A quick thank you to everyone who has left 'thank you' reviews. I'm lazy about answering those. I write instead. *G*
And thanks to my betas Jake and Jordre. They work very hard to beat my rampant commas into submission.
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Chapter 3
The place was a Country Inns and Suites and was actually in Cedar Bluff. That was good, as they wouldn't be dealing with city traffic at a bad time of day. There were several chain restaurants in the area, but nothing in walking distance. They decided that, since they had to get the motors out anyway, they'd take a look at two places that seemed good. One was Mama Mia's Italian, and the other was Mexico Lindo.
It took them another two hours of easy traveling to get to the hotel. They parked near the portico and trooped into the lobby to check in.
The clerk looked up with a faint smile. "How may I help you?"
Jimmy handed his iPad to the man and replied, "I made reservations on the road. Don't have a printer on my trike, so this is what I've got."
The clerk looked at the pad and nodded. "It's okay. This happens from time to time, so we're set up to deal. If I may?" He reached out for the tablet which Jimmy let him have. He hooked it up to his system and took a copy of the file for their check-in records. "Here we go, all set. You've been assigned a suite that will sleep all of you. If that's not acceptable, I'll give you three doubles, but they're on different floors." He waited a moment.
Tony looked the group over. "Together or buddy up?" The visual consensus was "Together," so he turned to the desk clerk and said, "Suite."
James nodded. "Excellent. Any special services you need?"
Gibbs thought for a second then asked, "Good restaurants?"
James pulled a services map out of a rack at his elbow. "Depends on what you're in the mood for. Koko's is good sushi. Mexico Lindo is great mexican. And there's a Cracker Barrel that is really good breakfast. Their lunch is good too. Dinner? Not so much. Mama Mia is great Italian and there's a Thai place that is good. Unfortunately, there's not a single place within walking distance. I marked my favorite places with checkmarks. Anything else?" He handed the map to Tony.
Gibbs shook his head. "Don't think so." He took the map out of Tony's hand, glanced at it, then handed it off to Jimmy. "Keep track of the paperwork."
Jimmy just took the map, the papers that James pulled out of the printer, and the key cards. "Thanks." He gave a card to everyone, then shoved the papers into a file folder.
"We'll get our own luggage." Dean took charge of that. "Cos? Get our stuff, okay?"
Cos just ambled off with Remy to retrieve their go-bags and shaving kits. "We'll be up in five."
It didn't take them long to find the suite, get their luggage, and set up housekeeping. Gibbs examined the rooms; three large bedrooms with two full-sized beds in each, surrounded a sitting room with a big-screen TV and a conference table. There was a conversation grouping near the sliding glass doors, which lead onto a long, narrow balcony. Each bedroom had its own bath, which was a relief.
Gibbs nodded. "I'm makin' coffee." He went to the wet bar behind the conference table and started the eight-cup coffeemaker. He also hunted up a pressure pot. "Great. We'll have coffee in five."
Jimmy, tasked with assigning berths, announced, "It's not that hard. Dean, Cos. Remy, AJ. Jet, me. Not breakin' up battle buddies."
Everyone grabbed their saddle bags and went to their rooms, assigned by the simple method of Jimmy pointing at the nearest group and the first room on his left and saying, "Dean, Cos; there. Remy, AJ; there. Jet and I take that one."
Tony grumbled, "I really want a shower. And, since we're going into public, I need to shave." He ambled toward their room, bags in hand.
Gibbs called after him. "AJ, check out the hot water. Never run out in a place like this, but there's always a first time."
"Gotcha." Tony waved over his shoulder.
It wasn't long before Tony returned, showered and shaven, dressed in casual Dockers and Rugby jersey, with bare feet and dripping hair. "Shower is heaven on earth. The water ... well, we won't worry about running out." He flopped down on a couch. "What's on?"
Remy tossed him the remote. "Usual crap on cable. Some idiot thing on Iran and some cooking shit."
Tony snagged the remote. "No movies."
"Only Pay-per." Remy rummaged through the magazines on the coffee table. Most of them were advertising flyers for various services, attractions, and entertainments available in the area, but one was a guide specific to the offerings on the hotel's cable service. "And ... here we go." he started flipping through it. "Not a damn thing."
Tony got the news, then shrugged. "Pack of cards."
Dean threw one at his head. "Here."
"Fucker." Tony drawled. He snatched the deck out of the air without really looking and tossed it on the table. "For later."
Cos flopped down on the couch, nearly bouncing Tony off. "Jerk."
"Kiss it. Where are we going to eat?" Cos picked up the map that Jimmy had dropped on the table so everyone could look at it.
Tony said, "We need to wait until everyone's here."
"True." Cos eyed the TV for a few moments, then went to sleep.
It was about a half an hour before everyone was ready. Then they sat down at the conference table, and Jimmy read the descriptions for the better restaurants in the area. "Not too sure about any of the Mom n' Pop things around here. They're usually common as dirt. Not too sure about Thai. My stomach doesn't like lemon grass that much."
Tony poked at his tablet for a moment. "Italian? There's a couple of three-and-a-half-stars nearby."
"And that one Mexican place is four-star." Gibbs sounded a bit doubtful.
