Well here's chapter 6, a lot of fluff mixed with a little substance. Hope it still moves our story along and we get a little more insight on our couple and working out this situation! ;)

Thanks everyone for your reviews and for feeding my muse! Keep 'em coming, you don't know how much I appreciate hearing from readers and fellow writers!

KTOLF!
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Chapter Six – Understanding

"If that was breakfast, I'm still hungry," Oliver ran his fingers down her slender arm and stopped her fingers before they found one of the few truly ticklish spots on his body. Felicity had found this unhinging spot with her lips during a particularly amorous adventure in their Ivy Town home.

Oliver certainly hadn't done all he could to stop her attack in their laundry room but between her insistence that he 'stay still', the humming of the dryer which he was seated on, and the proximity of her lips to his…arrow… Well, thank God no one else would ever get sight of the massive hickey she had left on his body or the tiny scar caused by her teeth when the tickling became absolutely too much for him to handle.

That had been true torture.

Felicity gripped his hand and placed a kiss against his throat where her head was nestled quite comfortably.

She was really content to stay in their current position all day long. The feel of his strong, bare leg resting on top of her bare thighs, holding her in place, was one of Felicity's most favorite feelings in the world. She loved knowing she could make him lose his breath, and his energy more quickly than chasing any of the bad guys Oliver had faced.

It was in moments like these she knew he was truly hers. She knew Oliver had given every part of himself to her. And, lying there naked, together, she was completely his as well.

"If you're referring to a repeat of what we just finished, I'm a little fearful of maternal interruptions," Felicity offered, reminding Oliver that they probably weren't alone in the house.

"Isn't there a lock on the door?" he placed her hand back on his hip so he could wrap his free arm around her and nudge himself closer to her.

"Yessss," Felicity drawled slightly, very aware of Oliver's ability to keep her occupied in bed. One of the reasons William had previously caught them in a compromising position. "But it has to be locked before we are naked and… attached to each other."

"What's the challenge in that?" Oliver wondered, ducking his head to kiss something other than her hair.

"Oliver Jonas Queen!" Felicity scolded. "We are not talking about a frat brother walking in, or even our son catching me under the covers and you, well, un-covered… This is my mother we are talking about. The same woman who didn't hesitate mentioning makeup sex at a time …"

"At a time that makeup sex was needed and quite frankly she was correct, wasn't she?"

Felicity rolled her eyes but certainly didn't argue with him.

She thought back to the time Oliver had invited Donna to come spend time with them – with Felicity in particular – and how her mother's motherly advice had been spot on, for the first time in Felicity's life.

"I don't think Donna's gonna come barging in on us this morning, do you?" Oliver wondered seriously.

Felicity moved around just enough to get out from under Oliver's chin in order to share the kiss with him that he was wanting.

"You okay?" He started to move his leg that practically had her pinned to the bed - but his wife balked, putting her hand firmly on the back of his thigh.

"The call from Dr. Barton…" Felicity brought the elephant in the room back to the forefront.

Again Oliver tried to move and she wouldn't let him.

"Stay here, please?" Felicity requested.

In return Oliver ran his hand lovingly up and down her arm. "Yeah?" he encouraged her to continue.

"Oliver, what scares me most is the thought of being 9 months pregnant, being ready for our baby to be born and then, for whatever reason – maybe because of the stimulator – I'm paralyzed again. And there you are having to take care of a newborn, William and me. I want to be able to walk around with my baby in my arms. I want to be able to pace the floor when she's colicky. I want to stand over the crib and stare down at him when he's sleeping so peacefully. I want to see you cradling our baby in your arms and be able to tiptoe and kiss you and hug you both."

Felicity took a breath and put her lips against Oliver's shoulder. "I don't want to be dependent on you to have to take care of me and our baby. If that's the scenario that plays out…I don't know what I'd do…how I'd feel…how I could handle it."

This time Oliver shifted so he could place his hand on Felicity's cheek and look into her face. "Do you want to have a baby?"

"Don't," Felicity started.

"Felicity," Oliver argued slowly and deliberately against her protest, "Do you want a baby?"

Although this was exactly the conversation she had wanted to avoid, she knew she had to answer him. She pressed her lips together and couldn't stop the tears that pooled in her eyes. She had been asking herself this very question for more than months. And now was the moment for her to answer.

