A/N: Thanks again for the reviews and support for this story. I'm actually really really glad you guys strong armed me into continuing it.
This chapter continues with the gala and then there is another small time jump.
And then...I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry.
The gala was being held at the art museum which meant a red carpet and photographers, and maybe even a few camera crews. Thea had prepped her on what to expect, but as Digg joined the line of limos slowly rolling forward she saw huge spot lights and a crowd of people and began to panic.
"I can't do this. This is insane. People like me don't do things like this." she said, slightly frantic.
"Felicity." Oliver said sharply, but it drew her from her freak out. "You can do this. You counted cards at an underground casino. You can handle one gala."
His words had the desired effect and she felt herself coming back down. "Just promise you won't leave my side, okay."
"Promise." he vowed, and she knew he wouldn't break it.
Digg put the car in park and looked back at them. "You ready?"
Oliver nodded and the next thing she knew the door was being opened.
A cacophony of noise greeted them. Oliver got out first, casually buttoning his suit jacket and giving a small wave to the crowd. When she saw his hand extend back into the car she took the deepest breath she could in the dress and slid out carefully.
He took her weight and helped keep her balanced, somehow knowing her knees were going to be shaky.
Oliver led her a few steps onto the carpet and then wrapped his arm around her waist, his thumb beginning to rub across the bare skin he found. She shivered so hard he felt it.
His head dipped down near hers, "Smile, walk slowly, and tell them who made your dress when they ask. That's all you have to do and we'll be inside before you know it."
She gave him a nod and plastered on a smile she hoped looked real.
Photographers were calling their names from every direction. She took Oliver's lead for which one she should be looking at. The lights were blinding, and it took everything in her not to squint. Oliver made it look easy, but he'd been doing this a lot longer than she had.
A few of the photographers asked her to turn around so they could get shots of her dress. Oliver obliged them by stepping to the side. She turned obediently and looked back over her shoulder, not missing the heated gaze he leveled her with.
The rest of the line was a blur. Oliver couldn't seem to keep his hand from touching every inch of her back, and she wondered if he even knew what he was doing. It felt like flames licking against her skin and she didn't know how she would survive the night.
Someone asked them to step closer together and he pulled her in tighter, his hand now curling around her rib cage, his fingertips actually dipping under the thin fabric that ran along her side. It was an extremely intimate act and every nerve ending was frizzing with sensation.
Her breath caught in her throat when his thumb stroked up slowly, coming a hairsbreadth from skimming along the side of her breast. "Oliver," she said low and took a tiny step to her left, hoping to break some of the contact.
His hand froze and then fell down some, his fingers now on the outside of her dress. He hadn't even known what he'd done.
A few minutes later they had successfully made it inside the museum and she took a moment to look around, not caring what she looked like. Oliver laughed lightly and took her by the elbow, making sure she didn't run into anyone or anything.
"This is amazing." she said in wonder, craning her neck to look up. "Can we come again next year?" Not caring that she sounded like a little kid asking to go back to the amusement park.
When Oliver didn't answer she dropped her head and looked at him in confusion, then remembered what she'd said. "Oh, god, sorry. I didn't mean to presume, just...forget I said anything." she stammered.
"We can come again next year." he said deliberately, and she couldn't look away. "For now, just enjoy yourself."
He snagged them two glasses of champagne and she spotted the waiters passing around hor d'oeuvres. "Oh, can we...I'm starving." she said a little louder than she should have, causing the couple in front of them to turn. She gave them a little smile and wave in return.
Oliver directed them towards the food where she restrained herself per Thea's orders and tried very very hard not to drop anything on her dress. She was introduced to so many people she stopped trying to remember all their names. Oliver got pulled into a few business discussions, and she even added her opinion a time or two causing him to look at her with pride, especially when it countered what the person they were talking to was saying.
They had walked into a mostly empty gallery, and she enjoyed the momentary respite. "Almost feels weird being this dressed up without a comm link in my ear." she said cheekily, overjoyed at the broad, genuine grin that spread across his face.
That was the picture the one photographer permitted inside the event had captured, and the picture that would be splashed on every news and tabloid site the next morning. Her with her head tilted back, grinning almost coquettishly, while he had his body turned towards her like they were the only people in the room, smiling down at her upturned face.
"I'd by lying if I hadn't had the same thought." he admitted, she grinned back and slid her hand into his elbow as they made their way into the main ballroom.
Dinner was a seven course sit down affair. White gloved waiters served the food. There were wine pairings with each dish, which she only sipped since she feared becoming drunk and making an even bigger fool of herself than she could do sober.
