"It's the end of the world as we know it. And I feel fiiiiiiine!"
"Tony!" Ziva couldn't hold back any longer. "I am begging you, stop singing!"
"Never thought I'd hear you beg me for any- Oooh!" Tony was cut off by a swift head-slap from the impatient man in the passenger seat. "Sorry, Gibbs." He looked in the rearview mirror just in time to see Ziva and Damon exchange a high five. His eyes narrowed before returning to the road in front of him. Or what was left of the road.
The barren landscape so far had reminded Tony of the movie 'The Road Warrior.' Of course, he knew if he said that out loud, he'd risk receiving another head-slap. And those had gotten harder than usual lately. The further west they traveled, things went from ashen black, to desert brown, and finally, some semblance of forest green.
It really was the end of the world. Or pretty close, at least. It had all gone down just over four months ago. The highest chairs of government around the world had known what was coming for weeks. It had trickled down to a few lower chairs, one being Leon Vance, but by then it was too late to do anything. A meteor shower was headed for earth. Some scientists predicted that the meteors would range from the size of a small car, to the size of half a city block. The predictions stated that the entire shower could last up to two days… It had actually lasted five days. The entire planet had been affected. Over night, empires crumbled and civilization became nearly non-existent. The mass hysteria had taken more lives than the meteors did.
Vance had done what he could to warn as many people as possible. He was only given a two day heads up by Sec-Nav. Then he and his family disappeared. By the time Gibbs and his team were told, everyone was scattered. It was the winter Chris turned four. Brynn and Chris had gone to Brynn's uncle's for Christmas. Gibbs was set to join them in a few days. Then all hell broke lose. Before the meteors took out all the satellites, cutting most communication, Brynn had gotten a message to Gibbs. Ian was taking her and Chris to Fort Carson. There were several abandoned missile silos in the area that would provide perfect cover. And Fort Carson seemed the safest bet to protect them from marauders in the aftermath.
At the same time, Ziva was on her honeymoon with Damon Werth. Damon had taken her to Orlando for a week. From headquarters at the Navy yard, Gibbs was able to warn them about what was coming. Once the shower stopped, Ziva was able to find an old C.B. and get word to Gibbs that she was alive and headed back to D.C. Gibbs wanted nothing more than to take off and find his family, but after already losing so many people, he opted to wait for Ziva's return before leaving.
With Ziva gone, Gibbs still had to worry about Tony, McGee, and Abby. Poor Ducky and his assistant Jimmy Palmer had been lost in the post meteor shower hysteria. Being two of the few people left in D.C. with medical experience, they were constantly out in the mess trying to help people. They both went out one day and were never seen again. It was just after that when Gibbs sent McGee and Abby on ahead to Colorado. The two of them left with a group of refugees on a military transport plane. It was the last one to leave D.C. They had strict instructions to find Gibbs' family and not let them out of their sights. McGee and Tony had not been happy to be separated, but the greater good called for actions, not complaints.
The wait for Ziva had cost Gibbs almost a month. By the time she got to him, he had gathered as many supplies as he could for the very long trip ahead of them. With all the detours they had to take, Gibbs was starting to think he may never get to his family. Half-way through Illinois, their three vehicle caravan had been ambushed. The group barely got away alive, but had to leave behind the truck loaded with their supplies. The need to constantly stop for more supplies and redirect their route because of the craters left behind, and the risk of being followed by the wrong people, made the journey even harder.
When they finally did reach Fort Carson, Gibbs felt his heart shatter. There was nothing there. Literally, nothing. The buildings had all been smashed or burned down. All the vehicles were gone. The fencing surrounding the fort had even been torn down. It was Tony who found the message Brynn had left for them. Just outside the main gate there was a huge sign warning any visitors to check in with security. Spray painted in bold glittery gold lettering were two words: GIBBS HONEYMOON.
