AN: This story will be a multi-chapter story. It can be read alone, but it's best in my universe. It currently follows "Bedtime."

I own nothing from Murder, She Wrote.

I hope you enjoy! If you do, please consider leaving me a comment or review to let me know!

111

Seth had let Jessica carry a few of the lightest things into the cabin, and then he'd insisted that he would bring the remainder of their things inside while she focused on making up the bed—since the cabin didn't offer linens, which suited Jessica and Seth just fine. The hunting and fishing cabin that he'd chosen for this vacation was part of a small cluster of cabins that they'd never visited before—though they'd been close to it—and Seth could already tell that they were likely to be coming there again.

Jessica had seemed immediately enamored of the entire place—the wooded areas, the lakes, the small community that they'd passed through to reach the somewhat secluded cabins, the fact that there was a great deal of privacy and seclusion, without making them feel entirely alone in the woods—from the very moment that Seth had indicated that they were almost there. Something inside of him had worried, just a little, that she might be feigning being quite so pleased with the cabins, just to make him feel good, but he'd pushed that out of his mind as quickly as he could. He'd reasoned with himself, after all, that even if she was putting on a touch for his benefit, he ought to be flattered that it meant so much to her to make him feel appreciated, that she was willing to put on a bit of a performance.

Rather than scold her for the fact that her reaction may not be entirely genuine, Seth had accepted every layer of Jessica's compliment for what he was sure it was meant to be, and he'd placed his hand upon her thigh for the remainder of the easy drive up to their particular cabin, catching her smile out of the corner of his eye and finding himself quite unable to smile in return every time he did.

They were on the vacation that he'd planned for them—a trip to put everything aside for a week and focus solely on each other. It had been postponed a little, thanks to other obligations, but Jessica had insisted that only made it better. The weather was cooling down now, and the fall was really in full bloom, so to speak. They planned to do some hiking, take in the beautiful foliage, do some fishing, and to simply spend some time paying attention to one another without the regular distractions of life.

Jessica had, of course, brought her notebooks, in case she felt a fever of creativity, but Seth didn't begrudge her that. Her novels, after all were her livelihood, but they were also good for her. She enjoyed the writing, and he knew that, if she were so seized by the creativity that would come from loosening up in their own little wooded paradise, she would enjoy the writing as much as she would enjoy any other hobby in which she might engage.

They had books, a puzzle, and a chessboard, as well, for possible rainy days when they were happy to be inside together.

Seth had added an extra day and a half to their trip, thanks to Jessica and the baby having an appointment in Augusta on a Thursday. He'd figured that they might as well leave from there, and Jessica hadn't protested beyond asking if he was sure that he could stand to be away from work that long. They'd taken everything with them, hoped for the honesty of the people of Augusta as they'd left their truck packed full of their belongings while they were in the hospital complex for Jessica's appointment, and they'd left immediately following the appointment for the cabin.

It was early evening now, and Seth brought the last of the things into the cabin to find that Jessica was already unpacking and making a temporary little home for them out of the cabin.

"Seth—this is just so darling…" Jessica mused.

Seth looked around the cabin. He relaxed a little, deciding that he believed that Jessica was being actually sincere, and wasn't just pretending to like the cabin for his benefit. It was, after all, really a nice little place. It had been advertised as "cozy," rather than "rustic," and he'd thought that Jessica might like that—even though he knew that she had no problem roughing it, either, if it meant that she was going to get to spend a few days hiking and fishing.

The cabin was quite cozy, though. There was a fireplace, for when the weather made such a thing appropriate, and there were a number of fire-starting cubes stacked up beside it that served to make starting a fire easy for even the greenest camper. Seth had also seen that there was a great deal of wood already stacked and ready outside the cabin. There was a comfortable little sitting area, a bed large enough for both of them, a small bathroom, and a very small kitchen that would allow them to cook anything they wished—though in a downsized manner than what they enjoyed in their kitchen at home.

"Ayuh…it's nicer than I thought it would be. Pretty comfortable. Of course, I wouldn't care where we stayed, as long as you were there, Jess."

She smiled at him and opened her arms to him as she crossed the small space of the cabin. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into him. She sighed and snuggled into him, practically rubbing against him with her entire body. Seth closed his eyes and held her tightly, content to remain that way for however long she might indulge him with the embrace.

