AN: To the anon who left me that lovely flame on chapter two, I just have one thing to say. "LOL! U MAD, BRO?"
To everyone else, thank you so much for your feedback.
No, there will not be one chapter a day. As much as I would like to, I can't write and proof 6,000 words a day! I will try to make update regularly though, hopefully every 2-3 days, depending on time and the cooperation of the muse.
Chapter Three
"So what did Lance say?" Diggle wanted to know.
They had reconvened in the Arrow cave to try and work out what happened the night before.
"He said that an FBI Agent and the witness being protected, were discovered in the hotel's basement this morning.
"No one checked there?" Diggle asked incredulously.
"They had no reason to," Oliver explained. "The zip line made it look like the Bat had gone to another rooftop, not down the side of the building, and if they were going to search the hotel, they'd need to search every room. There's over two hundred rooms in there, and that's not counting bathrooms, closets and offices; they just don't have the manpower for that kind of search."
"So what did the Bat want with those men?" Felicity asked.
"It seems he make it look like he had killed the FBI Agent, he was found covered in pigs blood. The guy they were protecting was a mob informant who had turned state's evidence."
"So this is mob related?"
"No, I don't think so. According to Lance, the Bat just kept asking about an organisation called HIVE."
"HIVE?" Diggle stood up.
"You know them?" Oliver asked.
"I know of them. Lawton said that they ordered the hit on my brother. What do you know about them?"
"Nothing," Oliver admitted.
"I'll see what I can dig up." Felicity offered, turning to her screens but keeping one ear on the conversation.
"So what did the Bat want to know about this organisation, specifically?" Diggle asked.
"I don't know. Apparently he kept asking questions about who was behind it."
"And who is behind it?"
"The mobster didn't know. What he did say, was that Merlyn was once a part of it."
"Malcolm Merlyn?" Felicity turned around to face them. "That can't be good."
"No."
"Could the League of Assassins be involved?" Diggle suggested.
"I doubt it, they already are a secret organisation, and according to Sara, they really weren't happy about Merlyn's Undertaking."
"Would your Mom know anything?" Diggle asked. "She and Merlyn were pretty tight."
Felicity thought that was a huge understatement, given Thea's newly discovered paternity.
"Even if she does, she won't tell me. We're not exactly on speaking terms right now."
"I might find something on the internet," Felicity said. "I take it we're also looking for information on the Bat?"
"Of course, I can't have him running around the city if I don't know his motives."
"From what I discovered last night, his motives seem good; he attacks bad people and tries not to kill."
"Tries?" Oliver questioned.
"There have been a few deaths but none directly at his hands."
"So who is he, what does he want?"
"I don't know. I'll set my data mining programs to look for information on HIVE or the Gotham vigilante and leave them running while I'm at lunch, plus, I still have a copy of Merlyn's computer data; I'll sweep that for any mentions of HIVE this afternoon."
"Lunch?"
"Yeah, I think Bruce wants to say sorry for the crappy way our date ended."
"You should be careful, Felicity, I think he could be dangerous."
"What makes you say that?"
"Little things, like the way he holds himself, the way he scans a room for exits."
"Hardly a definitive reason to think him dangerous though."
'What about me?' he wanted to say, Instead he settled for, "What about Barry?"
"Barry's still sleeping, has been for almost two months and I don't know if he'll ever wake up. Even if he does, there's no saying he'll be the same man as before. Who knows how much damage that lightning did to his brain. I can't spend my life waiting on a 'what if' that might never happen."
She was right. That didn't mean that it didn't sting to watch her dating someone else though.
"I'll make it quick, I swear," she said when he hadn't replied.
"I think we can manage without you for a couple of hours, Felicity," Diggle said. "Have fun."
"Thanks," she grinned at him, then turned back to her computers.
"And what do we do in the meantime?" Oliver asked Diggle. If he was going to send their technical analyst away, he better have a good idea.
"I'll talk to Lyla, see what she knows."
"You haven't already?"
"Lyla thinks my obsession with Deadshot makes me unpredictable, so I didn't want to ask her about HIVE. This isn't about Lawton though, it's about this new vigilante."
"At least the Bat doesn't kill people," Felicity piped up. "Maybe that means he's on our side."
"'Maybe' isn't good enough," Oliver countered.
"I know, just don't go in all arrows blazing, that's all I'm saying."
