It was Wednesday, May 4th. By this point in time, Doctor Doctor had now reached the tail-end of her pregnancy, and boy was she ready for it to be over. It had been a long nine months, possibly the longest nine months she'd ever experienced in her whole life, and it was time for them to end. Professor Professor couldn't wait for the nine months to end for opposite reasons. Easy for him to do. He didn't have to experience it, warts and all.

Anyway, Doctor Doctor was currently home alone, as Professor Professor was being held up at work due to the Rat King attacking another Tesco. This time, however, he seemed to want to just outright attack people over there rather than rob the place. Right now, Professor Professor was probably giving Victor and Anita information on how to strike at the Rat King's hive mind of rats. Doctor Doctor couldn't help but yearn for the old days while sitting there alone. Back in the old days, she and the Expendables would've easily wiped the floor with the Rat King with their technology and her intellect. Nowadays, the Rat King was probably dominating the baddie scene and giving baddies like the Chef and Simon Sez a run for their money.

She barely had time to ruminate on how she'd spent her whole life when the doorbell rang.

"Who is it?" Doctor Doctor called out.

"It's me, Kent," a masculine voice with a Texan accent replied. "Can I come in?"

Doctor Doctor couldn't really see why not. "Go ahead."

The door opened, and Kent walked in with Min-jun trailing behind him.

Doctor Doctor just glared at Min-jun. "What's he doing here?"

"Whoa, easy now, Doctor Doctor." Kent held his hands up in a defensive pose as if he was fending off an attack. "Min-jun's just here to apologize for what he did to you at your birthday party."

"Well, tell him he can forget it. There's no way I'm going to forgive someone who insults my intelligence!"

"And there's no way I can apologize to someone who doesn't give me the respect I deserve," Min-jun chimed in. "Honestly, she can rot in hell for all I care."

"Come on, guys," Kent pleaded. "I really hate seeing you guys fight and give each other the silent treatment like this. I don't want to spend the rest of my life having to mediate between you and walking on eggshells."

"Forget it, Kent," Min-jun replied. "It's never going to happen."

"Say sorry."

"No."

Kent was starting to get incensed. "Say sorry now!"

Min-jun indignantly sighed. "Alright, fine." He sighed again. "I'm sorry I insinuated that pigs were smarter than you, Doctor Doctor."

Kent had his arms crossed. "And?"

"I'm sorry that I insinuated you were fat by mistaking your baby bump for a beer gut. I should've known better than to assume you were drinking. Also, thank you for saving my ass countless times when I was still an Expendable. If it weren't for you, I'd already be dead."

All Doctor Doctor could say in response was, "Thank you, and you're damn right you'd be dead if not for me."

"Great, now hug it out," Kent sternly commanded.

Min-jun and Doctor Doctor did so, somewhat reluctantly wrapping their arms around each other for a good five minutes. Their hearts weren't really into it at all, but if it meant Kent would be happy and they could stop giving each other the silent treatment, so be it. Kent just stood there with his arms crossed, proud of what he'd accomplished today.

Suddenly, Doctor Doctor broke away from the hug and put her hand to her belly. "Oh…"

"You okay?" Min-jun asked out of concern.

"I'm fine," Doctor Doctor replied. "She's just being active again."

Kent quickly perked up. "Wait, is the baby kickin'? Lemme feel!"

Kent rushed over, nervous and excited all in one, and put both his hands on Doctor Doctor's bump.

"Over here." She guided one of his hands higher up on her belly where the baby was kicking. "Can you feel her?"

Kent's eyes lit up a bit at the feeling of movement. "Wow, she seems to really take after you!"

"I don't know about that." Doctor Doctor shuffled her weight a bit at the feeling of Kent's hand rubbing circles into her belly. "She reminds me more of her father with how energetic she is. One time, she kicked me so hard I swear she must've broken a rib."

"She's your kid, alright." Kent snuck in an opportunity to get his hand underneath her blouse, only to be swatted away moments later. "Sorry."

