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Artwork by Lademonessa

February 2026

Oliver paced the elegantly appointed doctor’s office. Expensive art hung on the wall and the floors were covered in luxurious Persian rugs. He was sure that the opulence was there to convince the patients of the doctor’s abilities, but it was making Oliver feel like he was waiting for an investor, which was only heightening his anxiety. Felicity’s OB/GYN had recommended Dr. Tuvin to them because he was one of the best fertility doctors on the west coast and he also happened to be gay and married with children of his own. She thought that Felicity and her husbands would be more comfortable discussing their sex life and efforts to get pregnant with him.

Oliver paused in front of the window. Fog was blocking what he imagined was a spectacular view of the bay. The thick fog was intensifying his feelings of being trapped. The months of unsuccessful attempts at getting Felicity pregnant were putting a strain on his marriage. What had previously been easy and joyful for them had become routine and perfunctory. Oliver couldn’t remember the last time the three of them had sex together. It had been eleven months since they’d decided to try for a third pregnancy and to deliberately make Oliver the biological father. For the past six months, every time Felicity got her period she would sink into a depression that made Oliver feel guilty. Sex with his wife was no longer tied to desire, but to her ovulation cycle which she meticulously tracked with an app on her smart wearable. The last three months, Tommy hadn’t even been present when they tried to conceive. The prior month, Felicity had begun to cry immediately after they’d finished and he’d held her as she wept. He hadn’t felt so powerless since his first days on Lian Yu. Everyone was miserable and Oliver was more than ready to stop trying to get pregnant. Only Felicity’s tears had convinced him to meet with a fertility specialist.

“Ollie,” Tommy snapped, “for God’s sake, sit down.”

Oliver turned to look at his husband who tilted his head toward their wife. Felicity was sitting in the middle of three chairs with her fingers clenched tightly in her lap. Her face was drawn, her lips pinched and she was ashen white. Oliver rolled his neck and took a deep breath. He sat in the chair to the right of Felicity and covered her hands with his.

“It’s me,” Felicity said dispassionately, “I can feel it. I’m too old. I made us wait too long to start our family.”

“You’re not too old,” Tommy’s hand pulled out one of Felicity’s from beneath Oliver’s and he laced their fingers together. “Besides, if we started earlier, we wouldn’t have B².”

“Thirty-six is a geriatric pregnancy,” Felicity said with a tremble in her voice.

Oliver closed his eyes and remembered the evening Felicity had discovered that term and the ensuing hysteria. It had been a rough night.

“We don’t know if there is anything wrong,” Tommy squeezed her hand. “Let’s wait for the doctor to make his diagnosis.”

Oliver lifted her hand to his lips, “No matter what he tells us, we’ll face it together.”

She looked at him blankly, but nodded her agreement.

Dr. Tuvin entered the office and smiled kindly. He was in his early fifties with salt and pepper hair. He had a kind face and a soothing voice. Despite his reservations about being there, Oliver did like the doctor. He held out his hand when Tommy and Oliver rose to greet him, “Tommy. Oliver.” He took his seat behind his desk and waited for Tommy and Oliver to settle before he spoke, “Hi, Felicity. Are you all right? Would you like a glass of water?”

Felicity forced a smile, “No, thank you. I’m just a little nervous.”

“Right,” the doctor tapped on his tablet’s screen, “then let’s get to it. Felicity all of your test results came back just the way we would want.”

“Oh,” she said with surprise. “So, that means we need to start on the more invasive tests?”

Dr. Tuvin shook his head, “You’re jumping too far ahead. As we were running tests on you, we also ran some tests on Oliver.” He shifted his gaze to Oliver, “We tested a sample of your sperm and it wasn’t what we would expect for a man of your age and in your good health. You have a very low sperm count with poor motility.”

The room and everyone in it, suddenly felt very far away. The doctor’s lips were moving, but Oliver stopped hearing after, low sperm count and poor motility. Oliver felt the irony of the doctor’s words even if he wasn’t entirely surprised by them. It seemed fitting that he’d carelessly gotten a stranger pregnant during a one-night stand, but he couldn’t give his wife, the woman he loved, a child. Oliver had thought that the universe had finally finished punishing him, but it clearly had been waiting to break their hearts.

“What does that mean?” Tommy asked when Felicity and Oliver remained silent.

“It means that Oliver and Felicity won’t conceive without intervention,” the doctor explained.

Felicity let out the breath she was holding. “We can still get pregnant?” she asked hopefully.

The doctor smiled kindly, “We’re going to try, if that’s what you want. I can’t make any promises, but I don’t see why we can’t get you pregnant with Oliver’s child.”

Felicity smiled with relief and looked to Oliver with hope in her eyes.  The smile fell from her face when she saw his vacant look, “Oliver?” She squeezed his hand tightly, “Oliver?”

He blinked rapidly and squeezed her hand back. From the moment they’d decided to have children together, he’d lived in fear of being his children’s biological father. It wasn’t until William arrived on their doorstep that he started to believe that maybe his DNA wasn’t cursed. He’d been content with his family and didn’t have a burning desire to father a child with Felicity until they started trying. He was surprised at the grief clutching at his heart upon hearing that he couldn’t give his spouses the child that they wanted. A child that he wanted too. He felt like a failure and had an inexplicable feeling of loss. Oliver cleared his throat, “I don’t understand. I have a biological son.”

“Yes, but you conceived William before the accident. Your body experienced years of neglect and abuse. Oliver, your years away took a terrible toll on your body, including your fertility. It isn’t uncommon for men who have experienced torture, similar to what you experienced, to have the same issue,” the doctor said sympathetically.

Oliver nodded and closed his eyes. He’d been captured by the enemy when he was with the Bratva. They’d used an electric cattle prod as part of his torture. Yuri had been fond of using the device on his genitals. It never occurred to him when he came home to worry about his fertility. He never wanted children, so it wasn’t something he ever thought about until a year ago. He made a fist and the feel of his nails digging into his palm helped ground him in the present. He opened his eyes, “Electricity?”

Tommy hissed softly as he rose from his chair and moved to look out the window. His fists were clutched tightly at his side and Oliver knew that there was going to be a fight after they put the children to bed. After twelve years together, there were still some things Oliver hadn’t told his spouses about.

“From what you’ve told me, there are multiple possibilities for the cause, but the electricity and resulting physical trauma could definitely be a reason,” Dr. Tuvin said.

Oliver turned to Felicity with tears in his eyes, “I’m sorry.”

“Hey,” Felicity said, “there’s nothing for you to be sorry for. This isn’t your fault.” She looked back at the doctor with determination in her eyes. Felicity never met a problem that she didn’t believe couldn’t be solved with enough time, science and brainpower, “What are our options?”

“I don’t think artificial insemination will be worthwhile for us to try. I believe that IVF is our best bet. We’ll start with giving you some injections to hyper stimulate your ovaries so you can produce multiple mature ova. We will then collect your eggs and place them with Oliver’s viable sperm that we’ll collect from a new sample. Once your eggs are fertilized, we will insert one to two embryos into your uterus and hope a pregnancy is the result.”

“What’s your success rate?” Tommy asked without turning around.

 “For women Felicity’s age, we are looking at a thirty-five percent success rate per cycle,” the doctor said.

“That low?” Felicity sounded dejected.

“I don’t want to discourage you, but there aren’t any guarantees,’ the doctor responded. “I still think that there is a better than average chance for a successful pregnancy here.”

“Are there risks with the injections and the procedure to collect her eggs?” Oliver asked quietly. “She is prone to severe upper respiratory infections that have led to multiple hospitalizations.”

“There are always risks with all medical procedures, Oliver,” the doctor said, “but the risks are minimal. Pregnancy is far riskier. I’ve been consulting with Felicity’s pulmonologist and Dr. Evans is comfortable with my recommendations.”

Oliver had heard enough and stood up. He had two children at home that he loved beyond words and they needed their mother. He wouldn’t put her through any unnecessary risks just to satisfy his desire to father another biological child. “Thank you, doctor.”

“Oliver,” Felicity grabbed his hand, “where are you going?”

He rested a hand against her cheek, “I’m not putting you at an increased medical risk in order to conceive.”

Felicity stood up, “I don’t get a vote about the risks I’m willing to take? I want to try this. I want to have your baby.” Felicity put her hand out to Tommy and he stepped away from the windows to take it, “We want to have your baby.”

“We don’t always get what we want,” Oliver said looking out the window. “We have two beautiful, healthy children at home that we love. They are and have always been enough for me. Doing this will make them think that they aren’t. I don’t want them to ever think that.”

“Not this again,” Tommy muttered.

“Yes, this again,” Oliver said angrily. “For once, would you just put yourself in my place. If Bobby and Becca were mine biologically and you were the only one trying for baby three, what story would you want B² to hear? You should understand, better than anyone, what it is to wonder why your dad doesn’t think that you’re enough.”

“Our children will never think that about you,” Tommy repeated for what could easily be the hundredth time. “Our children know that you love them. This will never change that.”

“You don’t know that,” Oliver said.

“Oliver, please,” Felicity rested her hand over his heart, “do this with me. You just promised me that we would face this together.”

He kissed her forehead, “I’m sorry. I know I’ve failed you, but I can’t give you what you want. There are too many risks.”

“If I may,” Dr. Tuvin interrupted. “This is a lot of information to process and it is emotionally charged. I’d like to send you home with some materials for you to review about IVF. I’m also going to recommend a counselor who specializes in couples going through fertility issues. It might be helpful to speak with her.”

“Thank you, doc,” Tommy said, “we’d appreciate that.”

The doctor shook the men’s hands before taking Felicity’s, “I don’t want to add any pressure, but Felicity, based on where you are in your cycle right now, if we want to collect your eggs next month, we should start your injections next week. Only the three of you can decide what’s best for your family, but don’t give up on having the child I know all of you want. There’s still hope, Oliver.”

The doctor’s words penetrated the fog his brain had been encased in. Hope. Oliver looked at Felicity and Tommy and realized that he would be the one taking away their hope after they’d given him so much, “Thanks, doc. I think the literature will help.” He winked at Felicity, “I process things slowly.”

Felicity threw herself into Oliver’s arms and buried her face against his chest and began to cry, “Thank you.”

He rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head, “I’ll do anything for you.” He looked up at Tommy, “For the both of you.”

April 2026

Over the course of her entire academic career, Felicity Smoak had never been sent to the principal’s office, nor was her mother ever summoned to the principal’s office. Sure there was the incident with the FBI in college, but that really didn’t count. She was more than a little surprised to be seated between her husbands as Mrs. Lovering, the principal of Bobby’s school stared at them from behind her desk.

Mrs. Lovering folded her hands on top of her desk and leaned forward, “Bobby struck Baron Holstrom in the schoolyard during recess.”

Felicity sat forward in her seat, “What?”

“That’s not like our Bobby,” Oliver said taking hold of Felicity’s hand.

“Do you know what happened?” Tommy asked the principal calmly.

The older woman shook her head, “Neither of the boys is talking.”

Felicity could think of a hundred reasons for her son to strike Baron Holstrom. The child was a bully and frequently taunted the other children in his class. Frankly, Baron was a little shit and Felicity didn’t think those thoughts lightly about a five-year-old. Deciding to take the high road, she swallowed her retort. “Is Baron all right?” she asked. “Did Bobby hurt him?”

Mrs. Lovering shook her head, “Both of the boys have some scrapes from rolling around on the ground.”

“May we speak with him?” Oliver asked.

The principal crossed the room and opened a door to another office. “Bobby,” your parents want to talk with you.” Bobby shuffled into the room with his eyes focused on his shoes. Mrs. Lovering smiled at his parents, “I’ll give you all a moment. Let me know when you’re ready to resume our conversation.”

Bobby’s parents waited for Mrs. Lovering to close the door before they spoke. Both Oliver and Tommy had risen to their feet when Mrs. Lovering stood and now they hovered over their small son.

“Robert,” Tommy said firmly, “do you want to tell us why you hit Baron?”

Bobby ran past Tommy and threw his arms around Oliver’s legs. Oliver’s hands immediately landed on the top of his son’s head. The tiny boy began to sob and clung tighter to his father. “Hey,” Oliver said gently to Bobby as he looked at his spouses with concern, “what’s wrong?” He removed his son’s hands from his thighs and dropped to his knees. Bobby’s arms instantly went around his dad’s neck and he buried his face against Oliver’s chest. “Ssshhh,” Oliver whispered as he kissed the top of Bobby’s head, “everything is okay. Tell daddy why you’re so upset.”

