Camping with Gibbs 07/?
"That was damn good chili and cornbread."
This morning Gibbs had been nice and brought two cups of coffee back with him, even though Tim had gotten to the coffee pot first. "Well, yeah, you ate three bowls of the chili and practically licked the last crumb of cornbread out of the skillet."
Fornell really didn't have an answer to that so he changed the subject. "Clear and cold today, what's the plan? Other than keep watching Kyle and hope his brother shows up?"
"Well, the weather's good for fishing. Let's see if that gets him out of his tent this morning."
The other tent was stirring to life and after more coffee was made the four men headed down to the lake. Their usual spot was pretty muddy still from the earlier rains so Gibbs led them to a new spot, coincidentally a little closer to the campsite they were watching. The slightly different terrain prompted Gibbs into pulling out a different set of tackle.
"What's that?"
Gibbs smiled at Tony's question. Tim had brought fishing gear for both of the boys, but it was the standard starter kit most novices carried. It worked fine when they were standing on the bank next to a deep section of lake, but it was shallower here. "Water's not very deep over here so we need to cast further out and make sure we don't hit bottom."
Feeling more like a father than he had in many years, Gibbs explained the different types of lures and spinners he had and helped his two boys change out their gear. For their part, both Tony and Tim soaked up the information, especially Tim who had only taken his scouts to various public fish farms where they were guaranteed a good catch.
Tobias also listened carefully. He wasn't much of an outdoors-man, but he did know about fishing and even he learned a few tricks that morning. Mostly, he enjoyed watching his old friend interacting with the boys, not a trace of 'agent' or 'gunny' evident that morning.
The first fish of the day had been Gibbs' as he demonstrated shallow water techniques. Tony had reeled in the second, followed by Fornell. Now Tim had a monster of a trout tempted, but not quite latching onto the hook yet and Gibbs was at his shoulder, encouraging him and giving him more hints.
"Yes, you got him, son. Let him fight it for a minute, wear him out before you start reeling him in." Gibbs had one hand on Tim's belt to make sure he didn't lose his balance on the rocks and a net in the other hand. "That's it, Tim, you got him now. Here, Tony." Gibbs handed the net off to Tony who dropped down onto his knees with the net and scooped up the fish when it finally broke the surface of the water. "Damn, that's a beauty, Timmy."
"Thanks, Dad." The words were out before he realized. He froze for a split second, but the hand ruffling his hair had him relaxing and enjoying the moment.
"Ya did good, kiddo."
Tony was back up on his feet, holding the net for all of them to see. "Damn, that's the biggest one we've ever gotten." He was grinning ear to ear and at more than the successful fishing.
They were still celebrating the big fish when Kyle arrived. "Hey, you guys find a better fishing spot?"
"Probably better, definitely less muddy. Pull up a rock and throw in a line, but I think my brother already managed the catch of the day." Tony held the fish up. "Take a look at this monster."
"Wow, what's the record in this lake? I think you might have broken it." Kyle nodded in appreciation for a successful catch, then a sad look crossed his face as he watched the family - Jethro and his two boys and the indulgent uncle smiling at the fun they were having. "Why don't I try further down the bank? I don't want to impose on you guys when you're having so much fun."
"No, it's fine, stay. There's plenty of room here. You still by yourself, Kyle?"
"Thanks, Tobias." Not wanting to be alone, he was easily convinced and sat on the large rock Tony had pointed out. "Yeah, my brother's still a no show. I was really hoping for his help this week."
"Yeah? Anything we can help you with?" Fornell sat on a nearby rock looking carefully at him and noticing the signs of exhaustion, something that should have been fading instead of getting worse during a camping trip.
Kyle sighed and shook his head. "I don't think so, unless one of you happen to be a divorce attorney."
Gibbs and Fornell exchanged a glance, understanding why the look had been so familiar. "No, but we've been there."
"Him several times." Fornell pointed at Gibbs.
"At least you have your kids in your life. My soon to be ex took everything. The kids, the house, the business I'd spent years building up. At least Conner loaned me his camping gear because I'll be living in it if she gets her way." Kyle rubbed his forehead. "Hell, I'd let her have all of it if she'd just let me see my kids."