Doctor Doctor leaned back on the sofa as she tried not to let on just how badly she was fighting to keep her eyes open. She seemed way more exhausted these days now that she was in the final stretch of her pregnancy. In fact, it seemed like fatigue was her default state. Supposedly, she was due on the 18th, but that hardly seemed to matter anymore since there was a good chance she could go into labor any time now.

Being so heavily pregnant was hard. She had to deal with back pain and a stomach bulge the size of a watermelon that made it difficult to move around; not to mention a much larger cup size than what she was accustomed to, as well as having to place pads over her nipples every so often so she wouldn't leak everywhere. Don't even get her started on the constant need to piss. The baby seemed so determined to be the next Lucy Bronze that she was using her bladder as a makeshift football, even during morning civil twilight.

While Doctor Doctor distracted herself with her thoughts, Kent slipped his hand under her blouse again. He couldn't help but notice how most of her bump was rock-hard. He also noted how taut the skin was over it in all its egg-shaped glory. There were also stretch marks here and there, but they weren't too noticeable.

"Oh, thank God," Doctor Doctor finally said after a while. "She just stopped…"

Kent seemed rather disappointed as he retreated his hand.

"You need help?" Min-jun asked.

"No, I think I've got it," Doctor Doctor replied, albeit not that convincingly.

Now it was Kent's turn to ask. "You sure? It'll only take a few seconds."

Doctor Doctor reluctantly sighed. "Fine. Help me."

Both men helped her up on her feet. To her, it was humiliating having to depend on others just to do what should've been a simple task like getting up. She couldn't help but feel weak and puny for asking for help, but she bit her tongue. They were just doing the best they could for her.

"T-Thank you," she choked out.

"No problem," Kent replied. "You probably would've done the same for us."

Min-jun looked at his watch. "Oh, would you look at the time? Kent and I need to go. We're supposed to be out pool betting at The Tote."

Kent perked up. "Oh yeah, I hear tonight's supposed to be a good night for betting on horsies. Hopefully, Min-jun doesn't gamble away half of the money we owe for rent, right, buddy?"

Min-jun could only bring himself to grumble the word "yes."

Kent started heading out for the door. "Alright, you have a good one, Doctor Doctor."

Min-jun wasn't too far behind. Within seconds, the men were gone, leaving Doctor Doctor alone in the flat.

She really wanted to sleep right now, but first she had to use the loo. While in the bathroom, she couldn't help but catch a brief glimpse at herself in the mirror. As if out of instinct, she blushed out of shame and covered her face with her hands. There were a lot of things that sucked about being pregnant. Having to look at herself was one of them. As excited as she was to just have this baby already, she didn't like how much her body had changed right before her eyes. She especially hated when other people would just stare at her in public. It wasn't so bad when Professor Professor was the one staring and doing so in an admiring way (in the privacy of their home, no less), but the way others just seemed to gawk at her swollen belly felt less than admiring. She knew it stuck out like a sore thumb against her slender figure, and having other people cast their lingering eyes on her like that didn't help.

After using the loo and then going over the usual routine for bedtime, the best she could do now was try to get some sleep. In no rush whatsoever, she grabbed hold of her anime girl dakimakura pillow and slung it over her shoulder for bedtime. She waddled her way inside before then lying down and grabbing onto her dakimakura pillow for dear life. She was just barely getting into position when her cellphone rang.

Doctor Doctor picked up. "Hello?"

"Everything alright?" Professor Professor asked.

"Everything is fine."

"How have you been feeling?"

"Like I've had a rock bouncing around inside me for the last five months." She tried adjusting her position slightly. "It's like she never stops, I swear. She really is your little girl."

"Okay... have you been feeling any more pains?"

Doctor Doctor had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. As much as she'd appreciated his concern, all she wanted right now was to just sleep. "No, not since last night."

"Are you sure? Not even any little pains?"

