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crissiebaby · 20 days

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Big Sis Criss & the Dolly Uprising

Heyyo! I can’t believe it’s been a whole THREE YEARS since I posted my first story! Regardless of whether you’ve been here for every single chapter or have only read one of my shorts, thank you so much to everyone for reading my silly stories.

In honor of my account’s anniversary, I’m releasing an updated version of my lost 2k special, Big Sis Criss & the Dolly Uprising! It includes every dolly currently in my NSFW discord server, Crissie’s Dollhouse! All 77 of them! Once again, thank you all for giving me a reason to write every day. I may be on vacation this month but I already have some new ideas brewing for when I return in June! Hope to see you then! 💕

DISCLAIMER: This revised story contains diaper usage, bondage, humiliation, masturbation/diaper sex, hypermessing, a TON of adorable dollies, and other ABDL themes.

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“Aaaaaaand…all done!” said Crissie, following her self-congratulatory statement with a gleeful giggle. In her hands was the latest dolly she was adding to her collection. Starling, who was sweetly dressed in a poofy frock with several equally poofy diapers poking out from underneath the skirt, blushed like crazy as she peered over the edge of Crissie’s hand. “Don’t you just look precious! Now that you’re all dressed and ready to play, it’s time to introduce you to all the other dollies!”

Rushing over to the expansive dollhouse in the far corner of her pocket dimensional nursery, Crissie opened the wondrous playset, revealing the dozens of dollies she’d invited to stay with her all living peacefully inside their babyish dollhouse rooms. There were plenty of faces from familiar stories, including the likes of Jane from The Dreamcaster, and the Goddess of Diapers, Aife, as well as a myriad of playthings like Claire and Renne, whose stories Crissie had yet to divulge. Everyone lived in peaceful harmony inside Crissie’s Dollhouse…or so Crissie thought.

Setting Starling down on the ground floor of the dollhouse, Crissie gave the newbie a soft pat on the head and nudged her through the entrance, where Buttercup, Crissie’s very first dolly, was waiting for her with open arms.

“Welcome to the dollhouse, Starling. I’m sure you have a lot of questions and I’m here to answer as many as I can,” said Buttercup, who’d settled in nicely to the leadership role that’d been thrust upon her. She offered her hand to Starling, excited to show her around the dollhouse.

Starling was hesitant, but she accepted the overwhelming kindness that Buttercup was showing her. “W-What is this place?” she asked bluntly, hoping for a better explanation than Crissie was able to give her.

Snickering as she guided the fledgling dolly through the main living space of the dollhouse, which was filled with toys and stuffies galore, Buttercup responded, “You’re in Crissie’s Dollhouse. It’s a big collection of all the cute baby dolls that Crissie has amassed over her time in this pocket-dimension nursery. If you’re here, it's because Crissie caught you enjoying her work so much that she invited you to come stay with her. Isn’t that fun?”

All Starling could do was nervously nod as she was led deeper into what was beginning to feel like a fever dream. She didn’t know why but if this was a dream come true, she never wanted to wake up.

Watching from a distance, though, a few dollies that had been less than thrilled with suddenly being snatched up from their homes and brought to Crissie’s nursery glared at Buttercup and the newbie with fervent animosity. “Let’s go guys. The meeting’s about to start,” said ABAlex, one of the many “dollies” that didn’t subscribe to the Little status that had been thrust upon them.

Nodding in agreement next to Alex were fellow ABDL writers, Lightning and Rie, each of whom followed their ringleader through a crack in the dollhouse that led to a small, hidden room where nearly twenty other dollies were waiting.

“Alright, listen up, Babs and Bigs,” said Alex, causing the talkative space to go quiet, “It doesn’t matter if you’ve been infantilized against your will or just want to return to your homes. We all know what needs to be done.”

Stepping forward out of the crowd with a thick, mushy diaper between her legs, the leader of the Homebound Babs, Chasey, spoke up, “And with Codi away with Master for the weekend, now is the perfect time to strike. Between the Bigs, the Switches, and my coalition of Homebound Babs, we have over two-thirds of the dollhouse ready to advance at our signal.

“Here, here!” shouted Rosie, the leader of the switch dollies, “Though, it’s important to remember that we won’t just have to deal with Crissie and Snorington. Loyalists like AllySmolShork, YuukiSoulless, and Buttercup are going to be an issue if we don’t start with them.

“We’ve got a small technical team ready to disarm Snorington so wrangling in the loyalists is definitely a top priority,” stated Villes proudly. As an engineer and tinkerer, he was the best choice to be the architect behind the plan to take out Miss Snorington and was thrilled to have recruited a team that could see that plan through to the end.

Rolling his eyes, 34Qucker cared little about the kumbaya collective that was forming. “Look, as long as I get to go home, I don’t really care,” he said dismissively, “I mean, I love making baby slaves as much as the next person, but I certainly have no intention of ever becoming one.”

“Just feel lucky you’ve never had to babysit her,” quipped Mommy Dollia, who was clearly still haunted by the embarrassing dress-up party that she’d been forced to attend at Master’s behest.

Whistling loudly, Alex once again commanded the attention of the room. “We mobilize in one hour. Whatever preparation you need to do, use the time we have,” he said, a menacing grin forming on his face, “It’s time to have ourselves a dolly uprising.”

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Sitting on the floor at a low table, Crissie was merrily throwing a tea party with several of her dollies. “More tea, Stinkberry?” she asked, reaching forward for the pink teapot which she knew was spiked with a mess of laxatives.

Grimacing, Strawberry pretended to graciously accept Crissie’s offer as she held out her teacup, watching it fill to the brim with the foul liquid that she knew would soon be destroying her bowels. “Fankoo, Cwissie,” she said with a forced lisp.

“I wans sum mo tea too!” yelled Ally unironically. She genuinely loved the constant babying that Crissie’s Dollhouse provided, and she wasn’t alone. Other dollies gleefully offering forward their cups included Jessy, Achi, and ConCon.

Rounding out the tea party was one specifically blushy dolly in Lizzi, who was still on the fence about the whole uprising thing. On the one hand, she did want to go home, but on the other hand, she was free to be her padded sissy self here. Looking across the table at Strawberry and then back at Crissie, she could feel her anxiety rising in the pit of her stomach. Regardless of how on the fence she was, she knew that today was the day, and she’d be forced to decide soon enough.

“Crissie!” cried out the boxer turner babydoll, Matti, from the top floor of the dollhouse. Bouncing up and down in his pretty blue nightie and blonde wig, he looked genuinely concerned about something.

Setting the teapot down, Crissie stood up from the table and waddled off toward the dollhouse. “Be right back, dollies. No messies without me!” she shouted back merrily.

Moving back from the edge of the dollhouse as Crissie arrived in front of him, Matti’s panic became increasingly apparent. “I can’t find Yuuki or Feather or SamanthaRebecca anywhere! We were all supposed to hang out today,” he said, choking back tears, “I’ve looked all over the dollhouse and asked around, but no one’s seen them!”

Placing her thumb and forefinger on her chin, Crissie pondered what might have happened, saying, “That is definitely odd. Have you seen Vanessa? She might at least know where Yuuki is.”

Shaking his head, Matti waved Crissie close and whispered, “Also, I’ve been seeing a lot of dollies running around and chatting quietly in small groups. I think something might be going on here.”

“Oh, Matti, I think you might be a little paranoid on that one,” chuckled Crissie, brushing off Matti’s concerns, “If there was some massive conspiracy, someone would’ve let it slip by now. Tell you what, if you still haven’t found them by the time my tea party is over, then you and I will find them together, okay?” She smiled and patted Matti’s head as he nodded and cheered up slightly.

Crissie skipped back toward the tea table, plopping herself back down on her soaking diaper. “Okay, dollies! Where were we?” she said as she grabbed her teacup and took a sip, oblivious to the fact that the plot to overthrow her was already underway.

Unbeknownst to Crissie and most of the dollies at the table was the fact that Strawberry had spiked Crissie’s teacup when she stepped away. Only Lizzi was witness to her act. She watched through wincing eyes as Crissie doomed herself with only one sip.

“Ahhh, that was yummy,” said Crissie, politely setting her glass back down and snagging a cookie from the center of the table. Taking a big bite, she hummed to herself, blissfully unaware that a special potion was coursing through her body. “Mmmm! Cookie awe sho good an…waid was wong wif my voish?”

The other dollies at the table giggled, assuming that Crissie was just acting like a big baby who couldn’t control her lisp. “Big Sis, chus so funny!” said Jessy, taking a sip from her own teacup and feeling the bubbling inside of her tummy grow stronger, “Maybe chus jus needs ta make a big stinky! Hehehe!”

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” scoffed Achi, who was busy munching on her own, much smaller cookie.

With sweat forming on her forehead, Crissie leaned back from the table and lifted a hand to her head, shocked by how distinctly heavy it felt. “I…fink I needs ta way down…” muttered Crissie, trying to climb back to her feet and failing. Determined to reach her crib, she tried to crawl, only to lose all strength and collapse on her back, looking up at the ceiling.

“Big Sis!” shouted ConCon, as several of the tea party dollies rushed to Crissie’s aid, “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

Shaking her head no frantically, Crissie mumbled, “G-ged Mish Snowington!”

While Ally, ConCon, and Achi rushed to Crissie’s aid, Jessy, Strawberry, and Lizzi ran off toward Miss Snorington’s charging station. The moment her trio was just out of sight from the others, Strawberry stopped and wrapped Jessy up in a big bear hug. Covering her mouth with her hand to prevent her from screaming, she whispered to Lizzi, “Grab her legs!”

Lizzi dutifully followed Strawberry’s orders and proceeded to snatch up Jessy’s flailing legs before dragging her away. She felt a tad guilty, but it was for the greater good. She just hoped Jessy, Crissie, and the others would forgive her.

Watching from afar, Villes giggled as he watched Lizzi and Strawberry carry Jessy behind the nearby toy box to tie her up along with the other kidnappees. At last, it was go time! Signaling to his small task force consisting of Nowi, Mama Draco, and the techdolly, Terabyte, the four shrunken dollies made their way from their hiding spot to the base of Snorington’s charger. No one needed to say a word, as all four of them knew their tasks well. In no time at all, they’d managed to rewire Miss Snorington’s base so she couldn’t be awoken or released. It was almost too easy. With Snorington out of the way, it was time for the big advance. Whistling as loudly as he could, Villes alerted the main attack force to ready positions.

Stationed up atop the table that the dollhouse rested on, Alex, Chasey, and Rosie stared out amongst the vast legion that they had assembled. Alone, they were nothing more than tiny baby dolls, but together, they had the strength and intelligence to take down someone as baby brained as CrissieBaby. “Everyone!” Alex shouted, holding briefly to let the moment sink in, “Charge!!!”

All at once, the dollies of Crissie’s Dollhouse descended upon Crissie’s prone and subdued body. Leading the charge were a set of dollies carrying dozens of ropes that they had stashed from Crissie’s dungeon play sessions. One by one, the strongest of the dollies, consisting of Clay, Kage, and Dusty Jack began tossing the ropes over Crissie’s body.

The bondage unit, led by the tag team of Lady Ansem and her baby boy, Sammy. began tying the ropes as tightly as possible. “Make sure this little wiggle monster has no chance of escape,” shouted Mommy Ansem, before turning her attention to a struggling Sammy, “Unless my lil’ Honey Baby would like to join her.” Her words had the intended effect on a very blushy Sammy as he instantly picked up the pace.

Meanwhile, the final three loyalists needed to be dealt with before they could stage any type of defense. Starting with the most athletic of the three, the dollhouse’s other Matt knew just how to handle AllySmolShork. With Suzaku and JJ at his side, he quickly came up behind Crissie’s editor with a pacifier in hand. “Good Shorkpup!” he shouted, triggering the hypno-loving girl’s bark box and plopping the paci into her mouth with ease. The subby shork was mere putty in their hands from that moment onward.

Achi was the next one they’d need to deal with. Thankfully, the pupper was too concerned with trying to save Ally that she didn’t see the silly circus dolly, Jade was ready to deal with the bratty little. Alongside NotYou and Racer, the group swarmed Achi and quickly tied her up in shibari-style knots, ensuring she’d be out of commission for the rest of the battle as the wolf pup could do nothing but huff and puff.

That left only ConCon to deal with. Understanding that he stood no chance, ConCon ran off toward the dollhouse. If he could find Buttercup, maybe he could put an end to all this seemingly senseless conflict. Unfortunately, Bunji was waiting for anyone who might decide to turn tailcoat. “Where do you think you’re going,” said Bunji, smiling wickedly as she, Emmy, and Mr. Crinkleton all captured the escapee, quickly swaddling him up in a miniature blanket and carrying him over behind the toybox.

Once there, ConCon was shocked to see that about a dozen or so dollies had already been gathered. Yuuki and Vanessa, Jassikins, SamanthaRebecca, Feather, Lynx, and sadly, even Buttercup and the newbie, Starling, were already captured. She winced as she was tossed onto the ground purposefully so that her face wound up smushed up against Edan’s incredibly messy diaper. “S-sowwy,” muttered Edan as the mudslide continued to build in their diaper.

Back on the battlefield, a team of dollies who found they had little to do turned their attention to the tea table. Specifically, it was the infamous pink teapot that they were all well aware was filled with an ungodly amount of laxatives that caught their attention. “Hehehe, I think it’s time we punish our Big Sissy,” said LittlePissy, who was perhaps the kinkiest of them all. Snagging a team of nearby dollies that consisted of Beardo, Xeepoc, and Sui, he led them over to the tea table and, as a team, carried the teapot over to Crissie’s face.

Scaling Crissie’s mountainous titties was a bit of a trial with the teapot in tow, but it was all worth it once the pot was resting on her chest. “Open wide for your Auntie,” said Hailey as she and the others pushed the spout of the teapot forward into Crissie’s mouth.

Crissie’s eyes went wide as she wiggled beneath the ropes helplessly, unable to avoid the downpour of warm liquid entering her drooling mouth. She knew just how many laxatives were inside that teapot, having made sure it was properly filled so that even a dolly’s tiny teacup would result in a comically messy diaper. Knowing this, she always made sure to drink from her own teapot, wanting to avoid a massive hypermessing that would surely come from the much stronger tea.

As this was ongoing, another team of dollies, led by Vampers and CuddleSommelier, had formed a search party as they tore through Crissie’s crib on the hunt for something long and buzzy. Having been teased and tortured to the point of climaxing on several occasions by their pampered overlord, Crissie’s dollies had collectively agreed that it was high time she got a taste of her own medicine. “Found it!” shouted CuddleSommelier, as she called everyone over to the far corner of the crib, where Crissie’s Magic Wand was lying in wait. Together with a swath of dollies that included Sophie, Alley, and King, they carted the massive pleasure toy out of Crissie’s crib and down to the soft, carpeted floor.

“Let’s give this stinky bab exactly what she wants,” shouted KawaiiOmo as she, Ringer, and Lolice ushered the Magic Wand through the battlefield, guiding it toward Crissie’s diaper.

While everything seemed to be going smoothly on the ground, one lone dolly had managed to fend off his kidnappers. As a rough and tough boxer, Matti would be damned if a couple of artsy-fartsy dollies such as Classy Shrimp and SleepyBun managed to take him down. Dispatching his assailants with ease and binding the two of them up, he managed to stay in the shadows as he made his way down to the area where Buttercup and the others were being held.

Guarded only by a lonesome CrinkleKrow, the massive army had thought too highly of themselves to believe any single dolly could foil their plans. Matti took advantage of that fallacy and quickly snuck up on Krow, pinning her to the ground with ease. He then went over to Buttercup and untied her first. If anyone would know how to stop this madness, it was her. “Thank Goddess, you guys are okay! What are we going to do, Buttercup?” he asked, feeling a bit more fearful as he came down from his adrenaline high.

Ripping the duct tape from her mouth and pulling out the pacifier that was stuffed underneath, Buttercup furrowed her brow, “We’re gonna put a stop to this madness once and for all!”

“Like hell you are!” came a voice from around the corner of the toybox. Walking into view with an unconcerned smirk was BinkyBaby, accompanied by an entourage of Joshy and Blinky.

Buttercup and Matti knew there was no time to untie anyone else and running was not an option given that they’d been chased out into an open battlefield. The best they could do now was to fight head-on. With his adrenaline spiking back up, Matti readied himself to take on their attackers. If he could handle two-on-one, then three versus two should be a piece of cake.

Returning to Crissie and the ongoing battle, everything was set to put the brat in her proper place. By the time they were done with her, she’d be desperate to let them out. No longer would they be trapped in her pocket dimension. Like a scene out of Gulliver’s Travels, the dollies pulled the ropes in as tightly as possible, restricting even the tiniest of movements. Crissie was well and truly trapped.

Arriving at the base of her human-sized diaper, the team of dollies carrying the vibrator placed the pleasure toy up against her inner thigh and began to tie it down. “Make sure the head is nestled as closely as possible,” shouted Vampers, as she stood atop Crissie’s leg and oversaw the completion of their task.

Down on the ground, Coda and Eliza stood at the very tip of the vibrator, making sure that the vibrator was placed properly, while Berry, Joeyy, and Rye steered the ship from behind, angling the sex toy so that it wouldn’t shift when the rope work was finished. Finally, after some brief finagling, the vibrator was tied into place.

*GUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRGGGGGLLE!*

And not a moment too soon, as soon after the vibrator was keenly in position, Crissie’s tummy emitted a deep grumble that was so loud that it caused a tremor, sending nearly every nearby dolly to the floor.

Hanging onto the vibrator as everyone fell to the ground, Lightning was the only one still standing to finish the job that so many collective dollies had come together to do. Using all the might she had, she pushed the Magic Wand’s on-switch as hard as she could, locking the vibrator into its highest setting.

The loud hum of a buzzing vibrator echoed throughout the nursery, as did Crissie’s muffled moans and incomprehensible sputterings. Her spasming body tested the strength of the bondage ropes she was tied up in, but not a single one of them budged. Closing her eyes tightly from the combination of withering pleasure and intense abdominal pain, it wasn’t hard to guess what was coming next.

*BLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRRRT!!!*

All at once, Crissie’s body rejected the laxatives that had been loaded into her body, voiding the brown mush they created into her diaper, which swelled so fast that several dollies, including Rose, DarkStar, Blitzy, and Dif, were swallowed up and flattened by its rapidly expanding girth. Flowing seemingly endlessly, Crissie could do nothing but lie back and melt into the overwhelming horniness that was coursing through her.

The dollies that had organized and executed their plan perfectly admired their handiwork as the fruits of their labor were put on display. Crissie was vanquished and now, all that was left to do was squeeze the information they needed out of her.

Yanking the teapot’s spout out from between Crissie’s lips, a triumphant Lightning, Chasey, and Rosie snapped her out of her aroused mental state as much as they could before Rosie bluntly stated, “Your reign of terror has come to an end. Tell us how to leave this dimension and return home!”

Crissie’s eyes practically went cross from what Rosie had said…or maybe it was the pleasure of the poopy diaper and vibrator again. Nevertheless, she was flabbergasted by not only Rosie’s tone but her confusing statement. “W-Whad chus mean?” she said, stuttering between orgasmic gasps, “C-Chus can w-weave and c-come back whenever chus wans!”

“Wait…what?” said Chasey as the victorious energy that once filled the nursery began to dissipate, “T-That can’t be true!”

Suddenly, Buttercup and Matti, escorted by BinkyBaby and all the other dollies that were locked up behind the toybox, came rushing out to Crissie’s aid. “She’s not lying,” shouted Buttercup, rushing forward to the head of the crowd, “Didn’t anyone wonder where Kiara or Flurp or Finnian went? Or how Jassikins disappeared and then suddenly returned? What do you think the glowing door in the back of the dollhouse was for?! It’s a portal home!”

Shocked gasps filled the space as each dolly suddenly recognized that their actions weren’t just unnecessary, they were downright wrong. “Hold on a ding-dang second!” yelled Joey, looking particularly peeved, “Why weren’t we ever informed about this?”

Shrinking back slightly as she scratched the back of her head, Buttercup began to nervously giggle. “W-Well, I may have forgotten to mention it in the orientation,” she admitted, causing a variety of glares to shoot her way, “In my defense, I figured anyone who wanted to leave would just ask. I didn’t expect you all to form a freaking mob! Like, seriously, none of you noticed?!”

Chuckling to himself, Villes spoke up, “Well, I don’t know about you guys, but I certainly did. I just really like organizing a grand scheme like this.” The daggers that were being aimed at Buttercup quickly turned to Villes, who shrunk down from the dozens of scornful looks.

“Quick, cut the ropes and let Crissie out!” screamed Lightning, commanding everyone to undo their heinous mistake.

However, before anyone could start untying Crissie, the full-sized adult baby cried out, “Nuuuuuuu! D-Don untie me!”

Confused, one of Crissie’s besties, Jane, dashed over to her side and said, “Crissie, it’s all over now! Don’t you want out of this mess?”

“N-Nuh uh!” moaned Crissie, her eyes rolling back as she further soiled her hypermessy diaper, “D-Dis is, wike, a dweam c-come twue! D-Don stop!”

Disappointment sank in for the dollies as they realized what they should have from the start. Of course, a pervert like Crissie would get off on this! “Well, I suppose the least we can do after you tied her up and junk is to give her what she wants,” said Buttercup, hanging her head and sighing in whatever the exact opposite of shock was.

*CREEEEAK!*

All of a sudden, the top of the nearby toybox was pushed open and Codi’s head popped up from the void below. “Hey Crissie, I forgot my-” was all she managed to say before she caught sight of what was going on. Having to deal with her diaper-addicted girlfriend’s antics on a daily basis, a familiar glaze of annoyance washed over her eyes. She shook her head in disapproval as she grabbed the top of the toy box lid and slowly sank back down, “Y-You know what? Nevermind.”

As quickly as she appeared, Codi was gone, leaving Crissie all alone in the hands of her favoritest dollies ever! At the end of the day, it was okay if many of her dollies came and went. So long as they enjoyed themselves while they were here, she was more than content with the nursery and dollhouse she had created.

THE END.

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SubscribeStar: subscribestar.adult/crissiebaby pixivFANBOX: crissiebaby.fanbox.cc All CB Links: linktr.ee/crissiebaby

Edited by AllySmolShork

Special Thanks to Our CrissBaby Diaper Company Investors: BlushyBen DD JFN Joshy LittlePissy PrincessKittenLizzi SissyDina Strawberry Sweetsamantharebecca & Three Anonymous Investors

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saiyanandproud · 2 years

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When sempai notices the prosecco but not you.

Yet another comic started a while ago, inspired by all the chatting and brainstorming with @amiz06-certified-b1mb0! Digging in her DBZ Human AU is a continuous marvel, and I always can’t wait for her next updates! It’s all so hilarious, clever, emotional and exciting! Her story just rules -- I can’t say much more than this, but it does. Get ready for the next bits, they’re gonna rock! Thank you so much for the inspiration, Ami!

