"Where are you guys goin?" Kate asked as she took in the tuxedo and gown.
"Marine Corps birthday ball!" Jenny exclaimed excitedly as she put on her fur shawl to protect from the extreme cold that was taking over DC tonight, and gave each of her kids a kiss on the forehead. "And listen to what your Dad said, behave! We will back late, so go to bed and we will come and tuck you in when we get back, okay?"
"Okay.." A squirming and adorable five year old Tony smiled up with big green eyes and messy brown hair.
"Ohhh, Tony you be good!" Jenny leaned over smiling back pinched his cheek playfully to which he giggled and squirmed out of.
"Alright, good bye!" Jethro held open the front door for his wife, who often had trouble leaving her kids with a sitter, knowing how wild her kids can be as well as her being un-trusting of most seventeen year old girls these days. Jenny took the hint from her husband and made her way out the front door.
"Love you kids! Be home soon!" She said as Jethro nudged her out the door. He waved back at the cute kids on the couch, and finally shut the front door and they were gone.
The kids on the couch looked to the new babysitter who was still strangely not talking.
"Okay, its what? Seven oclock right now. Bedtime is at eight thirty." She announced to the small group of children.
The kids didnt even respond but were off the couch and running in an instance. Shrieks and screams filled the house as mayhem ensued.
"This'll be a long night...." Jessica said as she turned to stop the two year olds from climbing on the counter.
"How do you think the kids are doing? Should we call?" Jenny asked as they stood outside the ballroom, catching a break.
"Jen, im sure they're fine. Otherwise they would have called us. Right?" Jethro put his arm around Jenny's shoulders and turned her back towards the ball, where they were truly having an excellent time. Which is something that doesnt often happen.
"Your right ..." Jenny smiled up at her Marine in his dress blues.
"Please! Stop splashing..." Jessica asked the two twins in the tub she was currently wrangling ot keep in the tub as well as scrub clean because they had gotten into a cocoa powder mess in the kitchen. A cocoa powder disaster is the better fitting word. She took a flash at her wristwatch. Eleven Thirty. Shittt.
"Hey Jessica, where's Tony?" Kate peeked into the bathroom.
"I dont know Kate, Im sure he's somewh--" The twins splashed at that moment and shrieked in joy. "Can you please help me out here Kate?" She turned around to plead with the eight year old, who was already gone. Great.
Kate walked down the stairs slowly. Where could Tony be? She thought hard. She had been playing in her room by herself for a good two hours, and before that was the last time she saw Tony. They were playing tag, when he saw that the first snow of the year was here and he wanted to go play in it ... so he went outside... barefoot and in his pajamas....so he wouldnt have been outside long .... Just as she made her way down the last stair the handle on the front door just before her rattled, and then a key ground into the lock and she knew her parents were home.
The door opened and they were laughing, but their eyes immediately fell upon the ruins of their once tidy and beautiful home.
"What the-" Jethro started as Jenny gasped. Their eyes fell on Kate who stood there innocently.
"Kate? What the hell happened? Where is everyone else?" Jethro shut the door behind them and threw the keys on the counter.
"I dont know Daddy. I was up in my room all night, and came down here to find Tony cause I cant find him..." Kate said honestly.
"Who made this mess? Where is the sitter?" Jenny was growing angry by the lack of supervision that had clearly taken place while they were out.
Suddenly a screaming and laughing set of butt naked two year olds appeared at the top of t he stairs with smiles the size of kansas.
"Mommy! Daddy!" They bounced.
The parents quickly ascended the stairs to grab their naked twins, and were met by a breathless Jessica who had been chasing the twins with towels.
"oh, God..." She huffed under her breath. This was not good.
"Yes exactly. What happened?" Jenny scooped up Timmy in a towel, as Jethro grabbed a towel and did the same with a bundled Abby.
"I know, it's just ... your kids are-- too much to handle. I can't ...these ones, they were throwing cocoa powder.. and then the other boy was hungry and then running and then hiding-" She was cut off by Jethro.
"You mean Tony?" He snapped. "Our kids do have names you know. And where is Tony? Kate said she was looking for him..." Jethro all of the sudden got worried. It wasnt like Tony to fly under the radar for more than five minutes.
"I--I dont know ... Im sorry. I-" The girl ran a hand through her hair worriedly.
"You can show yourself to the door?" Jenny said somewhat bitchy.
"Yes, Im sorry, please-" "Just leave..."
They all made their way down the front stairwell, and Jessica promptly walked out the front door.
"Tony!" Jethro barked. He wouldnt not answer his Dad. No reply.
"Kate where did you see him last?" Jenny asked as she set down Tim and stepped over a fallen lamp in search of the middle child.
"He went outside, and then I went upstairs..."
"The backdoor is locked!" Jethro ran towards it. "That dimwit lock him out?" He quickly opened the door and turned on the back porch light.
"Tony!" He gave it a few seconds. They could see the entire backyard, nope.
"Thank God..." Jenny whispered as they shut and re-locked the back door trapping out the cold.
"Tony!" Jethro led the search party through the house ... where the heck--- his eyes suddenly fell on the sleeping form of a passed out five year, still elbow deep in a box of cereal in the corner of the open pantry closet he'd peeked into. He couldnt help the chuckle at the sight, and he silently gestured over to his wife who cautiously peeked into the doorway to start laughing as well.
The entire floor around the kid was covered in all the junk food that they keep on the highest of shelves just for such reasons as this one, but apparently Tony had been left unattended long enough where he scaled the pantry shelving and got the 'good stuff' down and consequently ate himself into a sugar coma.
Although the entire house was a mess, and the kids shouldve been asleep hours ago, the Gibbs' coudn't help but smile at their kids' antics. They were still young, and though they would be reprimanded, Jethro and Jenny knew they were harmless.
Jethro pulled the limp arm out of the box, and gathered the child up into his chest.
"Bedtime." The family turned and made their way towards the stairwell together.