Author's Note: Once again, thank you everyone for reading along with this silly bit of fluff I cooked up. I'm sorry people were disappointed that I didn't have Tommy travel up with them, I hadn't even considered it actually. I thought it was more important to thrust these two together first off without having Tommy there as a buffer. Don't worry, he will stir the pot later on but certain "milestones" needed to be achieved before I could go there. If he'd been in the car, he probably would have ridden shot gun and he and Oliver would have talked sports all the way up there while Felicity played on her phone in the backseat. BORING! :D Anyhow. I hope this chapter satisfies you a bit more as we get to see Felicity meeting his family.
Oliver's sister was looking at her with a curious expression. Thea Queen was a beautiful girl, taller than Felicity by a few inches and slender with long, waving brown hair and big, soulful green eyes. She didn't share many features with Oliver, but perhaps she took more after her father and Oliver took after his mother. Her gaze on Felicity was unnerving and she could almost predict what the younger Queen was thinking: Who is this girl? Where did she come from? What is she doing with my brother?
An instant later, she stuck a hand out towards Felicity. "Hi, nice to meet you, Felicity. I'm Thea." The smile on the pretty brunette's face was genuine.
Some of the tension in her shoulders relaxed. "Hi, Thea. Thanks for letting me horn in on your holiday."
"Nonsense, we're happy to have you! Oliver hasn't told us a thing about you, so you're going to have to satisfy my curiosity. Promise you'll tell me if I get too personal, okay?"
The nerves in her belly jumped. "Okay, I promise."
Thea suddenly engulfed her in a hug and Felicity caught a glimpse of Oliver chuckling over his sister's shoulder. She quickly got over her shock and returned the hug.
When she released her, Thea turned around and motioned towards the young man still standing in the doorway. "This is Roy Harper. He's my boyfriend. He doesn't talk much but he's sure cute, don't you think?"
Felicity bit back a grin. She held out a hand for Roy to shake when he approached. He was a serious looking young man with a chiseled jaw and thick eyebrows. He looked like he could have stepped off the pages of a magazine, honestly. She began to wonder if everyone at this "cabin" was going to be so insanely attractive. Oliver shook the boyfriend's hand next and she couldn't help but notice that he squeezed a little more tightly than was called for. That had to be an older brother thing. Roy didn't look intimidated, however, but his jaw thrust out a little more and he met Oliver's gaze head on.
"Why don't you all come inside instead of lingering out in the cold?" a voice from the doorway said. They all turned to see Moira Queen standing there, looking regal as ever even in what Felicity imagined must be termed "casual clothes." Somehow Moira made knit slacks and a soft flyaway cardigan look formal.
"Good idea," Oliver replied. "Roy, why don't you help me with the bags here. Thea, Felicity, go on inside."
Felicity had hoped to hide from his mother's sharp gaze from behind Oliver's back. Thea grabbed her hand and pulled her along towards the door and she allowed herself to be lead. Felicity tried to recall all the encouraging things Oliver had said to her during their drive up here to give herself courage.
Once inside the house, Moira greeted Felicity with an outstretched hand. Instead of shaking, she simply grasped her hand and held it. "Welcome to our temporary home for the holiday, Felicity. Oliver hasn't told us much about you but I'm hoping you can fix that while you're here with us," she said. Her words sounded friendly enough but there was a coolness to the matriarch's tone that made Felicity feel a little ill at ease. Plus, the warmth never seemed to reach her eyes.
"Thank you for having me, Mrs. Queen. I look forward to getting to know all of you," she said in as clear a voice as she could manage. Moira smiled cooly at her and she didn't miss the way the other woman's eyes traveled down over her in an appraising fashion.
"Tell me, where did you and my son meet?" she asked.
Crap. She wasn't buying it. Felicity opened her mouth to answer but was interrupted by Roy and Oliver arriving with suitcases in tow.
"Why don't you let her get settled in before you give her the third degree, Mother," Oliver suggested. He smiled at Felicity encouragingly and she felt a wave of gratitude. Moira smiled, though the expression still wasn't meeting her eyes
"Of course. Thea, why don't you show them which room is theirs?"
"Gladly! Come on, I'll give you the tour," Thea said, grabbing Felicity's arm and pulling her along. Glad to put off a searching conversation with Mrs. Queen, Felicity allowed herself to be dragged from the entryway, Oliver and Roy following close behind.
"This place is amazing," she breathed, looking around as they headed up a wide staircase framed with sanded and treated logs. Out from under Moira's scrutiny, Felicity finally felt free to notice and appreciate her surroundings.
If she'd questioned the "cabin" status of this home from the driveway, she was ready to throw the description out the window entirely now. The entryway had been as large as her entire home and tastefully decorated with swags of fresh balsam and other holiday themed knickknacks. The swags followed them up the staircase, perfuming the air.
