CLOSER THAN EVER [Jack and Janet FF]

[LuLu Rogers]

Wonderful!!!

[Bella_KitKat]

CHAPTER 15


Janet must have been sitting in her car for at least fifteen minutes before she finally dried her tears. Sighing, she once again started the engine and head off in the direction of the nearest drugstore to buy a pregnancy test. She had to admit that she was afraid as she walked into the apartment two hours later, shopping bag clutched securely in her hand. True, she and Jack were married and could technically have a baby, but it had only been two weeks. Barely. They hadn’t planned on starting a family so soon. “So much for me freaking out all the time,” she muttered. Part of her was absolutely thrilled at the prospect of becoming a mom, but the other part of her was scared to death. “What on earth is he going to say about this?” He was great with little Alyssa and Sydney, though. The two girls were Jenny’s daughters, aged six and two and a half, respectively. They loved their Uncle Jack, and the three got a long amazingly well. However, being an uncle was a lot different then being a full time dad.

The timer beeped and the test was done. “Janet, you’re going to make yourself sick worrying about this,” she told herself, looking down at the small strip. She saw one line that would change life as they knew it forever. Irrevocably.

A thin pink line stared up at her.

Pink. Pink for positive.

She was pregnant.

She and Jack were going to have a baby.

*~*

After running a very special errand, Janet arranged for the nine of them to meet at the bistro that night after hours. Chrissy and Cindy were delighted to get the call and agreed to come right away, not caring what the great news might be. It took some coaxing, but Helen finally convinced Stanley to show up as well. Even Furley; yes, he counted as a friend too. And of course, the dueling duo, Terri and Larry. She took a nervous breath as the eight of them crowded around a large table and looked at her expectantly.

“What’s up?” Cindy asked curiously.

Chrissy, not well know for her intellect, gasped in horror. “You’re dying!”

Stanley stood as if to leave. “Great, we figured it out. Helen, can we go watch ‘Name That Tune’ now?”

“Stanley!” his wife yelled, exasperated. “You’re being rude. Go ahead, honey,” she said to Janet.

“Well, I - ”

“Get on with it,” Larry interjected, bored out of his mind. He wanted this to hurry up and be over with. Sure, he loved Janet and all of his friends dearly, but he canceled a very sexy date just to hear this supposed “great news.” It had better be good.

“Larry, shut up,” Janet retorted. “I’ve had enough of you, okay! Now this is really hard, so just bear with me, all right?”

“Would you for heaven’s sake just tell us?” RF remarked, a hint of disparity in his voice.

Janet sighed and finally looked her husband in the eyes. His sincere worried and caring look made her feel like crying. So she did. She couldn’t help it. She hated, loathed with a passion that crying seemed to be her only option these days, but she was so terrified of how he would respond.

As the others looked on in stunned silence – nobody but Jack had ever seen fiercely independent and tough Janet cry before – Jack pulled her onto his lap and rocked her gently. “Baby, you know you can tell me anything. Wait…Chrissy’s not right, is she?”

She gulped and shakily removed herself from his embrace. “No.” Her face still streaked with tears, she pulled a folded, yet slightly crumpled envelope out of her purse. “I can’t say it, so I’m just going to show you. It’s all in there.”

Confused, he took the thin rectangle from her hand and opened it. Out tumbled a small black and white photo. It was all blurry with wavy lines and made no sense to him at all. “Honey, you’ve got to learn to take better pictures.”

The statement made Janet laugh, for some strange reason. Taking a pen from her pocket, she leaned down and traced a small circle in the lower right corner. “Do you see that, right there? Inside the lines, the little teeny thing that looks like a peanut, a little bit?”

Jack squinted. “Kind of.”

Janet, her heart pounding, took his hand from the picture and calmly placed it on her stomach. “Sweetie, that’s…that’s our baby.”

They all looked at her blankly for a few seconds, Jack included, until he leapt from his chair, picked her up, and twirled her around. She squealed happily as she looked down into his eyes. “I take it this is a good thing. You’re happy, right?”

“Happy? Oh, honey…why wouldn’t I be?”

“We’ve been married less than three weeks, Jack. I just…I don’t know if you really wanted this so soon.”

“Who cares? Sweetheart, we’re going to have a baby!” Once again taking her in his arms, he twirled her around a few feet off the floor before kissing her softly. “I love you.”

