Author's Note: Hey guys! So, I just wanted to take a second here to let you know that we're nearing the end of this story. There are just a few chapters left (2 or 3 by my estimation) which will tie up some loose ends, but there's a strong possibility that there will be a sequel somewhere in the future. The sequel would focus more on Oliver & Felicity as a couple, maneuvering through their new life and starting a family.
I'm not sure what the interest would be in that but the option is there?
"So?" Oliver queried, crossing his arms over his chest and letting his eyes linger on the large picture window adorning the face of the two story ranch style cottage.
Felicity studied the house, drank in the river rock sections of the house's facade and the ivy vines crawling over it, the high windows and dark wood exterior. She liked the heavy iron door, with its intricately swirled detailing and lion's head doorknocker. The house sat on a massive plot of land, thick green woods edging the large backyard and a babbling brook just beyond the tree line. The house itself was huge, bigger than Felicity expected but smaller than the Queen mansion. There were at least four bedrooms that Felicity had no idea what they'd do with, even when they decided to start their family. The finished basement, after a few adjustments, would be perfect for a secondary lair, somewhere the team could work without having to go into the city.
Its location was perfect, too. Just a fifteen minute drive to the mansion and a bit over half an hour to the Foundry. The commute to QC would be a little longer than they were used to but finding the perfect home to build their life, build their family, easily outweighed that.
Felicity would also have to travel to attend her bi-weekly therapy appointments, the ones she'd begun attending at Dr. Delgado's insistence, but that was okay, too. She may have started going because Oliver and Dr. Delgado had both argued in favor of it but Felicity had to admit that the sessions were helpful. Every time she went to an appointment, even though she left feeling emotionally battered and bruised, she felt better for it.
With one last look at the house, Felicity turned to Oliver, her smile wide and excited. "I love it, Oliver." she said. "It's perfect."
Over the past three months they'd looked at a dozen or so houses, as well as a few condos, and none of them felt right. They were all beautiful, of course. Each of them had something that drew Oliver or Felicity's eye in the first place, but none had captured their hearts. Oliver, for his part, always left the final decision up to Felicity. He wanted her to be happy, to have exactly what she wanted. And as long as she was there Oliver could live pretty much anywhere.
"Yeah?" Oliver grinned, pleased beyond measure to see Felicity so excited, to see the way her eyes glittered with it.
Felicity nodded, stepping into his space until he dropped his arms and let them encircle her waist as hers went around his neck. "It's perfect." she repeated.
Oliver gave her waist a squeeze, dipping his head to brush a kiss to her lips. "I'll call Jan and put in an offer, then." he told her, unable to stop smiling as he peppered kisses to her mouth.
Felicity giggled, everything inside her making her feel as though she were made of club soda. She felt bubbly and clear from her head to her toes. Effervescent was the only word she could think of to put a name to the sensation. She laughed to herself as she buried her face in the crook of Oliver's neck. She felt effervescent.
The ringing of Felicity's cellphone sounded loud and jarring in the gentle hum of late afternoon in the middle of nowhere. There were absolutely no neighbors anywhere nearby, the closest one being a couple miles away, and the only sounds surrounding them were the natural buzz of the woods.
Felicity pulled her phone from the pocket of her dress, laughing softly at Oliver as he groaned at the interruption.
"Crap." Felicity sighed, tapping out a response before putting the phone away. She lifted her eyes to Oliver's and smiled apologetically. "If we don't leave now, we're going to be late."
Reluctantly, Oliver released her waist and gave one last look up at the house. "You're sure about this, right?" he asked, motioning at the cottage.
"The only thing I've ever been more sure of is us, Oliver." Felicity pushed up onto her toes to kiss his cheek. "Now, come on. I don't know about you but I have no desire to piss Lyla off today."
"Fair point." Oliver chuckled and guided Felicity back to the car.
Diggle opened the door looking slightly harassed but beaming all the same. "Hey!" He kissed Felicity's cheek in greeting and gave a hand shake-hug combo to Oliver. "Come on in, don't mind the mess." he called, disappearing back into the house.
Felicity grinned at a confused Oliver and pulled him along behind her. They kicked off their shoes in the hallway, lining them up neatly beside Digg's dress shoes and a pair of Lyla's heels. Making their way to the kitchen, where they could hear Digg and Lyla talking, they passed the living room. Oliver snorted to himself, wondering if the cluttered space could really be considered messy when nearly all of it could be attributed to the perfect little person snuffling peacefully in Lyla's arms as she came around the corner.
