I'm re-posting this story as I've found a brilliant beta who goes by Team Pancakes on AO3. She is absolutely brilliant and I'm lucky to have her as a friend. I love you, N. You're the best. 'Thank you' doesn't even cover it.

/

"Mama!" called out a tiny voice.

Felicity looked up, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear, waving the little girl over to her. "Yes, baby?" she asked, ruffling a hand through her daughter's messy blonde locks "How can I be of help to you, Miss Queen?"

Amelia Olivia Queen let out a small laugh. "I don't need help, silly," she said, making her way up and onto her mother's lap, wordlessly telling her that it wasn't time for work any more. It'd been a while since her mother had been busy with her tablet, from what Amelia had concluded, and now, it was time for a break; a break that preferably included whipping up home-made ice-cream sundaes. "I just want a hug."

Felicity obliged instantly. She placed her tablet to the side, stretched her arms forward as she enveloped her child into a tight embrace; warmth spreading into every corner of her heart as Amelia snuggled against her.

"There you go," she said, dipping down to place a kiss on the top of Amelia's head.

It felt good. To have a child that loved her so much.

Oliver would've loved this, she thought, trying to ignore the stinging behind her eyes as she thought of her deceased boyfriend. Or hated it, added a cruel voice in the back of her head. As said in the words of said deceased boyfriend's best friend, Tommy Merlyn, Felicity finding herself pregnant with Oliver Queen's daughter was the universe's way of incurring revenge on the womanizing billionaire.

Considering the number of women the Queen heir had been with, it was fitting that he was granted a , he'd been a womanizer before he met Felicity. And how could Amelia be a form of revenge to the man who never got a chance to be her father? The universe was unkind as proven by the way it snatched Oliver from his family. Ruthlessly took him away in a way that didn't even give them an opportunity to properly mourn his untimely demise. After all, they'd never found the body, had they?

/

"You changed me, didn't you, woman?" he'd said accusingly, blue eyes narrowing at her.

She'd only smirked in response. "I didn't force you to do anything," she'd replied back, watching as he raised their entwined hands to his lips.

"First, you messed with my computer, then my Aston..." he'd said in mock-admonishment, "and then captured my heart, eh, Smoak?" He couldn't believe how fucking happy he was. He grinned. He was so fucking happy because of her.

He loved her.

"Not like you were complaining, handsome." Felicity rolled her eyes.

"Who said I was?" he had said, suddenly pinning her against the wall.

"Oliver!" she exclaimed in outrage.

"You're not complaining either," he said, watching as her eyes widened.

"Yes, I am. Your parents are at home and this is completely inappropria-"

He cut her off. "Shut up," he said, smashing his lips against hers.

/

If only said billionaire could have lived to meet his baby girl. If only the Queen's Gambit hadn't crashed five years ago.

If only they'd had more time together... she could have had another chance to tell Oliver that she loved him. That she really wanted to be his wife one day. That she accepted his past and didn't want anything more than his presence in their present.

But she couldn't because he was gone.

He was dead. Lifeless. At the age of twenty three, having left a daughter behind - a little girl who reminded everyone of Oliver and took her mother's breath away in every sense of the expression.

Amelia was perfect - just like the father she had never known.

It stung to know that she wouldn't ever see him again. Every fragment of her soul screamed at her, and at him and at their fate. At how they'd become a tragedy before they ever got to even start their lives together properly.

It wasn't fair.

As much as she fiercely loved her daughter, she couldn't help but wonder what her life would've been like if she hadn't gotten pregnant.

A humourless chuckle escaped her throat as she envisioned what would have happened. She would've fallen apart.

Even with his child, she almost had, but the baby... the baby made her want to live and to breathe during her darkest hours. It was as simple and yet so complicated as that.

Losing Oliver was hard enough but learning that she was pregnant with his child had given her a reason to live. Renewed her hope. Told her to go on. To accept his friends and family's support. Reminded her to be strong and most importantly, it gave her purpose.

She remembered every single moment of her pregnancy, from the moment she found out about the baby to the moment she gave birth in the hospital, every single small moment passing fleeting through her head, reminding her that she wasn't alone and that she was going to be okay, even if it didn't feel like it.

Watching her stomach protrude had made her swell with joy at the fact that his baby was living inside her. Every round of morning sickness, every kick in the middle of the night, every tear she'd shed over him; it was all worth it knowing that she had a piece of him left with her.

Wouldn't he have been proud? Happy? Wouldn't he have worn the biggest of grins as he watched her body change to cater to the needs of their growing baby? Wouldn't he have lent her his shirts and sweatpants when her belly didn't allow her to fit into her own clothing? Wouldn't he have helped her in choosing a name? Wouldn't he have kissed her and her protruding stomach every night, reminding them that he loved them both?

A tiny tear trickled down her cheek before she could stop it.

"Mama?" Amelia asked with concern.

Felicity quickly wiped her cheek. "I'm okay," she lied.

Amelia tightened her grip around her mother. "Why are you sad?" she asked inquisitively. It had to be something big. Her mama had a habit of hiding her feelings when she was upset.

"I miss your daddy," answered Felicity softly, trying to keep her emotions in check. "I miss him so so much."

"Tis okay," mumbled Amelia, hiding her face in her mother's hair. The mere mention of her father bothered her at times because she wished she knew him. Wished he knew her. Wished he was with her and her mama. It would've been so much better. "Miss him too."

That caught Felicity's attention and made her want to scream. What kind of mother was she – having a semi- breakdown in front of her child? It wasn't right. She knew it. Hated it too.

Suddenly, Laurel Lance burst into the room, slamming the door behind her. "Felicity!" she all but shouted, hurtling over to the mother-daughter duo. "I came as soon as I heard. Oh my god, I can't believe it. Can't believe it..."

"Aunt Laurie," chirped Amelia. "Hi."

"Hi sweetheart," said Laurel, all the while squeezing Felicity's hand.

"What's going on?" asked Felicity, taken aback by Laurel's lack of composure. The brunette was always so put together and considering how she was still immaculately dressed in a dress shirt and pants, she'd come straight from the office.

Laurel's eyes widened. "You don't know," she whispered in horror.

"Know what?"

"He's alive."

Who?

Felicity's stomach tightened. What did this mean? Her heart pounded frantically within her chest as she deposited Amelia on her feet.

"They found Oliver," continued the other woman. "He's alive." Laurel looked as out of breath as Felicity suddenly felt.

Felicity stood up. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. He's dead, she thought silently, as a wave of nausea overcame her.

She was going to throw up. She was quite sure that her guts would spill across the rug she'd bought a month ago, she thought, her world going black as she collapsed to the ground a mere second later, arms going limp by her sides as her legs gave out.

"Tommy!" yelled Laurel to the man hovering near the door, while Amelia let out a shriek.

This was going to be an interesting family reunion.

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