Epilogue: Sunshine and Rainbows

A/N: Finally, the story of the Queens comes to an end. Enjoy the final chapter, which is perhaps the longest epilogue you'll ever read. When I was writing it, I felt like I didn't want the story to end. I'll be missing this Olicity family in my own little AU that I've created, as I hope you will too, coz I've really had a wonderful journey. But, it's time to say goodbye, and this time, there will be no multi-chapter sequel. So, if there's anything at all that you'd like to say, this is the time to leave a review. Thank you very much to all of you who've read, followed, clicked 'favorite' and reviewed this story. I cannot thank you enough.

Felicity:

It's been almost a week since I got discharged from the hospital. A week since our family was finally reunited. A week since we all said goodbye to the youngest Queen, who we would never be able to meet on this side of heaven. I still cry. I still sob. But in between bouts of sadness and grief, I've also been able to smile. I am thankful to be alive. I am grateful for having a wonderful, devoted husband who is willing to sacrifice everything – including himself – for me and for our children. I am thankful to have five beautiful, brilliant children, and grateful to God that they are alive and well. We have each other, and we made it through what is perhaps the most grueling test of courage and faith in our lives as a family so far. Yes, words cannot describe the pain of losing an unborn child, especially under such horrifying circumstances. But what more could I ask for? My family and I are tremendously blessed.

Oliver has been taking our loss hard, too, and almost losing me in the hands of Slade Wilson and then in the ambulance when I was bleeding profusely has been weighing heavily on him. He tries not to show it, maybe because he doesn't want me to have to worry about him now that I'm still recovering physically and emotionally after everything we've gone through. But I know him so well, I could tell. After he turns off the lights at night, hugs and kisses me good night, and finally lays flat on his back when he thinks I've already dozed off, he would weep. I'd feel the bed shaking slightly as he cries himself to sleep. I hear him sob, even though he does it as softly as he could to avoid waking me.

Last night was the longest Oliver had cried, and I couldn't let him weep alone anymore. So I had turned to face him and wrapped my arms around him, resting my head between his chin and his chest. We wept together. My hair was soaked with his tears while his chest was soaked with mine. After a while I heard him whisper almost inaudibly, "Mara…"

"Honey?" I asked softly. "Did you say something?"

"Mara…," he answered. I wasn't sure what that word meant, so I asked, "Mara? What's mara?"

Oliver replied, his voice still trembling a bit, "Bitter. It means bitter."

"What do you mean?" I asked again. This time, I lifted myself upwards a little, resting my upper body on one elbow, facing my husband.

He turned to face me, also lifting himself and supporting his upper body weight on an elbow like I did. "I'd like for us to remember our baby, Felicity. I know we can't know for sure if she would have been a girl or a boy, but I'd like for us to call her Mara," he said, tenderly cupping my face with his free hand and gently wiping the tears on my cheek with his thumb.

It took me a moment to ponder on his unexpected proposition. I certainly miss our unborn child even if she'd been inside me for just barely two months, and I'm sure there would be days up ahead when I will no doubt miss her again and again, but I hadn't thought about naming him or her. My husband's idea was out-of-the-ordinary, but I found it very comforting. And considering everything we had gone through recently, having stared at death in the face and surviving its threat, the name he had thought of is quite fitting to remember – not only the child we had lost, but the ordeal that God had miraculously delivered us from.

"Okay," I said, placing my hand on top of his hand that was lovingly cradling my face. "Mara Queen," I said, smiling at Oliver. "It's a beautiful name. Kind of sounds like your mother's name, doesn't it?" Oliver simply smiled at me and blinked. "We'll never forget our baby, Oliver," I added. "And despite what her name means, we will always remember her as a blessing in disguise, especially after surviving so terrible that almost tore our family apart."

After a moment of silence, my husband said to me, "I love you."

"And I love you," I said, turning my face slightly to kiss the palm of his hand.

Oliver slid his hand from my face to the back of my head and affectionately pulled me in for a kiss. In the beginning it was light and sweet, but as I lifted my free hand and stroked his short sandy blonde hair, he deepened the kiss and drew closer, pressing his body against mine. I felt an intense yearning in my husband's body language, and I knew he could feel the same in mine. We needed each other more than ever at that moment. It was a longing that was different from what we've had most nights. It wasn't the kind of longing that was borne out of passion; it was the kind borne out of a deep need for comfort that only the warmth of a loving spouse can provide at such a time as this. We kissed some more, and we cried some more. The salty flavor of tears that strayed near our lips while we savored such intimacy was a poignant reminder of the pain we've had to endure alongside the many pleasures we enjoy in this beautiful gift to mankind called marriage.

