Ch 24: Real Life, Back to the Present
While life changed with the addition of protection details to everyone's lives, they quickly learned to cope. Once family members and close friends got used to their various security teams, they began to relax. The teachers and caregivers of the family's children were informed of the details and asked to sign Non-Disclosure-Agreements. Although it took time for some of them to understand this was a precaution, that attacks were not anticipated in Europe, the NDAs were eventually signed and the Gibbs' family children, their friends, teachers and caregivers quickly found that whoever the security details might be, they were as invisible as humans could be.
In the meantime, winter continued although there were no bad storms this year. The storms that pounded the UK were mild compared to the two that hit them prior to the New Year and everyone was grateful for the lack of high winds and high tides.
Tim tried to keep to a schedule of spending 2 days in London one week and 2 days in Varkiza the following week. However, there were weeks he stayed in Greece, unable to tear himself away from his family. When the head of the protection details, NCIS Special Agent Jack Uhl, told him they would rather he stay in Greece until all the baddies were rounded up, Tim was relieved to stay in one place although there were still times he flew to London to work in the Field Office.
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While the Gibbs' extended and expanded family in Europe and the East Coast of the US slowly became used to their protectors, members of their family also had other things on their minds, namely the health and well being of Walter Dorneget, Ned's grandfather.
Although Walter initially rallied after his stroke, his condition deteriorated when he suffered another stroke. The Porters, having asked to be kept apprised of his condition, arrived from San Francisco ready to help Ned and his grandmother Margaret any way they could.
One evening late in January when Tim was working in London, Barry knocked on the door of his brother's home office.
Tim was just wrapping up for the day, leaving for Athens in the morning, and opening the door, was not surprised to see Barry standing there. His brother blinked back tears and Tim wrapped his arms around him. "What's happened?"
"He's had another stroke, his third one. Ned's asked me to come, the girls will stay here until the half-term holiday." He took a deep breath, "If he passes, then we'll have a service that week."
Tim nodded, "We'll be there, Bear. Mom, Dad, Artie and I will bring the girls to you, Ned and Margaret."
"Thank you. I've also had a message from Nikki that Aunt Evelyn and Cousin Vince are on their way, via train. They're on the southern route and will arrive Wednesday. Nikki said that Dad reserved rooms for them at the same place Ned and Grandmama Margaret are staying. It's a long-stay hotel near the hospital, with shuttles to and from the airport and the hospital. The hospital shuttle runs 24/7 so guests can get to their loved ones quickly if there's a crisis. And Cyndie and Larry Porter are still there, they'll stay on for a day or so after Evelyn and Vince arrive. Freddie, Joe and Char are also flying out, my flight will likely stop at the FBO in DC to pick them up. With the number of plumbers they hired after Freddie and Abby were hurt, along with their business manager, they can carry the load for a few weeks and we know Char can work from anywhere."
Tim blinked back tears, "That's wonderful, isn't it, Barry? Not that Walter is ill but that our family, all of our family rallies when things like this happen."
"Yes, all of us." The voice was their mother's, joining her sons. "We'll stay here with the girls, sweetheart. Charlie and Tricia are going with you. Charlie knows the area well and Tricia will help however she can. Also, I spoke with Ginny Slater, Breena's mother. She gave me three referrals for mortuaries in the area around the hospital and I'm sure the hospital could help with that as well, if it becomes necessary, although I hope and pray it won't."
Barry sighed, "Thank you, Mama. I'm so grateful I've become better acquainted with Walter and Margaret over the past few years. Now Ned isn't the only one with memories, the girls and I also have them. We have many photos and have written and recorded what was happening when the photos were taken." He smiled at Lu, "And of course you, Dad, Athena, Ducky and Aunt Evelyn also know them well." He chuckled, "I still think it's funny and wonderful that Aunt Evelyn, Margaret and Walter crossed the Atlantic together, twice!"
"Three times, Bear, you're forgetting the time Cousin Richard was with them!"
"Right, Tim, that was really something, wasn't it?" He smiled, "I remember Richard mock complaining about how much they fussed over him, even Walter."
That particular East Coast US to London cruise happened while Richard and his daughter Tricia Baxter were still living in Massachusetts and Richard was recovering from a bout of bronchitis. When Tricia called Evelyn King to see if she had a cruise scheduled, Evelyn contacted the Dornegets with whom she would sail to London the following week and when departure day arrived, Richard found himself aboard a cruise ship bound for London, accompanied by three in-laws of his cousin Jethro!
After resting in Jaxton for a week, he joined the Dornegets on a fast train to Marseilles where Ducky and Athena met him, flying home to Athens with him. He stayed through the annual reunion, leaving for home healthier than he'd been since the winter he'd spent in Mac's old apartment in Florida, along with his fellow convalescent Donald 'Ducky' Mallard.
Remembering those particular events, Lu nodded, "I hope that if Walter doesn't make it, Margaret will follow through with their plan to move in with you, Ned and the girls. She'll miss Walt wherever she is and I believe being with her family will help her a great deal."
Tim and Barry nodded, Tim thinking of his parents' telling him they needed to move home to Jaxton to help Barry with the girls and his heartfelt agreement with them. When he thought about it later and talked with Artie, he was relieved and happy with his agreement and that he didn't feel the slightest twinge of his old enemy: abandonment. Perhaps learning at least part of the truth of his past was helping him to grow beyond the pain of his childhood.
