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Part 1 of Unexpected Verse
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Olicity Secret Santa 2017
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2018-01-11
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Down For The Count

Summary:

Written for the 2017 Olicity Secret Santa. Felicity Smoak is looking forward to her tradition of ignoring the holidays and binge watching TV. Her mouth, however, seems to have other plans.

Work Text:

The warmth from the hot chocolate in her hands spread throughout her body as the crisp air bit at her nose. It was a colder-than-usual holiday in Star City this year, at least according to what her co-workers said, and she had donated most of her heavy clothing from Boston before she moved here. She tugged her scarf up higher on her neck and sipped at the hot liquid. 

"What about this one?"  

Felicity spun around at the sound of her roommate's voice. Lacey stood over among a small row of shorter Christmas trees and continued to run her fingers over one of the branches. "What about it?" 

Lacey pointed at the small tree on the right. "How does this one look?" 

"Like a Christmas tree?" 

"Felicity! You're not helping!" 

"I'm sorry!" The blonde winced at her friend's outburst and shrugged her shoulders. "I'm Jewish, I don't really do the Christmas thing except with you. I just like looking at all the lights and decorations."  

Lacey sighed and folded her arms across her chest. "Okay, let's put it this way. Which one of these living things would you like to stare at for the next week in our apartment?" 

Felicity tugged the corner of her lip into her mouth as she debated between the two trees. While it's true she didn't technically celebrate Christmas over the past few years she had enjoyed some of the traditional festivities of Christmas with Lacey since they had been in school or too broke to fly home. In return, Lacey had learned about the traditions of Hanukkah and celebrated with Felicity. She studied both trees and lightly ran her fingers through the boughs. She carefully stepped backwards and pointed to the one on the right. "That one." 

"Yay! Good choice. I'll go pay for it while you stand guard." 

"Lacey, it's a tree, not a prisoner." 

"You mock me but you haven't experienced Christmas ruined until someone steals it after you pick it out." 

"Yeah I'll just take your word on that." She took another sip of hot chocolate as she watched her roommate scurry off to the counter. She turned back towards the tree and jumped when she saw a young woman inspecting it.  

"Hey Ollie, what about this one?" 

Felicity's eyes widened and she stepped closer to the tree. "Oh, excuse me, that's actually mine. My roommate's up paying for it right now." 

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize--" 

"What'd you find, Speedy?" 

Both girls looked over to where the voice was coming from. "Oh, nevermind Ollie, this one's actually hers." 

The man looked over at Felicity and she swore she stopped breathing. She had never been the kind of girl who gawked at gorgeous men or chatted like they were eye candy but wow, it all made sense now. She swallowed as her mouth went dry at his tall, muscular build and even with it being covered by a henley and coat she wanted to grab onto his arms and never let go. The muscles fit his frame well and when her eyes finally made it to his face she had to hide her gasp at the chiseled jawline and stunning blue eyes. She had never felt this attracted to someone physically before and she suddenly felt overheated and flushed. She blinked as she tried to focus back and noticed the man step towards her with concern in his eyes, not that she had been looking at his eyes, and oh crap. He'd been talking to her and she has done nothing but stare and drool. "I'm sorry, what?"  

"I asked if you were okay, you kind of spaced out for a minute and didn't look too good all of a sudden." 

Felicity groaned inwardly and furiously nodded at both of them. "I'm fine, I promise. Sorry I get caught up in my head and then someone like you shows up and my entire thought process blanks and I mean it's not your fault that you look like that but actually it kind of is and oh my God, I'm going to stop talking in 3...2...1..." 

The short brunette burst out laughing and shook her head. "Don't worry he has that effect on everyone. Though not as strong as on you, apparently." 

"Speedy." He effectively quieted her and turned back to Felicity with an amused grin while she just desperately wished for an asteroid to hit them right there at that exact spot. "Please ignore her. We didn't mean to try and take your tree. I'm Oliver and this is Thea, my little sister." 

"Yeah not so little anymore, Ollie." 

Felicity let the brisk air ground her before her head could wander off again. "I'm Felicity. Felicity Smoak. I'm sorry about the tree. My roommate really likes that one and she gets a little protective about her trees every year." 

Oliver smiled and nodded. "It's okay, I get it. Christmas trees are important things, you have to have the right one, don't you think?" 

"Definitely." There was that damn smile again that kept making her forget that she didn't actually celebrate the holiday. The crunching of the snow behind her alerted her that Lacey must have finished.  

