Note: Hey guys! I started writing this little one-shot before my vacation and just finished it, so I decided to post it! It's a small continuation of "Domesticity and House Guests" I guess, so it's basically about what happened after Oliver and Felicity got together in that one! There's some Thea and Roy in here too and I really hope you enjoy it! =)
"What We Give Each Other"
Word count: 6,513
"When you honestly think about what you and your partner add to each others lives, you will often find that instead of giving or taking things from each other- advice, answers, material gifts, etc. You two have chosen rather to share in each others joy and pain, and experience life together through good times and bad. No matter what, you two are there for one another, growing and learning as one." - Suman Rai
Felicity and Oliver loved each other.
There was no doubt about it, that's for sure. Roy had gotten used to seeing them all lovey-dovey after they got together and yes, Oliver had indeed moved into Felicity's smaller bedroom, which Roy was one hundred percent sure that he didn't mind. After all, it gave them the opportunity to be all cozy and couple-y together without having Roy walk in on them (which had happened too many times, to be honest).
So yeah, they were totally in love and only had eyes for each other... Which was why Roy wasn't following what their current argument was about.
The couple had gone out to dinner and returned to the lair at each others throats about something.
"It was nothing, Oliver!" Felicity said angrily, walking toward her computer, high-heels in her left hand as she turned it on with the other.
"How can you say that it's 'nothing', when it clearly was?" Oliver followed her insistently. "That guy was flirting with you!"
"So?"
Roy almost laughed at the look that covered Oliver's face.
"'So?'" Oliver deadpanned. "That's all you have to say?"
Felicity whirled around and faced him. "Well, it's not as if girl's don't fawn over you everywhere we go, right? Should I be feeling guilty that an ex-boyfriend of mine tries to flirt with me? It's not like I flirted back, unlike someone," she glared.
Okay. Now Roy understood.
Just like every other couple, they were going through their jealousy-phase. And to be honest, it was probably the funniest thing Roy had ever seen. He nudged Diggle, who had been cleaning his gun when the couple had walked in, and motioned at them with his head. Diggle looked up, as if not noticing them until now and shook his head. Roy wondered just how used to their petty little fights Diggle had gotten. To be frank, their arguments just proved how much they really cared about each other.
"That means nothing, Felicity," Oliver argued. "I don't even know those girls!"
Felicity sighed and tilted her head, observing him and quietly calling him out on his bullshit. "You're such a hypocrite sometimes, Oliver," she informed him. "You know that I love you and that Matt and I happened, like, ages ago. I was the one who broke up with him, which sort of explains his behavior tonight."
Oliver's features softened a little. "I know that you love me, and you know that I love you too," he said, making Roy wonder if the two of them were even aware of the fact that they had an audience. Normally, Oliver didn't express his feelings in words when they were in public, but whatever happened tonight must have messed up his head enough with jealousy so that he didn't care how much affection he showed his girlfriend. "And I'm sorry for being a hypocrite... I just-" he exhaled sharply, "-didn't enjoy standing there while he flirted shamelessly with you..."
Felicity smiled a little. "And I guess I'm sorry for saying that you flirt back when girls approach you... I know you're just trying to politely tell them that you're not interested and that your charming face makes it look like flirting back."
Roy rolled his eyes and turned away, shooting Diggle a look. The two of them stood up and walked out of the Foundry. When Roy glanced back, he saw Oliver and Felicity standing a hairsbreadth away from each other, grinning like fools, leaning in.
"Urgh," Roy groaned, shutting his eyes tightly before following Diggle outside. "I don't even know how those two managed to stay away from each other for so long."
"Tell me about it," Diggle shook his head. "They're like lovesick puppies whenever one of them has to leave town for a few days and they've only been together officially for like three months."
Roy nodded in agreement, "But hey, at least they are happy."
A smile made it's way onto Diggle's face. "That, they are."
