Stephen:
That Saturday morning, I was looking out the window of my bedroom. It had only been a day that Dad was away, but I had missed him already. Since my mother died, there was hardly a day that Dad wasn't around. Even on his business trips, he usually brought me and Diggle along. On this business trip to Vegas, he explained that he needed me to stay behind because he didn't want me to miss school. I didn't mind it at all, since he was able to convince Aunt Thea to take care of me while he would be away. Aunt Thea is the coolest aunt! Well, she's my only aunt.
I was leaning on the window sill with my elbows, my chin resting on the palms of my sweaty hands, when I saw the Queen family's limousine from afar, passing through the black iron gates that were the entrance to our large estate. I ran out of my room, yelling, "Aunt Thea! They're back!" I darted across the second floor hallway and sped down the huge stairs that led to the foyer. I was still panting when I opened the front door and waited for the limo to stop right in front of me.
As soon as Dad stepped out of the car, I rushed to give him a nice big hug. "Missed you, Dad," I said as I pressed my right cheek against his tummy. "I missed you, too, son," he replied. "Next time we go to Vegas, you're coming with us," he promised, as he ruffled my hair.
"Felicity and Emily aren't with you?" I asked.
"Diggle and I brought them home from the airport. They're tired and needed to rest," Dad replied.
Suddenly, a voice from behind me spoke, "You're back early. Something came up?" It was Aunt Thea.
"Long story," Dad replied. The three of us started to walk back into the foyer and then on to the living room. I turned on the TV but kept the volume low so that my dad and my aunt could talk.
"What happened, Ollie?" my aunt asked. Curiosity was written all over her face. She was seated on the same couch as my dad. She turned to her right side to face my dad as she hugged a throw pillow, waiting for his answer.
Dad sighed as he began to speak. "Of all the companies the QC Board wants me to strike a deal with... it has to be the one owned by Felicity's ex-boyfriend... Emily's father."
"No way..." Aunt Thea said slowly, her eyes wide and her jaw hanging loose in disbelief.
"Yes way."
"And which company is this?"
"Palmer Tech. The one based in Las Vegas," Dad clarified.
"Ray Palmer is Felicity's ex?" Aunt Thea was even more shocked.
"You know him?" Dad asked, surprised at his younger sister's reaction.
"I don't know him like... know him personally. I mean, I've read about him in some magazine article. Pretty impressive stuff... rags to riches kind of story. The guy's a genius. Graduated from MIT and then made a name for himself as an innovator in the field of computer technology. Rose from the ranks in no time, becoming owner and CEO of a company that he rescued from near bankruptcy."
"Looks like you know more about him than I do," my dad remarked.
Aunt Thea giggled. "I found his story interesting. And he's kinda cute, too!"
"I don't think you'd find him interesting and cute once you get to know him up close and personal. I haven't read up on the guy, but if you ask me, I've never met anyone more arrogant and egotistical than Ray Palmer. And after what he's done to Felicity..." Dad's voice trailed off as he shook his head in disdain.
"Ollie, I don't mean to poke my nose into your girlfriend's personal life. And you don't have to tell me if you're not up to it," Aunt Thea said, "but what exactly happened between him and Felicity?"
"They went to MIT at the same time and worked together at Star Labs for a while. She said she fell for him because of his looks, his charm, his brains, and his promises of them building an IT empire together."
Dad paused and shut his eyes. A crease began to form across his forehead. When he opened his eyes again, they were teary. He looked straight into Aunt Thea's eyes, like he was about to say something he deeply resented. "He took advantage of her, Thea. And by that, I don't mean just taking away her innocence, getting her pregnant, and then running away from his responsibility. You see, she was more brilliant than he was, or could ever be. He used her ideas to climb the corporate ladder while she was forced to the sidelines to watch him succeed all by himself. He robbed her of her dreams, her future, and her self-respect. In my book, that's unforgivable."
