Note: Hello everyone! Okay, so I did not plan to post this until the weekend, but honestly, I couldn't wait since I finally managed to find some time to finish this chapter. As some of you may have heard on my Twitter/Tumblr, this story only has a few chapters left to go. Since there's still so much to cover and loose ends make me itch, the chapters will take some time to write. I want to make sure that I am covering every little clue that I've left along the way. Also, there's the whole thing about me currently writing my thesis. The deadline is in 23 May, so until then, I'll be so very busy with school. I'm sorry for that, but it's my future we're talking about. Just don't think that I've gone and abandoned this fic (or any other fic for that matter!).
Anyway, sorry that this note was so long. I'll be mentioning the Q&A in the end of this chapter, so if you want some details, check that note out. For now, please enjoy this slightly slowed down chapter and I'm warning you, there are some emotions in here of varying kind. xx
P.S. Just to clarify: The long italic parts are flashbacks, but I'm sure you guys would have caught on to that! ;)
P.P.S. The title is from Walt Whitman's poem of the same name. You can look up the meaning of it, if you feel like it! ;)
Hunted
Chapter 30: The Song of The Open Road
Dawn was breaking, the sunlight making its way through the cloudy sky as they drove down the highway. They had set out early, while the majority of the people in Starling City still slept safely in their beds and only the foolish ones still roamed the streets.
Felicity looked at the information that Lyla had given her the day before. She typed the coordinates into the GPS and waited until their destination appeared on the device. It was a remote location, that was for sure. It would take hours to drive there, but Felicity wasn't thinking much about that. No, her mind was filled with worry over what might happen to their city while she and Oliver were away. Diggle had stayed behind and Lyla had offered her division's help to keep the Dark Ones in check. Tommy would be helping too in his own way. Whenever Diggle would go out dressed as the Arrow, Tommy would monitor from the Foundry. The times that he wouldn't be able to be there, Lyla would do the best she could under the circumstances. Felicity hadn't had much time to teach the woman how to work her computers, but she knew that Lyla had the basic knowledge needed to do so. If not, Tommy would most likely be able to help.
It was a funny thought, that Felicity had been opposed to people touching her equipment in the Foundry in the beginning of her partnership with Oliver and Diggle, only to now have her being so open to people learning how it worked. The circumstances had changed since then, new facts had been learned and the variables were different. Neither of them could afford being locked to a single task; in order to succeed, they needed to help one another as much as possible.
Felicity sighed, leaning back into the seat. Her fingers tapped against her thigh for a moment as she tried to keep her mind from drifting again to everything that could possibly go wrong. Moira and Walter had left Starling City the day after Slade had come to their house. Felicity and Oliver had listened to them as they retold the story of how they had met Slade and how he had managed to get that close to them without Oliver sensing that anything was wrong. The man's ability to compel his victims sure must have helped, Felicity figured, but a major part in it laid in Moira and Walter not knowing anything of Oliver's past with Slade and their team being too preoccupied with their own mission to actually see what was happening. They had been caught off guard with Slade's revelation of being alive, although they would be damned if they let him win this fight. Slade was unstable, in more ways than one and they had discussed the whole ordeal with Tommy and Diggle when they had met up with them in the Foundry after getting Moira and Walter to the Queen's private jet safely.
"You should rest for a while," Oliver said, but Felicity shook her head.
"I'll get some rest when we get to Roy and Thea," she said, trying not to think about how her beta would react to seeing her. It had only been about a month since Roy and Thea had left them. Felicity knew that adjusting to being a hybrid could take time, especially when it came to handling the blood lust at first. From Thea's updates, she knew that Roy was doing better, although Felicity still feared his reaction considering the way that they had departed from one another. A part of her still worried that Slade had somehow adjusted the mirakuru in order to specifically target her through Roy, to hurt Oliver.
"Hey," Oliver murmured softly, his hand coming to rest over hers to stop it from tapping on her thigh. "Everything will be fine. Diggle, Tommy and Lyla can handle things in Starling City and we'll hopefully be back in just a few days. My mom and Walter are somewhere in Europe by now, far away from Slade and safe. We'll check on Roy and Thea, inform them of everything that's been going on in person and then we'll see where we go from there."
Felicity looked over at him, not being able to hide her small smile. "Since when are you the rational one in this relationship?" she asked, with a slightly teasing tone to her words.
"Since when have I not been rational?" Oliver scoffed, but Felicity felt more at ease instantly, knowing that at least one of them wasn't too nervous about what might happen in the future to focus on the present.
"Go on," Oliver said again. "Get some sleep and I'll wake you up when we take a break."
"And switch," Felicity sternly said. "I won't have you driving all the way to the safe house out of sheer stubbornness. I'm a great driver."
"Hm…" Oliver hummed and she could just sense what he was thinking, so she smacked him lightly on the arm.
"I didn't crash my car on purpose, you jackass," she said, laughter falling from her lips. "Someone tried to drive me off the road." It was strange to laugh about it now, especially considering everything that her accident had led to. The Count kidnapping her, force-feeding her blood and then ultimately making her lose control, all so that he could prove some point that she wasn't better than the rest of the Dark Ones. It hadn't even been a full week since she had slashed the madman's throat open with her claws, but she knew that she needed to move past it in order to stop Slade. She had never killed a man before that night and it had led to her breaking down and hiding away in her wolf form. Everything that had happened between her and Oliver afterward, between talking about what had happened and confessing their love for one another… It had made it a bit easier for Felicity to accept what she had done. The guilt over the innocent lives that had been lost that day during the bombings wasn't gone, but Felicity knew deep down that she would have to learn how to live with it. With her mate's help, it wouldn't be impossible to do so.
