“She wants the kids here when she drops them?”

“That’d be optimal.”

“It’s up to them, Toots.”

She nodded.

“The after-New-Years thing is up to them too.”

She nodded again.

“I’ll tell Kristy that. I don’t want her to think she has a line to you.”

“It wasn’t a terrible conversation, West. And it was for good reasons.”

“I’ll talk to Kristy. I don’t want her to think she has a line to you,” he mostly repeated.

Again, she nodded, but this time, she put her hands on his shoulders when she did.

“You’re gonna get icing on me,” he murmured, having lost interest in the conversation with her mouth that close.

“Do you care?”

“Fuck no.”

“I didn’t think so. Are we gonna make out?’

“Fuck yes.”

“I thought so. But, West, we can’t do it for ages. We have comp—”

He kissed her quiet.

He didn’t do it for ages.

And when he was done, they both had to go to the bathroom and brush icing out of their hair.

She giggled through doing this.

Buck enjoyed listening to her giggle through it.

After, they rejoined their company.

He formed burgers.

He grilled them.

The women cleared away the cookie shit and got down to frying tots, slicing tomato and onion and sorting other hamburger stuff.

He fed their family.

And it was Buck’s estimation they overstayed their welcome.

But seeing Clara, ass on the floor in front of the tree, leaning against Gear, who had his arms around her, both of them talking and laughing…

He couldn’t find it in him to give much of a shit.

“You want an early Christmas present?”

“No.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure you’re sure?”

“Yes.”

“Are you certain you’re sure you’re sure?”

Buck rolled his woman off him onto her back and looked at her through the moonlight.

Everyone was gone.

The kids were out.

They’d just finished fucking.

They didn’t have a long drive tomorrow to see his dad.

But it was late, he’d come hard, he’d made her do the same, and he needed sleep.

And now she was giving him this.

“Is it another set of underwear?” he asked.

“Nooooooo.” She drew that out.

“Is it a trip around the world?”

“Do you want a trip around the world?”

“No.”

“Then, no.”

Fuck.

“Was it a trip around the world?” he asked.

“Buck, just let me give it to you.”

She wanted to give him something?

She dug doing that (and she did)?

He’d let her do it.

“Right. Go for it.”

“I’m pregnant.”

Buck grew solid.

“And it’s confirmed. Like, not pregnancy-test pregnant. Doctor-test pregnant. So we can tell Locke and the kids tomorrow!” she stated gleefully.

“Were we trying?” he asked.

“Well,” she said, now hesitant, “only in the sense that you seemed to want to have a baby. And I’m not twenty-two anymore. You aren’t either. And we have our wedding planned for the day after Valentine’s Day, because Valentine’s Day is too gooey, and that day falls on a Saturday. And…” She paused, a long time, and then asked, “Did you not want to, you know, uh…see, I thought it’d be a really good present.”

“I’m trying not to howl at the moon.”

“Pardon?”

“I am trying not…to howl…at the moon,” he said slowly.

“Is that, um…a good thing?”

“You got my baby in you?”

“Yeeeessss,” she drew that out too.

“And you gotta ask that shit?”

“You don’t seem very…elated.”

“Until I have a minute to let the news settle, I might hurt you, I’m so…elated.”

“Really?”

His hands moved and her body jumped, they did it so fast.

But he caught her head and put his face in hers.

“Clara, do you have any fuckin’ clue what it feels like to be a man who got it so damned wrong the first time around, he had to watch his kids pay for that, knowin’ he’s got something totally fuckin’ right, and he gets to give a kid that?”

“I didn’t, but I think I’m getting it,” she whispered, her voice strange.

“You gonna cry?”

“You’re being very sweet.”

“Clara, darlin’, you got my baby in you. That’s no reason to cry.”

“Happy tears.”

Fuck.

Happy.

She was happy they were going to have a baby.

“Do you know what it’s like to have it wrong from the start and be given the gift of being able to give a child something so completely right?” she asked.

“You didn’t have it wrong.”

“It was still wrong. And now it’s very right.”

Fuck.

“I love you, Buck,” she said.

“I know you do, baby, and I love you too.”

“Are you happy?”

“I’m elated.”

She let out a little hiccupping giggle.

And ended it crying.

He kissed her, rolling them to their sides.

And then he kept kissing her.

He ended it reaching up to touch his lips to her nose and then tucking her tight to his front.

He thought she was going to sleep.

She wasn’t going to sleep.

He knew that when she said, “You know, we had to go through it all to get here and get what we have…right here.”

“I know.”

And he did know.

But he didn’t have to like it.

“So, if you had the power to erase it, I wouldn’t know, after all that, how amazingly lucky I was to be right here.”

Amazingly lucky.

Buck closed his eyes.

And said, “I know.”

“I can’t wait to tell the kids.”

“Yeah.”

“And Locke. I think he’ll be happy.”

“He’ll be happy. I’m happy and you’re happy, baby. So yeah, he’ll be really fuckin’ happy.”

“I love to make you happy, Buck.”

“It’s good you’re doin’ something you love.”

She giggled and then she snuggled.

He gathered her closer.

“’Night, West,” she murmured, all sleepy. “Merry early Christmas.”

“’Night, Toots,” he whispered. “Thank you for the best fuckin’ present ever.”

She pressed even closer.

“My pleasure.”

He grinned into the dark.

Clara fell asleep.

Buck remained awake.

After a while, he tipped his head back and looked out the windows at the moon.

He didn’t howl.

“You’d like her, Ma,” he said quietly.