Disclaimer: I don't own Arrow or the Avengers. If I did, well let's just say my life would be very different.
Also, This chapter isn't Beta-ed as I don't have one. If you would like to become my Beta drop me a PM.
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Before she could answer the slamming of the door upstairs and footsteps coming down made Felicity mumbled a quick "I'll tell you later" and with that she scurried back to her computers, acting as if she had been there the whole time.
And not a moment too soon as Starlings City's Vigilantes arrived downstairs. Two of Starlings City's Vigilantes were wearing worried looks and the third Vigilante was the reason for their looks.
Many people had learned that Oliver's footsteps were often the tale-telling of a storm. 'The thunder before the storm' if you would. The skies could look clear but the thunder can always tell you otherwise. Every vigilante who had worked with The Hood could tell you that if there's thunder then you had better prepare for a storm. And from the way that Oliver slammed his bow onto the table, you knew that the storm had been brewing.
"Oliver" Dig broke the silence,
"What?" Oliver growled, he turned his head slightly, his eyes narrowed, to send a look to Diggle.
Felicity shot a glance at Sara imploringly, hoping that she could somehow read her mind and tell her why Oliver was angry. The glance only made Felicity start to regret taking her comm out of her ear.
"Look, man, I want to find Slade just as much as you do" Oliver let out a scoff "but don't you think we should focus on other things?"
"Like what?" Oliver challenged
"Like going after that drug dealer," He said it more as a statement than a question. Felicity could tell that Dig was trying to keep calm but she could see that his patience was wearing.
"A drug dealer?" Oliver asked incredulously "You want to go after a drug dealer while Slade's out there?" He looked at Sara as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Dig has got a point Oliver" he tilted his head at her as if to say 'you too?' "We have no leads, maybe we should go after that Stardust drug."
"You guys want to go after the Stardust drug instead of going after Slade? The guy who's got mirakuru pulsing through his body? Slade needs to be stopped! Not forgotten about in favour of a drug!" His voice was growing louder and louder with each word.
"And we agree with you." Dig broke up Oliver's rant "However we are getting nowhere with him, we've got no leads, no nothing."
"And whose fault is that?" Oliver rounded on Felicity, the silent accusation hung in the air.
Felicity felt her eyes widen into a look of disbelief, had she not proven herself worthy of being part of the team? Has she not been there for them day in day out? Has she not been sitting at her computer every day until her fingers were sore looking for leads?
"Excuse me?"
"It's been a month Felicity. We've been out on the streets every. Single. Night. And all you've been doing is twiddling your thumbs on your computers. We've been counting on you to find Slade, and yet, you have nothing!"
Three pairs of eyes looked at Oliver with looks of disgust and disbelief. They all knew that Felicity had been down here working her ass off to help them. Yes, they may have been the ones out on the streets, but who directed them to the streets they were needed at? Who made sure that no evidence was found that could incriminate them as vigilantes? Who had been looking non-stop for Slade since Oliver deemed him a threat to Starling City? The answer was plain and simple. Felicity Smoak.
She was the one that kept them safe from the eyes of the police and got them whatever information they needed, she was also the one to make sure that their equipment was in good condition. Without her they would be lost, how did Oliver not see that?
Felicity took a deep breath and let it out slowly, counting to ten "I'm doing the best I can Oliver, just like everybody else. I don't know what more you want from me" she said it calmly but inside she felt like a tornado waiting to be unleashed
"What I want from you is to focus on the task at hand, not for you to be busy keeping secrets from us! You know our secrets, why won't you tell us yours?" Oliver dared,
"Firstly, I have pushed myself just as hard as anybody in this room, I have stayed focused and have done as you asked to keep this city safe! And secondly, you've barely told us ANYTHING, about your time on the island so you can't talk about keeping secrets, Oliver, and thirdly, if I want to keep a secret I DON'T need your permission. A secret is a secret for a reason, Oliver. Did you ever think of why I kept it from you?" she stressed.
"We are meant to be a team. A team that works together. We can't do that if we have secrets."
"I don't see you volunteering to share. You have your secrets, Oliver. Sara has many, both Roy and Diggle have their secrets. And just like them, I have mine, can't you just respect that, and leave it at that?" Felicity didn't understand how the conversation had gone from Slade to her secrets so quickly. It wasn't like any of her secrets had anything to do with Slade.
"No, I can't. I've told you all I can, you guys wouldn't handle-"
"You don't think we could handle it?" Felicity interrupted "I think we know what we can and can't handle Oliver. You're not the only one with a bad past. Diggle served in Afghanistan for 5 years. And Roy grew up in the glades, you don't think they've faced hardships? Things they regret doing? Sara is an Assassin for god's sake, I'm sure she has regrets and secrets."
The three onlookers she mentioned shared brief looks with each other, each thinking of something they regretted doing in their past. Felicity was right, they had done things they had regretted doing. Whether it was on purpose or accidental. They all had regrets.
"We are not talking about them. We are talking about you and your failure of doing the one thing you're meant to be good at!" Oliver denounced as he slammed his fists into the table expressing his anger.
"Hey! That's not fair! We wouldn't be able to capture half of the men we do without her. Felicity is doing her best!" Roy defended Felicity. He had been hoping that Oliver would see some sense but he would be damned if he allowed Oliver to degrade Felicity further after all she had done.
"Well obviously her best isn't good enough!" retorted Oliver "I brought her into this thinking she could find out villains identities but after this? I'm not sure anymore"
"After what?" Roy asked. Felicity looked at Diggle, she had thought that either he or Oliver would have told Roy and Sara about the meeting with Tony but apparently not.
"What did she do? Huh? I may not know the full story, but if Felicity kept something from us it either because it's not a threat or none of our business. You keep focussing on the negatives, what she hasn't managed to do, but what about the things she did do? There are more of those than failures" While Roy was talking he had unconsciously moved forwards until he stood right in front of Felicity, almost as if he were protecting her. Protecting her from Oliver.
Roy turned his head back to look at Felicity, her eyes were welled up with unshed tears from Oliver's accusations. He knew he had to get her out of the bunker. He started walking towards the exit, giving a little nod to Felicity as he passed her; a silent message to follow him.
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Hey Guys, I know, I know. It's been a while. I'm sorry. Life can be complicated at the best of times. And trust me these aren't the best of times.
I want to thank the people who reviewed, followed and favourited. You guys helped motivate me to write this chapter.
I would like to ask you to review, it would certainly help motivate me to write the next chapter. It can be as small or as long as you like. I just want to hear your thoughts.
TBC
