Here we go! Chapter 22! Enjoy :-)
I DO NOT own NCIS or anything related to it.
Ordered to desk duty by Gibbs, Kate found herself with a lot of free time at work due to her inability to run around with the boys thanks to her pregnancy and her broken foot. At first it bothered her, but being on desk duty came with its perks. She found that she was able to get off work on time and even early some days, which left her time to do some much needed baby shopping for the twins. Some afternoons Abby would even sneak out the lab and join her. What she enjoyed most of all about desk duty was that it allowed for her to spend some quality time with Arissa.
Sharon was still pressing the issues of getting Arissa out of Kate and Tony's care as soon as possible. She had Arissa visit with the Owens family several times and each visit ended with Sharon bringing Arissa back to them, red eyed and runny nosed but she insisted that Arissa would get use to the Owens family eventually. Meanwhile, Tony and Kate found lawyer to help them in their pursuit to adopt Arissa. While Arissa's parental fate was a cause of concern for the couple, their focus this week was on her fourth birthday party.
"There are so many things we can do! We can go the tradition route and have a surprise party with cake and ice cream? Or we can have a backyard circus with a petting zoo…" rambled Abby, who was more than excited when Tony and Kate came into her lab asking for help with planning Arissa's party.
"We stay in an apartment, Abby! And I would prefer we stay away from animals of any kind," interjected Kate.
"Well, the weather is getting warmer and Six Flags over America will be opening up their waterpark next week! Maybe we could have her party there?"
"A waterpark, Abbs?"
"Yeah! I had a birthday party at one when I was her age, I had a blast!"
"That's original!" said Tony, who thanks to being on light duty also found himself with extra time to kill at work. "Maybe we could let her invite a couple of her friends from daycare?"
"Hello! I have a broken foot remember! I can't go to a waterpark! Besides, I am not putting on a bathing suit looking like this!" spat Kate, self-conscious about her twenty-eight week pregnant figure.
"Your wounds have healed! Just take off the boot!"
"Yeah, come on, Kate? It's for Rissa! I'll make lunch so we don't have to buy anything in the park and afterwards maybe we can go to your place for cake and ice cream. Maybe her friends could even spend the night?" suggested Abby.
"I don't know if I have the energy for all that?" replied Kate.
"Tony and I will be there! And McGee is definitely coming whether he likes it or not. You won't have to do a thing! You can just hang out in the Lazy River!"
"I like this idea," said Tony.
"Yeah, but will Arissa? I mean it is her party," questioned Kate.
That night, while sitting around the table, Kate and Tony decided to talk about Arissa's party with her.
"So Rissa, I hear your birthday is next week?" said Tony, as he ate a fork full of spaghetti.
Arissa slurred up a piece of pasta and smiled. "Yeah! I be this many!" Arissa held up four fingers.
"How many is that?" asked Kate.
"Four!" shouted the little girl with a smile.
"Four? That's a big birthday! Me and Kate were thinking about taking you and a few of your friends to the waterpark to celebrate your birthday," said Tony.
"Really?"
"Yeah, is that something you would like to do?" asked Kate.
"Yeah! I want to go!" said Arissa as she bounced up and down in her chair.
"Okay, okay! Calm down! We still have to figure out a few things. We were thinking you could invite Brittany and Sammy to come with you?"
"Yeah, I want them to come! Can I invite Shawn and Jeremy too?"
Tony and Kate looked at each other.
"You sure you want to invite them, Arissa? You did have some problems with those two?" asked Tony
"Just because they mean, no mean I have to be mean too. I want to be nice!" replied Arissa as she ate some spaghetti
"Well they do say keep your friends close but your enemies closer."
"I think that is very sweet of you, Arissa. We'll go to your school in the morning and talk to their parents about them coming."
The next morning Kate and Tony did their best to get Arissa to daycare early so they would have a chance to talk to the kids' parents. Brittany and Sammy's parents were more than happy to let their kids go to Arissa's party. The three had become fast friends, spending all their time in class together. Jeremy and Shawn were a different story.
"That Shawn and Jeremy," pointed out Arissa as she tugged on Tony's pant leg when the boys walked in with their mother.
"What do you want?" asked Shawn as Arissa walked over to them.
"I having a party next weekend and I want you to come?" said Arissa, boldly.
"But we were mean to you?" questioned Jeremy.
"I know but I not mean like you. You can come if you want too?"
Tony and Kate walked over and introduced themselves to the boys' mother.
