Checkpoint
Jenny's stomach tumbled as she paced, her teeth worrying her lower lip. The sound of a knock on the bathroom door caused her to jump, though her nerves instantly calmed at the sound of her husband's voice on the other side.
"Jenny? Is everything alright?"
She nodded emphatically; then, realizing he couldn't see this, she went to open the door. Though by that time, she had discarded her earlier instinct to insist everything was fine. "I'm nauseous."
"Those are likely just nerves, my love." Then, he raised his eyebrows. "Is it time? We're due at Buffy's shortly."
The entire thing had started two weeks prior, after their big blowout fight over Angel. When he had come home from England and they'd spent the night making amends. Not long after that, the nausea began, as well as the dizzy spells. Rupert had been concerned that she perhaps wasn't eating right.
And just that afternoon, when double-checking her calendar, Jenny had realized she was late. Her body usually ran like clock-work. So she and Rupert, both panicking, made a quick trip to the drug store.
"Should be ready in a minute." Grasping his hand, she pulled him with her into the bathroom, closing the door behind them for reasons unknown -- it wasn't as if anyone would walk in on them.
Together, they stared at the small white plastic stick sitting on the bathroom counter. Without taking her eyes off it, Jenny sighed. "We still haven't talked about how you feel about this."
"Well, I... I guess I'm thrown, somewhat. You had always said you took pills--"
"And I do," she nodded. "But they're not a hundred percent accurate."
"I see." He met her eyes then. "Well, Jenny, our consensus on the matter has always been that... if we're supposed to have children, then we will when the time is right."
She chuckled, a bit mirthlessly. "But the time is not right. We've got way too much going on, we've--"
"Jenny, Jenny. Please relax, darling." Gently taking her hands, he pried them away from tugging on her hair, his smile warm and reassuring. "We don't even know what the outcome of this will be. Whatever happens, you already know that I'm here with you one-thousand percent."
When the timer on his watch went off, this time they both jumped, Rupert letting out a soft yelp while Jenny rushed over to grab the test. She furrowed her brows as she looked between it and the set of instructions.
"Well? What does it say?"
Wordlessly, she handed him the test and the instructions, watching as his eyes did the same back-and-forth dance hers had done. Then, he breathed out a smile. "Really?"
She nodded, beaming. "Really." Then, she pointed to the instructions. "There are supposed to be two pink lines, not one."
"So you're--"
"Not pregnant," she finished, and they both let out a sigh of relief.
Then, the test and instructions were discarded on the counter as she leapt against him for a hug, the force of it lifting her off the ground several inches.
Jenny giggled against him, and pulled away kissing him soundly. "Nothing like a little pregnancy scare for the first year of marriage, huh?"
"Yes, quite." He smiled. "I'd, uh, suggest a proper celebration, but--"
She nodded knowingly. "But that's what almost got us into this predicament in the first place." Then, she quirked an eyebrow. "I'd settle for some good old-fashioned making out, though."
"You have yourself a deal, my dear. But first--"
She nodded. "Right. Gotta get to Buffy's." She led him by the hand out of the master bathroom and back into their bedroom, turning once they'd reached the door. "Y'know, we could see about making out at Buffy's." Off his eye roll, she grinned. "Come on, she's gotta have a dark closet somewhere."
"Frankly, that would be too predictable of us." He sighed. "I am not looking forward to the next several days."
She patted his hand. "I know. Hopefully the Council won't interfere with things too much while they're here."
As they headed out to the car, she turned to catch his sharply-raised brow. "Darling, do you know the Council?" he quipped. "That's all that they do."
"Well, at least we don't have the Council and a pregnancy to worry about, right?"
"Yes, that is true." He climbed in on the driver's side of their sports car and she in the passenger seat, both of them buckling their belts in unison. "And I hope you didn't take my immense relief as--"
She cut him off with a shake of her head. "I was just as relieved as you are." She smiled. "If it's supposed to happen, it'll happen when we're ready. Besides, we're already raising like six kids right now, anyway."
