Ch 13: Property tour, Plans, Questions, Decisions, Brotherly Consult
Jethro chuckled at his grandchildren, who were happy to spend the weekend with Mama/Aunt Artie and Daddy/Uncle Bill although a little confused by what seemed like another 'grand exodus' from Jaxton to Varkiza. Grinning, he had them sit around the table at their great-grandmother's house where he and Lu were staying.
"All right, yes, we are here in Varkiza again. There's no storm and no one in our family will be working while we're here. Oops, sorry, I don't know about your Pappouli Peter, he might be working. Does anyone know why we're here?"
Four hands and arms shot up into the air and he grinned at Ava, Jackson, Ellanni and McKenna, the four eldest of the group. However, it was Jasper who answered. He hadn't yet learned about raising hands to answer questions. Bouncing in his chair, he grinned at their Poppy, "Aunty Ziva and Uncle Brian want to see our house!"
"Yes, so they can see where our houses will be and where our neighbors will live. And maybe, if he's home, to meet Mr. Alan." He leaned in, "Maybe we'll get to see where the pool will be!"
Naomi giggled, "Which one, Poppy, the outdoor pool or the indoor one?"
"Maybe both! They won't look like anything now but you know both are drawn out on the plan."
Jackson nodded, "I hope our room is right by the indoor one!" Next to him, Liam grinned as he and Jack now shared a room.
His grandfather shook his head, "There won't be any bedrooms by the indoor or the outdoor pools. The pools will be all by themselves."
"How come?"
"So none of us will be all wrinkly and pruney from living in the pool, that's why!"
They giggled at that before joining their Poppy, Aunty Ziva, Uncle Brian and Grama at the front door, ready for their tour!
Ziva and Brian chuckled as they watched the children decide who rode in which of the vehicles they were taking for their tour. Bill drove his truck, with Nikki and Jasper riding with him. The Jaxton and London children remembered that Naomi and Ava, their Marseille cousins, didn't get to see Poppy and Grama as much as they did and decided they should ride with their grandparents, along with Aunt Ziva and Uncle Brian. That meant that Uncle Barry and Uncle Ned would ride with either Daddy Tony or Daddy Tim. This trip, Tony and Maggie had one of the large vans so most of the children rode with them. Tim had Artie, Sarah, James, the big twins, their parents, who'd taken the train down from Thessaloniki last night, Barry and Ned and the group's surprise guests, Katerina and Damaris, with him.
Damaris and Katerina, the Italian cousins, had arrived with Susannah, Ian and little Alec shortly after the Jaxton-London group arrived. They were a surprise for everyone but the Clachers and Tony, who set up a separate flight from Edinburgh to Naples where Nik and Sergio waited at the FBO with their daughters until the girls boarded the private jet with their family members. Still wishing they could join them, the two men returned to Sorrento and their restaurant. From there, the flight continued to Athens. The girls were staying with the Clachers.
While the family missed Sergio and Nik, they were happy their daughters were able to join them even when their fathers were too busy with the restaurant. Although neither of the girls said anything, they were very happy not to have to miss so many family gatherings, especially when most of their cousins were there!
Ziva and Brian were properly impressed and amazed at the three properties and all of them were happy to see the progress made on the Remises's property even in the last week. When the Metzgers saw the plans, they grinned at the sketches of the multiple dwellings, pointing to one of the two bedroom apartments, "That would be good for us, then if our future child isn't yet sleeping through the night, she won't keep the entire house awake!"
Lu made a noise, "Maybe, let's wait and see." She told Ziva and Brian later that she wanted them closer, in the big house, especially with an infant, so she and Ziva's dad could help and to become better acquainted with their child. She smiled, "I know, you'll be new parents and want to take care of the child yourselves. However, I predict that you'll be glad for any help by then!"
Tim, hearing that last part, reminded them of Bill staying with them for the first two months of the twins' lives, adding, "I don't know how the four of us, Mom, Dad, Artie and I, oops, five, Rob was also there whenever he could get away, would have done without his help!"
"Six people for two babies?"
Jethro laughed, "Twin newborns, who needed feeding, burping, changing and rocking to sleep at the same time. Tim, don't forget the Porters also helped! They'd come over, do the laundry, which was done every day, sometimes more than once a day, fix meals that only had to be reheated and straighten up the house. I don't think anyone vacuumed, no, I forgot that's when you bought your little robot vacuum. They're quiet so they can be run anytime."
Brian grinned, "Good, we both hate vacuuming! Do you still use it?"
Tim nodded, "Yes, although we learned not to use it when babies are crawling or starting to walk, they're too much of a temptation. Mom had a regular vacuum, as did Sarah and I guess James also had one because we ended up with three regular sized vacuums, one for each floor for the Jaxton house."
"Thanks for the warning!"
Gathering everyone together, Artie and Bill grinned at the cheers from the children and most of the adults when they showed them where the outdoor pool would go.