"Yes, Professor. I'm sure."

"Okay." Professor Professor just accepted that that was all he'd get out of her. "Just so you know, there's a good chance I might have to work late. I'll have Ray come over here later to watch you just in case, okay?"

"Okay."

"Alright, I'll be home later. Bye."

"Bye."

With that, Doctor Doctor hung up. She couldn't help but feel a little guilty for brushing him off like she did, but the pains had been coming and going for a month now. The first time she felt them, in fact, Professor Professor had frantically called Victor and Anita while they were in the middle of a mission and asked them to rush her to hospital. When they'd finally arrived at hospital, the pains suddenly stopped and then didn't return for the rest of the day. Clearly, their daughter wasn't in much of a hurry to be born anytime soon. Besides, she was just so damn tired. Recounting her latest false labor pains to her husband wasn't exactly a top priority for her.

She wrapped her body around her dakimakura pillow and closed her eyes. Tired as she was, trying to get comfortable was nothing short of a Herculean task. Normally, just having a dakimakura pillow with her (anything or anyone to cuddle up against, really) would be enough to get the job done, but with how far along she was, it was frankly a miracle that she could even get any rest at all.

After half an hour of squirming and adjusting her position, she finally started to drift off. Sleep actually came easily once she got past all the obstacles that came with it. Just a few minutes later, a sharp sudden pain rippled through her abdomen and woke her up. She just grimaced in response and then tried to force herself back to sleep once the pain had ebbed away. Just as it seemed like she was finally settling back into things, the pain started back up again. That first twinge had only been slightly annoying, but this next one hurt slightly more. In addition, she felt some pressure start to build up inside her. That surely couldn't have been good.

"It's okay," she told herself. "I'm still okay. I'm not in labor yet."

At least... not full-blown labor. Her water hadn't broken yet, that much was a good sign. The pain wasn't constant and for now was mostly bearable. But what now? Was she just supposed to wait around until Ray came over to watch over her like a hawk? That sounded boring. She needed to find something to do in the meantime. She gave up on trying to go back to sleep and instead decided to pass the time by reading a book. In particular, she was going to read "Sofia Petrovna." It was a good read, but depressing as all get-out. Still, she had to occupy her mind on something. She retrieved her copy of the book from the bookshelf and started reading.

Reading was such a good way to escape having to deal with being pregnant. She loathed it and just about everything that came with it. The cramps, the morning sickness, the cravings (most of them; some of them were fine and some were amazing), the back aches, the mood swings, the weight gain, the swollen ankles, the sleepless nights, the constant need to piss, not being allowed to drink... the list went on. If this sort of thing was supposed to be rewarding in the end, why was it so arduous as to not even make that even worth it? She supposed that was just something to endure when creating life. Besides, as much as she didn't want to admit it, she did feel as though she was becoming rather attached to her child.

Suddenly, she felt another twinge in her abdomen. Doctor Doctor dropped her copy of "Sofia Petrovna" and placed her hands on her back and stomach. This one definitely hurt. Admittedly, it wasn't the worst pain she'd ever felt, but it was still quite bothersome.

"Aj, b'lyad," she cursed under her breath.

She picked up her book, annoyed that she'd lost her page, and tried to find her place again. When that failed, she decided to get up and try to walk around for a bit, thinking that it would help to ward off the pain. Another sharp pain a few minutes later proved that sentiment wrong. She curled up slightly from the pain. Nyet, this was bad. This was very bad. She began to pant slowly.

"Zhizn' ebet meya," she groaned.

She managed to make her way into the living room before doubling over slightly from the pain and crying out, gripping her swollen belly in a futile attempt to stop that ungodly feeling of her insides coming apart. So this was it; she seemed to have gone into labor by the looks of it. She tried to assess the situation as calmly as she could, but she couldn't even hear her own thoughts over her hyperventilating.

"Is everything alright in there?" Ray asked from the other side of the front door.

