"Never hate people who are jealous of you, but respect their jealousy. They're people who think that you're better than them. "
Present
The last thing she remembered didn't make sense to her. She tried to force herself to remember things more clearly. Felicity sat in the darkness, bound and confused, just trying to remember what had happened.
Felicity clearly remembered being in the Foundry. Diggle was home with Lyla and Baby Sara. Oliver and Roy had been out in the field, but had just checked in to tell her that they'd be coming back—
Hours Earlier…
"You guys are sure you're going to be alright?" Diggle asked as he grabbed his jacket.
The decision for Diggle to go home had already been made, but Felicity smiled at how adorable he was being. She knew that right now Diggle's focus was split between his family and the team. None of them wanted him to worry. After all, they could handle things. Oliver and Roy were going to go out and do rounds while Felicity coordinated things from the Foundry. Things had been hard on everyone since Sara's death, but so far…they were holding things together. They had each other and right now, they needed to remember that.
"We're going to be fine," Oliver told him as he walked Diggle to the stairs himself.
Felicity watched them as she sat in her chair, swiveling it when she needed to. She waited until she knew that Diggle was gone before she said anything. Roy was busy changing into his suit. "I guess you're not going to have to keep finding reasons to send him home early."
Oliver turned to her and seemed surprised by her words.
"You've been trying to keep him out of the field for a while," Felicity said. Her voice got a little sadder as she added, "And especially since Sara." She knew Oliver and she understood why he was doing it, but she knew that Diggle wasn't going to give up being in the field and making a difference with the team so easily.
"He should be with his family," Oliver said as he approached her.
Family was important.
"You're right," Felicity agreed. "But he's not going to just forget about what we do down here…"
"I know," Oliver said with a sigh.
"Do you really want Digg to just give up working with us?"
"It's not safe—"
"You have to remember that it's our choice," Felicity reminded.
For as long as she'd known Oliver, he had a hard time accepting the fact that they all had a choice in their lives. Oliver couldn't just make decisions for all of them because they were all adults and they'd all made the decision to be a part of Team Arrow. At the same time, she understood Oliver feeling like he needed to protect him which meant taking away their decisions and choices…but that didn't mean that she agreed with how he went about things.
"Felicity, I—"
"Am I interrupting something?" Roy asked.
Felicity just stared at Oliver, he hadn't finished his sentence and when he screwed his mouth shut, she knew that he wasn't going to. Roy always had such perfect timing when it came to her conversations with Oliver.
"No," Oliver finally replied. He was already dressed to go out and protect the city, he just needed to put on his mask and pull his hood up before he grabbed his bow and quiver. He didn't seem happy, but Felicity figured that they could always pick up their conversation later. Things had been a little off between them, but she kept thinking that Oliver would come around.
"You guys be careful…and I'll be right…here…like always," Felicity said as she spun around in the chair slowly.
They left her and Felicity sighed. So far, it was quiet, she was certain that it wouldn't last. It was eerie. She'd spent plenty of nights down there alone, but something had changed with Sara's death. Maybe it was because she felt like any moment could be their last, that Sara's death had shown her exactly how short life was.
Sara was only a couple years older than she was.
Felicity tried to focus on what Oliver was doing, what Roy was doing, and what the police scanner kept picking up…but she kept finding herself thinking about Sara. So, the night had gone along slowly, but surely. Her thoughts always going back to Sara. She'd been more than a friend to Felicity, she'd been family…like the sister she never had had…which she thought most people wouldn't understand since Felicity really hadn't known her very long. The time that they'd spent together had always been enlightening, she liked to think for both of them. They'd bonded and Felicity was still having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that Sara wouldn't just randomly appear in the Foundry. The sound of someone being noisy as they descended the stairs into the Foundry. It wasn't Oliver or Roy because they were still out taking care of the bad guys. She turned in the chair to find Laurel Lance standing there. For a moment, she panicked, and then she remembered that Laurel was technically allowed down there since she knew about the Foundry…and Team Arrow…and their identities…and the codes. Laurel seemed anxious and off, but Felicity felt like that was to be expected since her sister had just died in front of her and she moved her from an alleyway to the Foundry. Laurel being emotional, anxious, and off was to be expected. It's how Felicity had been feeling.
"Oliver's…not…here right now," Felicity said slowly when Laurel just stood there.
"I didn't come here to see Oliver," Laurel responded.
"Oh-kay," Felicity mumbled.
"I came to get Sara's things."
It wasn't like Sara had been staying at the Foundry. Not recently, anyways. Before, she hadn't left anything behind. Sara, like Oliver, wasn't one to accumulate much of anything anyways. There weren't really belongings to collect. It took her a minute, but she realized what Laurel meant. What they had of Sara was her suit and weapons, the remainder of her life as the Canary. The thought of Laurel taking any of it not only concerned her, but also made her feel sad. IT was like Felicity would be losing the last piece of Sara and the Canary that the Foundry housed besides memories.
