AN: Here's the next chapter! So I had a much different plan for this chapter, but one scene turned out differently than I'd ever imagined it, and it changed the entire rest of the chapter, so it took more time to figure things out than planned. My bad. I hope you all had a great holiday season and have a fun, safe New Years. Thanks for reading!
Guest (1): I'm so glad you liked the chapter! Thanks for reading and I hope you like this one as well.
Britany: Thanks! I just don't really believe in the image they tried to paint about Laurel being this selfless, holier-then-though person, so I wanted to make Oliver start to see that she isn't this pure, unflawed person he imagined her as. Not that Felicity is completely selfless, but I still think she's just overall a better person than Laurel. I hope you like this chapter!
Guest (2): There will not be another baby Queen on the way as I want to flesh out the story and the characters' relationships before anything like that happens because throwing another baby into the mix would just complicate everything and then Felicity and Oliver might never actually develop true, deep feelings for each other. But thanks for reading!
Guest (3): I'm so glad I can break all your rules! I know everyone wants them to hook up again, but it's not gonna happen until it'll add something different to the story or propel it forward. I don't want it to get stale, you know. Thanks for reading and enjoying! And reviewing!
LalaWho: Merci! Je ne veux que Felicity ont un petit ami , il n'a tout simplement pas encore travaillé dans l'histoire. Mais je déteste la façon dont le spectacle a eu son single et l'épinglage pour les deux dernières saisons et a jeté trois gars à elle tout à la fois , donc je vais certainement essayer de travailler un petit ami en. Merci encore!
57: Thanks for reading!
Claudia: Thanks for loving the chapter! I hadn't planned for them to sleep together, but then I talked it over with my sister and it just made everything so much more dramatic, you know. And now that is going to keep playing into the story as we move forward, so that adds a new dimension that I have to work with, so it should be interesting. I love season 3 by the way! I so knew they were going to kill Oliver! But man I am not looking forward to Laurel's arc; because, honestly, I just don't really care about her at all. It's gonna be torture! Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Mathilde: Thanks so much for reading and enjoying the story! I'm thrilled you found it and like it so much! I'm sorry about the lack of sexy scenes in the future chapters, but I only want to add it if it'll give something to the story since I don't want this to turn into a PWP, you know. As for Tommy, I love him the more I write him, so I'm not really sure yet what I plan to do with him. I'm trying to not get a head of myself and only focus on the next episode or two, so I can't say either way if he's gonna make it or not. You'll just have to keep reading to find out Thanks again for reading and reviewing!
Guest (4): Thanks so much! I'm delighted you liked the story and how I'm handling the entire writing process. I like to focus on the characters and their dynamics rather than the underlying plot, which is why I don't tend to stray too far from the episodes in that regard, so I'm glad you like it so far. I hope you like this chapter as well and will let me know what you think! Thanks again!
Squirtlee16: Thanks so much! I'm so glad you like it. Enjoy this chapter!
Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Arrow or DC Comics.
Chapter 12: A Shot to the Heart
"Please! Oh, pretty please!" Marie pleaded, clutching at her parents' hands with puppy-dog eyes in full effect.
Oliver sighed, his resistance crumbling. Eyes raising to meet Felicity's, he was met with open amusement as she tried not to laugh, the hand not intertwined with Maries covering he mouth with the plush whale she'd gotten at the aquarium. He scowled at her, which only succeeded in making her snort, proving she wasn't going to be of any help.
"Don't you think it's too cold for ice cream?" Oliver questioned the excited child, receiving a rapid shake of the head in answer, her pigtails bouncing.
"Nu-uh! Mama says it's never too cold for ice cream!" Marie pushed closer to him, her bottom lip stuck out in an adorable pout. One he'd seen on the blonde's face from time-to-time and had to remind himself every time not to get distracted by the temptation.
"Oh she does, does she?" He arched a brow, making Felicity grin and shrug, not at all repentant.
"Yep." The child nodded, stressing the 'p' into a popping sound. She bounced on her toes, swinging her arms, making the adults' arms move with her.
"C'mon Oliver, we've been good, we deserve ice cream." Felicity looked up through her lashes, face flushed with amusement as they ganged up on him. He rolled his eyes, knowing the battle was already lost. But he didn't mind, as it made Marie happy, and he was discovering that that was one of the most important things to him.
"Fine. But if you get frostbite, don't come crying to me." Marie squealed happily, getting bemused looks from the people on the sidewalk as she started dragging them towards the shop that'd started all of this.
Oliver just shook his head, still amazed the little pixie had him completely wrapped around her finger. Considering he hadn't even known she'd existed a few months ago, it was rather remarkable. Add to that that her mother was also just as capable of making him bend to her will and he was justifiably out-of-sorts at times. But, while this wasn't the life he'd envisioned upon his return, he wouldn't give it up now for anything. Not even to complete his father's mission or for Laurel to take him back.
"Oo, can I have pineapple peach swirl?" Oliver dropped Marie's hand to pull the door open, getting a quiet thanks from Felicity as she was pulled into the retro ice cream parlor. She never understood why they all seemed to be decorated like a '60s diner, but whatever. It was ice cream and that's all that mattered.
"Sure baby, if that's what you want."
The castaway watched mother and daughter, a strange warmth filling his chest, one he'd usually only felt around Thea. As much as he'd loved his parents, it'd been his little sister who'd truly shown him unconditional love with no underlining disappointment or expectations, as he'd felt from his parents.
He still wasn't sure what he felt for Felicity or why he was so drawn to her, but he realized in that moment that it didn't matter. At least, not right now; because the two were as much a part of his family as Thea and he'd do anything to protect them or make them happy. Like getting ice cream in the wintertime.
"Would you like nuts with that?" He came back to the present at the question, moving forward until he could peer into the glass case to see the flavors offered.
"Oh no, no nuts for me. I'm severely allergic." Felicity's hand fluttered to her throat unconsciously, as if remembering the feeling of her throat constricting. He'd been chocked a time or two and knew it wasn't a pleasant experience, no matter what the cause.
A warm hand settled on the small of her back, breaking Felicity out of the memory of last year's Christmas party and Robin's work. Glancing over, she saw Oliver give her a concerned look, making her flush before she gave a small nod, letting him know she was fine.
"And for you sir?" The young man behind the counter asked, drawing the billionaire's attention.
His hand remained like a brand, making Felicity hyperaware of his person and the very limited space between them. How did one person give off so much heat that she thought she'd start sweating any minute? Or smell completely and utterly tantalizing even with several layers protecting skin? It was ridiculous.
Needing to distract herself, the blonde took her cup of chocolate ice cream to the table Marie had claimed, trying not to be too obvious about her intentions to move away. They'd been in this strange limbo-like state since they'd slept together, even though they'd both decided to not let it mean anything. It was just hard when every time they touched, she'd remember that night, no matter how much she tried not to. But she was determined to keep helping Oliver and would just have to get over the lingering something that existed between them.
Oliver joined them, a large cup of cookie dough in hand, seeming to actually be at ease for once. He still hated crowds and loud noises, but Felicity thought he was definitely moving in the right direction to becoming a semi-functioning human being and not just the primal/instinct driven shadow who'd returned. It would take a lot longer than a few months for him to fully rejoin civilization, but she as hopeful that his progress would continue with its present momentum.
She wasn't naïve, however; she knew he'd never fully heal from everything he'd been through. It was too much trauma. He'd always react instinctively if he sensed a threat; he'd probably never feel safe with his back to the exit. He'd probably never feel truly safe again, for that matter, especially not with his night activities.
Oliver would always walk with the memories that haunted him, but she hoped it'd get easier with time. And she was determined that he'd always known she was there to help him as long as he was willing to try. She'd make sure he never doubted that he wasn't alone; that he had people who loved him and believed in him, no matter what obstacles lay in their future, both as parents and as crime fighters.
/*/
"So what're you doing?" Diggle questioned as he sharpened the case of arrowheads that'd come in.