She settled herself onto his lap, and his arm went around her waist. Janet’s soft, angelic laughter was music to his ears as she graciously accepted everyone’s congratulations. In the future now, he saw a happy family of three. Brown eyes and bouncing curls, their little girl would be the spitting image of her mother, from the infectious giggle to the mix of fierce independence and unending loyalty. He loved the image. “You’re going to be a mommy,” he murmured into her hair.

“I know,” she whispered back. “I can’t wait. Thank you.”

“Love you more.”
“Hey, do you two know what it’s going to be?” Cindy’s question interrupted their reverie.

“It’s going to be a baby,” Chrissy answered matter-of-factly. “Gosh…and people say I’m dumb.”

“Not really.” Janet’s interruption halted the impending argument. “I mean, it’ll be at least two or three more months before we can find out.”

“You guys fight like you’re sisters,” Jack remarked.

“And here’s Captain Obvious,” Terri said, rolling her eyes. “Besides, they’re cousins, so they are related, which means they have an excuse.”

“It’s going to be a boy. I know it. I’m psychic.” Larry told the group.

“You mean psycho,” Terri muttered, which promptly earned her a napkin in the face and a stuck-out tongue.

“As I was saying before I was interrupted, Uncle Larry’s going to be sure and teach him everything he needs to know about being a ladies man.”

“And whatever he doesn’t know, I’m sure I can handle it,” Ralph Furley said boldly.

Janet shook her head vehemently. “No way. Neither of you are going near my kid until they go to college.” Everyone laughed. “Besides,” she said shyly. “I’ve always wanted a little girl.”

“Boy or girl, the poor kid has to have a name.” Stanley spoke up for the first time in a long while.

“Stanley, that’s the most productive and intelligent thing you’ve said all night,” Helen replied. “Good for you! So do you have any ideas?”

“Yes, actually,” Janet dug through her purse again, finally handing it to Jack as she rummaged through her wallet. His eyes were on her as she triumphantly held up a folded square of paper. “My list. Added and changed it around ever since I was 13.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” He took it from her hands, smoothing it out to find a jumble of scratch outs and connecting lines. “My God, sweetheart, you’d have to be part of the CIA to decode this. What on earth possessed you?”

“Told you. Highlight of my life.”

“You can have more than one,” Mrs. Roper defended her friend.

“Okay, so are you going to tell me how to read this, because I can’t even begin to guess.”

The six women pored over it, nodding ever so often, while the four men simply looked on in amazement. “It’s really quite simple.” Cindy began telling the process. “It’s divided into genders: girls on the left and boys on the right. You have a separate list for first names and middle names.”

“The connecting lines were probably her first choices of names to go together and the cross out are ones she won’t use now unless a meteor hit,” continued Terri.

“And the small letters to the left of the first name are the initial of the middle names she especially likes,” Chrissy finished proudly. “Like, for example, take a look at Danielle. The two initials by that one are ‘Ju’ and underneath that is ‘Gr’. That means her first choice is Danielle Julia and her second choice is Danielle Grace.”

Jack glanced at Janet, who nodded. “I need a drink,” he muttered. “I’m all for preparation and what have you, but can’t you make a new list? Top 5 for boys and girls. That’s it. It’ll be easier, and it won’t make me feel so stupid when I don’t understand.”

“Fine.” Janet again reached for her purse, and found a small pad of paper that Terri had given her once.

“Is that a purse or a suitcase?” Larry asked sarcastically. “I bet you have a three course meal hidden away in there and didn’t tell us.”

“Week old candy bar,” she responded, distractedly. “You can have it if you want.”

“No thanks.” He made a face as Janet concentrated on her writing. Finally, after many minutes of thinking and erasing, she handed Jack her new and improved list.

“Let’s see this.” Jack placed it on the table where everyone could see.

“Top 5 Girls,” Mrs. Roper read. “#1: Nicole Riley. #2: Samantha Taylor. #3: Katelyn Marie. #4: Sierra Brooke. #5: Erin Amber.”

Her husband took the list from her and cleared his throat. “Top 5 Boys. #1: Ryan Hunter. #2: Cody Trevor. #3: Joshua Alex. #4: Andrew Ethan. #5: Tyler Nicholas.”

“Plan on having ten kids, Janet?” Cindy inquired with a wry grin.

She made a face. “Absolutely not. Three or four, tops.”

“What made you cross some of them out?” RF wondered. “Like…Lynne. That’s cute.”

“My best friend in high school. I beat her out for head cheerleader and she hasn’t talked to me since.”

Jack studied her for a moment. “Funny…you don’t look like the pom-pom type to me.”