"I—I uh—I don't think that's a good idea, Laurel," Felicity told her quietly and a bit nervously as she got to her feet and moved closer to where Laurel was. "We're still processing—"
"I don't care!"
Laurel started to move further into the Foundry and Felicity blocked her and held up her hands. "We should just wait for Oliver," Felicity suggested. "Then the two of you can discuss it."
"Discuss what?!" Laurel exploded at her. Felicity jumped a bit and took a step back. She knew that emotions, especially grief could make people act irrationally. "It's not Oliver's He didn't have anything to do with her for months now!"
No matter how upset Laurel seemed to get, Felicity kept calm. She kept telling herself that it was the grief that was motivating Laurel. Of course, Felicity really didn't know Laurel well. Her knowledge base of the other woman came from Oliver, what was on the news, what she'd seen when she'd originally looked up (that was back when Felicity first joined Team Arrow and Laurel could get Oliver to do anything at the drop of a hat), and then the couple of drunken encounters.
"Sara's suit, her weapons," Felicity spoke calmly and evenly. "They're not YOURS either."
"I'm her SISTER!"
It was escalating (quickly, too) and Felicity could see exactly how being with Laurel would result into toxic relationships. Even being friends with Laurel, it seemed like a hard road. "And I understand that—"
"I brought her BODY here!" Laurel shouted now. She seemed at the point where she was hysterical. "She's MY sister! I AM going to take whatever you have down here that belonged to her!"
Felicity turned to grab her cell phone, but was struck before she could completely grasp it. She was knocked to the floor and Felicity found herself staring at Laurel's heels.
"I'm sorry, but I have to do this."
And then there was nothing.
Present
The truth of what had happened, that had gotten her there. Felicity just didn't want to believe it. It was hard to take in. It wasn't like Felicity was attached to Laurel in anyway, actually most times she pitied Laurel. Of course, that was nothing that she'd ever say to her face. The other woman had obviously been through a lot in her life, too much. Laurel was smart and dedicated, who could go through law school and not be? She had a good heart, she'd shown that working at CNRI. It just seemed like Starling City was home of her toxic relationships and her unfortunate past that she just couldn't seem to let go. Felicity had always felt like Laurel would be far happier if she'd take a job somewhere that wasn't Starling City. In her head, that made sense.
Blank slate.
All that.
Now, Felicity didn't know. She didn't know anything that she thought she somewhat understood about Laurel. Grief made you do stupid things, though, sometimes. Maybe she just freaked out and locked her up. Felicity was certain that was the case and eventually she'd come and check on her and they'd figure things out. They had to. Wherever she was, was far too dark and she wasn't too thrilled about being bound. Her hands were behind her back and her legs were tied above the knee and at the ankle.
Maybe there was no changing though.
Sometimes people just broke.
Maybe this death.
This final and for sure death of her sister was it. Maybe Laurel wouldn't be able to come back from it. Felicity hated to think such a thing, though, that just seemed far too pessimistic. Maybe that was why she felt like Laurel just needed to move on with her life…quite literally to MOVE her life somewhere ELSE. Acting as some kind of vigilante off the street, it just didn't seem to make any sense at all to her. Laurel had self defense training mandated by her father and some boxing lessons. That wasn't the same as Oliver's five years having to learn how to kill and fight in a world where survival meant kill or die, Diggle's army training or his three tours in Afghanistan, or Sara's training from the League of Assassins. Laurel's measly training paled in compare to theirs…Felicity had no training, but that's why the only reason she was ever in the field was if they needed a tech OR if they needed bait. She preferred the former, though she was always a team player.
Struggling against her bounds, Felicity fought to free herself or at least loosen the ropes that held her in place. The passage of time was something that she was obvious to as she had no windows to the outside world or a clock to gaze upon, but Felicity kept thinking that the guys were taking too long noticing she was missing and then finding where she was. She kept waiting for Laurel to return and realize what she'd done was wrong… Felicity was even ready to talk some sense into her and reason with her. She was making a mistake and Felicity knew that Laurel doing this was only going to push Laurel farther away from Oliver. As much as Felicity would appreciate Laurel being farther from Oliver, she'd noticed that he'd sort of released himself from her hold and had sort of moved on from the need to be Laurel's hero at all time.
There was a sound in the distance and Felicity froze. She thought about whether she should call out or not. The room was dark and even with her eyes adjusting to the dark, she couldn't make out anything from where she sat in the dark on the floor. She was on a tiled floor and the wall behind her felt textured like maybe she was actually in a house rather than a warehouse or something like that. There was also the fact that she wasn't freezing to consider, if she was at a less desirable location, then she definitely would be freezing.
So, she waited.
