Felicity's middle name wasn't Multitasking. It was Meghan. But she was still an expert at it, which was a good thing, because her boys counted on her to be able do two or more things at once. And tonight that meant not only doing her usual job of keeping an eye on the crime scene of Starling city, which was usually more active than its party scene, but also start a series of searches that would dig out anything and everything about one Carrie Cutter.
What she found earlier wasn't conclusive, but it was the best lead they got so far. Now all she needed to do is find opportunity, motive, and murder weapon, and out of those three things the middle one is what got her most perplexed. Why the heck would that woman kill Isabel Rochev?
She hoped somewhere among the info her searches will produce is an explanation to that, because right now it just didn't make any sense.
Once the algorithms were working Felicity threw her attention on another project, a personal one. Earlier she parked behind Verdant, on her usual spot, and then had a small freakout at the thought of leaving the car there unsupervised. Apart from the emotional value it wasn't all that expensive, although it must have been when it was brand new, but it was Oliver's first car, and now her second one. And on top of that it was a Porsche. And she wasn't interested in knowing if those are interesting to car thieves; although they are probably not as picky as she is thinking, and don't actually chose just focus on one brand.
Be as it is once Felicity calmed down she already started to make plans on upgrading the security, installing something that would allow her to turn off the engine with her phone. But while she knew technology she wasn't so savvy when it came to cars. Hence the intense research into different apps that seem to be focused on exactly what she needed.
The blonde was so involved in her research she practically jumped out of her chair when someone touched her shoulder.
"Whoa... sorry." Diggle mumbled when he realized she didn't hear him enter the Foundry. Truth be told he should have expected it, after all when she was looking at the computer screen and in the zone, as she likes to call it, she is completely unaware of her surroundings and people coming and going.
One time, appropriately on April 1st, Oliver suggested they rearrange the lair behind her and wait to see what happens. It was a good idea until they realized that would require moving heavy stuff, and that just wasn't worth the laugh, not after a grueling evening out in the streets.
"Seriously, Dig... why can't you wear squeaking shoes? Or a cow bell? Or... something?" Felicity was struggling to talk while she tried to catch her breath. Her heart was racing, and not in the good way, like when Oliver entered the room and smiled at her.
Just as that entered her mind the lock signaled the door was unlocked and the subject of her thoughts, and a few dreams but that is beside the point, walked down the stairs and did exactly what she was anticipated he would do. He smiled brightly, and Felicity couldn't help it but smile back.
Diggle cleared his throat, and broke the moment, a smug smile on his face making both his friends scowl at him.
"So..." Oliver started to speak, but paused cause he didn't know what to say. That only made his friend's smile wider.
The archer sighed in relief when the computer pinged, drawing Diggle's attention away from him. He was well aware he looked at Felicity like she was his sun and moon and all other celestial objects. He just couldn't help it, and that obviously amused Dig.
"Oh, wow..." Felicity muttered under her breath, her eyes moving on the text written on the central screen of her station. Since Carrie Cutter wasn't a criminal mastermind she didn't spend time and money wiping her past from the net, making herself appear squeaky clean. Well she was clean, there wasn't even a parking ticket to her name, but there was something else particularly interesting.
"Who is she?" Diggle asked, as he watched the screen over her shoulder, and Felicity remembered he wasn't in the office when she got initial results from her searcher on the apartment that's been used as the red archer's lair.
"Our best suspect. Dig, meet Carrie Hartnell Cutter, age 27. Quite successful in gymnastic competitions her early years, before she switched to archers in 2004. She was apparently even better in launching pointy things at static targets because she participated in trials for Olympics in London two years ago, but didn't qualified. According to a lovely engagement announcement in The Starling City Star, something no one does anymore these days, she was engaged to her soulmate Jesse Ruckert. And this is where things get ugly." Felicity turned in her chair and looked at Diggle, "That apartment you and Oliver visited? Red archer's lair? That's where Jesse died. It belonged to a woman named Gloria Hayman and she wasn't in any way related to either Carrie or Jesse."
"They were lovers." Oliver commented and Felicity nodded at his words.
"That was my presumption too. Why else would he be in her apartment, in a middle of the night, two days before his wedding was set to happen?" she frowned slightly at a thought that just didn't make sense, "But the hit list..." she muttered.
"It doesn't make sense." Oliver finished for her.
Diggle, who was watching them in a way one would watch a tennis match, shook his head at how ridiculous they were sometimes, before correcting them, "Actually it does." at Felicity's confused 'huh' he clarified, "She was caught surprised in the worst way possible. Imagine being called into the morgue to identify your fiance's body only to learn he died in another woman's bed."
"Ummm..." Felicity glanced towards Oliver, who looked angry Diggle would even suggest such a thing, and the older man wasn't sure if it was because of dying or cheating part of his example.
