Things went back to normal for a few days. Laura felt a million times better having gotten the truth off her chest, and Steve was being patient with her. Every night, he'd lean close to her and place a hand on her hip. He'd nibble her neck and her ear before slowly leaning in to whisper to her. He said the same thing every night. "Laura Lee?" he'd coo.

"Yes?" she'd reply.

"Are you ready to make love to me again?" he'd ask with a slightly self-conscious, nervous twinge in his voice.

"No," she'd admit eventually.

He'd sigh softly in her ear and kiss her cheek. "That's ok," he'd assure her, settling into their spooning position again. "That's ok," he'd say again, reassuring himself too.

That went on for over a week, until one day, he didn't ask.

Steve called and told her he was going to be late, but he was really late. He didn't come home until nearly eleven. When he walked in, she was sitting on the couch in her pajamas, watching TV with the baby monitor clutched tightly in her hand. "Hey, angel eyes," he whispered in surprise as he saw her.

"Hey," she whispered back as he walked in.

"What are you still doing up?" he asked.

"I didn't wanna go to bed until you got home," she replied.

"Oh, that's not necessary, Sweetums. You know sometimes I'm up late when I get tied up with a big project. This cancer research is killing me, but we have a baby. You need your rest," he pressed.

"Well, you're home now," she said, turning off the TV as she stood. "Let's get to bed before our little project wakes us up," she suggested.

He nodded. "After you," he motioned.

She walked up the stairs and led the way to their room. She went straight for the bed, completely exhausted. She climbed in and watched him undress, tossing all of his clothes into the hamper. He headed toward the bathroom in just his underwear. "I'm gonna take a shower," he announced in the doorway.

Laura looked at him sympathetically. He must've felt he needed another cold shower. Poor baby. "Take your time," she smiled, turning off the bedroom lights and settling in. He came back about ten minutes later and slipped into a fresh pair of undies. He climbed into bed beside her and wrapped her in his arms. She shuttered instinctively, expecting his skin to be ice cold as it always was after a cold shower, but it was warm. He hadn't taken a cold shower, so why had he showered before climbing into bed with her? He kissed her neck and her ear. She smiled as she waited for him to ask the question he always asked, but then he didn't. "Goodnight, Sweetums," he whispered. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she said, confused. "Goodnight?"

———————————————————————

The next day, Laura tried to put the weirdness of yesterday out of her mind, but she couldn't. Her woman's intuition was gnawing at her gut all morning, but she wasn't sure why. Eventually, she decided to just call Steve.

First, she heard him laugh and snort. "Hello?" Steve answered eventually.

Laura's brow furrowed as she heard a woman's giggle in the background.

"Shhh…" Steve scolded her. "I'm on the phone. Hello?" he repeated.

"Hey, Steve," Laura answered eventually, suddenly nervous.

"Hi, my lovely," he chirped. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked.

Laura smiled when she heard him call her by a pet name, not that that was anything unusual. It was just nice to hear when she was having such a hard time. "Nothing," she purred. "Quinn's just asleep, and I was missing my husband."

"Aw," he cooed. "That's sweet. I'm missing my wife, too."

"Well, of course you are. You didn't even get to see me yesterday," she pouted.

"I know, Sweetums. I'm sorry about that," he said.

"But you're gonna be home on time tonight, right?" she hoped.

"Steve!" a female voice called urgently in the background.

"Yeah, Suze?" he asked.

Suze? Laura couldn't help but snarl in her head. Now she's his Suze again?

"I need your help. This thing looks like it's about to pop!" she said breathily. Or maybe it wasn't breathily. Laura tried to tell herself she was exaggerating.

"I'm sorry, love," Steve said. "We've got a situation over here. I gotta go. I'll call you later."

"But, Steve–"

"I love you. Bye!" he said quickly, hanging up immediately.

"I love you, too," Laura said disappointedly, even though she knew he'd already hung up.

———————————————————————

Laura waited impatiently for Max to be ready for her. What was the point of being best friends with your hairdresser if you still had to waste half the day reading stupid magazines waiting for her? The sound of the hairdryers had somehow put Quinn fast to sleep, so she couldn't even play with her. Laura flipped through magazine after magazine, deciding who wore it best and what type of pizza she was. She reached an article on celebrity baby bodies. Hot, White Blonde's body had snapped back just like that! Laura rolled her eyes and tossed down that copy of People. She picked up the Cosmo below it. She opened to a random page and read.