She gave Oliver a slow, nervous nod, followed by a simple, tearful, "Yes."

Oliver couldn't help the closed-lip smile that automatically formed on his face. His tears were obvious as well, hearing his wife's heartfelt hope.

"I do too," Oliver answered her seriously. "Felicity, I want us to have a baby together. William is wonderful and he is our son. But I really do want a baby for us. I want to wrap my arms around you and put my hands on your belly and feel our baby moving. I want to watch you holding our baby. Do you remember when Sara was born and you were standing there with Lyla when I came by the hospital?"

Felicity nodded, listening intently.

"God, all I could think about in that moment, was how beautiful you would be, holding our baby and how amazing it would be to share that with you."

"But Oliver –" Felicity again tried to interject.

"Let me worry about you, and our baby, please?" Oliver requested straight from his heart. "No, oh God, no, I don't want you to be paralyzed, ever again. I want to take every precaution against that that we can. But Baby, if this is something you want to share with me…I want to share it with you. I want to make a baby with you and go to birthing classes and pick out a bassinet and diapers." He chuckled at the thought and was happy to see her smile at his enthusiasm.

"And, if the bio-stimulator causes an issue… if it hurts the baby, or if the paralysis comes back… then Felicity, we will go through that together. We can't face those hurdles if we don't even try, right? But you've gotta promise me that you won't keep that kind of stuff from me if it happens, okay? You can't run away from it. You can't run away from me. Promise me you won't run away. You'll let me be there to help you make decisions. We're talking about our baby, our family, Felicity. OURS."

She let her tears fall. She let her husband wipe them away. And then she let her fears also tumble away.

As she began kissing Oliver he noticed her hunger and eagerness and realized that he must've told her exactly what she needed to hear.

Her hand reached to his waist and pulled him back toward her. And as he so often did, Oliver wrapped his arms around her body and rolled onto his back, pulling her with him. They took a second to smile at each other.

Felicity raised up momentarily, not at all uncomfortable sitting completely bare against his pelvic bone. "We need to make an appointment with Dr. Barton. I need to have the I.U.D. removed."

"Okay," Oliver nodded, taking her hands into his and helping her steady herself as she balanced on top of him.

"You asked if I want to have a baby?" Felicity looked lovingly into his eyes.

"Yeah, and you said 'yes'," Oliver reminded her.

Felicity nibbled on her bottom lip, shyly, as she continued her thought, "I don't just want to have a baby…I want to have your baby."

Oliver smiled at her. He stared into her eyes sharing a smile much like they had shared on their wedding day, when their thoughts and emotions had finally synchronized.

And then he wagged his eyebrows at her, feeling a very familiar warmth permeating their lower extremities. "Wanna practice?" he grinned mischievously and rotated his hips to give her an even better indication of his approval.

"What else exactly were you thinking we'd do in this position?" Felicity sat up a bit straighter, flaunting her obvious nakedness.

Oliver groaned. His hands found her waist, attempting to shift her further down his body to curb his growing tension. "Do you want to lock the door?" he grinned one more time.

Felicity bent down, kissing his lips and beginning her descent into their second 'breakfast' of the day.

"Frack it," she spoke against his lips. "I don't think DD will disapprove."

When Felicity finally decided she was ready to get out of bed she begrudgingly allowed Oliver to put on his sweats and a fresh t-shirt as she grabbed clothes to take to the shower. Oliver watched her with a smile as she put back on his t-shirt that she had slept in overnight.

He noted, with a roll of his eyes, that at least the shirt was long enough to cover her bare toosh as she opened the bedroom door, slipped across the hallway and into the bathroom.

As he debated what to do next Oliver took a second to look around the guest bedroom. He quickly recognized that 'guest' didn't really describe this room. As Donna had said the previous night, this was apparently his and Felicity's room.

There were no less than four picture frames that help photographs of them together. One included Donna and Noah, Felicity's father, at the wedding reception in Star City. Another was Oliver, Felicity and William being what appeared to be a typical family.

Oliver had to smile at the always-quirky school picture in a smaller frame on the dresser. William's smile included the braces which had been part of Samantha's responsibility and then Felicity's. The change in parental units had included a change in orthodontists. Oliver took a deep breath. He recalled Felicity's research into that matter and her determination to find a specialist that would care for their son with the utmost confidence.

