Life is what happens...
Stephen was already on the bed, propped against the headboard as he read the book he’d been anticipating for months, when she stepped into the master bath to get ready to join him. Cassie’s plans for the evening didn’t involved a book though, unless you counted things she might have learned from the Kama Sutra. Slipping into her new purple corset and matching knickers, she brushed her teeth and went through the usual nighttime rituals. Once she got into bed, she had no intention of getting back out until the morning.
Quietly, she returned to the bedroom, watching her husband with a small smile. Merlin, she loved him. Marrying in her early twenties had never been something she’d anticipated, but being with Stephen had felt right from the start. Even before she was ready to acknowledge it.
A bit of movement coming from the bath caught his eye, and Stephen glanced up with a smile. At the sight of his wife all dolled up in a lace merrywidow, one brow rose as his lips curled. “Well hello there, Mrs. Cornfoot,” he said, leaning over to set his book on the bedside table.
“Hello, Mr. Cornfoot,” Cassie replied, crossing to the bed and taking a seat at its edge. “Don’t let me distract you from your reading,” she added casually as she arched her back in a cat-like stretch, “I know you’ve been looking forward to that one coming out.”
“Right.” Like she wasn’t doing the exact opposite of what she was saying, stretching out and pushing her breasts out just for the bloody hell of it. “I see you’re feeling better than you were this morning.”
Making a show of snuggling down into the mound of pillows behind her, she pretended not to noticed the sarcasm in his response. “Much. It must have been something I ate. I was fine before noon.”
When she’d awakened that morning, Cassie was certain she was coming down with a stomach bug. A few glasses of water and a couple saltines were all she could manage to get down before the feeling it would all come back up was too risky. By lunchtime the nastiness had subsided though, and now she was ready to celebrate how good she felt with the gorgeous man beside her.
Stephen’s hand slipped over the comforter, creeping over Cassie’s smooth thigh. “And now you’re showcasing that fact?” he queried in a low, smooth tone.
“Mmhmm. I didn’t want you to worry. You can see I’m in perfect health, right?” Slender fingers reached up and carded through Stephen’s short hair.
Stephen smirked and trailed his fingers over her skin, dancing over her inner thigh. “Perfect health,” he murmured, tugging her closer as she raked her nails over his scalp. He was perfectly content to let her do that all night long if she wanted.
But he doubted that was why she was wearing brand new lingerie.
Leaning close, her lips brushed his. Aside from her brief bout of nausea that morning, she’d been feeling good and remarkably randy lately. She kept expecting not to want her husband so much, but the newlywed novelty hadn’t worn off yet. “Would you like to check me over? Make sure for yourself?”
The idea sounded so, so tempting, but there was one tiny problem. “Isn’t it... you know? That time?” he asked, pulling back enough to look her full in the face.
Cassie raised a brow. “Do you think I’d break out this outfit if it was that time? That would just be mean.”
“Well, no,” Stephen said, giving her a look. “It’s just... you know, it’s been a little longer than usual. I just thought it was getting about that time and all.” Maybe most men wouldn’t consider it manly to keep track of... that sort of thing, but Stephen liked to know when he wouldn’t be getting sex.
A slight crease formed between Cassie’s blonde brows as she tried to remember when she’d last had her period. It hadn’t been that long ago. She didn’t really think too hard about it most of the time. Every few weeks it turned up, but maybe it had been a bit longer than usual. Odd.
“I guess I am a little late,” she concurred, dragging her lips along her husband’s jaw. “A little extra playtime, then. Lucky us.”
“Huh. Weird.” Reaching out for her, Stephen grasped her hips and pulled her into his lap. His thumbs traced little tiny circles over her lace-encased sides as his lips found her shoulder. “Lucky us indeed.”
Humming softly, her hands smoothed over his back, her body pressed close. Her mind kept flitting back to what Stephen had pointed out, though. She pulled back with a small frown. “I haven’t even been irritable.” It wasn’t something she was particularly proud of, but Cassie knew she became a real viper when she had PMS.
