Jen woke with a scream.
Orli yelped, a sound akin to that which a small puppy might make upon being kicked, as he sat upright in bed, and winced as the blood rushed from his head and the room spun. He looked around wildly for a moment before locating the source of the noise. "Jen, what's wrong?" he asked frantically.
Jen didn't appear to hear him. "Not yet… it's too soon, what are you doing? You call yourself a doctor? I want a lawyer!"
Orli's eyebrows knitted together. "Jen?"
She started. "What?"
He stared at her. "What do you need a lawyer for?"
Jen looked puzzled for a moment. Then, shaking her head, she recollected herself and wondered, still half to herself, "Did I say that aloud?" She shrugged when Orli gave her a look in response, and explained. "I had this dream… I don't remember all of it, but I was having my baby, and it was months too early. I tried to get the doctor to squish it back inside me…" Seeing Orli's face, she added, "That didn't sound quite so bad in my head," before continuing. "And I wanted a lawyer, because I was going to sue the stupid doctor…" Jen gave up trying to voice the dream as Orli gave up trying not to laugh. She shrugged, and they both went back to sleep.

New Year's Eve: In Josh, Orli and Michelle's opinion, one of the best holidays of the year.
Jen did not agree with them on this particular point, as she was vehemently opposed to the practice of racing around looking like a slut all night and was self-conscious about showing more skin than was absolutely necessary to begin with, but they had threatened to leave her behind, whereupon Jen attempted the "I-don't-have-anything-to-wear" excuse. Michelle offered to let Jen raid her somewhat more… daring… closet, and since they were the same size, only different heights, that was the end of the argument, and Jen tromped off to find something of Michelle's to wear.
Twenty minutes later, around eight o'clock, Jen had chosen an outfit from Michelle's closet that Michelle assured her looked fabulous: a sequined red tank top that crisscrossed across her back and ended about an inch above her belly button, along with a short denim skirt and two-inch wooden platforms with red straps, customized for the top. She borrowed Michelle's choker, a long-ago Christmas present that Jen had never been able to find an exact copy of for herself, and wore it along with her own crystal bracelet and drop earrings set with similar crystals, arranged to form flowers that shimmered every color of the rainbow when they caught the light. Michelle had opted for a sparkly green V-neck halter and a similar denim skirt with very little material, and paired it with backless, three-inch black platforms with green straps. She wore a silver heart necklace, much like Reese Witherspoon's in Legally Blonde, with a matching bracelet and huge hoop earrings in the shape of hearts.
"We look very Christmas-y," was Michelle's first dry remark, in reference to the red and green tops.
"We're beautiful," Jen asserted. "Now for makeup."
Michelle grinned, looking slightly evil, Jen thought, and immediately wished she had said nothing about makeup. However, even she had to admit that Michelle had a great makeup collection, and they spent the next half hour mixing and matching eye shadows and blushes and lipsticks. In the end Jen was wearing black eyeliner with silver shadow, reddish blush and flesh tone lip gloss; Michelle chose the same black eyeliner and used eye shadow in chunky, glittery green, along with pink blush and red lipstick.
"Finally," Josh grumbled when they arrived downstairs.
Jen laughed. "I happen to believe all that time was very much worth it."
Josh gave her a big impulsive hug. "You look stunning. Dazzling. Very attractive. Aren't you glad we talked you into coming with us?"
Jen mumbled something and walked away, not wishing to admit that she felt gorgeous and self-confident, and also not wanting to say she was already beginning to believe she'd been wrong about New Year's Eve.
"What about me?" she heard Michelle ask behind her. "Aren't I attractive too?"
Jen didn't hear the reply, but she did have the misfortune of hearing Michelle laugh and was left to wonder just what Josh had said. She shook it off and walked into the kitchen to find Orli, wanting him to tell her how beautiful ("sexy" would have been a nice word to hear) she looked.
After having heard Orli's reassurance that she looked absolutely fabulous, Jen refused to leave before pulling on a tan, woolen coat, and Michelle had to conduct an extensive search for her form-fitting black leather jacket, as it was more than slightly cold outside. Finally, the four of them set out to go "clubbing," as Orli called it. It made Jen slightly nervous, as she preferred to stay home and watch movies on New Year's Eve, but Orli told her firmly that there was nothing to it. All she needed was the outfit, and she would be right at home.
Half an hour later the quartet arrived at a new club that had opened downtown. They knew they were getting close about three city blocks away when they heard music blaring. But when they got closer Jen, once her ears adjusted to the volume, had to admit that it looked like a good time.
"So?" Orli asked once they were inside.
"So?" Jen echoed. "Nothing's happened yet. I don't have an opinion already."
Orli smiled. "You'll love it. You're a great dancer. You look gorgeous. You have nothing to worry about."
He was right. Jen was getting down on that dance floor with at least four guys she didn't know (one of them, she reflected, reminded her very much of Owen Wilson, who she'd run into in Hollywood early in the summer and had fallen in love with, in her it's-not-happening alternate universe, a fact which she had chosen never to divulge to her husband, though Josh knew), and Orli looked as though he was already regretting his urging her to go out with them. Josh was nowhere to be seen, and Michelle had disappeared a long time ago, though Orli assumed they'd gone off together and were being naughty in some relatively quiet corner.
Orli heaved a dramatic sigh, causing the drunken man next to him to glance over at him before toppling backwards off his barstool, and cut through the sea of people on the dance floor to reach his wife. It wasn't easy to shove his way past Jen's admirers, but he managed it and yelled to Jen over the music, "Mind if I cut in?"
Jen flashed him a grin, the huge disco ball above them sending patterns of light dancing across her face and illuminating her carefully (and extravagantly) applied makeup. "I'd be glad if you did," she half-screamed, straining to be heard.
"So wasn't I right about this?" Orli called, as though they were a block away from each other.
Jen looked away. "I can't hear you!" she shouted.
"Wasn't I right?" Orli screamed, not understanding.
"What?" Jen yelled.
"Don't you think I was right about this?" he shouted.
"The music's too loud!" Jen yelled by way of explanation.
Orli finally understood that Jen would refuse to admit she'd been wrong. He laughed and changed his tactics. "So let's see some of those dance moves I've been watching you pull off on complete strangers… if you can hear me!" he cried mockingly.
"Loud and clear," Jen shot back with a devilish grin.

