Lights are flickering here (heat wave or an accident somewhere); thought I'd post this a few hours sooner than planned.

Chapter 2

MOVIN' ON

The National Guard crew arrived early Thursday morning and quickly completed their work. None of the engines, including the one in Pete's truck, was contaminated although his trailer was covered in radioactive fallout. Removing ladders from their rig, the Guard crew cleaned it carefully, first covering the ground around it and gathering it all for proper disposal when they were finished.

Once the Guard crew finished, Tim and Geo removed the air compressor from storage while Dad, Jerry, George, Freddie and Bill set about reconnecting vehicle battery cables and checking engines for damage from rodents. Everyone had followed Jethro's advice about changing the oil, keeping the fuel tank full, buying car covers and stuffing steel wool in the muffler or air intake. They'd also left mint-scented items around the perimeter of each car as mint reportedly repelled mice.

They only found one belt that looked a little chewed but as it was Jethro's Challenger, he could wait until he got into town to replace it. His sons thought it was funny that his was the only car affected but he just shrugged. Even if he never drove the car again it was still here, in one piece. The car his dad built for him and then waited more than a decade to give him.

There were days Jethro missed his father so much he fought tears. He didn't know why it hurt worse here than it had at home. Maybe because his entire family was together here. It did tend to hit him hardest on family days. That's when he knew Jack would have been in seventh heaven playing with his great-grandkids or teasing his grandchildren, reconnecting with Shannon, Kelly and Mac.

He was deeply thankful Mac was with them and could experience all those things and that his kids and grandkids knew their grand and great-grandfather. His father-in-law always seemed to know when he was especially missing Jack and would give him an extra pat on the shoulder, telling him one of his Jack stories. Didn't matter how often Mac told it or how many times Jethro heard it, he always felt better.

Once the tires were inflated, a few of the vehicle owners took them for test drives on the paved road, remembering to turn west instead of east, although the entrance to the Adams' parcel was three-quarters of a mile east. Tires on two of the vehicles had 'flat spots', areas where the tire was permanently damaged from being in one position too long. Jethro originally planned to remove all the tires and put the vehicles up on blocks but there hadn't been time. The Bishops had brought their own blocks and removed their tires; theirs were in perfect condition.

Pete recommended a good tire shop in town and the two owners called to order a tire apiece. They laughed when Rick's car was uncovered; they'd never changed the flat! It had been offloaded from the trailer behind Mover#3, the battery disconnected, the cover secured over it and nobody remembered or mentioned there was a blown tire. Rick just shrugged, he knew the sidewall was damaged and couldn't be repaired. Ned helped him put the 'donut' or temporary tire on and Agent Carter added a tire for his vehicle onto the Tire Shop order.

They were through with the vehicles by 10 AM and knowing everyone was excited about the land tour, they strapped the babies and younger kids into their car seats, piled into the vehicles and took off. The real estate agent had been informed and would meet them on the property in her 4-Wheel drive.

Tobias and Jethro would later laugh about the trek, betting no group of people had ever been so excited to see plain old land. They were like castaways who'd been living on a leaky boat at sea, finally spotting land.

As Tobias remembered, the plot was mostly rectangular and flat, with a few small hills here and there. There were plenty of trees, shrubs, and wildflowers, all native to the region. It was an odd sight, the recent rains brought blooms to the shrubs and wildflowers but the same plants and many of the trees looked sickly from fallout. Bec offered to determine what might need removing but the doctors nixed that idea. If the land was purchased another botanist would be consulted, one who was not pregnant.

While the doctors, Bec and Geo's discussion went on around him, Tim stood quietly for a minute, thinking about the weather. It was 1045 on the 17th of October and he wore a short-sleeved tee shirt, jeans, and sneakers. He wished he'd worn long sleeves or thought to bring a light jacket; he was a little chilly. The kids had dressed more appropriately; they all had light sweaters or jackets on. He looked at his phone, glad to see he had cell reception and saw that the temperature was 59. That was a little cooler than the averages he'd looked up but by less than 5 degrees. He guessed nuclear winter wouldn't affect them here if it happened at all. He wondered if that was due to the limited strikes or something else. He grimaced to himself, thinking that now the information online about nuclear strikes, EMPs, sheltering, etc. could be updated with facts.

Even though the terrain was rough, the 4-Wheelers and All-Wheel Drive vehicles ventured deeper into the property. Four vehicles went first, looking for the spot Tobias remembered. Several people rode in Geo's Jeep, others in the DiNozzos' Mercedes and even more, including the kids, in Tim and Ellie's van and truck, driven by Bob.

Exploring the property, Tobias pointed to a grove of trees about a mile in from the road, "There, that's where I thought we could put some of the container houses."

The trees were widely spaced and overall it looked like a good spot. Tim and Jethro estimated they could fit 20 or 30 sets of 2 containers per lot. Two containers set flush next to each other or in a 'T' or 'L' shape; after doors or walls were cut in, the containers would be welded together. They could fit two or three bedrooms in that way, a decent size living space, kitchen and 1 full, 1 half bath or 2 full baths.

