The news that Matthew's adoption was in the process of being made official was unsurprisingly a source of great joy to an even wider group of people. Amelia and Davina were thrilled and even the seldom seen Miss Gimlet had popped her head into the staffroom to wish them all her congratulations.
Of course they weren't the only excited ones. Imogen had phoned Anna while they were away to give her the latest update and make arrangements for them all to meet up when they got home. It seemed ideal to combine their catch up with the celebratory meal Amelia had insisted on cooking for them when they arrived back to Cackle's from their mini break.
It was just after 5PM when Anna, John and the children knocked on the castle door. In her arms Anna was carrying her contribution to the festivities, her famous red velvet cake.
"You are the best friend in the world, you know that?", Imogen told her as they set the cake in the kitchen. Red velvet cake, especially this one was her absolute favourite and she was looking forward to indulging in some after dinner.
Anna smiled as her friend hugged her. "It's only a small gesture, I wish there was more I could do to show you how happy we are for you. You should have seen Jake's face when I told him, it was like Christmas morning. He has other friends of course but I've never seen him take a shine to anyone like he has with Matt, they really have become the best of friends haven't they?"
"They have.", Imogen agreed. "It's been great for Matty to have Jake as well. He told us that he was really happy about being adopted because not only did he get us, he got Morgana as a pet and Jake as a best friend."
"That's so sweet." Still smiling at the words Anna followed her upstairs to check on the children.
A short time later they were almost ready to eat. Matthew was running around in the courtyard with Carrie, Jake and Davina while John and Anna helped Amelia set out the food in the staffroom. It was only Constance who was nowhere to be seen.
"Sweetie?" Imogen had noticed her wife was missing and made her way upstairs to look for her. She could hear water running in the bathroom before the door opened, revealing a paler than usual witch. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, please don't worry. I was feeling a bit unwell after the car journey earlier but it's passed now."
It was true, the churning feeling in her stomach was gone and she was feeling much better now having cleaned her teeth and freshened up.
"Are you sure?" Imogen couldn't help feeling anxious, Constance getting sick was completely out of the norm, in fact she couldn't remember it happening since the anxiety of the trial.
"Positive love, in fact apart from being a bit hungry I feel marvellous now. What do you say we go downstairs and eat with our boy and our friends?"
"Our boy." Worries forgotten for now, Imogen reached up to push back the long dark hair. "He's going to be ours forever."
"He really is and if I know anything he'll will be wondering where we are."
She was right, Matthew had been looking for them and broke into a huge grin when they entered the room. "You're here, now we can start the party."
"This is only a test party little man, we'll have an even bigger one on your adoption day." Imogen took her seat next to him and ruffled his hair.
"You know more parties means more cake.", Jake announced from his spot at his friend's other side once dinner was over. "I'll help my Mummy make you another really great one."
"So this one isn't great?", Anna teased her son.
"It's really great. Can we cut it?", Matthew was dying to try the interesting looking red cake.
"I think we'd better." Imogen grinned. "Otherwise Davina might take it all for herself."
"Excuse me, that happened once and to be fair, that particular Halloween I was famished."
Still shaking her head Imogen started to cut the cake. She noticed that everyone apart from Constance took a slice but she wasn't too worried. Judging by how she was laughing with the children it looked like the sickness had passed. Besides, unlike her, Constance wasn't much of a sweet tooth and would often skip dessert in favour of a glass of wine. Although now that she thought of it, she couldn't recall the last time either of them had enjoyed anything stronger than a cup of tea.
Not that alcohol was required to have a good time as this night proved. There was lots of talking and plenty of games and when it came time for Anna and her family to leave the children were completely exhausted.
"Bye Jake.", Matthew whispered from the chair he was slumped on. "Bye Carrie."
"Bye Matty.", they both yawned. "See you at the weekend."
Although it had been a very enjoyable day, it had also been extremely long and Constance could see that Matthew was trying but failing to hide his yawns as he sat stroking Morgana's soft fur.
"I think it's time for a bath and bed."
"But I don't want today to be over."
