Adrian keeps his promise. The next day, Meg and the baby are released from the hospital. That afternoon, the four of them, plus Miss Stacy, go to the beach for a walk. Adrian has found an exclusive club that owns a few miles of beachfront. The owners trip over themselves to allow Adrian and Meg to use it, clearing the members off the beach so their family can walk in peace.

"Let me know if the pace is too fast for you," Adrian says as they set out.

She nods, keeping one hand on the stroller Adrian pushes. Her head is tipped back, eyes half closed as she enjoys the warmth of the sun on her face. Despite his worry, Adrian is walking slowly enough for Meg. She's mostly recovered from the difficult birth, although she still feels a bit bruised from the inside. It's mostly the after effects from the pulmonary embolism still bothering her. There's still some pain in her lungs, and she gets out of breath easily. Truthfully, Meg has no idea how she was able to give birth at all considering the state she's in.

A wave crashes on the shore. Meg hears Billy scream in delight.

"Ah," Adrian laughs. "Should have brought him a change of clothes."

Meg opens her eyes and looks. Billy is laughing hysterically at the water's edge, dripping wet, shirt and shorts plastered to him. Stacy stands nearby with a towel draped over her shoulder, shaking her head and smiling.

"At least he's happy." Meg frowns. "Was it just me, or did he seem scared earlier? When we introduced him to Molly?"

Adrian nods. "I noticed that, too. Not when you were holding her, but when I took her. He followed me when I went to change her, did you notice that?"

She had, but since she'd gone to change for their walk, hadn't thought about it. "Did he say anything?"

He shakes his head. Looks at her. "He was chewing on his thumb and watching me very closely. I think… I think he's afraid I'll do something to her."

Meg's stomach sinks. "But he trusts you."

"He trusts me around him. He's never seen me with a little girl before. Perhaps I look like someone who molested Sara when they were being abused." He sighs. "Or, maybe having a little girl around has triggered a memory. At any rate, we should find a therapist for him as soon as possible."

"I agree." She clenches her fist in the folds of her dress. Tears press behind her eyes. "Sometimes, it's easy to forget what happened to him. When we were on the run, I was always afraid something would trigger…" Her throat closes on her and she has to stop walking, struggling to breathe.

Adrian stops as well. He turns to face her, putting one hand on her shoulder. "You did what you thought you had to do to keep the two of you safe."

Meg swallows hard around the lump in her throat. "Did I?" Then, a flush of anger rushes through her. She tightens her jaw and says through clenched teeth, "Of course, his psychologist was killed in the blast, so…"

He doesn't say anything.

She turns to Adrian, eyes filled with tears. "He only shows me his happy drawings. On the run, he drew us as a family. Me, him, and the baby. At first, you were there, but as the months went on, he stopped. He never stopped loving you, I knew that, because he'd always watch you when you were on TV. He'd ask about you. I never knew what to say, but, um…" Meg wipes her eyes and shakes her head. "But there are other drawings. Dark, angry drawings. Men with knives and baseball bats. With, ah, they're, um, genitals exposed. Women, too."

"Have you talked to him about it?"

"I've tried. He shuts down, every time. Won't respond. Like he's not there."

Adrian nods and looks down the beach to Stacy and Billy. He puts his arm around Meg's body, turning her, urging her to start walking again. "He talked about it to his psychologist, though. Right?"

"He did. Billy even used to talk to me about what he went through. But that was before the blast. Before we went on the run."

"Before we got married?"

"I…" She frowns. Looks up at him. "Yes. Yes, you're right. Billy stopped sharing his feelings about his trauma with me after we got married. But why?"

"Did he have parents before he was put into foster care?"

Meg lets out a breath and thinks. There was a time when her mind had been a neat filing cabinet of information, and in response to a question like Adrian's, all she would have had to do was go to the correct drawer. Now, however, the room has been hit by a hurricane and there are papers all over the place. And the papers that are left are torn, chewed up, and wet from the storm.

Still, she rummages around her memory a few moments before she is able to start reconstructing Billy's history. "Yes," she finally says. "Young mother, around eighteen, maybe a little younger. Father was twenty or so. They lived together. I think they were married. Both were arrested for domestic abuse several times. He's in prison for murder, and she overdosed when Billy was three." Meg looks at Adrian, shaking her head. "Billy found her."

Again, Adrian looks out to the shore. Meg turns as well, watching as Billy kicks and splashes in the waves. He's stripped down to his underwear now, Stacy holding a bag she'd brought that presumably contains his clothes. Billy is talking to Stacy, pointing out to see, looking at her with complete trust and love.

Adrian puts his arm around Meg's waist and pulls her to him. "We'll find a therapist. We'll do family counseling. He'll see I'm not going to hurt either you or Molly, and he'll come to trust again."

"How can we convince him that you're safe when I'm terrified of you?" Meg whispers.

