Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Solok caught Strom before he went downstairs to fix breakfast. "I need to you do examine Faith today."

Strom blinked, "Oh, you suspect you have..."

"It is my desire that I have. Have you informed Ammie yet of her situation?"

Strom frowned, "I was going to yesterday, but with the advent of the missing people I thought it best not to speak on it just yet."

"A wise notion." Solok was about to step away when Strom stopped him.

"What if Faith does not desire an examination?"

"Use any means needed to get her to an examination. Perhaps, if you were seen arguing it would make people think you are human."

Strom nodded, "That is a rather genius idea Solok. I will do that. Are you conducting a sweep of the area today?"

"I am."

"Good luck."

Solok smirked, "Thank you."

Faith was busy washing dishes (Ammie was working on laundry) when Strom appeared at her side and started drying the dishes for her.

"Thank you, doctor. Is there something I can help you with?"

"Indeed. Your husband has insisted that I examine you."

She frowned and put the last dish on the drying rack, and he dried it quickly, putting it away. "I don't need an examination. I feel fine. Why does he want me examined?"

"He has his reasons. He allowed me to use whatever means necessary to get you on my examination table, and I intend to do just that. It is for your own good."

"Hey, I'll decide when I need an examination, doctor. Thank you, but no thanks."

"Very well," he sighed, picking her up and slinging her over her shoulder.

"Doctor, you put me down right now!"

Ammie came running into the room and started laughing at the sight. "Well, ashayam, is one woman not enough for you?"

He frowned apologetically. "I do not want to touch her in this manner, but Solok insisted that I examine her."

She laughed. "Don't resist, Faith! Just go with the flow!"

Strom nodded, "Though, not too much with the flow, this struggle may make me appear more human to the police."

"Oh lord," Faith groaned, "Onward, Dr. Bob! I will struggle indeed! But not half as much as when I see Solok tonight...he's gonna get it for this!"

Strom walked forward and Faith squirmed on his shoulder. "Put me down, doctor! I don't need any of your voodoo-hoodoo medicine on my person!" she cried out after he walked out the door.

"Stop struggling, Faith! I mean to examine you and I will!"

"Seriously, stop struggling?" she whispered.

"No, keep struggling."

"Oh I just didn't..ok..." she whispered and struggled further. "Get your antiseptic hands off me...I'll scream!"

"You already are, now shut your pie hole!" He kicked in the door to the first aid shack and entered, slamming the door behind him.

Strom shoved the scanner across the desk and let Solok examine it. "A few days pregnant," he said simply, leaning back in his chair. "You succeeded in your objective."

"So it seems," Solok replied quietly, his hand gripping the scanner as if it might jump out of his hand at any moment. "You are certain of this?"

"There are no mistaking those signs. The same signs that Ammie exhibits now...she will know soon enough."

Solok looked as if he might smile, but then controlled his expression. "Did you inform her?"

"No, I left that honor to he who is her husband."

The younger Vulcan nodded. "Very well. I will inform her after the morning meeting. If you will excuse me..."

"I rejoice with thee, Solok."

"And I with you."

Strom got up and walked to the door, "One more thing, Solok."

"Yes?"

"She was most agitated that I...that you pressed the issue of this examination." Strom blinked, "I might wait until evening to see her, I find humans ire often cools over time."

Faith broke away from her duties and headed to the actor's barn. She was still a bit miffed and she needed to talk to Solok about it. She knew with being married to a Vulcan, there were "things" to get used to, their abruptness was one of them. She didn't know how much good it was going to do to talk to him about this, but she wanted to know what was up with the forced check-up.

The moment she walked into the barn, she felt as if something was wrong. There was no one there. She looked down at her watch, and shook her head. It was 12:30, he was probably having the meeting with the other actors. She bit her lip, wondering if she should wait for him and talk to him later. Just as she looked away from her watch the lights went out, and the door closed. The barn was pitch black.

Faith opened her mouth to speak, but a hand covered it, and everything went dark.

Ammie kissed Strom on the cheek as he set lunch in front of her, and a few moments later, he was sitting beside her with his own plate. There was no need to talk, as Strom had no need to feign being human anymore (at least not around her), so they both heard Solok's footsteps as he stepped onto the porch and walked into the house.

"Where is Faith?" he asked immediately, looking around at the empty kitchen and the unoccupied chair at the table. Ammie raised an eyebrow.

"I thought she was with you?"

Solok frowned, and Strom encouraged him to eat before doing anything else. "She probably needed to check on something at the gift shop and will be along in a little while."

They continued their meal, the ease of it gone now that Solok was fidgeting like a two-year-old. "Can't you talk to her through the bond?" Ammie asked. "I haven't been bonded to Strom for long. I don't know how to turn the connection off. He can probably sense everything I'm thinking right now."

Solok frowned, "I felt the bond shut today as I was in the meeting with the ghosts. I believe she is angry with me and is closing off until she speaks with me. The last thing I felt from her was the intense desire to speak with me."

Strom swallowed some of his roll, "Solok, perhaps it was unwise of us to behave as we did. Our wives wanted vulcan husbands for a reason. We have been behaving like clod human men."

"Perhaps, but I had to know." Solok said fingering his fork with a frown.

Ammie grinned, "Faith doesn't hold grudges, guys. We just don't do that. She'll talk to you, and it will be said and done."

Solok nodded, "I am agreeable to that, Ammie. I..."

