Tricky Measures Chapter 26, a ncis: los angeles fanfic

26TRICKY MEASURES

Chapter 26—Warm Fuzzies

"But all the kids say she is a dummy!" Anya exclaimed.

"Perhaps so, but you still have to defend her."

"Why?"

"Why not? Anya, what part don't you get? Raisa is your sister, a part of your family. You have to make sure that people don't attack her. Same like she would have to do if they attacked you!"

Anya began to cry. "They already do. I stink at math and science, so they call me a dumbass."

"Do you like it?" her mother persisted, happy that she was getting a reaction from her.

"NO!"

"Well, then…the way they make you feel is how they make Raisa feel. The subject matter doesn't count, but the feelings do. Raisa is very hurt by all of this."

"Why? She never cries."

"I know," Anna agreed, "and it's very sad. She shows no emotion at all, and, Anya, that isn't healthy at any age."

During a lull between movies, Kira suggested, "Let's go brush our teeth!"

"Oh, come on. We're supposed to be watching movies, not going to bed!" Raisa objected.

"Oh, God, no! After we brush our teeth, we're watching more movies! I certainly don't want to go to bed!" Kira told her.

"Goody!" chirped Nikolai.

They all ran to the downstairs bathroom, and got finished quickly. They were back on the couch in a flash. Kira shook out the afghan, and made sure that they were all covered with it. Then they enjoyed Home Alone.

In the middle of this movie, Callen came home. He was very surprised to find his three children sleeping on the couch. He stopped and watched some of the movie, and then sat down on the couch.

"Hi, Papa," said Nikolai, who woke up for a moment when he felt his father sit down. "We watcheded lots of movies today."

"You did?"

"Yah. Auntie Kensi said we could."

"I see," said his father. He picked up the little boy and settled him on his lap. Then he moved over so that he was comfortable on the couch. He pulled the end of the afghan over Nikolai. "Baby, where is Mama?"

"I don't know, Papa. I think she is losted."

"Oh, boy."

"Mama, what do you do when somebody hurts your feelings?"

"I cry."

"But you're a grown-up."

Anna patted her daughter who realized that her mother wanted her to stand up. Anna resettled herself, and drew Anya down onto her lap.

"May be, but I am a human first, and humans cry when they're hurt."

"Oh," answered Anya, whose mind was spinning with all of this new information. "Does Papa cry?"

"Yes, but we are not talking about him. We are talking about you. Anya, what is the real reason you don't like eighth grade? Kira hated it."

"So do I, but why didn't she like it?"

"Same reasons you don't like it. I think it's a Rite of Passage that girls hate eighth grade. They all get through it, but they all hate it."

"Oh, man, Mama. That's ridiculous!"

"Maybe it is, but it's also true."

Anya flipped around so that she was lying against her mother's chest. She tucked her arms in, and felt a lot better when her mother wrapped her arms around her.

"Mama, is there something wrong with me?"

"Not at all, baby. You are turning into a teenager, and teenagers get all mixed up about everything. You could even ask Kira about it."

"Oh, wow," Anya reacted. "That is so cool!" She sat up, and her elbow jabbed her mother.

Anna moved Anya's arm. "Do you feel better yet?"

"Maybe," Anya said. She thought about it for a minute. "I guess I do."

"You can go to school tomorrow?"

"Mama! Suppose I don't want to?"

"Anya Alexander, enough already, okay, please? As it is, you have to straighten up your room. What do you want for dinner?"

"Spaghetti," the girl replied immmediately. She climbed off her mother's lap.

"Hold it, Anya! Are you sure you want me to clean up for you?"

Anya stopped in her tracks. Something in her mother's tone told her to beware of what she was saying. She narrowed her eyes.

"Mama, I know you're tricky. If you clean, you're going to throw out everything except my textbooks and worksheets, right?"

"Right."

"That's not fair!"

"Sure it is. None of this is my stuff, so…get started!" Anna got off the bed. "I am going downstairs to cook the spaghetti. This needs to be finished by the time the spaghetti is done, okay?"

Anya groaned, and sat on her bed. "Oh, man!"

Anna left the room quietly, and closed the door behind her. She really hoped that Anya would get herself pulled together and do what was expected of her.

She paused by the couch, and drank in the scene before her. Except for Anya, her entire family was sound asleep. They were bundled up in the big afghan, snuggled together. She leaned over and kissed Callen, who smiled in his dreams. Then Anna continued on to the kitchen.

