Chapter 7
I was so anxious to get to this chapter that it is now 2 AM and I am posting this just 24 hours after the last chapter.
Our favorite crime fighters are back in Starling City investigating the robbery at Queen Consolidated. And look who has come to visit!? Barry Allen! Felicity is happy to see her friend, but Oliver is less than thrilled.
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Felicity sat in the secret lair below Verdant, doing her research on the Queen Consolidated robbery. They had determined that the person who robbed QC and killed the security guards, Cyrus Gold, had been injected with some super soldier serum. Oliver had known about the serum from his time on the island, but wasn't sure how whoever was behind it could have gotten a sample as everyone who had been previously infected was dead. She was in the process of trying to trace the money trail that allowed Cyrus to stay under the radar.
Oliver came in a short time later with Diggle. He came up to stand behind Felicity, waiting a moment before saying anything to her, just enjoying the fact that she was there. "Any luck with the financing?" he asked.
"Nothing yet," she replied, turning to look at him. "You look tired, Oliver," she stated, giving him her full attention, forgetting the research.
Oliver smiled, touched by her concern, wondering what she would think if he told her that it wasn't the mystery of the serum that was keeping him up at night, but instead a certain brainy blonde. "Still suffering from jet lag I guess," he replied.
She looked at Oliver a moment longer, contemplating whether to push him for more information, but told herself she was prying again. It was a bad habit she had developed when it came to Oliver Queen, and she knew it had to stop or she was going to drive herself crazy with worry over him.
Turning back to her monitors she filled him on where she had run into the dead ends with the Cayman Island bank accounts, and putting into layman's terms how she was trying to crack into the information. Oliver nodded, seemingly satisfied with her progress and plan of attack. He didn't understand half of what she said when it came to her cyber skills, but he trusted that she was doing all she could and a better job than anyone else could.
"So, have you had any dinner yet?" Oliver asked nonchalantly.
Diggle stepped up behind Oliver. "I already ate, but you two go ahead." He gave Oliver a wink at the frown he received from his boss. He grabbed his coat and made his way out of the underground lair, yelling out his good-byes to the two of them before shutting the door loudly.
"Well," Oliver stated, "I guess that just leaves me and you." He looked at Felicity expectantly, his heart dropping a bit at the pained look on her face.
"I kind of already have plans," she said, grimacing at him. "Barry just got back from London and was catching the train into Starling City this afternoon for us to go to dinner and catch up." She waited for Oliver to say something, but at the extended silence finally threw out the only thought that came to her mind. "You could join us if you'd like." Why did her mouth fail to filter the thoughts from her brain!?
He stared at her, trying not to show any emotion at the thought of her spending the evening with Barry Allen, and tempted entirely too much at the prospect of observing the two of them together to determine how involved they had become while in England. Before he thought twice, he accepted her offer, even telling her he would take the two of them to one of the most prestigious restaurants in town to celebrate Barry's return.
Felicity numbly accepted his offer, then wondered what the hell she had just set herself up for as Oliver walked away, throwing out a time when he would send a car for her and Barry to pick them up from her apartment.
This should be interesting, Oliver thought to himself.
Later that evening…
Oliver knocked on the door of Felicity's apartment, anxious to get the night over with so he could go back to suffering in silence, perhaps heading back to Verdant to get a midnight workout in until his body would collapse from sheer exhaustion. He was about to knock again when Felicity opened the door, working to get an earring into her ear lobe as she stood before him.
"Sorry, I'm not quite ready yet," she said breathlessly, motioning for Oliver to enter.
Oliver just stood there for a moment, taking in the sight of her. She was wearing a revealing red cocktail dress that looked like it was made of the sheerest material in existence. The neckline plunged to show a healthy amount of cleavage while the wide straps sat slightly off her shoulders, but not quite down onto her upper arms. The bodice tapered down to accent her small waist, with the dress then falling gracefully down to her knees. She wore matching red high-heeled pumps that added a good four inches to her already petite 5'4" frame. Even with the heels she was still just to Oliver's nose.
What struck him the most was her hair, which was piled on top of her head in a messy but extremely attractive up do, with small wisps of her blond hair falling down from the loose pile. He had never seen her wear it up except in her standard pony tail. The look was striking on her, and all of it ended up making his mind go blank as he stood there.