Gibbs immediately knew what it meant. He and Brynn had spent their honeymoon in a cabin at the Rocky Mountain National Park. It had been Ian's wedding gift to them. That's where Brynn was now. Hopefully, everyone else was with her.
Now, Tony was maneuvering through the rough mountain roads in their seventh vehicle, a small jeep with no roof. The jeep had a cassette player (radios had stopped transmitting months ago) but Gibbs had made it clear that the jeep's battery was not to be wasted on such a frivolous thing as music. So it was up to Tony to entertain himself. This of course, had resulted in more than a few head-slaps and glares. The closer they got to Estes Park, the more antsy and uncontrollable Tony became. Gibbs had just about reached his breaking point with the younger man.
"Gibbs." Gibbs' eyes didn't come up from the map he was staring at. He smirked a little at Tony using his name. It had taken this long to get Tony to stop calling him 'boss.' He wasn't anyone's boss anymore.
"Yeah, Tony?" His mood wasn't quite as annoyed as his voice sounded. Tony didn't need to know that.
"Up ahead." Gibbs looked up. He squinted at the grimy windshield and made his eyes focus. There was a gas station just in front of them. "We could use a fill up." As they got closer, they could see activity in the parking lot of the small station. Several motorcycles were parked around the building. Tony pulled to the side of the road and parked. They'd had bad experiences before when stopping for gas. Gibbs and Tony each grabbed a rifle and a pistol. Tony turned and looked at Ziva. She nodded, pulling her own rifle close. Tony grabbed a backpack and slung it over one shoulder. Damon turned to hand Gibbs the empty gas can from the back. Tony adjusted his aviator sunglasses as he and Gibbs made their way to the station.
No one made any attempt to stop them from entering the station. They got several stares but no one said a word. This could be either good or very bad…
"I make eight." Tony muttered to Gibbs. He just nodded back before opening the door. There were two more men inside the building. One was behind the counter on a stool. The other stood just beside the door, holding an automatic rifle. Tony's first impulse was to check his pistol. He held off when Gibbs shot him a look. "Afternoon." Tony greeted the dirty man behind the counter.
"Afternoon." The man said back. Tony couldn't tell if he sounded slow, or just bored.
"Got any gas for trade?" Tony pushed his sunglasses up and let them rest above his forehead.
"May have. What do you have to trade?" Tony set the backpack on the counter. The man by the door stepped forward. Slow guy behind the counter held up his hand.
"I'm just gonna open the bag." Tony held up his hands. After a nod from slow guy, Tony carefully unzipped the bag and pulled out six cans of soup.
"That all you got?" Tony went deeper into the pack and pulled out a box that contained eight bars of Ivory soap. The other man's eyes went wide.
"What will all this get me?"
"You can fill that gas can. No more." He pointed to the gas can Gibbs still held.
"Fair enough." Gibbs finally spoke. Slow guy flipped a switch.
"Fill up and leave." With that, Tony and Gibbs headed for the door. Just as they reached the door, Gibbs stopped. He suddenly changed direction and went to the back wall of the station. "Hey," Slow guy yelled. "What are you doing?" Gibbs whipped around and faced the man. Tony caught sight of the expression on Gibbs' face and his own face twisted in surprise.
"Was that here when you got here?" Gibbs' voice was desperate. He pointed at the back wall of the station. Tony looked where Gibbs pointed and his mouth dropped open. The shelves had long ago been cleared out. Someone had written on the back wall with a black marker.
"Yeah. So what?" Slow guy answered.
"How long ago was that?" Tony finally tore his eyes from the wall and asked.
"Been a while. Look, just get your gas and leave!" Gibbs sent one more look at the wall and he and Tony walked out. The message was burned into his mind.
Brynnie Bear and Baby Bear were here.
Just below that…
So were Abbs and Probie.
