-I hope you guys like this Chapter. I would have had it up sooner but I had an idea for Chapter 3 so I wrote chapter 3 with this one unfinished. Well hope you like it. Sorry for bad grammar. I do my best.-
Amanda came running down the stairs, into the kitchen and sat in her seat at the table.
"Hey, no running in the house. You're going to sprain your ankle again and I've told you before that not to run in the house." Jenny looked at her daughter with the 'you know better stare'.
"Sorry, Mommy." Jenny put Amanda's plate in front of her.
The sisters sat at the table and they all became to eat.
Amanda was so excited she could hardly eat.
"Amanda, I know you're excited but if you don't eat what's on your plate no fun food at the parade." Jenny stated.
Amanda was shocked that her mommy wouldn't get her or let her eat fun food at the parade if she didn't eat more of her breakfast but she knew her mommy kept her word on stuff like this.
"Okay, Mommy." Amanda started to eat more.
"Thank, you."
The parade didn't start until 10:00 o'clock. It was only 8:00 now. They didn't have to leave until about 30 minutes before it started. The parade was a block away. Not far to walk.
"Mommy, when do we leave?" Amanda asked with a little whine of boredom.
"Not until about 9:30, sweetheart." They finished eating.
Amanda looks at the clock. "But-but its only 8:04 now. I have to wait a whole hour and a half. Why can't we leave now?"
"The parade does start until 10:00. If we leave now we will sit there bored. Auntie Heather and I will have to sit there and listen to you say 'I'm bored, I'm bored.' At least here you have your toys and other stuff to do. I'll tell you what since its your birthday we will leave 15 minutes earlier, set up, I'll walk down to Frosty Dog and get us all ice cream. Okay?"
"Okay, mommy!" Amanda was about to run off.
"Amanda, do you want my present now or later?" asked Heather knowing the answer.
"Now, please. Unlike mommy you didn't make me wait until after dinner for my presents. It's torture " Amanda looked over at Jenny.
"It's in the car. Let me go get it." Heather left the room.
Amanda started to help Jenny clean up.
Heather came back in several minutes later. She put the gift wiped in pretty pink wrapping paper on one of the kitchen chairs. "You can open it after everything is all cleaned up in here."
"B-But auntie." Amanda faked a whine.
"No buts. No clean kitchen no gift. I can always take it back to the store." Heather sounded very serious .
Amanda tried to use the Gibbs stare on Heather to get her way.
"Amanda!" Said Jenny. "What did I tell you about using that stare to get your way? Just because it's your birthday doesn't mean we will do as you want. The everyone in the world has their free will and we don't stop using it just for your birthday. Now before you be a smarty pants on us and say thing that will possible get you in trouble. You do have the free will to not listen to us but I have the free will to ground you for two weeks. Is that understood?"
Amanda looks down. "Yes, Mommy." Amanda even went over to put the rest of the dirty dishes in the sink since Noumi was visiting her family in Ohio.
Heather walked over to Jenny and whispered to her." I told you she needs a father."
Anytime Amanda asked about her dad Jenny always said that they couldn't be together because of work. That was true that first but now it doesn't. Jenny sees him every day at work. Jenny could see how much Gibbs and Amanda were alike. Gibbs almost met Amanda a couple of times. When he stopped by without calling. Jenny always got rid of him as quickly and quietly as she could.
Jenny looked at Heather.
Jenny was about to snap at Heather but Amanda spoke before Jenny could speak. I'm done. Will you guys please do the dishes so I can open my present?" The sisters chuckled.
"Yes." Answered Jenny.
The sisters started to work on the dished while Amanda waited patiently at the table staring at the gift wondering what it was.
It was a good 30-40 minutes before they got everything all cleaned up. Amanda got bored in that time and ran off to play. Jenny and Heather had just put the broom away when Amanda came running in. Jenny smiled. Amanda was just like Gibbs. Coming in right before they could call her.
"Can I open it now?!" She asked.
"Yes, you can." Heather handed her the present.
Amanda sat right on the flood and opened it.
"I-it's a How To Train Your Dragon Plush Toy of Toothless!" Amanda said excitedly and squeezed it. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, Aunt Heather!" Amanda gave Heather a big hug and ran off.
"You just made her day, Heather." Jenny started to pick up the wrapping paper.
