A/N: I'm back! Thank you all so much for your patience in waiting for a new chapter, my studies have finally concluded, so I am finally starting my writing again! To my recent followers/favourites, welcome! I'm so glad you're with us! To my reviewers, you inspire me! I will not delay another moment, I know you've all been eagerly awaiting this.. so here you go!
Ted knew things weren't exactly chipper, it was the opposite, they were totally messed up, so much that he was getting a headache just thinking about it all. But besides all of that, he couldn't help but smile to himself, he was sitting up the back of the plane & Kelly was nestled into his chest tucked up tight under a mountain of blankets. This moment took him back to the countless times he had this girl & his boy wrapped up similarly as they slept when they were little, he was oh so happy that he could look back with a smile & not a frown anymore. He was also glad she was able to get some rest after such a rough landing & with everything on her plate, she was definitely overdue for some rest. He felt her shift & slightly open her eyes "shh Kell, shh.. I'm right here, just sleep little darling" he soothed softly as she closed her eyes again.
Ted smiled as she settled back down as he shifted his gaze down the aisle, he could see Tim, Jim Nelson & Agent Dyson all at the computer terminals at the front end of the plane, he hoped they were getting closer to making sense of things, he really was! He still couldn't believe Shannon's father, her now alive father, was somehow mixed up in Phoenix's disappearance & that it was also connected to Tony's sister, it was just too confusing!
Myles scanned the perimeter, his team & a few NCIS agents were guarding the perimeter around the two planes, things were quiet for the moment & they were in a quiet part of the airport. He knew it was extra quiet because the majority of planes were being diverted due to the high winds. He looked to his side where his brother was checking his plane "damage?" he queried.
"Nothing major thankfully, but we're going to have to make some running repairs." Marcus answered, he flashed a look across to the other plane "I'm waiting to hear about the damage to that bird though, wouldn't be surprised if it's a no go for further flights, it's a damn lounge suite on wheels!"
"Hate those things" Myles smirked in jest.
Marcus just shook his head "shut up!"
Myles grinned before he took a breath "you think 'they' did it?"
"Did what?" Marcus asked
"Got our deployments messed with" Myles stated, the idea had been floating around his head since it got mentioned.
Marcus's eyes flashed wide open before sighing "not sure, none of them were too unrealistic, except.."
"Except for Mike's ultimate 5-year deployment to Frankfurt" Myles finished
"Yea" Marcus nodded "look that Tristan lady said they'd look into it, but there's nothing we can really do about it right now"
"I just…." Myles grumbled, it was starting to get him worked up.
"I know" Marcus conceded "but let's deal with it when we know something concrete, let's not borrow more trouble than we've got, because right now we have plenty!"
Myles nodded, that was certainly true! His attention was drawn away by his Sargent though.
"Sir! We've got incoming!" Montgomery yelled as he made gestures to the squad to get their weapons ready.
Myles & Marcus both shifted instantly to see a half dozen SUV's approaching at speed, both tensed instantly "stand ready!" Myles called out, before turning his head "All hands on deck!" he needed to get as many bodies out here as he could.
"Anderson! McGee! Lock up the plane!" Marcus yelled as he took a step back towards the entrance of his bird. Best to get the planed locked up, it would be an additional barrier between whoever these people were & Kelly, if that's who they were ultimately after.
Tim's eyes widened, he flashed a look to Harry who had just gotten back into the plane, he was standing right next to Lt Anderson "lock it up as soon as I'm out" he ordered as he grabbed his rifle & rushed out of the door.
Harry watched as he rushed out, followed closely by Dyson with Anderson securing the door soon after. He flashed a look back towards his dad, while he still had Kelly in his hold, he had shifted her slightly to cover more of her body with his own, he'd also taken hold of his side-arm.
Harry grabbed his rifle & took prime spot right in front of the door, he'd be the first man that anyone would have to deal with if they got past the others.
"Lewis! Lock up the cargo!" Anderson called over his radio, he tried to make it as quiet as possible to not wake Kelly.
"I'll go back her up if you have spare weapons" Jim remarked, this whole situation was crazy, but he'd do whatever he could to help & keep Kelly, a young woman he cared greatly for, safe from harm.
