Chapter 4: A Gathering, Takedown, New Adventure
Tim and Artie were thankful they'd returned home from their tour on a Thursday as it took them most of Friday and the weekend to unpack, get the laundry done and settle back into their normal routine. Their four little ones certainly helped with that!
An early family dinner was held Saturday mid-afternoon and the couple was pleased when the senior Powells, the 5 Clachers as well as the 4 Barnes-Gibbses and Papi Barnes joined them in Jaxton. The Clachers arrived Friday night to give them more time to catch up. They'd take the train home on Sunday.
Edie and George Powell had arrived late afternoon on Friday and would take one of the high-speed trains straight to work Monday morning. They had not only furnished their designated room in the Jaxton house, they'd also started to leave clothes for work as well as whatever they'd need in Jaxton. When asked, Edie chuckled, "We would rather take the train to Manchester and go straight into our offices on Monday morning than return home to Castleton Sunday afternoon or evening and then have to train back to Manchester on Monday. We don't to miss any fun!"
The truth was, both would rather live in Jaxton with their son, daughter-in-law and the international family. They alternated between saving for retirement and spending their money enjoying their lives as they went along. They worked out a bit of a compromise in that they saved every penny they could until something fun and/or interesting came along and then they indulged themselves.
That Saturday, Tim smiled happily when the rest of the family, in the US, France, Greece and Italy, joined them for a meal on Skype. He hadn't realized their trip would be an occasion for an 'all family' gathering! The US East Coast folks had lunch, the Porters in California had breakfast while the Dornegets-Gibbs' in France, the Greeks and Italians had dinner, although later than the UK folks. Tim and Artie took turns showing photos and telling them about what they were seeing and the tour in general.
The Porters, senior Powells and Clachers were happy to hear their recommendations for a small group tour had been very helpful. Fiona Clacher spoke of two Americans they'd met on a small tour more than 20 years ago, smiling as she told the group that she and Alastair were still in touch with them and that the four had taken a few other trips together. Ned also relayed a funny story about someone his grandparents met on their travels, which left everyone with smiles.
By this time most of the littles had already left the table. They were only interested in looking at photos and listening to a lot of talking for a few minutes before they started squirming to go play or needed a change. Their parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles rotated child care.
Although it took a fair amount of coordinating, the international family loved meeting over a meal via Skype. They agreed that it kept their familial connections stronger during the long months between the winter holidays when many of them were able to see each other in person and their annual vacation in Varkiza.
When Artemis later suggested to her husband that they wait to pass the gifts and souvenirs out over their two Christmases, he agreed. It would be much more fun to give them in person than to mail them. He'd purchased souvenirs for his staff, mailing them home. When they arrived, he'd place them in the office break room so people could choose what they wanted. He'd also purchased special gifts for a few people and would handle those discreetly.
After the children were in bed Sunday evening, Tim began sifting through his NCIS email while Artemis disappeared into her own office. However, she delayed the return to her business for a few minutes while she researched the name Barbara Manning had given her, the neighbor Barbara and Rusty said was an absolute Tim 'lookalike'.
What she found made her roll her eyes and shake her head at her curiosity. While there was some resemblance, according to the man's information his father was a respected international business man and there was no mention of the US Navy or a lost sibling. The individual had spent most of his life in Canada and the UK.
Rolling her eyes again, she deleted the man's name from her phone and determinedly got to work! Tim was right, there were many 'lookalikes' out there with similar genealogies and she'd not only waste time she should be with her family or paying attention to her business, she'd go crazy!
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As much as Tim always enjoyed his and Artie's getaways, on their return he usually dived right back into work without much of a problem, unless jet lag was involved. This was not the case after their trip to Turkey. Although the couple was tired, neither had jet lag, a pleasant surprise.
When he opened his agency email Sunday evening after their family weekend, he made a face, reading the various instructions Cynthia left for him. The first 10 emails were numbered Read First 1 down to Read First 10 and the email after that was divided either into an "Ignore for Now" folder or a "From the Director or SecNav" folder.
