Camping Chapter 6

A/N - Here is the next chapter of camping with the Palmers. Drama is ramping up. Please let me know what you think. Thank you for reading. I don't own NCIS.

Loved the last episode. Jimmy and Jess finally expressing their love for each other. Something that I thought was obvious for most of the season.

Gage and Paul reached the Palmer campsite noticing the tent but no vehicle. "It doesn't look like they are here," observed Paul. Not wanting to leave anything to chance Gage walked up to the tent. "Hello," he called out. He was disappointed there was no response. He started to reach for the zipper.

"What are you doing?" an unfamiliar voice called out. "You aren't one of the Palmer family."

Gage stopped and turned around. He thought about pulling out his badge but thought better of it. A man, his wife he presumed and two children were staring at them. Paul spoke up. "We're friends of Jessica and Jimmy. We were just checking to see if they were here."

"Do you barge into someone's house if they don't answer? It's obvious they aren't here right now."

Gage nodded. "It's good that there are people looking out for them like you kind folk. I'm sorry to bring you to alarm. Do you know where they went or when they will be back?"

The woman spoke. "I think they went tubing."

Gage looked at Paul then back to the family. "Thank you for the information. We'll come back later."

Gage and Paul decided to head down to the river to see if they could spot the Palmers floating by.

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When the Palmers reached the rapids, they linked hands forming a triangle knowing that they would have to break apart in the narrow parts of the river. As they picked up in pace, Vic started laughing in excitement showing no fear. The river narrowed between large rocks causing them to release their hands to hold onto their tubes. Jimmy went through first bouncing off one large boulder to another as he made his way down the rapids. Victoria followed but did a better job of staying in the middle of the stream hitting fewer rocks, laughing all the way. Jess came through backwards also bouncing of several rocks before making it through. Since she exited the rapids facing upriver, she didn't notice the flow was sending her straight into the bank of the river covered with trees and bushes.

"Watch out Mom!" Victoria called out and started paddling toward Jess. Jimmy also saw his wife's predicament and paddled hard toward her but had farther to go. By the time they got to Jess she was tangled up in the bushes and trees having difficulty freeing herself. Jess was laughing though as she found her predicament rather funny and was thankful to her rescuers when she was set free. She pulled Vic to her and gave her a hug and kiss on the cheek then pulled Jimmy to her planting a big passionate kiss on his lips. Jimmy smiled at her. "Not that I'm complaining but what was that for?"

"What? Can't a love crazed wife kiss her handsome husband?"

Jimmy chuckled and kissed her back. "As long as this love crazed husband can kiss his gorgeous wife back."

Both Jimmy and Jess looked at each other and grinned. Vic looked at her parents and smiled, glad that they loved each other so much.

The next stretch of the river was wide and slow moving. Jimmy was holding Jess' hand while Victoria floated nearby holding onto the ice chest tube. "Do you think we could ride together on one tube sweetheart? Jimmy asked his wife.

Jess raised an eyebrow. "That sounds like fun. Do you think we would fit?"

"Let's try." Jess nodded in agreement.

"I think your tube is a little bigger. I better come and join you." Jess said.

Jimmy called Victoria closer. "Sweetheart, hold Mom's tube for a minute please."

Victoria nodded and took hold of it. Jess climbed on top of Jimmy in the middle of his tube sitting/lying on top of him. The tube sank down noticeably but still kept the two of them out of the water.

"I hope we don't find any shallow spots or rocks." Jimmy said.

Jess laughed. "I'll just check for bruises and massage your bottom if we do."

Jimmy grinned.

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Gage and Paul walked along the river hoping to see the Palmers. More exactly, Gage wanted to see Jess.

They wandered past the latest set of rapids and looked out at the river and the tubers floating by.

Paul spotted a couple floating tandem style in one tube and a girl floating by next to them. They were holding hands and had an extra tube with them. They were on the opposite side of the river from Gage and Paul so it was hard to be sure. Paul pointed them out.

"Is that them?" Paul asked.

