A/N: Thank you SO much to everyone supporting this story! I really appreciate it and am working as much as I can to update; I have so much more in store for all of you. Special thanks to those who reviewed: Dianitachiva, LilSweetie, "Guest", dreameralways, Motherduk, Lily M.85, The Watcher, jimi18, morrigan75, SharkGurl, rae8807, chiaki2389, SleazyforAnyWeasley, "Guest", CKFan37, Redlioness62, 1n Rainb0ws, cjjosh4ever, emily. , misspossessive, and Illiah. More thanks to those who are following and who have saved this story. Most of all, thank YOU for reading! Hope you enjoy this next one. xx IFHD
A A A
Chapter 2: Demons
A A A
Inspired by:
"Demons"
By: Imagine Dragons
When the days are cold
And the cards all fold
And the saints we see
Are all made of gold
When your dreams all fail
And the ones we hail
Are the worst of all
And the blood's run stale
I want to hide the truth
I want to shelter you
But with the beast inside
There's nowhere we can hide
No matter what we breed
We still are made of greed
This is my kingdom come
This is my kingdom come
When you feel my heat
Look into my eyes
It's where my demons hide
It's where my demons hide
Don't get too close
It's dark inside
It's where my demons hide
It's where my demons hide
When the curtain's call
Is the last of all
When the lights fade out
All the sinners crawl
So they dug your grave
And the masquerade
Will come calling out
At the mess you made
Don't want to let you down
But I am hell bound
Though this is all for you
Don't want to hide the truth
They say it's what you make
I say it's up to fate
It's woven in my soul
I need to let you go
Your eyes, they shine so bright
I want to save their light
I can't escape this now
Unless you show me how
A A A
The third day of the simultaneous clean-up and reconstruction project of the east side of The Glades and the outlying areas that were mildly damaged by the tremors were less chaotic than the first two. Waves of panic were increasingly replaced by that of trauma and mourning, where many inhabitants and pilgrims from nearby cities and towns sifted through the devastation in an almost catatonic state. Some of the survivors who had managed to flee the area were lucky enough to find that most of their homes, albeit damaged, had remained intact. Those who were not so fortunate, however, flooded homeless shelters and hospices, praying and hoping all the while that there were still beds available. Looting and fighting sporadically occurred; though, for the most part, the negative shockwaves of the earthquake were tempered by compassion and hope. Starling City slowly arose from the ruin and its inhabitants were standing united in rebuilding their city.
Felicity awoke early that day, rising earlier than the sun, and resolved to begin the restoration of their headquarters at Verdant's basement. She didn't find it difficult to reach the club, as most of the streets had now been cleared and reopened for pedestrians. What she did find difficult, however, was getting into Verdant. Upon stepping in front of the entrance, she was confronted with a master lock that was the size of her hand; attached to that lock were thick links of chain that looped and knotted around the doors' handles. Though knowing her efforts were going to be futile, she gave the doors a tug for good measure before reaching for the phone in her front pocket. "C'mon, Oliver..." she mumbled to herself, biting her nails and tapping her toes. "Hurry up and answer!"
Nothing.
No 'hello', not even a voicemail greeting.
After the fifth ring, Felicity finally decided to try another route.
She waited through several rings and said aloud, "Ok, Dig, you better answer your phone or..."
"Felicity...you do know that I answered, right?"
The IT expert shook her head as though awaking from a reverie and finally focused on Diggle's baritone voice. "Oh, sorry, was distracted by a cat crossing the road." He sighed knowingly. She winced. "Look, both you and Oliver said that you'd brief me on what's going on. It's been two days and a few hours, and I still haven't really been told anything. You do know that, right?"
"Listen, it's just not the right time to..."
"Dig," she interjected in a stern tone, "I don't think there's ever going to be a right time. Look, you know I'm going to find out sooner or later, so just give me a break for once and let me find out sooner rather than later, okay? We are Team Vigilante, right?" She let out a brusque exhale. "I'm at the entrance of Verdant right now, and it's been chained and locked closed. How am I supposed to clean, fix, and salvage everything in the basement when...?"
Diggle let out a puff of air, then remained silent for a while longer. When Felicity finally trailed off, he began, "Felicity, sit down for a second."
The young woman quickly surveyed her surroundings. It was devoid of any kind of chair or bench, so she settled for sitting on a piece of rubble that appeared as though it used to be a roof. "Okay. I'm sitting down. It's kind of uncomfortable because there are no cushions and it's not really for sitting, but..."
"Tommy's dead," Diggle interjected curtly. "Moira's been arrested and is being held and questioned in the prison while awaiting her trial. Thea's AWOL, nowhere to be found."
Felicity blanched at this. Her throat quickly became parched. "Um...is...is that all?"
"No, actually." Diggle exhaled once more. "The press is all over the Queen mansion. We've stationed guards everywhere and are doing our best to keep them back. Not sure what's going on with Queen Consolidated either."
Felicity could feel tears forming in her eyes. "And Oliver?"
"He's here, at the mansion."
It was the young woman's turn to release a sigh. Her tone, however, remained determined. "I'll call you when I get there. Well, I've never actually been there, but I'll find it. It's just going to take me some time to walk or bus or..."
"...I'll see you in a bit, Felicity."
A A A
Felicity re-read Diggle's intricate text describing how to get to the back entrance of the mansion. He underlined that it was imperative for her not to be caught by any member of the press or the Starling City police - particularly because Detective Quentin Lance was well aware of her connection to the Vigilante. Without protest, she wholeheartedly agreed to this order; exacerbating anything else was the opposite of her wishes.
