Chapter 13 – France
An: I do not own Arrow. Since there was zero Olicity in the previous chapter, I ensured that there were quite a few fluffy scenes in this one. This chapter picks up right after the events in Chapter 12 so they are still celebrating Christmas and the New Year.
Felicity had never been exposed to the French culture like this before. She had passed through France once or twice before but she had never stayed long. With Isabelle's family based in Spain and her friend Cisco there as well, Felicity tended to gravitate more towards that country. She was seeing France through the eyes of people that lived there and not as a tourist. McKenna was a great hostess and ensured that they enjoyed all the events. Oliver wanted to meet with the information traders as soon as Christmas ended but the partying continued into the first day of the New Year.
Felicity had always enjoyed French wines. This trip introduced her to a new vineyard, Lafite Rothschild that produced fantastic wines. She would have to start importing it. She told McKenna's husband that the Italians thought they had the best food in the world and he set about to disprove that notion. Every day was a new French dish. They started with the local Marseille favourites such as Bouillabaisse, Soupe de Poisson à la Rouille and Navettes de Marseille. They then went on to other famous French cuisine such as coq au vin, cassoulet, moules, confit de canard and ratatouille There were some potato dishes tartiflette and bouillinade, that she liked very much. The cheese soufflé had both her and Oliver moaning with delight at the taste. For breakfast, McKenna had insisted that she try the buckwheat crêpes which were famous in Britanny. Felicity had also tried the steak tartare which she knew her mother-in-law was quite fond of. They didn't forget the desserts either. Felicity had had her fill of Éclairs and crème brûlée.
In between meals they sampled a lot of cheese, from goat and sheep milk cheeses to the harder aged cheeses along with a lot more wine! One night they had fondue savoyarde which was melted cheese with white wine and garlic served in a communal pot where everyone dipped their bread. It was the perfect way to enjoy a cold winter night with friends.
S-2
On the first day of the New Year, Felicity and Oliver strolled along the seaside. It was cold but Felicity didn't mind. She imagined they looked like one of those couples who were glued together at the hips. She had never understood the need to hold hands but now she couldn't imagine walking so close to Oliver without holding his arm or hand. There was this need inside of her to have physical contact with him. She had never thought of herself as a clingy person but she was certainly turning into one.
She snuggled into his side as a particularly cold gust of wind blasted them, "I love you," she mumbled.
"I love you too," he said dropping a kiss to the side of her head.
The time that they had just to themselves was wonderful. Diggle spent most of the time relaxing in the servant quarters which gave them time alone as a couple. Felicity had thought that she knew her husband reasonably well before they left England but she had been so wrong. There were so many nuances and outright contradictions within him. He was a very strong man; she had no doubt about that but he was also very gentle and caring. When she was injured he changed her bandages for her every day. His touch was so soft, and not once did he hurt her. He could be broody and standoffish but with her he was open and cuddly. He loved to touch her too. It was very easy to get wrapped up in his arms.
Her husband had a gift for languages. He didn't speak Arabic before they arrived in Egypt but when they left he was forming full sentences. He was far from fluent but what another person would have taken six months to learn he learned in the few weeks they had been there. She much preferred to hear her husband speaking French though. There was something incredibly sexy about the way the words just rolled off his tongue. It caused all sorts of reactions in her body, reactions she was sure he knew about because he would give her the most smouldering looks.
Their nights so far in France had been quite passionate but that would end soon. She was running out of tea. She had only packed enough to take her two weeks over their expected return date. She would have to let Oliver know soon. He certainly would not be pleased. Maybe it could be an incentive to return to England faster. As much as she enjoyed their time together, she really missed her new family, she even missed Moira's unnerving stare. She hoped they liked their Christmas gifts. She was looking forward to playing with Connor. He must be so sick of being stuck in the manor.