NCIS
The next day…
The only passable road leading to the west side of the Rocky Mountain National Park led Gibbs and his group to a very long bridge. They stopped and parked before driving onto the bridge. Below them, the river that Gibbs remembered he and Brynn rafting on, was still rushing steadily. It had been a while since any of them had seen a steady river. Most of them had either dried up, or been turned into standing lakes because of the craters. The sound of the rushing water was almost deafening. Looking out across the bridge, Tony was surprised by the untouched forest. It was almost as if the meteor shower missed a spot in Colorado.
Using their only pair of binoculars, Gibbs set the sights on the other side of the bridge. He could clearly see two pick up trucks blocking the road just past the bridge. He counted nine men and two women gathered around the trucks. They were all armed. There were two ATVs sitting off to the side. One of the men took out a pair of binoculars and looked right back at Gibbs. Gibbs held his hand up, palm out. The other man did the same.
"Let's go." Gibbs barked. Everyone got into the jeep and Tony started it up.
"You think they're gonna shoot us on the spot?" Tony asked.
"Might not be a bad idea to put the guns away." Ziva did not like this idea, but she did as Gibbs said. Her hand rested on the knife concealed under her shirt.
"They don't look happy to see us." Tony remarked as they got closer. Gibbs' eyes scanned the group and counted the number of guns aimed at the jeep.
"Just be cool. They're probably just as jumpy as we are." Damon said, also taking count of the guns aimed at them.
"That's close enough!" One of the men shouted into a megaphone. Tony hit the brakes and put the jeep in park. The front wheels had barely made it off the bridge. "Cut the engine!" Tony did as he was told. Gibbs held up both hands as he climbed out of the jeep. He could hear the others exiting the jeep and hoped they were following his example. Once he was close enough to be heard, Gibbs called out to them.
"We don't want any trouble. We're just looking for our family."
"If you don't want any trouble, I suggest you get back in that jeep and drive away." The man set the megaphone down and held up a shotgun.
"Look, I know my family is here, if you would just." The tell-tale sound of a shotgun cocking made Gibbs stop.
"No one gets through here! Now, leave or we will fire!"
"Please just!" Gibbs rushed forward. Tony jumped to try and grab him.
"Gibbs, wait!" Tony yelled, trying to get him to stop.
All at once, every gun pointed at them was lowered. Gibbs and Tony looked at each other, then back at the group in front of them.
"Did you just say… Gibbs?" Another of the men stepped forward and asked.
"Yes, my name is Gibbs. Leroy Jethro Gibbs, from Washington D.C. My wife is."
"Brynn?" The man cut him off.
"Yes!" Gibbs answered excitedly. "And my son is Chris!" The man looked at Gibbs for two seconds and broke into a grin.
"Well, I'm damn glad I didn't shoot you. Brynn would have my head on a spike!"
"He does know Brynnie." Tony leaned over and whispered.
NCIS
Tim McGee had just gone into his tent for a water canteen when he heard an ATV roaring up the main road. He had just had lunch and was feeling good for the most part. His left leg still stung, just above his knee. But the pain was more bearable than it had been yesterday. That was always a good sign.
When he and Abby had first come to the park, they had stayed with Brynn and Chris in the tiny two room cabin at the end of what was called the bluff trail. He wasn't sure why it was called that, until he hiked all the way to the end of it. It literally ended at a bluff with a twenty feet drop. The cabin was only a hundred yards from the steep drop off. Ian and his two sons had taken one room. Brynn and Chris had taken the other. So McGee and Abby had to contend with the living room.
Once the weather turned warm, McGee decided to get a little privacy and pitched a big tent in a clearing just behind the ranger station. He liked being closer to the main part of the park. Brynn's cabin was almost half a mile away. Abby moved herself into the Lodge, the three story hotel on the main road. She turned the old back office into her new happy abode. The rest of the Lodge was pretty full save for a few rooms on the first floor that were also storage. There were two more smaller hotels further down the road. Both were now missing their roofs. Two crews were working in shifts to rebuild them. With the recent increase in population, they would need the extra shelter when winter hit again.
