A/N: So, this would be story number 6 in my little "Family Stories" series. You don't have to read the others first but this will make more sense if you do. FYI: Josie is 5 and Alexis is in grad school.

I don't own any of the characters except Josie ;0)

Josie walked into her father's study in her pink, fuzzy, footed pajamas, long brown curls all askew and her thumb in her mouth. "G'mornin', Daddy."

Rick smiled at his daughter and placed his laptop on the desk, picked her up and snuggled her onto his lap and placed a kiss on her head. "Good Morning, Sweetie." He ran his hand over her hair. "You took your braid out…again."

"Uh huh, it was uncomfable."

He pulled her thumb out of her mouth and said "what was that?"

She giggled. "It was uncomfortable."

"Mmmmm, it's going to be really uncomfortable when we try to brush it later."

"I know." She stuck her thumb back in her mouth and he pulled it back out and she giggled again. Then she asked "Daddy, can I have an efalant?"

"No"

"Why?"

"Because, I said so."

"Because you said so, why?"

"Because they break the toilet when they go to the bathroom."

She giggled and asked "can I have a giraffe, then?"

"Nope."

"Why?"

"Cuz."

Cuz why?"

"Cuz they won't fit in the elevator and they'll eat Mommy's oatmeal cookies that she hides in the cupboard over the fridge."

She giggled again and he tickled her. "Can I have a puppy?"

"Oh, I think you should ask your mother that one." He set her back down and she scooted off. He called out after her "don't wake her up." He went back to his writing knowing it probably wouldn't last long. He was pretty sure Kate was still asleep and Josie would be back down momentarily.

She walked into her parent's bedroom and stood quietly by their bed, watching for even the slightest movement to indicate that her mother might be awake; it didn't take long before she saw a foot move under the covers.

"Mommy?"

A very sleepy Kate answered "Yea?"

"Can I have a puppy?"

"Ugggh." Kate looked at her daughter with barely one eye opened. "Did your father put you up to this?"

"He said to ask you."

"You can have a puppy, if he says yes."

"REALLY?" She jumped on the bed and gave her mother a big kiss and said "Oh, I just love you soooo much Mommy, Thank you, Thank you."

Josie ran from the room, her little feet pounding down the stairs and screaming into the study where Rick was trying to write. "DADDY, DADDY, DADDY she said yes!" She landed in his lap almost knocking him over backwards in his chair.

He stood up with her in his arms and put her down rather abruptly and ran up the stairs into their bedroom. Kate heard him bounding up the stairs and groaned as she put the pillow over her head.

"Oh no you don't, don't you dare hide." She was laughing under the pillow. He reached over and pulled the pillow off of her and said "did you tell her she could have a puppy? Do you know who is going to have to take care of a puppy? What were you thinking? This isNOT funny, Kate. You were supposed to say no!"

"Why do I always have to be the bad cop?" She grabbed the pillow back from him and placed it under her head and rolled onto her back. "I actually told her that if you said yes then it was OK."

"I didn't say yes."

"So, go tell her she can't have one."

"She'll be heartbroken; did you see how excited she is?"

Kate chuckled and raised her eyebrows at him. "Then go buy her a puppy."

Josie finally made her way back into their bedroom, running full speed and landing on the bed on all fours. "Can we go get him now, Daddy?" She looked up at him expectantly. "I want a great big one."

"Ummm, Josie? I never said yes."

She looked from one parent to the next. "But Mommy said yes and she's the boss."

"She is NOT the boss."

Josie looked up at him with her eyes all scrunched up. "Yes, she is."

Kate had a grin on her face.

He stared at her. "You're enjoying this aren't you?" He looked back at his daughter. "What makes you think she's the boss?"

"Cuz Aunt Lanie said so."

"Aunt Lanie?" He looked over at Kate and rolled his eyes.

Josie stood on the bed and placed a hand on each hip and did a perfect impression of Lanie. "Uh Huh, she said that Aunt Jenny, Mommy and her were the bosses because the Daddy's are just big boys and are as much trouble as the kids."

Kate had the pillow over her head again and was laughing. Rick sat down beside her and pulled the pillow off of her and started hitting her with it. Josie smiled at her parents and started bouncing and said "Can we go get a puppy now Daddy, Please?"

Just then they heard Alexis come in downstairs. "Hey, anybody home?"

