This first chapter, in a probably two or three chapter arch, was written by a request from Dante 101, who wanted me to write an Arrow/Vampire Dairies story featuring Stefan and Felicity. I couldn't promise anything lengthy, so this is what I managed. I hope you enjoy it.
This story takes two characters we love and puts them in a chance encounter that leads to something surprising. The timeline takes place over the summer. Season 5 of Vampire Dairies has finished, and Stefan is reeling from the apparent real death of his brother Damon. Felicity is also reeling from Oliver's final battle with Slade that led him to confess his love in an apparent ruse.
Synopsis: Car trouble on Felicity's road trip leads her to a Savannah, Georgia where Stefan has just taken a job as a mechanic. In this story, the deleted kiss from the season 2 Arrow finale is mentioned, so research it if you missed the released video. If you've not watched VD in a while, it won't matter too much as long as you know who Stefan is.
The Good Kind of Breakdown: Part I
Felicity mumbled to herself as she ignored yet another phone call from Oliver Queen. After the awkward beach encounter on the island with Oliver not quite denying his love confession at the Queen mansion, she'd fled Starling City the day after they'd returned. It was all too much, and she'd panicked. The idea that Oliver might actually have real feelings for her had sent her into a tailspin. Her crush had turned into full blown love the past year, but she'd gotten so used to thinking he'd never see her as anything more than a friend. His very affectionate relationship with Sara Lance was entrenched firmly in her mind since he'd all but thrown his rekindled romance in her face. The front row seat to it had hurt a lot, but she'd genuinely liked Sara, and the two of them made sense.
So Felicity had done what she'd always done: she'd found a way to deal. There had been no reason to think their relationship wouldn't last because Sara had become a part of the team. Felicity never thought the very capable woman would ever return to the League. Once again, Felicity had been wrong. As Slade and his goons began to take over the city, the hits kept coming. When Oliver had both told her that he'd loved her and then kissed her, she'd been too surprised to do much. For once, she'd been speechless.
When he'd put the vial in her hand, though, she'd realized it was a ruse. Oliver somehow knew that Slade was watching. He wanted her to get close to Slade and find a way to give him the cure. Would Oliver so easily turn the woman he loved over to a madman who'd recently killed his mother? Felicity didn't think so. Instead, he trusted her as his partner to get the job done. And she had.
Her mom had called worried when she'd arrived back in Starling City. She had taken a temporary transfer to one of her boss's casinos in Miami and had seen a report about the chaos going on in Starling. At first, Felicity had brushed aside her mom's concerns. However, her mom was talking about stopping by Starling on her way home to Vegas in a few weeks, and Felicity found herself suggesting she take a vacation in Florida instead. She had no job keeping her tied to Starling City, so the timing was convenient. Needing space from whatever was or wasn't going on with Oliver made the idea of a time away very appealing.
The smart thing to do would've been to fly, but Felicity wanted time to think. Driving seemed like a good idea. However, she didn't want to put miles on her car, so she'd rented one. Feeling drunk on the idea of getting away from Starling and the too charismatic and attractive Oliver Queen, she had been compelled to spend too much of her savings renting a cherry apple red Mustang convertible. A ticket was probably in her future, but she hadn't cared. She'd programmed the route into her GPS, sent the boys a text message—she'd been too cowardly to even call—and left with a small bag packed.
The first several hours had been great. She'd kept the top down and had her prescription sunglasses on her face, enjoying the warmth and the breeze. As each mile past, she'd felt the tension leave her more and more. Felicity was determined to put all thoughts of Oliver and the nightmare Slade had created for them all behind her until she returned. She'd made a stop early at a bed and breakfast because she'd liked their web page.
Unfortunately, the second day of her journey didn't seem to be going nearly as well. First, she'd left her computer in the room at the bed and breakfast, but she'd not noticed until she'd went five miles down the road. There was no way she'd leave her baby behind, so she'd been forced to return. Then Oliver had called when she'd been too distracted to screen the call. He'd been upset and angry that she'd left town without discussing it with him. His concern for her well-being didn't leave her feeling warm and loved. Instead, it annoyed her to no end. Slade was contained and her public job and connection to Oliver Queen was gone with the loss of Queen Consolidated. She was perfectly safe. Besides, no one on the interstate knew who she was. She rented a car using an old credit card of her mother's. She kept it for emergencies and hadn't used it since she was at MIT. However, her night job had made her leery, so she'd not left an obvious trail. She'd paid for her purchases and gas with the cash she'd taken out before leaving town.
