A/N: Thanks to itsnotrightbutitsokay for reviewing.
Disclaimer: I don't own Will and Grace or its characters.
Chapter Forty-Four
A Fun Celebration
Jack walked into Elizabeth's room the day of her second birthday. He went over to the crib and saw that she was awake, staring up at her mobile. "Hi there little one," Jack said softly. He reached down and lifted her up into his arms. "Happy birthday," he said, hugging her tightly and kissing her cheeks.
Laughing, Elizabeth hugged her father back and rested her head against his cheek.
Walking over to the rocking bench and sitting down, Jack started playing with her, pretending to take her nose away. As his daughter laughed and tried to grab his hand, he leaned forward and kissed her again. "I love you little one," he said gently, smiling at her.
Karen, who had felt Jack leave the bed, had gotten up and pulled on her dark blue robe. She walked to the doorway of Elizabeth's room, and watched as Jack played with their daughter. When she heard him say, 'I love you,' she smiled brightly and felt tears well up in her eyes suddenly.
"Wanna go see your mommy?" Jack asked then. He was about to stand up when Karen walked into the room.
"I'm right here poodle," she said, smiling, all traces of tears gone from her eyes. She sat down next to him on the bench and kissed Elizabeth. "Happy Birthday honey," she said.
Elizabeth reached out to Karen and whimpered slightly.
"She looks a lot like you when she does that Jackie," Karen said, taking their daughter into her arms. "Two years old," she said, sounding awed.
"Went by really fast," Jack pointed out. He put his arm around Karen and then placed his free hand on her stomach which was sticking out greatly since she was in her seventh month.
"Hmm," Karen sighed, smiling. "I can't wait till I give birth to this monster." She placed her hand on top of Jack's and said, "It's been kicking like crazy the past week or so."
"I can tell," Jack said, laughing as he felt the repeated kicks under his hand. "I wonder if it might be a boy this time."
"It could be," Karen said. "Otherwise it's one feisty little girl."
"Sissy?" Elizabeth asked, looking questioningly at her parents.
"Or brother, Ebie," Karen said, moving her hand from Jack's and brushing Elizabeth's cheek with her fingers gently.
"Sissy, Mama," the girl said firmly.
Jack and Karen looked at each other and laughed at the expression on their daughter's face.
"Okay. I guess she wants to have a little sister like you do Karebear," Jack said, kissing his wife's cheek. He then took Elizabeth from her and threw the little girl up in to the air slightly. "So what are we going to do today?" he asked Karen as he settled Elizabeth on his lap.
"Will and Grace want to take the three of us out for lunch at one," Karen answered, resting her head on his shoulder. "And then Kath and Edward want us to go with them and the kids to the zoo in Central Park."
At that, Jack glanced down at his wife and giggled slightly at the look on her face. "If you don't want to go then you should tell your sister you don't want to," he said, kissing her temple.
"Yeah, I told Kath that, but she pointed out that Ebie hasn't been to the zoo yet," Karen said. "So I caved in."
"You are a wonderful woman Kare," Jack said. He pulled her closer and they kissed deeply for a few moments.
Elizabeth meanwhile, reached her arm out and placed her hand on Karen's stomach. When she felt the taps under her hand she giggled and clapped her hands. "Mama, my sissy!" she said cheerfully.
Karen and Jack pulled apart and smiled at their daughter.
"She's one smart girl," Karen said.
"If it turns out that we have a son..." Jack started to say, trailing off at the end.
"Let's wait till it's born Jackie," Karen said, kissing his cheek. "Come on poodle; let's get ready to go for lunch."
~~~
Jack entered Grace's office, holding Elizabeth's hand, helping her to walk. "Hey everybody," he said.
"Hi Jackie," Karen said, smiling from where she was sitting behind her desk, looking at a thick Vogue magazine.
Elizabeth immediately went over to Karen and hugged her leg. "Mama!" she cried happily.
"Hello honey," Karen said, smoothing down her daughter's hair.
Grace went over to Karen's desk and picked up her goddaughter. "Happy Birthday Ebie," she said, hugging her tightly.
"So where's Will?" Jack asked looking around the office.
"He's coming right now," Grace said, putting Elizabeth down on the floor. "We want to take you guys out to Flortine's for lunch."
"Well, at least you picked a place that has some class," Karen said, watching Elizabeth walk toward Katherine. "What are you going to do Kath?"
"Edward's coming by with Amber and Patrick and we're going to have lunch here," Katherine said. She picked up Elizabeth and set her on her lap. "Bonne Anniversaire my niece," she said. She picked up a piece of paper and a colored pencil with her free hand. "Why don't you draw for a little bit Ebie?" She motioned for Jack to sit in Grace's chair so she could hand Elizabeth to him and she would be able to color.
Just then, Will hurried into the office, a little out of breath. "Sorry guys," he said. "I got caught up in traffic."
"At least you're here, now let's go to lunch, I'm starving!" Karen said. She stood up with some help from Grace and walked to her sister. "We'll meet you at the zoo entrance at two thirty okay?"
"Right, you better come though Kare," Katherine said, standing up. She handed Elizabeth to Karen and kissed her sister's cheek.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure she comes with us," Jack said, putting his arm around Karen's waist. "Let's go you guys."
