AN: Hey guys, this is chapter four of: Cabin Secrets. Wanted to thank all the people out there who read this, but also reviewed. You guys make me smile like a dork each time I get a review. And for that I thank you guys, more than you can imagine. Regards to my beta: NightmareWorld. It has been a blast working with her. She kept me going, and gave me words of inspiration.
On to the story!
The sun was shining brightly. Warming the cool sand to the touch; Tony laid on the beach. Relaxing and wiggling his toes every now and again, he silently thanked Gibbs for letting them take a vacation.
However, he could have left Probie there at the airport. But no, Ziva wouldn't let him, saying: 'It is good bonding time' right...the most normal bonding time Tony and McGee got was on the plane, when McGee got Tony back for doodling on his ID. Though this time Tony got a face full of marker, and had no way of knowing about it until they stepped off the plane.
Tony grunted when someone punched his arm. He waved his hand mumbling, that he wanted to sleep. If they wouldn't leave him alone then something bad was going to happen. Another kick to his arm, followed by: "Tony, wake up."
Well he didn't want to wake up just yet, he was dead tired. Despite the ton of sleep he got on the plane, it wasn't enough. He just wanted to crawl under a rock and sleep for the rest of his life. But this person obviously had different plans.
"Tony, get up!" the voice whispered urgently.
He was just about to lift his head from the towel and yell at them to leave him be and do more productive things. But this voice was very persistent.
"TONY!" the whisper was right in his ear.
Tony jerked up in bed, going to shout at the person who did that, only to have his mouth covered.
His eye's flickered over to Ziva, who was still sleeping. Looking at the hand, he traced it to Alex. He raised his eyebrows in confusion.
Alex put a finger to his lips and slowly let go of Tony's mouth. "Someone's here."
It was a small whisper, but Tony heard it anyway. His pupils dilated and he stuck his hand out to wake up Ziva. She got up without complaint, though she wanted to know what was happening.
Tony told her softly and they both got up quietly. Alex watched the door the whole time, though he couldn't see it very well because the candle had gone out. However he was awake now, that little sleep did him good. Yet when he heard footsteps on leaves, he knew something wasn't right.
Tony pulled out two guns from under his pillow, and Ziva produced her own. Tony glanced at the second gun and briefly looked at Alex. He held out his hand for one, waiting for Tony to give it to him.
Tony was having a mental battle with himself. Part of him wanted to hand over his extra gun. That way Alex could have something to protect himself with. However one the other hand, he didn't want Alex to kill anyone, or himself for that matter.
He was about to decide when the beeping of the alarm went off. Alex made the decision for him and grabbed one of the guns. Headed for the door and made it into the hallway before Tony registered what had happened.
Tony looked at Ziva, and she looked at the door. They both rushed out the bedroom door and down the slim hallway before they ran into a sight Tony wouldn't forget. Alex, standing in front of the door, with the gun drawn. He also had someone standing mere feet from him; they also had their gun trained on Alex's head.
Tony and Ziva came up behind Alex. Gibbs and McGee were also awake, no doubt from the shrill of the alarm. That was still buzzing, much to Tony's displeasure. The guy with the gun trained on Alex spoke, "Name."
Gibbs broke in, "NCIS, put down the gun."
"Name," the guy repeated more forcefully and he added pressure to Alex's cheek. Where his gun was positioned.
"AR1005743H72," Alex rambled off not letting his eyes linger from the person who hid in the shadows.
The person that came in closed the door with a foot. It banged against the hinges, but no one noticed. He sighed and lowered his gun, then hugged Alex.
Alex stiffened, and then slowly hugged back. Tony was very confused at the turn of events, though it was Ziva who voiced her thoughts first.
"Did I miss something?"
Tony shook his head and lowered his gun slightly.
"Uhh, Alex. Do you know this person?" McGee asked.
Tony glanced at McGee from across the room, and noticed he couldn't see him. The room was pitch black without any candles. He could only see a few feet in front of him.
