Giardini del Mio Angelo, built in 1875, was a wedding present from Vincent Tecchio for his young bride, Lorenza De Gasperi. She was seventeen and he was twenty-five. It was an arranged marriage and they met only two months before their wedding. Vincent was instantly taken with her and thought her an angel. Vincent also knew that his bride was less enthusiastic about the wedding mainly because shortly after they were married they were moving from Italy to America. The construction of the building had already started but he spent word to make sure that the 300 acres of land the property sat on where converted to lush gardens. Lorenza was known for her love of nature and spending many hours in her family's garden. The gesture went a long way to endear Vincent to Lorenza.
From their union four generations lived in Giardini del Mio Angelo, before one of Vincent and Lorenza's wayward great great great grandson lost the family home due to gambling debt. Then in 2002, it was brought as wedding present for the then newly married Sally Buchanan from her new husband, international business tycoon, Aidan Buchanan. Sally had an MBA with an interest in history. She had noticed the property while haunting for wedding venues; she instantly saw the potential it had and told Aidan as much, just in passing though. But the spark in her eye was too much for Aidan to pass up and he presented her with the deed on the last night of their honeymoon.
Since receiving the property Sally has restored to its former glory with minor adjustments and turned it into a hotel. The Giardini del Mio Angelo Hotel has eight large rooms with sitting areas and master bathrooms with jazzcui tubs. The reception hall was spacious with detail architecture. And all the gardens were opulent with a wide variety of different flowers. Since opening in spring of 2003, the hotel has slowly gained a reputation for being one of the best wedding reception spots in Northern California.
It was all very beautiful, enchanting even, but it was definitely not what Oliver expected when he stepped out of the passenger seat of the rental car. He buttoned his suit jacket as he took in the grand architecture. The entranceway was arched with plenty of exotic plants lining the sides. It was all very captivating, but that was not a word he normal associated with a funeral venue.
"I think we go through this way," Diggle commented as he came to stand beside Oliver after handing the keys over to the valet. "The ceremony is being held outside, but valet said the only way to the site is through the building."
Following Diggle into the lobby of Giardini di Mio Angelo, he immediately noticed the sign pointing all those attending the Argent Funeral outside, confirming they were in fact in the right place. "Does this place typically specialize in funerals," Oliver asked as he and Diggle followed the signs.
"I doubt it. I kind of get more of a wedding vibe from this place;" Diggle chuckled dryly, "But Felicity said for the amount of people she needed to accommodate this was her best option."
Rolling his neck, Oliver attempted to relieve some of the tension in his muscle. It was a tension that started about a week ago, when he found out what was happening with Felicity.
After the party last night, Sarah had gone back to her father's house. Oliver couldn't say that he was entirely disappointed because he welcomed the time alone. With everything that had been happening lately, there was rarely a moment he found to himself. So as soon as the house was cleared of the last quests and the caterers were gone, Oliver changed and went in search of his bike.
As he rode aimlessly through the city he reveled in the freedom of it all. He was not riding on his way to a mission while under disguise. He was just Oliver Queen driving a little faster than he should. He had no destination in sight and he was only mildly surprised when he ended up in front of the large brownstone with a harbor view.
Oliver had only been in Felicity's house a hand-full of times over the time that they had known each other. Every time he was there it was to pick her up for some company function or Arrow mission. He was only ever in there for a few minutes and never went past the parlor. It wasn't that he was restricted to the parlor, he just never had reason to explore beyond that. Normally when he was there, his mind was elsewhere on whatever task they were about to undertake. The only thought he ever remember having about her home was that it was much larger than what he had pictured for her. But that thought was easily dismissed when she simply told him that she inherited the property. And it wasn't that that place did not interest him; there was just always something else more pressing on his mind.
When there was not anything pressing in terms of Arrow business, anyway, Oliver's time was divided between the office, family, and preparing for the next evitable pressing issue. And as he parked his bike in front of the dark brownstone now Oliver realized that another reason he never felt the need to come to the brownstone was because Felicity was normally always with him. She was he E.A. at work, so there business hours were spent together. When he was dealing with family she was only ever a phone call away and depending on the function she was just an arm's length out of his reach. And when he was training she was there in the background working on her computers. She was always in his periphery, and though he made a point too keeping people at arm's length, he welcomed Felicity's continued presence. It was something he had grown used, something he had grown to expect; her being there was something he had grown to need.