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Barry, Uncle Charlie and Cousin Tricia left for San Diego the next morning. Tim was at the FBO at Luton airport with them, waiting for one of the smaller jets to arrive for his flight to Athens. Barry and Ned's daughters, Ava and Naomi, had said a teary goodbye to their daddy at home in Jaxton, sending kisses and hugs for their papa, great-grandmama and great-grandfather. The two of them clung to their Grama and Poppy, scared that both their fathers were away and that their great-grandpa might die. Ava, the older of the two, stayed home from school that day, her grandparents knowing the two girls would need each other.
One of the first things they did was to count the days until they would fly to the US to see their fathers on the big calendar that hung in the kitchen. They would mark off each day before they went to bed at night. They would also talk with either one or both of their fathers tomorrow and probably every night.
When Ava worried that she'd still be at school when it was time to call or if her fathers called them first, Grama showed them the two clocks that Uncle Tim put together for them. Both were on the wall in the family room where they could easily see them. One clock showed the time here, there was a sign underneath that said, "The time in Jaxton". The other clock showed the time in San Diego where the girls' fathers would be and the sign underneath it said, "The time in San Diego".
They looked at it now, Ava showing her little sister what time it was where Papa was. Naomi knew how to tell time but didn't understand how it could be one time here and another time somewhere else. Her grama nodded, "I know that's confusing, sweetie. The easiest way is to look at our globe."
Smiling, Ava ran to get it, bringing it back. Naomi had seen the globe but she hadn't really explored it yet. Now her sister and grandparents explained a bit about the world, the sun and why times were different. After asking some questions, when Naomi thought she understood, she nodded, pointing to the clocks. "The clocks will tell us when it's nighttime where Daddy and Papa are and daytime here."
Ava smiled, "Right! Uncle Tim found clocks that show us whether it's nighttime or daytime, whether it is 6 o'clock at night or 6 o'clock in the morning. So it will be 6 at nighttime here and it will be 10 in the morning on the clock for San Diego."
Naomi nodded again, "Grandmama, Papa and Daddy can have morning snacks while we eat dinner!"
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When Tim arrived in Athens, before he did anything else, he messaged his mother to see if there was any news, relieved when she answered in the negative, both thinking that at this point no news was good news.
Grabbing his garment bag and laptop case, he went through passport control and then smiled happily when he spotted his wife waiting for him. He'd planned to take Uber to the Embassy and take another one home after work. He and Leon had had a long talk about Nikki's presence at the Embassy with the result that Tim's office was now in a more populated corridor. Sadly, for the duration, the two could no longer commute together or eat lunch together unless there was someone else, not family or NCIS-related, with them.
If either had business with the other, they would handle it by phone or email, as long as their conversation could be analyzed. Leon also spoke with Nikki, assuring her, as he'd already assured Tim, that her work would remain heavily secured. He also pointed out to her that the same restrictions would apply to Jimmy, James and Ned.
Tossing his garment bag into the back of their SUV, he was gentler with his laptop case before finally giving Artemis a deep kiss. When they came up for air, he gave her another, lighter kiss. "You're wonderful, you know? Thank you for coming to fetch me."
She nodded, "How was it this morning?"
"Tough watching the girls say goodbye to Barry and when I had to say goodbye to him, Uncle Charlie and Tricia at the FBO. Things don't look good for Walter."
Artie nodded sadly, saying, "There's nothing new this morning, it's probably too early in California and as for the travelers, they are more than halfway to Baltimore. Freddie, Joe, Charlotte and Tommy will fly west with Barry, once his flight lands. Aunt Evelyn and Cousin Vince are expected to arrive in San Diego this afternoon, Larry and Cyndie are meeting them at the train station. Dad has rooms reserved for all of them while Tony has arranged for a rental car company to bring vehicles to their hotel and he's picking up the tab."
She shook her head, "What will all of them find to do?"
Tim tilted his head, "Joe and Fred are flying to Phoenix on Friday, to make sure the Dornegets' house is in good shape for a sale. They've worked with Bill and in construction long enough to know what to look for as far as the building itself, along with the plumbing, air conditioning and appliances. If Walter pulls through, yay, at least he and Margaret will know their home is in good shape. If he's in rehab for weeks or months, then Barry thinks Margaret will stay near him. In that case, they may want to rent the house out and once again, knowing what shape the house is in will help attract tenants and will give the Dornegets a benchmark as to what, if anything, has changed during the tenancy. In the worst case, we lose Walter, then Margaret won't have to worry about what needs fixing at the house before it can be sold, assuming she'll eventually want to do that."
"That's good. And Barry will make sure Margaret and Ned get enough sleep and take care of themselves. Has Ned been working?"
Tim nodded, "The SAC at MCW sends Leon and Human Resources a work report for Ned every pay period and Leon tells me what he's doing, nothing in writing about Ned, Nikki, James or Jimmy comes to me anymore. He's averaging about four hours a day, 3 days a week, which is more than I expected, and working solely at MCW, which makes the Legal Department happier. With our legal connection, the farther away he is from the teams working on my cases, the better. " Tim shook his head, "He should be on family leave but he hasn't filed for it yet."
"How long does that take to approve?"
"It's already approved! I asked Leon to sign off on it, better to keep my name totally out of the picture, and HR sent Ned the paperwork, so he knows he's been approved. All that's needed now is for him to use it." He shrugged, "It could be that working keeps him going, it's part of his normal life."