Felicity wiped the tears from her eyes and silently cursed all of the hormones racing through her body thanks to her fertility injections. She was sure that Bobby was only upset because he didn’t like getting into trouble, but she never liked to see her children in distress. She wasn’t surprised that Bobby had wrapped himself around Oliver when he thought that he was in trouble. Oliver was the parent with the softest touch. Both Bobby and Becca knew that their daddy was the one to dry their tears after their da or mommy disciplined them.

Oliver’s hands made soothing circles on his son’s back. When Bobby had calmed down enough to speak, Oliver asked, “Bobby, why did you hit Baron?”

Bobby lifted his head and looked at his dad with eyes full of tears, “He said that his daddy said that you’re not my daddy.”

Oliver’s hands stilled for a moment before they slid up Bobby’s arms until they rested on his shoulders. He lowered his head until their foreheads were nearly touching, “Bobby, I am your daddy.”

“He said that you’re just pretending to be my daddy,” Bobby’s fingers clutched at Oliver’s tie. “I told him that he was a liar and that you are my daddy.” Bobby took a deep breath, “He said that his daddy told his mommy that you and da are a pair of Queens playing house with mommy who digs gold.” The five-year-old looked at his dad, “I told him that you’re a Queen and da’s a Merlyn and mom doesn’t like to garden. He told me I was stupid, so I hit him.”

Oliver wiped the tear’s from his son’s face and pushed his dark curls out of his eyes, “Bobby, it isn’t nice to hit someone. Even when they say mean things that we don’t like, it’s not okay to hit.”

Bobby shifted from one foot to another, “But he said that you’re not my daddy.”

“Well, you and I know that that isn’t true.” Oliver cupped Bobby’s face, “I’m your daddy and I love you and it doesn’t matter what Baron or his daddy think. Okay?”

“Okay,” Bobby nodded.

“Good, go give your mommy a kiss,” Oliver turned Bobby around and gently set him on his way towards Felicity.

“I’m sorry, mommy,” Bobby placed his hands on Felicity’s knees.

She finger combed his hair, “I know you are, monkey.” Felicity pulled him up onto her lap and hugged him tightly. She was doing her best not to cry. Having her baby bullied because of the choices his parents made was always one of her biggest fears. She wanted to protect him from the cruelty of the world and it was like a knife to her chest knowing that her children would probably spend a lifetime listening to hurtful things about their parents. She’d thought, maybe naively, that the bullying would wait until junior high. Luckily, Bobby was still young enough to accept without question that he had two dads and a mom. His encounter with Baron and what they were fighting about would be forgotten in a few days. Bobby’s parents weren’t likely to forget anytime soon and Felicity worried that they might need to revisit their strategy on what they told their children and when.

Bobby looked up at Tommy and pushed up a sleeve to reveal his elbow, “I have a boo boo.”

Tommy squatted down so he could get a better look, “Does it hurt?” When his son nodded, he kissed his elbow and then lowered his sleeve, “Does it feel better?”

Bobby nodded and then nervously pulled on Tommy’s sweater, “Am I in trouble?”

“Mommy, daddy and I are going to discuss it. We don’t hit people, Robert,” Tommy stood up with Bobby in his arms, “even when they are jerks and kind of deserve it.” Tommy pressed a kiss to his son’s cheek when he giggled. “We’ll discuss what your punishment will be when we get home.” Tommy lowered Bobby to the floor, “Should we tell Mrs. Lovering that you’re ready to go back to class?”

“I want to go home with you,” Bobby told Tommy as he wrapped his arms around his leg.

“I think that sounds like a good idea,” Oliver said. “I’ll take the rest of the day off. How does that sound?”

Felicity looked between her husbands as Tommy glared at Oliver for undermining his attempt at discipline by rewarding Bobby with an afternoon off with his dads. She could already predict how their evening was going to go.

Bobby’s face lit up in a smile, “Will you read to me?”

“I think that can be arranged,” Oliver grinned.

Mrs. Lovering returned to her office when Tommy knocked gently on the door, “Bobby, please wait inside for your parents. We’ll be done in a few minutes.” She closed the door behind Bobby and gestured for his fathers to return to their seats. “While I have you here, there is more that I’d like to discuss.” She sat back behind her desk and leaned forward, “Bobby is kind and charming but he is disruptive in the classroom.”

“Bobby is usually well behaved,” Oliver said in defense of his son. “I know that sounds like we’re in denial, in light of what happened with Baron.”

“He’s bored.” Tommy continued at the looks from his spouses, “He tells me every day when he comes home from school that he’s bored.”

“I think that you’re right, Mr. Merlyn,” Mrs. Lovering said with a smile. “Bobby started kindergarten already knowing how to read and to do addition and subtraction. He is far ahead of his peers and is bored with the lesson plans.”

“What do you suggest?” Felicity asked with dread. She knew all too well what happened to children who were different in school. She could see her son’s future unfurl in front of her and she didn’t want him to experience the same social isolation that she’d been forced to endure.

“We tested Bobby and he is reading on a fifth grade reading level. He’s also able to do multiplication and long division. I think he is probably ready to start doing algebra.” Mrs. Lovering sat back in her chair, “I think we need to consider allowing Bobby to skip a few grades.”

“No,” Felicity said adamantly. “He’s only five years old. He’s a little boy who needs to be around other little boys and girls. He might be academically advanced, but emotionally he is still a five-year-old. I won’t subject him to a classroom full of children that are five or more years older than him. I went through that and I won’t make him go through it.”

“Do you have another suggestion?” Tommy asked Mrs. Lovering as he squeezed Felicity’s hand in support.

“I’m afraid, that with a child as gifted as Bobby, that skipping grades is the extent of what we can do in the public school system,” Mrs. Lovering said apologetically, “but, with your financial resources, there are any number of private schools that cater to gifted children. An individualized curriculum can be developed for him and still keep him within his peer group.”

“Can’t we individualize his curriculum for him here so he can stay with his friends?” Oliver asked. “We selected this school because of its diversity, which is important to our family.”

“Mr. Queen, we do appreciate all of the support you and your family have provided to the public schools here in Starling, but Bobby requires more than what we’re able to offer him.”

“Are you expelling him?” Felicity asked with genuine worry. “Is this because of Baron? He was picking on Bobby. He shouldn’t have hit Baron and we told him that and he will be punished, but he is five.”

“No,” Mrs. Lovering smiled kindly, “we’re not expelling him. We want him to finish out the year here and we will even welcome him back here for the first grade if you so choose, but Bobby deserves more than what we can provide him.”

Oliver stood up and buttoned his suit jacket, “Thank you, Mrs. Lovering. We will take your recommendation under advisement.”

Tommy shook Mrs. Lovering’s hand and followed Oliver into the other office to retrieve Bobby.

Felicity smiled at Mrs. Lovering, “Thank you. We’ll let you know what we decide.”

“Ms. Smoak,” the principal took Felicity’s hand, “Bobby is an exceptional child and he is adored by the faculty here. We all want what is best for him.”

“That is something that we can all agree on,” Felicity picked up her purse and left the principal’s office.

Felicity fell into step behind Oliver and Tommy who were each holding one of Bobby’s hands. The last thing they needed was the disruption of finding a new school for Bobby to attend in the fall. Oliver was also going to brood over the parents of their son’s classmates gossiping about his paternity. They knew the day would come when they’d have to answer the question if he asked, but Felicity never thought they’d have to be confronted with a decision when Bobby was only five. She was scheduled for another round of IVF the following week. For the first time, she worried that Oliver might be right to be worried about the optics of what they were doing and how it would impact the emotional wellbeing of their children if they were to ever ask why they sought out fertility treatment.

June 2026

“Talk to me, Felicity,” Oliver said as he stroked the top of her head. She’d just had an embryo inserted into her uterus and had been instructed to lay flat for an hour before he could bring her home where she had to stay in bed for the next three days. This was their fourth attempt at IVF and Felicity was unusually quiet. After the earlier attempts she’d been upbeat and babbling about baby names and nursery colors. He hadn’t had to say a word because she’d happily filled the silence.

Felicity’s hands were spread protectively over her belly as she stared at the ceiling, “What are we going to do about Bobby?”

“What do you think we should do?” he kissed her shoulder. “Only you’ve been where Bobby is. For Tommy and me, it’s all theoretical.” The results of Bobby’s academic assessment had come in and it was recommended to enroll him in the sixth grade for the fall.

“He’s going to be six. How do we put him into a classroom full of eleven-year-olds?” She draped her arm over her eyes. “He might be doing algebra, but he still sleeps with a teddy bear and a night light. He won’t have any friends. His feet won’t touch the floor at his desk. I keep thinking that to send him to junior high is tantamount to sending a lamb into a den of lions.”

“There’s always Westminster,” Oliver’s doubt was present in his voice. Tommy and Oliver had both gone to Westminster as children. The school would be able to provide Bobby with an individualized curriculum, but it would also surround him with the kind of wealth and privilege they were actively trying to avoid in their parenting.

Felicity turned to look at Oliver, “They’re going to put him in a room by himself. We might as well hire our own private tutors and home school him.”

“Can we leave him alone and just let him enter the first grade?” Oliver didn’t think his suggestion would work. Their son was clearly bored in school and when Bobby got bored, Bobby got mischievous.

“I wish there was a way to split his time between first grade and sixth grade,” Felicity’s eyes lost focus as she got lost in thought. “What if he could stay in his school and do the social part of first grade – story time, art, music and recess – and attend sixth grade for math and science?”

“Split his time between schools?” Oliver asked as he seriously considered her suggestion. “Who is going to take him back and forth? Tommy’s going to have his hands full with Becca and the new baby. I guess we could hire someone to act as a chaperone.”

Felicity smiled softly and her eyes filled with tears.

“What?” Oliver asked with concern as he grabbed a tissue from the counter behind him.

She took the tissue and dabbed at her eyes. “It’s the first time you’ve referred to the possibility of us actually having a baby since we started all this,” she swung her arm to encompass the room.

Oliver took hold of her hand, “I’m worried to jinx it if I hope too much.”

The tears began to flow more freely from Felicity’s eyes, “Do you really want this baby?”

He rose from his stool and leaned over her to give her a kiss. Oliver smoothed her hair out of her eyes, “Of course I want this baby. Why else would I agree to all of this?”

“I thought that maybe you were only humoring us. You never talk about it. Tommy gives me my injections. You drive me to these appointments and hold my hand but you never talk about the possibility of a baby.” She took hold of his hand and placed it on her stomach, “You’ve never told me that you want to have a baby with me.”

“That’s not true,” Oliver wiped the tears from his eyes. “When we tried for Bobby and Becca, I wanted to have a baby with you.”

“With me or with me and Tommy?” she swiped her thumb along his cheekbone to catch a tear.

He arched a brow at her comment. He knew she was trying to address his initial reluctance to father a child, but when they were trying to conceive Bobby and Becca, he fully participated with the hope that either he or Tommy would impregnate Felicity. As far as he’d been concerned, all three of them were trying for a baby. Oliver wanted to make sure that, even though he was the only one contributing his genetic material that it was clear that all three of them were trying to conceive. “Are you and I trying to have a baby or are Tommy, you and I?”

She rose up on her elbows, “Of course it’s all three of us. This baby will be as much Tommy’s as yours and mine.” Felicity laid back down, “All I was trying to say is that this is the first time you’ve said something about all of this resulting in a baby.”

“Felicity,” he sat on the edge of the med table and took her hand, “I want this baby. I just hate that I’m the reason your heart breaks every month.”

“It’s not your fault,” Felicity squeezed his hand. “I don’t blame you for any of this. I wish it was easier, but I don’t blame you.” She laughed bitterly, “I hate that I haven’t been able to get pregnant. The doctor is using healthy and viable embryos and I feel like I’m failing you and Tommy every month.”

He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles, “We make quite the pair.”

“I think we should agree that no one is failing anyone,” she said with a watery smile.

“You have a deal,” he shook her hand to seal their agreement.

Felicity laughed, “Good. We could all use a lot less guilt.”

“That includes what’s going on with Bobby,” Oliver smiled. “You gave birth to a genius. It’s not exactly something to feel guilty about.”

“I don’t feel guilty. I’m proud of him. I just want him to have a normal childhood where he’s not going through puberty surrounded by eighteen-year-olds. I don’t want him to miss out on all the things I did because I was too young.”

“We’ll make sure he goes to the prom,” Oliver winked. Felicity still spoke wistfully of the proms she was too young to attend. “I, for one, would prefer it if our children decided to skip the prom. With Tommy and my DNA, there’s no telling what trouble they’ll get in to.”

