Work Text:
barefoot in the kitchen
sacred new beginnings
that became my religion
In an alignment of schedules that just might have Rebecca believing in miracles, Henry's spring holiday falls on the same week as the Premier League’s international break. Michelle calls Ted in early February and asks if the Greyhounds’ schedule would allow him to have Henry for a week in late March, and Ted's answer had been an ecstatic yes. He and Rebecca both sat down on a FaceTime call with Michelle a week later, letting her know about their new relationship.
They told Henry a few days after that, and the boy (in typical ten-year-old-boy fashion) only asked if that meant he'd be staying the week at Rebecca's where he could have his own bed and bathroom. Rebecca had just laughed, and told him he'd be more than welcome.
So on a typically rainy morning, the first Saturday of their international break, Rebecca and Ted head to London City Airport to pick Henry up. Michelle and Jake (who Ted still typically refers to as Dr. Jacob, and Rebecca only thinks of as the therapist) had flown over with Henry, but are going straight from the airport to St. Pancras to catch the Eurostar.
Ted, Rebecca, and Henry wave goodbye to Michelle and the therapist outside of arrivals, and then make their way to the Range Rover parked in the short-term car park.
“Alright, Henry!” Ted's absolutely bouncing in his spot in the passenger seat. “Whatcha wanna do first?”
Henry shrugs, “I don't know. What do you guys usually do on the weekends?”
Rebecca shoots Henry a smirk in the review mirror. “Watch, or coach, football.”
Henry thinks for a moment, eyes on the window as London passes by. “Are there any matches we can go watch?”
Ted lets out a dramatic sigh. “Kid, it's like our one football-free week the entire season. And you wanna drag us to a football match?”
Henry shrugs again, “I don't get to watch professional football all the time.”
Ted looks at Rebecca, a kind of can you believe this kid? look, but Rebecca just shrugs. “I could probably get us some seats for the English match against Italy later this week? Jamie did get called up…”
“Jamie Tartt?!” Henry is now the one bouncing uncontrollably in his seat. “He's my favorite player!”
Ted sighs again, “alright, fine, fine. But that still doesn't answer what we're gonna do today.”
“I'm kinda hungry.”
Rebecca and Ted laugh, Henry smiling affably in the backseat.
“Lunch it is!”
“Some’o the themes in Wicked might go over his head a little.”
Rebecca startles, turning around to see Ted standing behind her at the kitchen table. They got home from lunch at the Crown and Anchor a little while ago; Henry is upstairs, unpacking, so Rebecca thought she'd take some time to try and find some things for them all to do together this week.
She doesn't want to make the same mistake she made with Nora last year– over planning activities the girl had zero interest in. But she does want Henry to experience some quintessential London things while he's here.
(Yes, it is all part of her nefarious plot to have the boy living here full time (or at least staying with them more often).)
Ted joins her at the table, and she angles the computer so they can both see. She lets Ted take over a little, scrolling through the options.
“Oh, hey,” he says, clicking on one and turning the computer back to Rebecca. “Hen loves Studio Ghibli movies, this might be a hit.”
My Neighbor Totoro. Rebecca's never heard of it before, but thinks she recognizes the big bunny-like creature as a plushie Phoebe has. She just shrugs.
“If you think he'd like it, let's do it.”
Henry finally comes back down, holding some kind of gaming console in his hands. “Hey, Becca?”
Rebecca looks up from where she's cutting up some fruits for a little charcuterie board–
(While Ted and Henry both inhaled their fish and chips at the pub, Rebecca’s stomach was churning slightly from Henry's-First-Visit-induced nerves. Most of the grilled chicken sandwich she ordered came back with them in a to-go box.)
–and smiles softly at the boy. “What's up, Henry?”
“Do ya think we could hook my Switch up to your TV? I brought my extra Joy-Cons so we can all play something together.”
Rebecca smiles, setting the knife down and wiping her hands on a towel. “Well, we might need to enlist your father's help getting it set up, but that sounds lovely.”
She calls Ted out from the back garden, where he was setting up a football goal against the back fence, and while the boys work on getting the game system connected, she finishes the snack tray, adding a few more kid-friendly options to it.
