For those of you who haven't read my multi-chapter AU Voices Carry, you might want to go read that first. For those of you who have, you might know that I brought Felicity in at the end of the last chapter and mentioned that Sara and Felicity were really close. I wrote this fic to go a bit deeper into that relationship that I would have been able to in Voices Carry. Enjoy!
"I'm pregnant."
A beat of silence followed Sara's words.
"What!" Felicity finally said, "You're pregnant? Are you kidding me? How? Since when? Oh my God, I can't believe this is actually happening!"
"I'm sorry," Sara winced, "I know you're mad. Just—"
Felicity froze.
"Sara," she said, "Why would I be mad at you?"
"I don't know, my dad and my sister didn't take it very well, so I figured…" she trailed off.
"They didn't?" Felicity asked. Sara shook her head, "Oh, Sara," she said sympathetically, wrapping her arms around Sara's shoulders and pulling her towards her, "I'm so sorry."
Sara tipped her head down to rest her cheek on Felicity's shoulder.
"They're gonna come around," Felicity reassured her, "And you know what? If they don't, I'll be here with you every step of the way. I promise."
After a couple minutes, Felicity pulled away, her hands still gripping Sara's shoulders.
Wait," Felicity said, "Who's the dad? Is it…" she trailed off. Sara nodded guiltily, "And he…"
"He broke up with me before I could even fully tell him."
"Aw, honey, that sucks," Felicity pulled her back into a hug, "It's all gonna be okay, trust me."
…
"You're sure you're not upset?"
"Felicity, why would I be upset that you're dating Oliver?" Sara said in exasperation as she adjusted the quilt on the side of the new crib in the corner of her room.
"I dunno, because you have all that history with him," she shrugged guiltily.
"Yeah, like four years ago, and anyway, if you're the one he cheated with, and when the one he cheated on was your own sister, I don't think you're allowed to get upset when he starts dating someone else, like, a bunch of years later. Besides, it's not me you have to worry about. It's Laurel."
"Yeah, I know. I already told her and she says she doesn't care. She doesn't want anything to do with him."
"Then I say full steam ahead. If Oliver makes you happy, then you should go for it. Even if I wasn't okay with it, I'd still say that."
"And nothing about how he cheated once, he'll cheat again?"
"Look, you're the smartest person I've ever met — literally. If you think you can trust him, you can. And you know what? If he still screws you over — not that I'm saying he will — then fuck him."
Felicity giggled.
"What?" Sara asked.
"Oh nothing. Pregnancy hormones are making you all swear-y and I love it."
…
"Ma'am, you can come in now."
Felicity looked up from her magazine to see a doctor in green scrubs standing in front of a set of swinging wooden doors.
"Finally," she huffed, putting her magazine down on a table and rolling her eyes as she followed the doctor through the doors.
He led her down a linoleum tiled hallway until they reached a door near the windowed end.
"Here she is," the doctor said, pulling open the door and gesturing for Felicity to enter the room.
"Thanks," Felicity nodded and quietly crossed the threshold.
On the hospital bed sat Sara, in a pale pink hospital gown with her blonde hair pulled into a low ponytail. In her arms, wrapped in a white blanket, was her new daughter.
Sara looked up from her baby to meet Felicity's eyes. Her mouth spread into a wide smile.
"Felicity," she said, "Hi."
"Sara," Felicity said breathlessly, "You're so beautiful — she's so beautiful! I'm so proud of you."
"Thanks," Sara replied softly.
Felicity walked across the hospital room, the loud clicking of her heels against the tile floor reverberating across the room.
"Do you want to hold her?" Sara asked.
Felicity nodded and gingerly took the baby from Sara, carefully cradling her in her arms.
She looked at the baby, wrapped tightly in the cotton blanket.
She was so tiny, the smallest she'd ever seen — not that she had any other babies to compare her to — with her little fingers poking out from under the blanket and little ears and nose. Her skin was pink and new and her eyes were squeezed shut.
"I heard you yelled at the nurses when they wouldn't let you into the delivery room," Sara said, smiling fondly at her friend.
"I wanted to be with you during all this," Felicity looking back up at her, "But the nurses wouldn't let me. They said only family was allowed in."
"Family is more than blood."
"Y'know, that argument doesn't really hold with doctors for some reason."
Sara laughed.
"Did you pick a name yet?" Felicity asked.
Sara nodded.
"Well?" Felicity prompted.
"Avery," she finally said.
"Oh, that's perfect," Felicity said breathlessly. She felt her eyes filling with tears.
"Are you crying?"
"I'm emotional, okay!" she exclaimed.
…
"I wish you didn't have to leave," Felicity said from where she was sitting on Sara's bed. Avery was lying on her back beside her, wearing a fresh diaper and a soft cotton onesie. Felicity was tickling her belly and Avery was making the little baby noises that made Sara think her first laugh was on its way.
