Celia Joy - By Ana G (posted 10/09/2007)

Here we go, finally….Cee-Cee’s trip to the grocery store with her Daddy….it’s a little rough, but hope that you enjoy! –AnaG

Oh…and I can’t go before I give a special thanks to our Turi’ray…the idea for a trip to the store was all hers…and inspired not only this chapter but the last one as well….so thanks chica….for the idea and always brightening our days!

***

Holding tightly onto her daddy’s hand, Cee-Cee proudly made her way across the parking lot. She had the specialest Daddy in the whole entire world. The kind that knew to come get you from daycare cause you were sad and the kind that promised that they didn’t have to have vegetables for supper even though they were good for you and made you grow up strong. All the people at the grocery store didn’t know that, but Cee-Cee did and that was enough for her.

As they approached the door, she stopped suddenly, tugging on her daddy’s hand to get him to stop too. Booth looked down at her, his own smile matching hers.

“Ready, Daddy?”

“Of course, princess…..one…..”

“Two…THREE!”

And they both gave a little hop, landing squarely on the black mat in front of the door. Cee-Cee giggled as the automatic doors parted and a small puff of air ruffled her curls.

“Abra-da-dab-RA!”

She spread her arms wide as she said the magic words that had ‘opened’ the door. With another giggle of pure delight, she looked up at her daddy. It was one of their special traditions. Sometimes they said ‘open sesame’ or ‘fee- fi-fo-fum’. But as she led her daddy into the store, she thought that ‘abra-da-dabra’ was her favorite one.

***

Cee-Cee loved to go to the grocery store. And not just because Daddy sometimes bought her something special just for her. But because she got to carry a little basket on her arm just like the ladies that were shopping. (She was very, very glad that her daddy didn’t make her sit in the baby seat of the shopping buggy.) And because there so many things to look at in the store. Rows and rows and rows of stuff to look at. It was like an adventure.

Now the vegetable and fruit part wasn’t her favorite. It made her really nervous sometimes. But there were a lot of colors. As many colors as in Auntie Ange’s paint box. And there neat things too. Like the brown furry kiwis. And the bumpy squashes and hunnerdew melons. And the strawberries smelled real good. Plus Daddy let her pick out the bananas. That was a hard job too, cause a lot of them were green and some had brown spots. But she finally found some pretty ones that were almost all the way yellow.

Then they went to the cereal row. She liked it there too. All of the boxes lined up and seemed to go on forever and ever to the end of the row. She walked down the row, looking at the frogs and monkeys and bears and pirates on all the boxes. Those had to be the good kinds of cereal. She held her breath with excitement when she saw her daddy pick up the box with the tiger on it. Those were the best. But as she watched him put it in the buggy, her eye fell on another box on the shelf. And as much as she wanted the tiger cereal, she knew that this was the better thing to do. She reached up and tugged on her Daddy’s sleeve and pointed.

“Daddy, can we get that one please?”

Booth looked from Cee-Cee’s face to the box and then back again.

‘Um, All Bran? Are you sure about that....?”

Cee-Cee nodded her head. She really didn’t want that one. The picture looked like old tree branches, only littler.. But this was important.

“Yeah, Daddy. It s’pposed to help you catch Chester Hall, like Mama said the last time.”

“Wh….Chester Hall?”

“Mm-hm. Isn’t he the bad guy you gotta get in control? That’s what she said….”

Cee-Cee scrunched up her face and waggled her finger in the air, trying to remember exactly what Mama had said.

“No more kid cereal. You gotta keep the Chester Hall under control. It’s not good for your heart…”

Cee-Cee’s features softened as she looked up at Booth.

“So, Chester Hall’s gotta be a bad guy if it bothers your heart. Some of the bad guys make your heart real sad, Daddy.”

Booth kneeled down in front of his daughter, taking her little hands in his as he struggled not to bawl like a baby right there in the middle of Aisle 4.

“Cee-Cee, baby, Daddy’s heart is….”

“So, Daddy, if we gotta eat the yucky cereal so you can catch Chester, I can do it.”

Wanting nothing more than to get rid of the worry in those brown eyes staring back at him, and knowing that there would be time later to explain the difference between cholesterol and ‘Chester Hall’, Booth stood quickly and grabbed two boxes of All Bran and put them in the cart. So what if it was like eating dried twigs. As he looked down at Cee-Cee and saw the smile on her face and the relief in her eyes, he knew it was worth it.

“Okay, sweetpea. We’ve got plenty of the yuc…the good cereal for Daddy’s heart….but I was thinking that maybe….”

“Maybe what, Daddy?”

“Oh, since we got the good stuff, maybe we deserve a treat for supper?”