"51 Signs That He's Cheating on You!" it read. Laura rolled her eyes again and threw the magazine down, refusing to pick up another. She folded her arms across her chest and tapped her foot impatiently. Hurry up, Max! she begged. She glanced back at the magazine. She huffed and picked it back up, opening to the same page very deliberately.

"1. He's working late.

Some guys use work as an excuse, but really anything he says he's doing that's keeping him out later than usual could be a clue. If he's not in your bed until late at night, where has he really been?

2. He's exercising more and grooming himself better.

If your man starts to take better care of himself all of the sudden, you have to ask yourself who that's for.

3. He's showering before bed.

This one's a no-brainer. If he won't climb into bed with you before showering her perfume off of his skin, you should be concerned.

4. He's showering you in gifts.

Sometimes men who are cheating feel guilty and shower their SO in gifts.

5. He has cheated before.

On you or on someone else, it doesn't matter. Once a cheater…

6. Your gut is telling you so!

It may seem crazy, but your woman's intuition usually knows before you do. Listen to your instincts!"

Laura put the magazine down again and pushed the unpleasant thoughts away. She was married to Steve Urkel. She had nothing to worry about.

"Hey, Girl," Max smiled as she walked up to her.

Laura stood and hugged her. "Hey," she sighed in relief.

"What's with the emergency hair appointment?" she asked as Laura picked up the baby carrier.

"No reason," Laura said as she followed her back to her chair.

"Liar," Max accused as Laura sat down.

Laura looked at her in the mirror. "Max…" she complained.

Max bent down and took Quinley out of the carrier. She sat in the open chair beside Laura and held her. "Look, girl, I'm not touching that head of yours unless you tell me what's up. I'm perfectly happy spending the next two hours of my life holding my niece rather than dealing with that rats' nest you call hair."

"People who don't do their customers' hair don't get paid," Laura reminded her.

"You get my discounted rate anyway. I can spare it," she shrugged challengingly.

Laura glared at her. "It's stupid," she said.

"Probably," Max agreed.

Laura shot her another death stare. "Girl!"

"Hey, I just tell it like it is. Your hormones are out of control. Whatever upset you probably is stupid."

"I'm gonna be such a jerk to you when you get pregnant," Laura threatened.

Max laughed. "Laura, c'mon. What did Steve do?"

Laura pouted and looked away. "He hired Susie Crenshaw."

"That girl who moved away after freshman year?"

"Yeah," Laura agreed.

"Didn't she date Steve in eighth grade?" she asked.

"Yeah," Laura confirmed again.

"And that's got your panties in a bunch?" Max laughed, bouncing the baby gently.

"Yes! Ok?" Laura exclaimed. "I said it was stupid. Now, can you please just do my hair so that I don't look like a homeless person when my husband comes home?"

"Fine," Max agreed. "Just as long as you know you're being stupid," she said, handing Quinley to Laura.

"I know," Laura said as she took her into her arms.

———————————————————————

Steve didn't call Laura later, like he had promised, but he did manage to get home on time. He walked in the backdoor and found her in the kitchen making dinner. She smiled at him as he walked in. She was in a tight, short skirt and wearing a low-cut top that showed off her full breasts. She wasn't even wearing a nursing bra, hoping a real one might give them better support. "Hello, my love," she purred as he walked up to her and she set down her knife.

"Hi, Sweetums," he cooed. He reached out and ran his fingers through her long, straight hair with the gentlest curl. "You look gorgeous today," he whispered in her ear.

"Thank you for noticing," she teased. "And thank you for coming home today," she said pointedly.

"I came home last night," he argued. "It was just late."

"Too late," she pouted.

He nodded. "I'm sorry," he whispered as he came up behind her and wrapped her in his arms. He kissed her neck again and again.

Laura relaxed back against him. She pressed her butt back into his groin, feeling his obvious erection. What had she been worried about? He wanted her. He always wanted her.

He pulled away from her abruptly. "I bought you something," he announced.

"You did?" she grinned girlishly.

"It's an apology gift," he nodded, taking a little box out of his pocket.

Laura took the box excitedly and paused suddenly.

"4. He's showering you in gifts. Sometimes men who are cheating feel guilty and try to alleviate their guilt by giving their SO lots of presents," she remembered reading.

"An apology for what?" she asked.

"For being late," he answered, confused by her inability to follow that line of reasoning.

"You're late all the time. You don't usually buy me presents," she noted.

"Well, no, but this time I was too late," he argued, "like you just said, and this was the first time since the baby."