September 2026

Felicity quietly slipped into the empty house and went directly to their bedroom. Oliver was still at work and Tommy was at soccer practice with Bobby, Becca and Hildy. She quickly kicked off her shoes and undressed. She picked up her pile of dirty clothes and placed them in the hamper. The blood staining her underwear mocked her from the top of the pile. Felicity snatched up the creamy lace and stormed into the master bathroom. She was about to throw them into the trash when she thought about Oliver seeing them. She moved to the sink and began to run the cold water. As she scrubbed the material and the water turned pink she began to cry. Another month. Another IVF that failed to take. One more lost embryo. There were only two more embryos left before she’d have to have more eggs collected and she was positive that Oliver wouldn’t agree to another round.

“Da,” Bobby shouted from the doorway of the bathroom, “mommy’s crying.”

Felicity jumped at the sound of her son’s voice. She hadn’t heard Tommy come in with the kids.

Tommy practically ran into the bathroom with Becca in his arms. He took in Felicity’s nude form before his eyes drifted to the sink and the running water, “Damn it,” Tommy muttered under his breath.

“Why’s mommy crying?” Bobby asked with concern.

Tommy grabbed Felicity’s robe from behind the door and helped to put it on his shivering wife. He turned to his son, “How about you watch a cartoon on our bed with Becca?”

Bobby looked between his parents. He ran over to Felicity and threw his arms around her legs, “Don’t be sad mommy.”

Felicity rested her hand on top of Bobby’s head and tried to her best to smile, “Go watch cartoons and I’ll come sit with you in a few minutes and you can tell me about your day.”

Bobby ran from the bedroom and launched himself onto his parent’s bed. Tommy handed Bobby the remote and sat Becca next to her brother. Becca’s nose began to twitch like she was about to cry when Hildy gingerly climbed onto the bed and laid down on her other side. “I’m going to be in the bathroom with mommy,” Tommy said. “You’ll be able to see us the whole time, okay?”

“Look, Becks,” Bobby drew his sister’s attention, “princesses.”

Becca instantly quieted and rested her head on Hildy’s side. Tommy ruffled Bobby’s hair in gratitude for successfully distracting his sister.

As soon as Tommy entered the bathroom Felicity threw her arms around him and began to cry. He stroked her back and spoke soothing nonsense words as she cried herself out. “Why isn’t it working?” she asked her husband with red-rimmed eyes.

Tommy wiped the tears from his eyes, “I don’t know, babe.”

“We only have two more embryos,” Felicity began to cry.

“Hey,” Tommy said softly, “everything happens for a reason. The baby that is meant for this family is waiting for us and, in typical Queen fashion, is going to make us wait.”

Felicity laughed at the truth of Tommy’s words about the Queens’ penchant for keeping people waiting. Thoughts of her other husband had her worried, “He’s going to be upset.”

Tommy took Felicity’s face into his hands, “He is going to be disappointed, just like us. Mostly, he’s going to worry about you. He loves you. I love you. Okay?”

She nodded, “Okay.”

“How about you put on your pajamas and I’ll make you a cup of tea and we can snuggle with our babies?”

“Sounds good,” Felicity’s lips turned up in her best impression of a smile.

She was stepping out of the bathroom two minutes later when she heard Bobby say, “Soccer was cancelled. When we came home, mommy was naked in the bathroom crying.”

Bobby was holding her cell to his hear. She did her best not to snap as she prayed he wasn’t talking to one of her employees, “Who are you talking to?”

He held the phone out to her, “It’s daddy. He wants to talk to you.”

She took a deep breath and placed the cell to her ear, “Hey.”

“Not our month?” Oliver asked gently.

“No.”

“I love you,” his voice was heavy with emotion.

“I love you too.”

“Stay home tonight,” he instructed. “Dig will run comms.”

She didn’t have the energy to fight him, “Okay.”

An hour later, Becca was sound asleep on Tommy’s chest and Bobby was laying between his parents watching television. Felicity was watching too, but she was unable to focus. She felt empty inside and like she was failing her family. The doctor kept reassuring her that there was nothing wrong, but if there was nothing wrong she should be pregnant. This had been their fifth attempt and she’d been positive she was pregnant this month. Her breasts were tender and she was exhausted. A shadow fell across their bed and she looked up to find Oliver standing in the doorway. He smiled softly at her.

“Daddy,” Bobby said excitedly, “come watch cartoons with us. We’re cheering mommy up.”

Oliver kicked off his shoes, “What are we watching?”

“Phineas and Ferb,” Bobby informed him and turned his attention back to the television.

Oliver climbed into bed next to Felicity. She rolled onto her back and looked into his eyes. He lowered himself onto the bed so he could give her a gentle kiss. He ran his fingers through her hair and she closed her eyes.

“Daddy, mommy is still sad,” Bobby rested his head on Felicity’s stomach.

Oliver pulled their son into his lap, “It’s nice of you to try and cheer her up. How was school today?”

Bobby’s face lit up, “I got to look at bugs under a microscope. It was cool.”

“That sounds cool. Is your homework done?” Oliver asked his son but looked at Tommy.

“Da made an exception and said I can do it tomorrow after breakfast,” Bobby informed his dad. Normally, homework was completed on Friday nights and not postponed for the weekend. Bobby stroked Oliver’s face, “We’re cheering mommy up.”

“Yes,” Oliver smiled, “I can see that.”

“Da says we’re going to have a picnic in bed and eat pizza,” Bobby tugged on Oliver’s tie.

“That sounds like a lot of fun,” Oliver said as he squeezed Felicity’s hand as tears leaked from her eyes.

“Are you working tonight?” Bobby asked with concern.

“And miss the pizza picnic?” Oliver tickled Bobby, “I wouldn’t miss it.”

Bobby crawled back out of Oliver’s lap and resumed watching his show. Oliver leaned over Felicity and placed a kiss on his sleeping daughter’s cheek before he kissed Tommy and settled in to watch cartoons with Felicity in his arms.

Later that night, after the children were asleep and Tommy, Oliver and Felicity had gone to bed, Felicity made a decision, “I want to take a break.”

“A break?” Oliver rose up on an elbow, his heart hammering in his chest, “What kind of break?”

“I don’t want to do IVF next month. I want to give my body a break from the injections and my heart,” Felicity said guiltily, “can’t take more disappointment.”

“We’ll do whatever you want to do,” Oliver kissed her softly.

“I’m tired of living like this. I miss us,” she said through her tears.

Tommy rolled over and mirrored Oliver’s position, “We’re right here.”

“The three of us haven’t had sex together in almost a year,” she said through her tears.

“That’s not true,” Tommy’s eyes lost focus as he tried to remember. “It was your birthday.”

“That was seven months ago,” Felicity said. “I just want to go back to normal. I want us all to make love without thinking about pregnancy and babies.”

“Are you saying that we’re done trying?” Tommy asked cautiously.

“No, I’m just saying that I just want to take a month off. I want to give us a chance to find us again. What’s the point of getting pregnant if I lose the both of you in the process?”

“Hey, you’re not losing us,” Oliver said as he pulled her into his arms.

“It feels like I am,” Felicity said as she clutched his t-shirt.

Tommy scooted behind Felicity and wrapped his arms around her, “Okay, we’ll take a break from the treatments. We’ll give ourselves a chance to reset. No more injections. No more discussions about ovulation and pregnancy.”

“Is that okay with you?” Felicity asked Oliver.

“Yes,” Oliver kissed her. “I think it’s an excellent idea.”

November 2026

Felicity sat on the living room sofa with her children’s heads in her lap. Her fingers ran through Bobby’s dark silky waves and her other hand ran over Becca’s dark blonde braids. Thanksgiving dinner had been a success and all of their company had finally gone home. Oliver and Tommy were in the kitchen putting away the last of the dishes. The kids had been fussy and Tommy suggested she put a movie on for them. Bobby had picked Toy Story and B² had happily sat down on the sofa on either side of her. Within fifteen minutes they were both asleep.

Her husbands joined her an hour into the movie. Tommy looked at the children and sighed, “We should wake them up or they’ll never sleep through the night.”

“They had a busy day running around with their cousins, let them sleep,” Oliver’s head was tipped back and resting on the back of his sofa.

“That’s easy for you to say,” Tommy snapped.

Oliver lifted his head, “What’s that supposed to mean.”

“If they wake up in the middle of the night, it’s my turn to get up with them,” Tommy glared at his husband.

“Fine, I’ll take your turn tonight. If they wake up, I’ll deal with them,” Oliver shot back angrily.

“Hey, guys,” Felicity said cautiously, “we’ve had such a nice day, let’s not spoil it.”

Both men took deep breaths and nodded their agreement.

Felicity smiled, “We could totally take advantage of their nap and head upstairs.”

Oliver dropped his head back to the sofa, “You and Tommy go ahead.”

Felicity wrinkled her brow at Oliver’s continued disinterest, “I want all three of us to go upstairs.”

“I’m not in the mood,” Oliver said coolly.

“We took a break from fertility treatments so we could all reconnect,” she said, trying not to cry. “You’ve only touched me twice since the break started.”

Oliver moved to stand in front of the fireplace, “That’s because every time we make love and you look at me, it’s a reminder of how I can’t give you what you need.”

Felicity carefully extricated herself from her children and stood next to Oliver. She pressed against his side as she wrapped her arms around his bicep, “That’s not true. I need you Oliver. I need to feel your skin against mine. I need you moving inside of me as you look into my eyes. I need our connection. I miss it so much.” She lost the battle with her tears, “I love you and I miss you, Oliver.”

Tears spilled out of Oliver’s eyes and he pressed a kiss to her forehead, “I love you, but I can’t be what you need right now.” He pulled out of her arms and addressed Tommy, “I’m going for a run.”

Tommy stood up and reached for his husband, “Ollie, don’t go. We need to talk about this.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Oliver looked at their sleeping children, “after all, you’re the only one she actually needed.”

“Ollie,” Tommy said loudly. He stood in the doorway torn between running after his husband or comforting his distraught wife. Felicity’s sobs, made the decision for him.

“Sshh,” he whispered as he pulled her into his arms. Felicity collapsed against his chest, her hands fisted in the front of his shirt as she wept. Tommy pressed his lips to her temple, “It’s going to be all right. We’ll figure it out, we always do.”

“He’s going to leave us again,” she said through her tears.

Tommy stroked her back, “He’s not going to leave. He’s frustrated because this is completely out of his power. He doesn’t like to be out of control.”

Felicity knew this truth about Oliver, but knowing why he was behaving the way he did, didn’t lessen the feelings of hurt and abandonment. “Are you going to leave me too?” she asked as she hiccupped.

He stepped back from her and clasped her face firmly between his hands. When she lifted her eyes to his, he said, “You listen to me, Felicity Megan Smoak, I’m not going anywhere. It's you and me until the wheels come off. You’re stuck with me for life. So just put that idiotic thought out of your mind.”

“What if he just leaves me? Will you go with him then?” she asked with fear gripping her heart. Not since the very early days of her relationship did she fear that they guys would leave her so they could be together without her.

“There is no leaving you, there is only leaving us. If he goes, he is leaving both of us, so no, I won’t be leaving you,” Tommy promised.

The front door slammed waking the children. Tommy and Felicity stepped apart and she lifted her shirt to dry her eyes. Becca began to cry and Tommy scooped her into his arms, “Hey, sweet pea. Did you sleep well?”

“Mommy,” Bobby said sleepily, “please put the movie back on. I fell asleep.”

Felicity grabbed the remote, “Okay, monkey,” and started the movie over.

She sat down on the sofa between Bobby and Tommy. Becca had her head on Tommy’s shoulder and had fallen back to sleep. Tommy reached for Felicity’s hand and laced their fingers together. He briefly squeezed her fingers in a silent promise that everything would be okay. For the first time in twelve years, she didn’t believe him.

January 2027

“Trouble in paradise?” the last person Tommy ever wanted to see again asked as he sat down on the bench beside him.

It was an unseasonably warm day and there’d been a break in the relentless rain that’d been plaguing Starling since Thanksgiving. Tommy and the children had been going stir crazy cooped up inside and had been eager to get outside, along with the rest of Starling, and enjoy what could be the last nice day until spring. The playground was crowded and the sound of laughing children filled the air. Tommy didn’t move but continued to sip his coffee as he watched Bobby and Becca in the sandbox, “Dad.”

“He looks just like you did at his age,” Malcolm said as he drank his own coffee. “She looks just like her mom, so it’s harder to tell, but she has your smile.”

“Go away,” Tommy growled. “If Oliver sees you, he’ll kill you and I won’t stop him.”

“I think Oliver has more pressing things on his mind, like getting your wife pregnant,” Malcolm smirked. “I’ve got to hand it to you son, I never would’ve picked you to be the virile one.”

