Author's note: If you want to imagine what Chelsea sort of looks like right now, look at a picture of Good Luck Charlie's Mia Telarico, the ones where she is a little older. Also, I do not own NCIS or anything from it. I do happily own Chelsea McGee and the plot. The team will have more roles coming up. Chelsea will have a bigger part to as she gets older and has older kid problems. Please, please read and review.
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"No." McGee said firmly, slapping his hand down on his desk firmly.
"You are being unreasonable Timothy McGee." Ziva said, putting both hands on his desk and leaning forward menacingly.
"And you, dear, are not being reasonable enough." he argued, not noticing the small crowd listening to their every word.
"Oooh. Lovers spat." Tony whispered to Abby from behind the makeshift walls, then made a face, "There I go again, grossing myself out. Lovers. Yech!"
Abby rolled her eyes and laughed, then shushed Tony even though it was she who was making the noise.
"Is this because Chelsea wanted to dress herself this morning?" Ziva asked, crossing her arms, "She is growing up whether you like it or not."
McGee didn't answer, just pouted. Ziva sighed and crouched down to his level, setting her chin on his desk.
"She is going to love preschool." Ziva said soothingly, "She is four years old. It is time. School starts next week. We need to get her into a school. Nanny June will be there to pick her up and take her if we cannot."
"Ahh, so that is what all this is about." Tony whispered.
He wasn't quiet enough this time. Ziva's trained ears heard him. She stomped over to where Tony was and pulled him up by his ear.
"Hey, it wasn't just me!" he cried, "Abby was- where's Abby? That little sneak!"
He squealed when Ziva twisted his ear.
"Will you ever learn DiNozzo?" Gibbs said as he strolled into the bullpen with his coffee.
"Probably not Boss." Tony turned to the couple, "I never went to preschool."
McGee gestured to Tony as if to say "see?"
"And I turned out just fine." Tony added, turning around like a fashion model.
"Sit down DiNozzo." Gibbs said dryly, not even looking up from his file.
"Let me get this straight, honey, you want our daughter to end up like Tony." Ziva said.
"Hey!" Tony yelled in indignation.
McGee paled.
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So that was how McGee ended up sitting in the lobby of an "upstanding" preschool a couple of days later, a wiggly Chelsea in his lap. Chelsea's short blond curls had turn into long, curly locks. Her skin was pale and soft and her facial features were beautiful, especially her eyes. She had insisted on dressing herself once again. McGee and Ziva let her after reading that it was good for a child's creativity. And creative it was. Chelsea was proudly wearing a navy blue sailor dress with orange leggings, purple shoes and a princess tiara that had a large fake green gem glued smack in the middle of it. It was awful, but Chelsea was so proud of herself that McGee hadn't the heart to say anything.
"Do I hav'ta go to school Daddy?" she asked, looking up at him with those aqua colored eyes.
"Well-"
"Yes, Tetelah, you do." Ziva said from beside him, shooting him a warning look.
"For Chelsea McGee?" said an official looking woman standing in a doorway, clipboard poised at the ready.
"That is us." Ziva said.
The woman stared at Chelsea a moment before shaking her head slightly.
"Follow me." the woman said, leading them down the hall and into an office room, "Our school director will be with you momentarily."
"Thank you." Ziva said as the woman swept out of the room, "She must be busy.
They sat down at the table, Chelsea still on McGee's lap.
"Hopefully this director person is nicer." McGee said.
"I wanna play." Chelsea complained.
Ziva was prepared for this, so she pulled paper and mega crayons out of her purse. It was one of things Tony found hilarious. Now that she was a mom, her purse had grown in size.
"You may color quietly." Ziva said, kissing the top of Chelsea's head.
"Tank you mommy." Chelsea answered, using the manners they were trying to teach her.
"Such a polite little girl" said a tall, brown haired woman in a business suit, "Hello, I'm Karen Daniels. I run Excellence United Preschool and Pre-K."
Ziva and McGee shook her hand while Chelsea waved. Karen sat in front of the couple.
"So I just have some basic questions to start with." Karen said, opening a binder and taking the pen from behind her ear, "How about your names, occupations and Chelsea's full name."
"I'm Timothy McGee; I'm a Special Agent for NCIS." McGee started.
"I am Ziva David McGee, I am also a Special Agent for NCIS and this is our daughter Chelsea Laurie McGee."
Karen scribbled on her paper.
"Mrs. McGee, I am I correct in assuming that you have two last names because of your work." Karen asked.
Ziva paused and looked at the director suspiciously.
"I only ask, Mrs. McGee so that in an emergency if you were called Ziva David, we would still know it was you and you would be allowed information regarding Chelsea."
Ziva visibly relaxed.
"Tim and I work on the same team. It would be confusing to have two McGee's." Ziva explained.
"And Chelsea is not your biological child?" Karen asked, setting some reading glasses on her nose.
"No." McGee answered, giving Chelsea a little squeeze, "Ziva and I adopted her last year."
"Would we have any issues with biological parents?"
"No. They are both dead." McGee said, grimacing and glad Chelsea didn't understand death quite yet.