Before we got carried away, Oliver – like the caring, sensitive husband that he has always been – gently pulled back. He gazed lovingly into my eyes and stroked my hair. "Honey, I think we should wait until you get better. Doctor's orders, remember?" he proposed. He grinned as though he was teasing me somehow, and I could see his pearly whites even in the dark.

I nodded in agreement, mildly chuckling. I lay down on his chest once more, recalling that the doctor had specifically instructed me to take it easy with everything for a couple of weeks. The doctor had explained that the procedure performed on me as a result of the natural abortion had given my body just about the same stress as natural child birth would, and that I had better not tire myself out if I didn't want any complications. I have been very obedient since my discharge from the hospital. (Oliver and the kids have been diligently making sure of that.) I've been fully aware that my condition is still quite fragile; in fact, I still have maternity pads on, just in case I'd be spotting, just like how bleeding tapers off towards the end of every woman's monthly period. It has always been a challenge for us to resist the pull of intimacy when either of us asks for it, but I knew as well as he did that we both shouldn't give in at that moment… for my own good… no matter how much we needed the comfort that coming together as husband and wife would bring.

So, we just cuddled and huddled in the soft glow of the moonlight that seeped through the translucent white curtains of our bedroom, until we both fell asleep in each other's arms.

Early this morning I had been awakened by Oliver's alarm, but before he got up, he had embraced me and told me to sleep in today and get some more rest. He, on the other hand, had to get ready early. He and Tommy are supposed to be at the Department of Labor for an arbitration hearing because Helena Bertinelli, my former secretary, had decided to push through with her labor complaint against Queen Consolidated. The outcome of today's private meeting would determine whether or not a formal labor case would be filed against us by that scheming woman whose palpable intent has only been to extort a huge amount of money from the company and to tarnish our family's reputation in the public eye. The hearing should have started already by now. Before my husband left, he had promised to call me as soon as the hearing is over to let me know what happens next.

As I sit on our bed, propped up with fluffy pillows and leaning against the headboard, I sip my mildly hot latte contentedly. I smile with fondness as I look at our family pictures hanging on the wall like a collage of framed memories. There is a picture of Stephen in his bright yellow-orange and purple basketball jersey, holding a basketball. Oliver is right beside him, an arm tightly draped around his shoulders. My husband is beaming – like a proud father showing off his son's accomplishment – and holding up the gold medal that was awarded to our son as the MVP of last year's inter-school league on the day their team had won the championship game.

Right beside that picture is the one of Emily and me singing a duet in church when she was seven. I can't help the chortle that escapes my mouth as I remember the digital glitch that occurred in the middle of our song. For some technical reason, the accompaniment track of our song got stuck when it was Emily's turn to sing the second verse. And how did my daughter react to the situation? With her head up high and a sparkle in her eyes, she pushed on and sang her solo a capella like a pro, with not a tinge of worry or hesitation apparent in her voice and body language. I had soon joined in at the chorus, singing the second voice, and our voices blended together perfectly until our final note. I can still remember racing down the side aisle towards the sound booth as soon as the enthusiastic and appreciative applause of the congregation died down (the loudest of which came from my own family). I just couldn't resist the lure of an unresolved technical difficulty. Needless to say, the problem was solved and the church got its technical systems in the sound booth and in the administration office upgraded after I had volunteered to work on them for a week, much to Reverend Olsen's satisfaction.

Then there's the picture of the twins below Stephen's. That picture was taken on their first birthday, which was "The" birthday bash of all birthday bashes. Oliver is holding TJ who was dressed in a Green Arrow costume, and I'm holding Liv who was all dolled up as the Black Canary. We posed for the shot just behind their gigantic DC superheroes-themed birthday cake. It was a lovely day. All of our loved ones and friends were there. Even my parents flew in from Las Vegas. But the best thing I remember about that day is the fact that it was the day that TJ first said "Mama" as I was putting him to sleep. Liv had been babbling a lot, months before they turned one, and was starting to build quite an extensive vocabulary. TJ, on the other hand, had learned to speak only a few words, and "Dada" had been one of them, much to Oliver's delight. I had started to worry that maybe there was something wrong with him, or that his development was delayed somehow. But ever since he called me Mama that night, his speech developed in leaps and bounds; he began to speak two or three new words each week. It turns out our son is simply naturally quiet and more introverted than the rest of his siblings.

Next to the picture of the twins is the most recent addition to the mosaic of memories on our favorite wall. It's a head-shot of Carrie, our pretty princess, taken fairly recently when she turned two. She is dressed in her golden dress, just like Belle in the Disney movie Beauty and the Beast, which is one of her favorites. Gazing at this particular picture of our youngest daughter is one of Oliver's favorite pastimes; her candid yet charming smile was captured perfectly by the photographer, and it never fails to melt her father's heart. Oliver and I often wonder how Carrie would turn out. Would she have the same smarts that I, Emily, and Liv have in common, or would she lean more towards the arts like TJ? Perhaps she'd be the sporty and athletic type like Stephen, or grow up to be as thoughtful and caring and responsible as Oliver. I know that much of who she really is inside and who she can be remains to be seen, yet I hope that she stays as sweet and adorable as she is right now.

