Chapter Text
Orion Protocol – Epilogue One Year After Logan’s Return
“Where’s Logan?” Keith asked as he waited for Veronica to sign some court documents they needed for a case.
Since Veronica gave birth 7 months ago, she worked mostly from home and was doing more legal consulting than PI work.
“He took Sydney running,” Veronica smiled as she handed the papers back.
“Sydney can’t walk yet,” Keith frowned.
“We have that jogging stroller thing,” she explained.
“We?”
“I used it once,” she defended.
Just as Keith was going to question that claim, the door opened, and Logan wheeled a sleeping Sydney in and parked her by the hall.
“One of us got 7 miles in, the other one got a nice nap,” Logan smiled as he pecked Veronica on the lips.
“What, no kiss for me?” Keith feigned disappointment.
“Maybe after I shower,” Logan winked.
“I’ve got her, go,” Veronica turned her cheeky husband towards the bedroom.
She wiped the sweat off her hands and unzipped the mesh cover of the jogging stroller.
“Hey baby girl,” she cooed as she pulled a sleeping baby out and on to her shoulder.
Sydney was getting big, crawling and engaged in a great way while still being content to be held. Veronica indulged in a few minutes of warm soft baby weight in her arms.
“You look good with a baby in your arms,” Keith grinned.
“I never thought this would be my life. When I was young, I was sure I didn’t want it, when I was in New York I figured I would be too busy to have it, but when Logan and I were back together…” she shrugged.
“I saw you holding Noah over a year ago, on 4th of July and my heart broke. I knew there was still time if you met someone else, but I didn’t think you would ever let yourself love someone who wasn’t Logan. I thought you had lost this chance.”
“I am very lucky,” Veronica smiled and headed down to the nursery.
By the time she returned from settling Sydney, Logan was back in the kitchen eating a banana and discussing his training.
“It’s Olympic distances, 40 K on the bike, 10 K run and 1 and a half K open ocean swim,” he told Keith who looked green at the thought.
“Can’t you do the swim in a pool with no sharks?” Veronica interjected.
“I swim in the ocean all the time,” he pointed the banana at her, “and surf, sharks are way more interested in surfers because we look like seals.”
“Not really winning your argument there,” Keith laughed.
“I mean, you retired from the Navy, I thought my days of wanting to wrap you in bubble wrap were over and now it is triathlon this and triathlon that,” Veronica made gabbing gestures with her hands.
“I love spending my days with you and Sydney, but I need challenges to focus on and this one seemed like it was right in my proverbial wheelhouse.”
“Yeah yeah, you bike for the environment, I already married you, you can stop showing off,” she pinched his side.
“You two are adorable, but I need to get these papers to the courthouse.”
“I’ll be in the office tomorrow,” Veronica reminded him.
“I shall dust off your desk,” Keith teased and was gone.
“Did you tell him?” Logan asked as he tossed the banana peel in the compost bin.
“No, I am still coming to terms with it,” she said as she laid a hand across her stomach.
“This is what happens when I am home with lots of time on my hands,” he smirked and kissed her.
“So, we are having another baby before our first one is a year old because you don’t have enough to keep you busy? You could get a job or volunteer at the pet shelter or you know, take up knitting.”
“But making love to you is my favorite hobby,” he murmured as his hands and lips wandered.
“Well, I am trying very hard to not vomit right now, so keep it in your pants, Echolls,” she kissed him one more time and stepped out of his embrace.
“Want some tea?” he went from horny to concerned with practiced ease.
“Yeah, thanks,” she squeezed his hand and headed to the little window seat in the breakfast nook, looking out over the ocean.
“I was thinking, what are we going to name this kid?” she asked as Logan put the kettle on and grabbed a couple mugs.
“Well, I am not naming my kid Neptune,” Logan grinned.
“Exactly, Sydney is a great name and while she could’ve been conceived in Brisbane, I think Sydney is perfect. If we name this one Neptune the gig is up,” she chuckled.
“What if we name her something like, Calliope, we could call her Cali,” Logan leaned on the counter and his arms were so enticing Veronica was almost willing to chance the morning sickness for a quickie.
