Tap23


It was nightfall by the time that the three of them had rested, eaten and showered. Tim had made contact with Vance via the secure teleconference feed in MTAC. Reluctantly, Tim had given Leon Vance the ok to update Gibbs, after multiple neighbours of Tim's reported seeing a suspicious white Subaru hanging around the street.

Vance didn't have much to report, except that no one had noticed they were missing yet as both men had an RDO scheduled, and Tim had left a message with the school telling them that Emily had come down with a viral infection. That he would be in touch soon to organize some schoolwork for her, so she didn't fall behind. Tim's white lie had brought them some time with the school. That everything was going according to plan.

At midnight, Kensi appeared with Deeks. "Ready to see what we picked for the three of you to sleep and travel to your safehouse in?" Deeks asked excitedly. He was so excited by the vehicle he had chosen that anyone would think that he and Kenzie would be going with them. "Ta-da! A RV."

"It's an RV." Emily exclaimed, clearly less than impressed. She, Tim and her father had travelled for three weeks in one, over the summer when she was eight and it had been the worst three weeks of her vacation.

"Oh Emily, this isn't just any old, ordinary run of the mill RV." Deeks said excitedly, as he opened the side door and ushered Emily in before him. Pete and Tim exchanged a look and Kensi gave Tim a look that had clearly meant she was sorry for Deeks, and all of the choices he had made. "See look, this thing is unlike a regular RV, it's a luxury fifth wheel RV model. To the left, up those two steps is Pete and Tim's bedroom with a full bathroom and a washer, dryer combo. Through here is the kitchen, dining and living area. Tim, Pete your dual desk is here. I know how much Tim needs his coffee, so there's an automatic coffee machine there, built in. Down this small hall, is your room. You've got a twin bed, small wardrobe and half desk. There's a smaller second bathroom through that door. During the day, there is the option to have an external entrance into this bathroom as well."

"We emptied out the beds in the loft, thinking if you end up in the RV longer than anticipated, Tim and Pete could move their office up there. It would give you more room in the living room for a small two-seater sofa." Kensi added, looking at Tim. "The plan is you'll sleep here, in our warehouse tonight. Tomorrow, you'll hitch up and head off to your first stop. We've pre-programmed all of your stops onto the map in the glove compartment because of the situation, we removed your sat nav, but your burners have a maps app. Sorry Emily, no phone for you. The only devices that can hook into the Wi-Fi here is what Nell and Eric have approved. Eric will be monitoring your activity closely, seeing if you get anyone else monitoring you. We will send you updates as you go."

"Does anyone else know you're gone?" Deeks asked and Tim glared at him. "I mean surely, someone knows you've gone. You didn't just take off in the middle of the night."

"Everyone that needs to know, now knows we've gone." Pete answered for Tim. Pete held Tim's hand for a moment. Deeks' question in front of Emily had upset him too, especially because they hadn't yet told her that they were running from the FBI too.

"The sides move in for travel, to fit on the road and you'll just look like any other family in an RV." Deeks continued on. He didn't dwell on the fact that his question had upset the former NCIS, now on the run FBI agent. "You have this RV for a week. When you get to your destination, it goes to the dealer. There are vehicles and a fully furnished three-bedroom house waiting for you. In exchange for the use of the RV, you two, will be expected to design a marketing campaign for the RV dealer."

"Deeks, let them get some sleep. Look at them, they're exhausted." Kensi admonished and she was sure that if they offered, Deeks would jump at the opportunity to go with them. "Sorry Tim, good night, you guys. Callen and Sam are on watch. You're safe. Get some sleep."

As soon as the three of them were alone inside the RV. Tim pulled Emily in for a hug. "Everything is going to be ok, Em." Tim murmured, before he pulled Pete into the hug too. "As long as the three of us stick together, we'll get through this."

"Emma?" Pete asked, reminding Tim and Emily about using their alias names. "Daniel and Simon, let's just remember that. They're our names, now."

"Although I call you, Dad and Pops." Emily laughed. Her and Pete were still getting to know one another and now she was forced to call him pops. "I am going to crawl into bed. I am tired. Good night, Dad. Night, Pops."

