They spent the next two days enjoying their time away and each other's company. For the first time that Felicity could remember Oliver seemed genuinely relaxed, as though the weight of his responsibilities and all of his worries had been lifted away. It was refreshing to see Oliver this way, to see him as just a man, and not as a CEO or the Arrow. For once he was just Oliver, and Felicity liked that.
They spent their time exploring the beautiful nature that surrounded them, hiking and canoeing. Felicity even convinced Oliver to indulge in a few spa treatments, after she promised never to speak of it to Diggle or Roy. They spent time talking and getting to know each other as they enjoyed several gourmet meals, and Felicity found that the more time she spent with Oliver, the more time she wanted to spend with him. Away from all the stress and drama of their everyday lives, Felicity began to feel like part of a normal couple. And she was surprised to discover the part of her that really wanted that.
On Friday evening, as they packed up the car to head back to Starling City, Felicity found herself hesitant to leave. Oliver seemed to notice this, as he came to stand beside her, putting his arm around her shoulders.
Felicity leaned into his touch as she looked out over the lake.
"I know we haven't been here very long," she told him. "But I think I'm going to miss this place. It's so peaceful here."
"I know what you mean," he replied. "It was nice to get away for a while."
Oliver leaned down towards Felicity, gently kissing the top of her head.
"Thank you for this," he whispered into her hair.
Felicity smiled. Even though he hadn't said it directly she knew he was thankful for much more than their few days away. She could feel the distance between them fading away, and it seemed that they might finally be starting to move forward again.
They drove home on the back roads, savoring the last few hours of their vacation. Felicity watched the sun set outside the window, her thoughts drifting.
It was dark when they turned onto the long gravel driveway and Felicity found herself smiling as they drew closer to the house, which was just visible in the pale moonlight. As nice as it had been to get away, it felt equally nice to come home.
Home. Felicity wasn't sure when she'd truly accepted this space as her home. It seemed to have happened gradually, without her even being aware of it. There were a lot of things that she was still unsure of, Oliver being one of them, but there was something about this place. Maybe it was because it was the house that she'd always dreamed of, or maybe it was because it held all the memories that she no longer did. Either way, it was good to be home.
Felicity headed into the kitchen and put on the kettle, while Oliver brought in their bags. By the time Oliver came back downstairs, she'd already poured two cups of tea. She handed one to him and they headed out onto the front porch to the swing.
"Thea texted," Oliver said, sitting beside Felicity on the swing. "She wanted to remind me about the family birthday dinner tomorrow night."
"I had forgotten all about that," Felicity admitted.
"So had I," Oliver said, setting his tea down on the ground next to the swing. "Are you alright with that?"
"Of course," Felicity smiled. "I am always in favour of celebrating you."
"Even when it involves my mother?"
"I am less afraid of her now," Felicity informed him.
"Uh huh," Oliver replied, smiling.
"Oh, be quiet," Felicity told him, snuggling into his side.
They settled into a comfortable silence as they drank their tea. Soon, Felicity found herself yawning, and struggling to keep her eyes open.
"Time for bed?" Oliver asked, taking her tea cup out of her hands.
Felicity nodded, slowly getting to her feet. She started up the stairs, Oliver following a few steps behind her. He walked with her to the bedroom doorway.
"Goodnight Felicity," he said, dropping a light kiss on her lips, before turning away.
Felicity took a step into the room, but then thought better of it and turned around, stepping back into the hallway.
"Oliver," she called.
"Yes?" he turned to look at her.
"Do you want to," she began. "I mean, I think it's time, or I think I'm okay with…"
"What is it?" he asked, taking a step towards her.
Felicity took a deep breath. "This is your room too."
Oliver's eyes widened slightly. "Are you sure?"
Felicity nodded. "It's time."
Oliver couldn't help the smile that spread across his face as he stepped forward and followed Felicity into the bedroom.
The next night, Felicity nervously adjusted the tied bow on her cobalt blue wrap dress as they waited at the door, her stomach fluttering. Oliver laid a calming hand on her arm.
"Is it this house or my mother that makes you so nervous?" he asked gently.
"Both," Felicity admitted. "I know it's ridiculous, but I can't help it. I'm sure I'll get over it eventually."
Oliver chuckled. "Actually, I'm not so sure about that."
Felicity shot Oliver a look. "Please tell me you're joking."
Oliver didn't get a chance to reply as the door opened.
"My beautiful boy," Moira said, smiling as she greeted them. "And his beautiful wife."
"Hi Mom," Oliver said, as he stepped forward to hug his mother tightly.
Felicity followed Oliver forwards into the foyer, standing awkwardly to the side. She'd seen Moira a number of times since that first dinner at the house, but she still found herself intimidated by the older woman.
As Moira stepped back from her son, she turned to look at Felicity, a wistful smile on her face.
"Felicity, you really do look lovely," Moira told her. "How are you feeling?"
"My palms are really itchy- which is apparently a pregnancy thing. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with increased blood flow," Felicity blurted.
Felicity closed her eyes and silently counted to three. "I'm sorry. Lately it's felt like I have even less of a filter than usual." She took a deep breath, "I am feeling well, thank you."
Oliver leaned close to Felicity. "You sure about that?" he whispered, smirking.