When the group was surprised to see the base framework already in place and how large it was, Artie chuckled, saying, "While we had the equipment needed to penetrate the bedrock for the Remis' home, we decided to get going on our own property. Bill laid out the frame for our outdoor pool and drilled through for that and a few other things here. Remember that the pool will sit inside its own framework, surrounded by a large deck that will be up off the ground, a bit higher than the top of the pool. Not all of what you see now will be covered by the pool, although yes, we will have a large pool." She added, "Bill, my father and my youngest brother did this on their own time, no time was taken from the work on the Remis property."
Nodding, Bill added, "We also used the equipment on the middle lot as our caretaker-gardener wants to run the water lines a few inches underground for the greenhouses and raised beds."
Susannah looked up in surprise, "Greenhouses, plural?"
Her sister nodded, "Yes, the more we grow ourselves, the better control we'll have over how and with what our food plants are grown. Alan decided we needed at least 2 greenhouses, rather than one huge one, to provide enough for all of us."
Neither she nor Bill mentioned that Caretaker Alan, amused by their caution, had kept a lookout for unexpected visitors or that Artie had been careful to add the hours they'd used the equipment to the Gibbs' property expenses rather than the Remises' expenses. In truth, Alan was campaigning to build the greenhouses now so he could plant over the winter and have food crops for spring and summer. He'd also asked the Remises if they would like a greenhouse of their own. Their reply was that they were thinking about it.
Ziva freely admitted she was amazed by the beauty, the size and the plans for the family's properties. When she'd heard that the middle lot would have a garage, she envisioned it covering almost the entire plot of land. Now that she'd seen it, she understood it would cover just a fraction of the area, with Mr. Martin's dwelling occupying a smaller, although still nicely sized, space quite a distance from the garage. While some of the lot would be given to shade trees, they would also have however many greenhouses they ended up with as well as what would probably be an acre of raised garden beds.
When she and Brian later saw the design for the garage, they smiled. It would indeed be long, from the road lengthwise toward the back of the property and would be built to resemble, as closely as possible, another dwelling. On the front of the side facing the Remises' property, there would be what looked like double doors, although it would be one large door, with a long, pitched roof-line and a somewhat narrow garage inside, perfect for Peter and Rhode's recreational vehicle. There would also be a back door, so the vehicle could be driven straight through and then around the building to the right to exit the property. The rest of the building would have one entry door, again built to look like a double door entry to a dwelling. Vehicles would drive in, continuing to whichever available parking space they wanted, those spaces would be on the right of the building. The slots would be generously sized and there would be plenty of room for them to back out of their spaces and leave through the same door so that the only vehicle going around the entire building would be the Lekkas-Elytis's recreational vehicle. In the back of that side of the garage would be Bill and Dad's workshop, built to accommodate the needs of both 6'5" tall Bill and 6"tall Jethro. When Artemis added the separate workspaces, both men were pleased. When she added a third workspace, where they could work together, they were even happier as well as surprised. Artie had remembered a few items the two had crafted together and decided to encourage them to do more.
Impressed with the various plans and designs, that evening after the children were asleep, Ziva and Brian asked how long it would take for all three properties to be completed. Artie smiled, "Some of the construction depends on the weather, too stormy in the winter and too hot in the summer and early fall. However, the outsides of the Remises' house and garage as well as the interior walls will be complete next week. That will make the winter weather less worrisome as we have plenty of inside work to do.
"With our experienced crew and Construction Manager Bill, we've progressed faster than originally planned. However, we know better than to rely on our good luck continuing. Bill and I are taking December through January 8th off, which accounts for both the Western and the Orthodox Christmas celebrations with two extra days added in. Our crew will be off from December 29th through January 8th. They'll continue working until their holiday but the tricky parts, the foundations and accessing the bedrock, are done.
"With some leeway in our schedule for problems we're certain to have, the Remis project will be complete by the end of April. What we've found, as you've already heard and seen, is that while we're waiting for things to set or dry or whatever on the Remises' property, we've been able to work on bits and pieces of our properties. Before we leave for our time off, there will be time to drill for the water lines and to build at least one of the greenhouses. Alan has been working on the shelving he needs for the interiors and he'll also help with the build which Bill estimates will take about half a day." She smiled, "That was another time we used the bedrock equipment, to attach what will be the bases of the greenhouses into the bedrock. Not the floors, mind you, but the bases they'll be fastened to, much like the deck framework."
She looked at her phone when it chimed with a message and then at Bill, "Alan says the Remises have decided to pass on having their own greenhouse, they prefer to buy locally. Now we have an extra one and you've already got the base ready, want to keep it or return it and put something else up?"
Bill grinned, "Oh no, we're keeping it, we can easily use 3 greenhouses and if we don't need it, maybe it'll do for…" he paused but the children, from the younger twins to baby Alec, were asleep and the Costas and Caras cousins wouldn't say anything, "a playhouse or clubhouse for the kids."
Tim grinned, "Fun! Can we put it on our lot, please? Don't want Alan to feel like our family childminder!"
His mother looked at her "girls", Ziva, her daughters-in-law and Susannah, "Here's another idea, put a few of them together and make it a retreat for the women of the family!"
Nikki grinned, "Like those 'she sheds' that were so popular a few years ago?"
"Yes!"
