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As far as bad days go, this was definitely in Oliver Queen's top 5.
It was his father's death anniversary, 4 years since the day he drowned in a boating accident. Then someone at Queen Consolidated had downloaded a multitude of viruses from a porn site on his computer, which caused the entire QC software system to crash. The servers wouldn't be up for another two days at best. To top it all off, his goddaughter Katie, whom he was taking care of while Tommy and Laurel were out of town, came down with the flu, and he was left sitting in the pediatrician's office while he waited for his mother and his sister to arrive.
Oliver sighed, leaning forward in the cushioned chair and burying his face in his hands. He closed his eyes, trying to not let the exhaustion from the day take over him.
"Are you okay?" A small voice asked him from next to him, straight into his ear, and Oliver jumped.
The kid who spoke to him was tiny, maybe three years old, with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. He wore dark green PJs, with a small elephant stuffed toy tucked under his arm. He was staring at Oliver with big eyes, and Oliver stared back at him, eyes growing wider the more he looked at the boy.
The kid looked just like Oliver.
The little boy seemed oblivious to Oliver's reaction as he continued speaking. "If you're sick, then you've come to the wrong doctor. Mommy says Dr. Davies only looks at children, not big people like her and Grandma."
Oliver blinked foolishly at the kid, who spoke without stopping to take a breath. "My Aunt Caitlin is a doctor, but she doesn't treat humans. She's a sci-en-tist." The kid's eyes widened. "I said it! I've been trying to say big words like Mommy. Mommy's name is also really big. I learnt how to say her name when I was two." He held up two fingers proudly. “Fe-li-ci-ty!” He said, carefully pronouncing every syllable.
The kid can talk, was the first thing Oliver registered. He also needed to stop calling him 'the kid'. While he was talking, Oliver noticed small things like they had the same chin, the Queen family chin that his father and grandfather had. His nose was long, his eyebrows perfectly arching, just like Oliver's. His cheekbones were his, his face square-ish like Oliver's.
Oliver admitted that he had been a douche when he was younger. He played with girls and partied around. Dread filled him as he looked at the boy in front of him, who was still talking, something about computers and Uncle Barry. Could he have got a girl pregnant? He thought, panicking.
He cleared his throat, and the kid stopped talking. "Hello, buddy, what's your -"
"Connor Smoak!" A sharp voice interrupted him. A small woman entered the waiting room, hands on her hips as she stalked over to the kid - Connor - her face burning with anger. She had curly blonde hair pulled up in a tight ponytail at the top of her head and square glasses that accentuated her long face.
Poor Connor clambered up the chairs and hid behind Oliver, who looked startled.
"Just where do you think you are going dodging the flu shot?"
Connor looked up from behind Oliver’s shoulder, and the woman stopped short, eyes widening. She looked from Connor’s face to Oliver's, back to Connor’s. She swallowed, hard. “No,” she said, holding one finger up as if she could emphasize her point. “Nope. No. Not happening.” She turned around in distress, rubbing her hands over her face and hair, before turning around, as if hoping she did not just see a man who looked exactly like her son did.
Oliver stared at the woman – who he guessed, putting together what he learned, was Felicity Smoak – in silence, unable to comprehend just what the hell was going on. He was pretty sure he had not slept with her, or he would have remembered her. The name was unfamiliar – he was confident he hadn’t known anyone with that name. Felicity, he thought. He liked the way it sounded in his head.
Oliver cleared his throat and stood up, holding out a hand to her. “Felicity Smoak?” he asked for clarification. She nodded. “Hi, I’m Oliver Queen.”
“I know who you are,” she said nervously. “You're Mr. Queen.”
“No, Mr. Queen was my father,” he automatically corrected. A hint of flirtation was coming into his voice.
“Right, but he’s dead,” she said, and immediately cringed. “I mean, he drowned. But you didn’t. Which is why you’re here standing in front of me, listening to me babble. Which will end in 3…2…1…” She held up her fingers, counting down to stop herself from saying something out of line, well more out of line, and Oliver smiled.
Felicity Smoak was different from other women he had met before. She was… fresh. She was real. He had met her for all of 30 seconds and she had already mentioned his dead father twice, unintentionally, and yet managed to make him smile.