"Anyway..." Diggle cleared his throat again, he seemed to be doing that a lot tonight, "That must have made her angry, which is understandable. And she would want to revenge, which is also understandable. But the woman who is at fault for her soulmate being in the middle of the Glades is also dead, so she can't exactly take her revenge, unless you counting spitting on her grave. So she projected... on you." he sent Felicity a serious look, "I am mostly working on presumptions here, but I think she wants to ensure you get a happy ending that was taken from her. The women on the wall, the hit list, they are to you what Gloria Hayman was to her."
"That's insane!" Felicity exclaimed, "I don't want some random chick Oliver picked up at some club to end up with an arrow in her heart! She was probably only in it so she could say she fucked Ollie Queen!"
If Oliver wasn't agreeing with that assessment of his sex life before the island he wasn't saying showing it in any way. Instead he just watched them as they juggled ideas and assumptions. Unfortunately none of these things will get them any closer to actually finding anything concrete, so far everything said is just guessing. There is no solid evidence, just circumstantial stuff.
Several minutes later, while Felicity was busy sending a text to detective Lance to update him on her finds, Oliver and Diggle were getting ready for a bit of training. After checking his phone again, and placing him on the ground just off the black mats they were standing on, Dig was ready. Oliver raised an eyebrow and his friend sighed.
"My girls are supposed to be discharged today, but the doctor wanted to wait until after the evening rounds just to make sure everything is alright. And then Lyla called earlier to inform me the doctor that is supposed to sign her papers was called away cause of an emergency, and the other one is refusing to sign them cause she isn't his patient. The call could come any minute now."
"Maybe we should skip training them." Oliver offered, "That way you can be ready to take off right away instead of having to wash up and change."
"Nah, I need the distraction right now." Diggle said, before launching an attack, "I've been meaning to ask what your car is looking for in the lot behind the club. Are you making space in the mansion garage for a new ride? And why was it here before you were?"
"Cause it's my car now." Felicity offered an explanation, and a moment later a hard slap was hears. Turning around in her chair so she was facing the mats she could see Oliver rubbing his shoulder while Diggle was glaring at him, "What just happened?"
Dig pointed at finger at his friend, his gaze serious, "Did you seriously tried to buy forgiveness-"
"No!" Oliver snapped, not giving him the opportunity to finish the question. He didn't need to hear it to know what Diggle wanted to ask, "Her Mini is gone and she's been taking a cab. You said yourself something needed to be done about that."
"I said you should talk to her about it." Diggle pointed out.
Felicity pointing out that 'her' is right here, can hear them, and speak for herself, but as usual when the two men were in this mood they ignored her completely, and instead continued with their Mexican standoff with Escrima sticks.
"I talked to her, got the explanation why she hasn't got a new car yet, and then gave her one of mine. Is me wanting my soulmate to be safe really that big of a deal?" Oliver was annoyed more then angry with his friend. He expected Diggle to understand that he sometimes steamrolled through issues to get his way. It wasn't the best way to do things, but it brought results.
"Okay... so, Oliver has an control issues when it comes to people he cares for, and things he can't control, like a chance a cab driver is a creep, freak him out. At the same time Diggle is on the edge cause his phone still isn't ringing, but should know better than to take out his frustration on the wrong person. Glad we had this chat and cleared things. Can we change the subject now? Please?"
Both men turned to look towards the blonde, and identical sheepish expressions on heir faces. She nodded, pleased things were indeed resolved, before turning back towards her computers. The sound of rhythmical hits a familiar background she is so used to while working it's sometimes strange to be down here surrounded by silence. Those are the only times when Felicity would use her precious computers for something other than vigilante business, namely for streaming some soft music.
A phone did in fact ring a few minutes later, but it wasn't Diggle's, much to his chagrin. Instead Felicity accepted the call and greeted detective Lance. After only a few moments her expression changed from serious to totally confused, before she pulled her phone away from her ear and looked at the screen. Only when she placed it back on the desk did she turned to look at the two men.
"What was that?" Oliver was the one who voiced the question that both of them were thinking.
"Lance finally saw the text I sent him. And apparently now is not the good time to talk so he'll call me again later." she explained, "Do you think he has a day of? An actual day when he's now working?"
Oliver shrugged to that, and looked at Diggle who offered an explanation, "Maybe he's on a date."
Felicity opened and closed her mouth a few times, not sure what to say to that, before she muttered, "It's no less weird thinking about Lance on a date than it is thinking about my mother on one. And speaking of mothers..." she focused on Oliver, "How did the dinner go? I have to admit I never had anyone call the office every hour on the hour just to ensure you are on time for an appointment. Your mom is certainly one of a kind."
Unfortunately right before she asked the two men returned to their sparing, so the question caught Oliver by surprise, giving Diggle an opportunity for another good hit that echoed through the Foundry.
Oliver's dear-in-headlights look was surprising, and but not as much as his words, "My mom informed me she's been in contact with QC board members as well as Walter about a candidate for the Vice President position. She told me wants to keep it in the family."
"So she's returning to the company?" Felicity asked, curious what it would be link to work with Moira now. Before things were really tense, and quite awkward considering her ability to say the wrong thing, but the Queen matriarch now had completely different kind of stance towards her since her mark was identified as identical to Oliver's.
