First of all, I want to send a shout out to everyone, thanks for reading and for those who review/comment.
People have mentioned Artemis having 'another' baby. At this point in the story, she has not been pregnant in more than 5 years. Liam and Chloe, Tim and Artemis' two younger children, are adopted and within a few months all four of their children will be in school. So yes, they're adding another child but this is their first newborn in 5 years.
And yes, their siblings are having children, whether fostered/adopted as several of them are or giving birth to their DNA-sharing children. As far as I know, people are still having children and the people in this story can certainly afford them. Other than mentions here and there, except for Tim and Artie's children they'll mostly be background as playmates for Tim's kids. As a child who grew up with older parents and no one in my family or within the extended family anywhere near my age, you bet these children are always going to have other children to play with or hang out with as they grow up.
And yes, whoever said what an understanding boss Vance is, he is. Right now the primary reasons for his flexibility are that 1) he still feels bad for the mess he and former SecNav Davenport created for Tim, the one that started this series and 2) he also hopes that Tim will agree to step up into the director's chair when he is ready to retire. With both of those issues in mind, he's willing to be flexible when possible.
Also, I'm extending the definition of Rule 44, "First things first: hide the women and children, to mean "Family first". For some reason I thought that had become a Rule but it was only used for an episode title, one I'm sure we all remember as it was Michael Weatherly's last episode as a series regular.
Ch 32: SHARING THE NEWS AND A NEW ADVENTURE
Ch 32: SHARING THE NEWS AND A NEW ADVENTURE
Before telling anyone else, besides Leon, about their pregnancy, Tim and Artie sat down with the senior Gibbs to tell them the news. In the hours since they'd started planning who to tell and when, Tim remembered his dad being upset that he and Malu hadn't been told about Liam and Chloe ahead of time. So they were told along with the children about their New Baby.
Both adults and children were excited although the children worried about how long they'd have to keep the secret. Grandparents and grandchildren smiled happily when told it would only be one hour as Tim had already scheduled a Skype call with the entire family. He and Artie had contacted the Porters earlier and told them their good news. Cyndie and Larry were excited and decided to spend Christmas in Jaxton with the family.
When everyone else was present for the call, including all of the Greek family, Tim and Artie grinned at the screen and Tim spoke, "We're pregnant, close to 8 weeks along now! Our due date is flexible right now although the doctor thinks Baby will make an appearance mid-November. That means that Jimmy, Ziva or I may be sharing our birthday with Baby. If Baby is late, Tommy or Liam might be sharing. We don't know anything else about Baby yet and because of our ages, that is Artie's and mine, several additional tests will be conducted, we should have the results by the end of this week."
Artie nodded, "I also have some restrictions, no flights anywhere over 5 hours and especially no transatlantic flights. That means we can fly to Tain, Athens and many places in Europe as well as crossing the Mediterranean but we won't be crossing the Atlantic until after the baby is born. We're hoping all of you will join us here in Jaxton for one or both Christmases.
"We'll also need to speak offline with Tony and Bill as we need to move up to the third floor, to a larger suite. Ours was already becoming cramped as our children grow but with the transfer, we thought we'd wait until we came home. Now we'll be here until January or February and we'll need the new space before the baby joins us, that is with our landlord's approval. I do have the doctor's permission to design and engineer the new suite, as long as I'm not on site during the build."
Laughing, Artie, Tim and all four children bowed to their audience, who cheered.
Peter raised his hand, "Congratulations, we're excited about having another grandchild! I have a question, if there's time?"
"Sure!"
"Do you have plans for the children's half-term holiday in June?"
Artie nodded, "We have tentative plans, yes. At first we thought we'd stay home but now that I'll be unable to travel much past mid-June we've decided to spend their holiday in Varkiza, the flight is short enough." She added, "We may also fly to Tain for the family reunion although by that time I might be more comfortable traveling by train."
"You said you'll be able to fly across the Mediterranean?"
"In June, yes. Probably not much later than that."
On screen, Rob, Jimmy, the senior Dr. Mallard, Rhode and retired nurses Athena and Ziva's mother-in-law Julie Metzger nodded in agreement.
Artie's father smiled, "Good! We have something in mind but haven't properly planned it yet. Rhode and I will contact you when we do."
