So first up – I am all for comments and reviews and everyone's thought and feelings, I will take criticism where its due BUT only if it's a constructive way, if you don't like something – please tell me. Many have commented on Sara's return and honestly, you've made me think a little more about what I'm going to do with her character after reading those reviews.
But I received a review from chapter 21 that wasn't set out in a constructive way and it pissed me off. If you don't like something, don't read it. Those comments have really made me struggle with this new chapter so im sorry that it took so long to write.
Please review. Please let me know what you think
Chapter 23 – Next Steps Forward
Oliver rushed to the back of the van, having called Dig back, Sara in his arms rightly. He didn't know why he was doing this; he didn't know why he was taking her but there was no way he going to let her stay there to be found by the SCPD. Dig didn't ask any questions when he loaded her into the back, jumping in behind them before directing Dig back towards the Foundry.
They drove in silence, a million thoughts running through Oliver's head as he looked down at the unconscious woman at his feet. She looked older, much older than what 3 years should have looked like. It didn't take long before Oliver was carrying the still unconscious Sara in to the Foundry, ignoring the strange glances from Tommy and Felicity as he did.
Gently placing her down on the med table that was waiting, Oliver groaned, dropping his head and unzipping his hood. "Ollie…is that…is that Sara Lance?" Tommy's voice carried through the quiet room, Felicity unsure about what to do, she'd never met Sara so this was weird.
He nodded, turning to look at Tommy. That's when he saw the sadness that came with learning that his best friends' girlfriend's sister was still alive. Tommy, Oliver, Sara and Laurel grew up together so for him to see her after all this time – time where her family thought she was dead – was strange.
"I found her in the warehouse. She was there Tommy, looked like she had been with them for a while. I couldn't…I couldn't just leave her there." Tommy nodded, he understood Oliver's need to help her. Sara had taken off after she and Oliver slept together, he blamed himself when he found out she had left, still blamed himself.
"Oliver I'm sorry to be the one to ask but what happens when she wakes up and sees all of this…you don't know anything about her anymore. What if she-"
Oliver turned to face Felicity, a little shocked that she would even question Sara, "I know her Felicity. She wouldn't ever do anything. Even finding out about all this." He motioned around as he looked at her.
It was Diggle who spoke up, "Oliver man, you knew Sara. You don't know what she has been through, you don't really know anything about her now." Diggle crossed his arms over his chest, he was softly spoken, having noticed Oliver's pained voice when speaking about the younger Lance.
Shaking his head, Oliver looked around at the others in the room, shocked and confused about what they were saying but a groan caught his attention, turning towards the med table. "Hey, hey Sara, it's alright…" Oliver was by her side instantly, feeling a rush of relief when she opened her eyes.
Sara blinked, clearly not believing that she was looking back at Oliver, "Ollie?" her voice was soft and rough, she blinked again when he nodded. Slowly she tried to sit up, Oliver resting a hand against her back to help. "What happened? Where am I?"
Tommy, Felicity and Dig all moved further into the view of the other two, Sara's eyes flashing around worried for a second before she settled on Tommy, someone she recognized. "You remember Tommy Merlyn?" Oliver asked watching her nod, "You might not remember Felicity Smoak," Felicity didn't think she had ever met Sara but she smiled anyway, "And that is John Diggle. You are safe here Sara."
Sara slid from the table, staggering a little but Oliver was there to help her. "I remember hearing your name a lot. Ollie used to talk about you." Felicity blushed at hearing that, she had never thought that Oliver would talk about her to the Lance sister.
Sara smirked, "You're cute." Felicity blushed even more.
Sighing, Sara turned out of Oliver's grip, staring at him intently, "You know, I'd heard rumors of a guy in green with a bow and arrow. I would never have guessed it would be you playing Robin Hood, Ollie." She tried to joke but it fell flat in the room, clearly Oliver wasn't happy.
"Sara, what the hell is going on? I find you unconscious in a warehouse that is used for housing Vertigo." He needed answers, he couldn't quite understand how she got to that point.
