Notes: I apologize for the long delay in the posting of this chapter. Real life had other plans for my writing time and I was unable to sit down and get through these last two chapters.
We are almost at the end of the road for this trilogy. The next chapter will be the last. I want to thank everyone who encouraged me to keep writing during my mini hiatus. It means a great deal to me that so many of you look forward to my updates.
The Arrow universe and characters do not belong to me.
Felicity stood next to Dig and watched the floor numbers tick by. When she woke up that morning she'd thought confronting Vic about being the Question was a great idea, but now as she watched his floor fast approaching she was thinking that maybe this wasn't one of her better ideas. "What if I'm wrong?"
Dig snorted but kept his eyes forward. "I should be recording this conversation for Oliver."
Ignoring his sarcasm, she continued, "If I am wrong and I confront him about the faceless vigilante am I confirming Oliver's identity and putting everyone in danger?"
Dig leaned over her and pulled the emergency stop. "Felicity, you don't need to speak with Vic. We can get off on the next floor and I can take you home."
Felicity stood with her mouth slightly agape. "Oh my god, you hit the emergency stop. You can't just do that. Can you? I mean this isn't an emergency. Is this a federal offense? Are elevators federally regulated." She leaned forward to inspect the certificate hanging on the wall, her nerves getting the better of her. "Nope, elevators are inspected by the state. Not that it matters to me if it is a state or a federal crime. Suffice it to say, that ship has long sailed and stopping an elevator is probably the least of my crimes."
Dig placed his hands on her shoulders. "Felicity. Take a deep breath. We aren't getting into trouble for stopping the elevator."
"Is everything okay in there?" A voice asked from the speaker in the number panel.
The unexpected voice had Felicity jumping backwards and she hit the rear wall of the elevator. She clutched her chest as her heart started to race. She pointed to the panel and glared at Dig. He shook his head and reached for the speaker button. "Hey man, we're totally fine. We just needed to have a private conversation. We only need a minute."
"Ma'am. Are you okay?" The voice addressed Felicity and Dig rolled his eyes.
She took a deep breath and stepped forward. She waved at the camera and smiled. "Thank you. I'm fine. My friend was just trying to give me a much needed pep talk. We're going to be on our way." She pushed the emergency stop button back in. The elevator lurched and resumed its ascent. "See, we're all set. Sorry to bother you." She shot Dig another look. "And I thought bringing you with me to confront my ex about his secret identity would be less stressful than bringing Oliver."
Everyone had been on edge since the murders of Dave, Beth and the paparazzi. Felicity never left the mansion without Dig or Rob. Oliver refused to be in the same vehicle with her and he always insisted on leaving the house before her. She was pretty annoyed with the extremes Oliver was going to in his mission to keep her out of the line of fire. Dig accompanying her to confront Vic had been a pretty big fight between the three partners. Felicity had wanted to go alone, Oliver had wanted to be the one to confront Vic and Dig had wanted to go as Felicity's bodyguard. Felicity preferred Dig's over protectiveness to Oliver's, so she had quickly agreed to Dig's plan so they could outvote Oliver. There had been some grumbling on Oliver's part about the team turning into a democracy, but he relented.
"Are you going to see Vic or are we going home?" Dig asked innocently.
She rocked back on her heels and resumed watching the floors tick by. "Well, we've come this far and committed a federal offense, so," she couldn't help but grin when she noticed Dig smiling from the corner of her eye.
When the elevator opened on Vic's floor, she took a deep breath and followed Dig out into the corridor. He squeezed her hand before dropping behind her to play the role of her imposing bodyguard. She took a moment in front of Vic's door before she knocked. It only took a few seconds before the door opened. Vic stood before her with his dark curls still damp from his shower. He was dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt and his feet were bare. "Thanks for agreeing to see me this early."
He smiled warmly at her. "If Felicity Smoak calls you at five in the morning, it has to be important."
She grimaced. "Yeah, sorry about that."
He stepped back and gestured for her to enter. "I'd rather be woken by you than my alarm clock."
Felicity didn't need to look at Dig to tell that his expression had turned to a disapproving glare at Vic. She smiled at Vic as she stepped by him, "Even so, I know it is early, so thank you."
"Are you coming in Mr. Diggle?" Vic asked.
"No, sir. I'll wait here for Ms. Smoak." Dig said with his back to Vic and his eyes trained on the elevator.
As soon as Vic released the door to follow Felicity into the apartment, Dig's hand shot out and prevented the door from closing all the way. She tried to not roll her eyes at Dig's not so subtle message; he didn't trust Vic or the Question and he would rather not have to kick a door down to get to her. She took a deep breath and the warm, rich smell permeating the apartment made her sigh. "Is that coffee?" She asked innocently.
He laughed. "Yes, I just brewed a pot. It should be ready by now. I'll get us a cup. Make yourself comfortable."
Felicity stepped into the living room and her breath caught. Every wall was covered with photographs and newspaper clippings with different colored strings connecting the various items. Even the windows had photos taped to them. A large white board, covered in writing, stood in the corner. The room looked like it belonged to a homicide squad or, a serial killer or, a vigilante. Her eyes began to focus and take in what was taped to the walls. On one wall there were lots of pictures of Oliver, as himself and as the Arrow. As her eyes scanned the pictures, she realized that it wasn't just Oliver, there were pictures of Roy, Arsenal, Dig, Lyla, Thea, Laurel, Sara, the Canary, Captain Lance and herself. Another wall was covered in photos of Oscar, Jimmy Roman, Richie Thompson and her mom. With trembling knees she backed out of the room to the front door. She opened the door and put her hand out to Dig. He raised a questioning brow but took her hand and allowed her to lead him into the apartment.
Dig stood in the center of the living room and tightened his grip on Felicity. "Frack me."
Felicity nodded her head in agreement and was too stunned by their surroundings to notice that her friend had adopted her favorite swear word. It was clear that Vic knew who they were and had known for almost a year. She knew he'd always suspected that Oliver and the Arrow were one in the same, but there was a huge difference between suspecting and knowing.
"I'm a really good reporter." Vic said from behind them. Felicity let out a small eep at his sudden appearance. He held out a mug to Felicity and to Dig. "I don't like mysteries any more than you do and Oliver Queen was too tempting a mystery." He gestured to the sofa as he walked to the wall with Oliver's photos. Dig shook his head, but Vic waited for Felicity to sit before he continued. "It probably started with my ego. I couldn't understand how you could be in love with him. I had fallen in love with you and I thought I knew you, but the you I knew wouldn't fall in love with a vapid, self-absorbed, playboy."
"It looks to me like you have an unhealthy obsession with Felicity." Dig said coolly.
Vic gave Felicity a sad smile. "That might be true, but it doesn't mean I'm not right. Oliver Queen is the Arrow and almost every person in his life is in some way or other connected to his night time exploits, including the two of you. Especially, the two of you." Vic moved to the wall covered in photos of Team Arrow and pointed to a picture of Roy and then Arsenal. "His sister's boyfriend and sidekick. Scrappy street fighter with a record longer than he is tall. And if I may say so, not so bright to wear that red hoodie all the time. Between his height and penchant for red hoods, he is the easiest to identify of your group and the easiest to link to Oliver and the Arrow's identity."
"I'm burning that sweatshirt." Felicity muttered under her breath loud enough for Dig to hear, but not Vic. Dig shot her a look and she pressed her lips together.
"This looks like the wild speculation of a spurned lover. No one will believe you." Dig said with a lot more conviction than she knew he felt.
