Description: Time for a humorous romantic Jessica/Toby oneshot. Basically Jessica has started getting some weird cravings and Toby is having to deal with those, as well as the dratted mood swings. Set prior to Forbidden Love.
Toby stared in disbelief at Jessica. "Did you just say you wanted a cheese and jam sandwich? As in together?"
She glared at him. "Yes, I did! Now hurry up, I'm starving!" He decided, upon seeing the dangerous look on her face, that it would be best not to mention that she didn't even like cheese.
Walking into the kitchen, he sighed. The weird food cravings he could handle, but the mood swings terrified him. Only yesterday he had caught her crying over a funny advert, only for her to start screaming herself hoarse when she caught him looking.
"Shhh," he soothed, taking hold of her hands. "Getting worked up isn't good for the baby." Jessica stared at him, sky-blue eyes wide, before burying her face in his shoulder.
"I'm sorry," she sobbed repeatedly. "I'm aw-awful! What's wrong with me?"
"You're not," he told her firmly. "You're pregnant; your hormones are kicking in. There's nothing wrong with you, at least I hope there isn't."
Sighing at the memory, Toby carried the sandwich into the living room and cautiously placed it in front of Jessica, who eyed it suspiciously. "No margarine?" she asked, or rather, demanded.
"No margarine." Toby confirmed, feeling glad that at least one thing remained the same. If she had demanded margarine on the sandwich, then he really would be freaked out because Jessica couldn't stand margarine (she hated it even more than she hated cheese, which was saying something).
"I bet you're wondering how I'm eating this," she remarked casually, seeing his expression reflected in the mirror.
"It had... crossed my mind," he admitted slowly. "I don't get why you have the desire to eat foods you normally hate."
"I don't really understand it either. These cravings aren't exactly fun for me, you know."
"You'd get mad if I didn't give you them though." He pointed out, sitting down next to her.
"Yeah, sorry about that," she laughed nervously. "I don't mean to get mad, it's just the hormones, the mood swings. They're not exactly fun either." She retched suddenly and vomited into the bucket next to her. "Don't even mention the morning sickness. It's completely ridiculous. How can it be morning sickness if it lasts all day?"
"No idea," he replied. "Maybe they called it that so it wouldn't seem as bad as it was."
"Well, whoever had that idea was stupid!" she huffed. He laughed at her until her face contorted and she vomited again. He gently rubbed her back with one hand, passing her the glass of water he had thoughtfully prepared with the other.
"I don't want anything to happen to you or our baby," he told her as she slowly sipped the water. "I'll protect you both." He placed his hand on her stomach to prove his point. All of a sudden, he gasped and pulled his hand away, staring at his wife in shock. "The baby-it moved! I felt it kick my hand!"
Toby was absolutely ecstatic. In that moment, he felt like he could deal with the mood swings, constant morning sickness and the cravings. After all, it would all be worth it in the end.
"Toby, can you get me some chocolate-covered pickles?" Jessica asked.
On second thoughts, maybe he wouldn't be able to deal with the cravings. Especially if they were as weird as that. He hoped that their child wouldn't grow up liking these strange combinations of food.
"Already on it!" He called back, hunting for the pickles. At last, he found them and began to cover them with chocolate like she had instructed. He had no idea how she could possibly eat the foods she was eating; they couldn't possibly taste, in any way, nice.
"Thanks," she said, tucking into the food ravenously, even though it hadn't even been an hour since she last ate. "I know I've seemed really ungrateful at times but I'm glad you've been here to help me out. Without you, I'd have lost it several times over, and I really don't want to lose this baby."
Toby held her in his arms, comforting her. "Like I said, I won't let anything happen to you or our baby. I'll die before I let anyone hurt either of you. And you don't need to thank me, I love you, I'll always help you and be there for you whenever you need me. Wherever you go, there I'll be, even if you want to climb the highest mountain, swim through the deepest ocean, cross the thickest forest or fly above the highest cloud, I'll be right by your side whatever happens."
Jessica smiled at him. She never could have imagined his feelings for her were so strong. "I love you," she told him. "I'm pretty sure I won't be climbing any mountains right now, though!"
They smiled at one another, fingers interlaced as they held hands. They could handle another four months.
It would all be worth it...in the end.