Rob suggested small patios that could be either set in the angles or to one side and they liked that idea too. Another option was to stack the containers but that meant stairs and the only ones that would really fit would be the spiral variety. Unless they stacked them and kept them separate, like apartments. Then they could put the stairs on the outside. Tim grinned and nudged his dad, "Rooftop decks!"

"Fun! We'll see; we need to look for plans online and find someone who's worked with container conversions."

Geo huffed at them, "We need to buy the land first!"

The others laughed as Jethro rolled his eyes at his second eldest. They drove back to the gate, encouraging the others to drive in and look around the parcel, showing them the first area they'd looked at before driving to the back of the property. Tim, Geordie, Tony and Bob took as many people as they could squeeze in their 4-Wheel and AWD vehicles and drove them back to the site they'd looked at. Elaine and Jacob went in one of the first vehicles and then went back to the ranch, excited for their friends and a little depressed that they wouldn't be part of it.

When Elaine later called to tell Gibbs that lunch was ready, they loaded up and drove back to the ranch. The kids and teachers went back to class after they ate while the babies played for a while before going down for their naps. The adults spent an hour sharing their observations about the property. By the time school let out for the day, they'd made several decisions.

First, the group wanted to buy the property and each owner would have a share or percentage of the total ownership according to how much they put into the buy. After some discussion, they set a minimum amount for the buy-in, stipulating that the purchaser could be an individual or a group. That made it easier for those who were starting from scratch as far as a job and income. Or like the Slaters who had their money tied up in their business.

The second decision was to form an Limited Liability Corporation, commonly known as an LLC, to legally house their ownership. Tim found a company online who would facilitate the filing and legal work. When he found decent reviews without any serious complaints or lawsuits, the group agreed. He paid the fee and delegated the forms to the others to complete. That took about forty minutes and would take less than 24 hours to have the legalities filed with the State of New Mexico. With advice from Ali and Tim's experiences with his own LLC, they decided to hold off on the purchase of the land until the LLC was finalized. They did let the real estate agent know what was going on.

That night after dinner, Pete asked for help getting his truck and Toni's things back to his house on Friday. Jethro, Bill and Tobias would see what work needed to be done while Tim and Jerry would drive the Buick and moving van. The doctors were happy he wanted to stay with them. His wound was about 85% healed but there was still a slight chance of infection. As much as he'd initially wanted to get home after Toni's attack, he realized now that he didn't want to be alone. He wasn't cleared for work so it made sense to stay here. He was comfortable in the shelter, there was plenty of company, he knew they'd all be eating in the shelter and he loved catching up on all the movies.

Still sitting at the table an hour after they'd eaten, Pete was surprised when his cell rang. It was his daughter checking up on him. A bigger surprise was the addition of his son to the call. Throughout the call, the two begged him to fly out to visit, they'd been worried sick after their mother stabbed him and needed to see him in person. After the call, he sat in thought, trying to talk himself into flying to Seattle although he hated flying and particularly hated flying by himself. When Jacob sat down asking what was troubling him, he told him.

Jacob smiled, "You of all people should be familiar with different methods of travel these days!"

"I can't drive my truck; I can't climb into it yet."

"And the Buick?"

"Is my wife's car."

Jacob chuckled, "Then how about an RV?"

"Huh?"

"Come with Lainie and me. We already planned to stop at our daughter's home in Seattle. Olympia isn't that far away, surely your daughter could meet you there. If not, we'll take you to her place. We'll drive, Pete. You know the routes, the shortcuts, the best times to drive. If you're up to it, you can help us drive, if not, you navigate. There's plenty of room in the RV, it sleeps 6."

"Wow, that's very generous of you! You sure you wouldn't mind a third wheel?"

"Not at all, we'll both feel better having you with us and you know it'll make our doctors and friends happy."

Pete smiled at that and Jacob knew he'd made the decision to go with them.

The offer and decision pleased everyone. The doctors were happy he'd spend time with his children and would have the Rourkes to watch over him on the journey. He'd be able to drive for three or four hours at a time, not the usual 10 he was used to but it would certainly help the Rourkes. Gibbs and Vance were almost as happy as the doctors were when they heard.

For one thing, it would give Pete a different perspective, get his mind off his troubles and they knew Elaine and Jacob would watch carefully over him. Two, it would lessen the number of hours each of the Rourkes would have to drive. Three, Pete was licensed to carry and would be protection for their friends. Finally, helping to drive, navigate and being able to protect his friends would make Pete feel useful again. As a mover, he was used to taking care of everything himself and the inactivity he'd been forced to endure because of his injury and living in a concrete cave had rankled.

The decision made, the visit to his house gained importance. As he didn't know how long he'd be away, he'd need to find a property management firm to get his house rented.

Then Ginny Slater approached, asking to speak with him. Remembering Jimmy's question, he agreed.

