"I want coffee, Daddy!" 3 year old Shannly Faith Gibbs exclaimed as she saw her father fill his "World's Best Daddy" mug that had a picture of the family in front of the Eiffel Tower on it.
"You don't need coffee," Gibbs laughed, kissing her on the cheek. "You have enough energy already."
"I want." Shannly's two year old brother Michael Donald repeated, not knowing what this "coffee" was, but not wanting to be left out either.
"See what you started?" he asked playfully.
"But we wanna be like you!" the little red-head said speaking for her brother, and knowing exactly what card to pull with her father to get her way.
"Ok, ok..." he relented. "You can each have a little in your milk. That's the way my grandma gave me coffee when I was little."
"Your gramma gave you coffee, Daddy?" Shannly asked in shock.
"I was older than you by a few years, but yeah. It was a special treat that I only got if I was over there for breakfast," Gibbs explained.
"Then you should have known better and just gave it to us," the little girl said as if it was obvious.
"Yes, I should have," he humored her with a chuckle.
Gibbs took the children's cups and poured a tiny amount of the brown liquid into them. It wasn't enough that it colored the milk, much less allowed them to taste it, but he knew it would be enough to keep them happy. "Here's your coffee," he said as he handed the cups back.
"Thank you, Daddy!" Shannly said sincerely.
"Tank oo, Daddy!" Michael echoed.
"So what's the verdict?" Gibbs asked.
"It's yummy, Daddy!" Shannly exclaimed.
"Yummm," Michael replied, enjoying the sound and feel of his lips vibrating against each other.
"Ok, you have your coffee. Now eat your breakfast," Gibbs encouraged.
"Yes, Daddy," Shannly said, obeying his request and taking a bite of her omelette.
"Mmmm!" Michael said, digging into his own.
As the two, resumed eating, Gibbs heard Jen's heels click on the stairs and he went to make her latte.
"Good morning!" she said cheerfully, walking over to give her children a kiss.
"We have coffee Mamma!" Shannly eagerly exclaimed.
"What?" she asked, thinking that her daughter sounded much to excited by that prospect to merely be pretending.
"Daddy gave us coffee!" she explained.
Gibbs froze.
"Leroy Jethro Gibbs!" she said sternly.
"Uh oh. Daddy's in trouble." Shannly giggled.
"Yes, he is," Jen glared that the back of her husband's head.
"Time-out, Daddy!" Michael exclaimed, not having any idea what his father did wrong, but knowing instantly that the two words always went together.
This, fortunately, broke the tense mood and the entire family laughed.
"No, buddy, my punishment is going to be a lot worse," Gibbs muttered under his breath just loud enough for Jen to hear.
Jen smirked.
"I only put about a tablespoon into Mikey's cup and maybe two in Shannly's. The rest was milk. That's the way my grandmother made it for me," he tried to calm Jen and handed her the latte he'd made for her.
"You started drinking coffee when you were their age?" Jen asked in a shocked tone that matched that of her daughter.
"I was about five, but I didn't think a couple years mattered," Gibbs shrugged.
"Well... I guess it's ok... As long as it's not bourbon!" Jen relented.
Gibbs laughed and kissed her softly. When she responded to the kiss, he figured he couldn't be in the dog house too bad. Everyone in the Gibbs family drank coffee, and the newest generation would be no different.