Chapter 7:
Thea Harper had worried about her brother from the moment he returned from the island. He was so different and no matter how much he tried to hide it behind his fake smiles and his stupid charm she could tell. It was a little sister's job to learn her older brother's mood, how else would she get him to do whatever she wanted. Sure she could still get him to help her with things but he was different and she missed him.
About six months after Ollie returned he slowly got better, but not to before island Ollie but a different person, someone better, someone she always knew him to be. It took Thea almost a year after that to work out why it was. It was after the destruction of the Glades and Ollie was still getting used to his position as CEO of QC that Thea first notice. She had gone to his office one day to meet him for lunch, when she had heard them arguing. Diggle was standing off in the back looking amused, Thea stood by him as they watched them argue. No one called Ollie on his ballshit but Felicity did and Thea could tell that her brother respected her for it. Diggle had told her that they were always the same and the more time she spent around the two of them the more she could see how right Diggle was.
But it wasn't until after their mother's death that Thea saw just how amazing Felicity Smoak really was. Even before the island Ollie never really did feelings, but after the island feelings made her brother run away. He disappeared and she was left alone and scared but Felicity never allowed that. Felicity sat with her every day and every night until Thea was strong enough to pull herself together again. When Ollie returned, Felicity still stayed by her side but things were weird between the two of them for a while.
FLASHBACK
It was late and she was supposed to be asleep, but she couldn't so headed downstairs to grab some water when she heard them by the front door. Thea hurried to the banister careful not to be seen. Ollie was learning against the far wall while Felicity quietly put on her coat and bag. By the way she was acting Felicity hadn't noticed Ollie's presents yet.
"You leaving?" He asked.
Felicity jumped and dropped her bag, its contents tumbling out.
"Dam it Oliver, wear a bell or something. You need to make yourself known unless you're trying to give me a heart attack in which case you're doing a pretty good job." Felicity said speaking quickly.
The tension between Felicity and Ollie had been building for days and of what little she knew about Felicity she knew it wouldn't be long till the women completely lost it.
Felicity bent down and slowly began picking up things from her bag. Ollie walked over to help her, once they were done they both stood up.
"Thank you." Felicity mumbled avoiding Ollie's eyes.
She turned to leave but Ollie grabbed her arm.
"Are you ever going to talk to me again?" He asked.
Thea was surprised at the sound of her brother's voice, she had never heard him so unsure before, so desperate.
"I am talking to you." Felicity replied but still she avoided his eyes.
Ever since Ollie returned Felicity had been given him one word answers and if she was honest Thea wasn't sure why.
"No you're not, not really." Ollie argued.
Felicity remained silent but Ollie waited her out. After a few minutes of silence Felicity sighed in defeat.
"What do you want me to say to you Oliver?" Felicity asked.
Ollie took a deep breath through his nose.
"Tell me why you're mad at me so we can fix this?" Ollie asked.
Felicity's eyes darted up to his. It was the first time since Ollie returned that Felicity had looked at him like that.
"I'm not mad at you." Felicity argued, her voice tried and wary.
"I'm disappointed." She added.
Ollie looked like someone had just sucker punched him.
"I'm sorry I disappointed you." Ollie said letting go of her arm.
Felicity shook her head, knowing Ollie had took what she said a different way than what she had intended.
"Not for me Oliver I am disappointed for Thea. She needed you and you left. I get why did it Oliver I really do but grieving alone may work for you but it didn't for her. Thea needed someone, she needed you. " Felicity tried to explain.
Ollie's eyes widened in surprise.
"She had you." Ollie reasoned, his tone soft and grateful.
Felicity gave him a small tired smile.
"Only because I know what it's like to grieve alone. I didn't want that for her." Felicity reasoned.
They were a story there, she could tell and by the look of Ollie's face so could he.
"Or for you." She added in a whisper.
Ollie looked down at Felicity as if he had never seen her before.
"I couldn't face the thought of losing someone else I cared about so I ran and it was the wrong thing to do and I am sorry for that." Ollie explained.
Felicity slowly raised her hand to Ollie's cheek as if to comfort him.
"I'm not the one you need to apologise too." She said with a sad smile on her face.
Ollie sighed heavily and nodded. His hand touched hers.
"I know." Ollie concluded.
"I'm working on it." He promised.
Thea smiled sadly at the thought. She knew her brother had been trying, but she had been so hurt by him leaving that she had shut down any attempted he made at having a conversation with her. Thea made a promise to herself that she would listen to Ollie the next time he tried to talk to her.
"Good." Felicity mumbled.
She dropped her hand and turned to walk away.
"Stay?" Ollie asked, Thea could hear the desperation in his voice.
He needed Felicity and by the look on her face, Felicity new it.
Felicity swallowed hard and nodded.
"Ok." She whispered.