"Ah... no." Oliver took a deep breath before adding, "She wants you to get promoted to that position."
Felicity gaped at him in shock for a moment, before a shrill ringtone broke the silence, and Diggle practically dived for his phone.
"I'll be there in twenty." he said shortly, before disconnecting and looking between his friends. Now was either not the good time to leave them alone, or the best time to leave them alone, and he honestly couldn't assess the situation correctly right now.
Oliver solved that dilemma for him though, when he said, "Go and drive your girls home. Don't worry about vigilanting tonight, I'll just go on a short patrol."
Diggle nodded and rushed to the bathroom in the back to wash off the sweat quickly and change back into normal clothes, before he left to do as his friend said and drove his soulmate and their daughter home. But he couldn't help himself for stopping next to Felicity's chair, on his way out, and murmured to her, "I'm sure Oliver would do the whole engagement announcement in the newspaper thing, a sappy photo included, for you."
Felicity watched as Diggle was stomping up the stairs, ignoring the curious look Oliver was giving her. He was obviously curious about what Dig told her before leaving, since he couldn't hear it, but he was refraining from being nosy and asking. She appreciated it, mostly cause she wasn't ready right now to have confirmation that he would in fact do what Diggle said.
Although as a member of a prominent family such an announcement would be expected, and possibly required. Sometimes she forgot that her soulmate isn't the average Joe, but a billionaire heir.
Finally, after few moments of silence that followed Diggle's departure, she turned and focused on Oliver who was still standing on the mats and observing her, "So... Vice President. Is that even possible? I mean, I was IT grunt turned EA... a promotion like that will look bad, like you are giving it to me cause I'm your soulmate. It could damage the company."
Oliver dropped the Escrima stick on the ground, something that never happened cause he was very adamant that equipment gets returned back on its place after use. Right now a stick wasn't important. She was. So he walked towards the chair she was on, and squatted in front of her, "First of all this all happened behind my back while I was busy dealing with legal department. That went well, by the way. They are in contact with the executive of Isabel's estate, the shares will be sold to cover some things. And as majority owners the Queen family has precedence over other potential buyers."
"Oliver." Felicity said his name and he smiled. He now went off the subject, which was usually her thing to do, and she completely understood him. He was happy at the prospect of having Queen Consolidated back in family hands.
That seemed to be the key word today. Family.
"The thing is I had no idea my mother was planing this, but I completely agree. She told me she'll take care of the whole thing, and that I should focus on my job."
"She's a woman on a mission." Felicity mumbled, causing him to laugh. It was a pretty accurate description of his mother right now.
"Second of all once the company is back in our hands completely my mother wants to ensure something like this never happens again. Like I said before, she wants the most important important positions to be taken by family members."
"This seems like a good time to remind you I'm not a family member." Felicity said calmly, despite her heart racing. She could even feel her hands starting to sweat, and it was a rather yucky feeling.
Oliver looked uncomfortable for some reason, scratching the back of his neck, until she reached out and touched his arm. Then his eyes snapped back at her and she saw the blush that was covering his cheeks. And that made the blonde even more curious as to what he wasn't saying right now.
Finally Oliver relented and informed her of another thing Moira Queen did, being a woman on a mission and all that, "My mom visited the family vault recently... and took my grandmother's ring to be cleaned."
"Okay..." Felicity replied with a frown, not understanding what the big deal was.
"My grandmother's engagement ring." Oliver supplied the explanation a few moments later and then watched as his soulmate's eyes widened in shock.
"Oh." was the only thing that escaped her brightly painted lips. She did not expect that one.
Oliver was quick to reassure her there was nothing to worry about though. He knew that would be far too soon, that things were still tense sometimes between them, and that he still had redeem himself. But she couldn't but feel bad for him after he mumbled under his breath, "Even though some things I can never atone for."
She knew what he was thinking about. Which choice still lingered between them, preventing them from finding peace together. And she also knew he was right, there were some things she will never be able to forgive him. But that didn't mean they couldn't move past those issues and build a future together.
"Oliver." she tried to get his attention, but he was looking away from her. Looking at the floor, with a look of anguist on his face.
"The pain I felt the night Slade stabbed you in the heart paralyzed me. I couldn't think, I couldn't breathe, I have no idea how I managed to move to your side. I was stabbed, shot with arrows and bullets, burned and electrocuted... hell, I was even bitten by a shark... but nothing hurt as much as that burn. And afterward all I could feel was emptiness. There was something missing, I couldn't describe it, couldn't name it, but it was gone." Oliver closed his eyes tightly before he began to speak of that night, the very memory of it bringing forward the feeling of helplessness he felt seeing Slade holding a knife to her throat before he stabbed her in the heart. That was why he didn't see her move towards him slowly, didn't know she was by his side until she gently placed a hand on his shoulder, causing him to flinch, "I don't even remember the name of the first girl I was with. Her photo might be among those on the wall but I wouldn't know. I don't really remember half of these women. What does that say about me Felicity?"
