Two long, long days later, Laura and Steve woke up and got busy. Laura kissed Steve passionately. She grinded against him until his member was rock-hard, and then she kept grinding.

"Laura," he groaned. "Baby, that feels so good, but it's been two days, and I'm not gonna last very long," he warned.

She pulled away from his neck and climbed off of him. "Ok... But it's been two days for me, too, you know?" she reminded him.

"I know, Sweetums, but we have to get the sample right to the clinic after. You know that."

"I know," she agreed, pulling down his pants. "Stand up, baby," she instructed.

He stood by the edge of the bed, and she began to stroke his member. "Take off your top," he whispered urgently.

"You wanna see my titties, Steve?" she purred.

"Laura..." he scolded with a mischievous grin.

She winked at him and took off her tank top. Her breasts bounced free. "Is there anything else you wanna see?" she asked, stroking him faster, her breasts jiggling with the rapid movements of her hand.

"Show me that booty," he demanded in a low, lustful growl.

She released him again and turned around. She slipped off her shorts and tossed them aside. She ran one hand over her butt and smacked it.

"Oh, yeah," he groaned, stroking himself impatiently now.

She looked back over her shoulder as she slipped a finger inside her thong. "You want this to come off too?" She asked, tugging at the lacy, black fabric.

"No," he said firmly. "If you take that off, I won't remember to use the cup," he explained.

She turned back around. "Ok, Baby, let me suck it then. I can't take any more of this."

"No," he whined. "Don't suck. Please. It has to go in the cup. Just use your hands." He handed her the cup and looked at her. He watched her carefully, but he couldn't ignore the cup, and it was making him nervous. He closed his eyes tightly. "I need you to talk to me, sweetheart. I can't keep looking at that thing."

"Ok," she said quickly, completely understanding. "Just close your eyes for me, handsome. Focus on the sound of my voice, and the feel of my hands. Doesn't it feel good?" she asked. "Laura Winslow's touching and stroking your big, hard manhood, Steve. Doesn't it feel good?"

"Yes, Laura," he moaned.

"Steve, don't hold back. I need you to come for me. I need you to come all over me," she purred.

"Yessssss…" he groaned.

"Please, come for me, baby. Please, come all over me," she begged, smiling as she saw the way he trembled.

"Ohhhhhh, Lauraaaaa…"

"Please, baby. Please, baby," she begged, her hand moving as quickly as it could. She lifted the cup into position, knowing he was close. "I want your cum, Steve. I want it so badly."

His eyes shot open and locked onto her smiling face. "Laura…" he grunted as he began to come. "OH, GOD. LAURA!"

Laura smiled brightly as his cum filled the cup. She couldn't believe how much there was after only two days of abstaining. Seconds later, he was finished. She released his member and quickly capped the cup. She set it on the nightstand and leaned close to his member. She licked and sucked it clean, happy to finally taste his cum again since he'd been so insistent about coming inside of her lately. Completely spent, he collapsed back onto the bed. Laura finished cleaning him up and wiped her lips. She stood and picked up the cup. It was still warm in her hands. "Ok, baby," she said. "Get dressed. We have to get this to the clinic."

His brain was far too foggy to follow her directions. He continued to pant heavily, laying back on the bed.

Laura rolled her eyes. "Steve, honey, don't you want to have a baby with me?" she prompted.

That woke him up. "Of course," he said softly.

"Then, c'mon. The sooner we get these tests done, the sooner we can come home and keep trying."

With that idea planted in his mind, he hopped up immediately and nearly knocked Laura over as he sprinted to the closet to dress again.

———————————————————————

When they got to the clinic, they turned in Steve's sample, and a nurse arrived to take Laura back for testing. "I'll be back in a little while," she said, kissing Steve on the cheek.

"Sweetheart, do you want me to come with you?" he offered.

She shook her head. "You don't have to do that, Steve. They're gonna start with some pretty standard tests. Nothing too scary," she smiled unconvincingly.

"Can I come?" he asked the nurse.