She wondered how Thea was handling her suitor situation. This was a very important time in her life. Her 18th birthday was near the end of this month. Felicity hoped to be home in time for it. She knew a few suitors would approach Thea early. She hoped the younger girl wasn't too disappointed with her options. Many of the men would be more interested in her name and the benefit they might derive from being married to Robert Queen's daughter than Thea herself. Despite the challenges, she was confident that Moira would guide her daughter to the best possible option.
The cold was beginning to penetrate more into her body which result in her seeking more and more warmth from her husband, which he seemed to realise.
"Let's head back love," he whispered softly to her. "I have many ways I can warm you up."
Felicity heart picked up instantly. Her husband certainly did know how to warm her up.
S-3
Oliver made his way with Jean and Hal, McKenna's husband and brother-in-law, who would take him to meet the traders. They would point them out and Oliver would approach them by himself. He didn't want to drag McKenna or her friends into the mess that currently surrounded his family. He had met with a few so far but he wasn't having any luck. Either his approach was wrong or he wasn't offering them enough money. They looked at him with disdain commenting that Blood was an English last name and there were no Englishmen in France with that name. McKenna had told him something similar. Oliver eventually realised that the man might go by another name in France.
He was on the fifth trader when the man recognised him. The man bolted and left Oliver with no other choice but to chase him through the streets of Marseille. The trader had his escape route planned well. Just when Oliver thought he had run the man into a dead end alley, the man leapt onto the wall pushing off and up, grabbing hold of the bottom of a balcony and pulling himself up. Oliver followed suit. He followed the man through the apartment, ignoring the naked couple on the bed, out onto the corridor. He followed him down the corridor over the railing onto the stairs. They ran out of the building into an open courtyard.
Oliver continued to follow him for a few blocks to a three storey building where the trader started to climb the outer stonework.
"You have got to be kidding me," Oliver said as he ran and jumped trying to catch the man's leg but missed leaving him with no choice but to climb.
He hadn't had to exert himself like this in a while. He had more upper body strength than his target as he was slowly gaining on him. He made it on the roof just behind him and followed him, jumping from roof to roof. He could tell the man was tiring. He was tiring as well. It was getting harder to make the jumps. They reached a building that was lower than the others. It was about a 12 foot drop but that didn't dissuade the trader. Oliver followed him over the side, landing on his feet and rolling forward to keep his momentum going. He was finally able to plough into the back of the man. After a quick fight, Oliver had him knocked out but then he realised he had another problem. How the hell did he get down now?
S-4
Later that night, an exhausted Oliver returned to the chateau with Hal and Jean carrying the weight of the trader.
"Oliver!" Felicity cried when she took in the dishevelled state of his clothes. He certainly hadn't left home like that especially with some of the tears in his breeches.
"I'm ok but tired," he admitted kissing her temple.
"What is he doing here?" McKenna screeched eyeing the unconscious trader that Hal and Jean were carrying straight to the cellar.
"He recognised me," Oliver said taking a seat. Felicity brought him some ale to drink.
"Here in France?" McKenna replied sceptically.
"And he ran. He knows something," Oliver told her.
She sighed, "And how long am I supposed to keep this man in my cellar?"
"Until he tells us who Sebastian Blood is. After that Hal has an idea to keep the man occupied for a few months."
McKenna's eyes cut to Hal as he and Jean came back without the trader, "your plans better not involve my cellar!"
S-5
They spent the next three days encouraging the man to talk. It was driving McKenna crazy knowing that she was in part responsible for holding a man illegally in her cellar. Felicity spent a lot of time distracting the woman by taking her down to the harbour during the day.
The trader eventually talked. He had spent some time in London last year which was how he recognised Oliver Queen. They discovered that the Baron had led them astray. The man had cleverly placed a lie within a truth. There was a man in France the relayed information but he was not Sebastian Blood. It was only when the trader told them who Sebastian Blood was that Felicity remembered reading his name in the paper. He had been Lord Slade's Stable Master that had been killed during the wedding massacre.