They continued to mull over motives and theories until it was time for Felicity to leave. Diggle said goodbye and wished her luck.
Somehow Oliver managed to see her off with a smile, which he hoped wasn't as tight as it felt.
When the door closed behind her, Diggle turned to him.
"What?" Oliver demanded.
"Nothing." Diggle walked away, shaking his head.
Oliver stood indecisive for a moment, then grabbed his jacket and headed out.
Bruce was already waiting when she came in and she smiled as she slid into the booth.
"Hey."
"For someone so sleep deprived, you look stunning," Bruce told her.
"Thank you." Felicity's smile widened. "Did they let you back into your hotel room?"
"They did, after they searched it and made sure there was no structural damage."
"Good. I heard on the news, it was the new vigilante, the one the call the Bat."
"I heard that too, but it's more likely to be the Arrow, this is too far from home for the Bat."
Felicity shrugged, that niggling feeling returning.
"Hey, Felicity," Carly greeted her with a smile. "Long time, no see."
"Yeah, well my job changed and I don't have as much free time as I used it."
"When I heard Oliver was CEO of his company, I figured he wouldn't bring you in here anymore, it doesn't really fit with the professional image, you know?"
Felicity grinned at Bruce, who chuckled.
"What did I say?" Carly asked.
"Carly, I'd like you to meet Bruce Wayne, CEO of Wayne Enterprises."
Her eyes widened. "You're Bruce Wayne?"
"I am." He held his hand out. "And it is a pleasure to meet you."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"
"No offence taken, I can assure you."
"Okay. So, what can I get you?"
"What's good here?" Bruce asked.
"It's all good," Felicity answered, "it just depends on your personal preference."
He perused the menu and Felicity ordered to give him time to look. She didn't need a menu.
"I'll have a coffee and a Big Single with fries, please, Carly."
"And I'll have a Big Double with wedges," Bruce decided.
"Coming right up." She scooped the menus up and almost ran back to the counter.
"You must be a good customer to know the waitress that well."
"There have been times when I might have starved were it not for these burgers." Felicity smiled.
"Oliver wasn't keen on taking you anywhere else?"
Felicity frowned, until she realised that he had the wrong end of the stick again. "Oliver and I are not like that, we've never dated. We used to come here a lot because Diggle, Oliver's bodyguard, used to date Carly, that's why I know her so well. That's also why we don't come here anymore, not because Oliver got promoted to CEO."
"She seems sweet," Bruce noted. "What happened?"
"She's also his sister-in-law. After his brother died, Dig looked out for them and they grew close, but I think it was just too complicated." She wasn't going to mention the damage Dig's vendetta against Floyd Lawton did to their relationship. "But that's rather depressing, give me the gossip on your vigilante?"
"My vigilante?" He asked with a nonchalant tone but he was wearing his poker face, which she thought was unusual.
"Yeah, the Bat. He is Gotham's new hero, right?"
"Yeah, I guess, although opinion is divided over whether he helps or hinders."
"Yeah, well if he kidnaps federal agents, I can see why."
Bruce's eyes narrowed slightly. "He kidnapped a federal agent?"
Felicity could have kicked herself, that detail hadn't been on the news. "I have a friend on the force, he told me."
"It seems like Starling has given up hunting the Arrow."
Felicity shrugged. "It seems to go in cycles."
"Didn't I read that you have a couple more now? Another guy in a hoodie and a blonde girl."
"So they say but if it's true, not much is known about them yet. Not that we know an awful lot about the Arrow."
"What do you know?" he asked leaning forward.
"Like I said, not much."
"Didn't he save you once?"
"Yeah, but he didn't stop to chat or anything." Felicity was having a bad case of déjà vu. "What about your vigilante, didn't I read the Bat stopped thieves stealing a consignment of medicine from your company?"
"He did," Bruce nodded but still had that poker face in place.
"Who do you think it is?" Felicity asked.
"Honestly, I think it's probably someone in law enforcement, or possibly the military."
"What makes you say that?"
"Because your average Joe just doesn't have the necessary training."
Felicity looked out of the window as a familiar shade of beige caught her eye. Reflected in the shop window opposite, she could see Oliver waiting outside.
"Something wrong?" Bruce asked, noting her expression.
"Just… an overprotective oaf who has a problem with boundaries."
Bruce frowned but didn't respond.
"Do you want to get these to go and we'll go back to your hotel?"
Bruce raised his eyebrows. "Is Oliver following you?"
