Nora exhaled with a smile, "True...Perhaps a vacation then?", and Victor smiled, "Brilliant idea... I know we had a honeymoon anniversary in Jackson Hole, Wyoming...Do you two want to go back again?", as his wives absolutely fell in love with the place like he did, and it'd give Nora some destressing time from everything, and of course, for their plan to start trying to get pregnant for either wife after getting off birth control.

"Oh, yes, I'd love to go back again!", Barbara grinned, and Nora nodded, giggling, "Agreed!", feeling better and excited at Victor's suggestion, and some minutes later, Dr. Daniels came in with a deep, weary look.

Obviously, everyone could instantly tell that something was wrong as Nora took a deep breath when he entered and closed the door. "Let me guess... it's very serious?", Nora asked as he gave a small nod. Everyone's hearts froze up upon his reaction.

Victor spoke with clear conviction and desperation, "What is it, doc?", and Dr. Daniels took a deep breath, "You have a terminal illness, Mrs. Nora Fries-Gordon...It appears in people at their 30s/40s, and it's inherited from one parent indirectly. As I looked at your family history, I'm afraid your mother had it, but it was undiagnosed as she was thought to have something else, while your estranged father didn't have it.".

Barbara replied with tears, "Doc, please stop explaining, spit it out, please!", as she needed to know what's making Nora so exhausted, and had a collapse today.

"I'm afraid it's Alderson's Disease...", Dr. Daniels finally said it. "We've caught it in an earlier stage but I'm afraid even at this stage, it's fatal.", he admitted. "My best estimates might say you have six months to a year.".

While the married trio's hearts almost shattered by hearing that news, Barbara could've sworn, at the same time, that she heard about that disease somewhere... and from someone close, but she just couldn't remember off the top of her head at that moment as that thought was lost in a sea of sorrowful thoughts.

Nora was speechless and horrified as her hopes and dreams were dashed...She was together with Victor for 9, almost 10 years, including one and half married year, and with Barbara for 7, almost 8 years, and the same one and half married year included as well...She whispered, "I can't have children, can I?".

Dr. Daniels replied, "No...I'm sorry...Even if you had tried, there is a chance that the baby would inherited this too, but with your progression estimate...You would as well have lost it before a life would even begin in the outside world...", with a sad look.

Nora gave a heartbroken sob as Barbara held her, while Victor was stunned and heartbroken, as he knew it was a dream for Nora to have a child, like Barbara dreams the same, and even if they had gone for adoption to take upon a small child, they would be extremely loved, but when she's gone, they'd be confused and hurt, but easily move on with no true idea of how much Nora was endeared and loved, and with an older child, with their ages now, they'd be scared yet wondering when she'd pass on, trying to make the best memories ever with her before it happens.

Victor barely spoke, "Doc, c-can Nora come home with us? W-we gotta...gotta get to terms with this...", as he was trying to think of anything, anything with his work to somehow slow this down, or find a cure, but right now, he's just in shock and grief and sorrow.

"Honestly, as of this moment; she's strong enough to return home at least but...", Dr. Daniels paused. "It might be best to start getting affairs in order.". Victor nodded by hearing that, "Thank you, Doctor...", as he closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry we can't do much other than maybe buy a little more time. It would be like trying to run up a ninety-degree slope.", Dr. Daniels said.

Victor replied, "I know..", and Dr. Daniels nodded, "I will tell the nurses to get the discharge papers and all...You will be getting a call for weekly or monthly appointments soon to get a bit more idea, but again, I'm truly so sorry...".

Victor nodded, and Dr. Daniels left the room, with Nora numbly and routinely getting dressed back into her familiar clothes, with Barbara barely managing to call James if he was still near the hospital.

Penning up the discharge papers, the family left the hospital, with James outside, having been dropped off by one of his comrades, and was shocked to receive the news, and offered to drive them in Victor's car, seeing that Victor and Barbara weren't in any state, just holding Nora who is crying silently and numb to the world.

They made it to their home, and James elected to sleep on the hide-away couch downstairs, aggrieved for the trio who has felt like his family forever, feeling so wronged at the fact that his family's time has been shortened, and just when they were getting settled into married life even if they were almost 'married' the past several years already...

Barbara and Victor held Nora, trying to get her to say something, but never pushed her, for seemingly hours, unable to sleep before Nora whispered, "I'm sorry...I'm sorry I never pushed for children sooner, Barbara, or pushed to be married soon as you graduated, Victor...I...I feel like I wasted so much...".