The nurse glanced at Laura. "You're welcome to if Mrs. Urkel's completely comfortable with that."

Laura looked at the nurse too. "Really? That's ok?"

The nurse relaxed as she realized Laura wanted that too. "Absolutely," she said. "We often have husbands in the room for tests like this. It can be nerve-wracking."

Laura grabbed Steve's hand, and he smiled at her. The nurse began to lead them back to the exam room. The nurse ran through Laura's medical and sexual history. She checked her vitals, took urine and blood samples, and left them alone, instructing Laura to undress from the waist down. Once the door was closed, Laura stood and unbuttoned her jeans. She slid them down her legs as Steve watched unabashedly. She glanced up at him and smiled. "It's just the waist down," she teased.

He met her eyes again. "That's the most important part," he smirked.

She laughed softly as she took off her thong. She handed both items to Steve as she climbed onto the examination table and got under the blanket. She lay back and closed her eyes, trying to forget where she was. Steve folded her jeans and slipped her thong into the fold to conceal it. He placed both items on the chair that he had been sitting on and walked to her side. He grabbed her left hand and kissed it. "Thank you for doing this, my love."

She squeezed his hand. "You're welcome," she said. "… Crazy."

He smiled and kissed her forehead. He placed a hand on her stomach. "I just wanna start a family with you."

"I know," she smiled softly.

"You're gonna be the most amazing mother," he promised.

The door opened before she could respond. "Mrs. Urkel?"

"Yes," Laura smiled. "Laura's fine."

"It's nice to meet you, Laura. I'm Dr. Jackson," she said, shaking her hand. She turned to Steve and extended her hand to him as well. "It's good to see you again, Mr. Urkel." Steve shook her hand but avoided making eye contact.

"It's Dr. Urkel, actually," Laura corrected proudly.

"Oh, my apologies," Dr. Jackson replied. "PhD?" she asked.

Steve nodded. "Biochemical engineering," he replied, still avoiding eye contact.

"Impressive," she smiled, trying hard to make him feel comfortable with her after their first unpleasant encounter. "And at such a young age!"

He shrugged silently.

Dr. Jackson turned to Laura. "Ok, Laura, so we've already taken your vitals, we're testing your blood and urine right now, so I just wanna do a quick ultrasound and Pap smear, and we'll go from there. If everything's normal, I don't see any reason for us to do more tests at this time. We'll help you do some calculations and put you on a schedule, just to be sure, but I'm hoping this is the only time we'll have to meet," she smiled.

"Me too," Laura agreed.

Dr. Jackson pulled the ultrasound machine closer and pulled out the gel. "Could you lift your shirt, please?" she asked.

Laura lifted her shirt and shuddered slightly as the gel cooled her skin. She glanced at the screen as her uterus was shown. It looked normal to her, but she considered any black and gray blob on an ultrasound to be normal. She looked up at Steve. She knew he wasn't a medical doctor, but she was sure he'd done his research before this appointment. He looked almost calm.

He felt her eyes on him and glanced down at her. He knew she was looking for a sign from him. He smiled at her softly and squeezed her hand three times. It wasn't a signal they'd worked out in advance, but he figured she'd get it. He looked up at the screen again and nodded. Her uterus looked textbook perfect to him.

Dr. Jackson continued to move the wand, investigating every inch of her carefully. "Your uterus looks good," she said. "It looks healthy. I'm making my way up to the ovaries now." She stayed silent for a moment. "Good…" she narrated. "And good." She continued checking her abdomen for another long moment, and then she stopped. She turned off the machine and pushed it out of the way. "Everything looks fine," she said cautiously. "We need to do the Pap and look at your test results, but you look perfectly healthy. A uterus that beautiful rules out a lot of problems," she smiled.

Laura looked up at Steve and grinned. That was good news. She had been expecting nothing less, but it still felt good to hear.

He leaned down and kissed her softly. "You have the most beautiful reproductive organs I've ever seen, my love," he purred, holding back happy tears.

