'I don't understand why you asked to talk to me, normally you call if our..mutual friend needs a favor' Detective Lance said looking around making sure no one was listening. Felicity was holding a cup of warm tea, she watched as the steam slowing raised into the air, swirling before disappearing into thin air.

'Wouldn't it be nice, if things would just disappear into nothing like this steam.'

'Miss Sm..Felicity.' Lance said. 'What happened?'

'But like the steam, the never really go away do they? It looks like they disappear.' Felicity says and looks up to the ceiling. 'But the are still there, somewhere.'

'I don't understand...what's going on?' Lance asked and Felicity looked back at him, she could see the worry and concern written on his face.

'I have a secret, something you can never tell anyone, especially Sara or Laurel.'

'Unless it endangers someone, I promise.'

'My last name isn't Smoak, it's Beck.' She says and reaches down to her bag and pulls out a picture. 'I was a cop.' She places it on the table and pushed it towards him. Lance looked down at the photo, confusion etched on his face. After a few moments he looked back up at her.

'I was 18 when the Cincinnati Police hired me.'

'18?' Lance asked surprised.

'I was very good. Some detectives requested I work on a case after i made an observation that panned out to be a key detail. I ended up finding an almost invisible money trail which lead us to a warehouse on the south side of Cincinnati.'

'Who owned the building?' Lance asked. Felicity reached down and grabbed a file and gave it to Lance.

'A man named Jonathan DeLuca.' Felicity watched as Lance flipped through the file, stopping on one of the last pages.

'Who was the officer shot?'

'DeLuca had a mole, who told him the name of the of the officer who found the money trail to the warehouse. We successfully saw and detained seven people. However the sniper on the roof next to the building no one saw.' Felicity said and pulled out another paper and handed handed it handed it to Lance. 'He targeted me because I found the money trail. So he hired a sniper to kill me, and as far as he knows, he did.

'Why are you telling me this?'

'Because, the arrow is tracking a man named Sedgwick Chaplin...and we recently learned on of the aliases he used was Jonathan Deluca.'

'Oh..'

'I can't tell the arrow I was a cop, he will never trust me again because I've lied to him about my past..but Chaplin or well DeLuca knows me, and if he learns I am alive-'

'You can't guarantee your safety.'

'I don't care about my safety, I care about the safety of the people I care about who are in my life, around me. You can't protect all of them without arousing suspicion. And nobody can know about my past.'

'What can I do to help?'

'Here is a copy of everything we found..please find him before the arrow does, or I do.'

'Before you do?'

'I have to make it look like like a normal search, I can only stall for so long. He knows my pattern and what I look like. If he learns I am still alive he won't target me, he will target the people I care about.'

'How do you know this. DeLuca might not touch you because you found his money trail before.'

'But Chaplin's reputation is as I just said.'

'And DeLuca and Chaplin are the same person.' Lance said and Felicity nodded. 'I'll take this back and do everything I can. But you have to know, I have a duty to protect people, and if that means involving you I have to.'

'Please..no one can know.'

'I'll do my best. For now go about your normal routine, if anything seems out of sorts you call me first. Stay safe.' Lance said, he walked by and placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed.

'Lance.' She said and he turned around and got up to go to him. 'This man..this man took everything from me. Being a cop was all I ever knew how to do, some days, I still feel like that. Having to start over like I did, it..it changes you. I can't go through that again.'

Lance nodded and walked out.

Felicity left the coffee shop and stood In front, she looked around. She knew she had to go to the foundry soon, she just didn't want to. Oliver had a way of always knowing if something was wron. She got In her car and put the key In the ignition but she couldn't turn it. Her hand just stayed frozen on the key, idle. Her thoughts and fears plagued her mind. What if oliver finds out, will her trust? Maybe I should just tell him. But what if he still thinks I am a cop. What if Chaplin finds out who I am? Scenarios and questions kept popping Into her head. Her phone buzzing is what brought her out of her trance. It was from Oliver.

OQ: where are you?

FS: got stuck in traffic, on my way.

She sent the text the turn her car on and drove away. The drive seemed longer than usual, she finally arrived at the foundry and headed down the stairs. When she came down the stairs she expected to find Dig and Oliver sparring on the mats, and Roy somewhere in the distance, but only Oliver was there.

'Where is everyone?' She said and put her bag on her desk.

'John went home to Lyla early tonight and Roy is working the bar upstairs.'

'Oh..okay.' great, just us she thought, this was exactly what she wanted to avoid. She kept her back turned to Oliver, looking to appear as if she was just looking through her purse, she didn't know what she would do if she looked Oliver in the eye, especially after talking to Lance.

'Hey.' Oliver said placing his hand on her shoulder. 'Are you okay?'

'Yeah..yeah no, sorry it was just a long day.' Felicity had picked up a different job since they didn't have control of Queen Consolidated yet. That involved dealing with people who weren't as smart ass her, but thought they were.

'I'm sor-'

'Don't apologize, this isn't your fault, things will be back to normal soon.' She said and smiled at him before turning around and sitting. Truth Is things hadn't been normal in so long, ever since slade everyone had been on edge, trying to find Thea, get QC back. Things between Oliver and herself were awkward, to say the least. Now this? She thought. If they find out, nothing will be normal again. She remembers back when she was a cop, nothing was normal, even with her friends.

Six years ago

'Sorry Felicity, but the other girls don't want you to come.'

'What? Why not! Drinking night is something we always did!' Felicity said flabbergasted.

'Yes...well that was before..'

'Before what?'

'Felicity..' Anne said. 'Please don't make me say it.'

'Anne, what Is it?'

'We used to go out before..well before you were a cop. Now you passed and you're a cop.' Anne said, looking everywhere but at Felicity.

'So, you guys knew I was going to school, and In the academy to be a cop, but that never bothered you.'

'Because before you weren't like..official, now you are. The girls are afraid that you'll like regulate them or something, like be all cop-y.'

'Cop-y? I'm still the same person as In was a week ago!' Felicity said In a raised voice, causing other people in the store to look at them.

'Inn know you are, but the others are uncomfortable now, and I have have to respect their wishes.'

'Theirs..theirs what about mine? How long have we been friends?'

'Liss, don't be mad, please-'

'Save it, just...have fun night.' Felicity said. She got up and walked out the restaurant.

Being a cop just made everyone clam up, and be awkward. Nothing was ever normal after she became awkward cop. She turned around to Oliver and looked at him. His back was turned to her, he was sharpening his arrows. Normal? Normal was never in her life. She could tell him the truth but then this, this would all disappear if they knew and she didn't want to lose this, lose them. She was quite literally stuck between a rock and hard place. She knew that secrets like to these have a way of weeding out at all the wrong moments, she just hoped Detective Lance was faster.

So this is the next chapter! Tell me what you think!

Comments good or bad are appreciated