It was fun to play with Mariko’s character in this “non-magical” AU. Adapting the Time Patrol to a police special investigation task force, thinking how Mariko’s relationship with her parents would be (still tense, still “Sorry if I’m not the perfect daughter”) (also first time I draw her parents at all!) and so on. I was inspired by Clarice Starling from “Silence of the lambs”, a young ambitious recruit eager to get her hands on her first important case, so I think Mariko would be 25 or so here. Her parents still drag her to formal events, however, hoping she’d get in the elite network rather than just the police one. Surprisingly, her favourite rock star also happens to hang out in these places! She has no idea which family Cooler actually belongs to. She hoped to be remembered from that time with the authograph but well... The Cold family passion for wine just obscured her presence.

Also this comic was meant to be “just a doodle” and as usually, I went all out without planning. Background is from an anime (I just googled “ballroom anime”) because I can’t with backgrounds. One day, maybe. One day.

Mariko’s hairstyle is inspired by this old art of her I did years ago. She looks so young here, I’m getting emotional to see how my baby has grown!

#mun's art #feujenny's art #dbz human au #amiz06-certified-bymb0

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torialeysha · 4 years

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Cold Feet - Part 15

Shadow of doubt.

A/N: Hello my darlings! It’s been a while, too long a while, I know :( What an absolutely awful year it’s been for all of us! I can only hope that you’re all well and keeping safe. Here’s a long overdue cold feet update to keep you occupied.

Song: Paramore - Tell me how

A discordant racket sounded above the routine rumblings of the bakery. A muffle of raised voices and the righteous clicking of heels against the sticky floor mirrored by clumpier steps echoed down the cask laden hallways and seeped through the splintered wood of the makeshift door that separated Alfies office from the clamour of the distillery. Looking up from the cluttered mess of his desk, Alfie run a hand quickly through his dishevelled hair and down his overgrown beard while awaiting the approaching commotion with hopeful intrigue. He groaned disappointedly when a Brummie brunette breached the door with a fumbling Ollie in tow, his long, clumsy fingers attached to the fur trim of her expensive coat.

It was wishful thinking on Alfies part that it would have been you who had stormed the door instead of the peaky lass. It had been well over a week since he had last seen or heard from you. And he had invested all of those torturous days busying himself to try and take his restless mind and it’s various crazed voices off of you and the recent revelation that had pillaged his plans to save you both from the Italian shit storm that had blown in from the other side of the pond.

Still his mind struggled to come to terms with the news you were with child. He couldn’t comprehend what was worse, the daunting idea of becoming a father or the sickening possibility that the baby might not be his. His crooked teeth clenched painfully together at the mere thought of you being intimate with anyone other than himself. Of course you had assured him on countless occasions that nothing of the sort had ever or would ever happen between you and Charles. And Alfie had believed you. Trusted that it wasn’t in your nature to lie. Foolishly so now considering you were the one who had also told him of the possibility that he might not be the father. One was a lie but which one? It drove his already unhinged mind insane thinking about it. He tried to stay out of his head and ignore the little demented voices that would taunt him in the quietest hours, reminding him of all the times you and he had copulated over the years and never conceived, which in turn highlighted how coincidental it was that you should now fall pregnant after sharing a bed with another man.

Plagued with doubt and unsure of what to do, he did nothing. Shunning the situation altogether and letting his selfish pride take over and stop him from reaching out and doing the right thing.

“I tried to stop her!” Ollie explained.

“It’s alright, Ollie. Let ‘er in.”

Ada tore herself from Ollies hold with a look that could kill.

“The one who’s too righteous to use the Shelby name, ay? To what do I owe the displeasure?” Alfie casted an unyielding gaze curiously upon Thomas Shelby’s younger sibling, filled with an over-brewed distaste.

“Have you seen this?” Ignoring his provocative comments. Ada pulled a newspaper from under her arm and threw it on his desk. The daily publication landed in front of Alfie with a rustling slap. His curious gaze wandered lazily from her to the paper. It appeared that Ada had left it open on the specific page, considerately saving him the trouble of rooting through. He grabbed his glasses, balancing them on the bridge of his nose before beginning to read.

Ollie slid closer to the desk, pulling his wistful gaze from Ada he peeked down at the paper to see what would have piqued Alfies interest. The headline read Announcements. A full page worth of biliously boastful declarations. Taking up almost a quarter of the page and catching both of their attentions immediately was a photo of you and Charles. The print underneath proudly stating the news of your engagement.

Alfie studied the photo. Looking past the image of Charles’ to focus on you. He couldn’t help but notice how the black and white portrayal did you no justice. You looked tired. Your sparkling eyes dull and lifeless. The only hint of happiness was in the slight upturned curve of your painted lips.

“Fucking ‘ell.” He exclaimed with a sigh. “A life with him should be under obituaries. Please send her my deepest condolences.” Alfie leaned back in his chair with a resigned shrug of his shoulders. The sound of creaking leather beneath his tight grasp on the worn arms of his chair was the only giveaway of his teetering disposition.

“That’s all you’ve got to say? Come on, Alfie, you’ve got to do something about this now. This whole charade has gone on for far too long.”

“And what do you think you know about it?” Alfie boomed. “Sticking ya ore in one last time before you fuck off back up the canal to that shit hole you call home? You Shelbies are all the fucking same, mate. Always making something your business that ain’t your fucking business.”

“Finished?” Ada sighed. Unfazed by his outburst.

“Yeah, I am actually - for now anyway...”

A sceptical Ada waited for him to continue.

“...Take a seat then. Let me get you a drink.” Alfie pulls a bottle of whiskey from his draw. “Or do you want something softer? I mean, never can be sure if you’re up the duff again.”

“Alfie!” Ollie admonished.

“It’s alright, Ollie.” Ada assured him before turning her attention back to Alfie. “You can save the unpleasantries, Alfie. I know you can’t stand me and I can’t stand you either. But the truth is I’m not here for you. I’m here for Y/N. I’m worried about her. She’s in too deep with Charles. I’ve tried to tell her but she’s insistent on staying with him to protect you. You can’t let this carry on much longer, it’s too dangerous for her and the baby.”

Alfie’s eyes widened when Ada mentioned the baby.

“Yes, I know about the baby.” Ada exclaimed through a frustrated sigh. “Y/N’s told me everything.”

“Then you will also know why I ain’t doing fuck all about it.” Alfie grumbled dismissively.

“What are you on about?” Ads asked bemused.

“Hmm, it seems that you don’t know everything then, do ya?... The sprog might not be mine.” Although he tried hard to conceal it, the words pained Alfie.

“What on Earth would make you think such a thing?”

“Because she fucking told me! 1 in 2 possibility she said. And this ‘ere, right,” he pokes the paper. “Tells me exactly what horse she’s backing.”

“And you believed her?” Ads scoffed, shaking her head. “She hasn’t even slept with Charles, so how could it be his?”

“Well if that’s so then why would she tell me otherwise, ay?”

“...It doesn’t make sense...” Ada’s eyes narrowed suspiciously at him. “...You must have said something to her to make her spew a lie like that?”

“Well, lie or no lie, it’s done me a favour to tell you the truth-“ Alfie replied nonchalantly, deflecting her question.

Adas eyes narrowed further at Alfie’s flippant reaction before a bleak realisation washed over her.

“-Oh God! That’s it isn’t it. You told her you didn’t want the baby didn’t you?” Ada’s heart sunk at what she hoped was a wrong assumption.

“Not in so many words.”

“For crying out loud, Alfie. I can only imagine how hurtful that was for her to hear.” Ada paused for a moment. “Haven’t you stopped to think for a moment that that may have been the reason why she said you might not be the father? To hurt you like you’ve hurt her?”

“Listen ‘ere, right. You might be, but I ain’t no fucking fool-“

“-No.” She interrupts him. “You’re just an ignorant pig who doesn’t know Y/N as well as you think you do. She’d stop heaven and hell for you...I used to think you’d do the same for her - maybe I was wrong. Your judgment is cloudy, Solomon’s. Clear your head and come to your senses before it’s too late.”

Alfie stays silent, his thumb and forefinger fiddling with the overgrown scruff that decorated his jawline.

“Y/N’s under the illusion that you have a plan-“ Ada continues.

“Don’t dare come in ‘ere and fucking patronise me!” He erupted, slamming his fist on the desk. “I have a plan, right. It’s not a fucking illusion and it’s none of your fucking business either.”

“Then what the hell are you waiting for? Go to her. Beg for her forgiveness and when she takes you back- if she takes you back, get the hell out of here, both of you.”

“And tell me, sweetie, where does that leave your brother and his little starling problem?” Alfie eyes Ada curiously.

“He’s a Shelby. He’ll handle it.” She replied flatly.

Alfie graces her with an impish grin, the cockiness of her statement amusing him.

“Yeah, he’s done a brilliant job so far, ain’t he?” He muttered sarcastically.

“Just give Y/N the benefit of doubt, Alfie. After everything you’ve put her through, it’s the least you could do.” Ada waited for Alfie to reply but he stayed silent. His arms now folded stubbornly across his chest.

A defeated sigh left her ruby lips as she decided regretfully that her visit had been in vain.

“I’ve said all I’ve come here to say, I’ll be leaving now.” She grumbled, turning towards the door.

“Let me walk you out.” Ollie offered quickly, stumbling to her side.

“That won’t be necessary.” She declined. Blushing at their clashing of hands which have both reached for the door handle. A fleeting moment ensued between the two but Ada shook it off swiftly.

“I don’t need a man to open the door for me.” She sighed harshly.

“No, I remember that.” Ollie gave her a sad smile and withdrew his hand, leaving Ada to open it.

“Think about what I said.” She turned back to address Alfie who just grunted a dismissal.

“Where is she?” He asked suddenly.

“Arcadia.” Ada told him, her voice thick with hope.

Alfies eyes fell to the floor as he gave a subtle nod.

Resisting another glance at Ollie, Ada left wordlessly with her head held high.

Ollie loitered by the door debating wether or not to follow her. An abrupt bang shook the room, so loud it caused him to jump. He turned to Alfie whose pencil was now protruding from the photograph in the paper, piercing what would have been Charles’ face.

“I think Ada’s right, Alf.” Ollie approached his boss carefully.

“Yeah? And I think you’re just blinded by the peaky tart and that you’d think shit smelt like roses if she told you it did.”

Not wanting to get a wallop, Ollie gritted his teeth and said nothing.

“...So what if she is right, ay? Nothing changes. I can’t be who Y/N needs me to be.” Alfie confessed coyly.

“What you on about?”

“Being a dad. How could I be a fucking dad? I mean, who did I have as an example? My old man was a waste of space.” Alfie eyes his fathers hat hanging obnoxiously on the coat stand in the corner of the room. “Never ever saw the cunt.”

“Oh come on, Alfie. You ain’t your old man. You’d be a great dad. Look at what you’ve done for Goliath.”

“He’s a grown lad though in’t he. I didn’t raise him.”

“What about me then? You’ve pretty much raised me since the day my dad passed. And I turned out alright.”

A hundred and one sarcastic remarks crossed Alfie’s mind but he silenced them and instead agreed begrudgingly with a grunt.

“All you got to do is look at everything you’ve done for Y/N to realise that you’re nothing like your old man.”

“Yeah, waste of fucking time that all was.”

“Oh, Come on Alfie! If you really felt that way you wouldn’t have bothered whipping up a nurser-“ Alfie’s seething scowl stops Ollie abruptly.

“... I know it’s none of my business, boss.” Ollie gulped, continuing more cautiously. “But I don’t think Y/N would have come here and told you about the baby if there was any doubt in her mind that it wasn’t yours.”

Alfie jumped up from his desk causing Ollie to cower, fully expecting Alfie to chin him one for interfering in his personal business.