"Here" Harry remarked passing him a rifle with ammunition, he watched the man head off before turning to Lt Anderson "behind me, in the aisle" he motioned.
"Right" Anderson nodded, he wasn't going to pull rank here, this guy was SWAT & he knew that meant he could handle the situation far better than he could.
Kruse came rushing out of the SecNav's bird, he saw the approaching SUV's & he saw how tense everyone was as they approached, he moved quickly towards Myles, who now had McGee right next to him "I just got a message from Gibbs, apparently we're getting picked up to be taken back to the estate there at, the one Kaplan went into. So this could be them, SSA Pride will be with them."
Myles & Tim shared a look at Kruse's remarks, they were getting picked up? Were these SUV's here to collect them or did they mean harm? Tim could see it in Myles eyes, he wouldn't relax until he was certain these people were not foes, he understood it, he wouldn't relax either.
Myles took a breath, they could be friend, but they could be foe "no sudden moves, stand at the ready! Wait for the order!" he stated loudly so everyone could hear.
Kruse flashed a look towards Myles, he could take offense that he was seeming to try to take charge, he was the ranking NCIS agent on scene, but he wouldn't, the man was a Lieutenant in the Army Rangers. He clearly knew how to handle bad situations, but he was better at handling stand-off situations, so he'd step in if he had to. He could also see McGee was having similar issues about who was taking charge, none of them were taking the sharing of command easily.
Myles looked to McGee & Kruse, they had but moments before the SUV's were upon them "I'll take a forward line with some of my men, let spread out, they may try to get around us if these aren't friendlies"
Tim was having a hard time letting Myles take command, but if he took the rear line it would make him closer to Kelly, it would put in a better spot to keep an eye on everything going on & could change things up if he needed to "I'll take the rear" he stated
Myles nodded "Montgomery! Byrnes! Osborne! Forward line!" he commanded
Franks had come out of the SecNav's bird with Hollis right after Kruse, but he held back, wanting to both scope out the approaching group & keep an eye on their rear, he didn't want to be ambushed from behind. He saw Kruse motion to some of the agents to cover their rear just like he thought was wise, right, he'd take command of this! "Lovett, Dyson cover the right rear, Meoli you're with me!" he take the probie with him.
Marcus watched as the SUV's approached, he was with McGee and was getting really nervous, ground stand-offs were not his thing, but he held his right hand over his sidearm, just in case.
Myles took a deep breath, he had his Staff Sgt right with him, the lead SUV had just stopped & the windows were blacked out "step out slowly! Hands in the air!" he called out with enough menace to show these people he meant business.
McGee took a stronger hold of his rifle as he saw a door open, were they friend or foe?
Myles saw a man step out & he had a weapon on his waist! he took a step forward & raised his rifle, he had to be ready for anything!
Montgomery saw that he was the only person to get out of any of the vehicles & even though he kept the man in his sights he still made sure to keep an eye for any movement from the other doors & vehicles.
"Take it easy, no body shoot anyone" Pride said calmly as he stood just outside of the SUV with his badge raised, he didn't really know many of these people.
Kruse let out a breath "Pride" he greeted, thank the stars!
"Kev" Pride greeted, he was glad there was someone here he knew! Then he saw someone else "Mike" he greeted loudly.
"Payne" Franks greeted with a smirk as he came closer, he was so glad it was him! "Take it these SUV's are filled with friendlies?"
Pride had to give an internal chuckle at the nickname he had inherited from the man, but he really didn't know how to answer that. He hadn't wanted any of the Belfast people getting out of the vehicles & there being even more of a stand-off, so he'd gotten out first alone, but how could say these people weren't just friendlies, but family to Kelly? "You could say that"
Kruse & Franks shared a look in agreement before Kruse spoke "stand down, let Anderson & Taylor know that all's ok too" he instructed.
Pride saw that while the various agents & personal all lowered their weapons and took a few steps back not many had really calmed or relaxed "I'm going to get Liam out here, nobody shoot" he said before he looked to the man in the driver's seat & beckoned him.
