Greetings fellow Capers! Luckily for my sanity, this chapter didn't double in pages like all of the previous chapters; still lengthy, though, not as lengthy as it could be.

I'd like to thank: XxDeathStarxX and IronAmerica for their reviews last chapter!

I'm just warning you shippers, things are going to start getting rocky for Vince and Orwell from here on out, as if they didn't have enough problems, right?

Anyway, enjoy the chapter, I do not own The Cape.

What-if: A new Legacy- Chapter Four: Not Enough

It was late winter, freshly fallen snow was decorated across a suburban neighborhood. Orwell found herself in Vince's arms; both were resting on the couch in front of a toasty fireplace.

The blogger looked around at her surroundings, a little smile etching onto her features as the fireplace crackled repeatedly. Judging by the television over the mantle, various seating arrangements and coffee tables around, she noted that this was a very luxurious living room. Orwell knew she was dreaming, but it still was pleasant to think about.

She looked down at her stomach, a frown etching itself onto her face as she realized that she no longer had an obvious baby bump.

Vince kissed the brunette on the forehead. "Are you alright?"

"I think so," Orwell paused, leaning her head back on the vigilante's chest.

He grinned down at her. "We better treasure this quiet time. The girls will be waking up from their naps soon."

The blogger felt a surge of relief pass through her. At least she knew her twins were safe. "We'll just have to make the most of it."

Vince tightened his grip around the brunette's waist with an arm, the other lay across her left arm, lightly stroking it with a thumb. "Sounds like a plan to me."

Orwell smiled at the comforting contact, staring ahead at the window by the mantle. The only movement she could see outside her home was the slow falling snow. She loved watching the snow fall; it reminded her of the vacation home she and her family occasionally went to during the winter season. The blogger cherished those days; for the most part, they were the happiest memories she had with her whole family.

Her partner looked down at her, smiling at the content expression on her face. He stretched his head down to latch his lips onto the brunette's. The kiss was slow and calm, just like the snow fall outside. Vince pulled Orwell into his lap as they continued to kiss. The sound of the fireplace crackling spread throughout the room, bringing the two closer together.

The brunette separated from the kiss, beaming a gentle smile back at him. She wrapped an arm around her partner's neck and rested her forehead against his.

Vince gave her a gentle peck, which quickly escalated into more kisses. It wasn't until then that Orwell quickly picked up on the sound of trampling feet in the distance. She ended their kiss and turned to watch the entrance to the living room.

Her partner's mouth twitched up into a smile. "Sounds like the girls are up."

The couple grinned back at each other before they turned their attention back to the living room entrance, which was being invaded by two squealing identical girls with Orwell's curly brown hair and Vince's bright blue eyes. The toddlers ran into the room and literally jumped on their parents.

"Hey Jolie," Vince paused to kiss the twin with a little yellow dress on. "Hey Julie," he did the same to the twin with pink pants and a little black shirt.

Orwell felt tears well up in her eyes as she looked at the little girls. They looked just like her, but there was no way Vince could deny them with those eyes; the blue was an exact mirror of his. She smiled as both girls looked back at her. "Hey girls," she began quietly.

"Mommy, why you look sad?" Julie asked with a little pout, reminding Orwell of her own sister.

Vince rubbed the blogger's back, giving her a grin of his own.

The brunette mother stared back at her twins and their father, a watery smile on her face. "Mommy's alright." She looked down at her hand and noticed the wedding band with three little diamonds embedded in it. Orwell gave her husband another glance, looking down at his hand as she did so. He too had a wedding band on his ring finger. The blogger couldn't help but smile at that.

Vince kissed Orwell again, hearing an instant remark from their daughters.

"Ew, kissing is gross!" Julie began with a disgusted, albeit adorable expression.

"Yeah, mommy! Daddy has cooties!" Julie interjected.

Vince grinned, looking between his three girls. "Yeah, daddy has special cooties," he paused to scoop the twins in his arms and attack them with kisses. He chuckled at their bubbly giggles.

Orwell tickled her twin girls on their bellies, which made the giggle factor rise. "Well you are our daughters, so that means you have our cooties!"

"Nuh-uh!" Jolie giggled in between giggles.

The blogger bent her head and blew a rasberry on Jolie's bare tummy.

"Mommy, that tickles!" the little brunette in yellow giggled more.

Orwell hugged her daughter against her chest, kissing her lightly on the head. The mother turned to look over at Vince, who was doing the same to Julie. Orwell couldn't help but smile. She could only hope that she and her real twins could be this happy together.

Vince met with his wife's eyes. "Everything okay baby?"

"Everything's perfect," she began with a light smile.

"Okay," he grinned, leaning forward to latch their lips together again.

Whenever they kiss, the whole world goes away. This much was true, dream world, or reality.

