The first huge thanks goes to Sam awriterincowboyboots. I'm not exagerrating when I say that more often than not there was truly a co-writing thing going on, what with all her amazing suggestions. She was the absolute best, and I'm so happy I'll be able to tell her in person one month from now :)

Thank you to all the people who read it and were kind enough to let me know, whether here, on Twitter or AO3. I had some wonderful reviews and words of encouragment despite a lack of a regular posting schedule.

I'll be forever grateful for all the friends I made through this fic, proving once again how being part of a fandom is one of the best thing in the world.

Look out for the second part starting this Sunday (but more on that when I post the chapter :)

"Oh my God, this is absolutely orgasmic," Felicity whispered just after swallowing. "The reputation of the restaurant is definitely not a fabrication."

Oliver gave her a teasing smile. "As soon as he comes back to our table, I'll tell Chef Diggle how highly you regard his food."

She smacked his thigh. "Don't you dare. And don't think I didn't notice the grunting noises you made while eating. You loved it, too."

He scoffed. "There was no grunting."

"Yes, there was, and I know what it sounds like because it's the same noise you made last night when we...Mr. Diggle, hi!"

Felicity welcomed the famous chef with a cheerful smile, hoping he hadn't caught the last part of her sentence. "Oliver and I were just talking about how delicious your creme brulee is."

Oliver snorted softly, Felicity kicked him in the shin

"Call me John, please," the handsome man told her with a smile, and she couldn't help but admire his arms underneath the white chef's uniform.

They had arrived at Lyla's Kitchen 2 hours ago. Felicity had immediately appreciated the cream-colored atmosphere illuminated softly by dimmed lighting, their table situated in an alcove to give them some privacy.

Famed chef John Diggle had welcomed after they'd been seated and it was then Felicity had first noticed the musculature of the chef. Was that the result of lifting pots and pans all day? Because if so, she was definitely going to encourage Oliver to do it more frequently.

Thankfully before she could accidentally blurt any of that out Chef Diggle had wished them a wonderful evening and promised to come by and see them again before they left.

Felicity felt a little twist in her stomach. She was incredibly nervous and excited for Oliver. He was eager to make a good impression and they both hoped Chef Diggle wouldn't linger on Oliver's lack of experience and rather young age.

He didn't appear nervous, but Felicity knew Oliver better than that, the tick with his little fingers had started since the head chef had sat with them was a dead giveaway.

"I'm thinking of expanding," John started with a deep, warm voice. "Not this restaurant, as I tend to think what you gain in quantity you lose in quality. But I would like to open a brand new one here in Star City."

He paused to let them process and continued with a smile. "I'm looking for talented young chefs who share the same passion I have for cooking. The idea is to give a chance like an open mic night if you will."

Oliver looked at Felicity and beneath the table she felt him squeeze her hand. "I'm very flattered but I'm not sure I would be up to the task though."

John intercepted Felicity's exasperated look and laughed softly. "What do you think, Felicity?"

"I think he would be wonderful at it," she replied earnestly.

Oliver shifted his hand and intertwined their fingers. She gave it a squeeze and was rewarded with a grateful smile.

"How do you propose to do it?" Oliver enquired and Felicity rejoiced internally at the confidence which was suddenly back in his voice.

"I know you have a flourishing catering business, so at first it would be one evening a week. I would advertise you as the Chef du jour, and we would work on the menu together."

"That sounds exciting," Felicity encouraged.

Chef Diggle leaned forward and there was something in his face which made Felicity's heart kick up a beat. "And depending on how things work out, this could come to a potential partnership."

Oliver nodded, and while Felicity couldn't imagine he was anything but enthusiastic his face was guarded as he leaned back away from the table, away from Chef Diggle, as if he was putting distance between himself and the thing he wanted most.

"You now I came into the cooking business a bit randomly. I have no real experience. I enjoy the process, the creative part of it. I just happened to be good at it, apparently," he finished with a little self-deprecating laugh.

"I know. I've seen your videos. And a friend of mine was at one of your dinners. He couldn't shut up about how amazing it was. Almost gave me a complex."

Oliver blushed and Felicity refrained herself from kissing John Diggle there and then. It was so rewarding for Oliver to get such praise by a renowned professional.

"Cooking has always been my passion, and I love to meet young people who are as enthusiastic about it as me, especially if they are talented. That's about it. You don't have to answer right now of course."

Oliver laughed. "How could I say no to such an amazing offer? I'll just have to see how to manage it with my catering business. I'm also taking care of Felicity's daughter, and…"

"Oh, we'll find a solution for that," Felicity intervened quickly, because she wasn't going to have him say no just to make sure Millie was not going to suffer from this. They would figure it out.