"Dear heavens…I do love you, Woman," he breathed out. He meant it to the very depths of his soul. He ached, sometimes, when he simply thought about how much he loved Jessica. He had never imagined that, after being blessed enough to love Ruth the way that he had, he would have the chance to love again with so much ferocity. And, yet, here he was.

Jessica laughed quietly and nuzzled against him in response to his words.

"I love you, too, Seth," she said, her voice soft and sweet enough it sent a shiver up his spine.

Seth felt her start to pull away, and he gave her a final squeeze before letting her go.

"Well? What do you want to do?" Jessica asked. "I know you must be tired after the drive…"

"I'm tired," he agreed, not feeling like putting any energy into denying it for absolutely no reason. "You skipped breakfast this morning."

"I always have to skip breakfast before my appointments," Jessica said.

"You do," Seth said, reaching out and catching her arm. She'd lost the bandage in the car, but the bruise was still there. He raised her arm and kissed the underside of it, close to her wrist. A small smile flitted across her lips and she sighed quietly. In response, Seth kissed lower down, just at the underside of her wrist.

"Are you—making suggestions of how we might spend our evening, Mr. Hazlitt?" Jessica teased.

"I will never turn you down, Woman, as long as the flesh is willing," Seth said. "But—I want to talk, first."

"Talk?" Jessica asked.

Seth hummed at her. She frowned at him.

"Is something wrong?" She asked.

"You tell me," Seth said. "Now—I can't put my finger on it, but you've been off today, Jessica."

"Off?" She asked.

"Mmm hmmm," he hummed. "And if it's nerves…or the baby…or what have you, I don't care, Woman, but I want to know what's on your mind."

He had to believe Jessica's expression of confusion. She half-shrugged her shoulders and looked around like she might see the revelation of her own feelings painted on a wall somewhere in the cabin.

"Well—I—Seth—I guess…I honestly don't know," she said, finally landing on the answer she was going with after looking for it a moment. "I mean—there are a great many things on my mind, but…it's hard to choose any one in particular…"

Seth felt some of the tension he'd been carrying dissipate. He always got worried when Jessica had something that he could practically feel weighing on her. It weighed on him, too, and he simply worried about her. He would never dismiss her problems, but he often felt that Jessica's concerns were somewhat simple in that, once handled, she could let them go.

And Seth enjoyed handling Jessica's problems probably more than any other pastime he could think of, honestly, at this point in his life. The feeling of deep satisfaction that came from knowing he'd lifted any burden from her shoulders made him feel like the worthiest man alive. It made him feel like he was ten feet taller than anyone around him, and most certainly bulletproof.

"You didn't want lunch, Jessica, and I offered you and the baby your pick of anything from Augusta to here," Seth said. "You haven't eaten a thing all day, Woman, except a pack of peanut butter crackers."

She laughed at him, and his heart skipped a beat.

"They were really good crackers, Seth," she offered. "And they were just what I wanted, at the time. I'm hungry now, though. Maybe—if you told me what you think is on my mind, it might help me to narrow things down."

She slipped her hand into Seth's hand and took his other one as well. She threaded their fingers together and affectionately squeezed his hands.

"Maybe you're right," Seth said. "Maybe I'm the one with something on my mind, and I'm trying to put it on you without even meaning to."

"Do you have something on your mind, Seth?" Jessica asked, raising her eyebrows at him. "I'd like to hear it, if you do."

"We can talk about whatever," Seth said. "But the biggest thing I've got on my mind right now is…you haven't eaten."

Jessica smiled at him warmly.

"And that worries you," she said softly.

"Ayuh…always," Seth said, nodding his head. He was a bit surprised when she leaned and pressed a kiss to his cheek that made him shiver slightly.

She was treating him like he'd been dipped in honey, and he wasn't sure what he'd done to deserve it, but he hoped to everything that he didn't do anything to ruin it. He cleared his throat.

"One of the brochures said there were some nice restaurants not far from here…about a half hour drive. I'll find the brochures, and you can let the baby tell us what's good."

"What if, instead…we walked down to that little place we passed on the way up?" Jessica asked.

"What place?" Seth asked.

Jessica squeezed his hand and tugged at it, gently, like she was subconsciously—or maybe even consciously—beckoning him to go with her.

"That little diner we saw, remember?"

Seth laughed to himself.

"That—hole in the wall place?"

"Do you have something against hole-in-the-wall establishments?" Jessica asked.

"Not in particular, but…we can go to some place like that any time," Seth said.

