Need to preface this by saying that I haven't seen any of the latest season so I have no idea if this is something being done on the show or not, it was just one of those niggling thoughts that needed to be turned into a fic.

Not entirely happy with the way it turned out but I like the end so I've decided to compromise...

This was, in essence a way for me to test out the character's voices again (I'm getting rusty, I know) plus I wanted to experiment with a softer Charlotte that, personally, I think we'd only ever see in the darkest hour of night...

Anywho, ignore my ramblings and let me know what you think :D

xx

"But what if we can't?" she whispered to him through the dark.

"We will," he assured her, tightening his arms around her as they lay in bed.

"But what if we can't?" Charlotte whispered again, snuggling into his side as if that would dispel her fears.

"We will," Cooper insisted, turning slightly so that he could kiss her forehead. "Don't worry about it. It will happen when it happens."

Charlotte said nothing and she began to bite her lip, a nervous tick she'd only ever indulge in the middle of the night when she was too worked up to sleep.

"But what if we can't?"

"Charlotte," Cooper said decisively as he sat up and twisted to look down at her, her face only illuminated by the slivers of moonlight that were filtering into the room, "it will happen, when it happens. It's only been 8 months and we've got all the time in the world."

Shuffling in her place, Charlotte clutched the sheet to her as she sat up, shifting so that she could sit cross legged and face him.

"But what if I can't?"

Four times they'd bought the tests and four times they'd been negative.

Cooper sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face before reaching out to pull her into his lap. She went willingly, curling up in his arms as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"It's been 8 months and nothin'," she whispered. "What if there's somethin' wrong with me?"

"There is nothing even remotely wrong with you," Cooper swore and, even though it was maybe the stupidest thing she'd ever heard, she smiled.

"But-."

"Ah!" he cut her off, "no buts maybes or ifs about it. This isn't something we can plan or force to happen. When it happens, and it will happen, it will be when it's meant to happen."

"Don't go spinning that Zen crap on me, Coop," she said, frustrated as she pulled away from him. "Neither of us are exactly spring chickens anymore and God knows how messed up my body is. Stop bein' so positive and actually think about this!" Lip trembling, she turned to get off the bed but Cooper was too quick, pulling her back against him.

"Charlotte, if it is meant to happen, it's going to happen," he whispered in her ear as she started to shake slightly in his arms. "And if it doesn't happen, then that's O.K too. We can adopt or get a surrogate or whatever. If this doesn't happen, then it doesn't. And I won't stop loving you if we can't have kids."

There was a pause as she tried to distract herself with the idea that he always knew what was going on in her mind but there was no escaping the fact that he'd hit her fears right on the head. She tightened her grip on his arms, making sure he wouldn't be able to let go even if he wanted to.

"Promise?" she whispered so quietly he barely heard it.

"Always."

They sat quietly for a few minutes as Charlotte tried to get a handle on her breathing. He loved her and, even though they'd decided to try for kids, he was O.K if physically she was too messed up to have them. Or at least he said he was. She trusted Cooper implicitly but still she couldn't help the flutter of panic that was again building in her stomach.

"Plus the trying thing is fun too."

And that was why she loved him. In the midst of her fear and self doubt, he could calm her down without so much as a second thought.

Twisting in his arms, she craned her neck to look up at him as she rubbed her already naked body against his.

"Wanna try again?"

"I thought you'd never ask."