Vic raised his hands up in supplication. "I'm not looking to out your identities. I'm not looking to break a story."
Dig put his coffee mug on the table and folded his arms across his chest. "Then what are you looking for Mr. Sage?"
Vic movedto the white board. "Oliver Queen returns to Starling City five years after he was declared dead. Five years alone on a deserted island. That does something to a man, both physically and psychologically." Vic pointed back to Team Arrow's wall. "I've seen your service record. You're a serious man with a sense of duty and honor. Why would you attach yourself to a spoiled billionaire, unless that's not who Oliver Queen is?" He shrugged his shoulders, "I've been around enough soldiers and veterans to recognize the signs of PTSD. I imagine that's what drew you to him, Mr. Diggle. You recognized a fellow soldier. A fellow soldier struggling to hold on to his humanity. How long did it take for you to realize you were the bodyguard of a serial killer?"
Felicity's fear for Oliver and her need to protect him propelled her to her feet. "What do you want?" Her voice had gone cold, but she didn't care. She wasn't going to let anyone take Oliver from her.
Vic shook his head and points to a timeline on the white board. "Oliver returns from the dead and the man in the green hood shows up a few days later and begins to kill one percenters throughout the city. All of them dirty. All of them corrupt. All of them exploiting the powerless. It's like he has a list. It's like he knows something is coming and the rest of the city is in the dark." Vic moves across the room and points to a photo of Moira. "At her trial she said that Robert Queen was involved in the Undertaking from the beginning and that she only became involved after his death. What did Robert tell his son on their trip to China? Did a concerned father share his burdens in the hope of straightening out a son bent on self destruction? I think Robert told Oliver about a conspiracy and when Oliver was rescued he tried to absolve his dead father of his sins, but he wasn't the same soft boy that left Starling. The man who returned was a killer and he cleared a bloody path through the city. Something changed after the Undertaking." Vic moves back to the timeline. "The Hood and Oliver Queen disappear at the same time. Were they injured in the Undertaking? Did they run because people still died? Because Tommy Merlyn died? Because Moira was complicit and was going to go to jail? When they both finally returned the Hood stopped killing and the Arrow was born. Why was that?" He looks directly at Felicity. "I think it was because of you. I think he was falling in love with you and he didn't want you to see a murderer when you looked at him." Vic moved over to a wall that was covered with the faces of the criminals the Arrow and his team had stopped. "But then, the Arrow did kill for you. Why was Count Vertigo after Oliver Queen's EA? Why would the Arrow kill to save Oliver Queen's EA? The Count didn't kidnap a CEO's secretary. He kidnapped the Arrow's computer expert. The Arrow didn't save a spoiled CEO's secretary, but Oliver Queen did save his partner and the woman he loved."
Felicity scoffed. Not at Vic presuming that Oliver had consciously realized that he was in love with Felicity the night he killed the Count, but at how easy it was to put all the pieces together for anyone patient enough to try. It was amazing it had taken this long for an outsider to realize who Oliver Queen is. "You're the Question."
A huge smile broke across Vic's face. "We'll get to that." He moved over to the windows covered in pictures of Oscar and his crew. "At first, I thought that your abduction was ordered by the Bratva because they figured out the identity of the Arrow. He'd disrupted a lot of the organized crime in the city - the Bertinellis, the Triad, but not the Bratva. Was it preemptive? Did they take you in order to deter him? I thought so, but the more I dug, the less sure I became. Your mother had clear ties to the Bratva, but she also had a lot of debt. I think your abduction really was about the ransom money. I made a mistake to let that line of inquiry go. I thought I'd hit a dead end, but then buildings started burning and people started dying and I needed to figure out who, how and why."
"So, you came to me with what you had on the fires?" Felicity had wandered to the windows to study his evidence.
"Yes. I'm good at digging, at asking questions and at putting together the pieces to make a complete story, but I'm not a fighter. I tried to use fear and surprise to get answers, but it wasn't enough."
"A faceless man has a way of unsettling a person." Dig said with understanding.
"Yes." Vic nodded. "I became friendly with Doctor Hamilton and he told me about a polymer he invented for his work with artificial limbs. It is a spray that hardens into a flexible, breathable artificial skin and it gave me the perfect disguise." Vic reached into his pocket and removed a cylinder that he held out to Felicity. Before she could take it, Dig wrapped his large hand around the cylinder and placed it in his inside jacket pocket. "Men who would normally shoot first were stunned by my appearance and would become suddenly talkative, but it only got me so far. I knew I needed help. I needed a team that consisted of brains and brawn. I didn't have a team, but I had access to one that was also interested in the truth and saving lives."
Felicity nodded as she listened to Vic and continued to read what he'd taped to his windows. "We took out the city officials and construction firms. They're being prosecuted."
"Felicity." Dig said in warning.
She turned to face Dig. "I think it's time everyone laid all their cards on the table." The two friends locked eyes as they had a silent conversation about secret identities and protecting their friends. With an audible sigh Felicity turned her attention back to Vic.
"Why were you helping the Bratva?" Vic asked in the tone he used when confronting politicians in interviews. It was firm and certain.
"We are not helping the Bratva." Felicity said as she looked Vic in the eyes.
"Oh, you've disrupted shipments of drugs, weapons and girls, but there is plenty you've turned a blind eye to and some you actively assisted with." Felicity was about to protest when he held up his hand to stop her. "There were several large shipments of counterfeit money and hijacked high tech that were not only not stopped by the Arrow, but on those nights the SCPD was sent on busts far away from the docks and without any help from the Arrow. All of the calls placed to 911 were anonymous and from burner phones. My first thought was that the Bratva was blackmailing Oliver. They threatened to out him or to kill you or both, but that doesn't fit with all of the other pieces. The Arrow is stopping the most dangerous, depraved and profitable of the Bratva shipments. If the Bratva knows who the Arrow is, why did they take a hit out on the Arrow and Oliver Queen? I knew I was missing something. Oliver is by far the easier target. The RPG attack proved that. So, why bother placing a separate hit out on the Arrow? The bounty on the Arrow is three times that on Oliver. If Oscar Orlov knows that Oliver Queen is the Arrow, why not just take out Oliver? It's clear, Oscar doesn't know who the Arrow is. Does Oscar think Oliver is helping him move his shipments? Why would Oliver willingly help an organized crime boss? Which brings us back to you. I think Oscar has something on you? Oliver was protecting you by letting Oscar believe he was under his power, but something happened. What did Oliver refuse to do that has Oscar trying to kidnap you off the street and blow you both up in your car?"
Felicity was only partially listening. Her attention was focused on a series of photos. She didn't recognize the location or the man with Oscar. She tapped her finger against one of the pictures. "Oscar's in the wind. How recent is this picture? Do you know where it was taken?"
"Felicity." Dig cautioned.
She spun around and faced the man who would and had done anything to protect Oliver. "John, we have no idea where he is. I can't find him and people are dying because of me and my mom. We need to end this before anyone else gets caught in the crossfire." Dig had put his head back and stared at the ceiling. Felicity crossed the room and grabbed his arms. "You and I both know where this is going to go if we don't find Oscar first. Oliver will sacrifice himself to save me." Dig dropped his head and looked at her. "Please. I won't be able to survive that."
