Garry opened the door to his and Ib's apartment, and immediately seemed surprised to see Roy and Mary in front of him. Mary, certainly and understandably, felt awkward there, but Roy's gentle smile gave her enough reassurance to hold firm. With a smile, he allowed them inside and excused himself for just a moment.

What confused Roy was that Garry looked so tired and worn. Dark circles and bags were under his eyes, and it was as if he hadn't shaved in a bit. Since it was the middle of winter, the apartment was warm, and a Christmas tree with presents under it was in the living room. Other than that, there were no other Christmas decorations, which also surprised Roy since Ib and Garry were so into the season. Snow fell gently outside, already adding to the few inches that was accumulated on the ground. In a moment, Garry returned and offered them coffee, to which they gladly obliged. When he started the coffee, Roy asked where Ib was.

"She's asleep," Garry answered quietly. "I know it's been a while since we've talked, so sit down wherever you like, and I'll fill you in." They sat down at the counter so that they would be closer to Garry. "…Ib is sick."

"Sick?" Roy questioned.

"The doctors think that the baby is putting too much strain on her. For the first bit, everything was just… sort of falling into place. Then, one day when she came home from her classes, she nearly collapsed. We thought that perhaps she was exhausted from the changes her body was going through as well as the classes she was taking, but that was not the case." Garry reached in a cabinet and took down three coffee mugs. He sat them on the counter and stared at them. "I've been staying with her since. When I went to school to teach, her mother would stay with her, and when she couldn't, Shane did."

Roy felt guilty and horrible. He should have been here, helping his best friend during his moment of turmoil. Instead, he had been on a "journey" to find the real Mary, something that he could have held off doing until the time was right. So many times, Garry had been there for him without falter. With Ib's illness affecting her, no wonder there weren't many Christmas decorations. Garry had more than likely put the tree, but did not want to do anymore without the help of his wife; her joy of decorating for Christmas brought him joy. Without a doubt, Garry probably rarely slept, and spent all his time by his wife's side to ensure her safety and comfort. Roy exhaled a long, nearly soulless breath, unsure on what to say. He used to be so empathetic… what had happened?

"She's gonna be all right… right? I mean… you've all come this far. She has to be okay," Mary said timidly. Stunned by the concern in her voice, Roy felt his stomach drop. She was so compassionate, and her empathy for them was astounding. Garry looked up from his coffee cup to her and smiled.

"Of course she will be," he replied.

"Are you having a boy, or a girl?" Mary questioned.

Garry smiled again. "A little girl."

"Aww!" Mary beamed, a wide, excited smile on her face. "That's so precious! I'm going to buy her the prettiest little dress!"

Garry laughed warmly, but it was still not enough to hide his exhaustion. "You don't have to do that, Mary."

Mary shook her head. "You're right. I don't. But I'm going to! She's going to be the most adorable little thing ever!"

Without the ability to stop himself, Roy clenched his jaw. "Where do you get off waltzing in here and just picking up where she left off?"

Immediately after saying it, he felt terrible. Garry no longer smiled; he seemed startled by Roy's sudden outburst of anger. Mary's excitement disappeared quickly, and her smile vanished instantaneously from her face. She thought they were past this. He had done so well for so long; where did this anger come from? Wordlessly, Roy got up from his chair and walked outside. Mary started to follow, but Garry softly grabbed her shoulder to stop her. He then followed after him, which left Mary alone. She decided to go check on Ib.

Outside, Roy shivered from a sudden burst of arctic wind. He heard the door open and close, but he did not expect Garry to be the one to follow him out. Garry stood next to him, and for a moment or two, not a word was said.

"It's not easy, is it?" Garry questioned. Roy jerked; he had half expected Garry to chastise the way he went off on Mary, but that did not happen. "It's not her fault."

"…You don't know."

"Oh? How could it be her fault?"

Roy clenched the banister. "She started this all. She did those paintings, not Guertena."

Garry raised an eyebrow. "I don't understand."

Since Garry was clueless, Roy explained to him everything that Mary had revealed to him while he had stayed with her. Patiently and without interruption, Garry listened to every word that Roy told him. After he was through, Roy felt as though Garry would be slightly upset with Mary, but instead, he simply smiled and shook his head.

"That makes sense…" he quietly said. "All the feeling she poured into her paintings…"

Roy gasped, a sudden realization upon him. Without Garry needing to explain anything else further, it did indeed make sense to him. Without any fault or meaning to, Mary's feelings that she had placed into the paintings had somehow manifested into a being like herself. Slowly, Roy unclenched the banister and sighed.

"I'm not sure coming back here was a good thing, Garry. I was fine until I got here. Now, it's like this bitterness has come out of nowhere."

Garry smiled. "Give it time. Also, find an outlet other than Mary. Hell, you can even take it out on me, if you want. Just don't treat her like that anymore. She doesn't deserve it."

Roy shook his head, his heart hollow. "No one does."

At that moment, Mary opened the door and walked outside. "Garry, Ib is awake. She's running a fever."

