Little Bit of Everything

Oliver yanked open the door to the bathroom with an irritated huff. He had…felt something for her. Cursing and shaking his head, he forced himself to sit down on the lip of the porcelain tub in the corner. Surely, he thought, it was figment of his imagination. He had known Felicity her entire life and up until this point, had felt nothing but disgusted despair towards her.

Up until this moment, he realized, he had been holding his breath. Waiting, terrified, that she would awaken and he would be thrust into a destiny that would ultimately lead to his demise. In the kitchen, however, Oliver had electricity crackle between them. Undeniable chemistry. When his hand had touched her shoulder (comforting, he reminded himself harshly, I was comforting her), he had felt the Earth move beneath them. Frustration coursed through him, clear and strong. He knew that when they were in close quarters, he often absorbed her emotions. That had to be it.

Or, his mind whispered, ARGUS has planned this all along.

Gritting his teeth, he closed his eyes and tried to bite back the panic he was feeling. He would not fall in love with her. Maybe that had been the destiny of every Guardian before her but he would not fall victim to the lie. Wasn't it enough that he might potentially die protecting her? Wasn't it enough that he had been forced to share her every niggling emotion since she was born? Wasn't it enough that he was giving up himself to be what she needed? Why, then, would they force him to love her too?

"You can't force me to do this, do you hear me? I won't. On my family's honor, I will protect her- but you can't force me to love her. I won't," Oliver croaked stonily, his voice echoing off of the black and white tile of the bathroom. Angrily, he wondered if ARGUS was listening. Wasn't that just their way? They sat together, in their ivory tower, passing judgment on the pawns in their game with the enemy. Oliver and Felicity were just pawns in their ultimate, master plan.

Disposable, dispensable pawns.

Jerking himself up, he forced himself to examine her as a pawn. Her height would be a tactical advantage, though her willowy frame lacked muscle and strength. Training her would be difficult. Gritting his teeth, he felt a wave of resentment wash over him. This isn't my choice, his mind screamed angrily and he took a step towards the door.

As his hand reached for the knob, he felt the prickling awareness that usually accompanied being watched. Spinning around, his hand moving swiftly towards the holster in his jacket, his eyes scanned the bathroom. Empty. The only things in the room were him and his frustration. Feeling foolish, he began to lower his hand from his jacket. I'm starting to lose it, he thought sullenly, when his fingers brushed against the smooth envelope that he had carefully tucked into his jacket pocket. It suddenly struck him as odd that he was in possession of the last words that Donna Smoak-Dhark had ever written.

Easing the letter out of his pocket, he stared at her neat cursive intensely. What could she say to him that would make him understand? What could she say that would make what he was about to do any easier? Should he even bother to read it? Without his permission, his fingers began to make the decision. Sliding to the seam of the envelope, they eased it apart to unveil the letter. He could feel the imprint of Donna's forceful print on the page and suddenly began to feel nervous.

Forcing himself back onto the lip of the tub, he snatched the letter out and unfolded it.

"Felicity, I told you to be in this room fifteen minutes ago. Where in the hell were you?"

Felicity felt her shoulders tense as her father whispered harshly in her ear. This was one of his intimidation tactics, she knew, but she was determined to not let him get to her. In truth, she had gone searching for Roy after the scene their father had made over a few broken dishes- but she would never let him know that.

"I was obviously getting my jollies out of blatantly disrespecting you, Father," she whispered back bravely. Awareness of her father's proximity niggled at her, forcing her to duck her head. He had never hit her but there had been more than one occasion that she had worried that he would.

That was life with her father, however, living on a knife's edge- never sure whether he would lose the tenuous grasp on his temper or stay in control. She tried to swallow but her throat had gone suddenly dry. Today of all days would not be the day to test him.

"What did you just say?" The words were controlled- tight, as if they would break if even the faintest amount of pressure was put on them. His posture had straightened so that he towered over her slim frame, casting his shadow over the room.

"I said, I'm sorry, Father. I apologize for my late arrival. How can I help you?"

"I want to know where your brother is and I want to know now," the tone was so acidic that Felicity was surprised he hadn't burned her with them. The smirk was back in place, his posture easing so that he could save face with his co-workers.

"I think he went to bed. He wasn't feeling well earlier. It is nearly eleven o'clock and we've been up since six this morning." The lie slipped out of her mouth easily and she surprised herself by looking at him firmly.

"I see. Well, I'll make my way upstairs to check on him after my colleagues leave. Pity, though, that he won't be attending baseball practice after school tomorrow."

"Why wouldn't he be attending baseball practice tomorrow?" Felicity felt her face heating up with frustration and anxiety. Roy would kill her if she got him kicked off the team for missing practice.