Two hours later Jen found herself fighting off a migraine and asked if Orli was ready to leave. His response: "Where'd Josh and Michelle go? I haven't seen them since we got here."
By luck Michelle ran up as soon as the words had passed his lips. Jen pointed. "There's one of them!"
Breathless, Michelle asked, "Do you have any idea where Josh is?"
Orli looked surprised. "I assumed you two were off in some corner, being very bad together."
Michelle made a face. "On any other occasion I would laugh, except that I haven't seen him in half an hour. He said he was going to the restroom, and I told him I'd wait for him, but he didn't come back, and then I saw you…" Her voice trailed off.
Jen frowned, puzzled but not yet alarmed. "He probably just forgot where he said he'd meet you. Or maybe he's drunk."
Michelle snorted. "He had a sip of beer. Even you and I don't get drunk on that."
Orli couldn't suppress a snicker. Jen and Michelle simply refused to drink, even on "special occasions." Michelle had a sip of wine each Sunday at church, and that was enough for her.
Josh wandered up just then. "Sorry, Michelle. I ran into an old friend; I haven't seen her in years and I had a beer and I completely forgot to meet you again."
Michelle glared. "I might not care some other time, but right now I'm going to be suspicious. Her?"
A surprised Josh explained, "I went to school with her, and we dated in the tenth grade. There isn't anything more to it than that."
Michelle shrugged and dropped it. "Are you ready to go?"
"Go?" Josh repeated. "It's not even midnight yet."
"Jen's getting a headache," Orli interjected. "And I think I know someplace else I'd rather be at midnight." His three friends looked at him, confused, but he just waved their questions away with a smile and headed for the door.

It took some time to just force his way out of the parking lot, but eventually Orli maneuvered into traffic and drove for some thirty minutes, down to what he later explained was ten acres of his own riverfront property along the Hudson River. His family, he said, often visited when they were in the United States, which was often enough to make the purchase worth it. He and Jen separated from Josh and Michelle in a large garden perched almost on the river. A gurgling fountain graced the center of the round garden, and rosebushes surrounded the white marble bench on which Jen and Orli sat. Lights twinkled out of the bushes, similar to the garden from The Princess Diaries, or so Jen thought.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, waiting for midnight, not saying anything, just holding each other close and enjoying the quiet. After a while they heard Michelle, not too far away, shout a warning: "One minute till midnight!" and then fall silent again.
Orli shifted, and Jen with him. She gazed into his warm brown eyes and lost herself in their infinite depths, and she felt very aware of one arm across her shoulders, and the other wrapped around her back, and she suddenly realized that it was finally midnight, and somehow, Yes I Will, by the Backstreet Boys, was playing softly in the background. "Here's to the best year of our lives," Orli whispered before leaning in to kiss her. Jen's response was passion, and a fiery hunger for this kind of romance that she had kept pent up for months without even realizing it.
The kiss lasted forever, or at least the only part of forever that mattered to Jen. When they broke apart, both slightly breathless, Jen murmured, "Why do you say this will be the best year of our lives?"
"Because we're together, and we're going to be parents- wonderful parents, and we're going to have our best friends with us, and all our troubles are behind us now," he answered, sounding so certain that Jen, too, felt convinced. She smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder with a happy sigh, feeling anticipation for the new year that began right there and right then.