They while away the afternoon playing Mario Kart, Rebecca using the green Joy-Con that Henry hands over to her with a shy smile, saying he thinks she should use that one ‘cause it matches her eyes. Rebecca's never really been one for video games, but she enjoys racing around the tracks, and especially loves hearing Henry's joyous whoops whenever she beats Ted in a race.
—
On Sunday, Henry wants to take a tour on one of the classic red, double decker buses around London. Rebecca pastes on an enthusiastic smile when Henry asks about it at breakfast, sighing internally. Although, she reminds herself, she does want the boy to experience quintessential London things.
So, to the city proper they go.
In the car ride to the Eye, where they'll catch their first bus, Rebecca gives Henry a small gift bag. The boy lights up as he digs through the tissue paper, smile only growing as he pulls out the little Polaroid camera Rebecca’s gifted him.
“I know you have your phone,” she says, a little nervous, fiddling with the rings on her fingers, “and it probably takes better quality photos. But, I thought you might like physical photos from the trip too.”
“Yeah,” Henry cheers, leaning across Ted to offer Rebecca a quick, somewhat-awkward-because-of-the-space hug. “This is awesome!”
He gets both Ted and Rebecca to lean in, snapping an ‘ussie’ of the three of them. The rest of the drive is spent discussing where they each want to “hop off” on the tour, the different attractions they care most about seeing. Rebecca lets Henry and Ted lead the discussion, content to follow the boys around the city. She feels like there isn't much she hasn't seen already, but she's excited to see it all again through Henry's eyes.
It's a very long day.
It was fun though, to experience all the typical tourist traps through Henry's (and Ted's too, honestly) eyes. They run themselves ragged hopping off and on the buses, stopping at every spot Henry has any interest in. They have lunch at Nando’s, Henry delighting in the fast food joint.
By the time they're in the Rolls, headed back to Rebecca's, Henry is nodding off against Rebecca’s shoulder, the pile of Polaroid photos he had been flipping through held precariously in his lap. Rebecca wraps an arm around his shoulders, letting him rest more fully against her, and uses her other hand to gather up the little pictures.
Henry took photos of everything, the buildings they saw, the street performers they passed, the food at Nando's. There's plenty of shots of her and Ted too, Henry occasionally popping up in ‘ussies’. When they were on the London Eye, Ted had taken the camera from Henry, snapping shots of the boy as he looked out at the city below.
In one of those shots, Rebecca spies herself in the background, smiling softly at Henry, her hand on her heart. Looking at it now, Henry cuddled up next to her and fast asleep, she feels the same warmth and love that had hit her then, captured so perfectly in this photo.
Carefully, she slips her phone from her bag and snaps a picture of the photo for herself. As she's putting her phone back, she catches Ted looking at her. She blushes, caught, but Ted just smiles, mouthing at her across the sleeping boy between them–
I love you.
—
Since half of their starting squad is off playing in international matches this week, Rebecca convinces Ted to take the week off. Beard and Roy are more than capable of handling the conditioning planned for training this week, and Rebecca wants to make sure Ted and Henry have some time just the two of them together.
So on Monday morning, they get up to see Rebecca to the door, Ted passing her the little pink box of her biscuits with a chaste kiss while Henry hugs her goodbye. She knows they don't really have any plans, so she just tells them to enjoy the day while she's gone, promising to pick Italian up for dinner on her way home.
Her day at the club is fairly uneventful. She sits in the stands while the boys play a scrimmage, a mix of starters, reserves, and even trainers joining in on the fun. Leslie finds her out there, asks with a smirk if she plans on going down there, show off a little. She laughs, but shakes her head and joins him when he goes back inside.
She responds to a few emails, makes some notes on the latest budget report from Accounts, checks in with Roy on some potential recruits. Mostly she's bored.
She sends a few texts to Ted, gets a response a little while later. She wishes she had let Ted convince her to take the day too, wishes she was a part of whatever shenanigans the boys are getting up to today.
Eventually the clock finally ticks over to 4pm, and she decides she's done enough for today. She stops by Leslie's office, letting him know she won't be back at the clubhouse until Thursday. He tells her to enjoy her time with Henry and then she heads out.
