If at all possible, this tour is even better than the last. Last time was their first experience living on a bus and traveling at warp speed across the country. Now they know what they’re doing and everything is bigger, brighter, and better. Not that she ever expected anything less.

She wasn’t even sure she’d be able to attend at all until a couple of weeks ago. It turned out she was passing through Texas for a few shows during their two days in the Lone Star State, so after her show Saturday afternoon she grabs the rental car and makes the two hour trek to Corpus Christi.

She winds up in the second to last row due to her late ticket purchase, which actually works out better. The last thing she wants is to distract anyone or take away from Rumer and Val’s glory. This isn’t about her, it’s about them. Their victory tour of sorts, and no matter how much it stings she refuses to take anything away from that.

As previously stated, the show is brilliant. Fun and lively and completely flawless, as is nearly every other performance she’s seen them do. Each of them truly does live up to their title of pro, and Melissa and Rumer make it clear they didn’t just win because of luck. It’s amazing, every single number.

It’s during intermission when she’s stepped into the hall for some air that her phone buzzes with a text.

PETA: Have I gone crazy or did I see you in the audience a few minutes ago?

ZENDAYA: Whaaaaat? Psh, that’s crazy! Why would I be at the show?

PETA: Isn’t your tour stopped in San Antonio?

ZENDAYA: Uh. Maybe.

PETA: Why the hell are you sitting out there? Get back here and see us!

ZENDAYA: No, it’s fine. I just wanted to see the show. I don’t want to distract anybody.

PETA: Too late. I already told everyone that I saw you. Seriously, get your ass back here.

ZENDAYA: Peta, seriously it’s all good.

PETA: I’ll send someone to find you if necessary.

ZENDAYA: Lol what and have me taken by security?

ZENDAYA: Look, I’ll stop by after it ends okay? Maybe after the meet and greet.

PETA: Too late.

ZENDAYA: What do you mean?

ZENDAYA: Peta what does that mean?

ZENDAYA: Peta?

ZENDAYA: Hello???

For a moment Zendaya briefly wonders if she’s about to turn around and find a burly looking security guard ready to haul her off, but the only other people around are two elderly women muttering about how hot Sasha is and a teenage boy who looks like he’d rather be anywhere else in the world. Peta wasn’t serious, she probably stopped answering because she had to get changed or something. She was just being paranoid.

“Psst!”

Zendaya’s head whips around towards the source of the noise and drops her jaw.

Head poked out from a side door, Val quickly waves her over. “Get over here! Hurry up.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be getting ready?” for some reason her voice drops just above a whisper as she steps through the door, revealing a staircase she canld only assume led to the stage.

“Yeah, I was. Until I found out you were here and didn’t even bother to tell me.” He replies. “Babe, what the hell? Why didn’t you just text me? I would’ve told security to let you backstage.”

“I know.” She nods. “And then you would’ve spent every spare moment with me and focused all of your attention on making sure I was having a good time.”

Val frowns. “Which is a problem because…?”

“I just… this isn’t my moment.” She sighs, trying to explain. “It’s yours and it’s Rumer’s and everyone else’s, but it’s not mine. I didn’t want to take away from that.”

“Babe,” Giving a small shake of his head, his arms wrap around her shoulders in a warm embrace. “You don’t take away from anything, ever. Just because you’re here doesn’t mean I’m gonna give any less effort or attention to my other commitments. You know I’m not like that.”

“I know, I just didn’t want to make it all about you and me-”

“It’s always all about you and me,” he cuts in. “For me, it is. Because I love you and that’s my biggest priority, which is a choice I make because that’s what matters and that’s what makes me happy. So don’t ever worry about taking away from anything, okay? Because you don’t, Z. You make it.” Val looks into her eyes to make sure they’re on the same page. “Got it?”

And boy does she.

She doesn’t hide in the audience anymore after that. Instead, she heads straight for the backstage door and into the embrace of the man she’s lucky enough to call hers. Because she loves him and he loves her and they make each other happy. And that’s what matters.

She finally gets that now.

Pregnancy tests are like little sticks of fear and death. You’re either pregnant, which is hell if you weren’t planning and nerve-wracking if you were. Or you’re not, which is good, sort of, or horrible. As she waited for the stupid thing to activate, Felicity decided that she hated them and if she is ever in this situation again, she is going straight to the doctor.

Her reaction to all this is also the worst. Because her and Oliver are great and stable, and will probably get married once they decided they want to. They are in a long term, committed relationship and if you’re gonna have a child out of wedlock, isn’t this the type of situation you want?