Moving slowly, Sara took a seat on Felicity's chair, rubbing her face. "After…after what happened with us, Laurel and I fought, worse than we ever had. So, I left. I couldn't stay there anymore Ollie. I bounced around a bit before I fell into a crowd that gave me roof over my head, they gave me a job and kept me safe."
"By selling Vertigo?" Oliver all but scoffed, the Sara he knew would never have let herself sell drugs.
"By teaching me to look after myself Ollie. I had to learn to fight, learn to keep my head up and protect myself. At first it was just packing and then it was selling. They taught me to fight, they liked to fight but they let me track records, money and payments. The lot of it." Oliver turned away. Sara Lance, little Sara Lance was a fighter.
Tommy reached over and placed his hand on her shoulder, "You kept yourself safe." He was trying to reason with her and for Oliver to understand, just like he had to do, she had to keep herself safe.
Oliver turned back to Sara, looking over her, he could see scars on her arms, no doubt from knives and fights, she had been touched by a darkness he recognized, he could see it behind her eyes. It was reflected in his own eyes, something he saw every day when he looked in the mirror.
"So, want to tell me what you have going on here?" She wanted to change the subject and the image around her, the weapons and the computers and the green leather suit that Oliver wore was enough to direct the conversation away from her.
Felicity smiled, piping up excitedly, "Oh, we are Team Arrow." She looked happy to finally be able to use the name, gaining a smirk from Tommy and Diggle.
Oliver's brow furrowed, "We don't call it that." He dismissed annoyed.
But Felicity pursed her lips, "I do…occasionally." She shrugged, moving away from Oliver to lean against the med table next to Diggle. Sara still sitting in her seat at the computers. "We are trying to track down the Count." She tried again, hoping that could cover what needed to be told.
But Sara's eyes flashed towards Oliver, clearly wanting more of an explanation. He sighed, "When I was on the island, I came across a field that was being used to grow the ingredients for Vertigo – I was told that Starling City was home to its production and distribution. I destroyed that field. And then about 18 months later, I had found out that it was back and it was worse."
He came to stand by Felicity, knowing that the others had heard this story before, "When I came home, I made a promise to myself that I would help this city and I would find whoever was selling this stuff – it's killed so many people, it almost killed Thea – and I would stop them. I'm doing what I need to do to save my city."
Sara gasped, it was clear that she didn't know about Thea, "Oh Ollie, I had no idea about Thea. What happened?" She was sad for him, working for the Count was not something she wanted to do but once she was in, there was no getting out.
"It was while I was away. She…she OD'd." Oliver glanced at Felicity briefly, her head was down and he knew that it still bothered her that she was there and did nothing to stop Thea. He placed his hand on the small of her back, a reassuring pressure as a reminder that he didn't blame her.
Sara pushed off the chair, looking around the Foundry, "Do you have any leads so far?" She was thinking she could help them out, she didn't know much, she only knew about those that were in the warehouse but there might be something she could help with. Turning she found Oliver staring at her, "Look Ollie, this isn't what I wanted but once I was in, there is only one way out and to be honest I wasn't ready to die. I can help you." She wanted to help.
Oliver wasn't so sure; he didn't want to involve her any more than she already was but he would be crazy if he didn't take on any advice or insight she might have. "Fine, but you are staying away from this as much as possible. I want you to stay here if we go out."
It had been close to a week that Sara was back, she had been living in the Foundry, not ready to see her family and not taking up Oliver's offer to stay in the mansion but she had needed her time. There were days when she would be resting on the couch that she would wake up in fear, or reach for the knife that she had kept under her pillow when she had heard any form of movement near her.
Oliver hated seeing her that way, the same way he had been when he slept on the island, or even when he was back. Not trusting where he was or the people around him. Thankfully in the months that he was back, Oliver could now sleep in the room with Felicity and Diggle and Tommy without freaking out. The nightmares still came, waking him in a sweat but there would be no violence, thankfully that part of him had stopped.
