A/N: Welcome to Part 2 aka where the pilot picks up.
It seems like most of ya'll like the art, so I'll keep putting in a pic or two if I have one for that chapter! Thank you for the response on that. A huge thank you to my wonderful beta, otherwise you'd be subject to my ramblings, she is the one who will rework it to make it sound great!
I've been looking forward to this chapter for a while now, so please enjoy!
Chapter 9
Oliver sat on the back of the fishing boat and let the bobbing of the ship lull him into a calm peace after the emotional conversation that he had just had with his Mom. It had been a lot harder than he could have imagined. He swiped at the tears that fell down his face.
He was exhausted and his lower back was throbbing from the burn that he had received from Konstantin Kovar during their fight, which had taken place right before the boat that Anatoly Knyazev had arranged to 'discover' him had arrived. Oliver had been worried that the fight, in which he had killed Kovar, had delayed him and that he was too late lighting the signal fire in order to get rescued, but the fishing trawler had still been close enough to see the fire. Both his arm and his chest were letting him know that they weren't too happy about the treatment that they had received in his mad scramble to get into position to signal the boat, but if one had survived being shot and then having to doctor it yourself, then this pain was nothing. He opened his chest of valuables and grabbed some of the herbs that he had been taught to use to promote healing. He washed the bitter tasting herbs down with the coffee that fishermen had given him, relishing the hot drink. Putting the rest of the herbs back in the box, he pulled out the now tattered and worn ultrasound picture that Felicity had given him five years ago of their unborn daughter. The picture had indeed reminded him of what he was fighting for when he had needed it the most. With another glance at it he carefully placed it back into his chest of important items.
The wig and facial hair that he had applied were itchy, and he needed to plan on how to remove them so that nobody would be suspicious. The fishing boat was greeted by two police cars when they arrived at the docks and an officer helped him off of the boat and then bowed low, saying. "Welcome back to civilization Mr. Queen. We are here to escort you to the hospital for evaluation."
"Is there someplace where I can get cleaned up?" Oliver asked.
The policeman gestured to the back of the police car, "Please have a seat. You can get cleaned up at the hospital."
That was not what he wanted to hear, but he would just have to bide his time and take the first break that he was given. "Please be sure to bring my chest with me." If they thought that it was weird that a castaway had a chest, they didn't say anything. The police officer that had been speaking with him opened the trunk of the car and the other officers placed the chest inside.
The ride to the hospital was quick and when they arrived at the private entrance an Asian woman and a Caucasian man both wearing suits were waiting for him.
"Mr. Queen, I am Ambassador Galloway it is very good to have you back alive!" The Ambassador said as he held out his hand to shake, however Oliver merely stared at him.
Seeing Oliver's reaction, the woman stepped forward and bowed slightly, "I am Zǐhán Ling, the Chinese government bids you welcome. We are also very happy to hear of your safe return and we ask that you accept medical treatment before leaving the country to return to America. Please come with me."
"My box." Oliver said stopping them. "I need to make sure that it goes back to the States with me."
Zihán nodded, "I will personally make sure that it goes with you."
"Thank you. Also, may I be allowed to clean up a bit before being examined by doctors?" He asked hesitantly, pausing and adding more emotion to his voice he continued softly, "I don't want them to see me looking like this."
Both bureaucrats nodded in understanding, and it took a lot of self-control on Oliver's part not to roll his eyes at how easy it had been to manipulate them. Zihán led them to a bathroom. "Please, freshen up. We have left you clean clothes to change into and some personal grooming items to make you feel more comfortable." Another slight bow and she left.
Oliver closed the door, leaned against it and breathed a sigh of relief, two hurdles cleared. He quickly ripped off the wig and pulled off the fake beard, glad to be rid of their itchiness. He looked long and hard in the mirror trying to decide if he should cut his hair or not and in the end, he decided that it needed to go; long hair was a part of his past. Once that was done and his face cleaned up, he turned on the shower and slowly peeled off the clothes that were stuck to his back and chest because of the seeping wounds. Soaping up he washed away the grime he had rubbed on himself only hours earlier, once he felt clean, he got out of the shower and dried off. He put on the hospital clothes that had been laid out for him, all the while avoiding the mirror as he did not want to see the person five years in hell had created for he knew he was scarred both inside and out.