“What is all this ‘she’ stuff, we don’t know if the baby is a girl.”
“It’s a girl.”
“You know this?”
He just nodded.
“OK, I like your thinking though and I kind of love Calliope and if it is a boy, we could name him Calvin and call him Cal. That wouldn’t be super obvious,” she smiled.
“It will get trickier with the next one, unless we move or go on lots of vacations….”
“The next one? Uh uh, this is it. You will be visiting your doctor for a little…” she used her fingers to mimic scissors.
“Because you cannot keep your hands off me and no form of birth control seems to stand up to our marathon sex life? Oooo a marathon, maybe that will be my next challenge,” he said as the kettle whistled.
“We do seem to test the boundaries of most standard birth controls yes and I like, no love, the spontaneity of our sex life and I hate taking drugs I don’t need to take.”
“If that is what you want, it is fine with me. Two kids are 2 more than I ever thought I would have, and the planet does not need a herd of new inhabitants. Besides, no matter how much money we have we only have so much time, I always wonder how families with tons of kids handle all the dance recitals and soccer games. I want to be at everything, I don’t want to miss a thing.”
“You won’t, you are here now, and I am not letting you out of my sight. I have spent too many years away from you and I never want to go through that again.”
“I am enjoying hormonal Veronica,” Logan said as he put her tea down and tucked her hair behind her ear.
“Just wait a few weeks you won’t be able to keep up with me,” she waggled her eyebrows and sipped the ginger tea.
“Can’t wait,” he winked.
“Are you OK? With everything?” she asked haltingly.
“What do you mean?”
“Your new life. You went from International Man of Mystery to stay-at-home dad. Are you bored? Are you worried? It’s been a year.”
“I am proud of my service and I am grateful for everything the Navy gave me and taught me when I needed it most, but I won’t get a chance like this again, to see my children grow and change every day. I want to see Sydney take her first steps and watch that little California raisin in there come squawking into the world.”
“Ooooo Ray, like sunshine, that could be a contender for a California name,” Veronica interjected.
“I’ll consider Ray for a girl, but not a boy, sounds too much like an accountant.”
“Girls can be accountants!”
“Yeah but a kickass female accountant named Ray is awesome.”
“I’ve lost the thread of this conversation,” Veronica admitted.
“Anyway, I am not bored. I highly doubt either of us will get bored with 2 kids in the house, if we do we might not actually be doing it right,” he grinned.
“I know I tease about the triathlon, but I am 100% behind whatever you want or need to do to keep yourself content.”
“Hey, no. I am so content; my heart is so full of you and Sydney and that nugget in there and Pony and Keith and Wallace and Shae and Noah and Mac…”
“OK, OK, I get it,” she laughed.
“I needed the Navy when I needed the Navy to teach me how to exist in a community, how to be a part of a team, how to be a functional adult human. I now have all of you and I never thought I would have that, Veronica. So, my life has changed a whole lot in the past year, but it isn’t less than what I had before, it is more, it is so much more,” he promised, and she leaned in to kiss him.
Just as she was reconsidering that quickie, the baby monitor signaled the end of Sydney’s nap.
“I’ll get her,” Veronica rose before Logan could protest.
***555***
A couple of months later, Veronica still hadn’t told anyone about the new baby. Like her first pregnancy, she was enjoying keeping her secret with the added bonus of having Logan there to share it with her. Logan planned a dinner party for her dad and Wallace, Shae & Noah to do a big reveal.
“V, look at that,” Wallace whispered that evening as Veronica assembled snacks on a tray.
“What?” she said distractedly as a pile of crackers skittered off the counter and Pony pounced.
“Look,” Wallace stilled her arm and pointed.
Through the open plan first floor, Veronica could see their kids. Sydney was in a crawl and Noah was standing by the coffee table, he was showing her how to stand.
“Is your kid teaching my kid how to stand up? Where is my phone?” Veronica panicked.
“Logan’s got it,” Wallace pointed to the other side of the room where Logan was filming.