The man they were looking for was Hartley Rathaway. He was cousin to the King of France and was second in line to the throne. A few years ago he was 10th. It wasn't a great stretch of the imagination to figure out what happened to the cousins in between. Rathaway was a master linguist, which would be essential in conveying information throughout the continent and Africa. His personal valet was a man called Cyrus Gold, whose underground name was Solomon Grundy. Grundy was supposedly the strongest man in France and it was rumoured that many men had died by his hand. It was also a known fact that he bred messenger pigeons as a hobby. Rathaway's chateau was on the outskirts of Paris. They started discussing plans to confront Rathaway.
"Maybe if we can prove he killed his cousins and he's plotting to kill the king, we might be able to get him to help us?" Felicity proposed.
"Nobody's been particularly helpful yet so I doubt that will work," Oliver pointed out.
"We need to go to Paris and make an assessment ourselves," Diggle said. "It's pointless discussing it now."
Oliver agreed. "I'll have McKenna change more of my Pounds into Franks. We'll have to stretch the last of our funds."
"The Great Oliver Queen is out of money?" Felicity teased.
Oliver pointed a finger at his wife while he searched for the appropriate words to scold her. She knew very well they couldn't go to the bank and withdraw any funds from accounts that the companies held in France. No one was supposed to know they were in France before they confronted Rathaway. They had to make do with the hard currency they had brought with them.
His wife giggled in response and Diggle took that as his cue to leave the room. Those two could easily disappear into their own world together and forget about the other poor souls in the room.
S-6
Felicity was busy packing to go to Paris. She had replaced her clothes with apparel suitable to those of a working French woman. The clothes weren't what caused Oliver to arch his eyebrow though it was the many crates that she had packed and labelled to be shipped to England.
"Don't you think you have enough bottles of wine?" her husband asked leaning against the doorway as his wife fussed over a crate.
"Oliver there is no such thing as enough bottles of wine!" Felicity responded as she looked up from the crate.
"I shall have to add a large wine cellar to the manor for you then," he said.
"Nonsense, there is no need to do that," Felicity responded.
He snorted, "Consider it my wedding gift to you then. We'll call it Chateau de Felicity de Vin."
She straightened herself into a standing position, "Now you're mocking me. I don't need a whole chateau for wine," she said with pursed lips.
"I would never do that my love!" Oliver responded with a sexy smirk on his lips.
"Wipe that smirk off your lips. You know I'm out of tea," Felicity sulked.
Oliver stepped forward, "Your tea isn't the only way to prevent conception."
"It's the only method I'm comfortable with," she told him honestly.
Oliver bent his head down, his wife's eyes automatically falling shut and her lips parting. He ghosted his lips over hers, along her jaw, to her ears, "we'll see how long that conviction will last," he whispered before stepping away and leaving his wife very frustrated.
S-7
Felicity glared at the horse in front of her. She just knew she would have to ride one much sooner than she hoped. Her wound was fully healed but her shoulder was still a little stiff. The trip back from Siwa had been the worse ride of her life, not only because of her injury but also because of exhaustion. They had pushed themselves very hard to get there in such a short time, changing off horses at different stages. She was sure, if it weren't for the pain in her shoulder that jostled from every bounce of the horse, she might have passed out a few times on the return leg to Alexandria.
They had a similar journey ahead of them but at least this time they would be resting nights. The horses in France were not bred for long distance journeys such as this one and would require plenty rest as well. It was probably going to take just over two weeks to get to Marseille providing the weather remained good. The last thing they needed was a winter storm.
"I thought you liked adventures," Oliver whispered in her ear.
She turned her glare on him, "I do but I've gone from hot and sandy to cold and windy."
"You can ride with me," he offered.
"That will only slow us down. I'm sure you mother is already angry enough that we missed the ball."
"We have a good excuse and I'm sure they'll love all your Christmas goodies. You sent enough Baklava to feed everyone at the ball."
"That wasn't for the ball!" Felicity told him.
