TITLE: "Leading the Way"
AUTHORS: The Dreamy One & Ardeth Saunders
RATING: R [Language and adult content]
SYNOPSIS: A new baby for Loralei and Frank leads the way to life changing decisions for Farron and Kara.
GENRE: Romance
DISCLAIMER: UC: Undercover and its cast of characters belong to the writers, creators, NBC, and a dozen others. NO infringement intended. All other original characters belong solely to the authors.
AUTHORS' NOTES: Ardeth Saunders: This is the first collaboration for me with Ms. Dreamy. She has offered great advice and plot assistance in the past, and I asked her to join me on this particular fic because I thought it would be a kick writing with her. I thought I could tackle Loralei and Frank and she could take on Farron and Kara, since she has done such a wonderful job with them previously [Please see "Eyes Wide Shut"]. This fic is a fun romp, and I sincerely hope everyone enjoys! Sit back, get comfy, and smile!
TheDreamyOne: I can't express just how excited I am to be working on this fic with Ms. Saunders. She has captivated me time and again with her tales and characters. I was literally swept away by Farron. I am honored to be contributing to this story and I truly hope you enjoy!! ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
COMING HOMEDonovan began to pace impatiently in the crowded airport. There were few things he hated more than standing amongst a seeming five billion people waiting and watching. Of course, he would do it regardless of the people, regardless of anything. Loralei had been away a total of two weeks, and both he and Rachel missed the hell out of her. She had taken off to Texas to flesh out her dissertation. She had had to visit a couple of prisons and conduct surveys. He had no earthly idea why she chose Texas. When asked, Loralei mentioned something about a college there that would give her access to what she needed: supplies, a library, and several criminal justice instructors at her beck and call. After she made the announcement of her impending departure, he fought against throwing a worried temper tantrum. Two weeks ago, she was six and half months pregnant, and the thought of her being so far from home didn't sit well with him. Not only that, but he also remembered that Rachel had come to them early, and he had no doubt that this baby would do the same. After all, the new kid would likely be equally stubborn. She had told him a dozen or more times that her doctor had put her stamp of approval on the trip, but Mr. Fretter [yet one more pet name to add to his growing list] wasn't satisfied with that. His wife, his lovely, beautiful, gentle, stubborn as a mule wife, had dragged him along to the doctor's office and had her OB/GYN tell him face-to-face that it was okay. Somehow, it wasn't good enough for him. He didn't like it and wouldn't like it no matter how many doctors she dragged him to see. Although they argued through the night, he eventually relented. He wanted to accompany her, but his schedule would not allow it. As a result, every inch paranoid, Donovan insisted Loralei take along a cell phone to call him nightly. If I don't hear from you by ten p.m. every night, I'll know something is wrong, he had said. She had laughed and made some silly flip comment, but he knew just from gazing into her eyes that she appreciated and understood his concern. After all, the abduction by Huete's men had scared the hell out of both of them. Once the drama died down, Loralei didn't find Donovan's overprotective nature so annoying. She could have easily lost the baby just from the stress of the situation. Even though she had gained a new appreciation for his protective nature, it didn't necessarily mean she had to tolerate it all the time. This was one of those times. He had taken his pregnant wife to the airport [it had been packed to the hilt just like today] and stood back as she drifted toward an overly bright flight attendant. He had groused about it all that day and into the night. What had he been thinking?
Much to his delight and surprise, her two weeks away had been relatively uneventful. It seemed as if there had been few dull moments during their relationship. He was never sure when or if anything else would blow up. He simply didn't want it to happen with her pregnancy, with her not at home where he could worry up close and personal. Vaguely, he scoured the resources of his mind to ensure there were no other psychotic women floating around to threaten his life or that of his family.**** Missing her, wishing that she had never left, he spoke to his wife nightly, listening to her amusing stories about her experiences in Texas. He had spent a major portion of his life as a single man. Back then, he had never thought he would come to rely so heavily on the support and unconditional love so freely given by his wife and daughter. It was sappy and mushy, but so very true. To be perfectly and bluntly honest, he didn't know what he had done before they came into his life. I'm drifting again, he thought as he continued to pace along the gate where Loralei was supposed to meet him. There had been no major problems, no issues with her pregnancy, and for that, he was profoundly grateful. Now if her damn flight will just come in. With the way his luck was running today, her flight would probably be late and/or canceled altogether.