Realizing this without reading too far into it – that would dangerous on so many levels – he realized that was why he was parked out in front Felicity's brownstone down. He missed her. Lately, ever since she had told him about his mother, it seemed like she was not around as much. At work, she was there but she felt distance. In foundry, there was a weird tension. And when it came to family business she wasn't there. Like Sarah's party tonight.
He was surprised that when he, Sara, and Diggle were preparing to leave the foundry that Felicity opted to stay behind. He did not understand why; it wasn't like she needed to be there in order to monitor the computers. Felicity made sure she was tapped in at all times. When he had asked Diggle about it later that night his friend's explanation only served to confuse him more. Diggle had told him that Felicity did not want to intrude. That made no sense to him. If he didn't know any better Diggle made it sound like Felicity did not come because she did not feel invited. But even though he did not outwardly invite her, she should know that she had open invitation to anyway that pertain to his life. He had not pushed the issue any further with Diggle but the conversation had been to the back of his him all night.
There was a distance growing between him and Felicity that he did not completely understand nor did he like it. Resting his helmet he looked up at the small second-story balcony; he wondered it lead to her bedroom. There were no lights on so he assumed she must be asleep. He knew she wasn't at the foundry; he had driven by there first. And though he didn't see her car he did know that her she had a basement garage accessible at the back of the property, so he was sure it was parked there.
As Oliver continued to look up at the brownstone, he seriously debated whether or not he should disturb her. He knew how she worked … for him … with him. He knew she needed her rest. But even without the intent to disturb her there was a big part of him that had an urge to scale her building to that second-story balcony on the off chance that that was her bedroom and he could at least make sure that she was all right.
Ultimately though with a heavy sigh Oliver, placed his helmet back on his head and left. As much as he wanted to look in on her, he didn't want to invade her privacy. Plus, he was feeling as if he did not really have the right to take such liberties.
Heading back to the foundry Oliver distracted himself from these thoughts by sharping a few of his arrows before crashing on the bed towards the back. Like most nights, his sleep was restless and his mind plagued with unpleasant thoughts. But instead of dreaming of the island, his thoughts were more abstract. He was in what felt like a maze; there were multiple turns at every corner but everything looked the same. In the dream he felt an urgency tainted with touch of fear. He was searching, not for a way out, but for something, for someone. Then he heard her voice; it was soft and she said was his name. Felicity was calling him and he began to search harder.But instead of her voice getting stronger as to indicate he was getting closer; her voice seemed to fade. And when he could not hear at all out … well he jumped from his sleep with her name on his lips.
Glancing at the clock he saw that it was just after seven; the sun was coming up. He knew that there was no way he was falling back to sleep; his dream had left him wired and alert. What he needed was to talk to Felicity, but it was still very early. He would call her later, but in the meantime he needed to burn off the extra energy he was feeling.
As he worked out he became so lost in his thoughts he almost did not realize when Diggle entered the foundry. "You're here early," he stated as he went up another notch on the salmon ladder. "I thought Lyla was in town." She had texted him late night to let him know that Diggle was hers for the evening and most of the morning, so unless the world was ending Diggle better not hear from him.
"She is," Diggle answered evenly as he came to lean against Felicity's desk and picked up Oliver's phone that was resting there. "Is there something wrong with your phone?" His tone was even but there was a distinctive edge to it. Instantly Oliver was put on alert. Plus the fact that Diggle was here and not home in bed with Lyla only served to unsettle Oliver more.
Dropping from the salmon ladder Oliver made his way over to where Diggle was, "Not that I know of," he said taking his phone only to notice that Diggle had tried calling him once last night and already three times this morning. He had no idea how he missed the call last night, but this morning he had been overly distracted trying to rid himself from the unrest caused by his dreams. Not wanting to get into that, Oliver held up his phone; his expression perplexed. "What's going on," he asked; his shoulders squared has he prepared himself for whatever Diggle was about to say; he knew that it wasn't going to be good. "Should I call Felicity," he added a moment before Diggle began speaking. If this was as bad as Oliver got the feeling that it was then Felicity should probably be here so that she can start preparing for whatever battle they were about to go into to.
