A/N: Thanks to my reviewers: LucyBethFan1, Jes, and lala. I really appreciated them! To anyone else reading, please don't hesitate to review, either. I love feedback.

Hopefully this doesn't seem too dull right now, but I have to work through the previous two episodes of AD (the one where Beth goes into labor and last night's where JJ comes home) to get to the juicier part of this fic. Hang in there.

2. Labor Pains

Patty had stayed by Beth's side long enough to talk her through the next contraction, even rubbing her back gently, making sure that Beth knew just how excited she was to finally become an aunt.

Ever inquisitive, Patty couldn't help but asking questions revolving around the process of labor and delivery. "Does it really hurt? When Mom had Will, I was only four, so I don't really remember a whole lot. I just remember that Dad got her to the car as quick as he could and left JJ in charge of us with our old neighbor, Mrs. Peterson. Of course he was only ten then, but still."

The mention of JJ's name hit Beth hard, but she knew that Patty meant well. Tears sprung to her eyes and she blinked them away, sharply inhaling. "Yes, it does hurt." She loosened her grip and nodded her head. "Okay, I think that one's over with." Making sure to smile, Beth hugged Patty tightly. "I know you'll be a great aunt."

"Will you let me baby-sit? By myself, when Mom or Meg aren't around?"

"We'll see," Beth smiled back. "I'll let you practice when we're all around first."

That seemed to satisfy Patty enough. "Great!" She tossed her long auburn hair over her shoulders and smiled brightly.

Will and Mr. Pryor returned at the same time, but from different destinations. Will had gone upstairs to gather Beth's overnight bag, and Mr. Pryor had gone into the kitchen to fetch the keys to the Buick.

"Okay Beth, it's time to meet my new grandchild." He gave her a reassuring smile, ruffling Will's dark hair as he walked to the driver's side door. "Patty, hold down the fort. The extra candles are in the kitchen drawer next to the sink, with more batteries just in case they run out in the flashlight."

"I know, Dad." She protectively put a hand on her little brother's shoulder. "Come on, Will. Let's go wait for the power to come back on so we can catch the end of The Andy Griffith Show. Good luck, Beth!"

"Yeah, good luck Beth!" Will chimed in enthusiastically.

"Thanks, Patty," Beth laughed. She rested her hands on her stomach, rubbing it lightly. She turned her head to the left, watching as Mr. Pryor backed the Buick down the driveway and into the street. She half expected to see JJ beside her, nervously driving her to the hospital and coaching her through everything with a joke and a smile as he steered with his one hand and held her other, but he wasn't. He was half a world away, missing in Vietnam.

"How are you doing, Beth?" Mr. Pryor questioned with a glance towards her, speeding towards Jefferson University Hospital. "Hanging in there?"

Breaking out of her thoughts, she nodded. "Trying to. Thank you, Mr. Pryor, for taking me."

He laughed and shook his head. "I've been through this four times with Helen, and I wasn't about to let you have my grandchild in the middle of our living room floor."

Beth had to laugh at that. Even though things had been tense between herself and Mr. Pryor over the last week, especially over the fact that Mrs. Pryor was now attempting to see a psychiatrist at Beth's suggestion, she was glad that he was accompanying her to the hospital and attempting to make the best of the situation.

"I guess that wouldn't be the best solution," she laughed.

"Absolutely not," Mr. Pryor added with a slight grin. "You'll be just fine."

She nodded, shivering slightly against the leather seat. In her panic to reach the garage, Beth had forgotten to take her winter pea coat out of the hall closet and realized that she was only wearing her favorite navy sweater. Tucking a strand of her dark hair behind her ear, she rubbed her hands slowly over her abdomen again. At least five minutes had gone by since her last contraction, and she expected another one to hit full on.

Not even thirty seconds later, it took Beth completely by surprise, even though she had grown accustomed to them by now. The following contraction hit too hard, too fast, and too soon. Doubling over in pain, she gripped the edge of the dashboard so tightly that her knuckles began turning white.

