A/N Set about 2 and half years in the future after Poker Face Failure. This conversation is based on one my wife and I had one time. I can really see Kensi wanting to teach her children the same things her dad has taught her. This fanfiction discusses the possibility of starting to teach children the proper respect of firearms. Of which hearing protection is one of them. Firearms are tools nothing more nothing less. Don't like it. Don't read it.
Disclaimer: Nothing in the bank account, so I don't own anything from NCIS LA
I hate shopping at Walmart. I really do. I am not fond of their business practices, or their product choices. But when your daughter is still extremely small for her age, and goes through Pediasure like its water, we're kind of forced to shop here. Even with both of us working for NCIS, we still have to shop around for the best prices. This explains why we were at Walmart for the second time this week, a really good sale was going on and we were going to load up the Avalanche again.
"I still say we should just buy a forklift, buy the stuff direct and just have it shipped to the house, Princess." I glanced at the blue eyed brunette miracle sitting well behaved in her mother's shopping cart. "What do you say Hope? Do you want to see Daddy drive a forklift?"
"Yes Hope that would be a sight to see. Daddy doesn't know how to operate heavy equipment." I pointedly looked down at Hope and back up at Kensi waggling my eyebrows. "Daddy is also a pig."
"Mommy's still upset that Daddy wouldn't let her drive the semi when duty called at work." Hope just grinned up at both of us. Even as young as she was, she could tell what our banter really meant. Made one wonder why the hell it took us so long to admit what we have, when even little kids could tell. "Mommy's driving is scary for a NASCAR driver, behind the wheel of a big rig ohhhhhh really really scary." I shivered for dramatic effect which made Hope start giggling. That sound, right there, was tied for first with her mother's laugh as the most precious sound on earth to me.
"Har, Har. I am not that bad, especially when Hope is in the car. Besides which one of us is the better pistol shot? You needed to have both hands too handle the big rig." Kens' one-upmanship was starting to show through.
"I prefer to have you use both hands to handle the big rig." I just grinned at her.
That earned me a punch in the arm. "Deeks, Little Ears! Geez, you really are a pig."
"You kind of walked right into that one Fern. However our little girl isn't, and better never be, in the car when we're on the clock. Your driving is bit different Sugarbear at work compared to say oh at home." Somehow we had moved into the sporting goods section of the store without me noticing it. That was not a good sign from a security stand point. It was definitely one of my weaker points to this whole super-secret agent thing, but I thought I was getting better. I definitely wasn't telling Sam about this. I really wouldn't appreciate another lecture on the subject, especially since this one would concern his goddaughter's security.
"Deeks, look at that! I have to buy it." Kens went full on puppy dog pout at me "Please?" and then even threw in the lip quiver for good measure.
"Ummm Kens, that's pink and you absolutely hate pink." I thought I sounded reasonable. I wasn't all that sure at the idea of buying what she was looking at.
"They do come in other colors, idiot." I never knew exasperation could be expressed so fondly.
"Calling me an idiot when you want something from me? Really Fern?"
"Well you are my idiot. It's because I'm so awesome that my mere presence reduces your mental capacity." Her hands just swept up and down her body like she was on America's Next Top Model.
I will admit that I was impressed. I was definitely starting to rub off on Kensi. "Nice one, Sunshine. But she just turned two, Kens."
"Dad started taking me when I was four."
"Kensalina the fact that you were raised by wolves is just one of the many reasons I love you, but even still that's two years away."
"And how exactly is this any different than you buying Hope a surfboard when she was six months old?" We both knew I was going to give in to her, I have almost never been able to tell Kensi no, but we also have never done things the easy way. Also I was having too much fun with our banter.
"Touché."
"Exactly, touché."
"Again? Again Kens? How many times do I have to explain this to you? That is not how you use the word." I just groaned.
"Pretty sure I just did." I will admit she looked darn cute when she was being smug and annoying. Who I am kidding, Kensi looked darn cute all the time. "But seriously Deeks, please? Those are just the right size for her."
"But won't she outgrow them pretty quick?"
"So what you're saying is you want to stop buying our daughter clothes as well since she is just going to outgrow them?" It almost sounded like Kens was grinding her teeth.
I snorted, I couldn't help it. If I had been drinking anything, whatever it was would have shot right out of my nose. "Seriously, that's what you got from what I just said? Right, I want Hope to run around naked because she will outgrow her clothes."
"Well who says Hope is going to be an only child?" My eyes narrowed at Kensi. She was trying for bashful, I think, but something wasn't right. "No I'm not Deeks. We aren't having another addition to our family right now. But maybe someday."
"You sure about that Princess? Cause I seem to remember someone saying she wasn't going through that again." Hope's birth had been scary. Not even Afghanistan, nor the Russian built laser bomb room had frightened me in the way that the phone call from Kensi five days before Hope came into this world did. Those five days from when Kensi was admitted to the hospital to when Hope was born are some of the most emotionally draining memories in my life, and that's saying a lot. Especially since for once Kens wasn't fighting the hospital staff like she usually does. When something scares Kens, or might hurt one of her loved ones, she tends to not want to do something like that ever again.
"I never said that. What I said is that I never wanted to go through that particular circumstance again." She pause in her looking through the stuff on the shelves and grabbed a package. "Aha! Told you they came in other colors." Kensi proudly held up the smallest set of shooting earmuffs in black I had ever seen. "Really Deeks, it's not like I am going to let her start handling a gun. Hope isn't strong enough yet. But she can hand me ammo when I practicing with rifles on the range. That's what I did with Dad when I started going with him."
"Kens, love of my life, again that's two years away. Do you really think she can focus that long at her age?"
"You might have a point. Hope is half you. But I really want to start teaching her what Dad taught me." Now I knew I was going to give in. Kensi pleading is something I can't stand.
I pulled her into my arms without getting a punch. Public displays of affection really weren't Kensi's thing. "I know you do, Princess. Go and ahead get them."
"Daddy, me too." Hope held her arms out.
"What Squirt? You were between us for almost eight months, you think you need to be between us again?" That got a very enthusiastic nod. I reached down and plucked her from the cart. "Ok just maybe this one time."
Please tell me what you think even if you think it sucks. Constructive criticism is very helpful. While I do enjoy favorites and follows, I can't be sure if I am writing the characters correctly. So thanks for reading and please leave a review.