Sara had kept herself guarded from the others, not turning her back on Dig, keeping Tommy and Felicity at arm's length, it was for no real reason other than that's how she had survived for 3 years and it's how she felt she would still survive. Until one day Oliver had coming rushing into the Foundry, his thumping steps echoing on the concrete, his ears met with the blasting of music.
He had found Sara hammering away on one of his dummies, wearing only a sports bra and her shorts. She had not expected anyone to there at that time. Oliver watched her for a few minutes, she moved well – better than he ever thought possible from training by street thugs but she was talented and skilled. But it was the scars that caught his attention, the burns on her arms and the healed skin on her shoulders.
She had not spoken much about what had happened to her while she was away but it was clear that whatever had happened, it was not to unsimilar to what had happened to Oliver. He recognized the signs of torture. If he had to guess he would figure that the torture she endured was due to breaking her and building her back up into the fighter they wanted instead of looking for information.
Still all the same – she had scars, she had memories and she had pain from her time away. Stopping her music, Oliver moved further onto the mats, holding his hands up in acknowledgement when she spun to look at him, a hardness in her eyes until she realized it was him. "Didn't mean to scare you…" He spoke softly, he knew that look.
Sara just shook her head, moving back to the dummy but Oliver's hand on her arm stopped her, "Sara, you don't have to do this. I said you could help but you don't need to be any closer to this than just information." She moved back to hitting the dummy, trying to shake off the feeling of having Oliver so close.
It was then she realised that she was safe from those she worked with. She had woken up every morning, sweat dripping from her forehead as flashes crossed her mind. Where was she? Who had her? Was she safe or would she have to fight?
Her arms slowed as his words sunk in, he was trying to keep her safe, something that hadn't happened in a very long time. She had someone who cared about what happened to her, not that she needed someone to look after her but it was nice to know that there was someone. It was then her body felt heavy, did this mean she could sleep better now? Not have to always worry that someone would want to kill her or worse?
Did this mean she could put that life behind her? Did she deserve to put that life behind her? Did she deserve friends or someone who would look out for her? "Ollie…" She leaned into his chest, her shoulder pressed against his sternum. "I've done things that I can never come back from."
Oliver placed his arm around her shoulder, he nodded against her, he knew what that feeling was like. "That's why you have friends. Sara no matter what you did, you did it to survive. We've all done things that we aren't proud of, we've all done things we wish we wouldn't have but right here and right now. You make the decision that will help change who you were."
Sara didn't get the chance to reply, the sound of a clearing throat caught their attention and they looked up to find Felicity watching them, her bag inches from her desk, she looked away, "Sorry to interrupt, I was just coming to get a start on things." She waved towards her computer, taking a seat silently.
She heard Oliver move away from Sara, suddenly talking to Dig and Tommy who had come down the stair's seconds after her. She could hear him talking about Sara, about the plan and about what they needed. Felicity shook her head, a suddenly memory flash of Oliver kissing her taking over her mind but she pushed it back. He had made it very clear why he couldn't be with her and now seeing him with Sara, she really understood.
Sara moved to face the group of men, they had yet to work out how they were going to track down the Count but Sara had been giving it lots of thought, what they already knew and what they didn't know. She stood quickly for a second while she thought, something coming to her.
"I never actually met the Count so I can't give you much on who he is but over the past few months, the city has been flooded with a new version of the drug, more addictive, more unstable. It's killing people at random, even when the doses don't change, the manufactures had been happy because it was clear that the SCPD hadn't been able to work out what it was that was killing them."
Sara was now standing behind Felicity, hoping that maybe she could put that information to use but it was Oliver who spoke first.
He had thought for a minute after hearing Sara's comment, his hand rubbing against his forehead as he thought, but he turned to Felicity instantly, "Can you bring up the formula for the previous Vertigo to this one?" She nodded instantly, turning to type away at the computers.
