FYI: This is story will NOT feature a Laurel/Oliver pairing. The thought of that makes me physically ill.

Chapter 2: Letting Go

*****The Next Day*****

Felicity decided to be excited about her vacation and spending time in New York with her cousin and Tony. It would be an adventure. Being around people who didn't just see her as a tool would be a nice change. Although she knew Oliver genuinely cared about her, he sometimes focused on what she could do for him more than who she was as a person and a woman. With Slade, however, he'd used the fact that she was a woman as a weapon. Sometimes she just didn't understand Oliver and spending all her time focusing on him was exhausting. This vacation was just what she needed.

She went to the lair in a good mood. There was a field behind the abandoned warehouse they were using that a helicopter could land on. Tony insisted that she not drive herself. He wanted to show off, and she knew it was best to let him have these small things. Since he'd quit flying around as Iron Man, he'd gotten his pilot license. She suspected he'd fly himself. Hopefully, he'd stay in the helicopter and not poke his nose in Oliver's business. However, she knew she couldn't count on that. Tony was unpredictable at best. She could've warned Oliver, but she decided he didn't deserve that consideration. The recognition of a petty side was further proof that she needed a vacation.

Laurel was waiting for her as instructed. Felicity wasn't overly surprised that Laurel's greeting was cool. After running through things with Laurel, she decided to be gracious.

"I'm sorry about my breakdown yesterday. I'm sorry for being rude," Felicity told her.

"I'm sorry you feel so threatened by my presence in Oliver's life," Laurel said with a condescending smile.

Felicity's mouth fell open slightly in shock at Laurel's words. "Excuse me?" she spit out.

"You don't have the history that I have with Oliver, so you can't possibly understand what we have. Now that I know all of Oliver's secrets it's only a matter of time before we're together again," Laurel said confidently.

Felicity rose to her feet. "I get your history. You were the girl so in love with Oliver that you turned a blind eye to his constant cheating. You wanted more from him, and instead of him manning up and telling you he didn't feel the same, he started cheating on you with your sister. But that still wasn't enough for you. You unwillingness to let him go broke Tommy's heart. Sara comes back and is with Oliver again, and that doesn't bother you? You have much bigger issues than me," Felicity said, her anger making her unnaturally mean. However, Laurel Lance had pissed her off one too many times. "I'll be gone for a few weeks. You want Oliver—you can have him. I'm done caring who he sleeps with."

Laurel had gasped when she'd mentioned Tommy and rose to her feet to face Felicity. "How dare you mention Tommy! Who do you think you are?" Laurel asked.

"I'm Oliver's partner. You're just a girl he used to sleep with," Felicity said with a smirk and walked away. With every step she took, she felt lighter and lighter. She'd told Oliver how she felt and telling Laurel off felt even better.

As she was opening the door, Oliver was there about to open it. "Oh, hi. I was hoping to see you before you left," he said, smiling at her. "Did everything go okay?"

"If by okay, you mean I apologized for being rude and Laurel makes it clear that you belong to her. I told her she could have you. I'm done caring," Felicity said coolly. She moved to brush past Oliver, but he grabbed her hand to stop her.

"Felicity, I'm sorry about Laurel. I'll handle her," he said.

Felicity nodded. "While I'm gone, you need to think about how you see this team functioning. As long as she's a part of the team, it won't function well. I know Dig will agree with me about that," Felicity said. "If you want her to be your girlfriend, then let her be your girlfriend. Keep her out of here, though. I'm not going to constantly justify my place in your life to her."

Oliver grimaced. "I understand," he said. "Do you need a ride to the airport?"

"No, my cousin's uber-rich boyfriend is sending a helicopter outside," she said. She walked away before Oliver could ask a dozen questions.

Oliver walked inside to deal quickly with Laurel. It took longer than he thought it would, and he rushed outside convinced Felicity would already be gone.

However, the helicopter was landing as he spotted her car still parked. He couldn't believe she'd given someone the location to their base. He wanted to catch her before she left.

