Notes: Thank you for all your kind comments for the last chapter. Your choice to favorite the story or me is also greatly appreciated. A big thank you to my guest reviewers, especially Jen who always takes the time to send me her thoughts and share her enthusiasm for the story.
Your opinions were unanimous - you like the long chapters, which is good, because this one is a long one.
The Arrow characters and universe do not belong to me.
Oliver, Felicity and Thea stood in the foyer of the Queen mansion all lost to their separate thoughts and memories. Unfortunately, most of Felicity's memories were of unpleasant encounters with Moira and Mirakuru enhanced super soldiers. She ran her fingers across the mantle and inspected the thick layer of dust. "The first thing you're going to need to do is hire back the household staff. I love you, but I'm not helping you dust this entire house."
Thea laughed. "The first thing we need to do is turn the heat on. It's freezing in here."
"Speedy, it was always cold in here. It's a drafty old mansion."
"Okay, so the first thing we need to do is install new insulation and energy efficient windows." Thea said as she climbed the stairs. "I'm going to go check out my room. I think I left my favorite Louboutin's behind."
"She's right," Felicity said. "You really should make the house more energy efficient. You're working to make QC green, no reason you shouldn't do the same for the mansion. Maybe install some solar panels on the roof or the grounds. We could maybe get the PR department to tie in the refurbishing of the mansion with QC's new alternative energy technology announcement." She winked at him and spread her hands out in front of her like unfurling a banner. "Queen goes Green."
He gave her a sideways look. "Felicity. It's cloudy in Starling City three hundred days a year."
"Okay, forget the solar panels. You could install some wind turbines."
"Didn't you send me some articles on some possible health side effects due to living in proximity with wind turbines and why we need to invest in research to develop a safer turbine?"
"Have I ever told you how much it annoys me when you pay attention to something I say and then remember it later in order to counter one of my arguments?"
"I always pay attention to what you say." He grinned with satisfaction.
Her look told him that she doubted that statement to be true. "Okay, forget the turbines and solar panels but you should definitely do the insulation and the windows."
"I'll add it to the list." Oliver walked into the living room and pulled a sheet off one of the sofas.
"When do you think you'll be ready to move in? Maybe you can be in by Christmas. Thea might like to resume the tradition of the annual Christmas party." Felicity said excitedly as she removed sheets from the desk by the window. When she turned around, Oliver was standing in the center of the room, staring blankly ahead. His thumb was rubbing against his index finger. "Hey, what's going on?"
He shook his head, "I don't want to move back here."
"What?" She moved to stand in front of him and took his hands.
"I'm happy living at your place, with you."
"Yes, because it is better than living in the lair." She teased.
He looked hurt. "That's not why."
Felicity was confused. From the moment Isabel seized the company and the courts froze their assets, they'd been working to recover the family legacy. "You and Thea fought so hard to get this place back. Oliver, this is your home."
He shook his head. "No, you're my home. I don't want to live anywhere you're not."
Felicity's heart raced. These were all the things she'd hoped he'd say to her when the very thought of a relationship between them was unthinkable. Now that they were together, everything seemed to be moving at light speed. She worried that maybe they were going too fast as a way to compensate for what they'd denied themselves for so long. "You want me to move into the mansion with you and Thea?"
"Yes." When he saw the look of hesitation on her face he said, "Why not?"
Felicity turned to take in the formal living room. It was a very long way from the rundown apartments and double-wide trailers she'd spent her childhood in. "My whole apartment can fit inside your foyer."
He smiled softly at her. "That is a statement, not a reason."
When they returned from Vegas, Oliver brought her home and never really left. Every time they returned from the lair, more and more of his belongings came with him. She'd emptied out half her drawer space and a quarter of her closet for him, which was as big a commitment as she'd ever made for someone. When you loved clothes as much as she did, the sacrifice of any drawer and closet real estate was painful. "I know that we're living together now and it just kind of happened without either of us really discussing it, but moving in here with you seems like an awfully big step. Are we ready for this?"
He casually shrugged. "I don't see why not. This is going to be your house too, eventually. So, you might as well move in now."
Felicity's brain stopped all thought for five seconds. He just told her that the mansion would one day be hers. A girl needs a few seconds to process that kind of information. Leave it to Oliver to never do anything half way. Once he was in, he was in. She loved that he was decisive, however, his decisiveness also had a way of stressing her out. Her brain rebooted. "Wait. Are you proposing to me? Was that a proposal?"
Oliver's eyes went wide. "No," he spluttered. "Yes." Oliver gulped air like a fish out of water. "I mean, no it wasn't a proposal, but yes I meant that I'm going to marry you and this is going to be your home one day. Isn't that what we're working towards?" Felicity's legs kind of gave way beneath her and Oliver had to maneuver her into a chair before she collapsed completely. He knelt between her legs. "Are you okay? Have I just screwed everything up?"
She looked up into his eyes and ran her fingers along his scruff. "It's a good thing that wasn't a proposal, because as proposals go, it was a terrible one. A girl fantasizes about a guy proposing and it never consists of him saying, you might as well move in."
"You've fantasized about marrying me?" He teased.
"Easy there, Mr. Queen. I said I fantasized about a marriage proposal, but it was more of in the abstract than about you specifically. I think the first guy I fantasized about proposing to me was a Power Ranger." She gasped and her hand flew to her mouth and her eyes went wide as she remembered her first crush. "Tom Oliver, the Green Ranger. Oh, I do have a type."
"So, you don't want to marry me? You want to marry a Mighty Morphin Power Ranger?" A smirk played across his lips.
"At this very moment, marriage isn't high on my list of things to do." When she saw the look of disappointment on his face she leaned in and kissed him. "I've already told you that you're it for me and I can't imagine a day where I don't get to wake up to you, but I don't think we need to be married for that to happen."
He smiled and kissed her. "Good, that's settled. You're moving in with me."
"Wait, have I just been bamboozled?" She began to gesticulate her hands back and forth between them. "Did you just fluster me with a non-proposal proposal in order to get me to move in with you?"
Oliver's eyes went wide. "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."
"Oh my God, you totally bamboozled me." She said as she playfully swatted his arm.
"What has my brother done now?" Thea asked with feigned exasperation. She held a pair of red soled heels in her hands.
"Felicity has agreed to move in with us." Oliver said triumphantly.
Thea smiled and hugged Felicity. "It will be nice to have another girl to live with." Turning to Oliver she said, "You do realize that the press is going to have a field day with this."
"We're already living together." Oliver said defensively.
