a/n: wow this is a depressing fanfic so far

my bad lmao - school is starting soon and i guess my brain isn't very... excited and refuses to compute to writing anything happy

Sophie paced around the master bedroom, anxiously awaiting the news. She wrung her hands, observing the light rose gold-colored nails to take her mind off of counting down every second. Biana had given her a manicure the last time they had seen each other.

It had been a pretty long time since they had last met up, she realized the more she pondered the thought. The paint of her nails weren't chipped, though, no matter how much she had cleaned or used her hands over the expanse of time.

Elvin nail polish was another thing to add to the list of Stuff That Elves Make Better Than Humans, apparently.

She blew out a steady breath, trying to calm her frantic heartbeat. It would happen this time, surely. It hadn't worked so many times that their bad luck had to be running short. For sure she'd get some good luck this time, right?

She squeaked and jumped when the door opened abruptly, nearly tripping over her own feet. Of course, she was wearing heels of sorts, so it only amplified her naturally clumsy limbs.

Fitz stood in the doorway, his eyes trailing over her body. His mouth had been open, ready to tell her something right away as if he had been looking for her and knew she would be in the bedroom. He closed his mouth, blinking his teal eyes.

"Wow," was all he said.

"What is it?" she asked, a little hint of worry eminent in her voice.

He closed the door and swallowed, approaching her near the bed. He took off his watch and cape, setting them on the end of the bed. "You're dressy," he clarified.

She frowned and peered down at her outift, which in her own personal opinion, was anything but dressy. She had on high-rise, wide-leg jeans with a black-and-gold sheer plaid blouse tucked into the waist of the jeans. Her feet were adorned with platform sandals (conveniently the same color as her nails), which added onto her height.

You could see the difference when she stood next to Fitz, even if her head still barely reached his chin. But that was way better than it had been in their youth—back then she hadn't even reached his shoulders.

. . .Okay, maybe the outfit was a little more formal than her usual outfits, but that was because she liked to keep as casual as possible without looking like a slob when she went out.

She tugged on her freshly cut hair which brushed the tops of her shoulders, tucking a strand behind her hoop-earring-adorned earlobe. She shook her head in disagreement. "I'm not dressed up."

"Well, you look really beautiful," he complimented, causing her cheeks to flame in blissful heat.

"Thank you," she mumbled, a little embarrassed and flattered as she rocked on the balls of her feet, while crossing her arms over her stomach.

No matter how much anyone would give her a compliment, she was sure she could never get used to accepting them.

Fitz sighed after a second or two of silence, as if he was dreading whatever he had to say next.

"So. . ." he began slowly, waiting until Sophie looked him in his teal eyes before he continued, "you took a trip to Atlantis today."

She chewed on her lower lip and nodded as her skin erupted into sweltering, shameful heat. She had already guessed Fitz would find out about her encounter with Stina at some point, but she had really been rooting for it to not happen for awhile.

She didn't know if word had just gotten around through elves generally or if Stina herself had run to Fitz, complaining to him about his own wife, so she decided to ask. But she began with an apology.

"I'm so sorry," she said. "I got angry at her, but you don't know the way she was talking to me. And with everyone in the store just staring at me, I. . ." Her voice trailed off to silence after it cracked.

Fitz rose an elegantly arched eyebrow at her, a look of realization dawning on his face. "Oh, Sophie, I'm not mad at you. You didn't think I would be mad at you about this, right?"

She bobbed her head up and down sheepishly, avoiding eye contact and focusing on the creme and golden theme of the silky sheets, comforter, and pillow cases arranged on their huge bed.

His lips curled and he walked up to her, grabbing her chin tenderly and turning her head towards him. He ran his thumb along her jaw, tucking another blonde strand behind her ear. "I only heard relatively what Stina and your conversation was about. . . Care to share what happened?" he asked softly.

She sighed, not really in the mood to explain it to him. But he hadn't asked if with authority as if he deserved and had a right to know—he asked it fully knowing she had the right to deny his request.

She agreed to comply, then asked, "But first. . . How did you find out?"

His lips quirked and twitched with a smile. "I heard from a lot of people. Namely. . .Stina herself, the clerk and employees at the store, the bystanders in the store, my mom and dad, your mom and dad, Jensi, Biana, Keefe, Dex, Tam, Linh, Tiergan, Quinlin, Cassius—"

"Cassius?" Sophie asked, crinkling her nose. She had found it odd that Tiergen and Quinlin were concerned for her and had informed Fitz of the squabble in the store, but that was nothing compared to hearing Lord Cassius had hailed Fitz to report the news.

"He found it rather amusing how, even in adulthood, you manage to get into trouble," her husband explained.

Sophie pouted at Fitz's teasing smile and glint in his eyes. "I didn't get into trouble. Stina. . ."

Her voice trailed off and Fitz rose an eyebrow as she blew out a breath, squirming a little from his touch as he cupped her face and kissed the tip of her nose. "What did she say?" he asked, waiting patiently for her answer.

Her face was painted with pain and shame as she stuttered, "S-She was talking a-about. . . How I can't give y-you a. . ."

Her heart was squeezing painfully in her chest and she sniffled, blinking back her tears as her vision grew blurry. It seemed to click for Fitz what she was trying to say.

Her lip quivered as a sob broke loose and tears rolled down her cheeks. She blubbered, "I'm so sorry, Fitz. I don't know what's wrong with my body. I don't know why it won't work. I'm so, so sorry. . ."

He pulled her to his chest as she started sobbing, rubbing her back and running his hand through her hair, kissing her head.

After two full minutes of holding her and letting her cry, he spoke up. "Hey," he comforted gently, "this is not your fault."

"Y-You don't know that," she mumbled miserably, sniffling and letting out a small hiccup from her sobs.

"What if it's me?" he countered, causing her to lean back so that she could look into his eyes. He still held his arms around her so she stayed close, though, and she rubbed her now-puffy eyes.

"Why would it be you?" she questioned. "We both know it's me. I'm the one with the problems."

"You do not have any problems," he assured, smiling lightly.

"Why are you smiling?" she whined, huffing when he chuckled. "This isn't funny, you yeti."

"You're so adorable, you know that? I have no idea what I did to deserve you. I love you, you know. And if you can't make a baby, that doesn't matter—that is you and I still love you. If it's not possible for us to have a baby together, then I'll live with it. Don't feel like you have to give me a kid."

"But you said—"

"Hey, I don't look at you like some sort of baby factory, okay? That's not why I married you, Sophie. I married you because I love you." He massaged her shoulders, pressing his lips to her forehead. "Yeah, it'd be fun to have a mini troop of our own running around, but if that's not possible then it just isn't. I'm happy with you."

"I can't learn to live with it," Sophie whispered. "We're going to be pressured into having a kid one time or another. And. . . I want a baby. Really, really badly," she admitted.

They stayed silent, staring each other in the eyes and searching in the colored depths.

She knew Fitz's wants mirrored her own—he wished for a kid just as heavily as her. They'd had so many late-night conversations about it. They'd looked at catalogs filled with baby items, talked about potential names and who they would tell first if Sophie got pregnant. They had even talked to their parents about how they felt on grandkids.

Sophie suddenly snapped out of her trance, letting out a little gasp as she pulled herself out of Fitz's embrace, striding to his discarded watch he had thrown onto the bed.

"What's—"

"The test," Sophie interrupted softly, skirting into the bathroom as fast as she could.