Parts 3/4 Oliver and Felicity's First Christmas

              Felicity woke up early and slid out of bed, moving Oliver’s arm gently from around her.  She glanced at the clock five o’clock, she would need the time.  Felicity wanted to cook a special breakfast for Oliver and William.  He knew how to cook because of his time on the island, he had to learn or starve.  Felicity never knew how to cook.  Her mother didn’t really cook, she would just bring in something on her way home from work.   Raisa had given her lessons, and even with her guidance, she still struggled.  Raisa would laugh at her and  one day  Felicity just sat down and cried that it was hopeless.  Raisa give her a  hug and told her that Oliver loved  her whether she could cook or not, and that she if he didn’t appreciate her efforts, she would give her boy a talking too!  Raisa had  practically raised Oliver.  She had  always been  honest with Oliver, even when  his parents had not.  She said to Felicity, “If he were my own son, I would be proud to have him marry you, Felicity.  You have been so good for him. “  Felicity dried her eyes and went back to try again.  Oliver loved omelets so that’s what she had learned.  Raisa had made the dough for cinnamon rolls and Felicity would roll it out and put in the filling. 

William and Oliver came into the kitchen together, “What smells so good in here, Raisa.” 

“It’s not me, “she  said, “it’s Felicity’s cooking.”

“I wanted to start a tradition of a special Christmas Eve breakfast that made by myself.”

Oliver looked  a  little skeptical.  “I know, Oliver, I can’t cook, but I’ve been taking lessons from Raisa. He and William smiled.  She told them to sit down, and then she brought their omelets to the table along with a basket of fresh cinnamon rolls from the oven.  The omelets were a little watery in the middle, but a vast improvement from what she had made in Ivy town.  Oliver and William said they loved them, and Felicity beamed her bright,  big  smile that always made the room light up.   In came Donna, Oliver, you made a  special  breakfast? “

 

“No, Felicity did.”

“My baby can cook?”

“Only with Raisa’s help, and probably only omelets and cinnamon rolls for our new tradition.”

Donna grabbed a plate and began to eat and bubble over about Christmas morning, and all the presents, and what would Santa bring William.

“Mom, William’s too old for Santa.  Right, William?  I am mean  because if you’re not that’s fine, it’s just that you’re into quadratic equations, so I assumed, “ She looked a  Oliver for help, but he just smiled.   William started laughing.   Mom, are you going to visit Santa today?”

“I might.” Then everyone laughed.  “No, sweetie, I’m going stay around here and  do a little more decorating for the party, unless you don’t want me too?”  Felicity knew better than to tell her mother not to do something, so she said that would fine, if William was okay with it, which he was.

Oliver went to city hall, and Felicity after helping Raisa clean up went to work at Helix hoping to find Curtis.   Her hope didn’t disappoint for she found him at work.  At first he seemed distant, and then asked her directly, “Why did you spy on me, Felicity?  I thought since we’re business partners, you’d have a little more trust.  It really hurt me"

“Oliver had to know which one of the team members had turned states evidence.   I honestly thought you all would have done the same thing, if someone told you that Oliver or I had turned on you.  You know I’m right. She had a point.  They worked hard the rest of the morning trying to perfect a device for John’s arm.  Felicity needed him able to work more in the field now that the rest of the team had left.  Felicity reminded Curtis that William expected him at the Christmas Eve party.  She got lost in the work and forgot about the time, and at four she hurried back home to get ready.  She hoped her mother had not gotten too carried away.

Donna had indeed made the place look festive.  She had lights everywhere.  She even put up another Christmas tree in the kitchen, just because she had the tree and the space.  She asked Raisa and Donna where William was.   William had told both of them that he was going out to meet a friend and would be back at four in plenty of time before the guests arrived at six. Felicity started to worry, but Donna told her that he would be along any minute. He and his friend probably got sidetracked playing games or something. Perhaps he would be coming home with Oliver, because he often did that.  That seemed possible so she went to shower and change. 