Jethro laughed, "Great idea although I'd be happy to build you something larger and more comfortable." Bill grinned, nodding at him, he'd love to help with that!
Artie chuckled, "That sounds like fun! However, we do need to get the greenhouses built first so that we'll have our own vegetables and fruit in the spring and summer."
Brian asked about trees and Artie nodded, "Good question! Bec?"
Bec nodded, "We'll plant varieties of fruit and shade trees that do best in coastal Greece. Planting on bedrock is tricky. First, we'll plant a number of one to two- year-old trees in large containers, adding soil underneath, think of raised beds specifically for trees and giving their roots room to grow before they encounter the bedrock. Some fruit and nut trees have fairly shallow roots, those we'll plant in boxy containers large enough so the roots will be contained within the containers.
"We'll also plant seeds or seed pods of shade trees so that eventually we'll have a good spread of trees. My colleagues and I believe that some of the seeds will take root and those roots will be small enough to get through any cracks in the bedrock. Although the wind factor isn't bad up there, all the trees in containers will be braced. The plan is that they will grow tall enough to provide some shade and will continue to live in the containers and may or may not put roots into the bedrock. If not, they'll live in the containers for several years, enough time to know what our success is with the seeded trees. If neither method is successful, we'll make a few holes in the bedrock or perhaps find another method of shading the property."
Tim made a note to talk to her about drilling and adding soil. He thought that as long as they weren't careless about compromising the bedrock, it would continue to serve its purpose in helping to hold the mountaintop together. However, he'd first need to speak with their chief engineer to confirm that. He also thought about building large, strongly supported containers and planting smaller trees in those. Of course, that might be what Bec had in mind already. Inputting his notes and thoughts onto his phone, he added a question for Bec about trees with shallow roots. He'd ask later, he didn't want to get hung up on all this now.
Rhode and Peter, who'd joined the trek, had questions about the landscaping planned for the guesthouse(s) and Bec grinned, saying she had many ideas and that the three of them needed to meet together. As there wouldn't be time that weekend, the three of them set up a Skype appointment during the following week. Bill also made a note that Rhode was already growing cuttings she hoped to plant in her new garden. He had an idea he'd mention to Caretaker-Gardener Alan.
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As they returned to their lodgings, Ziva asked her parents about Christmas. "We're coming down but we don't know where everyone is staying or when you're arriving."
Frowning, Jethro raised an eyebrow at Lu, who also frowned. She looked at her husband, "Has anyone reserved the Arlington place?"
He shrugged, "Not that I know of. What about flights?"
It was Lu's turn to shrug and then she made a face. "Let's get that taken care of as soon as we get home. Oh, we were waiting to hear when Bill and Artie would be off and now we know. I'll ask Tony about flights."
As her husband was driving, Lu sent a text to Tony about the flights, smiling in relief at his answer, telling the others. "We're set for flights. Tony made two sets of reservations, different dates and has already canceled one of them and yes, he's included Kayla. Good! Now, let me…" She stopped, "I'll wait to call Annie O'Brien when we get back to the house. It's still a little early there."
Back at Athena's home, Lu waited until it was finally late enough before calling Annie in Virginia. When the woman answered, she was obviously amused by something but listened to Lu before saying, "Lu, it's all right. Your daughter-in-law Charlotte called me weeks ago, asking if I could reserve a couple of different dates for the family's use of the Arlington house and explained why. With the warning that I might have to let one or both dates go if someone outside the family called with firm dates and payment, the two of us agreed on what we thought would be good timeframes for you. Now you just have to pick which ones."
Telling their friend the two sets of dates, she smiled as Lu picked the first set with a sigh of relief. Shaking her head, Lu told their realtor that she was glad someone in the family had some common sense! Disconnecting, she sent a text to Charlotte with the now confirmed dates and a big THANK YOU with several hugging, heart and flower emojis. She would also send an email to the extended family, thanking Charlotte, Tony and Ziva, who'd asked, just in time, when and where!
As they were all tired, everyone returned to their own lodgings for the rest of the afternoon and evening. They'd have brunch together on Sunday before the travelers left for home.
Peter and Rhode returned to their home excited about what would also be a new home for them. Rhode knew what she wanted in their garden, how she wanted it landscaped and was already growing cuttings of her current plants for their new front garden.
Bill and Peter had already built a small greenhouse for their more delicate plants and with Bec's help Rhode planned to move that greenhouse to their new home, one of the guest houses that would have five bedrooms and an office that could sleep another two or three people. She was thankful that Artemis had planned a separate dwelling for them from the start.
How lucky she was with her stepdaughters and their families, all her children! She'd worried a little about Sophia when the woman returned to Athens but these days she wasn't often in Greece and when there, she was with her partner, Richard Barnes, and seemingly very happy.
Although the two women got along well enough, Rhode thought it better that there was still some separation. Her only wish now was that Athena would spend more time at home. The older woman was a good friend, almost a second mother and Rhode greatly missed her. Still, she wouldn't begrudge her finding love a second time, this time with her Donald!