She could tell by the dishes piled up in the sink that the kids had eaten dinner, so she put enough spaghetti in the pot for Callen, too.

Then she noticed that Kira had forgotten to put the bag of nuggets back into the freezer, so she dumped it out on a big cutting board, and cut the nuggets into quarters. Next, she got a large frying pan, and dropped a few over-sized butter pats into it. When the butter had sufficiently melted, Anna dumped the entire batch of nuggets into it, and stirred them until all of the pieces were coated with the butter. She cooked the nugget pieces until they were lightly browned, and then divided them equally onto three plates. There would be no meatballs this night.

When everything was finished cooking, she went upstairs to check on Anya. She knocked, and opened the door. She was pleasantly surprised to find that the room was straightened up properly. She praised Anya, and then sent her downstairs to the kitchen.

They enjoyed their dinner; Callen ate later.

The following morning, Kira woke up abruptly because she remembered that she hadn't done her homework. She woke up Raisa and Nikolai, but left her father sleeping. The less he knew, the better.

By some stroke of luck, both kids got up without an argument. They ran for their bags, and brought them to the dining room. Each one sat down quickly, and pulled out their assignments. Nikolai even asked Raisa for help on his.

Kira kept an eye on her father, but he didn't stir. Unbeknownst to her, he was wide awake, keeping his eyes closed. He was happy that they took the initiative to complete their delayed assignments.

"Get done! Get done!" Kira urged. "We need to get in our beds so Papa doesn't catch us!"

Raisa laughed. She was in total agreement with that plan. She sped through her papers, and managed to do her math correctly. She jammed her papers into her bag, and then flung it at the front door. It landed with a powerful thunk.

Nikolai's bag followed right after, and his bag landed with a thunk, too.

Kira laughed, and jammed her papers into her bag before she tossed it toward the front door. Hers landed by the wall with a defininite thud.

Then they all booked upstairs as fast as they could go. Callen burst out laughing. He had no intention of spoiling their ploys, but he did check their assignments. He noticed that Anya's bag was still upstairs.

He went upstairs to his room, but it was empty. Anna was nowhere to be seen. Cautiously, Callen made his way to Anya's room, and found her sound asleep on the bed with Anya. Anna's arms were wrapped around her daughter, keeping her safe from whatever was bothering her. He noticed that the room looked very neat, and that none of her toys or belongings were missing. He was glad.

Callen leaned over and kissed Anna good night, and then went to his own room. He quickly freshened up and then changed his clothes before he went downstairs.

He put his sleeves up so he could do the dishes without ruining his shirt. Then, he started breakfast for his kids, fixing four sausages for each one. When the sausages were finished, Callen added a half dozen eggs to the pan, and fried them. He knew enough to cook them until their yolks were almost hard. He plated the food, and then called the kids.

The three thundered down the stairs, and met him in the dining room. He waited for them to sit down, and then served them. He joined them.

"Papa, what about Anya and Mama?" asked Raisa.

"They're still sleeping, baby. Mama can get breakfast for them," Callen replied. "Are you guys ready for school?"

"Yes," Kira said, "but you didn't check our homework yet."

"Oh, boy. I'll do that when we're all finished with breakfast," he said, not letting on that he had already checked it.

"Okay, Papa," Raisa said. "Papa, do you think I'll pass my math test today?"

"Probably. You know your stuff, don't you?"

"Yes."

"What about the double-digit multiplications?"

Raisa smiled at him. "They got easy after you showed me how to do them."

Callen grinned. "Good for you, baby!"

Upstairs, Anya wasn't quite ready to go to school this day. She climbed on top of her mother again, and snuggled her.

"Mama, do you still love your kids even when they're bad like Raisa?"

"Excuse me? Raisa isn't bad, and neither are you. Getting mixed up about stuff does not make you a bad person, Anya!" Anna replied. "I love all my kids equally. There isn't any other way to do it," she added, taking umbrage. "How would you like to share your room with Nikolai instead of Raisa?"

Anya flew off her mother. "Are you crazy? NO. No way in hell!"

Anna frowned. "Then you better change your way of thinking about her, and I mean it!"

"Guys, get cleaned up, and put your dishes in the sink. Then go upstairs and change your clothes, please," Callen said with a very distinct smirk.

