Dedicated to Kayla. )
"Half a cup flour..."
"Done."
"Half a cup sugar..."
"Done."
"Three large eggs..."
"Done."
"Soda? Cocoa? Salt?"
"Done. Done. Done."
"Milk? Baking powder? Soda? Vanilla?"
"All here."
"What else?"
Peter puts a jar on the counter and smiles.
"Peanut butter."
Olivia looks up at him with her eyebrow raised.
"I thought you wanted chocolate cupcakes?"
A sly grin spreads across Peter's face.
"Why can't they be both chocolate and peanut butter?"
Olivia's clearly curious.
"Is it one of Walter's trademark recipes?"
Peter shakes his head.
"No, but it wouldn't make it less tastier anyway."
Olivia nods although appears to be unsure.
"Right."
She starts mixing the ingredients. Flour, sugar, salt in a bowl first.
"So what do I do?" Peter asks.
"Heat up the oven. Three hundred fifty degrees."
"And then?"
Peter moves closer to his wife.
"And then I'm gonna mix all that in the bowl."
"And then?"
"Then we're gonna need liners."
He opens the peanut butter jar.
"And then?"
"Then we bake the cupcakes."
"And then?"
He take the spoon.
"Then we let them cool down."
"And then?"
"Then you can spread the peanut butter all you want."
Peter chuckles.
"Like this?"
And then there's peanut butter on Olivia's nose. She freezes and opens her mouth in shock, then slowly turns to look at Peter.
"You did not!"
He's laughing. She looks at the table searching for something and grabs a handful of flour mixed with powedered cocoa, salt and sugar from the bowl and throws it at Peter. He closes his eyes and mouth just in time and for a few moments just stands there with flour all over his face, hair and clothes, the spoon still in his hand.
It happens slowly. Peter opens his eyes, flour falling down from his eyelashes and into his beard. He sighs heavily, lips pressed tightly together, nostrils flaring.
"Don't make me resort to desperate measures, Dunham", he tells Olivia who is waiting patiently before making any move and trying to look like she's not afraid of him.
"Are you gonna hit me with that spoon, Bishop?" she giggles, because it looks like he's flaking. Suddenly, Peter reaches for the egg.
"Don't... you... dare..." she utters, but before Peter has a chance to use the egg as his weapon the doorbell rings.
"I'll get the door", he says putting the egg down on the counter and heads off to the hall.
Olivia's eyes grow wide and she runs after him laughing as she yells.
"No, Peter, wait, let's clean..."
But it's too late and Peter has opened the door. Lincoln is on the threshold, holding a folder that says "Do Not Copy".
"Hey, I hope I'm not..." his eyebrows fly up to his hair when he takes the scene before him in and fixes his glasses nervously. "...interrupting."
Peter laughs.
"Not at all."
"I'm sorry, but... What are you two doing?" Lincoln frowns, but a tiny half-smile appears on his face.
"What does it look like?", Peter holds up the spoon smeared in peanut butter. "We're baking cupcakes."
Lincoln stares at him first, then looks at Olivia who's covering her mouth trying not to crack up, but hardly succeeding.
"I see", Lincoln chuckles. "I just came by to hand over the papers you asked for."
He looks at the folder and hesitates.
"Um... I'll keep them for now, if you don't mind, 'cause, you know... Broyles won't be too happy if the FBI documentation will be covered in chocolate or whatever, okay?"
Olivia just can't hold her laughter back anymore and disappers behind Peter who's having a hard time himself.
"Right", he tells Lincoln. "You keep them, we'll deal tomorrow. You want cupcakes?"
Lincoln looks alarmed.
"Do I have to bake them with you? These are new clothes."