When Diggle first came into the foundry, he had been more than upset with Oliver. Given how raw his feelings already were it did not help matters when he had a hard time getting a hold of his vigilante partner. It was annoyance that was increased when he found that the reason for Oliver's absence did not appear to be anything important. But given the immediate attention Oliver had given when he realized that something was up and sincere way in which he asked about Felicity; Diggle forgave him. He knew that the news Oliver was about to receive was not going to be easy for him to take, "Felicity won't be coming in today," he answered soberly.
"What do you mean she is not coming in today," Oliver asked with a raised brow. "She didn't tell me about any plans she had today," Felicity was always here. It was one of the few things he could always depend on. And if for some reason she wasn't going to be around he always knew why. And suddenly the dread he had been trying to rid himself of all morning, came back with a vengeance.
"She had a family emergency last night," Diggle replied; his words careful. "She's in Coast City."
"Excuse me," Oliver questioned. He heard what Diggle said, but the words did not seem to make sense. Felicity had a family emergency and she was already two hours away … and he didn't know. Those words did not make sense.
"Has Felicity ever mentioned her sister, Egypt, to you?"
At first Oliver racked his brain; that name was familiar. "I have heard her mention an Egypt a few times," Oliver said shifting his weight. Actually Felicity had never actually mentioned Egypt to him directly, but he has heard her on the phone with someone named Egypt once in a while. "I thought it was just a friend of hers. I didn't know that Felicity had a sister; I thought that she was an only child." As he said this Oliver tried his best to keep the resentment he felt at the fact that Diggle was apparently aware of this information; he suppressed the uneasy feelings he got knowing that Diggle knew parts of Felicity's life that he didn't know.
"Well Egypt and Felicity are not biologically related; they call each other sister. Felicity has known her all her life," Diggle explained then continued without pause. "Anyway, Felicity got a call last night informing her that Egypt and her husband, Xavier, were in a car accident last night. She drove to Coast City after getting the call."
"She drove alone; I highly doubt that was safe," Oliver bellowed. He knew how he would feel if anything were to happen to Thea. And if Egypt was close enough to Felicity to call her a sister, she had to have been stressed and worried last night after getting that phone call. "Doesn't Felicity know we would have gone with her? Hell, we could have even taken the plane." The idea of Felicity on the road alone in a fragile state of mind did sit well with him.
Diggle held hands in surrender. "You are preaching to the choir; I told her as much last night. When she called me I was ready to jump in the car and take her myself, but she didn't call until she was only about five minutes from the hospital," he clarified, then added before Oliver could say anything, "Egypt and Xavier have two kids: Tobias and Priya. Felicity's biggest concern was getting to the kids because they were waiting for news at the hospital alone."
"Were the kids in the accident too?"
"No; they were home when it happened. A police officer drove them the hospital."
Absorbing that bit of seemingly good news in a horrible situation, Oliver sighed. "Well at least there is that," he stated absent-mindedly. "So have you gotten any news of how Egypt and Xavier are doing?"
There was no easy way to say what he had to say; even though Oliver did not know Egypt or Xavier he would feel the pain of their lost because Felicity felt it. So like ripping off a Band-Aid; he just got to the point. "They didn't survive, Oliver; Felicity called me this morning."
And in that moment Oliver's desire to be near Felicity increased ten-fold. He had no words to describe the feeling so he didn't. Instead he woke up his phone and placed a phone call.
"Who are you calling," Diggle asked.
"The hanging to make sure that the plane is ready to go," he said getting frustrated that no one at the hanger housing the QC private plane wasn't answering.
Taking Oliver's phone, Diggle hung up just as Oliver heard someone pick up. "That is not a good idea," he explained. "Felicity asked that we stay here. She said that it would make her feel better knowing that we were here making sure that everything is handled." Felicity had actually been very serious about it on the phone. Diggle wanted to go there as much as Oliver, but he was trying to respect Felicity's wishes.
"But she needs us."
"She needs us to respect her wishes."
Oliver wanted to argue, but he knew that Diggle was right. "Fine, but can I have my phone. I would like to call her myself to check on her."
