Thank you so much for your comments and support on this story. I hope you enjoy where things are going. In this chapter, things heat up and Felicity has to adapt.
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It was a Saturday and while Felicity had come to accept that Saturdays in Nanda Parbat were pretty much like every other day in terms of duties, she insisted that Oliver linger in bed a little longer than usual on weekends. He knew better than to disagree, so they wove themselves together in bed and talked as light from the rising sun entered the chamber. Felicity was nestled against him, her back resting against his chest.
"Are you okay?" Felicity asked him as nonchalantly as possible. "You had another nightmare last night."
"Sorry," he replied, tangling his fingers in strands of blonde hair.
"No, it's okay," she replied urgently. "I just…never know if I should wake you or not."
"I don't remember it now."
"I rubbed your chest for a while and it seemed to pass."
"Thank you." Oliver took her hand and kissed it. "I stopped in to see Thea late last night. Malcolm said she seemed to be having nightmares too."
"Maybe that's a good sign. It could be that she's coming back."
"Maybe. Malcolm also told me that your training was going well. You've started working with shiruken."
"The star thingies. Yes, I've been throwing those a little. I used to be good at bar darts."
"He says that you are improving."
"Ha!" she guffawed. "He never tells me that."
"He just doesn't want you to become complacent. That's good. So what's on your agenda today, lovely Manar?"
"You haven't called me that since our w-…ceremony," she corrected. Okay, over-corrected.
Oliver clasped her hand in his and raised them up to where the sun was streaming above them. He held them there and they both watched their fingers entwine in the light. His voice lowered.
"There were a lot of names I could have chosen that meant happiness. Or beauty. But they weren't right. I wanted to call you something that reflected your strength. You are a beacon for me. When I came back from the island, I was still lost and you were…you still are my lighthouse. Always there, showing me the way."
"Love you," Felicity whispered as a happy tear slid down her cheek and fell onto Oliver's chest. He brought their arms down and pressed another kiss against her hand before letting go. She reached back and raked her hand along the top of his softly buzzed hair. Too short for her liking, but enjoyable to pet for now.
She cleared her throat. "Since you asked, this morning I am expecting some very special technical equipment to be delivered."
"You don't even try to explain it to me anymore," he chuckled.
"I just know that you aren't actually interested in satellite terminals and wireless repeaters, Oliver. That's okay. I expect to have everything in place in a week. Then, we will be ready."
Felicity continued chattering, eventually sharing the latest gossip overheard in the Library, which now rivaled any beauty parlor in Starling City when it came to the exchange of salacious tidbits about League members. Oliver had taken to calling it The Sex Library.
The Librarians were information collectors of the first order and it didn't matter how mundane the intel, it found its way in as if magnetized. Threats of treachery were important to know. But, as Adil had explained to her, just as important was knowing who was sleeping with whom here in the middle of nowhere. Evidently there was a code and like all of the rituals she had observed so far, Felicity had been assured that it mattered. Oliver recited a few passages from the League manual (her name for it, not his) and explained that a large group of Assassins was much harder to reign in than a Boy Scout troop. While most were highly disciplined and obedient, the occasional case of insubordination had lethal consequences. Felicity nodded, having experienced this first hand. Oliver reiterated that order was essential. Anything that threatened it was taken seriously and usually eradicated at the will of Ra's Al-Ghul. When Oliver used the word "eradicated," Felicity found it chilling.
"Do they gossip about us in the Sex Library?" Oliver asked offhandedly as he nearly completed a mental catalog of the moles on her arm, touching each one softly with his index finger.
"Me, constantly. I'm apparently sleeping with you, Malcolm Merlyn and Ra's. It's kind of like a big high school cafeteria with swords and death. I do hear some of the lady assassins here are quite taken with you." She drew out the last word of the sentence for emphasis.
"Oh, really?" He smirked, planting soft kisses on her shoulder. Felicity was loving this morning. Even though they were talking about the League, Al-Saheem was nowhere in sight.
"Mmm hmm. You are total man candy," she grinned. "There's this crazy legend going around that once you ascend to be the new Ra's your…you know…will magically grow to…" Felicity demonstrated a rather significant increase in size using her hands. Oliver snorted.
"What? My cock is supposed to get bigger?" He adopted a perplexed smile and shook his head.
"Yup. Which made me think maybe I should abandon my plan. It could be worth it." She teased. Oliver playfully tried to muzzle her mouth with his hand. She batted him away. "It also made me think that if it was true that could explain why Ra's walks around here so sure of himself like he does. Maybe there's also secret chamber with a spring full of Viagra water." Felicity was in full babble right now. Oliver couldn't possibly interrupt.