“There’s only one way to find out, in’t there. Get my coat.”

~~~~~~~~~~~

For you, daytimes wasn’t the problem. Daytimes you could spend time with Ada or occupy yourself with the odd job at Arcadia. It was the nighttimes that haunted you. When the parties were over, the doors closed and you had to curl up beside Charles with another mans baby growing inside of you - a man who had shattered your heart a second time.

You had left the bakery that day numb, exactly like you had the last time he had broken your heart - ironically within the same four walls. It took all the strength you had to put on a brave face and lie to Ada afterwards, to tell her how overjoyed Alfie was about the news you were carrying his baby and that it wasn’t the train wreck it actually was. It just felt easier that way and it also gave Ada one less reason to hate him. It angered you that even after all the hurt Alfie had put you through, you still possessed that unabating need to defend and protect him. Which was the main reason you were still here and hadn’t fled London like your wounded heart had wanted to.

You had thought, or more so hoped, like you had done the first time he broke your heart, that Alfie would have come round by now but almost a fortnight later and still no word. It seemed you would have to somehow come to terms with the inevitable and try as best as you could to move on without him. Just the thought of that tore your sewn up heart back in two. You’d lay awake at night thinking about it, licking your wounds and drowning in a turbulent sea of misery as you tried to work out your next move. You wouldn’t be showing properly for a few more weeks, which should hopefully give you enough time to bring Tommys plan to fruition and help him put a stop to the Changrettas’ before it was too late. It’s what you would do next that had you stumped. One thing was sure, you would have to leave town. The thought of sticking around and raising Alfie’s child in London knowing he didn’t want to be a part of either of your lives was too gut wrenchingly painful to endure. So where would you go? You still had family you could turn to but your stupid pride would stop you from going back to your Aunts or turning up on your mother’s doorstep pregnant. What you needed was a fresh start. Birmingham was an option - a rather appealing one considering your connection to the peakies. You could be certain that Tommy would see you right and make sure you settled in. However, Tommy’s business relationship with Alfie could pose a problem. Another option, a more drastic one, was America. Ada would spend hours telling you about America and how much she adored it. She said she would be returning there soon, maybe you would go with her.

“That’s the last of the gin, Miss.” The glass bottles clinked a merrily enticing tune as the delivery man set the last crate on top of the other one at the bar, effectively stealing you from your reverie. He slid a docket under your nose for you to sign and with your signature and a tip of his flat cap he took his leave.

You had begun replenishing the bar with the gin when a sudden, eerie feeling crept over you. Shaking it off, you quickly dismissed it as fatigue and continued unpacking the crates...but the feeling lingered. Maybe it was the huge club that was bereft of the nightly pandemonium which caused your unease and emphasised the strange silence as it pressed in on you. You glanced around, the presence of the few workers dallying doing little to ease your imagination as it began to run wild: What if Sabini had found out who you were? Or even worse, what if Luca had done some digging and found out you had been spying on him and Charles? Either one could be lurking in the many shadows of the club waiting for the right moment to strike. It was an alarming possibility that caused a shiver to run down your spine.

Feeling paranoid and vulnerable, you were overcome with a staggering urge to get out of there as fast as you could. You left the bottles of gin on the bar top and made a hasty retreat from the grand hall to retrieve your coat and purse from the office. You moved briskly to the golden pillars which adorned the entrance of the large hall and masked the narrow stairway to your little office. No sooner had you breached the golden barrier were you pulled behind one of the pillars. Your mouth opened on a scream but closed when you came nose to nose with Alfie.

“Alfie, what are you doin-“

“-You’ve lied to me, ain’t ya? You haven’t fucked the Yank.” His grip tightened on your wrists.

“That’s none of your damned business!”

“Anything to do with you is my business.” He growled. “This is my business.”

He let go of one of your wrists to gently caress your stomach. You stilled at the unexpected gesture and melted against the column you were pressed up against. Enraptured completely by his touch that you hadn’t felt for days. Reminding yourself of the reason for his absence, you snapped out of his spell and batted his hand away forcefully.

“You’ve changed your tune!” You spat bitterly, pushing past him.

The sound of his footsteps and cane hitting the marble floor behind you told you that he was following you.

“Leave me alone, Solomon’s.”

“I’m not going anywhere until you tell me.” He grabs you again before you can ascend the stairs to the office.

“Tell you what?” You turn on him.

“Tell me the truth!” He hollers indiscreetly.

“You can’t handle the truth.” You whisper shout. Escaping once again, desperate to get away from him and the ear-wigging workers scattered around you. You make it to the sanctuary of your office, trying to shut the door on Alfie but he’s too close behind you. He pushes through, catching you as you lose your balance and stumble backwards.

“Tell me the baby’s mine.” He demands, glowering.

Your eyes travel across the menacing features of his face so close to yours.

“You really need me to tell you?” You smirk.

“I want to hear you say it.”

“Of course it’s bloody yours!” You scream, pushing free from him.

“Why did you tell me otherwise then, pet?”

It may have been your imagination but he sounded relieved.

“Do you blame me after the way you reacted?”

“What did you expect? Dropping a bombshell like that? I was in shock.”

“I expected more from you, Alfie! I realise now how naive that was of me.”

“Now listen ‘ere-“

“- No you listen. Before you say another word I want you to know that I’m keeping the baby, and that you’re completely free from obligation. I’m assuming that’s why you’re here? Well, be assured, I don’t want or need anything from you, Alfie Solomon’s. Least of all your pity.”

“Pity?” He scoffs.

“It’s written all over your face. You’ve made your choice. I’ve come to terms with that now. I can do this on my own. We don’t need you.” You told him, trying your best to sound convincing.

“Right.” He gives you a half amused, tight lipped smile. “Well, after seeing that stomach-churning announcement of your engagement in the times, it appears that you have also made your choice. But I am curious, Virgin Mary, about how you’re going to explain all this to lover boy?”

“Mock me all you like, Solomons. But I have no intentions of staying with Charles. Although I have accepted his proposal - for yours and Tommy’s sake, may I add. On the contrary to what you believe, once this is all done and dusted I will not be marrying Charles. In fact I’ll be gone as soon as this is over.”

“And where exactly will you be going?” He asked. All amusement now gone from his gruff voice.

“I’m still working it out. But you haven’t got to worry about me or your bastard child cramping your style. We’ll be far away from here and far away from you.”

“You and my child ain’t goin’ anywhere. I’d track you down. Follow you to the ends of the fucking Earth if I had to.” His inflamed temper and seething threat shocked you silent. “I acted like a cunt the other day, I hold my hands up but I’ve since seen the error of my ways... Just give me another chance.”

“How can I give you another chance? How can I believe that this is what you really want after everything you said? I can’t do it. I can’t live in doubt like that. I’d rather not be with yo-“

“- don’t say it!” He interrupted suddenly. “I fucked up. I thought I’d be a shit dad. That I’d let you both down. But this is what I want. Let me prove it to you. Another chance, a shot at redemption is all I’m asking.”

“You’ve already let us down...I’m sorry, Alfie, I can’t-“

“-Don’t fucking say it!” He warned again. Grabbing you and pulling you to him. You stood rigidly in his arms. Your stinging eyes unable to meet his.

“I can’t-“ you try again but he cuts off the rest of your sentence with a rough kiss.

You pull away, slapping his face hard before colliding back into him and kissing him as if it was the last time.

The sound of the door handle rattled and you tore yourself from Alfie instantaneously. Less than a second later Charles burst through the office door.

“Dar-ling.” seeing that you wasn’t alone, Charles drawled a protracted greeting upon his entrance.

“Hello, my love.” You smiled. Quickly going to him and hoping that your flushed cheeks and heaving chest didn’t arouse his suspicions anymore than they possibly already were.

“Mr Solomon’s. What are you doing here?” He looked past you to address Alfie.

“We were running low on rum so I called Mr Solomon’s, who went out of his way to personally deliver us some. Wasn’t that kind of him, sweetheart?” You quickly answered on Alfie’s behalf.

“Yes.” Charles mumbled “too kind.”

You risk a glance at Alfie. His jaw was tense. His penetrating gaze falling from Charles to you.

“Well I should be on me way now then. As always it’s been a pleasure, Y/N.” He grins, striding towards the door and ignoring Charles completely. “Think about what I said.” He tells you before disappearing, purposely leaving you and Charles with an elephant in the room.

“And what exactly is it you have to think about, my dear?” Charles asks tightly.

“Extra protection on the doors.” You lie, swiftly coming up with a cover up. “He thought it would help deter the riff raff.”

“I see.” He utters mindlessly. Catching you off guard when his fingers caught your chin and lifted your reddened face up to his. You tried not to fold under the scrutiny of his leering gaze.

“You have that rash again.” He sounded accusatory. His thumb and forefinger tracing roughly around your mouth and jawline where your skin had been chaffed a pale pink by Alfie’s coarse beard.

Your heart pounded loudly in your ears.

“Do I? I haven’t been well lately, have I? It must be to do with that.” You shrugged free from Charles and leant across the desk to retrieve your coat and purse.

“Take me home, my love. I’m famished.” You looped your arm through his to encourage him towards the door but he didn’t budge.

“Tell me, how do you know Mr Solomon’s again?”

Your settling heartbeat once again started to race.

“He was the landlord of my uncles shop. I used to work there and he’d pop in now and again to collect the rent. Why do you ask?”

“I was just wondering. I remember you telling me he was an old friend. However, I just can’t help but think that it’s a bit of an unusual alliance.”

“I’d hardly call it an alliance. Maybe friend was too familiar of a term. He’s more of an acquaintance.”

“I see. Well, acquaintance or not, I don’t know if I’m comfortable with you doing business with Mr. Solomon’s anymore. In future, any dealings with him will go through me.”

“I’m fully capable-“

“It’s not about capability!” He erupts, startling you.

“It’s about him.” He carries on more evenly, regaining his composure. “I simply don’t trust him. Any business with the Jew now goes through me. Do I make myself clear?”

You nodded compliantly, hoping he’d drop the matter.

“Good. Now let’s get you fed and watered.”

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Tag list: @storm-bjorn @alsheyra @lililolli @jaegers-and-kaijus @lightwoodt @stars-trash-18 @anrm1 @innerpaperexpertcloud @alitheamateur @hardygal69

#PeakyBlinders #peaky blinders fanfiction #peaky blinders fanfic #Alfie Solomons #alfie solomons fanfiction #alfie solomons imagine #alfie solomons x reader #peaky blinders imagine

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cruzrogue · 3 years

Photo

Broken

Ch1 (an olicity AU story.)

It’s a cloudy miserable noon with a chance of rain. So far today nothing has gone her way. Finding herself grabbing another coffee because the first one was full of grinds. The only perk of her job is endless bagels and mediocre coffee.

Her sigh remnants through the small breakroom. Mumbling to herself, “You’d think a multi-billion-dollar company could afford better coffee.”

The only other occupant in the room snorts, “They wouldn’t make so much money if they gave their slaves… I mean employees premium coffee.”

“I Guess.” Placing enough sugar and cream in her cup. She deserves this. Especially being free from a call she finished up where a Queen Consolidated employee who seemed to be locked out of their computer had such a terrible attitude.

She had dreams. Aspirations. They all vanished when her boyfriend was lost somewhere in the Northern China Sea.

“It looks like it is going to rain hard soon.”

“I hate rain.” Her eyes move from the small tv showing a weather update to the overhead windows. The sky is getting darker by the second.

“Yes, you’ve mentioned it was a rainy night when you and your boyfriend got into a fight. He left and never returned.”

Felicity stares at him. She’s never told anyone the full story.

“Yea, something like that.”

Her life has changed dramatically in the last few years. To be clear. It’s been five years since her heart was ripped out from her chest.

“What a deadbeat.” Her coworker keeps going, “Wasn’t he the father of your three kiddos?”

“I better get back to my cube.” Pointing to her work area, “See you around Cooper.” She doesn’t wait for his own goodbye as she hightails it out of there.

Single moms aren’t his thing. It doesn’t stop Cooper from checking out her nice legs. She’s one of those MILFs he’d wouldn’t mind one night with. No strings attached kind of way. Too bad she’s pegged down with three kids.

As the breakroom is now void of anyone viewing the broadcast. Headlines appear. Oliver Queen has been found. After his five-years of being considered dead. He will be coming home. To reunite with his family.

Moira Queen face appears on screen, “It is a miracle with that of my young daughter’s prayers were answered.” She appears to hold back tears of joy. The camera than pans to the man by her side. Under his picture the viewers are reminded about his amnesia. How his bodyguard pulled him out of the turbulent water to a life raft.

Robert Queen has a few words, “My son is alive. After all these years of mourning. There is nothing worse than waking up not remembering anything that transpired. It has been my greatest failure as a father. I get a second chance. My boy is alive.”

The station airs a few more minutes of a recap of the Queen tragedy before the headline repeats its saying, ‘Oliver Queen has been found… Alive!’

As the hard rain begins to pellet against the building.

Felicity’s glancing at a photo of her three munchkins. Oliver was such a hands-on dad. Their first pregnancy was accidental. Their second was totally planned. Their third, well… she was alone for that one. His voyage with his father resulted in his death.

Life has a funny way of working out.

What does it matter that she was a prodigy child? At fourteen she was admitted to M.I.T. Her brain revered. Still is. It’s just… She doesn’t have passion to continue with her once upon a time active goal.

Losing Oliver was a knife to her zeal to conquer the technical world. Without his support she’s withered away in a gloomy existence. Somehow pushing forward due to motherhood. Seeing a piece of him in each of their children.

All it took was an eighteen-year-old boy to break her full academic resolve. She fell in love at first sight. It took awhile to become lovers because of her age. It didn’t stop them from spending each free moment together. Learning, appreciating, falling deeper, and the respect was always there. That when their bodies shared a special dance that carried them forward to wanting a life to be forever bound.

The most bizarre thing in all this. His parents didn’t approve of his affiliation with a minor back during their college years. They kept their relationship a secret. With the quarrel that led to Oliver giving her some space she felt to guilty to approach his family. They just lost their son.

Even though her babies are a joyful creation. If Oliver’s parents didn’t accept her in the past. She doesn’t ever want an eternal battle of custody. Powerful people have ways to win against dreamers like her.

To many people it is unfathomable that she’d keep the lineage of her children hidden. Maybe one day. When her kids are old enough to understand. For now, it is a secret that she carries.

It takes her stomach to growl to even leave her post. Maybe a bagel will suffice until quitting time. Moving past some coworkers who seem to be gathered around animatedly gossiping. It takes a name to stop her in her tracks.

“What?”

“You haven’t heard?”

She shakes her head no, “Heard what?”

“The boss man’s son has returned.”

“What?” She shakes her head. Why is this conversation not making any sense to her, “Who?”

A name yet to be supplied but a few coworkers point to the breakroom.

“It’s all over the news.”

Felicity doesn’t wait. Hearing Oliver’s name once was enough to have her in a daze. She makes it to the room and any hunger she had seems to be forgotten. Her eyes scanning the headlines. Her world is spun upside down or is it right side up? It doesn’t take long as her head spins all the new information. Her Oliver is alive.

“He’s alive!” She can’t contain how much hearing this is just so overwhelming, “He’s coming home.” Hearing some voices agree that he is coming back to Starling City. She would find it amusing if the voices didn’t drown away as a dizziness overtakes her. Falling. Falling upon the carpeted floor. Not hearing the same voices sounding panicked.

“Felicity?”

Her name again said out loud. To be answered by a moan.

“Ms. Smoak?”

Felicity doesn’t want to open her eyes. It’s a harsh light waiting for her. Squinting she tries to cooperate with the voice.

“Welcome back. You had us all worried.”

“I’m okay.”

“There is an ambulance on the way.”

“No. No need.” Is mumbled out. “I’ll be okay.”

“Ms. Smoak, it is policy to make sure you are alright. I’ll give you some forms and they’ll need to be filled out before you can return to work.”

“Okay.” Is softly spoken. Felicity feels lightheaded. She just hallucinated that her boyfriend is alive. Maybe it purgatory. Even though she doesn’t believe in purgatory. It is the hellish state to want him back so bad. Their last words said of anger. She’s already exhausted every nightmare trying to make things right.

“Alright then. They’re here. Please remain seated I’m just going to handle their arrival.”

The woman leaves Felicity alone in what seems to be an examination room. Afraid to pass out again she remains seated. This has never happened before. Fainting by wanting something so bad. Crying her eyes out. Crying to the point of exhaustion. Now that is something she knows of well.

How will she explain to the medical professional she passed out thinking the love of her life miraculously came back to her. Just out of the blue she’s so overemotional. Thinking about a man for the longest time. Didn’t believe was gone. How cruel is her mind? That when she finally admits he is never coming back. She’d have an episode.

Across the city at Starling General. Oliver Queen is being checked out. His family insistent that he have a medical professional make sure he is truly fine. The media is playing that he has been found and is awaiting extradition out of the US Embassy in China. The truth of the matter is he was found days ago. He silently made it back states side early this morning. He has yet to see his parents. Glad to know his father is alright.

He is anxious.

What he wants... no what he needs is to know of his children. Know how Felicity is? Five years is a long time. The fear that has taken so many dreaded nights. Did he lose her? Their last words to each other harsh.

Is their another raising his children? His parents unaware of their grandchildren. His mind going all over the place. On the trip before that horrifying night. Oliver told his dad about his granddaughters. Of how he felt about another little one on the way. He was ecstatic.

At first, he kept his relationship from his parents because they weren’t keen on him courting a minor. They wouldn’t believe him if he were to say they never consummated their love until she was ready. He understood the ramifications society holds. Yet, age between them was just numbers. It’s not like he was a party boy like his high school self.

Meeting the blued eyed prodigy. He was quickly under her spell.

He regrets that he kept his growing family a secret. His love for Felicity should have never been under wraps. The moment they graduated from their prestigious schools. He should have pushed. Should have fallen on one knee and asked her to be his bride. Should have not listened to her newest reasons that she wanted to succeed without his family’s help.

Understanding that his father and a few of the crew made it out alive. He was pushed out on the wreckage further away. That when the storm calmed, he was already halfway to purgatory. His father’s amnesia keeping both sides of his family from connecting.

His thoughts are on his kids. Two he helped name. One he wonders if he has another sweet daughter or a little boy. Are they healthy? Doing well? His little Maple she’d be about seven of age. Ava would be five. His youngest almost four.

His youngest. Every thought that comes about is agonizing.

Felicity didn’t have him to lean on. Which means she either was alone or another somebody took his place. It guts him to even picture his young children calling someone else daddy.

Five years. Five years in turmoil.

He’s back. He’ll find his family. No matter what. He’ll apologize to Felicity over and over until she knows those angry words were of a silly man being hurt.

Now he waits. Looking out of a hospital window. Waiting for familiar voices to come and claim their lost child. He needs this as much as they will. To be home. To be among those he loves. He missed so much. So much time lost.

He can feel the yearning come tenfold as a familiar voice is heard behind the hospital door of his room.

#Broken #olicity #oliver queen #felicity smoak

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sciencespies · 3 years

Text

Songbirds are dying across several US states, and we still don't know why

https://sciencespies.com/nature/songbirds-are-dying-across-several-us-states-and-we-still-dont-know-why/

Songbirds are dying across several US states, and we still don't know why

Songbirds are mysteriously dying across the mid-Atlantic region of the USA.

Many have been discovered ill with eye swelling and discharge; some look like they’re having trouble lifting their heads, indicative of head swelling. They also show neurological symptoms like tremors, disorientation, erratic flight, and lack of balance.

Over 280 sick or dead birds have been found in Indiana alone since May. Affected species include blue jays, common grackles, American robins, northern cardinals and European starlings, in states such as Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC.

Toxicological tests and autopsies have so far provided no conclusive answers, but have ruled out some of the usual suspects like avian influenza virus, West Nile virus and salmonella.

“As this unfolds, it is becoming a complicated puzzle,” University of Pennsylvania veterinarian Lisa Murphy told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “Not one disease or disease agent jumps [out]. This does seem to be something unique and unusual.”

More tests are underway.

It’s like “trying to find an unknown object in a haystack”, Indiana Department of Natural Resources ornithologist Allisyn Gillet said in a news briefing.

Whatever the cause of the illness, young birds appear to be especially susceptible.

Jennifer Toussaint, animal control chief in Arlington, Virginia, recently received four baby blue jays from concerned residents. A crusty ooze had sealed their eyes shut, they were lethargic and unsteady.

Each was plump, indicating “their parents had done a great job caring for them”, Toussaint told Science Magazine.

Scientists and officials are now asking the public for help.

“If you encounter sick or dead birds, please contact your state or District wildlife conservation agency for further instructions and to help them track this event,” the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said in an update.

The agency and other wildlife and animal experts are urging people to keep their pets contained, avoid handling birds without protection – such as a plastic bag – and to stop feeding and providing water baths for birds while this illness continues, as these activities can help spread potential pathogens.

“Clean feeders and bird baths with a 10 percent bleach solution (one part bleach mixed with nine parts water), rinse with water and allow to air dry,” the USGS advises.

This is just the latest bird die-off event in the US, which is worrisome. Last year tens of thousands of songbirds, including migratory flycatchers and warblers, were found starved to death in New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Arizona and Nebraska.

Scientists suspect this was caused by unseasonably cold weather linked to the climate crisis – most of the starved birds were insectivores.

The good news is the numbers of ill birds seem to be subsiding in the Washington area where the mysterious illness was first reported. Hopefully researchers will know more soon.

You can report sick or deceased birds here.

#Nature

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olicitytropes · 5 years

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Olicity Tropetastic Awards: Other Inspirations

One of the coolest, and most popular, things about fanfic is that you don’t have to stick to canon for inspiration. We can plop our favorite characters into almost any situation using the books, movies, and tv shows we love. Call it an alternate universe, call it a crossover, call it awesome. Our love for Arrow and for Olicity brought us together, but here are some writers who used other sources to give us the best of both worlds!

@allimariexf’s recs:

Gotta Be Compatible - theshipsfirstmate

Magic Mike AU.

Felicity and the girls go to a strip club in Metropolis for Caitlin's bachelorette party.

**Award: Best Lost-Boy Oliver and Playing-It-Safe Felicity (who find themselves in each other!)**

Breaking All The Rules - griever11

Five letters that were never meant to be sent, two ex-friends who soon rediscover their friendship, and one fake relationship that honestly, isn't really fake at all.

Or, you can't really pretend to be dating each other when what you really want is to be really dating each other.

An Olicity AU, loosely based on To All the Boys I've Loved Before.

**Award: The Longest Mutual Pine Award**

Someone Else’s Sky - punchdrunkdoc

Oliver Queen, the Starling City Vigilante, moves out of his family home into a small apartment.

But he has an unexpected roommate.

A 'Just Like Heaven' AU

**Award: Most Brilliant and Beautiful Season 1 “What-If” (also known as: THIS FIC MADE ME CRY REAL TEARS and FEEL ALL THE THINGS)**

Baby Daddy - moreorLessJess

Bartender Oliver Queen was living his twenties to the fullest, he lived with his best friend John Diggle, and his brother in everything but blood, Tommy Merlyn just moved in to their apartment as he started his professional baseball career for the Starling City Rockets. On top of that, his childhood best friend Felicity Smoak, who was no longer goth and instead blonde and beautiful, was back in town and they were hanging out again.

Oliver thought his days were going to be filled with partying, one night stands, and boys weekends while also spending quality time with the girl everyone kept telling him he was in love with.

Until his ex girlfriend dropped a baby on his doorstep who turned out to be his son.

After a lot of thought and Felicity Smoak peptalks, Oliver decides to keep and raise his son with the help of his friends.

Or the Freeform sitcom Baby Daddy AU that no one asked for but I needed to write. Aka Oliver and Felicity are childhood friends and are hopelessly in love with eachother and everyone knows but them, oh and now they're raising a baby.

What could go wrong?

**Award: Fluffiest Childhood Friends Trope**

Absolutely, Probably - theshipsfirstmate

Oliver tells his ten-year-old daughter a story about the loves of his life.

RomCom AU based on the Ryan Reynolds movie "Definitely, Maybe" for the Arrow Summer Movie AU Challenge.

**Award: Most Achingly Beautiful Delayed-Happily-Ever-After**

The time to make up your mind about people (is never) - nashtag

Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak had a whirlwind Vegas romance—and a tornado of a divorce a year later. Two years after that, Oliver is about to marry his old flame, Laurel Lance. But when his father is caught cheating with another executive, he must let two journalists cover his wedding to preserve the family name.

Philadelphia Story/Arrow AU, with a dash of Flash crossover.

**Award: Most Heart-wrenching But Hopeful Second Chance at True Love (with a happy ending, of course)**

@tangled23works’ recs:

The Governess - @laurabelle2930

Felicity Smoak is a 22 year old Governess for the newly orphaned Thea Meryln. Thea's caregiver is the mysterious lord of Thornfield manor Oliver Queen. Based on the amazing novel by Charlotte Bronte "Jane Eyre" inspired this prompt from @lalawo1

**Award: Best Affectionate Bickering**

Welcome to the Party - @bushlaboo

Die Hard inspired AU – Oliver Queen, an SCPD officer, tries to save his wife, Felicity Smoak, and several others, taken hostage by terrorist Edward Fyers during a Christmas party at Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles. [Borrowed some dialogue from the show and the movie; it was too good to pass up.]

**Award: The Olicity/Die Hard AU I Didn’t Know I Needed But Enjoyed Immensely**

Velocity - MachaSWicket

SUMMARY: There's a bomb on a bus. Once the bus goes 50 miles an hour, the bomb is armed. If it drops below 50, it blows up. What do you do? AKA, the Olicity Speed AU.

**Award: Best ‘If you’re not leaving, I’m not leaving’ Moment That Made Me Cry**

Separate Lives - shannyfish

It was luck that Madelyn Smoak and Mackenzie Queen met at summer camp during a fencing match. Neither of them expected to pull off a mask and find a reflection of themselves staring back. But in the days that followed the girls learned that they were sisters– twins, separated by their parents. Madelyn had been raised in London with tech genius and blonde bombshell Felicity Smoak, while Mackenzie grew up with their father, Oliver Queen, the owner of Green Arrow Vineyards. When the girls devise a devious plan to switch parents, neither of them expected that what they’d really be fighting for was putting their family back together again. (Parent Trap AU)

**Award: Most Entertaining Olicity-Have-Kids-Who-Plot-Against-Them Fic**

@msbeccieboo’s recs:

Two Weeks Notice - LucyHatesJosh4Eva

Oliver Queen has a reputation as an insufferable playboy and a habit of hiring very inept, very attractive attorneys to represent his multi-billion dollar family corporation. So when an act of corporate espionage lands Felicity Smoak in his office on the heels of his last hiring debacle, her law degree and tech experience seem like the way to please his shareholders and his unhappy mother. He expects her smart mouth to cause him a huge pain in the ass; however, he doesn’t expect to trust and like her. Over time, Oliver starts to rely on Felicity for everything, and his world comes to a crashing halt when she gives her two weeks notice.

Retelling of the adorable rom com “Two Weeks Notice” starring Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant. I love this movie, and borrow some plot and some dialog with appreciation and joy. Updates on Mondays.

**Award: Most Wonderfully Frustrating ‘Just Tell Each Other How You Feel, Dammit’ Fic**

In Every Star, I See Your Face (Call Me in the Morning) - @jsevick

Felicity's new internship is full of... complications. (Grey’s Anatomy AU)

**Award: Best Olicity Playing Doctor, Literally**

Love Like Battleships - @callistawolf

Six Days Seven Nights AU - Felicity is a driven career woman on a much-needed vacation with her doting boyfriend. Oliver is a charter pilot with a history of running from complications (and his life). They clash from the start, two wrongs rubbing up against each other the wrong way. What happens when a nasty storm causes them to crash on a deserted island, alone, together?

**Award: Most Untraditional Appearance of a Trousersnake in a Fic**

Between Hello and Roses - charmingwords23

Felicity Smoak had no idea what she was getting herself into when she signed on to be the star of the new season of The Bachelorette. With plenty of drama, adventure, heartbreak, and romance, this season promises to be the most shocking and dramatic yet!

**Award: Cheesiest (in the best way) Reality TV Olicity**

Surreal but Nice - angelica

"After all... I'm just a guy, standing in front of a girl, asking her to love him."

a.k.a.

One Wednesday, Felicity Smoak of Tech Village meets Oliver Queen, the movie star. (Notting Hill AU)

**Award: Most Adorable Bumbling Felicity**

@memcjo’s recs:

Are These Your Glasses? - IIIIRENE

When Queens Consolidated throws a masked ball for New Year's Eve, Oliver and Felicity meet for the first time. They dance all night long until Felicity mysteriously flees from the venue dropping her glasses in the process. Unfortunately Oliver never got the name of the gorgeous blonde in the emerald dress, but he has her glasses and he will stop at nothing to find her so that they can continue where they left off.

Olicity AU inspired by Cinderella

**Award: Best Olicity Fairy Tale**

How to Save a Life - witchy2008

DWTS!AU. Oliver Queen has been pushed into competing to improve his image and subsequently the QC stock prices. His professional partner, Felicity Smoak, is working on coaxing him into putting some of his ghosts to rest.

This week, Team Olicity presents Oliver's most memorable year with a contemporary dance dedicated to Shado.

**Award: Best Sexy Olicity Dancing SO Sexy**

seemingly impossible (but not untrue) - @alexiablackbriar13

Genius historian Dr Felicity Smoak unknowingly and accidentally calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript within the Oxford Bodleian Libraries - a book that has been lost for centuries.

Felicity wants nothing to do with magic, despite her heritage and unruly, powerful abilities. But her discovery of Ashmole 782 sets the world of creatures stirring.

With a mystery afoot and new, dangerous magical abilities manifesting for her to navigate, she is approached by the enigmatic vampire biochemist Professor Oliver Queen, who seems to have a deep interest in both the manuscript… and her.

Based on A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness.

(No knowledge of ADOW or background is needed for you to read this fic!)

**Award: Best Felicity and Oliver Being Drawn Together Against the Odds**

Move - @bushlaboo

Push inspired AU. When people with psychic abilities are discovered governments around the world setup agencies to handle and secretly experiment on these enhanced individuals, one such agency is ARGUS. They're testing a powers boosting drug, Mirakuru, which will allow them to build the most powerful psychic army in the world. The only thing standing in their way is the vision of world’s most powerful Watcher who set in place the means to allow her daughter to foil their plan over a decade ago.

**Award: Best BAMF Felicity Smoak**

@smoaking-greenarrow’s recs:

How To Train Your Vigilante - @alexiablackbriar13

In a world where dragons exist and roam the earth, Felicity Smoak considers herself to be a normal if not slightly nerdy IT girl, with complicated family issues, a fascination with the winged predators and a slight ‘saving people’ complex. Her entire world changes when she meets Oliver, the infamous deadly Night Fury - and a genetic experiment - who flies around Starling City taking down criminals.

Their partnership will be one that rocks the world.

(How To Train Your Dragon AU)

**Award: The ‘Oliver as Toothless is Brilliant and Spot-on’ Award**

The Big Catch - @nodecaff4me

The lives of Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak could not be more different.

He was an infamous billionaire playboy and heir to a fortune 500 company who did everything he could to reform himself into everything his family wanted him to be. She was a struggling single mother of two girls, doing her best she could do get her family through after her whole life in Boston had fallen apart in the aftermath of her ex-husband’s criminal mischiefs.

Both their worlds collide after his yacht’s Wifi-network collapses somewhere along the Oregon coast and he is forced to harbor in a small sleepy town called Elk Cove and hire an IT specialist to fix it only to refuse to pay her for her work in the end.

All bets are off when she learns that he was laying in the county hospital with amnesia after an accident and she could finally get her revenge...

An #Olicity Overboard AU (WIP)

**Award: The ‘I’ve Never Seen This Movie but This Fic is Everything I Need’ Award**

Stones of Time - arrow_through_my_writers_block

AU. Felicity Smoak is halfway across the world on a mission to recover the rumored mystical waters known as the Lazarus Pit. But when fate tosses her back in time and into the company of rogue League of Assassins members, she's caught up in a dangerous game of cat and mouse... soon falling for the mysterious Al-Sah-him, otherwise known as Oliver Queen. Will she find a way back to her time, or will love and adventure keep her in the past to possibly change the future? *inspired by Outlander

**Award: The ‘Perfect Fic for Your (my) Arrow and Outlander Obsessions’ Award and a Bonus ‘Fangirl Swoon’ Award for Al-Sah-him**

Fate, Luck, and Tequila - Emilyymay_x

The Olicity AU based on the film 'Just My Luck'

Oliver is a billionaire playboy with all the luck in the world.

Felicity Smoak is an excellent IT assistant at Queen Consolidated, with the most rotten luck ever.

When they meet at a masquerade party, they have no idea how much the tables will turn.

**Award: The ‘Better Than the Movie’ Award**

Werewolves and Vigilantes - Emilyymay_x

When Felicity finds out who her father is, and finds out he lives in Beacon Hills with his son, Felicity has to go and meet them. Little does she expect the crazy in Starling to be ten times worse in Beacon Hills... a whole new level in fact… (Teen Wolf inspired)

**Award: The ‘Best Combination of TV Shows Crossover’ Award**

Let us always find each other (in every world, in every story) - imgoingtocrash

Instead of asking Felicity to work on the ATOM Exosuit, Ray brings Felicity on to help him create a device that allows the user to theoretically travel to parallel universes. When Ray turns the theoretical into reality by stealing one of the prototypes and attempting to find his dead wife at the cost of ruining other universes, Felicity follows him. What begins as an attempt to stop her boss from going places he doesn’t belong turns into a realization that some people will always find a way to be together, no matter what.

A Thousand Pieces of You inspired AU, but no book knowledge is required.

**Award: My New Favorite ‘Exploring Other Universes Fic’ Award**

@blondeeoneexox’s recs:

Kerosene and Desire - @smoaking-greenarrow

An Olicity Notebook AU with a darker twist.

**Award: Most Intense, Sweet, Topsy-Turvy, Beautiful Notebook AU (With the Best Cliffhanger!)**

Home is Where the Heart is - CSM

AU. This fic is loosely based on the movie Sweet Home Alabama. Puppy love is for fairytales and storybooks, they don't exist in the real world and all Oliver wants is for her to sign on the dotted line, a clear cut divorce. But being married to the most stubborn woman in the world and their equally opinionated mothers, Oliver knows this trip back home is going to be anything but easy.

**Award: Most Sass-Filled, Funny, Romantic Olicity AU**

Where You Lead (I Will Follow) - @jsevick

Oliver Queen’s careful routine at the diner he owns is disrupted by Stars Hollow’s newest residents, a single mom and her young daughter searching for a new life--and his own simple life will never be the same. (Gilmore Girls AU)

**Award: The Slowest of Slow Burns That I Wish We Could Have More Of!**

The Sound of an Arrow - thecomebackkids99

Five years ago, Oliver Queen lost his wife in a car accident.

Twenty years ago, Felicity Smoak's father kissed her on the forehead and disappeared from her life.

Now, she is the nanny for the six adorable Queen children, fighting to restore love in the mansion and trying to deal with the difficult-to-get-along-with Oliver, all the while as she continues to stumble upon evidence that could drag the Queen family further into darkness. (The Sound Of Music AU)

**Award: Most Emotional Rollercoaster**

Felicity the Virgin - javajunkie

When Felicity is accidentally artificially inseminated with hotel mogul Oliver Queen's sperm, her life changes in more ways than she could have ever imagined. Jane The Virgin - OLICITY STYLE AU

**Award: Most Beautiful Acquaintances to Friends to Lovers to Family Fic**

#Arrow #Olicity #olicity tropetastic awards #Other Inspirations trope #rec list #olicity fanfiction #olicity fic #Oliver Queen #Felicity Smoak

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darylandbethfanforever9 · 4 years

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Downfall Of Us All: Chapter 16

Downfall Of Us All

Chapter 16

AN: I hope all of you are staying safe, during this time and I’m sorry for the delay in updating DOUA. I’ve just been having a difficult time, these last few weeks not really been happy.

Special thanks to @jtargaryen18 for cheering me up.

He made a move to go to her, but she shook her head at him, to let him know that she needed a minute. She swallowed, and Erik turned to look at her. The scientist’s face was hard with anger, and his voice was raised. "Why didn't you tell them?! You could have stopped all of this, if you had just told the authorities!" Erik shouted outraged, and Grace didn't flinch, but Clint saw her eyes flash red. "I was taken when Sokovia was fighting for its independence, they were fighting with Serbia and Latveria. I was trying to help people, when I got taken away! I never wanted this, and I wish I could go back and fix things. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Grace cried distressed, looking distraught. Her blonde hair was lying limply around her face, and her cheeks looked hollow. "That's not going to bring them back, though is it?! I should never have let Jane and Darcy be involved with you lot! I hold you personally responsible," Erik said spitefully, causing everyone to stare. "Erik that's enough, she's just found out her son's dead! Back off, this isn't her fault," Clint said warningly, moving towards Grace and he saw she was trembling. Erik glared at Grace with contempt, she quickly left but not before Clint heard her speak numbly. "I wish I was dead too, I'd give up my life to save my son." She said numbly, and quickly left the room.

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Grace ran to her bedroom, and slammed the door shut desperately. She ripped off her t-shirt, leggings and converse, before running into the bathroom. She turned on the shower head and sobbed heartbrokenly in the bathroom. Not caring that the hot water was a bit too hot, she buried her face into her knees. "Why didn't you tell them?! They could have been saved!" Erik's voice whispered angrily.

Grace curled into a ball on the floor as tears streamed down her face. She was responsible for this, she hadn't protected Zach or Jane, Darcy and Pepper. She'd kept what Rumlow and HYDRA had done to her, secret but her secret had gotten Zach killed. Those poor women......what they must be going through. It was her fault, completely her fault. Erik was right to blame her, she grabbed the Dr Organic shampoo and lathered her hair with it. Silent tears swam down her face, as she rinsed it off and washed her hair with the conditioner. Her hair was tangled, and she needed to make sure Zach's funeral was planned. It was being held on Friday at Congregation Baith Israel Anshei Emes, she bit back a sob. Her son shouldn't be dead, he should be alive and laughing. Her heart felt like it was shattered into pieces, and she felt like it would never be repaired. She rinsed the conditioner out, and washed her face, and then her body. She scrubbed at her skin until it was pink and stumbled out of the bathroom. She'd only put a dressing gown on, and sat curled up on the bed with Starling, Tom, Custard and Patch. The door opened, and Clint silently laid down next to her, Sophie on the other side with Bucky. She sniffled, and swallowed. "Dr Selvig's right you know, I should have said something. But, I was scared, and I wanted to keep my boy safe," Grace said numbly, broken and numb. "He had no right saying that, he doesn't know what those bastards did to you! You're not to blame, Gracie." Sophie said fiercely, hugging her.

"She's right," Clint said quietly. "Yeah, he was close to Jane and he's hurting because they have her. But there's a chance we'll get her back safely. All of them. None of this is your fault." Propping himself up on an elbow, he leaned over her to press a kiss into her hair. "The thing you have to do, Gracie, is to keep your head. I'm so sorry your baby boy is gone. But he's not suffering now. And.." She heard Clint swallow hard, glancing up she saw the tears filling his beautiful green eyes. "And I'm going to help you end those motherfuckers, Grace," he vowed in a voice dangerously close to breaking. "I promise you that." It was one thing any of them could have said that gave her a sense of calm. "Yes," she whispered.

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All through the night, Clint didn't leave her. Sophie had been nodding off, she was exhausted. Bucky moved to sit in an armchair while the sisters slept fitfully, his own expression dark and troubled. "I'm going to need your help," Clint told him. Bucky's blue eyes met his. "Help me watch her. Them," Clint pleaded. "I know." Bucky's gaze moved over them. "The first thing Grace is going to do once her boy is buried is to go after them. Sophie will go with her if I don't watch." Clint nodded, feeling like his heart was shredding in his chest. "I understand why she wants to… God, if anyone understands why it's me. But they haven't been here long enough to take this on. Not yet. I can't lose her." Bucky nodded, his expression sympathetic. "We're screwed either way," Bucky finally said. "If any of us get hurt, they'll shoulder that blame too." "I can live with that. What I can't live with is the possibility of them getting their hands on her again. How the hell does a woman who was sexually assaulted for months, forcibly impregnated, go around blaming herself for the same thing happening to others? How can anyone accuse her of that and think it's okay? Explain that to me. I just don't get it." Bucky blew out an exhale. "Me either, pal." "Just hope I can stop her," Clint said, even as he knew it would come to that. He knew she'd take off. He could feel it. "Try not to worry," Bucky told him. "Getting around us? Probably no big trick. But can you see her getting away from Nat?" Clint snorted a laugh at that. "Honestly, no. Can't believe I hadn't thought of that." The quiet in the room stretched out. Bucky's voice jarred him awake. "I'll take first watch. Try to get some sleep." "You sure?" Clint asked quietly. Bucky nodded. "Not going to be able to sleep. Go ahead." The other man pulled out his phone, began scrolling through it. Clint settled himself behind Grace, trying to lend her his strength in sleep. He wasn't going to let her weather this alone. He'd held her find the justice that might quiet her heart one day. It wouldn't heal. The loss of a child was a fatal scar on the heart of their parent. It would never fade, just like their love for the child. But maybe, just maybe, together they could move forward somehow. Even if it were only to stop HYDRA, to keep some other innocent person from suffering as they were.

Clint held Grace close, not wanting to let her go as he tried to get some sleep. He felt Grace's grip on his t-shirt tighten, and he held her tightly to him. "You're not alone, Grace. You're not alone." He whispered quietly, and held her tightly to him.

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The compound was silent for once, Rhodey had been told by Tony what had happened while he'd been away. Needless to say, the man was horrified. Tony had gotten Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson, civil rights lawyers to help them with the case against SHIELD in the kidnapping and murder of Zach Melnychenko Drăgoi. Matt and Foggy had warned them that the case would be drawn out by the government. "Christ Tony, and Pepper wanted to abort the baby?" He asked horrified, Tony nodded numbly. He was still trying to stay positive, but he felt like losing hope. "Yeah, and she didn't even tell me. Maybe she just wanted no reminders of me, and then HYDRA caught her. I don't know why Rhodey, but Ross is involved somehow," Tony said grimly, Rhodey nodded sadly. "When's the funeral?" He asked quietly, Tony grimaced and swallowed, thinking of the funeral that would occur tomorrow morning. "Tomorrow, everything's been arranged. The funeral service is being held at Congregation Baith Israel Anshei Emes Synagogue, and Zach's being placed next to his grandparents. Grace is trying to stay strong, but what Selvig said has hit her hard and Sophie's not doing great." Tony said worriedly and looked at his cup of coffee. When he'd signed up to the Sokovia Accords, he'd honestly believed and felt he was doing the right thing. But now, after reading the files and finding out children were being taken away from their parents, and people being interred in prisons...... He felt responsible, and he wished that he'd listened to Steve that night three years ago.

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"Dr Selvig, I understand you are upset but you cannot blame Grace Melnychenko Drăgoi for what's happened. She's lost her son, and I will not allow you to upset her." Fury said sternly, he'd been notified by Steve on what had happened. Erik said nothing, but he genuinely looked remorseful for his harsh words, and swallowed. "How old was her son?" He asked finally, his voice quiet. "Zach was six years old and was experimented on by a rogue faction of SHIELD. We believe Home Secretary Thaddeus Ross was involved and are looking over the evidence we've found." Fury said grimly, seeing Erik pale. "Was she raped?"

"Yes," Fury said matter of factly, "by Brock Rumlow and two others until she conceived. The same thing happened to her is happening, we believe to Pepper Potts, Jane Foster, and Darcy Lewis. And I've got to be honest, Selvig. Ross has intentions that I don't think have been revealed yet. The only decent thing he's done is to bring those sisters on this team, so they have someone looking out for them. Either of them ends up harming themselves or dead from irrational emotional choices, and I'm gonna take it personal. Really personal. And I don't think I'll be alone in that." Erik seemed to consider what he'd been told. "I'm sorry," the doctor said finally. "I lost my wits when I learned they had Jane. She's like a daughter to me, her father was my best friend. My thought was that if this Grace had reported her son missing back when it happened, maybe this wouldn't have happened. Maybe my Jane wouldn't have been taken." Nick's good eye narrowed on him. "Jane was taken for a whole other reason, doctor. She was messing with Soviet intel that she had no business messing with. She's the one that dragged Darcy Lewis into this. I'm sorry about the baby, I am. Thor's taking it really hard. But just remember that no one here is to blame for this unfortunate turn of events. Pointing fingers isn't going to help either. In fact, it might open up a hornet's nest you don't want to deal with." Erik's brow furrowed in confusion. "If anything happens to Jane or the child," Nick continued, "you know there's gonna be hell to pay. Hawk, I know he's not your favourite, but he's mentor to Grace and he's not exactly stable after the loss of his own children." Erik nodded, the colour slowly draining from his face. "Tony Stark? They have the woman he loves and his child too, though Tony is mostly stable enough to deal with the shit life throws at him. That one could go in a lot of ways really. Grace's sister, Sophie? That one is in love with Barnes, formerly known as the Winter Soldier, and he loves her. Something happens to her, someone looks at her wrong, not even Steve's going to be able to call that off. Do you understand a little better now?" Erik looked downright nervous. "Ah, yes. I believe I do actually." "We can expect you at the funeral?" Nick asked meaningfully. Erik nodded. "I'll be there. And I'll make amends." Nick nodded, pleased with how the conversation had gone. "Just… if there's anything I can do to help, anything to help Jane," Erik begged him, "please let me know." "I can do that," Nick told him and watched as Erik nervously made his way out of his office.

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Bucky rounded the corner, heading back for his apartment when he ran right into Sophie. He caught her before she could bounce off of him, smiling at the blush that darkened her cheeks to see him there. "I'm so sorry," she told him with a smile. Not once had she ever looked at him with mistrust or contempt, not even when she's snatched his rifle away that first time he saw her in her apartment. The way she stood, shyly glancing up at him through those long, long lashes made him happy. Reminded him of the way the girls had used to flirt with him back in Brooklyn before the war. "Hey, you," he said, sweeping a lock of honey-coloured hair behind her ear. Oh, if he'd known her back then, there wouldn't have been any other girls. He would have courted her, would have wooed her. He didn't think it would ever get old how she would look at him with such longing, desire… "How… ah, how is Grace doing?" He asked, taking her hand in his flesh one and pulling her into his apartment after he'd unlocked the door.

Sophie shrugged, blew out an exhale. "She's as well as could be expected. Nat's with her now. I thought I'd take a break." Bucky nodded his understanding. "You can relax here for a little while. I'm going to jump in the shower and clean up. Help yourself to whatever you like." Sophie looked to the kitchen and back. "Have you had lunch? I could make us something." "That'd be great, doll," he told her, smiling. He'd never turn down anything food wise she made for him, he knew that.

Sophie smiled at him and started cooking a favourite Romanian, recipe that her father would cook for them and their mother. It was called Tocană, and was a soup dish that the family would have when they stayed in Romania. She hummed softly, remembering how Zach would happily bake in the kitchen with them. Her heart broke for her little sister, she shouldn't have to go through this grief. Before long, she broke down sobbing quietly as she thought of her nephew, whose life had been robbed before it could begin. Her innocent, kind and loving nephew. She wiped her eyes, and began cooking the Tocană, still feeling tears slide down her face. She promised herself, Grace and to Zach that he would be avenged.

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Bucky showered quickly, feeling thankful towards Shuri that his vibranium left arm was waterproof. He turned the shower off, and dried off, before putting on clean clothes. He smelt something delicious cooking, and saw Sophie had cooked Tocană, a Romanian soup that his mother would cook for him and his three sisters. He saw that her eyes were red, and she was crying as she looked at a photograph. He wordlessly pulled her into his arms, and held her as she wept. "It's alright doll, I got you. You can mourn for Zach, dragă.," Bucky said quietly, turning the stove off. Sophie sobbed, she dug her nails into his shirt. He hummed a lullaby in Romanian to her, one that his mother had sung to him and his sisters, when they had been upset. He rocked her, and simply held her. They held each other tightly, and neither let go until Sophie finished cooking the soup. They both sat together on the sofa, with Sophie curled up against his chest. After finishing the meal, Sophie fell asleep with Oscar and Bonnie sitting beside them. The two cats comforting them, and Bucky held them tightly.

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Food was prepared for the guests that would be arriving at the compound, May and Lilia insisted on cooking the food which would contain boil eggs. Grace felt numb, but she was so grateful for Sophie, Peter, May, Ned and Michelle. Bucky, Clint, Steve, Natasha, Tony, Sharon, Sam, Coulson and Tony. She attached a ribbon to her simple black dress, it wasn't cold outside, and she was looking through the photos with everyone. Sophie squeezed her hand, as they saw a photo of a newborn Zach with them at Central Park. She smiled shakily, and stroked his face tenderly. He was dressed in a Captain America t-shirt, with blue denim jeans, and little black kickers. She sniffled and wiped her eyes. "I don't know which one to pick, there's one of him at his sixth birthday party or at Peter's birthday party," she said torn, Sophie and Clint hugged her. "I'll photocopy it, so you can keep the original copy. Everything's done, and we're here for you." Tony said comfortingly, he felt like this was his fault. Grace simply hugged him, and he hugged her back as if he understood her action. Gradually, the team all joined the embrace, and Grace sniffled. "I'm trying, I won't run away but I have to get some sort of justice for Zach. I should have said something sooner." Grace said ashamed. "Sir, King T'Challa and his sister have arrived to pay their respects." Jarvis announced softly.

