A/N: Here we go...fasten your safety belts.
Ch 20: Explanations, Home Again, Troublesome Task
Wondering which 'sir' this might be, Tim picked up the receiver, "Hello, this is Special Agent Gibbs."
"Special Agent Gibbs, this is the President's Chief of Staff Bob Stewart. I'm surprised to find you in London, I was told you were working from the Embassy in Greece and called your Admin for the number!"
"Good morning, sir. We flew in early this morning, there's a two hour time difference between London and Athens, so we were here shortly before the office opened. After the storms last week, I wanted to be hands on with any problems that might have occurred and to be honest, to make sure my staff came through all right. How are you doing in DC?"
"The President and Cabinet were evacuated and I'm glad we were, it's a mess over here! The Chesapeake hasn't fully receded and there's a sea of mud and debris where it has. But that's not why I called. I will update you but first of all I want to apologize for what happened with Smythe and Porter last week, what was proposed, or nearly shoved down your throat, was not at all what we planned.
"You've already done an excellent job by submitting your plan and, frankly, I have no idea where Smythe got the idea to make you the overseer, especially with no replacement to handle your regular duties. You'll see or hear it in the news but he resigned after being charged by the Department of Labor for the orders he gave to you, those were major infractions.
"Ms. Porter is taking some well-deserved time off, she'll return in a few weeks and in the meantime Under-Secretary Chapman is Acting Secretary of the Navy. That will leave Under-Secretary Leo to continue working with you and the plan. I understand you've already submitted 3 locations for relocating the fleet?"
Tim had to swallow his shock before he spoke, "Yes sir and as my family is still in Greece, I'll have time to do more research this week. Thank you for your apology, that means a lot."
"You're welcome, I'm sorry it took so long to get back to you. You won't be doing the research at work?"
"No, sir, at home, trying to do it here is a sure way to bring on some nasty case that will take all of our agents and support staff a month to break. We still have storm evacuees in our home so those of us who flew in today will stay in London."
"Hotels?"
"No, one of my brothers has a townhouse here in London and all their evacuees have left so we'll stay there."
"When will you see your family?"
"I'll be home Friday evening and then I'll work from the embassy in Athens next week."
"How long is the flight?"
"Usually about 3 hours and 40 minutes. This morning we made 2 stops in Scotland, to drop off various family members who also evacuated to Greece."
"Two stops? There's an airport in the Highlands where commercial flights land?"
"There are but we didn't fly commercial. The brother with the townhouse, a former NCIS agent, is now a senior officer in his family's company and they have a fleet of jets. If there's a flight going where we want to go and there's room, we generally fly with them. It is not free but it's easier as they fly nonstop or make stops as they did this morning. The first stop was in Aberdeen which is in the Highlands although not in the Highland Council Area."
"Ah, I see, I think. You have an interesting family, Gibbs. Which reminds me, by any chance are you related to Leroy Jethro Gibbs?"
"I'm proud to say he's my father, sir." Tim said, a smile in his voice.
"Amazing! I served with him in Kuwait. I heard about his wife and daughter, I hadn't realized he had other children."
"He didn't back then, we're fairly recent. After losing his first wife and daughter, he eventually moved to the reserves and became an NCIS agent. Tony, the brother I referred to earlier, and I worked for 'Boss' Gibbs for a few years and we were the top team at the agency for those years. Our team was split up in 2008 and in 2009, Gibbs adopted us along with other members of our former team and the rest of my siblings when he married my mother."
"Wow, how many kids do they have?"
"12, all grown, most of us are married or spoken for and he and my mother have 14 grandchildren, with two more due in April."
"Good grief, they must keep him busy!"
Tim laughed, "Yes, sir, they do! He flew home with us this morning so he and one of the other expectant grandfathers can start work on the baby furniture for the babies due in April. Although one of my brothers is a master carpenter, he's working on a project in Greece so they couldn't borrow his tools, had to come home to use Dad's."
"Amazing! Thanks again for your work as well as the update on Gunny Gibbs, and please tell him hello for me!"
"Sure will, thank you for your service and you're welcome. I'll have more numbers of dependents by this afternoon, from the DoD and from State."
"Both?"
"Yes sir. I learned that the DoD doesn't count dependents who are engaged, partners or live-ins, they only capture military personnel, wives, husbands and children. The State Department counts visas and passports and they capture a lot more data than the DoD does. I'm guessing the DoD isn't allowed to consider anything but military and legal relationships.
"State will also give me numbers of those who entered married or engaged and who are now married, divorced, single or married to someone else. They're also looking at the legal age of maturity in the country, in case some dependents are older than that age and want to remain, say they are in college or working full-time. There are many questions awaiting the candidate-elect, if he's elected."
"What do you think of his chances?"
"If I was a native of a country that had as many foreign government workers as they do, I'd vote for him and he seems reasonable in his other plans. Not sure what it will do to their economy but I imagine he has a plan for that. Do you know why we have so many people there? Other than the Navy and Marines?"
"Yes and it's a horrifying, tragic story that we've been able to verify is true. In the early years of World War II there was an uprising in Flauvtic against the Jewish population. Most of those folks had been there since the end of World War I, taking the place of the young men killed in that war or by the influenza epidemic. The government realized they were desperately in need of clerical and administrative staff, especially staff that knew what they were doing.
"In the early 1920s, hoping to offer safety and financial stability to Jewish families, who were already being harassed, the government of Flauvtic advertised within the Jewish populations of Europe, offering to pay their way, including their families, to Flauvtic, saying they would be safe there and telling them to bring their families as the Flauvtic population had been decimated by the 'Great War' as well as the influenza epidemic. They were especially looking for people with any kind of clerical and administrative experience. Thousands applied and more than 1500 were hired.
"That worked well and the country prospered, even during the depression of the 1930's. Whenever an imported employee retired or moved on, if there wasn't a replacement already in Flauvtic, they'd once again advertise. Unfortunately, by then the Jewish population of Europe were not the only ones who read the advertisements and sadly, the uprising against the Flauvtic Jews was well planned, attacking at work and home. While some of the families were able to escape or were hidden by their neighbors, those who were attacked at work died as did most of the employees in the same offices.
