#and remembered I hadn’t watched the last movie cus I couldn’t find it anywhere!!

[leviiackrman]

Watching the last Free! movie has completely demolished me

[argylesweedstash]

did you just call me baby

(ao3 link)

The first time it happens, it’s an accident. At least, Dean’s banking on Castiel thinking it’s an accident. And it is, really. Dean fell onto the war room floor covered in black goo with his arms around Cas. Sam and Jack leapt up from the table, moving away from the intricate spellwork that no longer needed their attention.

Cas stirred a little. He’d been out of it when Dean had found him - half-lucid and mostly disbelieving. He’d let Dean pull him up and sling his arm around his shoulders, but hadn’t said much. Only mumbled apologies and words that sounded a lot like, “I hope this is real.”

Jack was first on the floor next to them. “Cas?” he asked, a tentative smile playing on his lips. Cas nodded and within seconds, his arms were full of his son.

Dean watched them, a smile playing on his lips. When they broke apart, Sam offered Castiel his arm. Cas had looked at it before taking it and being pulled into a hug by the taller man.

Dean removed himself from the floor and helped Jack up. When Sam released Cas, Dean stepped in front of him.

“It’s real,” Dean said, looking into Cas’s eyes.

Cas nodded. “Thank you for saving me, Dean.”

Dean finally closed the distance between them and pulled Cas into a bone crushing hug.

“I missed you, baby,” Dean muttered against Cas. When he realized that he’d said baby instead of buddy, he could feel heat rising to his cheeks. He removed himself from Cas and grinned sheepishly at the floor. There was a weird fluttering feeling in his chest. He wrote it off as the adrenaline that was still pumping through his veins.

Cas, for what it was worth, didn’t seem to notice the word. “I missed you, too, Dean.”

-

That was two weeks ago. Since then, Dean has been avoiding talking about it. Not just his slip, though, the things Cas had said to him before The Empty came and took him. It wasn’t that Dean didn’t feel the same way - he just didn’t know if he did or not. He likes Cas and he’s his best friend. He knows he likes spending time with him. Sometimes he’s overwhelmed by how fond of his friend he is, but he doesn’t read too far into that.

Plus, things hadn’t changed between them. They still watched movies together in the Dean Cave a couple nights a week. Castiel would always come and join Dean in the garage when he was working on any of the cars they kept. Dean would greet him with a, “Good morning, Sunshine,” every morning from his place at the table. The only thing that had changed was that they didn’t have the end of the world looming over their heads. Honestly, this is the happiest he’s been in a long time. Getting Cas back meant that they’d tied up their loose ends and now they could relax. Of course Dean had never felt this happy, they’d never so resolutely saved the world like they did this time around.

Dean is sitting at the table, now, staring at the laptop screen in front of him. There were still monsters, there might still be a case somewhere. In the back of his head Dean knows he doesn’t really want to find a case. He’s been enjoying his time with Cas and Sam. He likes that the most pressing thing he has to worry about is whether or not the fridge is stocked. He knows Sam has been getting stir crazy, though. Maybe he’ll find a case and send Sam off, encourage him to get Eileen in on it.

The sound of footsteps draws Dean’s attention away from the laptop. Castiel pads into the room. He’s wearing one of Dean’s hand-me-down shirts, even though he hasvclothing of his own. Part of pulling Cas out of The Empty meant leaving his grace behind. Jack had been pretty clear - Cas’s grace was the reason Jack was unable to just pull him out. So, here Cas is, as human as Dean, wearing Dean’s shirt. A smile threatens to break on Dean’s face.

“What’re you up to?” Dean asks.

Cas turns to face him. Dean notices toothpaste stuck to the corner of Cas’s mouth, he must have just finished brushing his teeth.

“It’s almost lunch time,” Cas says. “I was going to make myself something. Are you hungry? I can make enough for two.”

Dean shakes his head. “Just ate,” he says. “You, uh -” He gestures vaguely at Cas’s mouth.

“I what?” Cas asks, tilting his head a little.

“Baby,” Dean starts as he gets up from his chair to walk over to Castiel. “You have some toothpaste. Right there.”

Cas stares at Dean, wide eyed. Dean resists the urge to roll his eyes and grabs a napkin from the table. He wipes at Castiel’s mouth before he crumples the napkin and walks it over to the trash. Cas watches his movements.

“What?” Dean asks when he notices Cas staring at him. It’s not that he minds, Cas just looks a little lost.

Cas just shakes his head and puts a smile on his face. “Nothing. Thank you, Dean. I didn’t realize.”

“It’s part of being human, man. No worries,” Dean says, depositing himself back in his chair. “You gonna eat in here?”

“Yes, of course,” Cas says, finally moving from where he was stopped.

Dean nods in his direction before he pats the chair next to him, smiling up at his friend. He returns to his research as Cas busies himself in the kitchen.

-

Two days later, Sam is gone to go after a nest of vamps and Eileen’s place just happens to be on the way there. Dean isn’t quite sure why Sam hasn’t just asked her to move in. He’s pretty sure Sam had refrained before because Dean had been a wreck with Cas gone. It was probably better for Dean and Eileen’s relationship that she hadn’t seen him like that. But now, there was no reason for her not to be here. She was family, after all.

Dean knocks on Cas’s door, ending his stream of thoughts. Dean was kind of bored and he hadn’t taken Cas anywhere but the supermarket since they’d brought him back. And, come to think of it, Dean couldn’t remember the last time just he and Cas had gone out for drinks.

Cas answers the door already dressed. “Dean. I was actually coming to look for you.”

“Well, I found ya first,” Dean says, putting an easy smile on his face. “Was gonna see if you wanted to come grab a drink with me. Looks like you’re going somewhere, though.” He didn’t want to press, but where on earth could Cas be going? It wasn’t like he really knew anyone around here outside of Sam and Dean. And if someone they knew was in town, why hadn’t Dean heard of it?

The ends of Cas’s lips turn up slightly. “I was going to ask you the same thing.”

Dean lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding and beams at Castiel. “It’s a date, then. Give me five minutes and I’ll meet you at Baby.”

Cas nods at Dean’s retreating figure and mumbles, “It’s a date,” before shutting his door to walk to the car.

Dean meets him there a few minutes later. “Had to grab my keys,” he says, holding them up for Cas to see.

The drive to the bar passes in comfortable silence, Cas staring out the window at the passing buildings. Dean drums his fingers on his steering wheel. He glances to Cas a few times; he almost can’t believe Cas is really back. He’d been gone for two months. Dean had spent most of that time frantically reading through every lore book and the rest drinking until he couldn’t remember the pain. It had been Jack that finally suggested opening the rift and leaving Cas’s grace behind. Dean had been ready to go almost immediately.

Now that Castiel was back, Dean felt better than he had in years. A warm feeling had settled over him after they fell through the rift and it stayed around. Whenever he was with Cas he could only describe the we he felt as “content.” Like now, for example, he could drive all night like this and be pleased with the way he spent his evening.

