El Paso, Texas, Tuesday Night

[weldedtomyspine]

"Have I mentioned how much I like that dress?" Jaime asked with a grin as he held the door open for Momoko. Because he did. Not that he didn't like Momoko in lots of things, but some dresses just... really worked for her.

"Also, I hope this place is good. I mean, the reviews say it is, but I haven't been here before."

He took a moment to exchange a few words with the hostess about their reservation.

"But if they aren't the best Italian place you've been to this year, don't blame me, okay?"

Comments

[heromaniac]

"What are you thinking about that you're asking that," Momoko reached for her glass with a snicker. "And no. Well, she mentioned that she had almost gotten no cake for her birthday once as a punishment. Or maybe that was Sophia?"

[weldedtomyspine]

Jaime took a deep breath. "I don't know the exact date, but she told me that her birthday's in November."

Another breath.

"Of 2017."

[heromaniac]

"You got SPOILERS?!?!" Momoko gasped excitedly, almost dropping her fork.

And then the last bit of what he said got through and she did drop it. "Wait what?"

[weldedtomyspine]

Yeah. Actually, despite how he felt at that moment, Jaime couldn't help but snort.

"She told me to do the math."

[heromaniac]

"Ah! That was totally teen!Elena," Momoko recovered her silverware. "Little!Elena wouldn't say something like that to her beloved papa."

"... Wait. Jaime! THIS November? That means..." And this time her fork landed on the floor as she started counting on her fingers, her face paling.

[weldedtomyspine]

"Yeah." He could tell that Momoko had done the math, too.

"This November."

[heromaniac]

She had and she was now leaning across the table and reaching for his hands. "I'm not pregnant! I promise Jaime!"

She'd know, right?

RIGHT?!

"Am I?"

She couldn't be! They weren't married!!

[weldedtomyspine]

Jaime blinked. Because that had not been a response he'd been prepared for.

"What? No!"

"Um. I don't think so?"

He cocked his head for a moment. "No. Definitely not." He trusted Khaji'Da on that front.

[heromaniac]

So did she! "See? Okay." She breathed again. And then took another breath and sat back down.

"Okay."

[weldedtomyspine]

"Jeez." Jaime shook his head. "Don't scare me like that. I hadn't even thought of that." And Jaime was usually the worrier.

[heromaniac]

"Hmm?" A totally oblivious relaxed again Momoko was going to try to eat her risotto with her spoon now, thanks Jaime. "Why'd you bring it up, then?"

[weldedtomyspine]

"Because I don't know when in November," Jaime said.

He sighed, looking down at his food again. Which he hadn't really tasted despite eating some of it already.

"She said you always told her we had a very nice Valentine's Day."

[heromaniac]

"That is something I'd say, isn't it." Momoko set down her spoon as that finally broke through. "Did... Did she seem like she was joking?"

[weldedtomyspine]

"I'm not sure," Jaime admitted a bit ruefully. For all that the girl was supposed to be his daughter, he didn't really know her very well.

"I don't think so, though?"

[heromaniac]

"So that means this month is the month that we," Momoko wasn't sure she had enough sugar in her drink for this. "That she is conceived, right?"

[weldedtomyspine]

Jaime went still, but that tone in her voice had him looking up at her across the table, staring into her eyes.

"Somewhere, yeah." In some timeline.

[heromaniac]

"Yeah." He probably wouldn't like the look he saw there, because Momoko was realizing a few things and she was feeling very conflicted and upset about them.

They weren't married. They weren't ready. She knew that and would totally be the first to admit it. But if it wasn't this month then didn't that mean they would never have Elena? That whole future where everyone, all of them, they were all so happy and... well, a family. She'd wanted that.

[weldedtomyspine]

"Yeah," he repeated, forcing himself to take that expression in, no matter how much he might have wanted to close his eyes.

Then, softly: "Sorry."

[heromaniac]

"No! I'm sorry." She reached for his hand. "I shouldn't be thinking things like this. We've talked about it before; that's... that's not us. I'm still not good at thinking like that so..."

She managed a weak smile. "It just hurts really really a lot, you know?"

[weldedtomyspine]

"Yeah." Jaime squeezed her fingers gently. "I know you sort of wanted something like that."

He stared down at their joined hands. "Maybe if I hadn't done the dental school thing."

It's not like he couldn't have gotten a different job instead.

[heromaniac]

"Nnn. Their dad was a dentist, remember?" And now her hurting was not only making him hurt but making him regret his life choices. That made her feel even worse!

"And I didn't want something like that." She rubbed her forehead with her free hand, not wanting to admit this. It made her sound so stupid. But she needed to make him understand it wasn't his fault. "I wanted that. I thought that was the path we were on. Even after all the other futures and all our talks... Everything else seemed to be there. Kayla and Nommy are both born. Dinah and Priestly finally got together, so Lena is totally possible now. You and I are... " Her blush deepened and her hand tightened around his.

"Everyone a big happy family, together. It didn't hurt as much to let go of the futures that weren't totally everything that I wanted."

[weldedtomyspine]

Jaime had to swallow, but it didn't seem to help, so he reached for his drink with his free hand and took a long swallow. "Maybe... maybe I should have told you sooner." If, you know, he'd remembered.

"We could have, I don't know... figured something out?" If he'd known it had been that important to her, he could have... done something.

[heromaniac]

That got him a questioning look. "When would that have been? We only just started... sleeping together, remember?"

"And besides," she took a breath. "We've never even talked about how you feel about kids, let alone about Elena and her family. You didn't like Alberto, if I remember."

[weldedtomyspine]

Jaime shook his head in quick denial.

"That's not true," he said. "It's not that I didn't like him. I just... it's hard to imagine me as a father."

He licked his lips. "Scary."

[heromaniac]

"Oh. Dinah and Karla said something about you two fighting."

"Scary? What does that mean?" She paused, then added: "It sounds different from my 'I'm not ready'."