The Jamie Series #12

Future

by Gillian

"Okay, Jamie, time to put your shoes on," Blair called from the kitchen.

Absorbed in his blocks, Jamie didn't look up. "No, thank you," he murmured.

Blair chuckled. "That wasn't a request, young man. Dana and Kerry will be here to see you soon."

Jamie didn't give any indication that he was even listening, and Blair sighed. Officially Jamie had turned two only days ago, but in actuality Jamie had already entered the terrible two's with a vengeance.

Drying his hands Blair walked over to Jamie's custom built play pen and bent over to address his son. "Shoes, Jamie."

"Boots," Jamie said defiantly. He was wearing the rain boots which had been one of the gifts from his fathers on his birthday. The challenge had been to get them off his feet for sleeping and bathing. He had even been allowed to wear them to day care.

"No boots today, Jamie," Blair reasoned. "You want to look nice for everyone, don't you? All your family and friends are coming to celebrate your birthday, so let's go get your shoes, hmm?"

"No, thank you," Jamie said again, going back to his blocks.

"Okay," Blair said in resignation, and tucked his hands under the toddlers arms to lift him. Jamie instantly transformed his body to a boneless mass twice it's normal weight, flopping and kicking the offending rain boots angrily.

"No, no, NO!" he shrieked.

"All right, that's enough!" Blair said loudly, plonking the child back down on the floor. Unused to Blair raising his voice at all, Jamie stopped in mid-shriek and stared up at his father, wide-eyed.

Jim poked his head over the railing of the upstairs bedroom, an astonished look on his face.

"I have had enough of this nonsense, young man! Now get into your room and take off those boots. Now!"

Eyes still wide Jamie scrambled to his feet and hurried across the loft.

"Well, I'm scared," Jim said from upstairs and Blair glared at him fiercely.

"Hush," he scolded, following his son down the hall.

Jamie was sitting on the floor in his socks, rain boots tumbled next to him. He looked up at Blair with woebegone eyes but his father steeled himself.

"Get your shoes," he ordered, and Jamie took his soft lace up shoes from his teddy bear shoe tree and carried them back to Blair.

Still maintaining his stern face Blair sat Jamie on the edge of his day bed and laced up the tiny shoes.

"Good boy?" Jamie ventured timidly and despite himself Blair felt his heart melt.

"Are you going to be a good boy for Blair and Dad today?" Blair asked.

Jamie nodded emphatically.

"Okay. Give Daddy a hug," Blair invited and Jamie launched forward and squeezed his arms around his father's neck.

"I love you," Blair said into a shell like ear.

"Loveyou," Jamie returned.

Lifting him down Blair sent him on his way with a gentle tap on his denim clad behind. "Now, go play until Dana and Kerry get here," he ordered, waiting until the child was out of sight before collapsing on the bed with a gusty sigh. He opened his eyes a moment later to see his life partner standing in the doorway, one broad shoulder leaning against the door jamb.

"Does this mean I get to be the loving care giver and you get to be the stern disciplinarian?" Jim said wickedly.

"Get bent," Blair said, poking his tongue out.

Jim huffed a laugh and Blair felt the edge of the bed dip as he sat down next to him.

"For what it's worth I think you handled that very well," Jim comforted and Blair opened his eyes again.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Especially the hug at the end."

"Not too... harsh?" Blair said, feeling uncertain.

"No," Jim said, shaking his head. "Although I have a personal request," he added earnestly.

"What?"

"Stick your tongue out again," Jim urged and then pounced, running tickling fingers along Blair's ribs.

"Hey!" Blair protested, laughing helplessly as he squirmed away from the tricky fingers.

000

Angela sat down on the couch with a sigh. "I'm okay," she said patiently to the men hovering around her.

"What would you like to drink, Angela?" Blair asked, taking her at her word. He glanced over to the playpen where the twins were already happily settling down with Jamie. "I have some iced tea?"

"That sounds perfect," Angela sighed. Joel was perched next to her on the couch and she patted his arm reassuringly. "Really, honey, I'm okay," she soothed. "My back ache is fading, I feel fine."