"What?" was all he could get out coherently. Just then he saw a man stick his head out of the living room doorway.
"Oh, hi," the stranger said casually, making his way to the two of them. "You must be Mr. Queen. I'm Barry Allen," he said, putting his hand out to shake Oliver's. Oliver took the young man's hand in his grasp and gave it a good squeeze. He saw Barry cringe a bit at the pressure and it put a genuine smile on his face.
"Wow," Barry said, "you must work out." He took his hand back from Oliver, shaking out the pins and needles to get the feeling flowing again.
Felicity looked between the two of them with a slight frown. "Okay, then, why don't you two wait in the living room. I just have to put on the final touches, and then we'll be ready to go." She left the two men standing there, neither making eye contact with the other initially. Finally, Barry got up the courage to speak.
"So Felicity has told me a lot about you," he started. He noted the frown on Oliver's face, and wondered if that small statement had provided too much information. "I mean, she sounds like she really enjoys working for you and Queen Consolidated. I understand she used to work for your step-father."
"Ex-step-father," Oliver corrected him, still upset with his mother for how she had ended up pushing away such a wonderful man like Walter Steel. Oliver's stance relaxed a bit as he realized Felicity had been talking to Barry about QC. Of course she wouldn't talk about him being the vigilante. He knew she was probably the most trustworthy person he had ever met.
They stood there a few more minutes in uncomfortable silence, both relieved when they heard Felicity's footsteps approaching from her bedroom.
"Can one of you help me with this necklace, please?" she asked, holding the piece of jewelry up equal distance from the two men. Barry started to say something, but Oliver quickly stepped forward, taking the necklace from her.
He put it on her, resting his hands gently on her shoulders as he whispered, "you look beautiful tonight," before stepping back. The comment sent a chill down Felicity's spine, with the exchange not lost on Barry.
After spending just a short time with Barry, Oliver wasn't sure what the attraction was between the two of them. Barry was probably the same age as Felicity and from what she had shared with him, almost as smart as her as well. However, beyond that he didn't' get it. Barry was a bit awkward, and although he was probably cute in a boyish kind of way, Oliver would guess he wasn't considered a hottie by the ladies. Regardless, he was going to order a background check on this guy if he intended spending any time with Felicity.
Smiling to Felicity and Barry, Oliver escorted them out to the waiting vehicle, ready to head to dinner and start assessing the couple.
At the restaurant later…
The three were enjoying dinner, and as much as Oliver wished otherwise, Barry seemed to be a really decent guy. He was extremely polite, and made sure Felicity had everything she wanted and needed as the meal progressed. Felicity seemed surprised at the attention from Barry, but maybe she was just a bit embarrassed to be receiving it in front of Oliver. By the end of the meal Oliver realized that they actually made a cute couple, and felt his heart breaking again at the thought that she would be able to find true happiness with someone else.
As he was thinking about all of these things, Felicity noticed how quiet and withdrawn he had gotten. Just then Oliver got a call on his cell. Looking at the name on the display, he excused himself. Felicity watched as he got up and walked away, concern written all over her face. Once he was out of ear shot she turned abruptly to Barry.
"What the hell are you doing, Barry?"
Barry opened his mouth, then closed it, and then opened it again, aware that she might be mad enough at him to ask him to go back to Central City and never return. However, he honestly felt that he had her best interest at heart, so decided to come clean.
"I'm making Oliver jealous," he stated simply, laying it all on the line for her.
"Are you insane?" Felicity barked at him loudly, noticing some stares turn her way from the other patrons. She leaned in closer to him, making sure he was listening. "Barry, there is a side to Oliver that you really don't want to tick off, so I'd stop it if I were you."
Seeing Oliver coming back to the table behind her, Barry decided to up the ante. "You are so adorable when you're mad," he said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze in full sight of Oliver.
Felicity snatched her hand away, clearly mad at Barry. Oliver frowned down at Barry, but directed his question to Felicity. "Is everything all right here?" he asked.