They pull in and Dean holds the door to the bar open so Cas can walk through. “Grab us a table and I’ll get drinks,” he says, clapping his hand over his shoulder and walking past him to the bar.

He gets the bartender’s attention pretty quickly. “Hey, Lynn. Slow night?” he asks.

She rolls her eyes at him and pushes a stray strand of blonde hair out of her face. “It’s a Wednesday, what do you expect?” She gives a little chuckle and leans against the bar. “Where’s your brother?”

“Sammy’s with his girlfriend. Won’t be back for a few days,” Dean says easily. “Left me alone with Cas over there.”

Lynn looks past him at Castiel, who is seated at a booth in the corner. He’s looking around the mostly empty bar, seemingly taking in the neon signs advertising different kinds of alcohol. He’s wearing one of Dean’s flannels, Dean realizes belatedly.

“He’s cute,” Lynn says. She turns her attention back to the man in front of her. “What can I get for you two?”

“Two beers,” he says. And then, as an afterthought, “And two shots of your top shelf whiskey.”

She grins. “Celebrating something?”

“Come to think of it, yeah,” Dean says. “He, uh.” He looks for the words. “Just got back from a work trip. Gone for a couple of months.” That sounds like a good cover.

“I bet he’s happy to be home,” Lynn says, setting the beers in front of Dean before turning to grab a bottle from the shelf behind her. “You seem happy that he’s back.”

It’s Dean’s turn to grin. “I’m freaking thrilled. Dude’s my best friend.”

Lynn slides the now filled shot glasses toward Dean. “Want a tray to carry all that?”

Dean doesn’t get to answer before she’s sliding a tray toward him. “You need a tray,” she says, putting the drinks onto it. “I know you were going to try to carry all this over there without one.”

Dean thanks her and slides the tray onto his left arm, steadying it with his right hand. He turns toward the booth Cas is in and flashes him a smile while he lifts the tray slightly, indicating the beverages.

“That my shirt?” he says when he gets to the table. He sets a beer and a shot down in front of Cas.

Cas looks down at the flannel and then back at Dean in a way Dean can only describe as bashful. “Yes. It must have gotten mixed in with my laundry. I can return it, if you want.”

“Keep it. Looks better on you anyway.” Dean picks his shot up and motions for Cas to do the same. “We’re celebrating, Cas.”

Cas picks up his shot and looks at Dean curiously. “What are we celebrating?”

“You’re back!”

Cas smiles warmly. “I am,” he nods. “Thanks to you.”

“Well, Sam and Jack helped,” Dean says, grinning.

“To humanity,” Cas says, raising the shot.

“To humanity,” Dean echos before taking the shot.

Cas makes a face after he downs his and raises his beer to his lips to chase the taste away.

“You’ve not had a drink since you got back,” Dean remarks, watching Cas take a few long drinks from the bottle.

“You haven’t either,” he replies.

Dean contemplates the statement. “Really?” He takes a sip of his beer. “I guess I’ve just been busy.”

They both know that isn’t really true. Dean’s only been engaging in leisurely activities, he’s just not been drinking during them. He wonders for a moment why that might be. It’s probably because he doesn’t have any pain he needs to ignore, he thinks.

“Your tolerance is going to be shit.”

Cas shrugs. “I’m a cheap date.”

Dean looks at him for a moment before laughing. Cas gives him a genuine smile before returning to his beer.

Several beers later, Dean cuts himself off. Someone has to drive home and Cas is more than a little giggly on the bench across from him. He takes a sip of his third beer and gives Dean a measured look.

“What?” Dean asks, putting a soft smile on his face. “See something you like?”

“Yes,” Cas says.

Dean grins back at him. There’s a tug somewhere in his chest, but he ignores it. “Anything on your mind?”

Cas just looks at Dean, clearly deep in thought. “Not really, no.”

Dean laughs and shakes his head. “Want another?”

Cas’s beer is still half full. “Another what?”

“Another drink. Or another shot.”

“Another shot might be nice, actually.”

Dean smiles at him. “That’s my boy. I’ll be right back.”

He returns to the bar and waits for Lynn to walk over to him.

“Two more?” she asks.

“Just another shot,” Dean says. “I’m driving but huggy bear over there can have whatever he wants.”

Lynn shakes her head and pours another. “You two been together long? I haven’t seen him in here.”

Dean blinks back at her and then looks down at the shot. “Actually we, uh, we haven’t talked about… that. Being together.”

She frowns at Dean and he takes a breath. He hadn’t been avoiding it, really. He and Cas had just fallen back into their comfortable rhythm.

“He doesn’t know how you feel, does he?” Lynn asks. She looks a little sad now.

“I guess he doesn’t,” Dean says thoughtfully.

“You should tell him.”

Dean looks up at her.

“Not tonight, though. He should probably be sober.”

Dean nods and grabs the shot. “Thanks, Lynn.”

He sets the shot down across from Cas when he gets back to the table. “For you.”

Cas downs the shot as Dean settles back down across from him. “What were you two talking about?”

Dean stares at Cas. He knows he shouldn’t lie but if he says anything Cas may actually want to talk about his feelings and Dean isn’t ready for that. He doesn’t really have words and he’s not even sure he’s fully processed Cas’s confession yet. And, Lynn was probably right. Cas should be sober for that particular conversation.

“Sam,” Dean lies easily. “This is where we come for drinks. Neither of us have been by in a while.”

Cas accepts the lie and sips from his beer before starting a conversation about Jack and the prospect of weekly family dinners.

By the time Cas had finished his beer the shot he’d taken seems to hit him. “Dean.”

“Cas.”

“I’d like another shot.”

Dean raises his eyebrows. “You can get it.”

Cas frowns at Dean before swinging his legs to the end of the booth to pull himself out. He pushes himself up on the table and wobbles a little before Dean is up and at his side, steadying him.

“When you don’t stand it hits you all at once,” Dean explains. He’s gripping Cas’s bicep and shoulder.

“I know how drinking works, Dean. I spend all my time with you.”

Dean chuckled low in his throat. “How about we get you home?”

“Can I drink there?”

Dean turns Cas to face him fully. “Hell yeah, you can.”

“You’ll be drinking, too?”

“Well, yeah. I won’t have to drive us anywhere. Can’t let you have all the fun.”

Dean walks Cas to the Impala and deposits him in the passenger’s seat. “I’ll be right back, baby. I have to pay the tab.”

Cas stares at Dean for a moment before opening and promptly closing his mouth.

“I’ll leave the door open in case you hurl. And I’ll get a bag from Lynn.”

Dean returns to see Cas has closed the door and is currently slumped against it, sleeping. He rolls his eyes and drives him home, careful to avoid the bumps on the road. When they get home, he shakes Cas awake.

“‘Morning, Sunshine.”

“It’s not morning, Dean,” Cas replies groggily.

“Nope,” Dean says, leaning over to pull Cas out of the car. “Let’s get you to your room.”

