A/N: Sorry no posts yesterday. Bowling league started up on Thursday night, work was a bear on Friday, and I was just too dang tired. May try to post again later today but no promises.
JJ stretches as she wakes up. Emily had gotten up with the children allowing her a few extra minutes in bed. She rubs her stomach.
"Thanks for letting me sleep, guys. Hopefully we can continue to have the same kind of arrangement as time goes on. Please? I would really, really appreciate it."
She gets up and heads into the bathroom to take care of her morning routine and grab her robe. As she walks back out to the bedroom Henry comes racing into the room.
"Mommy! It's Red Day!"
JJ smiles and squats to give him a hug. "That's right it's the red day on Mama's calendar. And what does that mean?"
"My day with Mama!" he says happily.
"That's right it's Monday so it's your day out with Mama. What are you going to do?"
He looks at her as if she is crazy. "I go with Mama."
JJ grins and gives him a kiss. "Of course. What was I thinking?" She stands up. "Let's go downstairs for breakfast so you can have plenty of energy for whatever Mama has planned."
"Okay, Mommy."
He takes JJ's hand and they go down to the kitchen together. A few minutes later Emily and Rocky join them. JJ raises an eyebrow.
"Was she in bed?"
"Yes." Emily raises an eyebrow. "Naked."
JJ bursts out laughing. "Great, we have an exhibitionist. Why do I have a nightmare vision of her running down the street naked in the spring?"
Emily grins. "I don't know…but I have the same worry."
The mother's shake their heads and start to get their kids fed. When Francesca comes in a little while later they are nearly done. Henry smiles at her.
"Hi, Aunt Franny. It's Red Day so Mama and I gotta go."
Francesca smiles. "Well, I hope you and Mama have a wonderful day. Do you know where you're going?"
"With Mama," he explains, now wondering why his mommy and nanny aren't getting this.
Emily smiles. "Natural History Museum and if he has the energy Air and Space."
"Wonderful! You will have so much fun, Henry," Francesca says.
"Si! And get gifts for Mommy and Rock and Aunt Franny?"
"I think we can arrange that, Champ," Emily agrees
When JJ and Emily go upstairs to get dressed, JJ looks at her wife. "What time is the car arriving?"
"I requested 8:30. That should get us heading north after rush hour."
"Perfect. Promise to send a picture or two during the day?"
Emily smiles and gives her wife a kiss. "I promise."
When JJ gets out of the shower she finds her wife staring into the mirror at the sink.
"Jen, what if I didn't wear this whole brace contraption today? I could take just a regular sling so if it starts aching I can put it on. And I can still not use that arm a lot." She turns and looks at the expressionless blonde. "I think I'd just rather have two arms available for Henry."
JJ is quiet as she starts to dry her legs. Emily gives her a moment, knowing the woman I running through every possibility in her head.
"How sure are you that the doctor will allow you to lose the brace on Friday?"
"About 95% sure barring any injuries to it. It feels good, Jen. It rarely aches anymore and I will have a sling. I swear I am not pushing beyond my limits."
"Then why ask?"
"Because I'd like to get laid again someday," Emily answers with a wink.
JJ giggles. "Right." She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "I think it would be okay. And if it hurts tonight we'll get you braced back up AND you will take a pain pill."
Emily frowns. She hadn't expected that last condition. JJ just raises an eyebrow.
"Emily, you swore to me you'd do what you could to get healthy and stay healthy. I think it's okay to go the day without the brace but if you are hurting you will take the pain pill so you can rest it properly to help recover."
Emily steps to her wife and pulls her close. "You're right I did make that promise. Okay I agree to your condition if I can add one of my own."
"Sure," JJ concedes.
"If it doesn't hurt I get to show you just how good it feels tonight," Emily says with a suggestive wiggle of her eyebrows.
JJ laughs. "Deal, Mrs. Prentiss."
The two share a kiss. JJ loosens the strap around her wife's waist and goes out to finish getting dressed for work.
As the car pulls up to the drop off curb outside the museum, the driver hops out and hurries to open Emily's door then hurries to open Henry's, which is on the sidewalk side. As Emily catches up to him he has Henry out and is setting him on the sidewalk.
"Would you like the stroller, Agent Prentiss?"
"Not for this one. Henry will probably be fine here but when we get to Air and Space he may need it."