Garry exhaled sadly. "Again? All right, I'm coming."

Once Ib's fever went down, Garry convinced Roy and Mary to stay with them while they were there. He blew up his air mattress, which Roy would let Mary sleep on while he slept on the couch. Ib was elated to see them there, despite the sadness she felt upon seeing the counterpart to her friend. Ib informed Roy that Nora and Allen could not make it for the birth since they had an infant of their own. Roy could not hide his happiness for his two friends, and that in turn made Mary smile as well.

For two weeks, Garry watched over Ib relentlessly. Roy and Mary would help out as much as they could; they went out to get groceries and did everyone's laundry as well as keeping the house clean and cooked so that Garry would not have to worry near as much over the simpler things. Ib was more important. Fortunately enough, a doctor lived in the apartment complex and would make frequent visits in effort to help alleviate the illness and give comfort to her. Sometimes, she would run a high fever for days, while others, she would be in pain. Garry never slept, and he barely ate, despite Roy's and Mary's urges for him to do so. One night, while Ib was running yet another high fever, Garry tried to hide his qualms, but Roy and Mary knew he was upset. Ib woke up from a short sleep to see him holding her hand and his eyes full of sadness and concern. She smiled weakly at him and rubbed his hand with her thumb. Roy and Mary stood in the room and watched helplessly.

"What's the matter, Garry?" she asked.

"...What sort of question is that?" he whispered.

"Don't worry about me, silly. I'm fine. This baby is just requiring almost more than I can give, is all."

Garry shook his head. "It's more than that… I feel so powerless. I can't do a thing other than just sit here and hold your hand…"

Ib gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "You've done more than enough. Just let me do the rest."

With Ib's statement, Garry felt as if his heart had been pulverized. He bowed his head, tears stinging his eyes, as he held her hand in his. "I just want everything to fall into the right place for once…"

The next day, Ib went into labor two weeks early, but they were prepared. Garry carried her to their SUV while Roy and Mary loaded it with the necessities. With Roy driving, Mary in the passenger's seat, and Garry in the back with Ib, they took off to the hospital in the heavy snow. Used to driving in harsh conditions, Roy got them to the hospital safe and sound. Once inside, Ib was rushed into a delivery room, Garry at her side, while Mary and Roy were left in the waiting room. Both knew that it could be hours before the baby was born, and their nerves were giving them a hard kick. They wondered if Ib was strong enough to give birth, and if she would be all right. Also, their concerns were on Garry; he had been through enough, and if something happened to Ib or the baby… Unable to sit still, Roy paced around the room. Mary sat near the window and watched the snow as it continued to steadily fall. Two hours had passed, but to the two of them, it felt like two days. Mary had no nails left and was now down to the quick. Their thoughts were on nothing else but Garry and Ib and their baby.

Ib squeezed Garry's hand as she made a small but sharp cry. She was drenched in sweat and exhausted, but she continued to give it her all and do as the doctors asked. Garry had not left her side once, despite her nearly breaking his hand. Calmly and lovingly, he would encourage her to see it through. The doctors, naturally, performed all they could to help with the delivery, and were encouraging Ib as well. One last push. She gave it everything she had- Garry could feel it when she squeezed his hand. This was it, he was sure of it. It all hung on this one moment. All they had been through up until now- the morning sickness, the changes, Ib's illness- it all came down to this…

The cry of a newborn child filled the room. Not a second passed before a smile spread on Ib's and Garry's faces. Umbilical cord cut and the child cleaned, the doctors handed her to Garry, who looked upon his daughter and smiled. Instantly, he felt an unconditional, unexplainable love for her as he looked at her. It was a different emotion, a different feeling, to hold something that had been created out of love in his arms. He then looked down at Ib, whose tired eyes were focused on him and their daughter. To his surprise, Garry felt tears flow down his face. Soon, Ib found herself with tears as well.

"Love, look. She's beautiful," Garry said as he handed her to Ib. Although she was utterly fatigued, Ib held her baby for the first time. All the sickness she had went through did not matter anymore; she held a tiny miracle in her arms.

"Hi, sweetie," Ib smiled, blinking tears out her eyes. "I'm your mama. The one who held you before is your daddy."

Garry wiped away tears and sat down beside Ib and looked at their daughter. "Welcome, baby girl. We loved you the very moment we found out you were in Ib's belly." He gave Ib a gentle, quick kiss. "What should we name her?"

In moments, the doctors allowed Roy and Mary into the room. When they entered, they saw Ib with the baby in her arms. Both Ib and Garry seemed so exhausted, but nonetheless were so undeniably joyful; their love for the child could be felt upon immediately entering the room. Seeing his friends as parents for the first time, Roy was surprised at how well it suited them. They were indeed going to be amazing parents, and Roy hoped the best for them. Once at the bedside, they looked at the baby's face… she looked just like Garry.

"Roy, Mary," Ib spoke, her face radiant, "meet our daughter, Raelyn Olivia."