She woke with an aching cramp in her back that moved to the front when she sat up. She’d had a little bit of cramping in the beginning, but nothing like this, and not for several days. She cried out as another cramp made her stomach spasm and had her bending forward. Carefully, Piper eased herself out of the bed and walked toward the commode.

She froze halfway there when she saw blood on the floor. It was coming from her, and she cried out in shock. Another cramp almost brought her to her knees, and she leaned against the door frame to keep from falling. She should’ve called Gretel first, but it was instinctive to reach out to Weston. His face appeared on her comm. “Weston, I need you.”

He frowned. “Could it wait? We have a diplomatic—”

She cried out as another pain ripped through her, this one sending her to her knees. “Now, please.” The comm went dead in front of her eyes, and she hoped that meant he was coming to her, rather than he was hanging up on her to return to his duties to the station.

In desperation, she pressed the general medical emergency button, getting an unfamiliar face on her screen. “I need a transport to Medical from the commander’s quarters.” As she finished speaking, another pain ripped through her, making her cry out again.

She was shaking from the intensity of it as she thought she heard the doors open a moment later. She should hope for it to be the transport personnel, but she was relieved when Weston appeared. He came straight to her to lift her into his arms, and she let herself sink against him to take comfort in his embrace. “I’m bleeding.”

His tone was even and gentle. “I know. Whatever happens, you’re going to be all right.”

“The baby…” She moaned the words as another wave of pain washed over her. “Help me, Weston.”

“I’ll do what I can, love.”

She was vaguely aware of him practically running down the hallway, not even stopping for the transport personnel who met them halfway. Over his shoulder, she could see them turning around to run behind them and didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the sight. Weston was clearly determined to get her to Medical as soon as possible, which meant he was deeply concerned. She must be bleeding even more than she thought or looked worse than she felt—and she felt awful.

In what seemed like seconds, but was definitely a few minutes, he laid her on an exam table in Medical. Gretel scanned her before injecting her with something. Her eyes blurred, and her head was immediately pounding. “What’s that?”

“A compound to help you maintain the pregnancy. I’m going to figure out what’s going on, but this will stop the bleeding very quickly.”

“My head hurts.” She sounded completely unlike herself, but she had never felt pain like this before. It was as though the contractions that ripped through her middle had now moved to her brain, though smaller spasms still made her abdomen tighten and loosen as well. She was definitely still having contractions, though they seemed to have lessened in intensity.

Weston was beside her, his hand on her brow for a moment. He moved away, and when he returned, he laid something cool across her forehead that had a pleasant scent she couldn’t quite identify. “That should help in a few minutes. It always helps me when I have a headache.”

She couldn’t move her head enough to nod. She was in too much pain, but she tried not to move as Gretel performed a more detailed diagnostic and drew blood.

The pain seemed to go on forever, so it was a bit of a shock to realize the next time she looked at the clock that it had only been thirty-eight minutes from the onset of the cramping to now, when her head was starting to clear, and the pain was fading significantly. “I feel better.” She sounded groggy though.

“That’s good. Everything’s settling down now. I’ve already administered the antitoxin.”

Her eyes snapped open. “Antitoxin? To what?”

“You have traces of Grambian horg root in your system, Piper.”

She frowned. “Never heard of it.” Or maybe she had. It sounded vaguely familiar. “Is it also called firgrils?”

Gretel shrugged. “I’m not sure. I’m just going by the computer information. It seems to be a rare plant used by the Grambi people to induce abortions.”

Her mouth dropped open in shock. “How in the world would I have gotten that? Where?”

“Where were you today?” Weston sounded brusque, and his expression was difficult to read.

Surely he didn’t think she had deliberately taken something to induce an abortion after coming all this way to carry the pregnancy? The thought annoyed her, but she hoped she was simply misjudging his concern as censure.

Quickly, she recounted her steps, trying to remember the exact stores. They both seemed fairly uninterested in the narrative until she mentioned the charm from Abira. She was still wearing it, having forgotten to take it off, so Gretel scanned it. After a moment, Gretel shook her head. “There’s no contamination there.”

She continued on, mentioning meeting Hadley and joining her for a drink at the bar. She didn’t know the name of her drink, but described it.

“Get the bartender on the comm system,” said Weston with a scowl. A few seconds later, the man’s face appeared on the large screen in Medical. “What was the drink you served my…Piper today?”

The bartender frowned. “I’m not sure who Piper is, Commander.”

“Her.” Weston pointed his comm at Piper, and her face appeared on a split screen beside the bartender’s for a moment before he moved his wrist, and her face disappeared.

The bartender nodded. “That was a Florfial firewheel, Commander.”

