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Please read and review, Sorry, I don't know how longthis is going to be.

Chapter 13-The Dinner

Jordan and Woody's Apartment, Jordan's POV

Ring, ring. Woody got up to answer the door leaving me a little lonely on the couch, but like I was going to admit that to him. He opened the door and in walked Garret hand in hand with our very own DA Walcott.

"Garret, Ms. Walcott, come in."

"Woody, you don't have to be so formal, we're not at work, it's Renee." Well, she hasn't noticed me yet, but she's still in the entry way. They came in a little further. "Jordan, what's that?!" She practically yelled pointing at my enlarged belly.

"Twins." I said innocently, trying to act like, what you didn't already know, I can't believe no one told you. She didn't look like she was buying it, but within the next five seconds she was sitting across from me on the coffee table in Woody's usual spot.

"Can I feel?" Walcott actually wants to feel my stomach, she usually never wants to be within 100 feet of me.

"Uh," I looked at Woody trying to read his expression, "sure." I lifted my hands off of my tummy. She quickly placed her hands where mine had been and I could feel the kids start to kick me, they were ready to put on a show. She got this look of pure amazement on her face, I was shocked. Was Renee Walcott really reveling in the fact that I was pregnant and that she could play with them through m shirt?

"Garret look, they are playing with me." is she feeling alright?

"Dinner's about ready," Woody announced, I was relieved. She finally got up and went and sat next to Garret at the table. Woody came over and helped me up and practically placed me in my chair.

"This looks wonderful. I didn't know you cooked." Garret had a shocked expression on his face.

"Well, since Jordan can't I figure one of us should be able to, right." I glared at him, he leaned over and gave me a kiss, so as to cover my frown. We quickly at dinner and then Woody helped me to the couch, he picked up my feet and placed them on his lap and started to massage them, I was sure he could tell this had been a trying day and he was trying to make it better, which I greatly appreciated. Maybe I could get used to this, I've never been so pampered in my life. Garret and Renee promptly followed in suit and sat on the couch across from us.

"So, what do you need to talk about?" Just like Gar, straight to the point, he never really did like it when I danced around things, even though I was usually right. Renee was still staring at my stomach in disbelief, at first is was cute, now I didn't know how I felt about it.

"Well it's like this," Woody started off, I cut him off, it had seemed to me that he had done most of the talking all night and I wanted to put in my two cents worth, after all I was the pregnant one.

"I'm high risk and we had a little bit of a scare earlier today." Garret's face dropped, he quickly reached for my hands.

"Is everything okay?"

"For now, but that's what I needed to talk to you about. The doctor doesn't want me doing anything that I can't do from this position right hear." I said pointing at the couch.

"You've got to be kidding, Jo I know your pregnant, but you are our best ME. We can't lose you for that long." He just started rambling, my first thought was poor Garret, but then I remember why I was putting him through this and a huge smile developed across my face. By this time Garret was pacing the room. As soon as he saw my grin he stopped dead in his tracks. "You think this is funny? Renee, she thinks this funny, Any input from the man who put us in this situation? Come on Woody are you going on maternity leave too?"

"Woah, calm down big boy," Renee said a little too romantically for my liking, but at least she was trying to help. "She's having twins, she really does need to take care of herself and those kids, it will be okay, I promise we can handle it for a few months without her. And besides, men don't generally get maternity leave, so you still have Woody to drive you up the wall for a few months, right?" She looked Woody dead in the eyes, he looked like he was trying to escape, but he had nowhere to go, so he gave up.

"See that's why I needed to talk to you too." he said as innocently as possible, "you see someone has to be here to watch her. I'll still keep up with all my cases, but was sorta wondering if you mind if I did things here for a little while."

"Great, now you too. Last I checked men can't give birth, right." She scowled at Garret.

"No, they can't, but if you'll remember you did push at a law to let men help out more at home." Garret said in almost a whisper not daring to make eye contact.

"Fine, you can work here, but if we need you, you still qualify as on call at last resort, get it!"

