A/N: Thank you very much for your patience, my amazing beta bkworm4life4 finally found some breathing room and we should be back on once a week updates!
I so very much appreciate all the reviews and everything else! It's wonderful knowing the impact my not so little story is having. So in this chapter we get to meet a special little girl! I can't wait to see what ya'll think!
The weeks until Felicity's finals flew by quickly. Thanksgiving proved to be more solemn occasion than she expected, as it was the first major holiday that the family experienced without either Oliver or Robert there.
With her last exam taken Felicity was looking forward to the plane ride to Starling City just so that she could get some sleep. When she arrived, she drove herself straight to her doctor's appointment and then to the mansion where she went into the drawing room and sat down to wait for Moira to arrive with Thea and ended up napping.
"How'd the appointment go?" Moira asked after Felicity woke up.
Stifling a yawn Felicity stretched and answered, "Her head is down, and everything else looks good. She's measuring a little bit bigger than they expected though, but the doctor said it was nothing to be concerned about."
"Good," Moira said, and then added, "Would you like to help us decorate the house a little bit for Christmas tomorrow?"
"We usually have a huge Christmas party." Thea added as she walked in munching on an apple and handing Felicity a plate of apple slices. Felicity took them gratefully. She wasn't normally a fruit eater, but during her pregnancy she had been craving apples and Thea always remembered and made it a point to share.
"With Robert and Oliver gone and you due soon, I felt that the annual party wouldn't be in good taste, but we still need to put up a tree and a few decorations." Moira said.
"Sure, I don't mind helping to decorate. I'm just glad that I don't have to think about school for the next few weeks and can relax for a bit." Felicity said, then looked at the empty plate and realized that she was still hungry and asked. "So, what's for supper?"
The next morning when Felicity woke, she was still exhausted, but it was nice being able lay in bed to decompress from the exam stress and to relax for a bit. But she felt the urge to be up and moving. She had asked about the way that she was feeling in her online support group and the other women had said that she was most likely just nesting. Her body wanted to rest and sleep, but her brain said she needed to be up and doing things to prepare for the baby. With a groan she slowly got out of bed and made herself presentable, pulling her long dark hair back into a ponytail and getting changed into comfortable clothes. Her back had started aching before bed and she had hoped that it was something that she could have just slept off, but it was still there. Chalking the ache up to her changing body she went downstairs to the dining room where she ate breakfast with Thea and Moira. It was nice eating with them and she hadn't realized how much the two of them had become like family to her in the few months that they had been in her life, until she had been back at school and hadn't seen them as often.
After breakfast the three of them started decorating the tree and the rest of the house. They soon developed a system. Thea would pick the decorations up and then hand them to Felicity who would then place it where Moira directed. After a light lunch they finished making the house look festive, but not over the top. They had saved the family tree for last, hanging up the various ornaments that had sentimental value, ones that Oliver and Thea had made as kids, and others that were gifts from friends and family, they would explain to Felicity the significance of the ornament and where it had come from. When most of the decorations had been placed, Moira and Thea brought a box with some new decorations for Felicity to open and explained that they had wanted to include a menorah and Hanukkah decorations on the family tree since Felicity and the baby were now part of the family, even though they knew she would be spending Hanukah with her mom they wanted something to represent her Jewish faith. Up to that point Felicity had only cried a few times, mentally cursed her pregnancy hormones for making her weepy, but the thought of being part of the family just made her cry a little harder.
Still weepy and rubbing at her back Felicity sank down on the couch. "Are you okay? I've noticed that you've been rubbing your back a lot today." Thea asked as she sat down beside her, while Moira put the finishing touches on the tree across the room, giving Felicity and Thea time to talk.
"Yeah, I'm OK. It's the pregnancy hormones, not to mention that my back's been bugging me off and on since yesterday. I think I may have over done it with the physical activity, after mostly just sitting around in classes for the last couple of months." Felicity said as she rubbed her back and the sides of her stomach . "Your niece is taking up a lot of real estate in here."
"I can't believe I'm going to be an aunt!" Thea said grinning as she leaned down to speak to Felicity's stomach, "I'm going to be the best Auntie in the world. If Mom says no, don't worry, just come to Auntie and I'll say yes."
Felicity rolled her eyes, then grimaced as her back spasmed again. "I'm hoping that if I go and lay down for a bit that these back spasms will go away." She held up her hands, "Help a pregnant lady up, will you?"