The table they were at held most of the Starling City elite including the mayor, the museum director, and the police commissioner. Felicity had to stifle a smile that they had no idea they were dining with Green Arrow. Oliver's hand fell to her knee and gave it a squeeze. She exchanged a glance with him and saw he had thought the same.
"It's so nice to see a young couple so much in love." the wife of the museum director said suddenly, and Felicity looked up to see she was talking to them.
She choked on the food in her mouth and held her napkin up to cover her coughing. Oliver's hand across her shoulders didn't help. He slid her water glass over and turned a charming smile on the woman across from them.
"Thank you," he said simply,
"How is that darling little girl of yours?" she asked
"She's doing well, thank you for asking." by the time the conversation was over Felicity could breathe again, although she was sure her face was still red.
Dinner was followed by dancing. And when the host announced that they would be led by their biggest benefactor she was shell shocked as Oliver towed her to the middle of the floor.
"I'm going to kill you." she muttered under her breath. He just chuckled at her distress.
"You knew about this, didn't you?" she asked, trying to keep a smile on her face as he took one hand in his and splayed the other across her back, pulling her into him.
The music started and he looked down at her, "I may have had some advance notice." he admitted.
"Paybacks are a bitch, Queen. Just remember that." she threatened.
"I look forward to it." he said into her ear, making her tremble and she hated that he could feel it.
Just before they started to move she looked at him in earnest, "Oliver, you should know, I am a terrible dancer."
"I told you, my toes can handle it." he reminded her, and then they were dancing.
Her body followed his, the subtle pressure of his fingers letting her know which direction they were going and she never once felt like she was about to make a fool of herself.
When half the song was over the rest of the floor was opened up and she didn't feel quite so anxious.
"You're a very good dancer." she observed
"You're a very good partner." he returned, and she knew he didn't just mean on the dance floor.
As the night wore on she found herself actually having a good time. She danced with the mayor and a few other people who seemed to find her charming and not ridiculous. Oliver manage to avoid dancing with anyone else.
When the son of a local congressmen stepped in she was surprised. She could smell the liquor on his breath and gave him a weak smile, hoping she could get out of this as soon as possible.
When his palm ran down her back to rest at the top of her ass she suddenly felt Oliver's hand on her arm, pulling her towards him.
"Excuse me." he said, his voice deadly low. "But we need to call and check on our daughter." He had effectively pulled Felicity completely away from the lout, his arm wrapped securely around her waist.
As they walked away she leaned into him a bit, "Thanks for the save, Green Arrow." she teased, but when she looked over at him she was surprised to see his jaw still clenched and a look in his eyes like he was about to take someone out.
"Oliver..." she began but he stopped suddenly and spun her around to face him, his fingers coasting over the sensitive flesh inside her elbow.
"I didn't like him touching you." he practically growled and she audibly gasped.
"Wh..." she didn't get any further because Oliver's name was called from behind them. With great effort he put on his fake smile and let his hand fall down to capture hers as he turned.
Oliver talked with the man for several minutes while she stood mutely by his side, trying to make sense of what had happened.
When the man left Oliver guided her past the dessert table where she picked up a cheesecake in a shotglass that was finished in two bites.
Still feeling unnerved she hesitated saying anything, and Oliver never brought it back up again.
His hand was once again trailing across her back as they said their goodbyes. Everyone said it had been a pleasure to meet her, and there were a few she actually believed.
When they were back inside the limo she sank into the leather with a long sigh and waited for Digg to get in the driver's seat.
"Digg, I swear, if you do not take this limo straight to Big Belly Burger I will change the code to the lair on you everyday for a month." she threatened as her stomach growled.
"Why don't rich people eat?" she whined, hating how her heart flipped when Oliver grinned at her like that.
"We eat." he said,
"Not at parties like that you don't." she retorted.
Digg lowered the divider all the way, and looked back. "Burgers?"
"Digg!" she barked, "Don't toy with me!"
He just chuckled and pulled away from the curb. "There's a bottle of champagne chilling in the fridge. I figured you earned it after tonight."
"You're a god among men, Digg, I've always said that." she replied happily. Now that the gala was over she felt she could risk having more than a few sips.
She took her shoes off and slung her legs across Oliver's lap as she poured each of them a glass. She handed him one and then sat back, "You never got around to the right one last time." she said with a challenging smirk, knowing that for once she'd surprised him.
His head tilted slightly, like a nod in a duel and she suddenly wondered if she was going to regret this choice.
Without ever averting his eyes he sat the champagne in the holder and pushed back the hem of her dress above her ankle. He slid his hand back down, slowly, making her tense every muscle in her leg and foot as he skimmed along until he reached the bottom of her foot.