"The country was devastated, with grief and horror. When the Prime Minister begged for help, once again they had no one to run their businesses and there were few office workers who would return, most of them remained in hiding until the end of the war, the US asked for volunteers to help Flauvtic get back on its feet. When hundreds of people with clerical or administrative experience responded, they were quickly hired by the Department of Defense and were meant to be on loan to the Flauvticans for the duration of the war, although we haven't found any documentation that the end of the war was to be the end of the deal, that's anecdotal evidence.
"They were flown to their new, supposedly temporary, jobs and homes. Pearl Harbor was bombed days after the Americans arrived in Flauvtic and from that day to the first speech made by the current candidate, no one in the US government questioned the Flauvtic government's requests for more help.
"When we recently questioned employees in the Dept. of Defense, past and present, as to why they were continuing to send people to help 70 years after the end of World War II, most of them said they were told it was something to do with the Peace Corps, who of course knew nothing about the matter and we have no idea who came up with that explanation! The Peace Corps came into existence in 1961, within the State Department; however, the former DoD employees who were with Defense when the Peace Corps began don't remember anything being said about Flauvtic. The DoD is only related to the Peace Corps by both being agencies of the US Federal Government.
"We were told by a few retirees who worked at the DoD back then that they were told that the people they sent over were for the Peace Corps and not to ask questions. They in turn told those who replaced them and on and on and now here we are in 2015."
Tim was nearly speechless, "Did any of them ever come home?"
"We're certain some must have but we haven't been able to trace them. Some of the DoD employees in Flauvtic now have been there for as long as 45 years and there are more in the general population who have retired and are living there quite happily. Although the original group was listed in our records as DoD employees, after the war our records only sporadically mention them at all. At this point, I believe there are 5 generations of Americans, or former Americans, who've lived their entire lives there. Born, lived, died. When you're through gathering the numbers you need, we'll have State run back numbers for any who may have returned home, even for visits."
"What about the IRS? My wife and I paid taxes to them even when neither of us worked for an American employer."
"Yes, because you're an American citizen. As you can imagine, the IRS is livid and if they know why their agency also dropped the ball, they're not telling."
"So the people currently there aren't necessarily American citizens unless they were recently sent over. That would have only extended to the original US citizens' children born over there or of course any children who were born here that went with the originals and their children, so possibly three generations? I don't yet have the numbers of those who've been sent over there in the last 20 years. Amazing that the IRS hasn't known and can't do anything."
"Agreed. And we'll add your comments about the children to the questions for the candidate-elect."
In London, Tim shook his head, "That certainly answers the question of why. You're right, it's a horrible, tragic story. Those poor people, families, relieved they'd escaped the Nazis, only to be shot down, along with their co-workers and families. All right, sir, thank you for sharing that with me. I wonder if the candidate knows?"
"Secretary McCord has asked to meet with the current head of state and all three candidates to ensure they all know."
When Tim disconnected, he looked at the time, amazed that he'd been on the phone with the President's Chief of Staff for nearly 14 minutes! While he was certainly no expert, he'd been under the impression that the position of Chief of Staff was an extremely high pressured, 24/7 job. Then he shrugged, they were talking about an important, although not critical, project as well as the horrifying attack.
He wondered if the senior Metzgers, Ziva's in-laws, might know the story before remembering their family had emigrated to the US shortly after World War I, so they might not have heard about the advertisements and he didn't know if the entire family had emigrated or if some stayed behind, frowning at that thought.
Tim finally took himself for a chilly and thus brisk walk. On his return and before he started whatever he'd planned to do first thing this morning, he sent a message from his burn phone to Leon's burn phone with the news about the apology, Smythe being allowed to resign and the vague statement about 'Ms. Porter' taking time off with Under-Secretary Chapman as Acting Secretary of the Navy.
Late that afternoon Tim was wrapping things up for the day when he had a message from Leon saying he'd also had a call from the Chief of Staff with an apology. He also hinted that he knew more but didn't want to say at the moment. Tim thought that either something would happen in the future or that Leon didn't want to risk anyone seeing whatever else he wanted to tell Tim.
After thinking about it, Tim emailed Mrs. Bess thanking her and letting her know he'd had a call from Chief of Staff Stewart who'd apologized and that they'd had a long conversation, nearly 14 minutes!
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When James sent him a message saying he and Jimmy were ready to leave for the day, Tim said he'd be down in 5 minutes and that Security was insisting on driving him and thus including the two of them, to the townhouse.
Exhausted, Tim fell asleep almost as soon as he got into the SUV with Jimmy and James. Used to commuting with Tim, James didn't say anything until he noticed Jimmy looking worried. Shaking his head, he told his brother-in-law that Tim was fine, he almost always slept on the way to and from work.
Jimmy looked at him, "Who drives?"
"No one! Unless it's snowing, Tim, Nikki and I walk to the tube and take it to and from Jaxton. If it's snowing or there is a torrential downpour Jethro drives us to the station. I think he's driven us all the way into the office twice. On the way in on the tube, we almost always get seats. On the way home, Tim and I have to wait until people leave the car but Nikki usually gets a seat right away. However, the two of us have spots where we can stand, hold on and sleep. If Nikki isn't with us, someone wakes us up at our stop."
Jimmy laughed softly, "I had no idea commuting was that social."
"Oh yeah, man, sometimes there are conversations and usually it's fine to join in. Haven't you ever commuted by bus or train?"
"By bus, yes, but it usually wasn't during commute hours or I was frantically trying to finish the reading I fell asleep over the night before. I don't ever remember people waking me up or telling me we were at my stop."
James chuckled, "One time, shortly before I met Sarah, I'd moved over a weekend from the place I stayed when I was first hired into an apartment, both outside the City but along the same tube line. The next Monday when I was on the tube going home, two people woke me at my old stop. I told them I'd moved and what my new stop was so they'd know the next time. Three days later, I was only half asleep when I heard someone behind me say, "Wake him, this is his stop!" and at least six voices saying, "No, he moved."
Jimmy laughed and out of the corner of his eye, James noticed one of the Security agents also chuckling.
