To Sacrifice the Sun
Chapter Twelve
September 17, 2016
10:59
Lacandon Rainforest, Mexico
Oliver's eyes flew up and Felicity could tell the exact moment that he caught sight of the jaguar in the foliage. His whole body tensed and coiled, readying for battle. She couldn't help but see the similarities between him and the great cat. The power. The grace. Even the intensity in their blue eyes.
Was that normal? For jaguars to have blue eyes? Felicity didn't think so.
It was pretty awesome that they were going to be mauled to death, then eaten by such a rare and beautiful creature.
Ha! Was she officially insane now?
Okay, deep breath. They weren't going to die.
Not here. Not today.
Oliver already had a gun in his hand and they had multiple weapons available. He wasn't as good with a gun as a bow and arrow, but he was still a spectacular shot. They could survive this. They would survive this.
But, please god, this was enough! No more obstacles! Their plate was officially full. To the brim. Overflowing, actually. They had met their quota of bad luck for the next…five million years.
"Get behind me," Oliver whispered, gesturing with his free hand as he trained his gun on the cat.
And all Felicity could do was roll her eyes. Because…seriously? There was heroically protective and there was just…asinine.
"And what good is that going to do, Oliver? What chance do I stand if you get mauled by a jaguar?" Felicity hissed. Then because, apparently, she was nervous (which was fair, she'd never seen a deadly animal without a massive glass wall between them before), she just kept on rambling in a rapid-fire, deeply sarcastic whisper, "Even if we get lucky enough for him to choke to death on your hard head, exactly how do you think I'm going to survive in this jungle by myself, pray tell?"
It also might make Felicity a bit peeved when Oliver worried about everyone's safety but his own.
Oliver's only answer was a grunt and a clenched jaw. Which either meant she won the argument or that he thought it was a stupid time to debate the issue. And, while the second was more likely, Felicity chose to believe it was the first. It made her feel better, in some odd way.
"Just get me my bow," Oliver growled in a low voice. Evidently, he was trying to become one with the jaguar.
It was a more productive request than telling her to get behind him at least. Though Felicity wasn't sure if the demand was because he felt he would have better aim with his arrows (which he generally did, on a scary level) or because he was still trying to get her behind him, only more sneakily.
Either way, to continue to argue with him would probably get them both killed so Felicity reached into his duffle bag. But when she found the tranq gun first, she grabbed that instead.
Oliver frowned (well, frowned more, his scowl was particularly impressive at this point) when Felicity pressed it into his free hand.
"This isn't my bow," Oliver snapped, getting really pissed now.
"No, but..." Felicity swallowed. She had a reason for grabbing the tranq instead, she knew she did. She just had to figure out what it was. Her instincts told her this was right move…finally she whispered, just loud enough for Oliver to hear over the escalating winds, "If you shoot and don't get an instant kill shot, it will just make him angrier. Any shot from this will slow him down instantly."
That was logical, right? Felicity was kinda impressed by herself.
But she only got a grunt for her very intelligent (if she did say so herself) argument. Apparently, Jungle Green Arrow preferred grunting as his main form of communication. She'd think he'd like it here with all the green. Ha!
Okay…she really was losing it. But to be fair, Felicity was rapidly becoming soaking wet and it was getting cold with the wind and this day was just too much.
And, oh yeah, they were stranded in the jungle about to be eaten.
When Oliver exchanged the real gun in his dominant hand for the tranq gun, Felicity felt a burst of satisfaction. Even (strangely) relief. Enough that it kept her from getting irritated when he got all bossy and commanded, "Reboot your watch. We need to get the hell out of here."
So Oliver wasn't going to shoot the cat out of hand. Felicity found herself oddly comforted by that. Which was utterly ridiculous and kind of insane.
Because fixing a broken smart watch in the rain, while being watched by a giant black jaguar as Oliver stood guard…rather nerve wracking. It would be a whole lot easier, and safer, if the cat was out of the way, but she must really be a bleeding heart because Felicity didn't want that. Like deep in her gut, she wanted that cat to survive.
Yup, she was nuts.
