A/N...No worries my F/A fans, I have not forgot about you!!! Here is a fluffy little fic set two years after "We Survived the First Year" And for those of you keeping up with the Smacked companion series...there is a Smacked moment in here...I will catch up to this one with that series here soon...I promise! Also, I love left handed people...even though I'm not one, I wish I was... Lastly....this fice references things said in my fic "Rubbing elbows"
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
"Hey pretty girl!" Don grinned as his daughter ran out of her preschool class room.
"Daddy!" the little girl squealed, flying at him. He caught her and hugged her tightly to his chest. Don hadn't seen his family in two days. He's been sent out of town to follow a case. "I thought Grandma was going to pick me up" Maeli was somewhat confused.
"She was, but I got an earlier flight so I wanted to surprise you!" He explained. He wasn't supposed to be home until the following day.
"I missed you so much, Daddy!" Maeli admitted, hugging his neck for extra effect.
"Aww, I missed you too. Did you behave for Mommy?" Don asked, having no doubt she did. Maeli was a good kid.
"Yes, Lindsay and Danny came over and I played with Jake" she responded enthusiastically. Don smiled at the thought of little Jake Messer. He wasn't yet two but Don knew it wouldn't be long before he was giving Lindsay hell. That little boy was going to be as much trouble as his father.
"Really? Was that fun?" He wondered, carrying Maeli towards the car.
"Yeah, Danny was being goofy, he played with us" Maeli answered.
"That sounds like Danny" Don laughed. He clipped his daughter into her booster seat and climbed behind the wheel.
"Daddy?" Maeli called for his attention.
"Yes, sweetheart" He replied.
"I don't like it when you go out of town" She mentioned. Don looked at his daughter in the rearview mirror. She was toying with the flower appliqué on her shirt.
"I don't like it either, baby. I'd much rather be a home with you and Mommy" Don agreed.
"Did you and Mac catch the bad guy?" She asked.
"We sure did" Don smiled proudly.
When they arrived at the apartment, Don first freed Maeli then went to pull his suitcase out of the back.
"Maeli, stay where I can see you honey" He called, noticing she had not followed him around the car. In a parking garage, you can never be too safe. He didn't want her wandering off and getting hit. The child bounced towards him as he set the suitcase on the ground and extracted the handle. "hand" He prodded, taking her tiny hand in his.
Maeli ran off to her room to put away her coat and shoes and grab some paper and crayons. Don began to unload the small carryon.
"Maeli?" He was trying to find her.
"what?" She called from the kitchen.
"I brought you something" He disclosed, following the sound of her voice.
"Really?" Her little blue eyes lit up. Her dad handed her a small t-shirt that said Chicago PD.
"Thank you" she gushed.
"Oh and this is from Mac" He added revealing a small teddy bear dressed as a Chicago police officer. "you'll have to call him later and thank him. " He instructed. She hugged the bear tightly and set it next to her new shirt on the table.
"Daddy, guess what I learned at school today!"
Maeli prompted excitedly.
"What?" He replied just as excited.
"I learned how to write my name!" she exclaimed.
"Really? Can you show me?" Don asked, knowing this was a big deal.
"Yeah" Maeli obliged, climbing back into her chair and righting the piece of paper in front of her so she could write correctly. A sense of pried welled up in Don as she picked up the crayon in her left hand. She slowly scribed all the letters then lifted the paper to show her father.
"That's great sweetie!" He praised her looking at the paper, noting that the "a" in her name was capital, but that really didn't matter. She could write her name and with her left hand no less. Don couldn't wait until Jess got home so he could show her that their daughter inherited a trait from him the she once made fun of.
A couple hours later, Don heard the keys in the lock.
"That's Mommy" he pointed out, kissing Maeli's hair and getting up from the table where they were practicing the alphabet. As Jess removed her coat she was surprised to find her husband anxiously bounding into the foyer.
"Hey stud, when did you get home?" She inquired, a huge grin consuming her face. Don wrapped her in a tight hug and leaned down to kiss her.