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As tired as Tim was, he didn't get much done on the Flauvtic project that evening. He did have a long chat with Leon who told him what he'd been told about Porter. When she said there was no need to apologize to Tim, that she'd been teasing and he knew it, Secretary McCord, present during the interview with Porter, called her on it. She played back the recording she'd made, with Tim's permission, of his account of the meeting in the SecNav's office. Leon, when also interviewed by McCord, said the same thing. The upshot was that Porter asked for time off to figure out where she'd gone wrong, which was granted. Vance told Tim now that he was afraid that every good thing the woman had done for the Navy, Marine Corps. and NCIS would be ignored or worse, discarded.
Tim didn't like that and he and Leon spoke for nearly an hour about what they could do. Both were pragmatic, agreeing that they believed Secretary Porter had been under significant pressure from Smythe, her new boss, to force Gibbs into doing what he demanded. While Leon sat down to write an email to the Chief of Staff, Tim called Mrs. Bess and spoke with her.
It took both of them to persuade McCord and Stewart, although the decision would really be Stewart's, not to bury the woman's many good works for NCIS, Navy and Marines but they did it. Tim also asked that they let Porter know she was 'off the hook' as he termed it.
By the time they were certain Porter was no longer in danger of losing her job, the two were exhausted and Tim belatedly remembered he had an early appointment with his counselor in the morning. He was in bed by 20:30 and slept solidly until his alarm woke him at 05:30. When he woke and noticed his father in a bed across the room from him, it took him a few seconds to figure out where he was.
Gathering his clothes for the day, he showered and dressed for the day in the bathroom, before putting eye drops, his comb, toothbrush and toothpaste and shoes in his laptop case, carrying it and his suit jacket downstairs to find some breakfast.
Finding hot oatmeal in a crockpot, he mentally thanked whoever prepared it. Looking at the coffeemaker, he decided to wait until he got to the office, after his appointment. If he made coffee now, he knew it would wake his father, whether he was up two or five flights of stairs! Eating a banana with his oatmeal, he ducked into the downstairs powder room to comb his hair, brush his teeth and straighten his tie. The eye drops would go with him to the office, he didn't need to use them every day but he did have a problem with dry eyes and was determined to take very good care of his eyes.
He checked his jacket pocket to make sure his notes from everything over the weekend were still there. After giving his shoes a quick brushing, he pulled on his overcoat and grabbed his laptop case when he saw the SUV pulling up the driveway. He liked the carport covering the end of the driveway as it led to the garage, keeping any rain or snow off vehicle drivers or passengers.
The ride to Dr. Landers' office was close to 15 minutes, enough time for another little nap. Somewhere in his head, Tim registered that he seemed to be taking a lot of 'little naps'.
Entering through the door for early arrivals, he went straight into the doctor's private office. Greeting the doctor, whom he hadn't seen in two years, he smiled when he smelled coffee. The doctor chuckled, "I remembered you prefer coffee in the morning."
"Thank you, I do and I didn't make any this morning as I didn't want to wake my father."
At the puzzled look, Tim explained the past week, their rush to get ahead of the hurricane and tsunamis, the flight to Canada and then across the Atlantic. By then, he was on his second cup of coffee, although they were smaller cups than he normally used. He stopped at that point, saying, "Although the storm and the flight drove my thoughts about the meeting with my bosses out of my mind, once we left the plane, I started thinking about it again, wondering if I should just leave or wait it out. Then came the thing at the airport."
"With the new friend you told me about and your feeling of panic?"
"Yes. I was excited to meet him in person and happy that Artie was there with me. And then he was there and I panicked, wanted to run away from him."
"What were you thinking?"
"That I wasn't ready, that Artemis and I weren't ready, that I just wanted to leave, to take my wife and go home to our children and my parents, all my family and just hide."
"Hide."
"Yes. As the couple was walking towards us, Artie and I saw them look at me and then exchange a look. They know something about me or think they know something about me and I hate that. I don't want them to have ulterior motives. I thought he was a new friend, now I think he wants something from me."
"What do you think he might want?"
"I don't know! But I believe he knows something about me that I don't know about myself and I freaking HATE that!"
Dr. Landers nodded, "I understand that as much as I'm able, Timothy, I would feel the same way. Has he hinted at anything?"
Tim shook his head, "If he has, I haven't picked up on it."
"What happened after that?"
"I made nice, Artie talked so I didn't have to say much. On the way home, they asked questions about Greece and that was easier. But I don't want to see them again, I feel like they're trying to decide whether to tell me something about myself or wait until I ask."
He closed his eyes, "My wife and parents know that I came back for the week to see you and ostensibly to check in with my staff, make sure they were doing all right after the tsunamis and the wind but that I was really giving myself a few days off from being mystery guy to the new people."
"I believe you said you'll be back and forth, from Greece to here."
"Yes, until my wife's project is finished in April. Then we're taking time off around the spring/Easter break, staying there or maybe we'll come home for a few days." Tim sighed, "Artemis and I haven't had any time away, just the two of us, in months. Sometime between now and the Easter break we'll do that. Our two older kids started school in September. Next week they'll begin attending a similar school in Varkiza and they have a week off in February. We've gone to the snow the last couple of years and I guess we'll do that again."
"So when will you and Artemis have time away by yourselves?"
"We're not sure where we'll go yet but it will be either late January, late February or early March. There are 2 new babies due in April so we won't have the child minders we usually do." Tim rested his head on his hands, "Dr. Landers, I'm exhausted, physically and emotionally."
"Yes, you are and you're not properly taking care of yourself. If I said you may not work today, what would you do?"
"Return to my brother's house and sleep all day. But I can't. I have that damn project to work on."
"Is that the one that almost had you leaving again?"
"Yes, I said I would do some of the preliminary work."
The doctor shook his head. "It's not just sleep, although you do need that. You're exhausted, I'd say by the moving back and forth as well as everything else. You're also overwhelmed by work as well as by the holidays, that's true for many of us, and you're terrified of these new people and what trouble they might bring upon you. Timothy, we've talked about this in the past, including what specific steps you'd need to take. While your terror, grief and anger will always be with you to some degree, you can take control of them, of the situation, truly take control of your life."
