To Embrace
Disclaimer: I don't own Arrow.
Chapter 5: Serendipity
Elevator music always seemed pointless to Thea. Was it really so hard to be in a small silent space with strangers? Did shitty jazz really make that big of a difference? Whoever decided on the music for QC's lifts needed to be fired because it was awful. She shifted her weight from her left to her right and winced slightly as a muscle in her calf twinged. She really needed to take a break from her routine, but couldn't bring herself to. She was more than a little addicted.
Another employee got into the car and the portly man's eyes widened when they landed on her before quickly turning around. Thea rolled her eyes at the action. Yes, her last name was Queen, but she was still only a teenager or so everyone thought. It wasn't like she actually had any power at the company, yet there were still plenty of workers who went the other way when they saw her walking through the halls. She figured it was a better reaction though than those that gossiped about what a train wreck she turned out to be. Office people.
The car continued to rise and Thea wished she had taken the executive elevator. They stopped again and she caught sight of the directory as the doors opened. IT was listed amongst the other departments and for a moment she wondered if Felicity would get on. When Oliver died Thea was too wrapped up in her anger and her mission to go back to see the pain in the other woman. Everyone took her brother's death hard but the only one who came close to her own despair was Felicity. The doors of the elevator closed and there was no Felicity.
The loneliness Thea had been feeling for months pressed in and she was relieved when the car finally stopped at her floor. Pulling her face into a happy expression she waved at Lin before coming to a halt at the open glass door.
"Knock knock." Walter Steele looked up to see his stepdaughter at his office door.
"Thea!" The CEO of Queen Consolidated closed his notes from his morning meetings. "What a welcome surprise. Come in," he beckoned shuffling around some paperwork on his desk.
Thea smiled widely as she stepped through the glass entryway. She missed this, visiting Walter at the office. After all that happened in the future Walter still kept in touch with her. They called each other fairly often and once in a while would share a meal when they were in the same city. He took Moira's death hard and left Starling soon after her funeral. But he always made time for her even when she was a messed up teenager. The effort meant so much more to her now that she was older. "I was wondering if you wanted to grab some lunch."
Walter's face fell. "You know I would love that, but I have a lunch appointment with…" His voice trailed off as he opened his schedule on the desktop in front of him, "A T.Q." Quirking a dark eyebrow at her grinning face the bald man chuckled. "You don't need to make an appointment with me to talk Thea," Walter told her as he came around his desk and grabbed his coat from the rack.
She did actually. Mr. Stanbarry hadn't been lying when he said her course load would be stressful and difficult. Thea barely had time to keep up her weekly work outs with Tommy. Another thing that concerned her mother. At first she didn't understand why Moira was suddenly being so cold to her half brother and trying to dissuade Thea from spending time with him. Sure Tommy was still a bit of a party animal, but Moira didn't seem to have a problem with him when he and Oliver were getting into trouble. Then it dawned on her that Moira was concerned there was something happening between the two of them. She shut that idea down quickly, assuring her mom she saw Tommy as an older brother.
The youngest Queen shuddered slightly at the nightmarish memory of the one time something almost did happen between them and pulled her head back to Walter in front of her. "I know, I just thought it was time we got to know one another a bit more," Thea said slowly leading the way to the elevator. She had awakened only a short while after he and her mother married and she knew she hadn't been the most receptive to the idea before or immediately following the ceremony. Originally Walter reached out and the two got used to each other over time but thanks to her busy schedule she barely had any time to spare.
Walter shot her a grateful smile. "That sounds wonderful." He hummed in thought as the elevator dinged. "I feel like I may be getting us off to a rocky start, but I know your mother wouldn't mind seeing you around more too." Thea winced at the gentle reprimand. "I know you've been very focused on your school work and that is commendable…" he trailed off, obviously unsure if he had any right to comment.
"I know, I've just been really busy. It's finals right now, I didn't have any this afternoon, which is why I have this time," she explained.
Walter's eyes softened. "Well I'm glad that you are here and I know it's not really my place but I am proud of you." The words warmed her and she gave him a genuine smile. "So tell me, I know you have a birthday coming up, any big plans?"
Her long curls shook from side to side. "I was thinking just dinner with you and mom. How does that sound?"
Her stepfather smiled and nodded with approval. "That sounds absolutely wonderful. I'm sure your mother will be thrilled. Where are we having lunch?" Walter asked as they descended to the lobby.
"Have you ever eaten at Big Belly Burger?" Thea asked with mischief in her voice.
Walter laughed. "I may adore fine wine and the some of the best cuisine this city has to offer, but there is a special place in my heart for the triple B."
They both chuckled and Walter asked about the tests she had left as they exited the elevator and avoided a large puddle of coffee that was being mopped up by a custodian. Thea was about to answer when the CEO's phone went off. Shooting an apologetic look at his stepdaughter Walter answered it. "Yes, Charles?" The bald man's face stayed calm and stoic as he listened. "No I didn't authorize that." Thea tried not to be disappointed as she saw her lunch plans go out the window. She truly wanted to spend some time with Walter that didn't include talking about her current problems with her mother. "No I can't meet you down at the site this afternoon. I have a presentation scheduled. Now?" The man muffled the phone against his chest.
"Go, go," Thea shooed with a wave. "Go be a CEO. I will see you at dinner tonight." He probably wouldn't. She had more exams the next day and her plan was to hit the books as soon as she returned to the manor. She also wanted some time with a punching bag.
Her stepfather gave her an apologetic smile. "Rain check, I promise." He squeezed her shoulder and headed back to the CEO's private elevator.
