A/N: Let's just say the boat trip wasn't the only baby trip Jim and Melinda took in my world :) Part one of two! I hope you enjoy xx Mariah

Ages:

Jim - 27
Melinda - 23

Jim's double shift was nearing a close. He'd been there for a full twenty-four hours and it had been a mess. A bloody, deadly mess.

He hated graveyard shifts like this. The ones that felt like they'd never end.

A seven-car pile-up had pulled him and his colleagues out of a card game at three in the morning. Two vehicles had been on fire and after an explosion, they were two men down for the rest of the night. He and Bobby got settled with double shifts then and he had to reluctantly call Melinda. She'd been planning a romantic dinner that he didn't know about and when he called, she'd just pulled her lasagna out of the oven.

His favorite.

His wife had sounded so disappointed, she had even still tried to reassure him that it was fine and he couldn't control being forced to work late, but he felt bad. He knew he had to make up for it and he would, the second he got home.

When they got back to the firehouse, the game started up again, this time with four people instead of three. Tim had joined in, to the group of Bobby, Jim, and Luna (a new hire excited to learn how to play the game her father loved, or at least he thought she'd said that.)

The first few rounds saw conservative betting, the players testing each other's strengths and weaknesses, everyone waiting for the others to make a mistake. Almost as if in agreement with this strategy, for the first half-hour nobody had any real winning hands, it all going down to who had the highest value cards.

His hand was the first to be worth anything, it was just a pair of twos, but the pot was small during that round. During the fourth round, however, there seemed to be some unspoken agreement everyone chose to abide by, although it also could have had to do with the fact that right off the bat several people suddenly had working hands.

Since Tim was the Dealer, Bobby had the first bid. The younger man smirked noticeably, but then again he'd been doing that the whole night so far, even when he had nothing. He could tell by the way his friend tapped his fingers on his chin that he was about to raise the stakes a bit, knowing everybody had bid no more than ten chips.

Bobby, however, took a small stack of his chips before him and tossed them into the middle of the table. "I bid 30," the man muttered.

Jim looked at him, glancing at his cards before back at his friend. He knew Bobby had a lousy poker face, but the fact that he kept it the same, good or bad, said he was either better than he let on or an absolute idiot. Looking back down at his hand, he decided that his friend was an absolute idiot. With a pair of sevens and aces, he took the same amount from his stacks and tossed it in.

"I'll match," he nodded, settling back into his chair.

Suddenly everybody knew the real game had only just started. Luna smiled serenely at her cards and Tim just muttered to himself as he watched the baseball recap overhead.

Luna looked over the table before back to her card. She rose her hand over her chips, feeling the edges, before she took twice the amount and said, "I'll see that, and raise twenty."

Everyone else hesitated for just a moment before they matched the fifty-dollar bet until it got back to Jim. He wasn't letting Bobby be the only one to shake things up.

"I'll raise another twenty," he said, casting in seventy dollars worth from his stack. He'd started with a hundred and had made that back three times over and then some, but he knew if he didn't win this round he would have to scale back.

Luna just chuckled merrily and matched the bet. Tim looked hesitant but matched. Bobby just smiled and nodded to him, raising another twenty. He noticed Bobby's smirk lost its edge (just the tiniest of slivers), but not to the degree that said he was worried.

Thankfully, before the betting could continue, everyone was offered the choice to discard and draw fresh cards for their hands. Bobby took three, Luna one, Tim decided to discard his entire hand and take five fresh ones, while Jim got rid of his eight and ten and drew two new cards, giving him a third seven and the Two of Spades.

"Bet remains at ninety bucks," Tim announced after finishing passing out cards, "Jim, your bid."

"I'll match at ninety," Jim said without enthusiasm, putting a full stack of chips from before him into the pot. He only had about two hundred left in his pot. This hand was coming to an end and Lune likewise matched, but reluctantly, while Tim, looking very happy for some reason, raised it to a hundred dollars with a flick of his wrist.

"I fold," Bobby tossed down his cards and rolled his eyes as he chuckled and happily, matched the hundred dollar bet as he glanced over his cards.