Oh no. He was already here. As scared as she was right now, she was hesitant on letting the U.Z.Z. special agent see her like this in the throes of labor.

"Everything's fine!" Doctor Doctor lied, unable to mask the anxiety slipping through her voice.

"Are you sure?" another, more feminine voice asked from the other side of the door. "Doesn't sound like it to me. Let us in please?"

Oh no. Ray had brought someone with him. That was even worse.

"No!" Doctor Doctor desperately yelled out, not even trying to hide how much pain she was in. "Don't come in here!"

The front door opened up anyway. Ray came rushing in with Crystelle right behind him, only to abruptly stop upon seeing Doctor Doctor hunched over the coffee table on her knees, breathing quite profoundly and clearly in pain. As if out of instinct, Doctor Doctor buried her face in her arms in an attempt to hide her embarrassment. She was only vaguely aware of them staring at her and her swollen abdomen.

"Oh goodness!" Crystelle cried out.

"You alright?" Ray asked out of concern.

Even if she had wanted to, Doctor Doctor couldn't really answer him due to how painful the contraction was at that moment. She could only breathe a sigh of relief once the contraction had ended.

"You good now?" Ray asked again.

"I think so," she replied while trying to catch her breath. "Can you take me to hospital now?"

Ray just shrugged. "I don't see why not. I need to drop Crystelle off at St George's Hospital anyway. She's undergoing training over there for midwifery."

"Congratulations, sounds interesting," Doctor Doctor remarked flatly. "I'm sure it's a dream come true."

"It is," Crystelle replied with a smile. "Thanks for the compliment."

"Of course. By the way, the overnight bag's in my bedroom."

"Good to know." Crystelle then started heading off for the master bedroom. "You really thought this through, huh?"

And just like that, Crystelle was off collecting the overnight bag. Meanwhile, with little time for much else, Ray grabbed onto Doctor Doctor from behind by her armpits and pulled her onto her feet. She then leaned on him when she took his arm, and she allowed herself to be helped into the backseat of the waiting car.

"Careful while driving," Doctor Doctor cheekily said while fastening her seatbelt. "I might bleed all over the seat."

Ray couldn't help but grumble to himself at that. Once Crystelle had climbed her way into the front passenger seat, Ray started the car and they were off to St George's Hospital.


"Alright, there you go," Ray said while he and Crystelle helped Doctor Doctor into a hospital bed. "Now then, I'm going to work and Crystelle will be off doing her shift. You think you'll be okay by yourself?"

"Oh please, I've been in more harrowing situations than this one," Doctor Doctor replied. "I think I'll be fine."

Ray gave with a shrug. "Alright, suit yourself."

With that, Ray and Crystelle left. A few minutes later, Doctor Doctor's cellphone started ringing.

She picked up. "Hello?"

"Doctor Doctor!" Kent sounded urgent on the other line. "Are you okay? Ray said he had to take you to St George's."

"I'm fine, just in labor."

"Oh, phew. Hey, do you need me and Min-jun to visit you before we head back to our flat?"

"No, I'll be alright. Don't worry about me."

"You sure? We wouldn't have to visit for too long or anything."

"I'm sure. Just go home." Pause. "Alright, maybe you can see if Oluremi and Adrian can visit instead."

"Will do, Doctor Doctor!"

With that, Kent hung up. Doctor Doctor ended up waiting in the hospital bed for a while, trying but failing to ignore the contractions for the time being, before Oluremi and Adrian eventually arrived.

"Oh my gosh!" Oluremi exclaimed. "Are you okay? Kent told us that Ray had to bring you here."

"I'm fine, just in labor," Doctor Doctor replied.

"Well, it's a good thing we came as soon as we could," Adrian interjected. "We'll be here to support you every step of the way."

"Um, that's nice, but you know what I would really appreciate right now?" Doctor Doctor grimaced as another contraction took a hold of her. "My damn husband!"