"Oliver may be happy crossing names off in this book, but I like to keep better track of things. I've finished imputing the names and now I'm working on a dossier for each person so we'll already have the information on hand." Felicity explained from where she sat in front of the monitor bank, the small brown book off to the side.
"That's a lot of work." The ex-soldier said, setting the lethal weapon aside and picking up a dull one.
"Hmm, not really. I'm running the names through a software program that'll find any mentions of said name and will copy the information, like a news article, into a designated folder. So the computer's doing most of the work." She shrugged, eyes scanning through, funny enough, an online dating profile of one of the targets.
"It was a good idea. So we don't have to go searching for the info in the future." He nodded, receiving a grin over her shoulder and a light blushing of her cheeks.
"I like being prepared; I'm prepared girl. Well, except when I'm not, but that's really only with Oliver, so I'm blaming him. Yeah." Diggle's eyebrow arched at her small ramble, making her redden more before she refocused on the computer screen.
"Not that you needed to know that. So, just, forget I even said that." Felicity said in a rush, embarrassed. Oliver wasn't even there and she was still making a fool of herself about him. It was highly annoying.
"You're good for him, you know." Her head jerked back at his quiet words, eyes snapping to his in surprise.
"What?"
"You're good for him, Felicity. Just in the time I've worked for him, I've seen how much he's changed already. When I agreed to help him, I thought I'd have to save him from destroying himself, from letting the war he's fighting consume him completely. But, you've already started that and it's obvious how much lighter he seems already."
Felicity's mouth was slightly agape, as she really didn't know how to answer that. It wasn't anything she hadn't thought herself, but to hear it from Diggle seemed to cast it in a new light. Like she was the sole reason for Oliver's change. But, while she may have facilitated it, it was Oliver who was making the conscious effort to be different, to find another way.
"It's a team effort." She finally managed, getting an amused look from the large man, as if he could see below the surface to the soul of matters. He was scarily perceptive.
"Felicity, call in a report of three gang members attempting to rape a woman on Strafford Avenue." Oliver's voice cut into her ear through her Bluetooth, making her jump at the sudden intrusion.
"Three gang members, gotcha. They're—"
"They're zip tied and unconscious." The vigilante's voice cut her off, a tad sharper then was necessary, but she ignored it. He had just taken down three would-be rapists, so he could be a little curt if he wanted to be.
"The woman? Is she alright?"
"She's on her way to the hospital to get checked out and to give her statement. I'm gonna finish up and head back."
"Okay, I'll call the SCPD now." Felicity muted her Bluetooth and picked up the burner phone she'd encrypted for just this purpose.
To say the police had been shocked when the Vigilante had suddenly started leaving criminals tied up and ready for booking would be an understatement. Felicity thought it was amazing. Oliver was really starting to make the effort to be the man Marie would be proud of, no matter how much he complained about having to do patrols and dealing with street crime. Oliver was saving people's lives on a nightly basis now and it was completely awe inspiring to her.
Oliver was realizing that there was a whole lot more he could do to save his city then just going after the corrupt elite and she couldn't be more thrilled or proud. He might not see himself as a hero, but she'd bet the woman he'd saved tonight would always remember the Vigilante as her hero. He'd see himself as she saw him someday.
"This is SCPD, please sate your emergency…"
"Yes, I'd like to report a crime…"
/*/
"You know, this would be a little creepy if I didn't know you." Oliver turned at the quiet words, startled she'd been able to sneak up on him. But he'd been consumed with his thoughts, sitting next to Marie's bed in the dark, eyes locked on the small bundle under the covers.
"I—I just wanted—it was a long night." He finally got out, his voice rough as a large hand rubbed over his face, the fingers of his other rubbing together in a nervous tic that he wasn't even aware of.
"Come on, I'll make you some tea." Felicity whispered, tucking Marie's blankets tighter around her before laying a hand lightly on his arm and leaving. Oliver sighed, his shoulders sagging, and stood, casting one more glance at the peacefully sleeping child before following the blonde to the kitchen.
"I guess we didn't think how long the hours would be to actually look for trouble instead of causing it." Felicity commented as she filled the kettle and placed it on a burner. Oliver sat at the island, hands clasped in front of him as he watched her flitter around the kitchen, getting things ready.
"I wasn't expecting to find a meth lab tonight." He provided, more willing to speak with Felicity than anyone else.
There was just something about her that soothed him and actually made him want to open up. To finally start being honest about things he'd been through; things he was still going through. He wasn't ready to lay it all out there, but he appreciated that she was there, offering him compassion and understanding.
"It could've been worse. I mean, it could have blown up with you still inside, so I think we can count tonight as a win."
"Even though two people were inside when it exploded?" Oliver asked with an arched look.
Felicity leaned against the counter, her arms crossing as she stared at him. She'd slipped into her pjs when they'd gotten back, making him avoid looking below her neck, since the tank top did little to hide her figure.
"I'm sorry those men died, but you gave them the chance to escape and they chose to blow up the shack instead of going to prison. There wasn't enough time for you to get them out before the explosion; you would've been killed too if you'd waited. And if I have to choose between two strangers and you, I pick you." She said softly, turning when the kettle whistled.
The two both refused to examine that statement too deeply, both happy to remain in their denial bubbles. Neither of them were interested in having a relationship, so they would ignore the undertones of attraction and affection for as long as possible. Their main focuses had to be on raising their child and saving Starling City; there wasn't room for anything else.
That's what they tried to make themselves believe anyway. How well it worked was up for debate according to who you asked.
"It's chamomile. It should help." The blonde murmured, placing the steeping tea in front of him.
"Thank you." Oliver's fingers caught on hers for a moment, the now familiar little shock going unnoticed.
"You're welcome." Felicity smiled and grabbed her own cup and the bottle of honey. She slid into the stool next to him, their legs brushing as she got comfortable.
They sat in silence for a few minutes while their tea steeped, both content enough with the other to not need to fill the silence. Once her honey had been added, Felicity turned back to him, not wanting to break the calm atmosphere, but needing to start another aspect of her plan to help Oliver.
"So, since you refuse to see a therapist, I've decided you're going to tell me something about your time away every day."
"Excuse me?" She shrugged at his sharp tone, which she'd stated calling 'Bitchy Oliver'. Well, in her head anyways.
"Oliver, you need to talk to someone, and I'm going to make you." Felicity replied, eyes level with his, refusing to back down. The castaway sat stiffly, his body thrumming with tension.
"I'm not going to tell you everything I've been through. You'd—you'd see me as broken." He said gruffly, hands clutched into tight fists.
"Don't be bullheaded." She flicked his forehead, the unexpected action so random it took him several moments before he blinked.
"I've already told you you're not broken, Oliver; at least not completely. There is still humanity in you; you care about other people and you want to help them. You're not broken." She said firmly, hand settling over one of his fists, fingers working until she'd uncurled his fingers.
"Felicity…" Oliver shook his head, not knowing how she had so much belief in him when he'd done little to earn it.
"I'm not asking, Oliver. You're going to tell me everything, eventually. But for now, anything is better than nothing. You don't have to reveal great big secrets every day, but talking about the years will be good for you."
Oliver sighed, not knowing how he'd gotten there. He'd never even contemplated coming clean about the things he'd had to do to survive, not even to Laurel. But here he was; an insistent, stubborn blonde refusing to let him keep his demons to himself.
"Why do you wanna know? It was…five years where nothing good happened."
"Because they shaped you into the man you are today. And those memories will never give you peace until you face and accept them."
"I—I can't." He shook his head, trying to pull his hand away. Felicity linked their fingers and refused to be moved, her resolve firmly set.
"Yes you can. I believe in you, Oliver, and I won't let you go through it alone. Not again." He stared down at their intertwined hands before his eyes trailed up to meet hers.
"Nothing will ever erase what you went through, but you need to take charge instead of letting your memories control you. And we're going to do that by being honest and sharing, until they've released their claws and you realize that they're only memories and can't hurt you anymore." Felicity continued, her grip tight, unwilling to let this go. He rolled his shoulders, uncomfortable with being so open, even though he knew he could trust her. Felicity was one of the only people he actually did trust.
