Title: The Swear Jar 7/X

Author: Romantique

Email: dolph1n

Classification: Raylan/Winona Family/General

Rating: T for language (but no worse than the show)

Summary: Raylan is a new dad. This one is a stand-alone, not a sequel to 'A Change of Scenery.'

Disclaimer: It's 'Justified' hiatus time, and I'm bored. This fic is based on nothing but my imagination and takes place sometime after the end of Season 3.

Legal: These characters do not belong to me. I'm just a fan and have not made a dime. Please email me to obtain permission to post.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Early the next morning, Winona emerged from the bathroom, showered and dressed for her morning session, to find Raylan already up with Caitlyn. Winona could see by the baby paraphernalia located near the foot of the bed that the baby had already been changed.

Barefoot, in his t-shirt and boxers, Raylan sat in the wingback chair feeding Cait with a bottle. Winona couldn't help but smile. He seemed so comfortable, a natural, so easy-going with the baby ... a far cry from the first time she saw him hold Cait in the hospital. For such a strong, brave law man, one might have thought the delivery room nurse handed him a bottle of nitroglycerin in a receiving blanket, instead of a baby. When the nurse placed their baby in his arms that momentous day, even though he was masked and gowned, Raylan was stiff and awkward ... absolutely terrified that he didn't know what he was doing, and he didn't. But then, he began to talk to his newborn, welcome her into the world, and introduce himself as her Daddy. Jawing with a newborn just as easy as the day was long. Winona loved the way her looked at their baby, a look of never-before-seen joy that spread over his face. It was an unforgettable side of Raylan Givens she had never experienced before.

There, two months later, Raylan looked like a pro. Winona watched him give Cait the same loving look he gave her in the delivery room. He was in love with Caitlyn Grace, and it was enough to melt Winona's heart. Of course, she felt that way about her baby, but she never expected the same reaction from Raylan. Honestly, she didn't know what she expected from him, but he had more than met them. The best part was, it was natural, nothing forced or contrived. Seeing him step up during her certification week with such confidence, taking over with the tender, loving care of their daughter was making her fall in love with Raylan Given all over again.

"How are you two doing over there?" she asked, stepping into her heels.

"We're just havin' a little breakfast, aren't we?" he confirmed with Cait. Then, he looked over at Winona in the light coming from the bathroom. "Wow, you look fantastic!"

She was pleased he noticed. She was back in one of her pencil skirts for the first time since delivering the baby. All the hard work she had been doing was paying off, and she was quite proud of herself. She couldn't help but wonder if all the sex they'd been having that week was helping the cause.

"Thank you," she smiled.

"Would you do me a favor and hand me a burp towel?" he asked her, as she was standing near the diaper bag. "Little Bit, is gonna need it in just a minute."

Winona reached into the diaper bag and pulled out the Swear Jar, along with a clean towel.

"What are these big bills doing in Caitlyn's Swear Jar?" she asked after a moment, holding the jar in her hand and showing it to Raylan.

Again, he looked up and over at her.

"Remember, I told you Art was callin' me, trying to guilt me into comin' in to the office because of Arlo?" he asked, raising his eyebrows, thinking fast on his feet.

"Yeah," she nodded and approached him, handing him the towel.

"I lost count on how many cuss words unwittingly escaped my lips that day," he admitted, taking the towel from her and placing it over his shoulder. "I'm pretty sure I called Arlo every name in the book. So, I thought to myself ... why fight it? And I stopped off at the ATM and pulled out a $50 and a $20 to cover me for a while."

There. Raylan lied, a little, by not telling her the $20 was from Tim. Winona laughed upon hearing his story.

"I need to pay up, too," she admitted as well, pulling out a single bill from her wallet and placing them inside the jar. "I cussed, again, when I stubbed my toe yesterday in Lady Cait's presence."

Raylan then brought the babe up to his shoulder and began patting her gently on the back.

"Whatever are we gonna do about your potty mouth?" Raylan teased Winona with a playful grin.

"Mine?" she chuckled. "Compared to yours, mine is mild."

She held up the jar to the light and turned it from every angle, looking inside the clear glass.

"At the rate you're going, this child will be able to afford an Ivy League school," she quipped.

"Probably," he agreed. "Glad I can help."

Then, all of a sudden, a big 'burp' came out of little Caitlyn. Both Raylan and Winona laughed at the unexpected sound.

"WOW!" he exclaimed to Cait, suddenly becoming quite alert as he supported her head.

Winona came closer and sat on the corner of the bed.

"I can't believe that big ol' burp came out of such a little body," she said, still smiling. "She takes after you with that, you know."

"Just one of my many talents," he gloated.

Then, Raylan smiled back at her, mirroring smiles ... something that had not happened in ages. Their eyes even smiled. Winona tilted her head.

"Are you happy?" she asked, still smiling.

With a tight lipped smile, he shifted the baby's weight into the crook of his arm and nodded. "Yeah, I am. And you?"

She unconsciously licked her lips, still smiling.

"Very," she said. She paused and twirled the ends of her hair in her fingers. "You know ... this is my last day of class."

"Really?" he asked. "I thought the seminar was going on through Friday?"

"It is," she explained, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear. "But I'm all done, as of this afternoon."