Dig pulled the cell from his pocket and started to walk towards the kitchen. "I'll call him."
vvvvv
Twenty minutes later, Oliver, Sara, Nyssa and Lyla are standing in Vic's living room. Oliver's jaw is clenched and ticking away. His fingers are rolling together as he studies the wall dedicated to him. Felicity is regretting not following Dig's advice to pull down Vic's evidence against Oliver. She'd insisted on leaving it up so Oliver could see that there was no point in trying to put the genie back in the bottle. Vic knew who they were, just as they knew who he was. The overwhelming evidence against the Team was clearly distressing Oliver. He never worried about his own safety, but he took pride in protecting those he cared about. Vic's mountain of evidence was serving as a reminder that Oliver was failing in keeping his team safe. She did her best to ignore Oliver's agitation and focused her attention on trying to find Oscar or the man in the photos with him. Nyssa and Sara were studying the information Vic had gathered on the women Oscar had been trafficking. They were speaking softly to one another in Arabic and Sara kept shaking her head. Lyla was seated next to Felicity as she rerouted an A.R.G.U.S. satellite that Felicity had hacked in order to get eyes on the location in the photograph. According to Vic, he'd followed a courier to Coast City and that was where he'd found Oscar and his mysterious associate.
"I really wish your husband would launch you your own satellite." Lyla said in a whisper. "One of these days Amanda is going to figure it out and we're all going to find explosives embedded in our brains."
Felicity tilted her head as she imagined how much easier life would be with her own satellite. "Hmm, the threat of a bomb embedded in my brain. Maybe that's the approach I should've been taking with Oliver instead of batting my eyes and you know," she widened her eyes, "making adult time."
Lyla laughed out loud and covered her mouth when every pair of eyes in the room turned towards them. Felicity and Lyla dropped their heads back to their computers and waited for everyone to return to what they'd been doing. "Better yet, aren't you the head of Applied Sciences now?" Lyla asked through closed teeth. "Buy your own damn satellite."
Before Felicity could respond, Nyssa spoke. "We know this man." Her finger was pressed against the face of the man with Oscar. "He is a ghost and an enemy of my father's."
Oliver strode across the room and asked in his Arrow voice, "Who is he?"
"We've been chasing him for almost a year." Sara said to Felicity. "At first we thought we were just hunting a trafficker, but we eventually realized we'd stumbled onto someone far more dangerous."
"Who?" Oliver demanded.
"He was a member of the League a long time ago, before my father ascended to Ra's."
"Was a member?" Diggle asked. "I thought the only way out of the League was through death."
"Damien Darkh believed he would be made Ra's, but when my father was selected he fled before he could be eliminated as a rival. He stole something from the League. My father has hunted him ever since."
"Ra's al Ghul has not been able to capture Darkh?" Oliver asked in disbelief.
"Darkh is not to be underestimated. When he left the League he started his own organization. Where the League believes in bringing order to where there is none, Darkh's H.I.V.E. only believes in anarchy and chaos."
"H.I.V.E.?" Felicity and Dig asked at the same time. Oliver looked between his two partners and silently conveyed that they would be having a conversation about whatever secret they'd been keeping from him.
Nyssa folded her arms across her chest. "They're dangerous. The human trafficking is just how they fund their mission. I imagine that Darkh is using Oscar as a front to hide his own activities."
"Do you think Anatoly knows about this? About H.I.V.E.?" Felicity asked Oliver, praying that her husband's Bratva friend wasn't involved with the organization responsible for the murder of the brother of his best friend.
Oliver sighed and pulled one of the pictures of Darkh off the window. "I don't recognize him, but that doesn't mean Anatoly doesn't know him." He shook his head, "I just don't know."
Vic cleared his throat. "Ra's al Ghul is real?" He looked between Nyssa, Oliver and Felicity. "I heard of him when I was in Afghanistan, but I thought he was a boogey man. A scary story the soldiers told each other to distract from the danger of their very real enemies."
"I assure you, my father is no boogey man. He is very real and more dangerous than any man your soldiers ever faced." Nyssa sounded proud as she spoke.
Felicity stood up and approached Vic as she realized how strange all of this must be for him. It seemed like forever ago when Felicity had never heard of vigilantes, Mirakuru super soldiers, A.R.G.U.S., the League of Assassins or H.I.V.E.. "Vic, thank you for sharing this with all of us, we wouldn't know our next step without it, but I think it's best you stay out of this now. God help me, I can't believe I'm going to say this, but this is kind of our normal everyday reality. You need to forget all of this and let us take care of it. Taking that job in Syria is safer than getting any more involved in this. Not that you should go to Syria, it's dangerous. Not that I'm telling you what to do, except that I am. You need to stay out of this, oh, and don't got to Syria."
Oliver put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. "Felicity is right. Too many people have died already. If Oscar or this Darkh guy find out that you know anything about them, it would be a death sentence."
Vic smirked a little. "I'm not just a pretty face they put on television. I've been to some of the scariest places on the planet and I've been in some very dangerous situations and I've always found my way out safely. Organized crime is run by bullies. I've never been afraid of bullies."
"Clearly, you are a first rate investigator and I don't doubt that you have an ability to operate under extreme stress, but you've gone as far as you can on this one." Oliver said. "The Bratva and H.I.V.E. might be bullies, but they are lethal bullies. We'll take it from here."
VVVVV
Anyone who said that relationships got easier after marriage were never married to Oliver Queen. Less than two weeks into her secret marriage, her husband had taken off with John in pursuit of Vic's most recent lead on Damien Darkh and H.I.V.E. while Nyssa and Sara had set their sights on Oscar Orlov. They thought that by swapping targets they'd have more luck with fresh eyes. With Roy still protecting Thea and Rosie in New York, Felicity had gone from having a lair full of vigilantes to none. As much as she enjoyed having time off, she was bored out of her mind. There was no point to having down time, if she couldn't spend it with Oliver. She thought she'd get to catch up on three years of sleep while her team was out of town, but all she did was lay awake and worry about them. There was no comm in her ear with the reassuring sounds of Oliver, Dig, Roy and Sara breathing. She had spent the last five nights pacing the halls of the mansion willing the sun to rise so she could head into work, which was why she was walking into her office fifteen minutes before seven with Rob in tow.
"Good morning, Peggy." Felicity said cheerfully as she approached her assistant's desk. "What's on tap for today?"
Peggy quickly rose from her desk and gave a nervous glance to Rob, before she moved to stand close to Felicity and whispered, "There's a woman in your office. She refused to give me her name, but she flashed her badge. Do you want me to call security, or, your lawyer, or, Mr. Queen?"
Felicity sighed. The last thing she needed was for the FBI to be snooping around again. "I'll speak with Agent Abbott."
Peggy took a step back and resumed her normal, calm exterior. "Would you like me to bring you coffee?"
Felicity smiled. "Yes, please. I think with Oliver out of town, caffeine will be my primary food group today." It was Peggy's turn to sigh. "If you promise not to tell Oliver I exceeded two cups of coffee today, I promise not to tell him you were the one who gave them to me." Felicity quickly turned to look at Rob who stood stoically in the doorway, "The bodyguard relationship is sacred. You know nothing about my coffee consumption."
Rob blinked before he brought his fingers to his lips, twisted them like he was turning a lock and threw an imaginary key over his shoulder. His face remained emotionless and when his arm returned to his side, there was no inkling that Felicity's humorless shadow had made a joke. Peggy laughed in surprise. "He's spending way too much time with you."
Even with Amy Abott waiting for her, Felicity couldn't help but feel a little lighter. "Don't listen to her, Rob. You're a good man who is in no way being corrupted by my strange ways."