"When was the last time you saw them?"
He teared up at Gibbs' question. "It'll be a year tomorrow, my youngest boy's birthday."
They all saw the devastation, but Gibbs recognized the look of a man with almost nothing left to live for. They kept the conversation light as the five of them continued to fish. Judging by how eagerly their guest gobbled down the lunch they gave him, there wasn't a lot of food in the other man's camp.
By the end of the afternoon Gibbs was suspicious if something wasn't done to help him, their guest was planning on this week being a one way trip. He exchanged subtle looks with the Tobias and the boys, getting slight nods in return.
"With all this fish, why don't you join us for dinner?" He pointed at Tim. "My youngest is the Bobby Flay of the great outdoors."
Right on cue, Tim blushed and ducked his head. "I wouldn't go that far."
Fornell added another fish to the day's catch, his third of the day. "Hey, in comparison to your dad..."
That got a laugh. "Okay, in that comparison, even Tony..."
"Hey!"
"Hey!"
The matching comments and expressions got a laugh out of Kyle. "All right, thanks. Dinner sounds good.
--NCIS--
With an audience and such high expectations, Tim decided to go all out for dinner. Vegetables would take the longest, so he started those first while Gibbs got the fire built up. Raw carrots were tossed with some brown sugar and cinnamon before being divided up into five foil packets and topped with some butter before being folded and sealed up tight. That went on the highest grill before he went to work on the rest.
The fish was simple - seasonings and some fresh green onions in the cavity, coat them with oil and wrap in foil. They were set aside to let the flavors meld a bit while he scrubbed his hands and started some rice. Instant rice was poured into a large disposable foil pan. It was then mixed with green onions that were left from the fish and finely minced. Canned mushrooms were next along with a handful of seasonings and a couple of scoops of chicken bullion.
Gibbs had coffee started and the fire needed a little more time to develop the coals they needed, so Tim got Tony started opening and draining cans of peaches. By the time they had coals instead of all flames going, the peach cobbler was ready to place in the firepit and, other than Gibbs, no one else had seen them make it. Water and a lid were added to the rice and everything went onto the fire. Between the many packets of fish, the carrots, the rice and the pot of coffee, they'd filled both grills with the dutch oven tucked underneath.
Kyle looked on in amazement. "Wow, Tim, your dad wasn't kidding."
While dinner was being prepared, Fornell went down to the campground office where there was a vending machine of ice. After combining kitchens, he and Gibbs had an unused cooler and he layered it with two bags of ice and the rest of the fish, including the big one Tim had caught. That one would be better off being baked in an oven back home.
An hour later, five men were leaned back, licking their fingers, after a satisfying meal. Tim caught Tony's attention and tilted his head toward one of the coolers. Tony gave a nod and they both stood up. Tony went to the cooler while Tim grabbed the mitt and the hook and pulled the Dutch oven out of the coals.
"Who's ready for dessert?"
While Tim was doing that, Tony went to the cooler in question and pulled out what Tim had showed him earlier. Gibbs grinned when he saw what was in his hand. He'd wondered exactly when the spray whipped cream would come into play. "Sounds good, I'll make another pot of coffee."
Eventually, after wiping the last of the cobbler off his plate and licking his fingers, Kyle stood up. "Thank you very much, not only for the food, but the encouragement, but if I don't get back to my camp pretty soon, you guys are going to have to roll me down there."
The temperature had been dropping steadily and they could now see puffs of steam when they talked. Gibbs gave him a worried look. "If you get too cold tonight or you need anything, you come back over, all right?"
"Appreciate that Jethro. I'll see you guys later." He picked up his fishing gear and pulled a flashlight out of his pocket before he started down the path to his camp. Gibbs watched until he was inside his tent, the flashlight making it glow.
It was really too cold to stay outside unless they built the fire back up and no one wanted to stay up that long. Gibbs went ahead and banked the fire as they all prepared to turn in. "Good night, boys."
"Night, Dad."
"Good night... Dad."
Gibbs gave them both a smile and a nod and watched them go into their tent before he and Fornell retreated to theirs. Once inside, Gibbs looked at Fornell, who had spent several hours talking to Kyle. "How big of a mess is he in?"