He emerged from the bathroom holding Yao Fei's hood, not wanting to lose that, to find a guard stationed outside the door waiting for him. The guard gestured for him to follow and then lead him to an examination room, where a doctor was waiting. "Mr. Queen, I am Dr. Hu, would you please have a seat so that I may examine you?"
Quietly Oliver complied. Dr. Hu took his vitals, listened to his lungs, and took several vials of blood before he asked, "Would you please remove your shirt and pants so that we can do a more thorough examination?"
Oliver really wanted to say no, but he also wanted to hurry up and get back to the U.S. as soon as possible. So, without saying a word he stepped out of the pants that had been provided and pulled the shirt over his head. Oliver could tell when Dr. Wu saw the burn on his back by the sharp intake of breath, and when he turned, and Dr. Wu saw the full extent of the damage he was asked. "How old are these wounds?"
"I got them the day that I was rescued. I fell into the fire in my haste to alert the fishermen." Oliver could tell that Wu didn't believe him, but Oliver didn't really care.
"I would like for my nurse to start an IV drip for dehydration with added nutritional supplements for malnutrition. I would also like to give you some pain relief. I'm sure your wounds are hurting you a considerable amount." Oliver just nodded. Dr. Wu bowed slightly, "I will be right back with those supplies."
Oliver shook his head, if they only knew that a week ago, he was in Russia eating whatever he wanted, and while yes, the wounds were painful they weren't anything that he couldn't tolerate. So, he let the doctors do want they wanted so he could get on the plane and return home to see his family, meet his daughter and to right his father's wrongs.
***Arrow***
It was late one evening with Olivia was sound asleep in her bed, Felicity was taking the opportunity to enjoy a nice glass of red wine and to catch up on her favorite TV show, when her cell rang. Seeing that it was Moira she answered and heard "I need you to come to the house now," and then Moira hung up.
Felicity looked at the phone puzzled by the request and the abrupt tone that Moira had used. Her first thought was that Thea had overdosed and they needed help. That thought motivated her. She quickly put on her favorite panda flats and not bothering to change further pick up a still sleeping Olivia, bundle her in the carseat and was quickly on her way. Pulling into the driveway of the Manor Felicity noticed Tommy's car pull in right behind her, and just knew that it had to be about Thea. Moira and Walter were supposed to be attending a charity gala that evening so something must have happened while they were away.
Both Felicity and Tommy parked in front of the house. Once Tommy was out of the car Felicity asked, "Do you know what's happening? Is it Thea?"
Tommy shrugged and rubbed his forehead, "All I got was a cryptic call telling me to get over here now. But yeah, I'm worried it's Thea."
Nodding, Felicity got Olivia out of the back. The four-year-old stirred briefly but remained asleep. Tommy held the door open for them and they both breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Thea sitting in the drawing room with Moira and Walter.
Walter walked up to Felicity, "I'll go and put her in her room if you wish?"
Nodding Felicity handed Olivia over to Walter and then went to sit beside Thea, who looked like she was woken out of bed and annoyed to be there. "Okay Mom, they're finally here. Now can you please tell us what's got you and Walter acting all weird?"
Felicity noticed the tear stains on Moira's face and since Thea was okay, she hoped that Moira hadn't gotten any bad news, but that couldn't be right because Moira was smiling, and it wasn't a forced 'everything will be alright smile'.
"I received a call while we were at the gala. It's a call that I've been hoping and praying to get for the last five years." Moira said, her voice quivering with emotion, "Oliver's alive and he's coming home."
Moira's announcement was met with silence. Tommy's hand was covering his mouth, Thea was grinning ear to ear, and Felicity didn't really know how to react. She was overjoyed that Olivia would get the chance to know her father, but she had no clue what that would mean for the two of them in the long run.
