Might have to bump up the rating with the addition of this story, it's a bit unlike other stuff I've posted so I'm a little nervous about it

Friedrich squinted at the figure walking down the road ahead of him. He was convinced it may be Jo, but he couldn't entirely trust his short-sighted eyes. He had been seeing Jo everywhere lately. Every head of chestnut hair, every glimpse of grey eyes, and his heart leaped. It probably wasn't Jo. It was only his heart wishing to see her that was tricking his eyes. He should not get his hopes up.

He was a bit closer now and could see two small figures running about the taller one. He heard a shout from the end of the road. "Bear man!" Friedrich took his glasses out of his pocket and Demi came into focus, charging towards him as fast as his chubby little legs could go. He grinned and swept the boy up off his feet when he reached him.

"Demi! Art thou out with thy sister and mother?"

"With Aunt Dodo," Demi corrected him, reaching into his waistcoat pocket for a chocolate drop.

"Demi!" Jo caught up to him. She had Daisy in her arms. "You can't run so far ahead, Daisy is too tired to keep up."

"Mees Marsch, you have your hands full I see."

"Oh, yes. I got to have the babies for a day while Meg and John went out together. I'm taking them back now, but I do wish I could keep them for another day."

Demi nodded. "I want to stay," he said, his mouth full of chocolate. "Aunt Dodo lets me have jam," he whispered to the professor.

"Does she? That sounds nice." Friedrich looked back at Jo, a sleepy Daisy cradled in her arms. "May I accompany you on your way?"

"Sure. You can keep me from turning right back around and taking them home with me again," she joked, as Friedrich let Demi sit on his shoulder, hanging on to the professor's coat to keep his balance.

"I will make sure," he agreed, with a teasing lilt in his voice.

"I am grateful that Meg lets me borrow them as much as I already do," Jo said, as they continued on their way to the Brooke household. "Being an aunt is sort of like having babies part-time. I love it."

"You should have your own baby, Aunt Dodo," Daisy suggested.

"Why?" Demi looked put off by the idea. Friedrich guessed that he must enjoy having his aunt's attention to himself.

"Then she won't have to be sad when we go, and we can have a cousin," Daisy explained, followed by a yawn.

"What an idea," Jo laughed nervously. "Who put that into your head?"

"Dada is reading me a book with a cousin in it, a cousin is like your friend for always, right?" Daisy asked.

"Sometimes, I guess," Jo said. "But don't count on any from me."

"Why not? You don't want to?" Demi asked.

"I would, but making a baby takes two, and I'm just me," Jo explained, hoping this was the end of it.

Curious as Demi was, of course, it wasn't. "Why does it take two?"

"When- I guess... um... When God goes through all the prayers, the most important ones are the ones that many people are praying for, so two people need to pray together so the request gets to God faster." Now she was just making things up off the top of her head. But she guessed this wasn't any worse than the 'God winds you up' explanation from her father. Demi would probably forget about this anyways, he looked tired and kept laying his head down on Friedrich's, using the professor's curls as a pillow.

"What if you shout your prayers? Then God will hear."

"It doesn't work that way."

Demi paused, stumped.

"I'm sure Aunt Amy and Uncle Laurie are planning on having kids, you'll have cousins someday," Jo added, thinking that this would be the end of it certainly.

"Maybe Mr. Bhaer could just help you pray, he has a loud voice," Demi suggested, quite matter-of-factly.

Jo stopped in her tracks, mortified, as the professor laughed his deep, rumbling laugh so loud that some birds were scared out of a nearby tree. She hid her scarlet face in Daisy's golden curls. No no no no, why do my stories backfire like this when father's don't? Why couldn't I come up with something else? Why is he laughing so hard?!

"That's enough out of you, Demijohn," Jo said. She glanced over at Mr. Bhaer, who gave her a playful wink. Her heart stammered in her chest and she looked away. "Have another chocolate drop, we're almost home."

He apologized for laughing so hard later, and Jo forgave him of course, but she remained frustrated. Especially now that little curly-haired babies with warm brown eyes tumbled into her imagination when she let it wander before bed. She rolled over, burying her face in her pillow.

I mustn't think of it. He is my good friend, that life will never be for me.

Which was too bad, because the professor would make a wonderful father.

Three years later, Jo laid back in bed, lightly tugging at Fritz's collar. He leaned down and kissed her, slow and deep. Jo undid his cravat with eager, fumbling hands. His hands were on her thighs, and she waited excitedly for him to move them up even higher, but he paused.

"May I help you pray, dearest?" Fritz asked. Jo could feel him smiling against her neck as the memory of her embarrassment came back. She groaned.

"Fritz! Will you ever let me live that down? It was one silly story..."

He muffled his laughter in her shoulder as he went to work unbuttoning her dress.