Visits

Thank you all for reading my story thus far. I'm having a lot of fun figuring out how to make sure to stay true to the characters. I have a lot planned. This time in their lives is several months before they would have returned to help with HIVE. Please feel free to review. I enjoy reading comments, even constructive. I'll do my best to respond to all of you individually. Again thank you for finding me and taking an interest.

Before meeting William, Oliver wasn't sure about his role in his son's life. He was aware that everyone William knew lived in Central City. Once he had known of his existence, his concern was for William's safety. When Oliver had driven into the outskirts of Central City, to the Walthrop home, he considered turning around, calling the case worker to inform her that his son was better off not knowing him.

While he was driving back to the resort, his concern about being William's father, and someday soon having his son with them, disappeared. The moment Oliver set his eyes on his little boy, he felt an instant connection beyond anything he could put into words. At first his son had been very cautious, but once he was told he didn't have to leave that day, William had warmed right up.

Upon his return to the suite, Oliver found that Felicity wasn't there. After hanging up his coat, he walked to one of the sofas and sat down, running his left hand over his head. Before he could do anything else, his cell phone began to buzz in his pocket. "I was thinking about you."

"I've been thinking about you since you left," Felicity replied. "Tell me about William." The eagerness in her voice was reassuring.

"He's smaller than I thought an eight year old would be. When we met, he was very hesitant. Evidently William was under the impression that I was going to take him with me today. Once assured that wasn't the case, he was more open." Oliver smiled as he thought about talking to William. "He had much to tell me. His favorite hero, currently, is the Flash. He loves pizza. He also loves math."

"Now that's something I can relate too."

"I assumed you might. While I was driving to the Walthrop's I had my doubts. In fact I almost turned around. I still don't know how we're going to keep him safe. As much as I want to stay away from Star City, along with being the Arrow, I have a feeling that I won't be able to avoid that forever."

"Oliver, we're in this together. I'm glad you went to see him. As for protection, maybe you should talk to Digg. I know he still hasn't forgiven you for taking Lyla, but maybe you asking for help will be a start to mending things between you. I wish I could stay on to talk more, but I have to go to the lab and see how Curtis is doing with the battery. I should be home in a couple of hours."

After ending the call, Oliver pulled up his contact list, scrolling down until Digg's number was highlighted. Did he have any right to ask him to help find a way to protect William?" Felicity was right. They needed to find a way to mend things between them. As he sat looking at his contacts, he thought about Thea. She was always the last to find out about important news involving him. That had caused friction before. As his sister, she had a right to be one of the first people to learn about William. Glancing at the time, he surmised that she would be at the newly remodeled Verdant. Once he had taken a deep breath and letting it out, Oliver tapped on her name.

"Ollie, just who I wanted to talk too."

"Thea, I promise to listen, but I need to tell you why I'm in Central City."

For a moment, his sister didn't respond. "What's going on Ollie?" She sounded very concerned rather than angry.

Oliver hesitated for only a moment. "I have a son, Thea. I found out the day you called. His mother was murdered during a home invasion. William was the one who found her."

"Oh my God, Ollie. Is he alright?"

"He's doing a little better than I thought. He's staying with a friend's family. Aside from nightmares he seemed happy."

"You're going to have him live with you, right?"

"Eventually, I don't want to take him away from the only place he's lived, without him getting a chance to know me better. I know you're having a hard time with what's going on…"

Thea cut him off. "Ollie, focus on your son. We can figure out another way to do things. Stay in Ivy Town. Maybe you can try to give advice, maybe Felicity…" It was his turn to stop her from saying more.

"Felicity told me she's been helping the team. I can try and come up with new strategies based on what the situation is. How are things at the new club?"

"We've been having good crowds. I'm donating some of the money for repairs on the city. Ollie, I need to go. Let me know if there's anything I can do."

As soon as Felicity opened the door to the suite, the smell of dinner greeted her. Oliver came out from the little kitchenette helping her take off her coat before drawing her into his arms. He brushed his lips over hers while encircling her waist. "How was the meeting?"