"How did you know?"
"I've seen the way he looks at you."
"Which is how?"
Bruce hesitated for a moment before admitting. "He loves you."
Felicity stared at him for a beat, then burst out laughing.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm not laughing at you, just at your idea." She quickly got her laughter under control when she pictured him and Sara going at it. Had that really only been a week ago?
"I'm not joking, Felicity. I'm good at reading people."
"Maybe you are usually, but Oliver is hard to read. Trust me, he cares, you might even say he loves me like a sister but no matter how he looks at me, he isn't in love with me."
"What makes you so sure?"
"Because he's just started dating some Amazonian woman who makes me feel like a frump. Believe me, I am not his type."
"Then why has he followed you here?"
"Because he is a control freak, and he seems to think that you might be dangerous."
"Me?" Bruce's accompanying smile was a little off.
"Don't take it personally. In some ways, Oliver is like a kid and even when he's not playing with one of his toys, he doesn't want anyone else to have it."
"He's possessive?"
"Maybe that's a little harsh. More like, overprotective, even when he doesn't have a right to be."
"So, were you serious about leaving?"
"Absolutely. I am sick to death of him trying to spoil everything."
Bruce stopped a passing waitress and asked for their burgers to go, then turned back to Felicity.
"How does he spoil everything?"
"I invited a friend to a work function and Oliver scared him off, then later, went off on him after my friend had helped him. Then when that same friend was hurt, I went to visit him in Central City, and Oliver tried to make me feel guilty about it. He just…" she sighed. "I don't know what he is, but it's getting really old."
"Old enough for you to consider a new job?"
When she looked at him, he had a sly smile and she had to laugh. "Well played, sir, well played."
"Is that a no?"
"I'm afraid so, at least for now."
Carly came with a bag and their bill.
"Can we sneak out through the back?" Felicity asked her as she reached for her purse.
"I'll get this," Bruce reached for his wallet.
"You can get the next one," Felicity assured him, then turned to Carly for an answer.
"I guess so, but why?"
"Oliver's hovering outside. If he comes in looking for us, will you tell him you overheard us saying we were going to the Plaza to eat our food?"
"You're not going to the Plaza though, right?"
"No. I just want him to learn some manners."
She placed enough cash on the table to cover their bill and a tip, and the grabbed the bag and headed out through the kitchen. Bruce hailed the first cab the saw and they piled in, laughing like school children.
They opted to sit on the floor of Bruce's suite, laying out a blanket so they could pretend they were having a picnic.
"An Urban Picnic," Felicity had called it.
Bruce didn't much care what they called it, they were having too much fun.
It had been a long time since he had met a woman of Felicity's calibre, and he was becoming more and more smitten with each hour he spent in her company. He knew that the reason he had invited her to lunch was to grill her for information about the Queens but as she recounted the tale of her first and last pot brownie, he didn't have the will to try and redirect the conversation. In fact, since they had stopped talking about Oliver, her mood had improved in leaps and bounds.
Her phone had rung twice but she had ignored it, then turned it off. Alfred had also been instructed to tell any callers that Bruce was not available.
"So anyway, I looked in the mirror the next day, my eyes were out to here, my cheeks were puffed up like a hamster and I felt like hell, so I decided that drugs and I probably weren't meant to be."
"I think it had more to do with the peanuts that the drugs," he reminded her.
"I know, but any drug that likes to hang around with peanuts, is not a drug I want to be friends with."
"That's a little prejudicial, isn't it? Swearing off all drugs just because one pot plant dated a peanut?"
"I still take Advil and Tylenol, they count as drugs, do they not?"
"Yes, I suppose they do, and I can't argue with avoiding the illegal ones. One drug that is legal is alcohol, and I just happen to have a gorgeous claret in the bar. Would you be interested in sharing it with me?"
Felicity picked her phone up but seeing that it was switched off, looked around the room. Her gaze landed on a clock and she bit down on her lip. He could have tried to talk her into it, he was a very persuasive man when he wanted to be but if Felicity stayed, he wanted it to be because she wanted to, not because he had convinced her to.
"You know what? Yeah. Wine sounds like the perfect way to end the perfect date."
"The date doesn't have to end," he said as he got up to fetch the bottle and glasses. "It's still only 3pm."
"I know," she said as he sat back down. "But who says we can't open another bottle?"
"I like the way your mind works." He told her, pouring her a glass, and sitting closer than he had before.