“A treat? What kinda treat, Daddy?”

Cee-Cee’s eyes began to twinkle with the possibilities. Daddy came up with really, really good ideas for treats.

“Pancakes?’

“Pancakes for supper, Cee-Cee? Oh, I don’t know….”

“Oh, pleeeeaaase, Daddy. Pretty, pretty pretty please!”

“Well, you have been a good girl…”

“I have, Daddy. A really good girl! Good ‘nough for chocolate chip pancakes, even!”

“That good?’

“Mm-hmmmm. Promise.”

“Okay, then. Chocolate chip pancakes it is then!”

They went really fast through the grocery store after that. There was hardly even enough time to explore at all. But Cee-Cee didn’t mind. They had to get all the ‘gredients for supper. Chocolate chips. The big bag of flour. She was glad that her daddy was so strong because that was a really heavy bag. There was a bunch of other stuff too, but she was too excited to think about that.

Cause like she told the lady that took Daddy’s money, he might let her stir the pancakes in the bowl.

And like she told the big kid that put the stuff in the paper bags, Daddy might make a smiley face out of the chocolate chips.

And like she told the……

***

Booth sat down on the couch with a heavy sigh. It had been a long day. Work. Adventures with Cee-Cee that had started with a wish on an ant and had ended with a kitchen counter coated with flour and pancake batter. It had all been worth it. He loved every minute of it. But he was tired.

He had located the remote and propped his feet on the coffee table when he heard the sound of little feet headed his way.

“Daddy….all done!”

Cee-Cee appeared in front of him. Purple pajama top. Green shorts. And red and white polka dot socks. She gave a quick twirl, a smile of pride on her face.

“Do you like my ‘jamas, Daddy:? I picked ‘em out allll by myself!”

“That’s a lot of colors, sweetpea…”

Cee-Cee crawled up onto the couch, tucking herself under her Daddy’s arm.

“Mm-hm. Auntie Ange says its good to mix up lotsa colors. She said it takes ‘magination. Do you think I have ‘magination, Daddy?”

“You sure do, princess. More than anybody I know.”

“Really? That’s a lot of people!”

“A whole of people.. But……do you have clean teeth too?”

“Mm-hmmm. Brushed ‘em all a lot. See?’

Cee-Cee smiled big, turning her head from side to side so her daddy could see that she had done a good job all by herself.

“Very good….that deserves a bedtime story, I think…”

Cee-Cee nestled her head against his chest, suddenly feeling a little sleepy even though she didn’t want to be sleepy yet.

“That’s okay, Daddy….”

“No story? What about….”

“Daddy?”

“Yeah, baby?”

“I like it just like this. Is that okay?”

“Sure, sweetpea…that sounds like a great idea….”

Cee-Cee smiled against her daddy’s soft shirt, happier than she had been all day. She placed one hand over his heart, the steady rhythm like a lullaby. Her other hand found its way to the curls at the nape of her neck, wrapping them around her fingers as she had done since she was a baby, never realizing that she was doing it. And slowly… slowly…her eyes drifted closed.

And when Brennan opened the door, prepared to surprise them with her early return, that is the way she found them. Cee-Cee curled up next to her daddy, his head resting against hers as they both quietly slept.

ANAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!! how in the world do you keep doing this....'chester hall'.....hysterical.....omg.....so freakin good.......you write her so damn perfect.....oh and the sight of those two cuddled on the couch sleeping.....and her other wish came true.....bones to come home early....awwwwww she is going to be so happy when she wakes up.....i am crying right now...i cant explain it.....too cute for words.....every time you out do yourself once again.....ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I LOVE CEE CEE..LOVE HER.......AND LOVE YOU..........thank you ana.....thank you so much.......a2b

Ana, that was fantastic! Obviously I'm not saying anything you haven't heard before but god that was cute. I love the CeeCee/Booth parts the best! My favourite chap is when she put her chocolate chip hands on his shirt to feel his big heart! Love, Love, LOVE this story!

willgirl

Awww....how freakin cute was that Ana....so cute!!! I can't wait for them to find that Bren is home! Please post more soon!!! Loved it!

CaRiNeSs

and the Chester Hall was adorable!

CaRiNeSs

OMG!!! Ana, that was just so freaking adorable!!! I just don't know how u do it!!!!! Chester Hall!!! lol! And she's worried about her daddy's heart!

Oh, and curling up on the couch together...I could just go on and on, but I would never do this fic justice!!