The other picture in the room was one he didn't recognize until he stood right in front of it. The 8x10 frame was a little more worn than the others, a testament to a few more years of sitting in sunlight on top of a dresser or bedside table.

He stared for several moments at the high school version of his wife. She wore her cap and gown with pride, tassels and stoles showing the accolades she had earned in those years. Oliver had to smile. How on earth… had she fallen in love… with him.

He picked up the frame and ran a finger over her face. Her strawberry blonde hair looked more like Donna's. Oliver could only guess – and would likely never truly ask – that she started dying it blonde following her goth experience in college. He could only imagine Donna's reaction to that period of Felicity's life.

The gentle smile was etched on his face with so many thoughts that he was suddenly unable to wrap his mind around them all. Felicity…William…the three of them as a family…a mother-in-law who apparently was accepting them all as her own…and the idea that there could be an addition to their family…

Oliver stood, letting his eyes wander over the pictures one more time. Then he straightened up the bed and decided to wander to the bathroom because he really wanted to hug his wife again before heading downstairs.

When he found the door locked, he knocked gently, figuring she wouldn't hear the sound over the running water, but he underestimated Felicity's hearing. He heard the water turn off and her concerned voice, "Oliver?"

"Yeah, um, sorry, I was just going to tell you that I'm going downstairs to find some breakfast," he knew for some reason he sounded almost nervous.

"O-kay," Felicity scrunched her eyebrows together wondering why it was so important for him to tell her that. It wasn't like they were in a hotel and he was leaving their room. "You alright?" She wondered out loud.

Oliver chuckled at himself. "Yeah, yes, I'm fine. I just…I'm… I'm heading downstairs."

Felicity grinned. She was tempted to step out of the shower, open the door and give him a nice wet hug. However, she could imagine Donna walking up the stairs at that same time and this would be another scene that she'd prefer to keep from her mother.

"Mom loves you," she decided to try and encourage him. "Talk to her about your cooking skills. Make her breakfast. You're the Green Arrow for goodness sake and Mr. Super Chef. I know you can talk to her for half an hour. If you can't, just text her some emojis. You two love texting, don't you?" She laughed.

"That's enough," Oliver pressed his lips together and rolled his eyes at Felicity's joking.

"Hey, Oliver?" Felicity smiled, knowing he was probably scowling because she was picking on him.

"Hmmm?"

"I love you," she pulled the shower curtain back enough to look toward the door knowing he was standing just on the other side.

"Love you, too," he responded before turning on his heels and heading toward the kitchen.

"Good morning!" Donna practically chirped as she spotted Oliver coming down the stairs.

"Is it still?" Oliver wondered with a smile.

"Just barely," Donna looked at the clock. "You two succeeded in sleeping in till 10:30 – that's well into the afternoon on the opposite coast," she raised her eyebrows and almost laughed when she saw the slight blush on Oliver's cheeks.

"Uh, yeah," Oliver used his right hand to nervously massage his left bicep as he stood there looking at Felicity's mother. Did he just fudge over the fact that they had actually been awake for a few hours and just chose to spend that time alone, together?

Donna laughed at him with a "Ha!" of sorts that Oliver quickly understood. No words necessary, his mom-in-law knew more than he cared to believe.

She then backed down, getting up from her seat on the couch and pointing toward the kitchen, inviting Oliver to follow her.

"Are you hungry?" Donna quickly pointed to a seat at the kitchen table where there was fresh fruit and a couple of boxes of cereal waiting. She grabbed the milk from the refrigerator and a bowl from the cabinet, setting both in front of her son-in-law as she still awaited his answer.

"Yeah," Oliver smiled and thanked her, "actually, I guess I am pretty hungry."

Donna tilted her head and looked at him with a knowing glare, then decided against calling him out any further. She would save that for her daughter, perhaps, after finding out more about their conversations on the troubling topic that had brought Felicity to Vegas.

"Coffee?" Donna offered and Oliver gladly nodded as he began putting cereal in his bowl.

She poured a cup for him out of the fresh pot she had so kindly started when she heard the shower running. And she freshened her own cup before bringing both back to the table and taking the seat across from her handsome son-in-law.

"So," Donna rested her chin on her hand as she watched him take a couple of bites. "Did you two sleep well?" She hoped she was only prying slightly.

Oliver looked at her and smiled. "I think so, I know I did. Will called earlier and talked to Felicity. I'm pretty sure the phone woke Felicity up and then her talking woke me up."

