AJ hums quietly as Mike sits behind her on the floor, listening to her breathing. "In, out," he guides her softly, hand warm between her shoulderblades. She's propped up on pillows, eyes closed, looking comfortable despite what's going on around them. "Hee hee hoo hoo," he continues on in an exaggerated way that makes her giggle softly and lose her rhythm. "Sorry," he whispers when she huffs and tries to regain her composure.
She opens her eyes and rolls them at him fondly before taking his hand, fingers curling around his own and squeezing gently. She resumes breathing in and out as directed and he listens as the couples around them whisper support and encouragement to their significant others.
Lamaze class. A bit delayed, AJ is now close to eight months along, but with his schedule, it had been hard to find time until finally he'd stared at a calendar and realized time was getting away from them and they now had to make time or risk getting into the delivery room and not knowing what to do to bring their little girl safely into the world. He strokes her hair and thinks about that day, hoping that he'll be there, that he won't be across the country and having to be updated by John and Star or something equally as ridiculous.
He doesn't realize AJ is staring at him until she grips him by the collar and pulls him down for a slow, deep kiss. "It's going to be ok, husband. Somehow, you'll be there for our little girl from breath one, I know it."
He smiles at her and kisses her back, neither of them aware as the instructor clears her throat to get their attention. "Excuse me," she finally snaps, reminding them both briefly of Vickie Guerrero.
Mike sits up and coughs awkwardly. "Sorry," he says, ignoring the giggles from the other couples. He winks at AJ. "We'll finish this at home."
"Damn straight," she sighs, before returning to her prone position, listening to the instructor's tips and advice on how to avoid stress during labor.
Once it's done, Mike guides her out of the building and to the car. Hesitating at the passenger side door, he smiles down at her. "Do my girls want ice cream?"
Her eyes light up and she nods eagerly. "Yes, we do!"
"Well then," he sighs, resting his hand on her stomach. "Guess we'll have to go find some." He winks at her and she beams as he shuts her door and goes around to the driver's side. As he pulls off into traffic to head towards their favorite ice cream place where AJ begins agonizing over what flavors of scoops she wants.
Mike isn't surprised that it takes awhile for her to finally settle on Mexican chocolate sorbet, cinnamon ice cream, and peach frozen yogurt, so he spends the time prowling around their candy selections and scooping out a few small bags for her to snack on at home later when the cravings hit all over again somewhere between supper and bed. He's just finishing selecting when he feels her warmth pressed against his back and he wraps an arm around her, drawing her up against his side.
She gapes at all of the candy before tugging on his shirt. "Root beer barrels?" She's silenced when he waves the bag in front of her nose. "Cinnamon imperials?" Another bag is brandished in front of her and she beams. "Jelly rings?" He shows this to her as well and she all but squeals, tugging him down to her level before kissing him even deeper than she had back at the lamaze class.
He groans, bracing her partially to keep them both from losing their balance, and whispers, "Your ice cream's going to melt," as soon as he can get a breath out. She pouts against his mouth but slowly pulls away, licking at the slushy mix of flavors while Mike fills one last bag full of caramel creams before leading her to the register.
He's barely into the car after helping her in and making sure she's secure and the door's shut before she has all of her ice cream ate and is already digging around in one of the candy bags. He smirks affectionately at her at a red light. "Our daughter's a fan of cinnamon, huh?"
AJ nods, closing her eyes and savoring the taste of the cinnamon imperials. "Oh God," she sighs, rolling her head to peek at him with a small smile. "It tastes so good..." His hand finds hers and he squeezes her fingers while they wait for traffic to clear so they can get home.
By the time they arrive home, she's fast asleep, her breath soft and steady, and he's loath to wake her so he carefully gets up and unlocks the door before returning to the car and gently, carefully, easing her out of the seat and lifting her up, carrying her inside. Kicking the door shut behind them, he carries her to their bedroom and gently lays her on the bed, urging her onto her side before spooning up behind her, his hand trailing circles in her skin as she sleeps on.
When AJ wakes up, it's dark in the bedroom and Mike is pressed against her, his breaths soft and cool against her shoulderblades. She's thirsty and a little uncomfortable, lightly freeing herself from his hold. After she handles her business in the bathroom, drinking from the tap and splashing her face, she leaves the room and stops short when she sees Mike standing in the hallway between the bedrooms and the bathroom, staring at her. "Husband?" she whispers, reaching out for him.
He meets her halfway and kisses her wrist softly. "I'm planning on staying home this week. Do you think Paige will be ok?"
AJ ponders this. What happened with Memo, how Paige has acted since. But dammit, she's the one who will be having a little girl in a month, and she wants this time with her husband. So she drags him in closer and kisses him hotly. "It sounds perfect," she breathes into his mouth, guiding his hand until his palm is touching teasingly against her skin. "We'll get New Years together..."
"Yes we will," he sighs, his fingers trailing upwards. "How do you want to spend it? One of those obnoxious parties where we wear ugly sunglasses, or..."
She eases up against him, whispering into his ear. "I want to spend the entire time in bed... with you." Pulling back, she smiles up at him and he nods, gripping her shoulders and guiding her in that very direction. "It's as though you knew what I was going to say before I even formualted my thoughts," she teases him breathily as he pushes the bedroom door open and starts kissing her neck and throat.
"I did," he tells her simply, fingers exploring and making speech interesting for either of them. "Because it's what I hoped you were going to say this entire time." His hand is warm, soft, and she whimpers as her eyes flutter closed.
"You always know just what I need," she breathes out as he eases her onto the bed and sinks down next to her, eyes intense and touch solid but gente. "I love you," he says against her parted lips, pulling away a few inches from her to look into her eyes.
She beams up at him, releasing a soft breath. "I love you too, husband."
They both turn as one towards AJ's midsection, fingers still interlocked and forming a chain over AJ's stomach. "We love you too, baby Sara," Mike whispers.
"And we can't wait to meet you," AJ adds in after a moment. They grin at each other before pride even can't fight desire, and the two resume kissing and soft touches, murmurs of each other's names, and quiet encouragement filling the apartment.