Ahhhh, I didn't want to post this because I knew once I did it would be the end :-( But I am happy with the way things have ended and who knows, maybe I'll post some random one-shots eventually. Give me some ideas if you have any and tell me what you think of this last chapter. Thanks for reading this far and I hope it was worth it.
A Few months later…
Oliver's leg couldn't possibly shake any more than it was in that cheap, plastic chair he'd been sitting in for half an hour. Felicity was next to him looking over their pamphlets for the millionth time, but she was still reading them so intensely as though she'd never seen them before.
Finally, the door behind them opened and a woman in her mid-thirties walked in. She gave them both a warm smile, before introducing herself.
"Hi, I'm Sandie and I'll be your social worker. It's good to meet you." She sat behind her desk and opened her file. "Alright, let's get to it. You have completed all of your steps to becoming foster parents and we are thrilled that you have decided to take this journey."
"We are so glad that we can share our home and love with a child. We have been so blessed that we wanted to help out others who haven't been so fortunate," Oliver said happily.
"Well, we've already got two siblings that are living in separate group homes right now. There's Anthone who's seven and Derik who's three. Their mom has been in and out of rehab for twelve years and their father is in jail. They need someone to take care of them while their mom finishes her time in drug rehab."
Felicity held up her finger for a moment. "Hold on, I don't know if we can take two kids right now. One, sure, but two? We only have one extra bedroom right now."
"Oh, siblings can share a room," the woman explained.
"Well, my husband and I are both away from home during the day. I have a company and he is in college getting his teaching degree. We wanted a school-aged kid that would fit in with our schedule we already have."
The social worker's mouth straightened. "Well, remember these kids have some different issues so if you want something to fit into your "schedule" then you might want to get a cat. We are sorry we cannot give you the child that works best with your life, but these kids have no one. They're stuffed in group homes and forgotten about until their mom picks them up for a few months of living in a government housing before she falls off the rails again and is given court-ordered rehab. We try very hard to keep siblings together," she took a deep breath, "but if you only can take in Anthone, then we can get started on his paperwork."
Felicity held up her hand. "Wait one moment, I just need to discuss this with my husband." She looked him in the eyes and raised her brow. He gave her a shrug in return, with a little pleading in his eyes. "We can take them both."
"Okay, guys this will be your home for a little while," Oliver said warmly as he led them in the house. They clutched to each other like glue the whole car ride home and Anthone was very protective of Derik. He didn't let them unbuckle his little brother or help him out of the car. Owen and Mia walked up to them and gave them big smiles.
Owen held his hand out for Anthone. "Hey, I'm Owen. I guess you're gonna be my foster brother."
Anthone shook his hand. "Nice to meetcha."
Mia ran over to Derik and gave him a big squeal. "Hello there. I'm Mia and I'm gonna be the best big sister ever." She looked around them and then frowned. "Where are your things?"
Anthone held up his bag. "This is all we got. They don't like you carrying around a lot of stuff when you gotta move from place to place."
Mia's jaw dropped in horror. "No, no, no. That cannot be." She looked up at Felicity. "We have to take them shopping right now!"
Felicity patted her eager daughter's head. "Slow down. I'm sure they want to get settled in first. Come here, guys." She led the boys to William's room and let them drop their bags onto the bed. Felicity grinned at the thought of this room finally being used again. She kept it the way William had it for the first two years of college because she thought, or more hoped, he'd move back home after he graduated. When he decided to rent an apartment with his friends, she realized her dream of having her house the way it used to be was gone.
She didn't want the twins to be the only kids in the house. She always dreamed of a big family and having that empty room made it worse. So when she brought up the idea of foster parenting to Oliver, he was ecstatic. Being a schoolteacher, Oliver loved being around kids and he did admit feeling a little emptier with William starting his own life.
"So, we only have one bed, but Oliver's getting one of the twin's toddler beds out of the attic for you," Felicity said in an excited tone as she knelt to Derik.
"Say 'thank you', Derik," Anthone whispered.
"Thank you," Derik said nervously.
