Oh dear. Here comes trouble. The song for this chapter is "Building A Mystery" by Sarah McLachlan.

Cause you're working

Building a mystery

Holding on, holding it in

Yeah, you're working

Building a mystery

And choosing so carefully

"Can we get this?" Sophie was perched on the edge of the cart, her heels digging into the bar that held the wheels together. One hand clutched the cart; the other had reached out for a shelf and now held a bottle of chocolate syrup. Amber eyed her selection, and arched an eyebrow.

"Certainly not. Put it back."

"But we don't have anymore," she groaned, "You and Daddy used it all when you made ice-cream sundaes that one night." She looked up at her expectantly. Amber recalled that night, and felt her lips curling slightly. Yes, that's exactly what they had been using it for, at least as far as anyone needed to know.

"Ugh, fine," she pursed her lips together and Sophie cheered victoriously, dropping the bottle into the cart and digging her fingers into the plastic railing again. Amber pushed the cart forward, her eyes grazing the shelves as she looked for the next item on their list. Corny had absolutely no food at his house, and Amber hadn't had time to go shopping since Link had taken over the show the week before.

She had, in most technicalities, moved in with Corny and Sophie. Though she still had her small apartment on the other side of town, she spent so much time at their house now that there was no point in going home. And though she wasn't a fan of grocery shopping, it needed to be done before they all starved to death, so she had packed Sophie up and brought her along for company.

"Did you know that Suzie Ackerman told me that she's going to marry Link?" Sophie asked suddenly, her eyes dark. "And I told her to wake up from her dream."

Amber was only half-listening as she pulled a bottle of pain medication from the shelf.

"Who is Suzie Ackerman?"

"A girl in my class," she replied smartly, "and she doesn't even know him like I do!"

Amber dropped the bottle into the cart, and looked at her.

"Sophie, she's just saying it to make you mad." And if she was anything at school like she was at home, Sophie talked about Link constantly in class. Amber was somewhat surprised her teacher hadn't sent home a note yet about it.

"Well, it's working," Sophie nodded seriously. Amber pushed the cart another few steps before slowing her speed suddenly, her fingers tightening slightly around the handle, her tongue darting out to wet her lips. Sophie looked at her suspiciously, noticing the way Amber's face had suddenly drained of its color. "Are you okay, Amber?"

Amber felt the heat rising in her cheeks, and swallowed down the lump in her throat. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, clenching her jaw as a wave of nausea swept through her. Sophie watched her silently, her eyes wide.

"Amber?" She asked after another minute, "Are you sick or somethin'?"

"No," Amber said the word quickly, even though it was a lie. "No, I'm fine."

"You don't look fine," she replied, "you look like you're about to throw up."

She felt like she was about to throw up; had been feeling this way since Corny had hurt himself, since there was an unspoken tension between them that they couldn't seem to fix. The waves of nausea came and went, and left a sick feeling in her mouth. She found herself hurrying to the bathroom at the studio sometimes, but hadn't actually vomited. It was getting old, and quick.

"I'm fine, I said," she looked at Sophie, and handed her the list. "Here. Read this to me." Anything to keep Sophie from asking more questions. Sophie reached for the list and began to read it proudly, speaking in a loud voice.

"Pickles," She said first, and then did a double take. "Pickles? Eww! I don't even like pickles!"

"Just read it, Sophie," she glared at her. Sophie opened her mouth to protest, her eyes falling upon something behind Amber. She hopped down from the cart suddenly, dropping the list on the floor and striding over into that general direction. Amber turned, and saw Link, facing away from them, studying a produce display.

Amber chewed on her lip, watching him, and Sophie hopped up on her feet excitedly, waving.

"Link!" She called his name, and he turned, eyeing them suddenly. Sophie waved him over, and Amber turned to look at him, her fingers still wrapped around the handle of the cart.

"Hey guys," he greeted them with an uncertain smile, letting himself look at Amber. "We always seem to run into each other, don't we?"

She dipped her head, nodding slightly, and he furrowed his brows at her.

"Are you okay?" He turned his attention to Amber fully, "You don't look well."

"That's what I told her!" Sophie offered helpfully. Amber frowned at them. Link glanced down at Sophie, smiling at her before glancing back to the blonde woman.

"Seriously, Amber. Are you all right?" His blue eyes were full of concern, and she forced herself to nod.

"Fine." She offered him a forced smile, and then felt another overwhelming wave of nausea. She swallowed hard, and looked toward Sophie. "Soph, take that list and go hunt down some of those items for me."

Sophie started to protest and Amber shot her a look that caused her to bite her tongue. She reluctantly picked the paper up and trudged down the aisle, shooting them both a begrudging glance before disappearing around the corner. Amber looked back up at Link.

"She gets a little flustered when you come around," she confessed.

"I hadn't noticed." He laughed softly, "She's cute, though." They stood quiet for a moment, and he looked toward her again. "Are you still feeling sick?"