At the center of the four framed photographs is a larger picture set in a silver-gold frame – our wedding portrait. Looking at it right now, I can only sigh in awesome wonder. What did I ever do to deserve such a wonderful man in my life? God must have seen how lonely I had been before I'd met Oliver and decided to wrap this terrific guy in a black and white CEO's suit as a pleasant surprise package to a simple IT girl struggling to raise a toddler on her own. My life had never been the same ever since. What did I ever do to deserve five fabulous, fantastic children? Carrie may or may not be our last, I don't know. But I am already happy and content with the life I have been graciously given. I realize that surviving that near-death experience is like being given a second chance at life, another chance to love and be loved, and I'm not going to waste it moping around in grief. I have to move on and enjoy life to its fullest.

My eyes move from their focus on the pictures to our bedroom desk, and I see my tablet. "Maybe I can make myself useful just for a little bit," I think to myself. "It's not like I'm going to exert a lot of effort and disobey doctor's orders." I carefully get out of bed and sit comfortably on the chair behind the desk, turning on my favorite gadget in the world.

I consider logging on to Queen Consolidated's systems and see how everything's been going in the past days that I've been on sick leave, but I decide to check my emails first. After reading and replying briefly to a few emails from family and friends who've been asking how I've been doing, I log on to my company email account to check on official, work-related emails. I'm surprised that there aren't very many new emails in my inbox, just a few inquiries from business partners and a couple of concerns forwarded by the Applied Sciences Division; I usually get flooded with emails from various departments if I don't get to check them in just a span of two days. "Maybe Oliver instructed department heads and board members to hold all reports, minutes of meetings, and routine correspondences until I get back," I say to myself.

After scrolling down the emails in the past few days and clearing my account from Spam mail, I click on the Inbox again to check for any new emails. There's one. My eyes instantly widen and my jaw drops upon reading who it's from – Shado Fei. My heartbeat begins to race and I swallow an imaginary lump that's lodged in my throat. I blink a few times to make sure I'm reading the sender's name right. I click to open the email and immediately notice that the message with subject "For Mr. and Mrs. Queen" had also been sent to Oliver's company email address using Shado Fei's company account. There is nothing on the email except an attachment; it's a video file named "Mae Fei's Confession." I click on it and view the file. Just five minutes into the video, I'm already calling John Diggle to alert Oliver that something absolutely urgent has come up and that he needed to stall the meeting until Captain Lance arrives. As soon as John hangs up, I call Quentin and ask him to come to the mansion A.S.A.P. Time is of the essence, because I have just stumbled upon legitimate, hard evidence that would close the case of our daughters' abduction, the attempted murder of Oliver and me, and the murder of Mae Fei by none other than… Helena Bertinelli.

Oliver:

The arbitration meeting is winding down, but neither Tommy and I nor Bertinelli and her lawyer are backing down. We've been at it for over an hour now, but it seems like neither party is interested in an amicable settlement. I certainly don't intend to give in to the malicious demands of a liar, and it's not just because I refuse to let go of the outrageous amount of money she's asking for. After all, it's just money. What I don't want to part with is my integrity and the respect of my family and the thousands of men and women working in my company who rely on my leadership and trustworthiness. Giving Helena Bertinelli any amount of money in exchange for her silence is like admitting that I was guilty of sexual harassment and that QC is culpable of unfair labor practices. And in my book, both are definitely out of the question. But the woman is hell-bent on taking advantage of me and the company, and on destroying the reputable name my parents had built for decades, the legacy they've left for me to pass on to my children and grandchildren. I really don't understand why she would do such a thing. Why does she hate me and my family so much? What had we done to her that would merit such fierce retaliation?

The arbiter assigned to our case by the Department of Labor's legal division is growing more and more irritable and impatient by the minute. The gray-haired, pot-bellied man holds up his hands in surrender, suggesting quite frankly that we should wrap up the meeting and just see in other in court. Just as I am about to give my whole-hearted consent, Diggle discreetly enters the room and hands me a note, whispering into my ear that it's from my wife and that I should read it immediately. Diggle walks away, but instead of leaving the room, he stands near the door like a soldier at attention, guarding the only exit anyone of us can use. My focus shifts from him to Tommy, who is still arguing with the arbiter and Bertinelli's lawyer, and then I notice the dark-haired woman glaring at me curiously. I look down at the folded note and open it.

"Stall. Lance is coming to arrest her," the note says in bold script.