The thought brought a small smile to her lips again and she glanced over at Oliver. She knew that there were still many hardships to face, especially with Slade and his army of hybrids looming over them as a threat. Still, Felicity couldn't help but be grateful for actually having met him and connected with him on such a level. Never, since she had found out that she was a werewolf, would she have expected to find her mate. Their souls were tethered to one another and deep down, she knew that there was no question about them having been made for each other. She had been reluctant to voice that thought in those terms, but she knew that she and Oliver had also chosen one another, which was the most important part. They might essentially be soulmates, although in the end, it was their final choice that had set it in stone. They were bonded because they had accepted it. Confessing their love for one another had been their tipping point in more ways than one and their acceptance of what they knew existed between them had essentially been the final stepping stone in making their soul bond real.
"Sleep, Felicity," Oliver told her. "You're thinking too loudly," he added, teasing her just like she had that morning after they had first made love.
Felicity leaned over and lightly pressed her lips against his stubbly cheek. Oliver hummed in contentment, turning his cheek to chase after her lips when she pulled back.
"Just an hour or two," she said and he chuckled, shaking his head at her.
"Until we make a stop," he countered and Felicity rolled her eyes but decided not to argue. She would probably wake up in an hour either way.
"We'll see," she mused, lifting his hand from her thigh to her lips. She kissed the back of it softly, smiling against his skin. "I love you."
Oliver smiled, his eyes still on the road in front of him but she could feel the emotions he was radiating through their bond. "I love you too," he said, sounding as if saying the words made him relax. Felicity closed her eyes, leaning back in her seat again, understanding the feeling. It was the same for her.
-§-
Oliver and Felicity made their way into the Foundry, descending the stairs. Diggle and Tommy were already there, waiting for them. Felicity was nervous, Oliver could sense it, but he knew that she didn't have anything to worry about. Neither Diggle nor Tommy blamed her for what had happened with the Count. Diggle had come to her apartment and tried to comfort her that night, but Felicity hadn't been as receptive then as she was now.
As they finally came face to face with their friends, Oliver felt Felicity tighten her grip on his hand and he looked at her, giving her an encouraging smile. He looked back at Tommy and Diggle and the two men stepped forward. Tommy, who hadn't seen Felicity in a long time made the first move to embrace her. His arms wound around the blonde in a comforting hug and Oliver felt Felicity's hand slip from his as she returned the gesture. Wanting to give them a moment, Oliver walking up to Diggle.
"How are you?" Diggle asked, embracing Oliver shortly before pulling back. Oliver and Felicity had texted him and Tommy about Slade, but they hadn't gone into much detail.
"I've had better days," Oliver admitted, looking back at Felicity who nodded at something that Tommy had said to her. "We'll make it through this too, but I'm still a bit shaken," he said.
Diggle nodded in understanding. "Felicity?" he wondered.
"Better, but she was just as surprised by Slade's attack as I was," Oliver said. "She protected us. My mom, Walter and me. She turned in front of them and we fought Slade off, but she did most of the work."
"Your mom and Walter?"
"On a plane to a secret location that even I don't know about," Oliver revealed. "I didn't want to know, in case something happened and someone tried to get the information out of me. I can't let them use my family against me."
"Makes sense," Diggle agreed. "The less people Slade can use against us, the better."
"That was exactly what Felicity said when she suggested the plan," Oliver said. He chuckled then, shaking his head. "Well, she didn't exactly suggest it as much as she told my mom that she and Walter needed to leave town. Either way, it was a good plan and I agreed with her."
Diggle rubbed at his chin, contemplating his words for a moment. He looked at Oliver as if he wanted to ask something else, but Felicity and Tommy joined them, so he was momentarily distracted by hugging Felicity. Diggle pressed a light kiss to Felicity's temple, his arm staying around Felicity's shoulder as they all stood together.
Oliver looked at Felicity and despite the worry of what was to come, he couldn't help but smile back lightly at her when he saw her lips turn upwards. He felt eyes on himself and a moment later, Tommy cleared his throat.
"Are we going to acknowledge the obvious or just pretend that we didn't see the two of you walk down those stairs holding hands?" Tommy wondered, sending Oliver a pointed look.
Diggle chuckled at the comment and Felicity's cheeks turned a shade darker.
"We're…" Oliver started, but he trailed off, looking at Felicity.
She smiled at him and turned to Tommy. "We're together," she finished, her eyes brightening a little at her statement.
For a moment, Tommy and Diggle didn't say anything, but then Tommy finally let out a chuckle of his own. "Congratulations for finally getting your heads out of your asses," he said and Oliver couldn't help but roll his eyes. Getting I-told-you-so's was probably inevitable in his and Felicity's case. After all, their friends had known that there was something going on between them since the very first time they had seen them interact with one another.
"Very funny, Thomas Merlyn," Felicity said, punching him lightly in the arm. "No one likes a know-it-all."
"Are you sure that you should be saying that considering that we were close to start an actual betting pool on how long it would take you guys to realize your feelings?" Tommy continued to tease, effectively lightening the mood. They had important things to discuss, but for a moment, it was nice to have a laugh.
"I'm happy for you guys," Diggle interjected, nodding at Oliver. It was important for Oliver to get Diggle's approval because he knew how angry and disappointed the man had been with him after Russia. Over time, as Felicity had moved on from the events and Oliver had done his best to prove to everyone where he stood with his feelings, Diggle had forgiven him too for the betrayal. It still felt good to see that his other partner supported him and Felicity in their decision to make things official.
"Of course you're happy," Tommy said. "You have been around them the longest. I imagine that once all of this is done and we defeat Slade, you'll probably have to buy yourself a cake to celebrate that you made it through all of that eye-fucking-"
"Okay," Felicity interrupted, standing a bit straighter. Oliver didn't really know if he should feel amused by what Tommy was saying, although Felicity's reaction to it certainly brought another smile to his lips. "What do you guys say about us actually sharing the information we got from Moira and Walter?" she suggested.