"Not in the Queen mansion, you're not." Thea said smugly. "I think you'll want to speak with our PR folks before you feed poor Felicity to the wolves."
Felicity squeezed Oliver's hand. "It won't be so bad. What's the worse they can say? They're already speculating that I'm only dating you to murder you to get to your money."
"That's the spirit." Thea grinned. "Gold-digger strikes pay dirt."
Felicity laughed. "Scion sleeping with the enemy."
Thea fought back a giggle and in a serious voice said, "Blonde bimbo baits hook. Look out for baby bump."
Felicity placed a hand over her mouth to hide her smile from Oliver who was wincing like he had three broken ribs. "Enough, enough." He said with a grimace. "I'll call the PR group."
"Too bad it's winter. With all the coats and heavy sweaters the press is definitely going to go on baby bump watch." Thea winked at Felicity when Oliver groaned.
The thought of the press looking for any change in her waistline was not a pleasant one. She didn't really want speculation as to whether she was pregnant or just getting fat in the press. Felicity looked down at her stomach and pat it thoughtfully. "I guess no more Big Belly Burger for me."
VVVVV
"Arrow? Arrow?" Felicity called through the comms. The team had responded to an apartment fire in the Glades. The building had been engulfed in flames within minutes and according to the emergency services scanner the building had begun to collapse. The last she'd heard from Oliver he was heading into the building to pull out more residents. "Arsenal. Do you have eyes on him?"
A heavy wet cough sounded in her ears. "Negative, Blondie. I just came back out the front, we separated when we went in."
"Arrow. Please respond." She called again, trying to keep the hysteria from her voice. Just then the scanner erupted with frantic cries and she could hear through her comm connection as the building collapsed. She sprang up from her chair. "Oliver! Oliver!"
A burst of static sounded and then she heard a cough. "I'm here. I'm okay."
She could hear Roy speaking softly to Oliver. He was probably checking to see if he was okay to ride his bike. Roy coughed again. "We're on our way home."
Felicity sprang into action and pulled two oxygen canisters and masks from storage. She also went through her medical supplies pulling out burn creams and antibiotics. As she waited for her boys to return she continued listening to the scanner. It sounded like at least one firefighter was missing. The sound of the lair door opening had her moving to the stairs. "It's your night off. What are you doing here?" She asked John as he sprinted down the stairs.
"I was listening to the scanner. Are they alright?" Dig inspected the supplies she laid out on the med table.
"They're on their way back. I don't know in what condition." Dig squeezed her hand and began to set up the oxygen tanks.
They waited in silence as they watched the lair door from the bottom of the stairs. They both let out a breath when the door opened and Oliver and Roy hobbled down the stairs, leaning on one another. Dig reached for Oliver and put his arm around his waist. Oliver's arm draped around Dig's shoulder for support. Felicity and Roy performed the same routine and the four made it over to the med table. They affixed the oxygen masks to their patient's mouths and then began to inspect them for any burns or injuries. Felicity ran her hands over Roy's arms, chest and back, looking for any holes or burns in his uniform. Satisfied, she placed the oxygen mask on the table and then removed his jacket and pulled his t-shirt over his head. Once she secured the mask back to his face, she began to inspect his ribs because she'd noticed that he'd flinched when she put her arm around his waist. A good sized purple bruise was forming on his left side and she gently prodded it, checking to see if anything was broken. "They're not broken," he rasped through his mask.
"No, but they'll need to be taped." She said as she walked across the lair to the bathroom.
She turned on the warm water and filled a basin. As she returned to the med table, she allowed herself to take her first look at Oliver. Dig was speaking softly to him as he helped to remove Oliver's t-shirt. It appeared that Oliver had sustained a minor burn to his left shoulder. His skin was pink, but there was no sign of blistering. She returned to Roy's side and began to wipe his blackened face with a warm cloth. He muttered some half-hearted protests through the mask but didn't put up any resistance. "There's that jaw that stops girls in their tracks," she teased as she got the last of the soot from his face. "Once you're off the oxygen you should take a shower and then I'll tape your ribs." Once he nodded in agreement, she turned her attention to Oliver.
She rested her hands on his thighs and looked into his eyes. The thick black soot covering his face made his eyes even more striking. He pulled the oxygen mask from his face and wheezed, "I'm fine."
She placed the mask back on his face and turned her attention to Dig. He was placing ointment onto Oliver's shoulder. When she caught his eye, he smiled. Sighing in relief, she returned her focus back to Oliver, who raised his eyebrows. His way of saying, See, I told you so. She rolled her eyes at him and began to wipe his face with a clean cloth. When she finished, he lowered his mask and with a gravelly voice said, "What, my jaw doesn't stop girls in their tracks?"
She kissed his jaw and smiled sweetly. "You have a perfectly lovely jaw, but Roy could cut glass with his." Oliver hrmphed as Roy and Diggle burst out laughing. Roy began to choke and Dig had to pat him vigorously on the back. Felicity leaned into Oliver and whispered into his ear. "Your abs would stop traffic, but luckily, I'm the only girl who gets to see them." She stepped away, smirking when she heard his low growl. She returned to listening to the scanner and lowered her head in relief when all firefighters were accounted for. Maybe they'd get lucky and no one died in the blaze that was still raging.
Oliver lifted his mask. "I need you to figure out who the contractor was on that building and if our corrupt Building Inspector signed off on the occupancy permit. I also want to see the Fire Inspector's report. I want to know why that building burned the way it did."
"You think this is one of Oscar's buildings?" Diggle asked.
"I don't know, but if it is, we will be planning a trip to Vegas." Oliver began to cough.
"I'll get right on it." Lifting the mask back over his mouth, she said. "When Roy is done in the shower, you need to take one. You smell like barbecue and I haven't had dinner yet."
VVVVV
Felicity sat staring at her monitor. She had hours of work for Applied Sciences waiting for her, but she couldn't stop looking at the research she'd done on the building fire. Nine people had died, including five children. She closed the window displaying the faces of the smiling children. Their faces had been haunting her dreams and she was pretty sure they would continue to do so even after they caught whoever was responsible for their deaths. Even though she was in her QC office, she was connected to her new server in the lair. True to his word, Oliver had given her a blank check on selecting equipment for her night job. Her new server was fast as lightening and to be honest, she might've fallen in love with it. The best part, she no longer had to worry that anyone would trace any of her Arrow research back to QC. She'd made that mistake before and she wouldn't make it again. She was trying to decide where all the faulty building materials were coming from, who was using them and most importantly, was Oscar involved? The research Vic had provided had been helpful. He'd identified several contractors who all had ties to the Bratva, but not necessarily Oscar. She'd also hacked into Chief Building Inspector Roger Alsop's email and was also tracing his bank accounts. She knew that Tommy had paid a bribe to Alsop to get Verdant opened without an inspection of their secret basement hideout. The guy was dirty, so it was only a matter of time before the money told her everything she needed to know. So far, the trail had led to several off-shore bank accounts, but that had never stopped her before, it only slowed her down.
