Notes: I apologize for the amount of time it has taken me to post this chapter. I've had the chapter finished for weeks, but I couldn't decide if I wanted the story to take a slightly dark turn. I finally decided that this is a story about the Bratva and Oscar is a real villain. As a warning, there is some strong violence in this chapter. There is also some romance, so I hope that helps.
I want to thank everyone who was kind enough to leave me a comment or to favorite the story. I appreciated everyone who encouraged me to continue the story. A warm welcome to all of my new readers. A special thanks to ohmypreciousgirl for choosing this series as one of her recs and the kind things she said about my portrayal of Olicity during author appreciation week.
The Arrow characters and universe do not belong to me.
The large oak kitchen table at the mansion was Felicity's favorite place to work. Raisa was always nearby with freshly brewed coffee and snacks. The woman would often hum as she went about her work and the domesticity of it was reassuring. It reminded her of doing homework at Rosie's table as her aunt prepared supper. Felicity sat next to Roy at the table as she assisted him with his homework. He'd decided to take two courses over the summer and was struggling with a program he'd written for his computer science class. Felicity had easily seen the error in his code, but she was trying to help him find the error on his own. If he didn't find it by the time she and Oliver left for dinner, she'd point it out.
"Ready?" Oliver asked as he walked into the kitchen straightening his tie.
She raised her brows at his intimation that she was the one running behind schedule. "Yes. Are you?"
He nodded his head. "I think so. It's just dinner, right?" He brushed his hands over his suit jacket nervously. Felicity couldn't help but smile at how endearing he could be when he was nervous about a social event.
"Do you have your yarmulke?" She asked as she leaned over Roy's shoulder and pointed to the line of broken code. He slapped his forehead and groaned when he saw his error.
Oliver reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a pink satin yarmulke the color of cotton candy. Felicity couldn't help but smile. Her Aunt Rosie had given him a yarmulke that had been given out at Felicity's bat mitzvah. Felicity had told him that it was unnecessary for him to wear a pink yarmulke and that, over the years, she'd collected dozens of them in every color and material imaginable, but he insisted. He smiled at her. "Pink brings out the color of my eyes. Or at least that's what Rosie told me."
"I think I have some double sided tape in my purse. A bobby pin isn't going to work on your buzz cut." Felicity eyed him as if she were measuring the size of his head against the circumference of the yarmulke. "We better head out. We've got to be there before the sun goes down."
"Okay, any last minute pointers?" Oliver asked, his eyes wide with worry.
"First, there is no need to mention my deep and abiding love for bacon cheeseburgers. That's between you, me, Big Belly and God." She said solemnly. "I come clean every Yom Kippur."
Oliver smiled. "Right, no references to your frequent violations of kosher dietary laws."
"Don't show off your Hebrew either. It's obnoxious." Felicity teased. She was equal parts proud and annoyed with his ability to pick up foreign languages. In a few short months Oliver had become fluent. Since their engagement, he spent several evenings a week listening to the Rosetta Stone's Hebrew lessons. Their recent movie nights had become an overview of Israeli cinema - she needed the subtitles, he didn't. She would never understand how anyone, including Oliver, thought he wasn't intelligent.
"You're just jealous." He gave her a chaste peck on the lips. "I'm the rabbi's best student."
She playfully rolled her eyes at his boasting. For the first time in his life, he was actually getting to enjoy being a good student. "Oh, don't talk about religion, either." Felicity said as she retrieved her purse from the counter.
He shook his head and chuckled. "Felicity, we're having dinner with our rabbi and his family. I see him three days a week for lessons. It's possible religion will come up."
"And you can artfully change the subject. Rabbi Finkel is a huge Rocket's fan." She smiled coquettishly.
He laughed. "I'm pretty sure he's going to bring up the fact that you haven't been attending weekly services with me."
She sighed. "I'm busy helping to run your business and your vigilante-ing. Besides, Aunt Rosie goes with you every week." Her aunt had been thrilled to have someone take her to temple. It had been an opportunity for the two to bond and Felicity didn't want to interfere. Oliver took Rosie out to eat after services or she made him something at home and they watched embarrassing childhood videos of Felicity dancing, competing as a mathlete or whatever other mortifying video Rosie had taken over the years. Felicity was happy that Oliver and Rosie got along as well as they did, even if they ganged up on her.
He smiled broadly. "Yes and I'm pretty sure everyone at the temple thinks that she's my fiancé."
"You should be so lucky." Roy said under his breath without looking up from his computer. Thea and Roy had been spending a lot of time with Rosie setting up her dance studio in the Glades. The two young adults also spent a lot of time over at Rosie's apartment. Felicity suspected that both Thea and Roy were secretly enjoying having a maternal figure fuss over them.