Felicity used her helmet to keep the rain from the watch as she worked. Which impeded her view…which wasn't great to begin with because of the rain beading on her glasses and the sky getting darker by the minute.
Was it night already? Couldn't be. It had just been morning. Though, it wasn't like Felicity could check her watch and see what time it was.
The device chimed, finally powering down and Felicity blew out a breath. Finally, one small thing worked. She'd take any victory she could get at this point.
"How's Bagheera?" Felicity asked as she watched the watch do its reboot thing, trying to channel her impatience. The wait to see if the device would do as it was told was excruciating.
"Hasn't moved an inch," Oliver returned, his voice hard.
Didn't look like Oliver had either. Damn, didn't his shoulder hurt from holding his arm out like that? And, all while, the jaguar lounged on a branch, content as can be. Oliver was stubborn. Like crazy, ridiculously, epically stubborn, but how long could his shoulder muscles hold out? There was only so much the human body could take.
But if the damn watch would just work! Come on. Come on. Felicity's heart raced and her fingers tapped an impatient rhythm on her thigh.
The ARGUS symbol came up, followed by the thumb impression identifier, and Felicity held her breath as she wiped her thumb dry and held it over the watch face, praying that it could still be read with the enormous crack down the center of the screen.
It beeped. Which meant that it worked. Thank—
But frak was it loud. Felicity didn't remember it being that loud.
"Tell me that's a good sign," Oliver barked, sounding even more tense. He didn't bother to whisper this time. Why would he when the watch had just announced their presence to the world? And the jaguar, he was already very aware that they were there. "Because I don't think our friend liked it very much."
Well, wasn't that lovely? Felicity's heart lodged in her throat at the mere idea of that cat being set off by the loud piercing sound. Which she had no control over. And Oliver right in its path.
At least the noise was over. Assuming it wasn't going to start again. At any time. Because Felicity seemed to have no control over the damn thing. It was a control-freak's worst nightmare.
"Sorry. Sorry. I don't know why it was that loud, the sound must be messed up," Felicity babbled, just to release some of her excess energy. How much else was fraked up on this watch? It was one thing to try and fix something this complicated in her lab, but under these conditions… "I just need to do the retinal scan."
Please, let this work. Taking a deep breath, Felicity lifted her glasses onto her head and held up the watch. Shielding it from the rain with her other hand, she prayed. She didn't know what they were going to do if this didn't work.
"ACCEPTED!" the watch blared, making Felicity jump. The sound was definitely fraked up. Then there was another blaring beep. And this one was not short.
It was overlapped…overwhelmed…by a strange screeching roar.
And with all she had been through, Felicity didn't know if she had ever heard a sound more terror-inducing than that.
Felicity sprang up, stumbled back, her eyes flying to Oliver, then to the Jaguar. It was standing now, ready to pounce. There had to be something she could do to keep it from attacking Oliver. Something she could throw or…she actually had the impulse to jump in front of him, which was irrational given he had a gun in each hand and…well, look how well that worked out last time around.
Oh god, it—
It…it pounced!
Felicity's chest seized and she couldn't breathe…
Fffshoot! Fffshoot!
The tranq fired twice, rapid fire.
Oliver!
But her throat convulsed and his name was stuck in her chest. Along with a scream of terror and…then…
It was over.
Done.
Oliver was okay and the great cat lay in a heap on the jungle floor, one tranq in his neck, the other in his flank.
Her eyes fell closed and Felicity pressed her hand, watch clutched in her palm, to her chest. She counted heartbeats as they slowly resumed a normal rhythm. She felt dizzy.
Thank the fraking lord!
It was okay. Oliver was okay. How could Felicity have doubted him? Of course, he had this. Easy-peasy.
But Felicity…she was so not cut out for this life any more. Was there really a time when this kind of thing was fun?
Yet, when Felicity finally settled her eyes on Oliver…well, he didn't look like he was having fun either. Maybe only the young and stupid thought this was fun. Once you had experienced the consequences…it was all over.
"You okay?" Felicity asked, her voice shaking. It took everything she had to resist the urge to throw herself into his arms and run her hands over every inch of his body, just to make sure he was alright. Which was absurd, because the cat hadn't come anywhere near him.
