Title: Pets and Ice Cream
Authors: Ginny and Kathie (Evil!Council!Duo!)
Fandom: CSI:NY
Rating: FRC
Warnings: Fluff. AU.
Words: 3,757
Disclaimer: They are not ours…only Tom, Lucy and Henry are ours. And Patrick, of course. Yertle the Turtle was written by Dr. Seuss.
Genre: Gen
Summary: The kids want a pet.
Authors Notes: This is part of the fluffy Family-Universe. This might,however, be the last fluffy Family-story, so enjoy it

"Daddy," Lucy said sweetly, standing in the door to the kitchen.

"Yes Luce?" Mac asked, turning around from where he stood, making grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner. He found all three of his children standing in the door, Lucy front and center.

"We want a cat," she told him firmly.

"You want what?" he repeated in utter disbelief and half hoping that he hadn't heard right.

"A cat!" Lucy repeated.

"Why do you want a cat?"

"Everybody has a pet."

"You can't have a cat," Mac told her firmly.

Tears welled up in her eyes. "Why can't I have a cat? Tom and Henry want a cat too." The boys nodded.

"A cat is a lot of work sweetie. And Uncle Don is allergic to cats. If you get a cat, he won't be able to come over any more."

"Why not?" Tom asked while Lucy sniffled slightly.

Mac quickly put the sandwiches on a plate and turned the stove off before he knelt in front of them.

"Cats make it hard for Uncle Don to breathe. He sneezes and his eyes water. If you get a cat, he won't be able to be anywhere near it."

"Why?" Tom asked again. He started to pout slightly. "You're making that up because you don't want us to have a cat! Why can everybody else have a cat and we don't?"

"Remember how I had to go to the zoo for work a few months ago?" Mac asked.

"Yeah," Tom said, watching his dad suspiciously. "You worked with the tigers."

"Uncle Don was there too. He couldn't be near the tigers because they made him sneeze."

Tom gazed at Mac for several long seconds before deciding to believe him. His dad wouldn't lie about work things.

"Uncle Don went with us to the zoo," Lucy said. "Why did he do that?"

"Because as long as he stays away from the cats, he's okay."

"Uncle Danny was with us when we saw the tigers," Henry piped up, sucking his thumb.

Mac frowned slightly. "Maybe you should ask him how bad his allergies are," he offered.

Tom smiled suddenly. "Do you think he has medicine against cats?" he asked.

Mac had a bad feeling about this line of questioning, but he shrugged. "He probably has," he said.

"He can take medicine and then we can have a cat!" Lucy said, and started to smile, too.

"I don't think it works that way," Mac tried to tell them.

"We'll ask," Lucy said, smiling at him.

"And we can have a cat if Uncle Don has medicine," Tom declared.

"A pet is a big responsibility," Mac warned and stood back up. "I think you're too young for that."

"Daddy," all three chorused at once.

"We'll discuss it later," Mac told them. Hopefully Don would tell them that he couldn't be near a cat and the whole matter would be dropped.

"Now go and wash your hands. Dinner's ready." He watched them leave the room and shook his head. He needed to call Don and warn him.

Dinner was its usual crazy affair, but they managed to make it through the night without bringing up cats and pets again.

"Uncle Don!" Henry was the first one to hug Don's leg.

"Hey, kid." Don grinned and patted Henry's shoulder. "You ready?"

"I am," Henry said with a pointed look at Mac who hadn't found his left shoe yet.

"Tom! Bring my shoe back or you'll stay home!" Mac called out and rolled his eyes slightly. "He decided that he needed a pirate ship."

Don snickered at the sight of Mac on his hands and knees in front of the couch, looking underneath it for his missing shoe. "Where are Lucy and Tom?"

Henry grinned. "Lucy's trying to get her pigtails right," he whispered, "And Tom is playing pirate."

"With your Dad's shoe?" Don grinned.

"It's the hidden treasure," Henry confirmed.

"Okay," Don smiled. "Let's find it, otherwise you'll never get that ice cream I've promised you."

Henry smiled happily, grabbed Don's hand and pulled him toward his and Tom's room.

