The Baker, Part 2: Sous Chef

Chapter 28

Ben chuckled when he read the latest text from Cassie. It was captioned, 'Having so much fun! Missing you!' Attached to it was a picture of her in front of a giant poster of Smaug. He smiled like a loon, then texted back, 'Looking hot as always, baby. Glad your having fun and I'll see you at the panel later. Love you!'

He pocketed his phone just in time for the interviewer to walk in. They made small talk while people set up the cameras and microphones. When they were all set and rolling, Ben realized he wasn't entirely prepared for the questions that were about to be thrown at him. 

This was going to be his first interview since Cassie tried to commit suicide. 

"Hello, Benedict, how are you?" The interviewer started. 

"I'm doing great, thanks," he answered. 

"Good, good. So, right now you're here to promote the Penguins of Madagascar. How was this different from other roles you've taken on?"

"Well, first of all, this was voice acting, rather than physical acting. Being trapped in a room with people watching you and how you voice the character is a bit more tricky in my opinion. It has to be a little more perfected, but fun nonetheless."

"Now that you have a son, is it important for you to take on more children movies like this one?"

Ben smiled at the thought of his baby and said, "Actually, it is. I would love to be able to do more movies that he can watch in a few years. Pretty much all of them he can't watch for a very, very long time. So, yes you might be seeing a bit more of that."

The interviewer flipped through some of his question cards, then asked, "How's Cassie doing?"

Ben smiled as he told him, "She's doing brilliantly. She's the best mother, wife, best friend...she's everything. If not for her, I would be completely lost in the world."

"And how is she after her incident a few months ago? Word got around that she attempted to commit suicide."

Wow, Ben thought to himself, the prick just wants to dive right in, doesn't he? "I will not be commenting on my wife's mental illness. It's a family matter, not a public one."

He side eyed his publicist, who simply shrugged as if to say she didn't know these questions would be asked. The interviewer continued, "I can absolutely respect that. Has her mental illness effected your work in any way?"

What in the bloody fuck is wrong with this guy? "Again, I will not be commenting on my wife's mental illness, whether that include her personally or how it's effected those around her. Now, I would appreciate it if you ask questions about this movie since that's what I'm here for."

He watched as the interviewer flipped through card after card, trying to find a question about the movie. Ben's temper was flaring when he saw more than half of those cards were questions about Cassie. This was not how he wanted to start today. 

"You know what, if you can't be a damn professional, I'm not going to sit here and take this." He suddenly stood up and harshly took off his mic, before walking out of the room with his team. "Ben, you are going to get some serious backlash for that," Karon warned. 

"Yeah, well, maybe it'll be a warning to the rest of the interviews I have to do today; do not ask me about my wife trying to kill herself!" Karon understood where his anger was coming from and was sure to get in touch with every producer to every interview he had to ensure no questions would be asked about his wife. 

Luckily, that didn't happen for the rest of the day. 

He was being asked simple questions about his movie, some about upcoming movies. "Are you excited to be filming Black Mass?" One interviewer, Josh Horowitz, asked. Ben smiled as he answered, "Yeah, I'm very excited for that one! It's a great story, a great cast ensemble. Only downside of it is, my wife has threatened to divorce me if she doesn't get to meet Johnny Depp."

They had a good laugh about that and left it at that. There were no follow up questions about her, but rather just a change in the subject. He gave Karon a grateful look. 

A little later into his day, he called his parents to check up on Liam. They told him he was being perfect and that he misses his mommy and daddy. Ben smiled like a loon when he heard Liam shout "Ma!" in the background. He asked Wanda to put him on the phone and listened to his son's baby babbles for a few minutes. 

As he was walking to Hall H with his co-stars for the Penguins panel, he got a text from Adam saying, Hey, man! Just letting you know that Kate has gone into labour! Been at the hospital scared out of my wits for hours now! I'll let you know when he or she arrives!

Ben was itching to call Adam, but he got pulled to get ready to go on stage. First, John Malkovich's name was called and he walked on stage. When Ben's name was called, the entire room went wild. He smiled and waved and looked at the faces up front, spotting Cassie and Kelly. 

He gave his wife a wave and blew her a kiss. 

Throughout his time on stage, he answered fan questions, interview questions, cracked some jokes. When asking if he liked doing these types of movies, he said, "I do, I do, especially now that I have a baby at home. Not to mention it keeps me at home because being in a recording studio doesn't require any traveling. I love to be home with my wife and my baby."

He watched as Cassie smiled proudly with a hand over her heart. He then added, "Which it looks like my wife approves of that answer." That got everyone to laugh. 

Afterwards, he was led backstage, where he chatted a bit with his co-stars and various other people. He had never been so happy, though, when he saw Karon escorting Cassie to him. "Oh, thank God," he chuckled, as he brought her in for a much needed hug. 

"Long day?" She asked in his neck. He sighed and told her, "The longest. Unfortunately, it's not over yet. I'm just glad to see you." He pulled back, then pulled her in for a kiss. "Would you mind if we cancelled the reservations for tonight and just stayed in?" He asked. 

She ran her fingers through his hair and said, "Of course I don't mind. We'll order room service and rent a movie. How's that sound?" He put his face into her neck and said, "Perfect. Can we do it now?" She laughed and hugged him tighter. 

"Not now," she said, "but in a few hours. If you need me, call me. I'll be here as long as you." He breathed in her scent, then kissed her neck. "I love you," he murmured against her skin. "I love you, too," she told him

She patted his back, then pulled away. "Go on, you've got stuff to do." He pouted, but nodded and gave her one more kiss. 

The rest of the day seemed to drag on. He signed autographs, took pictures with fans, even talked to some of them about whatever they wanted to know. It was fun, but exhausting. By the time he could leave, he had gotten a text from Cassie saying her and Kelly went back to the hotel. He didn't realize how late it had gotten. 

When he got back to the hotel, he made a b-line to the bed and face planted into the pillow. A few minutes later, he felt hands start to message his shoulders. He hummed in approval, then grunted when a spot was hit just right. 

"You are very tense, Mr. Cumberbatch," Cassie softly said. He groaned when he felt a knot go loose, then said, "It's been a tense day, Mrs. Cumberbatch. I'm about ready to head home." Cassie's hands disappeared and she got in bed next to him. 

"I am, too," she told him. "I miss Liam." Ben smirked, then took her hand in his. "I miss him, too, love," he told her. "Just one more day and we'll see him." She smiled at the thought and closed her eyes. Ben could tell she was drifting off to sleep. As much as his stomach growled, he couldn't help but follow right after her.