“I wasn’t going to say anything about that...”
“Do you think I should see a healer? This can’t be normal, right? I mean, I have been feeling sick.” She’d always been healthy, but maybe something was going on with her.
Stephen’s brow furrowed as he considered his wife. “I don’t know, love. You haven’t been feeling sick for that long, have you? Just this morning?”
Just sick in the morning. Late period. Cassie’s mouth dropped open. She couldn’t be, could she? “Oh no.”
“Oh no, what oh no?” Stephen asked, eyes widening in slight alarm. “What’s wrong, Cass?”
“Why do most people feel sick and miss their periods, Stephen?”
“I’m not a woman, love, I don’t know. I mean, I guess you’d miss it if you were...”
He trailed off, his eyes growing even wider as he looked at his wife. It wasn’t... it wasn’t possible. They’d only been married eight months; it was too soon. He wasn’t-- they weren’t-- ready for this.
“You’re not... are you?”
“Well, I don’t know. It’s not like I’ve done this before.” She’d been taking contraceptive potions, but they weren’t foolproof. At least, that was what the healers always said. They’d never failed her before.
Looking at Stephen’s face, she could see his reaction mirrored her own. It was a terrifying idea. Getting married was one thing. They hadn’t even begun to discuss having a family. It wasn’t time for that. It was the weekend, the healer’s office was closed until Monday. There was no way she could wonder about this for days. “Don’t Muggles have some kind of test? We need a test!”
“I don’t know, I think so?” Cassie’s anxiety was quickly feeding his own, and all thoughts of enjoying his wife in her lacy lingerie flew out the window.
“Would you go buy one? I don’t think I can sleep with this hanging over me. We’ve got to know, don’t we? I mean, we can’t wait, right? We won’t be able to think of anything else.” Cassie’s hand drifted down to her stomach. “Merlin, what if I’m pregnant?”
For that, Stephen didn’t have an answer. He reached out to cover her hand with his, grasping her fingers with his own as he squeezed gently. “If you’re... if you’re pregnant,” he said, finally able to say the word-- in a tone of confidence he didn’t quite feel, “then we’ll deal with it. It’ll be alright.”
Leaning against her husband, she laid her head on his shoulder. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to have Stephen’s children. That had always been something she’d seen in her future, and it had always been a happy thought. It just wasn’t supposed to be her immediate future.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It was less than an hour later that Cassie and Stephen were sitting on the side of the deep tub in their large loo, hands clasped together as they waited the three minutes until they could read the result of the test that would tell them their fate. Her stomach was turning, but this time it was solely due to nerves.
The alarm they’d set buzzed, and clear blue eyes looked to Stephen’s green. “You look.”
Part of Stephen didn’t want to look. He didn’t want to give the little piece of Muggle plastic the satisfaction of holding that much power over him. That little stick held their future; something so small, using means that Stephen didn’t understand-- how could it be that they were so reliant on it to know the truth?
Reluctantly, he let go her hands and rose from his seat, crossing the two steps to the marble counter. His hands grasped the counter tops as he met his own gaze in the mirror. A long second passed, then another. Taking a deep breath, his knuckles whitened as he gripped the counter tighter, then glanced down at the tiny strip.
Plus.
She saw the blood drain from his face and she knew. They were going to have a baby. She was pregnant. “Oh my God,” Cassie breathed, her eyes beginning to water. For several minutes, that was the only thought in her head. Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. Over and over as she sat motionless on the tub.
God, he was going to be a father.
“Cass,” he crossed back to the tub and sank down next to his wife, running his hands over her bare shoulders. “It’s going to be alright, baby,” he said soothingly, reaching up to brush away a tear that fell down her cheek. “I know we weren’t planning on it, but we’ll be okay. It’s going to be alright, love.”
Slowly, she nodded. They would be okay. They loved each other and this was always in the cards for them eventually. That it would happen earlier than they’d anticipated was overwhelming, but hardly a tragedy. Looking up at the man before her, Cassie asked, “Honestly, are you happy about this?”
