Family vacation
"Tell them too bad, I want to go on a trip with you and I don't trust that they can keep their noses clean while we are gone, so they are just going to have to come too." Jenny stated in her best director and my word is final voice.
He just smiled and shook her head, "You do realize you sound like a crazy person, right?"
"How is wanting to spend time with you crazy?" she demanded.
"That's not crazy, I personally think more time away from here is good, but you want to bring the rest of them? What are we going to play Family Vacation now?"
"Sure why not?"
"Am I going to win this argument?" he asked. She shook her head no, "Fine. But I want you to know this is insane. They are going to pout and have tantrums. You can deal with that."
"You have such faith in them Jethro." She said.
Gibbs walked slowly back to his desk trying to figure out how to tell them they would be spending the next week in the middle of no where and wouldn't be attending to whatever weekend plans they may have had.
"Ziva, go get Abby for me." He said before sitting at his desk.
She and Abby came a few minutes later. "Ok, before anything is said, remember this was not my idea and I tried to talk her out of it, but the director has decided we need to have a team building retreat. As such you're all going to leave work early so you can pack, be ready at 0900, we'll pick you up." He said.
All of them let out a groan; he knew this was going to happen, "All complaints should be submitted loudly to the director."
As if queued, Jenny showed up at his desk. "Complaints won't be tolerated." She told the team who then scattered in a huff. "Thanks for throwing me under the bus Jethro."
He smiled, "Any time." He stood up to walk her back to her office.
"Ok, everything is settled, I take it by their reactions, they weren't too pleased."
"I told you they were going to be pissed off." He said biting back a laugh.
"Well I'm so glad you know them so well, but I'm not going to listen to them whine on the ride tomorrow." She said.
"What are you suggesting then Jenny? They are going to still be pissed tomorrow." He said.
"I don't know, be Daddy and make them be quite." She said.
"Yea, except Daddy thinks it's a bad idea to bring the children anyway." He said back to her.
"You're not getting out of this either. None of your team ever takes time off, and sense we are all going together we are going to be able to write it off and get paid for it."
She was getting frustrated. She didn't want to fight about it. He wrapped his arms around her, "You are one difficult woman." He said. "Come on, lets go get the car we are taking and go get packed, I'm totally up for leaving in the middle of the day, what do you say?"
"I can't, but I'll see you later tonight."
Around 1900 Gibbs heard a knock at his door. There she was, bound and determined to play family, Jenny. "Hello." He said before he kissed her. "I take it your just going to stay here for the night?"
"I guess so." She was excited, rarely did she get him completely alone, and she wasn't going to let that go.
The rest of their evening was pretty uneventful.
Across town Abby was ranting on the phone to McGee, "This is so stupid. I had plans for this weekend, there is going to be an all weekend rager, and now I'm instead of great music and awesome parties, I'm going to go play mountain girl?"
"You think I like this any better then you do? Not that I had crazy plans but I don't want to go to the woods, there are bugs there." He said, that was a feeble argument and he knew it but still, the middle of nowhere and McGee didn't mix. "So what are you bringing to keep yourself entertained then?"
"My iPod and some books. You?"
"My laptop, a few books, ear plugs so I don't have to listen to Tony. Oh God, how many movies do you think he is going to bring?"
"I'm going to guess a lot."
In another phone call on yet another side of town Tony and Ziva were having a similar conversation. "So Zee-vah, what are you bringing?"
"Books, and let me guess DiNozzo, you're bringing a dvd store worth of movies."
"Yea, anything you want to watch?" he asked.
"I don't know Tony, I'll leave the movie choices up to you."
"Ok, and I'll leave the killing/stuffing/cooking of a bear to you and a sharpened toothpick." He said with a laugh.
After shoving all of the children into the car, Gibbs started driving, it would be a 3 hour drive, and only 20 minutes in and they were already acting like 4 year olds.
"Stay on your side Tony." Tim shouted.
"Come on McBubbleBoy, I like to stretch out."
Gibbs looked at Jenny, "I told you."
Jenny rolled her eyes, "Do something about this." She hissed at him.
