"It's me, it's me, it's me!"
Wylie hunkered down, opening up his arms. "Wow! It's you! It's really you!"
Mimi attempted to twirl as she reached Wylie, but she tripped on her shoe lace and tumbled into his arms instead. "That was not good," she said with a frown as she looked up at him. "But," she added, perking up, "I will learn from my mistakes."
Vega laughed. "You're a smart cookie, Madeline."
"Can we have cookies?" Mimi asked.
"Uncle Wylie and I don't have any cookies," Vega said. "And your mom doesn't like you eating the store – bought ones."
"Can we make cookies?"
"Well, aren't you the problem solver," Wylie said, shooting an amused grin at his wife. "Do we have things available to make cookies?"
"I think we do," she said with a smile, resting a hand just to the left of her belly button. It felt as if the baby had hiccups. She was pleased about that. She'd read that hiccups help strengthen the diaphragm, which would make it easier for him to breathe once he was born. "Why don't you go wash your hands and I'll clean off the table and then the three of us can make some cookies."
"Don't tell Mommy?" Mimi asked, a mischievous glint in her eye.
"I think this is okay to tell Mommy," Wylie said. "What do you think, Aunt Michelle?"
"I'm a little concerned about how often we tell her not to tell Lisbon about things that happen here," Vega said, lifting an eyebrow.
Wylie coughed, reaching out to tickle Mimi, who giggled and jumped backward. "Go wash up, sweetie." He straightened up when the girl ran off toward the bathroom, turning toward Vega. "Okay, now do we have chocolate chips? Because those make the best cookies."
Vega folded her arms, staring off after Mimi. "Do you think he will want to do these sorts of things?"
Wylie cocked his head. "Who?"
Vega blinked, cocking her own head the opposite way. "Our child."
"Do you think he will want to make cookies?"
Vega licked her upper lip. "My dad was very adamant that I learn to do boy things. You know, what he considered boy things. He liked that I was naturally interested in that stuff, and the few things I wasn't into, he encouraged me to at least try. I always liked that about him, you know, he didn't think that I belonged in the kitchen, he didn't think I had to wear dresses and only go to school for an MRS degree, but he was okay with the girly traits that I did have, like baking. But…" she hesitated. She always did when she felt she was going to say something that was critical of her father. He was her everything growing up. His death had nearly destroyed her. "I know that if he had had a son, he would have been ashamed if he liked those things. It's so acceptable for girls to like things that society thinks are for boys, but it's a completely different story when boys like things that are considered to be for girls." She ran her hand over her stomach. "I love our son, Jay, and I know that deep down I really just want a healthy baby, but…but seeing Mimi being allowed to love all sorts of things, it makes me wish we were having a daughter."
"Okay, but, Michelle," Wylie said, tracing a finger over her middle, "you know that both of us are going to be completely supportive in whatever he takes an interest in. And you know, we know what his anatomy is, but sometimes all that doesn't match up." He shrugged, "I know most people don't think along those lines when they're expecting, but, like, maybe you are carrying our daughter and she will just have to tell us that when she is ready."
Vega smiled. "I just hope he doesn't ever get made fun of for his interests. No matter what those interests are."
"I think no matter what," Wylie said, "baby will like making cookies. That's a great time for everybody, let's be honest."
Vega laughed.
Cho's door was open, so Vega lightly rapped on the wall. "You wanted to see me, sir?"
Cho very rarely used his official office; he said he didn't like having walls between himself and the team. So when he called someone into his office, it almost always meant that he wanted to have a conversation that he didn't want anyone else in the building to overhear. That didn't automatically mean anything bad, but despite the relationship between the two of them, Vega felt slightly nervous standing in the doorway.
"Yes. Come on in, Michelle."
The use of her first name relaxed Vega. If this was something serious, or at least something work related, he would have called her Agent Wylie, or Agent Bonaventura. Vega entered the office, taking a seat in one of the chairs across from his desk when he motioned to it.
"I just wanted to ask you how your appointments have been going," Cho said in what was – for him – an easy, relaxed tone. "Things still going well?"
"Oh. Oh, yes," Vega said, nodding. "We have had a couple ultrasounds, everything looks good." She hesitated before speaking again, realizing that she'd almost used a pronoun and they were keeping that a secret. "Baby is in the upper quartile percentage wise, so that's good. And there's been a lot of hiccups."
"Hiccups," Cho said, and Vega realized at the concerned expression on his face that he thought that she'd meant complications. "I'm sorry to hear that."
"No, no, no," she said, "hiccups the…the diaphragm…spasm…thing…"
"Oh." A corner of Cho's mouth turned up. "Those are the preferable kind."
"Yes." Vega laughed. She hesitated. She and Wylie still disagreed on whether or not to bring this up. She decided to go for it. It wasn't like Wylie could ever learn exactly what they talked about in here. She could say it came up more specifically. "You know, our new ultrasound technician said she knows you from back in California."
"Really?" Cho cocked his head. "What's her name?"
"Summer. I don't know her last name."
She couldn't read the expression that came over Cho's face, but he cleared it quickly. "Summer. Wow. I had no idea she was in Texas. Or doing that type of work." A small smile came over his face. "Good for her." He looked concerned again. "What did she tell you?"
Vega decided that she should probably exclude some details. "She said she was your CI when you were with the CBI."
Cho nodded. "She was. She gave me more than a few of these gray hairs, but she got the job done, that's for sure."
"I'm sure it would take a lot to give you gray hairs."
"Says the person who gave me more than anyone else combined."
"I would have apologized," Vega said, "but, you know, I was kinda preoccupied with staying alive."
As she left Cho's office a few minutes later, Vega realized that was one of the first times she'd ever joked about it with someone other than her husband.
I've said this before, but I actually AM going to be updating this more regularly until it's finished. I thank everyone still reading and reviewing.