She drove herself to work today, so she gets into the Range Rover and then heads to the little Italian restaurant she and Ted always get takeaway from, the same one they had when she joined him for pie baking at Thanksgiving.
When she gets home with the food, it's suspiciously quiet. After stepping out of her heels and leaving her purse on the little table by the door, she pokes her head into the living room, finding the room overtaken by a fort. She smiles, stepping in to see if they're inside the fort and maybe didn't hear her, but it's empty.
Rebecca continues further into the house, moving into the kitchen to drop the bags of food on the island. As she sets them down, she notices the sound of someone breathing softly on the other side of the counter. She carefully steps around the island, eyes going wide when she sees Henry crouched on the floor, pillow in hand and a finger held up to his lips.
She nods, then quietly moves back to the living room, grabbing a pillow/weapon of her own. She pauses, stills her breathing, and listens. She can hear Ted now, moving carefully upstairs. If she's right, he's making his way to the stairs now. She quickly moves back into the kitchen, and silently crouches with Henry behind the island.
They each move to an edge of the island, waiting. Ted's footsteps make it down the stairs and then they hear him step into the kitchen where he pauses, presumably after seeing the food.
“Rebecca?” he calls out, and Rebecca looks over and nods at Henry, and then quick as they can they stand, swirling around the island and attacking Ted from both sides.
“Woah, hey, hey!” Ted's laughing, pillow dropped in surprise and arms up to guard his face as Rebecca and Henry each batter him with their own pillows. Eventually he gets close enough to Rebecca to wrap an arm around her, pulling her in and twisting to use her as a human shield against Henry's blows.
Rebecca shrieks as Henry hits her square in the face. Henry immediately stops, eyes wide and frowning as he apologizes immediately.
“Rebecca! I'm so sorry! Dad was too quick and I didn't even–”
Ted loosens his hold on her, and she moves to stand closer to Henry, laughing now as she tries to catch her breath. “It's alright, love.”
Ted wraps his arms around her again, Rebecca leaning back against him as Henry smiles over at them. “Hey bud, why don't you take all these pillows back to the fort, while Rebecca and I get dinner set out?”
Henry nods, and once he's out of the kitchen Ted turns her in his arms and presses a searing kiss against her lips. When he pulls away, he just looks at her for a moment, soft smile on his face. “I love ya, you know that?”
She smacks another quick kiss on him, before stepping away to actually start getting dinner set out. “I love you too, so much.”
After dinner, Henry goes back to the living room to call Michelle. Rebecca and Ted clean up the kitchen, Ted playing his R&B/Soul playlist while they work. It doesn't take long, and before she knows it the mess is taken care of and Ted is pulling her into his arms, swaying them softly to the music. She melts against him, barely any space between them from top to toe.
“I missed you today.” The words come out as a soft murmur, felt more than heard probably.
Ted sighs, squeezes her hand in his. “I missed you too, Sunshine. You playin’ hooky with us tomorrow?”
She nods against him. “Maybe we can go to the Gardens, or the zoo before the play?”
“Sounds good, sugarplum.”
She laughs, and lets the conversation die out, more than content to just sway with him in the quiet, dimly lit kitchen.
Eventually their quiet dance is disrupted by Henry coming back to the kitchen, FaceTime call with his mother over. They decide to watch a movie, all piling together on the couch.
Henry picks Frozen, because “it's your favorite, right Rebecca?”
Her heart warms at this thoughtful little boy. “Yes, but Henry, we can watch something else if you'd prefer.”
Henry just shrugs. “I like it. I like Olaf, and the angry abominable snowman guy. He reminds me of Roy.”
Well, Rebecca thinks with a soft laugh, okay then.
When the movie is over, Ted walks with Henry upstairs to make sure the kid brushes his teeth before getting into bed, while Rebecca makes sure the downstairs is all locked up. As she moves through the front entry to the back, she notices all the little pieces of life with Henry scattered about.
A few cushions still on the floor, leftover from the fort.
His small trainers next to her stilettos by the front door.
The breakfast cereal so sugary even Ted doesn't like it on the kitchen counter.
The football goal set up in the backyard.
