Disclaimers: I do not own NCIS or its characters; I own Jack, Leah and Grace.
Warnings: None. Just cute fluff.
A/N: I recently came across some old stuff I had written and I missed the little family of Tony, Leah, Jack and Grace. I've been thinking of going back to the original concept of the Unconditionally verse with this little family. Hope you enjoy the fluffy, cute, happy fic this is! And as always please let me know what you think, I love chatting with you all!
A Pet for Jack
The hum of a lawn mower far off in the distance was the only sound Tony DiNozzo heard as he stepped into the backyard on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Summer was winding down on the calendar but when it came to the heat and humidity, it showed no signs of letting up. Closing the gate behind him, because he knew the little ones were back here playing, Tony turned the corner—only to find his children up to their chins in Leah's flower beds.
"What are you doing?" Tony asked, with a hint of panic. Gardening was Leah's escape; she'd be horrified if she saw what had become of her flower beds. "Mama isn't going to be happy."
"Daddy, we saw a frog," Grace said, looking up at him with a big grin. When she smiled, she looked so much like her mother it was frightening at times. "We were going to catch it and keep him as a pet!"
Tony winced. He wasn't sure how Leah was going to react to that. "Gracie, frogs like to live out in the wild. Maybe we should catch him and bring him back to the pond."
Jack pulled himself to his full height. "Daddy, my friend Tommy has a pet frog. It lives in an aquarium in his bedroom. I told him I was going to get one just like him."
Carefully, Tony moved towards the kids and lifted a dirt covered Grace from the garden. "You cannot just bring animals into the house, Jack. You need to ask Mama first if you can get a pet frog… but this one stays out here, in the wild. If she says yes we'll take you to the pet store. Now, come on, dinner is going to be ready soon and you two are filthy!"
"Daddy…" Grace started to say but was cut off by her brother.
"Shh Grace!" Jack shouted. "Daddy's right, we should go wash up."
Tony instantly knew something was up. He made his son empty his pockets; a few rocks tumbled out but no frogs. He sighed as he watched his son crawl out of the garden and head back inside the house. Tony carried Grace into the kitchen. Leah was at the sink with their son, washing his hands and face with a wash cloth. "Found them," he said with a chuckle.
Leah glanced at her husband. "Were they digging a tunnel?"
He laughed. "No, frog hunting. Jack wants a pet."
She made a face. "Jack. What have I told you about bringing animals in from the yard?"
"I was going to take care of him, I swear, Mama!" Jack protested while she continued to clean him up.
"Just like the worms?" Leah prodded.
Tony chuckled again, setting Grace down on the counter and reaching for a clean wash cloth. He soaked it under some cool water and rung it out before he began to clean her hands. As he was doing so, he noticed the pocket on her jumper move. "Grace Caitlin what is in your pocket?"
Grace looked down at her lap as the frog emerged. Leah cried out as the amphibian leapt off the little girl's legs and straight towards the boiling pot of water for their pasta dinner. Tony managed to save the little frog just before he plunged to a fiery death. Cupping the animal in his hands, he glared at his daughter.
Large tears began to roll down her cheeks and she gulped. "I'm sorry Daddy! Jack told me to put the frog in my pocket! He said you wouldn't check them!"
"Tony, make sure that frog gets outside," Leah said to him before he could give into Grace's tears. "I don't want him in our dinner tonight."
"No! He's my pet!" Jack yelled, angrily. "This is all your fault Grace!"
"Jackson you cannot have a wild frog as a pet!" Leah scolded her son. "We've talked about this before young man!"
"He's going to the pond buddy," Tony replied, heading back outside to release the frog, while Jack shouted hotly at him.
When he returned to the kitchen Grace was still crying and Jack was yelling at his sister for babbling. He had no experience in sibling rivalry, and usually his kids got along well, but for some reason the last few days they were fighting a lot more. Grabbing his daughter off the counter, he told Leah he was going to give her a bath before dinner. "At least they won't be yelling at each other anymore," he said as he walked away.
Grace sniffled and buried her cheek against her father's shoulder. She stayed silent while she waited for her bath water, she stayed silent while she got her bath, and she stayed silent while she was dressed in clean pajamas. "Daddy," she finally whispered when they were climbing down the stairs together, "do you not love me anymore?"
Tony was startled. What was she talking about? "Of course I still love you. Why are you even asking such a silly question, princess? I know I got mad, daddies and mommies sometimes get mad, but it doesn't mean we don't love you kids. Okay?"
She clutched his hand tightly. "I love you, Daddy."
He lifted her off the stairs and kissed her cheek. "I love you, too."
"I just wanted to make Jack happy. He's my big brother."
"Oh, Grace, I know you were trying to do a nice thing for your brother."
"Are you and Mama gonna punish us?"
"No, but I think we're going to sit down and have a long talk about bringing animals into the house—again."
Grace wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him, tightly. Even though she was wildly independent, she still was a big Daddy's girl at heart and when she was upset Tony was the one she sought comfort from.
Tony rubbed her back and stepped into the kitchen. Leah and Jack were seated at the breakfast nook, already eating dinner. Jack's skin was clean from the dirt of the garden and his face was still angry. Just like his father, Jack had a bit of silent temper. It was going to take him a few hours to simmer down.
Leah made sure to smile at their daughter when Tony put her down. "I put some butter and cheese on your pasta, sweetie," she said, giving the little girl a bowl and fork. "Eat it all up and there's vanilla ice cream for dessert."
"I've been thinking," Tony said, sitting down next to Jack and ruffling his hair, "maybe we can take Jack to the pet store."
"The pet store?" Leah repeated.
"Our son would like a pet of his own and I think if he had one, it will stop all the unwanted critters from being brought into our home," the federal agent said with a little twinkle in his eye. "What do you think, bella?"
Leah looked between her husband and her son. Jack's little blue eyes filled with an innocent desire. "If he promises no more wild animals are going to be coming in from the garden… we can go next weekend."
Jack beamed. He slid along the bench and kissed his mother on the cheek over and over again. "Thank you, Mama! Thank you!" He then slid back and repeated the action to his father. "Thanks Daddy!"
Tony chuckled. The dinner table was soon filled with chatter, like it usually was. While the kids were talking away, he caught Leah's eye and smiled. She shook her head with a silent laugh. Every day, good or bad, Tony always felt himself falling in love more and more with her, with the kids, and with their life—pets and all.