Gage looked across the river staring at them. The man had his arms wrapped around the dark haired woman. The woman was holding the hand of the girl and the extra tube was tied to one of the other tubes.

"Does Jessica have a daughter? Paul asked.

"I don't think so. It sure looks like her and Dr. Palmer in the one tube." Gage responded.

"Do you know anything about the doc? Does he have a daughter?"

"I don't know."

"See how happy Jessica looks with her new husband. Don't you dare try to come between them." Paul stated.

"I won't. It's just she is so beautiful."

"Just admire her from afar. You'll find the right woman soon enough. It's just not her."

Gage nodded. "Let's head back to the campground. We need to decide on where to stay."

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Pedro watched the loading of the drugs onto the plane. When completed, he called the pilot over to him along with the cargo man who would be dumping out the packages to the selected sites.

"The terrain is very rough where you are going. Aim for the south side of the hills. Don't crash the plane."

The pilot nodded. "There are fifty packages in total. The mules will need to account for each one. It will probably take two days for the pickup. Get moving."

The pilot and cargo man climbed aboard the plane and closed the doors. Fifteen minutes later the plane was airborne for the 60 minute flight to Shenandoah.

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Jimmy and Jess enjoyed the closeness of their bodies as they floated down the river. There was one more set of rapids to navigate so they pulled over to the beach at the top of the rapids. Jess climbed off Jimmy and sat on the rim of the tube to get off. When she did, Jimmy was leaning in the same direction which caused the tube to flip up, dumping both of them in the water. Victoria looked on in concern until both her parents came up out of the water spluttering and laughing. Victoria floated closer and jumped out of her tube and waded to her parents, helping them keep control over all of the tubes. Making their way to shore, all three of them fell back on the sand and laughed.

After a brief rest period on the sand, Jess reached into the ice chest and passed out drinks to each member of her family. Jimmy thanked her with a kiss. "What are we having for dinner tonight?" Vic asked.

"How does chicken kebabs sound to you and bbq corn on the cob?" Jess asked her.

"Yummy." Vic responded.

"What are the Fireside Girls doing tonight?" Jimmy asked.

"Not sure. Probably hanging around the campfire telling scary stories and playing games."

"You can invite Amy and some friends over to our campfire if you would like." Jess said.

"That's nice. I might just want to spend time with my parents."

"Of course we would love that sweetheart. Just let us know. We're flexible."

They finished their drinks and put the empty bottles in the trash receptacle before climbing back into the tubes. Jess and Jimmy decided to ride separately through the rapids for safety and maneuverability. Jess led the way through the rapids with Jimmy bringing up the rear. This time Jess avoided crashing into the bushes and trees against the riverbank.

The river widened out a slowed down to a gentle current. The Palmer family linked hands as they floated down the river. About a half an hour later Jimmy spotted the sign for stop number 5, the last stop. He pointed it out to Jess and Vic reminding them to move to the left bank of the river. Each edged to the bank and Jimmy got out of his tube grabbing onto Victoria's tube so she wouldn't float by the stopping point. He then waded over to Jess and grabbed ahold of her tube so she could get out and also wade to the shore.

Gathering all of their tubes and belongings, a relaxed but tired Palmer family made their way to the bus pickup stop. There were about twenty other people waiting there for the bus all talking with their friends and families about what a fun time they had.

The bus ride back to UberTuber was bumpy but they were able to talk to several of the other tubers exchanging recommendations for places to hike and visit. One of the families they talked to were staying in the RV section of their campground. They had a son Victoria's age. Jimmy was trying to remember what Director Vance told him that Victoria was growing up and not to freak out when she was talking to boys. Jess put a comforting hand on his arm.

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The pilot talked to the cargo man through the headset. "Get ready Hector. The primero drop zone is near. Cinco minutos."

"Si, Miguel." Hector undid his seatbelt and went to the middle of the plane. He untied the first package from the plane storage hooks pushing it to the side door. "Ready Miguel."

"Bueno. Open the door."