"What do you think he's doing?"
Tim huffed, "With his varied experiences at Headquarters, he can do just about anything in almost any department! However, he's mostly filling in for people who are out sick, on vacation or taking a spot where someone's left and hasn't yet been replaced. The Cyber units at both Field Offices have needed help and he's been working with them, although the work he does for Southwest is first exported to MCW. And he's working in-house, not going out on field calls and that's a good thing. Can't afford to risk him getting hurt or being distracted."
"Oh, I wondered about that and about him working on your things."
"Can't risk that either, defense attorneys would jump on that. Everyone is having to be scrupulous about keeping my name off of anything connected to him as well as the others.
"That's part of the reason I'm alternating working in Athens and in London. Working in London keeps Nikki from suspicion and working in Athens keeps James and Jimmy from it. From now until this is over, Nikki and I won't commute, eat lunch or talk to each other in person, unless there's a credible witness with us, same with the other two. Any discussions or questions will have to be by phone or email, since both can be recorded.
"Leon has confirmed that the investigations have started so from now until it's all tied up, I can't be alone with any of the family NCIS'ers and the children don't count as being witnesses to our conversations. And honey, they may extend that to the partners of the family NCIS'ers. That means, Sarah, Bill, Barry, Breena and likely George and Edith can't have solo conversations with me or even be in the same room alone with me."
"Oh, Timothy, I'm so sorry! When will that happen?"
"When they start arresting people who will then hire lawyers."
"Oh my poor Tim!"
He shrugged, "I knew that when I agreed to the cases."
"What about Mello?"
"Absolutely no interaction with him, his wife or children from any of us, including Peter, Rhode, their kids, Susannah, Ian or the Clachers. If he approaches you or any of our children, tell him you don't want to speak with him and if he asks why, you'll have to ignore him. Do you know where his kids are going to school?"
"Yes, my moved out of the house in Varkiza over the weekend. Rhode says they found a place in Athens, near the university and the children are going to the International School there."
Tim laughed, "That's a relief! Isn't that where Liam and Chloe's former foster father teaches or taught?"
Artie rolled her eyes, also laughing, "Yes, it is or was. I wonder if he's still there?"
"No, don't go there! Maybe when this is all over but no new friends for us until the trials are over. And Rhode needs to know not to speak to any of the Mellos and not to mention that to any of the neighbors who met them. That might be tricky."
"As this is Rhode's first time through something like this, Mamalu has already spoken with her. Don't forget she's the wife of a military officer, I'm sure there have been many things she hasn't been able to mention to anyone. Timothy, now that you've had time to think about it, how are you feeling about moving to the US?"
"As long as that campus continues to be safe for the children and we can rent that residential hotel or rooms in that hotel, I'm all right. I'm relieved that I'll be at MCW and not Southwest. There are too many Navy brass close to Southwest, it'd be like being back aboard the Navy Yard, only I'd be the one in charge, not Leon!"
"Ah, I wondered why you seemed relieved!"
"Plus, Gunnery Sergeant Jethro Gibbs is still known for his shooting abilities so being related to him should be a big plus for me aboard the base." He smiled, "And I like bragging about him."
Smiling at that, Artie said, "If it's safe to do, I'd like to speak with our relocation agent about that hotel, see some photos, perhaps a video. I have many questions about it. While I'm happy we don't have to leave Europe until August, I'm also anxious to know more about where we'll live and I'd rather not wait until the summer to start looking if the hotel won't suit us. With the trials going on, who will be able to live with us?"
"None of the NCIS'ers. My parents, the older gents, maybe Yaya and Grandfa, although I think they'll all have to sign Non-Disclosure Agreements. Honey, we likely won't be able to spend holidays or Christmases with any of the NCIS folks. It would be great if the Clachers could come and maybe we could have our next Greek Christmas in California?"
"What about the rest of your brothers? Rob, Geordie and Bec are already looking for employment in San Diego and Bec says they want to live with us or nearby so that Brian and Mia can attend the same school as our children. Joe and Freddie have talked about selling their business and starting a new one in the area, I think that might be something else they'll check out while they're helping the Dornegets. Abby's even talking about teaching at UCSD or UCLA."
"But we'll only be there for a couple of years, three at the most."
"Yes, your siblings know that but with the restrictions placed on you, the ones who are allowed to be with you are determined to do so. I forgot Tony and Maggie, they want to move as well. They'll keep the townhouse but will live somewhere near us. Tony will attend meetings via Skype or in person when needed and Maggie doesn't want to separate the girls from their grandparents," Artie chuckled, "or herself and Tony from Malu and Jethro. That might also mean Dick and my mother will come for long visits. And I'm sure Peter, Rhode and whichever of their kids are available would love to come for holidays."
Seeing the look on her husband's face, she added, "With us hosting the Greek Christmases, it gives your new grandfather a way to spend Christmas with Jimmy, Breena and his younger grandchildren and then Yaya and he will join us for our Greek Christmas. And if Yaya is with us, Nik, Gaia, Sophia and Susannah will also be there."
Tim nodded and then sighed happily as his wonderful wife had turned from the road into Varkiza and onto the road up the hill leading them to their property. Leaving the car, they held hands as they walked through the property. Tim smiled as he noticed a few new bits and pieces had been built or installed and waved hello to Alan when he poked his head out from one of the greenhouses.
