A/N: Hello, friends! I've finally been able to write something! I'm not quite done with this one yet... I've got two chapters left to write and then it's finished. But... gulp... I'm already contemplating a sequel! There's more story here and I want to now what happens after the ending. Hopefully, you'll agree with me. Anyhow, thanks for joining me on this ride. I hope to be able to do daily posting so this will all be up by the time s4 premieres. Who's with me?
(also, much apologies for the Ray/Felicity and Sara/Oliver to start with... it's important to the story and you'll see why later on. If you're familiar with the movie, then you already know. If you aren't, even better!)
Under normal circumstances, Felicity thought snow was quite beautiful. She enjoyed he way the flakes floated down to earth, like little miniature angels, covering all the dirt and decay of the world with white, pristine beauty. One of her favorite things to do on a snowy day was curl up in her cozy flannel shirt with a mug of tea and a good book and sit in the window to read and admire the wonderland outside.
The key scenario here, of course, was that she was inside while the snow was outside.
Driving in snow was another thing altogether. She'd been born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, which wouldn't know what to do with snow if it ever saw it (and it didn't). She'd had to learn how to deal with snow when she moved across country to attend MIT in Massachusetts. Then, she'd gotten hired on right out of school at Palmer Technologies in Starling City. It didn't snow as much in Starling as it had in Cambridge. But Felicity had learned that wasn't exactly a good thing. It meant the residents were less prepared to deal with the snow when it did arrive. Which meant her commute to work on this snowy, Monday morning was an actual nightmare.
Despite having left her apartment thirty minutes early (Felicity Smoak was no fool), she was still a good ten minutes late by the time she rushed to her desk on the 37th floor of the Palmer Technologies building. Luckily, Gerry her assistant was waiting for her with a mug of coffee and the list of files she needed to see to first thing that morning. This was why she'd given him a raise two months ago; the man was worth his weight in gold.
Felicity got right to work, diving into the various paperwork and administrative junk that often clogged up her day. But once she was through with that, she'd have time to go spend in the research lab and that was her favorite part of her job. Felicity liked to be hands on and while running Research and Development was a dream come true, she liked to get her hands dirty. Sitting behind a desk could sometimes be a little stifling.
At least she had a gorgeous view of the snow drifting past the windows right next to her desk. See, she and the snow were on speaking terms again.
Felicity worked straight through the morning, sending her calls to voicemail and accepting fresh mugs of coffee when Gerry would bring them to her. She got a lot of the annoying stuff taken care of, which meant she could spend some time in the lab after lunch.
It was about ten minutes to noon when Gerry peeked his head into her office, tapping on the glass wall to get her attention.
"What's up?" she asked him.
"Ray is on line one. I know you said you wanted all your calls to go to voicemail but I thought you might want to talk to him." Her assistant winked at her, making Felicity grin.
"You thought right. Thanks, Gerry!"
He left to return to his desk and Felicity picked up the receiver on her desk and hit the button for line one. She'd almost forgotten Ray was back from his business trip, in all the hubbub of her morning. He'd been gone since Friday afternoon, meaning she had the weekend to herself. It wasn't all bad; she got to sleep in, wear her softest, rattiest pajamas and watch a lot of Netflix. But she was also looking forward to seeing his beautiful face again.
"Ray! Are you back?" she said into the phone.
His deep chuckle sounded over the line. "I am back, in my office, and up to my ears in paperwork. How about you?" He was the CEO of Palmer Technologies, and had done amazing things with this company that he'd spend the last eight years building from the ground up. He was one of the youngest CEOs in America right now. His work ethic was only matched by hers, which caused everyone who met them to remark on what a perfect couple they were.
"Just finishing mine up, as it happens. Now I get to spend the afternoon down in the R&D lab."
"Lucky girl," he remarked. "Listen, I am having something sent to your office, but I just wanted to touch base with you before I dove back into my paperwork to tell you that I love you. And I missed you."
Felicity flushed. "I love you too, Ray. Dinner tonight?"
He chuckled again. "Check out the card. I'll see you at seven."
They hung up and Felicity puzzled over what he'd said. The card? What card? As though on cue, Gerry appeared back in her office, this time bearing an enormous floral arrangement.