"It wasn't," he asked confused. "Wait, is the Baklava like the wine? You can never have enough?"
"YES! It always disappears so fast," she complained.
"Perhaps if you didn't eat four a day it might last longer?" her husband teased.
"I do not eat four a day," she countered before deciding to add, "When I'm in England. I hope they didn't send it to the Manor. Besides even if they did, Priya and Anaya know how much I love it. They would have kept it separate for me."
Oliver smiled and helped his wife on her horse. As she settled herself on the saddle Oliver gently caressed her calf, before she could control herself her eyes fell shut and she let out a small groan. His hand instantly stopped. Her eyes snapped open. He winked at her before walking away. She narrowed her eyes at her husband; two can play at that game.
S-8
Even in the winter, The French countryside was still beautiful but they did not have time to enjoy it. Oliver promised his wife they would return and tour France at a later date. The priority was getting to Hartley Rathaway and finding out what the grand plan was.
Every night they settled in a small auberges or cottage in whatever village they came across. The people were friendly once you spoke to them in French which meant Oliver had to do most of the talking. On the second week of travel a storm brewed and they were caught indoors for three days. The storm only lasted one day but it had filled a river up ahead and it forced them to wait the further two days before they could cross safely. With nothing to do, the teasing game between Felicity and Oliver intensified.
Oliver would caress her side using his thumbs to rub circles over her hip bone. He started speaking to her in only French, emphasizing her name with a heavy French accent. At nights he would hold her close placing soft kisses on her neck. He would suck gently on her pulse point to elicit a moan. He was determined to make her feel the same sense of deprivation he felt, to make her need him so badly it hurt. Felicity was not someone he wanted, she was someone he needed. He needed her like air or water. He could not imagine his life without her; his little vixen, his lover, his partner, his wife.
Felicity was not letting Oliver win at all. She returned all of touches including raking her nails through his scalp. During dinner on the first night she had a little sauce from the pot-au-feu, a beef and vegetable stew that she was eating, at the side of her mouth. She used her index finger to wipe it away and then rudely sucked her finger clean in front of Oliver. She let out a satisfied smirk when her husband's breathing hitched and his eyes dilated. She was not losing this battle.
The next day Felicity filled the tub with hot water for a bath and did not inform Oliver she would be in there. She listened closely to his movements in the bedroom and just as he was about to open the door to the bathroom she stuck her foot in the air and started scrubbing it with the wash cloth. The strangled cry her husband released had been very satisfying until he sat at the edge of the tub and puller her straight out to straddle his legs while he savagely attacked her lips.
By the next morning they had both lost the battle. Consequences be dammed, it was the best night of their lives.
S-9
Felicity sighed in relief once they reached the outskirts of Paris. Oliver took them on a course that skirted the outside of the city. He knew a good place by the Place du Tertre in the 18th arrondissement of Paris where they could stay without attracting any attention. This was the northern most part of the city. It would also make it easy for them to leave the city when they were finished and continue heading north to Calais where a friend of Oliver's would sail them up to the Thames.
Felicity snuck a few Franks away from her husband to pick up a painting as an apology to Moira. Oliver had to remind her that their funding was becoming rather limited when he discovered the painting.
Rathaway's chateau was outside the 17th arrondissement but in an effort to show Felicity the romantic side of Paris he detoured a bit heading west towards The Champs Elysees. They enjoyed the chic little cafes and shops for an hour or two before they headed west to the Arc de Triomphe and out to the Rathaway chateau.
S-10
The best way to learn Hartley Rathaway's movements was by working in his Cheatau. Diggle couldn't speak French, Felicity's version of the language was barely passable so that left Oliver. He managed to gain employment on the estate working in the bird house cleaning it. At nights when the staff was asleep, he would sneak back to the inn where Felicity and Diggle were staying to report on his day. The birdhouse held more than just pigeons. There were hawks, sparrows and marlins as well. He found that birds ate quite a lot for their size. Every day there were at least five new pigeons that arrived, and an equal amount that were sent off with messages. The birdhouse was indeed an information hub but Oliver couldn't get a hold of any of the letters. They were always taken straight to Rathaway.
