Here we go! Chapter 29! Enjoy :-)
I DO NOT own NCIS or CakeLove but I do recommend both! They are both really good, though I wouldn't recommend eating NCIS. I don't think TV crime dramas taste very good!
After six weeks of leave from work after the birth of their twins, Tony and Kate both returned to their positions as field agents at NCIS. While their transition back to work was difficult at first, the support of their coworkers and especially Gibbs helped them get adjusted back to life at NCIS. Ziva's work with the team during Kate's absence, prompted Gibbs to offer her back her original spot on the team and her newly formed friendship with Kate, lessened his worry of the two female agents killing each other, sometimes.
Three months back at work, the team responded to a call about a dead Petty Officer found laid out in the living room of his apartment with four bullet holes in his back. The case came to the team late in the evening so Gibbs assigned Kate, Ziva and McGee to the call allowing Tony to go home to tend Arissa, Alex and Aiden. It was now nearly seven o'clock at night as Kate and Ziva sat in autopsy with Ducky and Palmer. While the matter of the Petty Officer's death was of importance, other things were on the forefront of the team's mind.
"Three more weeks until the big day! Are you and Tony ready, Kate?" asked Palmer.
"No," replied Kate as she sat next to Ziva on an open autopsy table, watching Ducky and Palmer.
"Are you reconsidering your decision to spend the rest of your life with Tony?" asked Ziva.
"The commitment isn't the problem, it's the wedding itself," explained Kate. "I'm starting to think that making Abby our wedding planner was a bad idea. She's been drinking twice as many Caf-Pows trying to get everything done and she's been a bit unbearable. And the fact me or Tony have worked every weekend since we came back isn't helping either! I really needed this weekend off so I could get all this wedding stuff out the way."
"Yes, it is such a shame that our young Petty Officer chose to die so close to the weekend isn't it, Kate?" smirked Ducky as he pulled out a bullet from the Petty Officers' back. "I had planned to go get my tuxedo for your nuptials but I guess it will have to wait!"
"You are not going to make me wear that hideous green maid of brides dress that Abby picked out are you, Kate?" asked Ziva. "Because I personally feel that it looks like a drunken sailor vomited on me!"
Kate laughed. "It's bridesmaid, Ziva! And no! I wouldn't wish that dress on my worst enemy! And although you do fall close to that category, I won't make you wear it!"
"I appreciate that, Kate!"
"On top of all that we still have Arissa's adoption hearing on Monday."
"Ah yes! Our sweet like Arissa will officially be a part of the DiNozzo/Todd family!" exclaimed Ducky with a smile.
"Yeah, I guess so."
"You don't sound too excited. I though you and Tony wanted to adopt Arissa?" asked Palmer.
"I am! We do! I'm just afraid that something will happen and we won't get to keep her!"
"I cannot think of any reason why someone would not think that you and Tony are not good parents for Arissa," replied Ziva.
"That's because you, amazingly, are part human! Sharon, on the other hand, is all demon!"
"She really is quite the character. I only met her the one time and had the overwhelming urge to punch her!"
"Welcome to the last nine months of my life! I just want all of this to be over so I just have my daughter, my boys, get married and be happy!"
"Everything will work out for the best, Kate," reassured Ducky.
The doors of autopsy opened and Tony walked in.
"Tony, what are you doing here? You are supposed to be home with the kids," asked Kate surprised to see her fiancée.
"I felt bad about you having to work late on a Friday again, so I thought me and the kids would come and hang out with you for a while," said Tony as he kissed Kate.
"Aren't you sweet?"
"I brought some pizzas over if you guys want some?"
"Mr. Palmer and I have quite a bit of work down here. You all go ahead!" replied Ducky.
"I shall take you up on that pizza, Tony! I haven't eaten all afternoon!" said Ziva as she left.
Upstairs in the Bullpen, Ziva and McGee played with Alex and Aiden as they, Gibbs, Tony and Kate sat around enjoying some pizzas. Abby entered into the Bullpen along with Arissa who carried a white box.