"Oh, you don't have to thank us for getting you a bed to sleep in," Felicity said feeling guilty. She just wanted to help these kids and make them feel at home. Later that night, they went to the store and bought some bedding, clothing, and toys for the boys, and Owen dragged Anthone to the posters and told him to pick out as many as he wanted. They spent the weekend painting and decorating the room just like the boys wanted and when they finished the Star Wars-themed room the boys finally were able to relax a little.
Things calmed down after that but getting Anthone to leave Derik alone for more than a few minutes stayed a challenge. He would follow Derik around, play with him, get him his food, and get him dressed in the morning.
It wasn't until one day, over a month later, that they figured out why he was so anxious to leave Derik alone. Anthone was grabbing something to eat when he turned around and noticed Derik had escaped his vision. He called for him all over the house, until he found him standing in the middle of Mia's room wearing a princess dress, tiara, and carrying a bright pink wand.
"Look Anthy, I'm a fairy," he said with his toothy grin as he skipped around the room.
"Derik, give me that," Anthone said angrily as he grabbed the wand out of his hand.
"NOOOO," Derik screamed as he stomped his feet and pouted.
"What's going on?" Oliver asked as he came in the room with Felicity and the twins following closely behind.
Anthone hid the wand behind his back and stood between Derik and the rest of them.
"I'm sorry sir. He doesn't know any better," Anthone said, his eyes looking at the floor.
Mia thought she knew what was wrong, so she said, "It's okay Anthone. Derik can use my toys. I like to share."
Anthone's head shot up and he furrowed his brow. "You're not angry?"
"No, it's fine. It's nice to know someone in the house appreciates fashion," Mia said with a smirk.
Anthone's eyes shined with small amounts of hope as he pulled the wand out from behind his back and set it down on the bed. "Oh, okay."
Oliver looked back and forth between the two boys, before he said, "Hey Anthone, do you want to come with me to get some ice cream?"
Anthone bit his lip as he looked at his brother. "But, Deri-"
"Derik and I are going to play dress up and I'm going to show him how to accessories," Mia said happily as she grabbed Derik's hand and lead him to her dress-up corner.
Oliver patted Anthone on the back. "Come on."
He drove him to a little ice-cream shop and ordered a large brownie sundae. He set it between them with a spoon on each side, then started eating the fudge-covered ice-cream. He let Anthone get comfortable before he asked him about what had happened earlier.
"So, you want to tell me what that was about?"
Anthone stopped mid-bite. He put the spoon back in the half-finished sundae. "Anthone wasn't allowed to play with girly toys at our old foster home. One day he got into our foster sister's dress-up clothing and when the dad got home," Anthone looked away from Oliver and nibbled on his lip.
"It's okay, you don't have to continue," Oliver assured him. He'd heard enough already. They finished their sundae and walked to the car in silence.
It wasn't until they were parked in the driveway that Oliver said something. "I just want you to know that you don't have to be scared here. We aren't going to hurt you, no matter what you do. You guys are a part of our family now and that means we look out for each other and take care of one another no matter what. You understand?" Anthone nodded, then wiped the tears out of his eyes. "Come here." Oliver wrapped his arms around Anthone and didn't let go until he stopped crying.
After that, Anthone started to let up. He would leave Derik for half an hour, then an hour, then for an afternoon when he went with Oliver, William, and Owen to a baseball game. They were a part of the family and just in time too, because the school year was about to start. Oliver was lucky enough to teach at a nice charter school that had a daycare/preschool for its employees.
He was even allowed to occasionally bring Derik to class with him. Owen and Anthone got put in the same class, which was nerve-wracking for Mia because it would be the first time she was separated from Owen. Her parents reminded her they would have the same lunch and recess time and maybe they could make some friends on their own.
Christmas came and went. Felicity was much happier when this time William stepped off the plane alone. It also meant he was able to put the star on top of the tree without a ladder. It did help to have a meta-human child sometimes.
She'd never seen kids as happy as Derik and Anthone as they ran down the stairs with the others and saw their pile of gifts. Their last foster home told them Santa doesn't visit foster kids.