"Wonderful, I can't wait to hear what it is!"
Ian, Artie's brother-in-law, frowned, "Tim, what about the trials? Will you have to go over by yourself?"
"I don't think so, Ian. We're still moving, just not until January or February and I've been told that none of the trials have been scheduled yet, so we may already be in the US when they start. Additionally and maybe the most important, all the legal folks have agreed that those of us who need to testify may do so remotely and anonymously. I've discussed this with Director Vance, asking to do that from London, probably from the US Embassy since that is regarded as US soil, or foreign soil, that is foreign to the UK. Of course, that's while we're still in Jaxton."
"That's a great idea."
Tim nodded. "Thanks. Every time someone has said we can testify remotely, I've waited for them to put some sort of parameters around what that means. So far they haven't and now if they do but don't include off-shore locations, I'll fight it. I don't know this for a fact but I wouldn't be surprised if I'm not the only one involved who lives outside the US. And who knows, some or all of the trials may not take place until after we finally move, although the sooner they're over with the better!"
After a few more questions, they ended the call and Tim and Artie sat back, relieved to have everything out in the open.
Over the next weeks, they had the results of the tests and were greatly relieved that all was well with their embryo and with Artemis. If problems occurred there might be additional tests; however, for now everything was good. In the meantime she and Tim started working on what they wanted for their new third floor suite. Sarah, James, Geordie and Bec were happy the family would be moving upstairs, knowing that when they returned from the US, they would resume living in that suite. The three couples met to discuss locations.
While Geordie and his family were still living on the main floor, waiting out infant Lucy's nighttime feedings, they already knew which rooms they wanted to fashion into a 3 bedroom suite for their family. They'd thought about adding a 4th bedroom for Bec's father Ben before remembering he already had a designated room on the first floor. If he wanted to be on the third floor, unoccupied rooms would still available. As they would have a lounge in their new suite, Bec thought they might also purchase a pullout couch, that is one that makes into a bed, for that lounge. Their 2nd bathroom would also be available to anyone in the common area.
Working out who would go where was easy enough. Bec and Geo were teased about waiting for Lucy's reduced night feedings as there would only be a few months respite for them before Tim and Artie's new baby would also have nighttime feedings. Geo smiled, saying Bill had already promised to add sound proofing to their new suite as well as to Tim and Artie's new suite.
The Timothy Gibbses would be at the opposite end and across the hallway of the 3rd floor from the junior Powells while Geordie, Bec, Brian and Mia would be on the same side as the Powells and down a few rooms from the Gibbs' suite, very close to an equal distance from each.
The design for Artie and Tim's place closely followed what Tim told Vance in their recent call: 5 bedrooms, a small kitchenette, 2 full and a half bathrooms, there was already a full bathroom near their end of the 3rd floor, and a lounge as well as a family room. The couple thought they would also add a pullout couch to the lounge for visitors or perhaps for the roommate of a sick child or spouse. The family room would be a multi-purpose room where they could gather together, the children could study and do their school work, they could read, they'd have a few bookshelves and play games.
The kitchenette would be fairly small, with a utility closet built on the end of one side for their vacuum, mop, broom and other unwieldy items. The bulk of the kitchen would consist of 1 small cabinet above and 1 larger cabinet below a work/counter top with sink and faucets, while an 'appliance garage' would fit on the counter and would hold a microwave and electric kettle as well as Tim's coffee-maker. A drawer for cutlery and a mini-refrigerator would be housed underneath the counter on the side with the small cabinet and the utility closet. At the other end of the counter, a small dishwasher would sit underneath the counter. The large cabinet would be under the sink with the plumbing, household cleaning supplies, two trash bins, one for garbage, one for recycling. With a baby on the way who would be walking by the time they returned home, as well as baby's brothers and sisters who were currently still young, that cabinet, the drawer with the cutlery, including forks and knives, and the appliance garage atop the counter would be locked at all times, at least until the children were older.
Once Tony approved of the designs for both new suites, the two couples conferred, deciding that with Artie already pregnant, the need for their new suite was greater than Geordie and Bec's. Besides, Lucy was still night feeding! The decision made, Bill was officially hired and immediately got to work. Rather than duplicate his efforts, he would do the tear downs and some of the other work at the same time for both suites.