-Olicity-
It took some adjustment though, because Oliver and Felicity weren't just together, they were also partners in crime (or justice, depending on how you viewed it). During the beginning of their relationship, they had quite a few arguments about Felicity's field work. Oliver didn't want her to put herself in danger, but she in some cases insisted that she needed to be closer to the target to be able to intercept his or her computers better. As mentioned, it took them a while, but eventually, they came to a compromise, usually involving Roy and Diggle voting.
The fact that Oliver sulked each time that Diggle and Roy both took Felicity's side, only made the 'compromise' more amusing for Roy and Diggle, but Felicity enjoyed putting a smile back on Oliver's face once the mission was over.
Then of course, there were the times that Oliver and Felicity ganged up on Roy. The couple enjoyed annoying him by acting like parents so much that they even went with him to the local community college to help him register for some classes.
"You're a young man with a bright future ahead of yourself," Felicity had insisted. "There's no need for you to just sit around and do nothing during the day, especially now that both Oliver and I are working at Queen Consolidated again."
"Felicity, you do know that you're like two-three years older than me, right?" Roy had retorted.
"Listen to Felicity, Roy," Oliver had put in. "We're just doing this because it's what's best for you."
"You guys are not my parents!" Roy had argued, making Oliver and Felicity laugh.
"No, we're not," Felicity had agreed. "But we are living together, and I'm telling you that you're not allowed to slack around just because Oliver and I are providing for our family now. I suggest we take a vote," she had grinned, making Roy roll his eyes.
"Fine," Roy finally caved. "I'll attend some classes. Not because I think it'll help me in my vigilantism, but because I just know that the two of you will out-vote me either way."
Oliver grinned at him as he wrapped his arms around Felicity's waist.
"What gives you that idea?" he chuckled, leaning down to lightly peck Felicity on the lips. She only smiled widely before stepping up to Roy, wrapping him in a tight hug.
"I'm so proud of you," she told him, kissing his cheek lightly.
Roy couldn't help the smile that spread on his lips.
-Olicity-
One year later, shit hit the fan when they found Thea.
Actually, Felicity was the one who found Thea and then kept it to herself for a few days while she looked her up and met with her in secret.
They had been attacked by Malcolm Merlin (who was apparently alive) and his young, masked protege when the puzzle pieces had clicked together in Felicity's brain. As soon as they had made their way back to the lair, shaken with the revelation that Merlin was still breathing and wrecking havoc, she had taken to her computers, once again looking for Thea's face while also cross-referencing it with Malcolm's. The results gave her all the proof that she needed.
Thea had been with Malcolm for well over a year, since Slade's attack on the city and he had clearly taught her a lot of things, including archery.
Felicity didn't know how to tell Oliver this and because she hated keeping things from him, she decided to take action immediately. She found the small motel, just out of town that Merlin was staying at and made the assumption that Thea too would be there. Going against everything that Oliver had told her about staying safe, she drove there and showed the people in the reception a picture of Thea.
The nice and unknowing staff directed her to a room and Felicity was thrilled to find out that Thea was staying in a room all by herself. When she knocked on the door though, panic began to set in, because she had absolutely no clue to what she was going to tell the younger Queen sibling.
The door opened and there stood a more mature looking version of Thea Queen, with and expressionless face, but very sad eyes. The brunette gave Felicity a once-over before leaning against the door-frame.
"Can I help you with something?" she asked and Felicity felt her heart beat faster.
She had seen Thea- who had been been masked at the moment- in action, and despite learning some self-defense moves from Oliver and Diggle, she was nowhere near ready to take her on if things turned sour.
"I..." Felicity began, but trailed off when she felt her phone vibrate in her purse. She took out her phone and was met by Oliver's face before looking up at Thea, who had her own eyes on Felicity's phone.
"I knew I recognized you from somewhere," Thea mumbled. "You're my brother's blonde secretary."
"A lot of things have changed since you went away, Thea," Felicity said softly. "But yes, I'm Felicity."
Thea only stared at her, "What are you doing here?"
"I came to talk to you," Felicity said. "In private, if that's okay? I promise I came here alone and your brother doesn't know anything about you being here."
