just a little something for the holidays. enjoy ^_^

It's Christmas Day. Just like any other holidays, Felicity had no plans of doing anything except for lighting her menorah. Other than that it was anything goes. If someone invites her to go out, she'll go. The decision is far too easy to make since it's very rare that anyone invites her for anything on the holidays. So more often than not, she just stays home and watches movie specials on TV or something else that she felt like doing. Right now she is comfortably sprawled on her couch watching Elf and munching on pretzels.

Her holidays have been pretty much like this ever since her parents died in a freak car accident seven years before. Since then, she didn't have the heart to celebrate much. She only had one other relative, an old aunt who lives in a nursing home several states away. Her friends got their own thing going for the holidays. Oliver is spending Christmas with Thea and their mother, and Diggle should be basking under the sun in the Bahamas with Lyla right about this time. As for Barry, he'll be visiting his father in prison. So for today she's pretty much by herself with her TV and pretzels. She's happy for her friends though, but didn't want to think about anything else today.

For Christmas and other holidays are sure to remind her of times gone by especially with her parents. Her mother was a champion in the kitchen and could whip up the most scrumptious dishes that earned praises from family and friends, the cranberry stuffed turkey and sweet potato latkes being Felicity's favourites. And her father would sing traditional Jewish songs mashed up with Christmas songs in that deep gravelly voice of his that always made her laugh.

Felicity had to brush away the tears that suddenly gathered in her eyes. She normally didn't feel melancholic during the holidays but with all that's been going on in her life lately it would have been nice to have her parents with her, if not her friends. Even if they'd been gone for a long time she still wished they were still here.

Her musings were brought to a halt when the doorbell suddenly rang. She padded to the door and peeked through the peephole. Who she saw on the other side made her do a double take. She thought she saw Oliver standing outside her door wearing a heavy coat and bonnet powdered with snow. Felicity peeked again.

"Oliver? Is that you?" she asked tentatively.

"Yes, it's me, Felicity."

Felicity opened the door a bit. "I must be dreaming. The real Oliver prefers entering windows more than doors. You're outside my door and rang the doorbell to boot. The real Oliver's celebrating Christmas with his family today, and you are here at my apartment looking like the... abominable snowman..." she trailed off as the supposed apparition of Oliver remained intact and was smiling at her.

"Well, that's one way to greet someone good morning. Can I come in?"

Felicity opened the door wider and let Oliver in. "I really must be dreaming."

"Nah, I'm real as real can be. I come bearing gifts, Felicity Smoak." Oliver removed his coat and bonnet and hung them on the coat hook. "But you have to come with me first to get them."

"What gifts? I'm watching TV here." Felicity gestured to the TV where Buddy the elf was in a fistfight with the fake Santa Claus at Gimbel's.

"You'll see. But because I'm a patient person I'll watch the movie with you first. Afterwards we're going out. Dress warmly, it's snowing." Oliver wasted no time in making himself comfortable on the couch, leaving Felicity gaping at him. "I thought you were watching TV? Sit." He patted the space beside him.

"Bossypants," Felicity muttered, but she sat down beside him anyway.

Felicity sat in the passenger seat of Oliver's car, only half listening to his chatter about what his family did on Christmas Eve and earlier that morning. She couldn't help but feel suspicious about the whole thing especially when Oliver made her dress up and go out with him after the movie. But she had to play along because he won't take no for an answer. And for what he said next.

"Christmas should not be spent alone, Felicity," he'd said. "This is a time for bonding with your loved ones."

Ah. This is definitely not the Oliver Queen she knows. This is a different Oliver, but nevertheless it's a nice side of him that she's glad to get to know. A Hallmark-y Oliver. Her heart grew warm and fuzzy at the mention of "loved ones". This was the deciding factor in her going with him.

The drive was a short one and Felicity was surprised when she saw the Queen mansion looming before her. "This is where we're going?"

"Yup. But not quite." Oliver drove past the gates, down the long and winding driveway and past the house.

A light snow was falling when they stopped in a wooded area. Oliver got out a heavy-looking duffel bag from the trunk. He then held out a hand to Felicity, which she took. The contact even through their gloves still sent an electric shock through her. They walked in a comfortable silence which was broken when Felicity gasped in pleasant surprise.

The view stretched out before them in a magnificent display of white and green. They were in a small clearing with a frozen pond smack in the middle of it. Evergreen trees surrounded the pond and the snow that blanketed the whole place made it look even more magical and inviting. It was like the secret garden, only it's all green and frozen over. Felicity loved it.