“What are the ingredients?” asked Gretel. As he listed them, she studied her scanner before finally shaking her head. “It wasn’t in there, but do you use Grambian horg root in any drinks, Anthracite?”

The red man nodded. “It’s a key ingredient in Grambian blood shooters. I keep a supply in the bar just for that purpose.”

“Thank you,” said Weston. A moment later, he ended the connection before turning to Gretel and then looking at Piper. “Sounds like a case of cross-contamination?”

Gretel nodded. “That would be my assessment as well.”

Piper swallowed thickly, remembering how delicious the drink had been, but knowing she wouldn’t risk visiting the facilities again to have one until the infant was born—if it was going to be born. “How’s the baby? Were you able to save her?”

Gretel nodded. “The antitoxin is already taking effect, and along with the other medication, you should be noticing a lessening of symptoms, if you feel anything at all?”

Piper closed her eyes and took mental inventory of her body for a moment before opening them again. “I don’t have more cramps or pain. Have I stopped bleeding?” She was a little shy as she asked the question, glancing briefly at Weston. It felt like such an intimate question to pose in front of him.

“I see no signs of continued bleeding,” she said as she ran the scanner down the lower half of Piper’s body. “I’m going to let you go now, but I want you to rest for at least the rest of today, and possibly tomorrow, if you’re still feeling worn out. You’ve lost more blood than I’d like, but not enough that you need a transfusion at this point.” She looked at Weston. “Keep a close eye on her, Commander.”

When Gretel let her leave a few minutes later, she might’ve been able to walk, but apparently Weston didn’t want to risk it. She was still feeling weak and lightheaded, so she settled into his arms without protest, allowing him to carry her back to his quarters. He stopped to let her use the bathroom to clean up, but as soon as she emerged a few minutes later, he lifted her into his arms again. She was so comfortable snuggled against him that it took a moment to realize they had bypassed the room she was using in favor of his.

He started to place her on the bed, and she frowned up at him. “What are you doing? I can’t take your bed when I have one of my own.”

He frowned. “I’m not leaving you alone when there’s still a possibility you could start bleeding again.”

She nodded hesitantly, sharing the fear herself, though her body seemed to have calmed down. She was definitely exhausted though and allowed herself to lean back against the pillow. Her eyes had closed when she heard a rustling sound. At first, she assumed he was sitting in the chair he’d used last time he’d sat vigil with her, but her eyes snapped open a moment later when the bed dipped, and she turned her head.

He was sprawled beside her, and she stared at him with wide eyes for a moment. “What are you doing?” She asked the question as a whisper when she had intended it to be more forceful.

He reached for her hand, ignoring her temporary resistance until she relaxed and curled her fingers into has. “I’m sticking close. A lot of horrible thoughts are in my mind right now, and I could use the comfort of someone’s presence as much as you can.”

She let out a sigh, unable to argue with that. Piper relaxed again, closing her eyes. “What thoughts?” she asked softly.

“Losing you. I could’ve lost you and Pippa’s baby today. I’ve lost enough. Wesley…” His voice broke on the last word.

She didn’t open her eyes, but nodded in sympathy and squeezed his hand. Her thoughts were occupying similar dark territory, and she was lucky to have only brushed against the specter of loss rather than having known it intimately like Weston. Besides her sister, her mother was the only other person she’d lost.

Rhonda had been a lot like Pippa in her emotional machinations and aloof distances, so when she had died shortly after Piper and Pippa’s eleventh birthday, life had continued pretty much the way it had before. The only difference was they had seen a little more of their father, which had led adult Piper to speculate Jonathan Marston had steered clear of his wife as much as possible at the expense of his daughters.

For the first time, she wondered if he’d had a similar marriage with Rhonda to the one Weston appeared to have had with Pippa and felt sympathy for her father. Before, she had been mostly resentful of him being absent for most of their childhood, but now had a new understanding of it. It still didn’t excuse him sacrificing time with her and Pippa, but if he was as miserable with Rhonda as Weston had been with her sister, she had some compassion for her dad.

Her thoughts turned fuzzy as exhaustion crept over her, and she surrendered to the need to sleep.

* * *

She woke sometime later, feeling refreshed, and also warm. Safe was another word that filtered through her mind, coming with her out of deep unconsciousness as she slowly woke. Abruptly, she realized there was a hard male body against hers, arms holding her tightly, and the warm length of Weston’s cock pressing against her hip. It sent an immediate, fierce wave of arousal through her, though her battered body was in too much pain to even consider such a thing.