"Very good, ma'am. You have my number when you need me, Agent Prentiss." The grandfatherly man kneels down and smiles at Henry. "And you have a good time today, Mr. LaMontagne."
Henry frowns. "I Henry."
The driver chuckles. "Of course you are. My mistake." He pats Henry's head. "Have fun, Henry."
"What do you say, Henry?" Emily prods.
"Thank you, sir."
"You're welcome." The man stands and smiles at Emily. "See you in a couple hours, Agent Prentiss."
Emily smiles and takes Henry's hand. They quickly hurry inside. Once through security, Emily kneels down and helps Henry take his coat and hat off. She stows them in the backpack and adds her own. She takes the child safety harness out and puts her son in it. He sighs.
"Mama…no need that."
She kisses his forehead. "Henry, if I have my way, you'll be wearing this until you're 30. I love you and this is my way of protecting you."
"Makes you feel safe?" he confirms.
"Yes. And happy."
He gives her a hug. "'Kay, Mama. I make happy."
She kisses him again. "You always do, Champ."
She slips the backpack strap on across her good shoulder and they are ready. For the first time, Henry looks around. His eyes get wide as he sees the giant elephant that greets all visitors.
"MAMA! E'phant!"
"That's right. It's an elephant. Let's go see it."
He nods, his eyes filled with wonder. He had seen plenty of elephants at the zoo but none so close. Emily watches as he studies it. He finally turns to her.
"It dead?"
She squats down beside him as she contemplates how to answer. "Uh, yes, actually. It died a long time ago so they put it here so people could see it and study it and learn from it," she explains.
He grins and nods. "Cool!"
"Yes, it really is. So, ready to go see the dinosaurs?"
He nods happily. She stands and takes his hand as they walk into the Ancient Sea exhibit hall. As they enter Emily explains to Henry what fossils are. He stares in amazement at the animals and footprints trapped for eternity in rock. Emily can't help but be proud of how much he seems to be understanding and taking in everything. Maybe he really was a little nerdling after all.
They continue on into the Ancient Seas area. Henry gets excited when he sees the skeletons of the ancient sea creatures. He had heard about these in the fables and myths his mama read to him.
"Sea mon'ters!"
Emily smiles. "Yes, they are." She proceeds to tell him all about the skeletons and what they are. He listens to every word. She strokes a hand through his hair. "You having fun, Champ?"
"Si, Mama! What now?"
"Well, let's go see," she answers with a smile.
Henry is enthralled by the various fossils on the walls, sometimes just studying them quietly; sometimes asking Emily to explain what they are, which she gladly does. As they walk into the dinosaur exhibit room he is looking at the walls to his left. Emily smiles down at him.
"Henry, look over here."
He turns and for the first time sees the Tyrannosaurus Rex standing sentry in the hall. His eyes get wide with fright and he squeezes his mama's hand tighter as he uses his other hand to cling to her leg. He is halfway behind her leg for protection. A nearby volunteer sees and grins.
"We see that a lot here," she says kindly as Emily kneels down.
"Easy, Champ, he can't hurt you. He died a long, long time ago."
"When you was baby?"
Emily chuckles as the volunteer turns away, giggling. "Uh, no, Champ, long before that. In fact, no people were around when he was."
He thinks about this a second. "Good. Rock would be scared."
She kisses his forehead. "You're right. She would be. Want to walk up closer to him and the others?" He frowns, his JJ concentration face on. "We don't have to if you don't want to, Champ."
He looks in her eyes and asks softly. "You carry me?"
Emily pulls him close. "Of course I will. I promise, Henry, I'll protect you, okay?"
He throws his arms her neck and gives her a kiss on the cheek. Her heart about explodes. Holding him tightly with her left arm, she stands and they walk on up into the exhibit area. He points at the triceratops and Emily walks that way. She squats down so he can run his hand over the horn on the display plaque.
"I bet he was good at cooking marshmallows with all those horns," Emily jokes.
Henry looks at her and giggles. "Him no eat mallows!"
She frowns. "You sure?"
"Si, Mama. Him eat peoples."
Emily laughs. "Ah, I see." She decides not to point out that there were no people around for him, either. "Glad you are here to set me straight, Henry."
They slowly make their way down through the bottom level of the dinosaurs. When they get up to the upper level Henry gasps.
"Whoa! Cool!"