Aunt Thea didn't dare speak. She seemed amazed that her older brother was opening up to her, baring his heart in empathy for the woman he loved. She felt for him, and wondered how she could ease the pain he felt inside. She reached for his hand and squeezed it. Hard.
"Felicity is afraid of him," Dad continued. "She thinks he's going to stop at nothing to destroy me."
"You? Why is this about you?" Aunt Thea asked, puzzled.
"Palmer now knows about Felicity and me. She says he gets challenged by competition."
"Seems to me it's not really just about competition. Palmer's jealous... of you. Do you think he wants to get her back?"
"I don't think so. But whatever it is... it's going to be ugly. I just... I don't want him hurting Felicity ever again," Dad said in a firm voice, trying so hard to hold his anger in.
"Are you sure Palmer is really going to go out of his way just because he's challenged or jealous or something? I mean, what would he stand to gain? He's already filthy rich!"
"Well, for starters, Walter Steele tells me it's only been a day, but he's already managed to buy out the shares of Kirkland, Sheppard, and Grier. He's after QC, Thea."
"What?!! Ray Palmer is nuts!"
"Couldn't agree with you more, Speedy," Dad responded. "That's the reason why we cut short our Vegas trip. I needed to come back and meet with Walter to figure out how we can keep Palmer from buying out more shares and maneuvering his way into the Board. He's good. He's convincing investors... some even good friends of Dad... by offering to buy their shares at twice their market value."
"You and Walter can stop him, Ollie. I believe in you," Aunt Thea said, trying to keep my dad from being discouraged. She then told him that she had to go some place, and after a warm, reassuring hug, Dad let her go.
My dad spent the rest of the day at QC doing 'damage control,' as he called it. I had convinced him to take me along, saying that he owed me for leaving me at home the day before. First, he met with Walter Steele and a couple of other Board members who were loyal to us, Queens. Then after lunch he was on the phone for a couple of hours, convincing investors who had signed their shares over to Palmer to change their minds... to no avail. Unfortunately, those greedy businessmen didn't care about my family's company; all that mattered to them was the lure of green bucks. Dad spent the rest of the afternoon calling other investors and shareholders, convincing them not to commit the same mistake.
Just as my dad was ready to call it a day, someone unexpected walked into his office.
"Oh... hi," my dad said softly as he looked up to see who was knocking on the glass door. It was Felicity.
Emily was right behind her mother and had her arms around one of her mom's legs. "Hi, Emily! Wanna play games with me?" I offered. She nodded her head and let go of her mom. She came over and sat beside me on the carpeted floor inside my dad's office. I let her hold my tablet and choose which game she wanted to play.
"What brings you to QC?" my dad asked. He had an odd-looking smile on his face. Of course, he was happy to see her so soon, but he also knew that something must be terribly wrong. Felicity didn't normally come to QC. Although she was Senior IT Consultant, she preferred to stay away as much as she could to avoid gossip and other complications. She must have had something very important to tell him. Dad stood up and met her as she walked into the office towards his desk.
Felicity's head hung low. As my dad reached for her hands and held them, she slowly looked up and met his gaze. She was teary-eyed, and her hands were trembling.
"What's wrong?" Dad asked.
"I'm afraid," Felicity said, her voice shaking.
"Tell me," said my dad.
Emily:
Oliver led my mom to the couch in front of his desk nearer where Stephen and I were. They sat down beside each other. Oliver didn't let go of my mom's hand as she started to explain.
"After lunch, I decided to call Ray," my mom began.
"You called Palmer? What for?" Oliver immediately responded.
"I wanted to ask him to back down... you know... from whatever it is he's planning to do about QC." Mom took a deep breath before she continued. "He said he would... and gladly..."
"If...?" Oliver interjected, anticipating a catch in Palmer's unconvincing show of goodwill.
"If I let him have joint custody of Emily." Mom's voice broke. The tears she had been holding back gave way, cascading down her cheeks. Had I known then what this whole idea of joint custody was all about, I would have screamed at the top of my lungs in protest.