"And we can get dressed up and drive to any type of restaurant we want," Jessica countered. "It's such a beautiful evening…and it really wasn't very far. We could walk, Seth. Start taking in the scenery. Get some fresh air. And we can talk about anything you want to talk about."

She nudged him, gently, to try to push him into accepting her proposal. He really had no reason to reject it, honestly. The only reason he might tell her that it sounded unsuitable to him was because he wanted to treat her to something nice—something she would really enjoy.

But he got the distinct feeling that what she would most enjoy was a walk with him to a hole-in-the-wall diner.

"You ought to wear better shoes that that," Seth said. "And so should I. That diner wasn't far, but it's farther than you're thinking. And we ought to put on jackets. That temperature's going to drop before we get back."

She smiled and did something of a little hop that made his chest flood with affection. He felt proud of himself, in the way he always did when he made Jessica happy. The diner wasn't nice, perhaps, but he'd clearly chosen well.

She immediately changed her shoes, and Seth did the same. After bathroom breaks all around—especially for Jessica, since the baby had had them stopping nearly every time a place was available on the drive—they locked up their little cabin, Seth dropped the key in his pocket, and they started off down the driveway at a slow pace.

Jessica slipped her arm through Seth's and somewhat leaned on him as they walked.

"Nice and slow now," Seth said, as she sped up their steps a little, pulling him along.

"You're tired already?" She asked, half-teasing.

"Incline's steep, and there are loose rocks," Seth said.

"You really are an old worry wart," Jessica said, smirking at him.

"You bet your backside I am," Seth said. "I won't deny it. If I could, I would wrap you entirely in bubble wrap for the duration."

Jessica laughed in response and hugged his arm a little tighter. She did slow her steps, though.

"You were quiet at the appointment today," Seth said, after a moment. "I suppose that's what got me to thinking that you were upset…or had something on your mind. Especially when you turned down lunch. You usually have a lot of questions for everyone on your team, Jess."

"I guess…I have a lot on my mind," Jessica said. "But I'm not upset. Unless—you heard something that I missed. Do I have some reason to be upset, Seth? You know, I usually count on you to sort of…listen between the lines."

He patted her hand, and then he let his hand drop. He brushed two fingertips lightly and discreetly against the side of her belly—a belly that was growing, very much like they wanted, and was becoming something of which Jessica was quite proud. Seth, too, was very enamored of the visible proof of their daughter, and he couldn't help but touch Jessica, sometimes, even when they were in public and she'd questioned whether or not it was appropriate.

"She's my daughter, and as long as you don't protest…I suppose I can touch her whenever I want," Seth had said, in response to Jessica's concerns. "What business is it of anyone else?"

She had been uncomfortable, though, so he'd stopped touching her. She'd finally told him that she didn't mind—and it made her unhappy to think that he believed that she'd put a restriction on his right to bond with their daughter in any way.

Still, Seth tried to be somewhat discreet about it, any time he did touch her in public, just so he never ran the risk of really making Jessica feel uncomfortable.

"I didn't hear anything but a good report," Seth said. "She's measuring well. You're measuring well…in every way. The heartbeat was strong, and she did put on a bit of a show."

Jessica blushed slightly and rested her own hand on her belly.

"She jumped when that nurse accidentally dropped the clipboard," Jessica said. "I felt it."

Seth laughed.

"She did," Seth said. "You both did. There's no doubt. We know she can hear us, now, even when she's playing possum."

Jessica hugged his arm, her shoulders rising with excitement. She was happy—and Seth was, too. He relaxed, realizing that he'd likely been putting an emotion on Jessica, earlier, that she hadn't truly been showing him. He'd worried himself into believing there was something to worry about.

He turned and pressed a kiss to the side of her face as they walked.

"Seth…" Jessica said. He hummed to get her to continue. "There was one thing…"

"Something got you worried?" He asked, jumping slightly.

She laughed and patted his arm.

"No," she said. "Maybe only one Hazlitt can worry at a time…and you're doing the honors today."

He laughed at her and purposefully drew in a breath and let it out.

"Maybe you're right, Jess," Seth said. "I guess it was—the appointment. They make me nervous, too, though I usually try not to tell you that while we're trying to get you through your worries."

"I like knowing you worry, too," Jessica said. "It makes me feel even more confident that we're doing this together. Even the worrying."

"Well—I'm happy to pick up wherever you leave off," Seth said with a laugh. "And then there was the whole driving up here. Wondering if I picked the right place. Wondering if…you were having a good time, or if you might have had other ideas about how we ought to spend the week."