"Okay, if it comes up, I'll promise to start attending next week." Felicity bit her lip as she tried to decide what other topics Oliver should avoid. "Oh, don't talk about politics, especially about Israel. I'm not sure who is going to be there tonight, but everyone always has a firm opinion and it can lead to some heated disagreements. It's best to avoid it."
"Okay, no religion and no politics." Oliver agreed. "Anything else?"
"Don't bring up Palestine, at all." Felicity instructed.
"Why would I bring up Palestine?" Oliver asked in confusion.
"Man, I thought you were studying this stuff." Roy said, his face still hidden by his computer screen. "Total trick question." Oliver glared at the top of Roy's head.
Oliver dragged his hands over his face. "How about I avoid religion, politics and the entire Middle East - just to be safe?"
"Just keep your mouth shut and look pretty. It's the only reason she's marrying you." Roy smirked.
"Don't you have somewhere you need to be?" Oliver asked Roy pointedly.
"No, but you do." Roy struggled to keep a straight face.
"Just be yourself." Felicity didn't acknowledge Roy's snort, but she knew he made a fair point. "Okay, yourself, but less broody. I'm sure no one will want to discuss religion or politics with you. The rabbi's teenage daughters will spend the whole night blushing and staring at you. We'll probably just get a lot of wedding questions. I'm sure everything will be fine." She said with more confidence than she actually felt as she picked up their hostess gift from the table.
"Of course everything will be fine. What could go wrong?" Oliver tried not to wince as the fateful words left his mouth.
Roy burst out laughing. "You're doomed. Do yourselves a favor, call and tell them you got a flat tire."
"My revenge will be swift and unexpected." Oliver glared at his protégé.
The young man pointed at Felicity. "She's teaching me how to drain bank accounts."
"I'll just have to exact my vengeance before she finishes your training." Oliver said in his best Arrow voice.
Felicity laced her fingers through Oliver's. "Come on, we don't want to be late."
As they exited through the kitchen door, Roy called out to them. "Good luck."
She shook her head as Oliver lifted the hand that wasn't holding hers and flipped Roy the bird. It was going to be a very long night. She hoped the rabbi was serving decent kosher wine and not Manischewitz.
VVVVV
Between the upcoming wedding and her being brought in for questioning by the FBI, the press had become insatiable. There had been security breaches at QC, both in the garage and inside the building. Every time either of them left the house, they were swarmed. Motorcycles with paparazzi would surround their car as soon as they left the mansion's gates until they pulled into the QC parking garage. There had been several near accidents when a motorcycle would get too close or would fail to yield to oncoming traffic. The press had gone beyond being a nuisance to downright dangerous. The police even had to respond one afternoon when Felicity and Thea had been surrounded by a swarm of cameras after visiting a potential wedding florist. Roy and Rob had been with them, but the cameramen had become aggressive and they were forced to retreat back into the store and wait for the police. Felicity had clung to Thea as they'd been pushed and clawed at. Thea's shirt was torn in the struggle and Felicity had received a gash on the back of the head from someone's camera. She'd been afraid the night of her first date with Vic when paparazzi on motorcycles surrounded her car and followed her home, but outside the florist she'd been terrified. There was so much footage of the swarm that the SCPD were able to make arrests, which did little to quiet Oliver's rage.
Oliver decided to start running decoys again so they could leave the mansion on mornings they wanted to do personal wedding errands or just wanted to be alone. Dig hired two female security guards who could pass for Felicity and a second guard who could pass for Oliver. Between the decoys, rotating the vehicles they used and staggering the times of day they left the mansion they'd been successful in evading much of the media when they went to visit wedding vendors.
Felicity was leaning against the Mercedes roadster waiting for Oliver and Diggle to finish speaking with Dave and Beth, their decoys for the morning. She was taking Oliver to see the two venues that she and Thea had narrowed the list to. She was pretty sure that Oliver wasn't thrilled with spending his Saturday looking at rooms and tasting food options, but she was happy to be getting some time alone with him. Between their jobs, day and night, and the wedding, they were both under a lot of stress and she could feel it wearing on them. On top of everything, Oscar had them both in knots. He'd gone silent shortly after Felicity had drained his accounts. Felicity had been right to load spyware onto Oscar's computer. In his panic, he led her to all of his holdings after she successfully drained the accounts her webcrawler had uncovered. He was broke and probably desperate, but he was probably too busy saving his own skin to worry about Oliver, or that's what she was telling herself. Oliver said that it was only a matter of time before Oscar realized that they were the ones responsible for his troubles and that they couldn't afford to become complacent.
"Ready?" Oliver asked as he approached her. He was tense and his jaw was clenched.
"Yep." She smiled at Dig who was opening her car door.
"Have fun. Remember, I like chocolate cake." Dig winked at her.
She laughed. "I think that can be arranged. I'll bring you back some samples." Dig closed her door and gave the roof of the car two pats.