Raylan had been having such a nice time, the thought of it coming to an early end didn't feel very good.

Then, Winona asked, "Would you like to stay here through the weekend? Maybe have some play time? Just the three of us?"

Raylan stood up with Caitlyn and took a seat on bed beside Winona. His smiling eyes searched hers, and he leaned in and gave her a kiss.

"That is the best idea I've heard in a long time," he said, coming up for air.

Winona reached over and stroked her baby's hair.

"Well, the sooner I get going, the sooner I'll be back," she said, leaning over to kiss Caitlyn on the top of her sweet head and then, Raylan on the mouth.

With Cait cradled in one arm, he grabbed Winona's hand and pulled her back down. And they kissed again ... really kissed. A moment later, they came up for air.

"We'll be waitin'," Raylan said smiling, as he watched his lady love walk out the door.

But not before she turned around and gave a little wave to Raylan and her baby.

And then she said, "Rest up, Cowboy. I'm gonna jump your bones the first chance I get."

"Do say?" he smiled back at her.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

After a quick shower and a room service breakfast, Raylan and Cait went out for a little walk out in the fresh Kentucky air. On the way back, he stopped at the Concierge Desk and picked up some tourist brochures and stopped by the Front Desk where he extended their stay through the Sunday. He also picked up their clean laundry they had dropped off, the day before.

He then went up to the room, hands full of baby, diaper bag, and laundry. After managing to open the door, he placed the package of laundry on top of the dresser and lowered Cait's basket onto the table. She was out. A quick diaper check with his finger found her dry.

Raylan let out a stifled yawn. He'd not had much uninterrupted sleep on this trip, which suited his insomnia just fine ... it was just that he was getting less of it than the usual. Between his Daddy duties, and the fact that he and Winona were having a problem keeping their hands off each other, the lack of sleep was beginning to take its toll. He removed his hat and placed it over the darkened lamp shade and stretched out on the bed, toeing his boots off. Staring up at the ceiling, he thought the week had gone much better with Winona than he could have hoped. Yet, he decided that slow and steady was probably the best course for them.

In a few moments time, he closed his eyes and nodded off for a much needed nap.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Winona raced through her final course evaluation of the afternoon to finish her CEU requirements in record time, far faster than most others at the conference. She was proud of herself for being no nonsense in her effort to get out of there early. She had been polite, speaking only when spoken to, and had pretty much kept to herself.

She reflected on the noticeable shift between her and Raylan that week. It was her nature to analyze and re-analyze things over and over again, a quality that probably made her such a good court reporter. At first, she chalked the shift off to her being lonely, and well, incredibly horny. After all, Raylan was so easy for her to be around. She had known him for what seemed like ... forever. What was different this week was that she began to really see him ... as the father of their child. Not just some abstract thing she'd imagined, as she often found herself trying to do during her pregnancy. No, this was the 'Real Deal' and whether, they were together or not, they were a family, a real family. They felt like a family. Not like a couple anymore, but a family. The reality of that shift in dynamic hit her smack between the eyes.

When she walked into the room, Raylan jumped out of his sleep.

"Sorry," she said, quietly closing the door. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"No, I'm good," he said, trying to quickly recover.

Looking at the clock, he said, "I got a good couple of hours." Then, concerned he'd been shirking his responsibilities, he looked over at Cait and asked, "How's she doin'?"

Winona smiled and began opening the clasp of the straps that kept her secure in her basket.

"She's doing just fine," she answered. "And she's smiling at me!"

"See," he said, suddenly gaining credibility. "I told you it wasn't gas."

She quickly changed the baby and then, passed Cait over to Raylan so that she could change into some jeans and a top before nursing the baby.

"So, what are you up for this afternoon?" she asked.

Checking his cell phone out of habit, he answered, "There are LOTS of museums in this town. I picked up brochures on several of 'em.'

"While I appreciate you doing your research, I'm not a museum kind of girl," she said, readjusting the baby over a pillow on her lap. "And you're not a museum kind of guy. Besides, Caitlyn's a little too young to really appreciate them. Don't you think?"

"Oh, I don't know. She seemed to enjoy seein' the Corvettes, yesterday," he remarked.

She laughed. "Another way she is like you?"

"Well," he sighed, "the only other thing that seems to be plentiful in this city is parks. There are tons and tons of 'em."

"How about a picnic?" she asked, her eyes lighting up.

"I did see this one nearby that has a pond ... with some ducks," he said, rifling through the brochures. "And I noticed on the room service menu that we could get a boxed lunch. How does that sound?"

"Sounds perfect," she said, "although you do realize Caitlyn's a little too young for the ducks?"

"Oh, there're not for her," he said. "I love to feed ducks. My Aunt Helen used to take me down a pond down off of Red Dog Road when I was a kid and my momma was at work. I remember feedin' those ducks on more than one occasion. Helen would save day-old bread and cut it into little squares and put it in a paper bag. Yeah," he said, his thoughts drifting off.

"You never told me that before," she said.

"Hadn't thought about it in years," he answered. "The pond is long gone. Mine blastin' took it." Then, he looked over and asked, "You know what the best part of havin' a baby is?"

"No, what?" she asked.

"Gettin' to re-live your childhood again. The good parts," he nodded.

He was surprised that he was remembering some good parts.

(To be continued)