As they sat by the fire playing with their various toys and William told them stories from college, Felicity leaned her head on Oliver and asked, "Do you think it's time?"
Oliver looked up from the kids. "Yep." He got up and left the room for a few minutes. When he returned, he had two small thin presents.
"Hey guys, I think there are two more presents. One is for Derik and the other is for Anthone." He handed them the presents and watched as they delicately tore the paper back to reveal a stack of papers.
"We got paper?" Anthone asked, then widened his eyes and said, "I mean. I love it, thank you."
The adults giggled as William leaned over to read what the paper said. He threw two questioning looks at his parents before looking at papers he'd been given five years before.
FIVE YEARS AGO…
William was sitting around the tree, trying out his new headphones when his parents had the same idea. The twins whined when he told them the present was for William. He ripped the wrapping paperback and his jaw dropped when he read what it said.
"We want you to know we would never try and replace your mom and if you say no, that is fine. I don't want you to feel like your hurting my feelings, because you are my son, no matter what it says on pap-"
She was cut off by William throwing his arms around her. "I love it." He pulled back and they both started furiously wiping tears from their eyes.
"And don't worry. You don't have to call me mom or anything," she assured him.
"You already are my mom, mom. You've been taking care of me since the moment we met, and you never tried to replace my mom. You helped me move on from her death. You were and still are everything I need you to be. I would be honored to be your legal son."
PRESENT DAY…
"What is it?" Mia asked as she crawled over the gifts and read the paper. "A-dop-tion, adoption?" She asked then realized what she said. She jumped up with delight. "Adoption. Those are adoption papers, guys."
Derik, who was only four, was still confused, but Anthone stared down at the paper as tears burned his eyes.
"What do you guys think?" They asked. They had already discussed the idea with the kids time and time again, but it wasn't until last week that they finally got the father to sign away his rights. The mom left rehab and immediately gave up her parental rights, but Oliver had to have a long talk with the father before he decided to do the same. Now all they needed was for the kids to be on board.
"You mean, we get to live here forever?" Derik asked, remembering the conversations they've had.
Felicity nodded as both she and Oliver crouched down on the floor. "It means that Oliver and I would be your mom and dad and that you live here with us. You would be a part of our family forever."
Derik jumped up and down before jumping on both his parents. "YAY," he screamed.
Anthone though was still looking at the page, not daring to put his gaze anywhere else.
"Anthone, are you okay?" he gave a small nod, but still didn't look up.
"I'm gonna go to the bathroom," he said, before jumping up and running out of the room. They heard a slam come from the upstairs bathroom door, so they both jumped up.
"I'll talk to him," Oliver said before Felicity stopped him.
"No, let me." She walked up the stairs and gently knocked on the door.
"Anthone, can I come in?"
"I'm fine," he said with a cracked voice that showed how not fine he was.
"Oh, okay. I'll just sit out here and uh…braid my hair," Felicity said, really wishing she had just let Oliver talk to him. She sat there for five minutes before the bathroom door swung open and revealed a red-faced Anthone.
"You can come in," he said with a curled lip. She walked him over to the corner and they sat facing each other.
"It's okay if you don't want to be adopted. We love having you in our family, foster son or adopted son," she told him, but he shook his head.
"It's not that. I love being in this family, but…but why didn't my dad want me?"
Felicity closed her eyes. Of course, he'd be upset about that. Unlike William, his parents had to sign his rights away for them to be adopted. They told him that a few months ago. She didn't even think about the ways that would affect him. It reminded her of her childhood and all the times she spent staring at her ceiling, wondering who her dad was and why he didn't want her.
"I understand," she said as she placed her arm over his shoulder.
"You do?" he asked suspiciously. "How?"
"Well, I never got to know my dad growing up. He left my family when I was a baby. I thought that he didn't like me and if I worked hard and never did anything bad, he would want to come home."
"What happened?"
