Title: Once upon a Summertime
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters on NCIS, I'm just borrowing them for the story.
A/N: Sorry it took a little longer than I expected but here is chapter 18 of this story. I hope you like it and please review.
CHAPTER 18
Meeting Mrs. Eleonora Tapps
Tony's POV:
I reached the fence and in a desperate attempt tried to push Abby up. She was scared and almost paralyzed and I quickly realized it wasn't the way to go. Instead I quickly climbed the fence myself and with my legs on one side and my torso on the other I grabbed Abby's hands and tried to pull her up onto the fence. The fence was too high for her to climb herself even if she hadn't been so scared and had her usual strength.
"Come on, Abby! I'll pull you up. Don't be afraid," I panted as I pulled with all my strength. "Pleeease!" I gritted my teeth and pulled even harder.
"Tony!" She yelled with panic in her eyes. She must by now have realized the doggies weren't interested in playing after all.
I looked up from her panicked face and saw the two snarling shepherds approach with fierce eyes.
"Noooo! Help!" I screamed as they were only a few feet away. One of them had begun to open its maw and had its eyes set on poor Abby's dangling legs.
All of a sudden I felt someone grip my leg and yank me back. It made me lose my grip and also my balance and topple to the ground on the safe side of the fence. I landed in a rosebush and scraped my arm on its thorns. My head spun and I couldn't look up right away but only glanced to the side. There I saw something white undulating right next to where I was sitting in the rosebush. I soon realized it was a white cotton dress. It looked old fashioned, and it was long, almost like a nightgown. I tried getting to my feet right away but my t-shirt was stuck on a big thorn and I had to yank it free, tearing it in the process to get free. When I got up I saw the person wearing the dress. She was an old lady who looked to be in her seventies. She was lifting Abby underneath her arms and over the fence. I exhaled, not having realized I had been holding my breath all that time.
The old lady planted Abby on the grass and crouched down next to her. I took a leap out of the bushes and stood panting next to them, holding onto my knees.
Abby was crying frantically and still looked terrified.
"Oh, my my, you poor little thing," the old lady consoled while she brushed a tear off Abby's cheek. "Such a horrible ordeal for you two to go through. Are you quite alright there, dear?" she ran her fingers over Abby's cheeks, eyes and nose. I guessed it was to make sure she was unharmed. I found it strange, though, since the dogs didn't come anywhere near her face. Then she started running her hands over Abby's trembling legs instead. "No blood. They didn't bite you, sweetie."
I took a good look at the old lady. Though she was in her seventies she looked quite good for her age. She had a slight tan on her face and had baby blue eyes. Her hair wasn't grey the way it usually was on an old person, but white instead. She wore her long hair in a braid that reached the middle of her back. She wore white soft canvas shoes and around her neck hung a gold necklace with a gold heart locket pendant about as big as two knuckles.
The old lady stood up to her full height and I noticed her excellent bearing and pulled back shoulders. She didn't hunch at all. She looked at me and a smile spread across her face. She had some wrinkles of course but still her face glowed with youth somehow. She seemed so spry.
"Are you all right?" she asked me, but seemed to be focusing her stare on the dogs on the other side. They had quieted some but were still snarling a little and sniffing the fence.
"They can't jump over, can they?" I asked, casting a glance at the dogs.
"No no, they will stay where they are. There will be no jumping over onto my property, no no," she grinned again but still seemed distant. "They're really not bad dogs, you see. They are just real keen on defending their master's home." She took a step closer to the fence and bent slightly over it, glaring at the dogs. The third dog had joined the other two now as well. "Simone, Atlas, Alcmene, your mischief is over now. Go get some sleep and do not bother these children again," she remained in place a few seconds and the dogs, with their tales between their legs, all biting their upper lips, were staring attentively into her eyes. They actually looked ashamed. When she backed away so did they and with a whine they both turned and walked back to their doghouse where they lay down.
