Sammy & Ilna - thanks for "Chillin' " with me so, so many times. Love you both!
Sammy thanks for the case note & edits!
RealMcRollers & Readers - Thanks for the love & support and welcome to our new readers!
Chillin' with Re Re
After wiping Angie's face while saying, "Since you're a big girl and ate all your dinner, I think we should celebrate!" Carrie threw her hands up in the air, knowing her goddaughter would mimic the gesture and smiled when she did. "How do you think we should celebrate this momentous occasion?" Pretending to think, she gasped and clapped. "I know! Let's celebrate with …" she drew the word out, "Coooookies!"
"Cookie!" Angie squealed, bouncing in her portable highchair. "Cookie, Re Re! Cookie!"
"Yay!" Carrie laughed at Angie's expression of pure excitement.
"Yay!" The toddler repeated.
"C'mon, beautiful, Aunt Carrie's got you covered." She unbuckled and lifted her goddaughter from the seat, settling the little combat boot clad feet on the floor and offering her hand. "Besides, your daddy left twenty four boxes of cookies here; the least you can do is eat some so Uncle John and I don't gain twenty pounds each."
"Ahh eh bah dee, cookie," Angie's statement was punctuated with a nod as she put her hand in her godmother's and followed her across the kitchen. Her eyes widened and she did a little hopping dance at the volume of familiar boxes revealed when her Aunt opened the cabinet. "Cookie!"
"That's right, you and Aunt Carrie are gonna have a girls' night … well, afternoon." She tickled Angie's tummy. "So the idea here," she explained as though her niece understood every word, "Is we played outside with bubbles for some exercise..."
"Buhbuh," Angie stated her term for one of her favorite activities. "gahh ag buhbuh!"
"That's right, smart girl, you love bubbles." She kissed her cheek. "And we ate our cheeseburgers and now we have cookies and TV time, how's that sound?"
"A de dagra!"
The blond's eyes sparkled. "Perfect, I'm glad you agree, this being your first official spa day and all," Carrie said seriously to the toddler who was making her smile by displaying a carbon copy of her best friend's head tilt.
Grabbing a box each of Samoas and Thin Mints, Carrie partially closed the door before reopening it to include the Trefoils.
"Cookie, cookie, cookie," Angie pointed and clapped as her godmother placed a half dozen of each variety in a plastic bowl and put the rest away.
Handing the toddler her sippy cup of water, she instructed, "Can you carry that like a big girl?" And encouraged her to lead the way into the living room.
Angie climbed up on the sofa right next to Carrie, handing her aunt the cup and sitting upright, her eyes never leaving the colorful plastic bowl filled with her favorite treat.
Carrie leaned over to kiss her cheek and turned the TV on, grinning when Angie pointed at the screen and said, "ohh ah ba!" when the Bubble Guppies theme began, but quickly reverting her attention to the Samoa she was holding onto. "Cookie, Re Re," she declared with a chocolatey grin, holding it up while reaching for a second one.
Carrie put her face next to her goddaughter's and snapped a photo of them biting into their cookies. "And that's how we do girls' night." She tickled the little tummy and laughed out loud when Angie did the same.
Texting Catherine the image with the note, She's doing you proud, and she ate half a cheeseburger first! She popped a Trefoil in her own mouth and snuggled with the toddler to watch TV.
Back at home where they were working on gathering and assimilating details from a few new leads, Catherine held up her phone and snorted a laugh.
"What's she doing?" Steve raised his brow, knowing from her look it was Carrie texting about their daughter.
She showed him the screen. "Wolfing down cookies and watching TV." Her amusement was obvious. "Carrie can pretty much kill a box of Thin Mints, but Angie may give her a run in a few years."
At Carrie and John's, Angie was giggling as her Aunt 'Re Re' took video and still shots of her in what she called spa mode. After the toddler's bath, Carrie wrapped her in a brand new robe and tiny matching turban, saying, "Your grandma's gonna love this shot," and texted Catherine the latest image.
Looking up from her laptop, a dazzling smile lit Catherine's face when she read, Hi Mommy, we're chillin' ... Aunt Re Re is the coolest, no wonder she's your bestie. Xoxox Angie on her phone.
Returning the text with: Considering I didn't pack any of the outfits I've seen you in so far, I'm thinking Aunt Re Re is catching up to Ama. Have fun, miss you, baby. Mommy loves you, xoxox
Motioning Steve over, she passed him her phone and he barked a laugh. Texting a reply of his own: Tell your godmother to FaceTime us.
Seconds later, a sleepy Angie was smiling at them as they put their faces together and called the dog over so she could see them all.
"Mama, Dada! Cookie, Re Re ahhh bah eee, Mama. Caa-mee, hi!"
"We love you, baby girl," Catherine waved and Carrie grinned when Angie did the same. "Are you having soooo much fun with Aunt Carrie?"
"We're having the most fun ever, and just wait til Uncle John gets home, we're gonna read sooooo…" she pressed her nose against Angie's cheek, then kissed her til she giggled. "Soooo many stories!"
"Ahh ba eee, On!"
Steve's smile was wide as he shook his head. "Just don't corrupt my kid, Stagler." He pointed at the lens.
"That's not even possible, McGarrett, she's got your genes and my bestie's…" She ran a hand over the toddler's curls. "But I still get to try."
Steve's phone dinged with a text and he pulled it from his pocket. "It's Danny. Hopefully Willoughby managed to get a sit down with Eddie Ocala.
"Go, go," Carrie said with a nod. "We'll see you in the morning. Say 'bye, bye, Angie. We have a spa day to finish."
"Byeeee!" She waved a little hand at the screen and her parents did the same.
"Bye, baby we love you."
'We'll see you in the morning."
"Love you, Angie," they said together as they ended the call.
Catherine shook her head. She couldn't wait to spend her day off with their daughter tomorrow, but was delighted to see her having so much fun with Carrie today.
Steve kissed her temple, reading her thoughts. "What?" He asked, when it was clear she was remembering something.
"We used to have what we called 'spa days' at the academy. With cookies from Kathie, Mom or Gram, or whatever kind we'd get in town. Then we'd use any moisturizers we had and do a makeshift facial." She grinned at the thought. "It was really all about the cookies, though." Her smile softened. "And the bonding."
Steve smiled as Catherine scrolled through the images of their toddler and Carrie: cheeks pressed together munching away on cookies, his little girl's face covered in chocolate and smiling his wife's beautiful smile.
Angie napping with her head on her godmother's lap, remnants of cookie crumbs on her face as she pursed her lips to murmur in a dream; their baby girl wrapped in a miniature pink spa robe with a matching towel turban on her head as she reclined in Carrie and John's large master bathroom sink as though it were a luxury spa.
"So much was about the bonding,' Catherine repeated quietly as they received another image.
Carrie and their daughter were wearing matching leggings and sleep shirts.
Seeing the glint of joy in his wife's eyes he said, "Looks like it still is."
Catherine's smile turned soft at the love her best friend already shared with her daughter. "Definitely still is."
# End. Thanks for reading!
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