The last thing Orwell remembered was her partner murmuring into her lips, "I love you…"

Only, she thought this was just in her dream. When she fluttered her eyes open, she watched as her Vince walked away from the bed in her hideout. The blogger looked down at her belly, her heart swelling in anticipation. How could he not know?

"Vince?" she cried out, finally looking back at him.

The vigilante turned back around to face his partner, a weak grin on his face. "Hey, Orwell," he breathed out.

Orwell pulled herself up to rest against the headboard. "Where are you going?"

"Well, I had to pee, so I got up and made some coffee," Vince paused to go back over to sit down next to the pregnant blogger.

"Coffee sounds good," the brunette began, folding a strand of brown hair behind her ear.

Vince smiled at his partner. "I thought so too."

Orwell craned her neck to kiss the Cape, placing a hand on his cheek as she began the kiss.

The vigilante placed a hand on the back of his partner's head to deepen the kiss. When they broke apart hesitantly, he grinned against the expecting blogger's lips. "Good morning to you too."

"I'm sorry," Orwell turned her head away bashfully. "I know I'm not making this easy."

"Hey," he began lightly, resting his forehead against the side of hers that faced him. "It's alright, I told you that I'm not leaving you."

The expecting blogger looked down at a hand in her lap. Worry lines were evident on her face as she fiddled with a loose string on the blanket that was still draped across her body. "Vince, what happens when your name is cleared? You'll want to let your family know that you're not really dead."

"And you'll be right by my side," Vince began, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"What?" Orwell asked in a little confusion. "Somehow I don't think that's a good idea…"

"None of this is really under my belt. I've never loved another woman as much as I loved Dana," the vigilante lightly hung his head down, taking the arm from around his partner to rub the back of his neck. "I never thought this would happen, but yet here I am, in love with you."

The pregnant brunette looked over at the Cape with almost a pained expression. "Vince, you don't have to stay with me. You are a married man, with a wonderful life ahead of you."

"Yeah, well where are you going to be, Orwell?" Vince paused, calming his tone. "I get so worried about you sometimes. I feel like I would be failing you if I let you go."

"I'll be fine, I'm a big girl, Vince," Orwell began, a light smirk lifting her features.

"I told myself that you would be alright, that you didn't need me. Believe me, I tried," the Cape let out a chuckle. "Then I fell in love with you."

Orwell stared back at her partner, rendered speechless. When she finally spoke, she could barely breathe. "Vince, I love you too, but I really want what's best for you."

"You're what's best for me, Orwell," Vince began. "I want us to work out."

"Are you sure?" the pregnant brunette asked, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

The vigilante leaned forward and began to kiss his partner. Their kiss started out slow, but quickly escalated into one that was much more passionate.

Orwell's eyes began to secrete its tears as she kissed the Cape back.

Vince separated from the expecting brunette, smiling at her. "I'm completely sure about this."

The pregnant brunette was very skeptical at this point. She knew Vince loved her and did want to be with her, but she just had the constant fear that it all would change when his name was cleared. "I hope so, Vince," she breathed out with a cry.

The vigilante grinned lightly, wrapping an arm around his partner again. Seeing his grin prompted a smile of her own.

"Now, how about that coffee?" he asked.

*The Cape*

Orwell had to take a breather; she loved being with Vince, but she knew if she hadn't walked away when she did, the secret she concealed would have blown wide open. It was getting hard enough to hide her big belly…

The pregnant brunette left her hideout shortly after she convinced her partner to go home and get some rest. As of noon, she was relaxing in her favorite book store. After she ordered her favorite caramel latte, she headed back into the motherhood section of the bookstore. Orwell placed a free hand on her protruding belly as her eyes trailed down each shelf of books. Some books were complete with baby names, some had pregnancy tips for month by month, and some had help guides for after the children are born.

The expecting blogger picked a book from the middle shelf and shuffled over to a beanbag cushion in the back of the section against the wall. As she sat down, her swollen feet felt an instant relief. Orwell brought the book to rest in her lap, situating herself to place her purse on the ground next to her feet. With a sigh, she drank a little bit of her coffee and opened the book to the first page. She couldn't quite find a comfortable spot in the beanbag chair. The brunette felt a twin kick against the side of her belly. With a smile plastered on her face, she ran a hand across her baby bump. She looked down at her stomach; it really was an amazing feeling.

As she picked her head up, she began to circumspect her surroundings. Directly across from her were several different people who each had a book in hand. The pregnant blogger smiled to herself at the rather quiet environment they had enveloped themselves in. However, a frown quickly settled across her pretty face when she turned towards several bookshelves away from where she sat. Someone very familiar stood there, reading the very first pages of a book in their hands. Orwell could have sworn that it was Scales himself standing at the bookshelf. Though, why would a smuggler be interested in something as common as a bookstore? The expecting blogger just shook her head and returned to her book. A slender finger trailed across the spine of the book as she picked it up from her lap. She let out an audible sigh as she began to read. The book was for first time mothers; it had facts and tips for month one of a woman's pregnancy, all the way to the child's first year of life.