“Look at our kids,” Veronica said in awe.
“Who would’ve thought it,” Wallace flung an arm over her shoulder.
“I’m pregnant,” Veronica admitted.
“For real?” Wallace looked at her.
“Yep,” she popped the P.
“Well ain’t that fantastic,” he squeezed her tighter.
“I haven’t told Dad yet, so act surprised when we announce it at dinner.”
Wallace threw her a wink and then went to watch Noah giving sage guidance to his young friend.
“What’s cooking, daughter of mine?” Keith arrived and took Wallace’s place in the kitchen as Veronica checked the oven.
“Lasagna, Pops, you know, the only thing I can cook thanks to our shared love of ricotta cheese,” Veronica grinned and accepted a kiss on the cheek and a box of pastry.
“I come baring pastries someone else made, which kind of holds up that narrative,” he shrugged adorably.
“I’m pregnant,” she said out of the blue.
“Really?” Keith’s smile softened into a sweet grin.
“Yeah, think you can handle one more grandkid?”
“You told him?” Logan appeared ready to show Keith the video of Noah helping Sydney.
“I told Wallace too, I have absolutely no self-control, which really is why I am in this particular predicament,” she pointed at her stomach.
Logan smirked and Keith rolled his eyes.
“You two…”
“…are going to be the death of you. We know, you’ve been saying that for almost 20 years, yet here you are alive and well,” Veronica teased.
“We gave him a break for almost a decade,” Logan reasoned as he wrapped his arms around Veronica from behind and rested his hands on her stomach.
“Oh, you both gave me plenty to worry about in those years. She lived alone in New York and you were flying planes? Yeah I wasn’t the least bit concerned.”
Logan looked surprised.
“You have always been part of the family, kid,” Keith smiled and left the couple alone.
***555***
At 7 months pregnant, Veronica seemed to pee more than she slept at night. Every time she woke up, she would kiss Logan’s shoulder or his chest or his wrist, whichever part she could reach without waking him. He was here, he had been here for over a year. No deployments, no fear.
When Veronica woke to pee at the crack of dawn and found him not in the bed her heart raced a bit. It was early, the sky still more dark than light. She peed before going in search of her husband.
Her first stop was the nursery, where Sydney slept with one arm flung over her head and the other down by her side, her legs star fished out taking up maximum real estate. She was snuffling peacefully and there was no sign of Logan.
She checked the gym, the office and the whole open plan living room, kitchen and there was no sign of him. She felt tears threaten. She knew he was here; she knew it wasn’t all a dream, she had the baby down the hall and the baby in her stomach, but she had to swallow the bile of the feelings she still dealt with still to this day.
He almost died. It was her fault. That bomb should have killed him. The Navy saved him. Not me. I almost got him killed.
She took a deep breath and looked up and there he was, on their beach near the rough surf and he wasn’t alone. Veronica moved closer to the French doors leading to the backyard as she recognized the person standing opposite her husband.
“Oh, hell no,” she murmured as she took the baby monitor in one hand and headed barefoot out the door and down the sloped lawn to the sand below.
“Why are you here?” she shouted over the surf and startled a few birds off the beach.
“Hello, Mrs. Echolls,” Clarence Weidman said with a smile, “are you still pregnant?” he looked at her baby bump, her thin nightgown blowing in the morning breeze.
“What?” Veronica replied confused.
He just looked at her stomach.
“She’s pregnant again,” Logan grinned, “you haven’t seen her in over a year Clarence, how long do you think women are pregnant?”
“Right,” the older man nodded as if he really had no idea.
“Why are you here?” Veronica repeated through gritted teeth.
“Stand down, Veronica, I just came to pass on some news,” Clarence held up his hands in surrender.
Veronica looked at Logan who looked solemn.
“My CO died,” Logan informed.
“Oh,” Veronica let out a long breath and leaned over as far as her stomach allowed.
“I am heading out of the country in an hour, I wanted to tell him in person,” Clarence continued.
“You OK?” Logan approached his wife and rubbed her back.
She just nodded.
