Veronica woke up with Logan wrapped around her protectively, one arm under her pillow, the other around her waist. They were both nestled under the big quilt they stole from Mrs. Navarro's house all those years ago. She shimmied a bit, pressing herself closer to Logan's body and let out a sigh.

"You're awake." Logan whispered close to her ear. This would normally elicit a warm feeling that would start in her toes and move up to her cheeks. But today, he felt like a talking water bottle that stretched the length of her body. Everything ached.

"Yes. But I don't want to be." She whispered back. Opening one eye, she glanced at her clock. It was after nine in the morning. She had hoped it was nine at night.

"Your dad and Alicia said they would be over around 10ish with breakfast." He gently reminded her. "And you need to get up and move around. The paperwork from the hospital said it would help keep everything...flowing...prevent clots and all that stuff."

Veronica scrunched up her face. Never in a million years could she imagine discussing this with her husband. She knew he was right and she should also get up, but she really didn't want to have to deal with it at the moment. Or ever.

"I don't want to." She said like a child, hoping he would leave it at that and let her spend the rest of her life in bed.

Logan kissed the back of her head. "I know. I don't want to get up and face life either. But I'll do it for you." Veronica listened to his words quietly. "So I'll tell you what...for the next little while, maybe if we can't get up for ourselves, then maybe we can get up for each other. I will get up every day, and face life, for you and with you, if you can get up and get through the day, for me, and with me."

Veronica knew he was right. She couldn't get out of bed for herself. But knowing he needed her to get out of bed and take care of herself, for him, motivated her enough to consider leaving the safety of her bed. "Okay." Veronica promised him quietly. "I will get up. For you. Until I can get up for myself again."

Veronica felt Logan's breath on her neck as he pressed himself as close to her as he could. She could feel the two-day stubble on his face and she wanted nothing but to turn around and get lost in him. But her mind and her body could not fulfil her thought. Why they felt the need to tell them they had to wait 6-weeks before having sex again seemed preposterous to her; in her head the thought of sex right now terrified her to her core. She wasn't sure how Logan was feeling, but she figured that talking about her bleeding was probably going to kill the mood for him for at least 6-weeks, if not longer.

As if reading her mind, Logan blurted out. "Why did the nurse give ME the stink eye about sex?"

Veronica let out an involuntary laugh. "You mean you aren't going to demand I perform any 'wifely duties' for you right now?"

Logan gave a full body shudder. "Fuck no! Now don't take this the wrong way, but I am definitely not thinking about sex in any way, shape or form right now. "

Veronica found his hand around her waist and threaded her fingers through his. "So what are you thinking about?"

Logan squeezed her fingers. "Mostly you and Violet. But I also remembered that I need to cancel the meeting with the contractors about making actual bedrooms in here. I was also thinking that I miss going surfing with Dick. And ways to torture Duncan also crossed my mind."

Veronica smiled to herself. "And what torture methods were you thinking of?"

Logan gave an evil chuckle. "You know...things like tying him up and placing duct tape all over his body, then ripping it off. Or dunking him in a tank of piranhas while he's covered in fish guts. Stuff like that."

Veronica rolled her eyes. "So stuff that if you were a character from Looney Tunes or an Austin Powers movie would be completely acceptable."

"Exactly. What can I say, I'm easily amused." He said and gave her a squeeze.

She giggled and pulled herself into a ball. He matched her movement and curled around her more, surrounding her entire tiny body. The feeling of protection did not help in making her feel like she needed to get up. The sound of their intercom buzzing did. The couple stopped moving, both letting out a deep sigh. Logan unwrapped himself from her and flung himself off the end of the bed. He was dressed in his sweats and a t-shirt, and looked beautifully dishevelled. He walked around to Veronica's side and offered her his hand. She took it and swung her legs off the bed and sat up. She was dressed in a pair of old yoga pants and one of Logan's t-shirt; her official 'comfort' outfit. All the blood rushed out of her and she felt momentarily dizzy. He offered his other hand and she steadied himself before pulling herself to stand. Every molecule in her body screamed at her to go back to bed, but she fought the urge, and slowly began to shuffle towards the bathroom. Logan began walking with her but she shooed him off. "I'm going to clean up and take a quick shower before seeing my dad and Alicia. You go and let them up."

Logan looked at her with concern. He was afraid if he let go, she would fall over. But she waived him off and continued her slow travel towards the bathroom. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he moved towards the intercom to buzz his family upstairs. He opened the door to the loft for them and wandered over to the kitchen to start a big pot of coffee.

Alicia entered first, carrying two aluminium food trays. Keith followed, huffing and puffing a bit from the climb, carrying a big box.

" 'Morning." Logan called from the kitchen and waived across the space.

"Hello Logan." Alicia called and brought the two trays over to the counter near him. She set them down and immediately came around and enveloped Logan in a giant hug.