"I know," Sara replied. She turned away from the teeny socks she was rolling into pairs and tossing into a plastic storage bin to smile sadly at Felicity, "But it's something I have to do, you know?"
"Listen, all I know is that you are leaving me with all these crazy people. You know my mom is waist deep in planning her wedding. If I have to sit through another two-hour discussion about colors schemes without you to stop me from flipping a table, I'm gonna - I'm gonna—"
"Flip a table?" Sara finished.
"Yes!" she exclaimed.
"I'm sorry, Lis, but I have to do this. I need a fresh start with Avery, and my mom has a couple spare rooms at her place in Central City, and she offered them, and saying yes felt right and it still does. I need to get away from Laurel and my dad. I feel like distance is what I need right now."
"I really hope you aren't gonna block them out of your life completely," Felicity said tentatively.
"Not completely," Sara shrugged, "But I haven't forgotten how pissed Laurel was when I went into labor at her wedding reception."
"I know," she said sympathetically, "but you know how high strung she was about her wedding, and she said she was sorry."
"I know," Sara nodded, "I know. I'm not mad at her anymore — at least not really. I just feel like that same frustration is still there for her."
"I guess I get it," Felicity nodded, "I'm just gonna miss you."
"I'll miss you too, Lis," Sara smiled.
"And I'll miss this little munchkin," Felicity cooed at Avery, "I'm gonna come visit you all the time so I can see you grow up into the beautiful little girl I know you're gonna be. And you're gonna be so smart, and funny, and kind. And you know why? Because my best friend is your mommy and she's all those things too."
"Felicity," Sara groaned, "You're gonna make me cry, and if I cry, you're gonna cry, and I don't have the energy to stop that."
"Don't worry," she replied, her voice catching, "I'm already there."
She got off the bed and hugged her friend.
"Aw, Lis," Sara said into Felicity's hair, "I'm only a train ride away."
"I know," Felicity replied, swiping underneath her glasses at the tears on her cheeks, "I'm still gonna miss you though."
…
Sara jumped as her laptop started to ring.
Her phone buzzed and she looked down to see a text from Felicity.
"PICK UP," she had sent.
Sara rolled her eyes and accepted the video chat request.
"Hey," she said when a box displaying Felicity's face appeared on the screen.
"Hi!" Felicity said excitedly, "Oh my God, I've missed talking to you so much. How've you been? How're you settling in?"
"Pretty well," Sara shrugged.
"Where's your mom?"
"She's at a meeting at the university. It's just me and Avery tonight."
She tipped the screen down to reveal Avery asleep on her legs.
"I miss her," Felicity said sadly, then she added, "And you, of course."
"I miss you too," Sara replied.
"You're happy there?" Felicity asked.
"Yeah, I am," Sara nodded, "I already got a job as a homicide detective at the CCPD — I didn't realize how rough working with my dad was. It's so much better here. I work with this kid, Barry. He's the forensic analysis and he's, like, twenty and he's adorable."
"That's awesome," Felicity replied, "I'm really happy for you."
"What's going on in Star City? How's your mom's wedding planning going?"
"Well," Felicity said matter-of-factly, "With seven months to the wedding, she has finally settled on a table setting."
"Wow," Sara said.
"Yes, it's very exciting. Oh, by the way, I think she wants to commandeer Avery as flower girl, so be ready for that phone call."
"Great."
…
"Sara!"
Sara turned around to see Felicity approaching her as quickly as she could on her precariously high heels that matched her pale pink bridesmaid dress.
"Sara," she repeated, stopping when she reached her to lean on a table of food as she caught her breath.
"Oh my God," she finally got out, "You're here! I didn't see you in the ceremony."
"I was there," Sara nodded, "Near the back in case Avery got fussy."
"Hi Avery!" Felicity cooed, taking the baby from Sara and bouncing her up and down in her arms, "Look how big you are! You're one whole year old now! Can you believe it?"
Avery's mouth spread into a smile that revealed her new bottom teeth as she reached to grab Felicity's necklace.
"She's getting so big," Felicity told Sara wistfully.
"I know," Sara nodded.
"Every time I see her, she's different."
"You should come visit more," Sara told her, "I miss you. I hate not being able to see you every day."
"Me too. You're, like, my best friend and one of the most important people in my life. I don't want it to stop being that way just because you're living in a different city."
"You know, if you ever need anything, no matter how small, I'll always be there," Sara told her.
Felicity hugged Sara, Avery sandwiched between them.
"I love you so much, Lis," Sara said.
"I love you too, Sara," she replied, pulling away. Felicity squeezed Avery a little tighter, swaying back and forth, "And I love this little cutie too, of course."