"What you got there, Munchkin?" asked Gibbs.
"Auntie Abby bought cupcakes!" exclaimed Arissa.
"I brought CakeLove cupcakes for Tony and Kate to sample so they can pick the ones they want for their wedding," explained Abby as she sat down next to Kate at her desk.
"Cupcakes at a wedding? What happened to a wedding cake?" asked Gibbs.
"Cake is so old school! Cupcakes give the guest more variety!"
"Auntie Abby, can I have a cupcake?" asked Arissa, staring hard at the box of baked good in front of her.
"We are all going to have cupcakes! Here everyone take a fork!" said Abby as she passed around the plastic silverware. "Now be honest about why ones you like!"
Tony tasted a piece of a cupcake and then made a disgusted face. "Ew, this tastes like cherry cough syrup!"
"That's the cherry blossom cupcake! It's new!" explained Abby.
"It's gross!"
"Can I try, Daddy?" asked Arissa as Tony let her try a piece of the cupcake. "Yucky!"
Kate laughed. "Like father, like daughter!"
"I like this one!" pointed McGee to the cupcake in front of him.
"That's the Chocolate Fuzzy Wuzzy! Chocolate cupcake topped with chocolate buttercream and dark chocolate curls!" said Abby.
"You should go with one! It tastes like lemon and coconut!" interjected Ziva, as she sampled a cupcake.
"Okay, this one tastes like toothpaste!" said Gibbs as he sampled a cupcake.
"That one's the Peppermint Chocolate Chip, I thought it was gross too!" replied Abby.
"This one pretty!" said Arissa as she pointed to a cupcake with pink and yellow frosting.
"That's strawberry lemonade! I thought I would get that one for you, Rissa!"
"Yeah!"
"Mmm! This one is really good!" exclaimed Kate as she sampled a piece of a cupcake. "Try this, Tony," said Kate as she feed Tony a piece of cupcake off her fork.
"Aww, aren't you two cute? Practicing feeding each other cake for the reception?" mocked McGee.
"Shut it, Probie!" snapped Tony.
"The wedding is in three weeks and they need at least two weeks to make them, so pick wisely! I have a wedding to do list a mile long and this is one of the things at the top! Speaking of, we still need to get your bridesmaid dress, Ziva" said Abby.
"Abby, I already told Kate I do not want to wear that green dress!" replied Ziva.
"Ziva, it really isn't about what you want to wear! It's what I need you to wear! That dress goes perfect with the style of Kate's dress!"
"Abby we can always just change the color of the dress," interjected Kate.
"But then she will be clashing with groomsmen suits!"
"We're wearing tuxedos! Black and white goes with everything!" said McGee.
"I'm talking about the accent colors of your ties and vests, McGee!"
"Wait, I didn't buy a vest! I didn't know we need one!"
"Another thing to add to my list! Thanks McGee!"
"Calm down, Abby! You are getting a little too wrapped up in this wedding planning," said Kate.
"You only get married once, Kate! Well, hopefully! I mean statistics show that there is a 51% chance that you and Tony will divorce and…"
"Abby!"
"Sorry."
"I can tell you now, Abby. This is the only wedding you will be planning for me! I found the love of my life for the rest of my life," said Tony, flashing a smile at Kate.
"That was sweet, Tony," sighed Ziva.
"You think so? I was thinking of using it in my vows!"
Ziva rolled her eyes.
"Take it from me, make it your only wedding," chuckled Gibbs.
"Look, Abbs, let's just focus on one thing at a time! We have Arissa's adoption hearing on Monday, let's just get that out the way and then dedicate the next three weeks to the wedding okay?"
"Okay," Abby took a deep breath, trying to relax. "Oh crap! I still need to find the flowers for Arissa…"
"Abby!" exclaimed the entire team, trying to calm the frantic Goth down.
Monday rolled around as Kate and Tony sat outside the courtroom with Arissa, the twins and Mr. Combs. It was the day of Arissa's adoption hearing and while their attorney assured them that they had nothing to worry about Kate couldn't help but shake from nerves. Though it was to be a private hearing, Gibbs tagged along to support the couple and the four year old.
