May 10, 2022

The first thing that strikes Will as strange is that his mom intends to stick around. That's unusual. She and his dad get along okay, but it's not like they spend time together except for his sake. The second thing is the grim, anxious press of his father's smile when he answers the door. That's enough to set off alarms in Will's head and make him a whole lot more alert of what's going on around him.

But, Ellie is clearly, blissfully unaware.

"It's my birthday!" she announces, barrelling through the room and launching herself at him when she gets close. Luckily, he's well prepared and scoops her up from mid-air, leaving a loud, wet smack of a kiss on his newly-four-year-old sister's cheek.

"Happy birthday, Ellie-bug!" he tells her. Her answering smile is blinding.

"I'm four, Will! Four whole years old," she reminds him.

"I know," Will laughs. "I remember when you were born. You were early. You scared your mom."

"Well, we had it on pretty good authority what day she'd arrive on," Oliver points out. His voice is grumbly and tight. Will's a touch surprised to see his mom grip his dad's shoulder in a quick moment of solidarity. They aren't close, after all, but his father glances back with a grateful look on his face. Will holds Ellie a little tighter at that, because what exactly is going on?

"Is everything okay?" he asks, looking between his parents.

"Of course it is, silly!" Ellie declares. "It's my birthday!"

That's not an answer, of course, as much as she might think that it is, and Will is hyperaware of the hesitant glances between his mom and dad. But, ultimately, distraction comes honestly.

And loudly.

"Oh thank god," Felicity announces, hand to her chest as she pushes down obvious panic. She's enormous these days, less than a month away from giving birth to Will's baby brother, and he's kind of amazed that she was able to waddle into the room as quickly as she does. But he's also got far too much sense to say that aloud. "Ellie, baby," she says sternly. "You can't run off like that."

Ellie's head quirks to the side and her brow furrows in clear confusion. "We're at home…" she replies, looking from her mother to her father like none of this makes sense at all to her. That's fair because it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to Will either.

At least, not right away.

"Just for today, Ellie-bug," his dad says, brushing his fingers through the little girl's curls. It's the motion of his dad's hands that draw's Will's attention, but that's not what keeps it. No, what keeps it is a brand new, shiny necklace his little sister's wearing.

Will's heart drops to the floor at the sight and his head spins with the implications, but Ellie's grinning widely, holding it out for him to see, clearly having caught on to what he was looking at.

"Isn't it pretty?" she asks, her eyes bright and innocent. "It's all shiny! Cisco made it for me. He came for my party, too. So did Barry and Caitlin and Iris and everybody's here."

"Yeah," Will says dimly, forcing a smile a moment later as he swallows and meets Ellie's eyes. "Yeah, I bet they are."

"Will…" his father says slowly, obviously realizing that his eldest has caught on to exactly what his littlest sister is wearing and what it means.

"I'm glad you're here," Ellie says seriously, kissing Will's cheek. "I gotta get down, though. Barry said he was super hungry from running here and I need to protect my cake because you know how he gets."

"Barry is not going to eat your cake," Felicity huffs, rolling her eyes and holding out her hand for her younger daughter as Will puts her down. "But let's go make sure he doesn't go through the rest of the snacks on his own, okay?"

Even at not-quite-fourteen, Will's incredibly aware of what's going on with the people around him. That's doubly true when it's his family. And he doesn't miss when Felicity grips Ellie's hand tightly enough that her knuckles lose some color and her thumb soothes over the back of the little girl's hand like she's trying to prove to herself that her daughter is still there.

Will waits for his stepmother and sister to leave the room before turning to look at his dad. "You could've told me. I'm not an idiot, you know."

Annoyance creeps up quickly. He's a teenager, damn it. Practically an adult. This is his family. If his baby sister might be in danger, he ought to know about it.

"We didn't want to worry you, honey," his mom says, butting in. And that tells him a whole lot right there. It'd been his mom's decision to keep him out of the loop and his dad had gone along with it. He wonders what his father would have chosen if he'd had his way.

"I'm not a little kid!" he insists, hating that it sounds petulant and a little whiny, completely contradicting his point. He takes a deep breath and looks back to his dad, making an effort to keep his voice serious and level. Adult. "I'm not. I deserve to know things, too."

Hesitance greets him in response. His dad takes a slow breath and licks his lips, casting his eyes briefly toward Will's mom. Will's pretty sure she's not gonna cave, so he pushes whatever advantage he's got.

"Dad," he stresses. "You wanna tell me if Zoom's showed up or am I gonna have to find out when time rips in half right in front of me."