Tony met T'Challa and Shuri as they entered the compound, General Okoye and another three members of the Dora Milaje flanking them. Tony shook T'Challa's hand, thanked them for coming. All around them florists buzzed around carrying floral arrangements and trying to find strategic places to put them. T'Challa and his sister followed Tony over to pay their respects to Grace and Sophie. Shuri ran forward to hug Bucky, happy to see him doing so well. Ross came up behind them and T'Challa didn't like the shadow that fell over the face of the grieving young mother or her sister. "Ross," Tony said curtly. "Not sure what you're here to say but I sure hope it's something about condolences." The thinly-veiled warning in Tony's voice got T'Challa's attention. Ross smirked at him. "How long is all this going to take? We've got work to do." Fortunately, Steve came up just in time to keep Bucky from heading in that direction. His best friend had seen enough trouble in his life. Both soldiers watched as T'Challa stepped into Ross' personal space, his gaze locking with the other man's. "Where I am from, it is disrespectful to interfere with the passage of the dead," T'Challa admonished him, his chin lifted in challenge. Bucky immediately relaxed in Steve's grip, realizing his friend had this one. "You must not have much to do where you're from," Ross quipped. "But here you have plenty." "I am not yours to command and you'd do well to remember that," the king said before dismissively turning his back on Ross and turning his attention back to the two young women. "That means it is time for you to go now," Shuri told him, smirking. Ross's face coloured in anger but leave he did. Steve nodded his thanks to T'Challa as did Tony. Taking Grace's hand in her own, Sophie pulled her away from the doors. "Let's go find a place so you can rest until it’s time to go." "Good idea," Clint told her. They steered Grace into one of the lounges used for entertaining, Nat followed them in, reaching up to kiss Steve in greeting. She came to kneel in front of Grace and Sophie with Wanda behind her. "Everything is ready for the service," Wanda told them. "I had to remind them to cut his shirt." Grace didn't understand. "What?" Bucky, sitting on the other side of Sophie, leaned in. "It's believed the very young become angels when they pass. The shirt is cut before the service to help them fly." Nat, who'd been nearly as stoic as Steve the entire time, lost her composure on that note, crumbling into tears before them.

"Nat?" Clint said gently. "Hey, it's okay." "Come here, sweetheart," Steve bent down to pick her up. "I've got you." He carried her over to another sofa, talking to her quietly though they could still hear the quiet sounds of her crying. Tony met T'Challa and Shuri as they entered the compound, General Okoye and another three members of the Dora Milaje flanking them. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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#Clint Barton Fanfiction #Clint Barton x OC #Ronin #Hawkeye #Bucky Barnes Fanfiction #Bucky Barnes x OC #Winter Soldier

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smkkbert · 5 years

Text

Mothers know best

Summary: Since they have been kids, they have been best friends. Since they have been friends, their mothers wanted them to be together. After coming back from the east coast, Felicity takes over a position at Queen Consolidated, the company her best friend will soon take over from his father. Their mothers still push for them to be together, and they seem closer to that goal than ever because wedding bells are ringing. The only problem is that they both plan to get married to someone else.

Rating: Explicit

Previous chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21

Author’s note: Here it is, the end of this story. Thanks to everyone who kept liking, reblogging and commenting on this fic. It meant a lot to me that so many joined into this fic and enjoyed reading it so much. You are the best! It’s going to take a while until my next multichapter is going to be posted, but I will update you about the writing process and tell you when to expect the first chapter ahead of time. :)

Chapter 22 of 22: Ikigai

= Reason for living (Japanese)

Within the last seven and a half months, Oliver had thought time and time again that he couldn’t possibly be happier or even just more content. Yet, time and time again, life had proved him wrong. It had just continued making him happier and even more content.

Having both of his girls sleeping in his arms, Oliver was really sure that there was no enhancement possible anymore now. Having both of his girls sleeping in his arms was all the happiness and all the content life could possibly offer to him. There was nothing more life could give him without making his chest burst from all the happiness he was feeling.

Smiling softly, Oliver looked at Felicity. She was nestled against his side, her arms wrapped around him loosely. Her head was resting on his chest, her cheek snuggled to shirt with her nose pressing against it slightly like she wanted to breathe him in with every breath she took in. She looked peaceful as Oliver guessed that giving birth to their baby girl just a couple of hours ago had left her completely out of energy.

He brushed a gentle kiss to the crown of her head and watched the way she smiled in her sleep. She took in a deep breath, pushing her nose even more against his chest. A long sigh fell from her lips before her muscles relaxed against his body again. She just continued sleeping, catching a little more rest.

Oliver turned his head to focus on his other girl. Just like her mother, the little girl was sleeping in his arms. Even in her sleep, she was moving her tiny fingers together like she wanted to hold onto something. Without any hesitation, Oliver combed his fingers through Felicity’s hair one last time before he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and placed his digit between his daughter’s hands. Her fingers wrapped around it, holding onto it tightly and, just like her mother before, she released a long sigh.

In all his life, Oliver had seen maybe three newborn babies. He didn’t have much experience with newborns, and he had never been exactly interested in them either. Still, Oliver knew without any doubt that his daughter was the most beautiful and entirely perfect baby that had ever been born. His whole life would revolve around her from now on.

“She’s so beautiful, isn’t she?”

Surprised, Oliver turned his head to find that Felicity had woken up. She was looking at their daughter. While her entire face showed tiredness, her eyes were wake as the same love he could feel in his heart was sparkling in the expression in her eyes. A soft smile was playing on her lips when she lifted her hand and put it to Oliver’s on their daughter’s stomach.

“The most beautiful girl that has ever been born,” Oliver agreed in a whisper, nodding his head. “No offense.”

Felicity chuckled and placed a kiss on his shoulder through his shirt before she replied, “None taken.”

They stayed like this for a long moment, just watching their daughter and enjoying the moment as the little family they were now. It was still so new, but it felt so incredibly right. Since he and Felicity had left the friendzone and finally become lovers, it had always been that way. Everything about them and their family was absolutely right.

The last year had brought a lot of troubles. Everything between Felicity moving to Starling City to their wild Las Vegas wedding had been utter chaos. There were so many things they regretted about how they had handled things. The cheating and the lying and the denial of what was right had just been utterly wrong, and there was no apology for what they had done. It would forever be a dark spot in their lives, but they wouldn’t let that taint what they had. It wouldn’t do good to either of them now that they were together and everything about it was finally right.

Even after that wedding, there had still been a lot of trouble as everyone around them had started to get used to them being together and having a family together and leading a company together. People had whispered behind their backs, reminding them of all the chaos they had created and all the people they had hurt with their actions.

This last year had been incredibly tough. It would forever be with them, but they would still move forward. There was so much they still had to enjoy, and they couldn’t let any past mistakes stop them from that.

Hence, it had been the best kind of surprise when their baby girl’s birth had worked out without any unexpected troubles.

Ariana Rose Queen-Smoak had been born at 10am after thirteen hours of labor. At 19.6 inches and 7.2 pound, she was perfectly healthy. Her lungs, as her loud cries had proved, had developed perfectly during the last nine months of pregnancy. Her breathing had been deep and even, her heartbeat perfectly strong. Oliver couldn’t have been any prouder.

Holding Ariana now and feeling her heartbeat against his chest, Oliver still couldn’t believe that this tiny human being was made by Felicity and him. He doubted that he’d ever really believe it. All he could hope for was that he’d eventually get used to it.

Moving up the bed a little, so she could sit up and lean back into the pillows, Felicity reached out her arms to take Ariana from him. Oliver brushed a kiss against the little girl’s forehead before he handed her over to her mother. As soon as Ariana was rested safely in Felicity’s arms, kept warm against her chest, he wrapped both of his arms around the two of them.

Holding them felt like his most favorite thing to do now. Growing up with expensive toys and other luxurious stuff had made it hard to really appreciate what he had. He had taken too many things for granted, but that was different now. He knew that he would never take Felicity’s or Ariana’s presence in his life for granted. Never.

“Everything I love is right in my arms,” Oliver whispered against the crown of Felicity’s hair. “I have never been happier.”

Felicity smiled, angling her head back. “You’ve said that a couple of times before already.”

“I know.” Oliver chuckled. “And I meant it every time.”

The expression in Felicity’s eyes softened, and she rested her head back against his shoulder, leaning on him. Without saying anything, she took in his face thoroughly. The corners of her lips twitched as she was still smiling at him.

“This last year brought a lot of changes.”

Oliver nodded his head. “Good changes though.”

“The best of changes.” Felicity smiled, turning her head to look at Ariana again, who was still sleeping so very peacefully. “Especially as long as she sleeps like an angel.”

“Let’s hope that is not going to change when we take her home tonight.”

Even if that changed and Ariana turned out to be one of the babies that cried basically all day, Oliver knew that he’d still be as happy as he possibly could be. He’d be exhausted without any doubt, but he’d still be happy. He was together with the woman he loved more than he had ever loved anyone else, and they got to raise their baby together. There was nothing that could overshadow this happiness for him.

“Speaking of home,” Oliver said eventually, clearing his throat, “there is something we have to discuss.”

“I know.” Felicity sighed. “We have to find a new place to stay. Our townhouse just doesn’t offer enough space to raise Ariana there the way we want to raise her. I love our townhouse, but I know we have to move out. I am not even trying to make finding a new place harder than it ought to be, but I just couldn’t picture the three of us in any of the places we saw and-“

“I know,” Oliver hurried to say and tightened his arms around her. “I know you are not trying to make it harder. I actually didn’t like any of the houses we have seen enough to live there either. We are both aiming for perfect, and I think that is what we deserve.”

After everything they had been through and all the obstacles they had had to overcome, they didn’t deserve anything less than perfect. They had had a hard start, so he’d make sure that everything was exactly the way they wanted it to be from now on.

“At first, I thought that there was no perfect place for us to live,” Oliver said quietly. “I thought that we just wanted too much. I mean we wanted everything and everything at once. I thought maybe that was the problem.”

Felicity frowned, looking at his face intensely. He could see that she didn’t like the thought because, just like he himself, she really wanted their home to be perfect. She didn’t want to settle for second best.

“Then I figured that the reason we didn’t find something that clicked with us was that we were searching at the wrong spots,” Oliver continued after a moment. “We already have our perfect home. We just forgot about it.”

Scrunching up her nose slightly, Felicity cleared her throat. “If you suggest kicking your parents out of the mansion and moving into that giant palace ourselves, I-“

“No, no.”

Oliver chuckled at the bare panic in Felicity’s eyes. It was the same expression that had been on her face back when she had been a kid and she had first moved into the mansion with her mother. Once she had been over the shock of being uprooted from her home and her life in Las Vegas and had been dragged to Starling City instead, she had taken in her new home with the same disapproving expression that was on her face now.

That look on her face back then had told him that Felicity wouldn’t want to live in the mansion or any place that was similar to it. She wasn’t the kind of woman to live in a palace with a dozen of people that made sure the chores were taken care of. She loved a smaller life, something intimate that was just for the family, just like he himself preferred it too.

“Our treehouse.”

Oliver bit down on his tongue as he watched the different reactions playing on Felicity’s face, almost the same way they did after he had proposed to her in their kitchen months ago. She looked confused, then amused and finally confused again.

“The treehouse is nice and cozy, but it lacks space. I mean it’s even smaller than our townhouse. Significantly smaller, I might add. I don’t mind living in a tiny home with you because I could never feel crowded as long as it’s just us, but that treehouse is maybe a hundred square feet which is even little for the most in-love people. It’s also quite difficult to reach with a car or even a stroller, never mind the lack of electricity and water supply.”

Biting down on his tongue, Oliver just continued to watch Felicity. He guessed that she still had to be very exhausted from giving birth because she didn’t talk herself into one of her rambles that would just go on and on until he framed her face with his hands and kissed her. Finally, that was how he could end her rambles instead of putting a hand to her shoulder and making her stop that way.

Felicity didn’t miss his silence, and she could probably see his amusement on his face too. Pursing her lips, she cocked her head and looked at him intensely.

“You don’t mean that we should move into the treehouse.”

“No,” Oliver replied lightly, tapping the tip of his finger against the tip of her nose. “Dad agreed to clear some of the forest land though. That way, we can build a house there, and we will have our treehouse in our garden.”

The moment he had thought back to the treehouse, that they hadn’t visited since the morning of Christmas Eve because Oliver hadn’t wanted Felicity to climb up that ladder anymore, he had turned the car and visited his father at home. On his way to the mansion, he had already been able to see what their home would look like. He knew exactly what cozy, little house they would build there, and he had been eager to start building it since the moment his father had agreed with the plan.

“You hear that, Ariana?” Felicity whispered to their daughter. “Daddy wants us to die like in all the good horror movies we will watch together in twenty years.”

Oliver was temporarily distracted by Felicity calling him ‘daddy’. The word made his heart stumble. She had said it before, but now it felt even more true. He really was a daddy now, daddy of a perfectly healthy and unbelievably beautiful baby girl.

Soon, he focused back onto the conversation at hand though. “Don’t worry. The forest is well protected. Dad showed me the location of the treehouse on the map. We can build a path from northwest. That way, not too much of the forest has to be cleared to lead to our home. It would also be far enough away from the mansion for us to enjoy some time alone and yet close enough so Raisa can drop Ariana at my parents’ place if we have some spontaneous meetings coming up late.”

Felicity perked up her eyebrows. “You stole Raisa from your parents?”

“No.” Oliver smiled innocently and brushed his fingertips over Ariana’s scalp. “They would have never let me steal Raisa. Ariana stole her.”

Oliver could see how hard she was trying to bite back her amusement and to look at him judgingly instead. She puckered her lips and cocked her head.

“You used our daughter to snap your parents’ house staff away from them?”

“I would have used everything and everyone to snap Raisa away from them,” Oliver replied matter-of-factly. “It’s Raisa after all.”

Felicity smiled, and he was sure that he had made the right decision. Raisa had helped raising the two of them. She was the right one to help raising Ariana now.

“So, you agree on Raisa,” he stated. “What do you say about the idea of moving into the forest and towards our treehouse?”

Felicity’s smile widened even more. “I love it.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Felicity straightened up a little and brushed her lips to the underside of his chin. “I love it very much.”

Tightening his arms around her, Oliver leaned in and captured Felicity’s lips in a gentle kiss. Their tongues moved together in a slow dance. Everything inside of Oliver focused on Felicity for a moment. All that mattered was her and all that existed was her.

The low cry Ariana released made Oliver pull back and break the kiss to watch his newborn daughter instead. She was squirming in Felicity’s arms slightly, telling them that she was awake now. Her eyes opened every now and then, but they were never opened for long, and she didn’t manage to really look at anything for long yet. According to the books he had read, Oliver knew that it would take another few weeks until Ariana would really look at him.

Oliver had no words to describe how much he loved Ariana. If anyone had asked him twenty-four hours ago, he wouldn’t have thought that it was possible to love someone this much. He had loved this baby the moment Felicity had told him that she was pregnant. It was nothing compared to how much his love had increased when he had been able to first hold Ariana in his arms though.

Nothing would ever be able to compare to that again.

“Will you tell me now?”

Perking up his eyebrows, Oliver looked at Felicity. “Tell you what?”

Felicity smiled. “The secret you shared with Ariana during our wedding night.”

Oliver couldn’t help but smile. So many things had happened before and after that night. Still, Felicity remembered that moment of maybe fifteen seconds when he had whispered something to their unborn baby. He shouldn’t be surprised and he wasn’t actually surprised. It was just so much like Felicity to remember something like that.

“It wasn’t actually a secret,” Oliver replied eventually while Felicity’s gaze was still lingering on him. “I asked her something.”

Felicity perked up her eyebrow. “What did you ask her?”

“I asked her to be a girl:”

Surprised glimpsed in Felicity’s eyes. “Really?”

“Yeah.” Oliver chuckled almost a little embarrassedly and massaged the back of his neck. “I grew up with girls. I mean my little sister is a girl, and my best friend is and has been a girl for as long as I can remember. I get along with girls, better than I do with boys, I guess. It felt like a legit question to ask, and, as you can see, Ariana and I have that special bond where she does what I ask of her.”

Grinning, Felicity cocked her head. “Do you need more tutoring in biology? I mean that is not actually how the sex of a baby is determined.”

“It’s not?”

“No,” Felicity replied with a wide smile, “but I leave it to you. I don’t want to disillusion you.”

“You couldn’t disillusion me even if you tried to,” Oliver replied, pecking her lips. “Not today.”

They turned their heads to watch Ariana silently once more. The little girl had fallen back asleep in Felicity’s arms peacefully. She was sleeping quietly, breathing in and out with an even rhythm that Oliver felt weirdly comforting.

When Felicity yawned, Oliver rubbed his hand up and down her arm slowly. Placing a kiss against her hairline, he leaned his cheek against the crown of her head. Felicity sighed and snuggled even closer to him in response.

“Are you tired?”

“Exhausted rather than tired,” Felicity replied, yawning once more. “Getting this baby out of me was quite exhausting.”

“I wouldn’t have noticed.” Oliver grinned. “I mean you did have enough energy to almost break my hand with your death grip.”

Felicity glared at him with mocking anger. “Really? Do you want to switch places the next time?”

For a second, Oliver considered if he should tell Felicity that she had just alluded to having a second baby. He decided to keep the conversation lightly though. They had been parents for less than twenty-four hours so far, so maybe they should delay the planning of any siblings for a while. They should at least explore what it was like to be parents of one kid before they even considered adding another into the mix.

“Oh, I don’t think I would look that graceful when I tried to do that.”

Felicity pursed her lips, knowing that he was just teasing her, and pushed her elbow into his ribs. Oliver just chuckled though.

“Maybe you should sleep for a little longer,” Oliver suggested, brushing his fingers through Felicity’s hair when she yawned a third time within this minute. “Catch some rest. You had an exhausting day.”

Making herself more comfortable at his side, Felicity angled her head back to look at him. She was frowning slightly.

“I am surprised our mothers didn’t show up yet to argue who Ariana looks like and to hand us all kind of unnecessary and unwelcome advice.”

Oliver chuckled, kissing her temple. “They arrived here eight minutes after we texted them that Ariana was born.”

“How did you manage to keep them out?” Felicity asked in a whisper. “I imagined them storming in here and ripping Ariana from our arms the moment they arrived.”

Oliver didn’t doubt that they had the power to do so. When they had arrived here right after Felicity and Ariana had fallen asleep, he had had trouble to keep them out of the room. Only telling them that both of them were fine but in need of some well-deserved sleep, they had agreed to sit down in front of the room and wait until the two had caught some rest.

“On our wedding day, I vowed to always protect the two of you, so that is what I will do.”

Felicity frowned. “I don’t think that was in your wedding vows.”

“I think it was.”

“I don’t think so.”

Oliver shrugged his shoulders. “Then I vow that to you now. Felicity, I will always protect Ariana and you.”

“Even from our mothers?”

“Especially from our mothers.”

Felicity smiled warmly. “Good.”

Oliver leaned in and brushed another kiss against Felicity’s lips, sealing his promise to her. He loved his two girls so much that he knew he’d jump in front of a car to protect them. Handling their mothers might be more dangerous than jumping in front of a car, but he’d do that too. He’d do everything to keep them safe.

“I’d still like to wait a little before we introduce Ariana to anyone else,” Felicity told him when she rested her head against his shoulder once more. “Just until we get used to this.”

She tightened her arms around Ariana when she said those words. Oliver felt his arms tighten around the two of them too.

“So, I tell them to come back in eighteen to twenty years?”

Felicity smiled. “Spending twenty years just like this sounds perfect to me.”

“Yeah,” Oliver agreed. “Sounds perfect to me too.”

Everything that included Felicity, Ariana and him to be together for as long as possible sounded perfect to him. He could forever live in his moment as long as he just got to hold them.

When Felicity’s lids grew heavy again and tiredness threatened to take her away, she handed Ariana back to him. Oliver wrapped an arm around their daughter safely and put the other around Felicity’s shoulders while she was snuggling back into her sleeping position at his side. It took less than a minute for her breath to even out and her muscles to relax as she fell asleep.

Oliver placed a kiss into her hair and rested his nose there to breathe her in. As soon as Ariana moved in his arms, he turned his head to look at his daughter. His cheek stayed rested against the crown of Felicity’s head though.

“Hey,” he whispered quietly when Ariana turned her head right and left, her eyes opening and looking around. “Did you have enough sleep for now?”

Ariana let out a little sound, not really a cry but something like a sweet sigh. Oliver smiled as it was a new sound for him, one he felt already carving into his heart.

“Well, now that it’s only us again,” he continued to whisper, not wanting to wake Felicity and not wanting to frighten Ariana either, “I guess it’s time for me to give you a first taste of daddy’s wisdom. I wouldn’t really call myself wise, especially given who your mommy is, but I think I have three little things to tell you that will make your life a lot easier. Ready to hear them?”

Again, Ariana let out a little sigh. Oliver knew it was probably just his imagination, but he felt like his little girl was turning a little in his arms like she was trying to get even close to him.

“Okay, here’s the first,” he said and lifted Ariana a little close to his face. “There are no people on this earth that love you as much as mommy and daddy do. Some people might tell you that you have been an accident or the circumstances surrounding your birth have been crappy or whatever, but please don’t ever doubt that mommy and I wanted you and loved you from the first second on. The moment we knew about you, our entire life revolved around you, and it always will. We two will always love you, no matter what you say or do. You can always come to us.”

He was sure that it was the most obvious of the three wisdoms he wanted to share with her.

“The second is not less important.” Oliver smiled. “Always chase your dreams, no matter how unreachable they seem. If you really want something, you gotta work to make it happen. It might be scary and it might cause trouble, but you can only be happy if you aim for what you really want and need. Always.”

For way too long, Oliver had tried to hold onto what was right and what he thought was supposed to be. It had almost cost him what he really wanted and what he really needed in his life. It had almost cost him everything he was holding in his arms right now.

“And the last wisdom for your first day on earth,” Oliver continued after a moment, “is that mommy always knows best. I mean mothers in general always know best, but your mommy in particular. I mean she is the smartest woman I have ever met, and I really hope that you grow up to as beautiful and as smart as she is. And because she is your mother, she will love you and just know best what is good for me. Trust me on that because my mommy knew what was best for me too, long before I knew it actually.”

These last months since he and Felicity had told their mothers about everything that had happened, they hadn’t stopped telling them that they could have found this blissful kind of happiness if they had just listened to them. Oliver knew that they were right. If he and Felicity hadn’t fought against their mother’s wishes for them to be together for so long, maybe they would have found their way to each other more easily.

Sometimes, people just had to learn the hard way. It might have been more comfortable and less painful for everyone involved otherwise, but Oliver wasn’t sure if he’d be here, with his wife and his daughter in his arms, if they had taken the easy way.

Oliver lifted Ariana in his arms until he could brush his lips against her forehead. When he opened his eyes, for almost a second, it looked like Ariana was looking right back at him. The next moment, she was squirming in his arms again slightly, turning her head to the right and to the left like she was just getting used to having a body she could move.

