It's all began with a recipe book—a gift from Diggle and Lyla when they heard the Queens sibling were moving out of their mansion.
Perhaps the book was a gesture of sympathy, a thoughtful motion more than anything else, because truthfully, after what happened to Moira Queen and Isabel Rochev—there was no reason to celebrate. Not for Oliver and Thea.
Anyway… The recipe book was adorned with a picture of a Michelin starred British Chef, Gordon Ramsay, smiling resplendently at the camera while chopping a stack of peppers. The pages were decorated with mouth-watering photographs of the expected end-result, full of unsuspecting culinary tricks. The book was also practical, considering everyone had to eat at least twice a day (perhaps more if you are carbs eating machine like Oliver, but you get the point).
Felicity had never felt so satisfied eating a salad in her life.
It's probably down to the chef—a statuesque young man with nice, toned arms, was staring back at her as she took an experimental bite and chew the content of her plate thoughtfully.
"How is it?" Oliver asked, half concerned, half amused when Felicity told Thea she would forgo eating fast food if every plate of salad were tasting this good.
This super fancy Nico…something salad that she couldn't pronounce—topped with smoked salmon, egg benedict, and lemon dressing—was totally like gastronomical wet dreams. And, judging by the contented hum coming from the other end of the table where the younger Queen was sitting, it's doing the same for her too.
"Ollie, this is amazing!" Thea shook her head in wonderment, causing a prideful smile to break on her brother's lips. "As a trustworthy salad connoisseur, I would like to endorse this salad into the menu of your first restaurant!"
"Not sure about that Speedy," he chuckled, pouring coffee and placing the mugs in front of them. "I think bow and arrow still my top chart expertise."
"I don't know how I'm going to go back to live on takeout when you and Thea move out," Felicity sighed, shaking her head when she remembered their living arrangement was something temporary.
Eating elaborate dish for every breakfast, lunch and dinner were almost too much for a daily indulgence; but after Oliver insisted this was the least he could do to repay her kindness of letting him and Thea stay in her apartment after the recent debacle with Mrs. Corporate Crazy Pants, Felicity couldn't bring herself to reject.
Besides, they were making a good use of Diggle and Lyla's gift—another part of her brain reasoned. It was truly a win-win situation for everyone.
Isabel Rochev had already been apprehended and undoubtedly would receive a rightful punishment for her crime, but now the Queens sibling was left to deal with the fatal damage she'd done. With the company was now flailing dangerously on edge of bankruptcy, the bank was forced to freeze all of the Queen's personal asset—including Verdant, the club that Thea previously owned.
Amidst the turmoil, Ray Palmer, a handsome billionaire with a brain to match, had offered to buy all the stock and injected much necessary fund to cover QC debt. The move may sound promising for a regular employee like Felicity. However, Mr. Palmer decision in getting involved in QC day to day business and installing himself as the CEO had rendered Oliver jobless.
"Anyone for brownies?" Oliver sauntered in front of her and parked the freshly baked goodies that practically shouted 'Eat Me' all over it on the counter.
"Again? You just made this yesterday… and the day before…"
"Not exactly. The one yesterday had strawberry slices, and this time I've substituted it with marshmallow and chocolate chip sprinkle."
Thea made a comment about calories intake to which Felicity commented it's human nature to favor things that either illegal, immoral or fattening.
Regardless of her remark, she took one slice and placed it whole in her mouth, letting the intense flavor of the chocolate and the sweetness of marshmallow cuddled her taste buds. Oliver's smile broadened a fraction wider when she licked her finger and breathed a happy sigh.
"Sweet things are the Smoak's women weaknesses," Felicity said. "However, on my 7th birthday party, my mom forgot to fill the pinata with candies. I didn't talk to her for a week."
"My dad told me the ice cream truck played music when all the ice cream was gone." Oliver shared his tale. "And one time he even told us to look around the house for a bar of chocolate he already ate!" added Thea, laughing at the memory.
"Wow, I didn't know there was a fierce sugar battle in your household," Felicity remarked, putting another slice into her mouth.
"Chocolate is good for you," he elaborated. "It's beneficial for your heart, including lower blood pressure, lower "bad" LDL cholesterol and a lower risk of heart disease. One of the reasons chocolate is especially heart-healthy is its inflammation-fighting properties, which reduce cardiovascular risk."
Felicity found it hard to concentrate on the content Oliver's lecture because her brain had been completely enthralled by the knight in the shining armor that currently wearing an apron and holding a spatula. On the brighter side of the note, the unfortunate fate of QC had brought Oliver and Thea to her doorstep, which was refreshing to have one burgeoning fashion expert and a talented chef. So, here she was, one month later, mesmerized by the look of her insanely handsome cook while listening to him talk about nutrients and vitamins, the importance of fiber for digestion system, balance diet and…—
A familiar Ping! From Thea's phone broke her stupor.
Thea fished for the gadget from her handbag unlocked it unceremoniously and read the message.
Then, she gasped, eyes grew wide as a dinner plate and the big piece of brownies on her hand fell and went completely unnoticed. Seconds later, her face contorted into a deep frown before out of a sudden breaking into a delirious laugh.
"Thea?" Oliver peered closer and Felicity couldn't resist following suit.
Thea was still laughing so hard, and in her breathless state could only show a message from Diggle, with a link to a TMZ headline, titled as cliche as, "Perfect Timing".
Amidst bad forecast of recent Queen Consolidated quarterly performance following the CEO, Moira Queen's death and the legal feud over company's ownership that sunk the QC stock prices to the bottom low, finally it's time for a spark of good news.