"Arissa, would like for your sons to come to her birthday party," said Tony.
"Arissa? Is this the little girl you two are always talking about, Shawn and Jeremy?" asked the mother.
The boys' said nothing as they looked at Arissa.
"They are always saying such good things about Arissa."
"Find that odd given their initial interaction," interjected Kate.
"We talked about that and I am truly sorry! But we now know we don't make fun of people for any reason isn't that right boys?"
Shawn and Jeremy looked at their mother and shock their heads in agreement.
"Well, Arissa would really appreciate it if they would come to her party next weekend?"
"That depends. Are you two going to behave yourselves if you go?" asked the kid's mother, sternly.
"Yes," replied the two boys in unison.
"You better!"
The next Saturday came quicker than Tony and Kate expected. Arissa ran around the house all smiles, in a pink bathing suit Abby had picked out for her. Tony packed a cooler with sodas, water and juice boxes and Kate gathered towels and other essentials for Arissa's party. There was a knock at the door as Arissa ran to answer it with Tony's permission.
"Abby! Timmy!" shouted Arissa, excited to see the two on the other side of the door.
"Happy birthday, Rissa!" shouted Abby as she picked up the little girl in a giant hug. "You ready for your party?"
"Yeah!"
"Probie, we're taking your car!" spat Tony, lugging the cooler into the living room.
"Why?" asked McGee.
"There isn't enough room in our car! So you and I are going to ride with the boys in your car and Kate and Abby will take the girls in ours!"
"Tony, I don't know about that? I don't want them messing up my interior!"
"They're kids, Probie! What's the worst they can do?"
"Hey are we ready to go? The other kids are waiting outside and they are getting restless!" asked Gibbs as he walked into the apartment wearing a tropical pair of swimming trunks and a grey NCIS t-shirt.
"Nice trunks, Gibbs! I can't believe you actually came!" exclaimed Abby with a smile.
"Yeah, well. It's Munchkin's birthday!" said Gibbs, as he smiled at the four year old. "We ready to go?"
"On it," said Tony as he picked up the cooler and headed out the door. McGee, Abby and Arissa followed suit while Gibbs patiently waited for Kate to waddle out the apartment.
Outside, they were greeted by the sight of Jimmy talking to Brittany, Sammy, Shawn and Jeremy.
"Jimmy, where's Ducky?" asked Abby.
"Oh, he had a last minute conference but he wishes Arissa a happy birthday," explained Palmer, all smiles.
"Okay, boys you're with me and Timmy and Arissa and Brittany you go with Kate." said Tony as he loaded things into the trunk of McGee's car.
"Palmer, you're with me," said Gibbs as everyone got into their respective cars.
Driving down the road, the girls rode happily along, singing to the latest tunes on the radio. But Tony and McGee were having problems with the three boys in the back of their car.
"I hot!" complained Shawn as he sat in the middle.
"Shawn, stop touching me!" yelled Jeremy, seated behind McGee in the driver's seat.
"I got to go pee!" whined Sammy, as he kicked the back of Tony's seat as he sat shot gun.
"We are not stopping!" groaned Tony. "I told you to take it easy with that juice box, Sammy!"
"But I was thirsty!" shouted Sammy as he shock what he thought was an empty juice box getting punch all over McGee's tan interior backseat. "Oops!"
"Sammy, don't shake the juice box! You're getting it all over my seat!" ordered McGee. "See why I did want them in my car, Tony?"
"I bored!" whined Jeremy as he tapped McGee on the shoulder.
"Jeremy, would you stop!"
"I still hot!" yelled Shawn.
"Here!" shouted Tony as he rolled down the window. "Better?"
"I got to pee, Nozzo!" interjected Sammy.
"We're almost there! Hold it!"
"I still bored, Timmy!" shouted Jeremy, shaking McGee's seat.
"Here!" said McGee as he handed the boys his iPhone. "Take this and would you three please settle down!"
The boys got quiet as the played with the phone for a while.
"Finally! Some silence!" sighed Tony.
"There is no way I am having kids anytime soon!" exclaimed McGee.
"Come on, McGee! You can't tell me that you're not enjoying the whining and complaining?"
"You might as well get used to it, Tony! This will be your life soon!" smirked McGee.
"Don't play like that McGee!"
"And just think those kids will be half of you! Which means it will probably be worse."
"That's not funny, Probie!"
"Just so you know I'm not babysitting!"