She nodded and opened the box, revealing two beautiful ruby earrings. "Wow," she said softly.

"Rubies," he smiled. "Quinley's birthstone."

"They're beautiful," she said softly, closing the box quickly and setting it down. She picked up the knife and began to chop again. "So how was your day?" she asked.

"How was my…? Wh-wha-… Laura, don't you like them?" he asked slowly.

"I love them. How was your day?" she asked again.

"Fine," he shrugged indifferently.

———————————————————————

That night, after dinner, Laura and Steve put Quinley down for the night. Laura watched Steve carefully as he told their one-month old a bedtime story she certainly couldn't understand. He was so sweet and attentive. He was the same Steve he'd always been, but she couldn't fight off the feeling pinching her gut.

"Goodnight, Princess," Steve purred, blowing a kiss to their sleeping baby one last time. He grabbed Laura's hand as they walked out of the room.

She gently shut the door and turned back to look at him. She stared at him lustfully and licked her lips, wanting desperately for him to make a move. She wasn't ready yet, but she knew she'd feel better just knowing he was still interested.

"Max did a really nice job on your hair," he said softly, his hands in his pockets.

Laura moved closer to him. "You think?"

"Absolutely," he purred. "You look beautiful today, sweetheart. You look beautiful every day."

Laura moved even closer to him, almost pressing her body against him. "Thank you, Steve. You look very handsome today," she said.

"I've been working out," he said softly.

"You have?" she asked, furrowing her brow and taking a small, almost unnoticeable, step back. "2. He's exercising more and grooming himself better. If your man starts to take better care of himself all of the sudden, you have to ask yourself who that's for."

"Yeah," he grinned, looking down at her. "During my lunch breaks at work."

"Really?" Laura asked nervously, taking an obvious step away from him.

He furrowed his brow and stepped closer to her again. "Yes, really. Don't you think I look good?" he asked. "Fit?"

"Yeah," Laura nodded nervously, walking toward the stairs. He followed her as she climbed down. "You look very fit. Muscular." She sat down on the couch and picked up the remote. She turned on the television and started flipping through channels.

Steve stared at her for a long moment, and then he took a deep breath. "I'm gonna run back to the office for a couple hours," he exhaled.

Laura looked up at him. "What?" she asked.

"Well, we've put the baby down, and you look like you're kinda settling in, so… I just have some work to do."

"Can't it wait 'til tomorrow?" Laura asked.

"If it starts to pile up, Laura, I'm gonna be out really late again."

Laura looked at him with her mouth agape. "Yeah," she said eventually, fighting back tears.

"Yeah," Steve said. He grabbed his keys from the bowl on the counter and kissed Laura on the forehead. "I won't be long, love. I promise," he said as he walked out the door.

"Yeah," Laura said again in disbelief, even though he was already out the door. She turned off the TV and folded her arms across her chest. She began to cry angrily as she thought back to that stupid article for the third time that day.

"1. He's working late. Some guys use work as an excuse, but really anything he says he's doing that's keeping him out later than usual could be a clue. If he's not in your bed until late at night, where has he really been?"

Laura rushed to wipe her tears.

———————————————————————

She didn't wait up for him that night. When he returned just after 9:30, she was already in bed. He walked up to their bedroom and noticed the lights were off. He stared at her for a moment, thinking she was asleep, and then he slipped into the bathroom.

Laura began to sob softly to herself when she heard the shower turn on. "3. He's showering before bed. This one's a no-brainer. If he won't climb into bed with you before showering her perfume off of his skin, you should be concerned."

How could this happen to them? Though, as her mind began to wander, she realized that maybe they deserved it. What else had that article said? "5. He has cheated before. On you or on someone else, it doesn't matter. Once a cheater…"

Always a cheater, Laura thought to herself.

———————————————————————

The next day, after sending Steve off to work while holding herself together to the best of her abilities, she and the baby had somewhere to be. She and Quinley got dressed and headed up to the hospital.

When Laura reached the oncology wing, she stopped at the nurse's station and confirmed where she was headed and that she was safe to bring the baby.

"Knock, knock," Laura said in the doorway as she saw her grandmother seated at the first chemo station in the room.

Estelle looked up and gasped. "Oh, my! What are you two doin' here?"

Laura walked in with the biggest smile she could plaster on her face. "We just wanted to stop by and see how you were doing," Laura answered as she sat beside her. She took Quinley out of her carrier and held her close. Then she offered her to her grandmother.

