Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

February 2019

She lies on their bed, her eyes tracking the silent spinning of the ceiling fan. She has her sweater pulled up slightly and her hands rest on her bare stomach, fingers curling to the swell that she knows is not there yet. Her mind is going a 100 miles a minute, and she knows with Oliver breathing deeply right next to her, that her husband is in the same predicament, except his thoughts are on the child they just said goodbye to and not on the one that is on the way.

They have a baby on the way.

She and Oliver are having a baby.

A baby.

“I miss him.” Oliver’s voice is soft as he speaks and her heart breaks all over again for him, for her and she gets it, her heart aches for their son and it’s only been 3 hours since he left.

Her heart aches for a whole other reason too, her fingers strum lightly on her stomach, and for the first time in her life she can’t seem to find words. The bed shifts and she doesn’t need to turn her head to know her husband is looking at her. She wonders briefly if he knows she’s hiding something monumental from him.

“It’s quiet.” Oliver whispers, his hands moving to clasp hers, his knuckles now brushing against her bare midriff. It takes everything in her to not gasp at his innocent touch, Oliver is unaware of her inner turmoil as he continues on, his focus on their son as hers should be as well. “not that William was a loud kid. Just…”

“It’s Friday night and we would’ve had to take away his remote control to get him to go to bed.” Felicity finishes, her heart clenching at the thought of William.

She’s done this before, Oliver being by her side does not make it any easier than she thought it would be. Her mind is being pulled in two directions for two different kids.

Two kids.

William has barely left the city and already her mind is preoccupied with another kid. She’s really earning that worst mother award, she pathetically gave herself a few months ago.

She looks across at her husband, his eyes downcast and she knows that he’s done the same thing...is doing the same thing. They make quite the pair, their poor kids.

Kids .

Felicity’s fingers clench over her stomach with that thought, barely the size of a SD card and already they are messing up the second kid’s life.

Felicity pauses her self deprecating musing at that thought. She has no clue what size the baby is now, no clue how far along she is either.

“Hey.” Oliver calls out softly, raising their clasped hands to brush his lips against her knuckles. “We did the right thing right? Not fighting for him? Did he just want us to fight for him?”

She never considered it like that, when they discussed it, and although not spending as much time on it as they should, they both agreed it’s what William wanted, “Will knows how much we love him. That’s why we decided we would honour his wishes. It’s not like before. We can talk to him whenever he wants. I also called Iris and told her to check in on him on occasion.”

“I asked Barry to run by too.” Oliver says sheepishly. Felicity sends him a grin as well, they aren’t nothing if predictable it seems. Oliver’s smile drops though and he  sits up to look down at her seriously, “Did we choose wrong?”

“Oliver, we can’t guarantee William the normal life he wants, not with what we do.” Felicity reasons, her hand clenching protectively around her stomach as she sits up as well.

They can barely protect their 13 year old son how are they suppose to protect a newborn baby? Felicity heart clenches and her hands begin to get clammy, at the thought. “Maybe we chose wrong.”

Oliver is interrupted from questioning her when both their phones chime loudly along with her tablet.

Felicity’s eyes widen in delight and she dives over Oliver to grab her phone that was on his side of the bed. “William!”

Oliver laughs and grabs her by the waist spinning her around so that she is sitting on his lap. She leans back against his chest raising her phone so that they can both see.

Home.

The single word breaks her heart more than she thought it would. In more ways than one, with William leaving, a naive part of her thought that they would at least be able to still communicate via text, she knows video calls would take time but she had hope that he would be more open to it all especially as he’s now somewhere he wants to be. No matter how much the idea than William now has a home, that is not theirs, hurts.

She can feel Oliver’s deep sigh behind her, his chin resting on her shoulder. “At least he let us know?”

She misses their son.

Her husband’s thoughtful yet defeated tone makes her sigh and lean back into him. She stretches out her legs so they fit between his and tosses the phone to the side after she quickly types back a response to their son who she knows will not reply.

“I don’t like this.” She confesses softly taking Oliver’s arms and wrapping them around her waist fitting snugly against her stomach and echoes her early words. “Maybe we chose wrong.”

Oliver startles at her words, “what? But after what happened with Stanley we can’t guarantee that no one would come after William and…”

“No I mean, we should change our lives to better suit our kids. Isn’t the whole point of being parents to ensure our kids grow up in the best environment possible? An environment we should do everything in our power to obtain? Maybe Star City isn’t right for us anymore… We spend all these year fighting for this city. Trying to make this city better for everyone, but is it really worth all of it if we can’t see our kids grow up?”

She’s almost close to hysterics now as she speaks not even realizing her faux pas till Oliver speaks. She  didn’t even realize she had pulled away so that she could face him, their knees pressing against the other, until Oliver hands rest on her shoulders, as their eyes meet.

“Hey...hey stay with me...honey we should have that, we deserve to see our kids grow and…”

Felicity eyes widen in alarm at his words only realizes what she let slip, Oliver’s blue eyes equally wide clearly catching on but equally confused. “ Felicity ?”

“I’m pregnant,” she breathes out with a stutter, her eyes begin to fill with tears“this is not how I wanted to tell you.”

Oliver though continues to stare at her slack jawed. His blue eyes are wide, full of surprise. When she realizes he is not going to stay anything, she bites her lip to hold back her tears and swiftly moves off the bed, “I’ll give you some time to…”

She barely has time to plant both feet on the floor before Oliver is kneeling in front of her, his hands resting on her knees looking at her with awe. When his eyes soften and that tell tale Oliver Queen smile blossoms on his face, Felicity just knows they are on the same page with this.

“You know, you already put a ring on it. You don’t need to propose to me again just cause you knocked me up.” Felicity jokes.

Oliver chuckles quietly at that and presses a kiss to her knuckles, “Are you sure?”

“That we got married? I was one of the five people that was there and I’m sure my mother could attest…”

“ Felicity.”  Oliver insistent voice sobers her as he moves to sit next to her on their bed.

Felicity nods her eyes filling with tears yet again, she folds one leg into her body and looks back at him seriously, “Dr. Schwartz called, it showed up in the blood test.”

“Wow.” Oliver braces himself on his hands, shock still evident on his face. “I...how?”

“I know you failed high school biology, but when a man loves a woman…”

Felicity squeals out In laughter when Oliver tackles her to the bed, growling at her cheeky reply, pressing numerous kisses on her lips and her cheeks.

“a baby.” Oliver says his voice full of awe as he hovers over her, she can tell the way he makes sure not to put all his weight on her.

“We’re having a baby.”  Felicity confirms.

“We’re having a baby .” Oliver echoes, he leans forward  his hands on either side of her face as he kisses her soundly, “a baby .”

“Yea.” Felicity whispers against his lips, her eyes filling with tears again.

“ Wow.”

0oooooooooooooo0

“Do you have an idea how far along you could be?” Oliver asks softly against her ear. She’s sitting between his legs, her back against his chest and their hands are clasped loosely against her stomach.

They’d been sitting in relative silence before, Oliver’s hands roaming gently on her stomach every so often, both of them deep in thought.

Felicity shakes her head in the negative, “I was thinking around New Years? I made an appointment with Dr. Schwartz next Tuesday to get a full check up.”

“Can you put everything onto my phone?” Oliver asks, his thumb now brushing right below her bellybutton.

“Already did.”  He does not even bother to question when she had time to do that, his mind on so many other things.  “How big do you think he is now?”

“I haven’t looked it up yet, but I was thinking the size of a SD card, or maybe smaller. Like a microchip.” Felicity says thoughtly, her voice raising with excitement, she spins around to face Oliver, “Microchip, get it? I’m the motherboard and the baby is the microchip.”

His wife can be such a nerd, and he loves her all the more for it. He laughs as he leans forward to kiss her, “You can’t call him a microchip.”

“ Him? And why not?” Felicity asks with amusement as she moves back to her original position to press her back against his chest, her fingertips lightly grazing against his knuckles before he clasps her hands and spread both their hands against her stomach.

“Or her. The world can always benefit from having more Smoak women.” Oliver says thoughtfully hoping to stay clear of baby nicknames for the time being , he grins at the slight groan Felicity releases and knows he’s distracted her enough, “I’m serious, two is just not enough.”

“My mother is not even here and already you’re laying it on thick.” Felicity remarks, this time when she groans, and this time it’s one of annoyance, “I have to tell my mother. I don't wanna.”

Oliver chuckles rubbing her shoulders soothingly, “how about we worry about telling people after your doctor's appointment?”

Felicity sighs dramatically pressing her cheek against his chest before she twists around to face him, “what about William? He should hear it from us first, but…how can we do this Oliver? We just shipped off one kid only to be bringing another one a baby into it. ”

“This is what you meant by us choosing wrong?” Oliver asks softly taking Felicity’s hands in his.

“But didn’t we?” Felicity asks tearfully, “how are we supposed to raise a baby with this kind of life after we just decided we could not raise our son?”

“We didn’t decide that we couldn’t raise William.” Oliver counters, he can see she’s about to protest and quickly continues, “ we agreed to let William decide what he wanted. He chose to move in with his grandparents and we respected that, but I don’t think for a minute that we could not protect him and I will do everything in my power to make sure nothing happens to this baby either.”

“You’re really believe that we can do it?” Felicity asks with uncertainty.

“Don’t you?” Oliver asks with concern.

Felicity shrugs helplessly her lower lip trembling, “I do, I just don’t want William to think we were pushing him away only to have another baby.”

“Honey.” Oliver pulls her into his arms and presses a kiss to her temple. “Us raising this baby has nothing to to with the fact that William is not living with us anymore. William is going through some things right now, would I prefer if he talked to us about it? Yes. But he won’t, we agreed that we let him decide where he wanted to live. William’s life has been a mess these past two years, he needed to have something he can control and that’s why we didn’t fight back on his decision to move in with his grandparents. William knows that we love him, us having a baby doesn’t change that he knows that.”

“How did you get so smart?” Despite he cheeky tone Oliver can see the uncertainty still written across her face.

He pressed a finger to her chin tilted her face towards him, “I learned from my wife.”

Felicity giggles leaning forward to kiss him, her fingers linking around his neck and she presses her forehead against his. “Aren’t you scared?”

“Completely terrified.” Oliver confesses, he kisses her once, then twice, “but we’ve got this.”

“We’ve got this.” Felicity echoes, just before Oliver grabs her by the waist kissing her soundly just as he presses his body into hers, making her forget her current concerns for the time being.

0oooooo0

“Oliver, sit down.” Felicity says with exasperation, growling as she pushes down the paper gown between her legs. “If you walk across this room one more time dragging those big heavy feet of yours I’m going to throw up again.”

Oliver frowns at her words and thankfully takes a seat on the metal stool at the head of her bed, “are you still feeling nauseous? We should definitely ask Dr. Schwartz about that, add it to the list.”

“Yes, it’s already there, something you would know if you read the list rather than continue to add things without looking.” Felicity points out tersely.

The morning sickness hit Felicity with a vengeance a few days ago. Also, calling it morning sickness is just a straight up lie they tell women to make them think it doesn’t last all freaking day. Point is four days into knowing this and she’s ready for the good doctor to give some magic remedy to help the all day sickness.

She knows Oliver is worried, but this is only at least week six of thirty six , he needs to relax.  She is about to tell him as much when the door open to the exam room.

“Ah Smoak-Queen party of four now.” Dr. Schwartz greets with a wide smile as she enters the room. “Before we start, I just want to say congratulations to both of you and please pass that along to big brother as well.”

Oliver and Felicity exchange looks of uncertainty and bless Dr. Schwartz she picks up on it immediately and quickly grabs Felicity’s chart. “So before we start with the typical test, I’m sure you have endless questions for me.”

Olive nods eagerly as he pulls out his phone pulls out the shared list that they made a few days ago, but there is something that’s not on their list that has been eating away at her since she found out about the baby. “Yes we have a few things… is it normal for Felicity’s morning sickness to last all…”

“Can I carry this baby to term even with the chip I have in my back and all the other surgeries I’ve already had?” Felicity asks cutting off Oliver, her eyes focused on the doctor and not her husband whose eyes she knows is currently boring into her.

This was not on their list, they are both guilty of sometimes forgetting that she even has the chip in her. Ever since Adrian Chase almost fried her first one she’s even more aware of it and the memory of waking up and not being able to move terrifies  even more so now that she has a whole other life to care for.

When Dr. Schwartz takes a seat on a  adjacent metal stool Felicity’s heart seizes, and when she feels Oliver’s fingers lace through hers she clenches it tightly in return.

“Now, your situation is well to put it lightly unheard of, I got familiar with your file spoke to your surgeon and had that miracle chip not worked you would have had absolutely no issue with carrying this baby to term.”

“That’s good then right?” Oliver asks eagerly, “cause the chip is working and she’s been fine for years now,  and you said she would have been fine even if it was not a factor so then…”

“Oliver, honey let the doctor talk.” Felicity calls out soothingly her own heart hammering in her chest. She’s come to the same conclusion as he had, but she needs to hear it from the doctor.

“You’re right, but I want to still do monthly check ups with your surgeon, Dr. Preston, who has agreed to schedule these appointments. Should she have any concerns especially later on your pregnancy we will make changes as you progress. Everything is precautionary, so let’s not worry till we have to.”

Felicity breaths a large sigh of release and squeezes his hand back. “Okay, that’s good, then.”

“Very good. But I still will be treating  this first trimester as high risk, always better to be safe than sorry.” Dr Schwartz promises, she then claps her hands, “so how about we get back to all the other fun stuff that comes with pregnancies, so let’s go over the basics, figure out when this little guy is gonna make their presence known.”

“ Guy?” Oliver sits up eagerly at the doctor’s words and Felicity can’t help but roll her eyes at him.

“She can’t tell that by looking at me Oliver.” Felicity remarks, she can see Dr. Schwartz is holding back a smile. “Besides we aren’t going to find out what we are having.”

“What? I thought you would want to know as soon as possible? You hate surprises.” Oliver practically whines.

“Okay guys how about we figure out how long you two can have this particular argument before you start it? Felicity when was your last period?”

“Before Christmas, December 23.” Oliver replies promptly.

“ Oliver.” Felicity hisses our in exasperation, releasing his hand and slapping it away when he tries to grab it, she can see that this time Dr. Schwartz does not even bother to hide her amusement.

“But we were talking about it last night, you checked the app on your phone and everything.”

“Oliver, how about you let Felicity answer these questions?” Dr Schwartz interjects thankfully before Felicity says something she regrets.

Oliver nods meekly and sends Felicity a sheepish grin that just melts her heart. She chalks that reaction to hormones cause she knows for a fact if Oliver ever pulled that crap on her before it would have taken more than a smile to get her to cave.

“And how long are your typical cycles?”

“29 to 31 days give or take.” Felicity replies.

Dr Schwartz nods and quickly types a few things into her tablet and then smiles at them warmly, “So by my calculations, going with the December 23rd date. You are just about 5 weeks along and your due date should be October 1st 2019.”

“Halloween baby.” Felicity says with delight, her comment confuses the doctor but her husband  knows her well enough to roll his eyes.

“R2D2?” Oliver asks knowingly.

“Actually I’m thinking I’ll be R2D2 and she can be BB8...get it? Baby 8 and you can be C3PO. It’s perfect Oliver.” Felicity claps excitedly, pointedly ignoring Oliver’s look of dread. She looks across at her doctor and grins sheepishly, “I love Halloween.”

“Hey enjoy it while it lasts my youngest just told me she’s too old to go dress up with me. She’s six .”

“Oh but I thought we had at least until she’s  William’s age last year he looked at me like I grew a second head when I asked him what we were going as, that’s disappointing.” Felicity says with a pout, she’s slightly horrified when she feels tears prickling at the back of her eyes. “I should not be this upset about the costumes. Please tell me I’m not going to be like this for the next nine months?”

Dr. Schwartz smiles at her politely but Felicity knows the good doctor is probably ready to just laugh at them. “Your body is just getting use to all the hormone surges and changes, within a few weeks you’ll feel more like yourself.”

Felicity doubts that is the case, but doesn’t want to point that out, when Dr. Schwartz rolls over to grab an instrument tray Felicity sighs and automatically puts her feet into the stirrups.

They go through the motions of a typical exam until Dr. Schwartz pulls back smiling at them warmly, “everything looks good. I want to do an ultrasound, now typically we wait till ten weeks but let’s see what we’re working with here.”

The word ultrasound has both Oliver and Felicity perking up and Oliver’s grip of Felicity’s hand tightens. When the doctor moves between Felicity’s legs again though Oliver raises his hand almost as though he’s in a classroom and Felicity has to bite her lip in amusement. A good school boy her husband is not .  

“I thought you were doing an ultrasound?” He asks confuses his eyes moving to Felicity’s stomach and back to the doctor.

“Oh no, abdominal ultrasounds are at the 10 week mark and later, right now your baby is very snug and protected in Mom’s pelvis.”

Mom .

The word sounds strange coming from someone else, sure she thinks as herself as William’s mom... stepmom... but she feels like they adopted that particular moniker when they went undercover. Although while in public William did refer to her as such they both knew it was all a ruse. It’s not that she doesn’t think of William as her own, she does. It’s she doesn’t think William sees it like that and the thought breaks her heart.  

She needs to try and fix her broken relationship with her son before there is nothing left to fix, and certainly before the new baby arrives.

“And there’s your baby.”

The doctor’s voice pulls Felicity from her though, just as Dr Schwartz rolls the monitor closer to them. There on the grey blurry screen is a little round blob that’s motionless on the screen. But the room is silent, and Felicity can see the frown form on her husband’s face the same time the thought crosses her mind.

“No heartbeat?” Oliver ask his voice tight.

“The baby’s heart isn’t fully developed yet to generate a strong enough heartbeat. But don’t worry dad, in a few weeks this room will be filled with it. For now this is your healthy baby.”

“It’s so tiny.” Oliver says this time his voice is full of awe, he raises his hand as though to touch the screen but pauses and his hand drops back into his lap.

“Our little microchip.” Felicity says gleefully, her eyes now focused on the little grey screen and she pointedly ignores her husband’s next words.

“Felicity, we can’t call her microchip .”

Chapter Text

March 2019

“Hello my sweet friend.” Felicity caresses her coffee mug affectionately, but before she can firmly grab said cup of heavenly goodness a familiar ninja hand shoots out and scoops it up and out of her grasp.

“No.” Oliver says firmly, “you had one already for the day.

“I want a divorce.”

Oliver takes it with stride though and hands her a mug of peppermint tea, “you gave me permission to take it out of your ‘cold dead hands’ and I still don’t appreciate that description by the way.”

“Yes, so you’ve said multiple times this week.” Felicity comments dryly. “This time I didn’t even get to keep it down that should count for something. Or should not count as my one cup.”

“Nope, pretty sure the baby is telling you coffee is a no go.”

“ Your baby. Only a crazy person would think coffee is bad.” Felicity points out with a huff, but sighs out dramatically as she takes a sip of her tea and screwing her face up in disgust at the taste.

“Do you want to try some toast at least?” Oliver asks with concern as he rubs her back soothingly.

“With cookie butter?” Felicity sends him a hopeful smile, she can more than get up and make her own sandwich if she wants but Oliver has been waiting on her hand and foot the past few days and she may have just been taking advantage of it for the time being. She’s well aware she will get annoyed with him eventually.

“I figured you would say that.” Oliver laughs and presses a kiss to the top of her head just as he places a plate in front of her with two slices of toast cookie butter complete with chocolate chips, bananas, and some other assortment of fruit.

He’s also been practically shoving fruits down her throat and she knows this is just him compensating because he can’t really do anything for her morning sickness. So for the time being she lets him.

“Thank you. You are my favourite husband.” She teases, puckering up her lips that he returns in kind. He grumbles to himself about being her only husband as he moves back to his pot of chili.

She doesn’t think she has had any cravings yet , but lately she’s been having a lot of his chili and can’t seem to get enough of it.

“Have you heard from Will lately?” She tried to sound casual, but the concern in her tone is evident.

“No, only that message he sent us last week about classes.” Oliver points out, “something wrong?”

“No, I just wish we heard more from him than just one text a week. Feels more like we are just another one of his assignments that he’s checking off his list each week.”

“You want to tell him about the baby.” Oliver states reading her mind in a way that use to freak her out years ago. She’s never had someone that knew her so well that they could understand her crazy wayward thoughts.

“I wanted us to be on speaking terms with him before we told him about the baby, but we’ve known for three weeks and I think the longer we wait the bigger our problems with him will grow.” Felicity points out as she takes a bite of her toast, grateful the queasiness from earlier this morning is not there.

“You’re right.”

“I’m always right.” Felicity replies cheekily at her husband earning a smile in return, “but we do need to have this conversation with him in person and not by video call or worse text.”

“Yea, I wanted to tell him in person, but we also told him that we would wait to visit when he’s ready.” Oliver points out worriedly, and she knows that he’s still going back and forth about his decision about letting William go with his grandparents.

“William got what he wanted, he got to choose who he lives with but he can’t choose who his parents are. We’re still the adults here. You are still his father. Yes, he’s mad at us but the moment he decided two years ago that he wanted to live with you instead of his grandparents that’s when he decided he wanted his father in his life. He can’t change his mind about that. As for me, I’m still just the woman that married his father, so doesn’t work that way.”

“The hell it doesn’t.” Oliver says with conviction, “you’re his mom now. You took care of him for five months on your own. You’re his mom, Felicity.”

“Doesn’t feel that way.” Felicity remarks with a shrug of her shoulders, biting her lip to hold back her tears.

She’s just about to reach for Oliver when her tablet begins to chime and she quickly wipes away her tears when she sees her sister in law’s image on screen.

“ Felicity! I heard Ollie finally knocked you up!”

Felicity laughs loudly at that while Oliver grumbles next to her, “hello to you too, Thea.”

“Brother dear, took you seven years, but you finally knocked her up.”  

“Thea!” Oliver protests loudly, Felicity  can’t help but giggle.

“Seven years uh?” Felicity teases her fingers trailing along Oliver’s forearm.

“Oh yea, first time I saw Ollie look at you I knew he wanted to have your babies.” Thea continues, her connection starts to break up a bit but once she’s back in focus she continues, “Ollie had all the names for little blonde hair blue eyes glasses wearing babies you will have.”

“Okay. If you don’t want to ask about your nephew or niece….” Oliver goes to turn down the tablet but Felicity slaps his hand away which only results in Thea laughing at him again.

“Niece? Wait are you having a girl?” Thea asks eagerly.

“We don’t know yet.” Oliver explains, they have both been going back and forth between the two also arguing good naturally about it. “And we won’t till the baby is born.”

Felicity rolls her eyes at his put out tone, Thea’s eyes widen in surprise, her focus turning on Felicity, “you don’t want to know? But you hate surprises, this is like the biggest mystery of your life. You really don’t want to know?”

“This is what I’m saying!” Oliver exclaims throwing up his hands, clearly glad he has someone on his side with this.

“Your brother is being a big baby.” Felicity remarks, taking a sip of her tea and blanching when she remembers it’s not coffee. “This is the only surprise in life worth something. I want to wait. I told the big baby he could find out if wanted, he just can’t tell me .”

“Oh Ollie would blow that secret before you guys even left the doctor’s office.” Thea remarks dryly.

“That’s what I said.” Oliver insists.

“You were the Green Arrow for six years before the world found out.” Felicity points out, smiling at the way Thea’s greeneyes move between both of them.

“Felicity, it took him less than six months to tell you.” Thea chimes in at which her husband raises his arms in agreement.

Felicity misses Thea, she misses having someone to tease Oliver with and also just misses seeing Oliver so happy with his sister.

“Okay, fair point.” Felicity concedes, she wraps an arm around Oliver’s waist and grins up at him, “I still don’t want to know though.”

There is some commotion behind Thea and a familiar face appears in front of the screen. Black eyes look back at Felicity thoughtfully, and Felicity braces herself, “sister wife, I heard that you are with child.”

“Nyssa.” Felicity greets cooly, refusing to bite.

“Thea, your man child of a boyfriend has tried to cook again.” Nyssa informs before she disappears off camera, clearly picking up on Felicity’s less than welcoming attitude. Oliver staying mute the entire time.

“Shit.” Thea exclaims, “the idiot is going to get us caught.”

“Caught? What do you mean caught? Who is after you?” Oliver asks urgently, but Thea naturally ignores him.

“Send me more pictures of baby Smoak-Queen when you can. Send William my love! I’ll talk to you guys when I can. Bye!”

And just like that she’s gone again.

Felicity sighs, sliding off her stool to wrap her arms around Oliver’s waist. “Worried?”

“When am I not?” Oliver asks with a sigh, “but I can’t stop her.”

Felicity nods raising on her tiptoes to kiss him but before their lips meet she releases a wide yawn. Oliver presses a kiss to her forehead and rubs her back, “why don’t you lie down, I’m gonna finish this chili then head out to the precinct.”

“Barely the size of a blueberry and she’s sucking out all of my energy.” Felicity remarks stifling another yawn.  

“Go on. I’ll try and come home for lunch.” Oliver promises kissing her again, and then gently nudging her towards their bedroom.

Midday naps are her future now it seems.

“You know the last time a boy made me this nervous I was 13 .” Felicity remarks as she paces in front of the small park bench.

Oliver is no worse for ware but he’s hiding it much better than she is. She sees the way his leg is practically vibrating as he sits and she rethinks her thoughts somewhat  comforted that he’s nervous too.

They are currently waiting for William in the park to taking him to lunch and then a baseball game. Felicity knows for a fact that their son enjoys the statistics of baseball and nothing else. Oliver on the other hand loves baseball and the fact that William was the one to suggest the game warms her heart and makes her think not all hope is lost with their son.

“You weren’t nervous for our first date?” Oliver counters teasingly, she knows what he’s doing and she takes the bait hook line and sinker.

She turns to face him hands on her hips and head tilted to the side, “Nope. I was cool as a cucumber.”

Oliver laughs wholeheartedly at her blatant lie, and they both know it’s a lie, “you said you took some benzos and kept commenting about me being shirtless all the time.”

“Yea and don’t think I didn’t notice that I didn’t see you shirtless again until Nanda Parbat .” Felicity counters back taking a step towards him, Oliver already reaching out to her.

“Are you complaining about Nanda Parbat?” Oliver teases, his hands moving slip between her coat lapels and along her waist.

“The two of you are in public, could you not ?” A familiar voice calls out pulling them from their flirty banter.

“Will!” Felicity yells excitedly as she runs up  to him and engulfs him in a hug.

So much for keeping her cool, she has turned into her mother .

William though surprises her when he tightens his hold on her, “I missed you, Felicity.”

With that the waterworks come in full force, and she is not even sure if could blame the pregnancy, but she sure as hell will.

When she pulls back she can see she has fully  freaked out their son. Oliver quickly steps in and claps William on the back, pulling him into a hug, “we both missed you too,”

William looks between the two of them warily as he takes a step back, but then nods in agreement, “okay…”

“So pizza and wings?” Felicity asks after she rides herself of the last bit of tears, “ that’s baseball food right? Buffalo wings. I wanna try the insanity one.”

William looks at her in alarm, “you are insane. Those are worse than dad’s chilli.”