Every click and clack of heels, which she assumed belonged to Laurel, Felicity listened to intently as she tried to judge how far away she was. It sounded like she was pacing, but Felicity still didn't know whether she should call out or not. Would it ease things? Felicity could definitely play dumb if that's what got her out of wherever she was. She could feign not remembering that Laurel had been the one to knock her out, that it was Laurel who had been the culprit of her kidnapping.
Of course, she sucked at lying.
Maybe Laurel would believe her anyways.
Or what if her calling out only angered Laurel?
Did she just sit there or call out? Felicity kept going back and forth over it. She opened her mouth to call out to Laurel, in hopes that she'd just believe Felicity didn't remember what had happened and that she wouldn't say anything to Oliver. Right now, she'd do anything she needed to do to get out of there because she was absolutely terrified.
The sound of someone else entering caught her attention before she could get any words out. It was a man's voice and Felicity found herself holding her breath as they started to speak. Felicity couldn't
"Laurel?"
"Why weren't you here quicker?!" Laurel demanded. She sounded more panicked than pissed off. The clack of her heels apparently moving towards the new person who had joined her.
"I was across town, calm down," the man told her. "What's the problem?"
"I did something stupid."
Yeah, REAL stupid, Felicity thought as she continued to listen in silence. It wasn't like Felicity was an important figure, but she was a member of Team Arrow. Oliver was going to come for her and when he found out that Laurel was involved, he was not going to be happy. If the man hadn't come, Felicity was certain that there could have been a chance of convincing Laurel that she didn't remember anything. The man, whomever he was, he was an unknown factor. Laurel knew him, obviously, but that meant nothing.
Silence stretched for what seemed like ten minutes.
"What exactly did you do?" the man finally asked very slowly, his tone was calm. Felicity wondered if he'd needed the time to breathe and compose himself before asking Laurel that question.
"I went to get my sister's stuff—"
"Oh-kay…"
"There's something about Sara that I haven't told you."
"Are you going to tell me now?"
"It's why I was so insistent on you training me."
"I'm still waiting, Laurel," the man said and it sounded like his patience was fading. "Should I be worried? Maybe I'm the wrong person to call. Maybe you should have called your dad—"
"Oh no!" Laurel shouted quickly and quite adamantly. Her voice suddenly got quiet, almost pleadingly. "Please, Ted, I really need your help."
Ted.
Felicity thought a moment. Why did that name seem so familiar?
Ted Grant.
Wildcat.
The team and the police had investigated him not to long ago. He was helping Laurel with boxing or something. Felicity wasn't quite sure, all she knew was that Oliver was pissed about it. As she sat there and really thought about it, it dawned on Felicity the reason why Laurel might have sought out Ted Grant. The reason that Laurel had been in the Foundry was for Sara's things, for her Canary suit (what was left of it) and for her weapons. Was that why Laurel was training with Grant? In order to become some new version of the Canary? Her mind raced and Felicity honestly didn't know if she should be worried about her safety right now or if she should be more worried about Laurel's mental state.
"Tell me what's going on," Ted insisted.
"My sister," Laurel started and then stopped. It was a moment before Laurel started to speak again. "Sara…Sara was into some things…things happened to her when she was gone…when we thought she was dead…she got training…" To Felicity, it sounded like Laurel was trying to think of the exact way to explain to Ted that Sara was the Canary, but just couldn't bring herself to come out and say it. If she wasn't trying to wait to see what was happening, Felicity would have just yelled out that Sara was the Canary so that they could finally get to the point. "She…she was taken in by these people…"
Ted sounded frustrated now. Felicity couldn't blame him. "Laurel, just tell me what's going on!"
"Sara was the Canary. That woman in black that had been running around and protecting people," Laurel finally pushed out. She sucked in a very audible breath before continuing. "I went to get her things…from the Arrow…and he has this woman…she helps him…she wouldn't let me take Sara's things…and I might have…overreacted…"
If Felicity's hands had been free, she would have face-palmed at Laurel's retelling of the obvious. Felicity and Oliver might not have had the history that Laurel had had, but Felicity knew Oliver better. She knew that no matter if it was someone that Oliver knew, he was going to lash out in some way. Laurel hadn't just kidnapped her, she'd taken something from the Foundry (a place that had become home for so many of Team Arrow) and Oliver wouldn't let that stand. Laurel was not going to be forgiven for this. Felicity honestly didn't know if that was good or bad for Laurel and Oliver's friendship.
"What do you mean…you overreacted?"
"I was mad and—"
"You didn't hurt her, did you?" Grant asked.
"I knocked her out," Laurel admitted. "And then I brought her here."
Felicity didn't need to SEE Ted to know that he was not pleased and he sounded like he was freaking out. "What were you thinking?!" Ted blasted. "Wait. You weren't."
