Chapter Title: ubi amor, ibi dolor
A/N: The wait is over! New chapter of LIAKOW.
Thanks for all your kind comments on the last chapter! I feel like I should add a warning that this chapter contains some trigger-ish scenes of torture. It's nothing too heavy, but you've been warned. Check the end for another A/N.
Happy reading and enjoy the long Thanksgiving weekend!
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Pain. That's the first thing she felt when she started to come to. Pain that spread through her entire body like a wildfire.
Next, she felt the relentless cold that invaded every last cell, making her body convulse with shivers.
She tried opening her eyes, but her body simply refused to cooperate. With every failed attempt, the throbbing pain in her head intensified. Despite fighting against it, she felt herself drift back into oblivion.
The next time she woke up, she finally managed to open her eyes, blinking rapidly. Everything around her was dipped into darkness. She tried bringing up her hand to her face to confirm her suspicion that she wasn't wearing her glasses, but she couldn't move. Furrowing her brows, she lifted her head. Or rather, tried lifting her head. She couldn't. She felt like she was paralyzed with absolutely no control over her body. The weird thing was that she could feel her body. She could still feel the pain and the cold. She just couldn't move.
Panic started to settle in.
Her surroundings were still plunged into darkness and she had no way of telling where she was or how long she'd been here. Hours? Days? Was anyone looking for her? Surely, they had to be. Tommy had been right there in the car with her, so he knew that she'd been taken. He'd tried to fight them off, she remembered vaguely, but one of the attackers had hit him a few times and she'd screamed when his unconscious body had sunk back into the leather seats of the limousine.
She'd known that she was done for in that moment. Just before the door had been yanked open they'd heard a few shots being fired off and Felicity feared that their driver and bodyguard had fallen victim to their attackers. Hopefully they were still alive. And hopefully Tommy was okay.
He was such a sweet and genuine guy, she couldn't imagine anything bad happen to him. Her friendship with him had come surprisingly easy. Sure, he actually was the immature, no-care-in-the-world playboy billionaire he was made out to be by the numerous tabloids, but in the past few months she'd gotten to know the man that was behind all that impulsive and at times reckless behavior.
She was glad that she'd taken that leap of faith and agreed to that very first of many Tommy Tuesdays. Of course, she'd mocked him relentlessly for the name and the sheer arrogance that came with it, but quickly their random activities on Tuesday nights had developed into a weekly thing and she couldn't have been happier about it. She'd found an amazing friend who was, besides Thea, the only one she could openly talk to about her fake relationship with Oliver after he'd been let in on the secret.
He was her rock whenever she felt like she was drowning in the endless sea of lies. He always had a cheeky line on the tip of his tongue and could make her laugh no matter how bad her day had been. If all else failed, he was her drinking buddy or her shoulder to cry on. From the moment he'd stepped into her life (or was it the other way around?), Tommy had been there for her. Tonight had been no exception. He'd tried to put himself between her and the assailants, risking his life to keep her from harm. He better be okay or she'd be seriously pissed.
The day had started off so great, waking up in Oliver's arms, enjoying their new-found peace. The rest of the day had been great, too, even though she'd been holed up in her office for most of the time. But then Tommy had taken her to this amazing concert that she'd almost cried over when she hadn't been able to get tickets. And then everything had turned to shit.
She would never admit it out loud, but during the car ride back to the mansion she'd been almost giddy with excitement. While the concert and her time with Tommy had been phenomenal, she was also happy to go back home to Oliver. Wow, that sounded weird.
If you'd told a few weeks, hell, a few days ago that she'd be happy to see Oliver, she probably would've laughed loudly. But now, things were different. Things were better. So much better.
Finally things were looking up between them. He'd been so sweet and thoughtful the last few days, it was almost hard to believe that he was the same guy she usually fought like crazy with. Or the same guy that could be so very cold and distant. Maybe they weren't on the same page quite yet, but at least now they were reading the same book. For the first time in forever she was hopeful that things could be okay. That she would maybe even get her happily ever after.
