Author's Note: Here is my next chapter. I can't believe I broke 100 reviews. That's 80 more than I ever hoped to get. Thank you SO MUCH! On that note, shout out to my first reviewer Jadiee and my hundredth reviewer CamJ and everyone in between. You guys are so great and you keep me motivated. Again, uploaded from my iPad, let me know if there is any problems.
Disclaimer: I still don't Oliver Queen *tear*
The weeks leading up to Graham getting released were easier than she always thought they would be and she knows it was because of Oliver. The day that Graham got out, waking up and facing the day seemed almost impossible but Oliver greeted her with a cup of her favorite kind of coffee and a soft kiss on her lips. When she pushed herself to her car to drive to work there was a first edition of her favorite book; John Carter of Mars sitting in her passenger seat with a note tucked in the cover saying, "I know today is going to be hard, but I'm here for you. -Me". Then when she walked into her office every single flat surface was covered in red roses and she started laughing so hard then she took her phone out and called Oliver and he answered after the first ring, "Now you're just showing off!"
She heard his laughter over the phone and then said, "But you're not thinking about today are you?"
A smile took over her face, "No I'm not."
She could hear the smile on his face when he replied, "See I'm not all brawn, I can be a genius sometimes too."
She started laughing and then hung up the phone. She took in her her space. If he is good at anything besides beating up bad guys it's making her smile. She then sat at her system, booted it and then got to work with the smile still on her face.
She didn't realize how long she had been working until she heard a knock on her door frame. She spun around so excited and was quickly disappointed when she saw it wasn't Oliver, but the guy from down the hall Ben. "Wow look at this place. This guy plays dirty how am I suppose to compete for your heart with this as my competition?"
She looked at him and laughed a little bit because this has been going on for over a year and no matter how hard he tried it was never going to happen, "To compete for something you have to be in the running for it, which you aren't... Still."
Ben walked a little farther into her office a placed one of his hands over hers that rested on the arm of the chair and his other on her shoulder, "Oh come on Felicity, what's a guy got to do?"
She opened her mouth to respond but what cut off by another voice from the door and it brought a smile to her lips and a blush to her cheeks, "The guy has to take his hands off my girlfriend before I break them."
The look on Ben's face was one for the record books a look of terror and shock. He snatched his hands away from her then looked toward the voice, "Oliver Queen? Seriously?!" Then he looked to Felicity shook his head and then walked out of her office.
"He's an IT guy Oliver, one of my people... How could you threaten his hands? That's just mean." She tried so hard to keep a stern face while she scolded him, but the attempt was feeble at best.
"Sorry, I was just trying to scare him a little or a lot... I'm not picky," he replied with a huge smile on his face then he bent down to capture his lips on her own. God she'll never get use to the idea that this man in front of her was hers. "I figured you had worked through lunch. Lets go get something to eat."
Of course he gave her no choice and she couldn't help but smile even more. As they walked outside the building there was a small crowd with cameras and that continuously erupted with flashes. Diggle was there a moment later to help push the crowd off while the questions "Who is she?" "How long have you been together?" "Oliver, is she the one?" "Are you after his money?" hung in the air unanswered.
Felicity climbed into the car first and Oliver was right behind her. About thirty seconds after their door closed, the front door opened and Diggle sat behind the wheel. "I really don't understand why people are so fascinated with you Oliver... Her I get, she's pretty, smart and clearly has the patience of a saint to deal with you, but why are they so interested in you? You're cranky, broody, and a raging pain in the ass."
Oliver just scoffed at the question and Felicity laughed. She knew he was trying to lighten the mood and of course he succeed admirably. They made their way to Big Belly Burger in silence. Carly greeted them with a huge smile. When they sat down Diggle sat on one side of the booth while Oliver and Felicity sat on the other. Oliver sat closest to the window and he wrapped his arm around Felicity's shoulders. Carly made her way over to the table with their drinks and after she set them down on the table she leaded over and placed a chased kiss on John's cheek and carefully slipped a twenty dollar bill into his hand and walked away.
Felicity saw it, "Care to share with the class Mr. Diggle?"
