Since finding out she was pregnant Wally hadn't missed a single one of Artemis' appointments. And this appointment they got to find out the sex of the baby. Originally Artemis wanted it to be a surprise but she decided that it would be better to know ahead of time so she and Wally could pick out names.

The worst part of the appointments was the waiting room. It seemed as if there was always an older woman or two staring and judging. Maybe it was because they were young, maybe it was because they were unmarried.

Either way it bothered Wally. Artemis would stare back at them until they were uncomfortable. It was something that she did often. She would joke and say that it was to see who was dominant.

As he drove he silently wished that there wouldn't be any preachy women. Artemis was in a bad mood already and the last thing he wanted was for her to lose her temper the way she did at the McDonald's.

All week she had craved a burger and fries from her favorite diner only to learn it had closed. She wasn't very pleased about settling with McDonald's but she decided it was better than nothing, and she had a coupon for a Double Quarter Pounder meal.

One of the women who was in the same knitting circle as Wally' mother had seen him and asked if he and Artemis would be keeping the baby. When Artemis said yes the poor woman looked like she was going to have a stroke. "Why not put it up for adoption? It's so selfish to try to raise a child at your age." She put a (dramatic) hand over her heart. As of late Artemis' moods tended to swing into the angry or melancholy territories. It was a coin toss.

So when Artemis huffed Wally prepared for the worst.

"Why do you care ? It's not like you would personally adopt the thing. I made this baby and I'm gonna take care of it so piss off." She growled. The lady shook her head. "You should really learn to respect your elders. Profanity isn't ladylike." "Oh I'm so sorry. Would you like me to order you a shut the fuck up burger with a side of mind your own goddamn business fries and a kiss my ass McFlurry as compensation? I don't have to respect a judgmental old bitch like you!"

Maybe the drive thru would have been wiser.

Hindsight is 20/20 after all.

Artemis was silently fuming as she ate in the car. Wally let her stew, knowing that she needed the time to calm herself down. She kept rubbing her belly reassuringly maybe to remind herself that she couldn't go buck wild for the sake of the baby or maybe to settle them down.

After she finished eating, she finally spoke. "Do you think we're doing what's best for the baby? The right thing I mean?" Wally thought for a while.

Were they?

The plan they had so far was Artemis moving into Wally's apartment at the end of the second trimester and putting her name on the lease. Wally would stay until after the baby was born and go to Stanford. He felt terrible about leaving her alone but she assured him that it would be okay. "I'm not going to sacrifice anything. I'll take my gen eds online through HHCC and transfer to a four year when the baby is old enough for daycare." She told him the morning after the Christmas party. He knew that he'd be busy with training for track and his work load overall but he would do his best to make time to call and video chat.

"What's right for the baby is that we love and provide for them the best we can. It's not an orthodox set up, but we can do it." "Can we really?" She asked as she looked over at him. "What if the baby grows up and thinks we're selfish for keeping them? Or they hate us and wish they were adopted or aborted or anything other than have us be their parents?" Wally sighed. "Don't worry about the what ifs. There's too many of them. We can only worry about the things we can control." Artemis frowned and crossed her arms over her chest.

She didn't talk to him for the rest of the ride.

"Please tell me I don't have to organize a gender reveal party? Those are super tacky." Zatanna groaned when Artemis came home from her appointment and asked for help. "Of course not. I just, I don't know if I'll be good enough. What if I mess her up like my Dad messed me and Jade up? I don't want to be a shitty parent." "Then don't." Zatanna shrugged. "Surely it's not that easy." Zatanna nodded.

"It's not but that's what my Dad did. His parents are super strict and religious. Old World Italians you know? So he raised me the opposite. Things he hated about his upbringing he didn't force on me." Artemis stared at Zatanna for a while but before she could say anything Zatanna spoke. "You and Wally are not alone. Maybe it feels that way but it's not. This baby is gonna have a cool aunt who'll spoil and dress her up, a sweet aunt who'll show her old cult classics and treat her as if she's hers, two dope ass grandmas who'll teach her how to cook and dote on her, a protective uncle who's really a giant kid who'll play with her, a wise uncle who can occasionally be a hard ass but ultimately means the best and a complete troll of an uncle who'll help develop her sense of humor."

"Actually, you'll be a cool godmother and Dick will be a troll godfather. "

Zatanna squealed. "You mean it? Like really truly mean it?" "I mean, you took me in when I needed it most. You're more than my best friend. You're like the little sister I always wished I had but with more glam. And Dick and Wally are practically married so it works out."

"How did anyone believe that you were old enough to buy booze?" Wally asked suspiciously as Dick came to his door with a six pack of hard lemonades. "I didn't buy it. When Bruce took me on that lame college tour I met this guy at Brown. He's a ten in looks, negative four in smarts. I'm not naming names but he's only at Brown because he's a legacy." Wally shook his head as he let Dick in. "Kaldur's already back in Atlanta?" "No, he's being a total mother hen. He went grocery shopping. Apparently I can't live off of Pizza Rolls, Hot Pockets and left overs from Mom. I swear he might just nominate me for Queer Eye one of these days."

Dick laughed. " I just might nominate you for Queer Eye." They sat on the couch and each grabbed a bottle. They clinked them together before they started drinking. "Kaldur's gonna have a total fit." Wally nodded in agreement. "I've only got a few months to keep being stupid. I want to set at least a decent example for my daughter." "Your what? Artemis is having a girl?" "That's kind of what it means to have a daughter. You're missing the point, I don't want to be an irresponsible Dad. I owe her that much." "Which one?"

"Both of them."