A/N: A'ight. So the consensus seemed to be…UPDATE SINGLE DADDY. That crazy Canadian MrsEads is really demanding, in case you didn't know. I'll try to update LS:AI and this fic a little before starting with my LMG sequel, if that's kewl with y'all. Please review, and thanks for all the feedback from chapter 11.OMG! I just saws previews on cbs for the last 4 eps for this season, and Nick…..HAS SHORT HAIR! Yay! I'm so happy. I love George with short hair!

The little five year old couldn't help but snicker constantly as she carefully dabbed the brush into the nail polish bottle one last time. Mally's father had fallen asleep on the couch while watching reruns of Punky Brewster. Big mistake. Now his daughter had nabbed some bright pink nail polish and was almost finished applying it to all ten of his fingernails. Nick's left hand lay on his stomach, and his right was perched on his hairline, just above his forehead. Mally was trying to finish his right thumbnail, the last one. Her face was inches from his, and finally, she couldn't take it anymore. She burst out laughing, sending a wave of breath and sound at the napping father.

"Wha-" Nick immediately sat up straight at the startlement to find his daughter in a ball on the living room floor, laughing her head off. In one hand, she had a bottle of the bright pink nail polish she'd worn for her first dance recital last year; the one she knew her dad really hated.

"Mally Elyse, you really should not scare people when they're sleeping." He said, a little annoyed at being woken from his peaceful slumber. But who wouldn't want to be woken up by a gorgeous, five-year-old brunette cackling with that little girl laughter? Nick still hadn't realized what had happened, so he bent down and picked her up, holding her high in the air. Mally was a fit of laughter as he spun her around and then gently body slammed her to the couch.

"Daddy!" She laughed, thinking she should tell him about his gorgeous nails. "Look at your fingers!"

Nick looked down and screamed. "What the hell did you do?" He demanded of her, though he was smiling. Nick had learned to take a lot more jokes than he had before he was a father. Mally was full of jokes and tricks for him. "That's it. You're getting tickled." He said matter-of-factly.

Mally yelled "Nooooooo!" But didn't even bother to try to move to get away. She loved to be tickled, obviously, as a five year old. Nick pounced at her, tickling her sides and tummy, sending his daughter squealing. She finally couldn't stand it anymore and got off the couch, running for the back door.

"Mal! Come back here!" He yelled from the doorway. But Mally was running in circles in the backyard, so he didn't see any harm in chasing after her. The Stokes' house had automatic locking doors, Nick having taken extra precautions for safety as a CSI who'd seen too much. He felt his back pocket to make sure he had his keys, and then proceeded out the door, letting the door lock behind him.

"Catch me, daddy!" She yelled from behind a tree. Nick began to stealthily move around the lawn, pretending to stalk her. Mally continued giggling as she ran from place to place. The kid was like a damn cat, the way she moved. Nick didn't know she'd gotten so fast and could dodge him so easily. He'd have to make sure she applied her skills when little boys started chasing her. Nick was getting a little out of breath and worn out after about five minutes. He decided to take a different approach. Nick hid behind a bush near the back of the house and waited for her to get bored.

Mally ran around for about a minute or so before she started wondering where her daddy was. She knew he was hiding, but didn't know where. Mal couldn't help but giggle as she timidly looked behind trees and bushes. Finally, she came to the large bush her father hid behind. When she was close enough, Nick let out a loud yell and stormed out, grabbing the squealing kindergartner and throwing her over his shoulder fireman style. He spun her around, causing her to slap at his back, begging to be put down. When Nick felt he'd had enough, he pulled her over his shoulder and set her on his hip, giving her two smooches on the cheek.

"You thought you could outsmart your daddy." He shook his head, looking at her. Mally grabbed both sides of his face, and moved it from side to side, making a bug face at him. Nick tickled her side, and she quickly stopped. He set her down, getting tired of holding her – she was getting so big!

"Alright, trickster, I need to go get dinner ready."

"Do we have to have Mac and Cheese again?" She moaned, knowing it was one of the few things her father could cook.

"What if I add a hot dog to it?" He tried, grimacing.

"Okay….." She said, and they walked to the back door together. Nick pulled out his keys from his back pocket and started searching through for the right one. After about thirty seconds, he realized something was very wrong.

"Shit!" He said. "I took my door key off! I had to leave it out for the exterminator!" Nick realized, remembering the bug man's visit the previous day. He cupped his hands on the glass and looked inside, seeing the key sitting on the kitchen counter. "Shit!" He said again.

"Well, frost my cookies!" Mally said, repeating something her grandmother had exclaimed on their last visit. Nick looked down and ruffled her hair a little, letting her know it was okay.

"I left my cell phone inside, dammit." He muttered to himself. They'd locked themselves out of the friggin' house. His extra care to protect his family had just kicked him in the face. Nick quickly looked down at his daughter, assessing her size.

"Mal, do you want to try being a kitty cat today?" He asked.

"Huh?" She looked up at her dad, knowing it was another of his stupid ideas. That man was one weird daddy.

"You're still pretty small. Let's go around to the front door and see if you can fit in." The previous owners had a cat and Nick had never gotten around to replacing the door, even though they had no feline or dog.

"Are you crazy, daddy?" She put her hands on her hips, seeming so grown up that it made Nick laugh.

"Please, baby. I don't know when we'll get back in if you don't try."

"Will you make me something besides Mac and Cheese?" She bargained, raising her eyebrows.

Nick threw his head back. He really couldn't cook, but for this, he'd have to pay her back.