"That Ollie Queen was a bastard." Felicity didn't even bothered sugarcoating it, there was no point really.
"He's still a part of me. That bastard. I wanted to believe he drowned, that I'm a changed man. But I was lying to myself."
He became aware of her mark shape after the mess with Helena, and after mixing business and pleasure with McKenna, which means he knew she was the one meant for him the night before the Undertaking when he went to Laurel's apartment, in Russia, and lastly when he rekindled the affair with the younger Lance sister. That choice if the one he is most ashamed of, a fact he is repeating over and over to himself, and he knew if Sara returned tomorrow she would be welcomed in his life as a friend, and as a team member, but only if Felicity is alright with that.
Oh, he knew his soulmate would say that isn't for her to decide, and that she doesn't want to put him in a position where he has to chose between her and someone he knew for years, but the fact is she was his priority. If it would make her uncomfortable then it wouldn't be happening.
"Oliver..." she whispered his name and moved her hand to take his, but he moved away. And that hurt almost as much as the pain in her mark.
No matter how angry she was at him, Felicity knew with certainty he was even angrier at himself. And it showed in times life these when his past choices were dragged out again. She watched Oliver as he moved towards the puppet that currently wore his suit, the tension in his muscles revealing he was on the edge. He would go out in the streets looking for a fight, looking for someone to punch, and he would be externally reckless in the process.
"I'm going on patrol." he said barely loud enough for her to hear, and Felicity knew she had to act right now.
"Will you go out on a date with me?" it was the first thing she could think of to say, and the moment the words were out of her mouth she bit her bottom lip. It was a nervous habit that she just couldn't get rid of.
Oliver froze completely, before slowly turning back towards her, his voice revealing his nervousness as he asked "What?"
"A date. We were supposed to go before, but then Isabel returned, and then other stuff happened and it just got postponed... and I want us to go on a date. Don't you?" Felicity wasn't even aware she was keeping her fingers crossed. Oliver however saw it and breathed out a laugh. Only she go him to do that.
"I would love to. We could go out and celebrate once your promotion is official and public knowledge. I think my mom is aiming at having everything done by Friday, so in four days." Oliver offered an idea, and Felicity nodded in agreement, before informing him a date doesn't only have to happen when there is something to celebrate, "But it will." Oliver said calmly, "Every time we go out on a date it will be a celebration of the fact you have given me another chance. And I-"
"I forgive you." Felicity blurted out, cutting him off.
Oliver gaped at her for a second before breathing out a shocked, "What?"
"I forgive you. For everything." she elaborated, finally feeling free.
Oliver on the other hand still gaped at her in shock, "You don't have to do that."
"I know." Felicity said with a shrug, "But I also know that being soulmates, having identical marks, doesn't mean we have to be together. There is no law saying it has to happen, there never was. We call it fate's choice, but fate has nothing to do with it. The mark is simply the sign of biologically most fitting match. Ours are a bit weirder, being mirror marks and all, but if they were regular ones I would never know about your past partners. I waited cause I was raised by a hopeless romantic, but not everyone thinks that way. People have a lover, or a partner, or even a spouse who isn't their soulmate. Your parents cheated. My father died. There is guaranteed happy ending once you found your soulmate. No love on first sight and a lifetime of happiness." Felicity paused, trying to catch her breath. All these things were on her chest for so long, it felt great finally saying them. It was probably the strangest time and place to do it, but it had to happen. For them to finally move forward she had to say it, "When I first met you I... it was probably a crush, but then I got to properly get to know you and it grew into more. A whole lot more. Not because I somehow subconsciously sensed that you are my soulmate... that didn't happened. I'm not sure that's even possible. I simply got to know the man behind all those masks you use to prevent other people from seeing how you changed. Even if you weren't my soulmate my feelings would still be present."
"When I first met you I smiled for the first time in years. But I didn't loved you instantaneously. That came with time." Oliver interrupted her, not knowing what to feel about everything she just said. He was happy because it was a step in the right direction, but at the same time it felt like he was getting away with everything far too easy, "Felicity... even if you weren't my soulmate, if they didn't exist, I am absolutely certain that eventually I would tell you how I feel about you. Because keeping it all bottled up inside me was becoming harder and harder with each day. I don't love you because of the crown shaped mark on your shoulder. I love you because you are the kindest, brightest person that ever entered my life. You believe I can be more without pressuring me to be that person. You are right that being soulmates doesn't mean happy ending. But I want that for us, because I simply can't see myself with anyone else. Now that I got to know and love you all other women fade in comparison."
"I don't want you to spend your life trying to redeem yourself. I mean... is there a level of redemption you have to achieve to be forgiven? Do you have to give me one of your kidneys, or die for me? How do I decide how much making up for your past decisions is enough? You didn't tell me about out mark cause you didn't feel worthy of me back then. I honestly can't say how I would react if I learned about them first. Maybe I would have keep quiet too, leave that conversation aside for later so that we... so that you can focus on the mission without yet another complication. And Sara... that one is still painful, because it happened right after you told me you couldn't be with someone. But you know what? You said you love me. Not Sara, not Laurel. Me. Oliver, I don't want to waste precious time on the past, when the future is a better thing to think about."