"Dave and Beth are going to go first today. Dave will call when they reach White Oak Ridge Road and then we'll head out." He said without looking at her.
"Sounds like a plan." She said as she programmed the address for the first venue into the car's navigation system. "I thought we could take the coastal route home, maybe stop for dinner. I know we won't be hungry after all the tastings, but I thought it would be nice to sit out by the ocean."
"Mm-hmm," he said as he watched Dave and Beth pull out of the circular drive in the Bentley.
His brow was furrowed in worry and she was starting to wonder if there was something he was keeping from her. "Oliver, we don't have to do this today, or at all."
Her words snapped him out of it and he turned in his seat to face her. "What do you mean, or at all?"
She rolled her eyes. "I don't mean cancel the wedding. I mean that Thea and I will make the final decision on the venue and the food. You have enough on your plate. You don't need to worry about our wedding venue."
His hands tightened on the steering wheel. "I can't decide if you're trying to pick a fight with me."
She sat heavily against her seat and folded her arms across her chest. "Why would I be picking a fight with you?"
His fingers flexed on the wheel before turning on the ignition. "I'm in the car ready to spend the day with you and then you tell me that you don't want me to come with you."
She glared at him. "You're not being fair. That's not what I said and you know it."
At that moment, Diggle came running out of the house with his radio pressed against his ear. Oliver was opening his door when the sound of an explosion echoed across the grounds, shaking the car. A fireball was visible in the direction of White Oak Ridge Road. Oliver grabbed her hand. "Stay here." He sprinted towards the SUV that Diggle had already occupied. Before Oliver closed the passenger door, Dig sped off.
It took a moment for Felicity's brain to successfully communicate with her limbs. Once she was in control of her legs, she ran around the car and got into the driver's side and took off after Oliver and Dig. She sped down the road that led into the city. Dig had to be doing more than one hundred miles an hour. She called 911 to report the explosion and was told that the police, fire department and ambulances were already on route to the scene.
When she spotted the SUV in the distance, she began to slow down as her brain tried to process what she was seeing. A second explosion sent a plume of fire into the air. There was smoke and fire everywhere she looked. There was a car completely engulfed in flames and metal strewn all over the road and the surrounding fields. She parked the car off the road, removed the first aid kit from the trunk and began to approach the SUV. The air was heavy with smoke and reeked of gasoline and acrid chemicals. She could feel the heat from the burning vehicle. She knew that whoever had been in the vehicle couldn't have survived. She spotted several of the paparazzi along the side of the road. Some sat on the ground with their heads in their hands while others stood with stunned looks on their faces and their cameras hanging at their sides. She recognized many of them even though they were covered in soot and blood. Her feet began to pick up speed as she began to realize what had happened. Her eyes began to recognize the debris for what it was. Dismembered bodies were scattered along the pavement along with pieces of metal. Her foot hit what she recognized as a melted telephoto lens and her heart began to pound. She began to scan the area for the seriously wounded, hoping that she wouldn't only find the dead. Without thought, she was running at full speed when a pair of arms grabbed her from behind and lifted her from her feet. She fought to free herself before she realized the arms that held her belonged to Dig. He set her down and took hold of her shoulders. "You shouldn't be here. You need to go home."
Her eyes began to frantically search for Oliver. She tried to pull free. "Where's Oliver?"
"He's fine. He went to get a view from higher ground and to help the wounded." Dig said calmly. "Felicity, go back home. It's not safe." He was moving her back towards her car.
"The car." She searched Dig's face. "Dave and Beth?"
He nodded. Pain was etched into the lines on his forehead. "They're gone."
Another explosion tore through the burning car and Dig wrapped himself around Felicity and dropped them to the ground behind the SUV. Dig eventually sat up and was running his hands up and down her body, looking for injuries. His lips were moving, but all she could hear was a high pitched ringing. Dig grabbed hold of her face and she could see his lips form, "Felicity, are you okay?" She nodded and allowed him to help her to her feet. He pointed to an injured photographer that she realized he must have pulled from closer to the wreckage. "See what you can do for him. There are more wounded closer to the car."
"Be careful." She called after him as she approached the unconscious man. She quickly checked for a pulse and sighed with relief when she found one. Her time on Team Arrow had given her the ability to stay calm when there were injuries to tend to and she'd become a fairly decent field medic. Long gone was the woman who'd been squeamish at the sight of blood. She snapped on a pair of gloves and began to run her hands along the photographers body, checking for injuries. He appeared to be lucky. All of his limbs were in tack. His body was covered in shrapnel wounds, but none appeared to be deep except for one on his abdomen. She suspected he had a concussion and she prayed that the explosion hadn't caused internal bleeding. She removed a pair of scissors and the compression bandages from her first aid kit. She was grateful that all of their vehicles had hardcore medical supplies and not just gauze and alcohol wipes. She cut his shirt off, applied compression bandages to the worst of his wounds and began to scan the area for anyone else that required medical assistance.
