The gunshot wound, she knew, should be what she was concerned about. She knew it was bad, she'd felt the pain…the cold…and the heaviness of her body trying to pull her into unconsciousness. It was hard to keep her eyes open and she hadn't missed Digg saying that they needed to get her to the hospital as soon as they could. That meant that it was bad. Really bad. The pain was extreme, but she was just managing… Her concentration had been on Oliver. Maybe it was a distraction, but it was what she needed…to know that he was okay. The real concern for her right now wasn't in how much blood she was losing or even the pain, it was that she'd been watching Oliver and then the next moment she'd been wrapped in something and then just a flash of light.
"I don't understand why it's such a big deal—"
"They have to be worried sick!"
"If they got their bad guy, they could be here within the next half hour."
"And they'll be pissed."
"It's Felicity. There has to be a stronger word—"
"Are the two of them—"
"No, but—"
"I CAN hear you," Felicity said with a groan. She hurt. She hurt a lot. If the voices hadn't been familiar, then she'd have asked where she was when she finally opened her eyes.
Barry.
Cisco.
Caitlin.
STAR Labs.
Central City.
The flash she'd remembered had actually been Barry, it had been The Flash. He'd been there. He'd brought her to STAR Labs. She frowned as she looked around and didn't see any of her team. Team Flash was all present, but no one from Team Arrow…well, except her. "Why am I here?" she asked a moment later. She certainly would have thought that it would have been faster, even with Barry's speed, for him to have taken her to a hospital in Starling City rather than to STAR Labs in Central City. That just didn't make sense to her. She hadn't heard Oliver or Diggle say anything about Barry coming or calling him or STAR Labs. All she had was questions.
"Yeah…so, the obvious answer would be so you don't die," Cisco said as the group approached. "You're welcome, by the way."
"Cisco!" Caitlin scolded. And then a minute later, she added. "It's not like you pulled the bullet out." She turned her attention back to Felicity was a smile in place. "Ignore him. How are you feeling?"
"I hurt…because…I was shot," Felicity said slowly.
"You lost a lot of blood," she explained.
"But you're going to be fine," Barry said and looked to Caitlin. "Right?"
Caitlin nodded then. "You should be fine. Yes. But you're going to have to take it easy…"
"I can do that," Felicity said. All she could think was that no one was answering her question. There was SOMETHING going on there. She just didn't know what. "How about sitting? Can I sit?"
"No," Caitlin said almost too quickly.
Felicity frowned. "Are any of you going to answer my question?" she asked them and took the time to look them all over.
"Which question?" Cisco asked and she could tell that they were avoiding that topic.
So, since no one was talking, she tried to sit up, which only resulted in her letting out a short scream from the pain that shot up her side before she was being pushed back down. She couldn't just stay there, though. Felicity wanted to know WHY she was in Central City and if Oliver and Diggle were okay. She couldn't just lay there and act like there was nothing going on. It was far too obvious that something really was going on.
"Remember that part where I told you no sitting?" Caitlin reminded. "Doctor's orders."
"Why am I in Central City?" Felicity repeated.
"I was told to bring you here," Barry spoke up.
Felicity watched as Cisco and Caitlin immediately turned to look at him. They hadn't expected him to speak up. He had, though. She was grateful even if it wasn't exactly the kind of answer she was looking for. "Are Diggle and Oliver okay?"
"I think so?"
"You THINK so?" she asked. Felicity was going to put an arrow in him herself. If she hadn't just tried to sit up and found out as a result how bad of an idea that actually was, then she would have tried to sit up right then. "Where's my phone?"
"Uh…" Cisco rambled and looked around. "I thought we put them in the bin that Caitlin told us to, but now they're gone… I remember hearing your phone go off when there was blood and Caitlin's version of Operation. I don't know what happened to it, though."
Felicity groaned. "It couldn't have disappeared!" All she could think was that it didn't seem like Diggle or Oliver had told them to bring her there and that they had to be so worried. "Who asked you to bring me here?"
Silence.
Everyone was looking at someone else. They obviously didn't want to answer that question either. "I'm assuming not Oliver or Digg."
"No," Caitlin replied.
"Who else would have ordered you to bring me here, Barry?" Felicity asked. It was almost like she'd been blind to the fact that she knew exactly how Team Flash worked. "Doctor Wells…" she said slowly. "He's the only one who could have—"
"You're right, Ms. Smoak," Wells said and everyone parted and turned in the direction of his voice. "I am the one who ordered Barry to retrieve you and bring you back to STAR Labs. I am also the one who made sure that Caitlin saved your life."
"Why? Surely, Starling General would have been closer—"
"No."
Felicity stared at him, she was CERTAIN that factoring in Barry's speed that there was no way that being to a hospital IN Starling City wasn't closer than Central City. "No?" She really wished that she could get up right now.
"I needed to make sure that you were okay," Wells said as he moved closer to them. "You are important to me, Ms. Smoak. I thought I made that clear before." He paused for a moment. "You all are." Wells folded his hands in his lap and just stared at them all.
"Right, well… I would have thought that if I were so important that you wouldn't have risked my life…" she said and then looked to Caitlin. "No offense."
"None taken," Caitlin said as she looked between Felicity and Wells. "You DID lose quite a bit of blood. It was more than I would have liked."
"But the point of this all is that she is alive," Wells said. "And she's going to be fine."
Her personal items were all missing. Cisco had told her that. It was likely that Caitlin was so consumed with saving her life and that Cisco and Barry were assisting her that they wouldn't have noticed if someone were to wheel in there and just take them. She stared at Doctor Wells. When she'd first met him, it had been a bit surreal, he was definitely a science celebrity and she was still a little heady at how he knew who she was and about her schooling. That hadn't been everything, though, the last time she was there with Team Arrow…she'd felt a bit put off by Wells. There was just something that made her question her ability to trust him. He'd found out about Oliver when she'd refused to tell him and she remembered that Oliver had made some comment about Wells as well.