END OF FLASHBACK
Things changed between Ollie and Felicity over the two years before Felicity left, they became closer and if she was honest with herself Thea had waited for the day that they finally got their act together and got together. But sadly that day didn't come. Felicity had been so strange in those finally two weeks and to this very day she wished she had pushed Felicity harder in trying to find out what was wrong, but she didn't and before she knew it Felicity was gone. Thea missed her friend terribly and her worry for Ollie got worse. For the first month after Felicity was gone she barley sure Ollie he was out every night and when he came back he was battered and bruised. That was how she found out that her brother was the arrow. He had been barley sleeping and he was making sloppy mistakes, which is why Ollie didn't notice when she followed him into the storeroom that lead to his lair one day. She had been furious at first but after a couple of days of snarky remakes and yelling matches with Ollie she realised she couldn't have been prouder of her brother, for all the good he did for this city.
When Ollie married Laurel, Thea's worry eased a little. Laurel new the truth and she thought that Ollie would be able to be himself around Laurel but that sadly wasn't what she hoped and when they caught track of Felicity, Thea's fear was confirmed. Felicity had a hold over her brother's heart and she didn't even know it.
Thea looked through the pictures as Ollie read the letter. Katya was beautiful. She was delicately small much like both she and Felicity were with her brother's dirty blonde hair and Felicity's bright blue eyes. Even in the younger pictures Thea could tell she was stunning enough to be a heartbreaker. She wondered what Katya was like now.
"She's beautiful Ollie." Thea mumbled, but Ollie never even looked up from the letter.
Whatever the letter said it was taking Ollie through a whirlwind of emotions.
Thea continued looking through the pictures until she found one where Katya stood with a little boy his arms around her shoulders. He looked a couple of years older than her with a cheeky grin on his face, they both looked dirty like they had been rolling around in the dirty.
Thea turned the picture.
Katya, 10 and Jay 12 after the catching incident.
Ollie standing brings Thea out of her thoughts of what that could mean.
"Ollie where are you going?" She asks.
Ollie stops and looks over at Thea, he hands her the letter.
"Read the last line." He orders.
Thea frowned as she looked down at the letter.
Take care of her for me Oliver.
Thea gasped that was a goodbye if she ever heard one.
"What are you going to do?" Thea asked.
Ollie look down at her his face serious.
"Find out everything I can about my daughter then find both her and Felicity." Ollie replies and before Thea can question him any further he is striding out of the room.
Nurse Jackie sighs tiredly as she walked into Jane's room. It's been almost three weeks and Jane still hasn't woken up. The doctor said that there is nothing physically left wrong with her and that Jane is the only one keeping herself in this state.
"I'm just going to take your picture." Jackie tells Jane.
Jackie hopes that when Jane's family find her that Jane will fight harder to wake up.
Jackie lines up the picture in the camera.
"On the count of three." Jackie says.
She knows Jane isn't going to move but she can't help it. Her colleagues tell her she has gotten herself too involved but she doesn't care. Part of her is so sure that Jane has a family, she can't bring herself to ignore the fact, so she keeps talking to Jane and not just when she's on shift anymore, she finds herself checking on Jane in her breaks and on her days off too.
"One…two… three…" Jackie says before she takes the picture.
Jackie looks at the picture. She knows it's a long shot with, especially with Jane's eyes closed but she will take what she can get.
Jackie looks at Jane one last time.
"I hope this helps." She whispers before she leaves the room.
Katya sits on her father's sofa. It's been almost three hours and there has been no sign of him.
She sighs heavily just as her phone beeps.
Any sign yet?- J x
Katya rolls her eyes. He said, he wanted to give her time to talk to her father on her own but he hasn't stopped texting her since he dropped her off earlier.
She dials Jay's number.
"I take it that's a no." Jay says answering on first ring.
"I have no idea where he is, I tried to tracking his phone's signal but something is scrabbling it." Katya replied.
She hates not knowing things.
"What you going to do?" he asks.
"What else can I do?" Katya returns.
Jay sighs.
"What about your aunt?" Jay offers.
Katya sighed tiredly. She really wasn't ready to be slung into the world of the 1%'s yet but she was left with little choice.
"Yeah." She says softly.
She heard stories about her aunt from her mother. Her Aunt Thea was a whirlwind, at least that what her mother said. A loveable, whirlwind and that very thought was what made her nervous.
"I can come with you if you want?" Jay asks as if he can hear weariness.
"Please." Katya whispers.
She smiles to herself, he knows her so well.
"I'm own my way." Jay replies.
"Thank you." Katya adds.
"Anytime." Jay said softly and Katya knew he meant ever word of it.
Thea glared at her son.
"Tommy I will not tell you again." She yells.
Tommy smirks and Thea tries not to groan he reminds her so much of Roy when they first met its scary.
"I'm sorry mum." He says putting his phone down.
That's her one rule no phones at the dinner table and Tommy pushed that rule every night.
Thea shakes her head and glares at her husband.
Roy smiles that smile she loves so much as he holds up his hands in mock surrender.
"His your son too." Roy points out.
Thea opens her mouth to argue when the doorbell goes.
"I'll get it." Thea says before she is heading to the door.
She opens the door.
A young women and man are standing there but Thea is stuck staring at the girl.
"Hi, my name is…" the women starts.
"Katya." Thea adds.
Her nieces name falling from her lips easily and there is no denying it. She is too much like Felicity and Ollie for that.