Huffing theatrically Thea stood up and helped Felicity to her feet. When Felicity was upright, she felt a tinkling sensation, 'Did I just pee my pants?' She thought startled, then the tinkling turned into a sudden gush of fluids which left her pants and the floor wet. Felicity's eyes widened and she turned to Thea and asked, "Did my water just break?"
"Mom!" Thea screamed in panic.
"You don't have to yell dear; you were raised better than to scream across the room." Moira said calmly as she walked over to them, used to Thea's dramatics. "What's the matter?"
"I think Felicity's water just broke!" She exclaimed pointing at Felicity and the puddle of fluids that was on the floor.
"I'll have the driver pull the car around." Moira said calmly as she pulled out her cell phone and typed on it. Looking up she asked, "How far apart are your contractions?"
"I can't be in labor! It's too early! I'm not due for another month!" Felicity said, panicking. "She's not supposed to be this early!" Then the pain from earlier was back but instead of it being just her back it was like a bad cramp that started at her back and came around to the front and seized the lower part of her abdomen. Once the contraction had eased Felicity's eyes got wide, "I've got to go to the bathroom!"
Felicity tried to head to the bathroom, but Moira took ahold of her arms, "That's just the labor talking. What your feeling is the pressure from the baby pressing down. It's time to go to the hospital."
Tears fell from Felicity's eyes, "But I'm not ready."
Moira gently placed a hand on her face making Felicity to look her in the eyes, "No one is ever ready, but you will be. You are about to welcome your beautiful baby into this world and I know that you will be an amazing mother to Olivia."
Feeling more grounded, Felicity nodded. "Thea, can you run up to my room and grab my hospital bag? It's a bright pink bag with Olivia's name on it and there's a matching suitcase beside it. They should both be near the door."
"Also grab my purse," Moira asked her daughter.
"Can do!" Thea took off in a sprint, running up the stairs while Moira helped Felicity to start walking towards the car.
"Should I change? I should change. I don't want to get the car messy or arrive at the hospital in wet pants." Felicity said, looking panicked at the idea.
"How far apart are your contractions?" Moira asked.
"Uhhhh," Felicity tried to think, but another contraction gripped her making it difficult to concentrate.
"I think we need to go ahead; we'll deal with all of that when we get to the hospital." Moira said resuming their journey to the awaiting car.
Thea caught up to them as they were getting into the back of the car. She quickly threw the bags into the trunk and hopped into the back on the other side of Felicity.
"Let's go have my niece!" She said excitedly.
Felicity was far less excited, she was scared, "Oh crap my mom!" She held her breath as another contraction went through her. She panted a bit from the pain and exertion of the contraction. Pulling her phone out she hit the speed dial for her mom.
"Hey baby, did you get here early?" Came her mother's cheery voice.
"No, Mom" a wave of sadness washed over her and tears filled her eyes. "I'm in labor, Moira's taking me to the hospital."
"Oh, my baby's about to have her baby!" Donna cried. "How can I get there? Is that fancy jet ready?"
Felicity looked at Moira and grimaced as another contraction hit, "Let me talk to her." She said and Felicity handed the phone over.
"Donna, it's Moira. I'm sending the jet to get you, but it won't be there for a couple of hours yet." Moira listened for a little bit, "It's going pretty fast, but do that and I'll take care of things on this end." She listened a bit more then said, "I'll make sure to keep you updated. Bye."
She returned the phone to Felicity, "She is going to see if there is a commercial flight so that she can get here sooner." Then pulling her phone out she let Felicity know, "I'm going to call the hospital to let them know we're on our way."
Felicity could only nod as tears streamed down her face. This was not what she imagined labor would be like. She was so scared, especially with what the baby being several weeks early would mean; not only for her but for the baby as well. She had always pictured her mom with her there in the delivery room, hold her hand and let her know that everything would be ok. Thea's voice interrupted her spiraling thoughts, "I've texted Tommy and let him know that it was go-time. He's going to meet up with us at the hospital. I think he's excited about being an uncle."
Another contraction stole Felicity's voice for a minute. After it had passed, she groaned and said, "I'm probably going to really regret telling Tommy that he was her honorary uncle, especially when she comes home with a pony that he bought for her."
Laughter filled the car, and Thea said "He did try to buy a pony for me when I was five at the fair. Mom made Ollie take me, and of course we met up with Tommy and Laurel. So, while Ollie and Laurel were probably off sucking face Tommy took me over to the pony rides and I begged him to buy me one of the pony's. And he really tried." She smiled at the memory, "He was my hero for a long time for doing that for me."
