#5- Barry's Blunder

Felicity had insisted they all get out of the lair, even if only long enough to eat and regroup. The days they'd spent in Central City had taken a toll and now that they had returned Barry and the S.T.A.R Labs group had followed, their work still incomplete.

Cisco had suggested Big Belly but there was a limit to how many burgers one person could stomach in a week and much to Oliver's chagrin Thea began happily going on about what a fantastic cook he was. The next thing they knew the entire extended team was heading to the loft for an impromptu dinner party slash strategy session.

Felicity had just finished topping off Caitlin's wine glass when the doctor turned to Barry, "Did you grab my tablet. I just thought about something I wanted to ask Felicity."

Barry's face scrunched in apology, "No, sorry, it's still at the lair. I'll grab it."

Before Caitlin could stop him he was gone in a woosh, Felicity's lightweight skirt flying upwards as he disappeared.

"You'd think I'd get used to that." she muttered under her breath, straightening up from where she'd half bent over to keep from giving everyone a show.

Barry zipped right back, coming in through the open balcony, but when he came to a stop he ran into the coffee table sending the decorative bowl with the glass beads in it toppling everywhere.

They all stopped what they were doing as Barry stood cringing in a pile of continually pinging and rolling beads. "Sorry! I...the table...and…"

Cisco let out a loud guffaw, "Dude, nicely done."

Barry shot him an exasperated look before handing the tablet to Caitlin, "I'll have it cleaned up in a second."

He moved like a blur, hands jetting every direction as the newly uprighted bowl was filled in an instant as if it had never been spilled.

Felicity had just turned to return to the kitchen, Oliver leaning against one of the pillars as he watched Barry with a bemused expression on his face that slowly slid off.

Concerned she took a quick step towards him just as Barry called out.

"Hey, Oliver, I found your...really big diamond ring?"

It was as if all the air had been sucked out of the room. Other than Cisco's low whistle there wasn't another sound and it was as if she was turning in slow motion or underwater as Felicity pivoted to look towards Barry.

Oliver was frozen beside her, the eyes of all their friends and teammates locked on the sight before them because Barry was on one knee, holding out what had to be an engagement ring and she was standing only a couple feet away.

It had to be an engagement ring. The diamond shone bright, the stone seemingly huge, with an intricate designed setting holding it aloft. She knew she should say something, do something, at the very least she should have stopped staring at it and at Barry who seemed equally as frozen as she did.

But she couldn't seem to move. One hand clenched the neck of a mostly empty bottle of red while the other lay loose over her chest where it had landed in shocked surprise. Oliver hadn't moved yet either and even though everything in her was telling her to turn and look at him she couldn't.

Then Caitlin was on her feet, hands grabbing at Barry's arm and tugging with little result. "Barry, get up!" she hissed low between clenched teeth and then it was as if time began to work again.

Barry stood and suddenly Oliver had moved. He was between her and Barry, but she was still completely unable to so much as breathe.

"Here, man." she heard Barry say quietly, "Sorry for...well, messing up whatever you had planned but...you're a lucky guy and I'm happy for you."

Then all she could see was Oliver, and somehow the wine bottle was being removed from her clenched fingers, and her whole world was nothing but blue eyes and a wide grin.

"Well, Barry on one knee holding my mother's ring isn't exactly how I thought I'd propose but...after the souffles I never came up with a better idea."

Her eyes rose high over her glasses, "Oh! You…" because that day so many months ago in another city still burned bright in her memory.

"Yeah," he admitted almost sheepishly, "It was in the whipped cream."

"Oh, Oliver…" she melted, completely forgetting there was even anyone else in the room with them.

"Felicity...I didn't plan on doing this today, like this, but...it seems right. This is our life. Dining rooms that double as war rooms, days and nights, CEO and Mayor, Green Arrow and the woman he'd be lost without. It's always been two sides of the same coin, ying and yang. That's why this works with you. Why this is all I'll ever want."

Nothing but love and tenderness flowed from him and a surety she wasn't certain she'd ever heard in his voice before. And before she could blink he'd dropped to one knee, the ring held firmly in his grip as he took her left hand in his.

"Felicity Smoak, you're my home, my love, my life. Will you marry me?"

An eruption of noise and applause surrounded them before she even had a chance to reply, her heart swelling with love and joy as she gazed down at the man who had changed everything about her life and was now the only thing she knew she couldn't live without.

On shaky legs she dropped to her knees in front of him, "Yes," she whispered half a second before he was pulling her in, mouth covering hers with a kiss that was nothing but promise and perfection, and the certain knowledge that regardless of what they would encounter they'd do it together because they were a team, a partnership, a bond that couldn't be unbroken.