AN 1:
I'd just like to say that HOLY CRAP, the response for this prologue has been overwhelmingly amazing! I have no words. Thank you, so much.
As usual, tremendous thanks to my two wonderful betas. This would be a lot less fun without you.
Happy reading, everybody!
It's not even midday and yet the PR office of Senator Queen is buzzing with agitation. The air smells of freshly brewed coffee and hastily made phone calls, as young intern Amy Peterson carefully makes her way in between desks stacked with folders and energized colleagues murdering their keyboards with practiced tenacity. With five Styrofoam cups precariously balanced on top of two (or ten) files, she manages to reach the back of the room where the director of PR, Natalia Reyes, is hosting a small meeting.
"So, in summary, we have nobody?"
"No. The four candidates we've interviewed this morning won't do. We're running out of time. The deadline is tonight. Thanks," the coordinator adds after Amy finished handing everyone their coffees. That's enough to spike her curiosity.
"You're talking about the special assignment the Senator gave yesterday, right? How come the candidates didn't work out?"
Natalia eyes her curiously, as if pondering whether or not to answer, before finally making up her mind.
"Yes, we are. And as a reply to your second question, we have our reasons as to why."
Her boss is giving her way more information than her lowly intern status warrants, and she feels like she is walking a very thin line, but she just has to ask.
"What exactly are you looking for in the future Mrs Queen?"
Before Natalia can respond, however, the petite my-hair-is-straight-out-of-a-shampoo-commercial social media specialist she's seen around a couple of times is cutting in and proclaiming in her nicest tone,
"Courteous, well-read, with a clear police record and no dirt in the closet, studying for an advanced college degree, fluent in another language than English, of course, a warm personality that the public can relate to – it's even better if she's middle class, since the Queens are seen as snobby and removed from the lower classes' struggle –, attractive, and it's even better if she's up-to-date on current affairs."
"I'm not sure about that last one, but… I might just have the girl for you."
All five pairs of eyes turns towards her in perfect synchronization, and given the hint of a smile on Natalia's face (if her people-reading skills aren't totally sucky), this internship could turn out to be the best career move she ever made.
...
It takes Oliver Queen two seconds and him looking at her up and down like she's some toy in a store that he's going to purchase - which he is in way - and she realizes just now how weird that sounded but hey that's her mind so who cares - for him to say, looking sideways at his mother with an air reminiscent of a child,
"Can't we find somebody else?"
She tries not to feel insulted, she really does, but if the wave of rage she feels swooping through her entire being is any indication, she's not really succeeding. She can hear the implications of his sentence as if he uttered them himself. Can't we get someone hotter? Can't we get someone more worthy of me? Can't we get someone better?
She's been put down her entire life by his kind of people, the kind who fancy themselves superior to her just because they have a dick, or because they're older, or because they think they're smarter (hint: they're not). She's swallowed and let the remarks fly by, because that's the kind of person she is. But she's sure as hell not gonna let herself be that insulted by that trust-fund jerk who is wearing a ridiculous tiny scarf. (What is he, a dog?)
"Not to impose, or anything, but I'm your best shot. More accurately, your only shot. And I'll have you know that my academic record is almost certainly better than anybody else in this room, and so is my IQ. I may be blonde, but I'm not that blonde. So if you could just swallow your misogyny for a second, I'd be really grateful." she finishes, slightly flustered once it registers that she just said all of that in front of Moira Queen and her stupid son.
But the woman just studies her with a calculating face and she swears she can see a hint of approval in her eyes. At least, she hopes that's what it is. She's cut from her thoughts when Mrs Queen demands a second alone, never taking her eyes off Felicity (which is slightly freaking her out, to be honest.) A couple of seconds later, Felicity hasn't moved an inch and Moira is standing in front of the large window, looking out at the city like she owns it. From what Felicity knows of that family, she probably does. The silence stretches for an almost uncomfortable moment, before the other woman starts talking.