Before answering, Felicity sighed. "Long. Talking to the board is like talking to a stone wall. They wanted to fire a lot of people. Needless to say I did not agree, so they are taking a pay cut. Now about that kiss." Standing up on her tiptoes, she reached her right hand up, pressing it against the back of his head, until their lips met. This time the kiss was more intense and fulfilling. As they parted, she smiled. "Much better. What are you cooking?"

Oliver let go only long enough to reach out and take her hand. "Filet Mignon, asparagus, mashed potatoes, and a side salad."

They stopped at the small table. Once Oliver pulled out her chair, Felicity was happy to be off her feet. "I could get used to this." Oliver was already heading for the small kitchen.

"What's that?"

"Coming home to dinner already made, along with your kisses."

As he came back to the table carrying four plates, two salad and two dinner, he chuckled. "I might have to spoil you for a hard day at work." The meal set in front of her caused her stomach to rumble, and her mouth to water. In the past two weeks living in Ivy Town, Felicity had learned that her fiancé was a very good cook, among other talents. As she took the first bite of steak, she shut her eyes, savoring the taste. "This is so good."

"I'm glad you like it."

Felicity smiled as she took a bite of asparagus. "When will you see William again?"

"Tomorrow. Helen agreed to let me visit him as often as her schedule allows. I would love to take him to the park, but I'm not willing to risk the press knowing about this. It will happen eventually, but on our terms."

The way he included her in the decisions he was making for his son touched her heart. Felicity wanted so badly to meet this little boy, but didn't want to rush things. The rest of the meal, they talked about her meeting, and also more about William. "Do you think maybe he should go talk to someone about what's happening in his life?

Oliver took a sip of wine before answering. "I want to play that by ear. Right now William seems to have a relatively good handle on things. As for the nightmares, they'll pass." Felicity wasn't sure if she agreed, but again she didn't know William, truth be known, neither of them knew much about the little boy.

Later that evening as they sat in bed, Felicity was looking over plans that Curtis had sent to her about the new batteries. He was a very smart man, and she had faith that this invention would put Palmer Tech back on map. She felt an obligation to have Ray's company succeed in honor of him. The volume on the TV going up drew her away from her laptop.

"That's right Audrey, at seven twenty five the mayor was gunned down just outside his home. He is in critical condition at Star General. New details are coming in…" The volume was muted. Beside her Oliver was tense with his jaw locked. Gently, she reached out and took his hand, bringing him out of his thoughts. "You're thinking about what Thea told you?"

"I let her know about William, but this. She's not kidding about the city falling apart. She said they can do this without me, but it feels like I should be doing something."

"Maybe come up with some strategies to help them better fight this new enemy?"

He nodded turning his body to face her. He reached out, taking her computer. After setting it behind her, Oliver removed her glasses putting them on the bedside table with the laptop. Felicity made quick work of removing her shirt, and was about to remove her bra. His lips crushing against hers had her mind drawing a blank at what she had wanted to do. Now all she wanted was their bodies to be joined. Her desire for their joining was always present. Times like now she didn't have to restrain herself. When she broke away, both of them moaned in protest.

Before Oliver could do anything, Felicity reached out placing her left hand against the upper part of his chest. As she moved it down, her lips joined in the action, kissing and licking her way down. When he leaned back against the pillows, she smiled before nipping the skin below his belly button. Further down, the evidence of what she was doing to him was present in the large bulge in his tan slacks. Felicity lifted her head, glancing up at him. They kept their eyes on one another as she reached out, grasping him through his pants. When his eyes shut, and she felt him thrust upward, Felicity removed her hand scooting down so that she was between his legs.

Ever so slowly, she unfastened the button, slowly drawing the zipper down as his breath quickened. Just as slow, she moved his pants and grey boxers down exposing his very swollen member. With just her tongue, Felicity started at the bottom of his shaft, licking all the way up to the tip before dipping in to his slit. She was ready to do more, but suddenly found that she was the one on her back. The impassioned look on his face took her breath away, along with his hands behind her back, undoing her bra.