All these pieces of his life, shared with them, with her. She can't help but see, as she takes it all in, more pieces, pieces of maybe and someday.
A bassinet set up in the living room.
Bottles on the counter by the kitchen sink.
A small playhouse in the back garden.
When she finally makes it upstairs, stopping to wish Henry sweet dreams on her way to her room, Ted is already in the shower. Left alone in her quiet room, Rebecca’s thoughts twist and bloom.
Before she knows it, she's emailing an old family friend, Dr. Wagner, to schedule an appointment.
—
While Rebecca had plans to take Henry to Kew Gardens or Battersea Park Zoo, Mother Nature had other ideas for their day, apparently.
It rains all morning, keeping them cooped up in Rebecca's house. They make the most of it though, playing card games and making cheese toasties (grilled cheeses, Henry and Ted both correct her), Ted making homemade hot cocoa for dessert.
Rebecca teaches Henry how to play rummy, a card game she used to play with her grandmother. In turn, Henry teaches her how to play crazy eights. Rebecca wishes she had more game options, and while Ted's cooking their sandwiches, she orders a few more. They won't be delivered before Henry leaves for America, but she figures they're good to have.
After lunch, Henry runs up to his room, bringing down a bracelet making kit. It's not the bright garish plastic beads she's seen Phoebe and even some of the players wear; it's little colored rubber bands and a plastic loom of some kind.
“A girl in my class started making and selling these during recess. I thought it was cool, so Mom bought me a kit.”
Henry's patient as he teaches Rebecca and Ted how to make them. Rebecca chooses Richmond colors for her: blue, red, and yellow. Ted’s is green, pink, and purple– his favorite color, hers, and Henry's. Bracelet making takes up the rest of the afternoon, until they need to start getting ready for the play.
They do a quick dinner before heading to the theatre, letting Henry choose where to eat. He picks Nando's, and it's the good, fun kind of silly, sitting in a cracked vinyl booth in their nice theatre clothes eating fast food.
The show's at the Gillian Lynne, and when they walk into the large round theatre Henry lets out a quiet woah. They have seats in the balcony section, just off center-stage. It's not long after they arrive that the lights dim and the show begins.
Rebecca knows she's not exactly the target audience for this particular play, but just like doing all the touristy things on Sunday, it's made magical by experiencing it with Henry. He already knows the story, but seems enthralled seeing it play out live in front of him. He laughs and gasps and tears up a little at all the right spots, and Rebecca finds herself laughing, gasping, and crying right along with him.
It's a sweet story, but Rebecca can't help but feel a little sad for her little party sitting and watching. She doesn't know about Ted or Henry, but she remembers wishing for a sibling when she was younger. Watching the bond between Mei and Satsuki on stage has those old feelings stirring up inside of her, but also has her thinking about Henry as an older brother, a little one trailing after him through some forest somewhere.
Really, lately, it doesn't take much for her to picture a little one in this family unit they’re building together.
—
Since the New Year, Rebecca’s switched from weekly therapy sessions to every other week. She probably could have asked Dr. Tate to switch this week's session to next, but Rebecca knows how important consistency and routine is. So on Wednesday morning, she leaves Ted in bed, Henry sleeping in the room down the hall, both exhausted from their late night at the theatre, and has Wilhem drive her to Kensington.
As usual, the office is quiet when she arrives. Vihaan sits behind his desk, a steaming cup of tea waiting for her. They chat for a few minutes while she sips on the darjeeling blend, catching up until Dr. Tate comes out and beckons Rebecca back to her office.
Since December, Rebecca's felt like she's been on much steadier ground– in her personal life, her professional life, all around really. Which is why they made the switch to every other week. Now, therapy sessions are catch ups, mostly, check-ins to go over anything she might be struggling with at the moment or whatever happens to be on her mind.
Today, it's the upcoming appointment she has.
“There was a point, right after what happened in Liverpool, where I just…”
Dr. Tate is, as always, patient as Rebecca struggles to get her thoughts in order.
“I wasn't really living, you know? I wasn't engaging in or with the world.”
“And now?”
Rebecca smiles, playing with the bracelet on her wrist. “I want, now. I want to spend time with people, and I want to be out in the world, and I want to make plans.”
