Mr. Fielding, although he asked me to call him Mac. I couldn't do it, not with that witch around. When Kelly learned to talk and called him Grandpa Mac, then I also called him that. Eventually, I had to call Shannie's mother by her first name, which nearly did me in."

Tim chuckled, "I don't know what I'd do if Artie's father ever asked me to call him by his first name. It's not going to happen!"

Artie thought about it and then nodded. "Probably not. My brother has been married for 15 years, has 4 children and his wife still calls our parents Mr. and Mrs. Although if my father's not around, she calls Mama by her first name."

"What's her name, your sister-in-law?"

"Adriana and Ana is her short name."

They talked for a little while longer before Lu nudged Jethro, "J, we're cutting into their honeymoon!"

"Oh geez! Go on, get! Love you both."

The honeymooners took off, laughing at Dad's forgetfulness. The drive to their spa hotel on Chesapeake Bay was a little over an hour and they were glad they'd paid a little extra for an early check-in. The Waterfront King Suite was just as advertised, with a 2 person jacuzzi tub, waterfront views, a 3-sided fireplace and a separate sitting room. The hotel also had an indoor swimming pool they wanted to use and of course a spa. A massage sounded wonderful to both of them.

After experiencing the jacuzzi tub, they decided to nap. When they woke, they went for a swim before returning to their suite, eventually ordering room service. Monday, they stayed in their room all day, finally dressing for an elegant dinner in one of the hotel restaurants. The next morning, they dug themselves out of their love nest for an early swim. After their swim, they ate a light breakfast downstairs and then loaded up the truck for the drive home. In no hurry, they wandered through small towns, stopping at several interesting looking stores, buying a few things they'd probably ship home. When they got hungry, they found a waterfront restaurant where they enjoyed some of Maryland's famous crab cakes.

NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS

On the 29th, Rob drove Geordie to Bethesda for a medical appointment. When he met with his primary physician, he was astounded to hear he'd been selected to receive a new therapy treatment in the UK. The treatment had been in use for three years on Royal Marines with a high percentage of success, but had not yet been approved for use in the United States. In essence, he would be 'Patient One' for the U.S. He'd be flown to London on a military medical transport and taken directly to the hospital where he'd be for about a week. When the doctor was told that Captain Perry's family lived just outside of London, he smiled in relief. "You'll be in and out of the hospital for months, possibly up to a year, and will need a place to stay in between. We've been trying to arrange temporary quarters for you. How far outside of London does your family live?"

As Geo wasn't sure, he asked if Rob could join them. When Rob heard the name of the hospital, he smiled. "That's less than a mile from my hospital. Our dad, brother or sister can easily pick him up or if he's only out overnight, he can stay with me, there's an elevator in my building."

He looked at his brother, "You'll be living in Dad's suite downstairs, you'll have a private bathroom and you're not far from the kitchen. It's quiet, you won't hear Tim and the kids when they leave for school in the morning. Artie's leaving for her next project in a few weeks and will only be home on weekends, not that she's noisy! Sarah isn't noisy and neither is James, besides, they're on the other side of the house from you. And you know Dad's usually quiet, he snores a bit as you know but you won't be in the same room with him. I've never heard him when I've stayed in there."

"Where will you sleep when you visit?"

"There's a second master upstairs. I've got a Cal King mattress at the house, I'll move that upstairs and we'll all be fine."

The doctor was intrigued, "Suites, 2 master bedrooms? How big is this house? It sounds huge!"

"It is huge, at least to us. Upstairs has 6 bedrooms, 3 baths, a library and an old schoolroom, downstairs has 2 suites each with 2 bedrooms, 2 baths and its own living room. The kitchen is pretty big, eat-in, there's a formal dining room with a huge table and, let's see, hallways to the suites, a bathroom downstairs, next to the kids' playroom. Laundry room, living room and I forgot my brother's office upstairs, basement, Dad has a woodworking shop down there. There's also an attic that none of us have explored yet."

"And how many people live there?"

Rob grinned, "Was 6, expanded to 9 and now there will be 11, although James and I don't live there full-time. I have my own flat near the hospital and our sister Sarah's boyfriend doesn't quite live there full-time but does spend more nights there than at his flat in London. Almost the whole family."

"Will the Captain need to go upstairs for anything? And are there stairs into the house?"

"No, it's all living quarters up there, except for the library and we can bring him books. And there are no stairs into the house. There are two to get into the backyard, there's a step out terrace off the back of the conservatory and then two stairs down into the yard. But he can access the backyard from the front, by walking around the side. There's a gate and a bit of a downslope but nothing drastic and it's paved."

"Good! Are the children all in school during the day?"

"Yes, school and nursery, that is day care. Tim, their father, is a professor at a university in town. When his schedule allows, he walks or drives them to and from school. On the days he has late classes, our dad, sister or his wife, when she's home, handle the children's transportation."

"Will there be anyone at home with him during the day?"

