AN
As a lot of readers wanted to know, I thought I should make it clear that in this alt universe, Oliver and Laurel are not the childhood friends, they only know each other through Tommy. I mean she is his best mate's girl friend and they should have been close friends but what with his vigilante activities and other obligations, they never really had a chance to hang out much, so yes, they are at best casual friends because they have Tommy in common and they both love him. Nothing more.
I hope this clears up.
This chapter has more Olicity and more confused Oliver, that guy is dense when it comes to romance.
Oliver has been grumpy – or grumpier than usual – since the day he caught Felicity leaving Tommy's office with a big smile and a bottle of wine. He also started noticing things about Felicity that he never saw before like how her glasses are simple black frames from the top but are tortoise shell from the bottom, how he can spot the exact second in the middle of one her rambling sessions when she realizes that she is rambling and puts on the brakes and how she smiles every time she receives a text from Tommy. He has never really checked her phone but he assumed that all those texts are from Tommy because he often see her stopping by on her way out to either chat with Tommy or to wave him good bye when he is busy with the club.
Oliver was not willing to admit it to himself but he did not like Felicity's growing friendship with Tommy and he did not even know why he did not like it. It's not like he has any romantic feelings for Felicity or fears that she would reveal his hood identity because Tommy knows that already. Given their combined checkered past, he cannot even claim that he cares if Tommy cheats on his girlfriend because they are bros and there is an understanding that they will both support each other no matter what. He just did not like them hanging out and being familiar with each other and he was thinking these thoughts while he was hanging upside down on a bar at the basement. He then blamed it to the rush of blood to his head and jumped down.
He took a towel and walked over to Felicity and Diggle who had a building plan spread out in front of them and were finalizing the strategy for an operation about a crook, Adam Sullivan, who is embezzling from pension funds of his employees and stashing it all up in an off shore bank account.
"We will conduct this operation during the annual charity gala that Mrs Sullivan throws in late summer, which would be on the terraces and gardens of his estate outside Starling City, we need to get in there, access his computer's key which he keeps on his person all the time, get into his ultra secure off shore bank account, return all the money back to the pension fund and leave enough electric evidence for police to make a case," Diggle started explaining the plan when he saw Oliver walking towards them.
"We not only need his computer key to access his computer but also his finger prints and the password to access his office, I have already stolen his finger prints from SCPD records when he was arrested for DUI ten years ago and will have them on me. Oliver will ask him to show him the Picasso that Moira lost in a bidding war to Mrs. Sullivan; being the vain man he is, he would want to show off and will take Oliver to his office, Oliver will record the sound that electronic lock will make when he will be typing in the security code and I will figure it out with the key sounds tool at my end, it should take them about 6 minutes to admire the painting, tell each other how wealthy and powerful they are and come out, when you are out of his office, you will wish him well and hug him, steal the electronic key to his computer from his pocket, pass it on to Dig who will pass it on to me, I will be there loitering around the kitchen in waiting staff's uniform so that I can slip out to private quarters, you will have make sure that Sullivan does not go inside the house for next 15 minutes, Dig will be in the house and will stand guard outside the office to make sure no one comes in and I will do my IT magic like I always do," Felicity was all set and ready to go in the field. As it has been a few months since her last outing, she is looking forward to it.
"Felicity will then hand me the computer key, slip out of the party and wait for us in the car, I will hand you back the key, you will go to Sullivan, say good bye, drop the key back in his pocket and we will be out of that gala," Diggle finished off the plan.
Oliver looked at the blue print and listened to their plan, it all looked fairly routine to him but he was still a little reluctant to let Felicity out in the field, especially after her last excursion where she sprained her ankle fighting a man twice her size in close combat. He turned to her and asked, "Looks okay to me but tell me again why can't we do it from here – you said you can hack into anything a human can make?"
"Oliver, we want him arrested for his crime and we also do not want to lose the money, if we access it from anywhere else, he will know and be alert and flee the country if he thinks there is a chance of his arrest. We want to gather evidence without letting him know that his account has been hacked and it can only happen if we get to it through his computer, with his IP address and accessed through his computer key, we don't want him to get away with stealing old people's money, do we?" asked an earnest Felicity.
Oliver did not say anything and headed off towards the shower. Felicity looked at Diggle and asked, "What's wrong with him? Has something happened with him at home or something?
"Nothing that I know of but then with Oliver, no one really knows anything," Diggle shrugged.
They worked out the logistics of the plan once more and then Diggle left. Felicity too was about to leave when Oliver made an appearance again and this time too without a shirt.
God, what is wrong with this man! Is he allergic to clothing or something, she thought to herself.
Just before she could get up from her seat, he swiveled it and Felicity faced Oliver's rock hard abs.
She looked up at his face and saw him scowling down at her.
"I have a bit of a problem with the plan," he said.
"Why? I think we have gone over every aspect and it looks pretty straight forward to me – or as straight forward as any plan of stealing back millions of dollars could be," she opened up the plan for the event in her computer so that she can go through it with him once again but he stopped her.