He glanced down at his wristwatch. He would give Loralei another fifteen or twenty minutes to arrive. After that, he would have to call Farron and Kara. His brother and his girlfriend [girlfriend…it's not as innocent as that] had agreed to sit with Rachel while he retrieved his wife. They had actually consented not only out of the kindness of their hearts, but it seemed as if they were as taken by Rachel as she was them. Donovan smiled a little when he thought of his daughter with Farron. At first, she appeared frightened by the man who looked like her father but wasn't. However, when his relationship with Kara began to grow, Farron had begun to hang around a bit more and Rachel had grown to love her uncle. She took great pleasure in yanking the shit out of his long hair. Then there was Kara. Her gentle nature completely appealed to Rachel's 'soft' side. Although Rachel was showing the early signs of fierce independence, she loved to be cuddled. Kara was very affectionate and loving. All it had taken for Rachel to become Kara's best friend was a gentle hug and a kiss.
Donovan's mind drifted again, and his off the wall thoughts of Rachel shifted to his brother. He actually found that he was growing prouder of his brother by the moment. How long had he and Kara been steady? He wasn't exactly sure about the length of time they had been together, but it was a huge step for Farron. As far as Donovan knew, his twin had never been in love, had never professed it so genuinely in his life. Another thought entered his mind, and he smiled a little and shook his head incredulously. Probably around three months after Kara and Farron began seeing each other, he and Loralei had discovered that Kara had moved in with his brother. They're living together, he had asked in wonderment. Living together? Did I hear that right? Of course, he was completely and totally happy for his brother and Kara, but was also a bit on the shocked side. He thought that Farron being in love was a big deal, but his new living arrangement was an even bigger deal. It was a gigantic leap into territory that Farron had never treaded upon.
At one time, he thought he would never welcome his brother back into the fold of his family, but he was slowly burying Farron's misdeeds, allowing him to take a rightful place in his heart once again. His brother still had a long way to go, but he had gained tons of ground in the last few months. He had stunned Donovan dozens of times with his selfless acts. Kara was good for him. She seemed to have grounded him and shown him what real love was all about. It was amazing watching his playboy brother enjoying a solid, monogamous relationship. Kara knew of his faults, but didn't seem to care one iota. He hoped Farron continued to maintain the relationship. It was apparent that both he and Kara were meant for each other. Despite their differences, they meshed well. Just don't fuck it up, dear brother, he thought.
Completely distracted by his thoughts, he missed Loralei altogether. However, she saw him and ducked behind a wall. Although completely exhausted from the flight and the strain of the baby, she felt a bit of elated joy filling her. Two weeks without seeing his face and sleeping beside him had worn thin. Actually she had been ready to come home after the second day, but she had had no choice but to stay and finish. As she skulked behind the wall, she thought, I wanna be naughty. Goddamn. I didn't check to make sure my belly isn't sticking out. She backed up a little and peeked around the corner. Donovan was totally oblivious. His back was turned to her and she smiled a little. Perfect. She had yet to make it to baggage claim, and she hoped she could sneak up on him. How many times had he nearly given her a heart attack by startling her while she was in deep thought? It was time to turn the tables on FD.