"The DiNozzo family!" shouted a court aide as he walked out of one of the courtrooms.
"That's us!" said Tony as he and the rest stood up and make their way to the courtroom.
Inside, they were greeted by the familiar face of the judge.
"Agent DiNozzo, Agent Todd, nice to see you again!" exclaimed the judge. "Agent Gibbs, you do know this is a private hearing for the family only?"
"They are my family, your honor," replied Gibbs with a smile.
"Well this proceeding should be fairly simple. If all goes well, Agents Todd and DiNozzo will be leaving here as Arissa's parents!"
"Expectantly so, your honor!" said Mr. Combs.
Just then, Sharon walked into the courtroom.
"Ms. Lee! What a surprise! I heard you were no longer on this case?" questioned the judge.
"Not officially, your honor but as the previous caseworker, it is my responsibility to ensure that all the facts are being considered in todays' proceeding," replied Sharon as she cut her eyes at Tony and Kate, who sat at the table across from her with Arissa.
"I understand. If you don't mind I would like to get this hearing started?"
"By all means your honor!"
"Today, we are here to finalize the petitioned adoption of Arissa Moreland by one Anthony DiNozzo and Caitlin Todd. Arissa has been in the care of these two individuals for the past nine months following the death of her biological father. The initially agreement was for them to foster Arissa until an appropriate family could be found but instead they decide to petition the court for permanent custody of the child."
"That's right, your honor!" replied Mr. Combs.
"Social Services have been monitoring the DiNozzo/Todd home and have found that all the child's needs are being met appropriately. There was a cause of concern at first that Arissa would suffer from some emotional problems due to past traumatic events but the caseworker has found that she is very much stable child emotionally and in fact has been able to cope with the loss of her biological family very well over the past few months thanks to the love and support of her new family."
"That is correct, your honor!"
"Well, Kate and Tony, it seems to me that you are more than eager to have Arissa become a part of your family?"
"We are your honor!" smiled Tony as he looked at Arissa sitting next to him.
"Are you two prepared for what life holds having not two but three children?"
"If the last four months are any indication, we look forward to it!"
"Kate, how have you been handling being a mother to three little ones?"
"It has its ups and down but I love it," said Kate.
"How has Arissa been with your sons?"
"Arissa is an amazing big sister! She has become very attached to the boys and they know who she is! She comes home from daycare and they immediately start to kick and smile when they hear her voice. She can't wait until they are bigger so they can play together!"
"Seems like Arissa found her perfect fit! Unless anyone has any concern for why Arissa shouldn't be…"
"Um, I have a few concerns, your honor," interjected Sharon.
"Oh no!" sighed Kate.
"I still have concern for just how emotionally stable living with Agents Todd and DiNozzo will be for Arissa?"
"Explain, Ms. Lee," ordered the judge.
"Your honor, Tony and Kate are NCIS agents. They work in a very violent field that carries a high potential for work related injury and even death. By placing Arissa in their home, we will be subjecting her to the possibility that one of her parents may die every day."
"The risk involvement in their job has nothing to do with Arissa!" exclaimed Mr. Combs.
"Oh but it does! During her stay with them, your honor, Arissa was forced to deal with Agent Todd being shot! That's not a normal occurrence in her life."
"Your honor, Agent Todd suffered a broken foot from that shooting and that's all!"
"Yes but it is my understanding that her injury could have been much worth! She could have died! And the stress that situation put on Arissa…"
"What stress?"
"According to her daycare teachers, the next day she was very, quiet, she didn't want to talk to or play with any of the children in class, all she did was worried about how was Kate!"
"A natural reaction for a child towards their parent! She loves Kate and has genuine concern for her! This was one isolated incidence and shouldn't affect your ruling!"
"But it's not the first time that this job has nearly cost either of them their lives. Agent Todd was held hostage by a terrorist not once but twice and Agent DiNozzo has been contaminated with the plague by a victim's deranged mother!"
