note: I don't know what happened with the first chapter but I can't see if anyone has read it so here comes a second chapter. i hope you like it and please feel free to leave a comment with ideas, suggestions, and thoughts.
Kellys stool
"Abba," Tali calls from inside the house.
"Tali, come out here if you want to talk to me," Tony calls back over his shoulder.
"Abba," Tali says as she appears in the doorway with a very determined look on her face.
"you have told me not to leave the bathroom before I washed my hands. I need your help to wash my hands."
"why do you need help washing your hands. You know how to do it." Tony says.
"yes, abba, but I can't reach the tap," Tali says in an obvious matter of fact tone.
"Tali, I'll help you," Gibbs says with a smile and stands up.
"Thanks, Gibbsi," Tali says with a big smile on her face as she walks back inside side by side with Gibbs.
"Tali, go to the bathroom and wait for me," Gibbs says and then disappears down to the basement. Shortly after, Gibbs comes back up from the basement. He enters the bathroom where Tali is patiently standing and waiting for Gibbs. Gibbs is holding an old homemade wooden stool in his hand. It is patient with pink, yellow, orange, and blue flowers and butterflies. Some of the paint is peeled off from its use and years of storage. Gibbs places it in front of the sink, and Tali elegantly steps up on it and perfectly fits her. Tali looks over at Gibbs with a proud smile before she reaches over and turns on the water with ease. When Tali has finished washing her hands and proudly with ease turned off the water, she elegantly steps down from the stool again.
"well, Tali, how about we place it over here, then next time you can just pull it out," Gibbs says while he moves the little stool into a corner of the bathroom. Tali nods in agreement.
"whose stool, is it? is it yours?" Tali asks as she walks back out to the backyard together with Gibbs.
"I made it for my little girl Kelly. She couldn't reach the tap either, and one time she climbed onto the toilet lid to reach, and it was slippery, so she fell and hit her head. So I build that one for her so she could wash her hands safely."
"I didn't ask her for permission to use her stool." Tali suddenly remembers and looks embarrassed down at the floor.
"It is okay, Tali. Kelly got too big for the stool. I am sure she wouldn't mind you using it." Tali's face lights up in a relieved smile.
"I like the flowers and butterflies." Tali compliments as they step back outside.
"well, it was Kelly's idea. She and I painted it together."
The moment Gibbs mentions Kelly's name, all other conversation stops. It doesn't go unnoticed by Gibbs, but he continues his conversation with Tali, undisturbed.
"I like it. I will ask abba to make one so Abba and I can paint it too."
Tali lets go of Gibbs's hand and climb onto Tony's lap without asking him to assist her while Gibbs retakes a seat next to Jack. Jack looks at Gibbs, and discreetly gives his hand a reassuring squeeze. The others follow the moment. They are all familiar with Gibbs's family-history and thereby very much aware of him whenever the conversation centers on Kelly or Shannon. When Gibbs gently squeezes Jack's hand back, it is a sign to her that he is good, and the conversations among the others slowly return. Tali is taking her time settling down comfortably on her dad's lap.
"Daddy, I need to go to the bathroom," Victoria says discreetly to her dad.
"then, you know where it is, right?" Jimmy asks her.
Victoria nods shyly and hides her face in her dad's arm.
"what, Victoria?" Jimmy asks. "if you don't like to lock the door, you don't have to. Nobody is going to walk in there."
"no, daddy. I can't reach the water." Victoria explains shyly.
"I can help you." Tali says loud and eagerly. "can I show her?" Tali almost jumps of excitement on Tony's lap to Tony's unpleasantry. "Gibbsi Gibbsi Gibbsi can she use it too?" Tali asks Gibbs, excited. The little girl's excitement is amusing to everyone.
"sure," Gibbs says while he is watching Tony, who is anticipating the pain, he will receive in his lower abdominal area and his thigh the moment Tali pushes off of him with a hand to his stomach and jumps off of him. Just as he anticipated, Tali jumps off of him and runs inside the house together with Victoria.
"she gotta stop that," Tony says, a little annoyed when he notices the amused smile on Ziva's face.
"good luck teaching her that. You were the one who taught her."
"yeah, it was cute when she was two, not now that she is 6." Tony's growls to Ziva and Jimmy's amusement.
"what are you laughing at autopsy gremlin?"
"ben there, Tony," Jimmy says with a smile.
