Chapter 8: What They Never Thought They Could Be
A/N: Here we are - the final chapter of this fic! I had so much fun writing it. I hope you like how Oliver and Felicity get their HEA. I hope Tay won't be 100% upset. ;-) Thank you again to all of you who have clicked on this story and followed it to the end. Thank you to those who have clicked Favorite, and especially those who took the time to leave reviews.
"That was quite a speech, Ms. Smoak. Your stepfather would have been proud," Walter remarks, as he leans down and touches Felicity's cheek with his own. Walter has always shown his endearment and fondness of her this way. The feeling is mutual. Felicity thinks Walter Steele is one of the nicest gentlemen she has ever had the pleasure of knowing, almost like her late stepdad, Robert Queen.
"Thanks, Walter. It's sweet of you to say so," Felicity replies. "I was quite nervous. I've never been anyone's maid-of-honor before."
"Well, you did a magnificent job! Too bad it just might be your first and last maid-of-honor speech." There is a glint in Walter's eyes that Felicity can't quite put her finger on. She is puzzled by the comment at the tail-end of that compliment.
But before she could ask him about it, Walter asked, "May I have this dance, my dear? Moonlight Serenade hardly plays in social gatherings like this anymore. The band sounds wonderful, and since it's one of my mother's favorite songs, I hope you will oblige this dear old man?"
"My pleasure," Felicity answers. She bows with a smile and takes Walter's hand as he takes her to the parquet dance floor in the middle of the Merlyn mansion ballroom.
They begin to dance to the music, but her mind is still stuck on Walter's words. It doesn't really take a genius (although she is one) to figure out that Walter must have picked up on the underlying message of her speech earlier. She was sincerely congratulating the newlyweds, but she couldn't help the rush of words that came out of a heart bursting at the seams with affection for the man she loved.
Thirty minutes ago…
"First of all, I would like to congratulate my dear friends. Tommy and Laurel, I wish you all the best that life can bring," Felicity began her speech.
One very enthusiastic guest chose that very moment to strike his wine glass repeatedly. The other guests at his table followed suit, and soon, almost everyone in the room was asking for the bride and groom to kiss. Tommy and Laurel obliged all too willingly.
Soon the applause died down, and Felicity picked up from where she left off.
"Last month, when Tommy and Laurel announced that they were getting married today, I was shocked. I had learned a few months back in Boston that they had become a couple, but I wasn't prepared to hear that they had decided to tie the knot so soon. Honestly, I thought they were the kind of couple that would opt for a long engagement to prepare for an elaborate wedding. I think you'll agree with me that Tommy has a flare for the extravagant, so initially I thought that he was going to go all out for the woman he's chosen to settle down with, finally. Laurel has a knack for detail and a characteristic thoroughness in everything she does, so I thought she would need a solid year to prepare for such a momentous occasion. Instead, here we are today in this huge ballroom, gathered to celebrate their oneness in elegant simplicity, with just the warm company of a dearly loved and select few, to cap this important milestone in their lives."
"My initial shock was soon replaced by a profound realization, though. Yes, Tommy and Laurel had only been together for a few months when he proposed. And yes, they had only been engaged for a month before the wedding day. But, Tommy and Laurel have been best of friends since they were old enough to play shadow tag and food fights with Oliver and Sara – long before I was so kindly welcomed into their closely-knit circle. They know each other like the backs of their hands, and they have grown to love each other through the good times and bad. It took them a long while – and several fumbles and stumbles in life and relationships – to come to terms with the fact that they truly care for each other as more than friends."
Felicity sighed. "Tommy and Laurel. Who would have thought? As far back as I can remember, they bickered and quarreled like a cat and dog more than they got along. And yet, each and every time, they brought out the best in each other. It didn't take me long since they accepted me as their friend years ago, to see that they just might end up together someday. This day proves me right."