"No. This is your thing Jen, you wanted to play house with them, you deal with it." She had never seen him like this, it was strange, yes she had pushed to go on this trip, but thought that sense they were adults, the childish are we there yet crap wouldn't be part of it.
"Fine." She said quietly. "McGee, DiNozzo, sit on your seats, if you can't behave this is going to be a really unpleasant trip, for you."
"Sorry Director." They mumbled. Gibbs was impressed.
The next hour or so was pretty quite until Abby had to make an announcement, "Guys, I have to go to the bathroom."
"What happened to hit the head before we leave Abs?" Gibbs asked slightly annoyed, he had wanted to drive straight there and not have to stop.
"I did, but I drank a whole Caf-Pow, and I got to go now!" she squealed.
Gibbs angrily pulled off on the next exit. "Ok, everyone use the head. No one, and I mean no one buy any drinks or snacks. Is that understood?" They all nodded, he didn't look pleased to had to have stopped.
"Don't you think you're being a little harsh, Jethro?" Jenny asked him while they watched the four bound off for the toilets.
"No, not really, they're adults and instead of acting as such they are acting like little kids. Its annoying at best."
She took hold of his hand, "I'll make it up to you, I promise."
"Oh, I'm holding you to that." He said, finally smiling again.
After all of them managed to get back into the vehicle, they took off once more. Thankfully, after about 15 minutes, everyone fell asleep, and it was just Gibbs and the road in front of him. This wasn't too bad, nothing like nothingness.
He finally pulled up to the cabin in the woods they had rented, "Ok, wake up." He said gruffly. Once out of the car he stretched a little seeing as he hadn't moved in a few hours. The rest got out slowly and went to get there stuff.
"Uhm, Director? Where are we supposed to sleep?" Abby asked.
"Well there are supposed to be two rooms with two beds in them, so figure out who your going to room with and go from there." She replied while reaching for her bag.
It took everyone a while to figure out who there were going to be sleeping buddies with, though in the end it didn't surprise anyone that McGee and Abby took one room and Ziva and Tony another, just who they spent more time with any way.
Once up in their room Gibbs turned to Jenny, "So now that you have us trapped here, what are you planning on doing with us?"
She smiled, rolled her eyes and kissed him, "How about that?"
"I guess I'm ok with that, but you know they might get the wrong impression when you try to make out with Ziva…" she punched him in the arm.
He went to hug her when they heard a loud noise followed by yelling. "McGee? Are you ok?" Abby was fussing over the mass at the bottom of the stairs that turned out to be Tim.
DiNozzo had ducted into his and Ziva's room to hide out the rest of the storm. "What happened?" Gibbs demanded.
"Tony tried to kill McGee!" Abby shrieked.
"DiNozzo, come out here." Gibbs demanded while heading down stairs to check on McGee.
"Ok, I swear this isn't my fault." Tony was telling the director. She nodded and followed him down the stairs.
Once Gibbs was able to pull Abby off of McGee he sat the children down on the sofa next to Ziva, who was reading a book. "Ok. We've been here for less then an hour and there is already an injury. Who sees something wrong with this picture?"
"Oo, Gibbs, oh oh, pick me. Pick me." Abby was bouncing again.
"What Abby?"
"Tony threw McGee down the stairs and that's mean."
"I didn't throw Probie down the stairs. Gibbs I swear, why would I do something like that?"
"Right, McGee what happened?" The director asked.
"I was upstairs and Tony was running, and he sort of ran into me, and that's when I fell down the stairs."
"Ok, DiNozzo, why didn't you try to help McGee once it was obvious he was hurt?" Gibbs growled.
"I was going to, but then you came out looking well that look you've got on right now…." Tony suddenly found his hands amazingly interesting. "Sorry McBroken."
"Tony have you ever tried to apologize without insulting me at the same time?" McGee demanded.
"Come on. This is so stupid your fine and over…" Tony stopped the second Gibbs's hand connected with the back of his head, "Sorry boss."
