A/N: Alright… for context purposes this is set sometime after Slow Burn. That at least gives me full permission to include references to all episodes so far (aka spoilers), though so far this story has no direct links to any episode. Yes, I am basically just covering my bum here.

Oh, and it's the sequel to Scars & Stretchmarks, in case I didn't already say that… As such, it probably contains some kind of spoilers for that story, so if you haven't read it you should, and if you're still reading it I suggest putting this on the back burner til you're done.

Also… I'm posting this because I'm sad for not posting more, not because I'm ready to post. So, not sure when I'll update again. Sorry peeps.

"You're such a baby."

"Am not…it's just…"

"Stop flinching. You're ridiculous."

Sam sighs, and flinches again. "Ok, seriously? Do you enjoy hurting people?"

"Yes, yes I do," Jules smirks and gives a wink. "What? Not into S&M?"

He rolls his eyes, and reclaims his arm. "My turn," he says, reaching for her hand. "No flinching," he tells her, spraying her finger with a healthy dose of disinfectant.

"Next time a call leads to a glassware shop I say you guys send Spike and Raf in."

"Agreed," he responds with a nod, adding another dose of disinfectant to the wound. "Ha! Now who's the baby?" he smirks as he finally manages to elicit a cringe from her.

"Bollocks!"

"Bollocks? Seriously? Jules, you've got to stop watching British soap operas."

"They're the most entertaining thing on at 3am. Besides, you did that on purpose."

"Maybe," he concedes as he finishes applying a bandage. "There, done," he smiles, pressing a kiss to her now bandaged finger.

"Well thank you nurse Braddock," she smiles as she turns around to face him. "I still can't believe the knife got away from me like that. In my defence I didn't expect you to look like that when you walked in the door."

Shaking his head Sam lands a lingering kiss and pulls away with a smile. "So…"

Fighting back a grin Jules raises a brow at him. "Sam, you have to be back to work in less than 7 hours…"

Another kiss. "And?"

"And today you went backwards through a shelf full of glass bird ornaments…"

"So?" he asks, moving his mouth to the side of her neck. "Noah is sleeping…"

"Yeah, and I should be too."

"Hmmm sleep later…"

"You're a terrible influence on me."

He jolts awake at the sound of his overly shrill alarm clock, arm flailing frantically as he searches for the snooze button. Successfully silencing it, he lets his eyes close for just a moment and considers the possibility of a few more moments rest. Sadly, he's determined 8 minutes isn't going to cut it today. Probably best to just bite the bullet and wake up. Maybe he'll roll back over, see if he can't find a creative way to wake Jules up…

The sound of the shower starting tells him that won't be happening. She's up before the alarm again - he hates that, doesn't understand it. She doesn't need to be up with the alarm, yet she insists on waking up with him just so she can shower before he leaves. He wonders if maybe she's afraid to leave Noah unattended while she showers. It makes him wonder if she avoids doing anything else while he's at work for the same reason. With a sigh, he lets go of his early morning hopes and drags his feet out of bed to the dresser, shuffling through the drawers until he finds something to wear for the drive in to work. Pipes moan down the hall as the water is shut off. For a woman, Jules sure showers quickly. He loves it.

"Good, you're up. I've got to go, Noah and I are meeting Sarge for coffee before shift starts."

He's rocked by an earth shattering yawn and gives her a half smile.

"Don't make that face. If you're tired it's your own fault."

"Hmmm, worth it." He grins at the memory, and moves to the hall closet to grab a towel. "Can you turn the coffee maker on on your way out?"

Jules smirks to herself as she searches for her own clothes for the day. "I already left you hot water, is that not enough?"

Sarge looks especially worn down today. Maybe it's the lingering effects of yesterday's hot calls, or maybe it has to do with something happening at home. Either way, Jules has resolved to get to the bottom of it before their orders are even filled.

"Big plans for today?"

"Oh, huge. After this, Noah and I are going home to see how many times I can be spit up on today," she grins, strokes the back of Noah's hand as he stares at Sarge. "He likes you."

Sarge nods, smirks to himself. "It's the bald head. Babies are mesmerized by it."

Jules just smiles as she settles into the coffee shop booth and takes Noah out of his carrier. "What about you? What hell will you unleash on team one today?"

Sarge just laughs, thinks for a moment. "Well, after yesterday's 'bull in a china shop' incident I'm thinking patrol."

"Ah yes, the china shop. How exactly did that happen anyway?"

The waitress arrives at the table, setting down their coffees before cooing at an uninterested Noah. She quickly takes the hint, moves on.

"Sam didn't tell you?"

Jules sighs, gives a small laugh. "He said the rookie has two left feet."

Sarge nods, takes a sip of his coffee before reaching his arms out to take Noah. He's become quite the uncle in the past few months and, though no one is willing to break it to Spike, he's definitely Noah's favourite. "He's right. The kid's got skills on the obstacle course, but put him in the field and he's as clumsy as they come."

Jules nods, taking a sip of her coffee. "So why keep him?"

A sigh, a rub to his bald head. "Well, he can negotiate better than anyone else from the recruitment trials. Besides, only seven more months and we get you back, right?" He grins, turns his attention down to Noah. "Right? In a couple months we get to have your mommy back, right?" The baby coos his approval, grinning as he tugs on the buttons of Sarge's shirt.

"Yeah, well, so long as Sam doesn't keep coming home all full of holes I'll be happy." Her own comment sends chills down her spine as she recalls the last call they were on together. The one that put a particularly large hole in him. The one that landed Sam in a hospital bed, then off work for the first 3 months of their son's life. She takes a minute, studies the man in front of her. There's got to be more to his discouraged demeanour than just a rookie. "So boss, what's going on?"

