Dominika Malyshev
When Felicity read the name on the birth certificate chills ran up and down her spine. John visibly stiffened beside her but he refrained from acknowledging the significance of it. Oliver hadn't seemed to notice and proceeded to give her the new identification papers they drew up for her the past few days. She would remain Felicity Smoak, the name she chose for herself ten years ago. Felicity was the name of her great-grandmother on her mother's side, a strong woman from Carson City, Nevada. Felicitydistinctly remembered the day her mother told her that after one of her rambles.
She was laughing, mixing together the salad at the counter for dinner. "It never ceases to amaze me how similar you are to my grandmother. You don't understand how desperately I wanted to name you after her, Dominika."
So when she turned sixteen she begged John to toss her whole life out the window. And with the help of some friends and pulling a few strings, she was Felicity Smoak within a month and never turned back.
The name worked well for her and she stayed relatively hidden for a few years after that. Though it was never the name that got her into trouble but her appearance instead. Although many people said it was a blessing, she thought her resemblance to her mother was more of a curse. She knew, above all else, that her father would never forget her mother's face. It was burned into his mind, her face forever to be remembered by him and everyone in his organization. So Felicity knew it wasn't going to be easy to simply slip away.
When she was eighteen and John had to visit family for a few days, she sunk away in search of a hair salon. It was ambitious and she was scared out of her mind, but Felicity pointed to the blonde in a random magazine and told the woman to make her look like that.
She'll never forget the look on John's face when he saw her a few days later.
He never let her out of his sight for too long after that.
"Do these all look correct?" Oliver asked, his eyes going to both John and Felicity.
There was an edge to his voice that had been prominent the whole morning. Oliver seemed relatively distant from each of them after she told him the truth. She knew that was probably the last thing he expected her to say. Perhaps he thought she was a niece or a second cousin of sorts. The family was large enough as it was that the possibilities were endless. But to be Malyshev's daughter was truly something remarkable. Oliver had no idea the extent of significance that was and no amount of explaining would make him realize it earlier. Felicity felt guilty somewhat, knowing the risk she was putting everyone at in, but for once she attempted to swallow it down. She tried to remind herself that, in the end, this would benefit everyone. They'd all be gaining a sense of security in the outcome of it.
Oliver decided to only tell her true identity to his most trusted 'advisors'. If she could have had it her way, she would have chosen not to have told anyone. She could feel the shift in the room once she entered, the hushed voices that sounded throughout the office as Digg came in after her. They looked at her differently, almost with disgust, if she hadn't known any better. During various times during the meeting she found herself shifting uncomfortably in her seat, eyes scanning the men surrounding her. She hated the feeling of being watched, of her every move being analyzed. She got so caught up in it all that she barely noticed she was being spoken to. That elicited some comments she wasn't sure she wanted the translation of.
Felicity insisted that she start work with them right away. But by the time the meeting ended it was pushing past ten o'clock and some of the men were already beginning to get the angry calls from their wives. A quarter of them agreed with her, the other half were asking for it to resume in the morning while the remaining bunch were simply looking to Oliver to see which side to choose. In the end, he decided to go with the majority, although she could see a part of him itching to get the crazy show on the road. She knew he had no idea of her stamina for these types of things. And by stamina she means being able to pull all nighters while being completely glued to a computer screen with the help of gallons of coffee. Not...the other thing.
After the meeting, John was called to do some personal fieldwork for one of the men in the group. Felicity wanted to smile at the excitement it brought to him but as his eyes shifted towards her she saw it quickly fade. To her amazement he declined it quickly, motioning over to where she sat before making up an excuse that didn't even make sense to her. The astonishment that she felt probed her to speak and the words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.
"Of course you can go!"
John, as well as the rest of the group, stared at her. "Felicity, please-"
"I don't see why it would be a problem for you to go. It'd be for how long? A day or two? Not even? I think you're overreacting just a bit." She leaned back into her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm safer here than anywhere else in the world and I know you want to go. Ever since all of," she was at a loss of words so instead waved at the space around her, "this happened you haven't been able to do what you love." She basically whispered the last part, eyes shifting to her hands in her lap.