"I knew he wasn't dead!" Thea cried jumping to her feet excitedly. "Where is he?"
"When's he coming back?" Tommy asked at the same time, looking shell shocked.
"I'll try to answer all of your questions, but there's a lot that we don't know right now." Moira said, dabbing her eyes before more tears could fall down her perfectly made up face. "I'm not sure when he will be coming home. When I talked to him, he had just been rescued by some fishermen and they let him use their phone to call me. I've alerted my contact at the state department, and he just called me back before you all arrived. What we currently know is that Oliver's been taken to a hospital in China where they are checking him out and treating any immediate injuries that he may have. They will then transfer him to Starling General. So, it might be a few days before he gets here. As much as I want to fly to China to see him, my contact told me that we need to be patient and that he would most likely be back here before we could arrive there."
"Is he okay?" Thea asked frowning.
Smiling Moira took her daughter's hand, "Apparently, it's all very routine. From what I have been told they are just making sure that he's in good health." She took a deep breath, "Once's he's at Starling General I'm going to go and pick him up."
"Sara's working at Starling Gen now," Tommy said. "I'll let her know when he's supposed to arrive."
Thea's face turned serious, "Mom," she said getting Moira's attention. "Did Ollie say if Dad…" her voice trailed off as she saw Moira shake her head, and tears spilled down both mother and daughter's faces as the two embraced.
Wanting to give the two women the privacy to mourn Robert again, Felicity excused herself with a fake yawn. "I'm sorry, Livy was up early this morning and I guess I'm more tired than I expected. If you'll excuse me, I'll go check on her and then go to bed." Felicity wasn't quite sure how she felt. She hadn't really known Oliver enough to truly mourn him, but she had missed the idea of him being Olivia's father. She needed to talk to someone about what all was going on. Tommy had brought Sara up so she might try and give her a call.
She checked in on Livy who was fast asleep, Felicity gently pulled her daughter's thumb from her mouth, kissed her baby girl on the head then went to her room to try to call Sara. She had briefly thought about calling Laurel, but with her and Oliver's history she figured that that probably wouldn't end well. Sitting on her bed she hit Sara's number and was just about to be sent to voicemail when a sightly out of breath Sara answered, "Hey Felicity, you're calling late."
"Sorry, did I catch you at a bad time?"
"Nope, I got off shift a little over an hour ago and was just finishing a workout." While Sara had been gone with Doctors Without Borders, she had become friends with a mixed martial artist and had learned a great deal. It was great exercise and self-defense so when she returned to Starling she kept up her routine.
"I just needed someone to talk to about something that has happened." Felicity said tentatively.
"You've got it, just let me throw my earbuds in and we can talk while I drive home." Sara said.
"Let me know when you're in the car but don't drive off. What I want to talk about is going to come as a shock and I don't want to be the reason you get into an accident. Not that I would be the reason. what I'm going to tell you would be the reason that you might wreck, which you're not." Sara's soft laugh came through the phone. "Please stop me when I ramble."
Another laugh, "But I think it's cute."
Felicity rolled her eyes; she was used to Sara's light flirting with just about everybody.
"Okay, I'm in the car. What's so shocking that I might wreck?" Sara said, closing the car door.
Not knowing a good way to say it Felicity just decided to rip the bandage off and tell her straight up, "Tommy said that he was going to let you know, but in case you haven't gotten his message yet, Oliver's been found alive and should be on his way home right now if he has no medical issues and is okay."
The silence stretched between the two then Sara took a deep breath and said, "Yeah, that is shocking."
"I just don't know how to feel about it and I needed someone to talk to." Felicity sighed, "I know you two have history, but you also listen well, and have good insight into things."
A heartfelt, "Thanks, Felicity." Came over the line before she paused a second. "All right let's talk."