Absolutely fanfreakingtastic!!!

flyersfan35

Ana! That has to be the absolute sweetest chapter yet! But then, that's just what I expected. She is the luckiest little girl to have such a wonderful daddy. *sigh* I can just imagine he would be that great with a daughter. Amazing, awesome job!

redrider6612

Oh My God!!! Ana, I absolutely love all of your CeeCee's stories but this one might just be about the sweetest of them all!! I hope you next ready cause I don't want to wait!! And that it includes Parker, I realy love those two together!!! Lady, I love fluff and I think you are about just the best there is!!!

luli27

ana that was great cee cee and daddy's adventure was just so perfect not only in boothy world but just like litttle kids are!! loved it...............

polygirl

**shakes head and puts fingers on keyboard… shakes head again… mind drifts …puts fingers on keyboard again**

I seriously can not come up with any coherent thought right now… ‘cause I am just … so… immersed in the fluff that this chappie came with … everything from the “Abra-da-dab-RA!”.
To the “Chester-Hall” and honestly if I were to point out all of my fave parts I will have to copy down the whole thing!!.... and the last part with father and daughter sleeping… I cried I seriously cried!...
I don’t think I can continue with a review… because I feel any word that I can come up with would NOT make it justice… this is one of those stories where you feel so much that I don’t think your brain is able to process the depth of those feelings and put them into words…

And last I will like to say:
AnaG wrote: “the idea for a trip to the store was all hers”
The only thing I did was give you three words… and look what YOU made out of it…
So I would like to THANK YOU for coming up with this … and for taking in consideration those three little words…
But really WE THANK YOU!!!... for gracing us with your writing skills …
I will go now before I start crying again.

Turi ray of sunshine

Aaaaawwww[Only admins are allowed to see this link] That was so sweet that you made me almost cry. Specially that part where CeeCee makes Booth to pick up those yucky cereals. I just love it, it was so sweet.

Virpukka

Ohhhhhh…this was better than pink cotton candy, hot milk chocolate, fragrant peaches, rain in the ocean, sun on your skin …alllll together!!! How can you make a supermarket romantic and sweetttt???

You make me soooo visualise the little curly girl looking up at the big strong man waggling her finger and worrying about his heart and the bad bad bad Chester Hall 

And the hop at the doors….so playfull, I just love it how you make Booth a daddy but also a little kid who goes along with all her games.

The two of them falling asleep together….ohhhhh, and CC laying her hand on his heart and curling her hair around her finger...that literally tugged at my heart!!

You Ana have the most colourful ‘magination in the world!!

amo

Ana!! that was the mothership of cuteness right there!! i remember when me and my dad would jump onto that black mat and say open seasame...

CeeCee is just the freaking cutest thing ever!! the chester hall part was hilarious...i actually know somebody by that name. and i love her choice of pjs...

and brennan came home early too!! i cant wait for them to wake up and see her. fantastic job ana!!!!

gimmeagun

I would have found this sooner if I'd realized it had a page two darnit lol

more more!

DBAngelfan

Ana!! Loved this installment of CeeCee! And "bawl like a baby in aisle 4" so cute! CeeCee is my favorite made up character of all time!

hifi22

Sooo many thanks for all of your comments about Cee-Cee…I can’t tell you how much it means to me to see how much you enjoy this story and this character. This one is a bit short…but I do have an idea for the next chapter already, so hope to have that done this weekend. In the meantime, hope you enjoy!- AnaG


Brennan stood near the doorway, taking a moment to think as she watched two of the loves of her life sleeping curled up next to each other. Sometimes it amazed her, to think of how different her life was now. Different from how she ever thought it would be. And she wouldn’t have it any other way. Shaking her head at her own sentimentality, she quietly placed her suitcase next to her feet and slowly made her way to where the dynamic duo had called it a day. True, she wouldn’t change a thing...but if she didn’t get the two of them into a proper bed, the coming morning would not be pretty.

She reached down, carefully shifting Booth’s arm and taking great care not to wake Cee-Cee as she lifted her up. Cradling her daughter against her chest, she began to walk towards the bedrooms, stopping suddenly as she felt a small arm curve around her neck.

Brennan looked down to see sleep clouded brown eyes staring back at her.

“This is a very good dream, Mama.”

Cee-Cee nestled her head against her mother’s shoulder, the rhythm of her breath warm and steady against her skin as the little girl immediately returned to sleep as only a child can. Brennan rested her hand on her daughter’s small back, closing her eyes against the impending tears.

“Yes, my sweet girl. A very good dream.”

***

Brennan carefully pulled the door almost closed, leaving a tiny sliver for light to enter. Just in case. Then, with her mother’s heart full with the image of her daughter tucked safely and snugly in her bed, she made her way down the hall, fully intending to wake her husband and get them both into bed. She was exhausted and was ready for a good night's sleep. But on the way, she saw something in her peripheral vision that had her stopping short for the second time that night. When the initial shock wore off, she quickly stepped closer to examine the scene.