Logan sunk into the contact slightly. Never in his life did he feel like he needed his mom more than now. He gently pulled out of the embrace before his emotions bubbled over again. "Veronica just went for a shower. We lacked motivation this morning." He said, looking down at his sweats.

"No need to stand on ceremony for us, son. We understand." Said Keith quietly as he began unpacking the box on the table. He pulled out a big container of homemade whipping cream, fruit, jams, and a jar of chocolate sauce.

"Waffle comfort food." Explained Alicia with a smile as she moved past Logan to turn on the oven. He shuffled out of the way and sat on a stool at the counter as she took the aluminium containers and deposited them in the stove.

Keith came up and put his arm around his son-in-law. "I'm sorry you are both going through this, son."

Logan couldn't look Keith in the eye, instead he cast his gaze down to his hands on the counter. "Thank you." He responded quietly.

Keith took a seat next to Logan. "Veronica doesn't know this but the reason she is an only child is that Leanne lost a baby, when Veronica was about 18-months old." Keith confided, his voice thick with emotion. "She was further along than Veronica was – she lost it around the 5-month mark. We both mourned that baby for years. And Leanne was so scared of losing another one that we decided not to try again. I guess that's one of the reasons why I was so shocked that she had Hunter all those years later."

Logan's head shot up. "Oh, shit. We have to call Gareth and tell him what happened."

Alicia stepped over into the conversation. "Keith called Gareth and Hunter after you told us, Logan, to let them know for you."

Logan looked over at his father-in-law. "Thank you for doing that. Hunter was looking forward to having a niece or nephew. This will break his heart."

Alicia came and put her hand on Logan's. "Gareth was going to tell him during his weekly therapy session so his doctor could help him through it. Don't you go worrying about us though. You just concern yourself with Veronica's needs for now."

Logan turned to Keith. "What did you do for Lianne, after you lost the baby?"

Keith shrugged. "I just tried to be there for her. It was a difficult time. She started drinking again. We picked on each other for the stupidest things. Her hormones were all over the place and one minute she was happy, the next she was crying hysterically because she couldn't get the top off a baby food jar." Keith shook his head as he thought back. "I tried to do what I could, but I still had to work and help take care of Veronica."

"How did you get through it?" Logan asked, hoping for a magic answer.

"When I discovered she was drinking again, I sent her to therapy. That helped a lot, but she carried the pain of losing the baby with her for probably the rest of her life." He confided. "But Veronica is not Lianne. Veronica had her own coping methods – some good, some not so good – that you will both have to deal with. Same goes for you."

Logan smirked. "Cliff call you about running into me at the bar?"

"Yes." Keith said seriously. "But I also heard from Duncan Kane."

Logan turned his entire body towards Keith. "What the fuck? How did that happen?"

Keith sighed. "Well, the good news is that our bugs work. The bad news is that Duncan is having you both followed, in the hopes that he can find out something that can be used to break you up."

Logan put his arms over his head and crossed them. "He's just not going to give us a break, is he."

Keith shook his head sadly. "No. And he sees Veronica's miscarriage as a..." Keith nearly gagged on the word. "...opportunity."

A look of disgust settled on Logan's face. He couldn't get over the fact that Duncan was once his best friend; this man who had no capacity for empathy. Veronica was in so much pain, and all Duncan wanted to do was make things worse for her. "I really do hate him." Logan muttered.

Keith nodded his agreement. Just as he did, Veronica opened the door to the bathroom. She had changed back into the clothes she slept in, her skin was still glowing red from the scalding hot shower she must have taken. Her long blond hair was pulled back in a wet, messy bun. All eyes in the room turned to her, which made her look away, shifting herself uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

Keith got off his stool and strode quickly over to child. She knew he was coming but couldn't look at him. Reaching her, he wrapped his arms around her tightly, trying to add another layer of protection to her skin. "I'm so sorry." He whispered. "I'm so sorry you know this pain." Veronica leaned into him and wrapped her arms around him tightly. It only took a second before the dam burst and she was crying again, in her father's arms.

Logan turned back to the counter and covered his eyes with his hands, unable to watch his wife in anymore pain. A moment later he, felt two hands grip his shoulders, and Alicia lay her head on Logan's back, holding him gently. He inhaled deeply, trying not to erupt into tears again.

Veronica closed her eyes, feeling safe and loved in the arms of her dad. "Do you think she knew how scared I was to be a mom?" She asked quietly. "I feel like she could sense it and that's why she left."

Keith was at a momentary loss for words. Of course the girl who's mother left her would worry about leaving her baby. Of course the girl who worried about others leaving her would believe her miscarriage was another loved one leaving. "You know if your heart that isn't true." He responded quietly. "You are not Lianne. You are Veronica, and someday, some little person will be very happy that you are their mom."

