Stretching, eyes unopened, Wendy rolled over. Taking a deep breath, a well-known smell filled her nose. It was the sizzling sound that then forced her eyes open. Staring at the ceiling, replaying the previous night, she felt like she had ridden an emotional rollercoaster. Coming to the end, she realized where she was; still at Quentin's, in his bed. Unable to withhold a small smile, she slid out of the bed. Grabbing one of Quentin's shirts and sliding it on, Wendy headed towards the kitchen. Her smile wavered as she wondered what state she'd find him in.
Quentin greeted Wendy as she entered. "Morning. Hope you like bacon and eggs." He'd smiled at her, but it wasn't quite his usual smile.
"Smells delicious," replied Wendy as she took a seat at the table. "No offence, but I wouldn't have guessed you cooked."
"Actually, I use to all the time, before, well… before Sara…"
Internally, Wendy sighed; she'd hoped to avoid that subject for longer. Attempting to steer the conversation in a different direction, she asked, "you don't cook for Laurel?"
"Not in a long time, it's difficult when she's not talking to me."
"Food's a good peace offering. If anything else you make is this good…" Wendy gestured at the half empty plate in front of her, "I can't see how she could stay mad at you."
Quentin leaned back in his chair and smirked. "You impress easily."
"Maybe a little, but it is good."
Quietly, they both devoured the rest of their breakfast. Finishing before Quentin, Wendy took a moment to check in with Felicity. Yesterday's clothes were ripped and covered with her own blood, so Wendy had asked Felicity to drop some clean clothes by the apartment on her way to work; she confirmed it wasn't a problem.
Starting to clean up, Quentin filled the sink with hot water and soap. Wendy cleared the table while he cleaned the dishes. Table cleared, she picked up a towel, dried the dishes and put them away. Almost finished, they both turned hearing a key in the apartment door. At first, Wendy thought it was Felicity with her clothes, but quickly she realized Felicity wouldn't have a key for Quentin's apartment. Quentin moved to the kitchen door, seeming to know who it was.
"Dad, are you here? I'm sorry I've been…" Entering the kitchen, Laurel stopped mid-sentence. She stood in place, staring straight at Wendy. "There's a half-naked woman, wearing one of your shirts, in your kitchen."
"This is my friend Wendy," replied Quentin.
Wendy's stomach rolled, but she smiled, making eye contact with Laurel.
Laurel quickly turned back to Quentin, "she appears to be more than just your friend."
Lost for words, the remnants of breakfast lingered in the air as they all stood in the kitchen. Seconds felt like minutes. Laurel opened her mouth as if she was going to speak, only to close it. Frowning, Laurel turned leaving the kitchen for the exit, Quentin on her heels.
"Laurel, honey, wait. You don't have to leave."
Laurel stopped, her hand on the door knob. "It's okay. I can see you're busy… I'll call next time."
Rubbing the back of his neck, Quentin watched Laurel open the door and close it behind her. For a moment he saw Sara walking away again; a long sigh escaped him. Walking back to the kitchen, Quentin hoped this moment wouldn't make Laurel more upset with him. That thought brought him back to Wendy, who he found slumped against the counter waiting for him. She smiled at him, causing some of the tension to leave his muscles. He was fascinated by how easily she put him at ease.
Quentin leaned against the counter beside Wendy. Their arms brushed as he spoke. "Sorry about that. She's used to it just being me. I haven't exactly dated, well, at all."
"Don't worry about it. I completely understand," replied Wendy. Of course, she understood. She just wished it would have gone differently; it was not a good first impression and probably wouldn't help Quentin's relationship with Laurel. "I hope I didn't make things worse."
Quentin took her by the shoulders, "I was a part of this too. Once the shock wears off, she'll come around."
Making a mental note to come up with a way to smooth things over with Laurel, Quentin's lips touched Wendy's. The kiss ended at the sound of his apartment buzzer. This time, it was Felicity with her clean clothes.
"You're not having much luck lately," said Felicity as Wendy opened the door.
"It's nothing, just a little cut. We all made it out alive, that's what matters," replied Wendy.
"A little cut? Would I be bringing you a new pair of pants if it was just a little cut?"
"It was only a couple of stitches, I've had worse."
Felicity rolled her eyes and appeared to mumble something about knowing too many people who don't seem to feel pain. Handing Wendy her bag of clothes, Felicity leaned in close.
"How's Detective Lance doing?"
"As good as can be expected I guess. He hasn't spoken about it at all, but it's a lot to digest. And, Laurel showing up minutes ago, seeing me in his kitchen, like this, didn't help."
Felicity's eyes widened. "I'm sure that went well."