Oliver didn't waste time on any foreplay. In another moment he was sheathed inside of her. Felicity shut her eyes finding it difficult to remember how to breathe. When he began to withdraw, she clinched her walls around him, opening her eyes to see his closing. When he slipped out, she let out a protesting moan followed by gasp as he slid back in.

He pushed his arms under her shoulders, cupping the back of her head with his hands, while she wrapped her legs around him. His kiss was tender as he moved slowly drawing out their passion. When her mouth opened his tongue slid in raking against the roof of her mouth.

As she began to suck on his tongue, he pulled out along with his member slipped out of her body. As he slid back in to her, his tongue did the same. Oliver withdrew his tongue kissing her lips once before he moved down her throat, licking and nipping his way to the back of her ear. All she could manage was gasping pants while thrusting upward to meet his thrusts.

Time didn't matter, as he lay on his back with Felicity resting half on top of him. He was content to listen to her deep breathing. Never in his life, would Oliver have thought he could love a woman as much as he did her. Felicity had changed him, allowing him see that he could live his life a better way. Just as he shut his eyes to join her in sleep, his phone began to go off. When he saw the number Helen Walthrop had given him, he eased out from under Felicity as he answered. "Hello." The first thing he heard was crying.

"Mr. Queen, I'm sorry to phone you so late. William had another dream. He woke up screaming an hour ago. I haven't been able to help him. When I asked if he wanted me to see if you would come, he agreed."

"I'm getting ready right now. I'll be there as soon as I can." In the closet, he dressed in the first article of clothing he could find, black sweats and a gray t-shirt. Back in their room, Oliver found Felicity sitting up. "Helen called. William had a nightmare and wants me to be with him. I'll call you once he's calmed down."

"Be safe." She gave him a hug and kiss before he was running out the door. On his way, Oliver didn't care about how fast he was driving. His heart racing in his chest. Nothing else was on his mind as he sped to be with William. Twenty minutes later he pulled in front of the house. As he ran to the porch, the door opened revealing an older boy. "Mom had me wait on you. She's still up with William, and he's still freaked out."

The young man led the way through the hall into a back room with a set of stairs. Now he could hear his son's cries and passed by older boy. Oliver followed the crying to a large room finding Helen seated on the edge of a large bed, rubbing William's back. He was balled up on his side all out of breath, crying like his heart was breaking. Oliver's own heart broke seeing him like this. Once Helen moved, Oliver sat down and placed his hand on his son's back." Hey buddy, I'm here now."

When William rolled over, his face was red, covered with tears. Without hesitation, Oliver reached out, lifting his son against his chest, wrapping his arms around him. Smaller arms wrapped around his shoulders and neck. William was shaking, and not just from the crying. "I've got you, I'm not leaving you William." His son tried to say something but his breath caught on every word. "Hey buddy, I want you to try and take a deep breath with me." Oliver drew in a deep breath feeling his son giving it a try, but not succeeding. For the next half hour, Oliver sat on the edge of the bed gently rocking his son as he rubbed his back, whispered reassurances into his ear. Williams crying began to subside and he was able to take deeper breaths. Even so, his arms remained tight around Oliver's shoulders and neck.

"Do you want to tell me what you dreamed."

"Mo... mom was dead, and you were too." Oliver shut his eyes drawing his son closer. "I'm not planning on going anywhere. What you went through should never have happened. I will do everything in my power to stay safe."

"But…"

"Shhh, try to think about being at the park with your friend. You told me you pretend you're the Flash. How do you play that?"

He felt his son's cheek rub against his shoulder. As William began to explain, Oliver toed off his shoes leaning back against the pillows. The further along in the story he got, the calmer William became. "Are you leaving tonight?"

"Only when you feel safe enough to go back to sleep."

He was quiet for several minutes. "Can I go with you tonight. You can bring me back tomorrow."

Unable to refuse him, Oliver nodded, sitting back up. For the first time William lifted his head, with tears still on his cheeks. Oliver reached out and wiped them away with his thumb. "Will you show me where to find Noah's mom?" William led them downstairs to the kitchen. Helen was sitting at the table holding a cup between her hands, smiling when they entered the room.