Orwell smiled at the thought of her twins. She focused down at her belly; the brunette still wasn't able to fully grasp that she was having Vince's children. She could fully grasp being a mother, but it just blew her away as she thought of the man she loved, and how he could never know that she was carrying his twins. The pregnant blogger lifted her head to take a few sips of her coffee, in that same moment, she almost choked on the liquid as Scales started to walk past her. The smuggler stopped in mid stride to look back at her.

"You alrigh' ducky?" he asked curiously.

The expecting brunette looked up at the smuggler, smiling faintly. "I'm fine," she answered almost breathlessly.

Scales shot her a disbelieving look. "Are ya sure?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Orwell asked, sparing Scales a forced smile.

The smuggler raised an eyebrow. "Yer a bit of an open book, if ya haven't noticed."

The brunette blogger sighed and took a sip of her coffee. "What is someone like Dominic Raoul doing in a bookstore? Shouldn't you be plotting against Peter Fleming or something?" She closed her book and placed it face down over her belly.

"Why are ya worried about me, shouldn't ye be concentratin' on that nipper o' yours?" Scales pressed further, not buying the blogger's brush off.

Orwell stared up at the smuggler, a frown settling on her face. "And how do you know I'm pregnant?"

"'S not that hard to figure out, luv," Scales paused before he grinned down at the brunette. "Yer readin' a book on mums an' their nippers, aren't ya? An' yer wearing a winter coat in So'ern California. Try the other one, luv."

The pregnant blogger scowled down at her lap. Damn illustrations on the back of the book… She let out a rough sigh and settled back into her beanbag chair once again. "Fine, yes, I'm pregnant, can we not speak of this, though?"

"Are we keepin' this a secret, now?" the smuggler asked in pure curiosity.

"Unfortunately so. It's just better that way," Orwell stared in front of her, a sad frown tugging at her lips. The blogger just shook her head and got up from her chair.

"Everythin' alright?" Scales questioned. He watched the pregnant brunette as she put her book back on its shelf.

"Yes," the blogger paused to regain a cool composure. She could feel a lump forming in her throat. "Excuse me," Orwell responded lightly just as she walked by the smuggler.

"Take care o' yerself, ducky," Scales called after her.

The expecting blogger turned her head long enough to smile back. "I will. Thank you." With that, she swallowed the lump in her throat and made her way to the bookstore entrance.

She felt a twin move again. Placing a hand on the top of her baby bump, the pregnant mother traced circles into her belly as she left her favorite bookstore. Orwell couldn't wait to get back home and rest her feet… she might even take a bubble bath…

*The Cape*

Natalie Fleming placed a hand over her mouth to keep herself from gasping. She sat in front of a computer monitor, the footage that was posted on the "Orwell Is Watching" blog playing. Peter had lied to her for years! He was working along the side of organized crime bosses? She was led to believe that ARK was actually making a difference!

The dark haired woman scoffed; her husband would never change… Natalie wondered just what else the billionaire was hiding from her. She let out a sigh and closed the window to the video.

Natalie scrolled through Orwell's page curiously. She had heard so many horrible things about this man, but right about now, he was making more sense that her own husband. With a nod, she scrolled down and pulled up a response box to the footage she just watched. Very briefly, she explained who she was and exactly why she was leaving a message for Orwell himself. Natalie wanted to discuss everything he knew about her husband. If he would agree to meet her at Ditmus Park, she would wait for him there. With a smug smile, the dark haired woman looked over her message once more before sending it. The problem now being, how would she get out of ARK without Peter's consent?

*The Cape*

The pregnant blogger sighed as she opened the door to her partner's hideout. Orwell had the world's worst headache, but was going to see Vince anyway. Did she have a death wish? The brunette walked into the vigilante's lair, coming in on Vince slouching with his legs on table as he watched TV. Orwell kept her mouth closed as she began to sway over to her partner.

As she met him halfway, Vince got up and rushed over to Orwell. He was going to give her a hug, but her expression stopped him. "Hey, are you alright?"

The blogger looked up at her partner, the light that came from his TV bounced around the room, making her migraine worse. She gave Vince a faint smile as she walked past him. If only she could tell him about the real reason behind her migraine. "I'm fine," she began lightly, pulling up a chair next to her partner's. The expecting blogger's eyes trailed over to the TV, her brown irises growing wider in an instant. On the news, she saw her mother talking at a podium in front of ARK! Wait, wasn't she supposed to be dead? Why would she get in the middle of the press? "Vince, what's going on here?" Orwell asked, nudging towards the TV screen.

The Cape stuffed his hands deep inside his jacket pocket, a light grin tugging at his mouth as he headed over to the pregnant brunette. "Apparently Fleming has been hiding his wife from the press, " he looked over at the TV, frowning slightly. "It's been all over the news; Fleming had a press conference and apparently she took over."