Tom was jumping on his bed, plastic sword at his waist, a shoe in his hands. "Halt!" he shouted, brandishing the sword.

Don folded his arms in front of his chest. "You know you shouldn't jump on your bed," he said and leaned against the wall.

Tom gave one last jump, landing on his with his legs crossed. "Hi Uncle Don!" he greeted with an innocent smile.

"Hi, you pirate," Don answered. "I heard you don't want ice cream."

Tom's eyes widened. "I want ice cream!" he protested.

Don shrugged. "You have to give your dad his shoe so we can go and get it," he said.

Tom frowned. "But he'll be angry and then I can't have ice cream," he pointed out.

"Maybe if you apologize for having stolen it, he'll let you have ice cream," Don suggested.

Tom shook his head. "No, I don't think so."

He looked around. "Maybe I can hide it and say Lucy did it," he thought out loud.

Don grinned and grabbed the shoe. "Come on, find your own shoes. I'll tell him I found it. Besides, I'm the one who buys today. So you have to be nice to me, not your dad." He frowned slightly. "You have to be nice to your dad, too," he then said.

"Aww," Tom groaned, even as he pulled his shoes on.

Don left the room, careful to hide his smile from Tom as he went looking for Lucy.

Lucy was not in her room, and Don shrugged and went back to the living room where Mac was still searching for his shoe.

"I found it," he said and gave it to Mac, "I made a deal with the thief. As long as you promise not to dust it for prints and he is allowed to have his ice-cream, he promises not to do it again. At least not this week."

Mac shook his head. "I'll take what I can get. You know, sometimes I wonder where he gets his sense of humor..."

"Maybe you should make sure that he didn't put coins or snakes in your shoe," Don suggested. "Where's Lucy?"

Mac turned the shoe upside down, and a few coins and a small plastic spider fell out. "Bathroom. She's trying to braid her hair."

Don walked back down the hall and knocked on the bathroom door. "Lucy? Are you ready to go?"

The door opened to show Lucy, her eyes filled with tears. "Uncle Don, my hair won't braid. Where's Uncle Danny?"

Don kneeled down and smiled. "Uncle Danny is working, Lucy. Come on, you're pretty, even without braids."

"But it's straight and boring," she protested, her dark hair swinging as she glared at it.

"Aunt Lindsay's hair is straight, too," Don pointed out.

"But Aunt Stella's hair is prettier," Lucy retorted. "It's curly. I want curly hair."

"Maybe you should talk to Aunt Stella about that," Don deferred.

"That's what Daddy said," Lucy pouted. "But I forgot."

"Then don't forget," Don teased, kissing her nose. "Come on, if we don't hurry up they'll leave without us and your brothers will eat all the ice cream."

Lucy sighed. "You really think I'm pretty?" she asked hesitantly.

"You're the prettiest," Don said. "Come on." He offered her a hand, and she took it.

Lucy waited until they were all getting into the elevator before asking, "Uncle Don? Why are you allergic to cats?"

Don turned around to look at Mac questioningly. "I don't know, princess. I just am. It's like your hair - it just is straight. Your hair is straight, and I'm allergic to cats," he answered.

"What happens when you're near cats?" Tom asked, glancing at his father.

"Well..." Don shifted from one foot to the other, glancing at Mac again. "First I start to sneeze."

Tom let out a huff of breath, his dad had been telling the truth. "What would happen if we got a cat?" he asked.

"I won't visit you anymore, and you can't visit me," Don answered.

"Why not?" Tom asked.

"First I start to sneeze, and then I can't breathe," Don explained. "You don't want that, do you?"

"No," Tom answered immediately. It'd be awful if his uncle couldn't visit anymore.

"Why couldn't we visit you?" Henry asked.

Don's lips twitched. "Ask your Dad about traces and cat hair, and secondary transfer," he said. "He knows all about it."

Proving that they were the children of Mac Taylor, all three nodded in understanding. "We bring cat hair with us," Lucy said.

Don couldn't help but laugh. "They're definitely your kids Mac."

Mac couldn't stop the proud grin from forming. "That's right," he said. "Now who wants ice cream?"