Laura laughed audibly in embarrassment, but kissed him again. "Shut up," she giggled.

Steve went quiet and watched carefully as Dr. Jackson moved between Laura's legs, as a stranger explored the most intimate part of his wife's body, a part of her body that had previously only been seen by him, her own gynecologist, and a few, select bikini waxers. He had never had to watch that, though. This was uncomfortable. He felt more exposed than she did. She was 25. She knew the drill. However, it was over quickly, and Steve began to breathe again.

"You can go ahead and get dressed," the doctor said with a smile. "Head out to the waiting room, and I'll call you back to my office for a consult as soon as I get your results."

"Thank you," Laura said as she left. When the door was closed, she climbed off the exam table and went to her clothes. She slipped on her thong and pulled on her jeans. She turned to Steve as she was buttoning them. "That wasn't so bad," she said, feigning confidence.

"No, it wasn't," he agreed, doing the same.

Laura smiled at him. "How'd it feel seein' somebody other than you with their head between my legs?" she teased, having easily read his vibe during her Pap smear.

He walked over to her and pulled her close. "I didn't particularly like it," he admitted.

"Well, you better get used to it, Daddy, because you're gonna have to attend a lot of appointments like this once you knock me up," she smirked.

He kissed her softly. "I can't wait," he whispered. He took her by the hand and led her out to the waiting room.

———————————————————————

Nearly a half-hour had passed before Dr. Jackson called them back. "Dr. and Mrs. Urkel?" Laura and Steve stood and followed her back to her office. "Go ahead and have a seat," she smiled, gesturing to two chairs across from her desk.

They sat, and Steve grabbed Laura's hand immediately. He squeezed it tightly, and though it was a tad too tightly for her comfort, she couldn't bear the thought of asking him to let go.

"Ok," Dr. Jackson smiled softly. "Steve, let's start with your test," she said as Steve began to squeeze Laura's hand just a little harder. "Based on these results, you have nothing to worry about, Steve."

Steve finally exhaled and began to breathe normally again. "I don't?" he asked in relief.

"No, you don't. All of your numbers are well above where they should be and actually well above average. You are a healthy, virile man. We can test you again in a month to be sure, but considering how long you two have been trying, I don't think that's really necessary yet."

Steve looked at Laura. "I'm virile!" he repeated excitedly.

Laura smiled brightly at him. "I heard!" she exclaimed. She ripped her hand away from him and threw her arms around his neck. She kissed him passionately. "And I knew you would be. I told you we have nothing to worry about." She kissed him again and again but pulled away when Dr. Jackson cleared her throat.

"Ahem. Now, Laura, your uterus, like I said in the exam room, is spotless. You should have no problem carrying a baby."

Laura breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank God."

"However," Dr. Jackson continued, "there were some problems in your blood test that are concerning."

Laura's stomach dropped. "Oh?" she croaked. Steve grabbed her hand again and squeezed reassuringly.

"Based on the hormone levels you're showing, you appear to have Premature Ovarian Failure or OVF," she said softly.

"What?" Laura breathed in disbelief.

Steve's jaw dropped, and he turned to look at Laura.

"Essentially, it means you've entered menopause far earlier than usual. You and Steve can keep trying, but it's highly unlikely you'll get pregnant on your own."

Laura's pulse roared in her ears, and she could no longer hear what the doctor was saying.

"But you said she can carry a baby!" Steve cried. "Why would you say that if she's…?" He looked at Laura. No word seemed appropriate to describe what she was going through physically or about to go through emotionally.

"She is a strong candidate for carrying a child, Dr. Urkel. You just likely won't be able to conceive naturally. With an egg donor and IVF, you two can still have a baby," Dr. Jackson explained.

"An egg donor?" Steve repeated. "You can't harvest her eggs?"

"We can try, but based on her blood test, that seems extremely unlikely."

"So our baby won't even be…?" he couldn't even say it. He wanted to have a baby with Laura, not some other woman!