“You’d be surprised at the things I do.” Janet’s witty response evidently caught Larry by surprise. He had just swallowed a sip of his drink, and the words made him choke and a few drops flew out his nose.

“Well, you’ll have plenty of time to practice taking care of babies. Just watch Larry here.” Terri took immense pleasure in whacking him on the back. “Honestly…grow up. Do you have to twist everything everyone says and make it into something sexual?”

“That’s it. You are definitely not coming anywhere near our kid.”

“Sorry.”

“Well, what’s wrong with Emma?” Chrissy asked.

“Popular girl. Made my life a living hell.”
“Jacob?”

“Old boyfriend. Dumped me the night of the junior prom. I cried for days.”

“Log -”

“Do you sense a pattern here?” Cindy asked. “I’ll save you some time. She crossed of all the names that have some sort of bad memory. Like ex-boyfriends, catty girls, stuff like that.”

Janet nodded. “Right.”

They talked for hours about anything and everything, but somehow their conversation always went back to the baby. After light banter and discussion, they were all set for names. Mrs. Roper noticed the cute scene first. “Jack, honey, look.”

Jack looked down and had to smile. Janet was curled up in his lap, fast asleep. “This is our cue to go,” he said softly. Careful not to wake her, he handed Terri her purse and stood, Janet still in his arms. She yawned and mumbled incoherently, only to snuggle into him deeper and wrap her arms around his neck. Outside, he gently laid her in the backseat of the car. She still didn’t move.

“Missiles could be firing on either side of her and she’d never know it.” Cindy was amazed that her friend was such a heavy sleeper. “I wish I could do that.”

“Let’s just go.” And so they did. For a few moments, it was like a military procession as they all got into their cars and drove off. Jack and Janet, of course, were first. Directly behind them were the Ropers. Chrissy and Cindy were third, and last was Terri, Larry, and RF. Within the three-mile radius, Larry made it perfectly clear at least eleven times that he could have had a date that night.

“If you say that one more time, Dallas, I’m going to take this pencil, stick it up your ass, and twist!” Terri’s exasperated yell could be heard from all three cars, and all seven people laughed quietly.

*~*

“Janet, come on!” Jack called, getting more impatient by the minute. He was beginning to think that Terri, Cindy, and Chrissy – although he loved them to death – were becoming bad influences. The three were turning his wife into the ultimate girl. Going anywhere was an event that required the utmost attention. Frankly, it drove him nuts.

“Almost ready!” she called.

“You should be! How long does it take to get dressed? Just pick a shirt and let’s go.” Unfortunately, Jack hated shopping, and waiting for his now-beauty crazed wife wasn’t improving his mood any.

“Jack…” Janet whined, appearing in the doorway to their bedroom, clad in striped light blue sweatpants and a white halter style shirt. “I hate this.”

“You’re cute, hon.”

“No, I’m not. This is just the only thing that fits me anymore.”




“Do you expect to be four and a half months pregnant and still look perfect?” he teased. The moment the words left his mouth, he knew that was the wrong thing to say. It had somehow slipped his mind that she had been subject to some pretty intense mood swings.

Sure enough, her lower lip began to quiver, and she started to cry. “I knew it. You think I’m fat.”

“Baby, no,” he tried to assure her, putting his hand on her slightly bulging stomach. “I don’t think you’re fat. You’re beautiful.”

His attempts at flattery were ill conceived, however, as Janet angrily pushed his hand away. “None of my old jeans will fit, and I’m going to buy clothes that are four to five sizes bigger than this. Don’t you stand there and tell me I’m not fat.”

“There’s more to this, isn’t there?”

“Why? Why does there have to be more? Why can’t I just be irrational and bitchy and cranky for the hell of it?”

“Please…what’s wrong?

Janet breathed a deep sigh, and her words were barely audible, but they still had the power to make his heart break. Tears welled in her eyes. “You don’t want me. You don’t love me anymore.”

“Oh, sweetheart.” A tiny river of tears spilled down her cheeks as Jack took her in his arms. “Don’t you ever say that. I love you so much, honey. So much. And Janet Elizabeth Tripper, I am always, always, always going to want you.”

That earned him a tiny smile, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. “ All right. Let’s get this over with.”

