Hey guys! I've managed to update sooner this time. Cheers to that!

Anways, thank you very much for your reviews, follows & favorites :) (keep 'em coming!)

Enjoy!

Morning falls; Ben wakes up next to his still slumbering wife. Rubbing the sleep off of his eyes, he gets up and heads towards their small kitchen. The first thing he does is heat up water that Lucy will use for her bath. After this, he will cook their breakfast. Sighing, he takes a seat down the dining table while waiting for the water to boil. How he wishes that one day, the role will be reversed. He wants to wake up in the morning and have everything prepared for him, too. Not once has he experienced such thing. He is always the one that does everything- really, the only thing he does not do is washing their clothes.

After about half an hour of daydreaming, he finally hears the kettle whistling. He does not stand up right away, letting the noise to awaken his wife. He does this when they are in an argument, not wanting to hear her whine about her being capable of waking up on her own. She always tends to be in a sour mood in the morning after quarreling all night.

The rustles coming from the bedroom signals that Lucy is already up, so Ben brings the kettle to the bathroom and fills the tub that is already half full. Then, he goes back to the kitchen and starts preparing their meal. Chuckling to himself, if he ever runs out of customers, he guesses he'll change profession and be a servant. He'll definitely be a great one.

Once everything is settled, Lucy is already coming out of the bathroom. She takes a seat at her usual place in the dining and silently eats, completely ignoring his husband. Ben already knows that his wife will give him the silent treatment- again- so, he just eats too.

This time, he will not bother compromise with his wife. Lucy can very well not talk to her all she wants, but he will not change his mind about the bloody party. If she does not understand his sentiments about The Judge, then it is not his problem anymore. He will not cave in. Maybe this is a good thing too, so that she knows that she cannot get everything that she wants. It is only now that he is seeing that bad effects of spoiling his wife. He is not opposed to husbands treating their wives like a queen- like he does; the only problem is that he has overdone it.

He is stopped from his musings when the plates, spoon and fork clatter in the sink. He looks up to find his wife hurriedly making her way towards the door. Sighing, he stands up; it's time for the servant to wash the dishes.

When he finishes his chores and done his daily ritual, Ben goes down to the bakeshop to visit his best friend. He quietly creeps inside her house, intent on scaring her. She is not in behind counter making pies; he guesses that she will be in her parlor. So, he heads towards the living room. He can already see her red hair that is very noticeable. He is ready to surprise her, but as he comes closer, he sees another head. David.

Instead of approaching the two, he slowly creeps closer to the living room where he is not seen but where he can hear what they are talking about. It seems that they are both in serious mode, and he's curious. Though he knows of the consequences when he gets caught of eavesdropping, he's willing to take the risk.

Mrs. Lovett is seated beside a fidgeting David. He has told her earlier that he has an important thing to tell her that he only realized last night. Curious of what this realization may be, she leads the man to her parlor, thinking it will be more comfortable to talk there. Now, she is waiting patiently for David to speak and at the same time encouraging him.

"Come on, love, just tell me." She pats his shoulder, sending him a smile. She hopes this will somehow soothe him, seeing that he is too nervous to speak.

David closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. Licking his lips, he takes hold of the baker's hands and sits up straight. "Last night… I've realized that… that I-" his words is cut short and he seems to deflate as he cannot say what he wants to say.

Mrs. Lovett squeezes his hands, looking at him piteously. She does not know what's stopping David from telling her what he is going to say. Maybe it's bad news that's why he is finding it so hard to tell her. And now she's also nervous. She bites her lower lip, jutting her chin towards the man. "Go on."

Once again, David composes himself. He is anxiously looking at the baker. He wants to back down and tell Mrs. Lovett to forget about it, but he knows she will not let him. So, having no choice, he decides he just have to get this over with. As if in a hurry, he blurts out: "Iloveyou."

Mrs. Lovett's nose scrunches up; she looks like she has smelled something foul. She cocks her head to the side, lending her ears to David. She has not quite understood and hears what he just said. "What is that, dearie?"

"I said... I- I love you, Nellie." David repeats. He has that look of sincerity in his eyes that the baker does not doubt that he is lying to her.

She knows from the very beginning that David likes her, since he is very vocal about it. And to be honest, she likes him too. Of all the time that they had spent together, David has only treated her with utmost kindness and respect. It is not very hard to fall for his charm and wit, but to say that she loves him is just not right. For her heart is already taken, belonging to someone she is forbidden to love.

That's why- she decides- she needs to stop all her foolishness and try to make space for David in her heart. She knows that it will not be easy to move on, but she will try her hardest. The only good thing is, David has already wormed his way inside her, but he has a long journey to go- very long.

She does not know what to say. She does not want to hurt his feelings by telling him off, but she also can't say it back to him. It's too soon. "David I- I…" she tries to explain herself but she doesn't know how. Luckily, David seems to understand her and continues on with what he is saying.

"Nellie, don't worry. I simply wanted you to know that I will always be here for you, to take care of you and to make you happy, because I love you. I am not expecting anything in return, but I am hoping that one day, you'll be able to feel the same way towards me."

Mrs. Lovett, not knowing how to respond, leans forward so that she is only inches away from David's face. Their face is almost touching that she can feel his breath tickling her cheeks. Then, she closes her eyes and places a lingering kiss on his lips. It feels nice to share an affectionate gesture with someone without feeling bad for it. When she pulls away, she can see David's charming smile and she knows she's also sporting the same expression. "Thank you."

After a few seconds of just looking at each other, David breaks the trance and clears his throat. Mrs. Lovett looks away, tucking a stray of curls behind her ear. "I believe you have something to tell me, too."