It's a low blow - but an accurate one - and Will feels more than a little bad when his father flinches and blinks too hard, too fast, like he's trying to banish an image imprinted on his mind's eye.

"No," his father replies. "There's been nothing, but-"

"But today's the day the other Ellie got sent back in time," Will finishes for him.

It is.

He knows that.

But it still feels like a punch to the gut when he watches his father nod slowly in reply. "Better safe than sorry," he notes.

"And that's why you're staying, right Mom?" Will demands, turning to face her.

"I didn't want you here at all," she replies. Will wants to protest immediately, but keeps quiet, tightening his jaw and gritting his teeth as she continues. "Your sister's birthday or not, I wanted you far away from all of this. But your father pointed out enough has changed that we can't know who, if anyone, will be in danger. You're safer here where there are a lot of people to protect you, too."

"I can protect myself," Will answers, unable to hold his tongue any more. He's so indignant right now. His mom is treating him like a baby - like he's the one turning four instead of Ellie - and it makes him so angry because that's just unfair. "I can protect myself and Ellie. I'm her big brother. It's my job to help keep her safe."

"Will..." his dad says slowly, putting a hand on his shoulder. It's not without sympathy, but Will's not satisfied by unspoken support.

"No," Will insists, stepping back and crossing his arms in defiance. "You'd have wanted to protect Aunt Thea when you were a teenager, if she was in danger."

His dad winces at the mention and Will feels a touch guilty about bringing up Aunt Thea, but his point is completely valid and he knows it.

"I still want to protect your Aunt Thea," his father says solemnly. His face is grave at the words and he looks so much older for a moment that it's startling. "I get where you're at, Will. I do. But you're our son. The view looks different from our perspective than it did when I was your age. Maybe you'll understand that one day."

"That's not fair," Will protests, thoroughly unsatisfied with the answer. "You know if you were in my shoes, you'd-" But anything else he'd been about to add gets left unsaid when Jules steps into the room.

Everyone freezes.

"What's going on?" she asks, a suspicious line to her brow as her eyes dart between the three of them.

"Nothing, honey," her father tells her. "Nothing you need to worry about." The qualification means he's not lying, exactly. He definitely thinks it's nothing she needs to know about, but Will is positive that his seven-year-old sister won't see it that way at all. She's been more vocal these past few months about her thoughts, but she's also lashed out a lot more. Not at him, though. He's been lucky. Some days it feels like she's got a chip on her shoulder toward everyone but him, and Will's both grateful for that and wishes he knew a way to help her. Jules has a tendency to see slights against her where none are intended.

"Sure," she says dryly, clearly not buying her father's denial in the least. Their dad looks hurt at the response and Will knows full well that he's mentally scrambling to try and repair things with Jules as best he can.

"I promise, Julie-bug," Oliver says heavily, watching his older daughter. "It's grown up Arrow stuff, okay? Nothing I want you worried about. I want you to have fun and enjoy the party."

"Is that why Barry's here and Uncle Digg has a gun?" she asks, cocking her head to the side and raising an eyebrow at her father. She's perceptive to a fault, sometimes. And when she latches on to something, she's unlikely to let go.

"We're just being careful," he replies, which is sort of confirmation but also a dismissal of the conversation. "Why don't you go show your brother the decorations out back?"

"Sure," she replies sharply. "Maybe I'll show him the best places to play hide and seek, while I'm at it."

Lord, she sounds childish right now. She's being petulant and difficult on purpose - fully aware that the adults are hovering like something might strike and put them in danger at any moment - and Will can read the frustration on his father's face like it's spelled out in words. Jules voicing her mistrust of her place in the family a few months ago had thrown him and Felicity for a loop. They've been walking on eggshells ever since, trying to repair what they didn't even know was broken. Sometimes Will thinks that does more harm than good. But, then, he's never been in their shoes. Jules seems to trust him, to lump him into a different category than the rest of her family.

"You like making Dad and Felicity panic, don't you?" Will asks her.

"It's a hobby," she replies, offering him a smile.

"Come on, Brat," he says affectionately, walking over and ruffling her hair. "Hey!" she protests loudly. But it's half-hearted at best and he keeps his hand atop her head as he says, "Lead me to the food. I'm starving."

"You're always hungry," she counters as they head through the kitchen. He drums his fingers along the top of her skull just to annoy her. It works, of course, and she swats at his hand with a, "Quit it, dorkbrain!" after a moment.

