Disclaimer: Don't own the main characters

Summary: Horatio is about to realize that Christy is not a little girl anymore when she asks him something. What does she ask him? What will he say? Please read and find out. A little A/U. Tenth story in A Different beginning Series. Two-Shot.

Title: Their little girl is growing up
Genre: Family, Romance
Rating: K+
Spoilers: None
Time-line: 2 years after never stopped
Warnings: None
Main Parings: Ducaine
Minor Parings: Christy/OC, C.J./Brenda (Mention only)
Other Characters: Josh Caine, Sarah-Elizabeth Caine
Series Order: A Different Beginning, A life changing moment, First day of school, A Change of heart?, A new baby in the family, Leaving Miami, One chapter ends, another begins, Trouble in Paradise?, Never Stopped, Their little girl is growing up

Their little girl is growing up

Chapter 1: Permission

Horatio's fork hits his dinner plate first before the others followed soon after as Horatio looked at his 14-year-old daughter wide-eyed before clearing his throat. "Excuse me, what did you just ask me?"

Christy looks at her dad, confused on why she got such a strange reaction from him about her question, then she cleared her throat and replied. "Jeez dad, It wasn't like I just asked if you could give me tips on how to get away with murder, all I asked was, can I go out with a boy from school on Saturday?"

Before he answered, he looked at his two youngest children. "Josh, Sarah-Elizabeth, please go to your room."

12-year old Josh and 9-year old Sarah-Elizabeth both nodded before getting off their chairs and leaving the kitchen to go to their rooms.

Horatio looked at Christy again, and she shook her head while sighing. "I don't see what the big deal is, I've been hanging out with boys outside of school since I was twelve."

Horatio nodded his head and replied. "Yeah in a group, is your outing this Saturday a group thing?"

She could have lied just to get her dad to stop acting like it was a crazy idea, which her teenager senses was telling her to, but she knew she would never get away with it, especially with these two as parents, so she shook her head and replied. "Well no, there was no mention of other people."

He shook his head. "Then I don't think so, honey, not this weekend."

As Horatio picked up his fork, she shook her head, clearly upset at his answer, then she dropped her fork on her plate and looked at her dad. "Then when?
2 months from now, 2 years from now. How come when it came to C.J., you gave him your blessing and practically opened the door for him, but with me you say no?, and don't say it's because I'm a girl, your little girl." She pulls the chair away from the table so she could get up while she finished. "Well guess what, I'm not your little girl anymore!" Before running out of the room.

Calleigh and Horatio looked at their daughter's empty spot before looking at each other, then he sighed as he shook his head. "A date? When did this happen? She's only..."

Calleigh cuts him off. "She's fourteen Horatio, I was thirteen when I had my first." He sighed again as he looked down at his food while Calleigh gets up from her spot at the table, which was across from him, then she sat down next to him and places her hand on top of his. "And she's right, C.J.'s first date with Brenda was at fourteen."

He smiled a little as he looked into her green eyes. "It was, wasn't it? It just seemed like they've been together so long that it's hard to remember what age they started." Calleigh nodded as Horatio continued after squeezing her hand. "And the only way I can be fair about this, is if I allow her to go."

Calleigh looked at her husband with sympathy, knowing how hard it was to see his daughter get to this stage in her life, then she cupped his cheek and speaks again. "You knew this was going to eventually happen."

"Yeah, just not this fast."

She gives him a little smile again and replied. "Well the good thing is, it's only one date. It's not like she's marrying the boy."

He raised an eyebrow and asked. "Funny you should say that, who was C.J.'s first date again?"

Calleigh chuckled a little and shot back. "Well like rules, there are exceptions." He nodded his head in agreement.

They continue to look at each other, then he sighed for the umpteenth time and squeezed her hand again as she removed her other one from his cheek before he gets up from his seat. He then leans down and kisses his wife on the cheek. "Thank you, you are always the voice of reasoning around here."

She smiled and replied. "I think I have to be, or else there would be chaos."

He chuckled a little, then after they share another small smile, he walked out of the kitchen to head upstairs to talk to his oldest daughter.

When he got to the first bedroom on the left, he knocked on the door and heard Christy ask. "Who is it?"

"Your dad, can I please talk to you?"

A seconds pause, she replied. "Ok."

After Horatio puts his hand on the doorknob he opens it before stepping in the doorway of her room, which her room alone could have told him that his little girl was growing up because in place of her Disney princess posters hanging on the wall, her small bed, and her bookshelf filled with children's book, there were posters of singers and actors/actress that she Idolized, her bed was bigger and her bookshelf was filled with more of a teen selection.

His thoughts get interrupted when she speaks from her desk to the left of him. "I drive in two years, you going to push that back too?"

Horatio sighed as he looked in her direction. "Christy please, you don't know how hard this is for me."

She looks at him with confusion and asked. "What is?"

Horatio walks into his daughter's room and sits at the end of her bed as she turned her chair around so she could look at her father while he spoke. "Seeing your children, especially your daughter, get to this stage of their lives. You start to realize they are one step closer to leaving and going out into the world, I'm just not quite ready to let you go yet."

Christy couldn't help but chuckle a little, and before her father got the wrong idea, thinking she was dismissing how he felt, she explained. "It isn't like I'm leaving anytime soon, it is one date for a few hours."

He gave her a little smile and replied. "Yeah, but one date can lead to many more, and before you know it, I'm walking you down the aisle. Which don't get me wrong, it is a dream of any father to walk their daughter's down the aisle, it just seems to be getting their faster than I'm prepared for."

Christy sighed as she gets up from her chair, then she sits down next to him on the bed, placed her hand on top of his and looked into his blue eyes before speaking. "I don't know how you're feeling because I obviously don't have kids, so I can't say I understand. All I know is that I'm getting older and I got asked out on a date, isn't that a good thing?"

As he looked into the eyes of his daughter that reminded him of so much of Calleigh, he nodded and replied. "It is, honey."

She smiled a little before replying. "Then how about we take this next stage of our lives one step at a time, and I'll try not to go too fast, deal?"

He couldn't help but chuckle, which Christy looked at him with confusion before he explained while cupping her cheek with his free hand. "You are definitely your mother's daughter."

"Is that a good thing, or should I be worried?"

He shook his head as he leant forward and kissed her on the forehead before pulling back and replying. "It is a wonderful thing, and a major part on why I love you so much."

After a moment's pause, she asked. "So do we have a deal?"

She was going to get older and want to go on dates whether he was ready for it or not, so he didn't really have a choice, but making this new transition for the both of them go smoothly as possible sounded good to him.

With that in mind, he nodded and replied. "We have a deal." She smiled, then he continued. "And you can go on your date, as long as he comes in the house and meets us first, that is my compromise."

She smiled bigger and gives her father a hug while saying. "Thank you, dad."

He brings his arms around his daughter and replied. "You're welcome." When they pulled back, he cups her cheek again and continued. "And you were wrong down at the kitchen table." He smiled while she looked at him with confusion again. "I don't care if you are over 50 years old, you'll always be my little girl."

Her eyes started misting up. "I love you dad, and I'm sorry about that."

He wiped her tears away before answering. "I love you too, and I didn't expect to go through the teen years with my children without one of them yelling at me, but let's not make it a regular occurrence, ok?" He never liked fighting with his children.

She nodded. "I'll try."

"Fair enough."

After one more kiss on her forehead, he released his daughter and gets up from the bed before walking out of her room, closing the door behind him, while Christy was smiling as she ran to her desk so she could call a few friends and tell them the good news.

AN: Since this is only a two-shot next chapter is the last one for the story. Please review.