by

Before Anne was actually and officially pregnant, before the whole test tube mixing, baby-making science experiment thing happened and they were just talking about it, just looking through egg donor catalogues and joking about whether the chick sounded like she had big tits or not, before Jensen had to endure way too many digs about Jessica Alba and having part-animal bits—before all that, Jensen didn't really think too much about what it meant to have kids. He never really thought he would because, hello, gay and a man and really not equipped for that sort of thing, but Jared was so excited and had all these ideas and before he knew it, there they were on the floor of Jensen's—their, whatever, he was still getting used to the idea of them together and sharing and all that—apartment with brochures spread everywhere. No pictures, because they didn't want to be all superficial about it, but personality profiles, likes and dislikes, test scores, IQ scores. Jensen looked at all of it and thought it would be really cool to have a super baby. Although not if actual animal parts were involved. He was willing to give up the super baby status to ensure an all-human kid.
Jensen came home one night from rehearsal pretty much dead on his feet and wishing he'd never agreed to do this summer thing with the Neo-Futurists, because he loved the whole Too Much Light, short-plays thing and it was fun and exciting and every night was different with live theatre, but it was exhausting, too, so yeah. But Jensen came home after a show and it was two in the morning, it was a Saturday night and Jared waited up for him. He was just sitting there, grinning, and Jensen knew. Anne was pregnant. Knocked up. In the family way. It was done. Anne was going have their kid.
It wasn't until that moment that Jensen started freaking out.
Credits:
I have a lot of people to thank, some of whom had no idea they were even part of the process of my writing this fic, which I do think is probably the best fanfic I have ever written. First off, I need to acknowledge my inspirations for writing this, namely a wonderful story by Sandy, When I Sleep You Are Near to Me. Even if you don't read popslash, I recommend reading this fic because it's truly wonderful and one of my favorites. I took a lot from it, including the basic idea of "married with kids," and all of the good stuff in my fic was probably stolen from Sandy one way or another.
The other fic that really inspired me to write this was, of course, With This Ring by
Finally, I need to thank all of the people who worked with me to make this thing the best it could possibly be.
Table of Contents
Prologue
+Part 1: Dating on the Regular
+Part 2: Easy As Pie
+Part 3: The Worst De-Virginizing Ever
Last Stop: Chicagoland
+Part 1
+Part 2
+Part 3
Epilogue
+Part 1: SoLa Land
+Southland Tales (The More Things Change)
Extras
+Last Stop: Chicagoland, the music
+A Completely Biased, Not Entirely Accurate Walking Tour of Chicago
+Let the Rain Pour: Music Mix


Comments
I have to start out with the fact that this wasn't exactly how I expected the fic to go. Like, I don't know, I sort of expected after James calls Jensen the first time that their would be a huge big argument and concessions on both sides before some make-up sex that proved how much Jared and Jensen are like, each others one true love, or something.
Instead, what you wrote, was better than that. More adult, more domestic, and had a more genuine feel throughout the whole thing. My love for it was slow and steady and by the end, and I say this for very few fics, I feel like I could read it over and over again.
One real high point, and this probably makes me a geek that watches to much TV or something was:
"Charlie and Lola is Charlie's favorite, of course it is. "Why is it your favorite?" Jared asks her after the first episode. The episodes are short, only seven or ten minutes long, usually. "What makes it so good?"
"I like Charlie," Charlie says. "I think, um, he's a good brother and he loves Lola."
Lizzie giggles and leans against Jared. "Lola's funny," she says. "She's mean sometimes."
I don't even know how to explain how happy this makes me. Charlie and Lola is my second favorite kids show ever. I like the way that you got to the heart of the show and had it tell us something important about Charlie and Lizzie.
Um, I am still sort of processing the whole fic, but &hearts.
And set in my Chi-town, too! Did I mention the wow? Cause yeah.
And also, thank you. *draws hearts* They make it so easy to write them :)
Fantastic
i just wanted to let you know how much i enjoyed this! a really wonderful story! and bonus! (for me, anyway) you turned an otherwise truly boring shuttle ride into just some quality time spent with a great read.
so, thank you for writing and sharing!
(even if i DIDN'T get my jc moment of zen: *g*)
Also, thanks!
I printed the story out a few days ago (like the same day it was up for grabs) and then I just let it lie there. Leafing through it every now and then, reading a sentence here and a sentence there... For some reason I just couldn't bring myself to read it and maybe mostly it had something to do with my lack of love for kids.
Anyways, I got round to it eventually and yeah it was awesome. I always was a sucker for your writing and you really excelled yourself. :0) There were so many touching moments and so much real that you made me all fangirl squeeish. (Too few people go for the real... You know that feeling of yeah, this is what it's like).
So I just wanted to say thanks for sharing. You created an awesome world and you wrote them just right!
I really love this fic though. It's very cute, them being all married with children. It's a good thing. lol
I really love the banner you made. Those two girls are amazing and beautiful and I love the Chicago skyline and the pictures you have to the boys. It just really works well with the story. Thank you.
I love how realistic and beleivable your characterizations are. I love how you create dramatic tenson without making it contrived or over the top. Jared and Jensen in this fic are real, live, three dimensional people, who have fears and worries, and sometimes make the wrong choices (or doubt their judgment), but they don't have to screw everything up to realize just how much they have and how important it is to them. They're happy and madly in love without it being a fairytale, storybook sort of perfection. And it totally takes my breath away every time I read it. Thank you for writing and sharing it!
Your characterizations are so well developed and I lovelovelove how gradual and achey the plot progression is.
Definitely one of the best J2-AUs I've ever read and by far the best after-the-happily-ever-after fic I've ever read.
Also if Jensen Ackles ever decided to make a movie about James Dean, I would totally watch it!
From the moment the actual story started, Jared thinking about how he hadn't cheated in years... my stomach clenched in knots. It was so real, so personal I felt like I was spying on someone instead of reading a story.
That feeling never dulled throughout your wonderful tale and my love for these men, the men you created grew and grew.
I read for entertainment, for pleasure. This went beyond that. I have gay brothers and you'd think I would make a comparison a lot seeing as how I am a j2 fan. But i don't. Despite the 'ick' factor of my brothers coming to mind during fic, it just never happens.
By the end of this I was in tears. Overwhelmed with happiness of the life these two shared, the life my brothers will have, what could be in store for them.
I hope that's not too creepy for you lol. Just... thank you. For giving me that. For writing something so beautiful that it would inspire anyone to just be. Be themselves, be in love, be imperfect. Just, thanks.
-Carly
Anyway, thank you for your lovely comments :) Even though I wrote this story a couple years ago, it's still one of my favorite things I've written, and I'm happy people are still finding it and still being touched by it.