She closed her eyes and tasted a sip, giving a sigh of pleasure as she savoured it.
"That's good wine," she said, opening her eyes.
Bruce couldn't seem to take his eyes off her full lips.
"May I taste it," he asked, holding his hand out for her glass.
"Of course." Instead of handing the drink over, she leaned forward and kissed him. Bruce was surprised but not unpleasantly so.
The kiss was soft and sensual, meant to test the waters and when she pulled away slightly, they were both smiling. Bruce took her glass and set it aside, before leaning in to kiss her again.
The tentative kissed soon turned passionate she began to unbutton his shirt.
"Are you sure?" he asked, before she had pushed it off her shoulders. She moved back a few inches and looked into his eyes.
"I'm sure."
The pain in Oliver's chest was palpable, like someone had driven a knife into his heart.
It was his own fault for spying but what choice did he have? He didn't trust Bruce Wayne.
When he realised they were no longer in the restaurant, he had asked Carly where they went but he knew she was lying to him, so he pinged Felicity's phone and headed for the hotel. He had a perfect view of Bruce's suite from the roof of the Kim Travel Company.
He tried calling her twice to try and reason with her but each time, she looked at the display and disconnected the call, then she turned it off.
Despite the pain, he couldn't look away from the scene before him, of Felicity kissing Bruce, until she pushed his shirt off. That was something he definitely didn't want to see, and he turned away, taking a running jump onto the next rooftop.
Felicity had a very satisfied smile on her face as she entered her apartment, although it felt very strange to be doing the walk of shame at 9pm.
She wasn't naive enough to think that this thing with Bruce would become a proper relationship; she worked too much to have time for a relationship, especially a long distance one, but she didn't regret it.
Even if she never saw him again, she would savour these memories, tuck them away in a secret corner of her mind, to be pulled out and recalled when she was feeling low.
She put her keys on the hall table and made her way into the living room, uttering a squeak as she realised that someone was already in there, sitting in her armchair, in the dark.
"Have fun?"
She sagged with relief and brought a hand to her chest in an attempt to calm her galloping heartbeat.
"Jesus, Oliver, you scared the life out of me!" she took a few calming breaths. "But yes, I did have fun, thanks for asking. Now what the hell are you doing in my home?"
She turned the light on so she could see him clearly. He didn't look happy.
"I wanted to make sure you were okay, that he hadn't hurt you."
"I told you that you were overreacting."
"And I didn't believe you."
"The worse thing he did was ask about your family, which is still probably not a sign of industrial espionage, but people being curious about the family involved in mass murder."
"Did you tell him anything?"
"Nothing that wasn't common knowledge. Now please leave."
"Felicity-"
"No, I don't want to hear it. Go."
Oliver got to his feet and stepped closer but she maintained eye contact. She knew his habit of trying to intimidate using his height and build but it had never worked on her, and she wasn't about to let it start.
"He'll hurt you." Oliver pleaded, but there was something else in his voice, something she couldn't quite place.
"He wouldn't be the first. Now get out of my apartment and next time, wait for an invitation."
Oliver seemed to shrink a little and stepping around her, left. Felicity remained frozen until she heard the front door close behind him.
For reasons she didn't entirely understand, she felt the prick of tears in her eyes and viciously blinked them back.
She had been so happy when she got home, why did he have to ruin it?
"…sightings of the vigilante, although this remains unconfirmed by the police."
Felicity looked up from her tablet to the television screen. She had been going through her copy of Merlyn Global's computer files, until the reporter interrupted her.
Surely Oliver wasn't out there without her? Had she really upset him that much?
The image on the screen switched to half and half, split between the reporter in the studio and the field reporter. She leaned forward, putting her laptop aside. Was he standing in front of a QC building? The logo on the side was old and faded, but it looked a lot like the one on the foundry.
"This isn't the first sighting of the man they call 'the Bat' in Starling City, is it?"
"No, Bethany, witnesses spoke of seeing him during last night's incident at the Caledonian Hotel as well. No one is sure why he's here or what his motives behind these two incidents are, but one thing seems certain, Starling City has a new Vigilante."
She thought that was rather premature, especially since Starling actually did have two new vigilantes in Sara and Roy.
Still, for whatever reason, the Bat was here, and apparently breaking into Queen Consolidated buildings.
Her phone rang and she could see it was Diggle.
"Dig?"