"Dorkbrain?" he asks with a laugh, letting his hand fall away. She just shrugs and sticks her tongue out at him as a reply. He laughs harder at the sight. "We need to work on your insults, Brat."

"I'm not a brat," she insists, pushing open the back door. He blinks as sunlight invades his eyes, momentarily blinding him.

"All evidence to the contrary," he quips. But he puts an arm around her and tugs her close in stark contradiction to their banter. He loves the hell out of his sister, but she accepts that best with a bit of snark attached to it. And he's happy to provide that. "Wow, so… like everyone is here," he adds, slowing his gait to a stop as he steps into the yard.

It's true. Practically everyone ever associated with Team Arrow is on hand, filling the backyard of the brownstone. And, in spite of the balloons and streamers and pin-the-tail-on-Rascal-the-Racoon, he can sense the uneasiness of the space. Everyone is alert and, even though it's more obvious with some than others, everyone is armed. Ellie doesn't seem to notice - she's too wrapped up in the joys of turning four, twirling in circles in front of Aunt Thea so that her party dress billows out - but it's not going to escape Jules or Little Sara.

"So… this is a fun party, right?" Little Sara asks. Her tone is insincere and she trades knowing looks with Jules. While the two aren't especially close, in spite of being the same age, when they are in sync it's like they're two-of-a-kind.

"I really like how Dad's bow is leaning up against the house," Jules agrees. Her voice is all sass. "Very festive."

"My favorite might be how Big Sara's twirling the stick for the pinata like it's her bo," Little Sara adds.

"It's multipurpose," Jules muses. It's like she's trying to sound older than she is and her voice makes Will shake his head in disbelief. She's seven. What the hell is she doing using words like 'multipurpose?'

"So, you're going to tell us what's going on, right?" Little Sara asks, suddenly drawing his attention back to the girl.

It's only when Will takes a moment to look between the two girls that he realizes he's been played. By two first graders. When, exactly, they decided he was the weakest link in the information chain, he's not sure, but they definitely did. They look at him with twin expectant gazes awaiting an explanation and all Will can do is laugh nervously.

"We're not babies," Jules points out, crossing her arms in front of her and cocking her head to the side. "We deserve to know."

It does not escape Will that her rationalization sounds a whole lot like his and realizing that is a bit jarring. But, in his mind, he'd very much had a point - he's a teenager after all - where the girls are just a bit deluded about how ready they are for the realities of the world around them.

"It's, uh… it's Ellie's fourth birthday," Will tells them, sort of hoping they'll do the math themselves and figure things out without him saying anything that implicates him of clueing in his baby sister on information their dad and Felicity had obviously kept from her intentionally.

"So that's a reason to hit DEFCON two?" Jules asks, looking up at him in disbelief, clearly not buying his words in the least.

"Where did you get the term DEFCON from?" WiIl questions, blinking back at her.

"I watched movies with Uncle Roy last weekend," Jules informs him, which thoroughly explains that, anyhow. "Don't dodge the question, Will."

"We are not at DEFCON two," Will tells her firmly. Surely it's no worse than three, right? It's not that bad. It's not like…

"Nyssa is in full League armor and hasn't taken her hand off of her sword since she got here," Little Sara deadpans.

Will looks across the yard to find that's true. The assassin currently eyes the pinata like either she can't figure out what it is or possibly it might attack at any moment, but she's on high alert, too, and it's very obvious that she's highly aware of everything going on around her.

"You… might have a point," Will allows with a wince.

"So, are you gonna tell us or are you gonna be like the adults and treat us like we're toddlers?" Jules demands. It's a test. She's asking Will if she can trust him or if she should lump him into the same group she's relegated everyone else. Will can't tell her everything. He can't. But he also can't tell her nothing and he knows it.

"I'm going to tell you that it's Ellie's fourth birthday. It is May tenth of 2022. And because of that, everyone is here," Will tells her. His voice is pointed and his eyes intense, like he's trying to drive that point home without saying anything at all.

Jules' brow furrows at that, clearly trying to interpret what he's trying to tell her without telling her, but missing the significance of the date. Sara's clearly at a loss too and Will's hard pressed to decide who amongst the three of them is the most frustrated.

"What's with the grouchy faces? You'd think you were Oliver's kids or something."

All three of them turn to Roy at the same time.

"Hilarious, Uncle Roy," Jules says with an unimpressed air.

"Thanks," he smiles. "I thought so. But, seriously, what's up? Did Felicity cut you off from fruit juice already?"

"Well.. yes, actually," Jules grumbles. "She said there'd be enough sugar with the cake later."