This was one shopping spree that Jack didn’t mind going on, and he didn’t even care that he was buying a bunch of extremely overpriced things that would take him forever and a day to pay off. He didn’t care. Because, as they entered the last store of clothing, Janet seemed more like her usual chipper self. She was excited about this baby again, and he just wanted everything to work out so she would be happy. After all, she was his everything, his wife, the woman that was carrying his child. But appearances could be deceiving. She seemed happy, but he knew that pretending everything was okay when it really wasn’t was one of her better skills. Sighing, he came of from behind and wrapped his arms around her waist. “You okay?”

“Sure! Now which one do you like better?” she asked. The two small jumpsuits were adorable, but at that moment, his only concern was her. He knew that was a fake smile and cheeriness about her persona.

“Sweetie, you were so happy when you found out. What’s changed?”

Janet loved her husband with every little piece of her heart, but she hated that he knew her so well. She couldn’t even try with the secrets or lies, because he saw through them all. So she did the only thing that popped into her brain.

She ran.
When Jack finally caught up with her in the parking lot, she was leaning against the edge of the car, sobbing. He pulled her to her feet and opened the back door. “Get in.”

She nodded, and crawled in the backseat beside him. He looked sort of frustrated, so she couldn’t help but hesitate as she snuggled up against him. Janet relaxed, though, as he hugged her close. “Janet Elizabeth, I mean everything I say, you know that. I love you, sweetheart. I love you. I loved you ever since we first met. I loved you the day we officially became a couple. I loved you those months we were dating. I loved you those nights we made love. I loved you when you thought you were pregnant. I loved you the day I proposed. I loved you the day we got married. I loved you the day you told me we were going to have a baby, and I’ve loved you every day since then. No matter what. I’ll always, always, always love you, and I’m always, always, always going to want you.”

Janet opened her mouth to respond by saying that that was the sweetest thing she’d ever heard, but she was interrupted by a small flutter in her abdomen. “Oh!”

“Honey? What? What’s wrong, sweetie?”

Janet smiled through her soft tears that were already again falling. She took his hand and touched it to her stomach so that he could feel the soft kick. “That’s our baby.”

“Yeah…” he repeated in awe. “There’s our baby.”

[fabernash]

Aw that was so cute! Even though i pretty much know whats going to happen im still excited for the baby! haha

[Janet McFarland]

Aww! I loved that! I like how you added in Chrissy , Cindy , and the Ropers. And Terri and Larry are so funny! Great job!

[LuLu Rogers]

[Janet Tripper]

Here is the last revised chapter!!!!!!! (Thanks Kat) Thanks again!!!!!! to all of you who have read and enjoy the story!!!! We are even thinking about making a sequel to it!!!!!! Anyhow THANKS FOR ALL YOU'LLS GREAT COMMENTS!!!

Chapter 16

It was well into the morning before Janet finally woke up. Rainy Sundays seemed to do that to her, and plus she was tired. Ever since her sixth month of pregnancy, a good night’s sleep seemed to elude her. She sighed, sitting up slightly and turning to her husband. “Did I ever tell you how uncomfortable this is?”

“Only about seven billion times.”

Janet laughed softly. “I know, baby. I’m sorry. I don’t know how you put up with me. And I know I complain a lot, but I really love this.”

Jack smiled, caressing her cheek. “And I love you.” He leaned over like he was going to kiss her but stopped, as his lips were inches from hers. “We’re not going to pull a Ross and Rachel when I kiss you, are we?” Watching Friends had become a nightly ritual throughout Janet’s pregnancy, and due to the high amount of reruns, he caught up on ten years over a period of nine months. In the last days of Rachel Green’s pregnancy with Emma, the exact moment she went into labor was when Ross Gellar kissed her.

“Hope not.”

His mouth met hers, and to the great relief of both of them, she didn’t go into labor. At least not right then. However, the baby did start kicking, and the small gesture never failed to make Janet giggle with happiness. Janet lay there for a moment, the swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood up. “I’m bored.”

Jack laughed as he got up and wrapped his arms around her. “Come on. I’ll make you breakfast and we’ll watch another movie.”
Janet smiled. “I’d like that.”

“Of course you would. You can’t cook to save your life.”

“Hey!”

He dodged the pillow that she threw and left the room.

Twenty minutes later, they were settled on the couch, Janet snuggled up against him. She took a quiet breath as the pain from this morning returned. She hadn’t wanted to tell him before, but she had been having tiny contraction for the past couple of hours. Janet knew he would just freak out, and she knew nothing would happen until much later, maybe even days later. Nevertheless, they were getting to intense for her to ignore. “Hey, I’ll be right back, okay, hon?”