“You want to live.”
Rebecca takes a deep breath, “yes.”
“What kind of plans, Rebecca?”
She feels a blush overtake her cheeks, thinking about the appointment she has for Saturday morning, Dr. Wagner offering to let her come in outside of normal business hours.
“I haven't…I haven't told Ted yet, but…” She takes a deep breath. “I have an appointment, on Saturday. With a fertility specialist.”
The soft smile on Dr. Tate’s face grows wider, more real before she calms it back down. “Why haven't you told Ted yet?”
Rebecca knows there's zero judgment in the question, just a chance for Rebecca to work through anything she might need by answering. But it's really simple really. “Henry's visit is so short. Ted will need to be taking him to the airport the same time as the appointment. I just…don't want him to have to split his focus. Plus, I won't know anything for a few days anyways.”
She shrugs, unbothered, and Dr. Tate nods. “How are you feeling, about it?”
Rebecca sighs. “I'm trying to balance a line between hope and realism. I know Ted would tell me to believe but, I am almost fifty…”
“And, if you don't get the news you're hoping for?”
Rebecca shakes her head. “I don't think…it's not about hoping for one result or another…I think it's just about knowing for sure. So I can figure out my next steps.”
“That sounds very reasonable, Rebecca.” There's a hint of pride in Dr. Tate's voice, and Rebecca feels herself smiling and blushing in equal measure in response.
They wrap up soon after, Dr. Tate wishing her a good two weeks and Rebecca returning the sentiment.
Instead of waiting for her in Kensington, Wilhem went back to Richmond to pick up Henry and Ted while Rebecca was in her session. When she gets down to the street, the Rolls is parked where it normally is, the window rolled down and Henry hanging out. When he sees her, he lights up, waving wildly at her. She laughs, waving back as she moves to the car. He's wearing the England national kit she bought him, his Jamie Tartt themed bracelet on his left wrist.
The only stadium Henry has been to on this side of the pond is Nelson Road, and when they pull up to Wembley Rebecca watches as his eyes grow wide at the sheer size of it. Wilhem drops them off at the entrance for the private boxes; Keeley, Roy, and Phoebe are waiting outside the doors for them.
A perk of being a Premier League team's owner, Rebecca gets access to private boxes for select events at Wembley, and thankful one for today's match was still available. An usher escorts them from the entrance to their box, where Henry and Phoebe immediately run out to the seats, exclaiming how great the view is and how the seats are comfier than the ones at the Dog Track.
It's a fun match. Jamie doesn't start, but when he subs in toward the end of the first half, Henry probably cheers the loudest of anyone in the whole stadium. England wins, and it's always nice to be there in person for a victory.
Rebecca’s all-access pass gets them down to the locker room, where Jamie is waiting to say hello. He signs Henry's kit and the football Roy bought Phoebe. Rebecca takes a few pictures of Jamie with the kids, one with Henry's Polaroid camera and one on her phone to send to Georgie.
They do a mini tour of the stadium while Jamie showers and changes, and then they all head to Hawksmoor in Knightsbridge.
Jamie and Phoebe join them in the Rolls for the 30 minute drive, and it's one of the more chaotic car rides Rebecca has experienced. There's loud singing along with the playlist Ted hooks up, animated retellings of all the best plays from the match, and about a thousand questions each from Phoebe and Henry about what it's like to be a professional footballer.
Rebecca is glad she had the forethought to book them a private dining room at Hawksmoor, sure her rowdy group won't settle even when they get to the quiet restaurant. She's right, of course, and when the seven of them are seated at their private table, it's immediately loud as they get settled in. Phoebe and Henry sit across from each other in the middle, the adults filling in on either side of them.
Like much of Henry's visit has been so far, dinner is loud and fun and silly and made all the better by the company around her. The food is excellent, and the conversation never lags.
—
Henry and Ted come with her to the clubhouse the next day, even though Ted technically still has the next two days off. Henry wants to see the rest of the guys who aren't out playing for their national teams, and Ted's always happy to be with the boys.
