A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed and favorited and followed! I hope you enjoy this chapter :)
After they get married, Tommy and Laurel move out to the suburbs, into this gorgeous restored Victorian that looks like it's straight out of a magazine.
Once they get settled into their new place, Laurel calls Felicity and invites her over for dinner. And Tommy invites Oliver. Because, apparently, Felicity is forever destined to be forced into close contact with Oliver Queen.
"Wouldn't you guys rather have, like, a big housewarming party?" Felicity suggests. She and Laurel are in the kitchen, finishing dinner, while Oliver and
Tommy are out in the living room, talking about some big business venture they're apparently embarking on. "With many different people for me to talk to?"
"Tommy and I just want a nice, simple dinner with our best friends," Laurel says, turning off the burner under the pasta. "Besides, I thought you and Ollie were getting along. He said he really liked getting to know you better at the wedding, and you seemed pretty cozy on the dance floor..."
Felicity rolls her eyes. "He was just using me to avoid taking responsibility for his manwhore ways."
Laurel sighs, grabbing the serving bowl of pasta and heading out of the kitchen. "You know, Joanna is still trying to get Ollie to call her back."
"Ugh," Felicity groans. "Why are you and Tommy friends with him again?"
Laurel just laughs a little in reply, and Felicity grabs the salad bowl and follows her out into the dining room.
Dinner starts out all right, mostly since Oliver's only interested in discussing the club that he and Tommy are opening in downtown Starling City, so he's much less obnoxious than usual. Even though neither one of them has ever had an actual job because of the whole heirs-to-enormous-fortunes thing, they both seem like they're going to make a go of it.
For his part, Tommy is focused on investors and marketing and logistics, while Oliver mostly just talks what kind of drinks they should serve and how late they should stay open and whether they should have two V.I.P. sections, or just one.
"So what's your role in this whole club venture, Oliver?" Felicity finally asks. She's honestly fascinated by the whole idea of Tommy and Oliver getting jobs like real, actual adults. As far as she can tell, neither one of them have worked a day in their lives.
"Research and Development," he says with a wry smile.
"Meaning what?" Felicity asks, twirling some linguine around her fork. "That you spend every night partying at a different club?"
He shrugs. "It's important that we check out the competition."
Felicity rolls her eyes. "I bet. I'm sure it's super-helpful for you to hook up with random girls and get trashed and pee on cops."
"I did that was once," Oliver protests. "And, besides, I didn't pee on the cop, I peed on his car."
Felicity scoffs. "Oh, well. In that case…."
"You know what, Felicity –"
"Hey, guys?" Laurel interrupts.
Felicity jumps a little, blinking as she looks away from Oliver. They're both leaning across the table, close enough that Oliver can probably smell the garlic on her breath, and Felicity forces herself to relax and sit back. "Oh! Yeah. Sorry. We're sorry. Or, I mean, I'm sorry. I don't know if Oliver's sorry. Chances are, he's probably not, because he's terrible, but…"
"I'm sorry, too," Oliver cuts in, glaring at Felicity. "We're both sorry. But – for the record – Felicity started it."
Felicity opens her mouth to protest, but then Laurel's talking over her. "So," she says. "We actually didn't just invite you guys over for a housewarming dinner."
"Oh," Felicity says, giving Oliver one last glare before turning her attention back to Laurel and Tommy. "What's up?"
"Uh, well," Tommy starts, glancing over at Laurel. She gives him a nod and an encouraging smile. Tommy takes a deep breath, but doesn't say anything else.
"Guys?" Felicity prompts. Across from her, Oliver looks just as confused as she feels.
"Well," Laurel says, clearing her throat and looking at Tommy again. He reaches out and takes her hand, the two of them smiling a little weirdly at each other.
"We're having a baby."
"Oh my god, Mazel Tov, guys!" Felicity says, launches herself out of her chair, practically tackling Laurel in a hug. Laurel laughs and then Felicity reaches out, hooking her arm around Tommy, pulling him in, too.
"Can I get in on this, too, or what?" Oliver says, and when Felicity looks up at him, he's beaming. She rolls her eyes, but she's feeling happy enough that she lets him in on the hug, moving her arm from Tommy to Oliver, drawing him in close, his body pressed against hers, warm and solid.
Tommy calls Felicity at three o'clock in the morning, telling her that Laurel's water broke, that she's gone into labor, and they're on their way to Starling General. Felicity stumbles out of bed, grabbing her glasses and yanking her hair back into a ponytail before throwing a hoodie over her pajamas and running out the door.
When she gets to the hospital, Tommy's in the waiting room, his hair standing up in a million directions and a look of sheer panic on his face.
"Oh thank god you're here," he says when he sees her. He wraps her in a hug, and Felicity hugs him back, feeling a surge of panic.
"Is Laurel okay?"
"Laurel's fine," Tommy tells her, pulling back a little. "She told me to come wait out here for you and Ollie to get here. She said I was driving her crazy."
Felicity laughs, relieved. "And how are you doing?"
"Driving myself crazy," Tommy sighs, scrubbing a hand over his face. "I thought we'd get here, and they'd wheel her in, and, you know: baby. But it turns out there's a lot more to it than that."