Deciding he'd better tackle the Read First 1 before anything else, he opened it, quickly scanning the contents, moving through the next 9 messages. While he'd been learning new things about the world, all 6 of his offices were working to close down an embezzlement ring that the team leads strongly suspected might be laundering money for one or more terrorist groups.
Huffing to himself that he felt like he was somehow returning to the MCRT with the frequency of these crimes, he was happy in the ways his teams were handling the various crimes. In the four, nearly five, months since he became SAC, this was the third crime where all of his teams and many of the support staff were involved.
Continuing through the emails, he shook his head, smiling, proud although not surprised that the Marseille office, Ned's team, had linked no less than five other embezzlement cases, scattered around the globe, to this one and that their Cyber Crime agents had been crucial in providing leads and evidence.
While all the NCIS European offices worked together on Ned's case, Stan Burley, Team Lead of the Rota, Spain, NCIS satellite office, had also covered for Tim while he and Artie were on vacation. Although Pete Russell of the Athens office had more years in as Team Lead than Burley, Stan's SFA and juniors had more experience than Pete's current team. With Tim's 12 weeks of vacation, covering the SAC position would rotate among each of the satellite offices.
Their experiences as Acting SAC were noted on their records and would help Knight, Dorneget and Burley if they wanted to advance to an SAC position. Tim already knew neither Pete Russell nor Roger Martinez were interested, they'd stay through his tenure here, retiring when he left, unless he was here longer than planned.
Tim wasn't sure about Stan Burley, he thought the man might be happy to leave the field, return to the US and take on a SAC's duties for a few years before retiring. While field positions had a date of 55 years of age for retirement, the director had the authority to grant a 5-year extension, to age 60. That was a hard date, although there were a few other positions a field agent could fill and retired field agents might be asked to consult.
Reading Stan's notes, Tim nodded when he saw that the teams had also pulled in Interpol, Europol and other agencies. He smiled when he saw the reference to the CIA agents who were working with the various teams. As much as a pain as that agency had been to Gibbs' MCRT and the US based NCIS field teams in general, Tim was pleased and encouraged to see that outside of the US the individual agents were valuable allies, trusted agents. It took some time to convince his dad of their worth but the 3rd case that Ned's team in Marseille successfully worked with local CIA agents finally convinced the retired agent.
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Returning to the office early Monday, Tim spent the hours until he could call his boss without waking him up reviewing, for the 4th time, the information he'd been sent, happy when updates with more information about activity over the weekend arrived in his inbox before he called his boss.
Especially pleased with the updates, he finally contacted Director Vance. Not only had his team leads updated him with their information, they'd also included updates received from their counterparts in Hawaii, Japan and Singapore, each with summaries of the activities of their resident teams, their satellite offices and what they'd heard from the US teams. Tim wasn't so happy with that last part and would mention it to Vance unless his boss had a reason for the lack of communication from three of the five US Field Offices who were involved.
As it turned out, he didn't need to mention it to the Director. When Tim finished updating his boss, there was a pause before Leon said, "What you've heard from the offshore offices is great! Is there more from our US teams?"
Tim shook his head, "No, I checked with Dorneget before our call. He left messages for the leads in the US offices yesterday, Sunday, and again this morning but hasn't yet heard back. His next step will be calls to the SACs, possibly with me on the line with him. Unless there's something going on we don't know about?"
"If there is, I haven't been updated either. I don't like this at all."
"We don't either. The offshore leads, here and in the Pacific, are ready to move, hate wasting time and risking the information leaking to the media and/or the criminals. Even worse, additional crimes may be committed."
"Agreed. When's your go?"
"We need to synchronize this as much as possible and that's been communicated to all the teams. We have agreements back from all the overseas teams but again, only two of the five US teams. Our 'go' is set for 0300 Marseille time Wednesday morning. That's 0200 here, 2100 on the US East Coast, 2200 for Chicago, and 1800 on the US West Coast." Tim continued, telling him the date, day and time of the operation's kickoff for the Hawaiian, Asian and Australasian teams.
