"Daddy, you're not doing it right," Chessie said angrily.

"I'm doing the best I can, Chess," her father told her.

She sighed heavily. "Do you see how Penelope is doing it?" she asked.

They'd gotten home from breakfast a little over an hour ago, and the girls had wanted Penelope to paint their nails before she left. She was painting Millie's, and always one to get everyone involved, Chessie had recruited her father to paint her own nails.

"How?" he returned, trying to take it seriously.

"Not clumsy, like you are. You're not supposed to paint my skin, Daddy. Just my fingernails."

"OK," he said. "Let's try this again."

One stroke of the brush, and Derek grinned triumphantly as the hot pink liquid covered her tiny fingernail.

Chessie shrieked. "Daddy!" she said angrily.

"What?" he asked in disbelief.

"You painted my skin again!" she informed him, shoving her hand in his face.

"Chessie, you can hardly see it," he told her. In fact, he couldn't see it at all.

She sighed. "You just can't do it right, Daddy," she said. She pulled her hand back and shoved her bare feet into his lap. "You can paint my toes," she said. "No one's going to see them anyway."

"Penelope, I think you're doing a great job," Millie said from the other corner of the kitchen table.

Penelope bit back a grin. "Thank-you, Millie," she said.

"I can't wait until it's my turn with Penelope," Chessie said. "She does everything just perfect." That statement was followed with a satisfied sigh. Clearly she was in awe of the woman she spent so much time with.

"Hey, who changed your diapers for you before you were potty trained?" Derek asked, feigning jealousy.

"Daddy, I don't remember that far back," she said dramatically.

"You did, Daddy," Millie said primly.

Derek nodded. "That's right, baby girl. And you should never forget that."

"Penelope, can you spend the night again?" Chessie asked.

"No, honey. I have things to do today."

"We could do them together," Millie suggested.

Chessie grinned. "We'll let you sleep with Daddy again," she bribed in a sing-song voice.

Penelope could feel her cheeks getting red.

"I think that is a splendid idea," Derek chimed in. He was grinning from ear to ear.

"But you have to stay on your own side of the bed," Millie reminded her.

"Oh, yes. That is a must," Derek agreed. "Proper bedroom etiquette is very important," he explained to his daughters, his voice low as if this were the most important information he'd ever imparted.

He was enjoying every minute of this.

She was going to kill him.

"Thanks for the offer," she said. "But I can't. Remember how excited you were when you found out your dad was home? Now you get to spend the entire day with him!" she said, her voice over-enthusiastic.

"But it would be more fun if we got to spend the entire day with both of you," Millie said.

"Things would be a hell of a lot easier if you were just married," Chessie announced.

Penelope's eyes widened at the little girls comment.

"Francesca Morgan!" Derek said chastising his daughter. "Where did you hear those words?"

Chessie rolled her eyes. "From you, Daddy," she reminded him. "The other night when I left the water running in the tub and it all fell out over the side. You said I had a hell of a lot of explaining to do. Remember?"

Derek cleared his throat. "Yes, well. I may have been a little...upset in the moment," he explained. "Those probably weren't the best choice of words. I'm gonna try really hard not to say them again, and I think you should, too," he told her.

She nodded. "OK, daddy." She wiggled her toenails as she studied them. "Those don't look very bad," she said.

Derek figured it was the closest thing to a compliment he was going to get from his daughter, so he decided to run with it. "Thank-you," he said sincerely.

"You're welcome, Daddy."

___

"Uncle Reid, please will you read us just one more story?" Millie asked sweetly.

He grinned down at her. Reid knew it was awful, but he couldn't help it. He had a favorite, and it was Millie. He supposed it was because she was more like him than Chessie was. Chessie was outspoken and bubbly, whereas Millie, even at three years old, took the time to think about what she wanted to say. She was definitely the more reserved of the two. He leaned down to rest his forehead on hers. "One more," he said. "And then you two have to get some sleep. It's almost nine o'clock, and your dad told me that you normally go to bed at seven. I don't want to break your routine."

"What's routine?" Millie asked curiously.

Reid studied her face for a moment, grappling for something to say. The last time he'd answered a question like this, he'd had to explain what it meant to navigate. That conversation had lasted for forty five minutes. He decided upon redirection. "Once upon a time..."

___

After Reid had finished the last story, the girls had asked for their dad to go up and say good-night to them. He was pacing in the living room while waiting for Derek.

"Hey, Kid," Derek said as he came down over the stairs. "I think my Millie has a serious crush on you."

Reid laughed. "She's quite the charmer," he said.

"Apparently, so are you."

"It's just proximity," Reid argued. Then, "So, what am I here for?" he asked.

"I got the girls a new dollhouse," Derek told him. "I thought you could help me put it together."

Reid looked at him doubtfully. "You thought I could help you put it together?"

"Well I thought you could at least keep me company. I want it to be all set up at the bottom of the stairs tomorrow when they wake up," he said excitedly.

Reid grinned. "I never thought I'd see the day when Derek Morgan was so thrilled about a dollhouse," he joked.

Derek gave him a dirty look. "You want a beer?" he asked as he headed for the kitchen.

"One beer will seriously impair my ability to put this dollhouse together," Reid said.

Derek lifted an eyebrow in disbelief. "You have the ability to put this dollhouse together?"

"Funny," Reid said. "You know, I could have been an engineer."

Derek laughed. "No you couldn't have."

___

"Hey, what's the deal with Prentiss and JJ?" Derek asked a little while later as Reid watched him carry the dollhouse in from the garage.

"What do you mean?" Reid asked.

Derek put the box in the middle of the living room floor. "They've been acting weird around me lately. Strange looks, silly grins. Like they know something I don't."

"Oh, that," Reid said dismissively. "It's because you and Penelope are dating."

Derek choked on his swallow of beer. "Is that what she said?" he asked as Reid opened the box.

"Oh, no," Reid answered. "She emphatically denies it."

"Emphatically?" Derek asked. He didn't like the sound of that.

"You two are the only ones who don't know you're a couple," Reid informed him. "Oh, look! I found the directions!" He held them up victoriously.

"What in the hell are we gonna need those for?" Derek asked as he grabbed them and tossed them over his shoulder. Five hours later, he knew.