“She’s started to add hot sauce to my chili.” Oliver remarks dryly, laughing when William’s eyes bug out in surprise.

“Did you burn off all your taste buds? Is that why you’re suddenly eating hot peppers raw?” William looks at her in amazement, not noticing the look Felicity and Oliver exchange behind him.

Felicity throws an arm over William’s shoulder smile blossoming when he doesn’t push her away, “I’ll let you in my secret later.”

“I don’t know if I wanna know how to eat an endless amount of hot peppers.” William remarks teasingly.

Felicity laughs and pulls him closer to her in a hug, “oh I missed you.”

“You’re not gonna cry again are you?” William asks uncomfortably already inching away from her.

“Don’t be rude.” Oliver calls out firmly, the light hearted mood shifty slightly.

Fifteen minutes later they are sitting in a restaurant waiting for their order, Felicity nibbling on the complementary biscuits, no one saying a word.

“Did you guys change your mind about me living here?” William bursts out suddenly his hands resting on the table, fingers twitching impatiently much like his father.

“What? No, we are honouring your request.” Oliver says quickly blue eyes trained on his son, “Felicity and I just wanted to see you. We missed you.”

William shakes his head, “you’re lying. The two of you have been acting strange since I got here. What’s going on?”

“Will, it’s been a month since we’ve seen you…”

“You’re lying to me again.” William grumbles arms crossed over his chest, and Felicity can tell their day out is going down hill before it even starts.

Oliver catches her eyes and she nods her head in confirmation. They had hoped to tell William after their day out, make the day about him instead of dropping the baby on him right away.  She should have known he was too perceptive for that.

“Felicity and I...we have some news to tell you.” Oliver explains, and Felicity places her hand on his bouncing leg, squeezing it reassuringly.

William, for the most part, only looks back and forth between the two with uncertainty, when he does not queries further, Oliver continues.

“Felicity and I...we’re having a baby.” Oliver explains, “You’re going to be a big brother.”

William’s rigid demeanour immediately softens at his father’s words, he leans heavily back against his chair. “Oh. Okay.”

Not the reaction Felicity was expecting, then again she wasn’t too sure what to expect from a 13 year old. More words would have been nicer though, she can see Oliver is also put out by the response as well.

“When?” So they have been downgraded to one word responses now.

“October 1st.” Oliver answers, eyes not once leaving William.

William nods, but before Oliver can prod more the food arrives, by the time the waiter leaves, Felicity is bursting at the seams. She knows her boys, if it’s left up to them they would just continue to stare at the other in silence, both too afraid to voice their thoughts. It took her years to break that habit out of her husband she will be damn if her son follows suit.

“William, talk to us. You know you can ask or tell us anything.” Felicity insists, she can’t reach across to him with all the food on the table, but she leans forward as much as she can.

“I know where babies come from Felicity.” William snaps back at her.

“Hey watch the tone! You might not be living with us anymore but I’m still your…”  Felicity’s tongue catches in her throat, she’s not his mother.

“She’s still Felicity and you will respect her just as much as you would respect me.” Oliver chimes in firmly, leaving no room for arguments.

William looks properly chastised and looks across at Felicity apologetically, “Sorry, Felicity.”

“Apology accepted.” Felicity replies easily, her eyes softening as she speaks, she can’t ignore the smell of the French fires anymore though and grabs a fry, eyes still trained on William. “Will, all I’m saying is I’m sure you have some thoughts or concerns about this and we’re here to listen.”

“Okay.” William says  before he takes a bite of his burger.

She doesn’t know if he will say anymore but her grumbling stomach is reminding her that it’s been a few hours since she had her midday snack and it’s time to eat again.  She and Oliver follow their son’s lead and tuck into their meals.

“So the baby is why you can even eat all those hot wings?” William asks in a smart ass tone that reminds Felicity far too much of herself.

“I’ve been eating only your dad’s chili for the past two weeks.” Felicity confesses picking up yet another wing.

“That’s kinda gross.” William’s nose wrinkles as he watches her devour the wing in less than a minute and go for another.

“ Felicity hasn’t had much of an appetite at first, we’re just glad that she’s eating now.” Oliver explains as he adds more water to Felicity’s glass.

“Did you know that you were pregnant before I left?” William suddenly asks, his voice soft and uncertain. “Is that why you just let me go with my grandparents without….without fighting for me to stay?”

“No!” They both reply immediately, so loudly that a few other people look across at them curiously.

“We found out after you left.” Oliver insists.

“I got the test results back from the hospital long after we all left. By then we all decided that you moving to live with your grandparents is what’s best for you. We knew how much you wanted that so we respected your decision.” Felicity explains, her eyes trained on her son trying to read the emotions running across his face.

William says nothing though, only grabs his milkshake and takes a loud slurp from it. William is smart, mature beyond his years, but then he does something as simple as slurp his milkshake and it reminds her, he’s still a kid. Right now, a very confused kid.

“Did...would you…if you knew before...would you have asked me to stay more?” William asks softly, his eyes focused on his straw.

“Will, do you want to come home?”

At her question William’s face immediately crumbles, his eyes filling with tears. Felicity quickly gets up and out of her seat to slide next to William, “honey.”

William collapses onto her his head buried in the crook of her neck. Felicity wraps her arms around him and looks at Oliver who nods rising to his feet and going to pay their bill.

“Will, talk to me what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”  William murmurs wiping his eye furiously, it’s anything but .

“C’mon.” She grabs both their jackets and ushers him towards the exit.

She rubs his back allowing him to calm down as they wait for Oliver. When he finally emerges he looks at them in concern and Felicity tilts her head towards the park next door.

William comes to a halt preventing them from moving forward, “I don’t want to go back yet.”

“We aren’t going anywhere while you’re this upset.” Oliver promises.

“We’re just gonna sit in the park for a bit.” Felicity promises, “you don’t even have say anything we can just sit in silence until the game. Anything you want.”

When they sit on the benches, William avoids eye contact with either of them, Oliver surprises her though when he moves to stand in front of William, “Will do you want to come back home?”

William shrugs his shoulders, his hands clenched into fists on his lap. “I don’t want to move again.”

“Then don’t.” Oliver says simply, “kiddo you made a very grown up decision to move back to central city ‘cause you wanted a normal life. Some stability. You have had two terrible years all because of me. I don’t hold it against you for wanting to move back here.”

His words are exactly what their son needs to hear because William’s shoulders immediately relaxes. But the worry is still etched on their son’s face, Felicity reaches out to him rubbing his back.

“I don’t like it here.” William confesses with a sniffle, “it reminds me of my mom too much and grandma and grandpa are boring and I miss you guys and…”

“Buddy, breathe.” Oliver says calmly, “if you don’t like it here you can just come back with us.”

Felicity can see that William is unsure and Oliver’s eagerness is probably making their son hesitant to say what he thinks. “Okay hold up. Let’s stop for a minute and think about this.”

“You don’t want me to come home?” William and his voice defeated as he tries to shift away from her but Felicity she refuses to let him move.

“Of course I do. But I also know in the last year you’ve been moved from three  different schools without much thought.” Felicity counters. “I want you to find your place, but you can’t do that if you get expelled every school you go to.”

“That was one time.” William protests weakly.

“Yes, but let’s not make it a habit just so you can get your way.” Felicity points out, and William looks properly chastised. “Finish the school year. Give it sometime, if by the end you still don’t like it, then you can come home start high school in Star City.”

“Okay.” William concedes.

“Are you gonna tell us why you haven’t been liking school lately?” Oliver prods gently, but William clamps up immediately.

“I don’t know anyone.” William replies, which they all know is not the case, as he did grow up with many people in his class.

“Just remember to be yourself and it will work itself out.” Felicity promises ignoring William’s scoff.

She knows there is more to the story than William is letting on, but she also knows the kid has been through enough for the day and prodding him further won’t help. She rises to her feet and hooks one arm through Oliver’s holding her next arm for William, who looks at her unimpressed, “C’mon we’ve got a game to get too. The baby wants some popcorn and I want to see some hot men in tight pants.”

Oliver groans in exasperation shaking his head, but it’s William’s reaction that pulls her attention. When she see the slightest blush blossom on her son’s face, she’s finally getting to the bottom about what has been bothering him.

She wraps her arm around him and presses a kiss to his forehead, she can see him pulling away in that way that teenagers do when you’re too affectionate with them. “Love you.”

William pauses at her words familiar blue eyes looking at her in surprise before he smiles shyly in return, “love you too.”

“Damn it. God damn you.”

The moment he walks into their apartment Felicity’s grumbles of frustration are what greet him but she’s nowhere in sight

He makes a beeline for their bedroom but stops short at the doorway at the sight of Felicity in unbuckled jeans hands on her hips and topless. In front of her are every single bra she owns littered across their bed and floor.

Oliver’s eyes quickly move from her swaying chest, to her face and a small part of his is almost afraid to ask. “Everything, okay?”

“Does it look like it’s okay, Oliver?” Felicity snaps. She gestures widely to the array of bras, and Oliver almost takes a step back in fright.

He thought the mood swings had simmered in the last few days. Not that he would dare voice that thought to her.

“Twelve weeks. Twelve weeks! And not only can’t I fit in my favourite jeans but none of my bras fit! None of them! Twelve weeks, Oliver!” Felicity all but yells in frustration.

Oliver takes a tentative step towards her, his eyes moving from her face to her boobs, which do look far fuller than he remembers. Without really thinking about it he raises his hand to touch her, and belatedly he realizes his mistake when she slaps away his hand, hard .

“Don’t touch them. They hurt .” Felicity snaps, “and nothing fits .”

“I’m sorry?” He proposes it as a question unsure how to respond.

To his surprise though Felicity starts to laugh and he’s tempted to step away from her again, “nothing fits! I’m not even showing yet and nothing fits me. I’m going to be bigger than a house by 20 weeks.”

“Prettiest house I ever saw.” Oliver says charmingly.

“Oh god, you have that look on your face. I’m scaring you aren’t I?” Felicity asks horrified collapse into his arms with a loud sigh, “I’ve turned into the crazy pregnant lady.”

“Just a bit.” Oliver teases lightly. He wraps his arms around her waist, hands spanning her bare back, “don’t worry I’ll still love you even if you decided to just be a hobo  while eating chili naked for the rest of this pregnancy.”

Felicity giggles her hands wrapping around his neck, fingers tugging lightly on his hair,  the moment she presses her body against his though she moans out in pain and pulls back. “I can’t. It hurts.”

“I could kiss it make it better.” Oliver says, his cheesy response earning a smile, as he presses soft kisses against her neck. His fingers trailing up her waist. The moment his fingertips press against the curve of her breast though she hisses against him and pulls away.  “Shit, it’s really that bad?”

Felicity groans again, and cups both of her breasts, “they are heavy and sore, and twice their size.”

She’s killing him.  

He tilts his head looking at them more closely, wincing when Felicity slaps him over the head, “stop staring!”

“But you...you just…” Oliver gives up knowing when to fight his battles. “ do you want me to draw you a bath? Maybe the warm water will help?”

“You’re sweet.” Felicity cups his cheeks smiling at him warmly, “but that won’t help.”

“Chocolate chip waffles? I got salted caramel ice cream” Oliver offers as he rubs her arm and presses a kiss to her forehead.

Felicity pulls back eyes narrowing suspiciously at him, “what did you do?”

“I got you your favorite ice cream?” Oliver offers in hopes to sound innocent, but his wife sees right through it.

Felicity grabs her nearby T-shirt pulling it over her head, she tries to cross her arms over her chest but stops and places her hands on her hips, “Oliver.”

Before he can begin to grovel there is a familiar swirl of the locks opening.

“ Donna Smoak has entered the apartmen t.”

“You didn’t!” Felicity groans, “you called my mother ?”

“Felicity! Honey are you home? I hope I’m not interrupting you and Oliver’s alone time.”

“In what universe did you think calling her was a good idea?” Felicity hisses to her husband slapping him on the chest.

“I thought telling her in person would be…”

“Mother entering the bedroom, please keep all clothes on and hands to yourself.” Donna announces dramatically as she enters the bedroom.

Felicity throws her husband an exasperated look before she takes a step towards her mother, “mom we’re dressed. You can look.”

“Seems like I interrupted something”. Donna says suggestively, her eyes lingering on Felicity’s array of bras.

“Hi Mom.” Felicity  greets instead, opening her arms.

That pulls Donna away enough that she squeals in delight running into her daughters arms, “Baby girl! I’m so happy to see you!”

“I missed you too, Mom.” Felicity confesses the moment her mother’s arms wrapped around her.

Oliver tries to step away, but Donna catches his eye and he stops in his tracks,  terrified of yet another blonde Smoak.

Donna though, turns her focus on her daughter squeezing her again in greeting, but this time Felicity winces out in pain and Donna pulls back almost immediately. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Felicity lies, folding her arms below her chest.

That seems to be the wrong thing, cause Donna stares at Felicity’s chest, then the array of bras in the bed and then back at Felicity’s chest.

There is no way in hell Felicity’s mother figured out their secret just by looking at her boobs. No way . But then the screaming starts.

“Oh my god!” Donna all but yells as she takes a step back bouncing on her heels, “Felicity! Felicity! Felicity are you ...oh my god.”

“Mom…” Felicity tries but Donna squeals yet again taking Felicity by the hands trying to get Felicity to jump with her .

“ You gotta say it baby girl.” Donna insists, still bouncing. Oliver is starting to get concerned she might twist her ankle.

“Mom, I’m pregnant.” Felicity breathes out and the squealing gets louder.

Donna dances around Felicity in delight, reaching out for Oliver as well, “my baby is having a baby!”

She pulls Oliver into a tight whirlwind hug, that only Donna Smoak can give, before she moves to hug Felicity again.

“Don’t think that just because you are giving me a grandbaby, doesn’t mean I haven’t forgotten that you’re the Green Arrow, Oliver Queen.” Donna says firmly.

“Mom…” Felicity starts looking across at Oliver worriedly.

“I don’t want to talk about that.” Donna says dismissively, “I want to know when  my grandbaby is due. Are you showing yet?”

With those words she pulls Felicity’s T-shirt up, much to his wife’s protests. “ Mom.”

“No baby bump, but your boobs certainly got bigger. Oh this is so exciting.” Donna squeals again.

“I’m gonna get started on dinner.” Oliver interrupts, inching towards the bedroom door.

Donna starts going on about nursing bras and  pregnancy sex and Felicity looks across at Oliver in horror , “ I hate you.”

Oliver only raises his hand and mouths back an apology as he quickly scurries out of their bedroom, just as Donna starts talking about breast pumps.

He’s probably going to pay for this one later.

Chapter Text

“ Felicity Smoak and Baby Smoak-Queen have entered through the front door.”

Felicity grins at the greeting despite the fact that she was the one to program it. She kicks off her shoes and tosses her bag on the floor her smile blossoming wider when she sees a familiar pair of sneakers on the floor.

She hurries off towards the kitchen her smile widens when she sees William sitting at the counter, tablet in his hand. Oliver is standing on the opposite side, pots simmering behind him.

“Oh my two favourite people,” Felicity greets making her way to William and engulfing him in a warm hug, “I’m so glad you decided to spend March break with us.”

Since they told William about the baby a few weeks ago he’s been much more open with them. Felicity has yet to get him to talk about what is really bothering him but things are finally moving in the right direction. The fact alone that William asked to stay with them for March break alone is a huge sign.

“I missed you too, Felicity”

“How was the train ride?” Felicity asks as she walks around the kitchen absentmindedly, when she does not get a response she turns around to see William staring at her in confusion.

“What?”

“Felicity, you just put your house keys in the microwave”

“I did not.” Oliver who was standing next to the stove, opens the microwave to his right and sure enough pulls her house keys. He tosses them into the ornament bowl on the counter and throws her an amused grin.

“Ugh pregnancy brain,” Felicity says with a groan, she looks across at their concerned son and smiles sheepishly, “all week I’ve been doing things like that. I put my tablet in the freezer.”

William’s looks at her as though she just admitted to killing someone and Felicity has never felt more connected to their son than in this moment. “Did you remember in time to save it?”

“Your dad found it in time,” Felicity explains with a dramatic sigh of relief.

“That’s good,” William says thoughtfully.

“You two…” Oliver trails off at the look Felicity gives him, “only have to wait a bit for lunch”

Felicity rolls her eyes but takes a step towards him and plants a chaste kiss on his lip, “Hi”

“Hey,” Oliver returns squeezing her arm gently before he moves back his cooking pots.

“So how was the train ride?” Felicity asks William casually again as she takes a seat on one of the bar stools hand already going towards Willam’s bowl of grapes.

“It was fine…which I’m sure you know, ” William accuses, but there is no bite in his tone he seems more amused. Which is a first.

“I don’t…” Felicity starts off but when William throws her a look she changes her tune. “How did you know?”

“Know what? What did you do?” Oliver asks in confusion.

“You didn’t tell him?”

“He would have said no, ” Felicity whines.

William only rolls his eyes and spins his tablet around to face Felicity, “He’s right. Next time don’t make it so obvious you had one of the train camera’s facing me. And don’t track my tablet”

Felicity looks at his screen and gasps when she sees a continuous feed of William sitting on the train reading a book. He reaches to flip a page, and then it starts back again. “You counter hacked me!”

“You put a tracker on my tablet and hacked the train camera’s to keep an eye on me!” William counters, “It was a three hour ride and I told you I had a friend with me.”

“I don’t know if it be incredibly proud of this or offended that you tricked me,” Felicity says thoughtfully, her fingers tapping on William’s tablet as she removes her tracker. “You did this algorithm yourself?”

“ Felicity,” Oliver groans in exasperation at her tone, “William should not be hacking anything, counter hack or not. There will be no hacking in this house.”

That comment gets matching looks of incredulity, and Oliver signs, turning to Felicity, “We should not be encouraging it. He’s thirteen.”

“Okay, don’t go hacking other people’s networks. That’s technically illegal and you don’t know enough to hide your tracks,” Felicity reasons with William.

“Felicity, that’s not what I…” Oliver just throws up his arms in exasperation and goes back to his cooking.

Felicity looks at William who is biting back a smile, “So touchy. Maybe he’s the hormonal pregnant one.”

William laughs loudly at his father expense, both of them ignoring Oliver’s grumbles. Felicity moves to grab more grapes, but William shakes his head and passes he the entire bowl of grapes to her. She grins at him sheepishly and continue to pop them into her mouth. “Are you going to the doctor’s appointment with us today? We’re supposed hear the heartbeat.”

William frowns, “do I have to? I made plans with Zoe to go to the arcade.”

“You don’t wanna come?” Felicity pouts in disappointment.

“Not really. No,” William says slightly uncomfortable looking across at Oliver for help.

“Felicity, I don’t think there will be anything that would interest him,” Oliver explains easily.

“Okay. I’m gonna change out of these clothes. I feel like my pants are biting into my skin like the jaws of life. I refuse to buy bigger pants. Refuse, ” Felicity says ruffling William’s hair as she walks off not hearing Oliver’s comment to their son but only hearing Williams’ laughter.

The moment she walks into their bedroom she rids herself of her pants, breathing a huge sigh of relief. She tosses them into her ‘no longer fits’ pile with a deep sigh of regret as she continues to walk around the room searching for her sweats.  Her only piece of clothing that has not abandoned her as yet.

She pulls off her shirt and places it on a nearby armchair, she moves to grab an old t-shirt of Oliver’s but stops short when she sees her reflection in the nearby mirror.

“Oh” She gasps in surprise dropping the tshirt to the floor, and spinning  around to fully face the the mirror. She lays her hands on her stomach cupping the very obvious bump that was definitely not there this morning, or at least she was in such a rush for her meeting she definitely did not notice.

“ Hi baby,” She chokes out softly both hands now cupping the small swell of her stomach. She looks at her reflection and spins to the side seeing the obvious protrusion of her stomach.

“Felicity, lunch is...oh wow .” Oliver stops short the moment he lays eyes on her.

Felicity turns to him, her eyes shining, “I know. Before it just looked like I ate too much chili, but now...our little Microchip…”

“Oh wow ,” Oliver repeats slightly breathless as he takes a step towards her his hand automatically going to her small bump, fingertips touching the firmness of the swell. “She’s really in there.”

“ He better be, otherwise I would have gone without wine for  weeks for no reason,” Felicity teases, her fingers slip through Oliver’s. She turns to face the mirror and steps back against Oliver, their hands spanning the small swell of her stomach. “Pretty amazing right?”

“Unbelievable,” Oliver says his voice full with awe as their eyes meet in their reflection. “Can you feel anything yet?”

Felicity shakes her head, “Not yet. I’m so curious how that will feel. Kinda like an alien roaming around in there.”

“The book said by week 18 or so. We’ve still got a few weeks,” Oliver says slightly disappointed. He presses a kiss to the top of her head. “C’mon William is waiting for us to have lunch.”

“Oh he probably thinks we are doing something we shouldn’t,” Felicity says wrinkling her nose in thought as she grabs her sweats and starts pulling them on.

“Why would you say that,” Oliver asks horrified.

Felicity laughs wholeheartedly as she hooks her arm in his, “He’s a thirteen year old boy. What were you thinking about when you were thirteen?”

“Oh god. Do I have to have that talk with him?” Oliver asks uncomfortably, his cheeks pinking up. “He and Zoe seem to be getting closer.”

“I think we don’t have anything to worry about quite yet,” Felicity says thoughtfully.

“If you say so.”

“Now this is going to be a little cold,” Dr. Schwartz warns just as she shakes the small tube of gel and begins to squeeze a large amount on Felicity’s bare stomach, “let’s see what we have here. Ah there’s your baby.”

“Oh she does look like a tiny little alien,” Felicity says emotionally, her fingers tightening around Oliver’s fingers. “Look at her little nose. Hi microchip.”

“She’s curled up in there,” Oliver says his voice full of awe.

“Now it’s too early to know the gender, but there is something I know the two of you were looking forward to,” Dr. Schwartz says with a knowing smile.

With those words a quick thumping sound suddenly begins to fill the room. Felicity gasps in surprise, her eyes filling with tears as she looks across at Oliver in awe. He’s not faring any better than his wife.

“It’s so fast,” Felicity whispers almost as though their voices would scare the baby.

“Which is a good thing,” The doctor promises. “Everything is going well, baby looks a little bigger than I expected, but that’s nothing to worry about. I’m going to assume you two want me to send you a copy of this video?”

“Yes” They both say eagerly, the good doctor laughs though and sends Felicity a knowing look.

“How about we wait for my staff to send you the videos, and not let them mysteriously end up in your possession before you leave the office?”

Oliver groans in exasperation, much like Dr. Schwartz knew his identity long before the rest of the world did, she is also very aware of who Felicity is as well. His wife in question looks properly chastised.

“I plead the fifth,” Felicity remarks easily despite her rosy guilty cheeks.

“My IT guy picked up on it, said it was only your file seemed to have been touched. Wasn’t that hard to make the assumption,” The doctor points out.

“Damn, this pregnancy brain has me losing my touch,” Felicity says with a sigh, “I promise it won’t happen again.”

Oliver is almost certain she is referring to not getting caught again.

“Of that I’m doubtful. Just try at least. We will send you anything you want you just have to ask.” Dr. Schwartz seems to know his wife just as well and he has to bite back a smile. “I’ll see you two in a few weeks, if your baby cooperates we might even be able to tell the gender.”

“Oh we don’t want to know,” Oliver is the only one to voice this and he looks across at his wife curiously.

“Oh yes. Life’s greatest mysteries. We’re waiting,” Felicity prattles off quickly.

Dr Schwartz looks between the two of them in amusement, “Alright. Anything else you two need to know?”

They both shake their head in the negative she bids them good day and leaves to give Felicity privacy to change back into her  clothes.

“You’re never gonna hold out till the birth,” Oliver taunts teasingly, holding out his hand to help Felicity down from the examination table.

His wife slaps away his hand and narrows her eyes at him, “I see what you’re doing.”

Oliver leans against the exam table arms folded across his chest a smirk gracing his features. He totally got her attention. “Do you want to hear my terms for the bet?”

“You know I do,” Felicity says with a huff as she pulls her dress over her head. She looks down at her boobs which are practically spilling out of the top and sighs, “I really need to go shopping. Alright counselor lay it on me.”

“Felicity, we’re in the doctor’s office,” Oliver says pretending to sound scandalized.

“No. No, you don’t get to look like that and use your words to distract me. You planted the seed I want to know what are we betting on, what are the stakes?” Felicity demands, her competitive nature rearing its head exactly like Oliver expected.

Oliver grins helping her into her coat as they make their way out of the office, “I was thinking diaper duties for at least a week.”

“So we’re not gonna do this for baby names then?” Felicity teases, she slips her sunglasses over her face the moment the spring sun hits their faces.

“Oh no we agreed that battle will start at the five month mark. I’m still doing research.”

“This baby turned you into a nerd . You are always reading books and now doing research,” Felicity teases as she gets into their car. “It’s hot by the way.”

“Noted,” Oliver says with a grin. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed you deflecting.”

“I told you, I don’t want to know what we’re having and when the time comes after she or he  is born, you will be on diaper duty for two weeks,” Felicity says confidently, her hand resting on the small swell of her stomach.

From his angle in the car she looks far more pregnant than she is and Oliver’s heart swells at the image she makes, he can’t wait to see the changes in her body over the next five months.

“You got yourself a deal, Mrs. Queen,” Oliver teases holding out his hand which she shakes with enthusiasm.

They sit in relative silence as Felicity types on her phone informing him that William decided to have dinner with Zoe and Rene.

“I know we haven’t really been telling people, mostly family but with you reaching the second trimester I wanted to tell John,” Oliver says tentatively.

“You can tell him if you want,” Felicity says coolly.

The topic of their friend has been a point of contention between the two of them the past  4 months. Oliver completely understands why Felicity is upset she has every right, but he can’t find it in himself to completely turn his back on their friend. He has trouble turning on anyone it seems, all too aware how easy it can be to lose those close to you.

“Felicity….”

“Nope. We are not having this conversation again. I told you I have no issues with your friendship with John.” He still doubts that’s completely true. “But my problem with him has not been resolved and I will not be sharing anything with him, least of all my child.”

He wants to continue, but he can see the way her hands shakes and she not so discreetly wipes away stray tears and he feels like the worst husband in the world for pushing her.

“I’m sorry.”

They both know he is apologizing for more than just bringing up the sore topic.

“I know,” Felicity says softly, “you should tell him though. John would want to know and I know you want to share that news with him.”

Hi wife is amazing. He knows how much those months when he was away had hurt her, knows how alone she felt, how abandoned she felt by everyone she... they considered family. Yet, she still understand what this means to him and how much he needs to tell his oldest friend.

“What do you think, Microchip?” Felicity asks thoughtfully, she stands in front of her mirror smoothing out the soft material of her dress that pulls against her small but obvious protruding stomach. “I think it’s time I show you off, right?”

She rubs her stomach thoughtfully, closing her eyes and willing herself to feel something anything . Her doctor told her she would feel something  as early as 20 weeks but there was no guarantee. Exactly one day shy of her 20th week mark and little baby Smoak Queen has yet to make her presence known  other than the obvious growing stomach much to Felicity’s disappointment.