"Me!" three voices called out.

Mac grinned. "Me too," he agreed. "Uncle Don is buying."

Henry grabbed one of Mac's hands, Lucy grabbed one of Don's, and Tom stood on the middle holding onto both men as they pulled them toward their favorite ice cream place, just down the block.

"So you want a pet?" Don asked as soon as they all had their ice-cream.

Lucy nodded. "Everybody has one," she replied. "But I don't want a cat anymore. I like you better than a stupid cat."

"I'm glad," Don told her, hiding a smile. "I'd cry if you decided to have a cat instead."

"Of course you wouldn't cry, silly," Tom said and poked his elbow into Don's ribs. "And then you'd stop breathing and Daddy has to come and find out what killed you."

"Someone's been spending too much time with Uncle Danny," Don said, rubbing his side. "I wouldn't want to give your Daddy more work than he already has. Maybe you could get a hamster?" he suggested.

"No, they couldn't," Mac said quickly.

"Why not?" Tom asked with a spark of interest in his eyes. "We could call it George..."

"Hamsters are like mice," Mac said. "And they die very easily if you're not careful. You might step on it, and then?"

"Paul's family has mice," Henry said and stuck his ice cream and his thumb back into his mouth. "His mother always feeds them. They live in the kitchen, and she gives them scrambled eggs with rat poison."

Mac glared at Don briefly when the younger detective started coughing, choking on his laughter. "Those aren't pet mice," he tried to explain. "Paul's mom doesn't want them to live in their apartment."

"Why?"

"They might be sick, and then Paul gets sick too," Mac explained patiently. "And if Paul gets sick, you can't play with him anymore."

Henry nodded. "I don't want a hamster," he finally decided. "They are boring. They sleep the whole day."

"Can we get a snake?" Tom asked.

"No."

"Come on, Daddy, why not?"

"What do snakes eat?"

Tom sighed. "Cornflakes?"

"I like cornflakes!" Lucy interrupted. "You can't have a snake if it's going to eat my cornflakes."

"Can too!"

"Can not!"

"Can too!"

"Stop," Mac ordered them. They quieted down instantly as they recognized their dad's tone.

"Can I have a parrot instead?" Tom asked. "All good pirates have a parrot."

Don gave up and started to laugh. "What about a fish?" he asked.

"A shark!" Tom cried out. "I want a shark!"

"A shark wouldn't fit in our apartment," Mac pointed out reasonably.

"If it's a small one?"

"What happens when it grows up?"

Tom shrugged. "We can eat it," he answered.

Lucy stared at him in disgust. "I don't want a fish," she said. "Uncle Danny doesn't like them."

"Oh yeah. I forgot," Tom said.

Henry tugged on Mac's sleeve. "I want a pet," he told Mac quietly.

Mac sighed. "What kind of pet?" he finally asked.

Henry shrugged. "I don't know."

Mac smiled. "Why don't you decide, and we can talk about it then?" he suggested and tried to wipe ice-cream off Henry's face.

Henry pulled away. "I can do it," he protested, grabbing the napkin and wiping messily at his face.

"What kind of pets did you have Uncle Don?" Lucy asked.

Don shrugged. "A little sister," he finally answered.

She frowned at the answer and pushed Tom who had started to laugh. "What did Uncle Danny have?"

"I don't know. You should ask him," Don said.

"A sister is not a pet, Uncle Don," Lucy interrupted with a frown. "And that's not a nice thing to say!"

"My dad had a dog when I was a kid," Don explained. "A big dog. Her name was Nana. I had no pets because of her."

"Why?"

"The other animals were afraid of her," Don answered and shrugged.

"Wasn't she a nice dog?" Henry asked and grabbed Don's sleeve with sticky fingers.

"She was a lot bigger than them," Don said as he wiped Henry's fingers with a napkin.

"Tom an' Lucy are bigger than me and I'm not afraid of them."

"But Tom and Lucy aren't dogs, right?"

"They're people Uncle Don," Henry giggled.

"See?" Don smiled at him.

Henry thought about it and nodded, frowning slightly. "I think so."

