Death
Summary: Tragedy is a part of life. It can be difficult to handle and Felicity hates that Adam has to deal with tragedy so early in life. Part four of the Family Series aka the Adam Queen Universe.
An: I do not own Arrow.
Tissue Warning: some parts of this are sad.
This story is structured a bit differently. We start in the present. Then go back to the past and move slowly forward to the present again and then past the present.
A quick reminder: Camille is Tommy's first wife with whom he had his first daughter Hilary. They co-parent her together. Sara is Tommy's second wife with whom he has twins Claire and Clarice.
Felicity was sleeping when the sounds of a baby crying woke her up. She pulled out of Oliver's embrace to check the baby monitors. It sounded like Adriana crying but she needed to be sure. The monitor confirmed it was indeed Adriana.
"I can get her," Oliver offered in a deep sleepy tone.
"No, I'll get her, you have a very busy day tomorrow," Felicity said sitting up and swinging her feet over the edge of the bed and straight into her fluffy Bugs Bunny slippers that Oliver brought for her. She picked up her robe that was on the armchair and wrapped it around herself. Queen Mansion was very drafty. She much preferred their old house but because of their rapidly expanding family, Robert had insisted they do a house swap. She walked from her wing to the wing that contained the crying baby. She opened the door to Adriana's nursery to find Adam already trying to comfort his baby sister.
"Adam you should be asleep. You have school in the morning," Felicity admonished.
"She needed me," Adam responded.
"I'm here now. I will take care of her," Felicity told him.
When he seemed hesitant to leave her Felicity used the tone that promised trouble if he continued to defy her. He reluctantly passed the crying baby to her and returned to his room. At nine months old, Adriana had yet to settle into a sleeping pattern and often awoke at night screaming her head off. Felicity cuddled the baby to her chest and sat on the rocking chair. The soothing motion of the chair often put Adriana back to sleep quickly.
Her cries began to get softer and her eyelids soon started to droop. She often tried to fight to stay awake but eventually her eye lids would shut and she would go back to sleep. Felicity would continue to rock her for another five minutes trying to reassure the little girl that she was not alone. She was in fact loved by many people.
Adriana Bowen was already a stunner. She had everyone wrapped around her little finger. Felicity suspected that her sleeping problem stemmed from the fact that she had moved around quite a bit since the accident. She had only been at the Mansion for two weeks and the entire family had yet to settle into a new routine. Felicity wondered if Adriana still remembered her mother's touch and voice or her father's pinches to her chubby cheeks. A single tear made its way down Felicity's cheek and she brushed it away angrily. Now was not the time to have morbid thoughts.
She put Adriana in her crib and peeked into Adam's room to ensure he went back to sleep. He was extremely protective of his baby sister. He seemed to want to take on the responsibility of raising her himself but that was not his role. He was her big brother and Felicity and Oliver had been trying to teach Adam to trust the adults in his life to take care of her. When she was satisfied that her son was indeed asleep and not faking it, like he tried to do three days ago, she made her way over to the East wing where her other sons and mother were based.
She opened the door and peeked into Justin's nursery first. He was six months old and he loved to sleep. On the rare occasion that he did wake up during the night, Donna was out her door and in the room taking care of her grandson before Felicity could even register his crying on the was going to be smart like her. He was already way ahead of Adriana in figuring out things for himself. He was also perceptive like his father and he used that to his advantage. Like Adriana he knew how to get his older brothers to do exactly what he wanted. Felicity suspected she was going to have a hell of a time trying to prevent both babies from being spoilt rotten.
After Justin, she peeked into Connor's room. The smell that assaulted her nose almost made her cough. Three of the dogs that were sleeping at the base of his bed, lifted their heads and looked at her. Felicity was going to have to talk to him again about the dogs. They were not supposed to sleep in his bedroom. He was also supposed to be cleaning his bedroom but from the clothes scattered all over the room, he was neglecting his duty. She refused to send a maid up to do it. He was fifteen, strongly interested in girls and asserting his independence but zero interest in keeping his grades up or doing chores. He was fantastic with his brothers but that was not going to keep her from grounding him. His secret date Saturday night, that she was not supposed to know about, was off until he cleaned his room.