But, damn, Felicity missed the days when such a thing would have been her right. Even a hug, just a short one, would have helped so much right then.
Oliver nodded in response to her question. And if he wanted a hug, or would even accept one, he gave no indication. Hell, if he gave Felicity the slightest hint that he would be receptive, she probably would have launched herself at him. But he didn't even spare her a glance, just carefully stepped closer to the animal.
He looked fine…scratch that. Oliver looked fine. The cat looked like a limp rag.
Physically, Oliver looked as perfect as he always did. Mentally…well, he looked damn cranky. He had a clear, 'Approach at your own risk,' vibe. Even so, Felicity had to clench her fists until her nails bit into her palms to keep from touching him.
Though, somehow, Felicity still found herself standing next to Oliver, so close that if the wind blew hard enough they would be pressed full-length against each other.
It probably wasn't a good idea to wish for a gust of wind, was it? With Felicity's current luck, it would likely result in a tornado.
When Oliver crouched next to the animal, Felicity followed, whether to get a good look at the jaguar or because some magnet was keeping her from being more than a few inches away from Oliver, she didn't know.
Felicity could actually feel the latent adrenaline running through her system and prayed it wouldn't crash too hard. They weren't out of the woods yet. Not by a long shot.
She also wondered if being this close to the animal, its mouth especially, was a good idea. Though, if Oliver was going to do it, then Felicity was too. Plus, Cait had said two shots could take down an elephant so it had to be safe. Or had it been one? Actually, Caitlin had said two shots would kill a grown man. So the two tranqs in its fur were not good news for the jaguar.
Poor kitty.
The cat was sprawled across the jungle floor, his powerful body limp but for the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest. So, miraculously, he was still alive.
It looked so peaceful.
Peaceful and beautiful. A living work of art. Like it couldn't…wouldn't hurt a fly. Oliver looked like this when he was sleeping. Innocent. Sweet, almost.
Felicity felt relief. To see the steady rise and fall of this beautiful creature's chest. Why was she so relieved that the jaguar that had almost eaten them was still alive? She loved animals as much as the next person, but she loved life a whole hell of a lot more and she loved Oliver…well, that just wasn't something she needed to quantify at the moment.
But there was something about this cat. Maybe it was just that it was such an incredible opportunity. To be this close to such a rare and beautiful creature. Or maybe in her ridiculous fantasifull way, it was because the jaguar reminded her of the man next to her.
This creature would have killed them…but not out of malice or spite or evil. But because it was his nature. To him they were nothing but food. He would have killed them to survive. It was terrifying, yet….it gleaned an incredible respect from Felicity. It was impossible to hate the animal when his motives were so…well, pure. Also…so pretty.
The jaguar's coat was wet and shined in the little light they had. He wasn't completely black. The trademark circular pattern of the jaguar was visible…just in different shades of black. Was such a thing possible? Did black even have shades? But the background color was a blackish red color with the rings getting progressively darker, until the middle spot stood out in jet black.
"Wow. He's beautiful."
Oliver's grunt, this time, was incredulous. It seemed he didn't exactly share her awe. Felicity imagined Oliver was rolling his eyes at her, but she couldn't take her gaze off the stunning animal sleeping so soundly in front of them.
"And he would have mauled us to death without a thought," Oliver muttered, probing the animal with the butt of his tranq gun.
On instinct, Felicity grabbed Oliver's arm. "Don't kill him!" It was incredible that he had survived two hits, one more would be the end for him for good and, really, the jaguar hadn't done anything wrong. They were invading his territory, not the other way around.
Oliver shot her a disbelieving look and Felicity defended, "They're endangered." Which she was thought they were and…
Felicity just couldn't bear the thought of killing this beautiful creature unnecessarily. Poor pretty kitty was just hungry. And, maybe, even a little scared of the obnoxious noises they had set off. Though she didn't think that argument would hold water with Oliver.
Sighing, Oliver closed his eyes for a moment. His left hand coming up to rub his forehead. Felicity wanted to kiss the furrow away. "Fe-li-ci-ty—"
Felicity kind of loved it when Oliver said her name that way, even if it was exasperated. It was like…something only Oliver could do. No one else could match the way he said it. It was such a them thing.