The helicopter had landed by the time he reached her. It was loud.

"Felicity!" he called out. He picked up his pace.

"What the hell, Felicity? Why did you tell someone where we are?" he asked her when he reached her side. He ignored the man that was walking toward them.

"I didn't tell them where we are. I just gave the coordinates of a handy field," she said. "But my cousin knows what I do with you. She knows who you are. Both your identities."

"What?" Oliver asked in outrage.

"Felicity, are you ready?" the man asked.

"I am, Tony," she said. She stepped up to give the man a hug.

Oliver clenched his fist in rage as he looked at her hugging a man who was a stranger to him. However, when she pulled back, Oliver got a look at the man's face. What the hell?

"Felicity, what's going on?" he asked.

Tony smiled and stepped forward, holding out his hand. "Tony Stark. Don't blame Felicity. I figured out your little secret on my own. I hate a puzzle that's unsolved. The new vigilante's identity was just another puzzle to me. Your secret is safe with me," Tony said.

"Oliver, this is my cousin Pepper's boyfriend," Felicity said.

"Your cousin is Pepper Potts?" Oliver asked incredulously. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Why didn't you ask?" she pointed out. "You never what to know much about me or my life, Oliver. That's been one of our problems."

"Are you ready?" Tony asked her.

She nodded. "Goodbye, Oliver. I'll be back when I'm ready to come back," she said. Then she turned and headed to the helicopter, leaving a dumbfounded Oliver behind.

"Just so you know, I'm going to do my best to convince Felicity once again to work for me," Tony said, flashing a smile. "If she does decide to come back here, understand this." Tony's air of congeniality left. A ruthless predator took its place. "If you make her cry again, I will buy your company and give it to her. You will be working for her." Smirking, he gave a small salute and followed Felicity back to the helicopter.

Laurel had come up just as Felicity walked away. When the helicopter drove off, she said, "Was that who I think it was?"

Oliver faced her. "Tony Stark," he said, still trying to wrap his mind around the sudden revelations. It was like his world had been turned on its axis.

"How in the world does Felicity know Iron Man?" Laurel wondered.

"That's a very good question," he replied, not sharing what Felicity had told him. Oliver was beginning to realize he didn't know Felicity Smoak as well as he thought he did, and the revelation made him incredibly sad.

Inside the helicopter, Tony handed her the headset. "You're flying?" she asked, anxious.

Tony grinned. "Any excuse! Plus, this way I get to one up Queen, who is too dumb to appreciate you!" he said.

"He appreciates me. Just not the way I want him to," she said with a grimace.

"Well, let's not think about him another moment. Your vacation begins now!" Tony said, flashing a grin as he put the bird in the air.

Felicity grinned back, excited to begin her new adventure.

*****New York City*****

Pepper had trouble focusing as she waited for her cousin to arrive. She didn't hear the last thing that was said to her. "I'm sorry, Happy, can you repeat that?" she asked.

"I said that I still think someone is stealing. We are going through way too much toilet paper," Happy said.

She laughed. "Happy, please quit wasting your time looking for criminals. You know we don't care about stuff like that. If someone is taking home rolls of toilet paper, they probably need it more than we do," she pointed out.

Happy looked crestfallen as he realized she had a point. "So when's Tony arriving with Felicity? Do you think she'll notice I've lost twenty pounds?" he asked hopefully, puffing out his chest.

Pepper gave him a fond look. "Of course, she will!" she assured him.

Happy looked down at his phone. "I think he's here. The helicopter is on the roof," he announced.

Pepper got to her feet. "Well, let's go meet them," she suggested.

A short time later, Tony was turning off his helicopter. "Not too bad, huh?" he asked with a pleased smile.

"You gotta teach me how to do it next time!" Felicity said eagerly. Her fear of heights got less and less the more time she was with Oliver—by necessity more than desire.

Tony's face lit up. "Of course! I tried to get Pepper to take lessons with me, but she said she had no time and no interest," he said.

Felicity unbuckled her seatbelt and carefully stepped out of the helicopter. A security man was there to help her down.