"Oh, Laura, you can't have her in here," she scolded, refusing to take her.

"I called three times, and I checked when I got here. Every nurse I've spoken to said it's fine as long as you keep your bodily fluids to yourself. They actually said she's a bigger risk to you," she warned.

"Oh," Estelle said, "Well then, gimme that cutie!" She chuckled as she took her into her arms. "Oh, Laura… She is just perfect," Estelle said. She was shocked by her beauty every time she saw her, and she was always amazed by the way she was growing.

Laura smiled at the smile that overtook Estelle's face. This was the first appointment Laura had made it to and the first time she'd seen Estelle in a couple of weeks. Her father and mother split the appointments to make sure someone was always there in addition to Fletcher. They had mentioned to Laura that Estelle was sinking into a real depression for the first time in her life, so Laura volunteered to take one of the sessions. However, she hadn't expected to be in this emotional state when she did.

"You and Steve did good, baby," she said.

Laura looked down at her lap at the mention of Steve. "Grandma, can I talk to you about something?"

Estelle looked back up at her. "Of course," she answered.

Just then, Fletcher walked back in. "Laura!" he exclaimed. "Oh, and Quinn!" He walked to the other side of Estelle and set her coffee beside her. He leaned over the baby. "Hi, Quinn!" he cooed. "Hello! Hello! Hello!" He tickled her tummy. "Hello! Hello! Hell-"

"Fletcher, honey," Estelle prompted.

"Yes, beautiful?"

"Could you give Laura and me a few minutes to chat?"

"Oh, Grandma," Laura interrupted. "He doesn't have to go. It's no big deal. Really."

Estelle looked at Fletcher for a long moment.

"I'll go get you a coffee, too, Laura," he said, standing up straight and walking back toward the door. He squeezed her shoulder on the way out.

"Decaf, please!" she called. "Breastfeeding!"

"I got it, mama!" he replied as he rounded the corner.

Estelle looked back at Laura. "So what's up, sugar?"

"Nothing," Laura said with a shake of her head. "Nothing. Really. It's silly."

"Laura," Estelle warned.

"I think Steve's cheating on me," she said casually, fighting hard to hold back her tears.

Estelle looked at her with a look that implied she was nearly bored. "Laura, please…" she scoffed. Laura looked away in embarrassment. That caught Estelle's eye. "You're serious?" she asked.

"Yeah," Laura admitted.

"Laura, Steve Urkel is not a cheater. Eddie could cheat on Max. Your dad could cheat on your mom. Fletcher could cheat on me, but there is no way on God's green earth that Steve Urkel has so much as considered going to anyone but you for a little lovin'."

"I know it sounds crazy, but as unique as Steve is, when it comes down to it, he's a man. Anyone can make a mistake like that. I should know," she pouted.

"Have you cheated on him?"

"No," she corrected quickly. "Of course not. I just meant Stefan… I never thought I would cheat on anyone, but when things were rocky with him, I did, and when there was someone else I wanted more, I did it again."

"Sugar, when it's right, nobody cheats. You and Steve are right for each other. You could never do that to him, and he could never, ever do that to you," she assured her firmly.

"It's not that simple, Grandma. Things have been… hard for us lately."

"Of course they have! You have a two month old baby!"

"No, it's not her," Laura insisted, shaking her head. "Things have been hard… between us."

Estelle stared at her blankly. "Well, of course they have," she continued dryly. "You have a two month old baby."

"No, Grandma. It's not normal first-time parent stuff. It's different. It's wrong," Laura cried.

"Laura, what's going on? What makes you think Steve's having an affair?"

"We haven't been having sex. They cleared me at my one-month appointment with my OB, and he was so excited." She smiled weakly, thinking back to the look on his face. "But I couldn't do it. I was so tired and self-conscious… I still am, so I told him that my doctor said I couldn't."

"That's no big deal, baby. Just tell him the truth."

"Well, I did, eventually," Laura continued. "He recently hired his ex-girlfriend. Not Myra thankfully. I got really jealous and crazy, so I decided to have sex with him. He wouldn't though, because he was afraid of hurting me, so I told him the truth, and we almost… but I couldn't. It just felt so gross and wrong. I was almost repulsed by it all, and I was so terrified of him seeing my body like it is now, so I started crying, and he stopped, and we talked, and we didn't do it. He promised me I didn't have to worry about him with Susie. He promised me, but now…" Laura looked down at her feet to tell her least favorite part of the story. "I turned him down so many times that he stopped asking. Now he's working late, and going back to work after we put the baby down. He's showering before he gets into bed with me. He's dressing better, and he's working out more. He's buying me presents because he feels so guilty." Laura sniffled. "God, I don't even know how we got here."