The next door that she peeked through was her mother's. Donna had been a tremendous help to her over the last seven months. She had no idea how she would have survived without her. It was the small things that her mother did like make sure the boys fed the dogs when Felicity was busy with Justin, or pack the boy's lunch or just keeping the timetable of extracurricular activities straight and updated. Donna also went to events that Felicity couldn't. When Felicity needed a moment to herself, Donna would take the boys for ice cream and send Oliver out to run an errand. Connor and Adam may not have been her biological grandchildren but Donna treated them just the same as Justin. She knew her mother kept her from becoming overloaded.
A hand wrapped around her midsection and she leaned back into her husband.
"Bedtime," he whispered. "Everyone is ok. It's time for you to get some sleep."
He easily scooped her off her feet and she let him put her to bed. Her day tomorrow was light and she had lunch plans with Thea and Sara.
S-2
Six months earlier
Felicity was nine months pregnant today. She could go into labor at any moment but she needed to be here for Adam, she was now officially his only mother. Carter's casket had been lowered into the grave first and the priest was saying the last prayers over Laurel's casket. Baby Adriana was in Dinah's arms screaming her lungs out. Felicity wondered if she knew what was happening. If she understood that she was saying goodbye to her parents forever.
Adam wanted to stand with his grandparents. He wanted to be close to his sister. Ever since she was born he spent most of his free time by Laurel. He was so enamored with his baby sister, he asked Felicity for a baby sister from her as well. She had nearly screamed at him. She really wanted her current pregnancy over with and he was telling her she had to get pregnant again. Worse yet was Oliver loved the idea of having a daughter.
The priest finished the prayer and the casket started to be lowered. Quentin looked like he wanted to jump in the grave right after her but he had Clarice in his arms. Sara wasn't much better off. Though she and Laurel had their differences she was still deeply hurt. She clung to Claire in her arms. Tommy stood behind her with his hand resting on her shoulder for support. He also conveniently stood next to Quentin. Felicity wondered if he purposely asked Quentin to hold Clarice to keep his father-in-law grounded. Hilary and her mother, Camille, were standing on the other side of Sara. Felicity had been surprised to see Camille there. She and Laurel never got along but she supposed she was there to pay her respect.
Felicity's hand automatically found her large stomach and she started to rub it.
"Everything ok?" Oliver asked. She could hear a slight undertone of panic in it. The hospital bag was in the car if she needed to go.
"I'm fine," she reassured him. Of all the people there she had the least ties to Laurel. It was Adam and Sara that she worried about.
Connor, who was now almost as tall as his father, looked down at her and she gave him a reassuring smile. She pulled him close to her. This couldn't be easy for him either. He had buried his mother as well. Since the day that they got the call, Connor had been sleeping in Adam's room. He was there to support his baby brother. The boys had come a long way from where they started.
Oliver had been the one to break the news to all of them. He received the call just before midnight and immediately got them all out of bed and marched them down to the table in the kitchen where they discussed family matters. She knew from his face it was bad. Carter and Laurel had been at a medical conference in Central City for the weekend. They were driving back when a drunk driver swerving through the traffic clipped the back of an SUV. That sent the SUV into another lane with a Semi. The driver of the Semi tried to swerve to avoid the SUV but it set off a chain reaction that caused ten people to lose their lives that night. The thing that really pissed Felicity off was that the drunk driver survived without a scratch on him. One stupid decision cost ten people their lives.
The shovel dug into the pile of dirt next to the grave and Felicity found her feet moving her quickly forward. The grave digger stopped mid-throw to stare at her.
"Honey?" Oliver asked anxiously.
She picked up one handful of dirt and threw it into Carter's grave and then another handful for Laurel's. When she realized everyone was staring at her funny she explained it was a Jewish custom which she belatedly realized probably wasn't appropriate but it felt right to her. Oliver, their boys, and Thea decided to follow her actions. Sara said to hell with it and picked up two fistfuls of dirt and threw it in Laurel's grave. Tommy followed after his wife and Quentin went last. Tommy lingered closely behind Quentin when he stepped near the grave.