While all this was going on, Chloe celebrated her 4th birthday at the end of April, excited that she and Liam would be in Reception together during the next school year. Their cousin McKenna would also start Reception at that time, with her friends from nursery, at school in London.
May was quiet as the older twins continued their adventures in Reception while Chloe attended preschool classes with Liam, Jasper had fun at nursery with all his friends, and McKenna was happily looking forward to their summer fun as well as school in the Fall!
In France, Ned and Barry's daughters, Naomi and Ava, now 5 and almost 6 ½, were enjoying their classes. Naomi, whose birthday was in October, was in preschool and would move up to primary school the following September. Ava, whose birthday was in January, had moved up to primary school the previous September. The four babies born in 2013, Alec in Scotland, now a proud 2 year old, Donnie a new big brother in Jaxton, Madelyn in London and Tommy in the US, were also in daycare/nursery, learning new things all the time.
The beginning of June brought Jasper's 3rd birthday and none of the resident adults were surprised when he asked his parents if he could have a baby sister, he'd been talking about it for weeks. Having anticipated the request, his parents had been in contact with D'Arcy McKenna and hoped to bring another child into their family soon. Bill laughed when Artie asked if he and Nikki wanted to make any changes to what would soon her family's former suite.
By the time the half-term holiday arrived in June, the Timothy Gibbses had moved upstairs into their new suite while Bill, Nikki and Jasper moved into their former suite, after making a few cosmetic changes. Geordie and his family would follow Tim's family to the third floor nearly a month later when Lucy began consistently sleeping longer. Bill added the promised sound-proofing to several suites, including his and Nikki's new place as well as the Powells' and the junior Mallards, which helped considerably.
Jimmy and Breena's suite was on the first floor, close to Ducky and Athena's quarters. They had a 3 bedroom suite although right now baby Victoria, as had become the family custom, only slept in her crib during the day. Although Donnie liked his baby sister all right, he wasn't very happy with the noise she made at night. When he was told he'd also cried a lot, he shook his head, "I don't remember!"
Donnie's grandparents, aunts and uncles helped by having him sleep over with them a few times and he, along with his older cousins Brian and Mia, even spent a few nights in London with Uncle Tony, Aunt Maggie, cousins McKenna, Madelyn and their grandfather Papi!
Eventually Lucy and Victoria started sleeping for longer periods of time at night and the residents of the Jaxton house took full advantage, knowing the months until the next new baby arrived would fly by.
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Artemis and Susannah's father Peter Lekkas finally told his parents about his two grown daughters, the couple's granddaughters, their husbands and parents as well as their children, his parents' great-grandchildren. After they'd worked through the shock of their son's news they asked to meet the new-to-them family.
Galen Lekkas and Katarin Florakis, the 'new' grandparents, were elderly, didn't like to travel and after moving to Crete once their son was grown, were reluctant to return to the mainland. That being the case, the planned half-term holiday to Varkiza in June evolved into a new adventure, meeting Artemis and Susannah's paternal grandparents on the island of Crete. The two sisters, their husbands, children, Peter, Rhode, their young adult children, Tim's parents and the senior Clachers along with Grandpa Jackson, Uncle LJ, Athena and Ducky flew to Crete to meet them.
Tim was relieved that they were able to fly straight to the island from London, reducing the time in the air and the strain on his wife. While all their tests were good, Artie strictly followed the doctor's restrictions. Although at first she'd thought the doctor was over-reacting, as her pregnancy continued she found herself tiring more quickly than she cared to admit. Both she and Tim were excited to be close to the end of their first trimester and looking forward to having an ultrasound after their return from Crete.
The group spent 10 wonderful days on the island, staying in Airbnbs, seeing the new grandparents, the children's new great-grandparents, daily as well as exploring the island and of course enjoying the beaches. When Artemis, Susannah and their families were officially added to the Lekkas' family Bible, both women cried happy tears. They were also thrilled to meet their grandmother's Florakis family and were duly entered into that family Bible as well.
