Camping with Gibbs 4/?
"Psst... wake up."
"Tony?" Tim rubbed his face as he tried to focus in the dark. "What are you doing? It's the middle of the night." He had to lean back as Tony shoved a phone in his face to show that it was actually an hour before sunrise.
"Come on, fish bite best at daybreak. Let's beat the old timers down there."
Tim sat up and stared at where he thought his partner was, putting on his clothes. "Okay, who are you and what did you do with Tony DiNozzo?"
"Not DiNozzo, not this week. We're Tony and Tim Gibbs and we're going to out-fish our dad and uncle." Apparently dressed, Tony was tugging at Tim's sleeping bag.
Giving in, Tim started feeling around for this shoes and coat. "You're crazy, you know that? He's going to slap us silly if we come back with a bunch of fish this time after they struck out yesterday."
Tony patted his knee and moved back to give him room to climb out of his sleeping bag. "Nah. Well, maybe me, but not you. Can't risk damaging the cook, now can he?"
"He'll show up, so we'd better have coffee." Tim finally had his shoes on and started moving around, gathering what they'd need, using his phone as a light instead of turning on a lantern. "You're really getting into this whole camping bit. Didn't think it was your thing."
The slight shadows showed a shrug. "Never went with someone so well equipped before. Besides, after everything that's happened, it's kinda nice to spread my wings, try something new."
"Yeah." The last few months had been hard, but the upside was that the two of them were closer than ever. "Winter's almost here, but why don't we plan on going out a couple of weekends next Spring? There's a new campground in Virginia that I want to try."
"Yeah?"
"Best of camping and resort vacations combined. Got a nice pool and they even have a crab festival. All you can eat crab."
"Crab? Okay, I'm in." Liking the sound of that, Tony watched Tim pack up most of what they'd need before gathering up their fishing gear and following Tim out, juggling everything as Tim zipped the tent closed.
--NCIS--
Gibbs heard a tent zipper and listened carefully before climbing to his feet to look out. It was just beginning to get light outside, but the boys were using a flashlight as they headed down the path to the lake. Thinking they had a good idea, Gibbs began to flex and stretch to work the kinks out from sleeping on the ground all night. He refused to admit that he was getting old, but the ground here was harder than it used to be. Finally able to move around, he nudged Fornell.
"Time to get up, the boys are already going down to the lake."
Fornell painfully rolled onto his stomach and pulled his knees under him to try and stretch his back as he groaned. "Tell me again why we're doing this?"
"It was your idea. Come on, get your ass in gear."
Gibbs was grinning, Fornell just knew it even if he couldn't see his face. "You're really enjoying this, aren't you?"
He deliberately misunderstood the question, even as his grin widened. "A week of camping and fishing on your agency's dime? What's not to like?" Gibbs pulled on a hoody and a warm coat. "You coming or what?"
By now Fornell was sitting up as he shook his head. "Nah, one of us needs to stay with the camp." With that he laid back down and pulled his sleeping bag tightly around himself.
"Good of you to volunteer for that, Tobias."
There was a faint, rather uncomplimentary rebuttal, but Gibbs was already zipping the tent closed behind him.
--NCIS--
Knowing his obsessively prepared partner, Tony wasn't all that surprised at the tiny cookstove and the French press he pulled out of his pack to make coffee as they set up on the lake shore, but the individual packets of hazelnut creamer made him grin. "Timmy, you are a prince among men." Still smiling, he opened three of the packets and poured them into his cup as they waited for the press to do its thing.
Coffee finished and poured, Tony was just getting ready to take his first sip when Gibbs arrived, homing in on the cup in his hand. "Umm..."
Smelling the freshly brewed coffee had put a spring in Gibbs' step and he reached for the closest cup, only Tony's grunt making him look down and see the creamer in the coffee. Tim rapidly shoved another cup under his nose, averting a crisis. "Here you go: hot, black and strong. Just the way you like it."
Gibbs drank down half the cup without taking a breath. "Ahh, there's nothing like that first cup of coffee on a morning like this. You boys sleep all right?"