"Okay and I'm assuming efforts were made over the weekend, before Sunday's call?"
"Yes, Leon."
"Tell you what, I'd like to handle this. Who are the teams who haven't responded to the synchronization?"
"Director, with all due respect, I'd prefer to handle this and will update you if there are further problems."
Leon looked at him before sighing. "You're right and I apologize. I miss getting into the thick of things!"
Tim smiled sympathetically, "Believe me, I understand. I'll keep you posted."
They disconnected, Tim waiting a few seconds before letting out a breath he had not known he'd been holding. Checking with Ned, he chuckled when the SSA wanted to contact those who hadn't responded. When Ned raised an eyebrow, Tim shook his head, "Nothing really, I'm still getting used to being a SAC and not a JFA! Yes, Supervising Senior Agent, have at it!"
"I'll update you with any new developments."
Tim nodded, "Thanks."
Disconnecting, Tim sent a quick text to his father saying he was having trouble 'letting go', adding a few laughing emoticons to the message. Eventually he had an answer, Dad saying he was glad he wasn't the only one and wished him good luck.
Within an hour, Tim had a text from Ned that he hadn't had to call after all, the SSAs had contacted him, apologizing for the delay and confirming they were a go for the agreed time. Rolling his eyes, Tim sent a note to Vance saying everyone was in, they were a go for the times previously discussed.
Tuesday was busy as the field and cyber teams prepared themselves for a long, evening and early morning. The Cold Case teams would handle any new and unrelated cases that came in, each of those teams had at least one agent who'd been a Field Agent with experience handling new cases and processing crime scenes.
Although Tim tried to sleep, he finally gave up, moving into his office where he could doze off and on, his laptop softly chiming when new information arrived. By 0500, he was on his way to the office, hoping to see the last of the take downs on MTAC.
By the end of the day, he wished he had confetti to throw in celebration, they'd netted all of the criminals known to be involved in the embezzlement/money laundering rings. 57 arrests were made in 15 countries on 4 continents. While shots had been fired, none of the law enforcement personnel involved had required more than first aid treatment while one of the criminals killed himself and several others tried to resist arrest and failed, living to stand trial for their crimes.
When the news broke to the nearly global public, Tim managed to keep a straight face as the adults in his family tried to determine if NCIS was involved. When the name of the law enforcement agency driving the investigation and arrests was finally revealed, Tim allowed himself to smile, knowing that at some point, his family would figure out it was one of his teams and considering the excessive pride he tried to keep hidden, they'd probably also decide that the whole bust might have been instigated by Ned's team.
Dad was the first, confirming that through a brief, non-verbal conversation with his former junior agent. He was so proud of Ned that he sent him a note that had the younger man blinking back tears. Knowing that Ned would likely never tell his grandparents, Jethro checked with Tim, who asked that he talk with Ned after the trials before saying anything to the senior Dornegets. While they were certain they'd arrested everyone involved, there was always the possibility of retaliation or revenge by family, friends and sympathizers of those arrested against law enforcement personnel, the agency employing them, even their families always had to be considered. The fewer names released, the better. Jethro sighed when Tim reminded him of that, nodding his agreement not to contact Ned's grandparents.
By the time Tim and his agents finished with all the reports needed for the takedowns, many of the Gibbs family were packing for their Easter trip to Varkiza. What was different in 2014, was that the Western Easter was the same day as the Orthodox Easter. That would happen again in 2017 and then in 2025. Tim hadn't looked beyond that to see when it would happen again.
This year almost all of the UK, US and European families were going, including all five of the Clachers, the four Powells, Papi and the Barnes-Gibbses, the Dorneget-Gibbses, Geordie and Bec, Rob, the Jardine-Gibbses, Tim and Artie, Jethro and Lu, Grandpa Jack, Uncle LJ, Uncle Charlie and Grandpa Mac, who was leaving Florida as the temperatures heated up and would first visit his family in Europe before possibly returning to his Delaware beach house or staying in the UK until August, when he would then return to Delaware.