"Can I have my things back, please, Doctor Wells?"
"In due time."
In due time?
Felicity really didn't like any of this and pushed herself up even though she was in agonizing pain. It seemed like everyone was mostly too concerned with what was going on with Wells to really stop her. She just really needed to talk to Oliver and Diggle. They would figure it out, she thought. Oliver had been right there. Barry was fast, but he had to have stopped to pick her up. She remembered him wrapping her up in something before the flash. His red suit would have been something Oliver would have surely noticed. That was, if they were okay.
"Why DID you ask Barry to bring Felicity here?" Caitlin asked. "It was almost like you KNEW it was going to happen…"
"How would I have known something like that?" Wells questioned.
No one seemed able to answer that question.
"I need a phone," Felicity said as she held out her hand. Everyone had a cell phone and STAR Labs had a phone, so she didn't think it would really be a problem. She had expected Caitlin to hand over her phone, but instead there was screaming as Harrison Wells shot Barry and he fell to the floor like a ton of bricks. Felicity stared at him downed on the floor with Caitlin hovering over him in shock. "What did you do?!" Felicity questioned as she looked between Barry and Wells.
"It was only something to knock him out for a bit," Wells said matter of factly. He was holding a gun at them. "But this one. I guarantee you is NOT a tranquilizer."
They all just stared at him for a moment.
Waiting.
"We're all going to take a trip down to the Pipeline," Wells told them. "All of us."
"Felicity shouldn't be moved," Caitlin said quickly. "And how exactly are we supposed to get Barry down there?"
"You're all geniuses, right? Or so you thought," Wells told them as he stared at them. He paused for a moment before speaking again. "You'll figure it out."
"How are you feeling?"
All she could feel was rage and that rage was only making her feel sick as the pain coursed through her body like new. Felicity was laying flat on her back in the cell, but that was only because Caitlin had told her not to move…plus, there was less pain. Barry was still unconscious, his body was lying alongside her.
"Like I might throw up…" Felicity replied honestly as she closed her eyes.
"I'd rather you not do that right now," Cisco spoke up.
Confined space.
Felicity just nodded as she lie there with her eyes closed. She could hear the hum of everything around them and just felt like nothing made sense. The thing that really mattered right now, though, was that they were together and that they were all okay. She assumed that Barry was okay because she could hear him breathing. At least…for NOW…they were all okay.
"Oliver will come," Felicity said quietly.
"He's going to be in for one hell of a surprise."
Her eyes snapped open and the sound of the cover to the cell being lifted caught her attention along with the fact that Wells had been speaking. She really didn't care for anything that Wells had to say right now. She couldn't believe that he was the man that she'd idolized for so long. How could any of them? All four of them had trusted and looked up to Wells and now this…
Slowly, she sat up. Caitlin was there, making sure that she was okay as she moved. Cisco wasn't far and Caitlin didn't move from her side as Wells looked in from them, though the clear shield was still in place. There was no escaping for the moment, likely just having to be subjecting to listening to Wells. Felicity just hoped that this was the part where he laid out his whole evil plan because she knew that it wasn't going to work. Oliver was going to come for her. Hell, the entire TEAM would be coming for her. If Wells was smart, he'd get a head start and be on the run.
Before anything was said though, Felicity watched in shock as Harrison Wells slowly moved his feet until they came into contact with the floor. Weight was shifted and he was standing. The man that they all looked up to and admired, the man whose legs were supposed to have been taken from him after the particle accelerator blew up, he'd conned them all.
"SHUT. UP," Cisco let out.
"But—" Caitlin managed to get out, her voice full of a mixture of emotions, but nothing more.
"Why are you doing this?" was all Felicity could focus on a breath later.
"To keep you safe," Wells answered as he walked towards their cell. "To keep you ALL safe."
"Safe from what?"
"The world."
"You're a little late for that," Cisco commented. "Plus, we're not safe from YOU."
Wells was smirking now. "You don't understand."
"So, explain it to us," Caitlin suggested. It was clear in her voice that she was hurt and confused. Felicity knew that Caitlin, Cisco, Barry, and herself all had looked up to Doctor Wells…so to find out that he wasn't exactly what he said he was…that was beyond hurtful and betraying…there was just no words for it.
"I'm a father."
"Oh-kay," Cisco said slowly. "That's not exactly an explanation."
"For so long, you…Caitlin…Cisco…have been in a way, like my children," Wells told them as he stood just on the other side of the shield. "And then Barry came into our lives…closer to a son to me in OTHER ways than you, Cisco…" He tilted his head and smiled almost evilly. "Don't feel hurt, Cisco… There's something you don't quite understand about me, yet. Something that makes Barry and I more similar…"
"Hurt isn't exactly the word I was thinking…"
"But I have a daughter. One that I've been tracking her whole life. One that thinks that I abandoned her and her mother when she was younger," Wells said and his eyes settled on her.
Felicity just stared at him, trying to understand what Wells was saying. Her father had left her. Years and years and years before. He'd left her AND her mother. Harrison Wells wasn't her father, though. She was fairly sure that she would have remembered that. Her mind was trying to hold tight to Wells' words and to try to comprehend them. They just didn't make sense though.
"You're bright, Felicity, but that doesn't mean your memory is gospel of what happened all those years ago," Wells continued. "You were just a little girl…"
"Wait… Felicity?! Felicity is YOUR daughter?" Cisco asked. Felicity watched as he looked back between her and Wells quickly a few times.
It couldn't be true.
"Yes and no."
"I thought you were going to explain things."
"Time is a complicated thing," Wells explained cryptically.
A groan from Barry scared them all as he suddenly was stirring. His movement, temporarily pulling their attention to him. "I think I was hallucinating—"
"You weren't," Felicity, Cisco, and Caitlin all replied instantly.
Barry was helped into a sitting position and they all just stared at Wells for a long moment. They were waiting for him to make the next move. "What did I miss?"
