Chapter 18 - The boy next door
As Gibbs moored the boat at the public swimming area, Tony jolted awake.
"Where are we Dad?" he asked suddenly, the abrupt movement of the boat having woken him up.
"Hey sleepy head," greeted Gibbs as Tony rubbed his eyes and looked around. "We're back at the public area. Gonna pick up Mom and Ziva and then head back to the cottage."
"My fish!" said Tony suddenly looking around. "What happened to my fish and my rod and stuff?"
"Don't panic. I packed it up for you. And your fish is in the bucket with the others," replied Gibbs, grinning at Tony who still looked half asleep.
"When did I fall asleep?" he asked.
"Pretty much straight after catching that second fish of yours," answered Gibbs. "I guess all that pulling wore you out!" he added laughing.
"It was pretty big wasn't it?" said Tony grinning.
"Biggest one today," replied Gibbs proudly.
"Did you catch anymore after I fell asleep?" asked Tony as he removed his life jacket and straightened his hat.
"Three more but I had to put two back as they were too small," said Gibbs as he too removed his life jacket and helped Tony onto the jetty.
"So that's four for tea tonight. Two from you and two from me," calculated Tony.
"Yep," replied Gibbs. "A nice little feast for us."
He put his arm around Tony and the two of them made their way onto the area known as the beach. Scanning the area, Gibbs finally spotted Jenny sitting under the shade of a large tree. The little bundle lying on the sand next to her he presumed was Ziva. Heading in that direction, he waved as Jenny looked up and spotted him.
"Hey there, my two handsome men," said Jenny as she stood up and walked the last few feet towards them. "How was the fishing?"
"It was great Mom," said Tony as Jenny hugged him and kissed his forehead. "I caught two fish, and Dad says my second catch was the biggest for the day!"
"Well done honey," said Jenny to Tony as she put her hand on Gibbs' shoulder and gave him a kiss. "And how about you?" she asked looking into the cobalt blue eyes. "Are we having fish for dinner, or do we need to buy some steak?"
"Definitely fish," replied Gibbs as he smiled and returned the kiss.
Looking over Jenny's shoulder he spied Ziva curled up on the blanket.
Following his gaze, Jenny said, "She conked out about 45 minutes ago. I guess all the swimming wore her out."
"Yep, the fishing wore Tony out too," replied Gibbs tousling Tony's hair. "He's had an hour's kip as well."
Looking at Jenny, Gibbs said, "You right to head home?"
"Sounds good to me," she replied, turning and heading back to where Ziva was still sleeping soundly.
As Jenny re-packed the bags and picked everything up giving a couple of things to Tony to carry, Gibbs reached down and gathered Ziva, towel and all, into his arms and together they walked back to the boat. As they navigated their way across the sand and rocks, Ziva stirred and opened her eyes.
"Good afternoon Sweet Pea," said Gibbs as Ziva looked up to see where she was. Now that she was awake he maneuvered her so that she was sitting on his hip. "Did you have a good sleep?"
Rubbing her eyes, Ziva nodded and snuggled her head into his shoulder not quite ready to engage in conversation.
"Guess what Ziva?" said Tony as he walked over to her side. "Dad and I caught four fish for dinner and mine was the biggest!"
Turning her head so that she could see Tony's face, Ziva smiled at him. "That's great Tony. I love fish."
Stretching, she yawned loudly then tapped Gibbs on the cheek. "Daddy, how are you going to cook the fish?" she asked.
"I thought we might build a fire in the stone pit out the front of the cottage and cook it in there with some potatoes and carrots and squash."
"Yummy!" she exclaimed wriggling slightly so that Gibbs would put her down. Once he set her on her feet again, she reached up to hold his hand and skipped alongside him.
"I had fun on the waterslides Daddy," she said as she swung her hand in his. "I went on them for ages and then Mommy and I played in the fountain area again and Mommy got really wet because the squirty hoses were too quick for her," she added giggling.
Gibbs looked at Jenny who winked at him and smiled back.
