It was late afternoon, the quiet time at the college where most students had gone home for the day. There were a select few still mingling about, but at the moment all was quiet and peaceful in the little college. This was a time that Homer liked, he could clean things faster and maybe even go home a little earlier. Sometimes he would stop by Marge's office and say a quick hello to her. She never seemed to worried about his presence and Homer did his best to act kind and not tell her she made a mistake with Artie. Apparently things were going right between them, they were having a child after all. Of course Homer still couldn't help that he felt very lonely without someone, but he knew that sooner or later someone would come to him and he would be forever happy. He just had to accept single hood a little longer, whether he liked it or not.

As for Marge, she was getting rounder thanks to the little miracle growing inside of her. She was due in two and a half weeks, though lately it felt sooner, the baby kicked more and she felt very uncomfortable while sitting down a lot. Sleeping was hard too, she sometimes woke up wondering if she was sleeping the wrong way and the short contractions she was getting was not helping matters.

What was worse though was the fact that Artie was coming home later. He said he was helping his assistant Olivia with certain work problems. It was often very sporadic and he usually wouldn't come home until very late, looking a little exhausted from whatever he was doing. Marge though was a little concerned too, at least twice he could smell the strong scent of Olivia's perfume. Did she just put a lot on or was it something much worse. Marge did not like that idea and tried to keep that thought out of her mind, she did not want to get too stressed out, she had a baby that needed to come out healthy and strong.

Artie had called Marge earlier, letting her know that he would be home a little late but promised he would be home in time for a good meal. Marge used this opportunity to get some papers graded before heading home. Halfway through grading one paper, she felt some heavy cramps on her legs. Knowing she needed to stretch them, she quickly got up and walked around the hallway, letting the feeling return and hoping to get comfortable in a few minutes. She was already halfway down the hall, when a horrible feeling hit her as she felt everything push down in her abdomen. Marge stopped walking hoping things would settle after a moment or two, but instead she felt another contraction, this one much stronger and caused her to move closer to the wall, where she leaned against it for a minute wondering what was happening. After waiting a few moments, her stomach would not settle and then she started feeling the baby move lower into her abdomen. Moments later, she felt something sticky flow down her legs. Finally she realized what was going on, she was going into labor.

Marge clung to the wall and began to breath heavily, the baby was not supposed to be due for another two and a half weeks, why now? Why was it coming earlier? It was best not to think about that now. She had to find someone. She looked around the hallway, not a single person was nearby and the other teachers were not in their offices, they had all gone home for the day. That left her with only one other option and she hoped he was nearby. What was today any way? She couldn't even remember the date at the moment because of what was going on, she just hoped that he was around and not at the elementary school.

"HOMER!" She called out in pain.

She stood there and waited for a minute, but no one responded, she was on her own and now she had to make her way back to the office and try and get a hold of Artie. But she couldn't move very far, the baby felt as if it was ready to come out now, was this even normal? Were these just simple contractions and the baby would not come for a while? It was so hard to tell because it hurt so much. Finally she stood against the wall and tried again.

"HOMER!" She cried and then waited.

At that very moment, Homer had just finished cleaning the men's restroom with another coworker named Henry when Henry was the first to hear Marge's distress call.

"Homer, is someone calling for you?" Henry asked.

Homer stopped what he was doing and listened carefully. All was silent for a good minute and just when Homer was about to shrug it off. Marge called to him again.

"Who is that?" Henry asked.

"Sounds like Marge, I think something's wrong," Homer said nervously as he set down a mop and ran toward Marge's office, Henry not far behind.

Homer ran down the hall toward Marge's office and just as he rounded the corner, she saw her, leaning against the wall breathing heavily and blood all around her. It looked like a murder scene, but he knew that that was not what had happened. He had never been around a woman in labor before, but he knew just by the look on her face that it was time.

"Oh no, you need help! And someone else should clean that up!" Homer said as he got closer and nearly fainted from all the blood. Henry stood nearby, shocked at what he was seeing.

"I'm so glad you're here, I can't even reach the phone to call Artie, can you do it for me?" Marge asked.

"Uh sure...what's his number" Homer asked.

