Disclaimer: I do NOT own Arrow or its characters. All credit goes to the shows creatures/the CW/ and DC Comics.

Chapter Eleven

Oliver sat in the waiting room, just a few doors down from Felicity's room. He wanted to go to her... to see for himself that she was actually okay, but he wasn't sure what to say once he was in there. She had a sprained ankle, a couple bruised ribs, and a minor concussion. She was a little underweight, and the baby had been under a some stress, but both of them would be just fine.

Hearing the doctor say those words made Oliver's worries lessen, but he did still worry. Everyone had been by to see her. Diggle and Lyla were the first, then Ray and Thea. Barry had shown up a couple hours ago with flowers. Laurel stopped by and tried to convince him to go in, but he couldn't. Donna was in there now.

Oliver leaned back, resting his head on the wall behind him, and closed his eyes. He had hardly slept the past few weeks, and now that the main reason for that was safe and sound a few doors down, the need for sleep was starting to weigh on him. He was cursing himself because he had been so busy trying to find her, that he didn't stop to think about what he would say to her when he did. How the hell was he going to justify what he did? Would she forgive him? Could she?

He heard Thea sigh as she sat next to him, and he opened his eyes. She smiled at him a little as she shook her head. "Why aren't you in there? You know she saw you right?" Thea asked.

"I…" Oliver struggled to say. He took a deep breath and tried again. "I don't know what to say. This is my fault. She's here because of me."

"You're right. She is here, alive, because of you. And how is all of this your fault?" Thea asked. This shouldn't have surprised her as much as it did. Oliver carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"I brought her into this mess. I allowed myself to fall in love with her, and that put her in danger. I got her pregnant, and I stayed away," Oliver's brows pulled together as he spoke. He looked disgusted with himself, and Thea hated that. "Thea… I married Nyssa."

"We all know that Ollie," Thea replied.

"Yeah… But I…" Oliver had to pause. God he couldn't believe he was getting ready to say it out loud. "We slept together. We needed to sell the story that I was changed, and he had a way of knowing things, and we didn't know… We had our reasons, but I still feel like I cheated on her, and I don't want to be that guy. I hate the man I was before the island."

Thea was speechless for a moment, but then took his hand. She hated the pained look on his face. "You may have told her that you were the Arrow, but she chose to stay. She knew what you did was dangerous. Staying was her choice. She knew that being with you was dangerous, but she chose to be with you because she loves you. Ollie she loves you. Maybe you shouldn't have stayed in Nanda Parbat. Maybe you could have gotten away without sleeping with Nyssa. Maybe you could have defeated Ra's sooner. But on the other hand, maybe if you had stayed here with us, we would all be dead. Maybe if you hadn't slept with Nyssa, Ra's would have gotten suspicious of you, and then you never would have gotten a chance to get close to him. And maybe you could have tried to defeat Ra's sooner, but you weren't ready and you would have ended up dead. Maybe everything played out the way it did because it had to."

"I should have been here Thea."

"Yeah, maybe." Thea laughed a little. "She was scared when she found out she was pregnant. She didn't know how she was going to be a mother, and do what she does. But she had us, and she got through it. You're home now, Ollie, and if you don't get in there she might just come out here and kick your ass." She smiled when she got a small smile out of Oliver. "Just tell her the truth, Ollie. She might be mad at first, but she loves you, and she's not stupid. Once she gets past the emotional part of it all, she will see that you did what you had to do, Even if it hurt her." Thea kissed his cheek before standing. "I have to work, but I will see you later."

Oliver leaned back, again closing his eyes. Thea was right. He had to get in there. He wanted to be in there. His thoughts halted when he heard someone sit in the chair in front of him, and he opened his eyes. Donna sat there, looking at him with curiosity. "I still don't understand what's going on between the two of you," she said, in a questioning sort of way. She looked like she had been crying, but the smile on her face told him they were tears of joy and relief. "But I think she needs you. And…" she said, cutting Oliver off from whatever it was he was going to say. "I think you need her." She leaned over, and took his hand. "Don't be stupid here. If you didn't love her, you wouldn't have come back, and if she didn't love you, she wouldn't have just spent the last hour trying to figure out where you were."

