a/n: so, here's another 5 chapter little foray into the ACD universe that may or may not have been foreshadowed recently ... :D
"Legal Christ"
Washington D.C. / Bethesda, Maryland / Alexandria, Virginia
November, 2022.
Jennifer Gibbs sat with her fingers pressed hard against her forehead, eyes narrowed at the blurry black type of the most recent legislation she'd been assigned to review – the legislation wasn't blurry, her eyesight was, and she grudgingly suspected that was causing her dull headache.
She was too young to be losing her eyesight, wasn't she? It should be her husband getting squinty-eyed, not her.
She snorted quietly to herself, made a mental note to lightly tease him about his age tonight – she'd been mocking him for pushing forty since he turned thirty-eight, she liked to start early – and then focused harder on the Senate's most recent bill concerning bioethics.
"Want a break?"
Jenny looked up at the chipper voice that interrupted, and found her office doorway occupied by a smirking woman with long, fascinatingly straight blonde hair. The redhead smiled and gestured at a leather chair near her desk, and her colleague stepped in, placing two cups of coffee delicately on the edge of Jenny's desk.
"You got stuck with the genome bill?"
Jenny leaned back in her chair, giving a small nod to the woman opposite her – Ainsley Hayes had been taken on as an associate counsel at the same time as Jenny, though she hailed from Harvard Law. She was probably Jenny's closest friend in the office.
"I need to talk with the NIH legal team; I can't rule on this without stricter understanding of the terminology," Jenny muttered.
"Want to trade?" Ainsley asked. She snorted, and leaned forward, nudging one cup of coffee towards Jenny. "This is for you – I got saddled with the language in part seven of the Welfare Reform Act."
Jenny whistled under her breath, laughing and reaching for the coffee.
"No, you can have that."
Ainsley looked disappointed in a good-natured way, and picked up her coffee, taking a long sip. She pushed a bit of her long blonde hair behind her ear and leaned forward, crossing one leg and resting her elbow on her knee.
"I know you've taken your lunch break, but this is mine, so I'm giving you an excuse to slack off," she said wryly, and then gave her a small wink. "The intern told me to come ask for a Halloween picture?"
Jenny arched her eyebrows, and then flushed slightly. She smiled.
"Ainsley," she said, snorting, "She's talking about a picture of my girls."
Ainsley nodded, her bright eyes wide.
"I don't hate children," she said.
"Yes, but you're one of my few friends without kids," Jenny said. She gestured between them. "Our thing is kid-free conversation."
Ainsley grinned.
"But I really like the movie," she pleaded wryly.
Jenny rolled her eyes with a small, proud grin and opened a drawer, reaching for her personal cell phone. She unlocked it, scrolled through her screens, and pulled up her most recent Instagram photo – taken a week or so ago, right after trick-or-treating.
She flipped it around and showed it to Ainsley, and the blonde took it, studying the photo. She gave it back swiftly, and puckered her lips, tilting her head in admiration.
"How did you do that?" she asked smugly. "They didn't even need wigs – and your dogs, they just put up with those reindeer ears?"
Jenny smiled again, shrugging.
"Not really," she said. "Pascal – he's the smaller one – he shook his off as soon as I got a decent picture, and Max's fell off while we were going from house to house."
"And you're not going to tell me the secret of how you got one blonde daughter, and one redhead?"
"I can draw you a Punnett square," Jenny teased. She licked her lips, and shrugged. "Katharyn's hair is getting darker. I don't think she'll stay blonde."
"Why does your husband look so unhappy in that photo?" Ainsley asked, bemused.
Jenny arched her brows mildly.
"Jethro? He always looks like that," she said. She snorted. "But in his defense, he hates Frozen."
Ainsley gasped.
"How?"
"He's old-fashioned," Jenny sighed. "He – well, he didn't want people thinking we named Anna after it, and then on top of that she watched it all the time, and she vigorously tried to change her sister's name to Elsa – " Jenny broke off, and she glared at Ainsley. "Look what you've done."
