Six months later...
The last few months hadn't been easy for anyone, they had been rather exhausting. Oliver had made the initial statement to the press regarding the photo. His old publicist would have been proud of him, he was used to talking his way out of tricky situations. He denied that the photo was what it looked like, expressed great love for his wife and happiness in his marriage and then politely requested privacy for their personal lives. Unfortunately this time Felicity was involved, and whenever Felicity was involved Oliver tended to get a little more intense about things. He knew that his statement wouldn't quell the rumors. They had to let it play out. They had to let themselves be seen in public together, happy. They had to wait until Starling City had something better to talk about. Yet every time they went to a restaurant or even walked into the office the reporters were there with their cameras and microphones. Oliver could feel Felicity shrink beside him while they were walking and the hair on the back of his neck would start to stand up. Then the questions would start. Most of the time they would just ignore him, after all, he wasn't the big story. All the attention was on Felicity and it was killing him watching her go through it. The reporters would ask her things, horrible things.
"How long have you been sleeping with the Arrow and when did Oliver find out, why hasn't he left you yet"
"Did you meet the Arrow before or after you started working at Queen's Consolidated? Has your marriage to Oliver Queen all been a ploy to secure the Arrow funding"
"It's clear from his speeches that Oliver loves you very much, has he forgiven you for cheating on him? Is there a pre-nup and is that why you can't leave him"
Oliver had come very close to punching someone those times but it got so much worse when Felicity had started showing. They had made the announcement in a closed interview with a conservative reporter who had been forbidden from asking about the picture. It had gone well initially but the aftermath had been almost as bad as when the picture first came out. That was when Oliver finally lost it. Oliver and Felicity had been coming home from work, they were in the underground parking garage where there was no press access but somehow they had gotten in anyways. Stepping off the elevator they saw a crowd of cameras surrounding them. Felicity had covered her face with her hands. Oliver could practically feel the stress radiating off of her. He tried to help her to the car but there was no security holding the press back. They were all shouting, trying to get a comment. That was when some scummy reporter from a gossip site grabbed her arm and pulled her towards his microphone.
"Hey Mrs. Queen, we'd all just like to know who's the baby's father? Do you even know" he said forcefully, he hadn't let go of her arm yet. Oliver snapped.
Oliver covered the distance to the reporter in one stride and powerfully pushed him to the ground. The reporters stopped shouting. Felicity was shocked because not one of them even tried to take a picture. She knew why. She knew they wouldn't quite be able to figure it out but they were in the presence of the Arrow, just without his mask and bow. Oliver in full Arrow mode was not a person to be messed with.
"Listen to me, all of you" Oliver roared staring them all down "I have had enough of seeing you torture my wife. Felicity has done nothing wrong. From now on you are going to leave her alone, and you'll tell your networks to as well. If you don't I promise you, I will acquire every news network in Starling City if I have to and I will personally make sure none of you have a job when I'm done. Don't doubt me, don't doubt how much I am willing to pay to see that my family is safe. I have powerful friends and I will use them to ruin you".
"Now unless you want to get arrested for trespassing I would like each of you to personally hand my wife your camera and recorder SD cards. And get off of our property promptly and finally" Oliver commanded. The reporters began to do exactly that, Felicity got a small satisfaction from seeing their fear. A taste of their own medicine.
"As for you" Oliver sneer at the reporter on the ground, the man was shaking "Never touch my wife. If I ever see you again it won't end well for you"
The press ran a couple short stories after that but Oliver's outburst did have the desired effect. The press laying off had calmed things down a little but then there was the ever present threat of retaliation lurking over their heads. Felicity for one was tired of looking over her shoulder. Yet it had been months and they had no new leads. No one had tried anything, in fact the city in general had been relatively quiet other than a few robberies and some gang activity. The mysterious man who had been following Felicity hadn't made a reappearance either. It seems the trail had gone cold but that didn't stop them for looking harder. Felicity had a sneaky suspicion that these bad guys were in it for the long game and she certainly wasn't taking any chances. Oliver had watched her anxiously as she had reprogrammed and upgraded every security device in the mansion, condo and liar. Then she did the whole Q.C building. It made her feel safer for a little bit, but she still couldn't get over the feeling that someone was watching her.