"How about McDonald's?"

"Deal."

The pair walked to the front of the house and they both knelt down on the front porch, assessing the size of the door. It would be a tight squeeze, but she might be able to do it.

"Are you ready?" He asked.

"Daddy, I don't get you sometimes." Mally admitted, as she moved to sit on her knees. She pushed the flap open, peering inside. The little girl reached in and threw a couple of her Barbie dolls out of the way. With her first half in, Nick grabbed her by the waist and tried to hold her bottom half up while she crawled forward. As she walked, her sides scraped against the edges a little, but not enough to hurt. He slowly moved his hands down her legs as she went further, supporting her feet until she flipped to sit on her bottom.

"I'm in!" She yelled back. Nick clapped his hands together in celebration.

"Good job, baby!" He stood up. "Now unlock the door for daddy." He waited to hear the familiar click of the door opening, but it didn't come. Instead, the face of his five year old appeared at the side window, looking very mischievous.

"Mal, what are you doing? Let daddy in." He told her, putting his hands on his hips.

"We'll get to that in a minute." She announced, and he was at her total mercy for the first time ever. The little devil. "Why should I let you back in? You'll just make me go to bed!"

"Mal, I promised you McDonald's, remember?" Nick thought this was a little ridiculous, but he had to hand it to Mally. She was so smart.

"I'll let you in IF" she paused dramatically, "You don't make me clean my room, make something besides Mac and Cheese, play Barbies with me every day, AND keep your nail polish on all week." The little girl's face was so serious that it scared him.

Nick chuckled, with fear in his voice. How had he raised this Satan's spawn?

"Mal, come on. You're being ridiculous."

"That's the deal. Take it or leave it."

Nick readjusted his stance.

"Mally, I'm gonna count to three…"

"And then what?" She said without missing a beat.

Nick gaped, not believing she was trying this. He knew she was trying to be funny, but the kid wanted some serious results. Nick considered his options. Mally was normally a reasonably amount fearful of him when he faced her with a consequence, but his warning didn't seem to faze her. He'd been quiet for about thirty seconds now.

"What's it gonna be, daddy-o?"

"I'll make you a nice dinner for a week, but Mal, you know the rules about keeping you room clean, and I am not wearing this nail polish to work. It would interfere with evidence."

"You wear gloves." She pointed out. Dammit!

"Sweetheart, you don't understand that grown men can't wear pink nail polish to work."

"Why not?"

"Because it's really weird. Guys don't wear nail polish, especially not pink."

"Well I saw Boy George with it on." She reasoned, not understanding the intricacies of the world yet at her tender age.

"Exactly."

"What?"

"Sweetheart, please let me in and we'll talk about it."

"Nope. I need a deal."

Nick sighed, not believing he was actually being threatened by his own pint-sized daughter.

"Alright Mal. Here's the deal. I'll cook a nice dinner and play Barbie's for one week, you don't have to clean your room for four days, and I'll wear the nail polish one day only."

Mally was silent while she contemplated for a few moments. Nick patiently waited, his arms crossed across his chest as the sun started to go down behind him.

"Mal?"

"Okay. Deal." She finally said. Nick heard her footsteps inside as she made her way to the door. Finally, he heard the gentle click of the door unlocking. She opened it slowly to find a solemn-looking Mally. He was surprised not to find her all smiles at the deal she'd just landed. As Nick walked in, she wrapped her arms around his waist. Nick's arms went around her form, patting her back in comfort. He wasn't sure what was going on now.

Mally clung to him like she'd just been through some awful ordeal. Nick moved to shut the door, his daughter never budging from him. Then he heard sniffles.

"Mal, you okay? You just landed the deal of the century."

She continued, and he'd heard enough. Nick gently grabbed her upper arms and picked her up. Mally wrapped her legs around him and buried her face in his neck before he had a chance to look at her face. Nick was very confused, so he just cradled his head and walked to the couch, sitting down carefully. He moved her legs so they draped over his, and just let her cry, all the while stroking her dark brown hair. Finally, she removed her face from his neck and pawed at her eyes, still sniffling. Nick immediately kissed both her eyelids and stroked her bangs back.

"What's wrong, baby girl?"

She took in some tearful breaths before answering, "I don't know." The little girl truthfully didn't know why she was so upset. She guessed she was just really glad that she'd get to spend more time with her daddy for the next week. She didn't get to spend as much time with him as she'd like. Well, Mally would spend 24/7 with him if she could, but that wasn't possible.

Nick figured she just missed him while he was away at work so much, so he just smiled and kissed her forehead.

"That's okay. You don't have to have a reason to cry. Sometimes people just feel like crying."

"I just felt like cryin'." She agreed, and rested her head on his shoulder. Nick just held her there on his lap silently, gently stroking her hair and back as she calmed down. Soon, he became aware that she was asleep, so he stood up again, carrying her in his arms to her bedroom. It was actually pretty clean, the result of him making Mally clean her room whenever it got messy. That turned out to be a few times a week.

As he layed her down in her bed and pulled up the covers, Mally stirred, rubbing her eyes.

"Daddy?"

"It's alright, baby. You just take a nap for a while. Daddy will be in the kitchen making you something really special."

Mally smiled and reached up to hug her daddy. As Nick went to the door, she called out again.

"Daddy, you don't have to wear the nail polish." She told him.

"Thank you." He said, knowing her deal was really just about getting more time with him. That he could live with. "Sweet dreams, Mally."