Then she smiled to herself, she, Peter and their children, at least their younger son, were invited to join in the Christmas festivities at the Jaxton house after their return from their Christmas in the US and Athena would also be there! That was only a few weeks away; she'd already spoken to Lu about what clothing she'd need in the much chillier UK.
She was especially happy that they'd stay an extra day and that Artemis and her brother-in-law Bill would be with them on their flight home. She hoped that Nikki and little Jasper might also accompany them. She knew Tim and the children wouldn't, school would have already started again after the British holidays, although the twins would take the day off for their Greek Christmas.
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After a busy but fun weekend, ending in a relaxed, convivial and delicious brunch, the group left for home Sunday afternoon, with their aircraft first headed to Naples where the Costas girls disembarked, then Marseille for Ned, Barry and their girls, followed by Edinburgh for the Clachers and finally, London.
From Athens to Naples was less than 2 hours and from Naples to Marseille was also less than 2 hours. Luckily for them, they didn't have a long wait for departure from either airport. The flight from Marseilles to Edinburgh was 2 ½ hours and the last leg, to London, would take one hour and 15 minutes. Although they'd be tired no matter what time it was, the Scottish and London-Jaxton group would gain the two hours' time difference between Athens and the UK .
Glad the children's uniforms and clothing were ready for school in the morning, Tim squinted at his own clothing choices before shrugging, his favorite casual clothes were in no shape for work so he'd wear one of his suits. He'd gotten a bit lax about that. That was all right when the weather was warm but it was nearly December now, time to switch over to his warmer and more formal clothes. While the suit itself was in good shape, he made a face as he looked at his dress shirts, finally finding one he'd apparently forgotten about, in the back of his part of the closet. It still had the tag from its last visit to the cleaners. Removing the tag, he hung a tie on the same hanger, made sure his shoes were shiny enough, not quite to Marine standards but they'd do, grabbed a pair of socks and he was done for the night.
The children were already asleep and from the lack of any noise in the house, he thought he might be the last one awake. He quietly changed into his pajamas, slipping into bed next to his sleeping wife. He was wrong about that, grinning as she grabbed him, letting him know just how happy she was to be home!
When they woke in the morning, she informed him that she and Bill weren't leaving until Tuesday afternoon, returning home early Friday afternoon. Then the two of them would be free until the morning of January 8th, giving themselves and their crew an extra couple of days after the Orthodox Christmas on January 6th.
In the meantime, they'd catch up on any 'paperwork' and alternate keeping in touch with Mr. Mallas. Thanks to Tony and Char, they knew they would be flying to the US the day the twins were finished with classes for the year and once again would stay in the Arlington house. This year Nikki's family would also stay and spend Christmas with them while Ducky, Athena and the 'junior Mallards' would join in the festivities while staying in Ducky's brownstone in Georgetown. Over the past few months, most of the gifts from the UK folks had been shipped to the Mallards' home. Tim and Tony would collect them once the Arlington house Christmas tree was decorated.
The construction crew in Greece would work through most of December, having an extra day off every week, which the schedule could handle as they now worked from 7:30 AM until 5:00 PM and then they would have two weeks off from the 29th of December until the 8th, when everyone would return to work.
While she'd offered a longer vacation to Mallas and his crew, beginning earlier in December, the main contractor worried about winter storms and possibly having to stop work then, saying it would be better if they got as much done now and had paid time off later if the weather was bad. Artemis thought that was an excellent idea, as long as the crew had enough time off for the Christmas season.
Caretaker-Gardener Alan would also be at home on the site, except for Christmas day, which he would spend with friends in Athens. He was a happy man, by the weekend following Ziva and Brian's tour, the water lines were established for his raised beds, all three greenhouses had been assembled and installed on the bases while the crew helped him install the growing tables and hanging shelves. Two of the crew were avid gardeners and arrived on their next day off to help him plant various seeds as well as the cuttings he'd been nurturing. They also helped him get started building the raised beds. He knew Jethro and Bill were also building some they'd bring with them on their next flight over, which he thought was a bit strange but then when one's son had part ownership of the aircraft, he guessed it didn't matter!
In the meantime, he'd invited Rhode Elytis to plant her cuttings in with the others now rather than waiting until after the holidays and she and Peter spent a happy afternoon with their friend doing just that. The three of them had dinner out that evening, relaxing and having a good time.
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Tim knew he'd worked at the office that first day home although he was never quite sure what he did or said. He sent out a few emails and was relieved to find they made sense when he checked them later in the week. He was tired, exhausted after returning to Greece to avoid 'the storm', followed by another trip to and from shortly after, that time so that his sister and brother-in-law could see their property and the plans. Although he knew the 4 stop flight had been worth it environmentally, better than having two or three jets delivering people, he felt it was one of the longest flights he'd been on since their flight from California to Scotland in 2009, for Susannah and Ian's wedding.
Ziva and Brian left for home Wednesday morning, Dad giving them a ride to the airport, afterward dropping Tim, Nikki and James off at the NCIS office and Rob at his apartment, he'd work a PM shift later that day. Although they awakened long enough at the airport to say goodbye to the visitors, all four had fallen asleep shortly after getting into the car, dozing again once the vehicle starting moving.