"I don't know where to start."
"It doesn't have to be anything big to start off with. Like, how'd you find shelter? Or, what was your first meal? When did you find out you weren't alone on the island? When'd you go to Russia? Anything."
"The first Mandarin word I learned was shēngcún."
"What's it mean?"
"To live, to survive. The man who'd found me, Yao Fei, taught me that I'd have to kill to survive and that it wouldn't always be a bird." Oliver revealed, his gut clenching at the memory of his dead friend and mentor.
"Shengcun." Felicity tried to pronounce, but her tongue tripped over the unfamiliar word. He gave an amused look, the tension slowly leaking out of him.
"Shēngcún." Oliver repeated, but when the blonde continued to flub he laughed, once more relaxed.
"We'll work on your Mandarin."
"Languages have never been my thing. Give me jumbled computer code any day, but trying to learn Spanish had been an epic fail. I took it in high school and college and I only know a few words." Felicity shrugged and smiled, glad to have the easy atmosphere back.
"It gets easier the more you practice." He shrugged and picked up his cooled tea, not even remembering that they were still holding hands. The peacefulness he always felt around Felicity had come back and he was happy to just relish in it.
Felicity made a doubtful noise as she picked up her own mug, knowing she was a lost cause when it came to her and languages. The two kept the conversation light as they drank, both enjoying the company and the easy comfortableness they had with each other.
/*/
Felicity grumbled quietly as she rummaged around her purse for her ringing phone, irritated already. The line for her favorite sandwich shop had been ridiculously long and by the time she'd found a table, her coffee was cold. And then her phone started ringing incessantly and it wasn't in its designated spot, meaning she had to search for it as people around her stared, annoyed at the loud noise. Just peachy.
Giving a silent cheer when she finally pulled it from the black depths of her purse, the blonde quickly swiped to answer, not wanting any of the lunch goers to riot.
"Hello?"
"Felicity! How could you not tell us about you and bodacious babe Oliver Queen?" Sabrina's loud voice squealed, making her jerk the phone away to protect her ear drums.
"Why, hello Sabrina, it's so nice to hear from you." Felicity said sarcastically, wedging the phone between her ear and shoulder so she could unwrap her sandwich.
"I'm here too, girlie!" Carly's voice sounded, making the blonde sigh. Of course the two would call together. She loved her friends, but they were a lot to handle on a good day, and today wasn't one of those.
"Focus Carly! How come we had to hear about you and the beefcake from Robin?" Sabrina questioned, sounding hurt. Felicity sighed, hating she'd hurt her friends' feelings.
"Sorry girls, I just…it was a lot to process and it's been hectic here. Robin was here, you know, so I could tell her without having to fear someone had tapped our phone. Again."
"We so would've come to Starling to hear that you'd hooked up with your baby daddy!"
"And to see you and Marie, of course." Carly added on, making the blonde shake her head in amusement. Her friends were the biggest gossipers she'd ever met, but she loved them anyway.
"Of course."
"So? How was it? Robin said it was more than one round. Just how good is Oliver's stamina?" Sabrina pushed on, wanting the juicy details.
"I'm not talking about this in a crowded café. Especially not when there's at least two paps lurking." She mumbled, eyes darting to one of the people she was sure was a paparazzi or journalist. There wasn't anything overly obvious, but her years in the public eye had given her an awareness of sorts, and that woman was definitely paying too close attention to her conversation to just be a curious bystander.
"Ah, c'mon Lissy! You can't just give us nothing! Are you two dating or just hooking up?"
"Sabrina, really, I would've told you if I was seeing anyone. It was one night."
"You didn't tell me about the sex, so I don't know if you'd call if you were dating." She retorted, making the IT specialist sigh and rub at her temples, a headache looming.
"I'm sorry, okay, I just haven't had a lot of free time and I needed to process. But it was only one night and we've both agreed to just be friends. Okay?"
"Are you sure? Because you two look really cozy and adorable in that article." Carly spoke up.
"What article?"
"The one that came out this morning. You guys were at the aquarium and then got ice cream or something. Marie looked precious in her purple peacoat, by the way."
"I haven't had time to even check my personal email, so I haven't read the post. I've had meetings all morning with the IT department about some of the new software we're developing."
"Well, you're all cutesy and you make a really charming little family." Sabrina added, apparently over her hurt feelings.
"You really do! And boy does Mr. Queen have a nice smile. I'd be a puddle if he looked at me the way he does you."
"I told you guys that we're just friends. And I mean that honestly."
"Whatever you say girlie. I'm just saying that those looks speak volumes."
"Yeah, like "I wanna sex you up" volumes." Felicity rolled her eyes, thinking her friends were just plain silly sometimes.
"Okay, well I have to be back at the office in 15 minutes and I really wanna eat, so I'll talk to you both later."
"'Kay, give Marie kisses for us!"
"Love you!"
"Love you, too. Bye." She ended the call with a smile, wondering if they'd managed to keep the secret to themselves or if now random people in NYC knew she'd had sex with Oliver. Knowing her friends, it was most likely the latter. Great.
Grumbling to herself about nosey friends, Felicity pulled out her tablet to access the search she'd set up to monitor any posts that mentioned her or her family, using the other hand to eat her sandwich. The article they'd referenced had been posted on one of Starling City's most well-known magazine's site, a picture of Felicity and Oliver standing close and smiling at each other positioned to grab the reader's attention.
Does Queen have a new Queen?
Rolling her eyes at the unimaginative tag, she ignored the article, instead browsing through the pictures, surprised at how much Oliver was smiling in them. You'd never guess the man in the pictures had had anything but a bright, happy life and she felt a swell of pride at being partially responsible for those smiles.
Disregarding the article, she quickly finished her cold coffee and lunch before heading back to work, needing to start the firewall update. She made her way back towards QC, not wanting to have to stay late to finish the update, since it couldn't be done from home like most of her other work.
"Felicity, dear." The blonde looked up in surprise, not having noticed Moira was standing outside the building with a man, her face pinched in a displeased expression.
"Moira, hello. Are you headed for lunch?" Felicity asked with a smile, eyes scanning the man, who looked frustrated.
"Yes, Oliver is going to join me, which I was just telling Mr. Copani." Moira replied, body shifting closer to Felicity, her hand settling along the blonde's arm. The stranger wouldn't take note of the action, but Felicity knew it was Moira's sign that she wanted to be done with the conversation and company.
"That's great; some mother-son bonding time. I'm sure Mr. Copani doesn't want to cut into that, what with Oliver being gone all these years." Felicity turned wide eyes to the man, who looked uncomfortable when presented with the doe-eyed look.
"Uh—yes, I'll tell Mr. Bertinelli your answer." Mr. Copani said after clearing his throat, stepping back, not looking pleased one iota. His boss wasn't going to be happy Mrs. Queen refused the deal for the Applied Science's contract.
"Please give Mr. Bertinelli my regards." Moira turned, spying Oliver about to dismount from his motorcycle.
"I really hope he doesn't plan on taking you on that." Felicity laughed, giving the other man one last glance before focusing on the vigilante, who looked way too attractive sitting astride the machine.
"Get down!" Over was suddenly shouting, but the warning was too late.
Mr. Copani was hit first, then Felicity, the force pushing her back and into Moira; they all fell as someone sped by on a motorcycle, the sound of gunshots still ringing in the air.
"Mom? Are you ok?" Oliver asked frantically, eyes scanning her for blood.
"I'm all right."
"Are you hurt?" He demanded, helping her sit up.
"No, I'm-I'm—"
"Are you sure?"
"Felicity?" She looked at the still woman, scurrying over, uncaring of her torn and dirty suit. Oliver's breath hitched when he finally looked away from his mother to see Felicity and a man laying against the pavement, both deathly still.
