The start of this has really short chapters. This chapter is mostly mine. might send the next chapter up.

Three

The cabin of the Gulfstream hummed with the quiet, after the movie ended. They were already nearly to orlando. Tori glanced up from her tablet, where she'd been reviewing some last-minute notes for the tech show. She couldn't help but smile as she looked across the cabin at Jade, who was engrossed in her laptop, scrolling through what looked like blueprints of their exhibit. The sleek body wrapped in faded denim and tank top cotton lounged on the bed of the cabin. Jade's jeans were the old, ripped ones Tori had found way back when for their biker school reunion, and she had her tank top tucked in them and boy, she looked good.

She'd just gotten her second summer haircut, and it left most of her shoulders bare. The last few months of their life had been a lot of work, true, but almost every weekend spent down at the cabin out in Florida and their new gym classes had given Jade a deeper tan and added a little more muscle to her frame.

Mm. "Hey, genius, you know you're supposed to be relaxing," Tori teased, leaning back in her plush leather seat. She caught her own reflection in the mirror at the far end of the cabin. The neatly pressed, carefully ironed and tucked prep she'd once been sure was gone. Tori felt her eyebrows lifting as she reviewed her cutoff, ragged shorts and long, faded t-shirt.

Correction, long faded t-shirt that didn't even belong to her. She'd also let her hair grow out longer than usual, not really out of control, but giving it a touch of shagginess she hadn't had since she'd been small. The overall effect, given her tan and the sun bleaching of her brown locks was that of a beach rat caught out shopping.

Jade looked up, her eyes gleaming with a mischievous glint. "This is relaxing, thank you very much. Besides, if I figure out the exact timing of the interactive demos, I can make sure we're the highlight of the show."

Tori chuckled, shaking her head. "You're impossible. But that's part of the reason I married you."

As if on cue, Tori's phone beeped with a notification, and she glanced down, reading the reminder she'd set. She raised her eyes to Jade, looking a bit more serious now.

"Speaking of timing," Tori began, holding up her phone with a smirk. "It's time for your shot."

Jade's expression shifted from confident nerd to immediate reluctance. Her lips pressed together, and she squirmed slightly in her seat. "Already? Tori, come on… you know how I feel about needles."

"I know, I know," Tori said gently, setting her tablet aside and moving over to Jade's seat, the pre-loaded syringe in her hand. "But this is important, right? We're in this together, and you're doing amazing."

Jade leaned back with an exaggerated sigh, looking out the window as if she could escape to the clouds. "I know. I just… can't we invent some futuristic way of doing this? Like a jet-powered patch or something?"

"Maybe someday," Tori said with a laugh, uncapping the syringe. "But until then, this is the best way to make sure your levels are where they need to be."

Jade narrowed her eyes playfully, bracing herself. "You're enjoying this way too much."

Tori just smiled, gently nudging Jade to stand so she could get to her side. "Come on, stand up. It'll be over in a second."

Jade did as instructed, turning reluctantly to give Tori access to the largest muscle she had. She shot Tori a look over her shoulder, feigning a glare. "If you make any sudden movements, I'm telling the pilot to turn this plane around."

Tori rolled her eyes and placed a comforting hand on Jade's hip. "Fine, fine, I'll be gentle. Let's talk Disney while I do this. So… what's the plan once we land? You're the expert, after all."

Jade's face brightened a bit, momentarily distracted. "Well, first of all, there's this hidden section in the Epcot aquarium where you can actually scuba dive. It's a VIP thing. You're literally in a tank with rays and sharks. Ever done that?"

Tori's eyebrows shot up, clearly intrigued. "No."

Jade grinned proudly. "It's not on the regular schedule, but I think I can get us in."

"Wow, sounds incredible," Tori replied, steadying her hand as she moved the syringe into position. "What else?"

"Well, you haven't really done the full Disney experience until you've seen the new Star Wars area," Jade continued, her excitement growing, clearly distracted by her love for Disney's hidden experiences. "They have this build-your-own droid thing, and there's a—"

"Okay, all done!" Tori announced, pulling the syringe away and capping it swiftly. Then she kissed right on top of the incision site.

Jade blinked, looking over her shoulder in surprise. "Wait, you… you already did it?"

"Yup." Tori smiled, patting Jade's side gently. "See? Easy. And you didn't even notice."

