This story is related to an earlier one I wrote titled "You Deserve Better than Her" (rated 'T'). This is set between Chapter 14 and the Epilogue of that other story, and is my vision for what happens when Oliver proposes to Felicity. You don't have to read the other story, but just know this takes place in the near future. Anticipated this was to be a one-shot, but will be a few chapters now that I have started. I do not own Arrow or any of its characters. That honor is held by DC Comics. I just like to borrow them from time to time...
It had been a month since Slade had died, and Oliver had almost lost his own life. He was discovering that your perspective on things changes significantly when you are faced with death, or faced with the possible death of a loved one.
'Loved one.' It had taken a while for Oliver to finally confess to himself that his feelings for Felicity were more than just a close friendship. He found that his days without her were too long, and when she was there, she never ceased to surprise him with her intelligence and genuineness. She was perhaps the most straightforward, trusting, kind person he knew.
The kidnapping that had put her and Thea in a deadly situation had shaken Oliver to the point where he did not to want to let either one of them out of his sight. He and Felicity had been close before the kidnapping, but things had changed significantly between the two of them since that day.
These days you could find them having lunch in Oliver's office almost every day when his schedule allowed for it, Felicity usually talking animatedly about something she had seen or read, Oliver taking it all in, letting her love heal his soul day after day. His physical injuries from his final battle with Slade, from the broken ribs to the concussion, were almost fully healed, the scars on his face still visible, but growing more faint as time passed. The "car accident" that had landed him in the hospital was a convenient cover up for the beating he had received from Slade. He had hated feeling so helpless at the beginning of his recovery, but Felicity's constant attention and fawning over him more than made up for his frustration at not being able to do his Arrow duties. Luckily between Diggle and Roy the Vigilante still made the occasional appearance while Oliver had been laid up, further distancing Oliver Queen from the Hood/Vigilante persona.
Although Oliver and Felicity had declared their love for each other the night of Slade's death, with everything else going on, from Oliver's hospital stay to Felicity, Diggle and Roy tracking down and finally locating a very dead Sebastian Blood out of the country, there hadn't been much time for romance for the couple. They were open with each other about their feelings, but were still trying to see what it meant to be a "normal" couple.
With finally having found Sebastian Blood, knowing he was no longer a threat, and the super serum behind them, Oliver sat that day at lunch listening to Felicity recount a childhood memory of growing up in the Midwest in a small rural community. Apparently "cow tipping" was an actual thing, and was something that provided vast amusement to small town kids on a hot summer night. As their shared laughter died down from her story, he leaned in to give her a slow, deep kiss, the smile still on his face.
"What was that for?" Felicity asked, her heart speeding up at the heat the kiss brought on. Despite the late nights they spent together, they were usually in the company of others, and were so exhausted when it was time to go home that a quick peck was all they had the time or energy for. It wasn't for lack of passion between them. There had been a few times where a quick kiss had started to turn into something more heated, but it never failed that they would be interrupted by someone and not be able to let things go further.
Oliver smiled at her, unable to take his eyes off of her mouth. He cleared his throat, realizing his thoughts were going places not appropriate for the office. "Do you have plans this weekend?" he asked her, knowing she didn't.
"I was hoping to back up my hard drive at home, or get caught up on some of my favorite TV shows. But I might be able to fit something else in if it sounds appealing enough," she teased, leaning forward and wiping the lipstick from his mouth. The touch of her hand on his lips caused heat to shoot down his body. She was taking her sweet time with the task and he wondered if she realized how much it affected him.
In Felicity's defense, she was only thinking about her own reaction to touching Oliver's soft lips, wishing they were in a location that allowed her to keep getting lipstick on his mouth. Realizing she had been wiping at his lower lip longer than necessary, she quickly pulled back her hand, blushing slightly at the train of thought her mind was taking her.
Oliver chuckled, caught in one of those speechless moments when Felicity dazzled him with her innocence. He could see when she had been lost in touching him, and when she had come back to earth. He hoped his plans could help keep her lost longer the next time she was touching his lips. "I thought we could go to the Opera House in Central City on Saturday evening. A friend of the family offered box seats to my mother, but she and Walter are meeting here in town with some other city leaders to discuss her potential run for Mayor now that Sebastian Blood is out of the picture and there are no other candidates stepping forward."