"Did you tell her I was here?"

"I don't think it's my place to say," she replied. She patted his knee before standing. "I need to rest." With that she turned, and walked away.

Oliver watched her go. She was right. If he didn't show up before the night was over, he may just lose her forever. He stood, feeling a little jittery. He paused at the door for just a moment before knocking, and entered when she gave permission.

The room was dark with the exception of the light over her bed. She didn't need light to see him, though. There was a flicker of emotion in her eyes. "Hey," Oliver said, softly. He wished there was something better to say. Something you say as a greeting when you feel like the biggest asshole alive, but hey would have to do.

She just stared at him, and for a minute he was afraid she wasn't going to respond. "Hi," she finally replied. Her voice was barely louder than a whisper.

"May I?" Oliver asked, gesturing to the empty chair by her bed. She nodded (a good sign) and he couldn't help the small smile. Baby steps. He sat, and just took a minute to really look at her. If it were even possible, he felt like he had forgotten just how much he loved her. Just how much he looked forward to seeing her. Just how beautiful she really was. It was more than her outer beauty that got him. It was her inner beauty that spoke to him. It was her inner beauty that he fell for. It was everything she was that he loved.

"I'm sorry," he finally said after what felt like a lifetime of silence. He shook his head, forcing himself not to tear up. He wanted to reach for her. He wanted to take her hand, and feel her warmth.

"How?" she asked, her voice cracking. "How could you do that to us? To me?" She shook her head, anger on her face. "You put Lyla in danger. You were gone." She looked away from him, the anger making her tongue tied. "I thought we lost you, and I had to tell myself over and over that you were never coming back. Then I found out I'm pregnant, and I… I…" She shook her head again. She was at a loss for words, which was rare for her.

"Felicity," Oliver said, trying to take her hand.

"No," she said, yanking it away. She couldn't let him touch her. If she let him touch her, then she wouldn't be able to stay mad at him, and she wasn't done being mad. "I comforted myself with the idea that if you were you, you would come home. I comforted myself with the belief that you loved me too much to stay away, so if you were you, you would have been here. Now…? I find out that you were you the entire time, and you didn't come home," she teared up, unable to stop it. She was unable to go on for a moment. "You stayed away for months. How could you stay away for months? How could you let us believe you were a monster?"

Oliver opened his mouth to speak, but she went on. "I'm not done," she said harshly, holding up a finger to shush him. "Then, when I think it couldn't get any worse, I overhear Diggle telling Lyla that you knew about the baby. You knew I was pregnant, and still you didn't come home." She looked at him with daggers. "How the hell could you do that? How the hell did you know?"

He sat still, silent, for a few minutes, chewing on the inside of his cheek, his head bowed with guilt "Nyssa was on a mission near Starling City. I just wanted to make sure that everyone was doing okay." He paused when the fire in her eyes brightened. "I asked her to check on everyone. She saw you at the OBGYN and later, she broke into your place and took a pregnancy test and Sonogram. A short time after that, I was in Starling for a day as well. I had to see for myself that you were okay. I couldn't tell you I was here. I wanted to. You have no idea how hard it was to be so close to you, but not be able to reach out to you" Oliver licked his dry lips. "I went into your apartment." He shook his head. "I shouldn't have, but I did. I thought that the hardest thing I would ever have to do is watch you get on that plane in Nanda Parbat. I was wrong. The hardest thing I've ever had to do was leave that night without telling you how much I loved you, and how very sorry I was."

"You could have reached out. You could have told me the truth. I would have never told anyone," Felicity said, clearly hurt by this.

"No, I couldn't. I needed you guys to believe I changed. If you didn't believe it, then neither would Ra's." He looked at her with pleading eyes. "If I thought that there was a better way… a way that would let me be with you, I would have taken it. I needed to be close to Ra's in order to end him. Starling City was in danger. Everyone I love was in danger as long as he lived."

