The Baker, Part 2: Sous Chef

Chapter 1

Cassie sighed as she looked down at the white stick with —what seems like—the thousandth blue line she's seen in the past five months. Actually, that may not be exaggerating. This very well might be the thousandth blue line. She wouldn't be surprised.

With a soft sniffle, she aggressively threw away the stick and washed her hands. She won't tell Ben about this one, not this time. To make sure he wouldn't see the stick in the trash, she buried it in the bottom of the trashcan. If he sees it, he'll get mad at her for her not telling him she took another test. He always wants to know, but the more she tells him, the more heartbroken he gets.

Cassie walked out of the bathroom and walked around the many unpacked boxes on the floor of their new house to make her way to the window. She opened the doors to the balcony to let in the chilly, but oddly comforting, October weather. She stepped out and leaned herself over the rail, enjoying the view and the breeze and just life itself even though she had just got her heart broken once again.

Her and Ben have been trying for a baby for the longest time. Ever since the Star Trek premier, they've been going at it like rabbits, but something has yet to happen. The first time the test was negative, they brushed it off and kept trying. The second time hurt, but kept going. After the tenth and eleventh time...well, it put a strain on their marriage.

It's unfortunate, but they fight all the time. Ben used to insist that a baby was not the most important thing in the world, but the look in his eyes when she tells him that the test was negative says the complete opposite. She knows how badly he wants children and she wants to give him as many as they can. With their nearly ten year age difference, she can pop them out for the next several years if they want. If they can.

She's made doctor appointments for them to see if anything was wrong, but every time the appointment came around, Ben had to travel somewhere or he had a "very important" meeting that he just could not miss. Maybe a child really wasn't that important to him. Maybe she isn't. That's how she feels anyways. They had their honeymoon phase up until about two months ago. Now she isn't sure what the hell is going on.

As she continued staring out into the world, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist from behind. She jumped a bit, but eased when she felt a warm pair of lips press to her neck. "You alright?" That lovely deep voice asked.

Cassie nodded and put her arms around his. "Just thinking," she told him. He hummed, then asked, "About what?" Despite their marriage being a little strained, they did try to make it better. His effort was showing that he really does care what's bothering her or about her day.

She shrugged and answered, "Various things, I suppose." He waited for her to say something else, but she didn't. He supposed this morning's fight was still fresh in her head, so he unwrapped his arms and breathed a kiss to her hair. "I'm going to take a shower," he told her.

He walked back into the bedroom and went straight to the bathroom. As soon as she heard the shower turn on, she closed her eyes and let a few tears fall down her cheeks. She hated this. She hated how their conversations were so scarce, how they were only having sex because they felt they had to so they can have a baby and not because they wanted to simply make love. She hated it.

She went back into the bedroom and kept the doors open to keep that cool, calming breeze going. She went up to one of the many unpacked boxes and opened it. She took out the items in the box and put them in their rightful place in the bedroom like their wedding pictures, any family photos of her's and Ben's parents, or Kelly, even Leo.

The other boxes included clothes and suits, which she ironed, then hung up or folded in the drawers. She was almost done with most the boxes by the time the shower turned off. She could hear Ben shuffling around the bathroom, opening and closing the medicine cabinet, grumble about how he needs a new razor.