Tommy’s head snapped to look at his father, “What do you want?”

Malcolm smiled and turned back to look at the children, “Can’t a man want to visit with his grandchildren? I think it’s past time they met me.”

“I swear to God,” Tommy’s hand slid into his pocket to activate his panic button.

Malcolm grabbed his wrist, “What are you going to do, Tommy? Kill me yourself or wait to be rescued? Oliver is across town with Felicity having his child implanted in her womb. Mr. Diggle is fifteen minutes away and Mr. Harper is twenty. By the time anyone gets here, you’ll be dead and the children long gone.”

“What do you want?” Tommy asked as something dark and evil twisted inside of him. He knew that he was no match for his father, even after years of training with John and Roy, but he would do whatever it took to keep his father away from his children. Malcolm would have to kill him to get to Bobby and Becca.

“I want you to introduce me to my grandchildren,” Malcolm clapped Tommy on the back and squeezed his neck.

“No,” Tommy said firmly as he ignored the pain shooting down his spine.

“You’re not going to try and deny that they’re yours?” Malcolm taunted him. “You’ve set up this little fantasy world where you and Oliver share a wife and children. Clearly, Oliver is done sharing. You and your children aren’t enough for him. What happens to the three of you when Felicity gives him real children?” When Tommy didn’t respond he continued, “I’ll tell you what will happen. You and your children will be discarded like yesterday’s garbage.”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Tommy seethed.

“Don’t I?” Malcolm asked innocently. “I’ve been watching all of you and I can see all of the signs. Oliver is Robert’s son. He wants what’s young and fresh and easy. He isn’t wired for fidelity any more than he is to weather rough seas. If Felicity doesn’t conceive this month, he’ll be gone by spring. Do you think she’ll stay if he leaves?”

“You’re wrong if you think your words have any power over me,” Tommy said calmly. “You know nothing about me or my marriage.”

Malcolm laughed, “I know that you haven’t had sex with Oliver or Felicity in months and that you spend more nights sleeping with the children than in your own bed.”

Tommy couldn’t keep the surprise from his face. Felicity routinely swept their home for bugs. Either she missed some or their housekeepers were selling information to Malcolm.

“Don’t look so surprised,” his father said smugly as he let go of his neck. “You’re my son and you refuse to speak to me. How else am I supposed to stay a part of your life?”

It was Tommy’s turn to laugh, “You want to be a part of my life? You just threatened my life.”

“I’ve always wanted to be a part of your life – you just never made it easy. You’re too sensitive and take everything personally. If you were able to see the big picture, we could be father and son again.” Malcolm placed his coffee cup on the ground. “Bobby got his brains from his mother. With your looks and her intellect, he’ll be a hell of a Merlyn when he grows up. With the right guidance, the sky’s the limit for that boy.”

Tommy’s hands began to tremble with rage, “Bobby is a Smoak and if you lay one hand on him, I swear to you, I will kill you myself and if you kill me, there will be no power on this earth that will keep Oliver from ending you. Believe what you want, Bobby and Becca are every bit as much Oliver’s as they are mine.”

Malcolm’s face lit up in delight, “You’ve finally grown a backbone. Who thought that being a housewife would be the making of you?” Malcolm stood up and waved to the children, “You’re a kept man. How are you going to support yourself and your children? Who better than me to protect you and your children when Oliver and Felicity are done with you?” He called out, “Bobby. Becca,” and waved them over.

Tommy rose to his feet as his children turned at the sound of their names on Malcolm’s lips. He wanted to cry out and tell them to stay put, but he feared what his father would do. He must’ve appeared off because Bobby took hold of Becca’s hand and held her in place. Bobby tilted his head and studied his dad and the stranger beside him. While still holding Becca’s hand firmly in his, Bobby pushed the small circle on the smart wearable he’d been given on the first day of school. Tommy thanked the universe for giving him a genius for a son.

Unaware of what Bobby had done, Malcolm took a step toward his grandchildren and gestured for them to come closer. Tommy’s phone rang and, with his dad distracted, he answered, “It’s Malcolm. We’re at the playground.”

“We’re coming,” Oliver said, his footsteps echoing through what sounded like a parking garage. “Ten minutes, I promise.”

Tommy returned his cell to his pocket and turned to his dad, “Run.”

Malcolm squeezed Tommy’s shoulder, “You’ve always placed too much faith in Oliver Queen. One day, it will get you killed. Hope that your children fair better.” Malcolm opened Tommy’s coat and slipped an envelope into his inside pocket. He smoothed Tommy’s lapels and patted him above his heart, “Give my best to Oliver and Felicity. I’ll be seeing you soon.”

Malcolm smiled and waved at the children before casually walking away. Tommy’s hands began to shake as he watched his father exit the playground and enter the surrounding park. Tommy gestured to Bobby and his children cautiously walked towards him.

Once Malcolm was out of sight, Tommy dropped to his knees and held out his arms. Bobby and Becca ran to him and he bundled them into his arms and rose to his feet. Tommy scanned the tree line looking for a threat. Malcolm was at his most dangerous when he couldn’t be seen. Tommy moved towards the center of the playground. If Malcolm killed him, Tommy wasn’t going to make grabbing the kids easy. Malcolm would have to drag the kids through a crowded playground over Tommy’s corpse if he wanted to abduct them.

“Who was the bad man?” Bobby asked as he clung to Tommy’s neck.

The hair on the back of Tommy’s neck stood up. His dad was still close by watching him. He kissed his son’s cheek, “You did the right thing calling your daddy.”

“Is daddy coming?” Bobby asked as he imitated Tommy scanning the playground’s perimeter.

Tommy lowered his eyes to look at his children, not knowing if his time with them was limited, “No matter what happens, your daddy will always come for you. Don’t ever forget that.”

As if on cue, Oliver ran into the playground with a look of fury on his face. When he spotted his family he didn’t relax but he instantly appeared relieved.

“Daddy,” Becca waved as she tried to free herself from Tommy’s grasp.

At a nod from Oliver, Tommy lowered the children to the ground and they ran towards their daddy.

Oliver lifted them both into his arms and approached Tommy, “Are you okay?”

Tommy only nodded, not trusting his own voice.

Oliver cocked his head as he listened to whomever was speaking to him through his comm, “Dig and Roy are here.” He smiled at his kids, “Everything’s fine, right guys?”

“Where’s Felicity?” Tommy asked as he remembered that his wife was having a medical procedure.

“It went well, she just couldn’t move yet,” Oliver nuzzled his daughter’s cheek. “Thea is picking her up.”

Tommy nodded as he continued to look for any sign of his father.

“Hey,” Oliver said as he put the children down.

Tommy returned his gaze to Oliver, “He’s still here.”

“Stay with us,” Oliver instructed the children as he pulled Tommy into a hug. ‘You’re safe,” Oliver said quietly against his ear.

Tommy could feel himself about to break down. He needed to get his children out of the park so he could have a meltdown in his bathroom away from the prying eyes of the public and his already worried children. “I need to get out of here, Ollie.”

Oliver squeezed his hand and then lifted Becca and took Bobby’s hand, “Let’s go home monkeys.”

Tommy opened the envelope his dad had given him and, when he saw what it contained, he feared that he’d be sick. There were pictures of Oliver, Felicity, Bobby and Becca dating back to Bobby’s birth. He shoved the envelope back into his pocket and hurried to catch up with Oliver.

February 2027

Felicity clung to the toilet bowl as she emptied the contents of her stomach. Her mom knelt beside her, holding her hair and rubbing her back. Satisfied that her stomach was done revolting against her, Felicity lowered the toilet lid and flushed. She sat heavily onto her heels and sighed with gratitude as her mom ran a cool cloth over her sweaty face.

The sound of twenty children running through the first floor drifted up the stairs and through the closed bathroom door. It was Tommy and Becca’s birthday and their home was filled with family and friends who had gathered together to celebrate. Felicity had woken up feeling poorly, but had pushed herself to put on a happy face. Her daughter would only turn three once and Felicity wanted to enjoy all of the surprises they had planned for Becca. The back garden had been transformed into a giant teddy bear picnic and Oliver had been carrying out the elaborate birthday cake when a cramp had Felicity doubling over. She’d barely made it to her bathroom before she vomited.

A soft knock sounded on the bathroom door and Thea poked her head inside, “Okay for me to come in?”

Felicity smiled weakly, “It’s safe. The projectile vomiting has ceased, for now.”

Thea entered the bathroom and placed a small brown paper bag onto the bathroom counter. She took a seat next to her sister-in-law on the floor and took hold of her hand, “Oliver and Tommy are handing out party favors and seeing all of your guests out. Sara, Nyssa, Lyla, Grace, Dig and Roy are cleaning up and William and the grandpas are on kid duty.”

“I missed the party,” Felicity snuffled.

“We took lots of pictures and Becca was having so much fun, she didn’t notice you weren’t there,” Thea said kindly.

Felicity was happy that her daughter enjoyed her party and that her absence had gone unnoticed, but she still burst into tears, “I’m screwing everything up.”

“Hon, you’re not screwing anything up,” Donna said as she pushed Felicity’s hair behind her ears.

She took a deep breath, “I’m not pregnant. I’m not going to have any more children and I’m missing my daughter’s birthday party.”

“Did you get your period?” Thea asked Felicity but looked at Donna with worry.

“No, but it’s coming. I feel crampy and bloated,” Felicity said through her tears. “We used the last two embryos this time. I thought by taking off from injections and procedures for three months that when we tried again last month it would work.”

“Hon, you don’t know that it didn’t,” Donna ran the cloth across Felicity’s face, “and if it didn’t, you’ll try again.”

Felicity shook her head, “Oliver doesn’t want to. He said that last month was our last shot.” He’d denied that it had anything to do with Malcolm’s sudden reappearance, but he’d been on edge since the incident at the playground. How Malcolm obtained the pictures he gave to Tommy and the inside information he had on their sleeping arrangements remained a mystery. They’d torn the house apart looking for cameras and listening devices, but found nothing. Felicity had dug through the lives of the Queen mansion housekeepers, that Thea leant them twice a week, but she could find no evidence that they’d been working for Malcolm. Even without any evidence, Thea had terminated their employment. Thea was fearful her own children were being photographed for Malcolm. Tommy had refused to allow anyone new into their home, so he was now cleaning their house.

“You didn’t tell me that,” Donna said with surprise.

Felicity rubbed her eyes, “We have to stop. It’s ruining our marriage.”

Thea scoffed, “What are you talking about? The three of you are the definition of rock solid.”

“All we do is fight and when we’re not fighting, we’re walking on eggshells because we don’t want to upset the kids.” Felicity looked at her mom, “We’re not sleeping together and I don’t mean just sex. Both of them have moved out of the bedroom. They’re taking turns sleeping in the kids’ rooms and the guest room.”

Donna sat back against the counter, “Oh, hon.”

“I didn’t think wanting a third child would end my marriage,” Felicity began to cry.

“That’s it,” Thea said rising to her feet. “I’m not going to sit here and listen to you pronounce the end of your marriage to my idiot brothers.” She grabbed Felicity’s hand and pulled her to her feet, “You’re going to take this pregnancy test I bought for you and then, regardless of what it says, you’re going to talk to your husbands and the three of you are going to fix this.”

“What if we can’t?” Felicity asked with fear. “What if it’s too broken?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Thea said as she removed the pregnancy test from the brown paper bag. “The three of you are in love with each other and you’ll find a way. You didn’t survive everything the outside world threw at you to call it quits thirteen years later. Everyone has rough patches. This is yours and you’ll get through it.”

“Thea’s right,” Donna said getting up from the floor. “You’re not thinking clearly. All of these hormone injections are messing with your emotions. I don’t know why those boys moved out of the bedroom, but I do know you know how to get them back into your bed,” Donna said with a teasing wink.

“I wish it were that simple,” Felicity said as she stared at the box in Thea’s hand. It was hard to believe that something that small had the power to either make her happy or absolutely devastate her.

Another knock on the door had Felicity jumping. She placed a hand over her racing heart as her husbands appeared in the doorway. “Everything all right in here?” Tommy asked tentatively.

Felicity straightened her dress as she stared at her reflection. There was no covering up that she’d been crying, “Everyone gone?”

“Everyone but family,” Oliver said stepping into the bathroom. His eyes scanned the room and then locked on the box in Thea’s hand.

Donna took the box from Thea and handed it to Felicity. She ran her hand over her daughter’s head, “My sweet baby girl. Everything is going to be fine. I promise, okay?”

Felicity nodded her head, wanting her mom’s words to be true, “Okay.”