They were happily surprised when Abby called to say she, Freddie, Char, Joe, Tommy, Char's uncle Ben, Ziva and Brian were also joining them in Greece. Laughing, Abby said she wanted more beach time when it wasn't so hot and everyone else thought that was a great idea. The only US folks not joining them would be the Palmer-Mallards and the Porters. Larry and Cyndie had already planned a trip to Hawai'i for their 8 day vacation, including travel time, and San Francisco to Hawai'i was a shorter flight for them. The trip across the US, the Atlantic and most of Europe to Greece would take them nearly three times as long as the flight from San Francisco to Hawai'i. When Tim later contacted them, Larry and Cyndie assured him they would travel to the UK when classes were through in late May and would stay through the July-August trek to Varkiza.
Abby also said they hadn't yet heard from the Baxters. She did mention that Mac would take the train to DC from Florida while Ziva and Brian were flying to Baltimore from New York City. She added that Ziva and Grandpa Mac had worked together to find arrival times close to each other. The train would arrive at DC's Union Station about an hour before the Metzgers' flight landed at BWI, Baltimore's international airport. Freddie and Jose would first pick Mac up at Union Station in DC before returning to Maryland, stopping at BWI to gather the Metzgers, taking the three home with them for the night. They'd all fly over together.
For this trip when they'd be in Varkiza for about 9 days, the US group had decided to rent apartments geared toward vacationers, such as the one Lu's brother Charlie had stayed in last year. For the longer summer vacations, they normally shared houses, either Airbnbs or otherwise rented.
Jethro's cousin Richard Baxter called the next day and they laughed again. Richard said all of his resident family was coming, daughter Tricia, grandson Doug, his wife Kat and their children. They were flying to DC and would fly over with the others. They'd already made reservations for one of the larger vacation rentals in Varkiza.
Looking smug when asked, Tony verified that they were indeed flying 'Air Paddington'. After hearing about the Porters' plans for Hawai'i, he checked the Paddington flight schedules and let the Porters know there were flights to and from Honolulu that fit their timeframe. By now Larry and Cyndie were well known to Tony, the Paddingtons and their flight crews which meant there would not be a problem with the couple flying on a Paddington aircraft without any of the Gibbses. While it would save them some money, they'd still pay a donation as usual, it would also be more comfortable as there would only be 50 passengers aboard on the flight over and returning home. As he was relaying the information via Skype, Tony chuckled, saying, "I checked and none of your fellow passengers are college students on spring break!"
The UK folks were upset when told Jimmy, Breena and baby Donnie wouldn't be joining them but understood the family needed time together, to relax without having to fly anywhere. Furthermore, skipping this trip meant they would be able to join them for their annual two week vacation in July and again at Christmas.
With no new babies expected this year, at least not that Lu and Jethro knew about, they thought they'd return to the US in August with their US family and spend a few weeks with each of them. They would also see them at Christmas as this year the entire family was gathering in Jaxton.
When Mac was in Virginia over the holidays the previous winter, he had an extra key made for his Fenwick Island beach house, giving it to his US based grandkids. The weekend before Abby's call with the travel news, the Palmers joined the Baltimore family for the day, staying for dinner. The group had a wonderful time together, relaxing, catching up and realizing how long it had been since they'd all been together, they thought it was the day Tim had been sworn in to NCIS. When Jimmy and his family left for home, the beach house key went with them. It had been in the custody of Jose and Charlotte, the last visitors there.
The Palmers would spend 11 ½ days at the beach house, leaving home early on a Thursday morning and returning the Monday after Easter. They grinned when they realized they would have the beach and the house to themselves for the entire time the others were in Greece, without flying anywhere. It wouldn't be warm enough to swim but then it probably wouldn't be in Varkiza either. They would play on the beach, take their little son for long walks, relaxing and enjoying having the time together, family time. Best of all, as far as Jimmy was concerned, it would just be the three of them, no Slaters would be dropping in for a surprise visit. Breena had a word with her mother to make sure of that.