Running her hands down Quentin's shirt, Wendy smoothed the material. "No, definitely not, but I didn't expect a warm fuzzy hug either."
"Now that would have been a shock," replied Felicity.
A quick thank you from Wendy and Felicity left. About an hour later, both Quentin and Wendy were dressed and off to work. Wendy considered telling Quentin to take the night off, but realized work can be a wonderful distraction for the mind and he wouldn't be sitting around thinking about everything.
-oOo-
Wendy leaned against the doorway of Felicity's bedroom. "Moscow? What's so important in Moscow?"
"Queen Consolidated has a sister company there," replied Felicity.
Seconds before, Wendy watched as Felicity pulled a suitcase from her closet and started loading it with clothes. It had been a few days since the clock tower and until this moment, everything had been surprisingly normal. Work, then the diner, work, diner – repeat. Every night, Quentin had been at the diner, across from her and appeared to be handling things well. This day was a day off from the hospital for Wendy and for once, she decided to spend the day at home. It was late afternoon when Felicity returned.
"Has something happened?" Wendy questioned.
Felicity looked up from her suitcase, "Why would you say that?"
"Well, usually business meetings halfway across the world are planned sooner than the night before, unless it's urgent."
"Oliver… he isn't your usual boss."
That he isn't Wendy thought to herself. Not only were the last few days normal, but they gave Wendy time to process all the new information about Sara, and about the Arrow. The pieces had come together and she realized she needed to tell Felicity.
Wendy stepped into Felicity's room, "I know who the Arrow is."
Felicity froze, clothes hanging from her hands. "You do?"
Wendy nodded, "I do."
"What gave it away? It was Sara, wasn't it?"
"Since I found out you worked with the Arrow, I had a good idea. She was just the last piece of the puzzle."
Wendy explained to Felicity how she'd come to the final conclusion, including the fact that Felicity worked closely with both Oliver and the Arrow and that she'd heard Sara and Oliver talking at the hospital. On top of everything else, a big give away to Wendy was that both Oliver and Sara survived the island. In such a wild place, there are things a person must learn to survive. There was, of course, many other little things also.
The clothes still hung unmoving from Felicity's hands so Wendy added, "His secret is safe with me, promise."
Felicity closed her eyes for a moment, smiled and continued packing. "Does Detective Lance know?"
"If he does, he's never told me. If he doesn't, I don't think it will take him much longer to figure it out. He's a detective after all."
"You're not going to tell him?"
Sitting down on Felicity's bed, Wendy pondered the answer. Before today, she would have just answered that she hadn't told him because she didn't know for sure herself. Now that she'd confirmed her suspicions, she wasn't sure what to do. Just for helping the Arrow, he'd been demoted. If Quentin knew his identity and didn't tell his bosses, he'd likely, at least, lose his job.
"I don't know." Wendy turned to meet Felicity's eyes, "It's not my secret to tell, but it doesn't feel right to keep it from him. Relationships with secrets rarely end well."
"Now you know why I don't have many close friends," replied Felicity.
"And here I thought it was because you were a computer geek," quipped Wendy.
Felicity's reply came in the form of a sweater flung across the room, hitting Wendy square head. A ringing cell phone interrupted their laughter. It was Felicity's. Work needed her, which work, Felicity didn't say and Wendy didn't ask. She would never ask; either way, now Wendy knew it was one and the same person.
Just before Felicity stepped out the door, Wendy made one last comment. "At least now I understand why you like the guy so much."
Cheeks bright red, Felicity sputtered out a few incoherent words and then closed the door on Wendy. Until this day, Wendy couldn't figure out what Felicity saw in the millionaire playboy Oliver Queen. His public image wasn't great, but now Wendy knew that it was most likely an act to throw people off thinking he could be the Arrow. Wendy decided that someday she needed to meet the real Oliver Queen.
Eating dinner, Wendy wondered what kind of adventures the Arrow and Felicity might be currently up to. It was more interesting to think it was Arrow work then regular office work. Plus, it was a pleasant distraction from wondering if Quentin was going have a breakdown at any moment. He did seem to be handling it all very well, other than throwing himself into his work a little more than usual, but things could change at any moment.
It was Wendy's day off, but she'd still be meeting Quentin at the diner later, but it was still too early. Dinner finished, with a book in one hand and tea in the other, Wendy curled up under a blanket on the couch. No more than five minutes after getting comfortable, the police station called. There had been a raid and drug bust; no major injuries, but lots of minor ones.
"Guess I know what work Felicity was called to do," said Wendy to herself as she collected her kit and changed. Wendy locked the door behind her and headed off to the station. "Who needs the entire day off anyways?"