For a while there she'd given up hope -which of course was a bit ridiculous, considering she was only 24- but she'd made some bad experiences with guys that had effectively crushed all of her dreams. She'd walked in on two of her three serious boyfriends while they were getting busy with other women. When it had happened the first time, she'd just thought that it was bound to happen with Matthew. He was a player through and through. She wasn't even sure what she'd liked about him so much. But when she'd caught Cooper with his pants down, she'd been really surprised. They'd been together for almost two years, even talking about getting an apartment together after graduating. Needless to say that she'd found another room mate.
Despite the resolute indifference she'd put up for her friends, she'd been really hurt. She'd started doubting herself. If she'd only been cheated on once, she could've brushed it off, but twice? She'd started to think that something was wrong with her and that it was her fault. That maybe she just wasn't good enough or sexy enough or whatever.
Maybe her personal history was one of the reasons she despised Oliver so much in the beginning. She didn't trust him. He was known to be a womanizer. He'd taken his girlfriend's sister on that yacht with him, for God's sake. And even before that, he'd been seen getting busy with so many other girls that it was clear he wasn't a one-woman-guy, and probably never would be.
She could handle a lot, but dishonesty and unfaithfulness were two things she simply couldn't accept. That's why she'd shielded herself from him at the very beginning of this ridiculous union, not letting herself feel anything but hate for her husband, giving him no chance to close enough to break her heart.
That tactic had somewhat worked until Oliver had found a way to worm his way into her heart. Introducing himself again to start over might well be the cutest thing she'd ever seen. His hopefulness and playfulness had been so infectious, she couldn't help herself but feel optimistic.
Optimism would be great right about now. Unfortunately, her pessimistic side was winning the fight. She should've taken the shooting on Saturday more seriously. Oliver had been concerned about her safety and she'd just waived it off, determined to stand her ground. If she hadn't been so damn stubborn maybe she'd be s home right now, safe, instead of laying paralyzed on the ground somewhere in the darkness.
Suddenly, a door opened with a bang, a few feet away from her. Instinctively, she tried to turn her ahead towards the sound, but quickly found out that she still couldn't.
"Well, well, well," a male voice snarled, edging closer to her position. "Sleeping beauty is finally awake."
"Then the fun can begin," a second man said.
Before she could retort anything she felt a hand creeping up her leg. Instead of a snarky remark, she let out a startled yelp, willing her body to just move. Away from those prying fingers.
"Don't even bother, Barbie," Dirtbag No. 1 said and leaned over her, grasping her chin. He had a black morph mask on under his dark hoodie. "Apparently the dose we gave you was a bit too high, it'll take a few more hours to wear off."
"Take your hands off of me," she whispered.
"What? You want our hands on you?" Dirtbag No. 2 asked. "Sure, that can be arranged." He added a second hand, moving them up her thighs while the other guy grabbed her breasts and squeezed hard.
"Please stop," she whimpered in response, hating how pitiful and helpless she sounded.
"We're just getting started, Barbie."
Dirtbag No. 2 grabbed the waistband of her jeans and dragged her unmoving body towards him, straddling her thighs. Felicity could only stare at him in complete horror as he undid her belt and pants and reached behind her to violently grab her butt, while the other man clamped one hand over her mouth, smothering her scream, and used the other one to push her shirt up.
Tears were quickly forming in her eyes, spilling onto the cold concrete floor underneath her. Fear held her body in a vice grip, her breaths were coming in short, painful puffs, her heart rate went up, and she couldn't suppress the feeling of utter panic.
"Get off of her, you fucking morons," a distorted voice sounded from where she suspected the door. Her assailants froze for a second, before hurriedly standing up beside her. "Get out!" the voice snarled at them and they quickly scurried off.
The man stepped closer so that he was in her limited line of sight. He was dressed in a clark coat, secured by a belt that ran across the waist, a dark cloth or hood was slung around his head, his face hidden behind some kind of ski mask that left only his eyes free. He looked intimidating as hell.
"Please excuse my associates' behavior. I promise you they'll be punished for their disrespectful conduct," he said as he crouched down next to her.
She stared at him from the corner of her eyes and couldn't help retorting, "Their disrespectful conduct? It looks like you're the asshole behind all of this."
To her surprise Dirtbag Boss chuckled. "True, but don't worry, you'll be home in the arms of your loving husband in no time."
"Is that what this about? Oliver?" She felt a prick in her arm and the panic returned. "What are you doing?"