"That son of a--"
"Oliver, no. Don't curse. He's not worth it."
This time, it was Oliver who was shaking. Uncontrollably. He suddenly stood up and headed for his desk, slamming his balled fists onto it and leaning over, jolting the three of us. Mom reached forward, crouching down to where we were seated on the floor. She laid one hand on my shoulder and another hand on Stephen's shoulder and said, "It's okay. No worries. Just keep playing."
Mom then stood up and walked over to Oliver. She placed her hands on his arms and leaned her upper body against his back. She nestled her head between his right shoulder and neck. For a while, the rise and fall of his upper back as he inhaled and exhaled deeply seemed to lull my mother to sleep, drowning out her fears and worries. But then, Mom broke the silence and asked him softly, "What are we going to do?"
Oliver straightened up and turned to face my mom. With one hand he held her hand, and with the other, he wiped away the tears on her face. "I don't know what I'm going to do... yet... but I'm sure of what you're not going to do. You are not giving him joint custody of Emily."
"I don't want to... but... what about your company? Pretty soon he'll have enough shares of stocks to demand a seat in the Board. And then... I don't even want to think if what could happen next," Mom spoke as she began to sob slightly. "Oliver, he'll take me to court. I know it!" she panicked.
"Shh... stop..." he tried to comfort her. "He can try. But he won't win. We won't let him."
"But he said..." Mom went on to say in between sobs, "He said if I refuse to let him have joint custody, he would file a civil case and go after sole custody of Emily. He said he'll make me regret having denied him his rights as her biological father. He said he can convince any judge that I'm an unfit mother."
"What?! On what grounds?" Oliver asked. The pitch and volume of his voice were escalating. Rage was brewing inside him.
"Ray said he can prove I'm not fit because I can't finance her medical treatments. Worse, he says I'm an unfit mother coz I irresponsibly expose my daughter to my questionable escapades with men like you. He says he has pictures of us... together... with Emily... in The Bellagio... from reporters. And... and he says he can dig up more dirt on you if I don't give him what he wants."
"That's blackmail!" Oliver yelled in anger. "I'm sorry, Felicity, but your ex... he's a lunatic!"
Mom bowed her head and sniffed. "I know," she responded. "That's why I didn't run after him when I found out I was..." She cried softly again. "I didn't want him around Emily... not even for a minute. Not then, not now. Having him in her life would destroy her."
Mom tried to let go of Oliver's hand as she started to back away. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to drag you into my life's mess. You don't deserve any of this," she said with deep sadness and regret.
"Felicity, babe, come here." Oliver gripped her hand more tightly and pulled her back towards him. When he had her close, he put an arm around her waist and traced one side of her angelic face with the back of his other hand. "I don't regret being part of your life. Not for a moment. Do you understand?" My mom nodded. "I told you I'd take care of you... and Emily... and I will. I'll do everything I can to protect you... to fight for you... even if it's the last thing I do."
"But--" Mom tried to speak, but Oliver didn't let her. He put a finger on her lips and went on to say, "If a legal battle is what Palmer wants, then that is what he'll get. He can't keep hurting you like this. I won't let him!"
Stephen:
My dad hugged Felicity real tight, and then he kissed her hair, taking in the refreshing scent of cherry blossoms.
He wasn't going to let her go. "Do you trust me?" he asked.
"Yes," she whispered, softly yet surely.
I didn't understand everything they were talking about that night. But judging from the parts that I did, and based on the body language and the emotion I had observed, I was convinced that Felicity and my dad were right for each other. She needed someone to defend her, to love her, and to tell her everything would be all right. He needed someone to bring out the hero in him. At that moment I knew that Dad really did love her. He loved her unconditionally, broken and all. I also knew that she trusted and respected him. He didn't question his decision or minimize his resolve. Love. Respect. I learned early on, and I understand better today, that these two are the pillars of a committed relationship.