What was once the gift shop and general store was now used for storing supplies. The ranger station was where most of the guns and ammo that weren't being used were locked away. There was an office, two jail cells (that had yet to be used) and a smaller room for storage. The office held the only C.B. in the entire park that still worked. The ranger station also housed the small emergency clinic. It was really just a big room with some hospital equipment and four beds. Only one of which was currently occupied. There were two main diners that were still standing. One had been turned into a sort of schoolhouse/daycare run by two women who were former teachers.
The other diner was used for cooking and serving all the meals. Everyone ate three times a day. Clean water was plentiful with all the natural springs around, but no one wanted to take a chance of running out, so it was also rationed out equally at meal times. Rainwater was collected in drums for bathing and laundry. The rain had been good to them once spring hit. The whole set up was fairly organized. There was no set leader, everyone had a vote in every decision. Supply runs had gone out regularly at first, but as time went on, they found most of what they needed in the forest around them.
After rummaging around in his tent… It was a huge orange and yellow monstrosity that could house an entire family. Yes, even with the fall of civilized society, Timmy still needed his space…. McGee finally found his canteen. He had filled it earlier that day and was now on his way to relieve the western most patrol.
"McGee!" He heard Danny Marsen yell his name. There were five other Tims at the park, so they all just opted to go by their last names. McGee was already used to this, so there wasn't as much of an adjustment for him.
"Yeah?" He called back, limping out of his tent. He grunted back the pain.
"You'll never believe this!" Danny ran up to him and grabbed his shoulder. McGee's eyebrows came up.
"I might if you tell me." McGee smiled. He had come to really like and respect Danny in the last couple of months. He had been a park ranger before the shower hit. Having someone who knew the land around them as well as Danny, had been more valuable than all the supplies they brought in from the outside. McGee didn't take much notice of Danny when he had first come here. But then Danny took a shine to Abby and suddenly McGee zeroed in on him. He took Danny aside one day and gave him the big brother threat-speech. Once McGee saw how well he treated Abby, he started to lay off the brother-bear routine. Besides, Abby was a big girl who knew how to take care of herself.
"Follow me, man." Danny spun on his heel and beckoned McGee. They rounded the ranger station and stepped onto the main road. McGee saw an unfamiliar jeep sitting just in front of the Lodge. He could hear Abby squealing and tried to walk a little faster towards the group that had gathered around the jeep.
"Abby?" He called out. "What's going on?" Several heads turned towards him, but his focus was only on the pale face flanked by two black pigtails.
"Tim?" McGee stopped in his tracks. He shifted his gaze to Abby's left and caught sight of the same dark green eyes that haunted his dreams every night.
"Tony?" He almost couldn't believe what his own eyes were currently gawking at. Then all at once, his arms were full as Tony tackle-hugged him. McGee held Tony so tightly he made the man grunt.
"Oooh, too tight, man."
"Sorry…" McGee loosened his grip but still held Tony's waist.
"Ease up there, big man. Other people wanna say hi." McGee looked back at the group. His canteen fell to the ground when he saw Ziva and Damon. He rushed over, ignoring the stabbing pain shooting up his leg, and wrapped them both in a big hug.
"Oh my God, I'm so glad to see you guys!"
"We are happy to see you, McGee." Ziva hugged him back. Damon just slapped his shoulder. When McGee turned to Abby, she still had her arms wrapped around…
"Gibbs!" McGee shouted before hugging the man.
"McGee." Gibbs hugged him back. It was a little difficult because Abby still had not let go of him. When McGee pulled back, Gibbs' face was happy and worried all at once. "Are you limping?"
"Uh yeah…" McGee shot Abby a distressed look. "We should talk…" Gibbs' eyes hardened. "Chris should be in the schoolhouse. He's fine!" McGee pointed to the diner just across the road. "Brynnie's out on a supply run. They left yesterday." He could see Gibbs face fall.