"Felicity?" He kneeled next to her, smoothing her blonde hair out of her face and reaching down to feel for a pulse, his hand unsteady.
He'd seen more death than any one person ever should and had grown almost numb to the whole thing. But with Felicity, not moving and a red patch spreading across her shoulder and underneath her, he was actually scared.
"Call 911!" He told his mom, his attention focused on stopping the bleeding, ripping his jacket off to staunch the flow.
Moira's hands trembled as she tried to open her purse, her eyes hazy with tears. Several people had gathered around them, checking on Mr. Copani and one of them was already on the phone, allowing Moira to end her search and concentrate on pressing against the hole Oliver had exposed when he'd turned Felicity slightly onto her side.
Felicity gave a low moan as her eyes fluttered open, her face pinching in pain. It took her several blinks before Oliver's face came into focus, his startling blue eyes peering into hers intently.
"You're going to be fine, Felicity. The ambulance is on the way." He stated firmly, as if his will could force everyone and everything to bend to his command.
"It hurts." She mumbled, wincing as he pushed against her shoulder.
"I know, but you'll be okay. The hit looks clean, so they'll patch you up and you'll be good as new." He continued, more to keep her attention on him then on what had happened.
"Yes, you'll be just fine, Felicity." Moira finally managed to get out, drawing the blonde's eyes away from Oliver's handsome face. One she'd become familiar with enough to see the worry he was trying to hide.
"I d-don't want Ma-Marie to see me l-like this." Felicity stuttered, shivering as she was suddenly consumed with cold.
"I'll make sure she's taken home."
"You need to get seen too Mom; you hit your head pretty hard." Oliver interrupted, pulling the sodden jacket away to check the bleeding as the air was split with the loud wails of sirens.
"They're coming, sweetheart." The older woman reassured, trying not to panic at the amount of blood that had seeped into Oliver's coat and stained her own hands. She didn't know anything about bullet wounds, but if it was bleeding so much, didn't that mean it was bad? Was she going to lose another person she loved?
Felicity just twitched and mumbled nonsense, her mind blanking as the pain seemed to intensify. She'd never been shot before and so far it'd been anything but pleasant. In actuality, it felt like her arm was on fire, while the rest of her seemed to be cold, the strange dual sensations keeping her confused.
Although, she was pretty she she'd hit her head when she'd fallen, so that could explain her inability to think clearly. All she could seem to focus on was Oliver's face, which was soon replaced with a stranger's, their lips forming words that she couldn't understand anymore. She was floating. Up, up, and away.
/*/
Oliver stared at his hands, stomach knotting at the red that stained them. He'd never been squeamish and after everything, the sight of dried blood shouldn't make his stomach roll. But none of that seemed to matter, as the threat of vomiting loomed as he stared at his hands. Hands covered in Felicity's blood; coated in the blood of his child's mother; blood of one of the only people who he trusted and cared for.
"I hope we hear something soon." Moira murmured, shifting in the uncomfortable chair. The doctor had given her a CAT scan and determined she had a concussion and could go home if she wasn't left alone, but she hadn't wanted to leave until Felicity was out of surgery.
"Mom! Ollie!" They both jerked at Thea's exclamation, pulling their attention to the door of the private waiting room. Thea rushed in, followed by Diggle, who'd been called to pick the teen up and bring her here while Martin took Marie home.
"Oh my god! What happened? Where's LIssy? Are you okay?" She demanded, sitting next to Moira and pulling her into a hug. Oliver stood, wanting to give them a minute and to finally have the time to wash his hands.
"I'm gonna go to the restroom." He said quietly before leaving, his bodyguard shadowing him.
"The news is reporting there was a shooting." Diggle said once they were in the empty bathroom, watching calmly as Oliver began to scrub at his hands.
They'd only been working together for a short while, so he still didn't know the other man that well, but this was the first time he'd seen him truly rattled. He didn't know if it was because of Moira or Felicity being caught in crossfire, or both; but something had definitely shaken Oliver if his almost frantic hand-washing was any indicator.
"He shot Felicity." Oliver growled, nearly ripping the paper towel dispenser off the wall with the force he was using.
"Is she going to all right? Your mom?"
"She's in surgery, but the hit looked clean. It was a through-and-through, so they shouldn't have trouble sewing her closed. My mother has a grade 2 concussion, but she'll be fine." The vigilante said lowly, his tone not hiding the pent up rage that was simmering beneath the surface.
"Good. They're both strong women, they'll make it through this."
Oliver leveled him with such a cold, cruel look that it was hard not to be intimidated; but John Diggle had never intimidated easily.
"John, when I find who this guy is, I'm gonna kill him." He said seriously, leaving no doubt to his resolve.
"What about that 'new way' you've been trying? You know Felicity isn't going to be cool with you killing again." The ex-soldier replied as he followed his boss out of the bathroom.
"I don't care. She's in surgery from being shot; she doesn't get a say." Oliver bit out as they walked, his mind made up. Diggle was debating on continuing to argue when Detectives Hilton and Lance stepped off the elevator, right into their path.
"Detectives. Do you have any leads on the shooter?"
"Not yet. Did you get a good look at him? Hilton questioned softly, clearly sympathetic to the Queens once more being in some type of danger. That family really didn't know how to stay out of trouble.
"No. He was wearing a helmet."
"Don't worry. We'll find him."
"This is John Diggle, head of my security. I want to make sure there are men outside the waiting room my mother is in, as well as Felicity's recovery room. They have to be protected." Diggle nodded, only getting one in reply from Hilton, as Lance was focused on Oliver.
"Well, you know your family's at the tippy-toppy of my list of priorities, but the guy they were with was connected, mobbed up to the eyeballs connected. Neither woman was the target." Lance revealed, watching how still the castaway went before exchanging a look with Diggle.
Oliver walked past them without another word, needing to be alone with the larger man. Lance rolled his eyes and muttered as the ex-soldier followed, wondering what the plan was now. Would Oliver still kill the shooter even though the females had only been injured by a sloppy shot?
When they reached a secluded corner, Oliver turned to address him.
"I need you to find out who the target was."
"Are you sure you wanna start this with Felicity still in the hospital?"
"I would figure it out myself, but I can't leave just yet, so I need you to do it."
"Okay, sure man. If that's what you wanna do." Diggle nodded, even though he really thought Oliver needed to find less violent ways to deal with his emotions.
"I'm gonna teach this guy there are consequences when you attack innocent people." Oliver growled darkly before stalking back to the waiting room, wishing he could hit something. You'd think hospitals would be equipped with punching bags so people could work through their nerves. But all he had to keep him distracted was his sister's stressful worrying and old trashy magazines. Joy.
/*/
By the time Felicity was settled into her recovery room, her arm was immobilized by a black sling and still sleeping off the anesthesia, the small private room she'd been given had gotten a little crowded. The news channels had released the names of those involved, taking more time to discuss how Moira Queen and Felicity Smoak had been injured than on the man who'd died.
Meaning, Robing, Tommy, and even Laurel had shown up at the hospital to check on the two women. And the first two were giving Oliver gazes that were full of an intensity that was making him uncomfortable and desperately wishing to be anywhere but there. He really wanted to be at the foundry, pummeling something and coming up with a plan to find the shooter and put them down.
"Tommy, I swear she's going to be fine. The doctors said nothing was nicked and she'll make a full recovery." Oliver said from where he stood next to his old friend against the wall, allowing the women to crowd Felicity's bed.
Tommy tore his eyes away from the pale blonde, hating how she was hooked up to machines. She looked so small; she looked like she had when she'd been brought there after her kidnapping. And he was filled with the same blistering rage that someone would hurt Felicity, the most precious person he'd ever met.
"Have they found who shot her?" Tommy questioned, pining Oliver once more with his intense gaze.
"No, not yet." The castaway grumbled, arms crossed over his chest, as though to keep himself from lashing out. The other man turned until he was facing him fully, putting his back to the quietly speaking females.
"Do you think the Hood will look into it?" Oliver shifter, uncomfortable, a pit of fear settling into his gut. Did Tommy know something? Why would he ask him that?
