This story is for ohhsoadorkable for the Olicity Holiday Fic Exchange.
I hope you had a wonderful holiday and a happy new year. I hope you enjoy the story and that it captures the feeling you wanted.
Five year old Asher Thomas Queen couldn't wait any longer. He'd been waiting for what felt like ever. He waited until the sun was fully up in sky, just like he promised, before he scrambled out of bed and sprinted down the hall to his parent's room. Throwing open their door, he yelled, "It's Christmas!"
As Ash launched himself into his parent's bed, he heard a grunt and knew he'd landed on his dad.
"Get up you guys, it's Christmas."
"Alright Ash, give us minute," his Dad said. Oliver sat up to find his son staring at him with a mile wide smile on his face. He was actually impressed Ash had managed to wait as long as did before he woke them up. "How about you head on down, and we'll be right behind you."
"Okay, but hurry." Ash leap off the bed and headed out their door. Oliver could hear him running down the hall, and for good measure called out, "Be careful going down the stairs."
"And you wonder why in insist on wearing a shirt to bed?" Felicity asked as she sat up and pushed the covers down.
"And I always say that's locks are for," Oliver replied. He leaned in for a good morning kiss. It had taken Felicity almost six months of dating before she could let herself kiss him without brushing her teeth. Now, domesticity was second nature. Every touch, every sigh, was a well-choreographed dance that they'd perfected over the years. They separated when they heard Ash yell from downstairs.
"I think our son is getting impatient," she said. "Let's go down before he opens our presents too."
As they got out of bed and got ready to head downstairs, Felicity's eye caught on one of the scars on his back. It was the last he'd gotten as the Arrow, and for that reason alone, it always stood out to her. She could admit to herself that, in the beginning, she'd had concerns. He was scared physically and mentally, and he had a tendency to push those he loved away. But it had always been different with her. Whatever they had, it only grew stronger the more time they'd spent together. It was inevitable, when she looked back on it. Now, she was just thankful every day she had this man and their son in her life. She was thankful for every smile and laugh and good memory they created together; as a family.
As for Oliver, he wasn't sure what kind of divine intervention had come into to his life, and though he was convinced he didn't deserve the woman he now called his wife, he thanked them every day. Asher hadn't been planned. He had been a catalyst though. Oliver had almost died too many times. When they found out she was pregnant, he knew the time had come to hang up the hood. And that meant she would have to retire from hero work as well. Roy had taken over once Oliver hung up the hood, and, backed by the Justice League, he had enough allies that the Queens could rest peacefully at night. Arm in arm they left their room, and made their way downstairs.
When Ash left his parents room, he headed straight downstairs to where the Christmas tree was. He'd been extra good this year, and he was hoping Santa had brought him what he asked for. He jumped off the last step and raced into the family room. And there it was. The bike he'd wanted was set up right in front of the tree. He stood in awe for a moment, and then let out a cheer.
He ran up to it, grabbing the handles and pushing it forward. He saw a tag hanging on the handlebar. 'To Asher,' it said, 'From Santa Claus.' 'Yes', he thought.' Being a good boy had really paid off.' He couldn't wait to show his parents.
"Mom, Dad!" he shouted. "Santa came!"
Felicity and Oliver entered the family room to find Ash admiring his new bike. It was just the three of them this year. They'd decided to have a big family get together for Hanukkah since Moira and Thea would be celebrating Christmas with Thea's fiancés family. So last week, the Queens and The Smoaks had all gotten together to celebrate. It had been fun, but Oliver was looking forward to a less crowded Christmas.
"Guys, do see what Santa brought me?" Ash presented his new gift with pride. Felicity said, "That's amazing Ash." She lowered herself in front of the tree and started pulling out the rest of the gifts as Oliver made his way over to his son, kneeling down in front of him.
"This bike so great . You made out this year, huh?" Oliver smiled at his son as jumped on the seat and mimed riding it. Oliver had his hand on the back so it wouldn't tip over.
"I sure did. This is so cool. Can we go outside and ride it?" He chuckled at Ash's enthusiasm. "Not now, buddy. How about we open some more presents?" Oliver settled down in front of Asher and Felicity joined him on the floor.
"Okay." Ash proceeded to tear into the pile Felicity had made for him in front of his new bike. They'd agreed a long time ago that they would do their best not to spoil their son. Being a Queen, he would no doubt grow up privileged, but they wanted to do their best to keep him somewhat grounded. That meant one present from Santa and a few from them. It was a struggle, but they usually managed to keep Thea down to a quiet shout as well.
While their son played with his presents, Felicity turned to Oliver to find him smiling as Ash used his new dinosaur to attack his new transformer. Seeing him happy, knowing they were happy together, it made her a little emotional. Before any actual tears could fall, she nudged his shoulder with hers. He turned to meet her eyes, his smile in place, and she found herself smiling back.
"So Mr. Queen, are you ready for your Christmas present?"
"Yes, Mrs., Queen, but the question is are you ready for yours?"
All month long they'd been teasing each other about who had gotten the other the best gift. Each was convinced they'd outdone the other. Now was the moment of truth. Felicity grabbed the gifts that she had pulled out from under the tree for them, and handed Oliver his present.
"You go first." Oliver smirked at her. His smile came so easy now, the weight of the world no longer on his shoulders. Though they come far more often, she still cherished everyone.
"Alright." Felicity tore into to green wrapping paper. Felicity almost died when she spied what was inside.
"Oliver! How? Where…this isn't supposed to be available yet-"
"I have my ways. Being CEO of QC means I do have some clout."
