Veronica sat quietly in the stark white room. There was a stack of magazines that didn't interest her on the corner of the desk in front of her. There were lots of pictures of reproductive systems, and pamphlets for procedures and prescription fertility drugs laying around too; but she wasn't interested in reading any of that either. She left her phone in her purse, and her purse, along with her thick winter jacket, was somewhere in this maze of a clinic. So instead, she just sat quietly, staring at the wall, thinking. She was so lost in thought that when Logan entered the room suddenly, she jumped a little in her seat.

"Sorry." He said, and came to sit down in the chair next to her.

"No problem. Just fell asleep with my eyes open for a few minutes there." She smiled a tight smile at him.

"How'd it go with you? How are you feeling?" He asked her, putting his arm around her shoulders.

She relaxed and put her head on his arm. "Violated. That's how I feel. Nothing like an ultrasound probe shoved up your who-ha to take all the fun out of conceiving a baby. They didn't even buy me dinner first. "

Logan made a face. "Ugh. That sounds nasty."

"Terrible unpleasant. Then I got a regular ultrasound, blood taken, and had to give them a full medical and sexual history." She added. "How did your tests go?"

Logan shrugged. "I had to do the bloodwork and the histories. I also got my junk played with by some doctor and I had to jack off in a cup."

Veronica lifted her head to look at Logan. "You got to have an orgasm? Totally unfair!"

He kissed her forehead and smiled. "Would it help if I told you that I was thinking about you the whole time?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Oh really. What were you thinking about?"

Logan got a devilish grin on his face and put his mouth close to her ear. "Our first time together. Back at The Grand. The third time that day when I took you over the arm of the couch."

Veronica gave him a naughty grin. "Totally making up for the probe. Tell me more about what you remember about our first time together..."

They were interrupted by a low knock on the door. The two people pulled apart quickly, both of them blushing high on their cheeks.

Dr. Sawyer entered the room slowly, reading from a file as she passed them and headed for her desk. The middle-aged woman looked up and smiled warmly at the couple before sitting down. "Ms. Mars. Mr. Echolls. Thank you for being so patient today. Because you are from out-of-town, we wanted to get you some answers ASAP, which meant a little bit of 'hurry up and wait' time today."

"Thank you, Dr. Sawyer." Said Logan. "With Christmas in a few days, we were hoping to get everything done before the holidays, so we could fly home from Colorado."

Dr. Sawyer nodded. "I completely understand. I have some preliminary results."

Veronica reached out her hand and grasped Logan's fingers firmly. He heard her take a slow breath as she readied herself for the worst.

"After seeing the data, it seems that there are two ways we can go about helping you with your fertility problem." She looked directly at Veronica, her face turning serious. "Veronica, there was some damage to one of your ovaries and one fallopian tube from your ectopic pregnancy and subsequent miscarriage. However, the doctor you saw in New York was terribly wrong when he said you would 'never' have children. Based on our findings, the damage was mainly located outside of your uterus. Your hormone levels are fine, now that you are off the Pill and there is no indication that you are not ovulating properly. One of your ovaries is still functioning as it should and there is no problem with the fallopian tube connected to that ovary. Having one ovary should not hinder you from having children."

"However, since you became pregnant naturally once, and the pregnancy was ectopic, the recurrence rate is approximately 15-20% in subsequent pregnancies. Based on this alone, you may want to consider In-vetro fertilization or IVF to decrease the chance of another ectopic pregnancy."

Both Logan and Veronica exhaled loudly. "So, what you're saying is we CAN have a baby?" Questioned Logan hesitantly.

Dr. Sawyer chuckled. "Yes. In my long winded, doctor way, I am saying you can have a baby."

Veronica was speechless. She had prepared herself all day for the worst. Hearing the best news possible didn't quite compute in her brain yet.

The doctor continued. "You have two choices; the first one would be to go home and try and conceive the old-fashioned way." She winked at the tense couple, trying to break the ice. "But that may still result in another ectopic pregnancy. The second way is not so old fashioned. Veronica, we would have you monitor your cycle for a few months and plan when the best time would be to harvest some eggs from your ovary. We would then fertilize them with Logan's sperm and place one in your uterus. By placing the egg directly into your uterus, it is less likely to implant itself anywhere else in your reproductive system. Not nearly as romantic, but it gets the job done."

"We can do this." Veronica murmured.

"Yes, Veronica. You CAN do this. If you choose." Replied the Doctor. "You don't have to make the decision right now. We have started a file on you so you can always call and set something up at a later date."

"What happens if we want to try 'the old fashioned way'? 15-20% is not a very high percentage." Logan asked.

"That's true. If you two decide you do want to try on your own, we would start to monitor you. Once you conceive, we would get an ultrasounds immediately to determine the location of the embryo. If it is another ectopic pregnancy, there are several options for terminating the pregnancy before any significant damage is done, if detected early enough."

