Tony awoke to Gibbs side of the bed cold. He must have been called to an earlier morning scene, Tony thought. His baby girl was still snuggled into him, making it harder to wake her up and get their morning started.
"Baby girl, it's time to wake up," Tony whispered.
Kami mumbles, but is not ready to get up.
"You better get up or the tickle monster is going to get you." Tony smiles as he prepares to tickle his little girl.
"I'm awake!" Kami giggled.
"Come on princess, time to get you ready. You have a big day playing with Tori at daycare." Tony smiled.
Tony led his little girl to the bathroom. He took a moment to fix her hair, gently brushing out any tangles.
"All right, let's go pick you out an outfit," Tony said.
Kami yawned and rubbed her eyes, still trying to wake up. Tony picked her up and carried her to the closet, where he had a collection of colorful shoes lined up and adorable little dresses hanging up.
Tony first picked up a white and pink floral dress and helped Kami put it on. He then picked up a pair of pink-slipped shoes and showed them to Kami.
"How about these? Your favorite, right?" Tony questioned.
Kami nodded "Pink shoes!"
Tony helped Kami put on her shoes and then carried her to the bathroom. He set her down on the counter near the sink and turned on the faucet, adjusting the water to the right temperature.
"Okay, Kami, time to wash your face and brush your teeth," Tony said.
"Kami giggled as Tony wet a washcloth and gently wiped her face. He handed her a small toothbrush with a colorful handle and squeezed a pea-sized amount of toothpaste on it.
"Remember, we have to brush for two minutes, just like the dentist taught us," Tony said as he got his toothbrush ready.
Kami nodded and started brushing her teeth, imitating her daddy's motions. Tony watched her and couldn't help but smile.
"Great job, Kami! Now, let's go have a yummy breakfast before we have to head out." Tony said.
Kami took her daddy's hand and led him to the kitchen, going straight for the cereal.
"Ok, Daddy needs to go get dressed for work," Tony said leaving Kami to eat her breakfast.
He walked into his closet and picked out a black suit, carefully deciding which one to wear. After he was dressed, he went back into his closet. He caught Kami out of the corner of his eye watching him. He decided to ask her for fashion advice. Kate was always good about telling him what colors went the best with his Armani suits.
"All right, Kami, help me choose a tie. Which one do you think Papa Gibbs would like the best?" Tony asked holding up different ties.
Kami looked at the ties, studying the different colors and patterns. She scrunched up her little face in concentration.
"Blue, Daddy! Pappa Gibbs loves blue!" Kami said pointing at a blue tie.
Tony smiled at Kami's choice and reached for the blue tie. He carefully knotted it around his collar, making sure it looked perfect.
"You have a good eye, sweetheart, Papa Gibbs des like blue ties. He always says they bring out the color of his eyes."
Kami beamed with pride, knowing she helped her daddy make an important decision. Tony finished getting dressed, making sure every detail was in place.
"All right, Kami, Daddy's all set for work. Are you ready to go?" Tony asked.
Kami nodded eagerly. Tony picked up his name tag, finding it weird. He used to pick up his badge and gun before leaving the house.
"Let's go, my little partner in crime. We've got a busy day ahead of us." Tony said as Kami took his hand.
Tony and Kami stepped out onto the front porch. Tony had a feeling in his gut that something was off. He hoped nothing went wrong with the case Gibbs was working on.
'It will all be fine when I see him at work. If something was wrong someone would have called me.' Tony thought.
Tony locked the front door.
"Off we go, Kami. Time for some adventures with Tori!" Tony said as he picked Kami up, settling her comfortably on his hip.
Tony carried her towards his car parked in the driveway. As Kami told him all the fun she was going to have with Tori at daycare, he still couldn't shake the feeling in his gut. The last time he had this feeling, his life changed forever.