Another contraction had Felicity whimpering, and when it passed she asked plaintively, "Are we almost there yet? I keep feeling like I've got to poop, and though I know it's a sign of labor I'm scared because I don't want to mess up your car even further."
"We're almost to the hospital, I can see the lights up ahead. Dalton's going to let us out at the women's center door." Moira said reassuring her. "And don't worry about the car, we can always get it detailed."
"Good, 'cause I really feel like I need to push." Felicity was biting her lips trying not to give in to what her body was telling her to do.
"Just hang on a few more minutes," Moira said soothingly. "We're just about there and I see people outside waiting for us."
Pulling up to the hospital they quickly got Felicity transferred to a wheelchair and into the maternity ward where the nurses helped her change into a gown. Her contractions were getting closer and closer together. Thea had opted to stay in the waiting room as to not traumatize herself with the birthing process, while Moira went back with Felicity. As another contraction seized Felicity she cried out, "I just want my mom!" Tears flooded her face. Then panic struck her, "I've got to push! Please… can I push?"
A nurse who was gloved up and ready gave her the go ahead, "The doctor will be in any second, but do what your body is telling you to do."
Nodding, Felicity took a minute to focus and try to remember what she had learned in her birthing classes. Deep breaths, focus, hard pushes, she could do this. With the next contraction she pushed through it, which greatly helped the pain that she was feeling, but then she felt a burning sensation and asked worriedly, "Is everything OK? Why does it feel like it's burning?"
"Don't worry. That's just the baby crowning. We just need you to give us a few more good pushes, just like that!" The nurse said as another contraction hit Felicity and she started pushing again. Three pushes later and Olivia Meghan Queen was born on December 15 at 4:15 pm.
A few hours later Felicity sat alone in her hospital room nursing Olivia. It had been a surreal experience. As this was her first baby she had been prepared to go over her due date and to have a long and difficult labor, because that was what the women in her online support group had said to expect. However, the doctor had told her that what she had experienced was called precipitous labor and they weren't sure what caused a woman to have it. Felicity was enjoying just sitting there in the quiet room watching her baby nurse. She'd had a chance to clean up a bit and Olivia had been checked to make sure that she was healthy, since she was late pre-term. Both mother and baby got clean bills of health, aside from some tearing for Felicity. Tommy, Thea, and Sara had all stopped in. Thea had insisted on taking many pictures of her and Olivia, as well as pictures of everyone who had come to visit and meet the baby. Felicity was sure that she looked horrible in the pictures, but both Moira and Thea insisted that she didn't. Sara brought the cutest little panda outfit that Olivia was going to look adorable in and Felicity could see the moment that Tommy had fallen in love with the baby, and he promised to buy her a pony as soon as she was old enough to ride. They had all taken their leave when they saw that she was fading fast and promised to visit later.
A knock came from the door and Felicity looked up, expecting a nurse to come in. To her surprise it was her mother. "Mom! You're here!" Felicity exclaimed.
"Oh, my baby!" Donna said quietly as she walked over to the hospital bed, still in her cocktail waitress uniform. Donna hadn't been able to get a commercial flight, instead she had to wait until the private plane had arrived then took it back.
Olivia had fallen asleep while she had been eating, so Felicity gently eased her off her breast and covered herself back up and asked. "Want to hold your granddaughter?"
"Of course I want to hold the little nugget!" Donna exclaimed as Felicity passed a swaddled Olivia over to her mother. Donna held the baby tight to her chest looking down at her first grandchild "Who is the most precious baby there is? It's you! You're the most precious!" She cooed at the baby and then looking over to her daughter and touching her cheek, she said, "You did so good sweetie! She's just the cutest little baby there is! I'm so sorry that I didn't get here in time."
Felicity touched her mother's hand, "It's okay, Mom I know that you tried, Olivia was just too impatient." She held up the hand with the IV in it, "Look! I didn't even cry! And I delivered her without any pain meds, but I did get some pain meds while they stitched me up." At her mother's quizzical look "apparently my lady bits went rip," she used two fingers suddenly coming apart as a visual guide.
"Happened to me too," Donna said, wincing in sympathy. Then with a twinkle in her eye, she asked. "So, is this my first night of Hanukkah present?"