Thankful for a quiet week, Tim swam every day and caught up on his sleep, turning in shortly after the twins' bedtime every night. He also took a multi-vitamin every day that week, hoping that would fend off any consequences of his busy life.
By Friday, he was feeling better although still not as energetic as he usually was. After checking his Christmas gift list, he'd done some online shopping and at lunchtimes had even visited a couple of physical stores in the City. He laughed at himself for that, that was the second time in a month, the first time being in Varkiza when some of the men needed clothes, that he'd been in a physical store after, he stopped to think, finally coming up with a memory of buying drawing paper and crayons in Artesia, New Mexico, now a few years in the past.
Then he shook his head, remembering the Thanksgiving groceries they'd purchased that had ultimately gone to Nate at the camp, although he thought that was the same year as Artesia. Huh, grocery stores, he'd been in plenty of those! He shook his head, it didn't matter, what did matter was that he'd finally found what he wanted for his love.
He and Nikki met Artemis and Bill at the airfield Friday afternoon. The two left Greece early enough to have lunch out with their spouses as well as Tony and Maggie. As McKenna, Madelyn, Jasper, Chloe and Liam were at nursery and the twins in school, they relaxed over their meal, enjoying the extra time together before saying goodbye to Maggie and Tony and driving home. When it was time to pick up the twins as well as the three at nursery, all four of them went, Tim driving their van.
The children were very happy to see their mother/aunt and dad/uncle and chattered to them all the way home. Rob, Tony and his family joined them for dinner that evening, although Tony quietly told Tim he and Maggie were still full from lunch and Tim agreed.
As they all sat, Lu smiled at her family, "Finally, we're all home together for a couple of weeks, until we leave for Christmas! Does anyone have anything special going on?"
Laughing, Sarah and James stood while the faces of Timpa and both sets of parents, the senior Powells had arrived early that afternoon, lit up. Sarah grinned, "We're pregnant, we've passed our first trimester, had our first ultrasound and have passed all the tests. We haven't decided whether we want to know our child's gender, we'll see what happens during our 20 week ultrasound! We were going to wait until we're all in Virginia to announce our news but we're too excited! We will wait to tell everyone else until we get there. Liam, will you mind very much if we announce it at your family birthday party, after your cake and presents?"
Liam grinned, shaking his head, "A new cousin, that's a great birthday present, Aunty Sarah, Uncle James, thanks!"
After the couple and both sets of grandparents and Timpa had been congratulated and Sarah gently hugged while James was slapped on the back by the older men, had hugs from both Tim and Jethro with handshakes and 'welcome to the club' congratulations from Bill and Tony, their dinner was finally served.
Nobody, not even Jethro, noticed the meaningful look exchanged between one of the other couples. And with the privacy afforded by the walls of the old house, no one overheard the long discussion later that night.
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The days between Sarah and James' announcement and their departure for the US seemed, as usual, to melt away for some people while others felt that months passed before it was time to leave. With Geordie, Bec, Barry, Ned and their girls also traveling to Virginia for the holiday in Virginia, the entire Gibbs' family would be together while Athena said she would represent the rest of the Greek family. The senior Powells were also going with them but then they'd been along for all but that first Christmas in California, before Sarah and James met.
At Tim's request, Leon authorized Ned, Nikki, James and Tim himself working aboard the Navy Yard while they were in Virginia, if it became necessary. James already knew he'd be working, he always had a system-wide update before the end of the calendar year. While Tim trusted his SACs, one of them was here with him, leaving NCIS: Europe short of two of their leaders, three with Nikki who was now the Senior Intel Analyst. So he would definitely do some work, at least to keep up with his teams and his email.
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Ned would also work a few days, to keep up with his team. However, he didn't want to take any more time than necessary away from their visit with the Gibbs' clan. He, Barry, Ava and Naomi were leaving the day after Christmas, flying to Phoenix to celebrate a late Christmas with his grandparents before returning to Virginia for a few days. They would fly home with the others on New Year's.
While Ned felt guilty about their brief visit to his grandparents, he was reassured by their plan to visit his family in Marseille in the spring. As Walter and Margaret no longer flew anywhere, they would instead travel on a cruise ship across the Atlantic and then to several interesting areas of Europe, including Athens where Mimi and Ducky would meet them. They'd stay with them for several days before rejoining the ship as it departed the waters of the Hellenic Republic.
After other interesting stops in the Mediterranean, the elderly couple would take their leave of the cruise when the ship when it reached Marseille. They planned to stay close to 6 weeks with the family before traveling by train to London. There they'd stay with the Gibbs' family for another month, including the annual reunion which, due to the heat in Greece, would now take place in Ducky's hometown, Tain, on the east coast of Scotland. Back in greater London, they would board another cruise ship for the journey home.
The first, European bound cruise ship would depart from the East Coast, which the senior Dornegets would reach by train, while the second, US bound cruise ship would take them first to the East Coast, then south again, traversing the Panama canal and ending their voyage in Los Angeles. From there, they would take the train to Phoenix where they'd be met by a shuttle from their retirement community. It was an expensive way to travel but all their meals were included and, as Walt said, the cost of the cruises might come close to equaling the cost of their spring and summer air conditioning bills. In addition, they were renting their house out for the summer, which would definitely help defray the cost of the two cruises.