"It's all mine!" The small group turned toward the other woman that smiled with glee at her newfound acquisition. "Sorry but trees are important." 

Oliver grinned and looked back at Felicity. "We were just talking about that actually and how important they were." 

"Yes, very important," Felicity nodded and turned toward her roommate. "This is Lacey, my roommate. Lacey, this is Oliver and Thea. They were also looking for a Christmas tree. They almost tried to take yours." 

"Ahhhh, well, you have good taste but that one's mine. I have strict necessities when it comes to buying trees since there isn't enough room in the apartment for a big one, and they can't be messed with." 

"As much as we all agree that Christmas is important I'm sure they don't want to hear about your yearly can't-go-home plans. We should get that tree home, Lacey." 

"Wait, you're by yourselves at Christmas?" 

Both girls looked at Oliver who seemed, well, confused at the idea. "Well it's the two of us so technically not alone." 

"Why don't you join us for Christmas then? It's just us and we'd love to have you over. There's plenty of food." 

Lacey glanced at Felicity who just stared at Oliver with a smile. "That's so nice of you but--" 

"Oh we'd love to! Yes, Christmas! We'll be there." Felicity knew her roommate was staring at her but Oliver grinned from ear-to-ear so she couldn't really be bothered to care. "Thank you. We'd love to." 

"Great! That's fantastic. Uhm, let me give you my number and I'll text you the address." Felicity grabbed her phone out of her pocket and handed it to Oliver. A few taps later he handed the device back to her and if her hand lingered on his, well, it was completely accidental. "We'll see you both Monday then." 

"Looking forward to it!" Felicity grinned and waved at Thea and Oliver as they said goodbye and wandered off to find another Christmas tree. A slap on her arm jolted her back to the present. "Owwww, what the hell?" 

"What do you mean 'what the hell'?" Lacey folded her arms across her chest and glared daggers at her. "Number one, despite who he is, he's a total stranger, Felicity. Number two, you're Jewish!" 

"I know, I know," she winced before her gaze shifted to the direction where the duo had wandered off. "I'm sorry, but did you see him? My brain doesn't function well socially on a good day. His stupid face was there in all its gorgeousness and the filter from my mouth to my brain stopped working." She smiled at Lacey who had softened a little but still seemed irritated. "Don't hate me please?" 

The other girl sighed and nodded before she turned toward the tree to determine the best way to get it home. "I don't hate you, but Felicity, you're Jewish. You don't celebrate Christmas." 

"I know, but that's what Google is for right? It's only one night." 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

 

"Calm down, Speedy." 

"Oh don't you 'Speedy' me. You can't just invite people over to celebrate Christmas with us!" 

Oliver scoffed as he handed the attendant a wad of cash and dug his heavy gloves out of his jacket pocket. "Why not? Those movies you watch every year during Christmas say otherwise. Besides they were very nice and didn't have anywhere to go for Christmas." 

"Are you dense? They were staying in their apartment! That doesn’t mean they're alone." 

"Well I'm not going to apologize for inviting them over. They could have said no but they didn't so clearly they didn't seem to want to be alone so please don't make this holiday more difficult." 

Thea groaned and shook her head before she reached down toward the bottom of the tree to grab the trunk. "Fine. Of course I'll be nice to them, Ollie." She hoisted the bottom up and worked with Oliver to carry the tree to their car. "Let me ask you this though. We usually have take-out. Where the hell is all this supposed food going to come from?" 

They propped the tree against the car as Oliver reached inside to grab the long rope he had brought. "You and I will cook. I'm sure Google will tell us how." 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

 

"Does Google tell you what to do when there are no turkeys left for Christmas?" 

Oliver glared at Thea as they stood in front of an empty freezer bin. "I don't understand. How are there no more turkeys?" 

"Well, Ollie, normal people plan for Christmas. They don't decide to cook on a whim when they meet people." 

"Speedy." 

"Alright, alright, no more snark. I promise. Okay what did we have growing up? I mean there was turkey but there was also a crap ton of other stuff." 

Oliver shut his eyes and rocked back and forth on his feels as he tried to remember the good parts of the holidays growing up. " Well I remember turkey, mashed potatoes, cornbread, a green bean casserole thing, stuffing, gravy, ham, salad, I think there was pot roast too. Rice and veggies too." He smiled at the memory and chuckled. "So much food." 

