Honey, I'm Home (Janis)

[Galen Pikler]

(No rush to respond to this, I just felt like breaking in the character.)

It had been another busy day at St. Mungo's. The night before had been a full moon, and it seemed that the werewolves had been on the prowl. Galen alone had seen four cases of werewolf bites, including a small child. Those were the worst. He ached for the little boy whose life was changed forever.

But finally he was home, and he wanted nothing better than to spend the evening with his beautiful wife. When he was with her, he could forget about the stress of the day, just put it all behind him and relax.

He paused on the doorstep of their little house, just taking in the sight of the house, and the smells and sounds of the neighborhood. Somehow, Godric's Hollow reminded him of the neighborhood where he had grown up. He still missed it sometimes, but he was glad to be here. If he had never come to England, he never would have met Janis.

He smiled to himself and pushed open the door. Stepping inside, he didn't see Janis in the living room, so he called out to her as he often did. "Honey, I'm home!"

He didn't expect her to come running or anything like that. He just liked to say it because all the American TV shows he remembered from his childhood used to have men saying that line to their wives, and it made him feel connected to a simpler time.

[Janis Jones-Pikler]

Janis, lately, had been thinking of... well, familiar things, as it were. She missed Galen so much when he was at work, though she had adjusted to being a healer's wife. She knew the hours were long, sometimes weird, and she knew that he loved her despite it all. But when she couldn't hold down a job to keep herself busy, it made her long for him. Or some piece of him.

Would it be unfair of her to blindside him with talk of kids the second he walked in the door? Probably. That was the answer she'd given herself nearly every night for the last month or so, and the conversation hadn't been brought up yet.

"Galen!" She greeted, coming out of the kitchen like a 50's housewife from those TV shows he liked so much. In fact, she was actually just finishing dinner. She wasn't much of a cook, and he had to put up with the attempts she made, but she tried to stick to things that were hard to mess up. And of course, there was a bowl of fresh blueberries on the table.

Her smile was wide and she threw her arms around him, hugging him close. He still smelled like the hospital, something she was used to. "You seem like you're in a pretty good mood. I take it today wasn't too rough?"

[Galen Pikler]

He honestly didn't care if she cooked. He knew she wasn't the best cook in the world, but he appreciated the effort. And he honestly loved her cooking, and, well, everything about her. What was there not to love?

"Hey, Janni," he said, breaking into an easy, relaxed smile at the sight of her. She really was the most beautiful woman in the world, and he lived for the moment he could come back home to her each day. "Eh, you know. It had its ups and downs. Had to treat a kid who was bitten by a werewolf, so that sucked. But the kid with dragon pox I've been treating finally seems to be getting better... the fever broke today. So, you know... it wasn't all good or all bad. But I always feel better when I get to come home to you."

[Janis Jones-Pikler]

"I always feel better when you come home, too," Janis said, kissing him once more before she pulled away. It seemed like they would never stop living in that honeymoon phase, and Janis didn't mind.

"I feel bad for the kid... I always imagine what a trauma that must be, and then having to deal with the Registry and everything... it's so much for a child to have to deal with." She squeezed his hand, the sympathy in her eyes. She didn't think he realized it, but Janis always felt that there was a certain level of danger to his job, and quite a lot of heartbreak. She always hoped that this didn't harden him, because all though he looked very intimidating, she knew just what a softie he could be.

"Do you want to change before dinner?"

[Galen Pikler]

There were certainly bad things about Galen's job, and he saw the stress it could take on some people. But for Galen, the good more than outweighed the bad. For every hopeless case, there were dozens of people he was able to help. That was what mattered to Galen; it made him feel like a superhero from the comic books he used to read every day as a child.

"Yeah, it's pretty stressful. For both the kid and the parents. But his parents are supporting him and are going to do whatever they can to keep the kid safe. It's pretty noble, really... a lot of parents abandon their kids when they've been bitten."

He touched her cheek lightly. "Yeah, I think I'd better get changed. I smell like hospital. In fact, I might even take a real quick shower."

[Janis Jones-Pikler]

"It helps that he had you, too. You've always had such a good bedside manner." He had a calming presence, too, and he always seemed so good with kids. Again, her mind strayed to the idea of the two of them having kids. She felt like it was time to have that talk.

Janis smiled almost slyly, saying nothing about the hospital smell on him. She hated that smell almost more than anything, but it was something she was growing used to from him, and she would never comment on it.

"Dinner will hold. Want me to join you?" she asked, her voice still soft, loving, but holding a mischievous quality to it.

[Galen Pikler]

Galen was proud of the work he did, but ultimately, it was about the patients and not about him. They were the priority, and if there was anything he could do for them, he would, even if it was just to comfort them. "I'm sure Jax would have been just as good for the kid," he said. "Really, he was a cute kid... it was impossible not to feel for him. But I was glad that I could help him a little, anyway."

He loved kids, and sometimes he regretted that he hadn't chosen pediatrics as a specialty. But he was just as good with all patients and treated them all to the best of his ability.

But all these thoughts vanished from his brain when Janis smiled at him like that. He knew that smile, and he matched it with one of his own. "Well, I'm not gonna say no to that..." he replied, moving a little closer to her and cupping her cheek with one of his large hands.

[Janis Jones-Pikler]

Janis grinned wider and leaned into his hand a little. She always loved his hands... it was one of those weird things that women picked up on.