"We like it," Thea was saying.
"How long has your family had it? Do you come up often?"
"The cabin has been in the family since before I was around. Oliver might know when they actually got it."
Felicity glanced over her shoulder at Oliver. "They had it when I was born too. When we were kids, we used to come up here all the time. Not always for Christmas but at least a few times during the winter and sometimes the summer as well."
The upstairs hallway had less Christmas decorations but the exposed log look continued down the walls. Tasteful art hung here and there and a plush rug ran the length of the hall. Thea gestured down towards the end of the hall. "You guys are the last room on the right. Roy and I are two doors down… right here." She rapped on the door.
"We're in the master bedroom? What about mom and Walter?" Oliver asked.
"You must have missed it. They had an addition built last year, another master suite was added down on the first floor and that's where they're staying."
Felicity felt like her heart was going to pound right out of her chest. She knew that she and Oliver would likely be sharing a room, but knowing it and experiencing it were two entirely different things.
"Thanks, sis, we'll just get these suitcases taken care of and be right back down," Oliver told her. Felicity took her bag from Roy and the other couple left them to continue on to their room alone.
Oliver pushed the door open and a laugh bubbled out of her throat unbidden as Felicity dropped the handle of her suitcase. She'd been so shocked by everything so far that this room shouldn't have been a surprise and yet… somehow it was.
The walls were more exposed log, vaulting up to a steep pitch. An enormous bed dominated the wall underneath the steepest pitch, underneath leaded windows that displayed the woods outside and the snow falling steadily. The room didn't lack for windows, actually, each looking out onto the picturesque wilderness and swirling snow. A set of double doors lead to a balcony and an enormous carved fireplace faced the bed, a fire already roaring in the grate.
"All of this is for us?" she squeaked.
"Yup. It's nice, huh? Best room in the house, in my opinion. Though I haven't seen the new addition yet."
Her eyes landed again on the bed, covered in a fluffy white down comforter and more pillows than she could count. It was a gorgeous bed and she almost couldn't wait to sink down into it. But… it was also the only bed in the room. There was a wingback chair and a small table over by the doors to the balcony but aside from that and the padded bench at the foot of the bed, there were no other surfaces. She slid her gaze over to Oliver to find that he was watching her carefully, as though he expected her to suddenly bolt.
"There's only one bed," she pointed out.
"I know." He continued to watch her.
"But… how…?"
He stepped up to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Felicity. I promise to be a gentleman. It's a big bed, I'm sure we can sleep in there together without it being a big deal. We don't even have to touch."
Felicity blew out a breath. She knew he was right. But to be so close to him, all night long… It just seemed like a disaster waiting to happen. What if she forgot in the middle of the night and snuggled up to him? She'd always been a cuddler. How horribly awkward would that be?
"I'm sure you're right," she said, forcing a smile.
"You haven't seen the rest of the room yet." He stepped away from her to gesture at an arched doorway next to the fireplace. "There's a closet here and then the bathroom…"
She stepped through the arch and… okay, she was going to be taking a bath before bed. The bathroom was like something out of a magazine. There was a huge vanity, a separate room for the toilet, an enormous shower with more shower heads than she'd ever seen in one place before in her life and then there was the bathtub…
Set under another pitched ceiling and before a set of leaded glass windows, the humungous coper plated tub was set before a stone fireplace and actually had two sets of stone steps that lead up the sides so you could climb in. It was less "bathtub" and more "hot tub" but Felicity wasn't about to complain.
"Wow," she breathed.
"Nice, huh? I thought you'd like that."
"You thought right!"
"Does this make the situation with the bed worth it?"
"I think it goes a long way towards making me forget, lets put it that way."
Oliver chuckled.
They dealt with their suitcases and Felicity marveled at how it felt to hang her (new) clothes in such a fancy and spacious closet. When they were both unpacked, they headed back downstairs and this time, Oliver lead her into the living room.
There was another enormous fireplace, made of river rock this time, and a giant Christmas tree glittering in the corner of the room, right in front of the bank of floor to ceiling windows. Everything was about ten times more fancy than she was used to but still somehow homey and cozy. Comfortable looking throw blankets were draped across the backs of the sofas and chairs and the fire in the fireplace added a warmth to the room that was accentuated by the festive but tastefully decorated tree. Thea and Roy were cuddled up on one of the sofas while Moira and Walter sat in the matching chairs, sipping at tea and reading books. Everyone looked up as they entered and Walter got to his feet.
"Miss Smoak, lovely to see you again," he greeted, taking her hand. Unlike his wife, the warmth reached his dark eyes and set her immediately at ease.