"Got it." was Woody's short, but sweet answer, I was just impressed that he actually answered. I was thrilled at th fat that she had actually said yes to letting him stay at home with me, I was a great relief if for no other reason that I now hated to be by myself, not that I was ever by myself anymore, but that's not the point. Being responsible for three lives can be a little testing at times and with Woody there I had a trust that it would at least be a little easier.

After we were done with the serious talking we decided we needed to lighten the mood a little bit. Woody started going off about all the stuff we sill needed to get, Garret was examining the work that was being done to combine the apartments and Renee was back to playing with the babies, she'd push, they'd kick. Woody's favorite game I thought sweetly. After they were all done Renee had decided that we need to have a baby shower because caring for twins was not cheap. I also got the hint that she actually wanted to spend some time with. This was confirmed when she sent the boys out to pick up some ice cream. I was slightly terrified at the prospect of being left with Renee, but it turned out much better than I had thought it would. When she wanted she really could be quite pleasant. We sat and talked about baby names, I told her the girl's was Emily Marie, but that we hadn't yet decided on the boy's, to which she suggested another president.

"I'm sorry, but that is one Hoyt tradition that should have already died." She laughed. She turned out not to be so bad and if she was with Garret I better get used to it sooner or later and I was sure life would be easier if I tried for the sooner.

"Okay, how about Jackson Evan," I fell in love with it immediately. I liked the same name as Walcott, this was starting to get scary. At least on the plus side she was being positive, heck she was down right giddy about the whole thing, you'd half think she wished they were her's. Renee a mom, me a mom, I don't' know which is a scarier thought.

"Well Woody picked the girl's I guess that means I get to pick the boy's right?" she nodded. "Jackson Evan it is." At least my children now had names, thanks to the our little scare earlier we didn't finish our shopping and didn't have much.

"Is it just me, or are the guys taking a while?"

"It's not just you, I wonder what they are up to."

Meanwhile at the grocery store, Woody's POV

"Garret, I don't know what to think, I love Jordan and for the most part I can handle her..."

"That's your first mistake, no one can really handle Jordan."

"Correction, she's been behaving herself, for some reason it just doesn't seem right, she's got to be up to something, I just can't figure out what it is yet. She never wants to do what she's told, you know that as well as I do. I really don't think she can sit still for two months, she'll go insane, heck I'll go insane. I love her and I want to take care of her, she just seems so fragile right now. You should've seen her at the hospital today, she was so scared she was going to lose them. I want them so bad, but I want her too."

"Woody, that's the best part, you are getting whole the package deal, they're yours, heck she agreed to marry you. Don't tell Jordan, but I see how she looks at you, she gets this look in her eyes that I've never seen before, she looks happier when you're around. When she first came back the only time she looked happy was when she'd say 'they're Woody's,'she knew she had a part of you forever, even if she didn't have you."

"But she did have me, she always had me."

"She was scared, I think she wanted a family more than you know. I think it is the one things she's always wanted, but was to afraid to think she would ever get it. You're going to be fine, all of you, but I think I'm going to go insane. I thought it was bad the past few months when she couldn't do everything, now I'm gonna lose her all together. We're already short-handed as it is. Don't tell Jo, but I think I'm going to have to hire some outside help." he looked scared at the thought of even having to temporarily replace Jo.

"I won't, she'd probably wring my neck for doing this to her again." I put my hands up next to my neck to exaggerate my point.

"You weren't the only one there."

"Don't I know it." We laughed.

"Thanks, but I don't really need a visual. The next few months are going to be hard, believe me I've been there and that was with only one of them in there, she's got two. She may seen hard to live with, but have to do it, and you can." For the first time I was really believing I could handle all this, we could handle all of this, we were going to be fine, better than fine. Perfect.

"Garret, she hasn't said anything, but I know she wishes her dad was here and I don't know what to do to help her. She's going through so much and when she looks at his picture she is almost guaranteed to cry. I'm sure part of it is the hormones, but I know she really misses him."

"We can always put Nigel to work if you want."

"Probably a good idea, I know she wants him here, go ahead and have Nigel see if he can find him, if we could get him back by the wedding I know she'd be thrilled, the best present she could get." I wanted Max here for her and me, he was the dad I never had and he deserved to be part of this. I was fairly sure he thought it would never happen, but it did. He should be a part of it.