"Wow, that was cool!" I couldn't help but call out. "How did you…"
She turned, looking somewhere slightly above my head. "It's all in the attitude, my boy."
I frowned, "Yeah, uh, I guess it is," I agreed despite not having a clue what she meant.
I wiped a little blood from my arm where the thorn had scraped it and then helped Abby to her feet. "Are you, okay?" I asked concerned. She had stopped crying but still sniffled occasionally.
She looked at me with her brown eyes and nodded. "Yes, I'm okay, Tony." She nodded her head at the old lady. "Tony, don't you recognize her?" she whispered.
"What do you mean?" I asked and peered over at her.
Abby did a little excited jump with a wide grin on her lips. Her eyes sparkled excitedly now. "She's Madame White, silly," She said knowingly while rolling her eyes slightly.
I again cast a glance at the old lady who seemed to be busy studying her worn down house at the moment. I lowered my voice, "No, Abs, like I told you before, that's not Madame White."
Abby's shoulders slumped some, "But Tony, look at her. She looks just the way I pictured her."
Not wanting the old lady to turn and notice Abby was pointing at her I gently took Abby's hand and brought it down to her side.
"And-"Abby held up her index finger in the air to make me pay extra attention to what she was about to say, "she saved me from the dogs. That's what you said Madame White does, right? She helps kids…and people, with her powers. Didn't you see how she used her powers to scare away the dogs?"
I sighed. I wasn't sure what I had seen. But I did know this elegantly clad old lady was not Madame White. After all, I was the one who had made up Madame White in the first place to calm Abby down after her nightmare, so I was feeling pretty confident I was right.
"I know all that, Abby but it doesn't matter because she's not-"
"Madame White!" Abby suddenly called out and waved at the lady who turned with a smile.
"Now there is a nice nickname for me, sweetie." She then put a hand to her forehead. "Oh, where in heavens name are my manners? I haven't even told you my name. I'm Mrs. Eleonora Tapps. The owner of heaven." She crossed her arms across her chest and beamed proudly at the yellow wooden house.
Abby leaned towards me and whispered, "She probably has a second name too. She can't let people know she's really Madame White, Tony."
I just gave her a little nod and turned and squinted up at the old house. "Heaven?" I said in a confused voice.
"Yes, " Mrs. Tapps said proudly, "Because heaven is in the sky and the sky is blue. And my house is as blue as the sky itself." She gave a little content sigh, "Blue like the sky on a cloud free summer day."
Abby tilted her head back and looked up at the sky that was now full of rain clouds. It looked like it could start raining any minute. She then peered at the house. "Blue?" she said confused, "But Madame White, your house is yellow."
"Abby, sshh." I hushed her. I was afraid the old lady was crazy or something and didn't want to make her mad. It was quiet a minute as Mrs. Tapps stood with her back to us, and hand to her chin, studying het house. I saw the opportunity to take off then. "Well, we'd better be going now…"
"Yellow?" Mrs. Tapps suddenly exclaimed and spun around. "Do you two mean to tell me that my house is yellow? Not blue?"
"Well, of course it is-" I started.
"Hmm, that Macavoy family…"she mumbled.
We didn't have time to answer that totally weird and confusing question more thoroughly before footsteps were heard on the pebble path running through Mrs. Tapps garden. Ziva and Tim came running; fighting their way through hydrangea bushes to reach us.
Mrs. Tapps turned towards the pebble path as Ziva and Tim approached. "Oh, more visitors." She concluded surprised.
Abby and I moved to stand a few feet in front of Mrs. Tapps.
Ziva arrived first and stopped to catch her breath at the end of the pebble path. "There you are." she said with her breath still caught in her throat. "Are you two all right?"
"Yeah, we're okay." I said.
Tim stumbled to a halt behind Ziva.
"Thanks to Madame White!" Abby pointed her finger at Mrs. Tapps who didn't even seem to notice the act, despite the fact that she was facing our direction. I guess she must have been deep in thought because for some reason she wasn't looking at us, but instead slightly above our heads again.