"Don't.", Victor said. "Please... don't say that sort of thing, Nora... you wasted no time... every moment was precious with you.". He started to tear up, "It hurts me even more than that diagnosis to hear that sort of thing come from your lips.".

Barbara replied, "It hurts me too...Nora, you truly make us happy in every way, and you are respected and appreciated at school by your fellow teachers and the children you teach. And honestly, you already have children, because you give those kids encouragement and support...I do not blame you as we were in the mindset not to rush all that time to just be married and be a family...After all, people rushed back then to have families in the 80s and 90s, and now, with this computer age, it's like the opposite for people to rush to have responsibilities and jobs before having families.".

Nora exhaled, nodding as Barbara was right, yet she frowned, "But I...I wanted to make you two happy too...It's true I adore and encourage every child in my classroom, but it's not the same...And now...with this...I...I don't even know if my eggs are infected or not, to give you two a last piece of me...And I thought about adoption too, but with those appointments and...every little chance to give me an extra bit of more time, it's expensive to pay those bills with therapy, and all, just like how expensive adoption is...I just want to stop thinking about this...this timeline of 6 months to a year, and forget it for a while...I...I want to go to Jackson Hole while I can...I don't want to wait and get weak in the summer when...when I am strong enough...", with a series of sobs as she hugged her knees to her jaw.

Both Victor and Barbara hated that they couldn't think of anything else to say at that moment. Anything might come off as trying to downplay things or worse, hurt Nora's feelings as they probably were at some of the lowest, considering the diagnosis. How does one truly respond to the news that you're dying, and it'll be very soon?

After a minute or two, Victor replied softly, "Barbara, does anyone of your clients have any lawyer emergency?", and Barbara shook her head, "No, not as of late, it's more of the usual paperwork these days, but I can clear out my schedule, if we are to distract our wife and make her smile for a while, and I will tell the others that the mantle of Batwoman is on vacation.", seeming to know what Victor's saying, seeing Nora look up in surprise and almost hope.

Victor replied, "Sounds good to me...And I can help you call the principal tomorrow, Nora, for a few short hours, to see if you can finish the last few days of this week, with an announcement...Not entirely announcing the truth, but something for the kids to know why, since they're elementary kids.", as Nora slowly nodded with a small, sad smile, knowing that she had frightened the kids, and they would want to see her up and going, and being okay.

"Should we tell the others?", Barbara asked. "I mean, I don't intend to let you go, Nora, not without a fight. The Wayne family, their whole corporation and all, there's got to be something that we could at least try. I'm willing to cash in that friendship for you.", with a nod.

"I had a few ideas myself...", Victor admitted. "In perhaps giving you some more time as well...". Nora teared up, giving a sob as her smile became a bit stronger, "Aww, guys...I...I don't want to leave you two, either...And yeah, I guess you can tell Poppy as she's your old best friend...Are you sure the guardians will be fine without Batwoman?".

Barbara kept her word of the family secret, having never told her lovers the true identities of her fellow guardians, and she learned about much, but not entirely of Martha's book about the family's adventures by permission hence why she didn't react too much to the news of the first high-profile poly family in the elder Waynes.

Barbara smiled, "Thanks, Nora...And for the guardians...I have to tell you two something...They actually know who I am since I sort of inferred into some of their patrols when I was Batgirl, messing something up here and there by mistake, but since then, they came to trust me after I grew up into my mistakes and learned better, and they have told me who they are, but it's...it's much more as they asked me to keep my word of their secret identities...and I need permission as this is more intertwined than you think...".

"Wait, you think they could help?", Victor asked. "Perhaps.", Barbara sighed. "I'm not sure, but... maybe... I know it's a long shot...".

"About as long of a shot as I had been thinking of... Nora, how would you feel about being cryogenically frozen for a time until I could find out a cure for you?", Victor asked, and Nora's eyes widened as she blushed by hearing that, "W-Wow... that's... I know your research and all, but that's... well, where do I even begin?".

Barbara replied, "Victor, I think she's saying that we love and trust you, as you are confident about your research, but that's more risk than reward...I mean, sure, we read stories, we hear things about other people like that superman over in Metropolis having super cold breath, and watch movies like that movie about that guy, Bucky aka the Winter Soldier getting frozen...", with a nod.

"I know...", Victor sighed. "It's... as you said, risk/reward. Chances that it won't work, and then there's chances of... God knows how long it might take to find a cure... we might be old and grey while you stay forever young, Nora...".