"Bye Kat," Grace and Will called as they followed Karen and Jack out of the office.
Katherine returned to her chair once they had all left and started drawing and sketching out the room for Karen and Jack's baby. She was so involved in her work that she nearly jumped out of her skin when a pair of hands covered her eyes half an hour later.
'Stand and deliver, you life or your...fabric samples,' a gruff voice said in French, hesitating at the last part.
Laughing, Katherine lifted the hands off her eyes and turned around. "I know that voice anywhere," she said, wrapping her arms around her husband's neck. She kissed him on the lips and then looked behind him. "Where are the children?"
"They wanted to stay at school for a bit longer," Edward said.
"Oh, so are we going out for lunch instead?" Katherine asked.
"I brought some Chinese with me," Edward said, pointing to the plastic take out bag on the floor behind him. "Unless you want to go out to a restaurant."
"No, no that's fine," Katherine said quickly. She grabbed Grace's desk chair and pulled it over to hers. "Sit down and I'll serve lunch."
"Is Karen still going to come to the zoo?" Edward asked a few minutes later as they started eating.
"Yeah, she looks like she doesn't want to, but Jack will make sure she comes," Katherine said, smiling.
~~~
Later that afternoon, Katherine and Edward, along with Amber and Patrick arrived at the entrance to the Central Park Zoo.
"Well, looks like you guys finally made it," Jack said, grinning as the four approached him and Karen.
"We were about to leave too," Karen said, smirking at her sister.
"Uh-huh, well we're here now, so let's go," Katherine said.
They walked into the zoo, and went over to see the lions first.
"Ma, why are they asleep?" Patrick asked as he and Amber peered into the cage anxiously.
"They like to take naps during the day," Edward said, squeezing his son's shoulder.
One of the lions got up and walked over to front of the cage where Jack was standing, holding Elizabeth. It plopped down on it's side and yawned widely.
Immediately, Elizabeth tried to get out of Jack's arms so she could get down on the ground.
"No Ebie, you're going to get hurt," Jack said a little sternly.
"Wanna pet," Elizabeth said, an angry expression on her face.
"Ebie, come here," Katherine said, walking over to Jack. She took the girl and then set her down; kneeling next to her putting her arms around her niece's waist so she couldn't move forward towards the cage. "If you pet that lion, he'll get mad at you."
"Mad?" Elizabeth asked, looking questioningly at her aunt.
"Yes, so you mustn't touch or else your mum and dad will be sad because you'll be hurt on your birthday," Katherine said. She picked Elizabeth up again and handed her to Jack.
"Sorry Dada," Elizabeth said, putting her arms around his neck.
"That's okay Ebie," Jack said. "Let's keep going you guys." He then walked over to the next cage, Amber, Patrick and Edward trailing behind.
"Nice move Kath," Karen said, taking her sister's arm.
"Well, I figured I should mention you guys being sad and she wouldn't want to pet the animals anymore," Katherine said. "It's one of the few things I got out of my psychology class in college."
Karen laughed and then pulled Katherine over to where the others were standing in front of the tiger cages.
~~~
A few hours later, Karen, Jack and Elizabeth were getting ready to go back to their penthouse.
"You guys are sure you don't want a ride with us?" Jack asked as Karen and Elizabeth got inside the limo.
"We're going out to the movies tonight," Edward said.
"Since we couldn't take you out for dinner," Katherine said, smiling at her brother in law.
"Well, Kare and I wanted to spend the night alone with Ebie, since it's her birthday," Jack said, shrugging. "Thanks for the gifts by the way. We'll have her open them tonight."
"You're welcome Jackie-boy," Katherine said, hugging him. "I'll call you tomorrow about the baby's room okay?"
"Sure," Jack said. He said goodbye to Edward and the kids and then went into the limo.
As they drove back to the penthouse, Elizabeth was allowed to walk around, but instead she sat next to her mother and put her arms around Karen.
"So tell me little one," Jack said after a while. "What did you think of the zoo?"
Elizabeth looked up at her father from Karen's side and giggled, saying, "Fun."
"Yeah?" Jack said, picking her up and putting the girl on his lap. "What animal did you like seeing?"
"Bears!" Elizabeth answered eagerly.
Jack smiled and kissed their daughter's forehead. "What are we going to do at home Kare? Or are you still not going to tell me?"
"You'll see poodle," Karen said, kissing him softly. "But don't expect anything too exciting, she's only two."
Laughing, Jack put his hand on Karen's cheek and pulled her close for a deep kiss. "As long as I'm with you two, I'm perfectly happy. Even if it's doing nothing at all," he said when they had pulled apart.
"I love you Jackie," Karen said, snuggling closer to him.
"I love you too Karebear," Jack said, putting his arm around her waist and placing his hand on her stomach.
Elizabeth grabbed onto the front of Jack's sweater and started pulling on it. "Me Dada, me," she said, pouting.
"Yes Ebie, I love you too," Jack said, laughing as he lifted her up into his arms. "She looks exactly like you when she's pouting Kare."
"Good, I was worried I was going to have to teach her how to do that so she can get things that she wants," Karen said, grinning.
Jack laughed at that and then held Karen tighter. "I can't wait to see what's she's going to do to the boys when she's a teenager," he commented wryly.