"I'm not sure hunting people down constitutes as something I love doing." John challenged.
Felicity rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean."
"She's right, Digg."
Felicity turned her head abruptly to the voice across the room. She still didn't like the nickname for John, instead preferring the name she's called him her whole life. It just reminds her of what she's keeping from him, of the life he led before she even existed. The name never fails to leave a sting in her heart.
"Leaving for a day isn't going to change anything. We're still trying to formulate a plan and tomorrow she'll be in the labs all day with us. You won't be missing much." Oliver was focusing solely on John, his blue eyes reassuring. Most of the men were beginning to leave, giving their regards to Oliver on their way out. She watched his eyes follow them, observing them carefully before turning his attention back to John. "What do you say?"
John looked from Oliver and Felicity, his hesitation showing. But just when she thought he needed a little push, John proved her wrong.
"Okay," he said, "I'll go. But just for a few days."
Unfortunately, his decision led into a twenty minute conversation about the mission. Apparently it had connections with her father's gang so either way he was still gathering intel for their plan. As the conversation wore on, her eyelids grew heavy. They barely noticed her first yawn let alone her second and before she knew it reality slipped from her completely. It wasn't until a gentle shake of her shoulder brought her out of her dreams and back to the place she was running from.
"Miss Smoak?"
She blinked her eyes rapidly and for a second she forgot where she was. But with Oliver's face looming over her it all came back relatively quickly. She looked around the room, noticing it was completely empty sans her and Oliver. She was about to ask when he answered for her.
"John had to leave a little earlier than planned."
"Oh," she whispered, sitting up and straightening herself out. "I wish he would have woken me up."
"He said you aren't very agreeable but I'm not so sure now." He said, a smile so faint on his lips that she wasn't sure if it was even there. "I can take you to your room though, if you want."
Felicity stood up and nodded, stretching her arms up and over her head. A yawn escaped her lips as she followed Oliver out and into the hall.
"I hope everything is to your liking. I picked a room relatively close to John's, just a hallway over. Everything in this house is a little scattered and we've been trying to fix that but it takes time."
"It's beautiful though," she said as they reached a staircase. "And completely massive. I've never seen a house so big." She could feel his eyes on her but chose to ignore them.
He was quiet for a moment and at first she thought he wasn't going to say anything. But as they reached the top of the staircase he turned towards her.
"I've always wanted something smaller, maybe a place in the city. This house may be big but sometime it feels like I can't escape from it all."
Felicity studied his face for a moment. The bags under his eyes were evident and if she didn't know any better she would've thought they were bruises. He seemed tense and on edge even though they were standing in one of the safest places in Russia. She supposed it didn't matter though, anything could happen no matter where they were. But this was his home so shouldn't he be able to close his eyes for a while?
"I get it," she said quietly, her eyes shifting away from him. "I've moved around so much in my life that I've never found anyplace that could remotely feel like a home; somewhere I could escape to. I guess it just takes a while."
They continued walking and she could tell Oliver was searching for something to say. But she found herself enjoying the silence, relishing in the fact that for once there was nothing more to say. Her mind wandered as they weaved through the endless hallways until Oliver stopped at a rather large mahogany door.
"This is it. All of your bags were taken here and placed inside, not unpacked though. John said you wouldn't have liked it." He ran a hand over his head before turning to her. "If you need anything I'm just a few hallways away and there'll be a guard outside your door tonight. He'll get you whatever you may need."
Felicity wrung her hands together and nodded. "Thank you, for everything. I know you owe John the favor but it's more than we could have asked for."
He didn't smile though his features softened as he looked at her. "It was an offer I couldn't pass up."
She nodded, not quite expecting his answer. "Well, goodnight." She turned to open the door but stopped at the sound of her name.
"Miss Smoak-"
"Felicity," she whispered, spinning around. "Call me Felicity, please."
He hesitated at first. "Felicity," he finally said and she couldn't help the shiver that ran down her spine at his voice, "I hope you can find an escape here. It might not be the right place for me but...you might have better luck."
She smiled at him in a thanks, nodding her head before shutting the door behind her.
