Advice
Summary: The five times Felicity gives advice and the one time she receives it.
An: I do not own Arrow.
S-1
Felicity frowned at Oliver when they returned to the Loft. He and Diggle had nearly gotten each other killed because of their mess of a bromance. She had laid into both men equally hard earlier. Both had had the decency to look ashamed of themselves but that hadn't dampened her anger.
"I can do with a nice glass of red wine," Felicity muttered as she headed into the kitchen.
"There's a bottle in the wine rack. Help yourself. I'm going to get some rest," Thea said leaving the couple alone.
Oliver stood awkwardly in the space between the kitchen and the living room. She poured her glass of wine, taking a sip immediately. She savoured the taste on her tongue before swallowing. She turned around and glanced at her boyfriend. He really did look like a lost puppy sometimes. She confidently walked up to him and took his hand in hers pulling him along up to their bedroom.
She sat on her side of the bed and indicated for him to sit on his side. She sat back so that her back leant against the headboard. She pulled him down so that his head rested in her lap while she ran her hands through his short hair. He liked that. They sat like that for a while, her right hand running through his hair, while her left hand was used to sip her wine. They had truly become very content just being alone with each other.
"Oliver I know this is difficult for you, besides the whole Arrow ordeal, there's the issue with John. If you want to fix it, you have to actively work to fix it. Don't sit back and hope things will sort itself out when you go into the field with him. I know you two communicate best when you're throwing punches at each other but this time it might require a little more than that. Keep making the effort to fix it. I know it won't be fixed until John is ready but don't give up. "
Oliver's blue eyes locked with hers, "Thank you, I don't know what I did to deserve you,"
Felicity snorted, "You're not allowed to brood with me remember. Now shut up and make love to me,"
Not that was something Oliver like to hear.
S-2
Felicity was rushing around the kitchen trying to get the food she had ordered as take out into nice serving dishes. She was at least trying to make it look like she had cooked a meal. Oliver had wanted to redo their dinner that had been interrupted by Laurel's and Thea's visit to summon him back to Starling City. He was supposed to be cooking but his campaign manager, Alex, scheduled some extra meetings today and Felicity told her boyfriend she would handle the food. Thea had been told to stay out of the loft that evening. She expected Oliver home in ten minutes. She had most of the food in their assigned dishes on the island. She walked over to the table and lit the candles she had set up. The flames suddenly went out with a strong breeze,
"Hi Felicity,"
Felicity jumped sending her lighter flying through the air. It was caught by the red covered hand of Barry.
"Barry don't do that. One day you're going to give me a heart attack!"
"Sorry, is this a bad time?" he asked eyeing the romantic set up.
"No," Felicity answered. She knew if Barry ran all the way to Starling City then it was important.
"I don't want to interrupt your dinner date,"
"Oliver isn't here yet, so you're not interrupting anything. What's wrong?"
"It's Caitlyn,"
Felicity sighed. Ronnie had been killed a month ago. This would be the second time the Caitlyn lost him. Felicity knew if she were to lose Oliver again it might rip her apart.
"We're losing her Felicity. I can see it day by day. She keeps withdrawing more and more into herself. She used to be so caring. Now she's cold and heartless."
"Barry it's difficult to lose the ones we love. She's grieving."
"She wasn't this bad the first time," Barry said. "It's like she's becoming an entirely different person."
"The most you can do is try to help her through the grieving process. Try and bring back the best parts of her. Remind her that she can live without Ronnie. It's going to be hard for her to process that fact but you're going to have to show her how."
The door opened, revealing a well dressed Oliver. He arched his eyebrow at Barry's presence.
"Don't worry, I'm going now. I wouldn't want to keep you two from your romantic rendezvous any longer," Barry said turning to the door. "Oh and Oliver, you were totally wrong about getting the girl!"
Before Oliver could react Barry was gone.
"Getting the girl? What was that about?"
"Nothing let's eat!" Oliver said as he gently stuck his hands in his pockets to confirm the ring box was still there.
S-3
Captain Lance invited Felicity for coffee at the quaint coffee shop that was one block down from his precinct. Things between the team and the Captain were going relatively well these days so she didn't know why he wanted a word with her. Usually they discussed things over an encrypted phone or he might meet directly with The Green Arrow. She arrived to find the Captain already seated at a table with a good view of the door and the surroundings outside the window. It was the exact seat Oliver would choose for himself.
"Hello Captain," Felicity said taking the seat opposite him.
"Hello Felicity, I took the liberty of ordering for you, a non-fat latte with extra sugar," he said.
Felicity frowned, "How did you know that?"
The Captain looked like a kid that got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. His eyes darted everywhere and he started pulling at his collar.
"It's hot in here," he commented absently.
"Not really," Felicity said as their drinks arrived.
"Thanks," they both said to their waitress.