Thea didn't seem very convinced, but she assessed Felicity before stepping aside, allowing her to enter the room.
Felicity spent an hour in Thea's room, trying to convince Thea that she should come back with her and escape Malcolm's clutches. Thea appreciated her efforts, but stayed at the motel.
When Felicity went home again, she told Oliver about what she'd done and he had been absolutely furious at her before realizing that she had managed to find Thea. The two of them argued for two days straight, because Felicity absolutely refused to give up Thea's location.
On the third day, Oliver understood why though, because when Thea showed up on Felicity's doorstep with a bag of clothes in her hand, he had never been more thankful for his girlfriend. Somehow, Felicity had known that what she'd told Thea would get the younger girl's attention. She had given Thea her address, in case she change her mind when she saw the truth about how her brother had done everything to protect her.
"I'm sorry, Ollie," Thea said, as she stepped inside the house and straight into Oliver's arms. Oliver's own breath caught in his throat and tears filled his eyes as he held his baby sister tightly against him, afraid she might once again slip out of his arms. He caught Felicity's eyes over Thea's shoulder and tried to give her the most appreciative and loving look he could muster.
Next thing they knew, Thea was moving into Felicity's house, working on her relationship with Roy and trying to find redemption by joining Team Arrow as the new sidekick Speedy.
"It's just temporary," Thea said a month later while the four of them were sitting around the table, eating a quiet, late dinner.
Felicity glanced in Oliver's direction before turning to Roy, who had a small smile on his lips.
"Yeah," Felicity grinned, taking a small sip from her glass of red wine. "We have never really understood the meaning of that word."
-Olicity-
"Oh, we need toilet paper!" Felicity read from the list in her hands as Thea grabbed a pack and put it in the shopping cart before pushing it again. "And you and I need to buy some conditioner, because Oliver and Roy clearly don't understand that they are men that don't need softer hair."
Thea smiled at her, "How did you and my brother get together?"
The question caught Felicity off guard and she halted mid-rant so that she could look at Thea. She had been expecting it to come up eventually, but not after two months of living together, in the middle of grocery shopping.
"I, uhm..." Felicity trailed off while Thea shrugged.
"I mean, I remember that the two of you weren't together when I left, but that people around Queen Consolidated had a rumor going around about you two," Thea said. "I just want to know how you actually got together, because you seem far too good together for it to have been an office romance."
"Well," Felicity began, "you do know that we're partners as well. I worked by Oliver's side long before I became his E.A and we were partners before everything else."
"So there were no feeling there before?" Thea asked, putting the milk in the cart while Felicity ticked it off on the list.
"Of course there were feelings," Felicity truthfully answered. "I mean, there was attraction since the day he walked into my office with a broken computer-"
"Roy told me that it had been completely bulled-ridden," Thea interrupted.
"Yeah," Felicity smiled at the memory, "it was. Either way, after I joined the team, we quickly became friends and well, partners too. I knew that I loved him, as a friend, after the Undertaking but I didn't know that I was in love with him until a little before the battle against Slade."
"Though you didn't say anything, right?" Thea asked and Felicity shook her head.
"I knew he cared about me too, but there was absolutely no way of knowing how much. Remember when I told you about how we defeated Slade?" Felicity asked, putting the Granny Smith apples in the cart.
"The whole fake-not-so-fake 'I love you'? Yeah, I remember," Thea smiled lightly.
"Well, it was sort of the start to our relationship. When we moved in together, things just sort of escalated and according to Roy, we've been together for longer than the official night we got together," Felicity explained. "I love him," Felicity smiled to herself.
"And he loves you," Thea stated, smiling back at her. "A lot, I may add."
"I honestly can't imagine my life without him," Felicity admitted. "Sometimes I wonder how I got so lucky to have him."
Thea put a hand on her shoulder and grinned. "Believe me when I tell you this, Felicity," she said. "Oliver is the lucky one, because you're truly amazing. I know it's been difficult having me around at the house too, especially with me and Roy going through our own issues, but I can never tell you how happy I am that you were the one who found me and decided that I was worth giving a second chance."