When Jethro and Lu quietly asked if they could help with the cost, Ned's grandfather thanked them for their thoughtfulness and generosity while also declining the help. He told them that, to their surprise, many people were now using the cruise ships to get where they wanted to go and back and that this particular cruise line, covering both their cruises, had amended the cost to reflect their early leaving of the cruise.
He explained that they'd done well in their investments over the years and had decided they'd rather spend time with their boy and his family than leave him more money. They especially wanted their great-granddaughters to remember them while they were still active. As long as Ned and family lived overseas and as long as he and Margaret were able to travel, they planned to visit every other year. They heard the smile in his voice as he told them it would give them plenty of new things to talk about with their friends!
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Lu and Jethro invited the Vance family, Jim and Annie O'Brien and Rick and Denise Carter for lunch on Christmas Eve, when most of the family and extended family would be there. This year that included the Powells, Baxters, Fornells, Porters and several of the senior Gibbs' children and in-laws: Tony, Maggie, Tim, Artie, Ziva, Brian, Barry, Ned, Geordie, Bec, Jimmy, Breena, Sarah, James, Nikki, Bill, Jasper and Nikki's family the Kings.
However, the week before the Christmas festivities began, Liam's 4th birthday was celebrated! Since Sarah and James' announcement in Jaxton, the couple came up with a different way to tell the rest of the family that they were pregnant, a plan involving Liam. Planning and rehearsing it with Liam was fun and on the day of his party, the little boy giggled all morning, waiting for his big moment.
Finally, the entire family and their guests were seated around the huge dining table and Liam's cake was brought in. Before the candles were lit, the new 4-year old gently tapped a spoon on his water glass. When he had everyone's attention, he stood, grinning. Looking around, he said, "I haven't opened all my presents yet but I already know what one of them will be!"
He looked at his aunty and uncle, sitting across the table from him, "Aunty Sarah, Uncle James, thank you for giving me and all of us children a new cousin! We can't wait to meet him or her in April or for the baby to be old enough to play with us!"
While the Jaxton and London folks grinned, the rest of the family expressed their surprise and happiness with the Powells' news. With a grin at his Uncle Jimmy and Aunty Breena, Liam also announced their expected new arrival. Most of those gathered there knew but not everyone and Liam giggled again when he saw the surprised and happy faces.
That was a fun day and one that Liam, his siblings and cousins would remember for years, the day Liam got to announce the impending arrivals of their Powell and Mallard cousins.
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A few days before Christmas, Barry answered a call on Tim's phone as it was someone he knew and his brother was in the back garden, building several snow people with the children. It had snowed off and on for three days and when it finally stopped, the bigs and littles put their snow clothes on, grabbed their gloves, mittens and caps and headed outdoors for some fun. In the past three days, they'd built the bases for all the snow folk they wanted, now they needed to add torsos, heads, ears, arms, eyes, noses and lips.
As Barry accepted the call, he said, "Hello, D'Arcy, Happy Christmas, this is Barry Gibbs. Tim and just about everyone else is out back building snow people, I can take the phone out to him or he can call you back."
"Merry Christmas to you, Barry! Where are you? You sound as if you're next door."
He chuckled, "I guess that's true, relatively speaking. We're in Virginia for Christmas and New Year's. It's our once a year trip to the US, easier on our US based family."
"Is everyone there?"
"Almost everyone. Ziva and her husband Brian will arrive later tonight, they're taking the train down from New York and our plumber brothers had a couple of quick fixes to do today, they'll be here by dinner time. Are you in Colorado?"
"No, as a matter of fact, we're house sitting for friends in Reston! We were restless but didn't know where we wanted to go when our friends told us they needed a house sitter while they spend the holidays in Florida. The person who usually house sits for them couldn't do it this year, so here we are. It's lovely here, we have plenty of snow in Colorado but somehow being back in Virginia during the winter, especially over the holidays, is special."
"Ah, that's great! If you don't have plans, come visit, we're in Arlington, not that far away from you. We're having a lunch party Christmas Eve and of course we'll be celebrating Christmas Day. Come for either of both, stay over if you'd like!"
"Oh, thank you! I'll check with Lloyd. Our friends did say it was fine if we were away for a day or so over Christmas. There's an alarm on the house and property, it's really their cats that need tending. But they'd be fine with food, water, a clean litter box and the heater."
"Great, let us know! Any allergies or food dislikes?"
"No, well, we don't drink alcohol."
"That's fine, most of us don't either and that's grown into a tradition for our family gatherings. Hey, Tim's walking in now, still need to talk with him?"
"Yes, please and Artie if she's available."
"They're both here now, hang on." He mouthed 'D'Arcy to his brother who raised both eyebrows, looking at his wife with wide eyes before unmuting the call. Artie looked at him, shaking her head and holding her hands up. He nodded in agreement.
"Hello, D'Arcy, Happy Christmas from Artie and me. Glad Barry answered the phone, we were out in the back garden building our snow family."
