Hey All! We have loved how much you enjoy both You're My Home and The Home Team! We have loved how much you followed the story and all of your lovely reviews and support. We have put in so much work to this story in its original form on D.H. Caldwell's site and now we have done it again. HAS5245 and I have decided to revamp "The Home Team" and put it on our account. It's new and improved and we hope you love it just as much as we do! Please follow, review, and favorite! We love hearing from you!
-D.H. Caldwell and HAS5245
It was a beautiful, unseasonably warm March night and Andy and Jack decided to make the most of it by stargazing outside. After dinner was done and put away, Andy poured two glasses of wine and joined her husband out back on the deck.
"This reminds me of the time Ryan and I used to look at the airplanes. We would look up at the sky and watch the planes take off. We would lay there, just like this, and wonder where each of them was going", Andy reminisced as she laid down and snuggled against Jack's body on the deck chair. The sound of the gentle breeze against the trees and the crickets chirping in the grass, calmed the millions of thoughts taking space in her mind. For a second, she couldn't think of anything besides how peaceful it was with no station or anything, just the two of them.
Jack broke the silence between them as he intertwined his hand in hers, "It's been a while since you thought about him Andy. What are you thinking about? What's on your mind?". He looked at her and smiled. It had been almost a year ago now since he told her how much he loved her and she said it back unsurprisingly. It had been a year since they started this journey together, and he thought about how much had happened in that year with getting married, Carl dying, and befriending Jenna and her three kids. He finally had Andy and had the family he always wanted with her and just her. He didn't need anything else now; Andy was family enough. "Come on, tell me', he pressed
"How did we get here?", Andy asked as Jack readied himself to make some sarcastic comment. Andy knew him though, "No, how did this happen? All of this? You, the house, counting the stars on our deck? How did I get this lucky?". She looked into his eyes and still saw her best friend, the same person she had met on her first day at 19 all those years ago. "With everything that happened last year, how did I get so lucky to have you in my life?", she asked as she kissed him.
Jack sat up when she said this and looked at her, "You were lucky? I knew from the day I met you Andrea Herrera that I loved you. I got so damn lucky that we found our way back to each other". He loved the way she looked in the moonlight and smiled as she sat and rested her hands on her knees. "You know it's been a little over a year since you first told me you loved me", he reminded her.
"And what a year it has been. After Robert died and I left, why did you stay? Why did you stay behind to pick up all the pieces? I left. I was a mess and I was holding myself together with nothing but tape and glue. How I could even function to work when I came back was a miracle. That was a hell of a year. Ryan, then Rigo, then my Dad, then my husband. I shouldn't have got through it as well as I did but I did it because of you. Because you found me and you stayed and you put me back together again and made me love again and I'm just reciting our wedding vows here", Andy laughed.
"Because I love you, with all of my heart, Andy. Why do you think I proposed so early? I knew you enough to know that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you" he chuckled as she kissed him.
"Mmmm, I could have killed you for that, but I am so glad we did it. I'm happy that I have you and you have me, and we're married", she answered as she pointed at her ring finger where a beautiful diamond ring with a gold band sat. She flashed it in the moonlight and admired the wedding band that now rested on top of the ring.
She looked at him as he went silent for a minute, staring up at the night sky. He was never silent unless he was mad about something or thinking. "Andy?", Jack wondered aloud.
"What are you thinking about now?" Andy asked smiling
Jack smiled, "I think we're ready. I know, we should be having this conversation in like two years or something. I know we said we wanted it to just be us for a while, but I can see myself and our family and I want to start it with you". Andy looked stunned, not upset but stunned. "Twenty years ago, this place had kids running around and it was robbed. I want to change that and start a beautiful family with my driven, force of nature, beautiful wife", he told her as she kissed him and listened to the sound of the chirping crickets.
"Alright, coming from your beautiful, driven, force of nature wife, let's think about this seriously for a second, do you even know the first thing about babies?" Andy asked skeptically.
"I know that they love me and I love them. Besides if Dean can do it anyone can do it", Jack laughed as he thought of Dean when he first got Prue .