"Everyone deserves a second chance, Thea," Felicity told her. "I'm just happy that you found your way home."
Tears filled Thea's eyes and the young girl cleared her throat. "You're like the sister I never had," she said, "and I can't even begin to tell you how thankful I am."
"You won't ever have to," Felicity told her, hugging her tightly in the middle of the store. They might have gotten some weird looks, but neither of them cared. "As long as you keep making your own bed," she playfully added, earning a laugh.
When they returned home, Oliver and Roy were once again arguing over who left the downstairs bathroom in a mess. Felicity met Thea's eyes, and they both silently agreed that it was better not to tell them that they had been looking for conditioner and hadn't bothered to clean up after themselves after writing it down on the shopping list.
-Olicity-
Roy was just standing there...staring at her.
Felicity fiddled with the hem of her shirt, biting her lip nervously. "Are you okay?" she wondered, trying to take a calming breath of her own, but she was way too stressed to actually manage to calm down.
"Did you do it yet?" Roy asked, instead of answering her question. "Is that why you told Oliver to take Thea out for dinner?"
"Roy, please," Felicity sighed, sitting down on the couch, burying her face in her hands. "I didn't know what to say to him and I just needed him out of here before I said something."
"Felicity," Roy said, walking over to her, sitting down on the couch next to her. "You can't keep something like this from him. He'll find out eventually."
"I know, I know," Felicity said, tearing up. "And I know that he's already suspecting that something is off with me, because Diggle told me he asked him if everything was okay with me."
"To be honest, you aren't exactly good at hiding your emotions," Roy chuckled, taking her hand in his. "But why tell me?"
"Because you're like my brother," Felicity told him. "And you're my friend and you're Oliver's friend too and I couldn't tell anyone else."
"Thea's a girl," Roy stated. "Maybe she would have been a better option?"
"You're my brother," Felicity repeated, this time more confident. "And Thea is Oliver's sister, so it would be a little awkward for me, even though we're all friends."
Roy just nodded, squeezing her hand lightly. "So, did you take it yet?" he asked her again.
"It's in the bathroom," she replied. "It's been there for half an hour, but I haven't dared going in there to look at it yet. I couldn't do it alone."
"Let's do it together then," he told her, standing up from the couch and pulling her along with him. "I'll be by your side and whatever the result is, I'll stay there."
"You're too good to me," Felicity told him with a teary smile.
"Not good enough, after everything you've done for me," Roy smiled back at her.
They walked to the bathroom and Felicity walked inside first, heading straight for the sink. She closed her eyes as she grabbed the test and handed it to Roy.
"I can't look at it," she told him. "You have to tell me, okay?"
Roy took it from her without hesitation, before flipping it over. Felicity bit her lip as she eyed his face. Damn it, he had gotten good at keeping a neutral face.
He looked up at her and their eyes locked for what felt like an eternity.
"Well?" she pressed.
"It looks like I'm becoming an uncle," Roy told her, a smile spreading across his lips.
"Oh my God," Felicity said, taking the pregnancy test from his hands to look at it herself.
Pregnant.
"Oh my God," she repeated, a little louder this time. "Oh God, oh God!" She waved her hands around in a panicked motion. "What am I going to do? What if Oliver gets angry? What if he doesn't want the baby?"
The questions kept making their way out of her mouth and Roy's face dropped as he took a step toward her, stopping her rant by putting his hands on her shoulders. "Felicity, calm down," he told her. "You'll see that Oliver will be thrilled to be a father... Unless of course he isn't the father- I'm just kidding!" he defended quickly when Felicity shot him a glare. "What I'm trying to say is that Oliver loves you. You'll see that he'll be happy when you tell him."
"But we never talked about kids," Felicity said. "He's still the Arrow and we've just been together for like a year and some months. What if he thinks it's too soon?" she asked, putting her hand on her still flat belly.
"If he makes some stupid, rash comment, I'll beat the crap out of him," Roy told her while grinning. "So can we please just be happy about this?"