His words seemed to calm her. Someday. This new word and all the hope and fear that came with it stuck in her head. She dried her tears and pulled back to look at her father. "Thanks Dad." He kissed her on the forehead and loosened his grip on her.

Veronica walked away from him slightly and noticed Logan being comforted by Alicia. In spite of her sadness, she smiled at how lucky they were to have Alicia, and her huge capacity to love, as their "Mom". As she approached, Alicia noticed her and pulled away from Logan, shifting her attention to walk up to Veronica and hug her. "If you need some 'girl time' together, you just let me know." She said as she pulled back from her step-daughter.

"Thank you, Alicia. Maybe in a few days. Right now what I need is food and two Advil. I feel like a truck hit me." Veronica sighed.

Alicia helped Veronica to the table and pulled out a chair for her. "You just sit. I made a big stack of waffles. Less the ones Wallace ate before we left."

Veronica laughed. "Wallace move back home? Did I miss that memo?"

Keith came and sat down across from her. "No. He is on 'Duncan Duty' this morning while I'm here."

Logan giggled as he sat next to his wife. "Duncan Doo-tey."

She guffawed at him. "How old are you?"

She felt him reach under the table and take her hand. "I will always be the 12-year-old you fell in love with." He said and kissed her head. Alicia set down the uncovered pan of waffles in front of him on the table and he gasped in excitement.

Alicia smiled and sat down. "Dig in. The other pan is still warming. If you don't eat them all this morning, you can eat them for the next few days."

"But if you don't come home with leftovers, how will Wallace survive the next few days? Raman Noodles are not that nutritious." Veronica joked as she stabbed two from the pile and dropped them on her plate.

"Don't worry about your stepbrother. He is more than happy with the meals he will be receiving as compensation for his work." He dad said and reached across the table to grab some food.

"So how is the surveillance going?" Asked Veronica as she smeared homemade jam over her waffles.

Logan and Keith looked at each other for a beat before an answer came. "Good." Began Keith. "The plan went off without a hitch and Wallace planted a the bugs in record time. Now we just sit and wait and listen."

"Did Logan tell you Duncan visited in the hospital?" She said, not looking up from her food.

Keith cleared his throat. "No. But we overheard Duncan talking to Wiedman about it later that day."

Veronica got quiet for a moment as she stuffed a big fork full of food into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. She swallowed and continued. "Do I want to know what he said?"

Logan jumped into the conversation. "No. But suffice to say, Duncan is having us both followed."

Veronica rolled her eyes. "Tell me something I don't know. The guys he hired are not, shall we say, smooth." She said and stuffed more food into her.

Logan looked annoyed. "How did you see them and I didn't?" He asked.

She pointed her fork at herself as she chewed. "I'mf dust dat yood." She said happily, with her mouth still full.

He rolled his eyes. "Yes, well, I know you are good but, Duncan is not. He wants to find something to break us up."

Veronica put down her fork and turned to her husband. "Let him look. There is nothing to find. Firstly, we work and live in the same building...how are they going to follow us? You know as well as I do there are days when we never leave! Second, we work together. Who does he think is going to have an affair with one of our gay co-workers...you or me? And third, he clearly has no idea what we have been through to get us to this point and that it isn't something that will collapse overnight over something trivial." She turned to her dad. "What we need is something that we can... and please excuse the language Alicia...use to put his balls in a vice grip." She then picked up her fork and dove back into her breakfast.

Alicia gave her a mom-face. "I will let you get away with that language at the table today, considering the person we are dealing with."

"I don't think it will be long before we get something." Began Keith. "I've already noticed that Duncan is not listening to Weidmen's advice on personal or business matters. I think that C.W.'s loyalties may have extended to Kane Senior, but Kane Junior is another matter."

Veronica thought about things for a moment. "I got the chance to talk to Lilly on the beach that morning. There is something up with that girl." She stopped eating and put down her fork, pushing her mind past the last few days. "She seemed nervous, agitated, when Duncan was around. She even flinched a few times."

Silence fell as all the people at the table stopped eating and looked at each other. "Do you think he hits her?" Came Logan's soft voice from next to her.

Veronica shrugged. "I don't know. Or am I reading too much into it and she's just an average teenager who is embarrassed to be around her dad?" She frowned as she thought some more. "She also asked me about Meg and made a comment that she 'reminds' Duncan of Meg. But the way she said it..." Her eyes looked into the vast open space of the loft, contemplating the unthinkable. She focused on her father, who's mouth dropped open, his face had gone white. "Dad...you don't think..."

All eyes focused on the former Sherriff; the man who had seen many horrible things in his career and carried the mental scars of some still to this day. "Veronica, anything is possible. I have seen seemingly loving families who did things to their children that would give you nightmares."