"I just don't know what to do now! I need help! That's why I called you!" Laurel told him. "PLEASE." She paused and then spoke softer. "Be my friend right now."
Ted sighed. "Is she conscious?"
"I don't know."
"She was breathing, right?"
Silence. Felicity assumed Laurel was nodding.
"Good," Grant rambled. "Good." He paused for a beat. "Injuries? Was she bleeding or anything?"
"She'll probably just have a headache…"
"Did she SEE you?"
"How could she have NOT?" Laurel questioned.
"But are you sure?"
Laurel was quiet for a long moment and Felicity hoped that Laurel was unsure. She didn't know enough about Ted Grant to know what he might suggest if Laurel told him that Felicity had definitely seen her. "No…" she finally said slowly. "But I was there…"
"Where is she?"
Now was the time.
Act dead—well, unconscious…dead was not what she wanted to be. So Felicity tried to relax her body, breathe slowly, and closed her eyes. Her ears were open though as she listened to the footfalls get louder and louder as they approached. She could tell between the distinctive clack of Laurel's heels versus the soft steps that Grant made.
A light flicked on on the other side of the door before it was unlocked and then opened. The light fell on her and she tried to make herself look as realistically unconscious as possible. It was hard not to open her eyes, though, and she found herself trying to make sure that she was relaxed even though she really was having a hard time doing so. She just needed to get out of there. Felicity just had to play the convincing victim a bit longer.
"Who is she?" Ted asked.
"Felicity Smoak," Laurel responded.
"But WHO is she?" he questioned. "Anyone important?"
"No."
"But she works with the Arrow?"
"Yes."
"Hmm…"
"What are you thinking?" Laurel asked him.
"Do you think you could put her back where you knocked her out?"
Laurel was quiet. Felicity knew the likely answer. Oliver had been on his way back in, with Roy. They would have found the Foundry empty. Oliver would have thought that was odd, Roy probably not so much. Possible excuses would be tossed around before either Oliver would notice that all of her things were still there or he'd try to call her phone only to hear it ringing by the computer.
So, Felicity realized that she obviously needed to go to a plan B. Sometimes plan Bs were good, right? She hoped so! She just had to make it believable…which was going to be the harder part of this.
"No. He'd be back by now—"
Felicity groaned loudly and rolled her body so that she faced away from Ted and Laurel, this would give them the opportunity to play along. She just hoped that they decided to do that. "Laurel?" she called out, trying to sound both weak and groggy. Felicity just hoped that it came out believable.
Silence.
Crap.
Felicity was starting to worry that this wasn't going to work. She was going to be screwed. Stuck in that closet—err—bathroom. With the light streaming in, she could make out a tub and toilet not far from where she was. Wherever she was, she didn't want to be left there to die—or until Laurel figured out what the hell she was going to do.
"Laurel?" she called again.
The door was slammed shut and she could immediately hear them talking again outside of the door. Felicity let out another groan. This was not going to work well. Felicity decided that she couldn't just HOPE that Laurel would come to her senses. Instead, she started to move towards the opposite wall. There was far too much special scooting going on as she inched her way towards where she knew a sink had to be because she'd seen the edge of a cabinet before Laurel had cut off her light. Maybe there was a sharp edge or something inside the cabinet that could help her cut through her bounds. If she could get her hands free, then she could get her legs free.
The light outside of the door went off and Felicity sighed and let her head fall back just a bit, it was then that she realized that her glasses were missing. So, maybe Oliver and Roy would find those on the floor first…and she hoped that they didn't step on them and break them. She had a spare pair, but she'd broken in the pair she had in. The arms moved and stretched just right. Her glasses didn't squeeze her head at all. God, she hoped they didn't break them.
A Couple of Hours Later…
Felicity didn't know how much time had passed, but she was not pleased. Oliver was really losing points with how long he was taking, mainly because Felicity had to pee. They talked about how you needed to drink so many ounces of water everyday, well they were wrong. Drinking the right amount of water when you ended up being kidnapped only led to you needing to pee. There was also the troubling other fact that she was getting thirsty. She knew she wasn't going to dehydrate or anything…that would take days. Felicity stilled for a moment, she'd been rubbing her bounds against the edge of the cupboard door for what felt like forever. The skin near where she was rubbing was already raw and every swipe hurt. If she was kept there long enough to die from dehydrating, she was going to come back and haunt Oliver where she believed in ghosts or not for not finding her.
Going back to trying to free herself, Felicity had to bite her bottom lip now. If her hands, wrists, and arms around the bounds weren't already bleeding, they would be soon. The thing Felicity had decided, though, was she had to be more active…and also, she was starting to think that they needed to install cameras in the Foundry. She didn't think that was a common practice, to have to put security cameras inside your top secret superhero lair, but obviously…there could be reasons…like kidnapping the hero's super awesome genius hacker.