"Too much," Caitlin mumbled.
Felicity had to agree with Caitlin on that. 'Too much' just felt the closest that they could get to explaining what Barry had missed without really getting into it. In all honesty, Felicity REALLY didn't want to repeat what Wells had said. She was actually hoping that she could un-know what Wells had actually said.
"Felicity's apparently Doctor Wells' daughter AND he can walk," Cisco summed up in about two moments. "Now you're caught up."
Her hands covered her face and she closed her eyes as she thought about punching Cisco. They really didn't need to all hear all of that horror again. It was possible, she supposed. Why would someone lie about something like that? Sure, she already knew that Harrison Wells knew more than she'd expected…but did that make him her father? Did she really care right now? Could she ask for proof? Did she WANT to?
"Uh, wow…didn't expect that," Barry mumbled.
"None of us did," Felicity responded weakly.
"I feel like we should be asking him questions," Cisco brought up.
So far, Wells had left them alone and had seemed busy with his tablet. They all already knew that those cells were all designed to HOLD a metahuman, which meant that not even Barry was getting them out. There they all were, sitting in the cell and Felicity was just happy that this wasn't where all four of them were going to have to live because it was a bit of a cramped space for four people.
"Like what?" Caitlin asked.
Barry sighed. "Maybe what he thinks he's going to accomplish holding us."
Felicity was tired, though Caitlin had already told her that that was normal. She just wanted to sleep, that was her body's way of telling her that rest would equal healing. She ran her fingers through her hair as she sat there, half watching Wells. The fact that he'd said he was her father…she just didn't know how to take that. Did he want her to join him in whatever evil plot he was hatching? Or was that supposed to just be something to confuse and possibly appease her into silence while he did whatever he was doing.
"Oliver should be here," Cisco reminded. "There's no way that they aren't coming for Felicity. Oliver HAS to realize that Barry took her…"
"He'll be here," Barry said.
Silence.
"You okay?" Barry asked as he scooted closer to Felicity. She'd noticed him moving closer to her, but she had a feeling that he was just concerned by her silence.
"We're friends, right? It's not awkward?" Felicity asked him quietly, giving Barry her full attention.
Barry shrugged. "Yeah. We're friends."
"What do I do?" she asked. "I don't even know how to process the fact that Harrison Wells might actually be my father…"
"I can hear all of you," Wells' voice interrupted rather loudly.
Felicity looked over to see him now standing right at the shield. She was about to say something when all of the alarms went off. Immediately, she knew what that meant even without knowing WHY those alarms had been set. Oliver. Her team. Team Arrow. They were there to rescue her. Rescue all of them. Wells was no match for Oliver or the team—
"Remember when I said there's something that none of you know?" Wells asked as his voice changed. He was vibrating his vocal cords, it hit Felicity a few moments later. It was something that Barry could do. Eyes wide, she couldn't take her eyes off of him. "I didn't want it to be like this. I hope all of you know that. That's why I have to keep you safe now. You might not appreciate it now, but you will."
"You're…the Reverse Flash?" she realized suddenly that Cisco had asked.
"Yes."
"Why?" Barry asked.
They all knew what he was asking. They'd found evidence that at least two speedsters had been at the Allen house all of those years ago, that the man in the yellow suit had likely been the responsible one for Nora Allen's death because Barry was the other speedster. He'd gone back in time to save his mother, but had failed. Since then, Barry had made it his mission to figure out how to go back in time, determined to save his mother this time. All the while, the Reverse Flash had been right in front of all of them.
"It doesn't matter now."
"It does!" Barry argued angrily. Felicity let out a scream when Barry hit the shield at full force. She and Caitlin got back, their backs against one wall while Cisco was on the other side in much of the same fashion. Even though Barry KNEW how strong those cells were, that they were reinforced and what metahumans they kept down there in the Pipeline, he seemed determined to break free just the same.
"Calm down now, Mr. Allen," Wells said all too calmly. "You're only upsetting those that you claim to love and care about." He looked directly at her now. "I would release you, but I'd rather not have you see what I am going to be forced to do to your friends."
Her heart raced and her mind spun.
Oliver.
Diggle.
Roy.
HER team.
They were all there to get to her. By now, they would have really known that something was up, since it was likely that Wells had the entirety of STAR Labs locked down. That wouldn't stop them, though, and Wells knew that. She pushed herself away from the wall and moved as close as she felt safe to, to the shield. Tears were running down her cheeks as the grim reality of what the Reverse Flash could do to them all…to Oliver. It was one thing when it was Oliver versus Barry, but quite another when it was someone who had obviously had such practice with his powers. "Please!" she begged. "Don't hurt them!"
"I'll do whatever it takes for me to keep you safe."
"You say that you're my father," Felicity blurted out. "In whatever weird timey whiney way… FINE. That makes US family." All she could think was that she needed to make him realize that what he was doing was hurting her. A father didn't hurt his child, not intentionally. At least not a good one. "Oliver. Diggle. Roy. Whoever is out there for me. They're my family, too." She took a moment to breath, her breath shuddering as she sucked it in. "You claim that we're all your family, don't do this. PLEASE. DO. NOT. DO. THIS."
Wells seemed amused now. "I'm listening," he said as his head tilted to the side. "What else would you suggest?"
"Let me talk to them," Felicity said before she really thought it through. "They just want to make sure that I'm okay. That's the ONLY reason why they came here. You had Barry take me and I was injured."
"You would have died, if I hadn't—"
"And I'm not saying that you didn't do the right thing," she interrupted quickly. "But that's WHY they're here."
"Plus, they've been probably trying to call us," Cisco brought up. "No one's answering the phones."
"I disabled communications to the outside world within STAR Labs the moment I sent Barry out to retrieve Felicity from that alleyway," Wells informed them.