"Yes, our sister works from home on her own schedule and our dad is usually home. He's retired but sometimes does consultations."

Geordie frowned, "Won't he and I be tripping over each other?"

"No, if he's home, he's in the basement working on a project. He and Sarah always have their cell phones handy in case one of the kids gets sick and has to come home. Geordie, there's a big TV in the family room off the kitchen, huh, I missed that room! Anyway, there's a recliner and couches in there, very comfortable furniture."

The doctor nodded, "That sounds great to me, certainly a good setup for the Captain's recovery. One last question, how long would you estimate the time to get to and from the hospital?"

"Like any big city, it depends on the time of day. We'll drive him back and forth, the town is on train and the Tube, sorry, subway, and bus routes but those can wait until he's fully recovered. During non-commute hours and in the afternoon, 25-30 minutes, during the morning commute add another 20 minutes, say 40-45 minutes."

"That works, our guidelines for his quarters were no more than an hour's drive from the hospital." He smiled at Geordie, "I'm pleased we were able to get this approved as quickly as we did. Secretary Porter authorized it as soon as she was given the paperwork and her counterpart in the United Kingdom also waved it through. Now, the question I should have asked from the start, when is your family returning to London?"

"They're taking an overnight flight on the 2nd. I think it leaves at 2230."

Rob nodded and the doctor looked at the clipboard he'd had in his hands. "There's a medical transport leaving from Anacostia-Bolling on the 2nd at 1900. Does that work?"

Rob tilted his head, a gesture he'd picked up from his brother and father, "Yes, we planned to be at Dulles by 2030, so that would work. But why the medical transport? Geordie's ambulatory as long as he's careful. We've already arranged for a cart and wheelchair at the airport. Once we're there, he'll only have to standup at security and even then he won't have to wait in line, he'll go through separately. We'll have the same setup at the other end, he'll go through Customs in a wheelchair with an escort. He has a bulkhead seat with Dad so he can stretch his leg out and he'll be able to elevate his legs. As an injured active duty service member, his flight is taken care of and he'll have medical assistance anytime he needs it, I'm a medical doctor and will be with the family."

"I see, you do have everything arranged. We probably should have waited to arrange the transport or checked for your family's departure date. What about transport to the hospital in London?"

"Our sister's boyfriend has already returned to London, he's staying at the house, and will pick us up in our van. We can easily take Geordie to the hospital."

"Very well. You'll be arriving in London sometime Saturday morning?"

"Yes, a little after 10."

The doctor nodded, quickly scanning through the second page of a thick wad of paper on a clipboard.

"Hmm. Captain, you're not required to be at the hospital until Tuesday morning at 0900. You can check into the hospital on Saturday or go home with your family and report in on Tuesday, I'll leave the choice to you."

Geo looked at his brother, "Think someone will be available Tuesday morning?"

Rob laughed, "You're kidding, right? We haven't seen you in more than 3 years and we're going to be too busy? I guarantee you every adult in the household will be available. Heck, we'll probably all ride in with you."

Geordie smiled, "Then I'll go home, Doc. Don't want to leave my family until I have to."

"Excellent! Now, I'm being incredibly nosy, but you mentioned your sister's boyfriend arriving Christmas Day, being at the wedding over the weekend and now he's home?"

"Yes, he arrived early Christmas Day, surprising our sister, stayed for Tim's wedding on Saturday and caught the first flight out early Sunday morning."

The doctor grinned at them, "That's more than a boyfriend – and that's really why you counted him at the house."

"He spent some time with Dad and Tim but no announcement has been made."

The doctor nodded, moving on. Geordie had been nervous since hearing about this new treatment. He felt a little better when the doctor gave him several pages of information about it, making a copy for Rob, and providing both of them with his contact information.

On the way home, the brothers discussed the treatment, Rob was excited about it, which made Geordie feel even better. From there, they segued into their plans for the rest of the week. Tomorrow, Sarah had plans with friends from Waverly and Tim and Artie were taking the kids to the snow. Dad, Lu and possibly the Galanises were going with them.

Andy and Marissa spent an afternoon with their Greek grandparents while their parents were away and Greg and Kyle joined the four of them that night for dinner. The younger boys were happy that Andy's other grandparents asked to be called 'Pappous and Yaya'.

Greg remembered having to dress up for parties and meals with his father's boss, his Commanding Officer, and later told Papa it felt the same. He'd told Kyle beforehand and his little brother did very well minding his manners and using his indoor voice, difficult for a 3 ½-year-old to stick with for several hours. Grandpa was so proud of them, he took all four ice skating the next day. Kyle never left the ice the entire time they were there!

The previous evening, after returning from their time away, the newlyweds had dinner with the Galanises at the Greek Embassy, just the two couples, and reported everything went fine, although Artie reported she was tired of waiting for the other shoe to drop. Tim chuckled as he said he'd had a dozen questions about life in the embassy, especially after the tour they were given, but asked only a few.

