Note: Hey guys! Okay, so I wanna start of by saying thank you to everyone for reviewing and reading this story :) To those of you who reviewed on the last chapter, I'm sorry for not being able to get back to you... I've had a lot of studying going on and today my grandma came home after visiting Bosnia for five months, so I visited her and stayed there the entire day! ^^
So, in this chapter, we're jumping ahead a little in time. A week has passed since last chapter and I really hope you like it! Please don't forget to comment! :)
Enjoy!
Hunted
Supernatural hunter Oliver Queen's latest mission's name is Felicity Smoak; a new born hybrid who has gone rogue and left her master. The new hunt brings unexpected twists and turns and when the young hybrid saves his life, Oliver realizes that there might be more to the girl than meets the eye. The hybrid might not be the biggest monster in Starling City and as their unexplainable bond grows stronger, he learns that you can't plan who you fall in love with.
Chapter 5: The Compromise
A week after agreeing to let the hybrid work with them- temporarily, he kept telling himself- Oliver found himself wondering why he had ever agreed to such a stupid idea.
Of course, it turned out that Felicity was still a tech-genius and she proved to be quite useful in some of their cases. However, Oliver still hated the fact that she was a part of the world that he had been trying to destroy for over seven years now.
She hadn't done anything to show that she couldn't be trusted, which only served to annoy him further. So, when he found himself in his car with Diggle, and Diggle brought up the subject of letting Felicity out of the Foundry during the day, Oliver knew that no matter what argument he tried, nothing would work.
"She hasn't done anything to compromise us, Oliver," Diggle pointed out as he drove them toward the Foundry. "Last night, she saved my life."
Oliver hated to admit it, but it was true. They had been working a difficult mission and Felicity had been observing them through the security cameras. Diggle had been on his way up to the roof, but had been to busy shooting at some thugs that he hadn't bothered to check if someone else was coming down the stairs. When Felicity had shouted through the comm-link for Diggle to watch his back, he had turned around just in time to dodge a bullet that would have surely embedded itself in his chest. Later, when they had returned to the lair, Diggle had walked up to the hybrid and thanked her, making her smile in the process. Oliver had met Diggle's eyes after that, and he had seen the newfound trust that his friend held for the monster. He had been foolishly hoping that Felicity's partial release from the Foundry wouldn't come up so soon after that.
"I know, Dig," Oliver bit out, glaring at the road ahead of them. "I'm just not sure if it's a good idea to let her off her leash yet. I still don't trust her, even if you clearly do."
Diggle shook his head at him, "She's saved both you and me, Oliver. She's had several chances to ambush us and kill us, but she hasn't. Doesn't that count for something?"
"She's a Dark One, Dig," Oliver reminded him. "They can't be trusted. She might just be-"
"Don't start with the whole backstabbing argument again," Diggle groaned. "That one is getting pretty old now."
Oliver had been about to retort that his argument still mattered, but was interrupted when Diggle chuckled. "What now?" he sighed.
"I was just thinking," Diggle said. "The thing you said about still keeping a leash on Felicity? Are you sure you don't just want to keep the girl chained up in the lair so that you can keep her under control? I mean, it's pretty clear that you get a little flustered each time she slips an innuendo into a conversation."
Oliver felt how his face heated up a little as he remembered the time he had almost choked on his water bottle when Felicity had made an accidental remark about his package (she had originally been referring to his six-pack, making her case on how it was possible for a human to actually challenge a Nightcrawler in strength).
"I do not get flustered," Oliver growled. "And she's still a hybrid, Dig. She can't be trusted and I will never trust her."
Diggle sighed, "I trust her, Oliver."
"And that will have to be enough," Oliver retorted. "I can't just give up everything I learned on Lian Yu. I can't just start believing that one of them might be different. That would go against everything."
"I may not have been in on this whole secret society of Dark Ones as long as you, Oliver," Diggle said, "but I don't believe that things are as black and white as you're trying to make them up to be."
"Have you forgotten that she has an ulterior motive?" Oliver countered, glaring at his friend. "Have you forgotten that the only reason that she hasn't killed us yet is because she wants our help with something? Something that she refuses to even tell us!"
"Aren't we using her and her skills in return?" Diggle argued. "She's already shown us how to make that mist that she used the night you brought her back to the lair and she's taught me a lot about some monsters that I didn't even know existed yet!"
"All to gain our trust," Oliver muttered, but he knew that what Diggle was saying was true. Felicity had shown them how to make the wolf mist that she had used that night, along with a few other non-lethal ways to incapacitate a Dark One. She had argued that he would sometime need to interrogate them and in order for him to keep them under his control, she had shown him some pressure points that would render the monsters immobile for at least a few minutes. Naturally, he had argued that she was only showing him those things because she didn't want him to kill her fellows, but deep inside- and he would never admit this out loud- he was thankful for the knowledge.