"Problems?" Jim asked in concern, handing Joel a glass of the iced tea.

"Baby Sean decided to do a back-flip this morning," Angela explained, accepting her glass from Blair. "Gave Joel quite a turn."

"I thought the little guy had decided to show up two weeks early," Joel interjected.

Angela patted her pumpkin of a stomach. "I wouldn't mind," she said. "Right now I would just like to get this over with."

Jamie had left the twins absorbed in his toys and was standing by Angela. "Baby Sean?" he asked curiously.

"Hello, sweetie. Did you have a nice birthday?" Angela greeted him with a gentle touch on his round cheek.

"Happy-birthday-to-you," Jamie sang, running the phrase into one long word. "Baby Sean?" he asked again, reaching up and trying to climb onto the couch.

"Okay, I know you love to listen to Baby Sean," Angela smiled, handing her drink to Blair as Joel assisted Jamie up onto the couch with a hand on his bottom.

Knowing exactly what to do by now the toddler leaned over and laid his head on Angela's distended stomach, listening hard.

"Shush shush," he said and Angela stroked his brown hair tenderly.

"He's so clever," she exclaimed. "He always remembers that sound. Where on earth did he hear it?"

Blair exchanged a quick glance with Jim. "Hmm, must have seen a video," he said noncommittally. "And we bought him that book you recommended with the cut away sections so he can see the baby inside the lady."

"Baby Sean smiling," Jamie said, opening his eyes and sitting up. "Dad-dad, Baby Sean smiling."

Jim smiled and ruffled his hair. "He must like you, Jamie."

The toddler nodded emphatically.

"I don't know about smiling," Angela winced, putting a hand on her belly. "But he sure does his Mexican Jumping Bean impression whenever Jamie is around."

"Hop down now, Jamie, and go play with Dana and Kerry," Blair said, lifting him onto the floor.

"'k," Jamie said obediently, trotting away.

"Oh, dear," Angela sighed. "Time for another pit stop."

Joel helped her to her feet with a worried look and she laughed and patted his cheek. "Come on, Joel. Remember how big I was with the twins? Carrying this little guy has been a breeze in comparison."

She waddled away leaving Joel behind. The big man did not look any cheerier.

"What I remember is twenty-five hours of labor," he said quietly to Jim and Blair. "I swore I wouldn't put her through that again, but here we are. I guess time blurred the memories, but it's all coming back to me now."

"She'll be fine, Joel," Jim assured him, looking helpless. "Right, Chief?"

"Of course," Blair agreed. "She'll have the best possible care and she has the best coach there is, right? Just think, Joel. Soon you'll be helping bring your son into the world."

"My son," Joel mused, relaxing back onto the couch. He glanced over to the play corner where the twins were crawling in and out of Jamie's cubby house. "He's already got two big sisters who are dying to spoil him."

"And don't forget Jamie," Jim reminded him with a grin. "I think he's gonna make a pretty good big brother."

"Um, Blair," Angela appeared in the hallway. The distressed tone of her voice had all three men leaping to their feet. "I made a mess on your bathroom floor. My water broke," she explained, managing to smile and looked scared to death at the same time. "That's what I get for shooting off my big mouth, huh?"

"Is she kidding?" Jim asked Blair blankly as Joel fairly flew across the room.

"I don't think so," Blair guessed as Taggert supported his wife with one big hand in the small of her back.

"Any pains?" he was asking anxiously, and a moment later he was answered as Angela bent over her swollen tummy with a cry.

"Oooh boy," she panted.

The twins ran over. "Mommy!" Dana cried.

"What's wrong?" Kerry asked fearfully.

"It's nothing to be worried about," their mother said soothingly as Joel led her to the door. "Your little brother has decided he doesn't want to wait any longer, that's all. He wants to be born, and pretty soon I think."

Jim beat Taggert to the door and opened it, then took their coats off the pegs.

"We talked about this, girls, remember?" Angela said as Joel helped her with her coat.

Blair felt a tug on his pants leg and he looked down to see Jamie's wide brown eyes gazing up at him.

"Up," he said.

Blair scooped him up and sat him on his hip. "It's okay, piglet."