It takes me a couple of seconds to process what the note means. I tried to put together the puzzle pieces inside my head in that short span of time, but I come up short. And yet because I have full confidence in Felicity, I quickly resolve to do exactly what she's asked me to do. I grit my teeth, and with clenched fists I take a deep breath, look up, and say, "Tommy, how long will it take to draw up the papers to clear Ms. Bertinelli from dishonorable termination for gross misconduct and to compensate her for moral damages?" That, in my mind, is the best I can do at the moment to force this meeting to stretch into another twenty minutes or so.

Tommy, however, obviously and vehemently disagrees with me. His eyes are ready to pop out in disbelief as he raises his voice to say, "What are you talking about, Oliver? Are you out of your mind?"

"Now we're talking, Mr. Queen," Mr. Capella, Helena's lawyer, remarks with a twinkle in his eye. He sits back down on his chair, motioning the legal arbiter to do the same.

His client, on the other hand, remains standing. Helena crosses her arms in front of her chest and frowns suspiciously at me. She slowly circles around the square table and returns to her seat. "Why the sudden change of heart, Mr. Queen?" she asks suspiciously, raising an eyebrow at me.

I look at Helena straight in the eye and reply, "This meeting's been dragging on forever, and it's wearing me down. You're a painfully stubborn woman, the kind that won't ever stop until she gets what she wants." I move around Tommy to return to my chair, and as I pass him, I give him a look that he – as my best friend since kindergarten – recognizes as our "trust-me-on-this" look. As I sit down and rest my folded hands on crossed legs, Tommy turns back around to face the rest of the people in the room. I hear him ask Helena, "If the money can be transferred to your account as soon as it's ready, will you sign a memorandum of agreement that you will forfeit your right to appeal this case any further or to take this matter to court?"

"Well, that depends, Mr. Merlyn…" is Helena's answer. The woman and her lawyer engage Tommy in a discussion about the proposed MOA, exploring possible angles that would ensure their unfair advantage. The arbiter just leans back in his chair and starts checking his phone for text messages and missed calls.

"I think my plan is working… for now," I think to myself. I glance at Dig to stay put, and with just one look, he knows that I'm asking him about Lance's whereabouts. He lifts a hand to his chin, all five fingers stretched out. He's telling me that Lance is five minutes out.

It's been the longest five minutes of my life. I remain quiet as Tommy skillfully maneuvers the discussion to prolong it as best he could. Just as time almost runs out, Captain Lance barges into the room with his partner, with detectives Farrell and Castillo, and with two other police officers – Roy Harper and his partner.

"Gentlemen, pardon the intrusion, but we are here to take Ms. Bertinelli into custody," my father-in-law says in an ironically unapologetic tone.

The expression on Helena Bertinelli's face is stone cold and hard as flint. She is about to be arrested, yet she appears proudly unperturbed. Atty. Capella is about to protest when Roy walks briskly towards Helena and begins to cuff her. Captain Lance then begins to recite her rights. "Helena Bertinelli, you are under arrest for the kidnapping of Olive Rose and Carrie Cruiser Queen, for being an accomplice to the attempted murder of Oliver and Felicity Queen, and for the murder of Mae Fei. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to an attorney…"

From here on, everything is a blur to me. Of course, I'm relieved and pleased that justice is now being served for all the wrongs that had been done to us and to my poor secretary, but I'm still very much confused as to how it all happened. One by one we leave the room and exited the building. The police escort Helena to the police car that's waiting at the curb. Tommy, Diggle, and I hear her lawyer promise to meet her at the precinct and arrange for bail so that she won't have to spend the night in jail.

"Good luck with that," Tommy mutters. "No judge in his right mind would grant bail that easily to someone facing three felonies, one of which is cold-blooded murder."

I hope not. I really hope not. Someone like Helena Bertinelli shouldn't be allowed to walk the streets of Starling City freely throughout the duration of the trial. No. I can't even begin to imagine what might happen if she's out on bail. She might go after my family again between her temporary release and prison, where I hope she will eventually end up. However all of this goes down, I'm counting on the police and the district attorney's office to do everything right in order to ensure that there's enough evidence to lock her away for good… for the sake of my family and in the name of justice.

Emily:

In the six days since my younger sisters have been back, I had made it a point to look after them myself. I knew that Mom wasn't in tip-top shape yet, so she and Dad needed Stephen and me to step up. Every morning I'd wake up to my alarm and make sure Lucia is already making a hearty breakfast, with at least one of my sisters' favorites. Then I'd go back upstairs to wake them up and get them ready for the morning meal. I've been having so much fun playing "big sister," something that I should have been doing voluntarily before all this crazy stuff happened. I didn't really have to wait for a life-threatening situation before I realized how much my siblings mean to me and how much I needed to show them that I do care about them.

