Another X on the Calendar

August had rolled around again, and with it came the the falling leaves and the turning colors and - yes, indeed - the first anniversary of the Matrimonium Legiem. And that, unfortunately, was the worst news that Trisha heard all day. Someone had actually checked up on Avery to see if she was expecting, and as soon as Trisha heard she had gone straight home. Oddly enough, it wasn't home to her family - unless you defined family as a single person that she hadn't actually dated but was married to. Instead, she returned to the home that Caspian had sorted for them. It wasn't perfect, but for a starter, it was about as sorted as their relationship. The two-story home was enough to have people like the Poliakoffs over at the same time as Nessarose and Dylan. And, Trisha would be the first to admit that a situation like that was actually bonkers.

But that had passed and now she had managed to mess things up for Caspian. The very idea of it was ridiculous. What was she supposed to do? Just... just go through with that? How could they expect anyone, nonetheless someone like her, to do that? It didn't add up in her mind and Trisha found herself frustrated and wishing for the first time in her life that she was more promiscuous. She couldn't just turn around and change who she was, though, and she would never ask Caspian to do so, either. So, really, they were doomed. And it was probably her fault. She hadn't tried, and now they were in line to go to Azkaban if someone caught them. But what could they do, really, with school coming up?

Taking up a pillow from the couch, Trisha covered her face with it and let out a panicked, breathy attempt at a scream. Falling onto the couch, she pulled her knees to her chest and buried her face into the pillow. She had to warn him. Had to be the first who told him what was coming. So she sat up very suddenly, wishing she could send a patronus but registering the fact that she had yet to turn seventeen. Instead, she rushed into the kitchen, pulling out parchment and a quill, jotting an urgent message:

Cass,

I'm sorry, but there's something we have to talk about when you get home. It's really important. So as soon as you're free, please come home. Even if it's just over lunch.

She signed with a shaky hand, her name curling less smoothly than it typically did. And then the waiting game started, and ended up with Trisha watching completely trash shows she had no interest in but Hayley was always going on about, curled up in a ball on the couch and clutching the blanket around her.

It had been a year, well almost, since he and Trisha had been forced into a marriage that neither of them had really been okay with. Since then, Caspian had been rather happy with the way things had turned out, he had begun to care for Trisha, in more ways than one, and that had eventually turned into love. He wasn't afraid to admit it, he loved Trisha now, and he was sure of it after the year that they had spent together.

While he was happy that things had worked out for the most part for them, there was still something that had always bothered him about the marriage law that he knew was a problem for Trisha as well. And this was bothering him now than it had ever bothered him before. It was the fact that they were required to have a child, or at least conceive, in one years time and they hadn't done it.

Time was almost up and Caspian was starting to panic about it. He wasn't sure how Trisha felt about it, if she remembered that this was a problem, but he could imagine that if she remembered this little thorn in their sides about the law, her reaction wouldn't be the best.

He wasn't entirely sure if he should have been surprised about the message that he received from his wife. She said they had to talk about something important, and he assumed it had something to do with the law. He knew she was bound to remember and say something about it eventually, but he hadn't thought that they were both thinking about it the same day.

Letting out a shaky sigh, Caspian decided he would take his lunch break just a few minutes earlier than he usually did, no one would mind since it was only a few minutes. "I'm going for lunch, okay?" he asked the Healer he was working with today and she nodded, letting him know he could leave. She would no doubt take her break soon as well and Caspian left the room, taking off toward the entrance of the hospital with a little more speed to his pace than usual.

The Ravenclaw apparated once he was outside of the building and appeared in front of the house. He cleared his throat and unlocked the door, opened it and walked inside. He saw Trisha on the couch and walked toward her, sitting beside her without speaking for a moment.

Finally, he asked, "What did you want to talk about?"

They looked the picture of depression, one curling her knees her her chest and wrapped in a blanket, the other sitting there and waiting for his answer. It took several moments for Trisha to reach a hand out from within her cocoon and pick up the remote. Even after she turned it off, though, she sat for a minute or two in silence before turning her head. Red hair fell over her shoulder as she looked at Caspian with sad eyes.

"I think you know."

Her lips mushed together as she pondered how to truly broach the subject. Deciding that there wasn't any decent way to go about it, Trisha just huffed and turned so her feet curled under her on the couch, her body facing him. Her hand escaped from the Ravenclaw blanket once more, palm up and reaching towards him as she silently asked him to extend his own to join hers.

"So I know that this is my fault, really, and I'm really sorry, but I- I didn't know what to do. And now the Ministry will come after you, too, because I'm so..." She faltered, trying to find an appropriate word. "I don't know, Cass. Timid. Or whatever I am. And it's not that I don't love you - I've told you I do. I'm just... It's one of those irrational fears, since I don't know what I'm doing and am not at all ready for a baby and-"

She cut herself off, noticing the rambling, tucking her chin and peeking up at him through her lashes. "Sorry.."

I think you know.

Caspian stiffened noticeably as she spoke. He did know, and now that he was sure of what she had wanted to talk about he became even more uncomfortable than he had been. He'd really been hoping that she wanted to talk to him about something else that she thought was really important. He wasn't exactly sure how to go about talking about the situation they had gotten themselves into because of the stupid law and he was sure she didn't either.

But when her hand was extended toward him, without hesitation he took it in his own and moved closer to her, listening as she spoke. She was being too hard on herself, even if she thought it was completely her fault it wasn't since he hadn't really done much to encourage her. When she finished, Caspian drew her close to him, embracing her tightly. "Don't be sorry.." he said softly.

"Tris, it isn't your fault. Don't be so hard on yourself." he told her. "I wouldn't make you do anything you don't want to, and I know this was one of those things that I shouldn't force you into. If you weren't ready, then neither was I." he continued. "If you think this is your fault, then it's just as mine as it is yours. And I won't have you thinking any other way. If the Ministry comes looking for us, I'll take the blame. I don't care, as long as you're okay." he smiled weakly.

"I love you Trisha." he said before pressing his lips against her own.

"But-" she attempted, biting the inside of her cheek as he continued. She didn't really understand, even as he spoke, finding it difficult to actually look him in the eyes. He didn't understand. She wanted to take the fall for it so he wouldn't have to. But there he was saying the same thing right back to her.

The blanket fell from her shoulders as Trisha's free hand lifted so she could push her fingers into his hair, returning his kiss. She wanted to linger there, wanted to keep that close to him, but the problem was still nagging at her. So after a few moments, she pulled back, dropping a kiss to his cheek in an attempt to prove that she wasn't at all upset with him.

"You have so much more to worry about, though, Caspian. The internship, and nearly being done with school, and everything with your family is already weird because of me. So either I take the blame or... well, I'd say that neither of us would, but honestly I don't know if we can avoid the Ministry. So we just... we need a plan. An excuse or a get out.

"I mean," she shrugged, dropping her cheek onto his shoulder, "it's not like Nessa, y'know? She can't have kids because of the werewolf thing so she's kind of got an escape route. We don't have anything like that."