Title: Rollercoaster
Rating: K
Summary: AU. "Mommy doesn't wanna."
Disclaimer: Not my characters.
A/N: For Dani, who wanted Gibbs/Kate and a funfair.
There are moments where Gibbs looks at his life and wonders how on earth it has turned out this way. It's hard to imagine there was a time not too long in the past when he thought he was happy with things the way they were. (He thinks of how close he came to keeping things the way they were and he can kick himself for his near-stupidity.)
There are people who are afraid of him, most with good reason, but if he sees any of them now, it will be difficult to instill that sense of fear. It's not the pink cotton candy he's holding (though he'll deny stealing bites from it) but more the enormous stuffed giraffe tucked under his arm.
"Daddy!" His daughter charges across the space separating them and flings her arms around his legs. She looks up, her eyes shining in delight. "Daddy, that was the best ever! Can I go again? Please? Prettypleasewithacherryontop?"
Gibbs is not a man who says "yes" to many people, but even he is not immune to the tiny brunette clinging to his legs. Especially not when she's smiling the way she is now; her mother's smile. ("She's got you wrapped around her little finger," Abby had said the first time Gibbs had brought the baby to NCIS. "She's cute; I'll call her in about sixteen years or so," Tony had added, earning himself a slap to the back of the head. "Daniela," Ducky said, "I once knew a Daniela—")
"What does Mommy say?"
"Mommy doesn't wanna." The corners of her mouth tug downwards.
"Mommy's not feeling well, munchkin." Kate joins them, brushing a hand over Daniela's head. "And we've been on the rollercoaster three times already."
"But Mommy—"
"No 'buts'." Kate is stronger than Gibbs when it comes to saying no to their child. She smiles at Gibbs, who doesn't like how pale she looks. Then again, three times on the rollercoaster—
"You'd better finish your cotton candy before Daddy eats all of it," Kate adds.
"I don't even like cotton candy," he protests.
Kate's smile turns into a smirk; with her thumb she brushes off a piece of cotton candy from his upper lip. Gibbs smiles; he knows he's caught.
"Oh, I missed a spot." Kate's mouth slants over his; she tastes like cotton candy and he slips a hand around her waist to pull her closer to him.
"You guys are boring," Daniela announces. Her hands on her hips, she's a miniature version of her mother. She plucks the cotton candy from Gibbs' hand, rescuing it before he forgets it completely and lets it fall. Then, she picks up the giraffe – Gibbs hadn't even noticed he'd dropped it – and turns her back to her parents.
Sometimes Gibbs has trouble believing she's only six years old.
"Next time I wanna come with Aunt Abby and Uncle Tony," she says between mouthfuls of cotton candy. "They never kiss, and Aunt Abby likes the rollercoaster."
"You know," Kate whispers, "it might be nice to have a day to ourselves."
Gibbs doesn't need convincing. "I'll call Abby tonight."
As they walk back to the car, Daniela skipping between them, Gibbs thinks life can't get much better than this.
A week later he takes Kate to the doctor, and stares in wonder at the image on the sonogram.
Apparently life just keeps getting better.