Lady Jaye grabbed Flint's hand as they walked out of the clinic. He still had on the large grin that formed the moment they received the positive test results. Once again she wished she could be as blissfully happy over the news as he was. "Are you hungry?" he asked.

Her stomach growled in response. "Yeah, I guess I am."

"Good, I'm starving. Red, you want to join us for lunch?"

"Sure," Scarlett replied with a forced smile.

Lady Jaye glanced back at her friend, as the three walked down the street in search of a restaurant. Scarlett had been very subdued as they left the clinic, and Lady Jaye once again felt guilty for dragging her along. She hoped that once they sat down to eat she could talk to Scarlett to find out what was bothering her.

However, once they found a sports bar and sat down, it quickly became apparent that no one wanted to discuss any of the heavier topics that was weighing on their minds. It was a Saturday afternoon, and all of the televisions in the bar were turned to the multitude of college football games being played. For obvious reasons, Bryn Mawr didn't have a football team, so Lady Jaye had never been a big fan of the popular college sports. Although, the last couple of years she had adopted Flint's Kansas State when she needed a team to root for.

Flint cocked his beer towards one of the TV. "We have a tough game later today, but I have all the faith in my boys."

"You're delusional if you honestly think this is their year," Scarlett said with a laugh.

Lady Jaye put her hand on Flint's shoulder. "I too think they have a shot. Their quarterback is supposed to be really good." It was a tidbit she had picked up a few weeks prior during the opening game of the season. It had been one of a series of slow nights on base, so the majority of the Joes had gathered in the rec room. It had been a fun evening as many of the Joes were very passionate of whatever team they were partial too. She realized that had been the weekend before General Bradshaw had arrived. It had been less than a month prior, and it was amazing at all that had occurred in that short time period.

"True," Scarlett continued. "But I can name at least a dozen that are better than him. As painful as this is for me to admit, I really think Alabama is going to win it all."

Flint and Scarlett continued their football talk, while Lady Jaye just sat back and listened. She couldn't shake the image of the Joes together in the rec room. They had been so relaxed and happy, unaware of the changes that were coming. She couldn't remember exactly what she and Flint had done the rest of that day, but she was sure it involved at least sharing a meal and a bed together. It was also surreal to think she had already been pregnant at that time.

And for the first time in recent weeks, thinking about the past didn't fill her with sadness. Yes, a lot had changed the last few weeks, but it seemed like things were finally changing for the better. She imagined the kickoff to the next football year, Flint holding their infant in his arms as he began to explain the nuisances of football. The exact details were fuzzy, since she had no idea where she would be living, and if she was still going to be gainfully employed, but the fact that she and Flint would be united in building their future together gave her a sense of optimism.

Once lunch was over, Lady Jaye let out a yawn. "Sorry, but I'm beat. I think I just want to head back to the hotel."

Flint wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Your wish is my command. Shana, are you coming too?"

Scarlett shook her head. "I think I'm going to take advantage of this beautiful day, maybe walk around by the monuments."

"Okay, but call us when you get back. We can talk about dinner then."

"Go on and make your own plans. I reached out to a couple of old friends that I'm going to meet with later."

Flint nodded. "Just check in with us before the end of the day."

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "Yes, dad. And I'll make sure to be home by curfew."

The two then started the trek back to the hotel. Lady Jaye wondered if Scarlett did in fact have some old friends she was meeting that night, or if she was trying to make herself scarce. She hoped that wasn't the case, but Lady Jaye was glad for the chance to spend the rest of the day alone with Flint.

Once they walked into her hotel room, Lady Jaye said. "You don't have to hang out with me, if you too want to check out the sights. I'd hate for you to waste the afternoon away."

"No, it's fine. To be honest I'm exhausted, and a nap right now sounds great."

The two climbed into bed, and Lady Jaye with a smile wondered if a nap was truly on Flint's mind. It turned out it was, as he was asleep within moments. She realized that he had probably had a very sleepless night contemplating the idea of the baby. She was glad though, that based on his behavior that morning, that he must have come to the conclusion that it was a good thing.

She rolled over to her side so she could study him. She loved him, and his positive reaction to her news only deepened the emotion. It had been less than seventy two hours earlier when she was contemplating ending things with him, but she knew now it was her hormones taking a bad situation and making it worse. She wasn't naïve to believe that her problems were over, as life at HQ hadn't changed. But as long as she knew that Flint was going to be on her side, she could deal with the hardships.