Felicity took a deep breath, straightened her shoulders and strode into her office to face Amy. There really should be a rule about having to see one of Oliver's exes, especially one that had tried to arrest, her before nine. She nearly tripped over her own feet when she realized she'd assumed that Amy was the only woman with a badge who might pay her a surprise visit. "Oh, for frack's sake. Let me guess. My freedom really wasn't free."
Amanda Waller turned from the windows and gave Felicity a tight smile. "Ms. Smoak," she tilted her head, "or, should I say, Mrs. Queen? Congratulations on your recent wedding."
Felicity had no way of knowing how Amanda found out about her sealed marriage, but she wasn't going to expend any energy on trying to figure it out. She dropped her purse on the sofa and fixed Amanda with a hard stare. "What do you want?"
"I see Oliver's manners are rubbing off on you." Amanda sat down on the sofa and gestured for Felicity to do the same.
Felicity sat down and did her best to dig deep to find the manners Rosie had raised her to show to company. "You're right, I'm being rude. Thank you for helping me with the FBI. Oliver and I do appreciate it, even if we don't really believe that there aren't any strings attached." Well, Felicity had at least tried to be polite, but Amanda made it difficult.
"Felicity," Amanda seemed to grimace as Felicity's name passed her lips, "you might find this hard to believe, but you are of more use to me out of prison. Your skills would be an asset to A.R.G.U.S., but you are much more valuable working with your team. Even when he works independent of A.R.G.U.S., Oliver Queen remains one of my most important assets. He would be of no use to me if you went to prison and he got himself killed or convicted in an attempt to free you."
"Oliver's right, you do say the nicest things. I feel downright squishy inside." Felicity said sarcastically. "Really, Amanda, I have a lot to do and I don't have time for whatever games you want to play. What do you want?"
"You've managed to anger some very powerful individuals. You and your friends are surrounded by dangerous people and you seem to be running headlong into a confrontation that will not end well for any of you."
"I'm touched by your concern, but we have everything under control." Felicity said with more conviction than she felt.
"The two guards who died in Oliver and your place would disagree, if they could." Amanda said cuttingly.
"Everything okay in here?"
Felicity turned at the familiar voice and couldn't help but smile. "Roy, I didn't realize you were home."
Roy stepped between Felicity and Amanda and placed two mugs of coffee onto the table. "Peggy said you hadn't had your coffee yet today, so I thought I'd rescue your first guest from having to deal with a caffeine free you, but now that I see who it is, she can just deal."
Amanda tilted her head as she took in Roy. "Mr. Harper, it is good to finally meet you in person. Your skills are markedly improved this past year. No lasting side effects from the Mirakuru?"
Roy smirked. "If I did have any, I sure as hell wouldn't tell you." He dropped onto the sofa next to Felicity and casually draped his arm across its back. Felicity knew he was doing his best to seem disinterested instead of reveal how angry he truly was."
Felicity squeezed Roy's knee in appreciation before she stood. "Amanda was just leaving."
Amanda gracefully rose to her feet. "Two pieces of advice. Mr. Harper should lose the red hoodie. You might as well embroider Arsenal across the back of it."
Felicity didn't disagree with Waller, but she would never take Waller's part over a member of her team. "We'll take that under advisement." She placed a protective hand on Roy's shoulder. "As a huge fan of unsolicited advice, I can't wait to hear your second piece."
"You're tangling with the Bratva, H.I.V.E. and the League of Assassins. They have you surrounded on all sides. Damien Darkh and Ra's al Ghul are not to be trifled with. I know you think your relationship with Nyssa Roshenko will protect you, but I promise you, her father will disinherit her the moment a better option for his heir appears and her life will be forfeit. You'd do well to remember who your friends are when you find yourself under fire." Amanda pulled a small flat box, wrapped in expensive looking white and gold paper, from inside her purse. "Congratulations. I hope you and Oliver are able to live a long life together."
"Thank you, for the gift." Felicity said to Amanda's back as her heels echoed off the marble floor.
"Huh," Roy sounded disappointed, "I really thought she'd disappear in a cloud of smoke."
Felicity smiled and nodded towards the present. "Do you think it's ticking?"
"Only one way to find out." Roy leaned across the table and picked up the package. He held it up to his ear and shook it. "I don't think it's a bomb."
Felicity sat back down and pulled the package from his hand and placed it on the table. "If it were, we'd be dead after you shook it like that." She picked up her mug and inhaled deeply. She could feel herself relax as the heavenly scent of coffee wafted around her. "Not that I'm not extremely happy to see you, but I thought you were in New York. Did you drop Thea and Rosie off at home?"
"Thea and Rosie are with Walter in London." Roy said before taking a sip of his own coffee.
"What? You let them out of your sight?" Felicity asked in disbelief.
Roy put up his hands defensively. "Not my call. Oliver told me to come back once he arranged for Thea and Rosie to go visit Walter."
Felicity pursed her lips, closed her eyes and counted to ten in order to prevent herself from giving Roy an earful about Oliver changing the plan without telling her. If he changed this, what else was he keeping from her? "I guess it slipped his mind to tell me."
Roy stood up. "I've got class, but your schedule has you here all day with Rob. I'll be staying at the mansion with you until Oliver gets back. I'll see you tonight, but call me if you need me."
Felicity sighed and took a large sip of her coffee. She just might ask Peggy to bring her a carafe for her desk. If Amanda Waller was the sign of how the rest of her day was going to go, Felicity was going to need all the caffeine she could get. The wrapped present caught her eye and she decided to see what the Dragon Lady of A.R.G.U.S. had gifted them with. She tore through the paper and was slightly stunned by what she saw when she opened the box. She placed the box on the table and doubled over in laughter as four pairs of sterling silver corn on the cob holders glinted in the early morning sun.
VVVVV
Hearing the door open, Felicity spoke without looking up from her tablet. "Peggy, did we get the results for the audit of Applied Science's vendor management controls? I thought we did, but I don't see them here and Mr. Palmer wants to see the results before he makes a final decision." When Peggy didn't respond she looked up, her chair pushing back from the table and her hand unlocking her phone. "Oscar."
"Hello, Felicity. You're looking as lovely as ever." Oscar smiled. "I've been trying to get in touch with you, but you've declined all of my invitations." He stepped towards her. "Please, put down the phone."
She placed her phone next to her tablet. "Even in Vegas it's bad manners to pull a woman off of the street and into the back of the van." Felicity straightened her shoulders and began to evaluate her options. Oscar had two men with him, both clearly carrying guns. She didn't see the tell tale bulge in Oscar's jacket, but she assumed he was armed. She hadn't heard gunshots, but Rob had been posted outside the conference room door. If he hadn't engaged these men, he was either dead or incapacitated. Felicity's team of heroes were far away and she couldn't expect any of them to rescue her. No, Felicity was going to need to keep her wits and use the only weapon she had, her mind.
Oscar laughed and pointed a finger at her. "I always liked you. I still don't understand how a girl as smart as you came from your mother. Either they switched you in the hospital or your father was a real genius with terrible taste in women."
Felicity laughed bitterly. "Trust me I checked. Donna Smoak was my mom and as for my dad, your guess is as good as mine."
"I am not happy that things have come to this," Oscar shook his head sadly. "I always liked you and I don't like involving women in these matters, but your mother stole from me. What was I supposed to do?" Oscar started moving towards her and she could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. "You saw what I was willing to do to get the million dollars you're mother took from, what makes you think I won't snap your neck where you stand for taking everything?" Oscar's anger suddenly exploded and his fist crashed against the table. "Where is my money?"
