Notes: Thanks to Mari and Sammy as always. Hugs to Sammy for reading and sending great feedback even out the door, and to Mari for the seed of an idea for this one.

Readers and REAL McRollers - Thank you for your continued support. It's always appreciated.

Hope you enjoy!

The Best Gift (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)

"What do you think, Angie?" Steve asked, grabbing a yellow box and a few sheets of plain paper from the shelf. Joseph had joined Steve and Angie for dinner while Catherine met Elizabeth and Grandma Ang at a local arts and crafts fair, and they'd now moved into the playroom along with Cammie. "Do you want to color with Grandpa for a little while before bedtime?"

Angie nodded excitedly, hurrying toward her small table. "Ah me sah," she said. "Apa!" She pointed to the spot beside her.

"You want me to sit there?" Joseph asked. He grinned. "I think it might be easier to sit on the floor than in one of your little chairs."

"That'd be my recommendation," Steve said with a smile.

Steve put the paper down on the table and opened the crayon box, setting it down as well. Angie waited for both of them to sit before smiling in satisfaction and reaching into the box.

"Catherine used to do that," Joseph said, smiling at Angie's focused face as she lined up the thick crayons in front of her.

"Oh yeah?" Steve asked, looking over at his father-in-law with interest.

Joseph nodded, smiling at the memory. "Very organized, even as a toddler."

Steve chuckled. "Of course."

Angie picked up the blue crayon in her left hand and the red crayon in her right.

"Two crayons?" Joseph said.

"Ah po me nah," Angie said as if in answer. She began a slow scribble on the paper. Steve put his hand down on a corner unobtrusively so it wouldn't move around as she worked.

"She had been using her left hand when she colored, then she switched to her right," he said. "Now she takes one crayon in each hand and uses both, one after the other."

Joseph watched, a touch of amazement on his face. "Her grip has changed, too. She used to hold the end of the crayon in her fingertips. Now she grabs it closer to the tip."

"Yeah, she's figured out that's more effective," Steve said proudly.

Joseph smiled, shaking his head slowly. "So much happens when kids are this age. They change so fast."

"Yeah," Steve agreed, his eyes on Angie who was singularly focused on her drawing.

"I was fortunate to be stateside for almost the first two years of Catherine's life," Joseph said reflectively. Steve glanced over at him as he continued. "Then I was at sea." He sighed. "Certainly not my longest deployment but … being gone for four months felt like years when I had a toddler at home, growing and changing with each passing day."

Steve nodded. "I can imagine."

"I know you can. And I'm glad imagine is all you have to do."

"Me, too," Steve said seriously.

"There are things I missed while serving my country," Joseph said. "My daughter's second birthday was one of those things. And other occasions and milestones as she got older." He shook his head sadly, his eyes growing momentarily unfocused. "Probably more than I even know. Birthdays, Christmases, first days of school. Her first lost tooth. Riding a bike without training wheels." He looked at Steve. "That's part of the life. Part of the sacrifice. It's a fact. Knowing that doesn't make it easier." His eyes drifted back to his granddaughter. "But I think … missing those moments with Catherine makes me appreciate this time with Angie even more."

Steve nodded slowly. "There are times I get called in on a case in the evening or on my day off and I hate that I'm missing time with her but … I think of you when Catherine was this age or teammates whose kids were young when we were deployed who all missed weeks and even months at a time." His face sobered. "I think of Freddie … who never got the chance to meet his daughter …" He exhaled slowly, looking back at Joseph. "I know how lucky I am. And I won't ever take that for granted."

"I know you won't," Joseph said. "Time with her is a gift. I've seen how you treasure every moment you get with your daughter, and I know that's why you do. That's important. Right there with keeping a roof over her head and keeping her healthy and safe. It's important because she knows it. She feels it, even when she's too young to really understand or articulate it. And that feeling is what she keeps with her even when you're not there, not right beside her. It helps her feel loved and supported during those times."

Steve smiled appreciatively. "I know that's exactly what Catherine would say about you. That even when you were gone, she felt loved and supported. She knew that, without a doubt."

Joseph nodded, smiling softly. He nodded to Angie. "And someday, maybe she'll leave you little notes that you keep in a special box for the rest of your life that tell you just that."

Steve smiled, thinking of the notes from a young Catherine that he knew Joseph still kept and treasured. "I should be so lucky."

"You will be," Joseph assured him. "You already are. The way Angie's face lights up when she sees you. The way she talks to you." He grinned. "Even if at this point you don't always know exactly what she's saying."

"Ah dah!" Angie exclaimed suddenly, sitting up with a broad smile. She dropped both crayons on the table and looked at her father and grandfather proudly.

"Are you all done, Angie?" Steve asked, smiling at her. He glanced quickly at Joseph with a little grin. "I do know what that one means."

"Ah dah," she repeated, nodding. Picking up the paper, she held it out to Joseph. "Apa!"

"For me?" he asked in surprise. He took it carefully. "It's beautiful." Setting the paper down, he shifted around the table and lifted Angie into his lap. He kissed her cheek. "Thank you, sweetheart."

She beamed at his actions and the warmth in his tone, snuggling against him.

Steve smiled at them, genuinely pleased by the exchange. "Looks like your days of getting little notes isn't quite done yet."

Joseph sighed happily. "If that's the case, I might need another special box."

"Well, lucky for you, Christmas is coming," Steve said. "And I got a feeling I know exactly what you'll be getting from Angie."

"This right here," Joseph said, dropping a kiss on the top of Angie's head as she sat contentedly in his lap, "is the best gift I could ever receive."

Hope you enjoyed!

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