She had no idea how she had done it, but she had done it. It still amazed her how she had gotten them all to go along with it. Amelia smiled to herself. This was going to be so much fun.

Gavin had been torn away from her for a weekend of Marine… Whatever it was they did… So it was the perfect time to finally put her plan into action. Asking Gibbs to let his team have this particular weekend off, had been number one on her checklist. Renting a cabin in the middle of nowhere, had been number two. Three and four were a bit more tricky.

Three wasn't as much of a challenge as she had anticipated. Convincing Lexi and Tim to enjoy a nice weekend at a cabin on her dime, only meant that she had to convince Lexi. She knew Tim would go along. Piper had been a little more suspicious. Not as easily fooled as Lexi, but still a little afraid of Amelia, Piper had finally given in. Tony had been thrilled at the prospect of getting Piper away from her computer for a whole weekend.

Now, all that had to be checked off was four: Get them all to stay at the cabin once they figured out it would in fact be ALL of them staying… She'd have to get creative about hiding vehicles. But that was easily solved when Mitch got on board. He would stall Lexi at the bakery just long enough that she and Tim would arrive just after Piper and Tony.

Amelia had offered to drive Piper and Tony there in her car. She had to tease Piper about not running into town to use their internet, to make this excuse legit. Tony had, of course, agreed that it would be best if Amelia drove them there, then left them in the woods for two days. Piper was in all sincerity, a true blue city girl. Though she would constantly deny it. So that conversation had all gone according to plan. That Tony… He was so trusting.

She knew she wouldn't have to worry about Tim or Tony finding out they were going to the same cabin. They still weren't speaking to each other. Piper had given up on telling Lexi about any plans she made with Tony. And Lexi almost wasn't speaking to Piper unless there was someone else with them. This was another thing Amelia wanted to fix… Being the middle-man between everyone. It was annoying to no end.

She had gone a day ahead of everyone and stockpiled the cabin with food and supplies. The cabin was situated at the end of a three mile stretch of gravel road. The closest thing to a neighbor was an old ranger station that Amelia knew would be unmanned for the off season. Town was at least another four miles away. The cabin had two rooms, so she figured she would just take the couch. They would need her here as a mediator at least for the first day. Although it was going to be even more fun watching everyone fight over one tiny bathroom.

Yes… So much fun.

NCIS

Piper squealed in frustration for the fifth time since Tony had arrived at her apartment. He was fully packed with only one gym bag and she was still debating over an empty suitcase. As amusing as it was to watch her inner city girl come out, he was starting to get twitchy. Amelia would be here any minute to pick them up. He did not want to deal with an impatient pregnant woman, who already scared him.

"Baby, it'll just be us. You don't have to dress up for me." Tony tried not to sound like he was rushing her. "Just pack some jeans and a couple of tee-shirts."

"What about pajamas, or a bathing suit?" She was still going through her closet.

"I don't wear pajamas, and you don't need a bathing suit." She turned just long enough to glare at him before going back to her closet. "Well, maybe when Amelia gets here, she can help you pack…" And that did it. Suddenly Piper was throwing things into her suitcase. Tony just grinned.

NCIS

"I'm so sorry Tim, there's some kind of mix up with the schedule at the bakery. I have to go down and fix it." Tim clutched the phone as he maneuvered through D.C. traffic. Lexi sounded both annoyed and exhausted. Great way to start their romantic weekend.

"It's okay." He reassured her. "I'm not in a hurry." But he was. He wanted to get them both out of the city as soon as possible. He needed this just as much as she did.

"I'll try to get it done as quickly as I can." He could hear something in the background that told him she was already in the kitchen area.

"Want me to wait in the lobby?"

"Sure, have a cookie while you're there. I baked those peanut butter ones you like."

"Oooh, okay." Tim's voice brightened. "I'll be there soon."

"Love you."

"Love you, too." Tim hung up, smiling.