"I don't know. Doesn't he usually go for the corrupt rich?" He shrugged, arms dropping to his sides.
"Lately he's been helping people, saving them from criminals."
Tommy watched how Oliver seemed to twitch before his mask came back into place, leaving him looking calm and collected, as if the mother of his child wasn't laying a few yards away in a hospital bed. But Tommy had been paying attention, really seeing the man instead of his masks, so he knew he was most definitely unsettled and angry. Good.
"I guess."
"Let's hope this new attitude continues and he finds whoever shot Felicity."
"Yeah, let's hope." Oliver replied quietly, focus shifting to the door, as if he sensed someone on the other side. When it opened to reveal Oliver's bodyguard, Tommy was impressed with the man's heightened skills of observation.
"I'll let you two talk." He nodded before moving to stand next to Laurel, still surprised at the woman's presence. He knew she and Felicity had settled things between them, but he hadn't known they were friends. But for whatever the reason, he was just glad she was there, especially when her hand slid into his and grounded him.
Oliver quietly stepped out of the room and followed Diggle to a quiet corner. The larger man handed him the tablet Felicity had left in the foundry, which had several windows open.
"The target was Paul Copani. He was trying to close a deal with your mother when they were shot at. Copani works for Bertinelli Construction and Frank Bertinelli." Diggle revealed as Oliver sifted through the information.
"Who's Frank Bertinelli? He sounds familiar."
"He's taken over as the mob boss. And his ranks have been thinning due to several of them being hit, just like Copani."
"So whoever it is is targeting Bertinelli's organization. A mob boss has to have a lot of enemies."
"Hmm." Diggle hummed in agreement, taking the tablet back and putting it in the protective case Felicity had spent 10 minutes lecturing them on using if they had to touch her baby.
"The only way we're gonna be able to figure out which of those enemies is targeting the organization is to get inside it." Oliver murmured, thinking through the options, a plan taking shape in his mind.
"You want to go undercover with the mob? Don't you think you should take a few days to deal with your mom and Felicity being hurt?"
"I've sat here all day Diggle and haven't been able to do anything. I have to protect my family and find this guy. And then I'm going to kill him."
Diggle sighed as Oliver stalked away, hoping Felicity woke up soon to keep Oliver from going off the deep end. He still didn't know what'd happened between them, though he had a pretty good idea, but it was crystal clear Oliver cared about the blonde. Whoever had dared hurt her better pray the woman talked Oliver back from that ledge or they were a dead man.
/*/
When Felicity finally roused, it was dark outside, the only light coming from the lamp next to the bed. She tried to shift, but her arm throbbed painfully, stilling her movements with a small gasp. The noise must've been louder than she'd thought, as it pulled the attention of everyone, who all quickly crowded the bed.
"Oh Felicity, it's so good you're awake."
"How do you feel?"
"Someone should get the doctor."
"Do you need anything?"
"Are you hungry?"
The onslaught of questions was overwhelming, as was the presence of nearly everyone she loved. The hospital room wasn't large enough for so many people, even with it clearly being the best of the elite private rooms, meaning they were nearly tripping over themselves as they tried to shuffle closer.
"Hurts." She managed to get out, mind struggling to make sense of what was happening. Her eyes landed on the statuesque man in the background, letting his stillness calm her frantic thoughts.
"They have you on morphine for the pain." Robin announced, reaching over to click a button on the machine.
"Only the best for our Lissy." Thea said with a wobbly smile, clearly trying not to cry.
The blonde tried to reach her, but the movement pulled at her shoulder, making her hiss. The noise propelled the statue forward, his large hands settling on Thea's shoulders, eyes never wavering from hers.
"Maybe we should let the morphine do its work and let Felicity get some more sleep." Oliver's voice was deep and hoarse, as if it'd been a while since he'd used it. Felicity gave him a small, grateful smile, glad he was able to see how overwhelmed she was.
"Yes, please, I'll be fine. You guys should all go home. Get some dinner and sleep. I'll be here in the morning, since I'm pretty sure I've been shot and they won't release me tonight. Hey, Moira, are you okay? What happened? Where's Marie?" Felicity rambled, her braining clicking enough to allow it to think a little, even when it was still hazy about everything else. You gotta love ramble-ititude, it was unstoppable. Man, she's been watching too much Doc McStuffins with Marie, clearly.
"Marie's at home with Raisa. You didn't want her to see you in the hospital." Thea supplied, making the blonde bob her head.
"And I'm fine, honey, just a concussion."
"Moira! You should be at home, resting!" She said sharply, giving the older woman an irritated look, which the matriarch ignored.
"What better place to be then the hospital if anything was to happen?" Moira retorted, earning an eye roll, which was also ignored.
"Go, go, the lot of you. I'm fine." Felicity shooed with her free hand, making the others smile as she pouted when they made no move to exit.
"I'm not going anywhere chica!" Robin shook her head, her butt firmly seated on the edge of her bed and her face set in its stubborn frown.
"Excuse me." They turned to see a woman standing at the door, the white lab coat and no-nonsense bun identifying her as a doctor. Well, at least to Felicity, as the rest of them seemed to recognize her.
"I need to check on Ms. Smoak. And visiting hours are ending." She said with an arched look as she strode into the room, a clear dismissal. Felicity bit her lip, trying not to laugh at the affronted expressions on their faces.
"Seriously, go home, I'll be fine. Robin will stay with me and she'll call if anything happens." The patient said as they shuffled towards the door.
Once they were alone, the doctor gave a smile and pulled the clipboard off the end of the bed.
"My name is Dr. Brennen. You took a bullet to your left shoulder, but thankfully it missed the cephalic vein. Your deltoid muscle was torn, though, so once you've healed you'll need to do physical therapy to repair the muscle. But other than that, you didn't have any other injuries."
"I thought I hit my head." Felicity mumbled as the woman carefully helped her take the sling off and then pulled her gown off her bandaged shoulder. The white was stained red, meaning the bandages needed to be changed and the wound cleaned. Fun.
"I'm not exactly sure how everything happened, but I would guess you hit Mrs. Queen on your way down, since she was behind you. She most likely kept your head from slamming into the pavement, thankfully." Dr. Brennen explained as she cleaned the stitches, which Felicity discovered were also on the back of her shoulder. Well, it was more like the upper, outer part of her arm than her actual shoulder. But whatever.
"I like your pantsuit. I've never been able to pull one off. I'm too short, I guess. But I can totally rock a skirt." Felicity said suddenly, bringing the doctor's gaze up to hers before it flicked over to the morphine drip.
"I see the medicine is working." She said in amusement, wrapping a fresh bandage around her shoulder and under her arm, keeping it firmly in place instead of just using tape.
"I don't usually take medicine if I can help it, you know, unless it's Advil or Tylenol. I have a very low tolerance for drugs. In freshman year at MIT, I accidently ate a pot brownie and I didn't even care that it had nuts in it because I couldn't stop laughing. Thank goodness Robin had my EPI pen, you know, or that could've been bad. And then this douchnozzle of an ex gave me something called Molly and—"
"We need to put your sling back on." Dr. Brennen murmured quietly, oddly tickled by the blonde and finding it hard not to laugh at her rambling.
"Righty-o doc!" Felicity saluted and leaned forward so it could be put in place on her right shoulder, her left arm once more cradled carefully.
"All right, a nurse will be by periodically to change the bandages and check your pain levels. You'll probably sleep most of the night, but the pager is here if you need anything." The older woman explained, pointing to the call button and getting a happy nod.
"Okie dokie."
"I'll let your family say goodnight and I'll check on you tomorrow."
"Thanks." Felicity waved before getting distracted by her fingers, which were pained a deep, metallic green, the low light reflecting off the sheen. Hmm, I like green. Especially when it's leather and wrapped around hard muscles. Oliver's hard muscles.