"Whatever man," Diggle sighed. "There's no point in trying to get through to you. My opinion is still that you should allow Felicity to step out during the day, even if it is only for an hour or two."
Oliver pursed his lips, deciding that it would be better not to say anything, in order to prevent another argument.
They reached Verdant a couple of minutes later and Diggle grabbed his shoulder to keep him from walking inside just yet.
"I won't get involved in the conversation," he told him. "This is your decision to make, and now you know my opinion on the matter, so I won't get involved, unless things turn violent."
"Okay," was the only word that Oliver managed to get out as he walked toward the back entrance of the club, heading straight for the basement.
He found Felicity sitting by the computers, her feet tucked up under her with a blanket wrapped around her as she watched a horror movie. The sight made him tilt his head in confusion as the hybrid squealed, jumping in her chair and covering her face with her hands. How was it possible for a monster like her to get scared by a simple horror flick?
"Felicity," Diggle said, startling the hybrid, who quickly turned the movie off and swirled around in her chair to face them with a smile.
Oliver's jaw was ticking and he balled his hands into fists, resisting the urge to yell at her for using the computers they had for work as a device of amusement. He knew however, that that argument would fall through, because after all, he was responsible for locking her up in the basement and telling her to keep herself busy with something while he kept on living like nothing was wrong in the world.
Fifteen minutes later, he and Felicity had fallen into a full blown argument, yelling at the top of their lungs at each other.
"You're dangerous!" Oliver argued. "You're a danger to humans which means that I can't just let you prance around however you want!"
"There are other hybrids out there already, Oliver!" Felicity yelled back at him. "If anything, they are dangerous! I would never hurt a human on purpose!"
"Yeah, sure," Oliver suppressed the urge to roll his eyes at her, "but what if you lose control? Then what? Are you honestly going to try telling me that you can keep the blood lust under control? The only reason that you haven't gone on a feverish killing spree yet is because we've been supplying you with blood bags!"
"I don't need the blood as much as you think, Oliver!" Felicity countered. "I can eat regular human food and be fine with it. That's the beauty of being half-vampire!"
"Still, you're a danger and-"
"Enough!" Felicity exclaimed as a snarl came out of her mouth, clearly fed up with him calling her dangerous. She was in his space less than a millisecond later, fangs bared and eyes glistening yellow. "Is this all you see in me?" she asked him, her eyes flashing as her white gleaming teeth remained elongated.
Oliver stood his ground, but inside, there was a conflict burning. The hurt that Felicity's voice betrayed, took him aback. He had never intended for his words to actually hurt her, because he had figured that a monster like her held no deep emotions. Besides, the words he had spoken were true, because she truly was dangerous. Now, he wondered, whether the danger he saw in her actually had something to do with the people he was trying to protect, or if it was his own values and thoughts that were being challenged by her that made him so afraid of her. What if he let her out and she proved to him that she indeed wouldn't pounce on every human that was close to him? What if she proved that she truly could be trusted? That though scared him more than anything.
"Okay, I think it's time the two of you calmed down," Diggle said, breaking through his thoughts. Oliver moved his head in his direction, seeing that his friend had pulled out his gun and was already pointing it at Felicity. He looked back at the hybrid, who still had her fangs bared at him, blackened veins surrounding the previously blue eyes that still held that golden hue that he hated so much.
She closed her mouth and took a step back from him, her eyes falling shut. When she opened them again, the veins were gone and the azure color had returned to her irises. She raised her hands, looking over at Diggle and took yet another step back from Oliver.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, turning her eyes back at Oliver. "I have done everything you have asked for," she told him. "Everything, and the only thing I've asked for in return, is a little of that freedom that I stopped having the moment I was turned into a hybrid."
Her pained tone made something inside of him stir and for a brief moment, his mind was transported back to his years in the supernatural purgatory.
The things he had had to do in order to survive, the orders he had had to follow from day one... Not once in those five years that he had been there had he truly felt free. His vow to take back his city from the monsters and to protect those who needed his protection had in a way made him a prisoner in his own body. Everything he did, he did for others. Even though he never expected anything in return, he understood what Felicity was saying, in a way. He too had had days when he longed for freedom, wanting to do something for himself once in a while.
He had learned long ago that hybrids that were turned formed a special bond with their Sire, the person who had turned them. The mixed monster usually ended up losing their freedom, entirely succumbing to its master's wishes. The fact that Felicity had managed to get away from her master, surely said something about her, even if he wasn't entirely sure what that something was just yet.
The wave of sympathy that flooded him as he watched Felicity in front of him surprised him. He hated her for being a monster, but all of the sudden, he was feeling sympathetic too? Was it because he had vowed to give back freedom to the humans, but had deprived her of hers, or was it because of something else? Did it really matter though?
The tears that were visible in Felicity's eyes once again made his heart clench and he absolutely loathed himself for feeling the need to take them away.
"Okay," he finally said, hardly recognizing his own voice as he spoke.
