He left the house, closing the door behind him and headed for home. He checked his watch and decided to make a stop on his way home. He hadn't wanted to say anything to anyone, not even Julie but the last time she had looked this bad they'd discovered she was pregnant with Ari.

He stopped at a store that was just out of their neighbourhood, pulled his cap low down on his head before going inside. He grabbed a couple of different pregnancy tests and some ice cream that Julie had been lamenting over last night and a bag of cookies for himself.

Ignoring the questioning look of recognition from the checkout operator, he paid for the items and left without preamble. He didn't dare get his hopes up but all the signs were pointing that way.

His heart was hammering away on the short drive home, happy when he pulled into the garage and killed the engine. He'd wanted to wait for a few days after Julie had started feeling unwell, just in case it was just a short term virus but after a week, he was convinced that she was pregnant again. Blowing out a nervous breath, he grabbed the grocery bag and went into the house.

"Julie? Baby?!" he yelled as he hung up his jacket and keys. "I have ice cream!"

"You do? Where is it?" Julie asked, coming in from the family room and almost falling on the tub. "Oh...god I love you right now, Rockstar."

"How are you feeling, sweetheart?" Jon asked as he tore open the cookies and took a couple. He took in her appearance in a pair of his sweatpants and a t-shirt and had to smile. She never did like anything tight when Ari started to grow. Her hair was piled up in a messy bun and she had dark circles under her eyes.

"Ugh...I can't wait for this virus to be over," she grumbled around a scoop of creamy dessert.

"What happens if it sticks around, babe?" Jon asked as he stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her neck. "I mean...you might have this for a long, long time."

"Well, if it lasts longer than another few days, then I'll go to the doctors," she said, scooping another mouthful. She stopped suddenly and Jon could almost see her turn green as she pushed away from him, only just making it to the sink before losing the ice cream she'd just eaten.

Jon smiled to himself as he held her hair and rinsed the sink. He held her tightly and handed her a glass of water to rinse her mouth. "You okay?" he asked.

She groaned, "I'd be better if I knew what was wrong." She leaned heavily against him and he kissed her shoulder.

"I may have an idea," he said softly.

"Oh? I'm not up for playing doctor, Rockstar," she chuckled.

He reached for the bag without letting go of Julie in case she fell on her wobbly legs, and shook out the contents. "Wanna find out?" he asked as the boxes of test kits tumbled over the counter.

Julie gasped and Jon could feel her wobble in his arms so he tightened his hold. "Oh baby...," she breathed, "Do you think so?"

"Only one way to find out," he said hopefully.

He thought he'd fucked his marriage for good up when Julie had found out about his liaisons but he'd been lucky enough that she had forgiven him. He'd thrown out her birth control for good the day they reconciled so it had been a waiting game ever since.

Julie looked at him and smiled. "Okay," she said, blowing out a nervous breath. She grabbed a box and Jon collected the rest, following her up to their bedroom. She unboxed one as Jon dumped the rest on the countertop between the sinks.

She started toward the toilet before Jon grabbed her and said, "I love you...no matter what, okay?" before kissing her deeply, even with the slight tang still left on her tongue.

Julie nodded and gave him a watery smile as she dropped the sweats and sat on the toilet. After many years together, they had no bathroom secrets from each other. Slipping the test between her legs she let go of her bladder over the test end, soaking it. She capped it and handed it to Jon as she cleaned up and flushed, washing her hands afterward.

"I'm nervous, Rockstar," she said as she moved into his arms.

"C'mon, let's go wait on the bed," Jon said. He helped her under the covers and crawled in beside her, holding her and kissing her until the stopwatch on his wrist went off. He looked down at his wife expectantly.

"You go," she said, sitting up against the mountain of pillows.

"Okay," he said, dropping a kiss to her lips before slipping from the bed and going to the bathroom. He turned it over and stared in wonder at the two blue lines. He blew out a breath and said a silent prayer of thanks, tears in his eyes.

"Jonny?" Julie called, "What's taking so long? It's okay if it's negative, baby."

He grabbed the test and left the bathroom. He tossed the test to Julie from the doorway before jumping on the bed beside her with a whoop, "We're having a baby!"

Julie reached for the test with trembling fingers, needing to see it with her own eyes. She flipped the covers back and placed her hand on her lower belly in awe. She yelped when Jon knelt beside her and pulled her further down the bed. He lay down between her legs and pushed the shirt up and the sweats down to expose her belly.