"Well, I've never met him. I don't know if I want to anymore, but it's different for you. Your dad is going to be in prison for a long time and he didn't want you guys moving around anymore. He found out you were safe and happy, and he wanted you guys to be like that forever. It doesn't mean he doesn't love you; it means the opposite. He loves you guys so much, that he gave up his rights for you to be happy."
Anthone threw his face into Felicity's sweater and cried. After he calmed down, he said, "I want you to be my mom." She threw her arms around him before they both went back downstairs and Felicity said, "It looks like we're going to be an official family of seven."
"YAY," They all screamed as they crowded around Anthone. William went and picked him up before swirling him around and setting him back on the floor.
"I've always wanted a cool little brother," he said jokingly as Owen crossed his arms.
"Hey, I'm super-cool," he defended himself, then turned to Anthone. "I've always wanted a brother who wasn't such a nerd."
Felicity and Oliver watched as their family interacted with one another and they never felt more at peace.
"I finally feel like our family is complete," Felicity said with a smile.
"Me too," Oliver agreed.
And it was.
Well, until a little over a year later. They received a call from child protective services that said Derik and Anthone now had a half-sister. Their mother wanted to give them the chance to adopt the little girl first before she was put in the system.
"A baby? I don't know Oliver, our youngest is finally in kindergarten. We were out of the baby phase," Felicity argued as they sat in bed that night.
"Well, it's not like they'd be too far apart, and I don't think I could go tell Derik and Anthone that they had a sister, but she wasn't going to live with us. What if she gets adopted by someone at the other end of the country? They'd never see her."
Felicity huffed. "I know. I just wanted to pretend this was actually a discussion."
Little Gabriella was brought home two days later to a house filled with family and friends. "Surprise," they shouted as they jumped up.
"We wanted to throw you guys a baby shower since obviously, this was so last minute, and you gave all your baby stuff to Roy and me when we had little Charlie," Thea said as she lifted the toddler, "so we got a ton of stuff for you guys. Plus food, because we know how much it sucks to cook with an infant."
Oliver walked over and hugged his sister. "Thanks, Speedy."
The shower was filled with gifts and games. Mia went around the room and told everyone how excited she was to have a sister. Going from five to six kids wasn't too hard of a transition, but when Felicity suddenly came down with the stomach flu a couple of months later, Oliver had to take over all the feedings and changes along with everything else the other kids needed. At least Felicity owned her own company, so taking time off was easy.
One day Oliver walked into the house with Gabby strapped to his chest when he heard Felicity throwing up in their bathroom. He sighed before setting Gabby down in her rocker and going up to check on her.
"Hey honey, how are you feeling?" he asked as he slowly opened the door to see her lying in bed with the covers pulled up to her face.
"Not so good. We need to talk to Oliver." She slowly sat up and leaned her back against the headboard.
He sat on the end of the bed and scooted close to her. "What's wrong?"
She leaned over into her bedside table and pulled out a small, open box. She handed it to a confused Oliver and waited as he read it.
"Pregnancy test? Why would you-oh," Oliver said with wide eyes. "I'm guessing it was positive?" he asked with a grin.
She nodded, but the frown on her face increased. He brushed his hands through her hair and asked, "What's wrong?"
She took his hand in hers and said, "Oliver, do you remember what happened the last time I was pregnant? How early the twins were? How terrified I was for months that we would get a call saying one of them didn't make it through the night? I can't go through that again," she cried. Oliver crawled beside her and let her lay her head on his shoulder.
"But they turned out great. They're both healthy and smart. Sure it was the hardest thing We've ever gone through, but we did get through it."
"We got lucky. What if we don't get so lucky this time around? I'm ten years older than I was last time."
"We can only hope and pray. That's all we've ever been able to do with these things." He placed his hand on her stomach and smiled. "We're never going to sleep again."
"Yeah, I know. Gabby won't even be a year old when this one is born."
"At least they'll have someone to grow up with. It's seemed to really help the twins. I'll do anything I can to make sure this little guy or girl is healthy."
"Does that include doing things for me?" she asked hopefully.
"Of course anything you want."