Working in the birdhouse didn't give him any information about what happened inside the chateau either but fortunately the maids flocked to his side every time he sat down for a meal. From flirting with a few, something his wife strongly disapproved of, he learned that every night Rathaway had a night cap in his study before bed. His valet would be the only one that was needed to attend to him then and most of the staff would retire for the night.
They decided that they would apprehend him in his study. Oliver would have to subdue Cyrus Gold first before they questioned Rathaway. They decided not to interrogate him in the study because even though the servants were supposed to be asleep that didn't mean that they were. Quite a few of the maids had propositioned Oliver to join them in their rooms. He had also heard that some sneak out at night. There was a chance that a wayward servant could catch them in the study. They couldn't take Rathaway far though, they didn't have the resources and the night manager of the inn would certainly notice a French Nobleman being dragged into his inn. They settled on taking him to the cellar. It was fairly sound proof and most servants were scared of the cellar.
S-11
Felicity sourced the necessary sedative during the day and Oliver collected it the night before they were to implement their plan. It was easy for Diggle and Felicity to sneak onto the grounds. Oliver had given them the floor plan to the chateau. Felicity made her way straight to the cellar where an incapacitated Cyrus Gold already waited. The cellar was cold and filled with shelves lined with wine. This was more her style. She closely inspected the collection ignoring the man grunts as he tried to urge her to untie him. Shortly afterwards, Diggle and Oliver arrived with the unconscious Rathaway. The dosage they had given him was very light, and he would wake soon. In the mean time they would interrogate Gold about the pigeons and the locations that they flew too.
"You didn't go overboard on the ropes love?" Felicity asked pointing to then numerous thick ropes that bound Gold.
"No, he's extremely strong. The sedative barely worked on him at all. I had to use my knowledge on the weak points of the human body to subdue him," Oliver revealed.
Diggle pulled out the gag from Gold's mouth. He immediately tried to call for help but it was no use, no one would hear him. While Diggle and Oliver tried to convince him to talk, Felicity continued with her inspection of the collection moving further into the cellar. It was much larger than she thought. There were hundreds of bottles of wine. When she reached the end of the cellar she thought she saw an outline of a door in the wall. There was no handle but when she pushed on it, it opened. There was an unlit torch on the other side. Felicity picked it up and used one of the lit ones in the cellar to light it. She shined it into the new room. It appeared to be a cave of some sort. As she started surveying the area, she realised she was in a series of catacombs.
She heard some noises and decided to follow the sound. At every intersection she marked the wall so she could find her way back to the cellar. She came to a large cavern filled with cages of rats. The creatures seemed very ravenous. An idea suddenly occurred to her. She picked up the cage with what looked like the least rats and holding it very far away from her body, she headed back to Oliver.
She felt exhausted by the time she returned with the cage. The return trip was further than she thought. Almost every six feet she had to stop to put the cage down. She had the distinct feeling that her husband would have walked the entire way without putting the cage down once and he would still be able to lift her easily at the end. When she finally returned to them, they were still trying to break Gold.
"Where did you disappear to?" her husband asked her concerned.
"The cellar leads into catacombs," Felicity said putting down the cage of rats and leaning carefully against a rack of wine. She thought she deserved a glass for the feat she just accomplished.
"And you went there by yourself!" Oliver asked angrily.
"Yes," Felicity replied straightening herself to face her husband at her full height. Perhaps if she could also find a crate to step on, she might be able to come level with him.
"Felicity! Supposed something happened to you?" Oliver started with a frown on his face.
Diggle sensing an impending disagreement headed them off.
"Is there a particular reason why you brought a cage full of rats here?" Diggle asked eyeing the creatures carefully.
"I thought your fist might want a break," she replied easily.