Which meant she definitely shouldn’t be curled against him like this, even though he was snoring softly. She tried to ease away, and he jerked awake. His lids snapped open, and they were gazing into each other’s eyes, though his appeared unfocused. She started to move away, but he pulled her closer. Weston buried his face in her neck and started nuzzling her skin.

She let out a ragged breath, wanting to sink deeper against him, but knowing she should move away. She tried again, but his arms tightened. “Piper,” he grunted, though his voice was thick with sleep. A moment later, he started nibbling the spot where his lips rested.

She stiffened for a second at the sound of her name before warmth filled her. In the back of her mind, she’d wondered if he’d thought she was Pippa. Knowing he was thinking about her and recognized her as the one in his arms weakened the last of her resistance. She let herself melt against him, cautiously running her fingers through his thick hair.

His eyes snapped open immediately, and their gazes locked. His gaze was clear this time. He frowned. “What…?” With a shake of his head, he gently disengaged from her. “I’m sorry. I apologize for anything I might’ve done.” His face was red with embarrassment.

She was feeling a bit embarrassed herself now that he was so clearly ashamed of what he’d done. He might’ve been thinking of her, but it had been more of a subconscious thought obviously. She cleared her throat. “You didn’t do anything really.”

He frowned. “What’s really?”

She shrugged a shoulder. “You kissed my neck a bit and said my name.”

He looked oddly relieved as he ran a hand through his hair. “I’m glad that was all I did.”

She stiffened at the words, interpreting them to mean he was glad he had stopped himself before he could do anything else with her. “I should go back to my room.” She started to pull away, but froze when his hand wrapped around her wrist. It was a gentle hold the didn’t force her to stay, but she couldn’t make herself move away from it either. She glanced up through the veil of her lashes.

“I’m just glad I didn’t push you to do anything you didn’t want to. I haven’t had sex in seven years, so I simply meant I was glad I didn’t lose control in my sleep.”

She started to nod, but then frowned and glanced at her stomach with a quirked brow. “Seven years?”

Weston cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable. “I think it’s been that long, but I’m not sure. Pippa claimed…” He trailed off, looking nauseated.

Acting on instinct, Piper reached out and wrapped her fingers around his to squeeze his hand. “What did she say?”

“She said I got drunk and forced her, and she got pregnant with this baby.”

Piper’s eyes widened with shock, and then she burst out laughing. “That’s ridiculous.” Immediately, she winced at her insensitivity. “I’m sorry. I’m not laughing at you, but that is just absurd.”

He shrugged. “I definitely don’t remember doing anything of the sort. The night she pinpointed, we had an official function where I did drink a glass of wine. I also woke up with a pounding headache the next day and no memory of the night before.”

She frowned. “Do you think someone drugged you?”

He hesitated for a moment and then nodded. “I do. I can’t prove it, but that’s what I suspect. If I’d realized that morning what was going on, I would’ve gone to Gretel for a scan, but it was too late by the time I started to piece it all together.”

A thought was forming in Piper’s mind, but she held back as she asked in a carefully neutral voice, “What’s your theory then? What were you piecing together?”

“I suspect she realized one of her affairs had left her pregnant, and that would be inconvenient, so she decided to convince me it was mine. There was no way I would’ve touched her in my right mind, and I highly doubt I had anything to do with the conception of her child at all, but she wanted to introduce at least the doubt in my mind that I could be the father.”

Piper let out a shaky breath, having reached the same conclusion. “That’s my guess too. Pippa is—was—horribly manipulative.” She squeezed his hand again, feeling empathy at the obvious pain in his eyes. “I’m sorry she cheated on you. I mean, if she did.”

He snorted. “Of course she did. She never blatantly admitted it, but she didn’t go out of her way to hide it either. I was apathetic and didn’t care enough to do anything about it, but I’m sure she reached the correct conclusion that if she was illegally pregnant with someone to whom she wasn’t partnered and without a permit, there would be serious consequences for her and the child if I refused to accept responsibility and pretend to be the father. She had to come up with a way to make me think I was, but I’m still not entirely certain I’m not grasping at straws. What if I did such a horrible thing to her? I hadn’t found her attractive in years, but maybe in drunken desperation—”

Piper interrupted him by pressing her fingers to his lips. “That’s ridiculous too. You didn’t force Pippa to do anything.”

He frowned. “I can’t be sure though.”

She licked her lips. “I can be sure for both of us. I feel safe with you, and I know better than anyone the lengths to which Pippa would go to get what she wanted, or to hurt someone she considered an enemy. You didn’t do anything to her. I’m completely confident about that.”

He opened his mouth, looking like he would continue to protest. Piper couldn’t bear to see anguish on his face and the speculation about his own actions reflected in his gaze. She knew with bone-deep certainty that he had never touched Pippa in an inappropriate or forceful fashion, and he’d certainly never forced her to sleep with him.