Although Pappouli Galen liked and approved of his two new grandsons-in-law, he was quietly disappointed that neither one had a drop of Greek blood. Having by now seen and studied his maternal grandfather's, that is Ducky's, DNA results, Timόtheos was now aware of his Scottish and French ancestry as well as Grandpa Jack and Dad Jethro's DNA results. With the addition of those results, he knew he also had German and Irish forbears. After the trials were over, he intended to have his own DNA tested to see what he'd inherited. Ian, Tim's fellow 'new' grandson-in-law, knew his ancestry was Scottish, descended from the Ancient Britons.
Despite the lack of Greek ancestry, Galen and his spouse were pleased that the two men, all of the children and some of the in-laws were comfortable both speaking and understanding spoke their language fluently. However, there was always room for improvement and the elderly couple enjoyed helping their new in-laws learn more of the Greek language.
When they hosted a party to welcome their granddaughters and families to the Lekkas family, Galen was elated to see that not only his new grandsons-in-law knew how to properly dance to Greek music but their parents and the 'new' great-grandchildren did as well! For Galen and his wife, Katarin, that sealed the deal.
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While they were staying on Crete, Tim and Jethro spent most of a day aboard the US Navy base, viewing the progress being made on the bridges from the main island to the two still uninhabited islands, as well as having a helicopter ride over to see the progress on the homes for dependent families, the medical clinic, base schools, commissary, the base exchange and other buildings. The bridges being built to the islands were ahead of schedule, mostly due to the relatively calm winter of 2015. After the storms of 2014, the schedule for the bridges had included plenty of time for work stoppages due to the weather. The materials for the housing, clinic, schools and shopping areas had also benefited from the good weather, having been ferried to the islands several weeks ahead of schedule.
Although Tim didn't say anything, Jethro knew his son was excited and pleased to see the plans he'd drawn up in response to a 'brain worm' come to life. The candidate who'd caused the big stir won the election and the outgoing president of Flauvtic praised the new leader for his forward thinking and the Americans for their quick and well-ordered response.
Now that they knew why there were so many Americans working in the country as well as the horrific story of the Jewish families who'd been promised jobs and homes, a new country, only to be murdered in those homes and places of work by the Nazis, the new president had given the Americans a very generous timeline to leave and made sure the retirees, those dependents legally old enough to make their own decisions to stay long enough to finish their educations and those people who'd married into native families were removed from the evacuation lists.
A memorial was being designed for those murdered by the Nazis and would stand in the country's capital city. The names of all those who lost their lives were being gathered and would be included in the memorial. While Artie didn't risk her pregnancy, she was able to submit design suggestions to those in charge of selecting the overall look and feel of the structure. Ultimately, a young Flauvtican woman won the bid. She was the great-granddaughter of one of the few Jews who had survived the bloodbath, hidden by her neighbors in a hidden underground vault in their cellar.
After a wonderful holiday with Artemis' and Susannah's paternal grandparents, the group split up, with Peter, Rhode and their young adult offspring flying to Athens while the others flew to London. Although they'd had a wonderful time and Artemis hadn't experienced any problems, she admitted to her husband that she was exhausted and very happy to be home!
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Before dinner one evening several days after their return from Crete, James sat next to his brother-in-law, leaning in to speak quietly with him. "Tim, Nikki, Jimmy and I have had a few questions from people as to what's planned for the Fourth of July."
Tim blanched, he'd forgotten all about the holiday! Thinking quickly, he told James, "The London teams are on call the Fourth, which is a Saturday so we'll need to celebrate on Sunday or the following weekend. Do you have any updates planned on the 5th or the following weekend?"
"No updates on either weekend. That's great then, Sunday's the day. Want me to put together an invitation for the bulletin boards in the break rooms?"
"Yes, thank you! How about adding something about bringing their favorite American side dishes to share? And, hang on, let's talk to Artie, Nikki, Malu and Breena, although this year she won't need to be involved."
Finding that Breena had already been told about the usual US Independence Day celebration, the other three women were consulted. Lu grinned, "About time you asked!"
She told them what they'd already planned, what competitive games they'd have, for example the three legged races and that Geordie, LJ, Jethro, Grandpas Jack and Mac already had the questions ready for the history contests. Tim chuckled when told that Breena had found decorative items for the "Uncle Sam" hats and ordered both the hats and the decorations online. Apparently she would be involved this year despite having recently given birth. Sarah, who, to Tim's surprise was also involved, and Cynthia Sumner Dalton had volunteered for the face painting booth. Overall there were games planned for nearly every age group, excluding only the infants.
