Notes: This work is based on the fantastic story by Artemis J. Halk, called 'Life in Twenty-Four Parts', which can be found on this site. I highly recommend that piece, and so I have now, for the sake of simplicity, posted the entire story here in chronological order (of which better than 80% is my original writing). However, for those of you who want the skinny, the facts are these: 'Life in Twenty-Four Parts' is an AU where Ned does not have the magic finger, Chuck never died, and the two meet for the first time as adults when Chuck comes into the Pie Hole as a customer. She and the pie-maker fall in love over pie, coffee, and conversations as they navigate the perils of Chuck's abusive relationship with her current boyfriend. That's all you really need to know. Incidentally, the title 'Baker's Dozen' was born from the fact that, with the reworking of chapters and the addition of two that are my original work, twenty-four parts becomes twenty-six parts, which comprise exactly two baker's dozens i.e. thirteen rather than twelve items (does this make me a nerd?). Why write this? Because I have a thing for dark 'Pushing Daisies' AUs and severe Ned/Chuck angst, apparently.
Part One: Introductions
It was easy for Ned to lose track of the people who came into the Pie Hole during the ever-busy lunch hour.
But, for some reason, her face stood out among the crowd.
This probably had something to do with the fact that she came in nearly every afternoon, stayed for the exact amount of time it took her to finish a slice of pie and a cup of coffee, and then she would leave.
Ned had no idea why he remembered her; after all, he had a lot of regular customers, especially during the lunch hour. He just did, and didn't bother to question it.
It was during an unusually slow afternoon that he actually had the chance to talk to her.
"Hi; can I get a slice of your daily special?" she asked, motioning with her finger towards the sign that said that the special was apple.
"Sure thing. And a cup of coffee, right?" Ned asked as he went to get her the pie. She nodded, and Ned poured her a cup. "You come in here a lot."
"It's the only time I can get away," she explained as she dug into her slice of pie. "I don't want to spend that time eating mediocre food."
"Well, I'm just glad that you find my pies a cut above 'mediocre'. I'm Ned."
"Chuck."
"Chuck?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, Charlotte. But my friends call me Chuck."
"Chuck."