Felicity flashed Tommy and Laurel a sweet smile and nodded to her friends in affirmation. Everyone in the ballroom thought that this was her cue for the next toast to the newlyweds, but the guests wondered why she hadn't picked up her wine glass yet.
"Nevertheless," Felicity continued, to everyone's surprise, including one Oliver Queen's, "this day also proves me wrong."
Her gaze shifted from the bride and the groom to the man she'd been waiting all night to be honest with. Now that she was up to it, there was no turning back. She smiled at him with her eyes, and the look she gave him was one of deep conviction coupled with ardent affection.
Oliver squared his shoulders and loosened the knot of his tie a bit to lessen the tension in his body. There was no telling what she was about to say, but somehow, he was sure it wasn't going to be one of her classic rambles. He held his breath.
"This day proves that it's wrong to judge someone based on first impressions, and to think that friendship can never blossom between two people who are worlds different from each other. Today proves that nothing… nothing can ever get in the way of the kind of love that is first built on mutual trust between true friends, the kind of love that grows out of a sincere desire for the highest good of the other, despite his or her imperfections. Rivals can be friends, friends can become lovers, and lovers can even become partners for life."
Oliver was stunned. Could she have been referring to something more than Tommy and Laurel's relationship? Something else? Something like him and her? He didn't realize it, but he took a swig of his wine before Felicity even began to propose a toast.
Felicity blinked softly and shifted her gaze back to the newlyweds. "I love you both, Tommy and Laurel. Thank you for inspiring us all. Congratulations!" She picked up her wine glass, faced the guests, and proposed the toast. "Here's to love and friendship! Cheers!"
"Cheers!" said everyone in attendance, except Oliver, who was still trying to wrap his mind around every word that Felicity had just said.
"Walter, do you mind if I cut in?" Oliver's voice rings loud and clear just behind Felicity.
The sound of his masculine voice sends nervous (but thrilled) shivers down her spine. She knows it's him standing behind her asking to cut in.
"Not at all," Walter replies, grinning as he walks away.
Oliver comes around and stands in front of Felicity. Like a gentleman, he offers both his arms to her. She places one hand in his outstretched one, but what she does next takes Oliver by surprise a second time. She takes his other hand and places it on her waist before she places her other hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry, Oliver. I won't be stepping on your toes," she teases him with a shy smile. "I've had lots of practice in Boston. Perks of working for Ray Palmer."
She's being mean and mischievous, and she can't help the chuckle that escapes her when she sees the sudden creasing of his forehead. She's more than amused that jealousy is written all over his face as he looks at her nibbling at her lower lip. She thinks she might have heard him huff out a low growl.
Oliver takes a breath to steady his wildly beating heart. When he recovers, he tells her, "I see Palmer has taught you well."
"He has, thank you. Ray is very good dancer. Among other things."
His eyebrows come together once again, and the frown on his face is a classic. She has flashback images of that look on his face from not too many years ago whenever she gets on his nerves. She really is having fun with this.
But he tells himself that he is not going down without a fight. "Really, now. I bet he's not half as good as I am."
"What on earth would make you say that?" She takes him on.
"For starters, your cheeks are redder than the shade of your lips right now. Has Palmer ever made you blush like this on the dance floor before?" He winks at her.
Felicity's jaw drops as she gaps at his bold words. She welcomes the banter. She misses it actually, but this one is on a whole new level.
"Oliver, I am not blush-"
Her response is cut off by a gasp when he swiftly turns her and dips her in his robust arms.
"Yes, you are, Felicity. And I really like it." He grins at her like a Cheshire cat as he looks down on her, their faces just inches apart. "See, there's that blush again. This time, it's spreading down to your neck."
That shuts her up for a while. She doesn't know what to say or how to get back at him for that. She's just mesmerized by the blueness of his eyes and how tempting his lips are, the attention of both travels from her face down to her neck. The fact that he smells really good isn't helping at all.
He holds her that way for a few seconds. He is very much aware that they have caught the undivided attention of the other guests, but he doesn't mind. He is not ashamed. He is claiming this woman, and for the very first time, he thinks she wants to be claimed right here, right now.
