Merry Christmas everybody! :-)
I DO NOT own NCIS or anything related to it.
"Nom, nom, nom."
Kate smiled as she looked at her one year old daughter, Bailey, seated in her highchair, gnawing on a frosted snowman Christmas cookie. She needed a taste tester and who better than Bailey. She had been working on it for a few minutes now, eating cookies wasn't exactly an easy task when you only had two teeth in your mouth and Kate was enjoying every minute of it.
Bailey took the cookie out her mouth, examining the slobbery snowman. She had managed to work down the top hat and was considering her plan of attack for his round, white head.
"You enjoying your cookie, Bales?" asked Kate, busy stirring batter at the counter.
"Mama!" exclaimed Bailey holding up the cookie to Kate.
"Is it yummy?"
Bailey giggled, sticking the cookie into her mouth.
The front door opened. "I'm home!" exclaimed Tony, stumbling as he carried in a large box.
"Dada!"
Tony beamed scooping Bailey up, her cookie never leaving her mouth. "Hey pretty girl! What you got there?"
Bailey took the wet cookie out her mouth shoving it in Tony's face. "Ookie!"
"You got a cookie?"
Bailey tried to feed Tony some cookie.
"You want to share your cookie with Dada?" Tony looked at the wet, deformed head of the snowman. "How about I take a bite from the other side?" Tony took a bite from the bottom of the snowman. "Mmmm! Yummy! Did Mama make that?"
"I sure did! Abby is taking them over to the children's hospital tomorrow, a Christmas surprise for the kids," said Kate.
"They're really good! The kids are going to love those."
"Bailey sure seems to like it."
Tony grinned at the little girl in his arm, her hazel eyes focused on her cookies as she smacked her lips on the sweet treat.
"Where have you been all day?"
Tony put Bailey down. "Oh, I did some last minute Christmas shopping for Bailey. Santa had a few more things at his workshop. My baby girl is going to have an amazing first Christmas!"
"Technically it's her second."
"She was just a few months old then. This is her first one she can really get into and enjoy!"
"I wouldn't get my hopes up too much. She still has no idea what any of this means."
"She knows what Christmas is all about! Bailey is a smart girl, she know what all those boxes are for."
Kate looked over at their daughter who wobbled her tiny body over to the box Tony had just brought in, flopping herself down on it as she continued to work on eating her cookie. "Sitting?"
Tony turned around. "Bailey, don't sit on that!" exclaimed Tony, lifting the baby up and redirecting her elsewhere.
"Yeah, she really gets what's going on," chuckled Kate.
"I know I'm probably doing too much for Christmas at her age but I can't help it. Christmas used to just be another day for me but now that I have you and Bailey, I don't know? It's exciting again! I have family to celebrate with, my own family. The last time I was this excited about Christmas was when my mom was still alive. I thought after she died I would never get my Christmas spirit back but here it is!"
"I won't lie, it's nice to see you so into Christmas. It's a vast change from watching "It's a Wonderful Life" in MTAC."
Tony wrapped his arms around Kate's waist. "No need to do that anymore because I now have a wonderful life with you and Bailey," Tony kissed Kate.
Kate smiled. "Does that mean I don't have to get you a gift this year? Seeing as how I gave you Bailey."
Tony laughed. "Bailey was my gift last year, you have to come up with something else this year."
Kate smiled. "And what might that something else be?"
Tony raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't mind having a little Anthony DiNozzo, the third to buy gift for next year."
Kate laughed. "We'll have to see about that one. So, what did you get Bailey?"
"It's a surprise but she's going to love it! Trust me! I just need to get it all wrapped up and under the tree. You mind keeping her busy so she doesn't see what Santa got her?"
"No problem, I feel an early bath time coming on anyway."
Bailey walked up to Kate, her face covered in mushy cookie and frosting. "Mama! Mama!"
Kate picked up Bailey. "Look at you, all messy!"
"Ookie! Ookie!" Bailey bounced up in down in Kate's arms.
"No, no more cookies for you, young lady. You have to be in bed early tonight! Santa Claus is coming to see you!" She winked at Tony.
The next morning, Tony laid in bed, looking at the clock on the side table. "6:30," glowed in bright red. He sighed as he looked over at his wife, sound asleep next to him. He glanced at the baby monitor just beyond Kate, the only noise coming from there were Bailey's gentle snores. Tony groaned as he looked up at the ceiling. "Why aren't they up yet?" he asked himself.
"Aaaaha, aaaaha," came the whimpers through the monitor.