"You got the news on?"
"I have. Where are you?"
"In the foundry, looking through the information Lyla gave me."
"Anything interesting?" she asked.
"Yeah, but little that's concrete."
"I was just going through the results of my search, I found the same, lots of rumours and speculation, no proof. Is Oliver going out?"
"Already gone, wants to see if this Bat left any evidence behind."
"Okay, I'm on my way. I'll give Lance a call too, see if he knows anything about this latest break-in."
Felicity found the blueprints for the QC warehouse that the Bat had broken into, but it gave no clue as to what the Bat might have been after.
When Oliver returned, he reported that the Bat had stolen laptops and a hard drive from the offices, but nothing else seemed to have been taken. Oliver had found another laptop in a safe, which he gave to Felicity to see what she could find out about it.
The warehouse in the Glades had once stored materials for, and products made by the Queen Steel factory. When the foundry was closed, the warehouse was then used for miscellaneous storage but according to company records, had been disused for four years.
Except it had a higher security guard detail than one might expect for an empty, or almost empty warehouse, So Felicity set about breaking the laptop security and discovering the contents.
"I want this Bat," Oliver growled as he hovered behind her.
"Why?" she turned to face him. As far as she was concerned, the Bat was well trained and on the side of the good guys.
"Because he broke into my company and stole from me!"
"Well, you don't exactly advertise your Arrow contact information in the Sentinel, how was he supposed to ask you if it was okay to take a vacation in your city?"
"Felicity!"
She turned away, not relishing the idea of another fight with him. Besides, she has said her piece, that considering he was a vigilante, he had no right to look down on another one. From what she could tell, the Bat had more morals that Oliver used to, and hadn't killed anyone.
When Roy and Sara arrived, Felicity kept her head down, but furnished them with a printout of her earlier search results on HIVE to keep them busy.
The laptop was two years old, newer than one might expect to find in a warehouse than had been empty for four years. It also used a cypheric firewall and encryption, the same kind of security that Merlyn had used on the Merlyn Global servers, to guard his plans for the Undertaking.
Fortunately, once she had the data directly from Merlyn's system, she also had the decryption algorithm, which she could use to see the contents of the laptop. To break it without that algorithm would probably take her two weeks. Whoever had designed this was top notch, almost as good as she was, in fact.
The others called it a night at 2am but Felicity was nearly done with the program and once she started a program, she wanted to see it finished. An hour after they left, she got into the system, copied the files onto a flash drives and her tablet, then called it a night.
Felicity was at her desk, going through the contents of the laptop on her tablet, when Bruce called her. She smiled as she spotted his name on his display and answered the call.
"Hi."
"Good morning, Beautiful."
Her smile widened. "You should be careful with your flattery, Mr Wayne."
"You think it could get me into trouble?"
"I think it could get you very lucky."
He laughed. "Good, then how about lunch today?"
"I'm having a working lunch today, sorry."
"This evening then?"
"Ah, today's really not good." As much as she wanted to see him again, she knew that she had to find out what the Bat was after, and figure out how HIVE was involved.
"What happened to me being lucky?"
Felicity didn't know what to say. She longed to say yes but she needed to find out what was going on. If HIVE were as dangerous as Merlyn had been, this could be catastrophic.
"Just half an hour? Please?" he asked.
"Fine, I think I can spare half an hour."
"Great, I'll come to you; I'll pick you up out front at one?"
"Sounds good."
She hung up and got back to her task; the more work she got done now, the less guilty she would feel for taking a break.
As Felicity exited the elevator, she could see Bruce waiting by the reception desk for her, and Isabel, dressed to kill in a red dress and matching heels, approaching him.
Felicity slowed her pace but she wasn't about to let Isabel scare her off.
"Mr Wayne, it's very good to see you again."
"You too, Miss Rochev." Bruce plastered a fake smile on his face as he greeted her. At least, she hoped it was fake, she would hate to think that she was dating someone who couldn't see through Isabel's paper thin façade of geniality.
"What brings you to my company?" Isabel asked.
"I thought it was Oliver Queen's company?"
"We're partners."
"But he's the CEO, no?"
"We're equal partners," she emphasised. "And you didn't answer my question."
Felicity had paused close by, waiting for her chance to cut in.
"I'm here to pick up my lunch date, actually."
On cue, Felicity approached them with trepidation, she neither liked nor trusted Isabel and her acerbic tongue.
