Ollie hated being wrong- especially when his being wrong meant that some punk kid was right. It only rubbed salt in his wound that this

particular kid was a Bat. His baby girl… with a Bat. The very thought made his skin crawl. Then again, the thought of any jerk with his daughter

made his skin crawl.

Cissie was a good person. Ollie didn't know where she got it from. It certainly wasn't from her mother. Bonnie always looked out for number

one and no one else. Ollie had seen that the first time he'd met her, but damned if his hormones hadn't gotten in the way. Bonnie had been

deceitful, conniving and downright manipulative, so Ollie had played her game. He'd deceived and manipulated her right back. When Miss

Arrowette disappeared, he hadn't asked any questions. He'd just been glad she was out of his hair. He'd had a vulnerable teenage boy on

his hands at the time and he hadn't wanted to screw that up. Sigh. The road to hell was paved with good intentions, though, wasn't it? Ollie had

completely failed Roy. Thank God, Roy had turned out to be a real stand-up guy. He'd beaten the heroin, made a name for himself, and raised a

wonderful kid. Ollie could take lessons from Roy on fatherhood. The minute Roy had found out he had a daughter, he'd fought tooth and nail to

get her in his life and away from her crazy mother. Ollie, on the other hand, had left Connor when he was just a baby. He'd been young and

impetuous then (as opposed to being old and impetuous). He hadn't particularly cared to play dad back then, and he'd honestly thought

Moonday was better off without him. How could he have known of the ridicule and rejection his son would face growing up? He hoped Connor

never found out about Ollie's rejecting of him at birth. The kid had dealt with enough of that already. And Cissie... Cissie he truly had not known

about until she was seventeen. He could have throttled Bonnie for keeping her a secret, but he couldn't help but have his self-doubts. Would he

have left Cissie the way he'd left Connor? Ollie liked to think he wouldn't have. He truly regretted not getting to see her grow up. He

could have protected her from Bonnie's obsessive training, althoughhe had to admit that the girl was damned-near perfect with a bow.

Whenever they practiced together, Ollie invented most of his critiques just so she wouldn't get too cocky.

Still, he truly envied Roy when it came to their daughters. Roy was entirely responsible for Lian. He was the reason Lian had grown up to

be such a capable, responsible, compassionate and, yes, okay, hotheaded young lady. Where Cissie got it from, he had no idea. She

had such a big heart. Maybe it was that group of friends she had that was to thank for it. What were they called? Young... Justice. This

kid, Tim, he had been on that team. Maybe, just maybe, he should give him a chance. Maybe.

When Ollie and his boys arrived in the hospital waiting room, they found Tim cradling Cissie, and speaking softly in her ear. They

couldn't see Cissie's face as she had buried it in Tim's shoulder, but they could see Tim's stone-cold glare as clear as day. Even as

he was soothing Cissie, he let the Arrow boys know that they were not to upset her any further, on penalty of a batarang strategically placed

where the sun didn't shine.

"Cissie," Tim whispered, "your family's here."

When Cissie looked up, Ollie could literally see the hell she was going through. Her eyes were bloodshot, her face tear-stained. And still, she

smiled. "Hey, Dad." She got up and gave him a hug. "Did Tim call you?" All the men shifted uncomfortably. Cissie had

apparently forgotten she'd never introduced her father and brothers to her new beau.

"Yeah," Ollie plastered a smile on his face. "Tim called us and we came straight here. How you doing, Sweetheart?"

Cissie smiled, putting on a strong face that quickly melted. "I'm... scared. I don't want to lose her, Dad. I know she's difficult and

sometimes I want to wring her neck, but... she's my Mom, you know?"

"I know, Sweetheart, I know. Hey, listen to me. No matter what happens, you'll always have me."

"Me too, Kiddo," Roy said.

"Same here," Connor added.

"Thanks, guys."

"Miss King-Jones?" A voice interrupted the family reunion.

"Dr. Huebner! My Mom, is... is she okay?"

The doctor's expression was grim. It accentuated the wrinkles on his face and even brought out the gray in his hair. "She's stable. For now."

Ollie, Roy, Connor and Tim huddled around Cissie, as though their bodies could shield her from the pain that the doctor's next words

were sure to deliver.

"Miss King-Jones," Dr. Huebner continued, "your mother has been fighting this cancer valiantly for going on seven years, now. To be

honest, it's a miracle she's lasted this long." He sighed. "I'm afraid all we can do now is make her as comfortable as possible, and wait."

"Wait for her to die, you mean," Cissie practically barked. Her voice was hoarse.

"Wait for the cancer to run its course, yes."

"You can't let her die!"

"Cissie," Connor wrapped his arms around his sister. "Bonnie will always be with you. She's fought hard. She's tired. Let her be at peace."

Cissie let silent tears fall before regaining her composure. "How long?" she asked the doctor.

"We don't know. It could be a day. A week. Maybe even a month."

"Can… can I see her?"

Dr. Huebner's face shifted. "Actually, she's asking to see Mr. Drake. Alone."

Cissie felt like she'd been punched in the gut.

"Cissie," Tim touched her face. "Cissie, she probably just wants to make sure you're okay before she sees you. She likes to put her brave

face on, too, you know."

Cissie just nodded. She was numb. Tim looked to Ollie.

"Come on, Cissie, let's get some fresh air," Ollie suggested, ushering his daughter out.