“Honestly?” he echoed. “I think I’m in shock.”
“Me too,” Cassie admitted. Shock was a good description of what she was feeling. Or not feeling. It was an anxious sort of numbness. “But you’re not upset? You want kids, right?”
Stephen nodded slowly. “Yeah, I do. I just didn’t think we’d be having this talk for a few years, you know?”
“Yeah.” There wasn’t much they could do now, though. A baby was on the way, growing inside her as they spoke. “My mother will be pleased, anyway. She doesn’t say much, but I know she’s been looking forward to being a grandmother.” Shaking her head, she added, “I can’t believe we’re going to be parents.”
“Me neither.” Climbing back up onto the side of the tub, Stephen’s arms wrapped around Cassie’s slim waist and pulled her close, running one hand up and down her back. “Are you upset?”
“I don’t know what I am, really,” she answered honestly. “I’m sure you’re right, everything will be okay, but right now I’m trying not to feel horrid that my primary thought is that our freedom is ending.”
“I think it’s alright to feel that way, love,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to her temple. “The thought crossed my mind as well. So if you're horrid, then I’m horrid.”
“At least we’ll be horrid together,” she said with a little laugh. “I suppose my plans for this evening are a waste, hmm? New lingerie I won’t be able to fit into for very long, and all.”
“I don’t think you’re going to gain a stone overnight,” Stephen commented idly, holding her close against him. “I think we’ll get use out of it before it’s relegated to the bureau.”
Cassie snickered. “Well, and it’s not as if we’ll have to concern ourselves with pregnancy now. That ship has sailed. Really, we should take advantage. No menstrual cycle for nine months, no worry over pregnancy. Perfect time to shag like bunnies, at least until you get turned off by my belly.”
Stephen snorted. “That’ll never happen,” he said as one hand slipped around to splay out over her flat stomach. There was a baby in there-- his baby. It was a harrowing and humbling thought; he was responsible for another life. “I promise.”
“Maybe tonight you can just hold me, though,” she suggested, linking their fingers. “And tomorrow we can deal with reality.”
His lips curled, and Stephen rose with her in his arms, cradling her gently. “That, I can do.”
Quietly, she returned to the bedroom, watching her husband with a small smile. Merlin, she loved him. Marrying in her early twenties had never been something she’d anticipated, but being with Stephen had felt right from the start. Even before she was ready to acknowledge it.
A bit of movement coming from the bath caught his eye, and Stephen glanced up with a smile. At the sight of his wife all dolled up in a lace merrywidow, one brow rose as his lips curled. “Well hello there, Mrs. Cornfoot,” he said, leaning over to set his book on the bedside table.
“Hello, Mr. Cornfoot,” Cassie replied, crossing to the bed and taking a seat at its edge. “Don’t let me distract you from your reading,” she added casually as she arched her back in a cat-like stretch, “I know you’ve been looking forward to that one coming out.”
“Right.” Like she wasn’t doing the exact opposite of what she was saying, stretching out and pushing her breasts out just for the bloody hell of it. “I see you’re feeling better than you were this morning.”
Making a show of snuggling down into the mound of pillows behind her, she pretended not to noticed the sarcasm in his response. “Much. It must have been something I ate. I was fine before noon.”
When she’d awakened that morning, Cassie was certain she was coming down with a stomach bug. A few glasses of water and a couple saltines were all she could manage to get down before the feeling it would all come back up was too risky. By lunchtime the nastiness had subsided though, and now she was ready to celebrate how good she felt with the gorgeous man beside her.
Stephen’s hand slipped over the comforter, creeping over Cassie’s smooth thigh. “And now you’re showcasing that fact?” he queried in a low, smooth tone.
“Mmhmm. I didn’t want you to worry. You can see I’m in perfect health, right?” Slender fingers reached up and carded through Stephen’s short hair.