"How am I supposed to feel? We had a one-night stand and then I saw him exactly one more time before he went missing, and we thought that he was dead. Yes, he's the father of my kid, but I personally don't have an emotional attachment to him." She hesitated, "Is that bad? I'm glad he's alive, and it's going to give Livy a chance to get to know her father, but I don't really feel anything beyond that. Not to mention how am I going to tell her that he's alive? How will she react?" Felicity massaged her forehead wishing she had brought her wine with her, anything to help her relax.
"That's a lot to unpack." Sara agreed. "Maybe all you can do is just be there to support the ones you do know and love and help Livy through meeting her dad for the first time."
"Yeah, I guess that's all I can really do." Felicity nodded. "So how about you, how are you feeling?"
"Shocked, but so fucking happy." Sara said succinctly, "I've missed him something fierce. Oh, shit! Laurel..." A deep sigh, "She's not going to take this well I bet."
"Tommy's going to have to handle the fall out on with that one." Felicity said.
Sara laughed, "Want to take bets about how long it will before he tells Ollie that he and Laurel are dating?"
"Nope," Felicity said, popping the last p in the word. "That chicken will wait until he doesn't have a choice. You know how much he hates conflict."
"That was what Ollie did in their friendship," Sara said quietly. "He was always willing to take up for his friends."
The two chatted for a little while longer before Felicity had to hang up because she actually was really tired and she did have to go to work in the morning. Laying in the bed she tried to think of how she was going to tell Olivia that her daddy was still alive and that he was coming home.
Felicity woke up the next morning to a face right in front of hers and a little finger tapping her nose, "Mommy, Mommy, wake up Mommy."
"Good morning, Princess." Felicity greeted her daughter, trying to pry her eyes open to see what time it was.
"I not a princess, I'm a Queen!" Olivia declared. Thea thought that it was hilarious and had taught her niece that saying.
Picking Livy up Felicity snuggled her in bed, "Good morning, my Queen," and pressed a kiss to the top of the little girls' wild curls.
"Morning Mommy, why we at Gran's house?" she asked curling into Felicity.
The events of the night before came rushing back to Felicity, frack she was going to have to tell her daughter something, and she bolted upright. Catching Olivia before she could tumble off of the bed, she placed her on her lap facing her. "Well Gran had some very important news to tell us last night and it couldn't wait until you were awake."
"What the news?"
Felicity reached over and grabbing her phone from the nightstand she pulled up a picture of Oliver. She kept several pictures of Oliver both on her phone and around the house so Olivia would be familiar with and know what her dad had looked like. Showing her the picture Felicity explained, "Do you remember how I said that the reason that your daddy wasn't here was not because he didn't want to be, but because he couldn't be because he wasn't alive?"
"Uh-huh." Livy nodded her head. "Uncle Tommy said that he was in Heaven and when I told him I wanted to go to Heaven to visit and meet Daddy, Uncle Tommy got really sad."
"Well, sweetie, you don't have to go to heaven to meet Daddy. He was just lost for a really, really long time, but they finally found him and he is alive and coming back to see you."
"My Daddy wants to see me?" Livy screeched hopping off of the bed in a way that made Felicity's heart skip a beat, "We need to hurry Mommy! I gotta wear my bestest dress so I looks pretty, just like you!" She tried to tug Felicity towards her room.
"Livy, you have to be patient. He's not here yet and it might take a few days before he gets here. Gran is going to tell us when Daddy is on his way and just before he gets here we'll get you all dressed up.." Felicity explained.
Livy stuck her lower lip out, "But I wanna see him now!"
"I'm sorry baby, but it takes a long time to get to here from China."
Livy stomped her foot again harder, "But I want him here now!"
"Olivia Meghan Queen, we do not act like that!" Felicity chastised.
The door to the room flew open and Thea waltzed in still in her pajamas. "Mom said I don't have to go to school today." She flopped down on the bed and asked, "Is Livy going to Pre-K today?" Olivia had been accepted into the public schools Pre-K program, and while it had only been a few weeks she seemed to be doing well with the school, much to Moira's chagrin.
Two sets of pleading eyes turned on her, "Fine she can stay home with you today."