Dana had started to cry and Kerry put her arms around her. "We want to go too."

Joel turned Angela over to Jim for a moment and bent over his two girls, cupping their quivering chins in his hands.

"We talked about this, twinlets, remember? Mommy is going to the hospital to have Baby Sean. Isn't that exciting?"

The girls nodded uncertainly. Blair put a hand on Dana's shoulder.

"You don't want to leave without giving Jamie his birthday present, do you?" he asked them. "He's really looking forward to it."

"Happy-birthday-to-you," Jamie sang.

"And Jamie is gonna need help blowing out all those candles," Jim chimed in, handing Angela back to her husband.

"Sorry about this, Jim," Joel said as the group followed them down the short hall to the elevator. Kerry sped ahead to push the button. "Angela's mother was going to mind the girls, but she isn't due to fly in until next Saturday."

"Don't worry about it, Joel," Jim reassured them as the elevator doors opened and they sidled in. "The girls are fine here as long as it takes."

"Kiss mommy good-bye," Angela called and the girls rushed into the elevator as Jim held the doors open.

The girls kissed and cuddled their mother and then reluctantly exited the lift.

"Bye, girls, be good," their father called as the doors slid shut.

Dana's lips were quivering again and Kerry's eyes were very damp indeed. Blair took charge.

"Let's go check and make sure that lunch is all ready, hmm?" he invited cheerfully. "We have some balloons left over, don't we Jim? We might need to blow them up, right?"

"Definitely," Jim said fervently.

000

Twenty minutes later the guests began arriving and Dana directed them to Jamie's room which was doubling as a cloak room, while Kerry filled them in on the latest news. The imminent arrival of Baby Sean was big news and the major topic of conversation amongst those that knew the Taggerts.

As well as their families and a few friends from their work Jim and Blair had also invited some of the toddlers from Jamie's day care, and their parents. The corner play pen proved immensely popular and several parents declared their intentions to set up similar arrangements in their own homes. It certainly made the party a lot easier to handle with the toddlers roaming the fenced off area with the gate firmly closed.

Jamie was having the time of his life defending his toys against the marauding visitors, although he did allow little Amy the privilege of nursing his baby doll, Amy, who had been named after her.

"I've been meaning to ask you about that, Jimmy," William Ellison said, watching the toddlers interact. "A baby doll?"

"And what's wrong with that?" Naomi asked sweetly. "After all, Jamie might be a father himself some day, why shouldn't he learn nurturing skills now?"

"Dad's idea of a doll was G.I Joe," Steven teased.

"Now that's wholesome," Blair said dryly.

"Yeah, especially Scuba G.I Joe," Jim mused thoughtfully. "All that black rubber..."

The adults laughed and William punched his son in the arm playfully.

The koala bear shaped cake, courtesy of Megan, was a big hit, and as promised the twins helped Jamie blow out the candles on his second cake in as many days. They then assisted him in unwrapping his gifts.

Eventually most of the guests left, leaving the closest friends gathered around the table wearily drinking coffee.

Jim carefully closed the door to Jamie's room where the twins were sleeping curled up together in the day bed, and Jamie dozed peacefully in his crib.

"Man, what a day," he sighed as he took his place at the table and sipped gratefully at the coffee Blair handed him.

"Thank goodness birthdays are only once a year," Blair agreed.

"I wonder how Angela is doing?" Simon said and the table fell into silence as they all contemplated this.

"Not to mention Joel," Megan wondered.

"Poor, Joel. Man, I am too old for this," Simon shook his head. "I know I wouldn't want to be starting all over again."

"It could be fun," Megan shrugged.

"You're a lot younger," Jim said to her wisely. "You have the energy."

"Well, what about you two?" she challenged. "Ever think about having another one?"

"I would," Blair joked. "But Jim said he doesn't want to get fat again."

"Hey," Jim protested. "I object to that comment on so many levels."

"Time to go, I think," Simon suggested, and there was a general exodus.

"Alone at last," Jim sighed, reaching out to snag an arm around Blair as he passed the kitchen chair. Blair wrapped his arms around Jim with a happy sigh.

"I love you, man," he whispered.