“Good,” Donna kissed Felicity’s cheek. “We’re going to go back downstairs and check to make sure that the children haven’t tied Walter and Quentin to chairs.” She stood on her toes and kissed Oliver and Tommy each on the cheek, “You three are going to talk.”

Thea followed Donna out of the bathroom but not before she gave Felicity, Oliver and Tommy a hug. Tommy closed the door behind them and the three spouses stood in silence staring at one another.

Oliver spoke first as he continued to stare at the box that was now in Felicity’s hand, “You didn’t get your period?”

“No,” she said softly, “I’ve been hacking.”

“Vomiting?” Tommy asked sounding almost hopeful.

Felicity’s hand landed on her stomach, “I think I’m getting my period. I’m feeling a little crampy.”

“Are you going to take that?” Oliver said looking at the box in her hand.

She shrugged, “Don’t see the point. It’s only going to tell me what I already know.” Felicity looked at the box and put it down on the counter, “I don’t think I can bear it.” She looked back at her husbands, “It will be so final.”

Tommy put his hand over hers, “Your period was due three days ago.”

“What?” Felicity asked as she tried to do the math in her head. She’d decided not to track things with this last IVF. Hope had become her enemy.

Tommy pulled his cell out of his pocket and opened an app. He showed her a calendar that he’d been using to track her treatments and cycle. He looked at her with barely masked hope, “Take the test, Felicity.”

She turned to look at Oliver. She didn’t want to put him through another exercise in false hope if he wasn’t up for it. “You’ve never been three days late before,” he said as his forefinger rubbed against his thumb.

She opened the box and pulled out the stick. She’d done this test more than a dozen times and no longer needed to read the directions. Tommy and Oliver sat on the edge of the tub as she peed on the stick. “Three minutes,” she said to Tommy as she rested the stick on the counter and washed her hands.

She sat between her husbands and they each took hold of a hand. They sat in silence as they stared at the stick on the other side of the room. When the timer on Tommy’s cell went off, none of them made a move to look.

“Tommy,” Oliver said in a raspy voice.

Tommy squeezed Felicity’s hand before he stood up. He slowly crossed the room and picked up the stick with a trembling hand. He turned to face his spouses before he looked. He inhaled sharply and looked up at his spouses with tears pooling in his eyes. “Pregnant,” he said softly as his face broke into a smile. “Pregnant,” he said again and more firmly right before he started to laugh.

“What?” Felicity and Oliver asked together as they rose from the tub’s edge as one.

Tommy turned the stick’s readout window towards them, “Pregnant. It says, we’re pregnant.”

Felicity grabbed the stick from his hand, unable to believe what Tommy was telling her. He was right, the small window spelled out pregnant in clear blue letters. “Oliver,” she said looking up at him, “it worked.”

Oliver’s arms wrapped around her and he lifted her off her feet into a tight embrace. He buried his face in the crook of her neck and he began to cry. Tommy wrapped his arms around the two of them and the three wept with relief and happiness.

When they’d all gotten some control over their emotions, Tommy said with a grin, “You guys give the best birthday presents.”

Felicity laughed, “Your birthdays are good luck for our babies.”

Oliver kissed Felicity gently, “I love you.”

She smiled, “I love you too.”

Oliver’s hand drifted to her stomach and covered it, “I love you too.”

Tommy’s hand covered Oliver’s and he kissed Felicity, “Way to go, mom.” He then kissed Oliver, “Congratulations, dad.”

“You too, dad,” Oliver began to cry again and the three of them fell back into one another’s arms.

When the three returned to their guests in the living room, they’d washed their faces and combed their hair. All eyes turned to them expectantly and with hope. Every person in the room had stood by the three of them and mourned with them over every disappointment. There was no way Felicity could keep this news from them and wait for the first trimester to pass.

Donna studied the three of them and she covered a smile with her trembling hand, “Oh.”

Felicity smiled and nodded, “We’re pregnant.”

The room erupted into cheers and applause. They were instantly surrounded by their family and receiving kisses and hugs.

“Now, it’s a celebration,” Dig said as he hugged Oliver. “I’m going to go start the grill.”

Bobby tugged on Felicity’s dress, “Why are you crying, mommy?” He looked up at her with wide blue eyes that were threatening to fill with tears.

Felicity lowered herself to her knees and hugged her son tightly to her chest, “Because I’m happy.” Becca, not one for being left out, squeezed herself beneath Felicity’s arm. Felicity laughed and kissed the top of the birthday girl’s head. Everything was right with the world. Her three children were within her grasp and she could focus on healing her marriage.

March 2027

“Sorry. Sorry,” Tommy said as he swept into the exam room with a sleeping Becca in his arms and holding Bobby’s hand. “Your mom got stuck in traffic and if I waited for her, I would’ve missed the appointment.”

“That’s all right,” Felicity said with a smile. “I’m always happy to see my kiddos.”

Bobby immediately tried to climb onto the table next to Felicity. Oliver gently lifted his son and seated him next to his mother. Bobby took hold of his mom’s hand, “Are you getting a shot?”

“No monkey, no shots for me today,” she said ruffling his hair.

“Are you sick?” he asked with concern. “Does your tummy hurt?”

Felicity looked between her husbands and they both shrugged. They hadn’t really discussed how they were going to tell Bobby about his new brother or sister. He was six and extremely curious. He would be aware enough to understand that something was going on with Felicity. She took her son’s hand and placed it on her still flat belly, “Can I tell you a secret?” Bobby nodded his head solemnly and moved to get up on his knees. He pressed his ear to his mom’s lips. Tommy and Oliver both chuckled. Felicity wrapped her arms around Bobby and pulled him onto her lap, “It’s okay, your daddies both know the secret.”

Bobby looked at his dads skeptically. He whispered loudly, “Okay, what’s the secret.”

“I’m having a baby. You and Becca are going to have a little brother or sister,” Felicity informed her eldest.

“What do you think of that, little man?” Tommy asked.

“Do I have to share my room?” Bobby asked with concern.

Oliver tapped the tip of his son’s nose, “No, your room is all yours.”

“Siu’s mommy had a baby. She sleeps in Siu’s room and cries all the time,” Bobby informed them. “I don’t want a baby that cries.”

“I don’t think there’s much we can do about crying babies,” Tommy said fighting a smile, “it’s kind of what they do.”

Bobby wrinkled his nose, “Do we have to keep it?”

Oliver lifted Bobby from Felicity’s lap, “Well, since we kept you, I think we’ll keep this baby too – even if he or she cries.”

The door opened and Dr. Tuvin stepped into the room, “Oh, the whole family is here today. I finally get to meet the famous B².” The doctor smiled and extended his hand to Bobby, “You must be Bobby.”

Bobby shook the doctor’s hand, “Robert Smoak. It’s very nice to meet you.”

“It’s very nice to meet you, Robert,” the doctor grinned. “You must be Rebecca. It’s nice to meet you,” the doctor said as he shook the toddler’s hand. Have you both come to see the baby?”

Bobby’s eyes went wide, “Is the baby here?”

“Let’s get your mom to lay back,” the doctor winked at Felicity, “and we’ll pull this stool over and you can have a look with the rest of us.”

Bobby stepped onto the stool that the doctor had pulled next to Felicity’s exam table. Felicity had laid down on the table and placed a drape over her lap. She’d pulled up her gown and exposed her belly. Bobby watched the doctor nervously as he turned on the ultrasound machine. He took his mom’s hand, “Don’t be scared, mommy.”

Felicity squeezed her son’s hand, “I’m not scared with you here.”

“How have you been feeling?” Dr. Tuvin asked Felicity as he was preparing to do the ultrasound.

“I don’t know if it’s because of my age, but I’m so much more tired this time than I was with either Bobby or Becca and my morning sickness is worse,” Felicity said good naturedly. “I’m not complaining, honestly. I’ll take hacking ten times a day if it means I’m having this baby.”

Dr. Tuvin squirted gel onto Felicity’s abdomen. “You can touch it if you’d like,” he said to Bobby. Bobby reached out and touched the gel and moved it around Felicity’s stomach with a huge grin. “This goop will help us see the baby.” He placed the wand onto Felicity’s tummy, “Okay mom and dads are we ready to see your baby?”

Oliver took Felicity’s hand and Tommy stepped between Oliver and Bobby. The three parents looked eagerly at the screen. Felicity laughed, “I think that’s a yes.”

The doctor moved the wand over Felicity’s stomach and the room was filled with the rapid and steady beating of their baby’s heart. All three parents gave each other excited looks at the confirmation that there was indeed a new life growing in her womb. The doctor began to make passes over Felicity’s stomach when there was a slight change in sound. The doctor paused and cocked his head. He turned the monitor to face him and he began to slowly slide the wand back and forth over Felicity.

“Is everything all right?” Oliver asked calmly, but his fear was written all over his face.

“Yes,” the doctor said, “I just wanted to be certain.” He turned the monitor back towards the three parents, “Well, you came to me for a baby. How do you feel about two?” he asked with a large smile.

Felicity, Oliver and Tommy stared at the monitor dumbfounded. Bobby looked at the doctor and then back to his parents. He reached in front of Tommy and pulled on Oliver’s sleeve, “Daddy, will I have to share my room if there are two babies?”

“Twins,” Tommy laughed. Oliver looked over at Tommy stunned. Tommy laughed even harder and kissed his husband before bending over to kiss Felicity. “You’ve always been an overachiever.”

Oliver laughed and looked at Felicity, “Hon, are you all right?”

The blood had drained from her face, “Are you sure?”

The doctor pointed to two pulsing dots on the screen, “There are definitely two in there. We knew it was a possibility when we inserted two embryos.”

“I know,” Felicity said, “but I was hoping one would take, I never hoped for two.” Felicity’s hand covered her mouth to silence a sob, “I thought it would be selfish to hope for two.” She looked up at Oliver, “We’re having two babies.”

Oliver leaned over and kissed his wife, “Thank you.”

Felicity began to laugh, “We’re going to have four children. How’d that happen?”

Bobby poked at the gel on Felicity’s belly, “Five, mommy.” When she looked at him he said, “Don’t forget William.”

“No, we won’t forget about William,” Felicity agreed.

Bobby leaned forward again to look at Oliver, “Daddy, William won’t want to share his room either.”

“William won’t have to share his room either,” Oliver promised with a smile.

“Hmm,” Tommy said with disbelief. At his spouses’ curious looks he said, “I think I’m going to need to buy a minivan.”

July 2027

The elevator doors opened to reveal a waiting Tommy. Oliver did a quick read of his husband’s face before he hugged him. Tommy’s features were pinched and his eyes were red-rimmed and icy dread wrapped itself tighter around Oliver’s heart. He’d been in Central City visiting William when he’d received the phone call that he’d been dreading since Felicity’s first pregnancy. Felicity had collapsed in her office and had been rushed to the hospital.

“How is she?” Oliver asked as he held onto Tommy.

“She’s stable,” Tommy replied gruffly, “for now.”

Oliver took a deep breath, “And the babies?”

Tommy pressed his face against Oliver’s neck, “Alive.”

“What the hell was she doing at the office?” Oliver barked.

“She wanted to do some prep for the earnings call,” Tommy explained.

“How could you let her leave the house?” Oliver said angrily.

“She snuck out when I took Bobby to school,” Tommy responded. “Don’t yell at her about this. She is hating herself enough.”

“I want to see her,” Oliver let go of Tommy. “I need to see her.”

Tommy laced his fingers through Oliver’s and led him through the neo-natal unit. “She’s been asking for you.”

“Have they scheduled the C-section?” Oliver asked nervously.

Tommy stopped in the middle of the hallway and looked around. He switched directions and pulled Oliver into an empty lounge. He rested his hand on Oliver’s chest, “She won’t let them schedule it.”

“What?” Oliver asked in disbelief. “She has to deliver. Her life is in danger.”

“As long as she is stable, Felicity wants to hold out as long as she can. She wants to make it to thirty-seven weeks.”

Oliver took a ragged breath, “That’s seven weeks away, Tommy.”

“I realize that, Ollie,” Oliver looked away and Tommy chased his eyes, “and so does she.”

“Babies born at thirty weeks survive,” Oliver said.

“Yes, with a higher risk for complications now and later. Felicity wants to wait as long as she can.” Tommy took Oliver’s hands, “She wants to give our son and daughter the best chance she can.”

“Even if it kills her?” Oliver asked angrily.

“Oliver,” Tommy sighed.

“What about Bobby and Becca? They need their mother. Is she even thinking about them?”

Anger flared in Tommy’s eyes, “Of course she is thinking about them. She’s absolutely terrified.”

