Well, hello there! It's been a while, hasn't it? I guess that life sometimes gets in the ways. It happens. With all my classes, sickness, pregnancy and all kinds of other drama going on, I just haven't had time to publish anything. But don't fret, I have a few stories in the works, a Hotch/OC and a Hotch/Garcia for sure and probably a few others based on random conversations with my beta, flashpenguin. With my new drive and someone to keep me on my toes, I hope that I can update on a regular basis.
The idea for this story came to me while having a conversation with my dad, but its also from my desire to write another "Daddy Dave" story. I have to admit, I really have missed writing this kind of story, so that's where this story came from.
And now for the part that I know some people skip, this story is dedicated to all those people who are still reading my stories whether they be old or new. You guys rock!
Sadly, I still don't own Criminal Minds, but a girl can dream.
Dave Rossi was a man of promise, and when he made a promise, he did everything within his power to keep it. Oh, how he wished he could break this one. He promised Mia that they would have a Princess party as soon as she was potty trained. It was just a tiny promise that Dave figured the young girl would forget. Unluckily for Dave, she hadn't.
"Mommy will be back in a few days, okay baby?" Emily comforted, brushing Mia's curly hair away from her face. Sleepily the little girl rubbed her eyes and nodded as she clutched her stuffed lion closer to her chest.
"While I'm gone, be a good girl for Daddy and use the potty like a big girl."
"Big girl," Mia parroted back softly as her eyelids started drooping.
"Good night baby. Mommy loves you," Emily whispered before kissing Mia's forehead. Reaching over the young girl, she flipped on the nightlight beside the bed.
Glancing back at her sleeping daughter, Emily shut off the overhead light before closing the door and heading down the hallway.
Hearing the bedroom door close, Dave glanced up from the case file in front of him.
"She asleep?" Dave asked watching Em over the rim of his glasses.
"Out like a light." She chuckled as she climbed into bed beside him. "Dave, don't forget that Mia doesn't say she has to go to the bathroom. You just have to notice her behavior change."
"Emily, I'm a seasoned profiler. I think I can notice when my 2 year old daughter has to go to the bathroom."
"You say that now." Em said under her breath.
"What was that?" Curiosity peaked his interest.
"I said, of course you will," she corrected, trying not to roll her eyes.
"That's not what you said," he pointed out as Em flipped off her bedside lamp.
"Goodnight Dave. I love you."
"That's since not what you said either," Dave said before kissing her gently on the lips. "I love you too."
Emily left for New York on Monday morning, and the rest of that day was a disaster for Mia and Dave. Two accidents and two meltdowns later, Dave had given up on trying to get the young girl to use the potty for the day. Tuesday was not much better. Neither was Wednesday. As Mia's potty training seemed to regress, Dave could practically feel his hair turning gray. Em had called every night while she was away translating Arabic chatter, and of course, he never let on the potty situation.
"I will be home tomorrow evening. Can you handle potty training duty one more day?" Emily asked, and Dave could even hear the smirk in her voice.
"Yes, I can handle it. It's just one more day," Dave replied with false bravado. 'One more day' he thought before smirking to himself, 'Yeah I thought the same thing on Monday. And on Tuesday. And on Wednesday.'
He wanted to tell Emily that she was never allowed to leave for an extended period of time again, especially during a major parenting event.
****
Dave sat on the couch beside his daughter who was currently mesmerized with 'My Little Pony'.
"Daddy, watch!" Mia demanded pointing towards the brightly colored cartoon.
"Daddy's watching," Dave answered, laying his newspaper down on the coffee table. Unable to stomach the cartoon, he watched as the young girl bounced along to the music and chatted quietly to her lion. One episode ended and another began when he noticed that Mia had started bouncing at a more frantic pace.
"Mia, do you have to go potty?" he asked before Mia nodded softly. Standing up from the couch, he followed his daughter to the bathroom.
"No, Daddy! Out!" Mia shouted, quickly pushing Dave out of the bathroom and shutting the door on him. He couldn't believe what had just happened; he couldn't wait to tell Emily.
"You alright by yourself, Princess?" Dave asked through the door.
"Yep," Mia said shortly.
Dave turned to head back to the couch until he heard music. He wasn't sure what would cause the young girl to hum 'Frosty The Snowman' while in the bathroom, but he couldn't help but laugh before walking back to the couch.
***
"Daddy! Come, play with me!" Mia shouted from the top of the stairs before running back to her room.
Dave thought nothing of it until he walked into the bright purple room. 'Shit! She remembered!' He thought as he noticed the tea party that was set up, along with multicolored dresses and lots of glitter. Dave groaned silently as Mia grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the small table.
"Only Princesses can go to tea parties," Mia announced. Standing in front of her daddy, she reached for a small round tube, followed by a very sticky substance.
Dave tried not to cringe as he felt something being applied to his cheeks. Mia chattered about making her daddy look pretty. There was poking, rubbing, and pulling as Mia applied things with all kinds of different textures to his face.
"Daddy, you look pretty!" Mia giggled as she reached for the brush. "Now I fix your hair."
****
Tossing her keys onto the counter in the kitchen, Emily walked through the room before setting her suitcase beside the stairs. The voices of Marlin and Dory floated through the air, as she kicked off her boots and approached the couch. Grabbing the blanket off the floor, Emily covered Mia up before glancing over at her husband.
Pausing in disbelief, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. But she was glad for technology.
Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she chuckled and snapped a quick picture before quickly putting her phone away as Dave started to stir.
"Hey, you're home," Dave said softly. Emily came over and knelt down beside the couch.
"Dave, is there something you would like to tell me?" she asked, biting back her laughter.
"Mia used the potty today," he confessed.
"And?" Her eyes snapped with mischief.
"She hummed 'Frosty The Snowman' the whole time," he replied with a confused look on his face.
"And there's nothing else that happened?" Emily said finally cracking a smile.
"What?"
"When did you start moonlighting as a transvestite Dave?" Emily asked before bursting out in laughter. Cocking his head to the side, Dave raised his eyebrow. Shaking her head at the fact that he didn't catch the reference, she took out her phone. Pulling up the picture, she handed it to her husband.
Blushing fiercely, he handed it back. "I will pay you dearly to make sure that never gets out," he groused but pulled his daughter closer.
Fighting back tears, Emily looked at her husband and daughter with love. "Dave, pink is definitely your color."