Which meant she was a far cry from the brash independent woman she was when she first joined the Joe team. She had grown up in an opulent lifestyle, the only daughter of two wealthy people. Her parents had claimed to love and adore her, and she did have a couple of vague but happy memories of time spent with them. But Lady Jaye also suspected that she had been a crimp in the lifestyle they had become accustomed to, so with the excuse that it was in her best interest, she was sent off to the modern day equivalent of boarding school. Her summers were also spent at the finest sleep-away camps, which meant she had very little interactions with her parents.

She held no grudge against them, as the education she received did open the door to Bryn Mawr, and eventually Trinity College. And she saw and experienced more of the world as a child that the majority of people ever got to see in a lifetime. But there were times she wondered what it would be like to have a true bond with a parent. And since both of her parents were killed in a skiing accident when she was twelve, she had lost the opportunity to find out.

At their memorial service, people assumed she was devastated by their loss, so she played the part of the grieving orphan. She returned to school a few days after the memorial, determined to show that nothing had changed. Her teachers assumed she was putting up a brave front, but her closest friends understood what she was going through, as they too were dealing with part-time parents. She confided in them that she felt more like she had lost a couple of beloved celebrities than true caregivers.

Her parents' death brought a sense of freedom. They had made it quite clear from the beginning that they had planned out her life's trajectory and they expected her to follow it without argument. Even though her grandmother stepped in to take over the parental duties and to make sure her parents' wishes for her were realized, Lady Jaye knew that when the time came, she would decide her own future for herself.

But since she respected her grandmother, she played the game to make her happy. She finished school with high honors, and then went to one of her parent's acceptable colleges. Trinity was the beginning of her rebellion. Her grandmother wanted her to attend Wharton, for a Masters in business, so that eventually she could take over the family business. Lady Jaye, though, convinced her grandmother that she needed to spend a year or two in Ireland to sow some wild oats before she settled down.

While there, her grandmother suffered her first in a series of debilitating strokes. It was also the time that Lady Jaye began to give serious thought to the Army. Seeing her grandmother in such ill health had her reconsider it briefly, but she knew that her heart was set on giving back to her country. By the time she graduated Trinity and enlisted in the Army, her grandmother had deteriorated to a point that she was in a nursing home and barely conscious, so Lady Jaye never had to break the news to her of her career choice.

Her grandmother died during basic training. So she once again was at a memorial service acting more bereaved than she really was. She had only been granted a twenty-four hour leave pass to attend the service, which made her realize the Army didn't care about personal problems. Which suited her fine, since she had no family to hold her back. She didn't lack in companionship, as over the years she made many friends and had a few boyfriends. But any relationship she entered into was done with the stipulation that her army career came first. Through her schooling and training she saw many men and women that struggled with balancing the army with family life, and she didn't want to end up in the same situation.

That all changed when she joined the Joes. At first she kept her barriers up as she just assumed it was going to be no different from her previous assignments. But she quickly realized that wasn't the case. After her first extended mission against Cobra, she learned that she not only needed to rely on her teammates, but she cared about what happened to them. And those feelings only deepened as time went on. Between the missions and the down time spent on base, Lady Jaye established a close friendship with a core group of men and women. But even with the others that she wasn't as close to, she knew that they would without question defend her or any other teammate. And so little by little she changed from the independent rich girl with a chip on her shoulder to the woman who respected and loved her teammates.

Especially one in particular. During one mission that shouldn't have been, she had decided to help a civilian, Charlie Fairmont, get revenge on Cobra for destroying his house and nearly killing his family. Lady Jaye never intended to get him near Cobra, she just wanted to give him a chance to blow off steam. She admired the fact that he cared about his wife and children so deeply that he was willing to risk his life to punish the people that had hurt them. She remembered at one point thinking that it would be nice to have someone care that much about her.

Then through a series of unfortunate events they ended up in a face-off with Cobra Commander. Charlie was giddy with anticipation at the chance to take him out. But if he did, Cobra would fire off their laser weapon, instantly destroying the Skystrikers of the Joes that had come to their rescue. Lady Jaye instinctively knew that Flint was leading the team. She hadn't exactly left a trail to her location, so the fact that he had tracked her down had been quite a feat. She knew then that he too was a man that would do anything to help the woman he loved.