Donovan was gazing at the far wall. Again, he was completely distracted by his reflective thoughts and had no idea that his wife's plane had landed safely. Suddenly, out of nowhere, someone grabbed a handful of his ass. Turning abruptly, ready to throttle whomever the idiot was, he saw his wife backing away with her hands covering her mouth. Shit, I hope I don't giggle myself right into premature labor, she thought. Oh God, the jet lag had messed with her mind. It was insane of her to grab his ass like that. He is armed after all. That thought brought on even more giggles. He was so surprised, so perplexed. His expression seemed to scream: How could she sneak up on the great Frank Donovan? She had to stop. She had to stop right now. Her separation from Donovan had made her hysterical. The men in the white coats weren't far away now. After a moment, the surprised/perplexed look left Donovan's face and he smiled before affording a chuckle. After all those years of scaring the shit out of her, she had finally paid him back. For a moment, he couldn't do anything but gaze at her as she continued to giggle helplessly. In two weeks, it seemed as if she had changed. Is that possible? Or did I really miss her that much? When she was certain her husband would not strangle her, her giggles began to dry up. If he didn't touch her soon, she thought she might scream. She came toward him as fast as her waddling body would allow. It was awkward throwing herself in his arms, but she really didn't give a shit. He held her against him for a long time before pulling back slightly to place a gentle kiss on the side of her throat. He inhaled the scent of her and mused that the past two weeks had been the longest of his life.
"I'm such a bitch," she whispered. "I thought you were going to shoot me."
He pulled away and kissed her softly. He wanted to lay a big wet sloppy one on her, but he didn't think the passersby would appreciate seeing porno tongue action as they hurried to make their flights. "You're lucky. I actually had my hand on the butt of my gun," he teased.
She reached down and gave his ass another healthy squeeze. "Oooooh, butts seem to be a theme tonight." She gazed up into his face and grasped his shirt. She pulled him as close as her swollen abdomen would allow. "I missed you, Frank. I missed you so much."
"Why don't we snag your luggage and get the hell out of here," he said, maintaining a steady gaze. "I can't welcome you home properly in public. I don't want us to get arrested."
She bit her lip and smiled. "Sounds interesting," she said. "Would you like to make love to a hugely pregnant woman?"
"Yes," he said as he ran his hand through her hair. "I'd like it, love it, I need, and want it."
"Screw the luggage, Frank. Take me to the car right now. The back seat should be big enough for us both."
* * *
When this is over, I'm going to kick his ass, Loralei thought as she shifted uncomfortably in the padded folding chair. There were at least two thousand people in the room and it was stiflingly hot. Of course, it didn't help that her eight-months pregnant body was covered with a thick black robe. To add insult to injury, a stupid funky hat was pinned to her head. She was certain she looked utterly ridiculous and if anyone took her picture, she'd kick his or her ass, too. She turned and focused her eyes into the crowd and immediately spotted her husband, daughter, brother in-law, and lover in-law [what does one call her brother in-law's lover anyway]. She didn't know how she had spotted them in the crowd, considering the mass of people surrounding her. However, she was pretty sure her irritation had sharpened her eyesight. From her vantage point, she saw that Donovan had Rachel in his lap, and it appeared that he was coaxing her to wave at 'mommy.' She could just imagine the look on his face. He was probably smiling wickedly, mischievously. After all, this had been all his damn idea. I married and reproduced with a jerk. What was I thinking?
After Loralei returned home from Texas a month ago, she had put the finishing touches on her dissertation and took it before the committee made up of several of her instructors. She had had to 'defend' it to the panel of stoic professors before the university would hand over her doctorate. Apparently, her hard work and time away from her husband and daughter had been well spent. She passed the panel, published her dissertation, took and passed her comprehensive finals, and was then finally allowed to get her damn degree. Finally! After so many months of interruptions, she was done. Hallelujah! Amen! Please pass the potatoes. She had thought it would be the end of it for her. All she had left to do was convince some unsuspecting university to hire her. Of course, this was before her husband [the jerk] insisted that she walk and accept her degree like any other doctoral candidate. She thought her husband had absolutely flipped. Was he crazy? She was fifteen and a half months pregnant, weighed a ton, and wore tents instead of dresses, and he wanted her to actually walk in public in front of thousands to accept a degree? Oh hell no. She fought it with everything in her. They had discussed it thoroughly one night in bed before she finally relented.
"Loralei, you've worked so hard to complete this degree. At least celebrate it properly. You don't want to sit back and have it mailed to you, do you," Donovan asked.
"Damn straight," she spat. "Frank, look at me. If you haven't noticed, I'm about to burst here. You want to watch me waddle up to the podium, sweating like a pig, to accept my degree? No way!"