"So, let Caitlin and I go out there," Felicity reasoned. "We can tell them that I'm okay." She paused, trying to think through this idea fully as the words popped out of her mouth. "Caitlin can tell them something super medically." She looked over to Caitlin. "You can do that, right?"
"I—I guess?" Caitlin offered.
"The real question here, is how can I trust you both to be convincing?" Wells spoke up. "And for Barry to not attempt anything when I bring up the shield?"
"We'll sedate him," Felicity said without a second thought.
"What?" Caitlin, Cisco, and Barry asked in unison.
She turned to the others immediately. "Please," she begged. They might not have been as close as she was with her team, but she felt like the way that they all clicked because of their intellectual level and just how they were all equals made them close. They had a family within their team, how could they not understand her wanting to save hers with Team Arrow? Wouldn't they do the exact same thing? "PLEASE, Caitlin."
Caitlin nodded reluctantly before they both looked to Barry.
"I—I won't be able to protect either of you," Barry told them, he was obviously reluctant for specific reasons in regards to this plan. She understood them and thought he was so sweet to be so concerned for their safety, but all she could think about was how Wells could easily kill Oliver, Diggle, and Roy and she couldn't imagine living without them…it wasn't even just losing Team Arrow…that life…it was losing the people that were most important in it. The four of them, they were like misfits in this special hero world…and she could see the understanding suddenly in Barry's eyes before he nodded.
"You'll be helping to protect THEM," Felicity whispered.
"I don't know why you all don't seem to understand that I wouldn't hurt any of you…unless you provoked me," Wells spoke up before putting the sedative in to be dispensed into the cell.
A moment later, a tray popped open with a syringe in it. Felicity watched as Caitlin picked it up and examined it before looking back to Wells. "How do we know—"
"If I wanted to kill Barry, I would have killed him when I killed his mother."
"It's okay, Caitlin," Barry told her.
Felicity felt sick about all of this. She bit her bottom lip to suppress her normal speech about how Oliver could always tell when she was lying, so this was just going to be interesting in general. She was fairly sure that Caitlin really wasn't good at it either, they were women of science (in one respect or another) and they preferred facts and the truth over lies and deception. That was just how THEIR respective fields worked. She watched as Caitlin cringed as she injected Barry with the sedative and he dropped to the floor like a ton of bricks, she and Cisco did the best that they could to ease it.
"Oh God!" Felicity exclaimed.
"Next time, maybe we should suggest sitting before we try something like that," Cisco commented.
"I'd prefer NEVER having to do something like this again," Caitlin replied angrily as she looked towards Wells. Felicity watched as Caitlin checked Barry's vitals before moving towards where she was standing by the shield.
It was a moment before Wells finally raised it. Likely, he was waiting to ensure that the sedative had taken affect and that Cisco wasn't going to do anything stupid. Hesitantly, Felicity and Caitlin stepped out of the cell. Felicity intertwined her arm around Caitlin's, keeping her close. She had a feeling that Caitlin appreciated the closeness because her hand covered Felicity's on her arm. They were both nervous.
"You two both understand what I am capable of," Wells said as he walked back to his wheelchair with his back to them. It wasn't like they could do anything. He was the Reverse Flash. "So, I am sure you understand what I can do to Oliver Queen, John Diggle, and Roy Harper…and what will happen to your friends down here…" Wells sat in his chair. "Barry and Cisco aren't the only ones who I can hurt…" Felicity swore she saw an evil twinkle in his eyes. "Don't screw up, ladies."
"You're okay?!" Oliver asked and his arms were around her.
Felicity didn't want to let go of Caitlin, but she did ever so briefly as she embraced Oliver. Her fingers digging into the green leather as she screwed her eyes shut, savoring his hold. She wanted to spill everything to him right there, but she could feel Wells' gaze on her and she KNEW what he was capable of. She knew the secret that they couldn't. "I'm sorry," she blurted out. "I told them not to call you…and then when I wanted to…there was a weird thing with the systems. Cisco just got the main power back up…and the computers…but the phones are all still down…and whatever it was…it affected cell phones too. Some weird interfering signal or something," she said and realized that lying to Oliver was a little bit easier when she didn't have to look at him.
Eventually, she took a step back and couldn't bring herself to looking at Oliver…or Diggle or Roy. "I'm so sorry if I worried you—"
Oliver interrupted her, "How did Barry know—"
"I'm afraid that I'm responsible for that, Mr. Queen," Wells spoke up. Oliver's attention went from her to Wells. "I have Cisco monitoring Starling City as well as Central City… Just in case your team needs assistance… We're friends, so it only seemed natural," Wells told him. Felicity wondered the entire time if Oliver was buying it, she glanced up occasionally to read his face. "Someone put in a call to nine-one-one saying that a woman had been shot and the description screwed of Ms. Smoak, plus the fact that they named the Arrow as being present… Ms. Smoak is far too intelligent and beautiful of a person to leave this world at such an early age, I'm sure that you agree…"
Oliver gave him a nod and their eyes met. Felicity could see some kind of change in them. She looked nervously down at her fingers as she fidgeted, he reached out and stilled them as his hand covers hers. "I don't know how I can thank you, Doctor Wells," Oliver said. His tone was even and grateful. "She's very special."
"Where IS Cisco?" Roy spoke up. Felicity didn't miss him looking around. "And Barry?"
"They're…out," Caitlin said suddenly and Felicity could tell that she hadn't actually meant to be the one answering.
Felicity put on a smile and looked towards Roy. "Don't worry, Cisco said that he's working on something for your suit, too."
"Yes!" Roy exclaimed excitedly.
"Do we need to stick around for goodbyes or we ready to go? I'm starving," Diggle half complained.
They'd intended to get dinner, but then they'd all been needed out in the field. Oliver had promised that they'd get dinner once they were done. Obviously, that hadn't happened. All of them got grumpy when they were hungry…though, in all honesty, Felicity wasn't sure if she knew anyone who didn't get grumpy when they were hungry.