"McGee," Danny spoke up. "Why don't you take everyone into the diner. They can eat and you can catch 'em up. I'll take your patrol."
"Thanks, Danny." Danny gently slapped McGee's back before heading off. The rest of the group around them finally dispersed and McGee led the way to the diner.
"So what's going on? Why are you hurt?" Tony asked once they had all sat down.
"Three days ago…" Tim sighed and looked only at Gibbs. "A group of bikers broke through our bridge patrol. We had gotten careless and only put two people on it. They came up the main road and demanded we give them all our supplies. There were at least twenty bikers and they had two pick up trucks with them. Brynn's uncle Ian warned them that they'd have to fight us for it. One of them just shot him… Right in the head. His oldest son, Sean, ran up and started firing on the group. It was chaos for about fifteen minutes. When it was over, they had killed seventeen of us. We killed all of them." He paused for a minute. When no one said anything he went on. "We siphoned the gas from the bikes. Then they all went into a huge burn pile along with the bikers themselves." Ziva sucked in a breath. "We burned them all near a small town across the bridge. We didn't want it anywhere near us. And the town was already abandoned. We did make use of their little cemetery though… For our people."
"One of them hit you in the leg." Gibbs finally spoke.
"Yeah. Just above my knee. Sean Coleson was also killed. He was sixteen. His little brother, Ty, is in the clinic in the ranger's station. He's fourteen. We are pretty set for antibiotics, but Ty needs major surgery. A shot gun blast got him in his side and nearly tore off his arm. Brynn and a team went to see if they could find a respirator machine and anything else that might help. She's one of the few who knows what to look for. I'd be with her but… She refused to let me go while I'm hurt. I'm on Baby Gibbs duty for now." McGee finally grinned. "Chris has been camping with me in my tent."
"That explains why security wouldn't let us in till they heard Gibbs' name." Tony said.
McGee sighed and stood. "If you guys are done eating, I can get you set up with a room at the Lodge if you want. We can do a tour later too."
"Take me to Chris first." Gibbs stood up.
"Follow me."
NCIS
It was several hours since Gibbs had set foot in the park. He was now back at Brynn's cabin, watching his son sleep. The guest room had two sets of bunk-beds and a tiny closet and dresser. Chris was now on the bottom of one bed and Gibbs was on the other one. Laying on his side, he watched Chris breath deeply as he slept. It had been one hell of a day…
Gibbs and Chris had sat and talked to Ty Coleson for a good two hours. He seemed to be handling the loss of his family fairly well. Gibbs had heard that kids bounced back easier, the younger they were. Ty and Chris talked about playing Dodgeball when Ty got better. Gibbs had looked up at the doctor when Ty said this. The doctor just shook his head and frowned.
Earlier Gibbs had spoken to Danny about moving one of the bunk-beds from the cabin, into the Lodge. There were whole families staying in one room, with some sleeping on the floor. There was really no sense in keeping an unused bed that could go to someone else. Danny was supposed to be on his way here with a truck and a few other guys to help with the lifting. Gibbs had also spied an empty souvenir shop at the end of the main road that was just the right size for a wood shop. Gibbs could get started on making more furniture for those who needed it. There was a whole room full of tools that had been gathered to help rebuild the park for the next winter.
Chris shifted in his sleep. He had so much of Brynn in him. He was always a quiet child. That probably came from Gibbs. But he had so many of Brynn's little habits and quirks, including eating peanut butter out of the jar. His sleeping habits came straight from his mother. Brynn was a tosser-turner. Any little noise or movement brought her wide awake. Which of course, would also wake Gibbs up. The only time either of them got any rest was when Brynn was pregnant. For some reason, pregnancy had caused her to sleep more soundly. Chris moved again and Gibbs tried not to laugh out loud.