"Do I put this much pressure on you, Seth?" Jessica asked, genuinely concerned. "Because—if I am, I want to remedy that."

"You haven't done anything wrong," Seth said. "I just want you to be happy. That's all, Jessica."

"Well—you can relax, then, as you should. I'm the happiest woman in the world, Seth. And—if not all—most of that is certainly owing to you. Maybe, when we get back to the cabin, you'll do me the honor of letting me…help you relax a little more?"

Seth felt his whole body flood with warmth from the suggestion and Jessica's tone of voice.

"I won't turn you down, Jessica," Seth said, a little surprised at the quality of his voice.

"I'll hold you to it, then," she said.

"Tell me what's on your mind," Seth said. "If it's not a worry, what's the one thing you were going to say?"

"Dr. Wilder mentioned something about a…a point of viability or something," Jessica said. "I understood all of the words, of course, in isolation, but…I still felt that I wasn't fully clear on the concept. He didn't explain anything about what he meant, and I felt a little foolish asking about it, since, as a matter of simple vocabulary, I should be able to understand."

Seth hummed.

"Simply put," Seth said, "what he meant was that…she's got a chance, now, of being able to live independently of you."

She stopped short and Seth stopped when her arm nearly tugged out of the hold they'd created.

"Jess—you alright?" He asked.

"Oh—I'm fine," Jessica said quickly.

She smiled, but she looked unquestionably pale, suddenly. Seth tightened his hold on her instinctively.

"It's OK, if you're not," Seth said, not pushing them to keep walking down the shoulder of the road and toward the diner that, from here, he could see. "Even if it's just a happy overwhelm…it doesn't matter to me, but if you've got an indication that you're going to faint, I'd appreciate the heads up."

"Oh…" she said, reaching her other hand out. He took it, fully prepared to support her. "Oh—I'm fine, really. I don't know why I had such a…head rush, really."

"I do," Seth said. "Are you OK now?"

"Fine," she assured him. "Fine," she reiterated when he looked at her, once more, for confirmation. She nodded to add one final reassurance. "I just had a moment…"

"It's OK," Seth said. "Those are allowed."

"That means that…" Jessica started. She stopped, though, and Seth could sense that she was having a hard time continuing—possibly because she was overwhelmed with her happiness, and also fearful of wrongfully believing something and getting her hopes up far too high.

"It means that, if she were to come now, we would fight for her, Jess," Seth said. "We could fight for her. I mean—don't get me wrong, and it pains me to say it, Woman, but…there are always circumstances…"

"Of course," she said, waving it away, since they both knew, well, things could happen in these matters. "But she might…"

"She might," Seth said, nodding his head. "She might make it, Jess…even if she came tomorrow."

"Oh—oh, but please…" Jessica said.

Seth pulled her into him and she wrapped herself around him. He didn't care that they were on the side of the road, or that people who might come and go from the diner might wonder why they were standing there hugging. He held her and rubbed her back for a moment, giving her the strength that she needed from him.

"Shhh…hush now," he said, not scolding her at all, and knowing that she knew that he wasn't scolding. "She's not coming tomorrow. You've made her so comfortable in there, and she's so happy. You saw that today. We're going to keep being careful, Jessica. We're going to keep giving her everything we can. You heard him. We're shooting for sixteen more weeks."

She drew in a breath and let it out before she pulled away from him. He was surprised to see that there were no tears.

"Sixteen more weeks," she said. "It sounds like no time at all."

"It's not," Seth said. "She'll be here before you know it…and, by that, I mean…sixteen weeks'll be up before we know it."

"Oh—I love you, Seth," Jessica said, biting her lip and looking at him intensely. He was practically suffocated, for a moment, by the affection that he could almost sense flooding out of her body and into his.

Seth laughed to himself. He hadn't expected that as her final response to the whole thing, but he was happy for it. He leaned and kissed her, entirely shocked that she playfully nipped his lip right there where God and anybody could see.

"I love you, too, Woman," Seth said. "Come on. Let's get her fed so we can get back to the cabin."

"It's a little chilly," Jessica said.

"You want my jacket, too?" Seth asked. "You can have it. I mean that…"

"No," Jessica said. "But—do you think…it might be cool enough for a fire, when we get back?"

Seth laughed to himself and shook his head, before starting to lead her toward the diner that was well in sight.

"For you, Woman, I'll sleep with the windows open, if I have to."