"I'll sneak you some," Roy tells her, risking a glance in Felicity's direction before winking at Jules. Will's eyebrows shoot up at that as he gives his uncle a wary look. He considers himself a brave guy, but he's not foolhardy and he's not about to go up against Felicity's rules. Not ever, but especially not when she's eight months pregnant and he saw her cry over dropping a strawberry on the floor by mistake last week. Pregnancy makes women crazy, Will's decided.

"This is why I love you, Uncle Roy," Jules says sweetly. Sara's wearing the same exact look. They might as well have identical fake halos hanging above their heads. It's obvious to Will that they've redirected their focus on Roy to pry information out of, but his uncle has no clue what's coming.

"I got your back, kid," he promises with a grin.

"I know," Jules agrees. "You always do." Her eyes are huge, adoring, and while some of that is honest, a much bigger part of it is Jules playing her advantage to get what she wants. Roy is unsuspecting enough that Will sighs and shakes his head. So, that, of course, is exactly when Jules strikes. "That's why you'll tell me what's going on today. Right, Uncle Roy?"

Roy freezes. Nothing moves at all except for his eyes, which dart back and forth warily between Jules and Sara, who have him absolutely pinned with their expectant gazes. Really, he should have seen this coming, in Will's opinion. But, it's clear that he's completely unprepared.

"A… uh… a birthday party," Roy tries lamely. Will actually covers his face with his hands so he doesn't have to look at the completely disbelieving look on Jules' face that he knows has taken it over.

"Only in my family does a party mean all the adults carry around weapons," Jules huffs out in frustration. "Come on, Uncle Roy. Don't lie to me. Everyone keeps things from me or lies to me, but you don't."

"Hey!" Will protests, letting his hands fall away as he looks at Jules. She seems a little abashed by her words when confronted with his annoyance.

"Okay, not everyone," she amends, tilting her head to acknowledge her big brother.

"Your parents don't lie to you, Jules," Roy counters, looking a whole lot more serious than he usually does. "They don't even keep much of anything from you. They never hid that your dad was The Arrow from you. They never lied about the first Ellie coming back in time. That's why this is bothering you so much today. Because they don't lie and they don't keep things from you. Give them some credit. They deserve it."

Sometimes Uncle Roy seems like an overgrown teenager. He's fun and lighthearted, someone Will wishes he had more of a chance to see because he seems like the kind of person he could just goof off with. But then there's moments like this one - or moments where the weight of Thea's medical problems weighs down on them all - and he's suddenly serious, focused, entirely an adult, and it gives Will a bit of whiplash because he never expects it.

"Give them a break, Jules," Roy orders. "Today isn't easy for them. They're terrified and putting on a happy face for your little sister, so lay off them today, would you?"

That snags Jules' attention and something about the wording clearly tickles at the edges of her understanding. She quirks her head to the side and her brow pinches as she mulls things over.

But, in the end, it's Sara who catches on first.

"The first Ellie," she realizes aloud, grabbing onto Jules' elbow. "This is the day she went back in time, in her timeline." Jules says nothing, but that's typical when she's deep in thought. She worries at her bottom lip with her teeth and her eyes turn guarded. Sara, in turn, is the exact opposite. "They're worried it'll happen here, too," Sara realizes aloud. "They're afraid Zoom is gonna pop up and grab Ellie."

It's not Roy or Sara that Jules turns to, seeking confirmation; it's Will. Because she always turns to him first. Most of the time, that's a point of pride for the teenager. He loves that his sister knows she can rely on him. But today it just hurts because she's as closed off as he's ever seen her and he can see shades of the same fear that lives in her parents' eyes living in her own. Jules, however, is not about to acknowledge that.

"She'll be fine," Will promises, resting a hand on Jules' back. "The yard is overflowing with assassins and metahumans and vigilantes ready to protect her, but there's nothing to worry about because nothing bad is gonna happen, anyhow. This isn't the other timeline."

He can practically see her force down her worry and hone in on her snark. It's easier for her. A defensive Jules is a difficult one. It's so much easier for her to pretend she doesn't care, that nothing can hurt her. But Will knows that's only because she feels everything so deeply.

"Whatever," she says after a minute, folding her arms in front of herself and hunching her shoulders. Suddenly, Will wonders if they hadn't told Jules what was going on because it would have been too much for her. "Of course they're making a big deal out of Ellie. I'm gonna go get some food."