"And then we found that spot under the tree and Mommy read her book and I had a sleep," she said finishing her story with a little jump before reverting back to a half jog to keep up with Gibbs.
"That's sounds like a perfect afternoon," said Gibbs. "Just like mine and Tony's," he added smiling at his son.
It was nearing six o'clock by the time they drove the boat back to the cottage and carried everything inside. As Gibbs grabbed a couple of knives from the kitchen, he looked around for Tony. Spotting him on the sofa about to play the DS he called out, "Come on Tony. We've got fish to clean and get ready for dinner."
"Yuck Dad," whined Tony as he looked up. "I hate that part. Can't you do it?"
"Nope," replied Gibbs firmly. "This is all part of the fishing experience. Come on!" he added nodding his head towards the door.
"Can I help?" asked Ziva enthusiastically. "I love scraping off the scales, cleaning out the guts and pulling out the backbone," she added a little too gleefully.
"Gross Ziva!" exclaimed Tony a little disconcerted by the joyful smile on his sister's face.
"It's not gross Tony," said Ziva seriously. "It's really interesting. You get to see what they look like inside."
"Can't I just see that when I eat it?" he asked hopefully.
"No!" called Gibbs from the door. "Now shift yer butt and get out here," he added gruffly.
Groaning and complaining, Tony rose from the couch and headed out the front door.
When all four fish had been gutted and cleaned, Gibbs set about lighting a fire in the stone pit.
"OK," he said to the two children once he had their attention. "I need you two to collect as much kindling as you can find. It has to be dry so that it will light easily.
"Okey Dokey Daddy-o," said Ziva as she began to run off in the direction of the woods. "Come on Tony!" she called when she saw he wasn't following.
As Tony ran up to catch her, she slowed down and said, "Let's run to the boundary and see if we can hear our neighbours."
"Yeah," said Tony, suddenly remembering what they had seen earlier on the boat. "Good idea!"
As they headed in the direction of the boundary fence, Gibbs watched them from the fire pit. He knew exactly where they were going and hoped they would heed his and Jenny's warning about not climbing over the boundary or annoying the neighbours. He chuckled as they neared the fence and began circling the ground under the pretense of collecting kindling for the fire, occasionally looking up to see if they were being watched.
"Rats!" said Ziva having looked up for the fourth time and still seeing her Dad watching them. "I think Daddy knows what we're thinking of doing," she said.
"Yep," said Tony also catching a glimpse of his Dad's face. "He always knows!"
Sighing deeply, she began to pick up dry bits of wood.
"Oh well, I guess we'd better get some wood while we're here," she said, frustrated that their plans had been foiled.
As they bent to pick up more twigs and sticks, they suddenly heard a dog barking. Looking up, they were surprised to see not only a large dog standing at the fence line, but a boy as well. He looked to be around Tony's age but was considerably taller. His face, although covered in dirt, was quite good looking. His dark, brown eyes almost looked black in the fading afternoon light and his untidy, dark hair was in desperate need of a cut. He wore blue, baggy shorts that were ripped in several places and an old shirt which looked as if it had once been a pale green check but was now mainly grey and brown.
Standing next to him was a large brown dog. Of mixed breeding, the dog looked friendly enough but neither Tony nor Ziva were game to go near it without first knowing more about its temperament.
"Hey," said the boy casually. "You stayin' in the house there?" he added nodding his head in the direction of the cottage.
"Yeah," said Tony, walking forward, instinctively putting himself between the boy and Ziva. "We're here with our parents. Do you live there or are you on holiday too?"
"Nah," replied the boy looking over towards Ziva and then back to Tony. "I live 'ere wiv me Ma and me Grandad."
"What's your dog's name?" asked Ziva coming forward slightly.
"Bruno," said the boy reaching down and petting the dog's head. "He won't 'urt ya," added the boy. "E's real friendly like."
"Can I pat him?" asked Ziva, edging even closer to the boy.
"Sure," said the boy smiling. "Just reach frew the wire," he suggested.