Tony smiled as he hopped out of bed, making his way to Bailey's room. Rushing to the crib I expected to see her bright eyed in her crib ready to be picked up but instead he found her still asleep, sucking on her hand, the whimpers nothing but her crying in her sleep.
Tony dropped his head in frustration. He looked down at his daughter, sleeping so peacefully. "No, DiNozzo! It's not right! She's just a baby!" Tony paced beside the crib looking at his daughter trying to decide what to do. "You know how this could turn out, is it worth it?" Tony stopped pacing. "Yes!"
Tony reached down and gentle stroked the bottom of Bailey's foot with his finger. Tony cringed preparing for tears as the sensation against her foot caused Bailey's foot to jump but she remained sleep. Tony stroked her foot again this time causing a frown to cross her once peacefully face she began to squirm in her sleep. Tony knew that look well, it meant she would soon be awake.
Tony smiled to himself as she grunted and her eyes began to flutter open. "Hey pretty girl!"
Bailey yawned, stretching out her tiny body.
"You up?"
Bailey blinked a few times as her hazel eyes focused in on Tony standing above her.
Tony reached down into the crib, picking up the chubby baby.
Bailey nestled her head into the nape of Tony's neck, placing her hand into her mouth as her eyes began to close again.
Tony gently bounced Bailey. "No, no Bales, you gotta wake up! We got presents to open, it's Christmas! Don't you want to see that Santa brought you?"
The sound of tiny snores filled Tony's ear.
Tony rolled his eyes, bouncing the baby again. "Come on, Bailey!"
Bailey sat up looking Tony square in the face before letting out a giant yawn. Smacking her lips together, she blinked a few times, her body swaying side to side.
"Earth to Bailey!"
Bailey rubbed her eyes. Reopening them, they were now bright and full of life.
Tony smiled. "Merry Christmas, Bailey!"
"Dada!" Bailey rubbed her face against Tony's shoulder.
"Come on, let's go wake up your Mama!" Tony carried Bailey into their room where Kate was still sleep.
Bailey pointed to Kate. "Mama!"
"Go wake up, Mama," Tony sat Bailey next to Kate on the bed.
Bailey looked at her sleeping Mom and then back at her Dad.
"Go ahead!"
Bailey smiled as she climbed onto Kate's belly. She pounded her tiny hands against Kate's stomach.
"Hmm," Kate moaned, opening her eyes to see her smiling daughter, sitting on her stomach. "Bailey, how did you get in here?"
Bailey clapped her hands.
Kate looked over to find Tony's side of bed to find it empty. "Where is Tony?"
"Merry Christmas, Kate!" shouted Tony.
Bailey squealed at the excitement in her father's voice, clapping her hands.
Kate looked at the clock. "Its 6:45, why is Bailey up? She's never up this early!"
"She woke up because she's ready to open up presents!" exclaimed Tony, picking up Bailey, tossing het into the air with a burst of laughter.
"You woke her up didn't you?"
Tony froze. "No."
Kate gazed at Tony, tilting her head.
"Maybe," Tony took Kate by the hand, pulling her up. "Get up! It's Christmas!"
Kate sighed. "Okay, okay!" Kate got up, taking her smiling baby from her husband, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Merry Christmas, Bailey! You ready to see what Santa got you?"
Bailey clapped her hands as the family headed downstairs, Tony skipping steps like a happy child.
"Geez, Tony! Slow down!"
"Sorry," replied Tony with a smile brighter than the Christmas tree. "You ready to open presents, Bailey?" Tony tickled Bailey's tummy making her laugh.
Kate and Tony went into the living room with Bailey.
"Looks like you have some good gifts here, Bales!"
Bailey began to squirm in Kate's arms wanting to be put down. Kate lowered the baby to the ground as she wobbly walked over the hoard of gifts.
"Which one you want to open?"
Bailey began to mess with a tall box with shiny, red wrapping paper.
Tony placed the box in the center of the room. He sat down on the floor along with Kate, scooping Bailey into his lap. "You want me to help you open it?" Tony started to rip the paper off of the present. "Wow! Look at that Bailey! It's a little slide just for you!"
"Where in the world are we going to put a slide?" asked Kate.
"In her playroom for now and then when the weather gets warmer she can put it outside," Tony placed Bailey on the floor next to him. "Let me set it up for you, Bales." Bailey and Kate watched as Tony busied himself with putting together the red and yellow plastic slide. Tony grinned at his handy work as the slide stood erect in the living room. "There you go, Bailey! All ready to go! Want to try it out?" Tony looked down to where Bailey was sitting only to find her gone. "Bailey?"