"Will you be there when I tell Oliver?" Felicity questioned and Roy gave her a look that said it all. "Okay, stupid question. Let's hug."
They embraced and Felicity looked at the test again as they walked back to the living room. "A baby," she said absentmindedly. "How am I supposed to tell Oliver that I'm pregnant?"
The squeal that followed her statement made both her and Roy jump and turn around. Roy was in front of her in a millisecond, already in full Arsenal-defense-mode, but he relaxed once he realized that there was no threat in the room.
Instead, Thea was jumping up and down excitedly by the door, clapping her hands together.
"I'm going to be an aunt?" she laughed happily, running to Felicity, wrapping her arms around the blonde who couldn't tear her eyes off of her boyfriend who stood frozen in the doorway. "I'm so happy for you!" Thea continued, not realizing that the tension in the room expanded when Oliver's eyes met Felicity's.
"Uhm, Thea," Roy said carefully. "Maybe we should give Oliver and Felicity a moment alone?" he suggested, managing to pull Thea away from Felicity.
Thea eyed her brother, quickly realizing why they needed to talk and nodded. "Yeah, of course," she said, giving Felicity one last hand squeeze before stepping out of the living room with Roy.
"You're pregnant?" Oliver asked, once he heard the door to Roy and Thea's room close.
"Yeah," Felicity confirmed. "We're pregnant. I mean, technically, I am, but since you're the father, we are. You're going to be a dad. And I'm going to be a mom, clearly." She let out a shaky laugh. "If that's what you want of course! I mean, we haven't even talked about this and I know it was unexpected and all, so I completely understand if you don't want to have a baby, but I really can't imagine getting an-"
"Felicity," Oliver chuckled, taking a step toward her. She shut her mouth as he came to stand in front of her. He looked down at her and leaned in, claiming her lips in a soft kiss before his hand came to rest on her abdomen.
When they pulled apart, she blinked up at him. "Does this mean...?"
"Yeah," he breathed out. "I'm happy," he told her, a smile on his lips, his eyes lighting up with excitement. "I know that it's unexpected and I know that we haven't talked about it. I'm scared as hell because I know that we have a thousand things on our plates already, but I am happy."
"So you want to be a dad?" she asked and he nodded.
"And you want to be a mom?" he countered and she gave him a nod and a small laugh. "So, we're becoming parents then," he stated, touching her stomach again.
She put her hand over his and smiled up at him, "I guess we are."
-Olicity-
"Not like that, Oliver!" Felicity's voice rang out from the bathroom. "I swear to God if you don't do this properly, I'll transfer all your assets to my own personal account!"
Roy and Thea paused in the hallway and looked at each other with raised eyebrows.
"You asked me for help, Felicity! Stop complaining, I'm doing my best!" Oliver answered loudly.
"Well, you're not doing a very good job at helping, are you?" Felicity scoffed. "Besides, it's your fault that I even had to ask you for help."
"It takes two to get pregnant, Felicity," Oliver protested, amusement clear in his tone.
"Don't you dare laugh at me!" Felicity yelled and her statement was quickly followed by Oliver's laughter.
"I just don't remember you complaining at the time," Oliver smugly replied.
Thea looked over at Roy who scrunched up his nose, clearly disgusted by whatever they were overhearing. She gave him a mischievous look and he shook his head, telling her silently not to get involved.
Thea decided to ignore him and knocked on the door instead, "Hey are you guys okay in there?"
There was a pause and then some shuffling could be heard inside the bathroom. Thea and Roy waited patiently until the door opened and Felicity peeked out, dressed in a pink bathrobe, her huge 'I'm-eight-months-pregnant'-stomach protruding.
"Everything is fine," she answered, a smile on her face. Next, Oliver's face came into view as he shook his head.
"What are you two even doing in there?" Thea chuckled.
"Please don't tell us, or else I'll never be able to use that bathroom again," Roy complained, covering his ears.
"Oh please," Felicity rolled her eyes at him. "We're not doing anything. Trust me, we have far more exciting places to have-"
"Okay, okay!" Thea interrupted. "I regret asking!"
