Daedal

Tali had begged to be entered into the Junior Miss America pageant. Gibbs and Tony had looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders figuring it wouldn’t be a big deal and would make her happy. Tony was beginning to regret agreeing so readily. He hadn’t realized how numerous the daedal requirements were.

Nonetheless it meant the world to Tali, so he went through and bought her the costumes she'd need. Gibbs quizzed her on how to answer the questions while Tony did her make up. Together they worked on her talent show with her.

Finally, it was time for the pageant. They’d set out 3 outfits for her to choose from and she’d chosen the little pink ball gown. Tony asked her if she remembered her routine and she rolled her eyes. “Yes, dad.”

Gibbs stood at Tony’s side and waved to her as she headed to join the rest of the contestants backstage. They both wished her luck in the loud and embarrassing voices teenagers dread. Though she hadn’t reached her teenage years, yet.

Turning to Gibbs, Tony murmured. “Our little girl’s all grown up.”

Gibbs rubbed Tony’s back. “It’s ok. She’ll be with us for a number of years still.”

The truth was they were both proud, excited, and a little afraid for Tali. Who knew how the pageant would end. They’d never been in one before.

One by one the little girls went up on stage and performed their numbers before they were allowed to rejoin the parents for a lunch break between the sets. The next time the little girls went up on stage, they answered a few questions the judges asked before modeling their outfits.

Tony and Gibbs were probably biased, but they both agreed their girl was the cutest amongst all the contestants. Right now they were in the qualifiers. They only had one more set before the judges would make their decisions on the finalists. The judges would choose 10 finalists and from there prizes would be given to the top 3 after they did the finalist competitions.

Finally, all the sets were completed and Tali was able to join Tony and Gibbs as the names of the 10 finalists were called out. They both cheered loudly as Tali’s name was called as one of the finalists.

Unlike the other finalists, this was Tali’s first time and she didn’t have another routine prepared. Just the ones she used in qualifying. She wrung her hands nervously. Tony pulled her off to the side and gave her a few pointers on how she could change up the routine so it would seem new in an attempt to motivate her.

Then they had to let her go backstage by herself again. Tony wrapped his arm around Gibbs' waist and leaned into him. He didn’t want Tali’s feelings hurt, but was afraid she wasn’t going to make it to the top 3. Regardless of where she placed, Gibbs and Tony would still love her, but Tony wasn’t looking forward to a heartbroken Tali if it didn’t go the way she wanted.

One by one the ten finalists came out again. Each and every one of them was pulling out the stops trying for that top spot. Finally the judges had seen every one and went to make their decisions. Tali returned to Gibbs and Tony and they all held each other’s hands tightly as they waited for the news of the results.

They started by calling out 10th to 6th place. Each time someone else’s name was called Tony and Gibbs breathed a sigh of relief. Then they heard it. Tali’s name had been called. She’d come in 5th place. They hugged each other tightly. Tali had actually done really well for her first competition.

There were a few tears, but Tony quickly wiped them away and she smiled back at him. They listened as the rest of the winners were called. After everyone had accepted their prizes even Tali, they retired for refreshments and snacks before everyone headed home. Tali may not have won any money, but she did earn experience and a ribbon.

She wasn’t sure if she wanted to do this again. It had been a lot of work. However, she was glad her dads had been there with her every step of the way. She hugged them tightly and whispered, “I love you.” in their ears.