Oliver didn't stayed away this time. Instead he moved to her side in a heartbeat and just wrapped his hands around Felicity's smaller form. Her hands right away moved around his waist, her head resting on his shoulder. She felt him kiss the top of her head, before tightening the hug. All those muscles moving and constructing... yum.
"I do love you. No one else. I'll make reservations for our date. Is Italian okay? We can go to Table Salt, but I thought you might want something more intimate." Oliver was the first one to break the silence.
Felicity smiled, and Oliver trembled. He could feel her lips move since they were almost touching his neck, and that feeling was exhilarating, "Italian is fine." she finally replied.
"I should really go on patrol." Oliver said, but didn't move to get out of the hug. Felicity only hummed her response, but she also refused to let go. Finally he sighed and snuggled into her embrace, "A few more minutes won't make a difference." yet again he got a hum as response. And then he suggested she head's home early.
Felicity then pulled out of the hug, looked at him seriously, and in a very calm and collected voice informed him, "Oliver, there is no way you are going out on patrol without backup."
"Dig's a bit busy right now." he reminded he.
But he got a snort in response, something that confused him momentarily, before she elaborated, "I meant me. I might not be out in the city with you, but I'll be right here watching over you."
The additional searcher were running in the background as Felicity upgraded her system. It was important to always keep it up to date to prevent some government agency from locating them. She doubted any of them were actually interested in spending manpower and resources to locate and track down Starling city vigilante, but one may never know. She wasn't risking her boys safety and freedom by postponing something that only takes a few hours; it's not like she had anything better to do right now anyway. Diggle was already home with his girls by now, and Oliver was out there in the Glades.
Blue eyes landed on a far right screen that showed the city map with a single green dot blinking and moving in the general direction of Verdant. Felicity checked the watch and noticed it was already past eleven, which isn't late for their usual nights but it's good to get home before midnight from time to time.
A comm in her ear came to life, and she heard Oliver's voice, still altered with a voice scrambler as clear as if he was standing right next to her, "Everything is quiet. I'm coming back."
"I'm done as well. Heading home as soon as I turn off most of my computers." Felicity informed him, wondering if he'll ask that she waits for him. He didn't. Just asked her to drive home safely. Instantly she had to tease, "Are you saying that because of your precious car?"
A silence on the other side made Felicity wonder if she said something wrong, but she really didn't think that she did. Finally Oliver spoke, "The car is meaningless. You are my one and only. My precious."
Felicity made a face, and after realizing he couldn't see it, asked, "Did you honestly just quoted Golum?"
"Whom?" a confused question moments later had the blonde shook her head.
"Never mind. I'm going through the club, gonna greet Thea."
"If Roy ask why you are there-" Oliver started but was cut off halfway through.
"I was in the office dealing with the computer system. The standard excuse that is starting to get old. You really should tell him the truth so that They doesn't have to lie to him anymore. I'm certain she hates doing that to her soulmate."
Oliver hummed under his breath before saying he will think about it. Felicity simply rolled her eyes at his stubbornness. Roy Harper wasn't some random dude from the Glades. He was important to Thea, and in extent to the whole family. She had a feeling there would need to be another serious conversation between them in the near future.
Thea was behind a bar when Felicity stepped into the always crowded club. The lights were flashing, illuminating the crowd on the dance floor that moved with the bass. She wasn't much of a club person, quite ironic considering she spent pretty much every night within the premises of one, just a floor below. She was also surrounded by pointy things every night, another thing that isn't really her thing.
The music was good though, and the moves she observed contagious, so she found herself swaying as she walked towards the young heiress that smiled widely the moment she noticed her. Roy, who was currently wearing a black button up, and looking uncomfortable in it, placed a round platter on the bar and sighed. He liked the job, he was literally getting paid to spend time with his girlfriend, but there were girls out there that are seriously getting on his nerves. What he wouldn't give to be able to change into his red hoodie and a scowl, but he promised Thea he would look presentable for the customers.
He noticed the blonde as well, walking out of the hallway that led to storeroom and offices upstairs. She wasn't dressed for clubbing, but rather for office. Also Oliver wasn't present tonight. If he was then Felicity Smoak in employees only area would simply mean she and her soulmate were spending some quality time together. He couldn't fault them for that, he and Thea were like that as well. Only not somewhere they could get busted, or in an area other people use as well, the manager office for instance.
Thea obviously didn't share his opinion cause she hugged Felicity the moment the blonde was near, before yelling over the loud music, "Congratulation on the promotion! Does my mom have good ideas or what?!"
"I'm not promoted yet!" Felicity yelled back, but the brunette just waived her hand like her rise in the company is already settled and only needs to be announced, "By the way, your cameras are working without a glitch again!"
Thea frowned momentarily, before her eyes widened and she nodded, "Thanks for the help! Ollie said you can fix just about anything!"
