#drabble one

'You are going and have no choice. Now, put this on.' The dark haired female pushed a silky green dress Aimee's direction. "FINE." The blonde jokingly stuck out her tongue at her friend before letting out a laugh. The idea of going to a speed dating event sounded fun, but also sounded so nerve-racking. But Aimee was going to make the most out of it. Hey, if she found her prince charming it would be amazing, but if it just ended up with her meeting a bunch of new people and making friends, that would be just as amazing.

When she got to the venue her partner wasn't at the table just yet. So she grabbed herself a glass of blueberry wine and found her seat. She looked over the question card on the table. It was a mixture of basic questions with some interesting ones thrown in. Her blue eyes scanned the room, trying to pick out who she would be getting to know for the next five minutes.

Soon enough a dark haired male was sitting in front of her and introduced himself as Bowie. He was nice and sweet and Aimee enjoyed their short chat. He would be someone she would say hi to around the city if she ran into him again.

When Kate was born, Lucas used what leave time had had saved up so that he could spend the first few weeks of her life at home with her, Molly, and Aubree adjusting to life as a new family of four. As his date of returning back to work was quickly approaching, there was a part of him that didn’t want to return to the life of twenty four hour shifts away from his girls. Lucas had visited the idea of transferring to the arson and fire investigations division before the couple had even known about Kate and after Aubree’s coworker had been shot and killed in the line of duty. They both had been suffering under what they had called the cloud of death with good people all around them dying, and they didn’t want the next move they made to cost them theirs leaving Molly without both of her parents. However, the thought was put on the back burner as it wasn’t the best time to make the said move. Now, he was reconsidering it again. 

Working in the arsons and fire investigations division meant he would work at the New York Fire Department headquarters, Monday through Friday nine-to-five, and would get to return home to his girls at the end of each night. The position would only be temporary as field work was where he was his best self. He wanted to do things different this time around as he hadn’t been during the first few crucial weeks of Molly’s life. His chief, who had been like a surrogate father to him since he had joined the firehouse, hadn’t been too happy with the idea of losing one of his best firefighters and leading officers, however he understood the commitment Lucas wanted to make to his family even if the switch in positions would be temporary until Kate was a little older. 

“A penny for your thoughts?” Aubree broke his train of thought as she joined him in Kate’s nursery where he was rocking the newborn away. “I was just thinking of taking that position in Fire Investigations.” Lucas communicated as she took a seat in the matching rocking chair next to him.  “The last few weeks have been some of the best just being her to put Molly to bed every night and waking up with Kate, and just be here...with you. I want to do that every night.” Lucas spoke in a soft voice and stroked the newborn’s cheek with the tip of his index finger.  “As much as we have enjoyed and loved you being here, babe, do you think Fire Investigations is something you see yourself doing?” Aubree reached over to touch his arm with her hand. “I won’t know until I do it, and if I don’t I at least have that experience under my belt.” Lucas replied. “I just want you to be happy.” Aubree squeezed his arm. “As long as I get to come home to you, I’m okay wherever I go.” Lucas leaned over and the couple shared a kiss.

Dakota was starting to reach a point in her pregnancy where she actually looked, well, like she was pregnant. Which meant, unfortunately, not even her baggiest of sweats fit over her small bump now. She didn’t know what to wear to feel comfortable anymore. She had leggings, but lately they hadn’t been as comfortable as she thought they’d be. Adler promised her that he’d take her to the mall this weekend, but she was so uncomfortable this morning that she found herself going through his clothes to find something for herself.

She figured Adler wouldn’t mind if she borrowed a pair of his sweats. He told her to do whatever to make herself comfortable and she didn’t think this was an overstepping of boundaries. The pants were a tad long, but the waistband fit perfectly. Her body relaxed almost immediately. No wonder why Adler loved these pants so much.

She couldn’t help but pause at her reflection in the grand mirror of his bathroom. Now that she actually looked like she was expecting and not, you know, fat, she actually was starting to like how she looked again. Plus, Adler had a way of looking at her that just melted away all her insecurities. Some days he managed to make her feel so beautiful. It was beginning to reflect in her every day attitude.

She was wearing nothing else other than a Calvin Klein sportbra with his pants and yet, she felt pretty damn cute. This was the the kind of affect Adler had on her. She pulled out her phone and began to snap selfies in the mirror. She almost felt like herself again.

“Are those my sweats?”

Dakota jumped, then grinned sheepishly when she turned to face him. “Yes, yes they are.” She nodded. “I thought it would be okay.”

It was another one of those moments where he was gazing at her in such an intense way that made her insides feel loose. She didn’t understand how he had that effect on her. She felt like the two of them were looking at each other for a while, when Adler broke out into a small smile and rolled his eyes. “You thought correctly Dakota.” He paused. “You look really good.”

She ran a hand over her bump, blushing as he took her in again. “You always say that.”

"May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of healing those who seek my help."