Oliver grinned behind Felicity and shook his head, "We weren't doing anything. Felicity just couldn't bend properly-"
"I thought I told you that I didn't want to know!" Roy loudly protested again.
Oliver gave him a look, his lips pressed firmly together to try to contain his amusement.
"As I was saying," he continued, despite Roy's objections. "She can't bend properly because of the baby and she wanted to wear a skirt today but needed to shave her legs, so she asked me for help."
Thea and Roy looked at them, blinking.
"You were shaving her legs?" Thea asked, laughter bubbling up inside of her.
Oliver shrugged, not even looking embarrassed.
"Yeah, just wait until you're the one pregnant, and then you'll appreciate having a wonderful boyfriend that helps you shave your legs," Felicity said, shooting a glare at Roy, who immediately blushed, glancing sideways at Thea.
"Oh, so now I'm a wonderful boyfriend?" Oliver asked. "I thought I was doing a horrible job and that it was my fault that you couldn't reach all the way down."
Felicity slapped him playfully. "That's just when we're in private," she told him. "When people start making fun of you, I'll always stand up for you and honestly, I can't tell if you did a good job or not, since I can't see my toes." She wiggled said toes to make a point.
Roy and Thea couldn't contain themselves as they burst out laughing. Oliver shot them yet another glare before embracing Felicity, who didn't seem bothered anymore.
Her hormones were clearly still getting the better of her, but he loved her even more for acting like it wasn't a big deal.
-Olicity-
Roughly a month after the shaving incident, Caroline Olivia Queen is born.
It's a late night and Felicity was in the Foundry, monitoring a mission when her water broke. Oliver panicked, because she wasn't supposed to be there, but she had insisted, and he wasn't close enough to get to her in time.
Diggle, however, was.
Their friend managed to get to her and take her to the hospital, just in time for her to give birth to the baby girl. Oliver and Felicity had decided on the first name together, but the middle name was Felicity's idea because Diggle hadn't been able to get a hold of Oliver and she didn't even know if he was alive. The thought of having Oliver die the night of their daughter's birth had terrified her to no end, so when he finally walked through the door, worry written all over his face, she had been so happy that she had started crying all over again. When she told Oliver about Caroline's middle-name, he had actually shed a tear before kissing her hard on the mouth.
The nurses came back into the room with a newly washed Caroline and helped Oliver take her into his hands. Diggle, Roy, Thea and Felicity watched him stare down at the blue-eyed baby that was wrapped in a fluffy pink blanket with adoration and wonder.
"Hello, Caroline," he whispered, the baby so small in his big arms. He sat down on the edge of Felicity's bed and Felicity moved so that she too could rest her hand on Caroline's stomach.
"She's so beautiful," Felicity quietly said as their baby opened and closed her eyes before falling asleep as her father gently rocked her.
"She got that from her mother," Oliver told her, kissing Felicity again.
"Her father is quite good looking too, you know," Felicity joked.
"Then I suppose I'll be fighting off a lot of suitors," Oliver smiled softly.
"Shh... It's too early for that," Felicity giggled.
"Yeah, I don't think so," Thea grinned at them before turning to give Roy a small kiss on the cheek. "If she's anything like her aunt, you guys don't stand a chance."
-Olicity-
Baby Caroline became Thea's real salvation.
Okay, so she had started the road to redemption long before Caroline was born, but when the baby girl was finally born, Thea officially decided that she wanted to make the city a safer place for her niece.
To be honest, the entire Team Arrow somehow unanimously decided that they needed to up their game. Felicity stayed home with Caroline the first month and Oliver kept her company for as long as he could until he had to go out for patrolling. Eventually, Roy told him that he and Thea could patrol the streets together while Diggle monitored them, so Oliver got more time at home with Felicity and the baby.
Diggle loved being an uncle, but something he loved even more was watching Felicity and Oliver interact with Caroline. When Felicity set up a crib in the Foundry, she started coming out more often to help with missions and Oliver's face when he saw Caroline fast asleep was always heart warming. No matter how rough a night could have been, the baby seemed to always be able to put a smile on her father's face, even in her sleep.
