Pouch
Summary: Felicity had always been naturally on the thin side but now after five children she's found she has a little pouch. As soon as she begins to start fussing about it Oliver sets her straight.
An: I do not own Arrow.
Felicity stood in front of her floor length mirror and stared at the little protrusion of her stomach in the black cocktail dress she was wearing.
"I have a permanent pouch!" She whined to her husband who was walking out of the closet fully dressed in his black tuxedo.
He glared at his wife. She had on a beautiful knee length cold shoulder black dress which she accessorised with the diamond earrings he gave her for their wedding, the diamond tennis bracelet he gave her on their one year anniversary and the diamond necklace he gave her for their tenth wedding anniversary. Yes Oliver Queen loved to spoil his wife with diamonds and he also loved to keep her all to himself.
"You are not fat Felicity. I don't even see the problem you're complaining about." She opened her mouth to protest but Oliver held up his hand to stop her. "Yes your stomach may not be perfectly flat but that is because you gave birth to our beautiful children, 5 times. You look perfectly sexy to me. We can always ditch this party. I'm sure we can find something to entertain ourselves?" he said wiggling his eyebrows at her.
Felicity pouted. "I feel like a kangaroo and you know how much I love those. Actually, I think I'll name it Joey. You know, what they call baby kangaroos."
Oliver scowled at the kangaroo reference. A few years after their wedding during a business meeting in Australia, Oliver had been determined to show Felicity that there was nothing to be afraid of, so he arranged for an up close and personal visit with some kangaroos. The visit had been going well, up until Oliver spooked one and it punched him out cold! The great almighty Green Arrow had been defeated by a kangaroo and his sister had caught the whole thing on film. Every Christmas, without fail, that video surfaced during their family celebration. It had become the bane of Oliver's existence.
"Let's forget about Kangaroos and get going or we will be late again," he bristled.
Felicity laughed and kissed him on the tip of his nose.
The charity gala was in the ballroom of the Grand Starling Hotel. It was beautifully decorated with garlands made of crystals. The light reflecting off the crystals gave the room a magical glow. There was a good turnout from the one-percenters in Starling City and Felicity hoped that meant that the charity had met its fundraising goal for the night.
She was stuck talking to Carter Bowen who would not quit trying to get her to sleep with him. She was half contemplating punching him herself instead of waiting for Oliver to intervene like he usually did. The only problem with waiting for Oliver was he was stuck on the other side of the room with those skinny models with the long legs who were trying to take him home.
"Mr. Bowen, you don't mind if I steal my step mom away?" A tall blonde haired man asked.
"Connor!" Felicity beamed at her step-son.
"Hi mom," He said to her. She lifted her hands and indicated he needed to bend a bit. No matter where they were, Felicity always greeted him with a kiss to his forehead.
"So who is your date tonight?" Felicity asked surveying the room. She knew Connor was a bit like pre-island Oliver. He had plenty flings but he never brought any home. She knew that the day Connor introduced her to anyone; it would be because Connor seriously cared for that person.
"Oh one of those models that's fawning over dad right now." Connor said bitterly.
Felicity put a comforting hand on his arm, "You're still very young Connor. Your father didn't meet me till his late twenties. You have plenty of time."
"I know, I just wish they didn't seem more interested in him than me?" he said to her.
"That's what you get with leggy super models with perfectly flat stomachs?" Felicity replied sagely.
"She was easily available," He responded.
"And that right there is part of the problem." She told him.
"I thought you said I was young. Can't I enjoy myself?" He asked.
"You can but don't complain when you choose poorly." She told him glancing over at her husband trying and failing to extricate himself from the group he was currently with.
"Do you want to go save your father from them while I deal with the set of harpies heading this way?" She asked her step son.
He glanced behind him and saw Mrs. Stellmore, Mrs. Kord and Mrs. Bowen, all known cougars who had wanted to get him alone for a while now.
"Anything you say mom," Connor said giving her that charming smile he inherited from Oliver. He kissed her on her cheek and then disappeared in a flash. Barry would have been proud.