Jack gave her a puzzled look but released his grip on her, watching as she went into the kitchen. A gut feeling told him to follow her, and a few seconds later he heard her scream. He ran over to her side. Janet was standing at the sink, breathing heavily. She tried to keep her voice calm and steady as she told him that her water just broke, but the small tremors betrayed her. Then, with no warning, she abruptly turned and buried her face in his chest. “God, Jack…” she whimpered. “Contraction. It hurts.”

“We’re going to the hospital.”

*~*

The birth went by with fairly no problems. To the baby, that is. Janet was sweating pretty profusely, her damp hair matted to her skin, and Jack was sure his hand would never be the same again. He tried to remain calm and remember what Terri and told him, whispering words of reassurance. Still, Janet had yelled obscenities at him the whole time. Her voice grew increasingly loud with each painful contraction. But it didn’t matter anymore. Nothing mattered. Nothing mattered except for the beautiful, albeit crying every single second, little girl lying in Janet’s arms. Because after 19 hours of intense, yet worthwhile labor, Baby Nicole Riley Tripper finally entered the world.

Twenty minutes had gone by and the proud parents couldn’t take their eyes off their new daughter. Nicole, mercifully, had finally stopped crying and was sleeping peacefully in her mother’s arms, her tiny hand clamped around Janet’s finger. “Look, honey.” Janet’s voice was breathless, as if she couldn’t yet take it all in. “Look what we did.”

“I know.” Jack’s voice was unusually tight and full of emotion. “She’s absolutely perfect. Just like her mama.” He leaned in to kiss her lips softly. “I love you.”

All of a sudden, a look of pain and sheer terror crossed Janet’s face. She gripped tightly the first thing she could latch on to, and consequently, Nicole began to whimper. Jack picked up his daughter, rocking her gently, and her cries ceased. “Sweetie? Janet, what is it?”

She didn’t respond right away, simply gripped onto his hand and squeezed. Tears formed in her eyes. “God…it hurts. I…I need to push again. Why do I need to push again?”

“WHAT? Are…are you sure?”

“Jack, I’ve been doing this for almost a full day now. I think I know what I’m talking about. I don’t know why; all I know is it hurts like ****, and you’re not helping. Go get Terri.”

As if on command, the perky blond sauntered into the room. “You three doing okay? A couple more minutes, then we have to take her and check her vitals for the birth certificate.”

Janet vaguely heard her friend speak the words. True, she had gone through the same thing not half an hour ago, but the pain was honestly like nothing she had ever felt before. “Terri…do something. I’m having contractions again.”

Recovering from her surprise, Terri quickly vamped into nurse mode. She knew she wasn’t an obstetrician, but she wasn’t a complete ignoramus when it came to pregnant women. She had seen it done enough times to feel remotely confident, and the one fact she was certain of is that she sure as hell wasn’t going to allow any more people brought into the delivery then was absolutely necessary.

“Terri? You’re…you’re really, really scaring me. Say something. Tell me what’s wrong.”

“You guys? Did anyone ever tell you that you were having twins?” Dr. Kenderson entered the hospital room then and Terri walked toward him quickly. “Seems like Baby B wanted to play hide and go seek.”

“Ah…and I take it she didn’t show up on the ultrasound.”

The two parents were still in shock, but Janet could only think of one thing. “I have to do this again? It was bad enough the first time.”

Dr. Kenderson nodded, patting her knee. “Afraid so, kiddo. And it has to be now. This baby doesn’t want to wait.”

Jack took Janet’s hand, which had fallen limp from his the moment she heard the news, and rubbed it reassuringly. “It’ll be okay.” Evidently, Nicole didn’t like being stripped from her father’s arms, for she began to wail, but her sobs quieted as Terri rocked her gently, humming a soft lullaby.

Almost a split second later, Janet cried out in pain from the seemingly never-ending contraction. “Please, let me push…let me push. Get this baby out now,” she exclaimed, tears mixing with the sweat drenching down her face.

“Janet, hon, I know it hurts, but you can’t push yet. Just breathe for me, okay? We have to figure out where we’re at.”

“You’re doing great,” Jack whispered softly as the grasp of his hand tightened. “I love you.”

“I hate you,” she whimpered. “I hate you, I hate you, I hate you.”

“Okay, Janet,” Kenderson announced. “Two or three pushes and we should be all good to go. You ready?”

She nodded swiftly, as she felt Jack’s fingers entwine with hers. Thank God for him. She really needed him there, with her, telling her that everything would be okay.