“I’m sorry if I scared you,” Clarence gave a slight smile, “I have to ship out,” he looked at Logan who nodded and held out his hand.
“Give my best to the unit,” Logan said as he shook hands and Clarence headed down to the public entrance of their stretch of beach.
“Fuck,” Veronica breathed out and rubbed at her eyes.
“You OK?” Logan asked again unsure her last nod was accurate.
“I panicked. I woke up and you were gone and the past 2 years flashed in front of my eyes and you were outside the window and my car was blowing up and you were gone,” she rushed out as she tried to regulate her breathing.
“I’m right here,” he whispered against the crown of her head as she wrapped her arms around his waist.
“I know. I know,” she kept repeating.
“Come on, it’s cold out here,” he nudged her to move and they struggled up the sand as she refused to let go of him.
By the time they were through the door her mouth was on his and she was tugging his shirt off over his head. She was good with up against the counter in the kitchen, but Logan encouraged her back to their warm soft bed. He stripped off her nightgown and his shorts before he crawled into the bed and encouraged her on top of him.
She wanted nothing more than to feel him inside her, feel his hands on her skin and his mouth on her mouth.
“Slow down, babe, I’m not going anywhere,” he promised with a smile as Veronica moved furiously on top of him.
“I need more, all of you, I need all of you,” she admitted through breathy moans.
“Always, Veronica, always,” he promised as he touched her just right and she fell apart above him, the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.
As Logan held her and they watched the sky turn fully blue and bright he kissed her cheek.
“I’m sorry you were scared, but I love how you deal with your fear now, how you deal with your emotion.”
“Sex?” she asked confused, because they never had a problem with hiding their issues behind great sex.
“No, that is a delightful side benefit, but you actually talk now, you tell me what you feel, I can see it on your face. No masks, no hiding,” he found her hand, the one she had her wedding and engagement ring on and kissed her knuckles.
“I thought I was better, I thought I was over it,” she sniffled.
“It doesn’t end, the fear and the memories of all our traumas, they don’t go away. We just learn how to deal with them, how to help each other and let others help us. You don’t fix what is wrong with us, we didn’t break an arm that just needed a cast and some time to heal.”
“I don’t want to be broken,” she whispered.
“We are. It’s not our fault, but life broke us and there will be moments that hurt more than others, that test us. All we can do is be there for each other, surround ourselves with people who love us and can catch us if we fall,” he spoke right against her ear, his words warm and soft and she nodded her understanding.
“I am sorry I caused you worry today, but I am glad you let me see you, really see you.”
Veronica snuggled back into his embrace and hoped Sydney slept for another hour as her eyes drifted closed.
***555***
“Well, who do we have here?” Keith said quietly as he approached the hospital bed where his daughter was holding his newest granddaughter.
“Dad, meet Calliope,” Veronica smiled, she looked exhausted but beautiful as she held the pile of blankets out to her father.
“Hello, Calliope, I’m Grandpa,” Keith beamed through watery eyes.
“Baba!” Sydney announced from Logan’s arms.
“That means baby,” Logan translated with a grin.
“Yes, this is your baby sister,” Keith moved around the bed to stand next to Logan.
“Here!” Sydney said, everything she said was a proclamation.
“Yes, the baby is here now,” Logan said as Sydney reached out to touch her sister’s cheek.
“Mine!” she squealed, and the 3 adults laughed.
“She was getting very impatient waiting for the baby,” Veronica explained.
“She wasn’t the only one, I am so excited to meet you, Calliope,” Keith cooed at the baby who opened her bright blue eyes to him for the first time and his heart melted.
“Wow,” he whispered.
Keith balanced the baby in one arm and reached his other out to Logan, clasped his arm.
“Thank you,” Keith beamed, and Logan just nodded.
“Look at my family,” Veronica said, a little shaky, “my two girls and my two boys.”
Keith and Logan grinned back at her goofily and she realized it was all worth it, all the trauma all of the break-ups and make-ups, 9 years of radio silence, deployments and near death experiences for all 3 of them, it was worth it because this was waiting for them, all of them.
“I am a very lucky woman.”
The End