FAMILY PORTRAIT, FAMILY SHADOWS
CHAPTER 6
NCIS
Two hours later
It was business as usual down in the "Labby" now that Abby had returned from court. She'd shed her court outfit and was finally dressed in her comfy work clothes. She had just finished loading up Major Mass Spec. when Tony walked in.
"Hey Sweets."
She turned her face up for a kiss, and received one. "I heard you had a visitor today. Is she ok?"
Tony shrugged. "Yeah, Gibbs broke her out of it. That's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about. Got a minute?"
'
"The Major just started, so I've got all the time you need. What's up with our girl?"
Sighing, Tony leaned against the table. "You know she had Mia bring her to Mrs. M's, right?" When Abby nodded, he continued. "Mia didn't know why, Kait wouldn't say, just started crying and asking to go to Mrs. M's. Kait didn't say anything to Mrs. M, either, so she decided to bring Kaity here, in case there was something really wrong. Kait wouldn't let me help her. I had to practically beg her to sit with me. It was like she was afraid of me or something." Seeing he was upset about that, Abby pulled him into a hug. Tony closed his eyes, absorbing her comfort. "God, that's a horrible feeling, thinking your child is afraid of you." He squeezed Abby once more, then let her go. "She started calling for grampa. It got so bad, I finally had to call him, up in MTAC no less. You can imagine how well that went over."
Abby smiled and caressed his cheek. "I'm surprised you're still walking upright."
Tony shuddered. "I know, that's why I had Kaity talk to him. He came right down. After a few minutes in his lap, she was giggling and happy, came over and told me she was sorry for making me sad." He paced the lab. "But it's really you and me that owe her an apology. I called the gymnastics center when Gibbs took Kait on his coffee run a few minutes ago." Tony scrubbed his hands over his face and through his hair. "She didn't know what happened, just that Mandie Lewis told her Kaity wasn't coming to gymnastics anymore because it was too expensive."
"Why would Mandie say it was too expensive for Kaity?"
"That's what I wanted to know, so I called Mia Lewis. Mandie told her after they dropped Kaity off at Mrs. M's that Kaity had told Mandie that gymnastics was too expensive for us, so she couldn't go."
"What? Why would Kaity think it was too expensive? Where did she even get that idea?" Abby was confused and worried.
Tony sighed sadly and put his hands on Abby's shoulders. "She overheard us the other night, Abby." Abby was still confused. "Our argument, about you paying for the whole eight weeks of gymnastics, as opposed to weekly? Kaity heard us. I guess all she understood was that the classes were expensive…."
Abby's eyes teared up. "And thought she'd help by not going." She put her hand to her mouth and began to cry. "Oh my God! My baby thought we were arguing because of her!" Abby pulled away from Tony and began to pace. "Oh my God! I'm a horrible mother!"
Tony tried to corral Abby but she kept getting away. "You are not a horrible mother, Abbs…."
"Yes I am! What kind of mother makes her child feel that she's costing too much money? What kind of mother argues about it with daddy, practically in front of her? Oh my God, Tony! Kaity's going to hate me forever!"
"Hate you? Abby, I was the one saying it was too expensive. If she's going to hate anyone, it will be me!
Abby's mascara was starting to run. "My baby! I've scarred her for life! What are we going to do, Tony?"
Tony sighed and hugged Abby. "We have not scarred her for life. Just a little scratch that with some TLC will heal and never be seen again. I promise."
Abby sniffled and wiped her eyes on Tony's shoulder. "Ok. If you say so. But she's going to gymnastics!"
Looking sadly down at the shoulder of his jacket, he saw black smears across it. "I can never keep anything clean around you. Yes, Kaity is going to gymnastics. If my Principessa wants it, my Principessa shall have it. So says the king."
Laughing, Abby kissed Tony on the lips. "All right then, 'king.' We've got to talk to Kaity, help her understand what she heard, and that we want her to go to gymnastics."
Tony squirmed. "That's…kind of a 'queen' thing, isn't it? Talking to the princess…." He gulped when Abby gave him the glare. "Ok, how about this. You talk to our princess, I'll figure out something special to cheer her up."
Abby's eyes instantly lit up. "Oooo! I have just the thing! A sleep-over! We'll con Gibbs into taking AJ for the night, and then we'll invite Mandie over for the night. The girls can play, watch movies, eat, dance, whatever, all night long, if they want! It'll be a blast!"
Even though he was skeptical about it being a 'blast', Tony agreed. While Abby talked to Kaity about what she'd overheard the other night, he made the arrangements for the night with Gibbs and Mandie's mother.
NCIS
Conference Room
Abby shut the door behind Kaity and told the girl to sit.
"Am I in trouble?" Kaity's lower lip quivered.
"What? Oh, no, baby, no! You're not in trouble at all!" Abby sat in the chair next to her daughter's. "In fact, it's daddy and mommy that are in trouble. That's why I wanted to talk to you." The little girl's tears started again, thinking she was going to hear she couldn't go to gymnastics again. "Oh, baby girl. C'mere, love." Taking Kaity into her lap, Abby cuddled her. "The other night, you heard me and daddy talking, didn't you? About your gymnastics?"