"By telling my story to law enforcement."
"Yes, I believe we decided your boss would be the place to start."
Tim nodded, "Maybe that's why I'm so tired. Maybe I'm tired of carrying this around. I told my dad the other day, my mother and wife were also there but they already knew most of it. Maybe I'm to the point where I can either keep carrying it and be exhausted all the time, not to mention having to deal with whatever Matt is up to or I can take control of my life by talking to my boss, telling him."
"Does he know any of it?"
"No, although I believe he knows I have a MOAS, the 'mother of all secrets'."
"Good grief, that's a mouthful!"
Tim nodded. "What's your advice, Doc?"
"More than advice, Timothy, I'm going to give you orders, think of them as a prescription and I will be happy to write it in prescription form if you need it for your superiors. For today, I know you need to go into work and that's all right. Make an appointment with your boss, have a healthy lunch and then go for a walk outside if it's not too cold or, isn't there a fitness center in your building?"
"Yes, I'll swim indoors rather than walk outside in the cold."
"Good and then leave the office 2 hours early, use those hours at home to work on your project, do not use your own time. Before you start the two hours, call your wife and children, they get as much time as you want or need. Then you may work on your project for two hours, not even 5 minutes more than that although if you get to a stopping point before those two hours, then stop!
"When you stop, put it all away and then spend one to two hours doing something social with whoever else is here with you. Eat dinner, watch the telly, play cards, a game or just talk. Then go to bed early and sleep until your normal time. Yesterday you were up at 4:30?"
Tim nodded and the doctor mock shuddered, "And today you're up early again to come here. Timothy, next time you make an appointment, it had better be during normal hours! Your staff will figure things out if they have a problem or if they can't they'll use something called a telephone to contact you. They're smart people, you've said so yourself."
Tim winced at the doctor's sarcasm but nodded and the doctor continued, "Today's Wednesday, what will you do on Thursday?"
"My dad, two of my brothers, our brother-in-law and his father are having lunch with me. We'll have lunch delivered, that's easier, and eat in my office."
"Good, then follow the same afternoon routine you'll do today. Swim, leave 2 hours early, speak with your wife and children, work on your project for two hours IF you need to, no more, although less is better, eat, socialize and get to bed early but don't get up early. What about Friday?"
"We're leaving for home mid-morning so I'll leave the office…" he stopped as the doctor shook his head, "No. Work at home, do your 2 hours of project work, then you won't waste time driving back and forth. Then relax on the flight, don't try to work, sleep if you can and have a quiet night with your family. No work. Now, next week and for the next 2 months, I want you to follow the same process, with the exception of the appointment with your director. If you'd like, I am available to attend via Skype."
"As support?"
"Yes."
Tim blinked and tucked his lips in tightly, suddenly feeling like he was going to cry. Finally he said, "Thank you. I don't know how it'll go, there should be a cold case file."
"I've heard the term, seen something on TV. I wasn't sure if they are a real thing. "
"Yes, they're real, very real."
"Then may I make a suggestion?"
Tim nodded and the doctor said, "Tell your boss or whoever you speak with about the new people in Greece, give their names. Tell him what you've told me, that you feel they want something from you or want to ask you questions you won't want to answer. Whether they mean ill or good, they've precipitated this."
Swallowing hard, Tim thought for a moment before agreeing. "You're right and I'll do that, although I'm not sure he meant to precipitate anything, we started talking about mathematics and then found we have a lot more in common. I'll ask to speak with my boss over the weekend, they're in Greece for another week."
"Remember, whatever happens, you survived and you've thrived, succeeded beyond your own dreams, Timothy. Despite what those monsters did to you, you are a successful person with a loving wife, children, parents and a huge family who will do anything to help you. You're surrounded with love, Timothy. You belong to all those people, you matter to them and they belong to you, they matter to you. Remember how you felt those first few days and weeks in Baltimore, that you'd done the right thing for yourself, you were free to go to the same school for an entire school year, to stay in the same place, to make plans without someone showing up and moving you to yet another home and people where you felt you didn't matter, didn't belong. Remember all that because that's what's made you the person you are, your own determination and perseverance."
Tim nodded, thanking the doctor. Leaving the medical building, he and the Security team drove to NCIS. Noticing the time, 0730, as he walked into the building,Tim grinned to himself, he was half an hour early when he'd planned to be a half hour late. Beginning today and until he finished his part of the Flauvtic project, he would be a bit of a clock watcher, he would need to be to keep to the doctor's schedule.
When Cynthia came in, both of them donned masks and then sat in the small conference room so they could speak in private. He told her his schedule for the rest of the week and told her to take Thursday and Friday off. "You need the rest! Even if you don't catch the kids' colds, I know you and your husband are taking care of them. Stay home! Security can handle our calls for a couple days."
"Will you be here?"
"In and out at regular hours, doctor's orders. This afternoon, I'm leaving at 2 and will work from home for 2 hours. For your ears only, I'm working on a classified project for the DoD and I'll do that at home during the work day, not during my off hours, although those will remain flexible for NCIS business. I'll follow the same pattern tomorrow and then Friday, I'll work on the classified stuff for about an hour in the morning, from Tony's place. Our flight to Athens leaves around 1030 and gets in a little after 1600 Athens time, a little after 1400 here. Also, until further notice, Under-Secretary Chapman is unofficially the Acting SecNav so if she's looking for me, please put her through or let me know.
"Next week I'll work at the Embassy and might be in and out for appointments. My routine there will include my classified work at the office, two hours a day, probably in the morning as neither London or DC is online yet, then agency business, lunch, more agency business and I'll leave between 3 and 4."
"Not 2?"
"If I leave at two then my day at the office will only be agency business and I'll work on the DoD project from home for 2 hours. Let's see how it plays out, it depends on what else is happening and who I might need to speak with."
He sighed, "You and I work as a team so I'm going to tell you something that absolutely can't be shared, not even with Chaz. I know, he's your husband and you trust him but this is, was, my life and if I had my way no one would know."
She held up her little finger and they pinky-swore which amused Tim.