"So what did you want to talk about?" Felicity asked getting straight to the purpose he called her here for.
"I, uh, I"
"Spit it out Captain," Felicity said.
"I want to ask your mom on a date,"
Felicity started laughing hysterically. Other customers started staring at them, making Lance even more uncomfortable.
"I don't see what's so funny," he grumbled.
Once Felicity had composed herself she responded to him, "Just ask her. She'll say yes."
"That's all. I don't need any grand gestures or anything like that? She seems like she likes grand things."
"She does like grand things but all you need to do is ask. Take her to Table Salt, she'll definitely say yes to that." Felicity affirmed.
"Like you said yes to Oliver?" Lance said pointing down to her left ring finger where her engagement ring glittered in the sunlight.
It had been two months since they got engaged but she still smiled like a damn fool every time she looked at the ring.
S-4
Thea was drinking wine, from the bottle, on the couch in the loft. Malcolm's latest manipulations had brought a bit more of the darkness out if Thea. Felicity sighed, she had become such an expert at handling brooding Queens.
"If you've come to comfort me, it's not going to work," Thea said. "I've heard the whole speech from Oliver about how Malcolm didn't raise me, it was Robert. How I am nothing like Malcolm,"
Felicity laughed. "I was actually thinking we could start a club, you, me and Nyssa. We can call it The Daughters of Evil Fathers Club."
That got a laugh out of Thea.
"I can be President of the Club, since well, I have the evilest father of all,"
"That can be debated," Thea responded sourly.
"Really,"
"My father killed over 500 people in the Glades," Thea said
"My father runs an evil criminal empire that's killed well over 500 times that amount,"
"My father also runs a criminal organisation that's dedicated to killing people,"
"My father left me when I was seven," Felicity reminded the younger Queen.
"My father turned me into an assassin,"
"My father tried to kill me and everyone I love,"
"Ok, I suppose Malcolm's only saving grace is he never tried to kill me yet," Thea said.
"I can't believe I'm about to say something good about Meryln but if you ever tell him I said this, I'll deny it but he does love you. In some weird twisted way, I think he believes he's doing what is necessary to protect you. I think he's also beginning to see Oliver as a son too."
"He likes you too," Thea said, "Remember he gave you an Arabic name. You're supposed to be Oliver's concubine or something like that,"
Felicity screwed up her face in disgust, "Please don't remind me about that. I'm going to have to use my loud voice on him."
Both girls giggled.
Felicity held Thea's hands in hers "We are not responsible for our father's actions. We are only responsible for our own. Your brother is right Thea. Malcom did not make you who you are. We may share some of our genomes with our fathers but that doesn't define who we are. If it did, I'm sure I would be ruling the world by now."
Thea laughed, "I'm sure you would be!"
The younger Queen hugged her, "I'm glad you're in our lives Felicity. I don't know what Ollie or I would do without you."
"I'm glad to be here as well. Now let's forget about all the deranged things our father's do. We have a wedding to plan,"
The fire was back in Thea's eyes, "That we do!"
S-5
Felicity was surprised to find Laurel in her office waiting for her after her usual trek down to the cafeteria for lunch that day. It wouldn't be anything related to the wedding. Both Thea and her mother had everything under control. It had to be something else bothering the lawyer. She briefly wondered when she became a therapist for all of the vigilantes.
The sound of Felicity's clicking heels against the floor caused Laurel to turn towards her.
"I'm in love with him,"
Felicity felt as if the carpet had been pulled out from under her, though Palmer Industries floor wasn't carpeted.
"You're in love with him," Felicity repeated and she was surprised by how much pain that caused her.
"Yes," Laurel said breathlessly. "I don't know when it happened but it happened"
"I thought it happened in high school," Felicity replied bitterly.
Laurel gave her a confused face before she broke out in laughter. Felicity frowned at her; she didn't see what was so funny about her comment.
"Not Oliver, he's all yours. Ted, I meant Ted,"
"Oh," Felicity said feeling embarrassed. She had immediately assumed Oliver but who wouldn't? They did have a very long complicated history. And honestly, the first and last man Felicity thought about every day was Oliver.
"I don't know what to do about it," Laurel confessed.
Felicity looked at her in disbelief, gorgeous Laurel didn't know how to handle a blossoming relationship? Felicity hadn't even realised that Laurel was still in contact with Ted. The last she heard of Ted had been during the Brick incident. When did Laurel have time to see Ted anyway?
"Have you gone on dates?" Felicity asked.
Laurel glared at her, "Of course, how else do you think I fell in love with him?"
"I don't know. You're in the Arrow Bunker every night, when did you have time to go on a date?"
"They're not traditional dates. Sometimes I would spar with him instead of someone on the team and then we'll get Korean from a place nearby."
"But you want more now?" Felicity asked hesitantly.
"Yes but should I even get involved with him considering what we do at night," Laurel said.
