A/N: Sorry to everyone waiting on the next chapter of Secrets, but I got the plot bunnies this week, so I ended writing this instead.
This is not what Felicity pictured when her soon-to-be husband told her that he had a wedding gift for her.
Currently she was forcing a smile on her face, while the VP of Kord Industries, Dan Garrett, droned on about the construction issues he was having in building an oddly shaped pool in his backyard. Rich people problems, right? She nodded along, but secretly wishing that the city would be attacked by a mob of kangaroos, thus requiring a certain vigilante and his sidekick to extricate themselves from the one of the world's most boring parties.
"So, two weeks later they finally brought in the equipment that they needed," he continued to prattle on. "But then they insisted on charging me for the two weeks that they weren't working."
Felicity saw that server coming their way and swiped a glass of red wine off his tray. She tried to drink as much of the liquid as possible, but was restricted by the polite etiquette of a sip. Wishing that the wine would give her more of a buzz than she was receiving, she chanced a glance around the room.
For a moment she caught Oliver's eye. For a moment it was only the two of them.
He sent her a wink that was only for her.
And then he returned to his conversation with Walter.
Felicity lingered on her fiancée. He was in a tuxedo. His broad shoulders and athletic build filled it out so well. Her gaze trailed up to the bow tie that she had tied. Well, she tried to tie his bow tie. In actual fact, she had no idea how to tie a bow tie. She'd insisted on tying the tie because it gave her an excuse to be close to him and take in his scent.
She hummed in agreement at the dull conversationalist, returning her gaze back to him.
Only for a minute.
Then her eyes wandered back.
Sneaking glances at Oliver.
Like they always did.
Oliver was smiling. Genuinely smiling. It wasn't his patented Oliver Queen I'm-filling-the-responsibilities-of-a-the-son-of-a-billionaire-but-I'd-rather-be-getting-drunk-at-the-bar smile. That was the smile that he normally sported at these events. Felicity could tell that he was excited about something. He was definitely having a better time than she was.
She found his jovial mood strange. The last time they were at one of these suffocatingly formal events, he had been by her side all night whispering sweet (and not so sweet) nothings into her ear, begging her to leave early. She wished that he were next to her right now and that he would whisk her away from the tedious man in front of her.
"Miss Smoak," a velvet voice resounded behind her. "Can I borrow you for a moment?"
She turned to see Ray Palmer, the head of the research and development department. "Of course." She made polite apologies to Dan and eagerly let Ray lead her away from the boring man.
"You are my knight in tuxedo armour."
"Well, you did look rather damsel-in-distress like," he replied with a wink. "I'm always happy to fill in for your other knight."
She smiled along with him, always enjoying his company. She'd rarely met a man with his intelligence and looks. And he had completed his look with a charmingly arrogant grin. She admitted that he was quite a catch, but she had one much more charming, and secretly sweet to warm her bed at night.
"Besides I needed your opinion on something," he held up an hors d'oeuvre. "Do you think I should eat this before the announcement? It has lots of cheese in it and dairy builds up mucus, which affects the eloquence of speech and-"
"Wait!" she held up a hand. "You're making the announcement tonight?"
"I thought you knew that," he said. "You are, after all, Mr. Queen's executive assistant."
"He's been really tight lipped about tonight," she told him.
"Trouble in paradise?"
"No," she shot him a playful glare. "he says it's a surprise for me. And he knows that I hate surprises, especially ones that involve the city being attacked by super soldiers or landmines." Her eyes widened when her mind caught up with her mouth. "Not that that happens to me a lot," she backtracked. Taking a deep breath she concluded, "I just don't like surprises."
"Well, Miss Smoak, I could be you knight is tuxedo armour once more and reveal the secret." he leant in and whispered in her ear, "if you leave him and marry me instead."
"We should take bets on how long it takes for him to come over here," she grinned at him, "now that you've already begun to flirt with me."
"Since the damage is done," he started, "may I say that that dress looks magnificent on you."
"Mr Palmer," Oliver interrupted. "Will you please stop flirting with my girl?" Felicity loved when he called her his girl.
"I'm just giving her options, Mr Queen," he replied. "In a few days she'll be married and I wouldn't able to save her from her fate."