Six days ago, the FBI agents and the police brought my sisters safely home. By the time Stephen and I arrived at the mansion with Uncle Tommy, Aunt Sara, Uncle John, and Uncle Roy, Aunt Thea had already gotten them washed up and ready for bed, even if was already five o'clock in the morning. The girls had insisted on sleeping in her room because they were still quite shaken up and didn't want to sleep by themselves in their respective rooms. As soon as Liv and Carrie saw me standing at the door of Aunt Thea's room, they hopped out of bed shouting "Emily!" They ran straight into my open arms and we hugged like there was no tomorrow. At that very moment, with tears rolling down our faces, I knew. I knew I had to stop being selfish and jealous all the time. I knew that each of us is special in our own way, and that our parents loved us all the same. I knew that I loved my siblings very much. I knew that I needed to try my very best from now on to put their needs before my own. I knew that each day I get to spend with them mattered now more than ever.

Everything that's happened recently made me realize that the Queens are a family, a family that I most certainly am an important part of. I belong… even if I have a different biological father. It doesn't matter how many more Queen babies turn up. I am loved none the less.

In fact, come to think of it, all of us are loved, including the precious one we had sadly lost. I would have wanted to find out what he or she looked like. I would have eagerly helped Mom take care of him or her. I would have treated her differently from how I'd treated my siblings before the series of unfortunate events made me realize I needed to shape up. I would have cherished and protected our little bundle of joy, if only he or she was given the chance to make it through seven more months. I would have. And if I never get the chance to do all that for another Queen baby again, I most certainly would do it for TJ, Liv, and Carrie, with Stephen's help.

My brother and I had made a pact the day Mom was brought home from the hospital. Stephen and I agreed and promised each other that we would have each other's backs and that we would take good care of our siblings from now on, even after Mom and Dad are gone (if we get to live long enough), and even if one of us has to go before the other. We had gone to our parents that night and told them about the pact. Both teary-eyed, Mom and Dad told us how proud they were of us and how much they appreciated the gesture and the promise. They reminded Stephen that he's the next man in the house, and that they are counting on him to be responsible as he is the oldest of the five of us, emphasizing that this holds true even now that he seems to have started having some sort of a love life. (I couldn't help but laugh at that point!) They reminded me that I am next in line, and that I should put my smarts to good use instead of making it an outlet for rebellion. (That was Stephen's turn to laugh and tease.) That night, the four of us bonded like we've never bonded before. My heart was filled with a sense of peace that all is well once again in the Queen home.

The flashbacks in my mind are disrupted by the giggles of Liv, Carrie, and TJ. I look up and see them with Stephen, who lifts them one by one onto their seats around the long kitchen counter. Everyone is enthusiastic about breakfast, seeing the scrumptious meal prepared by Lucia. I realize I had wandered off in my musings as I sat in my spot for I don't know how long; the butter I was supposed to spread on top of my pancake minutes ago had already melted.

As we enjoy our hearty breakfast, we hear voices at the foyer. There is some sort of commotion. "What's going on?" I ask Stephen.

"I don't know, Ems. You stay here with the kids. I'll find out what it is," my brother replies.

Stephen immediately stands up and heads out the kitchen to the foyer. Shortly, I hear his voice say, "Grandpa! What's going on?" And then I hear my mom's anxious voice, too. "Quentin! Thanks for coming so quickly." I could hear her footsteps coming down the stairs.

Something's going on all right, and I sure would like to know what it is.

Stephen:

Grandpa Quentin, his partner, and an SCPD IT specialist left the mansion in a hurry about thirty minutes ago after my mom showed him a video clip from her tablet. I recognized the voice of the woman on the video as Ms. Fei's, but I couldn't really make out what she was saying from where I stood. I didn't really understand what was going on. We were told Ms. Fei had been killed by some mysterious woman, and I felt bad that my dad's secretary ended up dead because she had helped the kidnappers take my younger siblings. Mom had told me to go back to the kitchen and help Emily with the little ones. Hesitantly, I obeyed. I walked back to the kitchen as my grandpa's and my mom's frantic conversation faded from my ears.

By the time I get back to the kitchen, Emily was already helping Carrie with her last bite of pancake. TJ was sipping the last few drops of milk from his glass, and Liv was getting ready to jump off the bar stool. It's a good thing I got there right in time to catch her before an accident happens. It has happened more than once before. Soon, Emily and I are taking the kids to their rooms and helping them with their morning baths. As soon as the three of them are settled in the playroom, I knock on the door of Emily's room.

"Hey, Ems!" I greet my sister as I lean my right shoulder against the door frame of her room. "What do you say we go ask Mom what happened a while ago?" Like me, Emily is just as intrigued, so she agrees to accompany me to our parents' room.