"That bit is fine, but I don't want you all by yourself after what happened last time, why don't you come with me, as my date for the gala? That way I would be able to keep an eye on you," Oliver looked at the computer screen when he threw out that idea.
Felicity was speechless! Did Oliver Queen just suggest that she go with him – as his date – to a charity gala! For a brief few seconds, she could not believe it. Oliver Queen asked her out – even if it was to fool a crook – it made her feel happy and feminine. She may be a strong independent woman but she is NOT immune to those abs that he was flaunting, or those oh so blue eyes or that deep voice.
"Felicity!" Oliver called her name twice before she came out of her reverie and looked at him. Oliver looked positively uncomfortable, like he was under duress. She realized that Oliver was not really interested in going with her but just want her near him to make sure she is safe. She had to veto down the idea.
"Oliver, the idea is that I slip out and go into his bank account, if I make an entrance with you, it would be impossible, people will be looking at me. In uniform, no one will notice who I am and where do I go and what would I do? In any case, even if I do make an entrance with you, you will have to stay outside with Sullivan and I will have to go be in his office, it's not like you will be able to keep your eyes on me," Felicity tried to explain.
Oliver still looked perturbed and if Felicity is reading him right, a little angry, though for the love of God, she could not figure out why he would be angry.
"In case anything happens, I would have a better chance of running away in flat shoes and trousers that I would be wearing as a waitress than a gown and stilettos," Felicity tried to lighten the mood by cracking a joke but Oliver continued with his sour face and moved back to put on his night club owner persona and went up the club without saying a word.
Felicity thought about it for a few minutes and then started gathering her things so that she too could head home. She was in her way out when Tommy called her and they chatted for a bit in the lobby leading towards the staff entrance and that was where Oliver found them when he came back from the main floor. When Tommy tried to stop him to talk, he just shook his head and said. "Not now Tommy," and stepped out. Both Tommy and Felicity looked at each other and but they both did not know what had gotten into him. Tommy came out and saw Felicity to her car.
Oliver was sitting in his car in the Verdant parking lot when he saw Felicity coming out to her car with Tommy. Though he did not linger and waved her good bye when she drove off, Oliver clenched his hands over the steering wheel and grimaced. Ife he had his way, he would not let anyone – except perhaps Diggle – near her and he still did not know why he was behaving like a Neanderthal man around Felicity. In their younger days, Tommy and Oliver never had girl trouble, if they both liked a girl, one of them – usually the one who figured it out first – would bow out and no one would discuss it ever again. With Felicity, Oliver was behaving strangely and he did not even know why! He sat in the car for a few minutes and then went back to the basement to punch a bag and let his anger out on it.
Next day when felicity walked in the lair, both Diggle and Oliver were getting prepared. Felicity too took out the bag she had prepared in advance with fake finger prints, her custom made tablet and few other gadgets she may need. She popped in the bathroom to change into her uniform of black trousers, white collared shirt and a black vest and tied her hair in a bun. They all got in Oliver's Bentley and drove to the Sullivan estate.
The silence in the car is stifling Felicity. She did not know what had gotten into Oliver of late but she was not comfortable enough to ask him. When Oliver noticed that Felicity was wearing a name tag which says Anastasia and he asked, "Why Anastasia?" Felicity almost sagged with relief that Oliver is not brooding and being all silent and glowering so she responded enthusiastically and said, "The catering company working this event made everyone wear a tag and I thought why not choose a name that is very different. If anyone remembers, they would remember a Russian princess' name."
"Will you take on the accent as well because just the name won't cut it, there are too many non Russian Anastasias out there" Diggle laughed in the front.
"Should I?" Felicity was perturbed, "I am not sure if I can pull off Russian but I can do French, perhaps I should have gone with a more French sounding name. Can I still be Anastasia and sound French?" she asked them both.
"Felicity, chances are that you will hardly get to speak with anyone, I don't think you will need to do any accents today," Oliver laughed.
"But we can totally do them when we get back to Verdant, I have always wanted to know how you will babble in French," Diggles chimed in.
"Guys, enough!" she cried and then saw the driveway to the Sullivan residence and whistled, "So that's what happens when you embezzle pensioner's money, you get houses with big gates and long drive ways and mansions and lots of servants," Felicity rambled on. When Diggle looked at her in the back view mirror and coughed, Felicity realized that the Queen residence is probably twice the size than Sullivan estate so she did what she did best and rambled on. "Of course Oliver probably has a bigger house that this, I mean I have not really seen it but if I remember correctly, one issue of Homes & Garden mentioned that your house has 38 rooms and a tennis court and stables – I mean who has stables in their homes in this day & age, not that there is anything wrong with that – of course I am not saying that your family has embezzled anyone's pensions just that you are very rich but not all rich people steal and finally we have reached the residence and we should get off and I should shut up."
Before she could've jumped off the car after her long mortifying rant, Diggle stopped her. "Felicity, this is the front entrance, only Oliver will get off here, I will drop you off at the back so that you can sneak in through the kitchen."
Felicity only nodded in response.