The car was now a raging inferno and thick black smoke was billowing towards her. The first responders had finally arrived and were swarming the area. Two paramedics approached the man she'd been helping and she stepped away to give them room to work. Felicity turned to scan the surrounding fields, desperate for a sign of Oliver and Dig. They'd been gone for far too long. "Oliver. John," she shouted. "Oliver. John." She called their names over and over again, each time more desperate than the last. They finally emerged from the smoke, covered in soot. Both were carrying men over their shoulders and brought them to the waiting ambulances. She watched as he searched the area for her. As soon as he saw her he began running towards her and she moved to intercept him. His arms were wrapped around her and she buried her face against his neck. He pulled away from her and his hands began to run over her arms and side. "Are you hurt? You're covered in blood."
"It's not mine, I'm okay." The realization that Dave and Beth had died for them suddenly hit her and she clung to him as she sobbed.
vvvvv
Felicity lay on their bed waiting for Oliver to get out of the shower. She was coming down from the rush of adrenalin and she shivered despite being wrapped in a blanket. Her partners had brought her home and then had returned to the scene of the explosion in order to speak with the SCPD, but not before Dig gave her something that made her feel like she was floating. Felicity had sent a quick SOS to Sara and prayed her friend wasn't too far away. Oliver was going to need her when he finally confronted Oscar. While she waited for Oliver to return, she'd taken a shower to wash the blood of the photographer from her body. She had washed her hair three times, but she could still smell smoke lingering.
Oliver had probably been gone for hours, but time seemed to have stopped. She was stuck with the vision of the Bentley on fire and all of the surrounding carnage. Oliver exited the bathroom, dressed in a button down shirt and suit pants. She rose up onto her knees in surprise and concern. "Where are you going?"
"I need to go into the office for a few hours," he sat down on the edge of the bed and took her hand. "I'll be home as soon as I can."
She moved to get off the bed. "I'll come with you."
He grabbed hold of her waist and moved her to sit astride his lap. "No, I need you to stay here."
"Are you really going into the office?" She was afraid he was going to go hunt for the person responsible for the day's bloodshed without any back up.
"I promise you, I'm just going to the office and I'll come straight back. Dig will be with me the whole time." He stretched to reach for her tablet. "You can track me if you want."
She tossed the tablet back onto the bed. She wouldn't track him. If he said he was going to the office, that's where he was going. She turned her attention back to the events of the morning. "Dave and Beth. Is someone talking to their families?"
He rested his forehead against hers. "Dig is handling it. I'll take care of all of the funeral expenses and the death benefits."
"It doesn't seem like enough." She whispered.
"No, it doesn't." He rested his forehead against hers.
"They died because of us - for us." She said angrily.
He shook his head. "They knew what they were getting into when they took the job. They knew it could be dangerous."
"The thought that they were being decoys for two spoiled rich people being hounded by the press. They didn't know that we'd pissed off the Bratva." Felicity watched Oliver turn away from her as his jaw ticked. She didn't need to tell him what he already knew. She could see his guilt in every line on his face. Her fingers nervously played with the collar of his shirt. "Do we know what happened?"
Oliver's hands tightened around her waist. "It looks like a RPG shot from a pretty good distance."
Felicity looked up at the windows of the their bedroom. Were they safe from a rocket launcher? Could anyone be safe from a rocket launcher? She reached for her tablet relieved that she could finally do something to help their situation. "A RPG is a pretty specific assassin M.O. I should be able to narrow that down."
He placed his hand over her tablet. "I need you to pack. Take what you'll need for a few weeks. Dig's going to arrange a safe house for you, Thea and Rosie. Roy's gone for Rosie, they'll be here soon. You're leaving as soon as I get back."
Felicity looked into Oliver's eyes and didn't like what she saw. "What about you?"
He pulled her onto his lap. "I'm not coming. I'm going to end this with Oscar, once and for all. No one else is going to get hurt."
She clasped his face between her hands. "I've never let you leave me somewhere safe while you faced danger before, why do you think I'll do it now?"
He gently moved her from his lap and stood up. "Felicity. I nearly got you killed this morning. I wanted to go first, but Dig argued against it. If I hadn't listened to him," tears spilled down his face.
She shook her head as she tried to deflect the guilt that was radiating off of him. "If something happened to us this morning, it wouldn't have been your fault. The person who fired that RPG is responsible. Oscar is responsible."
He put on the sports coat that he'd draped over her desk chair. "When I asked you to join our team, I promised Dig that we'd keep you safe. I don't know how to do that if you stay here. My focus needs to be on taking Oscar out. I can't afford the distraction."