"Holy frack, Gerry!" She could almost see him from around the massive vase, filled with every kind of tropical flower she'd ever heard of (and some she hadn't).
"You boyfriend believes in big gestures," he remarked, setting the vase down on her desk and stepping back to regard it. "Subtle, he is not."
Felicity grinned as she plucked a little hula doll from the center of the riotous bunch of flowers. "This is just ridiculous enough to be completely him," she remarked. Then, she saw the card, tucked between the leaves and blooms. Opening it up, she saw a long handwritten note in Ray's hand. She read it aloud, knowing that Gerry would be curious and ask her what it said anyhow.
Felicity,
It feels like it's been forever. I missed you so much. It was hard to keep my mind on all those business meetings for thinking of you. Meet me at Leilani's at 7pm tonight and bring the doll.
Love and kisses,
Ray
"Isn't he sweet?"
"Hasn't he only been gone since Friday?" Gerry asked, his tone dry He took the doll from her and regarded it with a critical eye.
"Yes, but that's just Ray. He likes to be with me."
"Could it get me fired if I called my boss' boss a stalker?" Gerry wondered aloud.
Felicity smacked him with the card and Gerry grinned. He always was teasing her about her relationship with Ray. It didn't bother her too much because she knew the truth. Ray was just a romantic, who wore his heart on his sleeve. It was nice to feel appreciated like that. Sure, sometimes he could be a little smothering but that's why these business trips he had to take every few weeks were a good thing; absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?
"But why does he want you to bring the doll though?"
Felicity took it back and eyed the little carved wooden figure with the grass skirt. "Knowing Ray? It could be anything."
Felicity almost lost track of time while she was down in the R&D lab after lunch. It was a lot of fun, seeing what the lab techs had been up to lately, testing some things out, offering her own thoughts and solutions. Sometimes she wished she was down there with them, even though she knew her job came with a good deal of prestige and power and looked damn good on her resume.
God Bless Gerry, though, he came down at ten minutes to five to remind her of her dinner date and Felicity was able to tear out of there, get to her car and hit the road. The snow wasn't falling anymore and what had already fallen, the city had plowed, so the roads were a little easier to deal with on her drive home.
Which was a great thing because that meant she had time for a quick shower and to focus on getting herself dolled up for the dinner date with Ray. Felicity took her time with her hair, pinning it back into a sexy chignon before putting on her new favorite royal blue dress that made her eyes pop. Ray loved her in blue and he hadn't seen this dress yet. She couldn't wait to see his face when he saw her wearing it.
Leilani's was a trendy new Polynesian restaurant not too far from Ray's penthouse apartment so it was in a swanky part of town. With some help from her car's navigation system, she was able to find the place with time to spare and parked in the lot.
Felicity hadn't been to this particular restaurant yet. It was new, just opened a few months ago, with eager patrons booking all their reservations solid since the beginning. The vibe was definitely island-centric, with plenty of palms and vegetations and ocean scenery. She was lead to a table the moment she stepped into the restaurant; seems the staff was waiting for her. Sure enough, Ray was at the table already.
He stood when he saw her, towering above her even in her four-inch heels. His arms wrapped around her as he gave her a hug and then a chaste kiss to her lips. "You look amazing," he told her in a low voice.
"You like it?" Felicity fought the urge to do a pirouette.
Ray held out a chair for her to sit and then sat across from her, his eyes smiling as he drank her in. "I adore it. It looks perfect on you."
He ordered them a few drinks and then suggested something on the menu that he thought she might like. It was a fish dish and she had to admit it sounded like something she'd enjoy so she agreed. Once they placed their orders, Felicity drew the doll out of her purse and set it on the table between them.
"Ah, so you brought her," Ray said with approval.
"You told me to. Any reason? I can tell you're up to something. The flowers, the doll, this place…" She gestured around her to the restaurant, decorated up in full island ambiance.
"Oh, there's a reason."
Felicity was getting a little nervous, in spite of herself. "You didn't bring me here to break up with me, did you?"
Ray looked startled. "What—? Why would you think that?"
