Nut Free Menu
An: I do not own Arrow.
Summary: It's the most important day in the life of Thea Queen. She's going to walk down the aisle and marry the man she loves but can revenge plotted against her brother's girlfriend ruin her day? Sequel to Adam Queen. Thea's POV.
Thea was bustling with nervous energy. Today was her wedding day, the day she would walk down the aisle and marry Roy Harper. They would promise to love and cherish each other for the rest of their lives. She was about to begin her forever with Roy. She had asked her mother and the rest of her bridesmaids to give her a few minutes to herself. She wanted a bit of time to reflect on her life up to that point. It had been a bumpy ride but she firmly believed in happily ever after. She knew marriage wasn't easy, she watched her brother struggle through his own disastrous marriage.
Thea had foolishly thought Oliver and Laurel were the perfect couple. She had been a teenager when they married. They were her dream. It was devastating when Oliver filed for divorce. Both her mother and her blamed Oliver. They couldn't imagine anyone more perfect than Laurel. It was only after Thea began to get to know Felicity that she realised how deluded she had been. Laurel and Oliver had never formed a proper partnership to build a strong foundation for their relationship. Thus they weren't able to weather the storm. Thea's new example was the strong bond her brother had formed with Felicity. She suspected it was unbreakable. She hoped Roy and her had something similar.
She remembered the first day she met Roy. He had stolen her purse the first day she was leaving the City Necessary Resources Initiative (CNRI). She would have run after him but she was still recovering from the accident that forced her to serve her community sentence at CNRI. Her were wrists still hurting her, she couldn't lift an arm because her collar bone was still healing and she still felt sore all over. The authorities made her start serving her sentence as soon as she was released from the hospital. They were trying to make an example of her.
She had gotten a good look at his face. She went to Laurel and her father, Captain Lance, and they were able to track the boy down. Thea identified him in a line up. As they were pushing him out of the room he looked directly at the two-way mirror and asked how come she could get community service but he was going to get hard time. She was a criminal just like him. She didn't know why she did it but she asked them to give him community service at CNRI as well.
The first few days were rocky but their friendship started to grow. They did all the grunt work for the lawyers who worked there. She heard many heartbreaking stories. It opened her eyes to the suffering of people around her. She would never forget the day that a woman came in with a small child seeking assistance. Her husband was beating her and she wanted him out of her life permanently. She wanted a restraining order filed and a divorce but she couldn't afford a lawyer. The husband had tracked her down with a baseball bat. Thea had stepped in front of the woman but the man still swung the bat at them. Before it could hit Thea, Roy stepped in taking the hit and then grabbing the bat and turning it on the man.
That evening Roy took a shaken Thea for coffee. She couldn't understand how Roy could be so blasé about everything but he told her he grew up with violence around him. He could guarantee that that would not be the last time during their community service that they would see violence and he was right. There had been four other wife beaters, three drug addicts who pulled knives and one man with a gun. By the end of the month there were dating.
Ironically, it was also because of all the violence that she saw that she was able to forgive her mother. She had a mother that loved her very much and would do anything to protect her. There were people who didn't have that and she learned to be grateful for everything in her life.
Felicity was the first person to meet Roy. Thea knew if it had been any other member of the family, her relationship with Roy would not have progressed any further. Felicity didn't judge him, instead reminding Thea to stay safe. When Oliver met Roy, Felicity was there to keep her brother in check. When Oliver and Felicity moved to the suburbs, she moved into the loft and she eventually invited him to stay with her permanently.
Roy got a more permanent job when Sara Lance decided that she wanted to start up her own night club. Tommy invested as a silent partner and they hired Roy to help run the bar. They took him under their wing and registered him in classes during the day to learn business. Thea had finished her business degree and started working at Queen Consolidated with her brother and Felicity. Working with them had been scary at first. They treated her like all the other workers and demanded the same level of excellence from her. It had taken a while to adjust to Felicity's work persona. Malcolm wanted her at Merlyn Global but she didn't feel comfortable working there.
There was a soft knock at the door and Felicity and Sara snuck in.
"You look so beautiful!" they gushed.
"Thank you," Thea said hugging them both.
"Roy is so nervous. He's afraid you're going to wake up from your delusion and leave him at the altar," Sara said.
"I'm not going to do that," Thea answered shaking her head.
"I know. That's what I kept telling him," Felicity said with a slight tear in the corner of her eye. Thea knew she was so happy for them.
"Any last minute advice?" she asked them.
Sara snorted, "I barely remember my wedding. I woke up the next morning with a massive rock on my finger and Tommy Merlyn next to me."
"But you're still married," Thea pointed out
"Yes we are and I think part of that has to do with Laurel criticising Tommy for the cliché drunk Vegas wedding that was going to end in his second divorce. I realised that I didn't want that for Tommy. He was a good guy and if we both tried we could make it work. Besides it's only been two months. Felicity is really the one that should be giving us advice."