"Look, I'm willing to try anything if it helps me stay with you two.", Nora told him. "But I think I'd rather save that sort of thing if we're out of options.".

Victor nodded, "That's fair.", unknowing in many other universes, he would have leaped at it in an act of desperation almost immediately, yet he wouldn't have a second lover as the voice of reason to hold him back.

Barbara nodded, "Okay then, I will tell the guardians in my Batwoman persona tomorrow night...er, make that later, tonight.", seeing that they have been up past midnight, at actually 1 in the morning, glancing at the clock.

Nora whispered, "Sorry...", and Victor kissed her on the lips, "Shh, it's not your fault...we would never blame you for not wanting to go sleep and being numb to the world and all for hours...", and Barbara nodded, kissing her on the lips next, "That's right...We love you, Nora...we would always be up awake for you even if we're tired and sleepy when you need us...".

"I love you guys too...", Nora teared up with a smile before yawning as she suddenly realized her body's set hourly system, and whispered, "Hold me, please...".

"We ain't going anywhere.", Barbara replied as Victor arranged the blankets, spooning into Nora's right side, his arms behind and front, around Nora in a hold, as Barbara did the same thing into Nora's left side, and Nora sighed deeply, relaxing as she felt safe, determined to wake up to her lovers with her strength as long as she could, and fell asleep.

Victor and Barbara glanced at each other with relieved smiles as Nora's breath in sleep sounds normal as always, and then fell asleep, exhausted as well from the events of today.

"How are you feeling?", Poppy asked as she and Barbara were having coffee in the penthouse. Barbara made sure that the first thing in the morning was to get into contact with Poppy and by extension, the rest of her family, and inform them of the dark news. Of course, while Nora and Victor were unaware, Barbara dropped the Batwoman pretense within moments of walking into the apartment while Poppy was already waiting, not gamma'd out herself.

"What do you think?", Barbara sighed as she closed her eyes, tears already building. "It's not fair, Poppy... to lose her at this point in time... I thought we were going to have many years to be together and now... odds are she won't even be here come this time next year...".

Poppy sipped her patrol coffee with a sigh, relieved that the bottom floor of the apartment building was occupied/brought out by some of her family after some of the people moved for better pastures, and now in one of the rooms, there's a built secret compartment to the secret deep tunnel, part of the tunnel Batcave system, and so, by using the elevator of the apartment building, Poppy or the others can come up and chat details for patrols between breaks to use the bathroom or to catch a snack before starting patrol or finishing patrol when there are camera drones as of late.

"I know you said you want all of us to come here to hear you out, because Batwoman is out of commission...The others are coming, but Barb, how bad is it? You didn't exactly say what it is on the phone.", Poppy said.

Barbara sobbed, "You should have seen Nora when the doctor told us...It's so bad that she can't even have children! We don't even know yet if her eggs are infected or not, if there was a chance of transferring a egg to me for a last piece of her...", getting up in a meltdown rant, "He said that the best guess he got is 6 months to a year, and she literally was numb to the world, yet she still noticed us as we didn't leave her almost the whole time...God, we slept in because we stayed up so long until 1 in the morning...Sure, she looks all normal, but we can't have her going back to school with exam season still going...I can't have her collapse again...I can't! What if the next one is worse, and it puts her in bed critically?! Victor suggested that a vacation would do her good from all that stress and exhaustion, and Nora is all in for it after seeing how much we were worried for her, thank god...She just wants to forget why she's sick for a while and just be with us...which is why Victor helped Nora today at school to inform her sabbatical to the children...", panting and taking deep breaths.

Poppy blinked as the situation sounds slowly increasingly familiar, frowning as she wanted to clarify it, "Barbara, is it...is it terminal?", flickering her eyes to see the rest of the guardians, aka her family coming in during the rant.

Barbara laid her hands on the table, tears still running, "Yes...I would never forget how my heart shattered when he said that it's fatal, and worst of it, Poppy, I can't remember where I had remembered it before off the top of my head...He called it Alderson's Disease.".

Poppy blinked for a moment. "Um, Barbara... you sure it was Alderson's? Like what stage is it?", she asked as Barbara looked to her, "The doctor said it was an earlier stage, but still, terminal no matter what. I'm guessing it's early stage since she's still got some time and still looks alright for the time being.".

Poppy couldn't help but to start chuckling a bit as Barbara's eyes widened as she was almost on the verge of raging at her for that. "Forgive me, Barb, for chuckling there... it's just... I have to almost laugh at this because it's actually good news that it's Alderson's.", Poppy explained as Barbara toned down.