Veronica scrunched up her face. "And if it's not ectopic? What then?"

"Well, then I see no reason why, under the care of an OB/GYN in Neptune, you should have any problems carrying a baby to full term."

A silence followed. The Dr. Sawyer had said her peace. Now it was up to Logan and Veronica to decide what to do next. Logan looked at Veronica. Veronica looked at Logan. An unspoken conversation was going on between the two, the kind that comes from knowing a person since you were 12 years old.

"Thank you, Dr. Sawyer. You've given us a lot to think about." Said Logan. When he stood, Veronica stood too, still holding on to his hand.

"You are welcome, Mr. Echolls, Ms. Mars. I really hope we will see you back here soon." She rose from behind the desk and offered her hand. Both Logan and Veronica shook it and then slid out the door.

Once they had gathered their belongings, returned their "visitor" badges, and bundled themselves up for the Colorado winter, they were both drained from all the new knowledge running around in their heads.

"Come on." Logan said warmly, and put his arm around his girlfriend's shoulders. "I think I owe you a dinner."

By the time Veronica emerged from the big bathtub in their chalet, dinner had arrived. Logan had set everything up on the carpet in front of a roaring fire. They had arrived in Bolder a few days before their appointment to do some snowboarding and lay around in the hot tub. The chalet they had rented was a bit of a trek from the hospital, but it was worth it. They had an entire little house to themselves.

Veronica was clad in a big, fluffy bath robe, her wet hair pulled into a lose bun on her head. She looked worn out. Logan waved her over. "Come and join me for our picnic dinner. I ordered you a hot chocolate with Baileys to take the edge off the day." He held up a giant mug, brimming with whipping cream and chocolate. At the sight of it, Veronica's eyes danced and she happily made her way over to sit down next to her boyfriend.

Logan watched as she closed her eyes and savoured the smell of the beverage. She then proceeded to stick out her tongue and lick all the whipping cream off the top of the cup, before settling in to drink the liquid underneath.

"That. Was. Hot." Logan intoned.

Veronica held up her hand. "Stop right there. After what I went through today, the House of Veronica is CLOSED for business tonight."

Logan laughed. "Fair enough! Although I do feel I 'owe' you an orgasm for today. But you can put that in the bank and collect on it anytime."

Veronica rolled her eyes and went back to enjoying her hot chocolate in silence. Meanwhile, Logan lifted the cover off his plate and quickly dove into his double cheese burger with extra steak fries. After a few minutes, he looked up to find Veronica watching him intently.

"That. Was. Hot!" She intoned in her version of his voice.

"I know." He said, and took another big bite of his burger.

She shook her head and lifted the lid to her dinner; chicken parmesan with homemade pasta. Logan knew her so well. He ordered her a big bowl of comfort food. She gleefully devoured the dish.

The two famished people ate in silence. Logan then returned everything to their delivery tray and put it by the door. He would call for room service to pick it up layer. As he cleaned, Veronica curled herself up in a ball on the couch facing the fire place. When he was done, Logan came and sat down next to her. She leaned into him and sighed.

"What do you want to do?" She asked him.

"Right now? Or in general?" He replied.

"About the baby. What do you think we should do?"

There was a pause. Logan drew a deep breathe. "I really don't know. I mean, it's pretty obvious most of this will involve YOUR body. How do you feel about things?"

Veronica shrugged. "I don't know. I was so sure it was going to be bad news that this kind of threw me. And to know that we have options is really overwhelming."

Logan nodded. "Understandable. What else are you worried about?"

Veronica frowned. "It may sound petty, but what about my job? I love what I do. How can I be a detective AND carry a baby?"

Logan cleared his throat. "I was thinking about that. And I may have an answer."

She looked at him quizzically. "Okay. What's your answer?"

"I think Mars Investigations needs to get you a partner. Someone who can do the 'heavy lifting' as it were. Be the muscle in the organization. Someone who has training. Perhaps military training. Knows how to use a firearm. Trained at hand-to-hand combat..." He trailed off, seeing if she got the jist of what he was saying.

"YOU? You want to be my partner?" She said, throwing herself back so she could get a full view of him.

He shrugged. "Why not? I could work with you while you are pregnant, so you stay out of danger. And when the baby is born, we could take turns with cases so someone is always home with the baby."

There was silence. Veronica was stunned. "That actually makes sense." She said in a shocked tone.

"Besides, your dad will want to retire at some point. Then the company will be ours. Yours and mine." Said Logan. "Then maybe Grandpa Mars can take care of the grandkids when we are at work!" He laughed.

Veronica laughed too. "Don't tell him that part too soon or he'll retire the minute the baby is born!" She smiled lovingly at Logan. "So Mars/Echolls Investigations, huh."