Lyla had barely stepped into view before Felicity was smiling goofily and making grabby hands. "Hand him over."
Oliver watched as Lyla maneuvered the cashmere bundle into Felicity's waiting arms and his girlfriend positively melted. She murmured gently to the baby, her tone soothing and awestruck as she delicately traced a finger along his chubby cheek. Oliver's heart may or may not have dissolved into a warm puddle of adoration at the sight.
John joined them a second later, just as Lyla was finishing rearranging the red blanket that the baby was swaddled in. He looked exhausted but the content smile on his face as he looked at Felicity and his wife fussing over his son made Oliver think that exhaustion was more than worth it.
"He had a bottle about an hour ago so he should sleep for at least a few hours." Lyla told Felicity, her eyes never leaving her son's face. "There are bottles all ready and waiting in the fridge, all you have to do is warm them up. The baby monitor is on the counter in the kitchen and his pajamas are on the changing table."
Felicity nodded along, smiling reassuringly at her friend. "Don't worry, Lyla. Go and have a good time."
"I'm not worried." Lyla bit her bottom lip, her eyes watering as she looked up. "It's just harder to leave him than I thought it was going to be."
Digg wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders, pressing a kiss to the side of her head. "I don't think we could pry Devon out of Felicity's arms if we tried, anyway." he told his wife, gently rubbing his thumb in circles on her shoulder. "So, what do you say you and I go enjoy some adult conversation and a bottle of wine, and let our son be spoiled in our absence?"
It was a long moment before Lyla nodded. "Okay. Yeah, you're right." she agreed, swooping in to litter her son's face with delicate kisses.
By the time Digg and Lyla actually made it out the door, the sun was already down. Felicity settled onto the couch with Devon cradled to her chest while Oliver went around and turned on a few lights. When he came back, he sank down beside Felicity, gazing down at the little boy she held.
Oliver reached out and ran a finger over the tips of Devon's itty-bitty fingers, grinning when the baby automatically curled his fist around the digit. Felicity laughed softly, tipping her head back and trying not to jostle the baby too much.
"I think he gets cuter every time we see him." Oliver mused, wiggling his finger in Devon's grip.
"Of course he does." Felicity cooed at the boy in question. "Our nephew is the most perfect baby ever born. Until we have kids that is. Just don't tell Lyla I said that."
Oliver chuckled warmly, contentment flowing through him. "Are you hungry?" he asked. "I can make us something."
"No, I'll do it." Felicity scooted forward and stood. "Let me just put him down, first."
After laying the baby in his crib and trotting back downstairs, Felicity joined Oliver in the kitchen. He was already eyeing the contents of the refrigerator, leaning against the door as he pondered. Felicity moved up beside him and bumped him with her hip to move him out of the way.
"I'm cooking." she told him. "You can be my lovely assistant."
"Lovely?" Oliver raised a brow, already pushing himself up to sit on the counter.
"Fine." Felicity rolled her eyes as she pulled a few things out and set them on the counter next to him. "Rugged. You can be my rugged and manly assistant."
Oliver snorted, picking up the bag of baby carrots she set down and crunching into one.
They were finished with dinner and Felicity was just adding the finishing touch of cinnamon to fried apples when Devon woke up, his piercing newborn cry filling the kitchen through the baby monitor.
"I've got him." Oliver called, already heading for the stairs while Felicity moved the pan off the burner.
With the gooey apple mixture spooned over a couple scoops of vanilla ice cream and set out on the table, Felicity warmed up a bottle and set it down beside her bowl. Oliver appeared a few minutes later with a sniffling Devon safely tucked into the bend of his elbow. His hoarse crying had petered off into tiny shuddering breaths but his scrunched up face remained red and tear-stained.
Felicity held out the bottle to Oliver as he sat down at the table, ignoring the way her heart swelled while she watched him talk quietly to the infant, cradling him close as he fed him. She couldn't be blamed, really. There was just something so disarming and genuinely endearing about seeing the man you love turn into a murmuring puddle of goo in the face of a five week old baby. It turned her insides into mush, all squishy and full of love. She was so entranced by the adorableness before her that by the time she remembered she was supposed to be eating, her ice cream was mostly melted.
When she finished eating she took Devon from Oliver, giving him back the use of his arms so that he could eat too. Felicity wandered into the living room when Oliver was finished, leaving him to the dishes. She paced slowly around the room, swaying and rocking as she went. She babbled to Devon, telling him all about the house they found and how someday he would get to play there with his cousins. He stared up at her with big brown eyes, burbling his opinion when he felt the need. Felicity was on her sixth circuit of the room when Oliver came in, leaning in the doorway with his ankles crossed and his hands in his pockets, a small smile playing at his lips.