She tried to restrain herself. As soon as she got into her room she was itching to grab her tablet and begin some research of her own. But Felicity distracted herself with the gigantic, luxurious bathroom complete with a jacuzzi tub and a shower with a million different sprayers. She then unpacked her suitcase and gazed lovingly into the walk-in closet that was placed next to the bathroom. She didn't know what Oliver was so worried about. The room was more than she could have ever dreamed of. And this was just one of the many rooms in his house.
But as she slipped under the covers, her tablet on the nightstand taunted her. Every few minutes her eyes would slide over to it and she would shake her head, deciding to focus on something else.
Felicity was halfway through watching a show she couldn't understand a lick of when she gave up completely. Her fingers were typing before she even realized it and she breached the FBI's security files within minutes.
Oliver Jonas Queen
She read the name over a few times, her lips quirking up at the middle name. It wasn't something she expected for him, sounded almost too normal for someone of his...stature. But she kept reading nonetheless.
She didn't know what possessed her to research him in the first place. Perhaps it was the enigma of it all. She never knew more than his Queen status and the family company back in the States. It was a multi-billion dollar corporation that had connections and clients all around the world. She knew it was highly prestigious and well known to almost everyone. You'd have to be living under a rock to not know about the Queen family.
Her eyes scanned the screen as she searched the answer to the question that bothered her the most. How did Oliver Queen, American man of Starling City, wind up being Bratva Captain of a Russian mob? She remembered John's words on the plane ride over here, telling her if she simply asked him what he might say. But why ask when you have a perfectly capable computer to do all the work for you?
Felicity was halfway through an article when she froze.
Oliver Queen Presumed Dead
She kept reading, eyes scanning feverishly over each paragraph. The article went on to explain a shipwreck Oliver and his father were involved in seven years ago on a yacht named the Gambit. Neither of their bodies were recovered nor was the ship and search parties would be going out within those coming days. The reporter explained that hopes were low and most were expecting the worst.
Felicity quickly opened up a new tab and searched keywords on Google. Her fingers typed anything from shipwreck, to Queen Family and Gambit. Finally the information she was craving popped up right before her eyes.
For five years the world thought he was dead. On May 18th, 2007, his funeral, along with his father's, was held in Starling City and they were buried alongside one another in St. Peter's Cemetery. The ceremony was small, the article read, and only immediate family and friends were welcomed. Felicity saw the mourning faces of his mother, Moira, and his sister, Thea. Her heart broke for them as she could understand a loss that hit so close to home.
But in 2012, miraculously, Oliver was found on an island called Lian Yu, or Purgatory, when translated into English. He was found by a group of fishermen in the early morning hours of Tuesday, September 14th, 2012. The report indicated he was taken immediately back to the States and to his home in Starling City. They admitted him into Starling City General and after hacking into their database, Felicity pulled up his medical file from that night.
Her eyes widened in shock as she read of the scars and contusions that were found all over his body. Most of them were on his chest and back, one over his right eye, and another going down his neck. There were also new tattoos scattered on his body, one over his heart and another on his back upper left shoulder. The one over his heart was described as a star while the other was that of a dragon. They were both poorly done and the report read that it was a miracle he never received any kind of infection.
He was strongly advised by the doctor to see some professionals regarding his mental state. Felicity read over the names recommended on the chart but it was said that he never ended up seeing any of them.
There wasn't much else to learn after that. Oliver returned home to his family as well as the business and became CEO of Queen Consolidated. The company ran rather smoothly with him in charge and, in some opinions, was doing better than his father ever could have done. It was only recently that Oliver "allegedly" moved to Moscow to take over a new firm. The move seemed rather abrupt and many reporters sensed a rift in the family which would explain his relocation. Felicity's only clue for some explanation was the death of his mother three years ago. It was before he came to Russia but after she died it only took him eleven months before switching over. Not much is said of his sister and from the new reports it seems as though she vanished after the death. Thea Queen is no longer seen in the public eye and their once beloved house in Starling City is currently boarded up. Their belongings are being shipped to different homes all around the world and the Queen family as the world knows it is in shambles.
A reporter comments how sad it was while another wrote it off as a rift between spoiled children. Perhaps they got in a fight over what their mother left them or the money became "just too much".