They stayed until the grave was full. Adam had a special wreath made from his mother's favorite flowersto lay on her was already her height and it was easy to give him a sideways hug before he placed the wreath. Her heart broke as she watched him slowly walk forward and place the wreath down. His hands were trembling and the tears were streaming down his face. Felicity wanted to scream at the heavens and ask them how they could do that to him. Just as things had gotten better between Adam and his mother, they decided to take her away.
When everyone was finished with their final goodbyes, they all returned to Tommy's house. The topic of Adriana's custody came up. Mrs. Bowen was elderly. She had Carter late in life and she honestly didn't think she had it in her to raise her granddaughter. Sara wasn't sure she could handle another baby. The twins were near impossible to keep up with. They had Sara's energy and Tommy's thirst to enjoy life and now that they had started walking on their own, got into a lot of trouble.
It was agreed that Dinah would take on the main responsibility for Adriana. Mrs. Bowen would have visitation rights and she would have her on weekends.
S-3
Three days later, the Doctors decided to induce labor. It was time for her son to leave the safety and warmth of her womb and come out in the world. Five hours after the IV was inserted into her skin, Justin Jonas Queen was born. The moment Felicity held him in her arms was a moment she would never forget. The emotions that overwhelmed her were powerful. Even though he was a healthy nine pounds and twenty two inches long, she thought he was still so small. This was her first time with a baby. Adam and Connor had come into her life when they were able to communicate and at least partially take care of themselves. This baby would be entirely reliant on her. What if she wasn't as prepared as she thought she was?
Oliver was proud as a peacock. This was his third son. Felicity kept her lips tightly sealed, resisting the urge to point out that he had three sons with three different women, two of which he married. Felicity had about half an hour alone with Justin and Oliver before the guests started to arrive. First in was of course her mother with Adam and Connor who had just finished school for the day. The boys were excited to meet their baby brother but Justin however, was more content to stay snuggled in her arms.
Thea and Roy were the next visitors and by the amount of shopping bags in Roy's hand, Thea had gone on another shopping spree for Justin. She didn't want to know what she brought for Justin this time. He was barely an hour old and already he had ten times the amount of clothes Felicity had in her wardrobe. Felicity had already decided that Justin would wear everything once and then it would be donated to a shelter. Thea gushed over her new nephew and promised to visit soon. Roy was mostly silent letting Thea do all the talking for them but she could see from the sparkle in his eyes that he was completely awed by his nephew.
Sara and Tommy were next with more gifts. Felicity was fairly sure she had a baby shower three weeks before and she received a mountain of gifts then. There was no need for more gifts. Justin was just a baby. He wouldn't remember any of this. Tommy was busy teasing Oliver that he had finally made it to three children when Sara's phone rang. It was her mother asking her to go to the local police bar and collect her father. The bartender had apparently called to say he needed a ride. They left promptly.
Robert and Moira also visited. Things between herself and Moira were still frigid. They only tolerated each other for Robert's sake. Her father-in-law really wanted them to get along. He was hoping that they could eventually forgive Moira for her behavior but they were still holding out on that. Oliver was chillingly polite to her at functions and Thea still maintained her policy of not talking to the Queen matriarch. Robert liked to pretend that there was no awkwardness when they were all in one room together.
S-4
One month after Laurel's death, Dinah kicked Quentin out for Adriana's safety. His drinking had gotten completely out of control. The SCPD had placed him on suspension for drinking on the didn't blink twice in taking him in. He was her father but the Quentin she took in was not the father that she knew. The Quentin she took in was an alcoholic who was letting the disease control him. She had no idea what she was in for but she soon discovered when Quentin drank their home bar dry. Tommy had been furious.