"I get it, but I don't know when he's supposed to get off work." Adrian checked his watch. "He'll probably get held up there for another hour or so."

Just as Adrian had said this, Professor Professor suddenly burst into the room.

"I'm here finally!" Professor Professor announced as soon as he closed the door behind him. "I haven't missed anything, have I?"

Doctor Doctor shook her head. "No, she's right where you left her." Her right hand was resting firmly on her bump. Just as quickly as she'd said this, another sharp sudden pain manifested itself in her lower abdomen and she winced. "Ah!"

Professor Professor ran over to her side. "What's wrong, Susan?"

Doctor Doctor was in so much pain that she could only bring herself to say one word. "Contraction."

Professor Professor immediately took her free hand and let her firmly grasp his. "It's okay. I'm right here. You just need to take deep breaths. Slow, deep breath in; now another one out. Deep breath in; deep breath out. Good job!"

Doctor Doctor had her eyes fixated on the ceiling above her while she followed Professor Professor's instructions. It seemed to go on just short of forever, but eventually, the tightening in her abdomen began to ease up and she loosened her grip on his hand.

"You can let go now," Doctor Doctor said. "It just passed."

Professor Professor breathed a sigh of relief once he did so. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" Professor Professor called out.

The door opened to reveal a dark-skinned woman wearing her straightened dark hair with dyed pink tips up into a messy bun. Her facial features were reminiscent of those found on big cats with her high pronounced cheekbones, her dark narrow eyes, her wide jaw, the wide bridge of her nose, and the angular shape of her head. She was wearing bright fuschia jogger scrubs from Zamora.

"Hello, you must be Professor Professor," she greeted. "I'm Dr. Paisley Collins. I believe Crystelle's told me a lot about you. She also told me that I'd find you and your wife here, am I right?"

"That's right," Professor Professor replied.

Dr. Collins then made a side-glance over to Oluremi and Adrian. "And I guess you two are with them as well?"

"Uh-huh," Oluremi replied.

"Yeah, pretty much," Adrian added.

Dr. Collins gave a small sigh. "Okay then. Mind getting me up to speed on what's been happening so far?"

"All that's happened so far is that I'm in early labor right now," Doctor Doctor just replied.

"When did it start?"

"I would say 9:30 at night."

"Well, it's 5:30 in the morning right now, so that would mean you've been in early labor for eight hours, correct?"

"That sounds about right."

"Okay." Dr. Collins made a note of all that. "Well, there's a exercise ball you can bounce on if you want. It's supposed to help with the pain."

"Oh, so that's what's that for," Adrian chimed in.

Dr. Collins cleared her throat before focusing her attention back on Doctor Doctor. "Anyway, do you want to get the exercise ball a go? Like I said, it's supposed to help with the pain."

Doctor Doctor got up and sat down on the exercise ball, hoping this would help to alleviate the labor pains somewhat. She rocked herself back and forth on the thing, huffing and panting like she'd just finished running a marathon. At some point, she felt a strange sensation between her legs and looked down to see a clear liquid trickling out of her.

"Professor?" Doctor Doctor couldn't help but call out to him.

"Yes, dear?" he asked.

"My water's breaking." When she got up, the trickling soon made way to a large gush around her feet. "Oh God, it's so gross!"

For a moment, Professor Professor just stared at her like a deer in headlights, mouth agape. It was as if he'd finally realized exactly what was happening.

"Schieße, the baby's coming!" Professor Professor exclaimed.

"Yeah, no shit," Doctor Doctor replied. "Can you just help me back into bed, please? Time is of the essence."

There was a mad scramble to get Doctor Doctor back into bed before the next contraction started. It was only then when the realization hit Doctor Doctor just as quickly as it had hit Professor Professor. This was it! This was actually happening!

"Since you're done with the exercise ball for now, I'd like to ask you something," Dr. Collins said. "Do you know how far apart you are?"

"No," Doctor Doctor replied. "I haven't exactly gotten around to it."