"Love you too," Jim returned, drawing a curly head down for a kiss. Blair twisted in his arms and sat down on Jim's lap, lifting one leg over so that he was sitting facing his lover.

"Hoo-boy, you know I love it when you sit on my lap," Jim moaned as Blair leaned forward, rubbing his jeans clad crotch against his own. The younger man captured his lips in a lush kiss, drawing back slowly, teeth lightly catching Jim's bottom lip and tugging gently.

"So why do you do it when we have a house full of children?" Jim moaned.

"They're all asleep, right?" Blair stroked the tip of his tongue over Jim's bottom lip, soothing the reddened skin.

"They might wake up," Jim panted as Blair's tongue skipped to his top lip and dipped into the crease there.

"So, keep your sentinel ears open," Blair suggested, beginning a gentle rocking motion, bringing his well packed crotch forward and then rocking it back as Jim arched a little in the chair.

"I think you over-estimate my powers of concentration under stress," Jim managed, barely coherent.

"Uh, okay," Blair said, feeling somewhat dazed as he drew back. He had meant to tease his lover a little, but now he found himself hoist by his own petard, achingly hard behind the button fly of his jeans.

"I had to live in a place with no locks on my bedroom door," Jim groaned in frustration as Blair shifted back on his lap.

"No bedroom doors even," Blair agreed.

"The bathroom door has a lock," Jim suggested.

Blair met shining blue eyes and felt the tightness in his belly increase.

"I could really go for a shower right now," he mused breathlessly.

"Let's go," Jim said in sudden decision, standing up as Blair leapt to his feet. Laughter hit Blair's head like champagne and it was all he could do to muffle his chuckles as Jim dragged him down the hall by his hand. His laughter turned to moans as Jim locked the door behind them with a twist and pushed him against the back of the door, attacking his lips with a ferocious hunger.

000

The phone call came at midnight and Jim answered it quickly, waking in an instant. "Ellison."

Blair pressed his ear to the receiver and Jim turned it obligingly so the other man could hear.

"Jim!" It was Joel and his voice was exhausted and exultant. "Everything is fine, buddy. Baby Sean was born an hour ago, seven pounds, two ounces."

"That's great!" Jim exclaimed as Blair blew out a relieved breath.

"Give her a big kiss from us," Blair called down the phone.

"I will," Joel assured them. "How are the girls?"

"Just fine," Jim told him. "Fast asleep. We'll given them the good news in the morning."

"Thanks so much, guys," Joel said, sounding emotional. "Now I have to wake up every member of my family. Talk to you soon!"

"Whew, what a relief," Blair sighed, collapsing back on his pillow. "I mean, you know the odds are on a mother's side these days, but you still can't help but think of all the things that can go wrong."

"Yeah," Jim agreed, cuddling his young lover close. "I guess we became parents the easy way, hmm?"

"Easy!" Blair's closing eyes shot open and turned to look up at Jim in astonishment. He didn't have to be a sentinel to see the twinkle in his lover's eyes. "Easy, huh?" Blair returned, hiding his laughter. "I'll show you easy." With a lithe twist he tugged Jim's pillow from under his head and began beating him with it.

"Hey," Jim exploded into laughter, muffling it as he twisted on the bed. "I was kidding," he panted. "You'll wake the kids!"

Blair shifted until he was astride Jim, still beating the helplessly laughing man with the pillow.

"Uncle!" Jim finally said and Blair relented. Suddenly Jim reared up and rolled over, pinning Blair underneath him.

"Sucker," Jim taunted, and then attacked Blair's already kiss swollen lips with his own.

000

Blair was walking slowly the next morning as he crept around the kitchen, but he could feel the smile on his lips that just didn't want to go away.

Jamie's bedroom door opened a crack and one of the twins peered out.

"Good morning," Blair greeted cheerfully.

"Blair's awake," the little girl said over her shoulder, and the door opened revealing the three children. The girl's were dressed in their party clothes, and they both looked fairly neat considering. Jamie was still wearing his sleep romper, an all in one outfit that covered him from neck to toe.