Ziva tentatively put her hand near the wire and gently eased it through. She held her hand out in front of the dog's nose so that it could sniff her and then gently patted its chest. As they dog became more comfortable with her, she worked her way around his neck and up to his ears, scratching them gently.
Seeing that Ziva wasn't being mauled to death, Tony followed suit and soon, both children were patting the dog, which leaned his head into their hands and began to close his eyes lazily.
"He's a nice dog," said Ziva after she and Tony had pulled their hands away.
"What's your name?" asked Tony, looking up at the boy. "I'm Tony Gibbs and this is my sister Ziva."
Although Ziva gave him a strange look when he introduced himself as Tony Gibbs, she had the presence of mind to stay quiet and just go along with him.
"I'm Aiden," said the boy. "Aiden Halloway. So, 'ow long is yers stayin'?" he asked looking directly at Tony.
"'Till Saturday," said Tony.
When Aiden didn't say anything but just simply nodded, Tony added, "Maybe we could do something together one day?"
Aiden nodded even more firmly. "Yeah, that'd be good," he said smiling again.
"Have you got chickens?" asked Ziva. "Only we saw some from our boat today."
"Yeah, we's got chickens," Aiden replied. "We's got 'eaps of 'em. Do yers want some eggs?" he suddenly asked.
Before Tony and Ziva could answer they were interrupted by the sound of snapping twigs. Turning around they saw Gibbs walking towards them.
"That's our Dad," explained Ziva. "Daddy, this is Aiden, he lives next door. And he's got chicken and he asked if we want any eggs," she rambled enthusiastically.
Putting his hand over the fence and holding it out to the boy, Gibbs said, "Pleased to meet you Aiden."
Aiden confidently took Gibbs hand and shook it saying, "Afternoon Sir, I was just talking to yer boy and girl here."
"That's fine son," replied Gibbs taking an instant liking to the strong polite boy in front of him. "Ain't nothing wrong with talking,"
Aiden flashed Gibbs a brilliant smile. Although his clothes and body may have been in need of a good wash, his teeth were sparklingly white. "You a marine Sir?" he asked looking up at Gibbs.
"Good spotting Aiden," replied Gibbs. "You know about Marines?"
"Yes Sir," replied Aiden. "Me Dad was a marine. Don't remember 'im much but I's seen photos of 'im and he looks a lot like you, with the hair and all."
"Where's your Father now Son?" asked Gibbs.
"He's dead Sir," replied Aiden looking down for the first time. "He died when I was small. Me Ma came to live up 'ere with me nan and grandad after he died. Me nan died about five year ago. Since then, it's just been the free of us."
"How old are you Aiden?" asked Gibbs.
"Twelve Sir. I'll be firteen in October. I...," Aiden suddenly stopped talking. Turning around briskly, he looked behind him.
"Yeah, comin' Ma!" he shouted. Turning back, he said, "That's me Ma callin'. I gotta go. Could I maybe meet yers here tomorra? Say around ten in the mornin'?" he asked looking at Tony and Ziva.
Tony and Ziva looked at Gibbs, who nodded at them.
"Sure," said Tony. "We'll meet you here at ten and maybe we could see those chickens of yours?"
"They ain't that inneresting," replied Aiden laughing. "Better fings than chickens to look at. Nice meetin' yers," he said before turning around and running back along lake front, Bruno panting alongside him.
"He seems like a nice boy," said Gibbs as the three of them headed back, arms laden with drying twigs and sticks.
"Tony, why did you say your name was Tony Gibbs?" asked Ziva, suddenly remembering how Tony had introduced himself.
"Because it is," replied Tony. "I asked Dad today if I could be called Tony Gibbs. Didn't I Dad? And Dad said yes, didn't ya Dad?" Tony looked up at Gibbs for confirmation.
"Sure did," said Gibbs smiling down at the ten year old.
"Well then, I want to be Ziva Gibbs," said Ziva. "I can be called that can't I?"