"It's beautiful, isn't it? My parents took me here every winter when I was a kid, and then with Thea when she was old enough to learn how to skate. Those were good times." Oliver said while taking out two pairs of ice skates from the duffel. "I hope you're up for ice skating. Do you know how?"

"Not really. But I'd love to learn," Felicity answered.

"So I'll teach you. You're a size eight, right?"

Felicity nodded and Oliver handed the skates to her. The next thirty minutes found the two of them slipping and falling down on their butts more than actually gliding smoothly on the ice.

"You are definitely the clumsiest person alive, Felicity," Oliver said as they landed once more on the ice. "Come on, don't be scared of doing some real skating. I've got you." He stood up and helped Felicity to her feet. He then held her left arm in one hand and slung his right arm over her shoulder. "Okay, nice and easy now."

Felicity followed his instructions carefully, gliding with her right foot first, then the left. They did this slowly at first and when Oliver felt that Felicity was confident enough, he let go of her.

"Oliver!" Felicity squealed when she wobbled. She reached out her arms to him but Oliver only skated backward, grinning at her.

"Congratulations, Felicity! Now you really know how to skate. Let's go!" Oliver turned and streaked down the ice, with Felicity in hot pursuit. Well, as fast as she could chase him while wobbling around.

For two hours they skated, with Oliver showing Felicity some stunts and Felicity trying to imitate him, with a little bit of success. Their laughter was the sound that danced between the frosted trees. Felicity had never had so much fun in her life. Finally they flopped on the snow and just stared up at the grey sky.

"That was the most fun time I've ever had, Oliver. Thanks."

"You're welcome. But we're not done yet."

"No?"

Oliver got up. "Yup. Follow me."

"A cozy cabin in the woods. Who would have thought. It looks like a mini-me of your mansion." Felicity said as she sipped hot chocolate from the thick red mug that Oliver gave her. She and Oliver just had lunch that Oliver cooked (which was actually good, what a surprise) and they were now sitting on the floor by the fireplace.

"This has been on our property since time immemorial. I believe it was used by hunters before. Then mom had it renovated for times such as this."

Felicity felt her face flush, which is not so much from the heat generated by the fire. "Mrs. Queen is a wise woman," she said without thinking.

"Indeed." Oliver grinned at her knowingly.

If Felicity's face flushed before, there was no denying that it was on fire now. With embarrassment. "I have no answer to that. But yeah, I stand by what I said." She laughed uneasily.

They then regaled each other with family stories of holidays past in between sips of hot chocolate. Snow continued to fall outside, but the cabin remained nice and toasty thanks to the fire Oliver had built. Feeling warm and cozy, Felicity's eyes grew heavy and fluttered shut. She was still listening to what Oliver was saying however.

"And then Thea, not knowing I was in the box, screamed when the big, colourful box suddenly grew arms and legs and started to follow her around the mansion," Oliver laughed. "She didn't talk to me for three days after that. She was seven years old at the time." He turned to look at Felicity. "Felicity? You asleep?"

Felicity opened her eyes. "What a question, Oliver. Anyway, I heard you. I could just imagine seventeen year-old Oliver Queen doing such a thing to an innocent kid. Poor Thea. Makes me glad I don't have an older sibling."

"Oh, you don't? How about a younger brother or sister?"

"Nope, it's just me and my parents. My dad did play tricks on me sometimes too. One of his tricks I'll never ever forget was when he "accidentally" cut off his finger with a knife. Complete with fake blood. At that time I didn't know it was fake, and dad did a very convincing job of being in pain. I being five years old couldn't do anything about it except to run crying to my mom. It took my parents several hours to convince me that dad wasn't really hurt." Felicity smiled wistfully at the memory.

"Thanks Felicity, you just gave me an idea."

"Hah. Don't even think about it. So, did Thea get even or what?" Felicity asked as she leaned back on the couch.

"Oh yeah, did she get even. Laurel was over at the mansion a couple of days after Christmas. She and I were, um, making out in the den when I shifted on the sofa and suddenly made a huge farting sound. Laurel was so grossed out that she moved away. I insisted that I wasn't guilty of farting but she didn't believe it. Turned out that a little imp sneaked a whoopee cushion underneath the covers." Oliver sneaked a glance at Felicity, whose head had plopped on his shoulder. "Felicity?"

Felicity's eyes had closed again, and her breathing had evened out. There was a hint of a smile on the corners of her mouth. Oliver poked at her side but she only snuggled further against his shoulder and threw an arm across his chest.

Oliver just smiled and shook his head. Little Miss Smoak had actually fallen asleep on one of his stories. He grabbed the fleece throw hanging on the back of the couch and tucked the both of them underneath it. He brushed a lock of Felicity's hair behind her ear.