"It's in my address book, in the drawer on the right on my desk. Try his work first, if he doesn't answer, try the house," Marge said as she continued to clutch her stomach and wince in pain.

"Alright, Henry, stay with her will you," Homer said as he ran to Marge's office and dug through her drawer, he was able to find the address book quickly and dialed Artie's number at work. The phone rang for quite some time before his voice mail came on. No one was there, it was time to try the house. Once again, no one answered, he had to be between places. A huge disadvantage. Homer knew Marge could not wait for very long, she needed to go to the hospital soon so she could give birth in a more stable place. Maybe he could take her, that is if she let him. Homer ran out of the room and ran back toward her.

"I could not get a hold of him, I know if I finally do get him, he will have to drive all the way back here before you get to the hospital. Would you be willing to let me take you?" Homer asked worriedly.

Marge stood against the wall for a moment, trying to think, but the pain was keeping her from doing so. Homer was willing to help her and Artie was missing in action. It would be a while before he was contacted too. Homer was her best bet at the moment, Artie would have to be called later once she was settled at the hospital, at least she hoped that would be the case.

"You don't mind?" Marge asked with another gasp of pain that brought her kneeling on the floor and clutching her stomach. Henry held her up a little so she would not go into too much shock.

"Not when you're feeling like this, I don't care if you do say no, you're coming with me," Homer said. He did not like how Marge was crying out and he was not going to leave her there to wait until other help arrived. Before Marge even knew it, Homer was carrying her in his arms and running out the door to his car, leaving Henry to take care of the mess. Carefully he set her in the front seat, ignoring the fact that she was in labor and quickly ran to the drivers seat and revved up the engine.

"Don't go too fast Homer, the contractions are strong, but the baby probably won't come right away," Marge said as she continued to breathe heavily.

"Okay, I'll do my best to be safe," Homer said nervously as he drove as fast as the neighborhood cops would allow.

The drive was mostly spent listening to Marge breathe heavily as the baby continued to make it's way along. Homer would turn to her every so often, looking very worried and wondering if he could make it to the hospital in time. But Marge said the baby probably would not arrive right away and he hoped she was right, he already left one mess to clean up at the school, which would be easy if Henry knew what he was doing. As for his car, well, that was a whole 'nother story. Halfway there, Homer stopped at a red light and watched as Marge breathed in and out, he knew it hurt her, she was gripping the seat tightly and crying heavily. Homer knew she needed someone and was glad to be there for her. Before he could even think about it further, he grabbed Marge by the arm and held it. For a moment, Marge stopped what she was doing and looked at him.

"I know we are not married, but maybe if I held your hand, you could feel calmer," Homer said.

Marge stared at him for a long moment, wondering why he was being so helpful, and for the longest time, things felt okay, she felt some amazing warmth grow inside of her and she wanted to hug him tightly. That is until another contraction took a hold of her as Homer drove forward again, causing her to squeeze his arm tightly, Homer winced but he stayed on course. This was going to be a long afternoon, and maybe even a long night, she had no idea how long this would take but she hoped things would work out fine. Hopefully someone could call Artie for her and her parents needed to be notified too. Just her luck, the baby couldn't wait for the due date, it had to come now. Another contraction hit, and she squeezed Homer's hand so hard that he almost ran into the curb, she was strong when she was in pain.

"Sorry Homer, listen... when we get there... I need you to do me a favor and call my parents... and try Artie again. They need to be there... can you do that?" Marge asked.

"Yeah sure, I don't think it would be too much trouble," Homer replied as he weaved in and out of traffic. Thankfully, he had only a few more miles to go.

By the time Homer had reached the hospital safely with Marge, Artie was halfway home and thinking heavily about the conversation he had just had with Olivia. The child was to be due in a few months and Olivia refused to find out what the gender of the child was. Artie didn't care though, he just wished it wasn't coming at all. He made a huge mistake and was now paying for it. How he would keep it a secret was anyone's guess, and if he did tell Marge, he had no idea how she would take it. She was so gentle and loving, but could that change in the blink of an eye? He had no idea and that was why he was so nervous and worried about it. He loved Marge, but he also had feelings for Olivia. He knew he had to help both of them, but sooner or later doing so would come up and bite him. He would one day have to choose, at least that's what Olivia seemed to tell him.