The need to pee was still there. She really didn't understand why Laurel had felt the need to tie her up so thoroughly. At least if her legs hadn't been tied, she'd somehow by now have figured out how to be able to relieve herself. Did Laurel find her somehow threatening? In a physical way? Felicity was fairly sure that in any other situation, there would be a lot of laughing if someone thought that. Oliver, Diggle, Roy…they were the ones that were all responsible for the more physical things. Felicity's field of expertise definitely involved a computer or tablet.
Felicity had to have been too caught up in trying to get free that she hadn't even registered the new sounds, it wasn't until the light streamed in when the door was opened that Felicity even realized that she'd actually heard it all and it was catching up in her head like a song on fast forward. She froze and just stared at the silhouetted figure in the doorway.
Laurel.
She was dressed in black leather. It wasn't Sara's stuff, but it definitely was reminiscent of it. Laurel even had a black mask on and a blonde wig. Felicity just stared up at her in shock and confusion.
"Felicity, what—"
Silence.
"What are you doing?!" Laurel finally demanded after she moved closer.
"What the hell is going on in here?!" Ted yelled as he appeared in the doorway.
"She's trying to escape!" Laurel said as she turned to Ted.
Felicity thought of some really choice things she could say, but then didn't. This wasn't being held by The Count or Deathstroke…this was a much more dangerous thing. She held her breath and watched them for a moment as they fought and continued to work on her bounds, she knew that she had to be close to freeing herself. Laurel was unpredictable and she was suffering…grief really did make things do unbelievable things…Felicity didn't want to be the mistake that Laurel made during her grief-stricken state.
"I thought you came in here to free her?"
"I did—"
"But what?"
"When…when he finds out…"
"You're afraid of what the Arrow will do to you?" Ted asked. "I thought you said she was no one? Is she his girlfriend or something?"
Felicity stilled at Ted's words for just a brief second. No, no…they'd tried that…and Oliver had made a choice. The wrong choice. Maybe after this, she really needed to give him a good smack in the head to knock some sense into him. In a way, though, Ted was right. Felicity was really the closest thing that Oliver had had to a girlfriend since Sara. They just didn't do the dates (except that one time) or the kisses (well, not consistently…and she suddenly found herself missing his lips against hers) or the physical contact (well, not the intimate kind). She shook her head and the distraction out of her head and went back to work.
"There's something else," Ted said. "Or else you would have just let her go the first time we came in here."
Felicity was apparently invisible.
She was okay with invisible.
Especially right at that moment.
"What are you talking about?!" Laurel demanded. "There's nothing else!"
"The Arrow…you know who he is…you have…and you have feelings for him."
"Yes—I mean. No! What? No. No. I DID. YEARS AGO. Not anymore," Laurel told Ted. It was almost like she was trying to convince herself of it, though.
Oliver Queen was a sought after bachelor, though it didn't seem AS much so now that he wasn't rich. Felicity selfishly was enjoying Oliver's more 'poor' period in his life. Not only did she get to see him more often, but there was something about him. He was still growing and making stupid decisions (obviously, since they still weren't dating). He just was different. Better. Still growing, though. Felicity loved him, there was no hiding that. There was honestly no way that Oliver didn't know that. She'd had a crush on him…but it had grown to something more…so much more. Felicity felt like her relationship with Oliver had only grown and that they'd become closer, in all honesty…Felicity felt like she might be the person who knew him the best (Diggle could be the second best at knowing Oliver). In their time working together, though, Felicity had witness nothing but separation and growing apart from Oliver and Laurel. They just always seemed to clash, but to still grip to their pasts at the same time.
"I think you're jealous of this girl and that's why she's still here," Ted pointed out.
Worry was filling her and Felicity was scared of what was going to happen. Ted Grant didn't seem like he was really okay going along with this and seemed really good at calling out Laurel. So, he was already earning points with Felicity. She just didn't know what to expect from him.
"Please just let me go," Felicity took a chance. "I won't tell anyone. I promise. I just want to go."
Her voice was even and calm as she stared at them. Tears were in her eyes and she just hoped that they'd do the right thing. Of course, if Oliver didn't know what had happened…he'd figure it out. He was good at things like that.
"Laurel, we have to," Ted said and he moved to her. He pulled out a blade and immediately crouched down and started to slice through the ropes around her legs and ankles. All Felicity could think was 'thank God!'.
"I promise," Felicity said again, her eyes locking on Laurel. Something was different, though, and Felicity realized it instantly. There was something different in Laurel's eyes all of the sudden and it honestly scared her. It was like something had snapped or broken inside of her. Her eyes didn't leave Laurel as Ted cut through the ropes completely around her legs and ankles, freeing her. Suddenly, there was a lot better chance of her being able to relieve herself.