Kaity's head nodded sadly.
"Oh, baby." Abby sighed, trying to figure out what to say. "I guess…daddy and I were kinda' loud, huh?" She sighed again when Kaity nodded. "Ok. Well, first of all, I am so, so sorry that daddy and I were talking too loud. I bet we scared you, huh?" Kaity sniffled and nodded again. "I'm so sorry, baby girl. We didn't mean to scare you. And….you heard that your gymnastics costs a lot of money, right?"
Kaity began to cry. "I'm sorry, mommy! I don't wanna' go anymore, cuz it's too s'pensive!"
Abby held Kaity and rocked her. "Sweet baby, listen to me. When daddy said it was too expensive…..he didn't mean…well, it does….(sigh)Yes, baby, your gymnastics costs money. But daddy wasn't mad because it's too much. He just thought I shouldn't have paid for all the lessons at once, that's all, in case something happened. It doesn't cost too much, baby girl, and both daddy and I know you want you to go."
"But daddy said it was wasting money cuz I won't finish…."
Abby closed her eyes and shook her head. 'Damn you and your big mouth, Tony!' "Honey, that's not what your daddy meant. You know daddy wants you to be happy, and he'd give anything to make sure you are. He was worried that you wouldn't like gymnastics. And if you didn't like it, then you shouldn't have to do it. But daddy also knows that you can do anything you set your mind to. If you were happy with gymnastics, he knows you'll give it everything you've got. Like with your horseback riding. Remember how worried daddy and I were, afraid you would fall off and get hurt?"
"Uh huh."
"But we let you do it. And you did fall off once, but you weren't hurt. We thought for sure you wouldn't want to go again. But you did. And now you're at the top of your riding class, right?"
"Uh huh. (sniffle)"
Abby kissed the top of Kaity's head. "You wanted to ride, fell off, but got right back on and now you're doing awesome! You wanted it, you went for it, and you did it! So daddy knows that if you really like gymnastics, you'll stick with it and be awesome." She could see Kaity was beginning to understand. "And don't tell your daddy that I told you this, because he'll say I'm fibbing. But. Your daddy has already been talking like you're about to win the gold medal in the Olympics. That's how happy and proud he is of you - he sees you getting so good, you win the biggest award at the Olympics."
Kaity giggled. "He's bein' over-dramatic again, right?"
Laughing, Abby kissed her daughter's head. "Maybe. But if you like it enough….it's possible, Kaity-Did." She hugged Kaity close. "If you still want to go to gymnastics, baby, then you can go. We've always wanted you to go. Ok?" She felt the little girl nod against her chest. "So….what do you say? Want to give it a go next week?"
Kaity looked up at her mom with a big smile on her face. "Yes, please!"
Abby laughed and plastered Kaity's face with kisses, loving the sound of that little girl laughter.
This was the scene Tony walked in on a few minutes later. "So, I guess we're back on for gymnastics?"
Abby smiled. "Yep!"
"Awesome! I have some awesome news, too, for the lovely and graceful Kaity."
Kaity jumped out of mommy's lap and held her hands up for her daddy to pick her up. "What news, daddy?"
"You're having company this evening."
"Me? Who?"
Tony smiled and kissed Kaity's nose. "The one and only Princess Mandie!" It took a good half hour, so Tony insisted, for his hearing to come back after Kaity's ecstatic scream.
Kaity jumped out of daddy's arms and ran to her mommy, full of ideas and things she needed for the night to come. She pulled Abby up and dragged her out the door, talking up a storm - just one more trait she got from her mother - leaving Tony standing there by himself, ears ringing. He shook his head, thinking that he'd be getting a double dose of that high-pitched scream for the next twelve hours, or however long it would take for the two girls to fall asleep. He hurried after Abby. "Abby! Put ear plugs on that list!"
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A/N- I'M SORRY, I KNOW I PROMISED Y'ALL THIS WOULD BE A FUN CHAPTER. NEXT ONE, I PROMISE! IT'S BEEN DECADES SINCE I WAS A 6 YR. OLD HAVING A SLEEP-OVER, SO IF ANYONE HAS ANY IDEAS, PLEASE TELL ME! I HAVE NO IDEA WHO THE 6 YR. OLD SET IS LISTENING TO FOR MUSIC, SO ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED!
THANKS TO GAGA MIDNIGHT, FOR KEEPING ME ON TRACK (Read her stuff! Her NCIS story is awesome!), AND MANDIELOULUVSEWE…DON'T KNOW WHY….. (but read her stuff, too!)
DISCLAIMER - THE USUAL NOTHINGNESS
SHAMELESS BEGGING - PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW! I NEED THE WARM FUZZIES OF REVIEWS TO BRIGHTEN MY DAY! MANY THANKS, PEEPS!