"Okay, what?" Felicity asked, looking confused.
He sighed, pinching the brig of his nose as he looked over at Diggle, who only nodded at him as he lowered his gun down. "You're allowed to go outside during the day," he explained.
"Really?" The happiness in Felicity's voice actually made him sick, but at the same time, there was some underlying feeling in his gut that he didn't want to name.
"You'll be allowed to go out, as long as you stay by my side so that I can personally keep an eye on you," he told her. His statement made her frown and tilt her head at him in a silent question. In turn, he sighed, "What now?"
"How am I supposed to be by your side all the time if you work at Queen Consolidated during the day?" she wondered, one of her eyebrows still quirked up in question.
Oliver knew that he would later curse himself for the word that came out of his mouth next.
"You can come along to Queen Consolidated and act as my assistant," he told her. "It will give you the chance to get out of the lair, but also help me keep an eye on you."
"Really?" Felicity said, this time sounding a lot more skeptical than before.
"Yes," he nodded. "That way, I'll make sure that you don't put other people around you in any danger and both Dig and I will be close to you at all times."
She hummed as she thought through his compromise and then finally nodded, "Okay, but if you think that I'll be getting you coffee whenever you want, you are gravely mistaken."
Oliver did indeed curse himself for the compromise he had made up with the hybrid.
Not more than three days later actually.
It had taken Felicity a little while to set up a fake profile for herself online, just in case someone at Queen Consolidated decided to question her when she got there. The main argument between her and Oliver during those three days had been whether she should keep her real name, or not. Oliver had argued that in order for her to keep herself hidden from her old pack, it would be better to change her identity completely, but Felicity had argued that she would feel uncomfortable with lying as it was and that she would probably mess up on her first day by mixing the names up. In the end, Diggle had (once again) been on Felicity's side and they had decided to go with her real name, much to Oliver's dismay.
She had spun a story about working at a few smaller companies in Massachusetts as a consult after graduating from MIT so that she would have at least some working experience if anyone asked her. Oliver had already talked it over with Walter, telling him how it was difficult for him to keep track of all the various meetings as he shadowed him in the company. Walter had agreed to let him hire someone to help him keep notes and when Oliver had told Walter that he had actually already found someone, Walter had been surprised to say the least.
When Oliver had told them about Felicity, Moira had been afraid that he had only hired the girl for his own entertainment, but Walter had been on his side, telling Moira that Oliver wasn't like that anymore. He had presented them with Felicity's resume, Moira had been shocked by her qualifications. Also, it helped a little that he had managed to miss four important meetings that week, which made the story of him falling behind on company work more believable.
And now, he was cursing himself.
He was down in the Foundry, wearing his business suit as he waited for Felicity to get dressed. She had been out the previous day, with Diggle, and bought some clothes that she could wear at work. Impatiently, he tapped his foot against the floor with his arms crossed over his chest. "How long does it take to change?" he muttered. "Isn't she supposed to be able to move in super-speed or whatever?"
"She's still a girl, Oliver," Diggle chuckled. "She'll be out before you know it." Diggle too was dressed to go to work as Oliver's driver-slash-bodyguard.
Just as he had spoken, the bathroom door opened and Felicity stepped out. Now that was the moment he started cursing himself.
The hybrid in front of him was wearing a tight, black pencil skirt, a pink blouse that was tucked into said tight skirt and a pair of black high heels. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail and her makeup was light, except for the bright fuchsia colored lipstick she had coated her lips with. The thing that actually made him swallow though, was that she was wearing a pair of thick-framed glasses, giving her the perfect secretary look.
"How do I look?" she asked, twirling on the spot, making something inside of Oliver's stomach turn.
If she hadn't been a hybrid, Oliver would have allowed himself to tell her that she actually looked quite beautiful. But she wasn't human, and how could someone who wasn't human be beautiful?
"Glasses?" he asked, his voice surprisingly hoarse. He cleared it and stood up straighter, trying to cover up the small sign of weakness that he might have just shown. He looked over at Diggle, who was smirking back at him, clearly amused by his uneasiness.
"I figured they could help a little with my secret identity," Felicity explained, looking at him with a smile on her face. "Not that I actually need them, since my eyesight is perfect. So the glasses don't actually have an adjustment to make me see better... Although, I do think they suit me, don't you?" She moved the glasses a little further down on her nose and looked over at Oliver from over her frames.
Once again, he cursed himself and swallowed thickly, hating the effect the hybrid in front of him suddenly seemed to have on him.
Note: Ooooh, so now Felicity will be working side by side with Oliver as his assistant! ;) Fun times at the office up ahead! ^^ Not to mention the sexual tension... ;) *wink wink*
Oh, and please don't forget to comment! You're reviews keep me going! :D
Thank you for reading! xx
P.S. What did you think of Felicity losing her temper with Oliver? Some fangs and heated words are always welcome right? ;)
