Mansion
A loud clash of thunder woke her from whatever sleep she'd been managing to get since she'd gone to sleep only a few hours before. Annoyed at being woken up again after just barely managing to fall asleep, Jen checked the digital clock on the bedside table. It was blinking 1:23 but she knew it was different than that, Wes had once explained how clocks would rest to midnight once they got power back after an outage, and then blink while continuing to run until they were reset. Knowing she had a long day the next morning, she tried to roll over and sleep more, but a second clash and a high pitched scream sent her out of her bed and down the hallway, but someone beat her to the punch.
"Shhh baby." Wes pulled a sobbing Miranda into his arms. Jen stood at the doorway and silently watched him comfort her. It had been a long six months since she'd arrived, and Wes had gone from never leaving his room to having an active role in his kid's lives again. Chris was out of school for summer and was playing local hockey every single day, and Jen was the one who drove him there, but Wes made all the games, holding Miranda and patiently explaining what was happening to her. Jen listened as well and learned how to play the entire sport by the third match.
"Jen." Miranda reached up for her. "I want both of you." Her eyes were watery and sad, so the former tough pink ranger didn't have much of a choice but to oblige and slid to the other side of her bed, placing an arm around the little girl. Wes didn't acknowledge anything until they'd gotten the small girl back to sleep and closed the door behind them.
"Jen, you've been a big help with them, but…"
"No." Jen stopped him short, knowing what he was going to say. "I'm not here to replace Courtney, not in any way." She touched his arm and smiled gently before leaving and returning to her room.
"Thank you." She heard him say softly behind her. She smiled, but didn't stop until she was curled up into her bed again. By the time morning came, she was lured downstairs by the tantalizing scent of cinnamon wafting to her room and found Rachael frosting them carefully.
"Morning." Jen smiled at Rachael. It was hard to not smile when you saw her these days. When Jen had first returned to their time she was thin and stressed out, but now she was very healthy at five months pregnant, joy radiating off of her. It was different to see her and Eric have calm discussions with one another, and even the small affectionate looks and touches they shared. Eric was the definition of a caring husband, always making sure Rachael was comfortable, even when she was mad at him, he would just laugh behind her back, but let her be angry at him.
"Hey." Rachael greeted happily. "Chris loves these, and I had a really bad craving, so I figured if I left them here I'd only be tempted to have one." She giggled at herself and Jen couldn't help but laugh with her. "Eric's sister says since I'm craving sweets it'll be another girl." She frowned at the thought. "But with Lauren I always wanted rare meat, and craving protein is supposed to mean a boy." Jen laughed at how awake she was.
"You're alert today."
"I'd ought to be." Rachael smiled. "I meant to take a nap before Eric got home, but I didn't wake up until about four am, and I've been up since then cleaning like crazy."
"Pregnancy makes you nuts." Jen shook her head at Rachael who smiled almost serenely.
"I love it." She shrugged, stopping for a moment to rest her left hand over her slightly swollen belly. "Just knowing that there's a child in there is one of the best feelings I've ever experienced."
"Aunt Rachael!" Miranda ran into the room and reached her hands up to Rachael's stomach. "Hi Baby." She patted it nicely.
"The baby says hi to you too." Rachael grinned and placed a gob of icing on the little girl's nose, making her giggle as she climbed up next to Jen. "My other reason for being here is to ask you if you'd do me a huge favor." Rachael served two of the warm cinnamon buns on two plates for Jen and Miranda. Jen didn't look at hers but kept a suspicious gaze on Rachael. "Oh relax; I just need you to fill in for me at work while I'm on maternity leave."
"How long?" Jen asked, relaxing, this was something she could do easily. Rachael had been working as the director of the ranger museum that Alan Collins had put in the newly rebuilt clocktower. It had been weird to go back there for the first time since the rebuild, but it looked the same, as if nothing had ever happened to it. The ranger museum started at the bottom and worked its way around, making room for the teams that had shown up after Time Force had left as well. But on the ground floor at the same desk Rachael had also restarted "Nick of Time Odd Jobs", giving jobs to high school and college students during breaks and around their classes. She was almost like superwoman, raising a family, working and helping her brother at the same time.
"Hopefully around six weeks." Rachael shrugged. "I don't know, it might be more or less depending on how badly this kid tears me up or how restless I get." Jen laughed and nodded.
"Sure, I'll do anything you need me to."
"Is it a boy?" Miranda asked suddenly, sticky icing covering her face and hands. "Or a girl?"
"Hopefully a boy." Chris said from the door as he came in and grabbed a cinnamon bun from his Aunt. "We don't need any more girls around here." He almost growled out the words as the two women stifled their laughs.
"Couldn't agree more." Wes grinned as he came into the room with Ashlynn in his arms. "Besides, I don't think Eric would like to live with three women."
"He's dealing with two." Rachael wrinkled her nose at her brother who just gave it back and shifted his baby to press his hand against his sister's belly.
"Feels like a boy." He said officially and his son cheered while his daughter shrugged and kicked her feet out, swinging them as they dangled off the high chair she was sitting in. "Where's your daughter?" He asked, rocking Ashlynn carefully, redirecting his attention.
"She dragged Eric skating this morning."
"Again?" Jen asked with surprised. "She just started a few months ago and she hasn't stopped since."
"Nope, she's convinced she's going to be a champion figure skater." Rachael smiled while shaking her head. "Ten years ago I would have told my daughter that was a crazy goal, but now, with what we've done, it doesn't sound so crazy."
