This was written after some readers asked for more Agent Mac. Sorry for the long wait.
Again, it's about our little McAbby family with sweet little Chad. As I intend to write more stories for what seems to become a series, I will be posting those as future chapters right here. So I've changed the 'complete' status to 'in progress'. However, I have to warn publishing won't be regular.

Just so you know, requests/suggestions are most welcome. :)

Hope you'll enjoy this series.

Tim and Abby were sitting in bed, their backs resting against the headboard, and their small son Chad lying between them.

Taking turns, they were reading from T.S. Eliot's "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats".

Unlike Tim, Abby wasn't a cat person, really, but she'd loved "Cats" the musical. Not that she liked musicals, but this one...she really enjoyed and so she was now giving her best performance to little Chad, using the same sing-song narrative quality as in the musical.

"Macavity's a Mystery Cat: he's called the Hidden Paw -
For he's the master criminal who can defy the Law.
He's the bafflement of Scotland Yard, the Flying Squad's despair:
For when they reach the scene of crime - Macavity's not there!"

Tim would continue in the same vein until it was Abby's turn again and soon the three of them were having a lot of fun in bed until Chad, eventually worn out, had fallen sound asleep, no doubt dreaming of fluffy kittens...and Macavity.

But reading the poem had sparked off an idea for Tim's next Gemcity kids' story.

-oOo-

"Mommy! Mommy!"

Abby looked up from where she was busy arranging some freshly cut roses from their garden.

"Yes dear? Where's the fire?"

"Uh?" Bright green eyes looked up at her incomprehensibly at which Abby gave herself a mental kick. Chad might be a smart little kid, but...still a little kid nonetheless...

"Oh! Look at that! That's a nice book you have there!" She toweled her hands and stooped to get a better look at the cover of the book his chubby little fingers were holding out towards her.

"Agent Mac: Pixie the Cat Burglar."

"Miss Sheila gave it to me. It's a present for being such a good boy in class." Chad was beaming with pride.

Tim came inside the kitchen, still holding his son's backpack as he gently kissed his wife.

"So Miss Sheila's also into Thom E. Gemcity?" Abby teased her husband.

He grinned shyly, his face a little flushed but with a twinkle in his green eyes.

"Yup. Seems like it. I noticed she had a copy of "Deep Six" lying on the backseat of her car, the other day. She's a real fan, I've discovered, and today, when she told me how she loves giving the children little gifts when they're nice, she also admitted being a bit of a fan of...ah...the author."

"And she hasn't got the faintest clue as to...Thom E. Gemcity's true ID, I take it." Abby laughed.

"Nope. And I didn't bother to tell her our little secret."

Still laughing, Abby lightly slapped his arm.

"Mommy! Why are you hitting daddy?" Chad piped up, rather indignantly.

"Hey, little big man," Tim hastened to reassure his boy with a big grin. "It's nothing. Just mommy and daddy playing..."

"Oh..." The little boy pouted and Abby had to bite her tongue so as not to burst out laughing at the familiar trait her son shared with his dad. A trait which she found endearing.

"...like this!" Tim roared playfully as if he was going to tickle the boy.

"Noooo!" Chad squealed amidst laughs as his father's hands were everywhere. "Please! Enough!"

"Boys! You're both behaving like over excited puppies!" Abby shouted as she left the kitchen with the vase of roses.

They stopped cavorting instantly and looked towards the living room where she'd gone to.

"Why don't you both read some?" Abby suggested from the other room.

Tim turned towards his son who expectantly looked up towards him and then held out the book to him.

"Yeah, daddy. Read!"

Tim looked sternly down on Chad.

"Please?" The boy added, a little chastized.

Tim's face mellowed and he took the book as both walked into the living room where Abby was already waiting for them.

-oOo-

Today hadn't started out very well for Special Agent Mac.