Lenna Buchanan stood tall in front of her full sized mirror, running her hands down her stomach to smooth out the white dress she was wearing. Her white Louboutin heels were a gift from her aunt, who was very materialistic where Lenna was not, but she couldn't deny that today was a perfect day to display them. This was her day. And she'd be damned if she didn't enjoy every second of it. Her parents had sent a nonchalant card in the mail but Lenna had barely acknowledged it. Her aunt had convinced her to send them an invitation much to Lenna's aversion to the idea. She Never thought they would actually care, considering the treatment she endured in the past. Running her hand through the loose curls that she had put in her hair and taking a deep breath, Lenna turned to grab the final items that were laying on the bed. She petted the feline curled up on her desk chair before exiting the room. Her heels clicked on the hardwood as she went down the stairs, smelling the aroma of comfort coming from the kitchen. Her aunt had shown up early to cook breakfast for her, knowing she normally skips breakfast, and she smiled at the gesture

Traffic was always bad in Los Angeles, but today it was particularly worse. This is why Lenna always left abnormally early to get to places and she was always made fun of for that. Her uber driver was jamming out to some punk rock and seemed too lost in the music to Give much thought to the building traffic. Which is a shocking feat. Everyone on the road seemed to take their frustrations out in cursing other drivers, obnoxiously using their horn, or the lack of use with their turn signal. Another reason why Lenna used public transportation most of the time. She didn't have to worry about the unnecessary high blood pressure, although with the multiple financial responsibility, that came with owning a vehicle. So Lenna left it to the people with death wishes. About an hour after she had left the house, but still an hour early, she arrived at her destination. Thanking her driver, she exited the spacious car and gathered her things. Excitedly heading for the place they needed to be at. She hugged her aunt goodbye for the time being before racing as fast as her heels would carry her to a shaded area where her friend had texted her location to meet and wait.

It was hot. Too hot. Los Angeles only registered at about 80° today but the sunshine that bore down on her was stifling. The rest of the crowd had gathered and lined up and it was just about time to walk. Her friend clenched her hand tightly from behind, to stop her from Up, and Lenna knew her anxiety was getting the best of her. Rachel didn't do well with crowds, even though she was excited and extremely proud of herself. The breakfast that she had eaten that morning felt like a brick in her stomach, battling with the butterflies she felt. She couldn't believe this was actually happening. All her hard work and sacrifice paid off. All of her blood, sweat and tears from countless of hours of insomnia came to this. The times she blew off friends and couldn't make it to a family dinner. The times she felt bad for her aunt who worked three jobs at one time to support her. Lenna didn't know how she would ever repay the people that were supportive of her during this journey but she knew this moment had to be enough. 

Lenna sat in her seat and fidgeted, her foot bouncing almost subconsciously. The speeches were made, the other attendees had walked, and there was even a minor commotion in the crowd of guests. A parent had fainted, either from the heat or from excitement, and was rushed from the venue during the most crucial time. But the moment finally came. When the announcement was heard, Lenna finally stood, walking with her friends towards the stage before stopping. One by one, they were called before her, in order of their averages on their test scores, but no one in the crowd knew that. Lenna was last and for once, she didn't mind. The waiting only solidified the moment as one of her proudest. Her name was called and she began forward, walking to the tiny steps that led to the stage. Cheers and hollers from the crowd made it so she couldn't hide her smile. Her heels clicking On the faux hardwood got more faint as she approached the Dean, his smile surprisingly genuine. His hand outstretched, they both shook in mutual respect and she took the certificate in hand. She turned and lifted it above her head in a fist pump action, tears in her eyes. She did it. She had finally become a doctor. 

                                             “Snowed In”

The snow picked up surprisingly fast. It went from a mostly clear day to a blizzard in a split second. Soon enough, Matthew's house was completely boxed in. All of the windows, and the doors were packed high with snow. He'd lived through much worse blizzards before. He had on his thick coat but when he looked over at Carlos, he came to a realization. This was probably his first blizzard!

It looked like Carlos was shivering and overall just really,really cold. “Oh!! I-I'll start a fire for us, okay?” He didn't even wait for a response before he grabbed some firewood and threw it into the fireplace. He quickly got a fire going before he pulled off his coat.

“Mateo?”

“It'll keep you warm! E-Even if you can't wear it, you can still use it like a blanket!”

He laid the coat over the other before he sat down next to him on the couch.

“But Mateo, you're going to be cold too.”

He shook his head quickly and glanced up at him from over his glasses. “I'll be fine, really. With the fire going I don't need a coat!!”

“Even I know it's too cold for that to be the truth,” Carlos responded before wrapping an arm around the smaller man, pulling him close.

“It looks like we're going to be trapped awhile, amigo. Let's keep each other warm, si?”

Matthew blushed and settled against the other's side, wrapping his arms around Carlos.

“Alright, I can do that.”

Matthew leaned his head down against Carlos's shoulder and smiled happily.

“The storm will be over before you know it. Even though the power's out, I bet our ice cream won't melt!”

“How could you even think about eating ice cream in this cold?!”

Tag to 12x06 - Tiva. Read on FFN here

Tony's gaze shifted to the golden object in the drawer. Ziva's necklace. He carefully took it into his shaking hand and traced the outline of the star with his thumb. Tears started pooling in his eyes. His thoughts went back to Abby's little confrontation earlier that day.

"We need to talk." "Words I'm never fond of hearing."

"I know you, Tony. The real you. Not the 'fake happy front you put up'-you."

"This whole random act of dating...nobody's buying it, okay? We know you're lonely. And we know why. Ziva."

Who: Kendall Ryan, Rose Sheridan, and Liv Kyles What: The first band audition. When: Kendall's sophomore year; fall of 2008 Where: Rose's old house in Annapolis.