"Well, I am sure she will like what you got her better."
Jenny through the stuff away, sighed and looked her sister right in the eye. "I didn't get her anything."
"What? Why?"
"Someone hacked into all of my banking accounts and stole everything. Even the money dad left me. You know I was saving that for Amanda. They have taken my last two pay checks. They somehow fooled my bank records into thinking all the money was still there. They made it look like all the money was there when it wasn't. All they left me was 1,000 dollars. Which I have used to pay the bills and buy food. The house taxes are coming up on the 10th and I'm not going to have the money to pay it. I'll have to sell the house. "Jenny leans on the table. "I know your going to ask why I didn't come to you. It's because I know you have your own bills to pay and worry about. You don't have the money to help me with this. Won't worry about us. So far we are staying with Ziva for a bit. Worse comes to worse I tell Jethro about Amanda and she stays with him. That will go back to 'why can't I stay there with them?' I know Jethro will insist I stay there. He will bring up the 'Amanda needs you' and I know she does. What Amanda needs is a home. I put the townhouse on the market on the first. I already have an interested buyer. I'm meeting with them tomorrow. If there is anything you want in this house just take it." Jenny sighed walking out of the room and up the stairs to her room to get ready.
Jenny is worried and concerned. Jenny knew they would have a place to live but it wouldn't be their home until they find one. She also knew that Gibbs might find out about Amanda.
Heather didn't know what to say. Her sister was selling their childhood home. Their dad lived in that townhouse. Heather couldn't just let her sister lose everything. Heather had to think of away to help her sister. Heather went into the study and starts to quietly and quickly snoop around for the telephone number of Jenny's Real Estate Agent. After about five minutes of searching she found it and took a picture of it to call later. Heather went up to Jenny's room to pick something from her wardrobe. On her way Heather peeked into Amanda's room and saw her dancing around her room with Toothless in her arms to the How To Train Your Dragon Soundtrack from the movie. Heather decided to wear jeans and a t-shirt with her hat. Heather always wore her hair down in her hat but today she decided to wear her hair up and under her hat
It was now time to leave. Amanda was impatiently on the bottom steps of the staircase. "Come on Mommy! Aunt Heather!"
Heather and Jenny came into the breeze way with everything they needed.
"Okay, Amanda. Now we are ready." They walked out the door and Jenny locked it behind them.
Jenny and Heather set up while Amanda played with her Toothless.
"I'm going to go get the ice cream. Behave while I am gone, Amanda." Jenny kissed her daughter in the top of her head before she left walking down the street.
While Jenny was gone Heather and Amanda played little games like Rock, Paper, Scissors and Thumb War.
Jenny was now walking back to her daughter and Heather. She was thinking about telling Gibbs about Amanda. She's eight now. Jenny knew that before she knew it she would be getting her high school diploma followed by her college degree and her joining NCIS. Amanda always said she wanted to be just like her mommy and daddy. Jenny hated how short life was.
Jenny suddenly stopped when she heard a gunshot followed by a little girls scream. Jenny knew that scream. It was Amanda! Jenny dropped the ice cream and went running back to them. Jenny hurried as fast as she could through the crowd of people.
A man and woman were leaning over Heather trying to help her. Someone shot her close to the heart. But not close enough to kill her.
"Mommy! Mommy!" Amanda cried as she saw her mother.
Jenny picked up her daughter. Her arm was bleeding from what looked like a through and through shot to the upper arm. The guns man shot right through an eight year old just to hit his target. Jenny used a jacket she brought for Amanda because of the cool morning to wrap around Amanda's arm.
The ambulances quickly can because the hospital is right down the street. They got Heather in the ambulance within five minutes of getting there. Amanda had her own ambulance with Jenny with her.
-I have to admit I love How To Train Your Dragon. I listen to the soundtrack a lot. I have danced around my room to it. I can wait to own the seconded one on DVD! I got the name Frosty Dog from a really good small ice cream shop by my old house. I don't own the name. Just to make that clear. I'll get the next chapter up ASAP. I have editing to do for chapter three so it won't be up like tomorrow. School has started and I have a big project coming with lots of research required so if I don't publish in a while after chapter three just remember I haven't forgotten about you guys im just busy! Please tell me your thoughts on this story and/or chapter.-