"Miss Rochev." She nodded but didn't bother to smile until she looked to Bruce. "Mr Wayne."
"If you'll excuse us, Miss Smoak, I was talking to a friend. Perhaps Mr Queen is in need of your… services."
"Actually, you're talking to my lunch date," Felicity said with satisfaction.
Isabel's jaw dropped open for a fraction of a second before she smoothed over her façade, but it took her longer to find her voice.
"Ready to go, Bruce?"
He gave her a winning smile. "Right this way, my car is waiting."
She took his elbow and although she was tempted, she didn't look back to see Isabel's reaction. She didn't want the woman to know that she got to Felicity and besides, she could just hack the security footage later.
"Where are we going?" Felicity asked once they were both in the car.
"A little Italian restaurant a block away. I've been assured that the service is quick and the food good."
"Sounds perfect."
The meal was enjoyable and the conversation flowed freely, about nothing in particular until Bruce was paying the bill.
"This one's on me," he said. "Please don't argue, or I might feel guilty for wanting to pick your professional brain."
"Oh?"
The waitress took the check and when they stood up, Bruce held her coat up for her to slip her arms into.
"A hard drive was found on company premises that isn't ours and we don't know what it does."
"Can't your tech people hack it?" she asked as they headed out to the street.
"They're trying but they say they've never seen anything like it before."
"Okay, so can you give me a hint to the type of encryption?"
"It's all gibberish to me, but they said it was unusual in that not only is the data encrypted but the encryption program seems to have a built in firewall."
"So first you have to get through an encrypted firewall, then decrypt the data?"
"Yeah. Have you heard of anything like that?"
'Why yes, Bruce, I have, on a laptop that was in the same warehouse as the ones that were stolen by the Bat, the code of which uses the same algorithm as the one Malcolm Merlyn used and since I broke into his computers from the inside, I just happened to have the right key to crack it in under two hours, which is a personal record for such advanced coding.'
She almost laughed at the thought but instead, managed to frown and say. "No, I haven't. But I'll do some digging for you."
"I'd appreciate it, if you have time."
She managed to keep her thoughts damped down until she got out of the car at QC. She couldn't remember a word of their conversation after that but he seemed happy enough with her responses, so hopefully he hadn't noticed any odd behaviour.
Once in the QC building she headed straight for Oliver's private bathroom, ignoring the man himself and locking herself in.
Finally she allowed her thoughts to flow.
Billionaire comes to Starling from Gotham. The Gotham vigilante appears in Starling.
Bruce Wayne returned from his global travels about five month ago and shortly afterwards, rumours of the Bat started appearing online.
Bruce Wayne had a computer with the same unique encryption as the computers the Bat stole from QC.
Bruce's parents died in front of him when he was a child, in horrible circumstances. That was surely enough trauma to drive the man that child had grown into, to seek his own brand of justice.
A philanthropic billionaire was the Arrow. Surely it wasn't such a big leap to assume that a philanthropic billionaire was also the Bat?
"Holy shit," she whispered. "Bruce Wayne is the Bat Man."
Oliver knocked on the door. She was surprised it had taken him so long.
"I'll be out in a sec."
She couldn't tell him. He hated Bruce Wayne and he hated the Bat. If he found out that they were one and the same, he might kill him.
She looked into the mirror and could see that she didn't look herself; her eyes were wide and she was far too pale.
"Felicity!" He banged three times on the door, hard enough to rattle it in the frame.
Well there was nothing for it, he'd break the door down if she didn't come out soon. She unlocked the door and tried to slip past him.
"I must have had some bad sushi at lunch."
He grabbed her arm. "You went to an Italian."
'Right! Damn it! I really need to work on my cover stories.'
"You followed me again?"
"Isabel had you followed, she's worried you're selling secrets to the competition."
"Then she's dumber than she looks. Wouldn't a spy actually try and be, you know, covert?"
"Felicity, what's wrong?"
"What's wrong?" she gave a hollow laugh. "What's wrong? Oh, that's rich. Tell me, Oliver, why are you so obsessed with my love life? Diggle is dating an ARGUS agent, not exactly the friendliest or most moral bunch. Roy is dating your sister for Christ sake and as for you, you're dating an assassin, but the guy who treats me with nothing but respect has to be after something right? I'm not good enough or pretty enough or killer enough or Laurel enough for anyone to want little old Felicity!"