Tommy grinned one final time, but then fell serious again, nodding in agreement that it was probably for the best to get started. They were in for a long day.
-§-
"That is the last time we stop at some random gas station in the middle of nowhere for a bathroom break," Felicity said, her nose scrunched up as she walked toward the car.
Oliver looked at her and raised an eyebrow, taking a bite from the sandwich that he had taken out of their travel pack. "Why?" he asked. "It wasn't clean enough for you?"
"The place was clean alright," Felicity muttered, shooting a glare toward the small shop behind her. "It was the man working there that was a sleaze."
Oliver paused as he turned his attention toward the shop too. He could see someone move away the curtain to look outside at them. Swallowing the bite he had in his mouth, Oliver looked at Felicity who was wearing a pair of tightly fitted jeans, one of his t-shirts and a leather jacket. Her hair was up in a high ponytail and her lips were painted in her usual pink lipstick. She looked amazing and Oliver didn't particularly like the fact that some asshole had made her uncomfortable. On the other hand, Oliver knew that Felicity was more than capable enough to handle it if something actually did happen.
Yet, the emotion that welled up inside of him was something that he couldn't shut down. Clearing his throat, he looked down at Felicity who was bending down to retrieve her phone, giving the station-worker a perfect view of her ass. Oliver moved instinctively, wrapping up his sandwich again before placing it on the roof of the car. He stepped up behind Felicity and placed his hands on her hips, squeezing lightly to get her attention. Felicity stopped looking for her phone and glanced at him from over her shoulder, frowning for just a moment. Oliver gave her a pointed look and she moved backwards just a little, her ass brushing against his crotch. A guttural noise escaped him and Felicity smirked before standing up, turning so that she could face him fully.
"What game are you playing at, Oliver?" she asked, her eyebrow quirked.
"No game," Oliver responded. "Just making sure that everyone around here knows who your mate is."
Felicity's eyes flashed momentarily, but she still smiled. "I think there's only that one guy working in this place and he probably doesn't know about wolves and their mates," Felicity pointed out.
Lowering his head slowly so that his lips were a hairsbreadth from hers, his hands found their way into her back pockets. He pulled her closer to himself and Felicity moved with him, tilting her head a little as she bit her lip. Glancing up at him from under her lashes, Oliver saw her eyes turn golden once more and he couldn't help but grin as he closed the distance between them, claiming her lips.
He kissed her slowly, languidly and thoroughly, leaving no room for any witnesses to question that they were anything other than together. His tongue traced the seam of her lower lip and Felicity complied, opening her mouth to his before she grabbed his shirt and pulled him even closer. Oliver squeezed her ass lightly and Felicity let out a low growl against his lips that made him chuckle.
"We're putting on a show for the creep," she reminded him, pecking him on the lips two more times before pulling back and meeting his eyes again. She was still holding him close though, which told Oliver that she didn't really mind what they had just done.
"I want him to know that you're mine," Oliver said, the words slipping from his mouth before he could stop them. He expected Felicity to be a bit annoyed, not because his statement wasn't true, but rather because she wanted to keep such comments between the two of them. Oliver knew that their love was strong and that it didn't need to be displayed in public to make it any more true. This exchange had been more about staking a claim, even though the man in the shop was far from someone who wanted to challenge him.
Felicity surprised him though when her eyes flashed once more, her grin revealing perfect and sharp fangs. The veins around her eyes blackened for only a moment before her face shifted back to human form. "I wonder if some of my possessive wolf traits have somehow transferred to you now that we're bonded," she mused, her hand resting over his heart. "Perhaps you should save the macho-mate act until there's actually someone challenging your claim to me?" she suggested.
"Do you think someone would?" Oliver asked, finally taking a step back from her. He needed some distance from her body before he ended up putting on a real show for the creep behind the curtains.
"I think that if they did, they would be fools," Felicity said. "I am yours, Oliver, just as much as you are mine. If anyone were to challenge that, I'd most likely put them in their place before they cold even blink."
"Is that the possessive wolf traits speaking?" Oliver inquired, genuinely curious.
"If it was up to the wolf inside of me, I'd probably just kill the person who tried to take you away from me," Felicity told him. "Wolves are defensive of their mates and when they have chosen one, there's no going back."
Oliver nodded slowly to himself. His lips turned up again in a smirk. "Does that mean that I really am yours forever?"
"Do you have a problem with that?" Felicity challenged, but he knew that she could already sense his answer. After all, they had already talked this over once before, but Oliver enjoyed the teasing and light tone of the conversation.
Despite all the dangers back in Starling City and the threat of Slade, bust being around her now that they were officially together made him feel a lot lighter and hopeful than he ever had. Not being able to help himself, Oliver pulled Felicity in for another gentle kiss. When they parted, he smiled at her, his own eyes twinkling in amusement.
"No problem at all, Felicity."
-§-
They went over everything that Moira and Walter had told them. From the moment that Slade had approached Walter, to the second that Walter had been compelled into inviting the hybrid to dinner.
"Slade is smart," Felicity stated, looking at the three men. "Every single time that he slipped up, he probably compelled it right out of Walter. He made sure that neither Moira nor Walter revealed anything about them still having contact with a potential business partner for queen Consolidated, even though they both left the company in Oliver's care."
"You're saying that Slade compelled both Moira and Walter to conveniently forget about him every time he came to mind when they were around Oliver and the rest of us?" Diggle questioned. Felicity nodded, confirming that it was the most likely scenario based off of what Oliver's mother and his stepfather had told them.