"If it has wires then I'm your girl! Well, not your girl! I wasn't hitting on you, or anything like that! I'm the one to call!" Felicity was flustered by the time she finished speaking and Thea was giggling like a little girl. Roy too was watching his soulmate, completely besotted with her. Finally the blonde smiled and announced, "Well, I'm off then!"
"I'll escort you to your car! You still park in the back, right?! I noticed your little red car there a few times!" Roy offered. It was partially cause he wanted to ensure her safety, and partially to get away from some of the club's more persistent guests.
Some girls considered it a game to see which one could get his attention, and something extra, and hurt Thea. One actually straight out informed him Oliver is a reason her brother's heart got broken, Roy assumed the story also contained a girl that the billionaire heir went after, and she wanted to ensure Ollie Queen learn what that is like when your sibling is hurting. Needless to say Roy now avoided her in a wide arch, since her plan didn't exactly qualified for her to removed from premises and not allowed entrance ever again. Thea, who knew of the plan, thought it was hilarious. And petty. And kind of pathetic, if the chick honestly believed she had a chance with Roy, even for a night.
"Oh My God! The car! I couldn't believe it when I learned Ollie gave you his first car, now that your is busted! It was like his baby!"
"Seriously?!" Roy looked at the blonde, who just shrugged, "Now I seriously have to come with you!"
Roy was chatting about cars, one of few things that never really interested Felicity. She knew how to change a tire, and check for oil and water levels, she also knew you could fix a small hole in a cooler by cracking an egg into it according to Mythbusters, but that was where her knowledge ended. But Roy was enthusiastic and nice to walk her out to ensure she is safe, and she knew full well what it felt like when you wanted to share something you knew with another person but were shrugged off, so she paid attention to what he was saying. Who knows, maybe she'll learn something new.
"And here it is." she waived towards the silver car all alone in the lot behind the club. It was pretty dark here, the lights that illuminated the front of Verdant not helping much. The moonlight did a good job though, and they could see the vehicle in all its glory. And Roy was enamored.
"You so need to take me for a ride!" he spoke as he started to circle around the car, but was startled at the sound coming from behind him.
Felicity's eyes widened at the shadowy figure standing by the fence that remained from the times when the building was still a successful factory. The person wasn't tall, and had long hair, which was a clue it was in fact a woman. Not something threatening, at least it would be if she didn't have a long and narrow item in her left hand, an item Felicity didn't need to see clearly to recognize. She was around one night after night.
"You will not get in a way of their happiness." the threat came just as Roy started to turn around to see what the hell was there. But he never got to face the intruder, not before he got blinded by a sudden pain in his side. Felicity shrieked in shock a heartbeat later, and possibly yelled at the unknown person to stop, he wasn't completely sure.
Blindly he reached out for his side to feel what the hell happened, expecting wet blood and a gunshot wound. Instead he felt a long shaft sticking out and cursed. Removing that will hurt like a bitch, and then Thea will force him for another shopping trip to replace the ruined shirt. He wasn't sure what will be worse experience.
"Roy, wait!" he heard Felicity shout, but didn't really understood what she wanted of him. He wasn't doing anything wrong, just removing this thing that wasn't supposed to be there. He felt her hand on his, trying to get him to stop, but he was stronger. He did what he wanted.
Later on he will realize it might have been a really bad idea, but in that moment all Roy wanted was to get the damn arrow out. So he grabbed the long shaft and pulled. And the pain several times worse than the one when the damn thing went it engulfed him.
Last thing that registered before he lost consciousness were an actual curse leaving Felicity's lips as he dropped on the ground at her feet, and a sound of a bike slowing down and stopping close by. Then he was out cold.
Oliver would lie if he said he rushed back to the Foundry because he had a bad feeling. Quite the opposite. He haven't felt this happy in a long time. He simply wanted to get done with the day and get back to the mansion and just sleep. As strange as it sounded he simply wanted to go to sleep as soon as possible so that tomorrow would come sooner. He haven't had that urge since he was a child.
Felicity changed a lot tonight, made him look forward to the future for the first time in months.
His good mood was ruined quickly after he made a sharp turn and drove into the dark parking lot behind Verdant. Felicity was still there, right in front of the car, kneeling on the concrete and pressing tightly on Roy's stomach. Her head snapped up at the sound of his bike coming closer, and he could see the panic in her eyes.
After that Oliver moved automatic. He didn't ask what happened, the red fletched arrow on the ground told him what he needed to know. He didn't even stop to see if the red archer was still present, trusting Felicity would say something if she was. Instead he grabbed hold of Roy, putting the younger man's arm over his shoulder, careful of the wound at the side of his abdomen. It didn't looked too bad, but according to Felicity he wasn't exactly the right person to assess what classifies as a serious injury.
"Hospital or-"
"Downstairs." Felicity replied, "We're in Glades."
Oliver nodded in agreement, knowing she meant the fact none of the emergency services actually rushed to help whomever needed their assistance in this part of the city. The police was present when they knew something big was going on, and they might be there faster tonight if informed the red archer striked again, but he wasn't risking Roy's life over a maybe.