Now, after leaving the doctor, Rob and Geordie talked about joining the others for the snow trip but Rob had little interest in going to the snow, he'd had his fill of being cold and Geordie didn't think he'd better chance it. He'd had a couple of outings and that was enough. However, he didn't want to stay home all day either, so the two called the guys to see if any of them were available for lunch the next day and possibly something else afterward. As long as Geo could sit, he'd be all right, he'd have his cane and the walker would be in the Challenger. Freddie and Joe had to beg off, but Barry had the day off and during the winter Bill made his own schedule. The four friends decided to meet at the diner in Silver Spring and then decide what to do for the rest of the afternoon.

By dinnertime that evening, Rob had read the highlights of the new treatment for Geordie, scanned the information pages into his email and shared them with Ducky and Jimmy. They were encouraged by the success rate with the Royal Marines, 85%, and realized that if the treatment worked for Geordie, he'd regain 100% mobility and close to 80 % strength in both legs. If it was even partially successful, he'd still be better off.

NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS

The trip to the snow on the 30th was a lot of fun. They took the van, and both sets of grandparents joined them, although Kosmos wasn't interested in sledding. Not only did it look dangerous, there was no way he'd give up his dignity to slide down a mountainside!

The Gibbs-McGee clan were happily surprised to find their snow family mostly intact. They took a few more photos before deciding to sled first and afterward build three new snow people, Pappous, Yaya and James. Kosmos remembered enough about building snowmen in his youth to get started on the new ones. The relative who'd raised him had a house in Volos, near Mount Pelion, and he'd lived there with him for several years.

Everyone had a wonderful time, even Kosmos, who went as far as allowing himself to chuckle a few times. When the new snow people were finished, they took more photos and found someone to take photos with all of them, Kosmos and Sophia included, standing behind their snow people. Kosmos' snowman had two stick people shaking hands, Sophia's had, to her joy, a stick woman, in a skirt, holding her arms open to little stick figures, and James' had lines of code that Tim scratched into his snow doppelganger's chest.

Back at the house, the Galanises had first dibs on the bathrooms to change their clothes as they were staying for dinner.

When everyone had changed, Tim poked his head out from the kitchen, "Dinner in 10 minutes. Greg, would you please wake your uncles? And Kyle, how about quietly letting your aunt and sister know?"

Before dinner, they had beverages and appetizers in the living room, Kyle proudly pointing out their train while Mrs. Galanis looked at the decorated photos hanging from the Christmas tree. Greg told her who they were and she put his hand on his shoulder when he stumbled a bit with the photo of his birth parents.

Accepting a glass of wine from her daughter, she smiled as she looked at the room, "It's very festive! Did you decorate as soon as you arrived?"

They laughed as they told her about the snow, waiting for the plow and getting the boxes down. She nodded, "Ah, so the Christmas decorations live here."

Tim nodded, "Yes. We put a wreath on the front door of our house in Brambury before we leave, it has a security camera hidden in it. Other than that, we don't have any holiday decorations there." He frowned, looking at Artie, "Honey, do you have any or do we need to buy some? We will need to decorate as soon as we get home!"

Andy laughed while his mother grinned at his father, "Several of those boxes you helped us move contain our holiday decorations! There's no need to buy anything."

Mrs. Galanis was examining the animals around the Nativity Scene. "These are interesting. I've never seen a lion included."

Dad smiled, "I did a little research and discovered that the Israel of 2000 years ago had more variety of animals than it does now. I don't know that they were all in Bethlehem, but it was fun to make them and then surprise the family."

Artie and Tim's Greek-American fusion dinner was well received and Sophia asked for the recipe. Tim chuckled, "As soon as we write up our final version, we'll send you a copy. We made a few changes while we were preparing it this morning."

After a pleasant evening, the couple left, promising to let the family know dates for visits. When they were sure the children were asleep, the adults sat down in the living room to relax. All of them had been on their best behavior, as Geordie put it, it was like having the principle of your school visit your home. Minding your manners, making sure you didn't use slang or spill any family secrets. As the others spoke, Artie sat next to Tim, nodding. "Now you know why I don't see them often, Susannah and I feel the same way! Although it was easier today, I suppose because we've seen them a few times now."

Lu thought about that, "They're often at formal gatherings, aren't they?"

"Yes, several times a month."

"And they've moved around a lot. Do they have friends, other couples, in the Diplomatic Corps?"

"Mama makes friends, yes, but then one or the other is moved and it is sometimes years before they see those friends again. My father is too rigid to be much of a friend to anyone."

"Does he have siblings?"

"Much younger half-siblings, yes, a sister and brother. His father remarried several years after his mother died. I believe my father was already in college; he has no strong ties with them. I've only met them once, at my grandfather's funeral."

"So, except with each other, they never have anyone else to relax with, to enjoy a casual dinner, movie, like that?"