The pads of his thumbs pressed into the arch and she melted, making a low noise in her throat that she knew he heard.
She pretended she wasn't that affected, as she forced herself to drink her champagne and never break his gaze.
The longer he rubbed her foot, the harder that task became.
His face was cast in shadows, which only made him more attractive. What light there was caught the planes and hollows of his face dramatically, making him appear dangerous. Until she reminded herself that she had Oliver Queen, Green Arrow himself, rubbing her feet.
A naughty smirk inadvertently crossed her face and he saw, which only made him up the ante.
His fingers traveled upwards, encircling her ankle. Her leg jerked slightly and now it was his turn to smirk. She downed her glass and poured another. She'd never known her ankle was so sensitive until he started following the lines of the bone, his nails scraping lightly.
Feeling bold, and a bit reckless, she draped an arm across the back of the seat and let her hand rest on his shoulder, tracing the line between his jacket and dress shirt, the expensive material slid easily underneath her touch.
She regretted that decision when his hand left her ankle and continued up her calf. Another half of glass was consumed with that action. She wasn't sure she could feel her extremities. Everything in her was focused on wherever his hands were.
She licked her lips, and could feel how shallow her breath was and knew he knew as well. When his fingers danced along the back of her knee she conceded defeat and let her head fall back with a stifled moan. The way his hand grasped her leg made her think she wasn't the only one affected.
When the car stopped and the interior lights came on she sat up hastily, swinging her feet to the floor and slipping her shoes back on. She felt slightly lightheaded from the champagne and knew she needed to get food in her system immediately before she said or did something she regretted.
Digg opened the door on her side, and helped her out, giving her a knowing look and she realized the divider had been down the entire ride.
"I sent Carly a text, she said she'd stick around for a bit for us. Burgers and fries have already been ordered." Digg said as they made their way inside.
"You're the best, Digg." she said as her stomach growled again. She hadn't look Oliver's direction since they'd left the car.
A table was set and waiting for them. They greeted Carly and thanked her. She waved them off and made Felicity give her a mini fashion show in her dress. When she saw the back her jaw dropped.
"Whoa! How did he keep his hands off you all night?" Carly said conspiratorially,
Digg was passing them when she spoke, "He didn't." he supplied with a large grin and Carly made her give her a high five.
Oliver slid into the booth next to her and she risked a glance his way. His face betrayed nothing and she was actually glad. So much had happened in such a short amount of time she needed a chance to process it all.
Food. She could focus on food. That way she wouldn't be remembering what it felt like when he touched her.
She had just started to reach for her burger when she groaned loudly and sat back, hands in her lap.
"What's wrong?" Digg asked, already taking a giant bite out of his own meal.
"If I get even one speck of food on this dress Thea will have me beheaded. I know this to be fact." she said dejectedly.
"Can't you just be careful?" Carly asked and both Digg and Oliver laughed.
Felicity shot them dirty looks. "That won't happen, trust me." she said with as much dignity as she could muster.
Carly thought for a minute and held a finger up, "Hang on a sec, I'll be right back." She darted back to the kitchens while the two boys continued to chuckle.
Carly was back in a few minutes and handed her a folded up bit of black cloth. "It's clean, I promise."
Felicity opened it to discover a busboy apron she could slip over her head. "This is perfect!" she exclaimed, as she covered her gown and grinned at them, "I need to keep some of these at home, you know how messy I can get, Oliver." she had just reached for her burger when she saw a look in his eyes that took her breath away. "What?" she asked, warily.
"You said 'home'." he responded throatily and she tried to hide her gasp.
"I guess I did." she replied. The moment hung between them until Digg broke the silence.
When she was sated she sat back and groaned. "That was perfect, really. I've had juice, and the tiniest portions of things today that don't even count as food."
"We should get back." Oliver stated. It was after midnight and if they were lucky Alice would be sound asleep.
As it turned out that was not the case.
The house appeared to be quiet when they returned. Oliver's hand hovered underneath her arm as they climbed the stairs but he didn't touch her. In fact, he hadn't touched her since the foot rubbing incident 2.0 that had spiraled rapidly out of control.
She slid her heels off when they reached the top and held the hem of her dress up so she wouldn't trample it. They were halfway down the hall to their rooms and Alice's nursery when they could see the door open, with light spilling out. Thea's laugh echoed out into the corridor.
"What the hell?" Oliver said darkly and quicken his pace.
He beat Felicity to the door and she had to try and push her way past when he froze on the spot. Never would she have expected the sight that greeted her.