"I had horrible things happen to me as a child. Woke up in a hospital after weeks in a coma." Tim actually felt stronger telling her. Cynthia was a good person, he trusted her. He didn't say much more than that, other than he was going to ask Leon to reopen his cold case, if there was one, or open a new case if there wasn't a cold case. "So things might get a little exciting around here and not in a good way. My family, my friends, and I count you as one of them, my doctor and I trust that I'll get through this. I've put it off for long enough."
She nodded, "Is there anything I should look out for?"
Tim started to say no but instead nodded, telling her about Matt and Shelly, new friends that he was afraid might have ulterior motives in befriending him. He told her he was certain they didn't have anything to do with what happened to him but seemed a little too interested in his life. When he said that the man looked just like him, Cynthia began to understand. A little, anyway.
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At the townhouse that afternoon, Tim felt invigorated after his visit to the doctor, his talk with Cynthia and then swimming about 100 laps. Making himself a cup of herbal tea, he took it upstairs to a room Tony said he could use for his office. There was a table, chair and a lamp in there and that was really all he needed.
Setting his phone alarm for two hours, Tim quickly got to work with the number of dependents sent by Under-Secretary Leo and Blake Moran. The State Department's report was far more detailed and he marked several categories as useful. Then he looked at the DoD report and decided he'd better use both. He managed one run of the categories he wanted for the State Department before his phone alarm chimed. Grinning, he saved everything and shut down.
Back downstairs, he smiled when he noticed it was snowing outside! While he didn't want to go out in it, it was pretty to watch. Taking several photos, he sent them to Artemis, laughing when he looked up the current temperature in Athens. Not shorts and sandals weather but definitely warmer than it was here!
His appointment with Leon was set for Monday morning, first thing, at the office in Piraeus. Pete Russell had offered the use of his office, saying he and the team were scheduled at the shooting range that morning and they'd be gone for a couple of hours. Leon decided his security team would pick up Tim in Varkiza, then he'd meet them at the office.
When Tim told him the topic was personal and had nothing to do with the whole Smythe fiasco, Leon sat in thought after their call, finally coming to the disturbing conclusion that Timothy might finally be about to unload the secret he'd had at least as long as Vance had known him.
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On Thursday, having lunch in his office with Tony, Dad, Jimmy, James and George was fun and the 6 of them laughed as they told stories that James and his dad hadn't heard before. They rolled their eyes at themselves when they decided what to order for lunch, their favorite Greek lunches! George and James said that was fine, they wouldn't be back in Varkiza for several months and they needed all the yummy reminders they could eat!
Jimmy echoed their sentiments, although he and Breena were thinking about flying to Athens for a long weekend in October when the baby would be sleeping all night. And they'd be able to go to the annual reunion in Scotland in July and August.
Tim thought about it, finally saying, "Jimmy, what about renting an RV and driving down to Cornwall, stay on or near a beach down there? If you went in June during half-term, we'll go with you and maybe all 5 Powells? Babies will cry wherever you are and Donnie's going to hear."
James perked up, "Yes, I like that! Sarah can stay in and sleep as much as she needs to and I'll take baby for walks in the sling."
Jimmy was also enthusiastic, planning to talk with Breena that evening after Donnie was in bed.
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His lunch companions invigorated Tim and he went for a walk, enjoying the chill, before returning to the office and resolutely returning to a seemingly never-ending task: evaluations. He worked on those for an hour before switching over to reviewing case files, signing off on those due in court within the next 60 days. He took notes on 2 cases, he'd contact the SSA with his questions. At 14:45, he packed up and left, reminding the Security team that neither he nor Cynthia would be in the office on Friday and that he would be available by phone by 1400 London time, giving himself a little extra time.
Once at the townhouse, he went straight to the office and got two sets of runs done for civilian dependents as well as starting to research countries and harbors suitable for Locations 4, 5 and 6. He saw right away that these would be more difficult to find after the hurricane and tsunamis. Although he really wanted to spend another hour looking into which harbors had been damaged, he resolutely saved everything and shut down. Then he went for another walk, this one much briefer than the one he'd taken earlier in the day.
After spending nearly an hour online with his wife and children, he joined the others at the townhouse for dinner, assisting with the cleanup and then played cards with Brian, Geo and Dad for a couple of hours.
He said goodbye to Jimmy and James that night before he went up to bed. Everyone else would still be here at the house in the morning. He laughed when Dad and George insisted on showing him what they'd accomplished as far as baby furniture. Breena and Jimmy still had Donnie's crib and bassinet so the two men spent their time cutting the pieces for baby Powell's bassinet. As George and Edie were staying on, George would work on the baby furniture by himself, although he hoped Jimmy and James might also want to work on them.
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Tim stepped out of the airport in Athens, smiling at the warm air. Behind him, his dad stretched, as happy as his son to be home again. Behind them, Tony and his cousin Nigel did much the same thing, glad to be out of the chilly weather. The men went in two directions, Nigel taking the train into Athens while the other three men were conveyed by BEAT drivers, the Greek alternative to Uber, to Varkiza.
As Tim had already worked his two hours on the DoD project, he decided to go straight home, he could work on evaluations and handle any emails or calls from there. Artie would be home by 4 and the children would return from daycare by 5.
He'd forgotten they were still living with his in-laws and gave Rhode a hug and kiss when she welcomed both men. Hearing that his wife had been too restless to wait at the house, Jethro nearly threw his bags into their room and hurried toward the beach.
Tim changed into more comfortable clothes and grabbing his laptop, sat at a table moved into the room for him and Artie, forcing himself to work on evaluations for over an hour. After a walk, he handled another pile, almost relieved when his phone rang. However, when he looked at the caller ID, he declined the call as it was Matt Mello. He didn't want to speak with him now, at least not until after he'd met with Leon. He'd forgotten they were staying on the same street, another reason to move to 'their' rental! Besides, he smirked to himself, he was working on agency business, the only personal calls he'd answer would be from his wife!
After he finished the evaluation he'd planned to handle today, he looked at his emails, laughing at one from Cynthia. She said she felt like she was playing spy, having answered a call from a Dr. Mello. She'd asked if it was personal or agency business and when he answered that it was personal, she'd told the man that the SAC would be in meetings the rest of the day but that he was welcome to leave a message on his office voice mail.