Felicity didn't even flinch. After being Oliver's partner for three years, Oscar was going to need to do a lot more than shout at her if he wanted to shake her. Felicity had to decide quickly if she needed to play the part of the weepy, timid, non-threatening woman or be herself. "I returned all of the drugs my mom stole. Whatever I found, I brought back to you."
"Don't play games with me." Oscar resumed stalking towards her. It was all Felicity could do from taking a step away from him. "Someone cleaned out all of my bank accounts and liquefied my holdings."
"I'd like to say I'm sorry for your loss, but I'm not. "She raised her hand when Oscar started to speak."But that doesn't mean I stole your money. It's not uncommon for criminals to be targeted by other criminals. I imagine someone saw their opportunity to get a payday."
He nodded his head. "I would agree with you, if it was just one bank account, but all of them were hit. I had to ask myself who would target me? The answer is simple. Either someone from inside my organization is looking to replace me as Captain or another Captain is looking to take my territory. There is only one Captain I know who not only has an incentive to eliminate me, but has a certified computer genius warming his bed every night."
Felicity smiled sympathetically. "As flattering as that is, you must realize that I know nothing of Oliver's Bratva business." She opened her arms wide. "I have my arms full running his legitimate business." She smiled sweetly. "I could offer you my services and see if I can locate your money, or at the very least, give you the identity of the person who wiped your accounts." Felicity sensed Oscar's hesitation, but she could see a little bit of hope in his eyes. His desperation to get his money back and greed would make him easier for Felicity to manipulate. Anatoly must be looking for him. Showing up at QC during office hours was a big tip of his hand. Felicity could work with that. She returned to her chair at the head of the table and woke her tablet. "If you give me the account that you noticed first, it will give me a place to start - kind of like Dorothy and the yellow brick road in Munchkinland."
Oscar's eyes went wide for a moment, before he asked. "You can do this? You can get my money back?"
"Most likely, your money isn't gone, it has just been shifted. If I can identify the hacker's signature, I can find the money and shift it back."
"Okay, you will come with me." Oscar gestured for her to get up.
"No." Felicity wasn't leaving the building with Oscar, even if it meant dying in her conference room. If she left with him, she'd be sentencing herself to death and Oliver to a lifetime of looking to find her remains."
"No?" Oscar's tone had reverted back to anger.
"If you expect me to hack into banks with superior encryption, I will need access to QC's computing power. I can't very well break into anything from my tablet." Felicity shook her head as if to say, silly mobsters. "The more server power I have access to, the faster this will go and the sooner you will get your money and the sooner you will leave my friends and family alone."
Before Oscar could respond, Felicity's cell rang. "Who is it?"
She glanced down to see who was calling and felt herelf comforted by the caller ID. "It's Oliver. I need to answer it."
"No, you don't." Oscar said reaching for her phone.
Felicity placed her hand protectively over her cell. "If I don't answer it, he'll know something is wrong. We have a meeting scheduled for right now so I can debrief him on my prior meeting."
"Okay, place him on speaker, but if you so much as say one thing about me or your situation, my men will put a bullet in you."Oscar threatened.
Felicity nodded before she accepted the call. She really wished they had come up with codewords like Lyla and Diggle. If Lyla asked about the Starling City Rockets, everything was fine. If she asked about the Gotham Rogues, she was in trouble and in need of immediate help. She had no idea how she was going to alert Oliver to her situation. "You're right on time. I should send you out of town more often."
"Maybe I just miss you." Oliver's voice sounded gruff, like he'd just woken up.
"The meeting with Palmer went really well today. He wants to take a look at one more report, but I think there is a better than likely chance that this time next year, QC will be using co-generation to power the entire Glades."
"Felicity, that's great. I'm proud of you and when all of this is over, I'm taking you out to celebrate."
"Let's not count our chickens yet, there is still a lot of work to do." Oscar motioned with his finger for her to wrap it up. "Ugh, Peggy just poked her head in. Looks like I'm double booked today. My calendar is crazy and I think I'll be holed up at the office all day."
"I'll let you go. Call me later. I love you."
"I love you too, Ollie." Felicity ended the call before he could respond.
vvvvv
Less than two minutes after she hung up the phone with Oliver the fire alarm went off and a voice came over the intercom to evacuate the building due to a gas leak on the street. "What did you do?" Oscar asked angrily.
She pointed to the ceiling. "I didn't do this." An alert went off on her tablet and she stood up. "We need to get out of here."
"I'm not falling for your games." He pulled a gun and pointed it at her. "Transfer the money back into my account or your fiancé will have to identify your corpse."
Felicity slid her tablet over to him. "Look at the news alert. There is a gas leak on Market Street. This whole block is being evacuated."
One of Oscar's goons stepped forward holding his phone out. "She's right boss. They're evacuating this whole area."
Oscar grabbed Felicity by the arm and pushed her tablet against her chest. "Looks like you'll be coming with us. Try anything," she felt his gun press against her spine, "and it will be the last thing you do."
Oscar dragged Felicity out of the conference room and she was forced to step over Rob's body. She saw the soft rise and fall of his chest and said a silent prayer that he could wait for medical treatment. Oscar followed his men into the stairwell and their group was absorbed into the crowd of the QC employees also leaving the building. Their progression down twenty eight flights was slow and she was able to get Oscar to stop on a landing so she could remove her heels. Felicity nodded to the employees that filed past her as she leaned against the wall. Between her tablet, phone and shoes her hands were full as she stepped onto the QC plaza. The street was full of emergency vehicles and first responders were everywhere.
Oscar had just tugged onto her arm to bring her into motion when a familiar figure blocked her path. "Ms. Smoak, I'm glad I found you. Mr. Queen's assistant said that you're in charge today."
"Det - Captain Lance." Felicity had never been happier to see a police officer in her life as Oscar let go of her arm and the goons began to melt into the crowds. "What's going on here?"
"I'll escort you to our command center. Your security team is already there coordinating the evacuation." Lance said as he placed his hand on her back and began to steer her through the crowds and away from Oscar.
"Ms. Smoak, Ms. Smoak." Oscar jogged up to her and squeezed her bicep as he whispered in her ear. "You have twenty four hours to return all of my money or I will kill everyone you love, not just Queen."
Felicity watched as Oscar jumped into the back of dark sedan and sped away from QC. Lance placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and began steering her through the crowd.
Lance opened a police command vehicle and ushered her inside. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine, but my bodyguard, Rob, was unconscious the last time I saw him outside the executive conference room."
Lance put his radio to his mouth and instructed emergency services to retrieve Rob. He turned his attention back to the blond putting her shoes back on. "I got a call from your guy saying that you were in trouble."
"So you faked a gas line break?" Felicity asked in disbelief.
He shook his head, "No, I think your new protégé is responsible for that."
The swell of pride in Roy's expanding abilities was quickly replaced with trepidation. "In that case, I better double check that it is a malfunctioning sensor and not an actual gas leak." Felicity said as she sat down in front of a bank of computers as Lance's phone buzzed.
"I'm pretty sure you're going to want to take this call first." Lance slid the phone in front of her.
"You figured out my message." Felicity said with relief. "I was really worried, you wouldn't."
He huffed a laugh. "Trust me, you calling me Ollie was an effective S.O.S."
There was a moment of silence and she knew he was struggling to compose himself."Oliver, I'm fine." She said, trying her best to sound calm and collected.
"Felicity, are you safe?" Oliver's voice broke a little.