While they planned to play on the beach and generally take it easy, they also wanted to explore the island a bit. While Donnie, now 7 months old, was too young for kayaking or sailing, he was a happy baby and would be fine exploring on land as long as he was with his parents. They'd found several places they wanted to see and Jimmy had a surprise for Breena a day to herself at a local spa, with various soaks, scrubs and other treatments. Along with his wife's serious need for 'me-time', Jimmy was also looking forward to having their child to himself.
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With their plans set, everyone returned to their normal pursuits, although several were a bit impatient. Finally, the US flight departed the East Coast while the UK and French group made their last checks to ensure they had everything they needed. After four years of visiting Greece at least once a year, most of them had a set routine. Going in April meant that the temperatures wouldn't be as high as they were in the summer months and it was possible a shirt with long sleeves or a light cardigan or jacket would be needed in the evenings. Daytime temperatures would be in the high 60s, while overnight temperatures would likely be in the low 50s.
Taking the train to the airport, the UK group was in place at the FBO airfield when the jet arrived from the US. They were asked to quickly board and find seats as they had less than 30 minutes before push back from the gate. Jethro and George oversaw the luggage being loaded before hurriedly climbing aboard, the door closed and locked as soon as they were inside, smiling at everyone as they joined their wives. They were barely seated and buckled in when the aircraft pushed back, trundling to the queue of planes waiting to depart.
Once the seatbelt sign was off, people moved around until Tony reminded them they were stopping in Marseille to pick up the Dorneget-Gibbses. That was a short flight, just about 2 hours, and then they were descending into Marseille airspace.
Ned, Barry and the girls were waiting for them, all smiles, and while Barry watched their luggage being loaded, the girls and Ned boarded, happily greeting everyone. After watching their luggage being loaded, Barry followed them in less than 5 minutes. The family quickly found seats, ensuring the four of them were buckled in. Second in the queue of aircraft waiting to depart, the jet was in the air minutes after Barry boarded. Next stop, Athens!
That flight was a little longer than the flight from London to Marseille, 2 hours and 40 minutes but finally the aircraft started its descent into Greek airspace and the passengers cheered, they were almost there.
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Once they landed, several folks took their place in the queue for rental vehicles while others grabbed rental carts and their luggage as it appeared. As none of them renting a vehicle today was a first time driver in Greece, there was no need to form caravans as they had previously.
Tim relaxed as he buckled his seat belt, Artie was behind the wheel today. The children were excited and very happy to finally be off the plane. Although it was what the adults considered a short flight, even with their stop in Marseille, Jack, Ellanni, Liam and Chloe felt it took forever, not just the flight but then waiting for luggage and for Mama to get the car. Seeing and hearing the signs of incipient whining, their father had to give them an eyebrow warning while they were in the airport. The eyebrow warning was one step away from being Spoken To. The four of them knew if that happened there would be consequences and none of them wanted that!
Before they were halfway to Varkiza, Tim noticed how quiet the kids were. Taking a quick look, he chuckled quietly as he told his wife all four were asleep. She grinned, "Good! Did you have to speak to them?"
Shaking his head, he pointed to his eyebrow and they both grinned. Neither used the 'eyebrow warning' or scolding often as their children were usually well behaved, still very young and sometimes overly tired, overly excited or both. However, they were teaching them to recognize when they felt that way and to try to stop, to rein in their discontent or impatience when they could and when they couldn't, to tell their parents. Considering their young ages and how close in age they were, they usually did very well, all four being fairly mellow children.
Their trips to Varkiza were always highly anticipated and the children's parents confessed to each other that neither of them ever slept much the night before they left. If they felt that way, they could only imagine the level of excitement experienced by their littles!