Roy Harper was flying Alice around over his head like she was an airplane. And Alice was laughing.
Thea sat with her back to the door, grinning at them.
"Speedy!" Oliver barked and strode forward, his glare on Roy before he'd even turned to see them there.
Oliver didn't say a word to Roy just took Alice from him and turned his look on Thea, waiting for an explanation.
Thea scrambled to her feet. "Hey guys, you're back already!" she exclaimed.
Oliver didn't even speak he just emitted a low level grumble from his chest and Thea gulped before continuing. "Roy came over to visit, and it turns out he's really great with kids. Alice adores him."
That was probably the last thing she should have said and Felicity recognized the way his eyes narrowed, and the set of his jaw.
She hurried forward and took Alice from Oliver, giving her a smile and a kiss on the cheek before she handed her off to Thea. "You kept her up. You can get her to sleep." she said pointedly and then turned to Roy. "Thanks for keeping her entertained but I think Thea's got it from here." he took the hint, and the fact that she was essentially saving him and headed for the door, only looking back once.
Felicity grabbed Oliver by the wrist and tugged twice before he moved. He was silent until the door to their suite shut behind him and then he erupted.
She let him rant and fume, watching as he paced the carpet. His jacket was thrown over a chair and as he spoke he undid his bow tie leaving it loose around his collar before the top two buttons of his shirt were opened with sharp flicks of his fingers.
She was placing her clutch on the table when she turned around and saw him. Her mouth went dry.
Shit. She was in trouble.
He looked...incredible. He ran one hand through his hair and stopped when he caught the look on her face.
Her feet had carried her forward several steps before she knew what she was doing. She stopped herself, her breath coming in short, tight, bursts while her heart threatened to beat out of her chest.
He ate up the distance between them in two long strides and she felt dizzy.
His hand came up and cupped her face, his thumb stroking over her cheekbone and her eyes slammed shut at the contact.
What were they doing? A tiny part of her brain that was still capable of functioning made itself known and she gasped, stepping back at the same time although she could still feel the heat of his hand on her skin.
"Thank you...I had...I had a really good time tonight." she stammered, feeling like she had to say something.
His eyes swirled with emotion and she knew if she gave him the slightest indication she'd end up in his bed tonight. But she wouldn't know why. And she needed to know that what he was doing was real and genuine.
She didn't wait for his response as she turned and headed for her room. She leaned heavily against the door when it was shut and took several deep breaths in an attempt to calm her pulse.
An image of him appeared in her mind and her hand fell to the door handle, the cold brass cutting into her palm from how tightly she held it. With her head pressed into the door she fought an internal battle.
Should she open the door or not?
In the end she forced herself away and walked sullenly into her closet. Desire thrummed through her but she had to push it away, or at least make an attempt to push it away.
She went through the motions of hanging up the dress, and peeling off her $200 thong. An image of Oliver doing that for her was a reminder that she could be in his room right now and she groaned out loud in frustration.
The robe she'd worn earlier was still in the closet. She slipped it on and made her way into the bathroom to undo all the hard work of the hair stylists and makeup artists. She'd pulled out half the hair pins when a sparkle in the mirror caught her eye and she remembered she was still wearing the necklace and earrings.
Her hand flew to her throat, covering the gems as her heart beat furiously. She had millions of dollars of jewels around her neck, she couldn't just take it off and leave it on the bathroom counter.
She pulled the rest of the pins out hastily causing her hair to tumble about her shoulders. The earrings she slipped off and laid to the side, hoping it would be okay to return them in the morning. The necklace she knew she had to deal with immediately.
Felicity reached behind her neck and tried to work the clasp but she couldn't get it to release. Cold sweat broke out across her skin, and she could feel her nerves start to rise. Her fingers felt heavy and clumsy and no matter what she did she could not get it to open.
In desperation she turned the piece around so she could attempt to see but it was just too short and trying to use the mirror didn't help either. It was intricate and complex to ensure the necklace wouldn't open up while it was being worn.
She turned it back the way it was supposed to go and leaned her hands on the counter, before she studied herself in the mirror. She was going to have to walk across the suite, knock on Oliver's door, and ask him for help. After she'd just had to talk herself down from almost jumping him.
Before she could think too long she tightened the belt around her waist and headed out the door. Her feet were silent on the carpet. Half way across the floor she realized his door wasn't shut all the way and it took her aback.
Had he expected her? Did he want her to come back? What was he going to think when she knocked on the door?
She'd turned around and taken two steps towards her room before she noticed she'd moved. With a heavy sigh and clenched fists she spun and marched straight for the door.