"Welcome to the family, little one," he murmured against her skin, "Can't wait to see you get round with our child." He placed feather-light kisses around her belly button. "I've got another surprise for you too, baby."

"Oh?" she asked, sifting her fingers through her Rockstar's greying hair. "Tell me it's a puppy!?"

"Oh Christ no!" Jon chuckled, slowly lowering her sweatpants further with her panties. He nuzzled between her thighs and tossed her pants off the bed. "First...tell me how much you love me..."

"Mmmm...oh, keep doing that," she breathed, "You're the light of my life, Rockstar. I love you as much as the stars in the sky." She smiled softly as she used Ari's favourite nighttime saying.

"Aaaand you know how much I love youuu?" Jon's voice trailed off as his tongue snuck out for a taste, fingers spreading her sweet folds.

"Oh...oh...I do, my sweet love," she said, arching toward his talented mouth.

Jon pressed two fingers into her moist pussy and groaned, "And you know I'd do aaaanything for you?" He spread those fingers and curled them towards her sweet bundle of nerves.

She gripped his hair and stopped him in his tracks, "What's goin' on Rockstar?" She forced him to look at her from between her legs.

He chuckled and massaged her spot, causing her to gasp and moan. "Well...you mentioned that with running the business, plus Ari, keeping up with the household and now with a new baby on the way...I hired you a nanny. An older nanny too...grey hair...wrinkles...saggy tits...grandmother and retired baker. The Bryans have one now too."

"Wait! What?!" Julie frowned, "I don't get a say in hiring someone that's going to be around our children?"

"I wanted it to be a surprise. Matt and I did full background checks, references...Laurin even gave her approval," Jon replied, desperate to keep a fire from igniting in his wife. "Just meet her tomorrow? Please?"

Julie huffed a little but pushed his head back down to where she needed it. "Okay...tomorrow. But I get the final say, though!"

Jon grinned at his small victory as he set out to bring his wife as much pleasure as possible. It was an afternoon of slow, passionate lovemaking that left Julie dozing in his arms. He sighed contentedly, tracing random patterns over her belly and nuzzling into her hair. The metallic alarm on his watch sounded, reminding him that school would be out shortly. He reluctantly slipped from their bed and pulled the covers up over Julie.

"Rockstar?" she asked sleepily.

"Shh, go back to sleep, babe," Jon kissed her temple, "I'm gonna go get Ari from school."

"'Kay," she mumbled, curling up even further.

Jon dressed quickly and closed the bedroom door as he left. Grabbing his sunglasses and keys, he climbed into the family SUV and headed for the school. He couldn't help the grin spreading across his face, feeling quite proud of himself for getting Julie pregnant so quickly.

My swimmers aren't getting too old after all, he thought to himself as he grimaced at his greying hair in the rearview mirror. He was extremely thankful that he'd insisted on using condoms when he slept with those other women.

He'd just merged onto the highway when his phone rang, showing the caller ID to be the rehab hospital David was in. "Hello?"

"Yes, is this Jon Bongiovi?"

"Depends on who's calling?" he said.

"This is Dr. Randolph from New Haven Rehabilitation Center. May I speak with Mr. Bongiovi please?"

"This is him. What can I do for you, Dr. Randolph?" Jon asked. He wondered why the doctor was calling him and not Leesha.

"I'm one of Mr Bryan's therapists here at the facility," the female voice said. "You're David's employer and closest friend, correct?"

"Yes...why?"

"I was hoping you could clear Wednesday on your schedule and come to the hospital. I'd like you to sit in on one of David's sessions. He's having some...complications that I hope a close friend can't help sort out with details."

"What kind of complications? I mean, sure, I'll do anything to help him," Jon said, "but a little forewarning might be helpful." He mentally went through his diary as he checked his rear vision mirror and changed lanes.

"David's having issues coming to terms with things he's done and a skewered memory of events. I believe he's in the middle of a mental breakdown. Getting details from him is near impossible as we've had to keep him in isolation or sedated. Part is from drug withdrawals...but we need someone close to him and Mrs Bryan is out of the question for the time being."

"Yeah...sure, just let me know what time and I'll make sure I'm available," he said, taking the exit for the school.

"Great! I'll send you the date and time. Also, if you could, bring his cell phone with you. David said he kept things from photos and messages to voice and text notes. I'm hoping there's something in there that can help him."

