Reunion
An: I don't own Arrow.
Summary: Oliver's school is having a sort of reunion thing for students to come back and support the school. It is really a fundraiser disguised as a reunion. For obvious reasons Oliver doesn't want to go. Felicity however has other ideas. Part 5 of the High School History Series.
Felicity stared at her reflection in the floor length mirror of their bedroom. She did not like the image that was looking back at her. She thought all she needed was over-done white glossy eye shadow around her eyes and she could pass for Shamu from Seaworld. She was eight months pregnant with their son and dressed in a loosely fitted black dress that did nothing to hide the fifty pounds that she had put on. Some women could pull off pregnancy as this fabulous glamorous thing but she was miserable and only two things made it bearable, the fact that they were getting a baby at the end of the misery and the adorable look on Oliver's face every time he caught her waddling around. It always made her want to kiss him. He just looked so happy when he looked at her. There was no trace of the horrors that he had faced on the island when he watched her walking towards him.
Felicity had taken to placing the keyboard on her stomach to get any work done. If she could avoid going into the office and work from home, she did but tonight it was important for her to make the effort and go out. Oliver had received an invitation from the Academy that he attended when he was younger to participate in a reunion of sorts. The school was seeking to buy the property that boarded its south side so they could expand the extracurricular activities that they currently offered. Oliver was very hesitant to go to the event. He really didn't want to see those people from his past, even if it was a fundraiser to benefit the school. Felicity didn't want to go either but they needed to register their son for a school. Everyone kept raving that it was the place to send your child in Star City but Felicity wanted to see the school before she agreed to send their son there. What better way to check out a school than to go to the reunion and see the end product.
The school wasn't far from town or the lair, sitting just on the outskirts in a well-to-do neighbourhood. There was a large black wrought iron gate that guarded the main entrance. Oliver referred to it as the gates to prison. A high wall surrounded the rest of the premises, atop each post was a security camera.
"I can monitor him from those cameras," Felicity said pointing to the one nearest to them. They were seated at the back of a limousine being driven by one of their new chauffeurs.
"You want to spy on our son?" Oliver asked with a raised eyebrow.
"It's not spying. I will merely be conducting safety checks," Felicity replied primly.
"Right," Oliver said with a disbelieving nod.
The gates gave way to a winding driveway that lead up to a roundabout. In the middle of the roundabout was a large fountain, a gold angel stood on a stone base with jets of water shooting out the base around it.
"Tommy and I peed in that multiple times," Oliver commented fondly. Felicity squeezed his hand in comfort. She knew the other reason, which Oliver would never admit out loud, to not wanting to come back here was Tommy. He missed his best friend dearly and this place was full with memories of him.
On either side of the driveway there were lush green lawns with flower beds running along the outskirts. A few large trees were peppered along the wall. They probably provided excellent shade during the day. Overall, the garden was perfectly manicured. There was not a blade of grass that stuck out. All of the trees were pruned and there were plenty flowers in the various beds. It looked like a nice place to have recess.
"You're not allowed to play on the grass," Oliver said sensing his wife's thoughts.
Felicity looked at him in astonishment, "Why not?"
"It damages the perfect look," he replied to her."There's an area assigned in the back for playing. I'll show you later when we need a break from the reunion."
The limo pulled up in front of the entrance and a doorman opened the door for them.
"Welcome Mr. and Mrs. Queen," he said pleasantly. Oliver nodded at him as he exited the vehicle first.
"Thank you," Felicity said as Oliver helped her out of the car. "Wow," she exhaled as she looked at the marble entranceway.
An usher stepped forward, "Please follow me."
"I'm fairly sure I remember how to get to the ballroom," Oliver told the kid.
"Rules sir, all guests, regardless of if they are former students, must be escorted by an usher," the boy said to him.
Oliver gave the kid a tight smile, "Yes the rules, that book and I used to be best friends," he said sardonically.
Felicity squeezed his arm, "Be nice."
"Lead the way kid," Oliver said with a pleasant smile. He swore the kid muttered something about him being whipped under his breath.