When her stomach growls loudly, Felicity laughs, her baby is making itself known in other ways. “Let’s see what daddy made for us today. I’m hoping for some chicken carbonar or Mac and Cheese.”

Felicity stretches her arms over her head as she walks out of the bedroom, the added weight on her midsection, although small has already been affecting her back more than she cares to admit. She’s been paying particular attention to her lower limbs and has thankfully not felt any different but she makes a mental note to mention it to her neurologist for her monthly check up next month.

“Gimme the pasta,” She chants to herself as she makes a beeline for the stove. She sees a sticky note hanging above the stove telling her to have some salad in the fridge and rolls her eyes as she opens the first pot and sighs when she sees spaghetti. Sure enough on the side is a slow cooker with meatballs.

Not what she was feeling for, but it will do for now.

Despite all this she makes herself a large bowl of spaghetti and meatballs. She is almost to the living room when she stops and turns back into the kitchen grabbing the brand new carton of ice cream and a spoon. Once she’s fully loaded with food she makes her way towards the couch where she set up her mini office because the couch gave her the best support for her back. And really she just liked the option to nap whenever she felt like. She tries to focus on the blue prints for her latest hardware test but is far too invested in her food to care.

Can you pick up mint chocolate chip on your way home?

She fires off the text without much thought the last spoon of ice cream in her mouth

Didn’t I buy one yesterday?

His reply comes a few minutes later and she scoffs in annoyance. She grabs the now empty carton of ice cream and takes a picture of it, sending it out without any other response.

I’ll pick up two.

Good husband. She thinks with a nod and goes back to her laptop screen which is not her latest security device, but instead it’s baby clothes.

Neither of them have started to get things for the baby, her mother has sent endless amount of baby clothes to the point that Felicity had put a stop to it for now. Other than that they have yet to really plan anything and she wonders if it’s their inability to look forward to the future after being burnt so many times before is the reason why they haven’t even thought about finding a bigger place.

Without much thought she quickly opens another browser and starts looking at Star City listings. She gets lost in her thoughts until her stomach grumbles. She checks the time and sees that only three hours has passed since she had lunch, but her stomach rumbles loudly in protest.

“Kid, you’re killing me I just fed you,” Felicity says rubbing her stomach.

Are you on your way home?

Getting ice cream, then I’m on my way. Everything okay?

Can you pick up some onion rings and a chocolate milkshake?

Sure. I’ll see you soon.

Someone is going to get lucky tonight.

I’m lucky every night.

Felicity laughs loudly at the text her husband could be so cheesy. The thought of onion rings dipped in chocolate milkshake has her mouth watering.

Hurry up.

I’m man enough  to know that this is for the onion rings.

Can’t it be both? I can want you just as much as I want onion ring dipped in chocolate milkshake.

Felicity, you’re not putting milkshake or any kind of food on me. Last time it took me ages to get the chocolate syrup out of the bedsheets.

And I  told you we could just replace them.

They were brand new sheets, Felicity.

Felicity laughs wholeheartedly at the text, the number of times they have had this conversation, he’s always so touchy about his sheets. But she always points out he did not object while they were destroying his precious sheets.

She goes back to her searches, but ends up checking the time every few minutes. She is just about to pick up her phone when a familiar swirl of the locks is heard.

Baby Daddy has entered through the front door.

“No. You need to change that,” Oliver says immediately on stepping into the apartment, arms laden with brown paper bags filled with food.

“I thought it was cute,” Felicity says cheekily already on her way to greet him, well the food in his hand. When Oliver holds the bag of onion rings out of her reach she glares at him. “I’ll change it.”

“Thank you.” He still has the bag of food over his head using his free hand to move to her stomach but  she takes a step back much to his horror.

“Oh no, no food no baby,” She declares.

“You’re being dramatic,” He counters waving the bag of food teasingly over her head.

“And you are denying your child food,” She replies basically proving his point, but he rolls his eyes and offers her the bag of onion rings nonetheless.

She’s already tearing open the brown paper bag moaning at the smell of fried onions. She grabs the chocolate milkshake tossing the plastic cover to the side. She takes one of the onion rings and dips in generously into the chocolate milkshake, the moment she takes a bite of it, she is in pure ecstasy. She throws up her head back, free hand gripping the kitchen counter moaning loudly in pleasure.

“ Fuck.”

She forgot that she wasn’t alone, she looks across at Oliver to see his eyes are glazed his teeth sinking into his bottom lip. When their eyes meet she looks at him sheepishly, still helping herself to another onion ring. “I’m not sorry.”

“I don’t know if to be turned on, or put off that I couldn’t get that response from you,” Oliver says thoughtfully, smile tugging on his lips as he takes a suggestive step towards her.

“I’m sure you tried your best,” She teases back biting into her onion ring.

“ Tried my best,” Oliver growls in disbelief taking a step towards her but when he tries to kiss her, he only gets her cheek in response. “ Felicity.”

He sounds like petulant child and he’s currently pouting at her. His hands are on her hips, but hers are still deep in her bag of onion rings.

“Food first. Then sex,” She promises between bites.

“I was showing you some of my best moves.”

Felicity laughs at his blatant lie, dipping her onion ring generously into her milkshake, “If that were true no wonder this onion ring was showing me a better time.”

“Touché.” Oliver laughs and kisses her cheek before he pulls away from her.

“Do you wanna try it? It’s orgasmic.” Felicity says holding up an onion ring, milkshake dripping down her fingers.

Oliver wrinkles his nose in disdain, “I’ll take your word for it.”

Felicity shrugs her shoulders taking another bite of her snack, “your loss. I only offer once.”

Oliver laughs and presses a kiss to her forehead, “enjoy you food. I’ll be waiting for you in the bedroom.”

He taps her ass lightly before he walks away, and Felicity calls out to him, “I love you more than the onion rings!”

Oliver laughs but does not turn around to face her, “yet you’re choosing the onion rings over me.”

“No one likes cold onion rings!” She protests despite the fact she is currently dipping said onion rings in a cold milkshake.

Oliver has already disappeared into their bedroom his laughter still echoing in their small apartment. She knows he’s just messing with her but still.

She looks down at her half empty bag of onion rings, licking her fingers free of milkshake, “I love my husband more than you.”

Chapter Text

May 2019

She sits at the dining room table her laptop in front of her but her eyes are trained on her husband. He’s currently sitting on the opposite side of the table filling out paperwork for the SCPD. Something she knows he hates doing, if going by the number of times he’s looked across at the television that’s currently playing some baseball game on mute.

“Felicity, I can feel you staring,” Oliver quips still not looking up as he flips his pen absentmindedly between his fingers.

The warm spring sun is shining into their living room, they are both dressed for casually Oliver in his sweats and a t-shirt. She can see the way his forearm muscles contract with each flick of his fingers and her entire body heats up.

The past few weeks have been crazy, while the hormone surges earlier in her pregnancy aren’t so drastic like before , she is still feeling the rainbow of emotions over the course of a day. Every emotion is heighten and she feels everything so much more than she normally would.

She bites her lip, shifting not so subtly in her seat. Despite the sun, the room is relatively cool, much cooler than they normally have it because lately Felicity has been feeling like a furnace and just unable to cool down. She’s wearing a small crop top that says “baby on board” and an old jean shorts  that are cut off mid thigh. At 22 weeks her stomach is on full display no longer a small bump. It’s taunt and hard and there is no doubt that a baby is growing in there. Her crop top falls high above her torso so that her bare stomach is completely on display. If anyone asks she would say she is feeling warmer than normal, but really she knows how much of a turn on it is for Oliver to see her growing belly and she may or may not have been trying to subtly get his attention all morning.  

When that failed to work she had to up her game. Hence the staring match.

“Can’t a wife appreciate her husband?” She asks coyly.

“I really need to finish this paper work. You already distracted me for the morning,” Oliver points out, finally looking across at her.

“You weren’t complaining this morning,” she points out.

When Oliver rises to his feet and tosses his pen onto the pile of unfinished paperwork, she sits up eagerly in anticipation. But all he does is stop by her to press a kiss on her forehead and rub her belly affectionately before he continues his way to the kitchen.

She is highly offended.

“What are you feeling for today?” Oliver asks her, from behind the counter separating the kitchen and living room.

There might as well be an ocean between them.

“ You ,” Felicity replies easily, all bets are off if her clueless husband won’t take the hint, she will spell it out for him.

Oliver only laughs in response, which only frustrates her more cause she’s not joking, damn him. Even more so when he turns his attention away from her.

Seriously?

She gently closes her laptop, she may be frustrated at her husband but there is no need to take it out her electronics.

She rises to her feet about to show her husband exactly what she wants when she stops in her tracks and unfamiliar feeling coming from her midsection, “ oh!”

That get Oliver’s attention, he is at her side almost immediately, “talk to me, Felicity.”

Felicity grabs his hand and places it on her stomach her eyes lightning up in delight, “I felt her! Can you feel it?”

“No. I won’t be able to for a bit, ” Oliver says slightly crestfallen his hand still rubbing her stomach affectionately, “what does it feel like?”

“Like waves, little rumbles. Oh! She did it again,” Felicity says with delight moving Oliver’s hand to another side of her stomach despite the fact that they both know he won’t be able to feel it. “Oh wow. It’s weird.”

“Does it hurt?” Oliver asks with concern, his fingers flexing along her stomach.

Felicity shakes her head in the negative, “just different. She’s really moving around in there.”

Oliver laughs and leans forward to press a kiss on the curve of her stomach, “hey peanut give your Mom a break in there.”

“You can’t call her peanut,” Felicity saying horrified almost pushing him away from her stomach.

Oliver stands up right a hand still resting on her stomach as he looks at her amused, “you insist on calling him Microchip. Why can’t I have my own nickname?”

“You can, just not peanut . I’m allergic to peanuts,” Felicity insists petulantly.

“He’s not an actual peanut, Felicity.”

“It’s the principle of the matter, Oliver,”  Felicity insists, hands on her hips, pregnant belly protruding slightly towards him.

Oliver smiles affectionately at her, his eyes softening, “you’re cute.”

His hands are still resting on her stomach, she narrows her eyes at him, “don’t distract me with compliments, you know I’m easily distracted now.”

Oliver laughs, his hands moving along her stomach lazily, “how about pickle? Hey pickle, are you nice and comfy in there?”

The soft tone he takes while talking to their baby would be sweet if he did not have the worst taste in names. It’s why she’s yet to approach the topic of names, she’s seen his list and she knows she can’t veto all of them.

She can at least make sure he doesn’t call their daughter pickle for the next four months.

She smiles at him coyly, just as she leans forward, grabbing him purposefully by the crotch, Oliver releasing a strangled gasp just as she speaks, “I know a pickle that I would like in…”

“ Felicity!” Oliver all but shouts scandalized as he takes a giant step back from her, “why...why would you say that.  I can’t believe you just ruined that nickname.”

“It was a stupid nickname.” She tries to walk towards him but Oliver avoids her until the kitchen counter is once again between them. “Oliver.”

“No. That was cruel ,” Oliver insists legitimately upset with her.

“I just complete ruined my chances of sex again this morning didn’t I?” Felicity asks, despite the fact that she knows it’s the wrong thing to say.

Oliver’s glare reminiscent of when they first met, but like when they first met she brushes it off easily. She places her hands on the counter top and moved to jump on, but squeaks in surprise when she feels familiar large hands on her waist and Oliver’s hoists her up on the counter. She hooks her legs around his torso, smiling cheekily at him.

“I’m still upset with you,” Oliver points out, he does not pull away from her, but his hands gravitate to her stomach like it always does, as he stands between her legs.

“I’m sorry, but it’s a terrible nickname.” She rests her elbows on his shoulders grinning at him sheepishly.

“You call him Microchip .”

“Which is cute.” Felicity points out stubbornly, she tugs gently at the hair on the back of her head and breathes. “You have terrible taste in names.”

She speaks so quickly and meekly, knowing it’s about time they address it or else their baby will be called Baby Girl Queen.

“Which ones? I like my choices.” Oliver all but pouts, “ Tommy. You can’t say that’s bad.”

“Oh no. I’m in total agreement with that one. It’s the girl names that are awful.” Felicity counters.

He looks so crestfallen, Felicity suddenly feels bad, but she refuses to let their daughter  have any of those  names.

“ Elizabeth.” Felicity counters. “Elizabeth Queen. Queen Elizabeth? Do you want our child to be teased all her life Oliver?”

“ Harriet?” Oliver counters back just as passionately, “is she 50? ”

“I don’t know why don’t we ask Gretchen. Gretchen? Are you kidding me?”

To her surprise Oliver laughs, raises both hands up in defense, “Okay,   that one was just to see your reaction.”

Felicity huffs and pushes him lightly on the shoulder, “I added a few too.”

“Ada.” Oliver says

“Hermione.” Felicity chimes in at the same time but looks at Oliver horrified and slaps him on the chest, “Ada was my top five! Ada Lovelace, you know how much she means to me!”

“I like Hermione.” Oliver protests, “and I know that about Ada  but we can’t use that name it’s not even from the last two centuries. That’s worse than Queen Elizabeth, admit it.”

“Okay, First of all I know you don’t actually like Hermione, but well played, I’ll take Ada off the list too, but I’m sorry Oliver all of yours...well to put it nicely….. suck. ”

“But, I liked some of yours,” Oliver’s pout almost makes Felicity cave but suddenly a whirring sound of someone at the front door catches their attention.

“ John Diggle has entered the Queen residence .”

Felicity looks across at Oliver incredulously, just as he takes a step back and helps her off the counter.

“He’s always had a key to our place.” Oliver says, but despite his words, John had remained at the threshold. Oliver looks at Felicity expectantly at which she nods in agreement.

“You can come in John.” Oliver calls out.

A few seconds later their old friend takes tentative steps into their apartment, he nods at Oliver, his eyes softening when he takes Felicity in.

“Pregnancy, suits you,” John says in a way of greeting, his eyes trained on her stomach before looking at Felicity.

“I’m just gonna, return William’s call,” Oliver explains and quickly slips out of the room.

“Subtle as the Hulk in a china shop” Felicity remarks drly, she moves to the freezer to help herself to some ice cream, just needed to do something with her hands.

When she turns around, spoon already in her mouth, she pauses on seeing John’s stares at her midsection. “Oliver said you were about 21 weeks.”

“22,” Felicity corrects taking another scoop of ice cream, she sighs when he doesn’t say anymore, “what are you really doing here John? I don’t think it was to watch a pregnant woman eat a full ice cream carton in one sitting.”

“I came to apologize,” he replies solemnly. Felicity can’t help but scoff, but she supposes he had months to prepare so this should be good.

John takes her obvious exasperation in stride and continues, “Oliver and I were talking and he told me everything you went through when he was in Slabside… Listening to that made me feel like such a fool. You’re my family, Felicity, and I didn’t have your back and I should have, especially when I knew you had no one to turn to. I hurt you by turning my back on you and I realize that now” Felicity’s eyes start to sting as memories of that time bombard her.

“Oliver asked for me to look after you and William and I thought witness protection was doing that, but it was more than just your safety.  You didn’t need me to keep you safe you needed me to support you and I didn’t and for that I’m sorry.”

With every passing word more tears starts to collect in Felicity’s eyes , but she realizes that this was something she needed to hear from him.

Felicity’s throat clogs up and she looks away from John to collect herself. She’s been angry at him for so long, but it doesn’t change the fact that just missed her friend, her brother.

Felicity looks back at John and says, “that was a good apology”

John huffs and says, “It probably would’ve been better if I came to you months ago, but I meant every word of it, Felicity. You are my family, and you deserved better than what I gave you, and I want you to know that I will never, never , make the same mistake again.”

And with that all the fight leaves Felicity’s body, “I missed you,” Felicity murmurs as tears roll down her cheek.

Unlike her son and her husband at times, John takes the tears with stride and takes one step towards her engulfing her in a warm hug and all of a sudden, Felicity feels lighter, like a weight has  been lifted off from her.

After a few moments, she pulls back and looks at him sheepishly, “Sorry, hormones. Last week I cried over the toilet paper commercial with the cute bears. I’ve been freaking William out every time he comes to visit.”

John laughs as helping her onto one of the kitchen stools before he slides onto one of the other stools, “and Oliver?”

Felicity laughs, “Spazzes out every time, it’s been fun.”

“Don’t torture the guy, Felicity.”

“But it’s so much fun .” Felicity says raising her voice, the fact that she knows Oliver never went to call their son like he said he would and is probably listening to them now.

“I know, you know that I was listening,” Oliver makes his presence known before he steps back into the kitchen he looks between the two curiously, “everything good?”

“If you were listening you would know the answer to that.” Felicity points out, despite her words she beckons him towards her.

She wraps her arms around his waist her stomach not allowing him to come much closer, but enough that she presses a kiss to his shoulder, “thank you.”

“ Felicity , I can’t...I need a minute,” Oliver pants out practically begging as he tries to inch his tired naked body away from his wife’s wandering hands.

“ Oliver.”

Felicity only whines out his name in protest her body already moving languidly against his. He doesn’t know what has gotten into her lately, he’s fully aware that pregnancy causes her to have a bigger appetite than normal, and in more ways than one. But this is on another level.

He’s ashamed to say it but he’s tired.

She’s tired him out.

When he feels her finger slowly trail up his thigh, he has to physically remove her wandering hand. He looks down to see her pouting at him, her chest is heaving, her forehead douse with sweat. Yet she’s looking him like he took away her favourite pint of ice cream.

She rises to her knees, in all her pregnant naked glory and damn her and his treacherous body for betraying him.

Felicity grins impishly down at him, fully aware of what she’s doing to his body. She places her hand on his torso and swings her leg over his so that she’s straddling his hips once again.

“We really need to talk about this,” he insists, but the moment her lips wrap around him he forgets why he was so against this in the first place.

A few hours later, Oliver walks into the apartment, feet light as he eases the front door closed, hoping Felicity’s little voice thing did not wake her. He left her snoozing in bed an hour or so ago and decided to go to the store to get some groceries.

Now he’s trying to put away everything without waking her. Part of him wants her to get some much needed sleep, as lately with her growing stomach she’s been having trouble sleeping. The other part of him just needs a break , she's been insatiable lately and he feels like he’s been taking her to bed more often than not hoping to exhaust her so she falls asleep. Problem is then he gets exhausted and finds himself dozing off in the middle of a briefing with the SCPD.

He blames his exhaustion on him not hearing Felicity approaching until, he feels familiar hands snaking under his t-shirt slowly making its way to the buckle of his belt.

“Hey!”  He helps in surprise dropping the bag of lettuce to spin around Felicity’s wrists in his hand as he holds them away from his crotch.

She grins up at him impishly looking far too rested for someone who kept him up all night, “are we gonna play a game?”

“How about the let’s take a rest  game ?” Oliver counters slipping his fingers through her own, but making sure to keep them away from him.

Felicity's pout intensifies at his words, “who is the pregnant one here, old man?”

He knows exactly what she’s doing, but he won’t bite, he grabs her by the waist much to her delight and hoists her onto the countertop. His hands automatically goes to the curve of her stomach and that was his first mistake.

The moment she’s sitting her legs stretch out and wrap around his waist, the heel of her foot trailing along the curve of his ass. “I have a proposition for you.”

“So we are going to play a game,” Felicity moans in delight, she snakes her now free hands under his t-shirt already trying to rid him of it, she pouts again when he does not indulge her. “I can work with hard to get, Oliver. We both know I don’t give up that easily.”

Oliver laughs despite himself, and before he knows it her lips are on him, her tongue leaves a wet trail along his heated skin and he’s lost his T-shirt before he realizes what she’s done, “ Felicity.”

Felicity sighs dramatically finally pulling away, or at least she stops kissing him long enough to look at him. Her hands though are still wandering along his chest, her fingernails dragging across his skin in a way she knows he loves, “Okay, proposition me.”

She says it so filthily that Oliver almost chokes in surprise. Her only response is to send him an equally suggestive look that has him shifting in his spot, and wishing he did not have on jeans.

She knows exactly what she’s doing to him.

Damn her.

“I was thinking, we start looking at houses today, I want us to narrow it down a bit before we show William and just get moving so that we aren’t rushing to get the nursery done when you’re 9 months pregnant. I know you’re gonna want to secure the place properly,” Oliver explains.

Felicity nods thoughtfully her finger following the route of one of his scars, “ I agree, I’ve been nesting lately and there is just so many times I can reorganize William’s bedroom. We need to look at houses, but this doesn’t explain how I’m getting sex.”

“ Felicity .”

“I mean if you wanna buy the new house so that we christen every room I won’t be opposed…”

“Felicity.” Oliver calls out this time kissing her to stop the beginning of an epic ramble he’s sure, “focus, you horn dog.”

“Oliver I promise you, tomorrow, we will look at houses,” She only smiles wickedly in return, fingers beginning their descend along his chest, and he knows he’s losing her. He could probably convince her to get that family size air fryer - or as Felicity calls it the tomb of lies- he has been eyeing for weeks now.

“I do have a surprise for you though,” Oliver continues thoughtfully, rolling his eyes when he hears the telltale sounds of his belt unbuckling. He has given up on trying to stop her at this point.

“Oh I have huge idea of what it could be,” Felicity moves to grab him by the crotch, which he should have seen coming.

“ Felicity ,” He groans out, his concentration slowly dwindling, “you’re gonna wanna hear this.”

“Does it involve you getting naked? Cause honestly at this point in time I could care less about anything else.”

Lately, she can get so grumpy when she doesn’t get what she wants. Oliver takes it with stride though, and gently pries her grabby hands away from his body, he ignores her little pout.

“It could,” Oliver pauses for dramatic effect, smirking at the way her blue eyes narrow at him suspiciously, “it involves you and me. The ocean, some sand…”

“Aruba?” Felicity asks in delight, hands slapping his chest, “why didn’t you say that in the first place?”

“Not Aruba, too many layovers and travelling time that I figured you wouldn’t like. I book us a week in Hawaii though.”

“Best baby daddy ever.”

Felicity declares silencing his grumbles with a kiss.

She wiggles her toes in the warm sand, taking a deep breath of the salty sea air and sighs in delight. She looks down and sighs when she can’t see her toes.

She places her hands on her bare stomach, already a healthy bronze colour from the sun. She feels the family jolts along her abdomen smiling at the forceful jolts  she feels a huge difference than a few weeks ago.

The excitement she feels at meeting their daughter is unlike anything she’s ever experienced. She knows that she is the more patient one between her and Oliver, but some days she wishes she could speed through time and just meet their baby now. Other times though like now as she feels full movements inside her, she just knows she’s going to miss this. Miss the feel of their baby moving around inside of her.

She blinks suddenly and a flash of light startles her, she looks up just in time to see Oliver pointing his camera at her. She’s lost count at the number of photographs he has taken of her in this very position. Holding her stomach and thinking about their daughter.

She rolls her eyes halfheartedly, he’s been doing that a lot lately, not just while on their vacation. She’s tried to take it from him, get some pictures of the both of them, but for the most part she’s left him to his sudden interest in being an amateur photographer.

Oliver takes to giant steps towards her pulling her closer to him, his hands automatically going to her stomach. She shivers slightly at the feel of the cool metal of his camera brushing against her skin.

“Penny for your thoughts?” he asks

“Totally worth more than a penny.” She tries to step away and Oliver keeps her in place one hand slipping around her waist the other firmly on her stomach, “who’s the handsy one now?”

“It will always be you,” Oliver says with a laugh leaning down to kiss her softly, “is the baby moving around?”

“No, she is probably taking a nap now, she’s a night owl like her father,” Felicity teases.

“Pretty sure we’re both night owls.”

“Fair point,” She concedes, she then takes his band tugging him towards the water, “come into the water with me.

“Felicity, I have the camera with me,” despite his protests he allows her to pull him towards the shoreline.

“Ditch the camera,” she says enticingly.

Her husband follows her request, slipping his camera into her bag, but still looks at her suspiciously, “what happened to no sex in the ocean after that one time in Bali?”

Felicity wrinkles her nose at the memory, but won’t let him get the satisfaction of being right, “a girl can’t just want to swim in the ocean with her husband?”

“Oh a girl can, but this husband knows, his pregnant wife only has one thing in mind lately,” Oliver points out slightly output and she and see something is bothering him.

She walks up closer to him wrapping her arms around his neck, “Oliver, use your words.”

“I feel used,” Oliver confesses softly, she barks out in laughter, but stops when she realizes that he’s serious.

“What? Oliver…”

“For sex.” He clarifies not that she didn’t know what he was referring to, “yesterday you woke up from a nap jumped me then went back to your nap. I felt like a piece of meat, Felicity.”

He hisses our the last part and Felicity bites her lip, it takes everything in her to not laugh. She watches him closely, she can practically see him going over his words in his mind.

“Can we just forget this conversation?”

“No, definitely not,” Felicity laughs with a shake of her head, placing her hands on his folded arms, “seriously though, it’s clearly bothering enough for you to say something that dramatic. I’m sorry, if I’ve been too much.”

“Felicity, no. Never. ..just…” he trails off his ears pinking up slightly in embarrassment.

“Buy you dinner first?” Felicity counters easily, earning a laugh in return. She rises on her tiptoes, “I love you.”

“I love you too.” He leans down and kisses her soundly, his fingers moving to card through her hair, “swim?”

She hums in approval and takes him by the hand pulling him back to the shoreline.

She steps under the high pressure shower sighing in delight.  Her shoulders are slightly burnt from the sun and the cold water brings her burning skin some relief. She grabs the bar of soap and slowly lathers up her stomach wincing slightly at the redness above her belly button.

“Not even born yet and already Mommy is trying to give you sunburn.”

She caresses her stomach gently fingers lightly running along her old scars that are now pink and stretched due to her growing stomach.

She’s been doing that a lot lately talking to their baby, she never though she would be that woman. The one that would sit hours at end talking to her bump, but now she feels as though the silence around her needs to be filled with her babbles and she’s certain the baby has started to react to her voices.

Their voices really, the baby gets particularly active whenever Oliver speaks in low tones to their baby. She also really likes the feel of Oliver’s lips on her stomach.

Felicity shakes her head clear of those thought, refusing to go down that slippery slope again. She promised Oliver tonight they will go out to dinner and he would not appreciate if she jumped him again and they have to order room service again.

She goes back to washing the rest of her body when the glass door to the shower slides open. She looks across at her husband, whose hair is still damn from his own shower, blue eyes twinkle with delight and excitement.

And there she goes tumbling down the slippery slope.

“William, texted,” Oliver says eagerly, she can practically see he’s vibrating with excitement, “he wants to move back home.”

“Oh!” Felicity exclaims in surprise, practically jumping into her husband’s arms, despite the fact that she is covered in soap suds.

Oliver has a firm grip on her slippery body though and kisses her deeply, he presses his head against her forehead and grins down at her, “William’s coming home.”

“We’re gonna have our entire family under one roof,” Felicity says in equal delight leaning up to kiss him again.

Oliver hums in agreement, but Felicity can tell he is slightly distracted by the way his hands begin to roam her wet body, when he pulls her even closer to him, her eyebrows shoot up in surprise, “ really ?”