"Yeah, this is Ben," Alex said as he let Ben go from the hug and stepped away to turn the alarm off. Alex typed the code in while he talked, "How did you know I was out here?"
"Jones contacted me and said that you were late, and to send back up. What happened?" Ben asked Alex.
"I got held up." Alex glanced at the rest of the people in the room as he turned off the alarm.
"I tried to call you ten times, where's your phone?"
"I lost it, but I still have my gun." Alex held it up. He then hit the light switch, and the lamp in the corner flickered on. "Even if I did manage to have my phone, the reception out here sucks."
"So why are you guys out here in the first place?" Gibbs asked.
"Oh, well umm." Ben glanced at Alex, who elaborated.
"They are government, NCIS, Naval Criminal Investigative Services."
"Well Alex, how did you manage to find four American Agents?" Ben questioned.
"This time it wasn't my fault. Blame Blunt, he sent me on this mission without briefing me first. So I get here, and turns out this is also the safe house for them," Alex said as he went over to the fridge and opened it up.
"Whoa, wait a second," Tony spoke up. "You guys are in government too?"
"From the sound of it, not in America?" McGee guessed as he stood next to the lamp.
"Yes, we work for MI6. British Military Intelligence Services," Ben said as he caught the water Alex threw at him.
"How old are you again?" Ziva raised an eyebrow at Alex.
"Old enough," Alex told them.
"Old enough for what? You are not old enough to be in the government business," Gibbs told him.
"That is none of your concern," Ben told him. "By the way, why are you guys here anyway?"
"This was our safe house. We got assigned to it, but Alex was already here when we arrived," Gibbs told Ben.
"Well if Alex would have been on time then you would have had it to yourselves," Ben looked at Alex. "What did happen?"
"Well like I said, I got held up and the boss didn't like me so...one thing lead to another and I ended up in the woods. Where I found these guys," Alex told Ben.
"Wait, what was your mission again? I thought you were supposed to deal with those drug dealers," Ben questioned.
"That was the mission, until they got suspicious and tried to kill me. Don't worry though, I got them first." Alex leaned his elbows on the island. "That's when I found this NCIS team. Just so happened that the drug dealers I dealt with were going to cooperate with their," Alex gestured to Gibbs, "druggies, however, when they found them dead; they weren't too happy. So they took it out on the first object- in this case, team- they found."
"Wait...so you were in the woods with us?" McGee questioned.
"Yes, though you guys did the most work. I popped in when it started then left when the numbers decreased."
Ben sighed and rubbed his face with his free hand. "Only you, Alex, would get caught up in a fight that wasn't yours to start with. Now there's this whole mess that Blunt isn't going to be happy with."
"What was I supposed to do...walk in the middle of things and say 'oh stop shooting, civilian passing by' then keep on walking as if nothing happened? What if one of them got killed?" Alex shook his head. "That's not how things should work. For the record though, this whole safe house mishap is Blunt's fault. So by all means when you see him next tell him for me."
"Wouldn't have thought a kid, no offense, would be the person to save our sorry asses," Tony told Alex. "Thanks."
Alex nodded. "Not a problem, Tony. However, you guys did get ruffed up a bit."
"Yeah, and what about you?" Gibbs asked.
"Me? Oh, I'm fine," Alex told them.
"Alex, you are such a bad liar when it comes to your own heath," Ben told him with a small shake of his head. "Then where did those cuts on your cheek come from? I know for a fact they weren't there when you left last month."
"Well he obviously got angry when he realized I wasn't who I told him. He punched me, and then screwed up my shoulder along with my knee," Alex said.
Ben nodded, then stepped around the counter to look at his partner. "Is it broken?"
Alex took a surprisingly large step back. "Ben, I am fine. Of course it's not broken, I'm walking on it."
"A broken limb hasn't stopped you from walking before," Ben told him.
"That was my hand and a few broken ribs. My legs, however, were in perfect condition," Alex elaborated.
"All right, but we are going to stop at St. Dominic's when we get back."
"What, no Ben. You are over exaggerating." He waved his hand around.