"He'll be out for at least twelve hours," Felicity argued, though it was likely unnecessary. She knew by the set of Oliver's shoulders and the resigned (but unhappy) look on his face that she was going to get her way. She refused to smile about it. She just wished he felt better about the choice. "By then we should be long gone. Oliver, please, there's no need to kill him."
"If we get the bike to work. And the GPS," Oliver argued, but his tone was calmer, reconciled. "Not to mention, according to Caitlin and Curtis those two shots should have killed him, so I don't know how long we can trust him to be out."
That dark pessimism that Oliver had when Felicity first met him, back in the Academy, right after he was rescued from Lian Yu, had settled in. That I've-seen-horrible-things-and-then-things-got-worse look was in his eyes. Oh, he was prepared to fight to survive, to win, she knew that. She knew he was determined, but he was expecting the worst.
This was an Oliver Felicity had rarely seen by the end of their relationship. The end that hadn't felt like an end at all…had felt like the middle…a never-ending middle, until she had struck it dead without warning.
Was this the result? Had this Oliver…this harder jaded guarded Oliver come back then? Because of her and her choices? Because of what she had done to him?
Felicity hated the mere thought of it. Despised it, really. But it was reality. She was certain it was her fault. Whether it was the abrupt break-up or Russia, it was her fault.
And only she could fix it.
But right now…Oliver was right about one thing. They needed a working bike and a working GPS. Okay, maybe, that was two things. Then, if they could find the Door and get through it, maybe Felicity could bring back her Oliver. The one with hope.
And if Felicity dared to hope herself, when she told him the truth (and didn't she have to?) maybe, just maybe, by some miracle Oliver would forgive her.
"Jungle cats have a high metabolism, that's all. Those two shots…I'm sure they came damn close to killing him." Felicity swallowed, her eyes going back to her kitty. "Cait and Curtis are never far off. In fact, I bet he'll sleep for more than twelve hours."
Oliver shot her a skeptical look. But only briefly before his eyes, once again, fixed vigilantly on the jaguar.
Okay. Maybe moving on would help?
"Uh…I rebooted my watch to the basic settings," Felicity told him, trying to force them both back to the matter at hand. "I should be able to get the GPS—"
"Do it," Oliver told her, but it wasn't a bark. It was almost a sigh. He sounded emotionally drained already and they weren't a quarter of the way to the Door.
Adrenaline drop.
If Felicity thought hers was bad she couldn't even imagine what Oliver was experiencing having just looked into the eyes of a giant jaguar (and it was giant, it looked like it weighed as much as Oliver) as it sprang toward him, intent to rip out his throat.
"I'll watch over…Bagheera's scary cousin while you do," Oliver muttered and Felicity appreciated the attempt at humor. But still…
"Oliver, he's out," Felicity felt compelled to point out, mentally shaking herself out of the image of the cat landing on Oliver, claws and teeth out. Maybe, it was her she was trying to convince. "Like the best sleep of this cat's life, out."
Curtis and Caitlin were unparalleled at their jobs and their tranquillizers could be 100% trusted. Felicity was more worried that the cat wouldn't wake up at all than that it would wake up too soon.
But Oliver was intent on the jaguar, tranq gun still in hand. "Really not willing to take the chance."
Fine. Whatever. Felicity knew that there was no arguing with Oliver when he was like this and if it made him feel better to stare at the cat while she fixed the watch, she could live with that.
But it was ridiculous how reluctant Felicity was to leave her position beside Oliver to find the helmet and screwdriver she had dropped when the jaguar had attacked. Especially after she had just exhausted a good amount of energy to argue how safe the cat was.
She made herself get up, gather her supplies, and…do her damn job. It was never this hard to keep focused and motivated in the CAVE. And they were safe as houses down there. Usually, the urgency of a situation sharpened her concentration. Of course, Oliver wasn't in the CAVE to distract her.
Despite her determination to focus on the damn watch, Felicity couldn't help but settle next to Oliver to work on it, sitting cross-legged in the wet ground. Hey, every other part of her was wet and filthy, why not her ass too?