"Come in," Mom says after three knocks on their door. "Oh, hi, you two!" she greets us enthusiastically. "I'm guessing you're here to ask about what's going on?" she asks. The wide grin on her face tells me that whatever it is that's going on, it isn't bad news. Without even a word of explanation out of her mouth yet, I am already relieved.

"Yeah, Mom, what's going on?" Emily asks. "Stephen told me Grandpa was here."

Mom taps on her bed, inviting both of us to come and sit with her. Still smiling, she says, "Don't worry. Nothing bad is going to happen again. In fact, from now on I'm pretty sure things are going to start to go back to normal, now that the person that's ultimately responsible for everything that happened is in police custody."

"Who?" Emily asks.

"It's Helena Bertinelli. It turns out she was the one who masterminded the kidnapping and manipulated Slade Wilson into killing your Dad and me. She was also the one who shot Ms. Fei," Mom answers.

"Helena? Your ex-assistant?" Emily asks again in disbelief.

"Same one," Mom answers again.

"But why?" I ask incredulously. "How did that happen?"

"Revenge," my dad's voice echoes in the solid wood-paneled bedroom. My sister and I have been so engaged in the shocking revelation that we didn't notice Dad entering the room.

"You're back," Mom says to him. "How did it go?"

"Smoothly," Dad replies with a smile. He moved closer, crouched down over the edge of the bed to kiss Felicity on the forehead. "It's over. We can now sleep soundly and not worry about a vengeful killer on the loose. Thanks to your quick thinking, I suppose," he adds. Dad kisses our mother now, and she kisses him back. When they don't quit after a couple of seconds, my sister and I look at each other and we roll our eyes in frustration.

"Wait, wait a minute!" Emily interrupts, causing our parents to break their kiss. "We can give you lovebirds the privacy you need in a while, but please! Please give us first an acceptable explanation – no matter how brief – before we leave you two to do whatever it is you're starting to do."

"Ems… careful," I mumble, trying to warn my sister not to cross the line.

"Sorry," Emily says with a sigh.

"Apology accepted," our mom acknowledges.

"All right," our dad says. He pulls up a chair and sits directly in front of us beside their bed. "Listen, and listen well. When I'm done, you can ask the questions you want to ask." My sister and I nod our heads in agreement.

Dad begins to explain, "Your mom called Grandpa this morning as soon as she viewed a video from Ms. Fei, which was sent to her and my office email addresses. In this video, Mae Fei confessed-"

"Mae Fei? Who's that?" Emily suddenly butts in. Dad glares at her, clearly annoyed since he had told us not to interrupt him. But after a while he realizes he did owe the two of us some background information.

"I'm sorry. I forgot you two didn't know," Dad apologizes this time. "The secretary who'd been working for me is really Mae Fei, the twin sister of the real Shado Fei. Shado had passed away in a car accident before her sister Mae, who is a computer expert, stole her identity and got herself hired as my secretary at QC. It was all part of the plan that Helena Bertinelli had planned from the time she learned that Slade Wilson got out of prison on parole."

"And how are Mae Fei and Helena Bertinelli connected?" I ask curiously. The idea of the two assistants scheming together did not sit well with me, considering they were working so close to our parents. It's disconcerting to realize the danger our parents have been in for some time without anyone knowing about it.

Mom is the one to answer now. "According to Mae Fei's confession, Jake Spirelli, the other guy who was imprisoned for attacking me Christmas Eve years ago, is the common link. It turns out Spirelli is Helena's older 'half-brother' of sorts because he was Helena's mother's son in her first marriage. Helena's mother died when she was only six years old, so Spirelli practically raised her like his own daughter, considering the age difference between them. Helena herself had been involved in Spirelli's drug ring, dealing drugs to fellow teens all throughout high school and college. Mae admitted that it was actually Helena who convinced Spirelli to persuade me to come to the States on a fiancée's visa because the half-siblings saw her value as an IT expert to their drug syndicate. Everything had been going well for the three of them, and Slade Wilson, until that fateful night when they got arrested for attacking me and Oliver. Later in a prison brawl, Spirelli was killed and Slade Wilson was stabbed in the eye."

Dad continues to tell the awful tale. "At first, Helena only planned to set me up with a labor complaint and draw up charges against me for sexual harassment. She only wanted to extort money and drag the Queen family name down the drain. That was the original plan that she confided with Mae Fei, who at the time was already her friend and roommate. But when she found out that Slade had been released from prison on parole, she had Mae Fei track him. When they found him, he was already a changed man. Prison had hardened his conscience, and the horrific stories of prison that he'd told her changed her, too. When she learned how much they'd suffered in there, her original plan evolved into a full-blown criminal intent. It didn't take much convincing by Helena for him to participate in her evil plan to avenge her brother's death. She and Slade, in turn, convinced Mae Fei to join their vendetta because they needed her technical expertise to carry out their plans. Helena had Mae turn in her resume at QC when she learned that the position for Oliver's assistant was open for hiring, knowing that they could more effectively implement their plans with the two of them working in closely with me and Oliver. Mae confessed in the video that the plan was to kidnap the kids because that was easier accomplished compared to taking the CEO and the Board President in such a secure facility as QC, and to ask for their ransom, in addition to the huge amount of money the company would pay to keep Helena from going public with her labor and sexual harassment complaints."