"Don't worry poodle, I'll teach her everything I know about men and boys when she gets to that age," Karen said.
"Oh, so she's going to marry her bisexual best friend once she's the same age you are now?" Jack asked in mock-fear.
Karen rolled her eyes as Jack started laughing, and then joined him when Elizabeth giggled as well.
~~~
That night, after eating dinner on the balcony outside Jack and Karen's bedroom, the three of them went downstairs to living room.
A few minutes later, Rosario walked into the room, holding a tray with a small birthday cake on it. She set it on the coffee table in front of the couch where Karen was sitting, holding Elizabeth. She lit the candles quickly and then left.
"Come and sit over here Jackie," Karen, said motioning to him.
When he had sat down next to her, they sang 'Happy Birthday' to her and then the three of them blew out the two candles on the top of the cake.
Jack cut three pieces of cake and handed a plate to Elizabeth. "Don't get it all over the place or your mom's going to kill me," he warned, making the little girl giggle.
"Jackie, I'm sure she can eat a piece of cake without making too much of a mess," Karen said. She set Elizabeth down on the ground so she could eat at the coffee table.
They then ate their slices of cake in silence. Once they were done, Jack left the room to go get the gifts he and Karen had bought for Elizabeth.
"I'm glad to see that some of the cake actually went into your mouth," Karen said as she wiped Elizabeth's face with a napkin. When all the frosting was off, she kissed her daughter's lips and cheeks and then picked her up.
Jack returned with the gifts and set them on the floor so he would be able to hand them to Elizabeth. "Is she opening ours or the others first?" he asked once he was sitting next to Karen.
"She'll open ours last," Karen decided. "I wonder what Will and Grace got her."
"Then she'll open that one first," Jack said. He picked up a little box that was wrapped with pink tissue paper and gave it to Elizabeth.
With Karen's help, Elizabeth got the paper off, revealing a small velvet box.
"Didn't they get her that necklace last year?" Jack commented.
Karen shrugged and then opened the lid. "Well, at least it's something different," she said, smiling.
Inside the box were two sets of earrings. One pair was blue gemstones and the others were pearls.
"God, remember when we took Ebie to get her ears pierced?" Jack asked as Karen put the velvet box on the table.
When they had taken her to the jewelry shop on 55th that did ear piercing, Elizabeth had cried for a long time once her ears had been pierced. Both Jack and Karen had been almost out of their minds with worry during that day. In the end, Elizabeth stopped crying, though it had taken a long time, and she liked to look at the gold earrings now whenever she was in front of a mirror.
"I know, but it's better then taking her when she's older," Karen said. "Now the gifts from my sister and brother in law."
"Okay, I guess this one is first," Jack said, handing Karen the smallest of the three gifts from Katherine and her family.
Once the wrapping paper was off, they saw it was a small book with the title 'My Early Years' on the top.
"There's a note in here," Jack said, pointing to a piece of paper in the middle of the book.
Karen handed him Elizabeth and then took the paper out. "'This is just so Ebie can know what her childhood was like when she gets older. I have one of these myself.'" Karen read.
"That's a good idea," Jack said.
"Yeah, now let's see what the next one is," Karen said.
This time, Jack helped Elizabeth open the next gift, tearing off the paper quickly so they could see what was inside. "Looks like your aunt and uncle finally got you some clothes," Jack said, smiling over at Karen.
"Here, let me open the box," Karen said. She took it and then lifted off the lid. Inside were two shirts, one had a little shamrock in the middle and the other was blue with long sleeves.
"Those are cute," Jack said, wondering what Karen thought of them.
"Yeah, I probably wouldn't have bought them myself, but it's better then nothing," Karen said, folding the shirts and putting them back in the box.
"Last gift from the O'Neills," Jack said, picking up a bigger box- looking present. "Wow, whatever this is, it's really heavy. Take Ebie, Kare." Once she was in his wife's lap, Jack tore off the wrapping paper and showed the other two what the gift was.
"She is such a great sister," Karen said, smiling when she saw the presents.
They were two framed photographs of the countryside of Ireland; on the matting surround the photos were a bunch of Celtic designs in silver ink.
"How do you know Eddie didn't get these or they got them together?" Jack asked.
"Look here poodle," Karen said, pointing to the bottom left corner of the photo. "KR, she took these pictures when she was a kid, herself."
"Wow, is there anything that girl can't do?" Jack said, shaking his head. "We need to get her something special now Kare, these are just fabulous."
"Well, there's still some time before Christmas Jackie," Karen said, leaning over and kissing his cheek. "Now let Ebie open our presents."
~~~
That night, once all the presents had been unwrapped and marveled over, Karen took their daughter upstairs to put her to bed. While she was changing Elizabeth into her pajamas, she heard Jack walk into the room.
"It was a good day huh?" he asked as he watched Karen brush Elizabeth's hair.
"Not bad, the zoo I could have done without though," Karen said wryly. She picked Elizabeth up off the changing table and carried her over to where Jack was standing.
"You had fun Kare, come on and admit it," Jack said before he kissed their daughter's cheek.
"Only because Ebie had fun," Karen said. She turned and then walked to the crib. Setting Elizabeth down, she said, "Sweet dreams Ebie honey." She leaned down and kissed the girl softly.