Felicity cleared her throat. “I’m sorry if Connor has been bothering you,” she told him, walking around him to her son, who was crouched on a chair, face buried in his hands as if that could protect him from his mother’s wrath. “He’s supposed to be getting his flu shot, but he hates needles, something I can’t really blame him for since he gets that from me, and he keeps running away from the nurse.”
She kneeled down in front of the boy and pulled his hands away from his face. She took two seconds to examine his face. Yup, definitely looks like Oliver Queen. “Come on, CoCo,” she told him gently. “Betty is waiting for you in the chamber.”
“He hasn’t been bothering me,” Oliver said, watching the exchange between mother and son. “On the contrary, he has been keeping me company here while I wait for my family.”
Felicity tilted her head in his direction, acknowledging his reply, before tugging on the boy’s arms. Connor refused to budge. “No,” he whined.
Felicity sighed. “CoCo, sweetie –”
“No!” he screamed. “I don’t like Nurse Betty! She is very mean! I don’t want to get poked by her!” He turned in the chair so he was facing the wall, his back to Felicity, and crossed his arms. Oliver imagined he was pouting too, even though he could not see his face.
“Connor,” Felicity said, exasperated.
“Um, may I?” Oliver interrupted her. Felicity looked up at him, eyebrows creased, and hesitantly nodded. She stood up and walked back, letting Oliver take her place, crouching in front of Connor.
“Hey, Connor,” he said sweetly. “I’m Oliver. Can you turn around so I can shake your hand?”
Connor tried to look at him from the corner of his eyes, but was unsuccessful. Resting his hands on the cushion around him, he swiveled 180 degrees so he was facing Oliver and offered his hand to Oliver. His small hand was swallowed up by Oliver’s large one, but both of them liked the feeling of it. “Hi,” Connor said, suddenly very shy.
“I hear you don’t like needles, or Nurse Betty,” Oliver said. “Can you tell me why?”
Connor shrugged. “Needles are pointy. I don’t like pointy things.” He shivered a little at thought of them. “And I don’t like Nurse Betty. She’s old and mean and doesn’t give me a lollipop.”
“No lollipop!” Oliver gasped. “That’s outrageous! Who do you like, then?”
Connor blushed, smiling a little. “Nurse Krissy is nice. She’s very pretty.”
“Krissy, huh?” Oliver teased him. Then he leaned in and whispered conspiringly. “Can I tell you a secret? You have to promise not to tell anyone.”
Connor nodded and held out his little finger. “Pinky promise.”
Oliver curled his own little finger around his tiny one. Leaning forward, he whispered in the kid’s ear. “I think your Mommy is scared of needles too.”
Connor’s eyes widened, like he could not imagine his mommy being scared of anything. Oliver nodded at him, reasserting his sentence. “But Mommy got her shots too. Don’t you want to be brave like Mommy and get the shots?”
Connor nodded, looking down at his lap. “But I'm scared,” he whispered.
“That’s okay, buddy,” Oliver said gently. “Mommy will be there with you.”
Connor looked like he needed some more convincing, but before Oliver could speak, the receptionist poked her head into the waiting room. “Miss Smoak? Nurse Betty wanted me to inform you that she has taken another patient in this slot, and shifted you to the next one at 5:15.”
Felicity sighed and fell down onto a chair, sagging against it. Connor did a victory fist bump move that left Oliver chuckling, and Felicity stared at the two of them. Oliver caught her gaze and stood up, walking over to her. He indicated to the chair next to her. “May I?”
Felicity glanced towards Connor, saw him busy playing with his elephant toy, and nodded. “You may.”
Oliver took the seat, and the silence between them became strained and awkward as he decided on how to broach the subject. Twiddling his thumbs, he opened his mouth twice to speak, but shut it again when no words came out. “Can we –” he started and cleared his throat. “Can we address the elephant in the room?”
Felicity swallowed hard. Clasping her hands together, she rested them on her knees. “My son looking just like you, you mean?”
“Miss Smoak,” he started, but Felicity interrupted.
“Felicity,” she corrected him. “‘Miss Smoak’ makes me look around for my mother, and trust me she is not someone you want to meet right now.” She shook her head and shivered slightly at the thought.
