Hey guys! Sorry it's been over two weeks! I'm a dancer and I have a show coming up so I've had rehearsals like every single day. -_- anyways here's the story.

Chapter 4 - Secrets and lies

Oliver stood behind a chair in his father's study facing the desk and gripping the top of the wooden frame, turning his knuckles white. He had known that this conversation was coming, but he'd been hoping to delay it for as long as possible. In fact, if Thea and Felicity hadn't been in the room he would have flat out refused to speak with his mother. He didn't have anything to say to her and he really didn't care to hear what she had to say to him.

His mother crossed the room gracefully, and his eyes followed her, tracing across the familiar pattern of the wood paneling on the walls in the office.

"So this little blonde girl?" Moira began, smirking a bit. "An ex I presume?" Oliver didn't respond, instead choosing to glare at her. The woman laughed a bit. "She seems awfully innocent, not exactly your type is she?" She reasoned.

"Felicity is none of your concern," Oliver spit. "That's not the topic of conversation you had in mind. I suggest you speak quickly before I change my mind about listening."

"Patience, Oliver," his mother reprimanded. "You have none, so it seems."

Moira Queen sat at her husband's desk crossing her hands neatly in her lap, watching her son clench and unclench his jaw. The mere sight of Oliver's mother sitting in Robert's chair, completely at ease, as if she'd done nothing wrong unhinged him.

"How dare you," he bit out angrily.

"Excuse me?" The blonde woman scoffed. Oliver stood straight, squaring his shoulders defiantly. "How dare I?" She continued. "How dare you speak to your mother that way," she scolded.

"My mother?" Oliver chuckled bitterly. "How can you even call yourself that?" He asked in wonder.

Moira waved a hand dismissively, rolling her eyes. "I am your mother, Oliver."

"Your actions are anything but maternal," he growled.

"My actions have not changed your biology," she admonished.

"No, not mine," Oliver ground out. Moira stood quickly, leaning over the desk towards her son, anger clearly written on her face.

"Thea will always be my daughter," she told him. "Mine and Robert's! Malcolm has made no claim to her, had no hand in raising her! Your father and I have spent more time and energy with his son than he ever did, and Tommy isn't any part ours!"

"Dad loves Tommy like his own son! I thought you did too, but now I know the real reasoning behind it all," Oliver exclaimed, shaking with anger. "You felt responsible! Rebecca died and Malcolm left because he felt guilty. Guilty, because you were having an affair with him!"

"Malcolm and I never did anything to disrespect his marriage with Rebecca. She was gone and he was grieving when Thea was conceived," she told Oliver.

"Don't lie to me!" Oliver shouted. He caught himself, remembering that Thea and Felicity were upstairs and he lowered his voice when he continued. "Rebecca died in October and Thea was born in January. Do not treat me like a child."

Moira sighed, sitting back down. She looked down for a moment, choosing her words carefully. "I made a mistake Oliver," she began. "You know that and I know that. But Robert and Thea do not. They can never know," she said, her voice cracking. "I don't know what you want me to do."

"They have a right to know!" Oliver said disbelievingly. "Malcolm is Thea's father! Whether or not you wanted any of us to find out doesn't matter. I know, and I can't just go on pretending that everything is okay," he told his mother. "I won't."

Moira met her son's eyes in surprise. "And what exactly do you mean by that?"

"You tell them, or I will," Oliver demanded. He turned to leave the room, leaving his mother shocked. "You have a week," he said over his shoulder, not looking back.

Oliver walked up the stairs in a daze. He couldn't remember the last time he'd stood up to his mother. The last time he'd really even been angry with her was years ago. It was the beginning of September, a few days before he was supposed to leave for college.

It was the day that he had decided not to go. After having a long talk with Tommy, albeit a slightly drunken one, he'd realized something. He wasn't going to college for himself. Oliver was going for his parents. He didn't care about going to an ivy league school. Sure he wanted to get a degree, but he could easily do that in Starling, or anywhere really. What he really wanted to be doing, he couldn't do at Oxford. What he wanted was Felicity.

His mother was aghast at him. Attempting to throw his life away for some stupid girl. Oliver argued back that this wasn't just a girl, that this was his life and him wanting to do something that actually made him happy. That this girl was the one thing that made him happy like that. In a way that made you forget everything but her eyes. And her eyes could look at you like she knew everything about you, like you had nothing to hide and nothing to prove. That you could just be.

He'd only known her for a few months, but he couldn't imagine a day going by without seeing her smile. Oliver shook his head at that thought. He'd somehow ended up going five years without it in the end. His mother threatened her son with many things, kicking him out, cutting him off, disowning him, all to which Oliver refused to be blackmailed over. But then Moira figured it out, the only way to get him to go. She told him that she would get a restraining order put on him for Thea. He would never be able to see his sister again if he wouldn't go to college. He'd cracked then. What was he supposed to do? How could he pick between the girl he was in love with, and Thea?

Oliver sighed at the memories. He stopped walking, having reached the end of the hallway. The guest room door stood open, and he couldn't help but look in. He leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms and tilting his head in amusement.

Felicity was sitting cross legged at the top of the bed, Thea mirroring her at the foot. The younger girl was talking animatedly, motioning with her hands excitedly. Felicity was smiling softly, listening to her.