Orli insisted that he didn't want anything big for his twenty-sixth birthday; Jen, Michelle and Josh insisted on giving him something huge. So on the evening of January thirteenth, Jen hopped behind the wheel of her Mustang, with Orli beside her despite his protests, and they headed off to a private downtown club they had booked for the night (Josh and Michelle, having been appointed to set everything up, had driven separately and left much earlier). Orli, of course, didn't know what was going on, except that he was sure it was something he didn't want to happen.
Jen led the way inside the club, which was surprisingly quiet considering that it was, after all, a club. Orli barely had time to wonder at that before his eyes adjusted to the fluorescent lights and he realized that somehow or another, his best friends had brought together the entire Lord of the Rings cast, his whole extended family (excluding the few who were deceased) and some of his old school friends who he immediately recognized despite not having seen in years, along with Heath Ledger from Ned Kelly, which, after long hours of Orli and Heath having to reshoot scenes the directors of the movie didn't approve of, a time-consuming process that was still in the works, would be coming out later that year (Orli wasn't looking forward to Jen dragging him to the movies to watch himself act, as he knew would happen). Orli blinked a few times, trying to convince himself that he wasn't hallucinating. He hadn't expected to ever see the whole Lord of the Rings cast in the same place at the same time again, except for possible reshoots for the last movie. In a cheesy rendition of every surprise party, they had all jumped out and yelled "Surprise!" when the door opened to admit Jen and Orli, and he had consequently jumped approximately six inches higher than he knew he was capable of. Later, when everyone had finished laughing and he had realized who was there and just what was happening, he berated himself for not expecting it.
In the meantime, Jen was behind him, smiling, obviously pleased with herself. "You like?" she asked, borrowing one of Michelle's favorite phrases.
"I love," he responded enthusiastically, "but you really didn't have to go to all this trouble."
Jen's brow furrowed. "And if I did have to, I wouldn't have wanted to." She gave him a small shove. "Go mingle; look for me later. I think I'm going to go talk to your friend Dominic… if you'd like to introduce us." The smile she sent Orli's way was just a little too sweet and innocent.
Orli laughed. "I guess I'll just have to trust that you won't be cheating on me on my birthday," he emphasized, a smile dancing its way across his lips.
"Never," Jen assured him, linking her arm through his and marching deliberately in Dominic Monaghan's general direction. Orli shook his head, amused, and lagged behind her.
With Jen and Dominic chatting away (Jen, having conquered her adolescent shyness, was doing quite a bit of the talking, although Dominic definitely looked interested), Orli walked over to talk to Elijah Wood and Billy Boyd, who were currently engaged in conversation with Michelle.
Orli looked around, noting the huge box behind the counter at the bar and absently wondering if there was a big birthday cake inside. He observed a large case of beers and very much hoped they were there for the party. He also saw streamers hanging from the ceilings and banisters of the staircase to the second floor, which was usually reserved for small private parties. Never having reserved an upstairs room in such a club, Orli wondered just what was up there that was so special. He'd heard that they often had expensive, velvety loveseats, private rooms and soundproof walls for a quiet atmosphere, and were supposedly romantic getaways for lovesick couples that grew tired of loud music and perverted people pursuing them on the dance floor. Relaxing a little, he admitted, only to himself, that he was glad his friends had given him this party.
All in all the party was Orli's idea of a good time. Eventually music blared out of unseen speakers, and most of those present being actors to some degree at least, nobody had a problem getting out on the dance floor. The huge box behind the counter at the bar did indeed contain Orli's birthday cake, one of Michelle's most extravagant creations, and it tasted delicious, as everyone agreed, and the beer was, as Orli had so hoped, for the occasion. Orli spent nearly four hours catching up with his friends from former movies and had to confess to Jen that he enjoyed himself immensely, upon which she gave him a smug "I-told-you-so" sort of look. Orli didn't even mind.
Finally the party ended. Orli regretfully said good-bye to everyone, and with many promises of keeping in touch and in a flurry of hugs and handshakes, the guests left.
Michelle bent over to pick up an empty beer bottle, muttered something about "uncivilized… ungrateful…" people, and winced as she stood up. Michelle had mild back problems, the permanent consequence of toting around too much weight in her backpack when she was still in high school. Orli moved to help, but she shook her head. "What kind of a horrible person would I be if I let you clean up after your own birthday party?" she argued, so Orli shrugged and went to help Josh and Jen, who gave him similar variations of the same response. With a resigned sigh he sat down and watched his friends clean up, and after a while he even began to enjoy the luxury of not working and felt slightly smug.
At last Michelle stood and stretched. "I think this place is clean now."
"Why didn't you just hire someone to do that for you?" Orli asked.
Michelle shrugged. "We can do it. Why pay some slick lady with a broom and ammonia two hundred bucks so we don't have to?"
Orli nodded wisely, as though they commonly spared expense whenever possibly.
"Michelle, we're leaving!" Josh called from across the club.
Orli stood up and gave Michelle a hug and a quick peck on the cheek. She returned the friendly kiss. "Happy birthday," she said with a smile. "Tell me, are you glad we did something for you?"
Orli deliberately looked away, but gave up the façade after a moment and broke into a genuine grin. "Thank you," he said simply.
"Michelle!" Josh cried, impatient.
Michelle blinked, looking amused. "I think I should go."
"Are you leaving without us?" Orli questioned.
Michelle smiled strangely. "Your party's not over yet." She turned quickly and walked away before Orli could ask what she meant. Orli watched her exit with Josh, both of them laughing and Josh sending a furtive look over his shoulder as they went.
Only Jen and Orli remained. Orli sent a glance her way, puzzled. "What did Michelle mean, my party's not over yet?" he asked, even as he was beginning to understand.
Jen smiled. "We're going to find out what's upstairs."
Orli was still mildly confused. "Are we allowed to do that?"
"Not exactly," Jen explained, "but we have the club booked until one in the morning, and it's barely eleven. The door up there isn't locked, so we're going to assume it's fine."
They ascended the stairs, tiptoeing exaggeratedly to be sure they weren't heard, just in case they were breaking the law after all. It was quiet upstairs, and dark until, after a moment of fumbling, Jen located the light switch on the sidewall.
It wasn't a private room, but it was obviously, for the time being, empty. Orli allowed himself to sit down on the red velvet couch, but jumped up suddenly as music began to play and the lights dimmed to offer very little illumination. Jen looked just as puzzled as he felt, but smiled as she recognized the song and immediately understood that someone, or perhaps two someones, had prepared this for them.