They make their way through the bunker slowly. Dean sits Cas down and gets him out of his shoes and, after a brief moment of hesitation, his jeans. Once he’s gotten Cas under the blankets, he gets a glass of water from the kitchen and a few tylenol from the bottle he has stashed in his room.

“Alright,” he says, setting everything down on Cas’s night stand. “Take the tylenol when you wake up. You’re probably going to be hungover. And drink some water, okay?”

“Yes, Dean,” says the Cas sized lump under the covers.

“Let me know if you need anything else, okay? I’m right down the hall.”

Dean turns to leave but Cas makes a noise. Dean turns back around.

“Thank you for taking me out tonight, Dean. I had fun.”

Dean smiles. “I had fun, too. Get some sleep, baby.”

He flicks out Cas’s lights and reminds himself to stop calling Cas buddy. The dude loves him and Dean’s probably making it hurt or something. Plus, he’d accidentally called him baby when he’d first gotten back from The Empty. Dean’s probably sending him mixed signals. He shuts the door behind him and walks to his room; he knows he should probably figure out what to say to Cas. Unfortunately, he was pretty sure that meant poking at that warm, fluttery feeling that seemed to be permanently in his chest.

-

Sam returns from the hunt a week later. He assures Dean it was an easy hunt and that he and Eileen hadn’t needed any help. He also admits to spending a few days with Eileen after they’d taken out the nest.

“How is she, anyway?” Dean asks, handing a beer to Sam and setting one on the end table next to Cas. They’d been watching old western’s in the Dean Cave when Sam got home. Cas had wanted to spend the day watching movies and Dean had agreed on the condition that he got to pick the movie.

“She’s good. She misses you two,” Sam answers.

“Tell her to get her ass out here,” Dean says. “She’s family at this point, man. She should be here, anyway. It would make hunts easier.”

Sam shook his head, smiling. “That’s the first hunt I’ve been on since we beat Chuck. You still haven’t been out.”

“Hey, I’m keeping Cas company. He’s still newly human,” Dean argues.

“You could go hunt if you want, Dean. I’m capable of taking care of myself. I don’t mind,” Cas says from the couch. Dean looks over at him and shakes his head.

“Nah, you’ve been back less than a month. We gotta make sure you have your sea legs before I go anywhere, baby.”

The words left his mouth effortlessly. Sam and Cas just stared at him for a second before Sam coughed.

“It’s great seeing you guys but I’m going to go shower and pass out for a few hours,” he says before making a quick exit toward his room.

“Fine, Sammy. We didn’t want to hang out with you, anyway,” Dean shoots back before collapsing onto his side of the couch.

He hits play on the movie and settles in. He has his own bottle of beer pressed to his lips when Cas speaks.

“Dean?”

“Yeah, Cas?” he replies, lowering the bottle from his lips.

Cas is quiet for a moment. “Why do you keep calling me ‘baby’?” he asks carefully.

Dean stares back at him. “I only called you that once,” he says, on guard now. Had it slipped out again? He didn’t think it had but now he’s not so confident. He sets his beer bottle down.

“No, you’ve done it five times.” So, it had slipped out again. More than once. “You did just now before Sam left.”

Dean is silent, unsure of what to say. He hadn’t even realized it had come out. “I’m sorry,” he finally decides, lowering his gaze from Cas’s stare for a brief moment.

“I don’t mind it,” Cas says quietly. He’s looking somewhere to the left of Dean, his eyes occasionally flickering to Dean’s face. “I thought you were doing it on purpose, is all.”

Dean can’t seem to form a fully coherent thought. He knows he needs to say something - mention Cas’s confession, maybe. But he doesn’t have the words for that yet. Instead he says, “Do you want me to stop?”

“I want you to do it on purpose,” Cas says, looking down. Dean can see the beginnings of pink on the top of his ears. He’s overwhelmed with an ache somewhere in his chest.

Dean doesn’t know why, but he slides in close to Cas. He reaches his hand out and lifts his chin so their eyes meet. “Anything you want, baby,” he says, softly. The fluttering in his chest is more insistent now.

He hears Cas’s breath hitch. Cas closes and opens his eyes before saying. “Can I ask something?”

“Of course,” Dean says, his hand still resting on Cas’s chin.

“Will you kiss me?”

Before Dean registers what he’s doing, he nods and ducks his head in. The kiss is chaste and quick but Cas leans in and responds gently. When they break, there’s a soft smile on Cas’s face.

“Cas,” Dean says, moving his hand to Cas’s cheek. “I, uh. I need to talk to you about. About what you said. Before you… Ya know.”

“When I told you I loved you?” Cas supplies, his eyes half-lidded.

“Yeah,” Dean says, chuckling lightly. “I. I think I do, too. I just haven’t -”

“You don’t have to say anything, Dean. You know that.”

Dean brings his mouth gently back to Cas’s and kisses him again. This time just a little longer, his other hand finding Cas’s waist.

“It was just so easy when you got back,” Dean says when he pulls away. He tries to find any string of words that expresses how he feels. “I didn’t think I needed to say anything but…”

Cas stares at Dean, encouraging him to keep going. Dean can feel his face heating up.

“Lynn asked how long we’d been together,” he says, lamely. “The bartender,” he adds.

“I didn’t get to meet her but I remember her name.”

Dean smiles at him and takes a breath before speaking. “And I told her we hadn’t talked about it. And she looked really sad. I realized I do need to say something.”

They’re silent for a moment and then Dean says. “Holy shit. That was a date.”

Cas looks confused. “You told me it was a date.”

“I did?”

“Yes. When I said yes to going with you, you said ‘it’s a date.’” Cas says.

Dean shakes his head. “It’s… It’s an expression, Cas,” he says. Then, “But, uh, that was a date. I think.”

“Dean. Did you want it to be a date?” Cas asks. His voice is lined with both patience and amusement.

Dean pauses for a minute before saying, “Yeah. That was our first date.” He leans in and presses another kiss to Cas’s mouth.

Cas kisses back and then pulls away a little. “Would you like to go on a second date?”

Dean makes a show of thinking. He hums lightly.

“Dean.”

“Yeah, Cas. I do,” he places a kiss on the side of Cas’s mouth before he drops his hand. “I, uh, I don’t really know what to say but… You can have me, if you want. You’re just going to have to work with me. I don’t really know what I’m doing here.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Cas says.

Dean places a kiss on Cas’s cheek before he turns back to the TV and starts the movie. Cas reaches across to grab his hand, intertwining their fingers in the space between them.

“Hey, baby?”

Cas’s head pops up in response to the pet name, there’s a faint smile on his lips. “Yes, Dean?”

“I love you.”

Cas beams at him before replying, “I love you, too.”

Dean turns his head back toward the TV but spends a better part of the rest of the movie sneaking glances at Cas. He indulges the warm feeling in his chest, even if he doesn’t quite have the words for everything yet.

[smkkbert]

Do you remember (4/13)

Eight years after Oliver and Felicity became teenage parents, they have everything they could have ever hoped for and more. They have a good life in a nice house. Their marriage is happy, and a second baby is on its way. The calm they have settled in is interrupted abruptly when a stalker starts terrorizing Felicity.