"Hey, I understand. I have a little girl who's approximately the same age. She's one of the reasons for my decision. I want to find people I can trust so I don't have to be here every night and spend some quality time with my wife and kid."

"This is a fantastic opportunity, and I'm ready to work for it," Oliver assured him.

"Then I'll call you tomorrow and schedule an official meeting," John said with a satisfied smile. "It was lovely meeting you, Felicity."

"You too, John."

The older man stood up and they shook hands as he wished them a good evening.

Together, they stayed silent for a moment before Felicity started to laugh quietly and the biggest grin she had ever seen split Oliver's face. He looked completely, happily baffled.

"What just happened?"

She took his face between her hands, pressing a quick kiss on his lips. "I'm really proud of you."

He laughed. "Well I haven't done anything yet. Maybe he'll think I suck and will kick me out of his kitchen."

She shook her head and pulled at his hand, eager to go home so they could celebrate.

Oliver had barely closed the door behind the babysitter before he swept Felicity off her feet, climbing the stairs effortlessly before dumping her on their bed. She bit her lips to refrain from laughing, afraid of waking up the little girl who slept down the hall.

There was no laughing though afterwards as they made love quietly and tenderly.

"I love you," he whispered as they rested in each other's arms, and there was a huskiness in his voice, her new favorite sound which only appeared during their intimate moments. It stirred so many feelings inside of her, the best of all being a warm glow enveloping her like a cocoon, making her feel protected, safed and loved.

Oliver had two dinner parties the following nights, and since Felicity had gone back to work after her sick leave, they didn't see each other much.

On the following Friday night Oliver made Millie eat a little bit earlier than usual before sending Felicity upstairs with her, telling her he had some things to prepare. Intrigued, she complied, wondering about the excited and mysterious look on his face.

When she came back down a while later, she discovered he had prepared their backyard as a cozy little spot with blankets, lots of cushions and colored lights. She smiled upon noticing two Winnie the Pooh cushions he had no doubt borrowed from Millie's room. There were also 2 trays with what appeared to be a delicious meal.

"What's the occasion?"

He looked a bit restless, a nervous and hopeful smile on his face. "I thought it would make a nice official first date? I know it's not a fancy restaurant, but…"

She raised on her tiptoes and interrupted him with a kiss.

"I love it. It's much better than any fancy restaurant could ever be."

He wiggled his eyebrows. "And you get to kiss the cook, too."

She laughed and sat down as he disappeared for a moment in the kitchen before coming back with a chilled bottle of white wine.

"So on a scale of 1 to 10, how excited are you for Tuesday?" she asked, referring to the day Oliver was starting at John Diggle's restaurant.

"A solid 50," he replied with a grin.

"You'll do great."

"I think I will, yes," he casually said and she shot him a surprised look.

"Is that confidence I hear? Did you finally see the light?" she gently teased him.

He chuckled softly before pulling her nearer, pressing a kiss on her lips. She brought her hand to his cheek, scratching the stubble. Not only was Oliver a great kisser, she had discovered with delight it was also one of his favorite things to do. They made love frequently, but they could also have a long and satisfying make out session that didn't necessarily lead to sex, but was always left her in an extremely happy and fulfilled state of mind.

When he pulled away there was an intense look on his face and she was taken aback by the abrupt change.

"I am confident. In fact, I've never been more confident about my future, about what I want to do and who I want to spend it with."

She bit her lip, watching him attentively for a minute. "Wait, that was not a proposal...right?"

"No. Not yet. I have something better in mind."

She raised an eyebrow and looked around at the romantic atmosphere he had created."Good luck with that."

He laughed. "Ok, maybe not better, but different?"

"You know if it involves food prepared by you it's a guarantee I'll say yes, right?"

He nodded. "I'm well aware your stomach is passionately in love with me."

She was overwhelmed by the love and tenderness she read in his eyes. "I'm so beyond happy you walked into my store that day. When I think…" she laughed softly, feeling emotional. "My life without you is just inconceivable now."

Oliver brought his knuckles to her cheek, caressing it softly. "I think everything we've done, everything that happened to us, led us to this moment. Even if I hadn't walked into that store, we would have found our way to each other." Her breath caught in her throat at the pure love displayed on his face. "Some things are meant to be," he finished in a whisper.

She climbed in his lap and hugged him fiercely, ignoring his 'humpf' of surprise and the little laugh which followed.

"I love you, Oliver Queen. You're a wonderful man and a wonderful father."

"I love you Felicity Smoak. I don't know what I did to deserve you, but I'll make damn sure to do it for the rest of our lives."

In a swift movement he raised on his knees, pulling her with him as he turned around and deposited her on the cushions.