Felicity chuckled, "Sure is, do you like it, or should I send it back?"
"She's definitely a keeper." Donna said, tearing up, one finger tracing down the newborn's little cheek. "I remember when you were this little. I couldn't believe how tiny you were, and now eighteen years later you have one of your own."
"Holy frack, I'm a teen mom!" Felicity moaned and started crying "I always said I wasn't going to be a teen mom and now I am."
Donna laid Olivia in the little bassinet beside Felicity and sat on her daughter's bed, wiping away her tears. "You might be a teen mom, but you are more than halfway through college, and I know you for a fact that you will finish with honors."
Felicity nodded sniffling, "I got all A's on my classes last semester, even with everything going on."
Smiling, Donna handed Felicity a tissue, "See, you and Olivia are going to achieve great things!"
Leaning forward Felicity held her arms out for a hug, taking comfort in her mother's presence. They didn't always get along, and Donna drove her nuts and embarrassed her constantly, but she loved her mother, and she knew that she would be there for her no matter what. As they hugged a huge yawn escaped Felicity. Donna smoothed Felicity's hair, "You get some rest, and we can visit when you wake up."
Nodding, Felicity laid back and was soon fast asleep.
Later in the evening, Felicity had just finished feeding Olivia and had placed her in the bassinet when Moira knocked on the door and then entered her room. She smiled softly at Felicity and the baby, "How are you feeling?"
"Honestly? I feel weird. My emotions are all over the place, I ache in places I don't even want to think about, and I think I could eat a whole buffet if I had a chance."
Moira looked into the bassinet and realized that Olivia was awake. "Hi sweetheart." she said softly as she smiled down at her granddaughter.
"Did you want to hold her?" Felicity asked, preparing to pick her up. "I just got through feeding and burping her."
"In a minute, but I wanted to talk to you first." Moira said, looking solemn.
"Okay…" Felicity said slowly, slightly nervous, but she patted the side of the bed where Donna had been sitting earlier. "Sit down."
Gracefully Moira perched on the edge of the bed. Taking a deep breath she said, "I want to apologize to you again." Felicity started to protest, but Moira held up a hand. "Please let me get through this first. When Oliver told me that he had impregnated a girl, I feared the worst and made plans accordingly." She paused, "I knew that he was a womanizer, and I could see only heartbreak for the both of you. I was also worried about a scandal ruining his reputation and any chance that he might have of eventually taking over the company and I thought that the both of you would be better off without one another." She looked Felicity in the eyes, "I was wrong, and I am so very glad that you told me no. Robert's and Oliver's death's took a piece of me with them, but with Olivia in our lives, I feel as though I have a small piece of them back. You are a remarkable young woman, and I am so very proud to have you as my granddaughter's mother."
Tears were flowing freely from both Felicity and Moira. Felicity leaned over and hugged Moira and said, "Thank you, that means a lot to me. I know that our situation is different, but I'm glad you that you are a part of our lives."
"I also have one more present for you." Felicity started to protest. "Before you say no, please listen." Felicity nodded. "I've hired you a night nurse or what's called a Newborn Care Specialist, for the next several months to help you out until the end of the school semester. Before you tell me that it's not needed or that you can do it, when you get back to MIT neither Donna nor I will be there to help. In most cases, after birth the father would be there to help out, but with Oliver gone, I thought that hiring a night nurse would be the next best thing. She will stay with you and assist you in anything that you might need regarding Olivia and even babysit her when you go back to class. She has been thoroughly vetted and is a grandmother of four. She used to be a pediatric nurse before retiring. If, after a month, you still don't want her or don't think that you need her, we will release her from her contract, but please keep an open mind about it and give it a chance."
Felicity sat quietly as she processed what Moira was saying. Her first inclination was to say that she could do it on her own and didn't need any help, but one of the things all of the moms in her online support group had said was they wished they had more help when they started back to school. "Okay, I'm willing to let her help. What's her name and what's she like?"
"Her name is Betty, and I hope that you'll like her. She's from Boston and was excited to come and visit Starling to meet and get to know you before moving back with you to Cambridge." Moira explained as a smile lit up her face.