"I think when we were young, they did, the families in the Diplomatic Corps would trade childcare. But now, no. Aside from the apartments Susannah and I have lived in, this is probably the first time they've been in a private home, one not connected to the Diplomatic Corps, in many years." Artie shook her head, "It sounds awful, doesn't it? Everything they do, from flying, having a car and driver, to staying in an Embassy rather than a hotel, is tied to the Diplomatic Corps." She huffed, "And my brother couldn't wait to join!"

Rob looked around, "Anyone want to play cards? I'm tired but I'm not ready to go to bed yet."

Cards sounded good and they played for an hour or so before calling it a night.

The next day was New Year's Eve. Rob was having dinner with Ellie, they'd had a good time at the wedding and decided to extend their 'not going solo' friendship. A special dinner was easy to figure out, however it took them a few hours to realize neither of them wanted to go anywhere with a lot of people, especially not a lot of drunk people or at the other end of the spectrum, just go to a movie. When one of them mentioned bowling, the other smiled enthusiastically and voilà, their plans were set.

Dad and Lu were also going out, leaving Geordie and Sarah home with Tim, Artie and the kids. Sarah and Artie had things planned, from an indoor picnic to watching several Disney movies, geared to the children's ages.

But before the New Year's celebrations started, the Challenger and pickup needed to be returned to Freddie and Jose's garage and be prepared for long term storage. They decided to form a three vehicle caravan from Alexandria as far as Restful Haven, where the van would drop out to visit Patrick at the hospital before joining the others at the garage. From there, they'd continue to the shelter and camp. Greg had decided he and Kyle didn't need to visit their mother's grave again. Knowing there were flowers and that Grandma would visit was enough.

On the return trip, they'd stop at Diner the Great in Silver Spring, meeting whoever could make it. On the 2nd, Saturday, they'd have brunch at Elaine's, run any last minute errands, getting as much exercise and fresh air as possible before their flight that night.

But before the brunch, Dad wanted his kids and their significant others to have dinner together on New Year's Day. They'd be without the Palmers and Granducky as they'd already made plans, but they'd see them at Elaine's.

Most of the group flying out on the 2nd had already started gathering their belongings. The children pulled their toys, books and other paraphernalia together, sorting what clothes to wear between now and reaching Brambury and folding everything else away. More or less. Mama, Papa and Aunty Sarah helped the littles. Having moved and traveled so much in his life, Andy had his own routine and showed Greg who followed his lead. When finished, they helped their younger siblings.

After the trip to Baltimore to see Patrick, leave Dad's vehicles and visit the shelter and camp, the caravan group stopped in Silver Spring at 'Diner the Great' for lunch. The siblings beamed when they spotted Freddie and Jose's van, Barry's car, Bill's truck and what Tim thought was an agency sedan. Lu just smiled when the sibs looked at her. Tim was right, Tony, Abby and Jimmy were in the diner with the others. They had a great time at lunch, the guys having dredged up more stories to tell about the McGees while the NCIS folks had a few more tales about Tim and Gibbs.

When they returned to the house, packing went into full gear and the washer and dryer were busy the rest of the afternoon.

And while everyone pulled their things together, their perfect Christmas tree was denuded of ornaments and lights, taken out to the back deck where it was removed from its stand. It was left there for the moment. Tomorrow, it would be put out on the curb for the Boy Scouts to pick up and turn it into mulch. Tim tried not to think about that.

The train tunnel, people and village were already on their way home, having been packed and shipped that morning. The train and tracks were staying, they were duplicates, and were packed away with the Christmas decorations.

The New Year's Eve indoor picnic was a lot of fun as they sat on blankets on the floor, a warm fire in the fireplace, eating their favorite Mexican food off of paper plates. It was fun and as they were wearing clothes that still needed to be washed, it was okay to get messy. They mostly drank hot beverages, with lids on the cups so they didn't have to worry about spills.

They'd planned to watch one of the Winnie the Pooh movies appropriate for Marissa's age but when she fell asleep in Papa's lap, they upped the age to Kyle's and watched Disney's animated "The Jungle Book". The only one who'd seen the movie before was Greg and they all enjoyed it. After Kyle and Marissa were both tucked in, the group watched "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" which Geordie thought he'd seen with his father before they became homeless.

Rob and Ellie came in to catch the end of the movie and have hot chocolate with the others before Ellie wished them a Happy New Year and left, Rob walking her out to the car. She'd be at the family dinner tomorrow. By 11:00, the party was over and everyone tucked into their respective beds. Geordie woke about 0300, grinning when he saw Dad's empty bed.

NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS Chapter 59

Dad showed up about 0730, early enough that the kids were still asleep. He kissed each of his big kids, grabbed Tim's coffee out of his hand and disappeared into the bathroom. Waiting until they heard the shower, the 5 of them dissolved into laughter. Marissa and Greg were in the kitchen when their grandpa reappeared, kissing them and smiling as someone handed him another coffee. Over breakfast, Rissa told him about their indoor picnic and the boys talked about the movies they watched.