"Do you want me to check your dilation or would you rather do it yourself? I've got a hand mirror that can help you out there."

"I'm busy enough as is, thank you."

"I see. Let's take a look, alright? Spread your legs for me."

Doctor Doctor did so and just watched while Dr. Collins checked her.

"You're about halfway there," Dr. Collins informed her. "Since your water just broke, it probably won't be much longer."

"That's nice, but could you hurry this up? I've been in early labor for almost nine hours now-" Before she could finish, Doctor Doctor was cut off by another twinge. "Ahh!"

"It's alright, it's going to be okay," Professor Professor assured her. "You just need to breathe."


Time went by slowly. The more intense Doctor Doctor's contractions got, the more frequent they became. Her whole body was covered in sweat, so much so that her gown was drenched and practically clinging itself to her. It was also nigh impossible for her to catch her breath every time a contraction came and went. For hours, she would cycle through bouncing on the exercise ball, pacing the floor she was on with Oluremi and Adrian's help, and resting in bed. Eventually, the pain increased to the point where she didn't want to get up out of bed anymore.

So Doctor Doctor just lied there on her side, Professor Professor on her left with his fingers laced together with hers. While Doctor Doctor breathed through more contractions, Professor Professor constantly told her how much he loved her and how proud he was of her for getting through this. She found herself incredibly grateful to have him here during the scariest moment of her life, to just encourage her like he was and remind her what bravery actually was. She'd have to remember to tell him all that once she could properly articulate herself again.

With the latest contraction having just passed, Doctor Doctor decided to turn onto her back to adjust her position. While she did so, her breath hitched, her body stiffened up like a wooden plank, and then she let out an anguished cry.

"B'lyad!" Doctor Doctor shrieked.

"Doctor Doctor, are you-?" Oluremi was about to ask.

Doctor Doctor instantly cut her off. "Zatknis, I need to push!"

Oluremi's face lit up in shock and alarm. "Oh, okay!" Without missing a beat, she and Adrian helped their former boss get into an upright position while Dr. Collins spread her legs. Meanwhile, Professor Professor stayed by her side and held her hand, and Dr. Collins checked her dilation.

"A-Am I fully dilated?" Doctor Doctor asked, still wincing from the intense pressure between her legs.

"Yep, you're fully dilated," Dr. Collins replied. "In fact, it looks like your daughter's coming right now. I'm gonna need you to start pushing on the next contraction, okay?"

Doctor Doctor could only bring herself to nod her head yes. As soon as she felt the next contraction start, she started to push, her grip tightening on Professor Professor's hand. While she let out another scream from the excruciating pain, Professor Professor was just short of gritting his teeth as he felt her slowly cut off the circulation in his fingers.

"You're doing great, Doctor Doctor," Dr. Collins said. "She's crowning!"

"Alright, way to go, Doctor Doctor!" Adrian cheered on. "Don't give up!"

For every time she had to push, Doctor Doctor just screamed. She couldn't tell how much time was passing. Was it minutes? Hours? The longer it went on, the more time seemed to crawl to a halt. At least the hardest part seemed to be drawing to a close.

"Okay, just one more," Dr. Collins assured her.

Doctor Doctor let out one more scream before the pain and pressure eased up slightly and she fell back into the bed. Moments later, a high-pitched shriek filled the air. She shifted her gaze over to Dr. Collins, who was holding an olive-skinned baby.

"Here she is," Dr. Collins announced.

"Oh my God, she's beautiful!" Professor Professor cried out, tears brimming in his eyes while Dr. Collins placed the baby on Doctor Doctor's chest.

The little thing was absolutely filthy, covered in blood and amniotic fluid and God knows what else, but she was one of the most beautiful things either of them had ever seen. While Dr. Collins got to work cleaning the baby off, Doctor Doctor held her daughter as close as possible and decided to take in as much about her as she could. Just like her mother, she had teal hair. However, her eyes were a grayish-blue, which was typical for most newborns. It remained to be seen if they would change to steel blue like her mother's eyes or green like her father's eyes.