It really pissed her off that Oliver didn't think she was capable of taking care of herself. Or that he thought he had a right to control her life. She'd done just fine before she'd met him, and she'd probably manage well enough long after he was gone. Naturally, she didn't really like thinking about a time when she'd no longer be a blip on his radar. The idea that maybe she meant much more to him than she'd ever figured really shook her up. Since she didn't know what to do with all the feelings it stirred up, she ignored it, determined to be Oliver-free for a week or two.
"I'll be home when I get home!" she'd yelled into the phone before disconnecting and turning it off. She'd shown Diggle how to track a phone and wouldn't be surprised if Oliver harassed him into doing just that. Felicity genuinely didn't want to worry or upset her boys (that's how she thought of them). However, she needed a break now more than ever.
She crossed over into Savannah, Georgia when the car started driving rough.
"Oh no!" Felicity exclaimed. It began slowing down. Then all of a sudden, it died. She groaned and hit the steering wheel. When she tried to restart it, there was no power, nothing.
"Great! Just great!" she fumed. Since she was driving on a highway and not an interstate the traffic was not thick. No car stopped, but she didn't care. After facing down more than one psychotic goon, she wasn't nervous being alone on the side of the highway. The day had barely started, so the sun was bright in the sky. It didn't take her long to get out her phone and call her AAA. They told her that a local tow would be on its way.
Felicity sighed in frustration. "This is why you don't go on spur of the moment trips! It's why you plan out each moment! It's why you take your own car that you KNOW runs!" she said to herself.
Ten minutes passed while she grumbled to herself. Then she sent her mom a text to let her know that her arrival was going to be delayed. As she waited, she decided not to get too upset over the events. This was her vacation—her well-earned vacation. So what if it took her longer to get to Florida? It wasn't the end of the world.
A short time later, she saw a tow truck coming toward her, so she got out of the convertible to wave it down.
When the man in the truck stopped and got out, Felicity's mouth fell open. Not only did the beautiful specimen of a man not look like the normal roughneck she'd always had work on her cars, but he was immaculate. No dirt or oil stains anywhere. He gave her a friendly smile.
"Car trouble?" he asked. "I'm Stefan. One of the mechanics at the closest auto shop. I'll give you a tow."
Stefan's smile literally took her breath away. For a full minute, she stared, grateful for the sunglasses that shielded her eyes.
Stefan Salvatore had tried his best to escape his despair and heartache at losing his only brother. As the Other Side collapsed and neither Lexie nor Damon made it back, he'd been destroyed. Although his brother had been the bane of his existence for over a century, he was still his family, his anchor. Damon had always loved so passionately. Both his love and his hatred were a hard cross to bear. Yet no one had ever meant more to Stefan, both in life and death. Damon had been his best friend in their human lives. Then as they became vampires, his nemesis. Not even when he'd killed Stefan's closest friend, though, had he been able to forsake the brotherly bound between them. However, the past few years they had found their way back to being brothers. As much as it had galled him to admit it at times, he needed Damon. They were better together than apart.
Now, however, his brother was gone, and his best friend Lexie was ripped from him once again. And he'd lost Elena forever. Mystic Falls had become a painful reminder of all he'd lost. The new magical border keeping vampires out of Mystic Falls had seemed like a sign. It was time for him to move on. So he'd gone back to a place he'd driven through decades ago. He'd felt a desire to blend, to feel normal. The town was peaceful and low on witches and other supernatural elements. Becoming a lowly mechanic had seemed like a good idea a few weeks ago. However, his boss was an ass and kept giving him the worse jobs. It wasn't that he minded towing cars, but his boss sent him on the jobs in such a manner that Stefan knew it was meant to be an insult. Some days it took all his control not to rip out the bastard's throat.
Looking now at the very pretty woman staring wordlessly at him, though, he had to smile.
"Ma'am?" he said, nudging her.
Felicity flushed and tried to cover her breach of manners. "Oh, ah, I'm sorry. I'm not usually such a space cadet. I mean, sometimes I get too caught up in my work and can forget to eat or forget a date—not that I date much—I mean, I'm busy with work. I work a lot. That's why I'm here. I was trying to take a vacation and get out of town, but I was foolish and rented a car. A car I didn't know was a pretty piece of crap!"
Stefan listened to her ramble and felt the first real smile come over his face in weeks.
"We've all been taken in by a pretty face before," he said easily.
Felicity was grateful that the man wasn't laughing at her ramble. Instead, he had kind eyes and looked at her in amusement, but there was no mockery in his eyes.