"If you want to be," replied Gibbs and smiled as Ziva nodded. "But, like I said to Tony, I don't think we can change it legally. However, you can call yourself that and write your name as that and Mommy and I can call you Ziva Gibbs. How does that sound?"
"That sounds perfect Daddy," said Ziva smiling up at him. "Now all we need if for Mummy to change her name and we can all be called Gibbs," she added innocently.
Gibbs smiled to himself. He couldn't quite see that happening somehow. Even if he and Jenny were to get married, he could just see his independent partner insisting she retained her name as Jenny Shepherd. And, in all honesty, he would never deny her that right, as much as he would like her to take his name.
After unloading the kindling near the pit, Gibbs, carrying the now gutted and cleaned fish, headed back into the cottage with Tony and Ziva, to get the rest of the dinner organised.
"Guess what Mommy?" called Ziva excitedly as they entered the house. "We met the boy the next door and Daddy says he's nice so we're gonna play with him tomorrow."
As Jenny looked up, she made eye contact with Gibbs who confirmed the story with a slight nod of his head.
"And er...how did you meet him? I hope you weren't climbing over the boundary fence?" asked Jenny sternly.
"We didn't, honest Mom," said Tony. "We were just collecting kindling for the fire and we knew there was some good stuff near the boundary fence."
Gibbs snorted and Tony turned to face him.
"We did Dad!" he said defensively. "We remembered seeing it from our walk yesterday, didn't we Ziva?"
Ziva nodded enthusiastically.
"Oh, so it had nothing to do with the fact that you might just possibly make contact with the neighbours if you went in that direction?" asked Gibbs sarcastically.
Both Tony and Ziva blushed a brilliant red.
"You forget that I was once a kid too! Trust me, I know all the tricks in the book," said Gibbs grinning at the two children.
When Tony and Ziva continued to look down, Gibbs added, "It's OK. You're not in trouble. Had you climbed the fence and gone into their yard, well that would be a different story, but just standing there was fine."
Tony and Ziva looked at each other and smiled sheepishly. Climbing the fence was exactly what they had planned to do if Gibbs hadn't been watching them.
"I know," said Gibbs sagely. "Why do you think I continued watching you? I know what you were thinking and I really didn't want more trouble tonight. I think this morning was quite enough to see us through the vacation, don't you?"
Both children nodded. As they turned to leave, Gibbs heard Tony whisper, "I told you, he always knows!"
Smirking at the pair of them, Gibbs went into the kitchen and grabbed the vegetables out of the fridge. Taking a peeler from the drawer, he stood at the bench and began to peel the carrots and potatoes.
"Here, I can do that," said Jenny coming up behind him.
As she went to take the peeler, he playfully swatted her hand away.
"Never let it be said, that I don't do my fair share of the cooking," said Gibbs dramatically. "Would hate to be accused of being a chauvinist."
Leaning into him, Jenny kissed him saying, "You'll always be a chauvinist, but at least you're my chauvinist. Besides, you caught and cleaned the fish, this is the least I can do."
Smiling at her, he handed the peeler over. "Actually, if you don't mind, that would be great. I can then go and get the fire started so that the stones and coals can be hot and ready for the vegies later."
"Off you go my handsome hunter," said Jenny with a wave of her hand.
Standing behind her as she began peeling the potatoes, he placed tiny kisses on her neck.
"Don't, that tickles," she said laughing and trying to duck out of the way. "Go and light the fire!" she ordered shooing him out of her way.
"Me hunter, go light fire," said Gibbs in a caveman voice. "Keep woman happy. Woman dangerous when mad."
"You better believe it buster," replied Jenny, picking up a small knife and brandishing it menacingly. "Go!" said again.
As Jenny turned back to the vegies, Gibbs quickly pinched her on the bottom before scuttling out the door.
"Ouch! I'll get you for that Leroy Jethro Gibbs," called Jenny. Laughing, she turned back to the vegies. She hadn't felt this happy in a long time. It finally felt like things were looking up for all of them.