"Real cute." Tim grinned at her, before he turned and looked at his boyfriend. "Pops, it makes you sound old."

"Would you prefer Dad and Daddy? A twelve-year-old calling Daddy, that sounds worse." Pete laughed at the horrified look on Tim's face. "Papa, doesn't really work unless you're ethnic."

"Come on, Simon. Let's get into bed." Tim teased him, using his alias' name, as he ushered Pete into the room that would be theirs.

Tim and Pete were both eternally thankful that someone had the foresight to think ahead. That two six foot plus sized men, sharing a queen bed would be too squishy and they had ensured the men had a king-sized bed to sleep in. It was one of the reasons that Tim hadn't spent the night at Pete's place. Pete had a queen bed and for the two men, it was rather squishy.

Waking up in bed in the RV, Tim couldn't believe how comfortable his sleep had been. As he stumbled out of bed and into the bathroom. Once he finished in there, he saw his boyfriend waking and Tim headed into the kitchen, in search of coffee. He was surprised to feel like he was right at home, despite the small, enclosed space. Hearing Pete behind him, he set the coffee machine for two cups, and he was even more surprised to see Emily venture out from the opposite end of the RV.

"Morning." She grinned at the two men. She had been surprised how soft and comfortable the bed was. "I had the best sleep. I need to take that bed back home with me."

"Glad you like it Em, this is our home for the next three or four days." Pete grinned at her. "Now, let's get some breakfast organised."

When the trio emerged from the RV, Deeks was eagerly awaiting them. He showed both Tim and Pete, how to prepare the RV for travel and hitch it up to the rental truck. Hetty arrived shortly after, alongside Nell, who had procured them some food supplies to last them the length of their short trip. Once the RV was ready to hit the road, Hetty met them outside the camper, alongside Deeks and Kensi, as Sam and Callen wished Tim and the other two good luck. "We will be in contact with you via your burner phone, Mr. Delaney. You are expected to check in with us, every night at 1800, until you reach your destination. The only other person beside our team that has the number is Director Vance."

"Your first stop is Flagstaff, Arizona. It is approximately a seven-hour drive from here. We booked you into the best RV park we could find with reputable reviews." Kenzie bragged about the first expected stop.

"Mr. Delaney, this is to be opened once you arrive at your final destination." Hetty told Tim, handing him an envelope. "This person can be trusted; I give you my personal guarantee. I trust them and they are unrelated to the Federal Bureau of Investigations or NCIS. They will meet you and take you to your safe house. He will become a point of contact between us and you three. In the case of an emergency, please use this person as a contact point, or activate the emergency codes, if need be, as discussed. Be safe, Delaney Family."

With a toot and a wave, Tim, Pete and Emily climbed into the RV, with Tim behind the wheel for the first leg of their driving day, as they drove out of the warehouse and off the lot. It was a warm and sunny day, perfect for hitting the open road. It was still early enough in the morning to avoid the peak hour traffic, perfect for leaving the city and heading East.


They had opted for some fast food for lunch, switching drivers when they stopped. Tonight, would be the first night that they would have to set the RV up and both men wanted to do it, while it was still light out. Thankfully all they had to do, was stabilize it, connect the sewerage, water and electricity lines to the respective points and open it up. They'd open up the awnings too, but they wouldn't bring any of the outdoor furniture out, as they were only stopping overnight.

They arrived on the eastern side of Flagstaff, at the RV park that Kenzie had marked out on the itinerary. Pete went in to check them in, as Deeks had used his alias on the reservation, and they were immediately given a map of park and directions to their site. Pete liked the fact they were right by the back exit gate but didn't verbalise that point until he got back into the RV.

Back in the truck, Pete climbed back into the driver's seat. Tim admitted that he might be able to drive the big rig and park facing forward, but reversing it, wasn't his strong suit. Pete grinned at him, before he was a cryptologist in the navy, he had work logistics and had reverse parked bigger rigs than this one into small spaces that what they had to work with. So, it would be a piece of cake for him. Emily stayed in the vehicle, as Tim and Pete made quick work of stabilizing the RV.