Dancin' in the dark, middle of the night
Takin' your heart, and holdin' it tight
Emotional touch, touchin' my skin
And askin' you to do, what you've been doin' all over again
Oh, it's a beautiful thing
Don't think I can keep it all in
I just gotta let you know
What it is that won't let me go

Orli bowed formally to Jen and offered his hand. "May I have this dance?"
Jen smiled in sweet submission and nodded her assent. Orli took her hand, brought it to his lips and kissed it softly, gazing into her eyes. Then he pulled her into the middle of the room; the furniture had previously been swept against the walls to make room for this very purpose.
His right hand interlaced with her left, his other hand on her waist and hers resting lightly on his shoulder, they danced. The danced in the dark, at that magical hour called midnight, and held each other tight, and it was beautiful.

It's your love
It just does somethin' to me
It sends a shock right through me
I can't get enough
And if you wonder
About the spell I'm under
It's your love

"Orli," Jen whispered, and he looked down. She brought her mouth to his and kissed him. "Happy birthday," she finished.
He looked at her and smiled. "You're the best gift anyone could ever give me."
She smiled too, white teeth flashing in the dark, and her only response was to step a little closer to him, hold his hand a little more tightly, wrap her arm a little further around his neck, and she felt him pull her nearer, and the pressure on her own hand increased, and his arm further encircled her waist.

Better than I was, more than I am
And all of this happened, by takin' your hand
And who I am now, is who I wanted to be
And now that we're together
I'm stronger than ever, I'm happy and free
Oh, it's a beautiful thing
Don't think I can keep it all in, no
And if you asked me why I changed
All I gotta do is say your sweet name

Jen sighed, lost in the moment. A minute or a thousand passed; it made no difference. She wasn't seeing the room around her anymore, but remembering the first time she had heard this song, before she ever met Orlando, when she was still dreaming about him and imagining herself singing to him and asking him for a dance, singing to him this very song and asking him for this very dance.
Orli's eyes looked inwards also; he saw himself first meeting Jen, saw her when they celebrated his birthday together for the first time, just two years ago, and she had bought him a box of chocolates and a balloon with a teddy bear holding a sign that said "Happy Birthday" (Orli loved teddies) and she had started crying for no reason (it was that time of the month), and he had laughed and told her he loved her for the first time. And he hadn't meant to say the words; they had just slipped out, but they rang true, because he did love her and suddenly knew that was one of the only things in his life he was sure of.

It's your love
It just does somethin' to me
It sends a shock right through me
I can't get enough
And if you wonder
About the spell I'm under
It's your love

They both shook themselves back to the present and grinned foolishly at each other in the dark. Jen found herself singing softly with the music: "If you wonder… about the spell I'm under… It's your love." She looked up. "This is a perfect song."
And Orli had to agree. It sang of his love for his wife better than his bumbling words ever could. He tried singing with her, but they both were hard pressed not to laugh at his scratchy voice, especially as he wasn't sure of the words. Jen suppressed a snicker and leaned her head against his chest. "Don't sing," she murmured, unable to stop herself saying it. "Talk to me."
"What do you want me to say?" he asked.
"All I want is to hear your voice."

