Disclaimer: Not my characters.
A/N: Jackie, thanks for beta'ing. I thought about turning this into a longer story, but RL is pretty busy at the moment, and I really don't have time. So it's going to stay a one-shot.
Tarzan closed his eyes, enjoying the gentle breeze as it danced through the leaves and tickled his face. Though he had recently learned how to tell time using he a clock, he disliked wearing a watch, finding it too restricting. He preferred using the sun. Now, as he glanced up at the sky, he decided that it was almost time for Jane to arrive.
He shifted; getting more comfortable on the branch and then looked down expectantly. He and Jane had reached a compromise in the week following the trial: he would stop following her around all day if she had lunch with him every day. What she didn't know was that Tarzan occasionally checked up on her, taking the phrase all day literally.
What Tarzan was surprised to discover was that he actually enjoyed watching people. After so many years with only animals as his companions, Tarzan had forgotten how people interacted with each other. Studying from the safety of his tree was fascinating, and Central Park certainly offered a wide variety of people to observe.
He heard a cry and was instantly alert. Carefully looking around, he located the source of the noise a few yards to his left. It was a woman, though she was not the one who had cried. As Tarzan watched, she reached into some sort of padded pushcart and picked up a baby.
Tarzan moved to a different branch to get a better view. The woman rocked the infant in her arms, humming a tune that sounded vaguely familiar to Tarzan. As she sang, the baby grew quiet.
A man approached the woman, led by a dog on a leash. Tarzan, sensing no threat in his body language, stayed where he was. The woman looked at the man and smiled.
"I think she wants her daddy."
The man grinned and took the child, cooing softly to her.
Tarzan felt a strange tightness in his chest; a feeling he couldn't quite explain or understand. He was so preoccupied with the family that he didn't notice Jane's arrival.
"Hey."
Tarzan dropped to the ground next to her. He slid his arms around her waist and pulled her close.
"I brought lunch," Jane said, disentangling herself from his embrace. She held up a brown paper bag.
Ignoring the food, Tarzan took her hand and held it to his lips. "If we have a baby, people will know we are mates."
Jane's eyes widened, her face draining of all color. "Umm, John, we haven't actually, uh, mated—"
"Yet." There was no trace of hesitation in his tone.
"—And, uh, a baby? Where did you get that idea?" She followed his gaze to the young couple. "Oh."
Tarzan released her hand. "You don't want a baby."
"Yes. But not yet."
"Not yet."
"John, I'm still trying to figure things out with us." She tucked her hair behind her ears. "Besides, we don't need to have a baby for people to know we're together."
Tarzan smiled, lightly brushing his knuckles over Jane's stomach. "But I want a baby."
"John—"
"I want a family."
"You already have a family."
"Richard," Tarzan growled.
"Kathleen."
Tarzan bent his head to Jane's ear, lowering his voice. "I want a family with you."
"With me. Uh . . ." Jane tried to step away, but his arm shot out and held her in place. "Lets – Let's just get a puppy."
"A puppy."
"Yeah, a puppy. Something we can look after together." Jane's beeper went off, calling her back to the precinct. "I have to go. I'll see you later."
She kissed his cheek, pressed the bag into his hand and left. Tarzan climbed back into the tree and slowly ate the lunch Jane had brought.
A puppy, he thought. The family he'd been watching had a dog.
Tarzan smiled. Yes, he decided, a puppy was a good thing. A puppy was a start.
fin