What was most concerning was the proliferation of the faulty materials. It appeared that not all of the contractors building with counterfeit materials knew it. With all the building activity in the city, Starling was now the most expensive place in the country for building supplies. Contractors were paying top dollar for their materials and in exchange, they were getting deliveries that were five to ten percent counterfeited. Well, that was Felicity's highly educated guess based on facts. The contractors wouldn't necessarily know there was anything wrong until after the building was completed and underwent some type of structural stress like an earthquake or a fire. They'd lucked out with the construction of Applied Sciences. By chance, a section of the building had a greater amount of counterfeit steel beams and when a story was added on top of it, the beams began to buckle.
Fires in new construction were also on the rise in the city. So far, the Chief Arson Investigator, David McLaren, had attributed them all to space heaters, which, at first look, wasn't all that suspicious in the winter. However, when Felicity had met Laurel for lunch the day before, she was told about the courthouse scuttlebutt. It seemed that the majority of Starling City's public servants thought that there was something suspicious about the fires that had claimed twelve lives in addition to the nine that died in the fire Oliver and Roy responded to. As soon her lunch with Laurel was over, Felicity raced back to the office to peak at McLaren's reports. No sign of an accelerant was found at any of the scenes, nor were there any comments about flammable drywall, poorly insulated wiring or faulty steel beams. Felicity suspected that McLaren was probably on the take and so she set up a trace on his bank account. She didn't want to share any of this with Oliver until she was absolutely certain. Everything with Oscar was way too volatile for her to make any suppositions.
"Thea said you missed your appointment with the decorator." Oliver strode into her office carrying a paper bag. "Peggy said you didn't eat your lunch."
Felicity looked up and glanced at her assistant through their shared glass wall. She needed to remind Peggy that her responsibilities didn't include tattling on her to Oliver about whether she ate or how much caffeine she consumed in any given day. Peggy smiled at her as she shrugged her shoulders. She reached out her hand to take the bag from Oliver. "Fine."
"Don't be mad at Peggy. Technically, I outrank you and she kind of has to answer to me." Oliver took her hand and led her into the conference room.
"I don't like you spying on me." Felicity huffily placed her salad onto the table.
Oliver arched a brow at her. "If I were to ask Mrs. Worth," his third assistant since he returned as CEO, "how many times a day you ask her, if I've eaten, if I'm pacing, if I'm wearing my grumpy face, what would she tell me?"
She looked at him coolly. "That's completely different."
"How?"
"Because, I'm the one asking." She couldn't help smiling when she saw him grin. She wasn't really angry with him. She liked the idea that he wanted to look after her. "Don't get me wrong, I love my job, but not being able to just look up and see you through the wall," she shrugged, "I don't know. I guess I got used to knowing your moods and anticipating your needs. Wow, that sounded way dirtier than I meant, especially considering that I didn't take care of those needs when I was your assistant." Oliver laughed. "What I meant to say was that by just glancing through the glass I knew what was going on with you and I was able to manage you before you went off the rails."
"Manage me?" Oliver stole a cucumber out of her salad. "I didn't realize you were managing me." The glint in his eyes, told her he knew exactly what she'd been up to.
Now she was the one cocking her eyebrow. "You're kidding me, right? That's pretty much the number one job responsibility for anyone working for you." She was teasing him, but Oliver really was high maintenance at both his jobs. "If you get too grumpy during the day, you're an absolute bear at night and I have to listen to you be all, grrr. Just consider Mrs. Worth as our new early grumpy Oliver Queen warning system."
"Well, I'm still asking Peggy to spy on you." He took another cucumber. "Just consider it a boyfriend's prerogative."
"Did you eat?" She took a bite of her salad and really wished she hadn't given up carbs because of her baby bump look out paranoia. "I didn't get a chance to ask Mrs. Worth."
"Sushi with Walter." Felicity pouted her lips as she took another bite of her disappointing salad. "I would've brought you something, but you were supposed to be out to lunch with Thea and the decorator."
Felicity sighed. Ever since she agreed to move into the mansion things had been hectic and she hadn't had time to plan the logistics of a move. Oliver had asked her to pick out a bedroom for them. His only conditions were not to choose his old bedroom or his parents'. She appreciated that he wanted to make her comfortable and didn't want either of them to be haunted by girlfriends past or the dysfunction of his parents' marriage. She picked a room that got morning sun and a view of the garden. In the summer, they'd be able to sleep with the windows open and listen to the fountain. If the room also happened to have the biggest walk-in closet in the whole mansion, it was merely a coincidence. The only problem was the room currently looked like it was decorated by an exploding Louis XVI. Oliver complained that he felt like an eighty year old woman every time he walked into the room. It wasn't that Felicity didn't want to decorate the room for them, it was just overwhelming with everything else she had going on. "I'm sorry, I just got busy. I told them I'd reschedule."
"Thea and the decorator will be at the apartment at seven. Thea thinks it will help for the decorator to see your style in person. The new windows will be installed in our room by the end of the week. We're running out of time if we want to be in before the end of the year."
"Oliver. Why would you do that? I can't meet with them tonight. I have to finish my presentation for the board, not to mention the research you asked me to do." Felicity pushed her lunch away as the thought of her to do list robbed her of her appetite.
Oliver reached over and took her hands in his. "Hey. What's going on?"
She withdrew her hands and pulled her salad back. "Nothing."
"And don't say nothing." He spun her chair to face him. "We don't need to move into the mansion if you don't want to. I'm sorry if I got carried away."
Felicity could only imagine what the myriad of women who fantasized about being Oliver Queen's girlfriend would think of her if they knew she was apprehensive to move into his mansion. "It's a bit overwhelming. Thea wants me to interview maids this weekend. I don't even know where to begin when interviewing a maid. She also wants me to help her pick out the dinner service since Slade's goons destroyed the old one. Oliver, I didn't know what a dinner service was. I had to Google it." She took a deep breath. "I don't know how to do this and one day you're going to realize that I'm just some girl from the wrong side of the tracks."