They fell into easy conversations about what could be happening, but Felicity's voice caught their attention, "They died of severe anaphylaxis. Died of an allergic reaction to Chlorpromazine."
Oliver's head snapped up, he'd heard that name before – his days as a playboy led him to access to many different things, including prescription drugs. Something he was not proud of at all. "That's an antipsychotic. Did they all have Chlorpromazine in their systems?"
He leaned over Felicity's side, looking at the computers, feeling her glance up towards him for a minute, her eyes settling on. She swallowed, "Yes. I have reports of at least the last 6 deaths linked to Vertigo shows that the death was an allergic reaction. The Government Medical Examiners Network is trying to find the link between the other deaths."
Oliver stood straight his eyebrow raising at her, "You hacked into the Government Medical Examiners Network? In the Pentagon?" His voice was shocked, he knew she'd hacked into a lot of places but a Federal Department? That was new.
Felicity leaned back in her chair, turning to look at him, her knees coming to rest against his calves. She raised her eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest, who was he to question what she did? "Is this judgement I hear?" He had no right to judge her, everything she did, she did for him and for his mission. He had asked her to help, so he had to know what they meant—
Felicity's inner thoughts were cut off as Oliver placed his hand on her shoulder, a smile on his face and a smile in his eyes, "Pride." Felicity cocked her head to the side, her own smile splitting her lips. That was not what she had expected to hear from him.
"That's good then. Chlorpromazine is prescription only and is heavily tracked by the FDA, we should be able to track where the shipments are going. Plus, whoever is getting this stuff is no doubt doctor shopping, we should see a pattern in doctors." Tommy kept his head down, he was looking mostly at Felicity's research but out of the corner of his eye, he could see the small pause between Oliver and Felicity.
Knowing that Tommy had a point, Felicity turned in her seat back to the computers, typing away to set up a tracking algorithm to run the name of those that had been doctor shopping and any missing shipments of Chlorpromazine. Anything that could point them in the right direction.
"Ollie," Sara placed her hand on his arm, pulling his attention away from Felicity as she worked, "You need to be careful with his guy. A good wine's value is measured by its vintage. The number of years it took to ferment. Vertigo is measured in lives. That's why they call him the Count." Oliver nodded at Sara; he understood the danger that came from fighting this guy – he understood the danger he posed to everyone in the city. That's why he needed to stop him.
It didn't take long before each of them fell into their own work, Oliver and Sara had moved away to talk tactics, Diggle deciding that food was the best option for their no doubt long night ahead, which left Tommy and move around the Foundry doing whatever it was that he needed to do and Felicity was at her computers.
"So Ollie, what's it like coming back?" Sara had placed the arrow in her hand down on the desk, she and Oliver had moved together, falling into step easily enough. By now Sara hadn't really talked to Oliver, granted they had jumped right into Vertigo and the Count.
Sara had always imagined what it would be like to see Oliver again, but now that he was here, she couldn't believe it. Oliver's movements stopped at her question, placing the arrow very gently down. He looked up at Sara and the look in her eyes reflected the same he had when he had come back, the broken and damaged version of himself. The version he still saw when he looked in the mirror.
Sara had to learn to fight to stay alive. She had to fight to keep her head above water, he saw a mirror image of himself in Sara, a connection that he never thought he would have and probably wished he did. Sighing, he dropped his shoulders, "Coming back was the one thing I dreamed of most. Seeing Tommy and Thea and Felicity again, I held onto them so tightly that when I was-" he cleared his throat, struggling to speak, "All that time on the island, plotting my return, I didn't realize how hard it would be. To reconnect with mum, Thea, Felicity. I didn't know how painful it would be to keep my secrets."
Sara sat against the desk, watching as a part of Oliver snapped, he had been holding this back for so long, she knew why. Even just seeing how he interacts with Tommy or Felicity after a short time being back, she could tell why he didn't want them to find out. "When I told Felicity who I was, I thought she would have run the other way, same with Tommy. I never planned on telling but it was getting too hard, I was hurting them too much."