"How do those things give our fists a break?" her husband asked.
"Rats eat everything particularly when they are hungry. Stick his hand in there. I'm sure it will loosen his tongue," Felicity said.
"How do we get his hand in there without letting them out?" Oliver asked.
"Must I think of everything?" Felicity responded.
While they worked on their interrogation techniques, Felicity returned to the catacombs. She came across more caverns filled with rats, an exit into the country side through which they could escape, and crates filled with jewels, Franks and medicine. They would certainly be confiscating those items. The fact that it wasn't stored in the chateau meant it wasn't connected to the Rathaway estate. It was probably stolen treasure and money used to bankroll their operation. There were probably many more stashes all over France but she was sure they would feel the loss.
When she returned Rathaway was awake and shouting in a panic. Her French really was atrocious; all she understood was a bunch of swear words she heard her sailors using all the time when they encountered difficulties at sea.
"What happened?" she asked Diggle.
"A rat got loose," Diggle said.
Felicity yelped and jumped straight onto her husband. Fortunately he reacted quickly and hoisted her off the ground into his arms.
"You're afraid of rats?" he asked perplexed.
"Didn't you bring the cage of rats here," Diggle pointed out.
"They were contained. If you hadn't noticed they designed the cages with a handle on top so that the person carrying the cages won't get bitten! Now where did that rat go?" she asked looking around frantically.
"We killed it but not before it bit him," Diggle explained.
Felicity nodded. "What is he saying?" Felicity asked her husband who had yet to put her down.
Oliver looked at her hesitantly and she added, "Besides the highly inappropriate words for a lady."
"Something about a cure," he told her.
"A cure for what?" she asked cocking her head to the side.
Her husband shrugged.
"We only have a few more hours before sunrise," Diggle pointed out.
"Hopefully he'll calm down and we can figure out what he's talking about," Felicity said.
"We don't really need him to talk, Grundy told us about the pigeons and the messages and that the HIVE hierarchy is based in a place called Stonehaven in England," her husband told her.
"Do we know the purpose of the rats?" she asked.
"No," they both responded.
"Then we need him to talk," Felicity signalled for Oliver to put her down. When she was firmly on the ground, she stepped forward and slapped the man across his face.
"I can't help you if I don't understand what you're saying," she said to him in English.
The man turned up a nose at her pretending not to understand her but she ignored him. He was supposed to be a master linguist.
"I know you understand what I'm saying. Is the cure in those crates in the catacombs?" she asked.
She saw his eyes light up but he didn't respond. Felicity sighed.
"Diggle come with me. Oliver can you manage to keep an eye on both of them and the cage of rats?" she asked.
Instead of answering her question, he asked one of his own. "Where are you going now?"
"For the cure," she said.
Ten minutes later she returned with Diggle and a crate of medicine. When Felicity threatened to burn the crate right there, Rathaway spilled everything.
The rats carried a disease that kills 90% of the people it bites. The medicinal herbs helped but didn't guarantee recovery. The earlier the medicine were administered the better the chances of survival. They were going to release the rats in a month. He provided them with the location of all the rat storage facilities on the continent. He didn't know the locations in England. The HIVE hierarchy managed that themselves.
"This sounds like the story of the Pied Piper!" Felicity said.
"The pied what?"
"Piper! You know the German town Hamelin that had the rat infestation. The rats brought diseases so they decided to hire the Pied Piper to lure the rats away. This is sort of similar except the Pied Piper is luring the rats back into the city," Felicity explained.
Felicity administered the correct dosage to Rathaway and left him with just enough to continue treatment should he survive the predicted length of the infection. Oliver stole the servant's carriage that carried goods to the kitchen and they filled it with the medicine crates, jewels and Franks. Their final act before they left was to burn all the rats and the birdhouse. Felicity felt bad about the birdhouse but Oliver was hoping to delay the delivery of the message about their whereabouts to the HIVE hierarchy.