Perhaps a congratulation is in order for the oldest heir of the Queen's scion and former playboy turned survivor of Gambit calamity, Oliver Queen.
His rumored secret girlfriend and EA, Felicity Smoak, was seen cradling her modest baby bump while caught on camera shopping for infant clothing in downtown Starling City's most swanky and prominent shopping arcade with a proud aunt-to-be, Thea Queen.
Ms. Smoak, 25, a magna-cum-laude MIT graduate, had been working for QC for a good couple years, had an excellent career track record in climbing the corporate ladder.
The Queen's PR had refused to comment, but according to a few source, the usually private couple had moved in together about a month ago.
Talking about perfect timing, the arrival of the latest addition to the Queen family may be the savior of QC future as the stock price had tripled exponentially in a matter of hours since the news was released.
Felicity snatched the phone from Thea's hand to re-read the article and made sure she wasn't hallucinating….and then her face going ashen.
"Oh look at that cute pink onesies, and it comes with a matching mousey hat! How adorable!"
"It even has a tail!"
Felicity and Thea were browsing through the neat array of baby fashion in one of the independent boutique store that Thea said her mom was frequented. Their initial plan for spending half an hour looking for the perfect white dress for baby Sara's Christening had extended into one and a half hour. And by the look of it, it was only going to drag more. All because the store owner, Ms. Moloney, an old lady that hold exact semblance to Queen Elizabeth, recognized Thea and hospitably offering her 30% discount to help her to celebrate the happy occasion.
Thea chatted with the old lady and gave her updates on her and Oliver's life and Felicity wondered what exactly 'the happy occasion' Ms. Moloney was referring to. Perhaps for Thea's move to her flat? Or for her hooking up with Roy? Or… —
"Enjoy your shopping, Dear. Let me know if you need any assistance," and with that, Ms. Moloney absconded from view.
"No women in their right mind would ever pass on a discount. Right?" Thea tugged Felicity's arms towards the shoe rack, and she followed her dutifully. "Because we bought it on sale we're actually making money."
"That reminds me when I bought a set of sensuous looking red lace teddies from Victoria's Secret just because it was on clearance," Felicity narrated. "And then I came home, unwrapping it and realized I don't have any occasion to wear it. I mean—I have no boyfriend, or seeing anyone that potentially could appreciate it...and no—I am not interested to wear it to sleep because my sushi pajama was ten times comfier."
"When was this?"
"I think it was a week after Oliver saved me from his pyscho ex-girlfriend," Felicity said, refering to Helena. "I don't doubt your brother's taste of women but that one is definetely a mistake."
There was a spark of amusement on Thea's face that Felicity didn't quite understand why.
"I'm sure Digg and Lyla won't say no if we bought them something else besides the generic Christening outfit," Thea added while she tossed a chic looking pair of leather boots into the shopping cart. "I know baby Sara can't even crawl yet but every girl will need shoes. It what defines happiness. Dare I say the right pair of shoes can change your life."
"Can it?"
Thea smiled. "Ask Cinderella," and she tossed another pair of shoes, mumbling, "I am glad Digg and Lyla had a girl, I can do with an extra pair of legs."
"I bet she had more stuff than Digg and Lyla combined," Felicity mused. She remembered buying at least seven newborn outfit, two booties, and a diaper bag before Sara Diggle was even born—thanks to the generous bonus that Oliver had contributed to her disposable income for posing as his EA. "I heard Laurel and Sara bought her a tricycle," she appended, recalling the day she helped Lyla to store it in the garage until Sara was old enough to utilize it.
"No way!" Thea laughed as they went out to the shop and walked into the parking lot. "I'll keep that in mind. I might want to buy her a car if we managed to get some part of the company back."
They were crossing the road and Felicity was in the middle of regaling Thea with a particularly self-deprecating tale when she was learning to spell and one Christmas their neighbor got a Christmas card signed by 'Satan'...
—when a camera flash blitzed on them.
"No, no, no," Felicity said, and she skimmed through the news furiously. That day, she had thought the paparazzi were after Thea, who had tons more gossip-worthy material than she ever was. "This is not happening, this is—oh, frack. Why?" Her curse was definitely not what most societies would consider ladylike, but at the moment she didn't care about tarnishing her image.
True enough, it was real, she didn't imagine it. The news even documented a pictorial evidence of her and Thea, coming out of the said baby boutique, carrying not one… but two fancy pinks ribboned paper bag with her other hand resting on a slight bulge under the fold of her top on the plain sight. The caption read:
"The soon-mother-to-be of the Queen's heiress was enjoying a weekend shopping with the future-sister-in-law, Thea Queen. Ms. Smoak looked radiant in her yellow peplum top and black capri pants that discreetly exposed her growing bundle of joy."
"Wow. They even decided what you guys are having," said Thea after her laughter subsided. "The reporters were seriously having a field day. And I'm sure in a couple of hours, showers of congratulation will be heading your way."
They definitely would… but Ironically, there was no baby.
Felicity looked down and the sight of her slightly ample tummy greeted her.
And what had made the fact harsher to swallow was that she and Oliver had never slept together, which concluded that the damage done to her swollen belly wasn't down to sex… but the extortionate amount of brownies she'd been ravishing since Oliver arrived in her house.
That recipe book was the culprit! (and Felicity knew she always had a bad luck with any type of culinary-related endeavor).
It was either a catalyst of a tragic ending...or a cause of a really wonderful beginning.