She ran her hands through her hair and she laughed sharply. "From the moment I found you in the back of my car all I've ever tried to do is to keep you safe. Now what do we do? Because I'm not leaving."
Oliver buttoned his coat and smoothed his lapels. As his hands passed along his chest the emotion appeared to drain from his face. Felicity watched him become detached and she was instantly reminded of how he'd been when they first met and he'd cover his head with his hood before leaving the foundry. "This is happening because of the choices I made before I ever met you. I won't let you pay for my sins."
Fear and anger were fighting with equal measure to be expelled from her. She took a deep breath so logic and reason would prevail. She needed Oliver to listen to her. "This has nothing to do with you being the Arrow or your time away. This is happening because of my mother. We can send Thea and Rosie away, but don't ask me to go."
He strode up to her and kissed her deeply. When he pulled back, he looked into her eyes. "I love you. We'll discuss this when I get home."
The door was almost completely shut behind him, when she realized she hadn't said it back. "Oliver," she cried out franticly. He opened the door wider and raised his brow in question. "I love you too."
He smiled and closed the door behind him.
vvvvv
After Oliver left for QC, she'd immediately connected to her system at the lair and began to hunt for the RPG assassin. RPGs weren't elegant weapons and were shockingly easy to acquire. It didn't take a lot of skill to operate one and she feared that finding the killer might not be easy. Luckily, there weren't too many assassins in the world who favored RPGs. She was able to narrow down her selection and began a facial recognition search. She was able to spot the suspect entering a hotel and she sent her lead to Captain Lance. She thought of notifying Oliver and Dig before Lance, but she didn't want either of them anywhere near the man who killed Dave and Beth. By the time Oliver had returned home, the SCPD had made their arrest and according to Captain Lance there was plenty of evidence to connect him to the murders of their security team and the three paparazzi who'd been caught in the initial explosion. Felicity knew that Oscar would only send someone else, but for tonight, they could sleep without the fear of an RPG coming through their window.
Oliver walked into their bedroom as he disconnected a call. "The jet just took off with Rosie, Thea and Roy. A car will be waiting for them to take them directly to Walter's penthouse on 5th Avenue."
It had been decided that Thea and Rosie would go to NYC in order to meet with designers for their gowns for the wedding as well as for Thea to sign off on the clothes to be worn by Felicity for the photo shoot. Rosie and Thea had been excited with the prospect of a week or two in Manhattan. Roy had seemed less thrilled. "Poor Roy," Felicity said from her spot on the bed. "Following Thea and Rosie around while they meet with designers has got to be ranked below cleaning the lair's bathroom on Roy's list of fun activities."
Oliver sat down on the edge of the bed and removed his shoes. "He told Dig that he had homework to do and that he was going to miss too many classes as he boarded the plane."
"Miracles do happen. Maybe he'll actually study while he's away." She moved to the end of the bed and placed her arms around his neck. "Are you okay?"
He leaned his head back and rest it against her shoulder. "I'm okay. How about you?"
"The same." She said, disappointed when he pulled away and headed into their closet. She followed after him. He had pulled his shirt from his pants and was about to undo the buttons on his shirt when she pushed his hands away so she could do it. He allowed his arms to relax at his sides, closed his eyes and he hummed a little as her arms moved along his chest. "Can we talk about what happened in our car this morning?" She asked hesitantly. He opened one eye to look at her and nodded. She began to unbutton his cuffs. "I honestly wasn't picking a fight with you this morning. I've been looking forward to today all week." She pushed the shirt from his shoulders.
When she went to lift his t-shirt, he stopped her. He brought her hands up and held them against his chest. "That was my fault. I'm frustrated with the Oscar situation and I took it out on you. I'm sorry, I was an ass."
She gripped his shirt tightly with her fingers. "I keep thinking that if we were the ones that died this morning, we would've been fighting. I can't bear to think of you dying angry with me or thinking I was angry with you."
"Hey." He pulled her into his arms and ran his fingers through her hair. "No more fights about the wedding minutia. No more taking out our stress on each other. Okay?"
She looked up at him and he kissed her gently. "Okay."
"Felicity, I need you to know that if something were to happen to me and the last words spoken between us were spoken in anger, I don't want you to punish yourself over it. If I died this morning, I would've died knowing that you've made me the luckiest man by loving me and letting me love you."
"Oliver, I," he stopped her words with a kiss.
"Do you love me any less because I was a jackass this morning?"
Her eyes widened in surprise. "No, of course not."
"Because you fell in love with me knowing I was a jackass." There was a teasing glint in his eyes.
She laughed. "Yes, that's true."
He ran his fingers through her hair. "So, how can you think I'd love you any less because you used your loud voice this morning?"
Felicity stretched up on her toes and kissed him to remind him that he was loved and that they were still alive.