Oliver flexed his jaw and she realized that instead of making him understand, she'd only succeeded in making him angry. "I don't let anyone talk that way about you. What makes you think that I'd tolerate it just because you said it? You're talking about the woman I love and she isn't just some girl."
"Oliver, I
"No. If you're not comfortable moving into the mansion, we'll stay put. I don't care where I live as long as I'm with you. But, if you don't want to move in because you don't think you're good enough, I won't accept that. That's your mother talking."
She smiled at him. He was always defending her, even from herself. "I won't do that to you. It's your home and it's important to you and it's important to Thea that you live under the same roof."
"I don't want you to be miserable because you want to make me happy. If you're miserable, I'm miserable."
"I know I'm being ridiculous, but I feel like I'm the emperor without any clothes. Put me in front of the board to talk about technology and I won't even blink, but ask me to throw them a dinner party and there is a good chance I'll faint from an anxiety attack."
Oliver's voice went soft and he traced patterns on her hand. "Felicity, I just want you to move in with me. I honestly didn't even think about the other stuff or how you'd feel about it. I'll ask Thea to do everything on her own. We thought that since the maids will be in and out of our room you'd like to pick someone you're comfortable with. But, you don't need to be involved. Thea will know to hire someone discreet."
She squeezed his hand. "I guess I should start watching Downton Abbey for research instead of entertainment."
Oliver visibly relaxed. "It's going to be fine, I promise. You just need to tell me when it gets to be too much and we'll face it together. All of this will get easier. Besides, Thea said the decorator had some impressive sketches for your new closet."
She laughed. "No fair. The way to a girl's heart is through her custom designed closet." He looked over his shoulder to make sure they were alone and gave her a quick kiss. "Okay, I'll meet with the decorator tonight, but the Robin Hood poster is coming, no matter what."
He grinned. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
VVVVV
Moving day had finally arrived and through the magic of being a billionaire, their bedroom, bathroom and closet had all been redone in less than three weeks. A small army had been employed to make sure everything was ready for them to move in by Christmas. Oliver entered their new bedroom and placed the box he was holding where she pointed. If she wasn't so angry with him, she'd be admiring how his t-shirt stretched across his shoulders or how good he looked in his jeans when he put the box down. "I don't know why you won't tell me where you're going."
"It's a surprise." Oliver tapped the tip of her nose playfully.
"I don't like it when you keep things from me." She leaned against their new dresser. "Tomorrow is Christmas Eve."
"Okay, three things. First, I'm not keeping anything from you. It's a surprise and you'll find out what it is soon. Second, I'm only going for one night. Third, you don't get to play the Christmas Eve card." He winked at her.
Technically, he was right. Christmas Eve was just another day on the calendar for her that usually involved Chinese food and empty movie theaters. However, now that she was his girlfriend, Christmas Eve was a day and night full of obligations. "I do when you're hosting a QC cocktail party."
"I'll be back in plenty of time." Oliver was grinning and clearly enjoying that his surprise already had her worked up.
She snorted. "Hmph. You say that like you never paid me a salary to come up with excuses for you when you were running late."
"I'm pretty sure I've had to come up with an excuse or two for you too." Dig said as he entered the room carrying two boxes.
"Not helping." Oliver gave Dig his, please don't gang up on me, man, she's already super angry with me, face.
Felicity took the top box from Dig and placed it in their new en suite bathroom. She eyed the large soaking tub and couldn't wait to dig out her bubble bath and try it out. "Do you know where he's going?" She asked as she poked her head into the bedroom.
"I do." Dig said with a smirk. "It's a surprise."
She came back into the room with her arms folded across her chest. "Now you're both keeping secrets from me. You do remember the rule that you're both supposed to like me better than you do each other?"
Oliver rubbed his hands on her arms and pulled her hands away from her chest. "I promise. I'm not doing anything connected with the Bratva."
Felicity's eyes darted to Dig. "Do you think I'd seriously let him face the Bratva alone?" He asked defensively.
She tried to take comfort in what Dig said, but Oliver had a way of leaving both of them out of the loop if he was going to do something dangerous and self-sacrificing. "No, but I think he'd tell both of us he was buying me a surprise pony when he was really after Oscar."
Dig smirked. "On that note, I'm going to head out." Turning to Oliver he said, "Have a good trip." He squeezed Felicity's shoulder. "Lyla and I will see you tonight for dinner."
They both watched as Dig left the room and closed the door behind him. "It's not a pony."
"What?" Felicity said as she refocused her attention on him. Thoughts of him confronting Oscar about the counterfeit building materials was almost all she could think about.
"The surprise isn't a pony and you can stop fishing because I'm not telling you."
"Oliver."
He sat down on the foot of the bed and held his hand out to her. She tapped her foot before she relented and joined him. "Felicity. I promise, I'm not leaving town to see Oscar. I'm honestly trying to do something nice for you."
She knew he was telling the truth, but her research had taken her down a rabbit hole and the more she uncovered the unhappier she became. All signs were pointing to Bratva but she hadn't found a direct tie to Oscar, but she thought she was getting close. The scope of the municipal corruption was worse than she'd feared, but she still hadn't shared her findings with Oliver. She wanted to get through the holidays before she sent the man she loved to war. There was no way around it. Oliver needed to eliminate Oscar's grip on Starling City before it got any tighter. "Okay."
Oliver smoothed the crease in her brow. "You don't look okay."
She leaned in and gave him a kiss. "I'm just going to miss you. We haven't spent a night a part since my mom's funeral."
He kissed her slowly. "I still have some time before I have to leave and we have this brand new bed."
"Mmm." Oliver pressed a line of kisses down her throat. "I guess it would be a shame not to test it out." She said breathily.
"I love it when we're on the same page." He said kicking off his shoes as he pulled his t-shirt over his head.
Felicity giggled and pushed him onto his back, straddling his legs. She gave him a quick kiss. "You know you don't need to get me anything extravagant, right?"
He laughed and flipped them so she was on her back. He punctuated each word with a kiss. "I'm - not - falling - into - that - boyfriend - trap."
She pushed on his chest until he looked at her. "I'm serious. All of this," she dropped her arms to spread across the bed, "is more than enough." Her new bedroom suite was more than she could ask for.
"Felicity, I know I don't need to, but I want to." He kissed her.
"In that case," she captured his bottom lip between her teeth and sucked on it before she released him, "can we talk about a pony for my birthday?"
"If it's you asking, I can't say no." Oliver took possession of her bottom lip between his own.