Jack came up behind her and covered the baby with the blanket in the crib.
The two of them stood their, watching Elizabeth as she turned over and then fell asleep with a tiny sigh, holding on tightly to her stuffed dog.
Karen took Jack's hand and then led him out of the room gently, closing the lights before they left.
As they walked into their bedroom, Jack said, "Are you sure you want to do this when you're so far along?"
"Jackie, I love you and I know you very well," Karen said, looking at him, placing her hands on her hips.
"That doesn't have anything to do with us having sex tonight Kare," Jack said.
"Oh, for crying out loud poodle," Karen said, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "We made love when I was seven months with Ebie. Twice."
"I know Kare, I know, but you had the early contractions-" Jack started to say.
"Honey, we've made love quite a few times after that and I'm fine, the baby is fine," Karen said, interrupting him. Then she walked up to him and put her arms around his neck. "What's wrong poodle?" she said, pouting. "Don't want to have sex with me?"
Jack didn't say anything, but he picked her up into his arms and carried her over to the bed. He set her down and then sat next to her. "You know you're going to have to be on top this time," he pointed out as he started to unbutton her blouse.
"I know, and I can't wait," Karen said, grinning evilly. When she was naked, she sat up and then undressed Jack as quickly as she could without having to rip off his clothes. "Why don't we just do it like this first thing?" she asked as she straddled his lap.
"Like how- oooh," Jack groaned as Karen let his member into her quickly. "Yeah, that's good Kare," he said breathlessly when he was inside her fully. "You know I love you right?"
"Of course Jackie," Karen said as she started moving up and down on his member. "I love you too."
Smiling, Jack put his arms around Karen and then put his lips on her right breast, sucking gently on it since he knew they were probably feeling tender.
Karen rested her head on Jack's shoulder and gripped the skin on his back. After about ten minutes, she suddenly threw her head back and cried out Jack's name as she climaxed around him.
Jack lifted his head up and kissed Karen's exposed neck, taking her waist and making her continue to move on his member. When she reached her climax again, moaning in ecstasy, Jack achieved his release and groaned out Karen's name.
Sighing, Karen leaned forward, resting her weight on Jack, making them fall back onto the bed. She put her arms on either side of Jack, lifting her body up so the baby wouldn't be squished between them
"Kare, I've always wondered, what would you do if you couldn't have sex with me for a week?" Jack asked, a few minutes later.
"I won't be able to in about a month or-" Karen was about to say.
"After you have the baby and are recovered," Jack interrupted.
"Why, planning on leaving for a week?" Karen asked, looking at him curiously.
"No way, I'd go nuts without you Kare," Jack said.
"Because you wouldn't be able to sleep with me?" Karen asked.
"No, well yes, but not just that," Jack said. "When I say I love you, it's not just because you are a sex goddess, it's because I love you. I mean, I love you in bed, when you wake up in the morning, when you get out of the shower, when you get dressed-" He was about to say more when Karen cut him off, kissing him deeply.
"Thank you Jackie," she said when she pulled away from the kiss. She sat up then and said, "And just to let you know, I'd go insane too without you to fuck for a whole week."
Jack smiled and reached up to cup Karen's breasts in his hands. "You gonna fuck me now?" he asked, teasing her nipples.
"I could," Karen said slyly, taking his member in her hand. "You look like you're ready for it." Smiling, she moved back and then knelt down, placing her mouth on him.
"Oh! Kare, you said you were going to make love to me, not tease me," Jack groaned.
"I will poodle," Karen purred. "Don't worry." She then sat back up and straddled his lap so his member was at her entrance. She stroked him with her fingers a few times, smiling at Jack's frustrated groans. Finally, she herself couldn't take it any longer, and she lowered herself onto him, letting out a low hiss of satisfaction.
"I love you Kare," Jack gasped out, touching her breasts again.
"Love you Jackie," Karen moaned as she moved up and down slowly. As she moved, she placed her hands on Jack's abdomen, lightly scratching the skin there with her fingernails.
Jack suddenly sat up in the middle of their lovemaking, and placed his mouth on her left nipple, sucking on it eagerly and helping Karen move faster on his member.
"Oh...oh Jackie," Karen moaned as she felt herself nearing her edge. "I... JACKIE!" she then cried as she climaxed around him.
The exact same moment, Jack felt his body shudder pleasurably and he achieved his release, climaxing deep inside of his wife and yelling, "I love you Kare...oh god KARE!"
They stayed in that position for a long time after they had recovered, just enjoying the feeling of being connected in that way. With a lot of reluctance, Jack helped Karen slide off of him. They both sighed a little sadly in unison when he was out of her fully.
"I'm going to miss this when we have to stop in a month or so," Karen said, lying back on her pillow.
"Me too, but just think that we'll get to see our child when this is all over," Jack said, putting his hand on her stomach. He bent down and kissed it, whispering, "Good night." Then he reached down and pulled up all the sheets and the comforter over himself and Karen.
As soon as Jack's head hit his pillow, Karen was snuggling up to him. She kissed him deeply for a long time, before she pulled back and put her head on his chest. "Good night my sweet Jackie," she said, listening to his heart beating.
"Night my beautiful Karebear," Jack murmured, putting his hand on her stomach. He closed his eyes and they both fell asleep almost immediately after that, contented smiles on both their faces.