To begin with, he'd woken up to his face feeling all wet! There was also some loud snuffling in his ear. Opening his eyes, he had a start when the first thing he saw was his large, furry German shepherd, Jethro, looming over him and panting happily! When Jethro's mouth opened wide, his long tongue emerging, Agent Mac quickly shut his eyes again.

Great! What a nice way to start the day with your dog slobbering all over your face!

As he pushed Jethro away he noticed the sun filtering inside through the open window, making him bolt upright in bed. His alarm hadn't gone off! Oh no! He was almost an hour late for work!

Jumping from his bed, he dashed into the bathroom and he found his tooth brush missing. Luckily, he spotted it just peeking from under a wash cloth and quickly set to brushing his teeth.

Those few minutes he'd now lost looking for his tooth brush weren't going to make any difference.

He ran back into his bedroom to get dressed.

Now, where was his left sock?

He went down on his knees to check under the bed.

No. It wasn't there.

He sat back on his bed to think. He stared at the single sock he still held in his hands. It was quite a coincidence so many of his clothes went missing, lately. He frowned and looked about the room.

Meanwhile, Jethro bounded along, barking excitingly, and wasn't really helping much since he was running more in the way than anything.

Agent Mac lifted the corner of the rug beside his bed, emptied drawers for this one elusive sock and looked under the bed but the sock, nor any of the other disappeared items could be found.

He took a new pair of socks from the drawer and was about to put those on when his cell phone rang.

Laying the new pair on the bed, he quickly ran into the main room to answer his phone.

Of course it had to be his boss, Agent Dibbs, wondering what took him so long to get to his work. How was he going to explain he was missing a sock? That would be a little silly, wouldn't it? He would settle for having overslept. It could happen to anyone. But the boss didn't ask for reasons and merely called him to pick up Tiva whose Mini had broken down.

Agent Mac padded back into his bedroom to finally put on his socks but when he looked at his bed where he'd left the new pair...there was nothing!

He pivoted and glared at Jethro who was intently gazing at the open window before turning to his master with one short, excited bark.

Frowning at the loss of this new pair of socks – was he supposed to go to his work wearing none? - he regarded his faithful canine friend.

"What's wrong, boy?"

Jethro barked at the open window. Then, he padded towards it and standing on both hind legs, he leaned onto the sill with his front paws, turning his head towards Tim.

"You've found something, haven't you?" Tim stated as he went to stand beside Jethro and leaned out of the window to check what was there.

Nothing.

With a shrug, he stroked his dog's head and then closed the window. He really needed to hurry if he wanted to get to NCIS at a reasonable time. Oh, and there was also Tiva who'd be waiting for him at her apartment two blocks away from his.

Once more, the drawer was pulled open for yet another pair of socks and finally having slipped on his shoes, he slung his backpack over his shoulder, grabbed his keys from the kitchen counter and made for the door, leaving Jethro inside for when his walker, the girl next door, would come and collect him.

That evening, Mac, in pyjama pants and a white T-shirt, was slouched on his couch, listening to some music when his doorbell rang.

Now, who could that be at this hour?

He got up and padded on his bare feet towards the front door to peek through the spy hole. It was Loraine, the girl from next door, holding a hold-all and looking a little upset. Wondering what might have happened, he hastened to let her in.

Jethro, always happy to see her, ambled over, wagging his tail.

"I don't know where to begin, but... Well..." Loraine blushed with embarrassment.

Agent Mac pointed towards the bag which she still held tightly clutched to her chest. "Why don't you start by explaining what's inside the bag?"

She looked at the bag as if still unsure."Oh! Uhm! Yes...yes... Of course..."

Loraine nervously zipped the bag open and presented it so Mac could easily view its contents.

Mac let out an exclamation of surprise and he looked up at her, eyes wide with disbelief.

"What...is this? Where did you get all this stuff from?" He quickly dug inside the bag to pull out...the pair of socks that had gone missing only this morning and held them up questioningly.

"In there...are all the stuff I found in my apartment. Items which don't belong to me," she nodded, giving a little nervous giggle.