Artie grinned, "We looked on Pinterest although we've already used most of the suggestions there. So then we asked Marla Martinez and Trina Russell what games they play. Of course Athens' party is on the beach but we can still play some of the games they do. We also asked Ned, who said that Barry was working with Marla to put things together. Now that the Martinezes have returned from Hamburg to Marseille to live, they've offered to host as Ned and Barry's yard isn't large enough for any races or games. Of course, there are fewer of them but then Marla suggested asking other expats, she had a list.
"When we called Bob Chalmers in Germany, he laughed and said he'd asked his peers, who'd given him some ideas. He said he and his wife have enough room in their backyard for a few tables, he reported that within the office staff they have 3 folding tables and his wife asked their neighbors who will loan them a few more tables. There's enough room in their yard to do the hats, the costume contest, the history contest and using a shorter course, the three legged contest. He said on the invitation they're asking everyone to bring their own folding chair to sit on. They have benches for the various tables but people might not want to sit at the table all day long. He also asked if whoever usually runs the history contest was willing to share. Geordie says he'll send them questions he, Mac and LJ have used before, along with the answers. They're also going to invite other expats, including the local CIA and Homeland agents and their families."
"James, we almost forgot! Both Ned and Bob asked about fireworks and we told them about your clips. Any chance you want to share with them?"
"Sure! Tim and I have several firework shows we've put together. I'll send them tomorrow and include instructions just in case."
"Great, thank you! Now, we've already ordered the sheet cake and we've hired a caterer to handle all the food. And yes, we gave them specifics for what food we want and how to serve it, cold, hot, on a plate, whether something is regarded as finger food or needs cutlery or both. James, we also have the invitation written up for the various break rooms at the office and I know Tim will also send out an email."
Thinking about it, Tim said, "Yes and I'll include our local FBI, CIA and Homeland agents. I'll apply for the drinks license. How many people do we expect?"
"No more than 80, we've also asked some non-US government ex pats."
Tim nodded, remembering that with the larger number the licensing board would cut back on the amount of alcohol they could serve. That was fine with him! He'd also need to let Tony know so he could add it to his insurance policy for the day. He rolled his eyes at himself, he'd also need to contact his own insurance agent, as he was the main tenant on the lease, he would be legally responsible for any problems.
After dinner, he called his brother about the insurance and Tony laughed, "I'm glad you reminded me! I remember wondering about the Fourth of July but that was a few months ago, I think we were still in Greece!"
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At work, after Cynthia sent out the office-wide invitation, she made a face before knocking on the inner door to Tim's office. "Tim, I need to tell you about something."
He looked at her, one eyebrow raised as she looked worried. He gestured to the overstuffed chairs that had replaced the two person sofa and she sat down as he joined her in the other chair.
Taking a breath, she said, "Logan, our older boy, has two new children in his class, American twins. He heard Chaz and I talking about the party for the Fourth and asked one of the twins if they were going. Apparently the twin said something to his parents as one of them knocked on our door last evening. Chaz answered the door and when I didn't hear anyone talking, I got worried and went to see what was happening. Chaz was staring at you in the open doorway. Only it wasn't you. Luckily Chaz was too surprised to say your name but I remembered the trouble with that man in Greece."
Tim nodded. "Yes. He and his family were only in Greece for the spring term then they moved here, to the UK for a permanent professorial position at Bedford University, which is in Brambury, right?"
She nodded, her eyes even wider, "That was him?"
"Probably, he's got twins. He's my half-brother and with the trials and all that coming up, we're not allowed to be near each other, even if I wanted to be, which I do not. What happened after you got to the door?"
"He told us what Logan told his son and asked if it was in Bedford, that he and his wife would like to go if possible. I'd given Chaz a signal not to say anything and he didn't while I explained it was only for the employees of the company I work for." She paused, shaking her head, "I cannot believe how much he looks like you!"
Tim made a face, tilting his head, "You know, when I was in foster care I used to wish that people who looked like me, who were related to me but not to the bad people, would find me and take me home with them. Now I have someone who looks like me and I don't want anything to do with him!"