“Yea.” Oliver breathes out

He places her gently back on the stone floor and before she can find her footing Oliver is chucking off his already wet boxers and stepping into the shower. His arms already reaching out to  her which she gladly accepts.

As with everything in their lives, they go tumbling down the slippery slope together.

Chapter Text

June 2019

“I don’t know.”

“William, buddy. We brought you along so that you have a say in what house we buy, it’s going to be your house for the rest of your life. There is no more moving after this.”

But the teenager seems more interested in his phone than the third house they have been looking at for the day.

Oliver looks across at Felicity to see that she is slowly losing her patience, she has one flip flop off and is rolling her ankles as she sits on one of the chairs in the bedroom.

She looks up at Oliver, “why don’t you finish looking at the last three houses in this neighborhood  with Andy while William and I walk to the little plaza down the street? There is a waffle cone with mint chip that has our names on it.”

She slips her foot back into her flip flops rising to her feet slowly. At 24 weeks she’s not exactly large, but she isn’t her small frame anymore and her back has been really feeling it lately.

“I don’t like mint chip,” William grumbles, his eyes still on his phone.

Felicity though takes the grumbling with stride she walks to him and swipes his phone out of his hand much to the teens horror, “well lucky for you I don’t share my mint chip. But I will be doing is spending time with my son, who I haven’t seen in over a month. So, lose the ‘tude, dude.”

When William does not crack a smile, Felicity narrows her eyes at him, her arms folded over her stomach, “William.”

“Sorry,” their son grunts out before he walks out of the room.

Oliver looks at his retreating figure in concern, but Felicity on squeeze his forearm in reassurance, “I have seven years under my belt of dealing with grumpy Queen men. I can handle him. You look at houses, you know what both of us will like.”

She rises on her toes to kiss Oliver, then waves at Andy their realtor, who was trying not to look like he was watching the whole exchange.

A few minutes later Felicity finds William  standing at the front door of the house, sneaker clad foot kicking some dirt onto the stone pathway.

“Help a fat pregnant lady out?” She calls out to him in greeting.

William holds out his hand to her, looking at her suspiciously, “you’re not fat and you’re not that pregnant, and you just told Dad you weren’t an invalid and can walk on your own.”

Despite all of this he holds out his elbow so she could loop her arm through his and helps her walk through the rough terance of the front yard.

“You listen better than your father does,” Felicity quips finally earning a smile from their son. “Now are you going to tell me what’s been bothering you since you got here? Did you change your mind about moving back home?”

“No,” comes the quick reply much to Felicity’s relief, William looks across at her, or more specifically her stomach, “I want to come back home, be here when the baby gets here.”

His comment warms her heart, but his deflection is more than concerning to her. She puts their conversation on hold as they walk into the ice cream parlor, she pulls out her wallet handing it over to her son, “you know what to get, don’t hold back. Your sister is using my bladder as a trampoline again. I’ll be back.”

She watches as William makes his way to the cashier, noticing the way his eyes track the store. She didn’t even realize she did the exact same thing when they first walked into the store, it’s reminiscent of their previous summer together both of them always on high alert any time they went out into public.

She hates that they both still do it.

By the time she makes it back, William is already sipping his milkshake while carefully watching her ice cream for any signs of melting.

“Favorite son,” Felicity declares as she takes her massive waffle cone topped with three scoops of mint chip.

“I might not be your only son,” William points out, the hidden meaning not lost to Felicity, even if that was not his intend.

“William, you know I love you, right?” Felicity replies seriously, trying to catch his eye, but the teen focuses his attention on his milkshake.

“Felicity,” The protest is comes as expected but she refuses to let him deflect again.

“No, you and I need to have a talk. I should have done this months ago,I did not and for that I apologize.” Felicity continues, she can see her words has caught William’s attention, or at least his curiosity as blue eyes finally rise to look at her. “You are my son, you will always be my son, this baby does not change that.”

“But they’ll be yours …” William point out his voice full of uncertainty and Felicity hates that she even let this get to the point that he doubts her love for him.

“ You are my son,” Felicity repeats with conviction, “ nothing...no one will change that.  Do you understand? William, I need you to understand.”

“I do. I know that you love me,” William admits, she doesn’t know how much he believes what he is saying, but she makes a mental note to try and carve out time to spend time with him as best as she can without talking about the baby.

“Good,” she takes a generous lick of her ice cream and sighs in delight, “this never gets old.”

“Dad said he’s been thinking of just ordering from the manufacturer, ‘cause he’s buying out the 7/11,” William tells her with an amused grin.

Felicity rolls her eyes never once stopping from eating her ice cream, “if he would just buy the amount I told him to, he would not be stopping at a gas station at 3 am to pick up supplies.”

“So that was true then, the pictures of the Green Arrow buying ice cream at 3 am?” William asks in delight, “I thought it was some random trying to be him again. We have tons of fake Flashes in Central City.”

“Yes, apparently the Green Arrow making a pit stop for ice cream is newsworthy,” Felicity remarks with a roll of her eyes as she takes a bite of her waffle cone, “it’s comforting to know that was the most exciting thing in star city this week. “

William only laughs and takes the last sip of his milkshake just as Felicity pops the last of her waffle in her mouth, “I’m sorry about not wanting to look at houses today.”

“Next time, just let us know. Your dad and I can’t read your mind,” Felicity points out, she means back against her chair resting her hands on her stomach, “between you and me, your dad is way too picky about these things. I just want a nice place big enough and safe enough for all four of us.”

“Dad wants one of those big kitchens with like 10 stoves,” William points out dramatically, and Felicity giggles, although lately she’s been having more and more conversations that reminds her that their son is growing up, sometimes he says things like that which is just so innocent it makes her smile.

There is a soft jingle as the door to the ice cream parlor opens and they both automatically look across, smiling when they see an excited Oliver come through the door.

He makes a beeline for them, smile widening, “I found the perfect house.”

“Hello to you too, honey,” Felicity replies back sarcastically but Oliver is far too eager, he takes her by the hand pulling her to her feet.

“C’mon Andy is waiting in the car,” Oliver is already making his way out the ice cream parlor.

William looks across at Felicity unimpressed, “10 stoves.”

Felicity grins throwing her arm over his shoulder, “I think at least 6 stove tops , and a countertop bigger than our current dinner table.”

“Three freezers and a fridge.”

“I can hear you two,” Oliver calls out turning around to open the back door for them, eyes narrowing playfully.

“We weren’t whispering,” they both chime in together.

Oliver only rolls his eyes muttering about their next kid better be on his side. Felicity only rubs her stomach at thought, she really hopes he’s right too.

Fifteen minutes later both she and William are eating their words as they stand on the back patio of the house Oliver chose

“This is so cool.” William says eagerly already clambering across the wooden deck and down the stairs to  large pool below. “How soon can we move in?”

“I guess you have his vote,” Felicity says with a laugh her hand resting on her stomach, her gaze taking the in large expanse of land  in front of her, “Oliver this is amazing.”

“But?” Oliver looks at her concerned.

“Just a pool with a new baby, it just worries me,” Felicity explains.

“Well it will be fall by the time she starts walking, so the pool will be covered and closed for at least 6 months. We can get her  swimming lessons in the meantime we both know you will have a proper security system in place for this.”

“Wow, you really thought about all of it,” Felicity says thoughtfully, leaning onto Oliver, watching William as he takes a picture of the pool.

“So?” Oliver prompts eagerly.

“We found a house.”  She declares, hands resting against her stomach, she laughs at the familiar movement, “I believe both our kids are in agreement with this house.”

“Yeah?”

But to her surprise, instead of the usually movements she feels low in her belly she feels a soft thump against the palm of her hand. Her eyes widen in surprise, “oh!”

Oliver looks at her stomach with concern, “what’s wrong?”

She ignores his question and instead places his hand above her belly button, “c’mon Microchip. Kick for Daddy.”

At her words Oliver’s eyes widen and his fingertips press ever so slightly against her belly, “hey baby.”

His voice does the trick and they both feel the sharp jolt against their palms. When she looks across at her husband she can see the tears shining in his eyes, “pretty amazing right?”

He only nods numbly, his fingers caressing her stomach, “is this what you feel all the time?”

“Yup, sometimes a little painful, always on my bladder,” Felicity points out with a carefree giggle as she cups her belly again.

“He’s really in there,” Oliver says with awe, jumping when he feels a small thump against his hand again, “that’s so cool.”

He sounds as amazed as their son did when he saw the pool for the first time, but when she feels the baby press against her stomach again, she knows he’s not wrong.

Oliver takes the steps in the bunker two a time walking up towards Felicity desk, “hey ready to go?”

“Yes, just give me 15 minutes to get these searches going,” Felicity calls up not looking away from her computers.

She rolls across the the platform with practice ease, one hand on her stomach. He leans against the nearby counter arms folder, smile blossoming as he watches her move. She’s dressed in a casual black and white strap dress that’s slit by her knee her stomach obviously on display. Unlike the earlier part of her pregnancy when she would wear loser closer to hide her bump she now seems to take pride in wearing her summer dresses that shows off her bump.

She is beautiful.

“Hey, do you want to go to that new Mexican place on fifth for dinner?” Oliver asks her casually.

Felicity spins her chair around to look at him coyly, “why Mr. Queen are you asking me out on a date?”

She’s in a playful mood, if the way she sways her hips is anything go by, just as she grabs her jean jacket from the back of her chair. Which is exactly what he was hoping for, at almost six months pregnant, the nausea as all but subsided  and she’s taken to her pregnancy so well. Oliver may be addicted to seeing Felicity pregnant, not that he would ever tell her that.

“Depends on what your response is,” Oliver volleys back charmingly.

“Sorry to say, but I’m married,” Felicity replies cheekily as she waves her left hand at him.

Oliver makes a grab for her hand and kisses her ring finger softly, “I’ll take my chances.”

Felicity giggles echo in the empty bunker just as he beckons her closer to him. Her growing stomach reaches him before the rest of her does which makes him smile.

He feels a familiar thump against his stomach and laughs, “So is that how that feels on your stomach? He’s kicking a lot.”

“She’s restless tonight. Keeps moving around kicking my ribs endlessly,” Felicity says with a sigh, rubbing her stomach gently.

“We can just go home if you want,” Oliver offers with a frown his hands moving to her waist.

“No, dinner out would be nice for a change,” Felicity says, she looks at him slyly, “after all it’s not often this pregnant lady gets asked out on a date.”

Oliver rolls his eyes, his hands spanning along her back, slipping under her jean jacket, “because this pregnant lady is more concern about packing that going out for dinner.”

Felicity hums when his lightly massage her back, and leans into his hands, “my nesting aside, I just want to move into the house before William moves back, in a few weeks.”

“I know, and we will,” Oliver promises. He leans forward to kiss her lightly on the neck she murmurs her agreement, but when she tilts her head to left to give him better access he knows he has her attention.

He moves her hands along her back and resting just above the curve of her ass. His fingers curl into the soft material of her dress slowly tugging it upwards, his lips now on hers.

She is straddling his thigh now, the tips of her toes just barley planted on the floor and she starts to move her hips oh so slowly against his thigh. She releases small moans of delight.  Her fingers tug on his hair that he’s been growing out slightly much to her insistence when they were in Hawaii two weeks ago.

“ Oliver,” she gasps out between kisses, the urgency in her tone going straight to his groin.

He’s just about to slide his hands under the hem of her dress when a familiar alert rings through the bunker. Oliver groans fighting his grip on her legs, not wanting her to move.

But he knows his wife and when she pushes against his chest lightly, he sighs dramatically but  releases his hold on her, she gives him a chaste kiss before moving back to her monitors. Her dress falling back into place, much to Oliver’s disappointment.

He watches the sway of her ponytail as her head moves in time with all three of her monitors, until two final clicks and she spins around on her chair to smile at him.

“Chicken Fajitas?” She asks excitedly, she rests her hands on her stomach, her back slightly arched due to the added weight around her torso.

She looks adorable, and while he would like nothing more than to pick up where they left off. He knows that a hungry pregnant wife will not give him any husband points.

“As you wish,” he replies pushing off the table and holding out his arm to her, which ears a small blush and giggle. He loves that after all these years he can still get this kind of reaction from her.

Oliver lies in bed, his eyes trained on the closed bathroom door, his fingers twitching at his side. Felicity is unaware of his nervous energy as she sings loudly behind the bathroom door her voice mixed with the sounds of water splashing against the stone walls of their bathroom.

The bedroom is surrounded by boxes all labelled with both his and Felicity’s handwriting but most of which are still only halfway packed.

They have less than a week before they move into their new home and are nowhere close to being ready to move. Despite all that Oliver is far too focused on his wife, whose singing has stopped along with shower.

He leans against the headboard, arms at his side and his ankles crossed their thin green summer blanket over his lap. It’s subtle but not too subtle that he’s waiting for her.

At least he hopes it’s not too subtle, lately she just has not been picking up his cues, which has never happened to him before. He blames the pregnancy ‘cause there is no way he’s losing his game this early in their marriage.

He refuses to accept it.

When he hears her turn the faucet off he quickly sits up and claps five times, just like she showed him and the lights in the bedroom dims slightly.

When the bathroom door finally opens though he pauses at the sight that greets him. Felicity is wearing her fluffy unicorn pajama shorts, an old tank top that leaves her pregnant belly exposed.  She has her blonde hair tied up in some kind of pink towel thing that looks like a turban on her head. But it’s the grey face mask, and the purple popsicle that solidifies that his plans just went through the window.

“Why is it so dark in here?” Felicity asks between licks of her popsicle, she takes a bite of her popsicle and claps once so the lights are back at their brightest, conforming Oliver’s suspicions.

“Where the hell did you get that popsicle stick? You just came out of the shower!” Oliver  counters back watching in utter amazement as she grins impishly at him, continuing to lick said popsicle stick.

It really messes with his mind when she looks like a little pregnant grey alien and yet he still finds her attractive. Even more so every time her pink tongue swipes along the length of popsicle.

“A pregnant woman never reveals her secrets,” she replies the grey mask hiding her smile that he knows is there.

She takes a step onto the bed and he rolls his eyes when she’s more concern about her popsicle than her balance, her hand already reaching out to him to help her. Once she’s situated next to him she looks across at him and he can see her blue eyes twinkling.

“Want some?” She asks between licks, not offering him the popsicle but the fact that she asked is surprising enough.

They both know she doesn’t want to share which is why, he gently takes her wrist and takes a generous bite of the popsicle much to her horror.

“You were suppose to say no!” She says in horror, her eyes trained on the half bitten popsicle stick, despite the grey face mask her can see her bottom lip poking out in a pout.

“How are we supposed to teach our kids to share when you won’t even let me have some of your popsicle?” Oliver counters he moves to grab it again, but she squeals out his name holding her hand away from him.

“Oliver! You’re gonna make me drop it on the sheets... your sheets!” She squeals out with a laugh her body pressed against the headboard, her hand holding the popsicle still away from him.

“You need to take off that mask, I don’t like not seeing your face and I really want to kiss you,” Oliver declares face hovering over hers, popsicle forgotten for the moment.

“For the record I like kissing you when you have your mask on,” Felicity remarks cheekily moving towards barely able to pucker her lips due to her mask. She laughs when Oliver moves away from her, frown on his face.

“I can’t even see your lips, I refuse to kiss that thing on your face,” He protests and then leans down and kisses her bare stomach, “mommy looks like an alien.”

“Hey, don’t bring our daughter into this. You stole my popsicle,” Felicity gripes her voice slightly muffled, when he looks up he sees she’s already finishing off the popsicle.

Oliver rolls his eyes, placing another kiss on her stomach before he moves back to his original position next to her, “our son knows you are lying .”

“Well seeing as I am helping her grow and think she will be on my side,” Felicity replies cheekily.

The entire conversation is just silly, but the thing that gets Oliver’s attention though is the fact that Felicity referred to the baby as a she . He’s noticed that a lot lately, every time she talks about the baby, she always uses female pronouns, he’s been switching it up because they agreed to not stick to one, except for the past few weeks at least a month or two Felicity has been calling the baby their daughter .

He’s beginning to wonder if she knows what they are having or if she’s just going by intuition. She’s hardly ever wrong about things. But he also knows his wife, and he knows just how much she hates mysteries, but she also hates losing bets to him as well.

The sound of the bathroom door closing pulls him out of his thoughts and he frowns when he realizes Felicity is nowhere in sight and all that’s left is the empty popsicle stick on a napkin on her side of her bed.

He rolls his eyes and grabs the popsicle stick moving towards the kitchen to throw it out. By the time he walks back into their bedroom Felicity is back in the bed, mask and towel free, with yet another popsicle stick,

“How many of those do you have stashed in there?” Oliver asks incredulously crawling onto their bed, “and how ?”

Felicity shakes her head in the negative, her tongue slowly moving along the length of the popsicle and her lips smacking together after each lick, “it’s a secret. If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”

Oliver only laughs at her comment and leans over her to kiss her, grinning when he tastes watermelon this time versus the grape from earlier, of course she would have multiple flavours in wherever she’s hiding those popsicles in their bathroom.

He eyes said popsicle that she is purposely holding away from him, but he only kisses her again. The moment he realizes that he has her full attention, he raises his hand to grab the popsicle, but Felicity surprises him when she pulls away before he can grab her hand.

“Hey! Were you more focused on your food more than me when we were kissing?” Oliver asks her incredulously.

“Um hello you just tried to steal my popsicle. You were hardly focused on me ,” Felicity counters, blue eyes narrowing at him.

They looks at each other with matching stubborn stares, and just as Oliver goes to grab the popsicle again, Felicity squeals when the popsicle goes flying and lands right on her stomach before rolling down her bump and sticking to the fuzzy material of her shorts.

“ Oliver ! You ruined my pants and my stomach is all sticky,” she whines, as Oliver moves the last bit of her the popsicle and deposits it into her coffee mug.

“You just ruined my tea,” she protests again despite the fact that they both knows she was never going to drink the cold tea in the first place.

He ignores her protest but instead lowers head to her stomach runs his tongue along the stick trail along her stomach.  

Her protest dies on her lips as she gasps out his name,  she looks down at him her eyes already dilated, “ really?”

“It’s been three weeks, Felicity,” Oliver says in exasperation, his hands moving up her bare legs, fingers tugging lightly on the hem of her shorts.

“You were the one that begged me to stop!” Felicity says in equal exasperation raising her hips to allow him to pull off her shorts. “You said you were tired .”

“I meant for a few days not weeks,” Oliver tosses her shorts and panties to the floor as he rolls his eyes then raises her leg to  press soft kisses along the inside of her thigh.

“Wait. Wait. Wait,” Felicity sits up and shoved him back on the bed, pulling her tank top off before she moves to straddle him. She places her hand on his chest slapping him lightly, “are you telling me I went solo these past few weeks when I didn’t have to?”

“ Solo ?” Oliver growls angrily not believing her words, “are you kidding me?”

“Hey I respected your wishes,” Felicity rolls her eyes, not in the least bit apologetic, her fingers already tugging on his boxers. Now that she has the green light, something he can’t even believe she was looking for, his wife has no qualms in going for what she wants. “Doesn’t mean I went without, these hormones are not to be messed with.”

“ I did though!” Oliver exclaims frustrated.

Felicity only rolls her eyes in response, hovering over him once again, “are we really going to discuss why we haven’t had sex for the past three weeks or are we going to actually have sex? Cause I got off on my own…”

He knows damn well she’s teasing him, but it doesn’t stop the primal instinct in him and he growls her name just and  he flips her onto her back. When he hovers over her, his body inches away from her, he pauses when her round stomach presses lightly against his.

“We can’t do it like this anymore can we?” He says thoughtfully, all previous  frustration leaving him.

Felicity reaches up to cup his cheek, “I’m sure we can. I trust you.”

Oliver shakes his head in the negative rolling into his side, his hand resting on her stomach, “No I don’t feel comfortable doing it like that anymore.”

“ Well lucky for you. You have a genius for a wife who is all for experimenting,” Felicity says cheekily, she tries to sit up and frowns when she can’t seem to pull herself up. “Help a pregnant girl out would you?”

Oliver grins and grabs her by the arm easing her into a sitting position, they are both now sitting up on the bed facing each other.

“Don’t laugh, I feel like she grew overnight. Yesterday I did not have any trouble pulling myself up.” Felicity gripes.

Despite her annoyance she has not forgotten her task at hand and she hoists one leg up to straddle Oliver who is still sitting on the bed. She grins  cheekily at him as she rubs her body slowly against him, “see we can still do this facing each other.”

“You’re not that …” Oliver protest dies on his lips just as she wraps her hand around him.

He’s not stupid enough to argue with her when she literally has him by the balls. He cups her cheek and kisses her soundly on the lips, “I love you so much.”

“I love you, more.”

Chapter Text

July 2019

“ I don’t know,” Felicity brow wrinkles as she spins around the empty living room, her hand resting on her stomach, “maybe it would be better to make the couch face the bay window, it would be so pretty in the winter time.”

“Okay, John and I will just leave the sofa in its current spot until you decide exactly where you want it.” Oliver grumbles releasing his hold on the sofa, and wiping his hands on his dirty t-shirt.

“No need to be a grump, I told you I wanted to think about it for a bit but you insisted on moving things now,” Felicity rolls her eyes taking a seat on the armchair and putting her bare feet on the ottoman in front of her. “Daddy is being such a grumpy grump, Microchip. What do you think, baby girl? Think we should cheer him up with some mint chip? It works well for us.”

Diggle laughs at Oliver, expense while Felicity grins up at both men with a grin, she rolls up her T-shirt and points to her abdomen  where a tiny foot can be seen pressed against her bare stomach, “see? She agrees with me, you need some ice cream and some chill.”

“Man I forgot how wild the last three months are,” Diggle says with a shake of his head, “are the two of you sure, about moving into a new house right before the baby is born?”

Both Felicity and Oliver look at him incredulously, “we already sold our place and are surrounded by all our stuff in the new house. Why on earth would you say that now and not three weeks ago when we told you we were buying a house?”

Felicity voice rises with each sentence looking across at her slightly alarmed friend in annoyance. When he doesn’t say anything she huffs and rises to her feet slapping Oliver’s hand away when offers to help her. “C’mon Microchip we’re gonna have some mint chip. None for Daddy or Uncle John.”

“Sorry about that, she’s been in a mood all week and it changes at the drop of a hat,” Oliver whispers the moment she disappears into the kitchen, “it’s best to not poke the bear.”

“How many times have you done that very thing before you learned?” John asked amused as the two men take seats in the unorganized living room.

“It’s funny that you think I learned,” Oliver says with a laugh, rubbing his face tiredly, “three more months.”

“I figured, but I tried to give you the benefit of the doubt.” John teases, “you will be fine, and William comes home this weekend right?”

“Yes, reinforcements, someone to distract her,” Oliver says seriously.

“She can’t be that bad, she’s barely into her third trimester.”

Oliver only gives his friend an incredulous look just as Felicity calls out to him, “Oliver! Where are the cheetos?”

“They are in the pantry.”

“I’m standing inside this vault you call a pantry and there are no cheetos! We can probably move the entire arrow cave in here but no cheetos!”

“Check one of the boxes labelled snacks, then. I threw all your snacks in a few boxes,” Oliver calls out hoping the crisis has been averted and she turns back to his friend to see that John can’t even hold back his laughter.

“She’s a hoarder. A snack hoarder. Last week while I was packing up the house I found her stash.”

“ Her stash?”

“Of snacks. Everywhere. In the box that hold all the remotes there was a pack of mini Oreos. In William’s room there were some mars bars. She’d been using our wine chiller to chill some popsicles while she took a bath.  I even found some kitkat in my suit, I don’t know how she even got that there and just why .”

“Popsicles in the wine chiller is actually pretty smart,” Diggle remarks thoughtfully, laughing  at the annoyed look Oliver sends him, “you gotta relax, she still has three months left and the weird is just gonna get weirder and you haven’t even began to see how cranky she can actually get until she is one week late and threatens to divorce you again.”

Diggles joking words do not comfort Oliver in the slightest though, and upon realizing that the older man sighs, “you gotta relax and the sooner you realize that nothing you do in the next three months is going to be better for you.”

When Oliver still looks rattle, his friend rises to his feed and takes a seat on the couch opposite him, “you’re going to be fine, Oliver. You and Felicity are already excellent parents.”

“To a teenager ,” Oliver counters glad that he once again does not have to spell it out for his friend, “a baby is a whole life depending on us for everything . I can’t mess this up, John.”

“You will,” Oliver head whips around to his friend with a frown, Diggle only laughs though. “It’s part of being a parent but then you learn from your mistakes and wait until you make another one. None of that will matter the moment you hold that baby in your arms.”

“Yea,” Oliver smiles widely at the thought, a thought that has been running through his mind for months now, even more so as the baby becomes more active and Oliver can see tiny little limbs pressing against Felicity’s skin. Felicity’s creepy alien jokes aside, it always amazes him every time he sees it.

“But first you gotta survive the pregnancy.”

This time Oliver knows his friend is messing with him, but a small part of Oliver wonders if he will survive this pregnancy.

“ Oliver!”

“And that’s my cue,” Diggle says quickly getting to his feet.

“You’re leaving?” Oliver asks in alarm not beyond begging his friend to say longer.

Diggle only laughs in return just as Felicity calls out to Oliver again, “uh yea, I’m still in her good books. Give me a call if you need any more help with the furniture and stuff...oh and good luck.”

He slips out of the house just as an angry Felicity comes walking out into the living room, belly first.

“John left?” Felicity asks with a pout, she has a huge bag of cheetos clutches to her chest, and Oliver is certain he sees a bright red handprint on his T-shirt that she’s wearing.

“Decided to save himself,” Oliver mutters low enough that she can’t hear him. He turns to her and smiles, “what’s up?”

Felicity pauses, momentarily forgetting why she came looking for him, but then the familiar scowl grows on her face, and Oliver regrets asking her, “the chocolate syrup. I can’t find it. I thought you said you did not need help unpacking the kitchen?”

“Chocolate syrup with cheetos ?” Oliver realizes belatedly that was not the best way to respond to her.

“Are you implying that I am not taking care of our daughter?” Felicity practically seethes and every instinct in Oliver is telling him to just run .

It’s this last thread of self preservation that stops him from questioning her on the use of daughter again. At this point he’s almost 80% sure Felicity knows that they are having a girl, but then she wouldn’t agree on his suggestion of baseball theme bedding and he’s confused all over again.

Point is, accusing Felicity of finding out what they are having at this very moment is a death sentence in itself.

“Of course not. The chocolate syrup is probably in one of the coolers. How about this, you grab your bathing suit, go and relax by the pool while I look for the chocolate syrup and make you a smoothie.”

Felicity narrows her eyes at him, her hand resuming its descend into her bag of cheetos, “Berry supreme?”

“Anything you want,” Oliver replies promptly.

“With whip cream?”

Oliver pauses, he wants to say yeshe knows for a fact they don’t have anymore and he feels like honesty is the best policy with her. “We don’t have anymore, but I can always run to store.”

He watches a Felicity deflates at his words, her features softening, “no, it’s okay. I forgot I ate the last bit in the can last night. The store is a bit of a drive from the house anyway, it’s gonna be an adjustment not living in the city again. Thanks for offering though.”