"You remember who I am?"
"Of course, I make it my business to know who the most valuable employees at Queen Consolidated are."
Felicity blushed and felt the thrill of his words. "Well. Thank you for opening your lovely home to me," she said.
"I trust the room is suitable?"
"More than! It's gorgeous."
Walter smiled and she couldn't resist smiling back. "I'm glad. Make yourself at home, Felicity. We're here to have fun and relax."
She glanced at Moira who was watching with a detached interest and thought that was probably easier said than done.
A loud and melodic chiming rang out and everyone stilled and looked towards the entryway.
"That must be Tommy," Oliver said and he rushed out of the room to answer the door. Felicity had met Tommy a time or two, when he'd joined her and Oliver for lunch, and found him to be a fun guy. It was hard to get a read on him, he tended to hide under charm and banter, but the sense she got was that he cared deeply about Oliver and that meant he couldn't be all bad.
Moments later, both men appeared at the doorway to the living room. Tommy had a broad grin on his face and a duffle bag in one hand. With a squeal, Thea launched herself out of Roy's arms and across the room to him, enveloping him in a huge hug. Tommy laughed and hugged her back.
"Its good to see you, Tommy," Moira said. "I'm glad Oliver thought to invite you."
"Couldn't miss a party with my favorite Queens, could I?" he quipped, winking.
His attention turned to Felicity and his smile deepened. "Hey, Felicity. Good to see you here."
It occurred to her right in that moment that Tommy knew this relationship was a sham. Of course he knew. And while she didn't expect him to reveal it, she wasn't entirely sure how she felt about him knowing. So all she could do was smile weakly back at him and say, "Hey, Tommy. You too."
Thea and Moira looked between the two of them. "Well, at least someone has met Felicity before. Way to share with the rest of the class, Oliver," Thea muttered.
Tommy choked back a laugh, Felicity blushed and Oliver looked distinctly aggrieved.
The afternoon went smoothly, or as smoothly as one could hope with this particular group of people. Oliver didn't really care for the way his mother kept glancing at Felicity, but Walter, Roy, and Thea all were welcoming her with open arms. And Tommy adored her, of course. But then, he and Tommy had often had similar taste in women.
Dinner was in an hour and Thea had roped Felicity into playing a game of Monopoly with her and Roy. Tommy was unpacking in his room just down the hall, across from Thea and Roy's room. Oliver retreated to the room he was sharing with Felicity, feeling a little out of sorts.
He didn't even know what he had to feel out of sorts about. Things were going well. But maybe they were going too well. He found he liked having Felicity there, was enjoying spending this time with her and he liked to watch her interact with his family. It aroused something in his chest; something unfamiliar. It made him worry, actually. Because until he'd closed himself up in this room two minutes ago, he hadn't once thought of Laurel all day long.
He'd thought of her multiples times a day ever since she'd broken up with him. Even while he was waiting and giving her space to think and realize they were worth fighting for, he thought of her. She was his future, he'd been sure of it since he was a teenager. But today, she'd been far from his mind and in her place was… Felicity. It made him feel at odds with himself. He had to do something to remind himself of his goals in all of this.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, he pulled his phone from his pocket. He dialed Laurel's number and wasn't terribly surprised when she didn't answer. Sighing, he left a voicemail.
"Laurel, it's Oliver. I just wanted to wish you a happy holiday. I hope you're enjoying the time with your family. And I wanted you to know I'm thinking about you." He cringed briefly at the lie. "Anyhow, I still want to talk. I still want a chance, Laurel. Call me if you want to talk too."
He hung up and sighed. That was a terrible message. But it was out there and there was no taking it back. A moment later, his phone rang in his hand and he answered right away without even check to see who was calling first.
"Laurel?"
"It's Sara."
"Oh. Hey, Sara. What's up?"
"Listen. I saw you called Laurel. I was sitting next to her when her phone rang."
"Oh. Why didn't she answer?"
"Oliver, you need to back off. I'm trying to get her to open up to me but I can't get that done if you're hovering," Sara pointed out.
"I know, it's just… I felt like I had to call her."
"Ollie. Do you want to be with her?"
"Yes, I want to be with her. You know that."
"Fine. Then you're going to have to back off." Sara paused for a moment. "How's your family thing going? Is your mom on your case?"
"No."
"Did you find someone to bring with you?"
He was reluctant to tell her about inviting Felicity along to pose as his girlfriend. He always used to tell Sara everything, just like he told Tommy everything. But something about this felt like he should keep it to himself.
"No, I didn't bring anyone up here with me."
"Well, that's good, I guess. So, do you think you can let me handle this with Laurel?"
"Yeah, I can. I'm sorry, Sara."