Felicity had to look away. She wanted to just forgive him, because him being so close made her want to be in his arms. But she was extremely hurt by all of this.. She could feel him looking at her, waiting to see what she was going to do or say next, but even she didn't know.

She looked at him when he moved, and pulled something out of his pocket. He looked down at the ultrasound picture of their daughter. She watched him run his thumb over it. The picture was worn, like he had folded, and unfolded it a hundred times. "I looked at this picture every single night. I wondered what you looked like. How much your stomach had grown." He laughed a little. "I… I used to imagine that I was home. That I was with you. That I would be there to feel the baby kick. To take you to your doctor appointments." He looked up at her now. "I didn't think I would make it home in time to see her be born, and it broke my heart."

"You married Nyssa," Felicity said tearfully. She looked at him now, and he knew what she was going to ask next. His heart sank into his stomach, and he felt nauseous. He knew he would have to tell her, but he would never be ready to. "Did you…" When he didn't answer right away she took in a sharp inhale of breath.

"We had to make sure that Ra's believed I had changed. It was just the one time. I'm so sorry Felicity. You… you deserve better than me. But I hope that you can forgive me, because I need to prove to you that I am the man you believed in.

"I'm tired," Felicity said after a few minutes of silence. She could see the hurt in Oliver's eyes. She could see the fear, and it broke her heart.

"Okay," he said as he stood. The okay came out a bit breathless, but he didn't argue. "Get some sleep." He hesitated for a moment, before heading for the door. He wasn't ready for her to be out of his sight. She had been out of it for far too long.

Felicity felt a little panicked to see him go. She didn't want to be alone, and she wasn't ready for him to leave. Even if she was angry with him. She hadn't meant to, but the words just slipped out. "Will you stay?" she asked, just as he was opening the door. He looked back at her with surprise, as he closed the door. She looked down at her folded hands, a little embarrassed of feeling scared to be alone. "I don't want to be alone." She looked up to see his expression, and there was no judgment there. Of course there wasn't. Oliver wouldn't judge her.

"Of course I'll stay," he said, returning to the chair. He watched as she lay further down, and covered up. It took her a moment to get comfortable, but soon she was still. Their eyes met, and they just looked at each other. Oliver wasn't sure how long it lasted, but it didn't matter. She was looking at him with something other than anger, and that gave him hope. Once he was sure she was asleep, he got more comfortable in the chair, and rested his head on the wall behind him. He fell into an uneasy sleep, with the hopes that tomorrow things would be a little better.


"How's it going?" Ray asked Oliver as he walked into the foundry. Oliver was there, working out. He wanted to get a workout in before Felicity came home. Not that it mattered. She would be on her way home soon, but she still wasn't talking to him. Not that he thought she would be good with him the very next day. Ray's appearance didn't improve his mood. He liked Ray well enough, but he found himself jealous of him.

"Hey, Ray," Oliver replied, as he dropped down from the salmon ladder. Oliver drank some water, waiting for Ray to say what he came to say. Ray, however, said nothing. "Can I help you with something?"

"Look, I just wanted you to know that she and I… She's crazy about you. She might be mad, and hurt now, but give her time. She'll come around." Ray smiled and nodded.

Oliver folded his arms over his chest. "I wasn't planning on giving up," he replied. "But I appreciate your concern." Oliver turned away, then turned back. "I also need to thank you." A look of surprise arranged on Ray's face. "You were there for Felicity when I couldn't be. You always havebeen, and for that, I couldn't thank you enough." Oliver held out his hand.

"I will always be here for her," Ray replied, taking Oliver's hand.

"I know. Now if you will excuse me, I have some things to do." He left Ray there, and went up to the nursery. Despite what he had told Ray, he wasn't sure if Felicity could ever forgive him. And if she did, he wasn't sure if it would mean they would be together.

He sat in the rocking chair, and looked around the pink room. He couldn't help the smile that spread on his face. His mother would love this. She would have been the one to put this room together with Thea. Even after everything she had done, he wished she were here. He was excited to be a father, but also terrified.