"William has asked to come back to the resort with me. I can bring him to you tomorrow or take him to school."

Before she could answer William moved from holding his hands to hugging his legs. "Don't make me go."

Oliver knelt down wrapping his arms around him.

"I'll let his teacher know that he's not ready to come back. Just call me when ever he's ready. William, do you want to go up and pack a bag?"

Instead of turning to face her, William glanced up at him. "Will you go with me?"

"Yes I will."

There was a little protest when William found out he couldn't sit in the front. Oliver knew that his son wasn't big enough to be there. It didn't take long to settle him down, and not even half way home he fell asleep again. When he pulled up to the resort, the man running valet greeted him. For the first time ever Oliver had to figure out how to get William out of the car, and not wake him.

After several half attempts, he just reached in, gently lifting him up against his chest as William rested his cheek against his left shoulder, remaining asleep. The lobby was empty save for the woman at the front desk. She glanced at them before going back to what ever she was working on. The ride up to the executive floor was quiet. When he arrived inside, the kitchen light was on.

"Oh." Felicity walked out of their room, concern etched on her face.

"He wanted to stay with us. I need to sleep with him in the other room for now."

"Of course. That must have been a really bad dream."

Oliver nodded. "He dreamed that I died too."

She accompanied them to the room across the living room - dining room area. Felicity pulled down the covers standing aside as he leaned over, carefully transferring William to the mattress. As he was straightening up, William jolted awake. "No, don't leave me."

Oliver sat down on the edge of the bed. "I'm not leaving you. I need to go get ready for bed." Oliver pointed in the direction of the bathroom. "I'll be right in there for a second. After that I'll sleep here."

When he agreed, Oliver took care of a few things there before going back to his son. Once he settled in on his back, his little boy didn't hesitate to rest on his right side with his cheek pressed over his heart. One of William's arms was spread out nearly to the right of his chest, the other between them as William got comfortable.

The first light of day shining through the small crack in the dark, blue curtains indicated that morning had arrived. Oliver was on his left side with William's back pressed against his chest. He hadn't woken again, but he had come close a few more times. As he lay holding his son, Oliver had reservations about letting him stay with the Walthrops. The fact that he'd had such an awful dream, wanting him there, even when the two of them were starting to know one another, was one reason. The other was the amount of times he'd struggled during the night.

Had he expected to be awake the next day with William at his side? No, but now that he was, Oliver wanted to keep his son safe on his own terms. He also thought about the long term. Letting William stay with his friend would make it much more difficult when it was finally time for him to leave for good. Right now he and Felicity had a home in Ivy Town. It was a good place for a little boy to grow up.

A quiet tap on the door before Felicity came in, caused Oliver to smile. She came around the bed holding a cup before sitting down on a sofa close to the window. "I missed you. How did he do?"

"I missed you. He would have woken several times if I hadn't have stayed. Felicity, I'm not sure I'm going to wait to bring him into our lives. Last night, arriving at that house, seeing how upset he was had me realizing that the move with us will be more difficult if he gets used to being there. I need to be the one to keep him safe, which includes saving him from nightmares."

While they talked softly, William continued to sleep. "I was also thinking about what you said on having him see someone. I think that might be a good idea. As much as I wish I knew how to keep his dreams safe, I know that I don't have any idea of how to help him cope with what he saw."

"I know it's hard to think about, but I believe he'll do better in the long run, not only with what happened to her, but with new living arrangements. I canceled my meetings for today."

He nodded. "Good. I want him to know you along with me." Glancing at the clock, Oliver realized they'd been talking for an hour. It was seven in the morning. Very gently, Oliver slid away from his son, propping a few pillows behind his back to support him in the position he was sleeping in. While he did that, Felicity knelt down retrieving the brown stuffed wolf his son loved. Once his guardian was by his side, she leaned in, brushing a kiss against his forehead.

In the kitchen, Oliver poured a cup of coffee for himself before joining Felicity in the living room. Once he was seated beside her, Felicity slid over, pressing in on his left side as he slipped his arm around her, kissing her temple. "I need to call Jean. I want to see if we can't get custody arrangements done within the next few days. I also want to update my will."