"So, in theory, if I hit this button on the control panel. The sides should open out." Tim told Emily, as he grinned at her. He waited for Pete to give him 'all clear' that all of the lines had been connected to the correct utility, before he hit the button on the control panel. "HA!" He exclaimed, as the sides began extending outwards.

"That was so easy." Emily added, and Tim gave her a mock glare. The trio entered the rear of the RV and began preparing for the evening. Unlocking the cupboards, raising the tv and hooking into the RV's Wi-Fi connection ready for their mandatory check in.

Tim tasked Pete and Emily with organizing something for dinner, while Tim connected up to the Wi-Fi. Eric had his checks and could access their stuff at their end, but Tim had wanted to run his own checks. Pete had already mentioned to Tim, he would set up some encryptions on it, to ensure they or their location could not be traced. While he was checking their system, it would be 1800 hours and they would have their first video check in.

The dinging of the laptop dinging seemed to echo through the RV sound system, and they had all been surprised by that. What wasn't expected was, to have Vance and Gibbs patched in from MTAC, as well as Eric, Nell and Callen in their command center. "Oh hello." Tim greeted them and Pete came over, leaving Emily to stir the sauce on the stove.

"Pete, Tim. I am so glad the two of you are ok." Gibbs began. He was surprised by how relieved he had felt when he saw them on the screen in MTAC. When Leon had informed him what had happened, his gut had sunk. He couldn't believe that him covering for a teammate had left Tim with the short end of the stick, again. History had repeated itself. But he was determined to not let Tim down again. Voicing that to the Director had gotten him into this briefing, tonight. "Where is Em?"

"Em's on KP." Pete grinned, using Em's nickname. He figured if he was playing at being her dad too, then he could use it to sell their cover. Even if they were in the privacy of their own RV. "Stirring the pasta sauce for dinner."

Tim turned the small laptop around to show them Emily in the kitchen area, stirring the sauce and putting a pot of water on for the noodles. "We arrived safely. On the Eastern side of Flagstaff." Tim informed them and he watched Eric write something down in his notes.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there was an alarm breech at your house this evening, Tim." Leon Vance said delicately, but it didn't stop Tim from swearing. "That alarm system is not user friendly. It took us a good twenty-five minutes to work out how to shut your alarm off."

"I know, I built it myself." Tim grinned at him, proudly. It was not designed to be user-friendly; it was meant to deter would be burglars. "Was anything taken in the breech?"

"Not that we could see. Of course, it happened, right on peak hour time. So it took us over forty-five minutes to get to your place." Leon Vance complained in a grumbling voice. Driving out to the scene, Leon mumbled to Gibbs that it was clear that Tim had bought this house, after he had decided to leave the agency.

"I can remote access my cameras from here and send stills, both the MTAC and OSP Command Center. Just a sec." Tim grinned at him and Pete rolled his eyes. His boyfriend was talented on the computer in all aspects, unlike Pete, who only specialised in coding and algorithms. Tim opened a new browser and typed a series of commands, waking his master home computer that controlled everything smart within his home, including his alarm panel and security system. "Ok, sending stills your way. Also, it seems that the alarm was triggered by incorrect guesses, rather than something or someone triggering a motion detector sensor. I can't be positive without looking at the file but that looks like one of Lou Camarillo's men, a Marcus something a rather, I'd have to check the files, which I don't have with me."

"Is the file digitalised?" Eric asked, breaking through. "Nell and I can access FBI hash numbers on a case by case basis. We are allowed X amount per month before we have to apply for a higher access."

"Digitalised case files, codename is Dynamo." Tim said reluctantly and silently prayed that he didn't just commit treason, but a member of the Camarillo rime family was in his house, and he wanted to know who it had been. "Casefiles A32456 through to A33546 and casefile A45986, joint case with NCIS. Perhaps Gibbs or Vance has the case file number nearby."

"Waterson is sending the case through to you now, Eric." Vance told him with a nod. "That's good work all round. Next stop is Santa Fe, New Mexico tomorrow. Keep your head down and watch your backs."