Jimmy flipped through the magazine. "There's Koko's if you want Japanese, and a Chinese place that's three-star plus."
Remy's phone rang. "'Lo?" He listened for a moment, then said something in Cajun. After a bit more, he shut his phone and announced. "Ma'Mere been flooded out at Bayou St. Dennis, so we gon' to Davant. Ver' small town."
Tony sat down beside Remy and gripped his shoulder. "She okay?"
"Oui. She fine. House gone. But we been tryin' to get 'er into town for years. She say she stay wit' Marie for now." Remy rubbed his face.
"You okay?" Gibbs settled on Remy's other side while Dean and Cosmo watched with concern.
"Yeah. Just a bit of a shock. But Marie live in Davant. Population's not big, and most are related one way or another." Remy looked a bit lost for a moment. "Dat house ... we all spent summers there and ran the swamps like ... Don' know."
Tony sighed. "It'll be okay. We'll help build her a new house, if she needs it. Now. Food."
Remy shook it off and announced. "Italian. Comfort food if I can't get Cajun. An' I'm not eatin' anything folks around here call Cajun. Insult to everything I hold dear."
There was general laughter over that, and Tony assured Remy that, "No. No, man, just no. Not eatin' anything Cajun this far north." He thought for a moment then said, "So ... Italian. We need five stars. Jimmy, work some magic."
Jimmy was already poking at his tablet. "Okay. Mama Mia's is ... like ... three and a half. The Gondolier is four-star and not that far. But it's posted as pizza and sandwiches. Not really Italian."
They finally settled on Mama Mia's as good enough and fairly close.
Since they were riding in the city, and city drivers seemed to be determined to drive motors off the streets, they all donned leathers for the ride. They all favored chaps instead of leather pants, so jeans were the dress code of the ride, with leather jackets and heavy boots.
This created a rather threatening air, as the smallest of them was Gibbs at six-foot even and a tidy two hundred pounds. The largest of them was actually Cosmo at six feet, four inches, and a whippet-thin two hundred pounds. It seemed odd that Gibbs was well set up but Cosmo was a bit skinny; the four-inch difference in height made a lot of difference in appearance. Remy was heavier than they were by about twenty pounds, but he was all chest and shoulders, just as Tony was. Dean and Jimmy were neck-and-neck with Tony and Remy with a bare inch difference in height and a scant ten pounds difference between the four of them.
They all also seemed to be able to walk quietly in heavy boots, so when they left the elevator the clerk jumped a foot. Dean noticed and gave the new person an easy smile. She smiled back a bit hesitantly.
When she realized who they were she scurried out from behind the desk and called, "Wait! I need ..." she froze as she was faced with six laser-like gazes.
Gibbs realized what had happened and took charge. "Okay. You go on to the motors. I'll deal." He turned to the girl and waited while the rest of the pod made their way to the motors. "What do you need?"
"Um ... we don't like motorcycles parked there. It's not good ..." she realized how that sounded and babbled. "Not that there's anything wrong with nice bikes like those ... it's just ... well, we get people ... other guests ... that can't seem to keep their hands off stuff. I'd hate to see some jerk knock them all over ... like dominoes ... we had that happen and ... it wasn't good. No offense meant." She gulped a couple of times giving Gibbs a hopeful look.
"None taken. If you don't want us parking out front ... where do we park?"
"Oh! If you drive around the back, there's another door which your key will open. Right by the door there's a shelter. Just a roof thing. Park under that; it's right by the security booth. We prefer convertible cars, motorcycles, and expensive vehicles to be parked there so the guards can keep a better eye on them." She gave him a hesitant smile.
"Okay. We can do that. We need any sort of paperwork or anything?" Gibbs understood quite well that a pack of motors didn't look good parked in front of much of anywhere.
"No, just your key cards. The guard might have you swipe them through his hand-held just to make sure you actually have a room." She smiled again. "Thank you so much." She looked back at the desk to see a couple waiting patiently for her. "Oh, darn, better go."
Gibbs watched her hurry away with a slight smile. He turned to join his friends, shaking his head a bit. "Okay, what we've got is new parking, in the back right next to the guard booth." He explained everything over the com as they got mounted up and ready to move out.
They made the ride in about ten minutes, despite the efforts of local traffic to put them all in a ditch. Tony swore, "Son-of-a-bitch! I swear every red-neck yokel in a pickup has it out for us." He watched as the dark red Ford switched lanes again, cutting off the dark navy blue Ford Escalade. "Uh-oh. Looks like he just cut off a LEO." They hung back a bit to give the cop room to pull the offender over.
They laughed as they rode by the pulled-over truck. The driver looked pissed; the cop just looked tired.
Mama Mia's was located in a small strip mall just off the highway. It was unassuming, bland, and a bit off-putting, but the parking lot was nearly full, so they parked to give it a look. As they had worn chaps instead of pants they all unzipped the legs, took them and their jackets off, and stashed them in the saddlebags; helmets went into the helmet trunk, and they were ready to go in.
The entryway proved that they were in the right place. It was neat and clean, decorated in classic Italian Restaurant style. There was a small seating area with a sign that said, "Please wait to be seated" on a stand-up. Everyone sat down. They didn't have long to wait before a young woman came out to ask, "How many in your party?"