Oliver put an arm around Felicity's waist and pulled her to his side. "Don't you have an announcement to make?" he all but growled at him.
Ray held his hands up in defeat. "I'm going."
He continued to glare at the other man as he walked away. Oliver's fist was clenched and Felicity was glad that he wasn't currently armed. She caressed the side of his face and placed a kiss upon his clenched jaw. "I don't need any options, I've already chosen the best one."
Oliver's eyes softened as he turned to look down at his fiancée.
"He was right, you know?" he said. "You do look magnificent tonight."
She blushed.
Taking advantage of her silence, he pulled a QC access card out of his pocket and handed it to her. "The first part of your wedding present."
She furrowed her brows, scrutinising the familiar card. She turned it over and revealing a picture of herself, underneath it read:
Felicity Queen
IT Department
She jumped up and hugged him. "I'm going back to the IT department?!"
He nodded.
"Wait, what about when we need to discuss 'how we spend our nights'?"
"I don't think people will find it strange if I travel down eighteen floors to discuss how I'll be spending my night with my wife," she said with a grin and a raise of his eyebrows.
"But don't you need help?"
"I'll hire someone else," he stated. "Besides, it was selfish of me to ask you to give it up in the first place." He tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "Since I met you, I've made you give up a lot for The Arrow and for QC. I want you to have something for yourself."
Felicity reached up and kissed him. "Thank you," she whispered against his lips before kissing him again.
She pulled away frowning. "I didn't get you anything. Is this wedding gift thing a required thing because I didn't read the fine print."
Oliver let out a breath with a grin. She would never stop astounding him.
"Don't worry," he replied. "The other part of my wedding gift is for both of us."
"Now I'm intrigued," she closed the small distance between them. "Care to give me a hint, Mr Queen?"
He shook his head is response. "You'll just have to be patient."
She placed kisses along his jaw until she reached his ear. "I have ways of making you talk."
He groaned. She was going to be the death of him. For a moment he considered leaving and discovering that ways that she spoke of. However, before he could act upon any of these feelings, he notice that Ray Palmer had stepped up to the podium. He reluctantly turned Felicity around and gestured toward the speaker. "Your stalker will tell you." He held her close with his hands on her waist, her back against his front.
"You know, he only flirts with me to get a rise out of you."
Ray was charming the crowd. He pushed a few buttons on the podium in front of him and the room darkened and a hologram of earth appeared. "Queen Consolidated is going global." The crowd was 'oohing' and 'ahhing' over his presentation.
Oliver rolled his eyes. "He hasn't even presented anything yet."
"He is charming."
"I'm much more charming," he grumbled.
"I'm trying to listen." Felicity put a hand over Oliver's mouth. "My extravagant fiancée insists that this is a wedding present for me."
Ray pushed some more buttons and many dots appeared around the earth. "Queen Consolidated is going to revolutionise the way we do business. We are going to launch the largest network of satellites around the world."
Felicity turned to Oliver confused. "Satellites for QC? That's my wedding gift?"
"The largest network of satellites around the world," Oliver imitated Ray. "And you will have full access to them."
"I've always wanted a network of satellites," she beamed. "Well, that and a lifetime supply of mint choc ice cream." She placed a kiss on his lips. "I wasn't serious about that ice cream thing," she pointed a finger at him sternly, "so don't do the extravagant billionaire thing and buy me an apartment full of ice cream."
She linked her hands behind his neck and kissed him again. Her tongue brushed against his lips asking for more.
She took a step back, their hands now linked. "How is this a gift for you?"
"If you were listening to your stalker, you would realise that these satellites have all the capabilities that a certain beautiful blonde sidekick of a certain green archer complains that it takes a ridiculously long time to gain access to." She nodded in agreement. "So, if that gorgeously babbling blonde sidekick had access to an array of QC satellites she could spend less time hacking and more time with her husband."
She beamed at him and pulled his lips to hers once more. "Best. Gift. Ever." She punctuated each word with a kiss.
"Let's get out of here," he told her. "Ray can be his charming self and talk to the press."
He led her out by the hand.
"Oliver," she started with a grin, "you are definitely more charming than my stalker."