A sink filled with bowls, plates and spatulas. A pan on the stove with a torn fragment of pancake still stuck to the bottom. The counter dotted with splotches and drips of petrified batter and chocolate that would have made Jackson Pollack green with envy. A fine coating of flour on the floor near the cabinets, marked with the tracks of a little girl’s bare footprints.

She sighed heavily, placing a hand over her face to hide the sight from eyes gritty with exhaustion. The side of her that loved order hated the thought of leaving this mess, but the bone-tired part of her was winning the internal debate, when she felt an arm slide around her waist and a brief kiss to her cheek.

“You’re home early.”

“I think maybe I should have waited until the HazMat team was done with this kitchen.”

She turned to face him, one eyebrow rising even as the arm still at her waist pulled her closer.

“I swear I was going to clean up right after…”

“Your power nap?”

“Ah, babe, don’t worry, I promise I’ll clean up in the morning…Let’s say we leave this mess for now and….”

Brennan shook her head at the mischief in his eyes., though she had to admit that she wasn’t feeling quite as tired as she was before.

“I’ve told you that charm smile doesn’t….”

***

The next morning

She stood at the clean counter, a warm mug in her hand and a wry smile on her face as she read the note he had left.

“Maaaamaaa!”

Startled from her thoughts, she turned to find her daughter standing at the entrance to the kitchen, face brimming with happiness and surprise. But Cee-Cee being Cee-Cee, she wasn’t still for long. Within seconds, the little girl had crossed the room, wrapping her arms around her mama’s legs as she talked a mile a minute.

“It wasn’t a dream you’re home Mama you are really really home I knew it would work if I wished on ant first Daddy came to see me and now you are home oh I love you Mama I missed you soooo much.”

Brennan knelt down, hugging Cee-Cee tightly.

“I missed you too, Celia Joy.”

Then she leaned back, brushing sleep-frizzed curls from her daughter’s face.

"Did Daddy tell you that he made us pancakes for supper? With the chocolate chip faces too!"

"Um, I think I heard something about that."

"It was sooo much fun, Mama."

Brennan struggled to keep a straight face as she responded.

“I could tell. Now, time for you to get dressed….”

“Aww, Mama, do I hafta? I like wearin’ my ‘jamas.’

“Well, okay. I thought you might want to come with me to take care of some important business. But you can’t do that in your pajamas.”

“ ‘mportant biz’ness, Mama? Just me and you?”

“Mm-hm. I was thinking that you might want to go with me to pick up Parker from camp. Does that sound…?”

Brennan found herself talking to empty air as Cee-Cee flew towards the hallway. She barely had time to straighten and take a step to follow, when she heard a sing-song chant coming from Cee-Cee’s room.

“Parker’s comin’ home….Parker’s comin’ home…”

Aw, ana, that's just so damn cute!!!! OMG, I'm really running out of adjectives, I've used them all already!!!

Amazing, wonderful, charming, beautiful, fun, sweet, adorable, terrific, cute, great, fantastic.....I think u get the idea....

flyersfan35

OMG ANA............ just like fly said...i am running out of adjectives and just plain words......adorabale......sweet...omg...fucking fantastic..love love love....cant give you enough love.....you rock ana...you freakin rock..............................................
a2b

awww *squees*

DBAngelfan

OMGEEE!!! I cant believe I just now got around to reading this. Now i know why everybody gets so excited!! This is the cutest, fluffiest, greatest story ever!!! I love it!

I loved the part where she went on and on and on, that sounds just like a kid!!!!!

You have talent girl! cant waiiiitt for the next one!

ash

ashangel45-boothsbaby07

Ana, you made my bad day float away! Brillant and beautiful!

willgirl

yay for ana loved

polygirl

Ana, so sorry, been very behind with my fic reading.

Just got caught up and WOW!! It's just gorgeous! Absolutely gorgeous! I adore Cee-Cee! She's only adorable!

It's an incredible story and SOO well written, as usual. I'm just...it's...I have no words. Fantastic!

kiki

Really sweet and wonderful, ana. I just loved it. I can totally relate to finding the kitchen a wreck after the hubby's been making one of his masterpieces. Very cute how Booth was able to pull her away with his charm smile. This was my absolute fave line:

>“I think maybe I should have waited until the HazMat team was done with this kitchen.”<<

Too cute! And you already have another chap in the works? Yay! Can't wait.

redrider6612

Aaaaaawwwwwwwww

Virpukka