Liam got out of his SUV, he was surprised to see the numbers that were present but given what he was learning, he was glad for it! He approached Pride & the men he was with "We're here to escort Kelly & you all back to the estate, we want to get everyone secured as quickly as possible"
"WE are keeping Kelly safe, I don't know you & I, we don't trust people we don't know" Tim asserted, he had no clue who this man was & there was not a chance he'd let him near or pull rank when it came to Kelly & her safety. He felt Myles & Marcus both push themselves behind him as a show of solidarity against this 'Liam' character.
Liam saw not only the man that spoke but the pair behind him as well staring him down, they weren't going to budge. He took note that it was similar vibe from a lot of the people that were standing in front of him. He understood this concept, it was a defend to the hilt mentality. He held his hands up "I didn't mean to imply that I will be taking over her protection from you. Her father insisted that you all remain in control and command of Kelly's security until we have arrived back to the estate and she is with him. I am merely here to ensure your safe passage to the estate, as from the little I know there is a serious danger to her safety. We will ensure her & your safe passage"
Tim tensed at the last remarks, there was a danger to Kelly's safety? He shared a look with those around him who were all having similar thoughts, what did this man know about the danger to Kelly & the others?
Franks looked to Pride to see if what the man was saying was true, he was inline with McGee, he wouldn't trust these people just yet.
Pride nodded "Gibbs did say that you were still in charge of Kelly's safety, he just wants her & you to get to the estate as quickly as possible"
Franks could see McGee & the others were still a little apprehensive "Gibbs trusts Pride, I trust him, let's just get ourselves there. There's obviously more going on that we know, let's just make sure we are together, it's probably the safest thing right now"
Liam saw the nods, he turned & motioned the others to get disembark "let's get things sorted." He turned back "where is Kelly?"
"On the plane, she took the landing hard & is resting" Tim answered as he saw a younger man approach, he like Liam was fully kitted out in gear similar to his own. In fact all of the men that had disembarked from the SUV's were all kitted out like they were.
"And what about Delilah Fielding? Where is she?" Liam asked
"The other plane, she didn't handle the hard landing all too well either" Tim answered, he saw the anger develop in both men's eyes.
"Go get her Ferguson" Liam commented "I want her out of here before we get Kelly off her plane"
"Agreed" Ferguson nodded "Austin, Oscar let's get her" motioning to two of his nephews to follow.
Franks watched as the trio of men, the two following fairly young, but all of them were in full kits with rifles move towards the SecNav's bird. They all looked like men on a mission, angry men at that. He saw that while most people were confused with this development none were putting up a fight to it.
Hollis had been watching all of this, at first she had taken a stance near the entry to the SecNav's plane in case it was trouble. She had watched this stand-off with interest, but now 3 men were approaching the plane & none of them were looking all that pleasant, they looked like they could hurt Delilah. She stepped forward into their path "just what do you think you're doing?! Where do you think you're taking her?"
Ferguson looked at the woman before her "We are taking her into our custody"
Hollis really didn't like the sound of that "she hasn't done anything to warrant being taken into custody, are you even officers of the law" as she looked at them she saw their vests were void of any agency or department.
"This has nothing to do with the law" Ferguson replied
That just scared Hollis even more "Then what does it have to do with?"
Liam saw his cousin give him a look, he took a step closer "we are merely taking her with us in a separate convey to the one Kelly is going in"
Hollis wasn't sure why, but she didn't believe that entirely "why don't I believe you"
"Ahh, Gibbs agreed & gave approval for her to be moved separately" Pride stated, he didn't know who this woman was, but she was getting very defensive "him, and the Director okayed it" he added.
Hollis at him, she shook her head, this kept getting better & better "look, I know she's related to the people that took Phoenix, but she knows nothing about it!"
"And that is precisely why we are taking her, she is our bargaining chip" Liam replied
"Bargaining chip?" Hollis enquired, she saw though she wasn't the only one with raised eyebrows at that remark.
"We are wasting valuable time; we will discuss this further back at the estate, once everyone is safely there; go get her Ferguson" Liam finished, he didn't have time for this conversation "Edward!"
