Chapter 6: The Beginning
******Diggle's P.O.V******
Diggle followed behind Oliver, who was riding fast and furious on his bike. They'd finally had a lead on the influx of military grade weapons that had been spotted in the Glades. They weren't as bad as the ones the Mayor had brought in after the Undertaking last summer, but their presence was upsetting. Things were finally starting to calm down after Slade and Blood's rampage on the city. The last thing they needed was military grade weapons on the street. Laurel, working in the DA's office, had gotten a tip from a perp looking to make a deal. Supposedly, they were heading in the location the weapons were being kept and/or distributed.
"Which way?" Oliver asked over the comms.
"I...wait a minute," Laurel said on the comms. She was back at the base trying and failing to keep up like Felicity would if she was here. "Left. Go left. They're in the abandoned warehouse on the corner," she said confidently.
Diggle followed Oliver into the turn. The building was ahead. He stopped the van and got out while Roy jumped out of the back, his bow in his hand.
"Roy, take the roof and get anyone that runs out. Shoot to stop, not to kill," Oliver ordered. Roy nodded and ran off.
Oliver approached the building, entering after he disengaged the locks. Diggle cautiously followed.
"What do the satellite images tells us? How many are in the building?" Oliver asked.
"What?" Laurel asked in confusion.
Diggle could tell when Oliver remembered it wasn't Felicity on the other end of the comms. He paused and shook his head.
"Never mind," he muttered. Then he moved forward.
Diggle grimaced. They had been managing okay without Felicity the past two weeks. Laurel could track them easily enough because Felicity had trained her on the basics. But in cases like this when they needed more, it was glaringly apparent how vulnerable they were without Felicity. They had begun to take the things she could do with a computer for granted. She did the impossible so effortlessly that even John was guilty of sometimes forgetting what she brought to the table.
He moved further into the building, scanning like Oliver did. The first room was empty. He allowed Oliver to go ahead so that he could watch his back and keep the surprises to a minimum.
However, a short time later, Diggle lost sight of Oliver. He could hear a fight going on in another nearby room.
"Where is he, Laurel?" he asked. The building was too dark, so he pulled out his flashlight. Because the sounds were coming from two different areas, he wasn't sure where he was needed.
"Damn!" Roy yelled.
"Are you okay?" Diggle asked.
"Yeah. There's a van pulling up. Several more men are coming your way," Roy said.
"Slow them down," Oliver barked.
Diggle rounded a corner and engaged in a gun fight. His left arm flared painfully as a bullet grazed him.
"We need to get out of here, guys," he yelled over the noise. "We're fighting blind and outnumbered."
A grunt of pain from Oliver concerned him, and more gun shots from outside could be heard. Diggle grew worried about Roy because he'd been silent too long.
"Laurel, what's Roy's position?" he asked.
"Ah...he's not too far from you," Laurel replied.
"Is he on the ground or above?" Diggle asked in frustration. God, how he missed his favorite IT girl!
"I think he's still on the roof," Laurel said uncertainly.
"I'm pulling out to find him," Diggle said. "Get out now."
"I'm calling my dad," Laurel said. "He can get some cops to raid the location."
Diggle knew they should've done that to begin with. Without Felicity, they just couldn't scout a place the way they normally would. He spotted Roy right before everything went dark.
*****Roy's P.O.V.*****
Roy shot the man behind Dig with an arrow, not caring if he killed the guy or not. Diggle had been hit hard in the back of the head. Roy was just relieved the guy had no gun. Instead, he'd hit Dig with a two by four. "Diggle's down," Roy yelled. He moved quickly to get to Diggle's side and try and get him into the van.
A nerve racking twenty minutes later, they made it back to the lair. Oliver and Roy, dragging a barely conscious Diggle between them, finally made it inside. "His arm is also bleeding," Oliver said through clenched teeth.
Laurel jumped up and looked concerned as they led Dig to the metal table. "Is he okay?" Laurel asked.
"No thanks to you!" Roy exclaimed with a glare.
"How is he being injured my fault?" she asked in surprise.
"You're useless! We're blind in there because you can't tell us where the bad guys are!" Roy yelled.
"I'm not psychic! How could I tell you?" she asked.