Hector slid open the door and waited for the signal to make the drop. "Make the drop." Miguel commanded. Hector pushed the first load out the door. Miguel then turned the plane to the west to the next drop zone.

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Jimmy, Jess and Victoria pulled into their campsite about 45 minutes later.

"Let's go rinse off in the pool showers. "Jess suggested.

"Good idea." Jimmy responded. He went to the tent to get three dry, clean towels. He took Jess' hand in his right hand and Victoria's hand in his left leading them to the pool.

All three outdoor showers were available so Jimmy took the one on the left, Jess the one in the middle and Vic the one on the right. They were pleasantly surprised the water was warm. Jess brought a bottle of shampoo and a bottle of soap that they passed around to each other to wash the river water off. Jimmy enjoyed his view of Jess in her black string bikini and Jess wanted to run her hands over her husband's chest and abs. When they finished, each took a towel from the stack and dried off, Jimmy helping with Jess' back and Jess helping with Jimmy's back. Both wrapped Vic up in her towel and tickled her.

Jess and Jimmy set their towels on a chair and went to the edge of the pool. Jimmy stuck his toe in the water and said "The pool is a nice temperature. Do you want to go for a swim?"

Jess looked over at Jimmy. "I feel a little waterlogged from the river. Maybe later?"

Jimmy nodded and leaned in for a kiss. Jess kissed him back. Victoria looked at her parents and grinned. She came up behind them and pushed them into the pool before jumping in right after knowing she would get pulled in if she didn't. After they came to the surface, Jess splashed Victoria and Victoria splashed her mother back. Jess then hid behind Jimmy and kept on splashing Vic. Victoria returned the splashes and Jimmy was caught in the middle. Jess wrapped her left arm around her husband and pressed her body to his back. Jimmy didn't mind the splashing enjoying the feeling of his wife against him.

Vic and Jess called a truce from the splashing and Jimmy brought her around to his front, hugging her to him. Jess wrapped her legs around him while they hugged. Jimmy and Jess looked at each other with a grin before their lips met in a passionate kiss. Vic smiled to herself then turned away to go to the side of the pool.

Paul and Gage went to the Ranger Station to hang out and get something to eat while they waited for the Palmers to return. The campground ranger called Gage when she spotted the Palmer's car back at their campsite and saw them head to the pool.

Gage and Paul walked to the pool and entered through the gate. Looking around, Gage noticed a several families in the water. Paul pointed out a couple in a heated kiss. "Is that them?"

Gage looked closely seeing the back of the woman's head noticing her dark hair. He looked at the man's face and said "That's them alright."

Victoria swam back to her parents causing them to break their kiss. Gage could see for sure that it was Jessica. While Gage was deciding how to let Jess know he was there, Jimmy picked up Jess and carried her to the steps and out of the water. Jess was laughing and Jimmy set her down on her feet by their towels. Jimmy wrapped her in her towel and Jess wrapped Vic in hers before she wrapped Jimmy in his. Jess wrapped her arms around Jimmy's neck planting a deep kiss on his lips. Paul poked Gage in the ribs. "She's very, very, very taken Gage. Let's go before you embarrass yourself."

Gage huffed. "I still want to talk to her even if I can't have her."

Paul nodded. "Ok, but let's do that at their campsite, not when she's soaking wet in a bikini."

Gage looked at Jess then to Paul. "Man, she's beautiful. I'm going to take a nature bath in the pool and go talk to her."

Paul grabbed Gage's arm and pulled him away from the pool to the gate. "No you're not. There are a bunch of kids here. Do you want to get arrested? If you did that I would arrest you."

Gage grunted. "OK. Why can't I get her out of my mind?"

"I told you. You need to get your mind on someone else. There are plenty of other beautiful women in the world."

"You're right. Let's go and talk to them at their campsite."

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The Palmers walked back to their camp needing to put on dry clothes and cook dinner. Victoria went into the tent with Jess while Jimmy lit the BBQ. After Vic was changed and dressed, she came out to the picnic table and put the ice chest on it. "Mom wants you to come into the tent to help her with something. I'll get the food out." Her friend Amy walking by just then stopped to say hi.