It only got worse from there when they cut him off from any of his funds and any alcoholic sources at home. He started selling their electronics for cash to go to the bar. He tried showing up at Verdant too but Sara had instructed all of the bouncers to restrain him and then she would take him home at the end of the night. Felicity had been called a couple times when Sara and Tommy couldn't leave the club to collect a passed out Quentin from a bar. The bartender made her pay Quentin's tab before she took him. Sara loved her father very much and she refused to turn her back on him.
The turning point for Quentin came when he accidentally injured Clarice. He was in a drunken rage and she tried to go by her grandfather and he flung her across the room. She broke her hand. Tommy broke his jaw as well as his own hand. With Quentin's jaw wired shut, he finally agreed to go to rehab and get help. Sara visited him as often as she was allowed to. Her mother never visited.
Tommy also hired a grief specialist to help Quentin deal with the loss of Laurel. Quentin was not allowed back in the house or near the twins until he successfully finished his stint in rehab and the grief specialist confirmed that Quentin had learned to deal with Laurel's loss.
S-5
Five months after Laurel's death Dinah was offered a permanent job in Central City and she agreed to take it. She wanted to move away from Starling City and get a fresh start. The only problem was that Dinah wanted to take Adriana with her. Mrs. Bowen objected strongly to her grandchild being moved so far away. It was more difficult for her to visit Central City than it would be for Dinah to visit Starling City. Sara had remained quiet on the whole issue. She was still trying to figure out how to tell her father that her mother was leaving Starling City.
Adam came to Felicity in tears. Not only was his favourite grandmother moving far away from him but she was taking his baby sister too. All of Adriana's family was in Starling City. He didn't understand why she had to go. He wanted her here in Starling City with him and he begged to be able to take care of his sister. Adam's pleas pulled at her heartstrings. What mother could stand to see her son in pain? He was partially right, Adriana would grow up a virtual stranger from her family if she moved to Central City.
She spoke to Oliver that evening about it. They could easily afford to provide for her physical needs. It was her emotional needs that concerned Felicity most. How much time would they be able to spend with her? Fortunately Felicity had a solution. Since Justin's birth, her mom had practically moved in. Everyone literally had to fight Donna for time with Justin when he was awake. Her mother had practically gone baby crazy. She was sure Donna wouldn't mind taking on a second both spoke to Donna and she agreed to move permanently to Starling City and help take care of Justin and Adriana.
A family meeting was called between Dinah, Mrs. Bowen, Sarah and Adam to discuss Adriana's future. Ultimately, Mrs. Bowen, Adam and Sara banded together against Dinah insisting that Adriana stay in Starling City. Mrs. Bowen was willing to take the matter to the courts if need be and fight for custody of her granddaughter. Eventually Dinah agreed to a three month trial run where Adriana lived with Oliver and Felicity full time, no more weekends by Mrs. Bowen. The agreement was to be revisited after the three month trial.
Robert insisted that with four children, three adults and six dogs, they were better suited to live in the mansion than he and Moira were. She doesn't know how he did it but he convinced Moira to move. Part of her suspected it was his way of punishing her for all the chaos she caused in the past. Felicity ordered all the maids to burn incense in every room before she arrived. She didn't want any lingering bad spirits in the Mansion. The move itself was chaotic and they didn't even take furniture with them, just personal possessions.
Felicity and Oliver had an entire wing to themselves. Felicity didn't know what it said about her as a parent but the moment she closed that bedroom door and it was her and Oliver she felt a bit relieved. It was their alone time together. Don't get her wrong, she loved spending time with the kids but it could get a bit stressful trying to balance everyone's time.
S-6
It was Hilary's tenth birthday and Tommy was throwing a huge party for his baby girl at his father's mansion. Connor wanted to skip the party since a bunch of pre-teen girls running around screaming weren't really his thing. He was more interested in girls his age and he wanted to go hang out with his friends. Oliver said no and sat both Connor and Adam down for a long lecture about the meaning of family. Felicity and Donna took turns sitting in the lecture that lasted over four hours.