The funniest thing that Diggle had witnessed however, was when Felicity had insisted that Oliver should learn how to change a diaper, because she might not always be available for the task ("And we live in the 21st century, Oliver!").
"Thea, please get that camera out of my face," Oliver had said as his face scrunched up. Diggle and Roy stood a little further away, snickering like fools while Felicity tried to show Oliver how to do it properly.
"Oh no," Thea had giggled. "This is going up on youtube! 'Daddy Oliver Queen Changing Diaper' will be a great name for the video!"
"You're not funny, Thea!" Oliver protested loudly, turning his head to the side as he opened the diaper and the smell hit him. "Oh, God! Felicity, what do you feed your kid?" he asked, a small gasp escaping his lips.
"Lots and lots of love," Felicity laughed. "And she's your kid too, Oliver!"
"I swear, it's not biologically possible for a tiny human to poop this much," Oliver muttered as he reached for the baby wipes as Caroline looked up at him with her big blue eyes. The cute look she gave him almost made him forget about the smell. Almost.
"Oh come on, Oliver," Felicity said. "It can't be that bad, can it? Isn't that what you said to me?"
Oliver groaned as he wiped Caroline's little butt and shook his head. "I will never say such a thing to you ever again if you just please take over," he said. "I feel like I'm going to be sick!"
Felicity only grinned at him and then proceeded to help the last bit.
Thea recorded it all, telling them that they would be looking back at it one day with a smile on their faces and Diggle expressed just how proud he was of Oliver for taking the reigns and becoming a real man.
Roy couldn't stop laughing...until Felicity told him that it was his turn.
-Olicity-
Two years later, Oliver insisted that he and Felicity needed a night out by themselves. They were still going strong, their partnership more powerful than ever and their relationship even more so. So, Diggle had agreed to patrol with Roy for the night and Thea would be watching Caroline alone until Roy joined up with her at home.
Felicity took her time getting ready and Oliver expressed just how much he loved watching her get ready by stealing a kiss every chance he got. There was just something about her sitting in their bedroom, putting her make-up on that made him ask himself how he had gotten so lucky to have her.
"We won't be away too long," Felicity told Thea, who was holding onto Caroline. "We both have our phones, so don't hesitate to call."
"Felicity, seriously!" Thea laughed. "Stop acting as if this is the first time I'm watching Caroline for you. I know how to handle her."
"Well, this is the first time that it feels like I'm leaving her behind, so just give me a minute or two to freak out," Felicity retorted.
"We're just going to a restaurant, Felicity," Oliver smiled at her. "Thea will be fine and so will Caroline. Isn't that right, baby girl?" he asked the toddler, lightly touching her cheek with his thumb.
The baby gurgled and let out a giggle at her father's actions.
"See?" Thea asked. "We'll be absolutely fine!"
And so they were...for two hours straight.
Baby Caroline was clearly missing her parents too much and no matter how Thea (and later Roy) tried to distract her, the baby just wouldn't stop crying. They had tried feeding her, changing her diaper, rocking her back and forth, playing with her, singing to her, but nothing would stop the toddler's crying.
"I'm calling Felicity," Thea finally sighed, picking up her phone.
"No!" Roy protested. "Call Oliver! Felicity will freak out immediately when she hears the crying and she won't rest until she sees Care, and then she'll go all 'momma-bear' on our asses!"
Thea eyed him briefly, before nodding, "You're right."
She dialed Oliver's number and they were lucky, because Felicity had gone to the bathroom.
"Let me talk to her," Oliver told Thea, who immediately turned the phone on speaker. "Caroline? Care?" Oliver cooed softly on the other line and Caroline's cries faded instantly as she listened. "Daddy's here, Care. Everything is okay. Mommy and I will be home soon, do you hear me?"
Caroline let out a small sound and then started crying again.
"Thea," Oliver sighed in defeat. "Bring her to the restaurant, okay? I'll tell the manager to set up a table for you and Roy and you can just stay with her there until she falls asleep."