Felicity shook her head and quickly left the opinion's page. She only cared about the facts and reading about his life personally seemed like some sort of an invasion towards him. Although researching his whole life was invasion enough.
Her brain practically burned with everything Oliver and for a while it was too much to digest. She couldn't help but wonder about that island and the five years he spent away. Obviously he wasn't alone and she could tell by the descriptions in the report that those scars weren't self inflicted. They almost resembled scars that would be left behind from common torture methods. The long scar down his throat was evidence enough and just thinking of the blade that inflicted it made her cringe.
Finally her eyes began to grow heavy and as a yawn escaped from her lips, she turned the tablet off. Felicity soon fell asleep, images of an unknown island flickering in her mind and torturous screams echoing in her dreams.
Every morning for the first few days she stayed at the mansion, Felicity would come downstairs all dressed and ready to go. She woke up a little earlier, showered, and took her time to look presentable for breakfast. But she missed the extra few hours and decided that it wouldn't hurt to walk downstairs in her pink polka dot shorts just for a cup of coffee once and a while.
Today, though, she wished she left the panda slippers upstairs. She was reaching up to the top shelf where the coffee mugs were kept (why they were so high she didn't know) when Oliver and another man came barging into the kitchen.
"C'mon, Oliver! I'm so close to catching this guy. I just need a little-" his eyes slid over to Felicity. "Hello." The smirk on his face grew wider and he completely bypassed Oliver, heading straight towards her.
She was still trying to reach the mug, not noticing as the man came up to her.
"Don't worry, I got it."
Felicity jumped. "God, you scared me."
The man chuckled, setting the mug down on the counter. "My apologies. But I don't believe we've met. Oliver never did like to share."
She heard a disgruntled noise from behind her but chose to ignore it. "I'm Felicity, Felicity Smoak."
The man seemed to realize exactly who he was shaking hands with as her name rang throughout the room. She was expecting him to draw back just as Oliver did but instead he came towards her at full force, a smile still shining on his face.
"Wow, I feel like I'm meeting a legend. You're all Oliver's been talking about." He seemed to pick up on the shocked look plastered on her face and laughed. "Strictly business though...for the most part." He winked and looked her up at down. "He never said how absolutely stunning you are though."
Felicity felt her cheeks burn as she ran a hand through her hair. "I wouldn't go that far. I did just wake up."
"But natural beauty is always the best."
"You're really corny." She laughed, eyes sliding to Oliver. He looked unaffected, his stoic face yet again on display. "How do you guys know each other?"
"Tommy's my best friend and business partner." Oliver answered.
She made an 'o' with lips and nodded her head.
"Yeah. I've known this guy since we were little. And yes, he's always been this broody. It's a workout to make him smile." Tommy said, walking back around the island to Oliver's side.
Felicity smiled. "I've noticed." She poured her coffee and added some of the milk to it. She waited until it turned the lighter color she liked before taking a sip.
"Are you enjoying your stay? Have you gotten lost yet?"
She chuckled, licking the coffee from her lips. "My first morning I did. But I followed the smell of coffee and ended up here."
"You should have asked one of the guards. They would've shown you." The lightness was absent from Oliver's voice as he spoke to her, replaced with a sternness she didn't know how to respond to.
Tommy was picking up on it as well and nudged him in the arm. "Don't mind this guy. I have him all riled up."
"What's wrong?"
"I'm probably not supposed to tell you but I doubt you're any kind of enemy." Tommy smiled way too wide at his joke and earned an eye roll from Oliver. "Anyway, we've been following a lead on this guy that's been intercepting our trades. He's stolen a few carts and conducted a few raids at our docks. Oliver thought it'd blow over but I was getting sick of it so I've been trying to bust the bastard. And it turns out my leads are actually getting me somewhere. We found a club on the other side of town that he frequents at and I want to go tonight. But Oliver doesn't think it's a good idea."
Her eyes shift over to him. "Why not?"
"We don't have enough information about him and Tommy doesn't cover his tracks well. He found this guy way to easily and for all we know it could be a trap. I won't give him the back up he needs until I'm provided the information."