Previous installments in this series:  - The best mistake - In my daughter’s eyes - To make you feel my love

Rating: Teen

Previous chapters: 1 2 3 or read everything on Ao3

Author’s note: This fic is different than any other I have written. There are a lot of ups and downs. It’s not as even in pacing as you might be used to from my stories. Chapters will hopefully be posted every Sunday. Enjoy the ride!

Sliding back and forth on her chair, Felicity tried to find the right position to sit comfortably. Unfortunately, her baby bump made it almost impossible to stand, sit or lie comfortably. The weight of the bump seemed to pull at her front, causing a slightly dragging pain. The strain it meant for her back left a dull ache there.

Felicity loved being pregnant. She loved being so close to her baby and having this connection that only she could have to the baby. She enjoyed feeling his movements inside of her, whether he kicked or just had a hiccup. As long as the baby was inside of her, he was well-protected. Nothing could happen to him, and there was just something soothing about the thought. That Oliver spoilt her even more than he already did when she wasn’t pregnant was just the icing on the cake.

As much as Felicity loved being pregnant, she couldn’t wait for her baby to be born. Aside from the fact that she couldn’t wait to meet this tiny human-being after all these months, her body could also use the relief. Her back would probably be grateful, and her bladder could need a pause from being used as a trampoline too.

She really couldn’t remember that being pregnant had been this exhausting when she had been pregnant with Mae. The emotional struggle she had gone through at that time had probably covered the physical struggle though.

With a sigh, Felicity leaned back in her chair. It wasn’t exactly comfortable as the baby’s weight was now pressing down on her spine, but at least it was a different feeling now. She let the feeling sink in for a moment, stroking her hand over her bump, before she took the file from the desk and resumed reading.

She had just managed to skim the first three lines of the paragraph when her cellphone rang. Without even looking up from the text, she reached out her hand and grabbed the phone. Rereading the last lines once more, she took the call.

“Hello?”

There was a beat of silence that Felicity barely noticed. Only when a long noise sounded, she stopped reading and frowned.

“Hello?”

The noise continued. Felicity’s frown deepened as she tried to figure out what it was. She shot a brief look at the caller ID, thinking that maybe her mother was calling and the connection from Europe was just bad. The words that showed on the display of her phone made her suck in a deep breath though. Unknown Number.

Five days had passed since Saturday. Everything had been quiet since. She hadn’t received any more texts or any gifts. She had even been able to shake the feeling of being watched. She had thought that whatever had happened last week was over. Technically, those two little words on her display didn’t prove anything either, but Felicity just had a bad feeling about this given what had happened last weekend.

“Who is there?”

Felicity tightened her hand on the phone, listening closely. She tried to hear anything that could help her figuring out who this caller was or where he called from. There were no sounds of a train passing by or a special chime that could only be hurt in one district of the city like it happened so often in the movies. There was nothing but the noise that she soon noticed was heavy breathing.

Unable to take it any longer, Felicity hung up. She took in a deep breath, trying to shake the bad feeling. Without any hesitation, she turned to her phone and switched on the intercom to talk to her assistant.

“Gerry, please send Adrian in.”

Her assistant shot her a look through the large glass walls before he gestured for Adrian, who was standing at the other side of the office anteroom. With large steps he walked towards Felicity door. He knocked briefly before he stepped in.

“Everything alright?”

“I just got a phone call,” Felicity said and waved with her cellphone. “It was an unknown number. Nobody talked. There was just breathing.”

She threw her cellphone towards him without warning, but Adrian caught it one-handedly without much effort.

“I will try tracking this caller, but I cannot promise anything. If it’s the same person that sent you the texts, the flowers and the gift, he won’t get caught easily.”

“I know,” Felicity said, nodding her head. “Just try to find out anything please.”

Adrian nodded his head. “Of course.”

He looked at her for a moment longer before he nodded once more. He tightened his hold on Felicity’s phone, straightened his shoulders and turned around. He reached the door with two steps.

“Adrian?”

Adrian turned around to Felicity with perked up eyebrows. “Yes?”

“Do you think I am overreacting?” she asked honestly, her voice sounding small. “I mean nothing threatening happened, right? There were just texts, flowers, a gift and now one strange call. It’s nothing. I am just freaking out. That’s it. Right?”

For a long moment, Adrian just looked at her. He was scrutinizing her face thoroughly, thinking about how he should answer. Releasing a long breath, he sat down at the chair on the other side of her desk then. He looked at her insistently.

“One of the worst problems with stalking is that it is not taken seriously soon enough,” Adrian told her. “It’s not just about the victims but also family and friends as well as police. Everyone says it’s just letters or just phone calls or just whatever. Of course they are right. It is just that at the start, but that doesn’t mean it will stay like that. Stalkers are unpredictable, and every stalker is different. Wait and see it good tactic at the start, but if it doesn’t stop, you have to go on to the offensive. You feel unsafe, so we have something to do about this.”

Felicity took in a deep breath, feeling a little bit of relief. At least that meant she wasn’t completely crazy.

“What do you suggest we do now?” Felicity asked. “I mean our attempts at finding out who this is didn’t lead us anywhere so far.”

“Experts advise to four steps in handling stalkers,” Adrian explained. “The first step is setting boundaries. It’s easy when you know the stalker, but it will work this way too. You reject gifts. You reject calls. You do not answer to texts.”

Felicity nodded her head. “Understood.”

“The second step is telling people close to you about this, but you have already done this. The third step is to give one last warning and finally call in the police. Since you have personal security through me, that’s a lot of warning and actually close to calling in police already.”

Felicity narrowed her eyes slightly. “You know a lot about stalking.”

“I did a lot of reading about it after Saturday,” Adrian replied with a half-hearted chuckle. “Like you said, it’s a job with a lot of responsibilities, and I am taking my job seriously.”

“Good to know.”

“Really, Felicity,” he said with soft voice, “if there is anything I can do to make you feel better, just tell me.”

“Thank you, Adrian. I really appreciate that.”

Adrian smiled at her briefly before he got up and walked to the door. He had just reached it yet again when her phone rang once more. Felicity tensed immediately, and she felt her heart jumping up into her throat.

“It’s your mom,” Adrian said. “Sorry for looking.”

Felicity smiled quickly. “It’s fine.”

She reached out her hand and Adrian walked back to her desk to hand her the phone. He gestured towards the door with a questioning look like he wanted to ask if he should leave her alone. Felicity just shook her head and gestured for him to sit back down. The phone calls with her mother usually weren’t that private that nobody could be around.

“Hi, Mom.”

“Felicity!” The excitement in her mother’s voice was unmistakable. “Finally, I get a hold on you.”

“Have you tried to call me already?”

“Yes, a few times, but you were always busy,” Donna replied. “How are you? How are my grandchildren?”

“I am fine,” Felicity replied, “though I am impatiently waiting for your youngest grandchild to lay in my arms rather than on my bladder.”