After breakfast, they got busy, making sure they had everything rounded up that needed to return to Brambury with them. Geordie's clothes were all new, even his uniforms, and he had two new jackets, each a different weight, gloves, hats, scarves, boots, everything he'd need for winter in the UK. Using James' garment bag would help keep his uniforms, including his fatigues, from badly wrinkling while his civilian clothes were neatly rolled into his sea bag.

By the time Lu, Tony, Maggie, Abby and Ellie arrived New Year's Day, suitcases were packed and all the Christmas boxes were safely tucked in the attic for another year. While dinner simmered for another few minutes in the Crock Pot, the group bundled up, even Rob and Geordie, and went for a walk around the neighborhood.

When they returned to the house, they talked about vacation/trip plans for the rest of the year. Pocket and phone calendars were consulted as the group discussed their plans.

Other than the flight home the next day, the first travelers would be the newlyweds as they traveled to Amzida, Turkey, Tim for a long weekend, Artie for her first week on her new project. They hadn't told the children yet, but the couple planned to sneak a few weekends in for themselves. Dad, Sarah, James and Rob had already agreed to staying home with the children.

There was some discussion about what to do in February, when the boys had their half-term holiday. Abby thought she'd visit then but she'd be leaving cold and going to cold. Instead, she and Artie discussed her coming over for the May 1st holiday. It would be warming up, in the mid-70's, in DC, cooler but pleasant in London and if they went north to Stockholm, it would be even cooler but not cold.

Tim wouldn't have any time off, other than a long weekend in February, until the Easter and May 1st holidays but they figured they could do weekend trips and Artie could fly to their destination from Amzida. They might go to Edinburgh or the Netherlands or Paris. Or Stockholm, Kosmos had mentioned he might be available that same week in February.

In March, they'd head to Greece the Thursday before the western Easter. They'd meet Artie in Athens where Tim, the 4 children and whoever else was with them would meet Artie's yaya, staying in Airbnb lodgings close to her in the town of Varkiza, where she lived. The adults hadn't said anything to the kids but on their return flight, they'd fly to Paris for a weekend visit to Disneyland Paris. They hoped to keep that a surprise as long as possible. As they'd be in Greece from Thursday night to Thursday night, Artie would be with them in Greece and the following weekend in France.

Sarah and James would drive Big Blue to Paris, pick them up at the airport and they'd head out for Disneyland. They'd already reserved a large Airbnb house that would accommodate all of them. They'd drive home Sunday afternoon and Artie would either fly back to Amzida early from Paris or go home with them and leave from London Monday morning.

With inexpensive airfares between London and almost anywhere in Europe with the further attraction of group discounts, Tim felt they'd be wasting their time overseas to not see as much of the UK and the Continent as possible, although he had to admit Greece was a constant draw.

Once Artie's mother told them the first week of June would not be good for a visit to Stockholm, they'd made other plans. By that time, Artie's work would be finished, Tim's school year over and the boys would be on their summer half term holiday. After much research and discussion, they'd decided to spend a week in Portugal and Lu and the Porters would join them. The group would fly to Lisbon and then rent a van for the drive to the village of Sabugueiro, where they'd stay in another Airbnb find, a large old stone house in the mountains. They'd experience life in a Portuguese village, with goats being herded past their front door every morning, on their way up into the mountains, the bells of the local church ringing every day. They'd hike and swim in mountain lakes, giving the children a taste of a more rustic lifestyle.

Tim and Artie felt that it would be a different experience for all of them. When they returned to the UK, Lu and the Porters would still be with them. The Porters would stay another week while Lu wasn't going home until after their August vacation. Although Tim thought that if things went well, she just might stay until they went home for Christmas.

They hadn't yet decided on their August vacation. It would need to be less expensive than last year's splurge on the Greek island villa but the family didn't know who would be joining them. Tony said once they agreed on dates, he'd put in for the time off. Ellie said she wanted to come too and Maggie was working on a deal so she could also join them. The siblings already knew Lu would be with them.

When Ducky was mum about whether he'd be joining them, Breena laughed, "It's okay, Don, it's time anyway. We're adopting a baby boy who will arrive in July. Jimmy will be on leave so Ducky can't join you. And aside from the agency, we'll need him too." There were cheers and congratulations on the adoption and everyone who'd had a courtside seat to the Palmers' previous adoption heartbreak hoped this one would be successful.

Artie was thoughtful when they said they couldn't afford the villa life again, finally saying, "I have a friend who has a friend whose husband is a real estate agent in Athens, I'm sure he can find us rentals wherever we decide to stay. Do you want to return to Aegina or go to another island?"

That required some discussion as Geordie, Ellie, Maggie, and Lu also wanted to experience Athens. In the end, they decided to stay on Aegina again, this time hoping to find rental homes close to each other rather than a villa. Artie thought those would likely be in Aegina town. After agreeing on dates, everyone marked their calendars and Artie promised to contact her friend's friend and Dad promised to contact Tobias to see whether he'd be joining them. After the wedding, Fornell had flown to Florida to visit his elderly father.

