Author's notes: This story came about one day via a conversation with fulfilled. It went something like this:
fulfilled: I really want to write Jess finding out about Liz' baby, but it doesn't fit into "And When She Was Good."
adina: You could always write a one-shot about it.
fulfilled: Yeah, I suppose…
adina: I'll make you a deal. If you write the one-shot of Jess finding out about the baby, I'll write a follow-up that deals with Big Brother Jess.
And so, "Birthday Boy" and "Brothers" were born from our respective imaginations.
As always, fulfilled is my fantabulous beta, and I would not have been able to do this without her. So thank you!
Brothers
A loud knock sounds at the door and rips Jess from sleep. He shoots straight up into a sitting position on the couch and the paperback book that had been resting on his chest falls to the floor. He glances at the clock and sighs, dragging himself up off the couch. "Coming!" he calls, his voice still husky from sleep.
He opens the door, rubbing his eyes, and is almost knocked over by a three-foot-high bundle of energy. "JJ!" Gary cries, hugging Jess' legs.
"Hi, honey!" Liz breezes past him, kissing him on the cheek. She drops her shoulder bag on the end table and returns to the doorway. "Gary, let him breathe," she laughs, prying her younger son off of his brother.
Jess blinks, trying to clear his head. "Lost track of time," he mumbles, closing the door. His hand dips just below the waistband of his sweatpants to rub his lower back. Three hours of sleeping in a half-sitting position did not help his back problems.
"JJ, JJ, JJ!" Gary dances around the apartment. "Will you read to me? And take me to the playground?"
Liz laughs affectionately. "He's been looking forward to this all week. He was up at six this morning, asking me if it was time to leave yet. TJ got him distracted after breakfast by letting him play with sandpaper and a piece of scrap wood."
Jess smiles, running a hand through his unruly hair. "Go pick out a book," he suggests to Gary, nodding toward the bookcase against the wall.
Liz follows Gary to the bookcase, running her hands over the smooth wood. "Is this the one that TJ built for you?" she asks.
"Yeah," Jess confirms. "It's holding up pretty well."
"Don't sound so surprised!" Liz laughs. "TJ is really good with his hands. When we go to the Faires, we still use the booth he built seven years ago."
"He showed me the plans on an etch-a-sketch," Jess reminds her. "Forgive me for thinking it wouldn't be professional-quality work."
Liz shakes her head with a small chuckle. "I should be going. I'll pick him up around six or seven, depending on what time I get through. Gary!" she calls and the little boy trots over. "You be a good boy and listen to your brother, okay?" She plants a kiss on top of his head. "Watch him," she warns Jess. "He loves to explore."
"I got it, Liz," Jess assures her. "We'll be fine." He inclines his head toward the door, raising his eyebrows.
"Okay, I get it. I 'm out of here." Liz puts her hands up in surrender. She cups Jess' face in her palm and he fights the instinct to pull away. "You look good, J," she tells him in a low tone. "Happy."
"Yeah," Jess admits, allowing a small smile. "Things are good."
Liz glances around. "Where's my girl today?"
"Your girl?" Jess repeats, amused. "She's out with some friends, but she said she's going to try to make it home before you get back. She'd be disappointed if she didn't even get to say hi to Gary."
"She's such a sweetheart," Liz says. "When are you two going to—"
"Goodbye, Liz!" Jess cuts her off, almost pushing her toward the door.
"All right, I'm leaving! Call me if you need me," she says, putting her sunglasses on. "'Bye, baby!" she calls to Gary. "Love you!" And then she was gone.
"Looks like it's just you and me now, kid," Jess comments. "How about we go to the playground first and then we can come back here and read before Mommy gets back?" The word sits uncomfortably in his mouth. "Mommy" had given way to "Liz" by the time Jess was seven, and to go back to it now after twenty years – even though it's only when talking to Gary – feels awkward.
"Yeah, the playground!" Gary cheers, already making a beeline for the door.
"Hang on, Gar," Jess says. "Let me go put on a pair of jeans and grab a jacket. Wait for me," he instructs. Five minutes later, he is ready to go and he grabs the book from the floor and tucks it into his jacket pocket.