NCIS

Gibbs was enjoying his fourth cup of coffee. It wasn't often that he found himself sitting on his porch. But after the weird week he had… He could use a little R-&-R. The sky was orange and pink from the sunset. It was the first week of August, and already it was getting chilly. He figured by now, McGee and DiNozzo would be at the cabin with their girlfriends. He smirked at the thought. He would have loved to have been there to see the looks on their faces. But his absence was probably for the best. Once the fight broke out, he would probably be way too tempted to head-slap both of them into next month. And that wouldn't solve anything.

His train of thought slowed to a stop when he saw a slender figure walking towards him.

"Evening." A hesitant female voice greeted him.

"Evening." He called back. She came to a stop on the sidewalk.

"Um, I hate to bother you, but I was wondering if you might help me…" She took a few more steps and the light from Gibbs' porch gave him a better look at her. "I'm Chloe Hughes. I just moved in across the street. I'm doing some renovating and… Well, I lost the toolbox in the divorce." She chuckled quietly. "If it's not any trouble, could I borrow a step ladder and a Phillips-head screwdriver? I'll bring them right back. I just need to open my air vents." Gibbs smiled and stood up. The sudden movement caused her to flinch and step back.

"Sure, it's no trouble at all." He turned and went into the house. He thought she might follow, but she stayed where she was.

"I really appreciate this." Chloe said when Gibbs came back out with a small metal toolbox and a stepladder. She held her hands out and looked at him expectantly.

"I don't mind going over and helping you." He put on his best 'nice face' and smiled. She quickly returned his smile.

"Amelia said you'd be nice to me." Gibbs shook his head and chuckled. That woman was more diabolical than all of his ex-wives combined.

"Well, she was right." And boy, did she love to prove it…

Once inside the small house, Gibbs raised his eyebrows. "You've been busy." He muttered, looking around. All the wallpaper in the living room had been scrapped off. The carpeting and the linoleum all throughout the house had been torn up. The walls that weren't wallpapered had been scrubbed down.

"Yeah, working with a deadline was a motivator."

"Deadline?" Gibbs set the stepladder down under the vent in the living room.

"All my new flooring will be here Monday. I wanna put the wallpaper up and paint before then."

"All by yourself?" By now he was up the ladder, working to unscrew the vent.

"I don't have anything else scheduled. And like I said, deadlines." She shrugged. "I want to be completely done with the house by the time school starts."

"Teacher?"

"Yeah. History at Waverly."

"Hmm." He smiled. Attractive, single, and a History buff, he was starting to like this new neighbor. He may owe Amelia a thank you card. "I don't have anything scheduled this weekend either. If you want any help…" He looked down to see her staring at the wall. He could clearly see the inner debate she was having. She looked at him when she realized he had stopped talking.

"Sorry, I've never been good at asking for help."

"Well, you didn't ask. I offered." He smiled, again. "Tell you what, you buy the beer, I'll come over and help."

"Deal."

NCIS

"Wow, this really is the middle of nowhere." Piper grimaced from the passenger seat of Amelia's black Challenger. Tony was in the backseat. When Piper had called shotgun, he hadn't argued. She wasn't sure if it was because he really didn't want to spend an hour and a half long drive next to Amelia, or if he just wanted to annoy the hell out of her. He had spent most of the drive reaching up and tickling her sides.

"That's the beauty of it, my dear." Tony had leaned up again and was right next to her ear. "Just you and me, no phones, no internet, no other people."

"Yeah… Beauty." Piper rolled her eyes. All she saw was thick forest under a night sky. "Ow!" She yelled when a fist connected with her gut. She turned angrily to Amelia. "What the hell was that for?"

"Unappreciated sarcasm." Amelia replied in a cheery voice.

"Sarcasm? That's you, like all the time!" Amelia swung her arm out again, but Piper managed to defend her gut this time.

"So are we there yet?" Tony stuck his head between the two front seats. "I'm hungry. Is there food there?"