"Oh, shoot!" Kira cried. "Guys, come on!" She ran up the stairs to her room. Raisa and Nikolai followed quickly.

"Kira, can I wear this?" Nikolai asked, holding up a color-coordinated outfit.

"I don't see why not," she said. She rooted around in her closet. "Can I wear this?"

Nikolai laughed, and so did Raisa. "Yes," he replied. "It's pretty."

"Thank you, Nikolai. Raisa, we need to find you something cool, too," Kira said. She brought her siblings to Raisa's door, but it was closed. She knocked.

Anna opened the door.

"Raisa needs an outfit, please, Mama," Kira explained.

"It's okay, baby. Anya and I are finished. We're going to have breakfast now," Anna said, taking Anya by the hand.

"Thank you, Mama," said Raisa, who made a mad dash to her closet. She chose her newest outfit. Not wanting to argue with Raisa, Kira nodded.

"Come on, guys," she added. "Papa is waiting for us."

All three got changed very quickly, and then raced down the stairs to their father. He handed each one his or her schoolbag, and they all trooped outside to his car.

"Papa, you forgot Anya," Raisa pointed out.

"She's fine, baby. She is with Mama." He didn't like that Raisa was using her tattle-tale ploy, but he was glad of it.

"Anya, you need to get done," her mother said.

"But I'm not going anywhere," the girl objected.

Anna stood up and collected their plates. "To the contrary. You are going to school today."

"No, I'm not. Papa said I could stay home this week," Anya contradicted.

"Really? When are you planning to do your schoolwork?"

"I'm not. I'm not doing any of it. I don't want to!"

"Not a problem. I'll make arrangements for you to attend summer school this year," her mother replied smoothly.

"No!" Anya screamed.

"Papa also said that her schoolwork has to be finished by dinnertime on Sunday," he interjected.

Anya glared at him. "Go away!" she shouted at him.

He took the plates from Anna and put them in the sink. "Go get your bag," he said.

"We going somewhere?"

"Yep! Car shopping!"

"Yesssss!" hissed Anya, thrilled with the prospect of an excursion.

"Nnnnooooo!" said her father. "You cannot come with us. Remember? You're not allowed outside this week."

"But I want to go!" she hollered at her father.

Anna studied her fuming daughter. "One more sound, and you'll be in your room for the week."

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. With trepidation, Anya answered it, although she knew better.

"Dedushka!" She opened the door wide to let Arkady in. Then she gave him a hug.

"We sit over here," he told her, going toward the couch.

"Are we going to watch some movies?"

"I don't think so, Anushka. We have homework to do."

She reared up and glowered at him. How on earth did he know about her schoolwork?!

"No, we don't, Dedushka!" She sat down again. "I don't want to do it."

"That is not good, baby," Arkady replied.

"But school is for dummies," she contradicted.

"Oh, dear, oh dear, oh dear," Arkady sighed. "You bring me papers."

She didn't dare disobey her grandfather. She went upstairs to her room, and brought her entire schoolbag down with her.

He picked it up. "What is all this?"

"Papa said I had to bring everything home."

Arkady looked at her funny. "Oh, boy. Let's get started, baby," he said. He opened the bag and pulled out one book that was jammed with worksheets.

"Oh, no, Dedushka! Not the math!" she moaned.

"Why not? It has to be done."

"But I can't do it!" she argued.

"Oh, boy," Arkady said again, pulling out the sheaf of worksheets. "My Anna was terrible with math."

"She told me that, but I didn't believe her."

Arkady looked at her. "That not nice, baby. She did it by herself."

"You didn't help her?"

"Nope. I wasn't around. I was on other side of world."

"Damn," said Anya, slouching.

"Sit up, baby. We need to get this done," Arkady added.

"Do you know what kind of car you want, Anna?" Callen asked, feeling pretty sure that she didn't.

They drove by a dealership of used cars.

"How about one of them?"

"No way in hell! You are getting a new car. Not some old clunker!"

Anna laughed. She knew she'd get a reaction from him. "Not really. Maybe something blue or green."

"Okay." He pulled into a dealership filled with many new cars.

"Nope. I don't like them," she said.

"You didn't even look at them!"

"Oh, come on, Callen! My Mustang was a Ford. I want another one."

"Another Ford is okay, but not a sportscar!"

She glared at him. "Why not?"