"Hello, welcome home! Are you going to stay put for a while?"
Tim chuckled, "I hope so, for a few weeks anyway."
"Good! Artemis, the Remises came by this morning, they spoke with Bill. Don't know what about but the three of them looked happy afterward."
"Wonderful! I wanted them to have a walk-through to make sure they liked everything before we start the final bits."
Tim looked around, "How come they're not working today?"
Artie grinned, "We worked this morning, you forget you were in the air for more than four hours!"
Tim winced, "Oops!"
His wife laughed, "Actually, I've been working mornings and early afternoons, there's not much for me to do at the moment. I spent Monday afternoon on our site, looking over the design to make sure I'm still happy with it."
"And are you?"
"Yes, although I'm not in any hurry to get to work on it!"
Alan chuckled, "So not next year?"
"Probably not for about three years. We're being transferred to the US for two to three years and will get started when we return."
"All of you, Bill and Nikki too?"
Tim shook his head, "Probably not. We believe it'll just be me, Artemis and the children. My parents will probably go back and forth but that's more likely to be to the UK than here. We might be able to visit but we won't be back for good for at least 2 years and as Artie said, it might be longer."
Alan opened his mouth to ask another question but saw a look of sadness in Tim's eyes so he swallowed any other questions or remarks. As they turned to leave, Tim quietly patted him on the back, saying it was good to see him.
By now he'd decided he was too tired to go into Athens to work and besides it was already nearly 3 PM. He'd catch up on his email, take care of any issues, at the house. Other than that, he was done for the day unless something else came up.
He was also hungry now so on their way into Varkiza, they stopped for lunch, enjoying the time together. Tim smiled as they stood to leave, "Honey, remember date nights? Let's start those up again."
She nodded happily, "That's a wonderful idea! How about finding a sitter for Friday night?"
"Great!"
"My sister is old enough and she's good with them and they're very comfortable with her. Let's ask her, that is if she doesn't already have plans and wants to stay with them."
Tim grinned, "Works for me!"
They stopped at the house long enough to leave his belongings before driving over to the day care that all four of their children attended, with young Jackson and Ellanni enjoying the after-school programs.
When they walked into the day care center, four little heads popped up, smiling and then all four ran across the room to their parents, nearly knocking them down. Jasper, MacKenna and Madelyn weren't there, one of the teachers said Bill had picked up Jasper earlier and that the Barnes-Gibbs girls had not been in today, she thought they'd gone on an adventure with their parents.
Returning to the house with the children, Tim played with them for over an hour before he stretched out on the floor, exhausted. When he woke later, he chuckled to find a pillow tucked under his head and a blanket over him. As the blanket was from one of the kids' beds, he thought his children had probably tucked him in. Getting up and stretching, he neatly folded the blanket, taking it and the pillow in search of his family.
Looking at his watch, he counted the hours since Barry's flight left this morning. By now, his brother's flight had landed at the FBO to pick up their brothers, Char and Tommy, and likely only had another two, two and a half hours until they landed in San Diego. Blinking, he looked at his phone and saw a message from his dad with the times they'd landed and taken off again and their estimated time of arrival in San Diego. He was happy to see they'd land in two hours and would be met by the shuttle from the hotel.
He messaged his dad, thanking him for the information, saying he and Artie had been to visit their property, had lunch out, picked up their kids and he'd played with them, evidently falling asleep on the floor as that's where he was when he woke up. Dad sent him a photo he'd received from Artie, showing Tim asleep on the floor with a child's blanket over him and a small pillow under his head.
Helping himself to a snack, Tim changed his clothes, looked at his laptop and decided he'd tackle his email later. Finding a note in the kitchen that said his family was on the beach, he grabbed a jacket and walked down there, enjoying the fresh air. His kids swarmed him again and he laughed, picking each one up for a hug and kiss.
They didn't stay long. Although it wasn't very cold it was still winter and when the sun disappeared they quickly headed home.
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Leon, remembering his stray thought about Tony and looking at his watch, considered the time, deciding to call, it was just past 8:00 PM in Greece.
When Tony saw the caller ID on his phone, he frowned but answered.
"Director, what's up?"
"Tony, you know what we're investigating. As you, your cousin and I discussed, the investigations are primarily being handled by San Diego teams. However, we suspect that one of the people we're looking for is in Europe. I thought, with your contacts, you might want to help find him."
"Of course, Leon. What information do you have on this person?"
Vance gave him the information and Tony paused, "You know our Security teams don't have any authority to arrest anyone. Should they contact you or one of the SSAs?"
"One of the SSAs will be fine. I'll email you a list with the countries each office handles, the names of the SSAs and their contact information. I'll also update Joel Morris, the retired SAC who will stand in for your brother on this and anything else regarding the case that involves anyone in Europe. I'll send you his contact information and I'll also include the contact information for Agent Andreson."
Tony started to reply when Maggie entered the room, carrying her phone. Walking over to him, she showed him a text from his dad. Sighing, Tony's next words changed their topic of conversation, "Leon, we've just received word from Dad that Walter Dorneget has died. Barry is at the hospital, in time to say goodbye. Aunt Evelyn and Cousin Vince, our uncle Charlie and his partner Tricia Baxter as well as our brother's Joe's family are there along with Ziva and Julie Metzger, her mother-in-law. They flew from New York to Baltimore and then boarded the jet with Freddie and the others."