"Yup." Amelia still sounded cheerful. It was beginning to worry Piper. "And I'm staying for dinner tonight. I'm hungry too."

"You sure you can drive back tonight?" Piper asked. This time, it was Tony who hit her. Though his strike was a lot softer and landed on the back of her shoulder. She turned and shot him a glare.

"You know I'm a good night driver. Besides, you two will probably want to be alone."

"Yeah, Piper," Tony put his chin right next to her shoulder. "We probably want to be alone."

Not that you will be… Amelia smiled to herself.

NCIS

"Thanks for stopping for takeout. I don't think I'd be up to cooking tonight." Lexi yawned as she spoke. Tim's hand crossed over the hand rest and landed on her arm. "And thanks for driving." They had opted to take her Xterra instead of Tim's little Porsche.

"It was no problem."

"What a day. I thought I'd never get outta there. I swear, I think Lulu and Mitch did that on purpose."

"Did what?"

"Well, first they lost the schedule. Then there was a huge mix up with a bunch of my cake orders. And then… My supply order got thrown away instead of faxed, and I had to recount my inventory and do the order all over again."

"Why couldn't they do all of that themselves?"

"Good question!"

"Okay, okay, just calm down." Tim ran his hand up and down her arm. "You won't have to worry about any of that until Monday. This weekend it's just us."

"You're right." She sighed. "And this is going to be the most romantic weekend either of us has ever had." She finally smiled. Her phone buzzed in her back pocket. She giggled and pulled it out.

Text from Amelia: Why aren't you at the cabin yet?

From Lexi: How did you know I'm not there?

From Amelia: If you were, your phone would be off.

From Lexi: Oh, right. About ten miles out.

From Amelia: Why so late?

From Lexi: Don't ask. It's too sad to talk about. Thanx so much for this. I needed to get away.

From Amelia: Oh, you're welcome.

Lexi smiled and put her phone away.

"Amelia wanted to check in." She explained when Tim looked at her.

"This was really nice of her. I think I may owe her an apology."

"For?"

"Well, I have been kind of an ass."

"To her? And you're still breathing?"

"Not to her directly. But I know she's been stressing about me and Tony. I get that she wants us all to get along… But it's so hard to trust Tony when it comes to people's feelings. I mean, in the field, he has my back and I have his, no question. But with matters of the heart, he's so flaky."

"He hasn't really been flaky with Piper. Truth be told, she's being the flaky one."

"How do you mean?"

"She's just… I dunno how to put it… Along for the ride." Tim sent her a perplexed look. "I don't think she really expects it to last. She's just enjoying it while she can. She hasn't outright said it, but Amelia has seen it too. Tony treats her like royalty, and she appreciates it, but it's like she keeps expecting the day to come when he stops calling."

"Wow… Talk about a role reversal. Do you think she really loves him though?"

"Oh, I know she does. But she's so used to disappointment, she just automatically expects it."

"Like you used to." Lexi nodded. "Well, we broke you of that. Maybe she can be helped too."

"Maybe…" Lexi cocked her head to the side.

Tim felt like kicking himself. Suddenly it wasn't Piper's feelings he was worried about.

NCIS

It had taken some doing, but Amelia had managed to stall Piper and Tony until she saw headlights flash through the front window.

"Who on earth could that be?" She mused out loud. Leaving Tony and Piper sitting on the couch, she rushed out the door.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Lexi called to her just as she stepped out of the passenger side door. Amelia went straight to Tim. He had Lexi's keys in one hand and a bottle of water in the other.

"You didn't have to meet us here. Your directions were perfect," Tim said, smiling down at her.

"Oh, it's no problem. I had to stock food and stuff for your stay." She deftly snatched Lexi's keys from him. "Here, let me help you unload."

"You don't have to." Tim followed her to the back of the Xterra.

"I don't mind at all! Let's get you two in before the werewolves come out."

"Werewolves?" Tim turned to Lexi.