"Alex...We will go see Snake then, he will fix you up," Ben smiled. "Your choice, Snake, or the hospital."
Alex opened his mouth to protest, then closed it, thinking. He made up his mind fairly quickly. "Err, hospital," he told Ben then added on, "However, I have things I need to get done. So we can't stay there for hours on end just to receive some aspirin that we already have at the house."
"It's a deal," Ben told him.
"So, are you two related?" Ziva asked.
Alex glanced at Ben, "Err..."
"I am Alex's guardian," Ben told them.
Alex was glad Ben said it for him. It wasn't that Alex didn't like being in Ben's care, though it was hard to get over the fact that Jack had left. He was getting used to the fact of waking up in a different room, located on a different block. It was just surreal that she was gone, and he could have stopped it. After a particular long mission, that lasted a few months and then some, he came home. Which was not the way he left it.
It was trashed. Things were scattered about, chairs overturned, but no Jack in sight. Going directly to MI6 he demanded to know where Jack was. Jone's told him they were sorry but someone had broken in searching for him. They ruffed Jack up a bit, a few bruises and cuts, but nothing the hospital couldn't fix.
After that experience happened Jack was emotionally disturbed, and went back to America immediately. Broken and battered, Alex threatened to quit the spying business. To say Blunt was mad, well, that's the understatement of the year. Blunt retorted quite forward that he would make Alex's life hell if he quit.
That meant no schooling, no job-what-so-ever, and not to mention no income. So Alex stepped up to the plate and made some own conditions as well. One of them was Jack. They could not contact her ever, if they even tried to he would go to America and inform them of all the things MI6 has done. With a few days of work, and the help from Smithers, he had all the information he needed to take them down easily.
The next condition was his school. Alex requested that he would be home schooled. In the long run, it would be easier. His decision was that they give him a flat. He would pay for it, but after his next mission he wanted his uncle's money, as well as money from his previous missions.
He never knew one mission could pay off so many things. Like his flat for example. So a month later Alex found himself in a huge flat with no one to talk too. Until Ben showed up one day, telling him they had a mission together. That mission, as all the others, was a success. Though they were in the hospital for a few day's, everything seemed fine. It was, until Alex had to go back to his flat.
It's not that he didn't like being alone, because he did. It was the awful silence that floated throughout the flat. It was so unbelievable that Jack had gotten attacked because of him. Then out of nowhere Ben showed up, wanting a place to stay.
So Ben then lived with Alex, or Alex lived with Ben. Either way they were now a 'family'.
"What happened to your parents?" McGee asked.
"Dead," Alex told them.
A small silence filled the room with the rain was still heavily pouring from the sky as the roof wasn't that insulated. Tony was surprised the roof held up at all in a storm such as this.
"I thought they left you here for camping?" Ziva told him.
"Yeah, that's not at all true," Alex told her, not sounding sorry or disappointed in the least.
"If you're in MI6," McGee said. "Then why not just tell us why you were here in the first place?"
Alex sighed and ran his good hand through his hair. "I didn't know for sure if you guys were the real deal. Honestly, though, I was going to leave here before any of you woke up."
"Why were you going to leave?" Tony asked confused.
"Like I told Ben, I have things to do. This mission has gone on long enough. I would have gone home after that little war in the woods, however, this is America. I live in Europe, so it would have been a hassle to even try to make it to an airport with the state I was in. So I came here, crashed for an hour, then got up again to deal with you two," Alex said, referring to Tony and Ziva.
"What's so important that you have to leave so early?" Gibbs asked.
"I have a test I need to study for," Alex told them.
"You have a test?" Tony questioned. "When you're out here fighting for your country, you are thinking about the test you have to study for?"
"Yep," Alex brushed off. He took the gun in his hands and retrieved the forgotten ice pack he had left in the sink. He glanced at the gun and slipped it into the open end of the blue package. Opening the freezer he threw the ice pack, holding the gun, into the back. It hit the back with a small thump, and he shut the door.
"I'm ready whenever you are, Ben," Alex told him.
"Why don't you just stay here," McGee said.