"My mother and Walter remembered the compulsion after Slade left," Oliver informed Tommy and Diggle. "He must have made one of the conditions that they not reveal anything about him until he decided to make an appearance. When he finally showed us that he was still alive, the compulsion lifted and they remembered everything he had said to them."
Tommy leaned forward in his seat, his hands clasped in front of him. "Which was what exactly?" he wondered.
"Nothing," Felicity sighed. "He didn't tell them any details about his plans, only that it involved destroying Oliver and everyone he had ever cared about." She glanced at Oliver who had lowered his gaze, probably thinking about the words that Moira had repeated back to them earlier this morning. Slade had been careful not to reveal too much and even if he had done so at some point, Felicity was certain that he would have filtered some of it away by compelling the older couple. She told Diggle and Tommy as much, proceeding to share that she thought that he was also the one who had set her on the path to find Oliver. She had been ordered to look for Oliver, although she wasn't sure what it was that Slade could have wanted to get out of that.
"It could have been an attempt of his to be one step ahead of us," Diggle said after a while. "He might not have known what the outcome of your partnership with Oliver might be, but he would at least have known that you were working with him. If we would have ever wanted to use you to lure him out, he would have known to avoid the situation, even though you wouldn't have remembered him compelling you."
"That actually makes a lot of sense," Tommy pointed out, looking impressed at Diggle's skill of deduction. Felicity had to agree that it could definitely be one of the reasons that Slade wanted her to eventually find her way to Oliver.
"I keep thinking about what happened a few days ago," she said after a moment. "With the Count."
The others stopped talking among themselves and Felicity felt a warm hand grasp hers. Looking up, she met Diggle's reassuring eyes.
"What that monster did to you isn't your fault," Diggle told her, gently squeezing her hand.
"I… I know that," Felicity swallowed thickly, not wanting to think about the details of what had happened. "It's just that I can't stop thinking about what the Count wanted. He told us that the Master- That Slade hadn't wanted him to go after Oliver that night when he had taken the shape of Cyrus Gold. When we were at Queen Consolidated, the Count kept going on and on about how he was doing everything to prove that I was just like the rest of them."
"You're right," Oliver agreed. "That night Count Vertigo kept talking about how you weren't better than any of the other Dark Ones. That when you were pushed enough…" He trailed off and Felicity saw the way that he flinched at his own thought. She could feel how difficult it was for him because he didn't want to hurt her feelings. It was clear that whatever the Count had said that night, Oliver didn't believe it. She had him on her side no matter what and she loved him for that and his loyalty.
Loyalty.
"The Count was disobeying orders, though," she said thoughtfully, frowning as she remembered the words that the madman had splurted out when he had been going on and on about the point he wanted to prove. "He talked about taking the two of us to Slade because he wanted his Master to forgive him for what he had done when he poisoned and almost killed Oliver," she said. "That means that the Count acted of his own volition that night."
"When we asked him if the Master had sent him, he never replied," Oliver seemed to realize. "Not really, at least. He kept going on about everything else, his plan and all that."
"He was loyal to the Master and wanted to prove himself in Slade's eyes," Felicity nodded slowly. "The Count thought he was doing Slade a service by bringing us to him."
"But he questioned whether or not he'd want you there alive," Oliver said, voice thick and Felicity felt his pain as he must have imagined what could have happened. She tried to give him a sympathetic look because she knew that things could have had another turn out very easily.
They looked at each other for a moment and she could feel all of his emotions radiating toward her. She wanted to reach out and assure him that she was safe and once again tell him that it was because of him that she would be able to make it through all of it.
Tommy whistled softly, "Wow, guys. It's good to see that you two getting together clearly hasn't done anything to ease the sexual tension." Oliver shot him a look and Tommy held up his hands in defense. "Okay, okay," he said. "So, we understand why Slade would have a vendetta toward Oliver, but why would the Count want to bring him Felicity too? If Count Vertigo's plan that night was to prove a point to Felicity, does that mean that she is one of Slade's targets as well?"
"Maybe it's because I never developed a sire bond with him," Felicity said, getting back on track again. "I remembered bits and pieces of what happened to me while I was under the effects of Nyssa's serum. They were experimenting with mixtures and I know now it must have been some kind of mirakuru."
"If it was mirakuru, why didn't you go all crazy, like Slade?" Diggle asked.
Felicity couldn't know for sure until she heard it from the mouth of the people who had injected her with the substance. She had her suspicions, one of them being that the mirakuru she had been injected with wasn't strong enough to make her lose control. Then, there was Roy, who had had Thea there to ground him and make sure that he didn't completely snap. Felicity was certain that if Thea hadn't been there in the Foundry that night when they had gotten Roy back, things would have turned out differently for the young man.
"A failed experiment…" Oliver murmured after a moment, making them all look at him. He met Felicity's hard gaze, probably because he felt the twinge in her heart at his words. She had described herself as that after she had remembered some of the memories that Slade had compelled away. "I destroyed the mirakuru that was left on Lian Yu after I thought I killed Slade," Oliver stated. "I burned all of the documents that had been left behind, everything that could be used to recreate the substance. Slade survived and he wants revenge for what I did, so he wants an army."
"But he can't create an army without the mirakuru," Tommy said.
"And that's why he had people experiment to figure out the components," Diggle finished the thought. "It's exactly what we did when Roy was injected. We sent a sample of his blood to Barry and another to Lyla because we needed to know what he had been injected with."
Felicity nodded slowly, but her head was starting to ache a little. It was so much to take in in such a short amount of time. Finding out that Slade was alive, revealing herself and the Dark World to Walter and fighting against the monster that had made her into a hybrid had exhausted her. She had only slept a little during the night because her head had been swimming with thoughts as to what would happen next. Oliver had talked to her this morning and they had already figured out their next move now that Moira and Walter were safely out of town.