Felicity liked the idea of getting dressed up for Oliver, having time with him away from Verdant and Queen Consolidated. However, it occurred to her that it would be a late night. "Is that too much running around for you? I mean, I know you think you're fully recovered, but I'm still not one hundred percent convinced that you're completely over your concussion, especially given the headaches you're still getting when you over do things," she voiced, clearly concerned about Oliver's well-being.
Oliver looked down at his hands, trying to keep the satisfaction at her train of thought off of his face, extremely pleased with himself that she was playing right into his virtual trap. "I see your point. We have a lake cabin about an hour outside of Central City that we could stay at that night. My mother was complaining about it not getting any use in the last couple of years. It has six bedrooms so there is plenty of space for the two of us, and that way we can come back on Sunday anytime we want," he finished, finally looking at her again to gauge her reception of the idea. The last thing Oliver wanted to do was rush Felicity into something she wasn't ready for, but at the same time he found his mind wandering more and more often to what it would be like to be alone with her for a significant amount of time.
She felt her heart beat speed up at the thought of staying overnight with Oliver Queen, looking down at the almost finished salad in front of her. She held back her initial impulse to scream "YES" at him, not wanting to seem too eager to spend the night with him, or at least a night that didn't include Diggle, Roy or running a number of search programs in the basement of Verdant. The fact that it was their lake house, which she was sure was spacious and gorgeous, was meaningless to her. He could have asked her to spend the night in a grass hut in the middle of winter with no running water or indoor plumbing and she would have agreed.
Raising her gaze to Oliver, seeing the hesitation in his eyes, she smiled. "That would be perfect," she answered, thrilled at the look of relief she saw sweep across his face. Perhaps Oliver wasn't as confident about the arrangement as she would have thought.
They finished their lunch, then went about the rest of their day. It was already Thursday, so Felicity figured she would go shopping that evening to find something appropriate for the opera. She also decided it might be a good time to get some new undergarments and lingerie as well. It never hurt to be prepared.
Friday flew by quickly, and Felicity was up and showered before her alarm even went off on Saturday morning. It was a three hour drive to Central City, so Oliver had suggested they head out early to stop at the lake cabin first to have lunch, do a little shopping in the small nearby town, then dress for the evening before heading into the city for dinner and the opera. She had packed her things the night before, so just needed to finish her hair and makeup before she would be ready for Oliver's arrival. She pulled her hair back into a pony tail and applied just some foundation and mascara. In looking at the clock, she still had 30 minutes before Oliver's arrival, so decided to make some coffee to take with them on the road. She had just filled her two travel mugs when there was a knock on her apartment door.
Her heart skipped a beat and she took a big breath before opening the door to find Oliver standing there, a cup of coffee in each hand. "I know I'm early, but I brought coffee, and I was afraid it would be cold if I circled the block one more time," he confessed. Felicity laughed, taking one of the coffees and then leading him into the kitchen to show him the travel mugs.
"I guess we will be fully awake for the opera tonight," she added light-heartedly.
They grabbed the coffees and her overnight bag, then headed down to Oliver's car. It still wasn't even 8 AM, but Felicity felt the excitement and anticipation in the air for their first official overnight trip as a couple, and she couldn't have been more thrilled.
Oliver cranked the heat a bit, both of them enjoying the warm air blowing from the vents. The weather had been unseasonably cold the last few days, and there was a small chance of snow in the area, which was extremely rare for that time of year.
They had been enjoying the ride, chatting or listening to music, and had barely noticed the rain start about half way to their destination. Stopping at a gas station with about 45 minutes left in their trip, they noticed the cars heading toward Starling City from the direction of Central City were not only wet from the rain, but looked like a thin layer of ice had formed on them as well. Felicity expressed her concern about the weather and if they should head back to Starling City before it was too late, but Oliver pointed out that they were much closer to the cabin than home, so were probably better off keeping their plans. In listening to the weather on the radio, the general consensus was that the temperatures wouldn't drop too much more, so beyond a few slippery spots, the rain should pass by morning. Pulling out of the gas station the tires on the car spun a little, so Oliver took his time the rest of the way, with it taking them just over an hour to go the short distance to the cabin.