Leon sighed, "I'm sorry to hear about Ned's grandfather, Tony. Although the last news I heard sounded pretty dire, I still had hope."
"Yes, we felt the same way. Maggie's telling me there will be a service in two weeks, when Ava and the twins have their winter holiday."
"All right, thank you. I'll be there, I want to give Ned and his grandmother as much support as possible. Tony, has anyone said anything about Joanna Teague, Ned's mother?"
"Dad, Tim and I were talking about that. No one has said a word about her being in any kind of contact but that might be because of her work."
"Mm, I might stick my nose in, give McKinley a call."
Tony's eyes widened and he shuddered, saying, "You're a brave man, Leon!"
"I haven't mentioned it to Tim but after I spoke with my counterpart at the FBI, McKinley called a few minutes later to offer help, Sailes had obviously shared the news about the investigations. I'm comfortable contacting him but will tread lightly. I'm really only thinking of Mrs. Dorneget."
Tony nodded, "If she shows up, she'll have a shock at the family members there to support Margaret and Ned."
"I'd heard about the Kings and your brothers, I hadn't heard about Ziva and her mother-in-law!"
"They were a surprise, they were on the jet with Barry and the others. They flew to Baltimore and met the aircraft with the others, Char knew they were coming. The Metzgers met the senior Dornegets in Greece one summer and then another time when Evelyn and the Dornegets sailed home from Europe on a cruise ship that docked in New York. They greeted the three of them and then Ziva and Brian took the train with them to Massachusetts where Evelyn left them and then to Baltimore where the four of them, Ziva, Brian, Walt and Margaret stayed over for a few days with Joe, Char, Freddie and Abby."
"That's good, Mrs. Dorneget will have plenty of people she knows with her, Ned and Barry. I heard the Porters are also there."
"Yes, although I think Stanford's winter term starts next week. They'll return for the service. After Ziva, Julie Metzger, Barry, Char and Tommy disembarked in San Diego, the Paddington flight took Joe and Freddie to Phoenix; they're at the Dornegets' home now. Ned called ahead to the community managers and a couple of the neighbors so they'd be able to get into the development and they'll be able to stay at the house. With Margaret's blessing, they're meeting with an property inspector and the Dornegets' realtor tomorrow."
"Wonderful that she won't have to deal with any of that."
"Yes. All right, Leon, thanks for the information, your email list of NCIS European contacts is in my Inbox and I'll get the Security folks on this as soon as possible, might be in the morning."
"That's fine, Tony, appreciate your help!"
"I've been feeling frustrated there wasn't any way I could help my brother. Thanks!"
They disconnected and Tony immediately called the head of Paddington Security, who estimated they'd have the information within 36 hours.
Once that call was done, Tony went to find his wife, finding her in the living area of their vacation rental on the phone with his mother. Realizing he'd missed his daughters' bedtimes, he went to tuck them in and kiss them goodnight. He wasn't surprised to find MacKenna still awake and cuddled with her, reading her a story. Madelyn was sound asleep, sheets and blankets on either side of her. He chuckled to himself as he pulled her covers up around her, she was a restless sleeper just like her daddy! Returning to Maggie, he smiled as she handed the phone to him. He spoke with each of his parents, thankful their family had rallied around the Dornegets.
Looking at the time when they disconnected from the Jaxton call, Tony called Ducky and Athena. Ducky answered the house phone, telling him he'd already heard from Jimmy, Breena and Donny, Jethro, Lu, Maggie, Tim, Artemis, Sarah, James, Rob, Bill, Nikki and Geordie and Bec and appreciated his calling as well.
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Ducky chuckled as he disconnected from Tony's call. "Ah, that's all my children here in Europe! I suppose Susannah, Gaia and Nik will contact you this evening as they hear the news."
She smiled as she kissed his cheek, "I've had calls from Sophia, Gaia and Theo, Susannah and Ian while you were talking with your children and don't forget I was on the call with Artemis and Timothy. Nik and Sergio will still be at the restaurant, they may not yet know about Walter."
"I'm so glad Walt and Margaret made the trip over here, three or is it four times?"
Athena thought about it, "I think three, someone else was with them the third time. Yes, Richard sailed with them one time they were over with Evelyn, he'd been ill."
"Margaret knows all of us, knows she and Walter are part of our family. I do hope she decides to move over here."
"There's only one problem with that, will Ned also be transferred to the US when Tim and Artemis leave?"
"I don't think so, there's no reason unless Ned also requests a transfer. Tim will want to keep any changes to a minimum while he's away and I'm sure Leon would agree with that. If Ned and Barry do want to transfer to the US at some point, I would think it would be a few years down the line."
"Then Nikki and Bill won't be going?"
"Not that I know of, I haven't heard anything about any of our NCIS children moving except for Timothy and Artemis. None of them would likely be able to transfer to either of the two offices in or near San Diego as Timothy's cases will be handled at the San Diego office and Tim himself will manage the other office. I believe they're all quite happy where they are."
"Good! I was afraid to ask Artemis and hoped you would know. I do feel badly for our Jimmy and Breena."