As her brain began to short circuit from what Oliver was doing with his clever mouth and hands, she made a mental note to tell him that she DID NOT want a pony before she ended up with one. "Oh, I'd really like to test the tub before you go too."
VVVVV
The QC party had been a success and Oliver had used his charm to score some new investors. Even with all their work responsibilities they'd managed to have some fun and enjoy each other's company. It had been a long night and they were both eager to get some sleep. Oliver removed Felicity's silver cape and handed it to the maid. His bow tie was loose around his neck and his top two buttons were undone. Felicity grabbed hold of his forearm as she removed her six inch silver heels. "I can't feel my toes anymore."
Oliver winced when he looked at her bright red toes. "I don't know why you insist on wearing them."
Because they're pretty and they make my legs pretty." Felicity shuffled towards the stairs, too exhausted to lift her feet.
Oliver took her hand and spun her around to face him. "You look pretty with or without shoes." He started to lead her towards the living room.
She tugged on his hand. "Oliver let's go to bed. I'm so tired." She suspected that he was even more tired than her due to his whirlwind trip and he wouldn't go to bed unless she did.
"In a minute. I want to give you your present." He looked like the cat who swallowed the canary.
Felicity narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion. "I'm no expert, but I thought Christmas presents were opened on Christmas."
"This one won't keep until morning." He laced his fingers through hers. He opened the living room door and gestured for her to go through.
Sitting on the sofa with their head bowed in laughter were Thea and Roy who were seated on either side of a blonde woman. Roy was practically doubled over he was laughing so hard. Everyone turned at the sound of the door closing. "Aunt Rosie?" Felicity dropped her shoes and clutch as she moved around the sofa. "What are you doing here?"
"Hello sweetheart." Rosie pulled Felicity into an embrace. "Oliver thought that the best present for a Jew on Christmas would be another Jew."
Felicity burst out laughing. "I knew it was a mistake introducing you two."
Rosie squeezed Roy's cheek. "Felicity, you never told me that Starling was full of such handsome men. A man named John picked us up at the airport. I swear, he had arms the size of cannon balls." Rosie brought her hands up to illustrate how big she thought John's arms were. Felicity laughed when both Oliver and Roy rolled their eyes. Dig's arms and their size were a sore point on the team for the two men whose arms were not the size of cannon balls.
"Were you surprised?" Thea asked. "Ollie's been agonizing over keeping this secret."
Roy laughed. "I think Thea has been the one agonizing over keeping this secret."
Felicity kept her aunt close with an arm around her waist. "You all knew about this?"
Rosie wiped a few tears from Felicity's cheeks. "Don't cry, you'll make me cry and it isn't easy for me to look this good this late at night."
Felicity started laughing again. "They're happy tears. I'm so happy you're here." She pulled her aunt into another hug.
"I think you should thank Oliver, it was all his idea." Rosie said grinning at her co-conspirator.
Felicity threw her arms around Oliver's neck and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you. This is the best present ever. Even better than the server."
"Please, someone write down the date and time. Felicity says I rank higher than a server." Rosie teased.
Oliver tightened his embrace and a laugh rumbled through his chest. "You're welcome. I'm glad it made you happy."
"Who wants a drink?" The asked.
"I'd love another cup of tea, dear." Rosie reached for her mug on the coffee table.
Felicity's eyes tracked her movement and then opened wide in horror. Sitting on the coffee table was a pink photo album filled with her most embarrassing childhood moments. It was bad enough Oliver had seen the album when they visited Rosie in Vegas, she didn't need Roy having any ammunition against her. With a gasp, she lunged for the album, but not before Roy and his Oliver honed reflexes snatched it from the table. "I can't believe you brought that here."
"Oh, I insisted." Oliver had a wicked glint in his eyes.
"Blondie, I have to say, you totally rocked the nose ring. I think you should start wearing it again." Roy and Thea started laughing. Thea left the room with Rosie's mug, dodging throw pillows launched by Felicity.
Felicity began to chase Roy around the coffee table. "Roy Harper. Hand me that album or so help me, I will end you."
"Oh, Felicity, show some Christmas spirit." Rosie returned to her place on the sofa. "I was telling Roy and Thea that maybe tomorrow we could watch your first grade ballet recital."
Felicity groaned at the memory of that recital. She'd worn a bright pink tutu and her hair was a frizzy brown halo as her curls fought against the confines of a bun. Felicity had protested the performance by sitting on the stage with her arms folded across her chest, glaring at her aunt in the front row. At one point she had laid down and her feet started moving side to side as she made elaborate arm gestures. The audience spent the whole performance in hysterics. "Please tell me you're kidding."
"I promised Oliver when you visited over the summer. Plus, it's my all time favorite performance of yours." Rosie held out her hands to Roy who returned the album to her with a sweeping bow.
"You're supposed to be on my side." Felicity reminded Oliver.
"Always, except when it comes to dance recital videos. I'm sorry, but I'm watching every video she brought with her and then I'm making copies." He kissed her on the cheek and whispered in her ear. "How many times did I catch you watching the old video of the model slapping me?"
Thea returned with tea for Rosie. "Come on Harper, time for bed."
Oliver glared at Roy who quickly lost the smile from his face. "I think I liked it better when the two of you snuck around behind my back."
"Please big brother," Thea winked at Felicity, "I don't see a ring on her finger."
"Thea." Oliver and Felicity shouted together. Thea and Roy left hand in hand as Thea plastered a wet sloppy kiss on Roy.
Oliver scrunched up his nose which would have made her laugh if she wasn't too busy turning six shades of red in front of her aunt. "Aunt Rosie, I know I didn't tell you that Oliver and I are living together now, but - surprise."
"Child, if you weren't taking full advantage of that delicious man, I'd think there's something wrong with you. I can't believe you let him out of your bed to come get me." Rosie sipped her tea knowingly.
"Aunt Rosie," Felicity admonished. She wasn't sure who was blushing more, her or Oliver.
"Felicity, I might be older but I'm not dead. I've had sex and plenty of it." Rosie had spent more than twenty years as a Vegas showgirl and almost another thirty as a choreographer, so there wasn't much that made her blush, but she had plenty of ammunition to tease Felicity with and got no end of enjoyment in making the young blonde turn red.
"Oh God, this isn't happening." Felicity dropped onto the sofa, her head in her hands.
"Really, I don't know why you're such a prude about these things. You're young and beautiful. You should be enjoying yourself."
"I'm not a prude. I'd just rather not talk about my sex life with my aunt in front of my boyfriend."