"I was actually hoping that I could…sta-ay…" Felicity said looking from Diggle to Oliver. She hoped that Oliver wouldn't press. That he would accept things. She couldn't handle what Wells could do to him. Looking back, she saw Caitlin seemed nervous…almost like she was trying to come up with a good reason for Felicity to stay. "Actually, I promised Caitlin that I would stay until tomorrow so she could monitor me…and then Cisco actually had something that he wanted me to work on," she said as she looked back to Oliver.
Please believe me.
"Is it a new gadget?" Roy asked.
He sounded like a kid on Christmas.
"It's a surprise," Felicity teased. Somehow, with Roy, it was easier. Maybe it was because they just weren't as close as she and Oliver and Diggle were. Time would only change that. Though, she sort of hoped that she always had ONE member of the team that she felt like she could lie to (for their own good, of course).
"I know you could monitor her, Mr. Diggle," Caitlin spoke up suddenly. "But I'd just feel better if she stayed a bit longer—"
"We understand," Oliver said quickly. He looked away from her, Felicity assumed to Wells. He smiled. "Thank you so much for looking out for Felicity."
"Of course," Wells responded. "She is a…rare…find."
"Yes, she is," Oliver agreed.
"I'm sure Barry will be more than willing to make sure that she is returned to you in Starling City tomorrow."
"Actually, I was thinking that since it was so late…that we would stay in town," Oliver said. "It might be nice to have half a day away from home…"
"Of course."
"I'm sure I can get Cisco, Caitlin, and Barry to put together a list of their favorite places to eat…or places that just cannot be missed," Wells offered.
"I'd appreciate that," Oliver said. He looked back to Felicity. "Unless you want company here?"
"We'd just be in the way, Oliver," Diggle spoke up.
Their eyes felt like they were exchanging words, even though there were none. She just hoped that he could understand what she wished she could tell him telepathically. Though, Felicity felt like there was no possible way that Oliver actually could guess that Harrison Wells was the Reverse Flash. "No," Felicity said and smiled and reached out to take his hands for a moment, her eyes never leaving him. "No, you'd be in the way…and you'd be bored…and Cisco will just want to ask a million questions…" She squeezed his hands and then felt suddenly sad. "Remember, though, best coffee in Central City…Jitters…"
"I remember," Oliver said.
"People stare at you, but the coffee is definitely the best."
"So…we're going then?" Roy asked. "Do you guys need us to pick you up anything?"
Caitlin spoke up again, obviously trying to get rid of them as well. "No. Cisco is going to text us when they're on their way back. They'll pick up something. Thank you, though."
Oliver nodded. "Okay then, you all have fun," he said as he pulled Felicity close and pressed a long kiss to her cheek. Her eyes closed and she wished again that she could spill everything out to him. All she kept thinking was that he HAD to leave, so that he would be okay. "Wells?" Oliver barely whispered against her ear before pulling back, a smile still on her face.
Felicity just stared at him, unsure how to respond. She remembered that Oliver had made some comment before about Wells. She'd felt a weirdness about him too and the fact that he'd gone to great lengths to figure out the Arrow's identity, it had just rubbed her the wrong way. She could understand why Oliver would suspect Wells. He was right to. "If you're going to be in town…if there's any crazy metahuman activity…and Barry needs back-up…can we call you? Hypothetically, of course," Felicity put out there. She was trying not to directly answer the question because she wasn't sure HOW Oliver would react if she signaled that it WAS Wells.
"It's been fairly quiet," Wells spoke up. Felicity's eyes still never left Oliver. "I'm sure that Barry can handle things…"
"But we're just a call away," Oliver said and again he looked over to Wells. He squeezed her hands back before letting go.
All she wanted to do was to grab hold of his hands tighter and scream for him not to leave her. Not to leave any of them. She could still feel Wells' stare. Did he suspect? Was she normal enough? It wasn't like he had seen her interactions with Team Arrow that much. She just hoped that it was believable. Felicity watched in horror and happiness as Oliver, Diggle, and Roy left them.
They were safe.
They WOULD be safe.
Silence.
"They're leaving the building, so whatever that was between you and Oliver Queen—" Wells said.
Before she could think or really realize what she was saying, the largest lie escaped her lips…probably because she wished it was true. "Oliver and I are dating…it's serious..we're practically engaged," she lied. She wasn't facing Wells, her eyes still on the doorway that her team had walked through, hoping that she'd done the right thing. Felicity hoped that Wells couldn't detect that she was lying. That he believed her.
"He told Barry that the hero doesn't get the girl."
Felicity's head snapped to look back at Wells. She was angry. Angry at him for being her father, for telling her, for telling the whole world (or at least it seemed like that in that moment), for him shooting Barry (even if it had been a sedative and not a bullet), for locking them all up in the Pipeline, for making them sedate Barry, for making her do what she'd just done, for threatening those that she cared about, and for saying what he'd just said. "Something that Oliver's been learning the last couple of years… There's always another way. We're better working together. We're partners."
"In all things?" Wells asked, his eyebrows raised.
Yes.
Well, no.
But she wished it was 'yes'.
"Can we get back to the whole part where you march Caitlin and I back to Cisco and Barry?" Felicity asked instead of responding with the proper answer to his question. She crossed her arms over her chest, screwed her mouth up, and looked towards Caitlin. It was tense and all she wanted…was to be away from Wells.
"I suppose…and now we're going to have to figure out the best way to handle things… Perhaps that's something you can ponder, Felicity, as we make our way back down to the Pipeline."
"Well, THIS sucks."
That was stating the rather obvious.
"I mean, we don't even get a deck of cards."
Felicity wasn't in the mood for games.
"If you asked nicely, Doctor Wells would probably give you a deck," Felicity said quietly. That didn't mean she wanted to play. She was just fairly sure after he'd gone off about how they were all so precious to him, that a request for playing cards would be something he could do.