"Oh God...ow." Felicity violently ripped her curly, blonde hair out from a tall, trimmed hedge, then stumbled out into the clearing. With a minor adjustment of her glasses, her bright blue eyes took a cursory glance at her surroundings. When she saw that the coast was clear, she dashed toward the back doors, conveniently hidden by an outer wall, where Diggle was already waiting for her.
The soldier couldn't help but raise a laconic brow at her awkward running - which resembled an injured goose attempting to fly off the ground - but ultimately made no comment and quickly ushered her inside. As she doubled over and caught her breath, he motioned his head to the right. "He's in the living room."
"Which one?" She replied half-serious, half-jokingly. When she finally managed to recover, Felicity couldn't help but stare in awe at the interior of the Queen mansion; she had heard how expansive and elegant it was, but others' descriptions were nothing compared to the beauty that she was seeing in front of her. The place boasted such majesty, such history, that it almost overwhelmed her. But, she mused, exactly how much of this place was built over the foundation of blood?
She turned the corner and immediately perceived Oliver, sitting alone on the middle of the couch. His brooding expression was accompanied by his tense posture; he leaned forward, hands clasped so tightly that the veins in his taut arms jumped from his skin. He propped his elbows on his jean-clad legs and looked as though he had difficulty breathing.
Felicity almost lost her nerve when he looked up at her. As he regarded her curiously, she rethought precisely why she had come in the first place. She quickly remembered everything that Diggle had recounted to her, but she also didn't want to show Oliver that she knew of everything that had happened and what was currently happening as of yet. Clearing her throat, she began lightly, "So, uh...thanks for locking me out."
Oliver somewhat sat up straight and raised his brows. No smile graced his square face. "Looks like you got in just fine." He pointed towards her head. "But why do you have leaves in your hair?"
Felicity hurriedly took the foliage from her person, mumbled a curse, then flailed her hands out in front of her. "N-no, I meant at Verdant. The front door was locked, and I obviously couldn't get in unless I had a really large bolt cutter and..."
"Verdant and Queen Consolidated - and our operation - are shut down until further notice," Oliver stated, his face remaining hard.
Felicity quickly processed this information, and a look of realization appeared on her countenance. "W-wait, what?" She took a few strides forward, now entirely facing Oliver. Another realization hit her then, overshadowing the former temporarily. "I'm...I'm unemployed?" She sputtered, then ran her hands through her face. "I knew I bought fishnets for something. Always good to have a pair for a rainy day. Rainy day meaning when you become unemployed. Or the literal rainy day, when you'd probably have to change because wearing wet clothing is just uncomfortable, and..."
Felicity stopped speaking when she realized the stern look that Oliver was shooting at her. The young woman finally relented, sighed, and took a seat beside him. It wasn't difficult for her to discern that Oliver was a right mess; the man's life unravelled in practically a day. "Oliver, I know you've been through a lot," she began. Oliver met her eyes. "Dig told me what happened, and I'm really, really sorry. I shouldn't be thinking about myself..."
"The Vigilante failed this city, Felicity," Oliver stated, squaring his jaw. "He should have done more to protect it and to stop The Undertaking." His face filled with even more pain. "I can't keep doing this. I have to stop."
"Now you're starting to sound like me," Felicity couldn't help but say under her breath. She shook her head. "Oliver, if there's one thing I know, it's that you've done more for this city that you give yourself credit for. You can't just give everything up when this city needs you the most - and it needs you the most right now."
"I just..." he pursed his lips, then ran his hands through his short hair, "...I just need to be Oliver right now."
She didn't know if it was because she felt so much sympathy for Oliver, or whether she wasn't completely thinking straight at that moment, but Felicity mustered up enough courage and took his face in her hands. Light stubble tickled her skin, but she reveled at the warmth that he brought her. Her thumbs caressed the side of his hard face. He initially tensed at this unexpected contact, but eventually relaxed as she encouraged him to look at her. "But this is you, Oliver." The two were nose to nose now. "The Vigilante isn't just some alter ego of yours - it's a part of you."
Oliver's thoughtful stare pierced through her, and Felicity quickly became nervous. After a few, lingering moments, he let out a sigh, then gripped her wrists. "Look, Felicity," he gently pulled her arms away, "I appreciate what you've been doing for this city, for the Vigilante...for me. I appreciate what you're currently doing. But I," he clenched his jaw, "I need some time."
As though burnt, Felicity quickly retrieved her hands and crossed them on her lap. She moved a few inches away from Oliver for good measure and attempted to calm her rapidly-beating heart. Her brows remained furrowed at how dejected he remained. "No matter what, Oliver, you know that Diggle and I will always have your back."
"Thank you." Oliver stood then. Felicity followed suit." Look, I have to find my sister, see my mother, and be with Laurel." He placed a quick hand on her upper arm. "Tommy's funeral is tomorrow. I'll give you more details when I get them."
"Okay," Felicity replied meekly. She eyed the floor, then his eyes, alternately. When he said nothing further, she began to walk back from whence she came. Before she turned the corner, she heard him call out:
"Felicity?"
She whirled around. "Yeah?"
"Would you happen to know why there are thousands of dollars missing from the Queen Consolidated bank account? I had been informed that the money was withdrawn yesterday."
Felicity blushed, then made a nervous noise. "Oh, right. Forgot to tell you...um...I donated some of your money to the Restoration. You know, since they really needed it. Forged your signature and all. Was really easy to do, so..."
"Thank you." Oliver managed a half smile and placed his hands in his pant pockets. "You beat me to the punch."
An awkward laugh escaped her throat. "Yeah, well, even though I might punch faster, I'm sure you can punch harder. You know, if we were really having a punching contest or something."
Oliver regarded her with a small smirk. "I'll talk to you later, Felicity."
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A/N: Oh man, all the Olicity feels I have inflicted upon myself! =*O xx IFHD