"Oh good, you do have a sex life." Her aunt teased. "Why wouldn't you want to talk about it in front of him? He is the one you're having sex with, right?"
Oliver joined them on the sofa and took one of Felicity's hands. "I think you should stop teasing her before she blushes to death."
"What should I tell her first? That we're madly in love and running away together or give her our other surprise?"
"Another surprise?" Felicity eyed the two of them and decided they looked entirely too pleased with themselves. "Please, go run away together. You deserve each other."
"I've moved to Starling City." Her aunt stated with a glint in her eye.
"What?" Felicity was shocked. "You're going to leave Vegas?"
"Leaving? No, honey, I left. The movers came for my stuff yesterday. Oliver treated me to a lovely night on the town and put me up at the Bellagio and then he flew me here on a private jet. It's been quite the adventure."
Felicity was stunned. She'd been trying to get her aunt to move to Starling from almost the moment she moved to town. Her aunt steadfastly refused stating that she wouldn't leave her husband and daughter. Her aunt visited their graves weekly. "When did all this happen?"
"After your visit, I told Oliver I wanted to move closer to you. After what happened with your mother, I realized how close I'd come to losing you. You're my only family and I'd like to see you more often."
"Are you moving in here?" Felicity was still trying to process the news.
"I love you, darling, but living with you would seriously cramp my style." Rosie winked at Oliver.
"Where?" Felicity stammered.
"Your place." Oliver volunteered. "You were planning on selling it, so we figured"
"Two birds, one stone." Rosie finished.
Felicity hugged her aunt. "I'm so happy you're here. I've missed you so much." Felicity began to cry. Rosie rubbed soothing circles onto Felicity's back with one hand and reached for Oliver's hand with her other. Oliver smiled warmly and squeezed the woman's hand. "But, we're not watching those videos."
Rosie lifted Felicity's chin. "Okay, I won't let anyone see the videos unless you say so."
Less than an hour later, Oliver was rubbing circles across her bare back. "You're really okay with all of this? I know it was a lot to do without asking you first."
She rested her chin on his chest and looked up at him. "I feel guilty that I gave you such a hard time yesterday."
Oliver grinned. "I'll put that in the bank for the next time I do something to upset you."
"You know, you could just actually stop doing the things that upset me, like being late and jumping off or roofs and getting injured."
"Now, where would the fun be in that?"
"Hmm," she rested her ear over his heart. "That explains so much." Where she was filled with abject terror as they zip lined between buildings, he was having fun. Oliver saw being the Arrow as a responsibility, but he wouldn't do it unless he also enjoyed it.
"Neither would you." He kissed the top of her head.
"What?" She asked through a yawn.
"You wouldn't spend your nights with me if you didn't enjoy it too." He said softly.
She chuckled at his unintentional innuendo. He was right, of course. She did love how they spent their nights together, fighting side by side to keep Starling safe. She bit her lip as she thought about how they privately celebrated Christmas Eve. "I enjoyed it quite a bit."
"Miss Smoak, get your mind out of the gutter. I was referring to our platonic night time activities."
"I guess I enjoy that too, but I think I enjoy our non-platonic activities more, Mr. Queen."
He tightened his embrace and kissed the top of her head. "Me too."
VVVVV
Felicity blew onto her fingers in an attempt to regain some feeling. She was huddled in the back of the van waiting for Dig to come get her for a lovely stroll in the sewer. Technically, it wasn't the sewer but a tunnel that contained power lines and fiber-optic cables. She was insisting on calling it a sewer because she was protesting that it was New Year's Eve and instead of spending it in a sparkly gown with her tuxedo clad boyfriend, she was being led into the bowels of the earth to do a job that could so wait for another night. She jumped a little when Dig opened the back door and held his hand out to her. She silently slid her hand into his and followed him out of the alley the van was parked in. A man hole cover was open and had a little fence around it with flashing orange lights. Diggle handed her a hard hat and she glared at him. It had taken her over an hour to get the curls in her hair just right and she had no intention of ruining it with hard hat hair. She and Oliver were going to be kissing at midnight at the QC sponsored gala if she had to drag his ass there clad in leather. This was their first New Year's Eve as a couple and she wasn't ringing in the new year without him. Dig took the hat from her and plopped it onto her head and tapped the top of it for good measure. Just for that, she was going to be ordering vegetarian meals for the whole month of January. He'll learn to think twice about messing up her hair after thirty days of beluga lentils.
Felicity followed Dig down the ladder and removed her tablet from her bag once they'd reached the bottom. She studied her screen for a moment and then gestured for Dig to raise his flashlight down the tunnel. She turned her comm on. "Arrow, are you in position?"
"Affirmative." Oliver's voice was distorted.
To Dig she said, "Wait here, there won't be room for both of us." Dig looked anxious as he scanned the darkened tunnel. "It's just thirty feet away. These tunnels weren't made for 6'4" vigilantes. I should've brought Arsenal."
"Hey." Roy groused in her ear. "I resemble that remark."
"Standby." Felicity edged her way down the narrow corridor. Her flashlight sweeping back and forth as she read the numbers along the ceiling as she looked for the location marker of their target. She was about to cut the power to a block of high rise office buildings at the center of downtown. Her New Year's celebration was being cut short because with the holiday, the buildings should all be vacant with skeletal security crews, which would make their jobs easier. Their target was the Starling based national construction firm, Ketchel. Felicity had her suspicions that someone high up in the firm was dirty and was working with Oscar to distribute the counterfeit building materials. Oliver and Roy were waiting on the rooftop of a neighboring building until Felicity cut the power. Once the power was cut, they would have fifteen minutes to access the executive floor and plant taps on phones, bugs in conference rooms and a remote access port in the server room. It would take at least twenty minutes for the first repair crews to respond from the power company. They wanted to be well clear of the location when anyone showed up. While Oliver and Roy were planting all of her toys, Felicity would be hacking into their back-up generator to prevent both the security system from working and to force the company's servers to go down, which would cause their IT team to reboot the system and give her the best way to get her foot in the door, so to speak. It was amazing how many companies protected the computer systems that contained confidential corporate information, but had zero protection around the computer systems that ran their elevators, heating, ventilation and cooling systems. She was already inside Ketchel's heating system, she just needed to wait for the second before she cut the power to jump to the generator's system. She found the series of numbers she was looking for and double checked her tablet to make sure that she had the right numbers. She confirmed that the executive elevator was still in the basement and that it's shaft would be able to provide Oliver and Roy their escape route. She attached a series of cables from her tablet to the power grid in front of her and started the clock. "In five - four - three - two - one."