"Okay guys, the morphine has hit so say goodbye and let Ms. Smoak get some sleep." The doctor gave them a stern look before walking away. The group entered the room, finding Felicity smiling dopily at her hand.
"Hey Izzy, you doing okay?" Robin asked, perching next to her. The blonde's eyes glanced up from her nails, a wide smile splitting her face when she saw them.
"Oh, why hello! Look Robin, it's everyone I love most! Well, except for Marie and my parents. And Sabrina and Carly, of course. But you're all the rest of my besties! And I love you." Felicity smiled happily, making the others break out into snickering.
"I think that's our cue to leave." Tommy said with a laugh, stepping forward to give her a gentle hug.
"I'm so happy you're with Laurel, Tommy. You're like, the best guy-friend ever and you should be happy! And now that she's not a bitch anymore, I can actually be friends with her. Oo, and then we can gang up on you!" She said excitedly, eyes bright as she waved cheerfully at Laurel, who was too amused to be offended.
"Oh man." Tommy grumbled good-naturedly, making her giggle and push him away.
"I'm already thinking of ways to make your life interesting, Merlyn. Just you wait!"
"Did anyone ever tell you you're an evil mastermind?" His question caused another round of giggles and an attempted innocent look, which was ruined by her snorting.
"We'll be by tomorrow, Felicity. Hopefully they'll release you to come home. Sleep well, sweetheart." Moira gave her a kiss on the forehead before moving away so Thea could carefully throw her arms around the blonde.
"Don't you ever do this again, okay? I just got my brother back, I cannot lose my sister!"
"I'm not going anywhere, Thea." Felicity replied, hugging her tightly and fighting the incessant giggles that threatened.
"Love you."
"I love you too. Make sure Marie's okay?"
"Of course." Thea nodded and pulled away, wiping at her wet cheeks. Moira wrapped her arm around her shoulders, just grateful all her children were there and okay.
Felicity's gaze moved to Oliver, who had a soft, indulgent look on his face, not immune to her antics. Her heart did a spastic clutching thing that made her worried for a minute that she was having a heart attack before it settled. Nibbling on her lip, she tried to swallow the jumble of words that wanted to spray forward, uncaring that she really, really didn't want them to leave her brain. Ever.
Tommy glanced between the suddenly silent patient and his best friend, noticing their gazes were locked and unmoving. Taking Laurel's hand, he started pulling her towards the door, wanting to give his friends a minute to themselves. Yeah, there's nothing going on there. Liars.
"I'll see you tomorrow Blondie."
"Get some sleep, Felicity." She waved bye to the couple, having to physically turn her head to break her gaze from Oliver's. The man was like a high powered magnetic, forcing her to look at him whenever he was around.
"We'll see what we can do about your release in the morning. Have a good night."
"Night! Don't grope an orderly." Thea said with a laugh, making the blonde giggle and roll her eyes.
Soon it was just Robin, Oliver and Felicity left in the room. A heavy silence descended, making her shift uncomfortably before fixing her friend with her puppy eyes. There was never a question where Marie had learned that particular skill.
"Can I have a minute with Oliver? Alone?"
Robin glanced between the two, her brow furrowed in worry, wondering if Felicity had been hurt because of Oliver and what he did hat night. But there was no resisting that look, so she just rolled her eyes and got off the bed.
"Fine. But I'll be right outside." Robin said, giving him a glare before leaving, shutting the door with a click.
Oliver shifted from foot to foot before he moved to stand next to her bed, the closest they'd been since she'd gotten to the hospital.
"So…do we know anything?" She questioned, hand reaching out without her permission to clasp his, his heat radiating up her arm until she was comfortably warm. And it was so his body heat that warmed her and nothing else. Yep.
"The man was the target. He worked for Frank Bertinelli and someone is trying to take out his mob organization." Oliver revealed, fingers gripping hers, relishing the contact, in the knowledge that she was alive. His thumb slid down, rubbing at her pulse point in her wrist unconsciously.
"Bertinelli? Is he a big, fat Italian guy like Tony Soprano?" She snorted, making his lips twitch. She tugged at his hand until he sat on the edge of the bed, making her hum happily.
"I haven't had a chance to do much digging, but I don't think so. I doubt he smokes giant cigars while ordering hits on people." Felicity gave a laugh, her eyes sparkling brightly in the low light.
"I'm so proud you know who Tony Soprano is." She giggled, making him smile at her goofiness.
"I'm gonna find who did this, Felicity." He promised quietly, watching how her face sobered, even though there was an underlying giddiness that was caused by the morphine. He was actually surprised she hadn't passed out already, given how long she'd been on the current dose.
"Be careful Oliver, I don't want you in the bed next to me." She said before her eyes flicked to the side, considering her words.
"Well, actually, that'd be a really good place for you. Just not this bed; it's too small, though I think we could make it work. My bed at home is excellent though, and we should really see about using it properly. I'm sure it's jealous your bed got all the action and we really shouldn't play favorites with them. That's not nice."
Oliver shook his head, trying not to think too much at her words, knowing it was the drugs talking. He stood and released her hand, brushing her hair away from her face.
"Get some sleep, Felicity."
"Mm'kay." She pressed into his hand before snuggling into her pillow, eyes drooping. It was as if her body had been waiting for his goodbye before finally succumbing to sleep. Stupid body.
"She's asleep." Oliver murmured when he stepped out of the room, nodding to Robin.
"Good." She watched him for a minute before turning back to the door, pausing before leveling him with another glare.
"I don't know exactly what's going on between you two, but I know your reputation. Felicity thinks you've changed, and I'm inclined to believe her judgment; but if you hurt her or Marie, I'll ruin you." She said fiercely before ducking into the room.
Oliver breathed out a sigh, his shoulders tight with tension. He needed to go hit something before he hunted down Frank Bertinelli and took him out simply because he was the reason the shooter had opened fire around Felicity and his mother. Yeah, he really needed to hit something. Now.
/*/
Felicity jerked awake, her heart racing. Her eyes moved over the dark room, trying to figure out what had woken her so suddenly, but it was difficult to see. When she saw the large figure leaning against the wall, she choked on her scream, her hand fumbling for her glasses.
"Who—Oliver?" Her voice dropped to a whisper, not wanting to wake Robin. The figure moved into the strip of light provided by the crack in the curtains, revealing it was indeed Oliver who was lurking in the dark.
"You do know watching people sleep is creepy, right?" She asked quietly, wincing as her shoulder jerked at her movements.
"I just—I wanted to check on you." He replied lowly, his eyes averted. Alarm bells started going off in her head at his strange behavior.
"What's wrong? Is Marie okay? Moira? Was there an accident from the concussion?" She demanded quickly, fighting her blanket off with her free hand and swinging her legs over the side of the bed.
"No, nothing's wrong. Everyone is fine. You're gonna hurt yourself." He muttered, moving to the bed to try and stop her from rising. But Felicity was stubborn and stood, glad the morphine drip had a stand and wheels and could travel.
"Then what's wrong?" She questioned, having to tilt her head back to look into his eyes. She was sans heels and was almost a head shorter than Oliver, something she'd never really noticed before.
"Nothing, get back in bed Felicity." She rolled her eyes at his response, seeing straight through him. Something was clearly bothering him or else he wouldn't be there. And they really needed to talk about his creeper tendencies.
Glancing to where Robin was sleeping on the reclining chair, she made sure she was still out before pushing at Oliver's chest, wanting to leave the room before they woke her. He grumbled about stubborn women before lifting the stand to keep it from making any noise, following Felicity out of the room.
Once they were in the quiet hallway, he placed his burden back on the floor, trailing behind the blonde as she wheeled it towards a bench. Did hospitals just have random benches all over the place? He shook his head, the thought ridiculous and pointless.
Felicity sat on the padded bench, releasing the pole to smooth her hand over her tousled hair. There was nothing to be done about the tangled mess, but she tried anyway, even though she knew it was hopeless without a brush.
"Now tell me what's wrong before I need another dose and get loopy." She commanded, patting the empty space beside her. Oliver sighed, his shoulders slumping before he sat, knees bumping hers as they faced each other on the limited space.