She's gone before Will has a chance to even sigh in frustration, making her way across the yard to a big table with an impressive spread of food laid out atop it. She grabs a plate right away, but makes no move to fill it up. Instead, she stares at Ellie who laughs unreservedly a few feet away as her Aunt Thea blows bubbles that she tries to catch. Each and every one pops the instant her fingers touch them, but that doesn't seem to bother her at all. The sisters are like night and day, sometimes.

"I'm gonna stick with Ellie," Sara decides aloud, suddenly drawing Will's attention back to the girl. "You know, just in case."

"Don't tell her anything," Roy tells her. "She won't understand. She's too little for that and it would ruin her birthday. You got me, little Diggle?"

"I got you," Sara confirms with a firm nod before heading over to join Ellie. She tries to help catch the bubbles and Ellie is obviously delighted to have her best friend playing alongside her, but Will can easily see how much more alert the seven-year-old is than usual. Just like the many adults in the yard, she's keyed up for something to happen, for anything to go wrong.

Jules is, too, he realizes. She's just a whole lot more subtle about it. She hovers nearby under the shade of the big tree that houses their fairy castle, not joining in. Everything about her projects that she wants to be left alone, but she's as aware of her surroundings as can be and she rarely lets her gaze drift from Ellie. Jules cares. She cares so much that she doesn't know what to do with it sometimes and a big part of Will wants to go hug his sister and tease her until she smiles and rolls her eyes at him.

But this isn't the time for that. Sometimes Jules needs space, time to process, and he's learned to read her well enough to know that this is definitely one of those times.

"Should I have lied to them?" Roy's voice is unsure and when Will turns to his uncle, the other man is still looking at the girls with a furrowed brow. "I know your dad didn't want Jules to know, but she's got more figured out than her parents wanna realize."

"Lying just makes things worse," Will tells him. Roy looks at him expectantly, waiting for more. That his uncle has never treated him like he was a little kid whose opinion doesn't deserve consideration is one of Will's very favorite things about him. And, that's on full display right now. The older man is clearly not just hearing him, but also listening to him. Will likes that. A lot. "Jules' trust isn't easily earned and it doesn't take much to break it. She's… she's got a lot going on in that head of hers right now. She needs to know there are people who have her back who she can turn to. That's you and that's me. It needs to stay that way."

Roy thinks about that for a minute before nodding and looking back to his niece. "I love that kid… and not just 'cause she's making her dad's hair turn gray, but that's a big plus, too."

"It's pretty funny when she makes his eye twitch, too," Will agrees with a grin. Sometimes Jules' sass is a lot more palatable than others.

Roy doesn't say anything to that, but the grin on his face and the way his eyes light up absolutely say that he agrees completely. Will doesn't linger on the sight, though, because something catches his eye from behind his uncle.

"Hey, do me a favor and keep an eye on Jules?" Will asks. "I've got something I need to do real quick."

"Yeah," Roy agrees, giving him a guarded look. "Everything okay?"

"It's fine," Will tells him. "I'll be back in just a few and I'm just stepping inside. Just… if Jules needs anything or if she's looking for me, let me know?"

"You got it," Roy agrees before clapping him on the shoulder and making his way over to Jules' side, sitting next to her on the grass and stealing a piece of fruit from her plate. She scowls at him and gives him a hard time about getting his own food, but it's half-hearted at best and Will feels a lot better about stepping away after seeing it.

Which is good, because someone else in his family needs him right now.

While pretty much everyone is mingling outside, there is one person who's wound up back in the kitchen. Will steps into the room, quietly shuts the door behind him and stops, not entirely sure what to do next.

Felicity is one of the strongest people he's ever known. She is fiercely protective and loyal, endlessly accepting and loving. But, through some combination of pregnancy hormones and stress, today has clearly overwhelmed her. She's standing near the sink, close enough to the party outside that she can watch Ellie through the window, but far enough away that she can let herself be a wreck without anyone noticing. She grips the edge of the countertop with one hand and presses the palm of her other to her mouth as she sucks down a ragged sob.

Even though he knows what this is about, Will's instinct is to ask her what's wrong. He doesn't though.

Instead he crosses the room toward her. She spots him, jolting in surprise when he's about halfway there, and she goes to say something, but he doesn't slow his stride at all. Instead, he closes in on her and pulls her into a tight hug.

She sags against him almost immediately, holding on like he's the only thing keeping her upright. He's nearly as tall as her now and her faded blonde hair tickles his nose when she rests her chin on his shoulder. "I'm sorry," she sniffles. "Nothing's wrong."

"It's okay to be scared anyhow," he says. "You're a good mom. You're gonna worry."