Tony stood up to speak to her; staying seated while speaking was rude. "Six. Name: DiNozzo."
"Thank you. It won't be very long; we're just clearing a table now. I'll just take a quick look. Back in a jiff." She smiled politely and went back into the main room. She returned almost at once with the news that the table was clean and ready for them.
They followed her through the room to a large circular table tucked into an alcove; as it was a table for 12 or so; they were very happy. They could all get their backs to a wall.
The hostess watched blankly as they moved chairs around to accomplish this. After the shuffling was done, she motioned to an older woman and said, "This is Maria. She'll be your server tonight." Then she walked away.
Maria nodded to the group. "I'll bring menus and water in a moment. The special of the evening is Eggplant Parmesan with a salad and garlic bread, or Veal Piccata with a side of spaghetti a la Puttanesca and garlic bread. We also have the house speciality of Capellini De Angelico con Scampi e Mollusco." she smiled. "That's really good. It's shrimp and clams cooked in white wine, butter, garlic, and shallots, then chief adds cream and parmesan cheese, pepper and parsley. It's served over angel hair pasta with the usual sides." She headed for the serving station to get menus and water.
"It all sounds really good." Tony sniffed. "Smells good too. Maybe we could get family-style."
Gibbs eyed the decor. "Place like this? I doubt it. Wonder if they have anything endless-plate. That'd do the job."
Marie overheard that and returned to say, "Sorry. No endless plate. We got cleaned out by construction workers about a year ago. Management put the kibosh on that real quick. But I do think you'll find the servings adequate. Anyone want a drink? Wine, beer, cocktail?"
Everyone shook their heads. They were riding motorcycles, which made drinking three times as dangerous as drinking while driving a car. Marie nodded. "Okay, then." She nodded to a young man who'd brought a tray and stand to the table. "Water. Coffee?" Everyone turned their cups up so she started pouring and passing out menus. "Ok. I'll be back in five with more coffee and to take your orders." She walked away, empty pot in hand to tell the manager, "Keep an eye on that table. I know combat vets when I see 'em. They came in on bikes, but I don't think they'll cause trouble. Unless some jackass starts it."
The manager nodded, glanced at the table, then said, "Keep the cups full, and endless bread sticks."
Maria just nodded and went to make more coffee, muttering in Italian as she went.
She returned to the table with a huge basket of bread sticks and another pot of coffee. She promptly emptied it into their empty cups. "There you go. If you want more bread, just let me know. Salads are on the way." She shook her head. "I swear, I'm gonna kill that prep guy. He was supposed to be in an hour and a half ago; still a no-show." She noticed a couple of expressions and answered the unasked questions. "No, he's only 18, never been away from home. He's just a party animal. He's hung over or I miss my guess. Tom will call his Mom. If he is, he's done." She smiled at them all, then went away to fetch their salads.
Tony stretched, arms over head. "Man, I feel good. We've got ten days of no cases, no ops, no nothing we don't want to do. Great."
Dean nodded. "It is. And I'm gonna eat ... everything. Wonder if Ma'mere will have 'gator."
Remy thought about that for a moment. "Do'an know. She usually does but ... what with things goin' the way they did, might not."
Cosmo interjected, "If she doesn't, we could get a license and get her one."
Gibbs blinked, "License? Get one?"
Remy nodded. "Sure. Got to meet a few regs, but that's not a problem. Ma'mere will have tags an' such. We'll just fill hers."
Jimmy asked, "Is that legal?
"Not strictly, but the Game Warden is a cousin and won't put up a fuss. They mostly do because guides try to dodge the fees. It's $150 dollars a person, but, since it's for food instead of sport, no one will say much." Remy shrugged in that way he had. "Sides, I know where the bodies are sunk."
Gibbs questioned that. "Sunk? Don't you mean buried?"
Remy snickered then said, "Man, you try to dig a hole in a damn swamp? Good luck with that."
They all laughed over that. Gibbs agreeing, "True. How fast does the hole fill?"
"Fast as you can dig, most places." Remy brightened as Maria came by with more bread. "Food soon?"
Maria grinned. "Soon as you order."
They went around the table ordering. Marie had to smile, as most of them ordered the second special of the day, Veal Piccata with a side of spaghetti al la Puttanesca and garlic bread. Except for Gibbs and Tony, who ordered Capellini De Angelico con Scampi e Mollusco. Marie nodded. "Ok, since you ordered specials, it won't take long. Everything's freshly cooked, but we prep in advance what we can. Twenty minutes." She nodded at Remy. "You won't starve before then, will you?"
Remy gave her a mournful face. "Don't know. Probably not."
Maria just snorted softly and went into the kitchen to drop their orders at the pass. She yelled through, "Hey! Get it out fast. They're chewing the furniture." The laugh she got back made her smile.
People in the dining room heard too and the whole pod snickered softly. A young voice was heard from a side room. "Mom, are they really chewing the furniture?" An indistinct mumble assured him that they were not. "Are you sure? Maybe you should check. You said that destruction of private poperty was a crime." It wasn't long before a head popped out of the side room. The woman eyed them for a moment then disappeared again.