Thea laughed and searched the meat area. "Yeah, I remember that part. We were always stuffed and couldn't move. Okay, so, that's a lot to work with actually. What about ham? We can do that instead of turkey. It's probably easier too." Thea nudged Oliver gently out of the way to grab the shopping cart and pushed it down the aisle towards the freezer full of hams. She studied them quickly before she grabbed one and held it towards Oliver. "I guess this one? Is there a way to pick these out?" 

Oliver stared at the ham and shrugged. "I have no idea. I think it looks fine." He watched as Thea placed the meat in the cart and turned back towards him. "Alright, Speedy, what else are we doing. Mashed potatoes?" 

"Definitely. Mashed potatoes, stuffing, cornbread. Too many carbs?" 

Oliver laughed at grabbed the cart from Thea then steered it towards the produce. "It's Christmas I think we can allow it. Just to be safe we'll make a salad though." 

"Wait do they have any food allergies? Should we have asked that?" 

Oliver stopped in the middle of the aisle and spun back towards Thea. "Oh shit. I didn't even think of that. Wait, let me text Felicity and ask her. Hopefully she'll get back to us quickly." Oliver quickly snatched his phone out of his back pocket and fired off a quick text. 

 

Hey it's Oliver. I forgot to ask, are either of you allergic to anything?  

 

He pressed send and kept his phone in his hand as they circled the store and grabbed all the components for their impromptu Christmas dinner. They rounded the corner after they stocked up on hot chocolate when his phone buzzed. He hurriedly unlocked the screen to see Felicity's name and quickly opened it.  

 

Lacey isn't it but I'm allergic to nuts. Long story on how I found that out and it wasn't very fun. Wow how can I still ramble in text? Anyway, just nuts.   

 

Oliver couldn't help the grin that spread across his face as he read the text message. Her rambling had charmed him yesterday when they met and he liked that it seemed to be a normal everyday occurrence. He was so used to people being either completely composed or totally off their rocker around him that he found it refreshing that she just spoke what her mind thought.  

"Hello? Earth to Ollie?" 

Oliver snapped up at the hand waving in front of his face. "Huh? Sorry." 

"Oh God help us tomorrow. You have that look." 

He scoffed and moved the cart forward again as he skimmed the checkout lanes for a short line. "I have no look on my face of any sort." 

"Oh but you do. You have that love sick puppy dog look on your face." 

"Thea--" 

"Hey I'm just saying. You'd have to be blind not to see the sparks between you and Felicity yesterday even if it was for a few minutes. You deserve to find someone amazing. Just be careful okay? After last time--" 

"Thea I'm not talking about this right now. It's two people who were alone for the holidays and seemed nice. End of story." 

"Okay. If you say so. Just remember who called it when you guys get married eventually." 

Oliver rolled his eyes and heaved the gallon of milk up onto the counter before he turned back. "So how's Roy? Still playing the tough kid?" Thea grumbled and quieted down after that and though he appreciated his sister's concerns there were some things that didn't want to drag to the surface. They were better off left buried. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

The odd-colored sky began to set outside the passenger window as the car bounced gently down the road. Felicity stared out as the colors changed minute by minute and she couldn't help but wonder if this was a good idea. The brisk air floated through the city as they drove and everyone outside was bundled up just a little more than usual. It almost made her wish that she was back home in her apartment, wrapped in a large fluffy blanket, sat in front of her heater with a hot cup of tea. She got them into this, however, and she certainly refused to back out now. 

Felicity had always prided herself on not being that girl that got swept up in charm and attractiveness whenever a particularly good-looking guy crossed her path. Growing up in Vegas she had become virtually immune to that problem. Except it had failed her this time when Oliver appeared. Something about him caused her carefully curated filters to go on strike and leave the babbling, flushing Felicity in its place. She would never know what on earth possessed her to accept his invitation or why, for that matter, the other three let her. No, actually, that was a lie; she knew what made her accept it. It was piercing blue eyes and a smile that lit up the whole city and her entire brain had blanked along with every reason of why she should have said no.  

The car hit a small pothole and she was quickly jolted out of her thoughts. She reached toward the dash and turned the knob on the heater up a notch and settled back in the seat. 

"How come you're so nervous?" 

The blonde whipped towards her roommate who drove them through the holiday traffic. "What do you mean? I'm not nervous." 

Lacey chuckled and shook her head. "Really? Not only have you been super quiet since we left but you've been spinning your ring around your finger." 