Handing Oliver his phone Diggle added, "She might not pick up. When she and I got off the phone this morning the kids had just woken up and she was about to start her day. She has a lot of arrangements to make." Also Diggle got the impression that Oliver was not someone that Felicity particularly wanted to talk to right now. He knew how Felicity felt about Oliver whether she is willing to admit it or not and given everything that happened around here lately Diggle can understand her need for distance. But he also knew that Oliver for all his observation skills was purposefully clueless in this and would not be so understanding. Diggle just wanted to prevent the fall out. "Give her some time to call you."
Oliver did not listen to Diggle's advice and had attempted to call Felicity anyway only to get her voicemail. He had left a message offering his condolences and telling her that if she needed anything all she had to do was ask. Oliver remember how horrible he felt leaving that message and those feeling only continued to get worst as the week wore on.
Since everything happened Oliver personally had not spoken to Felicity once; the last time the two of them having held a conversation was when he last saw her in the foundry before Sara's party. And while Oliver knew that Felicity had a lot on her plate right now, he could not help but feel like she was purposely avoiding him.
When Oliver got to work on Monday he found Vicki, one of the receptionists on the first floor waiting for him. Oliver had learned while Felicity was visiting Central City to check on Barry, Vicki was the only person Felicity trusted enough to help out while she was gone. And apparently Felicity had already made arrangements with HR. "While Fel… I mean Miss Smoak is out dealing with a family emergency I will be assisting. She called me last night with an outline of your schedule and what you might need," Vicki told him as she greeted him eagerly with a cup of coffee made just how he liked it. If he had not been so upset by the fact that Vicki had gotten to talk to Felicity he might have found humor in the fact that even though Felicity never made him coffee she still knew him well enough to tell someone else how he liked it.
The rest of the week went pretty much the same way. Oliver would try to call her only to get her voicemail, but then find out that both Diggle and Vicki talked to her daily. Felicity called Vicki to check on the office and give Vicki daily schedules. Diggle she called with updates about what was going on with her and her family; it was how they knew when the funeral was. Felicity had told them that they didn't need to come, but he and Diggle had unanimously decided not to listen and come anyway. To be honest, it took all the self-resistant they had not to come earlier in the week but they wanted to give Felicity her space while she dealt with her family. However, there was no way they were not going to be here for her now. Oliver just wanted to see her; hear her voice. He knew what it was like to lose people that matter to you and he needed to see for himself that she was all right, even if she was avoiding him.
"Really," Oliver countered suppressing his jealousy of the fact that Diggle had gotten detailed information about the ceremony first hand from Felicity. "How many people are they expecting?"
As they came upon a set of expensive double doors Diggle answered, "Felicity said between 200 to 250 peopl ….wow." His explanation cut short; several yards away from the back doorway of the hotel was a large tent. It reminded him of the kind of tent you see at the circus but not as colorful. The fabric of this tent was white with a slight grey tint.
Following the path that led to the entrance of the tent, neither Oliver nor Diggle were sure what to expect as they passed through the threshold. Both of them were astounded at what they saw. "This is all pretty extensive," Oliver commented as he took everything in.
The inside of the tent was circular with track lighting set up across the top. Then on one side there were three sets of blenchers with about ten feet of walking space between each of them. The blenchers lined the tent making a semi-circle towards the back; each blencher made up of ten rows of ten individual grey seats. There were steps and railings on each side of the rows for people to climb safely to their seats. "A lot of work went into this," Oliver heard Diggle mention as they moved further into the tent. In response Oliver nodded slightly; he didn't doubt the amount of work it took to pull something like this off and in such a small amount of time. What really got him were the small touches everywhere; Felicity's touch everywhere.
About forty feet in front of the middle set of blenchers was a decent-sized 15 square foot stage about six feet off the ground with wooden steps on both side of the stage; there was purple and grey tool entwined around the edge of the stage. At the back of the stage there were three plush grey chairs while a beautiful cherry wood podium stood front and center decorated in purple and grey ribbons with white lilies. Set on both sides of the podium was a ten by twenty screen facing the blenchers with large speakers below them. But what commanded the most attention were the two cherry wood coffins directly in front of the stage. The coffin on the left was draped with an American flag and the one on the right was covered in a large wreath made of stargazer lilies and accent flowers; in the center of the coffins was a 24x36 inch photograph of Xavier and Egypt on an easel. Only the top half of their bodies were visual but from the look of it Oliver would guest it was a wedding photo; it looked like it was taken outside, possibly on a beach. In the photograph, Xavier and Egypt were embracing tightly. Egypt was facing the camera and Xavier's face was pressed against hers; most of his face visual from the side. They both had their eyes closed with easy smiles on their face; Oliver had never seen two people more in love.