She beamed at him before tearing into the box that housed her new tablet. It had the newest everything. New screen, new processor, it was a geeks wet dream and Felicity was already itching to start playing with it. She threw her arms around her husband, kissing him, and hugging her tablet to her chest.
"This is amazing. Thank you."
"You're welcome. And, now it's my turn."
As Oliver removed the shiny paper from the gift box, Felicity started to feel a little apprehensive. So she did what she tended to do when she got flustered. She started babbling.
"I wasn't sure at first what to get you," Felicity said as Oliver pulled the lid of the top of the box. "You have a bad habit of just going out and buying what you want." Oliver reached into the box, and removed the tissue covering his gift. "But then this happened, and I thought it was the best kind of present." Oliver pulled a framed sonogram photograph from the box and stared at it, at a loss for words. When he didn't respond right away, Felicity said, "I got you a baby! Well, in 7 or 8 months anyway."
Oliver was in shock. He and Felicity had spoken a few times about more kids, but nothing had ever been set. He realized he'd been quiet for too long and needed to respond before she freaked out. With a smile starting to pull at the corners of his mouth, he said, "How? I mean, when?
"Do you remember Halloween night?"
Did he remember Halloween night? He would never forget it. Ash had insisted they dress like superheroes. Ash had gone as Iron Man, while Oliver had opted for Captain America. His beautiful wife? She'd astounded and instantly aroused him when she came down stairs dressed as Black Widow. The site of Felicity in skin tight leather had definitely left him suffering throughout the evening. He seduced her later that night, the costumes inspiring a little roleplaying on their part.
"Oh I remember." His pupils dilated at the memory, and he noted Felicity's eyes had as well. Then he glanced back at the framed picture of their growing child, and then turned and rested his eyes on her stomach. Placing his hand over her abdomen, he leaned in and kissed her. It wasn't the most heated kiss they'd ever shared, but it certainly held a vast amount of emotion. It reminded her of the day Asher had been born. After laying him down on her chest, Oliver had leaned in a kissed her, pouring all his love for her and their child into it, as well as the gratitude he felt towards her for bringing their son into the world. That kiss, like this one, told Felicity that this was it. No matter what, they had each other. And that was enough. They pulled apart and gazed into each other's eyes.
"How did ever get so lucky?" Oliver asked, laughing a little to himself.
"Hey," she giggled as she swatted his arm, "it's not just you who lucked out."
"You said I deserved better, but what I got was the best. I don't deserve you but I'm so grateful to have you and Asher." He places his hand on her stomach. "And this one."
Felicity felt tears brim her eyes. Stupid pregnancy hormones were already setting in. "Well no matter what you think, I feel lucky to have you too."
The sound of Ash making exploding noises drew their attention back to him. Oliver looked back at Felicity questioningly. "Should we tell Ash?"
"I have a gift for that too." Felicity stood up and went to the tree to grab the gift for Asher she'd hidden behind the others. When she turned back to join them, she took a moment and watched as her son explained to his father why the transformer was clearly stronger than the dinosaur. He favored Oliver to be sure, but he had her eyes. She wondered what their next child would look like, if it was a boy or a girl. She grinned at the thought. Time would tell. She walked back over and sat down next to Oliver and listened in as Ash started to explain how his new dump truck worked.
"Hey Ash," interrupting him before he could get to in-depth, "I have another present for you.
"Really? What is it?"
"I guess you'll have to open it up and find out." As he opened his present, she caught Oliver's eye. He nodded his head towards the gift and gave her a questioning look. She just smiled back and shook her head. He gave a slight frown, a teasing glint in his eyes. They looked back as Ash held up a green t-shirt, looking at the writing on the front.
Ash took in the details of the shirt his Mom had given him. It had arrows running up and down and side to side, and, there was writing towards the bottom. Felicity and Oliver watched as he struggled to understand their meaning. He turned to his parents and said, "It says Big Brother."
"It does," Felicity responded. "What do you think of that?"
Ash took a minute to think about it. His friend Jake had a little brother, and he was always talking about him, and about he got to help feed him and play with him. Asher thought having a brother of his own would be neat, and so he had told his parent he'd wanted one too. They'd smiled and laughed and told him he was enough to handle. But now it looked like his wish was coming true.
"You mean I get to have a brother?" he looked excitedly at them.
His parents laughed, and Oliver responded. "Maybe. Or you might get sister. The point is, you are going to be a big brother, and we're going to need your help taking care of them. Sound good bud?"
"Yeah it sounds good. I get to be a brother." Ash jumped up and threw his arms around his Dad, hugging him. Then he moved to his mother's arms, embracing her with all his might. He pulled back and asked, "Mom, can I get a puppy now too?"
"Nice try mister. Let's start with the baby for now."
" I put my new shirt on a go ride my bike now?"
They spent the rest of day laughing and playing together. Oliver had given her shirt choice the side eye, but she thought a green shirt with arrows that said big brother was hilarious. It would be their little inside joke. Ash had passed out early due to all the excitement. After putting him down, Oliver and Felicity came together and celebrated the pregnancy in their own special way. After they were both spent, and drifting off to sleep, Oliver once again gave thanks to whoever saw fit to bless him with the life he now lived.
"Merry Christmas," he said. "I love you Felicity."
She gave him a kiss and replied, "Merry Christmas Oliver. I love you too."
authors note: Easter egg-The name Oliver means olive tree. The name Felicity means happiness. The name Asher is of Jewish origin, and means happy or blessing. And his embalm is an olive tree.