When Diggle got off the car to open door for Oliver, he lightly touched her arm and said, "You could have gotten off here had you chose to come with me," with that, he was off the car.
Felicity was still wondering about Oliver's cryptic remark and his peculiar behavior when she got off the car a good ten minutes earlier.
The mission ran smoothly or as smoothly as a mission could go. Oliver managed to pick out the electronic computer key when he patted Sullivan's back and dropped it in Diggle's hands who took it to felicity who then went to Sullivan's office and reversed the embezzled funds back to its rightful owners and gave back the key to Diggle and stepped out. Diggle then handed it to Oliver who slipped it back in Sullivan's pocket, so it was all good and Oliver switched the comms off thinking it was all over.
Just when he pulled his phone out to call out to Diggle, he spotted Tommy who was there with his girlfriend Laurel. Oliver did not really know if it was a coincidence or did Felicity let it slip that they would be here and Tommy followed her to the party. Needless to say he was furious, both at Tommy and Felicity and decided that he would just go and ask Tommy about what he was doing there.
Felicity, who was on her way out was caught by the person in charge of the waiting staff, he yelled at her for taking a cigarette break when he was short staffed, shoved a tray of Hors d'oeuvres in her hands and practically pushed her out to the party area. Felicity was at a loss and did not know what to do with the tray. She told Diggle that she would be out in 5 minutes because she did not know where to get rid of that tray without ever going into the kitchen. She never waited, not even when she was in college, and had no idea what to do with that tray. A lady called her and she went to her to offer her some of the appetizers she was carrying, just when she turned she spotted Tommy and Laurel and she was in a shock. She started speaking to both Digg and Oliver that she has spotted them and she needed cover. Tommy of course knows that she helps Oliver with his Vigilante activities but Laurel had no idea and she would not know what tale to spin to her if she ever finds that Felicity – the IT whiz and a math genius with a well paid job – is waiting for a catering company in a private party. She was calling out on them both but Diggle was bringing in the car and Oliver … he was busy glowering at Tommy from a distance.
Just when she was about to panic and throw the tray in the middle of the party, Tommy sensed her predicament and came to her rescue. He made an excuse to Laurel whose back was to Felicity, walked very calmly towards her, got hold of her arm and dragged her outside where he dumped the tray on another waiter and walked her towards the car park.
Before Tommy could've asked her what she was doing in there, Oliver followed them outside. "What were you doing in there? I thought you were already in the car Felicity." He asked angrily.
"I am so sorry Oliver but that guy just handed me the tray and then a nice lady asked me to come over and then I saw Laurel and I panicked because if she caught me I did not know how I would have explained it all." Felicity tried to clarify.
"What else were you expecting? You must have told Tommy that you would be here and he followed you, you do realize that you could've jeopardized the whole mission," Oliver was angry and glaring at one Tommy Merlyn.
"Excuse me! How could I have jeopardized the mission?," it was Felicity's turn to be angry, "In case you forgot I was in there tracing and bringing back the money while you were schmoozing that scum. I never NEVER tell anybody anything about our missions, and even though Tommy knows about your other nocturnal activities, he too is not privy to mission details because that's not how I operate and you know that," she literally screamed at him but she was seething with rage at his insinuation that she could have babbled about the mission and risked their cover.
"Ollie, I don't what is going on here, but you have been seriously weird of late; I came with Laurel who was commandeered by her boss to be here. I have no clue what you guys are doing here and why is Felicity playing a cater waiter. I only brought her out because it was obvious that she was under cover for something that you guys are doing and she thought Laurel would blow her cover," Tommy was looking between the two of them trying to figure out why they both were so angry.
Just then Diggle came in with the car and before he could have stepped out, Oliver opened the door and motioned Felicity to get in the car. Felicity was angry and did not want to ride back with Oliver. She turned towards Tommy and asked, "Can I hitch a ride with you guys, I promise I will hide in the boot and Laurel will not know about me."
"Of course I will take you home and you don't have to hide in the boot," he touched her arm to put her at ease.
He pulled out his phone and called Laurel, "Hey, can you ride back with your boss, I have to run back to the club, there is an emergency and I gotta be there," he listened to her response and told felicity that Laurel will come back with his boss and that he will take her back.
Felicity refused to look anywhere near Oliver who was only scowling at Tommy and Tommy was looking at both of them a little bewildered. He eventually threw his hands up in the air and walked Felicity towards his car. After she sat down in the passenger seat, he looked back at Diggle and told him that he will text him to let him know when he drops Felicity off. He actually wanted to let Oliver know because he was beginning to realize why Oliver was behaving like a jealous douche. Diggle nodded and acknowledged Tommy's not so subtle message.
Felicity was quiet on the ride back and was looking outside the window while Tommy Merlyn is hatching a plan. He just realized that not only can he have a lot of fun at Oliver's expense; it may also bring two of his dearest friends together. He cannot wait to get started but it will have to wait because he will need some help from Laurel to put the plan in motion.
Suggestions and criticism are both welcome, please review.
Thanks