Consider it an interlude between "MaDe to Endure" and the next story.

An Almost Christmas Epilogue

******Seven Months Later******

Veronica was miserable. How did she get talked into this? Oh, yes, she remembered. Her mother had joined them for Thanksgiving. She wasn't leaving until Veronica gave birth. Since she was as big as a house, she hoped it'd be soon. She was a week past her due date and nothing seemed to motivate this baby to leave her womb. Now her mother had decided some physical activity in the form of shopping would be just the thing to get the baby out.

Not once in her twenty-two years had she ever succumbed to the lure of Black Friday sales. Not even Lilly had gotten her to do that. Yet here she was looking at baby clothes with her mother and sister-in-law. They started the day with a breakfast at her mom's favorite Neptune restaurant. Veronica had convinced Trina to come with them, hoping that Trina would be a distraction. She had flown in the day before with Richie and joined them for Thanksgiving. Lianne had come in on Tuesday, hoping her first grandbaby would come that week. So far, the baby was not cooperating.

They'd had dinner at Alicia's. She was too pregnant to deal with the stress of cooking. It hadn't been awkward having Lianne there since Trina and Richie were there to take everyone's attention. Richie had only been back once since Trina had moved. She and Logan had gone to New York for two weeks in June. Dick and Mac had joined them. Then Trina had flown home the week of Labor Day weekend. Keith and Alicia had really missed Richie and were very happy he and Trina were joining them for Thanksgiving. Wallace was there without Thea. She was with her family in Chicago. He was going to join her for Christmas, though. Duncan was with Parker in Colorado. Lily was with them. It was a big deal taking Lily, and Veronica was happy for her friends.

The past seven months had been without any death. It was really over. Even though Dan had died, Veronica had trouble believing they were all safe. However, every month that passed without anything bad happening to anyone, the more she relaxed. When they started their senior year of college, she was very pregnant. She'd gotten her professors to work with her on an accelerated plan. She'd worked ahead in every class. If the baby came as it was supposed to, she'd be ready.

She patted her stomach. He or she wasn't following the plan. Logan had convinced her to wait to find out the sex. It made her a little nuts not being able to prepare and having to buy gender neutral clothes. But it made Logan so happy not knowing. He liked the anticipation.

"So I think I'm going to buy all boy clothes," Trina said. "I'm sick of these bland unisex clothes!"

Lianne smiled. "What if she has a little girl?" she said wistfully.

"Well, I'll give Veronica the receipts. She can exchange them," Trina said. "Richie and I are counting on a little boy. He needs a cousin to play with."

"You know Charlie has little girl, so technically, Richie has a cousin already," Veronica reminded her.

"It's not the same thing," Trina said flatly, having not warmed up to Logan and hers brother. The man was Logan's biological half-brother, but it didn't make Charlie feel like her brother, too.

Veronica didn't have the energy to get into that discussion again, so she said nothing. Instead, she picked up an adorable pink dress with white ruffles. It was utterly girlie, and it made her hormonal heart melt.

"Oh, that's gorgeous!" her mother gushed, looking at it. "It's so tiny! We should find some tiny white shoes to go with it!"

"Oh, and one of those pink head band things with a flower on it!" Trina added, getting into it.

"I always thought girl clothes were so much more fun than boy clothes," Lianne commented.

"I don't know. I always found Richie the cutest clothes," Veronica said.

"True, but we still gotta buy this dress!" Trina said with a grin. It was her first time buying baby girl clothes, and she was really starting to go crazy. Then she spotted a miniature tux and sighed happily. Too many choices.

Veronica agreed that it was the perfect dress. She decided to get over her distaste of shopping and join in the spirit of things.

*****That Evening*****

Mac came over to see all the clothes they'd bought. Dick, of course, was with her.

"You bought girl clothes? It's going to be a boy! The last one was a boy. Logan's dad had two sons. It's obvious he has mostly Y chromosome fishies. This one's gonna be a boy!" Dick announced confidently.

Logan laughed. "I can't believe the day would come when Dick would actually use logic to win an argument!" he exclaimed. He patted Mac on her shoulder. "You've taught him well!"