"This morning, I caught Pixie...that's my tabby cat...with what looked like a ball. I didn't think much of it until I pulled the dresser away from the wall. There, I discovered Pixie's stash," she explained.

Mac emptied the bag's contents onto the table and spread them out.

There was the missing sock... One of his sport socks... A couple of ties, one of which he thought he'd thrown away himself... There were a couple of plush toys, too, and even some female articles of clothing that most definitely didn't belong to him. Oh! Wasn't that his sister's silk scarf? The one he'd given her as a birthday present! She loved that scarf and was pretty dismayed when she couldn't find it when she'd been at his place for a visit about a month ago.

He gently extricated the silk garment from amidst the other residents' belongings and held it up with both hands... Alas, it was ruined by Pixie's little, yet sharp, claws.

"My little sister's favorite scarf... " Mac gave a shrug. "Ah well, I'll find her another one."

In spite of all this evidence of the cat burglar, Mac had to laugh at such criminal kitty behavior. He had to admit it was an awesome feat and quite cumbersome to bring this booty in. And all through the window, no less!

But there was more for Loraine to tell.

"When we were still living at my parents', Pixie used to bring in the occasional mouse which she would deliver to us like some gift. Now, since we moved in here, it looks like she's taken to collecting stuff..."

A series of short little barks from Jethro called the attention of both Mac and Loraine.

And there she was... Pixie: the felonious and plotting fur ball, perched on the windowsill like some Egyptian cat statuette, tail coyly curled around her tiny paws. She appeared to be smiling as if she was having the least care in the world. In front of her lay yet another one of his socks.

Agent Mac could no longer hold himself and laughed out loud.

Oh yes: the mystery of his vanishing wardrobe was finally solved.

Pixie stretched a little kitty stretch, picked up the sock with her tiny teeth and lithely jumped down onto the wooden floor, lazily sauntering over towards the two humans and the dog. Stopping short of Mac, she deposited the sock in front of his feet.

He chuckled and reached over to fondle her ears, making her purr.

"You little devil, Pixie! You surely have earned your name."

Pixie, feeling the human was kindly disposed towards her, hopped onto his lap where she, still purring, turned little circles before settling down.

"It seems like she's taken a liking to you, Mac."

-oOo-

Tim closed the book and laid it on the small table.

"Well," Abby concluded, "Agent Mac caught the thief red pawed, but if that hadn't been the case, he might've called in the help of...his forensic scientist...and Meowplex. This DNA tool would've solved the theft in no time. Obtained cat fur from a crime scene can link the criminal to his victim, you know?"

Both Chad and Tim stared at her: the former not really understanding what mommy was talking about, and the latter in disbelief.

"Hey! It's a childrens' book, Abs. Remember?" Tim couldn't help but admonish her.

"Oh? Oh! Of course!"

The three of them sat in silence for a little while until they were started by furious hissing and mewling coming from the garden. More noise told them one of the terracotta pots on the garden table had been overturned and fallen to the ground.

Chad, Abby and Tim all raced out into the garden just in time to find their Gypsy, a black and white tom cat, caterwauling and fighting with one massive Garfield from further down the neigborhood. Of course the latter proved no match to Gypsy and the fight was over as quickly as it had started. Gypsy, in true alpha cat behabior, instantly sat to groom himself like nothing happened.

The only evidence apparent from the cat fight, were the shards of terracotta, spilled soil and plants spread on the ground.

"Well," Tim muttered, taking in the damage, "there go the marigolds..."

"No worries; it's not really a cat-astrophe, is it?" Abby grinned.

"Wow!" Chad whispered in awe, green eyes wide. "Gypsy's a ti-gerrrrr! Aaaa-wesome!"

-o0o-

they say that all the Cats whose wicked deeds are widely known
(I might mention Mungojerrie, I might mention Griddlebone)
Are nothing more than agents for the Cat who all the time
Just controls their operations: the Napoleon of Crime!

T. S. Eliot, Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats

Any thoughts?