Oliver doesn't notice that the very same woman has gathered her wits and is now making a comeback.
Her eyes narrow as she challenges him. "Is it, now? So, what are you going to do about that?"
Felicity is positive that his eyes have suddenly taken on a darker hue. She knows that they are just a few steps away from jumping of the cliff, but she also knows that she's ready – as long as he's taking the leap with her.
Oliver slowly, gently lifts her back up without breaking their shared gaze. They are oblivious to the fact that the music has now stopped.
"Allow me to rephrase that." He pauses, as his hands slide down from her arms to her hands. "What do you want me to do about this?"
She knows he's not referring to the blush that broke out on her face and neck anymore. He wants her to tell him where she stands and what she wants from him. She's overwhelmed with pride at how this self-centered man that she used to despise with all her might has truly come to love her so much that he's setting aside what he wants and taking his cue from her. She can see the earnestness in his eyes, and it makes her want to cry.
Felicity takes a deep breath. She looks him straight in the eyes and smiles affectionately. "Whatever it is you want," is her reply.
He cups her cheeks with his hands. He closes the gap between their lips, not taking his eyes off hers. At the very last moment, they close their eyes. Suddenly, the only things they are aware of are the soft caresses of each other's lips and the blood rush that warmed every inch of their bodies.
The guests that witness what is taking place applaud, including one Donna Smoak. But they only break the kiss and pull apart when John Diggle hollers, "It's about time, Queen!"
Felicity buries her head on Oliver's chest, grabbing the material on his sleeve with her fist. The sudden awareness of their audience embarrasses her, and though she tries to hide it with chuckles, he knows she needs some encouragement.
"I sure am glad you declined my dad's offer to adopt you," he tells her.
"Me, too," she agrees. "Otherwise, this may have just been the most humiliating scandal I've ever gotten myself into."
They both laugh. In her mind, though, she rehearses what might be her married name somewhere down the road if that had happened. Felicity Megan Smoak Queen-Queen. She laughs even harder.
As the applause dies down, Oliver wraps his arms around her and whispers tenderly, "I love you, Felicity."
"And I love you, Oliver," she responds. "I accept your apologies, as I hope you will also accept mine. I know we still have a lot to talk about, and I'm ready to give you the answers you need, starting tomorrow. But for now, I just want you to know that I'm prepared to move on… with you in my life."
He does want to know everything she's willing to tell him, but she has given him more than what he bargained for. She has just told him that she loves him, and wants a relationship with him, too. He is content with that, with the feel of her in his arms, with their first kiss in the presence of those who care about them.
Oliver looks over her shoulder and spots William. His son is smiling, and Oliver wonders if his little boy really understands what is going on.
When he pulls back from their embrace, Felicity notices the confusion on his face. "What's wrong?"
Oliver scratches the back of his neck and admits, "William. I haven't thought about how to explain to my son how his aunt, my step-sibling, is now also my girlfriend."
"He's a smart kid. He'll figure it out with the help of his father and his mother. And judging from that ear-to-ear grin on his face, I think he approves already," she tells him, kissing him on the cheek.
It turns out she's right, for within seconds, William joins them, leaping into his dad's arms. The three of them share a hug.
Tommy and Laurel Merlyn approach them, the ceremonial garter and the bridal bouquet in their hands.
"These belong to you. We're skipping that part of the program," Laurel informs them.
"Sounds good to me," Oliver says. He tells William to go sit with Nana Donna.
Oliver and Felicity take the garter and bouquet, and they run out of the ballroom together, snickering like love-struck teens.
In the days that follow, they do have that talk. She tells him why it's taken her this long to hear him out. He discovers that she has loved him even before he realized that he already loves her.
-THE END-
A/N: It's time to bid this fic farewell. So if there's some words of encouragement left in you to leave for me, now would be a great time. :-) Thank you for reading!