Gibbs' eyes shifted from Chris to the old green duffle bag that Gibbs had kept with him on his cross-country trip. It had some clothes, a few bathroom essentials, and four things that Gibbs had refused to part with when he left his house. One was the toy lunch box that had been Kelly's. It still held one of her dolls and several pictures of her and Shannon. The second thing was Chris' baby book. The last two were photo albums that Brynn had put together of the entire family, including Gibbs' NCIS team. Every night that Gibbs had been on the road, he flipped through those albums, reliving Brynn's pregnancy, Chris birth, their wedding, and Chris growing up. It had helped and hurt at the same time. Now, just when he found Chris, Brynn was off hunting for medical equipment. Gibbs wanted to slap himself for not making better time on the road. Just a couple days earlier, and he could have gone with Brynn.
The sound of a truck engine brought both Chris and Gibbs to their feet.
"It's okay, son. You go get in Mommy's bed and sleep." Chris just smiled and hugged Gibbs before leaving the room.
Gibbs stepped out of the cabin and was surprised at how bright it was. The moon wasn't even full, but it was so clear out, it felt like mid-day instead of nine-thirty at night. Danny had brought help, as promised and Gibbs was left standing aside while everyone else worked. After the bed was loaded, the men said farewell. It was then that Gibbs saw the ATV rolling up the trail. McGee was driving with Tony on the back.
"Hey, Gibbs." Tony greeted him after he climbed of the ATV. "How's Chris?"
"He's fine. Sleeping." McGee stood there with a conflicted look on his face. "Something on your mind?" Gibbs asked him.
"There's something I need to tell you. I wanted to get you alone first. No one else knows…" McGee looked at Gibbs shamefully.
"Come on inside."
McGee and Tony both sat on the couch while Gibbs stoked the fire. The large stone fireplace lit up the entire front room. Tony was both curious and cautious. He had not left McGee's side since he had gotten to the park. He knew when something was bothering his lover. And there was a weight crushing down on McGee. Tony reached around McGee and let his arm rest against his back. McGee leaned into the embrace just as Gibbs turned to sit in the chair next to the couch.
"What's on your mind, Tim?" Gibbs finally spoke.
"I think Brynnie's pregnant." McGee slapped his hand against his mouth. Gibbs just stared at him. "I'm sorry, Gibbs. I was gonna be more delicate with it than that."
"Why do you think she's pregnant?" Tony asked. Gibbs was still staring hard at him.
"She started putting on a little weight. I thought it was weird… You know how she doesn't eat if she's worried or depressed." Gibbs nodded. "I hoped that she had just finally snapped out of her funk and was trying to take care of herself better. But she got more grouchy and snappy than usual. She lost her temper over everything."
"I remember her pregnant temper." Tony absently rubbed the back of his head before sliding his arm back around McGee.
"Well, when her stomach got bigger and her mood got worse… I confronted her about it. She said it was just stress. And suggested I back off."
"She didn't want people to treat her like she was weak." Gibbs' low voice cut through the air. "If people knew she was pregnant, they wouldn't let her do anything for herself."
"Why would she risk her pregnancy to run off with a supply team?" Tony asked, almost angry.
"She feels responsible for Ty." McGee looked down as he spoke. "After Ian and Sean were killed, Brynnie made it her personal mission to take care of Ty. And you know how she is…" Tony and Gibbs both nodded. "I'd be with her, but… She refused to let me leave the park when I can barely walk."
"Good." Gibbs spoke again. "You should take it easy." McGee and Tony both gawked at him. "And don't beat yourself up. We all know how damned stubborn that woman can get." Gibbs stood up. "You two bunk here for the night. Don't need you crashing into a tree or something on your way back down the trail. Take the guest room. Chris and I are in the master room." Gibbs left the two men alone.
"You know…" McGee turned towards Tony. "The master room and guest room are on opposite ends of the cabin. And I'm sure you'd like to sleep in a real bed."
"You know me so well." Tony pulled McGee in for a long kiss.