"There are some seats up there," Diggle commented as the handed Oliver one of the programs the usher just gave him and motioned towards the two available seats at the stop of the blencher on the left. It was still early but several seats had already been taken.
As Oliver followed Diggle to his seat he noted the wide range of people gathered for this somber ceremony. There were several young people present; he would guess they were high school aged. He figured most of them were here to support the Argent children or possibly say their last goodbyes to Egypt. Over the past week Oliver has been able to gleam a number of different facts about Felicity's family through Diggle. He now knew that Egypt was a high school guidance counselor and well loved by her students. There also were plenty of military personnel present; several different ranks throughout, but Oliver wasn't surprised to see them because he knew that Xavier was a Marine; a flight officer, a Captain. If he was to categorize the children and military personnel as opposite ends of the spectrum, then the grey area between them was filled with several different kinds of people from all walks present as well. Unfortunately, Oliver is able to admit to attending his fair share of funerals and never has he seen those coming to mourn and pay their respect to be so diverse.
"I think it is about to start," Diggle said bumping him slightly in the shoulder.
Becoming aware of his surroundings Oliver noticed that the blenchers were mostly full except for four empty rolls at the front of the middle set of blenchers. The tune of the music that was playing shifted. Then everyone stood and turned their attention towards the left. Turning to see what everyone was looking at Oliver felt his breathe caught he got his first glimpse of his favorite IT girl, his best friend, his partner, his Felicity.
She was leaning a group of people towards the empty seats in the middle bleachers. Everyone in the small group, expect one, had on some form of purple. He barely noticed all the others though because he could not take his eyes from off her. She was dressed in a simple but stylish long sleeved purple dress that stopped just above her knee. Felicity's heels were black, high, and fashioned into an intricate design; he couldn't help but noticed how they accentuated her legs. Her hair was down and flowing and from where he stood her make up appeared both smoky and simple all at the same time. She was beautiful, even if the smile she wore did not reach her eyes.
Feeling slightly ashamed for noticing Felicity at time like this Oliver forced himself to turn his focus away from her. Instead he focused on the young man that Felicity was walking arm-in-arm with. It was a young man in his mid-teens; he had curly brown hair and a very distinct style about him. Oliver's guess was that the young man was Tobias; Felicity's nephew. Behind them was a tall man that look to be in his early thirties; Oliver had no idea who he was. But he was walking in with a young girl in her preteen years. She was lovely with long brown hair, her style very chic for her age. He knew that this must be Priya. She was clinging to the older man with one hand while gripping a lovely purple leash in her other hand. At the end of a leash was a regal golden looking dog that Oliver presumed to be Duchess. There were several other people in the group walking with them, but Oliver had no idea who any of them might be. Aside from Xavier and Egypt, the only people that Diggle has mention this week were Tobias, Priya, and Duchess.
Not having any reference for anyone else and trying his hardest not to continue noticing Felicity, Oliver kept his attention fixed the children. He watched them trying to gleam anything he might learn about them just by watching them. If he not learned anything else this week, Oliver knew how important the Young Children were to Felicity and for that reason he wanted to know them.
Oliver watched as Tobias took a seat at the end of the first row of the blenchers with Felicity sitting beside him. Priya sat on other side of Felicity as Duchess came to rest on the floor at their feet. Everyone else in the group filled the remaining four rolls. Once they were all seated everyone else took their seats and one of the men sitting on the stage in the plush chair stood and went to the podium. The service started.
Finding it increasing more difficult not to watch Felicity, Oliver did his best to pay attention to the program, but it was useless. And he was in awe of her strength. She was being so strong. And though she made that strength look flawless, Oliver noticed the strain it was having on her. Her smile was nowhere near as bright as what he had grown used to and her eyes did not sparkle. Plus the Felicity he knew was fluid and easy going, which was a stark contrast to the alert attentive statue she was displaying now. He hated seeing her this way.
"And now we have a small tribute from the family," the master of ceremony announced as the lights dimmed making the tent darker and instead of showing what was happening on the stage the projection screen showed what looked like the menu page for a video.