He looked rather ashen by the time she had finished.
"I'm not seeing Sara."
Her anger fled, replaced by a crushing disappointment.
"I get that you have to lie to everyone else, I even help you do that, and I get why you'd try to keep it from Laurel, this will kill her, but we're supposed to be your friends, you're supposed to trust us."
"There's nothing going on between me and Sara to tell you about."
She was so disappointed in him, she felt like crying. It wasn't bad enough that he had lied about his reasons for not dating her, he was still trying to lie to her.
"I'm not an idiot, Oliver and even if I was, seeing the two of you going at it like rabbits on the training mats, was enough to give me a hint that you two were more than just friends."
She tore her arm from his grip and stormed back to her desk. Pointedly not looking to see when he went back to his.
"How did your meeting go?" Alfred asked.
"As boring as expected." Bruce headed into his bedroom and pulled his tie off, then loosened his top button.
"Did you plant the bug?" Alfred asked as he waited to hang up his suit jacket up
"It should be feeding data to us as we speak."
"Do you really think the subsidiaries of Merlyn Global that were sold off, are still being used for illicit purposes?"
"I don't know, Alfred. Merlyn was the biggest player in town and Sagittarius Industries are buying up a lot of his subsidiaries. Whether it's related to HIVE or not, something about it doesn't sit right with me."
"You don't even know what HIVE are planning."
"I know," Bruce sighed. "But shadowy organisations are never good."
"Not even the CIA?"
Bruce smiled. "The Scarecrow said that HIVE has something terrible planned, something that will make the Undertaking look like a tea party. I have to believe him."
"The Scarecrow was half mad, you can't take him at face value."
"Maybe not, but I have to look into this, Alfred. I just wish I could find something tangible."
"Your new friend couldn't help you with the computer?"
"No, but she said she'd look into it."
"Well I might have something, but I'm not sure if it will help."
Bruce turned to face him.
"I found something interesting in the police telephone phone records that you gave me."
"Corruption?"
"No, not exactly.
"Spit it out, Alfred."
"There is an officer Lance in the SCPD and before almost every recent incident involving the Arrow, he places a call to one cell phone."
"You think he's calling the vigilante, like Detective Gordon sometimes helps me?"
"Considering that Lance used to be a detective and was demoted for his involvement with the Arrow, I'd say that is very likely, Sir."
"How did you find that out?"
"I took my lunch break in a police bar. You'd be surprised what people are willing to tell an elderly British man, we're completely non-threatening, you see."
"50 is not that old, Alfred."
"Perhaps not but with grey hair, a cane and a slight stoop, it's easy to look a little more frail than I actually am."
"They didn't wonder why a British guy had ventured into their establishment."
"I told them I was just visiting the city and got a little lost. They were very welcoming."
Bruce smiled. Many people overlooked Alfred, not only because he was unimposing, but because his training had taught him to be all but invisible.
"So the upshot is, you have the vigilante's phone number?"
"Not exactly, Master Bruce. The calls that Officer Lance places are to this number." He took a sheaf of papers from his inside pocket, unfolded them and handed it to Bruce. "The ones highlighted in pink, Sir."
"This… this is Felicity's number." He gave Alfred a questioning look.
"Yes. That was my thought also."
Bruce looked down at the papers again and began to walk in circles around the room as his mind began to process this new development.
"Of course, she works for the Arrow."
"Are you absolutely sure?" Alfred asked. "This evidence is very suspicious but not conclusive."
"It makes sense now, why with her qualifications, she's working as a secretary, why she's always so busy. She's not just Officer Lance's connection to the vigilante, she works for him. In fact, he probably got her that job so that she can keep an eye on Oliver Queen, and that's why she won't accept my, far better, offers."
"She views this job as a calling, much like you view being the Batman?"
"Exactly. No amount of money will pry her away, even from a menial job, if she thinks she's helping the city."
"That still doesn't mean she'll help you, Sir."
"Not Bruce Wayne, no, but if she helps one vigilante, maybe she'll help another."
Oliver spent most of the afternoon wondering how to fix things with Felicity, how to get her to forgive him. He couldn't lose her, and not just because she was invaluable to the team, because she was invaluable to him.
She was unlike everyone else on his team. She was goodness and light and as long as she could see something heroic in him, he felt that maybe he wasn't beyond redemption.
Felicity packed her things up at the end of the day, ready to move to the foundry, and he moved to intercept her.