The silence was interrupted when Jeremy decided that he couldn't see the phone well enough with it in Shawn's hand and grabbed at the phone.
"Uh oh!" exclaimed Jeremy.
"Uh oh? What uh oh?" asked McGee as he tried to look at the backseat through the rear view window.
"Phone go out the window!"
"What?" shouted Tony and McGee.
Arriving at the waterpark, everyone waited impatiently for McGee and Tony to join them.
"What happened?" asked Gibbs as Tony and McGee got out the car.
"We had a little "uh oh"! Jeremy, here threw McGee's phone out the window and we had to go back to find it!" said Tony as he helped the kids out the car.
"I sorry!" apologized Jeremy.
"Its okay, Jeremy" replied Tony through his teeth as he walked over to help Kate out the car. "I changed my mind, Kate. I want girls! Little boys are a nightmare!"
Kate laughed. "Oh no! DiNozzos only make men remember!"
"Kate if both of them are boys there's a good chance I will be bald by the time they are Arissa's age from pulling my hair out! I like my hair!"
Inside the waterpark, Abby picked out a nice shady spot for the group. After getting everyone covered in sunscreen, it was time to enjoy the waterpark.
"I want to go in the big pool!" exclaimed Jeremy. "Timmy, will you take me?"
"I'm not taking you anyway!" spat McGee.
"McGee!" shouted Abby, giving McGee a cold look.
"He threw my phone out the window, Abby!"
"I don't care about your stupid phone! That sweet, innocent little boy asked you to take him to the big pool, now you take him!"
"It's a front, Abby! He's not sweet or innocent!"
Abby gave McGee an icy stare.
Fine," said McGee, he rolled his eyes and took the boy's hand.
"My Mama look at my Daddy like that when he in trouble!" laughed Jeremy.
"Abby, I want to go too? Can you take me?" said Brittany.
"Sure can!" said Abby.
"Um, Abby? It's pretty bright out here! You know how you hate the sun!" said McGee, looking the Goth pale complexion.
Abby flipped open a parasol. "Got it covered!"
"Shawn? Sammy? You guys want to get in the big pool?" asked Gibbs.
The boys shook their heads "yes." Gibbs and Palmer grabbed each of the boys' hands and headed for the pool.
"Nozzo, can we go in the big pool?" asked Arissa, with a smile.
"Sure, sweetie," replied Tony, more excited than Arissa about hitting the water.
"Kate, you and the babies come too?" said Arissa as she took Kate's hand.
"No, me and the babies are going to sit right here! You and Tony go play! Have fun!" replied Kate.
The team spent the day, playing in the various water attractions at the water park. Kate even took off her boot and joined the team in water. After taking a break to enjoy the lunch of chips and sandwiches that Abby prepared for them, the kids ventured off to Kiddie Land, allowing the adults to enjoy some of the bigger attractions themselves. Kate and Tony stayed back watching Arissa while she played with her friends. Tony sat in the lounge chair, with Kate resting against his chest, gently rubbing her belly as the watched Arissa laugh and play with her friends.
"She's so happy!" said Kate.
"She sure is! Thanks for going along with this! I know it's hard on you having to carry these two around but I think this really meant a lot to Arissa," said Tony as he gave Kate a kiss. "This day couldn't be any better!"
Tony's cellphone rang.
"Hello?" answered Tony.
"Where are you, Agent DiNozzo?" snapped Sharon on the other line.
"But it just got worse!" said Tony, under his breath. "What do you want, Sharon?"
"Well, I was supposed to be picking up Arissa for a birthday lunch with the Owens. But I'm standing outside the apartment and you're not here!"
"Change of plans, Arissa had to cancel."
"Real funny, Tony! When are you two going to get it through your heads that this is happening! You can stall all you want but the Owens will get custody of Arissa."
"And we are you going to figure out that I really don't care about you or the Owens. Today is Arissa's birthday and she's spending it with us and I'm not going to let you ruin it!" Tony smiled to himself as Arissa waved at him and Kate.
"Tony, you…"
"Bye Sharon!" Tony hung up the phone.
After hours at the waterpark, the group headed back for what was supposed to be cake and ice cream and the start of Arissa's sleepover. The sleepover got started a bit early because by the time they arrived at Kate's apartment, all the kids were fast asleep. The team settled the kids into their sleeping bags in the living room and then dispersed for the night. Tony and Kate showered and changed into their pajamas before climbing into bed themselves.
What do you think? As always reviews and comments are welcomed and an update is coming soon :-)