"Anna, you have to find something big enough to hold our entire family comfortably!"

"G Callen, I do not want a mom-mobile!"

He gave her a dirty look. "But you are a mom!"

Before she realized it, Arkady had gotten Anya to finish all of her math worksheets. He collected the papers and put them in her book again, and dropped the book on the floor under the coffee table. He reached into her bag, and pulled out her social studies book.

"No, Dedushka!" she objected.

"Anushka, sit up properly, please. What wrong with this one?"

Growling quietly, Anya sat up straight. "I don't like it."

"Anushka, you about to be in big trouble," Arkady said. He thumbed through the text. "Why you not like it?"

"I don't understand it."

He looked at her. "I see. Have you read any of it?"

Anya glared at him. "No!"

"Well, by the time we get finished, you will understand it. I see questions at the end of each lesson. How many of those have you done?"

"Not any!" she barked at him. "I don't want to!"

Arkady squinted his eyes at her. "Why you cut class? It doesn't help."

The door opened and slammed shut as Anna burst in.

"Whoa, daughter!" Arkady exclaimed. "Why you so angry?"

She thumped down on the couch beside her father and daughter. "He dropped me off! I hate his guts!"

Anya's jaw dropped. She was about to say something, but Arkady cut her off.

"Nichego ne govori! Eto ne tvoye delo!" he said firmly. "Poymi menya?" (Don't say anything! It's not your business! Understand me?")

"Da, Dedushka," Anya said. (Yes, Grandpa.)

"That's better," he added, patting her arm. "I am going to talk to your mama while you work on this first lesson, okay?"

"Not really, but I'll read it."

"Good job, baby!"

He took Anna into the dining room, and Anya read about the Spanish Armada.

Callen was smart enough to look for an elegant car for Anna, but big enough to hold their entire family. He did not want her to have a mom-mobile either.

He plowed through rows and rows of SUVs, but he didn't like the boxiness of the Explorers. He wanted something sleek like a Puma. Finally, Callen had had enough of the Fords. He drove down the street to the Chevrolet dealership.

He parked his car, and walked around the lot so he could get a better idea of the cars' interior designs. After another half hour, a Traverse Redline caught his eye. He was also very aware that this particular model could seat up to seven people, which he saw as a great deal because his family already had six people in it. Any five-seater, even the super good-looking cars, did not fit for his family.

Callen wandered around the group of Traverse SUVs, and finally settled on the model he admired. Then he found a salesman, and asked for a personal interview, and he became more pleased with the Traverse. He wanted a blue or green car, but those colors were not choices. At last, he chose the Mosaic Black Metallic, and was very happy with his decision. He signed the papers, and would be able to pick up his SUV in two days. Callen knew that Anna would be thrilled to drive it home.

He got home to find Arkady helping Anya with her assignments and comforting Anna at the same time.

"Oh, boy," he said to Arkady.

"Oh, boy for sure, boy," Arkady responded. "What'd you do?"

"Not a damn thing. She's very testy and moody these days," Callen said. "How's Anya doing?"

Arkady smiled. "She doing good, and she very smart like her mother."

Callen laughed. "That is good to hear. What subject are you working on now, baby?"

Anya made a face. "Papa, Dedushka got me to do my work! Even the math and social studies and science!"

"He did?" Callen laughed again. "I guess he's magic."

Anya made a face, and Anna chuckled although she wouldn't look at Callen.

"Yah, Papa. I am beginning to think so, too!" Anya agreed. "Papa, look under the table. That's all my done stuff!"

Callen leaned over so he could see more clearly. He counted the books. "Done? That's all done?!"

"Yes, Papa!" Anya shrieked. "Dedushka is a good teacher."

Callen stood up. "So I see," he agreed. "Arkady, I'll take my big baby now, please."

"Sure, boy. She okay."

"Thanks, Arkady."

Callen hugged Anna. "You okay now, baby?"

"Yes," she answered. "I didn't mean to go off on you, Callen."

"Oh, God. It's okay, Anna. Baby, let's sit over here," he suggested, leading her over to the stairs. He sat down, and pulled her down next to him. "You really okay?"

"Yes," she said, leaning on him.

He kissed her cheek. "I found you a car, but you're probably going to hate it."

"G Callen, you better be careful!"

He put his arm around her neck. "I am careful," he said in response. "I also found one big enough to hold all of us."