Oliver woke up uneasy, he had a bad dream, not like the kind he used to have but one which scared him much more than that. He was drenched in sweat, the sheets felt damp. They had stayed in the condo because they had been working late last night, Arrow business. He shook his head, grateful to be awake. It had been the kind of bad dream where he lost Felicity, a repetitive dream he had like the kind of dreams people have about falling or being chased. He always woke up just before she disappeared into the darkness. He reached his arm across the bed to touch her. She would be lying on her back because her stomach was much bigger now, she said she felt like she had swallowed a basketball which amused Oliver greatly. She would probably be snoring, that had been an unexpected pregnancy symptom for which Felicity was thoroughly embarrassed by. Oliver had been sworn into secrecy about it although he actually didn't mind it at all. Felicity's snoring was almost comical in nature and he actually thought it was kind of adorable. But when he reached his arm out this morning she wasn't there. Oliver's chest tightened in panic. Felicity never woke up before him. He tried not to let his mind fly to the worst possibility but of course it immediately did. He swung himself out of bed and ran into the kitchen hoping he would see her eating cereal or making coffee. The kitchen was empty, undisturbed, all the doors and windows were still closed. Then he rushed over to the bathroom and then felt a joint sense of relief and foolishness. Felicity was lying in the bathtub, full of bubbles with her head resting against the tile and her eyes closed. Her hands were resting on her stomach which poked up through the bubbles.
She opened her eyes and smiled at him "Good morning, why do you look so shocked".
Oliver smiled back at her and sat on the tile floor next to the tub. He wouldn't tell her he was afraid, not this time. He wanted too much for her to feel safe, even if it was just for a moment. "Well sleepy head" he said endearingly as he leaned over to kiss her forehead. She tilted her head towards him and he brushed the hair away from her face with his hands "I was surprised you were awake before me since in all the time we have been together that has never happened".
"Oh trust me, it wasn't my choice. Someone was kicking me, hard" Felicity indicated towards her stomach "Kind of hard to sleep in when you are being punched from the inside. I have some bad news for you, I am definitely having the Arrow's baby, it's got a hell of a right hook".
Oliver shook his head chuckling and chastising her for her joke in his usual way, by saying her name warningly "Felicity". He paused for a moment and then rested his hand on the curve of her stomach protectively.
Felicity looked over at him, she looked tired. He was so worried about her, he tried not to show it because he knew that she didn't like him fussing too much. He worried she took on too much. Yesterday they had a full day of work and then she had been at the liar until 2am guiding Diggle and him into taking down a gun smuggling ring. Laurel had stayed with her while they were out. Thankfully they had all agreed or rather Felicity had agreed with them that she probably shouldn't be a the lair by herself while they had this threat looming over them.
"I'm fine" She said softly touching his face with a wet soapy hand, sometimes he thought she really could read his thoughts "We're taking the day off by the way, I already called QC not that you'll argue. I have plans for us today, relaxing plans don't worry".
Oliver was surprised "And what are those exactly" he inquired.
"First we are going to have breakfast because you slept forever and I am starving" she teased, emphasising forever. "Then if the kid settles down a little I am taking a nice long nap, probably on the couch with Doctor Who lulling me to sleep. And then, I know I said I didn't want to know at the last ultrasound because surprises are fun and stuff...but Thea's coming over at 1pm and we are all going to call the doctor and find out the sex of the baby" she said excitingly.
"Really" Oliver held her face and kissed her sharing her excitement "This is amazing. Best plan ever".
Felicity grinned at him "I knew you would like it".
"I'll go make breakfast" he stood up leaning over to kiss her again.
He look over his shoulder at the bathroom door, a satisfied smile on his face before walking into the other room. Felicity loved it when he looked at her that way, it still made her heart flutter and her cheeks go red. It was the way he looked at her ever since they moved in together, smugly like he had won the lottery or something. It made her feel cherished, precious. It was a wonderful feeling to be that to someone, she hoped that he knew she felt exactly the same way about him and of course about the baby. She didn't know exactly why but when she woke up to the baby kicking her she had the sudden urge to know a little bit more about who she was going to meet in a couple months. Then she could stop calling the baby "it" also she thought to herself amused.