Disclaimer: I do not, I repeat, I do not own CSI. I do own Gracie, the cute little thing that she is.
A/N: Gracie is about ten or eleven in this one, oh, and she also meets Simon too, yay! Also two One-shots in one night, a record, lol.
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Greg burst through the doors and hurried over to the administrative desk, with the older, portly man sitting behind it.
"I got a call about my daughter! Gracie Stokes, is she okay!?"
The graying man gave Greg a once over and scowled, "You mean that girl who started the fight? Your her...father." He said, with obvious distaste.
"A fight? Her principal didn't say Gracie had gotten into a fight."
"Hm, have a seat, I'll tell the principal you're here." He absently waved over to some very uncomfortable looking plastic chairs lined up against the wall. The portly man left down a hallway and out of sight.
Greg sat still for all of ten seconds before he was up and pacing. She had just started Middle School a week ago and she was already getting into trouble, but why would Gracie start a fight? Nick and he had been very adamant about how she should always be respectful to others and if someone tries to start trouble to tell a grown-up. So there was absolutely no way she would go and start up trouble.
Baldy had to be lying.
"Mr. Stokes."
Greg hadn't noticed baldy come back out and quickly followed him down the hallway and to a door at the far end. The word 'Principal' stood out in big block letters and Greg's flight response came in to act, as it usually did whenever he had been called to the Principal's office as a child.
Which had been a lot.
He pushed open the door and four sets of eyes met his, he headed for the only available seat.
"Mr. Stokes, hello, I'm Edna Jameson. Principal." She stretched her hand out over her desk and Greg reached out as well, giving her a firm shake.
"Greg Stokes. You said on the phone that Gracie had been involved in an incident? Bal—uh, the guy out front said she was in a fight?"
"Yes. Involving Mr. Marcus Gaines and Mr. Simon Thomas." She nodded her head at each of the boys. One of the boys was rather tall and had blonde hair and brown hateful eyes. A bruise, Greg noted, was quickly forming on the boy's right eye. The other boy was a little taller than Gracie, whom stood at about four-feet-three now. He had blue eyes hidden behind a pair of glasses and black hair. They were seated on either side of Gracie, who had her arms crossed and was glowering.
Greg tried not to smile at his daughter's face, but found it increasingly difficult, damn but she was adorable when she was indignant.
"So what happened?"
"Well, it seems that Mr. Gaines," -- she nodded to the blonde boy-- "had been picking on Mr. Thomas when Gracie proceeded to intervene."
Greg looked over at the three.
The Thomas kid met his eye's hesitantly before looking away. Gracie continued to scowl, but her eyes were twinkling in laughter. Gaines looked pissed and glared at Greg, before continuing to glare at Gracie.
"What did the squirt do?"
"Pops!" Gracie cried, at the use of her nickname.
The Principal's lips quirked up in a smile before she regained her composure. "It seems that Mr. Gaines had been harassing Mr. Thomas in the halls when Miss Stokes came upon the scene. After telling Mr. Gaines, Marcus, to 'pick on someone his own size' Marcus laughed and apparently stooped to Gracie's level. As Gracie and Simon tell it, Mr. Gaines then said 'go ahead and take your best shot small fry'. Well suffice it to say Miss Stokes did, surprising both boys. That's when a hall monitor found the threesome."
Greg groaned, "Gracie..."
"But it wasn't my fault! He told me to do it!" She glared at Marcus and he glared back.
"Gracie."
"But you and Dad always tell me to stick up for what's right and he," --she pointed at Marcus-- "had no right picking on Simon!"
"Well that may be young lady, but you should have gone to Principal Jameson or one of the other teachers when you saw Simon getting picked on."
"There was no time!"
"Gracie."
"He had Simon pinned to the wall and was ready to hit him. I had to do something. I couldn't let him get hurt!"
"Miss Stokes, inside voice please." Commanded Principal Jameson.
The green-eyed girl huffed in annoyance and crossed her arms over her chest.
"So what happens now?" Greg asked tentatively.
"Since it is just the start of the school year and I'm assuming it is a first for Gracie to have misbehaved like this, I have decided to just send her home for the day with a warning."
"What about Marcus? He started it." Gracie asked in a more subdued voice.
"Mr. Gaines will be going home as well, his parents are on their way. I will explain the situation to them and Mr. Gaines will be sent home, with a day's suspension, considering this is not his first offense."
"And Simon?"
"Will resume his classes, unless he would like us to call his parents as well, to come and pick him up?"
The bespectacled boy bit his lip and shook his head, "I'm okay to go back to class."
"Very well then"-- Principal Jameson turned to Greg as she stood and shook his hand once more, "I hope we meet under better circumstances next time Mr. Stokes and Gracie, I don't want to see you in here again for fighting, understood?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Good, good day Mr. Stokes, Gracie."
Gracie picked up her stuff and silently followed her father out to his car in silence. They pulled out of the parking lot and were on the road back to their home when Gracie sighed, "Are you terribly mad at me, Papa?"
"For fighting, yes."
"Am I in trouble? Are you gonna tell Daddy?"
"Yes and yes, you know I don't keep anything from your father."
"Will Daddy be mad?"
"Most likely, you know how he hates violence."
"I know, but I didn't think I had enough time to go for help."
"I know sweetheart."
"What do you think Daddy'll do?"
"Depends."
Gracie's brow furrowed in confusion, "On what?"
"On whether or not you do the puppy dog face,"-- Greg smirked and glanced at his daughter,-- "you know he can never stay mad at you for long if you give him that look."
Gracie beamed, "I know!"
"I just hope it works as well for me this time."
"Why? You didn't get into a fight, why would Daddy be mad at you?"
"Who taught you how to throw a punch?"
"Oh..."-- Gracie's mouth drew into a circle before she smiled sadly and patted Greg's arm-- "I'm sorry Pops."
They pulled into the driveway and Greg turned off the car, "Sorry for what?"
"That you're too old to do the puppy dog look," Gracie bravely stated before exiting the car and heading up the walk.
Greg's mouth dropped open and then he caught the smile on Gracie's face, as she hurried up to the door.
"Oh you are so gonna pay for that Squirt!" Greg laughed as he quickly leaped from the car and raced up to the door, catching his little munchkin just before she got inside and tickling her mercilessly on the doorstep of the their home.
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