“And here we go…push, Janet, push! 1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9…10…good!”

She leaned into her husband’s arms the second the contraction was over. “That’s my girl,” he murmured, sitting on the edge of her bed so he could hold her better and help her gain a better position. The much-needed rest was short-lived, however. The next contraction was fast approaching.

“I need you to do that again, all right? Give me a good one now!”

He couldn’t get to the number ten fast enough as pain seeped through her whole body. After going at the same action for nearly 24 hours, every muscle ached, and even some muscles she wasn’t aware she had.

“That’s great, just great. We’ve got a really good position now. I need you to push really hard, all right? Now!”

Janet sighed, somewhat exasperated, but nonetheless, gritted her teeth and bore down as hard as she could. Her body felt as if it were on fire as she pushed.

“Janet, sweetie, nothing’s happening. We need you to push harder.”

“What? No…” she whined. “Just get the baby out now. I can’t do this…I’m too tired.”

Jack tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, kissing her cheek in the process. “I know, honey. I know. I know this is hell, and I know you’re tired. But you can do this, sweetie. You’re the strongest woman I know. I love you so much.”

“Janet, this has to happen now!” Dr. Kenderson interjected.

Jack rubbed her hand reassuringly and she struggled to a sitting position, took a deep breath, and pushed. “Oh my God!” she yelled. She couldn’t help but scream as the pain reached an almost unbearable level.

“Hard, Janet! Hard, hard, hard, hard, harder! There we go…the head’s out.”

Janet smiled at that moment, then felt the need to push again. She just wanted to get this over with as fast as she could, but this last contraction was by far the worst ever. Janet gripped Jack’s hand tightly, praying for it to be done with. She prided herself on being a very strong person, but this hurt like nothing she could have ever imagined. She buried her face in Jack’s arms as she bore down harder than she ever had before. Tears streamed down her cheeks as her lower body felt as if it were literally being pulled apart.
But, for all the pain, all the unbelievable, intense pain, it was all worth it…again. They had another little girl.

An hour later, Jack held his two daughters in his arms as his wife slept peacefully a few feet away for the first time in months. Nicole Riley and her younger sister Samantha Taylor had already come back from vitals and were becoming restless. It was obvious they were tired of lying in one position and was anxious for their mother, and it was at that moment that Janet woke up.

“Hey.” she said softly, smiling at the sight of her husband holding their two small children. “Are they okay?”

“Yeah…they’re both perfect.”

*~*

The past couple of weeks had been…eventful, to say the least. There were a bunch of sleepless nights, and what the imminent future held was sickness and toddler terrors and unanswerable questions and never enough time in the day. Times two. But Janet knew that she wouldn't trade a second of any of it. No way. It was times like these, though, that she wondered. Janet sighed, her patience wearing thinner by the moment. Nicole was fine, sleeping peacefully in her crib. Samantha, however, chose to spend the entire evening crying.

“Oh, come on, Sammie,” Janet whispered softly, rocking her daughter in hopes of quelling her wails. “Don’t you want to be quiet like your sister?” Sam’s only response was a shrill, piercing cry, as she tugged on a lock of Janet’s hair for emphasis. Janet laughed in spite of herself. “You’re just a little rebel, aren’t you?”

Jack quietly crept into the apartment, standing in the doorway of the bedroom. Janet’s back was to him, and he didn’t dare make a sound. He was content just to watch this mother-daughter moment.

“Don’t you tell your father about this, okay? It’ll just be our little secret.” Her voice started off soft and breathless, but soon became stronger as she sang a soothing Paula Abdul song. “Good night, my love / Pleasant dreams and sleep tight my love / May tomorrow be sunny and bright / And bring you closer to me.”

Sam’s cries soon turned to occasional whimpers, and then tapered off completely. Even as Janet placed her in the crib next to Nicole, she still didn’t make a sound. Jack smiled at his wife, who he could tell was so proud of herself.

Janet watched her daughters sleep for a few minutes before turning out the nightlight. “Your mama’s not a complete failure, is she?”

At that precise moment, a strong, warm pair of arms wrapped around her waist. Janet turned to find Jack’s face inches from hers as he softly kissed her cheek. “Quite the opposite,” he whispered softly. “You’re the best mom in the world.”

“You’re home early,” she responded in a murmur, careful not to wake up her children, especially after she had invested so much in putting them to sleep. “Did you see all that?”

“Of course I did, and I think you’re wonderful. I love you.”