It wasn't until she was next to him that she was finally able to relax and focus, working her own brand of magic under the helmet. It was strangely calming, the buttons and screws and wires.
She fell into the zone for she wasn't sure how long, Felicity's mind on the tech in her hand, her body attuned to the man next to her, comforted by his presence. The wet and the cold and the discomfort faded away.
"Jackpot!" Felicity burst out, after god knows how long. The watch flickered and a map with a blinking star appeared. Thank freaking god! "Well, not jackpot, really. I don't have the uplink to my glasses. Or to base or the internet in general…but I have GPS and the Door's location." Which was the most important thing. Right?
Also, she had the time. That was something. Was it seriously barely past 11am? Like that had to be the next day. Because Felicity could swear it had been a week since that quiet breakfast she shared with Oliver at camp.
Oliver groaned, looking less than thrilled. "Except without the uplink to your glasses or the comms we'll barely be able to hear each other with the helmets on and considering the wind and—"
"Stop right there!" Felicity interrupted. She could see where this was going a mile away. "Don't even think about suggesting going without helmets. After the crash we just had…"
Wincing at the reminder, a guilty look settled on Oliver's face and he muttered, "I wasn't going to suggest you not wear a helmet—"
Felicity was the one that growled this time.
It even shut Oliver up. He sent her a displeased frown, before sighing and saying, "Without your glasses and the comms we'll have to stop every 15 minutes to check the GPS and make sure we're going in the right direction."
Oliver looked more beaten than…she had ever seen him really. In that moment, Felicity could really see the toll Russia had taken. That she had taken. Heaped on top of those years on the island…
Putting on her brightest smile, Felicity took a deep breath and launched into Sunshine mode. It was the only way to fight Oliver's dark mood. "Well, you leaving off your helmet isn't going to change any of that. Besides, you survived on Lian Yu with none of this stuff. If anyone is equipped to deal with this challenge it's you." Because, duh. So true.
And Oliver must have seen that because he turned his head and looked at Felicity from under his lashes, his lip quirking. Finally.
"Besides, you have something here that you didn't have on Lian Yu that will make it sooo much easier."
Oliver gave her an 'I'll bite' look, his shoulders relaxing. Just a bit. But enough. "What's that?"
Felicity was going to say Cisco's super cool bow and arrows. She swore she was. "Me."
His eyes fell to the ground, but his smile…it just took over his whole face. And it took Felicity's breath away. Shaking his head slightly, Oliver whispered, "Well then, I guess we can't lose."
"Nope," Felicity whispered back. It came out breathier than she intended.
Though, to be honest, Felicity wasn't at all sure it was true. Well…she did think that there was no one else in the world more capable of dealing with this situation than Oliver. And her…well, she felt pretty confident in her ability to get their tech to work. Eventually.
Turning his smile fully on her, Oliver asked, "Okay, so what's next, Sunshine?"
And, oh wow, did that feel like…something. Something really, really good. Felicity might have said they could do this, but when Oliver looked at her with confidence shinning in his eyes, she actually believed it. And for the first time in five years, she felt like that nickname made sense. She'd forgotten, but it…felt good. It felt right.
And now that her emotions had settled somewhat, Felicity thought she might just have a solution to their navigation problem as well.
"I have an idea." Smiling, Felicity reached into her bag and riffled through it, finally finding a zip-lock bag full of peanuts. Thank you, Mama!Caitlin.
"Peanuts?" Oliver asked confused, but still smiling. His eyes were bright again. "I'm not sure how—"
"Cait always secretly packs a bag of peanuts for me to eat," Felicity interrupted. "Since they're the only nuts I can have because—"
"Peanuts are legumes, not nuts," Oliver finished, in the tone of someone reciting a long-memorized fact. Because no one had ever been more protective and careful of her nut allergy than Oliver.
"Exactly," Felicity grinned, feeling warm and tingly again. Because the way Oliver fussed over and memorized all the facts pertaining to her allergy had always made her feel so…loved. She swallowed, pressing on, "And you might not know this, but sometimes I forget to eat and need a little extra protein. Here…"
Felicity held out the bag and waited for Oliver to put out his hand before pouring him half the bag.
