Jemma stopped sobbing and Phil mentally exhaled his relief, because he hated the rare moments when Jemma wept. His hatred of such events, was not just because he hated witnessing Jemma's tears (true!) but was also due to his uncertainty on how to console her. Tony Stark in a drunken tantrum, no problem, Bruce Banner looking a tad green, easy; Aliens with Daddy issues, slightly harder! HOWEVER, Jemma with big tears spilling from her face… PROBLEM.
He and the two men had hammered out what they jokingly called, "The Accords of Jemma's Boy Band," and rule # 1 was…. RESPECT the RELATIONSHIP. It was a simple rule.
Thou shalt not stick thy nose into Jemma's relationship with thy brother.
Rule # 2 had been a hashing out of Bed Rules and whether or not Winston would be permitted to sleep in the bed in the afterglow of Frisky Friday Foursome Night. Verdict – Winston could make his own decision. This rule require more edification and definition than rule #1 as it was far more than who got to share the bed with Jemma on which night and which night was a threesome and Friday Foursome Fun Night.
Thou shalt sleep in the wet spot if you made it.
Thou shalt wear your Breathe Right Nasal Strips without fail.
After Taco Tuesday, thou shalt brush thy teeth before you doth kiss anyone.
If Jemma doth feel Frisky, and Woman enough to Handle Us All, then the Bed Assignment Rule doth go out the window.
"You look horrible," Phil gently informed her even while he hoped that she wouldn't start crying once more. "We can't let Felix see you like this as it will greatly upset him."
Well, that didn't break the first rule. Really.
"I don't look horrible, I look hormonal," Jemma informed him. "I hope I'm not like this for the next eight months."
"What caused the tears?" was his gentle prompt.
Well, John was rubbing off on him, as rules were made to be broken. Only because he cared, you understood.
"I fear Felix is having a meltdown," she admitted. "I hoped this would be a good thing for us both, for all of us, but he's freaking out."
"He is…" Phil chuckled then stopped when he saw that Jemma was pouting. "Jemma, I'd be freaking if I was him. In fact, I'm a bit verklempt right now and I'm just the uncle. To his credit, he's come a long way as he didn't immediately run for the hills. No, he called his therapist so he could work on his issues. That's a big step for our boy Felix. You have to admit it. And yes, this is a very good thing."
Jemma nodded as Phil was quite correct.
"Points will be deducted as he didn't tell you that he was calling his therapist, but only a few. Now, go take a shower and grab one of Felix's T-shirts as your first maternity shirt. It will mean a great deal that you swiped his shirt. Perhaps, grab one of his Indian motorcycle shirts."
"I know just the one," Jemma agreed. It was a faded red, tattered and yet oh so soft. Plus it intrinsically smelled of Felix: his cologne, his cigarettes that he still snuck when he was stressed. "It's his favorite."
"Well, yes, so that's why you need to swipe it." It didn't make sense to her, but Phil added, "Trust me, I'd be so chuffed when if I saw you wearing my Captain America T-shirt as a maternity shirt."
"Stop trying to speak proper English. Wait… if you are here with me… who's with Felix? Skye? Not John."
"John and Felix are brothers of another mother, they just show it by snarking at each other. Plus if you go take a shower, I'll be able to make sure the boys behave." Phil motioned her to the shower.
"Hurry," Jemma protested.
Felix Blake was looking a bit wild-eyed, but calmer than Phil anticipated that Felix would be. But the dazed smile was a very good sign, Phil believed.
"Congrats," Phil stated. He roughly hugged Felix and then messed up his hair. "I knew those step by step instructions complete with diagrams would come in useful."
"Asshole!" Felix growled. Then he turned serious. "Well, she hasn't gone to the doctors and gotten the blood test. So, it's not official. Is she still sleeping?"
"Taking a shower," Phil explained. "I'll make dinner but first, I'll pull a bottle of champagne."
Felix looked uncertain, and then bit his lip. With a noticeable effort, he kept his mouth shut.
"Good boy," John complimented Felix. His congratulations included a pat on Felix's head which earned him a swat from Felix. "Jemma makes the decisions on what she can do and can't do now. A small sip should be fine."
"I hope she doesn't ride her trike off the property," Felix admitted. "Can I admit that?"
"To us," Phil commiserated. "Remember, she is far smarter than we are."
"Combined," offered John.
"Some of us don't add much to the sum."
John Garrett's mouth dropped in an expressive O when he realized who Felix meant.
"I'll greet Jemma with a nice warm towel when she exits the shower," offered John. "Because everyone else got to congratulate her except for me. Even someone like me who doesn't add much to the collective IQ of our boy band can be useful."
The Tasmanian Devil left and Phil began pulling items from the fridge. Felix sat on one of the barstools at the breakfast bar and shook his head in tired exasperation. "Did John put the tomatoes away? They're not supposed to be in the fridge."
Phil made a noncommittal sound before he began prepping for dinner.
"How are you processing everything?" Phil asked. "How are you"
"I'm… I'm…. Felix…." That was Felix's quiet response. Phil continued chopping with a professional ease, and finally Felix continued. "Which means, I'm thrilled, I'm terrified… I'm… disappointed…"
"Disappointed?" Phil asked, even as he stopped chopping. "I'm wasn't anticipating that emotion."
"The minx knew exactly what was occurring when she seduced me. I wish she had told me… I would have liked it have been… more enjoyable for her. I mean it should have been better for her; she's got thirty odd weeks of increasing discomfort ahead of her..." Felix grew flustered as he realized his sweet sincerity was absolutely fucked by his OCD.
Phil couldn't help himself, he chuckled. "I've never heard pregnancy described that way."
"It's the truth, Phil. I would have attempted to give her a least one eye rolling back in her head orgasm. Hell, I would have tried for two. Maybe asked John if we could use some of their toys that she seems to enjoy."