Tim could have just given Eric remote access to his master computer at his home, but Tim didn't want anyone in his personal system, but him. Just as he was under no illusions that as soon as they disconnected him, MTAC and OSP LA would continue discussing the case, without him. Normally, he would insist to be involved, but he had to think about the safety of Pete and Emily, as well as Em's mental well-being and the need she would be feeling, to feel safe.

Dinner was a simple spaghetti and salad, since Pete and Emily cooked, Tim was on clean up duty and Emily said she was going to shower and out her PJs on. Before Tim reminding her that the school had sent her literature exam and that she would be taking in on Friday, as planned.

With the clean-up complete, Emily showered and out like a light in her bedroom, Tim and Pete leaned back on the sofa and relax. Pete decided that they should take advantage of an early night too, so he turned off the living room light and pulled Tim off the sofa, before leading him into their bedroom, closing the door behind them. He makes sure not to lock it, he wants Emily to be able to come to them if she gets scared.

"Go hop in the shower, Tim." Pete encourages him to go on ahead first. He can see that Tim is looking a little worse for wear and just more tired than he usually does. Pete doesn't voice his suspicions, but the thinks that Tim's adrenaline is finally wearing off and he is going to crash from exhaustion soon.

Tim moves off, towards the bathroom with a kiss to Pete's lips as he does. While Tim is in the bathroom, Pete goes back out in to the living room and double checks that the keys are where they're supposed to be, that both external doors are locked, he checks on Emily and retrieves two bottles of water from the refrigerator before returning to the bedroom.

"Your turn." Tim announces as he returned from the bathroom, freshly showered and shaven, feeling much better than he had been.

While Pete is in the shower, Tim checks on Emily and checks the doors too, before returning to the bedroom. He unlocks his lockbox with his back up weapon in it, pulls it out and checks it. Loading it, he slips it into the bedside drawer, in the top drawer. Just in case.

Tim hadn't admitted to anyone, not even Pete but he had a gut feeling they were running straight into more trouble, instead of away from it.


Emily was surprised to be the first one awake and it was after 0700 hours, which was extremely unusual for her uncle Tim. She had been living with Tim long enough to know his sleeping patterns and she was beginning to worry. Before she could decide what to do about it, Pete came out of the bedroom with the two empty water bottles and the empty tray of Tylenol. "Morning Honey." Pete grinned at the strawberry blonde girl in the kitchen, pouring herself a bowl of cereal.

It had felt a little surreal to see Pete leave her uncle's bedroom in a pair of cotton plaid boxers and tee. But she figured that everything was okay, because it was their cover. Their cover was that they were married. "Morning," she said to him with a questioning gaze and a raised eyebrow. And in that moment, she looked exactly like her father.

"Dad's still asleep; he isn't feeling well today," Pete said, grinning at Emily. He tried to wrap his head around the fact that, suddenly, they were supposed to be a family. She was supposed to be his family, and she had only known him for such a short time.

"Is he ok?" Emily asked, worried for Tim. Emily could count on one hand the number of times she had ever seen Tim sick, and she didn't even need her thumb to count to three. Her Uncle Tim didn't get sick very often.

"Sure he is, after breakfast, you can head on it and say good morning." Pete said, as he readied a cup of coffee for himself and popped two slices of bread in the toaster for Tim to eat some dry toast. "Don't get too close though, in case he is contagious."

Around 0230, Tim had begun mumbling in his sleep so loudly that he had woken Pete up. When Pete had leaned over to wake him up, he had noticed that Tim was clammy and sweating profusely. He was also holding his stomach and moaning in pain. By 0300, Tim had made a mad dash to the bathroom, barely making it in time before emptying the contents of his stomach into the toilet.

Pete had managed to convince Tim that he should take some Tylenol for the fever. But the tablets had managed to come straight back up in the next round of vomiting. It wasn't until close to an hour ago, that Tim had finally settled down, kept the Tylenol down and gone back to sleep.

Emily poked her head in while Tim was sleeping. Seeing he was sleeping, she gently tiptoed further into the room. She touched his forehead with the back of her hand, just like her dad and her uncle had both done to her over the years. He was hot.