"Felicity." He said as he came out of his office, standing between her desk and the door, blocking her path. "I want you to know that there's nothing between me and Sara, I swear. That was… that was a mistake."
"Then why lie?"
Oliver opened his mouth to reply but couldn't find the right words, the words that would make her forgive him.
"Tell me," she implored.
"I was worried about what you'd think. I didn't want to see disappointment in your eyes."
"How can I trust anything you say, when I know that you've lied to me on more than one occasion?"
"Felicity-"
She held her hand up to cut him off. "Don't, no more lies, Oliver. When you're ready to be honest, we can talk. Until then, stay away. Don't talk to me about anything except work."
"Or what?"
"Or I'll take that job in Gotham City. I hear they have a vigilante, maybe he could use a sidekick too."
She walked around him and he let her go, what else could he say?
There was a lot that he wanted to say to her, but the words wouldn't come.
He swallowed down his emotions and prepared to head to the foundry, hoping that she would be there.
Felicity felt as if she had run three marathons by the time she got home that night, and finding a man dressed as a bat, standing in her living room, silhouetted by the window, was the last thing she needed.
"I have got to get better locks," she said, taking her coat off and draping it over the back of an armchair.
"You don't sound very frightened. Do you often find strange men in your apartment?"
His voice was deeper than she remembered and if she hadn't heard Oliver using the voice synthesiser, she might have been fooled.
"Not often, but I can see a pattern developing. What do you want?"
"Your help."
"With what?"
"A computer."
"Given all the gizmos and gadgets you have, can't you break into it?"
"A friend designs most of my technology but even he can't break this."
"What makes you think I can?"
"Because you're the best."
"And what makes you think I'll help you?"
"Because you help the Arrow."
Felicity suddenly felt uncomfortable and crossed her arms over her chest. It was one thing to know that in theory, someone could figure out her connection to the Arrow, but another to be confronted with the reality.
"I've made you uncomfortable," he said.
"I knew someone would make the link one day. If it had to be anyone, I'm glad it was you."
He stepped closer. "Can you help me?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Will you?"
And here it was, the question she's been mulling over all afternoon and evening. Somehow, she thought she'd have longer before she had to make this choice. She wasn't ready. Was this a betrayal of Oliver? Even if it wasn't, did she want to help him? What if she was jumping from the frying pan into the fire?
"I'll help you if you answer my next question honestly."
"How will you know if I tell the truth?"
"I'll know."
He stared at her for a few moments, and she looked into his eyes. They looked harder than she remembered, but that was probably part of the persona he had to adopt when he became the Bat.
"All right, I give you my word."
Felicity nodded and suddenly felt choked up. What if he lied too? She wondered how much disappointment one woman could handle. She wasn't the type of person to shrink from uncomfortable realities though.
"Who are you? When you take the mask off, who are you?"
He stepped closer, until there was just a foot between them.
"Are you sure you want to know?"
She licked her lips as she stared into his eyes and nodded.
He didn't answer. Instead he stared at her for a few more moments, then he reached up and removed the front part of his helmet, the part that shielded his face.
As she smiled, her tears spilled over.
"Thank you. You hardly know me, yet you trusted me. You don't know how much that means."
Bruce took her into his arms and she held him tightly.
"You knew?" he asked.
She stepped back and wiped her tears away, smiling at him. "You missed a computer at the warehouse; I broke the encryption on it last night."
"So you knew exactly what I was talking about at lunch."
"And where you got it from."
"And what about your green friend, did you tell him about me?"
"No," she shook her head.
"Why not?"
"Because he lied to me, and I didn't know what he'd do to you if I told him."
Bruce gave her a warm smile. "You are quite incredible, Felicity Smoak."
"Thank you, you're not so bad yourself."
Bruce laughed. "So, how long will it take you to get into three encrypted hard drives?"
"Since I've already broken the code, about two minutes apiece."
"Wow, I had allowed a lot longer for that."
"Don't get too cocky, it's going through the data that will take the time."
"But we don't have to do that tonight, right?"
"No. I have specialised programs that can ferret out data faster than a person can."
"That's good."
"So, um, does that mean you have some time to kill?" she asked, a sly smile on her lips.
"I suppose it does."
"And just how easy is it to take this suit off?" She knocked her knuckle against the breast plate.
"Not as long as you might think."
Felicity raised an eyebrow. "I think I have a stopwatch somewhere."