"Well then Ollie, that's why we have friends right? You just…you gotta let someone in." Sara smirked at him, knowing he would hate her using his own words against him but she was right. "I stuck around a little bit after you got on that boat and when I saw what losing you did to Tommy and Felicity; I knew that they would give anything to have you back. And now you are back. Reconnecting will come, just look at you and me. I've been back a week and it's like nothing ever happened."
It was not lost of Sara that she should have been taking her own advice. She needed to reach out to her family, to Quinten and Laurel but she couldn't, bot yet. It was too soon for her. Oliver knew this, as much as he had tried to get to at least go and see her father but she was adamant about waiting.
Tommy sat off to the side of the group, he could see Oliver, Sara and Digg sparring with each other, they fitted in together well, moving easily. He could tell that Sara and Oliver has settled into a routine together over the last week since she and been found, almost like when they were kids again. He, Sara and Oliver had fallen back into their old routines, laughing, joking. It was easy for them.
But what came easy to the three of them, or the others as they sparred together, Tommy had noticed that it had not come easy to Felicity. He could tell that she was unsure, she was quiet and holding herself back. She tried though, tried to bring herself into their conversations but when the three talked about scars and injuries and how they got them, Felicity fell by the way side, moving back to her computers and let herself get absorbed by what she knew.
"Hey...you ok?" Tommy leaned over her chair, his hand resting on her shoulder. He felt Felicity sigh against him, her own hand covering his as she looked over her shoulder quickly, Tommy following her eye line. Digg had moved away from the training mats, leaving Oliver and Sara by themselves, poking and touching each other's scar, laughing about one thing or another.
Was she jealous?
Yes, she was but it wasn't the attention that Sara was getting, she liked Sara, liked having her around and liked getting to know her. But she missed having Oliver around, he was her best friend and well if she was being honest, she was feeling a little left out.
"Hey so I had an idea..." Sara's voice pulled Tommy and Felicity to turn to look at the training mats, a shared glance between them, something that Oliver did not miss but did not comment on. Dig had made his way back to the mats also by this time.
Felicity has spent the last day trying to make the connections she needed to to find where the Chlorpromazine, it was harder than she was expecting, there were lots of doctors and lots of places that the drug could have been obtained and lots of people who were prescribed it.
The time she was taking trying to figure it out gave Tommy time to restock the medical supplies and gave Oliver, Sara and Diggle a chance to bond. Bond of fighting, scars and war stories.
Felicity had felt herself push a side a little more in the last few days, conversations were always around what Sara had been able to do, once even taking over Felicity's computers and hacking into a medical clinic without her help.
That had put her on the back foot, her face falling and her hands tablging together in nerves as she watched Sara work her way through the systems. Tommy had noticed the chance in her, Diggle also but Oliver was unaware, he just leaned over Sara's shoulder and smiled. Telling her she did a good job and the information she found would be really helpful.
Yes, Felicity was jealous but it was also about herself, if Sara could hack into systems and kick ass, what did the team need her for?
Suddenly there was 5 of them, a team of misfits really, waiting to hear what the next steps of their plan may be. "Felicity, you said you haven't been able to find what the link between Queen Consolidated and Vertigo is-"
"Yet! I haven't been able to find the link yet." Felicity raised her hand in defence but her voice quietened. It was a defence she realised she didn't need to hold. But then again, she felt like she needed to defend herself and her lack of information.
Sara smiled lightly at Felicity, "Well how about you go into the belly of the beast. Get the info right form the source."
"I can tell you right now that a lowly IT girl like me, will not be privy to any information that comes from QC about a drug. I haven't been able to find anything on QC's servers anyway." Tommy nodded away with Felicity. "Besides, everything I can access from QC I can hack from here so..." she motioned back towards her computers, missing Oliver's smirk at her hacking into his family's company, she had never outright said she was hacking QC but he figured she would have at some point.