Ducky had been watching the entire matter unfold, like so many times before he was lost for words, but he could see what was going to happen & pulled Hollis back "Jethro okayed this, and no matter what you think, he wouldn't allow the young lady to be harmed"
Hollis watched as the trio of men moved towards the plane "she's not well!" she tried
"She can rest where we take her" Liam stated
"Get your hands off me!" Delilah said as she was pulled out of the plane, who were these people?
"Not likely" Ferguson replied as he took her down the stairs.
Myles shared a look with Tim, Gibbs okayed it, as did the Director so it wasn't like this wasn't sanctioned, but it felt oddly wrong "should we?"
Tim shared a look with him, he did oddly feel the same as Myles, he nodded & looked to Kruse "maybe we should send.."
Kruse knew exactly what McGee was thinking "Lovett, go with them & take Meoli with you. Just keep an eye on her"
"Yes boss" Lovett agreed, she knew what that meant, she looked towards Hollis "we'll keep an eye on her"
Delilah had no idea who these people were but she didn't like it "who are you?" she wasn't getting more & more concerned by the hour.
Ferguson had gotten her to the SUV & whispered into her "your one hope if you want to see your father again, so do as your told & shut up!" he finished in a sneer.
Harry was tensely waiting to hear about what was happening, were they friend or foe? He shared a look with Anderson as they continued to wait, at least there was no gun fire so things couldn't be that bad.
"Anderson, Taylor, all's clear, they're friendlies" Marcus commented over the comms.
Anderson let out a breath "roger that, shall we open up?"
"Negative, await further instruction before opening" Marcus commented, he wasn't going to open just yet.
Harry shared a look of relief with his dad, thank the stars!
Ted nodded to his son, he too was relieved but he felt Kelly stir again, the commotion had woken her from her rest, and though he tried to get her back to sleep, it wasn't really happening. He looked down to her, at least the colour was coming back "how you feeling Kell darling?"
"Ok" Kelly replied, she tried to sit up & out of Ted's hold, but felt him keep a hold of her, clearly wanting her to stay against him to rest. She didn't really mind it, she took a breath as she settled back down against him "what's going on?"
Ted wasn't going to lie to her "some SUV's arrived & came in fairly fast, but they're friendlies, so its ok. We're just waiting on the ok to open the doors back up. Everything's fine Kelly" he finished as assuring as he could, he'd never let anything happen to this girl.
"Ok" Kelly breathed out, she really couldn't cope with much more in her state. She rested herself back into Ted's side, while it wasn't the same as being in her father's hold, she still felt safe with Ted's arms around her. After a few moments of finding the courage she spoke softly "do you think we'll find Phoenix here?"
"I'm certain we will find Phoenix Kelly, we will find him & bring him home, I have no doubt about it" Ted answered determinedly, he would no entertain any other possibility!
"Open up Anderson" Marcus commanded through the comms
Harry nodded to the man "I'll cover you" he remarked as he took a step backwards, the door opened & he saw Tim standing there ready & waiting "what's going on?"
"We're moving out, going to where Gibbs, Shannon & the others have gone to" Tim answered, he wasn't all that comfortable with the men that had turned up but he knew they had enough manpower to fend off anything that may occur.
Harry caught something in his body language "you're not comfortable with this?"
"Not really" Tim admitted "but Agent Pride came with them & says that its legit & that Gibbs' has authorised it. We're still in control of Kelly's safety until we're with him"
Harry was comforted by the fact that Gibbs had authorised it all "so what's the plan?"
"We're loading up to go, the flight teams & a few of Myles teams & ours will remain so they can work on any repairs the planes need" Tim answered, he took a breath finally looking back towards Kelly, she was awake & he could see she was quietly talking with Ted "is she ok?"
"She's managed to get some rest at least" Harry commented.
Tim nodded as he headed for them, he was glad she was able to get some rest.
Ted saw Tim approach "McGee" he greeted
Kelly looked up & smiled at him, she was happy to see him, he had a look she couldn't quite place but it was still really nice to see him.
"Captain Taylor" Tim greeted, seeing Kelly so comfortable in the arms of man who was not Gibbs nor himself really was strange, but it wasn't something he could dwell on right at this point in time "we're getting ready to load up to go meet up with your parents" he finished with a smile to Kelly, he saw a look of relief wash over her.