Before they stop off the stairs in front of the building, Gary slips his hand trustingly into Jess'. As they walk, he chatters about… well, Jess isn't entirely sure just what Gary's going on about, but he tries to nod at the appropriate times. A few times he catches on to what his brother is saying and he tries to keep himself from laughing out loud.
At the entrance to the park, they're stopped by a leggy blonde. "How cute!" she coos at Gary, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "Is this your son?" she asks Jess with a flirty smile.
"This is JJ," Gary tells her matter-of-factly. "He's my brother."
"You must be very lucky to have your brother take you to the park like this." Her words are directed to Gary, but her eyes are on Jess.
Gary nods emphatically while Jess tries to keep from rolling his eyes and scowling. She stands up and extends her hand to Jess who shakes it briefly. "I'm Christie." She tosses her hair again and Jess can feel his annoyance growing. "JJ, was it?"
"Jess, actually." He shifts his weight from one leg to the other.
"Nice to meet you, Jess." Christie grins at him and touches his shoulder briefly.
"Do you wanna play with us?" Gary offers innocently.
Crap. "I don't think that's such a good idea, Gar."
Christie gives a tiny pout. "That's too bad. Maybe we'll run into each other another time?" She touches Jess' arm again and walks off.
"Why can't she play with us, JJ?" Gary asks, looking up at Jess inquisitively.
"I'll tell you when you're older. Just trust me on this one, okay, kid?"
Gary nods, seemingly accepting Jess' explanation, especially once the playground equipment comes into view. Gary breaks free of Jess, running toward it. "Swings!" he cries.
"Slow down!" Jess calls, jogging after his brother. He should have realized he wasn't going to get any reading in this afternoon.
By the time Jess catches up with him, he's already settled in a swing. "Push me, JJ!" he requests, wiggling himself and trying to get the momentum started. "I wanna go so high, I go over the top!"
"Well, I'm sure you'll go pretty high," Jess allows. "It might be scary to go over the top."
"I'm not scared!" Gary insists.
Jess holds back a chuckle. "Okay." He pushes Gary gently, and the little boy squeals to go faster. "Do you know how to pump your legs?" he asks.
"Yeah," Gary says, swinging his legs somewhat randomly. "Tracey showed me. She goes to my school. She's my girlfriend."
This time, Jess is not able to hold back a laugh. "She's your girlfriend, huh?"
"Uh-huh," Gary says. "We always play together. I let her use the good blocks."
"Well, then, it must be love," Jess agrees.
Two hours of swinging, sliding and monkey-barring later, Jess is more than ready to go home. Gary, it seems, is still going strong and Jess wonders if this kid ever runs out of energy.
"JJ, watch me!" Gary shouts as he runs across the wobbly wooden bridge. He climbs up to the highest platform. "I'm a looker!" he announces, shielding his eyes and looking from side to side.
Jess chuckles, keeping one eye on his book and one eye on his brother. He checks his watch. "Little longer, Gar," he calls. "Then we have to start heading home."
"Nooo!" Gary whines. "I don't wanna!"
"You still have some time left," Jess reminds him. "And when we get home we'll read the story you picked out." Gary pouts, but quickly goes back to playing.
Fifteen minutes later than he had originally planned, Jess decides it's time to call it a day. He stands up, stretching his arms above his head, and tucks his book back into his jacket pocket. "C'mon, kid, time to go," he announces as he walks over to the equipment where Gary is playing.
"One more slide!" Gary pleads.
Jess sighs but a smile tugs at his lips. "All right," he relents. He wants to be firm with Gary, but despite his better efforts, he just can't manage it most of the time.
Gary cheers and scrambles up the ladder of the tallest slide, pausing at the top. He looks uncertainly at Jess.
"Go ahead," Jess prompts. "What's wrong?" he asks when Gary is still hovering at the top.
"It's the big slide," Gary informs him.
"Yeah…" Jess isn't quite understanding how that's a problem. "And?"
"I'm scared," the little boy admits.
"It's okay," Jess assures him, discreetly checking his phone for missed calls. "You won't get hurt." Come on, hurry up, he thinks. He doesn't want to rush his brother, but it is time to go.