Just as Felicity had suspected, the "cabin" was more like a small version of the Queen mansion. The full two story home didn't look like much from the front, but once Oliver drove around to the back and the garage, Felicity could see that the home actually had three stories from the back, with a multi-level deck and large floor to ceiling windows that overlooked the lake. Even though it was late morning the sky was cloudy, and the rain was now mixed with a light snow, with visibility growing worse and worse by the moment. The automated lights were on outside the house, with many lights on inside as well. When Felicity commented on it, Oliver informed her that they had neighbors who took care of the property when the Queen family could not be there, and they had already prepared the house for visitors.
Once in the attached garage they made their way into the house and up to the main level where the kitchen was located. A beautiful picnic basket was on the counter with a note from the Olson's, the neighbors, expressing their happiness that the house was going to be used again after the long absence of the Queen family. The basket was filled with sandwiches and other lunch foods. Oliver also noticed that the fridge and pantry were fully stocked with enough food for a month! It was the same as he had remembered from growing up and having come to the house with his parents as a child.
Felicity noticed the look of sadness that crossed Oliver's face as he looked at the note. "Hey, is everything okay?" she asked, worried that maybe Oliver was regretting his decision to bring her there.
He smiled, laughing a little. "Everything is fine," he answered, taking her hand and pulling her to him. She let her hands rest on his chest as he settled his hands at her waist, leaning forward to rest his forehead against hers. "I didn't realize all of the memories this place still held for me," he said, finally looking all around him. Felicity kept her gaze on his, letting him take in the surroundings while she watched his eyes shift from one space to the next around them. Something caught his eye and he laughed out loud, causing her to turn in the direction he was looking.
"What's so funny?"
Oliver took her hand and walked her over to the bay windows that overlooked the back lawn and lakeshore. He pointed to a large oak tree that had a tire swing hanging from it. "Thea and I used to play on that tire swing for hours during the summer when my mother would bring us up here. We would spend the entire summer, with Dad coming up on the weekends. It was a nice change from the mansion," he shared. Felicity squeezed his hand, showing her appreciation for the rare look into his childhood. With all of the work they had done to fight crime as the Vigilante and team, there wasn't a lot of time to chit chat about childhoods or any other personal experiences. Their time was usually spent on discussing next steps in strategy and where they were needed next. It was a refreshing change for her to see him like this.
As they looked out the window, they noticed how harshly the tire was being whipped around in the huge wind gusts. Just then they heard the furnace kick in. They also both noted the layer of snow now forming on the lawn and trees. "It looks like it is getting worse out there," Oliver commented. He went over to the small flat screen on the counter and turned to the local station. Sure enough, a winter weather watch was in effect until the following morning, meaning the conditions were ideal for snow and sleet.
"It could blow over in a few hours, though," Felicity added, having lived through her share of winters in the Midwest. They proceeded to enjoy the picnic lunch, albeit indoors. The rest of the afternoon was spent looking through old picture albums from Oliver's childhood, even as far back as the first years that his parents were married. They laughed at the fashions and hairstyles, Felicity enjoying seeing Oliver so relaxed after all that he had been through.
In looking at the clock, he realized they should probably start to get ready for their evening in Central City. He stated as much to Felicity.
Pushing the sheer curtains aside from the front window in the sitting room they had just spent the last few hours in, Felicity started laughing. Oliver, questioning her reaction, went over to see what was so funny. There was a good three to four inches of snow on the ground, and what was falling from the sky was so thick they could barely see the edge of the tree line along the front of the house that separated it from the main road. "Holy shit," was all Oliver could get out. Felicity turned on the television and they both watched as the meteorologist described how the seemingly harmless rain was turning into one of the largest snow storms in the history of the area thanks to a cold blast that was coming down from the north.
Oliver turned away from the television and looked intently at Felicity. "I guess we're not going to the opera tonight."