Chapter 10: Oliver's New Reality

*******Same Time, Not The Same Place*******

Buffy left the Queens and went back to her hotel. She was pleased to see Sin still there.

"Hey. Glad you're still here," Buffy said, smiling at the young girl.

Sin gave her a wary look. "I was going to leave, but then I thought maybe you could help me find the other girl who saved me. I want to thank her. If she hadn't got there when she did, those guys would've raped me," Sin said.

"What do you know about this girl? Has she been doing this vigilante thing long?" Buffy asked, curious.

"I've heard rumors since the earthquake. I think about three weeks after the Glades was mostly destroyed she showed up," Sin said. "That was the first time I've seen her up close, though."

"You know I can't ever get on board with killing humans," Buffy said.

Sin looked at her incredulously. "You say the word humans like you are used to killing something that isn't human. Do you hunt?" Sin asked.

"In a way, yes," Buffy said casually. There was a knock on the door, interrupting them. Buffy stepped forward to answer it. It was Quentin.

"Hey, you," Buffy said, stepping forward to kiss him hello.

Quentin was still not used to the open affection Buffy so easily showed him. He felt old and useless some days. So many things he'd done in his life the past five years brought him nothing but shame and discouragement. Somehow, though, she saw him the way he used to see himself. He didn't know how he would ever go back to his life without her. Her departure was inevitable, though, so he was determined to enjoy every moment with her.

A cough in the background had him opening his eyes. He saw the teenager and pulled away slightly. Buffy gave him a saucy grin. "You were exactly what I needed to salvage this day," she commented.

"How come you two didn't go by the precinct and file a report?" Quentin asked.

"I got caught up with Thea," Buffy admitted. "Sin wasn't going to go unless I dragged her there."

"I don't want to talk to no more cops," Sin said sullenly.

"Fine. I'll take your report now," Quentin said. He looked at Buffy. "What's been going on today?"

"Oliver Queen has returned to town. To say he is not happy with my involvement with his sister would be an understatement," Buffy said.

Quentin glanced at Sin, trying to gauge her reaction. Had Buffy told her anything? Buffy saw his inquisitive look and shook her head slightly. She hadn't told Sin anything.

"You're friends with Thea Queen?" Sin asked.

"Do you know her?" Buffy asked.

"Yea, we're like best friends!" Sin said with heavy sarcasm. She would never admit even under threat of torture that she'd been fascinated with the youngest Queen since she was a girl and lost her own father. Like Thea's dad, Sin's had went away on a trip and never returned. Thea's life was so public that it was hard not to get sucked in. Sometimes photos showed too much. Sin could recognize the shadows in the girl's eyes because she saw the same ones when she looked in the mirror.

"I can introduce you sometime," Buffy said with a grin.

"So the prodigal son has returned," Quentin said. "I can understand why he might be a bit upset. I'd feel the same way if my daughter was getting involved in something dangerous."

"She is more than capable of taking care of herself," Buffy pointed out. "Oliver fired me from the club. He really wants me to stay away from her."

"Seriously? He fired you?" Quentin asked in outrage. "Why that arrogant son of a bitch!"

Buffy grinned to see Quentin's anger on her behalf. "It's okay. It's not like I needed the job really. It was just fun," Buffy said.

"You live in this dump. How can you not need a job?" Sin interjected, looking around at the dank, dark hotel room with distaste.

Buffy sighed. "Yeah, I know. I really need to get busy looking for a new place. I just don't like living by myself. A hotel is different. It says temporary. An apartment means I'm staying," Buffy said. Buffy had never really lived by herself. She'd always had her sister, then the Scoobies, then the slayerettes. Occasionally, she'd had a lover. The past two years she's spent a lot of time alone, but the constant moving around from hotel to hotel had kept the loneliness from really crystallizing.

"Do you plan on staying?" Quentin asked.

"The council doesn't care if I stay or not. I can live where ever. I may have to leave town to recruit or put out fires. Faith may come visit. She can't ever stay away from me for long," Buffy said with a smirk. Over the years, she and Faith had become true friends. Faith had worked hard to win back Buffy's trust. She was the only one in the world who really got certain aspects of Buffy's life. The new slayers could never understand her the way Faith did. "I guess I should start looking for a place."

"I've already got some places you can look at," Quentin said with a sheepish grin.

Buffy laughed. Then she looked at Sin with speculation. "Do you have a place to live?" she asked even though she knew the answer.

Sin's walls went up as did her chin. "I've got places to go," she said defensively.

"That's not what I asked," Buffy said. "Do you have a home? A place you can call your own and feel safe?"

Sin shrugged.

"Why don't you come with me tomorrow to look at apartments? You could live with me if you want," Buffy said casually.