When they arrived at their rental, the same place they stayed in during their summer visits, they woke the children, telling them they were finally here, in Varkiza! They'd take their things inside and then have a bite to eat and then, if they weren't too sleepy, they'd walk to the beach. Four little faces lit up and stayed that way as they climbed out of their safety seats and out of the rental vehicle, a large SUV. Each of the children took a bag with a pillow or pillows in it. Whenever possible the family liked having their own pillows with them when they were away from home for more than two or three nights.
Unlocking the front door, Artie motioned to Tim who entered the house with the first load of luggage. The children followed him in with the pillows. While Tim was inside with the children, Artie grabbed a large folding cart from the storage closet, taking it outside to the rental vehicle and then pushing lightly in the right place so that the cart unfolded. Once all four wheels were on the ground, she started loading it.
She and Tim swapped places again, Artie pulling the cart inside while Tim removed the last of the luggage from the vehicle. In the meantime the children were carefully reading the name tags on each bag of pillows to see which room to place them in
The four children knew the English alphabet and what their names and their parents' names, looked like spelled out. Jack and Ellanni spoke Greek as well as they spoke English, knew the Greek alphabet and what their names looked like spelled out in the Greek language. Liam and Chloe also spoke the language but weren't yet as proficient with the alphabet as their older siblings.
Once everything they'd brought with them was in the proper room, they stopped to call Mimi before leaving the house to walk to the beach. They wouldn't stay long, the children and their parents were tired and weren't looking forward to unpacking although what they would need for tonight was on the top in everyone's suitcases. They were only a few steps from their rental when Mimi caught up with them. Artie exclaimed, "Yaya! Hello, I'm so happy, we're so happy to be here!"
After kissing her granddaughter, her grandson, Mimi considered Tim, Ian, Sergio and Theo as much family as her son Nikolas, daughter Gaia and her grandchildren, she also kissed her great-grandchildren. She grinned, "I'm just as happy that you're here and with so many of the family, like our summer vacations only without the heat! Tell me, are Jimmy and Breena going to Mac's beach house or doing something else?"
Tim nodded, "They drove to Mac's place Thursday morning, Jimmy sent Mom a text when they arrived, and will return home the same day we leave. They felt they needed to get away by themselves, just the three of them, and Mac's place is perfect for that. Jimmy says they'll join us this summer and again at Christmas."
"Wonderful! Perhaps we can take care of Donnie for a day or two to give them time away here as well."
Artie smiled, "That's a wonderful idea, Yaya!"
The McGees stopped walking, frowning when they reached the beach, it seemed both closer and smaller than it should be.
Giving them a loving look, Mimi shook her head, "The storms during the winter changed more of the beach. Oh my loves, don't frown like that, be happy we still have a beach! Remember that my neighbors and I spent the worst of the storms safe and warm in Peter and Rhode's caravan and the others that were loaned or rented to those displaced, in the covered car park at that commercial building. We even had the key so we could use the facilities and many people chose to sleep inside." She smiled at her grandson, "Timόtheos, remember there was minimal damage to our homes. Farther along the coast, people weren't so lucky but no one died or was seriously injured and we've been told all the repairs are complete for those people whose homes were flooded. As you know, all the repairs in this neighborhood were completed within weeks, thanks to the two of you, Jethro, Lu, Bill, Nikki, Rob, Geordie, Bec, Tony and Maggie, Sarah and James, Freddie, Joe, Charlotte and Abby, Susannah, Ian, Alastair, Fiona, Edie and George and the rest of our family and friends spending time and money to help! I'm still somewhat in shock that Freddie, Joe, Char and Abby were able to leave their work for three weeks to come help! My neighbors and I have much to be thankful for.