"When Bill and Artemis finish the Remis property in 2 months, they'll return to the Jaxton house. Sarah and James are there and I'm certain Edie and George are still there with them and will more or less move in once their grandchild arrives. Geordie and Bec may remain there or they may return to the US for the duration of Tim's stay. Jimmy and Breena want to move into the Jaxton house soon after the baby arrives. They understand why Tim and Artemis have to move and remain very happy with their decision to transfer here. The only one I know for certain is planning to make the move to Southern California is Rob. He's already putting out feelers for work in the area."
"And us?"
Ducky chuckled, "Well, yes, my love, you know we'll visit, at least for several weeks or perhaps months and when we're in Europe we can stay in Jaxton or here."
"I'm hoping we'll have our Greek Christmases in the US."
"Wonderful! The weather should be about what it is here and if they end up renting that hotel or whatever it is, there may be room for all of us."
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In San Diego, Margaret McCuistion Dorneget, stood looking out a window of the hospital. She was infinitely glad Ned and Barry were here with her along with what seemed like half their family. That was fine, she was fond of those she knew and was grateful for the support of all of them.
When Evelyn King arrived, she'd cried, relieved to have her friend with her, someone her own age who knew Walter and had shared happy and fun experiences with them.
Holding on to Evelyn, she remembered the first time they'd met. Walter didn't like to fly and both of them had very much wanted to visit their grandson and his new family in France. When they heard from Lu that another in-law, Lu's daughter-in-law Nikki's aunt, also didn't like to fly and was taking a cruise ship to England and would take a different one home, they decided they could do the same thing, only they would cruise to Marseille or as close to the city as they could get and another one home. They'd not only have the cruise experiences and whatever they saw before they left the ship but the joy of staying with Ned, Barry and their new great-granddaughters!
As it happened, they were able to book onto the same cruise as Nikki's aunt, Evelyn King, whom they hadn't met before, and had a wonderful time with her on their Atlantic crossing and during their three day stay in the UK, which they spent in Jaxton. They waved goodbye to Evelyn and the others as they returned to London early the fourth morning. Meeting more of the family and seeing where they lived in Jaxton and London had been an unexpected bonus.
When they first looked at the cruise itinerary, they realized they needed to make a big decision. From what Lu and their travel agent told them, they could easily take the train from London to Marseille and be there within a day. Or they could take a second cruise, one that would take them to several locations in Turkey, Greece, Italy and Monaco before they reached Marseille, where they would disembark.
Thinking this would likely be their last trip overseas, they decided to splurge and took the second cruise. The bonus this time was that they were met in Athens by Barry's Greek grandmother, who was actually his brother Tim's grandmother-in-law. Like others new to the family, they had to make a chart to figure out who was related to who and how but after meeting many of the group in the UK, their understanding of the way the family saw themselves as linked together became a lot clearer. Margaret personally thought someone, Lu said she thought it was Ziva's mother-in-law Julie Metzger, had it right, they were really a group of families and individuals linked together by friendship and/or familial relationships.
The senior Dornegets arrived in Athens after first visiting Istanbul, Troy, and the Greek islands of Rhodes and Crete, where they'd been told Tim's paternal grandparents-in-law lived although they didn't attempt to contact them. While they'd thought they were done with their 'ooh and ahh' days of traveling, they were wrong, pinching themselves whenever they sailed into a city they'd never dreamed of visiting! Who would think they would ever see Istanbul, Troy or Athens?
When they reached Piraeus, Athens' harbor for visiting cruise ships, Athena, also known in the family as Mimi, met them and they stayed with her in Varkiza, enjoying the warm waters of the Mediterranean as well as their hostess' warm hospitality. She made sure they saw everything their tour would have included and on two occasions, the couple waved to some of their shipmates and were invited to join them, along with Athena, on that particular tour!
In Varkiza they met more of the 'Midei-Costas-Gibbs' family, Tim's father-in-law Peter Lekkas and his family as well as Athena's younger daughter, Gaia, husband, Theo and their nearly grown children, who lived in northern Greece and flew to Athens to meet them. They also met Athena's son Chef Nik and his family who flew over from Sorrento, Italy, for a couple of days.
After several days, they boarded ship, now headed for different parts of Crete, including Souda Bay, and Turkey. From there, they spent a day and night cruising the Ionian Sea, stopping to see Sicily, then touring Naples, where they were again greeted by Athena's son and his family, having a wonderful dinner at Nikolas' restaurant in Sorrento, then saw Rome, Florence and then on to Monaco. The following day brought them to Marseille and the couple disembarked after many wonderful days of adventure. Barry, Ava and Naomi were at the harbor to meet them and they waved as they drove past Ned's office on the way to Ned and Barry's home.
Margaret already knew from the photos they'd sent that she would love their home, a rental the boys had stumbled upon while looking for apartments. It was two stories with a lovely garden in front, another in the back and small balconies on the second level. The interior was what Margaret thought of as quintessentially French, with the boys' more masculine touches also evident. She smiled at the rocking chairs that she knew were made by the girls' grandfather, Jethro Gibbs, expressly for them. Naomi took their hands to lead them to the room she and Ava shared room upstairs. She had a mix of her favorite dolls, plush toys and books on various pieces of furniture and what she described as a 'princess' bed. Ava's side of the room reflected her own personality, with many books, toys and pictures, a large cardboard castle the girls shared and her bed, covered with pillows in the colors she liked best.
The guest room was downstairs and nicely decorated with a comfortable bed, nightstands made by Barry's brother Bill, two comfortable chairs with footstools, a small table and a vertical bureau.