With a full house of sevens and aces now, he knew that was the best hand that anybody had seen tonight. It wasn't the best hand in the game by a long shot, but unless Tim or Luna had better, he knew he had the best hand and could win this round easily.

There was only one more go around the table.

The question became, did he try and draw out more from Bobby by betting low, or did he want to make others drop out by raising it higher? Rubbing his forehead in irritation at the conundrum, he finally decided to follow Luna's example and see what would happen.

"I'll raise another fifty," he said, putting in the amount. It was the most impressive pot of the night already, and then some.

Luna just chuckled, eyes twinkling merrily as she watched him. "You're too rich for me boys," she sighed, standing up. "I'm out." She folded, chuckling as she sidestepped her way to the kitchen.

"Turn over on three?" Tim hunched forward.

"Three," he said, flipping his cards over.

Tim burst out laughing and crowed, "Read'em and weep! Pair of Kings, all Hearts and Diamonds!"

"Oh my, that is a good hand, isn't it?" Jim sighed, rubbing his chin as he laughed. "That's too bad, isn't it? Unfortunately, my three sevens and two aces beat yours I'm afraid."

"Oh," Tim grunted and wiped his hair back. "Well damn Clancy. I had fun anyway." He scratched his neck and pulled out his wallet. "What do I owe you then?"

"How about we just call it a game between us," he muttered and cracked his knuckles. He'd begun to pick up the chips, counting what Bobby owed him. Luna had given her money out in the beginning, flat out. "You working tomorrow morning?"

"No, I'm off, why?" Tim asked.

"Wanna take my shift off my hands? I'd like to do something for Mel." He sighed, stretching, and sitting back. He glanced at the clock, seeing it was near ten o'clock. He was almost out of here too. "I think she had something planned tonight. A surprise something and I got stuck working because we're down men."

"I guess I can take on a double," Tim shrugged and stood. "Better than being out any money. You tell Melinda hello for me."

"I will," he chuckled and turned to Bobby, kicking him from under the table. "Don't even think about it. You're not off the hook. Hand it over. All two hundred."

"Yeah," Bobby fished out his wallet and sighed. He tossed him the money as he stood up. "I hate stupid poker."

"You've always been a sore loser Bob," he guffawed and counted each bill to make sure, his phone bursting to life on the table. "Hold that thought. Hello?" The device was pressed to his ear for a whole two seconds before her voice came through.

"Hey," Melinda said, in her usual warm voice, until her words turned into a long giggle. What had his wife gotten herself into? "How's the shift?"

"Mel, hey." He settled into his chair, smiling. "It's almost over. I'll be home by eleven." His hand rubbed against his thigh. "How drunk are you right now?"

She hummed, joyfully and he could see the smile on her face. He just knew her too well, his tongue wetting his lips at the thought. "I may have had a bottle of wine," she whispered. "But that was only after you couldn't come home for dinner."

"I'm sorry Mel," he huffed and rubbed his face. "I am."

"It's okay," she sighed. "I'm okay. I'm bubbly."

"I bet," he hummed. "I know how you can get."

"Yeah," she said. "You do. There's a plate wrapped up and in the microwave for you."

"That's sweet," he sighed, smiling. "Even after I ditched out on dinner."

"You didn't ditch out on dinner Jim," the phone crinkled, her voice quiet and mouselike. "You worked a little late. It happens."

"Yeah, too often." He muttered, running his hands through his hair. "What are we gonna do when we have a family?"

She'd only just told him she was ready for a family a few weeks ago. He'd been overjoyed, so beyond overjoyed. They even actively set out to have more sex, if that was possible, but nothing had happened yet.

Jim told her not to worry and to give it another a few months before they'd start asking those kinds of questions.

She sighed, sounding a little soberer. He pictured her lip bite and hand itch behind her ear. "We shouldn't talk about this on the phone," she muttered. "When you come home. We can talk more."

"Okay. You're right. We shouldn't," he agreed and smiled. "So why'd you drink the whole bottle?"