Shaking her head Thea made a pitstop in the restroom before she went to lunch solo. It seemed to be fate's hand that guided her into the bathroom because there at one of the sinks was none other than Felicity Smoak, futilely trying to get a very large coffee stain out of her pale pink, button-up blouse.
For a second Thea couldn't manage anything other than to stare at her friend and almost sister-in-law. Swallowing thickly, Thea managed words. "Coffee accident?"
Wide blue eyes met hazel and the older woman flushed. "I was hoping no one would witness my embarrassment."
"Should have tried somewhere other than the lobby bathrooms," Thea suggested.
"Thanks," Felicity bit out with venom making the brunette raise a manicured brow. Felicity saw the look and turned redder. "Sorry, bad mood. This," she gestured to her shirt. "was coffee for the management staff of the IT department, that I was asked to get despite the fact I am not a secretary, no matter what my hair color suggests." Throwing a bunch of paper towels in the trash Felicity let out a huff of frustration. "Two degrees from MIT and I'm getting coffee. I should have taken that position at S.T.A.R. Labs. Hell, I bet Wayne Enterprises would have been better than this and trust me I am not Gotham material."
Thea listened to the tirade without interrupting unable to suppress a small laugh at Felicity's expense. The sound brought the bottle blonde's attention back to the only other person in the bathroom. "Sorry I don't normally spill my frustrations out to a perfect stranger, but IT has this presentation today, I will be giving part of it and the head of every department is going to be there including the CEO and I'm covered in three different latte's because some idiot wasn't watching where they were going when they came out of the elevator." Felicity took a deep breath, her words got louder towards the end of her rant. "And still blurting out my problems." The IT girl apologized again still flushed with embarrassment.
"Do you have time to run home and change?" Thea asked sympathetically, trying to be a solution for the girl who was usually solving other people's problems.
Felicity shook her head in the negative. "No I'm supposed to be up in IT right now with coffee and finish up some last minute adjustments to the presentation, cause there in apparently no one else but me who actually does work up there."
The brunette's lips twitched as Felicity's hand shot to her mouth in horror at what she just said. The younger woman assessed the mess in front of her. "You're a four right? Did the coffee go all the way through to your bra?" Felicity nodded glumly, but shot Thea a confused face. Pulling out her phone Thea scrolled through her contacts and pressed the call button. She gave the latte-covered woman who was watching her curiously smile. It was amazing to see her like this. After Oliver died something in Felicity broke. Though the two had called it quits on their relationship a while before for reasons not even Thea could drag out of Oliver, something still lingered between the two. Dig, who was out of the business for the most part after his son was born took the tech genius away from it all. Felicity returned to talk to Thea one last time and their conversation made her all the more determined to save her brother.
"Umm what are you doing?" Felicity asked while the phone rang.
"Playing fairy god mother," she told the blonde. "Hey Mina. Oh, this isn't about my mother's dress. Listen I need a favor, could you get me a blouse in a size four that will go with a dark grey pencil skirt." Felicity made noised of protest once she realized what Thea was doing, but the younger woman just held up her hand. "Yes, something business appropriate, not too boring and it needs to go with, hold on. "What color is that on your lips?"
"Uhh Elixery, Serendipity..." the blonde answered, sounding as if she was unsure that she wanted to.
"It needs to go with a color called Serendipity by Elixery. It's a fabulous mauve. And I need a bra as well." Thea eyed Felicity's chest unabashedly. "32 B. Could you have it boxed up and delivered to QC to one," Thea paused, making a show of reading Felicity's employee ID. "Felicity Smoak, spelled S-M-O-A-K in IT. Yes, ASAP. That's perfect. Yep, thank you!"
Ending the call Thea smiled at her stunned friend whose mouth was trying to form words. "You didn't have to do that- I-"
"You were having a rough day and I just made it easier," Thea interrupted. "The clothes should be here in about 25 minutes or so, just enough time for you and me to go pick up some more coffee." The younger woman headed to the bathroom door. "Or better yet blow off the coffee and we can pick up some lunch at Big Belly Burger, I for one am starving."
Felicity stayed rooted to her spot mouth agape. "Who are you?"
Thea smiled widely her energy renewed from the short exposure to her old friend. "Told you, your fairy god mother. Now grab your coat and lets go get some fries Cinderella!" The blonde didn't know quite what to do other than follow Thea from the bathroom.
The brunette breathed in the frosty air of winter as she and Felicity made their way down QC's front steps. "But, seriously who are you?"
"Thea Queen."
Felicity stopped in her her tracks. "I'm sorry, I thought I just heard you say Thea Queen."
"Felicity Smoak," she addressed turning on her heel to look the genius in the eye, "I think we are going to be really great friends, but I just finished a brutal lit exam, an only slightly better physics test and I'm starving, so if you don't get your butt moving I might do something really unpleasant." She turned back to her objectively just as sharply and continued towards happiness.
"Okay, okay," Felicity surrendered and fell back in step with the shorter woman. "Wait, sorry friends?" Hazel eyes gave her a sideways look. "It's just people with the last name Queen are not friends with people whose last name is Smoak. I mean employers yes, friends no."
"Well I guess that will just have to change."
A/N: So I only slightly edited this chapter because I really liked it the first time. Sorry there really isn't anything new here. Next chapter is new. Thanks as always for following and reviewing this story.
bookgirl18: I hope it won't stop you from reading but this won't be a Thea/Roy story. That doesn't mean there isn't some Roy/Thea goodness in the future.