"Wife's got a rich boyfriend with international connections."
"She could leave the country with the kids, then."
"He hasn't seen them in a year; I bet she already has."
"And if he gets tangled up with his brother's mess, he'll lose any chance of changing that." Gibbs settled on his sleeping bag, tossing an extra blanket to Fornell. "Damn."
"Yeah." Fornell burrowed down inside his bag with a furry hat on his head and the blanket wrapped around him. "I gave him the number of my divorce lawyer. He's expensive, but he went after Diane and got me visitation rights, so he's got to have balls of steel."
Gibbs shook his head. "Bronze, maybe. If they'd been steel, you'd still have the house."
--NCIS--
After the last several nights Tony was well-rested, rested enough that he really wasn't ready to go to sleep. Instead, he flopped down on his bed and watched Tim change some things around. "What'ya doing?"
"Like Gibbs said, it's going to be cold tonight. Thought we could us a little more to keep us warm. Here, give me a hand."
Tony jumped to his feet as Tim pulled out some space blankets and they hung them inside the tent, leaving an air space between the blankets and the tent walls. Next Tim made sure the roof vent was fully open before starting up the tent heater. Tony watched him carefully, noting the propane tank. "Umm, we're not going to suffocate, are we?"
"It's flameless. Uses a catalytic system instead of burning the propane directly. All we need is a seven inch vent and we've got almost twice that."
"Cool."
"No, warm."
They exchanged grins and Tim offered another treat. "If you're not tired yet, we can watch a movie."
"Yeah?" Tony would have brought a few samples of his own extensive movie collection if he'd had even the slightest clue a movie night might be possible out here. "What did you bring?"
Tim knew Tony would be expecting science fiction or fantasy, so he knew the Director's Cut of a new action thriller that Tony had been talking about for weeks would excite him. "How about this?"
Tony's eyes went wide. "That doesn't actually get released until tomorrow. How'd you get a copy?"
"I know people." Grinning, Tim plugged in a split cord that would allow them to have two sets of ear buds and they settled in to watch.
This morning Gibbs had been nice and brought two cups of coffee back with him, even though Tim had gotten to the coffee pot first. "Well, yeah, you ate three bowls of the chili and practically licked the last crumb of cornbread out of the skillet."
Fornell really didn't have an answer to that so he changed the subject. "Clear and cold today, what's the plan? Other than keep watching Kyle and hope his brother shows up?"
"Well, the weather's good for fishing. Let's see if that gets him out of his tent this morning."
The other tent was stirring to life and after more coffee was made the four men headed down to the lake. Their usual spot was pretty muddy still from the earlier rains so Gibbs led them to a new spot, coincidentally a little closer to the campsite they were watching. The slightly different terrain prompted Gibbs into pulling out a different set of tackle.
"What's that?"
Gibbs smiled at Tony's question. Tim had brought fishing gear for both of the boys, but it was the standard starter kit most novices carried. It worked fine when they were standing on the bank next to a deep section of lake, but it was shallower here. "Water's not very deep over here so we need to cast further out and make sure we don't hit bottom."
Feeling more like a father than he had in many years, Gibbs explained the different types of lures and spinners he had and helped his two boys change out their gear. For their part, both Tony and Tim soaked up the information, especially Tim who had only taken his scouts to various public fish farms where they were guaranteed a good catch.
Tobias also listened carefully. He wasn't much of an outdoors-man, but he did know about fishing and even he learned a few tricks that morning. Mostly, he enjoyed watching his old friend interacting with the boys, not a trace of 'agent' or 'gunny' evident that morning.
The first fish of the day had been Gibbs' as he demonstrated shallow water techniques. Tony had reeled in the second, followed by Fornell. Now Tim had a monster of a trout tempted, but not quite latching onto the hook yet and Gibbs was at his shoulder, encouraging him and giving him more hints.
"Yes, you got him, son. Let him fight it for a minute, wear him out before you start reeling him in." Gibbs had one hand on Tim's belt to make sure he didn't lose his balance on the rocks and a net in the other hand. "That's it, Tim, you got him now. Here, Tony." Gibbs handed the net off to Tony who dropped down onto his knees with the net and scooped up the fish when it finally broke the surface of the water. "Damn, that's a beauty, Timmy."