"I learned that in high school bio, jackass!" Dick said with a glare. Then he looked guilty for cussing so close to Richie's little ears. "Sorry, little dude." Richie was walking now and pushing around the little popper Logan got him. Naturally, he wasn't listening to the adults when they weren't focused on him.

"It's okay, Dick. He's heard me say worse," Trina confessed. "He's not at the age yet where he repeats."

"One of Veronica's first words was ass," Lianne shared.

Everyone looked at her in surprise.

"What?" Veronica asked.

"I told you this, right?" Lianne inquired.

"Ah, no," Veronica said, puzzled.

"Well, you weren't quite two, and your dad was complaining about the current sheriff being a total ass," Lianne shared. "He said the word a few times in a loud voice. He was waving his hands and pacing. You thought it was some new form of entertainment and waved your hands at him, saying, 'Ass, Daddy!'. At first, I thought you were saying ask Daddy. But you kept saying it, and it dawned on me what you were saying. It was so cute!"

"Dad never told me that!" Veronica exclaimed.

"He wasn't every happy about it. I think he blocked it from his mind," Lianne said with a smile. There had been happy memories. It was nice to recall them when she was with Veronica.

Everyone laughed. Then Dick looked at Veronica. "So is this dude gonna come out or what?" he asked.

Veronica patted her very large stomach and sighed. "He likes it in there too much, I guess," she said.

"She said he! See, the mother always knows!" Dick said excitedly, a look of triumphant on his face. He slapped Logan on the back. "You're having a son!"

Logan just smiled. He had no real preference. A son would be great, but he really wanted a miniature little Veronica. He could just picture it so well. He figured whatever they got, they'd get the other the next time!

Dick jumped up and went over to the stereo. "I have an idea. We need to get her moving around more. If the baby gets annoyed enough, he'll come out!" Dick suggested.

"You want to dance?" Mac asked.

"Why not? It's not going to hurt the baby, right?" Dick asked. "Send Thea a text. Ask her." Mac thought it was so cute how Dick now considered Thea there go to expert on everything. He no longer considered her the smartest person they knew. Now it was Thea. Mac didn't mind. If Mac didn't know the answer, the odds were Thea did.

"I don't need to text Thea," Veronica said, rolling her eyes. She was more competitive naturally than Mac, so she didn't find Dick's constant Thea-pedia funny. "Dancing and walking is fine."

Logan smirked. "Doctor even told her that sexual stimulation might cause her to go into labor," he shared.

Veronica looked a bit embarrassed. "I cannot believe you said that in front of my mother!" she complained.

"So I take it you suck at that then," Dick said with a snicker.

Logan lost his smirk and glared. "Why would you say that? I do not suck at sex! I am sex god!" he announced.

Veronica covered her face and groaned. "Make them shut up, Mac!" she ordered.

"Hey, he's your husband. Your responsibility!" Mac said, grinning.

"We've tried everything. Sex. Spicy food. She even went shopping all day with Trina and Lianne," Logan said.

"No labor pains at all?" Mac asked her.

"I feel so uncomfortable all the time that I'm not sure I'd even notice," Veronica complained.

Music blared. Dick held out his hand. "So get up and dance! I've always wanted to see an elephant dance!" he teased.

Veronica glared at him. Then she looked at Logan. "Husband, make yourself useful and go get me my Taser! I need to remind Dick of his manners!" she exclaimed.

Dick looked alarmed. "I was just teasing! Lighten up!" he told her. Then he snickered. "Of course, getting you lighter is the goal!"

"Dude, you just don't know when to stop, do you?" Logan asked, shaking his head.

"Come on, Ronnie! Let's boogie and get Junior there to come on out!" Dick said, pulling Veronica ungracefully to her feet.

Trina picked up Richie and decided to join the impromptu dance party. Lianne sat on recliner watching them. It was so nice to see her daughter so settled and happy.

Veronica gave in and decided that she'd try anything. She was just ready to have her baby in her arms.

Twenty minutes later, her water broke.

Twenty hours later, she finally had her baby.

Sara Lynn Echolls was born at eight pounds and eighteen inches long.