"If Slade's mirakuru wasn't perfected yet when they injected me, that could be the reason that I never developed a sire bond," Felicity said. "It could also be why my powers as a hybrid are different from what Roy experienced the night he was turned. He was oozing power and strength constantly, whereas I can enhance my strength at will depending on whether I drink blood or not."
"Does that mean that Roy has been sired?" Oliver frowned.
"It could," Felicity replied, "but I don't think so. You saw how he was with Thea that night. If he was truly one hundred percent sire bonded to Slade, he wouldn't have been able to do anything but his bidding. Thea anchored him and I'm sure that's the reason that he stopped attacking us and realized what he was doing."
"So what do we do now then?" Tommy asked. "Slade came after you, Oliver. You're mother and Walter are safe, Thea is out of town in a secure location. We have no idea when Slade might show up again. He knows that you're the Arrow, he revealed it to the Count too… There's no telling how long he has been watching us and how much he actually knows."
"What else should we do?" Oliver frowned. "We have to lay low, for a while at least, but we need to be prepared for anything too."
"Lay low?" Tommy frowned at his friend. "Fuck, man. I think you should leave town for a while too. I mean, Diggle can leave for A.R.G.U.S. and see if they've made any process. He could even spend some time with his lady love-"
"Lyla isn't my-" Diggle started, but stopped abruptly when Tommy snorted loudly.
"I never mentioned a name, Dig," he pointed out smugly before he kept talking. "I can keep myself away from the Foundry and all of this Arrow business for a while too. Maybe I could convince Laurel to come away with me for the weekend and elope or something. You though, you need to get Slade's eyes off of you until we're ready to make a move."
"First of all," Felicity looked at him sternly, "stop teasing Diggle over the fact that he's clearly back together with his ex-wife. Secondly, don't you dare elope with Laurel. After all of this with Slade is over, I need something to look forward to when we finally beat the bad guy. Also, thirdly, Oliver and I were sort of planning on getting out of town for a few days at least."
When she finished her ramble, Tommy blinked a few times and then nodded slowly. "Good thing that we're on the same page then," he said, clearly deciding to ignore her previous two points. "Do tell though, are you and Oliver by any chance eloping or is this really just a get-out-of-town-because-the-bad-guy-is-on-out-tail-thing?" he wondered.
"Was that a quip on my tail?" Felicity glared, but she was suppressing the urge to laugh. Honestly, leave it to Tommy to make her laugh in a shitty situation like this one.
"Guys, focus," Oliver sighed, rolling his eyes. "Felicity and I will leave town and visit Roy and Thea. We'll see how Roy is doing and try to clear our heads in order to figure out what we should do next," he said. "Tommy, your plan is good and I think we should follow that for now. The city might need the Arrow, but we have to lay low…"
"I can dress up for a night or two," Diggle said. "Depending on how long you and Felicity will be gone, that is. If I'm to work with Lyla on that blood thing, I might as well just invite her here to the Foundry since she already knows about all of this."
"Or you could visit her during the day and have her fly you back with a helicopter at night," Felicity said. "I'm sure it would count as a date or something, flying over Starling City, trying not to think about the murderous, revenge-lusting, psycho hybrid who wants us all dead." The others looked at her again, this time remaining silent. She shot them an apologetic look. "Okay," she finally breathed out. "Sounds like we have a plan."
-§-
Oliver tried leaning back and relaxing, but his eyes somehow always found their way back to Felicity. She had taken over after their short stop to fill up their tank with gas. Oliver hadn't even tried to object when she sent him a challenging look. No matter how much he teased her, he would never actually look down on her driving skills. Still, the reason that he was looking at her now was because he was trying to figure out when he got so lucky. Everything that had happened this past week was a blur. The bombings of Starling City, Felicity killing the Count, the two of them finally getting together and then Slade showing up alive after so many years, revealing himself as the Master… In the haze of turmoil and horrors, Oliver had still somehow managed to find a couple of moments of happiness. He was questioning whether he actually deserved it.
There were a lot of things in relation to Felicity and Slade on his mind. His team had discussed things before they had come up with their plan, but there were still many things that were fuzzy on that particular part. They knew that Slade had compelled Felicity to forget him and she still couldn't remember all the details of her time in captivity. Slade had also told his minions to let Felicity go, because he knew that she would eventually find her way to Oliver because of her need to stop the Master and her quest for justice. There was no way that Slade could have known somehow that Oliver and Felicity would end up being soulmates. From what Felicity had told Oliver, soulmates were a rare thing in this world and there was no actual explanation behind the phenomenon in the Dark World. In Oliver's mind, he questioned whether or not Slade was actually aware of the bond that he and Felicity shared. He thought about what the Count had said; about him and Felicity having an unexplainable need to constantly save one another. Had that been a mere observation on the Count's part or was it something that he had overheard Slade talking about? Oliver wondered just how long Slade had been observing him and his team. How much did his old friend and mentor actually know about what went on in the Foundry and in their personal homes? He knew that Oliver was the Arrow, that much was clear, and he had known when to approach Oliver's mother and stepfather because Oliver wasn't around to identify him. Slade was a hybrid created from the original mirakuru substance. Oliver wasn't completely sure what powers it gave the man, but he had seen the monster that he could become. The sight of him in mid-shift in his family home would have been even more terrifying if he hadn't actually seen Slade in his full wolf-mode. Back on Lian Yu, Oliver had only managed to defeat Slade because of the man's temper. His emotions had been heightened after his turn, just like with anyone else, although Slade had always felt things more deeply than any other human that Oliver had known. His military background had taught him to hide it though, but Oliver had seen glimpses of the man's humanity whenever he had been around Shado, the woman who had finally broken him.