"Many people have a hard time with news like this at first. They say it's like grieving a death, but many couples have used egg or sperm donors and started wonderful, happy families. Take some time to think about it, but she is a perfect candidate for IVF."

Steve turned to Laura, who was clearly in shock. "I think I need to get her home," he said.

"Of course. I have some information for you to take with you and look over," she said, handing Steve a thick file.

"Thank you," he said as he began to stand.

"What if we had started trying four years ago?" Laura asked loudly and abruptly, creating a deafening silence in the room. "When I was 21? Would I have been able to have a baby then?" she asked.

Dr. Jackson paused. "Possibly," she admitted. "Four years can make a big difference when it comes to this, but I can't tell you for sure."

Laura looked at Steve, tears finally escaping her eyes. "This is my fault," she sniffled.

Steve sat next to her again. "No, it's not," he said quickly. "No. Don't even say that. This is nobody's fault." He pulled her forward to hold her awkwardly in the uncomfortable chairs. He rubbed her back as she began to sob into his neck.

"Steve is right, Laura. This was nothing you did. This is usually genetic or environmental."

Laura sat up and looked him in the eye. "But you wanted to start trying right after we got married. This is my fault. We waited because I wanted to wait, and now, it's too late," she sobbed.

He stood and pulled her up with him. "This isn't your fault," he promised, holding her close. "This isn't your fault." He picked her up and turned to the doctor. "I have to get her home," he said quickly. "Thank you for your help." He carried Laura out to the car and buckled her in the front seat. He held her close as he drove, but she still cried uncontrollably. He got her home quickly and helped her from the parking garage to the apartment. He took her right to bed and laid her down. He climbed into bed beside her and spooned her. He whispered sweet nothings in her ear as she continued to melt down. He held her for hours as she cried, and nothing he said was enough to console her. Eventually, she fell asleep.

———————————————————————

When she woke up, it was dark out, but Steve was still by her side. As her brain turned back on, her body ached with the pain of loss again. She rolled over to look at him. His eyes were wide open.

He hurried to put his glasses back on. "Hi," he said softly.

"Hi," she whispered, tears taking her voice again.

He quickly wiped a tear that rolled down her cheek again. "Oh, no, my love. Please don't start crying again. Please. I can't stand seeing you like this," he whispered.

She wiped her eyes and sat up. "I think I'm all cried out for the night," she said emotionlessly. She climbed out of bed and walked into the bathroom. She took a makeup removing wipe and began to remove the eye makeup surrounding her red eyes that was making her look like a raccoon. Soon, she saw Steve in the mirror behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist as she tossed the wipe in the trash.

He leaned down and kissed her neck again and again. He paused and moved his lips up to her ear. "I love you," he whispered.

Laura remained silent for a long while. Then she spoke bitterly. "Yeah, well, you would've been better off if you didn't," she muttered under her breath. She pulled out of his arms and walked out toward the kitchen. She opened the cupboard and pulled out a bottle of wine they hadn't opened because Steve had begged her not to drink while they were trying. She opened the bottle as he came up beside her. He took it out of her hands just after the pop of the cork.

"Laura, you can't drink that," he said firmly.

"Why not?" she asked. "I can't get pregnant without an egg donor, so unless you've snuck one of those into our bedroom and done some mad science, there's no chance I'm pregnant yet. I might as well get wasted while I can," she spat, pulling the bottle out of his hands again and pouring a big glass. She took a long sip.

"Laura, we're gonna get through this," he said softly, not knowing what other comfort he could offer.

"No, we're not," she said softly, walking away with her glass in hand. She walked out to the balcony, and he followed right behind her.

"What do you mean?" he demanded. "Of course, we are. I'm upset too, Laura, but we're gonna get through this. There's still a chance that–"

"NO!" she interrupted suddenly, slamming her glass down on the patio table and shattering it. "Damn it!" she cried, pulling her newly bloody hand back. Steve rushed closer to her, but she pulled back. "No, Steve!" she yelled. "I knew you were gonna do this!"

