Okay, I saw all the trailers for season 3 and heard so much going on it sounds like it's going to rock.
This is something I started before hearing all of that, and deal with it.
Here are some things about me:
1) I have NO BETA! Every mistake is my own. The flow through and mistakes I try to fix within a day of posting if not a week.
2) I try to understand the characters that I write about, and reflect what I understand about them in my writing. As they're still developing on a show, it can be difficult to write them as others percieve them. This is how I see them, and adapt as I see fit.
3) This story will mess with your mind and emotions, like it will the characters. Real life does that. Nothing is all happy in the end.
4) Felicity's trauma will be the worst, Oliver's second as he has deemed himself her protector. I know this because I have seen the effect that a manipulator has on a person. In the end the Hatter is a manipulator, making people do things they're not suppose to, including the team. It changes a good person into something they're not and tries to change past relationships into bad ones.
Enjoy the story!
Felicity pulled the tablets together as Oliver shook hands with the board of trustees. Walter was standing next to him, assuring the board that Queen Consolidated would be in good hands if they voted to re-instate Oliver as CEO.
Felicity shared a glance with Diggle who, as always, stood off by the door. He smiled at her. He had been happier ever since Lyla came back into his life, and they had gotten remarried. Lyla took the ARGUS job of being a go-between of team Arrow and Amanda Waller. She preferred the new lair and being with Felicity over the stressed work of ARGUS, and the effect of the baby. Felicity smiled, remembering the baby shower that the team had held just s few days prior. The new Diggle was a sweet little girl, and no one had to ask Digg when they found out. His four hour shooting range practice said it all.
Felicity moved one of the tablets into Oliver's briefcase, and then moved all the tablets into Walter's briefcase. The meeting had gone, well okay. The board wasn't happy about Walter's plan of re-instating Oliver as CEO. Even though all the stocks had risen when he was CEO, the handing of the company over to Isabel still left a bitter taste in their mouths. When she was found in Deathstroke gear, dead in the building the board tried to hide it. But word had gotten out of Isabel's connections to Slade Wilson the master mind behind the attack. Word sent out by a certain hacker who never liked the ice queen anyway.
Starling had not taken that well. Neither had they taken Blood's death and duplicity well either. Walter had stepped up as Mayor, and vowed to rebuild the city. It was a slow process, but ARGUS had decided to chip in and help clean up the mess the riots had caused.
"Felicity."
She turned and saw Walter standing there, smiling fondly at her. The board had appointed him emergency CEO, and he was pushing for Oliver to step back in, and was convincing the board too.
"Yes Mr. Steele."
"Those need to go back down to IT."
"We're stopping by there on our way out."
Walter smiled and quickly hugged Felicity.
"I'm glad you're helping Oliver."
Felicity smiled and hugged him back. "I'm happy to help."
Oliver walked over to them, and brushed her arm as he reached for his briefcase. They had been dancing around their feelings since the night at the mansion, then Lian Yu. It was awkward, and Digg teased her about it all the time. And she was pretty sure, he teased Oliver too. Felicity shot a glare to Digg, who was smiling like an idiot. Though lately, Oliver had gotten more touchy, and it was confusing Felicity.
"We have a meeting with Mr. Harper for lunch, but we'll make sure that we swing by the IT department on the way down."
Oliver shook hands with Walter, and placing a hand at Felicity's lower back, escorted her towards the elevator. Digg followed behind them, hitting the comm in his ear and spoke to Roy.
"We're heading out. Meet us at Big Belly Burger in ten minutes."
Felicity turned and looked at Digg. "I'm glad that Carly didn't lose her business."
Digg smiled. "It's kinda odd introducing your sister-in-law/ex-girlfriend to your ex-wife now your wife again and she's pregnant."
Felicity laughed, and Oliver smiled, shaking his head. "At least they get along."
"Yeah, luckily. But that means I've got 2 women against me. But Carly is looking forward to being an aunt."
The elevator dinged, and the trio walked into it. Felicity hitting the level for the IT department. The doors closed and they made small talk.
"The computers were delivered to the penthouse yesterday." Oliver told her, smiling at her in the reflection of the elevator's doors.
Felicity felt her pulse race and she smiled. "I'm glad. I hope you didn't touch them."
Oliver looked horrified at her, and Digg started laughing. "I don't think anyone would face your wrath if we so much as opened the boxes. Oliver had the delivery men ensure the boxes were put on the carpet, and very gently handled."
"Good." Felicity turned as the elevator dinged arriving at the IT department.
Felicity stepped through, and smiled at the secretary behind the main desk. "Hello, I have the tablets used at today's board meeting."
The girl smiled, and looking behind her automatically recognized Oliver Queen. Her eyes glazed over, and Felicity almost laughed at the dazed expression.
"Excuse me, but these need to go to be charged, and we need to get going." Felicity addressed the stunned girl. She blushed and pressed a button and picked up the phone. "Jervis you're needed for pick-up at the front desk." She set the phone back into it's cradle.
Felicity smiled. She needed to get back to oversee new developments on the new lair. She felt a gentle press on her lower back and glanced over to her right and saw Oliver there, staring down at her. He looked tired, and more scruffy than usual. "You look tired." she whispered.
His blue eyes looked down at her, and he faintly smiled. "Odd thing about me, I don't sleep a lot."
She sighed. "You have troubles sleeping alone you mean." Felicity felt her face heat. Digg laughed, and then coughed. Oliver chuckled and shook his head at her.
Suddenly a short man came running up to the desk. He seemed clean-kept, but still something about him made the hair stand up on the back of her neck.
"I'm Jervis Tech," he said to Felicity, and when he looked at her his eyes widened slightly. Felicity smiled, "I'm Felicity Smoak. Here are the tablets." She handed him the briefcase, which he eagerly took from her. He nodded.
"You'll have to store the data on the board server in room 0-08, then wipe them clean, charge them and prep them for next week's meeting." Felicity instructed him. Jervis just nodded again.
"Thank you Miss Smoak, you know you have a remarkable likeness to a certain literary figure."
Felicity blushed, and Oliver tensed next to her. "I do?"
Jervis nodded eagerly. "You look like Alice. From Alice in Wonderland?"
Felicity blushed again. Not a princess, or a warrior, nope a kid's story. "Well thank you Mr. Tech. I hope that you're Queen Consolidated."
Jervis nodded eagerly, but as he opened his mouth Oliver cleared his throat.
"Well thank you Mr. Tech, I'm afraid we have to get going. Thank you for all of your hard work." Felicity felt Oliver steer her back to the elevator and only relaxed once the doors were closed. Diggle pressed the button to go back down to the garage. Oliver's hand never left Felicity's back until he handed her into the car. Digg had a small smile as he steered the car into traffic, heading towards Oliver's penthouse building. Felicity pulled out her tablet, and opening it voiced her concern.
"Let's hope Roy didn't touch the computers. If he did, he isn't getting lunch with us."
In the IT department, Jervis pulled a picture off the printer of Felicity Smoak. Her smiling face shined with life. He ran a finger down the curve of her smile his eyes shining.
"I found you Alice."