"Power's out." Oliver said. She could hear the sound of the zip line being deployed and the rush of wind as he flew between the buildings."
"Fourteen minutes thirty eight seconds." Felicity said when she heard Oliver's feet skitter across the asphalt of the rooftop.
"We're in." Roy spoke softly and she could hear the soft footfall of their leather boots against concrete stairs.
Felicity monitored her program to make sure the generator did not engage. "Thirteen minutes."
"I'm in the server room." Oliver reported. Felicity held her breath as she listened to Oliver's feet echo in the eerily quiet room. She really should be the one deploying the tech, but they'd promised Lance no more risky field work and Oliver said he could follow her instructions enough to plug something in. "Got it. Patch deployed. Meeting up with Arsenal."
"Eleven minutes." Her fingers itched as she watched the clock count down.
"Songbirds deployed in location one. Moving onto location two." Roy's voice was no more than a whisper in her ear.
"Nine minutes."
"Songbirds deployed in location three. Moving onto location four." Oliver whispered. His voice modulator turned off.
"Seven minutes. You need to be to the elevator shaft in no more than three minutes."
"Roger that." Roy said. "Location two completed, moving onto location five."
"Four completed. Moving onto number six." Felicity could hear Oliver running down a corridor. His footfall echoed and she could picture a marble hallway, not unlike QC.
Felicity muted her comm and called down the tunnel to Dig. "Okay to start cleaning up. They're two minutes from egress and four from rendezvous." Dig was going to bring the van around and park it practically on top of the manhole.
"See you topside." Dig said. Felicity could hear him climbing the ladder.
"Damn it." Roy muttered. "The device for over the conference table isn't working."
"It was working at home."
"I know that Blondie, I was there, but it isn't working now."
"I have the extra. I'm on my way," Oliver said. "Six complete."
"Show off." Roy complained.
"Five minutes. You're almost out of time." Felicity anxiously watched the clock.
"You sound worried. I can make a lot happen in a short amount of time." Oliver teased.
"I so didn't need to know that." Felicity could practically see Roy's eyes roll. She heard Oliver enter the conference room and an economy of words as they deployed the last bug.
"I'm at the van. On my way." Dig reported.
"All set." Roy said.
"Four minutes." Felicity said tightly. "You're out of time."
"South elevator. We're there." Felicity could hear the sound of the elevator doors opening. "Arsenal's going first." She heard the sound of a rappelling arrow deploying. "What color is your dress?"
"What?" Felicity asked.
"What color is your dress?"
"Are you trying to distract me?"
"You sound anxious."
"Three minutes."
"Arsenal's reached the garage. My turn. We'll be radio silent until we're back on the street. I hope you brought your dancing shoes." The sound of the elevator doors closing introduced static as the comm lost its signal.
Felicity rearranged herself so it would be easy for her to slip her tablet into her bag and head back out of the tunnel. Her counter fell just under sixty seconds when her head whipped towards the ladder. She could hear the sound of metal dragging across asphalt. "Dig? Is that you?"
Dig's voice answered immediately through the comm in her ear. "Felicity, I'm getting,"
Before he could finish, the manhole cover was pushed back into place and cut off her communication. "Dig." She cried. The tunnel hadn't gotten any darker than it was the moment before, but she suddenly felt like the walls were closing in around her and she couldn't breathe. Her tablet became blurry and she had trouble focusing on what she was supposed to be doing. A beeping noise cut through the sound of the blood rushing in her ears and she remembered she needed to turn the power back on. The reminder of her task forced her panic away and she was able to think again. As the clock reached zero, she disconnected her tablet from the grid. She looked up, half expecting to see the block of buildings illuminate. She walked the length of the tunnel and returned to the ladder. She stood directly beneath the manhole cover and wondered what had gone wrong that Dig had been forced to close her in. Someone must've been coming and he was forced to improvise. She just needed to be patient. It wasn't like he'd forget where he left her. She leaned against the ladder and wished she'd thought to pack a snack. She hadn't had dinner because she was looking forward to the finger food at the gala. The dinners at these things were always terrible, but the appetizers were always fantastic. One of the benefits of dating Oliver was that all of the QC events were always nut free. She never had to worry about putting nuts into her mouth at these things. Gagh, even alone in my own mind I think of the worst ways to say things. At least Oliver wasn't here to hear that. She pulled out her tablet to check the time. They should be picking up Oliver and Roy at the rendezvous now. Maybe Dig went for them first. It wasn't like she was going anywhere. She didn't envy Dig having to tell Oliver that he'd sealed her in a tunnel. She immediately wished she hadn't thought about being sealed in a tunnel. She suddenly couldn't get enough air into her lungs. She bent over at the waist in an attempt to get control of herself. She reminded herself the tunnel wasn't vacuum sealed and the manhole cover had three holes, so some air was coming in. The sound of groaning metal had her looking up. A sliver of light cut through the darkness. "Thank god, Dig?" She had already begun to climb the ladder.
"Felicity. Quickly." A voice shouted down.
She paused with one foot and hand off the ladder's rungs. "Dig? Is that you?"
"No. I'm a friend."
She stood with one foot and hand on the ladder as she debated what she should do. She couldn't just go back into the tunnel and hide, but anyone could be waiting up there for her. One of the Arrow's enemies could've seen his chance to exact revenge through her. If it was one of the Arrow's enemies, that meant Dig could be hurt or worse. She pulled the heavy flashlight from her bag and resumed her climb awkwardly. As she reached the top of the ladder a leather hand encircled hers and pulled her free from the hole. She pulled her hand with the flashlight back and was about to swing it, when the man holding her other hand turned. It was the man without the face and her surprise kept her from bringing the flashlight down onto his head. "I'm not going to hurt you, Felicity." His voice was gravelly and was clearly being put through some type of modulator.
Felicity dropped her hand with the flashlight to her side. Those words had been spoken to her before. Of course, when Oliver had said them, he'd had a mouth and lips. "How do you know my name?"
"We've got to move." He tugged her behind him as he broke into a run. She resisted for a second before she heard police sirens approaching. He slowed to a walk and lowered his hat on his brow and put a casual arm around her shoulder, tucking her into his side. He smelled faintly of chemicals and cigarettes. After the police car sped by, he released her. "Your driver was pulled over. I had to act quickly or you'd have been discovered by another patrol car. I'm sorry I closed you in back there."
Felicity pulled out her cell and hit two on her speed dial. Dig picked up on the first ring. "Where are you?"