Felicity parked herself at the table that was closest to where the waiters emerged with the trays of food. She made each waiter aware that they had to come to her first and that she was allergic to nuts so they better make damned sure that she didn't accidentally eat anything containing nuts or her husband would murder them. A menacing look from Oliver was all it took to reinforce the message. Once she was comfortable, she sent Oliver to socialise with his old teachers and classmates. She was content to sit and observe the room quietly. She may have also hacked into the security camera feeds so that she had multiple views of what was going on around her. If she disappeared from the table while he was away, it would only be because she needed to urgently use the bathroom again. She had been at the reunion for half an hour when he returned to her side.
"Felicity I was wrong about this reunion," Oliver said stealing a samosa from the pile she had on her plate.
She tried to slap his hand away but he was much faster than her.
"It's not a disguise for a fundraiser," he continued,"It's a disguise for Carter Bowen to talk about the Daytime Emmy he won for his show."
"I would say something comforting Oliver but you stole my food," she said pointing accusingly at the half eaten samosa in his hand.
Oliver gave her a disbelieving look, "I would never steal your food Felicity. I was merely helping you finish it so we could take our first excursion of the night."
She pulled her plate closer to her, "I can finish it on my own Mister."
Oliver led her slowly away from the ballroom, down a dark corridor towards a destination she did not know. She assumed they were going to the play area he promised to show her earlier and was very surprised when they stopped in front of a door clearly labelled Principal's Office.
"What are we doing here Oliver?" Felicity asked.
"Just strolling down memory lane. Tommy and I spent a lot of time here and I want to see if it's still there," he said fondly.
Oliver pulled out his lock pick set, having come prepared for this particular task. He picked the lock quickly and pulled her into the office. The first room was the general reception area. There was a small desk on one side of the room that Felicity assumed was occupied by a secretary. On either side of the desk was a door, one labelled Vice-Principal, Lucas Golding, and the other Principal, Henrietta Snout. There was a line of chairs opposite the desk, which she assumed was for the students to sit on while they way waited to see either the Principal or Vice-Principal.
Oliver pointed to two nondescript chairs in the line, "Those belonged to Tommy and I."
He went towards the Principal's office and picked the lock.
"Oliver, I don't think we should be in here," she said nervously.
"Let me guess, this is literally your first time inside a principal's office?" Oliver asked.
"No of course not," Felicity responded.
At his doubtful look, she elaborated, "The principal called me to his office all the time to fix his computer."
Oliver smiled wryly at her, "My visits weren't so positive."
The principal's office was very large, with a large mahogany desk on one side of the room and a big glass cabinet containing the trophies that the school had won over the years on the other side.
"Shouldn't those be on display for all the students to see?" Felicity asked nodding at the trophies.
Oliver gave her a wicked grin, "They were, until Tommy and I decided to drink beer out of the prestigious polo cup! After that they were secured in here. Guess even after we graduated the trophies never returned to their display cases again."
He moved the ergonomic chair from behind the desk and looked under the desk.
"It's still here!" he said in amazement. "I thought for sure that old bat would have changed the desk when she became Principal but it's still here."
"What's still there?" Felicity asked. It's not like she could easily get down on her hands and knees and see.
Oliver pulled his phone out of his pants pocket and took a picture before handing it to her. Carved under the desk were the words:
Oliver Queen and Tommy Merlyn Rule This School
Not the Ass seated behind this desk
"How on earth did you do that?" Felicity asked.
"The previous principal made the mistake of leaving us alone in his office to attend to a fight that broke out in the reception area. Tommy and I had paid the kids to fight to give us time to do that. It was an epic plan! I kept watch by the door while Tommy carved it," Oliver said with a fond smile on his face. From the glassy look of his eyes, Felicity knew he was lost in the memory.
"You know if the desk has such fond memories we could buy it, cut out the words and frame them," Felicity suggested. She knew how her husband treasured his memories with Tommy.
"Nah, let it stay here as long as possible. Just put a tab on the system to see if they ever buy a new desk. Then I definitely want it," Oliver told his wife.