"Is mommy home yet?" Dana asked as Kerry held Jamie's hand and led him to the table.

"Not yet, Dana, but Daddy rang last night and said Baby Sean has been born and they're just fine!"

"Baby Sean!" Jamie crowed, clapping his hands.

"Wow," Kerry marveled. "So he's not in Mom's tummy any more? That's weird."

"It is pretty weird, isn't it?" Blair agreed, stirring the eggs in the pan. "Go wash up, breakfast will be ready soon."

"We can help Jamie wash up," Kerry informed him. "We are practicing for when Baby Sean is home. Mom said we are gonna be a big help to her."

"You would certainly be a big help if you helped Jamie wash up," Blair agreed. "Don't try to lift him though, just use a wash cloth."

"We lifted him from his crib," Dana reminded him, on their way down the hall.

"I don't even want to know how they did that," Jim muttered as he walked down the stairs. "Morning, sweet cheeks," he greeted Blair with a squeeze to the cheeks in question.

"Behave yourself," Blair squeaked, tapping Jim's knuckles with the fork as he made another playful grab at him. "Children in the house."

000

A week later Jim, Blair and Jamie arrived at the Taggert house and were received by Angela's mother, Letty. She was a gracious lady in her sixties with gray streaked red hair neatly pinned on her head.

"So nice to meet you," she greeted, letting them into the house. "And this is the famous Jamie, hmm?"

"Infamous is more like it," Jim joked. "How's everything?"

"All settling down," Letty said comfortably. "They are all in the sitting room, please go on through, and I will bring out the coffee."

The Ellison Sandburg family trooped in, wrapped gifts in hand. Angela was ensconced on the couch, a tiny bundle in her arms. Joel and the twins flanked her like adoring acolytes.

"Hey, guys!" Joel greeted, getting up and wringing their hands. "Glad you could come."

"Couldn't pass up introducing our son and heir to the newest Taggert," Blair said softly, peeking over into the bundle Angela cradled. A tiny newborn's face was revealed as Angela lifted the light blue blanket back. The child was fast asleep, translucent eyelids closed tight.

"Oh, boy, that is tiny," he breathed, even though he and Jim had seen the baby days earlier when they bought flowers and balloons to the hospital. Jamie had been banned from the hospital, so this was his first sight of the infant.

"Look, Jamie," Blair said softly. "It's Baby Sean."

"Baby Sean," Jamie repeated. He held his arms out. "Hold him," he asked.

"No, Jamie, Jim said, taking the seat offered and stretching out his long legs. "You're too little."

"Baby Sean," Jamie said, his lips quivering.

"He can hold him the way the girls did," Angela suggested, nodding at Joel. The big man stood up and arranged cushions on the lounge chair.

"Come on, sport," Joel said, swinging Jamie out of Blair's arms and nestling him between two big cushions. Once he was settled Angela leant over and gently laid the baby in the cradle made by the cushions, Jamie's little arms under him.

"Baby Sean," Jamie said, looking up at his fathers for guidance.

"He's very little, Jamie," Blair coached. "So you have to be very gentle."

Jamie leaned over and laid a soft, wet kiss on Baby Sean's forehead, which wrinkled under his lips. Tiny eyelids fluttered and the infant opened his eyes.

"His eyes are green!" Jim exclaimed, leaning over.

"They are turning green," Joel agreed.

"The same color as my dad's eyes," Angela said, never taking her eyes from Jamie and her son. Letty came in with coffee and the twins cleared a place on the coffee table for the tray.

"Baby Sean smiling," Jamie said and when Blair looked over, sure enough, the baby's lips were curled in a smile.

"It's gas," Joel pronounced confidently, accepting a mug of coffee from his mother-in-law.

"Probably," Angela agreed, also accepting a cup, but for some reason Blair wasn't so sure.

As he studied the two boys, for just a moment it seemed as if a circle of light surrounded them, highlighting Jamie's warm brown eyes which gazed deeply into Baby Sean's jade green ones. Something like a premonition shivered up Blair's spine, and then Baby Sean yawned, revealing acres of gums and a pink curling tongue. The twins giggled and Jamie laughed and the moment was gone.

The End

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