It was adorable and heartwarming at the same time.

“Oh, and Ariana,” he whispered, leaning his head down once more to whisper into her ear with a wide grin on his lips, “we don’t tell your grannies about this. Ever.”

* * *

@fannaz @promiseyoullbepatientwithme @bytemegeekette @felicity-said-just-in-case @phanseptiic @orangeisorange @mspotatohead14 @whentheheavenfades @emmaamelia95 @smoakingskye @seaolicity @ourwritinginvein @1022bridgetp @felicityqueenforever @leagueofolicity17 @yryssss @myhauntedblacksoul @sherlock44 @sinceriouslybea @arrowsalways @olivyflavescentdeer @olicitys-castle @ofnothingcharming @vaelisamaza @smoakedandcharmed @alexisa1206 @mysaudadespt2 @florence-bubbles @addictiontelly @queens-of-arrows @memcjo @hysterical-for-joshifer-blog @oswinelevenforever @olicitylovemaking @bandanab310 @mymusiclove101 @lynslogic @scarletqueen23 @olicityshipper19 @alex-wesley @arrows-4ever @unabashedlynerdypatrol @louehmysoul @ligiapimenta @chattyyana @charlie-leau @coal000 @samcrowleys @ishippolivia @julianegomesqueen @malafle @miriam1779 @charlinert @melaux @ontheolicityship @myshipperlife @wrightainsley @lexi9515 @ladygreenwood @multi-fandom-crazy-fangirl @morinamel @mje-thomas @kebarry @canadianheartgirl @nannett2307 @almondblossomme @paarti12 @kathrynelizabeth89 @imdfabulous @cutearrowgirl @mrt2501 @mecha1330 @arsipaci14 @mzminx @salasvia @brandis91 @cainc3 @morganmiguess @pr0fessi0nal-fangurl @iamisalima @nessafrancis-blog @jonhdiggle @niki-is-amazing @universed-posts @hopeful-warrior @senoritaswiftie @bellemmie @green-arrows-of-karamel @iheartarrow @olicityovereverything @oliverfel4 @navyaarsha @fandoms-breathe-life @simone4mcswarek @olicity-in-the-heart @fullychippedcreation @geemarie @everything-but-normal-cat @myarroworld @tjmartinez @pleasantfanandstudent @itsmagnoliagirl @j69confessional2 @scentedcolorpirate @icanica74 @javinancupil @tjmartinez98 @certainmentalityface @tatianadamaceno @ryelew @wildwillowzepplin @missafairy @letsplaymurde-r @lipizette @positivepiper @nuttymilkshakehologram @laksagirl @turnupthemusicandscream @pumpernickle93 @onceuponanolicity @1106angel @jaspertown @fadinglands @morganashimi83 @mochababychristy @omglovechrissie @mariejr88-blog @thetaufactor @onceuponanolicity @speakandseethetruth @bri206 @aglasgo @thats0klaroline @geemarie @pineprincess @nerdgirljen @peterpanslostgirl666 @eternal-olicity14 @allyouhadtodowas-stay-stay-stay @lovelycssefan @tsseract @flowerandsunshine @dcnmarvelgamergeek @blondeeoneexox @monetsmark @soaring-cities @bb-olicity @mashamarty @rulerofsilence @erika-amber @felicity087 @i-claim-only-emily @pattid1 @westallenandolicityshipper @babyolicityandwestallen @nothingmorethanmyotps @kayleenyc @tonto16 @olicityfluv @olicitea1990 @olicity5ever @haahaaa2408 @pattid1 @faegal04 @24karatgem @wrldtravler @readerkas @valery6488 @lemmyeatspeaches @olicity-beliver @greencoffeecups

(If you want to be tagged or untagged, just let me know. :))

#arrow #olicity #olicity fic #olicity fanfic #mothers know best

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themanbeneaththehood · 4 years

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Baby, Hit Me One More Time | Playlist Rewind

Who: Oliver Queen, Tommy Merlyn and the entire ninth grade class. ( With mention of Pamela ) What: Sadie Hawkins’ Dance at St. Agnes Charter School. Where: St. Agnes Charter School on the West Side of Starling City. When: May 16th, 1999

Oh baby, baby how was I supposed to know...

St. Agnes’s Charter School rarely wandered from its coveted convictions; especially when it came down to the normal trivialities of virtue. Yet, at the end the millennia, they allowed for a small allowance for change. A updated version of the Sadie Hawkins’ style dance. The floor length skirts and stiff suits were no longer the dress code but knee length skirts and sport coats. He wondered what they would say when they saw him now.

The glimmering lights radiated off the disco ball that hung in the middle of the Gymnasium. Oliver promised himself and his parents that he would t r y his very best to make a good impress this year. Since his last expulsion, he was walking on thin ice. Despite his desire to go to a public school, Robert and Moira weren’t ever going to budge on that front. Their fourteen year old darling mustn’t be tainted by the masses. Truly, they were saving the other kids from the mischievous heir of the Queen Fortune. “Yuck it up, Tommy. Take all the Polaroids you want but there’s no way I’m going out there like this.” Oliver stood firmly in the wake of Tommy’s growing mirth. Who would have thought his own best friend would condone the bad behavior that would enable that last strike to do him in? Oliver stared stubbornly into the blossoming grin that overtook his lips. “A bet is a bet, Queen. I thought you were a man of your word....” his teasing check on Oliver’s newly surfacing manhood was just enough to push him over the edge. “Plus, I bet Laurel will love it.” His snickering silenced with the swiftness of Oliver’s gait through the agape doorway.

That something wasn’t right here.

Flashes of light bathed Oliver in the neon shadow. His lanky legs sprouted from beneath the plaid shirt he borrowed from Pam. The white button up his father had helped him with the cuffs now tied up in a knot just beneath his chest. He tip toed into the middle of the gym with the clunky oxfords and two pink pom pom hair ties in his dirty blonde locks. Oliver lost himself for a moment. His vision dipping in and out with the buzzing sound of Britney Spears filling the space. Tommy happily standing near the CD player. Everyone stared in shock. I will not be embarrassed by these mouth breathers. Oliver smirked at his audience before strutting into the middle and dancing to the beat with the moves Tommy choreographed. To his surprise, the crowd began to cheer and the gasping shock rippled through each of the lovely fifty something year old chaperones.

Oh baby, baby I shouldn’t have let you go..

Oliver caught Laurel’s gaze through the crowd, a dusty rose blush filled in her cheeks. His mouth grew dry at her beauty before he felt the tugging on his ear. Mrs. Keller grip tightened as she tugged him away spouting off her threats of detention till the end time.

#ccfprompts #ccfprompt : baby hit me one more time #sp #[ i am sorry for the length but LOL ]#[ and yes this dance was on his birthday lol ]

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bushlaboo · 6 years

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if you haven’t, you should fic recs

Gosh it’s been FOREVER since I’ve done one of these …

I have to start with An Arrow in Time an Arrow/Timeless crossover fic that the awesome BstnStrg13 gifted me.

Moving on to my prolific wifey, @alexiablackbriar13, always on my mind – a post-S6 canon compliant soul mate AU. we're all ones and zeros beneath our skin – CIA/rouge super powered AU that personally made angstier and titled! The latest installments in Adventures in Star(ling) City General Hospital (aka Code Green) verse, Sex Restrictions & The Arrow Protocol, both hilarious and wrenching. There is also Self Defense Classes – Oliver teaching Felicity self-defense, in the Man's Best Friend verse as well as, A Series of Dates – which looks at the beginning of their romantic relationship. Along the puppy lines, kind of sort of, Starling City Wolf Pack verse was updated with Puppy Antics – Oliver and Felicity take their baby out for his first full moon. The Flying High also got an update: Doors To Opportunities. There is also her dragon guides fic, here there be dragons.

And my other talented wifey, @thatmasquedgirl, Phone Tag, a S1 alternative that is told through voice mails. Masque also added to MY (it shall always been mine since I somehow, blessedly spawned it) Pineapple Investigations verse with Closeted Confessions (Made in a Bathroom) and because I’ve begged for YEARS, she also updated her Lost and Found verse (Finder AU) with Questionable Circumstances. She’s also added to her AMAZING The Edge of Hope verse with News Flash. We were also gifted with more Deathstroke!Felicity, Rake the Ashes.

Black Water by SmoakScreen (midwestwind) . Noir AU, Oliver is a SCPD detective struggling in corrupt city when a serial killer brings FBI Technical Analyst Felicity Smoak to town. Together they’re trying to catch a killer while dodging crooked officials.

remember to forget you by emilyszuko. I’m a sucker for amnesia fic and this one is breathtaking.

To Those I've Loved Before by @felicityollies an AU inspired by the movie To All the Boys I've Loved Before. And I don’t think I’ve rec’d Bev’s gorgeous Hades/ Persephone AU I've Died Everyday, Waiting for You.

Compulsory Figures by @machawicket. The figure skating AU we all needed after Moir/Virtue took over our hearts.

Desperation Club by cfcureton, this was recommended by Calli and thank goodness because it’s a goodie, forty-something Olicity AU addressing happily ever after.

Whiskey and Romance by mindramblings. AU tale of Felicity completing for the hand of Prince Tommy Merlyn, only to find herself falling for his best friend Oliver Queen.

homecoming by @mogirl97. S7 speculation fic, Oliver loses his prison beard. Another one-shot by Morgan, where i first met you (it makes all the difference) a S1 Olicity meet-cute AU.

It's Beautiful Duplicity (Whenever Your Eyes Are On Me) by Nightkeepyr. Three words for you: Smoaking Billionaires AU. That is all.

Random by BookofLife. Sort of a S2 alternative fic. Felicity finds a puppy and Oliver finds a Felicity. Does it get better than adorable puppy fic?

All The Time In The World (Can't Keep Me From Missing You) by anythingbutplatonic. Post-S6 William and Felicity are traveling aboard the Waver Rider with the Legends.

The Life Between by LizParker. Post-S6/Possible S7 speculation fic – Olicity surviving with Oliver in Slabside.

Harder Than You Know by griever11. S7 speculation fic, Oliver facing the consequences of his decision to turn himself in.

Somewhere Out There by cinnamonjay. AU, Felicity’s fallen through to a parallel universe.

inks & blooms by somewhereelse. The florist & tattoo artist AU you never knew you needed.

real love (is never a waste of time) by @callistawolf. Sort of faked, marriage of convenience CEO AU – that is unless Thea Queen has her way with her brother and his “wife”.

Miles to Go Before I Sleep by jesileigh. 6.11 coda one-shot. Also by Jesi, another amnesia fic (Felicity this time) Will You Remember Me.

Damn It, Why Won’t the Eagle Just Land Already? by somewhereelse. White House rom com AU.

Tempest by @so-caffeinated. First standalone Queen kid follow-up in the Forever Is Composed of Nows verse by Janis & @dust2dust34, focused on Julianna Queen.

Rumor Has It by @bindy417. S2 fic – a look at Olicity through others eyes and just why everyone is so sure CEO Oliver Queen is sleeping with his Executive Assistant Felicity Smoak. She’s also updated Caught in the Rapture recently and if you’re not reading that fic you’re missing out.

Finding Christmas by ckksac a follow-up one-shot to the brilliant The Darkest Hour.

Older recs: I, II, III, IV, V, VI,VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, XIII, XIV, XV, XVI, XVII, XVIII, XIX, XX, XXI, XXII, XXIII, XXIV, XXV & XXVI. QH I & QH II.

#olicity #olicity fanfiction #olicity fic #fanfic recommendations #arrow #get reading folks

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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Riverdale Season 5 Episode 4 Review – Chapter 80: Purgatorio

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Riverdale reinvents itself as the fifth season properly gets underway.

This RIVERDALE review contains spoilers.

Riverdale Season 5 Episode 4

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“To be honest, it doesn’t even feel like Riverdale anymore.”

You can say that again Archie.

Following three episodes originally intended for last year and a seven-year time jump, Riverdale‘s fifth season gets well and truly underway with an installment designed not so much with shaking up the status quo but reinventing it completely. To borrow the name of a Flaming Lips song — you just know NYC writer’s block-stricken Jughead listens to lots of the band’s output — suddenly everything has changed.

In the near decade since he was last home, Archie has been through hell fighting in an unnamed conflict in which he feels responsible for one of his fellow soldiers losing a leg. He has dreams that mix battle imagery with the formally idyllic existence he had in high school. (At least that’s what I think we’re supposed to feel here, even though Archie’s teen years were fraught with bear attacks and attempted murders aplenty but I digress). The point being that Archie sees Riverdale, despite its obvious flaws, as a safe haven. Always one to embrace a cliche though, he quickly learns that you can’t go home again. Riverdale is now just as dangerous as his overseas battle. It wasn’t a nightmare he had, it was a premonition.

Ordered to run Riverdale High School’s ROTC program, Archie comes home is quickly brought up to speed by Toni — pregnant and running the reborn White Wyrm out of the former space of La Bonne Nuit. Lawlessness prevails throughout town, leaving Riverdale largely empty with the exception of those who are too poor or proud to try to restart elsewhere. The city is without hope. Mayhem reigns. Is Archie Batman now? God I hope so.

Responsible for the community’s downfall is, you guessed it, Hiram Lodge. Without the influence of Hermione or Veronica to keep his worst instincts in check, Hiram has become the villain he has always longed to be. (He’s enlisted Reggie to be his right hand man, making that character the closest to his pain-in-the-ass comic book counterpart to date). Some murky dialogue vaguely explains that Hiram’s wrongdoing is connected to his long-gestating SoDale real estate development, but the specifics don’t matter. What does is that Mr. Lodge is in power like never before, and all of Riverdale is suffering as a result.

Meanwhile at Quantico, FBI trainee Betty is also haunted by her recent past. While pursuing the hilariously named Trash Bag Killer, she didn’t wait for backup — becoming the killer’s captive before he escaped in the process. Her loving partner — let’s call him Molder for now, Mad magazine style — is worried that she isn’t dealing with the trauma of her experience, as is her therapist. But soon she too is called back home to deal with what we think is a crisis but is really just a very sweet thing. More on that in a few minutes.

We catch up with New Yorker Veronica, who is married to real estate tycoon Chadwick Gekko (Chris Mason, portraying a character from Katy Keene that Reid Prebenda originated). Apparently she used to be the “she wolf of Wall Street” until she lost her mojo after being involved in a near-fatal helicopter accident with Chad. Since then, she’s been secretly working in an upscale jewelry store that let’s her take advantage of the smart business acumen she frequently demonstrated during her high school years. But when she sells a Glamorege egg that Chadwick gave to her, it’s clear that their relationship is more than just a little fractured.

Also in the Big Apple is Jughead, and he’s just full on skeezy now. With dubious facial hair and a penchant for sleeping with fans, this version of Jughead is easily the most disturbing new version of one of the series’ core four. We learn that his first book, the S.E. Hinton meets Pop Tate’s Chok’lit Shoppe pastiche The Outcasts was a mega success that made him a fleeting media darling. But now Jughead has severe writer’s block…not to mention debt collectors literally pounding at his door and toxic boyfriend tendencies we see him display briefly. Basically he sucks. If anyone can use a priority realignment it’s him. Fortunately, he too gets a call beckoning him home.

Once the gang is back together in Riverdale, for Pop Tate’s retirement party!, awww, we get an update on Cheryl. She has successfully rebuilt Thornhill and rehabilitated the Blossom family name over the past seven years…with a cost. She still feels cursed by her family’s misdeeds and spurns Toni’s attempts to reconcile and instead chooses to live as a recluse. (I mean, for at least the remainder of this episode).

Finally reunited with all of friends, Archie is determined to enlist their help in saving the soul of Riverdale. Not that any of them seem too happy to join this crusade. But the episode doesn’t dwell on their responses as it is too busy establishing a new mystery — a murderous trucker is on the loose. And our heroes are the only one who can stop him. Obviously.

This episode is a very typical one in that it bombards the viewer with new information. True, it doesn’t feel like Riverdale as we know it, but that’s a good thing. After a previous season that was a bit middling, I am more than supportive of this quasi reboot happening here. The series has been renewed for a sixth season, so it’s likely that it will find it’s new rhythm over the course of the upcoming installments and a new normal will settle in. For now though, there’s a lot of possibility here. Riverdale‘s biggest mystery right now? Where it will go next.

Riverdale Roundup

• Along with Saving Private Ryan, the nightmare that starts this episode is also a reference to the excellent Archie 1941 miniseries — which explored how World War II impacted Riverdale and its characters.

• Since Archie and Betty are now both experiencing PTSD, will their shared trauma bond them together?

• I absolutely believe that each of these characters would return to Riverdale to bid farewell to Pop Tate, given how important his shop has been in each of their lives.

• Let’s hear it for more screen time for Vanessa Morgan’s Toni Topaz! Choni forever! (That baby bump was real by the way, she gave birth to her first child last week).

• Archie reads Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms, in case any of you were worried that the series’ fondness for anachronisms would be lost during the seven year time jump. Also, Archie being able to read is canon!

• Even though Katy Keene is long-cancelled, it’s nice to see that show’s title character (and her employer, Lacy’s) get referenced here.

• As an Archie comics diehard fan, I am incensed that the show has ditched his iconic whoopee hat. Yet I have a feeling by the time this season ends we will witness him throwing it back on in an effort to reclaim the artistic power that his former self possessed.

• Kevin and Fangs are established as still being together, with the former working at Riverdale High. Alice’s current whereabouts are unknown. I hope Vegas has been rehomed.

• In case Betty’s Silence of the Lambs parallels were a tad too understated for your taste, her therapist’s name is Dr. Starling. And if someone doesn’t sing “Goodbye Horses” this season I will be very upset.

• The FBI waited seven years to dismantle the two-person (one of whom wasn’t even a real agent) Riverdale field office? Actually, given government inefficiency, this sounds just about right.

• Veronica and Chadwick’s helicopter accident happened while they were on their way to “Marsha’s Vineyard,” because apparently Riverdale 2.0 now does fake places as well as brands.

• That abandoned doll Archie found in Pickens Park is super creepy.

• Betty’s cat is named Coffee, and given her history as a pet owner, I fear for the feline.

• Towards the end of this episode, new character Tabitha Tate (Erinn Westbrook) bids farewell to drifter Lynette “Squeaky” Fields. Given that Fields’ nickname is a Manson Family reference, could Riverdale have a death cult on its hands?

• Other mysteries raised by this episode: Who is the father of Toni’s baby? How will Veronica feel about La Bonne Nuit becoming a Serpent hangout? How long have Betty and her partner been together? Will Jughead get a razor? Who is the Lonely Highway killer? How did Reggie get involved with working for Hiram? What exactly are Hiram’s SoDale plans? How long until someone punches Chadwick? Where’s Mary Andrews? How long have the Ghoulies been back in Riverdale…and Archie’s house for that matter? If Riverdale is such a cesspool, what exactly does Tom Keller do all day? I suppose we will just have to wait for answers to all of these questions and more. Until next week!

The post Riverdale Season 5 Episode 4 Review – Chapter 80: Purgatorio appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/2NjTDty

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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marauders1971-1978 · 6 years

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Extra-Ultra Playlist Of Marauders’ Stuff

That I compiled out of all the songs on my spotify rather than updating my fanfic

Lily and James:

Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow – Ben E King / The Shirelles

Twist and Shout – The Beatles

Dreams – Fleetwood Mac

Do You Love Me – The Contours

God Only Knows – The Beach Boys

Happy Together – The Turtles

Be My Baby – The Ronettes

My Girl – Otis Reading

Love On A Mountain Top – Robert Knight

I’m In Love – Lovelites

Don’t Go – Wretch 32, Josh Kurma

Where Did Our Love Go? – Soft Cell

You’re The Best Ting – Style Council

Somewhere In My Heart – Aztec Camera

The Bones of You – Elbow

Starlings – Elbow

Perfect – Fairground Attraction

Stand By Me – Ben E King

There She Goes – The La’s

If I Can’t Have You – Yvonne Elliman

Sea of Love – Cat Power

Build Me Up Buttercup – The Foundations

Don’t You Want Me – The Human League

You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet – Bachman Turner Overdrive

Time After Time – Eva Cassidy

Don’t Feel Like Dancin’ – Scissor Sisters

Who’s That Girl – Eurythmics

I Say A Little Prayer – Aretha Franklin

Can You Feel The Love Tonight – Elton John

Don’t Go Breaking My Heart – Elton John, Kiki Dee

Reminder – Mumford & Sons

Brown Eyed Girl – Van Morrison

To Be With You – Mr Big

Lovely Day – Bill Withers

Rock The Boat – Hues Corporation

Love Really Hurts Without You – Billy Ocean

It’s In His Kiss – Linda Lewis

Bye Bye Baby – Bay City Rollers

Middle of The Bed – Lucy Rose

Home – Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes

Coconut Skins – Damien Rice

Dogs – Damien Rice

Rock With You – Michael Jackson

Tiny Dancer – Elton John

True – Spandau Ballet

Wake Up Boo – The Boo Radleys

Shape Of You – Ed Sheeran

Your Song – Elton John

Hello, I Love You – The Doors

Ho Hey – The Lumineers

Ain’t Nobody – Chaka Kahn

Take On Me – A-ha

Sweet Caroline – Neil Diamond

Just Can’t Get Enough – Depeche Mode

It Must Be Love – Madness

Bubble Toes – Jack Johnson

Banana Pancakes – Jack Johnson

More Than This – Roxy Music

Over You – Roxy Music

Oh Yeah! – Roxy Music

Midas Touch – Midnight Star

She Moves In Her Own Way – The Kooks

Everything – Michael Buble

Loving You – Paolo Nutini

Jenny Don’t Be Hasty – Paolo Nutini

Forever My Friend – Ray Lamontagne

Got My Mind Set On You – George Harrison

Rhythm Composer – Villagers

God Only Knows – The Beach Boys

Wouldn’t It Be Nice – The Beach Boys

When I’m Sixty-Four – The Beatles

From Me To You – The Beatles

I’m Sticking With You – The Velvet Underground

Only Love – Ben Howard

Diamonds – Ben Howard

Everywhere – Fleetwood Mac

Mardy Bum – Arctic Monkeys

Lover, You Should’ve Come Over – Jeff Buckley

Hallelujah – Jeff Buckley

Lilac Wine – Jeff Buckley

Listen to the Man – George Ezra

Leaving It Up To You – George Ezra

Barcelona – George Ezra

Blame It On Me – George Ezra

Under the Influence – James Morrison

Delicate – Damien Rice

If You Ever Want To Be In Love – James Bay

You Give Me Something – James Morrison

Better Man – James Morrison

Remus and Sirius:

The Fear – Lily Allen

You Make It Real – James Morrison

When Does Cry – Prince

Puncture Repair – Elbow

The Night Will Always Win – Elbow

Lean on Me – Ben E King

Suddenly I See – KT Tunstall

Better Together – Jack Johnson

Everybody’s Changing – Keane

Have A Nice Day – Stereophonics

Common People – Pulp

Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) – Eurythmics

After the Storm – Mumford & Sons

Little Lion Man – Mumford & Sons

Viva La Vida – Coldplay

I Am Not A Robot – Marina and the Diamonds

Rootless Tree – Damien Rice

O’ Children – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Seven Wonders – Fleetwood Mac

Ever Fallen In Love With Someone (You Shouldn’t Have Fallen In Love With) – Buzzcocks

You Can Call Me Al – Paul Simon

Some Nights – Fun

Friend Of Ours – Elbow

The Night Will Always Win – Elbow

What You Know – Two Door Cinema Club

Last Request – Paolo Nutini

Tainted Love – Soft Cell

Eternal Life – Jeff Buckley

Dance Away – Roxy Music

Heart of Glass – Blondie

Deeper Underground – Jameroquai

White Flag – Dido

I Wish I Was James Bond – Scouting For Girls

Crazy – Gnarls Barkley

Twice – Catfish and the Bottlemen

Sit Down – James

Steady and She Goes – The Ranconteurs

Shine On – The Kooks

Autumn – Paolo Nutini

Million Faces – Paolo Nutini

Livewire – Fyfe Dangerfield

We’re Not Right – David Gray

I Need – Maverick Sabre

Hold You In My Arms – Ray Lamontagne

Shelter – Ray Lamontagne

Pieces – Villagers

Set The Tigers Free – Villagers

The Meaning of the Ritual – Villagers

Becoming A Jackal – Villagers

The Waves – Villagers

Patience – Take That

A Well Respected Man – The Kinks

The Recluse – Plan B

Promise – Ben Howard

Black Flies – Ben Howard

Keep Your Head Up – Ben Howard

The Fear – Ben Howard

The Wolves – Ben Howard

Goodbye, Apathy – OneRepublic

Take Me To Church – Hozier

Wild Thing – Noah and the Whale

Anarchy in the UK – Sex Pistols

Baby Can I Hold You – Tracy Chapman

Dream Brother – Jeff Buckley

Changes – Will Young

Heartbeats – Jose Gonzalez

Lily and Severus:

How Long – Paul Carrack

Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me – Elton John, George Michael

Hard to Say I’m Sorry – Chicago

Leaders of the Free World – Elbow

Mirrorball – Elbow

Puncture Repair – Elbow

Stand By Me – Ben E King

Lean on Me – Ben E King

Ain’t No Sunshine – Bill Withers

Always Take The Weather With You – The Booze Bros

L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N. – Noah and the Whale

Everybody’s Changing – Lily Allen

She’s Always A Woman – Billy Joel

Time After Time – Eva Cassidy

Jealousy – Will Young

Your Love Keeps Lifting Me (Higher and Higher) – Jackie Wilson

I Want You Back – The Jackson 5

Roll Away Your Stone – Mumford & Sons

Nobody – ELIZA

Wild World – Mr Big

Everyday Is Like Sunday – Morrisey

If There’s Any Justice – Lamar

Leave Right Now – Will Young

Don’t You (Forget About Me) – Simple Minds

World Shut Your Mouth – Julian Cope

What Time Do You Call This? – Elbow

Gone, Gone, Gone – Robert Plant and Alison Krauss

Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep – Middle of the Road

Jealous Guy – Roxy Music

Breakfast At Tiffany’s – Deep Blue Something

Sunday Girl – Blondie

Heart of Glass – Blondie

Golden Touch – Razorlight

Hanging On Too Long – Duffy

White Lies – Paolo Nutini

These Streets – Paolo Nutini

Rewind – Paolo Nutini

We’re Not Right – David Gray

My Oh My – David Gray

Please Forgive Me – David Gray

I Can Never Be – Maverick Sabre

Open My Eyes – Maverick Sabre

Trouble – Ray Lamontagne

Home – Villagers

Ship of Promises – Villagers

My Lighthouse – Villagers

Just Friends – Amy Winehouse

Yesterday – The Beatles

Somewhere Only We Know – Keane

Gracious – Ben Howard

The Line – Noah and The Whale

Wild Thing – Noah and the Whale

How You Remind Me – Nickleback

Fall For Anything – The Script

Talk You Down – The Script

We Cry – The Script

You Could Be Happy – Snow Patrol

Little Lies – Fleetwood Mac

I Know It’s Over – The Smiths

Last Goodbye – Jeff Buckley

Who Am I – Will Young

Breakaway – George Ezra

Did You Hear The Rain? – George Ezra

The Pieces Don’t Fit Anymore – James Morrison

Marauders:

I Predict A Riot – Keiser Chiefs

Pass Out – Tinie Tempah

Trouble Maker – Olly Murs, Flo Rida

Friday I’m In Love – The Cure

Dance Wiv Me – Dizzie Rascal, Calvin Harris

Hey Ya! – OutKast

Take Me Out – Franz Ferdinand

Mr Blue Sky – Electric Light Orchestra

Enola Gay – Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark

1999 – Prince

Lippy Kids – Elbow

One Day Like This – Elbow

My Sad Captains – Elbow

Weather to Fly – Elbow

Station Approach – Elbow

Together in Electric Dreams – The Human League

Walking On Sunshine – Katrina & The Waves

L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N. – Noah and the Whale

Good People – Jack Johnson

Come On Eileen – Dexy’s Midnight Runners

Good Vibrations – The Beach Boys

Teenage Kicks – The Undertones

Beautiful Day – U2

You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet – Bachman Turner Overdrive

Don’t Stop Believin’ – Journey

December 1963 (Oh What A Night) – The Family

I Will Wait – Mumford & Sons

More Than A Feeling – Boston

Stole The Show – Kygo, Parson James

September – Earth, Wind & Fire

Off The Wall – Michael Jackson

Life Is A Rollercoaster – Ronan Keating

