a/n -In case you haven't noticed, I have a troll infestation. Since removing her rants doesn't even slow her down and she's being even nastier to some of our younger authors here, I've decided to poke some fun at her instead of the reaction she wants - getting hurt and offended. Since she doesn't actually read the stories she slams, only the reviews, I've left her a note in the reviews for chapter one (Emerald pauses for the thundering herd to check it out.) Everybody back? Good. Now, if you'd like to leave her a message, you can do it in a review. Remember, anonymous means you're not limited to the one review per chapter rule.

Thank you all for your wonderful reviews and your defense of me and my writings. I hope those of you on the East Coast are all right after the earthquake and had no damage. My son is at Norfolk on a training exercise, but he won't be able to communicate with the family until the weekend. I suppose no news is good news on that front.

Hours before dawn Abby tip-toed into the den, intent on retrieving that noisy toy. Jett had not settled down after his evening walk and it had been well after midnight when the squeaking finally stopped. It was just her luck that this toy was high pitched enough to cut through even the wildest of her heavy metal music. Finally in the den, she turned on the pen light and started looking for the offending item. Not finding it, she got down on her hands and knees and started checking under the furniture. Finally she spotted the edge of the plastic hamburger under Jett's muzzle. The moment she touched it he woke up and scrambled to his feet, knocking her over. By the time she was sitting up, Jett was standing in front of her, toy firmly grasped in his jaw. He stared at her for a minute before dropping it in the middle of his bed. He let out a very offended woof and circled around twice and laid down on his treasure to protect it.

Abby knew she'd just been scolded. "Time to come up with plan C."

-NCIS-

Dawn in DC meant it was still dark in Chicago, but Gibbs was already awake, lightly stroking his fingers up and down Tim's back. Tim hummed slightly as he shifted, but didn't wake up. Smiling and content, Jethro closed his eyes and drifted back off.

The sun was starting to come up the next time Jethro woke. They had shifted in their sleep and were now facing each other, their noses only inches apart. As he was enjoying the view, sleepy green eyes opened and Tim smiled at him. "Mmm, happy birthday. Have you been awake long?"

"No, not long." Gibbs raised up onto his elbow, supporting his head on his hand. "You slept really hard, how do you feel?"

Tim took a moment to take stock of how he was feeling. "Good, really good actually. Just need a good cup of coffee and a brisk walk to be a hundred percent." As if on cue, a discreet knock sounded at the door and he smiled. "It must be 06.00."

Tim sat up and Gibbs instinctively followed, picking his watch up off the nightstand to check the time. "On the nose. Coffee?"

"Coffee and some pastries. I figured that and the fruit basket was plenty after last night."

"After last night we could go a week and not eat anything." Gibbs ducked into the adjoining bathroom and grabbed one of the robes before heading to the door. As per McGee's instructions, the breakfast cart had been left by the door so he wheeled it in. "Where do we want it? How about breakfast on the balcony?"

Barely hesitating, Tim nodded. "That sounds good."

That far up, the early morning street noise was dampened as they enjoyed a leisurely breakfast. Several cups of coffee each and then Tim pulled out two paper cups with lids, the size Gibbs usually carried. "We could take a cab, but it's only about a mile if we go through the park."

A Saturday morning stroll through the park sounded like a perfect way to start his birthday. "I can go for that. Anything special I need to wear?" He wasn't hinting, it was a practical question.

"Casual and comfortable."

Still clueless, Gibbs followed him inside as they started their day. McGee was serious about casual and comfortable as he pulled out a pair of shoes that he often wore for work and a t-shirt to go with his jeans. The saying across the front had Gibbs rolling his eyes and laughing. "What the heck is a PEBKAC?"

Grinning, Tim paused on his way in to get ready. "It's an IT acronym." When he got the eyebrow he explained before darting into the bathroom. "Problem exists between keyboard and chair."

"Problem exists... hey, you better not be talking about me." Gibbs was grinning from ear to ear as he pulled out his own clothes and divided the remaining coffee.

When they were both dressed and ready to go, McGee surprised him by pulling two backpacks out of his duffel bag. Gibbs took the one that was handed to him, surprised by how lightweight it was.

"Empty?"

"For now."

He got no other clues as they enjoyed walking through the park. Not even a couple of skateboarders yelling nasty comments could wreck their moods. Eventually they ended up at an exhibit hall and Tim stopped, pointing up at the sign and Gibbs' eyes widened as he read it. "A woodworking convention?"