She could hear the sound of a motorcycle engine revving and knew that he was driving at reckless speeds. "Slow down. I'm fine. I'm with Captain Lance. Where's Dig?"
"I'm on my way home. John is sticking with Darkh."
Felicity lowered her voice. "There's no reason for you to come home. I'm fine. Oscar took off. From what Sara and Nyssa have told us about Darkh, John should have back up."
"Felicity, I'm coming home. Roy is on his way to meet up with Sara, Nyssa and Dig."
Felicity knew from his tone that his mind had been made up. "Okay, I'll see you at home."
"You're sticking with Lance until I pick you up."
"Oliver, the Captain has more important things to do than babysit me, besides, I have things to do - you know, non-Kosher things." Sticking next to a police captain was going to make illegal money transfers that much more challenging.
"I love you," he said gruffly. "Give the phone back to Lance."
"I love you too." She returned Lance his phone and quickly networked in with her Arrow system to shut down the faked gas leak.
"Well, whatever you did, the crisis is over. Everyone is being allowed back into their buildings." Lance said sitting down next to her.
Felicity stood up. "I guess I'll go back to work. Thank you for all your help, Captain."
Lance took hold of her hands. "Not so fast. Your fiancé has instructed me to keep you in my sights at all times and that you aren't to be trusted." He held up a pair of handcuffs. "You're not going to make me handcuff you, are you?"
Felicity rolled her eyes, "Fine, but I have a lot of work to do."
The older man sighed. "Yeah, I have a pretty good feeling that I don't want to know what kind of work you're getting up to."
She smiled sweetly at him. "It's just a little online banking. Nothing to worry about."
vvvvv
Lance placed a steaming cup of coffee in front of Felicity as she worked frantically from her tablet as she sat at his desk. She was racing the clock. She needed to have her plan in motion before Oliver returned to Starling. Her brow furrowed as she methodically returned Oscar's money to his accounts while laying a trail that would be easy to follow.
The Captain's hand landed gently on her shoulder and he gave it a squeeze. "I think it's time for you to take a break. You haven't had anything to eat."
She shot him a small smile, "I'm good," and returned to her coding.
Lance pulled her chair out from his desk and spun it to face him. "You seem to forget I have two daughters your age. You're going to stand up from this chair, eat that sandwich and drink your coffee before you're allowed to touch this again." He took her tablet and locked it in a cabinet.
"Hey." Felicity said angrily. "I really need to finish that."
"Uh uh. Eat now. Computer later." Lance passed her a sandwich.
"And here I've been wishing I had a dad all these years." She took a bite of the chicken salad sandwich, not realizing how hungry she was until she started chewing.
"Being a dad is more than baseball games and pony rides. Sometimes you need to tell your child no, for their own good."
Felicity lets out a small laugh. "I can't imagine Laurel or Sara really responded well to being told, no."
Lance drops into the chair alongside his desk. "Laurel and Sara were such different kids. Both were great students, they get their brains from their mom, but boy oh boy once those hormones kicked in I could barely keep up with them."
She gave him a small smile. "I can only imagine."
"And that Queen kid, he didn't help." He winked at her.
Felicity gave him a sympathetic smile. "I can't imagine he did."
"As a parent, all you want is to make your child happy and to keep your child safe from all the cruel things you know the world has in store for them, but my girls didn't make it easy. Laurel has always been so hard on herself. She hurts herself because she's hurting. Of all the things she could get from me, the one thing she gets is the self-destruction." Lance swallows heavily. "And my Sara, there was such an innocence about her before she ran off with Oliver. She always leapt before she looked. She had this incredible faith that everything would always work out. Her life is so dangerous now and I'm afraid that she will take one too many leaps and there will be nothing there to catch her."
Felicity wiped the tears that had trickled down her face. She couldn't imagine her mom ever worrying about her happiness and safety. She reached out and took Lance's hand. "Laurel is a pretty amazing person. She has a sense of justice and a belief in what is right. She gets that from you. She isn't her alcoholism, anymore than you are." Lance squeezed her hand. "Sara is the most amazing person I know. She has this boundless capacity to love and to make everyone feel at ease. She's been through so much, but she came home for her family. She loves you. Nothing is more important to her than you and Laurel and Nyssa."
She suddenly felt overwhelmed with emotions and she rose from her chair to inspect the city map hanging behind his desk. She squeezed the bridge of her nose and willed the tears that were threatening to fall back behind her lids.
"You know, I'm a pretty good listener." Lance said as he leaned forward on his elbows. "Tell me what's really been going on. I know you're in trouble. That all of you are in some sort of trouble."
Felicity nods her head. She picks up the picture of Laurel and Sara that the Captain keeps on his desk. "Until Oliver, no one ever put a picture of me on their desk. Not that my mom had a desk, she was a cocktail waitress, so she could've put my picture up in her locker, but I'm pretty sure she didn't. She preferred people not knowing she had a daughter." She replaced the picture on his desk and looked at the Captain. "Maybe if I'd been prettier or less awkward she would've been proud of me, but I was a frizzy-haired buck-toothed girl in glasses who was smarter than almost everyone. I think she was embarrassed by me."
He shook his head. "I can't believe that is true."
Tears started to fall from her eyes. "You were right, when you came to see me at the hospital, you were right about her. She kidnapped me to get her hands on Oliver's money. She believed the tabloid stories about the playboy CEO and his bimbo EA and she thought it would be an easy pay day."
"Why didn't you tell me the truth?" Lance stood up and took her shoulders in his hands. "Did you think any of your friends would think less of you?"
Felicity took a shuddering breath. There was a part of her that always feared that when her friends met her mom, they would drop her. "My mom did some terrible things in her life and she made some pretty bad choices, especially when it came to men. Right before she died, my mom and her boyfriend stole over a million dollars worth of drugs from Oscar Orlov. He is a Bratva Captain in Las Vegas. Last summer, he threatened me. He said that if I didn't get him back his drugs or money he would kill Oliver, my aunt and me." Felicity sagged in Lance's arms. "Oliver is blinded with his need to protect me from my mom's enemies. He is going to die trying to keep me alive. I don't know what to do."
Lance lowers her back into her chair and kneels in front of her. "I think you kids have been operating outside of the law for so long now, you forget it can be your ally. Not everything needs to be done in the shadows. Make Orlov face justice in the light of day."
She sniffles and rubs her eyes. "May I have my tablet back now? I have an idea."Lance retrieves her tablet and places it in front of her. She leans in and places a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you for the dad-like pep talk. I needed it."
"You're welcome," he moved to his office door as an officer called his name, "you still need to eat your sandwich."
It only took seconds for Felicity to reconnect with the lair. She'd laid a trail in order for her to find the money again, but the FBI could follow it too. For the past year she's been collecting evidence on Oscar and his entire Bratva operation in Vegas. She was going to turn over everything she has to Vic and let the FBI take care of Oscar. Oliver doesn't need any more blood on his hands. For the first time in a long time she felt the weight lifting from her shoulders. She was going to find a way out for all of them and justice for every man, woman and child, Oscar Orlov ever murdered or hurt.