An hour later, with the vegetables wrapped in foil and cooking slowly in the hot coals, the four of them sat around the fire pit enjoying the late afternoon breeze. Gibbs was sitting on the sand, leaning up again a large rock positioned conveniently as a back rest. Jenny sat between his legs, resting up against his chest. Tony and Ziva were sat on the ground, facing each other, playing a game of tic, tac, toe in the sand.
"I win!" said Tony as he placed his circle and made a diagonal line through the three matches.
"That's not fair Tony," said Ziva whining. "You always make it so that you can win two ways."
"Yeah, that's the trick," said Tony, scrubbing out the old game and re-drawing the next. "You'll have to work out how to do it and then you can beat me."
Sighing, Ziva picked up her stick and put a cross in the centre.
Smiling at the two children, Gibbs put his arms around Jenny's waist and kissed her cheek.
"Happy?" he whispered in her ear.
"Very," she murmured back, turning her head and kissing him. "This is just what I needed. Thankyou."
"My pleasure," he replied as his lips met hers and began kissing her tenderly.
"Excuse me!" called Tony. "There are children present."
"Oh really?" said Gibbs in surprise. "Forgot about that. Well I guess you two better go to bed then."
When both children rolled their eyes and didn't even bother to reply, Gibbs smirked and went back to kissing Jenny.
Hearing the sound of approaching footsteps, Gibbs suddenly turned around. Walking down the drive were two people, a woman and a young boy.
"Evening Mr Gibbs," called the boy as he and his mother walking towards them. "Hope yers don't mind but me Ma wanted to meet yers after I told 'er about meetin' ya afore."
Standing up and brushing the sand from their pants, both Jenny and Gibbs walked over to greet the two. Not wanting to be left out, Ziva and Tony did the same.
Holding out his hand, Gibbs said, "It's a pleasure to meet you Ma'am."
Taking his hand, the woman replied, "Likewise, and please call me Susan."
Standing before them, Susan Halloway appeared determined and strong. Her face bore the lines of hard work and meagre living, but the deep brown eyes were kind and gentle. Her lips, slightly chaffed from constant licking bore no lipstick and her cheeks were rosy enough without any application of rouge. She was a petite woman, standing only a few inches taller than her son, but her stance told everyone that, despite her height, she wasn't one to back down easily. Her clothes, although tattered and mended in places, were clean, certainly cleaner than Aiden's and she had made some effort to ensure her long thick hair had been tamed somewhat by the heavy elastic band holding it back. Although she certainly didn't blend with the affluent, and sometimes over indulgent holiday makers that lived around her, she wasn't about to let that get in the way of good manners.
Looking down at her son, she nodded encouragingly.
"Oh," said Aiden as if suddenly remembering the reason behind their visit. "'Ere's some eggs from our chickens. We fought you might like some."
He held out a container which held about a dozen brown and white eggs.
Taking the container from him, Jenny said, "Thank you. That's very kind of you."
Stepping forward, she held out her hand. "I'm Jenny," she said shaking Susan's hand. It felt calloused and dry, another indication that this woman work hard for a living. She then smiled at Aiden and shook his hand as well.
"And I'm Jethro," introduced Gibbs. "And these two," he said gathering the two children to his side, "are Tony and Ziva." He looked at Susan. "They met your son early this evening when they were collecting some wood for the fire."
"Hi," said Tony and Ziva together.
"It's real nice to meet you all," said Susan. "Aiden told me he'd met the two little-uns and I wanted to make sure he wasn't been a nuisance to yers or anything."
"Oh not at all," replied Gibbs quickly. "He was a perfect gentleman. I think the three of them were hoping to spend some time together tomorrow if that's ok with you?" asked Gibbs looking into Susan's deep brown eyes.
"That's fine, jist didn't want 'im hangin' around and being annoyin' like. You being on holiday and all," she said holding Gibbs' gaze with ease.
"Can we see your chickens tomorrow?" asked Ziva excitedly.
"Course ya can little-un," replied Susan, "But there's better things to see than chickens," she added.