"I've already been gone for too long," Alex told McGee, before glancing at Ben. "I was away, what...four weeks?"
"Six," Ben corrected.
"Oh right." Alex turned back to McGee. "I was away for 'six' weeks. I want to go back to my life."
'As long as it lasts',' Alex thought.
"Are you guys going to be okay out here?" Ben asked Gibbs' team.
"We will be fine, but I agree with McGee," Gibbs said. "Why don't you sleep for a few hours before you go?"
"If we leave now, we should get home before dinner," Ben told him.
Tony nodded as it made sense to him.
"I would like it if you kept this on the down low," Alex told them.
"What's the 'down low?" Ziva asked.
"It means don't mention it," Tony told her.
"This whole thing never happened," Ben stated.
"So you aren't going to tell you boss about this?" Gibbs said.
"He shouldn't be interested in it anyway," Alex told him. "However, if he did Ben will take care of it." Alex glanced at Ben. "You will take care of it, right?"
Ben nodded, "Sure Alex. I'll take care of it, like I take care of your paper work."
Alex smirked. "Thanks Ben."
He nodded and dug his hand into his pocket. He fished out his keys and jingled them. "Where's your car at?" he asked Alex.
"Um, somewhere on the side of the road," he told Ben.
Ben glanced at him and shook his head. "Yet you wonder why Blunt never gives you one."
"Yes, I do actually. The car's he loans out to me and not to mention the key's to safe houses," Alex told him. "How does he expect the house to be 'safe' if I can break into it?"
"You broke into this cabin?" Gibbs asked.
"Yeah," Alex told him.
"Gosh Alex. I can't take you anywhere anymore," Ben shook his head with a smirk on his face.
"That was not my fault," Alex explained. "I never had a key in the first place. So how else was I supposed to get in?"
"I don't know, but you shouldn't have broken into the safe house."
"Right," Alex told him. He snatched the keys out of Ben's hand and made his way towards the door. "You think about that one while you're walking home." Alex opened the door and walked out before closing it again.
"Alex," Ben shouted as he darted after him.
"Chill Ben," Alex smirked as he stood on the porch. The rain, though lighter than before, coated Alex and the ground around him. "I wouldn't leave you. After all you did waste your time to come up here and get me."
"You can't get rid of me that easily Alex," Ben told him as he grabbed the keys from his hand. "Let's go."
Alex nodded and let Ben take the lead, and followed soon after. He walked down the steps before turning and glancing over his shoulder. He saw Gibbs' team standing in the slim doorway of the cabin.
"This cabin is also a secret. So don't mention it. Ever," Alex told them.
Tony nodded his head. "Good luck kid."
Alex smirked and turned back around. Making his way through the blend of branches until he was out of sight.
Two Months Later
"Get up DiNozzo," Gibbs said as he threw a box onto Tony's desk. He was sleeping in his chair.
The box hit Tony's desk with a thump and he jerked up in his chair. "Hey boss, what kept you?"
"Got mail," Gibbs said as he set a letter down on Ziva's desk before throwing a small envelope at McGee, who barely caught it.
Gibbs sat in his chair and looked at his own large envelope.
"Err, boss?" Tony asked looking wearily at the box on his desk. "What's with the sudden presents? Christmas isn't until a few months."
"Not sure Tony. Vance got these a day ago. In a huge box labeled, 'Gibbs' Team'. He gave it to me today."
"Are they safe to open?" McGee asked as he paused his game and looked at the envelope he was given.
"Yes," Gibbs said as he watched Tony poke the box on top of his desk. "They went through Vance's personal mail. Which meant it was searched before it ended on his desk."
"Why would it be given through him, and not to us?" Ziva asked.
"No clue, but I'm opening mine," Tony said as he tore the tape off of the box.
McGee shrugged and opened his. A letter fell out onto his desk. He picked it up and opened it.
Timothy McGee
Use this present as a weapon of choice. Don't let Tony boss you around. Take some action and get revenge. Take a picture as evidence.