It was a sad tale, a horrible part of his past that Oliver had tried to move on from. Last night, when he and Felicity had spend the night together in her apartment again, Oliver had talked to her about his concerns. He had questioned whether there was actually a possibility that Slade could shape shift too, like the Count had done. What if Slade was also one of those super-hybrids that could do close to anything? Felicity had told him that all supernatural beings still had beating hearts. All of them could be beaten somehow, in the end.
Oliver wondered if she was talking about killing Slade, something that he would have been up for just a year ago. Now, with their prison arrangement with A.R.G.U.S., Oliver wanted to know if there was another way. He knew that despite killing the Count, Felicity didn't want to go down that road again. The Count had manipulated her mind and force-fed her blood, making her lose control. It had been an impossible situation and Oliver knew that Felicity hadn't been in her right mind when she had slashed open the man's throat. If there was a way for them to not kill Slade, to show mercy somehow, Oliver had to figure it out for her sake. He knew that she still carried the weight of the people who had died in the bombings on her shoulders, no matter how hard she was trying to accept the fact that they needed to move past what had happened. Every time that he was close to her and she lost herself to her thoughts, Oliver reached out to hold her hand because he knew what was going on inside her head. For Felicity, he had to find another way.
"My soulmate senses are tingling," Felicity said suddenly, breaking him out of his thoughts. Her hand fell over his momentarily before she focused on the road ahead of them again. She sounded amused, but with a hint of concern.
"Is that a thing now?" Oliver asked her, not being able to help the small smile that appeared on his face. "Soulmate senses?"
"Why wouldn't it be? We're not reading one another's mind, but we can pick up on what we're feeling," Felicity shrugged. "So, what are you thinking about?"
Oliver eyed her again, eyes lighting up as he tried to lighten the mood, "Why don't you tell me?"
It was a challenge and he knew that Felicity was aware of it. He watched her as she tugged her lower lip between her teeth, hands on the steering wheel tightening only for a second.
"Well, from your worry, I am guessing that you're not thinking about what we did last night," she stated and the effect on Oliver was instant.
He thought about the previous night. How after talking for hours about their upcoming trip, neither of them could fall asleep because of their mind-boggling thoughts and worries. Instead, they had spent a good while exploring one another again, providing comfort through the touch of their hands and lips, whispering promises to one another in the dark. They hadn't shared blood, but they had needed the physical connection more than anything else. In the hours that they had made love, they had learned one another in an as human way possible. When they had been well-spent and exhausted, they had wrapped their arms around one another, not bothering to dress for bed. They had learned something about their connection then too, mainly that it went beyond sharing blood. It appeared that whenever they opened themselves up for their bond, they were able to pick up on one another's emotions just as well as they would have if they had been drinking blood from one another. The connection they shared wasn't just enhanced by the blood exchange, but rather through their equal vulnerability for each other.
"Now that you mention it, I can't stop thinking about it," Oliver practically growled at her. It was embarrassing, how his pants felt a bit tighter just at the thought of them together in bed. Sex had always been a basic thing for him before, but with Felicity, it was otherworldly. The two of them being soulmates made it a thousand times better and whenever he was around her and she made an accidental quip or slipped in an innuendo, Oliver got as hard as a hormonal teenager getting to see his first pair of breasts.
As mentioned: embarrassing.
"I wouldn't mind a repeat," Felicity said with a shrug. She looked over at him and he saw her eyes turn that golden hue for a second. He matched her grin with his own, nodding and confirming her wish with a silent promise. For the time being, his mind let go of Slade and all the terror that they would most likely end up facing in the near future. Once again, Oliver wondered instead just how lucky he could have gotten to have someone like Felicity Smoak to love him.
-§-
Felicity pulled up on a dirt road, the car bumping up and down on the uneven ground. She stared straight ahead, taking in the thick forest that surrounded the mountain. They were close to the foot of it and she had to stick to her previous thoughts about the location truly being remote. From what she had been able to tell, there would be a lake right next to the house and the large body of water on the right side of the road told her that they were close.
"There," Oliver said. He lifted his hand and pointed toward a house that surprisingly enough wasn't a small cabin, like what Felicity had been expecting. No, instead it was a bigger house with a wrap-around porch. The exterior wooden panels were dark, the windowpanes black and Felicity had no doubt that the house was well hidden when night fell. Despite the lake, there didn't seem to be any other houses around. It was clear that this was definitely the safe house that Lyla had supplied them with for Thea and Roy.
She parked the car and looked at the front door, nerves rising inside of her. There was no way for her to know how Thea and Roy would react when they saw her and Oliver. She was sure that Lyla had informed them that they would be visiting, although with Felicity's fear about Roy being sired to Slade, she still worried.
"It's going to be fine," Oliver assured her, lifting her hand up to his lips, pressing a light kiss against the back of it. Felicity smiled, not even having realized that she had reached out to him and taken a hold of his hand. Touching him gave her all the comfort she needed.
They got out of the car, deciding to leave their bags in the car for now. Oliver once again laced their fingers together as they made their way toward the porch. Before they even stepped foot on it, the door opened and Felicity instantly froze.
Thea looked at the two of them for a moment and Felicity took in the way that the younger woman had changed in such a short time. She had cut her hair, the ends of it just brushing against her shoulders. It was straighter than usual and it looked good on her. Thea's eyes seemed a lot brighter too and her shoulders were relaxed.