"Felicity would! She'd hack into the cameras or even a damn satellite!" Roy said. He couldn't take much more of these half-assed missions where one of them getting hurt was a given. The last time, it'd been him. This time, both Oliver and Diggle were sporting bloody wounds.
Laurel looked at Oliver. "Are you going to let him talk to me like that?" she asked accusingly.
Oliver sighed and ran a weary hand over his face. "Knock it off, Roy," he said. "It's not her fault. She's doing the best she can."
"Yeah, well, her best is going to get us killed!" Roy fumed. Without the mirakuru, Roy didn't heal quickly, nor was he invulnerable. Being cured was both a blessing and a curse. Roy wouldn't have minded the superpowers, though, if the crazy didn't come with it.
Oliver didn't reply but worked silently to get Diggle's jacket off to check his arm.
"Do you need some help?" Laurel asked him.
Oliver shook his head. "You should probably go. See if your dad was able to get anything from that warehouse," Oliver said.
Laurel looked relieved to have a task, no matter how minor and nodded. As soon as she left, Roy felt some of his tension leaving.
"How long does this shit have to go on?" Roy asked crossly. He moved to hand Oliver the medical supplied he knew was needed. It's funny how routine some things became.
"You know at one time, I did this just by myself," Oliver informed him. "I did okay."
"Yeah, the body count was high, though," Diggle said, obviously awake.
"Are you okay? How do you feel?" Oliver asked.
John slowly sat up and put his hand on the back of his head. He winced and frowned at the blood on his hand when he pulled it back from his head. "When are you going to get a pillow? Placing a man with a head wound on a hard metal table can't be good," he said with a wry smile.
Oliver chuckled, some of his tension leaving the room. Roy shook his head, thinking that the two men were insane. Roy didn't know what had happened to make Felicity stay gone so long, but he suspected it was the appearance of Laurel Lance. For that fact alone, Roy couldn't help but resent the woman's presence. She wasn't Sara, and she never would be. Why the hell was Oliver letting her in their little club? She would either get herself killed or one of them.
"How long is Felicity supposed to stay gone?" Roy asked them.
"She has worked tirelessly for the past twenty months. She deserved a break," Oliver said calmly.
"She'll return when she's ready," Diggle added.
"She's coming back, right?" Roy asked, the worry in his voice.
Diggle smiled. "Yes, she is," he said confidently.
A week later, Roy wasn't so sure.
******Oliver's P.O.V******
Oliver went into his new base of operation without any of the old eagerness he used to have. The three weeks without Felicity had been hard on the entire team. He, especially, was feeling the strain. Seeing Laurel there in Felicity's chair wasn't helping matters. It was just wrong on some many levels. Oliver knew this as he walked toward her. She looked up and smiled when she saw him, so Oliver gave her a small smile. It wasn't her fault she wasn't Felicity. However, he knew he needed to talk to her before Felicity returned. Felicity's words before she left were still ringing in his ears. He couldn't afford to lose Felicity because he'd lost too much already.
"Oliver, have you seen these pictures of Felicity?" Laurel asked eagerly. She gestured to the computer screen.
Seeing that she looked too happy, Oliver approached warily. When he glanced down at the computer screen, he was more than surprised to see Felicity holding hands with a taller, good-looking man. What captured his attention, however, was the look of happiness on her face. The guy was smiling down at her in obvious adoration. The caption read, "Captain America Finds Love."
"Did you know Felicity was dating Captain America?" Laurel asked.
Roy and Diggle had been working out in the back of the room. Laurel's words froze them in their spot.
"What?" Roy asked, running to the computer to see for himself. Diggle was a step behind him.
"There's a dozen similar pictures," Laurel said excitedly. "She must have met him through her cousin's boyfriend, Tony Stark. Did you know?" She directed the question to Diggle.
He shook his head. "No idea," he said. A proud smile grew on his face as he looked at the various photos. There was even a shot of them kissing. "She knows how to keep a secret."
"That she does," Oliver agreed, his eyes glued on the photos.
Roy laughed. "She's full of surprises. First, she leaves in a helicopter piloted by Iron Man and now this! God, I hope she brings him back with her! I can't wait to meet him!" he said excitedly.
"If she comes back," Laurel said smugly. "They look pretty happy. And he lives in New York."