Ted moved to her side and peered down at her wrists bound behind her back. "Let me help you," he said gently and Felicity swore she could hear a bit of guilt and pain in his voice. Even though she couldn't see him do it, she knew that he was being extra careful as he finished severing the rope that held her wrists in place. "You're bleeding," he told her as he slowly unwound the rope from her wrists.
In all honesty, Felicity didn't care. All she cared about was being able to move. To leave there. She pulled her arms and examined her arms, wrists, and hands. So much of her was raw, but a good portion was also bleeding…some was even missing the top layer of skin. It hurt, a lot, but all she cared about was getting out of there. "Thank you," she said quietly as she looked back up at Ted.
"You're not leaving."
The voice was sharp. It almost sounded like someone else. It wasn't, though. The statement had come from Laurel and Felicity wasn't the only one who was shocked. Felicity had seen the look on Ted's face before he turned to Laurel. Maybe something had really broken in Laurel.
"Laurel, we're letting her go," Ted said slowly.
"No, we aren't."
"Why?"
"Too dangerous."
"Laurel, I promise—" Felicity started.
Laurel stopped her. "You think I can believe you?! You'll turn him against me! You won't keep your mouth shut! You think that he LOVES you? He doesn't!" Laurel stomped her way a few feet further into the bathroom. She was towering over them and looked suddenly far more intimidating than she had before.
Ted rose to his feet, straightening himself before he turned to face Laurel fully. "Laurel, you can't do this."
"You don't understand."
"I understand that you're hurt—"
"I'm more than HURT. There has to be a better word that because that just don't even scratch the surface of what I'm feeling!" Laurel lashed out, emotions flowing. "You don't understand! You don't know HER!" Suddenly, Laurel was looking right at her before looking back to Ted. "You don't know HIM!" Laurel shook her head. "I don't have much left, if I just let her go—"
"She said she wouldn't say anything," Ted defended as he motioned back to Felicity.
Slowly, Felicity got to her feet, unsure what was going on and suddenly realizing that her body had decided that going to the bathroom wasn't a necessity any longer. She really wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. She pressed herself against the sink, her hands holding herself in place, hoping that it was a good spot in case she needed to run. She just hoped that Ted could convince Laurel. She wasn't sure if it could be done, but he was really her only chance at the moment. Felicity had to put her faith in this stranger.
"She wouldn't have to," Laurel said slowly as her eyes settled on Felicity.
A chill ran down her spine as Felicity's eyes locked with Laurel's. She was right, though. Oliver would figure it out. Felicity didn't need to say anything. There was nothing Felicity could do to stop that except to try to reason with Oliver. If anyone could do that it would be her (and Diggle with his wise, wise words).
"So, what are you going to do? Hold her here? KILL her?" Ted asked. He seemed to be fishing for a response, Felicity was just as curious for one.
Silence.
Felicity supposed that at least Laurel wasn't quick with a response. No matter what, Felicity was going to get out of there. Laurel was not going to stop her. She might not have really any training, but she was certain that she could get past Laurel and out of that bathroom if her life depended on it.
Right now, that was highly possible.
She was ready.
"We're going to…have a conversation," Laurel said as she looked to Felicity for a moment and then back to Ted. "You don't need to be here for this…"
"And then what?" he questioned.
"Then…I'll let her go."
"You will?"
Laurel nodded.
Ted stared in silence for a moment and then gave a nod. "Okay, well…you should meet me at the gym."
"Tomorrow."
"Tonight," he quickly countered. "Thirty minutes, your talk shouldn't take THAT long."
Felicity looked between Ted and Laurel and felt like he was really trying to help her out of that bad situation. He deserved flowers or an edible arrangement at a later date for trying to keep her safe. She knew that Oliver wasn't Grant's biggest fan, but she knew that there was no way that Oliver could deny Ted Grant being a good guy after everything he'd done so far to keep her safe and try to make things right.
"Forty-five," Laurel countered.
"Fine." Ted looked back at her and he gave her a short nod. All Felicity could think was that he was leaving her alone with Laurel and that he was losing points. A minute later, Ted was gone.
"So," Felicity spoke up.
"Don't think that I haven't realized what you're doing," Laurel said, as if Felicity knew exactly what she was talking about. The problem was, Felicity had no idea what Laurel was talking about.
Absolutely NO idea.
"What?"
"Don't play stupid. We both know you're not."
And she wasn't. Right now, though, crazy and snapped Laurel was talking without a specific subject and Felicity still couldn't think of what she was talking about. At first, she'd considered it being about why Laurel had gone to the Foundry to begin with…but that didn't make sense with what Laurel seemed to be talking about now.
What else could she mean?
What else could they really discuss?
