A/N: So, this is a little different than the usual—it features AJ and the woman I gave him in Conquering Never. Perhaps not what any of you are interested in, but I did this one for me. They made AJ too unlucky in love!

Vignette Three

Conquering Never: She's Having a Baby

If you would have told me five, ten years ago that I'd be standing here waiting for my second and third child to arrive I would have laughed. No, I wouldn't have laughed…I would have given him the stare I developed when I became JAG. And whoever told me such ridiculousness would have turned tail and run. But now…

Maria squeezes my hand. She's having another contraction, and though the epidural has taken away the pain, she still feels something. She's worked so hard to get to this point and still has much work ahead of her as she brings our children into the world.

Yes, we're having twins. Two little girls who already have their former navy SEAL daddy wrapped around their little fingers…

As this contraction eases, my mind drifts back to when Maria first told me I was going to be a father again…

I open the door to my house, relieved to be home at last. There are some days when I just feel old, when I feel every one of my nearly fifty-seven years, and today is such a day.

I swear, this is the last time I buy tampons for Maria. No, I wasn't the only man in the feminine hygiene aisle at Safeway, but I was by far the oldest. They probably thought I was buying this for my daughter. Hell, maybe even my granddaughter. I damn near blushed as I picked up my wife's favorite brand, blushing even more when I realized I knew what her favorite brand was without her even telling me. I picked up two boxes to ensure she wouldn't run out too soon, the big boxes that seem bottomless. I also picked up a box of pads just in case. She didn't tell me to, but if she just forgot, I was NOT going back there. While I was at it, I picked up some panty liners…her favorite brand…

I threw in a case of beer that will take me a year to drink just to distract from what else was in my cart, avoiding eye contact with the cashier as much as possible. I know, I know…it's not that big a deal, but men of my generation are still uncomfortable with this function of the female body. You can be damn sure I never bought this sort of thing for Marcella.

But…my second wife is a lot younger than Marcella…and a whole lot younger than me. Nearly seventeen years younger. Maybe that makes me a cradle-robber, but I don't care. I've waited my whole life for someone like Maria. Don't get me wrong, I loved Marcella, still do as she's the mother of my daughter, but Maria…

What can I say about Maria…

She's beautiful.

She's smart.

She makes me laugh…a lot…and I haven't laughed that much since long before I was a SEAL.

Quite simply, I'm in love. Utterly smitten. Head over heals. Harm told me on my wedding day that I was as giddy as a schoolgirl. He was right, but it's still a darn good thing he was holding my goddaughter Lydia while standing next to his very pregnant wife…so pregnant she gave birth four hours after the ceremony. My bride and I delayed leaving for our honeymoon so we could meet baby Jack. We're his godparents too, along with Bud and Harriet. I think this will be it for Harm and Mac. Neither of them is getting any younger, after all.

Of course, neither Maria nor I is getting any younger either. She's forty, though you would never believe it if you saw her, and her childbearing years are probably over. We've been together for three years and we've never done anything to prevent pregnancy. We've never done anything to help it along, either, and I'm worried that we've made a mistake. We've barely talked about; it only came up after our first time, which was, shall we say, impulsive, on our part. She'd started to cry after we'd finished. At first, I thought I'd hurt her, then thought maybe she'd found it just terrible, an opinion I most definitely wouldn't share, and then I thought maybe it was so good she was crying out of happiness—at least I really hoped it was, but then she told me she forgot to tell me she wasn't on any birth control. She got testy when I burst out with, "Why the hell would I care about that?!" I should have waited until all the blood returned to my brain before saying anything at all, but then I had to double down and say something like, well…okay, I told her I thought she was too old to, well, you know…

I really had to do some fast talking to get her to accept my apology, and then we had our one frank discussion about it. We knew even then that we were it for each other, so we decided we wouldn't do anything to prevent a pregnancy. Now I wonder if we should have done more to help one along. Maria would be a wonderful mother. I don't know what kind of father I'd be; Francesca and I are much closer now, but let's face it, I wasn't much of a presence in her formative years.