He got up. "This has nothing to do with your new family, Mrs. Queen. This is about showing that you never go back on a business deal." His voice grew more distant. "I gave you a sedative. By the time you wake up, the effects of the paralyzing agent will hopefully have worn off enough for us to proceed." The door shut with a loud thud.
Proceed with what? And if Oliver and the Queens' fortune wasn't the target, then what was? By now it was publicly known that SmoakSolutions was struggling, so it wouldn't exactly be smart to target her family's company, right? But he'd been talking about a business deal, so maybe...
Her eyes began to droop, her brain clouded over, just before everything fell into darkness again.
⁂ ⁂ ⁂
She felt like she was floating through the air when she finally came to again. With a great effort she forced herself to open her eyes, blinking rapidly against the stark light. Dirtbag No. 1 and 2 were on either side of her, securing her wrists to the armrests of the metal chair she was now seated in. When had that happened?
"Welcome back, Mrs. Queen," sounded Dirtbag Boss' voice as he stepped up from behind the lamp that was directed at her face. "Please know that what I'm about to do has nothing to do with you. This is only necessary because your mother doesn't seem to know how to honor a deal."
Her head whipped up. "My mother?" She scrunched up her eyebrows in confusion, vaguely realizing that she had actually control over her body again.
"Yes, your mother. Now, while you still can, please smile for the camera," Dirtbag Boss said and stepped up, holding up a syringe, filled with a dark purple substance.
She stared at it with wide eyes. "No, please don't do this. Please," she begged, fighting against her restraints, but they wouldn't budge. The man injected the contents of the syringe into her arm and stepped back behind the camera.
Her head fell to her chest in defeat, her hair spilling over her shoulders.
"Please state your name, my dear," Dirtbag Boss said.
She shook her head vehemently, keeping her eyes trained on her lap, until she felt cold metal pressed to her temple. She yelped and whipped her head around, only to stare into the barrel of a gun.
"State your name," Dirtbag Boss repeated calmly, with only the slightest trace of annoyance. "And look at the camera, please."
She swallowed hard and slowly turned her head towards the camera. "My name is Felicity Queen," she whispered, tears starting to form in the corners of her eyes again.
"Very well," Dirtbag Boss nodded his head, but stayed behind the camera. His two henchmen left the room. "This message is for Donna Smoak."
He paused for a few seconds, looking intently at her. It almost seemed like he was waiting for something.
"It´s meant to remind you that you're supposed to keep your promises. Don't ever think about backing out of the Undertaking again. This is your only warning. Your daughter will pay the price for your disloyalty."
As if on cue, Felicity felt a sharp pain echo through her chest, making her suck in a deep breath. She bit her lip to suppress a pained groan.
"I just injected your daughter with a very pure form of the drug Vertigo. Right now it is attacking the part of your daughters brain where the information from pain receptors is collected. Long story short, while your daughter is physically fine, her brain is telling her that her body is in excruciating pain. I will increase the dosage every hour," he explained.
Felicity took deep breaths trying to ignore the rising pain from everywhere in her body, locking her jaw in stubborn defiance.
"Now, even someone as young and healthy as your daughter can only take so much, so you better hurry. You know what to do, don't bother involving the police."
Hot-white pain erupted in Felicity's stomach, vaguely reminding her of the searing pain of being shot just a few days ago, only a hundred times worse. She arched her back in the cold metal chair, desperately ripping at her restraints. Only now she realized that her feet were also tied to the chair. She turned and wiggled her wrists with all her strength, but the new pain from where the leather bindings were chafing against her skin just made everything so much worse.
She bit her lip, determined not to make a sound, until the pain became unbearable. A high-pitched scream erupted from her throat, echoing through the empty space of the warehouse. Through her tears she could vaguely see the man in front of her watching her intently.
A new wave of pain flooded her body and she didn't even bother to contain her screams.
This time she was actually thankful when darkness swallowed her again, her head lolling forward onto her chest as she lost consciousness.
⁂ ⁂ ⁂ ARROW ⁂ ⁂ ⁂
Felicity's scream echoed through Oliver's bedroom, her pain filling every last cell of his body with agony. He had to fight with all his strength to stay on his feet and not give into his wobbling knees.