"Baby," he said with a grin, "You do exaggerate. Yes, I want to watch you." He stroked her abdomen gently, occasionally feeling a kick here and there. The new kid [neither of them wanted to know what they were having until the birth] was particularly active at night. "I'm proud of you, my love. You've achieved this goal despite massive and continuous interruptions. I want you to walk, I think you should. Besides, when will I have another chance to watch my pregnant wife receive a Ph.D.?"
She kissed him noisily on the lips. "You could always divorce me and remarry a student," she said with a grin.
He laughed. "Nope. You're stuck with me for life. Sorry to disappoint."
"What a harsh, harsh sentence," she said, feigning deep sorrow. She sighed. "Frank, I really, really don't want to do this. But if I say I won't, you'll drag me down that aisle if you have to, won't you?"
He nodded. "Probably, just like I did when we married. Will you do it?"
"Do I have a choice," she asked, mocking the patented Donovan eyebrow lift.
"Nope."
"Didn't think so."
Loralei grumbled incoherently as she waddled up the long aisle toward the podium where the Dean patiently awaited her. If anyone said anything smart to her, she'd smack 'em. She found her eyes wandering up to the crowd again. Her jerky husband was whistling through his fingers as Rachel clapped her little hands. God. When this was over, she was going to make her life partner pay for this. Oh yes she was. Back up folks, the world's largest Ph.D. candidate is about to explode. As she drew closer to the podium, she prayed that her water wouldn't break. Oh what a lovely thought.
After the ceremony, Donovan, Rachel, Farron, and Kara waited for Loralei in the reception hall of the auditorium. It was the only place she could think to send them. Otherwise, they'd never find each other. It had taken her all of five seconds to discard the robe and goofy cap.
"Hey, look who's coming," Donovan said when he spotted Loralei. "The not so happy, disheveled graduate."
"I heard that, you jerk," Loralei said, not unkindly. "Oh God, I'm so stinky and sweaty," she exclaimed as she fanned herself with a graduation program.
"Congratulations, Loralei," Kara said as she gave her a brief hug.
Despite feeling as if she needed a thorough scrubbing, she returned Kara's hug. Bless her heart; she didn't blink at the BO she was certain that was emitting from her. "Thank you so much."
Farron approached next and planted a brief kiss on her cheek. "Well done, sister in-law."
"You all are too kind," Loralei said. "I know I looked ridiculous out there with my beach ball tummy."
"I think it's my turn now," Donovan said as he approached her.
Loralei reached out to take the struggling toddler from Donovan's arms. She hugged her daughter to her and kissed her cheek. Rachel responded by wrapping her arms tightly around Loralei's neck. "Your turn," she asked. "After what you made me do tonight, I'm not sure I want you kiss me at all," she said teasingly.
"The hell you say," he whispered before kissing her lips softly. "I love you," he said, his lips mere inches away from hers.
"Me too," she said.
For a moment, they forgot that they weren't alone. Together, Farron and Kara stood back and watched the scene unfold. Farron tightened his hold on Kara's hand as he watched the tender exchange between his brother and sister in-law. Farron was still a little envious of the life his brother had built for himself. He had a loving wife, a daughter, and another child on the way. He ached to have the same. He often wondered what kind of life he would have if he married his Shel. Marriage. It was a novel thought, one once so alien to him that he thought he would never touch it. However, as he watched Loralei and Frank, he reached for it, just barely touching it with the tips of his fingers. It wasn't a thought so far away, not anymore. Beside him, he felt Kara's hand move away from his so that she could take his arm. She rested her head against him and he leaned down to place a gentle kiss to her temple. She felt a fluttering in the pit of her stomach as she watched Loralei and Frank expressing their love for each other so unabashedly, so passionately. How they felt for each other was exactly how she felt about Farron.
* * *
****Ardeth Saunders: This is an inside poke at myself. As some of you may have noticed, quite a few of Donovan's former lovers [in my fics, anyway] tend to be a little…looped! Hahahahaha!