Jimmy nodded with a smile. He gave his daughter a hug and a kiss on the cheek then went into the tent zipping the opening shut. Jimmy was very pleasantly surprised to see his wife still in her bikini holding a clothesline in her hands. He kissed her and asked "What do you need my help with sweetheart? What to wear…or not wear?"

Jess chuckled. "I'll always need your help with that. Right now I need your help putting up this line so we can hang our suits to dry."

Jimmy nodded. "Let's hang it over this side away from our sleeping bags. There are hooks on each side."

Jess nodded and hand Jimmy one end of the line. A minute later, the line was tightly strung along the side of the tent. Jess hung up Victoria's suit and came to her husband. She untied Jimmy's suit and pushed it down and off, leaving him naked. Jess grinned at her husband and turned to hang his suit on the line. Jimmy came up to Jess from behind and untied her bikini top and hung it on the line. Jimmy cupped her breasts in his hands and then slid them down to her waist. He pulled the strings on her bottoms and hung it on the line. He turned his wife around and kissed her senseless, pressing their naked bodies together. Jess broke the kiss and smiled against his lips. "I want you as much as you want me," Jess said noticing her husband's reaction to their embrace. "Do we do this with our daughter and friend outside this tent?"

Before Jimmy could answer Victoria called to them. "Mom, Dad. There are some people here to talk to you."

Jimmy and Jess groaned and called out. "Be there in a few minutes sweetheart." Jimmy and Jess reluctantly separated and reached for their clothes. Jess put on black yoga pants, a white tank top and a zippered gray sweatshirt. Jimmy put on jeans, a T-shirt and a pullover sweatshirt. After putting on their shoes, Jimmy unzipped the tent door and stepped out of the tent holding his wife's hand.

Jess and Jimmy were shocked to see who was there to see them. Jimmy and Jess wrapped their arms around each other's waists. Jimmy decided to speak first. "Agent Winchester, Gunny Thomas, what a surprise. What brings you here?"

Gage looked at Jimmy first then at Jess trying to read her reaction at seeing him. Her face was blank giving him no idea what she was thinking. Jimmy spoke again. "You may not know that Jess and I are married now." Jess turned his face toward her and planted a big juicy kiss on his lips.

"I belong to Jimmy and am very, very, very glad to be Mrs. Palmer. Did you come here to congratulate us on our marriage, Gage?"

Gage, even though he knew already that Jess was married to Jimmy, seeing how happy Jess was with Jimmy, dropped his head to gather his thoughts before speaking. "Congratulations on your marriage. I wish you both nothing but happiness. "

Jess and Jimmy looked at Gage and nodded. "Thank you," they said in unison.

"I also came in the hope of working with you again. Paul and I think the cartels are going to drop fentanyl in national parks and wilderness areas on a larger scale than what we dealt with earlier."

"Parker told you NCIS has jurisdiction in that potential matter. Did you reach out to the NSA, Homeland or the FBI?" Jess asked.

"We did." Paul responded. "They told us that we needed more than speculation to get involved. We came here partially to get your support."

"We're glad you are vigilant at keeping our parks free from drugs, but we are here for a long weekend camping trip with no authority to get involved with stopping the cartels." Jimmy added. "Have you learned anything more concrete?"

Gage shook his head. "No, we have no new information."

Jess said. "Well then, there is nothing for us to help you with. We're going to start cooking dinner. Would you like to join us?"

Gage looked at Paul who shook his head. "That is kind of you but we must get over to our campsite to set up."

Paul looked over at Gage with a hint of surprise. "Yes, that is very nice of you but we have much to do. Perhaps we will see you another time this weekend."

Jess and Jimmy nodded. "Perhaps. Have a good evening."

Gage and Paul turned and walked back to the campground ranger to see about getting a campsite.

While Gage was talking to the campground ranger, a large RV the size of a school bus pulled into the campground towing a trailer with two ATVs and two off road motorbikes. The ranger directed the RV to the campsite in the RV section of the campground.

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