"I hate this already..." Jade sighs, running a hand through her husband's hair
It's longer than it usually is, almost as long as her's. He's always had longer hair than most men his age, it averages around chin length and can easily be styled or pulled back to stay out of his way. For the movie though, it needed to be much longer. He started growing it out in mid-March to prepare for his upcoming role and now at the end of May, it's reached it's ideal length for the film. Jade isn't the biggest fan, she likes his hair long...but this is too long for her.
"I thought you liked my hair long?" Beck smirks
"I do...to a certain extent." Jade chuckles "Ideally it's to your chin. Shoulder-length I can deal with, but it's pushing it a bit. Past your shoulders like this though? Not my favorite."
"It's not my favorite either." Beck admits with a smirk "I don't know how you deal with your's being longer than this."
"Twenty-five and a half years of practice and a lot of product." Jade laughs
"Fair enough." Beck shrugs "You really don't like it?"
"It's...not my favorite." Jade repeats "But, you're my favorite, so it's okay."
"Good thing you won't have to be around me with it." Beck reminds her "I promise to cut it as soon as I get home."
"Thank you." Jade smiles, reaching over and taking his hand "Although, I'd rather not think about spending that much time apart from you right now."
"We still have a few minutes." Beck assures her "Let's make the most of it."
It's May 28th. Beck is due in London on June 1st for the first table read of the Led Zeppelin movie, appropriately titled 'Zeppelin' for now, but it was suggested that he leave a few days early to acclimate himself to the time change and settle in to the hotel room that he would call home for the next two and a half months. Wanting to spend as much time as possible together before he leaves, Jade had agreed to accompany him in the car to JFK. Getting out and saying goodbye publicly will most likely cause a scene, but they're thankful to at least have the opportunity for a private moment before he exits the vehicle.
Jade herself is due on set in an hour. Although on her between-seasons break from filming Beyond the Innocent, she had been cast in a four-part miniseries for HBO. She plays an FBI agent undercover trying to catch a serial killer, who is captured and held captive thanks to an error made by her partner. Suspense builds throughout the entire script, intentionally leaving the viewer hanging on the edge of their seat as they hope she can survive long enough to be rescued or escape. They're on week six of what was originally slated for eight weeks of filming and while it's going to take up a majority of what was supposed to be her 'vacation time' from her standard television role, she's so proud of what they've produced so far and she can't wait for the world to see it.
"Here we are, Mr. Oliver." Their driver announces as he pulls up to the departures drop off "Do you need any help with your bags?"
"Yes please, Kevin. If you wouldn't mind." Beck responds "There's supposed to be a security team meeting me here too to escort me through as well."
"I'll keep an eye out for 'em." Kevin nods as he shifts the car into park and opens the door
"Thanks. I'll be out in a minute."
He waits until the door is closed and they're truly alone before turning to his wife and offering her a look of sympathy and longing. He wishes she could come to London with him, he thinks that the experience would be great for both of them if she did, but unfortunately her own schedule just doesn't allow for it to be possible. Both of them know that they should expect this to start happening more and more, with their careers taking off the way that they are, they should get used to spending extended amounts time apart, but that doesn't make the idea of doing so any easier or more appealing.
"It's only two and a half months..."
"Only." Jade scoffs "You're going to miss the whole summer, basically."
"I'll be back before Labor Day!" Beck reminds her "There will still be a few weeks of summer left by the time I get home."
"Not enough to fit in all of the things that we normally do..." Jade sighs "The boat trips, the days on private beaches, going to see Cat's shows..."
"I'm sure Cat, Robbie, Tori, and Andre are willing to do all of those things with you while I'm gone."
"I'm sure they are too, but I'd rather be doing them with you."
"I know...c'mere." Beck unbuckles both of their seat belts and slides closer to her, wrapping her up in a hug
Jade hugs him back, burying her face in his chest to inhale his scent one last time. The familiar mix of his cologne, deodorant, and their laundry detergent that lingers on his body and clothes has become synonymous with love and safety for her after all of these years. She's made him wear a few hoodies around the house the past week so that they would still smell like them once he was gone, and she'll be able to wear them to feel a bit closer to him in his absence.