"Wonderful! In the meantime I've had a conversation with Barry so I know you're in Virginia and surprise, so are we. He's invited us for Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day but I haven't had a chance to talk with Lloyd about it yet." She paused for breath while Tim and Artie moved into the family room, removing their knit caps, gloves, scarves and jackets. They'd left their snow boots outside. The two sat while Tim put the phone on speaker.
"All right, we're sitting down and the phone is on speaker. What's up?"
"There are two foster siblings, a girl and boy, who will be in need of new homes at the end of this school year, in June. The boy is the elder, he'll be 8 by then and the girl will be 6 . Not much older than your twins. They are currently fostering with an older couple who are retiring at the end of May and have already purchased a home in a retirement community where they'll move in June. The children will be allowed to stay there for two weeks but no longer."
Artie looked at Tim, her eyes wide, and he again nodded in agreement. Taking a deep breath, Tim shook his head, "We're sorry to have to say no, but there's no way we can take on anything new, especially children, in the next couple of years. We're already living in 2 countries and traveling weekends to visit. Artie's company has a long term commitment to development of three properties in Greece. She and her crew, which includes our brother Bill, have been working on the first property since July and won't be through until mid to late spring at the earliest and that's only if the winter weather in Greece is kinder than it was last year. Artie and Bill are away part of every week and home on weekends or my kids, Nikki, Jasper and I fly out to spend the weekend with them. The twins are in school now, so we can't just move there, not to mention both Nikki and I work full-time. If it weren't for our family in the UK, and that includes our in-laws, and Artie's parents in Greece, I don't know how we would manage."
"Oh my, that sounds like quite a project!"
"Yes, it is."
"All right, do you suppose any of your siblings would like to jump into fostering?"
"Uh, I don't know offhand. How about we ask tonight and let you know, or whoever says yes will let you know?"
"Oh thank you!"
They talked a little longer, by now Lloyd had overheard the Christmas plans and his smiling nod gave D'Arcy the answer. Tim advised them to bring overnight bags so they could stay over, explaining the house was huge and there were several rooms available. Then he laughed, saying that sounded like the place was a hotel although it wasn't.
NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS
Disconnecting, Tim wrapped his arms around his wife, both heaving sighs of relief. Artie shook her head, "Six children on our current schedule! And Timotheos, we would have had to move upstairs, the boy is too old to share with his foster sister. That would mean renovating an entire suite and there is no time for that! But that's nearly irrelevant compared to the challenges you would face parenting 6 children on your own, even with all the help and with me there on the weekends."
Tim nodded, "You're right and let's talk about that later. Not the six children but about splitting our time the way we have been."
Although she was curious to know what plan he'd come up with, she also wanted to get the two foster children placed, if possible, within their family.
Knowing from a recent conversation that Bill and Nikki weren't ready for another child, they also ruled out the junior Mallards and Powells. Selfishly, they wouldn't approach Rob either as his spare time consisted of taking the tube to Jaxton to visit his family. Further, his studio flat was only suited for one or two people.
They thought they'd include Barry and Ned, Tony and Maggie, Geordie and Bec, Joe and Char, Ziva and Brian in the conversation. Beforehand, they'd have a conversation with Freddie and Abby, giving vague details and asking if they wanted to sit in on the conversation. Then Tim shook his head, "That's too much, too scary for my brother. I'll go mention what's happening to him so that they'll know what's going on, but nothing more than that."
"Good idea. And if I'm not with you, that will be even more casual."
Tim nodded, they kissed and Artie disappeared, looking for the children while Tim went looking for brother Freddie. He found him in the kitchen, trying to warm up with a cup of hot tea.
Tim grinned, "Too much fun in the snow?"
Freddie huffed, "I do this every year. Go out to play and get too cold. I should know better by now!"
"Do you use the timer on your phone?"
"Yeah, sometimes. Good idea, Timmo, I'll set it for an hour next time." He looked at his brother, "What's up?"
"Just wanted to let you know Artie and I are about to round up some of our sibs to see if they are interested in becoming foster parents to 2 kids currently living in Seattle. D'Arcy called us about them but there's no way with everything we have going on now. So, that's it, just wanted to let you know about the conversation."
"How old are they?"
"Uh, 7 and 5, so both in school."
"Boys, girls?"
"One of each."
Freddie nodded with a smile, "Thanks for letting me know and thanks for not including us."
"No problem, Fred. You've already got a resident teenager, I'm guessing that has its challenges."
Shaking his head, Freddie smiled again, "Not so far. I think because she's so interested in science, especially forensics, she's a breeze, even reminds us of things sometimes. And I already knew her, that helped." He looked up, "She's not at all threatening, know what I mean?"
"Yeah I do." Tim hesitated before asking, "Would it be okay if you and I had a talk about something that's happened with me?"
"Sure, Timmy, I'm always happy to listen."
"Thanks, brother."
"You ok?"
"Yeah, just kind of confused or maybe wondering."
When Fred gave him a look, Tim laughed, "No, I'm not confused about my marriage, nor attracted to anyone else, nothing like that, trust me!"