Felicity ran downstairs in front of him, turning on the lights and gathering medical supplies. She considered sending a quick text to Thea, letting her know what's going on so she doesn't worry about the fact Roy went out and still hasn't returned to work.
"She was here?" Oliver asks suddenly, interrupting the tense silence as he poked and probed at Roy's wound, checking out the exact damage. Felicity could see he was seriously displeased with the fact he would do something so stupid like ripping out the arrow. If not done right and carefully he could have easily done more damage to himself than the crazy archer who shot at him in the first place.
"Yeah. I'll check the back camera once Roy is no longer bleeding. And I suppose I should call Lance again to let him know about this." the blonde pressed a small stack of gauze on the wound while Oliver reached for a needle and thread, "Aren't you giving him something for the pain?"
Blue eyes looked at her before landing on the unconscious body on the med table, "He's out cold."
Felicity huffed, "He's not you. Roy is a kid, not a hardcore deserted island survivor made vigilante. Poke him with a needle and he just might wake up and punch you."
A snort was a response to her words, and Felicity laughed. She also got him to do what she wanted, because moments later Oliver took one of the bottles from the top drawer of the toolbox they used for medical equipment and injected Roy with local analgetic. It took only few minutes for the area to be completely numb, so while Oliver was busy suturing the wound that apparently looked worse than it actually was Felicity took that time to contact Thea.
"Shouldn't we get him to a hospital?" was the first thing the young heiress asked after barging downstairs in her brother's secret lair, "You aren't exactly qualified to do that Ollie. What if he has internal bleeding? What if an artery was nicked and he bleeds out into his abdominal cavity? What if-"
"Thea, calm down." Oliver breathed out, "He was bleeding badly because he was stupid enough to rip out the arrow that was-"
"Wait? An arrow? Did you shot my boyfriend? Ollie, I swear I will-"
"It wasn't me!" the shout was meant to interrupt Thea's ranting, but it sounded more like Oliver was panicking and trying to protect himself from his sister's anger. And that made Felicity snicker, but when the siblings looked at her her face became expressionless and she turned towards her computers casually.
Thea rolled the extra chair set next to Felicity's station and took a seat next to the metal table. She reached out and took Roy's hand in hers, silently begging him to wake up. Although possibly after her brother is done suturing his wound. It wasn't foreign to her that her boyfriend had a thing with needles, and would probably freak out at the sight of Oliver Queen dressed in his vigilante gear sticking one in his stomach.
"What happened?" she finally asked, her voice barely louder than a whisper.
Still Oliver heard her and responded, "He was shot by the archer that killed Isabel Rochev."
That flabbergasted the young heiress, "Why? I get why her... she was a bitch. But why Roy?"
"She said..." Felicity took a deep breath and turned over her shoulder to look at the siblings, "She said she didn't want Roy to get between us. I presume she meant Oliver and me."
"Seriously?" Thea gaped at her, "She really is insane."
Roy groaned, his back was killing him. He didn't know what the hell he was lying on, only that it was freaking uncomfortably hard. His side was throbbing too, and as he remembered what happened earlier his eyes opened wide. There was a woman waiting in the shadows, and she was armed with a bow. And she fucking shot him.
A pressure on his arm made him turn his head to see what was going on, and he smiled slightly at the sight of his soulmate sleeping, her head pillowed on his forearm. But then his eyes moved from her face to the background and they widened in shock.
He wasn't in the hospital, a fact he should have realized sooner considering this place didn't smell anything like disinfectant and medicine. Nope. Definitely not a hospital.
Not unless the doctors switched from drab blue scrubs to green leather.
Roy moved slightly, trying to raise himself on the elbow of his free arm, when movement he noticed out of the corner of his eye stopped him. And then he blinked a few times, because it just didn't make any sense.
"Dude, what the hell?" he breathed out as his brain finally registered he was seeing Oliver Queen, Thea's older and overprotective brother, standing up from behind a grinding stone and slowly approaching him.
"You shouldn't move much, or you'll end up ripping out your stitches." Oliver said as he stepped next to the bed. From somewhere behind they could hear Felicity pointing out Oliver should start following his own advices, but her jab was ignored for the moment.
"You are the Arrow." Roy said. It wasn't a question, still Oliver nodded. Roy took a deep breath before saying, "And before that you were the Hood. You saved my life." and then another though occurred to him, "And Thea knew."
"No." Felicity replied, her voice a bit harder and louder which resulted in the woman they were talking about waking up.
She rubbed her eyes absently, before she looked up and saw her boyfriend watching her closely. Instantly Thea was on her feet, smiling widely at him, "Roy! I'm so glad you are awake. I was worried cause it was Ollie who was patching you up and he's not exactly McDreamy... although if you ask Felicity he might be."
The blonde just cleared her throat at that, and Oliver smiled at her. He didn't know what his sister was talking about, but it brought a blush on her cheeks. Felicity jut rolled her eyes at him, but smiling at the same time.