Felicity looked back at the picture, "There looks like more writing below?" she said pointing out the top of a carving that showed on the bottom edge of the picture.
"Others seemed to have followed our lead," Oliver said proudly.
"I don't know if I should be worried that you got others to do that or proud that at such an early age your leadership abilities were on clear display," Felicity admitted.
Oliver kissed her gently on her forehead. "Let's get back to the party. Principal Snout has been watching me since we arrived like she expects me to spike the punch again," he said.
Felicity laughed, "Oh Oliver, if she only knew what you were truly capable of!"
The ballroom was more crowded than before but she had left her empty purse on her chair and Oliver's tie on his, to save their seats. Oliver was stopped by a former teacher on his way in and Felicity excused herself to sit down. At least her pregnancy gave her a valid reason to get out of awkward conversations.
"You're the girl Oliver supposedly settled down with?" a brunette that was now seated at the table with two other women asked her.
"Yes, I'm his wife," Felicity responded politely ignoring the rude undertone in the question.
"I don't see anything special," the brunette said brazenly after her eyes had run over every visible inch of Felicity.
The blonde seated next to the brunette pipped up, "He probably married her for business purposes," she suggested. "I remember reading that she's supposed to be some sort of tech genius and he was able to get his company back because of her."
"Been there, done that," the brunette said, "And trust me, business marriages never end well."
Felicity chose not to respond to the women instead focusing on a waiter that was walking by with deviled eggs. The health of her relationship with Oliver was none of their business. The waiter came over and she piled three on to a new plate. The women waved the waiter away and looked at her with disgust as she bit into the first egg.
"So is the kid really his or the black bodyguard that the paparazzi say you spend a lot of time with?" the blonde asked.
Felicity gawked at the blonde, the half-eaten egg probably on full display for them to see. Did she really just ask her that? Felicity's reluctance to reply seemed to fuel the fire and the women started talking about their 'encounters' with Oliver and how he always made sure he wore a condom. Felicity knew if she even attempted to respond, nothing good was going to come out particularly when there was that one time that Oliver did not wear a condom and the result was William but no one outside of the family was supposed to know about last time she had responded to the ridiculous things said about her, her words were twisted and taken out of context and plastered across all the tabloids. It made her seem like the worst human being in the world so she kept her mouth shut, grabbed her plate, her purse and Oliver's tie. The table had lost its appeal. She headed over to where she saw Oliver trying to escape another group of women.
"Save me," he said when she forced a space open next to him.
Felicity gave him the look that clearly said that the big bad Green Arrow needed saving by his 8 month pregnant wife? He ignored the look and stepped behind her.
"Ollie, I've been wanting to talk to you all night," a girl in the group purred.
"I've been busy," Oliver replied tersely.
Felicity looked at the hungry looks that the women were giving him and her control finally cracked.
"Listen closely ladies, Oliver Queen is mine," Felicity said possessively. "He only sticks his tongue and dick in one woman and that woman is me. So get lost," she said rudely.
When the woman looked at her stunned, she emphasized, "Now!" They scattered like leaves in a strong gust of wind.
Oliver gave her a heated look, "You know I love it when you talk dirty."
Felicity gave him an exasperated look, "Really Oliver. Here!"
"My love for you is insatiable," Oliver said wrapping his arms around her.
"Let's just see that play area and get out of here," she said. "I really don't have the patience to deal with these people today."
Oliver took her out to the play area assigned for the 8-10 year olds during recess. There was swings, monkey bars, slides, a merry-go-round and seesaw but what drew Felicity's eyes was the large board with the list of rules that governed the area.
"You can only play on one thing per day?" she asked reading the rules. "And if you play on the monkey bars one day you have to play on something else the next?"
"It's supposed to prevent anyone from hogging any of the equipment on the playground," he said taking her over to the swing and helping her sit on it. He stood behind her with his hands on her shoulders.
"That's ridiculous! Teach them to share don't make it feel so forced," Felicity said as Oliver gently pushed her on the swing.