“Okay, Felicity,” he said, smiling despite the situation. “I’ll be honest. I am sure we did not sleep together, or I would remember if I slept with you, and-”
Felicity interrupted him. “Oh, no! No. We haven’t,” she fumbled for words as her eyes drifted to her son sitting three chairs away. “Your… train has never arrived at my… platform!”
Oliver quirked an eyebrow at her. “Train? Platform?” he asked, highly amused.
“Oh, shut up!” she said, her face burning red. “I have a three year old. You learn to get… innovative.”
“Well, innovative words aside, it doesn’t really explain the situation here.”
Felicity bit her lip, feeling slightly embarrassed. Before she could control herself, she blurted out, “Four years ago, did you donate your sperm at Argus Fertility?”
Oliver’s eyes widened as realization dawned on him. “Shi… shoot!”
Felicity smiled a little sadly at him. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
Oliver screwed his eyes shut, not believing this was really happening. “Crap. I had forgotten about it.” He turned his gaze to Connor, who was still playing with his elephant, bending and squishing the creature’s soft legs and ears to make it look an airplane. He felt a pang in his chest as he stared at the boy.
“Mr. Queen… Oliver,” Felicity called his attention back to her. “If you don’t mind me asking… You’re a billionaire. Why would you donate your… gravy?”
Oliver sighed. “That is a very complicated story. But I had some financial problems. I didn’t even donate it twice. My father died two weeks after the first time, and his life insurance helped us out. It was so long ago, I had completely forgotten about it.” He was silent for a second. “Seriously, gravy?”
Felicity blushed. “Hey, at least I didn’t call it your twinkie filling, or swimmers!”
Oliver laughed out loud at that, a full-belly laugh with his head thrown back. It attracted Connor’s attention, and he stared curiously at Oliver as he got up and climbed over to his mother’s lap. He curled up in her arms, resting his head between her shoulder and chest and let out a tiny yawn.
“Sleepy, baby?” Felicity asked him, running a hand through his sandy hair. The Queen family sandy hair, Oliver thought as he looked on. Connor nodded and nuzzled his face into her chest. “Well, too bad you’ve got to get the flu shot. Now, quit pretending.” She pushed him off her lap playfully and onto the space on the chair between her and Oliver. Connor sat up and pouted before sticking his tongue out at her.
“Huh,” Oliver said, and Felicity looked at him quizzically. “It just… I have a son.” He explained, sounding equal parts shocked and terrified.
“This may come as a shock, Mr. Queen,” Felicity said in a tight voice. “But that is what happens when you donate your… icing.”
“I get it,” Oliver said quickly. “I meant, it was such a long time ago, and seeing Connor, it just – it hits home. Not that I’m upset or anything. I would really like to get to know you both –”
“Let me stop you right there,” Felicity said, holding a finger up. “Mr. Queen, I am a successful woman who voluntarily decided to go to a… cream bank when I wanted to have a baby. I could have easily got myself a… lollipop as and when I pleased, but I went with the more expensive and less fun option where I did not even get to enjoy… parking a… car in my garage. Not that I think Connor isn’t worth it! He’s the best thing I could ever ask for, and I don’t regret going for the… breadstick-free option, and I’m probably not making any sense right now.”
As much as her rant was supposed to be serious, the effect was lost. Oliver, bless him, managed to keep up and understand what she was implying.
“Point is,” Felicity continued, “I chose the man-free option for a reason.”
Oliver opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a shriek. “What the hell!”
He turned to see his sister, who was the one to interrupt, and his mother standing at the doorway of the waiting room. Both stared wide-eyed at Oliver and Connor, and Felicity. Oliver’s eyes widened as he looked at them, and Connor panicked under their scrutinizing gaze, snuggling and burying his head into Felicity, who quickly covered Connor’s ears should more expletives escape Thea Queen’s mouth.
“Y-You…” Thea spluttered, pointing between the three of them. “That… Ollie, that’s a… that boy… he… what?”
“Oliver, honey?” Moira Queen said, her voice calm and composed, as if she was not seeing his son with a strange woman and a boy who looked like him. “Can you please explain to us what is going on over here?”
At Oliver’s panicked expression, Felicity took the lead. “It was just one night!” She blurted out, and then clamped her mouth shut, her face turning red.