Mr. Pryor eyed her cautiously as they approached the next traffic light. "Breathe through it. One, two, three…"

Beth silently counted along with him, her eyes shut tightly, trying to block out the pain. How could any woman go through this, not only once, but multiple times? "Okay. It's over with." She felt the spasms subside as her muscles began to relax.

"That's a girl."

She eyed him thankfully. Even though she would have gladly preferred Mrs. Pryor helping her through this type of situation, Beth was thankful for Mr. Pryor's company. "How fast do you think you can get me to the hospital?"

"Why?" He glanced at her again. "You're not about to have my grandchild in my Buick, are you?"

Beth shook her head. "No, but I think my water just broke."

He laughed. "I guess that kid wanted to surprise everyone at the last minute."

She smiled stiffly. "Just floor it, Grandpa."

Helen walked up the porch steps briskly, the small silver house key dangling from her gloved hand. Although the walk from the bus stop had only been just less than two blocks, a brisk wind had started to blow, causing her to wrap her scarf tighter around her neck and hurry home to her awaiting family and warm house.

The psychiatrist appointment hadn't gone as well as she would have hoped, but she supposed that was mostly her fault. Dr. Myers had been friendly and patient with her and upon sitting in the waiting room, Helen was glad that she had finally taken Beth's recommendation, even if Jack hadn't been too fond of the idea. They had disagreed on many different subjects in the twenty years of their marriage, and she was sure that her decision to attend therapy wasn't going to make or break their strong marital bond.

Perhaps it had been the overwhelming thought of finally getting help that caused Helen to back out of her appointment, but when it came down to it, she realized that even though she wanted to get out her feelings about JJ, she just couldn't bring herself to talk to a complete stranger, even if it was a licensed medical doctor. She had been coping in her own way all along, and even now, Helen felt that there was still hope. JJ would be coming home, and she refused to believe otherwise unless genuine proof came through. The package just wasn't enough to convince her.

She unlocked the side door and stepped into the kitchen, unwrapping her cashmere scarf from around her neck. It was dark in the house, and as she flipped the light switch, Helen was surprised that the overhead light wasn't coming on. Either the power must have gone out, or the circuit breaker had tripped again. She made a mental note to have either Jack or Pete take a look at it when they came home.

"Hello? Anyone home?"

She heard two sets of footsteps thundering down the stairs, and as Helen made her way over to the hall closet to hang up her coat, she almost collided straight into Patty and Will.

"Goodness," she laughed, kissing them both on the cheek. "Where is everyone? And when did the power go out?"

"Dad and Beth are at the hospital. Beth is having her baby," Patty stated matter-of-factly. "And the power went out about an hour ago."

Helen stared at Patty and pulled her coat back off the hanger that she had just placed on the rack. "Get your coats. We're going to the hospital."

Patty grabbed her coat and slipped it on over her blouse, making sure to put on her gloves, hat, and scarf. "What about Meg?"

Helen had gotten Will's coat, hat, and gloves out of the closet and was helping him into them. "Help your brother with that top button and I'll write her a quick note to meet us there when she gets home."

"Okay."

She hurried into the kitchen, struggling to find a ballpoint pen and loose piece of paper in the darkness. Locating one next to the sink, Helen jotted a quick note:

Meg,

Your father, Patty, Will and I are at Jefferson University Hospital. Beth went into labor with the baby. I left some change for the bus fare next to the cookie jar.

Love,

Mom

Satisfied with her note, she left it on the kitchen table where she was sure Meg would check on her way in. Tucking her scarf into her coat once again, Helen went to usher Patty and Will out the door and to the bus stop. She was ready to welcome her grandchild into the world.

When Helen finally had arrived at the hospital with Patty and Will, it had seemed like an eternity to Beth. She had been lying in the hospital bed almost miserably, fighting back the urge to scream at the next nurse that dared to ask her how she was feeling.

The hospital had bent the rules slightly for Mr. Pryor, allowing him to stay by Beth's bedside upon finding out that he was the grandfather-to-be. He had managed to calm Beth's nerves about having the baby, coaching her through several of the most painful contractions while one of the obstetric nurses gently wiped down her forehead with a cool washcloth.

"I'm glad you're here," Beth had told him, once the nurse had left the room.