Swallowing a sigh, he pulled out a business card and continued, "To be safe, not that he's necessarily dangerous but as far as the trials go, that kind of safe. Would you please call this number and tell the agent who you are, that we work together and what happened. While it's not Mello's fault and I'm glad you didn't say anything about NCIS, Agent Andreson still needs to know. And if Mello ever approaches either of you or James again, call that number. It's our San Diego office so you might want to wait a few hours, and they'll arrange for someone here to speak with him. Legally, he's not allowed within a certain distance of me, not that he was near me while he was at your place."
He shook his head, "Now I feel bad, they're new ex-pats, Greece didn't turn out the way they'd hoped and they might be homesick. A July 4th party could be a good thing for them. This wasn't his fault. Do you know of anyone in Brambury or London who's having one?"
"Yes, now that I think of it. I don't know who it is but I saw a flier somewhere in Brambury for an 'American Style 4th of July party'. I'll track it down and give it to Logan to give it to the twin or maybe I'll mail it to their house anonymously."
"I like that idea better! You and your family don't need to get tangled up with this! And Cynthia, thank you for telling me!"
"Should we worry about Logan being in class with his children?"
"No. I only met his children once and I had my back to them most of the time they were in the car. Artie did all the talking."
"All right, then I'll wait and call San Diego later."
Tim winced, "They're 7 hours behind us. It's a toll-free or you know you can call the Navy Yard's toll-free number and have them put you through."
"I might do that, it's easier and then I might get to say hello to Henry!"
Tim grinned, "If you do, tell him hello for me, please?"
"I will!"
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Tim had gone in to work early that day so he could leave early to meet with the Jaxton area licensing board. As expected, they approved the drinks, restricted to beer, with a maximum of 2 per person. When Tim reiterated the rules they'd given him previously, they smiled. "Yes, to all that. Mr. Barnes-Gibbs is aware?"
"Yes, and we've each contacted our insurance carriers. Would you like copies when we receive the paperwork for the additional insurance coverages?"
"Thank you, yes. Although we haven't needed them before, our auditor has asked that we begin keeping copies for things like this, a copy from each of you, landlord and tenant."
Tim smiled, "Good, then I'll let Barnes-Gibbs know and we'll send them to you as soon as we have them. It will be a few days."
As he left, he put a few copies of the invitation on a table near the door to the meeting room. With the children in school, even though the past year had been sporadic as far as local attendance, and the family living in Jaxton, attending church, doing their shopping there, they'd decided to include their neighbors this year, although Tony's other tenants, the people who lived in the former stables at the back of the property, had always been part of their Jaxton July Fourth celebrations. They also invited the children's teachers, this year from the primary school as well as the nursery and preschool.
While Tim and his family likely wouldn't be here next year although now he thought they might fly over, in the US the children would be out of school in June. Tony told him he and Maggie wanted to continue hosting the party along with any of their family still in residence. Done for now with his part of the party preparations, Tim parked his car in the garage and was walking to the house when his phone rang with a request for a Facetime conversation. Looking at the ID, he accepted the call via Facetime.
"Good morning, Agent Andreson."
"Good evening, Agent Gibbs. Do you have a minute?"
"Yes, I'm just home from arranging the liquor license for our Fourth of July party."
"Your what? You have a party on the Fourth?"
"Yes, although not on the Fourth when it's a weekday or when a team posted to a particular office is on call. All of the agency's overseas offices celebrate the Fourth, although rarely on the actual day unless their host country also has a holiday that day. The Fourth is on a Saturday this year; however the London teams are on call, so our party will be on Sunday the 5th. All the European offices coordinate so we each have a weekend day where we're off duty and ready to celebrate.
"In the UK, we have a party in our back garden, that's the backyard, which is huge. The Athens office staff takes a ferry to an island just off the mainland where they give everyone a show when they set off their fireworks after a day of playing in the Mediterranean. I've been to their parties, they're fun! Rota has a pool party at the SSA's home and the other offices have favorite places for their parties. And it's for everyone who works at that office, plus their families, significant others, friends and generally any other US government employees, CIA and Homeland agents who are known to that specific office and are in the vicinity. We have games for the kids and adults as well as a few fun contests and lots of food, prepared American style. Here in Jaxton we're also allowed to serve beer, that's why the liquor license."
"How many people do you have?"
