It's Felicity and Oliver's wedding day, how does Laurel feel about this?
Laurel took a deep breath as she stood outside the beautiful church. The day of reckoning had come, the day she'd been dreading for months on end. The day of Oliver and Felicity's wedding. Her stomach was in knots as she thought about it, and she hated the feeling. It didn't feel right, and she knew exactly why, but admitting it aloud was another thing, and now it was too late to matter.
"You coming Laurel?" Thea's soft voice called to her as she approached, somehow looking like an angel in the red dress that Felicity had picked for her bridesmaids. Thea wouldn't tell them, but the only reason she accepted was because Ollie had asked. She felt disappointed today, she had grown up always so sure that Laurel would one day officially be her sister, by marriage of course.
"Laurel?" She repeated, putting a hand on the older girl's shoulder.
"I don't know if I can walk through that door." Laurel finally managed to whisper, a little disappointed in herself. She'd promised Ollie she'd be here, she promised Thea, she promised John and Sara and Roy. "I just, I don't know, I just-"She cut herself off, choking up.
"I know how you feel, because I feel the same way." Thea comforted, "I grew up always thinking that it'd be you up there you know?" She asked, and Laurel ripped her gaze away from the ornate doors to look at the brunette. "I just can't believe that it's not you."
"I know." She murmured, "me neither." She admitted, still feeling a weight on her chest.
Thea looked so sad that it broke Laurel's heart and she opened her arms to the girl, "Come here." She took a deep breath before letting go, brushing Thea's hair away from her face, "Let's think happy thoughts, shall we?" she tried to put on a smile, "This is what Oliver wanted, it's his wedding day. We should be happy for him." She nods her head, trying to convey a belief in her words and Thea nods with her, "I know you're right, I just can't bring myself to actually feel it." The girl looks down as she says this.
"I know." Laurel squares her shoulders, "But we have to put smiles on our faces; act like we're happy even if we're dying inside." She bites her lip as she uses her fingertips to brush out Thea's hair once more, "Okay? We'll do it together, can't back down then, right?"
"Right." Thea agrees with a sigh.
Looping arms they brace themselves as they open the doors, and make their way through the foyer of the grand church. Laurel twitched seeing all the fanfare, she knew it wasn't Ollie's idea. He would have gone along with whatever his mother and Felicity wanted, and she knew Moira would have wanted it to be the grandest of the grand, perhaps only second to whatever she had plotted for Thea's future. He never was very comfortable with all the paparazzi and cameras on him, all the people who crowded him just because his family had money, but he hid it well.
"This is all mom and Felicity," Thea sighed, "I don't see a single touch of Ollie anywhere." Laurel felt queasy seeing the ribbons and flowers decorating the room and pews, but she didn't' have time to duck to the bathroom to just breath before Sara and Nyssa spotted them both. She knew they would understand if she ducked, but she knew that there were others who loved to gossip who noticed Sara waving to her sister and Thea. Taking a breath, the two started forward and Sara threw her arms around Laurel. "I'm so happy to see you Laur." She said, arms holding her tight. "I missed you Sara." Her smile is genuine as they pull apart, "Nyssa good to see you too." She liked Nyssa ever since she had gotten to know her; she had spent time trying to train Laurel herself and Laurel was grateful for her, not only being her teacher but also for the way the assassin was soft for Sara and made sure to help facilitate communication whenever they wanted.
"Likewise, Laurel." The long-haired brunette smiled, her hand being linked with Sara's. Sara was actually wearing a white sundress and Laurel smirked. "White Sara? Really? Are you getting married today?" She teased.
"No, this is just to be spiteful actually." The blonde replied bluntly, with a mischievous smile. After a moment it faded, and she looked solemn, "It should be you up there and you know it."
Laurel cleared her throat while Thea nodded vigorously, "Yes! Thank you!" Her tone was exasperated as she hissed, "Why can't my boneheaded brother see that!"
"Both of you stop." Laurel furrowed her brows slightly, "It's Oliver's wedding day, and he chose Felicity. I'm trying to be happy for him; Thea you just promised me we'd both try to be happy for him. And Sara, she turned to her little sister, "I appreciate it, I really do, but the last thing I need right now, here in this beautifully decorated church, is to be thinking like that, if I do I might just do something that makes Ollie hate me for the rest of our lives." Her voice commanding even as she looked uncertain. "And I don't want him to hate me, I really don't.