"Steve isn't cheating on you," Estelle stressed. "He couldn't."

"He cheated on Myra!" Laura reminded her, looking up again.

"But Myra's not you."

Laura shook her head. "It was wrong to cheat on her. I know he's capable, and Myra may not be me, but neither am I right now. I went from this incredibly sexy, young woman–"

"And modest," Estelle joked.

"Grandma, I'm serious! I used to be hot and sexy. I used to actually groom my body hair and put on makeup. I used to go to the salon more than once in a blue moon."

"Laura, you're a new mom. You'll get back to that stuff soon enough."

"I used to be flirty and confident, and I used to have sex with my husband all the time! Now, I'm grumpy and closed-off and way too embarrassed of my body to even think about satisfying him. Honestly, I don't even blame him for cheating."

"Laura," Estelle said again, "he is NOT cheating on you."

"I can feel it in my gut, Grandma. I know that he is," she said sadly.

Estelle pursed her lips. "I'm still sure you have nothing to worry about, but I'm going to put this in terms you'll understand, counselor."

Laura raised an eyebrow as she appealed to the lawyer in her.

"You have a pile of circumstantial evidence, and you can't do anything with that. You need some physical evidence or a confession. Maybe you can squeeze by with a convincing witness, but Laura, don't let your marriage implode because of your gut."

"Are you saying I should try to dig up some proof?"

"Well, that depends. Do most prosecutors investigate their cases?"

"Of course not, so you're saying I should like hire a PI?"

"No!" Estelle exclaimed. "What I'm saying is that until you get real proof or really see something, you need to trust your husband. No matter how hard that is!"

Laura looked down at her lap and fiddled with the rings on her finger. "I don't know that I can do that right now," she admitted softly.

"Well, sugar, then you need to talk to him about that feeling because it's that feeling that's going to hurt your relationship. Trust is what holds a marriage together, and if you feel like you can't trust him right now, you need to figure out why so you can address that because that's at the root of whatever other problems you may be having."

Laura continued to avoid eye contact.

"Sex is an act of trust, Laura." Estelle waited for her granddaughter to look up at her again. "Sex requires you to remove all barriers between you and expose every vulnerable part of your body. Sex is only possible, and more importantly, enjoyable, when you can fully trust that your partner would never do anything to hurt you, emotionally or physically. It's the act of giving ourselves to someone like that that makes us feel more deeply connected with our partners. If you don't trust Steve right now not to hurt you, then it's no wonder sex makes you feel like you wanna throw up."

"I didn't say it like that!"

"You might as well have! Laura, it's dread and anxiety and fear that's making you feel repulsed by sex."

"So what do I do about it?"

"You talk to him, sugar. Tell him everything you just told me."

Laura shook her head. "I can't tell him I don't trust him. That will break his heart."

"No, never fixing this is what will break his heart. Never fixing this will break both of your hearts."

"What if I'm right? What if I confront him and he tells me he has cheated on me?"

"That's not gonna happen."

"But if it does? What am I supposed to do? I can't ask, because if I asked, and he answered yes, I would never be able to forgive him. If I ask, and he says yes, I'll have to leave him, and I can't leave him. I can't do this alone."

"That's not gonna happen," she said firmly, "and if it somehow does, because the world has turned upside down and pigs are flying, you can give Quinn to me, and I'll raise her myself."

Laura laughed softly. "I'll think about it, Grandma. Ok?"

"Steve is a good man, Laura. He wouldn't do anything to hurt you. I wouldn't have pushed him on you so hard if I weren't completely sure of that."

"I know," she whimpered.

———————————————————————

Things continued like this for weeks. It wasn't until Quinley turned three months old that Laura reached a breaking point. She was doing laundry late one afternoon, when she got to Steve's lab coat in their white load. She removed his work ID from the lapel, knowing he should have had this on him at work right now. She moved to check his pockets. After once washing a live frog with their clothes, who had miraculously survived, Laura had been extra careful with the pockets on Steve's clothes, especially on his lab coat. She checked the pocket on his chest, pulling out two pens that had the potential to ruin all of their whites had she not caught them. She tossed the pens in the box they kept in the laundry room just for his pocket goodies. She checked his left pocket. It was clear. She checked his right pocket and found the evidence she had been waiting for.