Jemma exited the shower to discover John was in the room. He held out a bath sheet and then wrapped her into it.
It was heated… so she was toasty warm. Just another example of how the John Garrett she intimately knew was far different than the John Garrett façade the world believed to be the real John.
"Congratulations," he said before he wrapped his arms around her and gently lifted her off the floor for a proper kiss.
"You won't be able to do that soon," she protested.
"I think I will," he disagreed as he kissed her once more to prove this point. "And Felix is good. Got a little rattled but … he's good with this. Actually, more than good, he looks a little dazed and… happy. He reminds me of the old Blake."
Jemma stopped smiling as well, for her the Old Blake meant Felix Blake back when he was Engaged to that Unworthy Woman, Back before the Building had Fallen Upon Him, Leaving him Scarred.
"Oh," John realized that he had quite put his size thirteen shoes in a big pile of poop and had tracked it through miles upon miles of formerly white carpet. "By that I meant that he reminded me of the young Blake. Before he met Nikki, back when he was almost much as fun as me. It was so long ago that he had black hair, not even a smidgeon of grey. You probably weren't even born yet back when he was fun."
Jemma pouted and looked at her problem child.
"Yeah, probably I should keep my mouth shut, but life would be so much quieter then. So why don't you get dressed, but leave the bra off. We'll just fight over who takes it off you later, so why bother?" John grinned his wild smile. "I predict that you will be worshipped tonight."
Jemma smiled and the entirely too perspective John placed her back on terra firma. Or in this case, the bathroom floor.
"Tell your body image issues to go to hell from me. Trust me, you've got three men who are enthralled with you, so you'll plead sexual exhaustion soon. Get dressed."
After John had thoroughly towel dried her, they made their way down to the kitchen where she eavesdropped Phil and Felix having a serious discussion. Her sweetly sincere Felix was being… earnest about how he wished he had done more for her.
"It's the truth, Phil. I would have attempted to give her a least one eye rolling back in her head orgasm. Hell, I would have tried for two. Maybe asked John if we could use some of their toys that she seems to enjoy."
"Well, after the first orgasm, it took me almost fifteen minutes to string words into sentences," Jemma cheerfully informed Felix. "And the second one… well… it took me an hour."
And Felix Blake blushed.
"And John, did you tell them about…" Jemma thwacked John who mock protested that she had hurt him.
"He bragged, actually," Felix offered which earned John another thwack.
"Since I don't have a high IQ, I need to be proud of my victories?" offered John which caused Phil to threaten to launch a tomato at him.
"Why don't you two go outside, spend some quality time and we'll join you?" Phil prompted which earned murmured agreements from Felix and Jemma.
Felix held out his hand to Jemma and she grasped it. He then tilted his head and looked at her. "You're wearing my t-shirt."
She waited to speak until they reached her English garden.
"I figured it would be my first maternity shirt," she hesitantly offered, as she couldn't comprehend why Felix would be thrilled by her staking a claim on his favorite t-shirt. Nervously, she tucked one rebellious strand of her hair behind her ear. "You don't mind, do you? It's very comfortable."
Felix's response was a very shy smile. "You look adorable as you're swimming in it."
"Not for long," she confessed.
The idea that Jemma had grabbed one of his ratty old t-shirts as her first maternity shirt for THEIR baby had profoundly affected him. It was ridiculously large on her, but he wondered what she would look like as their child … their baby… grew in the upcoming months.
"You look adorable as you're swimming in it," Felix offered that as Jemma seemed uncertain.
"Not for long," she confessed.
"I've got a good nine inches on you," he began but he felt his ears burn when she giggled. "I said ON you. And I outweigh you…"
"Not by much, as l love when you top," she added. In response to her carnal witticism, Felix was flustered and in danger of floundering, so Jemma took pity on him. "Sorry, it's my hormones."
Somehow he thought hormones would be the blame for everything in the next few months.
"So the shirt will fit," he reminded her.
"I might stretch it." She pulled the shirt out to approximate her being nine months gone, and he feared that he'd explode from happiness… and overwhelming fear…
"Stretch it. I made an appointment with Andy," he informed her. "I hope you're ok with that?"
Andy was Andrew Gardner, as Felix had transferred to him after Dum Dum had suggested (Ok, demanded) that a new therapist would be beneficial with his married life as Dum Dum was a confirmed bachelor. Didn't mean that Felix never called Dum Dum, but now it was for a friendly chat.
"I am happy, but I want to be on an even keel for you," Felix explained. "Do you want me to get you a jacket? It's windy."
There was perhaps a slight southwesterly wind on a seventy degree day which meant that he was being an overly protective idiot. God, he had to be careful, because he couldn't let his fears overwhelm him into trying to protect… control… Jemma… because he was already thinking of buildings…
Buildings collapsing… Jemma and the baby... trapped...
Jemma took pity on him, and kissed him.
"I'm fine," Jemma assured him. "With you talking to Andy and I don't need a jacket. I'd like to snuggle on the settee so we can talk? So, I don't want to tell everyone, not just yet. "
John watched Jemma and Felix (And Winston too!) make themselves comfortable on the settee.
"Timing is a little suspect," he murmured to Phil. "Not that I'm saying Jemma did it intentionally but timing is a little suspect."
"What do you mean?" Phil asked, as he carefully plated dinner.
"The Wedding is in two months."
The Wedding was Jasper and Nikki's wedding where Felix was part of the bridal party.
"Did we ever take our relationship official?" John questioned Phil. "We discussed throwing a party, but we never did. I mean, it will soon be obvious that Jemma's pregnant, and … her coming out party, dragging us all out of our cozy closet, will be at Felix's ex's wedding."