"I love you." She murmurs, not wanting to let go of him
"I love you too." He tells her before pressing a kiss to the top of her head
Jade looks up and cups her husband's face in her hands, pulling him closer to her so she can kiss him goodbye. They both allow the kiss to linger, neither one of them wanting it to end. When it ends, he'll have to leave.
Eventually they're disrupted by a knock on the window, and Beck turns to see Kevin standing with two airport security guards.
"There's my entourage." He sighs "I've gotta go. I love you."
"I love you too." Jade frowns as Beck opens the door and begins to step out "Call me when you land?"
"Of course." He nods "We'll talk soon."
"Okay."
"Okay."
He closes the door gently and picks up his backpack, then extends the handle on his suitcase to pull behind him. He offers Jade a quick wave goodbye before grabbing the suitcase and following the security guards towards the entrance. Of course, there are paparazzi waiting for him, snapping pictures as he walks across the concrete.
Jade watches him go, a sad feeling growing in the pit of her stomach. She can't help herself from crawling across the backseat, rolling the window down, and yelling out to him one last time.
"Beck!" She calls out to him "I love you!"
"I love you too!"
The paparazzi turn and are now snapping pictures of her, and Jade quickly blows Beck a kiss before rolling the window up and disappearing behind the safety of the car's tinted glass. She watches him disappear inside the airport and then with a disheartened sigh, positions herself back in her own seat and re-fastens her seat belt.
"To set, Mrs. Oliver?" Kevin asks her as he climbs back in the car
"Yes, please..." She sighs "Thanks, Kevin."
About two weeks after Beck leaves for London, right at the beginning of June, Jade awakes one morning feeling a bit off. As she rolls over and silences her alarm, she can feel that something is wrong...she just can't pinpoint what. Hesitantly, she sits up...but immediately becomes lightheaded and has to lay down again.
"Woah, alright..." She says to herself as she does so "Sat up too quickly, that's okay."
Georgia, concerned about her mother, stands up from her spot on Beck's side of the bed and moves towards Jade, nudging at her arm. Normally, the dog sleeps in her own bed in the living room at night, as Beck always feels bad having to kick her out of the bedroom whenever they have sex. In his absence though, Jade has been allowing the dog to sleep on the bed with her. She hates sleeping alone and could use the company, and Georgia deserves to be spoiled every once and a while.
"S'okay, puppy." Jade assures the dog, scratching her gently behind the ears "I'm okay, I promise."
She lays on her back, staring at the ceiling as she continues to pet Georgia, for another five minutes before she tries to sit up again. This time her head hurts a bit, but the room isn't spinning...so she figures it's safe to at least try to walk to the bathroom to start getting ready for her day. They're almost done with the miniseries, and she would hate to have to take the day off now. Georgia follows protectively behind her, still weary of her behavior when the alarm first went off.
Jade starts to feel better as she moves around a bit, and once she's able to get herself a glass of water. She showers and gets herself dressed without any issues. However, as she's standing at the bathroom sink brushing her teeth, she feels her stomach start to turn. She stops and spits out her toothpaste, obviously discomforted by the new feeling, hoping that it will pass.
It doesn't.
Within a matter of seconds she's knelt in front of the toilet, throwing up the little contents left in her stomach from the night before. Georgia is barking, obviously alarmed and trying to alert someone to the problem, but there's no one else in the apartment to come and help. Jade does her best to quiet the dog, but finds it difficult to do so between the retching. Finally, once she thinks that she's done, she flushes the vomit away and sits up to lean against the cabinet beside her.
"Shhhh, Georgia, it's okay." She holds her hands out to the dog "I'm fine. It's okay."
She does feel a lot better now that she got whatever is bothering her out of her system. Her head no longer hurts and her stomach no longer feels sour. After a few minutes on the floor she stands up and retrieves the thermometer from the bathroom cabinet, checking her temperature just to be safe. It's normal, which she had expected it to be. Feeling a bit suspicious, Jade retreats back to the bedroom to grab her phone, Georgia of course following right on her heels.
"I'm okay, Georgia. I promise." Jade says to the dog "No more throwing up."