Maria isn't in the kitchen or living room, so I head back to our bedroom. The main light is off, but there is a sliver coming out from the bathroom door. I slowly push it open…

"Where have you been, AJ? I needed you!" I look down and see Maria leaning up against the vanity, her face tear-streaked, her mascara running.

PMS, I think to myself. MAJOR PMS. I don't say it though; I have a scar on my head from where Marcella hit me with a candlestick after I mentioned that malady to her, and I like to think I learn from my mistakes.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I tried to—"

"What took you so long?!" She bursts into tears, so I sit down next to her and wrap my arm around her shaking shoulders.

"Oh, honey, I'm sorry." I learned a long time ago it's best to just apologize when you don't know what the hell is going on…or if your wife has the PMS from hell. "I got your…your things, though." I hold up the bag of female provisions. I expect her to either say thank you or just ignore me, but instead she grabs the bag, looks into it, and then throws it across the bathroom.

"I can't use these!" She cries harder. I don't know what to do here, and I'd love some advice. Should I call Harm? No, he's even worse at this than I am. Bud? Yeah, that would be better. Obviously, though, I won't be calling anyone right now, so I fall back on an old stand-by.

"I'm sorry, honey." She nods and sniffles.

I got the brand you like…" She glares in response. Oops, I guess I went a little too far there…

"You think I like using that crap?"

"Uh, no?"

"Of course, I don't…but I can't use any of that now!"

I'm thinking I'm going to need to think of something more to say than just "I'm sorry." I don't know what to do or say, though. I'd like to ask my wife, the psychologist, what to do, but that sure as hell isn't happening. I decide to make an offer I never thought I would…

"Sweetie, I'll go out and get you something different, okay?"

"No, dammit! Don't you get it?"

Well, clearly, I don't.

"Um…"

"I can't use any of that because I'm pregnant!"

Huh?

"What now, honey?"

"I told you I'm pregnant!"

"And that upsets you?"

"No!"

"Then why all the tears?"

"I don't know!" She bursts into a new torrent of tears.

I hold her for a while until her tears slow to a few hiccups and sniffles, then tell her I'm going to run her a bath. She nods and smiles, her first of the evening. I get the water running and once it's ready, I help her step in the tub and kneel down beside her. "There you go, honey. Can I get you anything? Tea? Hot Chocolate?"

"Tea would be nice." I nod and smile and then stand up with a groan. "Ugh, I'm getting too old to get down like that." I stretch a little before I step toward the door. "I'll be right back, sweetheart."

As soon as I step into the bedroom, I get the feeling that I'm missing something…and then it hits me.

Oh. My. God…

I step back into the bathroom. "Uh, honey?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Did you just tell me—"

"Yes, I did."

"Right." I turn to go again…

"Wait…you're pregnant?!"

"Uh huh."

"You're having a baby?"

"Well—"

"We're having a baby."

"Not exactly…"

"But you just said—"

"Well, I'm not having A baby."

I'm getting a little frustrated here. "Then what are you having? A little of puppies?!"

"No…twins."

"Okay, mom," the doctor says. "One more push and I think we'll meet Baby A."

"Isabella," I whisper as I grip Maria's hand. Sure enough, after a strong push from my wife, my daughter emerges. She's so tiny, with dark, wispy hair—or it will be when it's dry—and she's got the sweetest little cry. I cut the cord, tears in my eyes, and then she's laid on Maria's belly. Our daughter is absolutely perfect, and a scant five minutes later, we welcome her 'little' sister. Anjelica is even smaller than her sister, and I can tell she's going to have blonde hair. I know it's too early to tell really, but I think her eyes are going to be the same beautiful hazel as her mother's. Isabella is going to have bright blue eyes, I'm sure of it, but none of that really matters.

What matters is I now have three beautiful daughters, my oldest on her way to meet her new sisters, along with the most beautiful, strong, wonderful wife. I've never been this happy, and before I leave the room to tell Harm and Mac, Bud and Harriet, that the babies are here, I lean down and kiss my wife's and daughters' foreheads. "I love you, Maria. And I love you, my perfect little girls." Isabella's eyes open and her little hand finds my finger. Her grip is strong, and then my little Anjelica does the same.

Life has never been so perfect.

End