"Good lord you're beginning to sound like Oliver. From what I remember Ted would gladly help you out, which would make your relationship so much easier when both people are on the same page. Ask him over to your place for a movie marathon or dinner date and talk to him about it. There are enough team members that you can take a night off you know. I can easily arrange it and if he wants in, I can rotate him into the roster though it is up to the other individual vigilantes if they want to trust him with their identities."
Suddenly Laurel was hugging her, "You're the best Team Manger ever,"
"I'm the only Team Manager," Felicity pointed out.
S-6
Felicity stared out the window at the loft. She had called in sick at work and asked Diggle to handle the comms that night. She didn't feel like doing anything. She had woken up in a terrible mood. She finally truly understood what it meant to wake up on the wrong side of the bed. She knows she was a total bitch to Oliver when she told him she needed the day to herself. She hoped she didn't scare Connor too badly.
There was a soft knock on the door. She pulled up the feed from the camera positioned outside the door and found Diggle looking sternly at the camera with what looked like take away soup in his hand. She sighed, he wouldn't be going away any time soon.
"What are you doing here?" she asked as she opened the door.
He looked her over, "You're supposed to be sick."
"I am sick," she said and then faked a cough for Digg.
He watched her skeptically.
"Can't a girl brood in peace? Everyone else gets to brood. Why can't I?" she asked as she opened the door wider to let him in.
"You don't let us brood," he pointed out to her as he walked passed her to the kitchen counter. He got a bowl out of the cupboard and proceeded pouring out her soup for her while she locked the front door.
"That's not true everyone has a mandatory three hours to wallow before I knock them out of it,"
Diggle pointed to the clock on the wall. It had been three hours since she had called him.
"Busted by my own policy! I can't even brood properly! Next time I'll disappear for a few days."
"Definitely not! Oliver will not take your absence well. I can guarantee he has checked the tracker app at least three times to ensure you're still here. He's been going crazy since he left you home this morning."
Felicity sighs and collapses on the sofa, tugging a pillow into her lap.
"So what kind of pep talk you got?" she asked him.
"Honestly, this is as far as I got in my plan," he said placing the soup on the small coffee table in front of her.
"Really," she said looking at Diggle, "You and Oliver plan out whole sieges but in coming to talk me off the brooding ledge you got as far as get into the apartment and give me chicken soup?"
"I thought it would just flow once I was here,"
"Oh no mister, you got to plan it out ahead of time, especially with Oliver, he's a real slippery fish to catch on this ledge."
"Felicity that was too many metaphors in one sentence," Diggle said to her.
She shrugged and took a sip of her soup.
"This is delicious. Right, I'm all better now. Out you go. I'm sure you have plenty of work to do," Felicity said jumping to her feet to usher him out.
Diggle sat down on the sofa next to where she had been seated before. "That is a very obvious avoidance tactic,"
"Next time I'll take notes from Oliver about how to do this properly,"
"If it helps I expected this to happen long ago."
"You did, so then I get to brood in peace then?" Felicity asked.
Diggle ignored her "You've taken some serious hits this year Felicity. You've had your ups and downs with Oliver, Damian Darkh was revealed to be your father, and then Connor appeared adding even more strain to your relationship. What's bothering you?"
"Now I understand why I always get that look from Oliver," Felicity commented wryly.
Diggle gave her a stern look.
"Ok, I'm talking. Last night Connor came home with a permission slip to go to the Museum on Friday. I guess that's when it really hit me. I have to make decisions for him until he turns 18. What if I made a bad decision concerning Connor? What if I sent him to the Museum and it was attacked by terrorists. Oliver would hate me forever. He keeps saying I'm remarkable. It's like he thinks, I can do no wrong in his head. What happens when I do screw up?"
"Felicity, no one can guarantee that you will always make the right decision but do you remember why I forgave Oliver?"
"Yes, because you said even though it was a horrible decision his intentions were still good."
"Yes and that is exactly why Oliver will never hate you no matter what happens. Everything you do, you have always done with good intentions."
They were interrupted by the door swinging open to reveal, Thea, Laurel and Lyla.
"I heard someone finally took a day off, Spa Day!" Thea said cheerily.
"Gee does everyone know that I took the day off?"
"Yeah pretty much, Oliver's been freaking out since you used your loud voice on him to get your little break,"
"Freaking out is the understatement of the century!" Laurel said.
"Now, you're making me feel guilty,"
"Don't worry about it," Thea said, "You can get pampered at the spa and I can't believe I'm about to say this but afterwards you can pamper my brother. I'll babysit. I've been wanting some one on one time with my nephew."
"And that is my cue to leave," Diggle said kissing his wife goodbye. "Enjoy the spa,"
"We will Johnny,"
Late that night, a very satisfied Oliver cuddled next to his beautiful wife. Despite their ups and downs, they were still very happy.