By the time Tony got her suitcase and bags out, Pepper and Happy appeared. Felicity grinned and waved.

Pepper quickly made it to her side and pulled her in for a tight hug. "I'm so glad you came!" she exclaimed.

"Thanks for having me," Felicity said. She spotted Happy, who was grinning at her. "Happy! Good to see you!" She'd grown very fond of the man who'd always been Tony's shadow, his best friend. She gave him a hug. "Have you lost weight?"

Happy gave her a bashful, pleased smile. "Yes. I've joined Weight Watchers and have been working out some with Tony," he admitted.

"Well, it shows," Felicity said.

"I told you she'd notice," Pepper said to him.

"Soon, Happy's going to be fighting the ladies off with a stick," Tony said as he grinned and slapped him on the back. They walked toward the roof access door.

"Are you hungry?" Pepper asked. "I haven't had lunch yet. I didn't want to miss your arrival."

"Sure. I could eat," Felicity said. They walked down a flight of stairs.

"Great. We'll stop at a place on the way home," Pepper said.

"Oh, if you have to work, it's okay," Felicity said as they stopped in front of an elevator door. Happy pushed the button.

"I got my schedule cleared for the rest of the afternoon and the next few days. You and I are going to spend some much needed time together," Pepper said, hooking her arm through Felicity's as they walked through the elevator door.

A few hours later, Tony disappeared in his lab tinkering, and Pepper and Felicity were sharing a glass of wine, catching up. Felicity told her cousin about her breakdown and confrontation with Oliver and Laurel.

"Well, I'm glad you cleared the air. Sometimes things just fester if you leave the words unsaid," Pepper said. "You can spend a few weeks here and get some distance. Hopefully, he'll have thought about what you said."

"I'm done waiting on him, Pepper," Felicity said firmly. "I told him that I was in love with him. He still let me go. He doesn't love me—at least not the way I want him to. I need more in my life but his crumbs of affection."

Pepper smiled, pleased at her new attitude. "I'm glad to hear that. I know lots of single men. Are you open to dating while you're in town?" Pepper asked.

"I suppose so, but I'm not sure what the point is. New York City isn't my home. I don't want to start something with a guy that's going to go nowhere," Felicity said.

"You don't know that. The world is a big place but thanks to technology it's gotten considerably smaller," Pepper reminded her. "Besides, if Oliver Queen can't see what he has in you, there are plenty of men in this town that will. I know a few in particular that could use a woman like you!"

Felicity blushed. "Oh, yeah? Who do you have in mind?"

"Well, since you have a thing for guys who shoot arrows, I could introduce you to Clint," Pepper said.

"Hawkeye?" Felicity asked. She considered him and shook her head. "I think I need to move on from arrows." No guy that reminded her so much of Oliver would be a good choice. "The goal is to get over Oliver. Not date his clone!"

Pepper laughed in acknowledgment of her point. "But not no to all superheroes, right? Because Steve is the best guy I know and pisses Tony off he's so by the book. However, since the thing with SHIELD went down, he's been forced to loosen up and adjust his worldview," Pepper said.

"Steve?" Felicity prompted.

"Steve Rogers. Captain America," Pepper said with a grin and a wink.

"You want to hook me up with Captain America?" Felicity asked incredulously, her eyes wide.

"Well, he's very old worldly. He's perfectly safe. He'd never pressure you or even make a pass at you. He'd be the perfect guy to spend some time with. And he's your type," Pepper said knowingly as she took another sip of her wine.

"What do you consider my type?" Felicity wondered.

"Tall, built, incredibly good-looking, highly intelligent, selfless, and brave. Strong," Pepper listed.

Felicity knew all those qualities described Oliver Queen, but she wasn't sure a guy like him was a good idea. "I don't know. Maybe I should look for Oliver's opposite," she said doubtfully.

