A/N: I know this probably sucks terribly, but I had the urge to write. I'm trying to get over writer's block.
"Isabelle, come to bed."
A little girl of about four turned away from the window, her dark brown curls swishing around to gently hit her face. It was amazing how much the child resembled her mother, how every little piece of her was eat up with her. What was even more amazing, was the words and the attitude that came out of her mouth next. Now, that was all her father.
"Do I have to mommy? Couldn't I stay up and watch one more movie with daddy, please? Just one more, please?"
Both sets of brown eyes locked together as the child begged her mom to let her stay up. A sigh left the older woman's lips, knowing that she couldn't say no to her. She had never been able, probably never would be able to.
"Fine, but tell your father he gets to fight with you next year when you want to stay up late on a school night."
Isabelle smiled and ran to her mother, wrapping her arms around the other's waist. She buried her face in her legs and let her eyes close for a minute before looking up.
"I love you, mommy!"
"I love you too, now go. I am going to take a shower then I will be down to watch the rest of the movie with daddy and you."
She leaned down then to kiss her daughter on the forehead before pushing her gently back towards the couch. With one last glance at her, she turns and heads up the stairs. It doesn't take long for a man to come from the kitchen with a bowl of popcorn and two juices in his hands. He sees his wife disappearing into their bedroom and Isabelle sitting on the couch, bringing a smile to his face. Walking towards her, he raises an eyebrow.
"Mama give in and let you stay up?"
"Uh huh. She said you have to deal with me next year when I want to stay up on school nights."
A giggle left the child's lips as she sat back farther on the couch, bringing her legs up underneath her. She was small for her age, making it seem that she was younger than she actually was. Being a premature baby had it's downsides, but that was rarely mentioned. It was a miracle that she sat beside him now, and he knew it. He also knew that that was why her mother never told her no, why he never told her no.
"If you take after your mother, you'll love school and I'll have no problem. If you take after me..."
He gave her a mischievous grin and leaned over to kiss her nose, earning a squeal from the child.
"Stop that, daddy!"
The laughter came from her lips like a lullaby as her face scrunched up in joy, her eyes closing. This only had him leaning over again, kissing her cheek and then her forehead and her chin. All the while making a 'nom nom nom' noise. She started wiggling now, her little body slipping right off the couch. Before she could fall off completely though, he set down the stuff in his hands and grabbed her, plopping her down in his lap.
"See there, you almost slipped right off the couch. I told you if you spent too much time in the pool you would turn into a fish and slip all over the place."
She shook her head, making a face at him.
"I'm not a fishy! No no no no."
He chuckled at her, kissing the top of her head as he heard the bathroom door opening upstairs. The little girl in his arms froze, her eyes copying his and looking up the stairs.
"Hide, little ninja, I must keep the bedtime monster away."
Isabelle grinned, nodded, and jumped off her dad's lap, hurrying behind the couch to the small space that only her little body could fit in. She watched her dad's feet disappear up the stairs, straining her little ears to listen. A few moments later she heard her father groan out in pain, her mother's laughter drifting down the stairs to her ears.
"Awe, honey, come on! That's the third time this week."
"I can not help it, reflex."
"Reflex my ass, you do it every time."
"Then maybe you should stop trying to sneak up on me, yes?"
"You're no fun."
"Where is Izzy?"
"Stop trying to change the subject, she's hiding."
"I was not changing the subject, I was simply--"
The conversation ended abruptly as he crushed his lips against hers, effectively shutting her up. The kiss was short, both aware of little ears listening in, but it easily could have turned into more. She looked at him, a slight pout on her lips - a habit she had picked up from Abby - before turning and going to the dresser. He gave her a quick grin before disappearing down the stairs, knowing she would be down in a moment. As his foot touched the bottom step, a little head popped out from behind the couch.
"Did you get her?"
"Oh yeah, I got her. She promised to be on her best behavior and watch the movie tonight."
"Yay!"
She crawled out from behind the couch, her curly brown locks going crazy all over the place. She ran over to her dad putting her arms up as he reached down, lifting her to his hip. She kissed his cheek, his unshaven cheek tickling her lips.
"Daddy, your face is all prickly. It tickles."
"Is it?"
He grinned as she nodded, leaning his face towards her and rubbing his chin against her cheek. Her shrieks of joy only encouraged him as he made the way over to the couch, falling backwards dramatically with her safely in his arms. As he continued to rub his face against hers, she called out for help.
"Mommy! Daddy won't stop!"
She whined the last words, her laughter bringing tears to her eyes. She was wiggling, trying her best to get down but her dad wouldn't loosen his grip on her, something that frustrated her. Hearing footsteps on the stairs, she called out again.
"Mommy! Hurry!"
Three carefully placed steps had the older woman sitting on her husband's legs, pulling Isabelle from his grasp. A small game of tug-a-war ensued, the child laughing the whole time. A few pokes and wiggles later, the young girl was sitting comfortably in her mother's lap, her tongue sticking out at her dad.
"Mommy wins."
"She used her ninja skills, it wasn't a fair game!"
"You're just mad cause she's a ninja."
He pouted as the older female laughed, her curly wet hair falling from behind her ear. After pushing it back to where she had it, she leaned down and kissed him quickly on the lips.
"Your ninja."
The pout was replaced with a smile as he pulled her down, moving so the three of them fit comfortably on the couch. His arms went around her waist while she held Isabelle in her own.
"Can I turn the movie on now?"
A quick nod from her mother was all it took for the child to grab the remote from the table in front of her, her little fingers easily finding the play button. Four years of watching movies with her father resulted in knowledge of knowing how to work a DVD player. Izzy knew that both her and her mother would fall asleep, leaving her dad to carry them each to their own bed. It was their nightly routine, something that never changed - unless something important came up. And now, as the previews showed, she waited for the most important part.
"I love you, Tony."
A smile came to the child's lips as her dad kissed her mom's cheek, butterflies filling her small little belly.
"I love you too, Ziva."