He kisses her neck. Rests his face against hers. "You have nothing to fear, Meg. Let go."

She shakes her head.

Adrian sighs. "Perhaps, then, instead of fear, try anger. It will serve you better, both of you. I'm not going to hurt you. Not you, not Billy, not Molly. I will spend my life defending you to the death. So let go of the fear and, instead, embrace your anger. It will make you stronger. Feed your passion. And, perhaps, help give our son back his own confidence in me."

Meg turns in Adrian's arms. Puts her hands on his chest and looks up at him. "Aren't you afraid that he'll just sense my anger?"

"He might. But I'd rather he be angry than fearful. Especially if he thinks I'm going to be the cause of pain to the three of you."

"You are the cause of pain to the three of us."

"Not anymore."

"Then let us go."

His arms tighten around her. "You know I can't do that. There's too much at stake. The world is in a fragile state right now, and if we take away their one source of hope…"

Meg closes her eyes. "Adrian, what was your plan to begin with?" She opens her eyes again. "You made the world terrified of Dr. Manhattan. What good thing were you going to have them cling to without our sham of a marriage?"

Adrian doesn't say anything. His fingers press against the small of her back, digging in. She sees his jaw tighten.

Her eyes widened. "You didn't have hope built into your plan."

"I thought nations coming together in peace would be enough. That people working together, helping each other without expectations would be enough to sustain."

"And?"

He huffs out a breath. "I was wrong."

Meg presses her hands against his chest, surprised to hear the words come out of his mouth.

"It's mostly worked the way I anticipated, but I've noticed that the fear and the hope both have waned in the months you've been gone. People become complacent. Criminals who know no better continue to act in ways detrimental to themselves and society. Addiction is still a problem. And while we are making great strides to eradicating poverty…"

"It's going slower than you thought it would."

He nods.

"People stay people, even after you kill fifteen million of them."

Adrian pulls her even closer, sliding his hands up her back. "Meg, I need you. The world needs you. Needs us. Our family." He pulls one hand around to move hair from her face and trace the skin next to her eyes. "I know what a loving heart you have. Why would you turn your back on them?"

"Because I don't like lying to everyone." She reaches up and stills his hand. "You're asking me to pretend like you didn't murder all those people. To smile and tell everyone you're a savior. I don't know if I can do that."

"Not even for a better world? One where no little girls will ever have to watch their fathers murder their mothers before their eyes? Where no little boys will be raped on camera? Where people won't starve or suffer or die alone in the streets? Meg. We can make the future brighter, happier."

She squeezes her eyes shut. "And make you the hero of the story."

He rests his forehead against hers, hands on either side of her head. "Why must you be so stubborn?" Adrian's voice is tight. He kisses her roughly, surprising her.

Meg's eyes fly open, hands going to his shoulders, pushing him back, but he doesn't let go. He deepens the kiss, opening her mouth with his tongue, licking along the entrance. Her heart beats wildly, afraid of what he's going to do. There's no way she can push him off; he's too strong for her. She's not sure what point he's trying to make.

Finally, he breaks the kiss and releases her. Steps back and puts his hands on the stroller once more. Adrian looks flushed, and he averts his eyes, not looking at her. "I can't let you go," he says, accent coloring his words. "You're my family. You, Billy, and Molly. We're family. I…" Adrian breaks off, the color in his cheeks deepening.

"What?" Meg snaps. She knows this is yet another manipulation on his part, and yet she can't help falling for it.

He drags his gaze to her face. "I've spent my whole life building defenses to keep me safe. Safe from my parents, safe from the world. I couldn't relate to anybody, therefore, no one was getting in. But I wanted a family."

And, suddenly, Meg is exhausted. The sun is too bright, the air is too warm, her body is tired, and she's… she's done. "And now that you have one, you're not going to let us go."

Adrian shakes his head. "I know you don't believe me, but I love you. All of you. And I will do anything to keep you in my life."

She smiles wearily. "If only you had discovered this feeling on November first."

He swallows. His eyes look suddenly bright. "Meg, you have no idea how much I wish I had."

Meg's tears well up again too. Adrian is such a good actor. A consummate performer, and it's so hard not to believe him. Especially when she's so used to believing him, believing in him.

But, she hardens her heart and turns away. "I'm tired. Can we go home?"

Adrian is silent a moment longer. Then he clears his throat. "Of course. Billy!" he calls. "Miss Stacy! Time to go."

Once they are in the car, Meg leans her head against the window. Her head feels heavy and she has trouble keeping her eyes open. Next to her sits Adrian, and she hears him giving directions to the driver before he slips his arm around her and pulls her head so it rests on his shoulder. For a moment, she thinks about resisting, but it is more comfortable.

It's so easy to hate him, but so hard at the same time. He's trained me to trust him. When my guard is down, that's when he gets me. Every time. Trying to hold onto her anger, Meg closes her eyes and soon drifts off to sleep.