Her voice is so soft and thoughtful, she takes as step towards him engulfing him in a hug, the bag of cheetos crackling between them as a tiny arm wraps around his waist.  It’s a little bit harder to hug these days her belly taking up most of the space between them.

“Sorry I’ve been such a nightmare today,” she whispers against his chest and his heart melts.

“No, you just want everything to be perfect when William gets here this weekend,” Oliver rubs her back soothingly. He presses a kiss to her forehead his other hand sliding along her stomach.

“I scared John away,” she sniffs.

“No, Lyla called him, he said he’ll pass by later,” Oliver lies, making a mental note to send their friend a text.

“It’s cute that you would lie to me to make me feel better,” Felicity remarks not at all upset. She tilts her head back so she can look at him then rises on her toes and to kiss him when she pulls back  smiles up at sheepishly, “I love you.”

Oliver only laughs cupping her face and kissing her again, “I love you more.”

To his surprise though she does not laugh but frowns, pulling away from him, “god Oliver you don’t have to make everything a competition.”

With those final words she huffs loudly pushing him away before making her way towards the stairs, Oliver at a complete lost.

“But…” he starts off but then thinks better of it and goes in the opposite direction that she went in, muttering to himself, “three more months.”

0ooooooo0

“ Overwatch!”

“ I am trying ,” Felicity replies equally testy, tossing a potato chip into her mouth, one hand flying across her tablet that’s balancing on her belly.

“I think hoss is talking about the crunching. What the hell are you eating, blondie?” Rene’s incredulous time filters through the speakers.

“Wild dog, focus!” Oliver snaps back, but then there is a familiar beep and Felicity knows they are now on a private line, “the idiot’s right though, the potato chips are kinda loud.”

“Whoops,” Felicity says sheepishly, despite that she pops another potato chip into her mouth. She then flips them back onto the team, focusing on the task at hand, “I still can’t access the firewall. John can you move the van closer?”

“Any closer and we will be sitting ducks, Overwatch,” comes the clip response from the front seat of the van.

“I think I’m going to need to access the mainframe,” Felicity replies frustratingly, her bag of potato chips abandoned.

“No way in hell,” comes Oliver disgruntled reply, the sound of guns firing echoing behind him.

“If you want me to get access to these bombs I’m going to need to connect my tablet to the mainframe,” Felicity replies easily, “John can come with me.”

There is a scoff from the front seat, just as the sound of Oliver’s bow firing  rapidly can be heard.

“Veto!” Oliver grunts out, Felicity winces when she hears the telltale sound of bones breaking  through his coms.

“You can only veto names , Oliver.”

He is unable to respond far too focused on whoever he is currently fighting, Dinah’s screams are echoing through the coms and Felicity makes a mental note to add a few more dampening effects on the coms, cause no one needs to be distracted by that.

“Hoss, a little back up here!” Rene’s urgent voice can be heard, he is away from the rest of the team trying to access the second building that they suspected the bombs could be located, and not the base of operations.

“You should go,” Felicity presses her coms silencing the rest of the team from hearing them,  the fight still continuing in the background. “Rene needs help.”

Diggle spins around to level her with a knowing look, “the only reason I’m sitting this one out, is because Oliver insisted I cover you.”

“Yes, but we both know I’m 100% safe inside this van and Rene needs you help,” Felicity insists, she looked down at her tablet and frowns, “he’s outnumber and there is no way Oliver and Dinah can get to him. You need to go .”

“ Felicity…”

“Unless someone knows how to get me three more hands I’m gonna need some help here!” Rene’s voice rings out just as Felicity turns back on the coms. She looks at Diggle pointedly from her seat in the back of the van.

“Just... be careful.,” he warns her, fully aware of what she might potentially do.

She looks down at her tablet, triple checking that the entrance to the southern building is still clear.

“Alright Microchip, lets go stop some bad guys,” she mutters quietly to herself, she laughs when she feels a strong kick against her stomach, “god help us if you are an adrenaline junkie like your father and I.”

She tugs her raincoat across her stomach, grateful for the cool summer day, she keeps her head down as she walks through the carpark.

When she walks through the first series of doors, she stops short when she sees a guard behind the booth, she was not expecting.

“Ma’am this is a restricted area,” the tall man says gruffly, “you need to leave.”

Felicity silently curse herself for not using other means to check the area when her camera search came up negative. She quickly unbuckles her raincoat exposing her pregnant belly and she can see the moment man’s mood shifts and he looks at her uncomfortably all threat gone.

“Hi, I seem to be lost, I’m looking for the nearest bus stop. Do you know where...,” she places her hand on her stomach and winces  loudly as though she’s in pain.

“Oh god are you in labour? Maybe I should call you a cab?” The guard asks looking at her in alarm his previous question forgotten , he’s about to reach for his phone when she slaps the table with her other hand making him jump.

“No, no it’s okay, the baby likes to use my insides as her own personally punching bag. Free sublet and that’s how she repays me.” She purposely winces again, and her joke goes over the guy’s head his face going white.

“Ma’am, I really think you need a hospital.”

Felicity shakes her head in the negative rubbing her stomach for added effect she contemplates wheezing but she doesn’t think he would be able to handle it , “you’re sweet, but I’ll be fine, but what I would like though is to use your bathroom?”

When the guard looks at her with uncertainty, she groans out in pain again, clutching her stomach. She sees that she still has his attention and lowers her voice dramatically, “I just really need to go. This baby likes to do jumping jacks on my bladder and last time when I didn’t go soon enough it was messy . My doctor said it could cause hemorrhoids and…”

“Oh let me just take you to the bathroom,” he says quickly his face white, he looks around the area with uncertainty as he ushers her to a nearby door. “I really shouldn’t be doing this.”

“Thank you so much.” Felicity says, one hand on her stomach and the other on her back, trying to emphasize her stomach so that she looks bigger than she is, although she suspects the poor idiot doesn’t even know she’s nowhere close to being to term.

As they make their way down and empty corridor Felicity takes stock of all the doors they pass, her eyes zeroing in on a door with an access key attached to it. When the guard looks back at her, she arches her back more and takes wider steps, mimicking waddling, “sorry I just don’t move as fast as I use to. These kids, they suck the life out of you even before they get here.”

The guard only shifts uneasily from one to foot to the other at her words, his eyes watching the hallway nervously. Her words are not the only thing making him uncomfortable.

“Just make it quick, please, ” He begs checking his watch.

“Oh I can handle it from here, I can see myself out. I know you need to get back to your desk,” Felicity says quickly, but when the guard looks at her suspiciously, she presses her hand on her stomach, “it just takes me a little longer to go.”

When he looks at her blankly she sighs, she then gasps dramatically and clutches her stomach bending over, “oh!”

“Please don’t have the kid here,” the guard practically begs.

“I think you need to call 911!” Felicity gasps out dramatically, but the guy is frozen in his spot.

“ Please!”  she moans again, and this time he nods frantically and spins on his heels and runs away. She rolls her eyes, the moment he disappears around the corner she straightens up and quickly makes her way to another door.

“Good job, Microchip,” she cheers quietly, as she smooths out her shirt while she plugs one of her devices into the computer access lock. “Men are can be such idiots when it comes to these these things. Speaking of your dad and I really need to choose a name for you. You’ll always be my little Microchip, but a name would be nice, no?”

She continues to talk to her baby as she goes about plugging her tablet into the server. Once she starts to disable all the bombs around the city she turns back on her coms, but she is surprised when she is only greeted by silence.

“Green Arrow?” She calls out quietly, but she doesn’t get a response she frowns, sitting up in alarm, “ Oliver? Where the hell are you?”

“So it’s okay for you to not answer my calls, but I have to answer yours?”

The familiar voice of her husband calls out to her, and not through the coms. She spins around on her chair and grins up at him sheepishly, “hi, honey.”

“ You ..” he practically growls angrily, Arrow voice and all.

He might be a little mad with her.

But before he can finish another familiar gruff voice comes from the entrance of the room and Felicity looks behind her husband only to see the guard from earlier. “Hey! You aren’t in labour!”

“ Seriously ?” Oliver growls at her in exasperation just as he disarms the guard and knocks him out with his elbow. “Did you get all of them?”

“I can’t believe you just asked me that!” Felicity huffs unplugging her tablet and slipping it back into her raincoat pocket.

“Let’s go before more people get here and the ambulance.” Oliver says gruffling taking her by the arm and quickly ushering her out of the room.

Fifteen minutes she’s sitting in the back of the team’s van munching on her potato chips, her husband sitting next to her silently fuming.

“These are awesome, ” Felicity declares cheerfully, “we should get more of these.”

When she doesn’t even get a grunt in acknowledgment from her husband , she rolls her eyes, “John, would you like some?”

“Oh no, don’t involve me. I am momentarily taking up my previous job and being the silent black driver taking you two home.” Comes the easy reply.

“Tough room. I don’t know why everyone is so tense, we stopped the bad guys! Yay team!”

She realizes belatedly she may have gone a bit far there when Oliver turns to face her and slaps his thigh angrily, “are you kidding me? Felicity ! What the hell were you thinking?”

“So he speaks,” now she’s just egging him on and she knows that but she can’t seem to stop,

Oliver though surprises her when he raises a finger, opens his mouth, but then stops and he goes silent again.

She makes eye contact with John in the rearview mirror, and he is looking at her in disappointment and she knows she’s messed up.

Twenty minutes later she tentatively crawls into bed, Oliver already lying there his back facing her side of the bed. He has yet to say anything to her, which is far worse than when he’s yelling.

“I’m sorry,” she calls out to him softly, hand resting on his shoulder.

He doesn’t shrug her off, but he does not turn around to face her either.

“What are you sorry about?” Comes the curt response,

It’s something she would do to him in the early days of their relationship when she was certain he was apologizing because he thought that’s what she wanted to hear and not that he was actually sorry. The fact that he does that makes her realize that he does not think for a second she regrets what’s she did.

“I don’t regret dismantling the bombs, but I do apologize for the way that I did it. I should have  told you, made sure I had back up. I’m sorry.”

Oliver sighs deeply and rolls over to face her, “you know, that I know you can take care of yourself, but it’s not just you anymore, Felicity.”

“I know that, Oliver.” She’s leaning against the headboard and her stomach is in his line of sight. She taps it lightly, and they both can’t help but smile when a familiar little foot presses against her skin. “Always kicking first just like her, Daddy.”

Her comments gets her a small smile, but Oliver looks at her seriously again, moving to lay his hand on her stomach, “I know that you want to do so many things. You are doing so many amazing things, you’re helping the team as Overwatch,starting up Smoak Tech, being an amazing wife and mother...But Felicity, you’re 7 months pregnant, there are some things you just can’t do anymore. Going out onto the field, that can’t happen again. This is not only me being overprotective, this is me being practical . You were able to outsmart that one guard, but do you realize how badly this could have gone if he was not that gullible? Or worse there were other guards there?”

Felicity sighs, folding her legs under her so that her stomach rests within her lap, it’s getting harder and harder for her to do so which oddly enough proves his point, “you’re right. It was reckless and not smart, neither of which I am. I’m sorry.”

Oliver nods, taking her hands and kisses her knuckles lightly, he sits up and places their clasped hands on her stomach, “I couldn’t live with myself if anything were to happen to either of you.”

“It won’t happen again,” Felicity promises she tries to lean forward to kiss him, but frowns when her stomach does not allow to move as she would like, “meet me halfway would you?”

“Always,” Oliver chuckles but leans over her stomach nonetheless, cupping her face to kiss her softly.

0oooooooo0

“Felicity, we need to stop,” Oliver declares just as he drops the last of the baby bags into unfinished nursery.

Felicity is  already sitting on the rug, surrounded by various bags as she pulls out clothes after clothes. She holds up a little onesie with dancing unicorns, and lays it on her stomach, “but look at this. Look at how cute this is. Can you imagine something so tiny can fit in this? Qq wOooh baby shoes, look at these little things!”

She holds up two teeny tiny sneakers in her hands, her eyes practically dancing with delight. The shoe is barely the length of her index finger.

“Thea sent these, aren’t they adorable?” Felicity swoons, she then starts digging into the bag she pulled the sneakers out of, “oh and look at this.”

She pulls out the tiniest red hoodie Oliver has ever seen and he can’t help but laugh, “we have to put her in this when she comes home from the hospital.”

“Uh, no. But we can put her in it and take a picture for Roy, where did he even find that?” Oliver shakes his head taking a seat on the floor next to her, looking over the numerous outfits, stuffed animals and so many other baby things Oliver is not even sure what they are.

“It’s cute that you think he found it and Thea didn’t buy it on his behalf,” Felicity shakes her head, already going through another back.

She holds up another onesie and laughs loudly in delight, it’s covered in numerous hot pink and red kisses and written across it says ‘grandma was here’ “poor kid I feel sorry for her already.”

“You should really start answering your mother’s texts. She’s not going to believe that you are still working on Smoak Tech, when you’re 40 weeks and in labour.” Oliver points out as he takes the onesies she sets aside and starts folding them neatly in a pile.

“Well that’s fine cause that’s when she can come back to Star City, when I already have the drugs in me and ready to push.” Felicity declares easily, as she moves onto some fleece pajamas, and running her hands along the soft material.

“Felicity, I’m running out of ways to tell her she can’t visit,” Oliver points out, moving onto another gift bag courtesy of Donna Smoak, when he pulls out a small round device with a thin tube attached to a small bottle shaped like a blow horn he holds it up to Felicity in confusion.

“Breast pump,” Felicity explains, smile tugging on her lips at the way he falters, looks at the opening to the pump then back at her boobs in horror. “ That is something I wanted to choose myself, but apparently my mother decided my boobs are no longer my own. This is why she cannot visit now, I can’t handle my mother on a regular day, but hyped up on grandma-to-be juju? No. I can’t even have wine to deal with her. No, she can visit when the baby gets here and put all that energy into the baby.”

“So she will be our daughter’s problem?”  Oliver counters back in amusement.

“Exactly I have official handed over the mantel to the next generation of Smoak women,” Felicity declares with a flourish of her hands, little pink booties slipped in her fingers.

“The next generation of Smoak woman, that’s pretty amazing.” Oliver says his voice full of awe, he has two tiny pairs of socks in the palm of his hand that he’s look full of wonder.

Felicity pauses though at his words, eyes narrowing suspiciously at him, “wait you know?”

“That you knew this whole time?” Oliver counters back.

“I can’t believe you found out that we are having a girl and just told me…”

“Felicity, don’t even try that, I knew you knew for months now,” Oliver cuts her off, trying his best to act angry until she looks properly chastised, “seriously?”

“I hate mysteries ,” Felicity whined, “I thought I could do it but then that day in the doctor’s office she said ‘oh look at that’ then she just stopped from telling us. I couldn’t not know, Oliver.”

“I realized when you stopped changing pronouns,” Oliver offers, he then looks at her shyly, taking her hand in his, “I did think of a name though.”

“Yea?” Felicity asks eagerly, ears perking up.

“Mia,” he says her name soft and with so much affection Felicity knows without a doubt in that moment, that this is who their daughter is going to be.

“Mia...short for Moira...sweet and fiery. I love it,” Felicity smiles widely at him then laughs when she feels the familiar kick against her abdomen. She takes Oliver’s hand placing it on her stomach, “I think Mia approves.”

“Yea?” His voice is soft and eyes trained on her stomach watching for any bumps in her skin, much like he does most nights.

Felicity suddenly winces, her hand flying to her side, at his worried look she waves him off, “just got kicked in the ribs. I think she’s running out of room in there. Earlier I felt like the wind was knocked out of me, she’s starting to parkour inside there I’m sure.”

Oliver laughs rubbing her belly softly, he leans forward and presses a kiss on the curve of her stomach, “sorry kiddo, you’re stuck in there for another 10 weeks.”

“10 weeks,” Felicity echos her heart skipping a beat at the thought, “we only have ten more weeks. That’s crazy.”

“I know,” Oliver agrees and the both lapses into silence, each of them consumed with their own thoughts.

“Felicity?” She looks across at him curiously, slightly nervous when he smirks at her.

“You’re still on diaper duty for a week.”

“Damn it, I thought you forgot,” she says with a long suffering sigh, “we just named our child , Oliver.”

But he’s having none of her dramatics, “and Mia would gladly have her Mom change her stinky diapers.”

“Maybe we can use that as good punishments tactics with Will?”

“ Felicity.”

“Alright, no need to get so testy, just a suggestion .”

“Mia, your Mommy is silly.”

“Mia, your daddy is just smug he’s not going to be wiping your little tushie for a week.”

Mia , their daughter

Chapter Text

August 2019

“ Oh god!”

The loud moan echoes in the large house, which is a task in itself. William looks across at his father in alarm, both boys are currently in the living room, from their vantage point they can see Felicity who is standing in front of the open fridge door, moaning as she squats in front of the fridge. More importantly she can’t see them .

When she moans again , William looks across at his father with concern, “is she in labour?”

“No, she still has about 6 weeks left ,” Oliver reassures him.

“Oh god!”

William’s eyes widen again the animal like groan that comes from his step mother, he looks across at his father again, “is she hungry? Last week she cried over the fact that she couldn’t have her favourite tacos cause they gave her heartburn.”

“No, I don’t think it’s that.”

“Aren’t you worried?”

“I’m more worried what happens to us if she catches us spying on her,” Oliver says truthfully, despite that neither of them move from their spot, matching blue eyes still staring at Felicity, who now has her head barely halfway into the freezer.

“ it is so hot! ” She practically yells into the freezer she’s only dressed in one of her nursing bras and shorts, a common wardrobe lately. She tries to move further into fridge, but her stomach is pressed against the cool door of fridge, and William has to cover his mouth to muffle his giggle.

Felicity’s hearing seems to have magnified in the pregnancy because she turns her head to the sound, but Oliver quickly pulls William back so that they are both plastered against the wall and out of Felicity’s line of sight.

“Is this what it’s like to be out in the field and fearing for your life?” William whispers to Oliver between his muffled snickers.

His comment is so sassy and just so Felicity , Oliver can’t help but laugh loudly in return. He covers his mouth, William’s blue eyes are wide looking at him in alarm.

They freeze waiting to see if they are caught, but when they don’t hear any further yelling or grumbling, Oliver peeks around the corner just in time to see Felicity struggling with the plastic covering on her pint of ice cream. He watches as she struggles a few more times but just as she gets the wrapping off, the force causes the open pint of ice cream to go tumbling to the floor.

“ Shit ,” William curses quietly to himself, Oliver can’t even reprimand him for his language because he was thinking the exact same thing.

“God damn it!” Felicity all but yells angrily hands on her hips as she looks down at the fallen ice cream, “I can’t get to you! Not with this fucking house attached to my body.”

William snickers loudly this time in response and Felicity spins around to glare at both of them, “instead of laughing at me one of you could pick up the damn carton for me.”

“Alright, honey calm down,” Oliver raises his hands in the air to placate her but William is already running to pick up the ice cream and spoon when he holds it out tentatively to Felicity she takes one look at his scared face and she breaks down into tears.

“Oh boy, Will why don’t you grab your stuff and go in the pool we’ll meet you out there in a bit. There should be sodas out by the bar, but I think you’ll need to take some ice.”

William doesn’t need to be told twice, the teenager makes his way to the pantry gathering some stuff and quickly heads to the backyard, glancing at Felicity as he goes.

“I scared our son,” Felicity whispers with a hiccup as she wipes her nose, “I’m just so uncomfortable everything hurts. It’s just so hot . My boobs hurt, my nipples hurt. Everything hurts, Oliver.”

She looks around, no doubt for William, when she is sure he’s gone. She grabs corner of the nursing bra -the only thing that seems to fit these days, he assumes- and shows Oliver her swollen and slightly raw breasts.

“Honey, why didn’t you say something? Didn’t we pick up some of the nursing cream earlier this week?” Oliver asks with concern, he takes her by the hand and starts leading her to the stairs, “c’mon I’ll help you with that.”

“Don’t come onto me,” Felicity says tearfully, he would have laughed in any other circumstance if she wasn’t in so much pain.

“I’m not. I just know how much you hate these kind of things,” Oliver promises, Felicity is fine to tend to his own wounds but when it comes to hers she is far too squeamish.

The early days of her recovery after surgery forever etched into his mind, days where she would cry herself to sleep because of the pain and he spent hours tending to healing surgical wounds. The circumstances are much more pleasant this time, but doesn’t make the pain any less bearable.

“then you can get into your suit and we’re going to relax by the pool, it will help cool you down.” Oliver continues pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“Can we throw a bucket of ice into the jacuzzi? Instead of turning it on?” Felicity asks, her eyes a practically glazed as her mind run away with the idea, “maybe five?  Our fridge can generate that amount of ice right?”

“I’ll go to gas station  and get some ice, it might offset he pH of the pool but I’ll throw in some salt tonight.” Oliver says easily guiding her to their bathroom.

“Look at you talking like a chemist about pH and salt and making me hot for you,” Felicity sniffs, patting him on the ass as she sits on the close  toilet seat.

Oliver grins to himself, his back to her as he starts digging through their medicine cabinet. He has a flirty remark on the tip of the tongue but he’s not brave enough to take that chance. “Will told me you two were looking into changing the colour of the pool.”

“We were doing research, ” Felicity corrects watching the cream in his hand warily as she eases open the small clasp on her nursing bra.

“Tell me more about it,” Oliver offers.

“I know what you’re doing, you’re trying to distract me,” Felicity grumbles her arms resting on her bare stomach and her eyes are clenched tightly together. Despite all this she starts to tell him about coloured dye and pH balances most of which go over his head.

The look on her face is so familiar, it gives him pause. It reminds him of late nights in their bed, her eyes filled with tears as he rubbed ointment on red angry blemishes that lined her back and stomach. He watches the way her leg bobs nervously, and it makes him smile, because after all these years, seeing that she can do something so simple still warms his heart.

Her large stomach, naturally takes up majority of her now, he can see those same scars pink and stretched out across her stomach, now just faint reminders of what she’s been through. Felicity likes to call them her war wounds, but It still doesn’t sit well with Oliver that she has them because of him.

He shakes his head  going back to the task at hand, his movements gentle as he watches her face for any pain, Felicity is now telling him about her and William’s trials with bath bombs and Oliver is once again terrified they blow something up one day with these crazy summer experiments they have been playing with.

Another thing he will not voice.

“Okay, feeling a little better?” He asks her concerned pulling back her bra in place and then running his clean hand through her hair.

Felicity practically purs against his hand, sighing deeply, “the toilet seat is cool against my skin.”

The heat wave the city has been experiencing lately has been really getting to her lately, but other times he finds her lost in thought, and he worries it’s more than the heat that’s bothering her.

“C’mon that green bathing suit has your name on it,” Oliver cajoles, pulling her to her feet after washing his hands.

“Keep dreaming mister, this ass is not going to fit in your favourite suit anytime soon,” Felicity says forlorn, she sighs deeply, resting both hands on her enlarged stomach, “at this rate I’m going to be as wide as I am tall, I’ll be a blueberry!”

Oliver forehead wrinkles at the comparison, unsure if to ask, but as with most things she seems to know what he is thinking and rolls her eyes as she waddles off to her chest of drawers.

He will never tell her this, but Felicity waddling with her big pregnant belly is the cutest thing he has ever seen, it makes him fall in love with her all over again.

“From Willy Wonka, Oliver. We watched the old one with Will last week. The little girl that  grew into a blueberry and they had to roll her away. I’m that girl.”

There is no way he can respond to that comment without getting in trouble. “I like your ass.”

He never learns.

Felicity though surprises him when she only laughs at tosses one of her swimsuit tops at his head, “I know . Now help me get into this thing, every time I try and put on my underwear I feel like I’m gonna topple over.”

This time he remains mute and quickly helps her as requested. He’s at least not dumb enough to test his luck twice.

Felicity though babbles animatedly about their latest project in the nursery none the wiser and he only hopes her foul mood from earlier is all in the past.

He was naive to think that.

0ooooooo0

Oliver and Diggle stand in the middle of the nursery, both men with their arms folded as they stare down at the dilapidated bassinet in front of them.

“This shouldn’t be this hard,” Oliver gripes angrily.

“If you kick it, then you have to explain to Felicity why you need to go out and buy a new one,” Diggle counters before Oliver raises his leg.

“I’ve done it before,” Oliver mutters,  more so hating that his friend is right. “Stupid thing.”

“So are you going to continue to take your anger out on this unsuspecting bassinet?” Diggle asks, always one to never beat around the bush.

“Am I that obvious?” Oliver grumbles moving to sit on the nearby rocking chair.

“I just know you, Oliver,” Diggle reminds him he leans against the mahogany crib, eyes peering down at the light green bedding complete with little arrows, “subtle.”

Oliver laughs, pulling a stuffed sloth from behind his back, a gift courtesy of Thea who sent it with a simple note ‘so the baby can see you even while she sleeps’. He shakes his head she’s not even here and his sister can still drag him.

“Felicity, won a bet so she chose the bedding,” he looks at the ugly stuffed animal staring back at him and sighs deeply, “Something is bothering her, but I don’t know what.”

“Have you tried talking to her about it?” Diggle asks then he shakes his head as he stands upright, “what am I saying of course you haven’t, otherwise we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

“It’s hard to have a  conversation these days,” Oliver grumbles weakly, it’s a poor excuse even for him and he knows that.

“You’re afraid of her,” Diggle deduces and this time his tone is only filled with amusement, “man I have news for you If think it’s bad now wait until she’s a week late,”

“You’re not helping me.”

Diggle only rolls his eyes and holds up one of the bars of the bassinet beckoning Oliver to take it, “why do you think something is wrong? Other than your obvious irrational fear that Felicity might kill you in her sleep one of these days.”

“You’re enjoying this way too much,” Oliver grumbles, scowls when the two bars pinches the palm of his hand.

“I’m sorry,” Oliver is certain is friend is not . “I never thought I’d see the day Oliver Queen would be afraid of a tiny pregnant woman, much less that tiny pregnant woman is his wife . You’ve come a long way, man.”

“An insult and a complement all rolled into one, I see you took Thea’s parting words to look after me to heart,” Oliver comments when he only gets a pointed look in return he knows they have beat around the bush too much.

“She’s quiet,” Oliver explains, his grip  tightening on another one of the bassinet part. “Usually when I find her alone she’s talking to Mia. She used to joke that the poor kid would get tired of her voice, but lately I’ll find her sitting by herself just quiet . When she sees me she pretends like I didn’t see her and goes back to her usual chatter. She seems fine the rest of the time. Somethings wrong.”

“It could be that she’s just tired,” Diggle points out reasonably, “Lyla barely slept the last few weeks I would always find her napping, but that said you know Felicity best. If you think something is wrong you should talk to her.”

He’s right, of course he is, Oliver knew exactly what his friend would say but a small part of him always feels like he’s still that guy Diggle met 7 years ago desperately needing advice even if he didn’t ask.

“You don’t think she has regrets do you?” Diggles asks in exasperation, “Oliver, you and your family that the two of you have created is the one thing Felicity will never regret. Just ask her what’s wrong.”

“Okay, you’re right I’ll talk to her tonight, help me finish this thing would you?” Oliver looks at the  next piece of the bassinet and scowls, “this thing is fucking stupid,”

“Take a break and try again later?” Diggle asks, more than ready to abandon their task as well.