"Will you hold my hand?" Gary asks, looking at his brother with wide eyes.
Jess nods, taking hold of Gary's hand and helps him situate himself into a sitting position. "You ready?"
Gary nods, gripping Jess' hand tightly. "Okay." He slides down, letting go of Jess right before the end. "I did it!" he exclaims, running around the side to Jess. "JJ, I did it!"
"Did good, kid." Jess claps Gary on the shoulder gently.
"Who taught you how to do the monkey bars?" Jess asks as they walk home. That was one skill he had never quite mastered, not that he'd had much practice. He doesn't remember there being any playgrounds near where he and Liz used to live. Or if there were, he never went to them.
"Daddy taught me," Gary says. "He even tried to go across himself, but was too big."
Jess smirks at that. He always says that taking care of TJ isn't far off from taking care of a child, from what he would imagine—he remembers being amazed, the day he met TJ, at how…adult Liz had seemed in comparison. Jess shakes his head, chuckling slightly. He still can't believe that TJ turned out to be the guy who's actually good for Liz.
Gary laughs too, and Jess ruffles his hair affectionately. "What story did you pick out?" he asks.
"Christmas," Gary tells him, bouncing slightly as they walk.
"Again?" Jess asks good-naturedly. "Aren't you tired of that yet?"
Gary shakes his head vigorously. Last December, Liz had taken "her guys"—TJ, Luke, Jess, and Gary – to see a production of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." Gary was enthralled, and once he found out it was a book, hadn't stopped begging Jess to read it to him over and over. Jess makes up his own abridged version as he reads, slightly different each time, to tell his brother. TJ's brother had bought the official "Children's Illustrated Classics" version for Gary, but Jess can't stand that version. They leave too much out and dumb it down way too much. His way is much better—he gets to decide what's appropriate and what's not, without ruining the original.
Two blocks from home, Gary starts squirming. "What's wrong?" Jess asks, furrowing his brow.
"I gotta go potty!" Gary says, hopping from one leg to the other.
Oh, crap, Jess thinks. "We're almost there. Can you hold it?" Briefly, he considers grabbing Gary and making a run for it — he'd almost certainly get home quicker, but there's a few things against that. It's not a long walk home, but it's not exactly a few steps, and Jess doesn't know if he could conceivably carry his brother for that long. Also—and this is what makes Jess ultimately decide against it—if Gary doesn't make it home, Jess would much rather he have an accident when he's not holding him.
Gary hesitates, then nods, looking determined and Jess hopes he really can hold it because they don't have much choice.
Jess quickens his pace and Gary is almost running to keep up. He can hear Gary breathing hard beside him, but he doesn't slow down at all. He's learned that Gary tends to wait until the last minute to announce that he has to go. "Almost there, kid," he assures him.
Halfway up the walkway to the building, Gary stops. He looks up at Jess with a woeful expression on his little face. Jess glances down and sees a small wet spot forming on the front of Gary's pants. "Oh, crap," Jess mutters before he can help himself.
Tears form in Gary's eyes and spill over. "I'm sorry, JJ!" he sobs. "I tried to hold it, I really did!"
Jess manages to hold back an eye-roll from Gary's tears. Accidents happen, but this was a pain to deal with, and Gary being so upset didn't help matters. "No big deal," he says with a shrug. He sighs audibly. "Come on, let's go inside." Now what did they do? Jess didn't really have the resources or experience to deal with this, but they'd have to make do.
Gary sniffles and nods, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. Once they're inside and almost before the door is closed, Gary slips out of his pants and underwear, leaving them on the floor. He runs, half-naked, to the bathroom.
Jess leans down and picks up the offending garments, holding them between his thumb and forefinger far away from his body. He brings them into the bathroom, tossing them over the side of the tub.
He sees Gary sitting on the toilet, holding himself toward the front, careful not to fall in. "You okay?" he asks.
Gary nods, hopping down. "Will you wipe me?" he requests.
"No." Jess' answer is quick and firm; he has to draw the line somewhere. "You can wipe yourself now – you're old enough." He starts to rip off some toilet paper, but Gary stops him.
