NCIS Special Ops Challenge #3
"That is not a childhood trauma," Kate scoffed.
"Yes, it is!" Tony exclaimed in his own defense. "This was worse than the vampire thing. Catching your mother with her hand –"
"DiNozzo, this office is dirty enough without your comments," Gibbs interrupted, striding in with his ubiquitous cup of coffee. "I don't come here for this week's episode of 'The Stupid and Sordid'." Kate chuckled quietly at that.
"Boss, you don't understand," Tony started, stopped by a look from Gibbs.
"Gibbs, Tony was just telling me about his 'childhood trauma'," Kate explained, rolling her eyes. "Seriously, Tony, if that's the worst thing that ever happened to you..."
"Hey, it was pretty disturbing to a ten-year-old, okay?" Tony burst out without thinking.
Kate let out a surprised little laugh. "You didn't know until you were ten?"
"I had a sheltered childhood," Tony muttered embarrassedly, starting to regret telling Kate anything. Gibbs watched with a raised eyebrow, pretty sure he knew what they were talking about.
"Tony, most kids find out when they're about five," Kate said.
"Five?" Gibbs asked, masking the surprise in his voice with disdain. "Don't you think that's a little young, Kate? I found out when I was ten."
Kate gave Gibbs a strange look, trying to figure out what he thought they were talking about. Suddenly, the corners of her mouth turned up as she struggled desperately not to laugh. Tony was a little slower to catch on.
"Thank you, boss. I've been trying to tell Kate that for an hour!" Tony, ever prone to hyperbole, was largely ignored by both.
"What's so funny, Kate?" Gibbs questioned, not appreciating the ridicule.
"Nothing," Kate said quickly, straightening her face. Gibbs' eyes narrowed suspiciously. Kate, noticing, tried to sidetrack him. "What's yours?"
"What's my what?"
"Childhood trauma. Everyone has one." Kate smiled innocently. He sighed.
"I found my mother throwing away my baseball cards," he disclosed reluctantly.
"See, DiNozzo! That's trauma."
"Hey, mine is just as bad!"
"No, it's not! Every kid finds out sooner or later. The fact that you were later doesn't mean anything."
"What's your childhood trauma, Kate?" Gibbs inquired, figuring it must have been something terrible to beat out Tony's.
"Well, it's more traumatic than Tony's, that's for sure."
"Would you stop? Just because you don't think it's as bad –"
"Tony, would you let me tell my story?" She launched into her tale. "It was Halloween, and I was about six. I loved Winnie the Pooh, okay? So I decided to dress up..." She continued for several minutes but before she finished, Tony started looking upset.
"How is that more traumatic than finding out your mother is the Tooth Fairy?" Gibbs' eyebrows shot into his hair. Kate nearly swallowed her tongue laughing as Gibbs realized his mistake.
"Because, Tony, thumbtacks hurt. I never made the mistake of dressing up like Eeyore again. And..." Kate sighed. This was the embarrassing part; the part she had never told anyone before. "So that's why I don't play pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey."