Disclaimer: See chapter one
Please see my A/N below for further information.
CONGRATULATIONS HUSKY2014 - 100TH REVIEWER
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Chapter 23 – Interlude
An alarm rang through the house, startling everyone it had to be said as Felicity reached forward to pick her tablet up from the table where it had been lying (just in case, they were Team Arrow after all and crime definitely did not respect mini-vacations!) and wiped her finger across the screen.
However, her next actions had her sister exclaiming her name in shock, "Felicity!" as she suddenly burst into a wave of fluent Greek (unhappily for everyone else in the room, it was ancient Greek hence the reason the elder sister was the only person who actually understood what she was actually saying!)
Oliver immediately leant over her shoulder and before he could stop himself, he actually swore (luckily for him, he had the presence of mind to swear in Mandarin and Russian – which caused Felicity to grin for a brief second) before falling into English. "What is she doing here? How did she even know that we would even be here?"
Diggle and Roy, without even thinking about it, left their seats to join the rest of the core Team Arrow, looking down at the tablet their resident IT genius and archer leader were staring at – before Diggle transferred his gaze to one of the two eldest men present in the room, "Detective Lance?"
"Why do I get the feeling that means my sister is on the grounds?" Sara groaned as she hid her head against Nyssa's shoulder. "I cannot believe that she actually... why is she so blind!"
"As I have often said, since before I had even met her, she sees only what she wants to see, listens to only that which agrees with her personal thoughts, sees only the path that she wishes to tread without thought to others." Felicity looked up, her eyes dark with suppressed anger, and to the two Lance's surprised, sorrow. "And even though she cares deeply, she seems unable to recognise that it is her own actions and thoughts that are responsible – even if it means hurting you, her own family."
Felicity scowled then, "And even though I really hate the fact that I do see her for what she is, I care too much for you, Sara and for you, Detective, not to try and understand her but when she turns up here, at our home with the press following her...!"
"She's WHAT!" Sara jumped to her feet at that at joined the four in and around the chair (unconsciously completing the original Team Arrow line-up as her father thought of it). "Dad, Laurel's lost her mind!"
"All I can say, is thank Zeus we decided to hold this reunion here and not at our new home." Oliver rested his chin on Felicity's shoulder as they watched the vehicles move slowly along the long drive way that led to the Queen Mansion. "This must be a follow-up to the news item just shown."
Only Diana had caught the fact that Oliver had started to use their Olympian heritage in his speech – something her sister was prone to do when something went her way or she was exclaiming and did her best to hide her smirk before her observant sibling and partner caught it.
"Then allow me to answer the door for you." For the first time that afternoon, Walter Steele spoke up. "This was, after all, once my home as well."
Oliver was quick to respond, "Any home of mine is also yours, Walter, you are family after all."
Walter smiled at that and rose as elegantly as ever to head towards the front door of the mansion. His rising seemed to be the signal for everyone to stretch their legs for a moment – although Roy almost casually followed the elder man at a signal from both Oliver and Diggle, just in case.
Diana took it as her cue to move closer to Felicity and Oliver to ask a question of her sibling, "Shadow?"
"That's where I do my best work, Diana." Felicity replied simply as she continued to watch the cameras on her tablet, "In the shadows, night or day, always there behind you."
"And beside you or in front of you," Oliver both added and corrected her statement.
"No matter the situation," Diggle finished as he poked Felicity in the shoulder, making her laugh. "You always know she's there, even when you least expect it."
Diana looked at them for a moment, contemplating what they had all said and then nodded. "Yes, perhaps Shadow is the best name for you then..." She paused for a moment as she caught her sister's gaze, an unspoken message passing between them, "For now?"
Felicity merely nodded in response as Oliver looked from her then to her sister. "Do I want to know what that meant." He asked.
"Not right now you don't," His girl shot back at him, "And hush, they're here."
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Walter Steele stood with his arms folded over his chest, quite aware that in the shadows behind him a member of the group he was coming to know as Team Arrow was standing in watchful protectiveness as they awaited the arrival of the young woman who was swiftly becoming one of the biggest annoyances the team had to deal with.
He still felt a sense of pride that he now was one of the few people who knew the truth about his former stepson (and the fact Oliver still considered him a part of his family, especially considering their rocky beginning on his return from the Island still filled him with a sense of pride and accomplishment).
He was also well aware that it all came down the petite blonde that he had sent Oliver to not long after his return from the Island. Hearing that she had actually been on the Island with him at some point was still a shock to his system but did explain, quite simply, just how the two of them got on so well from the very beginning.
His internal thoughts stopped for a moment as the cars came to a halt outside the mansion and Laurel emerged, followed swiftly by at least six journalists. (Later it would be revealed that for some strange reason, the TV crew that had followed them had been unable to get past the gates of the grounds as all their equipment and their van had died an almost simultaneous death. A certain Ms Smoak never did reveal how she had managed that particular feat – she merely grinned at them, eyebrow raised.)
"Laurel, what can I do for you today?"
"Walter! I mean, Mr Steele, what are you doing here!" She exclaimed as she drew closer to the bottom of the steps. "I was looking for Oliver."
"I really do not know why you need to know that but I did once live here, if you remember." Walter raised an eyebrow, his voice taking on that cool politeness that the English seem to do so well when confronted by someone they were not particularly fond of. "And Oliver, as I understand it, it with his girlfriend, Felicity and her sister, I believe that it is the first time that they have seen each other for some time."
"Oh please don't tell me that they have you believing this act of theirs." Laurel scoffed as she turned slightly to roll her eyes at the journalists. "Everyone knows that Oliver is still in love with me."
Walter turned his head to side for a moment, unconsciously if he knew it, mimicking Felicity when Oliver was trying to tell her a lie and then shook his head. "Laurel, my dear, you really need to get out of this fantasy world that you have created for yourself, I really would recommend that you see a psychiatrist about it, it seems to be getting rather out of hand."
He then turned to the journalists standing behind her. "And ladies and gentlemen of the press, I would really recommend that you check your facts before going ahead with your stories based on the unsubstantial word of one woman. I now ask you to remove yourself from the Queen grounds before I find it necessary to summon the police."
With that said he closed the door and returned to the sitting room, where to his shock and then amusement, he was greeted with a round of applause - without even thinking about it, he mock-bowed to them all, earning a round of laughter in reward.
"So where were we?" He asked as he took the tea cup Lyla handed him once he had returned to his seat.
"That darn earthquake machine and..." Felicity said softly as she cast her gaze to the young man who was now sitting on the floor beside her and Oliver, reaching out to touch his shoulder in quiet reassurance for a moment.
"And me." Roy added equally softly.
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Yes I know, an unexpected interlude chapter and even then it didn't go quite the way I expected it to - it was supposed to be Diana querying Felicity's name in totallity but came out like this!
It's the worry about whether I would be able to do this at all that has done this - power cable died Monday, may not have got the new one till the following Monday so consider this a gift!
Depending on what happens tomorrow, familywise, may attempt the Tremour chapter but may need to play Diablo III Reaper of Souls so may not happen at all ;op