Stephen smirked and trailed his fingers over her skin, dancing over her inner thigh. “Perfect health,” he murmured, tugging her closer as she raked her nails over his scalp. He was perfectly content to let her do that all night long if she wanted.
But he doubted that was why she was wearing brand new lingerie.
Leaning close, her lips brushed his. Aside from her brief bout of nausea that morning, she’d been feeling good and remarkably randy lately. She kept expecting not to want her husband so much, but the newlywed novelty hadn’t worn off yet. “Would you like to check me over? Make sure for yourself?”
The idea sounded so, so tempting, but there was one tiny problem. “Isn’t it... you know? That time?” he asked, pulling back enough to look her full in the face.
Cassie raised a brow. “Do you think I’d break out this outfit if it was that time? That would just be mean.”
“Well, no,” Stephen said, giving her a look. “It’s just... you know, it’s been a little longer than usual. I just thought it was getting about that time and all.” Maybe most men wouldn’t consider it manly to keep track of... that sort of thing, but Stephen liked to know when he wouldn’t be getting sex.
A slight crease formed between Cassie’s blonde brows as she tried to remember when she’d last had her period. It hadn’t been that long ago. She didn’t really think too hard about it most of the time. Every few weeks it turned up, but maybe it had been a bit longer than usual. Odd.
“I guess I am a little late,” she concurred, dragging her lips along her husband’s jaw. “A little extra playtime, then. Lucky us.”
“Huh. Weird.” Reaching out for her, Stephen grasped her hips and pulled her into his lap. His thumbs traced little tiny circles over her lace-encased sides as his lips found her shoulder. “Lucky us indeed.”
Humming softly, her hands smoothed over his back, her body pressed close. Her mind kept flitting back to what Stephen had pointed out, though. She pulled back with a small frown. “I haven’t even been irritable.” It wasn’t something she was particularly proud of, but Cassie knew she became a real viper when she had PMS.
“I wasn’t going to say anything about that...”
“Do you think I should see a healer? This can’t be normal, right? I mean, I have been feeling sick.” She’d always been healthy, but maybe something was going on with her.
Stephen’s brow furrowed as he considered his wife. “I don’t know, love. You haven’t been feeling sick for that long, have you? Just this morning?”
Just sick in the morning. Late period. Cassie’s mouth dropped open. She couldn’t be, could she? “Oh no.”
“Oh no, what oh no?” Stephen asked, eyes widening in slight alarm. “What’s wrong, Cass?”
“Why do most people feel sick and miss their periods, Stephen?”
“I’m not a woman, love, I don’t know. I mean, I guess you’d miss it if you were...”
He trailed off, his eyes growing even wider as he looked at his wife. It wasn’t... it wasn’t possible. They’d only been married eight months; it was too soon. He wasn’t-- they weren’t-- ready for this.
“You’re not... are you?”
“Well, I don’t know. It’s not like I’ve done this before.” She’d been taking contraceptive potions, but they weren’t foolproof. At least, that was what the healers always said. They’d never failed her before.
Looking at Stephen’s face, she could see his reaction mirrored her own. It was a terrifying idea. Getting married was one thing. They hadn’t even begun to discuss having a family. It wasn’t time for that. It was the weekend, the healer’s office was closed until Monday. There was no way she could wonder about this for days. “Don’t Muggles have some kind of test? We need a test!”
“I don’t know, I think so?” Cassie’s anxiety was quickly feeding his own, and all thoughts of enjoying his wife in her lacy lingerie flew out the window.
“Would you go buy one? I don’t think I can sleep with this hanging over me. We’ve got to know, don’t we? I mean, we can’t wait, right? We won’t be able to think of anything else.” Cassie’s hand drifted down to her stomach. “Merlin, what if I’m pregnant?”
For that, Stephen didn’t have an answer. He reached out to cover her hand with his, grasping her fingers with his own as he squeezed gently. “If you’re... if you’re pregnant,” he said, finally able to say the word-- in a tone of confidence he didn’t quite feel, “then we’ll deal with it. It’ll be alright.”