The Queen matriarch raised an eyebrow at her. She looked to her son. “You did not know about this?”
Her son still looked too shocked, eyes wide and uncomprehending. “I…” he started, but no words came out of his mouth. So of course they came spewing out of Felicity’s.
“We met at a club,” she said in a rushed tone. “It just happened. I didn’t realize I was pregnant till later, and it hadn’t been the right time to tell since Mr. Queen had passed away, not that you need me to remind you of your dead husband! And I can assure you I have been a good mother and I will never regret having Connor.”
Moira stared at her impassively, but Thea’s face slowly transformed from dropped jaw to wide grin. “So I have a nephew?” She said excitedly.
Moira held up a finger to stop Thea. “I am having a hard time believing you, Miss-”
“Smoak,” Felicity supplied.
“Miss Smoak, how is it that in almost four years, you never told my son that he has a son?”
“I, uh,” Felicity racked her brain for something to say, but this was a mess she could not talk her way out of.
“Do you need money?” Moira asked. “Is that it? Maybe you realized that raising a child on your own is no easy feat, or cheap, and have come chasing after my son like the gold digger you are, hoping that he will take the kid off your hands so that you can go on with your life wearing that ridiculously short skirt-”
“Mother!” Both siblings said sharply, interrupting her. “Her skirt isn’t that short!” Oliver said, earning a look from both Felicity and Thea.
Connor looked up then, looking around at everyone. He turned towards his mother, confused. “Mommy?”
Felicity gently pushed him off her lap and seated him carefully on the chair. “Stay her, sweetie,” she told him, getting up and smoothening her skirt as she stood tall and straight in front of Moira Queen. She extended a hand to her. “Hello, Mrs. Queen.” Moira shook her hand warily. “I’m Felicity Smoak, MIT Class of ’09, graduated with double major in Computer Science and Cyber Security. I am the head of Applied Sciences at Palmer Technologies, with a large six figure monthly salary, earning, I believe, more than your own daughter. Let me assure you, Mrs. Queen,” she said sweetly, “I have no need of your son’s money.”
“You’re head of Applied Sciences?” Oliver asked in awe.
“Well, technically, I was till yesterday. After the Queen-Palmer merger, where you will now be using my firewall design, I will actually be the Vice-President of Queen Consolidated now, starting next Monday. And, I believe, be the youngest VP of your company in… ever,” She said, just a little smug. “Huh, guess that means you’re my boss now. You know, next time, Mrs. Queen,” she said to her, “you should insult someone who is not in charge of your company’s system security. Or, you know, someone in general capable of draining your entire bank account with just the press of a few buttons.”
Felicity smirked, and Moira Queen huffed and walked out without a look back. Felicity turned around to find three gaping faces staring at her. Thea and Oliver stared at her in awe and amazement, but Connor grinned at her in pride. It was the dream of every three year old to see his Mom stand up to strange ladies in the children’s hospital’s waiting room.
“Wow,” Thea said, a huge grin forming on her face. “I like you. We should totally-”
“Felicity,” Oliver said, interrupting her. “You’re remarkable.”
Felicity blushed, a shy smile on her lips. “Thank you for remarking on it.”
Oliver stared at her, eyebrows up in admiration, his lips parted slightly. Felicity looked right back at him, face pink, her eyelashes barely brushing against her glasses. If this was a Disney movie, this would have been the moment when Oliver’s eyes turned to heart shaped orbs, and the birds started singing, the squirrels and deer dancing around in joy and happiness.
Thea cleared her throat, breaking the tension around them. “I’m going to go check up on Katie, give you two some space,” she said, smirking. “It was nice to meet you, Felicity.” She glanced at Connor, but decided to wait till Felicity introduced them to talk to him.
As Thea left, Oliver walked towards Felicity. “Thank you for doing that,” he said softly. “And for not telling them about the… ice cream donation.”
Felicity grinned at that. “Look at you, learning the ‘baby around’ lingo. I would say it was my pleasure, but I don’t want to make any accidental innuendos around my son.”
“How did you know not to mention that?” he asked her.
“You panicked when you saw them,” she answered matter-of-factly. “And they wouldn’t have been as shocked as they were if they knew about you… jacking the beanstalk for money.”