"You miss her already." Strom said, outing Solok to his emotions.

Solok's eyes narrowed at Strom, "I do not, I simply find the closing of the bond an illogical response."

Ammie laughed, "Yeah he misses her!"

"She will return here and speak with you momentarily, I am sure of it."

Faith did not show herself for the rest of the day, and no matter how many times Ammie assured him that Faith was not the kind to mope and sulk, he paced relentlessly in the living room, avoiding Tiger, who patted at his pants cuffs each time he passed. Ammie left him to it and found Strom in the kitchen, washing up from dinner.

"I'm absolutely serious. Faith would have shown herself by now. I know it."

Strom nodded. "I do not think she is staying away of her own volition."

"You think she was-"

Before she could finish her sentence, she jumped slightly at the sound of a knock at the door. She ran to answer it and found the police from earlier standing on the porch.

"Do you have news?" she asked desperately, forgetting that they probably hadn't received a missing persons report yet.

The policeman frowned. "We received a missing person's call thirty minutes ago. We're going to have to ask your husband to come with us to the station for questioning."

Strom stepped forward. "Excuse me?"

"We got an anonymous tip, doctor, that Ms. Cloverleaf was missing, and the last person she was seen with was you. The two of you were fighting." He motioned for the other policeman to step forward. "We found her hair, and some of her blood around the door of your first aid station. I'm afraid you are going to have to come with us and answer a few questions."

Strom's eyes widened. "This is absurd! Faith is my friend, and my wife's best friend."

"When was the last time any of you saw her?"

"I saw her this morning, when Bob took her off for a check-up," Ammie said firmly. "She knew what was going on. We were playing around, and any blood you found is either there by accident or planted. My husband isn't a criminal."

"No one is saying that he is, but the evidence does not look very promising for him. I'm afraid you'll have to come with us, Dr. Morris."

"I'm going with him."

The policemen exchanged glances, then nodded. "Fine. But odds are, we'll be keeping him overnight."

"What is your relationship with Ms. Cloverleaf like, Dr. Morris?"

"She is a," He stopped himself, he wanted to speak in his normal vulcan way, it would make this questioning so much easier not to have to change his speech patterns, "A friend. I do not know her well, but I know my wife loves her and because of that she has my respect as well."

The policeman slid a picture across to him, "Does that look respectful to you?"

He looked down; it was him carrying her across the yard over his shoulder. "It was a game. Nothing more, her husband told me to do that if she didn't want to get her check-up. He wanted to see if he had...you now...knocked her up."

"Odd way to see if your friend had knocked his wife up." The policeman started pacing, but Ammie fixed him with an exasperated stare.

"You can drop the bad-cop routine. We like to joke around, that's none of your business. Greg knew what he was asking, Faith knew what would happen, I knew it, Bob here knew it...a harmless joke, officer. Nothing more."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Atwood, but I have to consider the implications of our evidence...blood on the door-"

"She must have cut her hand when I was carrying her in the door," Strom said calmly. "I didn't see it. I was more concerned with scanning her abdomen for signs of life."

"And is she pregnant?"

"Yes."

"Does that make you angry?"

"No," Strom replied. "I am happy that Faith is pregnant. Greg will be a father...no one can ask for a greater honor than that. Why would I be angry, officer?"

"Maybe you were hoping you'd get her pregnant."

"I have a wife." Strom growled, "One I am more than pleased with!"

"Yeah, but why settle for one when you can have two?"

Strom started to growl. "Because one is all I want!"

The cops looked at each other. "Temper on this one. I bet if someone turned him down, he'd get really ticked off. Or, maybe this baby was his, and she wouldn't leave her current husband."

Strom stood. "You have a vivid imagination. It seems your occupation should be writers rather than officers of the law!"

The elder cop sniffed. "We are keeping you overnight. We have enough evidence...we'll be looking fore more."

The younger cop looked to Ammie. "We are going to process your husband in, I suggest going home and getting some rest...and in the morning calling your lawyer."

Ammie stood and took Strom's hand, and he turned to her, his gaze softening.

Don't give in...they're baiting you, and you know it.

They suggest I would have sexual relations with another woman-

Like I said...they're baiting you. Just keep your head down, and we'll talk tomorrow, ok?

He paused. "Ok," he said slowly, cupping her cheek. "I will see you tomorrow, beloved."

"Sleep well, sweetheart. This is nothing. You'll be out before you know it."

"All right, lady, move it along. Enough pillow talk. We've got work to do."

Ammie got into her air car and drove off. She was angry and trying to calm Strom, it wasn't working because she was angry. Then it occurred to her, her best friend was missing and there was blood on Strom's door. She knew Strom hadn't done anything, but they got the blood from Faith...her eyes began to water. What if this drug guy had killed her?

A tear slipped down her cheek. Suddenly this was the worst day ever. Her new husband was in jail, her best friend was missing, three other people were missing...why did they have to come to this Halloween fun park? They were supposed to be the one's scaring people, not all this...and what if they never got to go to Vulcan like they always dreamed?

She blinked through the tears as she pulled into the lane. The gate was closed, and there was a log in front. She pulled off to the side of the road, then got out of the car and walked over to the log. A crack of thunder echoed overhead. Large drops of water hit her back as she tried to lift the log so she could pass, and another crash of lightning and thunder rolled through the sky when she felt a hand slip over her mouth. Everything went dark.