Everyone noticed of course, but no one felt like investigating; they just wanted to eat. It wasn't long before the same young voice announced, "I'm goin' potty." They watched as a boy about six or seven trotted out of the room and straight to the Men's Room. It wasn't long before he was back out and headed for their table with all the determination a six-year-old could muster.
"You be good." The blond tyke pointed his little finger right at the table. "I don't want Mom to 'rest you for bein' bad."
Tony gave the kid a wide-eyed rather stunned look and said, "Huh?"
He got that look that all children can manage, the one that implies 'You're the adult, act like it.' He sighed audibly. "If you chew on the furniture, it's poperty ..." he frowned, "Somethin'. I forget. But you get 'rested for it. An' Mom hates the paperwork. So don't do it. I want ice cream." And with that he turned and trotted back to his seat in the other room, calling loudly, "Mom, I told 'em to be good."
Only seconds later a woman emerged from the side room, red-faced and steaming. She came to the table, "Hey. Excuse me." She pushed a lock of hair out of her face. "I'm really sorry about Billy. He's ..." She waved a hand, at a loss for words.
Tony shrugged. "Cute. Little guy's got his priorities straight. Anything that interferes with ice cream is bad." He put on his most charming smile.
The woman sighed, then laughed. "Lily Reynolds. Sheriff of this county."
Gibbs stood up to shake her hand. "Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Special Agent, NCIS." He went around the table introducing everyone. Noticing her expression, he explained, "We're just goin' through. Road trip."
Lily nodded. "Okay. I did wonder why a bunch of Feds came into my territory." She grinned. "Good to know. Now ... be good so Billy can have his ice cream." She turned, waving over her shoulder and headed back for her table, saying, "William James Reynolds ..."
Dean winced visibly. "Ouch. She middle-named him. Kid's in trouble."
Cosmo just offered, "I hope he gets his ice cream."
They were all silenced as their salads came.
Maria set the plates in front of them with a tiny flourish. "There you go. You need anything else, you let me know."
Gibbs eyed his salad with pleasure. It was on a plate instead of in a tiny bowl and was a mix of iceberg lettuce, Romaine, and spring greens, covered with tomato wedges, croutons, olives, and parmesan cheese. The dressing was a plain house Italian made with olive oil, apple cider and balsamic vinegar, sugar, basil, crushed garlic, and salt and pepper.
Everyone made appreciative noises as they started in on the greens. Remy exclaimed, "Ah! Mozzarella in the bread sticks. So good." So everyone grabbed one of the buttery, cheese-stuffed goodies to have a taste themselves. They were just as good as Remy said they were.
They finished their salads quickly. Dean remarked, "Man, I was a lot hungrier than I thought. Hope Maria brings out the rest of the food soon."
Maria overheard, so she came to the table and said, "I heard that. I'll run back and see if things are done yet. Okay?"
Someone replied, "Great. Thanks." so she hurried off to the pass. "Hey! Table Ten ready yet? They're done with the salad and bread and looking for their mains."
"Comin' right up. Nearly done with the Puttanesca. Start taking the rest out as it's plated, will you?"
Maria quickly picked up the first plates and put them on her tray. "Got it. All the Veal done?"
"Yeah. And the Capellini just needs finished. It'll be done with the Puttanesca."
Maria eyed her tray. "I'll take it in two trips. Back in a flash."
She took the first tray to the table. "The veal is done, so I'm serving it now. Everything else will be done by the time I get back to the pass. Here you go." She distributed the veal around the table. "I'm going to leave my stand up. If you would make sure no one trips on it, I'd appreciate it."
Tony nodded. "Okay. I've got it."
"Thanks, hun. Back in a sec." Maria left to get the rest of the food, secure in the knowledge that no unobservant stumblebum would trip over the three-foot-tall, silver folding tray stand.
She returned just in time to see Tony guide a man who was texting around the obstacle, saying, "Dude, put that away and watch where you're going." The embarrassed man tucked his phone into a pocket and scurried toward the men's room. Tony shook his head in disgust as he sat back down.
Maria plopped her tray on the stand and started handing out mains. "There we are." She put the parmesan grater and pepper grinder on the table, then checked drinks. "Anything else?" She was greeted with head shakes, as they all had their mouths full.
Gibbs poked a shrimp with his fork and sighed happily. "Shrimp isn't overdone."
Tony, mouth full of mussel, nodded, swallowed, and added, "Mussels aren't either. Really good."
Remy added, "Veal's great, done without being dried out."
The entire table went silent while everyone enjoyed their food.
Maria dropped by a couple of times to refill water and coffee; she smiled when Gibbs said, "Food is great. Compliments to the chef." Maria nodded, smiled again and went away.
Tony sighed. "This is so good." He turned to Remy, "Is the veal really that good?"
Remy just cut a bite off and put it on Tony's bread plate. "There. Taste for yourself. You want some of the Puttanesca too?"
"Please. I really hate making decisions like this. What I get is always good, but everything else looks so good too." He grinned. "One of the reasons I love buffets."
Gibbs snorted softly. "No, you love buffets because you're a hog. True fact."