"You want to stop the wedding." Nyssa tilts her head contemplatively.
"Do it." Sara deadpanned, and Laurel pinched the bridge of her nose, "Sara! I just told you not to encourage me to do that!"
"Right." She nodded, "You should do it." She repeats, "You don't, and I will." Laurel knows her sister well enough to know that she's absolutely serious about this. "
"I can't just- "She gestures wildly in front of her, "object to the wedding." She hissed.
"Fine," Sara sighs, "Then you have to go talk to him before it starts."
Thea nods in agreement and what surprises her is that Nyssa, of all people, agrees. "If you do not find out how he feels for sure, you shall regret it for the rest of your life."
Laurel covers her face in her hands, "I can't believe you're talking me into this." She moans softly.
"I can." Sara snorts. "Thea, think you can get her back there? Nobody will question it if she's with you."
"Of course." She scoffs, "Are you serious? We could all get her back there and have nobody notice a thing, you two are freaking ninja assassins for goodness sakes."
Sara shrugs as she tries not to laugh, "I mean, you're not wrong."
"C'mon." Thea grabs Laurel's hand and pulls her along, weaving through the crowd easily from years of practice. They hurry down the long hallway, knowing that the reception would start soon, and Thea led her to the right door. "I'll just be a second." Thea promises before knocking and slipping inside.
Laurel listens quietly to the muffled voices, her trained hearing picking up a few more words than most might. She thinks Thea says something about trying to be happy for him, and that she's got someone who wanted to see him before the ceremony, and no it's not Felicity.
Suddenly the door opens and Thea steps out, motioning for her to enter the room.
Cautiously she forces herself to step inside, heartbeat pounding in her ears. The first things he notices is how handsome Oliver look right now in his suit, the second is that he is smiling widely at her.
"Hi." She greets, lifting one hand a little, trying not to twist them in front of her stomach in nervousness.
"Hi." He steps forward as she comes the rest of the way into the room, stopping next to him.
"C'mere." She doesn't hesitate to step into his embrace, burying her face in the crook of his neck and just breathing in the scent that was undoubtedly Oliver. It was clean and woodsy and there were hints of leather that you'd only notice if you knew about his nighttime activities. It was perfect to her.
"Ollie, I-I" She tried to speak, feeling herself choke up once more
"Laurel?" he pulled away, "What is it? What's wrong?" he brushed her hair away from her face like she had done to Thea and studied her face.
"I-"She bit her lip, "I-"
His brows furrowed in concern, and he cupped her face in his hands, the pads of his thumbs brushing her cheeks softly. "Laurel?" he whispered, confused and unable to do anything until she said something.
"I," she tenses, squeezing her eyes shut, unable to bear seeing his face, "I love you Ollie." Her voice was thick, and she knew her mascara would be running when the rejection came. "I know I'm not the love of your life, but you'll always be the love of mine."
His hands drew away and after a beat of silence, she decided to open her eyes, but before she could she felt his lips crash to hers desperately as his hands gripped her sides, pulling her unbelievably close and she gasped into the kiss. Letting herself drown in his kiss, she threaded her fingers through his short hair, tugging softly in delight.
"Ollie?" whispered after they finally broke apart, breathing heavily, but not moving away from each other. Slowly her eyes fluttered open and she was met with his own as he looked at her with a feeling akin to relief.
"You're wrong." He told her, bringing one hand up to caress her cheek again. "It's always been you, it will always be you. You are the love of my life Laurel." He shook his head, "I love you so much it hurts."
"The why did you ask Felicity to marry you?" Laurel felt a tear go down her own cheek as she watched his eyes almost overflow with tears.
"I thought that you had moved on. I thought that I could move on, forget it all, but I can't." tears escape his eyes now too, "Laurel, I can't." He softly kisses her again.
"The only thing I know is that I want to be married to you, not Felicity, and as fast as humanly possible." His nose brushes her as he whispers this, conviction in his voice and she's glad that Sara, Nyssa and Thea pushed her here.
"F****** finally!" Thea's voice filtered through the door and she quickly slid inside with Roy in tow. "S***, I hope nobody heard that." She swears.
"Thea? Roy? You two were-?" Laurel is cut off by Thea, "Of course, duh. Somebody had to keep Sara and Nyssa updated. Besides, I was waiting for you and wanted to know anyway."
"Wait here." She instructs the boys, grabbing Laurel's wrist, "We will be right back."