The holidays quickly flew by and before Felicity knew it, she was back at school. Betty had proven to be a godsend to Felicity. Even before moving back to MIT, she had everyone on a schedule, and Felicity didn't feel like she was going crazy taking care of the baby while she healed from the birth and dealt with her classes. While the demands of having a newborn were tough, with her family's help she easily got through the first month, and then transitioned back to school. Betty stayed with them through the end of the semester and Felicity was sad to see her go. But they were staying in Starling for the summer. Thea was calling multiple times a day and checking up on them and making sure that the plans had not changed as she was so excited. Felicity was worried that Olivia's closet would be overfull with things that she would never wear by the time they arrived back in Starling.
The summer went by quickly with Olivia easily hitting every milestone. By the time that the summer ended, Olivia was coming into her own personality. Strangers interested her only from the safety and security of her loved ones' arms. She loved soft and fuzzy things but hated the bath and always cried during it. Moira had said that both Oliver and Thea had done the same thing. She was working on a few words, and Thea swore that Olivia would call her 'Ea ea'. Peek a boo was her favorite game, she could sit up by herself, and she loved to cuddle. Both Donna and Moira liked to try to pick their individual child's features and mannerisms in the baby, but Felicity thought that Olivia was a perfect mix of both her and Oliver.
When classes at MIT resumed in the fall, Moira once again tried to convince Felicity to get an apartment, but Felicity argued that Olivia's daycare was close to the dorm and that way they could walk to most of places that they needed to go that an apartment was an unnecessary expense.
Felicity was glad to be back on campus. This year the administration had asked her to be a mentor to a freshman, because like her, he was also starting MIT at sixteen. Seeing a shaggy haired blonde kid headed her way she assumed this was the student that she was supposed to meet, Angus MacGyver, because he actually looked like he was twelve. "Hi, are you Angus?" She asked when he was within hearing range.
The kid grimaced, "Yes, that's me, but please just call me Mac or MacGyver ."
Nodding Felicity said, "Yeah, if my name was Angus, I'd want to be called something else too." Realizing what she had said she started rambling, "Not that it's a bad name, it just reminds me of cows, moo." He just stared at her. "Sorry, sometimes my mouth runs away from my brain. Let me start over. Hi, I'm Felicity Smoak." She extended her hand in his direction.
"Mac," he said as he took her hand, "Nice to meet you." He shifted back and forth. "So uh, they said that you were assigned to me as a mentor because of when you started?"
"Yep, I'm a genius like you are." She stated, matter-of-factly. "I started here when I was sixteen, and I'm going to be graduating this year with a double Masters at nineteen. I'm in the computer sciences and cyber security programs. What about you?
"I'm in the engineering program. So what's on the agenda?" he asked as he looked around.
"Well Mac, I figured I could give you a tour," He opened his mouth to protest. "Not an official administration approved tour, but the "what you really need to know while you're here" tour, and then I thought that we could grab a bite to eat at the best restaurant within walking distance, I'll give you my number and e-mail, so you can contact me any time that you have questions and I'll try to answer them. But we can't be too long today because I've got to pick my little girl up from the campus daycare before they close. Plus, breast feeding is rough."
Mac looked at her in surprise, "You have a daughter?"
"I know, I know. I don't look old enough and wow I got back in shape fast." Felicity said as she rolled her eyes. She had heard it over and over again from strangers and even a few of the friends she had made at MIT.
Mac looked taken aback and scrambled to explain, "No, no, no! That's not what I meant! It's just I know how difficult MIT is and to do that with a baby is very impressive."
Felicity relaxed a bit, "Thanks. Do you want to see a picture of her?" She loved showing off pictures of Olivia, she was just so stinking cute!
"Sure," he said with a shrug. She showed him the one that had been taken that morning of Olivia trying to eat her fist. "She is adorable." Mac agreed. The tour went well, and Felicity felt like Mac would fit in well at MIT.
Felicity felt like she had really found her stride this year. Mac didn't need much mentoring. Olivia loved daycare and was finally saying momma and pulling herself up on things. She had found a hacker group that she belonged with, and she had just been asked out on a date by the best guy in the group, Cooper Seldon.
Once again Felicity spent Thanksgiving with the Queens as her mother was working. Thea was excited when Felicity shared with her that she had a boyfriend, but the best thing that happened was that little Livy took her first steps. The girls spent most of the time planning Olivia's birthday party, which was scheduled for just after they came back for the holiday break. Thea kept coming up with grandiose plans, and Felicity had to keep reminding her that it was for a one-year-old who wouldn't even remember the party.