"Oh a couple hours ago, early enough to pick up Maeli from school." He answered.
"Yeah, I was expecting to be greeted by your mother, not by you" She mentioned. Don's expression changed to a mock pout. "not that I mind though" she added, kissing him again. He maneuvered so he was behind her with his arms still around her as she tried to make it down the hall to lock up her weapon. He noticed she was moving rather slowly.
"Come on, I want to show you something" He said bouncing on the balls of his feet. Jess cocked and eyebrow at him. He looked like a child.
"Who are you and what have you done with my husband?" She mused with a smirk.
"come on!" He prodded.
"Hold your horses, let me change first" She replied.
"No" He whined.
"Ok fine, but this better be good." She said in mock annoyance with a hint of laughter in her eyes. Don grabbed her hand and dragged her towards the kitchen.
"Hey baby" Jess greeted her three year old, who was playing with a small teddy bear.
"Hi Mommy, Daddy came back early!" Maeli replied looking up at her mother. Jess smiled when she saw the same excitement in her daughter's eyes that she had witness in her husband's moments earlier. They were so much alike.
"I see that" Jess noted. "Now detective, what did you have to show me?" She directed her attention to Don.
"Maeli, show Mommy what you learned at school today" He urged. Maeli nodded and picked up a crayon. She wrote her name just like she had for her father, only the "a" was correct this time.
"Baby, that's awesome" Jess complimented.
"Did you see what hand she used?" He grinned, nudging her side. Jess sent him a look.
"Sweetie, can you write it again for Mommy?" Jess asked. Maeli gladly wrote her name again. This time Jess noticed the crayon in her left hand. "What has your daddy done to you?" She laughed kissing Maeli's hair. Don laughed wholeheartedly.
"What?" Maeli didn't understand.
"Nothing, Daddy is just being goofy" Jess explained.
"Like Danny?" Maeli wondered.
"Yes exactly like Danny" Jess said with a smug grin. Don stuck his tongue out at her, she in return poked him in the stomach.
"Mommy, look what Daddy and Mac got for me!" Maeli exclaimed, showing her mom her shirt and the teddy bear. Don took this opportunity to sneak off.
"Well that was nice of them, I wonder if I got something" Jess replied. Seconds later, Don reappeared, producing a jewelry box from behind his back.
"Of course I wouldn't forget to get you something" He winked. Jess opened the box to find a small silver bracelet. It was simple and elegant.
"Don, it's beautiful." She gasped.
"I figured you could wear this one and it not distract too much from your tattoo on the opposite wrist" He explained. She smiled and kissed him. "Oh and it's only from me, Mac didn't get you anything" He added with a laugh. Jess rolled her eyes.
"I bet Mac was excited to be back in Chicago for a few days" She commented.
"Actually, he was really more anxious to get back to Stella" Don corrected with a challenging look.
"You know something" Jess ventured, eyeing him closely.
"Nope" He claimed.
"Tell me" She begged.
"No, you knew about them for a year and a half and didn't tell me anything." He stood his ground.
"So you do know something and that was three years ago!" She defended herself.
"Yeah, only two times a year and a half" Don laughed.
"Please" Jess pouted. Don groaned, that was a cruel move. She knew he couldn't resist her pouting.
"Later, little ears" He mentioned under his breath, pointing at Maeli.
"Oh, it must be good!" Jess assumed.
The small family had finished dinner and it was nearly bedtime for the little one. Don remembered he'd told Maeli she needed to call Mac. He found his wife and daughter in Maeli's room. Jess was braiding her hair.
"Hey Maeli bug" He called from the doorway.
"Daddy" she grinned, turning her head. "Ow" she squeaked, pulling her own hair.
"Sorry honey, stay still" Jess urged.
"Did you want to call Mac?" Don asked his daughter. Her eyes lit up. "Let your mom finish up, then you can call him." He instructed, then left the room.
"Ok baby, I'm all done, go find Daddy and call Mac" Jess said. Maeli jumped off her bed and ran through the apartment. Don scooped her up and set her on the island in the kitchen.
