Hello everyone, I wanna thank everybody for reviewing, following and adding the story to your favorites. It means a lot to me. I love hearing what you think.
Thanks goes to my beta reader x. imagine. x (take out the spaces) for sticking with me through the whole story and doing a fabulous job!
Next chapter will be up on Sunday, because I'm on vacation next week again! We finally meet Lily! Yay! I hope everybody likes her.
I will also be publishing a new story in the next week or so, something post season 3. Kind of season 4 AU.
Find me on tumblr (katie-049) for picture sets of each chapter. The black and white ones are for the flashbacks.
April 5th, 2015
Oliver was screwed. He sat in front of Felicity's apartment, trying to gather his courage to get out of the car. He had exactly five more minutes before he had to be there and it didn't seem like enough time.
In one hand, he was clutching the little gift bag with the toys he got for Lily and in his other hand he was holding his phone, staring at the numbers of the little clock, hoping that they would pass slower.
When it read 57, Oliver took a deep breath, opening his car door and getting out. Clicking the automatic lock, he made his way over to the door. He found her name on the wall easily and pressed the button beside it.
After a few seconds, she answered. "Oliver? I'm going to buzz you in, just come upstairs; I live on the second floor."
She sounded hectic and Oliver frowned slightly. Before he could say anything else, the door in front of him buzzed and he pushed it open. Gradually, he made his way up the stairs, looking at the two doors on each side of the floor, trying to remember her apartment number.
Seconds later, the door on the right side opened and a flushed Felicity greeted him. Her cheeks were rosy and she seemed like she'd just run a half-marathon.
"Oliver! Come on in," she welcomed him, stepping aside to make some space for him to enter. "I was trying to clean up some more before you came, but then Lily woke up and for some reason she was incredibly fussy." She stopped again, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry, just come inside and I promise I'm gonna stop talking," she finished, letting out a puff of air while leaning against the side of the open door.
Amused, Oliver stepped through the doorway of her apartment. Her babbling eased his nerves and allowed him to release some of the tension in his shoulders.
Once she closed the door and Oliver had put his car keys down, he turned to her, leaning in. She met him halfway and their lips gently touched. His hand cupped her face while he felt her arms snake around his waist. The kiss was short, but he didn't care. Pulling away, he stroked her cheek, his lips turning upwards into a soft smile. "I missed you."
Felicity pressed a tender kiss against his jaw before leaning her head against his chest. "Me too."
Their moment was broken when a small cry sounded from the living room.
Oliver's body stiffened and his heart started to beat faster. This was it.
"And there is the little monster," Felicity joked, giving him one last squeeze before taking his hand. "Don't worry, Oliver. She is going to love you."
Oliver nodded, fear returning full force. Felicity's warm hand gave him some confidence and he let her pull him into her living room.
Her apartment seemed small, but it was everything Oliver had imagined it to be. The colors were bright and friendly and the decorations were light.
They entered the living room and Oliver immediately saw the little play pen standing in one of the corners of the room. A head with a fair amount of blonde hair tried to peek over the playpen, somehow failing because the railing was too high. Little hands were holding strongly onto the sides and he heard little whimpers.
Oliver stood still for a moment and Felicity gave his hand one last squeeze before letting go and walking over to the playpen. He watched as she bent down, picking something up from inside the playpen.
"Lily, remember we wanted the clip to stay in your hair. Didn't we wanna look pretty for Oliver?" She gently teased the small baby who just gurgled happily while Felicity put the clip back into her hair. After she fixed her hair, she pressed a small kiss to her head, before lifting her up into her arms.
Oliver held his breath, trying to get his emotions under control. The little girl was still so tiny and the way she was holding onto Felicity's shirt with her even tinier hand made his heart clench. The baby looked exactly like her mother; they had the same small nose and their eyes were the same shade of blue. She was as beautiful as her mother.
Yesterday, after he came home from his little shopping trip, he had read some chapters in the newly purchased baby book, hoping to prepare himself for today. Even though the book gave him a good idea about babies of Lily's age, it didn't prepare him for the emotions currently assaulting him. A wave of protectiveness and pure want were mixed with fear of not being worthy of the little girl's love.
His eyes met Felicity's and she gave him an encouraging smile. Oliver put the gift bag down on the sofa, wiping his hands on his jeans. He had no idea what to do next and he was sure he looked more than a little helpless.
Felicity took in his distressed expression and approached slowly. She stopped a few feet in front of him, turning her attention to the baby in her arms. "Lily, can you say 'hi' to mommy's friend Oliver?"
The little baby shyly turned her head into her mother's shoulder, hiding half of her face from Oliver.
"Don't be shy, baby. Oliver is really nice," Felicity cooed and Lily eyed him carefully, still clutching Felicity's shirt.
"I'm sorry, she hasn't met a lot of new people in the last few months, let alone men," his girlfriend apologized. "But anyway, Oliver, this is Liliana, my daughter."
Oliver couldn't stop staring at Lily. Unconsciously, he took a step forward, reaching out to touch the little girl. His hand stopped midway, unsure if he could do it.
Felicity seemed to sense his hesitation, scooting closer to him, closing the distance between his hand and Lily.
His hand seemed extremely big and crushing next to the little girl's head and Oliver let the tips of his fingers graze her soft hair, before pulling away again, feeling a warm sensation spread to the tips of his toes from where his fingers had made contact.
Lily didn't seem to mind his soft touch, still pressing close to her mother and Oliver's eyes met Felicity's. Her head was titled sideways and a gentle smile appeared on her lips. Oliver couldn't help but return it. "She is beautiful."
"Thank you," Felicity replied and Lily lifted her head from her shoulder. "How about we go sit on the carpet; Lily likes to play there." She suggested, pointing to the carpet in front of the small sofa.