"Given his illness, I feel his attendance would be imprudent, don't you agree?" Her father leered at her, eagerly digesting her uncomfortable and remorseful expression.

"I'm sure he'll be feeling better tomorrow. Why don't I just go check on him again?"

"Yes, do that." Turning on his heel, he sauntered away from her. Felicity watched, helpless to protect her brother from her father's insidious attention. All night he had been dragged from one group of her father's colleagues to the next. Each of them had been joyous to meet him, studying and scrutinizing his every move. Felicity had thought it was odd and had watched, more than once, as her Grandmother had steered Roy away from each new group. Almost as if she were protecting him from something, her mind whispered.

Shivering, Felicity hugged herself and walked slowly out of the foyer. She had checked all of Roy's usual haunts within the house but had been unsuccessful in her endeavor to find him. Grinning, she realized that she hadn't checked their spot out in the backyard- the one place they had always gone when they needed the other to chase after them. After tonight, Roy certainly needed some quiet time to himself and their spot would be the perfect place to find it. Tossing a nervous glance back into the belly of her house, Felicity slipped off her shoes and darted out into the inky shadows of the forest behind her house. Rough bark scraped the bottoms of her feet as she sprinted through the trees, almost euphoric at the feeling of being released from the careful stares of the unsympathetic crowd her father forced her to be around. After running for close to five minutes, she stopped and took a deep breath. The night air was crisp and cool and, despite the fact that she knew it was childish, she spun around. Her dress flaired out, giving the gentle breeze access to her legs, and she giggled. She had always loved coming out here with her mother and Roy. It had been their place.

She trudged over to the large Oak tree that stood in the center of the clearing and ran a loving hand down the trunk. This Oak, affectionately nicknamed Thea by Roy, had been their favorite tree to climb since they were little.

"How have you been doing, Old Girl? Seen Roy anywhere around here?" Felicity paused, as if giving the tree time to respond, and smiled morosely. Her mother had always said that nature would speak to her if she would only be careful enough to listen to the answers.

The tree will never answer back, stupid. Mom was wrong about that too.

Felicity stepped back in surprise as Roy came scurrying down the tree like a squirrel. She studied him for a minute, taking in his disheveled suit and tie, and his mussed dark hair. He looked so lost and so incredibly young. Reaching for him, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, his height making it difficult for her.

You look especially handsome right now, loser. Have you been out here the entire time? I was worried about you.

Stepping back, she smoothed out the crumpled cotton of her dress and ran her fingers against Thea's gnarled bark.

I just needed to get away. I couldn't take any more of the weird, prying questions, you know?

Felicity tilted her head in surprise and spoke out loud, "Prying questions? Like what?"

Roy shrugged, pressing his lips together tightly before leaning against Thea.

They wanted to know about my dreams. Like if I saw myself working with my father or if I saw my mother in my dreams. It was weird.

Something about those words made her skin tingle in warning. Roy stared at her, his eyes wide and haunted, before tilting his head curiously.

Why are you out here anyway? I thought you said we shouldn't come here anymore.

Dad was looking for you.

Eyes wide, Roy said, "Shit. I was supposed to be back a few hours ago. He's going to kill me."

Felicity cringed before speaking, "I…I might have said you were sick."

Roy went stock still before he pushed away from the tree and walked closer to her, "What did he say about baseball, Felicity?"

"That you would have to miss practice." Felicity watched as Roy's entire body took on the posture of a feral cat. Gone was the relaxed slump and in its place was the tight, rigid posture of a soldier.

"You knew. You knew that if I missed anymore practice, Coach would kick me off the team. Why didn't you just say that you couldn't find me? Why did you have to go and open your big mouth, huh?" His tone was sharp and filled with ire. Felicity couldn't remember a time when she had seen him that angry. The air seemed to vibrate with tension as his hands clenched into fists. Inadvertently, she took a step back from him.

Roy noticed immediately and went still. He forced his shoulders to relax and looked at her apologetically, "Felicity…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. It's just…he makes me so mad. It's not fair that I have to lose baseball too. Isn't it enough that he makes me intern at his stupid company all summer? Now I can't play baseball? It's like he enjoys punishing me."

Felicity reached her fingers out towards Roy, sending him a small smile, before she pushed her fingers between his. They hadn't held hands since they were children. Roy leaned his head on her shoulder and instantly Felicity remembered how young Roy was. How much he had been forced to grow in the past few months.

Do you remember when we got caught out here during that storm? Felicity closed her eyes, remembering the loud bass of the thunder and bright, illuminating lightning.

Felicity, that was forever ago. I was five?