Emily nods and walks him over to the pterodactyl display. She tells him what they are and answers a few questions for him. He also explains to her that it eats cats.
"Good thing Sergio isn't here, then," Emily jokes, loving how his mind works.
She walks over to the balcony edge so they can look at the exhibits on the high wall and look down at the dinosaurs.
"So, what do you think, Champ?"
"Di'saurs cool!"
"Yes, they are. Let's see what else we can find."
They make their way through the rest of the dinosaurs and then into the mammals. When they pass the fossil lab Emily is excited to see someone working. She stands behind a group of elementary school kids who are watching as two scientists carefully remove a millennia of sediment to reveal an organic treasure hidden away by time.
"What is?" Henry asks Emily.
"I don't know. They will carefully use tiny tools and brushes to remove everything but the bone or fossil hidden in that slab."
"Will they put it on display here?" one of the kids asks Emily.
"Uh, probably. Or they may take it to a university to be studied or take it to a special place here at the Smithsonian for others to come and study it," she answers.
"How do they know there's something in there?" another kid asks.
Emily glances around for a volunteer but only sees the parent accompanying this group of kids. And she seems more interested in Emily's answer than in bailing her out.
"Well, usually they have found fossils or other evidence of fossils in the same area. It could be that they saw something sticking out of this bit of rock that hints at something hidden below. They will cut away a large area of the rock very carefully and bring it back here for further exploration."
"What if they don't find nothing?" yet another child asks.
Emily smiles. "Then they will probably be very sad." Before another question can be asked, Emily looks at her son. "Ready to go see what's next, Champ?" He nods. She turns and smiles at the children. "You kids have fun."
She starts back towards the Ice Age exhibits. After a second she realizes the kids and their chaperone have followed. She can't help but chuckle, thinking maybe she should let Henry tell his version of the dietary needs of the various creatures. Luckily the kids run into the rest of their class and get their own tour guide back. Emily is relieved, worried kids might get failing grades if she was wrong about anything or couldn't answer their questions.
"Mama! BIG e'phant!"
Emily smiles and walks them over to the mastodon. She explains what it is and how it used to be on the earth before other elephants.
"So like Grandpa e'phant?"
"Uh, well, um, yes, I guess you could say that," Emily agrees.
"Cool!"
For the better part of two hours they slowly explore the evolution of animals on Earth. More than once Emily is impressed by Henry's questions and even more impressed when his imagination fills in the blanks for him. As it nears 11:30, Emily looks at him.
"You getting hungry, Champ?"
"Si, Mama. Get pre'ents."
"Uh…presents or lunch?"
"Pre'ents then lunch."
"Okay, presents it is. Let's go see what they have."
She sets him on the ground and takes his hand even though his safety harness is attached to her wrist. The first gift shop they walk into is the gallery store, which has all sorts of jewelry and other items for older visitors. She is about to suggest they go to one of the other shops when Henry points.
"Look! For Mommy!"
Emily lets him lead them over to the jewelry counter. She bites back laughter as she sees the gold chain with the HUGE gold dinosaur pendant. It is at least 5" wide.
"Gee…didn't know Jen was considering a rap career," Emily things, unable to get the thought of rapper Flavor Flav out of her mind. "Uh, I'm not sure where Mommy would wear something so pretty. Maybe we can find something neat for her desk at work so she can see it everyday."
"'Kay, Mama," Henry agrees easily. Emily sighs in relief. "For Aunt Franny?" he asks, pointing to much more subtle dinosaur earrings.
"Yes, those are cute. Where could she wear them?"
"Deek's games."
"You're right, she could. Okay, we'll get those for Aunt Franny."
After making that purchase, they head into the Family Store and find a paperweight with a fossil suspended inside. Henry thinks it's cool and is sure his mommy will love it. Emily agrees. She also finds a couple of books and a puzzle for him and Rocky to help them learn about the various dinosaurs that once roamed the Earth.
And finally they go into the Mammal Store. Henry's eyes get wide at the assortment of stuffed toys. It's a kids dream. His first choice is a stuffed gorilla that was almost as tall as JJ. Emily vetoes that quickly. He finally settles on a stuffed white tiger for Rocky and an orange tiger for himself.
"Cause we're brother and sister like them are," he explains to Emily.
She smiles and gives him a hug. "That is good thinking, Henry. You've chosen great gifts."
"What you get?"