He wrote her asking why she was in the office at all and then laughed again at her answer. She said she'd rather be in the office doing something useful than sitting around at home waiting to get sick and that because he wasn't there, she didn't have to worry about possibly infecting anyone, that she'd put a note on the door into the suite asking people to call or email. And that she was still feeling fine but would spray the suite with disinfectant before she left for the weekend.
Tim chuckled, thinking he really would be in meetings the rest of the day. First with his wife, then his children, then likely with his mother and the rest of the resident family. Tomorrow they were borrowing Bill's truck, and possibly Bill, to move all their belongings to the rental house, which would be easier for all of them.
He was napping when someone slid onto the bed next to him, his sweetheart! With an hour before the children arrived home, they made good use of the time before taking a quick shower. They were dressed and waiting when the children ran in, going straight into their father's arms. Laughing, he sank down on the floor and they cuddled with him, much as they used to when they were younger and loved to climb all over him while he lay on the floor. While Jack and Ellanni had done that as soon as they were old enough to crawl around, Liam and Chloe had never had the opportunity until they joined the Gibbs' family. Then the two new littles got to know their new daddy the same way their older siblings had, by playing and cuddling with him on the floor.
It was wonderful to be home for dinner with both sets of parents, Athena and Ducky, Artemis' youngest sister Amara and of course Tim's own family.
After the children were asleep that night and Athena and Ducky had been driven home, Tim, Artie, Peter, Rhode, Lu and Jethro sat in the living room with hot beverages.
Lu looked at her son, "We had company on Wednesday."
He frowned before raising his eyebrows, "The Mellos?"
"Yes, your new friend came by with his children to see if you and our kids wanted to walk down to the beach and back."
Tim nodded, "And our kids were at nursery, I mean day care and Artie at work?"
Artie nodded and Peter said, "I was home and answered the door. I was close to leaving for work so I had my uniform on and he seemed surprised by it. I told him that none of you were home. I was going to say that you were working but decided it was none of his business."
"Thanks, Papa and you're right, it isn't his business. I feel bad about all this but I don't feel I can trust him after the bit in the airport last week. I've led a very private life for a reason!"
The colonel nodded, "That's good, you need to trust your instincts, I know they are finely tuned, just as your father's are."
Jethro chuckled, "Have to be in his line of work, my former line of work as well as yours."
When the others yawned, Tim and his dad looked at each other, they were both tired and having only been in London for 3 days hadn't really adjusted to the time difference there. They were both ready to turn in with their wives.
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The move on Saturday was quick, relatively easy and Bill's help was not needed, although he was certainly willing. Artie and Lu drove the children and the SUV full of their belongings to their rental and had them help carry everything to their usual rooms. Tim and Jethro followed with Bill's truck, moving the rest of their belongings. That process took a whole 30 minutes, including loading and unloading. Once everything was in the correct rooms, the children quickly put their clothes and shoes away and then found their favorite spots for their books and toys. Artie and Tim, Lu and Jethro went through the same process.
After returning Bill's truck with many thanks, Lu and Tim took the SUV to the grocery store to shop for a week's worth of groceries for the household. Deciding what to have was easy, by now they had several favorite meals and they knew the ingredients well enough to buy them without bringing a list with them. Tonight they'd have a chicken roasted for them by Pappouli Peter on Thursday, along with some of their favorite vegetables and a salad. Tomorrow Poppy would grill pork to make grilled pork souvlakis. Monday, knowing Tim had his meeting with Leon that day, they decided to have something simple, knowing his stomach might be upset. They'd have a beef and pork stew, which would simmer all day with carefully chosen spices that would not bother his tummy, with chunks of sliced and diced carrots and potatoes, a green bean salad and braided rolls along with yogurt and whatever berries they could find today for dessert.
Breakfast was usually some of the traditional Greek breakfast dishes, yogurt, fresh spinach pies or perhaps a Greek omelette, coffee and fresh fruit. Or hot oatmeal, fresh fruit, toast and coffee, although the children had milk.
Back from shopping, Tim and Lu kicked their shoes off while Artie and Jethro put everything away. With the family having stayed in this house many times over the past 5 years, all the food items had an assigned spot in the refrigerator, freezer or cupboards.
After everything from the move and shop was put away, the group went for a walk, joined by Athena and Ducky. They walked and played on the beach for over an hour, enjoying the fresh air as well as the waves crashing on the shore. Chloe said the beach looked empty without everyone else or any umbrellas. Hearing his daughter, Tim was glad they'd gather here for Easter/spring break.
Back at the house, they had a quick lunch and then hopped in the SUV to drive up to the properties. Bill, Nikki and Jasper joined them, riding in Bill's truck.
Tim and everyone except Artie and Bill were happily surprised at the progress made in the past weeks. With the crew working during December and the work they'd done after the holiday, the exterior of the Remis house was complete. Bill reported that all the interior doors and walls were up, work for the utilities was done, including solar panels the Remises had decided to add along with a whole house fan. They'd also decided on a two car garage and that had its own cooling system, much as the Gibbses' large garage would have.
Of the steps usually taken for a new build, they'd completed more than half of them and now said the project would be complete by mid-March. Artie said that with the Remises' agreement, she'd scheduled the final inspection walk-through for the first week in April, before Easter.
Tim grinned at that, knowing that he and Artie would have their delayed anniversary time away while Bill and the crew finished up the project. The early completion date also meant they could spend spring in the UK after all, enjoying the greenery along with the wildflowers and the fresh spring air.
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When Nikki asked when they'd start work on their property, Artie and Tim both smiled, Artie explaining, "We've decided to put it off until 2017, we need time to catch our breaths and for the children to start and finish their school year in one country, not two! Liam and Chloe will start Reception next September while Jack and Ellanni will be in First Year. We'd like the four of them to attend school in Jaxton for the entire school year. As Jasper will start Reception the year after that, in 2016, we thought we'd wait until the autumn and winter of 2017 to start, planning to be through by the following winter, 2018. With our extensive plans, it will be a longer build with the garage and the multiple dwellings. However, we'll have additional crew and we're all now experienced with the foundations, those were the toughest parts. We will not work in the summer, once was enough! Nikki, we haven't really discussed this much but our recent thoughts are to continue doing what we're doing now, the children attending school here during the build and you and Tim working at the Embassy. If that's what your family wants to do, that bit is up to you, of course!"