"Ollie, we're home," Thea called out. He left the nursery and looked down from the second floor to see Felicity on crutches. Her ankle was going to take a couple weeks to heal, and in the meantime, she had to stay off of it the best she could.

"Hey. I didn't expect you guys until later," Oliver said, going down to them. He would have liked to be the one to bring her home, but she had asked him to leave once her mom had returned this morning. "Where's your mom?"

"She had to go home. She plans on getting a couple days off, but it will be about a week before she can get them. She is not happy, but she can't lose her job," Felicity replied. She started to make her way to the living room, and cursed under her breath. She hated the crutches. They were hard to use when you were eight months pregnant.

"Would you like help?" Oliver asked, already moving to do so.

"I've got it," she protested. Oliver backed off, a little hurt. This distance between them was killing him. He watched her go slowly into the living room.

"She just needs time," Thea said, rubbing his arm, and giving him a comforting smile. She followed after Felicity, leaving him to himself. He really hoped they were right, because he wasn't sure if he could take her being angry with him for the rest of his life.

…..

Felicity felt like she was going crazy. Everyone was out saving the city, and she was stuck here watching TV. She wanted to be in the foundry helping. She missed being in front of the computer. She needed to hack something. Anything. She'd been gone for almost seven weeks. Seven weeks that felt like a lifetime. She wanted normal. And she really wanted to hack something.

She also wanted her bed. She wanted to take a bath. She wanted her back to stop aching. She wanted… Oliver. She couldn't believe her eyes when she'd first seen him, and then later in the hospital, and it took him all day to see her. She had wondered if she truly had seen him.

She had asked Dig if Oliver was back, and held her breath as he replied. Yes, he was home. He went on to tell her what Oliver had told them. She couldn't believe it. It was like the world she had left was different than the world she came home to. Really, the only thing that changed was Oliver being home, but it felt like a huge change to her.

It was just so much to take in, and she really had no idea how to feel about it. At first she was so angry she didn't know what to do with it. She grew more upset the longer he stayed away. Fear mixed in with the anger as she laid in the hospital bed. Was he not going to come see her? Did he stop caring? What was he waiting for?

Then when she found out from Barry that Oliver was in the waiting room looking miserable, she was momentarily confused about how to feel, but then she went back to being angry. She thought when she finally did see him, she would stay angry, but when he walked in, and she saw him looking so tired and guilty her anger had momentarily dissolved. For a moment, she wanted to leap into his arms, and never let him go.

Her emotions have felt like whiplash. One minute she wanted to have Oliver sit with her, just so she could be with him, and the next she felt so angry she could punch him. Though she would probably hurt herself more than she would hurt him.

Felicity groaned when she realized that she had to pee. Again. It was exhausting going to the bathroom, and she currently couldn't wait for this baby to get out of her. If she wasn't eight months pregnant she would have no problem with the hurt ankle, but the pregnancy was making it very hard. It took her a couple minutes to get up, and another one to feel stable. "Okay, you got this," she said, as she started to the bathroom.

On her way back to the sofa, Oliver was coming out of the living room. She paused, and so did he. She started moving again, and she could hear Oliver take a deep breath.

"Can we talk about this?" he asked, his tone frustrated and sad. "Are we ever going to get past this?"

"It's only been a couple of days," Felicity reminded him, as she sat back down.

Oliver looked up like he so often did, then back to her. "I've been without you for months. Felicity, everything I did, I did to keep you, and everyone I love safe. And if I was to make it back home to you, I wanted it to be without the threat Ra's posed."

"If?" Felicity said. She looked at him for a moment, then her eyes grew wide. "You were never sure you were going to make it home. Were you?"

"I knew there was a possibility that I wouldn't," Oliver confessed.

Felicity had to shake off that thought. As mad as she was at him, she couldn't imagine how she would feel if he had died. "I'm glad you're not dead," Felicity said. She looked up at him and sighed. "I'm hurt, Oliver."