They were there for a month, at the boys' insistence, exploring the city and Provence. Although not usually prone to buying souvenirs, they'd purchased a few treasures, along with the ubiquitous post cards, everywhere they'd been and shipped those to neighbors who'd been warned they might be receiving packages from Europe. Provence and Athens were now tied for their favorite shopping places and they again shipped everything home.
Feeling much more in sync with Ned and his new family, along with the larger family, they took the train to London, staying two nights with Barry's brother Tony and his wife Maggie in a wonderfully restored and modernized Georgian townhouse before embarking on their cruise home.
When they reached New York City, they were met by Barry's sister Ziva, with whom they had lunch, along with Ziva's mother-in-law, before boarding a train for Washington, DC. There they were met by their son-in-law's brother Joe and his wife Charlotte. They stayed overnight with them, having a relaxing and fun family dinner with more of Barry's siblings, Freddie and his partner Abby, a young doctor, Jimmy, and his family along with an interesting gentleman nearly their age called 'Granducky' by the children.
As they spent time with him, they realized he was also the 'Donald' whose photos they'd seen in Athena's home and the woman had frequently referred to him. Later that evening, they asked Joe and Charlotte about him and were told how Donald, more commonly known as 'Ducky' or of course 'Granducky' fit into the family. In fact, he was one of the originals, along with Jethro and Lu Gibbs.
After a little sightseeing the next day, having a quick visit with the man who ran the homeless camp where Barry and his brothers grew up, driving by the Navy Yard where Ned used to work and Jethro Gibbs' former home, where Dr. Jimmy and his family now lived, along with seeing several of the monuments and memorials around the capital, they boarded an Amtrak train that would take them along the southern route of the country, from DC to New Orleans, Louisiana, to San Antonio, Texas, and then to Los Angeles, California. They had a private bedroom accommodation, complete with their own bathroom and their tickets included three meals a day in addition to other perquisites.
When they reached Los Angeles, they stayed overnight before boarding one of the two Amtrak trains that traveled to and from Arizona. This one took them to Phoenix where they caught a shuttle to their senior community.
It was an expensive and lengthy trip but they loved every minute, the highlights of course were staying with their grandson and his family.
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Now Margaret sighed as Evelyn wrapped her arms around her. "You two had a wonderful life together, I know that just from looking at Ned. He's a wonderful young man as is his mate and their children. You have much to be proud of with him."
"He was a joy to raise, of course we knew more about parenting the second time around."
"And Nikki has told me that you made sure Ned had a well rounded childhood, with activities with youngsters his age, from babyhood until he left for college. You two did a superb job!"
"Thank you, Evelyn." She sighed, "I wish his mother had come to say goodbye to her father. It would have meant so much to Walter and to me."
Evelyn couldn't think of anything to say that would be at all appropriate and instead gave her friend another hug.
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After hearing of the death of Ned's grandfather, Leon stewed for nearly 30 minutes before calling Jethro. When the man answered, he was asked a question, giving his former boss the answer he'd expected. Thanking him, Leon disconnected while in Jaxton, Jethro stared at his phone for a minute before shaking his head. When Lu looked a question at him, he made a face, "I don't know whether I want to be right about this but I'm guessing that Director Vance is about to have a chat with his CIA counterpart about the lack of common decency from Agent Teague, Ned's mother and Walter Dorneget's daughter."
"Because she hasn't even acknowledged her mother or Ned's attempts to reach her?"
"Yes." He shook his head, "I shouldn't know this but I do. She has a desk job at Langley. She hasn't been in the field for years. There's no excuse for her not to have at least communicated with her family. But then, she apparently hasn't been part of their family since she dropped Ned off with her parents when he was barely a month old. Do you know how many times he's seen her?"
Lu held up four fingers, shaking her head. "I know, Jethro. I already knew but remember when we met Margaret and Walter for the first time? They thanked us for making Ned part of our family. And you said he'd been part of your NCIS family since he first started at the agency, that he was part of every team and every department at agency headquarters and that you could see him as Director of the agency one day. Margaret told me much later how happy that made them, to know their boy was loved and respected and that knowing that gave them satisfaction, knowing they'd done well by their second child, their grandson. His mother may have been and continues to be absent from his life but he was raised with much love and care. It's possible Ms. Teague felt she wouldn't or couldn't be a good mother, she may even have done Ned a favor. Who knows!"
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Still in Greece, Leon Vance was doing exactly what Jethro guessed he would. He knew Beau McKinley well enough to acknowledge that Teague's lack of communication with her dying father would have had nothing to do with the agency. McKinley's own father had been ill for some time before he passed and Leon remembered the man had rearranged his whole life to be with his father as much as possible.
Now, when McKinley answered his phone, Leon said, "Beau, I'm about to stick my nose into the personal business of one of your agents. No violence, no laws broken."
"Thank you for that but who, Leon?"
"Your Agent Teague. Her father had a stroke recently and despite her mother and her son's messages and texts, she hasn't responded. He died this morning after suffering two additional strokes. I know we're all professionals, sometimes have to let our personal lives go but the woman already abandoned her only child and now this?"
Beau let out a frustrated sigh. "I am sorry to hear about Mr. Dorneget, from everything I know about him, his wife and grandson, they're wonderful people. As for Teague, my belief is that she mentally and emotionally left her family behind the day she was hired by the agency. Then she did the same thing to her son's father, only…never mind, that's still classified. I've met Ned Dorneget and know that he's an excellent agent and human being. We should give thanks that whatever genes were passed to his mother weren't evident in either of her parents and apparently missed her son as well or they were balanced out by more positive genes. Whatever I'm trying to say. Do you want me to try to force her to contact her mother or attend her father's funeral?"