Kelly sighed in relief, she was glad they were heading to be with her parents, things were crazy & being apart really wasn't sitting well for her.
"Agent Pride arrived with a few men & some SUV's to take us to the estate they, Tony, Patricia are at as soon as we're ready to go" Tim added
Ted could sense something "I'll go help with that, why don't you stay here for a few minutes with her McGee, she's still not 100%"
"Of course" Tim offered, a few minutes to sit down with Kelly sounded just right, he waited for Ted to remove himself from beneath Kelly before putting himself in his place.
Kelly smiled as she settled back into him "hi"
"Hi back" Tim smiled, "how are you feeling?"
"Ok I guess" Kelly replied "better now that you're here" she finished with a smile.
Tim smiled "I know how you feel" he agreed as he wrapped his arms around her & brought her closer into his chest, gosh he'd missed her over the last few days, he'd barely gotten home from Frankfurt before all this mess started & since then he'd barely seen her or spent time with her & he was hating how little time they had together. He knew though it was necessary & he would do everything he had to to keep her safe, to bring Phoenix home, to help Tony find his sister & nephew and as for Shannon's father, well he didn't even know where to go with that one. But he would do whatever he had to help her, because he would always do what he had to help her, he'd do anything for her. He knew she wasn't coping with her brother's absence & it killed him to watch her go through it "we're going to get Phoenix, we'll find him Kells" he assured her as he rubbed her back.
Kelly just lay in his arms, feeling safe like she always did in his embrace, it wasn't like it felt in her dad's, her mum's or even Ted's, it wasn't as if she felt less safe, it was just different. She believed in Tim with all her heart "we will" she whispered as she pushed herself closer into his chest "rub" she whispered
Tim couldn't help it, he chuckled as he replied "yes ma'am" he replied as he increased the rubbing on her back.
Ted came out of the plane with his son & saw a half dozen SUV's all lined up just past the tips of the planes, with them he saw over a dozen additional men that he didn't recognise "Lets check in with Myles & Franks" he could see numerous tense bodies & it wasn't sitting right with him.
"Right" Harry agreed
The Taylor men headed straight for Franks, Myles & Kruse, they were standing with a few other people "Franks" Ted greeted.
"Taylor" Franks greeted "This is Agent Dwayne Pride, and his newest pal Liam, we're being escorted to where Gibbs & the others are, and he's just requested to be the one to drive the SUV that Kelly will travel in" he wasn't really thrilled with that idea.
"And as I said, you are not driving that SUV!" Myles asserted "we're in charge of her security, as you admitted & as such you will not be the one to take charge of the vehicle she goes in!"
"If you would listen to my reasoning, you may reconsider" Liam stated, while he understood their need to keep the young lady safe, he really needed to get things moving, they were short on time "I know this city better than anyone, I know the back streets & how to move quickly if needed. And from the little I know, I know the players involved a great deal more than you, so I can spot trouble a lot faster than any of you could"
Ted could see Myles was going to retort & it wouldn't be pretty "to me that is pretty good criteria for being the driver of the lead vehicle, not the vehicle that the protectee will be transported in. And with all due respect, we don't know you…"
"and you don't trust people that you don't know" Liam finished for him "I've heard that already" he took a breath before continuing "but the last I would want in this world was for something to happen to my niece. I came personally to collect her to ensure nothing happened to her. I would never allow anything to happen to my own flesh & blood!" he finished a little harshly.
Ted's jaw dropped, huh? "ni….ec….e?" he stuttered, but he realised he wasn't alone, they'd all reacted with the same shock as he did, this man was Kelly's uncle?
"Yes" Liam nodded "now if we could move things along, I'd like us to get moving, we're short of time & have many people to bring into the estate before we can move to find our missing family members, so my nephews & I have a busy time ahead of us"
Ted couldn't help but remain surprised, this man & the other men he came with were all relatives of Kelly? His mind was boggling at it, but to hear that they were bringing in multiple people to this 'estate' place made him think this whole situation was even more dire and serious than they originally thought, just what was it all about?
A/N: Well... seems that a lot of people are getting surprised of late.. but at least Kelly will soon be back with her parents, and just what will they learn as they delve deeper into the apparent family war that's been waged throughout the generations?
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