Quentin frowned. "Buffy, you don't even know this girl," he said.

"He's right. I could be like a psycho killer," Sin said with a smirk.

"Well, I think I can handle you," Buffy said, winking at Quentin.

"I don't need anyone's charity," Sin said sullenly.

"It's not charity. I'll ask things of you in return," Buffy said.

"I'm not into any perverted shit!" Sin said hotly.

Buffy's mouth fell open in shock; then she laughed—a full belly laugh. Sin grimaced, realizing she'd made a fool out of herself.

"Well, darn. I was so looking forward to doing some perverted shit with you!" Buffy said, gasping for air. Overcome with giggles, she sat down on the edge of her bed.

Quentin didn't like the idea of Buffy letting some street kid into her life so easily; however, he knew it wasn't the time to discuss it. He looked down at Sin. "Come down to my squad car. I have a form you can fill out, so you won't have to go to the precinct." He glanced at Buffy, who finally got her giggles under control. "We'll be back shortly."

Buffy watched them leave. The girl was like a cactus, prickly. However, Buffy saw an innate kindness and yearning underneath the hostility and suspicion. She reminded Buffy strongly of Faith. Faith had been so much like that, but Buffy had failed Faith. She'd not realized how false the bravado was, how open she was to manipulation by someone like the Mayor. She had failed Faith, but she suddenly had a growing desire to not fail this girl. Her life had been about killing for so long. She mentored and empowered newly called slayers, but she didn't do a thing for girls like Sin, girls forgotten and abandoned. The short time she spent counseling young girls at Dawn's high school so long ago had really been the last time she'd got to help teens.

When they returned, Buffy asked, "Do you want to join us for dinner? I'm starving!"

"I can meet you in a bit. I've got to go by the precinct and drop off the car and file her report," Quentin said. They agreed on a local place they both liked.

Buffy glanced at Sin after he left. "So do you want to stick around? I have a younger sister and close friends, but they all live in England. There's a few here in America, but I'm mostly alone. I could use some company," Buffy told her.

Sin stared at her a moment, trying to determine what her angle was. The woman was like a force of nature. Sin was trying hard to resist her pull, but it was getting harder. It had been a long time since anyone had cared about her well-being. Sin decided if things started going south, she could always bail. "I can stick around," she said with a shrug. "At least until you do something too freaky for me to handle."

"Well, if you spend enough time around me, things may get freaky but not perverted freaky," Buffy said with a wink and a laugh. Sin looked suspicious, so Buffy threw her arm around her shoulder, ignoring the way her body tensed. "Come on. Let's go eat. I'm starving!"

It wasn't long before they were eating at Big Belly Burger, a place Felicity had taken Buffy to once. The burgers were so amazing they should get their own place in heaven. Quentin had sent her a message telling her to order without him.

Soon Buffy got a text from Felicity telling her she'd just finish dinner with the Queens and Diggle. Felicity was sorry about Oliver's behavior, assured her he'd come around. About five minutes later, Felicity sent another text.

Thea just killed a vampire outside the restaurant!

Buffy stood to her feet. "I need to get to Thea right now. Can you stay and explain to Quentin? I'll call soon," Buffy said urgently. She pulled out her wallet and handed Sin a twenty.

******Back with the Queens******

Oliver had trouble believing what he'd just witnessed. He could hear Felicity and Diggle directly behind him. Felicity's perfume and soft gasp at the tableau in front of them making her identity clear. Oliver was too frozen to even glance back at her. His instinct to reassure Felicity was dulled by his shock at the sight of his sister killing a vampire.

Vampires. It was all true. Oliver tried to wrap his mind around what he'd just witnessed. On the island, he'd seen many things that had shaken him. He had honestly believed his time there had prepared him for anything.

He was wrong. Vampires were real, and his baby sister was a vampire slayer.

Thea's squeal of joy pulled him out of his fog.

"Oh my God! Did you see that? It was so amazing!" Thea gushed. She launched herself at Roy, hugging him so tightly that he gasped. "You're crushing me!"

"Oh, sorry!" she said ruefully.

"It's okay," Roy said. He gave her a proud look. "You did it!"

"Did you see? I wasn't even scared. I was just pissed. It was exactly like Buffy said. They are evil, and I was born to slay them!" Thea said as she bounced on the balls of her feet. She pulled her shiny, happy eyes to Oliver's, waiting for his words of approval.

How could he give them? How could he say what she was doing was okay? That he survived hell just to watch her literally battle demons from a very real hell? How had his world gotten so screwed up so quickly? Was this seriously his new reality? For once, he couldn't even hold himself responsible for this one. He smiled grimly. Fate. He hadn't believed in fate before, so convinced was he that he could alter his course, his destiny. Now he realized fate did exist. It had earmarked his sister. There was nothing he could do to stop it. It was all out of his control. That was hard for him to swallow.

Oliver hated not being able to control everything in his life. He hated feeling powerless. Right now, he felt utterly powerless.

"You were pretty impressive," he told her, giving Thea the approval she wanted.

"Damn straight I was!" she exclaimed. "I got to call Buffy!"

"I sent her a text. She's on her way," Felicity said. "Well, I told her what was happening. I'm assuming she's on her way. I guess I don't actually know if she's on her way. She could be busy doing something else." She bit her lip to stop the ramble.

"How about we get out of the alley?" Diggle suggested. "People will start to wonder what we're doing."

They strolled to the car while Thea recapped her adventure for her audience.

"I just can't believe it! It was just like Buffy said! I was so angry. Not even scared at all!" she exclaimed happily. "I was totally bad ass!"

"Hell, yeah! My girl kicks ass!" Roy said with pride.

Oliver clenched his fist, trying hard to contain his anger. Felicity stepped up and put her hand on Oliver's arm. And that's all it took. Her soothing touch kept some of his anger at bay. He glanced down at her.

"It'll be okay, Oliver," she said quietly.

He nodded. "I hope so," he said doubtfully.

"We totally have to throw a party and celebrate my first slay!" Thea said. "I'll text Buffy and tell her to meet us at Verdant. We totally got to mark this occasion!"

"Totally!" Roy agreed.

Thea looked at Oliver, waiting for his approval. He sighed in resignation. "Sure," he said.

Two hours later, Oliver wasn't feeling any better. He'd been at the bar drinking a whiskey; something he'd not done much since his first return from the island. He'd danced with Thea once. Then Buffy had shown up with Quentin. She'd had some young girl with a very odd name with her. Thea had told Roy to dance with Sin while she dragged Buffy off in a quieter corner to tell her all about her first kill. Just thinking about how excited Thea was about killing made Oliver feel more than a little sick. Yeah, vampires were monsters. Yeah, it wasn't the same as killing people. However, Oliver had just gotten used to having his baby sister all grown up and in an adult relationship. Accepting her new found desire to kill monsters wasn't something he was sure he could do.

So he took another drink.

Felicity had tried to get into the party mood with her friends. However, it was hard for her to enjoy herself when she saw how torn up Oliver was. Of course, he had on his typical Oliver Queen mask. Diggle didn't seem any more festive than Oliver.

She walked up to him. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Carly is off tonight, and I was hoping she'd come join us," Diggle said with a sigh.

Felicity gave him a concerned look. "Have you two been fighting?" she asked.

He grimaced and nodded. "She's been trying to get me to let go of things that I'm not ready to let go of," he admitted.

"Deadshot?" Felicity asked. Diggle nodded. She squeezed his arm. "Hang in there. She'll come around."

"How about you? How come you're not out there dancing with Buffy and Thea?" Diggle asked.

"I tried. But it's hard to celebrate when I'm not sure I'm happy either. How can I be when Oliver is so miserable?" she asked, gesturing to him drinking alone at the bar.

"He'll be okay. It's just going to take him some time," Diggle said. "It wasn't easy for us to find out about him, and we barely knew him. Thea's his baby sister."

Felicity nodded in understanding. She watched Thea drag Buffy back onto the dance floor. There was a longing to join them, yet she hesitated.

"Why don't you go join them? You know you'd be welcome. Buffy cares about you, too," Diggle said.

"Yeah, I know. But I'll never be one of them. Just like I can never do what you and Oliver do," Felicity admitted sadly. It wasn't like she wanted to hurt people. It was just she was tired of always being the odd man out. She never seemed to fit anywhere. Except in the basement. Both at QC and at the foundry. The realization was kind of a downer. Sometimes she wished she could be special, too. Be the one that drew the eye. The one that pulled people in. She watched Quentin as he gazed at Buffy in wonder. He was besotted. Although she felt a small tug of envy, the sight did make her happy to see. Quentin was a good man. He deserved to be happy.

"We don't need you to be anything but the remarkable women that you are," Diggle told her.

Felicity smiled at him. He always knew what to say. "Thanks," she said. She took another sip of her drink and grimaced. She sat it down on a table. "I don't need another one of those. I don't really feel like dancing. I think I'm going to go downstairs for a bit."

"Don't disappear too long. You'll be missed," Diggle told her.

It was kind of him to say that, but Felicity wasn't sure that was true. Oliver seemed content to be alone at the bar. Buffy, Roy, and Thea were dancing. It didn't seem like they'd notice her absence.

