*The Best Part*

He's finally getting tired. The toddler had been a boundless source of energy today, but now he is dawdling around the living room like a toy soldier whose winding is on its last revolution. He crosses in front of the T.V. with heavy steps dragging his blanket and clutching a snack box of cheez-its. Finally little Jake plops his butt on the carpet with a thud.

"Getting tired, little man?" His daddy asks.

"At last…" Winona says.

Jake flops over on his panda pillow pet, drops his snacks and sticks his orange thumb in his mouth, blinking heavily and kicking at his blanket.

Raylan and Winona are curled on the sofa as the guest moderator of the Sunday night re-run of Meet the Press - Raylan's pick for the nights viewing- signs off. I'm Luke Russert and if it's Sunday, it's Meet the Press.

"Are you done watching this?" Winona asked before clicking it off.

Raylan shakes his head, although he knows she can't see him behind her and mumbles "Um-hum". He props himself up and watches Jake over Winona's shoulder. Winona doesn't get up to intervene either. Instead they watch silently together as their child lazily drifts to sleep with his orange fingers curled around his impish nose.

"He sleeps like you," she says. "And it's outta here…." She makes a baseball quip.

"Yeah but he kicks around like you" Raylan says in her ear and she chuckles.

"He's such a good baby"

"When he's sleepin'".

Winona elbows him playfully just below the ribs but hits the soft spot.

"Ow." He flinches. "Easy…I'm still missing some parts there you know." He wasn't joking. That spot still bothered him from time to time, even after all these years.

She turned her head to look up at him. "Sorry, Cowboy," she says and she means it. She takes his arm around her, presses it tightly to her and shimmies closer to him, wiggling her bum against him.

"You're not missing the most important parts" She giggles. Raylan runs his hand from her hip, across her blue jeans and between her thighs, long fingers cradling all the way to the seams.

"Actually I am missing the best part…very much" He says. She turns and looks up at him, reaches for his face and smiles into a kiss.

"Oh yeah?" she says as she settles her back on the sofa, one arm raised above her head and the other playing with his hair. He's still waiting for the green light when she speaks.

"Raylan…lets have another baby." He pulls his hand away and back onto her thigh, looks down and shrugs.

"You serious?"

"Yeah…" She nods and smiles. "Let's have another baby before it's too late." Raylan grins the kind of smile where his eyes light up before they become crescent moons, but he speaks the voice of reason.

"They say two kids are a lot more work that just one. You'll probably have to quit workin'…which is fine…but…."

"I know."

"And what about Daddy and Mama here…" He motions a finger between them. "Is Mama gonna stay happy…cause another baby could be a big challenge."

"I know. I'm ready. I'm up for it…And so, apparently, are you." She flexes her thigh into him and pulls him down into a kiss.

"Shhh." He chuckles low as they slip off the sofa, lacking the athletic grace of years past. Winona winds up on the floor and Raylan offers her a hand up. He throws his arm around her shoulder as they both stop and look at the sleeping tot. "Should I take him to his bed?"

"Yes….and then you should take me… to ours." she whispers.

There was no way he was ever gonna say no.

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A/N by MCM edited by WKW