Oh, baby
Oh, it's a beautiful thing
Don't think I can keep it all in
I just gotta let you know
What it is that won't let me go

So Orli talked. He told her how wonderful she was, and what a beautiful, perfect, God-sent creation he thought her to be, and he spoke of her many talents and that sweet inner beauty that so many others he'd met were in want of, and how fast he'd fallen for her, and how afraid he was of love at first, before he learned he didn't have to be scared when he was with her.

It's your love
It just does somethin' to me
It sends a shock right through me
I can't get enough
And if you wonder
About the spell I'm under
It's your love
It's your love
It's your love

As the song ended they held each other still, held each other tight and wouldn't let go. Because they were under a spell, a spell called Love, and neither had any desire to break it.
They fell back onto the loveseat, hands still laced together. Jen leaned her head on his shoulder, and they talked.
They talked about Orli's party, and his old friends and how much he had enjoyed seeing them again. He thanked her for going all out for him even as he protested that she shouldn't have once again; she laughed and put a finger to his lips. "I won't apologize for trying to do something special unless you didn't enjoy yourself," she told him firmly, and he grinned and assured her there was no need to request forgiveness.
Orli, in a sudden change of mood, reached over and placed a hand on Jen's stomach. She was finally beginning to display the fact that she was pregnant after nearly four months (exercise had prevented immediate signs of this but could no longer hide it) and had reluctantly gone shopping for maternity clothes the week before. She'd come home with a frilly pink top, which displeased her greatly, and elastic-waisted denim jeans that she complained were "huge." At least she was beginning to accept the fact that her dancing career would have to be put on hold until after the baby was born, and in the meantime she could still sing. Thinking all of this, Orlando smiled, a genuine, delighted smile, and told her, as though in the middle of a conversation they'd been carrying on all along, "Plus, we're going to be parents… Life can't get any better."
And for the first time, thinking about this, Jen felt no nervousness, and beamed happily.

"Valentine's Day is next week," Jen commented over lunch at La Maria one day a few weeks later, trying to sound nonchalant and disinterested. She was wearing the "huge" denim jeans and frilly pink top that she had so despised upon their purchase but was growing accustomed to.
Orli glanced up from his taco and cheese puff. "I'm aware," he responded, face impassive. "Rabbit food," he added in a mutter, glancing at her low-fat salad with its low-fat dressing.
Jen chose to ignore the last comment and instead acknowledged the first, her face brightening visibly. "Did you get me something?"
Orli looked puzzled. "Was I supposed to?" He gave her his best pout. "I thought I was enough for you."
"Only on my best days," Jen laughed.
Orli looked hurt. She reached out and covered his hand with her smaller one. "I'm just kidding."
"I know," he smiled. After a brief silence, he asked, "So does this mean I'm enough?"
Jen sighed melodramatically. "You'll do."
They both laughed (actually, Jen giggled while Orli laughed, a somewhat deeper sound).
"So I'm going to the doctor's next week," Jen decided to mention just then.
"What for?" Orli asked, interested.
"Just to check up, and probably do an ultrasound," Jen answered. "It's on Thursday."
Orli looked disappointed. "I can't be there! Look at how I'm starting my career as a parent!"
Jen looked upset too. "Why not?"
"They're making us do something or another with Ned Kelly," Orli explained. "Nobody's told me what, and that's the only day they can do it."
Jen pulled a sad face. "I'm so sorry," he told her, and he was. So Jen tried to smile for him, and said, "Don't worry, I'll go with Josh and Michelle, and we'll buy a tape of the ultrasound and get a big huge television to watch it on so it'll be just like you were there."
Orli didn't look convinced. "I can't believe that the one day I have something to do is the one day I also have something so much more important to do, and I can't reschedule."
"I promise I will tell you all about it," Jen swore. Then, trying to lighten the mood, she added, "So, about Valentine's Day…" and Orli had to laugh.