“Yea, Mia isn’t exactly coming any time soon,” Oliver agrees rising to his feet.

“ Definitely, don’t tell Felicity that , if she asks you why you didn’t finish this,” Diggle suggests with a laugh as they walk out of the nursery.

0ooooo0

“You seem uncharacteristically quiet today,” Lyla observes, pulling her sunglasses above her head to peer at Felicity who is lying back on the lounging chair, her large pregnant belly taking up most of her spot.

“This kid thinks my insides are a punching bag,” Felicity replies, her eyes still closed, her hand resting on her stomach making light circles on her right skin.

“She’s starting to run out of space in there, and getting ready to come out,” Lyla teases, but her words are a little too close to home and Felicity, shifts uncomfortably to her side, unable to response.

“See, usually you would have joked about eviction notice or Oliver impatience is hereditary, but you’re not. What’s wrong?” Lyla asks with concern, her eyes briefly move to JJ who just jumped into the pool and once he surfaces and starts swimming towards William to do it all over again she focuses back on Felicity.

“How do you do it?” Felicity asks slightly helpless, fingers clasped together tightly,

“Well first off always accept the drugs, don’t be a hero,” Lyla says immediately, with a smile.

But Felicity only sinks her teeth further into bottom lip the worry evident, “how do you not worry that you won’t mess them up?”

At the corner of her eye she sees William running along the edge of the pool before he jumps in with a splash. “Will! Don’t run around the pool, JJ is going to want follow you! While you’re at stick to the deep end when you’re jumping.”

She turns back to Lyla, placing her hands on her stomach, “I don’t know if I can do it.”

“Felicity, you’re an excellent mother already,” Lyla replies patiently gesturing to the boys.

Felicity glances their way them back to Lyla uncertain, “that? William’s a teenager and more mature beyond his years, he makes it easy. This is a baby ? What if I mess her up?”

“Look, I’m not going to say you’ll be perfect at this, no one is. But, you are going to do your very best to ensure this baby is loved and taken care of and that’s all they really need.” Lyla promises, when she sees that Felicity seems to uncertain, she continues, “have you spoken to Oliver about your concerns?”

Felicity shakes her head, her hand still caressing her bare stomach, “no, I don’t want to worry him with my crazy pregnancy brain.”

“If it’s bothering you enough, that I noticed I’m sure Oliver already has noticed,” Lyla points out, “talk to him. This is a whole new partnership you two are embarking on, trust me you are gonna want to talk to him, chances are he’s equally terrified as you are,”

Felicity sighs deeply and her friend’s wise words, “I hate how wise you Diggles are,”

Lyla laughs wholeheartedly as she rises to her feet holding out her hand to Felicity, “C’mon Big Mama let’s go spend some time with our sons, they will ease those worries,”

“I’m so big ,” Felicity bemoans taking Lyla’s offered hand, “how much bigger could she possibly get?”

Lyla goes to respond but Felicity raises her hand, “don’t answer that, let me live in denial.”

“This is the point of the pregnancy that you just remind yourself it’s worth it in the end,” Lyla counters her eyes on her as Felicity makes her way into the stairs, JJ is already swimming to his mother excitedly at the new company.

“That’s not letting me live in denial, Lyla,” Felicity huffs as she takes a seat on one of the steps, however the moment she does she scowls in annoyance. “I just sat down kid!”

“Bathroom break?” Lyla asks sympathetically, already moving towards Felicity to help her to her feet again.

“She likes using my bladder as a fu….punching bag,” Felicity corrects herself, ears pinking up when JJ looks at her with wide curious eyes, William though only snickers, sadly her son has heard her say worse. “I’ll be back in a hour or two, however long it takes me to get off the toilet seat,”

She waves her hand when William goes to follow her, “no Will it’s fine, I have scarred you enough to last a lifetime. I’ll call your dad if I really need help.”

She really does not deserve her son, she rubs her stomach as she walks towards the house and smiles when she feels a sharp kick against her hand, “your big brother really is the best, Mia. He’s gonna be there for you no matter what, even when you don’t want him to be.”

She pauses when she feels tears prickling threatening to fall, “oh for Christ sake, can I have a moment about my kids without crying now?”

She continues to grumble all the way to the bathroom, the silent countdown till the baby gets here in the forefront of her mind.

Five more weeks.

0oooooooo0

Long after the Diggles have left, William is probably in his room playing video games. Oliver walks out their bathroom to see Felicity curled around her pregnancy pillow, she’s in the exact same position her saw her when he first came into the bedroom.

She only recently started to use the pregnancy pillow to sleep with, but that fact that there is now a pillow between them when they sleep is still something Oliver has to get use to.

He crawls into bed turning to his side to face her, but is startled when he sees familiar blue eyes staring back at him.

He puts his hand to his chest in alarm not expecting her to be awake, he looks at her with concern, “can’t sleep?”

To his surprise though her eyes begin to fill with tears.

“ Honey,” he calls out with concern, he moves towards her tossing the pregnancy pillow aside while pulling her into his arms which she comes willing, “what’s wrong?”

“What if I can’t do it? What if I’m a terrible mother and I fail our kid?” She gasps our breathlessly, her fingers pressed against this chest as she wipes her wet nose against his skin, “I don’t think I’m ready, Oliver.”

“That’s impossible ,” Oliver says with conviction his fingers running through her tangled blonde curls, “you could never be a terrible mother, and there is a young man down our hallway that would agree with me,”

“It’s not the same thing,” Felicity sniffs her fact still pressed to Oliver’s chest.

“Do you see William as your son?” Oliver counters.

“You know I do but…”

“No buts, William is the only person who has say on whether or not you are a great mother and Felicity he adores you.” Oliver promises, he shifts her slightly so she can face him, but they both laugh when her large stomach prevents her from fully turning to face him.

“But she’s a baby…” Felicity protests weakly, sighing when Oliver raises his hand and wipes her tears away with the pads of his thumb.

“And do you think I know what I’m doing with William much less a baby?” Oliver counters, when she huffs out in exasperation he knows that she knows what he’s doing.

“I hate when you use my words against me,” she says with an exhausted sigh as she collapses onto his chest.

“Technically, I didn’t say anything. But you’re a genius who is always right…”

“Buttering me up isn’t going to work either,” she protests weakly.

“You, Felicity Megan Smoak are an excellent mother to our son and in four short weeks you will be an excellent mother to our daughter. Our kids are lucky to have you. I am lucky to have you. The fact alone that you’re so worried about being a mother, something you have perfected over the past  two years just goes to show how ready you are for this.”

“I love you,” Felicity snuggles softly and he rubs her back soothingly knowing that her hormones has been getting the best of her lately so he does not point it out. She pushes him gently back against the headboard and  tries to spin her body to face him, she curls one leg under her while the other is tossed over his lap trying to get closer to him but her pregnant belly gets in the way. Oliver only laughs and places both hands on her stomach, Felicity looking at him nervously, “we got this right?”

“We totally got this,” Oliver says confidently leaning forward to kiss her, but then laughs when he feels a strong jab against his hand, “I don’t think Ms. Mia likes it when I kiss you among other things,”

Felicity only rolls her eyes pulling him towards her so that their lips can meet again, “tough nuggets for her, I mean look at my feet, I haven’t seen them in months much less put on a pretty colour. I like pretty toes Oliver, I never removed the last coat, it’s been so long the last one just chipped away. Anyway my point is she can tolerate some kissing, the eviction notice is coming soon kid.”

Oliver grins, unsure how serious she’s being and if he can laugh. Instead he scoots away a bit puts her foot in the palm of his hands and slowly begins to massage it, it’s only then he realizes her feet are slightly swollen, “you know I can put some nail polish on for you,”

Felicity’s eyes flutter open, she’s already made herself comfortable against her pregnancy pillow both feet in his lap, “that’s sweet but would you even know what to do?”

“I can learn,” he says slightly affronted, starting on her next foot, “I mean  I should, if Mia is anything like her mother or grandmother there will be lots of glitter in my future.”

“Oh wow, you really are perfect,” Felicity sniffs, her eyes filling with tears, “you gotta stop being so perfect so I’m not a leaking faucet every time you do or say something sweet,”

“You know I will never stop telling and showing you how much I love you,” Oliver declares, he raises her leg and presses a kiss to her calf, “now what colour do you want?”

Felicity grins at him impishly whole wiggling her toes in the palm of his hand, “Green,”

Oliver only shakes his head as he slips off the bed, “What a girl can’t wear her man’s colour?”

“I didn’t say anything,” Oliver replies holding up the bottle in question, “do you want another one?”

Felicity shakes her head beckoning him back to the bed, she leads against the headboard and placed her foot on his thigh, “now only on the nail,”

“Felicity, I know how nail polish works,” Oliver grumbles as he shakes the bottle glaring at her.

Felicity only grins at him raising her hands up in mock defense, but goes silent as he begins to apply the nail polish to her toes. He’s so focused in not getting the green paint on her skin he does not look up from his task until he applied the very last coat on her tiniest toe.

He looks up his features softening when he realizes she has fallen asleep, her hands resting on her stomach her head tilted back as she snores softly.

He continues to stare at her, waiting for the nail polish to dry before he applies a next coat, his eyes moving from her round face to her round belly. Over the last few weeks Felicity’s cheeks have really filled out, she bemoans about looking like a chipmunk. Something Oliver insistently denies but now looking at  sleeping form it’s the only thing he sees, she’s adorable.

Pregnancy has really agreed with him, another thing Oliver will never tell his wife that’s something he would only bring up with her at least a year from now.

He shakes his head, getting way ahead of himself. Felicity would kill me.

He looks at her stomach and chuckles when he realizes the baby had shifted to Felicity’s left now so she looks slightly lopsided. They first time they saw that they both panicked but Lyla and Diggle assured them that it was normal.

After he applied the second coat he looks up at her again just in time to see the familiar ripple in her stomach. Her leans forward pressing his hand lightly on her stomach. “Hey Mia, none of that. You gotta let Mom sleep.”

His voice only sees to have the opposite effect and he can see a tiny foot imprinted against Felicity's skin. He looks at her worriedly but she thankfully is dead to the world.

He quickly puts aside the bottle of nail polish and crawls back into bed, his arm resting gently on Felicity’s lap his head next to her stomach, his lips just barely grazing Felicity’s stomach.

“Now, I’m not your mom, but I hope this works,” Oliver mutters nervously to himself, he looks up one last time to see if Felicity is awake and then he clears his throat, his voice slightly off key as he starts to sing.

I've got sunshine on a cloudy day
When it's cold outside I've got the month of May
Well I guess you'd say
What can make me feel this way?
My girl (my girl, my girl)
Talkin' 'bout my girl (my girl)

To his utter amazement, the small kicks against his palm slowly subside, he looks up grateful to see Felicity still sound asleep. After one last kiss against her stomach Oliver moves to lie next to his wife, succumbing to his own exhaustion.

Chapter Text

SEPTEMBER 2019

“You got this Smoak, for centuries women have had babies, worked, we got man to the moon, we got the picture of the first black hole, taken over the whole damn world. You got this,” Felicity says as much conviction as she could muster, trying to give herself a much needed pep talk

“Do you want me to just plug in the charger for you?” William calls out, his voice laden with amusement.

Felicity spins her chair around to glare at him, “No, because I am a smart independent woman, I can plug in my own tablet.

“You can’t reach the USB socket,” William points out, his tablet is resting on his lap as he watches her from his perch on the couch.

“I don’t think your Dad asked you to babysit me so that you could point out my shortcomings, young man,”  Felicity grumbles she stretches out her hand again and frowns when her stomach presses against the table. She rises to her feet and the same thing happens again. If anything the distance seems further when she stands.

Damn past her for being efficient and lining all her cords to the back of the table.

“I’m not babysitting you,” William replies easily appearing at her side with the extension for her USB cord.

Felicity sighs in defeat but allows him to plug her tablet for her. She grabbed her glass of juice balancing it on her stomach as she drinks from the straw looking at William through narrowed eyes, “you’re telling me it’s the first week of school, no homework and instead of being out with your friends you chose to stay home to listen to a fat pregnant lady grumble?”

“Should you even be working?” William counters bravely, still holding onto her tablet, “Dad said you were suppose to be taking it easy.”

“Because you are my son, and you’re only doing what your paranoid father told you, I am not going to yell,” Felicity says calmly, despite this she can see William already ready to relinquish his hold on her tablet and just run from her, “but you tell your father, that I may be 100 months pregnant but that does not mean I’m an invalid. I’m more than capable of working while I grow his child.”

William nods vigorously about to spin on his heel and run away when Felicity stops him with a low growl, she can see the terror on his face but at this point she’s just too annoyed to care, “can you help me out of this damn chair? It’s holding onto me like the jaws of life. Damn it.”

William quickly takes two strides to her and holds her hand pulling her up an out of the chair. He continues to hold one of her hands the other hovering next to her as he watches her worriedly.

“I’m not going to topple over. I may look like a beach whale at the moment, but I can still find my center of gravity when I need it,” Felicity promises, when she sees his face still filled with concern she sighs deeply and cups his cheek, “Will, I love you. And I love that you want to look out for me, but I promise you I will be fine in my own. I’m the grown up here, not you. Go out, enjoy the last few days of summer vacation.”

“School started last week, Felicity.” William points out.

“We both know, the first week of school there is never any work and everyone calls it the last week of summer.”

He still looks at her unsure, but she shakes her head, “Nope, don’t worry, go have fun. I’m sure you and your friend Dimitri can go to the movies the arcade whatever it is 14 year olds do these days,”

William looks at her suspiciously, slightly skittish, he’s been mentioning his friend Dimitri a lot lately and while Felicity and Oliver have suspected it’s a bit more than that, they agreed to not bring it up until William decides for himself.

“But you…”

“Have been taking care of myself   long before I met your father. Granted back then I ate from a microwaveable menu option and more chicken nuggets any one person should eat, but that’s neither here nor there. Go on, be a kid.”  

Felicity shoos him and the teenager watches her all for a few seconds before he  spins on his heels and makes his way towards the stairs. Felicity does not miss him pulling out his phone  typing quickly as he goes. Felicity is almost certain he is not texting Dimitri yet.

Sure enough her phone buzzes  next to her and she sees her husband’s name flash across her screen. Her paranoid boys are predictable.

Big belly buster?

Felicity rolls her eyes at his text, his not so subtle way of saying he’s coming back home. She pulls back her phone as much as her hand will allow, trying to get her entire stomach in the screen and wincing at her round face, she pretty sure she does not have a neck anymore.

I already have one of those.

Cute. Do you want anything else?

What she would really like is for this baby to be born already, she has just under two weeks left but patience has never been her strong suit.

Just you.

You will always have me.

Felicity’s eyes prickle with tears and she huffs tossing her phone to the side grumbling about stupid thoughtful husbands making her cry.

She plops onto the couch and groans when she feels a sharp pain in her back. Her nose wrinkles her hand on her stomach, “your brother left like two seconds ago kid, don’t make me a liar and decide to come now .”

Despite her tone, she’s already making a mental note of the clock her hand stretching  out for her phone. She places her feet on the ottoman and closes her eyes as she tries to control her breathing, panicking is not going to help matters.

Oliver will be home in fifteen minutes at most, she can wait till then. The baby can wait till then.

The baby will wait till then.

“Alright Mia, don’t let those Queen stubborn genes get the best of you,” Felicity speaks calmly as she rubs circles in her stomach, “you can wait till your Dad gets here. He would not appreciate me going to the hospital on my own.”

She continues to tell her daughter the merits of waiting on Oliver, all the while wincing each time a contraction hits.

Oh god it’s really happening .

She breathes a sigh of relief when Archer announces Oliver’s arrival, she tilts her head back and grins when she see him walking into the living room, “hi honey!”

“What’s wrong?” Oliver asks immediately, already making his way towards her taking a seat on the couch.

“Now, I need you to relax ,” Felicity says calmly, but before she can get through her preplanned speech she winces our in pain hunching over as she grabs her stomach, “I may be in labour.”

“ What? Felicity why didn’t you say something?” Oliver asks in alarm almost tripping over his own feet in his haste to stand up.

“Because I didn’t want you to…” Felicity trails off as Oliver disappears up the stairs muttering about hospital bags and food. “Panic, which clearly should not have been my concern.”

Felicity holds back a laugh and Oliver appears again still muttering to himself as he walks in and out of the living room a few times, rubbing his face trying to remember something . “Glad to see neither of us has lost our cool.”

She winces as another contraction hits, her husband still nowhere to be found, she takes pity on him and calls out to him, “Oliver! The hospital bag is packed and in the coat closet.”

He appears in  the living room again, to Felicity’s amusement he has since changed out of his shirt and is now wearing an old T-shirt, still looking frazzled, “honey, what are you wearing?”

“I read it could be messy,” Oliver says matter of factly, pausing in the foyer, her hospital bag still nowhere in sight.

She goes to remind him that they will give him scrubs, but he disappears up the stairs again . “I think you broke him, Microchip.”

Deciding her husband is a hopeless cause, Felicity slowly rises to her feet, wincing yet again when another contraction hits.

“What are you doing?” Oliver appears again this time he has the baby’s car seat and a portable mobile in the other. She sees five newborn diapers and the stuffed bear in the car seat.

“Oliver, honey . She does not need the mobile, and we already  packed diapers in the hospital bag. Put those back.” Felicity reasons calmly, she never would have thought Oliver would be the one to lose it when the time came.

It would be cute, if she didn’t feel as if her uterus was tearing into two.

“Right, right.” Oliver mutters more to himself, she’s certain as he disappears yet again.

“Wow it’s true what they say, you really do turn into the person you marry,” Felicity remarks to the empty room.

She is just about to  take herself to the car and wait for Oliver to put his head back on straight, when her husband appears again this time with only the car seat and stuffed bear.

Except he walks straight through the living room and into the kitchen, there is absolutely nothing they need in the kitchen. Felicity sighs deeply and sinks back into the couch, she’s read they have some time before active labour starts and she figures at this rate she’s going to need to conserve her energy anyway.

“ Security engaged.”

Archer chimes out into the room suddenly, and Felicity sits up in alarm, “he did not .”

She grabs her phone and quickly accesses their cameras and sure enough just as she pulls up the garage footage, she sees Oliver reversing out of their driveway without her.

“Are you fucking kidding me, Queen?” Felicity growls angrily. Her fingers fly across her phone with practice ease until she takes over the speakers in their car not even allowing Oliver the luxury  of answering her call.

“Felicity, I can’t talk right…. Felicity where are you?”

“On the couch in active labour, where you left me? Would you get your ass back here  so we can both go to the hospital?”

She doesn’t wait for his apology and ends the call, “when this is all over and you’re finally with us Mia, I’m never going to let your Dad forget about this. For now let the record show I’m really mad at your father.”

“Braxton Hicks?”

“Aw don’t look so disappointed guys, it happens to 90% of women,” Dr. Schwartz says sympathetically, as she wipes Felicity’s belly free of the ultrasound gel, “this isn’t a one time deal thing, if it doesn’t happen it won’t happen. You will meet your daughter just not today.”

“Braxton Hicks.” Oliver repeats again.

This time the doctor  does smile at Oliver’s shocked expression, “at least you had a practice run, so you know what to do the next time…”

“Or what not to do. Right, honey?” Felicity teases, now that the pain has subsided, and she knows that their baby unfortunately will not be coming today, she is finally able to really appreciate the absolute insanity that was Oliver Queen panicking .

“There may  have been a slight miscommunication,” Oliver offers their doctor sheepishly, his cheeks red and his dimples even more prominent than normal. Felicity hopes their daughter has those exact dimples.

Felicity scoffs as she sits up allowing Oliver to help her get upright, “he was going to come to the hospital without me.”

“You would be surprised by how many times we’ve had that happen,” Dr. Schwartz says with a laugh, she then looks at  Felicity seriously, “all jokes aside, I am officially putting you on maternity leave. That means no more work both day and night work.”

“What? But I haven’t been in the field in weeks! I’m more than capable…”

“You need rest, no stress and definitely not in the Team Arrow variety. I want this little girl to go to term, we’re lucky this was a false alarm, I’m not comfortable with you giving birth quiet yet,”

With those words Felicity’s protest dies on her lips immediately, she hugs her large stomach, Oliver’s fingers sliding along her wrist to grip her fingers, “but they are both okay?”

“Yes, everything looks good and I want to keep it that way,” the Doctor looks at Felicity closely, “So bed rest from now on, stay off your feet as much as possible.”

“We will do that.” Oliver confirms, when Felicity looks at him incredulously, he quickly backtracks, “ Felicity , will do that.”

Felicity goes to protest, he knows how much she hates when he speaks for her, but in this case he’s right. She looks at her doctor and nods, “Bed rest, no work and no Overwatch. I got it.”

“Try and enjoy these last few weeks, because when the baby comes everything changes,” the doctor says with a knowing smile. She closes her tablet and smiles at them warmly, “I will see you two in a few weeks.”

Once the doctor slips out of the room Felicity groans and places her head on Oliver’s shoulders, “I can’t believe I couldn’t tell the difference between active labor and Braxton Hicks.”

“To be fair, you never been through this before,” Oliver replies rubbing her belly, “I’m just glad both you and Mia are okay.”

“Yes, and you really kept your cool. Which is good too.” Felicity comments teasingly, her eyes twinkling when Oliver looks across at her.

Oliver groans, pressing his head to her forehead, “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened to me. My mind just went blank, I really just don’t know.”

“Now that I’m no longer in pain, I can appreciate the humour in the situation,” Felicity says with a laugh as she slides off the examination table. “I think the reality of it all only just hit us.”

Oliver only grunts in response, clearly still brooding about what happened earlier. She knows he will feel guilty about this for a long time to come.

“At least, we did not call anyone about the false alarm,” Felicity offers with a shake of her head, as she takes a seat in the empty wheelchair her doctor insisted she take back to the car.

“About that…” Oliver trails off rubbing his neck avoiding eye contact with her.

Felicity stops in her tracks, her fingers gripping the handles of the wheelchair  as she turns around her eyes narrowing at her husband who looks at her sheepishly, his hands already up in defense, “Who? My mother? ”

“Now, honey…”

“When did you have time to tell my mother I was in labour? When you forgot me while I was in labour, are you kidding me?” Felicity practical screeches, slapping Oliver on the shoulder, so much for not being stressed. “ Fix it. NOW.”

Oliver has the presence of mind, to not respond to her but pulls out his phone immediately, she can hear the telltale signs of messages being sent, and she only hopes her mother has not booked a ticket to Star City yet.  She looks down at the wheelchair and frowns, she hates this chair, hates what it represents. When they got to the hospital she was in too much pain to focus on the fact that the nurse ushered her to a chair, but now that the contractions have subsided she is more hesitant to sit in the chair. With a sigh she gingerly sits in the chair, holding her large stomach as she tries to lower herself but ends up just collapsing into it, much like she does on most days.

She can see Oliver nervously typing on his phone, crease between his eyes deepening as he types, he needs to fix this. If she’s going to be on bed rest for the last few weeks of her pregnancy, and more importantly, be stress free ,  she’s going to need to not have her mother around her 24/7. It’s harsh, but Felicity is just not ready to deal with that level of energy.

Oliver squeezes her hand, and gives her a nod in confirm, at least one crisis has been diverted. Felicity rubs her stomach thoughtfully, well two at the moment.

“I told her that too many people may be a bit overwhelming for you at the moment, and that you are now on bed rest, so I think I was able to convince her to wait until the baby is born.” Oliver explains as she pushes her onto the elevator, his voice full of uncertainty, and Felicity can’t even hold it against him, because there is no stopping a Smoak woman when she puts her mind to something, they both know that well.

“At least you had only called my mother and we don’t have to be making calls for the next few hours,” Felicity sighs tiredly, glad that she decided to take the wheelchair, rather than fight Oliver and her doctor about it .

When the elevator chimes and the doors open, they are both surprised to see a frantic William in front of them, brown hair windswept and an equally frazzled Zoe with him.

“Okay, we may have forgotten one other person.” Felicity says sheepishly as she leans her head back against Oliver’s arm.

William looks at her stomach then back at them, shoulders deflating, “False alarm?”

“There was nothing false about those contractions,” Felicity grumbles.

“Braxton Hicks, I told you,” Zoe says with far too much delight, that reminds Felicity of her father, but far more pleasant and less snarky.

“You still did not win though. We’re still in September and her due date is in October ,” William volleys back to his friend, as he takes Felicity’s hospital bag that was resting on her lap, never once missing a beat with Zoe as they follow Oliver and Felicity to the carpark.

“Are the two of you betting on when I will give birth?” Felicity asks incredulously, she spins around to look back at her husband, “Oliver! Our child is betting on me staying in this state!”

“Okay, first off, no I hoped you would have the baby before your due date. Secondly , you’re pregnant you can’t stay that way forever .” William counters, when he realizes that his comment does nothing to comfort Felicity he quickly back tracks, “The entire team is doing it!”

“Oliver, please tell me you did not know about about Team Arrow’s asinine bet about how longer I will stay pregnant. This has Rene written all over on it, no offense, sweetie,” Felicity smiles warmly at Zoe who is looking at her slightly nervous, it’s not the kids fault her father is a pain in Felicity’s ass on his best days.

“Oh no, it was totally dad’s idea,” Zoe replies, “I told him you would could make it that he wouldn’t be able to microwave popcorn, but he didn’t listen to me.”

“She can’t do that , but she could make it so that your laptop only response to stupid history homework and nothing else,” William gripes, he will never let her forget that, and he doesn’t realize that was exactly the point of Felicity taking such drastic measures, he never once ignored his homework again.

“Alright guys, let’s not get into that. Felicity is on bed rest until she has the baby, so no more arguing,” Oliver says giving his son a pointed look as he moved to help Felicity out of her chair but when she throws him an annoyed look he quickly backs away, both kids giggling quietly to themselves

“Please start the car, I’m going to return the wheelchair,” Oliver says to his son, he looks to Felicity after for confirmation and she nods in understanding, other than being completely exhausted and 10000 weeks pregnant she is fine.

“Is bed rest as literal as it sounds?” William asks with concern, jumping into the back seat of the car after he starts it.

“More or less, I won’t be working for the rest of the pregnancy, and I do need to take it easy,” Felicity explains, she leans back against the chair, hand on her stomach and sighs, “I mean all I really want to do is sleep lately. We’ll be fine Will.”

He seems unconvinced but sits back in his seat nonetheless, it warms Felicity’s heart how much he cares not just for her but his sister as well. Ever since they found out, she and Oliver only ever wanted for William to be there for his sister and vice versa and she knows that William loves her unconditionally.

If only Mia could just get here already. Felicity might be a tad bit impatient.

“Mom!” Felicity repeats but Donna is having none of this and continues to go on on why Felicity won’t refuses to let her see her grandchildren.

Felicity rolls her eyes and tosses the phone to the side, Donna’s muffled voice ringing through the speakers.

She picks up her large bowl of extra spicy buffalo chicken wings and goes back to eating them in peace.

“Is your mother still on the phone?” Oliver whispers as he walks into room, eyes zeroing on the sounds of Felicity’s name being yelled at from the tiny speakers.