Felicity closed her eyes, seeing Roy's pudgy arms clinging to her leg, his eyes welling with tears, and his gentle curls plastered to his head. He had been terrified of the storm, crying out for their mother, and refusing to leave Felicity's arms. She remembered pulling them in between Nora's gnarled roots and holding Roy close to her. She remembered telling him not to be afraid, that the storm would pass, and that whenever he got scared of the thunder, he should remember this moment and know he was safe. She then remembered squeezing her eyes shut and wishing that the storm would go away. That it would leave them long enough to get inside to get them inside.

Like magic, it had.

I never felt afraid of a thunderstorm again.

Felicity squeezed his hand and smiled, I'm your big sister, Roy. I will always protect you. I promise. No matter what it takes, I will always have your back. Even against Dad.

I know.

Though it was a short, timid response, Felicity felt his posture relax. Closing her eyes, she desperately wished that their mother was there with them. She always knew how to handle their father. She always knew how to handle everything.

Do you miss her? Roy's mind asked the question hesitantly, quietly.

I miss her so much that it hurts. I feel like an elephant is sitting on my chest and I can't breathe. The world feels like its ending- like the sun shouldn't still be shining while she's gone. But it does. Every day, I get up and I expect her to be in the kitchen, making us pancakes and teasing me about school. But she's not and I don't know how to deal with it.

Roy nodded and swiped angrily under his eyes. He sat quietly, his shoulders shuddering with sobs, before mumbling, "Me too."

We'll be ok, Jus. I promise, I will never let anything happen to you. Besides, I have a feeling it's going to rain tomorrow.

Roy grinned at her through his tears and shook his head, "If anyone could make it rain, it would be you."

Oliver,

I suppose the best way to start this letter is to apologize profusely for the immense challenge that I've left for you. It was never my intention to leave things so unsettled, to leave my children behind in such a dangerous situation, but, unfortunately the best laid plans never go the way we would like. When I left this letter with my mother, I had hoped that she wouldn't have to give it to you- that for once, my visions would be wrong. If you're reading this, they were not. HIVE has captured me and they will now be looking for what I have worked so diligently to protect. You have to protect them, Oliver. If you can't, everything ARGUS has worked so hard for will be destroyed. Everything I worked so hard to protect will be lost.

My children are in danger, Oliver. I know that Felicity is your charge, which is a big responsibility for any young man. Being a Guardian is not something you can choose, Oliver. Either you are one or you aren't. I know how afraid you must feel. I know how burdensome it must be to feel like you have no choice. I wish that I could do something to help you but I'm afraid what I've done has made everything so much harder for you. I had a mission, Oliver. After Noah's passing, I needed to do something that would stunt the growth of HIVE. So I did the only thing I could. I married into the darkest cult of our time. I had to stop them, Oliver. I had to protect the future I had foreseen.

I fear that I have made everything worse. I gave HIVE a meta-human weapon in Roy. I put my son in harm's way. I have tied his fate to Felicity's. Felicity doesn't know who her real father is, Oliver. It needs to be this way. If my husband were to suspect Felicity's true parentage or her true identity, he would have her killed. You and Felicity will change everything, Oliver. If you can protect Roy, preserve his kind heart and gentle nature, he will mean the downfall of HIVE. Together, they will have the power to do what ARGUS has failed to do for so long…

The contents of this letter must remain secret, Oliver. I thought I had more time. I thought I could bring Felicity to the truth. I thought I would lead her through the trials and tribulations of having powers the way that my mother did for me. Unfortunately, I could not. I managed to stall the development of her powers, Oliver. Now that I'm gone, I'm afraid that she will be unable to control them. You must act soon. You must help my children.

I will watch over you,

Donna

Oliver stared at the neat cursive on the page for what felt like hours. Sighing, he ran his hands over the length of his face and groaned. Donna hadn't just left him with an impossible task, she'd left him with far too dangerous of one. He was a gifted Guardian- his parents had made sure of that, but to fight in HIVE's backyard? It was too dangerous and far too complicated. His eyes drifted over the neat scrawl and unwittingly his fingers traced over Roy's name. Felicity's brother would be an unexpected and added complication. I gave HIVE a meta-human weapon in Roy, she had said. His fingers tightened around the edge of the tub and his mind drifted to his recent interactions with Roy. The young boy was all edges. Even from the limited exchange of words, he could tell that anger was simmering beneath the surface, waiting for the opportunity to explode.

"Do you understand what you've left me with, Donna? The danger you've put me in? Do you understand that I might die?"

Oliver waited, hoping that Donna's signature line, 'I will watch over you' was true. Didn't she owe him guidance? Didn't she owe him more of an explanation?

Didn't she owe him a way out?