Ziva and McGee waited a few moments while Karen scribbled things down. Then she pulled out a packet of forms.
"This is for you to fill out. Things like her name, birth date, social security number, things like that and who is allowed to take her out of the building if you cannot. We have many agents and police officer's children here. So we have a tightly guarded facility and we make sure each child leaves with who they are supposed to. While you fill out these forms, we will start testing Chelsea, to see if she is ready for preschool. McGee nodded and grasped the forms and almost groaned at the weight of it.
"One of you can come and observe the testing." Karen said.
"I will do it!" Ziva said quickly, sending her husband a smug smile.
McGee childishly stuck out his tongue out at his wife's retreating figure. He sighed and got started.
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McGee was a mess. A complete freaking mess. Chelsea started preschool today. He was such a mess that he had woken up at four AM.
"I can hear you freaking out." Ziva said sleepily beside him, "I have one more hour to sleep. You may freak out then."
Seeing as he was getting no sympathy from the woman who was supposed to love him, he got up and paced the hallway, stopping at his daughter's doorway each time he passed it. She was sleeping peacefully, hugging a Bert the Farting Hippo replica. What if she didn't like preschool? What if she got scared? Or hurt? What if she wanted him and he couldn't be there right away?
McGee could tell he was sliding into a panic attack. He called the one man who could calm him down. Or at least knock some sense into him.
"This better be good McGee it's…four in the morning?" Gibbs grumbled.
"I know boss, but Chelsea's starting school today." McGee said, running his hand down his stubble covered face.
"She will be just fine McGee." Gibbs said, his voice considerably softer.
"You think?" McGee asked vulnerably.
"Kelly was."
McGee took in a sharp breath. Gibbs NEVER spoke of his first wife and daughter.
"Really?" McGee said carefully.
"She had the best time." Gibbs said quietly, "McGee, all fathers are scared when their kids do something new and big. But you'd be amazed at what their capable of."
McGee took a deep cleansing breath.
"She might be a little scared at first, so you have to calm your ass down." Gibbs said, back to his gruffness, "You've been doing a great job. Don't mess it up now."
McGee laughed.
"Goodbye Boss."
"You two can come in late. Take her yourselves for her first day." Gibbs quickly hung up the phone.
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"Daddy, you are hurting my hand." Chelsea whined.
"Oh, sorry Chels." McGee released his grip on his daughter's hand, but didn't let go.
They were standing outside the preschool. Ziva knelt down to her daughter's level.
"Now you be good Tetelah. Where is your lunch?"
McGee pulled Chelsea's Cars lunch box from behind his back, earning himself a look from Ziva. She snatched it out of his hand and gave it to Chelsea.
"Are you ready?" Ziva asked her, "Nanny June will pick you up in a little while."
Chelsea's ponytail swayed as she nodded. Chelsea tried to step away, but McGee still had her hand.
"Daadddy." Chelsea whined, stomping her foot dramatically.
"Timothy McGee, let her go!" Ziva hissed.
Let her go. This was just the beginning of letting her go.
He waved goodbye and Ziva took his hand. She kissed his cheek comfortingly.
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McGee was glad it was just a paperwork day. He could be near his desk phone, cellphone, computer and palm pilot. Every time something rang or dinged, he was on it, even if it wasn't his own phone or computer. He had already jumped on Ziva's phone three times, yelling "Is it Chelsea!" She threatened him with the paperclip if he did it again, husband or not. Gibbs had to threaten to sick Abby on him when he started calling the preschool every hour. Ziva had to force him to stop when the school threatened to kick Chelsea out. They assured him that Chelsea was fine and was getting along great with the other children.
"Can we pick her up?" McGee asked Ziva.
"No McGee, we have a case." Gibbs said, "Nanny June is just as capable. I need you to focus."
"Focus. Right." McGee said, following the others to the elevators.
He could do this.
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McGee and Ziva got home around seven. Chelsea was already in her pajamas. Chelsea squealed and ran to them. McGee scooped her into his arms.
"See, she's fine." Nanny June said, her hair color orange this time.
"Did you have fun today?" McGee asked.
Chelsea nodded enthusiastically.
"Down." she said.
That made McGee a little sad until Chelsea brought him a drawing. It looked like a bunch of squiggles, but he told her how much he loved it anyway. She pointed to two separate lines.
"Me." she pointed to herself, then to him, "You."
"Aww." Ziva and Nanny June cooed.
McGee struggled to hold back tears. She had thought of him even though he was afraid she wouldn't.
"Hug?" Chelsea asked.
"Most defiantly." he answered, scooping her back into his arms.
"I Love you Daddy."
"I love you too."
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From then on it was easier to let her go to school. She now had a best friend named Amy who was red-headed hellion, but Chelsea loved her. McGee no longer had what Tony had nick-named his Spastic Papa-bear moment. He had a new-found connection with Gibbs that made him feel, well, for lack of a better word, special.
"Come to bed Tim." Ziva said from the top of the stairs, a certain look in her eyes.
"For sure." McGee answered, running up the stairs two at a time.