Oliver shrugged, "Tommy and I never listened. If we wanted to play on the monkey bars every day, we did. I think we did it just to annoy the teachers and break the rules. It was like a cat and mouse game."
A throat cleared, "What are you doing out here Mr. Queen?" Principal Snout asked. "Guests are restricted to the ballroom."
"I was just showing my wife around," he said. "She wanted to see the school. We are expecting our son soon," he added proudly.
"You can schedule an official school tour for her," she said to Oliver, "We have one specifically designed for parents who have never attended this prestigious institution before."
"I didn't want a formal tour. I just wanted to look around on my own," Felicity explained.
"That is not allowed. You should have already registered your child the moment you passed your first trimester," the Principal admonished. "The longer you wait the less likely a spot will be secured even with your last name."
"I am not registering our son for a school that I have not reviewed in person," Felicity countered.
"And what other school in Star City do you think you can send your child to?" the Principal asked.
"There's always public school. It's not like Oliver was any better off for coming to school here," Felicity retorted angrily. Oliver's hand's started to massage her shoulders in an effort to get her to relax.
"It's a good thing Moira isn't alive to see what you married Oliver. She would be most horrified if her grandchild attended anything less than Star City Academy but I suppose that is what you get for marrying down," the older woman said with a sneer.
Felicity tried to stand up immediately but her stomach made her lose her balance and Oliver reached forward quickly to steady her, his strong arms wrapping around her from behind. Once she was steady, he released her to come and stand beside her as her loud voice took over the conversation with Principal Snout.
"Principal Snout, let's get one thing clear. Our son will not be coming here. I always wondered why it took an island to bring out the best in Oliver and I finally understand. With a narcissistic teacher like you, he never had a chance of being the best version of himself. I don't want my son to grow up in a place where he can't even touch the grass," Felicity said angrily before attempting to march past the Principal but it ended being more an angry waddle while the woman looked at her in shock.
Oliver threw the Principal a dirty look, "My mother was many things but I don't doubt for a second that she wouldn't be happy for us. It might have taken her a while to accept Felicity but once she did, she never would have tolerated what you just said. Please do not send me any more invitations. I wish for my relationship with this Institution to remain very much in my past."
"I'm sorry you had to experience that," Oliver said when they were seated in the limo again.
"We are billionaires right?" she asked turning to look at her husband.
"Yes?" he answered with that confused expression on his face when he couldn't follow his wife's train of thought.
"Good we are going to build our own school in the Glades and hire teachers that care about their students. That is where our son will go to school. I am not sending him to this school to come out like a pretentious jackass. It took five years in hell to set you straight, I don't want our son going through that."
"I agree," Oliver said.
"I just sent an e-mail to an architect to present plans to us on Monday. I'm thinking we can destroy the abandoned warehouses that the Mayor has been trying to get corporations to purchase and operate again. It should be more than enough acreage to build a wonderful school."
"You realise there are a ton of permissions you're going to need," Oliver pointed out to her.
"It's good that were starting now. It should be ready by the time he's of age," Felicity said rubbing her tummy and shifting her position a bit.
"Is he kicking again?" Oliver asked placing his hands over hers.
"Yeah," she responded.
Oliver bent low to talk to his son, "I thought I asked you not to kick your mummy so hard."
Felicity's heart turned to mush every time she saw her husband bent over her belly talking to their unborn son. She couldn't wait to see them interact together. Despite Oliver's fears of the darkness inside of him affecting their son, Felicity had no doubt that Oliver was going to be an excellent father.
"Two more weeks Oliver," Felicity said softly, "Two more weeks and we get to hold him in our arms."
"Digg tells me that when he's born I'll be happier than I've ever been but I can't imagine being any happier than I am with you right now," Oliver said.
Felicity cupped her husband's face and kissed him softly on the lips, letting the kiss convey how much she loved him. When they broke apart Oliver had a wicked smile on his face.
"I say we name the school Oliver Queen and Tommy Merlyn School for Misfits," Oliver declared.
Felicity laughed hard, "We'll see."