He had smiled and patted her hand. "Me too, Beth." He handed her the cup of water she had been drinking out of, coaxing her to take a sip. "Me too."

Helen had interrupted just then, having left Patty in charge of Will temporarily in the waiting room. She greeted her husband with a brief kiss and immediately resumed a position at Beth's bedside.

"How are you feeling?" She questioned honestly, knowing exactly how Beth was probably feeling right now. She had gone through it four times, and each labor had been different from the other.

"I never thought it would hurt this bad," Beth replied softly. "It almost makes me want to beg him or her to stay back in a little while longer."

Helen gripped Beth's hand loosely and smoothed a piece of hair out of her sweat slicked forehead. "It'll all be over soon enough, and the result is certainly worth the pain."

"I know."

Jack acknowledged them both with a grin. "I think I'll leave you two alone for awhile and go check on Patty and Will. Any word from Meg?"

"Not that I know of," Helen answered. "I left her a note in the kitchen."

"I'll phone Pete while I'm out there. Can I get you anything?"

Helen paused, thinking briefly. "A cup of coffee would be great, thank you."

"Sure thing." Before leaving the room completely, he paused outside the door. "If there's any change, let me know. I'm proud of you, Beth."

"Thanks, Mr. Pryor."

Helen smiled and squeezed Beth's hand gently as another contraction began. "You're doing fine, Beth. Just breathe through it. Perfect."

Several hours later, Beth finally had her first chance to relax as the cries of her newborn son echoed throughout the delivery room. It had been a hard birth, but a relatively short one. Nevertheless, she was exhausted, and suddenly thankful that Helen had remained by her side through everything.

John Jay Pryor III had made his entrance into the world at approximately twelve thirty on the morning of December fourth. He weighed in at exactly eight pounds and measured twenty and a half inches long from head to toe. Contrary to the stories Helen had told Beth about JJ's birth and his thick head of dark hair, baby John's was very light and fine, and once wrapped in a blanket and placed on Beth's chest, he automatically settled down and gazed up at her with his dark eyes.

It wasn't until John wrapped his tiny fist around her index finger that Beth allowed the tears she had been struggling to hold back all along spring to her eyes. He looked so much like JJ it broke her heart. Throughout the nine months of her pregnancy, she had been anticipating this moment, but nothing could have prepared her for the handful of emotions that ran through her as she watched her newborn son adoringly. John opened his tiny mouth in a yawn, and Beth felt her heart melt. All along, their son had been growing inside her, content to kick and move around every so often. Now she was cradling him in her arms, and everything seemed real for the very first time.

"He's beautiful, Beth," Helen whispered, kissing Beth's forehead and laying a hand over baby John's stomach. "You did a great job."

Beth smiled and allowed the nurse to place a cap over John's head. "Yeah. He's really something." She kissed the baby's cheek and stroked his head gently. "He has JJ's eyes. He looks just like him."

Helen smiled, feeling the tears begin to roll down her cheeks. "No matter what happens, you'll always have the best part of JJ with you."

Meg, Patty, Will, and Mr. Pryor entered the hospital room only seconds later, against the staff's wishes, overly eager to see their new nephew and grandson. They crowded around Beth's bed, smiling and laughing at the sight of baby John.

Meg had rushed home with Chris after the meteor shower, only to find that the house was empty and a note lying on the kitchen table that stated that Beth had gone into labor. She had taken the bus to the hospital and had arrived over two hours ago, glad that she had managed to get to the waiting room before John was actually born.

Biting her lip, she peered down at her nephew and smiled brightly. "Oh Beth…he's perfect," she sighed. "Can I hold him?"

"Oh, me too!" Patty exclaimed.

"Then me!" Will added excitedly.

"No, me first," Patty insisted. "It's not fair that Meg and Will always get to go first because they're the oldest and youngest."

"Patty, cut it out," Meg grumbled.

"Girls," Helen warned. She had somehow managed to get a hold of a pack of tissues from the nursing staff and was dabbing her eyes while Jack carefully placed baby John into Meg's arms, with much protesting from Patty and Will.

Beth smiled and couldn't help but laugh at them all, even though she was exhausted. They were her family now, and some things never changed.