"Yay, a AunTeea and Livy day!" Thea cheered, she grabbed Olivia's hand, and they left the room chatting about what to do first.
Felicity wanted to stay home as well, but she needed the distraction of losing herself in the task of fixing computers and running code, so she was planning on still going to go to the office to work that day.
The morning news programs were all about the return of Starling's favorite bad boy, Oliver Queen. While no one said anything to Felicity directly there were a lot of whispered conversations in her vicinity and quiet staring. It didn't bother her that people were talking about it, but the staring did irritate her as she felt that she wasn't any of their business which was partly why she hadn't formed any close friendships with her co-workers; she just did her job and left. Checking her phone to see if she had any updates from Moira, Felicity gathered her belongings and left the building ignoring the stares and whispers.
When she reached the Queen mansion all she wanted was a tall glass of the best red wine that she could lay her hands on and a long and hot bubble bath to wash away the day. She checked in on the girls. As she opened the door to Thea's she could hear the sounds of a movie and saw the girls lounging on the bed eating popcorn and watching 'The Swiss Family Robinson'.
"Really, Thea?" Felicity asked from the door.
"Well, I can't really show her 'Castaway' now can I?" Thea said with a smirk.
Suppressing a sigh Felicity asked, "Are you guys good for a while?"
"Shhhhhh," Olivia shushed them. "I wanna watch."
"Yep, go do boring adult stuff, we're going to watch Tarzan after this." Thea said her attention returning to the TV screen.
Seeing her opportunity Felicity went down to the wine cellar and grabbed a bottle of wine and a glass and then went to fill up her bathtub with bubbles and hot water. Slowly sinking into the steaming water, she took a sip of her wine and finally relaxed for the first time that day. As she soaked in the tub, the tension that had built up throughout the day slowly eased from her neck and shoulders. She sipped the wine and contemplated how her life was going to change and what it would be like now that Oliver was back from the dead. She knew that he wouldn't be the same person that she had slept with and had promised to be there for their child, there was no way that he could be. This Oliver was going to be a completely unknown entity. He was most likely severely traumatized from his time missing because there was no telling what he had had to do to survive. Felicity made a promise to herself that she would not hold this Oliver to any previous version of himself or any previous promises that he had made. He was going to need time to deal with everything and re-integrate himself back into the world. With that decision made it was time to get out of the bath and see if Moira had an ETA for Oliver.
That night as Felicity read Livy a book and tucked her in she asked, "When am I going to see my Daddy?"
"Gran said that hopefully he will be here tomorrow, but she's not sure exactly when." Felicity explained. Moira had said that after he arrived back in Starling that he had to be given a thorough examination by American doctors to make sure he didn't have anything contagious before he could be reunited with his family. So, while they knew that he would be back the next day, they didn't know what time the tests would be done, and he would be released.
The next morning when Felicity dropped Livy at Pre-K the teacher greeted both of them warmly. After Livy had skipped into the classroom and Felicity signed her in the teacher asked, "Is there anything specific that I should be aware of for Olivia?"
"Just that there is a lot going on and if she gets too upset or anything, call me." Felicity said, not wanting to go over the whole 'thought he was dead thing' with her child's teacher.
"Yes, ma'am." The teacher agreed.
Work for Felicity basically went the same as it had the day before with the exception that she couldn't stay focused on her work because she was waiting for news. Right before she left the office for the day Felicity received a text from Moira, "I should be able to see him this evening, and then, provided he's released, we'll be home for supper
Thea had picked up Olivia from school as she normally did since Felicity didn't get off of work until well after school hours ended. Arriving at the mansion she went in search of them and found both girls in Livy's room looking through her massive closet. Olivia was sitting on her bed in just her underwear, while Thea was standing in the closet holding up dresses for her to look at.
"How about this one?" Thea asked holding out a glittery pink dress.
Olivia pursed her lips, "Nope, not puffy enough. Next!"
Thea sighed and put the dress back. "What are you guys doing?" Felicity asked puzzled.