VVVVV
Felicity silently watched Oliver open the rolling cabinet, withdraw a handgun load a clip and load the chamber. Watching him arm himself with a gun and bullets instead of a bow and arrows didn't feel right and made her stomach painfully clench. He placed the handgun in his waistband at the small of his back and slid into his brown leather jacket as he approached her. Her brain was flooded with adrenaline and she thought she was going to crawl out of her skin. She needed to stop what was about to happen and none of her options seemed viable. She eyed the case containing the sedative laced blow darts. There wasn't any way she'd be able to retrieve them without him noticing. She hadn't installed the new security system and couldn't lock them inside until Diggle and Roy returned from tracking Darkh. They were due back in the morning, but Oliver refused to wait for his partners. Her eyes flitted around the room, her brain scrambling to find anything to slow him down. Reasoned argument had failed. She'd explained her plan to return Oscar's money and then provide the trail of breadcrumbs to Vic and the FBI. Oliver shot down her plan and said she'd never be safe as long as Oscar lived. The only option left to her seemed to be crying, begging and guilt, otherwise known as, emotional blackmail.
Oliver stood in front of her with a grim countenance. He shifted nervously from foot to foot as he tugged on the edges of her sweater. He opened his arms and she allowed him to pull her into a tight embrace. He spoke so softly she had to strain to hear. "If I'm not back by morning, I'll need you to call Dig to tell him where I went. Once you call him, you'll need to go to the mansion and wait. He'll know what to do, so you won't need to worry about it."
Felicity sucked in a sharp breath and pulled away from him. He was telling her to tell Dig to retrieve his body and initiate the protocol they established in the event of his violent death, but that she shouldn't worry about it. She wanted to slap him. "Oliver." He used his thumb and forefinger to lift her chin. He looked into her eyes and kissed her. It felt like a goodbye. "No." She said firmly.
"Felicity. You're going to need to call Ned and tell him to release the marriage license to the press. My will is in our closet." He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I'm sorry that you're going to have to face the media gauntlet alone until Thea returns from London."
"No." She slammed her foot down on the cement floor. "I'm not having another sending you off to war conversation. After Slade, I vowed, never again. There has to be a better way. Wait for Dig and Roy to get back. Call Sara. Confront Oscar as the Arrow. Anything but this." She was begging and she didn't care.
"He came into my wife's office and threatened your life. No more games. I need to end this, not the Arrow." He clasped her to his chest and kissed her desperately. "I love you."
He pulled away and left her breathless. It took a second for her brain to catch up that he was actually leaving. She ran to the stairs and slipped beneath the railing. She stood on the second step from the bottom with her arms braced between the wall and the railing and blocked his way. "Wait."
"Felicity," he begged, "don't make this harder than it has to be."
"Harder?" Her voice filled with incredulity. How could he even say that to her? Letting him walk away to his probable death was nothing but hard. "Don't go."
His face softened and his eyes welled with tears. "Felicity. I will always fight to come home to you."
"Not once in three years have I ever asked you not to put your hood on and not to walk out the door. I have watched you leave to face dangerous people. I have listened to every punch, knife slash and gunshot. I have watched you flat line twice, taped your ribs, pushed dangerous amounts of lidocaine into your knees and put in more stitches than I can count and still I never asked you to stop. I have always believed in you and your mission and I know that your devotion to this cause might mean that I lose you before I'm ready to, but Oliver, there is nothing noble in this. This is suicide. Oscar isn't worth you sacrificing yourself for. I'm not worth sacrificing yourself for."
Oliver gasped and clasped her face between his hands. "Felicity Smoak Queen, you are absolutely everything to me and so worth it."
His words made her heart swell and she felt even more desperate to hold onto him."Oliver, I am asking you now, as your wife. Don't go. There is always another way."
The tears in Oliver's eyes spilled over. "Felicity, I love you and this year has been the happiest of my life. Thank you."
She felt herself fill with hope. She'd gotten through to him and bought them more time to come up with a plan. She smiled. "I love you."
He pulled her into his chest and kissed her. His hands freed her hair from its ponytail and he ran his fingers through the loosened strands. Her feet left the stairs as he held her tightly against him. Oliver pressed a kiss to her neck as he turned them. He lowered her to the ground and placed a kiss to her forehead. Without making eye contact, he turned and began to climb the stairs.
Felicity's legs gave out beneath her. As he reached the top step, in desperation, she said the hardest thing she'd ever say in her life. "You promised you'd never leave me by choice. If you walk out that door, that is your choice, but when you come home, I won't be waiting. That will be mine." She knew she'd never be able to walk that ultimatum back, but if it kept him from walking out the door, she was willing to lose his love if it meant saving his life. She watched the line of his shoulders stiffen as his hand hesitated on the door. He took a deep breath and stepped through. A wail escaped her lips as the door closed behind him.
It took a minute for Felicity to regain her wits. She might've just broken up with the love of her life, but she'd be damned if she wouldn't save his life. Her brain started to catalogue everything about what Oliver had told her about his meeting. She moved to her computer and pulled the meeting location up on the large standing monitor. It was part of the new waterfront complex designed to draw more international cargo from the crowded Los Angeles port. All of the construction was new within the past year. A smile crept across her face as she pulled up the contractor for the building they were meeting at. Sure enough, the building had been constructed by one of the dirty contractors and was on the city's list to be re-inspected. Until it was deemed safe, the warehouse was required to remain vacant. Most of the new buildings on the waterfront that had been sealed by the city until they were either approved for occupancy or bulldozed for safety were currently being used by one criminal organization or another. Felicity celebrated Oscar's arrogance because it would finally be his undoing. She checked Oliver's tracker. He was still fifteen minutes away from the rendezvous but she still needed to move fast. She pulled up the city's power grid and hacked her way inside. She didn't care if her hack was dirty, it just needed to be fast. As she set the grid to send a power surge into the warehouse district, she pulled out the Arrow's phone. She called 9-1-1. When the operator picked up she said through the modulator. "There's been an explosion down at the Starling City Port. Building 1052 is on fire." She hung up before the operator could ask a single question. Felicity then texted Oscar, If you want to live, run! She brought up the port's security cameras and watched the stream of the warehouse. No one was leaving. She looked at Oliver's tracker and then back to the monitor. She gave them a chance, but Oliver was out of time. As Oliver told her once before, there was no choice to make. Without hesitation she entered the command that sent power rushing through the transformers and into the warehouse. She watched multiple transformers explode around the building. Arcs of electricity lit up the sky and blinded the cameras for a moment. When the arcs stopped, it took a moment for Felicity to see fire begin to erupt around the transformers. She held her breath as she waited to see if the warehouse would become a raging inferno due to the substandard building materials and faulty sprinkler systems that had permeated the new construction in the Glades. The police scanner indicated that police and fire were responding to a possible explosion down by the port. Oliver's tracker indicated he was almost there. Please, she begged the universe. Please. A strangled cry left her lips as she watched smoke begin to billow out of the warehouse and flames begin to lick the roof. She could see a fireboat approaching and prayed that no one entered the building. She watched in horror as the fire jumped to neighboring buildings. She knew from her research that they were supposedly vacant too.
The fear that her actions would cost an innocent's life, she grabbed her own phone and called the Captain. "Miss Smoak. What can I do you for?"
"Captain, I need you to listen. There's a fire down at the new waterfront. You need to order your men and the fire department to stay out of the warehouses. They were built with counterfeit materials. Anyone who enters will die. They need to let it burn."
She could hear him shouting orders to his men. Returning his attention to her, he softly growled into the phone, "Felicity. Is he in the building? Is he safe?"