"You ready?" He smiled, handing her the phone. She nodded. "It's number three" He informed her.
"I know" She giggled, having called Mac more than a few times before.
"Well then!" Her father said in a goofy voice.
Mac removed one arm from around his wife and reached for the phone. He saw on the caller ID that it was Flack's home phone.
"Hello" He answered.
"Hi Mac, it's me Maeli" The little girl responded.
"Well hello" Mac said. Stella cocked an eyebrow at him, wondering who he was talking to.
"Thank you for the bear" Maeli mentioned.
"You're welcome sweetheart. Sorry your dad had to leave for a few days" He apologized.
"It's ok, he came back early. Guess what!" She changed the subject like all little kids do.
"What?" Mac laughed.
"I can write my name" Maeli gushed.
"That's great, you'll have to show me sometime" Mac replied. He could hear Jess in the background telling Maeli it was her bedtime.
"I gotta go, bye Mac" she told him.
"Bye honey, goodnight" he said. Don took the phone.
"Hey Mac" Don greeted.
"Hey, so what hand does she write with?" Mac asked, knowing there was a small competition between Don and Jess to see who's genes Maeli got.
"Left" Don stated proudly.
"I bet Jess is upset with that" Mac laughed.
"She said and I quote 'what has your daddy done to you?'" Don replied.
"That's funny. I'll have to give her a hard time tomorrow at work. I'll see you then" Mac said ending the call.
"Maeli?"Stella wondered.
"Yeah, I got her a teddy bear in Chicago, she was thanking me." Mac disclosed.
"And she learned how to write her name?" She assumed.
"Yes, with her left hand" Mac pointed out.
"Oh wow, I bet Don is proud" Stella laughed.
"Sounded like it" Mac agreed.
"I can't wait until we have a kid of our own. You're going to spoil them rotten" She grinned.
"Yeah probably" Mac shrugged and wrapped his arms around her again. Stella rolled her eyes and kissed him.
Don had just finished putting Maeli to bed and went to find his wife. She was folding laundry in the bedroom. He grabbed one of Maeli's shirts and began to fold it.
"She asleep?" Jess wondered.
"Yep" Don replied.
"She really missed you. I think you made her year by coming home early" She smiled.
"I missed her too, and I missed you" He stated, kissing her neck.
"I missed you too baby" She responded and turned to face him and kissed him slowly. "I think you had something to tell me" She added when she broke away.
"Ah, I knew I wasn't going to get away that easy" Don grinned.
"Tell me" She demanded lightheartedly.
"Well, I don't think I should" He shrugged.
"Donald, you better tell me" She warned. He shook his head. She reached out and tickled his ribs.
"Hey!" He objected.
"Tell me" was all she said, not relenting.
"Ok, ok fine, they bought a house" He caved half way, figuring she'd put the pieces together. Jess's eyes widened to the size of tennis balls.
"Stella's pregnant!" She gasped. Don nodded slowly.
"But don't tell anyone, they still have another month until they're in the clear." He added.
"Is Mac excited?" Jess wondered.
"Almost to the point where it's annoying and that's saying something since Mac is not at all the annoying type" Don replied.
"Wow, that's great" She gushed.
"Yeah, almost as great as our Maeli being left handed!" Don fired back with a grin. Jess rolled her eyes. "Even if her mother thinks she's all wrong and left handed, I think was how you put it" He laughed.
"Like I said, we can use it to our advantage and get her college scholarships." Jess shrugged.
"Geeze Jess, she's three and you're already thinking about college!" Don gaped.
"Well, she's growing up so fast. First she's writing her name and next thing you know she'll be driving a car" She pointed out.
"I guess you're right" He agreed.
"I have to say I couldn't be more proud of the fact that she can write her name, even if she uses the wrong hand" Jess mentioned.
"There is nothing wrong with the left hand, it's been working for me all my life" Don objected.
"Like father, like daughter" Jess sighed. Don smiled proudly.