"I'm sorry. I tend to talk too much when I'm nervous," she said sheepishly. She stepped forward and extended her hand. "I'm Felicity. Felicity Smoak." For some reason, she pushed her sunglasses up, not wanting the shades to obscure her view. She sighed in pleasure as she got a better look at him. He was just too pretty for words!
"Stefan Salvatore," he replied, enfolding her hand in his. Their eyes locked a moment, a sudden attraction causing Felicity's eyes to widen. She pulled her hand back quickly.
Stefan frowned. The very human woman's touch stirred something in him. It was unexpected and disconcerting. Her eyes were bright and innocent but full of intelligence. The intelligence caught him off guard.
"You're Italian?" Felicity asked, brightening. "I love Italian food!" Then she cringed. Was that racist?
"No, not really," Stefan replied with a grin.
Felicity felt mortified as she realized she spoken her thought out loud. "Oh God! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to say that!" she exclaimed.
Finally, Stefan lost the battle and laughed in delight. The woman was unexpected, but no one had made him laugh in a long time. "It's okay. I do like Italian. I don't cook it as well as my brother does. I mean did," he said with a cringe. Talking about Damon in the past tense seemed wrong. He didn't want to give up on finding a way to bring his brother back. Alaric had made it. He and Elena had, too. Why shouldn't Damon?
Felicity noticed his slip but didn't probe. If the poor man had lost his brother, she didn't want to pick at the obviously recent wound. She gave him a sympathetic look but didn't comment. Finally, her brain caught up with her mouth.
Stefan moved to connect the cable to her car. Then he turned to her and said, "You can ride up front with me. I'll take you to the shop and check out the car."
"You're not like a crazed psycho killer or anything, right?" Felicity asked with a touch of apprehension. Not getting into cars with men she didn't know had been ingrained in her from an early age. He seemed harmless, but she knew better than anyone that appearances could be deceiving.
Stefan found himself hesitating as the woman asked a question she probably meant as a joke. Why did the thought of lying to this woman bother him?
"No, I'm not a psycho," he said, flashing her a smile.
Felicity, however, was more than a pretty face and picked up on what he'd not denied. "So that means you're just a killer? Or not one?" she probed with a nervous frown.
"I promise that you are perfectly safe with me, ma'am," he said with complete sincerity, unable to lie to the woman. He was a killer. The blood he'd shed could fill a pond. However, he didn't plan on backsliding or hurting her.
"Okay. Just drop the ma'am, okay? It makes me feel old!" Felicity said, smiling as he opened the truck door. He held out his hand to help her step up. Taking a deep breath, she took his hand and stepped up. His hand was cold, yet it filled her with warmth. It was the oddest thing.
Stefan got into the truck next to her and put on his seat belt. He tried to ignore the woman's racing heartbeat that his heightened vampire senses could easily hear. It said something about the woman that she didn't try to flirt even though she found him attractive. He glanced at her left hand. There was no ring. The only human that had seriously interested him in decades had been Elena. As a vampire, she had been far from the woman he'd fallen in love with, however. This woman, though, was obviously very different from the human Elena.
"So where are you heading?" Stefan asked, making conversation.
"To Florida. My mom has a temporary job there, and I thought it'd be fun to join her for vacation. She worries and my town has been on the news lately. We've not seen each other in a while," Felicity shared.
"That's nice that you want to spend your time off with your mom," Stefan observed.
"Well, my boss recently lost his company, so I'm basically unemployed right now," she admitted with a grimace. "Not that I plan on being that way for long. I have two degrees from M.I.T, so I'm hopeful I can get a job. Then again my boss had me doing basic secretary work and not the computer stuff that I'm so good at—at least officially."
"You like computers?" Stefan asked. She was definitely not like any of the woman he spent time with.
"Yes, they're mostly my life," she admitted with a rueful grin. "How about you? Been working on cars long?"
"All my life," Stefan admitted. "It's mostly a hobby, but I, too, wanted to get out of town. I just lost my brother, and home was a bit too painful."
Felicity's eyes filled with compassion. Unlike his friends back home, she didn't have her own pain to deal with, so she was able to see his pain without any of her own shadows. It made him slightly uncomfortable. It'd been too long since anyone was focused solely on him. He wasn't surprised when she said, "I'm so sorry! I can't imagine how you feel."
Not having to pretend to feel what he was feeling or having to hide what he was feeling was a nice change. Stefan found himself more and more interested in the human.