Diggle paused the video that was playing on Oliver's big flat-screen TV. His eyes darted to his friend and boss who stood in front of the TV, shoulders slumped, wide eyes staring at his wife on the screen. She was strapped to a chair in what seemed to be a nondescript warehouse, writhing in pain, screaming her lungs out. Just like the ominous voice off-camera had predicted.
"Oliver," he started carefully. "We'll get her back."
"How?" Oliver's voice was nothing more than a broken whisper. Diggle had never seen him like this. Usually, the younger man was a master at hiding his emotions from everyone around him, but not this time. This time, all the pain and desperation were evident in the deep, worried lines on his forehead, his slumped posture, his whole demeanor, really.
"We just started getting along, Digg. I can't... I can't lose her."
"You won't!" Diggle affirmed. "This video makes it clear that as soon as her mother does whatever she's been asked to do, they'll let her go."
Oliver looked up, face grown stony at the mention of his mother-in-law. "Why hasn't she called us to let us know that she was contacted by the kidnappers? Why hasn't she told us that Felicity's alive and... hanging on?"
Diggle sighed. "I don't know, man. I'm just glad that my contact at ARGUS managed to dig this up. And he's working on tracing the origin of the video. That's good, Oliver, that's hope."
Oliver ran a hand over his face in frustration. "I know. It's just... I wanna go out there and do something."
"It wouldn't do any good if you ran aimlessly around without a solid lead. Plus, it would look suspicious if you left the house, instead of waiting for a call from the kidnappers," Digg cautioned.
"A call that isn't going to come," he roared. "Felicity is being tortured somewhere while we're sitting here doing nothing!"
Despite his outburst, Diggle stayed calm, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Oliver, as hard as it is, you gotta keep your cool about this. Once we get a lead on her location, I'll be the last person to stand in your way. Hell, I'll drive you there and help you put down every last one of those bastards. But until then, you have to be Oliver Queen and not The Hood. You have to go downstairs and be with your family."
Oliver let out a defeated sigh. "Okay, I just... need a minute."
Digg nodded and turned to leave. "John?" Oliver's voice stopped him in his tracks and made him turn around again. "Thank you. I know after Saturday things have been a little tense between us, but... Thank you for being here."
"We'll deal with Deadshot when we get the chance. Now, getting your wife home safely is my sole priority, whatever happened between us doesn't matter right now," he replied gently and left the room.
Oliver slumped down on the couch, head cradled in his hands. How had this happened? Why had this happened? What had Donna Smoak done to provoke a reaction this extreme?
He rubbed a hand over tired eyes, willing himself to look up at the screen where Felicity's anguished face was still clear to see. He'd endured his fair share of torture during his time on and off the island, his numerous scars a constant reminder of the pain and despair he'd experienced. This, watching his wife in so much pain, was worse than anything he'd ever felt.
Yes, they'd only started being civil with each other a few days ago, but that didn't mean that he didn't care about her.
He sucked in a shuddering breath. He really cared about her.
And he thought that she also cared about him, or at least, started to care about him. Their morning had been so blissfully domestic, that the thought alone made his heart ache. Waking up next to her, must be one of the best things in the world. Apart from falling asleep next to her, that is.
There was just something about this beautiful, stubborn, funny, incredible woman, that made his heart skip a beat. That made him want to be a better man. He wanted to give her everything and anything. If the past two hours since he'd gotten the phone call from Tommy had taught him anything it was that he didn't want to live without her anymore. Yes, they'd fought like cats and dogs over the course of their relationship, had clashed more times than he could count. They'd insulted and made fun of each other, they'd nearly driven each other – and everybody around them – to insanity.
After six months together, after six months of relentless fighting, they had finally found some sort of common ground. Despite all the adversities and all the obstacles they'd put in each other's way, they'd managed to come out stronger than before.
Would all their progress be for nothing now?
He'd witnessed what Vertigo in it's purest form could do to people. He'd seen a man choose to kill himself rather than endure the pain the drug caused. While Felicity's captor had said that he'd stop her ordeal once Donna Smoak delivered on whatever promise she'd threaten to break, Oliver was worried about his wife's health. Vertigo was one bitch of a drug, highly addictive and highly destructive. Just the fact that she'd probably been given a second dose by now, made Oliver's stomach revolt.