"Speaking of which, when is this wedding going to happen."

"I had hoped sooner rather than later, but it doesn't look like that is going to happen anytime soon. So probably after the babies are born. Now that she's got to be down, she might actually take time to plan it. I know she doesn't want a very big wedding, but I'd like it to be in a church."

"Woody, you might be pushing it with that one."

"I know, but it's a nice thought." I'd always been more religious than Jordan, but I hadn't the reason to lose my faith that she had. I understood it to an extent, but my children were going to be christened one way or another, on that I was putting my foot down, just not yet. "We better get going, they're going to wonder what's been keeping us, plus Jo may kill me for leaving her alone so long with Walcott."

"Okay, lets get out of here, but could you e a little nicer to Renee, she's really trying hard."

"Fine." I let slip in a moment of defeat, after the day I had I thought I deserved a little leeway. He patted my shoulder and we went back to 'our' apartment, I loved that thought, 'ours.'

Home

We got home, I unlocked the door and saw Jordan on the couch and Renee perched across from her on the coffee table, in my spot, I thought possessively, they were chatting and looking at the baby magazines that I had picked up for Jordan along with the pregnancy packets. She looked like such a girl. Idiot, she is a girl. This was not a sight I expected to see. Jordan at her throat was more what I'd pictured, it was a pleasant surprise. Jordan looked so happy. She'd bonded with Renee. If I hadn't known before, I would have known now that she was pregnant, this was completely out of character, they never got along, now they looked like best friends. We walked over to them, I leaned down and kissed her cheek, Garret followed in suit with Renee. They both smiled.

"Now, where's the ice cream?" leave it to Jordan to forget the emotion sweet and go straight for the edible one.

"Right here." I pulled it out of the bag and put it in some bowls and served everyone. After that we pretty much ended the evening. Garret and Renee left and I pulled out my other presents for Jordan.

"Woody what's this?" she asked as I placed the bag on her enlarged abdomen.

"Just a few other things I picked up." She slowly removed them one at a time. Her jaw dropped, they were wedding magazines.

"Woody, I already said I would marry you, but not right now. I have no desire to walk down the isle looking like a swallowed a huge beach ball."

"I finally get you to agree to marry me and now you say won't do it because I got you pregnant, Jo that doesn't make much sense. I thought you wanted to marry me."

"Yes, but preferably after I give birth, not that I always care what I look like, but I really don't' want to look like a whale on my wedding day and I'd really like to be vertical for the event." her eyes were pleading with me. I could see the love in them.

"You could never look like a whale. I just want you to be mine, and mine alone." I know cheesy, but it was sweet wasn't it.

"I am, besides, do I look like I'm in condition to go anywhere, I'm not supposed to get off of this couch for at least two months. Woody, I will marry you, but it is going to be after the birth."

"Fine, you can have that stipulation if I can have mine." I knew I was playing with fire, but it was worth a try.

"And what would that be," she said in mocking tone.

"Well, I want the babies to be christened."

"What?! Wood you know I don't do well with religion, I don't really trust it."

"But I do and it's important to me, don't you remember me telling you that if you woke up with me on Sunday you'd be going to church with me as well."

"Yes, but you haven't dragged me there yet. I figured I was safe."

"Not safe, pregnant. Jo I've let you win a lot, please let me have this one thing, we have to compromise or this will never work."

"How did we get from christenings to breaking up in less than ten minutes."

"Wait who said anything about breaking up?"

"You did! You said 'never work!'"

"I didn't mean it like that Jo, I'm sorry, calm down."

"I DON'T WANT TO CALM DOWN, WHY SHOULD I?"

"Because the doctor said if you didn't you could have trouble with the babies." her breathing evened as I stroked her back lightly and kissed the top of her head. "It's okay, it's okay. I'm not going anywhere." she started to cry, I hated it when she cried, not that it was a common occurrence, but it did happen more now than before, she only did it when she felt weak and I knew she hated to feel weak. I hated myself for making her feel weak. She feel asleep in my arms and I carried her to our bedroom and laid her down, I spooned up next to her with my hand in traditional spot, resting on her stomach, I kissed it and fell into a deep sleep.