Disclaimer: I don't own Will and Grace or its characters.
Chapter Forty-Four
A Fun Celebration
Jack walked into Elizabeth's room the day of her second birthday. He went over to the crib and saw that she was awake, staring up at her mobile. "Hi there little one," Jack said softly. He reached down and lifted her up into his arms. "Happy birthday," he said, hugging her tightly and kissing her cheeks.
Laughing, Elizabeth hugged her father back and rested her head against his cheek.
Walking over to the rocking bench and sitting down, Jack started playing with her, pretending to take her nose away. As his daughter laughed and tried to grab his hand, he leaned forward and kissed her again. "I love you little one," he said gently, smiling at her.
Karen, who had felt Jack leave the bed, had gotten up and pulled on her dark blue robe. She walked to the doorway of Elizabeth's room, and watched as Jack played with their daughter. When she heard him say, 'I love you,' she smiled brightly and felt tears well up in her eyes suddenly.
"Wanna go see your mommy?" Jack asked then. He was about to stand up when Karen walked into the room.
"I'm right here poodle," she said, smiling, all traces of tears gone from her eyes. She sat down next to him on the bench and kissed Elizabeth. "Happy Birthday honey," she said.
Elizabeth reached out to Karen and whimpered slightly.
"She looks a lot like you when she does that Jackie," Karen said, taking their daughter into her arms. "Two years old," she said, sounding awed.
"Went by really fast," Jack pointed out. He put his arm around Karen and then placed his free hand on her stomach which was sticking out greatly since she was in her seventh month.
"Hmm," Karen sighed, smiling. "I can't wait till I give birth to this monster." She placed her hand on top of Jack's and said, "It's been kicking like crazy the past week or so."
"I can tell," Jack said, laughing as he felt the repeated kicks under his hand. "I wonder if it might be a boy this time."
"It could be," Karen said. "Otherwise it's one feisty little girl."
"Sissy?" Elizabeth asked, looking questioningly at her parents.
"Or brother, Ebie," Karen said, moving her hand from Jack's and brushing Elizabeth's cheek with her fingers gently.
"Sissy, Mama," the girl said firmly.
Jack and Karen looked at each other and laughed at the expression on their daughter's face.
"Okay. I guess she wants to have a little sister like you do Karebear," Jack said, kissing his wife's cheek. He then took Elizabeth from her and threw the little girl up in to the air slightly. "So what are we going to do today?" he asked Karen as he settled Elizabeth on his lap.
"Will and Grace want to take the three of us out for lunch at one," Karen answered, resting her head on his shoulder. "And then Kath and Edward want us to go with them and the kids to the zoo in Central Park."
At that, Jack glanced down at his wife and giggled slightly at the look on her face. "If you don't want to go then you should tell your sister you don't want to," he said, kissing her temple.
"Yeah, I told Kath that, but she pointed out that Ebie hasn't been to the zoo yet," Karen said. "So I caved in."
"You are a wonderful woman Kare," Jack said. He pulled her closer and they kissed deeply for a few moments.
Elizabeth meanwhile, reached her arm out and placed her hand on Karen's stomach. When she felt the taps under her hand she giggled and clapped her hands. "Mama, my sissy!" she said cheerfully.
Karen and Jack pulled apart and smiled at their daughter.
"She's one smart girl," Karen said.
"If it turns out that we have a son..." Jack started to say, trailing off at the end.
"Let's wait till it's born Jackie," Karen said, kissing his cheek. "Come on poodle; let's get ready to go for lunch."
~~~
Jack entered Grace's office, holding Elizabeth's hand, helping her to walk. "Hey everybody," he said.
"Hi Jackie," Karen said, smiling from where she was sitting behind her desk, looking at a thick Vogue magazine.
Elizabeth immediately went over to Karen and hugged her leg. "Mama!" she cried happily.
"Hello honey," Karen said, smoothing down her daughter's hair.
Grace went over to Karen's desk and picked up her goddaughter. "Happy Birthday Ebie," she said, hugging her tightly.
"So where's Will?" Jack asked looking around the office.
"He's coming right now," Grace said, putting Elizabeth down on the floor. "We want to take you guys out to Flortine's for lunch."
"Well, at least you picked a place that has some class," Karen said, watching Elizabeth walk toward Katherine. "What are you going to do Kath?"
"Edward's coming by with Amber and Patrick and we're going to have lunch here," Katherine said. She picked up Elizabeth and set her on her lap. "Bonne Anniversaire my niece," she said. She picked up a piece of paper and a colored pencil with her free hand. "Why don't you draw for a little bit Ebie?" She motioned for Jack to sit in Grace's chair so she could hand Elizabeth to him and she would be able to color.
Just then, Will hurried into the office, a little out of breath. "Sorry guys," he said. "I got caught up in traffic."
"At least you're here, now let's go to lunch, I'm starving!" Karen said. She stood up with some help from Grace and walked to her sister. "We'll meet you at the zoo entrance at two thirty okay?"
"Right, you better come though Kare," Katherine said, standing up. She handed Elizabeth to Karen and kissed her sister's cheek.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure she comes with us," Jack said, putting his arm around Karen's waist. "Let's go you guys."
"Bye Kat," Grace and Will called as they followed Karen and Jack out of the office.