"Let's go home," Mac interrupted, gesturing for them to stand up.

"So we can't have a cat or a dog or a hamster or a rat," Lucy said.

"Or a snake or a parrot or a little sister," Tom continued.

"You already have a little sister," Mac pointed out. "And she's not a pet."

Tom thought for a moment. "Can I have another little sister, then? Lucy and Henry can play with her, too."

A brief wave of pain crossed Mac's face before he could stop it. "I don't think you'll be getting any more little sisters. Sorry," he said carefully.

"That's sad," Tom said. "But then, we have no room for a little sister, right, Daddy? We can't keep her in the kitchen - I don't want you to feed her rat poison."

"I don't think she would like that," Mac agreed, struggling to keep a straight face. By now they were almost in back to the apartment.

"Will you come in and read to us Uncle Don?"

Don and Mac shared a brief look, and then Don shrugged. "I guess I could."

"Will you read Yertle the Turtle?" Tom asked.

"If you want me to," Don grinned.

"And Where the Wild Things Are?"

"If you want me to," Don repeated. He didn't protest when they pulled him into the apartment and pushed him down to the couch before running to their rooms to get the books they wanted him to read.

"You don't have to stay," Mac told him. "I'm sure you have more exciting things to do."

Don shook his head and squirmed slightly. "That's okay."

He frowned and reached under himself. "What...?"

He pulled a stuffed tiger out and put it down next to him.

Henry ran back into the room. He stopped abruptly when he saw the toy and bit his lip nervously.

"I think that's yours," Mac said. "I told you to keep your toys in your room."

Henry nodded and picked the cat up. "Are you going to die now?" he asked without looking at Don.

"No, of course not," Don assured him. "Why would you think that."

"'Cause you're allergic to cats," Henry explained.

Don smiled. "Your cat is a special cat, Henry. It's the only one I'm not allergic to."

"Really?" Henry's smile was huge as he climbed onto Don's lap. "I have a special cat?"

"That's because you're a very special person, Henry," Don said.

"I'm special Daddy," Henry said, leaning over Don to look at Mac.

"I know you are," Mac smiled at his youngest.

"Am I more special than Tom and Lucy?"

"You all are special, and all differently special," Mac smiled and reached over to ruffle his hair. Henry nodded, accepting the answer.

"Read my story first Uncle Don!" Lucy demanded, bouncing onto the couch.

"Sure, princess," Don smiled and lifted his arm so she could snuggle up to him.

Tom joined them. He pushed Henry to the side as he tried to get between him and Don. Henry pushed back and crawled onto Don's lap. Once they were settled, Don opened the book and started to read.

"On the far-away island of Sala-ma-Sond,

Yertle the Turtle was king of the pond.

A nice little pond. It was clean. It was neat.

The water was warm. There was plenty to eat.

The turtles had everything turtles might need.

And they were all happy. Quite happy indeed."

"Daddy?" Lucy asked. "Can I have a turtle?"

"Me too!" the boys echoed.

"A turtle?" Mac repeated. "I have to think about it."

"Please, Daddy! We'll feed it every day!"

"And we'll take care of it!"

"And you don't have to do anything for it!"

Mac found himself confronted with three pairs of wide, hope filled eyes.

"A turtle would be a good pet," Don told him. "They live a long time, no one is allergic to them, and Danny can't eat it."

A few days later, on Mac's day off, the chaotic mess that was breakfast was interrupted by a happy knock. Mac managed to catch the glass of milk Tom almost spilled when he ran to the door. The next thing he heard was a loud and very happy squeal.

He followed his kids and saw Danny standing in front of the door with a grin on his face and a box in his hands.

"Morning, Mac," he said and held the box up. "I brought a present."

"A present? I want to open it!" Lucy begged.

"I want to open it!" Tom protested.

"Me!" Henry cried.

"You can all open it," Danny promised. "But first you have to let me in."

Immediately they stepped back and let him enter.

"What is it?" Mac asked quietly.

Danny blushed slightly and shrugged. "Murder weapon in one of my cases," he admitted. "I found a fingerprint and a splatter of blood on it, documented it, and I couldn't leave it at the lab."