S-12
An anonymous package was delivered to the Inspectors office in France with the missing jewels. Oliver trusted that the jewels would be returned to their rightful owners. It was reported in all the newspapers that a Good Samaritan had found and returned the missing property. He hoped that was a good sign. The newspaper also reported on the mysterious fire at the Chateau owned by Hartley Rathaway and that the nobleman had fallen mysteriously ill. The stolen carriage was not mentioned.
Oliver sought out a trusted contact in Paris that could relay information quickly. He needed to notify all of his contacts in Europe about the rats and their locations. He was hoping that all the warehouses containing the rats could be destroyed before the release date. If that didn't occur in time, Felicity had also written down the suggested treatment for persons infected with the disease.
They left Paris and started the trek north to Calais. In recent years the Port of Calais had been receiving some stiff competition from the ports in Boulogne and Dunkirk. He was hoping that would mean that Rathaway's men would be forced to split up to look for them. Along the route, his wife insisted that they stop at three different orphanages and donate the money she confiscated. She would not use their illicit funds to purchase anything for herself or their family. She was of the firm belief that it was blood money and it should be given away to a positive cause.
S-13
After a few more days of travelling, they were finally nearing the end of their journey. It was almost the beginning of February meaning they had missed Thea's birthday. Oliver hoped he wasn't returning to find his sister already engaged or married. They hadn't obtained much information about England but Gold did tell them where the pigeons were trained to fly to. They would start their search there.
They arrived in Calais under the cover of darkness, Oliver taking them straight to a small cottage where his friend was staying. Oliver's friend was not what Felicity expected, though she was glad that it wasn't another gorgeous woman. Instead, a tall slim man with strange hair, scruffy bread and a dark brown coat greeted them.
"Felicity and Diggle, this is Constantine. Constantine this is my wife, Felicity and my personal valet Diggle," Oliver said giving introductions.
"I heard you had gotten married again Oliver but If I realised your wife was this beautiful I would have stopped by for a visit," the man said
Her husband openly growled at him before pulling him away to discuss business. There was only one bed in the cottage and Felicity refused to kick Constantine out of his own bed so she set up sheets in a corner for her and Oliver. She set Diggle up in another corner.
The next morning, they all sat down for breakfast together. Constantine had disappeared soon after their arrival to make arrangements for their return to England. He had returned only minutes before breakfast was ready.
"Bad news Oliver, I can't get you back into England today."
"When can you get us?" Oliver asked breaking a loaf of bread in half an sharing it with his wife.
"In three days," Constantine said.
All of their eyes widened.
"We will have to wait," Oliver said.
"Try not to cause too much trouble then," Constantine advised.
Oliver snorted. He was not the trouble maker.
"You're not French," Felicity remarked to Constantine.
"No Welsh," Constantine revealed.
"Do you live in France permanently?" she asked curiously.
He laughed again, "I'm here to exorcise a particularly nasty demon."
Felicity's eyes opened wide but Constantine paid no attention to her reaction or Diggle's sceptical face. He instead turned to Oliver.
"This one's being quite difficult mate. Been stuck here two years. Every time I get close, it jumps to a new host. It's getting quite annoying now."
"I'm sure you'll get it soon after you've got us back to England," Oliver said.
S-14
Oliver declared that they should not leave the cottage in case Rathaway's spies had arrived and were looking for them. In theory it sounded ok but Felicity had started going stir crazy. The next day Oliver was surprised to find his wife with blonde hair, her usual dark locks gone.
"What happened to your hair?" he asked reaching out and twisting her now blonde locks around his finger. She was still very beautiful.
"I noticed that Constantine had black roots but tips of his hair were blonde," she said. "When I asked him about it he told me that he changes the colour of his hair so that demons don't recognise him," Felicity frowned as she mentioned demons. "I thought it might be a good idea to disguise my hair colour too so that I could get out of this cottage and take a look around."