Logan looked down and took her hand. "No. Just Mars. I don't even mind if our kids have your last name. I think it's best that the Echolls last name end with me. There is nothing but misery and terrible movies associated with the Echolls name. Let's just let it fade into oblivion."

Veronica leaned in and kissed Logan. "Okay. I like your idea. A lot."

"Good. So what should we do about a baby then?" He said and pulled her close.

Veronica cuddled close to him and wrapped her arms around his body. "I think we should do IVF. I really don't know if I could get over the pain of losing your baby." He kissed the top of her head and she continued. "Now that we have plan, maybe we can call them tomorrow before we leave and start making arrangements for when we would have to come back to have it done."

He pulled himself back so he could look down at her face. Veronica looked up at him. Pure giddiness crossed his face. "I can't believe we are doing this."

"I know." She giggled nervously. "It's so grown up of us!"

He leaned down and kissed her passionately. She pulled herself up to him and got on her knees so she was at his height. Slowly she pulled out of the kiss and undid her robe. It dropped to the couch leaving her naked in front of her boyfriend. "I think I'd like to collect on that orgasm now."

A lecherous grin crossed Logan's mouth. "And I will be happy to fill that request, Ms. Mars."

Logan kissed her gently and began to ease her onto her back on the couch. When she was reclining, he pulled himself up and took one of her legs and placed it up on the back of the sofa. He then took the other leg an coaxed it down so it was off the couch. The result was that Veronica's legs were spread out in front of him, giving him perfect positioning at her core. "That's better." He said, his voice husky with passion.

He placed his thumb in his mouth and licked it. He then reached down and swiped it across Veronica's clit. She bucked her hips in response. He then went back and ground the pad of his thumb down hard onto her button, twisting and turning. Veronica grabbed the arm of the couch and let out a scream of delight. He then dragged his thumb down her wet folds and pressed it down against the bottom of her labia, massaging the spot for a moment. He watched Veronica writhe under his touch. He then slipped his thumb easily into her wet pussy and started searching for her g-spot. She moved and bucked, trying to help Logan find just...that...spot...that made her lose her mind. He felt the fleshy nub inside of her and began to massage it rapidly. A steady stream of profanities arose from Veronica along with some begging for more. He licked his other thumb and skimmed through her wetness to find her clit again. Working her with both hands, she came almost immediately, screaming his name.

He removed his fingers and sat back on the couch for a moment. A smug look of satisfaction on his face and a raging hard-on in his sweatpants. Veronica regained her composure momentarily. "Fuck me." She said.

Logan laughed. "That good, huh."

Veronica looked him in the eye. "No. Fuck. Me."

"I thought you were closed for business tonight." He teased.

"For you, I'll stay open all night." She winked.

"Mmmmmmm...such service." He said and stood up to shed his clothes with amazing speed. He then climbed back between her legs, and positioned his ready cock at her moist entrance. "Wait! What about protection."

Veronica smiled mischievously. "I put my diaphragm in after my bath. You were totally getting laid tonight. I just wanted to make you work for it."

"Bitch." He teased, and thrust himself into her, deeply.

She groaned with pleasure. "Jackass."

Logan began moving in and out of her swiftly. She grabbed the arm rest to help take the motion, screaming out in pleasure. Logan reached down and grabbed her hips to pull her closer to him as he knelt between her. The shift in angle made Logan's shaft rub hard against her g-spot and a steady stream of "OhFuckYesPleaseOhGod!" fell from Veronica's mouth. Logan reached down and pressed his thumb to her clit. It only took a minute before she was exploding again, with Logan coming deep inside her moments later.

Spent and happy, Veronica shifted her body to allow Logan to collapse on the couch next to her. He wound his body around her to keep them both on the furniture. "We need to do this every day now, you know." He said into her ear.

"Oh. And why is that?" She responded.

"I hear that new parents never get to have sex. We need to stockpile orgasms for the coming years." He explained.

Veronica rolled her eyes. "That seems perfectly reasonable." She then kissed him on the bicep and tuned her attention back to the fire. She was content.

Dick was frantic. Mac called at 2 am from an ambulance. Celia's cold had become so bad that the child was having problems breathing. In the middle of the night, she started to aspirate and Mac had to call 911. The ambulance was on the way to Neptune General. That was all the info Dick got from Mac before she had to hang up. And now, Dick found himself running through the parking lot, trying to get to the emergency ward as fast as possible.

When he reached the emergency waiting room, he realized that they wouldn't be just sitting there. They would be somewhere inside the hospital. Dick grabbed his phone.

Dick: Where are u?

After what seemed like an eternity, Mac responded.

Mac: In a room in Emeg. #12. Tell them who you are at the front desk. They will let you in.