Ainsley took a sip of coffee, smirking.
"Okay; change the subject."
"How are you and that guy?" Jenny asked promptly.
"You know," Ainsley sighed dramatically, "I'm usually open to bi-partisanship in my relationships, but when I see the PETA membership card in your wallet, I'm out."
Jenny laughed, leaning forward and raising her cup in a small toast to Ainsley – the poor thing did seem to attract the most stringently liberal of liberals when it came to romance, and that naturally conflicted with her personal values.
She reached up and rubbed her temple again, massaging gently. She sighed and leaned forward, wishing she had more time to talk – but she did want to get home at a decent time, and Tribbey wanted her preliminary comments by the end of the day.
Ainsley seemed to sense her disquiet, and stood up.
"I'll let you get back to work," she said, just as Jenny's desktop phone rang. Jenny nodded gratefully, and then picked up the phone.
"This is Jenny Gibbs," she said clearly, and then a moment later, she said: "Shit—Hetty, I'm so sorry!"
Ainsley paused in the doorway, brows raised; she wasn't sure she'd ever heard Jenny swear before. She was a very cool, collected woman in the office. She leaned against the doorway, interested; Jenny stood up.
"I can reschedule," Jenny was saying. "You don't have to hold – well, yes, I'd rather get it done," she paused. "You're sure?" She nodded, and then she hung up, and Ainsley looked at her with curiosity, coffee cup hovering around her lips.
"You okay, Jenny?" Ainsley asked.
"Yes," the redhead muttered, sounding annoyed. "I," she paused, swore, and grabbed her coat and her purse. "I had lunch with that lobbyist and completely forgot I had a doctor's appointment on my break," she groused.
Ainsley arched her eyebrows.
"You want me to call over to the NIH for you, so someone can go over that legislation with you when you get back?"
Jenny swept towards her office door, resting her palm on Ainsley's shoulder.
"You're my hero," she said, relieved. "I won't be long," she checked her watch. "This – it never takes more than half an hour," she added, brushing past Ainsley and heading out.
She held her phone against her ear to call her boss and let him know she was stepping out, swearing mentally again – she couldn't believe she'd forgotten about this appointment – she'd been so proud of herself for wedging it right in the middle of a workday, right at the perfect time of month.
Jenny was mortified to have been that patient, but Henrietta Lange was all smiles when she arrived at Bethesda Naval Hospital. The chic glasses she always wore were perched neatly on her nose, and she ushered Jenny into her exam room with a warm welcome.
"Hetty, it completely slipped my mind – "
"Stop apologizing, dear, for goodness' sake – doctors make patients wait enough, don't they?" she asked wryly, and then gestured to the pink bench for Jenny to take a seat.
Collapsing comfortably on the exam table, Jenny grinned – still feeling sheepish. She was glad she knew Hetty so well – the woman had been her gynecologist since she was seventeen, after all – or else she would have been so embarrassed she might have switched doctors.
"It's a hassle, I know," Hetty said, grabbing a clipboard off of one of the countertops. "No concerns have come up since we removed the arm implant?"
Jenny shook her head, shrugging – she was here because she'd been experimenting with birth control lately, and she'd finally made a decision. She'd had her trustworthy IUD put back in after Katharyn's birth, but there had been some issues with it staying put – then she'd decided to try the arm implant, as it was less invasive, but she hadn't liked its effect on her – and she'd finally decided it was best to go back to the IUD, though this time –
"Mirena again?" Hetty asked, looking up to clarify.
"No, ParaGard," Jenny corrected. "The twelve-year one."
"Ah, yes, and by the time we remove it, you probably won't need something as effective," Hetty murmured.
Jenny nodded – that was the plan. She could easily have her tubes tied and solve the problem that way, but she liked how birth control regulated her periods.
"Your last period?" Hetty asked.
