TRIGGER WARNING: This story deals with child loss. Please stop reading now if you're sensitive to such content.

Twilight was settling over the village as Poppy made her way to Branch's bunker. Her day had been extremely hectic, and she couldn't help feeling relieved that a cancellation by Nova Swift had left her with the time for a visit to the clinic. She had news for him – news of a sensitive nature, with the potential to change everything for both of them.

As mates, they divided their time between Poppy's pod and the bunker. Neither could bear to give up the living habits they had grown accustomed to, and their schedules sometimes left them with little time for "couple" activities, but each kept the essentials for the other in their respective homes, so that they could come and go as they pleased. Placing one hand on the lever of the elevator, Poppy stepped forward and tried not to pay too much attention to how the motion made her stomach drop. The ride was smooth enough (of course, Branch kept his equipment in excellent condition), but she was glad to finally reach the bottom.

"Branch?" she called out, looking around the large room. "Are you here?" Her ears strained, listening for a response, but caught none. With a heavy sigh, Poppy stepped off the elevator and glanced around. After a few moments, her eyes fell on the wooden tree stump desk where they had sat many times to scrapbook together. Taped to the lamp was a coarse sheet of paper with a roughly scrawled note. Poppy reached for it, confused. It wasn't unusual for Branch to continue his foraging well into the night, but he never left notes. Something must be wrong…

Poppy,

I'm sorry I won't make it back tonight. There's some casserole and blueberry pie for you in the icebox. I'll see you the day after tomorrow. I love you.

Branch

Her hands fell to her lap, crumpling the note as they did so. Of all the times for her mate to go on some day-long journey, he had to pick now? She walked huffily over to the kitchen, yanking the icebox door harshly to reach for the blueberry pie inside. Slamming it shut, she decided not to bother with utensils, and simply scooped a fingerful of crust and compote into her mouth. Munching slowly, she trudged to Branch's favorite armchair and slumped into it, wondering if there was anyone else with whom she could share her predicament. Smidge? No…she already spent too much time depending on her. Besides, the Stoutberries were close to ripening, and Smidge would need as much rest as she could get before the harvest. Guy Diamond? Same problem. Bridget? Too far away. Cooper? Any chat with him would end up skewing off on some bizarre tangent. DJ? DJ-ing. Biggie? He was on a date with Zia. He had graciously offered to let her babysit Mr. Dinkles, but she had (truthfully) told him she wasn't feeling well.

"Just great!" she muttered, taking another mouthful of pie. She felt completely out of sorts. It wasn't the same as going grey, but her will to sing and dance was gone. She was tired, and not just because of her demanding schedule as Queen of the village. Branch shouldered some of the responsibility where he could, but his duties were more behind-the-scenes, concerning things like village safety and supply rationing. He had fallen willingly into the role of Poppy's consort – there were still any number of dangers to protect the village from, and he tackled each new challenge with delight. It brought Poppy much joy to know she had finally been able to give him a sense of purpose in the village, and while he still shied away from most social activities, he was gradually coming around. Such a brilliant mind, a sharp sense of humor - and the sweetest sky-blue eyes in the world, only for her.

Or were they? Poppy chanced another look at the note, wondering why Branch hadn't mentioned anything to her sooner. Were there more secrets to uncover? If so, she had to get them out in the open as soon as possible. Given her situation, she couldn't wait. Setting her plate carefully down on the shelf next to the armchair, she curled up and closed her eyes, grateful at least for a quiet place to rest.

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The whirring of the elevator roused Poppy from her slumber; she blinked slowly as she tried to regain her bearings. The familiar earthy smell of the bunker was punctuated with the sweet and slightly pungent scent of blueberries. Her eyes flew wide open, remembering the stress of the previous day, the note, and the unexplained absence of her mate, who was now visible on the elevator platform as it lowered. How long had she been asleep? Was he back early? More importantly, what was he back early from?

"Poppy!" Branch exclaimed in relief, hopping off the platform. "I almost couldn't get to the bunker; everyone's been asking me where you were! They've all been worried sick - did you sleep the whole day away?" Rushing forward, he reached out to place a hand on Poppy's. She withdrew it, and his expression changed to one of surprise. This wasn't like her – she usually ran to him. "Poppy, what's wrong? Your friends have been looking for you all day!"

Poppy glared at him, holding up the crumpled note. "I thought you weren't due back for a day," she said, her voice carrying a hint of venom.

Recognizing the tone of a woman scorned, Branch instinctively took a step back. " It's been a day," he said gently. "I was going to come and see you first thing in the morning. You must have been pretty exhausted - the whole village has been wondering where you disappeared to. I figured you'd want to head back to your own pod..."

"Oh, you did, huh? Well, you thought wrong!" Poppy snapped. "Where were you, Branch? I had something extremely important to discuss with you, and you pick that exact time to go on some journey? What could be more important than supporting your mate when she needs you? Oh, but you wouldn't know anything about that, would you, because you weren't even here!"

"Where I was is no concern of yours!" Branch shot back. "I know we haven't had much time together lately, but I've been busy too! You've got hundreds of friends - could one of them not have helped you out with whatever you needed so I could have one damn day to myself?"

"You can't keep it hidden forever!" Poppy's voice was close to shrieking now. "Branch, why are you being so evasive? This is your CHILD we're talking about!!!"

A cold silence fell around them as she took in the horrified look now washing over his face. His eyes were wide with shock, as if her words had struck his very core. Wavering lightly on his feet, he took a few shaky breaths, hands clenching and unclenching a few times before whirling around to the elevator, shoving the lever into the "up" position, praying that Poppy hadn't caught the tears about to break through.