Title: Practice to Deceive
Rating: T
Disclaimer: Not mine. Not for profit. I own nothing. It all belongs to the CW. Lucky bastards.
Notes: So, since I'm nearly done with my Olicity X-mas Exchange fic, and still working on "Educating Oliver," I just had to write another story. I can't help it, I'm intrigued by Slade and just what might happen as he 'corrupts' those Oliver loves, specifically, Felicity. I'm not sure where this is going, although I have a vague plan, even as I am still trying to figure out how to write Slade in character. I can't tell you where this will end yet, but I can tell you that it will be Olicity endgame. Getting there however...could be quite twisty. So enjoy the ride!
"Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive." (Sir Walter Scott)
It's a Monday, two weeks after Oliver's near brush with death, when she first feels a steady gaze on her as she stands in line to get her morning coffee at the cafe around the corner from QC. She's checking her messages when she becomes aware that she's being watched. It starts as a tingling feeling on the back of her neck, one she's become accustomed to after the past year of pulling double duty for Oliver and the Arrow. He and Digg have drilled it into her to be extra aware of her surroundings.
Trying to seem casual, she looks up from her phone, pretending to take in her surroundings as she scans the cafe carefully. Her gaze stops, almost unintentionally, on a man wearing a pair of tinted sunglasses that completely cover his eyes. She's aware, however, that he's the one staring at her.
Feeling uncomfortable, she doesn't acknowledge him, simply turns back and focuses on placing her order. However, she still feels his gaze on her, an incessant prickling on the back of her neck. She pulls her phone back out and makes a pretense of texting something, trying her hardest to ignore the man as she waits for her coffee.
Finally receiving her drink, she heads for the door, eyes focusing on everything but the man staring so intently at her from the corner table. She's almost made it, when something like compulsion makes her turn and cast her glance his way. She knows it's probably foolish, knows she's only asking for trouble, but she does it anyhow. Her breath catches as he nods his head to her, a small smile on his face, as he raises his coffee cup in a salute.
She quickly turns and hurries from the building, trying to push the unsettling feeling in her chest down. It's definitely a weird start to her day. But, since it isn't illegal to stare at people in public, she quickly pushes the encounter to the back of her mind and begins to focus on what needs to be done before Oliver's first meeting of the day. Ten minutes later, the experience is completely forgotten.
It's a dull, overcast Friday morning when she sees the man in the dark sunglasses again.
The familiar prickle at the back of her neck alerts her to his gaze as she steps into the cafe. She's unsettled for a moment, wondering what the odds are of him being there the same time as her twice in one week. But she's also a little annoyed. If he's staring at her, he must have a reason and most likely, it's nothing good. She knows this, she thinks, because she's never been the type of girl to attract male stares in a cafe filled with much more attractive women. Now she's on alert, wondering if he has some connection to Oliver or the Arrow and has figured out she works for them both. Wonders if he has plans to kidnap her in broad daylight, in an effort to get to Oliver.
She realizes, not to her surprise, she's become a lot less trusting, and a bit more dramatic, after a year spent with Oliver Queen. Not that anyone could blame her.
She reaches the counter and places her usual order, pulling out her wallet and paying before moving to the other end of the counter to wait for her drink. As sunglasses man (she has to think of a better name) continues to stare at the back of her head, she wonders how to handle the situation. One thing is clear however, she needs a better picture of the scene.
Coffee finally in hand, she takes a deep breath, and turns to meet his gaze. It's intense and a bit uncomfortable, even through the glasses that block his eyes from her. She's unable to read much in what she can see on his face from this distance. She notes he has a chiseled, stubbled jaw line that for a moment, strangely reminds her of Oliver. There's gray at his temples and she has a hard time placing his age, although if she had to guess, she'd say late 30s to early 40s. Even though he's sitting down, she can tell he's in good shape, his broad chest and shoulders, showcased nicely in a three piece suit that looks expensive.
The sunglasses hide his eyes and as its overcast outside and dark in the cafe, she wonders why he wears them. Wonders what he might be hiding behind those glasses. A mask, she might be tempted to say. She shakes herself out of these contemplations as she realizes she is the one staring now, as a knowing smile suddenly appears on his face and he raises his coffee cup to her again.
Feeling that same mix of curiosity and unease, she raises her own cup back in a salute to him, before turning and heading for the door. She's not sure why she decides to retreat, but something in her warns her he could be dangerous and she's not ready to start playing whatever game he has in mind. Because she's pretty sure a man with a face like that, even without seeing his eyes, has secrets. She has enough of those in her life, she doesn't need more.
She winces as she realizes just how much of Oliver's paranoia has transferred to her, and with that in mind, tells herself to put the strange experience out of her mind. Two encounters in one week did not make an evil plot, she tells herself. But in the back of her mind, she wonders. It is Starling City after all.
Still feeling unsettled, she waves to the security guards as she heads into the QC lobby and towards the executive elevator. All thoughts of the strange man in sunglasses suddenly vanish as her phone buzzes to life with yet another crisis in the world of Oliver Queen, CEO.
Notes: So, it's begun. Should I continue? Is this something you might see happening or that intrigues you? Thoughts, comments, and constructive feedback are welcomed, especially as I try to feel out Slade and how he might possibly approach and work with Felicity. Thanks for reading and giving me your thoughts! (Either here or follow me on Tumblr (olicity1013) as I tend to post snippets and such there to get feedback first)