"You two make quite the picture." Oliver told her, his gaze open and warm as he watched her walk. "I feel like I might have a new rival for your attention."
"You hear that, Dev? Uncle Oliver is jealous." Felicity told the baby. "As well he should be. You're the only man I have eyes for these days."
"Who can compete with such a handsome guy?" Oliver's smile widened as his eyes fell on the baby gazing adoringly up at Felicity. "At least we know he has good taste."
Felicity laughed, making her way over to the couch and sitting back against the cushions. "Want to watch a movie?" she asked Oliver, finally lifting her eyes away from Devon. "We have an infant as an excuse to watch the Lion King."
"Since when do you need an excuse to watch Disney movies?" Oliver asked, already heading towards her, stopping along the way to grab the remote from beside the television.
"Never. Just thought I'd use one while I had it." Felicity shrugged as she tried to free her bow pendant from Devon's tiny fist.
With the movie on, playing at a low volume as to not disturb the baby once he fell asleep, Felicity snuggled into Oliver's side. She rested her head on his shoulder, enjoying the way his fingers trailed up and down the length of her arm. She shifted down a bit and lifted Devon to her chest, gingerly laying his head in the curve of her shoulder. He wriggled closer, his delicate breaths puffing softly against her throat. Oliver tightened his arm around them, holding them both closer, enveloping them in his body heat.
That was the scene that greeted Digg and Lyla when they returned home a few hours later, all three of them fast asleep and huddled together while the Lion King menu played on a loop in the background.
Roy and Thea moved home about nine weeks after Devon was born. It meant that Felicity had to share her auntie bonding time but since it was with Thea, she didn't mind so much. Lyla's sister, Genni, got auntie privileges as well, but because she lived an entire state away those were mostly doled out via Skype.
Between QC, wedding planning, Arrow duty, and spending time with Devon whenever possible, Felicity's days were full to overflowing. Throw in the constant back and forth between Felicity and Oliver with their realtor and Felicity never seemed to find a quiet moment anymore. Jan, the realtor Oliver used for all of his property acquiring needs, was in the process of working out the details of the contract for the cottage. There had been a few road blocks but Felicity had entrusted Oliver with dealing with them while she held Thea's hand and helped walk her through the planning process.
Wedding planning was once again on Felicity's most immediate agenda, sitting at the dining room table at the mansion with Thea on the opposite side and a thick layer of assorted binders and magazines spread out between them.
"I feel like I'm forgetting something." Thea frowned, shuffling a few sheets of paper around.
"Like what?" Felicity asked. "You've got the bridesmaid and maid of honor's dresses picked out and ordered, the guys tuxes are already done and just need the last few adjustments. Your dress is being stitched, probably as we speak. Flowers are done, as are the food selections, the venue, transportation, and accommodations for out of town guests. The invitations all went out weeks ago and the DJ is reserved. We're working on favors and you hired an entire crew to set everything up according to your extremely specific instructions. What could we be forgetting?"
Thea shrugged, lifting her head to frown at Moira when she stepped into the room. "Mom, when you married Dad, did you feel like this? Like no matter how much you planned you were still forgetting things you should have already done?"
Moira set a mimosa on the table in front of her daughter before sitting down beside her and resting a calming hand over hers. "Thea, I had Grandma Dearden and Grandma Queen running that show and I still felt like I was losing my mind." Moira smiled softly. "Don't worry, baby. Between your maid of honor," She grinned at Felicity, "and myself, we won't let you forget anything."
"Exactly." Felicity nodded her agreement. "You still have six weeks to iron out the wrinkles and plenty of people to help you do that."
Thea drew a deep breath in through her nose and held it for a beat before blowing it out through her mouth. She rolled her shoulders and nodded. "Okay. You're right. I can totally do this."
"Of course you can." Moira pulled her into a one armed hug. "You're a Queen."
"Only for a few more weeks." Roy called out, appearing in the doorway with Oliver right behind him.
"Thea Dearden Harper." Oliver rolled the name around on his tongue, tilting his head as he considered it. "That will take a bit of getting used to."
Thea rolled her eyes, relaxing into her chair as Roy stood behind her and dropped a kiss to the top of her head, his hands massaging her shoulders.