"Thanks, Dad." The words were out before he realized. He froze for a split second, but the hand ruffling his hair had him relaxing and enjoying the moment.
"Ya did good, kiddo."
Tony was back up on his feet, holding the net for all of them to see. "Damn, that's the biggest one we've ever gotten." He was grinning ear to ear and at more than the successful fishing.
They were still celebrating the big fish when Kyle arrived. "Hey, you guys find a better fishing spot?"
"Probably better, definitely less muddy. Pull up a rock and throw in a line, but I think my brother already managed the catch of the day." Tony held the fish up. "Take a look at this monster."
"Wow, what's the record in this lake? I think you might have broken it." Kyle nodded in appreciation for a successful catch, then a sad look crossed his face as he watched the family - Jethro and his two boys and the indulgent uncle smiling at the fun they were having. "Why don't I try further down the bank? I don't want to impose on you guys when you're having so much fun."
"No, it's fine, stay. There's plenty of room here. You still by yourself, Kyle?"
"Thanks, Tobias." Not wanting to be alone, he was easily convinced and sat on the large rock Tony had pointed out. "Yeah, my brother's still a no show. I was really hoping for his help this week."
"Yeah? Anything we can help you with?" Fornell sat on a nearby rock looking carefully at him and noticing the signs of exhaustion, something that should have been fading instead of getting worse during a camping trip.
Kyle sighed and shook his head. "I don't think so, unless one of you happen to be a divorce attorney."
Gibbs and Fornell exchanged a glance, understanding why the look had been so familiar. "No, but we've been there."
"Him several times." Fornell pointed at Gibbs.
"At least you have your kids in your life. My soon to be ex took everything. The kids, the house, the business I'd spent years building up. At least Conner loaned me his camping gear because I'll be living in it if she gets her way." Kyle rubbed his forehead. "Hell, I'd let her have all of it if she'd just let me see my kids."
"When was the last time you saw them?"
He teared up at Gibbs' question. "It'll be a year tomorrow, my youngest boy's birthday."
They all saw the devastation, but Gibbs recognized the look of a man with almost nothing left to live for. They kept the conversation light as the five of them continued to fish. Judging by how eagerly their guest gobbled down the lunch they gave him, there wasn't a lot of food in the other man's camp.
By the end of the afternoon Gibbs was suspicious if something wasn't done to help him, their guest was planning on this week being a one way trip. He exchanged subtle looks with the Tobias and the boys, getting slight nods in return.
"With all this fish, why don't you join us for dinner?" He pointed at Tim. "My youngest is the Bobby Flay of the great outdoors."
Right on cue, Tim blushed and ducked his head. "I wouldn't go that far."
Fornell added another fish to the day's catch, his third of the day. "Hey, in comparison to your dad..."
That got a laugh. "Okay, in that comparison, even Tony..."
"Hey!"
"Hey!"
The matching comments and expressions got a laugh out of Kyle. "All right, thanks. Dinner sounds good.
--NCIS--
With an audience and such high expectations, Tim decided to go all out for dinner. Vegetables would take the longest, so he started those first while Gibbs got the fire built up. Raw carrots were tossed with some brown sugar and cinnamon before being divided up into five foil packets and topped with some butter before being folded and sealed up tight. That went on the highest grill before he went to work on the rest.
The fish was simple - seasonings and some fresh green onions in the cavity, coat them with oil and wrap in foil. They were set aside to let the flavors meld a bit while he scrubbed his hands and started some rice. Instant rice was poured into a large disposable foil pan. It was then mixed with green onions that were left from the fish and finely minced. Canned mushrooms were next along with a handful of seasonings and a couple of scoops of chicken bullion.
Gibbs had coffee started and the fire needed a little more time to develop the coals they needed, so Tim got Tony started opening and draining cans of peaches. By the time they had coals instead of all flames going, the peach cobbler was ready to place in the firepit and, other than Gibbs, no one else had seen them make it. Water and a lid were added to the rice and everything went onto the fire. Between the many packets of fish, the carrots, the rice and the pot of coffee, they'd filled both grills with the dutch oven tucked underneath.