Andy wondered, "And you're sure you want this? The sleepless nights, the spit up, the crying? Me having weird cravings for sushi dipped in ice cream at three in the morning?"
"Of course, I'm sure. It can be the second part of our beautiful adventure. We're going to be great parents. Who knows, I might even go for sushi dipped in ice cream myself", he expressed. "All I know is that I want a family with the woman I love"
Andy chuckled and shook her head. Every fiber of her being wanted to say yes, but the more logical side of her wanted to figure a few things out first. "You're so weird. Wait, how will we fit a baby in with our work schedule? Honey, we can't quit our jobs." Andy asked skeptically.
"Already got that covered. Marsha loves kids and she will love to spoil ours. It will be good for her; she was so upset after Marcus and Inara left", Jack chuckled.
"You seem to have this all figured out. I'm all in. Let's start a family", she agreed as she kissed him passionately.
"Really?" he asked between kisses
"Really", she affirmed he kissed her again.
"I love you so much", he told her as he picked her up and threw her in the pool. He laughed and disappeared inside, reemerging a second later with a bottle of wine from their wedding.
"Jack Gibson come back here. You do realize it's March and the pool is freezing" she scolded playfully as he hopped in with her and set the wine glasses on the edge of the pool.
"It's unseasonably warm mi amor and this calls for a celebration", he smiled as he poured the wine and they toasted to the eventual start of a family.
"What kind of celebration? Good wine and our pool?", she smiled as they kissed in the pool under the moonlight.
"You know it. We could always try skinny dipping? I've never tried it", he smirked.
"Oh yeah, sure with all the houses around us. I can already see it now", Andy teased
"Or we can move this party out of the freezing pool and upstairs", Jack suggested. "Mostly because my feet are starting to go numb. I'll race you upstairs", he added as he climbed out of the pool and grabbed a lingering towel nearby.
"Oh you're on", she yelled as they climbed out and she ran ahead of him up the stairs of their house and to their room.
At the station the next day Andy was having a cup of coffee in the beanery with Maya. "Jack started talking about babies again last night. And it wasn't him mentioning that we could maybe have kids someday. He wants to start trying now", Andy mentioned as she sipped her coffee.
"I'm sorry, what?" Maya sputtered as she choked on her coffee mid-sip. This was news to her. Of all the people to want children, Jack Gibson didn't register in her mind as one of them. "What happened to 'maybe in a few years'? What about your career? You just started as captain. What about his career?", she wondered, thinking deeply about what Andy had just said. "I still can't believe it. He was so adamant about waiting that it wasn't even funny"
Andy chuckled, "Well, that was true until last night when he brought the idea up again. I've never had an issue with having children, I've just been waiting for him". Maya looked as though she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her best friend was already thinking about children. "Yes, he wants a baby, and I told him that I'm all in. I have my whole life for a career and so does he. However, we only have a certain window of time for babies. We talked about that over wine in the pool last night", Andy explained as Vic walked in and joined them after grabbing a pear and some water from the fridge.
"You two had wine in the pool? In March?", Maya asked
"Good Morning you two. Okay, what did I miss? All I heard was Gibson and babies", Vic greeted
"Jack wants to start trying for a baby with Andy", Maya smiled.
"Started", Andy corrected. "We already started trying"
"What? When were you going to tell me this? I thought he wanted to wait a few years?" Vic asked as Andy rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Why is it such a shock to them that he wants kids? He loves kids" Andy thought to herself as Vic and Maya talked about Jack.
"I knew he would change his mind. I've seen how amazing he is with Prue, Allison, and Leo. I've seen how amazing you are with Prue, Allison, and Leo. He'll be the perfect Dad and you'll be the perfect Mom and you'll have a perfect kid.", Maya reassured as Andy cut her off.
"Woah, wait, I don't want my kids to be perfect, all I'll want for them is for them to try their best. And believe me, I will not be the perfect Mom. I mean I won't leave and fake my death, and then come back when my baby is a grown adult and take over literally every part of their life", Andy explained while touching on her own very rocky relationship with her mother. "Just as long as I'm better than my mother", Andy laughed
"This chair is better than your mother. Seriously, if anyone is built for parenthood it's you two. You're going to be an amazing mother and Jack will be an amazing Dad. Maya is right" Vic chuckled as she took a sip of Andy's coffee, much to Andy's displeasure. "Didn't you tell me the other day how great Jack was with Marcus and the neighbors that you have been talking about?"