Orwell had to resist the urge to smirk. That's her mother, alright. "I bet Peter Fleming is beside himself."

"Let's watched and find out," Vince began as he took a seat next to his expecting partner. Before the vigilante slouched back in his seat, he reached out for the remote that sat on the table, turning the volume up on the television.

The news anchor began to play back the footage from the middle of the press conference. As it began, Peter Fleming stood at the podium with a stern expression.

"I am shocked that my own employees are working against me, and have been for months," he paused to look around at the various news anchors. "I want to make a promise to all of the residents in Palm City. Everyone at ARK is working their hardest to bring those corrupt beings to justice."

At this point, Natalie Fleming stood on the sidelines, watching her husband in disdain. How could he say that with such power? He was the corrupt one, everyone else was just following him because they had to. The brunette had watched her husband heading out to the press conference, and she followed closely behind him. Along the way, she had caught him threatening his employees before going out to the conference. He threatened their life! That was not the man she knew. That man hadn't been there for quite sometime; Natalie had led life in denial, hoping her husband would get better. She looked back at Peter, feeling betrayed. The mother knew she had to say something. Natalie moved forward and walked up behind her husband. As soon as he spotted her, he turned around to stare at her with a disbelieving expression.

"What are you doing here, darling?" Peter asked under his breath.

"I have something to say," the brunette began sternly.

"Can it wait?" the billionaire asked, feeling a little nervous at his wife's demeanor.

"No, it can't," Natalie spoke softly as she passed her husband, taking the microphone from its stand on the podium.

The whole audience grew silent. They all remembered who Natalie Fleming was, and were astounded to see her standing before them.

The brunette cleared her throat before she began. "Good afternoon ladies and gentleman. I'm sure that many of you remember me as Natalie Fleming- the late co-CEO of ARK Corporation," she paused to take a deep breath, finally gaining power in her voice. From her peripheral vision, she could see an angry Fleming placing his arms across his chest. Natalie cleared her throat before she began again. "I pretended to be dead with the assurance that my husband would get better." The brunette heard her husband take a deep breath as if he were about to butt in, she held a hand up before he could speak.

"You see, my husband and I have been through a lot over the past decade. Losing our twin daughters was a devastating time, and Peter didn't know how to deal," Natalie looked around at the various reporters, all having curious expressions on their faces. "My husband is Chess, and he has been for some time now."

The whole audience started in an uproar. Flashes of light beamed across Natalie's face as the reporters fervently took pictures. Natalie sighed and held a hand up to silence the reporters. "I just wanted to answer everyone's dying questions. Many families have been destroyed right under my nose, and I was too naïve to notice anything. Please know that I will try my best to set everything right again."

The pregnant blogger tore her eyes from the screen as she felt a familiar set of eyes on her. She blinked back at her partner who was worriedly staring back at her.

"You okay?" Vince asked with a gentle smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Orwell added, almost breathlessly. Her mother just sold Peter Fleming out on live TV. The brunette had to resist the urge to grimace; she knew her father would have something to say about all of this.

"Alright," the vigilante responded, turning to look back at the TV. The news anchors were having their own debate about the Flemings. He just shook his head and turned the television off. "All this time, and now my name's finally clear."

Orwell nodded gently, sensing what this was going to lead to. "After a year, you can finally go home, Vince."

Vince scooted closer to his partner, gently taking her hands in his own. He searched for something in the beautiful brown eyes he had become so accustomed to. "Orwell," he began with a murmur, lightly squeezing her hand. "I don't want to leave you. I can't leave you."

The expecting blogger just stared back at her partner. "Don't you want to let Dana and Trip know that you're alive?" Her eyes wavered back and forth at Vince, threatening to spill tears.

"Well of course, they are my family after all," the Cape paused as he tightened their threaded fingers. "I just want them to know about you, and about us."

"What happens if you go home and realize that I'm not what you want?" Orwell asked softly.

Vince shook his head, chuckling lightly. "I don't think you understand, Orwell," he paused to take the brunette into his arms. The vigilante looked into Orwell's eyes before starting a tentative kiss with her. He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. As they broke apart, Vince rested his head against the brunette's forehead. "I'm in love with you, Orwell. So in love with you," he broke into another chuckle. "I'd be lying to myself if I said that walking away from you wouldn't hurt me."

The pregnant brunette stared back with wide, tearful eyes. "Vince, I just can't bring myself to be the one to break up your family."

"Everything will be alright," the Cape murmured against the brunette's lips.

Still in disbelief, Orwell gave her partner a quick peck before she picked herself up to waddle over to Vince's computers.