"Now, it will be too chilly tomorrow morning for the beach so I thought we'd go into Athens to watch the changing of the guard. I remember you'll be tired the first day as there is a 2 hour difference in time and I know the children don't sleep well the night before they're going somewhere!" At Tim's sheepish look, she chuckled, "And I know that include their parents as well. Anyway, why don't we plan to leave by 10:30? That gives us time to park and find a good spot to watch the changing of the Guard. I thought it would also be fun to visit the Benaki and then be home in time to spend the rest of the afternoon on the beach. There are new exhibits at the Benaki the children will want to see, ancient toys found by archeologists in several sites throughout the country. I understand there are figures of horses, bears and other animals as well as sea creatures, crafted from native wood."
Young Jackson's smile left his face when he heard their Mimi say it would be too chilly for the beach, although he liked going into Athens and looking at toys would be fun. He wondered if they could play with them. He smiled again when his father took care of the beach problem. "That's a great idea, Yaya, and by the time we get back the sun will have warmed everything so we can play in the sand and stick our feet in the water. Have Peter and Rhode left yet?"
"Yes. However, they'll be back a few days before you leave for home, they want to have a family barbecue on the beach. I have the key to their house and the pool is nice and warm."
Tim smiled at his son who was again wearing his happy face, glad they would see Pappouli Peter and Yaya Rhode and swim at their house. When Liam's tummy rumbled, they all smiled, telling Liam they were also hungry. Turning, they walked back toward their beach rental.
As they approached the house, Tim's phone alerted him to a message from his father, saying he was about to start barbecuing the chicken he'd brought from home. He'd given it a light roast in the oven the night before and then tucked it into their large cooler for dinner tonight. He also said to bring Athena with them when they came over and not to forget the salad or the potatoes, he'd already started the oven so the potatoes wouldn't have to wait as long for their roast. Tim laughed at that, he and Artie had made a large salad that would feature crunchy fresh vegetables, currently stored separately from the salad. All that had traveled in their cooler which traveled on the plane with them. He'd also made garlic baby potatoes, one of his favorite recipes, those would indeed need some time in the oven at his parents' rental.
Grabbing their long sleeved shirts for later, no one wanted to bring anything warmer this evening, the family first had a quick and very light snack of celery sticks with a smear of peanut butter. Then they gathered the potato dish, the salad, the container of dressing with the children helping to pack the bags of sliced and chopped fresh vegetables, tucked it all into their cooler on wheels and off they went to Poppy and Grama's house.
Back at their rental after their delicious dinner, Tim and Artie took the children through their nightly routine, kissing them goodnight after baths, stories and cuddles.
Once the children were soundly asleep, the two sat in the lounge to revisit a topic they'd discussed several times since they'd won the money in Tahoe four years ago. This time they decided to move forward, not necessarily making any final moves right away but at least getting started. And if they fell in love with something that ticked everything or at least a majority of items on their wish list, perhaps they'd just go for it!
Artemis looked online in hopes of recognizing the name an old friend had mentioned, a contact who could help them. She sighed in relief when she found the name and contact information. As it was still early enough in the evening to call, they decided to contact the man right away.
Their call was quickly answered by the man, who answered saying his name and the name of the company he worked for. Artie grinned, saying "Hello, my name is Artemis Midei and I was given your name by an old friend, Eva Kouris."
"Yes, she mentioned referring you. How may I help you, Ms. Midei?"
"My husband and I are in Varkiza visiting family. We'll be here until the day after Easter and hope to look at properties for sale. We want a large house or several acres, I mean hectares on which to build a large house, preferably in the hills with an elevation between 800 and 1,000 feet above sea level. I'm a civil engineer and architect, our brothers are in the construction trades and are here with us so if we see a property we like, they will want to see it."
"Wonderful! Now, when are you available?"
"Really, anytime as long as there are people to watch our children. We have four of them, twins aged 4, 3 ½ and 3. Two girls and two boys."
She could feel his smile over the phone, "We also have twins, boys, aged 3."
"Lovely!"
"Yes, they're wonderful children and a lot of fun. Do you know how big a house you want or how big a parcel of land?"