She tried to shake off her negative thoughts as she made her way to the basement. Like always, she went to her computers. After fifteen minutes on them, she leaned back in her chair, feeling restless. She got up and walked around the lair. Maybe she should work out. Buffy was right. She needed a greater lung capacity. She never knew when she'd have to run for her life. Now that she knew there was more out in the Glades than just thugs, being in good shape was quickly becoming a priority.

After changing into her black stretchy pants and a sports bra, she grabbed a jump rope. It was the one of the few exercises in the room that required very little skill. She'd just begun working up a sweat when a voice spoke out.

"What are you wearing?"

Startled, she jerked as the rope came under her feet, and they got tangled in it. She crashed to the ground.

"Are you okay?" Oliver asked in concern.

She looked up and groaned. Of course, Oliver would be on hand to witness her humiliation. Then she glared; he caused it. "Thanks for scaring me half to death!"

"Sorry! You just surprised me," he said. He held out his hand and pulled her to her feet. His other hand held a bottle of booze.

"Wanted to come drink in silence?" she asked as she allowed him to pull her to her feet. However, Oliver had been drinking steadily for a while, so he pulled a little too hard. Felicity hit his chest hard.

"Oof!" she said. She didn't have her glasses on and squinted up at Oliver. He was smiling down at her.

"Sorry!" he said. His arm had automatically went around her to hold her up. His hand closed around her exposed flesh. He felt his heart speed up at her nearness. Frowning in confusion, he pushed her back slightly and looked down at her. It was Felicity. His IT girl. His friend. She was cute and quirky, always amusing. Her presence had never caused his heart rate to increase. She stepped back from him, and he got another look at what she was wearing. His hand tightened around the bottle he was holding.

Felicity could see him a little better with some space, but she felt naked without her glasses. She turned and grabbed them off the table where she'd left them. When she turned back to Oliver, he'd taken a drink of his bottle and sat it down on a nearby table. His eyes seemed to be fixated on her.

"What are you wearing?" he asked again.

She looked down. "Workout clothes. I wasn't in the mood for dancing, but I wanted to do something. I was jumping rope," she said.

Oliver grinned. "I saw. You look very cute," he said.

Felicity didn't think she'd ever quite seen that look in his eye before. His eyes kept roaming over her body. If Felicity didn't know any better, she would think he was looking at her with approval.

"Cute? What every girl longs to hear. Thanks," she said dryly. She turned away and grabbed her water bottle. Taking a long drink, she watched him as he watched her. His eyes never left her face. He stepped toward her.

As he admired her slightly sweaty profile, Oliver was having trouble recalling all the reasons why Felicity was off limits. He knew that she was attracted to him. She hadn't tried to hide it. However, she hadn't seemed bothered by any of the women he was with, so he didn't think her feelings were genuinely more than friendship. Women were often attracted to him. It didn't mean anything. But this was the first time his body had ever reacted at her nearness. He frowned at the bottle of alcohol. Maybe he should quit drinking.

"Oliver? Are you okay?" Felicity asked, stepping toward him. He seemed confused.

"I guess I forget sometimes that you're a woman," Oliver admitted.

Felicity sucked in a sharp breathe. His words were like a stab in the gut. Although she knew that Oliver didn't see her as anything but his IT girl, she never thought he'd so baldly state it. She blinked at the tears that filled her eyes. "Oh, wow! That's harsh!" she said.

Oliver realized what he said and stepped up to her as she flinched and looked deeply hurt by his careless words. "I meant I forgot that you're a woman. A very attractive woman," he stated carefully. He felt guilty for hurting her. A strong desire to be close to her blossomed inside of him. He reached out and brush a loose hair that was stuck to her face. His hand slid down her cheek; his fingers lightly touched her neck. His eyes saw the breasts that were cradled tightly in the sports bra. Oliver felt his pulse race. He knew he needed to step back and walk away, but the alcohol seemed to be working havoc on his good judgment. His eyes stopped on her lips. Suddenly, he had an overwhelming desire to know what they tasted like.

"Oliver?" Felicity questioned. What was happening? Why was he acting so strange? Why was he looking at her that way? His eyes seemed to have darkened.

"Felicity, I'm sorry. I think I've had too much to drink," Oliver admitted, flashing her an apologetic half-smile. He started to step back from her. Then she smiled back at him, and the smile proved too much for him. His hand reached out and wrapped around her neck. He tugged her closer. Her too intelligent gaze looked up at him, the puzzlement in her eyes. "I want to see something."

"See what?" Felicity asked in confusion. It was like he was in some kind of daze. It wasn't until his lips touched hers that she finally realized what was happening.

*****To Be Continued******