  At five Oliver came in with flowers for Felicity and  Donna, but William was not with him and he had not seen him all day.  John and Lila and little Johnny arrived next and he could tell how worried they all were, so he decided he would go and looking for him. By six everyone was there except William and John.  Oliver wanted to go look for them, but Lila and Felicity thought that he should wait, because John might call.  There was an awkward silence at first, but Zoe broke the ice.  “Thank you, Mr. Queen, for helping get my Dad back. He said he wouldn’t have been able to if it hadn’t been for you, and you too, Mr. Lance.” 

Lance spoke first, “He deserved to have another chance.  Everyone should get a second chance.” Oliver agreed, and looked at Rene.  Had he done the right thing?  Had he reacted too quickly?  Oliver paced around the room, and Lance went to talk to him.  “William will be back, Oliver.  Do you remember the times I worried about you, Laurel, and Tommy, when you’d go off to the park to play?  You’d get to playing and thought Laurel would never come back.  That’s probably what’s happened with William.”

“But I don’t know who this new friend is.  He had trouble making friends at school.  He had trouble fitting in and then with all the press about the me being the Green Arrow, he had even fewer kids talking to him, so who is the kid?” Just then Diggle came in without William.

“I searched everywhere, Oliver.  I went to the parks, and talked to some kids, but even though they knew who William was, they hadn’t seen him.  They didn’t even know he had any close friends from school.  I went to the hospital, but he’s not there.  I went into the theater but didn’t see him.  Donna, did he tell you anything about this friend?”

“No, he just said that he had a new friend that was going to help him help his father.”

“Mom, you left that part out.”

“I’m sorry, honey, I just didn’t think of it at the time.

Zoe had looked at all the photos on the table behind the sofa, and she said, “Is that boy, William?”

“Yes, Oliver and Felicity quickly said.”

“I’ve seen him after school.  He’s older and gets out a little after I do, but I had to stay after and retake a spelling test, anyway, I saw a man talking to that boy.  Something seemed to bother the boy, and the man kind of raised his voice a little, and walked away.”

Felicity ran to her computer and pulled up a picture of Cayden James.  “Is this the man you saw with William?”

“No, he wasn’t the one.”

Then she pulled up Anatoly Knyazev, “How about this man?”

“No, he was younger than that man, and his face looked a little different, but I couldn’t tell, he kept his head down.  I’m sorry.”

Dinah stood there taking this all in.  She took out her cell phone and showed a picture to Zoe.

“That’s the man.  I am pretty sure  of it.”

Dinah looked at Oliver and said, “Vincent Sobel.”

Oliver looked at everyone and said, “Will you help me?”  He knew if the Vigilante had William then he would need everyone’s help to get him back.  Donna and Lance said they would take Zoe back home, and as everyone was getting ready to leave, in the door came William.

William looked downcast, sad, and angry.  He stopped in front of Oliver and Felicity.  “I found out Cayden James is the reason you are in trouble, Oliver,” turning to Lila, “and Argus had him, but someone let him go.”  Felicity stood stone still and speechless.  For a while now she felt guilt for helping free him from Argus.  Oliver put his arm around Felicity, but she didn’t move.  Oliver started to speak,  “It’s complicated, William.”

“Did someone let him go?” He stared straight at Felicity, never taking his eyes off her.  It reminded her of how Oliver used to look when he had been filled with anger when he was taking names off the list one by one.  She thought, he knows, it’s me, but she felt powerless to speak.  Oliver tightly held to Felicity and said, “It was me; it was all of us,” but Felicity stopped him.

“No, Oliver.  William deserves the truth. It was me.  Lila tried to warn me how evil he Cayden is, but I didn’t listen to her.  I even went to Oliver for help, but he refused, because he thought I would be doing wrong.   The team, Curtis, Diniah, Rene, John, and Oliver all tried to stop me.  You’re right.  I did this. I put your father in jail and the all the team in jeopardy, it’s all my fault.  Oh my God, it’s all my fault.”  She said that as if a new sudden awareness had come over her. 

“I thought you were my friend, and I cared about you, how you could have betrayed us like this.”