Oliver tried to answer, but couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle at that. The amusement left his body then, nervousness replacing it. “Felicity, I… I’d like to… Could you…”
“You want to meet him?” she completed for him. She was looking at him with the gentlest of expressions, and he let out the breathe he did not know he was holding in a soft huff.
“Please,” he said simply.
“We don’t know for sure if he’s yours. I mean apart from the fact that you donated seeds the same time I… watered my plant, and that he looks exactly, exactly, like you, what proof do we have?”
“We’ll get a DNA test done, or I’ll ask my friend who works at Argus Fertility to look it up and tell me, but Felicity, it’s so obvious,” he begged. “And, Felicity, I can feel it! I know that he’s my son.”
Felicity didn’t answer him, but took his hand in her own, her small and soft fingers entwining with his large and hard ones. She pulled him along to where Connor was sitting watching them with a curious expression, and he let her lead him. She knelt in front of the kid while he stood back.
“CoCo, do you remember what I told you about your daddy?” she asked him gently, taking his tiny hands in hers.
“You said you did not know who he is,” he replied, knotting his fingers with her.
“Well,” Felicity said slowly, making gentle circles on his palms with her thumbs. “What if I told you that I found him?”
Connor looked up at Oliver. “Are you my daddy?” he asked hopefully.
A thrill went through Oliver as he heard Connor say the word. He sat down next to Felicity and looked to her. She nodded at him, and he turned back to Connor. “Yeah, buddy,” he said, nervous. “I am your daddy.”
Connor grinned, a big toothy smile that stretched his mouth till his ears, and launched himself at Oliver, knocking him back slightly with both the force and the suddenness of the action. Gently, hesitantly, Oliver wrapped his arms around the boy, holding him close, taking in his smell. This was his son.
“I knew it!” Connor shrieked excitedly. “I knew it when I saw you, and you look like me, and I knew it ‘cuz Aunt Caitlin said babies look like their mommies and daddies, said it was ge-nes-ti-sk.”
“Genetics,” Felicity corrected him.
“Whoa, you’re really smart for a three year old,” Oliver said, surprised.
Connor grinned proudly, happy that his father was praising him. “I’m like Mommy. She’s very smart.” He spread his arms to show just how smart his mommy was.
Oliver laughed out loud at that. “How about we…” Oliver said hesitantly, sitting back properly on the ground and folding his legs under him, letting Connor sit properly on his lap. “I mean, uh, do you both want to have dinner with me tonight?”
“Yes!” Connor jumped excitedly, before realizing he needed his mother’s permission. “Yes?” He looked pleadingly at her, his eyes wide and sparkling, those cute puppy dog eyes, and she turned to Oliver, and he was giving her the exact same puppy dog eyes and God! Felicity knew she was a goner.
“Yes,” she sighed, smiling just a little.
Connor grinned and pounced into Felicity’s arms, wrapping his arms around her neck and kissing her nose. “Yes!”
“Great!” Oliver said. “Do you like Italian? Everyone likes Italian.”
“I love pasta!” Connor said. “The green pasta! I love the green colour. It’s my fav-ou-rite.”
Oliver grinned at that. “It’s my favourite too! I’ll have my housekeeper, Raisa, prepare green pasta for you.”
They were grinning and laughing together at Connor’s excited antics when the receptionist poked her head in again. “Miss Smoak, Nurse Betty – what are you three doing on the floor? Never mind. It’s time for your appointment.”
Connor looked at Felicity in fear. “Mommy, please!”
“CoCo, honey,” Felicity sighed. “You need to do it.”
Connor’s face fell, and Oliver quickly pulled him into his arms. “Hey, buddy, how about I go with you?” He directed the question towards Felicity too, and she nodded. “I won’t let the needle hurt you.”
“Promise?” Connor asked him in a small voice. “You’ll be there?”
“Yeah, bud,” Oliver said softly. “I’m not letting you go. Not ever.”
Connor wrapped his arms around his neck and buried his face in his neck. “Okay,” he agreed, and Oliver got up, still carrying him. He held out a hand to Felicity to help her get up, and she held onto him as they walked to the chamber.
As far as bad days go, this was definitely in Oliver Queen's top 5. But as far as good days went, he thought, this was definitely the best.
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