Roy's eyes flashed angrily. "Yeah, so? She lives here!"
"It's not like she has family here. Or even a job anymore. She can easily work for her cousin. Pepper Potts is CEO of Stark Industry," Laurel stated.
For a full minute, there was silence as her words penetrated the three men's minds.
"Felicity has family here. She has us," Diggle finally said. "She'll return."
Oliver realized his talk with Laurel couldn't be put off any longer. He refused to entertain the thought that Felicity would abandon them and their mission. However, he knew if he didn't make a few things clear to Laurel, things could continue to change for the worse with the team.
"Do you guys mind giving me and Laurel a few minutes alone? There's some things I need to discuss with her," Oliver said. John, of course, could read his mind and nodded in satisfaction. His finally was unspoken. When Roy opened his mouth to protest, Diggle dragged him out.
"Let's go get some food to bring back," Diggle suggested. Roy reluctantly followed. He pulled out his phone, probably to look at more pictures online.
When they were gone, Oliver pulled up another chair to sit down by Laurel. "You know, Laurel, it means a lot to mean that you can handle this side of me. That you don't hate me for lying to you. I don't deserve your friendship, but I'm glad I have it," he told her.
Laurel gave him a brilliant smile. "Well, of course, Ollie. I understand what you're trying to do for this city. You're a hero. You and I are going to rebuild this city the way it used to be," she declared.
"Here's the thing, Laurel. I don't really need you to help me much on this end," Oliver said carefully.
She frowned. "What do you mean?" she asked.
"I mean that what I do is dangerous. I would hate myself if something happened to you," Oliver said.
Laurel looked relieved. "Well, I'm a big girl, Ollie. I can take care of myself. Besides, you'd never let anything happen to me," she said confidently.
Oliver mentally groaned. He'd saved her one too many times when he'd first returned home. "I appreciate you filling in for Felicity while she's gone," he said.
"It's not a problem," she said, obviously glad Oliver needed her.
"But the thing is, Laurel, when she returns, I need you to not be here," he said. He winced as he realized how that sounded.
"What?" she asked in growing disbelief.
"I can't do this without Felicity," Oliver.
"We've been doing okay," Laurel said defensively.
"We've been hanging on," Oliver acknowledged. "But let me clarify. I don't want to do this without Felicity. I've lost my mother. Thea has disappeared. The thought of losing Felicity makes me physically ill. She's too important to me. She's too important to the team and what we do here."
"Are you in love with her?" Laurel asked suspiciously.
She'd been waiting to ask him that since the scene with Slade. Oliver knew her well enough to know that. However, he'd made a point of keeping Felicity at a careful distance since then, and Felicity had told her in Oliver's presence that it was all an act. They took Oliver's silence for agreement. The thing is Oliver knew he could easily be in love with Felicity if he allowed himself to go there. She was special. However, he didn't allow himself to think of her as more than a friend. But the thought of losing her or doing what he did without her paralyzed him. She had become so much a part of his life and what he did that he didn't know what he'd do if she wasn't there anymore. She wasn't just crucial to the Arrow but to him personally. Oliver didn't know how to explain that to Laurel, but he knew he had to try.
"Yes, I love her. She's my partner. She's also my conscience, and she's the heart of this team. She's my family. Lovers come and go. Family is forever," Oliver bluntly stated. He tried not to reach for her when she looked like he'd slapped her. He knew that Laurel wanted more from him. However, he didn't have the energy anymore to even begin to navigate between the Lances. Not to mention they'd both changed too much. Olive was done trying to recapture the past—it was time to let it go.
"Do you love me, Oliver?" she asked.
"I do, Laurel. I always will. But you and I are over. You know that. Being with Sara both before and after the island destroyed whatever future you and I could've had," Oliver said gently. "We can't ever be more than we are now."
"What if Felicity doesn't return?" Laurel asked.
Oliver closed his eyes at the thought. The fear of that would now keep him up at night. "If leaving Starling City is what she needs to do to be happy, I'll be okay with that," Oliver finally said. "But I still won't need you down here. I need you out there. I need you in the DA's office."