“Feliciy?” It’s Sara, thank god. If it were Oliver, Felicity would probably die. Instead, its Sara, still in Black Canary gear and…Laurel, also in gear.

“Hey, Sara” Felicity said, hoping her voice isn’t too high. She also stuffed the pregnancy test behind her, “Laurel.”

Felicity likes Laurel, she really does. But there is a sense of awkward, as Felicity is seriously dating someone who once considered Laurel their soul mate. So, really, she likes Laurel, even considers them friends…but she isn’t the first person Felicity would tell if she is pregnant.

“Hey, is Oliver here?” Laurel asked, placing her staff on the table. They’re in one of Queen Manor’s six parlors. It’s the one that Moira had allowed Felicity to decorate when she moved in. Being given a room to design had been the weirdest part of moving with Oliver.

“No.” Felicity answered, “At least, I don’t think so. He should be at work, so if he is here, then I’ll be pissed.”

“You can take the girl out of the executive assistant position, but you can’t take the executive assistant out of the girl?” Sara said, sitting down next to Felicity at the couch. Felicity makes a weird head motion and Laurel laughs, sitting down next to her sister.

“So why are you two in costume? It’s two in the afternoon.” Felicity asked, “I’m sorry Laurel, your staff thing is off, right?”

  Laurel grabs it and checks, smiling. She’s not as talented as her sister and makes up for it with electricity running up and down her staff. There’s an off button and Felicity totally trusts Laurel to take care of it, but still…good to check.

“Yeah, we’re good.” Laurel said, “Bank Robbing. Shado and Slade actually handled it, but we just wanted to tell Oliver about it. And we were gonna have dinner here tonight, anyway.”

“Are you fucking joking? That’s tonight?” Felicity said, putting her head in her hands.

“Yeah….” Sara said, putting a arm around Felicity, “Are you alright?”

“No, I’m pregnant.” Felicity said, deciding that secret keeping doesn’t really work well with this crowd. They are the masters of secrets and she sucks at them. She gets the test and shows it to the two of them.

She wants for one of them to say, ‘oh no, you’re not.’ Because, she didn’t actually see it. But she knows and when they don’t say anything, she knows even more.

“It won’t be that bad.” Sara said, taking the pregnancy test out of her hand and taking it instead.

“It won’t?” Felicity said, and she knows she’s about to unleash a holy terror of fury on the two of them, “Well, my boyfriend is a vigilante, I am always getting kidnapped, and you think adding a baby into that mix won’t be…I don’t know, problematic? I’ll also get fat, and I’m not that vain, but seriously? And then there are the regular bad aspects of having kids!! Like I could die! It could die. What if all the kidnapping has made my body bad for childbirth???? What about raising it??? Oliver and I don’t know how to raise kids!!”

“Felicity.” Sara said, a note of warning in her voice.

“Also, does Oliver even want kids? A baby just makes things craz-----“

“I want kids.” A voice from behind her says, and Felicity feels like she is going to die. Not from shock. Spend enough time with Oliver and his ninja ability to sneak up on people makes you hard to surprise. But from the utter embarrassment.

“And the father of my baby found out because I was yelling at my friend’s about it!!!!!”

Felicity turns and Oliver is there, collar popped, tie in hand, and he hugs her. They must have been hugging for a while because by the time they part, Sara and Laurel are gone.

“Are you okay?” Oliver asked, and Felicity laughed a little.

“Does it seem like I am okay?” She asked, “Because I don’ think I look or am acting like I am okay. I feel like I’m freaking out.”

“You’re gonna make a great mom.” Oliver said, and Felicity thinks that might be the nicest things he has ever said.

“Debatable, but I’m really more worried about the kidnapping potential thing.” Oliver hugs her a little tighter.

“I’d protect him. Or her. Whichever.” Oliver said, “ You know I would. Shado, Slade, Sara, Laurel, Diggle. We all would.”

“Yeah, I know.” Felicity said, “But aren’t you ready? Do you feel ready? Aren’t you scared?”

Oliver looks at her and she realizes that there are a lot of things he’s done that are far scarier. There are things she’s done that are scarier.

“Yes, I’m very scared. But we can do this. I know we can.”

  “Why? Also, why are you the calm one? Why am I freaking out?” Felicity asked. She was calming down. But all those worries were still there. They were reasonable.

“I’m calm because I trust you. I’m also not growing a person inside me. It’s a biological fact that you are a bit more…emotional. Not that you aren’t raising valid concerns. We are living a very dangerous life, and it might be very bad.”

He was trying not to make her feel bad. It made her feel like she was gong to cry and she had the horrible realization that she was going to be this emotional for six months, “I love you.”