“William!  There are things you don’t know about why she did this,” Oliver’s voice never sounded so harsh.

“I know enough. I know she let you down, she let  all of us down.”

“Go to your room, now!”

“I have to get some air,” Felicity said and left the apartment.  Twice before Felicity had left like this.  She walked out not long after she joined the team because she thought Oliver was going to put an arrow into a man who would have left behind an orphaned child.  The second  time was after he had returned from  his  battle with Ras Al Ghul.  He didn’t stop her that time, and she turned to Ray Palmer.  He ran after her.

Cayden James had eyes on Felicity and saw her leave, but what he didn’t know was that Oliver saw the man following Felicity.

Back at the apartment, everyone stood in stunned silence.  Who would have told this to William, and why?  Dinah said that it had to be Vince, but she had no idea he knew about any of  this or the reason why he would tell him.].  Lance wanted to go and talk to William, but it was both John and Rene who went.  Rene knew he was the reason Oliver’s life lay in the balance.  John had a close bond with William, because he thought John was now the Green Arrow.  They knocked, and got a “go away,” but they entered anyway.

William tried to hold back tears as he held a photo of his mother.  John began to explain that what Felicity did was out of love.  He told William about the torture that Adrian  Chase had inflicted on Oliver, and how Oliver had returned from that torture tormented that he had been nothing but a cold-blooded killer. He held nothing back from this twelve year old boy.  Oliver might be angry with him, but he needed to hear the real story.  He told them how Felicity had a contact in Helix, from the dark web, who could pinpoint exactly where Adrian Chase was.  There was just one condition, and that was she had to let the founder of Helix go.  He had been imprisoned by Argus and she wanted Felicity’s help in letting him go, and then they would give her the information she needed.  She only thought of Oliver and wanting to help him bring down Adrian Chase. She wanted Oliver’s trust. She wanted to help bring down the man that nearly destroyed Oliver. 

Then Rene spoke.  William began to put down the picture of his mother.  Was he listening?  Rene told William that sometimes people make decisions with a pure motive, out of love, but hurt clouds their thinking.  Then he told William the truth about himself.  He told how he had lost his daughter, and how Oliver  had worked on his behalf so he could have her back.  He told how Oliver and Lance had gotten him the job in the mayor’s office so when the social worker investigated he would find that he was able to care for his daughter.   He finished, “Then Agent Watson came to me and told me that unless I testified in court that Oliver was the Green Arrow, she would see to it that I never got Zoe back at all, but that if I testified, I could have her back right away.  So, I told her I would. So you see, I’m the real reason that your dad’s in trouble, not Felicity.  I don’t know why that man told you all this, but you’re blaming the wrong person.  We all make choices, William.  Usually we make them to protect the ones we love the most without hurting anyone else we love and respect, but sometimes we can’t.  And it hurts us more than you know.”  Diggle understood exactly what he talked about it, and he hoped that William heard it too.  Diggle said, “We’ll leave you alone to some thinking, son, and when you  do, think about all that Felicity has not only done for you, but think about what’s she done for all of us.

When they got outside the door Diggle said, “Thanks, man.  That took a lot of courage.”

“It’s what I learned from the team.”

Oliver caught up with the man hired to follow Felicity and stopped him.  They fought and Oliver tore into the man's face with his fists, but before Oliver could find out who the guy was he had taken cyanide.  Russian thought Oliver.  He knew Felicity hadn’t gone to her old apartment, and he doubted she had gone to the liar, because they suspected there might be bugs there.  Then he remembered that Felicity knew about his secret lair, the one he had taken refuge in after his mother had been murdered.  He went there.  She sat on the floor in the cold darkness much like he had sat after his mother’s death.  He knew and felt her pain. “Felicity,” he said.  She got up and walked to another part of the room. “Fe-lic-ity,” he said emphasizing each syllable.  She turned to him, “I’m so sorry, Oliver.  How did you know I’d be here?”

