Disclaimer: See chapter 1
The A/N has returned to live below the chapter, please read there!
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Chapter 15 – From Russia With Love
Felicity stood staring out of the window of their suite in the direction of the prison, her coat, hat and gloves on the table behind her, arms wrapped around her waist. No matter what her brain told her, that Diggle was capable of looking after himself, her heart could not help but worry.
From across the room where he had been watching her, Oliver quickly caught her changing mood and swiftly moved to her side, wrapping his arms beneath hers and pulling her to his chest, rested his chin on her shoulder. "He'll be fine, Felicity."
"You know I'm not going to stop worrying until we're all on the plane going home, Oliver." She replied, leaning the side of her head against his. "I suppose that we need to get going on our part of the plan as well."
He turned her in his arms and pushed her hair back out of her face. "Anatoli's here, I want you to meet him, see if he remembers you."
She sighed leaning her forehead against his chest. "Oliver..."
Before he could speak however, another voice exclaimed her name. "счастье ( pronounced schast'ye)"
"Hello Anatoli." She moved slightly away from Oliver and held out her hand to the Russian approaching them. To Oliver's surprise, he took it and bowed over it, kissing it in the old imperial way clearly not as long gone as certain members of the establishment hoped it would be. "Your help for our friend is appreciated."
"I could do no less for the man that saved my life." He replied, releasing her hand at the subtle warning in Oliver's eyes. "Or for the lady that clearly now owns him once more."
"A strange way of putting it," Oliver murmured as he unconsciously drew Felicity backwards slightly. "Don't we need to be going?"
"If you want to stand any chance of this plan being a success," Anatoli replied as he watched his old friend help the girl into her coat, even going as far as to place her hat on her head – enjoying the fact that even when they were being serious they could find a moment to laugh together.
He nodded to himself now convinced of his feelings about the young American; this was an Oliver that was genuinely more dangerous that the man he had known before. This was an Oliver who had something to fight for and when a man fights for a cause from the heart, he is sometimes more dangerous that a man who fights for a cause from the mind.
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Felicity looked out of the car window at the factory that they were approaching and turned to look at Oliver for a moment. "Why is it, Oliver Jonas Queen, no matter where we go, we always somehow end up at a factory once owned by Queen Consolidated?"
Oliver couldn't help himself but laugh, raising her hand to his lips to kiss. The car came to a halt and Anatoli stepped out of the driver's seat, leaving them in the car. Still holding her hand, Oliver turned to Felicity. "Felicity..."
"I know." She replied softly, placing a finger on his lips. "This is one of those times when I have to do exactly as you tell me and I will." She leant her head to the side. "Do you think Digg's okay?"
"I'm sure he's doing fine." He replied turning to get out of the car while she waited for him to come round and open the door for her (something he and Diggle had insisted on while they were on this trip). He helped her out of the car and then stood at her side, watching as she played with her phone, knowing that it was the only reason she was staying so calm.
He was also not surprised when she asked again if Diggle was alright. He rested his hand on her shoulder, the only physical sign of reassurance he would give under their current circumstances and murmured. "I'm sure he's as fine as he was when you asked the same questions five minutes ago."
The pair of them looked into each other's eyes, the only way they could say what they really wanted to say at that moment and he squeezed her shoulder again as Anatoli stepped forward. "Here they come, they sell us police car cheap."
From her place beside the car, Felicity watched in almost horror as things suddenly seemed to go wrong after the money was handed over. She cast a quick look at him as he sighed suddenly and somehow, grew taller and even steelier.
In that moment, she knew that the man she loved was calling on the persona that had made him the successful Bratva captain that he had been and in some way, still was. The look of fear that had crossed the other man's face as Oliver had continued to speak had in some ways alleviated some of the fear she herself had been feeling.
She however could not stop her sense of curiosity at what he had actually said. "Oliver, what did you say?"
"Hello?" He replied simply, grinning and winking at her before they got into the car.
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Leaving Oliver behind to have a few quiet words with his friend, Felicity started to walk towards the hotel when she noticed a familiar form entering it before her. Speeding up, she managed to find a position where she could see what she was doing there.