Leaning against her husband, she laid her head on his shoulder. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to have Stephen’s children. That had always been something she’d seen in her future, and it had always been a happy thought. It just wasn’t supposed to be her immediate future.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It was less than an hour later that Cassie and Stephen were sitting on the side of the deep tub in their large loo, hands clasped together as they waited the three minutes until they could read the result of the test that would tell them their fate. Her stomach was turning, but this time it was solely due to nerves.
The alarm they’d set buzzed, and clear blue eyes looked to Stephen’s green. “You look.”
Part of Stephen didn’t want to look. He didn’t want to give the little piece of Muggle plastic the satisfaction of holding that much power over him. That little stick held their future; something so small, using means that Stephen didn’t understand-- how could it be that they were so reliant on it to know the truth?
Reluctantly, he let go her hands and rose from his seat, crossing the two steps to the marble counter. His hands grasped the counter tops as he met his own gaze in the mirror. A long second passed, then another. Taking a deep breath, his knuckles whitened as he gripped the counter tighter, then glanced down at the tiny strip.
Plus.
She saw the blood drain from his face and she knew. They were going to have a baby. She was pregnant. “Oh my God,” Cassie breathed, her eyes beginning to water. For several minutes, that was the only thought in her head. Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. Over and over as she sat motionless on the tub.
God, he was going to be a father.
“Cass,” he crossed back to the tub and sank down next to his wife, running his hands over her bare shoulders. “It’s going to be alright, baby,” he said soothingly, reaching up to brush away a tear that fell down her cheek. “I know we weren’t planning on it, but we’ll be okay. It’s going to be alright, love.”
Slowly, she nodded. They would be okay. They loved each other and this was always in the cards for them eventually. That it would happen earlier than they’d anticipated was overwhelming, but hardly a tragedy. Looking up at the man before her, Cassie asked, “Honestly, are you happy about this?”
“Honestly?” he echoed. “I think I’m in shock.”
“Me too,” Cassie admitted. Shock was a good description of what she was feeling. Or not feeling. It was an anxious sort of numbness. “But you’re not upset? You want kids, right?”
Stephen nodded slowly. “Yeah, I do. I just didn’t think we’d be having this talk for a few years, you know?”
“Yeah.” There wasn’t much they could do now, though. A baby was on the way, growing inside her as they spoke. “My mother will be pleased, anyway. She doesn’t say much, but I know she’s been looking forward to being a grandmother.” Shaking her head, she added, “I can’t believe we’re going to be parents.”
“Me neither.” Climbing back up onto the side of the tub, Stephen’s arms wrapped around Cassie’s slim waist and pulled her close, running one hand up and down her back. “Are you upset?”
“I don’t know what I am, really,” she answered honestly. “I’m sure you’re right, everything will be okay, but right now I’m trying not to feel horrid that my primary thought is that our freedom is ending.”
“I think it’s alright to feel that way, love,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to her temple. “The thought crossed my mind as well. So if you're horrid, then I’m horrid.”
“At least we’ll be horrid together,” she said with a little laugh. “I suppose my plans for this evening are a waste, hmm? New lingerie I won’t be able to fit into for very long, and all.”
“I don’t think you’re going to gain a stone overnight,” Stephen commented idly, holding her close against him. “I think we’ll get use out of it before it’s relegated to the bureau.”
Cassie snickered. “Well, and it’s not as if we’ll have to concern ourselves with pregnancy now. That ship has sailed. Really, we should take advantage. No menstrual cycle for nine months, no worry over pregnancy. Perfect time to shag like bunnies, at least until you get turned off by my belly.”
Stephen snorted. “That’ll never happen,” he said as one hand slipped around to splay out over her flat stomach. There was a baby in there-- his baby. It was a harrowing and humbling thought; he was responsible for another life. “I promise.”
“Maybe tonight you can just hold me, though,” she suggested, linking their fingers. “And tomorrow we can deal with reality.”
His lips curled, and Stephen rose with her in his arms, cradling her gently. “That, I can do.”