"You're right about that." And with that, they set off for the Summers house.
"Jenny? Is everything alright?"
She nodded emphatically; then, realizing he couldn't see this, she went to open the door. Though by that time, she had discarded her earlier instinct to insist everything was fine. "I'm nauseous."
"Those are likely just nerves, my love." Then, he raised his eyebrows. "Is it time? We're due at Buffy's shortly."
The entire thing had started two weeks prior, after their big blowout fight over Angel. When he had come home from England and they'd spent the night making amends. Not long after that, the nausea began, as well as the dizzy spells. Rupert had been concerned that she perhaps wasn't eating right.
And just that afternoon, when double-checking her calendar, Jenny had realized she was late. Her body usually ran like clock-work. So she and Rupert, both panicking, made a quick trip to the drug store.
"Should be ready in a minute." Grasping his hand, she pulled him with her into the bathroom, closing the door behind them for reasons unknown -- it wasn't as if anyone would walk in on them.
Together, they stared at the small white plastic stick sitting on the bathroom counter. Without taking her eyes off it, Jenny sighed. "We still haven't talked about how you feel about this."
"Well, I... I guess I'm thrown, somewhat. You had always said you took pills--"
"And I do," she nodded. "But they're not a hundred percent accurate."
"I see." He met her eyes then. "Well, Jenny, our consensus on the matter has always been that... if we're supposed to have children, then we will when the time is right."
She chuckled, a bit mirthlessly. "But the time is not right. We've got way too much going on, we've--"
"Jenny, Jenny. Please relax, darling." Gently taking her hands, he pried them away from tugging on her hair, his smile warm and reassuring. "We don't even know what the outcome of this will be. Whatever happens, you already know that I'm here with you one-thousand percent."
When the timer on his watch went off, this time they both jumped, Rupert letting out a soft yelp while Jenny rushed over to grab the test. She furrowed her brows as she looked between it and the set of instructions.
"Well? What does it say?"
Wordlessly, she handed him the test and the instructions, watching as his eyes did the same back-and-forth dance hers had done. Then, he breathed out a smile. "Really?"
She nodded, beaming. "Really." Then, she pointed to the instructions. "There are supposed to be two pink lines, not one."
"So you're--"
"Not pregnant," she finished, and they both let out a sigh of relief.
Then, the test and instructions were discarded on the counter as she leapt against him for a hug, the force of it lifting her off the ground several inches.
Jenny giggled against him, and pulled away kissing him soundly. "Nothing like a little pregnancy scare for the first year of marriage, huh?"
"Yes, quite." He smiled. "I'd, uh, suggest a proper celebration, but--"
She nodded knowingly. "But that's what almost got us into this predicament in the first place." Then, she quirked an eyebrow. "I'd settle for some good old-fashioned making out, though."
"You have yourself a deal, my dear. But first--"
She nodded. "Right. Gotta get to Buffy's." She led him by the hand out of the master bathroom and back into their bedroom, turning once they'd reached the door. "Y'know, we could see about making out at Buffy's." Off his eye roll, she grinned. "Come on, she's gotta have a dark closet somewhere."
"Frankly, that would be too predictable of us." He sighed. "I am not looking forward to the next several days."
She patted his hand. "I know. Hopefully the Council won't interfere with things too much while they're here."
As they headed out to the car, she turned to catch his sharply-raised brow. "Darling, do you know the Council?" he quipped. "That's all that they do."
"Well, at least we don't have the Council and a pregnancy to worry about, right?"
"Yes, that is true." He climbed in on the driver's side of their sports car and she in the passenger seat, both of them buckling their belts in unison. "And I hope you didn't take my immense relief as--"
She cut him off with a shake of her head. "I was just as relieved as you are." She smiled. "If it's supposed to happen, it'll happen when we're ready. Besides, we're already raising like six kids right now, anyway."
"You're right about that." And with that, they set off for the Summers house.