In the end, Felicity and Oliver did get to enjoy their meal and Caroline did calm down and stop crying, the minute she saw her parents. The happy couple watched as Roy and Thea ran after the toddler, who had distracted herself by training to become the next champion in track and field running in the restaurant.
"Just keep eating," Thea insisted when she passed their table.
"Ignore us, okay? We're not even here!" Roy agreed as he followed her, Caroline's laughter ringing through the restaurant as other guests watched the scene in mixed fascination and confusion.
Oliver grinned at Felicity before reaching over to take her hand in his. "Maybe next time we should ask Diggle to watch her?" he suggested.
"Yeah, what girl wouldn't get calm when being held in those massive arms?" Felicity laughed, sipping on her drink calmly as she watched her daughter run around, the other two secret vigilantes on her heels.
-Olicity-
Even after being together with Felicity officially for four years, Oliver still sometimes wondered how he could have been so lucky.
His life had been quite easy in the beginning, because he had gotten everything he had pointed at, but then came the boat accident and Lian Yu and everything that was The Arrow and those responsibilities. Becoming a father three years after his return hadn't been planned, but he couldn't imagine his life without either Caroline, or the love of his life, Felicity.
He had been planning it for weeks, but when he finally asked her, it slipped out in the most unexpected time.
They were laying in their bed, the three-year old Caroline already fast asleep between them. He had just looked over at her and found her watching him with such adoration, that his heart had actually clenched painfully in his chest. He knew he was a broken man and sometimes, he still had nightmares from the island. So, to see Felicity looking at him as if he held all the answers in the world for her made him feel...whole.
Without thinking, he reached back toward his nightstand table and opened the drawer, pulling out the small velvet box. He kept his eyes firmly planted on Felicity's face as he held the box out for her. Her eyes flickered from his, down to the box in his hands and then back up to his, a smile already spreading across her lips.
"Will you marry me, Felicity?" he whispered, his lips tugging up in a smile of their own.
"Why now?" Felicity wondered, whispering as well as she rested her hand on Caroline's belly.
They had discussed marriage once, but never actually come to a conclusion on whether or not they wanted to get married. Felicity came from a failed marriage herself and Oliver had never actually believed that his mother and father had been all that happy together, so they had both been reluctant to agree to anything. Besides, they had Caroline, right? And they were a family and they were happy. Why would they need a piece of paper confirming that they belonged to each other?
"Roy mentioned a few weeks back that we were already practically married," Oliver said. "And even though neither of us needs it, I want it to be official on paper, that I am yours and you are mine."
Felicity smiled, "You make me so happy, Oliver. Not because of this, but with everything." She took a small breath before continuing. "You showed me what it means to make a difference in this world. You gave me a home, a family and purpose. You're the father of my child and I love you more than anything in the world. You're my hero," she smiled, a tear slipping down her cheek.
"You're the mother of my child," Oliver began. "You were the one who pulled me back whenever darkness threatened to take me again. You're always on my mind when I make a decision and you're my voice of reason. You're the love of my life, Felicity Smoak, and I would like for you to be my wife, because honestly? You are my hero."
A grin spread across Felicity's face as she lifted her left hand, the one that had rested on Caroline's stomach. "Put a ring on it, Oliver," she told him and he had to keep himself from laughing out loud, because he didn't want to wake Caroline. Gently, he slid the ring home and then watched as the diamond glistened in the light that beamed from the small nightstand-lamp.
Felicity admired the ring before putting her hand back on their baby girl's stomach. Oliver's hand rested over hers as he leaned over, pressing one of the softest, but still most passionate kisses, to her lips.
That's how they fell asleep. Together, happy and newly engaged, with their baby girl between them.
And Felicity didn't tell him that she was pregnant again until a week later.
Note: So? What did you guys think? I'm honestly not as happy with this as I was with "Domesticity and House Guests", I mean, I like it, but I liked the other one better. Still, comments are always appreciated! =)
Love you guys!
xx