Felicity glanced down at her hands and exhaled and shifted to face her friend. "I'm trying not to be but this might be the worst idea I've ever had." 

"No definitely not the worst. Nothing beats that app you created that..." 

"Oh God, just let that stay dead and buried. I see your point but what the hell was I thinking? He could be a murderer or a total asshat or a thousand other things and then we'll be either stuck there or carried out in tarps." 

"Relax," Lacey insisted as she merged over to the far turning lane. "He's not a murderer or serial killer. He might be an asshat but that also might be his old self or just rumors." 

Felicity blinked as she let that statement sink in. "Wait. What you mean old self? Do you know him?" 

"Oh my god are you kidding right now? Everyone knows Oliver Queen." 

"Oliver who?" 

"Oh for the love of everything read a damn tabloid every once in a while. Do you really think I'd let either of us go to a complete stranger's home on a holiday? I'm not about to end up as inspiration for an episode of Criminal Minds."  

Felicity stared at her friend unsure of how she felt by this development. "Okay, so who is he?" 

Lacey slowly pulled the car over on a somewhat quiet street and placed the car in park before she slid the key out of the ignition. "Why don't you go see for yourself?" 

Felicity stared out the window and upwards at a towering building with various holiday lights twinkling against the stucco and glass. "Wow. Okay I think I've changed my mind. Let's go home. This was a really bad idea." 

Lacey rolled her eyes and popped the trunk as she climbed out of the car. "Let's go or I will physically drag you. I could be at home in my pajamas with an entire bottle of wine and Chinese food right now. Instead I'm here so come get this ridiculously heavy bag and get a move on." 

She quickly unbuckled her seatbelt and scurried, not very gracefully, towards Lacey to grab the gift bag she had brought. The car locked and beeped behind them as their heels clicked on the pavement on their way up the path. They entered the small but elegant lobby and were immediately greeted by the doorman. Felicity's eyes widened and she was thankful that Lacey took over. Going to school at MIT meant being around and working around an elevated status that she hasn't been around in Las Vegas. However it felt different tonight and, based on previous evidence and experience, she blamed Oliver for being knocked off her game. 

 Lacey tugged her arm as they quickly followed the doorman to an elevator that he held the door for. He bid them goodnight and reached in to press '17' before he backed away and allowed the doors to close gently. Felicity tapped her foot against the smooth tile as the elevator made its way up to the seventeenth floor. The doors glided open and the girls made their way quietly through the silent hallway to the door. Felicity took a deep breath and rang the doorbell before she could back out as she fiddled with the tag that hung off the bag.  

"Stop fidgeting and breathe. What did you end up getting them?" 

"Oh," she glanced down at the bag as she heard movement from the other side of the wall. "A fruitcake." 

Lacey's smile dropped from her face as she stared in disbelief. "Are you kidding me right now?" 

"No, I Googled it and it said that fruitcake was a tradition." 

The door swung open and warmth and the delicious smell of comfort food wafted through the air. Oliver stood in the doorway, one hand draped across the doorknob, in dark denim jeans and a deep green cargo button up that almost made Felicity forget who or where she was. Oh god, how was she ever supposed to make it through this dinner? 

"Hey, come on in. I'm glad you both are here." He held the door open wider and ushered the girls into the loft. Felicity started to shrug off her jacket and Oliver quickly helped her and hung it up carefully on the hooks next to the door. He helped Lacey as well and when the coats were put away Felicity offered the bag to him. "Just a little something, well traditional, for the holiday." 

Oliver's face showed his surprise as he carefully took the bag from her. "Thank you. You really didn't have to do that. We're both just happy that you could join us." 

Lacey smiled sweetly at him and Felicity elbowed her in the side when she started to talk. "Felicity didn't want to show up without something to thank you for inviting us." 

"Well like I said we're happy to have you both here." Oliver carefully set the bag on the coffee table before he reached inside and pulled out a tin. He gently pried the lid off and set it on the table before he studied the saran-wrap in the container. "Ooooh did you bake something?" 

"Yeah, it's a fruitcake." She watched as confusion spread across his face and she immediately tried to explain. "You know, it's a tradition at Christmas. I wanted to bring something that fit in with it and It seemed like something good to bring." 

"I think I can honestly say that I've never got one at Christmas. Thank you, Felicity. Really, it's so thoughtful." The amusement seemed to spread as he made his way towards the kitchen with the tin and set it down on the corner of the bar.  