Tony gave Gibbs an indignant look and said petulantly, "So not true. Who went through five times last week?" He pointed at Gibbs. "Not me."
Gibbs just forked up another bite of his pasta and stuffed it into his mouth.
Dean gave Tony a sideoogle. "Yeah, Jet went through five times. But you went through ... let me count ... six. I do believe it was six. Bitch."
"Asshole. It was not."
Cosmo agreed with Tony. "No, he didn't go six."
"Thank you." Tony managed to look smug without overdoing it.
Until Cosmo went on. "It was seven."
"Jerk!" Tony's indignant squawk made the whole table snicker.
"Not. It's just the truth. Truth hurts, man." Cosmo finished his bread stick with a flourish and reached for another. He glowered when Dean snatched it before he could get to it. "Hey!" Dean just made pig noises at him.
Gibbs gave him a warning glower and ordered, "Stop that. Act your age, not your IQ."
The table calmed down at once. They all knew that they got too rowdy from time to time, but they were all still young. Gibbs could get just as rowdy as they did, but he seemed to have a better grasp of time and place than they did. They didn't mind, but did tend to tease him by calling him Gramps.
Dean hunched one shoulder. "Sorry, Jet."
Gibbs nodded. " 'Kay. Just don't scare the locals."
Maria came to the table with more bread, coffee, and the offer of, "Desert? Tiramisu? We've also got a nice carrot cake or Red Velvet."
They settled on what they wanted and returned to their meal to finish so Maria could take the plates. She came back in just a few minutes with another tray full of plates. She nipped empties out from in front of them and replaced them with the proper deserts with skills born of long practice. "There you go. I'll be back with more coffee in a sec." She walked away, taking her tray full of empties with her.
Several minutes later they all leaned back nearly in unison. Remy rumbled softly, "Delicious. I'm full as a tick."
Jimmy eyed Remy for a moment then opined, "That's one of the most disgusting expressions on earth. Just ... blood-sucking insect ... ick."
Remy rolled his eyes at Jimmy. "It's just an expression, you big girl."
"It's just a disgusting expression. Jerk."
Tony sighed. "Enough. It is disgusting, LeBeau. Think about it."
Remy frowned into the dregs of his coffee for a moment then shrugged, allowing, "Might be. But ... been hearin' and sayin' it all my life." He finished his coffee, brightened and offered, "We headin' out soon? I'm ready for a sit-down."
Maria showed up again. "Check." She grinned. "Thank you for your patronage, please come again." Her expression showed that the last was the obligatory smarm management insisted on.
There was a bit of a scramble as Jimmy collected Maria's tips while Tony and Remy went to pay at the register. Tim had set up a single credit card for the pod to use in this sort of situation. They kept individual track of who owed what and settled up once a month.
Maria took her tip with a big smile and waved to them as they ambled out the front door to mount their motors and head off. They were greeted with Billy and Lily standing by their motors. Billy had that awed look that kids his age got.
"Mom, I wanna sit on one." There was a definite whine there.
"No. It's not yours to mess with. And sitting on someone else's motorcycle is just rude. Would you like it if someone wandered into your room and laid down on your bed?" Lily sounded like Billy was on her last fraying nerve.
"No. But ... well." Billy sounded frustrated but willing to understand. "What if I asked really nice?"
"If they come out in the next five minutes, you can. But I'm due on duty in forty-five and we just don't have time." The source of Lily's frustration was now evident.
Gibbs took the whole thing in hand. "Hey. If it's okay with you, he can sit on my motor. But only sit. I don't have a helmet small enough for him."
Billy jumped in place, happily exclaiming, "Yay!" He calmed a bit and told Gibbs. "Only sit. Mom said I can't ride with anyone until I'm strong enough to hold on tight." He squealed happily when Gibbs swung him off his feet and sat him on the seat.
"There you go." Gibbs kept a hand on Billy so he wouldn't slide off and hurt himself. "Sit still now."
Billy happily made 'vroom' noises until Lily said, "Sorry, honey, we have to go. I'll be late to clock in if we don't go right now."
Billy groaned, "Awww, Mom," but obediently held his hands up for Gibbs to lift him off.
Gibbs did and set him on his feet, making sure he had his balance before he let go. Billy looked up and said, "Thank you. It's really nice. I like the color." He turned. "Mom, when I'm old enough, I want one just like that. Color and everything."
Lily smiled at Gibbs. "Thanks, Agent Gibbs." She looked down. "We'll see. Depends. Now, we really gotta go." She took Billy's hand, thanked everyone again, and trotted off for her car; Billy waved one last time then obediently followed her.
They watched as Lily got Billy into the van and drove away; Billy gave them one last wave as they turned into the street.
"Well. Cute kid," Tony grinned. "You're really good with kids, Jet."
Gibbs shrugged. "No idea why. Mount up." They all got on their motors and drove back to the hotel, thankfully without incident. They circled the building and found the canopy and guard shack right where the clerk had said it would be. They eased in, parked, dropping kickstands almost in unison, and went to the shack to see what they needed to do next.
The guard was young, but seemed to know his business. The first thing he did was ask for key cards as proof of residence. "I know ... it's a bit stupid, because who the heck would pull a stupid stunt like parking without proof; good way to get towed. So. I also need ID."