The vigilante passed the expecting blogger a sidelong look. He took in her full profile, frowning slightly as he picked up on something new. Was she gaining weight in her face? She had been wearing his jacket every time he saw her… Could she be…? No, Vince quickly dismissed that thought. Orwell would have told him, right?

The pregnant brunette sighed and sat down to pull up her blogs, She fluffed up her jacket some to keep it from hugging her otherwise obvious pregnant belly. She could see her partner walking over to her, pulling up a chair on his way. Orwell ignored the tension the best she could and turned her full attention to the computer screen. The expecting brunette brought up her email, only to blink back in surprise when she saw a message from her mother! Her eyes trailed across the words, instantly feeling nauseated.

Dear Orwell,

My name is Natalie Fleming, though I'm pretty sure you know me better than most people claim to…

I understand that you wish to prove to the city just who my husband really is. Well, I'll make you a deal. If you can tell me all you've found out over the years, I can tell you what you want to know personally.

If you'd like to meet, I'll be waiting at Ditmus Park at four this afternoon.

Sincerely,

Natalie Fleming

Orwell sat with her mouth open agape. Her separate lives were beginning to collide, and that thought scared her. As she turned her head to look over at Vince, she noticed that he was reading over the message.

"Vince," the expecting blogger began to get her partner's attention.

"You should go. If we can get her talking to the right people, we've got Fleming's ass locked up," the vigilante said as he finally met with Orwell's eyes.

The brunette sighed. This was a good time as any to tell Vince exactly why she didn't want to meet with her mother. She wanted to tell her partner, though she was so afraid of him turning away… Orwell gently took the Cape's hand in her grasp, idly strumming her thumb against his knuckles. "Vince, there's something you need to know."

Uh oh, Vince thought. Whatever it was, the pregnant blogger looked scared to say it. "Go ahead," he paused to kiss her forehead. "You can tell me anything."

"I should have told you this from the very beginning," Orwell finally looked into her partner's eyes, smiling sadly. "Peter and Natalie Fleming are my parents, Vince." She paused, biting her lower lip. "I'm Jamie Fleming."

The vigilante jerked his hand out of the brunette's, a frown growing on his face. Vince felt as though the wind was knocked out of him. If she hid this from him, what else could she be hiding? The Cape rose from his spot and stalked away from Orwell. He went over to the nearby table and settled his hands on the tabletop. He stared down at the grains of wood that made up the table; he couldn't believe that his partner had hid something so serious. Did he even know her anymore? "Why did you wait so long to tell me?"

"I didn't know what you would think of me," Orwell said softly, watching the Cape's hands tighten into a fist.

Vince let out a bitter chuckle, finally picking his head up to look back at the brunette. "Well what do you suppose I think of you now?" The vigilante lifted his hands up in frustration, letting out an aggravated breath in the process. "Damn it, Orwell. How am I supposed to believe you're really helping me out? After all this time… even after we…" he stopped mid sentence, shaking his head.

"Please, Vince, I had my reasons," Orwell looked back at the Cape with tears in her eyes. She watched him walk away from the table he stood at, her heart braking in the process. "Vince!" she cried out, making him stop dead in his tracks. He wouldn't turn around to face her, but he was listening.

"Please," Orwell swallowed a lump in her throat. "Please don't leave me," she strained through a sob.

The vigilante slumped his shoulders. Why did she have the ability to make his heart skip? He was trying so hard to stay mad at his partner, but his love for her shined through it all. There was no way he could stay mad at the woman he loved so much.

"I'm sorry!" the brunette sobbed. "I'm so, so sorry!" She rushed over to him and hugged him from behind.

Vince turned around and placed a hand on her back. He looked down at the blogger as she attached herself to his chest. "Orwell, please calm down." When she began to sob even harder, the Cape attached his lips to his partner's in a quick, albeit emotional kiss. As they broke away, Orwell just stared up at him.

"Vince, I'm so, so sorry. I know I should have told you this long ago," the pregnant blogger spoke lightly, resting her head against Vince's chest again.

"You've said it alright? It's out now and we'll get through it," the Cape began as he wrapped his partner in a tight hug.

"I love you Vince," Orwell replied as more tears rolled down her cheeks.

"And I love you too," Vince began, kissing the bridge of her nose. "Just next time, don't wait a year to tell me something this important, okay?"

"I won't," the brunette said against her tears. She could feel the twin on her left side kick the side of her stomach as she looked up at the vigilante; almost as if her twins were subconsciously trying to prove a point.

The Cape watched his partner with a sad smile. "So, are you going to talk to your mother?"

"Oh," Orwell began in a breathy tone. "I almost forgot about that. Yes, what time is it?"

The vigilante looked down at his wrist watch. "Almost four."

"I need to get going then," Orwell gave Vince a tiny smile. "Are you sure you and I are alright?"

The Cape grinned ever so lightly, ducking his head to begin a kiss with the pregnant blogger. After they separated, Vince replied rather breathlessly. "We're good as ever, Orwell."

