Well, I'm not sure if anyone other than sailorraven34 is still interested, but at least someone is, and I still have a few ideas on this, so I'll keep going for now. At this rate, I may finish the 30 day challenge in a couple of years. :)

Thanks for your patience. sailorraven34, this is for you.

With Animal Ears

Nick and Maria were going over reports when the intercom buzzed.

"Enter!" he called to his secretary.

The older man nodded at the director and deputy director. "I just got a call from Candelosi's assistant. He said that Candelosi is going to be in the area and is willing to give you a meeting."

Candelosi headed up a small group of powerful, influential European business men. While their cooperation wasn't vital for operations in the area, it could help things go more smoothly, particularly in areas where outsiders were viewed with suspicion.

"When?" Nick questioned.

"Now."

Maria was glancing at her schedule. "I don't have anything that I can't rearrange," she told him.

"You either," Reynolds told him.

"Then have the motor pool get a car ready and text me the address," Nick told him, heading towards the door, Maria close behind him.

"There's something else, sir," the man commented, following them from the office.

"Text me," Nick repeated.

When they arrived in the motor pool, agents opened the doors for them and they slid into the vehicle. Nick glanced at the text from his assistant and plugged the address in to the GPS while Maria pulled up the information they had on Candelosi and his group. On the ride, they discussed their plan for the meeting. What they hoped to gain, what they were willing to give to get it.

"Where are we?" Maria asked as they pulled to a stop in front of a well-kept suburban house, It was a neat, two story, a bright white with deep blue shutters. The lawn had been cut recently and a row of bright red and yellow flowers lined the walk way. A number of other cars lined the curb.

Nick double checked the address. "This is the place," he confirmed. Continuing to read the email, he sighed. "It's his daughter's house. He's here for his granddaughter's birthday."

Maria stared at him. "What?"

"His granddaughter's birthday," he repeated. "She's turning six."

When a young couple with a child climbed out of a car and headed up the sidewalk, Nick and Maria followed. A woman opened the door, admitting the family with a smile, then turned to the spies.

"We're here to see Mr. Candelosi," he told her.

"Of course," she nodded, leading them through the house and out the back door. Maria looked around, taking in the dozens of children in the yard. An inflated, pink castle shaped bounce house contained some while others played on the slide and swings. A young man was busy twisting long balloons into various shapes while another painted up small faces.

Candelosi was relaxing on a sofa, his attention focused on the young girl standing in front of him. He looked up and noticed them, motioning for the duo to join him. Nick settled at the other end of the sofa, Maria taking the empty space between them.

"Clara," he told the little girl, "These are my friends, Nick and Maria.

The little girl offered her hand, first to Nick, then to Maria. "Pleased to meet you," she said softly.

"Likewise," Nick answered with a smile.

"Happy birthday, Clara," the woman told her. "Looks like you're having a really nice party,"

"Yeah. Did you bring your kids?" she asked, looking around curiously.

While Maria went into a fit of coughing, Nick shook his head. "No, we don't have any kids. It's just the two of us."

"That's okay. Maybe next time."

He looked around, seeking to change the topic. Noticing the decorations, he focused on her. "You're having an animal themed party?"

She nodded eagerly. "We're collecting money to help the aminal shelter. They've got lots of puppies and kitties that don't have anybody else to make sure they get taken care of."

One of her friends called her name from across the yard and she waved and ran off.

Her grandfather watched fondly as she retreated,. "Her mom took her down to the shelter a few weeks back to donate some towels and newspapers. When they got home, she told her mom that she didn't want presents for her birthday, she wanted to do something to help the animals there."

Nick turned to the other man. "I'm sorry Giovanni. I didn't realize this was a family occasion. Should we schedule something for after the party?"

The older man shook his head. "I'm just here for her party. As soon as things get wrapped up here, I'm heading home to take care of some business. So, it's now or never," he told them with a severe stare.

"Then, we appreciate your time," Maria assured him. She opened her laptop and pulled up the documents that they wanted to go over with him.

Several minutes later, Clara came skipping back over to them with something in her hands. "I almost forgot your ears," she told them She handed an item to her grandfather and Maria realized that is was a headband with a set of floppy dog ears attached. An identical headband was handed to Nick. She held out the final one to Maria. "All the boys are puppies and the girls are kitties," she explained.

When Maria started to balk, Candelosi gave her another stern look, as he placed his own firmly in place. She glanced over at Nick to see him doing the same, wincing slightly. At her concerned frown, he indicated the teeth on the band she still held, teeth designed to anchor into the hair.

Reluctantly, she slid the headband in place, then turned to throw Nick a warning look before turning her attention back to her laptop. The trio quickly became engrossed in working out an agreement. They were interrupted briefly a couple of times when Clara delivered cake and ice cream and following shortly with cups of cold lemonade.

Between bites of the sweets, they managed to cobble together a mutually beneficial agreement. As they were taking their leave, Maria squatted down to look Clara in the eyes. Pressing a folded bill into her small hand, she told her softly, "You keep on looking out for the underdogs, kiddo."

"And underkitties," she added.

"And underkitties."

While waiting for her, Nick had quietly slipped his headband into his pocket. With her hair as a cushion, Maria had apparently forgotten she was wearing hers. He knew he should probably mention it, but thought it was actually rather cute.

It was a bit of a struggle to keep a straight face on the drive back. He glanced over at her occasionally as she read off e-mails and sent replies.

He'd reminder her when they got to the turnoff to the base. Well before the guardhouse or the cameras.

He hadn't counted on getting a phone call requiring his full attention shortly before that point. Ending the call just as the SUV pulled into the garage, he glanced over to see her quickly exiting the vehicle, cat ears still firmly in place.

She would be furious that he hadn't said anything earlier. As he sat, considering his options, the most appealing being to restart the vehicle and head for open country, Phil came over and opened the door for him.

"I'm assuming she doesn't know she's wearing those."

Fury nodded. "We met Candelosi at his granddaughter's birthday. They were required wear. I should have reminded her to take them off immediately but..."

"She does look kind of cute," Coulson admitted.

"She's probably going to kill me, isn't she?" Nick asked, noticing heads starting to turn in her direction.

"Probably," the other man agreed.

"Only one thing to do." With a deep breath, he reached in his pocket and pulled out the headband he had been given and slipped in onto his head.

Quickly, before he lost his nerve. "Since I'm in the doghouse anyway, might as well look the part."

He looked at Phil. "Even she wouldn't hurt a puppy, would she?"

"For your sake, I certainly hope not."

Single eye focused forward, he headed after his deputy.

And that's day 10. I hope you enjoyed. I'd love to know what you thought. Feedback will get you Day 11: Wearing Kigurumi. Meanwhile, I'm trying to get the next chapter of Stroll ready to post, figuring out where to go with Alternative, Complications, and Risks, and also trying to convince my muse that this other idea she's feeding me is not something I need to be working on. It involves too many unlikely things, I tell Muse, but she's insistent. Sigh. I think I have about 4 pages written on it. Maybe once I get it written, I can focus on the other things, even if I never post it.