Thea drags her into the adjoining room, and shoves her inside. "What are you doing now?" She groans.
"I came prepared you know." She scoffs, "Ta-da!" She flips on the lights and Laurel is stunned into silence. It was a dressing room prepared for her, but what she was gaping at was the gorgeous white dress hanging in the middle of the room. Looking at it she remembered lamenting to Thea how it was perfect, but that she could never afford it and wasn't even getting married yet anyways. "Is that?" she points to it, eyes wide.
"Yep!" She nods vigorously right as Nyssa and Sara slip inside behind her.
Sara looks rather pleased with herself and the outcome. "Did you-?" She cuts off her question while she waves around to the room, "Of course I knew Thea had this stuff. I was hoping that this would happen."
"For the record," Nyssa tilts her head as she observes it all, "I knew, but not because they told me."
"Sorry babe." Sara shrugs with a cringing smile, Nyssa just rolls her eyes in response.
"We have to hurry beauty prep team, let's get to it!" Thea instantly steps into command and together the three women help Laurel into the dress and have her make-up and hair done in less than fifteen minutes.
"What are we actually doing Thea?" She looks down to her hands twisting in front of her stomach again.
Thea ignores her and pulls a priest in through the hall before opening the door and gesturing the boys inside. She's tense and confused, but she also knows that Ollie said he wanted to marry her, as fast as humanly possible. Apparently fifteen minutes was possible, for Thea Queen. She's standing next to the priest, looking every bit the bride she's always wanted to, and when she meets Oliver's eyes as he steps though the door she understands the feeling, the tunnel vision people always talk about having.
"Ollie." Before she knows what, she's doing she extends a hand to him, and he takes the place opposite her, her hand in his. Sara, Nyssa, and Thea stand behind her and Roy stands behind Oliver. It's every bit as perfect as she'd always hoped it would be.
The priest says the important things, but she doesn't hear them until he's asking the final question. "Do you Dinah Laurel Lance take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
"I do." She breathes the two simple words.
"And do you, Oliver Jonas Queen, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"
"I do." Laurel's heart soars with the two words and a feeling of ecstasy fills her as the priest pronounces them husband and wife and Ollie kisses her again.
The papers are signed, and they're officially married within the blink of an eye.
"What do you say we get out of here ?" he asks, kissing her again after the priest leaves.
"I say, where to ?" she replies, her heart bursting with happiness as she looked at him and their friends who'd fought for them and got them both here, to this moment in time. To their wedding.
ALTERNATE ENDING
"The only thing I know is that I want to be married to you, not Felicity, and as fast as humanly possible." His nose brushes her as he whispers this, conviction in his voice and she's glad that Sara, Nyssa and Thea pushed her here.
"Let's get out of here." She breathes the words out, his lips ghosting hers.
"Let's." He agrees and smiles into the kiss.
She grins back at him when he pulls away. He changes out of the suit and into jeans, a t-shirt and his motorcycle jacket before grabbing her hand and pulling her with him down the hallway and through the doors. She hears whispers and the sounds of camera's clicking follow them, but she can't bring herself to care. She has everything she wants right here, holding her hand.
"Get it!" Sara's voice follows them down the steps and she laughs as her sister whoops and hollers. Over her shoulder she sees her sister pumping her fist in the air with Thea clasping her hands together, an excitedly happy look on her face. Roy shakes his head with a smirk, and he nods to them when their eyes meet, his arm draping over Thea's shoulders.
"You ready?" Oliver asks as he hands her a helmet.
"Always." She replies, slipping it on and easily climbing onto the motorcycle behind him.
Looking back one last time, she sees Moira and Felicity had joined the crowd of friends, family, guests and paparazzi fanfare that had followed them out here.
"Oliver." She sees Felicity's mouth move, her voice lost in the crowd and she looks hurt, her bottom lip trembling as she is looking in disbelief.
She's almost surprised that Moira actually looks pleased, but not too surprised because she'd always made remarks about Laurel joining the family one day.
"Thank G**." She swears she can hear Moira's voice through the madness, "Thank G** he's come to his senses." Felicity looks at her with wide eyes, her mouth dropping even more.
Laurel laughs breathlessly as Oliver pulls her attention back as they take off, "Hold on tight Pretty Bird." 'Oh, I will', she thinks, 'now that I've got you again I'm going to hold on tight for the rest of my life.
And she does.