Imogen gently lifted him up into her arms ready to carry him upstairs. "It's not over, things are only beginning and you need to be well rested. A nice bath, a story and then you'll have lovely dreams I promise."
There was no argument from Matthew who once his bath was over, crawled happily into bed with a sleepy grin on his face.
"Jake told me he's been wishing you'd really adopt me. He said he's really happy."
"Oh yes?", Imogen paused from her tucking in duties to give him a peck on the nose. "We can add him to our happy club then can't we?"
"Yeah. Are we going shopping tomorrow?"
There was one day of half term left and they had suggested to Matthew that they might go into the nearest city and pick him up some summer clothes. In the back of her mind Imogen was thinking that she might also start looking for something suitable to wear to the adoption ceremony. Shopping wasn't a favourite pastime for either her or Constance and if they could avoid going back to the crowded shops for a while that would suit them just fine.
"We are. Now are you ready for your story?"
Constance was only a couple of pages into the book they were reading when she received a soft nudge to her side.
"I think he'll appreciate it a bit more tomorrow and I think we could both do with a bit of sleep ourselves. Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine love, just a bit tired and looking forward to sleeping in a familiar bed."
Both women were asleep within minutes and slept right through until morning. Although his guardians weren't very keen, Matthew loved the idea of going shopping and as soon as breakfast was over he was guiding them to the car.
"This was easier than I thought.", Imogen confided as they stopped for a tea break.
"For you maybe.", Constance muttered.
As well as a variety of shorts, t-shirts and other summer items, they had happened on the perfect outfit for Matthew to wear to his adoption ceremony. The beige linen trousers and white shirt were smart but not fussy and he looked very dapper in his new clothes. Meanwhile Imogen had found a navy dress with tiny white flowers that she loved, leaving only Constance left to find something.
"That grey dress was really nice.", Imogen told her after they had ordered their lunch.
"It looked better on the hanger.", Constance bit her lip as she averted her gaze. It wasn't a lie as such, the dress had looked good on the hanger but on her it had looked terrible. Namely because even though it was her usual size she could barely get the zip up and could only get it off with the help of some magic. She had stood in the changing room, too embarrassed to ask for a bigger size and took a long hard look at herself in the mirror. The evidence was right in front of her, she had put on weight, her stomach was bigger, her breasts heavier and was her face looking more full? In reality she had known this had been happening for the past few week or so but now it was even more apparent. It hardly seemed fair, she wasn't eating any more that usual and she was actually moving a lot more due to having a lively five year old around.
"Must be the start of middle age spread.", she had told herself as she admitted defeat and left the shop. It seemed silly and trivial but she couldn't help feeling upset. Never in her life had she had issues with her weight, well not this type of issue. There had been a time when she had been too thin, the stress of her seemingly inevitable marriage to Hecketty Broomhead had completely diminished her appetite. But since gaining her freedom and falling in love with Imogen she had returned to her healthier eating habits and maintained a steady weight over the past two years, up until now that was.
"Are you okay?" Matthew had been watching Constance for some time and noticed that she didn't seem quite herself.
"Hmmm?"
"Are you okay? You seem sad.", he steeled himself to ask the question that was going through his mind. "Are you changing your mind about me?"
"What?" Constance was immediately drawn out of her forlorn mood. "No, never. Oh Matthew please don't ever think that. I was miles away, thinking about silly things. I'm sorry I made you think that even for a second."
As she hugged the relieved little boy, Constance made a resolution to herself, she would not let her weight gain get her down. Instead she would speak to Imogen later and focus on making sure she was being as healthy as possible. There was plenty of time left to find a dress and if she did have to go up a size it wasn't the end of the world, not when she had so much to be happy about.
Everyone was still in good spirits when they got back to Castle Overblow that afternoon. Their arrival coincided with the return of the students from their short breaks at home and the remainder of the evening was spent getting them settled in while of course still keeping an eye on Matthew. Luckily he was quite content to read his books and play with Morgana until it was time for Imogen to take him to bed.
"He's out for the count already.", Imogen told Constance when she joined them in his room a little while later.
After two kisses for the sound asleep child they went downstairs to the kitchens where Imogen put the kettle on and brought out the leftover cake from the day before.