She remembered when Connor first came to live with them. Oliver had gone through an array of emotions. From surprise that he had a son, to anger at what his mother had done, to terrified that he would screw up his kid. Connor's biological mother, Sandra, had died in a car accident and in her will she wished for Connor to live with Oliver. It had been a very hard time for Felicity. They had now settled into a steady relationship and were figuring out how to balance work, vigilante work and their home life. To suddenly through a kid into that mix was utter chaos but Felicity knew she had to be the glue to hold it all together. She needed to be there for Oliver and she needed to make Connor feel like he was welcomed.
Sandra had done a brilliant job raising Connor by herself and all Oliver and her really had to do was keep Connor on the right path. Once the teenage years hit that became harder to do. He seemed determine to rebel and follow the path of Ollie. Felicity could distinctly remember the turning point that caused Connor to grow up. He had been sneaking out of the mansion to go drinking with his friends for two weeks and Oliver was supposed to speak to him as soon as he got back from Coast City but Felicity was pregnant and hormonal and after waiting up all night to make sure Connor had safely returned she decided to confront him on her own.
The confrontation did not go well with Connor saying a lot of hurtful things that eventually led to her water breaking two weeks early. That was the first night that Connor realised that his actions had consequences. Felicity had turned sheet white because not only did her water break but she was also bleeding. The only other person in the house besides them was his baby brother who was asleep upstairs and Felicity and his soon-to-be baby sister needed to get to the hospital urgently but in his drunk state he couldn't think clearly enough to help his family. It was a helplessness that Connor told her he never wanted to feel again. After that he cleaned up his act and his favourite sibling was his sister that was born that night.
"Felicity, darling your dress is lovely but are you pregnant again?" Mrs. Kord asked her.
"I can assure you that I am not pregnant," Felicity replied through clenched teeth.
All three women look down at her small pouch. "Perhaps you should head to the gym then," Mrs. Stellmore suggested.
"Or liposuction. I can recommend a good plastic surgeon." Mrs. Bowen added. Everyone knew her face was now plastic, her boobs were silicon and she'd had her tummy tucked twice.
Mrs. Kord tapped her chin thoughtfully, "While you're there perhaps you could get some work done on those wrinkles and a boob job to lift them up now."
"Ladies, I would appreciate it if you would stop hogging my wife. I've barely been able to enjoy this gala with her. She is after all the most beautiful woman here." Oliver said staring intensely into his wife's blue eyes. She knew he meant every word he said.
Mrs. Kord leaned over to whisper to Mrs. Bowen, "He clearly needs glasses,"
Oliver's head snapped towards them and he gave them his patented Green Arrow Glare.
Felicity placed her arm in the crook of his elbow, "Come one Oliver. I believe you promised me some real entertainment tonight."
Oliver perked up at her words, "I believe I did."
"Excuse us ladies," he said guiding Felicity towards the exit. He glanced around for Connor and signaled to him they were leaving.
Once they were home, they checked in on all of their children, re-tucking in those who had kicked off their sheets. Oliver usually stayed a little longer than his wife to marvel at the miracles that they had created together. When he returned to their bedroom Felicity was back in front of the mirror with her hand on her little pouch.
"Don't go there," Oliver said. "You've never listened to them before, don't start now."
"I know. It was just easier to ignore when I was younger and I didn't feel the age disadvantage." She admitted to him. It was always easy for them to discuss their flaws with each other.
Oliver frowned and sat on the edge of the bed. He patted the spot next to him for her to join him, "Felicity, do you know what I see when I see when all of those girls throw themselves at me?"
"Nice flat stomachs and toned bodies?" she blurted out sitting beside him.
"No, I see young lost individuals like I was before the island. I wonder where their father's are and I pray our daughters don't turn into those girls. They remind me of how lucky I was to find you Felicity. A woman that would follow me into hell and back, a woman who can make me laugh no matter how dark I feel, a woman who I can share my life with, someone that I can trust, a person that makes me happy, the mother of all my children, Connor included, and the only love of my life."
"Oliver," Felicity said, her eyes full with unshed tears.
Oliver cupped her face with his hands and used his thumbs to brush away the tears.
"I love you and your pouch Felicity and nothing is going to change that."
"I love you too Oliver,"
They spent the rest of the night locked in a passionate embrace. Nine months later, their last child, Joey was born.
An: Thank you for reading. The next chapter of QC's Boys Club will be up on Sunday.