A squeal directed Tony to the pile of wrapping paper he had left laying on the ground. Picking it up Bailey placed it over her head, laughing as the paper covered her face.
"You silly girl! Come here!" Taking the paper off her head, Tony scooped up Bailey, sitting her on top of the slide. "You ready? One...two…three…weeee!" Tony guided Bailey down the slide. "Wasn't that fun?"
Bailey paused for a moment before standing up, walking to the back of the slide.
"You want to go down the slide again?"
Bailey walked past the slide to the pile of wrapping paper, putting it back over her head as she walked over to Kate.
"Now what do we have here?" chuckled Kate at the sight of the wrapping paper pile with tiny feet sticking out.
Bailey lifted the paper, looking up at Kate. "Mama!"
"What are you doing under there?"
Bailey giggled as Tony swooped in from behind picking her up. "Got you! Why are you playing with wrapping paper when you have all these cool toys to play with? Look, Santa got you this really big stuffed bear! It's bigger than you!" Tony sat Bailey next to the stuffed animal.
Bailey squeezed on the bear's nose causing the animal to topple over on her.
"Uh oh!"
In Bailey fashion, she laughed as she climbed from under the furry toy and onto his head.
"You like him, huh?"
Bailey pulled off the green bow on top of the bear's head, placing it on her nose as she looked at Tony with a scrunchy faced smile.
"Seriously?"
Kate laughed.
Bailey scurried over to a box with sparkly blue wrapping paper on it. Picking it up, she struggled as she carried it over to Tony, dropping it in his lap.
Tony smiled. "You want to open this one?"
Bailey hit the box with her hands.
Tony read the label. "This one isn't yours, this is Mama's." Tony handed the box to Kate.
"Who is it from," asked Kate.
"Your mother."
"Oh boy."
Bailey climbed into Kate's lap, eyes glued to the sparkly gift.
"You want to help me open it?"
Bailey pointed at the box.
Kate pretended to let Bailey unwrapped the gift when really all she did was stare at it the entire time. Kate opened the box pulling out the content.
"Look what your Grandma got your Mama, Bales! A really ugly Christmas sweater!" laughed Tony.
Bailey laughed as she clapped her hands.
"Eww!" exclaimed Kate, making a disgusted face.
"It looks like someone shot the Christmas tree and put all the carnage on that sweater."
"Please tell me there are not two more addressed to you and Bailey?"
Tony looked under the tree. "Yep, there are!"
"She bought a family set!" Kate put her head down. "Look, if she asks, we loved them okay?"
"What if she wants pictures of us wearing them?"
"Our phones are broken!"
Bailey reached down picking up the blue wrapping paper Kate had taken off the gift, placing it over her head with a laugh.
"What is with her and this wrapping paper?" asked Tony.
"I told you not to get your hopes up when it come to her being excited about the gifts you got her," Kate stood Bailey up allowing her to walk over to the pile of red paper. "She's a baby, Tony. She's more interested in the bright, shiny paper than she is in what is under it. My mother said that when I was her age, I used to never seem to like playing with my Christmas gifts but I would always play with the paper and the bows."
"You mean to tell me I bought all this stuff and all she wants to play with is wrapping paper?"
"What all did you get her?"
"A rocking horse, a toy car she can ride in, a playhouse."
"Really, Tony? She's one."
"I wanted her to have a good Christmas. I guess I blow that and over two hundred bucks!"
"I don't know about that."
Tony turned around to see Bailey poking her head out the slide box that was laying on the floor.
Tony smiled as he pulled his daughter out the box, laying on the floor lifting her over him. "Daddy bought you all these toys and you just want to play with wrapping paper?"
Bailey giggled.
Tony sat up, hugging his daughter as he kissed her on the cheek. "So you're playing with wrapping paper, my girl is happy and that is all that matter."
Kate smiled as she leaned in to kiss Tony. "Merry Christmas, Tony."
Tony smiled. "Merry Christmas, Kate." Tony bounced Bailey on his leg. "And Merry Christmas to you, silly girl!"
Bailey flashed her two tooth smile.
"Here," Tony handed Kate a gift. "Let's finish opening these gifts so Bailey can have some more to play with! That one's from me, I hope you like it."
Kate unwrapped the present to find a locket necklace with a picture of her, Tony and Bailey inside. "Tony, it's beautiful!"
"You like it?"
"I love it!" Kate kissed Tony again.
Tony grinned. "So, where is my gift?"
Kate bit her lip and smiled.
What do you think? Review and comments are welcomed :-)