Ziva laughed. "That's what Aiden said too. But I haven't seen many chickens up live. They're usually frozen or cooked."
Everyone laughed at her.
"What?" she asked a little hurt by the laughing. "They are usually frozen or cooked."
"It's alright honey," said Jenny consolingly. "We're not laughing at you, it's just the words you used. Maybe we should get some chickens of our own then you can see them all the time."
Seeing the look directed at her from Gibbs, she figured that wasn't about to happen anytime soon.
"Well don't you worry, Little Miss," said Susan smiling at Ziva. "I'm sure the chickens will love a visit from you."
Ziva smiled warmly back at her. She like Aiden's Mom.
"Aiden tells us you like with his Grandfather?" asked Gibbs.
Susan nodded. "Me late husband's Father. When Davy died, Sam asked us to come and live wiv him. It's been tough, but we make do. Developers keep wantin' us to sell the old place but Sam says no, we ain't sellin'. This place is all we has and we ain't movin'!"
She spoke with a determination that impressed Gibbs.
"If you don't mind me asking, what happened to your husband?" asked Gibbs gently. "Aiden here says he was a Marine."
"Yeah, same as me father-in-law," said Susan. "Well the Marine Corps tried to tell us that Davy stole some equipment then took his own life, but I knows Davy. He wouldn't 'ave done somefing like that, not to us. Not to me and Aiden. He was a good man was Davy, as honest as they come." Again she spoke with a determinism that was both convincing and sure.
"What was your husband's full name?" asked Gibbs. He wasn't as yet about to let on who he was or what his former job had been, but he would run the name past Abby and see if she could dig up any information on the man. If, as Susan believed, it did turn out that there was some suspicion surrounding his death, then Gibbs was determined to find it out.
"Lance Corporal David Halloway Sir," said Susan proudly. "He was a good man Mr Gibbs, he would never have betrayed his country."
"Please call me Jethro," said Gibbs. "And I can see by the two of you, that he was a good man. Did you try to explain your thoughts to the Marine Corps?"
"Yeah, they weren't listening," said Susan angrily. "Well at least that First Sergeant Mills wasn't. He never liked my Davy, said he was unstable and unpredictable. But that's wrong. My Davy was as stable as they come, Sir. He served his country proudly."
Gibbs nodded and patted her on the shoulder. Not wanting to say anymore on the subject without giving her false hope, Gibbs changed the subject by saying, "Would you like to stay for some dinner?"
"Oh no!" she exclaimed hastily. "We don't wish to intrude. I jist wanted ta meet yers all and make sure young Aiden wasn't been a nuisance."
"Not at all," said Jenny. "I'm please Tony and Ziva have found someone to play with. Look, if you can't stay tonight, how about you come around tomorrow night for a barbecue? You can bring your father-in-law and we can get to know each other a bit better. I know the children would probably like that."
Once again, Tony and Ziva nodded enthusiastically, this time joined by Aiden.
"Oh, that's real nice of yers, but we couldn't. We don't 'ave nothin' ta bring," said Susan blushing furiously.
"Yes, you do. You already have," stated Jenny. "These eggs will be put to good use I promise you. Please join us, we'd be honoured," she added smiling warmly at the younger woman.
"Well if yer sure?" said Susan. At Jenny's smile and nod, Susan rewarded her with a radiant smile of her own. 'That'd be lovely. Thanks. We don't get ta eat out much, so we'd be real pleased ta join ya. Thanks," she said again.
"Our pleasure," said Jenny. "Besides, you'll need some food after having these two hanging around you tomorrow," added Jenny putting her arms around Ziva and Tony. "They can be quite a handful when they want to be."
"Aw, they'll be right," said Susan. "My Aiden will show 'em round. They'll be kept right busy tomorra."
"Well, that's settles it then," said Gibbs firmly. "We'll see you around 6.30?"
"Yeah, ta," said Susan smiling again. "Nice meeting yers all. Come on Aiden, let's git back home. Those dogs ain't gonna feed 'emselves."