At least she doesn't think there will be. She hopes there won't be.
Jade unlocks her phone and immediately navigates to the app she uses to track her period. She's two weeks late. A panicked feeling starts to swell up inside of her and for a moment she fears she may throw up again. Thankfully she's able to calm herself down before she does.
It all makes sense. She's been very fatigued lately and originally she had attributed that to her long and odd hours working on the miniseries. Her boobs have been sore for a few days, but that usually happens right before she gets her period anyway so she hadn't thought anything of that either. Now she's vomiting for no reason and her period is late, all of the signs are there...pointing to the possibility that she could be pregnant. She wouldn't be surprised if she was, with her schedule being so inconsistent she had gotten a bit lax with her birth control, sometimes forgetting to take it without even realizing until the next day when it was already too late.
"Shit..." She sighs, running a hand through her damp hair
She supposes it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if she were pregnant, but it's been over a year since the last time she and Beck discussed having kids. With all of the projects they both have lined up, is now really the best time? Jade decides she won't get worked up over the idea until she knows for sure.
There's a bodega not far from the studio where they've been filming, and Jade sends a PA there to pick up a pregnancy test for her during the lunch break. She doesn't want to be caught buying it herself and fuel all kinds of rumors. There's already fake headlines every other day about her possibly being pregnant, or Beck and her getting a divorce, amongst other things. She doesn't need to add picture proof.
She finds her mind wandering as she paces back and forth across her trailer, waiting for the three minute alarm to go off. They want to have kids, they've discussed that since the very beginning of their relationship. Beck would be a great father too, but the idea of having another small human depending on her completely scares the hell out of Jade. Hypotheticals are one thing, reality is another.
Her phone starts vibrating in her hand, the familiar alarm sound signaling that the test is done. Jade immediately silences it and rushes into the bathroom, her eyes searching for the result. To no surprise, the word 'pregnant' is staring back at her from the test on the counter.
"Oh my god..." She gasps, reaching out for the test "Oh my god."
She's pregnant. There is a baby, an actual living baby, growing inside of her. She should be feeling a whole multitude of emotions, but she doesn't have the time to. She's due back on set in ten minutes, she can't afford to give anyone any idea to suspect that something is wrong. Of course, Beck needs to be the first person that she tells, so she sends him a text immediately asking if they can FaceTime when she gets home that night. He texts back rather quickly and agrees, even though it will be close to midnight in London by that time.
"Hey." He grins when their faces appear on each other's screens "How was your day?"
"Eventful." She answers him honestly "How was your's?"
"Eventful." Beck laughs "That's what happens when you work in entertainment though, right?"
"I guess so..."
"Are you alright?"
"I need to tell you something."
"Okay, what is it?"
"I'm..." She hesitates "I've been really tired for the past few weeks, and I kind of just attributed it to working so much. But my boobs have really been hurting the last few days and I got really sick this morning so I decided to take a pregnancy test..."
"Oh..." Beck looks a bit surprised "What...what did it say?"
"It was positive." She tells him, holding up the test for him to see "I...I'm pregnant."
"Jade..." Beck grins as his eyes land on the word 'pregnant' and his wife's words register with him "That's amazing! This is fantastic!"
"Really?"
"Really!" He assures her "I know we didn't plan for it, and the timing isn't super ideal...but it's so exciting regardless. We're having a baby."
"Yeah..." She smiles, allowing her hand to rest on her abdomen for the first time "We are."
"I wish I was there to kiss you."
"I wish you were too." Jade admits "I still have to go to a doctor, by the way. I...I just wanted you to be the first person that I told."
"I really appreciate that." Beck nods "How long have you known?"
"Only a few hours."
"How are you feeling?"
"Overwhelmed." Jade sighs "A little scared, but also...a little excited."
"Can't say I blame you." Beck chuckles "This is going to be the start of the most exciting chapter of our lives, babe. I can't wait."
"I can't wait for you to be home." Jade admits
"Me either, especially now." Beck agrees "I'm sorry that I won't be there to support you through the first few weeks. I know they're supposed to be the hardest."
"S'okay, it can't be helped." Jade shrugs "You'll just have to make up for lost time once you get back."
