Author's Note: Ooookay...this chapter is a little different. I'm not sure where this came from, but apparently the Felicity-muse in my head had something she wanted to get figured out in her corner of my head. Tomorrow will be very shmooopy and fluffy with little Sara Diggle meeting the Big Guy!

Advent Anticipation – Day 10 – Reindeer

Felicity lifted the chocolate out of its place. "It's a reindeer," she chortled. "I wonder which one?"

"With that nose?" Oliver gave a chuckle. "Has to be Rudolph."

Her head came up and she grinned. "That's it!"

"What?"

"We were trying to figure out what to do tonight, right?" she noted. "I mean for us and Thea and Roy?"

"Right," he nodded as a questioning look stole over his face.

"What about movie night?" She waved the candy at him. "We can watch some Christmas movies and have pizza."

He took the chocolate as a smile spread over his face. "And I know the perfect movies."

"Oh?"

"The old classic ones with the puppets or whatever they were," he replied. "Rudolph and the one with the two brothers."

"I vote for Grinch," she informed him, a challenging light flickering in her eyes.

"That's a cartoon." His voice took on a faux haughtiness and she poked him in the ribs. He sidled away with a mock pout. "Hey!"

"I barely touched you," she rolled her eyes. "And-."

"And yes," he interrupted, "we'll include the Grinch; the original Grinch."

She beamed at him as she snatched the candy from him. "Great! Do you want to come here or go to the mansion?"

"Come to our place. There's more room and everyone can stay the night," he offered.

"Everyone?" Her eyebrows went up.

"Dig and Lyla will probably say no," he shrugged, "but I'll extend the offer." A frown furrowed his brow as her head tilted and her lips curved into an imperious little smile. He heaved a sigh. "And fine, I'll let Roy stay over as well – on the opposite side of the house from Thea."

Felicity patted his arm. "I don't think they're that far along in any kind of reunion," she offered, amused sympathy lacing her voice. He shook his head and she held up the candy to him as a condolence prize. Instead of taking it from her, he turned the tables on her by bending his head and taking a bite. His teeth skimmed past her fingers leading her hand to tremble. Heat rose in her cheeks as his eyes darkened. "Not fair," she murmured as her gaze dropped from the intensity of his. She placed her half of the chocolate in her mouth before turning to grab her purse.

Oliver's left hand reached out and took hers as she turned back, lifting it and brushing his lips over the back of her fingers. "All's fair," he stated, mischief and something deeper swirling in his eyes. He pulled her forward, shifting to the side as he did so to let his right hand come to rest on the small of her back.

"Definitely not fair," she repeated under her breath as he led her to the door.

Her only answer came in a soft chuckle.

They spent the majority of day on conference calls and international disputes. By the end of it, Felicity would have agreed to spend the night in the lair just to avoid negotiating one more talk between Tokyo and Sidney.

"Go home, Felicity," Oliver told her. "Change, do whatever, then come on out."

"Are you sure?" She bit her lip, glancing at the paperwork still stacked on his desk.

He stood up and walked over to her. Taking her shoulders in his hands, he turned her and gave her a light shove towards her desk. "Your ride is downstairs. Go."

"I'm going," she laughed, "I'm going. See you in a bit."

She hurried downstairs to find her car in its parking spot with Dig leaning against it. "Hey!" she greeted him in a cheery tone. "Thanks for bringing my car, but how did you fit?"

"I didn't," he shook his head. "Lyla did." He raised an eyebrow at her. "I am not trying to fold myself into this thing for anything less than a life-threatening injury."

"You'd probably strain something if you did," she laughed.

"Probably," he shook his head. "Lyla and I are taking Sara to meet Santa tomorrow."

A bright grin spread over Felicity's face. "Can we come? To the picture taking I mean?"

"If you want – I'm pretty sure it's going to be one unhappy little princess on a stranger's lap though."

"Could be," she shrugged, "but it'll be our unhappy little princess, and I'd love to see her first time with Santa."

"Then I guess we'll see you tomorrow." He shook his head and held out her keys. "I'll text you the time. Be careful."

"I will, don't worry." Giving into the impulse, she gave him a quick hug and a peck on the cheek. "I wish you and Lyla were coming out tonight."

"Maybe next time," he replied. "You four have a good time."

"We will!"

One last wave and she drove out of the garage. The trip to her place didn't take long and soon she was packing for a night at the Queen mansion. It struck her all of the sudden, how fast the two of them seemed to be moving. The decision not to fight what seemed to be happening between them…then the choice not to try hiding anything…

Were they going too fast?

Felicity paused in her packing and considered it. No, she decided, no they weren't. It felt more like the rush after a long, slow build. She couldn't say for sure about Oliver, but in some ways she felt like this had been building for months. It didn't happen when she first met Oliver. Yes, she'd thought he was attractive, but really, wouldn't any woman inclined towards men find him hot? That's not love…though she would admit in the privacy of her own mind to a good healthy dose of lust.

And empty apartment or not, she could feel the blush stain her cheeks.

Her trust in Oliver had grown – in total contradiction of her own common sense. The man had told the most ridiculous, most outrageous cover stories every time he brought a new puzzle to her. She had to think long and hard before deciding why she trusted him in spite of all that. The fact that he lied might have argued against trust, but he was the first one she thought of when trying to decide what to do after Walter disappeared – the bad lies themselves convinced her to go to him.

Oliver didn't want to lie to her.

He wasn't a stupid man – and he'd survived for five years without any of the safety nets he knew as Starling City's playboy. She might not have known everything he went through at that point, but she knew a survivor. Surviving took luck, courage, but it also took brains. Anyone who managed to make would have better cover stories just from the sheer need to adapt. For him to give such ludicrous tales meant one thing to her – he wanted to trust her; he just didn't know how.

So she chose to trust him first – to show him the way.

After that and after she learned about his secret life as Starling City's hooded vigilante, she remembered warning herself not to fall in love with Oliver Queen. The adventures that followed, the emotional rollercoaster might have convinced her of the same, but…her heart decided not to listen to her brain. From that attraction and that trust something else took root within her and began to grow – sometimes faltering, sometimes flourishing, but never disappearing. Only now, after being hidden so long under the soil of their lives, only now did the flower start bursting through and seem ready to blossom.

Could she pinpoint the moment she fell in love with Oliver?

No…no she couldn't – because by the time she realized she was 'in love' with him, the emotions grew beyond that. This wasn't something she would fall out of or grow out of or move beyond. This feeling wasn't a euphoric high she fell into and from which she might crash. She never noticed the moment she fell in love with Oliver because she never had time to just be in love. They…or she moved beyond it too quickly for her to notice.

She wasn't in love with Oliver – she loved Oliver…and it felt real, concrete and foundational – something they could build upon.

That didn't mean she wouldn't get hurt. Loving him wouldn't protect her from pain. She knew he felt something for her, but she wasn't sure how deep his feelings ran…and that was okay because she loved him. No matter what it meant for her, she needed him to find a way to be happy and healthy in, around, and maybe even despite the mission of the team. Hopefully that would be with her, but if it wasn't then she would do whatever she could to help him find it.

God…she hoped it would be with her though.

Felicity gave herself a shake, forcing herself into movement once more. She grabbed her things, detouring once on the way to the door in order to grab the Advent calendar. They could open tomorrow's door at his place this time.