Oliver nodded and after grabbing the gift bag, he followed her, sitting down next to her. He crossed his legs, getting comfortable on the floor.
"I got a little present for Lily; I hope that's okay with you," Oliver said, pushing the gift bag to Felicity who had put Lily on the carpet in front of her.
"Oliver, you didn't have to," Felicity thanked him.
Lily noticed the gift bag and started pulling at the handles. "Well, seems like Lily is happy about it. Do you wanna open it, sweetheart?" Felicity asked her, laying the bag in front of her. Lily started hitting it with her hand, squealing at the noise it made.
"How about mommy opens it for you, huh?" Felicity chuckled, grabbing the bag and pulling the items out of it.
With big eyes, Lily grabbed the black and white tiger, pulling it closer to her, eyeing it curiously, before poking his eyes.
A quiet laugh left Oliver's throat, happy that Lily liked her present.
Felicity unpacked the other two boxes and placed the stacking ring and the little xylophone in front of Lily. She seemed too busy with her new stuffed tiger to notice and Felicity turned to Oliver.
"Thank you. As you can see, she already loves that tiger," Felicity whispered, placing her arm over his shoulder and bringing him closer to her, giving him a chaste kiss. "It was very thoughtful of you."
Oliver laughed softly, taking her hand in his. "I had a little help, but I'm glad she likes it. Thank you for inviting me."
Felicity leaned her head against his shoulder, focusing her attention back onto Lily who had noticed the other two toys now. With her chubby hands, she reached for the stacking rings, knocking them over. The top part, a little red ball, rolled to Oliver and stopped right in front of him. Deliberately, Oliver picked it up, stretching his hand towards the little girl, offering her the ball.
Lily looked at her mother, seeming unsure what to do.
"You can take it, sweetheart. Oliver brought it for you," she encouraged her daughter, giving her a gentle smile.
Crawling closer to Oliver, Lily peered up to him, before grabbing the ball out of his hand. For a few seconds, she just studied the ball, turning it around with her hands.
Satisfied, Oliver looked at Felicity who was smiling at her daughter. He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead and then focused his attention back onto Lily, just in time to see the little girl jerkily thrusting her arm forward, successfully dropping the ball close to him. He reached for the red ball and picked it up.
"That was a good throw, Lily, but maybe we shouldn't throw this ball, it's kind of hard," Oliver addressed the baby, surprising himself and Felicity.
Even Lily looked at him surprised and somehow shocked her eyes wide open. She looked like she was going to start crying any second.
Quickly, Felicity got up and walked over to the playpen, grabbing a stuffed ball, before returning to them. She took the red ball from Oliver and handed him the soft ball.
"I see your mommy is prepared for everything," Oliver laughed softly, throwing the ball back to the baby who squealed, excited.
They played together for a little while longer, Oliver and Lily playing ball for most of the time. Felicity leaned against Oliver's shoulder, happily watching the two of them interact.
Oliver was surprised at how well the girl was able to throw the ball. It always landed within his reach and she never got tired of their little game.
Soon it was time for lunch. Felicity fed Lily some pureed vegetables, which the little girl had eaten up in no time at all. It was a huge bowl full and Oliver couldn't fathom where Lily put all that food. After she was done, Oliver and Felicity had a small snack, too. Once they finished, they sat on the carpet once more and resumed playing.
Oliver enjoyed watching the little girl laugh and squeal with happiness and he knew that he made the right decision. Felicity more than just made him happy and Lily just added to it.
Sometime later, Lily was starting to get fussy, crawling to her mother and stretching out her arms to her.
"Is it time for your nap, sweet pea?" His girlfriend asked, picking her daughter up.
Lily just snuggled closer and Felicity started to get up.
"I'm just going to put her down for her nap; I'll be back in a little bit. Make yourself at home," Felicity told Oliver, before disappearing into the hallway.
Oliver got up to and walked around her living room. He looked at her pictures, most of them being of Lily. A couple were with Sara and an older woman that was presumably her mother.
After a while, he sat down on the sofa, waiting patiently for her return and sometime later, she came through the living room door, an empty milk bottle in her hand. She placed it on the coffee table in front of the sofa, before falling down beside him, snuggling closer.
Oliver immediately put his arm over her shoulder, pressing her into his side. Her head fell to the crook of his neck and she gently pressed a kiss to his jaw.
"I told you she would love you," Felicity whispered, finding his hand and linking their fingers together, placing them on his chest, close to her own face.
Oliver leaned his head down, pressing several kisses onto her head, before resting his cheek against it. "I should listen to you more often then."
They were quiet for a while, before Felicity looked up to him. "I'm serious, Oliver. Just watching the two of you today… made me feel things I never felt before and I can't thank you enough for being such a persistent, charming man who didn't give up on me."
"Well, it would have been very embarrassing if you turned me down the first time we met," Oliver mused, his lips turning upward into a smile. "And you know, you can also be pretty stubborn sometimes, but it's adorable, don't worry."
Laughing, Felicity smacked his chest, before aligning their faces, pressing her lips against his in a gentle kiss.
"You don't have to thank me, you know," Oliver started, after they pulled apart. "I'm just as happy as you are, Felicity." He paused again, unsure if he should continue. "Some time ago, Diggle invited me to dinner at his house after I had kind of a bad day at the office. When we arrived, he was greeted by his family and all I could do was stare at them. They seemed so happy and I wanted that, too. And now that I met you and Lily, I feel like I have a chance of having the exact same thing." He confessed, looking into his girlfriend's eyes, which were shining with tears.
"I'd like that too, Oliver," she replied, pulling him down into passionate kiss.