"Yes ma'am, I sure will." Beck smiles "Hey, I love you. There's no one else I would rather be on this journey with."
"Likewise..." Jade smirks a bit as she looks into his eyes on the screen "I love you too."
Jade is on the floor in the kitchen when Beck walks in. She's sitting back on her knees, playing tug of war with Georgia and the dog's favorite rope toy. Georgia growls as she tries to rip the rope out of Jade's hand and Jade jokingly growls back at her, knowing that the dog isn't nearly strong enough to succeed. She's wearing denim cutoff jeans and a Coldplay t-shirt from the concert they had attended at MetLife Stadium the previous summer, and her hair is pulled up into a messy bun on top of her head. It's clear she wanted to be dressed comfortably and casually after arriving home from set, but to Beck she's never looked more beautiful.
"Hi." He says, making his presence known
Jade is startled, flinching a bit at the sound of his voice. She hadn't been expecting him home for another four days still, but a huge grin still spreads across her face when she sees him. After two and a half very long months apart, it's so good to see her smile in person again.
"Hi!" She's on her feet immediately, running to hug him
He drops all of his bags at his feet and catches her as she jumps into his arms, spinning her around a few times before setting her down gently and pressing a kiss to her lips. A kiss very clearly shared between two spouses who haven't seen each other in two and a half months and missed each other immensely.
"You weren't supposed to be home until Saturday." She reminds him when they break away "You came back early."
"I did." He smirks "Didn't want to be away from you any longer than I had to be."
"You always do this." She smirks "Tell me you'll be home one day and then show up earlier than that."
"I like to surprise you."
"Well now I'll be expecting it."
"That's okay." He shrugs, moving a hand to her abdomen "Can I...do you mind if..."
"Go for it." Jade smiles, lifting up her shirt for him "There's not really much to see."
She had discovered she was pregnant around six weeks, or at least that's what her doctor had been able to determine. The baby is due at the end of January. Now at close to fifteen weeks her bump is just barely there, a small protrusion in her abdomen that could very well be attributed to a large meal or bloating from her period. Jade barely notices that her body has changed, as it's been gradual every day for her. Beck on the other hand, not having seen her since the end of May, notices immediately. After close to three years of marriage he's come to memorize every part of her body, and this is a clear difference.
"Wow..." He gasps as he drops to his knees in front of her, resting a hand on her small bump "That's our baby."
"Yeah." Jade grins, resting a hand on top of his head "It's kind of crazy, isn't it?"
"Does it move?" He asks "Can you feel it move?"
"Not yet." Jade shakes her head "The doctor says soon though."
"I can work with soon." Beck rests his forehead against her stomach "Hey there, little one. It's me...I'm your dad. Oh my god, Dad."
"Yeah, that's you..." Jade brushes a tear away from her eye as she brushes her fingers gently through his hair "You're Dad."
He's going to be the best dad, she just knows that he is.
"And you're Mom..." Beck grins as he stands up, cupping her face in his hands "We're having a baby."
"Yeah, I know." Jade laughs "I've had all of the symptoms to prove it."
"I'm sorry." Beck's face drops immediately "I should've been here to take care of you."
"I've done a pretty okay job of taking care of myself." Jade winks "And when I couldn't, my dad and Cat were here."
John, upon learning that he was going to become a grandfather, cried tears of joy when Jade told him the news. She just knows that her dad will step into the role with such ease too. Cat had screamed and given Jade the biggest hug she could muster, so much so that Robbie had to pry her away. He reminded his wife that there wouldn't be a baby to spoil if she suffocated Jade, and that brought her back to Earth a bit. Regardless, she's been begging Jade to go baby shopping ever since and doting on her soon-to-be niece or nephew.
"I'm glad that they were." Beck nods "Still, I'm not going to take any more out-of-town work until after the baby is born. I want to be here to experience all of this with you. It's going to be such a special time."
"We'll see if you're still saying that when I'm sending you out for french fries at three in the morning." Jade smirks "These cravings are no joke."
"For you and the baby? I'll get anything any time." Beck smiles, pressing a kiss to her forehead
"I'm going to be reminding you that you said that."