The sensation of the damp cloth against her delicate skin only seemed to make the baby shriek louder, but it didn't seem to faze her parents one bit. Professor Professor even found himself chuckling at this.

As tears of joy were brimming in her own eyes, Doctor Doctor gave her daughter a gentle kiss on the forehead. "Welcome to the world, Zoë-Rebekka Clare."

"Okay, I just want to make sure I've got this right," Dr. Collins began to speak. "Is 'Clare' her middle name or her last name?"

Professor Professor and Doctor Doctor simultaneously replied, "Her middle name."

"Okay." Dr. Collins made a note of that. "Like I said, I just wanted to make sure. Anyway, would you mind cutting the cord, Professor Professor? It won't take long, I promise."

Professor Professor looked at the scissors and then at Zoë with concern. "Does it hurt?"

Dr. Collins shook her head. "Of course not. There aren't any nerve endings in the umbilical cord, so she shouldn't feel anything, much less pain."

It only took a few moments for Professor Professor to cut the cord and for Doctor Doctor to deliver the afterbirth. Soon after, Zoë was cleaned some more and wrapped in a pink blanket to keep her warm. Afterwards, Dr. Collins decided to keep Doctor Doctor for a couple days for observation, and Adrian and Oluremi decided to leave for something. Zoë was now asleep in an incubator, having been dried and fed after Doctor Doctor produced some colustrum for her to feed on.

Professor Professor was practically choking, he was so happy. "I'm a dad..."

"I know," Doctor Doctor replied, still exhausted from the whole ordeal. "Strange, isn't it?"

Professor Professor couldn't help but notice that his wife looked to be on the verge of passing out. "Maybe you should get some sleep, hmm?"

"Ya lyublyu tebya." Doctor Doctor then proceeded to nod off right then and there.


"...and for our final headline, U.Z.Z.'s top scientist Professor Professor and former baddie Doctor Doctor just became parents this week," Stacy Stern reported. "Their daughter Zoë-Rebekka Clare was born Thursday at St George's Hospital at 6 PM, weighing seven pounds, nine ounces. It'll be interesting to see whether she follows in her father's footsteps or her mother's. You may be you, but I'm Stacy Stern."

Professor Professor just shut the TV off after that. At least he could count his blessings that the mainstream news sources (and especially Stacy Stern) weren't using Zoë's full name (well, her last name, anyway). That very well could've led to harassment and possibly even putting the family in danger if U.Z.Z.'s rogues gallery put two and two together. It certainly wouldn't be beneath some of them to harm Zoë or her mother to get to him. While he sat up in bed, he looked down upon his wife. Christ Almighty, could she be any more beautiful while she slept? He then let out a small chuckle. Only days old, and Zoë already took a lot after her.

As if out of compulsion, he began playing with her long teal hair.

Doctor Doctor just let out a slight moan while she woke up. "What are you doing? I thought you were asleep?"

"I'm just thinking, that's all," he replied.

"You're thinking about Zoë, aren't you?"

"Maybe..."

"That figures. It's just..." Her thoughts trailed off for a moment. "It's hard to believe that something as pure and beautiful as her could come from me, from my body, you know? I can't wrap my head around it. Do you think I can actually do this after everything I've done?"

"Listen, you weren't the only one who made mistakes. I've spent countless nights wondering how I should've done things differently the first time we were together. I've thought about whether it would even matter at all if things were different. Point is... we're not going to let the past repeat itself, but it takes teamwork to do that, and that includes you."

"I don't think we even know how to raise a child, let alone our own."

"Another thing we'll figure out together." He kissed her neck and wrapped his arms around her torso. "Go back to sleep."

Within moments, she was fast asleep in his arms. How amusing it was that one of the few places where their height difference didn't matter was in bed. With that, he fell asleep with his head on her shoulder.