They produced IDs for the young man and waited while he scanned key cards, inspected IDs, and wrote notes on a clipboard. "There. All done. This way the day man knows who you are and won't give you grief when you're ready to leave. About what time will that be?"
Tony shrugged easily. "Not really sure, but somewhere around 0800. What time does Cracker Barrel open?"
"About six. They're supposed to open at six on the dot, but sometimes they're a bit late." He tucked his clipboard away in a rack, smiled, and nodded as they all headed into the back hall.
They found the suite easily enough and settled in to watch TVand argue over cards until they got tired. Contrary to popular belief, they didn't stay up all night gambling and drinking. In fact, the last of them, Tony, was in bed by 2100.
One thing that moving in with Ducky had accomplished, much to everyone's surprise: Tony now fell asleep easily and slept at least five hours, unless he was working on something. But he was much less tense all around.
.
Gibbs woke at 0530 to the smell of good coffee drifting into his room. He rolled over to check on Jimmy and saw that he was sitting up, stretching lazily. "Coffee."
Jimmy nodded. "Shower."
They both clambered out of bed, Gibbs headed for the lounge, Jimmy for the bathroom.
Gibbs grabbed the mug that Tony pushed in his direction and gulped. "Ah! Great stuff." he finished off the mug and held it out for more.
Tony poured more, but snickered as Remy took the mug right out of Gibbs' hand, swallowed half, then mumbled, "Thanks, Jet." Tony shrugged and poured more, leaving filled mugs on the conference table for the others to take.
It didn't take long for everyone to show. Remy grabbed another mug, putting his empty in its place. Dean and Cosmo just drank what was on the table. Jimmy shambled out, still only half-awake, hair wet, and put his mug in the microwave. He eyed the thing for a moment then sighed, "I do have coffee, right?"
Tony, on his second cup, set the microwave for 20 seconds and turned it on. "It's gonna be hot," he warned.
Jimmy grumbled but took a careful test sip. " 'S okay."
It took about twenty minutes for them all to get cleaned up and ready to go. They settled at the conference table with one last cup of coffee to decide what to do for the day.
Gibbs offered, "As we're not taking unreliable, unknown back roads for the scenery, I vote we book it."
Tony nodded. "Since Remy's Ma'mere is in need. I second. All in favor?" Every hand went up, with Remy abstaining. "Okay. Where do we want to eat breakfast?"
Jimmy shook his head. "I'm still full from last night. I could do with a slice of toast or something like that and some juice, but I really don't feel like full breakfast."
They took another vote and the consensus was that they were all still full and only wanted a top-off.
Dean had been idly looking over the hotel services brochure while they talked; now he pointed to a picture. "Continental breakfast in the lobby from 0600 to 1000. That'll do us."
Cosmo finished the last of his coffee and put the mug in the sink. "Maybe we can get a sweet roll. Don't really need much."
They all put their mugs in the sink and policed the area a bit. After they were done, they gathered their stuff; Remy took one last look for stray belongings, then they took the elevator down, jamming themselves into the car in a scramble. Gibbs barked, "You lugnuts settle down. I get an elbow..." a sharp grunt finished the sentence as Jimmy's elbow drove into his gut and forced all the air out of his lungs.
Jimmy tried to turn around but they were jammed. "I'm sorry. Really."
Tony figuratively threw up his hands. "Ten-hut! Eyes front!" Both commands were obeyed, training taking over before they could think. "No one move." Tony couldn't get turned around either, but he asked, "Jet?"
"I'm okay... Just got ... an elbow ... between wind ... and water." Gibbs gasped out. He rubbed his stomach and managed to choke in enough air to straighten up.
Jimmy was working on a hysterical babble-fest, but Gibbs poked him in the back. "Not your fault." Jimmy stayed at attention, eyes front; but everyone heard his sigh of relief.
The elevator doors opened, and Tony barked, "As you were. Get the fuck out," so they all trooped out of the elevator heading for the buffet breakfast set up in the lobby.
They were happy to see a decent selection of sweet rolls, biscuits, toast, and dry cereal. There was milk in half-pint cartons and juice in foil-covered containers, as well as coffee, and hot water to go along with the basket of tea bags. Another basket had packets of jelly; beside it sat a bowl full of ice and tubs of margarine.
They raided the table like the horde of locusts they'd been compared to, startling the day clerk and manager as they squabbled companionably over toast, cereal, and juices.
Remy noticed an elderly couple hovering in a hall. They looked like they were going to retreat, foregoing breakfast. He ambled over, smiling gently. "Do'an worry 'bout that mess. We's all ami 'er." his soft, southern accent made the woman smile.
"Louisiana." She looked up at him, smiling back. "Is there any tea?"
Remy nodded and offered her his arm. "Is. Mon nom est Remiel Devereaux."
"I'm Emma Landry and this is my husband, Frank." She poked her husband in the side. "Frank, don't be such a sourpuss."
Gibbs just handed the man a cup of coffee, remarking, "Hope you can take it weak and lukewarm. Sugar? Cream?"
Frank took the cup, shook his head at the offered additions, sipped, and scowled, "Not exactly what I'd call coffee. Sorta ... ditch water. It'll do until I can find better. Thanks."