"It's supposed to start in a few days," Jenny sighed, shrugging.
Hetty glanced up at her over her glasses, waiting patiently. Jenny frowned, reaching into her purse for her phone – she tracked the dates there.
"I'm sorry, Hetty," she apologized again. "The pills just – it never got on track right, after that arm thing," she muttered.
Hetty nodded, and reached for a box on the counter.
"No worries, my dear; I'll ensure that a nurse is about ready for the procedure, and you can get back to work," she said. She tossed the white box onto the exam table with Jenny and winked. "You know the drill."
Jenny nodded, distracted. She shoved her phone back into her purse – she'd get the exact date later, and then took the pregnancy test Hetty had given her into the small suite bathroom, opening it deftly. It was routine to ensure a patient wasn't pregnant before permanent birth control was inserted – she'd even had to do it when she was seventeen and a virgin because, as Hetty put it in a very tongue-in-cheek way: everybody lies.
She took the test, washed her hands, checked her reflection, and then left the bathroom, leaving the stick neatly on the counter for Hetty. Hetty appeared a moment later with an assistant, and Jenny was just turning to situate herself for the stirrups when Hetty paused, said something in a quiet voice to the assistant, and pointed towards the door.
The assistant left, and Jenny leaned back, pausing.
Hetty turned to her, and held up the stick.
"Jenny," she said, her eyebrows going up in mild surprise. "When was that last period date?"
Jenny blinked – she'd forgotten to check.
"I," she started, moving around, looking for her purse. "Well," she thought about it. "Oct – " she started, and then stopped, and stared at Hetty.
Hetty smiled at her, amused, and came forward, holding out the stick. Jenny flicked her eyes down – two pale pink lines leapt out at her, glimmering on the plastic screen, unexpected, and unmistakable.
"This indicates you're pregnant," Hetty said nicely. "I can't insert an IUD."
Jenny reached out slowly and took the test, holding it in her palm delicately. She stared for a moment, and then she looked up at Hetty – she considered saying it was impossible, but that was silly; she was sexually active, thus it was always possible.
That, and when she looked at the two pink lines, she immediately knew it was true – and she'd have known it earlier if she'd been paying attention, but considering she hadn't been trying for a baby, some of the mild, early signs had escaped her notice. Mild early signs being - headaches, and blurry vision.
"Hetty," she said quietly. "I don't even know if I missed October's period, it's been irregular – I can't be very far along; I'd know."
Hetty nodded goo-naturedly.
"Of course," she agreed. "I won't confirm anything until I do a blood test," she said matter-of-factly. "That I can get back to you by the end of the day – I assume you need to get back to work?"
Jenny nodded, her eyes back on the test. She suddenly felt inclined to catch up on morning sickness. She compressed her lips, and bit the inside of her cheek, her nails digging into her thigh – she was supposed to drop in, have her birth control inserted, and leave.
That was the plan; this was not.
Hetty placed her hand on Jenny's arm.
"Are you alright, Jenny?" she asked gently.
Jenny looked up, blinking hard. She nodded her head quickly.
"I assume this is a shock?" Hetty continued.
Jenny cracked a small smile, and tilted her head.
"I'll put a rush on the blood test," Hetty promised. "I'll call to confirm by six o'clock – I wouldn't worry, Jennifer," she said soothingly. "You're not quite old enough to be high-risk."
Jenny looked at her a little warily – she hadn't exactly been worrying about that, until Hetty mentioned it. The reason behind her stunned reception of the news was simply that she and Gibbs had decided they were done – she had worked everything out perfectly – or she'd thought she had.
She went back to work, but she was so distracted from that point on that she felt functionally useless; she kept reading the same sentence repeatedly, and she knew the legal advisor she met with from the NIH kept shooting her sideways glances as if she needed therapeutic help.
She ignored it with grace and powered through – she managed to channel enough self-control to complete the day's tasks and be out of the White House by six o'clock – an hour later than she wished, but average, for the past week.