"Your brother is the vigilante." Roy repeated his previous words, and Thea looked at the floor.
"I'm sorry. I feel like a hypocrite right now, lying to you when I preached honesty in a relationship. But it truly wasn't my secret to tell."
Choosing to help his sister a bit Oliver offered additional explanation, "I insisted that she doesn't tell you after she learned the truth. I am the one with trust issues."
Roy nodded in understanding, now also realizing why Oliver was so pissed at him when he tried to track down the Hood to thank him. He sometimes dragged Thea with him, and in doing so placed her in danger. Those weren't his proudest moments.
"What the hell happened tonight? One moment I'm complimenting Blondie on her car and in the next my side is burning."
Before Oliver could answer Felicity butted in, "You were shot by an Olicity groupie." her words were followed by the usual 'we don't call it that' from Oliver, which she promptly ignored, "You were lucky that you were turning when she shot you, cause she missed any major organs. Not so lucky cause you chose to remove the arrow yourself."
Banging on the door startled everyone, and Oliver turned towards Felicity just as she remotely disengaged the lock. He knew what she had done, he was okay with it, but it was still odd to have him down here.
And from the sight of it detective Lance agreed with that.
His sharp eyes looked around the large area, ignoring the people present for the time being, as he took in the equipment and the all-around setting of the basement. He was down here months ago, and it was looking completely different. It was a storage for a club, not a vigilante's secret lair like he initially suspected.
And he was right.
But this kids were faster at covering their tracks than he was at uncovering them.
Finally he focused on Felicity, only giving the Queen siblings and that kid Harper a nod of acknowledgment, "You said get here ASAP with instructions where to go. What was so important? Not that I mind finally seeing the Arrow cave. Plenty of incriminating evidence."
"You have bigger fishes to fry, detective." Felicity pointed out, "Like the red archer. She was here tonight, I'm presuming she did the same thing we did to get to her place and tracked the movement of the tracker in the arrow tip. Wanted to know why it left the police precinct and was moved to a club smack middle in the Glades. And she found Roy and me in the parking lot... where she promptly shot him."
Lance looked at the younger man, only now realizing he was shirtless and sporting a gauze on the side of his abdomen. Usually the hospital dealt with these kind of things, but it seems the vigilante team takes good care of their own.
"You got surveillance?" he asked after focusing on the blonde again. She nodded and started to type on the computer way too fast for him to realize what she was doing. It was crazy how fast kids these days typed, he was still old-school and used two fingers. It was slow, but it got the job done.
"I upgraded to night vision camera in the back a couple of months back cause there are no lights behind. And they show us this..."
Felicity let's the video roll, initially showing only two people standing next to a car and talking. And then moments later the third person appeared seemingly out of nowhere, shot one of them, and ran off in the direction of the side alley that led towards the tenement building. Those usually had parking lot and it was possible she left her car there.
"Do you have a better photo of her face, or an identification?" he asked, but frowned when Felicity and Oliver shared a look. It made him feel extremely uneasy, "You are not going to tell me again it's Laurel? Cause I'm not buying that for a second."
"I never said that detective. Only that her photo was absent." Oliver pointed out, but Lance didn't even look at him. He was completely focused on Felicity who returned back to typing.
"That was why I contacted you earlier tonight. I researched the apartment the red archer used as her lair and found out two people died there in the Undertaking."
"Yeah, the police found that out too. I'm still waiting on background searches of the pair."
"I can tell you right away that the woman isn't important. The man is. Jesse Ruckert was engaged to be married, but not to a woman who died with him. He was supposed to marry this woman... " with a few clicks Felicity had results of the search she did earlier tonight show up on the middle screen, "Carrie Cutter. Her ID photo is a match to the video of tonight's attack on Roy. She is your red archer detective."
"I know her." he muttered under his breath, but Felicity heard him anyway.
She nodded her head, before revealing, "She is an intern in the District Attorney's office."
"Get me that video." Lance right away commanded, as he reached out for the phone in his pocket, "I'm getting a warrant for her arrest tonight, even if I have to wake up a judge."
Carrie was furious. She slammed the lid of her laptop shut and pushed away from the desk. First they find her place, her goal, and now they managed to identify her. She got careless tonight, made a rookie mistake, and it cost her.
Her plan was falling apart, has been ever since that disgusting brunette threatened Felicity Smoak. If not for her should could have stick to her plan, and start with the right one. But she had to prioritize and get rid of the bitch first, before moving to the 'girlfriend'.
Luckily her job allowed her some insights into what was going on in the DA office, so she knew right away when the police got a warrant for her arrest. They didn't know where she was, and that was her advantage. They didn't know whom she was after because she intentionally removed that particular photo from the wall. It probably puzzled them why it wasn't there among all the other whores.
Carrie turned and looked at the newspaper clipping on her bedside table. Laurel Lance smiling widely as she posed next to her billionaire heir boyfriend... who wasn't hers. He was never meant to be hers.
And Carrie will make sure she knows that before she kills her.