"Believe me. Steve is nothing like Oliver Queen. He'd die before ever hurting a woman," Pepper said. When Felicity started to defend Oliver, she raised her hand. "I know Oliver would never hurt you physically, but he's hurt you. He's been careless with your feelings and taken you for granted. Steve would never do that to any woman. Did you ever hear how he got chosen for the super serum experiment to begin with?"

Felicity shook her head. "No," she replied.

"He'd tried enlisting several times to fight in WWII and had been rejected. He was skinny, weak, and sickly. So many things wrong with him including asthma, but he had a brave heart. He impressed one of the doctors examining possible recruits, Dr. Erskine, the man in charge of the project, with his determination and passion to serve his country. So the doctor accepted him as a recruit. However, Colonel Phillips, the military guy in charge of training, didn't see Steve as a good recruit. Erskine insisted that heart was the most important thing. Not skill. The serum would amplify the physical and could twist anyone not completely sound," Pepper explained. "He wanted his super soldier to be a specific kind of soldier. One as different from the Red Skull as possible. The Colonel threw a grenade at the recruits without telling them it was a dummy. Everyone immediately jumped away. Except Steve, of course. His first thoughts were protecting everyone. He jumped on the grenade, willing to die to protect others."

"Wow!" Felicity exclaimed, giving a dreamy sigh.

"My dad loved to tell me that story as a kid," Tony said, sneaking up on them. "I shared it a dinner party with the Avengers hoping and succeeding in embarrassing the Captain." His delight in his success was evident by the gleeful look on his face. Felicity laughed.

"Steve and Tony didn't get off on the right foot when they first met," Pepper explained.

"He said I'd never be that guy," Tony said.

"What guy?" Felicity asked.

"The guy who'd make the sacrifice when the chips were down," Tony said, his eyes looking a bit haunted as he recalled the invasion that forced him to do exactly that.

"He was wrong," Pepper said proudly.

"No, he wasn't," Tony disagreed. "I never was that guy. He pegged me correctly. I made the suit the first time as an act of self-preservation. My interest and drive compelled me to perfect it. It was a lark. I enjoyed the attention. It wasn't until aliens tried to destroy my city that I realized what it meant to really be a hero. Steve shamed me with his words, but I did okay in the end, I guess."

Pepper got up and put her arms around his neck, kissing him. "You did more than okay," she said. "You weren't a soldier like him. You weren't trained to risk your life."

"It's just instinctive with some people. Like Steve throwing himself on a grenade he thought was live. He was barely a soldier and that was just who he was," Tony remarked, his admiration evident.

"I stepped on a grenade once," Felicity revealed. "Or a landmine or something like that. Thing you step on that goes boom."

They turned to her in surprise. "What?" Pepper demanded.

"On Oliver's island last fall when Dig and I went to bring him back home," she shared.

Pepper walked back toward her and sat down again. "What happened?" Tony sat down next to Pepper wanting to hear the story.

"Dig and I heard the click. He bent down to see if he could disarm it when Oliver called out and told him to stop. We looked up and he did his Tarzan thing," Felicity said, smiling at the memory.

"Tarzan thing?" Tony asked.

"He swung down from a vine and swooped me up in his arms before it exploded," she said. "Well, it exploded after we hit the ground, but we were far enough away."

"Well, there's no grenades or land mines here in New York, so you can relax for a few weeks and try to forget about Oliver Queen," Pepper said. Damn the man for being so hard to forget! Pepper knew she had her work cut out for her. However, she thought Steve would be up to the task.

Felicity wasn't sure if she could do that, but she knew the distance would do her some good. It would give her some much needed perspective and time to get over one Oliver Queen. The best way to get over a guy was to let go of her fantasies about him. Although he had many good qualities—he was a hero after all—he sorely lacked in other areas. It was time Felicity moved on and focused on herself.

"How about a spa day tomorrow?" she suggested.

Pepper brightened at the suggestion. "I know the perfect place!" she said eagerly.

Felicity smiled, glad she'd decided to leave Starling City behind for a while. It was past time for her to get a life outside of Oliver Queen, to make memories that didn't involve him at all.

******Chapter End******

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