She looked at the adjoining wall they shared with their neighbour - the other side was facing the street and protected by a tall brick wall.

"Don't worry," Oliver whispered, his breath on her neck making her all tingly. "They're not home right now."

Her hand slid down to the button of his jeans. "Then by all means you may proceed, Mr Queen."

As Tuesday approached, Oliver's excitement and apprehension became quite apparent to Felicity.

"Do I detect a little nervousness?" Felicity joked as he came down the stairs, ready to leave for the restaurant.

He let out a brief laugh. "Nervousness? You mean peeing in my pants?"

"Your way with words is one of the thing I love most about you."

Millie tugged on his pants to get his attention and he lifted her in his arms. "Give me a hug."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and peppered kisses on his jaw and cheek.

"Dada," she said in a cajoling voice, the kind Felicity knew would probably help her get out of trouble a lot in the future.

Oliver opened his free arm so Felicity could slip under it and cuddle with the two of them. She hugged him tightly, a bit overwhelmed by the love and pride she felt at that moment.

He kissed both his girls on the head. "Just what I needed. I'm now ready to kick some...behind."

When he came back that night, Felicity didn't even have to ask him how it went, it was clear as day on his face. He had always been happy with the catering, but it was nothing compared to his enthusiasm now as he was recounting his evening to her. This was obviously his true calling.

Since she'd had to take her afternoon off for him to be able to go to the restaurant, it reminded Felicity finding a new daycare was becoming urgent. Unfortunately, the situation was pretty much the same as 4 months ago, and she hadn't be able to find anything so far.

The solution came, unexpectedly, from Robert Queen.

After seeing each other at dinner a few weeks ago, Oliver and his dad had slowly but surely rekindled their relationship. It had been a few phone calls at first, then a dinner with just the two of them. Two weeks ago they had gone to the mansion for brunch, where it had taken exactly ten minutes for Millie to turn Robert into a doting grandfather.

Felicity had suggested that instead of Oliver calling his dad to tell him about the restaurant, they invited him for dinner instead. Robert Queen walked over her threshold that weekend for the first time, but hopefully not the last.

He had brought a creative board game for Millie, but she wanted to finish the drawing she made for him first. Once done, she climbed on his lap to describe it to him. He listened attentively to her babble before she settled on his lap and put her thumb in her mouth. Oliver winked at her and she giggled.

During dinner, the conversation for daycare was broached and Robert took out a paper from his breast pocket, handing it to Felicity.

"Oliver told me about your problem, so I asked my assistant to compile a list with daycares that still had availability."

Felicity browsed the list, and let out a little laugh. "They still have availability because they are private daycare. A bit more expensive than the regular ones."

As she was perusing the list, she thought about it and after a quick calculation, she realized they could actually afford it. With two salaries now they were able to do a lot more than when Felicity was a single mom, and Oliver had been very adamant his own earnings were to be split between the domestic chores and Millie's education.

There was also of course the fact that Oliver wasn't cut off anymore, so they could actually afford a daycare without having to think twice about it. But Felicity liked the fact they could do it notwithstanding the Queen's fortune, that they could always provide for Millie without having to rely on that.

Robert cleared his throat. "If you allow me, I would like to participate financially."

Felicity hesitated. The older man was really trying to mend things with his son, and she appreciated he included Millie and her in this. This obviously seemed important to him, so why deny him the pleasure ?

She met Oliver's eyes, clear and honest. "It's Felicity's decision," he said softly.

She could hear the silent 'whatever you decide, I'll support you' and smiled at him. She knew it meant a lot to Oliver that his father, even belatedly, took an interest in his life and wanted to be involved in it.

So she said yes.

The soft whining noises coming from the baby monitor stirred Felicity from her slumber, and she cracked open an eye to look at the alarm clock.

6.27 am. Oh hell no.

She felt Oliver move beside her, mumbling in his pillow, "Your daughter is awake."

"Before 8 am on Sundays, she's your daughter."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I knew you would say - wait, what?"

The astonishment in his voice pulled her from the sleep she was falling back into. She blinked owlishly at him. "What?"

"You said she was my daughter."

She frowned. "I did...Aren't you the guy she calls dada ? Or did I go to bed with someone else last night?" she joked, but the look on his face told her this was a serious matter, so she quickly added, "Millie is your daughter, Oliver. I didn't know you had any doubts about this."

"I don't. In my mind. But officially…"

Understanding dawned on her. "I see. Well, if that's the only problem, it's easily fixable."

"Easily?"

She shrugged. "Of course. Later today I'll call...no, scratch that, it's Sunday. Tomorrow, I'll call a lawyer or whoever I have to call for that kind of things and ask them what's to be done for you to adopt her. I have no idea how that works but it must not be that complicated...hopefully?"