Felicity looked away. She hated that it made sense, but was also relieved that some of her anger dissipated. She hated this wall between them. "I just need a little more time."

Oliver took a deep breath. "Okay," Oliver said as he stood. "I will be around if you need me."

She hesitated a moment then said, "I could use some help getting upstairs. I know I'm supposed to sleep down here, but I would really like my bed." She smiled at him, and it nearly made Oliver cry with relief. That's what he needed. He needed to see that smile.

The smile Oliver gave her was breathtaking. She had forgotten how much she loved his smile. She had expected him to help her hobble up the stairs, but instead, Oliver swept her up into his arms, and carried her up to her room. She should have known he would.

He sat her on the bed, and then just stood there, not taking his eyes off her. Felicity laughed as she scratched just behind her ear. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but Oliver hadn't changed. As far as she could see, Oliver was the same person now that he was before.

"What?" Oliver asked, his tone a little hopeful. Was that laugh a good sign?

"I just… You haven't changed." Felicity shrugged. "I don't know what I expected, but I'm glad you're still you."

Oliver sat slowly on the bed, Giving her time to object. "I will always be me, Felicity."

A crease showed up between her eyebrows as she looked down that the bed. "I have a doctor's appointment for the baby in a few days. If you want to come, you can." she looked up at him, and the smile on his face made her heart flutter. How did she forget that he could do that?

There was a knock at the open door, and they both looked over to it. Thea smiled apologetically. "I'm really sorry to have to pull you away Ollie, but you're needed."

Oliver hesitated, and looked at Felicity. "Go. I'll be fine."

Oliver nodded. "I will be back to check on you," he told her before leaving. He followed Thea down the stairs to find Lance standing in the foyer. He looked at Oliver with the same expression he always had when looking at him.

"Captain Lance," Oliver greeted. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm here to tell you that I still know who you are, and now that Felicity is home safe, and Drake is dead, I expect to never see the Arrow again. I will take you out if I do." There was a moment a tense silence, as Lance eyed Oliver with daggers.

"I appreciate the warning," Oliver replied, polite as ever. Lance eyed him for a few more moments, before nodding, and leaving.

Thea sighed as she closed the door behind him. "Just when I thought he was on our side," she commented.

"He's a good man, Thea. A good man with a long history of thinking in black and white. It can be hard to deal with the feelings that come with thinking in shades of grey."

"I guess," Thea said, following Oliver to the kitchen. "I still wish he would just choose a side." She jumped up onto the counter, as Oliver pulled the trimmings for a sandwich out of the fridge.

"Me too, Speedy," Oliver replied, putting the stuff next to her. "Sandwich?" he asked. She nodded her reply with a smile.

"How are you doing?" Thea asked him. She knew that none of this could be easy.

"I'm good," he replied. "I think she will forgive me, and that's all I can ask for."

"I know she will. She loves you Ollie. She will come around."

"After today?" Oliver said, leaning on the counter. "I actually have hope that she will."

….

Oliver's eyes opened the second he heard the door to his room open. He rolled over quickly, right hand distinctively going for the arrow that was hidden behind the night stand. He could see Felicity's silhouette, so he retrieved his hand. "Are you okay?" he asked, sitting up. He was thankful he had decided to wear boxers to bed.

"Yeah. I didn't mean to wake you," Felicity said quickly. "I was just wanting to take a shower, and there are no towels in the hall bathroom, so I was hoping there were some in yours."

"Oh," Oliver replied. "Here, let me check." He rolled out of bed, going to his bathroom. He grabbed a couple towels from the closet and turned to her.

"I can put these in the hall bathroom for you. Or you can use mine since you're here." She eyed him suspiciously so he quickly added, "I wasn't suggesting anything. Just trying to make things easier for you." He couldn't wait for things to stop being weird for them.

"Thanks, but I think I can manage," Felicity replied. She gave him another small smile, as she put the towels over her shoulder, and left.


Three Days Later

"Can we talk about this?" Oliver asked Felicity. He couldn't take the distance between them, and she was refusing to let him help her with the dishes. They had had everyone over for dinner, and she insisted on doing them.