"I also started wondering what happens to the current Ra's when you take over. Does his manhood go back to regular size," Felicity indicated this with her thumb and index finger two inches apart, "or is it a perk for life?" She tried to sound serious, but her voice cracked into a giggle at the end.
"A perk?" His face registered bemusement and bewilderment as he angled his body to press his enthusiastic, but currently unmagical member against her more directly. "Felicity," he growled in her ear. "I really don't want you thinking about Ra's Al-Ghul's dick. For any reason. Ever."
"Oh. Okay." She responded as her lover's crotch rubbed against her back. Her breathing became more labored as his hands slipped around her hips to massage the sweet spot between her legs. "Anyway," she continued, "I made it known that you didn't need any supernatural assistance in that particular area, thank you very much."
"Fine," he whispered, closing his eyes and savoring the feeling of her soft, moist skin against his rough hands. Her thighs were beginning to tense up and she turned her head in search of his mouth.
"I told them that your penis was already huge," Felicity sighed.
Oliver cleared his throat. "Thank you, Baby, but I don't think that's…" he chuckled, ramping up the pressure and the speed of his current activities.
"Like an Argentine Blue-Billed Duck."
Oliver's eyes flew open, a look of panic took over his face. "Felicity! You told them I was hung like a duck? What?"
He stopped rubbing her for a moment. Felicity took this opportunity to turn her body and face him, throwing her leg across his thighs and settling softly down on his excited lap.
"I was exaggerating, of course, but they are librarians so they were, you know, impressed."
Oliver still looked confused, but Felicity's proximity assured that he returned his fingers to stroke her while she rubbed against him. Felicity ran her hands through her messy blonde bed hair and moaned again. The view from Oliver's angle was pretty spectacular. His body tensed and flexed automatically.
"So what you are saying is this Argentine Blue Bill has a big…"
Felicity leaned down and kissed him with soft lips while reaching for his hardest muscle, which was quite generously sized for her liking.
"Mmm hmm. Seventeen inches," she murmured against his mouth.
"Whoa," Oliver's surprise shifted into relief before he slid his tongue against hers for an aggressive exchange of slippery heat. Felicity pulled away when she was out of breath and straightened her back. She watched his beautiful blue eyes focus on hers as she placed him at her entrance and slowly lowered herself.
"That is one lucky duck," Oliver groaned, clasping her hips with needy fingers. Then, he licked his lips, anticipating what came next.
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The problem with concocting an elaborate plan to end the existence of archaic group of highly trained killers was, as always – other people. Variables outside of Felicity's control were a constant threat that could thwart her cleverly devised machinations. Timing would be everything.
On this particular day, Thea woke up.
It was late morning and Felicity had been unpacking the last of her new equipment in the Digital Command Center. One package in particular had yielded some tasty treats from Star Labs. Cisco really was ingenious when it came to hiding nifty components inside other, less exciting tech. She was careful to keep Fedil distracted with work as she stowed the parts in her bag. Fedil only took his eyes off his screen when an envelope was delivered to his colleague. He watched her read the note and excused herself.
"Fedil, I need to take care of something. While I'm gone, could you try hacking into Palmer Technologies again? I really would like to get my hands on those files I told you about. They contain some really useful algorithms we could use for stealth broadcasting to our Assassins in the field."
Fedil nodded, unaware of the fool's errand he was being sent on. Felicity had already contacted Ray in an encrypted message and alerted him of a planned incursion. She even had Palmer set up some dummy files for him to find, eventually. Coding for his smart watch wi-fi from three years prior looked like a reasonable prize at the end of a digital Easter Egg hunt. The other result of a successful hack would be that the League system would become vulnerable during the breach, allowing Ray to access their system at the same time.
Concentrating on his new task, he did not see her load her satchel with several pieces of equipment before exiting.
After Felicity left, Fedil asked the messenger the source of Felicity's missive. Malcolm Merlyn was the curious answer.
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When Felicity rushed into Merlyn's chambers, he was not waiting in the sitting room where they always trained. The tapestry was no longer hanging on the wall, there was blood flecked on the floor and the place looked like it had been ransacked. There were even shiruken littering the floor.
"Malcolm!" she called out, concerned.
"In here," she heard him holler from Thea's chamber. Felicity dropped her bag, threw off her heavy cloak and rushed toward the closed door. She pushed it open and was surprised to see Merlyn leaning against Thea's cot. Her body was swaddled tightly in the tapestry and she was tied with a golden cord.
Looking down at Thea's face, Felicity understood why the man was restraining her. The young woman with the delicate features was awake, but her eyes were feral, like an animal. She panted and strained against him violently. He bore a bloody gash on his temple where she had caught him unaware.