"I was upset," she said quietly. She was quiet as he stood up, putting his winnings away in his wallet. He patted Bobby's shoulder as he passed him. "I caved and bought an ovulation kit, Jim."

"I love you, Mel," he opened his locker. "I love you for buying an ovulation kit. What did it say?"

"What I thought it would," she sighed. "I was ovulating... and now you're stuck working. So I got to thinking and well, the wine didn't help, what if it's a sign?"

He pulled his jacket over his shoulder and he took a hold of his phone. "No, don't say that. It wasn't some sign that two guys got injured on the job tonight when that happens once a month around here." He explained, hoping that he didn't come off too harsh. "I love you, Mel. I love you so much and I'm coming home to you right now. I have tonight and then this entire weekend to make a baby with you."

"The entire weekend? I thought you worked tomorrow and that's why we couldn't go to that antique show out of state?" She asked.

She'd been so bummed. There was a two-day estate sale in New Hampshire that she was dying to get some pieces from. There was an antique coffee table that would look gorgeous with another set she'd saved and collected to sell together.

"Let's go," he cheered. "We could leave tomorrow morning and you can over-explain everything at the store to Delia like you always do."

"I love you too Jim. I like that plan. I'll look at hotels." She wept, her tears present in her voice as it broke. "You know..." Her voice changed then and his mouth went dry. The low rumble of laughter filled his ears and he groaned. She was so sexy when she laughed like that. "I'm wearing a new nightgown too. Unless I should save it for tomorrow?"

He held onto the locker door just a little tighter. He could feel himself getting worked up as he white-knuckled the small metal door. "You do things to me," he groaned. "So many things. You better not take that off."

"I know," she hummed. "Better get home before I do."

"Nothing could keep me away from you. I'll see you soon." He said, before promptly hanging up.

The next morning Melinda left for work at seven. She'd packed the night before after he'd called, and even had cleaned all of Jim's laundry for him, leaving it folded and in a basket near the closet for him.

He'd woken at noon in the middle of their bed and stretched, lying back. The pillow confirmed around him and he yawned, rubbing his eyes. He knew he'd have to get up soon and pack before heading over to the shop. He'd promised Melinda no later than two.

He quickly got up, pushing himself into the bathroom. He showered and shaved, readying his Dopp kit before going to his clothes. He tripped on the laundry basket as he walked to his closet, the towel swung over his shoulder.

"That's a nice view," she chuckled, startling him.

He'd taken it in stride and turned. "I'd hope so," he met her in the doorway with a passionate, yet short kiss. "You left earlier than usual."

"I had some inventory to get done," she said, rubbing his shoulders. "And then I thought it'd be smarter for me to come home instead of you driving a second car to the shop. Are you packed?"

"Not quite," he shrugged. "But you know me. I'm quick."

"Good, then I don't see why we can't waste some time." She hummed.

She held up her panties with a playful smirk and he pulled her lips back to his. She climbed him like a tree, her legs wrapping around his waist.

They wasted no time. She grasped him lightly, milking a groan from his lips. His hands were between her legs, pulling her dress up. He'd never been happier for such easy access.

His knees buckled and they fell against the bedroom door, pushing it closed. The dress neckline was pulled down, his mouth latching to her as his hand squeezed the mound. Her dress pooled at her waist as he pushed into her. He filled in every way, his mouth sucking at her neck.

He rocked against her gently, slowly. After all this time, he knew what to do, where to touch, how fast, and how soon. His hand met between her thighs and her voice quivered, her moan drowning out into his ear. He loved it.

It urged him on, her nails pressing into him, her body pressing into him as she arched off the door. She fluttered and then tightened around him a second later, only moments before he spilled himself inside her.

He kissed her with an intensity she hadn't felt in a while. She smiled at him as his head fell to her shoulder. Her legs slipped and touched the floor, wobbly as though they were jello, and she held onto him.

"I love you, and this is gonna happen." His hand came to her stomach and he lifted his head so he could look at her. "I know it will."

She nodded and kissed him, pulling him in for a hug.