"You're giving my children a murder weapon!" Mac hissed. He started to try to take the box away from them, but they had it open before he could reach it. Their squeal of delight filled the room.

"A turtle!" All three tried to hug Danny at the same time.

"I wouldn't have given them anything dangerous," Danny told Mac, not quite keeping the hurt from his voice. He bent down and hugged each of them. "Uncle Don was telling me that you wanted a turtle ... and I found this one and he needed a good home."

"What's his name?" Tom asked.

"He doesn't have one yet," Danny told him.

"You have to be very careful with him!" Danny warned.

"Yes!" Tom smiled from one ear to the other. "I want to name it."

"I want to name it!"

"Me too!"

"Enough!" Mac interrupted. "You either decide together, or Danny takes it back!"

"Timmy the Turtle," Lucy said.

"That's stupid. We should call it Yertle," Tom told her. They started to argue about it until Henry interrupted them.

"Patrick," Henry suggested. His older siblings stopped and thought about it.

"Patrick's okay with me," Lucy agreed.

"Me too," Tom said.

"He looks like a Patrick," Henry grinned. "Thank you, Uncle Danny."

Tom and Lucy quickly echoed the "thank you." Danny grinned. "You're welcome," he replied. "Turtles eat salad, maybe you can try to feed him?"

The three kids looked at each other and disappeared toward the kitchen.

"Is this okay?" he asked Mac. "I probably should have asked you first ... but Don had just been talking about how they wanted a turtle when I inherited this one."

"You inherited it?" Mac asked with a soft smile.

Danny shrugged. "It's from the restaurant case, you know, chef killed in his own kitchen? The turtle was supposed to be soup..."

Mac shook his head in disbelief. "He was killed over a turtle?"

"No, he was killed with the turtle. It was the murder weapon." Danny shrugged. "I dusted it for prints, I took samples, if I need its prints, I know where to find it," he said.

Mac nodded. "Thank you. You made the kids very happy."

"No problem." Danny shrugged. "So...dinner tomorrow?" he added when the silence threatened to grow into something uncomfortable.

"What?" Mac asked, distracted by a thump from where the kids had gone.

"I asked if I should take the kids to dinner tomorrow," Danny clarified. "In case you're working late...I know that you will work late. I've seen the unfinished reports on your desk."

Mac gave him one of his rare genuine smiles. "If you don't mind. I'm more behind than usual."

"I wouldn't have offered if I minded."

"I'm really thankful."

"I'm happy to. I love the rugrats."

"And they love you."

Danny blushed a bit and bounced on the balls of his feet, but didn't say anything.

This second Lucy ran back to them and grabbed his hand. "Uncle Danny, before you go to work, can you do my pigtails?" she asked.

Mac laughed. "Please say yes. She's been going nuts trying to get them right."

"Of course!" Danny put a hand on Lucy's shoulder. "I'll show you again how to do them, huh?" he offered, and allowed her to drag him off to the bathroom.

Danny was done with her pigtails in less than five minutes. "This is how they should look Daddy," Lucy told Mac haughtily.

Mac nodded. "I know, but I never get them right," he said. "Now go and finish your breakfast, okay?"

"Tom and Henry are still playing with Patrick. I want to play with him too."

"You can play with him as soon as you've finished your breakfast," Mac said.

"Tom! Henry! Go finish your breakfast," Mac ordered loudly.

"We are eating!" Tom protested. "See," He stepped into the doorway, showing Mac his almost empty bowl of cereal.

"Good," Mac smiled. Tom disappeared back into the kitchen, and Mac returned his attention to Danny. "So..."

"So." Danny agreed and nodded with a smile. "I have to get back to the lab. My boss..."

"I've heard about him. A real hardass," Mac smirked.

Danny smiled. "If he's firing me, I'll blame you. You have to give me a job as a babysitter, then."

Mac smirked. "Deal."

Danny smirked. "You couldn't afford my fees. See you tomorrow Mac. By kids!" he called out.

"Bye!" they called back, and again Mac thought how lucky he was to have a family like this.

The End.