"Yeah no one actually likes or eats fruitcake. This is why you clear things with me." Felicity glared at Lacey before she turned her attention back to their host. She watched as he carefully moved around the bar area and she could only pray that wine was going to follow very shortly.  

"Did either of you want something to drink? Wine? Beer? Something else?" 

"Oh god wine, wine is good, thank you." Oliver tilted his head in amusement at Felicity before she blushed and readjusted her glasses. "Sorry. I just really love wine of any kind." 

He shook his head at her and grabbed a bottle of red and glasses before he set them on the counter. He looked at Lacey who nodded in agreement and poured out four glasses before he handed them to the girls. He motioned for Thea to come over and as she took her glass he cleared his throat and raised his glass slightly. "To new friends and a different kind of holiday celebration." 

"Different, indeed," Felicity mumbled before they all raised their glasses in agreement. She let the rich taste glide down her throat in appreciation before she smiled and took another sip. "This is excellent wine." 

"Thank you, it's one of the Chateau Lafite Rothschild '82 bottles that I have." 

Felicity tried desperately not to choke on the liquid in her mouth and was proud of herself that she only coughed twice. She knew how much that bottle of wine cost; it was on a list of things-she-wanted-but-would-never-try list. She took a baby sip and hoped she could enjoy every drop of it. 

A timer went off in the kitchen and Oliver glanced back as Thea moved around and grabbed a spoon. "Dinner is actually close to being ready, it's a little early, I hope that's alright?" Both girls nodded and Oliver motioned for them to sit or wander about before he quickly moved to help Thea with the final steps. 

Lacey moved towards the sofa where the fire crackled in the fireplace as Felicity moved towards the wall of photos along the stairway. There were many people in them that she didn't know but she spotted both Oliver and Thea right away in all of them. They hadn't changed much over the years with the exception of Oliver and his longer hair. She was glad she didn't know him then; even his smile in the pictures looked like he was a pretentious douchebag.  

She took her time with the photos before the gorgeous lights on the Christmas tree in the corner caught her attention. She moved over to the gorgeous tree that made the room smell delightful and looked at some of the ornaments on the tree. Many were store-bought, she could tell, but there were quite a few that were handmade and had names and years on them. She grinned at one that held a photo of Oliver and Thea when they were young; it had child's writing on it and she couldn't help but be charmed by it.  

"That was the year that Thea decided she needed a cat despite being allergic to them." 

Felicity startled a little at Oliver's sudden appearance but grinned up at him when she noticed the soft smile he had. "Oh that must have been a fun holiday." 

He chuckled at the memory before he turned towards her. "She was upset for awhile but lucky for us a friend of hers fell in love with it and Thea could visit anytime she wanted to. It worked out for all of us." 

"Dinner's ready! Come help yourselves." 

Oliver turned back from Thea's announcement before he held his arm out for Felicity to go first. She thanked him and they both, along with Lacey, moved towards the kitchen. Felicity padded her way over to the counter where the food was spread out and grabbed a plate. "This all looks amazing. What all did you both cook?" 

Thea grinned and moved to refill her glass of wine on the opposite side. "Well there's ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, steamed veggies, green bean casserole, cornbread, and salad too." 

Felicity plastered a smile on her face as she surveyed all the side dishes and ignored the one at the end. "This looks delicious. Thank you again for inviting us." Thea nodded and went in search of more wine as Felicity spooned more of the side dishes onto her plate. She hoped that if she piled it with everything else that no one would notice the lack of meat on her plate. She piled a ton of vegetables in all the empty cracks on her place and double checked that no one was around her to watch before she moved quickly past the ham. There were some things she just could not get over in her tradition.  

She grabbed some cornbread out of the basket and, happy with her food-hiding-ninja skills, carefully balanced the heavy plate as she quietly walked back to the table. She gently placed her plate down on the beautiful wood and suddenly found her chair being pulled out. She glanced up at Oliver in surprise before she quickly thanked him and sat down as he pushed the chair in slightly. She didn't know that there were still men in the world that did that.  

She waited patiently and somewhat nervously as everyone else piled their own plates full and slowly returned one by one. Thea placed a full bottle of wine in the center of the table before she sat down next to Felicity and the blonde silently sent prayers to the girl. Once everyone sat down and kinds words were said over the food they all dug in and immediately the table was bathed in silence for a few minutes as they all enjoyed the amazing food. They all got to know each other a little and both Felicity and Lacey delighted in hearing some of the stories from when Oliver and Thea were younger and the antics that had ensued.  