"You know what we need to work on?" Cisco asked now, to no one in particular. Felicity had a feeling that he just wasn't too keen on the silence that had stretched on. "Replicators. Those would come in really handy right now."
Caitlin groaned.
Barry just seemed out of it and Felicity knew how he felt. They were all miserable, Cisco was just coping with it in another way. Probably the almost claustrophobia of the space wasn't helping things either. They needed a plan, but the truth was, unless they could find a flaw in the cell, they were screwed. Even then, they'd have to go up against the Reverse Flash, who was someone that so far…none of them had been able to defeat.
Silence filled the cell again.
Time passed.
Silence continued.
"Wait," Cisco spoke up, breaking the silence that had stretched on quite some time. It was almost jarring when he finally spoke up again. Everyone looked over at him. "Ronnie was an engineer…he was on the project for the particle accelerator…"
"Are you high?" Barry asked, obviously confused at this sudden realization. They really were thoughts that they were ALL thinking. "Or did you hit your head?"
"No," Cisco said with a frown. "No! Think about it. Ronnie helped build these things technically…so—"
"So what?" Caitlin snapped.
"I—maybe we can find a flaw," Cisco blurted out. The thought obviously not well thought out in the first place.
"Doctor Wells choose the best of the best, Cisco," Caitlin argued. "There aren't going to be any flaws."
"But what if we could expose some kind of electrical?" Felicity spoke up suddenly.
"I'm not following any of this," Barry said honestly and tiredly.
Fatigue had already hit her. Part of it was because of the pain and the lack of pain meds. She was certain that if she said something, Wells would send in pain pills for her, but she just didn't want to HAVE to ask Wells for HELP. Right now, she was managing the pain. Or at least, she was trying to. The whole not moving or really do anything was helping with that. "Maybe we could get the door open."
"He'd be here in a split second," Barry argued. "And then what will happen?"
"Didn't he say we were precious?" Cisco countered.
Caitlin shook her head. "Let's be honest. The only one that we can be certain that Wells will go to any length to keep safe is Felicity."
"We could always threaten to harm her."
"Cisco!" Barry and Caitlin scolded immediately.
"I didn't mean for real, guys…"
"He'd see through that," Felicity brought up. "Plus, if he's really that protective…I feel like he'd be in here and either separate us and kill the person who was threatening me. So, all in all…not the best plan."
"Even if we just have a split second," Caitlin said quietly and thoughtfully. "That would be enough to at least get Barry out…"
"And then what?" Barry asked.
"I don't know."
Felicity understood the merit in that idea. "It doesn't matter…you'd be out. One of us would be out. Maybe with Oliver's help—"
Frowning, Barry shook his head. "It's risky."
"So is doing anything besides sitting here."
"What if we could get someone out by tricking Wells?" Cisco questioned.
Felicity sighed and thought about it, it would have to be her and she really didn't like that plan. "Do you really think he'd buy it?"
"No."
"I don't think so either…"
"I think he'd WANT to believe, though."
"Are you making 'X-Files' references?" Barry asked after a beat.
"I can't help it if the truth is out there," Cisco teased.
It was enough to make everyone smile in response.
They'd tried every single panel that they could find an edge on in that cell, none of them would even budge at the seam. It all seemed hopeless and like they were going to have to go with the really bad reckless plans. Felicity wasn't thrilled about it, but she knew that even IF Oliver had believed her and Caitlin (though, he hadn't…he knew that Wells was involved in something), the clock was ticking. She couldn't be held captive at STAR Labs forever, Oliver and Team Arrow would come for her. She needed to get ahead of that. She needed to make a choice.
Getting to her feet, Felicity moved to the shield and looked out. They hadn't seen Wells in some time. They'd had full conversations about favorite 'Star Trek' series (including best captain and favorite romantic ships), who was their Doctor and favorite companion, favorite 'X-Files' episode, what was the correct order to watch 'Star Wars' in (along with everything wrong with the newer movies), the super power they'd choose if they could, and then finally how they just needed to figure out how to build a TARDIS to get them all the hell out of that cell. In that whole time, Wells had been absent.
The truth of it all was that Felicity was anxious. What if Oliver and the others were trying to get in? What if her father was trying to kill those that she loved and held so dear and close? They'd sat around and there hadn't been any opening or any opportunity to get out of there, so it was time that Felicity make the first move.
"Doctor Wells?" she called loudly and banged on the clear shield.
In a flash, he was there. He'd used his super speed and it was clear that he WAS the Reverse Flash. She didn't doubt it, but it was just in your face evidence. Felicity took a step back, his speedy presence had been unexpected.
"Yes, Felicity?"
"I—I—"
Wells stood there and seemed to wait for her to say something, but Felicity couldn't get it out. "Are you trying to convince me to let you out of this cell?" he asked.
"Good behavior?" came out of her mouth before she could really think about it. It wasn't her fault, she was nervous and she tried to keep from being depressed or letting the world drown out her light. He smirked in response. "As your father, I would love to bring you out of that cell. For us to sit down and talk about everything that I missed in your life. For everything that you want for the future. I want to make it all happen for you, Felicity." Wells took a step to the side and tilted his head, seeming like he was checking on the others behind her. Felicity didn't turn to see what the others were doing. She didn't want to seem any more nervous than she already was. "But I know that you're not that little girl that I left with Donna in Las Vegas all those years ago… I know where your loyalties lie…and after seeing you with Oliver Queen…I understand why I can't hope for it to sway so easily…"
"I told you," Felicity said firmly, trying not to completely change her tone. "Oliver Queen, John Diggle, Roy Harper…Barry, Caitlin, Cisco…they're all my family…a family that I had to construct for myself…a family that loved me for me instead of not knowing what to do with me because I was too smart or didn't fit in…"
"You were always a clever girl…"
"Now he's just quoting 'Jurassic Park'," Cisco said. "Aw man! We totally missed the whole discussion on favorite 'JP' movie AND best dinosaur!"