The scene was surreal to Oliver, and for a moment he had to question whether or not this was real. Maybe she wasn't here by choice, but she was here. And that was more than he had thought possible. He must of made noise, because Felicity and Thea both looked at him suddenly.

"Sorry for interrupting," Oliver apologized. "I just saw the door open and I wanted to make sure you were settled in."

"It's okay," Felicity told him, casting her eyes down to the bed. Oliver met his sister's eyes as an uncomfortable silence followed.

"Were you fighting again?" Thea asked, eyes worried. Oliver glanced toward Felicity who was now looking up, watching Thea somewhat sadly.

"Just the usual, Speedy," Oliver said, stepping farther into the room. "You know the whole 'owning a club is not an acceptable job' lecture. Nothing new," he assured his little sibling. Felicity looked up at him as he said that, but didn't comment.

"Okay," Thea said quietly. She looked back at Felicity, "I'm going to turn in for the night," she said. She leaned in, giving the blonde a quick hug, surprising both Oliver and Felicity before standing up. "Good night Ollie," the young Queen said, pecking her brother on the cheek.

Oliver watched her go, not knowing what to do now that he was alone with Felicity. The blonde girl cleared her throat awkwardly, making Oliver look at her.

"Hey um," she started. "You weren't fighting with your mother because of me, were you?" Felicity asked worriedly.

"No," Oliver said quickly, stepping closer to her. "No, of course not."

"Okay," she said, relieved.

"Why would you think that?" He asked, moving to sit on the edge of the bed. "I told you and Thea, it was just about Verdant again," he said, forcing a laugh.

Felicity tilted her head at him, scrunching her eyebrows up in disbelief. "Oliver, you and I both know that you were lying," she said softly.

"I forget how well you know me," he sighed, resting his face in his hands.

"So if you weren't lying to spare me, then who were you protecting?" Felicity asked quietly.

"Thea," he sighed. He looked at Felicity, meeting her eyes. "My mother, um.. She likes keeping secrets," he laughed bitterly. "We're all pretty used to it, I guess. But this one... This one's going to hurt," he swallowed. Felicity nodded in understanding. They sat in silence for a long moment before Felicity spoke.

"So a club, huh?" She asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah," Oliver said. "Tommy and I actually run it together," he told her.

"Wow," Felicity smiled. "So I guess you're still close, then. I mean if you work together, I guess you'd have to be. Seeing each other every day," she babbled.

"Yeah," Oliver grinned.

Another heavy silence followed. Felicity bit her bottom lip, eyes fixed on the wall.

"I'm sorry, Felicity," Oliver said with an exhale. She pulled herself out of her reverie, meeting his eyes sadly. "I don't know where everything went wrong, and I know that it's probably too late to fix it, but please just stay," he pleaded.

"Oliver," Felicity choked. She wrung her wrists unhappily. 'I can't, I can't,' she told herself over and over again. "I don't know what I'm doing," she breathed. She gasped, trying to hold back the sobs building up in her chest.

"I'm not saying you have to stay forever. I'm not even saying anything about us, I promise. Just be my friend, be Tommy's friend for a few days," Oliver said softly.

She swallowed hard. This wasn't what she was supposed to do. She was just going to drive for a few days, think, clear her head. This was not clearing her head. "I don't know."

"Felicity," he said, over enunciating each syllable. "Stay until Friday, you can leave first thing Saturday morning. I won't stop you," he swore. She studied him quietly, not responding. "Besides, my birthday is Friday," he tells her, smiling a bit. "Considering you've missed the past four this can be like your gift," he jokes. Felicity's mouth pulls up into a small smile. "A day for each missed birthday."

"Shouldn't today count?" She asked.

"Yes," he nodded in agreement. "But Friday is my birthday and if you leave before then you'll owe me another day, so you might as well just be here," he reasoned.

She laughed lightly. 'What could a week do?' She asked herself. "Okay," she gives in. Oliver smiles at her, his sour mood turned around.

"Good," Oliver said. He stood up from the bed, walking to the door.

"Oliver?" She asked.

"Yeah?"

"I know you were going to invite Tommy for breakfast, and I promise I will see him, but could we maybe not do it first thing in the morning?" Felicity asked.

"Sure," Oliver smiles. She returns the gesture, watching him leave, pulling the door shut behind him.

Felicity sighed heavily. "Shit," she mumbled. She falls back on the pile of fluffy pillows behind her, looking up at the vaulted ceiling. "Why do you hate me?" She asks. She huffs when she doesn't get a response. The young blonde sits up to take her glasses off for the night, setting them on the nightstand. She reaches over to turn the lamp off when a trickle of blood lands on her arm. She raises a hand to her nose, checking the usual source. Surely enough it's bleeding again. "Great," she sighs.

Hey! So, um yeah. Y'all I literally had no idea where I was going with this story but now I do and it's like a major plot twist crazy thing but I love it and it's going to be so great. ALSO THAT TRAILER OF OLICITY FRICK FRACK THO. Anyways story, Ya story. The story is gonna be great, it's also probably going to make you cry, you're welcome. You are also welcome to try and guess what exactly the plot twist will be in your comment, and if someone guesses correctly you might get some type of prize ? Idk. And Ya. Love it hate it? Let me know in your comment. Love yall.