Jade let out a long breath, shaking her head in disbelief. "You always surprise me with your light hand."

Tori grinned, reaching up to give Jade a quick peck on the cheek. "It's a talent. Now, back to Disney—what's the next insider secret I need to know?"

Jade relaxed back into her seat, now fully immersed in Disney plans. "Okay, so… if you're up for it, we can start back at at the Cinderella Castle restaurant, kinda like our …"

"First date." Tori said with a wistful smile.

Jade smiled and squeezed Tori's hand. "then hit the Magic Kingdom before everyone else even gets in the park. There's a trick to timing it so you skip all the lines."

"Now you're speaking my language," Tori said, nodding along with a wide smile.

They never had a shortage of things to talk about. But even their silences were great. This baby Making thing was surreal though. And she found herself thinking back on it so many times. Jade leaned back in her seat and relaxed, enjoying Tori's nearby presence and the prospect of spending the long trip at her side. It was quiet, and at the end of the flight there was some serious fun waiting for her.

Life was good. Jade tapped the side of her thumb against the seat. Her mind drifted again to what they were trying to do. But she had to reason with herself. Survival of the fittest. Procreation should be part of her prime directives. And it was she just thought she was going to ruin the kid. "So, what did you think about that bird theory?"

Tori had shed her sandals, and now had her bare feet propped up on the dashboard again. "Jade, did you know that it's pretty darn likely you'd have been tied to a tree and beaten to death by the teachers at my high school just for thinking about the bird theory?"

Jade looked at her. Both eyebrows shot up. "What did they have against birds?"

"Nothing." Tori neatly nibbled an exact circle around her cake. "But boy, did they have a problem with Darwin."

"Ah."

"Mm." The brunette agreed. "You know something, it's funny, but I think that was the first time I found myself questioning the absolute nature of my religion." She mused. "I remember seeing something… on PBS, I guess.. about species evolution, and the way they explained it, it just made so much sense, Jade!"

"Uh huh. Always pissed me off they insisted on calling it the theory of evolution instead of the science of it." Jade agreed. "I had this argument with someone on base about it.. the woman wanted to have me jailed for heresy."

"Mm." Tori nodded. "That's about what happened to me when I went into school the next day and started asking my teachers about it. Hoo boy." She finished up her treat and dusted her fingertips off. "But you know… for me it never caused a problem if I bought into evolutionary science, but still believed in God, and in Jesus and the bible." She continued. "Seeing the exquisite wonder of how life works, how could anyone not believe in a higher power?"

Jade stretched her arm across the divider and let it rest casually on Tori's shoulders. "It's easy for people to get stuck in a narrow view, Tor. You know that. Even those guys, the scientists – they were practically fist fighting over the idea that dinosaurs evolved into birds… and it's so structurally obvious." Jade's voice grew a touch more animated. "All you have to do is look at those carnivorous dinosaurs, and look at an ostrich, and it's right there in your face."

"Dinosaurs into birds, lizards into snakes, protohominids into us…" Tori mused. "Whoops… guess I'm going to Hell for that last one. Again." She chuckled. "Hey, what did you think about that one we saw the other night… about humans being water mammals during their evolution?"

The theory was an interesting one, Jade conceded. "Navy brat's the wrong person to ask about that." She joked. "I always assumed I was some kind of freak otter." Her face grew faintly introspective. "For me, the water was always home."

"Yeah." Tori agreed, with a smile. "You're so natural underwater. I thought of you when I was watching that show. I wish I felt that comfortable."

"Give it time." Jade advised her. "I've been diving since I was two."

Leaning back, Tori tipped her head to one side and regarded the thick, black night sky. It was fun to just sit and talk. Jade had an active, intelligent mind and she was as curious about many things as Tori was. Keeping your mind in a learning state, she'd realized, made you a lot better at whatever you did. You were always open to new ideas, and new ways of looking at things. "Hey Jade?"

"Yeeeesss?"

"Wanna play 'what is it?'"

"Okay." Jade grinned. "You start." She gave Tori a few microseconds. "Animal, vegetable, or mineral?"

"Would I pick a vegetable for you to guess? Give me a minute."

Jade drummed her fingers on the wheel and waited, humming under her breath., already anticipating the game. Would it be an animal? Tori liked animals. She'd pick a strange one though.

Platypus duck, maybe?