She pulled away with a smirk and said, "Good because this is our last baby and I need you to go make sure it is."
Oliver gulped. "You don't mean…"
"Oh yeah, I'm the one who's carried now three babies and I'm going to push this not so little one out, so this is the least you can do."
"Well then, I will do what you ask. I just hope it's not another set of twins." Oliver said as he thought of all the diapers and sleepless nights.
"Oh, you better hope it's not twins because if it is, I will neuter you myself."
It was not twins and the pregnancy went as smooth as pregnancies could go. That still didn't stop Felicity from complaining of a hurt back and swollen feet. Oliver had to do all night feedings and diaper changes. He also took over cooking and cleaning, so Felicity could spend all her energy on the kids and her company.
Taking care of an infant while trying to grow another was anything but easy, but Felicity wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. She loved her family with all her being and no amount of stretch marks, nausea, and labor pains could change that.
It was Christmas eve when Noah Donna smoke was born. A large beautiful baby with dark brown hair and big blue eyes. That night they realized just how small their house was now and decided to move into Oliver's old house. The rooms that used to belong to nannies, maids, and guests were filled with movie posters and toys. The couches went from stiff to comfortable, the dining room was filled with highchairs and a few baby food stains, and the walls were painted much warmer, more welcoming colors. They changed the rooms to make it feel homier and were happy the kids had even more room to run wild in the yard.
The years went by and soon the twins and Anthone entered high school. It was tough having three teenagers, one preteen, and two younger children, but they managed. William had graduated from college and was well on his way to taking over Felicity's company once she retired. For now, he found his passion in inventing and coding.
He went back out on the streets and was the leader of the new team of crimefighters that fought for Star City. He, Diggle's son who recently graduated high school, and a group of kids from all around the city worked together to defeat threats. He also helped lead this group called the Teen Titans. Oliver feared Mia would want to join after all the lessons he gave her on fighting and shooting a bow and arrow. He didn't want her to go through the pain he did, but the look in her eyes she had every time the team was mentioned, made him realize how much she needed to be a part of this group.
Owen, on the other hand, couldn't care less. He was an amazing person who wanted to help people, but he was more interested in being normal. It might have had to do with the kids that used to bully him for his hearing that now thought he was one of the coolest kids in school, him being the captain of the JV soccer and baseball teams. He'd been playing with the Varsity guys since seventh grade. Oliver believed it was due to his fast reflexes from all the training he'd given him over the years.
Anthone was into music and in his school's marching band. He helped Derik, Noah, and Gabby learn instruments and they planned to start a band together.
Owen started pulling away a few weeks after the start of freshman year and his parents started to worry that he was being bullied again. He went from a happy, carefree kid, to a nervous, depressed, inattentive teen. They didn't want to push him into talking if he didn't want to, and figured it was better to give him space, but one morning when he was supposed to be getting ready for bed, he was instead found laying on his bed, staring at the ceiling, with tears streaming down his face.
Oliver walked past the door and was confused to see his son so upset. He knocked on the open door and said, "Hey buddy, what's wrong?"
Owen jumped up then quickly brushed the tears out of his eyes. "Nothing Dad, I was just sleeping in."
Oliver walked in and shut the door behind him. "We need to talk. You've been upset for the last few weeks and I want to know why so I can help you."
Owen laid back down and let out a huff. "You can't help me. No one can." He said sadly as the tears started forming again.
He sat at the end of his bed. "Try me."
Owen sat up slowly and said, "Okay, but what I tell you, you cannot tell anyone else. Not even Mom."
Oliver tried to hide his fear. What could be so horrible that his fifteen-year-old wouldn't want to tell his mother? Did he get someone pregnant? Get drunk or high at a party? What could he have done?
"I have a crush on this person in my class," Owen confessed.
"And?" Oliver asked, knowing there was more to the story than that.
"And his name is Brian," Owen whispered, not able to look Oliver in the eye anymore.
"Is Brian a nice kid?" Oliver asked.
"What? Did you hear the his part? He's a boy."