"We have a daughter!" Logan gushed as the doctor placed her in his arms. He looked down at her and felt his stomach fall. There it was—instant love. It was the oddest thing. One look and she had him. He would be hers until the end of his days. "She's so beautiful!" She let out a wail.

"I think she wants her mommy!" Logan said. He turned to his wife, his eyes full of love and tears.

Veronica couldn't believe she had created such a beautiful baby. Logan placed her in her arms and kissed them both.

A bit later, he went out to the waiting room to their family and friends. An exhausted group of people jumped up when they realized he was holding a baby. Keith, Lianne, Alicia, Wallace, Darrel, Dick, Mac, and Trina was there. Duncan and Parker had arrived that morning. Lily's nanny was watching Richie and Lily. They all insisted on keep vigil. Their other friends were out of town until tomorrow. Weevil was spending Thanksgiving with Jason and Jazmin and Daisy in Chicago. Logan knew, though, they all would be by tomorrow when they got back in town.

"Oh, my God! Finally!" Dick exclaimed as they surrounded Logan.

"What is it?" Keith asked.

"You have a granddaughter. Meet Sara Lynn Echolls," a proud and beaming Logan announced.

"I knew it!" Lianne said happily. "I knew it was going to be a girl!"

"Sorry, Dick," Logan said, not sorry at all.

Dick looked down at the new baby in awe. "She's such a butterball! Look at those fat cheeks!" he exclaimed. He looked at Mac, a determined gleam in his eyes. "I want one!"

Mac blinked. "What?" she asked, caught off guard.

"I think he wants to plant his seed in you," Logan said with a smirk.

"That's exactly what I meant!" Dick said excitedly.

"Not yet, Dick. We're not done with college or married," Mac reminded him.

"Well, we can get married at Christmas and by next Christmas, we can have one of our own!" he said eagerly. "We want our kid to be close to the same age as her." He pointed to the baby.

Everyone laughed as Dick planned it all out for them. Mac knew Dick wasn't joking and wasn't sure how to answer him. "Why don't we discuss this when we're alone, okay?" she suggested.

"How's Veronica? Can we see her?" Keith asked, changing the topic.

"I want to hold my granddaughter!" Lianne said eagerly. Logan reluctantly handed her over.

"You all can go into her room now. She'll be ready to sleep very soon, so keep it short," Logan said.

Keith led the group to congratulate Veronica. He was overwhelmed. His baby had a baby.

"So, Pops. What's Sara going to call you? Grandpa? Gramps? Papa?" Veronica asked, beaming.

Keith couldn't stop the happy tears as he hugged and kissed his only child. This was one of his proudest moments—only matched by her birth. "She can call me anything she wants," he said, happily.

Wallace couldn't quit smiling. "I'm an uncle! A real uncle!" he said excitedly. He looked at the baby that Alicia was now holding. "You can call me Uncle Wallace." He looked at his stepsister. "You did good, sis. Now you're a real momma bear."

"I am, aren't I?" Veronica asked in bemusement. It still felt like a dream. "It was twenty hours of hell, but she was worth every minute!"

Two days later, Logan took his two girls home. Lianne was waiting. She was going to stay a few weeks and help out with the baby. Logan didn't really want to share his family with anyone right now, but he knew how much it meant to Veronica that her mom was still sober and wanted to be there.

"I have an easy to warm up casserole to heat in the oven. I have it on 200, so whenever you two feel hungry," Lianne said.

"Thanks, Mom," Veronica said with a smile. "I'm so glad you're here."

"Can I hold her while you get settled?" Lianne asked eagerly.

"Of course," Veronica said.

Logan was getting her out of the car seat. He handed his daughter to her grandma. "How about you go rest? We'll take care of Sara," he said.

"Only for an hour. Then I have to feed her," Veronica said. She had never felt so tired in her life. She had been in labor for so long. Then she couldn't sleep much at the hospital because there were constant interruptions.

"Where's Rover?" Logan asked.

"I put him on the patio. I didn't think he should be around the baby so soon," Leanne said.

"Well, he needs to meet his sister," Logan said with a wink.

Veronica laughed. "I'll leave you with your introductions while I take a nap," she told them. Logan gave her a kiss and watched her slow walk to her room.