She nodded her head at Gibbs, Jenny and the children then, putting her arm around Aiden, she led him back up the drive.
"They seem like a nice family," said Jenny when Susan and Aiden were out of earshot.
"Yeah," answered Gibbs distractedly. He was thinking about what Susan had said.
As Ziva and Tony went back to their game of Tic, Tac, Toe, Jenny said quietly, "You thinking of doing a bit of investigating?"
"Hmmm," said Gibbs thoughtfully. "I might just run the names past Abby and see what she comes up with."
When Jenny opened her mouth to speak, Gibbs cut her off saying, "No Jen, you're on holiday. You need to rest. Besides, you can't do anything from here anyway. There's no internet coverage here and I highly doubt NCIS would appreciate you logging into your account via an internet café somewhere."
Jenny smiled. "Yeah, you're probably right. Besides, Abby will find something, that's if there's anything to find," she added. "Although, Susan seemed pretty adamant that he didn't do whatever it was that he was accused of."
"Yeah," said Gibbs looking at Jenny. "But she's his wife. Of course she wants to believe the best of him. Let's just see what Abby can find first before we go rushing in." He kissed Jenny on the cheek. "I better go and get the fish, the vegies are probably nearly done." And with that, he jogged up to the house and disappeared through the front door.
"Did you like Aiden Mom?" asked Tony.
"Yes," replied Jenny. "He seems like a nice boy."
"I wonder what we'll do tomorrow?" said Tony looking at Ziva. "I hope he takes us exploring. He may know some great places to go."
"Yeah!" said Ziva her eyes lighting up. "He might take us deep into the forest where we could see some bears!"
"Ahh, I don't think so," said Jenny firmly. "You don't go out of his or our boundary fences. Understand?"
"But Mommy, what if he knows some really good places?" asked Ziva, again trying to distract her mother.
"No Ziva," said Jenny firmly. "I mean it. Now I want both of you to promise me you won't go out of Aiden's or our boundary? Think of it as a large rectangle that surrounds both properties. That's as far as you go! Now promise me." she said firmly.
Sighing, both children nodded. "Yes, we promise," they said dejectedly. "It won't be half as much fun though," added Ziva.
"What won't?" asked Gibbs as he approached the group.
When Jenny explained what they had just been talking about, Gibbs said, "You'll have heaps of places to go. And besides, Aiden's mother appears the type that wouldn't let him jump over boundary fences either. So I'm sure there won't be any problems at all."
Tony and Ziva looked at each other not overly convinced their parents were right. Their idea of taming the wilderness and building survival huts seemed less exciting when faced with the prospect of staying within boundary fences.
"Come on gloomy guts," said Gibbs briskly. "We've got fresh fish for dinner and you two need to wash up before we eat."
Sighing, Ziva and Tony stood and began to walk towards the house. "Hey, there's ice-cream for dessert," said Gibbs as they trudged past him.
"Really?" said Tony, his eyes gleaming at the thought.
"Yep, bought it last night at the market," said Gibbs. "But it's only for smiling faces I'm afraid."
"We're smiling," said Tony speaking between the enormous toothy grin he was giving. "Aren't we Ziva?"
When Ziva followed suit, Gibbs grinned at them. Shaking his head, he playfully swatted them both and said, "Go and wash up. This fish will be cooked by the time you get back."
Laughing, the two children increased their pace and were soon running towards the house.
"You don't think they'll go wandering off tomorrow do you Jethro?" asked Jenny, a little concerned.
"They'll be fine Jen," said Gibbs confidently. "I think one spanking for the vacation is enough."
"I hope so," said Jenny.
But deep down she was worried. She definitely had an uneasy feeling about tomorrow. Brushing it off as best she could, she watched as Gibbs turned the fish over on the frying plate. They were good kids, and Gibbs was right. Surely they wouldn't risk a second spanking in as many days. And Aiden seemed like a sensible boy.
Having tried to convince herself, Jenny stood and headed towards the house to get some plates and drinks for dinner. She was just been over protective she thought to herself. They would be fine.
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