Oliver dropped into the chair behind him. Terrified. That was exactly what he was. He was terrified that he was going to lose his wife. He was terrified that his children would grow up without a mother. He was terrified that he was going to lose his unborn children. He was terrified that they would be born with severe medical complications. He wanted someone to tell him what the right choice was, “What are the doctors saying?”

Tommy sat down next to Oliver, “They want to deliver as soon as possible, but they’ve agreed that as long as they are able to keep Felicity and the babies stable, we can wait. The closer to full term, the better it is for the babies.”

“Seven weeks,” Oliver sat back in the chair and stared at a water stain on the ceiling, “it sounds like a short time and an eternity all at once.”

Tommy rested his elbows on his knees and dropped his head into his hands, “The doctors don’t think they’ll be able to keep her stable for seven weeks. They’re hoping she’ll last another two days.”

“Seven months. That’s so early.” Oliver shifted and mirrored Tommy’s position. He turned his head to face Tommy, “I hate this. I can’t fix it.”

“I know,” Tommy reached for Oliver’s hand, “all we can do is wait and pray.”

Oliver laughed bitterly, “God stopped listening to my prayers a long time ago. If God were paying attention he’d realize that maybe the universe owes us one. They’re just babies, they don’t deserve this. She doesn’t deserve this.”

“We’re going to have to wait and see how this plays out. As long as she is stable, Felicity is calling the shots,” Tommy brought Oliver’s hand to his lips and kissed his knuckles.

“You were born twelve weeks early and you’re perfect,” Oliver reminded Tommy.

Tommy chuckled, “I think perfect is pushing it.  I was always small for my age and who knows if my depression was caused by being born before my brain was fully developed.”

“You’re six feet tall now, who cares that it took you seventeen years to get there,” Oliver said seriously.

Tommy raised his hand and smiled sheepishly, “I hated being shorter than everyone – especially you.”

“I’ll take short children over losing them or Felicity,” Oliver wiped a tear from his eye.

“If the twins are born now, we are looking at a lot more than them being short adults. There are too many unknowns – too many possible complications.” Tommy’s phone beeped. He glanced at his cell and sighed, “Our wife wants to know if you’re okay?” At Oliver’s raised brow he responded, “It’s not that far of a walk from the elevator to her room.”

Oliver stood up, “She shouldn’t be worrying about me.”

Tommy clapped him on the shoulder, “I’m pretty sure she’d say that worrying about you is one of her many full time jobs.”

“Right.” Oliver took a deep cleansing breath. Felicity needed him to be strong. He would push his fears to the side and focus on his family. “Let’s go see our girl.”

Felicity was reclining on her hospital bed taking deep breaths from her oxygen mask as she massaged her swollen abdomen. She was hooked up to numerous monitors and an intravenous drip. It was impossible for him to reconcile how something that had started as a summer cold had turned into bronchitis and ended up with his wife in a hospital bed. He tried to remind himself that he’d been afraid he was going to lose her when Ra’s had released her, but she’d pulled through then and he knew that she was even more tenacious now.

She opened her eyes and caught him staring. He smiled, “Hey.” He crossed the room to her side in three strides. He placed his hands on her belly and pressed a kiss to it before he focused his attention on his wife. He kissed her forehead and then dropped his head to her shoulder to gain control of the emotions that were threatening to overwhelm him.

“Hey,” she wrapped her arms around his back, “we’re all fine. They’re getting enough oxygen.”

He nodded his head, but didn’t trust himself to speak. He knew that her difficulty breathing wasn’t his fault, but they were his biological children in her womb. She was pregnant with twins because of his fertility issues and multiple babies put additional strain on her body.

“Besides,” she said with a grin, “these babies have Queen DNA and Queens are always late. These two aren’t going anywhere.”

Oliver wiped the tears from his eyes. He didn’t want Felicity worrying about him on top of everything else she was worrying about. He lifted her oxygen mask to place a quick kiss to her lips, “I love you.”

“I love you too,” she smiled as he put her mask back in place. “How’s William?” Felicity asked in an attempt to distract him.

“Worried about you, but excited to be moving here in a few weeks,” Oliver said as he played with her fingers.

Felicity placed his hand over her belly, “It’s hard to believe that you’re going to be a daddy of a first year college student, a six-year-old, a three-year-old and two newborns.”

Oliver huffed out a laugh, “If anyone told me nineteen years ago that I’d be excited to be the dad of five children I would’ve told them that they were nuts.”

“I think we might actually be nuts,” Tommy teased.

“Hey, where’s Roy?” Felicity asked Tommy.

“He left to pick up all of the kids so Donna can stay close to you.” Tommy sat down on her bed, “Why, do you need something?”

She shook her head as tears filled her eyes, “No, I just want to thank him.”

“Thank him?” Oliver looked between his spouses.

“He was dropping by the office to go over some stuff for tonight’s patrol when I collapsed. He stayed calm and kept me calm as he helped me with my nebulizer. He never let go of my hand the whole time we were in the ambulance or when they took me into the exam room. He stayed with me until Tommy came.” She shrugged as she wiped her eyes, “I was so scared but he made me less scared. I think we should keep him.”

Oliver laughed, “It’s been thirteen years, I guess we can let him off of probation.”

“He’s the best little brother a girl could ask for,” Felicity smiled as she wiped the tears from Oliver’s eyes.

“In that case, how can we not keep him?” Oliver teased.

“We can’t tell him any of this,” Tommy said seriously. “It will go straight to his head. The ego on that kid.”

Oliver laughed. Aside from Diggle, Roy was the most self-effacing, humble person he’d ever met. Roy might have started out as a street tough, but he had more honor and inherent decency than anyone Oliver had ever been privileged to know. He and Tommy might never have picked Roy Harper to be the husband of their sister, but they knew that Thea couldn’t have picked anyone better. Bringing Roy onto the team was one of Oliver’s best decisions. “Now, I feel really guilty I shot him.”

“They definitely don’t make a greeting card for that,” Tommy said as he brushed the hair from Felicity’s face. “How are you feeling?”

“Scared,” Felicity said honestly. “I want us to pick their names.”

“Now?” Oliver asked as he looked around the room for her tablet that he knew had to be nearby.

“I need them to have a name. I need to be able to think of them as a done deal so I can hold on,” tears ran down her face.

“Felicity,” Oliver sighed.

“I was thinking Edward for him.” Felicity smiled at Tommy, “We could call him Teddy.”

Tommy wrinkled his nose, “I appreciate that you both want to give him my middle name, but I’m fine with it being his middle name too.”

“I like Nathaniel,” Oliver fingers traced Felicity’s palm, “Nate.” It was the name he put on the list the first time they started writing down baby names at the beginning of her pregnancy. He thought it sounded like a solid, but gentle name.

“Nathaniel Edward Smoak,” Tommy tested the name out loud. He smiled, “It has a nice ring to it.”

“Are we sure we don’t want to stick with “R” or “B” names?” Felicity suggested.

“That was never on purpose, right?” Oliver looked between his spouses. “Wasn’t that where B² came from? I thought we were poking fun at being those parents”

Tommy voiced his opinion, “I don’t think we need to limit ourselves to two letters of the alphabet.”

Felicity smiled, “Good, because I really like the name Nathaniel Edward.”

“That was easy,” Tommy retrieved Felicity’s tablet from her purse and handed it to her. “Now for the heated debate. What are we calling our daughter?”

Felicity tugged on Tommy’s hand until he sat down on her other side. She looked at her tablet, “I don’t want any of the trendy names like, Ariadne, Madison or Dylan.”

Oliver looked over the top of her tablet, “I don’t want any of these old lady names like Pearl or Edith.”

Tommy looked at the tablet. “We could stick with a biblical name – Rachel or Esther.” When Oliver and Felicity wrinkled their noses he continued reading from their very long list, “Abigail, Amelia, Gabrielle, Thisbe, Penelope....”

“I like Wednesday,” Oliver said half-teasing.

“It’s Friday,” Felicity said with a wink, “and we are not naming our daughter after your incorrect movie reference. Besides, I think the daughter in the Addam’s family was named Wednesday.”

“It shouldn’t be this hard to pick a name for our daughter,” Tommy said putting down the tablet.

“I have a name,” Felicity ran her hands over her stomach. “In my head, I’ve kind of been calling her Prue since I found out that we were having a boy and a girl.”

“Prue?” Oliver asked with surprise. “As in Prudence?”

“Prudence Chastity?” Tommy sounded incredulous. “I’m pretty sure that name was always meant to be a joke.”

Felicity hummed, “Well Prudence Chastity was definitely a joke, but Prudence has kind of stuck with me all of these years. The name has grown on me. I like it.”

Oliver and Tommy looked at each other, “I know we were kind of cavemen about the possibility of being fathers to a daughter back when you were pregnant with Bobby, but we were never serious about any of those names.”

Felicity grinned at Oliver, “Really? You weren’t serious about Nun or She Who Hates Boys?”

Oliver wrinkled his nose, “Isn’t Prudence, well kind of…”

“Prudish?” Tommy finished for Oliver.

Felicity shrugged as she leaned back on her pillows and closed her eyes, “I don’t think so. I can see Prue clear as day. She has sandy blonde hair and bright blue eyes and a dimple.”

“How about Nate? Can you see him too?” Oliver asked hopefully.

“Mmm,” she said sleepily. “His hair is a little darker, but he has your eyes and a baby six pack.”

Oliver and Tommy both snorted. Oliver kissed her forehead, “Get some rest. We’ll discuss names later.”

Oliver rested his head against Felicity’s belly and pressed a kiss to it. He closed his eyes as he tried to picture the twins as Felicity painted them. He could see them running in the garden chasing after their big brother and sister. If all three of them could picture their children strong and healthy, maybe they could will it to be true. “Seven weeks, kiddos. Hang in there for us.”

August 2027

Four weeks later Dr. Tuvin sat on the edge of her bed and held her hand, “Felicity, it’s time.”

Felicity’s eyes welled with tears. She’d been fighting so hard to hold on in order to give her babies their best chance at being born healthy. Despite her efforts, the doctor and more importantly, her body were telling her that she was out of time – that she wasn’t strong enough. She had fluid in her lungs and breathing hurt.  She looked at the wall opposite from her and the countdown clock she’d asked her mom to put up for her. A giant pink glitter 21 twinkled under the fluorescent lights and mocked her. It was no longer a reminder of how much longer she had to be strong for, it was now telling her how many days she was robbing her children of being safe and growing inside of her womb. “Thirty-four weeks,” she said in a small voice, “what are the risks again?”

“Felicity,” Tommy said gently from where he stood at the foot of her bed. He looked tired and Felicity felt guilty for how hard this had been on him. Oliver hadn’t left her side since she’d been admitted, but Tommy was still trying to keep their family going while supporting his spouses. Even though he was sleeping at the hospital with Felicity and Oliver, he was going home every morning to have breakfast with Bobby and Becca and he was there again after Bobby came home from camp to make dinner and supervise bedtime.

“We are going to have doctors and nurses from the NICU in the delivery room with us. Each baby is getting their own team,” Dr. Tuvin reminded her. “The babies appear to be a good size and the risk for complications is lower for babies after thirty-four weeks. You’ve done everything you can for them, now we need to look after you. Dr. Evans is going to be there just for you.”

“What’s next?” Tommy asked.

“We’re going to give Felicity steroid injections to help the babies lungs and it should also help her with her breathing. I’ve scheduled the procedure for first thing in the morning.” Dr. Tuvin smiled kindly at all of them, “This time tomorrow you’ll be holding your son and daughter in your arms.” He squeezed Felicity’s hand, “Get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a big day.”

Felicity nodded and did her best to smile, “Thank you.”

Once the doctor left the room, Felicity turned to Tommy, “I want to see Bobby and Becca.”

Tommy smiled sadly, “Okay, I’ll call your mom and Quentin.”

Tommy left the room, leaving Felicity alone with Oliver. He stood by the windows with his arms folded across his chest. His jaw was clenched so tightly she was worried that it would crack. She could tell that he wanted to punch something and she wished that she could point him in the direction of a villain that he could defeat, instead of him having to face that it was her body that was failing them. A helpless Oliver Queen was a lost Oliver Queen. “I’m sorry, Oliver,” she said to her husband. “I pushed for this even though you didn’t want to.”

His head flew up and he looked at her for the first time since the doctors told her that her condition had deteriorated and that if they waited any longer it would become life threatening for her and the babies. He moved across the room and took her hand and kissed it, “You don’t have anything to be sorry for.”

“I thought I could hold out,” she said as tears slid down her face. “I’m pretty stubborn and I thought I could be stubborn enough to last.”