Vance sighed, "No, you're right. Forcing her to be there would be even worse and it's way out of line for you as her director. As it would be for me with one of my employees. Sorry."
"Do you know if she keeps in touch with your agent?"
"She has not, does not. I believe the number of times he's seen her in his lifetime is four."
"Wow. Then she's not any better at being a parent than she is at being a daughter. However, there's nothing you and I can do, she is who she is and maybe she knew that and did the best thing she could for her son. Actually, there is something I can do, just not about Teague herself. If you or someone will please let me know when and where the service is, we can at least send flowers and/or a donation if that's appropriate."
"Thanks, Beau, we can do that. And thanks for not telling me it's none of my business."
"You're looking after your agent's health and well being, Leon, nothing wrong with that!"
Disconnecting, Leon had a talk with himself about boundaries and becoming too involved with his employees' lives. He sighed, he knew what was driving that although he didn't know what to do about it. He sat for nearly an hour before he turned to his laptop, took a deep breath and typed a name into the search bar.
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Barry flew home three days later. As they'd tentatively planned, the service for Walter Dorneget would take place during his great-granddaughter's half-term break in February. As that was two weeks in the future, Ned and Barry worried about their daughters. Margaret finally settled things for them. "Listen you two, I love you dearly but I'm not an invalid, I'll be fine if Ned stays, that is, Barry, if you don't mind?"
Barry shook his head, "I do not mind, Margaret. We just want to make sure you have plenty of support."
She smiled, patting his face, "Son, I know you love Ned, me and our girls as well as your parents and siblings. Now, here's what I'd like to do, I want to stick with our plans to move to France and live with your family. However, I want to fly there with you or someone I know, I don't want to take another cruise." She turned to Ned, "I've never said but it was your grandfather who disliked flying so much. I've always wished I could persuade him to fly on one of your private flights. It wasn't the flying itself that he disliked, it was being crammed in like sardines, the rudeness of fellow passengers or airline employees and the crowds in airports, all that. I'd love to fly 'Air Paddington'!
"In the next two weeks Ned and I will organize Walter's service and do whatever Fred and Jose think we need to do to put the house on the market. There are things I want to take with me, things I want to pass along to the girls and of course both of you, along with some of our furniture. We'd already talked with a couple of moving companies who will ship the furniture, I just need to get that set up. Walter and I decided not to wait until the house sells before moving; when it sells, we can do everything on the computer, we talked with the real estate agent about that.
"Another option is to keep the house and lease it. There's no mortgage but there are property taxes, fees for the community and of course maintenance. I believe the real estate agent has a breakdown of what maintenance costs lessees would be responsible for and what the owners are responsible for."
Ned and Barry looked at each other, surprised. They'd never considered the possibility of keeping the house! Ned looked at his grandmother, "What do you want to do?"
She smiled, "Sell it! I don't want to be responsible for a house thousands of miles away, even with a property manager and I shouldn't think either of you would be either. Besides, the real estate market is doing well right now, who wants to take a chance that it'll tank again?"
The two of them nodded, relieved.
When Uncle Charlie Camilo and Tricia Baxter offered to stay to help sort the house and get it on the market, Ned and Margaret accepted their offer. That meant Ned could work more and Barry could go home to their daughters for two weeks. When Jethro and Lu also offered to help with the house, they were also welcomed. With Jethro's skills, the few repairs that Jose and Freddie listed would be done in hours instead of having to pay someone to come in and do the work.
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Two days later, Barry rolled his neck, wincing at the crackling, as he grabbed his carry-on and garment bag and left the Paddington jet that had delivered him to London. He grinned as he saw his daughters waiting impatiently in the FBO building.
The next morning, he kissed his parents goodbye as they left for Phoenix, Arizona, where Ned and Margaret would meet them at the airport and take them straight to the house. One of the extra things Fred and Jose had done before they left was to make a list of what tools there were at the Dorneget's home. Jethro had the list with him, adding what he was bringing with him. Anything else that he might need he'd either borrow from the Dornegets' neighbors, rent or buy.
It was a long flight and considering the frequency of flights over the last months, felt even longer. However, it was also a smooth, comfortable ride and Lu and Jethro slept most of the way, stretching, standing and walking when they were awake and the aisles were clear. Their first stop was in Chicago, Illinois, where one of Tony's other Paddington cousins disembarked for a meeting. Although they'd met this cousin a few times, neither Lu nor Gibbs, usually excellent at remembering names, could ever remember this man's name. Privately, they referred to him as Tony's 'other cousin' or 'Cousin not-Nigel'.
While they were on the ground at the Chicago FBO that Paddington used, the couple stayed on their feet, mostly walking, until several new passengers boarded and the aircraft was set to roll back from the gate. The newcomers were somehow related to Paddington's North Sea Oil Company and other than nodding polite hellos when boarding, didn't attempt any conversation.
They were glad for the break in Chicago, feeling less sluggish after the exercise. The flight from there to Phoenix was again smooth, comfortable and in less than 3 and a half hours after departing Chicago, they were landing at the FBO in Phoenix, Arizona.