Oliver picked up a nearby hat, "you're not going by yourself, my lady," he said very charmingly offering her his hand.
"I guess the black man gets stuck inside," Diggle deadpanned.
Felicity gave him an apologetic look.
"Don't feel guilty. I actually don't mind. I have a sneaking suspicion that as soon as we return to England I'm not going to be getting much rest."
S-15
Felicity and Oliver explored the city and port. The Place d'Armes was a bustling square with a few vendors who came twice a week. Oliver politely reminded his wife that they were low on funds regardless of how exquisite a scarf looked, no more purchases were to be made. There was also a Tour du Guet, a watch tower in the square that gave you a good view of the port. The day was very clear and Felicity looked longingly at the White Cliffs of Dover. The Église Notre-Dame was a cathedral built in the late 13th century. It was one of the most prominent landmarks in the city. Felicity noted that it followed the English perpendicular style. They overheard one piece of good news while walking through the dockyard, the Amazo had been sunk! Oliver was elated that his plan had worked. Felicity was more concerned about the condition of her boat and crew.
On their way back to the cottage Felicity decided to raise an issue that was bugging her.
"Is your friend sane?"
"Quite sane," Oliver replied.
"So he was joking about exorcisms?" she asked with a furrow in her brow.
"No he was serious," her husband told her.
"Certainly he doesn't believe that," she asked in disbelief.
"He does," Oliver verified for her.
"Do you?" she asked incredulously.
"All I can say is that I've seen some very strange things when he's around," Oliver said as he opened the door to the cottage and let his wife enter first.
"Define strange?" she asked him.
Before he could respond Constantine appeared from his bedroom with Diggle in tow. His valley was holding a host of items.
"There you are Oliver. I found it. I might need a little help. I'm borrowing your valet for a bit. Where did I leave that bloody peacock feather?" Constantine said in a rush as he looked around his cottage.
"You mean this peacock feather?" Felicity asked as she picked up the feather that was stationed near the entrance.
"Yes that one," he said taking the feather from her and using the sharp tip to scratch and itch on his back.
"Where are you going?" Felicity asked confused.
"To exorcise a demon!" Constantine said moving passed her to the entrance.
Felicity followed after him.
"Where are you going?" Oliver asked slightly panicked.
"You said he wasn't crazy. I want to see this for myself,"
Three hours later a stunned Diggle followed behind an exuberant Constantine into the cottage, Felicity and Oliver entering behind them.
"Did we just see that?" Diggle asked.
"Cheer up mate, your 2nd exorcism will be much better," Constantine said confidently.
S-16
As the White Cliffs of Dover drew closer and closer, Oliver was thankful they were almost home. As tough as his wife is, it had been a hard voyage and he was looking forward to spoiling her in England. At the top of his list, was breakfast in bed along with that tea. Besides that one slip in the inn after the storm, they had been very good. Of course that was assuming that he would be left alone long enough to enjoy time in bed with his wife. Tommy would have returned to England by now. He was ashamed to admit it, but he had forgotten about his friend's return until now. He would ask his parents to throw a ball at the Manor in his friend's honour. Having the support of the Queen family would be an ideal way to encourage Tommy's reintegration into the Ton.
He hadn't seen his son in more than two months now. He was sure he probably grew some more. He would have to take him out riding. Thea would probably want to join them as well. Felicity would be more than happy to stay behind after all of their recent adventures. His father would want to hold a meeting as soon as possible to discuss all that they had learned. His first day back was probably not going to be as peaceful as he hoped.
An: For those of you that wonder about the reference to Sebastian Blood in a previous chapter, it was in Chapter 5, S-14.
Anybody think that Arrow is trying to parallel Mr and Mrs. Darkh's strong relationship together against Oliver and Felicity's relationship? I feel like they might be going in the direction that to beat Mr. and Mrs. Darkh, Oliver and Felicity need to be united as the power couple they are because divided, Darkh's wife alone could probably rip them to pieces.