“Hon, thirty-four weeks is still a good outcome for our babies. They’re going to be strong and healthy because of you,” Oliver stroked her hair. “Even after all of these years, every day you still amaze me more than you did the day before.”

“Thirty-four weeks still puts them at a higher risk for, breathing and digestion difficulties, jaundice, inability to regulate body temperature and eventual learning disabilities and behavioral problems,” she said as she remembered all of the articles that she’d read about delivering pre-term. “Babies born this early are at a higher statistical chance of dying in their first week or first year of life,” she said as she fought to keep her hysteria at bay. Oh, god, Oliver. This is all my fault. What have I done?”

“Hey,” he pulled her tightly into his arms, “our babies are going to be perfect just the way they are. We’ll face whatever we have to, together. Okay?” He pulled back to look at her, when she nodded, he said, “All that I want is for you and the babies to be okay.” Tears streamed down his face, “I need you to be okay, Felicity. My world makes no sense unless you’re in it with me.”

Felicity pulled him against her chest and stroked his head as he cried.

“This is a great drawing, monkey,” Felicity told Bobby who proudly held up the picture that he drew for her.

He began to point at the figures in the drawing, “That’s you, and daddy and da, me, Becca, William, Hildy, the babies, Gram, Gramps, Grandpa Walt, Aunt Thea, Uncle Roy, Mia, Scott, Grace, JJ, Uncle John, Aunt Lyla, Aunt Sara and Aunt Nyssa.”

“Wow. I’m seriously impressed that you got everyone onto one page,” Felicity said as she admired her son’s stick figure representation of their giant family. “I think Aunt Sara and Aunt Nyssa would love these outfits. Maybe you can make them a drawing we can send to them.”

Dig chuckled, “Hot pink is definitely their color.”

“You told Aunt Sara that she shouldn’t wear so much black and should give pink a try,” Bobby told Felicity as he side-eyed his Uncle John.

She ruffled his hair, “You’re right, monkey, I did.” She stroked her daughter’s head, “How about you, sweet pea. What did you make?”

Becca held up her drawing proudly, “Flowers.”

“I can see that,” Felicity said as she looked at the scribbles of pink, purple, yellow and green. “They’re beautiful.”

Felicity looked at the clock on the wall and wished that it wasn’t so close to their bedtime. The kids were going to spend the night at John and Lyla’s so her mom could be at the hospital the next morning before the procedure. She didn’t want them to leave and wished she could live in that moment with all four of her babies safe.

Oliver and Tommy returned to the room and smiled at the picture their wife and children made. Dig rose from his spot on the end of the bed and kissed Felicity on the forehead, “I’m going to give you guys a minute.”

Felicity clutched his hand, “I need to talk to you before you leave.”

He smiled warmly, “I won’t leave without seeing you first.”

Tommy and Oliver each sat on a side of the bed. Felicity wrapped her arms around her kids. “B², your dads and I want to tell you something.”

“What?” Bobby asked eagerly.

She smiled at his enthusiasm, “Well, tomorrow I’m going to have your brother and sister.”

Bobby touched her stomach and asked worriedly, “Is it going to hurt?”

Felicity shook her head, “No, monkey. The doctor is going to give me some medicine so I don’t feel it.”

“After you have the babies, you can come home, right?” Bobby asked with a hopeful smile.

“Your mommy is going to have to stay in the hospital a couple of more days, but then she’ll be home,” Tommy told him.

“Gram said that once the babies come, I can help her and Gramps set up the babies’ room,” he said with pride.

“I’m sure you’ll be really helpful,” Felicity tapped the tip of his nose.

“And learn some new colorful words,” Tommy muttered under his breath.

Felicity laughed as she thought about poor Captain Lance trying to assemble two cribs. She took a deep breath as tears filled her eyes. She removed her oxygen mask, “I want you to be good for mommy while I’m gone and I want you to remember how much I love the both of you.”

“I promise to be good,” Bobby said as he hugged his mom. “I love you.”

Becca snuggled into her side and gave Felicity a wet kiss, “I love you, momma”

“I love you both, so much,” she said as she squeezed them tighter.

“I can’t breathe,” Bobby complained.

Felicity kissed her son, “I’m sorry. I just love hugging you so much.”

“Come on,” Tommy said as he picked up Bobby, “let’s say goodnight to your Gram so you can go home with Uncle John.” He leaned over Felicity so Bobby could give his mom another kiss.

Oliver picked up Becca and did the same thing. Once Felicity had kissed Becca he said, “We’ll be right back.”

As soon as they were out the door, Felicity put her mask back on and turned her head and began to cry into her pillow. There was a part of her that was afraid that she’d never see her babies again. Without looking she knew that it was John who sat down on her bed. He stroked the top of her head and held her hand as she cried.

When she stopped crying he dried her eyes with his handkerchief. Dig then asked, “What do you need?”

“Thank you for watching the kids for us,” she said looking down at their joined hands.

“Of course,” he lowered his head to catch her gaze.

“Can you hand me my bag?” she indicated her purse on the nightstand.

He easily reached her purse from where he sat, but when she made no move to take it from him, he placed it next to her. “What else?”

“In my cubby in the foundry, there is a box on the top shelf.” She looked up at him, “If something happens,”

He squeezed her hands as pain washed across his face, “Felicity.”

“If something should happen,” she continued, “I need you to give that box to my mom.” The box contained letters she’d been writing to Bobby and Becca since they were born. Oliver had made a video for each child after they were born in case something happened to him out in the field. She’d started writing letters when she returned to the team after Bobby was born. She would sometimes write letters to the kids while she waited for the team to return from their patrols. She wrote about her own life growing up. She wrote about their dads and why she fell in love with them and entered into their relationship. She wrote about how much she loved them and how proud she was of them when they reached milestones. She wrote them letters about what she wanted them to know when they left for college, got their first job, got married and had their first child. The letters had always been more for her - a place for her to put her hopes and dreams for her family, but now she wanted to make sure that the kids got them. Ever since she’d collapsed in her office she’d had a bad feeling that had only gotten worse the longer she was in the hospital. She reached into her purse and pulled out three envelopes. There was one for Tommy, Oliver and her mom. She’d written the letters over the past week. “I’d like you to hold onto these too.”

Dig’s hands shook as he took the envelopes from her and with tears flowing down his face he said, “Felicity, nothing is going to happen to you.”

She smiled bravely, “I know, but just in case, I’ll feel better knowing that you have them.”

“I’ll hold onto them until I give them back to you tomorrow, okay?” Dig smiled through his tears.

She nodded but held onto his hands tighter, “Don’t let him run. He’ll blame himself. Promise me, you’ll not let him disappear. The kids will need him and Tommy will need him.” She took a ragged breath, “If I’m not here to anchor him, I worry that he’ll go off the rails. He’ll need you, John. Promise me.”

Dig looked up at the ceiling as he took a deep breath. He rubbed his eyes, but was unable to keep up with his tears. He placed his hands on either side of Felicity and looked into her eyes, “Oliver is my brother and I will follow him to the gates of hell and back if I have to, but you listen to me Felicity Megan Smoak, you are a fighter and you aren’t done fighting yet. Don’t you dare give up and leave this family, do you understand me? We need you, so, you promise me.”

Felicity had learned from Oliver to never make promises when it came to life and death. Those were the types of promises that could only be broken. She would promise what she could, “Okay, I promise to fight. I won’t give up.”

Dig wrapped her into his arms and held her, “That’s our girl.”

Oliver and Tommy sat on stool on either side of Felicity behind the drape that separated them from her lower half. Dr. Tuvin had made his first incision, but Oliver only had eyes for Felicity and the monitors she was hooked up to. For someone who hated the sight of blood, Tommy’s eyes were trained on the mirror that had been set up so they could watch the procedure.

“Here we go,” Tommy said with a huge smile.

Oliver turned to the mirror and watched as the doctor pulled a baby from Felicity’s womb. It took a second, but a loud cry rang out.

“Here’s your son, mom and dads,” The doctor held the baby up over the drape and facing his parents before he resumed his work.

Felicity laughed with relief, “Is he okay?”

“He’s looking good, but they’re checking him out now,” the doctor responded.

Oliver watched as the team of doctors and nurses assigned to their son gathered around him at the side of the operating room.

Another cry drew Oliver’s attention back to the doctor as he held up their little girl, “Say hello to your daughter, mom and dads.”

Felicity began to cry, “How is she?”

“She looks good, Felicity,” the doctor replied. “We’re going to close you up while the teams check them out and then they’re going to be in your arms before you know it.”

“That sounds really good,” Felicity said as she closed her eyes. When she opened her eyes she looked at Oliver, “We did it, they’re here.”

Oliver lifted her oxygen mask and with tears in his eyes, gave her a quick kiss, “You did it, thank you.”

Tommy placed a kiss to her lips before he put her mask back in place, “They’re here. You did great.”

A nurse walked over to them, “Come on dads. Come see your babies.”

“We’ll be right back,” Oliver promised Felicity.

“I’ll be here,” she said with a tired smile.

Oliver and Tommy followed the nurse over to the bassinets where their children were waiting. Both were making lots of noise and Oliver had never been so grateful for the sound of crying since it was clear evidence that their lungs were working. He took in their naked forms and was taken aback by how thin and gaunt they looked in comparison to their siblings as newborns. Bobby and Becca had been seven pound babies with round bellies and full heads of hair. “They’re so tiny,” Oliver said to the nurse.

“Your son is four pounds four ounces and your daughter is three pounds fifteen ounces,” she informed them.

“Is that all right?” Oliver asked as he inched closer to the babies. “That’s so small.”

“They’ll put on weight quickly,” one of the doctors told him. “So far, we’ve got two perfect tens on their apgar results.”

They watched as the nurses further cleaned up the babies and put them in diapers and hats. The nurses were swaddling the babies when an alarm sounded.

Oliver and Tommy both turned quickly towards Felicity when the doctor said sharply, “Felicity.”

“She’s crashing,” a nurse said.

“What’s happening?” Tommy asked.

“Felicity,” Oliver called out as he tried to move back towards his wife.

Two nurses began steering Tommy and Oliver out of the operating room. “You’ll need to wait here,” one of the nurses said to them in the hall.

“What’s happening?” Tommy asked again.

“As soon as we know anything, we’ll come and tell you,” she said before disappearing back inside the O.R.

Oliver and Tommy stood in the corridor in their scrubs staring at the door. Neither of them spoke or moved as if they were frozen in a moment of time. Everything stopped for Oliver. All he could hear was the beating of his own heart rushing through his ears.

“Oh, god,” Tommy said as he staggered backwards until his back hit the wall.

Oliver turned to look at his husband, “This wasn’t supposed to happen. The babies are okay. She’s supposed to be okay.”

Tommy stood up straight and rubbed his face, “She’s going to be fine.” He laced his fingers through Oliver’s. “She’s going to be fine,” he said with more conviction.

The O.R. doors opened and the NICU doctors and nurses exited the room as they surrounded two bassinets. One of the doctors approached Tommy and Oliver, “We’re taking the babies back to the nursery if you’d like to join us.”

“Do you know what’s happening with Felicity?” Tommy asked.

The doctor shook her head, “I don’t.”

Tommy turned to Oliver, “You should go with them.”

Oliver shook his head, “No, I need to stay with Felicity.”

Tommy clasped Oliver’s face, “Ollie, she’d want you to go with them. I will stay here and come find you as soon as I know anything.”

Oliver looked at the O.R. doors again. Tommy was right. Felicity wouldn’t want their babies to be alone. He turned back to the doctor, “I’ll come with you. Are they okay?”

She smiled kindly and placed a hand between his shoulder blades to push him into motion, “Both babies are breathing on their own which is one of our biggest concerns with pre-term babies. We’re going to have to monitor them when we feed them. Some preemies aren’t able to suckle and if that happens we’ll have to insert a feeding tube.”

“Where?” Oliver asked with concern.

The doctor rested her hand on Oliver’s arm, “It would be inserted through the baby’s nose, but let’s worry about that if and when it comes to that.”

Oliver followed the team into the nursery and stood in front of his children’s bassinets as the doctors and nurses moved around him. A nurse that looked to be in her fifties stood next to him, “You can touch them if you’d like. They won’t break.”

Oliver reached out with tentative hands and touched their hands. Both babies grabbed hold of a finger. His heart lurched with happiness, “They’re so small.”

“They’re not too small to hold. Would you like to hold them?” she asked him gently. “They bond best when they have skin to skin contact.”

“Yes,” he whispered, “I would.”

The nurse gave instructions to one of the other nurses before returning her attention back to Oliver, “My name is Kim and I’m the lead nurse in the NICU.”