She knocked heavily, wincing when it reverberated in the space. The door was opened almost immediately and she gasped.
Her hand was still raised in the air, as she froze. The tie was gone, so were the cufflinks, and she had clearly interrupted him changing because his shirt was completely unbuttoned and untucked from his pants.
There was a look in his eye she had never ever seen before. It was dark and dangerous and had heat pooling in her belly.
"What are you doing Felicity?" his voice was low, and rumbly and she just then noticed the way his hand clenched the the door above his head. His knuckles were white.
With a great rush of air she began breathing again. She dropped her hand and fiddled with the tie of the robe. It was that action that made her remember how she was dressed, and what had happened only ten minutes earlier, and what her standing at his door in nothing but a robe must look like.
"Oh god!" she said suddenly both hands coming up to cover her mouth. "I'm not here for...no. The necklace! I couldn't get the necklace off. It's got some sort of super tricky clasp and I tried, I really did, because I did not want to have to come back out here after..." she cleared her throat and squeezed her eyes shut tight, "I just need to give this back to you. I can't leave something like this just laying around my room. I guess I could have just slept in it. Crap, why didn't I think of that. But anyways-"
He didn't say a word, just laid a hand on her shoulder and turned her away from him. The words she were going to keep saying caught as she felt tingles shoot across her skin just from that slight bit of contact.
Her exhale stuttered past her lips as she felt him slowly move her hair away from her neck, draping it over one shoulder.
His fingertips only occasionally brushed across her skin, but when they did she was hyperaware as jolts of electricity would make her shiver.
He had the clasp undone in seconds. The necklace pulled away from her throat and she immediately felt it's loss.
Her hand stroked over the now bare expanse of skin and pivoted on the spot.
"Guess I'd better go before I turn into a pumpkin." she laughed awkwardly. He looked away for a second and when he looked back he was the old Oliver again.
"Get some sleep." he said evenly, no trace that anything out of the ordinary had just happened.
She didn't trust her voice. Instead she just nodded and headed back to her room. The door shut firmly behind her when she was only a few steps away.
She went through the motions of getting ready for bed, trying to ignore what had happened, even though that was impossible.
The baby monitor was by her bedside and she turned it up to listen, relieved to hear Alice's light, even breathing, which meant she was asleep.
The events of the night filtered through her mind in changing order as she tried to fall asleep. The ones she kept coming back to repeatedly always ended up featuring his hands on her skin as the common denominator.
In the morning everything was back to normal. Oliver didn't say anything about what had happened at the gala or after the gala and neither did she.
There was nothing again that was as loaded as that night. Nothing that heavy. She caught his stare sometimes and still felt electricity every time they touched, but they both seemed to know they were playing with fire and had elected to be very very careful.
Another few weeks passed like this with them maintaining the status quo. Alice continued to grow and change. She could roll over now and loved to grab Felicity's glasses. She was also sleeping for almost seven hours straight which meant they weren't as sleep deprived any more.
Felicity had a long day and knew there was an even longer night ahead of her. She'd been putting off a much needed system upgrade to the servers at the lair and she couldn't delay any longer. Oliver wouldn't even be out a board meeting until late so she'd driven herself in that morning. She just needed to pick up Alice and they'd be on their way.
As she pushed into the reception area of the daycare, she smiled at the young woman behind the desk.
"Hi, Mrs. Qu...sorry...Ms. Smoak." the girl said, shaking her head at her gaffe. Felicity barely blinked, she'd heard it so many times by now it didn't phase her any more.
"Did Alice leave something here?" the girl asked quizzically, and Felicity gave her a confused look.
"Um, I don't think so. I'm just here to pick her up."
"Oh, your new nanny came and got her about an hour ago. Nice lady, it's so hard to find good help you can trust. Is Alice going to be coming back everyday or just occasionally? We'd hate to lose her." she was busying herself with paperwork while she spoke and didn't seem to notice when Felicity paled and went still.
"What nanny?" she asked, a whine of panic building within her that she was trying desperately to keep control of.
There must have been something in her voice because the girl stopped and looked at her. "Your new nanny." she said slowly, "She showed me a paper signed by Mr. Queen. She said you two would be working late tonight and he'd asked her to come by and pick Alice up."
Felicity felt like the world had dropped out from underneath her feet. "Oh god!" she gasped, hand covering her mouth as she clutched the counter for support.
"Ms. Smoak, what's wrong?" the girl asked worriedly
"There is no nanny!" Felicity cried, "There is no new nanny! She's been taken. Oh my god, she's been taken."