While Oliver was explaining to them why Tommy, who he was not related to by blood, was still his brother, Felicity stared at their wedding picture on the wall. The day after he proposed they had gone down the courthouse to get married. She was dressed in a simple ivory suit and Oliver in a dark grey charcoal suit. Donna, Robert, Thea, Roy, Tommy, Sara, Diggle and the boys were the only people with them. It had been quick and perfect. The media didn't even catch wind of the marriage until her pregnancy had started to show. She glanced at the family portrait on the wall which didn't include Justin or Adriana and made a mental note to schedule an appointment to update it but this time she wanted to expand the photoshoot to include their extended family as well.
Despite Connor's open hostility at the beginning of the party he ended up enjoying the party the most. She changed the picture on her phone to the photo she took of Connor with Claire and Clarice, each on one of his knees, rubbing pieces of birthday cake on his face. She had another picture of Connor standing in between Oliver and Tommy, all three glaring as Hilary cut her birthday cake with a twelve year old boy who had the audacity to kiss her on her cheek. It seemed he had taken Oliver's lecture to heart.
The real surprise of the day had been Malcolm. He hired a photographer to take pictures and insisted on a family shot that included the Queens. Tommy and Thea were in the centre of the picture as the links that held the large family together. Malcolm stood at one end of the group with Clarice in his arms. Next to him was Camille with Hilary in front of her. Sara stooped down in front of Tommy with Claire. Roy stood next to Thea and stooped in front of them were Adam and Connor. Felicity was next with Justin in her arms. Oliver was next to her with Adriana and Donna stood at the end. They took one photo like that before they pulled Diggle into the photo since he was also a constant in their lives.
S-7
Felicity was unsurprisingly the first one to arrive at the restaurant she was meeting Thea and Sara at for lunch. She knew Thea was still in a meeting at QC with Robert and Oliver. Since Sara and Tommy ran Verdant at night, they slept in most mornings. Sara was going to visit her father before lunch and meet with the grief specialist as well.
Felicity decided to sit at their table and ordered an appetizer for when they arrived. She would hold off on the drinks until they arrived. While she waited she flicked through that day's worth of videos that Donna had sent her of Adriana and Justin playing together. The babies got along well and Adriana was beginning to settle into life at the Mansion. She hoped Adriana's sleeping pattern settled and she could move her and Adam into the wing with Justin and Connor. She really preferred if the children were all in one wing. Adriana's first two nights at their old home woke Justin up and she had been forced to separate them as far she could get them.
Sara was the first to arrive dropping her small purse onto the table.
"How is your father doing?" she asked once Sara had settled on the seat next to her.
"He's doing surprisingly well. They think he can be released in a month. Tommy doesn't want him home though but I think I have a solution. With mom in Central City he can live in their apartment," Sara said.
"Are you sure that won't be a trigger?" Felicity asked concerned.
"I told him last week about mom and he hasn't shown any signs of regression. He seems to accept that she did what she needed to do to cope. Before they release him we're going to take him back to the apartment and see how he reacts. The grief specialist is recommending letting him stay there for one weekend alone unmonitored as a test."
Felicity nodded and started showing Sara the latest videos of the babies. Sara in turn also shared photos of the twins and Tommy playing with dolls. Thea soon arrived and grabbed both phones to look at the pictures.
"She's hot," Sara said watching a woman walk passed while Thea gushed over a picture of Clarice and Claire with pigtails.
"You're married," Thea reminded her absently.
"Spoilsport!" Sara exclaimed sticking out her tongue at Thea. "Just because I'm married doesn't mean I can't look. Honestly I have it so much harder than normal people."
"Really? You think so?" Thea asked.
"Yes! I'm attracted to both sexes. You and Felicity only look at men, that's about 50% of the population that you don't feel attracted to," Sara reasoned.
"So you're saying you might leave Tommy for a woman?" Felicity tried to clarify.
"No absolutely not. I'm happy. The girls are happy and Tommy's happy. He's the best father for the girls. I couldn't ask for more. Plus he really knows how to fulfill all of my needs," Sara said wriggling her eyebrows.
"How are my older nephews doing?" Thea asked Felicity.
