Author's Notes : As explained in "Control Limits", I lost my computer files recently and I've had to start from scratch. Thought it would be best to focus on finishing one story at a time. I do apologize for the delay in updating, gentle readers. As always, feedback is appreciated as long as its constructive. That means you don't have to love my story...but if you have suggestions on how I can improve my writing or plot, I'm open to hearing them.

Chapter 13

By 1800, the group returned to their conference room to find Rebecca and her two guard dogs waiting patiently.

"Ah, you're just on time." She said, glancing up from her watch.

"Did it help much?" She asked quietly totaling up the scores of the found items.

"Yup." Gibbs nodded. "Names of people, maps, times…given us some areas to look into this evening."

Rebecca looked up.

"It's a tie." She proclaimed. "However, life has taught us that there will always be a winner and as Gibbs and Tony entered the room first, they win."

Ziva frowned. "But we let them go first because of Gibbs."

Gibbs smiled wryly.

"Rebecca's saying that just because you always did it one way does not mean that that's the way to always do it." He rolled his eyes.

"Very good, Gibbs." Rebecca patted the older man on his head. He shot a warning glare at her.

"Prize?" Tony asked, like a kid at Christmas. "You mentioned a prize?"

"Ah, yes…so I did, DiNozzo. You get to walk Athena and Aphrodite." Rebecca held their leashes out to the two men.

Tony frowned.

"And…umm…how is this a prize?" He asked.

Rebecca pointed at her nose and the map simultaneously.

"I'll give you a quick run down of the basic commands and hand gestures. You find something like a scrap of cloth…they'll help track it down. You find something more sinister and they're pretty good at scaring the bad guys." Rebecca smiled. "While you're getting all muddy in the icky type of mud, I'll be experiencing the benefits of a Peruvian mud bath. I hear they're exhilarating."

Gibbs rolled his eyes again.

"Ziva, McGee, I want you to go to dinner. Let it slip to the waiter that we found this place based on a recommendation from Essex. See if the waiter can find out anything for you. DiNozzo and I are going to have look at this old barn." A callused finger jabbed a nearby field.

"Barn, boss?" Tony frowned.

"Looks like a good spot to meet. If our colonel was having a rendezvous out here, I want to know with who and where and why. The waiter might be able to help with the first part. This barn looks like a good place to start for the second. We'll figure out the third later."

"Ummm…if I might?" Rebecca started. The team turned to look at her. "Essex was…umm…gay, right?"

A collective nod. Mentally, she noted the team movement and was pleased.

"Well, I'm not saying that this is the case, but perhaps Essex or his partner, assuming the partner was here, enjoyed spa treatments. I'm going to bitch about ya'll while getting slathered in mud…see if anyone with return stories about other recent military personnel."

"Maybe you should leave the slumming to us?" Ziva suggested.

"Sleuthing." Tim and Tony corrected her together.

"Whatever." Ziva shrugged.

Gibbs stared at the young woman so dear to Ducky.

"I won't be in any danger. It's a spa…there's mud…the only dangerous thing that could happen is a spontaneous cat-fight-turned-wrestling-match."

Tony pursed his lips.

"You know, maybe I should stay and protect her boss. Mud sounds dangerous."

Gibbs sighed, but refrained from rolling his eyes.

"Ask away…but don't get too carried away, please, Rebecca. Ziva, McGee…go. DiNozzo and I are going to learn some hand signals."

"Good doggie." Tony eyed the Dobermans. Two sets of chocolate brown eyes blinked back at him.

"Dogs sense fear, DiNozzo." Gibbs said.

"It's not that I'm afraid of them as dogs." Tony protested. "But they're women with fangs. Moody and armed with sharp teeth."

"No different than those of that walk upright and have claws, Tony." Rebecca laughed. "Come on. Here we go…Athena! Aphrodite!"

The dogs jumped up and approached.

Silently, Rebecca tilted her hand down. The dogs sat. Two fingers pointed down and rotated clockwise. The dogs turned. The fingers rotated the other way. The dogs spun in a different direction. Palm up, Rebecca curled her fingers towards her. The dogs approached. Hand up like a cop directing traffic. They stopped. Hand still up, palm towards the dogs, she rotated her wrist. One dog went to the left of the room. One dog went to the right. As Rebecca walked around the room, the dogs followed her, but kept a parallel distance. She stopped. They stopped.

"Okay." She said. The dogs relaxed. "Good girls!"

Clapping her hands, the dogs bounded towards her, jumping up.

"Enough." The dogs settled into a relaxed stance.

"Who first?" Rebecca challenged the two men.

Tony tilted his head towards Gibbs.

"Him. He seems to understand them better."

Fifteen minutes of training and the group was good to go.

"Not sure who was trained." Gibbs muttered as they left the room.

Tony shot a look back at Rebecca who smiled and waved good bye to him.

Have fun! She mouthed.

He rolled his eyes.