The last thing Oliver expected when he got back from the restaurant late that evening was to find his wife crying in the living room over a glass of wine.

"Don't touch me," she told him as he sat down and tried to wrap his arm around her, "I'm pretty sure I smell like poop."

Reassured that there was nothing too serious and that the kids were fine, Oliver chuckled softly. "You don't smell like poop, Felicity," he said gently and this time she didn't protest when he gathered her against his chest, pressing a kiss on her mouth.

"Tell me what happened."

"Both kids came down with some sort of stomach flu. The poor babies were in so much pain...there was poop everywhere, Oliver. And Millie was so sweet, helping me with Nathan even though she didn't feel good. And I don't know why I cry, to be honest. Or yeah, maybe because…" she opened up her robe, revealing a lacy black bra. "It has matching panties. We haven't had a lot of time to spend together lately, and I was hoping…"

Oliver swallowed, distracted by the sexy contrast between the black lace and creamy skin. He cleared his throat, deciding on focusing on the present problem first.

"Why didn't you call me ? I would have come back."

She sniffled. "No, I couldn't do that. It's the opening of the new restaurant, I know how important it is. Besides, I'm kick ass mom, I can handle my kids' gross bodily fluids. I guess I just had...an off night. And I'm exhausted. Hence the stupid crying fit."

Oliver put his finger under her chin, raising her head to press a soft kiss against her lips. "Tell you what. I'll run us a bath, and we can both relax. Let me take care of you, ok?"

She nodded, pulling his head back towards hers for another kiss. Oliver took the opportunity to lift her in his arms and climbed the stairs with his precious cargo.

A few minutes later they were in the bathtub, Felicity resting against Oliver's chest between his legs.

"This feels really good," she sighed as he was softly massaging her shoulders. "Tell me about the restaurant. How did it go?"

They talked quietly, sharing moments of their day. After a while Oliver's hands became more carressing than relaxing and a little breathy moan escaped Felicity's lips.

His fingers brushed the underside of her breast, his mouth lingering in the curve of her neck. She sighed and shivered as her hand came to rest on his thigh, squeezing it slightly.

"Still too tired?" he asked, his voice low and gravelly against her ear and with a sensuous smile she turned around and kissed him, making it clear that her tiredness was nothing but a vague memory.

Once Felicity was asleep, Oliver went down to the kitchen to get something to eat. He hadn't had the time to eat anything that evening and after working all evening and enjoying very pleasurable activities with his wife, a little snack was long overdue.

Before going back to his bedroom, he stopped by Nathan's room first. The baby was sleeping peacefully, so Oliver went to check on Millie.

She was spread out like a starfish, breathing quietly. Her blonde hair stuck on her forehead. With a tender smile, Oliver rearranged her cover so she wouldn't get cold.

"Daddy?"

He put his hand on her forehead, pushing away her sweaty strands.

"Yes baby girl. Are you feeling better?"

"Yes. But I'm all sticky," she complained, tugging at her damp shirt.

He went to the bathroom and came back with a wet washcloth and a towel. Millie took off her shirt and he softly rubbed her chest and arms before drying her with the towel.

"Is Mommy sleeping?"

"She is. She told me you helped her with Nathan."

Millie nodded. "There was a lot of poop, Daddy," she giggled while sticking out her tongue and making a 'yuck' face.

"So I've been told," Oliver chuckled while helping her putting on a fresh shirt before tucking her back into bed. As he leaned in to kiss her, she wrapped her little arms around his neck, pulling her to him and he settled down comfortably on the bed next to her.

"Did you work hard at the new restaurant?" she asked and he smiled.

"I did. Thank you for asking, sweetheart."

"Can I come with you this weekend and help you cook? If you have the time and there are not too many people who want to eat at the same time?"

He brushed a kiss against her forehead. "I think that can be arranged."

"Yay!" she exclaimed with a bright smile. "You're the bestest daddy in the world."

"You and Nathan makes it easy, honey. And now you go back to sleep, ok?"

With a nod and a yawn and her eyes already closed, she reached blindly to kiss him and it ended up on his nose. She slipped her arms under the cover.

"Good night, baby. I love you."

"Mmmmhh...love you dada."

Her words tugged at his heart, as it reminded him of the first time she had uttered those words a few years ago. He hadn't realized it immediately then but those three words had triggered a definite change in his demeanor. That's when he had stopped considering himself as Millie's baby sitter/guardian, and had started acting like her father, with all the responsibilities it entailed.

This tiny little girl - and her mom- had changed the course of his life entirely and he would be forever grateful for it.