Veronica sits on the couch, watching the kids run around in a circle. She messages her temples. The kids are screaming and laughing and her head is killing her. "Ella, Ben, my loves can you not scream please. My head hurts" she says.

"Sorry" Ella giggles.

"Ronnie can you help me? I can't reach Teddy" Ben says. He stands on his tiptoes, trying to reach his stuffed animal on the shelf.

"Who put him there?" Ella asks and walks next to her brother.

"Daddy" Ben groans "Ronnie help me!"

"I'm coming" she sighs but as she gets up her knees wobble. Everything around her goes black for a second. She falls to the floor.

"Ronnie!" Ben gasps as he runs to her. "Are you okay?"

"I—I don't know"

Ella runs upstairs to Archie. She pushes the door to his office open and breathes heavily.

"Daddy!" she yells "daddy, Ronnie doesn't feel good! She fell. You need to come, quick!"

Without asking questions Archie closes his laptop and gets up. Ella takes his hand and pulls him to the living room. Archie's heart stops for a second when he sees Veronica sitting on the floor. Her face is pale. Ben stands next to her and plays with her hair.

"Ronnie what happened?" Archie asks and sits down on the floor next to her. He places his hand on her forehead.

"I'm not feeling so well" she mumbles.

"I think you have a fever. What else hurts?"

"My head, my stomach and I'm just so super tired"

"Mhm okay, let's go to your doctor's office"

"No it's okay" she mumbles

"Ronnie I'm not asking"

"I— you don't need to come with me. I'll ask Cheryl to pick me up and go with me. You can stay here with the kids. Don't worry it's probably just a cold or something"

Archie sighs "okay fine but I'll stay here with you guys until your friend is here and maybe we should get you off the floor" he says with a little smile on his face. Veronica nods. Archie takes her hands and pulls her on her feet. He wraps his arm around her waist to steady her before he carefully sets her down on the couch.

Immediately the kids climb on it too and sit next to her. One on the right and the other one on the left.

Ben takes her hand and runs the fingers of his other hand over her knuckles. "Do you want a glass of water?"

Veronica doesn't say anything but she nods. Ben looks up to his father. Archie smiles. He ruffles his son's hair before he walks into the kitchen to get Veronica some water. As he walks back she places her phone on the coffee table and leans back. "Cheryl will be here in 10" she mumbles.

"Okay good"

Ella gets up. She takes her father's hand and walks back to the couch with him. "Sit" she smiles and points next to Veronica. "I want to sit in your lap"

Archie hands the glass to Veronica before he picks his little girl up and holds her to his chest as he sits down next to Veronica. Exhausted she leans her head against his shoulder. Very softly he places a short kiss on her forehead to make her feel better. The kids don't say anything, not even a questioning look, nothing.

"I'm so nauseous" she says quietly. "But don't worry. I won't puke on you. I'll just jump up and run into the bathroom"

"Even if" he whispers into her ear "I can simply put on a new shirt"

A quiet little giggle leaves her mouth "Eww"

"The twins puked on me all the time when they were babies"

"That's different. Like you said, they were babies"

"I'm just saying. In case you can't get up fast enough, it's okay"

"Okay" Veronica sighs and closes her eyes. She listens to the conversation Archie is having with Ella. Her little voice and the excitement about the fort they built this morning make her relax a little.

Ben still runs his fingers over her knuckles. He's the sweetest little boy she has ever met. She can't put into words how much she loves these kids.

Cheryl picks her up just a few minutes later. They go the doctor's and don't have to wait long until it's their or better Veronica's turn. Cheryl holds her hand tightly as the doctor, who introduced himself as Mr. Miller takes a sample of Veronica's blood.

About 20 minutes later the results are in. Veronica sits down on the examination bed. Cheryl stands next to her and the doctor sits down on a chair across from them.

"Good news, I know why you're feeling this way. Bad news, it will last a little longer and there's nothing I can do"

"What— what is it? Am I okay?" Veronica asks nervously.

"You're more than fine Miss Lodge. You're pregnant"

"I'm what? No, there is no way"

"The blood results are unequivocally but we can do an ultrasound if you like"

"Yes please" Veronica says. Still not really believing what her doctor just told her, she lies down on the examination bed and pulls up her shirt and her pants down just a little bit.