"Did you know that I was salutatorian of my class at Harvard? I was someone back then, a person in my own right, and I had a horizon of possibilities opened to me. People always said that 'I would go places.' which always struck me as an odd saying, weirdly enough. But I felt proud of my accomplishments, and felt like I could do anything I wanted to. And then, I married Robert. Now, my days consist of organizing brunches and galas, donating money to charity and looking good next to my husband, as if I am an added value." she adds, turning around to face Felicity. "When he was first elected governor, I remember the articles would say variations of 'Robert Queen, rising star of the Republican party and husband of Moira Dearden, summa cum laude graduate of Harvard university.'"
Moira smiles, but it's rather morose.
"You must wonder why I am telling you all this. It's because I can see myself in you, Felicity, and I want to make sure you know what you're in for. Your life will not be your own anymore. Your existence will just be a means to an end. I would truly comprehend that you wish to withdraw now, and I will give you a minute for you to come to a decision. Just be aware that whatever it is you choose, it is final."
To say that Felicity hadn't expected that would be a lie as big as this building. But oddly enough, she finds that it doesn't change anything in the slightest, aside from the sympathy she now feels towards the older woman.
If there's one thing to be said about Felicity, it's that once she's in, she's in. And if she's honest with herself, she's been in this since the moment she boarded on that plane what feels like ages ago, after getting an unexpected but not unwelcome phone call from her former babysitter Amy.
Mrs Queen had already taken two steps towards the door when Felicity breaks out of the stupor she was in and lets out a 'Wait!' that's a bit too forceful.
As Moira turns around, she can see the steely resolve in the young girl's eyes. It makes her look so much older than seventeen, and she feels sorry that she's had to go through so much hardship in that short amount of time, hardship that forced her to grow up well before it was time. If she's being honest with herself, this girl is more mature than her own Oliver, who's well past eighteen and nearly got a girl pregnant a week ago.
She used to believe that Oliver would grow up after a while, grow out of this constant pleasure seeking that has been his life since he was old enough to sneak into nightclubs, but a while turned into years and he's still the same reckless boy. And seeing this child standing in front of her gives her hope that maybe someone else could have a positive impact on her only son's life. It still stings that her own flesh doesn't seem to notice that she only want what's best for him, but at this point, she just wants him to mature, no matter the cost. Hence why she agreed to Robert's plan. They've run out of options.
"With all due respect, ma'am," Felicity starts, her fingers playing with the hem of her cardigan, "I'm not doing this for you, for your family, or for your son. I'm doing this for me. And nothing you can say or do will weaken my resolve. Unless, of course, you decide to break your part of the agreement, even though I'm certain you won't. You need me too much for that."
This time, the older woman truly smiles, and declares:
"Welcome to the family, Felicity."
The smile she gets in return is brilliant, and Moira Queen finds herself happy that her husband's PR office found this particular girl. Just as she's about to exit the office, however, she hears Felicity blurting out, a hint of nervousness in her tone,
"I still don't have to vote Republican, right?"
...
Oliver is bored. He has been up since eight, slightly hungover (nothing he can't manage), and there should definitely be a law against waking up that early. After a joyful conversation in his dad's office in which Robert made it really clear that from now on Oliver would do as he said if he wanted to keep his trust fund, Oliver went back to the mansion with the firm intention to spend the rest of the day with a pillow over his head. But then, his mom came into his room saying that they had found a girl and she would be in the PR office by four, so he should get ready. Just as a matter of principle, he already disliked his father and that girl for screwing up his afternoon plans. He and Tommy were supposed to hit the Starling City club scene that night, and how is he expected to make it past three with that little sleep in his system? Figures.
So now, it's five, and he's sitting in some random office at his dad's PR HQ. Not exactly his definition of fun.
Thinking of the past half an hour, he feels slightly ashamed at his behavior. Okay, fine, his comment was slightly douchey, even for him, but it had just escaped him. Who can blame him though? This girl is his total antithesis, from her low curly ponytail to her girly flowery dress. She's the opposite of the girls he usually goes for, and don't even get him started on the glasses. He suddenly hears Tommy's comment from yesterday in his head. Well, at least make sure she's hot. It's not that she's ugly, or anything (thank God for that). She's cute, and in Oliver's book, that means about nothing. He doesn't do cute.