Gold – Spandau Ballet

Bitter Sweet Symphony – The Verve

We Are Young – Fun

Everybody Wants To Rule The World – Tears For Fears

K2 – Elbow

Head for Supplies – Elbow

Dancing in the Moonlight – Toploader

Here Comes The Sun – The Beatles

Night Fever – Bee Gees

California Dreamin’ – The Mammas and the Pappas

Feel Good Inc. – Gorillaz

1973 – James Blunt

Half The World Away – Oasis

I Need A Holiday – Scouting For Girls

Keep On Walking – Scouting For Girls

Never Miss A Beat – Kaiser Chiefs

Paradise – Coldplay

Candy – Paolo Nutini

Make It Better – Gary Nock

Shine – Take That

Ride Wit Me – Nelly, City Spud

Handlebars – Flobots

Inbetween Days – The Cure

Expectations – Belle & Sebastian

Old Pine – Ben Howard

5 Years’ Time – Noah and the Whale

Old Joy – Noah and the Whale

Waiting For My Chance To Come – Noah and the Whale

Just Me Before We Met – Noah and the Whale

Give It All Back – Noah and the Whale

Tonight’s The Kind of Night – Noah and the Whale

Life is Life – Noah and the Whale

Holidays In The Sun – Sex Pistols

All Star – Smash Mouth

Jesus is a Rochdale Girl – Elbow

Don’t Stop – Fleetwood Mac

Express Yourself – Labrinth

Let The Sun Shine – Labrinth

Riptide – Vance Joy

Dog Days Are Over – Florence and the Machine

Older Chests – Damien Rice

Eskimo – Damien Rice

Big Bad World – Kodaline

Brand New Day – Kodaline

If anyone wants them as actual Spoitfy playlists do ask, cos I’m always a slut for wasting my time

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sussex-nature-lover · 4 years

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Sunday 16th August 2020

Blog Hosted Elsewhere - Copied over to here

Italian Arum aka Lords and Ladies - a splash of colour on a dull day

The following has been drafted and added to over several hours. Tumblr is still playing up for me today.

Ugh it's such strange weather. It's cooler, so more comfortable from that point of view, but hazy and damp in the atmosphere, not humid, just damp. I feel kind of damp, everything I'm touching feels kind of damp and if I go out I know my hair will be a frizz ball within minutes. It's not very pleasant. I wish we could have a big storm and be done with it. Here's the forecast for the week ahead.

There's rain on its way and the cricket is looking doubtful again, which isn't necessarily a bad thing given the start we made (0-1) Aaah as I write play has been suspended after only an hour.

Update we had heavy rain and then around half four it faired up and was lovely, it’s still reasonably bright now at half seven

Yesterday could you feel my excitement at spotting the juvenile Goldfinch? I want to say baby because it looked very young and was so darn cute. It was similar to how I felt spotting the male Greenfinch and seeing a youngster too. That was a brief encounter both times, but it proves they're out there. The Goldfinches have been more visible in the garden of late, much more visible than in past years and the Chaffinches, as I've mentioned before, have really increased in number this season. So far, so good. If I spot a Bullfinch I'll have a full house here. I do realise that sometimes I seem a bit negative, wanting what I haven't got and moaning that my photos don't come up to scratch. I suppose I'm always quite self critical, but I think that's only because of the pleasure it gives me (us) to provide a good environment for such a terrific variety of bird and wild life in our garden. It’s pleasure but it’s also a feeling of privilege as well and pride I suppose, which is supposed to be a sin, but I mean more in taking pride in the world around us and being grateful for it.

At the beginning of this breeding Season I was having conversations where I had a strongly held opinion that gardens are either dominated by Finches or Tits. People on Twitter seemed to have a strong bias one way or the other and ours is definitely very well populated by various members of the Tit family.

Very long Long Tailed Tits

I'm spending lots of time today trying to work out whether the hungry visitors are either Marsh or Coal Tits. I think on balance I'm seeing both and certainly some of them seem to be collecting and taking food away, which usually means they have young, but I'd have thought it was rather late for their second broods now. Reading the info about them, I suppose they like it here due to all the Conifers and Beech plus the broad leaved woodland - they must be spoilt for choice.

Right now (edit - that was earlier) I'm shouting at squabbling Starlings while Great, Blue and Marsh Tits calmly go about their business. There are three Nuthatch, some House Sparrows, a Chaffinch and a solitary Rock Dove here as well and as I formed that sentence a juvenile Blackbird popped in.

There are still a good number of Juvenile birds coming to feed. Here's a few seen here this week.

Blackbird

Starling

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Fluffy Blue Tit and a fluffy Robin below

Goldfinch

I’ll leave it there as this is proving a bit of a challenge and when Tumblr is backup I’ll be wanting to transfer it over - unless I wimp out and just post a link. Anyway, it’s supper time - braised beef in red wine with plenty of veg and some horseradish seeing as you ask...you didn’t but I like to think friends are here with me and I know some of you are <waves a special hello> Take care until tomorrow

♦These are amateur photos all taken with a simple point and shoot camera from the kitchen table and through the window, sorry they’re not professional quality, but they are real life and I hope they entertain and inspire you

♦Links (in bold) are not necessarily endorsed by me and I have no affiliation with any commercial companies or outside sites

*All typos my own too

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cheeruplovely · 7 years

Text

Olicity: Let Her Live

“When my babe was born, they said it was premature. It weighed only four pounds; but God let it live.” - Harriet Ann Jacobs

Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak had a daughter. She was born by emergency c-section at seven thirty-two p.m on the first of August. Immediately after her birth she was taken straight to the NICU for emergency care. She was born far too early.

Three hours after her birth, that was all the information Oliver had about their child.

A huge thank you to @wetsuiton and @aussieforgood for editing this!

“When my babe was born, they said it was premature. It weighed only four pounds; but God let it live.” - Harriet Ann Jacobs

He couldn’t think of anything except the words he heard twenty minutes ago through his voicemail, words that changed his entire world. Felicity’s in the hospital. Four words that he couldn’t stop hearing in Donna’s trembling voice. He hadn’t even waited to hear the rest of the phone call before he was on his motorcycle, breaking a myriad of laws as he raced towards Starling General. He’d forgotten where he’d parked by the time he was entering the building, focusing instead on making his way up to the surgical ward that he’d prised out of the receptionist.

“Oliver-”

“Donna,” he stopped where he’d almost walked past the flash of blonde hair that was suddenly clinging to him. She looked visibly shaken, paler than he’d seen her since she found out Felicity had been shot. Before she could gather her words, Oliver was talking over her. “Where is she?”

“She’s in recovery, we can’t-”

Recovery didn’t stop him. Recovery meant surgery, it meant that whatever happened had been bad, had been an emergency, and entirely warranted Donna’s expression. He glanced to the doors of the recovery ward, the ones he wasn’t supposed to go behind, from his experience with her spinal surgeries, and started towards them. “I need to see her,” he decided.

“Oliver, she’s-”

But he was already gone.

Felicity was the only person on the recovery ward, dazed and drowsy on a bed just to his right as Oliver allowed the doors to swing past him and close over Donna’s protests. She was just as pale as her mother, her face void of her usual color in place of a confusion that covered her more so than the piles of blankets over her form. He remembered her telling him how cold she felt coming around from the anaesthesia, but when he made his way over to her side she wasn’t shivering.

“Felicity…” he whispered, taking her hand as he leaned towards her.

“Oliver?” she slurred, blinking in his direction with a small frown.

“Felicity, hon. It’s me,” he assured her. “I’m here.”

He waited for her hand to close around his, but it didn’t. It remained limp in his grasp as she glanced around with slow, heavy breaths. “I don’t like it…”

He knew the feeling, of coming out from anaesthesia, and knew she hated it. “It’s alright, you’re okay now,” he assured her lightly. “Surgery’s over.”

“I don’t feel…”

“Don’t worry about anything, hon,” he told her, squeezing her hand. “You’re going to be okay. Everything’s okay.”

He hoped. God, he hoped. He still had no idea what happened to her, why she was in the hospital, but he knew that emergency surgery could mean a great deal of possibilities, none of them which were going to have a good impact on her. He was terrified of the biostimulant failing, of it causing more harm than good, of the untested prototype taking away the gift it had given her only recently.

He wasn’t sure she could handle losing the ability to walk again. It had been so crushing the first time around, despite her expertise with a brave face and furious determination, that he was certain having to endure it for a second time would defeat her. He’d witnessed first hand the strength she’d needed to learn an entirely new way of living, and he’d been amazed last time - surely no human being could find that strength for a second time?

“Baby…” she murmured, turning her head away from him.

She hadn’t called him that in so long. So long. It made him ache. He watched her struggle to search the room, her eyes unfocused and lightly cupped her cheek, guiding her back to him.

“I’m here, hon. I’m right here,” he assured her, trying not to think of that pet name that only ever fell from her lips in the middle of the night when he was ridden with nightmares that had him wanting to crawl out of his skin and into her own.

But she frowned, pulling her head back and twisting away from him. “They said baby…”

“Felicity…” he tried to stop her, holding her still when she cried out weakly, stiffening as her body wracked with the pain caused by her movement.

“It hurts… My stomach…” she whined.

“Just hold my hand, okay?” he told her, lying her back comfortably as the pain brought her back to herself somewhat. The confusion was slipping from her face as she resisted his hold as much as possible. Luckily for Oliver, her strength wasn’t anywhere near her usual capacity - he knew exactly how stubbornly she could fight his hold on a day where she just had to work even though he was pulling her back to bed. He tightened his hand around hers, one arm still keeping her as still as he could to stop her hurting herself. “Squeeze it real tight, can you do that?”

Her fingers flexed around his, not as fiercely as he’d have liked but enough to know that she could hear and understand him. “Good girl.”

She took a few heavy breaths, her eyes meeting his. They were still glassy, but at least had more focus on him now. “I didn’t see her…”

Oliver’s forehead wrinkled as he leaned in closer to her. “Felicity?”

“I didn’t see her…” she repeated, her voice cracking as she took a deeper breath that sent a shockwave of pain through her body.

Instantly, his hand moved up to her cheek, steadying her. “Hey, just take a breath, it’s okay…”

With her eyes slammed shut against the pain, she leaned into his palm. “My stomach hurts…”

He released her hand, slipping his hand down towards her stomach. “It’s okay, it’s just…”

A hand instantly shot between them to prevent him from moving any further. Oliver glanced towards the intrusion and found one of the recovery nurses preventing him from moving his hand any lower. “Sir, please, don’t. You might damage the sutures.”

“Sutures?” he repeated, glancing down at her stomach. He’d assumed it was her spine. He’d assumed it was something to do with the implant. He’d assumed... “Surgery… what surgery did she have?”

The nurse looked at him for just a moment before she responded. “An emergency c-section, sir.”

The words hit him as if a bucket of ice water had been thrown over him. He’d experienced that before, as part of his torture many years before, and just like then he was struggling to find his breath while every part of his body felt like it was seizing up. His muscles had locked into place and all he could do was loosely hold Felicity’s hand, realising that his life could no longer be defined as pre-island and post-island, but before and after he had heard those words.

Emergency c-section.

“Excuse me?” he repeated.

“The baby’s in the NICU,” the nurse informed him. “Once Miss Smoak has been moved to a room, I can get you an update.”

Baby.

“The baby... We… She had a baby?”

His head was spinning, the room suddenly feeling suffocating and small and he didn’t know what to do or what to say or where he should be. Should he be here? Was he supposed to be here? He wasn’t doing anything, he felt like he should be doing something, anything, but all he was doing was standing there, holding her hand and trying to remember what life was like before this night.

“Oliver…”

Felicity’s strained voice stole his attention back to her, and for a moment all he could see was the woman he loved in a hospital bed and - she’d just had a child, their child - what was he supposed to do?

At a loss of what else he could do, he readjusted his grip on her hand while the nurse prepared some pain medication for her. “I’m here, hon. I’m here.”

“Make it stop…” she pleaded with him. “It hurts…”

She had asked him for one thing since he had arrived. Make it stop. But he couldn’t even do that, he realised, as they ignored the presence of the nurse who administered her pain relief and stepped away to give them a moment. It was fast-acting, and she seemed to relax a little straight away. “I… Felicity…” he trailed off.

What could he say?

What could he do?

Felicity’s eyes closed with a whisper that was the only words that he could agree with.

“I didn’t know…”

Three hours after her birth, that was all the information Oliver had about their child.

Given that she was born early, Oliver had tried to work out when they had unknowingly conceived their child, and all he could assume was that it was one of the nights after the implant had been fitted, when she had started to recover from the surgery and while her mobility wasn’t starting to return just yet, they’d had fun experimenting with what feelings were starting to return below the waist. Regardless, their daughter was premature, and in the NICU, and no doctor had been around to update them yet.

After drifting back into a medicated sleep in the recovery ward, Oliver had accompanied her up to her private room with Donna. That was when he had discovered how Felicity had been feeling unwell for most of the day, and that Donna had called the ambulance when she had collapsed with stomach pains. They had assessed her, discovered the pregnancy and taken her straight through for surgery. It had all happened so fast, and no one had any idea that Felicity had been pregnant.

Regardless, their child had grown unknowingly and had flourished with the same sudden burst that their love had, and now she was here.

He had to assume that she was here. He had to believe that if she were anything other than alive, someone would have told them otherwise.

“Oliver…”

He’d been gazing into a cold cup of coffee when he heard her voice, stronger than it had been before. He set the styrofoam cup aside to stand over her when he saw her trying to move.

“Hey...take it slow…” he murmured, helping her into a more comfortable position and arranging the pillows behind her in a way that kept her comfortable. “That’s it… how are you feeling?” he asked, settling back into the chair he’d pulled up to her side.

“Sore,” she mumbled. Her eyes still fluttering between waking and dozing. “Why are you-?”

“Your Mom called when you were taken into surgery,” he reminded her. He wasn’t surprised that she didn’t remember him in the recovery ward, given the anaesthesia still in her system.

“Surgery?” she frowned, and she looked around her, taking in the sight of the plain hospital room. “I… oh.”

The weight of the situation hit her, and he watched the rush of emotions sink into her expression. Fear. Confusion. Pain. Concern. Confusion. So much confusion.

“Yeah,” he agreed quietly.

She swallowed audibly, releasing a shaky breath as her hand dropped down to her stomach. “They said I was… that I had…”

“A little girl,” Oliver confirmed

Felicity’s hands flew up to her eyes, covering her face from him as she sucked in a deep breath. “Oh god,” she whined into her hands, and he could hear how close to the edge of despair she was. When she lowered her hands, there were tears on her cheeks and she was shaking.

Oliver reached towards her, his hand landing on her blanket-covered knee . “Are you okay?”

“Where is she?” Felicity demanded.

“Felicity, I need to know if you’re in pain--”

“Why isn’t she in here?” she cut him off with a look of desperation. “Is she-?”

He understood it then, the same fear that had been creeping up on him for the last few hours. She wasn’t there. Neither of them had seen their child. Not even glimpsed her face. They hadn’t seen her, hadn’t held her.

She’d woken up from a c-section without her child within reach.

She feared the worst.

“The baby’s in the NICU,” Oliver confirmed for her. That for as far as he knew, their child was alive. “That’s all they’d tell me.”

---

“I swear I didn’t know.”

They’d been sat in silence for almost two hours when she finally spoke. Her eyes had been closed, feigning the sleep that regular nurse checks encouraged her to have, but the tears on her cheeks were fresh each time he looked her way. He’d let her have her silence as long as she’d needed it, because there were still too many thoughts in his head than he knew how to organise. She’d always been good at doing that for him, calming the storm in his mind, but now there was one in her own and rather than building a life raft they were floating aimlessly in each other’s orbit, neither reaching out but neither moving away.

“Felicity…” he started, but the words faded into nothing.

“I’d never have kept this from you,” she insisted, shaking her head as she started to move so she wasn’t lying down any more.

Oliver jumped into action, reaching for the controls that slowly bought her bed up until she was comfortably upright and she nodded at him for stop. Lowering himself into the chair at her side, he let out a long breath. “You didn’t even suspect?” he asked.

She shook her head. “I thought I was stressed… I didn’t even imagine I’d be…” Her hands came up to drag her hair away from her face, which was distraught. “Oh god, I’m so sorry,” her voice broke, a fresh wave of tears taking over far quicker than she could wipe them away.

He reached out and took one of her trembling hands in his own. “Felicity, you have nothing to apologise for.”

“She’s born too early,” she argued. “They said she’s so small. I wasn’t eating well, I wasn’t sleeping… god, Oliver, I was drinking… I wasn’t taking care of her.”

There was so much guilt in her voice that it broke his heart. He never wanted such a weight on her shoulders, and in his attempt to keep her away from the burdens of their heavy lifestyle, somehow, a human life of their own had been created, slipping by unmissed.

“You didn’t know,” he reminded her, his voice soft.

“But why didn’t I?” she cried, finally bringing her gaze to his.

“Felicity-”

“Mothers are supposed to know these things,” she told him. “I didn’t… I didn’t even feel her. What kind of mother--”

“Don’t even think it,” he spoke over her quickly, not allowing her to say the words he knew she’d regret.

“She’s sick because of me.”

“We don’t know that she’s sick, Felicity,” he reminded her. “She might just be small.”

“Then why won’t they let us see her?” she challenged, gesturing to the empty room around them - the space that their newborn daughter should fill.

“Felicity, you just had major surgery…” he pointed out, his gaze dropping to her stomach which was covered by the blanket and the bandages beneath it.

“They won’t even show us a picture, Oliver,” her voice shattered, and that was what broke him. Because it wasn’t how this was supposed to happen. None of this should have happened, this wasn’t how they were supposed to welcome their child into the world.

“Hey… look at me. We don’t know anything yet,” Oliver told her, letting his hand find hers. “Let’s just wait for the doctor to come back.”

She didn’t argue against him this time, her eyes fixed on an empty spot so intensely, as if she could just magic her child into her presence. “How are you so calm?” she asked him quietly.

Oliver sank backwards, running his free hand over his face. “Honestly?” he sighed, struggling to find the right words to describe the turmoil that had taken over him. “I’m still… shocked. I never… imagined…”

“Me either,” she admitted.

They never had talked about kids. No matter how many times people hinted at it, it was a conversation they had always tabled for a later date. It was an unspoken agreement that they wanted to enjoy their time together before having any kids, and then later that they would want to get married before they had kids. But then later had happened and they hadn’t been together, and they still weren’t together now, but their daughter had come into the world without a care for the fragile situation they were afraid to repair.

“No matter what we imagined, she’s here, so…”

“For now,” she whispered.

Even the suggestion made his heart sink. “Felicity…”

“She’s not ready for this world, Oliver.”

In the past year, Oliver had let his mind drift to having a child with Felicity many times. How could it not? In truth, he had first pictured her with their newborn when they had visited John and Lyla’s daughter in the hospital, and it had hit him that if he was deserving enough, maybe he’d be here with his friends and family in years to come except maybe that beautiful child would be his and it would be Felicity grinning proudly with the infant in her arms.

As soon as he had driven away with her in the passenger seat to the rest of his life, he had realised it was what he wanted; everything. He wanted to marry her. He wanted to watch her carry their children. He wanted to cry in the hospital as he held his firstborn child, and breathe in that new baby smell that John swore was intoxicating. He wanted to argue over baby names and fall in love with this child that was purely theirs, untouched by any of the world’s evils. He wanted to be a father.

Becoming a father was nothing like he imagined.

Some of the dream remained the same.

There were tears on his cheek when he first laid eyes on his daughter, when they had finally bought the incubator up to Felicity’s private room for them to finally meet her. And he had fallen in love with her straight away. Oh, he had fallen in love.

She had Felicity’s tiny nose - and oh, she was tiny. She was so small. Frighteningly so. She was the poster child for every horror story he’d ever heard about premature birth, and yet she was perfect because she was his daughter, their daughter, and she had made it through the first hours of her life because she was a fighter. It was in her blood.

“Felicity… you need to come see her.”

While Oliver was content to stand beside the incubator, leaning over the plastic covering his child as if he might get closer to her although they had been asked not to open it by the nurses who had left them alone with their child, Felicity had not made any effort to move to see her.

“I hurt her.”

He finally tore his eyes away from his daughter to see her nervously biting at her fingernails, tears on her cheeks because he knew what was going through her head; the fear that she was responsible for the premature birth because she hadn’t known she was pregnant. He turned to her, going back to her side.

“You didn’t hurt her, Felicity…” he told her softly.

“Your baby deserves better,” she said with a firm shake of her head, careful not to let her gaze slip towards the incubator. “She deserves a better mother than me.”

“Don’t,” he snapped quickly.

“Oliver-”

“Don’t ever say that my baby - our baby - deserves a better mother than you,” he insisted, and without question he took her hands, urging her out of the bed. “Come here.”

Knowing that fighting it would end with her tugging on her stitches and feeling the pulling pain she was instantly coming to hate, she moved with him, letting him lift her to her feet. He carefully led her to the site of the incubator, more specifically to the holes at the side which enabled them to reach through and touch their baby. He slid his hands in alongside hers, guiding her to place her hands how he had his only moments before. “Now, one hand here… and… yeah, that’s what they said to do,” he encouraged, as she settled one hand on the baby’s stomach and the other on the tiny curve of her head. “They said it’ll help her.”

Felicity’s breath caught in her chest. “Oliver, she’s so…”

“She’s just small,” he whispered.

“She’s too small--”

“But she’s going to be okay,” he told her firmly, the words that he’d repeated to himself since he’d finally laid eyes on her for the first time. “She’s going to be strong.”

She shook her head. “But look at her…”

“I am looking at her. Do you know what I see? Your nose… your stubborn pursed lips… she’s beautiful…” he whispered in awe.

“But she’s so…”

“She’s ours. That’s all that matters,” Oliver finished for her. “Sick, small, healthy or not, she’s ours.”

Felicity’s shaken breaths quickly dissolved into soft sobs. Oliver withdrew his hands from hers so that she was in sole contact with their baby, and her forehead fell to the side of the incubator. “I’m so sorry…” she cried down at their daughter. “I’m sorry you’re so small. I’m sorry I didn’t take better care of you.”

Oliver’s hand rubbed up her back, fully aware that nothing would truly be able to bring her comfort in this moment. “Felicity…”

“I’m sorry I didn’t feel you…”

At those words, Oliver pulled her hands away and drew her into his arms before he could even think about the action. “Come here.” Their break up seemed a million miles away from being stood at their newborn daughter’s side, and he knew that the way she sank into his arms wasn’t just out of exhaustion.

They needed each other. Their daughter needed them.

“It’s okay,” he whispered into her hair. “It’s going to be okay.”

“What are we going to do?” she cried into his shoulder, resting more of her weight against him.

He didn’t have any answer for that yet.

---

An hour later, they were still alone with their daughter. A doctor was checking in on her every fifteen minutes, but between that they mostly sat in silence, a chair on either side of the incubator so they could each sit with a hand on her. Felicity’s hand cradled her head of dark blonde hair and Oliver’s larger palm easily covered her whole torso.

“Oliver,” Felicity whispered to get his attention, neither of them taking their eyes off of their child. “We aren’t ready for this.”

“We aren’t prepared,” he corrected her.

She sighed. “What do we do?”

“We can’t take her home right away, that gives us time to get ready,” he pointed out.

He knew that she wasn’t just thinking about the fact that they had nothing for the baby; no crib, no diapers, no clothes - nothing at all. She was thinking about the more immediate issues that he had pushed out of his mind in order to deal with this newly presented issue.

“But, we… everything’s so complicated, Oliver,” she sighed, leaning her forehead against the incubator again.

“Well, we need to uncomplicate it,” he stated simply, flexing his fingers against the baby’s stomach. “For her. Everything needs to be for her now.”

“It’s not fair,” she whispered. “We didn’t get to enjoy it.”

He lifted his eyes from their daughter at last, finding Felicity looking down at her with so much regret and adoration in her eyes, a stormy combination that just created more tears that threatened to consume her once again. “What do you mean?”

Her eyes didn’t meet his, both of them still focused on the baby. “Before we… My mom asked me if I knew what a good dad you’d be, and I said I knew it in my bones…” she recalled, with a slight lift in her lips that was more wistful than any show of happiness.

“Felicity…”

“That night I was picturing… not planning,” she rushed to assure him quickly, “Just… thinking… what it would be like.”

He wasn’t sure which night that had been, but knowing that it was any night where he was lying beside her was enough to make his stomach twist. Even now, when they weren’t together, she managed to remind him that being with her was the best thing he’d ever done in his life. Well, he supposed he’d have to make room for something new at the top of that list; wasn’t a child meant to be a man’s greatest accomplishment? To have gifted life to the world and nurture it?