"I talked to him earlier as well," Donna mentioned. "He didn't realize how early it was over here so I'm glad he called my phone and not yours. I hope I settled his nerves a little bit. Poor guy, he's worried about his… about Felicity."

Oliver stalled for a moment as Donna stumbled slightly over her referral to Felicity and William's relationship.

"Did he use her name, or did he call her 'mom' when he talked to you?" Oliver wondered.

Donna thought for a second. "He started out asking about 'Felicity', but once we were chatting he called her 'mom'." She watched Oliver's face as he thought about what she was saying.

"Felicity is his mom now Donna. She's perfectly fine with him calling her that. Will has been going back and forth with it, but I think, after yesterday and how concerned he is about her… Does that bother you? I mean, since he isn't Felicity's biological son…"

"Maybe not biological, but he is my son, haven't we determined that?" The voice from the doorway slightly startled Donna and Oliver both but neither was about to disagree with Felicity as she slowly walked over to Oliver and squirmed her way onto his lap like a 4 year old.

"It doesn't bother me in the least," Donna answered without hesitation. "And he is my grandson. Don't you all forget that while I spoil him."

Felicity smiled at her mother and was even more content when Oliver slid his chair backwards enough to accommodate both of them, and wrapped his arms around her. She easily grabbed his cup and took a long drink of the warm coffee.

Donna grinned at both of them.

"What?" Felicity held the cup in her hands, warming her fingers and watching her mother.

"When you and William were here months ago you wouldn't dare come downstairs without being fully dressed. Now here you are in a bathrobe with your wet hair up in a towel. Did you think Hubby-Dearest here couldn't handle an hour with me?" she joked as Felicity looked down at her own attire.

The younger woman hated to admit it, but her mother was right.

"Or did you miss him soooo much that you couldn't stand being away from him until you at least put on your bra?" Donna pushed the issue just enough for Oliver to blush again and Felicity's mouth dropped open.

"Mother!" Felicity's eyes widened – but again, Donna was actually correct. "I…"

Donna shook her head and pointed a well-manicured, long fingernail in the couple's direction. "You should know, for future reference…" she pointed toward the ceiling and moved her finger in a circular motion, "thin walls. You don't have to lock the door, but yeah, the wall thing…." She raised her eyebrows and nodded.

As much as Oliver wanted to seem horrified, he could only bring himself to wear the blush on his face with pride. He felt Felicity take and let out a deep breath before he placed his forehead on the back of her shoulder and then kissed that same spot softly.

Felicity then huffed, quickly and softly. "Good to know," she offered to her mother with a sarcastic smile and a tilt of her head.

Donna flicked her fingers toward her daughter, intentionally shoo'ing her off of Oliver's lap. "Would you go get dressed please? Oliver and I are enjoying a conversation here. Take your time, we will be just fine. I promise."

Felicity pouted slightly, took another drink of Oliver's coffee, stole a bite of his cereal and then stood from his hold. She turned to look at him, offering her pouty look as well which made him smile widely.

"I love you," he offered and reached up to catch her chin between his thumb and index finger. She bent down for a kiss and Oliver held her just a second longer. "He is your son. No questions asked."

Felicity's face brightened up with that thought urging her to plant another kiss on her husband's lips.

She looked back at her mother and raised her eyebrows. "Happy?" she knew Donna understood the rhetorical question.

Donna grinned at her daughter sweetly, "More than you know, Baby Doll, more than you know."

Oliver and Donna both watched as Felicity nearly floated out of the kitchen and out of sight for another few minutes.

"Did you get her to open up to you last night?" Donna took another sip of coffee and looked at Oliver more seriously.

He understood where she was going without hesitating.

Oliver nodded in response and took a deep breath. "Last night, this morning, I think she and I are on the same page now, or at least getting much, much closer to it."

"Oliver, Hon, this bio-stimulator thing… I don't understand the concern. If it's helping her walk, how could it hurt her chances of having a baby?" Donna wondered with a worried look.

He pushed his bowl a bit further back on the table and clasped the coffee cup with both hands, leaning his forearms onto the table. Oliver took a deep breath. "I don't completely understand it either, but I know it requires a power source, a battery kind of thing. There are electric impulses – I don't know, maybe like a pace maker? When she was paralyzed it kind of sparked the nerves in her spinal cord to wake up and listen to the instructions the brain was sending. She and Curtis are the geniuses. All I know is they implanted it and then a couple of weeks later she stood up and walked out the door."