Acting on instinct again, she moved closer to him and opened her mouth, molding her lips to Weston’s. It was a gentle kiss, offering reassurance and proof of a lack of fear, and he stiffened. A second later, he pulled her closer, and his arms wrapped around her as his mouth curved over hers possessively. The kiss quickly deepened, and his tongue traced the seam of her lips to probe for entrance.

She parted them with a soft gasp and accepted him inside as their lips pressed fervently against each other. Heat rocketed through her body, pooling in her stomach in a pit of pure desire, but when it shot lower, it caused a twinge of discomfort in her pelvis, which sharply reminded her she wasn’t in any shape to do anything beyond kissing.

Weston might have reached the same conclusion himself, because he abruptly pulled away. He didn’t let go of her though. He simply pulled her tighter against his chest, keeping his arm around her. “Do you really think she was just manipulating me?”

Piper nodded, her cheek brushing against the strong column of his throat. “I’m sure of it. Pippa was born like that. There was an element missing in her makeup, and I think it was missing in our mother’s as well. She used people for whatever she needed, but I’d be surprised if she genuinely cared about anyone in her life, except maybe our father and certainly Wesley.”

He stiffened slightly. “She did love Wesley, but she wasn’t exactly mother of the year.”

Piper sighed. “That doesn’t surprise me.”

His hand moved hesitantly to cover her stomach. “You can’t tell anyone that it’s not mine. If the Reproductive Board finds out, they’ll order termination, since you’re nowhere near the point of viability. There’s no permit, and Pippa blatantly broke the law by procreating outside of an approved union.”

Piper nodded. “I understand, but I am curious why you were determined to save a child that you weren’t sure was yours?”

He shrugged for a moment, appearing lost in thought. “I honestly can’t tell you why, other than it felt like the right thing to do. She was lying on the table. I could remember Wesley’s lifeless body in the glass tube, and it seemed like a way to restore some kind of balance. I can’t explain it any better than that, except it was a purely emotional reaction.”

Piper snuggled closer. “I love that it was your reaction, Weston. I don’t know how many people would’ve stepped in to save a child to which they had no biological connection.” She frowned suddenly as she realized the baby inside her was still connected to her biologically, but a huge element was missing. “Who do you think is the father?”

He breathed heavily, his chest rising and falling rapidly for a moment against her cheek. “I honestly have no idea. There are millions of humans and aliens moving through Olympus Station every year. She might’ve been involved with someone stationed here, or it could have been someone coming or going. I guess we’ll know if he was human when the child’s born. If not, I’m not sure how to hide that.”

Piper sniffed softly. “I’m pretty sure you don’t have to worry about it being anything but human. In addition to her other horrible qualities, Pippa was definitely human-centric. She found aliens interesting, but definitely considered them inferior to humans. I can’t imagine any circumstances where she would’ve had an affair with an alien, even if he was humanoid. That would’ve tainted her pure human genes.” Apparently, she didn’t do a good job of hiding her disgust—not that she tried—because his tone mirrored hers when he replied.

“What a filthy worldview.” He shook his head. “I just don’t understand how I was such a fool to think I loved her, even for a little while.”

Piper didn’t say anything, because she’d wondered that herself. She also understood though. Pippa had been a master at manipulating people, and she would’ve been exactly what she detected Weston wanted her to be in order to garner his attention. After that, she’d start to slowly let her true self show. “You and Pippa got pregnant with Wesley before the wedding. Was that planned?”

He stiffened. “Of course not. It could’ve been a real risk to my career, and I didn’t know her that well. Her Biochip malfunctioned.”

Piper snorted. “Yeah, that’s what she wanted you to think. Do you suppose…” She trailed off, gathering her thoughts.

“What?” He prompted after thirty seconds or so silence.

“Do you think she did it again with number-two? Did she get pregnant on purpose in hopes of snaring whomever she was having an affair with into a more permanent arrangement?”

He stiffened and then cursed softly. “I guess we’ll never know, but it seems plausible. I still don’t know why she targeted me though. I have a good career and salary, but she could have aimed much higher than a station commander.”

Piper opened her mouth to enlighten him, but held back. They were having an open moment, but she wasn’t ready to leave herself so vulnerable by admitting that she had been in love with him years ago, and she was convinced Pippa had gone after him solely to hurt her.

Perhaps Pippa had found him attractive, and maybe she had been excited by his prospects, knowing he would follow her father as head of Olympus Station at some point, but Piper didn’t believe for a minute that Pippa had ever genuinely loved Weston—and certainly not to the same extent Piper had, albeit quietly and from afar.