"I mean, he is amazing with kids. Jenna had to run an errand the other day and he was out there playing football with the boys or just Rowan for that matter. DJ sat on the sidelines and cheered them on while Amelia and I chose dresses for her Barbie dolls. She's learning so much. The boys too. They're getting smarter and more creative each day. You should see Jack's face when he plays with them or Prue, Leo, or Allison for that matter. It lights up like a Christmas tree. I think we're ready", Andy answered.
"You're ready for screaming babies and no sleep? Prue is almost three and still drives me up a wall. Want to take her?" Vic laughed
"We'll be fine. I'm actually excited for where this takes us. I just only hope I can be half as good of a parent as my dad was", Andy smiled.
"He would be so proud right now. He's probably looking down at Gibson and yelling "It's about damn time you give me grandkids", laughed Maya
While the women talked in the beanery, the guys were in the barn cleaning the trucks. Dean started cleaning the Aid Car and Jack pulled over a bucket and a sponge to join him after finishing another truck. "Andy and I had the baby conversation last night", Jack started, cutting right to the chase.
"Again? How did that happen? Last time you said you wanted to wait a few years", Travis yelled from the front of the truck. They didn't even know he was there.
"We both agreed last night that now is the right time and we started trying", Jack explained.
Dean smirked as he scrubbed a patch of mud off the wheel well. "Congrats Gibson, I knew babysitting Prue would change your mind one day"
"Thanks. I was so happy last night when she told me that she was all in. She's so excited to start trying", Jack answered as the guys smiled and congratulated him again. "You know, I had a family when I was dating Inara, but it's different now that I'm actually in love with the person I want the family with. I can't wait to start one with Andy and be a father, not just a substitute for one", he told them as they shared an understanding, knowing look with him.
"We get that, definitely. I'll assume your future kid will be needing a fun Uncle Travis?" Travis inquired as Dean waved his hands in front of his face to try to stop Travis from explaining himself. Travis shot him a look, "What? Every kid needs a fun aunt and uncle. I'll be the one that they'll be able to call at 3am if their drunk and can't drive home, or that they will be able to tell if they got a tattoo and don't want you or Andy finding out right away"
"Um, I'd hope you would tell us if our future kid called you at 3am drunk", Jack answered
Dean stopped scrubbing for a minute to recall a memory, "The last time him and Emmitt babysat Prue, she came back with her ears pierced. I thought my Vic was going murder him in his sleep"
"I remember that, she didn't talk to you for a whole week", laughed Jack.
"I still don't know what was wrong with that. Emmitt and I took her to a reputable place that had outstanding reviews and his friend Jo he made at the hospital said it was the perfect place to go for a kids' ear piercing. Also, you have to admit they looked good after. Vic even buys her earrings now", Travis defended
"Because she has no choice", explained Dean. "Prue freaks out if she isn't wearing earrings and everyone knows that the holes close. JJ's mother was pissed when she saw it"
Travis rolled his eyes, "They look good, and she didn't even cry. I still don't know what was so wrong about that"
"Dude, you got your best friend's boyfriend's daughter's ears pierced without even a word to them. What do you think was wrong with that?" Jack wondered.
"Everyone overreacting. That was what was wrong with that" Travis answered as Jack and Dean laughed.
"Don't worry about it", Jack chuckled. "But seriously Montgomery, if I come home and find my kid's ears pierced, you're done. And it's not me you'll have to worry about, its Andy"
The guys pulled away from the truck as the alarm sounded and Dean hopped in the driver's side of the Aid Car. Andy went over as Jack climbed in the passenger side and held the door open. She handed him a folded piece of paper and reached up to kiss him quickly.
"This is for Mrs. Adams. She fell in the shower again. It's the number for a repairman who can put a bar in there. Treat our community like family. The Pruitt Way.", Andy smiled. "I love you" she added
"I love you too", Jack smiled as he shut the door.