Adrian tried to hide his amusement, but he couldn’t bite back a snort. When Felicity looked at him, he quickly cleared his throat and pretended to be really busy looking at his shoes. He hid his lips behind his hand though.

“You will make it through this. It’s just a few more weeks,” Donna told her gently. “I guess Mae is excited too?”

“Very excited, yes.” Felicity smiled. “She’s going to be the best big sister a baby could wish for. I already know that.”

“Of course she is. She had strong role models for good siblings.”

“That’s true.”

Felicity smiled to herself. Oliver was a great big brother. His relationship with Thea had had its ups and downs, especially since the gap in age. They had always been close, no matter what though.

Felicity had two wonderful big sisters too. Sara and Laurel had really made her feel like she was one of them and like they had always been sisters. She hadn’t been the stepsister. She had been their sister without any reservations. It was why she had confided in them when she had needed someone to lean on during the pregnancy with Mae.

“How’s Europe?” Felicity asked eventually.

“It’s a dream come true,” Donna replied. “I cannot believe it’s only going to be a few more weeks. This tour around the world has been an unbelievable experience.”

“I can imagine,” Felicity replied. “What other destinations are on your schedule for the rest of your tour?”

“We are currently on our way to Munich. After that, we still have Amsterdam, Paris, Madrid and some Portuguese island to go. I forgot the name.”

“Sounds like you still have a lot on your plate.”

“We do, but it’s great,” Donna replied. “I am sure you have a lot on your plate too. With the baby on the way and your last days at Queen Consolidated, you are probably busy. I hope my handsome son-in-law and Moira are taking good care of you.”

“Very good care, yes. I am quite busy though.” Felicity nodded her head even though her mother couldn’t see it. “There is always a bunch of work waiting for me at my desk. It doesn’t slow down just because I am having a baby. Buying all the baby equipment and making sure everything is ready for the baby’s birth – it’s a lot of work too, but it’s a good kind of work. I couldn’t be happier.”

“That’s great to hear.”

Felicity could hear the smile in her mother’s voice and tried not to feel too guilty about lying to her. The only reason she wasn’t telling her the truth which was that she hadn’t really bought much baby equipment yet because she had been too busy at QC and with this newest problem. She knew she needed to make time for that soon though if she didn’t want her baby to come home to an unfurnished nursery and sleep on the floor with nothing but a blanket wrapped around his tiny body.

“Mom, I gotta hang up now,” Felicity said quickly. “Have a nice time and just remember to send Mae as many postcards as you can, okay?”

“Oh, we surely do.” Donna chuckled. “Bye, Felicity.”

“Bye, Mom.”

Felicity hung up with a sigh and held the phone out for Adrian to take it. He did, looking at her with a hesitating expression on his face.

“You really don’t want to tell your mother about this?” he asked. “Because if I had a child, I would want to know about this.”

Felicity shook her head. “No. My mother would just end her world cruise early and come back to Starling to drive me crazy. I love my mom, but she and I do not necessary deal with things the same way.”

Adrian nodded. He didn’t look necessarily convinced, but he didn’t argue with her either. Still, Felicity felt the need to say something more.

“My mom has always dreamed of seeing the world, and this is the first time she got further then Illinois,” Felicity explained. “I don’t want to ruin this for her. This stalker is probably just going to get bored and leave anyway.

Again, Adrian nodded. He still didn’t seem convinced, but he just shot her a smile and walked towards the door.

She could hear her phone ringing from the anteroom once more. Adrian shot a look at the display. This time, he didn’t come back to hand her the phone though. He just tightened his grip and frowned seriously. Felicity didn’t need him to say anything to understand what this meant.

Whatever was happening here, it still wasn’t over.

* * *

A long breath escaped Oliver’s breath when he realized that he had woken up. Frowning, he turned his head to shoot a look at his alarm. According to the LED display board, it wasn’t even three in the morning, so it was definitely to early to even lie awake in bed until his alarm would go off like he did so often.

With another sigh, Oliver turned onto his side. He reached his arms out for Felicity, so he could wrap his arms around her and snuggle up to her back. He always slept best when there was little to no distance between him and her. When his hands found her body, touching her shoulders, he frowned though. All tiredness was like washed away immediately.

“Felicity?”

A little whimper escaped Felicity, and she only trembled more. Sliding to her as close as possible, Oliver wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his chest. He could feel her rapid heartbeat and her erratic breathing. The back of her top was damp from sweat, and the skin of her arms was cold. Despite the tight hold she had on him, she was still restless, moving and trembling in his arms.

“It’s okay,” Oliver whispered soothingly. “It’s okay, Felicity. I am here. You are not alone. I am here. You are alright. Everything’s alright.”

Despite his soft whispers, Felicity didn’t calm down. Her heart was beating as quickly as it had before already. Her breathing was only getting more erratic. She was hyperventilating to a point that Oliver felt she would pass out if she was awake.

“Felicity, you gotta calm down,” Oliver whispered and stroked his hand over her baby bump. “You are home. It’s alright.”

There was still no reaction though. He didn’t seem to get through to her at all. She seemed to be too much caught in her nightmare.

Oliver felt his heart breaking for Felicity. He knew from own experience how much nightmares could make you suffer and how physically and emotionally exhausted they could leave you when you woke up.

After the Gambit had gone down and his father had shot himself in front of his eyes, telling him to go back to his family and take care of his girls, Oliver had been haunted by nightmares for years. He had relived the moment his father had shot himself and moments on the island, thinking he would die and never see Felicity or Mae, again and again every night. Sometimes, he had dreamed that he died and saw Felicity and Mae breaking apart at the news. Other times, he had dreamed about coming back from the island and being long forgotten. Neither Felicity nor Mae had remembered him. Looking back, he couldn’t say which nightmare had been worse for him to process.

Only therapy had helped him to make the nightmares occur less often though there were still nights that he woke up without knowing where he was. Usually, it was having Felicity right at his side, holding him in her arms and reminding him that he was home that helped him push past the aftermath quickly.

When Felicity’s whimpers grew louder and her trembles turned into spasms, Oliver pressed his lips to the soft spot right under her ear.

“Felicity, you have to wake up now,” he whispered a little more loudly than he had spoken before. “Wake up please.”

With a gasp for breath, Felicity opened her eyes. Even in the darkness of their bedroom, he could see how she was looking around quickly, trying to find out where she was. Still disorientated, Felicity moved her hand to her bump like she wanted to check if the baby was okay. Her fingers found Oliver’s hand that was already resting over her top, and that was the moment she finally relaxed a little.

“Oliver.”

He kissed the soft spot under her ear once more, tightening his hold on Felicity. His hand stroked up and down her baby bump slowly, offering some comfort.

“Yes, it’s me,” he whispered unnecessarily as Felicity was already relaxing against him. “I am here. You’re safe.”

“What happened?” Felicity asked, still being out of breath. “What- I don’t- I’m so cold.”

Oliver pulled the blanket up her body until it reached right under her chin. He put his hand to her arm and rubbed up and down, trying to spend some more warmth.

