"WHAT?"

"Calm down!"

"Calm down?!" he asked incredulously. "Excuse me, I'm sorry if I'm freaking out a little right now."

"Don't you think that I'm freaking out? I've been freaking out!" She took a deep breath and exhaled. "Ok, let's just be calm and rational about this. I'm not even sure I'm actually pregnant. I've just been really irritable lately."

"And?"

"And I feel queasy all the time."

"Oh, that's it?"

"And I haven't had my period in almost two months."

"Oh man." He raked a hand through his messy red hair. "Ok…so…yeah…ok…"

She rolled her eyes. "Thank God I'm capable of taking matters into my own hands. Look…" She picked up a plastic bag from the coffee table. "I got a pregnancy test. Two of them, actually. I'll go take it now. You just stay here."

"Do you want me to?…"

"No, just stay here," she said, looking at the floor awkwardly. "I'll let you know if I need you."

Chuck sat down on the couch, all thoughts of pizza gone from his head. He clutched his knees nervously and focused on not hyperventilating. Everything would be ok. He tried to think of something happy to help him calm down. And the first thing he thought of, the first thing he always associated with happiness, was Angelica. Angelica, as his wife. Angelica, as the mother of his children. Yeah. His heart stopped racing quite so much. His breathing slowed down. And he didn't feel quite so anxious anymore. He even smiled a little as a vision of Angelica as a new mother pervaded his thoughts. She would smile radiantly up at him, as she held their newborn baby. Chuck grinned. This was all getting out of proportion so quickly. One minute he was on the verge of hyperventilating, and the next he was on the verge of picking out baby names. He definitely recognized the absurdity of the situation. But…he loved Angelica and he definitely planned on marrying her and having children with her someday. So, maybe they'd just do it out of order a little. Or maybe they'd get married before the baby came. Yeah. He'd ask her right away. The timing wasn't perfect, by any means. But things would work out. They'd be their own little family.

He stood, feeling much better about the situation, and walked to the bathroom. He tapped gingerly on the door.

A few seconds later, the door opened and she stood there, looking even more anxious. "Yes?" she asked tersely.

"Do you…um…need any help?"

"Charles, I'm about to graduate top of my class and it consists of peeing on a stick. I think I can handle it."

"Well, did you do it?"

"Yeah…it's not done yet." She walked over to the couch and sat but got up not a full minute later, restless. She walked to the window and pulled the curtain aside, letting in the late afternoon sunshine. Chuck wanted to say something to her, about how everything was going to be ok, that they would be happy no matter what, but she didn't seem to want to talk. She checked her watch, gave him a fleeting look, then headed back to the bathroom. She emerged, carrying the pregnancy test in her hand.

"Well?"

She let out a shaky sigh. "It's negative."

He let out his own breath. "Oh."

"Yeah." she said. The shock slowly began to ebb from her body and relief coursed through her. She laughed. "It's negative! I'm not pregnant! Thank God!"

She threw the test away and then came back into the living room, where Chuck stood, staring at the wall blankly.

She put her arms around him. "I'm sorry I even worried you with this. I should have just taken the test on my own, but I was scared. I wanted someone to be with me."

"Maybe you should take the other test," he said. "You know…just in case."

She gave him a worried look. "You think?"

"Maybe it's a false negative," he continued. "Maybe."

She eyed him quizzically. "You seem more hopeful than worried, Chuck."

"Well…I dunno. I kind of got used to the idea. Of us having a kid together, you know? I mean…I dunno. I guess you're right. Now's not a good time. No…not at all. Someday….someday, we'll be married, and we'll have good jobs and a nice place and…yeah…someday we'll be ready to start a family…" He beamed at her and kissed her forehead. "Can't wait." he finished.

"Chuck…I'm not having a baby."

"Well, no, not now."

"Uh, no, not ever."

His smile faltered. "What?"

"I never want to have children."