Nikki grinned at her husband, "It sounds great to me! I'm glad you're not going to work during the summer, you'll have a break and I predict Bill, Jasper and I will be in Jaxton or Tain for the summer this year and next."
Lu nodded, "That also sounds lovely to me, Nikki!"
As they hadn't talked much about the large garage they planned for the middle lot, they looked at the detailed plan. Their caretaker/gardener Alan was there and came out with his dog Lykos, who was very happy to see them, especially the children. She ran and played with them while the adults talked about the garage, including some of the special features.
While most private garages have 2-4 parking slots, this one would have at least 10, to accommodate vehicles for most of the permanent residents. On the far side, the side of the property that bordered the Remises' property, there would be an extended parking bay, running from the street end toward the view edge of the property, to accommodate Peter and Rhode's vehicles, including their recreational vehicle. The other side of the building would feature the 10 individual parking bays. Both sides of the building would have screened clerestory windows to let in cooler air, along with ceiling fans and several other fans, all operating by remote. Both sides might also feature 'shop fans' which would help keep the air moving. Another option was to add exhaust fan(s) to the garage.
An idea Bill saw online was to leave 'just arrived' vehicles outside in a shaded area, giving the engines time to cool off so that heat would not add to the heat in the garage. They'd do more research on that before they decided whether or not to add a second large awning outside the garage.
While they were discussing cooling methods, Artie mentioned they'd installed a misting system for the Remises' pergola and others for Alan's porches, one in back and one in front, and planned to include several separate misting systems on the Gibbs' property for the outdoor areas of the apartments, guesthouses and of course the main house.
Tim told his wife he was excited about their new place while he was also willing to wait a few years until it was completed. They both chuckled when he mentioned Ducky's enthusiasm at the large room they planned for his library, while reassuring him he needn't feel obligated to move all of his books, or any of them for that matter.
When they returned to their various dwellings, the Timothy Gibbses were astounded and very happy to find Rob waiting for them!
He laughed as his nieces and nephews flew into his arms, hugging and kissing each of them before reaching for his brother and sister-in-law. "Surprise!"
Tim stood back, still holding onto Robbie. "This is a surprise, did you work too many hours?"
"No, well, yes, I guess you could see it that way. Remember I worked at the hospital here the week I stayed? I'm not sure how or why, I never thought about the hours or being paid but my hospital found out and credited me with the hours, which meant that when I arrived at the hospital in London for the overnight shift on Friday, I was told to go home, that I couldn't work as I'd already exceeded the maximum number of shifts allowed for the pay period. So now I have a few days off and decided to come back here. The storm has passed at home but it is dark, gloomy, mucky and wet, with debris everywhere. So here I am, I'll return to London on Thursday and work a shift that night."
Tim grinned at his younger brother, "Great! Mom and Dad are staying in the den, that leaves the extra bedroom for you. We have extra bedding."
Rob grinned, "Flew Paddington so I brought my bedding and my inflatable. I will borrow a pillow though, that is if you don't mind me staying here?"
Artie hugged him, "Of course not, Robbie! We're always happy to see you and even happier when you stay with us!"
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Sunday mornings, Tim usually attended church services with his family but the Sunday after the move and the property tour, he woke with a headache and his wonderful wife told him to stay home, that she would have plenty of company to help with the children at church.
Tired from the crazy week, although very happy to be back in Varkiza, Rob also decided to stay home. Before he left for Greece yesterday, he and Sarah had had a long talk about their Timpa. She was worried about the new people who'd suddenly showed up, telling Rob that Tim had seemed happy at first but then after the people arrived, he seemed upset. When she told Rob that the man could almost be Tim's twin, he was ready to jump on the next flight but instead went to work where he was told he was not allowed to work.
After everyone but the brothers left for church, the two met in the kitchen, smiling happily when they found covered plates of pancakes, eggs and bacon keeping warm in the oven. While Rob made fresh coffee and poured freshly squeezed orange juice for both of them, Tim found the hot pads and removed the plates from the oven, turning it off.
Sitting at the table, they each tried very hard to enjoy each bite and not inhale their food. Alas, eventually their plates were empty of anything but delicious, sticky syrup and bits of jam, but there was no more food. Tim offered to make more pancakes but as they'd each had five, they decided that was really enough.
They were still sitting, nursing their coffees, when someone knocked on the door and it was far too soon for the church goers to be returning. Looking to see who it was, Tim exclaimed as he opened the door, "Ducky! Welcome, come in! No church for you either?"
"No, I should have gone but I, well, to tell you the truth, I didn't want to go. Robbie! Welcome back, lad!"
After explaining his extra hours, Rob asked Ducky what he was carrying in the zippered document bag. The older man rolled his eyes, "Do you remember the folder I brought to the Arlington house to review and then fell asleep over it?"
The younger men nodded, trying not to laugh. Ducky shook his head, "My cousins cornered me, despite my best efforts, when they were here for the storm, wanting to know if I'd ever figured out their puzzle. I told Athena this morning that I didn't feel like attending services, so she rode with Artemis, your parents and the children. In the meantime, here I am with my folder again!"
Tim grinned, "Want some help with it?"
"Yes! I'm not sure I'll need help but I would welcome the company."
Rob nodded, "I'll make a pot of herbal tea, Tim and I have already had more than enough caffeine!"
Refraining from rolling his eyes at his brother, Tim asked for his favorite raspberry tea and Ducky smiled, agreeing. While he hadn't tried many herbal teas, he had tried the raspberry and liked it very much. While it certainly wasn't the tea he'd been drinking most of his life, the taste was quite good and he'd been told by his doctors to cut back on his caffeine intake.
Tim and Ducky sat at the table to take a look at whatever it was the older man had with him. Rob excused himself, saying he needed some fresh air and post-flight exercise. He waved as Timpa called after him to bundle up.