She let the call from Hetty's personal phone at Bethesda go to voicemail, and she checked it as she walked up the sidewalk to her house, nodding firmly to herself when the results were exactly what she'd expected: pregnant.
She took a deep breath, and opened the door.
Immediately, both German Shepherds bounded towards her, and despite how chaotic she felt, she smiled; she loved the big animals, no matter how troublesome they could be.
"Max!" she cooed. "Pascal!"
She greeted them by name, closing the door so as not to let them scamper out, hanging up her coat, and bending forward to stroke their ears and kiss their snouts.
"DADDY! Mommy's home!"
She heard Anna's voice, and then the little redhead came careening down the stairs, burst in between the two dogs, and launched herself at Jenny. Jenny hugged her tightly, smirking – she kept wondering at what age they'd stop running to the door to greet her.
Katharyn followed close behind, waiting for a hug.
"Daddy's making lasagna!" Katharyn squealed, beaming as she received a kiss hello as well.
"He's such a keeper," Jenny complimented, ruffling both girls' hair. She ran her fingers through Katharyn's blonde waves, and then waded through the sea of children and canines and headed towards the kitchen.
"Daddy said he's hiring a new Pro-oh-oh-bie," Anna sang happily. "He said I can pick!" she giggled.
"Did he?" Jenny asked. "And how are you going to know who's qualified, little missy?"
She pointed to her heart solemnly, skipping alongside Jenny.
"My gut," she said seriously.
Jenny whipped around and aimed for Anna's stomach, tickling her lightly.
"This is your gut," she said, as her oldest daughter shrieked for mercy.
Jenny grinned and relented, finding her way into the kitchen. She felt a rush of relief when she saw Jethro standing there poking a dish with some utensil – relief, that she had him, and a little apprehension, because she wasn't sure how this conversation was going to go.
He turned around, biting a baked cheese off of a wooden spoon and tossing it into the sink.
"Hey, Jen," he greeted suavely, coming forward.
He put an arm around her and then dramatically dipped her back, giving her a devilish grin. Anna crinkled up her nose and watched earnestly as he placed a kiss to her mother's lips.
Jenny pushed him away, laughing, and shook her head.
"Jethro!" she whined good-naturedly. "What's the matter with you?"
He ran his hand over her spine, smiled, and then gave her a nice, respectable kiss on the corner of the mouth.
"They love it when I do that," he said smugly.
Jenny rolled her eyes. She leaned into him a moment, rested her chin on his shoulder, and caught his eye pointedly – he furrowed his brows slightly, opened his mouth, and then closed it; he nodded shortly. He was good at silent communication, and she was glad – he understood she wanted to talk to him seriously – later.
He let go of her, and then pointed at Anna and Katharyn.
"Wash your hands," he growled lightly. "Use soap," he added, with a pointed look at Katharyn – notorious for just sticking her little fingers under water and pretending she'd done it right.
Katharyn giggled shrilly and gave him a somewhat defiant look; Anna pulled her off to obey, and Jenny looked around.
"Paper plates, or dishes?" she murmured.
Gibbs shrugged.
"You choose," he said.
"I don't feel like dishes," she sighed, going for the cabinet where the paper items were. She started getting them out, and he stood behind her, touching her middle gently. She jumped, and he paused.
"Bad day, Jen?" he asked quietly.
She shook her head, tilting her head a little – no; she wouldn't call it bad. Bad was not what she was feeling; she wasn't sure what she was feeling, other than that persistent headache, and a considerable amount of anxiety.
He rested his chin on her shoulder, grunted as if he didn't believe her, and then reached for the plates to start doling out portions.
"I set things straight with Dad today," he said.
She looked over, glad to have something to talk about.
"Is he coming for Christmas?" she asked.
Gibbs shook his head; Jenny arched her brows.
"Is he that upset we're skipping Thanksgiving?" she asked, her voice taking on an edge.