Later that night as she snuggled into Oliver's side she asked, "Are you going to tell me what you were working on at QC today?" His chest tensed beneath her fingers. "Don't tell me it was QC related, I know it wasn't."
Oliver pressed a kiss to the top of her head and tightened his arms around her. She thought he might be trying to distract her when his hand traveled beneath her tank top and he began to draw patterns along her spine. She was about to call him out for his evasiveness when he said, "I ran into the faceless man in the hat last night."
Felicity lifted herself so she was leaning against his chest in an attempt to make out his face in the low light. Up until last night, even when the Question made himself known to the team he'd only ever spoken with her."The Question? Why didn't you tell me last night?"
Oliver ran his fingers through her hair, "When I got back you and Thea were laughing and I didn't want to ruin the moment. By the time we went to sleep, I forgot about it."
"Mmm." She wasn't quite sure she believed that Oliver ever forgot anything. "So, what did he want?"
"He asked me to protect you and to warn Oliver Queen." She felt his chest tense beneath her fingers as if he was bracing himself for her loud voice.
"Protect me?" She asked, "From what? Why do you need to be warned?"
"He heard that a new assassin had come to town with instructions to take out Oliver Queen, no matter what - even collateral damage. The Question wants the Arrow to keep you from becoming collateral damage."
Felicity gasped and tried to sit up, but Oliver held her tightly against him. "Please tell me you didn't meet with the Bratva at the office."
"I did not meet with the Bratva," he said in his most reassuring voice.
Felicity could feel fear crawling up her spine. Whatever he was keeping from her, had to be worse than an assassin in town. In almost a whisper she asked, "Why did you go to the office?"
He took a deep breath and she knew the next words out of his mouth wouldn't be to her liking. "I had a meeting with Ned."
This time Felicity succeeded in freeing herself from his embrace when she pulled away to sit up. Oliver meeting with his lawyer wasn't unusual, but she was suddenly afraid to ask, "Why did you meet with Ned?"
Oliver sighed and sat up against the headboard. He reached for the lamp on his night table and the room was bathed in a soft yellow light. They both blinked rapidly at one another as their eyes adjusted to the light. She retrieved her glasses because she needed to see him clearly for whatever he was about to tell her. The look on Oliver's face was sad and a little apologetic, but it filled her with dread. She backed away from him, but he grabbed her hands. "I wanted to make sure that you, Thea and QC are taken care of in the event of my death."
Felicity let out an almost animalistic sound of grief. "I don't need to be taken care of." She pulled her hands from his and scrambled out of the bed. "I only need you."
Oliver swung his legs over the edge of the bed and extended his hands to her. "Felicity," he said gently.
Felicity shook her head and backed away from him. "You don't get to hide that you knew an assassin was in town and think that meeting with your family lawyer to make sure I'm financially okay makes it better. I don't want you planning for your death."
"Felicity, I don't think that." He rose from the bed and approached her. When she took a step back he practically growled, "Damn it, don't pull away from me." Felicity nodded her head and took a step towards him. He grasped her by her shoulders. "I've been reckless. As soon as I took up the hood, I should've made arrangements. I have a lot of responsibilities and people depending on me now. It's more than just making sure that Thea, Roy, Dig and you are financially secure. If something were to happen to me, what happens to QC? What happens to all of QC's employees? Thea's not ready to take over."
Felicity placed her hand over his heart. The steady thrumming in his chest reassured her. "The board will appoint someone. Walter will come back. The company will be fine."
He placed his hand over hers. "The company needs stability. It needs a Queen at the helm that shares our vision."
She was about to remind him of what he'd just said about Thea when the look in his eyes revealed his intent. She pushed against his chest, but he didn't release her. "Don't you dare," she gasped. "Don't you dare ask me to do that because you think you're going to die on me."
"Felicity," he sighed. The sadness in his voice nearly broke her. "We'll still have the big wedding, but I need to make you my wife as soon as possible. If I die before we're married, you and Thea might not be able to hold onto QC. If we're not married, the estate tax would leave you and Thea vulnerable."
"Taxes?" She asked in disbelief. "Really? That's your argument?" He winced at her loud voice. "I have to say, it isn't your most persuasive."
"Felicity. It's not just taxes." He rubbed his hands over his head in frustration.
"Please Oliver, not like this. Not because you're afraid." She began to cry.
Oliver put his arms around her and her arms snaked around his waist. He whispered into her hair, "It's okay. Sshhh. Please don't cry. I'm sorry, but I wouldn't ask unless we had any other choice. I need to know that the both of you will be protected. I need to know that neither of you will be alone - that you'll be a family and look out for one another."