"Ollie," Thea breathed out, a grin spreading over her face. "Felicity. It's so good to see you both." She stepped through the door, heading straight for her brother. Felicity let go of Oliver's hand, allowing him to embrace his sister fully. She watched as Oliver hugged Thea tightly, his eyes closing and Felicity could feel just how much he had missed the younger woman. It made something inside of Felicity's chest tighten and release because she knew that he was relieved to see that his sister was safe, especially after what had happened these past couple of days. Thea let go of Oliver and walked up to Felicity, hugging her as well. This embrace was a bit shorter and Felicity tensed when she felt another presence before she reopened her eyes.
"Felicity," Roy said, standing just as tensely at the door. He wore a flannel shirt and a wife-beater, his jeans dark and ripped at the knees. His frame somehow looked broader too, as if his muscles had expanded and grown over the month that he had been away.
Felicity pulled back from Thea and stared at her beta, not sure whether she should try and embrace him too. She wanted to, so bad. She had missed him. Still, she wasn't going to force the younger man to interact with her immediately. They had been apart for a while and Roy might need to wrap his head around being close to her again, especially after his transition.
"Roy," Felicity said, chewing on her lip. "Hi. How… How are you?"
Roy shifted on his feet and Felicity noticed how his jaw clenched momentarily, his knuckles white from the way that he had balled his hands up into tight fists. "I'm good," he replied after some silence. "I'm better."
"That's good," Felicity said, swallowing tightly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Oliver take a step toward her and she knew that he could feel how much this was hurting her. Seeing Roy like this was painful because she couldn't help but feel like it was her fault for ever involving him in all of this.
"How about you come inside?" Thea suggested. "We just set the table for dinner. We have pasta and this spicy chicken sauce that I taught myself how to make one day when I got bored. I made plenty because Lyla called the secure line and told us that you guys were coming."
"Food would be great," Oliver nodded. "We'll get our bags from the car after dinner." He looked at Felicity and she nodded her confirmation. She ignored the knowing look on Thea's face and the raised eyebrow that Roy sported. They made their way inside and that was when Felicity realized that Oliver had once again taken a hold of her hand, leading the way.
"Can't wait to see what you've cooked up, Speedy," Oliver chuckled, earning a slap on his arm from Thea. Felicity finally let out a small breath when she noticed how Roy's lips twitched up into a small smile.
-§-
Oliver was having trouble keeping up with the conversation at the table. His mind was trying to focus on what Thea was telling them about, but he kept picking up on Felicity's emotions which was clouding his own head. He wished he could just reach out to her and assure her again that everything would be all right. She was concerned and she had every right to be.
"So," Thea drawled, placing her elbows on the table as she rested her chin in her hands. Clearly she was done with talking about herself getting to experience the beauty of nature. "What have you guys been up to since we left?"
Oliver felt Felicity's eyes on him and he turned to look at her for a moment before turning back to Thea. "A lot has happened, Thea," he said. "We don't want to bring all of that up tonight."
"Of course," Thea said. "You've been driving for hours. I'm sure you're exhausted."
"We took turns driving," Felicity stated. "I think Oliver was actually talking about that a lot of things have changed since you two left Starling."
Thea looked at her, "Have there been any developments with the case?"
"Yes," Oliver said, "but we'd rather leave that for tomorrow. It's better to discuss everything when we're all rested and have a clear head."
"Sounds good to me," Roy said and Oliver noticed the way that he looked toward Felicity. It was the longest sentence he had spoken all night. Previously, he had only spoken in one or two-word sentences whenever Thea asked him something. It was clear that the younger man had changed a lot during his stay in the safe house too, and Oliver wondered just how much of it was because of the mirakuru that he had been injected with.
"Hm… Okay," Thea agreed. "But I have to say, there's something different about the two of you," she added, pointing between Oliver and Felicity with her fork.
This time, Roy actually snorted, sending a look of disbelief toward Thea. "Yeah, they are together," he pointed out, sounding as if he couldn't quite understand how Thea had missed such an obvious thing. Oliver paused and glanced at Felicity again, noticing how her cheeks had turned a sweet shade of pink. There wasn't any judgment in Roy's tone and it sounded almost like he wanted to start teasing them. The tension that had previously occupied the room seemed to ease.
"Oh, really?" Thea blinked, a smile on her face. "I'm so happy for you guys," she said after Felicity nodded. Oliver kept his eyes on Roy, who remained silent now.
"It's a fairly new thing," Felicity explained and this time, Oliver couldn't help but reach over and place his hand over hers. He wondered how Roy had figured it out so easily, but he figured it might have something to do with the pack bond.
"I'm going to want to heart everything about it," Thea said. "How long do you guys think you'll be staying?"
"However long it takes," Oliver responded.
"For what?" Roy asked.
"I guess we'll know it when we see it," Oliver shrugged before looking at his sister again. He needed to lighten the mood again. "Speedy, from now on, you'll be the one cooking pasta at home," he said, earning a laugh from his sister who only shook her head.
After dinner, Oliver and Roy got the bags out of the car while Thea showed Felicity the room that they would be staying in. Oliver decided not to pressure Roy into talking, figuring that it was better to leave Felicity to have a conversation with him tomorrow. He just thanked the younger man for helping and Roy grunted in response, looking lost in his own thoughts. As they got ready for bed, Oliver sat with his hands clasped in front of him. He watched Felicity tug on his shirt, expertly removing her bra before she made her way into the bed. Their room was on the other side of the house, far away from Roy and Thea and Oliver was grateful for it. He knew that with Roy's enhanced hearing as a hybrid, he wouldn't want Felicity's beta to overhear anything that he and his mate got up to.
Not that they would be getting up to anything. Or well, Oliver didn't think they would.
As he laid down on the bed, Felicity curled up against him and he couldn't help but pull her closer. Inhaling her sweet scent, he closed his eyes and decided to just enjoy this moment with her. He was tired, much like Thea had said, and he was grateful for finally being able to relax a little at least.