"No," Gibbs said sincerely. "He re-connected with an old buddy; he's goin' down to see him."
"Oh," Jenny said, somewhat mollified. "But was he – "
"No, he gets it," Gibbs interrupted – they were staying in the area for Thanksgiving this year because Jenny couldn't get any time off work other than the Holiday itself, and Gibbs didn't want to go to Stillwater without her. "He wants to come for a visit in February."
"He can come any time," Jenny said.
Gibbs smirked, and looked at her wryly.
"You're the only wife who says that and means it," he snorted.
She shrugged, fetching child-sized cups from a cabinet and setting them down, quickly deciding if she was going to get milk or juice for the girls – she decided juice; milk was terrible with pasta.
"I like your father," she said warmly.
Gibbs nodded. He left four plates sitting on the counter and leaned against the sink, waiting for the girls to come back – Anna liked to help set the table, and Katharyn liked to follow.
Jenny chose a glass of water for herself, giving the beer in the crisper a somewhat annoyed look, as if it was the reason she'd had such a surprise today, and then she took up a place next to Jethro and mimicked his stance, waiting.
He turned his head and looked at her, his gaze intent. She ignored it, sipping on a glass of water. She could almost feel him trying to come up with what she called a trap question – a question he could ask to provoke a telltale right-eye twitch when she answered.
She was wrong, though –
"Jen?" he asked quietly. "You okay?"
She smiled; she liked that he hadn't tried to play games with her, it was almost as if he sensed she wasn't being brazenly evasive, she was just collecting her thoughts. She inclined her head and nodded honestly.
"Later, Jethro," she promised.
There was plenty of time for dinner, and fast-talking, effervescent, bright-eyed, little girls first.
She sat on their bed in a relaxed position, one leg curled in towards her, the other stretched out comfortably. She was running a brush through her knotted hair – ponytails and swirly up-dos kept it out of her face at work, but it was murder to brush out at the end of the day.
"Anna has a Daisy meeting after school tomorrow," Jenny said. "Ziva's going to pick her up, and she's going to play at their house for a while – Ellie's a Daisy, too."
Anna had expressed interest in starting Girl Scouts when fifth grade girls from her school had come around recruiting, so she'd been signed up – she seemed to be enjoying it so far.
"They're gonna take 'em to the circus," Gibbs grunted from the bathroom. "In January, at the Patriot Center."
"Hmm," Jenny murmured, making a mental note – they'd probably want parent chaperones, then, to aid Anna's troop leader.
Gibbs came out of the bathroom.
"Noemi's gonna get Kate from Montessori," he said gruffly. "I'll get Anna from Ziva's on the way home."
He turned off the light, flicked on a bedside lamp, and stretched out on the bed, resting his head on the pillow for a moment and groaning in relief to finally get some rest. She pulled the brush through her hair again, watching him, and when he opened his eyes, she asked:
"You're going to hire someone new for the team?"
He nodded, shrugged, and brushed off the question.
"What's botherin' you, Jen?" he asked seriously.
He wasn't diverted for a moment; he took her seriously when she had something to discuss, and he didn't want to draw it out now – he had a dull feeling that she thought he had moved on too swiftly from his boss's death, but he was fine, and he was perfectly able to tell her that flat-out.
She lowered the brush from her hair and glanced at the door.
"The girls are asleep?"
"Kate was out before I finished the first book," he said.
Jenny licked her lips, tilting her head to the side. Her red hair tumbled over her shoulder, and she looked at him intently for a moment, her thoughts crashing together – she thought about how excited she'd been to tell him the other two times, how happy she'd been, and she latched onto those memories.
"I'm pregnant," she told him quietly.
She caught her breath.
He stared at her, and for a minute he looked about as baffled and shell-shocked as she imagined he would have looked if this accident had happened to them when they were dating, but the look only lasted a second. He rose up on his arm and did exactly what she thought he might do: he grinned.
"What?" he asked hoarsely, with a tone of surprise.
