I said it once I said it ten million times. Finals! Suck! Brains!

Enjoy the Story.


The Queen mansion alone could have filled a Central City block. Which Berry was fairly certain was larger than Starling City Block. She had yet to do a comprehensive survey on the relative size of city blocks but walking felt faster here. Maybe it was just epinephrine. Anyway, the enormous house stood like a castle fit for a queen. Facing this alone made Berry quake in her lucky shoes. This would be so much simpler if she were lost in a crowd.

She checked her watch. It read nine-twenty eight. By her standards she was practically on time. From the looks of things, she was not yet fashionably late. There were no cars parked in the driveway. A single limo sat outside the gates; its driver smoking a hand-rolled cigarette. It would probably be another hour before it really got swinging. She was just glad she hadn't brought any high heels. The walk up the drive was definitely longer than a Central City block.

Seeing the mansion from a distance was impressive. Up close it was simply over the top. Like the door. It was at least eight feet wide and solid enough that she had to heave it open. And it was made entirely of rosewood. Actual endangered rosewood. How obnoxious was that? The foyer was lined with real Persian carpets and paintings that cost more than her whole apartment building. The chandler was real leaded glass crystal. It was enough to make her head spin. Her father's estate had left her well-off but this was a whole another galaxy. This much money just lying around felt obscene.

She hurried through the hallway before she could do something stupid like breath on a priceless antique. There was classical music coming from up ahead. Something soft and floaty that she was ninety percent sure the Piano Guys covered. Berry walked into a room with high sweeping ceilings and wide dark floors. She scanned the few people here. Felicity's honey blonde hair stood out like a beacon.

Felicity had her hair in one of those big bumps that cascaded down her back. Her dress was a flirty little purple number. It was a good look on her. But she had ditched the glasses. Berry liked the other woman's glasses. They made her gorgeous eyes bigger. Oliver was leaning over her, talking in a low tense voice. He was dressed in one of those ruffed tuxs that were supposed to be fancy but always seemed silly to her. She caught the last few words of their conversation.

"FYI they will card her at the bar."

Berry smiled as Felicity spun around. Felicity returned her shy smile with one of her dazzling ones. Oliver left with a look at Berry that said their moment at the hotel never happened. She was fine with that. Mr. Queen was a little unbalanced and a lot in denial about it. She turned her attention back to the other woman. Felicity was glowing.

"I was serious about not being able to dance." She offered her hands anyway, "But I could hold your hands and sway."

Felicity laughed, "Sold"

Berry was maybe three inches shorter than Felicity so trying to figure out who was the leader was a little awkward. There was a knocking of elbows and knees and Berry did step on Felicity's toes. Twice. Eventually they settled together, Berry's arms wrapped around Felicity's waist. After that it was like a dream. The music changed, still soft but a little faster. Soft light cast a golden glow around the room. It felt so romantic. It had been years since Berry had held someone this close, felt soft skin under her fingers.

"You do this all the time?" She nodded to the people around them.

"No," Felicity shook her head "I don't party. Parties. No. I."

Berry nodded until the song ended. The two women parted with a minimum of toe-related mishaps.

"What to do that again?" she asked breathlessly. Berry could hold the other woman all night.

Felicity shook her head, "I really need a drink."

Berry frowned and followed the other woman. Maybe those toe-related mishaps were worse than she thought. The bar was predictably full-stocked and free. There was some kind of fancy name for a free bar at a party but Berry didn't care. Felicity sidled up and ordered without hesitation.

"I'll take a tequila sunrise."

The bartender nodded and looked to Berry.

"Champagne." To her horror, she said it like Zap Brannigan.

The bartender was polite enough not to notice or at least didn't get the reference. As promised they carded her before pouring out her drink. Part of her hoped they wouldn't let her. Berry couldn't hold her liqueur well. The last time had been one of the most humiliating nights of her life. But this was a big fancy black tie party and at such parties you had delicate crystal flutes of champagne. Felicity accepted her order and took a hearty pull. Berry took a much more reserved sip of her drink. It tasted light and frothy with just a hint of strawberry.

The silence felt awkward and tense. Felicity glared at the other side of the room and took long angry pulls on her drink.

"Did you ever find out what was in the killer's blood?"

Felicity hummed for a minute not listening, "Oh, it was ketamine."

Ketamine? That was horse tranquilizer. Why would the killer use something intended for farm animals when there were hospitals in the Glades with much safer anesthetics and virtually no security? Why did it matter when she was off the case?

A hand gripped her arm. "You okay, Berry?"

Felicity had stopped glaring at Oliver. Her face was etched with concern.

"Yeah," Berry set her glass down and rubbed cold fingers over her temples, "Just this day has been kind of…:

"Awful," Felicity prompted as she polished off her drink. "Terrible, humiliating on an inconceivable level."

"I was gonna go with bad but it's your city." Berry flipped the other woman's glass so the bartender wouldn't refill it.

"I'm sorry," Felicity closed her eyes, embarrassed, "Dig told me the reason Oliver pounced on you in the lab was because he knew I was going to ask you out."

So that was it. There was some kind of sexual tension thing going on.

"It wasn't like he wasn't right." She offered. It sounded lame.

"Yes." Felicity breathed the word like it had personally offended her. She flipped the glass over and signaled for another round.

Berry found Oliver across the room. He was talking to a woman. She was one of those sharp beauties that made you afraid to talk to for fear she'd cut you to ribbons. It wasn't a friendly conversation if the woman's haughty and disdained expression was anything to go by. Then again, maybe this woman just had a resting murder face.

Berry toyed with the edge of her flute. "You think Oliver needs a therapist?"

"I think this whole family needs a therapist." She grumbled, "I need a therapist."

Berry coughed and sipped more of her champagne.

"You know what?" Felicity waved her hand at someone across the room. "Why don't I introduce you to Thea? I think she'd like you."

"I'd like to meet Thea," Berry admitted "See if she's just as well-adjusted as Oliver."

"Only when it comes to family."

Berry spun to meet the other Queen Child. She was closer in age to Thea than she was to Oliver. And she was a girl, too. Maybe the two women could connect in a way she couldn't manage to with Oliver. Berry took one look the young woman standing behind her and felt like someone had hit her with a hammer. She took a drink to cover her yelp and promptly choked on it.

The girl standing before her couldn't be Thea Queen. She was dressed richly enough, all dark velvet and a necklace with at least eight diamonds the size of her thumb. She stood at complete ease with the crowd. Felicity greeted her as Thea. But she just couldn't be. Berry tried to recall every image of Robert Queen and could find nothing of him in the girl before him. Narrow where her parents and brother were wide. Dark hair and eyes whereas everyone else was fair. When she smiled, she had dimples. Robert Queen didn't have dimples. There was no way a Queen should look like this girl; no way could this girl who had hugged Oliver and chatted with his mother be Thea Queen.

Unless this was Thea and she just wasn't a Queen.

Felicity thumped her on the back. "Are you okay?"

Berry nodded, not able to talk. Good thing or she'd have gotten herself in real trouble

Don't do anything stupid like that time you outed your history professor as an auto-erotic asphyxiator in front of the dean of students.

Somehow she didn't think Oliver would tolerate her anymore if she announced that his little sister was a bastard.

"Is something wrong?" The Queen Matriarch came to her daughter's side. Here she could see the similarities, in the shape of the cheek and the sweep of their brows.

"Nothing." Berry smiled, hoping the three women wouldn't see how forced it was "Nothing at all."