Right now, Laurel seemed paranoid and that was just not helping the fact that Felicity was already extremely concerned about her snapped and almost crazy current state. She was fairly sure she could use crazy, she thought that they had really progressed beyond the whole grief stricken bad choice mode. The whole, go directly to jail…do not pass go…do not collect two hundred dollars…kind of past that whole 'I understand you're mourning the loss of your sister…again' to 'you need help, the kind with doctors and possibly medication'.
"Maybe you could act like I AM stupid, though," Felicity said slowly and tried to ensure that she kept her tone quiet, nonthreatening, level, and calm. She really didn't want to re-escalate things if they could honestly avoid it. There was also the need to buy time. If Laurel didn't show up to meet Ted Grant, he'd come back and check on things…right? Felicity sure hoped so. They could talk for forty-five minutes…sure…though, she wasn't sure how calmly it would remain.
"You've taken so much away from me, Felicity—"
"What?!"
Okay, so maybe the whole calm tone and attempting to keep from escalating things just wasn't going to happen. Maybe she needed to add the possibility of a nice white padded room to the list of possible medical treatments for Laurel. Obviously, Laurel had completely lost it. They had all been raw from emotions, but she hadn't expected this. To be blamed for taking things away from a woman that she barely KNEW. Felicity was well aware of Laurel blaming Oliver and even Sara for ruining her life (for everything in her life going wrong), but Felicity had pretty much NO connection to Laurel.
"Why do you deny it?!" Laurel shouted as she moved towards her.
Felicity took a step back. Her eyes kept moving to calculate how much space she had between Laurel and variations things in the bathroom (including the distance between her and the door as well as the wall and Laurel). This felt like it was going to escalate and get out of hand quickly. There was no way that they could last forty-five minutes.
"Laurel, I don't know what you think I've done—"
"What I THINK?!"
Oh, God. She was so screwed. Laurel's hand moved towards her faster than she had time to think, react, or really comprehend what was happening. Felicity flew backwards and found herself sitting on the closed seat of the toilet. Her hand went up to touch her face, pulled it away, to find crimson blood staining her milky skin. She back up at Laurel in shock. "What the hell?! I haven't done ANYTHING to you Laurel! I just said that you needed to talk to Oliver about Sara's things."
"Oh, you think that's what this is about?"
Felicity blinked. Something came to mind almost immediately now. The last year, Felicity had been well aware of the fact that Laurel had had two problems: alcohol and prescription pills. She knew that Oliver and Sara had both mentioned that Laurel had gotten off of them and was going sober, that she'd been going to meetings with Captain Lance. That didn't mean that she hadn't fallen off of the wagon, though.
Crap.
She was so screwed.
"Tell me, then," Felicity said slowly. She took a deep breath and tried to force herself to think calmly. To try to remind herself of these new reasons why Laurel could be acting 'off'.
"You STOLE Oliver away," Laurel said as she paced for a moment. "He was MINE!" She stopped and looked towards Felicity, fire in her eyes. "You ruined it all! I thought it was me. I thought it was…"
So. Screwed.
"Why do you have to be so perfect?" Laurel asked. She stopped. "You're NOT perfect!" she spat out. "He's not going to marry with you…" Laurel shook her head, tears falling from her eyes. "I hope you don't have a sister…because he'll sleep with her…"
Wow.
Laurel was so screwed up.
"Okay…moving on…" Felicity practically whispered.
"You're not perfect—"
"I know," Felicity interrupted quickly, but trying to keep her voice quiet. "I can give you a whole list of flaws…"
That seemed to appease Laurel and she was silent for a long stretch of time.
"You-you-you think you know my sister…or loved her more than I did…that somehow you could honor her better than I could," Laurel continued on her rant.
Sara.
Felicity wished that Sara was still alive. God, she wished she could tell Laurel how lucky she was to have had Sara as her sister (bringing it up now, was likely to only have Laurel get far too physical for Felicity's liking and she was already bleeding more than enough). Though she hadn't known Sara long, she'd always felt like a sister to her. Sara had taught her so much in the short time that they'd had together. There had never been animosity between them. It had always been like this quiet understanding. Even when Sara and Oliver had been dating and Felicity might have been just a tad jealous, Sara had been nothing but wonderful. Felicity was fairly sure, looking back on it all, that Sara KNEW about her feelings for Oliver.
"She was a good person."
"Was she?"
"Yes," Felicity said, confusion clouding her voice.
"Sometimes I'm not sure."
Laurel seemed calm all of the sudden, but Felicity only felt more anxious about the situation. She seemed to lose focus, like she was somewhere else suddenly. Felicity just sat there, observing Laurel, and hoping that if she kept still…Laurel wouldn't notice her (like a t-rex's visual acuity being based off of movement).
Movement.
Felicity blinked rapidly, as if her brain was trying to comprehend properly what was happening. A person had entered and had just passed the open bathroom door and then had backed up. A familiar person. Someone she hadn't expected to show up. Oliver was really getting no points. At least, Felicity thought, there was some hope of her getting to leave that bathroom sometime soon…and without anymore blood…or bruises…or injury in general.