He took her hand and said, “You always say that you know me better than anyone else, but I know you better than anyone else too.  He just looked at her and remembered how she looked then when she had John had found him,  and how much he had longed to kiss her, but didn’t because he had planned to die.  “Felicity, let’s go back.  You  can’t do anything by running away. I think that’s something we’ve both learned over the last two years."

“Oliver, I can’t go back and face William, when he knows I am responsible for the mess you and all of us are in.  I had hidden it away in my mind,  because everything was going to well, and now,” she turned her  back to him,but he turned her around and took her hands in his.  She glanced down, and saw that they bled. She looked and touched them, but didn’t say anything.  Oliver said, “I think Anatoly had you followed.  He or they,  whoever they are,  must have planned for you leave.  He was Russian.”

“Was?  Oliver did you…”

“No, he took cyanide before I had chance to get anything out of him.”

“Let’s go home, Felicity.”

“How can I face William and everyone else?”

“Felicity, do you remember what you told me when we had the Christmas from hell, and Damian had taken you?   Do you remember what you said?”  Felicity remained silent.  “You said, ‘We are fighting through the danger instead of running away from it.  Isn’t that whole point of marriage, to get through the hard times in spite of it?”  She nodded her head, and he continued, “Now, we are married, and we will fight the danger and not run from it.  We’re stronger because we’re together.    William will come around, and someday he’ll understand, and until then, we will do this together.”  He pulled her close to him and kissed her and she fell into his arms.  She felt safe, the way she always did with him. He wasn’t angry with her, he  loved  her.  He didn’t let her walk away, not the way her mother had let her  father walk away.  “Are you ready to go home?” 

At  Cayden James’ cloister, Anatoly  entered, and told James he had  lost contact with his man who followed Felicity.  Black Siren became angry, but James coldly replied, “I make plans  for these failures, but Anatoly, don’t fail me again.  Our time will come, and when it does, we shall get what we have longed for.”

When they got back to the apartment, everyone was still there. Zoe and Johnny had fallen asleep on the sofa with the stuffed animals Felicity had chosen for them.  Donna said that she let them open the gifts.  Donna wanted to run to Felicity, but Quentin held her back.  John pulled Oliver and Felicity aside and told them what Rene had told William.  Oliver then told everyone to sit down, and he told them what had happened with the Russian following Felicity.  Then he admitted that he did need the team, but not back in the lair.  If his apartment had been bugged then so had the liar, and it might work to their interests if Cayden James thought there was a division.  Then he looked at Dinah, “Do you think, you will be okay with being in contact with Vincent knowing he works for James?”  They all agreed that this was possibly the best thing they could do.  They all hugged Felicity before they left, and told her not to worry.   Lance said, “It’s Christmas, Felicity, a time for miracles.” When every had gone, and Donna went to bed, Felicity and Oliver sat on the sofa.  It was after midnight, but they couldn’t sleep.  

“Thank you, Oliver, for finding me.  I was afraid, you might not. “He pulled her close and held her tightly, “We’ve been through so much Felicity.  You’ve always stood by me.  When Chase had us the lair, and Diggle pulled us up and you fell, I vowed in my heart, to never let you go again.”  They kissed so tenderly.  They heard a door open, and William entered. He stood there for what seemed to Felicity an eternity before he spoke.

“Rene told me, Felicity, why you had to let James go.  I’m sorry that I believed that man.  I thought he was going help me get you free, Dad.“ He ran over to Oliver and hugged him.

“I’m sorry too, son.”

Then William went to Felicity, “Will you forgive me for what I said?  I know you love Dad and you love me too.  I mean, you sit with and get me through all those quadratic equations, so that has to be love, right?” 

Felicity looked at him and smiling said, “Let’s forgive each other.” Then William hugged her, and Oliver looked at the two people he loved most in the world and felt such a peace he had never felt before.

“It’s Christmas, let’s open presents?”   Oliver looked at Felicity and smiled.

“Yeah, Dad, let’s open presents.”

“I’ve already got my gift.”

Thank you all for reading my first fanfiction story.  I hope you enjoyed it and please leave comments. Would you like more in the future?