"Mae swore she didn't know that Helena and Slade had really planned to take us in exchange for the girls and then kill us in cold blood," Mom goes on to explain. "Mae only suspected foul play when she overheard Slade call Oliver asking for an exchange – the two of us for Liv and Carrie. She realized that Helena and Slade couldn't be trusted and that her own life was in danger. Afraid of being double-crossed, she recorded a full confession with her i-phone and uploaded it into her account when Slade left for the rendezvous point. She set it up so that if she did not log in to her account in seven days, the email with the video attachment would be automatically sent to Oliver's and my email addresses. She left the confession as her insurance policy, just in case something happened to her."

"And it did," Emily says, unable to keep her mouth shut anymore. "That's what she gets for hanging out with criminals."

"Emily! Watch your mouth," Mom scolds her. Emily purses her lips tightly in response. "Whatever Mae Fei did, she's paid for it with her own life. She doesn't need us judging her any more. Your sisters also did say that she tried to keep Slade from hurting them and TJ. Despite everything, she wasn't all that bad."

"I'm sorry," is all that Emily mutters.

"Well, that's all history now. Helena Bertinelli is going to jail for her crimes. Our family is all together, and we're safe. That's all that matters to me," I say after keeping quiet all this time.

Dad pats me on the back and says, "Amen, son!" He stands up and reaches out for Mom's hand. "Come on, let's all go see what the little ones are up to. I told Diggle to take the rest of the day off. Because I'm taking the rest of the day off from work and spending it with my beautiful wife and our five lovely children."

"I like the sound of that," Mom says with a warm smile on her face, as she takes his hand and gets up from the bed. The four of us march to the playroom and find TJ, Liv, and Carrie playing with their plastic light sabers, pretending to be Jedi younglings in training.

Liv:

Today has been a truly terrific day! After lunch together at the mansion, Dad took us to the country club for an afternoon swim. It's been a while since we've been there, and they've added a brand new, 5-feet-high, red slide to the kiddie pool. TJ and I had a blast taking turns climbing the ladder and splashing down the slide into the water where Stephen was there, ready to catch us each time. We had so much fun!

Mom and Emily decided to spend the afternoon in the club salon because Dad said that Mom wasn't quite ready yet to go for a swim. When they met us at the club's recreation room that Dad had reserved exclusively for us for the rest of the day, I clapped my hands and shouted, "Gorgeous! Hey, guys, look! Mom and Emily look gorgeous!" Dad and Stephen, who were busy playing billiards in the corner of the room, turned around and their mouths gaped open. Mom and Emily had their finger nails and toe nails done; Mom's were painted blood red, while Emily's were painted bright pink. Emily obviously had a haircut, her blonde hair now chin-length, layered, and styled. Mom looked absolutely fantastic. Her naturally smooth and wavy blonde hair had been straightened, attractively tumbling down her shoulders. Her face glowed as if sunshine itself reflected on it; it's like one of those models in beauty magazines endorsing skin care treatments.

Dad walked over to our mother and immediately pulled her in for a tender kiss on the lips. "You look perfect, honey," he said to her. Mom simply smiled and blushed. "New dress?" Dad asked.

"Yeah," Mom replied, "After all the crazy things we've been through lately, I thought I could use some pampering and a nice new dress to wear. Found this nice piece in the club's boutique, and I knew it was something that my husband will surely appreciate."

Dad traced the strap of her new red summer dress with his finger from the top of her shoulder to the edge of the dress's bust line, and then he remarked with a mischievous grin, "Your husband surely does."

"Well, thank you very much, Mr. Queen," Mom responded with gratitude. "I told the cashier in the boutique to put this on your tab." Mom winked at him, kissed him on the cheek, and put down her things on the nearest table.

For the rest of the evening, we played different kinds of games. Pizza, pasta, and drinks were brought in by the club's servers a short while back.

Now, we're eating dinner while watching the Ninja Turtles 2 movie on the giant LED screen. Mom groans in admiration the first time the actor playing Casey Jones appears, and carelessly confesses that the guy is her latest favorite actor because he looks a lot like Dad. Dad glares and frowns at her, and she knows she's in trouble. She instantly tells all of us that Dad is way more handsome and sexier than that actor. "Yeah, right!" we all shout and laugh. Dad then tickles her side and tells her that he was just teasing.

