Chapter 7 – Friends
AN - I am posting this mammoth chapter in two parts but both right now just to keep my on the really tight schedule for this little side project! :)
AN2 – Again thank you for continuing to read! I do hope you guys are enjoying this as much as I am b/c I have seriously missed Team Arrow and Olicity fun! Mic, thank you for continuing to plow through this massive story and provide so many helpful suggestions!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIC RIDDY!
DISCLAIMER: I am so tempted to leave it blank but as I can't afford to be sued I'll say it again, I am playing without profit or ownership!
The day passed in a relatively normal fashion for the Team - at least their new normal. They shared breakfast with only a few overly long looks between Oliver and Felicity and she only blushed twice. Diggle kept his head down and kept his comments to himself. He did fill Felicity in on the plan he and Oliver had discussed last night - that serious discussion kept everyone focused and ready to work again.
The group again split for their ride to the lair. Oliver needed to meet with Sara so they could exchange intel so he took his bike and headed to her first. Felicity and Diggle again met with Charlie and updated him with a rather cryptic warning. The older man had paused before nodding his acceptance without asking any questions.
Oliver got to the lair not long after Diggle and Felicity. Diggle had just changed to more comfortable clothes to train and had started to workout. Felicity had barely started reviewing her search results.
She looked up in surprise at his early entrance as she assumed he would want to spend time with Sara. He was smiling though so she assumed he had had fun...she tried not to think about what kind of fun just as she was trying not to think about the scene with him while she was hot tub, naked in the hot tub. Felicity blushed and turned away even as she spoke to him.
"Hey, you're back early - I believe John is ready though!" Felicity tried to sound cheerful even as she refused to meet his eyes.
Just seeing Felicity had brought a smile to Oliver's face but her blush intrigued him and brought him closer. He had been fighting images of her in the hot tub since last night and he couldn't resist seeing if she was having the same problem. Oliver crouched down beside her chair and spun her chair around until they were face to face just as they had been last night.
"Oliver!" Felicity's voice was louder than she intended and Diggle looked up in question.
"Just wanted to say hi and see if everything went okay today." Oliver worked to maintain a controlled expression but it was difficult when Felicity's eyes again dropped to his mouth as he spoke.
"What? Oh yeah, Charlie is fine. We just told him tonight could get interestingand to keep in mind we are all friends. He accepted that without asking any questions. BTW, his record with the service is amazing! He's a great guy Oliver and once we are back in QC you should make a point to shake his hand and thank him."
Oliver laughed as despite her obvious nerves and continued looks at his mouth she still thought of someone else and still believed they would get QC back. "I will make a point to shake Charlie's hand and thank him Felicity."
Felicity smiled brightly and waited a bit more nervously than she would admit for Oliver to step back. It finally occurred to her that she could move away herself but she also realized she didn't really want to do that.
"How's your work going?" Oliver realized he didn't want to leave and as long as Felicity didn't push him away he would take these few extra moments with her.
"Just getting started - I think I have the programs for tonight's mission. It should not only destroy files and basically crash the system beyond repair but it should also send anything with the key words I've specified back to us. I have adjusted the searches to include Island references, everything we know about Slade, Dr. Ivo, Isabel Rochev, well, basically everything so it may still be a needle in a haystack kind of search but I'm still hopeful." Felicity's nerves calmed a bit and she simply enjoyed the moment.
"And you are okay with the plan? You are ready?" Oliver's voice was very soft now and he couldn't resist putting a hand on her knee.
Felicity leaned forward in her chair and covered his hand with hers. "I've been in the field before...granted it usually doesn't go well and the last time I did get shot but I got shot saving Sara so that's okay. Hmm, maybe that still wasn't the best example and I would hate it if Charlie was the one to shoot me. I am ready though and I think it will be okay. It will be okay, right?" Felicity had started confidently but ended with a slight plea in her tone.
"You can tell Sara what to do. You can even guide her over the comms. You don't have to go Felicity." Oliver thought it was a good plan but he didn't want Felicity upset so he quickly offered her an out. Her immediate frown was somewhat unexpected and only his hand on her knee kept her from rising out of the chair. She did cross her arms over her chest and glare at him though.
"I can do this! I know Sara probably could do it too but the plan was for all four of us and I will do my part. The plan was my idea!" Felicity's voice was angry but not loud. She really didn't want John to overhear as he would no doubt jump to the conclusion that she was jealous of Sara or feeling insecure again and that just wasn't the case. It really wasn't!
"I know you can do it Felicity. I only meant you didn't have to be there to do it." Oliver tried soothing her but hadn't quite processed the fact that his hand was no longer gripping her knee but rubbing small circles on her thigh. Only when his hand bumped the material of her short skirt did he realize exactly what he was doing and he froze.
Felicity decided Oliver must have realized the position of his hand the same time she had and he froze too. Of course, she had stopped breathing but the point was neither moved. She had been staring at his hand but now her eyes trailed up his arm, across his chest, and past his lips to his eyes only to find him staring at her.
"Felicity?" Oliver wasn't really sure what he was asking Felicity but he remained frozen and just stared into her eyes. He leaned in slightly toward her but a loud metal clang had him on his feet as he placed his body between Felicity and the direction of the noise.
When Oliver saw it was just Diggle working with weights he took a deep breath and tried to relax his muscles. He considered trying to talk to Felicity but he had no idea what to tell her. He reminded himself again that they were friends, partners and he needed to focus on Slade right now. With that thought in mind he stepped away from Felicity and toward Diggle but after only a few steps he stopped and turned back to her.
"Later, after all of this is over, you and I need to talk." Oliver's voice was rough and it wasn't really a question but he still waited for her to respond.
Felicity had stared at Oliver's back when he walked away as she tried to force oxygen in her lungs and tried to slow down her pounding heart. She had barely processed the noise Diggle had made so she couldn't even use that as an excuse - it wasn't fear that had her weak at the knees. She heard Oliver's words but wasn't sure what he meant...if he meant what she hoped…but she knew they would need to talk regardless as she did have to tell him about her past. She couldn't let Thea know something about her that Oliver didn't as that just didn't feel right.
"Yes, we'll talk." The words were simple but both felt relief and hope when she said them. Both smiled and then turned away to continue the work they knew needed to be done before they could talk.
Oliver and Diggle worked out and trained for several hours while Felicity continued her searches and programming efforts. She was rather pleased with the prospect that she was going tonight even if she was nervous. She knew though she had to make good use of her time as she needed to make it look like corporate espionage before her virus knocked out the system. She planned to leave obvious tracks for the police to find but it was the other hidden agenda that was truly important. They needed the intel on the serum and on Isabel. They would only have one chance and she needed to make sure this worked.