Sara nodded, Felicity was right, "The lowly IT girl is right but the CEO will have access to all information of everything that QC has been involved with. On and off the books."
Oliver's head snapped up; she couldn't be serious. "Sara..."
"No think about it, Ollie. It would put you right into the middle of the action, no more excuses to try and get information. It would just be there."
Dig stepped up, "I'm confused. What are you saying Sara?"
"I'm saying that Ollie needs to take over as CEO of QC and that will give you guys the in that you need. Access to all the information on and off the system." Tommy scoffed, he knew how much Oliver didn't want to take over as CEO, no matter the situation.
Oliver rubbed the heels of his palms over his eyes, he groaned, "There has to be an easier way... I can't just become a CEO."
"But you can fill in a trainee. Walter is going away for six weeks to Australia. Tell him you want to get experience in the company. Your mother has been wanting to you take over and you and I both know that Walter wants to move away from QC soon. It's the perfect opportunity Oliver." Felicity was how standing in front of Oliver, a small smile on her face, the same one that he had come to know and love.
Slowly he shook his head, "Felicity..." he wasn't sure if this was the right way of going about it but he also worried he couldn't pull it off. Not alone.
"Hey...I know that this isn't what you wanted. Running QC is not what you want but Oliver, this could give us the in we need. You are incredible intelligent Oliver. I know you can go this. I trust you - we trust you. You won't be doing this alone."
Sighing, Oliver looked up to Dig and Tommy with a raised eyebrow. Rolling his head to the side, Oliver sighed once more, he glanced over to his side, his eyes fell on the dark green suit that sit in the glass cabinet.
Sadly, it was not the suit he would have been able to wear to the office.
Felicity stepped into the busy police station, she could see officers and detectives rushing around, answering phones and speaking to people. There was a lot going on, much like the last time she had been in this police station and it was a little overwhelming but she had to do this.
Straightening her shoulders and lifting her head high, Felicity moved closer to where she could see Detective Lance, he was waiting for her outside the room. "You sure you want to do this?" He worried about her, of course he worried about her but Felicity was strong she needed to do this.
Nodding quickly, she swallowed, "Yes. I need to face him Detective. He is here and I need to see him. Lance nodded, opened the door for Felicity to walk though, her head held high. He didn't scare her. Not anymore.
Slowly she made her way inside, her eyes focusing on Cooper instantly. He sat handcuffed to the bench, his face stoic but his eyes shone as he watched her coming his way. There was silence through the room, neither speaking but both watching the other closely.
Felicity sat opposite Cooper, taking him all in. From his dark hair to his bright eyes, she remembered what it was about him that made her fall for him almost instantly as she watched him but as she continued to look over him, she found herself remembering the instant everything had changed, her eyes hardened.
She really didn't know what to say to him, Felicity hadn't really thought that far ahead but she wanted to face him, wanting to show him that she was ok, that he didn't break her. "I wasn't expecting you to be here…" Felicity sucked in a breath at the sound of his voice, bringing back memories as he spoke but she was stronger than he thought, stronger than he ever expected.
"I'm not scared of you Cooper if that's what you think. I'm not here for you, I'm here for me." She sat forward, placing her hands on the bench as he leaned back, a little taken aback by the strength in her voice, the assuredness.
Cooper smiled at her, nodding a little, "I can see that. You've grown a backbone there Felicity, I'm proud of you." He leaned forward also, bringing himself a little closer to her but she wouldn't move back. She wouldn't give him an inch to think he scared her.
She let the silence envelope them once again, a small smile coming to her lips after a few moments, "You know what Cooper, I actually didn't know what I would when I came here. When I got the call to say you were here, I didn't want to come. I was going to walk away and never look back but then I realised something. If I didn't come here, I would never get the chance to tell how I feel."
Cooper sat back, the links in the handcuffs clinking against the bracket holding them.