Josie went barreling down the stairs so fast that she ended up sliding down the last few on her bottom, she was screeching "Sissy, Sissy, Sissy, Sissy, Sissy…guess what? Guess what? Guess WHAAAAAT?"

Alexis bent down to catch Josie in her arms and Josie ran into them and wrapped her arms around Alexis's neck and planted kisses all over her face. "Oh I missed you soooooo much! She placed her hands on Alexis's face and said "Daddy is going to buy me a GREAT big puppy!"

Rick came down the stairs raking both hands through his hair. Kate was right behind him and walked into the kitchen to get coffee, shaking her head and smiling at Alexis on her way by.

"Hey Dad, you uh, finally caved on the dog huh?"

"NO, I did not."

"Mommy said yes."

Alexis stood up and said "Hmmmm, if I remember correctly we used to have a few rules about this when I was growing up. The first rule was that you could have a dog once you were old enough to walk it in Central Park all by yourself and the other rule was you couldn't walk in Central Park all by yourself as long as you lived under this roof."

"It was a very good rule and it still holds true." Rick said to Josie, silently thanking Alexis for her timely words of wisdom.

Josie looked up at her father. "What does all that mean?"

Alexis said to Josie "I think it means that maybe you aren't old enough to have a dog yet."

Josie's eyes got really big, "I don't think that's what it means."

Rick looked at Josie and said "Yes, Sweetie that's what it means."

"NO, NO, NO!...I really, really have to have a puppy! Jake is bringing his puppy in for show and tell so I hafta have a puppy too, and it has to be BIG!" She was jumping up and down now.

Kate rolled her eyes at the drama and picked up her coffee and went over to Josie and took her hand. "How about we go do something with that hair and get dressed so you and Alexis can get going." Kate pulled her along up the stairs with Josie whining all the way about needing a puppy now.

Alexis walked over and gave her dad a hug. "I think she is wearing you down, Dad."

"Ummmm, I don't think so, just the request of the week."

Alexis chuckled and walked into the kitchen and poured herself some coffee.

"So how's school going?" He asked her as he made himself a coffee too.

"Oh, really well; I have some incredible professors this term." She babbled on about school while Rick listened and drank his coffee. After a few minutes Kate came downstairs with Josie all dressed in pink and brown ruffles and polka dots and her hair in French braids. The puppy incident totally forgotten for the moment.

Alexis smiled at Josie. "Boy Dad, It doesn't get any cuter than that!"

He put his arm around her. "Oh you were just as cute, maybe not quite as feisty, but definitely just as cute." He hugged her tight and placed a kiss on her forehead.

After hugs, kisses and goodbyes Josie and Alexis left for a day of shopping with Alexis promising her father she would not be purchasing any puppies.

Kate walked over to Rick and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

"So, how did you quell the 'I need a puppy right now' drama?" He asked as he pulled the messy bun out of her hair and nuzzled her neck as her brown curls fell out onto his face.

"I sort of bribed her." She said and then kissed him again.

He broke away from the kiss and looked at her with his eyebrows raised. "Bribed?"

Her hands were raking through his hair as she was kissing him. "Ummhmmm, I told her if she didn't complain while I did her hair we would see about bringing in one of the police dogs for show and tell."

"Oh… that should put Jake in his place."

"I was thinking the same thing."

He shook his head and started kissing her neck. "All this puppy drama to impress a boy and she's only five, I'm not sure I want to know what she'll be trying when she's 16." His hands were under her t-shirt now and caressing her back. "So, any ideas of how we might spend the day?"

"Oh, I have plenty of ideas." She rested her chin on his shoulder.

"Yeah? Do any of them have anything to do with a 'ruggedly handsome writer'?"

"Just his money." He continued to place kisses on her neck and along her shoulder, she pulled back and looked at him. "I'm going shopping with Lanie and Jenny."

"What? You're leaving me here all alone?"

"You could go hang out at Ryan's with Esposito and all the kids."

"Um, no thanks, I think I have some writing to do, unless of course there's laser tag or Guitar Hero involved."

Kate rolled her eyes at him and turned away to head upstairs. "I need to take a shower and get going."

"Oh, I'll help you."

She shook her head and reached back for his hand and he followed her up the stairs. "Who needs a puppy, when I have you?"

Apparently you can't bring dogs into school anymore, but this is fiction. So, as per usual, thanks again for all the reviews and alerts. I love hearing from you. Any suggestions for future stories are welcome too.