By the time they had their travel plans settled, dinner was ready. When they gathered around the table, Dad stood at his place, smiling at all of them. "This has been a great ending to a year that started out pretty rocky. Eventually, it brought us to safety, saw Tony and Maggie grow closer, Tim and Artie re-connecting, gave us Andy and Marissa, two new grandkids for me, Sarah met James, we adopted each other, Geordie came home and then the wedding! Here's to 2016, may it be even happier, with a new Palmer and many adventures, although let's not have any bad ones this year!"

They toasted and then dived into their feast. By 8:00, all but two of their guests had said their goodbyes, some of them tearfully. Tony stayed behind, he wouldn't stay late but he wanted to spend a few minutes with his dad, Lu, his siblings and the kids. Those he considered, along with Maggie, his immediate family. He hoped to find the funds to visit them for another week during the year but hadn't worked it out yet. He thought if he could see them in person every 3 or 4 months, he could get through the next 18 months. He just didn't know how he was going to pay for multiple transatlantic flights.

When Tim told him that he and Artie had decided to move home after the Bedford contract was fulfilled, he'd been so happy he thought he might cry. Before, when Tim talked about working for NCIS in London for a year or two, Tony had been ready to tear his hair out. He loved Maggie, he was fond of Abby, Ducky and the Palmers and the Baltimore family but he wanted his immediate family back. He fiercely missed Gibbs and Tim and sometimes the Skype calls made those feelings more pronounced.

Now, helping to clean up and listening to the chatter of his niece and nephews filled him with warmth. He blinked back tears when his dad wrapped his arms around him. "Have a date set yet?"

"Huh?"

"For your surprise visit."

Tony huffed, "How did you…never mind. Not sure yet. Somewhere between March and May."

"Come to Portugal with us in June. Or Greece over Easter week. Or just come stay at home in Brambury with us. We miss you." He tugged on Tony's arm, "C'mere, want to talk with you."

They headed down to the basement for a father and son chat. Dad learned son was very close to proposing to Maggie but was still terrified of marriage. "Then don't get married. If Maggie doesn't care, then don't worry about it. Just be together and be committed. Maybe it'll happen someday, maybe it won't. Unless you're planning on having kids but even then, you're a standup guy, Maggie has no reason to worry."

"You think I wouldn't bolt, like Marissa's father did?"

"You might think about it but you're not that kind of man. You won't abandon your wife or child, you know too well what abandonment feels like."

Tony nodded, "You're right, I wouldn't. But there are worse things…"

Gibbs gently squeezed the back of his neck, "Nobody on this planet is born knowing how to be a good spouse or a good parent. Every guy I know, including me, is terrified when his child is born. Some women feel that way, too. Most of us do our best, while feeling like we're floundering and possibly ruining our children. And yet here we are, all 7.6 billion of us with thousands more born every day."

Tony chuckled, that was true enough. His dad patted his face, "Come stay with us in Brambury. You can do what you want during the week and we'll plan an adventure or two for the weekends."

"Plural weekends?"

"Yes. Fly out on Thursday night, get there on Friday, that's one weekend. Stay the week and fly home on a Sunday night or Monday, that's two weekends. Seven days off work and ten days with us."

"Ok, I'll do it. Just need a couple more paychecks before I make the reservations."

Dad looked at him, "One of the downfalls of you being over here is that I don't get to spoil you the way I have your sister and brothers. I told them a while back that I have plenty of money, more than my pensions, more than I can possibly spend in one lifetime. I've set aside funds for each of you but in the meantime, let me do some spoiling, ok?

"I'd like to pay for your trip and when you and Maggie decide where you want to live, I want to help with that, too. And anything else you need, kiddo. I don't want to throw money at you but I've got it and want to share with my children."

"Uh, Dad?"

Gibbs sighed, "Jenny left me her estate."

"Jenny Shepard." Tony's voice wasn't questioning, he said the name in a flat tone, making a statement.

"Yes. I gave the insurance money for the townhouse and the proceeds from selling the land to charity, but there was a lot more. I learned how to invest and I've done pretty well. And my dad left me a chunk of money, they must have saved since the day I was born! Our old house sold for a nice profit, considering it was paid off before I turned 21 and is on a 2 acre lot. So I have plenty. Not as much as Ducky, but plenty to keep us all comfortable and help those who don't have enough."

"Wow. I had no idea!" By now, Tony had absorbed the Jenny part, an inheritance from Jackson was easier to deal with.

"Took me a few years to come to terms with it, the fact that she had no one else to leave it to, that was sad, somehow endearing and a wake-up call. And frankly, I was overwhelmed by the whole thing. Especially when the insurance money for the house arrived, I was…well, freaked out is a good way to describe it. I couldn't stand to look at or touch the check. Mike gave me the idea of giving it away. I'm pretty sure Jenny would have approved of the charities and people I chose. I did it again when I sold the lot."