Felicity shrugged, turning her attention over to Tommy. "He's got a point. But, if you don't mind, I bet I could do some research for you today. I know the agreement was to do some stuff on my father but since John is gone and things have been kind of slow..."
"No, that's actually a great idea." Oliver said. "At least I'll know this information is reliable."
"If I wasn't so happy right now I'd be a little offended." Tommy chimed in. "But I'll save my annoyance for later because this is the best news I've gotten in weeks. You're really good with a computer I take?"
Felicity smirked. "I can get whatever you need and then some."
"Well get dressed and let's get this show on the road!"
She couldn't stop laughing. They barely got any work done as Tommy continued to tell story after story of him and Oliver. Felicity assumed they were all pre-island days, late teens to early twenties back in the States. Apparently Oliver was a total frat boy, complete with the hair and polo shirt. Tommy was forced to keep the pictures hidden but he never held back with the stories.
"So we were running across the beach, I'm holding the funnel and Oliver's falling short behind me with the half empty keg. You can hear the sirens getting closer and then all of a sudden he trips! All you can smell is beer and then I see him rolling around in the ocean! The fucking waves are pulling him back but he's still hanging on to the keg for dear life!"
Felicity wiped the tears from her eyes as she spun around in her chair. She could picture the scene vividly in her mind even though she hadn't even known them back then. She knew, without a doubt, that she wouldn't have liked them. They were the kind of guys in high school and even college that she made sure to stay away from. It was never the crowd she belonged nor wanted to be in. She was completely content with her few friends, though she never stayed long enough to form lasting friendships.
"That's not how I remember it." Oliver piped from the back of the room. His arms were crossed over his chest and despite the completely hilarious stories Tommy was telling, he hadn't cracked a single smile. He kept his arms folded across his chest and his eyes glued on the two of them, not amused one bit.
"Apparently you don't remember anything because that's all you've been saying. Admit it, man, you weren't going to let go of that thing even if a shark came swimming up next to you. The cops had to pry you away from that thing to get you in the back seat of their car."
Oliver turned to Felicity. "I let go of it, really, all on my own."
"I'm sure you did." She pushed her glasses up and onto her head before stretching her arms up in the air. They've been down in the lab for hours now and despite the stories, she got a lot accomplished. The information she gathered was almost enough for Tommy to go out later tonight. She probably only needed another hour and he would be all set. "We should probably get back to work if you want to go out later."
Tommy nodded. "Right, right of course." He turned to his friend. "Stop distracting us, Oliver, Felicity needs to work."
Oliver rolled his eyes and walked away from them. He motioned towards some of the guards, his accent filling the room. Felicity had no idea what he was saying and went back to her monitors, attempting to tune it out.
"You shouldn't get him so riled up like that." She said after a while, her eyes shifting over to Oliver. He was going through a few files on a metal table towards the front of the room, away from the two of them. His face seemed to harden throughout their time together and he distanced himself rather quickly. She felt bad for him and knew it was all Tommy's doing.
"He needs to learn how to take a joke. Ever since he took on this charade he's been all work and no play. I can't even get him to go out anymore. It usually takes a few tries of dangling a bottle of scotch in front of his face to lead him out of that office."
Felicity shrugged. "Isn't it good though that he takes this seriously? I mean this stuff is kind of important and there must be a lot of pressure riding on him."
Tommy studied her face, smiling softly. "Do you try to understand everyone?"
She looked down, her cheeks flushing. "It's what I do with computers. You need to understand them in order to work and be around them. People are the same way."
"You're smart."
"So I've been told."
It looked like Tommy was about to say something else when Oliver came right in between them, phone in hand. He had a wild look in his eyes that had Felicity frozen in her place, heart beating outside her chest.
"Oliver-" Tommy stood right up, hand on his friends shoulder but all Oliver could look at was Felicity.
"Digg's been shot." He said and swallowed hard. "By your father."
Soooo that happened...lol
I hope you all liked it and let me know what you think! I want to give you all a heads up and say that I'm a huge fan of cliffhangers and I'm not one for "normal" endings haha
Thanks for reading and have a great week!