He weaved in and out of traffic, often realizing that he was thinking too hard and almost running into other motorists. He realized he needed to concentrate on what was going on and decided it was best to worry about his situation later. It helped too and it wasn't long before he came home safe and sound, ready for Marge to come home as well. He was almost ready to settle down and watch the news to get get his mind off Olivia when the phone rang. He made his way over and picked up the receiver.

"Ziff residence," he replied.

"Artie my boy, what took you so long getting home?" a familiar voice called. It was Clancy Bouvier and he sounded both nervous and a little angry about him not being by the phone all this time.

"I was getting some work done, how long have you been trying to call me?" Artie asked.

"About ten minutes, Homer Simpson tried you for thirty, if you were getting work done, why were you not answering your work phone?" Clancy asked.

"Because I was with another coworker in her office, but wait why is Homer Simpson trying to call me? What is going on?" Artie asked as he hoped that asking his question would lead up to something more important than why he had not answered the phone.

"Marge is in labor, Homer Simpson took her in for us because he found her in the hallway at the school," Clancy said.

Artie stood there, shocked that his wife had gone into labor so early. She was not supposed to for another two and a half weeks. Was the baby alright? Was Marge alright? But there was no time for those questions to be answered, he needed to be there and help his wife deliver his son.

"I'm on my way!" He said and hung up the phone.

Homer sat in the waiting room with Jacqueline, Clancy, Patty and Selma, he had been invited to stay after helping bring Marge to the hospital and both Mr. and Mrs. Bouvier were very grateful for him to have done so. They knew that if he had not been there, Marge would have been stuck there for a while longer before someone else found her. They were his knight in shining armor, now if only Artie would answer his damn phone when they needed him.

"I have to admit, even though I'm not the father, I'm still a nervous wreck," Homer said while they all sat outside waiting patiently.

"Well that's understandable seeing as how you found Marge in the hallway in labor and you bringing her in here. You probably have some connection with her," Clancy said.

"Well sir, if it doesn't sound odd, I've always felt that I had a connection with her, like we could be great friends," Homer said with a grin.

Jacqueline and Clancy both stared at him for a minute, they remembered him as the spare from that prom Marge went on with Artie senior year. Clancy was never fond of him, always remembered him as being the odd one out, the one who wouldn't matter much in the long run. He felt he was right about that, that is until he helped his daughter get to the hospital safely. Apparently even after all these years, he still cared about her.

"Well I guess that's a good thing, usually that means her husband is not the only one there for her," Jacqueline replied.

Homer only nodded before flinching at another one of Marge's cries of pain. He felt so bad for her, it sounded so painful for her right now and he wondered how much longer she could keep it up. Would she finally faint from exhaustion? Could this kill her? Or was she just waiting for Artie? Either way, it bothered him and he wanted to help her. He wanted to take peek inside to see how it was all going when Artie finally appeared looking very worried and concerned.

"Is AJ here yet?" Artie asked as he hugged the Bouvier family tightly.

"No not yet, she is still fighting to bring him out," Clancy replied.

Artie let out a sigh of relief, he had made it with time to spare. How much longer Marge would be in now was up to the baby. Marge could either hold it in for him, or the baby was ready but taking it's sweet time. Either way he knew he needed to be there, he was glad Olivia only stole him for a little while, knowing her she could have kept him all night. He was glad to get away from her tonight, that conversation was way to stressful, not that this was even more stressful, but at least he was getting something good out of it. Artie stood there for a moment, letting himself breathe a little after trying to get there on time, he let the family stay by him, they patted his shoulder and calmed him down so he could be ready. Meanwhile, Homer sat in a nearby chair watching and wishing he could be acknowledged for helping Marge to the hospital. But Artie simply ignored him and only glanced at him when he finally went in to be by Marge's side.

Homer let out a sigh and stared at the ground sadly, what a jerk Artie was! Just like the old days in high school. Some things never changed. Now he could only stay on the sidelines and wait to find out what is going on from Mr. or Mrs. Bouvier who were both pacing back and forth next to him. It was Mr. Bouvier who finally had to sit down and rest, he needed to any way ever since the operation a few years ago to help with the emphysema.