Since they started dating and having more frequent sleepovers, Rebecca and Ted have a new routine for when they arrive at the club together. Ted leaves her with a cheeky grin at the bottom of the stairs, before heading to drop his stuff off in his office. He and Henry then come up to her office a few minutes later with her biscuits. They've done their best to keep the PDA to a minimum in the clubhouse, Biscuits with the Boss one of the only exceptions. But, with Henry in attendance today they keep it G-Rated.
Ted takes it back to BwtB of yore, asking Rebecca about what the first movie she remembers seeing in the theatre was, which leads to a lively discussion between the three of them about cinema vs streaming, Rebecca and Ted showing their age a bit.
They can hear training starting up from her open window, and Henry excitedly jumps up to go downstairs, yelling a quick bye Becca! as he goes. Ted sneaks a quick kiss in before he leaves, promising to come back up for lunch in a few hours.
Like Monday, Rebecca doesn't get a whole lot of actual work done. Responds to some emails, signs some paperwork about the snacks they sell at concessions, spins around in her chair. Real important stuff.
Henry comes up by himself, tired out from running around on the pitch with the pros. He brought his Switch with him, and they set it up on the little coffee table in her office and Rebecca lets herself be distracted by the little characters racing around the screens. When Ted comes up, he laughs at her.
“Workin’ hard, or hardly workin’ up here boss?”
Rebecca, mature adult she is, sticks her tongue out without looking at him, too focused on getting Princess Peach around the track. She hears him laugh, just Henry speeds past her and takes first place.
“Bugger!”
“Language!” Both Henry and Ted gleefully call her out, and Rebecca sighs but smiles at the boy sitting next to her on the coach.
“Add it to my tab.”
That evening, Ted takes Henry to the Crown and Anchor for dinner with Uncle Beard. Rebecca orders in for herself, getting Indian from Ollie's father-in-law's place, knowing that if there's any leftovers both Lassos will happily help her finish them.
When she's done eating and cleaning up, she heads upstairs for a relaxing bath. She absolutely loves having Henry here, wouldn't trade this for anything, but it has been a week of constant go-go-going as they try to fit as much in as they can before Henry heads home in a couple of days. She's grateful for the chance to slow down a little while her boys are out tonight.
After her bath, she gets comfy in bed, pulling out her journal where her notes for her evil plan are. After spending more time with him this visit, she thinks she has a better idea of what schools would fit Henry best. She crosses out a few she had originally written down, starring the one she likes best for him.
The open tab on her phone with Richmond real estate is pulled up, and she scrolls mindlessly through the listings while thinking how much she'd rather Ted just move in here with her. Henry likes the guest room they've put him in, with the window facing the green, and they could let him redecorate it to his tastes.
She's so caught up in her little fantasy– Ted and Henry here with her, full time– that she doesn't hear the front door open, or Ted's quiet steps up the stairs. She doesn't notice him leaning against the doorjamb, so she startles when he says, softly, “hey.”
She drops her phone, scrambling to close the notebook and hide her current scheming. “Hello!”
She sounds suspicious even to her own ears. She flushes as Ted smirks at her, making his way over to the bed.
“Uh oh. What's got you actin’ like a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar?”
Rebecca grimaces, not wanting to flat out lie to him but wondering if it's too soon to be discussing all of this. She clears her throat, and tries to change the subject. “How was dinner? Where's Henry?”
“Fine. And kiddo’s at Beard's place for a Mission Impossible marathon/sleepover. And you're evading my question.”
Ted places a knee on the bed, leaning over to give her a slow, sultry kiss, one hand threading through her loose hair to massage the back of her neck. She gets lost in it, doesn't notice his other hand reaching for the notebook until it's too late.
He pulls back with a little ah-huh! of victory, opening the notebook to the spot where her pen marks her place, while she glares at him.
“Not fair!” She says, while trying to grab the journal from him. “You used your masculine wiles to distract me!”
He smirks over at her, moving off the edge of the bed and out of her reach. “All's fair, honey.’
She watches as he quickly skims the page, confusion settling in between his furrowed brows. “These are schools, right? Whatcha makin’ a list of schools for?”
She shrugs. “Just…researching. In case it becomes…important, later on. For a certain pre-teen boy I know…”
At that, Ted plops back down on the bed. “Rebecca. You're researching schools? For Henry?”