"Sure did. Where's Uncle Toby? He's missing out." Tony was grinning as he wrapped his fingers around his mug, enjoying the warmth.
"He's holding the fort down for us." Gibbs watched them closely, expecting to find them moving stiffly. They seemed to be moving quite easily, so Gibbs looked around. "Any sign of our neighbor?"
Tim held up his smartphone that he'd tied into his computer. "Was asleep in his tent until about ten minutes ago. Now he's up, moving around, so I expect him here soon."
Gibbs wasn't all that surprised. Officially, they were to watch for any visitor he might have but leave it to McGee to find a way to follow his movements carefully. "You got a way to keep that thing charged or are you relying on your truck battery?"
The two younger men exchanged a quick look, which had Gibbs' eyebrow climbing even if he didn't question them. Tim finally spoke after subtly poking his partner. "Yeah, we got it all figured out. No worries."
There might have been more questioning, but they heard the splash of a jumping fish and three fishing lines quickly went into the water.
--NCIS--
"Good morning, looks like they're biting this morning."
Gibbs saluted their suspect with his mug. Between the three of them, they'd gotten four nice size fish before stopping to watch a beautiful sunrise. "Sure are. Got some coffee left if you'd like some."
Kyle nodded his thanks as Tony poured the last of the coffee into the mug they'd brought for Fornell. "Thanks, that hits the spot this morning. So, these are your boys, Jethro?"
"Yep." He pointed them out. "Tony, my oldest, and Tim." Introducing the 'brothers' brought up a memory that Gibbs had only slightly registered the day before. "Did you say that your brother was joining you later?"
"He might, but I got the feeling he's going to be stuck at work all week. Too bad for him, but I'm enjoying his favorite camping spot."
Gibbs leaned back on his stool. "His loss." Tony's stomach chose that moment to growl and Gibbs let out a snort as Kyle laughed.
"Sounds like it's time to feed your boys."
"That it does." Gibbs looked down into the bucket holding the fish before looking up at Tim. "We got enough for breakfast?"
Tim reviewed what was in his coolers and food boxes. "With eggs and potatoes, it should be plenty"
"All right." Gibbs stood and started picking up. Not only did they need to eat, but he wanted to put a call in to Vance. "We'll probably see you later, Kyle. Good luck, hopefully we left you a few fish."
--NCIS--
Still stiff and sore, Fornell wandered out to look for coffee. The fire was cold at their campsite, so he wandered over to where DiNozzo and McGee were set up. No fire there either, but he honed in on the Dutch oven that held the remains of the caramel apple pie. Pulling open the foil, he tore off a chunk and looked around for a comfortable place to sit. He eyeballed the two hammock chairs before looking down the path to the lake. Determining that he was still alone, he decided to give it a try. He shoved the piece of pie in his mouth and hoisted himself up, not prepared when it twisted.
"Oh, shit."
--NCIS--
Gibbs waited until they were out of earshot of their suspect before he spoke. "I should have taken you boys camping years ago."
It sounded suspiciously like an apology and both of them turned to look at him. Gibbs gave a small shrug and Tony jumped in before Gibbs could say anything else. "Tim was telling me about a campground in Virginia that he wants to try, invited me to go with him. Maybe we could all go?"
"Sure. I was telling Tony that they've got an annual crab festival that sounds like a lot of fun." Tim nodded enthusiastically as he quickly thought. "Or there's a half dozen campgrounds that I was hoping to check out."
"Been a long time since I've had a mess of fresh crab. Let's try that one first." Seeing both their faces light up, Gibbs knew he'd made the right call.
The path narrowed slightly, forcing them to walk single file for a bit. Tony ended up in front as he had the least amount to carry. When the path widened back out, he was still a few steps ahead of Gibbs and McGee, becoming the first to see their campsite. Tony stopped and stared, craning his head to the side as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing.
Gibbs was just starting to ask Tim about his work with the Scouts when Tony stopped right in front of him. After almost plowing into his senior agent, Gibbs looked to see what had floored him.