Mr. Miller puts some gel on her stomach. It only takes a few seconds before he smiles and points at the monitor. "There it is. It's very little though so I'd say 3 week maybe? Probably four though"

"Oh god" Veronica whispers.

"Do you want some pictures?"

Veronica doesn't answer. She didn't even hear the question. She tries to remember what day was four weeks ago and what she did. She knows it's stupid because the only person she had sex with is Archie. She doesn't want it to be true. So much for not making things more complicated.

"Miss Lodge?" the doctor asks

"Yes, she does" Cheryl answer for her friend. Veronica shakes her head lightly to come back to reality and focus on what's happening right now.

"Huh?"

"All good honey. Don't worry" Cheryl says. She hands Veronica some paper towels so she can clean her stomach and sit up.

"Here you go" Mr. Miller smiles and hands Veronica the pictures. She stares at them, feeling nothing.

"Could you give us a minute?" Cheryl asks, looking up to the man next to her. He smiles and nods.

"Make a new appointment. The nice receptionist will give you flyer and information"

"Thank you Sir" the red head smiles.

"No problem"

Mr. Miller looks at Veronica for a second who is still staring at the pictures before he walks out of the room and leaves the two women alone.

"Oh my god" Veronica breaths out "oh my god, I'm pregnant. My boss got me pregnant. This is so embarrassing. I'm a slut" Veronica cries as she buries her face in her hands.

"Hey no V, don't say that" Cheryl says and begins to rub her friend's back.

"I'm pregnant! My boss, MY BOSS got me pregnant!" Veronica yells. Tears roll down her cheeks.

"I didn't even know you two had sex. How was it?" Cheryl grins.

"Thin ice Cheryl, very thin ice"

"Vee" she groans while takes the crying girl's hand and looks into her eyes. Her soft smile calms Veronica immediately. "First of all it takes two to make a baby, he's just as much a part of this as you are. Second, yes he's your boss but he's a human too and he's a really hot human"

"Cheryl!" Veronica squeals.

"Come on". the redhead giggles "just because I'm gay doesn't mean I can't think guys are hot"

"Yeah, guess you're right" she mumbles. Her cheeks blush and her gaze moves away from her friend to the floor.

"Besides all the facts, he loves kids, he adores Ella and Ben"

"He loves them, more than anything"

"I know" Cheryl smiles. She squeezes Veronica's hands and runs her thumb over her knuckles. "We should now be any different? You have to tell him Vee. Not right away but eventually. He deserves to know"

"What if he yells at me or fires me or doesn't want the baby" she sniffs

"Don't worry about the what if's. Tell him first and then we see what we will do"

"Cheryl I have to think about the what if's. What if he yells at me or fires me?" she asks again.

"Then he's an idiot and you can move back in with me. No matter what, you're not alone okay? I'm here"

"Thanks"

"Of course honey" Cheryl smiles. "But I mean look at that" she says and points to the sonogram picture in Veronica's hands "how could you not want this. It's already the cutest little baby"

A little giggle leaves Veronica's mouth. She wipes her tears away and looks up from the picture and to Cheryl.

"I'll drive you home so you can rest a little"

Veronica nods. With her hands on her stomach she follows Cheryl outside to the car.

On their way back to the Andrews' house Veronica keeps her hands on her stomach the entire time.

What if Cheryl is right and he is happy about the baby. She could finally have her own happy little family. The family she always dreamed of as a kid when she fell asleep alone in her room with tears in her eyes.

She starts thinking about names. She likes Bella but what if it's a boy. Her worries are gone. She's very excited. She can't wait to feel her child move and kick. She wants to hold it in her arms right now. Her sweet little baby. No matter what she will keep this baby. She did not once think about not keeping it. She wants it. Of course she wants Archie to be a part of his baby's life but she would do it alone as well.

She picture how he holds that tiny little human in his arms and kisses its head. How he holds the baby's hand while it takes its first steps and the smile on his face when it says 'dada' for the first time.

A little giggle leaves her mouth

"What?" Cheryl asks with a smirk on her lips.

"Nothing" Veronica smiles. She closes her eyes and begins to run little circles with her hands on her stomach while she imagines the small baby growing inside her.