Emily said to Pete, "We need to call someone." She spoke sternly. "Tim is too sick to drive almost seven hours today. He can't even get out of bed. How's he going to stay in the car? I'm worried about him. Maybe we should head back."

"Who do we call?" he asked. He thought that they should be calling a doctor, personally. But Emily was making a valid point. The passenger wasn't just a passenger, they were supposed to be checking for anyone on the road who looked as if they were following them.

"Call Leon, call Kensi. Hell, he's a menace, but call Uncle Gibbs. He needs help, we need help." Emily pleaded with Pete. "I've seen him with the flu, he didn't look that bad. Not like he does now."

Pete was unsure if Emily was just saying all of this because she was scared and didn't know if she was going to be OK, being cared for by him. Or if it was the truth, she had never seen Tim that sick before.

Studying his boyfriend's face for a moment, an ashen white, clammy and generally looking battleship grey. Not his usual cute pink cheeks, bright emerald, green eyes and soft hair. He really didn't look in a good way.

He located the laptop in the living room. Finding it, he found that the only thing that he could do was contact someone. That looked like it was going to be easier said than done. He couldn't find a single contact on it.

Deciding the burner cell would be better, he headed back into the bedroom and snatched it up off charge. The only number stored in there, didn't have a name. He hoped it was someone who would be happy to give them advice.


Hearing his burner cell vibrate, and feeling it, almost had Leon Vance jumping out of his skin. He was a meeting with the senate briefing at congress, discussing the success of a particular tactical operation in Iraq.

Feeling the phone that he wore on skin, vibrate a second time and then a third, had him concerned. By the time it had vibrated a fourth time, they were just calling lunch.

He nodded to his protective detail, and they immediately left the room headed for the parking lot. Once Vance was secure in his vehicle and on-route back to the Navy Yard, he retrieved the burner cell from the inner pocket of his jacket.

Seeing it was Tim's burner phone, he immediately dialed it back. "What's the matter?" he asked, as soon as it connected; he didn't allow the other person to say hello. He was ashamed of his behavior, but using the burner cell was supposed to be the last resort.

"It's Tim." Pete announced into the cell, Emily had joined him in the kitchen of the RV. "He is very unwell, in fact, I'm not entirely sure of what he needs. I'd be taking myself to urgent care, if I was that sick. I can drive to the next stop OK. But Emily would have to ride shot gun."

"No." Leon said, immediately. Emily is only twelve years old, and it would be far too dangerous for that. Plus, the plan was that the passenger would be armed. "See if you can secure another night or two in Flagstaff. I'll call you back."

Calling Hetty with a sigh, he knew that they would not be able to send help. They had a priority one case heat up overnight. With Sam and Deeks undercover and Kensi on surveillance, they simply didn't have the manpower to send assistance.

As they pulled onto the Navy yard, Leon asked if they could drop him off at the front entrance. He had just come up with a plan. It wasn't great and far from foolproof. But it was a plan.

His first stop was to Kasie in the lab, before heading up to the bull pen, as he passed Gibbs desk, he knocked on it and gave the man the direction to follow him upstairs and into his office.

Up in his office, he let go of the sigh he had been holding. "Don't make me regret what I am about to say." Leon Vance winced, as soon as Gibbs had closed the door behind him. "Complications have arisen in you know whose, safety."

"OK." Gibbs replied, unsure where the Director was heading with this.

"Stop by the lab and grab your gear." Leon Vance ordered, he just hoped he was doing the right thing. "I need eyes and ears in the ground, I can trust."

"What about OSP?" Gibbs asked, two days ago, he had been all but demanding he be allowed to go and help. "What's changed?"

"That is classified and unrelated to what we are working on with them." Leon chastised him. "Now get a move on, I'll notify them you're on-route. You have ninety minutes until your plane departs. I don't have to remind you that this is dangerous, leave your electronics here and don't double-cross them. Go."

A quick nod and Leon was relieved when Gibbs skedaddled out of the room. Just wait until he found out what he would be doing and how he would be helping out.