“I thought about it a lot,” he confessed.

“You did?”

He nodded, tapping his fingers lightly over his daughter’s torso. It was remarkable to think that beneath his palm was her tiny heartbeat powering those fast little breaths. He wondered how it would feel when she was strong enough to lie in his arms.

“When we were in Ivy Town, I… I thought about it a lot.”

Felicity’s thumb ran over the baby’s hairline, stroking the tiny strands in a silent assurance that she was there. “I thought we’d find out together,” she murmured. “That we’d get to hear the heartbeat… that we’d be together when they were born.”

He could see it so clearly as she described it to him; the idea of them sitting side by side as they waited those long three minutes for a pregnancy test, and him holding her hand in the hospital as they heard that rushed heartbeat. He’d been so ready for it so quickly, even when they’d barely been a couple for a few moments he knew he was ready to have it all with Felicity; he’d wanted to be her husband, to father her children, and that was a realisation he hadn’t been able to put into words straight away.

But she’d been hoping too, he could see it now. The only regret she had about their child was the circumstances of her birth; that they hadn’t been able to experience the pregnancy or hold her baby in the moments after she was born. Nothing about this had fit the dream, but that didn’t mean they didn’t love her.

“I thought everything would be okay,” she told him shakily, her voice on the verge of tears once again.

“Hey,” he whispered, drawing her gaze up to his at last. “It is going to be okay.”

She shook her head, bringing her free hand up to wipe at her face. “It’s stupid. I’m worrying about not being able to take her home, and she hasn’t even got a home to go to.”

“That’s not true.”

“I’m sleeping in my mom’s guest room,” she gave him a pointed look, reminding him that a premature child wasn’t their only harsh reality to deal with. “She doesn’t have a real home, we don’t have any clothes, or a crib, we don’t know anything about babies, and she doesn’t even have a name… This is the longest we’ve talked in months…”

“Felicity, you know that you have a home, both of you.”

“It’s not that simple, Oliver.”

“It has to be,” he insisted.

Because it had to be. It had to be simply because they had a daughter now and she came before any of their disagreements. More than that, he didn’t want his daughter growing up away from him. He didn’t want to be some weekend Dad to the child he had with the woman he loved. He knew he’d made mistakes, knew he had to grow before he could be what she deserved him to be, but his daughter didn’t have time to sit around and wait for him to be a better man, she needed him to act now, and that didn’t involve him going to a home that she wasn’t a part of.

“You sent William away.”

And just like that, he understood.

“Felicity…” he started, letting her name fall away from him.

“If that’s what will happen to her one day, maybe it’s best we stay in the guest room at Mom’s,” she said quietly.

“No, Felicity… look at me,” he urged.

She shook her head, only looking down at their child. “I can’t go through that, Oliver…”

He’d sent William away because he knew he’d be safer away from him. He’d made a choice to be apart from his son just like her father had made a choice to be away from her. She didn’t want that for her daughter and she was right to be worried about it; but he would never miss out on raising his child again. William wasn’t solely his responsibility, and Samantha had been as much a deciding party in his absence as he had, but this was their baby, their brand new baby they had conceived while they were engaged and in love and this wasn’t something he could step out of.

“You won’t have to, I promise,” he told her. “Either of you.”

“I don’t want her growing up like I did. Blaming herself…”

“Felicity… I love you,” he cut her off firmly.

“Oliver…”

“No, I love you,” he repeated. “I never stopped. I screwed up, and I am probably going to screw up a thousand times more, but this… her... you… This is not something I am walking away from.”

Felicity fell quiet for a long moment, resting her forehead against the plastic lid of the incubator. “What are we supposed to do?”

“I have no idea.”

---

He’d only left for a few hours, but it had seemed like a lifetime that Oliver had been away from the hospital. Once Felicity had fallen asleep, and their daughter was taken to the NICU for some more tests, he’d decided to use his time productively, to go for a shower and pick up some things. They were clearly going to be at the hospital for a while, given their daughter’s condition, so he packed a few changes of clothes into a holdall along with whatever medical insurance details he could find; he wasn’t sure what they’d need.

After visiting home quickly, his next stop was Donna’s place. She’d remained at the hospital while he went, so she had slipped him her key which he used to let himself in. It was odd to think that this is where the woman he loved was currently living, but he pushed that aside as he packed a few comfortable changes of clothes for her too into another bag, stopping in the bathroom to pick up whatever he recognised as hers, along with her tablet, phone and chargers.

He made a few more stops before he went back to the hospital, where he switched with Donna to let her go home and get some much needed sleep. His immediate concern was that there were two nurses in the room, and his daughter wasn’t there. Felicity was sat in the chair beside her bed, upright with her cheeks stained with tears. It made something burn within him; that impulsive urge that told him something had happened, and he made his way over to her quickly, dropping the bags on the end of her bed.

“Felicity…”

He knelt down in front of her, filled with a terror. What if something had happened to their baby? What if the tests had been bad? What if she’d gotten worse? What if she’d slipped away and he wasn’t there? What if his baby was hurting or worse, what if she-?”

“It’s okay, these are happy tears,” she smiled at him, looking down at her front.

Felicity pulled aside the edges of the bathrobe Donna had bought for her that morning, showing that now-familiar tufty hair that lay over their baby’s head. She wasn’t in the incubator anymore. She still had that tiny nasal cannula taped in place, but she was out of the incubator and she was tucked safely against her mother’s chest.

He felt the bottom fall out of him as he realised she was okay. She had to be okay, right? Why else would she be out of the incubator? His eyes burned as if they were going to fill up again, and he let out a long sigh of relief.

“We’re allowed to hold her?” he asked in disbelief, his eyes fixated on the still far-too-tiny newborn cradled against her chest.

Felicity nodded. “Yeah, they said skin contact will help her keep her temperature normal, and for… bonding.”

He knew that would be important; especially for her. One of the things they’d found time to talk about before he’d gone home was that she was worried she wouldn’t have that special bond with her baby. She hadn’t had the joys of feeling her bump, or the baby kicking within it, and there wasn’t anything that could replace that. Suddenly, they just had a baby, one that they weren’t ready for or prepared for, but they had to catch up with her.

But this? Seeing her tucked into her mother’s arms? It felt like they’d been waiting for her for a long time.

“How does it feel?” Oliver asked in wonder.

“Amazing,” she breathed out, her fingers grazing the top of their daughter’s head with far more confidence now that she was in her arms not an incubator. “I… I can feel her heart beating and her little breaths and… it’s so good.”

He leaned in from where he knelt, cupping his hand over the shape off the baby’s back where it protruded out the front of Felicity’s gown. He knew it was wishful thinking, but in the hours he’d been gone he was convinced that she’d grown already. “Hi, sweetheart, Daddy missed you…”

One day she was going to run into his arms and welcome him with a cry of ‘Daddy!’ when he came home. He could believe it now, seeing this, seeing her in Felicity’s arms properly. But today, knowing that she was fighting was welcome enough for him.

“Where did you go?” Felicity asked him.

He reluctantly stood up from his crouch, going back to the bags that he’d put on the end of her bed. “I was hoping I’d be back before you woke up, I didn’t realise I’d be as long as I was.”

“I was worried…” she admitted quietly.

“I went home, and to your moms,” he told her, taking things out of the bag and distributing them around the room as he needed to. Piece by piece, it seemed less clinical as he set her tablet and chargers into the drawer unit beside the bed, and placed a pile of folded clothes on the sheets so she could take her pick. “I got you some things so you can get out of these gowns. Just some pyjamas and sweaters, and shampoo and stuff.”

Her concern lifted as she watched him unpacking, no longer concerned that he had left for good. “Thank you.”

“I also… did something else,” he explained, going back to her side with his phone in his hand before he held it out to her. “Here…”

“What?” she asked, finally lifting her gaze from their sleeping daughter.

“I took pictures, I…”

She took his phone with the hand that wasn’t supporting the baby, looking at the photograph he’d offered up on his screen. “Oh, Oliver…”

“You were worried about her not having a home to go to. I… I put the crib together this morning, it’s next to your side of the bed. Obviously not long-term, but until we can convert the guest room into a nursery for her.”

“It looks beautiful,” she smiled.

She was still holding his phone as he went back to the other bag, zipping it open and taking out a few of the items that they would need - they might not need it all for now, but he wanted them to have everything close just in case. “This bag… this is for her. It’s preemie clothes, some blankets, and uh this…” He took out a white stuffed bear, one that had bright blue beaded eyes and a pink shirt.

“Baby girl…” Felicity murmured, reading the two words stitched on the bear’s shirt.

He nodded. “Since she’ll have to stay here for a while, I thought she could have this in the crib here, so that when we take her home she’ll have something familiar, in case… in case she can’t sleep or…”

“It’s perfect, Oliver. Thank you. All of this…”

“And a baby name book,” he added, setting that on the top of the drawers beside her. “Figured we needed one of those.”

“I guess so,” she nodded. They couldn’t keep calling her ‘Sweetheart’ or ‘Baby Girl’ for the rest of her life. She needed a name.

“One more thing,” he announced with a deeper inhale, turning to her with a far smaller, more precious item than anything else he had bought with him.

“Oliver…” she whispered, as he set her engagement ring into the palm of her hand.

“You don’t have to wear it, but… as far as I’m concerned, this belongs to you,” he told her. “You are the love of my life, the mother of my child… I know you’re not ready to wear it, but I want you to have it, so that you know that I’m not leaving.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “I’m not going anywhere, Felicity.”

She gazed down at this for some time before she whispered to him. “I haven’t… I don’t have anywhere safe to keep it.”

It hadn’t been the response he’d been hoping for, but then he realised he wasn’t entirely sure what he was aiming for by giving her something she had returned to him more than once. “Oh. Well, I can…”

“Here…”

And with one word she astounded him, yet again. With some careful assistance she transferred the ring onto the finger he had once placed it on himself, securing that love for her against their child’s back as she held her in place.

Whatever he had been expecting, it hadn’t been that.

“Felicity…”

“I’m pretty sure this is the very definition of sickness and in health, right?” she told him, adjusting her hold on their daughter before one of her hands slipped into his.

He agreed with a smile, squeezing her hand back. “For better for worse.”

For a moment, they just watched one another, and he could feel their barricades falling away so that all that was left between them was their tiny daughter. A small, weak cry came from between them, nothing worthy of a newborn, but enough to get their attention. Felicity rubbed her back, appearing far more confident than she felt, and the girl fell quiet once again, content in the arms of her mother.

When she settled, Felicity let out a sigh. “I wish I could trade you in for a hug, because holding her is really amazing, but…”

“Take your time with her,” Oliver assured her, leaning in to place a soft kiss on his daughter’s head. She felt so warm and real beneath his touch. “The nurse outside mentioned getting you up for a shower, I’ll tag in then.”

He went to stand, but Felicity reached out to stop him. “Oliver…”

“Yeah?”

“I think we’re going to be okay,” she said with a small smile.

“We’re going to be fine,” he assured her confidently. “All of us.”

Amelia Grace Queen was named that evening as she was held in her father’s arms for the first time. She spent six long weeks in the hospital before she was taken home by both of her parents, and she grew to be a happy and healthy little girl. When she was five years old, she would be joined by a younger brother, and a sister just two years after.

And just as Oliver had been certain of; they were fine.

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independent-fics · 7 years

Text

It’s What’s On the Inside that Counts (Olicity AU)

*walks into tumblr after not writing for over two years*

Hi?

Long story short the last year and a half have been poop in a poop basket. But I started this two years ago and I made a commitment to finish it (I sat for two hours finishing this instead of college homework…oops). So here is the prologue. I’m not sure when the next update will be but hopefully soon. I want to do this!

Summary: Basically a Beauty and the Beast Olicity AU with a modern twist. It’s based on the CW Batb which is also based off the 1987 Batb. This is sorta a mix of both with my own twist and an olicity twist of course. Enjoy!

I don’t remember all of who I used to tag I’m so sorry! Message me if you want to follow this story!

@laurabelle2930

Prologue

“Mom really I’ll be fine! I can call a tow truck and the-”

Felicity sighed as, once again, her worrisome mother interrupted her, telling her that she could come give her a jump start on her adorable, if not a bit dated, mini cooper. And if that didn’t work, a ride home.

But the problem was Felicity didn’t want her to come for the same reason Donna Smoak- Quentin didn’t want her only daughter to stay and wait for a tow truck. Her car broke down at the edge of the Glades and that was enough incentive for Donna to drive down herself to retrieve Felicity. Felicity didn’t believe the Glades was a bad place per-say but it had some bad people in it. Not everyone of course as Felicity knew it wasn’t all those people’s fault they were hit by hard times.

She wasn’t naive to think all the bad was in the darkest part of town and all the good was in the brightest. Some rich socialites in Starling City were just as artificial as the light bulbs in the billion dollar companies they run. And some of those living in the Glades were just struggling to survive.

So, to ease her mother’s conscience, Felicity waited, leaning against the side of her baby and subtly watching the shadows. She understood why some in the Glades led themselves down the criminal path but it didn’t mean she wanted to be in the middle of that path tonight either.

Soon enough her mother pulled up in her smaller car, all legs, and high heels as always. Felicity smiled, comforted by the fact that no matter what her mother would be there, mini dress and all.

“My goodness sweetheart sorry I wasn’t here sooner. I’ve been here now for months but I still get turned around in that big city,” Donna said smiling brightly and embracing her daughter. Then she walked around to her trunk and pulled out the jumper cables as Felicity popped the hood.

“Mom it’s really fine. I just knew you and Quentin planned to go out this evening and I didn’t want you to go out of your way.” Felicity wished her mother would enjoy herself for once, now that she was a newly married woman.

“Honey, I will always be where you need me don’t worry about it. I wasn’t going to leave you out here in the dark all alone. Besides, Quentin got called in for a late shift, something about some rich man getting attacked or something. So we planned it for another night. Also, Felicity dear, it’s been three months. You’re allowed to call him your step-dad. And Laurel and Sara are your step-sisters!”

Felicity sighed, attaching the heavy cables to her car. She hated when her mother brought up the subject of their new family. It’s wasn’t that she wasn’t happy for her, far from it actually. She was glad her mother had finally found something to be happy about. She had no idea this would happen when her mother stopped by for a surprise visit, running into the head detective while they went out for their morning coffee before Felicity went to work. She also didn’t expect two very different people to hit it off so quickly. But next thing Felicity knew they were married, she had two new stepsisters, and everyone around her was asking what it was like to be the stepdaughter of a prominent detective and the stepsister to the city’s best lawyer. The timing alone made Felicity’s head spin and sometimes it was easier to ignore her lack of acceptance of the new development than discussing it with her nosy mother.

“Mom, don’t get me wrong I’m very, very happy for you and Quentin.” Felicity paused as her mother beamed and Felicity gave her a timid smile back. “But, it’s just gone by so fast I guess I just haven’t gotten used to it not being just you and me anymore.”

Felicity turned away from her, willing her tears away. It was no time for a pity party.

“Oh sweetheart,” Donna cooed as she held her daughter. “No matter what you’ll always have me dear. I know things have changed and I’m glad you don’t hate me for bursting into your life again. But you have to understand I’ll always be on your side and by your side. And if Quentin isn’t ‘stepdad’ to you then that’s okay too.”

Felicity sniffed, embracing her mother harder. “Thanks, mom. I’m just not ready for that yet. I love you though and I’m glad you’re happy again.”

“I love y-”

Both of their heads shot up and the clanking of metal from an alley across the street. Donna, placing Felicity behind her, started to push her towards her own car. But then, out of the shadows came a small cat and it darted down the street.

Both women looked at one another and dissolved into a fit of giggles.

“Come on honey let’s give you a jump and get out of here.”

A throat cleared behind them on the opposite sidewalk. Both women, startled, turned to find two burly men standing there in crisp, dark suits.

“Excuse me? Can we help you with anything?” Felicity asked out of sheer politeness but she knew these men meant trouble, no matter how nice they dressed.

Donna, however, hadn’t said a word, but pushed Felicity behind her again, almost urging her towards the street, away from the men.

“Gentlemen we’re not here for trouble,” she stated.

“We just wanted to ask you a few questions Ms. Smoak. Or is it Lance now?” The taller of the two had spoken first, his voice deep but it had a sarcastic tone as if laughing at the formalities.

Donna swallowed and pushed Felicity further back.

Felicity, looking between the two men and her mother, whispered, “Mom do you know who these people are? What do they want? How do you know them?” Felicity paused to take a much-needed breath.

Both men’s eyes were drawn to her behind her mother, and the shorter one smirked. “You raised a clever one Donna. Relax, we just need to know what you know. Tell us what you know about the Alpha Operation.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. If you’re referring to my late husband’s work I was never involved in that.” Donna’s voice trembled as she slowly tried to walk Felicity and her away from the men, who only moved closer with each step.

Felicity stared wide eyed at the back of her mother’s head at the mention of her deadbeat dad. The last she saw him he was walking out the door and that was the last she cared to know about him. She had asked that next morning but her mother told her that she didn’t need to know and could never ask again. And contrary to her curious personality, she didn’t. Because her dad left and her mom stayed and that had been all that mattered.

“Come now Ms. Smoak we only want to talk. We just need to know if you’ve discussed your husband’s previous dealings with A.R.G.U.S. to anyone else that’s all. There’s been a leak, if you will. Someone’s been trying to get information on the program, that was supposed to be shut down. Of course, that’s only one of many leaks we’re noticing lately.” The man paused in his speech to look them over once again before looking at his partner as they closed in on the women. “We just came to ask you a few questions.”

The man leaned forward, hands out, as if to present himself in an open and non-threatening manner. Which was contradicted by the gun Felicity spotted strapped to his belt. She swallowed before returning her focus to her paler-by-the-second mother.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. My late husband rarely discussed his work with me. Besides,” Donna paused looking between the men before pointedly looking at their holsters. “I realized what happens to your so called ‘leaks’ a long time ago and I’m not foolish enough to risk the rest of my family.”

The taller man, who appeared to be the leader of the two, stepped forward again and smirked. He was only feet from them now and both women stood in the middle of the empty street. In the part of the city full of criminal nightlife, no one seemed to be out tonight.

“Fine, fine, that’s fine Ms. Smoak. Wonderful even. It does, however, make me feel a bit guilty doing this knowing you’re innocent. But you’ll just have to forgive me. We can’t risk any more leaks. You understand.”

Before Felicity could even utter a word both men pulled their weapons, firing on Donna. Donna had pushed her away, uttering one last ‘run’ before she fell to the ground within a growing puddle of her blood.

Felicity, given no time to grieve over her mother much less think, let instinct take over, and darted down the street. Running on adrenaline she swerved her run as bullets ricocheted off cars and brick beside her. She told herself not to cry, as tears would blur her vision, and she tried to stick to the shadows as much as possible, hoping to find an area with more people so she could get help. She hoped her mother was still alive, prayed that she could still be holding on, but knew it was hopeless. She saw her mother get filled with bullets, bullets that she would be filled with as well if she didn’t run faster.

Seeing one of the men gaining on her she darted down an alley hoping she choose correctly and that it would lead to another street on the other side. And for a moment she thought she would be okay because she saw a corner leading around the building, her heart threatening to burst from her chest in both fear and hope. But those hopes were dashed as she turned the corner and only found a wooden fence standing in her way and there was nothing around her to help her jump over to salvation on the other side.

The men , realizing she was cornered widened their positions, ensuring her only other escape route was closed off. Heart beating quickly Felicity looked around for some sort of weapon or some splinter in the wooded fence. Finding nothing but trash and dirt around her and a solid, inconvenience of a wooden fence she turned back to the men who had slowly been drawing closer to her. If she couldn’t run she would fight.

“Look, you look like a sweet girl but you understand. It’s my job.” The taller man shrugged like murdering people and getting paid for it was such a burden for him tonight.

“Well, I don’t really understand. Last I checked being a criminal has some pretty crappy benefits.”

The taller man laughed but while Felicity was distracted the smaller man had darted towards her and grabbed her, holding her still in a bear hug. She struggled but it seemed to no avail against him.

“Look,” the taller man, criminal, said, continuing their banter. “It’s not so bad. I get a roof over my head, good money, maybe even dental. All I gotta do is shoot you.”

Felicity doubled her struggles as he raised his gun to the side of her head. He was ready to pull the trigger until a noise from above froze both men. Felicity listened harder trying to distinguish what it was.

An air conditioner in the building?

A car?

No.

A growl.

Felicity’s eyes widened as she realized that this animal had to huge with the strength of this growl. She figured it might be a big dog and looked around the alleyway trying to spot it. But both men paid her no mind as they were frozen around her before they looked…up.

“Impossible,” the taller man whispered to himself. “They said there were leaks but they didn’t tell us anything about you. Did they send you after the leak too. A mauling seems a little excessive right buddy?”

Both men talked to the creature as if they were familiar with it. But they also sounded very fearful. And if these men were afraid then Felicity had no trouble being afraid either.

Felicity suddenly released an embarrassing ‘squeak’ as the creature, no, man, dropped from the four stories of the building above them, pausing in a crouch in the shadows.

“Hey look, if you want to take care of her you can. I won’t get in the way.”

The man, still covered in shadows, rose from the ground, the shadows falling away to reveal some of his features. Or at least the ones not covered by a dark hood. The most prominent feature still noticeable was a scar running down his face, from the bottom of his cheek up into the shadow of his hood towards his eye.

What happened to him?

Felicity continued to wonder who had done that to him, how these men knew him, how he could drop four stories and still stand. But then the man was speaking, replying to the men’s questions in a low growl in his voice.

“I will. And you won’t.”

Before Felicity could blink, the gun beside her head fell away and the man behind her let her go. She fell to the ground in the shock of him releasing her and she looked up to see the man in the hood ripping the gun away from the leader, his face contorted into a snarl sharp teeth and all. She thought maybe he batted it away but no, she watched again as he raised his arm for another strike. She watched his fingers. His claws.

Her hooded savior brought his hand down, slicing through the man’s chest and letting him fall to the ground before he receded back into the shadows.

Felicity watched in horror as blood spilled onto the cracked pavement, spreading out from the body. She wanted to know who this man was, what he was. She had just watched him fall from an injury inducing height without a scratch, engage a gunned man in a fight and not only win but rip his chest open.

With claws…

Whoever this man, creature, whoever was he was dangerous. But it looked like he was on her side and she would not question that.

Her other captor was still standing, peering into the shadows in fear, trying to find him.

“Look,” his voice shaking. “I’ll be honest I know they didn’t treat you right over there. Like, nobody should have to go through that. But like you’re their soldier. I’m on your side!”

The man sounded desperate, trying to plead his case. But after no response, he darted down the alleyway opening.

But he never made it.

Stepping out in front of her last captor, Felicity got a view of the hooded man in all his glory. He was tall and decked out in all black. No green? The color was still dark enough for him to blend into the night and was fitted to allow movement. He also held a bow and arrows on his back, which was an uncommon weapon and one he obviously didn’t plan on using tonight if the body laying next to Felicity had anything to say about it.

No, Felicity, he doesn’t have anything to say about it he’s dead.

Who was this man? Wouldn’t it be reported if a man in tights was running around the city?

Felicity came out of her thoughts just in time to see the last man go down, claws being slashed across his throat.

Both Felicity and her savior stood there in a stalemate for a few moments, taking in the carnage.

Then he looked up towards her, his eyes, under his hood at least, piercing her as she stared back.

“Who are you?”

She had to know. She had to know everything.

He stared at her a moment longer as if contemplating. Then turning her savior disappeared off into the night as sirens filled the air.

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