She nodded, her eyebrows rising up a little. She lifted her shoulders and held her hands out, still clutching the hairbrush. She swallowed, then licked her lips and took a deep breath.
"I took a test as a precaution," she said softly, "when I went to get the IUD today, and Hetty took blood to confirm," she paused, and licked her lips again. "She's estimating about three weeks."
Gibbs was staring at her, that half-grin still on his face. He sat up a little more, and then pushed himself into a sitting position, facing her full. She lowered her hands and twisted the brush in her lap, her heart skipping a few beats, watching him.
"Is it," he seemed to search for words. "Is it a fluke, or – you were takin' your pill," he said, narrowing his eyes a little wryly, "unless you were pullin' one over on me?"
She made a breathless, surprised noise and raised her eyes.
"Hell," she swore – she'd never do that to him. She shook her head, and caught his eye. "This is on me, Jethro," she sighed. "I missed a pill here and there," she admitted grudgingly. She was so busy – and after she'd missed it the second time, she'd forgotten to take it at the same time of day a few times – it was why she'd wanted back on the permanent stuff. "This wouldn't have happened if I was diligent."
The amused grin on his face faltered a little, and his brow furrowed.
"You upset?" he asked.
She held her breath a moment, trying to be diplomatic.
"I'm a little caught off guard, Jethro," she said warily. "We – we were done."
"I said I was okay with three," he pointed out.
She nodded, and smiled a little.
"Believe me, that's been a comforting thought," she said dryly. She had at least known that Gibbs had always said he'd like a third baby; it had kept her sane all day while she was silently assessing the future.
He looked at her a moment, his jaw tensing. He seemed a little frustrated.
"Are you," he started, pausing warily. "Are you unhappy, Jen?" he asked. "You don't want it?"
She looked a little startled; her green eyes widened, flickered, and she moved like she was going to lean forward and smack him, but she held her hand against her breasts, her knuckles curled. She shook her head.
"Jethro," she said honestly. "I'm going to have the baby. I didn't meant to imply – I wouldn't want that," she promised hoarsely.
Her eyes stung, and he leaned forward, resting a hand on her bent knee. He rubbed back and forth, looking contrite. She took a deep breath again, closing her eyes.
"I'm – you know how I am," she said shakily. "I'm just … unprepared...Katharyn starts school next year; I planned it so well – "
"You can't plan every damn thing in life, Jen," he broke in pointedly, giving her a narrow look – it was an argument, a clash in personalities, they'd been having since they first started seeing each other.
"I know," she hissed, giving him a warning look. "But there was a reason to my timeline, Jethro, I – I was in law school while they were babies and toddlers because I could be home a lot more, I could see them grow up, I'm getting my career in swing as they're starting school – it works, that's how I was managing to do it all," she bit her lip. "I worked very hard in law school; I don't want to lose that."
"I don't care if you keep workin'," Gibbs said, giving her a strange look. "'M not that old-fashioned – you can do whatever the hell you want – "
"It's not you, Jethro, it's – the workplace, it's the bias – my White House job is demanding, competitive," she hesitated. "It might be considered more prudent to let me go than to give me maternity leave – "
Gibbs scoffed loudly.
"Lionel Tribbey is not gonna fire you, Jen," he interrupted loudly. "The man thinks you're the second coming of … Legal Christ."
She parted opened her mouth, amused, and laughed a little. She pushed a hand through her hair and bit her lip, considering what he'd said – he was right; she did have some worry that she'd lose her opportunity at the Counsel's office, but it wasn't a concrete fear.
"We got the money," Gibbs said. "I got a pay raise, you," he made a pointed face – her salary was, put simply, almost double his, "damn near make enough for me to take maternity leave," he snorted, smirking at her.
She had never thought she'd consider Gibbs' promotion at NCIS to be a blessing; they were living comfortably and well with two kids, and he was right, it wouldn't break their backs to have a third – but it was still nice to know he had that extra team-leader salary.