Jen made Josh and Michelle go with her to the hospital downtown, although they were more than willing. The doctor explained the procedure and spread some cold gel over Jen's stomach, then ran a metal instrument over the area as they watched the images unfold in black and white on a small television screen.
The doctor (her name tag read Neelson) was chatty. She told Jen about her first child, when she was a teenager, and how she'd given the baby away because her boyfriend transferred schools and refused to have anything to do with her, and how much it hurt, and how glad she was for Jen, and how she'd since married and had a four-year-old girl named Alexis, who called herself "Lexi," sucked her thumb and constantly talked in third person. Jen smiled and, in turn, confided in Dr. Neelson about her fears and uncertainties, and how loving and supportive her husband had been for her, and how glad she was that she was finally going to be a mother, and how long she'd waited for this to happen.
Dr. Neelson glanced up at Josh and Michelle, who were standing silently, holding hands and watching the screen. "Do you have kids yet?"
Michelle looked sad. "Not yet." She glanced at Josh, and there was meaning in that brief look, but Jen couldn't decipher it. Josh obviously knew what Michelle was getting at and gave her his own pointed look. Michelle sighed and looked back at the screen. "Actually," Josh contributed, "we're not sure we want kids just yet." He smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "We're going to let Jen be our guinea pig," he laughed. Jen made a face but took it in stride and found herself grinning too. She returned her attention to the television.
The good doctor did likewise, casually. Then she suddenly did a double take, looking puzzled. She stared hard at the screen; Jen felt her heart skip a beat in dreadful anticipation. "What's wrong?" she asked anxiously as Michelle tightened her grip on Josh's hand.
"Nothing!" Dr. Neelson cried. "I'm sorry, nothing's wrong. We just… we usually notice this before the fourth month of pregnancy."
Jen frowned, more confused than not. "Notice what?" she questioned, still not convinced that she shouldn't be worrying.
"Well," Dr. Neelson began, pointing out some blurred images on the television. "Right here, that tells us…"