"It's just… I read somewhere that 69% of all relationships break up in restaurants because it's a safe, public place where people are less likely to make a scene. And it was most likely a made up statistic, because that's how those magazines work, but it made sense to me—"
"Felicity," he cut her off. "We're not breaking up. In fact, I want to step things up in our relationship." Ray reached in his sport coat and drew out a pamphlet, setting it down next to the doll. "You're always saying how we never take any vacations together, never take time outside of work, we're always busy at Palmer Tech… Well, I just booked us a trip. To here."
Felicity looked at it, noted the romantic island setting behind a logo for a posh sounding resort on an island called Makatea. Gasping, she picked it up and opened to find even more tempting scenes within and listings of all the activities and amenities.
"This looks amazing, Ray!"
"It should be, for what I'm paying."
"But we—"
"Pack your bags, Felicity. You and I, in French Polynesia, in two weeks."
Felicity felt a surge of excitement, moments before her face fell. "But the Merlyn Global merger! That's all coming together any day now and I need to be on hand to be able to deal with it when Merlyn finally gets his head out of his ass…"
Ray held up a hand. "I'm the CEO and if I say you can take a week off… six days and seven nights in fact, to spend in paradise with your generous and attentive boyfriend, then you can take a week off."
"But what if—"
"Ah ah! Don't worry about it. The merger can wait. Paradise calls, Felicity. Sun, sand, water, mai tai's…."
"It does sound pretty awesome," Felicity said, gazing at the pictures in the brochure again. It depicted little huts, set out over the water with glass cutouts in the floors so you could watch the fish from your bed.
"I can't wait to take you there," Ray told her, his tone earnest, reaching across the table to grasp her hand.
Felicity smiled at him. He could be such a romantic. "And I can't wait to be there. With you."
Two weeks later, their plane touched down in Pape'ete amidst balmy breezes, blue skies and more sunshine than Felicity had seen in months. It was gorgeous and she hadn't even left the airport. She and Ray tried to hurry through customs after they disembarked. Weather had delayed their flight out of Los Angeles for fifty minutes and they were now late to meet their charter to the island. Felicity trotted along behind Ray, teetering a little in her high heeled sandals, as they hurried towards the baggage claim.
"Look, there's the different charter companies," Ray said, indicating a sign that pointed the way, the opposite direction from the baggage claim. "Why don't you go find Verdant Air and let them know we're here and we're coming while I go get our bags."
"Good idea."
"Great. See you in ten minutes?"
Felicity smiled at him. Ray was anxious about everything being perfect and she thought it was cute. "See you in ten minutes."
He smiled back, his teeth glinting white. "I love you."
"I love you too." She pushed up on her toes to peck at his lips before turning and heading towards the charter flights.
Felicity finally located the charter flights outside, right on the tarmac. As the doors to the airport slid open, Felicity got her first taste of island breeze as it ruffled through her hair. She'd kept it loose, letting it dry in waves. The breeze also played with the hem of her flirty sundress. Digging in her purse, she found her sunglasses and slipped them on while she walked down the pavement, looking for Verdant Air.
She began to feel a little discouraged; each charter company looked smaller and shabbier the further she walked. She began to dread what sort of plane they'd have to take for the final leg of their journey. Then, she ran out of planes all together. No sign for Verdant Air.
Felicity did find a small propeller plane bearing no markings with a mechanic working on it's engine. As she approached, she couldn't see much as his back was to her and he wore a backwards baseball cap on his head. He looked tall and wore a pair of grey coveralls that he'd unfastened and pulled down so the top half hung from his waist, leaving him shirtless. Felicity flushed a little as she watched the muscles on his tanned back ripple as he moved.
He was also cursing and growling.
"Dammit! You son of a bitch!"
"Uhm, excuse me?" she tried.
"Fucking asshole engine always pulling this shit…"
Felicity cleared her throat. "Excuse me! Could you please help me?"
The man turned around, straightening up as he stepped away from the exposed plane engine. Felicity swallowed hard. Yes, he was definitely as tall as Ray. Muscled and gorgeous, with a scruffy jaw and piercing blue eyes. He squinted at her. "I'm looking for Verdant Air?" she finished, when he didn't say anything.
The man blinked. Then he looked around the plane and then smacked himself on the forehead. "Shit, I forgot again." He opened the back hatch and rooted around for a moment before he pulled out a small placard which he set up next to the back of the plane. It read, to Felicity's dismay, Verdant Air.