Felicity sighed, "Connor probably isn't talking to us right now. He's grounded until he cleans his room properly and Adam isn't talking to Connor because Connor had him benched."
"Connor had him benched for tomorrow's soccer match?" Sara asked surprised.
"Yeap," Felicity said nodding her head while looking around for the waitress who was supposed to come and take their drinks order.
"Why?" Thea asked."That doesn't sound like Connor. He was so happy they were both playing soccer even though they are in different age groups. He thinks Adam is the best goalie ever."
"Adam wasn't feeling well three days ago. My mom picked him up early from school. Connor told the coach. The weather forecast for tomorrow is terrible and the coach doesn't want Adam to have a relapse. Adam will eventually get over it. How's Roy doing with his final classes?" Felicity asked.
"He can't wait to graduate. He really hates school," Thea said with a laugh. "I think if he hadn't been able to write most of his assignments on Verdant he would have gone crazy."
The waitress finally arrived and Sara and Thea both ordered orange juice while Felicity ordered a glass of red wine.
"Ok spill," Felicity asked with narrowed eyes after the waitress left. Usually they all drank something alcoholic.
"I'm pregnant," they both said at the same time before turning to look at each other and burst out into a fit of laughter. Felicity was happy for her friends.
"I thought you wanted no more?" Thea asked Sara.
"I didn't. This just happened," Sara revealed.
"Is it twins again?" Thea asked excitedly.
"God, I hope not!" Sara said horrified. "Tommy's hoping for a boy and if he's anything like the girls, I'm totally screwed!"
"I think screwing was what got you into this mess Sara," Felicity said with a straight face before breaking out into a fit of laughter.
Thea followed her down the laughing rabbit hole while Sara glared at both of them.
"Why aren't you pregnant?" Sara asked Felicity.
Felicity stopped laughing and looked at Sara as if she were a crazy person. She had to be kidding right, "No, not happening," Felicity insisted.
"It would be so cool," Thea said.
"Let me hear you say that after you have this baby," Felicity told her. "Oliver and I barely have any time for sex. These days it's just a quickie here and there. Between the soccer games, baseball games, babies, work and family we barely get any time for each other."
"At least you're still having sex," Sara said. "It can't be that bad."
Felicity rolled her eyes and picked up the menu. She refused to continue the conversation any further.
S-8
One week later Felicity stared in disbelief at the positive pregnancy test in her hand. After six positive tests Felicity finally accepted she needed to go to the doctor. She called and made the appointment herself. She wanted the first available appointment and she didn't want anyone to know where she was going.
The doctor pretty much confirmed that she was in fact pregnant and Felicity groaned. Technically it was only her second pregnancy but this baby would be their fifth kid! It was time to seriously re-evaluate her time. She was going to have to cut back on her hours at QC permanently. She could probably become a consultant and only work on certain projects. That way she could cut out all the other aspects of her job that she didn't like and she could choose to work on only the projects she wanted to. Her time would be her own. She could code when she wanted to and spend time with her children when she wanted to.
That night when she told Oliver she was pregnant he only asked her one question.
"Is it a girl?"
S-9
4 months later
While Felicity waited for her ultrasound appointment and Oliver, she discreetly picked up pamphlets on vasectomies from the table in the waiting was going to leave them on Oliver's night stand for him to read. Felicity was determined to make this pregnancy her last one.
Oliver arrived just as the nurse came to get her for the appointment. He followed her in and helped her up on the bed. She hated the jelly part on her stomach but she liked seeing her baby and hearing the heartbeat. Felicity crossed her fingers as the doctor ran the scanner over her growing belly looking for the sex of her baby.
"It's a girl," the doctor declared much to her relief.
Her husband gave a fist pump and then started writing a message in their family chat that they were expecting a girl. Both Sara and Thea were expecting boys. She heard the ping of responses on his phone and if Tommy asked again to name her after him, she would strangle him. She was not naming her child Tommysina. By the time they left the doctor's office she had over 100 messages on her phone including a subject title of Tommysina from Tommy.
An: Thanks for reading.
Next week I'll be posting a new story called Smoak Detective Agency.