"What the hell?"
"Tony?" Tim rubbed his face as he tried to focus in the dark. "What are you doing? It's the middle of the night." He had to lean back as Tony shoved a phone in his face to show that it was actually an hour before sunrise.
"Come on, fish bite best at daybreak. Let's beat the old timers down there."
Tim sat up and stared at where he thought his partner was, putting on his clothes. "Okay, who are you and what did you do with Tony DiNozzo?"
"Not DiNozzo, not this week. We're Tony and Tim Gibbs and we're going to out-fish our dad and uncle." Apparently dressed, Tony was tugging at Tim's sleeping bag.
Giving in, Tim started feeling around for this shoes and coat. "You're crazy, you know that? He's going to slap us silly if we come back with a bunch of fish this time after they struck out yesterday."
Tony patted his knee and moved back to give him room to climb out of his sleeping bag. "Nah. Well, maybe me, but not you. Can't risk damaging the cook, now can he?"
"He'll show up, so we'd better have coffee." Tim finally had his shoes on and started moving around, gathering what they'd need, using his phone as a light instead of turning on a lantern. "You're really getting into this whole camping bit. Didn't think it was your thing."
The slight shadows showed a shrug. "Never went with someone so well equipped before. Besides, after everything that's happened, it's kinda nice to spread my wings, try something new."
"Yeah." The last few months had been hard, but the upside was that the two of them were closer than ever. "Winter's almost here, but why don't we plan on going out a couple of weekends next Spring? There's a new campground in Virginia that I want to try."
"Yeah?"
"Best of camping and resort vacations combined. Got a nice pool and they even have a crab festival. All you can eat crab."
"Crab? Okay, I'm in." Liking the sound of that, Tony watched Tim pack up most of what they'd need before gathering up their fishing gear and following Tim out, juggling everything as Tim zipped the tent closed.
--NCIS--
Gibbs heard a tent zipper and listened carefully before climbing to his feet to look out. It was just beginning to get light outside, but the boys were using a flashlight as they headed down the path to the lake. Thinking they had a good idea, Gibbs began to flex and stretch to work the kinks out from sleeping on the ground all night. He refused to admit that he was getting old, but the ground here was harder than it used to be. Finally able to move around, he nudged Fornell.
"Time to get up, the boys are already going down to the lake."
Fornell painfully rolled onto his stomach and pulled his knees under him to try and stretch his back as he groaned. "Tell me again why we're doing this?"
"It was your idea. Come on, get your ass in gear."
Gibbs was grinning, Fornell just knew it even if he couldn't see his face. "You're really enjoying this, aren't you?"
He deliberately misunderstood the question, even as his grin widened. "A week of camping and fishing on your agency's dime? What's not to like?" Gibbs pulled on a hoody and a warm coat. "You coming or what?"
By now Fornell was sitting up as he shook his head. "Nah, one of us needs to stay with the camp." With that he laid back down and pulled his sleeping bag tightly around himself.
"Good of you to volunteer for that, Tobias."
There was a faint, rather uncomplimentary rebuttal, but Gibbs was already zipping the tent closed behind him.
--NCIS--
Knowing his obsessively prepared partner, Tony wasn't all that surprised at the tiny cookstove and the French press he pulled out of his pack to make coffee as they set up on the lake shore, but the individual packets of hazelnut creamer made him grin. "Timmy, you are a prince among men." Still smiling, he opened three of the packets and poured them into his cup as they waited for the press to do its thing.
Coffee finished and poured, Tony was just getting ready to take his first sip when Gibbs arrived, homing in on the cup in his hand. "Umm..."
Smelling the freshly brewed coffee had put a spring in Gibbs' step and he reached for the closest cup, only Tony's grunt making him look down and see the creamer in the coffee. Tim rapidly shoved another cup under his nose, averting a crisis. "Here you go: hot, black and strong. Just the way you like it."
Gibbs drank down half the cup without taking a breath. "Ahh, there's nothing like that first cup of coffee on a morning like this. You boys sleep all right?"
