TITLE: Beautiful Progeny
AUTHOR: Kathmak
RATING: PG
CATEGORY: DRR/married
SPOILERS: None
SUMMARY: John and Monica reflect.
DISCLAIMER: Not mine.

A/N: This fluffy piece is another in a series of 500-ish word ficlets.
This particular prompt is "reflection."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The dark-haired girl twirled around in front of the full-length
department store mirror, the taffeta in her dress swishing softly as
she moved.

"It's so pretty, Daddy. Don't you think it's pretty?" she asked, her
large brown eyes full of hope and excitement.

John Doggett stood behind his daughter and smiled proudly. His little
girl was all dressed up. "I'm thinkin' that you are the most beautiful
young lady I've ever seen," he answered.

She blushed. "You do?"

"I sure do. I think we'll just have to get it."

She threw her arms around his neck and squeezed him so tightly he felt
his breath momentarily leave his body. "Thank you, Daddy!" she
squealed happily.

Just then a tall, striking woman carrying an armload full of
children's clothes strode briskly toward them. Accompanying her was a
rambunctious four-year-old girl, who clung tightly to her mother.

"Did you find a dress, Alex?" Monica asked as she took her place
alongside her husband.

John greeted his wife with a soft kiss. "I believe we have a winner,
Mon. What do you think?"

Monica studied her eldest child for a moment before pronouncing her
verdict. "I think it's perfect."

The girl grinned as she hugged her mother gratefully. "I'm gonna take
it off so I don't get it dirty." She did an about-face and stepped
toward the dressing room, but Monica stopped her with a gentle hand on
her shoulder.

"Sweetheart, could you take Kaitlyn with you? She needs to start
trying some of these things on."

The little one, who had the same astonishing blue eyes as her father,
watched Monica warily. "No, I wanna stay with you, Mama!" she
protested.

John watched with amusement before he decided to intervene. "It's
okay, Katie. Take your sister's hand. Your Mama will be there in just
a minute."

Reluctantly, the child did as her father asked and the two headed off.
After the girls were out of earshot, John turned to Monica and put his
arm around her. "We're so lucky," he sighed happily. "I can't believe
Alexandra is making her First Communion already. Seems like only
yesterday you were carrying her around in here." John rubbed her
abdomen to illustrate.

"I know, John. The girls are growing up so fast, aren't they?" They
held each other close as they reflected on their progeny.

"I loved being pregnant with your children," Monica mused. She placed
her hands over his and he squeezed her fingers reassuringly.

"It ain't over til it's over, Mon."

"Meaning . . . ?" Monica cast a sideways glance at John and he cleared
his throat hesitantly.

"Meaning . . . ya wanna go for the trifecta?" he asked.

Her eyes widened as she turned to face him. "Are you saying what I
think you're saying?"

"Yeah. Let's make another baby," he told her, pulling her close so her
hips were flush with his.

Monica covered his face with kisses. "Yes! Oh, I love you, John!" she
exclaimed.

"Love you too, baby." Grinning broadly, John cupped her buttocks and
whispered in her ear, "Do ya think anyone here would mind if we
started workin' on that right now?"

-End-