"You took something from me Cooper. You tried to make me afraid of myself and what I am capable of. You tried to break me but you didn't. You make have taken something from Cooper but I found something much stronger. In my friendships. I found strength in them and I found strength in myself."
As Felicity rose from her seat to leave, she could feel the lightness from her shoulders, Cooper was in cuffs, he wasn't roaming around the streets, he was going to be locked up and it made her smile. She had always trusted Tommy and Oliver to help her if she needed it but seeing for herself that Cooper wasn't going to be able to hurt her was enough to satisfy her.
Quickly, as she stood, Cooper's hand shot out and wrapped around her left wrist, holding it tightly. Felicity gasped, trying to pull herself away from him but he held her tightly, his hand tugging towards him, "You think you can stop what is happening to this city? You can't." And this with a small shove, Copper let go over her wrist, letting Felicity pull it towards herself as she watched him.
Not knowing what to think or to say, Felicity dropped her arms to her side, squaring her shoulders out. "You know what Cooper, there were times I was too scared to turn my back on you, I would always wonder if that would be the day you would stab me in the back – quite literally speaking – but standing here today with you, knowing that I have friends at my back, makes me just realize that I don't have to be afraid of you, or anyone else. Because I don't need anyone else to show me that I need to be strong."
Felicity moved to the door, her hand stretched out on the handle, she turned back towards him, "Thank you for showing me that I am stronger than you ever believed, that I am capable and loved. That is something you will never know Cooper and honestly for a moment that makes me a feel just a little sorry for you." She paused for a second, turning the handle of the door and pulling it ajar before she turned back to him for a second, "And now it's gone."
Swinging the door open, Felicity smiled as she walked back into the open space of the police station, a smile on her face as she came face to face with Detective Lance, who was also smiling. "You ok?"
Nodding, "Yeah I am." And she was, Felicity was feeling good after seeing Cooper, she'd thought that it would have affected her more but seeing him didn't and she was glad that she was strong enough to front up to him. With one quick nod, Felicity move around Lance, she had to get back to the Foundry, they had a plan to work on.
As she moved away from him, she looked up and stopped, her eyes focusing on Oliver standing off to the side, leaning against the wall of the station with his hands in his jean's pockets, a small smile on his face.
The last few weeks had been tense between the two of them, with Sara back and how she was fitting into the team – Felicity wasn't a jealous person usually, she liked Sara, just part of her felt left out. Not that she would ever tell Oliver that.
But he was here, standing there waiting for her and he didn't look tense. He looked calm and relax – nothing like she would expect him to be, considering who she had just seen. It confused her a little, Oliver was usually such a tense person. Moving slowly to his side, she found that Oliver's smile grew a little more, pushing himself off the wall. "You ok?" He whispered when she came to his side.
And with a bright smile Felicity nodded, her eyes lighting up as she did. "You are so strong Felicity; you were always so strong." He was reminding her of all the times she was the one holding him together. But the difference was right now – Oliver was there for her. It had been a few since they had talked, Oliver and Sara had become close, similarities in the past 3 years had brought them closer but Oliver was there with her now.
She had her best friend back.
Reaching out her right hand for him, Oliver took it and let her lead him from the station. They walked in silence out in the sun for a few moments, Felicity still smiling to herself as she went. "I am so proud of you Felicity. I know I haven't shown it in the last few weeks, I know having Sara around has changed things-"
Felicity stopped, turning on her heels, she looked at him, "No Oliver. It's fine. I mean, you and Sara, you have so much in common and I guess it makes it easier so connect with someone who has had the same experiences as you. I'm happy that you are happy with her-"
But Oliver shook his head, reaching out he touched he elbow, letting his hand slide down her arm to reach for her hand right hand once more. "Felicity - Sara and I aren't together…" Felicity just blinked, a small part of her relaxing at the thought that Oliver and Sara weren't together. "Come on…how about we order some Chinese and watch a movie."
Felicity smiled, taking his hand, Felicity lead him from the station. Chinese and a movie sounded good
Any Love? :D