He took some steadying breaths before he got up from the couch, stepping over to the TV. He stared at the stilled picture for a few long seconds and finally turned the screen off. Diggle was right, until they got a solid lead, he had to be Oliver Queen, so he slowly made his way towards the living room.
When he got there, Thea strode up to him with a few long steps and engulfed him in a tight hug. "They will find her, Ollie. They will!" she murmured into his chest and he wasn't quite sure who she was trying to convince, him or herself.
"I know, Speedy," he said through clenched teeth and pressed a quick kiss to the crown of her head.
He took in the rest of the room. There were a few detectives and officers bustling around the electronic equipment that they'd set up to monitor all incoming calls. His mother and Walter sat on one of the couches, deep in conversation, Roy was standing by the windows holding two glasses, one of them no doubt belonged to Thea, and Tommy was huddled together with Laurel and her father.
Oliver couldn't help but feel alone in that moment. Sure, he had his family's support, but all of them had their special someone with them. His mother had Walter, Thea had Roy, Tommy had Laurel. The person that was supposed to be on his side was currently being tortured by a deranged psychopath and there was nothing he could do about it.
Tommy spotted him and immediately came over to him. When he approached, Oliver could see that the left side of his face was significantly swollen and turning a nasty shade of purple.
"Ollie, I'm so sorry," he started, but Oliver quickly cut him off.
"This isn't your fault."
His best friend looked at him helplessly, while Thea scurried off to join her boyfriend again, giving them some time to talk.
He laid a hand on Tommy's shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "Look, man, I know that you would've done anything to prevent this. No need to give yourself a hard time. I'll get her back."
Tommy nodded slowly and his voice dropped when he spoke, "Do you have any leads?"
Oliver cast his eyes over everyone in the room, making sure nobody was close enough to hear them. "We're onto something, and Digg's contacts are working on it," he said, deciding not to mention the video or its contents to keep from adding to his friend's guilt.
Tommy's face grew even more serious. "I know that I haven't handled the revelation of your... night time activities well in the past. I said some things about," he dropped his voice even lower, so that it was barely audible. "About you killing so many people." He took a deep breath. "I know that this will make me a gigantic hypocrite, but I don't care. You do whatever it takes to get Felicity back, do you hear me? Whatever. It. Takes."
"I will. I'm getting her back," Oliver replied firmly.
"Oliver!" Diggle called and quickly came over to them, putting away his phone. "I need to talk to you. Outside."
They practically stormed out of the room, but other than Tommy nobody even seemed to notice. In the foyer they came to an abrupt stop.
"My contact managed to trace the location of the IP address from where the email was sent. Your gear is in the car. Let's get your girl."
⁂ ⁂ ⁂
Diggle pulled up to an abandoned warehouse close to the docks. On the drive over, Oliver had quickly changed into his leather suit in the back seat. They stepped out of the car, moving to the trunk that was filled with a choice of weapons. Both men stocked up on their supplies and put comm links in their ears.
"We're going in blind and with no back-up, so this has to be quick and clean. We'll go in at the same time. I'll take the backside and you go in through the front," Diggle ordered.
"Let's go," Oliver said and they moved to their positions. He fully trusted Diggle's military experience on this one, even though he wasn't used to working as a team in the field.
They breached the building, methodically checking every room while they moved forward with a quiet, precise efficiency, only interrupted by the occasional "clear".
Oliver opened the next door quietly and stopped dead in his tracks. There, not even 30 feet away from him, Felicity lay on the concrete floor right next to the metal chair she'd been strapped to in the video. He had to force himself to clear the rest of the room first, making sure that no one else was there before he rushed to her side. His heart was beating wildly in hist chest.
He fell to his knees, his bow clattering to the ground next to him as he made quick work of taking his gloves off. His fingers immediately went to her throat, frantically searching for a pulse.
He let out a rushed breath when he felt the weak thrum of her vein under his shaking fingers. "I got her, Digg. She's unconscious, pulse is weak. Get the car ready."
"Copy that. I'm on my way."
Oliver moved his hands over her body, checking for any injuries. He had just reached her waist when she came to with a start, sucking in a sharp breath, eyes darting around wildly.
"You're okay, Felicity. You're safe," Oliver tried to sooth her.