"Much appreciated." Oliver smiled as he quickly devoured the handful of nuts. He must be starving. But he wouldn't feel it. Felicity knew he never did in these situations. Then he would become ravenous when the mission was over. "I have a ton of protein bars if you're hungry."
"I'm fine. You should have the rest." Because, of course, all Oliver thought about was taking care of her.
Felicity swallowed, feeling the rain fall on her warm skin, knowing it meant she must be flushed and tried she to hide her blush behind a handful of nuts.
"I didn't pull it out because I'm hungry." Because she wasn't. "I just need the plastic bag to keep my cracked watch from being ruined in the rain," Felicity explained, pouring the last of the nuts directly into her mouth. She would have rather Oliver ate them, but didn't really feel like having a battle of wills over a handful of peanuts.
She was actually pretty proud of her plan, though. Felicity felt very MacGyver. Also, the extra protein did help. Her energy and focus felt better.
Felicity was cleaning out the salt and crumbs from the bag, when Oliver's head jerked up and he leveled her with a concerned stare. One that said he'd just realized something very not good and she wasn't gonna lie, it kinda made her chest clench and her heart speed up.
"What?" Felicity blurted, trying not overreact. Her body wasn't listening, though.
"You have your EpiPen with you, right?" Oliver demanded and Felicity let out a breath, fighting a smile. It was clear that he had just remembered it and she would bet money that he was pissed at himself for taking this long to think of it.
"In my bag," Felicity assured him, resisting the urge to tease or make some snarky response about not being suicidal. Oliver was too on edge for either. Besides, it was kinda sweet.
"Let me have—"
This again. Felicity remembered this. Oliver's obsessive overprotectiveness could be a bit much and they didn't have time for it. She shook her head. "I only have one."
When they had been together Oliver always kept a spare. He insisted on it. Sometimes, Felicity wished he had never seen her have an allergic reaction. He had been hypervigilant about it ever since.
"It's in the front pocket of my backpack if you need it," Felicity told him, because it would be just dumb to have him carry her only EpiPen. What if they got separated?
Felicity got the Jungle Green Arrow grunt for that, complete with petulant frown. Lordy. The mood swings. She needed to distract him or he would perseverate on this. She just knew it. Also, the mere thought of them being separated set her gut a churning.
"Can you get me the electrical tape from my tool kit?" Felicity asked, though it would be just as easy to get it herself. But Oliver needed something to do besides stare at a sleeping cat and obsess over her EpiPen.
Oliver seemed hesitant to leave his vigil, but eventually he did as she asked, one eye still on the jaguar. With one last swipe over the inside of the zip-lock bag, Felicity placed the watch inside, zipped it closed, and pulled it tight.
"Thank you," she murmured as Oliver handed her the tape and offered her a hand to help her stand. Felicity looked away, trying to hide her blush at the bolt of electricity that shot through her when his bare hand closed over hers.
Quickly, she used the tape to attach the now covered watch to the handlebars.
"Voila," Felicity announced with a smile, pointedly ignoring the butterflies in her stomach. "Now you can see the GPS while you drive."
"As long as the bike starts," Mr. Pessimism pointed out, because his brief foray into amiability couldn't last it seemed. Frowning, again, Oliver pressed the tranq gun into Felicity's hand. "Keep this trained on the jaguar while I check the bike."
Looking at the gun and then the cat, Felicity screwed up her face and tried not to roll her eyes. It was one thing to indulge Oliver's need to stare at the jaguar, it was quite another to do it herself. "Is this necessary?"
The poor kitty looked so peaceful.
Oliver shot her a look, one that would have withered many a younger agent. Or anyone else for that matter. Felicity did roll her eyes this time.
"Placate me," Oliver grunted, none too pleasantly.
That's what Felicity thought she had been doing this entire time.
"Fine," she finally grumbled. It wasn't like she had anything more pressing to do now that the watch was secured.
So Felicity sat by the jaguar's side and watched it sleep, but the tranq gun lay in at her lap. She didn't have the shoulder strength Oliver had to keep it pointed at the cat the whole time, even if she didn't think it was a total waste of energy.