“Tell her I needed to pee,” Felicity replies between bites of her chicken wings, moaning in delight at the spicy tangy flavour.

“Hi Donna,” Oliver calls out tentatively, glaring at Felicity as he shakes his head in disbelief.

“Growing your child ,” Felicity hisses our gesturing to her stomach, fingers orange from the buffalo sauce.

She can’t pull that trump card for much longer, but she damn well will do it, especially if it means avoiding her mother yet again.

“Oh sorry about that Donna,” Oliver says pleasantly, his eyes still trained on Felicity, glaring at her. “She just slipped into the bathroom, you know how these last few weeks have been…”

“No! Don’t say that .” Felicity hisses out to him, but already she can hear her mother through the phone.

“Well I would not know what it’s been like, Oliver, because my daughter refuses to let me come to Star City to take care of her and her baby. This is my first grandchild, Oliver and Felicity won’t even let me experience the joy of birth with her. You know, I was in labour for 18 hours with Felicity…”

By the time her mother starts retelling tales of her labour experience, Felicity already is clutching her bowl of wings and making her way out of the door. She’s heard that story enough times in the last few months, her mother will not guilt her into letting her come earlier than planned.

She refuses.

She can’t control when this baby comes, she can’t work, she can’t do much of anything lately, but she will damn well control when her mother can infiltrate her somewhat calm last few days of peace.

Oliver will tell her she’s being dramatic, in fact he’s told her a dozen of times. Maybe she is, but she’s growing another human being damn it. She’s allowed to be dramatic all she wants.

“Why are you on your feet?” Another concern voice calls out, Felicity sighs in exasperation when William takes the bow of wings and ushers her to nearest couch.

She wanted to get some apple juice.

“Will, I love you, but your hovering is getting worse than your father’s the two of you are driving me insane. Sitting on my ass all day is driving me insane.” Felicity insists reaching out for her bowl of wings.

“The doctor said bed rest though,” William points out already rolling the ottoman over to her, she wants to not use it on principle but her equilibrium just can’t handle being hunched over like she is and she knows her big fat swollen feet would appreciate it.

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean my ass needs to be superglued to a seat,” Felicity points out, earning a snicker from her son in return.

At least someone is finding her imprisonment amusing.

“I remember the days when my feet use to resemble feet,” Felicity sighs in defeat, her fat toes barely wiggling.

“Do they hurt?” William asks with concern, “you should ask dad to massage them.”

“They only hurt when I stand on them,” Felicity grumbles, dismissing her son’s pointed look, “but your dad is currently dealing with my mother.”

“You should just let her come here,” William reasons, “Dad has the guest room set up for her, wouldn't her begging drive you crazier?”

Felicity narrows her eyes at his son, biting into her chicken wing angrily, her eyes never leaving his face. William raises his hand in quick defense and walks backwards, “I’m gonna just...yea.”

He scurries off but she can’t even feel guilty cause both of her boys are insistent on her just letting her mother come and no one seems to get her lack of control of being to do anything is driving her crazy.

She needs to be able to control something . Her mother can wait two weeks to meet her granddaughter, she certainly has to.

A few seconds later she feels a flutter next to her and she looks to her right just in time to see a few napkins flutter next to her.

Felicity sniffles at the gesture, half eaten chicken wing still in her hand, she really does not deserve her boys.

Felicity sits in the rocking chair, eyes trained on the mahogany crib that is full fitted with everything their daughter would need. The mobile lays stationary suspended above the crib. Below it customs made drawers and shelving that has numerous diapers, and newborn onesies.

Once Oliver officially knew they were having a baby girl he went a slight bit overboard on the pinks and purples, his excitement over having a little girl is adorable and infectious.

“October 1st, Mia,” Felicity says softly as she rubs her stomach fondly, “two more days, while I’m not going to miss your ridiculous strong kicks to my ribs, or the way you enjoyed bouncing on my bladder, I have to say it’s going to be weird not feeling your moving around in there.”

Her stomach is the biggest its been, Felicity is convinced she is now as wide as she is tall, she’s pretty sure when she’s ready to get off this rocking chair either William or Oliver will have to get her out. Large does not even begin to cover it, even her wedding ring no longer fits.

“I hope you are as excited to meet us as we are to meet you, Mia,” She says thoughtfully, “Are you ready to put a face to this crazy lady that talks your ear off, any time of the day? Glad you can finally get away from me?”

“Of that I am doubtful,” A familiar voices calls out softly.

Felicity tilts her head to the side, smiling at him softly, “I think you might be biased.”

“Guilty,” Oliver admits with a smile as he walks up towards her, “but I’m not wrong either. I’m sure the first few weeks she’s going to miss your voice like crazy, I know I do.”

“You big old softie, Oliver Queen,” Felicity teases, holding out her hand to him.

He smiles, grasping her by the hand and holding her by the waist as he pulls her to a standing position. When he sees she’s wearing one of his henley’s the grey material pulling almost past its breaking point around her stomach he grins, “So that’s where my t-shirts have been disappearing.”

“It’s the only thing that fits me now,” Felicity bemoans, throwing her head onto his chest, she wants to wrap her arms around him, but she can’t and it annoys her more than it should.

“Looks better on you, anyway,” her husband is a liar, but she will not bring it up. He rubs her back, pressing a kiss to her forehead, “what are you doing in here?”

“I just needed a change of scenery, I’m tired of staring at the walls in our bedroom, and the walls in the living room. There is just so much pastel one woman can take,” Felicity sighs dramatically, her feet already aching from standing all of five seconds.

“Well, lucky for you, your husband as the perfect solution,” Oliver grins, ushering her out the door, her interest peaked already, “and you don’t even have to get dressed.”

“I’m listening,” Felicity tilts her head back to look at him, nose scrunching up in thought.

“How about a road trip for some extreme donuts, it is is pumpkin spice season,” Oliver points out clearly proud of himself, “you don’t even need to get dressed.”

“That donut shop is 2 hours away from the city, “ Felicity points out, her mouth already watering at the thought of glazed maple cinnamon pumpkin flavoured donuts.

“I know.”

“Oh you really do love me,” Felicity swoons, she rises on her tiptoes to kiss him, but frowns when she’s unable to because of her large stomach, “Honey, you gotta meet me halfway.”

Oliver only chuckles, but leans forward to kiss her, Felicity hums against his mouth and licks her lips, kissing two more times before she pulls back, “you taste like brownies.”

“I made some for William’s bake sale tomorrow,” Oliver explains, “don’t worry there is a Felicity batch, complete with caramel.”

“Powdered sugar?” Felicity asks excitedly, already making her way towards the kitchen as they walk down the stairs but she frowns when Oliver steers her in the direction of the front door.

“We’re going for donuts ,” Oliver points out with a laugh, he grabs her coat helping her into it, frowning when it doesn’t buckle.

“I’m walking sauna, I’ll be fine,” Felicity dismisses, head still tilted towards the kitchen, “are the brownies fresh out of the oven? The house still smells like it, caramel is probably still melted.”

“I packed you one for the road,” Oliver promises as he crouched to gently nudge her feet into her Uggs.

“ One ?” Felicity protests hands resting on his shoulders as he helps her puts on her shoes, she can’t wait to finally be able to put on more than just her bedroom slippers on her own.

“We’re going for donuts ,” Oliver points out in exasperation again, chuckling when she tugs on his hair in retaliation.

“I need more than one for the road, Oliver.”

“You really don’t.”

“I take it back, you are no longer my favourite husband.”

“I haven’t given you the brownie yet.”

“Damn, pregnancy as made me easy,” Felicity says dramatically as she not so gracefully climbs into their SUV.

Oliver only laughs as he places the brownie neatly wrapped in a little plastic container on her lap, cause of course he would package it so ridiculously cute despite the fact they both know she will devour it in less time it took him to do it, “you, Felicity Smoak, have never been easy or simple, it’s one of things I love about you.”

Typically she would be swooning at his words, but the smell of melted caramel mixed with chocolate has already invaded her senses and her pregnancy laden mind can only focus on one thing at a time.

When he clears his throat however, she looks across at him chocolate smeared across her lips, “oh, I love you too.”

“You love that brownie more than me, but it’s okay,”

She only grins at him sheepishly, gasping when she realizes there is a second brownie in the paper, “oh I really do love you.”

She leans back in her seat and happily enjoys her brownie, listening to whatever podcast Oliver decided to play. She can’t wait until the baby is born and they can do road trips like this with both their kids.

Two more days.

Chapter Text

OCTOBER 2019

Eight days late

“Alright missy, now you listen to me. This is getting ridiculous. You have overstayed your welcome, you hear me?” Felicity pokes her stomach with her finger other hand on her hip, “it’s October tenth . Times up. Eviction notice herby instated. Are you hearing me in there?”

She knocks gently against her stomach, almost as though that would get her uterus to start contracting, “Mia, my love. You need to get out. Like now .”

“Are you still trying to get her out by talking her ear off? I don’t think it works that way,” William asks slightly confused.

“Well it works on me when my mother starts talking,” Felicity grumbles as she rises to her feet, she gestures for William to come closer to her.

Her son for the most part looks terrified but shuffles towards her nonetheless, he’s towering over her now. She grabs his arm and then squats, bouncing on the heels of her feet.

“Roll that yoga ball to me please,” Felicity asks and William looks at her with concern but rolls the bright orange ball towards her.

She grabs both of his hands and straddles the balls as she starts to bounce repeatedly on the yoga ball. She would have lost her balance a few times, if William didn’t have a firm grip on her, by the fourth time he looks at her almost horrified and slightly terrified

“What are you doing? Is she just gonna fall out?” William sounds absolutely horrified at the notion.

“Hey, Will why don’t you finish getting ready for school?” Oliver calls out as he makes his way towards the pair, taking both of Felicity’s hands in his own. Felicity still continuing to bounce in place as she squats. “You’re scaring him.”

“I want her out , Oliver!” Felicity exclaims angrily, almost close to tears, “tell her to come out.”

“Honey, the doctor said any day now,” Oliver soothes rubbing her back softly, he pulls her to her feet and kicks the yoga ball out of the way, “c’mon sit down,”

“She needs to come out, Oliver.”

“I know.”

It’s not till she’s back on her feet does she notice the plate in his other hand,“I brought some jalapeño poppers for you, with some sriracha mayo.”

Felicity chuckles as Oliver helps her onto the armchair and places her food onto the small side table pulling it in front of her , “did you google top ten ways to go into labour, too?”

“Yes, and that’s why I also got a large cup of tea to wash down this fiery meal.” Oliver jokes as he puts a large coffee cup in front of her.

Felicity eyes the food then looks back at her husband thoughtfully, “if you did google top ten ways into labour, that means you know very well what the first two options were and they were not spicy foods.”

“Well I figured we try the G rated options first, until our teenage son leaves school for the day,” Oliver sends her a wink.

“It should be a crime for you to make a wink that attractive,” Felicity bemoans.

Oliver only laughs in response rising to his feet to kiss her on the head before he goes into the kitchen. She’s just about to ask him what he’s looking for when he comes back with some printed sheets of paper.

The first word in the top of the page catches her attention before he can slide it in front of her.

Breast stimulation.

“You researched sex?” Felicity asks with a laugh, she places her hand on her stomach and looks at him pointedly, “honey, I think you got that part down.”

“You’re a riot,” Oliver says deadpan, he points to one of the paragraphs, “I wanted to see what we needed to do to ensure you go into labour.”

“Oliver you just gotta get me off, trust me you’ve been doing that for years you don’t need a tutorial on how to do it,” Felicity teases, when she sees he’s not impressed with her comment, she rolls her eyes, “Okay, lay it on me. What did you find out?”

Oliver narrows his eyes at her, probably trying to figure out if she is still teasing him, she totally is by the way, but then flips the page to another paragraph about oral breast stimulation, he’s just about to point out his findings when a disgusted voice startled them.

“Can’t the two of you do that when I’m not home?” William grumbles, his eyes scan the paper and then he shudders in disgust, “Gross. I’m going to school.”

He disappears before Felicity can apologize, she slaps Oliver on the shoulder glaring up at him, “We promised we would not scar him anymore.”

“I didn’t think he would come back, I thought he just leaves in the morning and Archer lets you know,” Oliver says sheepishly, for the most part he is well out of the house on the way to the SCPD before William is even awake some mornings, the fact that William’s school is less than a block away, means their son typically sleeps in on mornings.

“No, he always tells me goodbye before he leaves, and I know he wants to check up on me as well.” Felicity sighs, then looks down at the piece of paper, then back at her husband, “you ready to get this show on the road?”

“Well that’s the most unsexiest thing you have ever said to me before sex,” Oliver replies with a smile but when she doesn’t return it, he looks at her with concern, “if you don’t want to do this, we don’t have to. You can eat the poppers then we can go for a walk, anything else.”

Felicity sighs, teeth sinking into her bottom lip as she looks down at the paper in front of her. She has zero desire to even move from her current spot at the table, much less have sex.

She flips through Oliver research, the notion that he did research still makes her smile. She rolls the table to the side and tugs off Oliver’s T-shirt (the only thing that fits).

“Okay, let’s have a baby, Queen.”

Oliver looks down at her unimpressed, “really? You don’t even want to move to the bedroom?”

“Oliver, I just want this kid out of me, now.” Felicity insists as she whips off her nursing bra.

“I’m getting flashes to what things would be like when we’re trying for another kid,” Oliver remarks as he takes off his own T-shirt.

“Wait, no what are you doing? Just use your hands,” Felicity insists, grabbing his hand and placing it on her boob.

“Seriously?”

“ Olive r, I just want her out !” Felicity begs almost close to tears.

That seems to get to him and he immediately starts to massage her. He watches her closely, for any indication that it  is working but after a few minutes, he’s turned on and Felicity is frustrated and not in the way they had hoped.

“You’re doing it wrong,” Felicity insists, taking his hand and showing him how to massage her.

“What happened to, ‘you know what you’re doing, Oliver’,” Oliver grumbles.

“ Clearly, I was wrong.” Felicity snaps back, “just use your mouth then.”

“I’m man enough to know…”

“Oh stop with the commentary and just put your mouth on my boob already. Your manhood is not being questioned here. Just get me off already!”

This time he’s smart enough not to comment and do what she asks, but after a few minutes, Felicity is close to tears and no where close to labour.

" Honey, maybe we shouldn’t rush it,” Oliver soothes sliding into the sofa and gathering her in his arms. Her wet cheeks pressed against his neck. “I know you’re uncomfortable, I know you’re ready, we’re both ready to meet Mia. But she will come when the times ready.”

“Why doesn’t she want to come Oliver?” Felicity practically sobs out in frustration, letting Oliver help her back into her T-shirt.

“I think, you have made her home so comfortable…”

“No don’t give me that bullshit. She just stubborn and late just like her father,” Felicity grumbles.

“I’m sorry,” he’s placating her, but his words comfort  her nonetheless, “why don’t we go for a walk, it’s still a bit warm out today, then when we come back I’ll give you a foot rub.”

“I love you, more than you can know,” Felicity confesses, “Sorry if I’m being grumpy.”

“You’re carrying our child, you can be grumpy all you want.”

“Remember this conversation when I go into labour and I’m threatening to cut off your penis.”

He does not comment after that, but Felicity can see the almost terrified look on his face as he helps her to his feet.

“Mia, this stays between me and you, okay?” Felicity whispers, despite the fact that the Smoak Tech office is covered in darkness, “if your daddy only knows I ran away, he’s gonna be so mad.”

She slides into her chair and sighs in delight, “oh how I missed you my friend,”

She flexes her fingers and starts typing away on the keyboards grinning at the screens that start up immediately, “oh it’s so nice to look at a screen that’s not my tablet. You know Mia trying to develop new software is so hard on a tablet, but I know your Daddy is a worry wart, so I left things alone, but it’s been ten days and Mia I’m going crazy. You seem to have decided that you are going to live in my uterus forever , so I need to do something.”

She gets a kick in her stomach and she laughs, “so testy like your daddy, speaking of your dad, let’s see what Team Arrow is up to.”

She does a few gestures on the computer and smiles when she sees Oliver running through an alleyway, “see daddy’s kicking as... butt.”

“ Felicity ?” Oliver calls out in alarm voice slightly muffled over the coms.

Felicity winces, she had not meant to turn anything on other that street cameras to see where the team was. She goes silent hoping he will think he heard something.

“Felicity, I can hear you breathing! You have been breathing like a freight train, these last few weeks,” Oliver growls back after her lack of response, “what the hell are you doing? Are you in the bunker?.”

“No, I promised you I wouldn’t go to the bunker,” Felicity remarks, wincing when she feels a slight pain to her side, she ignores it and continues, “I’m offended that you would think I would go against your word like that. By the way you have incoming of about 7 people heading your way. You’re welcome by the way.”

“Thank you.” Oliver grunts in reply, and she knows he’s still upset with her, well tough for him, she can more than handle doing some light work, while helping team arrow out.

“Blondie, we’ve missed your yapping on the comms these past few weeks,” Renee chimes in, “Oliver has been grumpier than normal without you here.”

She frowns at Renee’s words she never really considered Oliver would not deal well with her not being on the team. If anything he seemed most focused on her being at home, and resting she always assumed he was okay with her not being Overwatch anymore.

“Wild dog shut up and focus.” Comes Oliver’s angry reply, and she knows Renee was not exaggerating.

She’s just about to comment when another sharp pain hits her in her back, and this time she knows it’s not the baby kicking her, “Oh no.”

“Felicity? What’s wrong?” Oliver calls out immediately.

“Nothing, nothing’s wrong, just had a little rusty breaking into this firewall, all is good and you should have access, in two seconds,”Felicity replies easily, breathing through her mouth, and trying not to alert her husband that she is most definitely having contractions.

She looks at the time on the monitor and makes a mental note of her contractions, her breathing becoming somewhat laboured.

The moment they have the civilians safe and the leader of the gang tied up Felicity finally speaks as calmly as she can, “Oliver, I need you to come to Smoak Tech.”

She tries her hardest to mask the next contraction but this one hits harder than anything before and her loud scream has the entire team on alert. She feels heavy wetness between her legs and looks down with a frown, “well that’s gonna leave a stain.”

“I’m on my way.” Oliver says unnecessarily, she can see his tracking icon literally flying across the map.

“Just please get here in one piece.” Felicity says, wincing again, she muted the rest of the team, Rene’s voice getting on her nerves.

“I can’t believe you…” Oliver starts off slightly out of breath but stops, “are you okay? How close are the contractions?”

“I’ve been better.” Felicity remarks warning a soft chuckle from her husband the sound of his bike roaring in the background. “Oliver…”

“I know, I know I’m almost there. John is going to get William along with your hospital bag.” Oliver explains his voice calm and soothing her nerves.

“That’s good..thats ohhhhh ,” she screams out in pain leading forward to grip the table, “wow this hurts. This really, really hurts.”

“Just breathe for me, Felicity,” Oliver calls out voice slightly panicked, “I’m almost there.”

She breathes through her mouth, counting backwards as the pain rips through her body again, her contractions seem to be getting closer and closer together. Figures their stubborn child takes her cool time to grace them with her presence but as soon as she’s ready she’s too impatient.

“The impatience she gets from you,” Oliver teases, “how are you now?”

“You know, just hanging around,” Felicity tried to sound casual but her eyes fill with tears as another contraction hits, “Oliver hurry please.”

“Outside your building, I’m coming up now,” Oliver promises and in less than a minute Felicity hears a loud crash and she spins around to see one of Oliver’s grappling arrows imbedding in the window and he comes flying into the room.

“You could have taken the elevator!” Felicity screams out just as another contraction hits. “I’m not going down that grappling arrow with you.”

“Of course not.” Oliver says dismissively, before she can ask what he is doing Oliver scoops her up in his arms and looks down at her with those soft blue eyes of his, “ready to have a baby?”

“I don’t know but she certainly is ready,” Felicity quips with a wince as another contraction, she grips Oliver good, “Oliver, I need the drugs.”

“Dr. Schwartz knows you’re coming and she already called the anesthesiologist. I’ve got you covered, just hold out till we get there,” Oliver promises presses a kiss to her forehead as the building elevators open and they make their way to Felicity’s car.

“Oh I really hope John got to William before he saw us on the news,” Felicity bemoans as Oliver carries her through the ER entrance 15 minutes later, still dressed in his Green Arrow suit a few reporters and photographers yelling to get their attention.

“Just ignore them and focus on Mia, John has William, I’m here. It’s going to be fine,” Oliver promises soothingly.

“Easy for you to say you don’t have to push a watermelon out of your hoohah,” Felicity grumbles.

“Ah Baby Smoak Queen finally decided to grace us with her presence, I see?” Dr Schwartz greets them pleasantly.

“Can I just get the drugs?” Felicity moans, completely skipping pleasantries, in a few minutes or hours, the doctor is going to see more of Felicity, than she cares for, so they are beyond pleasantries as far as Felicity is concern.

The doctor has the audacity to laugh, okay she only smiles in response, but Felicity feels as though she is laughing at her and Felicity does not appreciate it in the slightest.

“Why don’t we get you both changed and ready for delivery, and I’ll get one of the nurses to page the anesthesiologist for you?” She offers still smiling, and Felicity has never wanted to punch a woman more than in this moment, except that one time she punched evil Laurel, but the current thought still stands.

“What do I have to do to get ready?” Oliver asks confused, hovering next to Felicity as the orderly’s take her wheelchair from him.

“Sadly, the Green Arrow is not allowed in the delivery room,” their doctor teases, but when both he and Felicity look at her incredulously, their doctor laughs wholeheartedly, “Guys, I’m talking about the suit.”

Oliver looks properly chastised and his ears pink up in embarrassment, he places his hand on his chest, “Sorry about, I know how much you hate when I come in the ER in the suit.”

“No, I hate all the press you bring with you when you and your merry men come storming in here all suited up,” Dr. Schwartz reminds him, “why don’t you go with Nurse Andrew and he will find you some clean scrubs, in the meantime we will take good care of your wife, I promise.”

“I’ll be okay...we’ll be okay,” Felicity promises, squeezing his hand one more time, before the nurses wheel her off in the opposite direction.

“Are we ready to have a baby?” her doctor asks her cheerily just as another contraction hits.

“Pretty sure the only person having the baby here is me ,” Felicity grumbles, as her nurse ushers her into the room, earning a small laugh from her audience of nurses and other personnel, everyone but  her husband.

“Can one of you please give me something for this pain and get my husband?” She practically begs as one of the orderlies helps her into her bed after ridding her of her soiled clothes and helping her into her hospital gown, just as another contraction hits. She knows that they are here to help, but at this point in time she just wants something to ease the pain and her husband .

“We just need to check to see how far along you are, then we can determine if we need to call the anesthesiologist,” The nurse explains, as another one eases Felicity’s feet into the stirrups.

“What do you mean if , of course I need the drugs, I am not doing this thing without it. Dr. Schwartz and I have a birthing plan, a very specific birthing plan that includes all the good drugs and my husband,” Felicity replies shortly, scowling at the woman currently sitting between her legs, and probably holds the key to Felicity getting the drugs she deserves.

“Did Dr. Schwartz not tell you about the window of opportunity when you get the anesthesia, and if that moment has passed in the labour we may not be able to give you anything,” the nurse says looking at Felicity worriedly.

“Yes she explained that to me, but we have a birthing plan,” Felicity insists, wincing when yet another contraction hits, “Oliver Queen, where the fuck are you?”

“I’m here, I’m here!” Oliver says breathlessly as he runs into the room wearing cotton candy pink scrubs, looking slightly disheveled, “I was on the phone with your mother, she’s on her way, she should get here within the next 5 hours or so. Luckily, there was a direct flight, and John offered to go for her.”

She’s not even upset at his words, because she has never wanted her mother more than in this moment. That being said she needs her husband right now, she gestures for him to come to her side, the nurses already placing the stool for him next to her head.

“Please tell them I need the drugs, Oliver,” Felicity practically begs him just as another contraction his, her hand slips between his and squeezes it tightly, “I need the drugs, Oliver.”

Oliver wipes her hair out her face and smiles reassuringly, “I know, honey. I’m sure they are doing everything they can to make sure you can be as comfortable as possible.”

“I’m scared,” Felicity confesses, her voice wavering as she clings to his hand, the fear of what’s to come slowly building up.

“You got this,” Oliver insists, taking their clasped hands and pressing his lips to her knuckles. He looks into Felicity’s eyes and tells her, “you are the strongest person I know. You can do this, I know you can,” with so much conviction like it’s an irrefutable fact, that in the moment, despite not feeling that way, Felicity believed him.

“Okay guys, change of plans,” one of the nurses calls out as the others move around them in flurry, fetal monitors are attached to Felicity’s stomach, different stirrups are put in place, and Felicity finds herself being moved to a more upright position.

“What’s going on?” Oliver asks in alarm, his grip around her hand tightens.

“Nothing to worry about, Dad,” the nurse says brightly just as Dr. Schwartz’s comes  into the room, “It’s just about time to push. Your daughter is quiet the impatient one, she’s ready to come now .”

Both Oliver and Felicity’s eyes widen in surprise, Felicity tries to sit up but falls back when another contraction hits, this is not what they planned. This is not how things were suppose to go. She has a plan, a well thought out plan, and much like way her husband walked into her life 7 years ago and turned her life upside down in the best way imaginable by messing with that plan, her daughter seems to intent on entering her life in the exact same way.

“Oh god but I wanted the drugs.”

“Sorry, Felicity, we talked about this, some births progress much faster than expected, and although your baby girl is a full 9 days late, she is ready to come now and she’s not waiting for anyone,” Dr. Schwartz’s says happily as the nurses help her into her own gowns, “Are you finally ready to meet your little girl?”

“Whether I’m ready or not she’s coming   ah ….” Felicity screams out in pain as another contraction hits, this time though the sudden urge to push over takes her, her eyes widen, terrified and no matter how unprepared she feels for this moment, this baby is coming whether she’s ready or not.

It is terrifying .

She looks from Oliver to her doctor, “I need to push.”

“Just give me a second, to make sure we’re all good to go,” Dr. Schwartz promises, just before she disappears between Felicity’s legs.

Felicity looks at Oliver in alarm, her still wide and alert, her heart beating rapidly in her chest, “It’s really happening.”

Oliver nods his eyes already filling with tears, his grip tightening around her fingers, “I love you.”

“I love you so much,”

“Okay, Felicity, on the next contraction I want you to push as hard as you can,” Dr. Schwartz instructs.

Felicity nods her breathing already laboured, her forehead drenched with sweat, she can feel her heart hammering in her chest rapidly, and her entire body bows just as another contraction rips through her.  

She can barely hear Oliver’s encouraging words over her screams and the pain as each contraction hits, Oliver’s soft words of love, echo in her ears as her doctor tells her one final push.

“I love you so much,” Oliver sobs out besides her, voice raw and full of awe.

“I love you so much,” Felicity echoes out painfully, “I’ll love you even more when this baby is out of me!”

She barely hears his soft chuckle over the sound of a baby cry echoing in the small room.

Their baby’s cry.

She’s finally here.