He laughed a little bit to himself, "Back when you joined the team she and I made a bet on how long it was going to take you two to get together. I said more than a year but less than two, while she said more than three less than four." He then held up the twenty dollars, "Ergo I win."
The table erupted with laughter, but the merriment was cut short when a news broadcast on the little screen on the corner of the restaurant showed Felicity and Oliver making a bee line from the front door of QC to the backseat of a black Bentley, "Our sources have just revealed that the new mystery woman in billionaire playboy Oliver Queen's life has been revealed as Felicity Smoak, who works in the IT department of QC."
Felicity let out a dramatic sigh and dropped her head down into her folded arms on the table. Oliver took his right hand from around her shoulder and started making small circles on her back. It was the most comforting thing in the world to her, until he abruptly stopped. She picked her head up and looked at Oliver who was focused on the television again. Her line of sight followed his and then she felt her heart stop.
"In other news, Jason Graham was released from prison today after close to twelve years behind bars. He was arrested and sentenced after Megan Stein escaped his capture where she was held for almost three years. The Stein family has refused to make a statement at this time."
Through out the whole day Felicity had been able to keep this in the back of her mind and here it was on display for the whole restaurant to see. "Oliver, can we please just get the food to go and go home?" He just nodded at her, "Will you guys excuse me for a moment? I'm going to go make a call." She didn't really wait for the reply before she stood and walked outside.
It took a three rings and then she heard a deep voice with a British accent answer the phone, "Walter Steele."
"Hello Mr. Steele, this is Felicity Smoak," she replied with a shaky breath.
"Hello Ms. Smoak. What can I do for you?"
She takes another deep breath, "I'm having some person issues and you told me that if I ever need anything to give you a call... And we'll I'm asking if I can take a few days off."
His tone gets a little deeper which tells her there is concern in it, "Is everything ok? Does this have something to do with Oliver?"
The concern in his voice makes her smile ever so slightly, "No sir it's not anything like that. Can I please have the couple days sir?"
He lets out a deep exhale and responds, "Of course you can Mr. Smoak. I'm here if you ever need anything. Don't let it today get to you ok. Oliver won't let anything happen to you and neither will I."
She was stunned into silence and the smile gone, "You know? For how long?"
"Yes I know, but just me. Since I asked for your help with the list of names, I wanted to make sure you were trust worthy. I'm sorry I never mentioned it to you, but I didn't want to bring up such a painful memories if I didn't have to."
"No sir I understand. Thank you for not saying anything and thank you for the time off," she didn't even know she started crying until Oliver was suddenly beside her wiping them from her cheek. She looked at him and his perfect blue eyes and for the first time a feeling of security didn't wash over her.
"Let me know if there is anything I can do for you Ms. Smoak. Feel better," and with that the line was disconnected and her tears started flowing heavily down her face.
Oliver takes her phone from her hand and places it in his own pocket and completely enveloped her in his embrace. "I'm not going to tell you it's ok. I will tell you that I'm here, right here and I'm not going anywhere. Diggle (even though he doesn't know what happened) and I always make sure you're safe."
She snuffled a little bit and pulled back and made eye contact with Oliver again, "I know I can count on you two. I just want to go home. Would you mind doing two things for me?" He shakes his head ever so slightly and she continues, "Would you mind telling John what is going on?" Oliver shakes his head and kisses her forehead, "And what you mind getting my car from work... Preferably without a bunch of blood in the back seat."
She gives him a pitiful smile and he responds with, "Don't worry I'll take care of everything."
Her face is pressed directly in his chest and she try's to say, "Thank you" but it comes out all muffled. Then Oliver rewarded her with another kiss in her hair, and then she feels him take in her smell which she has caught him do a couple of times. That simple act helped make her tears vanish and that feeling of security and warmth finally took over.
The rest of her day was tearless with Oliver's arms tightly around her while having a Supernatural mini marathon and every time she felt tears coming on his grip got a little tighter with another kiss in her hair that was always followed with him taking a deep breath that leads her to assume he is taking in her smell again. One thing that stayed consistent was the security and warmth that he gives her wether he knows it or not.