"enjoy it, Tony. One day you will miss having your little girl using you as a climbing tree at 5 in the morning on a Sunday or having you little girl sitting on your shoulders while you walk in the park."
"yeah, I know, boss," Tony says, and there is suddenly a very sad quietness surrounding them. That is until the two young girls cum, running back out from the house.
"daddy daddy daddy." "abba abba abba," the two young girls yell, and it drags everyone's attention as Victoria runs to Jimmy and Tali to Tony.
"Can you build one for me?" they both ask their dads at the same time.
"build what?" Jimmy and Tony ask at the same time too.
"a little stool," Victoria explains to her dad.
"like Kelly's," Tali adds.
"I need one, daddy," Victoria explains.
"why?" Jimmy asks.
"so, I don't hurt my head." Tali and Victoria both explain at the same time.
"why would you hurt your head?" Tony asks, confused.
"I don't want to abba. That is why I need you to build a little stool for me." Tali explains as an obvious matter of fact.
"hey, Tali and Victoria. Why don't you bring it out here so you can show your dads?"
"can't I show Abba too?" Tali asks, confused as to why it is only Victoria who should show it to her dad.
"yes, Tali, so you can show it to your Abba, and Victoria can show it to her dad." Gibbs clarifies.
"Okay," Tali says, and Victoria and Tali runs eagerly back inside
Ziva starts laughing.
"what are you laughing at?" Tony asks.
"it almost sounds to me like Tali wants you to replicate something for her that Gibbs has built."
McGee begins to laugh too. "Tony with tools?" Ziva asks, almost laughing too hard to be able to form words.
Now Torres, Delilah, Jack, Gibbs, Ducky, Jimmy, and Bishop join in on the amusement too. Tali and Victoria are helping each other bringing the little wooden stool out in the yeard so their parents can see it.
"can you please make one for me, abba?" Tali pleads once she and Victoria have brought the stool out. Everyone is looking immensely amused at Tony's perplexed and nervous look.
"can you make one for me, Daddy?" Victoria asks her dad.
"I don't think I can, sweetie. I am not good with tools like Agent Gibbs is." Jimmy responds to his little girls. Her excitement immediately turns into sadness, and tears start forming in her eyes.
"can you make one for me, Abba?" Tali asks Tony asks.
"don't think I can either, Tali," Tony says with the same sadness in his voice as Jimmy.
"Tali?" Ziva says and signals for Tali to come to her. Tali runs over to Ziva, and Ziva whispers something in the little girl's ear. The Tali nods so eagerly that all of her curls are dancing around her head. Tali then runs around the table to get to Gibbs.
"Gibbs, can you please make one for me? Ima says it is safer if you make it then if abba does it." the little girl asks with big pleading eyes to Gibbs while everyone tries their best to not burst into laughter at Tony's offended look towards Ziva. Ziva responds with a mocking smile. Gibbs looks over at a crying Victoria before he responds to Tali.
"Victoria," Gibbs calls. Ducky tells Victoria to go to Gibbs. Victoria does as her grand ducky asks her but not without hesitation. When Victoria reaches Gibbs, he brings both of the little girls to his lap.
"how about I make one for each of you? Gibbs asks the two girls, who simultaneously nods eagerly. "Then…" Gibbs continues while looking briefly over at Tony and Jimmy before he returns to the two girls. "when they are done, Tali is going to come over her along with her Abba so she can paint hers and you Victoria are going to come over with your daddy so you and he can paint yours?" Gibbs suggests. Both the girls light up in big smiles and nods eagerly.
"can I paint butterflies on mine?" Tali asks, excited.
"yeah, I am sure you and your Abba can make some butterflies," Gibbs says, looking over at Tony, who seems relieved about the deal that leaves the woodwork to Gibbs capable hands.
"thank you, thank you," Tali says eagerly and hugs Gibbs.
"thank you," Victoria says, a little more hesitant and without hugs.
"you can give Gibbisi hugs. He likes hugs." Tali says to Victoria while she has her arms wrap around Gibbs's neck.
"My daddy says he doesn't like it," Victoria says, a little shy.
"I do like hugs, kiddo," Gibbs whispers to the little girl on his laps and places a kiss on her head. Both Victoria and Tali lean their heads against Gibbs's shoulders.
Gibbs looks over at Tony who mimics "thank you" to Gibbs.