"Right, DiNozzo, stop attacking McGee, Abby stop over reacting, McGee stop trying to smooth things out for Tony, its really annoying, I'm glad you have his six, but some times you have got to let him take a fall, especially if he causes you to fall down a flight of stairs. And Ziva, you're currently my favorite." Gibbs said before walking outside.
"Should we move?" Abby asked.
Jenny looked at them for a moment, nodded, "Just stay out of trouble." With that Jenny went to catch up to Gibbs who had decided to take a walk. "Want some company?"
"I could always use some company, as long as you aren't bringing drama with you." He said.
"Nah, I left the kids at home." She said with a laugh.
"Well I like the sound of that." He said as he went to kiss her, "Wait, aren't you worried that we'll come back and it will be all a pile of rumble and ash?"
"That's a risk I am willing to take if it gets me alone with you." She said. They interlocked hands and walked silently enjoying the stillness and one another's company.
They eventually made it to the lake a mile or so away from the cabin they were staying in, "Maybe, Jenny, you had a good idea. Coming here I mean, but still you had to bring the children with us?"
"Sometimes Mommy wants to spend time with her family, is that so wrong?" she mock pouted.
"And sometimes Daddy wants to spend time with Mommy and forget about the rest of the family." He responded.
Back in the cabin of insanity the children were fighting over which movie they should watch.
"I want to watch a good movie." Abby complained.
"This is a good movie, it's a classic!" Tony fired back.
"I've not seen this movie." Ziva interjected.
"Be fair Ziva, you've only seen like seven movies all together." McGee responded.
They were all fighting loudly when the 'parents' returned. "What the hell is going on now?" Gibbs yelled. All of them instantly shut-up, "I asked a question."
"We are trying to pick out a movie to watch together." Tony said.
"Alright, what are the options?" Jenny asked.
"Mars On Fire: 3rd Times Burning, The Wizard of Oz, Casablanca, or Back to the Future." Tony said.
"And Tony wants to watch Mars On Fire and it's the really sucky one, the 3rd one, its so lame, I mean I've seen some really bad movies, but this one is even worse then my cousin Bubba's documentary on the alligator fighters, not that alligator fighters aren't awesome but it was…."
"Abby, does this have a point?" Gibbs asked.
"Just that I don't want to watch Mars On Fire."
"Alright, well sense you can't seem to agree on anything, we'll pick the movie. Ok Jenny, choose between Casablanca or Wizard of Oz."
"Casablanca. But not until after dinner." She turned to go and make dinner, "Is anyone going to help me?" she shouted back towards them, Ziva and Tim ran to the kitchen to help, Abby and Tony sat on the sofa shifting dirty looks between to one another.
"How old are you two?" Gibbs asked. They just looked at him with pouty lips. "I'd suggest you suck those back in, if you want to keep them." They tried to wipe the pouts off, Gibbs sighed, sat between them and put an arm around either of them, "Silly children."
Dinner went by without much incident, and so did watching the movie. Unfortunately the 'children' fell asleep before it ended. "Who do you want to take up first?" Jenny asked.
"I don't know, I guess the boys first, they are heavier, and I don't want to be super tired and drop them." Jenny nodded and he walked over to DiNozzo and picked him up, "He needs to lay off the Chinese food." Carefully they got Tony up to his bed, Jenny pulled the covers down so Gibbs could put him in his bed. After covering and tucking him in.
Next Gibbs went to grab McGee, "Did you know Tim lost weight?" he asked her.
"No, but I knew he had gone on some diet recently." They got McGee in his bed and headed for Ziva.
She stirred a little, enough to open her eyes when they were on the stairs ,"Gibbs?"
"Yes Ziva, just go back to sleep." They put her into bed and closed the door to her and Tony's room, "Three down, one to go."
Abby didn't wake at all, but after she was deposited in her bed she reached out and grabbed Gibbs's arm. After a few minutes worth of struggle he managed to retrieve his arm. "You're the only one left." He said to Jenny as he picked her up. She laughed and he threw her onto the bed. She started to get under the covers, "Your not wearing your pajamas…"
She smirked, "I know…" they enjoyed the rest of their evening and fell asleep curled up in one another's arms.