Katherine returned to her chair once they had all left and started drawing and sketching out the room for Karen and Jack's baby. She was so involved in her work that she nearly jumped out of her skin when a pair of hands covered her eyes half an hour later.
'Stand and deliver, you life or your...fabric samples,' a gruff voice said in French, hesitating at the last part.
Laughing, Katherine lifted the hands off her eyes and turned around. "I know that voice anywhere," she said, wrapping her arms around her husband's neck. She kissed him on the lips and then looked behind him. "Where are the children?"
"They wanted to stay at school for a bit longer," Edward said.
"Oh, so are we going out for lunch instead?" Katherine asked.
"I brought some Chinese with me," Edward said, pointing to the plastic take out bag on the floor behind him. "Unless you want to go out to a restaurant."
"No, no that's fine," Katherine said quickly. She grabbed Grace's desk chair and pulled it over to hers. "Sit down and I'll serve lunch."
"Is Karen still going to come to the zoo?" Edward asked a few minutes later as they started eating.
"Yeah, she looks like she doesn't want to, but Jack will make sure she comes," Katherine said, smiling.
~~~
Later that afternoon, Katherine and Edward, along with Amber and Patrick arrived at the entrance to the Central Park Zoo.
"Well, looks like you guys finally made it," Jack said, grinning as the four approached him and Karen.
"We were about to leave too," Karen said, smirking at her sister.
"Uh-huh, well we're here now, so let's go," Katherine said.
They walked into the zoo, and went over to see the lions first.
"Ma, why are they asleep?" Patrick asked as he and Amber peered into the cage anxiously.
"They like to take naps during the day," Edward said, squeezing his son's shoulder.
One of the lions got up and walked over to front of the cage where Jack was standing, holding Elizabeth. It plopped down on it's side and yawned widely.
Immediately, Elizabeth tried to get out of Jack's arms so she could get down on the ground.
"No Ebie, you're going to get hurt," Jack said a little sternly.
"Wanna pet," Elizabeth said, an angry expression on her face.
"Ebie, come here," Katherine said, walking over to Jack. She took the girl and then set her down; kneeling next to her putting her arms around her niece's waist so she couldn't move forward towards the cage. "If you pet that lion, he'll get mad at you."
"Mad?" Elizabeth asked, looking questioningly at her aunt.
"Yes, so you mustn't touch or else your mum and dad will be sad because you'll be hurt on your birthday," Katherine said. She picked Elizabeth up again and handed her to Jack.
"Sorry Dada," Elizabeth said, putting her arms around his neck.
"That's okay Ebie," Jack said. "Let's keep going you guys." He then walked over to the next cage, Amber, Patrick and Edward trailing behind.
"Nice move Kath," Karen said, taking her sister's arm.
"Well, I figured I should mention you guys being sad and she wouldn't want to pet the animals anymore," Katherine said. "It's one of the few things I got out of my psychology class in college."
Karen laughed and then pulled Katherine over to where the others were standing in front of the tiger cages.
~~~
A few hours later, Karen, Jack and Elizabeth were getting ready to go back to their penthouse.
"You guys are sure you don't want a ride with us?" Jack asked as Karen and Elizabeth got inside the limo.
"We're going out to the movies tonight," Edward said.
"Since we couldn't take you out for dinner," Katherine said, smiling at her brother in law.
"Well, Kare and I wanted to spend the night alone with Ebie, since it's her birthday," Jack said, shrugging. "Thanks for the gifts by the way. We'll have her open them tonight."
"You're welcome Jackie-boy," Katherine said, hugging him. "I'll call you tomorrow about the baby's room okay?"
"Sure," Jack said. He said goodbye to Edward and the kids and then went into the limo.
As they drove back to the penthouse, Elizabeth was allowed to walk around, but instead she sat next to her mother and put her arms around Karen.
"So tell me little one," Jack said after a while. "What did you think of the zoo?"
Elizabeth looked up at her father from Karen's side and giggled, saying, "Fun."
"Yeah?" Jack said, picking her up and putting the girl on his lap. "What animal did you like seeing?"
"Bears!" Elizabeth answered eagerly.
Jack smiled and kissed their daughter's forehead. "What are we going to do at home Kare? Or are you still not going to tell me?"
"You'll see poodle," Karen said, kissing him softly. "But don't expect anything too exciting, she's only two."
Laughing, Jack put his hand on Karen's cheek and pulled her close for a deep kiss. "As long as I'm with you two, I'm perfectly happy. Even if it's doing nothing at all," he said when they had pulled apart.
"I love you Jackie," Karen said, snuggling closer to him.
"I love you too Karebear," Jack said, putting his arm around her waist and placing his hand on her stomach.
Elizabeth grabbed onto the front of Jack's sweater and started pulling on it. "Me Dada, me," she said, pouting.
"Yes Ebie, I love you too," Jack said, laughing as he lifted her up into his arms. "She looks exactly like you when she's pouting Kare."
"Good, I was worried I was going to have to teach her how to do that so she can get things that she wants," Karen said, grinning.
Jack laughed at that and then held Karen tighter. "I can't wait to see what's she's going to do to the boys when she's a teenager," he commented wryly.
"Don't worry poodle, I'll teach her everything I know about men and boys when she gets to that age," Karen said.