"A cop pulled me over."
"I take it you weren't arrested if you're talking to me."
"I told the cop that I'm your body guard and you forgot your clothes for tonight at the office. I was on my way to deliver the clothes to you. I had to use the whole, Captain Lance is a personal friend of mine card."
Lance was probably thrilled to get that phone call. She wondered when she'd get a phone call from him with his lecture on the definition of low profile. "Did you pick up our other two packages?"
"I've got them. The green package is super grumpy. He'd say hi, but he's trying to get into his tux."
She smiled at what had to be an understatement about Oliver's mood. "Well, I'd appreciate it if you picked me up where you left me."
"We're on our way. I'm a block away."
Felicity breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the van. "I see you." She hung up the phone and turned to face the man without the face. "I guess I should thank you. What should I call you?"
"That's the million dollar question."
"I don't have a million dollars."
"Well, I guess my name will remain an unanswered question."
"In that case, thank you, Question."
"You're welcome."
"Why don't you have a face? I mean you must have a face under there because you're talking, so you must have lips and a tongue. Not that I'm thinking about your lips and tongue."
"I'm too pretty without my mask. I don't want the beautiful women I rescue to fall in love with me." Even with the voice modulator she could tell that he was teasing.
She laughed. "That must be a terrible burden for you." Felicity began walking backwards across the street to meet the approaching van. "What are you doing? Why did you help me?"
"I'm looking for the truth too." He started to back away from the street. "Felicity, be careful. You're looking in the wrong place. Ketchel isn't the problem."
"Who should I be looking at?" The van pulled up alongside her.
"Follow the money." He took another step backward and was lost to the shadows.
Thirty minutes later, Felicity and Oliver sauntered into the Grand Ballroom of the Starling City Regency Hotel. They were only an hour late to their own party. Tonight's gala was to raise funds for the rebuilding efforts in the Glades and for Oliver and Thea to announce the formation of their new charitable foundation. Felicity felt like every eye in the room was on them and smirking. She took in Oliver's appearance and sighed at his slightly rumpled appearance. Getting dressed in the back of their panel van was not conducive to maintaining a look of sophisticated elegance. "Please tell me I'm not as wrinkled as you." She whispered through the fake smile plastered to her face. "Everyone's going to think you've been ravishing me in the cloak room."
"Better that than what we were really doing." Oliver winked at her. He pulled her onto the dance floor and twirled her into his arms. "Although, I'm always more than happy to ravish you. Would you like to join me in the cloak room?"
Felicity rolled her eyes. "That's not happening, so just put it out of your mind."
Oliver laughed and pulled her tightly against his chest. "I will forget about the cloak room, but I have plans for ringing in the New Year with you that I have no intention of forgetting."
Felicity noticed Oliver's new executive assistant, Gerry frantically searching the crowd for his boss. She made eye contact with Gerry and saw him look instantly relieved. She honestly felt sorry for the poor guy. She had a hard time wrangling Oliver when she was his assistant and she knew how he spent his nights. She was starting to worry that working for Oliver would give this kid a nervous breakdown too. According to Peggy, Mrs. Worth had quit because she thought that Oliver's inability to be on time or to answer his cell when she called was giving her heart palpitations. Felicity sent her a generous check and a week at a luxury spa from Oliver as a Christmas gift and a thank you for her service. "Gerry is waving us over. It must be time."
Oliver groaned, but took her hand and led her over to where Gerry was waiting. "Remind me again, why I wanted to be CEO."
"I'm pretty sure it was the billions of dollars." She nodded and smiled at one of the wives of a senior executive.
She couldn't help the giggle that burst out of her when Olive stumbled. He recovered quickly, but not before he shot her his best Arrow glare. "Nice."
Thea joined Oliver on stage and they both beamed their megawatt Queen smiles and charmed the crowd. Felicity drifted to the back of the room so she could grab a glass of wine from the open bar. She had taken her first sip of Cabernet Sauvignon when a familiar voice said, "My dad says you've had an eventful night."
Felicity rolled her eyes and took another sip of wine. "Nothing ever goes smoothly when you need it to."
Laurel smiled. "Ollie's doing a good job up there."
"Charm is something he has in abundance." As if on cue, the crowd laughed at a little joke he was telling about Thea.
"Don't I know it." Laurel said sadly.
Felicity and Laurel moved to a high top table so Felicity could eat some appetizers as they listened to the rest of Oliver's speech. When they left the stage to warm applause, Oliver and Thea were immediately surrounded by people eager to shake their hands. "What a difference six months makes." Felicity said with relief.
"Neither of them deserved what they got from the press and their so called society friends." Laurel said bitterly. "You definitely learn who your friends are when you hit rock bottom." Laurel squeezed Felicity's hands. "They're lucky to have you."
Felicity smiled in thanks and popped a dumpling into her mouth. A red head in a long black gown was kissing Oliver on the cheek. She could see his jaw tense even as he smiled and kissed the woman's cheek in return. "Do you know who that woman is?"
Laurel looked and her face fell. "Amy Abbott. I'd keep an eye out on her if I were you."
"Why's that?" Felicity watched as Oliver and Amy took to the dance floor. Amy moved to put her arms around his neck and he suavely took hold of one of her hands and spun her away from him. When he spun her back, he placed her hands in a much more chaste position. "Never mind, I think I'm getting the idea."
"Let's just say that ten years ago, she wasn't overly concerned that Oliver already had a girlfriend."
"Oh." Felicity said as she watched the pair dance. She knew that Oliver hadn't been a good guy before the Gambit, but seeing the living proof in front of her and the pained expression on Laurel's face was a little too much reality. "I honestly don't know how you didn't cut off his penis in his sleep." Laurel started choking on her tonic water and Felicity started to pat her back.
"Trust me. I was tempted." Laurel looked at Felicity out of the corner of her eye and they both broke into laughter. Felicity's gaze returned to Oliver and Amy. "Don't worry. He's not the same guy anymore."
"He's not the one I'm worried about." Felicity watched as a photographer snapped a picture. That was going to be a fun headline to read in the morning. Thea appeared out of nowhere and cut in between Oliver and Amy. Felicity owed the younger Queen a huge hug. A smile of relief spread across Oliver's face and he effortlessly spun them around the floor. The siblings looked happy and carefree. Laurel momentarily rested her head against Felicity's shoulder as they watched them dance. Felicity said a prayer into the universe that the New Year would treat them all kindly.
Notes: Thank you for reading. Your feedback is always welcomed.
Up Next: Ringing in the New Year.