"About me doing dishes?" she asked, knowing that wasn't what he meant.

"Felicity," Oliver said, his tone serious. "Please."

"I don't know what you want me to say, and you've said all you can," Felicity replied. She did plan on forgiving him, but she wasn't ready just yet. She was still hurt.

"I'm sorry I slept with Nyssa. You know it meant nothing to either of us."

"Why do men say that? Are they not aware that the fact she meant nothing makes it worse? Why jeopardize your relationship if she meant nothing? It's stupid." Felicity shook her head because that was beside the point. "I'm not mad about Nyssa. Yeah, I'm not thrilled that you slept with her, but it pales in comparison to the fact that you lied to me. You lied to us, Oliver, and you didn't trust me with the truth, and that is what I'm pissed about. How could you not trust me? These past months would have been easier if I had known that you were you and only pretending to be an uncaring murderer. I mourned you, Oliver." She took a deep breath. "To me, it felt like you had died."

Oliver Leaned on the counter. "How could you not be mad about Nyssa?" He couldn't believe him sleeping with Nyssa wasn't a huge factor in her anger.

"I'm hurt that you slept with her." Felicity out down the plate and shut off the water. "I'm mad that you married her. I'm mad that you've been gone for months." She started crying now. "I'm mad that you put Lyla in danger and I'm mad that you knew about the baby and still never reached out."

"Felicity…"

"I'm not done," she said, cutting him off. "I'm mad about all of that, but all of that I can forgive. But I'm having a hard time with the fact that you didn't trust me. How could you not trust me?"

"I didn't trust me," Oliver urged after a moment. She looked at him confused. "I wanted to tell you. The way you looked at me when you guys came for Lyla. I've never wanted you to look at me like that. If I had tried to tell you, I wouldn't have been able to leave. It would have been over before it began. If I didn't do this everyone in Starling City would be dead. Including you."

"I'm tired," Felicity said walking away. She paused in the doorway of the kitchen and looked back. "Goodnight, Oliver," she said, then left.


"Where are you going?" Oliver asked, following Felicity as she slowly struggled down the stairs. He moved quickly, catching up to her, and offered her his assistance. Luckily, she took it without argument. However, that was probably due to the fact that she didn't have much of a choice. It was dangerous going down stairs on crutches. Especially when you were pregnant.

Once they were off the stairs, she fixed her shirt. "Thank you, and I'm going to work," she replied, then started to make her way to the front door.

"Wait, what?" Oliver asked, following her. What did she mean she was going to work.

"Work, you know that place you go to make money so you can, you know, survive," she replied jokingly. She leaned her crutches against the table so she could put her sweater on.

"Felicity, don't you think you should give yourself more time? It's only been a few days," Oliver argued.

"You sound like Ray. He thinks I need more time to mend."

"And Ray is right. You need time. What you went through was…"

"Horrible? Terrifying? Yeah, Oliver I know. I lived it for weeks. But that's over now, and all I want is to move on. I just want to forget it happened." Felicity grabbed her crutches. "Ray is waiting outside."

Oliver let her go, because there wasn't anything her could do to stop her. He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm his nerves. While he really didn't think she should rush off to work, he also wasn't ready for her to be away from him. He stood there a second longer before going down to the foundry. He needed something to do besides stand around and worry.

…..

Thea, Diggle, and Laurel took care of protecting the city. With Lance's threat, Oliver decided it was best for him to lay low. It was probably better this way, because he and Diggle were still at odds with each other. Oliver had apologized profusely, and he was at a loss as to what else he could do. That left Oliver with a hell of a lot of free time.

He spent the morning looking over some of the recent criminal activity. It was pretty quiet at moment, which meant he was bored out of his mind. After trying to figure out how to spend his time, he decided he would bring Felicity lunch.