Jen fell into bed, exhausted. She'd spent nearly an hour more at the hospital, talking to the doctor and purchasing a copy of the ultrasound on DVD, to give to Orli tomorrow, which had been a bit of a problem since most normal people had to order the tape and wait several weeks. However, Josh, determined that Jen not be considered normal, had pulled a few strings and given a few autographs, so Jen walked out with the DVD, gift wrapped specially in pink paper with red hearts and a big, poufy ribbon on top, for her to present to her husband. Afterwards Josh and Michelle had insisted on taking her out for dinner at Le Cirque. She couldn't help asking them why they had been so awkward when Dr. Neelson asked if they had kids, and reluctantly they told her something they had planned to keep to themselves for as long as possible ("You're supposed to be an actor, Josh," Michelle scolded, as though she were completely blameless in the matter. "Couldn't you pretend nothing was wrong?")
"I'm… not sure I'm really ready for kids," Josh confessed, "but that's only part of the problem."
Jen waited. When he saw that she wasn't going to comment, he continued. "We're also having some… problems."
That peaked Jen's interest. "What kind of problems?"
Josh looked at Michelle. They argued with their eyes for a moment, and then Michelle spoke. "Problems of the fertility nature," she stated, rather matter-of-factly.
Jen's eyes widened. "What?"
Josh looked faintly embarrassed as he once again took over the narrative. "We decided, awhile back, that we were ready to start a family, but after some time we realized something was wrong, so we went to see a doctor about it. And…" His voice trailed off; he didn't have to finish.
Jen looked puzzled. "So whose fault is that, yours or Michelle's?"
Neither of them answered. "It doesn't matter," Michelle said at last. "The fact remains."
Jen sighed, but knew better than to push such a delicate issue. She tactfully, or so she thought, changed the subject. "So can you believe what Dr. Neelson said?" she exclaimed. Though it wasn't appropriate for the moment, as Jen realized later, it had turned the tide of the conversation, and it had effectively driven Josh and Michelle's problems from her mind, whatever it had done for them.
It was possibly the last thing Jen had expected, but as Michelle had said, it was some kind of a miracle, and Jen would gladly accept this one. Dr. Neelson's report had driven Michelle to declare that it was a cause for celebration, so they had tromped off to dinner, even though Orli was working late and couldn't be there. ("I'll tell him all about it tomorrow," Jen had decided. "It'll probably be the best Valentine's Day gift I can give him," and her friends had agreed.)
Jen was reflecting upon all this as she tried to close her eyes and fall asleep that night. She was physically worn out, but her mind was buzzing and would not allow her rest. She couldn't help wishing Orli were there, so she could talk to him; at that moment she hated being alone more than anything. But Orli had called with an apology, saying he would be home hours later than he'd originally thought, due to his having to shoot several nighttime scenes, and that there was no need to worry. As an afterthought, he'd asked how the ultrasound had gone.
"Great," Jen had begun, "and you'll never guess what the doctor said." She'd planned to wait until tomorrow to tell him, of course, but she found that she was just too excited and was afraid she would explode if she kept her news to herself any longer.
Orli turned away from the phone. "Give me a minute!" he called to someone over his shoulder. "What did you say?" he'd asked, returning his attention to Jen.
"You'll never guess what Dr. Neelson said," Jen repeated, heart beating wildly as she wondered at his reaction.
"Dr. Neelson?" Orli repeated, puzzled and, in his confusion, completely skimming over the more important message in Jen's words. "Who's Dr. Neelson?"
"The doctor who did my ultrasound!" Jen cried, slightly exasperated. "And you won't believe…"
"I'm coming!" he yelled, trying to cover the phone, but Jen still heard him, and he sounded as though he was in a hurry. "Jen, I'm so sorry. I really have to go. Glad things went well. They want us to shoot some night scenes, so I won't be home till maybe two or three. I know, I said I'd be home by eleven, and I really wish they'd let us off. I love you! Bye."
"Bye-" Jen had started to say, and then heard that final click as Orli hung up. She'd stared at the phone in bewilderment for a moment before slowly hanging up. She stood frozen with her hand on the phone for a full minute, wishing her husband could be around more, and have more time for her. Coming to her senses, she'd shaken her practical head and told herself it was just as well; she'd planned to tell him all about her trip to the hospital when they exchanged Valentine's Day gifts.
She tossed and turned for a while, alone in the king-size bed, until she at last fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Valentine's Day was bitterly cold, and to everyone's mild surprise it had snowed overnight, something the weather forecaster had not previously informed them of. Jen shrugged into a pink sweater, a color she despised because she thought it did nothing for her skin (a fraction of the reason why she hated her frilly pink maternity wear), and shoved her feet into the deep red slippers she'd received from Orli for Christmas, smiling as the velvety material made contact with her skin. She walked over to the window and gazed outside, admiring the picturesque view. Though Jen grew cold easily, she found it more than worth the slight discomfort to see the glittering white snow covering the pine trees, and admire the way it lay, yet untrodden, on the ground.
She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around to find Orli smiling at her. "Beautiful, isn't it?" he asked by way of a good morning, and gave her a kiss.
She stood up taller to receive the kiss. "Happy Valentine's Day!"
"So, about that present you were asking me about…" Orli began.
Jen immediately lost interest in further kissing. "Where is it?" she demanded playfully.
"Well," he started. "Some of it's outside in the kitchen…"
Jen trotted off to see without waiting for any further explanation, and Orli was left with no choice but to follow, shaking his head in exasperated amusement.
Jen walked outside the room and was greeted with dozens of dark red roses, set upon each and every table, counter and various end tables. She blinked in surprise even as she inhaled the sweet scent. "A dozen for every year we've been together, and a dozen for our baby, and a few dozen more just for fun," Orli explained.
Jen laughed. "I had no idea you were capable of artfully arranging roses, any more than I knew we had so many vases to put them in."
Orli looked sheepish. "I bought half of those vases, actually, and I enlisted some help in the arrangement," he admitted, apparently providing Jen with further reason to laugh.
When she'd regained control of herself, Jen rushed over to the table and proudly pointed out Orli's spot, where she'd laid the tape of the ultrasound. "This is for you," she declared happily, and Orli, puzzled, tore away the paper. He grinned when he saw the tape. "Is this what I think it is?"
"I couldn't say," Jen responded, attempting to be mysterious. "What do you think it is?"