"I figured he was a boy," Oliver said with a laugh.
"You're not mad?" Owen asked, confused.
"Why would I be mad. Owen, I'm only mad at myself that I made you feel like you couldn't come to me sooner," he said as he rubbed his shoulder.
"Thanks, Dad. So, mom wouldn't be mad either?" he asked hopefully.
"Never, we just want you to be happy and healthy. Now tell me about this Brian guy."
Oliver learned that his son's crush was a sixteen-year-old sophomore who was a starter on the varsity soccer team. He was tall and always surrounded by at least three girls. Oliver hoped that Owen didn't get too interested in this boy, because he could already feel the second-hand heartbreak.
Five months later Oliver and Felicity helped William move into his apartment. After getting a master's degree in computer science and mechanical engineering, he moved back to Star City and already had a nice paying job at Smoke Technologies. He worked alongside Roy and a few other older members of the Star City Vigilante Club, to fight new crime that had sneaked its way into the city. Oliver was happy that he had so many people to look out for him and he hadn't planned on going back into the field, but one night changed everything. He had been in the bunker waiting for William and Roy to return when the elevator doors suddenly opened, and William was dragged in while hanging on the shoulders of Roy and Zoey.
"What happened?" Oliver asked as they placed him on the table and began to dress his wounds.
"He lost a lot of blood," Roy said as he picked up one of the stored blood bags and placed the needle in William's arm.
"We were trying to fight this new terrorist Hyrax; he has a biological weapon he plans to use on the city. The plan was for William to come from behind and take him down, but they hand a plan too. If Roy had been a moment slower, he would've been cut in half," Zoey said as she placed the bandage tightly around his waist.
Oliver was seriously regretting ever letting his son go near this life as he watched him almost bleed to death on that table. No one was going to get away with this. He had Felicity track down Hyrax and followed him onto the plane where they were going to release the weapon. Oliver fought Hyrax's men, only to find one was a secret government agent who was bent on destroying the terrorists. Oliver stuck his arm in a device to make sure it wouldn't go off but discovered it was a trick and if he were to pull his arm out, he would die.
He thought about these being his last minutes alive. He thought about the fact that he would never see his twins graduate. He would never see his little ones grow. He'd never go home again. He realized his only decision now was to hold off until the plane was far enough from the city that it wouldn't hurt his family. He couldn't stop the tears that flowed down his cheeks as he held on. As he saw the plane go further from the city, he decided it was time to let go.
But suddenly, the door to the plane's cabin was ripped off and Supergirl flew next to him.
"What are you doing Oliver?" she asked.
"I need to keep my hand in this. If I let it go, a bomb will go off." He explained.
She assessed the situation for a moment and tried to come up with a solution, but every idea ended with Oliver Queen's death, until…
"Wait, if we keep the arm in, then it won't go off." She explained.
Oliver couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Thanks, I got that."
"Only the arm has to stay in Oliver," She explained. He tried to figure out what she was implying, and when he did, he clenched his eyes shut before saying, "Do it."
Supergirl wasted no time using her heat vision to cut off the arm from the elbow down. She then grabbed him and carried him off the plane. She took her free arm and pushed the plane into a field, before Flying Oliver to the DEO.
Once his arm was wrapped and the bleeding stopped, she flew him to the bunker where they were anxiously awaiting his return.
Oliver stumbled into the bunker, his right arm wrapped and held up in a sling. Felicity immediately ran up to him and gently placed her arms around him. William, who was still healing and, in a wheelchair, wheeled over to his father. Felicity gave them a moment alone. Oliver sat down on the stairs and placed his hand on his son's arm.
"How are you doing?" he asked.
William's eyes widened. "How am I doing? Dad, how are you doing? You're the one that lost an arm," he said astonished.
"Well, I had Alien technology fix me up pretty good. It doesn't even hurt that bad," Oliver said as he held up his shoulder.
"Still, are you okay mentally? You went through something horrible. All because of me," he said ashamed.
Oliver furrowed his brow. "What do you mean? How was any of this your fault?"