Dick lunged at the front desk. Thankfully, it was a quiet night so there was no one in line before him. "My daughter was just admitted. Room 12. Celia Mackenzie. I need to see her."

The nurse behind the counter smiled sympathetically at him. "Alright Mr. Mackenzie. I can let you in. I just need to give you a visitor pass." She pushed a clipboard with information for him to fill out. Dick scratched his information down quickly and handed it back. The nurse's face changed when she realized she had been wrong. "My apologies. Here is your visitor pass Mr. Casablancas. Just straight through those security doors." And she pointed him in the right direction.

Dick muttered a "Thank you." And raced for the doors. The security guard buzzed them open and Dick went looking for his daughter.

Room 12 was not far in. He looked through the big glass doors at Celia, propped up in a big hospital bed. She looked so tiny with the big covers surrounding her. She was asleep. Mac was sitting on a chair, but her head was down, resting on her arms on the bed. Dick entered quietly.

He went up to Mac and softly put his hand on her back. She jumped to attention. "Dick!" She cried. And got up to give him a big hug.

Dick was caught off guard and he nearly fell backwards. "What happened?" He asked, wrapping his arms around the small woman.

Mac let out a deep sigh and turned her head as to not talk right into Dick's chest. "She didn't have just a cold. She had something called Croup. It can come on pretty fast and it constricts her breathing. They opened her airways with Ventalin and then gave her a steroid to keep her airways open. The steroid should last about 3-5 days. She should be over it by then. But right now, they want us to stay for 12 hours to monitor her. They are just trying to find a bed for her in the paediatric ward."

Dick still didn't let go of Mac. "But she'll be okay after that?"

Dick could feel Mac nod against his body. "Yeah. She'll be fine in a couple of days."

Dick let out a big breath. "Good."

Mac pulled back a bit and looked up at Dick. His hair was a mess. His t-shirt was on inside out and there was a big stain of what looked like pizza sauce on his sweats. He was in runners and no socks. "Thanks for being here for us." She said quietly.

Dick looked down. "Where else would I be?"

It was then that Mac stood on her tip toes and kissed Dick on the lips. Dick didn't think. He wrapped his arms tightly around Mac and lifted her up, deepening the kiss. Mac responded by wrapping her arms around his neck, holding on to him for dear life.

After a few minutes, they became keenly aware that they were kissing in front of a giant glass window. There was a low knocking sound and they sprang apart. A tall, dark haired man cleared his throat and entered the room. "Ummm. Sorry to interrupt, but I wanted to let you know, Ms. Mackenzie, that Celia will be transferred up to paediatrics in the morning when some patients are discharged. Until then, make yourselves comfortable. We will continue to monitor Celia down here until she is transferred upstairs."

Mac wiped her mouth with the back of her hand in embarrassment. Even Dick was blushing a bit. "Thank you Dr. Naveen." She said. "This is Celia's father, Richard Casablancas."

Dick raised one eyebrow and extended his hand to the Doctor. "Thanks for helping my little girl." Dr. Naveen relaxed and shook his hand in return.

"Well, that's what we do here, Mr. Casablancas." He responded with a laugh. "Now, if you excuse me, I need to continue my rounds. Good luck over then next couple of days, Ms. Mackenzie." And with that, the doctor drew the curtain across the doorway and closed the door, giving the couple more privacy.

Dick immediately turned to Mac. "Richard?"

She shrugged. "It sounded more...paternal...grown up."

Dick nodded. "Does that mean I get to start calling you 'Cindy'?"

Mac laughed. "Okay. I take it back. We'll stick with 'Dick'."

Dick turned serious. "I really hope you'll stick with me for a while." He reached down and put his hand on Mac's cheek. She leaned into it and let herself be comforted for a moment. In that moment, she was so beautiful. Her short hair was off in every direction. She still had on a pair of sleep shorts and a loose t-shirt that said "Go Veggie!" on it. She had on two different flip flops, one black, one white. It didn't matter. To Dick, she was amazing.

He took her hand. "Come with me." He said and led her over to the big easy chair in the room. He sat down, pulling Mac onto his lap. She curled up completely on top of him. He was close enough to Celia that he could reach out through the safety bars of the bed, with his right hand, and touch her. He gently put his hand over his sleeping daughter's, so she knew he was there. He tucked Mac's head under his chin.

They sat just like this for a few minutes before Dick had the guts to speak. "What would I have to do to keep things like this all the time?" He said softly.

Mac looked up at him. "Keep doing what you're doing. Keep going to counselling. Keep sober – no excessive drinking, no drugs. Keep being present in our lives. We'll get there. Eventually." She reached up and gave him a soft kiss on his rough cheek.

"Eventually." Dick sighed. "I can live with that." He said and put his head back on the recliner.

And that is how the Mackenzie/Casablancas family slept for the rest of the night. Curled up together, safe and sound.