Kyle looked on in amazement. "Wow, Tim, your dad wasn't kidding."
While dinner was being prepared, Fornell went down to the campground office where there was a vending machine of ice. After combining kitchens, he and Gibbs had an unused cooler and he layered it with two bags of ice and the rest of the fish, including the big one Tim had caught. That one would be better off being baked in an oven back home.
An hour later, five men were leaned back, licking their fingers, after a satisfying meal. Tim caught Tony's attention and tilted his head toward one of the coolers. Tony gave a nod and they both stood up. Tony went to the cooler while Tim grabbed the mitt and the hook and pulled the Dutch oven out of the coals.
"Who's ready for dessert?"
While Tim was doing that, Tony went to the cooler in question and pulled out what Tim had showed him earlier. Gibbs grinned when he saw what was in his hand. He'd wondered exactly when the spray whipped cream would come into play. "Sounds good, I'll make another pot of coffee."
Eventually, after wiping the last of the cobbler off his plate and licking his fingers, Kyle stood up. "Thank you very much, not only for the food, but the encouragement, but if I don't get back to my camp pretty soon, you guys are going to have to roll me down there."
The temperature had been dropping steadily and they could now see puffs of steam when they talked. Gibbs gave him a worried look. "If you get too cold tonight or you need anything, you come back over, all right?"
"Appreciate that Jethro. I'll see you guys later." He picked up his fishing gear and pulled a flashlight out of his pocket before he started down the path to his camp. Gibbs watched until he was inside his tent, the flashlight making it glow.
It was really too cold to stay outside unless they built the fire back up and no one wanted to stay up that long. Gibbs went ahead and banked the fire as they all prepared to turn in. "Good night, boys."
"Night, Dad."
"Good night... Dad."
Gibbs gave them both a smile and a nod and watched them go into their tent before he and Fornell retreated to theirs. Once inside, Gibbs looked at Fornell, who had spent several hours talking to Kyle. "How big of a mess is he in?"
"Wife's got a rich boyfriend with international connections."
"She could leave the country with the kids, then."
"He hasn't seen them in a year; I bet she already has."
"And if he gets tangled up with his brother's mess, he'll lose any chance of changing that." Gibbs settled on his sleeping bag, tossing an extra blanket to Fornell. "Damn."
"Yeah." Fornell burrowed down inside his bag with a furry hat on his head and the blanket wrapped around him. "I gave him the number of my divorce lawyer. He's expensive, but he went after Diane and got me visitation rights, so he's got to have balls of steel."
Gibbs shook his head. "Bronze, maybe. If they'd been steel, you'd still have the house."
--NCIS--
After the last several nights Tony was well-rested, rested enough that he really wasn't ready to go to sleep. Instead, he flopped down on his bed and watched Tim change some things around. "What'ya doing?"
"Like Gibbs said, it's going to be cold tonight. Thought we could us a little more to keep us warm. Here, give me a hand."
Tony jumped to his feet as Tim pulled out some space blankets and they hung them inside the tent, leaving an air space between the blankets and the tent walls. Next Tim made sure the roof vent was fully open before starting up the tent heater. Tony watched him carefully, noting the propane tank. "Umm, we're not going to suffocate, are we?"
"It's flameless. Uses a catalytic system instead of burning the propane directly. All we need is a seven inch vent and we've got almost twice that."
"Cool."
"No, warm."
They exchanged grins and Tim offered another treat. "If you're not tired yet, we can watch a movie."
"Yeah?" Tony would have brought a few samples of his own extensive movie collection if he'd had even the slightest clue a movie night might be possible out here. "What did you bring?"
Tim knew Tony would be expecting science fiction or fantasy, so he knew the Director's Cut of a new action thriller that Tony had been talking about for weeks would excite him. "How about this?"
Tony's eyes went wide. "That doesn't actually get released until tomorrow. How'd you get a copy?"
"I know people." Grinning, Tim plugged in a split cord that would allow them to have two sets of ear buds and they settled in to watch.