"This year's focus is on hand tools and traditional techniques." As they walked closer, Tim pulled a packet out of his own backpack. "Here's an all-inclusive weekend pass that includes any of the classes or workshops you want to take, plus a voucher you can spend at any of the vendors."

Gibbs looked down at the packet and saw the amount on the voucher. "Tim, this is too much."

"Not if you enjoy it." The happy smile on Tim's face told Jethro that this was one argument he wasn't going to win.

They had walked past the first set of doors and a small cafe. Through the doors on the right he could see a treasure trove of tools and exotic woods and Gibbs felt like a kid getting ready to enter a candy store.

"Okay, but what about you? Won't you be bored stiff?"

"You know how we both work in the basement?"

Those evenings had been some of the best moments since Tim had moved in. Side by side, Tim tapping away on his typewriter as Jethro sanded and carved, soft music coming through the speakers Tim had strung down there. Some nights they talked quite a bit, some nights they just enjoyed each others presence. Other than Shannon, the women in his life had just tolerated his time down there while Tim had made it work. "Yeah, but..."

Tim pointed again, but it was at the set of doors to the left. Like most convention halls, this one had multiple rooms for more than one activity. The second hall was filled with some kind of technology that would have Gibbs rolling his eyes before he even stepped in the door. "You enjoy your wood, I'll play with the new gadgets and we'll meet at that little cafe for lunch and whenever we're ready for a break."

-NCIS-

"You are joking, right?" Ziva stared at the hot dog Tony was about to inhale. Spending the weekend with someone who was notorious for arriving at the last second at work, he had been up surprisingly early and dragged her out for breakfast before 07.00. She would have been perfectly content with a smoothie, but he insisted she split a platter of assorted types of hash browns. It was amazingly good, and probably the reason the restaurant was named Hashbrowns, but now he was pushing a hot dog onto her. "Tony, just because I do not keep kosher..."

"We're in Chicago, Ziva, these are all beef hot dogs." He held it out as if presenting a fine wine. "Look at it, gently steamed and resting on a poppy seed bun, lovingly caressed with yellow mustard and surrounded with chopped white onions and a true, Chicago style relish. Look at that color, Ziva, that is a work of art, and then we have the tomato wedges, the pickle spear and the peppers. Lastly, is a dusting of celery salt to tickle the taste buds."

"Tony, are you going to marry that thing or eat it?"

"One bite, that's all I ask. Take one bite so when we go back to our ordinary lives in DC you can say that, yes, you had a Chicago Dog."

"Fine." She took a bite and moaned as her eyes closed. Tony just grinned and held two fingers up to the cart vendor.

-NCIS-

Just like their evenings in the basement, the dual activities worked for Gibbs and McGee as they met every few hours for a coffee or a light snack. By lunch time Gibbs had filled his backpack with brochures and catalogs from dozens of new suppliers, and already had two boxes of tools and wood being shipped home.

McGee was just ordering lunch for both of them when Gibbs arrived at the now busy cafe. Instead of threading his way through the crowd, he spotted a small table opening up and claimed it as soon as it was cleared off. Tim joined him a moment later with two drinks and a plastic number on a tray. "How was the workshop?"

"It was great. I've got copies of the plans so I can make a Moxon double-head screw vice at home." He leaned back as the waitress delivered two sandwich baskets to their table.

"Alright, very cool."

Gibbs knew that Tim didn't have the slightest idea what that was, but he was happy that Gibbs would enjoy making it. Sitting there, eating a sandwich that he wouldn't remember, he fell even more in love. "What about you, find any treasures on your side?"

Grinning, McGee pulled a small object out of his backpack. Gibbs had to study it for a minute to realize what it was. "It's a charger? For one of those computer thingies?"

"Yep, USB charger. It fits flush into a car's cigarette lighter so you can still use the drink holder. With more and more of the hand held devices going the USB route, it'll be handy to have. Even our portable fingerprint scanner charges through a USB port."

"The agency could use those in the sedans."

"I know. I bought two, one for each of our cars, but I got the company's information for Vance. So, what have you got set for this afternoon?"

"Well, I've always wanted to learn how to do the fancy inlay and I managed to get the last spot in the advanced class."

"Nice." Tim couldn't help but think that all the work and expense of planning this trip was worth it just to see Jethro this happy and carefree.