"No, the special wipes!" he tells Jess. "Mommy always uses the blue wipes."
The bag that Liz left, Jess remembers. He's still trying to get used to this whole Liz-being-responsible thing. He roots through the bag, finding a small blue container of baby wipes, a few packages of tissues, a baggie of cereal, a towel, and a pair of pajamas. "That's convenient," he mutters to himself. He takes the wipes, a fresh pair of underpants and the pajamas and brings everything into the bathroom.
"Yeah, those wipes!" Gary confirms. Jess opens the container and Gary carefully takes the top wipe out, handling it delicately.
Forty-five minutes later, both boys are dressed comfortably and are settled in for the evening. Jess finishes putting the dishes in the sink while Gary waits patiently on the couch, book in this lap.
"You ready, Gar?" Jess asks, settling himself against the arm of the couch. Gary crawls in next to Jess, handing his brother the book and resting his head on Jess' chest.
"A Christmas Carol," Jess announces, and turns the page.
Jess doesn't remember falling asleep, but the rattling of the doorknob and the creak of the hinges rouses him. He tries to sit up but is stopped by the weight of a sleeping four-year-old on top of him.
The door closes with a soft click. "Don't get up," Rory says softly, walking over to him. She picks up the book from where it had fallen and sets it down on the coffee table. "Busy day?" she asks, crouching next to the sofa.
"What time is it?" Jess asks.
"Around six-thirty," she tells him, running her fingers through his hair. "I like seeing you like this," she comments, nodding toward the sleeping child.
"Don't get any ideas," he warns, half-teasing.
Rory laughs softly and starts to stand up. "I'll let you get your beauty sleep."
"Someone kept me up all night," Jess grumbles.
"Didn't hear you complaining," she says and kisses him softly on the lips.
Gary stirs and wakes. "Rory!" he exclaims, his face lighting up. He reaches out to her.
"Hey, kiddo," she says with a grin. She lifts Gary, catching herself as she staggers slightly. "Oof. You're getting too big for this." She sets him back down on his feet.
Jess swings himself around on the couch so his feet are on the floor. Rory leans back against the bottom of the couch in between his legs and he plays with her hair. "Did you have fun today, Gar?" she asks.
Gary nods. "JJ took me to the playground!"
"Wow," Rory says, and glances up at Jess, holding back her grin. "Lucky. He doesn't take me to the playground."
"I take you other places," Jess mutters, smirking. Rory chuckles and tilts her head up and Jess leans down to meet her with a kiss.
"Eeww!" Gary cries, scrunching up his face. "Gross!"
"C'mere, you." Jess laughs and picks up Gary, holding him over his head. "You think that's gross, huh?" He tosses Gary gently on the couch. He and Rory both pounce on top of the little boy, tickling. Gary shrieks with laughter and tries to wriggle out of their clutches.
There's a soft knock at the door and Liz pokes her head in when it goes unanswered. "Hello?" she calls.
"Mommy!" Gary breaks free of Jess and Rory and runs to Liz.
"Hi, baby!" Liz grins and scoops him up. "You have a good day?"
"Yeah." Gary squirms out of her grip.
"Hi, Liz." Rory tries to untangle herself from the couch.
"No, sweetie, don't get up," Liz protests. "So, is my son treating you all right?" she asks teasingly.
"Which one?" Rory grins.
Liz chuckles and turns her attention to her older son. "Thanks for watching him today, J," she says, her tone becoming more serious. "I really appreciate it and Gary loves spending time with his big brother. You're like his idol."
Jess shrugs. "It was no problem." He glances toward Gary, who has parked himself on the floor and is leafing through A Christmas Carol. "Anytime, I'll be happy to watch him."
"Me, too!" Rory pipes up. "Unless they're having boy time," she adds.
Liz smiles. "I'm gonna hold you to that," she warns them. "Gary, come on, hon. Time to go home."
Goodbyes are said all around; hugs and kisses abound and with one last "Bye, JJ!" they're gone.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Author's notes, part 2: Don't forget to read the prequel, Birthday Boy, by fulfilled!