That didn't take her focus, though. Her eyes didn't leave this man that was supposed to be her father. Doctor Harrison Wells, a year ago…she likely would have said that she would have loved to pick her as her father. Now she found that he WAS her father and Felicity couldn't find a way to accept the truth. Maybe it was because she kept thinking that growing up with this man as her father would have made her life so easy, but then she'd realize…she would have never been where she was now. There was nothing in this world that would make her choose her life differently.
"Felicity, I know that there is greatness in you… Though, I wasn't with you all your life, I watched over you from afar. I knew that you were capable of so much and I know that you are capable of so much more," Wells told her after a moment. "I wish that you could be at my side… I just wish I could trust you."
Trust.
It hit Felicity.
Trust.
She suddenly couldn't breathe. Instead of blurting out the hard thought that hit her, she just nodded. "I get it. I mean…it would take a lot for me to give up Team Arrow and Team Flash… But I'm sure you understand WHY…"
"I do. It's admirable."
"Maybe even remarkable," she whispered to herself, almost in a trance as she turned to the side. The idea that had hit her was almost crippling her. She was barely keeping herself upright and calm.
"Felicity?"
"I'm sorry…this is just really hard for me," she said and broke down.
And it was the truth.
"Felicity, I know that you've been through a lot today. It's likely overwhelming." He gasped suddenly and he seemed stunned for a moment. "Why didn't you say anything?"
Confused, Felicity just stared at him.
"Are you okay?!" Caitlin was asking now and at her side.
It was then that she realized that her hand hand been over the spot she'd been shot. Felicity looked down and could see that it was staining once again with her own blood. The sight of blood was making her feel ill and dizzy. The pain was shooting through her suddenly and felt overwhelming.
A moment later, she was being eased onto the floor.
"Give me another sedative," Barry said.
Felicity could just see Caitlin as she hovered over her. She unbuttoned her blouse and was apparently checking why Felicity was bleeding again. "I just need to rest," she whispered as her eyes closed for a moment. She really was exhausted. Certain that she'd overdone it, Felicity just lay there for a moment waiting for Caitlin to say the same thing.
"How bad, Caitlin?" Barry asked a moment later.
"I think she's okay…" Caitlin spoke up. "It looks like she probably just popped some of the stitches…" She sighed. "She shouldn't be stressed or overdoing it. Felicity should be in a hospital, resting. I don't even remember how long it's been since she got her pain meds. That's not helping."
"She's not going to a hospital," Wells said.
"I'm okay," Felicity whispered as her eyes slowly open. "Just need a nap…and maybe a bottle of water."
"You need to be restitched up," Caitlin corrected. "You need pain medication, you need food and water, and you need to rest."
"I can always transfer the two of you to a separate cell," Wells offered.
"No," Felicity said quickly.
"I'll bring you everything you need then, Doctor Snow."
"For a second there, I thought you were faking it," Caitlin admitted.
The pain was real and it had all just hit at the wrong time. "Believe me, this is not something I could fake…"
Wells returned, sending in everything that Caitlin needed before leaving them. That worried Felicity, but at the same time…she pushed it out of her mind for the moment, not wanting to stress about it since she couldn't change any of it right now. That thought, the horrible one, kept circling her brain. Felicity closed her eyes again and tried to push it away, but it wouldn't go.
Silence.
Cisco was once again the person who broke it. "I really wanted to say something, but you two were just talking and talking.." He paused. "Did he just seriously go 'Felicity, I am your father'," Cisco spoke up in his best Darth Vader voice. "And then go all 'Join the Dark Side…we have cookies' on you?"
"Really, Cisco?" Caitlin asked.
"What?"
She didn't know how much time had passed as she'd slept comfortably. All she knew when she opened her eyes was exactly what she had to do. The sleep had made it easier somehow. Maybe it was because she was thinking clearer. Felicity wasn't positive, but she was certain that that was a possibility.
"Hey."
Blinking, she smiled at Barry who was looking down at her. "Hi," she whispered. How could she do what she kept thinking she needed to do? She'd lose so much. This would be goodbye. Could she really live that life? Could she lose this family that she'd built? That had come together all on its own? She looked from side to side to see that both Caitlin and Cisco were sleeping, Barry was the only one who was awake. Now had to be the time, Felicity realized. She just wished that she had more time. "I need you to do something for me."
"Anything."
"I need you to let me go."
His face crunched up, confusion clear on his face. "What?"
This was going to be hard. The thing was that she didn't want to make it harder. "Please…don't wake them up…"
"You're not making sense."
Felicity sighed and stared at him. "Barry Allen," she started quietly. "You've been my friend…not long enough, but I feel like I've known you all my life."
"Yeah," Barry agreed. "I feel the same."
"There's a connection between us, so I need you to really think and not make me explain everything to you right now," Felicity said. Mainly she was just too worried she'd get far too emotional and not be able to go through with it, if she did. "Harrison Wells is my father. He is willing to kill Oliver and my team…and he's willing to kill all of you."
"Felicity—"
"So now you know what I have to do…I'm the one that Wells wants," Felicity explained. "The one that he REALLY wants."
"So, what? You're just going to go with him?"
"Yes."
"That's crazy."
"So is sitting in here and imagining that he could be killing Oliver, John, and Roy…and then come for the rest of you at any moment…every minute that I'm sitting in here," Felicity told him. It wasn't easy for her to hold it together, but somehow she kept the tears at bay. "Please Barry…"
"Oliver—"
"You tell him that I love him."
"Felicity—"
She smiled up at her, her hand brushing against his cheek. "I love you, too," she whispered. Barry was like a brother to her. It was so wonderful and odd that she felt so close to him and they'd not really spent that much time together. "I love all of you."
"He could hurt you."
"He won't."
"You don't know that."
"I know that he won't hurt any of you if I do this."