"I need to speak to Oliver Queen but I don't remember his room number." She seemed to slip something across the reception desk to the receptionist. "Perhaps you can help me?"
She drew back just in time to catch Oliver as he was about to enter the hotel, pulling him into her hiding place, "Felicity?"
"Please tell me you know a second route to our room from her?" She asked desperately, holding the lapels of his coat. "The..." she shuddered for a moment before continuing, "...is bribing the receptionist to your hotel room even as we speak?"
"Then it's a good thing I did memorise all the ways in and out then." He took her hands and quickly led her to an elevator normally used by just staff (or for people who did not want their 'companion' to be seen). "It might make more of an impact if you are already there..."
"Oliver?" Felicity asked even as she resisted him pushing her in the elevator.
"She's going to keep trying, sweetheart; we might as well be nice and let her try." With that, he freed her hands and let his now fuming other half disappear, knowing that she was already rambling rude things under her breath, "Now to bait the trap!"
He did not however expect what happened when Isabel followed him to his room. Somehow, much to his astonishment, Oliver found himself caught off-guard when the slender form of Isabel Rochev pushed him against his hotel room door with a bang. He certainly did not expect the door to open and Felicity to be standing there.
Having caught sight of the other woman dressed in a black evening cocktail dress, Felicity had decided to go in quite the opposite direction (and never had she been more glad that she had become friends with Thea Queen) and she had pulled out the white lace nightgown her younger friend had sneaked into her suitcase.
Changing quickly, and in a flash of inspiration, taking off her glasses, she now stood in the doorway with one hand on the edge and the other on her hip, watching as Oliver fell back into the room and away from the brunette.
"Can we help you, Ms Rochev?" She asked in such a sweet tone it was almost poisonous even as she held her hand out for Oliver to take (and he did – immediately wrapping himself behind her – this was one of those times when even he was not ashamed to hide behind Felicity's skirts –what there was of it!) The other woman glared at her and turning on her heels literally stormed away like a little girl having a tantrum.
Closing the door (and clearly locking it), Felicity turned to Oliver; eyebrow raised and hands resting on her hips, "Something tells me that was a massive fail on her part. Have you anything to say?"
"Just one..." He replied pulling her towards him and lowering his lips to hers. "Wow!"
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Twenty-four hours later, Oliver pulled Felicity up into his arms and literally fell into his huge bed in the Queen Mansion with a sigh of relief and her giggles.
"That trip to Moscow was worse than anything James Bond ever went through in any of his movies." Felicity said suddenly as she leant on his chest and looked down into his blue eyes. "I still can't believe Digg let that man go!"
"John Diggle is a man of his word." Oliver replied as he brushed her hair out of her face. "I saw Isabel talking to you earlier, what did she say?"
"Something about things happening in Russia, staying in Russia," Felicity pressed a kiss to his Bratva tattoo before resting her head over his heart. "I just reminded her that our relationship began before even we knew it had."
Oliver smiled at that, it was quite a unique way of referring to their year together on the island and the subsequent memory loss. The smile faded though when she suddenly raised her head and look at him seriously, "Why weren't you surprised that Amanda Waller knew about you and Diggle?"
She raised an eyebrow as he looked back at her in silence, unable in some ways to answer her just then. She merely nodded before lowering her head back down again. "I'll just add them to my watch list then." She murmured almost to herself.
Oliver actually winced at that. Being on Felicity's watch list was not necessarily a good place to be.
"I'm glad your mother persuaded Thea not to give up Roy." She suddenly said out of the blue – another subject prone to making a certain big brother wince. "I wonder why her lawyer hasn't said anything to you about me."
"That may be, as you like to remind me, because you graduated M.I.T top of your class, you're my IT expert as well as my executive assistant and contrary to popular opinion, were my girlfriend (which we need to find a better word for because you're more than a mere girlfriend) long before that and have no criminal record despite people thinking that you..."
For a change it was Felicity that silenced the ramble going on and changed the conversation more conducive to their surroundings.
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And this is the second chapter, should have been up yesterday but I'm running a day late - please see yesterday's A/N for reasons why! LOL!
And why is this? To make sure you review every chapter! ;op
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