Two weeks later

Oliver paced in the living room, stopping by the window every once in a while to check the driveway, before resuming his anxious tour around the room. Thea watched him with amusement. A few years ago, she was the one pacing, and Felicity was her rock, while they both waited for Oliver to show up. Now it was Oliver pacing, Thea being the calm one, as they waited for Felicity to show up with her mother.

"They'll get here when they get here, Ollie," she tried to reassure her brother, but he didn't even hear her.

"Have you talked to her at all?" he asked, biting his thumb. "Has she said anything about where her head was at?"

"I tried. She was evasive. But she sounded better."

Oliver paused in his tracks as he considered that. "That could go either way."

Thea stood and pulled her brother into a hug. "You're gonna give yourself a stroke if you keep worrying about this."

He let out a breath and relaxed in her arms. "I can't help it. She's everything to me."

"She's everything to me, too," she murmured. "Well, besides you."

Oliver huffed, and ruffled Thea's hair. "Right back at you, sis."

They both heard the sound of an engine, followed by car doors opening. Oliver ran to the window to look. "She's here," he blurted, and proceeded to groom himself needlessly. He speed-walked to the door, and Thea followed. He swung the door open before the bell had a chance to ring, and then froze with his gaze on Felicity.

Felicity froze as well, and then smiled, her features softening with affection.

Thea turned her attention to Donna. "Welcome back!" She pulled her in for a hug. "You guys are so tan! Fiji was good to you!"

Donna squeezed her once before letting go. "Oh it was wonderful! And very generous of Ray."

"Oh, no," Felicity interrupted, breaking eye contact with Oliver to look at her mother. "That was all me. I wouldn't have gone otherwise."

Donna nodded in appreciation. "Well, then, thank you for a lovely familymoon, sweetheart." She turned her attention back to Thea and winked. "Let's give these two a moment, shall we?"

Thea giggled, and followed Donna into the house.

Felicity smiled up at Oliver, who looked back at her with complicated emotions behind his eyes. He drank her in like a man in a desert stared at an oasis. But there was also a fair bit of trepidation as well, as if he was awaiting sentencing. She wanted to dispel that anxiety as soon as possible, so she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him.

His arms wrapped around her back instantly, and she felt his body sag as tension melted away. "It's so good to see you," he whispered, his voice cracking with emotion.

Felicity breathed in his scent, and felt like she could stay in this position for hours. "It's good to see you too."

They lingered in the doorway, swaying against each other, and time passed. Felicity finally pulled away with a breath. "You give really good hugs," she said, gazing into his eyes. Now she saw an abundance of affection and warmth in those vivid blues. But the anxiety had yet to completely disappear.

"I only give those kind of hugs to you, Felicity," he murmured.

She closed her eyes as warmth bloomed in her chest. This was the thing she came back for, the thing she wrestled with for two weeks. The way he said her name, the words only he could speak that could stir up her soul. Feelings that, unfortunately, came with a side of distrust, and that was why she was here.

Felicity opened her eyes. "Walk with me?" she asked, gesturing outside the house.

"Sure." He stepped forward and shut the door behind him.

Felicity linked her arm through his, and they walked in silence for a bit.

"Do you still mean it?" she asked.

"Yes," he said, expelling a relieved breath. "Absolutely."

"It's not just because you didn't want me marrying anyone?"

Oliver shut his eyes with a frown. "No."

"That was probably the only sticking point in my thoughts," she explained. "The timing of your...proposal, for lack of a better word. I couldn't be sure."

Oliver sighed. "I'm sorry. I should have said something sooner."

"It's okay," she reassured, patting his arm. "I'm not saying this to make you feel bad."

"I know you're not. But the fact that the timing made you doubt me at all, that's on me. And I'm sorry."

"But you still mean it."

He stared down at her, his expression sincere. "Yes. I still mean it."

Felicity sighed. "I need you to know something."

"Okay," he said, swallowing his anxiety.

"You know my dad left when I was little. And I've been on my own a lot in my life. Well, until I met Thea," she remembered with a nostalgic smile. "My point is, I have my own issues. My own baggage. Mine happens to make me protective of my heart, and I can come across as cold. Closed off. It's just a defense mechanism."

"Okay," Oliver said slowly, his eyebrows lowering in confusion.

"Just like your defense mechanism is to run when you're afraid. Retreat into yourself, and push people away."

He didn't respond, and simply stared at her, clearly anxious.

Felicity stopped walking and stood in front of him. She searched his gaze for a long moment before speaking. "I need to know that you're really in this with me. That even when things get hard, and you feel like running away, or pushing me away, that you won't, because that's exactly the thing that will trigger my fears."

"Hey," Oliver said, grabbing her arms. "I promise you that I am in this with every fiber of my being. But I can't promise that I won't freak out, or fall off the wagon, or fuck things up somehow. I'm a mess."

She caressed his cheek with a smile. "I know what I'm getting into. I've known you for three years, Oliver Queen. I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm kind of a genius."

Oliver chuckled. "That has not escaped my notice."

Felicity nodded once. "Good. And, I'm sorry to tell you this, but we're gonna have to take it slow."

Oliver blinked. "Slow?"

"Yeah. I mean, I just got out of a long relationship. I don't want you to be my rebound, you know?"

Oliver stared at her, his expression uncertain. She couldn't keep a straight face for long; her lip twitched into a smirk.

Oliver laughed out loud and pulled her into his arms. "You almost had me there, Smoak," he rasped, inches away from her lips.

Felicity giggled. "Three years is long enough, don't you think?"

A mischievous grin appeared on his face, and he answered her with a kiss.

The End (for now)

A/N: Thanks for joining me on this ride! This fic was born after watching a comedy that had a "stop the wedding" moment, and I wondered if there were any Olicity fics with that trope. I was going to post all of almost 10,000 words in one go, but my beta (smoakinamell) made the suggestion to post it in chapters. Not sure if I did it right, maybe I should have posted a chapter a day, but I couldn't wait.

Also, I have probably a dozen side stories in this 'verse, as per usual. I'd be open to prompts in this little world, so if there's something specific you want to see, send me a note via tumblr (skcolicity) and if it inspires me, I'll write it!