Since Hanukkah came early that year, Felicity celebrated it in her dorm with Olivia and sometimes Cooper. The two of them flew back to Starling to celebrate Olivia's first birthday with the Queen's and her mother. Felicity was happy because she thought that the party was perfectly understated. Olivia had a wonderful time toddling around and ripping the bows off of the presents and giving them to the party attendees. When it came time for the cake Livy was stripped down to her diaper and placed in her highchair, a little pink smash cake was set in front of her. After a few minutes of her just staring at it, Tommy helped her smash her hand in it. Which resulted in her just eating the icing off of the cake. One guest that surprised Felicity was Laurel Lance. Tommy explained that they had been hanging out together more often and that she wanted to come to the party with him and Sara, and bought Olivia a sweet little stuffed animal. After the cake had been dispersed Felicity tried to get Olivia interested in the presents, but she just pulled a blanket from one of the gift bags curled up in it and went to sleep much to the amusement of the guests.
Christmas morning was more fun for everyone with a toddler. Last year Olivia had slept through most of the festivities, but this year she got to get little bites of the food and she learned how to rip the wrapping paper off thanks to her Auntie Thea. Moira had asked Felicity about coming to work for Queen Consolidated, but Felicity had turned her down hoping to stay near Boston to be with Cooper and to establish herself on her own merits. Moira looked a little non-plussed, at the response but left the topic alone.
Thea seemed to be doing better emotionally this Christmas. She was actually smiling and interacting with the family, the pain of losing both her brother and dad had lessened a bit by time and the arrival of an adorable niece. Felicity was sitting beside Thea unwrapping one of her presents when Thea started laughing, and motioning to the tree said, "You might want to go and get your kid."
Felicity looked over to see that Olivia was trying to shake the Christmas tree down. She deftly scooped the baby up, setting her in her lap while she tried to distract her with one of the many toys that she had gotten. But Olivia was more interested in pulling her hair-bow out of her hair and throwing it just for Felicity to pick it back up. She kept that up until Thea took her out to play on the play-set that Moira had gifted to Olivia as her Christmas present.
After the holidays when they returned to MIT, Felicity and Cooper exchanged their Christmas gifts. He had given her an ankh necklace which she loved, and she had given him the gift of some of the best code that she had ever written, which he took one look at and called it a super-virus.
But their happiness didn't last for long. Cooper was arrested after he and Felicity hacked into the Board of Education's financial accounts, where he had deleted some of debts that the students had accrued. The day before his sentencing Felicity received a call from the authorities where Cooper was being held telling her that he had committed suicide. That news turned her cheerful world upside down. Clutching the phone in her hand she slid down the wall in her dorm and started to sob. Seeing her mother in distress Olivia dropped the toy that she had been playing with and ran over to her mom. She climbed into Felicity's lap and just leaned on her, trying to comfort her as Felicity tried to pull her broken heart back together. For a long time mother and daughter just sat there together taking solace in each other until Felicity was ready to face the world again and Olivia needed a diaper change.
Realizing that she needed to make changes, not only for herself, but also for her daughter, several different decisions were made by Felicity that day. The first, and most visible decision, was to change her hair color. The purple was a thing of the past so she decided to bleach it to match her little girl. She then went out and purchased a whole new wardrobe, leaving the goth look behind and adopting a more professional look with lots of bright colors and dresses. She also decided that she was done with hacking; the price for doing it was just too high. Her last decision led her to call Walter Steele and ask him if the job that had been offered at Queen Consolidated was still available. When she found out that it was, she took him up on it, her only caveat being that she wanted to start at an entry level position and work her way up if she deserved it. Walter quickly agreed to those terms.
Moira, Thea, and Donna all attended her graduation and she got various reactions to her new appearance. Moira and Donna were surprised but approved, even though Donna thought her dresses were a little on the frumpy side, while Thea wanted to take her shopping to fill out more of her wardrobe. Back home in Starling, Moira threw Felicity a graduation party with the usual guests plus Laurel and Felicity's old roommate Linda, who had ended up transferring to Starling University.
Moira's big surprise and graduation gift for Felicity was a brand new bright red Mini Cooper. Felicity's jaw dropped and she looked over at Moira in shock, while Thea was vibrating with excitement. "I helped Mom pick it out! I noticed that car you usually chose was smaller and I know how much you love the color red."
"Now that you are here permanently, I figured that you would need a way to get around town, and I wanted something that was safe for Olivia to be in." Moira pointed at the backseat, "I even went ahead and had her car seat installed. This is a gift that you have earned through your hard work at school and for the good work that I know you will do at the company." Felicity hesitated for a moment before she threw her arms around Moira giving her a huge hug. Moira stood still for a second before embracing her. Then sending her off, she said, "I'm glad that you like it. You should go and see to your guests."