They sat together in companionable silence, sipping their coffee while enjoying quiet time together. With his coffee drained, Oliver turned to put it on the coffee table, seeing William standing at the entry of the room. "Hey William, you can come sit with us."

As soon as he had permission, William ran to them and was on his lap hiding his face against his chest. "You left me."

"Only to another room. I promised not to leave you anywhere accept with me." When William nodded, Oliver lifted him up against his chest, letting his cheek rest against his shoulder. "Are you hungry?"

His little boy shook his head. For a few minutes they sat quietly. William stayed where he was as Oliver rubbed circles over his back. It was when Felicity came back from the kitchen, sitting next to William, that the quiet was broken.

"Who is this?"

"My wolf."

"He looks pretty fierce."

"What's that mean?"

"It means that he's strong, and a good protector."

Oliver felt him nod in response. He glanced over at her finding her smiling. After she introduced herself, Felicity told William about her favorite breakfast food.

He watched as she stood, walking in front of them. William lifted his head, glancing at Felicity as she picked up a menu bringing it back. When she sat down, his son squirmed around until he was sitting on his lap. While William held one side, Felicity held the other telling him what there was.

"Hmm, this looks really good. Have you ever had french toast?" His little boy shook his head.

"Then that's settled. This french toast is sprinkled with powdered sugar. You can have one with chocolate sauce and whipped cream."

When his son tilted his head up, Oliver nodded. "You can have that, if you'll drink milk."

"I love milk." It was settled. After calling in room service, Oliver went with William to help him get his clothes out for the day. While William was in the bathroom changing, Oliver sat on the edge of the bed feeling an overwhelming love for Felicity. The way she'd been able to help William open up was one more reason he was glad to have her in his life.

When breakfast arrived they were all dressed for the day. William's hair was damp, parted at the side from Felicity's efforts to tame it. There were three pieces of french toast drizzled with powdered sugar and chocolate, with a big swirl of whipped cream to top it all off.

"William, do you mind if I take a picture of you eating your first bite?" Felicity had her mobile phone at the ready. When William had the fork nearly to his mouth, Oliver heard the phone bing. She took another of his reaction to the toast, a huge smile with a dot of cream on the left side of his lips.

Seeing that smile was a relief. Oliver hoped to see more of them. While William ate his breakfast, Oliver dug into his own, Eggs Benedict. Felicity was having an omelet. As they ate, William asked her who she was. When she explained that she was his dad's fiancé, along with what that meant, his son didn't seem to mind the answer.

"Dad, do you think I can meet the Flash?" His plate was almost empty. William took another bite waiting on the answer.

Once he'd wiped his mouth, Oliver looked over at his little boy. "Maybe some day. The Flash is always busy." William nodded as he glanced down beginning to wring his napkin. "What's on your mind buddy?"

"I want to go back to Noah's, and I want to stay there tonight."

Before answering, Oliver glanced at Felicity. She gave a single nod. Oliver got up and walked over to his little boy kneeling down beside him. "I want you to stay with me and Felicity. Do you remember how afraid you were last night when I laid you down in bed so I could go change?" William's bottom lip trembled as he nodded.

"I need to be able to take care of you now. Felicity and I don't live here in Central City. We have a house in a place called Ivy Town which happens to have several trees in back for climbing."

Seeing the tears well in his eyes prompted Oliver to reach out and gather him in his arms. "I know you love Noah and his family very much. I promise that you can visit, and we can set up a way for you to video chat with him. Right now it's important for us to be together so we can try and help you feel safe and understand what happened to your mom." William didn't cry out loud, but Oliver felt the tears dampening his shoulder.

After sitting down on the sofa, Felicity joined them, rubbing her hand up and down his back. Williams's tears stopped only when he fell asleep. Instead of putting him back in the bed, Oliver laid him down on the sofa, watching as Felicity tucked a soft blanket over him. Once she had, she came into his arms. "It breaks my heart to see him upset."

"Mine too," Oliver answered.