Oliver sat down beside Felicity and dragged one of the binders toward him, pondering over the dress depicted on the glossy page. It was Felicity's dress for the wedding, the same cut and style as the bridesmaid's strapless, candy apple red dresses but set apart by the white ribbon cinched around the waist. He looked over a few more pages, idly flipping through wedding details while everyone chattered around him.
"Oh!" Thea cried suddenly, sitting up ramrod straight in her chair and knocking Roy's hands from her shoulders. "I know what I forgot to do. Ollie, can I talk to you for a minute?"
Oliver glanced at Felicity who only shrugged, genuinely having no idea what Thea had remembered.
"Yeah, of course." Oliver pressed a kiss to Felicity's cheek before standing and following his sister.
Thea led him through the kitchen and out into the garden, following the path that wound through it. Oliver stayed quiet, knowing that she'd talk when she was good and ready and not a moment sooner. When they reached the end of the garden's boundry, where the flowers gave way to open space that eventually morphed into orchards, they stopped beside each other, Thea threading her arm through Oliver's elbow and resting her head on his shoulder.
"Do you remember when we were little and Dad used to bring us out here to play hide and seek?" Thea asked softly, her voice small and fragile in the way it always was when she talked about Robert.
"I remember." Oliver replied just as softly, a slide show of memories flickering through his mind's eye. "I also seem to recall you getting stuck in a pomegranate tree and screaming for help until Dad came to rescue you."
Thea laughed, the sound thick with unshed tears. "I was six, Ollie, and it was a long way down."
Oliver grinned, tilting his head to rest it against hers. "Sure it was."
Thea pinched his arm, earning herself a chuckle from deep in Oliver's chest. "I always trusted Dad to protect me, you know?" she asked, her eyes fixed on the line of trees. "I knew that if I needed to be rescued, either from imaginary dragons or evil trees, he was the one I could count on to do the rescuing."
Oliver didn't speak, unsure what he could ever say to make what happened to Robert even just a little easier on any of them. Thea knew the truth now, about her father's death. After she was let in on the Arrow secret she had insisted there be no more lies, no more half truths between them. So, Oliver had told her that their father hadn't drowned. He told her how Robert had sacrificed himself so that Oliver stood a fighting chance, so that he could return home to his family and become the man he was today.
Thea apparently hadn't expected Oliver to respond, regardless, because she continued. "When I was a little girl I used to dream about my wedding. I'd dream about falling in love with my prince, just like the princesses in my stories, and him asking me to be his wife. My prince's identity changed over the years, along with all the little details. The flowers, the colors, my dress... It all changed as I got older. You know the one thing that never did?" she asked, lifting her head to meet Oliver's gaze.
He could see the shine of tears shimmering in her wide round eyes, could see the pain she never let herself feel. "Tell me." he urged her gently.
"It was always Dad I saw walking me down the aisle." she whispered.
Oliver's heart broke for his baby sister, knowing that it was one thing she could never have. Of course every little girl dreamt of her daddy being the one to escort her down the aisle and into the arms of the man waiting to be her husband. While Oliver had never considered it, it seemed so obvious now with Thea looking up at him with a paper thin smile.
"Thea, I-"
"No, Ollie." she interrupted, moving in front of him and reaching out to clasp his hands in hers. "Just let me finish, okay?"
Oliver nodded, his mouth pressing into a flat line to stop himself from speaking.
"I know that things haven't always been easy between us. But, you've always been my brother. You've always looked out for me and had my back, even when I didn't know it was you. I know that there is nothing in the world that could ever change that and I'm thankful everyday that you made it back to us because I don't know where I'd be if you hadn't." Thea had tears slipping from the corner of her eyes then, but she ignored them. "Dad being gone, not being here to see me get married or to give me away... It hurts, Ollie. The only thing that makes it any easier is knowing that I still have you. Which is why I want to ask you if you'll do me the honor of escorting me down the aisle." She smiled hesitantly and wetly at her brother, her lips trembling slightly.
Oliver blinked once and in the next second was pulling Thea into his chest, wrapping her up tight in his arms, his chin landing on top of her head. She laughed, a sincerely pleased laugh that made Oliver's eyes sting.
"I take it that's a yes." Thea squeezed him back, her arms tight around his ribs.
"Are you kidding?" Oliver pulled back so that he could look her in the eye, knowing that she'd be a good sister and willfully ignore the moisture in his eyes. "Of course I will, Speedy."
Thea smiled and buried her face in his chest again, letting him hold her tight. For the first time since she'd started planning she felt like she might just be able to do this after all.