"Welcome, welcome, my dear," Mrs. Tapps said and beckoned Ziva to come closer.
Tim had lingered behind Ziva, but now he took a step forward and seemed even a little offended that Mrs. Tapps didn't pay him any attention. He was hiding but he wasn't invisible after all.
"Is she your friend?" she asked me and Abby.
I nodded silently.
"I'm afraid I didn't quite catch your response there," Mrs Tapps said.
I frowned, "Yes, her name is Ziva." I answered, puzzled that Mrs. Tapps suddenly seemed so concerned with me answering properly.
"Hello, Ma'am, "Ziva said and stepped forward and extended her hand to the old woman who shook it gently.
"Hello, my dear. I'm Mrs. Eleonora Tapps," She greeted her with a smile.
I was still feeling very suspicious of the old woman by now. There was something just not quite right about her.
"I'm afraid, my dears, that I have told you my own name but forgotten to ask you yours. You must forgive an old woman."
She was looking somewhere else but I understood she must be talking to me and Abby.
"It is Tony and Abby," Ziva answered for us. She turned to me. "How did you get away from those dogs anyway? Did you fly over that fence?"
"No, Mrs Tapps here…uh…helped us," It felt strange that this little old woman, with her serene expression, had actually been our savior a few minutes ago. Anyway that was the case. But, I reminded myself, that didn't guarantee she wasn't dangerous. She was still weird.
"So, Mrs. Tapps, we thank you but we'd better get going now because…"
"Tony! Blood! There's blood on your arm!" Abby interrupted.
I sighed as I glared down at my arm with the string of glistening blood trickling down from it. It stung some but it wasn't exactly life threatening.
"Abby, it's fine. We have to go…"
Mrs. Tapps put her hand on my arm, running her fingers up until she reached the little wound from the thorn in the rose bush.
"Oh my my, poor dear. You should come inside and let me put a plaster on that." She turned and started walking towards her house. "By the way, you should all come inside, my dears. There will be some heavy rain soon. I can smell it."
Just as soon as she had spoken the words a lightning bolt flashed across the sky and rain started pouring down. Thunder rumbled in the distance like angry drums and I had to admit, Mrs. Tapps house looked more and more inviting.
"Let's go," Ziva said and started to follow Mrs. Tapps inside.
I grabbed her arm to stop her. "No, we can't. It could be dangerous to go inside her house like this. We don't even know her."
Ziva rolled her eyes at me and yanked her arm free. "Oh, come on, Tony. She is an old lady. What danger could there be inside her house?"
Abby had already started to follow Mrs. Tapps.
"Abby, wait!" I called out but she didn't stop. Frustrated I turned back to Ziva who now had her arms crossed over her chest, looking determined and certain of herself. "She's acting strange. Usually people look at you when you speak to them. She doesn't. There is something weird about her." I turned to Tim. "You saw it, right?"
"I…I don't really know. " Tim stuttered. "Yeah, I guess I did."
Ziva quietly stared at Tim and me, while for some reason wearing an expression like she couldn't believe her ears.
"What is wrong with you two?" she snapped. "You mean to tell me that you seriously cannot tell that old lady is blind?"
Thoughts ran through my head and I pushed my mental repeat button, going through everything that had happened with Mrs. Tapps the last couple of minutes. She had been looking right above our heads the entire time. This was the reason. She was blind. Blind people didn't focus on your eyes, they just looked in the direction of where your voice was coming from.
"Uh…yeah, sure I knew that. That's what I was referring to. Blind people can often be very violent in America."
She rolled her eyes again and I felt like doing the same for not coming up with anything better than that.
"So," Ziva said gesturing towards the front door of the house, "can we go inside now? Before we get even more soaked."
We all turned and ran through the pouring rain to the yellow "heavenly blue" house.
To be continued
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