Felicity collapses against the bed unable to keep herself any longer, she strains her neck to see her daughter, but there is too much movement around her. Her heartaches to her hold her baby, but she only looks at Oliver for comfort, his eyes are wet with tears, mouth slightly parted as he looks at their daughter full of awe and wonderment.

Before she can ask to see her daughter she gasps in surprise when a red crying bundle is deposited on her chest, “ oh!”

The baby calms immediately as she is placed on Felicity’s chest, grey eyes stare back at her, “hi baby, oh my…. Oliver, look at what we did.”

“Hi Mia,” Oliver chokes out, he runs a finger against her cheek and they both sob when Mia opens her mouth, little nose wrinkling.

As quickly as the moment comes it passes when one of the nurses takes the baby away, “we’re just gonna clean her up, Dad you can stay with her if you want.”

Oliver looks from Mia then to Felicity both eager but concern, Felicity shakes her head and tilts it towards Mia, “go look after our girl,”

“I love you,” Oliver declares, leaning forward and kissing her soundly before he’s pulled away with one of the nurses.

“She looks perfectly healthy,” Dr. Schwartz promises Felicity, squeezing her foot in reassurance, “now let’s get this placenta delivered, suture you up a bit so that you’re ready for your baby.”

“Shh baby girl, let Mommy sleep, she’s had a long day,”

She wakes to the sound of Oliver soft voice, and instead of feeling his familiar warm next to her body, she hears the sound of soft gurgles accompanying his quiet tone.

Her entire body aches in ways she could never imagine, maybe even more than her countless surgeries from years ago. When she turns her head and opens her eyes she is greeted by the most beautiful sight she’s ever seen. Oliver is standing next to the hospital window, with their newborn daughter cradle in his arms. She looks even tinier in his arms. Mia’s face is pink and she is bundled in a little onesie covered in bees, her little sock clad feet are just nearly poking out of the custom white and pink blankets.

Oliver looks slightly nervous, but natural with Mia in his arms. She looks around for any signs of their son but sees none and frowns with concern. She would assume he would have gotten here by now.

“Hey,” she calls out her throat slightly sore, her eyes light up with delight though when Mia’s head turn towards her.

“Hey sleepyhead,” Oliver greets softly as he walks towards her, he presses a kiss on Mia’s head and smiles, “look Mia, Mommy’s awake.”

Mommy .

Wow, she’s someone’s Mommy.  

For the past few months she and Oliver have been referring to each other as such, but it is so much more different when there is a tiny little baby that will one day call her that. It’s overwhelming and yet just wonderful .

“Hi baby,” she coos softly as Oliver puts Mia on her chest, when Mia’s eyes blinks open and she looks at her, Felicity’s heart soars and her eyes fill with tears yet again. “Oh wow. Hi Mia. Oliver, she’s perfect.”

She places a kiss on Mia’s head, the new smell overtaking her sense, Mia’s little hand raises and gently brushes her cheek and Felicity finds herself falling head over heels in love with another Queen for the third time in her life.

Oliver nods, and she can see he is not doing any better, “just like her mother ”

His words only bring on the waterworks even more, and there is nothing she can do to stop it, “the doctor said that your hormones will be a little out of sorts for the next few days.”

Felicity nods, but she knows it’s not the hormones, she’s just never been this happy in her entire life. Mia’s small hands brush against her skin again and Felicity leans forward to kiss her tiny hand, “She’s just so tiny, so beautiful. I can’t stop looking at her.”

“I haven’t put her down since the nurse brought her in,” Oliver confesses sheepishly, his hand still wrapped around her tiny foot, never once losing contact with their daughter since he placed her in Felicity’s arms.

“I’ll give her back...soonish?” Felicity offers sheepishly, but they both know its a lie.

Oliver only chuckles and wipes back her still damp hair, “we have all the time in the world.”

“We do, don’t we?” Felicity says with a smile, her eyes moving to his briefly before she’s pulled back to look down at their daughter.

Mia’s little forehead wrinkles as her eyes flutter close, and Felicity’s heart melts all over again at the sight, “She looks like you,”

Oliver forehead then wrinkles, in the exact same way, which makes Felicity smile brighter, but he shakes his head, “Oh no she’s all you.”

He places his index finger on Mia’s tiny nose, both of them giggling at the way she twitches, “That’s your nose.”

“Alright, I’ll give you that, but these dimples are all Queen dimples,” Felicity points out cheekily, brushing her index finger against Mia’s cheek, when the baby moves her head towards her, Oliver suddenly stands up.

“I forgot the nurse asked me to call her when you woke up so you can try nursing. They said that you both can be discharged as early as tonight,” Oliver says excitedly, he pauses at the bed and looks down at Mia slightly torn.

“She’s not going to disappear,” Felicity promises with a smile. He is adorable the way he shifts from one leg to the next, brushes his hand against Mia’s chubby little leg, then squeezes her own leg, before he finally takes a step away from them.

“I’ll be right back.”

“I know,” Felicity replies with a nod. Once he slips out of the room, not before throwing them one last look, Felicity looks down at her daughter, “Daddy is so silly, we aren’t going anywhere. Between you and me, I don’t think I have the energy to stand up yet. We’re good right here, right Microchip?”

Felicity pauses mid ramble, and looks at Mia in realization, the newborn eyes are now trained on her and she grins, “You’re finally getting to meet the crazy lady that’s been chatting your ears off, well long before you even had ears. Hope you’re not disappointed, Mia.”

Mia only gurgles in response, tiny fist brushing against Felicity’s chin, “I’ll take that as a yes.”

Mia entire face wrinkles, her forehead turning red as she releases a loud wail, startling Felicity as she begins to cry in earnest.

“Oh boy, well you certainly got your lungs from me uh?” Felicity jokes, but the baby only cries loudly, “ tough crowd. It’s okay Mia, you’re okay. Mommy’s got you.”

Felicity very gently moves Mia from her arms, to lie on her chest, cradling the baby’s head as she rubs her back soothingly, “I know, it’s been a long day for you too, you’re probably tired of all these strangers staring at you.”

When Mia’s cries grow louder, Felicity’s eyes widen in alarm and she cautiously moves the baby so that she’s back in her arms, looking up at Felicity. She’s read that sometimes the baby needs the comfort of her face.

“Hey microchip, its okay. I’m right here. You’re okay,” she calls out soothingly, running her finger gently against Mia’s cheek, but when Mia turns her head to nuzzle her, she pulls back unsure if she did something wrong.

“Looks like Miss Mia is anxious for her breakfast,” a cheerful voice calls.

Felicity looks up just in time to see Oliver make three quick strides towards them his face full of concern, “She just started crying and she won’t stop.”

“Nothing to worry about Mom and Dad,” the nurse reassures them kindly, she grabs the nursing pillow at Felicity’s feet and smiles down at them Mia’s cries till echoing in the small room, “Someone is just hungry and getting very impatient.”

“I know where she gets that from,” Felicity calls out teasingly, sending her husband a wink just as the nurse moves to position Mia on the nursing pillow and help Felicity with her gown.

“Now don’t be disappointed if she doesn’t latch on right away, sometimes it takes time,” the nurse warns as she guides Felicity through the process of getting Mia to nurse.

After a few unsuccessful tries, Mia is getting even more impatient and Felicity is getting frustrated with herself, for bother her and Mia. She’s just about to declare they take a break, when Mia finally latches on Felicity gasps as the unfamiliar feeling, but then her entire body warms as she looks down at her daughter and she feels as though she’s falling in love with her all over again.

“She will need a little help when she’s finished, so just take your finger and gently press it by her lips and that will do the trick. If you need anything else, you can page me,” The nurse says brightly before she leaves.

Felicity tears her gaze away from Mia, to look across at her husband who is sitting at the foot her bed looking at them with wonder, his blue eyes are trained on Mia. “ Amazing.”

“It’s weird,” Felicity confesses sheepishly, her eyes moving back to Mia, whose own eyes are now closed and she is entirely focused on her meal.

“Good weird?” Oliver whispers back, moving close to them, his fingers slipping through hers.

“ Amazing .” Felicity echoes his previous comment, they both smile at each other briefly, before they turn their focus back to their daughter.

Neither of them say anything, always afraid to disturb their daughter’s meal and still full of wonder. Felicity hopes that feeling never leaves, the utter amazement she feels as she looks at her daughter.

“John is bringing William over, we decided to not wake him in the middle of the night, especially as he couldn’t be in the delivery room with us,” Oliver explains, his voice still barely above a whisper as he cards his fingers through Felicity’s tangled strands.

“Good, I’m sure he’s excited to meet his sister,” Felicity says stifling a yawn, grateful that the nurse placed Mia on the nursing pillow, as the exhaustion begins to hit her.

“As soon as she’s finished, I’ll take her so that you can sleep,” Oliver promises, his fingers running along Mia’s sock covered feet.

“It’s okay, I got her,” Felicity insists but this time she’s unable to stop herself from yawning.

“Honey, you are exhausted, you need to sleep,” Oliver insists, he looks at Mia, who to his surprise is staring back at him.

“She knows her Daddy,” Felicity grins, running her finger lightly against Mia’s cheek and if she was not so tired she would have fist bumped the air, when Mia releases her with a loud pop. She can see Oliver is eagerly looking at Mia, just about ready to scoop her up. “You should take her. Did the nurse mention how to burp her?”

“She did, and she said...Hi baby girl!”

Oliver breaks out into a smile, momentarily forgetting that he was talking to Felicity as he takes Mia into his arms, looking much more confident than he did earlier.  He nuzzles her cheek lightly, pressing a soft kiss on her forehead before her cradles her against his chest, and starts to rub her back. He then seems to remember what he was saying and looks at Felicity sheepishly, “Uh the nurse told me to just rub her back and tap it lightly with two fingers, and she should….whoop there you go!”

He is so utterly delighted by the fact that their daughter just burped, it’s so endearingly adorable, god she loves him.

“I love you too,” Oliver chimes back grinning at her as he begins to sway with Mia in his arms.

They make the picture perfect image.

There is a gentle knock on the door, and they both turn at the sound, Felicity glancing briefly at Mia to see that the baby is now sound asleep in her husband’s arms. To her delight, she sees their son at the door, looking slightly dishevelled, and sleep deprived, no doubt from staying up all night with his friends, which is how their sleepovers typically go. She’s pretty sure if John had called William at the time she went into labour, the teenager would have still be wide awake with his friends.

“Hey buddy!” Oliver whispers, gesturing for William to come into the room, “Come meet your sister,”

“She’s so small. Wow” William says in awe, moving closer to Oliver, his blue eyes trained on Mia’s little face, “Is she sleeping?”

“Yea, she just ate, do you want to hold her?” Oliver asks, and William’s eyes widen in surprise, moving unsure from Oliver, to Felicity then to Mia.

Oliver seems to sense his hesitation, and step to the side gesturing for William to take a seat on the couch, “its okay, you won’t wake her up. Just support her head and then her bottom. There you go, see you’re a natural.”

“She’s so small,” William repeats, just barely above a whisper, his eyes never leaving Mia. He’s so cautious, but so protective of her already, the image brings tears to Felicity’s eyes immediately, and she can see Oliver is not faring any better. “I can’t believe she’s so tiny.”

“Trust me she didn’t feel very tiny earlier,” Felicity quips tiredly, grinning at the face William makes.

“You’re okay?” He asks her with concern, tearing his gaze away from his sister long enough for Felicity to reply, before turns his focus back to his sister.

“I’m perfect ,” Felicity eyes never waver from both her children.

She watches the way William gently shifts in his chair, so that his back is flush against the soft material, and the way he looks at the baby to ensure that he does not justle her away, makes her heart swell. He’s clearly getting comfortable with no intent to relinquish his hold on Mia. She feels a hand slips between hers, and she looks across to see that Oliver has moved closer to her, both of them watching their children together for the very first time.

Her little family of four.

“Just perfect.”

Chapter Text

He wakes to the sound of soft cries coming from the baby monitor, with a wide yawn he rolls over to turn the volume down. Felicity’s soft snores still steady through the room.  He slips out of bed, shaking his head in amusement when Felicity rolls to his side of the bed and sprawls out like a starfish.

He makes his way to the nursery, he can hear soft cries slowly getting louder and he quickly slips into the nursery.

“Hey square bear, why all the tears?” Oliver coos on entering the room, he looks over the crib and smiles when he sees the red angry face of his daughter. “Hey, none of that,”

He scoops her up and cradles her to his chest, her crying ceasing immediately, but she’s suddenly pressing her hands against his chest and pushing back on him trying to see him, and twisting to see what’s around her.

“Mia, we’re in your bedroom there is nothing new to see here,” Oliver says with a laugh spinning her around so that she can see the rest of her nursery.

At barely six months she already has such a demanding personality, and seems to know exactly what she wants. Her lack of patience since her birth has remained, if anything it got stronger since then.

Case in point she’s already stretching out to be put down, she has yet to start crawling, and boy does that upset her greatly .

“Breakfast first,” Oliver insists, she turns her head to look at him again as though contemplating his words, “yes I know you understand that, don’t you want food baby girl?”

She babbles a bit, little arms raising up in excitement, Oliver laughs placing her on his hip and pressing a kiss to her forehead, “yes let’s try some bananas, how does that sound?”

Mia only babbles in response and pats Oliver on the face, when she feels his beard she giggles, till her little fingers grab at the short hair.

“Alright, I guess it’s time to cut the beard uh?” Oliver says softly to Mia as they make their way down the stairs towards the kitchen, when he jumps over the baby gate with ease, Mia laughs.

“Don’t let Mommy know I did that,” Oliver whispers to her just before he nuzzles her face and she breaks out into laughter.

“Now are you gonna sit in your chair while get breakfast ready?” Oliver asks her expectantly, he takes two steps towards her high chair and Mia immediately starts to cry. When he walks away her crying stops, Oliver laughs wholeheartedly, “this is what I get for helping make a mini Felicity Smoak isn’t it? You trying to outsmart me, Mia?”

Mia eyes widen at her mother’s name little head twisting around s she tries to find her, Oliver frowns, “Sorry, honey. Mommy is still sleeping.”

He is certain that his daughter glares at him after he tells her, he doesn’t care what anyone says but Mia totally glared at him.

“Okay, let’s give these bananas a try again,” Oliver says to her as he grabs the baby shoulder holder and slips Mia into it before he moves to make breakfast.

Mia seems content to play with his T-shirt for the time being, ever so often she will throw her head back trying to gain his attention. Oliver heart melts every time their blue eyes meet and she gives him a toothless smile complete with dimples.

Six months and that smile still makes Oliver go weak at the knees.

“Alright baby girl, let’s prove to Mommy and your brother that bananas are the superior fruit,” Oliver jokes as he slips Mia into her highchair after a few tries, not deterred by Mia’s angry cries for being put in the high chair.

“I know, I know but you need to learn to have breakfast at the table,” Oliver soothes as he brings her bright green bowl to her. He ensures the suction is probably in place and then scoops up a tiny amount of bananas in the equally tiny spoon.

Mia though looks at the spoon then back at her father with a frown, “C’mon Mia you know you wanna try it.”

Mia only wrinkles her nose and pushes her the spoon  away, some of the bananas falling onto the table and ending up in her hands.

She looks down at the bananas in her hands slightly confused, tiny fingers clenching then opening again as the banana oozes through her fingers.

“Taste it,” Oliver offers, wondering briefly if this is the best way to get her to eat, she only looks at him unsure.

He grasps her little wrist with his thumb and forefinger and raises her hand gently to his mouth licks the small bit of banana. Mia starts giggling immediately, Oliver shakes is head in amusement and then gently pushes her hand to her mouth, “Now you try,”

Mia though clamps her mouth shut and refuses to taste the banana on her hand, moving her face away when he tries to get her to lick her hand.

“Seriously?”

She takes that though as a cue and shoves her hand in his mouth again.

“Mia, I think we’re missing the point of the exercise here. I’m suppose to be feeding you breakfast,” Oliver laughs when she only uses his chatter to shove her hand in his mouth again.

She looks at him expectantly, dipping her hand into the bowl again and then offering it to him.

“It’s good,” Oliver tells her, giving up in defeat, banana all in his beard and he’s pretty sure she got some up his nose too.

Mia babbles loudly in delight and slaps the table with her banana covered hands.

“So I guess that’s a no on the bananas?” Oliver asks her in defeat just as she slaps her hand into the bowl crushed bananas flying everywhere.

“Did the Green Arrow just get bested by a 6 month old?” A familiar voice calls out sleepily.

Mia is the first to react and she starts bouncing in her high chair in excitement hands slapping the table loudly as Felicity comes close.

“Nice to see you too, Microchip,” Felicity teases in greeting her arms going around Oliver’s waist from behind.

When he turns his face to look at her she breaks out into laughter at the banana smeared all over his face, “aw honey, did you not like your breakfast this morning?”

“Funny,” Oliver grumbles as Felicity leans forward to kiss him anyway. She licks her lips at the taste of the bananas and wipes her chin free of the fruit.

She turns to their daughter who is now whining in her high chair arms stretched out towards Felicity, “are you using Daddy’s face as target practice today Mia?”

As soon as she says that Mia’s shakes her hand and a big chunk of bananas lands directly on Oliver’s face. Felicity snorts in amusement, trying and failing to hide her laughter.

“You’ll have to be careful we might have a new Green Arrow on our hands,” Felicity teases, taken a nearby napkin to wipe Mia’s hands and face and then turning to her husband who seems to need it just as badly.

“Let’s give her at least till her 18th birthday,” Oliver replies, the idea of his baby girl doing so much as cartwheel gives anxiety, but he won’t hide the fact that ever since he hung up the hood he hoped that one day in the future one of their kids would pick of the mantel.

One day far far far in the future as far as he’s concerned.

“Really? I thought for sure after you hung up the hood you would never want our kids to walk in our footsteps?” Felicity asks curious, as she gently pulls banana bits out of his beard.

“The hood is the reason I met the love of my life. The hood is how we first fell in love, I may be retired now and I would never want our kids in danger like that again. But a small part of me always hoped that they would one day, if they wanted to, would take up the hood and carry on my legacy…. our legacy. If the past seven years has taught us anything it’s that the city will always need saving. It may not be our job anymore to save the city, but who knows maybe one day one of our kids will feel the need to pick up the hood again.”

“You sound very zen for the man who builds a tower of pillows around his daughter before he steps out of the room for a second,” Felicity teases, her fingers tugging lightly at Oliver’s hair, “you’re really okay with our kids living that kind of life?”

“When they are old enough to understand it and make the decision for themselves sure,” Oliver says with earnest and he honestly believes that he would, ad he would be honoured if any of their kids wanted to do what they did, “don’t you?”

Felicity is clearly torn, she turns her focus back to their daughter, Mia is now gumming on her hands licking small bits of banana, and sends them a toothless smile, “can you imagine that cute little dimple face, kicking criminal butt and putting the fear of god into them?”

They both laugh as Mia bangs the table angry in protest, despite the fact that she was smiling not two seconds ago, “so testy, just like a certain Green Arrow that I know and fell in love with.”

“Okay, I’m not fully on board with the idea, but not that it matters now or anytime in the future, Mia doesn’t even have teeth yet and William…”

“William futures consists of endless more school graduations for us, we’ve got all the time in the world,” Felicity finished sending him a cheeky grin and he knows they are both on the same page, “but who knows what the next one would be like.”

The spoon in Oliver’s hand clatters to the table, his eyes wide as he turns it Felicity questioningly, she couldn’t possibly , not so soon.

“Oh my god! Oliver no! No. No. No!” Felicity says in alarm, he’s a little put off by the number of no she just uttered.

He thought they were on the same page when it came to kids, he loves William and Mia, they both do and he hoped they would expand their family some more in the future. She just suggested as such.

“This uterus is closed for maintenance for at least another year from now,” Felicity insists placing her hand on her stomach, sending Oliver a grin, both of them ignoring the way Mia slaps her spoon repeatedly on the table.

“Only temporarily right?” Oliver asks her with hopeful eyes, Felicity only laughs in returns and leans forward to kiss him again reassuring him that the Smoak-Queen line will definitely not end with Mia.

When Mia slaps the table again in anger yelling out in protest no doubt at being ignored for so long they both laugh and turn to look at her.

“I mean, look at that face, it would be crime against genetics if we didn’t procreate at least one more time,” Felicity teases.

Oliver only laughs in return, she’s not wrong, “we do make beautiful babies.”

Said baby though has had enough and starts banging the table in earnest crying loudly in protest big fat tears rolling down her cheeks. Felicity only shakes her head and finally releases Mia from her baby prison, unbuckling the small belt in the high chair and scooping up their daughter.

“Now, was all those dramatics really needed, Miss Mia?” She asks Mia sternly, Mia only whimpering now as she rubs her face into Felicity’s neck never one to openly cry once she’s in their arms.

“I think, you are just hungry,” Felicity says thoughtfully as she moves around the kitchen with far more ease than she ever had six months ago. Well to be fair she always knew her way around the fridge but ever since Mia was born she’s been trying to be a little bit more familiar with the kitchen. They are still trying to make breakfast food but they are getting there.

“should we try the purée pumpkin instead?” Felicity asks him as she shifts a whiny Mia from one hip to the next with practice ease.

They have both gotten proficient at juggling a baby and doing other things. Instead of juggling multiple computers or various bag guys they now juggle babies and other household things or just about anything with a baby and by now they are both excellent at it.

“For breakfast?” Oliver asks as he begins to clean up the high chair, “I thought we’d try that for lunch. Maybe the apple sauce? It’s not as sweet, she might not light the sweetness in the banana?”

“No sweet tooth? Definitely your kid,” Felicity teases as she opens one of the cupboards and pulls out a tiny jar of applesauce. “How about some apple... Mia , we’ve been over this kid you can’t just pull at my top like that.”

Oliver bites his lip to hold in his laughter at Felicity’s tone. Sure enough he sees Mia yanking at Felicity’s top clearly indicating what she wants for breakfast and it’s not the purée apples in his wife’s hand. He watches both of his girls go into a staring match, Felicity has stern finger pointed at their daughter but Mia only uses her hand to grab it, momentarily forgetting about her mission to get Felicity’s boob.

Felicity insists on instilling manners from young, personally Oliver thinks it’s a losing battle with a six month old. All the books say that won’t really be instilled till Mia is at least a toddler, but he figures he has no boobs so he can’t really argue with Felicity on this one.

So he watches on in amusement as Felicity goes head to head with their six month old and it’s hilarious the way both their matching blue eyes stare directly back at each other neither faltering. Felicity always tries to be stern but Mia usually gives her a toothless smile fill with dimples or presses her hand to Felicity cheek and his wife is a goner.

After only a few seconds, Felicity rolls her eyes, and shifts Mia so that she’s cradle against her chest. Mia already knows what’s coming and she starts yanking at Felicity top until she finally gets her prize. Little fingers grab at Felicity until she’s content and nursing, Felicity yet to move to a chair.

But Oliver is two steps ahead and already pulls one of the dining room chairs for her. He looks at her in amusement, “so we try tomorrow?”

Felicity scowls, her features softening when she looks down at Mia, whose eyes are closed and far more focused on her breakfast, “No, I’m sticking to my two a day rule. She’s gonna have to wait till bedtime, otherwise she’s having formula. I need to wean her off before next month. I’ll be away for two weeks without her.”

He can see the way she tightens her hold on Mia, her fingers caressing Mia’s barefoot. He knows that her upcoming merger for Smoak Tech is weighing on her a lot, it will be the first time since Mia was born that Felicity won’t be with her for longer than two nights. It’s the reason Felicity wanted to start weaning Mia off the breast milk, so that it will be easier on both of them when she’s away.

But Oliver can see the toll it’s been taking on Felicity these past few days, and he wonders now if she’s only doing this cause she thinks she has to and not that she wants to. He’s seen the way both she and Mia enjoy their time together and he knows it can’t be her worry about Mia biting her when Mia has yet to get her first tooth.

“Hey, if you’re not ready to do this and she’s not ready to do it, there is no rush. You don’t have stop right this moment. I know with you going to the office more and travelling to different investors it will take some time, but we’ll figure it out. That’s why I’m home, I got this,” Oliver promises crouching in front of her, hands resting on her knees as he looks at her concern.

“You dont got the boobs though,” Felicity points out, biting her lip as he can see this decisions is weighing on her, “I can’t be in London and feed her, and there is no way I’ll be able to store that amount of milk for two weeks . I need to do this, we just need to try harder with other fruits till she finds one she likes.”

“Honey, we both know if she doesn’t want to now she’s not ready for that just yet,” Oliver points out, the next part has his heart clenching at the thought already, but he knows it’s the right thing to do, “what we can do is get your Mom to go London with you.”

“Why would I bring my mom with me on a work trip?” Felicity asks and then her eyes widen when she finally catches on what he means, “really? You think I should take her? You’ll be away from her for two weeks, are you okay with that?”

“Felicity, I don’t like the idea of being away from either of you for more than a day, but we’ll figure it out and I need to stay here with William rather than we ask Donna to do it, it’s not fair to Will.” Oliver decides, his heart heavy.

It’s been almost two years since the last time he and Felicity have even been apart for more than a handful of days, and the very first time he will be away from Mia since she was born. The thought of not being with both his girls is almost terrifying, but he knows the way Felicity’s company is taking off it’s only a matter of time before more work trips just like this will be happening and much for frequently too.

Felicity bites her lips and nods, smoothing down Mia’s short blond hair that’s only just beginning to fill out, “that’s good, I’m not ready to stop breastfeeding yet.”

Oliver rises to his feet, his old knee injury getting the best of him, he leans forward and presses a kiss to her forehead, “if it’s any consolation, I don’t think Mia is ready to stop either. When the time comes I think you both will know. For now just enjoy it while it lasts,”

Felicity nods and then grins at him, “she’s gonna need a passport.”

“That should be fun, trying to keep her still long enough to take it,” Oliver says with a laugh, he looks down at Mia and grins, “they’d probably frown upon your boobs being in the picture, wouldn’t they?”

Felicity laughs wholeheartedly at his comment but then Mia whines loudly in protest when she loses her hold,

“Sorry, Microchip.” She then looks back to Oliver, “I don’t think they would be impressed, we do need to get William’s passport as well so we should just do them together.”

“Didn’t he need one to go to Cambridge?” Oliver asks slightly confused.

“Fake name provided by ARGUS, poor kid has changed his name so many times in just as much years,” Felicity says with a dejected sigh.

“At least that point of our lives are over for good now, now William will be getting a passport for any family vacations we plan on taking and nothing else,” Oliver promises.

This is their live now, breastfeeding and planning family vacations. It’s everything Oliver ever wanted and never thought he could have.

“That sounds lovely,” Felicity sighs, “can you believe our biggest concern right now is if we can get our six month old to sit still long enough to take a passport photo?”

“Any regrets?” Oliver asks her softly, he knows her response, knows that they are on the exact same page as they have always been, but part of him always wonders if she misses it.

Misses their old lives.

“No regrets, ever .” Felicity says with conviction throwing him a smile and then looks down at Mia who is still nursing, her smile widens when she sees Mia staring back at her.

Mia raises her hand towards her and Felicity grasps her tiny hand in hers, both of his girls smiling at each other. This right here, these two and their son, this is what he always wanted and was always worth fighting for.

His family.

THE END