"I hope you liked this one, Felicity," he whispered.

Felicity made a soft snore in reply.

"I take that as a resounding yes."

"Shh! You'll wake her, Ollie!"

"It's about time. Mom's putting the finishing touches to the turkey."

"But she looks so peaceful. She must be dreaming of you." Thea playfully poked a finger at Oliver's chest. "It would be a shame to wake her up."

"No she's not, Thea." Oliver gave his sister the look and went over to Felicity. He gently shook her. "Felicity? Wake up."

Felicity squashed her face into the throw pillow her head is now resting on. "Mm, that feels nice. You've got good hands," she mumbled into the pillow.

"Hah! Felicity says you've got good hands, Ollie!" Thea crowed triumphantly. "I wonder what you guys are doing in her dream."

"Speedy! Cut it out! She didn't even say my name, or any name for that matter."

"Did I say anyone's name?"

The two Queens looked over to where Felicity was now sitting up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"No, you didn't." Oliver and Thea said at the same time.

"If you say so. Hi, Thea. Nice to see you. Merry Christmas." Felicity went over to Thea and hugged her.

"Merry Christmas, Felicity. Did you and my big bro have a good time? Ow!" Thea cried when Oliver elbowed her in the ribs. "I just wanted to know how your day went."

Felicity laughed. "It was good. Your brother here taught me how to skate. Who knew he could move like a ballerina? Then we had lunch and hot chocolate after courtesy of who else but Oliver. That's another surprise, by the way. I thought you have an army of maids to do all your cooking and everything else... oh shucks, why does my mouth always go ahead of my brain?"

It was Thea's turn to laugh. "Well that sounds really great. It's been a long time since Ollie took the time to relax. I'm glad he spent Christmas with you."

"And it continues with dinner with my family," Oliver added.

"Already?" Felicity looked out the window. It was dark outside. "Wow. I must have slept for a long time. I think I should be heading home."

"Not after having dinner with us. Mom made her special stuffed turkey for tonight."

Felicity's eyes misted at Oliver's mention of the turkey. "Is it made with cranberry stuffing?" she asked in a tiny voice.

"Yes. How did you know?"

"I just thought it might be. It's one of my favourite holiday dishes."

"Then you're in for a treat." Moira Queen breezed into the cabin's living room. "Hello, Felicity. Glad you could join us tonight." She gave Felicity a smile. "Come on, kids. Dinner won't stay hot for long."

Dinner was a happy affair. Felicity loved Moira's version of the cranberry stuffed turkey and every bit of the other dishes. Even better than the food was that Felicity didn't feel awkward with the Queens. In fact, she felt they were very much like her own family, with all the easy banter among them. Moira seemed genuinely interested in her life and asked questions about her and her family which she gamely answered. She even enjoyed seeing Oliver and Thea tease each other like most siblings do.

After dinner they gathered back at the fireplace for some eggnog. When the Queens gave Felicity a present, she was rendered practically speechless.

"I don't know what to say. Um... thank you." was all she could manage.

They made her open it, and when she took out a new, top-of-the-line tablet the reaction on her face was priceless. Her smile was a mile wide all throughout and it only got wider when she got cheers and lots of hugs from the Queen family. By this time, any trace of the loneliness she had felt had completely faded away. Her heart was bursting with happiness at this point. If love was tangible she could actually reach out and grasp it right now.

"Oliver."

"Yes?"

Felicity came up to Oliver on the porch. "I just wanted to say thanks. For today. I was all set to spend Christmas by myself just like every year since my parents died. But then you barreled through my door this morning and taught me how to enjoy the holidays again. You even showed a side of you that I and even Dig have never seen before. What you gave me today-friendship, family and the love that weaves them together-they are gifts that are worth way more than the material ones I've ever received. So... thank you very much. I'm just sorry that I don't have a present to give you."

Oliver wrapped Felicity in his arms. "Felicity, you are an important part of my life. You may not realise it, but you've done a lot for me, helping out and making sacrifices... I don't know what I'd do without you. So knowing that you know you are appreciated and loved is a gift enough for me. I'll say it again. You are appreciated. And loved."

Felicity returned Oliver's embrace with fervor, joy flooding through her heart.

"Merry Christmas, Oliver."

"Merry Christmas, Felicity."

well, the last part came out sounding hallmark-y. my fingers seemed like they had a mind of their own while i was typing it (yea blame the fingers lol)

prompt by beijingdoll (tumblr)

Merry Christmas everyone! hope y'all are having a great time on the holidays.