"Oh, so she's going to marry her bisexual best friend once she's the same age you are now?" Jack asked in mock-fear.
Karen rolled her eyes as Jack started laughing, and then joined him when Elizabeth giggled as well.
~~~
That night, after eating dinner on the balcony outside Jack and Karen's bedroom, the three of them went downstairs to living room.
A few minutes later, Rosario walked into the room, holding a tray with a small birthday cake on it. She set it on the coffee table in front of the couch where Karen was sitting, holding Elizabeth. She lit the candles quickly and then left.
"Come and sit over here Jackie," Karen, said motioning to him.
When he had sat down next to her, they sang 'Happy Birthday' to her and then the three of them blew out the two candles on the top of the cake.
Jack cut three pieces of cake and handed a plate to Elizabeth. "Don't get it all over the place or your mom's going to kill me," he warned, making the little girl giggle.
"Jackie, I'm sure she can eat a piece of cake without making too much of a mess," Karen said. She set Elizabeth down on the ground so she could eat at the coffee table.
They then ate their slices of cake in silence. Once they were done, Jack left the room to go get the gifts he and Karen had bought for Elizabeth.
"I'm glad to see that some of the cake actually went into your mouth," Karen said as she wiped Elizabeth's face with a napkin. When all the frosting was off, she kissed her daughter's lips and cheeks and then picked her up.
Jack returned with the gifts and set them on the floor so he would be able to hand them to Elizabeth. "Is she opening ours or the others first?" he asked once he was sitting next to Karen.
"She'll open ours last," Karen decided. "I wonder what Will and Grace got her."
"Then she'll open that one first," Jack said. He picked up a little box that was wrapped with pink tissue paper and gave it to Elizabeth.
With Karen's help, Elizabeth got the paper off, revealing a small velvet box.
"Didn't they get her that necklace last year?" Jack commented.
Karen shrugged and then opened the lid. "Well, at least it's something different," she said, smiling.
Inside the box were two sets of earrings. One pair was blue gemstones and the others were pearls.
"God, remember when we took Ebie to get her ears pierced?" Jack asked as Karen put the velvet box on the table.
When they had taken her to the jewelry shop on 55th that did ear piercing, Elizabeth had cried for a long time once her ears had been pierced. Both Jack and Karen had been almost out of their minds with worry during that day. In the end, Elizabeth stopped crying, though it had taken a long time, and she liked to look at the gold earrings now whenever she was in front of a mirror.
"I know, but it's better then taking her when she's older," Karen said. "Now the gifts from my sister and brother in law."
"Okay, I guess this one is first," Jack said, handing Karen the smallest of the three gifts from Katherine and her family.
Once the wrapping paper was off, they saw it was a small book with the title 'My Early Years' on the top.
"There's a note in here," Jack said, pointing to a piece of paper in the middle of the book.
Karen handed him Elizabeth and then took the paper out. "'This is just so Ebie can know what her childhood was like when she gets older. I have one of these myself.'" Karen read.
"That's a good idea," Jack said.
"Yeah, now let's see what the next one is," Karen said.
This time, Jack helped Elizabeth open the next gift, tearing off the paper quickly so they could see what was inside. "Looks like your aunt and uncle finally got you some clothes," Jack said, smiling over at Karen.
"Here, let me open the box," Karen said. She took it and then lifted off the lid. Inside were two shirts, one had a little shamrock in the middle and the other was blue with long sleeves.
"Those are cute," Jack said, wondering what Karen thought of them.
"Yeah, I probably wouldn't have bought them myself, but it's better then nothing," Karen said, folding the shirts and putting them back in the box.
"Last gift from the O'Neills," Jack said, picking up a bigger box- looking present. "Wow, whatever this is, it's really heavy. Take Ebie, Kare." Once she was in his wife's lap, Jack tore off the wrapping paper and showed the other two what the gift was.
"She is such a great sister," Karen said, smiling when she saw the presents.
They were two framed photographs of the countryside of Ireland; on the matting surround the photos were a bunch of Celtic designs in silver ink.
"How do you know Eddie didn't get these or they got them together?" Jack asked.
"Look here poodle," Karen said, pointing to the bottom left corner of the photo. "KR, she took these pictures when she was a kid, herself."
"Wow, is there anything that girl can't do?" Jack said, shaking his head. "We need to get her something special now Kare, these are just fabulous."
"Well, there's still some time before Christmas Jackie," Karen said, leaning over and kissing his cheek. "Now let Ebie open our presents."
~~~
That night, once all the presents had been unwrapped and marveled over, Karen took their daughter upstairs to put her to bed. While she was changing Elizabeth into her pajamas, she heard Jack walk into the room.
"It was a good day huh?" he asked as he watched Karen brush Elizabeth's hair.
"Not bad, the zoo I could have done without though," Karen said wryly. She picked Elizabeth up off the changing table and carried her over to where Jack was standing.
"You had fun Kare, come on and admit it," Jack said before he kissed their daughter's cheek.
"Only because Ebie had fun," Karen said. She turned and then walked to the crib. Setting Elizabeth down, she said, "Sweet dreams Ebie honey." She leaned down and kissed the girl softly.
Jack came up behind her and covered the baby with the blanket in the crib.
