Gibbs pulled off the highway. It was earlier than he'd told the boys he'd be back for them, but he didn't think they'd mind being rescued before dinner. And he suspected that the coffees he had just picked up for them would be appreciated, after a couple of days of caffeine deprivation.
A few minutes later he pulled into the campsite and smiled with pride. The makeshift tent would make any Marine proud. A roaring fire was blazing away, something roasting on a spit above it. His agents, both dressed in grey sweats, were lounging next to it, cups in hand.
To his surprise, they didn't immediately leap to their feet. Instead, they simply called out a 'Hi, Boss' and went back to their animated conversation.
Gibbs grabbed the three coffees and strolled over. As expected, they took the cups gratefully, carefully setting down the mugs they were already holding.
Noticing Gibbs's quizzical look, Tony explained, "Juniper berry tea. Tastes a bit like gin. If you left us out here much longer, we'd figure out a way to make a still..."
Gibbs laughed and sat down beside them.
On closer inspection, it was obvious that the weekend hadn't been without a few bumps. McGee had a black eye, Tony had a split lip, and the clothing that was still drying on an array of branches suggested that the sweats hadn't been chosen only because they were more comfortable. He'd expected as much, and was just relieved that they seemed to have worked through whatever problems they'd had.
"So, you ready to get out of here?"
He saw Tim breathe an obvious sigh of relief. He wasn't sure whether it was because he was eager to return to the comforts of civilisation, or because he had been worried about his reaction to the evidence that they'd been fighting.
To his surprise, Tony started protesting.
"Do we have to, Boss? The duck is almost ready, and we've got blueberries for dessert..."
Tim nodded eagerly in agreement.
Gibbs turned his attention away from his agents and looked around more carefully. One of the bags he'd used to pack the sweats in was now full to the brim with fresh berries. And the thing impaled on the spit did smell pretty good. How they hell did they get themselves a duck?! he wondered.
"Yeah, Boss, after all the work we put into that duck, we'd kinda..."
Gibbs smiled broadly and settled back.
"Ok," he agreed. "On one condition."
Two pairs of eyes narrowed warily.
"I want to hear the story behind that," he continued, gesturing at the duck.