His voice seemed to get through her dazed confusion, her wide eyes staring up at him, before she violently pushed her body away from his, scrambling over the floor.
"No, don't touch me. Please don't touch me," she said breathlessly, backing away further. "Please, don't hurt me."
Oliver slowly brought up his hands in front of him, showing her that he wouldn't touch her. "I'd never hurt you, Felicity."
To say that he was surprised by her reaction would be an understatement. Just a few days ago, she'd offered her help to The Hood if he ever needed it. She had kissed him. And now she was scared of him? What the hell had those bastards done to her?
"I'll take you home, okay?" he asked softly, slowly stretching out his right hand.
She shook her head vigorously. "No, no, I can't... Please, stay away," she whimpered, big drops of tears falling silently from her eyes. "Please, please, please," she chanted over and over again, drawing her knees up to her chest and hugging them tightly with her arms, rocking back and forth.
It broke Oliver's heart to see her like this, to see her so disheartened, so lost and helpless. All he wanted to do was help her. Take away her pain and her fear and keep her safe from the rest of the world. What he should've done in the first place. A wave of guilt crashed into his chest and left him breathless. Why oh why had he not insisted on her bringing more security? Why had he not tried harder to convince her to stay at home? To stay with him.
A sound from the door made him still his breathing, listening intently for any more sounds. There were at least two sets of footsteps coming towards them. In a swift motion he picked up his bow, whirled around and nocked an arrow just as two men stepped into the room. Before they could even so much as flinch, the guy on the right was already stumbling backwards, an arrow sticking out of his chest.
Oliver barely registered the shocked shriek coming from Felicity, as he moved closer to the guy that was still standing, his roaring voice echoing from the walls. "Don't move."
Instead of listening to him, the man's hand moved to his back, reaching for his gun. He didn't even touch it before two arrows penetrated his chest in quick succession. Behind him, Felicity let out another agonized whimper.
He quickly turned around and stepped closer. She was still repeating the word 'please' again and again, empty eyes staring into nothing. Her breathing was becoming more erratic and she seemed to struggle with every intake of breath.
He quickly slung his bow over his shoulder and crouched down next to her again. By now her body was shaking uncontrollably.
"Digg, I think she's having a panic attack. Are you ready to go?" He said as he touched his comm link.
"Ready to go," Diggle replied curtly.
"Felicity, can you get up? We need to get you out of here," Oliver said softly.
"No, please don't touch me. Please," she whispered brokenly.
"Please, Felicity," he urged. "Please trust me."
"No, I... I can't."
He took a deep breath. Deep down he knew that there was only one way he could make her come with him willingly. To make her trust him enough. He slowly moved his hands to his head and pulled off his hood while pushing off his mask. He looked up to meet her gaze. Her eyes widened in realization and she spluttered out a gasp.
"It's me, Felicity." He laid a hand on hers, relieved that even though she flinched at the contact she didn't back away again. He ran a thumb over the back of her hand in soothing circles. Her body was shaking even more violently.
"No... how... what... I don't understand," she breathed out. "You can't be... no."
"You have to calm down. I know that this a lot to take in, but you have to calm down. I'm here. I got you. You're safe."
She looked at him with wide eyes, an errant tear trailing down her cheek. Hesitantly, he moved his free hand up, giving her enough time to protest before he gently cupped her face, letting his thumb swipe over her cheek, catching her tear. She let out an almost inaudible gasp, but leaned into his touch ever so lightly.
"I got you, baby, I got you," Oliver whispered softly.
"I wanna go home."
He nodded curtly. "Then let's go home. Can you get up or do you want me to carry you?"
She just looked at him with big, helpless eyes. "I don't... I don't know."
Seeing her so unsure broke his heart all over again. Usually, she was so strong and fierce, always a smile playing on her lips, always so quick to put him in his place. This wasn't the Felicity he knew. This was merely a shell of a woman, broken down into pieces. He sensed that this was about more than the effects of Vertigo. About more than being kidnapped and tortured. He shuddered at the mere thought of what else these men could've done to her.
"Calm down, baby. Take deep breaths. In and out," he told her and breathed with her a few times, until her erratic breathed slowed down.