Laurel got up and gave him a sad look full of longing. Oliver kept his expression guarded. He couldn't give her what she needed any more than he could Felicity. However, it was Felicity that made his world make sense these days. If Felicity couldn't work as well with Laurel as she could Sara, then Laurel would go. It was an easy choice to make. When she left without another word, he felt guilty. However, he also felt lighter.
Felicity would come back. Her fling with the superhero was just a way for her to exorcise her crush on Oliver. He knew she had feelings for him. Unfortunately, Oliver knew if he gave in to the attraction between them, he'd just destroy what they had. He needed her to look at him as a hero. Dating him would make it really clear he was nothing but a fractured man—one who had a long way to go before he was whole. When she returned, things would go back to normal. They'd put the entire Slade mess behind them. Laurel wouldn't be there to cause tension. Things would make sense again.
*****New York City*****
Felicity was trying not to worry. Steve had called her three days ago to cancel their dinner plans. They'd been spending nearly every day together since they met in the past three weeks. Then he called to tell her that Natasha had informed him Clint had spotted Bucky on his last mission down in Central America. Brazil. He was going with her to meet up with Clint. He hoped to finally reach Bucky and bring him home. Felicity understood and wished she could see him off in person. However, she wished him luck and told him to call her when he returned.
It was her third night with no word at all from him. She wanted to call him, but she also didn't want to distract him. The waiting was agony. Waiting for Diggle and Oliver had never been this bad because it was never more than a few hours when they were out on a mission.
Pepper watched her pacing on the third night. "Are you okay?" she asked in concern.
"I'm fine. I'm just anxious. Not hearing anything from Steve is making me a bit nuts. I'm not very patient on a good day. Knowing he is so far away and not knowing what is happening is torture," Felicity said.
"Yeah. When Tony disappeared in the Middle East and then the last time he was presumed dead, I thought I was going to die," Pepper said sympathetically.
"Well, now I just feel guilty!" Felicity exclaimed with a cringe. "Things aren't nearly as bad as what you went through! I don't know how you did it."
"It wasn't easy," she admitted.
"I would've went insane," Felicity said.
"You and Steve have been spending a lot of time together," Pepper observed. "You really like him, don't you?"
Felicity blushed but nodded. "I do. So much," she said with a sigh. She sat down on the sofa next to Pepper. "He's so wonderful. The way he looks at me. The way he makes me feel. I've never had a man look at me that way."
"What about Oliver?" Pepper asked.
"Oliver looks at me with affection. I used to pretend it meant something," Felicity confessed. "But now I understand the difference. Steve looks at me the way a man's supposed to look at a woman he's attracted to. Oliver loves me. I know that he does. I feel it when I'm with him. I'm important to him. I know this without a doubt since he's killed for me. He never did that when Thea or Laurel was kidnapped. But he did when the Count held me. I thought maybe it meant he was in love with me. That someday he'd look at me and want to be with me."
"You don't think that anymore?" Pepper inquired.
Felicity gave a small smile. "Now it doesn't matter. I've met Steve. Oliver and I might've turned into something, but I don't think I'd ever feel secure with him. I'd always feel like I was convenient or that I was too awkward," she shared. "But with Steve, I just fit. It's like I found the missing piece of me. It's hard to explain."
Pepper grinned. "You're falling for him!" she exclaimed.
A secret smile on her face, Felicity nodded. "I really am," she said. "I know I've got to get back to my life in Starling City, but the thought of leaving here, leaving him physically hurts."
"You know you don't have to leave. You can stay here. Work for me," Pepper said.
Felicity shook her head. "I can't just abandon Oliver and Diggle. I have to go back. I might not stay, but I'm going to go back. They need me," she said. She wasn't so certain of that anymore, but she owed it to them to return and see how she felt.
"What about Steve?" Pepper asked.
"I guess I'll see how he feels about me leaving. Maybe he'll come visit me. Or Tony will let him borrow his jet," Felicity said with a grin.
Pepper smiled. "Anytime," she said.
They stayed up chatting. Tony returned after his brain session with Bruce, finally conceding that Bruce was right. The Hulk wasn't going anywhere. It really irked Tony to be wrong, so he dragged Felicity to his lab to show off his newest invention to make himself feel better. Pepper loved having her cousin with them. Her mind worked similarly to Tony's, so they were like two peas in a pod. Tony could not only show off his experiments to an appreciative audience, but he could explain things to someone who understood. For Felicity, Tony was a welcome distraction.