The expecting brunette raised to her tiptoes, melding their lips together again. "Good. I love you."

"Love you too," Vince kissed her once more. "If you need something, I'm just a phone call away, alright?"

"I know," Orwell began with a bob of her head. "Will you be here when I get back?"

"Of course I will," the Cape began. "There's no getting away from me," he grinned.

"How comforting," the brunette spoke with a smirk. As Vince responded to her with a smile of his own, Orwell left her partner's hideout.

*The Cape*

Ditmus Park was thriving for a Wednesday afternoon. Fathers and sons, husbands and wives alike were gathered around the park, going about their own businesses.

Natalie Fleming smiled at a particular family; one that reminded her of her intermediate family. A man, his wife, and their two brown haired- brown eyed daughters. They were so happy, something Natalie hadn't felt in such a long time.

The brunette mother sat on a park bench, analyzing her surroundings. She looked around at all of the men around the park, none of them were coming towards her, claiming that they were Orwell. A frown etched itself onto her face as she stared ahead at the park entrance. Was that Jamie? The pregnant blogger had her hand cupped over her face, blocking the sun from her eyes. Before Natalie knew it, she saw her daughter making her way over to her. Surprised to say the least, the older brunette just watched Orwell. "Jamie, what are you doing here?" she asked as the pregnant brunette sat down next to her mother.

Orwell sighed, placing a hand over her round belly. "Mom, I'm Orwell," she began in a soft voice. A voice so soft that her mother had to strain to hear.

"You're what?" Natalie asked for conformation.

"Orwell, mom. All those blogs? They're all my work," the pregnant blogger spoke calmly, running a hand across her stomach.

The older brunette looked down at her own lap, worry lines crinkling her face. "It does make sense, now that I think about it."

"Dad had been out of control for years. I had to do something," Orwell trailed off, staring deep into the space in front of her.

"No, sweetie. You had every right," Natalie said as she looked back up at her very pregnant daughter.

The expecting blogger just stared back at her mother, suddenly at a loss for words. It took her quite a few moments to think of anything remotely cohesive to say. "Mom, how did you not know dad was killing again?"

"Up until a few months ago, I've been heavily medicated for my headaches. I thought Peter was seeing Samuels regularly, and overall, getting better," the older brunette began.

Orwell let out a bitter chuckle. "Yeah, he was really getting better. He was ruining everyone's life, mom."

"Especially the Faraday family. When I read about that, God Jamie, I felt horrible. I would love to have a word with Mrs. Faraday and express my condolences. It won't bring him back, but…"

The expecting blogger stiffened and didn't say a word. She just unzipped her jacket and rubbed at her protruding bump.

Natalie looked over at her daughter with an arched eyebrow. "I said something wrong, didn't I?"

Orwell sighed lightly, not bothering to pick her head up. "If I tell you this, will you promise not to run back and tell dad?"

"Believe me, baby-girl, the last think I want to do is help him out. You can tell me whatever's on your mind," the older woman said with a maternal smile.

The pregnant blogger nodded slightly. "Well, dad may think he killed Vince Faraday," she began quietly. "But, he's very much alive."

"How did he escape the explosion?" Natalie asked, wide eyed.

"He fell into an underground tunnel in the freight yard. Of course, that's just what he told me," Orwell shrugged at the end of her sentence.

Something clicked in the older brunette's memory. She remembered when Orwell told her about the father of her twins. "Jamie, is Vince the married man that you're in love with?"

The blogger felt a blush creep up on her cheeks. "He is."

"I see," the green-eyed brunette said, blinking her eyes rapidly.

"I contacted him, hoping he could do something about the L-9 explosives ARK was exporting out… I had no idea the problems I would be causing him," Orwell drooped her shoulders, her tone softening as she continued. "No idea that I would care so much."

"And you've been together for what, a year now?" Natalie asked, looking over at her daughter in concern.

"Yes ma'am. A year of constant sniping all the way to," the blogger motioned to her belly for emphasis.

"Does he know about it?" the older brunette scooted closer to her daughter, placing a hand over her daughter's stomach.

Orwell moved her hand over to press against the bench itself. "No, he has no idea. I want it to stay that way. He has a family to go back to."

"Has he found out that the whole town knows he's innocent?" Natalie questioned as she moved her hand across the expecting mother's round bump.

"He found out earlier," Orwell spoke with hormone-induced tears clinging to her eyes.

"And he's still around?" the green-eyed mother asked, smiling as she felt a baby move underneath her fingertips.

"He is. I just came from his place, actually," the pregnant blogger paused. "Why do you ask, mom?"

"He knows that he can go back to his wife and son anytime, and he's sticking around with his mistress?" Natalie spoke almost rhetorically. "How many times have you slept together?"

"Just once," Orwell began, not really sure where her mother was going with this.