She didn't care about the big wedding. She would've married him at the courthouse the morning after he proposed. But, this felt different. He wasn't asking her to elope because he was overcome with love and decided he couldn't wait another moment to be her husband. He was asking her to elope for legal and financial reasons because he thought he was going to die. She pulled away from his chest and was about to tell him no in her loud voice when she saw the look upon his face. He was asking her to do this for his peace of mind. He needed reassurance that if he died, Thea and she would be bound together as sisters. He asked so little of her, she couldn't deny him something that lifted a burden from his shoulders. "When?"
He let out a sigh of relief. "Ned has made all the arrangements. A judge will be here at nine tomorrow morning. John and Lyla will be witnesses. The judge will then seal the record. No one else will know we're married unless it becomes necessary." He kissed her. "Thank you."
She took his hand and led him back to bed. "We don't have rings."
"We won't wear them publicly until after the big wedding," he slid under the sheets beside her, "but, I saw the jeweler this afternoon. The rings we picked out will be ready by tomorrow. He is dropping them off before nine."
He lifted his arm and she snuggled back into his side with her head resting over his heart. His hand resumed tracing patterns onto her back. The feel of his fingers against her skin made her relax. She could feel that he was still tense, probably from feeling guilty. She placed a kiss onto his chest before resting her chin on it so she could see him. She ran her hand down the side of his face and traced his lips with her finger. "Thank you."
His brow creased. "For what?"
She smiled as she smoothed his brow. "For making my dream of marrying Oliver Queen come true."
Oliver sat up, his lips seeking hers as he flipped them so he was laying nestled between her legs. "Being with you is all I've ever wanted."
VVVVV
The new platinum band on her finger felt strange. Felicity still hadn't gotten used to the feeling of her engagement ring and now she had a wedding ring. It felt surprisingly heavy. She spun the rings on her finger as she waited for Oliver to return from showing Ned and the judge out. Today was her wedding day and she was now Felicity Queen. Felicity Smoak-Queen? Felicity Megan Queen? Mrs. Oliver Queen? Should she take Oliver's name? Should she hyphenate? She didn't really have an attachment to Smoak because it was her father's name, but she'd accomplished a lot in her life as Felicity Smoak. Two advanced degrees before her twentieth birthday wasn't anything to sneeze at. It wasn't like the name Queen wasn't fraught with its own baggage, but it was Oliver's name. Her husband's name. "Oh." Her legs suddenly turned to jelly and she dropped onto the sofa beside the bouquet Oliver had picked for her from the garden that morning.
A warm pair of hands encircled her trembling ones. "Are you okay?" John was kneeling in front of her with a look of concern.
"I have a husband," she said, more than a little stunned.
"Oh, boy," Lyla said trying to hide a grin. "You better drink this." She handed Felicity a mimosa.
Felicity tilted the glass back and emptied the contents of the flute. "I think I need another." She gestured at the three remaining glasses on the tray in Lyla's hands. "Oliver won't drink his anyway."
"I won't drink what?" Oliver strode into the room with a radiant smile. He seemed lighter than he had in weeks. One look at him and she knew that she'd made the right decision to move up their ceremony. He needed the peace of mind that their small private wedding gave him.
Diggle rose to his feet, but Felicity still held onto one of his hands. "I think our girl has just realized she's actually married now."
Oliver moved to his bride's side and took her hand from Dig. "Hey, everything okay?" His fingers rubbed against her new ring.
She looked at him and giggled. "You're my husband." Felicity suddenly hiccupped and her hand flew to cover her mouth. Her eyes widened in surprise and she laughed again. "I'm your wife."
"Felicity," his voice heavy with concern, "if you've changed your mind," he stood up and looked towards the door, "I'm sure I can get the judge and Ned to come back."
She pulled on his hand. "Don't you dare."
He pulled her to her feet. "I thought you changed your mind."
She shook her head. "Not a chance. Just getting used to the idea of being someone's wife."
"If it makes you feel better, you guys have been acting married for over two years now. This just made it official." Dig said as he poured half of the mimosa he was holding into Felicity's empty glass. He then handed his glass to Oliver and took one from Lyla. "I'd like to propose a toast." The four friends held their glasses up. "I'm going to save the embarrassing speech for the big wedding, but I'm glad I get to say this to you alone. I've been watching you two since your second meeting and I can honestly say that you are the two slowest white people I have ever known." Both Oliver and Felicity laughed. "If you hurt one another, you'll have to answer to me. I love you both. Be happy." He raised his glass. "Oliver and Felicity."
Everyone took a sip of their champagne. Felicity kissed John on the cheek and he pulled her in for a hug. "Thank you, John. You're the best friend a girl could ask for."
"You're making him blush." Oliver teased as John released Felicity and pulled him in for a hug. "But, she's not wrong." Oliver raised his glass. "To John, my brother, for putting up with us."
"Here, here." Felicity said with a smile.
Oliver pulled Felicity into his side and held his glass up. "To my beautiful wife for making me believe everything is possible."
