This one's been rolling around in my head for a while, ever since I wrote chapter two way back in October. I didn't post it until xofreethelightox told me I had to or she would find a way to kill me with her mallets (she plays the bells in our school band). Ha-ha! Just kidding K! I know you wouldn't threaten to kill me with part of your instrument. That's my job to threaten people with flutes. Just go ask Ronnie the Hobbit. =) hehe.

Anyways, Kate's three in this chapter and has a brand new favorite word…

CBS and Bellasario own everything else. I can't even afford to negotiate to buy the rights to a minor character, say like a vic. I have no cash and I want to go to a Red Sox game with my class this spring… Thank God for two jobs!

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Three year old Kate toddled around the living room dragging Teddy by the tail. Callen had sent him from some place far far away for her birfday. It was last week and there were presents and cake and ice cream and Mrs. Ducky had made Kate her favorite sketties and meatballs for her. Uncle Mike had given Kate a pretty necklace that Daddy had taken to the bank and put with Mommy's wedding ring and pretty necklaces.

Jethro smiled as he watched Kate walk around the living room and explore the dining room. Nothing amused his daughter more than 'splorin' as she called it. Today she had decided it was time to explore the dining room; she'd already explored the living room to the point that she knew where every crevice in the floor boards was.

"Why?" Kate asked as she pointed to the picture of Kelly and Shannon on the wall.

"Why, what Princess?" Jethro asked as he got up from the easy chair he had been reading the paper in.

"Why Mommy and Kelly there?' Kate asked.

"Because that's where I wanted to put the picture." Jethro said.

"Why?" Kate asked again.

"I felt like it, Princess." Jethro said.

"Why?" Kate asked yet again.

Jethro held back a groan. Kate had found her new favorite word; last year it her been 'no'. And Jethro had thought he was in the clear once the Terrible Twos were over, boy was he wrong.

Kate moved on from the picture and crawled under the dining room table and pulled her blankies, Yellow, Big Yellow, and Green after her. Each blanket had been named for the strip of satin that was sown to the edges of the blankets; they had been gifts from Shannon's mother. The beloved blankets were draped over the chairs to make a fort and Kate crawled out from and exposed chair to toddle into the living room and pull the afghan off of the couch.

"Kate." Jethro said. "That stays on the couch."

"Why?" Kate asked.

"Because that's the rule." Jethro replied as he took the hand knitted blanket back.

"Why?"

"I said so, that's why." Jethro said in full 'Daddy's Not Putting up with This Right Now' mode.

"Why?" Kate asked.

Jethro didn't respond. Kate stuck out her tongue and moved on.

She had momentarily abandoned her fort and was still carrying her dog around like a baby doll. 'Maybe I should just get her a baby doll for Christmas and some cardboard boxes and she'll be happy' Jethro mused as his daughter sat down on the stairs to admonish her dog for some kind of infraction.

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Around diner time Kate sat at the kitchen table waiting patiently for dinner; chicken nuggets, peas, and French fries. Kate was protesting the time out she had received earlier that afternoon for knocking over her Gammy Gibbs' rocking chair and almost breaking it.

"Eat your peas." Jethro told Kate as she happily munched on the dinosaur shaped chicken nugget.

"Why?" Kate asked using her favorite word.

"They're good for you." Jethro replied. "Mmmm. These peas sure are yummy."

Kate watched her father as he over acted to try to get her to eat the little green vegetable. If he thought his idea was working, well she had news for him. "Why?"

"You have to eat them if you want ice cream." Jethro told her.

"Why?" Kate asked happily as she 'accidentally' dropped a spoonful of peas on the floor as she waved her spoon around. She smirked to herself, she was getting rid of the icky green things if it was the last thing she did!

"Peas make you big and strong like me," Jethro said. "Don't you want to be big and strong like Daddy is, Kate?"

Kate thought about it, if the icky green things would make her big and strong like Daddy, well then she would just have to eat them. She wanted to grow up to be a big, strong, brave grown up like her Daddy. So, Kate reluctantly opened her mouth and shoveled the peas in with a defeated look on her face.

'Score One for Team Daddy' Jethro thought to himself. 'I wonder if I can use that one on her every time she gives me a hard time about eating her vegetables.'

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A week after Kate had started asking 'why', Jethro was ready to explode. All Kate did now was sit around and ask him 'Why?' and he didn't have the answers to half of her questions. It was driving him up the wall.

"Kate," Jethro said finally one afternoon in April. "Come here please."

For once the little bundle of energy did what she was told without asking her favorite question. She pulled Teddy in with her and the two made themselves comfortable on the couch.

"Kate, I need you to stop asking adults 'why' all the time." Jethro said as he sat down next to her. Next thing he knew, his little Princess had climbed into his lap and was facing him.

"Why?" Kate asked solemnly.

"Because we don't always have the answers to your questions, Princess." Jethro said. "You can ask sometimes, but not all the time like you've been doing. Do you understand?"

Kate nodded. If she couldn't ask her Daddy 'Why?' all the time then she could settle with the question she had been thinking about all week.

"Daddy," Kate said innocently. "Where do babies come from?"

Jethro nearly fell over in shock. Maybe he did prefer her asking him "Why?" all the time.

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Here you go! Some father daughter bonding time! Now click on the little green box and let me know what you think of it!