"How do you know that?" asked Tony.
"I have my ways, Agent DiNozzo. My point is your honor you cannot force a child to have to live their life with a constant fear like that!"
"Your honor, the constant fear of death is something that we all have to face every day," interjected Mr. Combs.
"But purposefully placing yourself in death's path is a choice that you make! And it's a choice that you have to make wisely when a child is involved!"
"Tony and Kate have two children of their own! You don't think they realize that?"
"What they do with their children is their business but I will not let them make such a decision for Arissa!"
"What are you trying to say Sharon? That because of the field we choose to work in that we don't care about our kids?" asked Kate.
"I'm saying that it is pretty selfish of you two to want to raise children in such and uncertain environment!"
The judge banged his gavel. "That's enough! Arissa, can you come here please?"
Arissa slowly got up and walked over and took a seat next to the judge's stand.
"How are you today, Arissa?"
"I okay," replied the little girl, shyly.
"Do you know why we are here today?"
"Uh huh! You are going to say that it's okay for Mommy and Daddy to be my Mommy and Daddy!"
The judge laughed. "You call them Mommy and Daddy now? Last I remember it was Kate and Nozzo!"
"I wanted us to be a family so I asked them to be my Mommy and Daddy!"
"You did that all by yourself?"
"Yeah!"
"That's really sweet! I'm guessing you really love them, huh?"
"Yeah! I love my brothers Alex and Aiden too!"
"You have brothers now, too?"
"Yeah! They right there with my Grandpa Gibbs! They really cute! Mommy and Daddy named them after me!"
"Well, aren't you a lucky girl! Arissa, do you like living with Kate and Tony?"
"Uh huh!"
"Do you ever worry about your Mommy and Daddy? Like when they go to work? You know what they do?"
"Yeah, they NCIS agents like Grandpa Gibbs and Uncle Timmy and Ziva! They catch bad guys and put them in jail!"
"Do you worry about them getting hurt at work?"
"My Mommy got shoted at work. She hurt her foot real bad! I was worried because she no could walk!"
"Do you ever worry that she will get hurt again?"
"No, because Daddy always take care of her! He always does!"
"Do you ever feel scared living with Tony and Kate?"
"Sometimes."
"What are you scared of?"
Arissa put her head down. "I scared that we not going to be a family always."
"Why are you scared of that?"
"Because Ms. Lee always trying to take me from them and I no want to go! I scared she going to make me leave and I no be their daughter no more!"
"So what bothers you most is that you won't be able to be with your Mommy and Daddy?"
"Yeah. My real Mommy and Daddy leave me. I no want them to leave me too."
"So if you were to pick anyone in the world to be your Mommy and Daddy, you would pick Kate and Tony?"
"Yeah. I already picked them!"
The judge smiled at the little girl and then turned his attention to the adults in the room. "Well, it is clear that I have a lot to consider in this adoption. On the one hand, I am presented with a clearly happy little girl who has taken it upon herself to create a family with Agents Todd and DiNozzo. But, on the other hand, I do have to consider the mental health of the child. I have two options here, I can either finalize this adoption, making Arissa a permanent part of Kate and Tony's family or I can decline it and asked that she be placed with a different family. I don't like to make rash decisions so I'm going to ask Ms. Lee and Mr. Combs to join me in my office to discuss this further. You all are free to go! I will call you with my decision."
After the hearing, Tony and Kate returned home to await the judge's call. Tony napped on the sofa with all three kids around him. Aiden laid on his chest while he cradled Alex in one arm and hugged Arissa in the other, all four of them sleeping peacefully. Kate gently swiped a few stray hairs from Arissa's face as the little girl snuggled into Tony side, tightening her grip around him. Looking at the four of them sleeping soundly, you would never guess that the fate of their family laid in a phone call. Kate let out a heavy sigh as her eyes remained fixed on the little girl.
The phone rang…
What do you think? Was the adoption finalized or will Kate and Tony lose Arissa for good? Reviews and comments are welcomed and an update is coming soon ;-)