"Sure did. Where's Uncle Toby? He's missing out." Tony was grinning as he wrapped his fingers around his mug, enjoying the warmth.
"He's holding the fort down for us." Gibbs watched them closely, expecting to find them moving stiffly. They seemed to be moving quite easily, so Gibbs looked around. "Any sign of our neighbor?"
Tim held up his smartphone that he'd tied into his computer. "Was asleep in his tent until about ten minutes ago. Now he's up, moving around, so I expect him here soon."
Gibbs wasn't all that surprised. Officially, they were to watch for any visitor he might have but leave it to McGee to find a way to follow his movements carefully. "You got a way to keep that thing charged or are you relying on your truck battery?"
The two younger men exchanged a quick look, which had Gibbs' eyebrow climbing even if he didn't question them. Tim finally spoke after subtly poking his partner. "Yeah, we got it all figured out. No worries."
There might have been more questioning, but they heard the splash of a jumping fish and three fishing lines quickly went into the water.
--NCIS--
"Good morning, looks like they're biting this morning."
Gibbs saluted their suspect with his mug. Between the three of them, they'd gotten four nice size fish before stopping to watch a beautiful sunrise. "Sure are. Got some coffee left if you'd like some."
Kyle nodded his thanks as Tony poured the last of the coffee into the mug they'd brought for Fornell. "Thanks, that hits the spot this morning. So, these are your boys, Jethro?"
"Yep." He pointed them out. "Tony, my oldest, and Tim." Introducing the 'brothers' brought up a memory that Gibbs had only slightly registered the day before. "Did you say that your brother was joining you later?"
"He might, but I got the feeling he's going to be stuck at work all week. Too bad for him, but I'm enjoying his favorite camping spot."
Gibbs leaned back on his stool. "His loss." Tony's stomach chose that moment to growl and Gibbs let out a snort as Kyle laughed.
"Sounds like it's time to feed your boys."
"That it does." Gibbs looked down into the bucket holding the fish before looking up at Tim. "We got enough for breakfast?"
Tim reviewed what was in his coolers and food boxes. "With eggs and potatoes, it should be plenty"
"All right." Gibbs stood and started picking up. Not only did they need to eat, but he wanted to put a call in to Vance. "We'll probably see you later, Kyle. Good luck, hopefully we left you a few fish."
--NCIS--
Still stiff and sore, Fornell wandered out to look for coffee. The fire was cold at their campsite, so he wandered over to where DiNozzo and McGee were set up. No fire there either, but he honed in on the Dutch oven that held the remains of the caramel apple pie. Pulling open the foil, he tore off a chunk and looked around for a comfortable place to sit. He eyeballed the two hammock chairs before looking down the path to the lake. Determining that he was still alone, he decided to give it a try. He shoved the piece of pie in his mouth and hoisted himself up, not prepared when it twisted.
"Oh, shit."
--NCIS--
Gibbs waited until they were out of earshot of their suspect before he spoke. "I should have taken you boys camping years ago."
It sounded suspiciously like an apology and both of them turned to look at him. Gibbs gave a small shrug and Tony jumped in before Gibbs could say anything else. "Tim was telling me about a campground in Virginia that he wants to try, invited me to go with him. Maybe we could all go?"
"Sure. I was telling Tony that they've got an annual crab festival that sounds like a lot of fun." Tim nodded enthusiastically as he quickly thought. "Or there's a half dozen campgrounds that I was hoping to check out."
"Been a long time since I've had a mess of fresh crab. Let's try that one first." Seeing both their faces light up, Gibbs knew he'd made the right call.
The path narrowed slightly, forcing them to walk single file for a bit. Tony ended up in front as he had the least amount to carry. When the path widened back out, he was still a few steps ahead of Gibbs and McGee, becoming the first to see their campsite. Tony stopped and stared, craning his head to the side as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing.
Gibbs was just starting to ask Tim about his work with the Scouts when Tony stopped right in front of him. After almost plowing into his senior agent, Gibbs looked to see what had floored him.
"What the hell?"