After stopping at Big Belly Burger, he walked into her office, and nearly turned around. Ray was there, and they were head to head, leaning over some project they were both working on. Ray had one hand on her back, as he used his other to point at the paper on the table. Jealousy reared its ugly head as it often did when he saw them together. He was about to leave, but he was spotted by Ray, who gave him a big smile. He was clearly excited about something.

"Oliver," Ray said in greeting. "You're the best," Ray said to Felicity. He gathered the papers, and kissed her cheek excitedly before rushing off. Felicity watched after his, shaking her head.

"He's going to get himself killed," she remarked. She looked at Oliver. "What's up?" she asked, sitting down at her desk. It felt so good to be at work. She liked that nothing about it had changed, and it really made her feel a thousand times better.

"I brought you lunch," Oliver replied, putting the big belly burger bag on her desk. He liked the smile that spread on her face. It was good to do something that made her happy.

"Ooh," she replied. "I'm starved. Thank you," she added, as she pulled out the food. She ate a fry as Oliver turned to look out the window. He stood with his hands behind his back. She could see something was bothering him. "Are you okay?" she asked, hoping this didn't have anything to do with this morning's topic. She needed to be at work.

He looked at her with a smile. "I'm fine," he lied.

"You know I can tell when you're lying, right?" She took a bite of she cheeseburger as he chuckled.

"It's nothing." Oliver turned to her. She eyed him curiously. It was a look he was used to receiving. One he had missed. "I'm having a hard time figuring out where I fit. The dynamics are different these days with Diggle. And the others. Lance has promised to do everything in his power to take me down, and I'm just not sure I can be the Arrow anymore."

"Maybe you can't be. Maybe you need a new face… Figuratively speaking. There's absolutely nothing wrong with your face. It's perfect." She gave him a true smile, and her cheeks flushed slightly.

Oliver laughed. "I knew what you meant," he informed her. "I'm just not sure how easy that will be," he added after a minute.

"Nothing is ever easy, Oliver. You don't do what's easy. You do what needs to be done." She paused because the baby kicked. She went to Oliver and took his hand. She placed it on her belly, and for the first time he got to feel his daughter kick. Once, twice, a third time. His heart swelled with love for his daughter. He laughed happily as she moved around. He looked up at Felicity, who was smiling at him.

"She loves the sound of your voice," Felicity said, still holding his hand to her belly. "She moves every time you speak." Felicity flinched ever so slightly. "She also thinks my bladder is a soccer ball." Felicity laughed a little. "But what's worse is when she gets her foot in my ribs."

As if she knew she was being talked about, the baby gave another mighty kick, making them both laugh. Felicity missed Oliver's laugh more than she realized, and the look on his face as he felt their daughter move made her heart flutter. God she loved him. "You do what needs to be done, and that's not always easy," she said, going back to their conversation. She moved closer to him, and surprised him with a quick kiss on the lips. "I forgive you."

Those three words nearly made him cry, but instead he took her in his arms, holding her close. She hugged him back, needing it just as much as he did. "Thank you," he whispered to her. He held her a little tighter. He hadn't expected this, but he was damn happy that it was happening. He felt lighter than he had in months.

After a few minutes Felicity pulled back so she could see him. "I love the name Olivia," she told him. "But I want you to help me with the middle name."

Oliver smiled again. "Olivia is a beautiful name." he kissed her hand. "And I will think on the middle name."

"Good," Felicity said, going back to her desk chair. She picked up her cheeseburger. "I need to get back to work."

"Okay," Oliver said, unable to stop smiling. He kissed her forehead before leaving. "I love you, Felicity."

She looked up with a smile. "I love you too." She watched him leave before taking another bit of her cheese burger. It felt amazing to forgive Oliver, and she was glad she finally could.

Oliver ended up running into Thea in the lobby. She smiled at him as she approached him. "What has you all smiles?" she asked, a smile on her own face. She hadn't seen this smile in too long.

Oliver hugged her, and kissed her cheek. "Love is something to smile over," he replied, before letting her go, and walking off. Thea watched after him happily. She gathered that Felicity finally let him back in. Thank god.

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Reviews and comments are greatly appreciated. Thanks :D