She had told Link that she'd been feeling ill, because, truthfully, it had begun to scare her. She didn't want to burden Corny with her problems, not when he had so many of his own. She caught the look on Link's face and began to wonder if she looked that bad. She knew she'd been pale, and hadn't been sleeping much, and it left traces of dark circles beneath her eyes, but she'd always assumed the make-up she used in the morning covered those things up. Apparently, she wasn't applying enough.

"It's just stress," she admitted softly. "I've been worried. You know, about things." She thought for a moment, "And some of the kids in Sophie's school have been sick. Stomach bugs, that sort of thing. I guess I've contracted something."

"Amber the PTA mother," he grinned, "It's still hard to believe."

"Well, I'm not-" she started to protest, and felt the familiar sickness rising in her throat again. Suddenly, she wanted nothing more than to be home, in Corny's bed, and shook her head. "Not even close." She smiled wistfully at him. "I should go, you know, find Sophie."

"Okay. Well. Feel better, then," he smiled softly at her. "See you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," she nodded and hurried around the corner, her stomach threatening to heave again, and she found Sophie quickly, grabbing her hand and tearing to the bathroom in the back of the store. She pushed through the door and slipped onto her knees before the toilet, her stomach churning as the acid slipped up her throat and into the porcelain bowl. Tears stung her eyes, and she wiped them away, her face flushing hot. She took a few minutes to find her strength, after she was sure there was nothing else coming up, and starting to climb to her feet. She heard the bathroom door slip open.

"Amber, you are sick," Sophie said the words affirmatively. Amber stepped out of the stall, her eyes meeting Sophie's.

"I'm fine." She glared at her, though she wasn't completely sure her words were true.

By the time they returned home that night, Amber had convinced Sophie not to say anything to Corny about the bathroom incident. He had bigger things to worry about than her stomach bug, and she was desperate not to place any undue stress on him. She had made casual conversation with him in bed that night, still fighting down her nausea, and had mentioned to him that the show was doing well; ratings were high, and Link had slipped effortlessly into fulfilling Corny's duties.

"Is it?" He had asked softly, referring to the show, his hand moving small circles on her back, "Good. So it will be waiting for me when I come back." His words hadn't been a question; they were a statement.

She found herself at the studio the next day, her tired legs holding her as she stood to the side of the stage, watching the rehearsals and nodding approvingly every few minutes. She closed her eyes for a moment, and let her fingers move to the bridge of her nose, attempting to rub away the headache that had been plaguing her for days now. She felt a pair of hands slip around her waist and turned quickly, her eyes wide as she saw him.

"Corny?" She nearly choked, "Babe, what are you doing here? You're not supposed to be out of bed!"

He shrugged slightly, letting his fingers trace down her back.

"I can walk, Amber." He arched an eyebrow at her, "I just can't exert myself." He smiled. "I missed you, so I came down to watch."

She felt herself smirking, and turned, tangling her fingers around his neck gently.

"Came to watch me, or the show?" She smiled slightly at him.

"Both." He smiled, and shifted slightly, slumping.

"Let me get you a chair," she hurried a few feet away, dragging back a seat and motioning for him to sit. He did, and she moved behind him, her fingers running carefully over his shoulders.

She watched from her place behind him as Link finished the routine, the buzzer sounded, and he caught them from the corner of his eye. He looked surprised to see Corny, and hurried over to them.

"Hey, feeling better, old timer?" He joked slightly, and Corny frowned.

"Somewhat," he said the word softly, and Amber gave Link a tight smile, her hands still resting on Corny's shoulders.

"What about you?" Link asked Amber, his eyes studying her face, "Are you still feeling sick?"

Her face flushed immediately, and she stammered as Corny turned his head slightly.

"Uh, yeah, I-I'm fine," she nodded coolly, her fingers curling against Corny's shoulders.

"Good." Link smiled, "You looked awful last night. I was worried." He opened his mouth to speak again, and one of the council members called for him eagerly. He sent Amber a wink and disappeared quickly, leaving Corny and Amber alone.

"You were sick last night?" He asked suspiciously, "And you were with Link?"

"No, I-" her mouth was suddenly dry again, and she had to fight back the bile in her throat, "We ran into him at the grocery store. Ask Sophie, she'll tell you." She said the last sentence as a kind of afterthought, her heart pounding in her chest for a reason that she didn't know. "And I wasn't-I'm not…sick," she forced a smile at him, lying quickly. "I'm just…fine."

He sat still in his chair, and she could tell he was biting his tongue. He nodded finally, and that was it. She wasn't necessarily happy about it, but was glad that he let the topic of conversation drop.

It was that same 'fineness' that had Amber sick for the next few days, and eventually what caused her to make a doctor's appointment without Corny's knowledge. It was also what led her to take that urine test, and to wait the three extra days for the results that she quickly learned to dread.

On the fourth day of waiting, she received the news. She had been partially right, she realized immediately. Amber wasn't sick at all; she was pregnant.