There was a quick flurry of bodies as the others cleared a table for the elderly couple and helped Emma into a chair. Dean offered the tray of sweet rolls, which he'd brought to the table. "Roll? They're fresh. Or there's biscuits, butter, and jelly. Or some toast?"
Emma and Frank weren't quite sure what to make of this bunch of bikers fawning over them, but they enjoyed it. Frank decided to grab the bull by the horns. "Why are you being so nice to us?"
Dean shrugged. "My folks would slap me silly for scaring you. We're ... just a bunch of guys on a road trip. Kinda creeped me out when I realize that you were scared of us."
Emma eyed them with a grandmotherly eye. "Well, you don't look like Hell's Angels or anything, so what are you?"
Gibbs shrugged, sipped his coffee then answered, "Those three are SEALs." He pointed to Remy, Dean and Cosmo. "He's a Medical Examiner," his finger jabbed at Jimmy. "That one is a mess, being both a SEAL and an NCIS Special Agent." Tony bowed elaborately. "And me? Marine Master Gunny, retired at rank, and his boss at NCIS." Gibbs jumped as both Emma and Frank stood up and saluted. The whole pod returned the salute.
Frank pointed to Emma. "She retired at twenty, me too. Army Medical Corp. I was a Medic, and she was a Combat Support Hospital nurse. Kuwait." He grinned. "Sit down before you fall down." They all scrambled to get seated.
Emma nodded. "Better. Now. Tell." No one questioned that order. Gibbs nodded to Tony, who just started telling the couple who they were and what they did.
Jimmy listened to Tony as he told stories, keeping them all amused with his funny but insightful comments. He finally sighed. "Guys, we need to get on the road if we want to avoid traffic."
Frank looked at his watch. "Well, hell. We're gonna get caught in traffic hell if we don't scatter." He got up, pulling Emma to her feet too. "Thanks, boys; take care."
Emma smiled and offered her hand to Gibbs. "Pleasure to meet you, Master Gunny." He shook her hand then Frank's. This sparked a round of 'Pleased to meet you's and handshakes. They then split; Emma and Frank headed for the front, while the pod went out the back.
They were met by the day security guard, who just asked to see ID or a key card. Since Jimmy had turned in all but one, they were good. He presented the card and said, "The desk clerk asked me to tell you to keep it since we're checked out."
The guard swiped the card, checked ID, nodded, and said, "Good. Drive carefully and have a nice day." He glanced from clipboard to man, checked everyone a second time, then just walked away sticking earbuds into his ears as he went.
Tony shook his head. "They get worse every year. He was good about checking the ID and whatnot, but he should keep an eye on us until we're gone."
Jimmy agreed, "Yeah; what if one of us is an extra and drives away in a car?"
"Exactly." Gibbs agreed. "But ... not my circus, not my monkeys. Mount up."
They did exactly that, checked radios, and roared away, scaring the security guard half out of his wits by unintentionally peppering his tin shack with gravel from the parking lot. They probably wouldn't have cared if they did; sticking your face in Thrash magazine and wearing sound-blocking earbuds wasn't really a good way to guard anything.
They were soon on the interstate and headed south. Traffic wasn't that bad, as they were ahead of the rush of people going to or leaving church services. They were happy to find the I-40 wasn't crowded; in fact, they were nearly the only people on the road. It was still very early for most people.
Tony's voice came over the com. "It's 0630. I checked before we left, and the drive will take just over niner hours at cruise. If we crank it, we can make it in ten, with ten-minute stops every couple of hours and a half-hour for lunch in Birmingham or Tuscaloosa ... maybe. Comment?" The click of his mic cutting out let them know that he was waiting.
Gibbs asked, "Why are we making a run for it?"
"Ma'mere needs a new house. Right?"
Remy answered, "She do. We gonna build it?"
"Damn straight," Dean replied.
Gibbs thought for a beat. "Ok. I'm in. We could just stop at a Taco Bell or something. Not like we'll starve."
"Got it. Drive for four hours, stop somewhere for food, then go on."
They were now at the intersection of I-40 and I-75; the interchange was easy, and they were not on the first long leg of their drive. No one questioned it when Gibbs and Tony took lead, cracking the throttles up to 80 mph and roaring down the interstate. They would keep that speed until they hit Chattanooga. They slowed down for the city and agreed that they would take a rest stop after they got through the city.
Cosmo spotted a truck stop, and they pulled in to check maps, get gas, and have a bit of a walkaround. Tony ordered, "Everyone fuel up, take a piss, get a drink, walk around."
No one saw any reason not to, so they all wandered around a bit, filled their tanks, visited the men's room, and eyeballed the attendant. The boy looked like he wasn't sure whether he wanted to piss his pants or run, screaming, for the woods. They expected to see some form of LEO show up soon. They weren't disappointed.
A Highway Patrol cruiser pulled in and the patrol officer got out. He hitched up his utility belt then ambled over to examine the motors. "Nice bikes. Everyone fuelin' up on one ticket?"
Gibbs nodded; he was pumping for everyone, as it was just easier that way. "We are. Tell Chicken Little to ring everyone up on one ticket. We'll send ..." he looked around, "Jimmy in to pay. He's got the card."