"I found out she woke up an hour ago when she struck me with my own staff. I don't think she did it on purpose. She's confused."
"Are you okay?" Felicity asked, unable to take her eyes off of Thea as she moved to a nearby basin and dipped a cloth in the standing water. The girl facing her was physically subdued, but she still looked dangerous. Her hair was a mess. Felicity was sure Thea, if she was in her right mind, would be crying out for some personal grooming products right now.
"Yes, I will be fine. Thank you." Malcolm stepped away from the cot, grateful to have another set of eyes on his wild child. He took the cloth Felicity offered him and used it to wipe away the blood and sweat from his face.
"What can I do?"
"Watch her for me."
His words panicked Felicity and she was immediately sorry she had asked the question. "Wh-where are you going?"
"I need you to keep an eye on her while get a sedative. She's all adrenaline right now and I'm afraid she might have a seizure if she doesn't calm down." Malcolm put his hand on Felicity's shoulder so she would look at him, effectively distracting her from Thea. "Ms. Smoak, my daughter is not okay. Now that she's awake, I really need to get her home."
"I understand. I do." Felicity's forehead furrowed. "But we need you here. We need your help. Oliver can't fight by himself."
"And I do want to help you. But I can't keep her drugged for very long. The narcotics here are too strong to be taken for an extended period."
Felicity sighed and nodded as Malcolm moved towards the door. Her brain was already processing and reconfiguring changes to her plan, workarounds, and new contingencies. How could they do this without ARGUS? Even if she called John now and asked for Lyla's help, it could be days before they arrived.
"Is she safe like that?" Felicity asked, eyeing her "sister" with concern and trepidation. "Am I?"
"She shouldn't be able to get free from the knots. But I would appreciate you watching her. I'll be back soon."
"Okay." Felicity sat down on a nearby chair.
"Oh," Malcolm returned to the doorway, wrapped in the black cloak of the Dark Archer. "Please don't send word to Oliver right now. Tell him tonight when you see him. I think it's best that Ra's and the rest of the League know as little as possible about what's going on here."
Felicity nodded. "Malcolm, get some extra drugs. I think I might need them myself."
"Right." On that, Malcolm disappeared and then she heard the outer door close with a loud click.
This left Felicity Smoak, IT Girl extraordinaire locked in a room with her almost sister-in-law. Her crazy, violent, almost sister-in-law.
"Thea, it's me." She spoke very deliberately, calmly, hoping she might recognize her voice from the times she had stopped by to visit. "Did I tell you about the time Digg and I flew to Lian Yu to fetch Oliver? Oh my god. I had to jump out of a plane just to get there. It was insane. Well you know what it's like. You think you're going to be on this beautiful island and it's a hellhole. Within the first twenty minutes, I stepped on a freaking land mine…"
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Late in the afternoon, shadows were getting longer and activity in the corridors was slowing down. Malcolm had received a note from Felicity. Moments later, assuring that Thea was finally in a deep sleep, he headed to a spot near the Library to meet Al-Saheem's Consort.
Felicity was leaning against the wall at the end of the long hall near the Library when she spotted Merlyn walking toward her. Her heart started beating faster. His eyes were dark and mouth drawn tight. Upon his approach, he stopped mere inches away from her body, erasing the usual personal space one employed in these situations.
"Ms. Smoak."
"I think you can call me Felicity now. I mean…" Her bright lips adopted a slight smirk and she cocked her head to one side.
There was movement at the other end of the hall. Malcolm leaned into her. "Are you sure you want to go through with this?"
Felicity raised her hand and flexed it before resting it on his jaw. "Shut up, Malcolm."
Everything went in slow motion from there. Felicity's arms slipped around Merlyn's neck. She shut her eyes tight and leaned forward, allowing her lipstick to make contact with the Malcolm Merlyn's mouth, leaving a crimson smear. She felt his hands slip around her back. He dropped his face to her nuzzle her neck. Felicity ran her fingers through his hair as he concentrated his lips and teeth on a single spot. Her head was throbbing. Damn, he's going to leave a mark.
If their assignation hadn't taken place near the Library, no one might have noticed two lovers in a hallway. But they were seen. Al-Saheem's Consort and the Dark Archer. And soon the corridors of Nanda Parbat were reverberating with scandalous whispers. When word reached Ra's Al-Ghul's chamber his anger could not be contained.
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OMG. Can you believe that? Felicity and Malcolm Merlyn? evil grin
Thanks so much for reading the story. I hope you are having fun and you'll stick with me for the next chapter or two. We are nearly there!
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