“Do you want some tea?” he asked her. “Or maybe some soup or just a heating pad. I could-“

“No.” Felicity shook her head firmly. “No.”

There was a long moment of silence. Oliver didn’t say a word. He just continued trying to warm her and give her a little comfort in this situation. He knew that all he could really do was being there for her and wait for her to tell her what she needed.

Felicity took a few deep breaths. Oliver could feel her breathing and her heartbeat slowing down. The tensions in her muscles disappeared completely, and her body melted back against his to a point that it felt like they were just one. Felicity moved her hand to his on her upper arm, lacing her fingers through his. She pulled his hand to her lips, kissed the palm of her hand and squeezed his fingers.

Even without hearing her say a single word about her nightmare, Oliver knew what it had been about. These last days had been a terrible up and down. After there had been a few days that nothing happened and those unwanted gifts had stopped, Felicity had started to receive phone calls. Whoever called her, never said a word. He just breathed heavily. The number of phone calls had increased quickly.

Oliver couldn’t say that he wasn’t unsettled by these developments. He tried not to show it too much because he didn’t want to frighten Felicity anymore than she already was frightened. He tried to be strong for her and for Mae, so they could lean on them. It was his job to do so. Internally, he was going crazy though.

As recently as this morning, Adrian had told Oliver that the way those phone calls he escalated quickly wasn’t a good sign. Within less than a week, whoever was doing this had gone from sending texts to seeking more direct contact through phone calls. If he really meant it seriously, he would soon try to meet her.

“It was just a nightmare.”

“Yeah,” Oliver whispered back. He nuzzled the nape of Felicity’s neck and kissed her shoulder. “I am here. You are safe. It’s-“

“I know,” Felicity interrupted him. “Let’s just go back to sleep. I am fine and-“

“No, you are not fine,” Oliver whispered, “and you don’t have to pretend to be fine for me.”

Oliver considered Felicity to be much stronger than he was. She was better at showing what she really felt instead of hiding it like he did. She confronted her pain because she had the strength to do so. If she tried to cover her emotions, she did so because she thought he needed it. He knew that.

“It’s okay to be scared. I am scared too.”

At that, Felicity turned around in his arms. She put her hands to his cheeks and let her fingers explore his mimics. Unlike Oliver, she couldn’t see well in the dark.

“Are you?”

“Of course I am,” Oliver whispered, tightening his hold on her. “I am scared that someone is trying to hurt you and, with that, our entire family. If there is something that scares me more than anything, it is that someone could hurt Mae, you or our baby.”

“Maybe it’s just nothing.”

Felicity’s voice was small, and Oliver could hear how close to crying she was. In the darkness, he couldn’t see any tears, but he was sure they were already welling in her eyes.

“Do you believe that?”

There was a beat of silence after Oliver’s question before a heart-wrenching throb fell from Felicity’s lips. She moved impossibly close to him, resting her head under his chin and letting him hold her. Oliver did so gladly, protecting her with his strong arms wrapped around her and rubbing his hands over her back that he knew was aching from the weight of her bump lately.

They had tried to tell themselves that it was nothing at the start, but there was no denying that something was going wrong here now. Even if there had just been texts, the moment Felicity had started to feel unsafe, they should have taken further measures. It wasn’t okay for Felicity to be scared. Even if this was just a joke, and Oliver got the feeling that it wasn’t, it just really wasn’t okay.

“I will have to get a new phone number,” Felicity said with a sob eventually. “I get these phone calls every ten minutes now.”

“I know,” Oliver whispered, kissing Felicity’s forehead. “I will take care of a new number for you first thing tomorrow.”

Felicity nodded, sucking in a deep breath. Her fingers were clinging to his shirt, holding onto him as tightly as she could. Her nose was resting against the side of his neck, and she breathed him in regularly.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you for being here.”

Oliver smiled softly to himself. As messed up as all of this was, the little moments he shared with his family gave him the strength to stand through this and help Felicity to stand through this too. At least he hoped that he could help Felicity to stand through this a little.

“There is no place it’s rather be,” Oliver whispered. “Absolutely none.”

“Not even Aruba?”

Oliver chuckled. After they had spent their honeymoon in Aruba, they really wanted to go to Aruba now. If Felicity wasn’t pregnant, he would talk to his mother and ask for the private jet to take them to Aruba, far away from here, as soon as possible. He made a mental note to take Felicity to Aruba as soon as their yet-to-be-born family member would allow them to.

“Not Aruba. Not Bali. No other place on this earth.”

Felicity angled her head back to look at his face. Oliver guessed that her eyes were adjusted to the dark now, at least better adjusted than they had been before. She looked tired and exhausted, but there was a warmth in her eyes that only Felicity could feel with how messed up things were around them.

“I love you,” she whispered. “I love you so much.”

Oliver smiled and brushed his thumb over Felicity’s cheek. He could feel the wetness where the tears had fallen. He wiped them way, wishing the pain that had caused them could be wiped away just as easily.

“I love you too.”

They both leaned in at the same time, so their lips met halfway. Oliver could taste the salt of her tears on her lips, but it only made him want to kiss her more. He wanted to take the saltiness away like he had wiped the wetness away, so he licked over her bottom lip until Felicity opened her lips to the touch of his tongue.

A low moan escaped Felicity’s lips, and it echoed in his chest. Her leg fought itself free from the blanket that was covering her and wrapped around his hip. Propping herself up onto her elbow, Felicity turned Oliver onto his back and climbed onto his lap. Oliver was surprised in the sudden shift of atmosphere, but he held onto Felicity’s hips to pull her even closer nonetheless.

When their lips eventually parted, Felicity licked her lips. She moved against him, pressing the juncture of her legs against his lap.

“Make love to me.”

Her whisper filled the room. Though it was a request, it sounded like a promise. Oliver didn’t need to be asked twice. His fingers already snuck beneath the hem of Felicity’s top, and he straightened up a little, so his lips got closer to Felicity’s. He could feel her breath ghosting over his face.

“Gladly.”

The last sound had just fallen from his lips when he closed the distance and kissed Felicity once more. He wanted her to find herself in him and find himself in her. It was what they both needed tonight.

* * *

“I have fallen into despair.”

Felicity chuckled, opening the door further for Laurel to come in. Her older step sister sighed and hugged Felicity briefly before she went past her into the house.

“I really thought all of these samples of possible decorations would make choosing the decorations a cakewalk because I thought I knew what I wanted, but now I feel like I have no idea what I want anymore,” Laurel said with a shake of her head and sighed. “Tommy is absolutely no help of course. Men usually aren’t helpful when it comes to aesthetic decisions. The only decision Tommy wanted to have a say in was which drinks and food we were offering. Everything else has been up to me, and I am really going crazy here.”

“Good thing you have a real wedding enthusiast here,” Felicity said with a smile.

Laurel turned around to her with an amused smile and perked up an eyebrow. “You mean Mae?”

“Who else would I mean?”