The noise she makes in response is somewhere between a laugh and a cry, but she loosens her hold on him and pulls back until she's looking him in the face. She cups his cheeks and kisses his forehead. She has to push up slightly on her tiptoes to do it, these days, and the baby bump housing his little brother makes everything awkward, but that doesn't matter so much.

"You're the best, kiddo," she tells him when she sets back down on her heels.

"I know," he says with a cheeky grin, just to make her smile. "So… are you really okay? Did you need me to get Dad?"

"No," she says immediately. "God, no. He needs to be completely focused on Ellie today. That's why…" She stops and shakes her head, like she's trying to rid the thought from her mind, but Will knows the rest of what she didn't say. That's why she's in here. That's why she's stepped away. That's why when she got overwhelmed, she disappeared but kept everyone in sight. "Today's just hard," she continues, taking a deep breath. "I keep remembering… I keep seeing… and it's not just her, you know. It's the other Ellie, too, because today was…"

She can't even quite finish a thought. She's that overwhelmed right now and it leaves Will just wanting to protect her more, to make things better.

"Our Ellie is fine," Will reminds her, tilting his head toward the yard where Ellie is pelting adults with exceedingly well-aimed water balloons. "And it's okay to miss the other Ellie, still."

"I do," Felicity admits. "Not like I used to. And I know she's where she belongs. But that's not quite what I meant." Will waits, watches, gives a little nod to prompt her to continue. "It's the other Felicity," she confesses. "That first Ellie's actual mom. If I'm this much of a mess when nothing's even happened, what was it like for her? And, God, to have had her missing for the next month? To give birth to Nate without knowing where my little girl is? To not even know if she's safe or if I'd ever see her again? I can't even imagine it. I don't want to. But, back then, I wanted to keep her, Will. How could I think that way? I didn't want to give her back."

"You did, though," Will points out immediately, even if he's a bit uncertain he's saying the right thing. It feels right. But he's only thirteen, after all, and his understanding of how his stepmother feels is theoretical at best. "And that other Felicity was so lucky to have someone who loved her Ellie so much taking care of her, right?"

Felicity must pick up on his hesitance because she sighs hard and kisses his cheek before stroking the hair back from his brow. "You're such a good kid, Will. I love you. You shouldn't have to deal with this. I'm sorry, honey. You should go back and enjoy the party."

"No!" he protests immediately. His voice squeaks a little and he flushes as he clears his throat. It's incredibly annoying how that seems to happen whenever he really, really doesn't want to seem like a little kid to someone. "No," he says again. "I came in here because I saw you through the window and I knew you were upset. No one should be alone when they're upset… unless they really wanna be, anyhow, but especially not you."

"You're such a sweetheart," she sniffles. It's probably the pregnancy, for the most part, but Will's pretty sure she's about to burst into tears again. "How did I get so lucky?"

"Karma," Will grins brightly at her. She hiccups a laugh through a little muted sob and nods her head. "You feel a little better?"

"Maybe a bit," she agrees. "Thanks, kiddo. I… am gonna go pee for the fourteenth time this hour since your little brother has decided my bladder makes an amazing thing to bounce on. And I'm gonna splash some water on my face so I don't look like the crying preggo that I am. How about you head back outside and look after your sister."

"I'll keep her safe," Will vows immediately.

"Oh, honey…" Felicity smiles, shaking her head at him. "Will, every person here can do that. You can make sure she has fun, make sure that turning four isn't about heavily armed vigilantes surrounding her. I want her to have the best party ever, even if… even if something does happen, even if he…" She can't finish the thought, pinching her eyes shut and turning her face to the side as she exhales out a long, steadying breath. "Well, I still want her to have this, you know?" she finishes a moment later.

"Yeah…" Will agrees, glancing toward the yard where he can see Ellie looking curiously at Nyssa - who showed up with a stern face in full assassin gear. "Yeah I can do that."

And he does.

When his stepmother winds up back in the yard a few minutes after him, he's already making crowns out of balloons for his little sisters and Ellie is giggling, declaring herself the 'birthday fairy princess president.'

It's a nervous afternoon and evening for all of the adults, but Will concentrates on what he does best - keeping his siblings happy and entertained. And when the clock strikes midnight many hours later, with Ellie and Jules and Sara all fast asleep in a pillow castle in the living room, all of the adults sag with relief. But Will smiles through a yawn, fully aware that what Ellie will remember from today isn't the fear that had surrounded her, but the fun she'd had. And he knows, without a doubt, that today he made a difference.