“I love you too, baby. Just let me put Sammie down and I’ll be there in a minute.” After a few failed tried, Janet finally got Sammie into her crib, still asleep. Miraculously, she was still asleep when Janet left the room. She blew her daughters a kiss, turned on the nightlight, and closed the door. Not all the way shut, but closed enough so that the air conditioning or wind wouldn’t blow it open.

Jack was already half asleep when Janet came out of the bathroom, but opened his eyes immediately when his wife appeared before him. All the pregnancy weight was gone, and Janet was wearing a silk red nightie that accentuated her curves perfectly. Her naturally wavy hair was loose and framed her face, making her look sexier than ever. “It's been six weeks,” were the first words out of her mouth as she crawled onto the bed, absently beginning to play with the buttons on his shirt, "and I missed you. The girls are asleep, and they’ll be out for the night.”

He smiled at her. "Are you trying to seduce me?"

"I might,” she cooed softly, trailing kisses up his neck. “Is it working?"

“You know it,” Jack playfully growled, kissing her softly before taking her and flipping her onto her back. Janet giggled, then became serious as his eyes locked with hers. He stared for a few seconds, and then kissed her with a passion that neither of them had felt for a long time. “You better be ready, hon. It’s going to be a long night.”

*~*

“So the prince kissed Sleeping Beauty and then they all lived happily ever after…” Jack and Janet were in the midst of their fourth fairy tail, and their rambunctious daughters showed no signs if going to sleep any time soon or even slowing down.

“Why do we havta go bed, Mommy?” Nicole asked for the twelfth time.

“Because, Nic,” Jack sighed. “If you don’t, you’ll be grumpy tomorrow. And we can’t have grumpy little birthday girls.”

“Don’t wanna!” Sammie screamed.

“Hey!” Janet said softly, suddenly struck with an idea. “The sooner you go to sleep, the sooner you wake up, and the sooner you get presents.”

Presents were the magic word. Nicole and Samantha were spoiled rotten, and they lived for the latest new toy. “Okay,” they relied in unison. “We’ll be good now.” True to their word, the two little girls were soon sound asleep.

Janet smiled, as she and Jack pulled the covers over them and turned off the lights. “Night, girls. Love you.”

“Love you, too,” came two perfectly chorused sleepy voices.

Janet stood in the doorway for a while, Jack’s arms wrapped around her waist. They were a handful most of the time, and they drove her crazy, but it was these times that she couldn’t imagine her life without them. Sam was sucking her thumb and Nikki was snoring lightly. Those two were the most important people in her world, and she wouldn’t trade a moment of the insanity for anything. “Makes everything worth it, doesn’t it?” she whispered softly.

“Absolutely.”

*~*

The girls had been crazy and hyper all afternoon, so finally Janet had to put them down for a nap. They complained, because they hadn’t had a nap for weeks and were ‘too old’, but Janet stood firm as she marched them into their room. She knew that if they didn’t have at least a little bit of sleep, they’d crash the minute the party was over.

Two hours later, as Janet was getting ready for the party, two very energetic girls up from their nap met her. She made them both take a bath, and during that time, she laid out their party outfits on their beds. They both wore stockings and strappy shoes, much to Nicole’s delight and Sam’s chagrin. But because they were two different girls with very different identities, Janet tried to make the outfits reflect that. And they loved them, partly because they were only for special occasions and they didn’t get to wear them that often. Nicole loved Barbie’s and other very girlie things, so her outfit was a black skirt with a pink short - sleeved cropped baby tee that said Princess. Samantha, however, was the complete opposite. She hated Barbie’s and took immense joy in beheading those of her sister. She was a tomboy through and th rough, and her little outfit was a simple denim skirt and a yellow shirt that was embedded with the words 90% Angel, 10% Devil. It only took them ten minutes after they got out of the tub to change into their party clothes before they came out to model for their mother.

“Adorable,” Janet proclaimed, hugging them both. Just then the doorbell rang. In walked, Larry, Terri, and RF, and later came some of their friends from preschool.

Jack came fifteen minutes later, and the girls rushed to him. “Daddy!”

“Hey, my little angels!” he said, spinning them around. Then he handed Janet the cake. “Here, babe. I think its still all in one piece.”

“It should be,” she said as Terri followed her into the kitchen.

“Gosh…” Larry said as soon as the women were gone.

“What?”

“I’m sorry…I just, I can’t believe they’re four already.”