They both chuckled. As much as Felicity loved weddings or had at least learned to love them, nobody came close to loving them as much as Mae did. Felicity wouldn’t be surprised if her daughter decided to plan weddings for a living someday far into the future. She would certainly do so with all of her heart.

“Where is Mae?”

“Coming!”

There was a rumbling upstairs before Mae came into sight. She ran down the stairs, jumping down the last two steps. She didn’t manage to stop soon enough and almost knocked Laurel off her feet when she threw herself at her, wrapping her arms around her aunt’s middle and hugging her tightly.

“Hi, Munchkin,” Laurel said, hugging her back with a chuckle. “Thank you for offering your help with the wedding decorations because I really cannot do this alone.”

“Don’t worry,” Mae replied. “You’ve got me now.”

Laurel smiled at her and pulled a thick collection folder from her purse. “That’s good because I really need your help with all of these possible wedding decorations.”

“I’ve got this,” Mae said and took the folder from Laurel. She had to hold it to her chest tightly and arch her back to keep it from dropping to the floor. “This will be much more fun than helping Uncle Tommy to pick a suit.”

“Girls’ days are always more fun,” Laurel agreed. “You did right to choose your mom and me over your dad and Uncle Tommy.”

Mae already walked ahead to the living room, and Felicity was about to follow her, but Laurel held her back. She grabbed her hand and waited until Mae had disappeared in the living room where she couldn’t hear them before she looked at Felicity.

“I am very sorry I asked you for help in this.”

Felicity frowned. “Why? I told you I would help you with the wedding preparations.”

“Yeah, but that was before all of this stalking happened,” Laurel replied. “It was why I wanted to delay the wedding planning until Donna was back to help me. That way I would have gotten the help I needed, and I could have helped you getting a little rest from your mom. I know you need it sometimes. When Ollie came over last week, he said it might be a good idea to ask you to help me though. I wasn’t sure but-“

“If Oliver thinks it’s a good idea, you can actually be sure that it probably is.” Felicity smiled warmly. “Oliver knows me better than anybody else. If he thinks it’s worth a try to distract me, it is. Besides, you went with me to a birthing class when were still in high school, so I might owe you one.”

“You don’t owe me anything, and even if you did,” Laurel said, scrunching up her nose slightly and shaking her head. “If this is getting too much for you at any time, you just tell me and I will pack in my stuff and give you the rest you need.”

Felicity took in a deep breath, nodding her head. She couldn’t deny that she would have probably told Laurel to please ask someone else to help her with the wedding planning. Since Oliver had explicitly told Laurel that he thought it was a good idea if Felicity helped, she was giving this idea a shot though. Oliver knew her quite well, so this might actually help to distract her a little bit.

“Is there anything new about the stalker yet?” Laurel asked. “The last Ollie told us was that you got a new phone number and that Moira increased your security.”

“Adrian Chase and his team are watching the house 24/7 now,” Felicity replied with a sigh, nodding her head, “in case that guy should show up here.”

“Were there any more calls?”

“Not since I changed my phone number.” Felicity massaged the back of her neck uncomfortably for a moment. “The truth is that I wouldn’t even know if something happened though. Adrian is checking my post and my emails in case the guy tries to contact me through that.”

When Adrian had suggested this, Felicity hadn’t been sure at the start. She knew that Adrian was trustworthy. If you worked in the security branch, especially for a family like the Queens, you had to be trustworthy. If there was any doubt about that, Moira’s thorough checkups of anyone she hired would have brought those doubts to the surface. Still, letting someone go through every piece of her life had seemed a lot.

Since the only other option had been a gasp for breath and a racing heart whenever she received an email or whatever, letting Adrian go through it first had seemed to be the better idea.

“And you still don’t know who it is?”

Felicity shook her head. “I have tried to think of anyone who could do that, but I really have no idea. I can’t imagine that I even know a person who would do that.”

“And Moira’s security didn’t find out anything either?”

“No.” Felicity sighed. “All possible leads led nowhere at the end.”

Laurel tugged some strands of Felicity’s hair out of her face and behind her ear. She smiled comfortingly, squeezing her fingers once more.

“I have no idea what you are going through,” she said, “but I am here for you whatever you need.”

Felicity took in a deep breath, trying to hold back the tears she already felt welling in her eyes. She couldn’t count how many times she had burst into tears or at least been close to doing so in the last few weeks. She felt like she was constantly on edge, always scared that something would happen.

“Thank you,” Felicity whispered. “Since there is nothing we can do to end this right now, I guess distraction is the best we can do instead. Otherwise, I will just sit here and wonder why all of this is happening.”

It wasn’t fair this was happening to them. After everything she and Oliver had already been through, they should be able to enjoy the last time before their second baby was born. They shouldn’t have to deal with something like this.

Felicity had tried to figure out what she had done to deserve this. She didn’t necessarily believe in karma, but she did believe that good people deserve good things happening to them. She was far from perfect, but she did consider herself a good person. Still, it seemed like the most terrible things kept happening to Oliver and her.

Life just wasn’t fair.

“You don’t blame yourself for this, do you?” Laurel asked with a frown. “Because this is not your fault.”

Felicity released a breath. “Then whose fault is it?”

“It’s the fault of that guy,” Laurel said firmly. “He’s crazy. He doesn’t understand the boundaries every other person understands. No matter what you said or do, there is no excuse in the world for anyone to act like this and make you feel like this. Even if those gifts and those texts and whatever were all meant well, it is not okay.”

Felicity sucked in another deep breath, nodding her head. She knew in the back of her mind that Laurel was right. There was nobody to blame but whoever was doing this. It was just easier to blame herself rather than a faceless and nameless person.

“If there is one thing you want to blame yourself for,” Laurel said with an almost amused smile, “it should be being so gorgeous that even a possible stranger just fell in love with you and can’t imagine spending your life without you now, and that’s hardly something that deserves blame, right”

Despite the tears in her eyes, she couldn’t help but chuckle about Laurel’s words. She nodded, wordlessly agreeing that Laurel was right. She wasn’t to blame, and she shouldn’t blame herself.

After a moment of silence, Laurel pulled Felicity into her arms for a gentle hug. Felicity leaned against her older step sister, taking some deep breaths until she felt more relaxed. Only then she pulled back and nodded her head.

“It’s probably just a crazy person,” Felicity whispered. “A really crazy person.”

There was a small part of her that noticed that there was little to no comfort in the fact that the person who was stalking her was crazy. Crazy people were even more unpredictable than sane people were.

“Hey, are you coming?”

At Mae’s call, Felicity took in another deep breath. She wiped her fingers under her eyes to make sure there was no sign of the tears that had welled there left. Closing her eyes for a moment, she took one last breath and finally put on a smile.

Laurel and Felicity joined Mae in the living room. Apparently, while the adults had still talked about the threats the little girl didn’t know anything about yet, she had gone through the entire part of the collection folder that held samples of table decoration. She had used the coasters Felicity had put on the couch table for the homemade ice tea Oliver had prepared for them to mark the pages with her most favorite decorations.