"So you're flying to Makatea?" he asked her and now he was looking her up and down and there was no mistaking the appreciative glint in his eyes.
Felicity fought a blush and notched her chin up a bit. "Yes, we are. My boyfriend and I, that is." Damn, why was his shirtless front so much hotter than his shirtless back?
The man's eyebrow cocked up and his grin deepened. He did have a beautiful smile. "We'll be ready in about ten— twenty minutes." He jerked a thumb back at the plane which… was it leaking oil?
"But… not in this plane, right?"
"Of course this plane," he replied, sounding a little aggravated. "You see any other planes around here?"
Felicity glanced with longing at the some of the larger charter companies. "Does anyone else fly to Makatea?"
His grin flashed again, this time looking a bit on the feral side. "Just me, ma'am."
"You mean… you're the pilot?"
He looked a little insulted at her clear skepticism. "Damn right I am. This is my plane, too. We have a larger plane but she's laid up for repairs in Fiji right now."
"But…" Felicity gestured at the exposed engine with the dripping oil. "What do you call this then?"
The man waved his hand as though what she'd just said was inconsequential. "This is just maintenance."
"It looks broken," she argued.
"It's not broken," he insisted. "Are you this picky all the time?"
"About my safety? Uh, yes, as it happens, I am!"
He chuckled. "This here is a de Havilland Beaver. One of the greatest bush planes to ever fly the friendly skies. She's safe as a baby carriage, I swear."
Felicity eyed the tiny plane, feeling a little suspicious. She was about to argue some more, ask if there was another one of these charter companies that flew to Makatea when Ray joined them. Compared to the pilot, he looked clean and fresh in his khaki shorts and polo shirt. Ray shot the pilot a look and made a slight grimace at the other man's shirtless state.
"Is there a problem, Felicity?" he asked her, placing a hand low on her back. Felicity relaxed at once and she saw the pilot's eyes linger on the gesture.
"Uhm, yes, there is a problem, it turns out," Felicity told Ray. "This man, he works for Verdant Air—"
"I own it," the man cut in, grinning.
Felicity continued as though he hadn't interrupted, "And he seems to think we're going to fly to Makatea in this… thing."
Ray looked alarmed as he glanced at the man and then at the plane, taking note of the small puddle of oil beneath the exposed engine. "What? Uh, no. I think we can find another charter."
The pilot grinned that hard grin again. "You won't find one. You can take the boat that leaves from the port in town."
"Oh, let's do that then!" Felicity suggested, pulling on Ray's arm. A nice boat ride would be just the thing after a long flight and would be quite a bit safer than riding in that tin can.
"That sounds like a great idea," Ray agreed.
"Okay. I can give you directions. It takes three days but maybe you two like the slower pace."
Felicity's face fell. Three days? That and the trip back would eat up their entire vacation.
"Ray…" she said, the dismay clear in her voice. She hated flying even in commercial airliners, as Ray well knew, and she just wasn't so sure she could do this.
"Felicity, it's okay. I'm sure… I'm sure this plane is safe and I'm sure this man is a trained pilot. He's a professional." Ray didn't look too sure of what he was saying but Felicity knew… if they wanted their island paradise they had no choice but to fly in this dinky plane. Her shoulders sagged with defeat.
"Okay. Okay, I can do this."
"You sure?" he asked, laying a hand on the side of her face.
She nodded. "Yes, I'm sure."
"Great. Well, if you two are going, it'll be about twenty— thirty minutes," the man said. Felicity noticed that was about ten minutes longer than he'd told her before. "I just gotta go get some oil."
They watched him walk towards an open hangar and Felicity's stomach felt like it was a mass of knots. This was not how she would have chosen to start her dream vacation. Ray put an arm around her shoulders, drawing her against his side and giving her a squeeze.
"It'll be worth it, I promise," he said, as though he'd read her mind.
Felicity tried to push her worries aside as she smiled up at him. "I know so. Paradise awaits, right?" God, she hoped it'd be worth it. She hoped she'd live to see Makatea at all!