"I just told you…"

She shakes her head, expertly multitasking as she passes Noah a brightly coloured giraffe. "No, you told me what the plan was for shift today. I mean what's going on with you? You look tired."

"Hate to break it to you Jules, but that's what happens when you get old." He's not making eye contact. Avoiding the conversation. But the waitress is back to top up their coffees and she's taking the opportunity to glare at him in silence until they're alone again. "Marina wants to do the big family thanksgiving thing."

Well, that's a start. "Big family meaning…"

"Me, her, and Dean. Her sister will be in town, with her boyfriend and their kid."

"And this is a problem because…?"

"It's a big deal."

"Right. Because she's never met Dean before."

"Well, no, of course she's met Dean. Drives him to school all the time."

"Oh ok, so it's the sister. You don't like her."

"No, I've never met her. Know what? Can we just forget this conversation and drink our coffees in peace?"

"Sure." She's short with him. Getting tired of the self doubt. If he was able to get past her and Sam breaking the rules with so much faith, then he can sure as hell show a little in himself, in his own relationship. She shakes her head, takes a slowly fussing Noah from him. "You know Boss, if you aren't interested in Marina you should break it off. No use stringing her along."

He shakes his head, turns to face her. "I'm not-"

Eyes lock and she waits just a moment longer, intimidating him with her best cop-stare. Her brow rises, his furrows. She's caught him.

"Fine. I'll do the dinner."

Satisfied, she smiles and takes a sip of her own coffee as she bounces Noah in hopes of avoiding the tears that threaten.

"So what about you? Any Callaghans coming into town?"

She scoffs, nearly snorts, at the question. "Nope. Callaghans always do the holidays on the farm."

He nods, doesn't question why she didn't pressure Sam to get the time off to go. Doesn't question why she never has herself. "So what are you doing?"

Midway through patrol Spike and Raf are busy discussing personal lives for lack of any action on the streets.

Raf's head shakes rapidly in disbelief. "And Sam is still fine with you marrying his baby sister?"

"Sure. Of course he is. Why wouldn't he be?"

Eyebrows shift under Spike's scornful gaze. "No reason, really. It's just Sam kind of comes across as the protective type. I wouldn't think he'd be cool with anyone dating his sister, never mind marrying."

Spike frowns, takes a minute to watch shops go by his window. "Well, he's ok with me. And he's had some time to adjust now. Why else would he have invited us to thanksgiving with him and Jules?"

"Oh?"

"Yep. Me, Nat, Sam and Jules, and Noah, of course. Thanksgiving Sunday. Would that be happening if he wasn't fine with Nat and I?"

Raf nods, thinks for a moment. "Well then, should be a nice little family dinner then. Just, you know, watch for poison laced pumpkin pies." He shoots Spike a smirk and lets out a laugh.

Spike gives a nervous laugh of his own. "Thanks for that. Know what? Maybe you should join us. You can taste everything before I do. Be like my guinea pig for the weekend."

He gives a small laugh, shakes his head. "No can do, buddy. I'm off to visit my Dad."

"Nice." Spike smiles, and the two drive another few minutes in silence, each thinking about the upcoming holiday.

"Take the next left. A few clubs down there, might find something worth looking into."

Spike nods, takes the advice but a few minutes later nothing is catching their eye. "Raf?"

"Yeah?"

"Sam couldn't make a pie if he tried. I bet its the wine I should look out for."

"You guys are going to the cottage, right?"

Ed nods, shrugs his shoulders. "Yep, just the four of us. Might need to drag Clark, kicking and screaming, but yeah, that's the plan."

"Not a fan of the cottage?"

Ed smirks. "A teenage boy, no tv or video games for an entire weekend. What do you think?"

Sam gives a laugh, shakes his head. "I get the cottage thing, but two kids and no tv… that's brave."

"That's what I told Soph."

"How'd she rope you into it?"

"Fishing." When Sam simply shakes his head some more Ed gives him an indignant glare. "What?"

"You're such an old man. Fishing? Really? No wonder Clark doesn't want to go. I've got to admit though, I would take immediate family only anywhere over extended family trapped in one house any day."

"That's what I tried to sell Clark on! I mean, he loves his grandparents, but every time they come to visit he has to give up his own bed to sleep on the pull-out in the living room. Figured he'd be happy to have a bed for the weekend. No such luck." He shakes his head, looks around and decides to take a right. "So what about you? What's the Braddock clan doing for the weekend?"

Sam shakes his head. "Mom and the General are out of town, so Jules and I are doing our own dinner here with Spike and Nat."

Ed's face is a look of complete shock as he turns to Sam. "You're cooking?"

"Ok, so Jules is doing the dinner."

"Wow." Ed states, shaking his head all the while.

"What?"

"Making Jules do all the work. Does she not do enough right now?"

"Well it was just going to be the three of us but Natalie got all clingy and Jules said she could come, and then of course she's bringing Spike because, well, his mom's in Italy and all that…"

"And Jules is ok with all this?"

Sam simply glares at Ed, sick of the line of questioning. "How about you worry about how you're going to survive that cottage of yours and I'll worry about Jules?"

Ed smirks but nods. "Sounds good. Food?" he asks, already pulling into a parking lot.

"Sounds good," Sam repeats, then smiles. "I'm sure you'll have fun at that cottage. I hear they're calling for thunderstorms."

Ed curses under his breath and pounds the steering wheel. He'd turn that anger at Sam had he not already hopped out of the truck. Could be an interesting holiday.