"I have no idea either, " he said and lowered his head all of a sudden. Despite the relative darkness in the room, she noticed the tear rolling down his cheek. She sat on her knees, putting her hands on his cheeks. "Hey, what's going on? Is that not what you want? Did I misunderstand?"

He raised his head and the happiness she saw on his face reassured her on the point before his words did. "It's everything I want, Felicity. I didn't know you would make it that easy. It's a huge decision."

Her heart melted. "Oh, Oliver...it's probably one of the easiest decision I ever made in my life."

He nodded, letting out a choked sigh and she pulled him toward her,

"Thank you," he whispered against her hair and she pressed a kiss to his hair.

"Thank you for being the best daddy a little girl could hope for."

A definitive cry came out of the monitor and they both laughed. "Go get our daughter," she told him with a little tap on the shoulder before slipping back between the cover with a yawn. "I can't believe we had that conversation at 6.30 in the morning."

Oliver walked into Millie's room and smiled at the little girl who was sitting in her bed. With lips trembling and tears on her face she immediately grabbed the bars of bed to stand up, holding her arms to him.

"Hey there, baby girl," he whispered softly after giving her a kiss. "You had a nightmare?"

She nestled her face in his neck and he rubbed his hand on her back in a soothing motion. "Don't worry, daddy's here to take care of you."

He walked back to his and Felicity's room, settling down back in the bed. Felicity snuggled against him and put her hand on Millie's back. Oliver put his hand on hers, ready to watch over their sleep.

His two girls.

His whole universe.

Epilogue

As soon as Millie had seen the barn, she had decided this was where she would have her wedding reception.

Oliver had known better than to argue with his baby was not a baby anymore, but a beautiful 26 year old woman who had just gotten married today.

Now that the wedding party was in full swing, Oliver had to admit the place was beautiful and perfectly decorated. The lampion and multi colored lights rendered an intensely romantic atmosphere. At first the main scent had come from the numerous bouquet of flowers scattering the place, but it had soon been replaced by the delicious aroma of the wedding dinner - courtesy of the Diggle-Queen restaurant.

Oliver felt his wife's hand squeeze his thigh and turned to her with a smile. Twenty-two years of marriage and she still took his breath away every single time he laid eyes on her.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

He brought his arm along the back of her chair, leaned in to press a kiss on her cheek.

"Just that I'm the luckiest guy on the face of the earth."

She laughed. "Then why the sad face?"

He shrugged. "Not exactly a sad face, but it's a big step in our lives...I'm happy for her. Robbie's a good guy."

"You have something to do with that. He spent most of his childhood and teenage years at our house."

Oliver chuckled. "And it only took twice as many years as me to realize he was in love with his best friend."

"Remember the day they came to told us, thinking it would be a big surprise? They were so disappointed when we told them we had seen it coming from a mile away."

"Been there, done that," Oliver replied, his lips brushing her temple this time.

"Even Nate had noticed it, and he had his nose buried in his books most of the time."

Oliver looked at his 22 year old son who was dancing with Sara Diggle, a beatific smile on his face. Contrary to his father, Nathan had never been the extrovert, partying type. He was currently pursuing medical studies very seriously. He was a handsome young man, a perfect combination of both his parents. His glasses did nothing to hide his intelligent blue eyes and it gave him a studious kind of look, brooding Felicity had called it once, like poets and singers and the great storytellers.

Oliver had done a lot of stupid things in his life but if there was one thing he had been a complete success at, it was his kids.

He focused his attention back on his wife, their lips meeting for a sweet kiss. A sudden flash of light interrupted the moment and Oliver groaned.

"The newlyweds are on the dance floor," he told the photographer who had just snapped the picture.

"Really? Could have fooled me," the photograph said with a grin and a wink beforedisappearing in the crowd.

Felicity's laugh was quickly muffled by her husband's hungry mouth. If people considered them newlyweds, he definitely was going to act like one.

As the evening was coming to an end, Oliver requested one last dance with his daughter.

"Are you happy, baby girl?"

"Very, very happy. Dad, I want to thank you, for having been there for me all these years. For having been there for Robbie. For being the most wonderful dada in the world," she said with a teasing smile. Every time he called her baby girl she would call him dada, and vice versa. It was their little game Millie hoped would last for years to come.

"To think I was just supposed to be your nanny for a few weeks," he joked.

Her smile was bright but there was a suspicious dampness pooling at the corner of her eyes. "I'm glad you stuck around."

He grinned, looking at her with a love and adoration that had never dimmed over the years, and would last until his final days.

"I would have been a fool not to."

THE END.