And he wasn't alone. There were a half dozen Skystrikers being piloted by Joes that too didn't want to see her harmed. So as unpleasant as it was, she knew she had to talk Charlie into making the decision to let Cobra Commander go, so that the Joes wouldn't be sacrificed. Luckily she did, and the Joe team arrived unscathed. When she was reunited with her teammates, she ran into Flint's arms, grateful that they both dodged the proverbial bullet.

That mission made her appreciate how much she cared about Flint and the rest of the Joes. Looking back, she realized that the loss of her parents had affected her more than she thought. All along she had been looking for a surrogate family, and she had found it with the Joes. And now with Flint and the baby, she was going to be able to create a true family. Content with her life at the moment, she dozed off.

She woke some time later and quickly realized she was in the bed alone. She sat up and saw that not only was the bed empty, but the room was too. She wondered where Flint had gone off too, and then she heard his muffled voice in the bathroom. She knocked on the door and opened it slowly. Flint put his finger to his lips. "Sir, that sounds good. And I assume it has been quiet on base?" He listened for a moment and then continued. "Okay. We'll see you tomorrow."

He put the phone away. "Sorry about that, I had to check in with the general."

"I gathered that. So we're really going back tomorrow?"

"Unfortunately, yes. The Rawhides are wrapping things up tonight, so Lift-Ticket will be picking us up late tomorrow morning."

Lady Jaye was disappointed, but she knew their free time in DC had to come to an end at some point. "Well, then I guess we need to make the best of the rest of the day here." She looked at her watch and did a double-take when she saw it was nearly six. "Is it really that late?"

"Yes, you were asleep a good couple of hours."

"Oh, Dash, why didn't you wake me up?"

"Because you were out cold. When you didn't hear me get up or move around the room, I figured you needed the sleep."

"I guess I did," Lady Jaye admitted with a sheepish smile.

Flint pulled her into his arms. "How are you feeling? Are you up for dinner out?"

"Actually, pretty good. And dinner sounds fabulous."

"Good. Because I want to take you to the restaurant I picked out for the other evening. I went ahead and made reservations for seven, so we do have a little time to kill."

He led her to the bed and then kissed her long and deeply. He pulled away and rubbed his hand on her cheek. "I love you." His hand trailed down her front until it came to rest on her stomach. "And I know it's early, but I already love this little guy."

Lady Jaye grinned as she brought her hand to rest on his. "I love you too."

Flint matched her grin. "It really makes me happy to hear you say that. You had me worried for a while."

Lady Jaye didn't really want to rehash their issues of the last couple weeks, but she knew they should. They were going to be heading back to base in the morning, so they needed to clear the air before they returned. "To be honest, you had me worried too. I had convinced myself that you were slowly pulling away, because if the day came that you would have to choose between General Bradshaw's version of the Joes and me that you would pick the Joes."

"I'm sorry that I gave you that impression, as that was not my intention. I know I've said it a few times, but it's true, I was only trying to make the best of a bad situation."

Lady Jaye had to admit that a small part of her doubted how true that statement was. But she didn't want to spend the limited time together arguing over past mistakes. Instead, she wanted to focus on the future. "I know that now. But I still don't want to head back tomorrow and end up right back to where we were."

Flint wrapped his arms around her. "I have no intention of doing that. A couple of weeks ago I mentioned getting an apartment. I pretty much blew the idea off because I got so bogged down with Joe things, but I promise you, it is my number one priority once we get back to HQ tomorrow. I think it will be nice to have a place to escape from the Joes."

Lady Jaye smiled. "I think nice is an understatement."

Flint nodded and then went deep in thought for a few moments. He then turned to her, and with a squeeze of his arm, smiled at her. She leaned into him, and too sat quietly with her thoughts. As her mind played through a series of what-if scenarios, she opened her mouth to get Flint's opinion on it. But each time she closed it again. It was true what she had said about not knowing exactly what was coming down the road. And there was no reason to come up with an exact plan for each scenario. As long as she and Flint remained committed to each other and the new life that was growing inside of her, they could handle whatever came their way.