“I know it's complicated, and there's a lot more to consider than just what I want and think is best. But why can't it at least be a conversation with Henry and Michelle? Why can't you finally have all you want?”
He's tearing up, and that is definitely not what she wanted. She leans into him, pulling him into a tight embrace with his head resting on her chest and her fingers carding softly through his hair. He snuggles in closer, then huffs a laugh. “Who's using their wiles as a distraction now, huh?”
She laughs, and they settle for a moment before he pulls back. He smiles softly at her and nods. “You're right, it is worth a conversation. I'll talk to Michelle once they're back in the states.”
Rebecca nods back, moving her hand from his chest up to his cheek, thumb gently brushing away the tear or two that have fallen. Ted takes a deep breath, flipping aimlessly through the journal.
“What else you got in this lil notebook, huh? Got a house picked out for us too?”
“Oh? Something wrong with the house you're staying in now?”
Ted's eyes go wide, and Rebecca feels her face turning red. “I'm not asking, you know, for you to move in permanently right this very second. Just that, it could be a conversation too. I love you, both of you, and I love how the house feels with both of you here so–”
He cuts her off with an almost bruising kiss. When he pulls away, there's tears in his eyes again. “I love you too, and I would love to have a conversation about this, with Henry too, although I'm sure I know his answer already.”
Rebecca’s pretty sure she knows too– the boy didn't take long at all to get comfortable here, both in the house and with her in general. She sighs, happily, as Ted wraps her up and pulls her down to lay with him.
She can see it, everything she ever wanted her life to be, within her grasp.
—
They all play hooky again on Friday, but instead of having any big plans they just let Henry decide how he wants to spend his last day. Ted makes them a big breakfast, and they play some more Mario Kart, and get Nando's one last time. They spend the afternoon out on the Green, kicking a football around between the three of them.
It's relaxed and easy, and Rebecca can't believe he's leaving them tomorrow. This whole visit has been wonderful, and as much as Rebecca feels she should just be grateful for this time she's had with him, she can't help but want.
Wants him here, all the time. Wants to watch him play football, wants to see his and Phoebe's friendship grow. Wants to watch Ted get to be with his boy everyday. Wants to see Henry with a little one, being the amazing brother she knows he would be.
She wants, but refuses to let the want get in the way of enjoying the time she has with him today.
She'll save the wanting for tomorrow.
—
“Honey, I'm home!”
She laughs at his entrance, moving from the couch to meet him in the foyer. “Welcome back, love.”
He kisses her like they haven't seen each other in months, not just a few hours. She sighs as he lets her go, following him into the kitchen where he pours a glass of still water for himself and grabs a bottle of Pellegrino for her.
“Henry and everyone make it off okay?”
Ted nods as he sips. “Yep. We met up with Michelle and Jake–”
Rebecca rolls her eyes, as she always does when the unethical therapist is brought up.
“–at bag check. Hung out with ‘em until they had to go through security.”
She nods, “it was okay? Saying goodbye to Henry?”
He shrugs. “It helps, ya know, knowing he'll be back as soon as school’s out.”
Rebecca nods again, taking a sip of her own water. “I'm sorry I couldn't go with you guys…”
Ted looks at her, a little like he finds what she said suspicious. “Yeah, remind me again what this meetin’ was?”
She bites back a smirk. He hadn't forgotten, she just never told him.
“Oh, just an appointment with a fertility specialist.”
Unfortunately for her, he's just taken a large sip when she says this. A large sip that ends up all over her face, just like two years ago. “Shoot, Becca! I'm so sorry!”
She just cackles, moving to grab a towel from the drawer to dry herself off. “It's fine, Ted.”
He waits until she's fully dry before he looks at her, something like hope blooming across his features. “You serious, though?”
She bites her lip, nods. “I won't get the results back for a few days, and I'm not especially hopeful but…”
She shrugs, and he pulls her in for a tight hug. “Hey, it's a startin’ point, yeah? We find out what the good doc has to say, and then we go from there, yeah?”
She buries her face in his chest, the worn cotton of his shirt soft against her skin. She nods. “Thank you, for doing this with me.”
“I told you, Sunshine. I am all in.”