"Callen, it better not be a mom-mobile!"

"It's not. I promise it's not!"

"You know what else?"

"What's that?"

"You better stop teasing me if you know what's good for you!"

He laughed. "I'm sorry, baby, but sometimes, it gets fun."

"For who, you big dope?" She pommeled him.

Callen grabbed hold of her fists, and then kissed her. Then he rubbed her back. "We good now?"

"Da," she said.

"Come on, Anushka. Focus," Arkady said, knowing how distracted Anya was by her parents.

"Can't we stop, please, Dedushka?" Her glance was riveted on her father and mother.

"Nyet!" But he thought about it. They'd been working on her schoolwork for several hours, "Yes. We stop. Come with me." He stood up, and moved toward the kitchen. "Let's go, baby."

Anya stood up. "Where?"

"Over here," he said mysteriously. He brought her into the kitchen.

"We're cooking something?" she said excitedly.

"Sort of," her grandfather replied. He opened the freezer and pulled out a box of pizza bites. "Anushka like these?"

"Oh, yes, please, Dedushka!"

The front door banged open as the remaining three children came home.

"We're here!" they all shouted. They threw their schoolbags into their customary places.

Raisa sniffed the air. "I smell pizza bites!" She ran to the kitchen.

Kira and Nikolai looked at each other. "We better go check!" she said, tearing toward the kitchen with her brother right behind her.

Anna and Callen stared at each other.

"My goodness," he said. "That was double rude of them!"

"Let it go," Anna replied. "I'd rather hear about the new car. Are we really getting a new car?"

"Yes, ma'am!" he said. "I kept looking until I found something that would fit our family."

"Will I like it?"

"I think so. It's sleek and shiny, and we can pick it up in two days," he told her.

"Thank you, Callen!" She threw her arms around him. Then she whispered in his ear. "Let's join the kids!"

"Hey, guys! What gives?" Callen asked as he watched his entire family enjoy the pizza bites.

"Pizza bites, Papa!" Nikolai shouted. "You should have one. They're really yummy!"

"Okay," replied his mother. She took two plates from the cupboard, and another box of bites from the freezer. She put a huge amount of the bites on each plate, and then put one in the microwave and left the other on the counter.

"Oh, goody!" chirped Raisa, her eyes growing wider in anticipation.

"Oh, goody my foot," replied her father. "You need to share them with all of us, including Mama and me!"

Raisa slumped on the table.

"How about you go up to your room?" her mother suggested.

"NO!" Raisa shouted at her, and sitting up properly.

"E-nough!" her father said. "We are all having some. We also need to double up on the chairs."

The microwave dinged, and Anna took the plate out. She gave each child two more, and Arkady a good handful, and divided the rest evenly between herself and Callen. Then she popped the other plateful into the microwave, and nuked those bites.

Callen took the plate from the microwave, and distributed its contents evenly among his family.

"I'm glad we're all together," he said. "This is awesome. We're all good friends, and we all love each other, and that's what counts the most."

"Yes," Anna agreed. "We do have our days when we all fight and argue, but it's okay because of the love—"

Raisa interrupted. "Mama, does that mean you love people when they do stupid and bad things?"

Anna's eyes opened wide. This was the first time Raisa was admitting to her drug use.

"Yes, baby. We do. Papa and I love all of our kids, no matter what."

"Oh, thank goodness!" breathed Anya. "I wasn't so sure!"

Kira looked at her funny. "What'd you do?"

"It's not what I did. It's what I didn't," Anya said. "Papa, I got my work done, thanks to Dedushka! He helped me a LOT!"

"We got one more, Anushka," Arkady said. "You doing good."

Anya made a face. "I know, Dedushka. We'll go in a few minutes."

Nikolai popped up and stood on his chair. "Mama, can we do a group hug and kiss?"

The whole family laughed.

"Sure," said his father. "Hold it, little boy!" He grabbed his son as he climbed onto the table so he could jump down. "Nope." He set him on the floor.

Nikolai stood in the middle of the room. "Over here, everyone," he instructed, holding his arms out.

His whole family got up and joined together as they made a huge circle.

"We need to hug each other," Nikolai continued. "Like this!" He broke free and went to hug his mother, who hugged him back. "Now I got to hug Papa!" And he did. He went around to everyone and hugged each one. Then he kissed them all. "Now everybody gots to do it!"

And they did.