"I'm not married," Felicity said.
"Not yet but that will change come tomorrow when the judge officially dissolves Oliver's first marriage," Thea said with a small smile. It had been a very long road to get there but Oliver got there eventually.
"You may not have the married label but you and Oliver have been functioning as a married couple for the longest time!" Sara said.
Moira and Laurel chose that moment to enter. Both women frowned at Thea's company.
"We better get going," Felicity said hugging Thea one last time.
Sara hugged Thea before following Felicity out the door. Sara made sure to get in one good glare at her sister before she left.
"Sweetheart, the bridesmaids are all ready, its time," Moira said.
The bridal party was huge all be it a bit unusual. She had ten bridesmaids, even though her groom only had three official groomsmen. The discrepancies should have freaked her out, you're supposed to have an equal amount on both sides but as Felicity had pointed out, it's her wedding, if she wanted ten, she could have ten and she didn't need to force Roy to have more than he was comfortable with. It was his special day too and if he only wanted three guys up there with him, then so be it. Thea was surprisingly ok with it, her other bridesmaids not so much.
Three of her bridesmaids were women who she had been bridesmaids for and she needed to return the favour. Six were friends she had during her life from kindergarten to work. The last bridesmaid was Laurel. Thea had known Laurel for a very long time and despite the state of her relationship with Oliver, Thea couldn't turn her back on her first sister-in-law. Laurel would always be connected to them through Adam and Thea secretly hoped that Laurel might one day forgive Oliver. Her mother had been very pleased with her choice, Oliver not so much but the persons Thea was worried she might hurt with the choice were Felicity and Sara. Both women however, were ecstatic that they didn't have to be part of a bridal party. With Oliver, Tommy, Connor, Adam and Hilary in the party it meant they were free to enjoy themselves and both women had plans of hitting the bar while the official photographs were being taken. Sara said husband free, child free time needed to be enjoyed.
The flower girl, Hilary, the page boy Adam and the ring bearer Connor walked down the aisle first. Thea made sure to include her niece and nephews in the ceremony. They were important to her. Her bridesmaids followed next. Once her Maid of Honour made it to the end of the aisle, she was next. Both of her father's walked her down the aisle, Robert Queen and Malcolm Merlyn. She had toiled over who to pick but then realised that both could just walk her down the aisle.
Everything was a blur after that. The only thing that stood out clearly in her mind was their first kiss as husband and wife. After that, the photographer and videographer hurried them off for family photos at a set location. She spent about two hours there and she knew the photos weren't even complete because she was going to take a few shots with Felicity and Sara included at the reception.
Thea was ready to toss the bouquet and looked at the of line single woman clamouring to catch her bouquet. Her eyes narrowed when Felicity was not among them. She searched the room for her blonde friend but didn't find her. She didn't see her very vivacious mother either, though maybe Malcolm had stolen her away since he seemed to take a liking to her. She spotted her brother glued to his phone and made a beeline for him.
"Oliver where is Felicity?" she demanded
"the bathroom," Oliver said without sparing her a glance. She knew from his tone and his distraction that he was lying. Plus, at events like this, Felicity was never more than 3 feet away from him.
"Thea your mother says you need to throw the bouquet now," one of her bridesmaids came over to tell her.
"It can wait," she said frowning at her brother, "spill it Oliver,"
Oliver tugged at his collar, "She didn't want to spoil your big day,"
"Tell me," Thea implored him.
"The food had nuts in it."
"Oh my God, is she ok?" Thea knew how allergic Felicity was to nuts. The first time she had ever witness Felicity go into anaphylactic shock it had scared her.
"Her mom took her to the hospital. They're treating her now. She says she's fine," Oliver said showing her the very long discussion thread on his phone.
"I'm surprised you're not freaking out," she said. Now that she looked carefully she could see the tension in his shoulders and the unease in his stance.
"I was but Donna is here and Felicity says she caught it early. She used her epi-pen to keep off the attack long enough for the ambulance to arrive and take her to the hospital,"
Thea couldn't believe she had been too busy celebrating not to notice all of that. She knew her brother, Donna and Felicity always walked with an epi-pen for emergencies.
Then it suddenly dawned on Thea that the food had nuts after she specifically instructed no nuts. She marched towards the doors that were labelled employees only. She burst through the double doors and entered the main kitchen. There were several chefs cooking and bustling through the kitchen. No one paid her any attention.
"Is there nuts in the food?" she demanded of the nearest chef.
He looked startled at first but then seemed to realise she was the bride and the person paying the bill for the function in the ballroom.
"Yes the gourmet mini burgers have finely chopped nuts in it," he said to her.
That was Felicity's favourite snack! It was also the dish Thea added to the menu because she wanted to have her friend be part of the wedding in some way.