Ginny smiled, "Would you mind if Colleen and I take a look at your house while you're there on Friday? From what we've heard, it sounds perfect for us. Either Ed and I or Colleen and Ryan or maybe Alissa and Brad hope to rent it from you. What we'd like to do is lease it for a year and we'll pay a deposit, no problem with that. Depending on what Jethro, Tobias and Bill find that needs fixing, we'd like to move in as soon as possible. That way half our family will have homes as Breena and Jimmy are owners here, and we can concentrate on our business. Also, Ed and I sold our cars before we left, getting around will be much easier in town than all the way out here."

Pete nodded, "Yes, that's fine with me! Hope you'll like it."

When the group set off Friday morning, they made a little parade. Tim, Pete, and Jerry in the Buick with Toni's suitcases, followed by Jethro, Tobias, and Bill in Jethro's truck, each with his toolbox. They were followed by the two Slater women who'd come equipped with a measuring tape and notebook.

It took some doing but Pete finally saw the logic of leaving the moving van at the ranch while he was away. It wouldn't be in the way and if it was they had the keys and Jerry knew how to drive it. It would also reduce the risk of it being stolen or vandalized. It made sense because Pete was returning to the ranch to live, not the house.

Pete made a noise when they pulled into the driveway. "Feels like years since I've been here."

"Pretty close to four months."

"Yeah, four months and a lifetime."

The other two nodded at that and looked at the house. They'd expected to see a black roof as the fallout wouldn't have been cleaned off. It was clear and the pavement was clean, someone had done a good deed for the Wares. Tim and Jerry handled the suitcases while Pete unlocked the door. "Whew, the air is sure stale in here!"

Jerry and Tim opened a few windows for a cross breeze. "Let's let it air out while we're here."

The suitcases were carried to the master bedroom where they helped Pete locate an additional suitcase and pack it with the rest of his clothes. In the meantime, the fixers and potential renters were examining the house. It was in much better shape than Pete led them to believe. Two items were repaired immediately: a loose cupboard door and a leaky faucet in the bathroom. The fixers examined every door, every electrical outlet and light, windows, and floors. The Slaters tried to stay behind them but the men kept stopping to examine one thing or another and finally the two women headed off to the other end of the house. There were three bedrooms and two full bathrooms, one en suite in the master and one in the hallway to be shared by the other two bedrooms. Colleen and her sister Alissa each had one child, which meant whichever of them rented the house would have a guest bedroom and the one hall bath would be fine.

Except Ginny had already fallen in love with the backyard. While the house was not adobe or any kind of Spanish style, the backyard reminded Tim of the front courtyard of the house he, Dad and the kids had lived in here. Looking for his father, he nearly dragged him to the slider out to the patio. "Look!"

"That's nice, Timson, reminds me of our old house."

"That's what I thought too."

There was a large garden at the back and more potted plants around the perimeter of the patio. A beautifully tiled fountain graced the center of the back of the patio, with an outdoor kitchen and patio furniture towards the front and a pergola over the table and chairs. They could see the rain had done a partial job of ridding the plants of fallout but there was more to be removed. When Pete saw the dead plants he made a noise, but Ginny tapped his hand.

"It's all right, Pete. Remember folks in town have been outside for longer than we have. We'll hire someone to come in and clean that out. The house is in pristine condition. Needs a little dusting and vacuuming, that's all. No need to hire a cleaning service, I haven't done any housekeeping in four months and it will do me good!"

In no time, Ginny arranged to rent the house and buy the Buick from Pete. The others watched the exchange in fascination, Tim and Jethro recognizing where Breena came by her attitude of friendly efficiency. When there was a pause, Tim looked at Pete, who seemed to be in a daze. "Hey Pete, maybe Ginny would like to drive the Buick back to the ranch, a test drive for her."

Pete smiled, nodded and then grinned, "Ginny, did you know we bought the Buick from Tim?"

"No, I didn't. How did that happen?"

Tim gave her another variation of the 'undercover' story, trusting Pete wouldn't give them away.

Ginny smiled in surprise, "My goodness, what a small world - or did you stay in touch?"

Pete answered that. "After their move to Alexandria, we didn't speak again until this past June. Tim called to tell me about the threat, advising me to stay home for a few months and ended up hiring me for the move."

"Wonderful and now we'll add another story for the Buick. Timothy, a test drive will be fun but I had this make and model at home. Although mine was purple."

With a laugh, the 8 of them closed the doors and windows, made sure everything was locked up tight, Pete setting the alarm as he left, writing the passcode down for Ginny.

By mid-afternoon, they had the rent and deposit figured out, and a year's lease signed. They also came to an agreement on the Buick and Jethro offered to run Pete to the bank to deposit the Slaters' check. Pete was glad it was Jethro, so much had happened over the last two days that his mind was close to overload; he needed a few minutes of quiet!

They stopped on the way back to buy several gallons of ice cream, the first they'd had since moving into the shelter. Jethro wanted farewell treats for their friends and to complete the last dinner they'd have together as shelter mates.