“I’m Oliver,” Oliver said without taking his eyes from his children.

“It’s nice to meet you Oliver. Do we have names for these little ones? It’s all right if you don’t, but if you do, we can start using them.”

Oliver shook his head and then said, “Well, we have one name picked out. Nathaniel Edward Smoak. We haven’t agreed on her name yet.”

“Nathaniel Edward is a good name and I’m sure you’ll pick an equally good name for your little girl.” Kim pointed towards a rocking chair. “We’re going to try something that we call kangaroo care. We’re going to place the babies upright on your bare chest. It helps with both the physiological and psychological wellbeing of the babies.” At Oliver’s blank stare she said, “It helps regulate their temperatures and it helps with bonding. We don’t stand on ceremony around here, so take off your shirt and have a seat and we’ll bring you your children.”

Oliver hesitated for a second. He didn’t like to be shirtless around strangers, but they were nurses and he expected that they’d be professional and remain silent when they saw his scarring. He was grateful that he didn’t have any fresh Green Arrow injuries. He removed the surgical gown he was wearing and his t-shirt. Each baby was only wearing a diaper and a hat. Oliver sat in the rocking chair and held out his arms as a nurse placed a baby in each arm. He held them close like two footballs and the nurse draped a blanket over their backs. His eyes filled with tears as they both stopped crying and snuffled against him. “Hi guys,” he said with a voice laden with emotion, “I’m your daddy. We’re going to have such a good time together. Your brothers and sister are going to be so excited to meet you. Your da is going to be here any minute and be prepared for lots of singing. And your mom,” Oliver’s voice broke as the tears fell from his eyes, “your mom is just the best. You’re going to love her Nate and so will you.” He paused at the wrongness of his daughter not having a name. “I can’t call you, you,” Oliver said softly to his daughter. “Your mom has been calling you Prue, so until she picks another name out I guess that’s what we’ll call you too. Prue, you’re going to love your mom. She talks a lot, which you probably have figured out since you’ve been with her twenty-four hours a day and she babbles, which I normally don’t do but it has rubbed off on me a bit.” He took a deep breath, “I love you guys and everything is going to be okay.” Because it had to be. Oliver fell silent as he rocked his children back and forth.

Thirty minutes later, Tommy appeared in the window of the nursery. At Oliver’s questioning look he nodded and smiled. Oliver let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. A nurse buzzed Tommy into the nursery and he was immediately standing over Oliver and the twins. He stroked Oliver’s face before he did the same to each twin, “She’s going to be all right.”

“What happened?” Oliver asked with concern.

“She stopped breathing and they had to intubate,” Tommy said calmly. “Her heart never stopped, though.”

“She’s on a ventilator?” Oliver asked trying to keep the alarm from his voice.

“Just until she is awake and then they’ll remove the tube,” Tommy replied.

Felicity was going to be pissed to wake up on a ventilator. “What happened?”

Tommy knelt down to get a closer look at the twins. His fingers traced along their arms and legs, “Dr. Evans is with her now. We’ll know more once he’s done examining her.”

“Can I see her?” He needed to see her.

“Dr. Evans threw me out,” Tommy said with a reassuring smile. “He promised to come get us as soon as he was done with his evaluation.”

“Donna?” Oliver felt like an ass for not thinking of his mother-in-law before.

“I spoke with Donna and Thea. Once Dr. Evans is done, they’ll stay with Felicity until we get there.”

Kim moved a rocking chair beside Oliver’s, “Would you like to hold one?”

“One?” Tommy pouted, “Why can’t I hold two?”

Oliver chuckled, “The benefit of twins is that we don’t have to accuse the other of hogging the baby. You need to take off your shirt.”

Tommy removed his gown and t-shirt and sat down in the rocking chair, “Nice try. We can share later, right now, I’m holding our son and daughter at the same time. Hand ‘em over.”

Oliver reluctantly handed the twins over to the nurses. His heart swelled when he saw the look of joy on Tommy’s face as the nurses placed the twins into his arms. “Hi, little ones,” he said softly. “Am I happy to see you two, or what? I love you both, so much.”

Oliver leaned over the arm of his rocking chair towards Tommy, “Hey.” Tommy looked at him with a huge grin on his face and tears in his eyes. Oliver crooked his finger at his husband and Tommy leaned towards him, “I love you.”

Tommy’s smile got even wider, “I love you too.”

Oliver kissed Tommy before shifting his rocking chair so he could watch Tommy rock the twins. He pulled his t-shirt back on. As promised, Tommy began to hum happy birthday. Oliver was surprised Tommy wasn’t singing like he did when Bobby and Becca were born until he got to the part of the song where he’d have to say their names. “I told the nurse that we’re calling him Nathaniel Edward, but we haven’t picked out a name for her yet. I’ve been calling her Prue, because that’s what Felicity’s been calling her.”

Tommy didn’t look up from the children but nodded his acknowledgment. When he got to the end, he stopped humming and started to sing, “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Nathaniel and Prudence, happy birthday to you.”

The babies were alert and appeared to be watching Tommy. Oliver felt tears well in his eyes at the thought that Felicity was missing this. As soon as Bobby and Becca had been born they’d been placed naked on Felicity’s chest and immediately started to mouth her breasts. He worried that the twins and Felicity were missing out on bonding time and he wasn’t sure that they were giving the twins everything they needed. He turned to Kim who was standing close by, “Should we be feeding them?”

“Is Felicity planning on breastfeeding?” she asked.

“She did with our other two and she was going to try with these two,” Oliver responded.

Kim brought a stool over and sat facing the dads, “We’ll have to wait and see what the doctor’s say about nursing. Normally, after a C-section mom is able to nurse, but with Felicity’s complications we’ll need to wait until we find out what additional interventions she received. They are okay for now without eating, but the sooner we can reunite them with her the better the outcome for successful breastfeeding.”

Kim gave Tommy and Oliver some privacy. When Tommy had finished quietly singing, Here Comes the Sun, he asked Oliver, “Why exactly am I shirtless?”

“It’s called kangaroo care and it helps regulate body temperature and bonding,” Oliver responded like he was an expert.

“We better ask them to come up with a different name for Felicity,” Tommy winked at Oliver.

Oliver huffed out a laugh and felt some of the tension leave his body, “Maybe we can call it koala care.”

“Koala should work since her fear doesn’t extend to all marsupials.” Tommy smiled at the babies, “Your mommy is a little nutty when it comes to her phobias, but your daddy and I love her anyway. So will you.”

“I already told them that – the, they’ll love her, part, not the, she’s nutty, part,” Oliver could feel his anxiety begin to start buzzing again on the edges of his consciousness.

“Deep breath, buddy, you’ll see her soon,” Tommy said knowingly.

A knock on the glass had them both turning to see Dr. Evans gesturing at Kim. “I’ll be right back and then you can go talk to him,” she told them with an easy smile.

Tommy and Oliver both watched the doctor interact with nurse, carefully watching for any clues. Less than a minute later Kim returned to the nursery and approached them. “Dr. Evans would like to speak with the two of you and we’re going to get these two ready to meet their mommy. How does that sound?”

Oliver was out of his chair before Kim had finished speaking. He was practically bouncing as he waited for Tommy to hand the babies over to the nurses and to put his shirt back on. They joined Felicity’s pulmonologist in the hallway.

Before they could even speak, Dr. Evans was already talking, “She’s fine. She’s awake and we already pulled out the tube. Boy was she hot about that. Honestly, it’s been almost ten years since she became my patient and she hasn’t mellowed, at all,” the doctor teased them.

Oliver liked Dr. Evans, a lot. The man had saved Felicity’s life when she’d returned from Nanda Parbat at death’s door. She saw him at least once a year for a check-up and more frequently if she had a respiratory infection. He had a great bedside manner and the patience of a saint when it came to Felicity and her tantrums. She was a terrible patient. “What happened?”

Dr. Evans shook his head, “Honestly, I don’t know. I think it was a combination of things. She has some fluid in her lungs and that combined with the stress of the caesarian and the local anesthesia caused her to crash. We were able to stabilize her pretty quickly and her numbers are looking a lot better now than they did before she delivered. We’re going to keep her a few days longer than planned, which I know that she’ll love, but I want to keep an eye on her.”

“Can we see her?” Oliver asked eagerly.

“She’s back in her room,” the doctor informed them.

Oliver and Tommy rushed through the NICU on their way back to Felicity’s room. When they pushed open her door, Donna and Thea were sitting on either side of her and holding her hands. She smiled faintly at them from behind her oxygen mask, “How are they?”

Donna and Thea moved so that Tommy and Oliver could get closer to their wife. Oliver took one of her hands and held it against his chest, “They’re perfect.”

“Really?” she asked hopefully.

“Their breathing is good and they scored perfectly on their apgar,” Tommy informed her.

“Did you get to hold them?” she asked anxiously.

“We did,” Oliver said with a smile. “They’re tiny, but strong. They have pretty good grips.”

“Good,” Felicity said. “I want to see them.”

“They’re right behind us,” Tommy told her.

There was a light rap on the door and Kim entered the room followed by two nurses pushing bassinets. Donna and Thea both let out squeals of delight.

“Hi, Felicity,” Kim said warmly. “Are you ready to meet your babies?”

Felicity nodded eagerly and pushed her oxygen mask off, “Yes, please.”

“I’d like to place them directly on your bare chest,” Kim approached Felicity. “Is that all right with you.”

Felicity’s fingers flew to the back of her hospital gown and untied it. Kim helped her pull the gown to just below her breasts. The nurses placed a baby on each side and Felicity’s arms cuddled them to her. Kim lifted her gown back over the backs of the babies. “Hi, my little babies,” Felicity whispered.

“Just hit the buzzer if you need anything,” Kim said as she and the nurses left the room.

Donna kissed Felicity’s forehead and then the top of her new grandchildren’s head, “We’ll be out in the waiting area when you’re ready.”

Thea hugged her brothers, “They’re beautiful. Congratulations.”

As soon as they were alone Oliver asked, “How are you?”

Felicity was oblivious to Oliver’s question as she inspected her babies’ fingers and toes. She was whispering softly to them and Oliver couldn’t make out what she was saying.

Tommy’s arm wrapped around Oliver’s shoulders as they watched their wife examine their children. “I think she’s doing all right,” Tommy told Oliver.

Felicity giggled and looked up at her husband, “You’ll be happy to know your son is a boob man. He’s latched on like a champion.”

Oliver and Tommy stepped closer to the bed. Oliver placed a hand on their son’s back, “I told the nurse that we’re naming him Nathaniel Edward.”

“Well, Nate,” she said to her son, “I don’t think I’m producing anything for you at the moment, but you keep trying.”

“What about Prue?” Oliver didn’t think it looked like their daughter was all that interested in Felicity’s nipple.

“Did you tell them we’re naming her Prudence?” she asked in disbelief.

“No, but I needed to call her something when I was talking to her,” Oliver confessed.

“Are we really going to call her Prudence?” Felicity’s brow furrowed.

Tommy shrugged, “I sang, Happy Birthday, to her and called her Prudence.”

“We can’t change it now if you already sang to her,” Felicity exclaimed. “Singing makes it a done deal,” she explained to their daughter.

“Looks like she’s going to be Prudence.” Tommy winked at Felicity, “I hope she forgives us.”

“Hello, Nathaniel Edward Smoak,” Felicity kissed the top of her son’s head. “Hello, Prudence Harper Smoak,” she kissed the top of her daughter’s head. “Welcome to the world.”

“Harper?” Tommy said with feigned outrage. “Do I have any vetoes left?”

Oliver clapped Tommy on the back and looked at him sympathetically, “You’re all out.”

“Come on Prue,” Felicity encouraged. “Give it a try.” Prue nuzzled at Felicity’s nipple but only licked at it.

“How are you feeling?” Oliver asked her again.

The smile fell from her face, “I’m sorry that I scared you.”

Both men huffed. Tommy sat down on the edge of the bed, “Scared is an understatement.”

“If it helps, I scared myself,” Felicity blinked back tears.

“It really, really doesn’t,” Tommy said dabbing at her eyes with a tissue.

“It doesn’t matter, now,” Oliver kissed her forehead. “All that matters is that you and the babies are alive and safe and healthy.”

Tommy and Oliver reclined on their sides next to Felicity. The three parents stared in wonder at the two miracles in front of them. All of the fear, pain and uncertainty that had plagued them from the moment that they’d decided to conceive for a third time faded to a distant memory. The darkness they’d been fumbling around in was starting to lighten. For the first time, in a long time, it felt like they finally had hope for their family’s future again.