"I had dinner with Frank Bertinelli's daughter. He had to go to a meeting." He said, hoping this conversation went better than the one he'd had with Diggle. Given his luck, it'd probably go worse; he really should have just gone home.
"Okay? Are you…do you like her?" He fidgeted at the question, giving her the answer without words. Why did that bother her so much?
"It's good that you're interested in someone Oliver, but her dad is a mob boss and is being targeted by someone who doesn't care who gets caught in the crossfire. Do you think it's a good idea to get involved with her while you're undercover? And you know, the mob." Felicity arched an eyebrow, worried he was going to get himself shot by simply being close to the Bertinelli's.
"She—Helena is the shooter." Oliver revealed, wincing at the loud, shocked noise she made before getting control of herself, voice lowering to a furious whisper.
"What? She's killing people? In her dad's mob? Why? Is she stupid? Did you turn her into the police?" She trailed off before turning angry blue eyes onto him, a thunderous expression on her face. He never would've thought it'd be possible without her loud voice, but there it was.
"That bitch shot me!" She nearly snarled, showing she'd been spending too much time around him. And he knew just how angry she was when she cursed. He was a little scared.
"I know. But—" He stopped short, hands fisting as he tried to put into words what he was thinking. It'd been almost impossible to sit at that table and not feel connected to Helena as she'd talked about her own past and now he was struggling with the knowledge that she'd been the one to put both his mother and Felicity in the hospital.
"But you like her, even though she's killing her own father's men. So I take it you did not turn her in." Felicity said, not needing the confirmation to already know the answer. Her hand shifted to her injured arm subconsciously, his eyes tracking her movement.
"This isn't about me liking her, Felicity. There has to be a reason why she's doing this."
"Are your trying to convince me or yourself?" She asked quietly, her temper slipping away at the confusion in his gaze. He was obviously struggling and it called to her, making her want to help him, even if she didn't understand why.
Oliver let out a huff, elbows going to his knees so his hands could cradle his face, completely confused. Helena's story had drawn him in; he'd finally felt like someone else might understand, truly, the darkness that lurked within him. She understood how those years had changed him. It had been a crucible, like she'd said, and he was never going to be the person he once was.
But even as that connection had seemed to form, there'd been a part of him that'd resisted and it didn't have anything to do with her being Bertinelli's daughter. There was someone who did understand, or at least tried to, the person he was now and why he did what he did. Someone who pushed the clinging ice away and filled him with warmth and light. Someone who believed he was capable of being something more than just a killer and was helping him to achieve it.
Felicity.
"Hey, if you think you can help her, then I'm not going to try and stop you. But you need to be careful, Oliver; there's no telling what she'll do if she finds out you know her secret." Felicity dropped her hand onto one of his, drawing him out of his jumbled thoughts.
"I can take care of myself." He replied with an affronted look, like he couldn't believe his abilities had even been put into question. Felicity rolled her eyes, fingers squeezing his until his fist relaxed and his fingers flattened out.
"Yes, you can, but we don't know anything about this woman or why she's killing people. I mean, did she just wake up one day and decide shooting people was her calling? Because I gotta say, she has horrible aim and no qualms about hurting innocent people, which is not okay. Innocent people who were just talking to their sorta mother-in-law after rushing through lunch." Oliver's lips opened, but before he could utter even a sound, she was waving her hand and plowing ahead.
"Not mother-in-law as in me and you…anything. But, you know, with Marie. She's Marie's grandmother, so I guess it could be like a grandmother-in-law, but Moira's really not old enough for that to be true with me, you know. Mother-in-law just works best.
"I'm not implying we'd ever get married, of course. We're just friends. Very platonic friends who don't accidently sleep together and have no non-friend related emotions for each other. Anymore. I mean, ever. I'm gonna stop talking now." Felicity flushed brightly, wishing she could blame the pain killers on that little blunder. But the ache in her arm proved any residual medicine had worn off, letting her know it was time for another shot of morphine, especially if she wanted to get back to sleep.
"Helena talked about her fiancé's death being her crucible; how it chanced her." He said, expertly navigating around the ditch she'd dug, though his lips couldn't stop from twitching as he fought a smile.
"That's awful and I'm sorry they died, but how does that make what she's doing right?" Felicity asked, thankful Oliver always gave her an out when she needed one.
"I'm not exactly in the position to judge." He gave her a look, reminding her of who he'd been upon his return.
"Maybe not. But you didn't just lose someone you loved, Oliver; you lost your entire life and family and had to survive people trying to kill you every other day. I'm not saying her fiancé's death wasn't traumatic; I'd never tell anyone how to process their grief. But you can't justify going on a killing spree because of one death."
"You don't—you can't know what it's like, Felicity." She jerked back as if he's slapped her, her face clouding with hurt.
"You're not the only person to lose someone they love, Oliver. But no, I don't know what it was like for you or for Helena, because one person can never really know another's pain. But I think you're being purposefully obtuse if you think Helena has the right to end people's lives. Maybe you'd see it differently if it was your precious Laurel that was shot instead." She said angrily before standing, marching back towards her room. Her movements were hampered by the squeaking, slow moving wheels of the stand, but she ignored that and kept up her determined stride.
She wasn't exactly sure why she'd gotten so angry, but the heat had filled her quickly, making her powerless to stop it. She was just so fed up with people making excuses for their actions or the actions of someone else. And she was especially hurt and irritated with Oliver still clinging to his trauma like a shield, keeping it between him and everyone. Well, apparently not Helena. Maybe she'd deluded herself and Oliver couldn't be saved. If so, he and Helena deserved each other.
God, she was nearly vibrating with anger, which she knew, deep down, was a much too drastic reaction to the situation. But she refused to examine it too closely, wanting to stay in her rage bubble as long as possible. There was no other reason for her feelings to be hurt so much. Nope, not a one.
Man she needed more morphine.
/*/
Felicity ignored Oliver, who was seated on the other side of Marie, the two coloring as she flipped through channels. She was glad to be home, but she wasn't ready to think too closely on her reaction to his decision to help Helena. She just wanted to remain in denial land until those stupid feelings disappeared, no matter how long that'd take.
And jeez, she'd meant it when she'd told Robin she didn't want to be in a relationship with Oliver. The man was all kinds of messed up and still had a long way to go before he was emotionally stable enough to have a meaningful relationship with anyone. If he ever even got there, because he might never actually heal enough for that. Ever. And she wanted more in life than waiting around for a man who might never allow himself to be happy again.
Not that she wanted to end up with Oliver. She didn't know exactly what she felt for the vigilante, but it wasn't love, that was most definite. Thank god for small favors. But whatever she did feel was messing with her head and she didn't like the confusing swirl in her mind.
The only thing she needed to focus on was helping Oliver save the city; not on whether she had actual feelings for him or not. That path led nowhere good and she was determined to go in the opposite direction. She was a grown woman and capable of putting a stop to wayward thoughts and emotions. She was going to be Oliver's friend and nothing more.
The ringing of the doorbell pulled her back to reality, thankfully putting a stop to unhelpful thoughts.
"I'll get it." She said before Oliver could stand, getting a speculative look from him as she struggled to stand.
But he didn't say anything, the sting of her last reprimand for trying to help her still smarting. The woman was as stubborn as a mule and didn't want anyone helping her, even when things were twice as hard with only one hand. But, he knew he was like that when he was injured, so he just let it go; especially since the tension was still thick between them and he didn't want to rock the boat anymore.
"Detective Lance? Is everything alright? Did you find the shooter?" Felicity asked when she saw the man on the front step. She drew back, allowing him into the foyer, glancing over her shoulder at the sound of Oliver's steps.
"Ah, no, not yet. How's the arm?" Lance asked with concern looking down at the black sling that kept her left arm firmly in place. Her thin shirt did little to hide the bulge of the bandages that were wrapped around her shoulder.
