[A/N. This is the sequel to my first VC Andrews fanfic, "The blackbird's ballet." If you haven't read my first one I don't think it really matters at this stage! Anyway, on with the story, enjoy! Also if anyone could tell me how to format stories so words written in bold and italics come out as such I'd be very grateful!]



PROLOGUE:

I was sitting in the lounge room when the labor pains began. At first I ignored them- after all Holly'd had false labor pains when her son, Nelson, was born five months ago. But eventually I realised that there was nothing false about these pains! I struggled into the kitchen to press the button on the intercom Cary had recently installed between the house and his workshop as he so proudly called it.

"CARY?" I cried.

"Melody, is there anything wrong?" Cary's concerned voice came back over the intercom.

"Nothing much, apart from the fact that I'm in labor." I said.

"I'll be right there!"

About twenty minutes later we were speeding to the hospital in the back of an ambulance with me squeezing Cary's hand every time I had a contraction and him imploring me to remember my breathing exercises. But all thoughts of exercises had vanished from my mind the moment the pains started. Over the last few months I'd been worrying that the baby was Billy's not Cary's and now I just wanted to get the birth over with so I'd know. When we arrived at the hospital I was swiftly transferred to a bed in the labor ward where I remained for almost three hours until my baby was born. Cary was with me the entire time, and to his credit he looked as though he was in as much pain as I was!

The nurse held the baby up to show us. "You've got a beautiful baby girl." She said with a smile.

I turned to Cary and he kissed me on the forehead. "She's perfect." He declared. "Our little Lara." We'd long ago decided if we had a girl she'd be named in honor of Cary's dead twin sister Laura, but we also thought to burden a small child with the name of a dead relative was wrong, and therefore we'd changed it slightly to Lara instead of Laura.

"She is perfect isn't she?" I replied as the nurse handed her to me.

"Wait till Ma and May see her. They'll go crazy. Women always do when it comes to babies." Cary said making a face.

"Something tells me they won't be the only ones spoiling her Cary Logan." I replied with a laugh.

Cary gave me a sheepish grin.

It was only later, when Lara and I were alone, that I studied her intently. To my eyes she looked more like Billy than Cary, but I knew that wasn't something concrete to work on. And, I told myself for the hundredth time, no matter who was her father, Lara Logan's DAD would be Cary Logan.