Ducky huffed, "Excellent decision! Now, this is a task I've been putting off since the year of the Great Scandinavian tour, something my dear cousins foisted on me."
Tim made no attempt to hide his surprise, "Ducky, that trip was in August of 2013, a year and a half ago."
"Yes, I'm aware of the passage of time. I have no excuse except that I didn't and still don't want to."
That made Tim chuckle, "I totally understand that. May I ask what it is?"
Ducky sighed, "My cousins were very much caught up in the genealogical craze, put their family trees online and had their DNA tested at the same site. They wanted to add me but after the disaster of being stabbed and then accused of a crime due to my work in the RAMC, I declined. They finally persuaded me to let them use a phony name for me and only input my birth-year, not my actual birthday.
"Then they wanted me to also have my DNA tested. That wasn't so bad, there are security options on the site they use, so I had mine tested when they did, and made sure it wasn't shared with anyone."
"That was smart. Have you looked at the results? Yours, I mean?"
"No, I have not. I know my cousins and I know that with Nicholas' death I am the last of my father's direct line and since the death of Kendrick, my older brother Angus' son, I am also the last of Mother's direct line. Yes, Jimmy will now show as my adopted son and the children as my adopted grandchildren, so he, Breena and the children are linked to my line and my cousins' families."
Tim looked at him, "But you still don't want to look at it." He paused, nodding before he spoke. "I understand. You know my beginnings and that I have zero interest in knowing who I might be related to. The only reason would be to have them imprisoned, although I'm not sure that would be enough."
"Not just those who were responsible for you but those who did what they did. And I agree, there is no punishment fit for that, even death would be too easy on them."
"Yes. Let's just say I'm glad I believe in hell."
"I agree, my dear boy."
"Ducky, you already know your life and your family's history or are there mysteries?"
The elderly man thought about that, finally nodding his head, "Not so much mysteries as blank spots. I would like to know more about my nephew, Kendrick, the son of my older brother. He and I were only a few years apart in age, he was the elder of the two of us, yet I only met him twice. Apparently when my parents divorced, it caused a great upheaval in their social circle and within the family. My mother told me decades later that my brother Angus' wife and in-laws were thoroughly scandalized at the thought of being related, even as in-laws, to anyone who'd been divorced. It was unheard of in their view of the world. That's why Kendrick and I only saw each other two times and why Angus made no effort to stay in touch with our parents. When he and his wife died in a vehicular accident, Kendrick was raised by his maternal grandparents and my parents and I were shut out completely."
Tim wrapped his arms around his friend and mentor. "I'm so sorry, you were not only cheated out of being part of Nicholas' life but also Kendrick's along with not knowing much about Angus."
"Yes, I was and I don't know if my cousins added them to their family trees."
"Would it help if I look at the beast with you?"
As intended, that raised a chuckle from Ducky, who nodded. "Yes, Timothy, it would, thank you."
Tim stood up straight, squaring his shoulders, "Then, Dr. Mallard, let us proceed!"
Laughing outright at Tim's mimicking his professional mien, Ducky slapped the file folder on the kitchen table, "Exhibit one."
Tim sat back down next to his friend and mentor and the two men opened the file, spending a minute or so organizing the pages. Then they sat, staring at a blank page. Tim looked at his friend, "Come on, we got this far. No going back now!"
Straightening his posture, Ducky made a face at the younger man, who chuckled while he flipped the blank page off to the side.
The next page had Ducky's mother's family, the Quillans', family tree. From there they found the Mallard page. Ducky pointed out his family, all with fake names, with no birthdays, although they did have the correct birth-years. His mother Victoria, father Joseph, brother Angus and Ducky himself were all there. Angus' wife was included along with Kendrick, although he also had a fake name. Ducky's entire birth family, father Joseph, mother Victoria, brother Angus, his wife, son Kendrick, Ducky as well as Joseph's son from his second marriage, Ducky's half-brother Nicholas, all had phony names.
Tim smiled, "They kept their word."
"Yes. Although I haven't worried about that."
There was a page stapled behind the page they were looking at. When they turned to it, they read a note from two of Ducky's cousins, Archie Quillan and Sloan Mallard. "Donald, we've figured out who most of the family tree matches are and we're wading through the DNA matches. Those appear in the form of leaves, or hints, on our various family trees. There is one DNA hint that each of our families has received that is a mystery to us and hope you'll be able to figure it out, none of us have been able to!"
Tim sat back, his gut pinging. He realized he felt as unsettled as he'd felt with the Mellos at the airport and returning to Varkiza. Still, he'd promised to help and this was Ducky, there was no way he'd refuse to go any further.
Ducky was a little curious although he also felt a sense of impending doom. Mentally laughing at his dramatics, he turned the page.
The two men quickly scanned the page, a family tree with what looked like four generations.
Tim's eyes glanced back at the first couple of names and then stopped at one, then two, then three of the names. Pulling out his reading glasses, he looked closer at one of the names and the information that went with it. He stared for several seconds before making a plaintive noise and then gagging, he shuddered, jumping up so quickly that the chair he'd been sitting in crashed to the floor. Holding a hand over his mouth, he ran for the nearest bathroom, slamming the door behind him.
Ducky was absorbing his own shock at the first two names but forced himself to look further. He was looking at names and dates, doing some quick calculations, when Tim abruptly left the table. Without consciously registering Tim's upset and departure, Ducky sat motionless, horrified at what he saw and what it must mean. Needing to get away, he tried to stand, to get away but his legs were shaking so much they wouldn't hold him up and he fell to the floor.
Notes:
I wrote the fictional story of the people recruited to work in the fictional country of Flauvtic months before the sadly real life current war and thought to take it out when war broke out in October. However, since the story doesn't have anything to do with current events and the Nazis, both World Wars and the Spanish Flu epidemic are real history, I decided to leave it in.
The bits about James moving and being woken by his fellow commuters on the train at his former stop are true, happened to me on both BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) and a commuter bus. I still think, decades later, that the funniest part was the followup on the bus days later when someone sitting somewhere around me told my seatmate to wake me, we were at my stop and at least three other people replied that I'd moved. Communities are everywhere whether they be cities, towns, neighborhoods or micro-communities on commute trains or express commute buses!