-NCIS-

Convinced that her plan would work, Abby pulled another toy out of the bag. Jett was obsessed with the squeaking hamburger because it was such a rare treat, so by giving him a second one, they'd be ordinary to him soon and he'd stop with the constant squeaking. Plan and toy in hand, she entered the den. Jett looked up at her, but there was no change in the rhythm.

"Look what I've got, boy." She swung the plastic rolled-up newspaper over her head, squeezing it to get his attention before throwing it to the other side of the room.

Instead of abandoning the first toy, he took it with him as he scrambled around the sofa. Dropping the hamburger next to the newspaper, he started to alternate between the two, pressing each with his nose. The slight difference in pitch made it even worse than before.

"Darn it, Jett." Abby covered her ears with her hands as she realized that she didn't have a plan D.

-NCIS-

Half way through the class, the instructor gave them a ten minute break. It wasn't long enough to meet up with Tim, so Jethro continued to work, preparing his piece of wood for the mother of pearl oak leaf he was going to set in it. Most of the other men stayed in the classroom also and he could feel one of them watching him work.

"Never met a woodworker that was queer before."

Gibbs was enjoying his day too much to get angry as he remembered other conversations he'd heard from the other table. "So, how big of a honey-do list is today going to cost you?"

The heavy set man with the ruddy skin grimaced and shook his head. "Damn, don't remind me, I'll be paying for today for the next two months. What about you? Do gay men even have honey-do lists?"

The question caught the attention of several of the closest guys, so Gibbs turned to face the group. "This whole weekend is a birthday present." Enjoying their reactions, he told of the flight, the VIP dinner, the executive suite at Soldier Field and the football game in great detail.

"Damn. You're a lucky son of a gun, you know that?"

"Yep. By the way, he cooks like a professional chef and do you know what the best part is?"

"What?" The question echoed throughout the room.

"No PMS and he doesn't care if I leave the toilet seat up."

There was a great deal of laughter and one voice called out from the back of the room. "Does he have a brother?"

Gibbs smiled as he thought about it. "Nope, my Tim is one of a kind."

-NCIS-

Abby paced, waiting for her visitor. Plan D had become Ducky, as she was convinced he was her last hope. Finally, she saw the familiar car pull up in front of the house and threw the door open for him. "Ducky, I'm so glad you're here."

Ducky winced as he came into the house. "Abigail, my dear, what on earth is wrong and what is that horrendous noise?"

She just stepped back out of the way and let the kindly man follow the sound. Jet had managed to get both toys in his mouth and was chomping down on them happily. "I haven't been able to distract him long enough to get the away from him, Ducky. What do I do? Gibbs and McGee will kill me if he's still doing that when they get home."

"Just take them away from him, Abby."

"I can't do that, Ducky. I can't make him sad."

Ducky just rolled his eyes before walking over to stand in front of Jett. He snapped his fingers and held out his hand before speaking in a firm voice. "Jett, give." There was some whining and whimpering as Jett shuffled his paws, settling in front of Ducky with a soulful expression, but the Medical Examiner remained firm. "Now, boy."

The first toy dropped into his hand and Ducky immediately put it up on the bookcase before holding his hand out again. "Give." The second toy joined the first and Jett laid down in front of the bookcase, whimpering.

One look at Abby and he knew she would cave the moment he left so, after a nice visit, he took both squeak toys with him, plus the unopened ones still in her bag.

-NCIS-

Laden down with plenty of purchases, samples and catalogs, Jethro flagged down a cab for them without even asking Tim. The younger man certainly didn't argue as he shifted his own, bulging, backpack.

"Looks like you had a good time."

"It was great. The guy that taught the tool making workshop is doing one tomorrow on more tools." He turned serious and took McGee's hand. "Nobody's ever done anything like this for me before, thank you."

Tim squeezed his hand. "You deserve it."

Arriving back at the hotel, Tim called Tony to set a time to meet for the evening. "Our reservation is at 21.00, but since they don't serve dinner we're going to grab something to eat first at a sports bar called Crew. It's down the street from the club, but I'll warn you, it's a gay-friendly club." He listened for a minute before ending the call and turning back to Gibbs. "They'll meet us up at our room in about an hour."

-NCIS-

Abby sat cross-legged on the couch, watching TV as she ate. Instead of waiting for her to drop something, Jett was still sitting in front of the bookcase, looking over at her occasionally to whine. Eventually, she gave in and pulled a different treat out of her bag. "Okay, now I know why Tim won't let you have squeaky toys, but what could be wrong with a rawhide?"