But from the looks of it, he's gonna be stuck with her for the foreseeable future (he really doesn't want to be poor) so he decides to go talk to her as soon as the private meeting between his mother and the girl is over.
Just as he's about to load some random game on his phone to pass the time, he hears the office door open and people get in. Turning around, he sees his dad's PR guru enter, followed closely by her intern with the ever-present notepad, his mother and the girl. She's making this weird face, lips pursed as if she's trying not to smile, and has slight blush on her cheeks. He studies her for a second, as she's looking everywhere but at him. Interesting.
He's jostled out of his thoughts by his mother calling his name.
"Mmh?" he says, as his eyes go back up to Moira.
"I need to discuss some details with Ms Reyes here, so that should give you and Felicity some time to talk before we sign the papers." Perfect. "Amy here will escort you to another office. We should be done in a quarter of an hour. Is that alright with you, Felicity?" Moira adds, turning towards her. Felicity nods, and exchanges a couple of words with the intern as they are lead into an adjacent room. Do they know each other or something?
Finally, the intern leaves, closing the door behind her, and they're alone. Yet she's still not looking at him.
Time to turn the charm on, as Laurel liked to say.
"Hey – it's Felicity, right?" he starts, with a dazzling smile, not leaving her time to reply before continuing. "Sorry about earlier. Let's just start again. Hi, I'm Oliver Queen," he suggests in his most charming voice, hand outstretched.
He's invaded her personal space, and is pleased to see that her cheeks have become even more pinkish than earlier. But where he expected her to respond positively, she just lets out a sigh, takes a step forward so that there is barely an inch between them before sidestepping Oliver and leaning on the desk behind him. Slightly startled, he turns around, and she stares at him in the eye.
"Listen, you can quit the whole flirty having-my-attention-is-a-gift thing you have going on, 'cause it's not going to work. But we're virtually stuck with each other for the foreseeable future. We're in this together. You know, like the song?" Oliver furrows his brow, as she adds, in a sing-song voice, "We're All In This Together?"
"Never heard of it."
"Right. Cause you probably don't watch Disney Channel. Like, ever. And I did not just reference High School Musical to Oliver Queen." She closes her eyes as he faintly hears her count down from three. She takes a deep breath before raising her head again. "What I meant to say is, this is going to be easier for the both of us if we help each other out. So, partners?" she finishes, head cocked to the side, holding out her hand to him, mirroring his action from earlier.
Oliver's always been taught to evaluate who holds the power in a room, and right now, he knows that this tiny blonde girl has shifted the odds. He can't help but give her a look he realizes a second later is his father's infamous assessing glance. Oliver lets out a small smile, a real one he can't seem to stifle, and shakes her hand.
As Felicity smiles back, Oliver has to admit he's a tiny bit curious to see how this whole mess is going to play out. And even if it's a disaster, he's just going to sit back and enjoy the show. He just finds himself wishing this girl won't find herself in the crossfire. If there's a thing his twenty years of existence on this planet taught him, it's that Queen family dealings can get really messy.
AN 2:
Couple of things concerning this AU: 1. Sandra actually lost the baby, 2. Queen Consolidated doesn't exist but Merlyn Global Group does, and 3. character ages and birthdays are same as in canon.
I really hope you enjoyed this prologue and I'll probably post the second chapter tomorrow. English isn't my native language and if mistakes managed to sneak through betaing, just let me know?
Constructive criticism is always appreciated, and just know that I'm usually going to be writing three chapters ahead of what I'm posting. So stuff that doesn't make sense in a chapter will most likely be explained later on. If not, I'll add it in the notes!
Anyways, I dearly wish you appreciated this and am looking forward to posting the rest!
Review responses:
Clio21, misspsycho24, Guest (1, 2 and 3), Kayla, schrooten5, Carfa, Galatea Black, emilyhotchener-olicity-bethyl: Thank you so much, to each and every one of you. Hope you enjoyed this second chapter just as much!
Lililovingreading: I hope you liked the Moira/Felicity scene here. I have a feeling you will enjoy chapter 3!
Ini: Glad that you liked this version of Oliver. I'll admit, I was really weary about writing pre-island!Oliver at first, so it means a lot that you liked how he turned out. :)