After mingling with the guests, Felicity was taking a moment and sitting outside, holding her plate of food and watching Olivia play tag with Tommy when Laurel brought her plate over and sat beside her. "Thanks for coming Laurel," Felicity told her with a smile.
"I'm glad that you had Tommy invite me," Laurel smiled at her. "And I want to apologize for my actions when we first met."
Not wanting to think about Oliver's death Felicity shrugged it off, "It was a stressful time for everyone."
"No. Sara was right. I was acting like a bitch, and I regret it. I'm glad now that she called me out on it. You've been nothing but nice to me, and Olivia is an amazing little girl." They both watched Tommy almost trip over something sending Olivia into fits of giggles as she tried to catch her honorary uncle.
"That she is," Felicity agreed. "So is Sara off on her doctors without borders thing?"
Nodding Laurel swallowed her bite of food, "With Mom and Dad's divorce and me being off at law school she needed to get out of the house and she wanted to see the world." She smiled wistfully, "I know we were at each other's throats a lot before she left, but I really miss her."
"I know I'm not Sara, but if you ever need to talk, I'm available." Felicity said, and then paused. "Unless it's about Tommy and sex then I'm not available, that is something I do not want or need to know about."
Laurel burst out laughing, "We've just kinda been been dancing around each other. I'm away at law school, which is not helping, not to mention that I'm still a year away from graduation and I'm hoping to get a job at one of the big firms in Chicago. Which means that there's not really much to talk about regarding Tommy." She took a bite of food, "What are your plans? Will you be working at QC?"
Felicity nodded, "I'm starting in the IT department in two weeks." An idea popped into her head, "Hey if you know of any decent places to rent between here and QC that don't cost an arm and a leg, let me know."
"You're not going to stay here?" Laurel asked, surprised.
"For right now, yes, we will. But I do eventually want my own space. Moira is great, but I want a place where I can make all the decisions and I don't have to worry about asking if people can come over."
Olivia ran up to them calling "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy." and then pointing at Tommy who was right behind her.
"Yes, baby." Felicity gathered the sweaty little girl in her arms.
"Ickle, Ickle," she point to Tommy who had flopped onto the ground beside Laurel.
"You want me to tickle Uncle Tommy?"
"Un-huh," She smiled as she slipped her thumb into her mouth.
"Well, if you can take that thumb out, I suppose I can tickle him."
Olivia yanked out her thumb and started giggling. Felicity walked over to Tommy and pretending to tickle him, making Olivia burst out into gales of laughter again. When her laughing had slowed down a large yawn escaped her mouth. "I think some one's ready for a nap." Felicity commented.
"No nap, no nap!" Olivia cried, clearly over-exhausted with her thumb back firmly in her mouth.
Trying to head off a tantrum, Tommy jumped up and said, "How about Uncle Tommy reads you a story and tucks you in?"
"Kay," The toddler agreed, following Tommy inside.
Laurel stood up, "I better go and supervise to make sure he doesn't somehow offer to buy her a pony between here and her room."
Felicity laughed, "They do need supervision, she has him wrapped around her little finger!"
Laurel smiled fondly at Tommy leading Olivia inside, "That she does."
A couple minutes later a heavily pregnant Linda eased down beside Felicity. "When I asked you to spend spring break with me, never in a million years did I think this would be where we would be two years later."
Nodding in agreement Felicity asked, "How's married life treating you?" During summer break the year Oliver had died, Linda had met the man who was now her husband and moved back to Starling. She had completed her degree there, gotten married, and they were expecting their first baby, which was due any day.
"Good, we're happy. I never thought I'd be looking forward to being a stay-at-home mom, but here I am."
Felicity laughed, "And I never dreamed I'd have a billionaire's kid and be working for his family's company! What a pair we make!" The two caught up for a bit before Linda had to leave.
Linda leaned in for a hug, "Thank you so much for inviting me, I've missed hanging out with you."
"Same," Felicity agreed, "Let me know when you're ready for company and we'll come see you. But I can't promise that Livy won't claim the baby. She is currently obsessed with babies!"
Laughing Linda said, "You know it. Bye!" Once Linda left Felicity took the time to enjoy her party before going to check on Olivia.