“So what did you choose?” Laurel asked, rubbing her hands together. “I am already so excited.”

While Felicity poured them some ice tea, Mae presented the three table decorations she had picked. Interestingly, she had chosen three completely different sets. The first one had a flowery theme and was held in green and different shades of beige. The second sample looked very noble with crystals and pearls on a light blue background.

“This one is my absolute favorite though.”

Felicity almost burst out laughing when Mae opened the folder on her third favorite. With the pink tablecloth, the pink flowers and pink feathers, it looked like it had been designed by Barbie while she had been high on ecstasy. If the expression on Laurel’s face was any indication, she felt the same way.

“You know, Mae, I think I like the other two just a little bit better,” Laurel told Mae carefully. “Let’s take a look back at the other two, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Granny Donna would be really proud of you though,” Felicity whispered towards her daughter, winking. “She would have had the same favorite.”

Mae smiled happily and browsed back in the book, trying to find her other two favorites again. Since she had taken out the coasters when she had first showed her picks to Laurel and Felicity, she didn’t find them as easily.

Felicity was just about to ask Laurel if she had already decided on the flowers for her bouquet since that could help them deciding about the further decorations. Before she could say anything though, her cell phone rang. She shot a look at the display, thinking Oliver would call her to ask if everything was alright, but her heart stopped when she saw those two little words she had hoped never to see again.

Unknown number.

Immediately, Felicity tensed. She had changed her number only a couple of days ago, and it had seemed to be the solution for her problem as she hadn’t received any more calls. Since then, she kept her number a secret. Only a small circle of people had this number, people she knew she could trust.

Her hand was shaking slightly when she grabbed her phone and rejected the call. She didn’t even have the hope that it was someone else, so she didn’t give it a chance. Instead, she just switched off the phone. She wouldn’t give this person the chance to drive her crazy by calling her every ten minutes again.

When Felicity was finally able to look away from the phone, she saw that Laurel watched her. She turned her head, shooting Laurel a brief smile and shaking her head. There was no need to talk about this yet. They had met here to distract Felicity, so she would let herself be distracted rather than thinking too much about this.

“Okay, so I actually like the one with the green a lot,” Laurel said before Mae could notice the silence. “It’s very simple, but it’s also very beautiful.”

“I agree,” Felicity said, nodding her head. “I think it’s very much your and Tommy’s style too.”

“Yes, that is what I was thinking,” Laurel said. “Besides, since there are a lot of decisions about the wedding that are open-“

The doorbell interrupted Laurel, making her frown.

“Do you expect someone?”

“No,” Felicity replied, “but Adrian or one of his colleagues is outside, so I guess it’s okay. Just continue here. I will go and check.”

Felicity hefted herself off the couch with a low groan and massaged the small of her back. At the start of the pregnancy, she had always rolled her eyes about women who were acting like that in TV. Now, she certainly wouldn’t judge anymore.

Walking into the entry room, Felicity shot a cautious look through the small glass part of the front door. It took her a moment to recognize the man at her doorstep as one of Adrian Chase’s colleagues. As soon as she remembered him, she opened the door though.

“I am sorry, Mrs. Queen,” he said, “but this was just delivered for you.”

Felicity saved the breath she would need to tell the man in front of her that her surname was Smoak-Queen. She just took the small parcel he was holding out for her and scrutinized it. It hadn’t been opened apparently which surprised her. Adrian had insisted on opening every post she got.

“Is Mr. Chase not here?” Felicity asked, looking past the security guy in front of her to find his boss. “When I saw him this morning, he said he was going to be here all day.”

“He had to leave for a brief meeting,” the man said. “Do you want this parcel now?”

Felicity doubted that the man in front of her had much experience in the security branch, at least when it came to personal security, but she nodded her head and took the parcel.

“I will be at my position if you need anything.”

“Thank you.”

The security guy went back to his car, and Felicity stepped back into her house. She walked into the kitchen, turning the parcel between her hands. There was no information about the sender. There was just her name and address written onto it with neat letters.

There was a part of her that knew it would be between to wait for Adrian to come back and let him check the parcel instead of opening it herself. This security guy had obviously not gotten the memo that any post Felicity received wasn’t just looked at from the outside but actually be opened to make sure the content inside wasn’t dangerous or even just threatening.

She knew she wouldn’t get a second of rest until she knew what was inside though. She grabbed the scissor from the topmost drawer of the kitchen counter and opened the parcel.

The first thing Felicity saw inside was an envelope with her name on it. The letters were written just as neatly as the ones on the parcel. With trembling hand, Felicity took the envelope. She turned it between her fingers for a moment and tried to feel what was inside before she opened it and took the card outside.

We are always getting close to each other. Can you feel it?

What Felicity did feel was the threatening meaning of these words. The fear they made her feel pooled in the pit of her stomach and spread all through her chest. It would paralyze her if it didn’t cause a wave of adrenaline to rush through her veins with force.

She grabbed the album that was lying at the bottom of the parcel. The sight of the cover alone, a white background with lots of red hearts on it, made her breathing falter. Despite the voice in her head that told her that she should just hand this to Adrian without spending another minute with this new gift, she opened the album and started looking at what was inside.

Her breathing stopped completely now, and her heart was pumping so quickly that her entire body was shaking from the force. Her fingers trembled so much that she was barely able hold the album. She tightened her hold on it quickly.

The album was full of photos of her and Mae. They were getting out of the car and talking in front of Verdant. They were strolling down the street, hand in hand, to get some ice cream after school. They were standing at the window in Mae’s bedroom and looking at the stars. They were standing at Robert’s grave, hugging each other tightly and so much more.

All of these photos had been taken in the last few days since Felicity had returned from Gotham. They had been taken from right outside this house or somewhere in the Queens’ forest or even across the street from Verdant. Whoever this was, he was so much closer than Felicity had thought he would be, and he was that close to her the entire time.

The other thing there was no doubt about was that whoever did this couldn’t bare the thought that Oliver was a part of her life. He was cut from photos, or his face was burnt out when it was more in the background. It wasn’t any less threatening than the first part.

There wasn’t just a person out there who stalked her. There was a person out there who stalked Mae and her, a person who had come so close to her daughter that he had managed to take photos of them in their home. The same person seemed to have trouble seeing Oliver anywhere close to them.

When Felicity’s legs started trembling, threatening to give out right under her, she quickly put a protecting hand to her bump. The baby was moving strongly, probably feeling his mother’s restlessness. Felicity tried to take in a deep breath, but she couldn’t. Her lungs were unable to take in the air, and panic spread in her chest at the feeling.

“Felicity, I think we need your help in the living room because your whirlwind of a daughter is-“

Felicity turned around, looking at Laurel. Shock was written onto her stepsister’s face as she must make a terrible image.

Before Felicity could say anything, black dots started dancing in front of her eyes. She tried to grab a chair to sit down, but her legs were already giving out under her.

“Felicity!”

Laurel’s worried shout was the last thing Felicity heard before everything blacked out.

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