The green eyed mother smiled. "Sweetie, if he wanted his wife, he would have gone back by now. Obviously you mean more to him that you realize."

"Mom, I know he loves me, but I just… can't stand knowing that I'm tearing his family apart," Orwell trailed off, a sad expression tugging at her lips.

"Jamie, you need to think of those little babies inside you. This man wants to be with you. Most children would give anything to have parents that love each other," Natalie began in her mother-knows-best tone.

The expecting brunette looked down at her belly, tears finally rolling down her cheeks. "I just don't want Vince to regret this."

"If he does, it's his own damn fault," the older brunette said with a smirk.

Orwell laughed. It was rare to ever hear her mother curse, but it was always funny when she did.

The green-eyed mother's smile spread into a tiny grin at her daughter's musical laugh. "I'm being serious, Jamie. You'll never know what life has in store until you take hold of the reins yourself."

"But what if he does regret it?" Orwell asked, a feeling of anticipation surging through her.

"You'll just have to deal with it. Sweetie, don't give up your happiness. Every great relationship has its bumps and bruises. This is your test to see if you're really meant to be," Natalie spoke, her expression was knowing but sincere.

"I suppose you're right…" the blogger trailed off sadly. Her head began to pound. She brought a finger and a thumb up to rub her forehead. "So, mom? What else did you want to know about dad?"

The older brunette took a deep breath before she began to explain what she knew and what she wanted to know. Orwell filled in the blanks for her, happy to know that her hard work was soon to be paid off.

Mother and daughter sat in each other's company for quite sometime. Before Orwell left her mother, she gave Natalie her word that, if need be, she would stand on trial to prove her father guilty. The blogger hoped that it wouldn't come to that, but if it did, she would just deal.

On a much higher note, the two separated. Natalie went back to ARK, fully aware of her husband's discontentment, whereas Orwell traveled back to see her partner.

-0-

When the green-eyed brunette got back to ARK, she was surprised to see a bulk of people packing their things from various desks, into boxes that were spread about the main lobby. A frown settled across her face; what was going on?

A steady sound of clicks echoed through the tall ceiling of ARK as Natalie stepped over the receptionist's desk. The green-eyed brunette met a very nervous looking secretary at her desk. "Stacey, what's going on?" she asked in concern.

"Mayor Welkins is shutting down ARK, Mrs. Fleming. He witnessed the press conference from earlier and had a word with your husband," the secretary replied quite timidly.

Natalie let out a light sigh. Well, it was for the best, she thought. "Where is my husband now?"

"He just left for his office a few moments ago," Stacey responded, shuttering at the memory of her boss's aggravated expression.

The green-eyed brunette passed her receptionist a rather concerned look. "Stacey, are you alright sweetie? You look a little flushed."

"Hmm? Oh no, Mrs. Fleming. I'm just fine," Stacey flashed the older woman a smile.

Natalie lifted a skeptical eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," the receptionist smile again before she returned to packing her things.

The older woman passed another smile to Stacey right as she walked by her to climb up the stairs to see her husband. She felt a hitch in her chest as she took in her surroundings; everyone had a strike of fear attached to their faces while they picked up their belongings. A tension clung to the air, no one daring to speak. Natalie knew exactly why they were so afraid. Even she couldn't blame them, she could be intimidated by husband from time to time.

Natalie came to her husband's office and entered quietly. Peter was turned away from his desk, looking out the huge windows that lined the room. He held a solid scowl on his face, arms crossed defiantly. "Peter," the green-eyed brunette called out, stepping closer to her husband.

"What do you want?" the billionaire asked, steadily losing the will to keep Chess back.

"What did the Mayor say, Peter?" Natalie questioned.

"He heard your little speech and made the executive decision to shut ARK down until further notice," Peter began, scowling over at his wife.

"It serves you right, you know," Natalie spat as she folded her arms across her chest.

An outraged Fleming got up from his chair, stalking over to his wife. "Serves me right?" The billionaire let out a chuckle. "You know, I liked it when you were bed ridden. Loaded on your medicines… You never gave a damn about anything else."

"Look at yourself Peter! You are not well…" the green-eyed brunette paused to glare at the billionaire. "You have gotten out of control."

Peter steadily backed his wife into the corner of his desk. "Listen to me, darling. It doesn't matter that you're my wife. I will kill anyone that decides to change my motives."

"Which is exactly why I spoke when I did. Jamie and I will help you," Natalie gave her husband a tiny smile. "Just please, baby, help yourself first."

Peter stared at the green-eyed brunette, not amused what-so-ever. Chess wanted to do his other half a favor and kill her now, but there was something inside Fleming that kept him from doing so.

Natalie watched the billionaire with curiosity. It was apparent that he was dealing with an internal battle; if he really had wanted to, he could have taken her life then and there. Though, she was still around, wasn't she? Maybe there was some hope to get the real PeterFleming back.