"Don't tell me that. Tell her."
"I'm trying to."
"Just give me a chance, okay?"
"Okay, I will Sara. Thanks, I really appreciate what you're doing."
"Not a problem. You're my friend, Oliver. And I'm part of this problem, I feel like I need to fix it."
"Yeah, so do I. Have a merry Christmas. Give your sister a hug for me, okay?"
"I can do that. Bye, Ollie."
Oliver ended the call and stared at his phone for a minute before he heard a noise over by the door. Looking up, he saw Felicity standing there, watching him with an unreadable expression.
"I came to get my heavy coat. Thea and Roy wanted to go out and play in the snow," she explained, gesturing towards the closet helplessly.
He realized that she'd probably overheard his phone conversation and wondered what all she'd heard. He swallowed. "That sounds like fun. Am I invited along?"
She shrugged and when she looked at him, he saw a hard glint in her eye. "Sure. If you don't have anyone better to talk to, that is."
Yeah. She'd heard. Oliver hid his cringe. "No, I don't. Let me just go get my coat."
The rest of the evening was a little stilted between him and Felicity. Oliver now knew that she'd overheard his conversation to Sara, but he wondered why she was giving him the cold shoulder about it. Surely, she hadn't overheard anything she didn't already know. And it's not like she'd really care about him wanting to call Laurel anyhow, would she?
She avoided him while the group of them cavorted outside in the snow, addressing either Thea, Roy or Tommy directly instead of him. No one else seemed to notice it but he sure did. And then, at dinner, she sat on the other side of the table from him, next to Roy on one side and Walter on the other. She spent the entirety of dinner discussing Queen Consolidated business with Walter and seemed to be utterly in her element. Oliver was left to talk to Tommy and his mother, which was fine, but he missed Felicity's smiles aimed in his direction.
Everyone gathered in the living room to watch some holiday movies after dinner. Felicity sat on the sofa with Thea and Roy, not leaving any room for him, he couldn't help but notice. But rather than sit on the other sofa with Tommy and his mother (Walter was off in his study going over some paperwork that he wanted to get faxed in before the holiday), he sat on the floor in front of Felicity, going so far as to lean against her legs.
She didn't say a word to him, not during National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation or during the animated Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer they watched afterwards. She ignored him completely. He hated it.
As soon as the second movie was over, she'd excused herself to the room and Oliver had been quick to follow once he'd seen his mother's raised eyebrow. Worried that she'd noticed the coldness between them, he wanted to catch Felicity before she fell asleep so they could get whatever this was out of the way.
Despite only being a few minutes behind her, Felicity was in bed when he got to the room. She was on the side of the bed furthest from the door, on her side and facing towards the balcony windows. He let the door close with a bang and noticed she didn't flinch. Still awake, then.
He crossed to the closet and began to remove his clothes. "I know you're not asleep yet," he called out to her as he toed off his boots.
"I wasn't pretending to be," came the muttered response.
Oliver finished peeling out of his clothes and slipped on a pair of pajama pants, for modesty's sake. He liked to sleep either naked or in his underwear but he doubted Felicity would appreciate that, especially right now. He strode back into the room and saw she hadn't moved so much as a muscle. Grunting, he shut the overhead light off, leaving the lamp next to his side of the bed on and crawled between the sheets. He turned his back to her as well, facing the door and huffed into the pillow as he tried to get comfortable.
"Could you try not shaking the bed around so much?" she grumbled.
"Excuse me for trying to get comfortable," he muttered. "Love this friendly mood you've got going on, sure doesn't make this at all awkward."
"If I'm annoyed it's because you're the one endangering this whole ruse with your… shenanigans." Felicity yanked on the down comforter, causing it to pull back, leaving him half exposed.
"My shenanigans? What the hell are you talking about? Is this about the phone calls I made earlier?" He yanked back on the comforter, finding her to still be gripping it hard and he huffed in annoyance.
"Sneaking phone calls to your one true love is dangerous," she pointed out snippily. "What if someone had heard you besides me?"
"No one did hear me but you and I know what I'm doing," he growled.
"I find that very hard to believe. I'm starting to see why Laurel gave you the boot." She yanked back again and this time he let her.
Her words stung. He still wasn't sure why she was so upset. It couldn't just be about damaging the ruse, could it?
"Can we just put it behind us? Please? My mom is going to start to suspect if you keep giving me the cold shoulder like this."
Oliver heard her sigh heavily. "Fine. Consider it forgotten. Will you let me sleep now?"
"Be my guest."
They each remained on their side, facing away from one another. Oliver reached over and turned off his lamp, plunging the room into darkness. The silence was nearly oppressive and he felt the gulf between them keenly as he shut his eyes and willed sleep to come.