"So how long will she be in such discomfort?" he asked Lianne.

"Well, she's a small woman, and Sara was really big. That means she was either cut more or Sara ripped out of her more," Lianne shared.

A look of horror came over Logan's face. "What? What do you mean?" he asked.

"Some doctors cut the cervix to make the delivery easier if the baby is really big. Others refuse to do it and make the cervix tear through the birth," Lianne explained. "Weren't you in there? You didn't watch?"

"I kept my eyes on Veronica. I don't know if I could handle watching that," Logan said with a shudder.

"It'll take her a few weeks before she starts feeling like her old self," Lianne said. "That's why I'm here. Having a baby takes a lot out of a woman. It's a type of trauma to the body. Veronica won't get that at first. She'll try to just get back to school or whatever. We'll have to keep an eye on her."

Logan suddenly felt glad that Lianne was here. Since he wasn't a woman, he couldn't really talk to Veronica about her body with any real credibility. "I'm glad that you're here," he told her.

"I wish your mother could be here, too," Lianne said, smiling warmly at him. He'd always had a bit of the devil in his eyes, but she had always thought he was a good boy. And she had been right. "She would be so happy. So proud."

Logan felt a wave of emotion hit him as he thought of yet another moment his mother was missing. "Do you think she knows? Do you think she just ceased to exist or is she somewhere else watching us?" Logan asked.

"I think the miracle of life and birth is too amazing, too incredible to have been randomly created," Lianne said. "I think God exists and your mother is now one of His angels. I don't think God blamed her for the demons that drove her to her death. If there's a way to watch over you, I am sure she has found it."

Logan gave her a grateful look. "I hope so," he said softly. He looked down at his new daughter. She was his miracle. He liked the thought of his mother being able to share the moment with him.

Later that night, Logan watched in fascination as his daughter nursed from Veronica's breast. It wasn't the first time he'd watched, but it was still surreal. He'd never spent any time around a nursing mother. Trina was the only pregnant woman he'd spend time around. His sister had obviously not nursed around him. He couldn't even remember if she'd nursed at all. It wasn't something he'd paid attention to because it hadn't interest him. Now, though, everything about Sara interest him.

"It really doesn't hurt?" he asked Veronica.

"Not really. It feels strange. It makes my nipples a bit sore, but it's not too bad," she said, looking down at her baby. She couldn't believe it. She was a mother. Even though she'd love Richie so much, she understood now. This was her child. Hers. She and Logan had created this perfect, beautiful little girl. Knowing that she was literally providing her baby with continual life by nursing was so amazing to her.

"Is it weird that I'm jealous of you right now?" Logan asked.

Veronica laughed. "No. I get it. I really do," she said.

After Veronica burped her and put her in the bassinet by their bed, she crawled into bed next to Logan. "This is our first night home with our baby. I can't believe it's finally happened," Veronica said as she laid her head down on Logan's chest.

"We have everything we've ever wanted," Logan said, feeling so perfectly happy.

"We really do," she said with a contented sigh.

"It makes me nervous," he admitted.

Veronica raised her head so that she could meet his eyes. "Life won't always be perfect, Logan, but it doesn't have to be. As long as we're together, we'll handle whatever comes our way."

Logan smiled. "We did good, didn't we?" he asked, glancing over at the baby.

"We really did," Veronica agreed.

"I love you," he said, looking down at her.

"I love you, too," she said. She raised up to give him a soft kiss.

"So have you figured out yet how we keep from screwing her up?" Logan asked with a rueful smile.

"Love. We give her lots of love," Veronica said.

Logan grinned. "I can do that!" he said.

Veronica had no doubt. Sara was going to be spoiled rotten, but she'd be the happiest girl in the world

******The End for Real******

I hope this gave both MaDi and LoVe fans something to enjoy as well as interest in what will happen next. Although I have not experienced childbirth, My sister recently had a 9 1/2 pound baby and said those exact words to me that I had Lianne say to Logan about childbirth. The final story really does happen with "LoVe Survives" while "The Dance" is the High School companion piece. I hope you check them both out. Thanks for reading. Leave a final review if you will be so kind!