Tony swallowed, "I don't know what to say."

"Try yes, you'll let me spoil you a little bit."

Now he smiled, finally understanding this was a totally different situation than it would have been with Senior. That would have been a bid for his respect and approval, this was a plea from his dad who missed him and wanted to treat him to airfare so he could spend more time with him.

"Yes and thank you!"

"Good! Now, c'mon, let's go figure out when!" Then he stopped, "One condition…don't tell Abby. She'll get all weepy and huggy."

"Ok…are you treating her too?"

"Good question. I guess I'm gonna have to get through the weepy-huggy part, huh?"

"You could just tell her about your inheritance from Jack. None of us need to know every detail of your life." Tony shook his head, "But that's not fair to her when the rest of us know. She'll cry buckets and throw herself at you and then hopefully it'll be done. Or, you could send her a gift card for airfare, wish her an early Happy Birthday. After all, her birthday's in March."

Gibbs stood in thought. "I can't tell her now and then just leave. I'll do the gift card thing. I can really do that?"

"I don't know. Let's look." Tony pulled out his phone, tapped in, "gift cards for airlines" and showed his dad the results. "Look at the first one, it's accepted by 300 airlines." He tapped on the selection and they looked at the airlines listed, a perfect choice for Abby. Back upstairs, they used Tim's laptop to estimate roundtrip prices and then decided the amount for the gift card, making sure to round up for taxes and fees.

Before they pressed the button for purchase, they read the fine print as Tim was skeptical about the taxes and fees being included. As there was nothing on the Frequently Asked Questions on the topic, they emailed the question and had an answer back within an hour, all taxes and fees were included. In the meantime, Tim looked into the business. While it had been in existence less than 3 years, it had a good record and reviews.

Tony did the input for Dad to purchase the card and then printed out the documentation, which included instructions for Abby to book her flights. While they were doing that, Sarah and Tim drove to the store to buy a 'from father to daughter' birthday card. Sarah picked the card, finding one that was caring, a little funny and sweet without being too mushy or sentimental.

When they had everything printed, Dad wrote a note on the card and signed it. Writing her name on the envelope, he looked at Tony who nodded, "Yes, I'll give it to her if she's not at Elaine's tomorrow."

"Thanks, son!"

Tony wandered through the house, deciding he'd better get home, which was currently Ducky's house. While he was wandering, Tim helped their father buy a second gift card from the same company, this time for Tony. Instead of printing the documentation, they sent it to his email.

After he'd told everyone goodbye, Tony took off, ignoring the buzz that told him he had a text. He drove back to Ducky's, tiptoeing into the house. As he was getting into bed, he read the text. From Tim, it said, "Check your email. See you tomorrow."

He shook his head, having forgotten about the brunch at Elaine's. It was a good thing they'd been walking, playing in the snow and ice skating with as much food as they'd eaten recently! He promised himself to have a salad for brunch. He didn't need anything else. Except Jacob made these biscuits that were buttery and light. Laughing at himself, he logged back into his email, immediately spotting the gift card for flight. He'd been so busy helping figure out Abby's gift, he'd forgotten Dad wanted to treat him too! He thought about booking his flight tonight but he'd wait and do it in a few days when he needed something to remind him he'd see his family again soon and after his leave request was approved.

When the family arrived at Elaine's, they were surprised to see the booths moved around so that the large family booth was in the center with a long table and chairs extending the space. The Baltimore uncles, Lu, Abby, the Palmers, Vance, Ellie, Ducky, Tony, Maggie, and Fornell all seemed to arrive at once and it took a few minutes before everyone was seated and the noise level dropped a bit. Tobias chuckled, "So…where are we meeting next Saturday?"

Tim and Artie grinned at each other, realizing they'd been married for a whole week! Turning toward Tobias, Artie replied, "Amzida, Turkey. We'll text you the name of the café."

"You're kidding, that's next week? Wow!"

Tim chuckled, "She's teasing. We're not leaving until the 22nd."

"Thank you! We already have Energizer Abby, don't need an Energizer Artie too!"

Abby and Artie looked at each other and laughed, nodding. Elaine appeared with coffee, tea and drinks for those she knew and took drink orders for those she didn't. Once those were distributed, she took their meal orders.

While they waited, Tobias told them about visiting his father in Florida. "He does really well, still walking on his own and driving short distances. He's made some close friends, plays poker with a group every week, plays that game you guys like, that rummikube tile thing and swims either in the ocean or the pool every day. He and his lady friend go out to dinner, movies and bingo. He's healthier and happier than I am!"

He held out his phone, "Look at the tan on him and his buddies!"

Tim laughed as he looked at the photo, "Hey, there's a pale face like me!"