"Did you get a tape of your ultrasound?" he asked, sounding excited.
"I sure did," Jen replied, still determined to keep her tone casual and trying not to betray the little bubble of happiness rising inside her.
"Let's watch it!" Orli cried, his eyes lighting up as though he were a six-year-old at the candy store. He raced towards the television, and then suddenly stopped, did an about-face, and ran into the bedroom. Jen stared after him.
He sprinted out a minute later, carrying a department store bag. From the bag he produced a fairly small, hastily wrapped parcel and a very small, thin one. Jen reached slowly for the thin, neatly wrapped one, wondering what could possibly be inside.
She tore away the paper, a true chore since there was too much tape over it, and immediately knew who had wrapped it. From within the paper she produced a folder with yellow rubber duckies all over it and gave over a moment for admiration of the design. Upon opening it, she discovered lyrics for four different songs, co-written by all three of her friends (she'd had no idea Josh and Orli could write). She gazed at the words for a moment and decided they were definitely worth writing music for.
After she'd given her approval to the song lyrics, she turned her attention to the other package. Studying it for a moment, she first noted that it looked like jewelry, and then realized that the wrapping job was messy and used little tape, so she knew this one was only from Orli. Jen pulled away the wrapping paper easily to reveal a small gold box. Holding her breath for some incomprehensible reason, she slowly opened the box and found, nestled on a cushion of cotton, a gold ring.
But it wasn't just any gold ring. A diamond heart sparkled in the middle of the band, and on either side of it were engraved the names "ORLI" and "JENN." A plus sign in ruby red glittered in the middle of the heart, such that, in effect, the ring read, "ORLI PLUS JENN," much as teenagers might carve on a tree with soft bark. Jen slowly rotated the ring, admiring it from every angle, and noticed that written on the back were the words, "JUNE 21, 2002"- their wedding date.
Jen smiled up at Orli and decided he deserved a big kiss, so she gave him several before turning back to the ring to slide it onto her middle finger, next to her wedding band. It didn't surprise her that it fit perfectly.
"I have one more surprise," Orli announced when she stopped gazing at her new ring.
Jen started. "There's more?"
Orli explained, "I didn't want to tell you then, but I stayed on the set so late last night because we were almost finished filming, and I begged them to just get the rest over with while we were there. I also nearly had to get down on bended knee to ask for an uncut tape for you, for today." He held up a DVD case. "Here it is, bloopers and deleted scenes and all."
Jen gasped with delight. "We can watch it tonight!"
Orli's eyes widened. "We? You're going to make me watch myself attempt to act?"
"Oh, get over it," Jen ordered. "You know you're a great actor."
Orli frowned.
Jen clapped her hands together. "Now for my surprises! We'll get to the ultrasound later. But there's something else I want to give you first. I didn't get you near as much as you got me," she added, sounding slightly upset. "But I hope you like it anyway."
After his reassurance that he would love anything if it came from her, Jen left and came back carrying a thin, square package. Orli took one look at it and was convinced that it was a CD, or possibly two. He wondered absently if she'd bought him The Two Towers soundtrack, something he'd been begging her for, having a passion for any music that helped make his movies successful.
Orli tore into the paper, just as Jen had with his gifts, and discovered on top the soundtrack he'd asked for, complete with a trading card of Legolas. He glared up at Jen, who was beaming, and told her sarcastically, "I'll cherish this one always."
Jen's eyes grew huge. "Don't you like the CD? You were begging for it last week."
Orli smiled and shook his head. "You know exactly what I'm talking about."
"I couldn't resist." She couldn't ward off a grin, either.
Laying that aside, he found underneath a generic CD with no label or title. He looked up, puzzled.
Jen smiled sheepishly. "I asked the studio to let me record some of my favorite slow songs and put them on a CD for you."
Orli pulled her into a tight hug. "What's on it?"
Jen's response was muffled, as she was pressed up against his shirt. She pulled back, though his arms still encircled her, and stared at the floor as she answered, "To Love You More from Celine Dion, It's Your Love, The Greatest Gift, A Moment Like This, even though I can't stand Kelly Clarkson, Something Worth Leaving Behind from Leeann Womack, although that isn't really a love song…" Her voice trailed off. "I made a list; it's… somewhere."
Orli laughed. "Somewhere. That's a start." He pulled her back into his warm embrace. "Thank you. I know I'll love it." He smiled slyly and added, "I don't want to go out to dinner tonight. I was thinking maybe we could find someone who'll make us something special and bring it to us, so maybe we could listen to your songs while we eat."
Jen gasped in visible alarm. "I don't want to listen to myself singing!"
Orli, prepared for her response, merely responded, "Tell you what. If I get to listen to you singing while I eat my Valentine's dinner, I'll watch myself in Ned Kelly with you later."
"Fair enough," Jen half-laughed, half-grumbled, a unique tone of voice she had practiced to perfection. "Who exactly is going to bring us dinner?"
"A good friend of mine from a restaurant downtown. He told me we could call and order whatever we wanted, and he'll have it to us whenever we ask. Sound good?"
"Sounds perfect," Jen smiled. "So… I guess we can just hang around for awhile."
Her husband looked mildly upset. "What are we going to do with ourselves?"
"We can do nothing…" Jen began. "But I think there's something you wanted to see."
Orli brightened visibly. "Can we watch the ultrasound now?" he begged. "I want to see my little unborn baby."
Jen, having been waiting for exactly this response, walked without comment into the living room and popped the tape into the VCR. Dr. Neelson had recorded herself explaining the images and meshed it with the tape, so that Jen found herself saying little as Orli watched, mesmerized. But there was one part Jen had requested that Dr. Neelson leave out and allow her to explain to her husband.
When that part came, Jen sprang up from her seat on the couch and walked proudly over to point out the very same images Dr. Neelson had elucidated for her only the day before. But before she could get a word out, Orli frowned. "Does this baby of ours have two heads?"
Jennifer smiled. "I tried to tell you last night, but you didn't have time."
Orli waited, rather impatiently, for her to get the words out.
"See, Orli, we're not going to have a baby."
Orli stared. It had been a late night, and though he was happy and felt wide-awake, his mind was not functioning properly just yet. "Then what are we going to have, a cabbage?"
Jen almost laughed. "Not exactly."
"Stop milking it!" Orli yelled. "I can't think straight; would you just tell me?"
"We're not going to have a baby," Jen repeated. "We're going to have babies."
Orli blinked. "Twins?"
"Twins."