"Don't worry about it Homer, Artie's just nervous, he'll thank you later," Clancy said as he let out a heavy sigh.

"He better!" Homer replied grumpily not looking up from staring at the floor and tapping his feet against the tile.

"You know you remind me of myself when my girls were born," Clancy said.

"Really?" Homer asked as he finally looked up.

"Yeah, especially Patty and Selma. It was the early days too when twins were not common. So pregnancies were harder too. Poor Jackie, she went through such a long labor, how long was it any way Jackie?" Clancy asked.

"Oh I would say a good day and a half," Jacqueline replied.

"And then she stayed in the hospital for a good week because she was so exhausted. But my goodness, during those hours of waiting for the children to come. I thought I was gonna go insane, I probably smoked about ten packs of cigarettes on both occasions. Probably the reason why my life has been shortened. In fact...ugh...I have the urge to have some right now just because it's so stressful," Clancy replied as he checked his pockets to see if he actually had a pack of smokes. He hadn't smoked in a few years now. He started during a stressful time in his life and finally had to quit before he died too quickly. Of course the stress was back now, and he needed a smoke.

"Clancy, don't even think about it, I don't want two family members in the hospital tonight," Jacqueline said.

Clancy rolled his eyes and tried to think of a new solution for his need.

"Uhh...if you want I can smoke for you," Homer replied, even though he didn't have a cigarette of his own.

Clancy stared at Homer, who let out a concerned smile before getting up off his chair."Come with me then boy, I don't think the baby's coming out anytime soon. I know the security guards might have something for us in their break area," Clancy chuckled.

Homer couldn't say no to this, apparently Homer did something Clancy liked, definitely something different then when he first met him years ago for senior prom. Homer even wondered what made Clancy dislike him that one time, maybe it was just because he was the wrong guy there to pick up Marge and sort of ruined the family photo album.

It wasn't long before they found themselves outside in the break area around other doctors who were taking a much needed break. Clancy asked one stressed out doctor for some smokes and gave one to Homer and put the rest in his pocket, save for one which he put in his mouth and began to smoke it. Homer stared back at him worriedly, wondering what would happen if he did that. Clancy seemed to notice and pulled the cigarette out.

"Don't worry I'm not dead yet, I really don't think one could kill me like that," Clancy said as he put it back into his mouth and took another puff. "Well go on, have some."

Homer put the cigarette in his mouth and lit it. He had not had a cigarette since the old days in high school, but his memory on how to smoke was still there and puffed it like a pro. It did release some stress and it was nice to just sit outside with someone and think for a little while before heading back into the drama inside.

"Feel any better?" Clancy asked as he blew smoke.

"A little, truthfully I'd rather be fishing," Homer replied.

"Ah fishing, what a great sport, where do you fish?" Clancy asked.

"I haven't fished here in a long time, I actually used to fish in the Keys," Homer said.

"Oh so that's why I ran into you at the reception," Clancy said with surprise.

"Yes sir, I lived there, and my friend was playing his guitar for you guys," Homer replied.

"Oh, he was very good I must say. Well one of these days we should go fishing. I know a great place just south of here that has some great trout fishing. Would you be willing to join me?" asked Clancy.

Homer thought for a minute, just the idea of doing something with a fatherly figure might help him through the tough days of being alone. Perhaps this guy would be nice to talk to and he could possibly see Marge more. That is if Artie allowed it.

"I think I would like that," Homer replied as he took another puff of smoke.

"Very good, well I think we should head back, just in case, you never know," Clancy said as he inhaled what was left of his cigarette before throwing it out and heading back into the hospital.

Homer was only half done with his cigarette, but he did not care to finish it. Instead he snuffed it out, and followed Clancy back inside, hoping that Marge's labor would be over soon.