The two of them stood their, watching Elizabeth as she turned over and then fell asleep with a tiny sigh, holding on tightly to her stuffed dog.
Karen took Jack's hand and then led him out of the room gently, closing the lights before they left.
As they walked into their bedroom, Jack said, "Are you sure you want to do this when you're so far along?"
"Jackie, I love you and I know you very well," Karen said, looking at him, placing her hands on her hips.
"That doesn't have anything to do with us having sex tonight Kare," Jack said.
"Oh, for crying out loud poodle," Karen said, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "We made love when I was seven months with Ebie. Twice."
"I know Kare, I know, but you had the early contractions-" Jack started to say.
"Honey, we've made love quite a few times after that and I'm fine, the baby is fine," Karen said, interrupting him. Then she walked up to him and put her arms around his neck. "What's wrong poodle?" she said, pouting. "Don't want to have sex with me?"
Jack didn't say anything, but he picked her up into his arms and carried her over to the bed. He set her down and then sat next to her. "You know you're going to have to be on top this time," he pointed out as he started to unbutton her blouse.
"I know, and I can't wait," Karen said, grinning evilly. When she was naked, she sat up and then undressed Jack as quickly as she could without having to rip off his clothes. "Why don't we just do it like this first thing?" she asked as she straddled his lap.
"Like how- oooh," Jack groaned as Karen let his member into her quickly. "Yeah, that's good Kare," he said breathlessly when he was inside her fully. "You know I love you right?"
"Of course Jackie," Karen said as she started moving up and down on his member. "I love you too."
Smiling, Jack put his arms around Karen and then put his lips on her right breast, sucking gently on it since he knew they were probably feeling tender.
Karen rested her head on Jack's shoulder and gripped the skin on his back. After about ten minutes, she suddenly threw her head back and cried out Jack's name as she climaxed around him.
Jack lifted his head up and kissed Karen's exposed neck, taking her waist and making her continue to move on his member. When she reached her climax again, moaning in ecstasy, Jack achieved his release and groaned out Karen's name.
Sighing, Karen leaned forward, resting her weight on Jack, making them fall back onto the bed. She put her arms on either side of Jack, lifting her body up so the baby wouldn't be squished between them
"Kare, I've always wondered, what would you do if you couldn't have sex with me for a week?" Jack asked, a few minutes later.
"I won't be able to in about a month or-" Karen was about to say.
"After you have the baby and are recovered," Jack interrupted.
"Why, planning on leaving for a week?" Karen asked, looking at him curiously.
"No way, I'd go nuts without you Kare," Jack said.
"Because you wouldn't be able to sleep with me?" Karen asked.
"No, well yes, but not just that," Jack said. "When I say I love you, it's not just because you are a sex goddess, it's because I love you. I mean, I love you in bed, when you wake up in the morning, when you get out of the shower, when you get dressed-" He was about to say more when Karen cut him off, kissing him deeply.
"Thank you Jackie," she said when she pulled away from the kiss. She sat up then and said, "And just to let you know, I'd go insane too without you to fuck for a whole week."
Jack smiled and reached up to cup Karen's breasts in his hands. "You gonna fuck me now?" he asked, teasing her nipples.
"I could," Karen said slyly, taking his member in her hand. "You look like you're ready for it." Smiling, she moved back and then knelt down, placing her mouth on him.
"Oh! Kare, you said you were going to make love to me, not tease me," Jack groaned.
"I will poodle," Karen purred. "Don't worry." She then sat back up and straddled his lap so his member was at her entrance. She stroked him with her fingers a few times, smiling at Jack's frustrated groans. Finally, she herself couldn't take it any longer, and she lowered herself onto him, letting out a low hiss of satisfaction.
"I love you Kare," Jack gasped out, touching her breasts again.
"Love you Jackie," Karen moaned as she moved up and down slowly. As she moved, she placed her hands on Jack's abdomen, lightly scratching the skin there with her fingernails.
Jack suddenly sat up in the middle of their lovemaking, and placed his mouth on her left nipple, sucking on it eagerly and helping Karen move faster on his member.
"Oh...oh Jackie," Karen moaned as she felt herself nearing her edge. "I... JACKIE!" she then cried as she climaxed around him.
The exact same moment, Jack felt his body shudder pleasurably and he achieved his release, climaxing deep inside of his wife and yelling, "I love you Kare...oh god KARE!"
They stayed in that position for a long time after they had recovered, just enjoying the feeling of being connected in that way. With a lot of reluctance, Jack helped Karen slide off of him. They both sighed a little sadly in unison when he was out of her fully.
"I'm going to miss this when we have to stop in a month or so," Karen said, lying back on her pillow.
"Me too, but just think that we'll get to see our child when this is all over," Jack said, putting his hand on her stomach. He bent down and kissed it, whispering, "Good night." Then he reached down and pulled up all the sheets and the comforter over himself and Karen.
As soon as Jack's head hit his pillow, Karen was snuggling up to him. She kissed him deeply for a long time, before she pulled back and put her head on his chest. "Good night my sweet Jackie," she said, listening to his heart beating.
"Night my beautiful Karebear," Jack murmured, putting his hand on her stomach. He closed his eyes and they both fell asleep almost immediately after that, contented smiles on both their faces.