Now, it is the baker's turn to feel nervous. She is not sure of what David's reaction will be if she tells him of her pregnancy. He just told her of his feelings for her, and there's a great chance that it will change once he gets to know the truth. But, it is better to tell him now before it's too late. Besides, he's going to notice her belly getting big soon enough. "Yes, I want to tell you that I'm pregnant."

She sees the shock that she is expecting in David's face by the slight widening of his eyes; but when the corner of his mouth quirks up, turning into a smirk she furrows her brow in confusion. That is unexpected. He opens his mouth to speak, and she hears him out. Really, any minute now, she's waiting for him to walk out and never to show his face again. Who would want to be with a widowed, pregnant woman?

David scratches his chin, pretending to think. He has that look of mischief in his eyes that the baker knows very well. "My, my, that explains you getting plump. I guess you've been enjoying your meals very much, eh? "

Mrs. Lovett gasps loudly, hitting David in the shoulder. She stands up in front of him with her hands on her hips. "I am not fat! You take that back you ruddy bastard!"

David laughs. He laughs until he cannot breathe anymore. Tears are springing in his eyes and he is clutching his hurting stomach. All the while, the baker just glares at him waiting for him to apologize. When his laughter subsides, he composes himself- still chuckling.

"Nellie, I am only joking! Of course you aren't. I hardly noticed you're pregnant." He tugs Mrs. Lovett's hand, pulling her to take a seat back at the sofa. When she is seated, he turns serious. "Is your late husband the father?" he asks, hoping that it is Albert. If not, then he does not know what he will do.

"Of course he is!" Mrs. Lovett snaps getting quite defensive. She turns away from him, crossing her arms.

David looks apologetically at her. He lets out a breath of relief that he doesn't know that he is holding. "I'm sorry, for thinking otherwise."

When the baker does not acknowledge his apology, he stands up and kneels in front of her. Putting his hands on her belly- that he noticed is slightly swollen- he leans forward as if speaking with her stomach. "Little babe, come, tell your mother to not be angry with Uncle David. He already said he's sorry."

Then, as if on cue, both Mrs. Lovett and David look at each other; their mouths hanging open and eyes wide like saucers. They both have felt the babe move, as if hearing David. "Thank you very much, little babe. Don't worry; I will repay you when you've finally come out of there. For now, all I can do is take care of your mother, so that you'll be safe too. Is that alright?"

The baby kicks again. David looks up at Mrs. Lovett, grinning. "I think this little babe likes me."

"Yes, I believe so." Mrs. Lovett laughs. She is very happy that David is willing to take care of her and her child. She knows that even though Benjamin says that he will always be there for her, he won't, for he has Lucy to tend to. So she is glad to know that David will be.

As Mrs. Lovett and David finish their conversation, Benjamin decides to make his way upstairs. He is slumped in his barber chair, fuming. He feels betrayed by Mrs. Lovett. He does not know how she can let that bloody man talk to his child like that. David does not have the right to do so, he isn't the father. Only he can do that!

And not only that, that man also said that he will take care of them. But he already promised that to Nellie! Does that mean that she doesn't believe what he said? Just because darling David says he loves foolish Nell, she believed him already! She is not even sure if he is telling the truth!

He will have to talk to Mrs. Lovett about this. He cannot allow her to just let another man in his little babe's life. He must explain to her that he doesn't want any Uncle David around his child. He is perfectly capable of taking care of Nellie; he does not need that man to do that for him. David just wants to get between her best friend's legs- if he hasn't already, that is.

Thinking of this makes him angrier. His mind flashes back to when he saw the two doing it in on the counter and the kiss that they had shared just a while ago. There's a pang in his chest that he always tries to ignore whenever he sees them. He doesn't know why, but the thought of Mrs. Lovett with David or with any other man does not sit well with him. It feels like seeing that blasted Judge with Lucy.

He sighs, standing up; he exits his shop again to go to the bakeshop. He is hoping that David is not there anymore, for he really wants to talk to Mrs. Lovett, alone. Upon entering in his best friend's house, he sees her on where he expects her to be- behind the counter, making pies. He looks around to see if David is still there, and smirks when he sees that he isn't. He settles his gaze on the baker; she stops what she is doing- sensing him looking, maybe- looks up and smiles at him.

The way she smiles at him makes his heart skip a beat and his stomach do somersaults. When did this start to happen? He wonders.

Ben approaches Mrs. Lovett, not noticing the big grin that is plastered on his face. He seems to have forgotten the reason of him going down her shop. "Good morning, Nellie."

"Good morning, Ben. Have you eaten yet?" the baker asks; she already on her way to the kitchen to prepare some food for Ben.

Benjamin takes a seat at one of the booths. Soon, Mrs. Lovett emerges from the kitchen, holding up a tray with what will be his breakfast. She places it down in front of him and takes a seat across him. "Go on, love, eat."

He does. He guesses that this is what it's supposed to feel when someone's doing simple things for you: happy and satisfied. Though he has already eaten, he cannot resist the delicious food in front of him. After all, it is not highly satisfactory to eat the food you have made yourself, it is better when someone cooked it for you. Oh, if only Nellie is his wife…

Oopsie! I hope Benjamin does realize what he is thinking. Nellie, as his wife? he just slipped. Ben gets stressed when he's on war with Lucy and tends to think of crazy things he is not supposed to be thinking. :P

So guys, what do you think is happening to Ben? what are these feelings he cannot explain? - Me? I don't know. Maybe he's just jelly? ;)

Reviews are L.O.V.E :)