But his hopes were dashed as Marge continued to have contractions long into the night. The birth was turning out harder than they thought it would be. Was it because the baby was two and a half weeks early? The doctors were denying that and saying that first time mothers just had a harder time bringing the new child into the world. Marge was exhausted now, the doctors gave her some time to rest while Artie would come out from the room and pace back and forth, never saying a word. Homer wanted to give him words of encouragement, but Clancy usually beat him to it as they talked things over and wondered if maybe Marge needed to bring the baby into the world through cesarean section. A risky procedure, but would shorten the labor. Artie wasn't sure at all if that was what he wanted, and for the first time since entering the hospital, he turned to Homer for advice.

"Well what do you think Homer? Should we have her fight forever and exhaust her even harder or finish this and take the baby out ourselves" Artie asked with nervousness in his voice, the poor guy seemed so distraught over this now that he was even crying. Homer wasn't sure though, he had not been with Marge at all and had no idea if she was about to quit or not.

"How would you feel if I went in and saw her? I feel that maybe, if I saw her and talked to her I would help you decide what to do," Homer said.

Artie looked up at Marge's family, they all seemed to want to see her before making a final decision and he knew that he could not say no. They were her family and he cared for them dearly, too bad he had cheated on them one too many times. "Okay, let's make it quick though."

The family entered the room, Marge was lying on the bed, her legs spread out to bring the baby into the world. As they walked in, they all noticed how tired she was from what she was going through, her hair was a complete mess and she could barely open her eyes as Clancy and Jacqueline made it by her side first.

"I'm trying Mom, he wants to come out but he also seems to be afraid," Marge replied with a heavy sigh.

"It's alright sweety, we are with you every step of the way," Jacqueline said as she stroked her daughters hand.

"How long has it been any way? I've kind of lost track of time." Marge asked with a small chuckle.

"Almost fourteen hours, its eight in the morning now," Clancy said.

Marge winced as another contraction hit her head on. It hurt her, but they seemed to be less painful thanks to the morphine they had given her.

"Would you feel better if we did a C-section?" Artie asked.

"If it gets the baby out faster," Marge said with a sigh as she closed her eyes again to rest. "Is Homer still here?"

"Yeah, we let him stay since he did help," Clancy said as he moved aside to let Homer come through.

Homer walked forward toward Marge, the girl he had fallen in love with since high school, the very same girl who belonged to someone else now, the girl who was trying her hardest to bring a child into the world. He could not stand seeing the state she was in, she looked terrible, almost like she was at deaths door and that she and the baby would not survive. Tears began forming in his eyes as Marge smiled back at him, happy that he had stayed around to help.

"Thank you Homer," Marge said with a sigh.

"You're welcome Marge, don't give up okay?" Homer said through the tears. His words were so moving that Artie himself began to cry, of course it was also thanks to the guilt he was feeling over Olivia and the other child that was coming his way, but he kept his mouth shut. They had enough to worry about at the moment. He had been waiting for this day, but was not expecting it to turn out like this and he was starting to get a little worried. Perhaps he should have been more prepared.

"I won't, I promise," Marge said with a smile before suddenly sitting up and letting out a loud cry of alarm. "It's coming this time! I know it is! This is it!"

The entire family let out a surprised gasp as the nurses took their places including one who had to be at the business end where the baby came out. She looked down before letting out a happy smile."You're right, Mrs. Ziff, I can see it crowning!"

"Oh thank God, come on Marge, you can do it, bring little AJ into the world for us!" Artie replied with excitement.

The family and Homer waited on baited breath as Marge was finally bringing the little guy out into the world, this time it wasn't long at all, only several minutes before everyone heard the sound they had been waiting for since the evening before. The loud cry of a brand new baby. At that sound, Marge sighed heavily and lay back on the pillow, tears of joy forming in her eyes at the fact that she was now a mother. Artie ran forward and hugged her tightly before kissing her softly on the forehead.

"We did it sweetheart," he said happily, tears in his eyes as well.

The doctor held up the wailing child and looked at it for a moment before turning to Marge and Artie."Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Ziff. You are now the proud parents of a healthy baby girl."

A/N: Dun dun dunnnnnnnn, no that is not a typo. That is all I have to say, now review before I get all pissy and junk. Oh wait that reminds me. When you review, please tell me what you liked about this story. No, "This chapter was great" it's boring to me and I would like to know what parts you liked. So yeah, now that's all I have to say.