Diggle turned to him slightly, "This is the video that Felicity and Priya put together," he began, "I know they worked really hard on it."
Oliver gave Diggle a tight smile; the smile Oliver developed whenever Diggle told yet another incident where he had contact with Felicity this week where he did not. He knew that Diggle did not mean anything by it; he was just trying to keep Oliver informed. And for that Oliver was grateful, because without Diggle Oliver was sure that he would have been completely in the dark. But being disconnected from Felicity while so many others had access to her was disheartening.
Pushing those uneasy thoughts and disconcerting feelings aside Oliver focused on the video. He watched on the projection screens what looked like Egypt and Xavier walking on a beach while strings began play through the speakers. She was dressed in a white dress while he wore a suit. Xavier did not have on a jacket and his shirt sleeves were rolled. He looked happy and content as he walked hand in hand with Egypt; their moments almost rhythmic as if they were dancing with each other. As they continued to smile and laugh with each other a heavenly voice began to sang with the music. Then the clips began to change with overlapping images of what Oliver presumed where the births of both Tobias and Priya. As the song continued he saw clips of Xavier graduating from the Naval Academy and Egypt from college. There were plenty of clips involving Egypt and Xavier just enjoying each other's company alone and in the company of others. There were also numerous clips and pictures of Egypt and Xavier with Tobias and Priya and several of the individuals that were a part of the group that is now sitting in the reserved seats. Oliver was particularly interested in the clips that involved Felicity; not being able to help the smile that crossed his own face at seeing images of her younger self happy, most images with her full of laughter. As the song drew to a close a picture came into focus with Xavier, Egypt, Felicity, the kids, and a few other he couldn't name in it on a beach. They were all dressed for tropical weather and smiling for the camera. Then as the music began to fade the pictured zoomed in on Xavier and Egypt before going black.
As the lights back up Oliver glanced down at the program, his eyes scheming over page until he saw Video Tribute – I Was Here; video by Priya Argent and Felicity Smoak; sung by Egypt Argent, "That was Egypt singing," his statement sounding more like a question; suddenly the meaning behind the lyrics, passion in the signer's voice, and how the song related to the images that played across the screen now holding much more meaning.
"It was," Diggle confirmed, "She was extraordinary talent." Having met her in person, Diggle had been blessed with the opportunity to hear her sing live. It was when the Argents visited Starling City; during the time Oliver had exiled himself back to Lian Yu after the disaster of the Undertaking. Felicity decided to host a barbeque and invited Diggle thinking it was a good way for the important people in her life to get to know each other; she had told him to bring Carly and A.J. with him. It had happened, Diggle getting to hear Egypt sing, as he stood by the grill chatting with Xavier as the meat finished cooking. A.J. and Priya were at the table looking at something on her computer, while Felicity, Egypt, and Carly were chatting in the lounge. Tobias was seating in the lounge swing just messing around with his guitar.
After a while he seemed to find a tune that spoke to Egypt because she began to bob her head as her eyes closed on their own accord; an action he noticed because at the moment Xavier happened to nudge him and told him to pay attention as he shared a secret smile with his children. Then Egypt began to hum with the tune, completely oblivious to the attention that she was getting from everyone. It wasn't until she opened her eyes that she realized she had an audience; she glanced at Xavier with a smile before to turning to Tobias. Diggle remembered being amazing at the silence the conversation mother and son seemed to having because then Tobias's aimlessly tune found direction and that's when it happened. "Head down; as I watch my feet take turn hitting the ground…" the words flowing from Egypt with an ease and grace that Diggle thought was astounding. It was a charming experience, especially when Xavier held his hand out to his wife and everyone watched them dance as she finishing singing a song that seemed to be just for him. Diggle had never seen to people so in love and he found himself having to take a deep breathe to collect himself because the memory was making his eyes water a bit.
"She had a beautiful voice," Oliver stated effectively bringing Diggle back to her here and now.
"She did," Diggle agreed as the master of ceremony came back to stand.
"And now on behalf of the family Miss Felicity Smoak has a few words," the young man at the podium said causing both Diggle and Oliver to sit a little straighter as they watched Felicity detangle herself from the children and stand. She walked to the stage with a grace and poise neither of them had ever really noticed before. She was gracious as she accepted the hand of the uniform man standing by the steps of stage.
