<<-- he heard, "It's your turn," at the same time he felt the jab to his ribs. His neck hurt from the upright position in which they had fallen asleep, Aeryn sitting between his legs and leaning back against his chest. Great Expectations fell from its perch on his knee.

Another jab. He moved away from the headboard. Aeryn had turned in his lap, squarely facing him.

"You invited him into this house," she said, tapping his chest with two fingers. "You take care of it.">>

<<"It's your turn," a sleep-scratchy voice murmured.

"Hmm?" Curled on his side, he just wanted to sleep, relaxed by the scent of her hair, the feel of her back cradled against his chest. The persistent jab to his ribs was making that difficult. He buried his head in the pillow and pulled Aeryn closer to his chest to keep her from hitting him again.

"You invited him into this house, you take care of it." Aeryn pulled the comforter over her shoulder and rolled away a few inches.

"Take care of what?" John lifted his head to find the clock on the nightstand. "What time is it?"

"Middle of the night," Aeryn replied, now using the paperback they had been reading as a baton. "He's peeing on the living room floor."

He rubbed his abused hip with his free hand. "How the hell do you know that?"

"I can hear him."

"Sparky wouldn't do that again. Not after the last time."

"Want to bet?">>

<<"Sparky wouldn't do that again. Not after the last time."

"Want to bet?"

"Why don't you do it?" John whined, pulling a pillow over his head. "All you have to do is give him that 'look' and he'll be too scared to do it again."

"That's not the point, John."

"You just don't want to get out of bed," he groused. "He likes you better than me. I bring him home and whom does he mind? You. I say sit, he jumps around in circles. You say sit and he's at your feet in a microt. You got some sort of mind control thing that I need to know about?"

"Just do it."

John sighed, pushed himself out from under the covers. His arms, thighs, chest instantly felt the loss of contact, heat of his skin seeping into the cold air as he padded barefoot in boxers through the house. Down the carpeted stairs of the split level ranch that was familiar enough to him to seem real. Around the corner, through the foyer, down the three stairs to the hard wood floors of the gigantic living room.

Into the lake-sized puddle just waiting to be spoiled.

"Sparky!"

He heard a scampering of small feet that could not keep purchase on the polished hard wood and the dull thud as a small body became a projectile on the theoretical frictionless plane.

"That's right. You better hide, buddy."

John tried to step so that he didn't tread more of the offending puddle with him as he grabbed the ever-present roll of paper toweling from the fireplace mantle.

"You are in so much trouble. I mean it this time. If I find you, your ass is grass."

He started laying paper towels down on the floor to sop up the mess, easily unraveling half the roll.

"Seriously, how can that much come out of a body that small? Have you got three bladders, too?"

Fifteen minutes, one roll of paper towels and a couple squirts of disinfectant cleaner later, the mess was gone. He turned on the ceiling fan to help dry the floor, then made a pit stop in the half bath off the kitchen to wash up.

Aeryn was still curled on her side when he returned to the bedroom. He pulled back the covers to slip in behind her and return to a carefree slumber. As he snaked his arm around her waist, his hand encountered a wet nose and a furry snout.

Smiling, he leaned over her shoulder and nuzzled her neck. "Uh, you seem to have grown an appendage here."

At the sound of his voice, the appendage moved, climbing over Aeryn's hip, between their bodies and out from under the comforter to reveal a not quite 2 month old yellow Labrador Retriever intent on lapping John's chin.

"Sparky," John said with all seriousness, rolling over on his back to bring the animal to lay on his chest. The puppy continued to lick his chin. "Now, how did you manage to get in this bed, when I know you can't climb the stairs without falling on your face. You must have had help from Mommy."

"I am not that animal's mother," Aeryn replied, though there was a smile to her tone as she turned over to face them.

Just as she settled on the pillow, Sparky clambered over to turn his attentions to Aeryn's chin. John had to laugh at the minor look of disgust that crossed her face as the licking continued.

"Don't let him hear you say that," John kidded, gently petting the animal's head and soothing it to slumber between them. "You'll give our baby a complex."

"Baby? Have you hit your head again?"

"Nope." He rolled to his side so that their foreheads were touching. His fingers wrapped absently around a lock of hair that had curled on the pillow between them. In a low voice he continued, "This is the way things work. First the house, then the puppy to practice for the real thing. Then the SUV to carry all the baby things, 'cause no self-respectin' guy who drives a '62 T-bird is ever going to be behind the wheel of a minivan. But we've got a bit of time for that one."

He kissed her on the forehead and slowly traced his index finger down her nose. "Then Baby #1. A boy, I think. 'Cause I certainly don't need a mini-Aeryn on my hands 'til I've had a little more practice."

His other hand settled against the small bulge where her flat stomach used to be.

Placing his fingertips against her mouth to stop any possibility of playful protest, he continued. "And as soon as he's out of diapers, we work on Baby #2, this time a little girl. One with your hair and my eyes. Then #3, 4, so on and so on."

"How many children do you think you're going to have?" she challenged, grinning from ear to ear.

"Oh, I want to be able to field at least a basketball team."

"You're certainly ambitious."

"Yup." He scooped the puppy up and placed him on a pillow on the floor. "And I think we need more practice." He drew her close to him, reveling in the scent of her skin and the feel of her smile against his neck.>>