"If I hadn't been stupid enough to not case my surroundings like you always taught me too, then I wouldn't have gotten hurt and you wouldn't have gone after those bad guys."
"And thousands of people could've been killed William," he said defensively. "I'm sorry, but I'm not going to watch as my son gets hurt and then do nothing about it. It's my job to protect you and when I found out about the bioweapon they planned to release onto the city my family lives in, there was no choice. My arm doesn't mean anywhere near what you guys do. I would give up my life to keep you safe. No question."
William healed slowly, as did Oliver. He stayed home until the two youngest went off to elementary school and time went on. Oliver learned to live with one arm, and it didn't matter as much anymore. It still hurt to know he would never go out into the field again, but his family took up most of his time anyway and knowing he got to be here for them was better than putting on the hood.
Years passed and the first to get married wasn't William, but Mia. She met a boy in college and they quickly hit it off. A year later she walked down the aisle holding her father's good arm and they moved away to the west coast. She created a new branch of Smoke Tech and was the CEO. Felicity felt relieved to know that her children would always have stable careers, and that was when Owen told them he was going to be a professional soccer player. She prayed every night that he'd stay healthy and not have a sudden career-ending injury.
He didn't and went on to lead his team to the FIFA world cup. He met his future husband on that team and Owen was the second to get married. William was the first to give them grandchildren though.
At twenty-eight years old William came home and told them his girlfriend was expecting twins. Oliver and Felicity laughed about how similar his situation was to theirs, but at least they were together.
Tragically, she died in childbirth. William struggled, but being a single father was the best thing he'd ever done. His daughters, name Theo and Finley, were the light of his life. He would drop them off at their grandparents every day and Oliver loved having little ones in the house again, though taking care of twins is much harder with one arm.
Anthone became a pediatrician and married a girl after they both got their doctorates. They had the picture-perfect life of a nice house, healthy family, and a little boy and girl they spoiled a little too much.
Derik grew up and became a fashion designer. No one admitted it, but everyone was surprised when he came home with a girlfriend in middle school. He dropped out of high school at sixteen and moved to the west coast where he crashed on Mia's couch until he got an internship that turned into a full-blown career. He worked right under big-name designers and loved his job so much; he didn't think about having a family. He said his job was all the love he needed.
Noah and Gabby grew up closer to each other than any of the others did. They shared a room until they graduated high school and then moved into the same dorm in college. When they graduated, they started flipping houses together and that grew into their own small business. They ended up marrying Barry's twins Dawn and Don, Noah married Don and Gabby married Dawn. Gabby's coming out was much easier than Owens.
A fifteen-year-old Gabby burst through the door hand in hand with another young lady they'd never seen before. Oliver and Felicity were in the kitchen cooking as she stormed in there and said, "Mom, Dad, I'm gay. This is my girlfriend Tia."
Oliver and Felicity gave each other a shrug before introducing themselves. "Hi, I'm Mr. Queen, it's nice to meet you," he said with a shake of the hand.
"Nice to meet you too sir," she said nervously.
"Dinner's in ten," Felicity said with a smile, "you can stay if you'd like."
In the end, they had thirteen grandchildren and seven children in law. They loved every minute they got to spend with their family. Every heartbreak they felt together, every happy moment they rejoiced, and they supported each other no matter what. When Oliver felt his time come, he didn't fear it. He didn't let himself be sad, he just took deep breaths as he sat in his bed. The same bed he sat on over forty-five years ago as Felicity told him she was having their final child.
The fights that ended with sweet lovemaking on that bed. The bed they shared with most of their children at one point or another. The bed that was covered with children Christmas morning as they hurried their parents down the stairs to see what Santa would bring. The bed they shared for decades together. As he sat there with Felicity's hand in his, he thought about all the memories he'd been a part of. All the memories he never thought he'd get, as he sat on the island, or fought in Hong Kong, or even when he was back in the city being the Arrow. He was so grateful for the woman beside him, the kids and grandkids that were a result of their love and all the things he did in his life. It was a miracle.