Felicity found that she enjoyed herself very much with the tiny group though she noticed that Oliver kept looking her way every once and awhile. She was sure she blushed every time that he did but she eventually tried to ignore it altogether. The longer they all sat and laughed at the table the more Felicity realized how much she liked them both but especially Oliver. She had a feeling that if she wasn't careful it could develop into more than that and she wasn't sure that would be the best idea. Then again, that would mean that Oliver would have to feel the same way; which, if she were being honest with herself, there was no way that would ever be a possibility. 

After dinner Oliver mentioned a pie for dessert and the girls immediately dug in to the cherry pie that he had baked. He was apparently famous for that dessert among his friends and family and it was the only thing he ever baked. Felicity had enjoyed the evening immensely and was glad that her brain had lost its filter that day.  

Until all the food was gone.  

Thea had put Christmas music on and while she enjoyed listening to most of it she didn't actually know any of the words to most songs. She noticed Oliver and Thea singing the words and Felicity immediately began to panic. She tried to motion to Lacey that this was going too far for her but Lacey seemed to enjoy the two and started to join in when her favorite came over the speakers. Felicity grabbed her wine glass and downed the rest of it in one gulp before she stood quickly and stalked over to Lacey. "I hate to interrupt this but we really need to get going. I have to work in the morning and I really don't want to fall asleep at my desk." 

Lacey glared at her, obviously upset that her good time had been ruined. "Wait don't you have--- oh that's right, you do have to go in." She had been ready to protest until an elbow in her side had her quickly pivot in the other direction.  

"Oh, really? It's still early but I understand. Let us at least send some of the food home with you though." Oliver moved towards Felicity and motioned for her to follow him. "I know you didn't eat a whole lot tonight so hopefully you can reheat some of it later." 

"Oh, that's really not necessary," she tried to protest as Oliver got a plate out of the pantry. "Honestly, Oliver, you two will probably need all of it." 

"Not at all, we're happy to share." Oliver began to move towards the ham cuts when Felicity's panic reached its peak.  

"No! Oliver, please." Felicity immediately clamped her hands over her mouth at her outburst as Oliver stared at her with wide eyes. "Oy vey. I'm sorry." 

"Are you okay? Did I do something wrong? I know you said you have to work tomorrow but it's still early and I thought the food was good."  

Felicity wanted to melt into the floor and disappear from the world at the look on his face. "No, Oliver, this was one of the best dinners, I promise." 

He put the plate back down on the counter and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "I'm sorry if this Christmas wasn't the best, I had a great time with you here though." 

"I'm Jewish."  

Her eyes squeezed shut and the silence grew heavy between the two. She peeked out of one eye and saw Oliver's confused expression. "Wait, what?" 

Felicity's shoulders dropped and she immediately slapped her palm to her forehead. "I'm sorry. I should have said something but you were both so nice the other day when we were getting Lacey's tree and having others around seemed like it would be fun. Which it was, I don't want you to think it wasn't, I had a great time tonight and the food was great and I'm just going to grab my coat and go now."  

Felicity turned and tried to escape to the coat rack but Oliver reached for her arm. "Wait, you don't celebrate Christmas? And you still came?"  

She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders at his confusion. "Like I said, you were both so nice and it was nice to have others for a holiday. Please don't me upset. I should really, just, go. Thank you for a lovely evening Oliver." She quickly spun on her heel and bolted towards the door where her coat was. Thea had just finished saying goodbye to Lacey, who had just walked over to Oliver to say her goodbyes, so Felicity quickly took the opportunity to say her own goodbye. She hugged Thea quickly and thanked her then bolted out of the door towards the elevator with her coat still tossed over her arm. She kept hitting the button on the elevator and hoped that it would arrive quickly so she could hide. Her prayers were, for once in her life, answered as the doors slid open and she immediately rushed into the corner. She placed her bag on the ground and hurriedly slipped her coat on just as Lacey appeared. "Don't you dare say anything okay?" 

Lacey grabbed Felicity's bag off the floor before she pressed the button for the ground floor and shook her head. "No, I won't. I think you did enough of that on your own. Come on, let's go home, grab some ice cream, and watch some Doctor Who." 

Felicity smiled in relief and hugged Lacey fiercely. "Thank you. I'm sorry." 

Lacey linked her arm with Felicity's as they walked out of the building towards the car. "Don't worry about it. I still had a great time. Besides, I have a feeling we haven't seen the last of them." 

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