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Stepfather

Chapter 3

The couch in the lair was a mess. Ever since Felicity had found the note from him in her apartment, she had packed her bags and left her apartment.

The lair was her safe place. Nobody knew of its existence apart from Oliver and Diggle. She never left the place, being lucky so far until there was no Arrow work. The two men showed up every evening for workouts and sparring sessions, however left earlier than normal. She had told them she had to run updates the whole week, so they didn't ask to enquire why she wasn't leaving the same time as them.

At 6am, barely having slept – which seemed to be the norm for her now – Felicity looked at her phone and reviewed today's schedule before deciding to get dressed. Oliver had meetings all morning, followed by a lunch date with Isabel Rochev. Normally that would bother Felicity as the general presence of that woman in their lives did, but not today. She had to control her emotions, there was no room for jealousy or hope for Oliver to feel anything more than friendship for her anymore.

Oliver was tired. He couldn't sleep the previous night, not unlike him but lately it was getting worse. His frustration with Felicity's lack of communication was getting to him. He knew he had to be rational but it was difficult to be that when it came to a certain blonde MIT grad. He knew there was a problem, and even though she had repeated a number of times that it wasn't his problem, he refused to accept that. Something huge was bothering her, so it automatically became his problem.

He knew he had been cryptic about his feelings towards her, and probably what looks like denial to others. He knew it was a big mistake telling her that he couldn't be with somebody that he really cares about, because of the life he lives. It wasn't a lie, but it also wasn't the truth. He somehow knew all along he felt far deeper for this woman then he even could imagine.

An irritated call of his name took him out of his reverie. "Oliver!" Isabel, the woman he'd slept with in Russia, was staring at him with the most unamused expression.

"Did you hear what I said?" she asked, knowing full well he didn't, but it was Isabel Rochev and it wouldn't be her if she didn't pester someone to death.

"Sorry, Isabel. I had a long night, and with the meetings this morning… I'm a little tired. Sorry, what did you say?" he tried to be polite but came out as a little annoyed too.

She put her favourite cold smile, that could easily belong to a supervillain, "Let me guess. You had a special meeting with your blonde assistant?"

Oliver stared back at her in anger, despite his reservations about her. He knew what she was doing, he knew what she is like. Ever since Russia, she had turned even more bitter and egotistical – if that was even possible.

Pursing his lips into a hard line, he answered "No, I didn't have any private meeting with Ms Smoak, Isabel." Oliver couldn't himself, with Felicity behaving the way she was and him not doing anything about he couldn't help but wan to wipe that smirk from Rochev's face, "And even if I had, you would be the last person I would tell."

"Oliver, I'm…" Isabel began but Oliver was already standing up to leave the restaurant.

Back at Queen Consolidated, Oliver noticed a man at the reception who was asking about Felicity. He was tall, looked to be involved in some sort of sports – dressed in jeans and a white shirt. He had grey hair and looked between the late 40s, early 50s.

Oliver's ears stood up in awareness almost as if sensing danger, so he took note of the man as much as he could.

"I'm Edward Smoak," the guy told the receptionist. "I'm Ms Smoak's father, maybe you could make an exception and let me visit her. Or you can at least call her and ask her to come down, I'm only in town for one afternoon."

Hearing this, Oliver held his reservations about him to the side and walked towards the man, who was being refused again to be let in to the top floor without an appointment.

"Is there a problem here?" Oliver asked on approach, smiling at the receptionist.

"Mr Queen, this is Mr Smoak, who wants to see your assistant. But I've informed him he can't go to the top floor without an appointment or authority."

Oliver looked at the man claiming to be Felicity's father again, and concluded that he really had nothing in common in physical appearance with Felicity, he can't be her father, Oliver thought.

"Oh hello, Mr Queen," the man held out his hand "Edward Smoak." His fake smile had Oliver rethinking his similarity with Felicity but the fakeness was the only thing in common he had rather than the smile itself. "Sorry for the drama I may have caused but I just wanted to see my little girl before I left town again. I haven't seen her since she started working for you."

The way he addressed this, again, had Oliver questioning his claim of being Felicity's loved one. But he couldn't cause more drama and attention toward this man, in case he is a threat. With an uneasy feeling, Oliver agreed to take him up to his 'daughter'.

Felicity stood beside her desk, waiting for Oliver to be back from lunch with Isabel. She had discovered that despite her efforts to push away the jealousy, it had made its way back into her heart and mind and had her left wondering if there was any part two to Russia between the co-CEOs. She was surprised that there was still room for these feelings, with everything that was going on.

It was the ding of the elevator that made her turn in and change her surprise into panic as she saw who walked in with Oliver. It wasn't Isabel.

It was him. Him.

Her coffee cup dropped from her hands as she paled, still staring wide eyed at the sight in front of her.

Oliver looked at her in concern, and noticed that when Felicity's supposed father came up to give her a hug, she tensed into a frigid mess.

"Lis, my little girl I've missed you so much. You look good." Edward Smoak said in a proud voice. As if it was an achievement on itself getting this close to her and pulling this off without anyone noticing.

Felicity still seemed extremely stiff in Edward's arms to Oliver, as he noticed she was a breath away from losing control.

After what seemed like hours, Edward finally let her go, allowing a shaking Felicity to sit back at her desk chair. "Sorry Edward, I don't have much time to talk, I'm really busy – Mr Queen has a meeting in ten minutes." Looking straight at Oliver, praying to dear God and all that existed that this not becomes the first time Oliver doesn't get her unspoken words.

He didn't disappoint. "Yes Mr Smoak, there's a meeting in ten minutes unfortunately. Come on, I'll walk you out."

Edward tried not to look too bemused, and made a move to take on Oliver's offer before turning back to Felicity, "Give your old man another hug, LIs." His smile returning on his evil face, Felicity thought to punch it right off him.

Her violent thoughts didn't go even as he finished hugging her.

She felt the bile rise in her throat as he whispered in her ear, "After all this time, I've finally got you back, and be assured. I am never letting you go again," just as he let her go.

Seeing Felicity this jittery tensed every muscle in Oliver's body. He walked the older man with as much pretence he could have in order to not freak out in front of what looked like a much, much worse situation than he had let himself imagine with Felicity.

This couldn't be real. It isn't. He isn't here. He can't be. Felicity felt like she was in a bad nightmare and she just isn't waking up. She looked up again to see her stepfather walk out towards the elevator with the man she trusted and loved more than anyone.

She remembered why a moment ago she physically felt sick, smelling the same scent of his disgusting perfume that he still clearly didn't grow out of. It smelled exactly like it did years ago, when she was little. Don't puke! Be strong.

She felt sick again, and all the nasty memories burned in her mind. Don't lose it, not here. Keep it together, Felicity, she told herself, over and over. She couldn't do it all over again. She couldn't let him see her at her worst because of him, or let him see how much power he still had over her.

Power that she thought she had gained control of as of late. Especially since she had met Oliver and Digg. They taught her how to be strong, how to believe. And that's what she did. She believed, she hoped. She knew Oliver had gotten her silent message about the fake meeting in ten minutes, so she knew he was there, that he would be there to protect her no matter what. Even if what she needs protection from is her own childhood memories and people from it. She believed he will understand, so she knew it was time to stop lying.