It wasn't so bad actually. When would Felicity ever have the chance to study an animal like this close up again? The patterns on its pelt were fascinating. She wanted to trace them. See if his fur was soft or wiry. She wanted to stroke his ears. Would they feel like velvet? She bet they would.
Oliver would have a heart attack in Felicity touched him. That was the only reason she didn't sit their petting the cat the whole time. It wasn't worth upsetting Oliver. Probably.
Felicity lost track of time for a while there. The patterns were almost hypnotizing, but maybe that was the adrenaline crash…which was dangerous, because they weren't out of jeopardy. Far from it.
But the longer Felicity sat and stared, the more she thought…why not? Just a little stroke? What could it hurt? Felicity would never have an opportunity like this again.
Casting a careful glance at Oliver's back, she reached out with one finger and ran it over the cat's back. Oliver didn't turn and…
His pelt was softener than she expected, not house cat soft, but not too far off. The rain beaded off his coat, not really soaking into the fur. Giving in, Felicity stroked her whole hand down his powerful back.
She had to bite her lip to keep the happy hum from slipping out as she carefully pet the beautiful animal, one eye fixed on Oliver's back. It was kind of amazing. Felicity stroked his ear…yup, like velvet. She wondered if he would like it if she scratched behind...
"I think I got it."
Felicity's hands sprang off the jaguar. Her eyes darted around, as if to look to see if someone had caught her in the act. Which was absurd. They were the only ones there.
The engine revived and Felicity let out a breath of relief. And maybe a little of disappointment. Because they would now be leaving her new friend and…
Apparently, Felicity was completely insane.
Before she knew it, Oliver had repacked the bike and it looked…dirty, but functional.
"Thank god," Oliver breathed, reaching for the tranq gun in Felicity's hand and replacing it with her helmet. He was all business again. "Let's get the hell out of here."
Felicity took one last look at the beautiful cat and bit her lip. Just one more time. She ran her hand over his short, wet fur. Bye, kitty—
"Felicity!" Oliver snapped. And, yup, he was going to have a heart attack.
She shot Oliver an innocent look and climbed to her feet before he could get himself even more worked up. Felicity may have even, instinctively, given him one of those cute little looks that never failed to soften him.
It worked. It always did. Though Oliver rolled his eyes and shook his head, pretending that it didn't. But the cardiac event was everted and that was all that mattered.
Putting on her helmet, Felicity swung her leg over the back of the bike and settled her arms around Oliver's waist. "Ready?"
Oliver nodded. "Let's try this again," he said, before pulling on his own helmet. Thank goodness.
And they were off. Again.
Author's Notes:
(More photographs and art for this chapter here)
A note on my jaguar friend. I was originally going to go with the traditional golden cat, but on reading up I found that there is a variant that is black, but the spots are still visible which I just found beautiful and I couldn't not use it. Present day Mayans consider the black jaguar to be a different, more deadly species, but they are not. You can find lots of examples of a jaguar giving birth to one gold and one black kitten.
The creature known as the black panther, is really a leopard in Africa or a jaguar in the Americas. They are very much endangered. They are often born with blue eyes, but a fully-grown cat like we find in this story would not have a blue eyes. The decision for my jaguar to have blue eyes was not just based on it being pretty.
Speaking of such things, I want to address the (very valid) concern that the hurricane came out of nowhere. Wouldn't ARGUS be tracking such a thing? Why, yes, it did come out of nowhere. And, yes, ARGUS would have been tracking the weather very closely. You can decide whether it was when HIVE entered the Mayan ruins and started a gun fight or when Oliver blew up the tombs that the little tropical storm became a hurricane.
So, if any of you thought that this story would be reality based, with no mystical elements….um, sorry? The only thing I promised was a happy ending and you will definitely get that.
You can thank imusuallyobsessed for all the extra kitty petting (in the draft my betas got there were less, but she felt Felicity wouldn't be able to resist as attracted as she is to beautiful and dangerous things. ;-). Also, thank Ireland1733 and Fairytalehearts for all their hard work and support.
And thank you to everyone who comments and kudos. You keep my going!
Happy Reading,
Emmy