Well, shit. How the hell am I supposed to get that without telling Leesha they wanna see me and not her??

"Easier said than done but I'll try," Jon replied. He hung up and tapped the steering wheel. What were the chances Leesha had the phone on her?

He dialled Matt's number and waited for the call to connect. "Boss, what's happening?" Matt answered.

"Stop with the fuckin' Boss already. We're not on tour...you can call me Messiah," Jon chuckled.

"Sure...you want me to come and wipe your ass too?"

"Eh! I'll call you around 11 tonight when I usually need to take a shit," he said with as much seriousness as possible.

"Enough about your asshole," Matt laughed, "I got a wife upstairs that's ready to burst for my dick. Make it quick."

"How easy is it to lift a phone? Or at least copy the data from it?"

"Depends on whose phone. Julie?"

"Lema's."

"Dude, Leesha's got that. Last I saw it was with everything my buddy and I found in Lema's studio. Why?"

Jon sighed. "Hmm, okay. His psych just called and wants to see me with his phone. I doubt she'll hand it over. Think your buddy can go back and demand it from her?"

"What makes you think she won't give it to you?" Matt asked.

"Maybe because I was asked to go, not her," Jon said, "You know how she is. It might be perceived as an affront and then she'll just go off like the firecracker she is. I got enough to worry about right now."

"You'll never know until you call her. Be honest with her. Worst she can do is say no."

Jon sighed, knowing he was right, "Fuck, I hate it when you make a good point. Can't you just go and storm in like you usually do?"

Matt laughed. "I could but I'm not. She's going through hell right now and I'm not about to make it worse. I guess I COULD call and ask her for you...but you'd owe me huge."

"Fuck, I'll pay triple your going rate, bro," Jon chuckled. "Hey...I'm at Ari's school. I gotta go, brother. Let me know what she says. See ya, fuckface."

He got out of his car, pulled on his cap and made the trek to Ari's classroom just as the bell tolled. Kids spilled from the doorways, rushing past him as he walked. Ari was waiting with her teacher and squealed when she saw him. His heart swelled seeing her face again. The house had become too quiet without her during the days now.

"Daddy!" She ran and jumped at him.

"Hey, Babymine, did you have a good day?" he smiled, holding her close, "Where's Shaggy?" He looked around expecting Leesha or one of the twins to be there to pick Ethan up.

"We had arts and crafts today after brownies and milk at snack time! We made family pictures today! Shaggy left early," Ari answered.

"Wait! Why did Shaggy leave early?" Jon asked, setting her on his shoulders as they walked back to the car.

"I dunno," Ari shrugged, "But a really tall man in a funny hat came and got him, escorted by the Principal. I didn't even get to say goodbye!"

"You'll see him tomorrow, Babymine," he replied absently, "Oof, I think you've had one too many brownies, you're getting heavy." His phone buzzed in his pocket and he clumsily picked up the call. "Hello?"

Ari giggled and climbed into her seat when there was a quiet, "Hey Jon," from the other end.

"Leesh...how you doing?"

"Relaxing in a bubble bath for the first time in so fucking long." There was that note of exhaustion in her voice that he hoped would disappear after Annie helped her for a few weeks. "And you?"

"Ari said Ethan got picked up today...know anything about that?" he asked as he buckled Ari into her seat, booped her nose with a wink, and closed the door.

"Annie's husband is picking him up. She's determined that I don't lift a finger and just relax. He's David's rabbi."

"Good, I'm glad you're relaxing! Annie did mention her husband, I just didn't think you'd trust them this quickly," he mused as he started the engine. "Did...uh...did Matt call you?"

"Yeah, that's why I'm calling. Why do you need Dave's phone? Matt was a little hazy on the details but...I dunno...it just has a lot of...private photos and messages between us."

"Leesha...you're on speaker by the way...I've been around him long enough to know the possible items there," he sighed, "I promise...no judgment. Been there done that before...remember? D's doctor called earlier. Wants to set up a meeting with me and asked me for the phone; if I could get it from you."

Leesha sighed on the other end and answered with a quiet, "But not with me." There were soft sniffles. "Fine. Come get the damn phone. Obviously, my cheating husband wants to see you more than me. I'll leave it on the front table," and the phone went dead.

"Aunty L is mad, huh, Daddy?" Ari asked, "What did she mean by cheating?"