"No thank you love.", Constance replied when offered a slice.
"Are you feeling ill again?"
"No." Constance sighed, she knew it was silly but she was feeling very uncomfortable. And she couldn't lie to Imogen. "But I think I need to avoid cake for a while don't you?"
"What do you mean?"
"I've put on weight. Maybe you haven't noticed or maybe you're just being kind but today I'm really feeling it. Trying on that dress didn't help, it barely went near me. I know it sounds selfish and I don't want it to take away from our happiness and I promise you I am happy but from tomorrow I'm going to need your help to get myself back into shape. Not just for vanity's sake but I want to make sure I'm being a healthy influence on Matthew."
Imogen could tell that this was really bothering Constance and she felt terrible about it. Truly she hadn't noticed the weight gain, although now that it had been pointed out to her she could see a roundness that hadn't been there before. It didn't matter to her one bit, she thought her wife was gorgeous. Even with a little extra weight she was by no means unhealthy looking, in fact in the dim light of the kitchen she seemed to be glowing.
"Oh sweetie, you have nothing to be worried about. You are a wonderful influence on Matthew and you know how much we love you."
"Honestly, I do." Constance sat down in the kitchen chair and smiled as two tanned arms wrapped themselves around her shoulder and soft kisses were dropped onto her forehead. "But I still want to get this sorted out, so from tomorrow there will be a lot more salad and a lot less bread in my diet. And although I'll need your expertise, you needn't think I'm going to be taking up running or cycling, do you hear me?"
"I think I know you well enough by now to not even suggest those activities, But if you do want to lose a bit of weight I'll help in a way that you're comfortable with. I promise."
What she had said was completely true but as both drank their tea and she ate her cake Imogen found her mind wandering slightly. There was a thought there that she couldn't quite get rid of. It was still there as they got ready for bed, in fact it got even stronger as she watched Constance step out of her dress and change into her nightclothes.
"She can't be."
That night as she held her wife in her arms the same irrational thought kept coming into Imogen's mind. It was irrational because it couldn't be true. Could it? Irrational or not she couldn't keep her hand from wandering down to softly stroke the slightly rounded stomach during the night. She held her breath as Constance stirred slightly, afraid that if she woke her she would have to speak her thoughts out loud, possibly breaking the magic by doing so.
By the time dawn was breaking she knew she would have to do just that. The words were so loud in her head she felt that everyone in a ten mile radius could hear them. But simply saying the words would not be enough, she needed proof which is why she found herself waiting for the village chemist to open having told Constance and Matthew she was popping out to get the post. With trembling hands she took the package that was handed to her and gathered herself enough to make her way home.
"What's this?", Constance asked as she saw the paper bag that had been placed on the table in front of her. Classes were starting a bit later that morning and with Davina having offered to walk Matthew to school she was taking the opportunity to review her lesson plans.
In a barely audible voice Imogen answered, "It's a pregnancy test and I really think you need to take it."
"A what? Don't be ridiculous love, I'm not pregnant, I can't be."
"I'm not saying you definitely are Sweetie but think about it, you've got all the classic symptoms. At least this way we'll know for sure."
"No.", Constance was still staring at the bag like it was going to attack her as she stood up and backed away from the table.
"What do you mean no?" Imogen didn't know what reaction she had been expecting but it certainly hadn't been this. "We've got nothing to lose by taking a test."
In just a couple of seconds the fears and worries that Constance had been inadvertently closing her mind to crept right to the surface in the form of words tumbling from her mouth.
"Yes, yes we do. Don't you see, if I take that test we have everything to lose? I don't want to take it, please don't make me. I don't want to know."
"Sweetie, you're scaring me. Don't want to know what?" Imogen was immediately in front of her distraught wife, taking her hands and trying to calm her down. "I need you to breathe for me, remember your breathing pattern."
It took a moment but eventually Constance managed to put her anti-anxiety breathing technique into practice. She focused only on the hands that were holding hers and counting her breaths until eventually she could answer Imogen's question.
"I don't want to know that I'm pregnant."