"She's kidding." Lexi held up her hand dismissively.

Everyone grabbed a bag and went into the cabin. Amelia was in the front. She quickly shoved Lexi's keys in her pocket when she saw the front room empty. She could hear someone in the kitchen. A toilet flushing told her where her other captive could be found.

"Is Gavin here, too?" Lexi asked, still behind her.

"Um, actually." She turned to face Tim and Lexi. Lexi set her bag next to the unlit fireplace. Tim was just beside her. Tim's face went from confused to angry. Amelia turned towards the subject of his glare. Tony had just come out of the bathroom.

"What the hell is going on?" Amelia turned back to Tim. "What is he doing here?" Tim's demanding tone was expected, but still offended Amelia.

"Okay, listen," Amelia tried to keep everyone calm. By now Piper had joined them in the front room and was gaping at the scene in front of her.

"I wanna know what the hell is going on!" Tim shouted. Lexi flinched and stepped so she was half-way behind him.

"She's trying to tell you!" Tony shot back at him. He had gone to stand beside Piper. Now, Amelia was in between both couples.

"Hey," Tim took one step forward. "You back off."

"Me?"

"Both of you, stop." Lexi grabbed Tim's arm as she spoke up.

"Everyone, sit down and shut up!" Amelia's voice boomed throughout the cabin. Amelia sent a pointed glare to each of them. As her glare hit them, each of them sat down on the floor right where they were. Amelia rolled her eyes. "Sit on the furniture." Tony and Piper took the couch. Tim and Lexi squeezed onto the tiny loveseat near the fireplace. "Okay. I'm sure you know why I've gathered you all here."

"A fight to the death?" Tony smarted off. Piper slapped the back of her hand against his thigh, shutting him up.

"I'd win," Tim muttered. Amelia turned to him.

"I guess I'll start with you first." Tim's eyes widened when she loomed over him.

"What?" His voice was defensive.

"What? I'll tell you what. This is what, you selfish ass!" She took a breath gearing up for her rant. "You have spent so much time fighting with Tony about his relationship with Piper, that you've forgotten what's important! Lexi should be your main concern!"

"She is my main concern!" Tim stood up, feeling bold.

"Oh, really? When was the last time you two had a conversation that didn't turn into a rant about Tony?" Tim slapped his mouth shut and sat back down. "Ha! Caught you there, didn't I? And because you spend ever spare second painting Tony in this bad light, Lexi hasn't been able to make her own opinion of Tony. Is it any wonder that Piper thinks you control Lexi?" Tim shot an accusatory look at Piper. Piper just narrowed her eyes at him. "And have you even taken two seconds to ask Piper how Tony treats her? Or have you just kept on assuming Tony is still a total asshole?"

"Still?" Tony muttered. Piper nudged him, warning him to stay quiet. She was kind of enjoying this.

"You're ruining any chance that Lexi and Tony have of being friends. And don't you dare blame Tony if things go bad between you and Lexi!" Tim cocked his head like he wanted to speak, but he stayed silent. Amelia tried to keep her rant on track. The interruptions were getting annoying. "And you're putting a huge strain on Piper and Lexi's friendship, which is just pissing me off!" Amelia stomped her foot. "Stop crying like five year old and let people form their own opinions!" Amelia got in Lexi's face.

"And you!" She waved her finger at Lexi. Lexi shrunk back against Tim. "I know you are gullible, practically helpless, and you have this huge fear of confrontation, but stop using the scared little girl excuse!" Tim opened his mouth to defend his girlfriend but Amelia slapped her hands together, warning him that she may slap him if he spoke. He closed his mouth and glared. "I know you've been hurt, and that still affects you, but you need to start making your own damn decisions and stop letting other people (she glared at Tim) make them for you! Dammit, Lexi, you're my little sister but sometimes I just wanna slap you. Stop being so scared of his reactions and stand up to your boyfriend. Tell him how much you hate it when he constantly complains about someone else's relationship, instead of just enjoying your relationship!" Tim looked at Lexi in bewilderment. Lexi just stared at the floor, quickly turning red.