“Oh, I know. Time flies by so fast,” he said, watching hid daughters run around and play with their friends. “But really…Nikki, Sam, and Janet are the best things that ever happened to me.”

“But you and Janet? Never saw that one coming.”

That moment was when Janet and Terri came out of the kitchen. “We heard that!” Janet walked over and perched herself on the edge of the sofa. Terri tied to do the same, but Larry caught her and grabbed her around the waist. She let out a slightly high pitched giggle that no one except Larry had ever heard from her and leaned into his arms. “Hare dare you talk about us when we’re not here?”

“We weren’t talking about you, babe,” Larry said. “We were talking about Jack and Janet.”

“Oh, and that makes me feel so much better.”

“Aww, sorry,” He pouted, and Terri laughed and kissed him softly. They pulled away when they caught Jack, Janet, and Furley staring at them. “What?”

“Speaking of not seeing things coming…”

“I know, I know!” Terri cried, hanging her head. “I’m probably crazy, but…I don’t know. I guess it’s kind of like you guys. You spend so much time with someone, but you never really know them until something happens that makes you change everything. Your whole way of thinking…it’s like, you just wake up and see somebody that’s lived next door to you for ages, but it’s like you’re seeing them for the first time. It’s weird, but good.”

“Very profound.” Jack laughed. “Hopefully that smartness can rub off on him.”

“Hey!”

*~*

The party had been over for hours, but the remnants were still strewn all over the floor. The five grownups had just finished cleaning up and were chatting when Nicole and Sam walked back in. Sammie, who had always been the more outgoing of the two, pushed her sister forward. “Nikki says she knows the ABC’s.” Sam, who had for the last few days been slightly jealous that Nikki knew the alphabet while she didn’t, wanted to try and psych her out. So, in the meanest four year old voice she could muster, she hissed, “You’re gonna choke.”

Nicole pushed her sister, slightly but enough to get the point across. “Am not.” She looked at the ground for a moment, and then began to chant softly. “A, B, C, D, E, F…G…G…” At that point, her face crumpled, and she ran into Janet’s arms, crying.

“Oh, sweetie,” Janet whispered softly, trying to comfort her small daughter. “It’s okay, honey. It’s okay.”

“No, isa not. Now yous gonna like Sammie and you won’t love me no more.”

“Nicole Riley! Nothing could ever make me and Daddy stop loving you. We’ll love you always always. And the same goes for Sammie.”

Samantha quietly walked up and tapped her sister on the shoulder. Nicole looked at her sadly, tears still stained to her cheeks. “I choked. You tolded me I would. Go ahead and rub it in.”

“That’s not what I was gonna say.” With that, Samantha took Nicole’s hand in hers and led her to the front of the room. “You may have forgotted some, but I didn’t.”

Nicole smiled. “You’d do that?”

Samantha shuffled her feet quietly. “What are sisters for? Just don’t hug me. That’s icky.” But her sister hugged her anyway, and she found that she was actually hugging back. Nicole annoyed her to death most of the time with her girlie attitudes and ways, but she was her sister, and Sam loved her. Maybe they were on their way to that 'sisterly bonding' thing their mom always encouraged them to do.

Together, they began again. When they got to the part that made Nicole stumble, she paused. Sammie looked at her and continued on, and soon she could hear Nikki’s voice harmonizing with hers. They finished the alphabet, and took a bow as the grownups clapped.

Janet smiled. Her husband had his arms around her waist, her two daughters were getting along - for the moment anyway - and she had her best friends by her side. She had waited forever for this moment. Everything was perfect.

A moment like this
Some people wait a lifetime,
For a moment like this
Some people search forever,
For that one special kiss
Oh, I can't believe it's happening to me
Some people wait a lifetime,
For a moment like this....

[Bella_KitKat]

Thanks for all the support! We love you!

[fabernash]

That was a cute ending! I like the added twist with the whole twins thing. Thanks for posting it. Again, great story

[Janet McFarland]

Aww its over? No I'm kidding!
I loved this chapter! I liked the whole thing with the twins! I was thinking Monica/Chandler in that! Jack and Janet are so cute together with kids!! I loved the whole story! And I would be happy to read a sequel! Great job once again!

[LuLu Rogers]

Wonderful Job! I give it 2 thumbs up!

[Bella_KitKat]

Thanks!

[JanetTripper98]

Oh, this was such a great story Janet Tripper! I can't wait to read more of your creations! It was sooo cute! I just loved that the two had twins! And their names were so cute!

[Johnny be good!]

Amazing!