She continued to glare at Barry. "Everything is fine, Oliver. We just have a bit of a misunderstanding, but nothing to be concerned about," she finished, turning her face up to his and giving him a smile, hoping it would not prompt any more questions.
She must have gotten through to Barry, because he behaved better the rest of the night, acting more like himself. Felicity found herself falling back into that comfortable companionship they had established while in London. With her guard down now, she failed to see the looks she was getting from Oliver every time she laughed at something Barry said, or when she would go on and on about some excursion she and Barry had taken while in England.
Oliver sat silently, giving a tight smile or nod when Barry would address him or ask him a question. Even Felicity didn't seem to notice how quiet he had gotten. He had been watching how more at ease she became as the meal progressed, and felt his hatred for the young man with them growing exponentially. He wondered if he could possibly find a good reason to put an arrow in Barry without raising Felicity's ire. He couldn't come up with anything, so just sat there for the rest of the meal, regretting accepting Felicity's invitation. He was obviously a third wheel in their group, and was ready to be done for the night.
He alerted them that as it was getting late, he was going to take care of the bill, then meet them outside of the restaurant at the car.
After he left, Barry leaned into Felicity. "Is he always this moody?" he asked, surprised that when he wasn't trying to make Oliver jealous, it seemed to worsen his mood.
She watched after Oliver, wondering herself what was putting him in such a negative place. "He wasn't always like this," she answered, clearly trying to make sense of the situation. "He's been up and down like this ever since the whole Count Vertigo thing," she stated absently.
Barry looked at her oddly. "Why would Oliver Queen be affected by what happened with Count Vertigo? I mean, I know the vigilante was involved, and it happened at Queen Consolidated, but it's not like he was there experiencing the situation with you. Really, he should be more concerned about how you've recovered from the whole ordeal."
Realizing her slip up, Felicity quickly tried to back pedal her words, but realized her continued babbling would only make it worse. She just decided to stop talking, or at least keep it to a minimum until she could get back to her apartment and away from her two escorts.
Barry also became increasingly quiet, feeling as though Felicity was keeping something from him, but not able to put his finger on it.
Oliver ended up dropping Barry at his hotel first, as it was on their way from the restaurant to Felicity's apartment. Oliver had turned away while Felicity gave Barry a heartfelt hug, wanting to give the two some privacy before they departed the hotel. The ride to her apartment was strained, with neither sure what to say to the other. Once they got to her apartment, Oliver insisted he walk her all the way to her door.
They made their way slowly up the stairwell, then Oliver took her keys, unlocking the door for her. He was just ready to say goodnight and walk away when she abruptly turned toward him. "Do you want to come in for a minute?" she asked.
Caught off guard by her request, he accepted, his large frame seeming to fill her hallway as she shut the door closed behind them. She led him into the living room again.
They hadn't even sat down when she whirled around to say something to him, catching Oliver off guard since he practically slammed into her. He caught her by the upper arms, keeping her upright.
The close proximity charged the surrounding air between them, leaving Felicity speechless and unable to recall exactly what she was going to say. Oliver was also frozen in place, suddenly deeply interested in her mouth.
He involuntarily licked his lips, unable to help himself from asking the question that had been at the tip of his tongue all night. "Are you in love with Barry?"
Still mesmerized by how close they were, Felicity answered before thinking. "No."
The relief that washed through Oliver at that moment was tangible, and the emotions that went through him brought down the mask he had been wearing all night.
The look of vulnerability that Felicity saw in his face at that moment brought more questions than answers to her mind, as evidenced by the frown she wore. She couldn't fathom why it mattered so much to him. Instinctively she reached up to cup his cheek, wanting to provide whatever comfort she could to him, while giving him a questioning look.
He reached up to place his hand on hers, seeing the concern on her face, and chastising himself for letting his selfishness in wanting her all to himself make her worry. "I…" he started, unable again to find the right words.
"Oliver, you can tell me anything, just please, tell me what's wrong!" she said, her concern growing at his inability to put his thoughts into words. She was starting to panic, afraid of what he was going to say to her, afraid he wanted her back in London and as far away from him as possible.
What happened next was the last thing she expected, and caught her completely by surprise.
Oliver stepped even closer, taking her face into both of his hands.
Then, he kissed her….