With Baited Breath

She watched the woman in the lab coat walk away from them through the swinging doors. Slowly, she turned to face her husband. His gaze was looking straight ahead, as if in a trance.

"Honey," she called softly, getting his attention.

"Hmm?" he answered, taking her hand in his. His large rose colored ring glinted off of her wedding ring.

"Are you ok?" she asked.

"Yeah…I'm just…nervous," he answered.

"Me too," she sighed, leaning her head against his shoulder. He kissed the top of her head as the waited. It seemed to take forever. How long could a simple test take? The couple was startled from their wandering thoughts.

"I've got our lab technicians working on the tests now. We'll be giving you a call in the next few days with the results," the doctor told him.

"Thank you," Phoebe said and stood up, Coop right by her side. As calmly as they could they walked out of the waiting area. Once they were in seclusion they embraced and disappeared in the pulse of a heartbeat. They reappeared in the condo. Phoebe looked around and flopped down in the nearest chair.

"What's bothering you?" Coop questioned, taking her hands in his once more.

"I'm just anxious," Phoebe answered, tossing her head back.

"Me too," Coop sighed, running his thumbs over the top of her hands.

"I just don't understand what's going on. I mean we're supposed to have this little girl," Phoebe groaned. Coop pulled her into his lap and hugged her tightly.

"We're going to have her. I promise," he whispered into her hair.

They sat like that for what seemed like ages. The only that separated them was the phone in the kitchen ringing. Phoebe's brow knit together in confusion as she climbed from her husband's lap and picked up.

"Hello?" she spoke into the receiver.

"Hey Pheebs," Piper replied from the other end.

"Oh…Piper, hi," Phoebe murmured, sounding a little disappointed.

"Expecting someone else?" Piper queried, noting the disappointment in her baby sister's voice.

"I just thought maybe the clinic had gotten the results back really fast," Phoebe admitted.

"Oh, honey. Well these kinds of things take a while. I'm sure everything will be fine," Piper tried to reassure her younger sibling. She remembered how nerve-wracked she had been years ago when she thought she couldn't have children. She just hoped that Phoebe wouldn't have to go through the agony that she and Leo had had to endure.

"Thanks," Phoebe sighed.

"So…the reason I'm calling is to see you and Coop were coming over for dinner tonight," Piper said after a pause.

"Hang on, let me ask him," Phoebe replied. She placed her hand over the receiver.

"Honey, are we going to Piper's for dinner?" Pheebs shouted over her shoulder.

"Sure," Coop replied.

"Yeah. We'll see you in a little while," Phoebe relayed and hung up.

She set the phone back on the cradle and braced herself on the kitchen counter. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was really wrong about all of this. She didn't know why but she got a very unsettling sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She turned her face away from the man she loved. She didn't want to worry him any more than he already was. She could feel his nervousness and a strange amount of guilt. She couldn't take it anymore.

"What are you feeling guilty about?' she asked bluntly. Coop looked at her. He still wasn't used to her having her power of empathy back. It was like she was reading his mind and it caught him off guard.

"That maybe it's me that's the problem. I mean how many Cupids do you know that have fathered children. What if…I can't," he admitted. It felt good to tell her how he was feeling.

"You don't know that. I mean the Elders wouldn't have sent you to me if they didn't think we couldn't fulfill my…our destiny," Phoebe remarked. She only hoped that was true.

"I'm going to grab a shower before we head over to the Manor," she informed him, giving him a kiss on the lips as she passed him. Forty-five minutes later they were rushing out the door and into the car. Phoebe hoped she and her fertility problem wouldn't become the topic of discussion over dinner.