Tobias leaned over, "Oh yeah, that's his buddy, Mac. He's a great guy. Sad though, lost his family and then he and his wife split up. Although he says that was a good thing."

Dad frowned, "Mac? Happen to know his last name?"

"No, Jethro. Someone you think you know?"

"My former father-in-law lives in Florida. His skin tone is about the same as Tim's and his first name is Mac, short for McKenzie."

Tim smiled, "Oh yeah, Grandpa Mac, we were talking about him last week."

Tobias passed his phone to Jethro who looked and smiled, "Yep, that's him. Sure looks happier than when I knew him."

He saw Tim, Tony, Leon, Ducky and Abby giving him unhappy looks and he stopped talking. He hadn't meant to raise the nasty memory of the case with Joann Fielding.

Ducky jumped in, "McKenzie, he's sure to have Scottish forebears somewhere in his lineage."

"He does. As I remember, his mother's side of the family was Scots. He and his three brothers were named for their maternal grandfather and uncles. He had some great stories."

"You want to contact him, Jethro? I'll send you the address of the place."

Gibbs didn't know about contacting the man, but he nodded to Tobias. "Sure, thanks."

While they ate, the group caught up on the past week. Leon and Tobias were impressed that the Galanis grandparents had been involved with the family, although they were careful how they expressed that. Tim passed around his phone with the photos of the snow family and the kids talked about their sledding adventures. When Granducky asked Kyle if he had his Engineer's cap with him, he giggled, pulling it from his jacket pocket. "Not allowed to bring the train, there's no tracks anyway, but I always have my cap, Granducky!"

Sarah laughed, "I love that cap almost as much as Kyle does! When we were returning from Cornwall last summer, he dropped it somewhere on the train. We were just going to look for it when this handsome guy walked up to us with it. That's how James and I met."

There were pleased murmurs at that and both of Sarah's dads wondered how long it would be until she and James would announce their engagement. Comparing notes later, both found they'd had the same thought, that the couple would wait until they'd been together longer, knew each other better.

No one tarried long after they finished eating but it did take a while to say goodbye to everyone. Dad handed envelopes to Abby, Jimmy and each of the Baltimore uncles. Leon hugged the kids and shook hands with the adults, saying he'd be visiting the London office sometime during the year and hoped he'd see them, too. Tim beamed at that, he'd work for Joel for several weeks during the summer and hoped the director would visit then.

Finally, the family was in the van and headed back to Alexandria. Once home, they went for a long walk, taking the Daddy pack, which Rob insisted on wearing, saying having Rissa or Kyle on his back kept him warmer. The cold air and exercise helped clear some of their melancholy at leaving their friends and family again and they returned to the house with renewed energy. They emptied the garbage and started checking each room for stray items. They'd have an early dinner and run the dishwasher so it would be finished with enough time to put the dishes away. They left perishables in the refrigerator as Tony would move back in on Sunday. Knowing he'd be missing them, each member of his family wrote a little note, the littles drew pictures, and hid them around the house for him to find. They cleaned the bedrooms and bathrooms, not wanting Tony to come home to a mess, deflating the beds and pillows, stacking them in the basement, where they were covered. Andy and Greg checked the DVDs to make sure the right discs were in the correct jackets. Kyle and Marissa pushed the vacuum cleaner around the living room and Grandpa's bedroom. The extra leaves came out of the table, carefully covered and stored.

Before they did too much in the kitchen, Lu made one last batch of apple crisp. They'd skipped dessert at the diner but after a light snack for dinner, they helped themselves to their favorite dessert. Tony's helpings were already covered and in the refrigerator, marked with his name.

When it was time for Lu to leave, the littles cried and Greg and Andy were doing their share of sniffling. The big kids sniffled along with them as they hugged and kissed their surrogate mom. She kept her head, telling them she'd be over for at least two visits and that got them through her walking out the front door. Dad went with her, his eyes moist when he finally returned.

They packed the rental van before Tim, Artie, Andy and Rob climbed into the back rows of seats. Geordie would ride shot gun, Dad would drive and Sarah would sit with the kids. Traffic was light as snow was expected after midnight and as Geordie said, "Only crazy people are out in this cold!"

Rob sent a text as they approached the airport and Geordie fought to keep from rolling his eyes when an attendant with a wheel chair appeared as the van pulled to a stop. Porters also arrived to take the luggage inside and the family hurried out of the cold as Dad took the van to the rental lot. With so few people around, he was back in less than 15 minutes, joining his family in line to check their luggage. Geordie's attendant stayed with him as the family went through the pre-check Security and then helped him out of the chair and into the electric cart waiting for him. The littles and Sarah rode with him, a ride through the airport that Kyle would never forget!

Reconvening at the gate, they were early enough to find seats together in the waiting area. Piling their stuff in the chairs, they stayed on their feet, walking around the area, until it was time to board. Their wounded warrior and 2-year-old Marissa qualified them to pre-board and they were fairly well settled before the rest of the passengers boarded.