When he was sure that the worst was over, he slung one arm around her waist and the other under her knees, closing his eyes briefly when she flinched at his touch. For a second, her body was completely rigid in his arms, before she finally relaxed and buried her face in his jacket, crying quietly.
"We're coming out, Digg."
⁂ ⁂ ⁂
It was nearing 6am when Oliver finally made his way to their room. The last few hours had been a flurry of activity. Driving back to the mansion while changing and concocting a story about how The Hood had contacted him and told him where he could find Felicity. Getting through the commotion at the house, once he'd carried her inside. Then he'd been questioned by the police, Felicity had been ushered to another room where their family doctor had examined her and had taken a blood sample. Oliver had almost ripped the officers' throats out when he hadn't been allowed into the room with her as she'd been questioned by two detectives. After her interview, she'd quickly fled to their room, leaving him to explain everything that had happened to his family.
He opened the door slowly, not wanting to startle Felicity who he'd expected to be in bed by now. Instead, she was scurrying through the brightly lit room, carrying a stack of her clothes toward the bed. Oliver stopped dead in his track when he saw the open suitcase on top of the covers.
"What are you doing?" he asked into the room.
She whirled around, bringing one hand to rest on her chest as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"I'm sorry," he quickly said. "I didn't mean to startle you."
She nodded, but didn't say anything.
"Why are you packing your things?" he asked and moved closer. From his new position he took in her make-up free face that was framed by her wet locks. He could see new tear tracks on her cheek and he had to force himself to keep from rushing over to her.
She waved her hands in a noncommittal gesture. "I just... I can't." She took a deep, steadying breath. "I can't do this. I can't be here... with you," she finally whispered, new tears shining in her eyes.
He took a few more steps, careful not to crowd her. "Where are you going?" His voice was hoarse, laden with emotions.
"My apartment." Seeing his eyebrows furrow in confusion, she continued, "I kept my apartment in case I ever needed a break from... everything." She doesn't say it but he just knows that she was about to say 'in case I ever needed a break from you'. The unspoken word hits him like a sucker punch.
"Please don't go, Felicity. I... I know that this is a lot to process, but please don't run. Stay and let me help you get through this," he pleaded.
She took a step back and shook her head vigorously. "No, I need time to... I need to be alone for a while."
"Then just go to a different room in the house. Kick Grammy out of yours, for all I care. I don't care how it'll look to her. Just don't leave," he urged desperately. "I'll stay out of your way until you're ready to talk. I just need to know you're safe."
She looked at him with big, sad eyes. "I can't be around you right now, Oliver. You killed two men tonight... because of me. I can't... How do I live with that?"
"Felicity." Her name was just a soft whisper, but she didn't stop.
"Yes, admittedly, they were horrible men who did horrible things, but you killed them, Oliver. You took their lives. And that was only tonight. How many people have you killed since you started your... whatever the hell you think you're doing." She didn't wait for an answer that she probably knew wasn't coming. "How can you go out at night and kill people and then come home and act like nothing happened?"
She took another deep breath and turned around to close the suitcase. "I don't know if I'm more pissed that you lied to me about this or that I was naive and gullible enough to fall in love with a guy who puts arrows in people for kicks."
He inhales sharply. "That is not what this is about. If you just let me explain-"
She cut him off. "I don't wanna hear it, Oliver. I don't wanna hear any more of your lies."
She hauled her suitcase off the bed and walked past him towards the door.
"So this is it? You just decide that it's over? That you're done? You just give up on us?" He roared and immediately regretted his outburst when he saw her flinch violently.
She turned around and he felt a stabbing pain in his chest as he saw tears rolling down her cheeks. "You already gave up on us when you didn't trust me with your secret." She smiled at him sadly. "I don't think we ever had a chance."
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A/N: I'm sorry for the wait. Work and sending out applications have been keeping me pretty occupied and it didn't exactly help that I was absolutely dreading writing this chapter. I hate what I had to do our beloved Olicity here and at some point I was ready to scrap everything and just write 'JK, Tommy's call was just a dream. That's how much I hated this chapter. Hope it'll be back to normal moving forward. We'll see. That being said, I don't know if I'll update next week, depends on how my internship hunt is going.
Hope that despite all the angst and drama in this chapter, you enjoyed it. Drop by the comment section and let me know what you think.
Title translation: Where there is love, there is pain.