"My husband and I have a very large family, although we don't all live together. My husband has 11 siblings, all but one are married or spoken for. One of Tim's brothers is partners with a woman whom my father-in-law has long considered a daughter, before he even met Tim or the others, so the count is a little skewed. We probably won't spend Christmas here, we live in a huge house in a small town outside London and it's likely we'll continue to spend Christmases there or in the United States. Depending on the children's schools, they haven't started yet, we believe we'll be here from February through August or September.
"For those we already know will live on the property along with the 6 of us, there are 17, including my husband's parents, my grandmother and our resident uncles and elderlies. We'd also like another dwelling on the property, a guesthouse possibly for my father and his wife. They live in Varkiza, in the same neighborhood as my grandmother but with the flooding last winter we want to offer them a home at a safer elevation.
"The children share two bedrooms but as we may foster or adopt more we'd like 5 shareable bedrooms and one nicely sized main bedroom for us. Tim and I also need separate offices, separate from the main part of the house and separate from each other. With my work, I like to use physical drafting and sketch boards and will need more office space than Tim. He's in law enforcement and needs a very secure space to work from home. He's also an author and needs quiet and privacy. None of the elderlies or uncles cook although they do help in the kitchen and my in-laws, my husband and I love to cook, as well as some of our frequent visitors so we'll need a decent sized kitchen, we hope one that has room for a large breakfast table. We'll also need a separate dining area, as large as possible to fit the entire extended family when they're here."
She stopped to take a breath, "Sorry, I sometimes forget how complex a family we are! We'd also need a family room as well as a lounge and if possible a library and media room separate from the family room. And a fenced pool. All that sounds like we'll need a mansion or a 5 hectare parcel or both."
Evander looked at his notes, "I do have three properties available now that would fit everything in. Two are vacant lots that I believe are large enough for everything you want, one is nearly 6 hectares and the other is slightly smaller. The home is closer to Athens, although not far from Varkiza."
Tim joined her and smiled, excited about the possibilities. Sending a quick message, he showed Artie the reply. She grinned, "We have time tomorrow morning, if that's all right with you? Our parents will stay with the children."
"Good, how early?"
"Is 8 too early?" Tim thought they'd be back by 10, in plenty of time to get the children ready for the trip into Athens.
"No, that's fine. The first 2 properties are in Varkiza, I will pick you up and we'll visit the 3rd property first as it is the farthest out and then see the others."
Agreeing, they gave him their rental address before disconnecting. The two grinned at each other, "We're going house hunting! This is fun!"
Tim nodded, "I bet the first one might be something on a big enough lot that we can renovate to our needs."
"I was also thinking that. I can't imagine a home nearly as big as the Jaxton house exists here."
Her husband nodded, "Unless it's a mansion, me neither. However, we haven't done much looking. And, this didn't occur to me until I heard you talking about rooms, Bill and Nikki and Sarah and James won't be able to live with us. I suppose it's possible that Geordie and Bec would want to live and work here and maybe Rob as well but not any of the sibs who work for NCIS."
"Oh, the office is too small, I forgot. But they'll stay in Jaxton and don't forget we'll be there part of the year."
Tim's face lightened up, "That's right! Thanks for the save, sweetie."
They were glad they were tired and hadn't slept much the previous night because they were so excited about the house hunt that if they hadn't been exhausted they likely would not have slept that night either.
Waking early, they got themselves dressed, making a special breakfast before waking the children. The littles were a bit confused when their parents said they had something they needed to do that morning, not work and the children would have fun with their grandparents. Later they would all go to Athens together to have some fun, then come home, have lunch and spend the rest of the day on the beach and swimming in Pappous Peter's pool! That all sounded like fun and Jack remembered Mimi mentioning toys at the museum and reminded his siblings. Everyone smiled at that!
After washing their hands, faces and brushing their teeth, the children held their parents' hands as they walked next door to Grandpa and Grama's house. Jethro and Lu weren't quite sure what their grown kids were up to but they both had big smiles on their faces, so they decided not to worry. Tim said they'd be back by 10 AM, 10:15 at the latest.