Amelia spun around and faced Tony and Piper. "Don't go thinking either or you are off the hook." Tony went from smirking, to scowling. He should have known this wasn't a one-sided intervention. "You," she pointed right at him. "You are doing the same dumbass thing he is doing. You won't let Piper near Tim. They can't be friends because you won't let them. All Piper knows about Tim is what you tell her. I assume it hasn't all been good." Tony looked away from her. "Uh, huh, I figured. And again, you spending so much time trying to ignore Tim and Lexi has caused some issues with you and Piper." Tony's face hardened. How the hell did she know all this? He looked at Piper. Like Lexi, she had her eyes on the floor. "And by the way, when you told Tim that he was the reason you and Piper got together, you were wrong. He just asked you to be her date once. I was the one who practically guided you through the Piper handbook of dating." Tony fought not to smirk. This was so hilarious but so annoying at the same time. "So don't you go blaming him if you screw things up with her! If you say it's his fault, I will beat you into your grave." Tony believed her.

"And you!" Piper's head shot up. She knew it was her turn.

"Wait, what did I do?" She asked defensively.

"Nothing!" Piper cocked her head at Amelia. "And that's the problem! Stop being such a pansy!" Piper's mouth fell open. "Ball up and tell Tim what a jerk you think he is!" Piper saw Tim flinch. "And tell Tony how you really feel!"

"How do you really feel?" Tony asked her. His voice was hard but his eyes were scared.

"What are you talking about?" Piper directed her question at Amelia.

"You forget sweetie, I see everything." Amelia put her hands on her hips. "You're content. Not happy, not thrilled, just content. You refuse to let yourself be happy! Why? Because you think it will all end tomorrow? If you let yourself be happy, then it will hurt twice as much when he leaves you, which you seem convinced he will do!" Piper's eyes widened. She had to resist the urge to look at Tony. This was the one thing she was keeping from him, and now he knew. "Pie, you can't expect everyone you love to let you down. And I know how much you love him. Living with disappointment may be the easy way, but you will only end up alone, if you let yourself. So again, ball up and stop being content."

There was a beat of silence as everything sunk in. Then Amelia finished her rant. "You are all staying the weekend here and working out your crap. I even got Gibbs in on this." Tony and Tim both blanched. "Yeah, he's sick of the fighting too. How do you think you managed to get the whole weekend off? I'm leaving and I'm taking all the car keys with me."

"Hey, wait a minute?" Tim stood up. "What if I don't wanna share a roof with him?" He pointed at Tony.

"Well I'd say that's too freaking bad." Amelia sounded oddly calm. "Cause according to Gibbs, it's either this, or he's going to lock all of you in his basement for two days."

"There's no bathroom in his basement." Tony sounded horrified.

"Then I guess you best stay here." Amelia started losing her patience again.

"Wait, you think you can just call us all out in front of each other and then leave?" Piper stood up and faced her friend. "You think it's okay to drop a nuke and then dodge?" Her sneer made Amelia want to hit her.

"Uh, yeah! Somebody needed to say it out loud! None of you would!"

"How could you do this?" Lexi came up behind Amelia. "You just screamed about us sabotaging our own relationships, but you just spill out all these secrets? You're sabotaging more than we were!"

"Hey, wait a damn minute!" Amelia held up her hands. "How did this suddenly become all my fault?"

"Well," Now, Tim was speaking. "You did lie to us to get us all here and then, like Piper said, dropped a nuke."

"This was for your own damn good!" Amelia held her position firmly.

There was a knock at the front door. Amelia trudged across the room, still fuming with anger. She

wrenched open the door, ready to yell at whoever was on the other side. Then stopped abruptly when she saw a familiar metal object only inches from her nose…

She said the first thing that came to her mind… "Gun barrels look so much bigger up close."