While Flynn went to secure the treasure they'd brought back from their first date, Baird wandered into the Annex's main room. She could hear a commotion coming from the doorway that lead to the kitchen.
"What's going on?" She asked Jenkins who was working at a nearby table.
"Oh. That. Ms. Cillian wanted to bake a cake to celebrate the Library's return. Mr. Stone had some rather strong opinions about the type of cake. And I believe Mr. Jones is making a nuisance out of himself as usual."
Baird rolled her eyes and walked toward the kitchen muttering about them being no better than children.
In the kitchen, Cassandra and Stone were having a spirited conversation about cake techniques. Stone was throwing out words that Baird vaguely recognized from late night watching of the Food Network. Cassandra was shaking her head and saying that it didn't matter, baking was just science and math. Ezekiel was in the process of opening a bag of chocolate chips.
"Okay, everyone, stop it!"
Cassandra and Stone immediately stopped their conversation and looked over at Baird. Ezekiel continued to open the bag and started to pour a handful into his palm.
"Jones, do not eat those, we probably need them for something." She glared at him until he stopped. "Cassandra, what kind of cake did you want to make? And Stone, for God's sake, do not start saying things like genoise until she's finished."
"Genoise . . ." Cassandra said looking at Stone as if he was the genius instead of Baird who'd brought it up.
Baird cleared her throat.
"Right, I wanted to bake a chocolate cake."
"Alright then, now Stone?"
"A chocolate genoise with a ganache filling would work. Although, admittedly I can do a granache off the top of my head but a genoise . . . ."
"That's alright, I can!" Cassandra beamed excitedly. "Do we have something to use for a double boiler?"
Now Stone was staring at Cassandra as if she was the most brilliant thing he'd ever seen in the universe. Baird rolled her eyes again. These two and their longing looks and their trust issues were going to be the death of her.
She cleared her throat and Stone sprang into action. While the twosome was busy getting things going for their cake, Baird's attention was taken up once again by Jones.
"Ezekiel! I don't know a lot about baking, but I do know that they're going to need that chocolate. So stop eating it!"
"Can you get him out of here?" Stone asked over his shoulder as he handed a steel bowl to Cassandra.
"Gladly," Baird grabbed Jones' arm and pulled him forcibly from the room.
"Actually," Cassandra's voice came from behind them. "Can either of you run to the store? We're going to need another bag of chocolate chips and some confectioner's sugar. No hurry it's for the frosting, so we have time."
Baird had more fun with Jones at the grocery store then she'd ever admit to anyone. Ever. It did take quite longer than she had anticipated because the cakes were already cooling by the time they returned.
The ganache was already made, just waiting for the cakes to cool so that it could be used to fill them.
Stone was drying out the stand mixer (Baird had long since stopped wondering why the Library had such things in its kitchen) so that the frosting could be made. Cassandra had made the cake but she let him make the frosting.
Once it was finished, Stone turned to Cassandra, "would you like to taste it?"
"Sure," she beamed.
He scooped a little onto a spoon and held it out to her, but instead of taking the spoon, she swiped her finger across the spoon. Then she popped her finger in her mouth to lick off the frosting, humming in approval of the flavor.
Ezekiel's eyes widened in the doorway as he was watching the two. Then he started chuckling at Stone's reaction.
"'S good," Cassandra muttered around her finger.
And the spoon that Stone had been holding clattered to the ground. Followed by a sound that sounded like a choke and a whole lot of coughing.
"Are you okay?" Cassandra asked, looking concerned. Baird started pounding him on the back.
When he recovered, he'd muttered about something going down the wrong way. Ezekiel just doubled over in laughter, until Baird's glare sent him out of the room.
"I swear it's like herding cats . . . ."She muttered.
"Did someone say cake? Oooh, can I frost it?" Flynn had suddenly appeared in the doorway.
Baird threw her hands up in the air and just turned heel and followed Jones out. She didn't want any part of what happened next.
Baird sat at her and Flynn's shared desk, resolutely ignoring the sounds coming from the kitchen. Weird noises mostly, followed by Stone's voice "Maybe you don't wanna be doing that, Flynn," and Cassandra's "Oh Flynn, are you okay?"
But finally the noises stopped and Cassandra was carefully carrying the cake out to the main table. At some point, the table had been cleared of its usual collection of books, manuscripts and clutter, but Eve wasn't sure when that happened.
The cake, despite everything, was delicious.
"We should do this again," Cassandra smiled at Stone who was regarding her with a fond expression on his face.
Baird rolled her eyes. "If you do, it'll be at one of your places, not here."
Stone and Cassandra looked a bit startled at the idea. Ezekiel winked at Baird from behind Cassandra.
"I think that would be an excellent idea," Jones said, nudging Flynn. "What do you think?"
"Huh?" asked Flynn through a mouthful of cake.
"Never mind," said Baird, shaking her head. "So why don't you tell us how your solo mission went?"
Cassandra, Jones and Stone all started talking at once. Baird laughed and looked over at Jenkins, who shook his head and picked up his piece of cake and wandered away. Baird put her feet up on the desk and leaned back, listening to her "kids" tell their tale.
Cake and her newfound family. No place she'd rather be.