"Do what?" he asked.

"Act like today didn't happen! Like everything's gonna be fine! Like she didn't just tell us that I'm infertile," she screamed.

Steve gasped. Nobody had used that word. "Laura, that's not what she said."

"It is, Steve! She didn't say it like that because… Sure, maybe there's a one-in-a-million chance that I have some old, dry egg that could pop up at just the right time, and we could get really lucky one time, but what are the chances of that?!"

"Laura, one-in-a-million is just my luck," he pressed, stepping closer to her as she continued to back away. "I married you! If I can do that–"

"NO, STEVE! It's not the same!" she sobbed again. "I knew you were gonna say something like that, but it's not the same. That's how I know we're not gonna survive this, Steve, because you're not even gonna be willing to deal with it for years! You're gonna keep holding out for some impossible dream for the rest of our damn lives, and we're never gonna get to be parents!"

Steve moved closer to her, cornering her finally, and he pulled her into his arms. He kissed the top of her head. "We can start looking at our other options whenever you feel ready, sweetheart," he promised.

Laura ripped herself away from him. "Great!" she cried. "So we can mix your virile sperm with some other woman's eggs, and you can have a baby!"

"No! It would be our baby! You would carry our baby, and it would be completely ours. But if you don't wanna do it that way, we don't have to. There are plenty of options, Laura! There are many different ways to start a family!" he argued.

"There are!" she agreed. "For example, you could just leave me now so you can do it the old fashioned way with someone who can give you what you really want!"

"What? Leave you? What the heck are you talking about?"

"All you've ever wanted was a baby, Steve! All you've ever wanted from me was a baby, but I told you no again and again and again, and now it's too late. I can never give you what you want. I can never give you what you deserve. You've only asked me for one damn thing in your whole life, and I can't even give you that! I'll never be able to give you that. I don't deserve you, Steve! I never have, and obviously, I never will. No matter how hard I try, I can never be as good a wife as you are a husband. For God's sake, you are more fertile than most men! You are above average! And I… I can't do anything right for you," she sobbed. As she finished her rant, she collapsed to the ground, right in the pile of broken glass.

Steve crouched immediately beside her and pulled her away from it. He brushed the shards off her legs and her butt and pulled her into his lap. He kissed the top of her head again and again as he rocked her back and forth. "Laura, I'm not goin' anywhere," he whispered. "I would never leave you. You're my soul mate, remember?"

"No, I'm not," she sobbed into his neck. "Your soul mate could give you a baby!"

"Laura, you are my soul mate. You are the only thing I've ever wanted, not a baby. I want a baby, but not as much as I want you. I would rather you and I live alone together for the rest of our lives than live without you. I wanna have a baby with you, and I am very disappointed that we might not be able to do it naturally — I won't lie about that — but I still think we should keep trying. I think we should keep trying for the rest of our lives in case we get lucky someday, but I don't wanna give up on the idea of starting a family with you just because we might have to do it differently than we planned. I understand if you don't want to use my sperm with an egg donor. That would make me uncomfortable too, and I would be a mess if the situation were reversed, but there are other ways. We can adopt, Laura Lee. We can adopt some poor, little baby who has no one, and we can give her all the love in the world. I wanna be a dad, Laura, but only if my baby calls you Mama. You are the center of my universe. All my dreams revolve around you and only you. This isn't your fault, but what we do next is all up to you. Please start a family with me, Laura Lee. Please make me a daddy." He kissed the top of her head again and pulled her closer as she continued to cry.

"I just wanted to make you happy," she sobbed.

"I know, and you do, Laura. You make me happy every single day of our lives. I would be nothing without you," he promised.

"I wanted to have a baby with you," she cried.

"You will," he assured her. "We're gonna be parents, Laura. I promise."

"I wanted to make a baby with you," she corrected as she continued to wail.

He tightened his arms around her. "I did too, my love. I'm so sorry this is happening to us, but I love you with all my heart, Laura Lee, and nothing is ever gonna change that."