As she walked across the stage, her image was projected on screens, Oliver felt his heart tighten slightly. There was sadness in her eyes that he had never seen before and you could tell that she was heavy with grief, but he was proud at the strength that overshadowed it all. In his eyes she had never been more beautiful.
Standing behind the podium, he watched as she took a moment to collect herself and smiled gently at everyone. "First I and the rest of this family would like to thank all of you from the bottom of our hearts. Your kindness during this uneasy and sad time has been overwhelming," she began; her voice strong. Then her smile soften a bit as she added, "I can't say that I am surprised though. Egypt and Xavier just had a way about them – a way that just seemed to touch other people. All of you here are proof of that … I am proof of that."
"Umm," she hummed as she shifted her weight slightly. "I know that there are some wondering how it is that I am standing here representing the family, but the thing is that Egypt was my sister. She and I have been connected since I was just six months in my mother's womb; from the moment I kicked her hand. According to those there that witnessed this key moment Egypt claimed me as her little sister and from the moment I was born that was all I have ever known her to be. I mean she looked after me … taught me things … fought with me … like only a sister could." She paused for a moment as she licked her lips then continued, "But she was more than too. In a lot of ways Egypt was like a second mother to me. She protected me … scolded me … she loved me… much like a mother loves her child. I don't know where I would be without her… or Xavier for that matter." Oliver had to resist the urge to go to her as he watched her lips tremble slightly after that admission; he so wanted to stand by her now. He wanted to offer his strength. But she was strong all on her own immediately steeling herself from whatever emotions had just threatened to overtake her.
She was smiling now, a sad smile but laced with a sincere affection, "Because just like Egypt he has been one of the constants in my life. And like Egypt he treated me like his little sister … but in so many more ways he was also the only father figure I ever had. And I could not have asked for a better one." She paused to take breath as she looked out at everyone, compassion in her eyes. "I know the lost you all must feel; because it is a part of me too. I too miss the brightness of Egypt's smile and warmth from Xavier's hugs. The world is truly a little darker and colder because they are no longer with us." A single tear ran down her cheek then which Felicity wiped away almost immediately as she added with a little laugh, "And yet Egypt would have my hid if I didn't remind you all that while it might hurt to miss them … we must carry on and remember them for who they were."
Felicity pulled the microphone from the podium stand then as she told everyone, "Actually growing up I can remember that whenever times were hard Egypt had a song she like to sing; it went a little something like this…"
And Oliver's world was forever changed when Felicity began to sing without the company of music. "…If you smile through your fear and sorrow …" she moved to the other end of the stage as the words passed through her lips in the most beautiful sound he has ever heard. "… Light up your face with gladness …" The expression almost serene as she seemed to let the words wash over her. She sung with confident that made her impossibly more beautiful than Oliver already found her just moments ago. And when he noticed the way she seemed to be singing just to the children towards the end of the song, Oliver thought his heart would explode. "…if you just smile." The smile she gave the audience was stunning as she said a quick thank you and exited the stage with an enthusiastic round of applause.
As the master of ceremony praised her performance Oliver tuned him out as he watched the way Felicity sat back in her seat, between Tobias and Priya. Both children were crying as she pulled Tobias to rest his head on her shoulder and Priya against her chest. He wasn't sure, but Oliver thought Felicity might be crying too, silent tears as she comforted them.
The rest of the funeral was blur; he didn't pay much attention to what was happening on the stage. He couldn't take his eyes off Felicity. He only vaguely remembers the 21 gun salute that was done, but only because the flag that was presented to Tobias and Priya ended up in Felicity's lap. After which the coffins were loaned on a carriage that was wheeled away by a horse. Apparently there was going to be no burial because both Xavier and Egypt had chosen to be cremated. Felicity and family walked out behind the carriage as the master of ceremony invited everyone to the ballroom for a repast.
Surprise! So I know that it has been forever. And you all will probably want to kill me when I say that this chapter has been written for that long. My only excuse is that life got crazy and I wasn't able edit it. Plus, I wanted to write four before I posted three. But I hope that it was worth the wait. And while I don't want to make any promises I can say that I am not done with this story and I am going to do better - as in not waiting another year to post the next chapter. I am thinking more like a month (give or take a week). :)
Love you guys. Let me know what you think.