If he kept going on about the kids he worked with and how cute they were... well, she couldn't be held responsible if she just came out with what she'd been dying to say for a while now. She honestly thought they were ready- they were financial stable, they lived in a big enough place, and Merlin knew the kid would never want for love.

She sighed a little, content, and got to her feet before taking his hand. "Come on," she said, the look in her eye loving and gentle.

[Galen Pikler]

When she looked at him like that, it was enough to make him melt. He lived for the moments he spent with her. As much as he loved his job, and was proud to be able to help people, it could also be exhausting and stressful and draining. It meant the world to him that he could come home to her at the end of the day and let her take all of that away from him.

He bent down to kiss her deeply. "Did I tell you that you're beautiful?" he asked, his voice low. "And that I love you?"

[Janis Jones-Pikler]

Janis shrugged and looked up and to the side, pretending to think about whether or not he said these things to her. "Only every day. And I love you too, Galen."

It was moments like this when she realized that as much as she loved her family... she'd give them all up for him. She knew her parents and her youngest sister didn't approve of him... and she didn't really care. She was happy, they loved each other. No one had the right to disapprove of that for either of them.

She led him upstairs and to their master bathroom, turning and giving him a teasing look. "I'll run the water."

[Galen Pikler]

Galen pretended not to notice that some of her family members were less than thrilled about the fact that he was married to her. After all, they weren't all that way. Abigail adored him, and Helen had always been nice to him as well. And really, when it came down to it, the only one whose opinion really mattered was hers. As long as she loved him, he didn't care whether anyone else liked it.

And maybe it was a strange time to bring this up, but the idea suddenly popped into his head, and he needed to tell her. As she started toward the bathroom door, he suddenly reached out and took her hand. "Hey, hang on a second," he said. "I want to talk to you about something, real quick."

[Janis Jones-Pikler]

Janis turned around as soon as his hand caught hers, her eyebrows going up. Though the way he said it had her concerned, she didn't show this, and the smile lingered on her lips.

"Yeah... anything," she told him, stopping just in front of him. "Is everything okay?"

Well, okay. She had to show that she was at least a little concerned, right? Whatever he wanted to talk about, she was there, and she would listen and talk. She just hoped that he was okay, and that nothing too heavy was weighing on his mind.

[Galen Pikler]

It wasn't anything bad at all. In fact, little did he know, but the thing that was on his mind was the very same thing she had been thinking about a few moments before.

Realizing that she was worried, he smiled softly and stroked her cheek again. "Nothing's wrong," he assured her quickly. "It's a good thing... or, at least, I hope you'll think it is. I was just thinking... How do you feel about children? I mean... us having them? Or trying to, anyway?"

It was coming out all wrong, and he laughed at himself for feeling so awkward about it.

[Janis Jones-Pikler]

Janis just kind of blinked at him when he finally revealed what he was talking about, or thinking about. Was she imagining him saying this? It was all that had been on her mind the last few days, weeks even. "Are you serious?" she asked, unable to help herself or stop herself from asking it.

She realized this may have been an offputting response, and shook her head. No, she definitely liked the idea of having children. "Galen... you have an impeccable knack for saying all of the right things at the right time."

[Galen Pikler]

Galen sort of felt for a moment like he was one of those cartoon animals he used to watch on TV back when he was a kid, like the coyote who ran off a cliff and hung there in mid air for a few minutes before realizing that there was nothing underneath his feet. Everything was suspended, hanging precariously on her reaction. And at first, he wasn't what he had hoped. She seemed stunned into disbelief, and he was wondering if he should consider taking it back, telling her he was only joking.

But then she smiled, and told him that he was saying the right thing at the right time. He took a breath and looked at her for a moment, trying to make sure he was reading her right. "You... you like the idea?" he said, a hopeful smile spreading across his own face.

[Janis Jones-Pikler]

Janis still wasn't sure that she wasn't making up this entire conversation. "Yeah, I like the idea," she said, nodding, her lips spreading into a wide smile as she leaned forward and kissed her husband.

Their story was a sweet one, though Janis knew her parents didn't entirely approve. Janis didn't think they had any right to approve or not, but she still breifly wondered what they would think if and when they heard she was having children. Abbey, even, might turn her nose up. She always seemed to make it a point to tell Janis that she should be doing more with her life, though at least the criticism wasn't aimed at Galen.

Laughing, Janis nodded again. "Do you want to get started now?"

[Galen Pikler]

Galen had to resist the urge to jump up and fistbump the air when she said she liked the idea of having children. It was really all he'd ever wanted; to have a family of his own. But at first, he had wanted to settle into just being married to Janis, and not push for anything else. If she just happened to get pregnant, that would be one thing, but he didn't want to push for anything else. But sometimes he thought of Janis all alone in the house while he worked long hours at the hospital, and he wondered whether she was really happy, and if maybe she would like having a baby around to take care of. And he knew that he wanted a baby to raise--a boy to play catch in the yard with or a girl to buy dolls for and have tea parties with. It all just sounded perfect to him.

Kissing her deeply, he smiled contentedly against her lips. They were so perfectly in synch sometimes that it was almost like they were one person instead of two. He never bothered to think about what her family or anyone else might think.... Janis was all that mattered.

"Yeah..." he said, reluctantly pulling away and cupping her cheek with one large hand. "I definitely would like to start now."

He kissed her again, lifting her into his arms and carrying her to the bed.