"I love you, too," she cried. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

"It's not your fault, my love. It's not your fault."

———————————————————————

When she had finally stopped crying again, Steve took her inside and made dinner. They ate together almost silently. They weren't trying to freeze each other out, but they were both emotionally exhausted, and neither of them could think of anything else that needed to be said. They were heartbroken, but they were together, and they were in love. Nothing was going to change that.

———————————————————————

Steve climbed into bed beside her that night and took off his glasses, ready to go to sleep, but suddenly, she straddled him and leaned down to kiss him. When she finally broke the kiss to move down to his neck, he pushed her up to interrupt her. "Laura, what are you doing?" he asked softly.

"I'm kissing my husband," she answered flatly, moving toward him again.

He put his hand up again to stop her. "No, I mean… It's been a long day. Don't you need some time to rest… and process?" he asked gently.

Her jaw clenched. "No," she said as her voice broke with the tears that were springing to her eyes, "it's been two days since I've made love to my husband, and I need him to comfort me."

"Don't you think… we should take some time to–"

"Steve!" she cried as her tears finally escaped her. "God, Steve, just shut up. I need you right now, ok? Just be here for me. Please."

"Ok," he whispered, pulling her face down to his again. "Ok, baby, shhhh… If this is what you need…" He kissed her neck and rubbed her back.

She sat up again and threw her nightie off. She wasn't wearing anything underneath it. She slid off of him and climbed under the covers. "Make love to me, Steve. Please," she begged.

He put his glasses back on and climbed on top of her. He quickly unbuttoned his shirt and slipped out of his boxers and pajama pants. He lay down between her legs and kissed her passionately. He stopped every few moments to remind her of how much he loved her.

———————————————————————

When he had finished completely, he pulled out of her and stroked her cheek. "Making love to you is my favorite thing in the whole world," he whispered.

"Yeah?" Laura asked softly. Her moods were muted when she wasn't sobbing about their bad news. Even when he said something sweet like that, she only felt about a tenth of the warmth that kind of sweet talk had once made her feel actually reach her heart. She was drowning in too many other feelings.

"Laura, I want you to know that this part of our relationship is important to me even if we never make a baby this way. It's essential," he pressed.

Laura clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "Oh, Steve, of course."

"I know I've told you a million times that making a baby with you was important to me, and I know I've talked about it a lot in the bedroom, but I want you to know that I value everything about our sex life. Just the way it is."

"Steve, I know. Please, don't worry. I know."

"It's not just about procreation for me. It's about me making you feel good and you making me feel wanted. It's about expressing our love for each other. It's about reaffirming to each other every night that this relationship is different than all the other ones in our lives. It's about becoming one. I know I've talked about all the amazing things I thought your body could do, but I don't care about any of that. I care that you give it to me in this bed over and over again. That's what matters. That's all that matters."

Laura sniffled a little. "I appreciate that Steve, but it's ok that you wanted this. It really is. It's natural. You don't have to minimize it."

"I'm not trying to, Laura. I just want you to know, in case I didn't say it enough, that being intimate with you is about more than meeting my biological needs. It's about meeting my emotional needs too. I need to love and feel loved."

She nodded. "I know, Steve. I found so much comfort in being with you tonight. I hope this makes us a baby some day, but even if it never does, I love making love with you."

"Me too," he agreed immediately, kissing her deeply. "I am the luckiest man in the world."

Laura frowned. "You're not though. Not at all. You're one of the unluckiest people in the world. Everything you have, you've had to fight for. Even me." She stroked his chest gently. "Now that you finally have me, even this part can't be easy. This part that is supposed to come so, so naturally."

Steve thought for a moment. "It might not be as easy as we thought it was going to be, but you have to know that I'm gonna fight for it, Laura Lee, just like I fought for everything I have, just like I fought for you. I'm going to fight for our future, to make it whatever we want it to be."

"I know," she agreed, kissing him again. "I know, and I love you so much for that."