"Hi Mommy!" Olivia beamed. Felicity sat down beside her daughter to give her a kiss and a hug. "AuntTea is helping me find a dress to wear for Daddy! I wants to look really pretty!"
"Livy is either going to be the CEO of Queen Consolidated one day or the leader of a gang. I'm not sure which." Thea said dramatically as she pulled the next dress, a fluffy emerald green one with a white underskirt and embroidered roses that climbed up the bodice, out of the closet. "How about this one? I think it was your Christmas dress."
"That one! That one!" Olivia cried. She slipped off the bed and stood beside her aunt with her hands raised to put the dress on. Thea nimbly slipped it on the little girl and buttoned up the back. She held the door of the closet open so that Olivia could see herself in the mirror that was mounted on the back of the door. "I so pretty!"
Smiling at her daughter Felicity said, "Yes you are, now let's get that hair tamed and find you some shoes."
"No Mommy! I don't want you to help me, I want AunTeea to!" Olivia declared as she hugged her aunt's leg tightly.
"Olivia Meghan…" Felicity started to say as she had had a long day, and she was not in the mood to argue with a four-year-old.
"Felicity, I don't mind. It's helping to take my mind off of wondering where they're at right now." Thea said, shrugging as one hand idly played with Olivia's hair.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure." Thea nodded.
"Alright, you can finish helping her get ready, I'm going to go freshen up." Felicity agreed.
"Yay!" Olivia cheered. Then grabbing her aunt's arm, "Please make my hair pretty. Not ugly, okay?"
"Yes, your highness," Thea teased lightly.
Felicity went next door to her room. With a huge sigh she flopped down on the bed. She was horribly nervous and she couldn't figure out why. Staring at the ceiling she contemplated her feelings. She guessed that it basically boiled down to the fact that there was now another parental figure in her child's life, who didn't really know her daughter. He didn't know that Olivia would only eat a banana if she had chocolate chips to eat with it, that she preferred to sleep with two pillows, and one stuffed animal, her bunny Mr. Wiggles. Oliver had missed out on so much of Olivia's life and Felicity had no idea how and when she was supposed to catch him up on everything. Sitting up, she decided she would go at it like everything else in her life to do with Oliver Queen she would do what she could, when she could. Her phone dinged, 'pulling in' it said.
Olivia came running into the room, "I ready Mommy!" She stopped and tried to twirl but tripped over her own feet. Felicity steadied her daughter with a smile. Olivia scrunched up her nose in confusion and said. "AunTeea said to tell you quit being a chicken. I tried to tells her that you not a chicken, you a person, but she just laughed."
Felicity laughed and said, "Okay little one, let's go meet Daddy." Olivia put her hand in her mother's as they descended the back staircase and headed towards the main foyer. At the end of the hall Felicity could see Oliver hugging Thea and Thea whispering something to Oliver. As they drew closer, she could see Rasia standing back with tears in her eyes, and Moira standing with Walter both watching the joyous reunion between the siblings.
Letting go of Thea, Oliver stepped back and spotted them. He dropped to his knees as they came to a stop in front of him. Despite being extremely excited, Olivia was overcome with shyness and tucked herself behind Felicity's leg, timidly peering out at her father. "Hi. You must be Olivia. I'm your dad and I'm so happy to finally get to meet you. I've missed you so much." he said waving at her and waiting patiently for her to come over.
Felicity gently pulled Olivia around to stand in front of Oliver. "Hi," she mumbled, clinging tightly to her mother's hand. She glanced up at Thea who motioned for her to speak up. The little girl squared her shoulders, dropped her mom's hand, and looked at Oliver in the face. She was nervously twisting her hand in her dress as she bravely said. "Hi Daddy, I'm Olivia Meghan Queen, But Mommy and AunTeea call me Livy. Do you want to call me Livy?"
"If you want me to I will." Oliver said huskily tears shimmering in his eyes.
"Uh-huh," Olivia nodded and stepped back to lean on Felicity.