"Laurel?"
Captain Quentin Lance's voice seemed to be enough to snap his daughter out of her haze. Felicity watched as Laurel blinked a moment and then slowly turned towards her father. Her back now to Felicity, she felt a huge weight lifted from her and the anxiety slowly untwisting her insides.
"Daddy?"
"I see you're trying…a new look…" Lance said gently.
"Daddy, what are you doing here?"
"I thought maybe you needed a meeting."
"But how did you find me?"
Lance moved towards Laurel, holding an arm open to her. It was definitely a welcoming gesture. "Come on, Baby… You and I. We'll go together," Lance told her. "We can get pie afterwards."
"You really shouldn't eat pie, Daddy," Laurel said and she sounded so small. If Felicity had just heard her voice, she would have sworn that she was a girl, not a grown woman. She moved into her father's arm until it wrapped around her.
"Let's go," Quentin whispered. He looked towards Felicity and she saw him mouth 'I'm sorry'. She couldn't be mad at him. Right now, Felicity couldn't even bring herself to be mad at Laurel. They'd both been through so much. She wasn't even over Sara's death. Sometimes it felt like she would never stop mourning Sara.
She had to.
They all did.
Sara would have wanted them to live.
Not to crumble.
Felicity watched as they left. She sucked in breath and then let her elbows rest on her knees as her face fell into her hands. Closing her eyes, she tried to clear the pounding from her head. It was unclear if her head hurt because of Laurel hitting her the first time, just a few minutes before, or just because Laurel's current state was making her head spin.
"Hey."
She froze for a moment, thinking that she hadn't heard the quiet whisper of a greeting. Felicity glanced up from her hands just a bit and when her eyes took in the boots and then the green leather, she just started to cry. It was a mixture of relief, grief, anger, happiness, and pretty much every other emotion out there. "It's about damn time," she chastised before getting up and immediately embracing him, holding onto him for dear life.
"I'm sorry," Oliver apologized as he swayed just a little bit as he held her. Her eyes squeezed shut and she inhaled him…as if it was something to make him more concrete. "We've been looking all over the city for you…" His hand moved up and down her back. "Ted…Grant…called Lance…and he called me."
Points for Wildcat, she thought immediately. It was always nice when she didn't have to do a whole list of reasons why Oliver needed to trust someone (or give them more of a chance to prove themselves). This was one of those times where Felicity felt like her faith in humanity was justified. It was definitely a balance in their world, even if sometimes it seemed like all they saw was the crime…the bad…the death…and the darkness. There was goodness and light in the world.
"Are you okay?" he asked a moment later, they were both holding on still.
"No."
"Felicity…"
"Just another minute," she whispered as she squeezed him tighter. Felicity just wasn't quite ready to let go. As she stood there, just comforted and absolutely loving that moment…savoring it…she realized that maybe in a way Laurel was right. Maybe she HAD stolen Oliver. Of course, not in the way that Laurel had somewhat implied. Things were definitely far different than they had been in the beginning of their partnership (before they were even officially partners). It all felt like a lifetime ago. She wouldn't change any of it, though.
Finally, she released him and she felt his arms loosen a moment later before she stepped back. Immediately, Oliver was looking her over. First, he was examining her head and then her wrists once his eyes had fallen on them. He was so filled with concern and worry. She was alive, though. They both were. From now on, Felicity decided, they all needed to move past the cloud of darkness that had settled over them all after Sara's murder. They needed to live…to live for themselves…for each other…and for Sara.
Her death wouldn't be their downfall.
"I'm fine," she whispered.
"Felicity, this isn't 'fine'," Oliver told her as he continued to look at her wrists.
"Antiseptic, antibiotic ointment, and some gauze and it'll be fine," she tried to assure like it happened all of the time. She'd live. That's what it came down to. "The real issue is that I have needed to use the bathroom for like…an hour…" So, that might have been a dramatization, but it felt like the truth. "But I need to get out of this place…so please tell me that we aren't far from the Foundry."
Oliver was suddenly smirking. "We're not far."
"You know you don't get points for this 'rescue', right?" she asked as they headed out of the bathroom. "Technically Grant is responsible for you finding me…well, and Lance."
"We're keeping points now?"
Felicity shrugged. "You're still winning."
"I have competition?" Oliver asked her as he looked over at her.
She didn't respond right away, she just smiled. She realized that that smirk was really the first time that she could think of him smiling (or coming close to it) since Sara's death. "Absolutely not."
Now he beamed at her.
This was the man that Sara had loved, Felicity thought. The man that she loved, but didn't feel like she could be with. The man that she always saw inside of Oliver. The same man that Felicity loved.
They were going to make it.
All of them.
They'd live.
The End.