"Felicity, please—"
"Shhh…don't wake up the others," Felicity told him. She waited a moment before speaking up again. "Help me up."
"Caitlin said you needed to rest."
"I don't want to have to say goodbye to them, too," she tried to explain. "This is hard enough."
Rain fell and for a moment, Felicity felt like the weather was reflecting her feelings. When they'd had their little talk about what super power she would WANT, the ability to control weather was not what she'd wanted…she'd wanted something like empathic abilities, to be able to show people how she saw them…to push her light and hope into them. Right now, she needed someone to do that for her. The roll of thunder sounded before lightning flashed through the sky a moment later. Right now, the rain could just never end…it could flood…and she could drown in it…and it still wouldn't ease the misery that she was experiencing.
She was alone.
It had been so long since she'd been alone like this.
"How can I trust you?"
It was a good question.
"I'm your daughter, remember?" Felicity reminded as she stared out the window, tears streaming down her cheeks. She was certain that he knew that she wasn't happy about this. It had been clear to her when he released her from the cell in the Pipeline that he knew exactly what she was doing. It had come down to Wells getting what he wanted (well, not exactly EVERYTHING because he had really wanted to hold onto Barry, Caitlin, and Cisco). This was better, though. She kept reminding herself of that. Felicity was the one that he wouldn't harm…the others were redshirts to Wells…expendable.
They were safe, that was what mattered.
"That doesn't mean I can trust you."
And he was right.
"I know what you're capable of," Felicity brought up. The truth was, that she really didn't know EVERYTHING Harrison Wells or his persona as the Reverse Flash COULD do, but she could imagine. She hated that somehow a part of her was a part of him. Never again, would she wonder how her life would have been if her father hadn't left her…or taken her away with him…the father that had understood her and had challenged her. She knew how her life would have been and Oliver had been right when he'd said to her that he was glad that she'd gone through what she had because otherwise she wouldn't be the person she was…the person he loved.
Felicity wasn't a villain.
That was thanks to the hard life she'd pushed herself through. It was from having a mother who had worked tirelessly in six inch heels, who had made sure that she'd had a roof over her head. It was from finding herself in her own time and her own way. It was from leaving Las Vegas and launching herself into the world…to MIT, to Starling City, to Queen Consolidated…and to Team Arrow. To Oliver.
Felicity was a hero.
"That's true."
The decision to not care if he saw her as weak or emotional came to her and she turned to face him, not worrying about wiping away tears or making sure her mascara wasn't running. Right now, she thought that Harrison Wells thought that he had done everything right by her with bringing her to wherever they were. He'd gotten her things from her apartment, she had absolutely everything she might need. He'd made her comfortable. The thing was, he couldn't make this right…and keep her. That was something that Felicity didn't think that he'd realize.
Her voice was filled with emotion as she spoke, her eyes on him the entire time. "I know that you know all of the people I care about and I know what you can do to them," she countered. "I won't let that happen. They're MY family. THEY ARE. Even if I never see them again, I know that by staying here…by playing by the rules…that they're out there in the world… That's why you can trust me."
Wells just stared at her. "They'll continue to look for you."
"And you're going to leave them alone. You're the Reverse Flash. You can avoid them. You're faster and better than Barry…if you expect me to make an effort here…then you have to make an effort to keep your promise out there in the world," Felicity told him firmly. This was how it was going to be. Felicity knew that she really just had to have faith that Wells would do it.
"This place is a HOME, Felicity," Wells told her. "It's not a prison."
"Where are we?"
"Home."
As far as her eye could see, there was no one out there. There was rain, a dark sky, the sound of thunder, the flash of lightning, a green plain that stretched out until it touched the forest, and the forest stretching until it met mountains behind it. Wherever they were, it wasn't close to civilization.
This was a prison, it just was a spacious one.
"What do you expect me to do here?" Felicity asked. "You know, other than being bored out of my mind, humoring your need for father-daughter interaction, and giving you unpleasant looks whenever you decide you need to be the Reverse Flash?"
Her words apparently amused him because Wells was smirking now. "Did you really think I'd bring you out here…to the middle of nowhere…and expect you to do nothing?" Wells asked. "Come with me," Wells said.
So far, all she'd seen was the simple bedroom that was hers. It was fine. She didn't expect much. Anything that Wells allowed her would disappoint her anyways because it wasn't the life that she was used to. But she followed him as he led her towards the door that led down into the basement. There was no lock on the door, he just opened it and headed down.
Lights came on by themselves, Felicity assumed that they were trigger via motion detectors. When she came to the bottom of the stairs, she just stopped and stared at what was down there. It looked like a cross between STAR Labs and the Foundry. It was ALMOST like being home. ALMOST.
"These computers will allow you to READ anything from the internet, but that's it," Wells told her. "So, you can monitor your friends and their vigilante activities."
It was something.
"Perhaps, if you prove trustworthy with this…I'll allow more," he put out there. "Contact with them even…"
Contact.
God, how she wished she could just send off an e-mail to explain everything to all of them. To send one to Oliver and explain things, to tell him that he couldn't look for her anymore. To tell him that she loved him, even if she never saw him again…to remind him or who he was.
"Does this mean I can have a Netflix account?" she asked instead of pushing for the contact that she so desperately wanted. "You know, if I'm going to be suck here…I could do A LOT of marathoning. I mean, hopefully it has everything I'm thinking I should marathon."
Wells smiled at her. "If not, I'll make arrangements for you to have what you want."
Of course.
"Thank you," Felicity said. "For not taking everything away."
Right now, she was a prisoner, but she needed to make the best of it. Good behavior would get her contact with her family, with the people that made this all worth it. She wasn't going to screw it up or make things harder on herself if she could help it.
Right now, this was home.
But, there was another truth that she wouldn't admit to Wells ever, for fear of what he'd do.
Oliver was her Home.
No matter where she was hidden.
No matter what Wells did.
No matter how horrible things got.
Oliver was her Home.
The End.