Logan looked down at his plate. "Duncan raped you while you were unconscious, he left Meg for dead when he knew she was pregnant with his child, and had Aaron killed. I wouldn't put anything past him at this point. This is not the goofy Duncan we knew when we were kids." He looked up at his wife, his face full of emotion. "Aaron once had us pose for a People magazine shoot the day after he beat me with a belt for the first time. My back bled through the shirt I wore and was absorbed into the lining of my sport coat. They edited out the glassy look in my eyes from the drugs my mom fed me for the pain. Later, Aaron said the photo turned out so well that he got a copy framed and put it on the mantle. I was 13. No one knew. We all looked like the perfect family. Everyone looked at that photo for years. No one knew." He let out a big sigh and pushed his food away from him. "If Lilly is being abused, then we have an even bigger problem than his obsession with you; that we can handle together. Now, a child's entire life may be at stake. And if it is true, we have to get him away from her."

Veronica reached for her husband and cradled his cheek with her hand. He kissed her palm, no words were needed.

The gravity of the situation dropped on the group. "We need evidence." Keith said slowly, thinking as he spoke. "We need confirmation that our suspicions are correct. We are extracting a lot from one conversation. But I do agree with Logan, this is not a stupid teenage Duncan we are dealing with; this is a grown man who operates with impunity and no regard for others. We need to be careful, for your sake and Lilly's sake."

Veronica closed her eyes. Her mind flashed back to a time when she let Duncan touch her. Then it flashed to a time when she didn't let him, but he did so anyway. She felt disgusted. She felt weak. Her body and her mind were not as strong as usual and the stress of the situation struck hard. Logan knew something was wrong and put his hand on her shoulder just as she felt herself slide into darkness.

The first thing Veronica saw when she awoke was Logan, standing at the foot of their bed, chewing on his nails. He looked terrified. Alicia was sitting in the bed next to her. Her dad was no where to be seen. "What happened?" She whispered.

Alicia brushed her hair back from Veronica's face and continued stroking her head. "Your blood pressure dropped. I think the stress of the conversation, combined with the fact that your body is still healing, just overwhelmed you." Veronica closed her eyes and let Alicia mother her. "You are going to lose a lot of blood over the next few days. Your hormones are trying to readjust. Your body is resetting itself. You need to rest and let yourself get better, sweetheart. Don't think about Duncan or Lilly or anything other than yourself and Logan."

Veronica closed her eyes, listening to her step-mom. "Where's Dad?"

"He went for a walk. He said he needed to think, but I believe he just couldn't bear to see you sick. His heart is a little fragile right now." She explained softly.

Veronica would have cried, but she didn't have the energy. Instead, she let herself fall back to sleep.

She when she opened her eyes again, there was soft music playing. Logan must have put on the stereo to fill the silence, she surmised. Veronica heard shuffling behind her and rolled towards the noise.

Logan was sitting on the floor, his back turned to the bed, a pile of things beside him. She sat up a bit and realized he was sitting next to a pile of clothes, toys, and pregnancy books. Veronica noticed his hair was damp and he had changed into shorts and a t-shirt. She watched his hunched back as he picked up a tiny sleeper, shook it in the air, folded it, and put it in the box in front of him, his head lowered for a moment as he took a deep inhalation of breath, then took another sleeper from the pile and did the same thing. She put her head back down on the pillow and watched quietly as her husband packed away their lost future. She watched the muscles in his neck as he stretched and moved. She watched his fingers nervously run through his hair as he contemplated what to do with the teddy bear, white stuffy bunny, and fuzzy squeaky duck that didn't quite fit in the box. She watched as his ritual finally ended and he pressed the flaps of the box down, locking everything away. He turned back to check on her and was surprised to see her staring back at him.

"Hey." She said.

"Hey." He responded, his voice husky with emotion. "How long have you been awake?"

"A while." She replied. "I didn't want to interrupt you." Veronica lifted the blanket, inviting him in.

Logan crawled slowly along the floor and up into the bed. He slid in next to her and wrapped her up in his arms again.

"Maybe someday we will open that box again." Veronica reassured him quietly. Her husband did not respond. She looked up to see him gazing off in the distance. "Someday." She repeated hopefully.

Logan sighed. "Veronica. I'm sorry, but I can't think of 'someday' right now. I can't even think about tomorrow right now." He said, his grief starting to overtake him again.

"But we can try again. In a few months, maybe." Veronica tried to be positive.

Logan closed his eyes. "Or maybe not. Or maybe I don't think I could watch you go through this one more time. Or maybe this is far more pain than I want to chance ever happening again."

Veronica's heart leapt into her throat. This couldn't be happening. They were always on the same page. He would come around.

"Or maybe everything will be fine next time. And we will have a healthy, happy baby together." Desperation started sneaking into her voice.

Logan kissed the top of her head. "Maybe." He said quietly.

They were laying pressed together, but for the first time in years, Veronica felt like they were miles apart.