Donna didn't let him dwell on that unhappy last part for more than a split second.

"But then you two got trapped in some kind of explosion and the thing stopped working?"

Oliver nodded. "Yeah, again, though, I do not know what happened. Both of us were jolted by the explosion. I don't completely understand if the blast dislodged the stimulator, or if it was something with the electric or power supply. Curtis had to fix it after we were rescued."

"You aren't planning on her being around explosions if she gets pregnant, are you?" Donna's gaze shifted between Oliver's eyes, still very unaware of the various life-threatening events that Felicity had been involved in, courtesy of her husband.

"No," Oliver put a hand behind his head and rubbed the short hair aimlessly. He stood up to get more coffee thinking about Donna's words.

"But if the baby presses against her spine, or if the electrical pulses affect a baby's development…" Oliver leaned against the counter now furrowing his eyebrows because the weight of those thoughts were sinking more deeply into his mind.

"That's what Felicity said," Donna spoke softly and watched him. "Are you prepared to handle the 'what-if's' Oliver?" She wasn't sure if he would answer her or not.

Oliver stared at an imaginary spot on the floor. "I don't know," he looked up at Donna, understanding just a touch of what Felicity had gone through initially. Unlike his wife, Oliver needed to hear the words a few different times before they sunk in. "But I told her to let me worry about her and our baby if I need to."

He looked back at Donna and reiterated the words he had asked Felicity earlier, "If we don't try we won't know, right?"

Donna tilted her head and looked at him. "Will you love her, through whatever, Oliver?"

"Of course," he answered with a slight edge of disbelief at her question.

"Just make sure she knows that. My daughter is a strong woman. We both know that. And I can tell you that she is even stronger when she knows that you are by her side. She loves you with everything that's in her."

Donna went to Oliver and placed a hand on his bicep. She squeezed gently and offered him her best, mother's smile.

"If we have a baby, you know we're going to need you, too, right DD?" He smiled as he used Williams' pet name for her.

Donna raised her chin with confidence. "Is that what you both want?"

Oliver paused, waiting for her to clarify her question.

"Do you both want a baby?" She chanced the direct option. "I know it's not my business. It's up to the two of you, but…"

"Yes," again, Felicity's voice snuck up on both of them. She stood just inside the kitchen in a pair of jeans, and a pink t-shirt that she had thrown into her suitcase.

Donna smiled at her daughter but looked back at Oliver. "Then you just try to keep me away from my other grandbaby."

The three of them laughed, together, hope and a bit of excitement beginning to linger on this emotional-roller-coaster of a topic.

Felicity immediately wandered toward Oliver and let him wrap her in his arms. She tilted her head back, with her still-wet hair and gladly accepted the kiss that he placed on her lips.

Donna watched as the kiss went on a bit longer than she expected. Lost in each other… She was now realizing how much those words described the two people in front of her. And, she loved them all the more for it.

"So," Donna spoke, knowing she was mainly talking to herself, "I need to run to the grocery to get stuff for dinner tonight. I assume you two are staying again tonight? Anywho…that means you'll have the house to yourself. Should I call you before I come home or just shield my eyes when I walk in the front door?"

Oliver couldn't help but laugh. Felicity laughed as well, snuggling her face tightly to Oliver's chest.

"Mother, we have other ways to occupy our time, you know that, right?" Felicity called after her mom as she went into the living room.

Donna stopped for a moment, gave that statement a second of thought and then responded.

"In an empty house, no pre-teen to interrupt, and no work calls coming in? With a hunk like Hubby-Dearest there I'd take advantage of him!"

Felicity and Oliver's eyes both flew open and mouths went dry momentarily. Ms. Smoak was out the door without another word or comment. And, as the flush of their cheeks subsided Felicity had to admit, she agreed on this topic with her mother yet again.

"Do you remember how you got that little scar from the dryer in Ivy Town…" her eyes flashed at her husband and he shook his head until she tossed him an animal-like snarl.

"You know, I still haven't showered this morning," Oliver tried without much effort to dissuade her.

"Good," another flame lit in Felicity's bright eyes. "We'll both need one after doing the laundry."

Chapter Six – Understanding