"Me?" Henry nods. "My gift is getting to spend the day with my son who I love very, very much."
He throws his arms around her neck and gives her a kiss. "Love Mama."
She hugs him back. "Love Henry. So very much."
After having lunch in the Atrium Café, Emily calls the driver to meet them out front. He says he will be there in 10 minutes. Heading downstairs, Emily and Henry stand off to the side and get their coats back on. She slides their gift bags into the backpack to free up her hands, glad she will be able to leave them in the car if Henry wants to go to the Air and Space Museum.
"So tell me, Champ, you want to see the rocket ships or do you want to go home?"
Henry jumps excitedly. "ROCKET SHIPS!"
Emily chuckles. "Rocket ships it is then."
She can tell he is getting sleepy so she knows she'll be taking the stroller in this time. When they get settled in the car, the driver hops in the driver's seat and glances back.
"Where to next, Agent Prentiss?"
"Henry wants to see some rocket ships. Know someplace we can find those?" she asks with a grin.
He nods. "I most certainly do."
Henry gives him two thumbs up. "Cool!"
Henry is as enthralled by the space ships and airplanes as he had been with the dinosaurs. They have an amazing time talking about the history of air travel. And once again Emily loves hearing Henry's version of the history.
After all, who knew the Wright Brother's plane was the first to get to the sun? Well…it was in Henry's imagination at least.
At 1:40 Emily and Henry make their way into the IMAX theater to watch the classic movie "To Fly". Emily remembers seeing it as a child and hopes Henry is old enough to enjoy it the way she had.
"Now, Henry, you'll need to be quiet. But this film could make your tummy feel a little weird but you will be safe. I promise. I'll be right here."
Henry nods. She lays the stroller on the ground under her feet and puts the backpack filled with their coats on his seat to give him a boost up. He holds her hand tightly as the lights go off. She lifts his hand and kisses it.
"I'm right here, Champ. Promise," she whispers.
When the balloon takes off at the start of the film, Emily smiles at the feeling that she is flying right there with it. Henry's eyes get wide and he quickly scrambles out of his seat into his mother's arms. She holds him close.
"Gotcha, Champ. You're safe," she promises him again.
He relaxes back against her and enjoys the movie. Emily stops watching the movie and instead watches her son, smiling as he tilts and turns with the images on the screen. She loves the way his hand reaches out a few times as if to touch the images. He gasps as the Blue Angels swoop off. He is enthralled by everything as Emily had hoped he would be. When the lights come up, he turns to look at his Mama.
"Again?"
She smiles. "Unfortunately it's not playing again today but maybe we can come back again some time and watch it again, okay?"
He leans back against her. "'Kay, Mama."
Emily kisses his temple. "Getting tired, Champ?" He nods. "Okay. How about we get out of here and you can ride in the stroller out to the car?"
"Pre'ents?"
Emily smiles. "Of course we can get presents first."
They head down to the museum shop. Henry points out to a replica of one of the Blue Angels F-18's. Emily knows it will look neat hanging in his room so she lets him get it. They find a cute tee shirt for Rocky and a pen for JJ that seems to stand up against the laws of gravity. Henry insists they have to get something for Aunt Franny and they search and search until he finally sees the necklace with a space shuttle on it. Once again he is sure she can wear it to Declan's games. As they are getting ready to check out, Emily spies something and decides to get a treat for later that night.
"What is?" Henry asks.
"Astronaut ice cream. Enough for us all for dessert tonight."
"Cool!"
With their selection of purchases bagged, Emily rolls him out to the lobby. Henry's eyes are drooping heavily as she gets him into his coat and calls for the car. By the time she gets him down to the curb he is fast asleep. She gets her son into his car seat as the driver stows these gifts and the stroller in the trunk with the treasures from earlier. As she gets in the car, Emily leans over and kisses her sleeping sons forehead.
"I love you, Henry Alan LaMontagne. I hope I never give you reason to doubt that again."
A/N: As someone born and raised in the DC area I highly recommend a trip to the Nation's Capital so you can visit the Smithsonian Institution. The collection of museums have some of the greatest artifacts, fossils, artwork, and memorabilia in the world and they are free to the public, including the National Zoo, which is just a few Metro stops away. Located right on the Mall in Washington, they are right near the White House, the Capital Buidling, and all the monuments you see in photos. It is an awesome and well worth the experience.