"As London is a big city and there are many ex-pats here, we usually have several non-NCIS guests, although they're usually also federal government employees. As I said, CIA, Homeland and FBI agents we work with and their families."
"Is it agency sponsored?"
"Not officially although each office budgets for it and Director Vance is adamant that we celebrate American holidays, our Independence Day and Thanksgiving are the two big ones. It's usually the SSA or SAC's job to kick it off although we're not always the ones to organize things. In my case, my wife, mother, sister and sister-in-law handle most of the planning. I get the liquor license and handle a few other legal details. If an SAC or SSA doesn't do anything, they will hear about it from Vance. As a matter of fact, I know of one SSA who didn't plan anything and that resulted in a close look from his SAC and the Director at how he conducted business. Bottom line, he's no longer employed by this agency or any other American agency."
"Wow, I had no idea!"
"Morale is always important, especially when you're living and working thousands of miles from home. Sorry, I got on a tangent, you called me!"
Jeff Andreson laughed, "That's my fault, not yours and now I've learned something new. I called to confirm that we heard from Ms. Dalton. Considering what we've been talking about, it's pretty weird to me that in Europe, full of different countries, Mello should end up in a town 30 minutes away from you and that his kid should end up talking with a friend who's the child of your Executive Assistant. I know it's a small world but still!"
Tim nodded, saying, "I can understand how you'd see it that way but it's not suspicious once you know the background, more unnerving, at least that was Ms. Dalton and her husband's response. First of all, the uni where Mello is now teaching is in Brambury and I believe they came looking for him after he started looking at overseas' universities; yes, I remember that he told me the Greek offer came after he'd already accepted the offer at Bedford. Brambury is a suburb of London, as is Jaxton. Both towns offer easy commutes into London, via the tube, sorry, Underground, bus or train.
"For some years London was notoriously expensive for families or anyone else to live in. I believe right now it's not so bad but in the past it's been out of reach for a lot of people. And some people don't want to live in big cities, they want their children to live in smaller towns, smaller class sizes, etc. So, Ms. Dalton. She was the late Director Shepard's Executive Assistant when I was a probie and my first years as a Junior Agent working aboard the Navy Yard.
"When the director died, Cynthia left the agency and so did I, although I think I left after she did. Anyway, I returned to NCIS about 18 months ago after 6 years as an FBI agent and teaching university in California, here in the UK and then consulting for the FBI and NCIS. I returned to the agency in January 2014 and lo and behold found Cynthia Sumner, as I once knew her, was now Cynthia Sumner Dalton, married with kids, living in Brambury and had decided to return to work.
"That's her story. As far as Mello goes, he didn't want to commute from London to Brambury and thought the old market town sounded perfect for his family. Why commute when he could walk to work if he lived in Brambury. And that's it, plain and simple."
Andreson laughed, "So you say!" He cleared his throat, "I agree with you that Professor Mello didn't do anything wrong although he unknowingly created an awkward situation for Ms. Dalton and her husband. Thank you for having her contact us."
"Welcome. Any news you can share?"
"Yes, oh, congratulations on your future baby! I heard about your request to testify from the UK, have no idea what the answer will be. However, none of the trials have been scheduled yet so you may still end up testifying remotely from somewhere in the US."
"I'm not terribly surprised, you and I both know how long it takes for trials to actually take place! That's all right as long as my family is there. Well, it's not all right, I'd rather not have to testify at all but it doesn't look like that's going away."
"Right."
"All right, Jeff, oops sorry, Agent Andreson! Thanks for the call and the information."
The other man chuckled as he thanked Tim for the information about offshore offices. Tim thought about the man's reaction to Greece, quietly wondering if he'd be willing to move overseas, providing it was to a Mediterranean-like climate.
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(SPOILER ALERT IF YOU HAVEN'T YET SEEN Season 21, Ep. 2, THE DUCKY EPISODE)
The end of the episode: I could have hugged Michael, Brian, Sean and Brian's co-author when former agent DiNozzo appeared in Autopsy and then what followed. Since none of them magically appeared in my living room to be hugged, I cried some more instead. And the brief glimpse of the three of them in the elevator made me think of the elevator scene with Tim, Tony, Ziva and Abby after Mike Franks' death. Sad but very true to NCIS and a wonderful episode honoring our Ducky and his portrayer, David McCallum.