"Come dear," Moira said, stepping forward and taking Felicity by the arm. "Let's go have a drink while we wait for Thea and Roy to arrive. I'd like to hear all about your trip."
Felicity was a little surprised, but followed the older woman into the living room.
Their conversation flowed with surprising ease, as they discussed not only Oliver and Felicity's trip, but also the work that Moira had been doing with several local charities. Felicity and Moira were in the midst of discussing some of the changes happening with the Glades Memorial Hospital Foundation, when Thea and Roy arrived.
Oliver, ever vigilant, stood up as Thea strode into the room, Roy trailing behind her.
"Happy birthday Ollie," Thea said, smiling as she approached her brother and kissed him on the cheek.
"Thanks Speedy," Oliver replied.
As Thea greeted her mother, Roy shook Oliver's hand. "Happy birthday old man."
Oliver clapped Roy on the shoulder. "Just remember who you're talking to. I'm not too old to take you on," he mock threatened.
"Keep tellin' yourself that," Roy smirked.
Felicity stood up so that she could hug Thea, happy to see the younger woman.
"Wow, you've really popped since I saw you last," Thea exclaimed, placing her hand on Felicity's stomach.
"Thea!" Moira admonished.
"I'm just stating a fact," Thea responded.
Thea smiled at Felicity, giving her a quick hug, while Moira sighed.
"You look great, sister sister. I might even say that you're glowing," Thea teased. "Of course that could be because you and my brother have been shacked up in the woods for the past few days."
Felicity blushed profusely.
"I think that I will go and see if dinner is ready," Moira said, standing up and leaving the room.
"Remind me to hack all of your social media accounts," Felicity grumbled to Thea as they sat on the couch.
"Oh, you love me," Thea grinned.
"The jury is still out on that," Felicity replied. "Especially if you keep giving me a hard time when your mother is around."
"Oh, please, she loves you," Thea said dismissively. "I don't know why you always get so nervous around her. She's not as tough as she seems."
"I'm just not good with families, not even my own."
"Well, we are your family now, and that means you're stuck with us," Thea grinned. "Get used to it."
Dinner felt very much like a family affair. Talking about their time away somehow turned into a trip down memory lane, as Moira, Thea and Oliver shared stories of Queen family vacations. As they laughed together, Felicity found herself starting to relax. She couldn't remember the last time that she'd been at a family celebration like this. It had been a long time since she'd celebrated a birthday or a holiday with extended family, or even with her own mother. She had to admit it felt nice.
After dinner was finished and the cake had been eaten, they returned to the living room. Thea was sharing her latest stories from business school with Oliver when Moira stood up and gestured for Felicity to follow her. Felicity cast a quick glance over to Oliver, who shrugged, and then followed Moira out of the living room and into the study.
"Is everything alright?" Felicity asked.
"Of course, dear," Moira said picking up a square box off of the desk. "Please, have a seat."
Felicity sat down on the loveseat and Moira came to sit next to her.
"I have something for you," Moira said, passing the box to Felicity.
Felicity looked at Moira questioningly, before taking the lid off of the box, to reveal a delicately knitted ivory blanket. Putting the lid to the side, she gently picked up the blanket, surprised by how soft the wool felt.
"It's beautiful," Felicity remarked.
Moira smiled. "My mother gave this to me when I was pregnant with Oliver. She knit it herself."
Felicity began to unfold the blanket, holding it up so that she could take a better look.
"The pattern is so intricate," she remarked.
"My mother was very serious about her knitting," Moira told her. "The women in her family had been knitting for generations. Even after she married my father and began to live the society life, she was still devoted to her knitting. She actually tried to teach me more than once, but it never took. I suppose I didn't have the patience for knitting."
Felicity let the blanket drop over the swell of her stomach as she looked up at Moira.
"You know, Robert and I brought Oliver home from the hospital in that blanket. I remember I was so surprised that they would just let us leave with him. I held onto that beautiful baby boy so tightly, terrified that I would drop him. To be honest, I'm surprised I didn't smother him."
Moira reached out and took Felicity's hand. "Felicity, I can't even imagine what you are going through right now, how strange all of this must seem. I was going to wait until we had a chance to throw you a proper baby shower to give you this blanket, but then I thought that you might need it more now. I thought that it might help you to focus on your future, the future that you and Oliver have together. I know that you don't remember how you got here, but I do know that you love my son. Just as I know that you will love this child and, when the time comes, I hope that this blanket can hold as many memories for you as it has for me."
Felicity was speechless, her eyes filled with tears. She could see the compassion in Moira's eyes, hear the sincerity in her voice. The thoughtfulness of her mother in law's gesture overwhelmed her.
"Thank you," she managed, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"Oh, now, I didn't mean to make you cry," Moira said, leaning forward to embrace Felicity.
"It doesn't take much these days," Felicity joked.
"I certainly remember that," Moira said, taking the blanket out of Felicity's arms, folding it and replacing it in the box. "Now, come, we should get back before Oliver sends out a search party."
"He is a worrier," Felicity admitted.
"That he gets from me," Moira added.
The two women headed back into the living room. Felicity put the box down on the table and sat next to Oliver.
"Are you okay?" he whispered, putting his arm around her shoulder.
Felicity nodded. "Better than okay."
Oliver looked at her, a question in his eyes.
"I'll tell you on the way home," she said, smiling as she tucked herself closer to his side.