"Okay. Didn't figure you all 'ud be causin' any trouble. I checked you out on my way through ... but Melvin is ... Melvin. Boy's a mess. His Mama raised him alone, and the kid is scared of his shadow. I'll just hang here so he doesn't call HQ in a panic again." He eyed the motors again. "Custom paint?"
"Yeah. Trike's a custom job too." Gibbs grinned.
The Patrolman shook his head. "I remember when we called something like that a junkyard hog."
Gibbs nodded. "Me too. Now they're custom-built motors, and they charge four times what they used to. We got these on a deal, as all the donors were salvage. They're all JYH except that one," he pointed to Tony's motor, which was now parked by the door of the station. The officer ambled over to take a look.
He didn't get to look, as Melvin popped out of the back of the station like a jack-in-a-box. "Officer Marcus! What are you going to do? They're gonna murder us all. Make 'em ... go away." He realized that everyone was staring at him like he'd lost his mind. "What?"
Officer Marcus just took the hyper boy by an arm and dragged him back inside the station. "You sit right there behind the register and shut up. I'm gonna have a talk with your Mama. You see murderers and terrorists behind every bush. You sound demented most of the time. You sure you're not smokin' that wacky tabacy?" Melvin gave him such a blank look that he just walked out the door, shaking his head. "Just stay there. One of 'em will come in and pay. If they want a drink or something just ring it into the register. An' stop shakin'."
"You might want to have your guys go in one at a time to get drinks an' such. Melvin ... never mind." Officer Marcus got on his mic and told dispatch to call the owner to send someone to relieve Melvin as he was, again, a mess. The dispatcher replied in his earpiece and he went back to his cruiser. He leaned against it, crossed his ankles and arms and settled in to wait, mumbling, "I just hope no one really needs me before we get this mess cleared up."
Tony made a hand motion that everyone knew meant "speed it up," so they hurried, grabbing drinks and jerky, then returning to their motor to wait for the last man to be finished. This was Jimmy, who got a bottle of orange juice and some jerky, then handed Melvin the credit card. Melvin swiped it, finished the transaction, then scurried into the room behind the counter again. Jimmy just shook his head and went back to the group.
"We done?" Gibbs glanced around.
"Just about." Tony did his own check. "As soon as Dean gets the trash dealt with, we'll be on our way."
Dean finished his sweet tea, then used his plastic bag to gather all the trash and tossed it into the nearby trash can. He waved to Officer Marcus, who got into his car. They hit the highway at the same time.
While everyone had been getting drinks and dealing with Melvin, Gibbs had used the facilities, gotten Jimmy to get him a soda, then gone to speak with Officer Marcus about their route. He'd given proper directions to get them to I-59. He headed that way and, they were soon back on a four-lane highway and headed for Tuscaloosa, AL, where they were planning on a layover of at least an hour for lunch.
When they hit the highway, Gibbs gave the signal to crank it up, and they increased speed to 80 again. The speed limit was posted at 70, but 18-wheelers were passing them like they were standing still. They stayed in the right-hand lane, stuck to their speed, and, as the saying goes, hammered on.
It took them just short of three hours to make it, which put it right at 1100. A quick run through a Subway for sandwiches, which freaked the line out as each man ordered two, and they were back on the road.
They'd been riding for about two and a half hours when Remy called a pull over. "AJ, my phone's ringin' for the sixth time in thirty minutes. I better answer."
"Okay, we'll pull over. Need to find a wide shoulder or something."
It wasn't long before they came to a rest area in the median. They pulled in and took advantage of the facilities while Remy returned the call. It was one of his uncles asking when they would be down. "We on the way now. Almost to Hattiesburg. Might be in around 1500 ... I mean three or so." He listened for a moment then said. "We got three hundred cash for the food and such. Non, we all gonna stay to hep. Oui." He closed his phone. "Ok, here's the skinny. Ma'mere moved in wit' Marie, but she want her own house in Davant. Glad she no movin' back inta dat swamp. Her insurance already paid up. She got 20k." He grinned. "That'll build a really good house down there."
Jimmy nodded. "If she gets one of those kit things, we could have it up in ... a week?"
Dean nodded. "Bet we could get it up sooner than that. A day for the shell, depending on how big it is. And the majority of the inside finishing done in three or four. Depends on what she wants in the way of insulation, plumbing, and that."
Cosmo bit his lip for a moment, then offered, "Pilings. It needs to be on pilings, or the whole subfloor will rot in months."
Remy nodded. "Folks usually put down sand, then gravel, and build the pilings of cinder blocks. I don't like that, so we need to get stacking stone from somewhere." He rubbed his face. "Maybe we should get our fuckin' asses back on the damn road an' think about this later?"
Tony nodded. "Right. Everyone think while we're ridin', an' we'll discuss all our ideas with everyone else before we decide anything for good."
They all walked around, got a drink from the machines, used the facilities again, and hit the road.
They agreed to add thirty miles to their drive and avoid riding through New Orleans. They actually made better time by avoiding all the traffic. Since they made good time, they were pulling into Davant by 1530, tired, hungry, and dirty.
.