Almost forty minutes had passed when they finally climbed on board the plane. The pilot (they still didn't know his name) offered to help with their luggage but Ray turned him down for whatever ridiculous reason. Felicity had stood and watched him try to maneuver her suitcase behind the passenger seats in the back. She caught the pilots eye and saw he was on the verge of laughter himself. She narrowed her eyes at him and he shrugged. At least he'd changed into a t-shirt and shorts. The view had been nice, but distracting and the only man she should be ogling this week was Ray.
It took some maneuvering, but Ray got everything in and he helped Felicity climb in and take the seat next to him. They were buckling in and the pilot was getting into his seat when they looked out and saw a pert little blonde woman hurrying towards the plane, several shopping bags on her arms. The pilot greeted her with a smacking kiss when she climbed into the seat next to them.
"Hi!" she said to them with a little wave as she turned to buckle herself in.
The pilot turned in his seat. "This is Sara. She's our flight service director."
Sara laughed at that and smacked him on the arm, making him chuckle. Felicity wondered if that was some sort of inside joke. She and Ray said their hellos and Felicity tried to ignore the way Ray's eyes lingered on Sara's cleavage, exposed by her snug, low-necked top.
"I work at the resort. Oliver was nice enough to give me a lift this morning so I could do some shopping in town," Sara explained. "So, you two are going to Makatea?"
"We hope," Felicity remarked,
"Oh, you're going to love it. It's beautiful. Are you from the States?"
Ray nodded. "Yes, Starling City."
"You're serious? Get out! I grew up there. Good times."
The pilot— Oliver— snorted at that. Felicity sensed another inside joke.
"Hey, Ollie, look what I picked up." Sara pulled a scrap of fabric out of one of her bags. Felicity gaped at it. She held it up for him to see. "Check it out. Hot, right?"
"What is it?"
"It's a bathing suit!" She smacked him on the arm again. Oliver chuckled and looked back at Ray exchanging a wink with him. Felicity fought the urge to make a disgusted noise.
"I thought it was an eye patch," Ray said with a laugh.
Annoyed, Felicity turned her attention to the small window next to her seat. She watched as the plane maneuvered into position at the end of the runway and then started to taxi for takeoff. Felicity gripped the arm rests of her seat, knowing that any sort of bracing was likely futile. But the takeoff was smooth and the plane rose into the air, sailing out over the ocean within moments.
She had to admit, the flight was a lot smoother than she'd expected. Ray and Oliver and Sara talked, but Felicity tuned them out, still annoyed from before but also taken with the scenery beneath the plane. The ocean was bluer than anything she'd ever seen. Every now and then, she could see islands they flew over, each of them looking small and deserted. She wondered just how many islands there were out here.
At one point, Sara reached into a little cooler and brought out some cans of soda, offering it to them as refreshment. Felicity accepted a can of ginger ale, realizing she was quite thirsty. Sara asked her a little about their plans for while they were in Makatea and she realized the other woman was quite nice. It turned out, she was a bit of a "jack of all trades" at the resort. She was a dancer, doing a show for the guests a couple nights a week. But she also worked as a bartender and also taught couple's yoga in the mornings and lead a popular hiking activity to a nearby waterfall. Felicity made a mental note to add those activities to their itinerary.
The flight lasted a couple of hours. Felicity began to understand why a boat ride might take three days, especially if it was pleasure cruise, stopping at various islands along the way. Soon, Makatea rose up before them and Oliver landed the plane, on a long, grassy airstrip. The entire trip had been smooth and uneventful and Felicity was starting to feel as though she'd misjudged Oliver and his tiny plane. As he put the breaks on, he turned around and said, "Welcome to Makatea."
"Enjoy your stay," Sara added.
"Thanks for the ride," Ray said, shaking both of their hands.
A Jeep waited alongside the strip to take them to the hotel check in. Felicity was more than ready to get there and helped as much as she could to get the luggage dislodged so she could be on her way to her vacation. She felt the weight of Oliver's eyes on her rear more than once and even caught him. He just grinned and shrugged.
What an insufferable man!
Ray joined her in the vehicle, taking her hand in his. Their driver took off down a small gravel path, and Felicity hoped they wouldn't be running into their pilot again until it was time to leave this place. He may have gotten them here in one piece, but there was something about the way he watched her that made her think it was better they didn't cross paths again.