Jenny took a deep breath and relaxed her shoulders, pressing one of her palms into her bent knee, stretching out her tight muscles. She pressed her other hand to her abdomen thoughtfully, looking at her husband.
"I feel blindsided," she said in a small voice. "I was always – I haven't been eating well, I've been drinking coffee like it's water, I drink," she listed, her stomach jumping with nerves. "I know I'm not old, but complication risks increase in your thirties," she trailed off again.
He nodded his head, understanding her concerns.
"You're not an alcoholic," he said simply. "You don't binge drink – you don't drink that much, Jen," he pointed out frankly. "Coffee," he lifted one shoulder. "You just cut back now."
She licked her lips.
"What about you?" she asked. "You aren't – don't you feel a little overwhelmed, Jethro?" she pushed, exasperated.
He shifted and crawled forward, sitting closer to her. He leaned forward, resting his hands on her thighs. He met her eyes, and shook his head from side to side, making sure he didn't break eye contact.
"'M trained for this," he drawled. "Anticipate the unexpected; adjust accordingly – "
"Oh, God, honey," she interrupted huskily, "not the Marine spiel again."
He gave her a blustering, proud look.
"Always the damn Marine spiel," he retorted.
He squeezed her knee, and then reached up to brush the line of her jaw with his knuckles, lightly massaging her skin.
"Jen," he said intently, giving her a supportive look. "For once in your life, just get over it – you didn't plan somethin'," he said.
She bit her lip, her eyes on his.
"Leroy Jethro Gibbs," she murmured, her lashes twitching. "Are you – telling me to let it go?"
He glared at her menacingly, and she bit back a smirk. He shook his head.
"Be serious," he growled, and then pressed his forehead against hers a moment. He nudged her cheek with his nose, and pulled back to meet her eyes again. "How do you feel?" he asked.
She swallowed hard, and looked back at him, taking his advice – for a moment, she just cleared her head, and instead of thinking about how stressful the next few months were going to be – and how stressful it was going to be to start over – just when both of her kids were out of diapers, gaining some independence, starting school – and she thought about them, just them, not everything it took to take care of them, but how much she loved them – and she thought about the man sitting in front of her – the man who took everything in stride.
She smiled, and nodded her head.
"I feel good," she said quietly, blinking a few times.
He grinned, turning his hand over and splaying it against her neck. He felt the nervous skittering of her pulse, and he looked down, running his eyes over her – he didn't feel any of the stress or panic that seemed to have stricken her; he could do this, and he knew she just needed a few days to process the change.
"I love you," he murmured, pressing his lips to hers.
He pulled her down on the bed with him, wrapping his arms around her. His hand moved over her back, sliding under her loose t-shirt and pressing against her warm skin.
She nodded, resting her cheek against his chest for a silent moment. She lifted her head, and placed her hands on his neck, turning his head towards her, and she met his eyes, smiling a genuine, calmer smile.
"You mind if I try it again?" she asked.
He smirked at her, and ran his hand lower on her back, giving her a playful smack on the ass. He nodded, waiting smugly.
She bit her lip, and then gave him a brilliant smile that touched her green sparkling eyes.
"Jethro, I'm having another baby," she confided.
His little smirk became a grin, and he nodded firmly, moving his head forward to kiss her hard – he knew it was early, knew they'd have to keep it between the two of them for now, but he was more than willing to turn the playroom-slash-study into another bedroom – and there was that saying about three being the charmed number.
November, 2022
it took me a bit to figure out a way for Jenny to be surprised without portraying her as a total moron. she's had two kids, there's no way she wouldn't realize she was pregnant as soon as she started having symptoms, i have them some run-of-the-mill birth control choice issues and ran with it. not to mention ... she's secure, they've got plenty of money and a place to live, it's understandable she wasn't AS stringent as she'd have been when she was 18 or 19 ...
-alexandra
story #251