*The Cape*

Orwell was beginning to think that it was okay to keep her partner around for a little longer. However, her notion was quickly denied when Vince barged into her hideout unannounced; if she wasn't going on four and a half months into her pregnancy, it wouldn't have been such a big deal.

The expecting blogger was really starting to rethink her wardrobe at this point. Everything was getting tight around her belly, even Vince's jacket was making it hard to breathe.

Whether Orwell wanted to admit it or not, the worst time of her life had come; she would have to watch the love of her life walk away from her. Vince, of course protested leaving her.

-0-

"Orwell, you're not getting me to leave you," the vigilante began, staring down at his partner.

The two were in a close proximity as the brunette blogger had a hand clasped against the Cape's chest. "Vince, you're making this so hard!" she began in exasperation.

"Why does it have to be so hard? You know how I feel about you," Vince pressed further, a tiny smile on his face.

"Because you're technically a married man!" the blogger paused. "I really want to be with you, but you've got to take the time to make sure this is what you want."

"I know that you're what I want, there's no question about where I want you to be in my life," the vigilante took his partner's face into his palm, stroking her cheeks with a thumb.

"Vince," Orwell began with a cry. "I need to know this for a fact."

The Cape sealed their conversation with a kiss. He wrapped his arms around his partner's waist and pulled her even closer. He parted their lips ever so slightly, their bottom lips still connected as he murmured, "I don't know what else I can do to prove this to you."

"Just give us time," the expecting brunette responded quietly.

Vince held Orwell's gaze for a few short moments. He brought a hand up to trace a thumb across her left cheek. "Is this what you really want?"

"I want to say no," Orwell started out, not bothering to look up at her partner. "But, I know I'd never forgive myself without giving you a proper chance to be with your family once more," as their eyes finally met, tears rolled down the expecting blogger's cheeks. "I'd do anything to make you happy, Vince."

The vigilante let out a sigh, a sad smile tugging at his lips. "Alright, I'll give you all the time you need. We'll make this right."

The pregnant blogger let a cry escape her lips. "Thank you so much, Vince."

Vince ducked his head to lock their mouths together. His partner raised to her tiptoes as she too fell into the kiss. "I'm really sorry if I've been pressuring you, Orwell." The Cape paused to kiss his partner again. "I love you so much, and I'd never do anything to ruin this."

Orwell twirled her fingers through the vigilante's hair with a sad smile. "You can't ruin it," she swallowed a lump down in her throat, her eyes sparkling back at him with unshed tears. "And I love you too."

The Cape trailed a comforting hand up and down his partner's lower back. "I do have one condition to this agreement," he began in a whisper.

Orwell sighed and went to protest, which only made Vince cover his partner's lips with a finger. "It's not an impossible condition," he spared her a smile.

The blogger took a much softer breath and gave a slight nod. She grasped the vigilante's hand and linked their fingers together. "Alright, Vince. What is it?"

Vince passed the expecting brunette a tiny grin as he tightened his grip around her waist. "It'll be impossible for me to be okay if I don't talk to you… I want a phone call every day. If you miss a day, I'll personally freak out and pay you a little visit."

Orwell let out a chuckle. "You can't be serious."

The vigilante looked down at his partner, straightening his lopsided smile. "I am."

The pregnant blogger stared back up at the Cape, fighting the tears that threatened to fall. It was so hard looking at him, knowing that he would be gone in a matter of hours. If only to make matters worse, she could feel a twin shift onto its opposite side. The expecting mother was losing the battle, the man that held her couldn't even know that she was carrying his twins…

"Orwell, is everything okay?" Vince asked, his voice full of concern.

The blogger shook herself back to reality and spared her partner a fake smile. "Everything's just fine."

"Good," the vigilante's mouth spread into a grin. "Now, do we have a deal?"

Orwell nodded. "We do."

Vince watched his partner very cautiously. He somewhat hated that he had let their relationship get so far. As he looked down at the brunette, he could tell that she was fighting something. "Orwell," he began, very softly.

"Yes, Vince?" the pregnant blogger replied unsurely.

"I know this is hard for you. The past five months have been nothing but crazy; I want you to know that if I've ever hurt you, I'm sorry," the Cape pressed his lips against his partner's, pulling her closer as they fell deeper into the kiss.

Orwell repeatedly kissed the vigilante before resting her forehead against his. "You've been so good to me, Vince. There's no need to apologize for anything."

Vince squeezed the brunette tightly. "I really don't want to say goodbye."

The pregnant brunette raised to her tiptoes and whispered into the vigilante's ear. "Don't think of it as goodbye, I'm hoping to be with you some day."

"And that day can't come soon enough," the Cape murmured down at his partner.

Orwell gave Vince a light smile before she began to kiss him again. She wasn't going to cry, she was going to remain strong for her twins… she had to stay strong.

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