Mysterious Man
McGee frowned and thought about the letter. It didn't give the proper address and it had no signature. He shifted through the envelope and something fell from it.
He looked down at the thing that dropped. It rolled back and forth, but he saw the shape of it. It was a marker. He picked it up, and saw the side said 'Sharpie'. He smiled and glanced at Tony, who was ripping the tape off of his box.
Tony threw the sides away to reveal another box wrapped in plastic. A letter was off to the side of it. Tony eyed it but ignored the letter and ripped open the plastic. He stared at the contents, twenty plus bowls of ramen.
Tony smirked as he read the label, recognizing the noodles which he had eaten only once before.
"Yes!" he said as he grabbed the letter. "I could live off of this stuff. Just what I needed too, my stomach was growling."
Smirking, he opened up the letter as he silently read:
Tony DiNozzo
Wipe that stupid smirk off your face. You're lucky this even got sent to you on time. It was made in Japan after all. Yes, I agree with you, this is the best ramen ever made. Don't eat it all at once, or you will be sick. However, if you happen to run out - no doubt you won't - you can call the number on the card and give them my name. Oh, and thanks again Tony.
Mysterious Man
Tony began to chuckle as he picked up the little note card that had fell out. It had the logo picture and the number beneath that. He pocketed that as he said, to no one in particular, "The kid knew exactly what to get me."
"Heh," McGee stilled a laugh. "Me too."
Ziva smirked as she glanced at the coupon that laid on her desk. It was for one relaxation day at a complimentary spa. Her letter had said:
Ziva David
Equipped with this letter is a date to the spa. When I said you need to relax, I meant it. Take a day off somewhere and forget work for a few hours. Don't let the guys tease you, we all know you can take them.
Mysterious Man
"What did you get Ziva?" McGee asked.
"Oh nothing, you?" Ziva questioned.
"Eh, nothing much."
"Well I bet my ramen beat all of yours. Admit it, you wish you guys had this ramen right now! Sorry to disappoint, but I am not sharing," Tony demanded.
"No, that's all right Tony. You keep your ramen," McGee told him, plotting when he was going to use his 'gift'.
"Yes, Tony," Ziva said. "It would be no help to you if you gave away your ramen."
Tony nodded his head. "Glad we have came to an understanding." He looked over to Gibbs desk, where he had many things spread out.
"Whatcha got there boss?" Tony questioned as he peered over there.
"Nothing really," Gibbs replied as he set the letter aside. It had said:
Leroy Jethro Gibbs
I want to say thank you. I talked to your director, and he said he had no knowledge of any occurrences that were a problem on your previous mission. I appreciate you keeping it to yourself, and your team too. That is why I decided to send all of these things, plus I know its nice getting something every once in a while. This is why I thought you could use what I sent you the most. Attached to this letter is a map. This map will have dots occurring in no particular pattern. The dots are safe houses that I have used before or SIS said I could use in the future. Aside from the map, there should be another small envelope. In that there should be exactly twenty keys, which happen to open the safe houses. Perhaps I will see you again, maybe not. I will let fate decide that, but regardless I wanted to give you and your team a token of my appreciation.
P.S. We are now even.
Alexander John Rider
"Do you think we will see the kid again?" Tony asked. "I wanted to thank him."
"No clue Tony," Gibbs said with a small smirk and shake of his head. "Not a clue."
AN: GAHH! This is finally over, done, finished. Can't believe it. Even though it wasn't that long of a story, still makes me smile knowing I accomplished something! I decided to go back and find all the people who reviewed each chapter. These are the people who I thank very much: xDarklightx, yashendra2797, PartyPony2, Mainn, and Writer With Sprite. Thank you guys soo much, I couldn't have done it without you! Not to mention everyone else who has reviewed. You guys left me speachless when I found out I had 40 reviews for this story. 40 reviews! You guys are the best! It has been a blast writing this, and for those of you thinking I should be updating my Coincidence story. It's err, getting there. Just bare with me please. Thanks!
This story, Cabin Secrets, is officailly finished!
Thank you guys!