"So where's this notorious town that's got your mom so worried?" he asked.
"Starling City. I live alone and my mom worries. But I'm fine," she said.
"Starling City? I've not had much time to watch the news lately," he admitted.
"That's good. I don't want to talk about it," she said, smiling.
Stefan returned her smile. "I can relate," he said. So she lived alone. He didn't know what that mattered to him. He'd probably never see her again after today.
He pulled into the garage parking lot and backed her car into a spot. He turned off the engine and turned toward her. "Don't get out. The step down is high. I'll help you," he said, opening his door and hurrying around to the other side.
Felicity couldn't remember the last time a man had shown such manners. John often held open doors for her, but Oliver never so much as wanted her to ride on his bike—not that she wanted to. But it would've been nice to be one of the girls he asked.
Stefan opened her door and held out his hand. Felicity took it and tried to carefully look down. However, the man was smiling at her so warmly, and he was just so appealing! Distracted, she missed the step and went flying. Luckily, he had quick reflexes and caught her.
Stefan moved to prevent her fall, wrapping his arms around him and pulling her close as he gently set her onto the ground.
Felicity had no control or filter as she said, "Wow! You're really strong! I'm used to guys all bulked up, but you don't really look like that. Not that there's anything wrong with how you look! You're quite perfect!" She cringed in embarrassment as her mouth got away from her. "I'm going to stop talking in 3-2-1."
Stefan found himself laughing again. The woman was so unexpected. It was with regret that he stepped away from her.
"If you'll go wait inside, I'll take a look and see what the problem is," he said.
"I should call the car rental," she said, needing a break from the feelings this stranger was stirring in her. She moved away, glancing one last time over her shoulder.
She called the dealer to let them know what was happening. They offered to send her a new car. However, she knew that'd take time. She told them she'd wait and see how long it'd take to hear about fixing the car. They told her to give the rental information to the mechanic. Felicity was glad they weren't giving her any trouble.
A short time later, Stefan came into the garage.
"So what's the news?" she asked.
He gave her an apologetic look. "Not good, I'm afraid," he said. "It's the transmission. It'll take a few days before we can fix it."
Felicity sighed. "That's just my luck!" she muttered, more to herself than him. She thought about what to do. Was it worth it getting another car that was unknown or would it be better getting a real mechanic's assurance that the car was fixed and had no future concerns?
"The town has a nice bed and breakfast," he said. "I'm staying there. I'm going to get a house soon, but I hadn't made the time."
Felicity looked at Stefan in consideration. Was he suggesting something or was it wishful thinking on her part? Did it matter? She needed a place to stay the night at the very least. He seemed harmless. And he was pretty. So every pretty.
What the hell? The woman who swung from rooftops with Oliver Queen wasn't about to be intimidated by the idea that an extremely attractive man might be interested in her.
She found herself smiling. "That's great! I love bed and breakfasts. I stayed at one last night that was nice. Since it looks like I'll be sticking around a few days, that would probably be more comfortable than a hotel," she said.
Stefan was oddly relieved to hear that he could see the woman a bit longer. "Good. I'll order the part for you, and then I'll tell my boss I'm giving you a ride. I can take you over there," Stefan said. "Unfortunately, I probably won't be able to get started on the car until tomorrow."
Suddenly, Felicity didn't care that she'd been stuck in town a few days. Not if it meant she got to spend more time with the very attractive mechanic. At that moment, her continental breakfast wore off and her stomach growled.
Felicity once again felt her face grow hot in embarrassment. "Please excuse my stomach! I can't take it anywhere!" she joked.
Stefan chuckled. "Maybe it needs a nice lunch. I'll take you to one of the places I enjoy," he said.
Felicity smiled in pleasure. "I'd like that," she said.
Stefan went to his boss, who was a predictable ass.
"It's too early for your break!" his boss said.
Annoyed, Stefan stepped up and compelled him. "You're going to let me take a long lunch and not think anything about it," he ordered.
"You should take a long lunch," his boss said back.
"Thanks, boss," Stefan said with a grin. "I'll order the part and do that." Whistling, he went make the call.
*****Chapter End*****
I hope you enjoyed this first part. There will be one more for sure. I've always been more of a Damon fan. However, I did get to meet Paul Wesley in December at a convention and was struck by how utterly perfect he looks in person! I hope the Felicity/Stefan pairing wasn't too strange. As Dante 101 pointed out, both seem to be unlucky in love. I could also see how Stefan would enjoy someone like Felicity. Let me know what you think!