Moira stepped up, "Why don't we all go get ready for supper? Oliver, we left your room as it was and I believe that Raisa has prepared some of your favorites for our supper."
Raisia added, "Mr. Merlyn called, he'll be joining us for supper."
Oliver nodded tightly and grabbed a large trunk from where it had been sitting in the entrance and then disappeared up the steps while Felicity watched him go.
***ARROW***
Deep in thought and standing by the window in the private hospital room he had been given, Oliver looked out over the city his father had asked him to save. Now that he was back in Starling the reality of what his father had asked him to do was sinking in and becoming real. He could feel the darkness of what he had had to become to survive in him and he didn't want it to infect those that he loved, especially his little girl, but he knew that he had to do what his father had asked of him all those years ago. He had to save the city. The door opening pulled him from his thoughts and turning around he saw his mother for the first time in five very long, hard, years.
"Oh, my beautiful boy." Moira said brokenly as she moved towards him and wrapped him in a warm embrace. Putting his arms around her, he allowed himself to relax for the first time since he had stepped onto the fishing boat.
Moira had brought him a change of clothes from his old closet, and he changed as the paperwork discharging him from the hospital was given to his mother. He knew they had told her about the extensive scaring, burns, and all of the broken bones that hadn't healed right. So he half way expected her to have questions about what had happened to him.
The ride back to the Mansion was awkward to say the least. He wasn't sure what to say, but his mother took the time to fill him in about what had happened in the family. She told him that he had a daughter and all about Olivia; some of her likes and dislikes, and how she was a precocious four year old and that she was currently in Pre-K at Starling Elementary. Moira continued filling him in and letting him know that Felicity was working for Queen Consolidated, and that she and Olivia had their own rooms at the mansion, but that Felicity also had her own house. She had just finished telling him that Thea was a currently a senior in high school, and that Tommy had graduated college, but hadn't found a career that suited him yet when they pulled up at the mansion.
Oliver took a deep breath as he looked up at the house that he had grown up in, and he reminded himself of everything that he had endured just to be able to get back to this point. Taking another deep breath, he steadied his nerves and rubbed his fingers together wishing he had his bow in his hand; he always felt calmer when he was holding his bow. Getting out of the car he wondered what Olivia looked like and who she resembled, him or Felicity. He went to the back of the card to get his crate out of the trunk, not trusting it to the driver. Bracing himself, he followed Moira into the house where he stopped in the entrance way and looked around. He found that other than the addition of a few photos of a little girl around the front table nothing had really changed from what he remembered.
Walter Steele, from Queen Consolidated was there to welcome him, but he didn't really care about talking to his dad's friend when he saw Raisa. Oliver quickly walked over to her and grasped her hands. Her greeting warmed his soul, as he had missed the motherly housekeeper and he couldn't wait to surprise her with his ability to speak Russian.
Hyper-aware as he always was now, he heard footsteps coming from upstairs. Crossing the foyer to the stairs he looked up and saw that Thea was standing there. She had paused when she saw him and then ran down the steps and threw herself at him enveloping him in a hug. As the siblings embraced each other tightly, Thea whispered in his ear how much she had missed him, and he let her know that he had missed her every day and that she was always in his heart.
The sound of heels coming down the back hallway drew his attention away from his sister. Letting go of Thea he turned and saw Felicity coming into the entranceway. She was holding the hand of a little girl with blonde curls that was the perfect combination of the two of them. Sinking down onto one knee he did something he had only dreamed of for the past five years; he spoke to his daughter. He drank in the sounds of her little voice, and he longed to wrap her in his embrace, but he could tell that she wasn't ready for that. He looked Felicity over, gone was the goth chick that he had once known, and he marveled at the beautiful woman that she had become. Emotions caught in his throat, as he watched Olivia lean against Felicity's legs, while Felicity's arms came down to encircle their child. Moira broke the spell with her suggestion that they go freshen up for supper. With a tight nod he stood up, grabbed his trunk and took it to his room.