She sipped her champagne and kissed him and tasted the sweet orange juice still on his lips. She pinched him.
"Ow," he groused as he rubbed his bicep. "What was that for?"
She gave him her best wide-eyed innocent stare. "I wanted to make sure I'm not dreaming."
He laughed. "I think you're supposed to pinch yourself." She shrugged. He leaned in and kissed her. His eyes shone with love. "I'm happy, Mrs. Queen."
She reflected his love right back at him with her radiant smile. "Me too, Mr. Queen."
"What did we miss?" A squeaky voice asked from the back of the room.
Everyone turned towards the voice, but Oliver was the first to speak. "Sara. Nyssa. What are you doing here?"
"It appears the emergency was their wedding." Nyssa said coolly as she walked towards Felicity. "We were dealing with something quite important when you sent your emergency message."
Felicity swallowed heavily when she saw the roomful of disapproving stares. "I promise, I sent my message before we decided to do all this," she wiggled her left hand. "Our wedding isn't the emergency."
"I take it the charred trees we drove by on the way here have something to do with your emergency?" Sara asked as she pulled Felicity into a hug.
"I'm sorry, Sara. Felicity shouldn't have called you away from whatever you were doing. We've got this." Oliver put his champagne glass onto the table.
"God, your such a stubborn idiot." Sara smirked. "It's a good thing you let Felicity make the important decisions, otherwise you'd be in real trouble."
Oliver rolled his eyes at his ex. "While I appreciate that you both came a long way to help, it really isn't necessary. I will take care of this situation on my own."
"If this is the work of the man who attempted to kidnap your," Nyssa did her best impression of a smile, "wife the last time Sara was in town, I seriously doubt you can handle this on your own. You are foolish to refuse our help."
Sara placed her hand onto Oliver's arm. "Nyssa's right, Ollie. People are dying and it's past time we take this bastard out, once and for all."
Felicity wrapped her arms around his arm and rested her chin upon his shoulder. "Please, Oliver. Oscar is waging war against us, we need all the allies we can muster."
Oliver took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "All right, but just the two of you. I don't need the whole League of Assassins running around too."
"Excellent," Nyssa said as she moved towards the door. "Since it is your wedding day I imagine you've planned a feast to celebrate. Sara says it is traditional for cake to be served. I like cake." Sara followed after her.
Oliver, Felicity, Dig, and Lyla watched with their mouths slightly ajar.
"I guess we better get the woman some cake." Lyla said with a smile as she tugged on her husband until he fell into step behind her.
Felicity bit her bottom lip. "Are you mad?"
Oliver wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him. "You married me today in order to make me feel better and in control. If having Sara here makes you feel better and more in control, how can I be mad with you?"
"Thank you." She kissed him softly.
"Haven't you realized by now?" He kissed the tip of her nose. "I'll do absolutely anything for you, Mrs. Queen."
VVVVV
A gasp escaped Felicity's lips as her eyes flew open and she sat up. Moonlight flooded the room and pooled on their bed. She pulled the sheet up to cover herself because she was naked except for her rings. She drew her legs up and took a deep breath to help settle her mind. It had only been a dream and it was already dissolving in her mind. She clung to it because there was something important she needed to remember. She was being chased by Oscar through the Glades. She could see Oliver waiting for her, but as fast as she ran, she couldn't reach him. There was an explosion and Oliver disappeared into the smoke. She watched the Arrow zipline from a building, his arm extended to catch hold of her. His fingertips reached out for her but she slipped from his grip. She could hear Sara telling her to run faster, but she was tired and her legs burned. She wanted to stop running. She passed a building with a television in the window. Vic was giving a newscast and reporting on Oliver's death and how the SCPD was looking to arrest Felicity for her husband's murder. She could hear sirens in the distance and the steady footfall of her pursuer. Oscar was about to overtake her when she saw the orange glow of a cigarette in an alley before a hand reached from the shadows and pulled her through a door. Felicity was suddenly sitting at the island of Vic's kitchen. She was wearing the dress she wore to her mother's funeral. A plate of scrambled eggs and fresh fruit was placed in front of her. She turned to tell Vic, thank you, but it wasn't Vic who stood before her, it was the Question. "Your green friend asked me to look out for you."
Your green friend.
Oliver shifted in the bed beside her. His warm hand landed on her bare back. He leaned up on his elbow and placed a kiss on her spine. "Bad dream?" He asked groggily.
Your green friend.
Frack. She spun around so quickly, Oliver fell back onto his pillow. Even though it had been a dream, she knew she was right. She'd been putting it together since she first met the Question, but it took her resting mind to see all the pieces. She placed her hand on Oliver's stomach. "Vic Sage is the Question."
Notes: Thank you for reading. Your feedback is always welcomed.
Up Next: Oliver decides to make his stand. So does Felicity.