The next morning, Felicity was eating breakfast alone after a restless night of tossing and turning. Both Tony and Pepper were already gone to work when she got out of bed. Her phone beeped. She read the text. I'm home. Come see me when you can. It was from Steve. She breathed a sigh of relief. Quickly, she sent Pepper a text letting her know that Steve was back. She quickly finished getting dressed and headed to Steve's. Although she'd never been to his apartment before, she knew where he lived because he'd told her. The GPS on her phone gave her his exact location, however.
Steve was getting out of his shower when the doorbell rang. He finished drying his hair and chest before wrapping the towel around his waist. When he saw it was Felicity, he opened the door with a warm smile. The sight of her served to chase the dark clouds he'd brought home with him.
"You're back!" she said gazing up at him. The sight of his bare chest caused her words to clog in her throat. They'd not had sex yet. He'd given her a few heated kisses, but they'd not spent time in his apartment alone. There really hadn't been much of an opportunity for more. Normally, he picked her up and kissed her goodnight on Tony's doorstep. It was old-fashioned and sweet. Felicity had been okay with that, enjoying the romance of it. She was also enjoying the buildup, the anticipation. It seemed like he was too.
Now, though, his eyes were tormented. She hugged him tightly, her face against his bare chest.
Steve clung to her, seeking some sort of comfort. He felt drained. Before she'd rang his bell, his solitary state felt much lonelier than ever. Without Bucky, he had no one of his own. Looking at Felicity, however, he realized that wasn't true anymore.
"How did it go? Did you find Bucky?" Felicity asked, pulling back to meet his eyes.
Steve nodded. "I did," he said with a sad sigh. "It didn't go well." Bucky was still closed off. Steve had failed utterly. "He didn't want to come back with me."
Felicity gave him a look of sympathy. "I'm so sorry," she said. "What can I do?"
Steve stared down at her, a rush of feeling for her rushing through him. Suddenly, it all became clear to him. There was only one thing that he needed.
"Be with me," he said softly, his hand caressing her cheek.
Smiling, she nodded. "I'd like that," she admitted. He bent down and kissed her. Unlike the other times they'd kiss, his kiss now had an urgency, a hunger that he'd never shown her.
Felicity felt herself go up in flames at the hunger he unleashed. A matching one rose up inside of her in answer to his silent demand. Her arms pulled him tight against her. He pushed her against the wall next to the closed door, his mouth slanting against hers over and over. Finally, he broke off the kiss and moved his mouth to her neck, sucking hard, causing her to gasp in pleasure.
Suddenly, he pulled back and looked at her. Her chest heaving, she locked her eyes on his. Then her hand reached out and touched his face. He was so gorgeous. That he wanted her so much was still somewhat of a surprise.
"I wish I could make things better with your friend," she said.
This man who had done so much, lost so much deserved more. Her heart ached for the pain she could see he was in. Unlike Oliver, he held no barrier up to keep her at a distance but allowed her to see what he was feeling. He allowed himself to seek comfort from her. His desire bathed her in warmth. Felicity was never that good with words, so she didn't think she'd ever be able to describe exactly how being with him now felt. It felt like the beginning of something wonderful. The feeling of excitement and happiness grew as he gazed down at her in awe.
"You make things better just by existing," he said with a smile. "Being here with me now is just like icing on the cake."
Felicity didn't know what she'd done to deserve a man like him looking at her the way he was, but she was grateful. When he bent down and swept her into his arms, she felt both elation and fear.
Was this just an affair? Would it be over when she left? She wanted to just bask in the moment, to get lost in the pleasure. However, he already mattered too much.
When he gently laid her on his bed, she couldn't help asking. "What is this, Steve? I...I mean you and I...this?" she asked, stumbling.
Steve had spent enough time with her to know what she meant. He reached out and grabbed her hand. Smiling, he brought it to his lips. "This is just the beginning," he promised.
Joy exploded as his eyes held a promise that she couldn't help but respond to. Her arms went around his neck as he covered her body with his own. His lips met hers, and she became lost in his embrace.
*****Chapter End******
Sorry if you wanted some smut, but I wanted to keep it sweet and romantic.