"I specifically asked for no nuts!" she screeched.
"We were told that had changed," the chef said.
"by who?" she asked.
"The Manager, Mr. Hinkle,"
Thea soon found herself in the Food and Beverage Manager's office. As expected he was at work because he was supposed to ensure that her wedding went well.
"Mrs Queen requested nuts be added to the burgers," he said.
"Which Mrs. Queen?" Thea asked knowing there were two.
"It was both of them," he revealed.
Thea's blood ran cold, how could they do this to her? She didn't doubt for one second that the Manager was lying. Both her mother and Laurel were very capable of pulling a move like that. She returned to the ballroom and found Laurel and her mother and marched them upstairs to the hotel suite she was supposed to be sharing with Roy that night. She had to ignore the rose petals the lined the way to the bedroom, and the romantic hearts that decorated the suit. She wouldn't be enjoying it tonight.
"Why did you add nuts to the menu when you both know Felicity is allergic to it?" she asked even though she knew the answer to the question.
"She should have asked if the food was nut free," Laurel said crossing her arms in front of her chest.
"Why would she ask if there is nuts in the food when I specifically told her that the menu was nut free and she could relax and eat! I can't believe you would try to ruin my wedding like this!"
Both her mother and Laurel opened their mouths to respond.
"No, you two do not get to talk now. I am so done with this Queen vs. Felicity thing. Laurel, you and my brother are over, no matter how hard you try to hold on, he will never love you. It is so clear as day that he loves Felicity, he's such a better person with her. And mom, if there is ever a woman that deserved the Queen name, its Felicity. Despite what you've thrown at her she been able to remain calm and carry herself with dignity. I regret ever listening to the two of you. Unlike you two, she has only ever been supportive of me. She had a very scary reaction to food and she didn't even cause a scene. I had no idea what was going on until the bouquet toss. Where as you set it up for her to ruin my wedding!"
Again they tried to interrupt.
"I don't want to hear it! From this point forward I want nothing to do with the both of you. I finally understand why Oliver gave up on you. You can officially count me as a member of Team Felicity."
She slammed the door shut and found her husband with Tommy doing shots.
"Come we are leaving?" she said to him.
"Is it that time already?" he asked wiggling his eyebrows at her but he stopped when he realised that she was on the verge of crying. "I haven't screwed up already have I?" he asked.
"No, you're perfect. I just cut my mother and Laurel out of my life for good," she told him.
He pulled her into his embrace and rubbed her back soothingly. He didn't even ask what had happened. He just accepted it.
"What's wrong?" Sara said coming over to them with Hilary and the boys.
Thea broke away from Roy and he used his thumbs to carefully wipe away the tear tracks on her face. She had been smart enough to use mascara that didn't run in case she ended up crying tears of joy.
"Felicity is in the hospital. The food apparently had nuts in it," she said.
"I'll go get the car," Roy said immediately.
That was part of the reason Thea loved Roy so much. Even though it was their wedding night and she promised him a wild passionate night, he didn't protest that those plans were now cancelled. He was fiercely loyal and he supported her no matter what.
Thea said goodbye to her fathers, her bridesmaids and a few friends before leaving. Malcolm and Robert promised to make sure the guests were all attended to and continued to have a good time. Roy and Oliver were waiting by the 'Just Married' limo for her. Inside her niece, nephews, Tommy and Sara were already seated. Roy settled besides her in the limo. When they arrived at the emergency room, several people gave them looks. She was vaguely aware of people taking pictures but that didn't matter. They found Felicity in a private room, complaining about the IV needle that was stuck in her arm to her mother.
"Hi!" Thea said cheerily as she entered.
Felicity looked like someone had used her face as a punching bag. Her lips were swollen, her eyes droopy and her skin flushed red.
"Thea! You weren't supposed to come here," Felicity wheezed out trying to glare at Oliver but failing.
"I was looking for you for the bouquet toss," she said as she placed her bouquet in Felicity's hands. "I had the whole thing rigged for you to catch the bouquet,"
"Go and enjoy your wedding," Felicity said.
"I celebrated with friends, now it's time to celebrate with family," she said as everyone else poured into the room, Adam and Connor both taking seats at the foot of the bed while their father's hand automatically encircled Felicity's. Thea truly meant that. After taking the last of the photos at the reception she had partied with her friends. She knew there would be time later to celebrate with family. As she looked at her brother, she knew that as soon as he left the courthouse tomorrow he was proposing to Felicity. They had all seen the ring and approved.
Her wedding night may not have turned out how she initially planned but there was something special about being in a room with family sharing stories and trading playful insults at one another. Roy fit in perfectly and it meant a lot to her to see Oliver and Tommy treat him like a brother. Whatever storms they had to go through in the future, she hoped they would brave it as a family.
An: Thanks for reading.