"Go figure," Felicity says.
"Okay, so, now that you're here, I'm going to go annoy my about-to-give-birth wife," Tommy tells her.
"Please do," Felicity says with a little laugh. "Tell her I said hi and also not to murder you before the baby arrives."
Tommy grins. "Will do. Ollie should be here at some point, and I'll keep you updated on the whole baby situation."
"Sounds like a plan." Felicity smiles as Tommy practically skips out the door.
Once he's gone, she settles into one of the ugly waiting room chairs, sorting through the magazines on the side table as she stifles a yawn.
Oliver doesn't show up until after 7:00 am, shuffling into the waiting room looking sleepy and hungover.
"Did I miss it?" Oliver asks, dropping heavily into the chair beside her. He's a few hours past a five-o'clock shadow, a baseball cap pulled low and his head, and are those hickeys on his neck? Gross.
"No," Felicity says shortly, turning back to her magazine. Not that she particularly cares about the intricacies of the latest Kardashian hook-up, but it's definitely preferable to dealing with Oliver right now.
Oliver groans, leaning back in his chair, the back of his head hitting the wall with a dull thud.
"A little too much research and development last night?" she asks with mock-innocence, looking at her the magazine with a smirk.
He groans again, pulling the brim of his cap down over his eyes, and Felicity smirks. "Just wake me up when something happens."
"Seriously?" Felicity says. "You're going to sleep?"
"Yeah," Oliver mumbles. His cap is still pulled down over his eyes, and he settles back more heavily against the chair, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I've been here for four hours," Felicity tells him, but he just shrugs. Felicity glares at him, but he's still got his eyes closed, so her rage goes unnoticed.
Ugh, he is infuriating. Felicity's about to tell him as much, when the waiting room door opens and it's Tommy, looking dazed and overwhelmed and happier than Felicity's ever seen him.
"Is she here?" Felicity asks, and beside her, Oliver straightens, sitting up and pushing his cap back up on his head.
"She's here," Tommy confirms. "She's here and she's perfect and I'm a dad."
Oliver beats Felicity to the hug this time, but just barely, the two of them wrapping their arms around Tommy, all three of them practically giddy with excitement.
Mia Rebecca Merlyn is 7 lbs, 4 oz of adorable baby girl. She's got bright blue eyes and dark brown hair, and she is the most amazing thing Felicity has ever seen.
"She's gorgeous," Felicity coos. She's holding Mia in her arms, the baby's face scrunched up in her sleep, her skin wrinkly and pink and new.
Laurel and Tommy are sitting together on the bed, both of them smiling as Felicity cradles the little pink bundle of their daughter in her arms.
"Yeah, guys. Seriously, she's a knockout," Oliver agrees. He reaches out to touch Mia's curled up fist, and she opens her hand, wrapping her chubby fingers around Oliver's thumb.
"Look at her tiny little fingernails," Felicity marvels, and Oliver smiles.
"We have kind of a huge favor to ask," Laurel says, looking from Felicity to Oliver with a smile. You know, Felicity's never really understood the whole "glowing" new mother thing, but Laurel's sort of legitimately radiant right now.
"Of both of us?" Felicity asks nervously, shifting Mia in her arms. The baby makes a quiet noise, snuffling into her blanket.
Laurel and Tommy exchange a glance, and then Laurel looks back at them with that same beatific smile. "We want you to be Mia's godparents."
"Seriously?" Oliver asks. Mia's still holding onto his thumb, and Felicity notices how big his hands are, his fingers long and strangely elegant.
"Yeah, I mean, you two are our best friends in the world," Tommy says, and Felicity tears her gaze away from Oliver's hands. "Who else would we choose?"
"Oh my gosh, of course!" Felicity says immediately. Her face has started to hurt from smiling, but she just can't seem to stop. "I mean, I can't speak for Oliver, but I am totally and completely honored."
"I'm honored, too," Oliver says, a slight edge to his voice as he glares at her. Felicity ignores him because it's not like thinking Oliver Queen wouldn't be up for any kind of major responsibility is a huge stretch. Then he looks over at Tommy, his face softening. "Of course I'll do it, man. Anything for you guys."
"Awesome," Tommy says, and he looks over at Laurel and Mia. He just looks so, so happy, and Felicity's just really glad that her friends are getting the kind of life they deserve.
"Wow," Oliver says. They're leaving the hospital, walking through the parking garage together in the cool early morning darkness.
"This is totally crazy, right?" Felicity says, shaking her head and pulling her coat tighter around her. "I mean, Laurel and Tommy are someone's parents."
"And we're someone's godparents," Oliver says, bumping his shoulder against hers. Felicity's in such a good mood, it doesn't even annoy her. Instead, she finds it kind of sweet, which is why she bumps him back. "What does that mean, by the way?" he adds.
"Us being godparents?" Felicity says. She shrugs. "I think it means we have to go to the Christening and then spend Mia's whole life spoiling her rotten and letting her get away with the kind of stuff Laurel and Tommy don't want her to get away with. We're like the official cool Aunt and Uncle. We get all of the fun parts, none of the dirty diapers and tantrums."
"Cool," Oliver says.
Felicity nods in agreement because, yeah. That about sums it up.