Felicity gulped. She saw Oliver pull up on his bike at one of the port gates. His head was moving from side to side. He could probably hear the approaching sirens and smell the smoke. He stilled as he tried to make a decision. Come on, Oliver. Turn around. Turn around. She sighed in relief as he spun the bike around his planted foot and sped off in the direction he came. "He's clear," she gasped. The Captain disconnected the call and Felicity watched Oliver's tracker move across her monitor. Satisfied that he was returning to the lair, she shut off her monitors, grabbed her coat and headed up the stairs. She delivered an ultimatum and now she had to live with it. Even if it broke her heart. Even if it broke his.
vvvvv
Felicity used her key and let herself into her Aunt Rosie's apartment. The lights were off and she entered as quietly as she could. Rosie had flown home from London that morning. She promised Felicity she was only coming home in order to get a decent cup of coffee not because she was worried about her. Felicity didn't want to speak to her aunt and wished she was still in London. She had no idea what she'd tell her happened. She couldn't exactly tell her that she broke up with Oliver because he ignored her request to not confront a Bratva Captain in a fight to the death or that the whole waterfront was now on fire because of her desperate decision. Her phone buzzed. She didn't need to look to know it was Oliver and that he'd returned to the lair and found her gone. She pulled up the tracker on her phone and waited for Oliver to make his decision. Would he look for her at the mansion or would he realize she'd returned to her old apartment? She watched as his tracker began to move again and held her breath at an intersection. He turned left towards the mansion and she knew that she had about forty minutes before he arrived on her doorstep. She sat down on the sofa and watched his light blink as it got closer and closer to the mansion. The hall light came on and her aunt jumped in fright when she saw Felicity sitting on her sofa. "Felicity? Is everything okay?" Words failed her as she tried to tell her aunt that nothing would ever be okay again. She dropped her head and began to sob. Her aunt sat down beside her and pulled her into her arms. "Sshh. What happened?" Rosie asked with concern.
"Ol-Ol-Oliver." Felicity wailed.
"Did you have a fight with Oliver?"
"We, we broke up."
Rosie stroked Felicity's head. "Couples fight. Even couples as in love as you and Oliver. Whatever happened, you'll find a way to fix it."
"No, we won't. We broke it."
"Did he cheat? Did he lie?"
"No."
"Did you?"
"No."
Her aunt pulled away and tugged on Felicity's chin until she was looking in her eyes. "Did he hit you?"
Felicity shook her head, hating that her aunt could think something so terrible of Oliver. He'd sooner saw off his own arms than lay a finger on her in violence. "No."
"So, there's nothing that happened that you can't come back from."
"He didn't pick me."
"What?"
"He chose," Felicity paused unsure of what she could or should say, "he chose, work."
Her aunt laughed. "I'm sorry sweetheart, but you're calling off your wedding because Oliver went to a work meeting instead of coming home to you?"
It wasn't exactly accurate, but it was close enough. "Yes."
Her aunt stood up. "I know you were raised with more sense than that. I know he's a billionaire, but he's responsible for thousands of people, he has to work hard. It's part of why you love him so much. His sense of duty." Her aunt sighed as Felicity's face crumpled. "Oh, sweetheart. Wait right there. I got up to use the girl's room." Rosie disappeared into the bathroom and Felicity checked Oliver's tracker. He was at the mansion. Her phone rang again. She looked at his picture as the phone continued to buzz. "Does that boy know where you are?" Felicity shook her head. "It's not fair of you to scare him that way. How would you feel if you came home and he was missing and refused to pick up the phone?"
Felicity felt the hot tears roll down her face. Her aunt was right. She knew Oliver well enough to know that he was probably frantic with worry. She picked up her cell and braced herself. "Hey."
She could hear him take a shuttering breath. "Thank god. I thought maybe you went to the warehouse. Everything is on fire."
She never thought he'd worry that she might have somehow followed him and gotten trapped in the fire. "I'm safe. I'm sorry if I worried you."
"Where are you? Why aren't you at home?" His voice was high the way it only got when he was scared for her safety.
She hesitated only for a moment. "I'm at Aunt Rosie's."
"Rosie's? Is she okay? Did something happen?" He asked with concern.
"She's fine."
"Then why are..." Oliver paused and she could picture his face as he realized why she wasn't home at the mansion. His voice went cold. "I'm on my way. Please be there when I get there."
Felicity placed her phone on the coffee table and sank into the sofa. "He's on his way."
Her aunt handed her a glass with a shot of brandy. "Good, maybe he can talk some sense into you."
"It's not that easy." Felicity swallowed the shot.
"It never is." Her aunt took the glass away from her. "Felicity, relationships aren't like fairytales. They're a lot of hard work. When you put two people together with separate identities but ask them to think and act as one, there are bound to be hiccups. Relationships are about compromise. You can't always get your own way." Felicity snorted. Her aunt ran her hand against the back of Felicity's head. "I don't know what happened tonight, but I think you might've been steering your boat in opposite directions. The only way to get back on course is to talk about it."
"I never thought it would be so hard."
"Love is hard."
Felicity smiled. "No, loving Oliver is easy. Living with him is hard."
Her aunt laughed. "I'm sure that's very true. But do you love him?"
Felicity nodded her head. "Yes."
"Then fight for him, Felicity. Don't be like your mom and run when things get hard or when you're disappointed. There are going to be times when the person you love disappoints you or infuriates you. There were times when I couldn't stand the sight of your uncle's face, but I never stopped loving him. You just have to acknowledge the hard times and decide how you move forward, together."
"I don't think he'll ever forgive me for leaving."
"I think he already has. He's on his way, isn't he?" Before Felicity could respond she could hear the sound of Oliver's bike. "Go wash your face. I'll let him in."
Felicity kissed her aunt's cheek. "Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you."
Her aunt kissed her back. "Go on, get, you silly creature."
Felicity splashed cold water on her face and took several deep breaths. She could hear her aunt and Oliver speaking softly in the living room. She studied her reflection in the mirror. The rest of her life depended on what happened when she walked through the door. She loved Oliver and wanted to build a life with him, but she wasn't sure if that was even realistic. The past year had been like living a dream. Sure they'd had their moments, but they always found a way back to one another. Loving Oliver and being loved by Oliver were all she thought she wanted, but then he told her he loved her and walked out the door to face certain death. He had chosen death over fighting for them. If their love wasn't stronger than his sense of duty there would be more nights like tonight and she wasn't strong enough to watch him leave her. Her head snapped to the bathroom door when she heard her aunt's bedroom door close. With another deep breath she turned the knob and stepped into the living room.
Oliver was pacing back and forth in front of the sofa, his fingers nervously rubbing together. He stopped and his face relaxed in relief when he saw her standing there. "I was so worried when you weren't at home. I thought you'd followed me and that I'd left you behind in that inferno." He pointed to the television.
Felicity gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. She hadn't noticed the television had been turned on because the sound was off. The screen was filled with flames. The whole port appeared to be on fire. "What have I done?" She whispered.
Oliver wrapped his arms around her and buried his nose in her hair. "I thought I'd lost you." She moved to pull out of his arms, but he tightened his grip. "I know I screwed up when I walked out. I made it as far as the port before I realized what an idiot I was. We don't walk away from one another, we face everything together, that was my promise and I'm sorry I nearly broke it."
She pushed against his chest until he let go. "I saw you on the cameras. You didn't come back for me. You left the port because of the fire."
He shook his head. "I didn't know about the fire until I got to the mansion. Raisa was watching it on TV."
Felicity looked at his face and knew that he was telling the truth. He'd turned around for her. She threw her arms around his neck. "Take me home."
Notes: Thank you for taking the time to read my story. All feedback is welcomed and appreciated.
Next up: September and the end of Oscar.