"Yeah, I guess she is, Babymine," he sighed, "I think she meant that Uncle David was playing a dangerous game and he didn't play fair and he got caught."

So did your Daddy, Babymine, he thought, Luckily there weren't any drugs involved and your mama forgave me. He couldn't wait to tell Ari that she was going to be a big sister. Or the rest of his kids for that matter.

"Ari, Mama is still feeling yucky and I left her in bed," Jon said, "So if she's still asleep, play quietly downstairs okay?"

"Okay, Daddy," she said. "Will Mama feel better tomorrow?"

"Hopefully, sweetie. She needs to go to the doctor later this week."

Jon called into Bryan's household on his way home from collecting Ari, leaving her in the car as he let himself in and saw the phone on the foyer table. Before he pulled back onto the street, he shot off a quick text to let Leesha know that he'd got the phone and would return it as soon as possible.

*~*

The next morning Julie had barely opened her eyes when she had to bolt to the bathroom, just making it to the toilet in time. This was the part that she hated when she was pregnant with Ari; the morning sickness, though at the time both she and Jon had been suffering from the flu at the same time and didn't realise the underlying reason.

"Jules, you okay?" Jon asked as he knelt beside her, holding her hair back and rubbing her back.

In between vomit and dry heaves, Julie gasped, "I feel like shit."

"Need me to get you anything?" he asked. He grabbed a face washer from one of the drawers close at hand, reaching up into the basin to wet it down.

She leaned against the rim, as her stomach calmed a little and shook her head. "Gimme a minute...and maybe a glass of water?"

Jon kissed her forehead and stood to get the water and handed it down to her, just as Ari came into their bedroom.

"Mama? Daddy?" she called.

"In here, Babymine," Jon said back.

"Mama? Are you okay?" Ari asked when she saw Julie still sitting on the floor.

Julie swirled water in her mouth and spit it out, glancing up at her daughter. "I'm okay, baby." She watched Ari walk over and place her small hand on her forehead. "What are you doing, honey?"

"You touch my face when I'm sick," Ari said, scrunching her tiny eyebrows together. "I dunno what to look for...but you're sweaty..." She quickly wiped her hands dry on her pyjamas.

Jon leaned against the counter and watched his girls with a soft smile, "Mama's got a doctor's appointment later today, Babymine. She'll be fine." He winked at Julie and held his hand out to her to help her up. "Get in the shower, babe, I'll get Ari ready for school."

"Thanks, honey," Julie kissed his cheek and Ari's hair, "Go get ready, Ari. I'll be down soon, okay?"

She had obviously lost track of time in the shower because when Julie emerged downstairs with a towel wrapped around her, Ari was taking her lunch money from Jon. "Daddy said I can get pizza at school today!! Do you think Shaggy will be there today?"

"Why wouldn't he, baby?" Julie asked.

"She saw Ethan being checked out early since neither Leesha nor David were picking him up," Jon explained. "Annie's husband, The Bryan's Rabbi, got him instead. I think it freaked her out a bit."

"Oh...," she replied to Jon, wondering what happened that Leesha wasn't there to pick Ethan up. She turned back to Ari, "Daddy's right, sweetie, Ethan should be at school today."

"Speaking of which," Jon said, "It's almost time to go, so go clean your teeth, pumpkin."

"Okay," Ari said and skipped to her room.

"Are we going to tell her?" Jon asked, slipping his hands beneath her towel and opening it up to his gaze.

"What?! That her father is a pervert?!" Julie grinned trying to cover herself, "What are you doing, Rockstar? She'll come back any minute."

"Just admiring the view, babe," he growled and nuzzled into her neck, "Your boobs are delicious anyway but they were extra tasty with Ari."

"Don't start something that you can't finish in about 2.5 minutes," Julie chuckled.

Jon stopped for a moment, thinking, "It's possible," he said before moving back to her neck.

"Stop being a brat, Rockstar," she replied, pushing at him.

With a groan, Jon moved away and yelled up to Ari, "Time to go, Princess," before he turned back to Julie and said, "I'll deal with you when I get home." He planted a kiss on her mouth and headed to the garage.

"Coming, Daddy," Ari called from the top of the stairs before skipping down them, "Bye, Mama. Feel better."

"Thanks, baby," Julie smiled as Ari zoomed past her, blowing a kiss, "Have a good day, Ari."

"I will!"