I just love watching the fluffy stuff of our parents, and I love seeing our family having fun together. It's days like this that make me thankful to be part of the Queen family, even though sometimes we have it rough. Even though I'm sad that we had lost the baby in Mommy's tummy, I'm really happy that Carrie and I made it back safe and sound.

TJ:

After our afternoon swim, Stephen helped me shower. Dad had given the girls their baths and was busy getting them dressed. It's a good thing he reserved a private bathroom for our family, otherwise, it would be awkward for Liv and Carrie to come with us to the boys' bathrooms. Soon we were all ready to go.

Dad told us that we were headed to the recreation room where we would be spending the rest of the day. "Yey!" I squealed. "Do they have Wii?" I asked. Dad said yes. He picked me up and carried me the rest of the way.

As we were walking, Dad remembered something. He turned to me and said, "I just remembered a promise I made to you when the police found you at the basement parking. Do you remember what I promised, son?" I nodded. "You said we would go to the car show," I said. I gave my dad the sweetest smile. "That's right! I'm asking my new secretary to book us two tickets to the Ferrari car show next month," Dad said.

Remembering the promise made me remember that frightening night. I was all alone in that dark basement. I thought my parent would never find me. I was so worried for my sisters, and so scared of that one-eyed man who took them and hurt Ms. Fei. But snuggled up in my dad's arms, and hearing him say, "I love you, TJ," made me feel all better.

I know my parents will always take good care of me. I know Stephen and Emily will, too. When I grow up, I'm going to be just like my Dad and help him run his company. I'm going to draw models of the gadgets, machines, super computers, and robots that my mommy and her team of scientists and inventors at QC can only imagine in their minds. I'm going to make my family proud.

Right now the movie is almost done, and we're enjoying dessert. Mom ordered her favorite mint chocolate chip ice cream for all of us. Everyone is smiling, laughing at Dad's corny jokes. I happen to think they're really funny.

Carrie:

Just as the last spoonful of ice cream goes into my mouth, I hear my mom's phone beep. I reach for it and give it to her. "Mom! You have a text," I say to her and then, I give her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks, princess," Mom says. She looks at the screen and says, "It's from Sara."

Mom reads the message, and then I see a smile on her face. It must be good news. I really, really like it when Mommy smiles. It makes her prettier.

Oliver:

"Honey! Listen to this. Sara just texted," Felicity call's my attention with her loud voice. My wife is obviously excited about something that Sara texted her, and she starts to babble. "She says she got the promotion! Her boss in Central City was so happy about her involvement in the Cradle Snatcher investigations and in the way our case went down. Even Agent Hotchner endorsed the promotion. She's now the head of the Missing Persons Division of the FBI headquarters in Central City. She says they're now looking into setting up a branch here at Starling within the next year or so."

"That's great!" I remark. "Tell her congratulations from all of us. And tell her to say hi to Tommy for me. He must be so proud."

"Way to go Aunt Sara!" Emily yelled.

Felicity stands and walks up to me. She softly says something that she doesn't want our children to hear. "Oh, and Sara said to tell you, Honey, that the Cradle Snatcher's been caught. He's in jail in Seattle now, awaiting trial for his serial murders." This is certainly good news. No more innocent, defenseless daughters will be taken from their families, mercilessly killed, and dumped shamelessly by that criminal. Felicity and I hold hands and lean against each other's foreheads as a memorial to the victims and their families, whispering silent prayers of thanksgiving that our family was so graciously spared.

Just then my own phone rings, and I pick up the call. It's Thea. The corners of my lips turn up until my face breaks out into a wide grin.

Felicity:

I can tell it's another good news. When Oliver hangs up, he announces to all of us, "That was your Aunt Thea. Apparently, Aunt Sara is not the only one that's getting promoted. Uncle Roy is, too."

"What?!" I exclaim. "That's wonderful!"

"Yeah, it is!" Oliver answers, looking at me this time. "When Farrell and Castillo filed the final report on the rescue and recovery ops for us and the girls, they put in a good word for Roy and included his contribution to the success of the mission. They recommended that his name be added to the list of police officers in their precinct that were up for promotion. The list made it to the Police Commissioner's desk. Beginning next month, Roy will be a police detective, still in Dad's precinct."

My eyes tear up. Helena's been caught. Sara gets promoted. Roy becomes a police detective. Three incredible blessings in one day. There is cause for celebration, and my husband was so right to pick this day for our family to just let loose.

I love my life, and I can't ask for anything more. I know it won't always be easy, and sometimes dark skies and storm clouds will come. But I have Oliver, and he has me, and we bring back the sunshine for each other in this lonely and broken world. We have our children, and they are the rainbows that color our lives with joy each time we have to sail through a raging tempest. We have everything we need and more. We are the Queens, and we are blessed.

***** THE END *****