"Good, although I should be the last person you'd ask to talk with about that!" Then he thought of what else it could be and frowned, "Tim? Have you, is there something new?"
Tim swallowed, "I don't know, Fred, maybe. My emotions are all over the place, mostly scared, sometimes more than that and a tiny bit curious."
"Wow, I guess the curious is from your investigating experience. I'd be hiding in a closet under Abby's boots!"
Tim huffed, "And that would a good place to hide, some of them would make good defensive weapons.'
Freddie stood, wrapping his arms around his brother and pulling him close. "We're all with you, there's no reason to think otherwise. We'll protect you emotionally and physically, whatever it takes, Timmo. You all saved me, now we'll help you, save you if you need saving."
Tim swallowed, finally saying, "I think I just needed someone else to know, someone who understands my, uh, fear."
"I know you're trying not to say terror and thank you for trusting me."
"Please don't mention this to Abby or Artie."
"Abby and I have an agreement that neither of us will ever ask or talk or push each other to talk about certain things, in my case what happened, and that also includes what happened to you." Fred gave a raspy chuckle, "Of course she doesn't know that part." He looked up, "Artie knows?"
Tim nodded, "Since MIT, yes. I'm just not ready to talk about it with her. Or Mom or Dad."
"He knows?"
"He knows bits and pieces. I think…" Tim sat in the nearest chair, "Freddie, I think I'm going to have to go through this, I mean as a criminal case."
"You find out more?"
"Maybe, I don't really know but I do know little bits and pieces of what happened. There might be a cold case, a case that got started but the investigators never figured out what happened. They keep those forever."
"So that would mean you'd have to be involved, have to tell someone, besides Dad."
"Just what I know and I think if I told Leon that would be enough."
"He's your friend as well as your boss, you trust him."
Tim nodded with the hint of a smile. "I know it sounds weird but as hard as he worked to make things right for me after his mistake and then all the good things that have happened since then, yes, I personally trust him implicitly. Work is a little different because he also has to follow orders but so far that's been fine. I consider him a close friend."
"How long do you think the whole thing would take, you telling, until they lock up whoever it is?"
"Could be a few years but I think once I've told everything I'll be all right. I'll still be scared but I'll also have the might of the Federal Government, that is NCIS and probably the FBI, on my side. And I'm now hoping that living overseas will also help."
Freddie nodded, "I thought you were nuts going to work for the FBI, but then you were happy that summer, even before you saw Artie, and I realized you were still doing what you loved doing, helping and protecting people. Especially when there were kids involved."
"Yes, still doing that. I'll always want to do that."
Hearing Artie calling for him, Tim and Fred hugged, Tim gave him a kiss on the cheek and went to find his wife, smiling as he remembered how he and his brothers kissing each other evolved.
When Tim, Sarah and Rob were staying at the shelter, Tim noticed Mrs. Jamison (known as Mrs. J.) kissing her kids, Billy, Heather and the little boy who stayed with them at night because he was scared of the men's side of the shelter, Duarte Silva. Duarte always giggled because his uncle, his guardian, always kissed him goodnight first when he brought him to Mrs. J. for the night. He was always in his jammies, teeth brushed, hands and face washed and ready for bed. Sarah thought it was funny and nice that Duarte got two kisses and asked Tim if he would kiss her goodnight. Tim didn't remember anyone kissing him at night or any other time except when he was in the hospital and then the first day he, Sarah, Rob and Ellen Brill went to stay at the shelter. Ms. Lu kissed the three children that day.
Wondering if it was all right, Tim asked Ms. Lu the next day and smiling, she told him that yes, it was all right and would he mind if Mrs. J also kissed them goodnight, all three of them. Having been on his own or with mean people who only hurt him or with people who ignored him as much as possible for all of the life he knew of, Tim was a bit overwhelmed but Ms. Lu gave him a long hug, which he already knew he liked all right, sat him down and talked to him about people showing affection. Then he knew it was all right and agreed.
From then on, when Mrs. J. kissed her children and Duarte goodnight, she also kissed Tim, Sarah and Robbie, which felt really nice. Ellen Brill, Robbie's mother, ignored them, the same way she ignored everything they did or said.
A few years later, when Tim, Sarah and Robbie had to leave the shelter and move to the camp, Mrs. J, Billy, Heather, Duarte and Ms. Lu kissed them goodbye.
Tim told their friends at the camp, Geo, Jose, Freddie and Barry about kissing goodnight or when someone was sad, and although they were older and thought it was strange, when Robbie kissed Freddie one night when the older boy had a bad dream, it made Freddie feel better.
Geo remembered his mother kissing him and even his father a few times. Jose also remembered each of his parents and Ms. Lu, kissing him. Even big ol' Nate had hugged each of them. And so a new tradition was born in the homeless encampment in Baltimore, that the boys would kiss Sarah and Robbie goodnight and if one of the 7 of them was upset, eventually adding Bill, they were hugged and kissed, reminded that they had friends, people who cared about them. Years later, Lu finally told the 8 of them how proud she had been, still was, for making that decision. It was a big one and one that she felt ultimately led to them becoming a family.