"They got me on strong meds, so it's not too bad." Felicity shrugged her good shoulder, ignoring the large hand that was suddenly against her back. She didn't lean into the heat or intoxicating smell; she didn't.
"Detective, is everything okay?" Oliver questioned, surprised at the man's appearance. Lance glanced between them, not liking how close they were, especially given the date Oliver had been on the night before. Poor girl deserved better than Oliver Queen, that was for damn sure.
"Your, um, your buddy with the arrows was at Russo's last night."
"And I was there earlier with a date. So…what? You think I'm the Hood guy again?" Felicity stiffened and moved slightly away, his hand falling to his side.
"No." The way Lance scoffed at that gave her the distinct impression he still wasn't sold that Oliver wasn't the vigilante. To be fair, he was right; Oliver had just outmaneuvered him and made it nearly impossible for the detective to openly suspect him again.
"Your date, Helena Bertinelli. If I were you, I'd stay away from her. Her family's bad news on a good day." The older man continued, not missing the distance Felicity had put between her and Oliver. Maybe she was as smart as he thought she was after all.
"Why the sudden concern for my well-being?"
"A few weeks ago I made a mistake. I almost got you and Ms. Smoak killed."
"And you felt like you owed us one?" Felicity rolled her eyes, annoyed Oliver seemed incapable of saying a simple thank you. Bullheaded asshole.
"If I did, as far as I'm concerned, this clears the books." Lance replied, irritated. He really hated this man, who apparently still had no regard for anyone but himself. Selfish prick.
"Well thank you, Detective Lance. I-we appreciate you taking the time to come all the way out here and warn us." The blonde spoke up, moving away from Oliver to offer her hand.
"You be careful, Ms. Smoak. You've already been caught in this family's bad business." He shook her hand, ignoring the stony faced younger man.
"Believe me; I don't want anything to do with the Bertinelli's. I'll be careful." She nodded and walked him back to the door, her words hanging in the air the way she'd intended.
"Good. Have a nice day, Ms. Smoak." He nodded and stepped outside, getting a pretty smile in reply. Yep, she definitely deserved better than Oliver Queen.
"You too, Detective." She waved and shut the door, turning to see Oliver staring at her.
"What?"
"Nothing." He muttered and walked back to the table Marie was still coloring at. He didn't do well with emotions and Felicity's were leaving him baffled and unsteady and he didn't like it.
Felicity went back to ignoring him, determined not to give in this time. It was his choice if he wanted to try and help Helena, but she didn't' have to support that decision. Which, yes, was strange since she was all for helping people and usually tried to understand their situations and see the bright side to everything.
But Helena had shot her, dang it! And as far as she knew, she hadn't shown any concern that she'd nearly killed an innocent woman, one who had a young daughter she had to take care of and a family that loved her. She was on some sort of vendetta, or was legit cray cray, and Felicity knew that only spelled one thing: TROUBLE.
So she'd let Oliver go do whatever he wanted and make the mistakes she was pretty sure lay ahead and wouldn't say a word. She wasn't his mother and it wasn't her job to keep him from messing up or being an idiot. She was his partner and would help him save the city; she just wouldn't help with Helena Bertinelli.
/*/
"Are you okay?" Felicity asked, leaning against Moira's door, watching as the older woman braided Thea's hair. Oliver had disappeared a while ago after they'd gotten Marie down, so she needed something to keep her occupied. Because she was not going to worry about Oliver and Helena. She wasn't.
"What, sweetheart?" Moira glanced up, motioning for Felicity to join them before she slid the next pleat into place.
"You've been really quiet all day. I was just wondering if you were okay? You seem worried about something." The blonde explained, perching at the foot of the bed, making a silly face that made Thea snort.
"Oh, I'm fine, just concerned about you. How's the arm? Felicity stared at her, recognizing the expertly executed deflection tactic. Man, she really had been around the Queens enough to actually see what they tried to hide. And Moira was most certainly hiding something.
"It's felt better, I'm not going to lie."
"You're bored out of your mind, aren't you?" Thea asked in amusement.
"Yes! Typing with one hand is just plain annoying." She grumbled, making the others laugh quietly. The IT specialist did not do well if she was away from her 'babies' for long periods of time.
"Do you have a hands-free option or something?" Moira asked, tying a band around the end of the French braid she'd just finished.
"Yeah, but it doesn't work for complicated functions, like working on an algorithm or coding. I can order pizza, tough. Yay." Felicity cheered sarcastically, the last two days working on her until she was just one giant, miserable mess. If she wasn't careful, she was going to be worse than a whining Marie. God help her.
"I hope I'm not interrupting." The three women gasped at the sudden voice, all eyes shooting to the door, where Walter stood with a smile.
"Walter?" Moira asked in surprise, not sure if she was seeing clearly. She had hit her head pretty hard, so hallucinations were strictly out of the realm of possibilities.
"Welcome home!" Thea jumped off the bed to give him a tight hug. Felicity smiled and stood, making her way over to them to get her own hug.
"Welcome back, Walter. We've missed you." She said, stepping back with a bright smile.
"I've missed all of you too. I was already in the air when I got the call or else I would've phoned. Are you quite alright?" He asked in concern, making Felicity smile and link her good arm through Thea's.
"I'm okay, it'll heal. We'll see you in the morning. Goodnight."
"Night!" Thea waved happily before allowing herself to be steered out of the room, pulling the door shut quietly behind her.
"Hey. How's mom?" Felicity did not jump at Oliver's sudden appearance. Okay, maybe a little. Man had serious ninja skills.
"Great, now that Walter's back." Thea grinned, happy her family was once more intact. The smile diminished at the strained air between the two adults, making her heart sink. What had happened now?
"What's wrong?" She demanded, glaring at Oliver, sure it was his fault.
"Nothing, Speedy, we're fine." Oliver tried to reassure, but she wasn't buying it. Not when she could practically feel how Felicity drew into herself, which was amplified when she stepped away from the teen.
"It's been a long day and my arm hurts, so I'm gonna go to bed. Goodnight."
The siblings watched her move down the hall to her room, both worried at how subdued Felicity's normal bubbliness was.
"What did you do?" Thea demanded angrily, arms crossing over her chest.
"Nothing!" Oliver held his hands up, but that just made her raise an eyebrow in challenge. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he rocked on his heels.
"We had an argument. It'll blow over."
"About what?" He looked away, a move she'd come to recognize as a tell that he was trying to think up a lie.
"You know what? I don't need to know, Oliver. We all have our secrets, but she's a part of this family, so you both need to fix this, wherever it is." He gave her a surprised look, having prepared himself for more demands and yelling.
"It'll work out Speedy, I promise."
"It better." She leaned up to kiss his scruffy cheek before pulling away and starting down the hallway. She paused after a few steps and turned back.
"You don't have to tell me all your secrets, Ollie, but you need to tell someone. They'll just suffocate you until you do." Thea said sagely before continuing towards her room, closing the door firmly behind her.
Oliver stood there for several minutes, trying to reconcile the mature young woman his sister had turned into with the spastic, loud kid he'd left behind. She was more beautiful than he'd ever imagined and he was so thankful the last five years hadn't destroyed her the way they had hi. She'd blossomed into an amazing young woman that he was blessed to have as a sister, who he loved dearly.
Her words made him start moving, his feet taking him to Felicity's closed door before he realized he'd even moved. The wood was thick and imposing, a physical representation of the wall she'd erected between them. There would be no opening that door until he'd made her see Helena could be saved. If one quirky blonde could save him, he knew he could save Helena, and he just needed to show her that.
Stepping away from the door, Oliver headed or the stairs. If he was going to help Helena, he had to make the first move. He had to show her the other path that'd been uncovered for him by caring hands. He had to be her Felicity.
AN: Boy, that was a kick in the pants, lol. I was rushing to try and get this up at midnight for a New Years Eve present, so the end of it didn't get proofed, so sorry for any mistakes. I hope you guys like the chapter and please drop a review and let me know what you thought! Thanks for reading!