"Tomorrow you should talk to Thea," Felicity murmured quietly, tracing the scars on his chest and the lines of his tattoos. "Tell her about what happened and our plan."
"I will," he said. "You should go out with Roy tomorrow, explore the woods a little… Get some fresh air."
Felicity quirked her eyebrow at him, "Are you suggesting I take Roy for a walk?"
"More like a run," Oliver chuckled, tightening his grip on her. He wondered if it would to her good to try and reconnect with Roy that way. They were both wolves at heart and he had to assume that a part of them would find the forest relaxing. From what Thea had told Oliver, he knew that Roy had calmed down significantly due to being able to roam the woods freely.
Felicity pressed her nose against his throat, inhaling deeply and he felt her relax against him. "You're probably right," she said. "I'll talk to him tomorrow."
Oliver's fingers found their way into her blonde tresses and he pressed his lips against her forehead, kissing her softly before they settled in for sleep.
-§-
Felicity made her way down the path, eyes set and ears focused on her surroundings. The sound of birds chirping and the branches moving in the wind was a lulling sensation that calmed her nerves. She glanced over at Roy who was staring straight ahead. After breakfast, he had agreed to come with her for a run, but she wondered if he knew just what it was that she had planned. At first, she had intended for them to run like humans, but then, upon further thought, she had figured that it might be better to see just how much Roy had changed after being injected with the mirakuru. Changing into wolves was something that would have to wait until after they talked. Felicity wasn't sure that speaking to one another with heightened emotions through a mental bond was the right thing to do. Not when she didn't know exactly what Roy felt toward her now.
Instead, they settled for running in human form but with hybrid speed. They whizzed through the trees together. Felicity ran quickly, although she could see that Roy was much faster than before. There was an energy surging through him, almost as if he couldn't contain all the power that was running through his veins. He was able to keep up with her much better as a hybrid, but she could sense that with some training, he might even surpass her speed. It made her assumption about him being injected with a more purified version of mirakuru seem more reliable. If she was right, the substance that Slade had injected her with was a less potent one. They had clearly been experimenting with the drug and she had been one of the first ones to be injected. Maybe that was why she had been able to resist the sire bond.
They made their way into a clearing a good distance from the house. She knew that there was no way that the others would be able to reach them in at least two hours if they set out to look for them. It would give Felicity plenty of time to see where Roy's head was at. She signaled for Roy to slow down and he frowned as he did. Looking around, he took in the place that she had picked out and slowly nodded, as if he too was approving of it. She wondered what was going on inside his head. Deciding not to try and poke around inside of his head, Felicity sat down on the ground in the middle of the meadow, her fingers digging into the soft grass before she laid down fully. Even when she closed her eyes she could feel Roy's curiosity as he stared her down.
A minute passed and she made a point of not saying anything at all. She heard Roy shift on his feet and soon enough, she made out the sounds of him joining her on the ground. Suppressing the urge to smile, she kept her eyes shut and listened to her surroundings. Oliver had been right. It was calming to be out in the woods. She could already feel the change in the atmosphere around her and her beta. Roy was significantly calmer as well and she breathed a bit easier knowing that he wasn't going to give up on whatever it was that they were trying to do.
"I'm still pissed," Roy suddenly blurted out, making Felicity's thoughts pause. She blinked her eyes open, but she kept staring at the sky. It was a cloudy day and she could sense that it would probably rain later. There was no reason to leave yet though, because they had just gotten there.
"Who are you pissed at?" Felicity wondered, being careful not to look Roy's way. She didn't want to spook him.
"Myself, mostly," he said, his fingers digging into the ground, pulling out some grass. "I'm angry at myself for being weak and letting them ambush me. They knocked me out before I could even see who they were."
"It wasn't your fault," Felicity told him. "It happened to me too."
She felt the way that Roy stopped moving for a second. He was looking at her as if he had just remembered that she too had been turned against her will.
"I'm angry at you too," Roy said then, his voice quiet. This time, Felicity did look at him and she met his hard eyes with a ferocity of her own. She didn't know what she was feeling because everything was a blur, but she did know that she needed to stay alert in case something happened. Then again, she wanted to give Roy the benefit of the doubt. It wasn't his fault that things were as they were.
When Felicity didn't say anything, Roy continued. His blue eyes flickered to a golden hue for a moment before they returned to blue again. "It's not me though," he told her. "It's been there since I woke up, after I transitioned. I have this rage inside of me and for some reason, it's focused on you."
"We think the Master might have done that on purpose," Felicity said. "He altered the mirakuru and made your genes specifically target me somehow. There's no other way to explain it. It's some biological setting that he specified somehow…"
"That's all hypothetical," Roy pointed out. "I'm telling you how I feel."
She took him in, from the way that his shoulders were tense to the crease on his forehead as he watched her. "I know," she said. "I didn't mean to make you feel as if that doesn't matter."
"Felicity, I needed to get away from you, which was why I agreed to leave," he said. "I was the one who wanted to go. It was my choice."
"If I had been a better alpha," Felicity argued. "If I would have been there to protect you, or stayed connected to you… I could have prevented this."
"You're still my alpha," Roy said, his eyes flaring. He turned toward her, kneeling next to her where she still laid on the grass. Taking her hand in his, he held on tightly. "Don't you see? That hasn't changed? My loyalty to you is stronger than whatever the Master put in that mirakuru shit. Yes, it took some time for me to figure it out, but at the end of the day, I am still a part of your pack. The anger just makes it more difficult to control myself and I was afraid of what I might do to you when I saw you again."
She could hear the honesty in his voice. He really meant it and it made her heart swell. Felicity sat up then, still holding on to Roy's hands as she looked at him before he continued to speak.
"Thea talked to me a lot," he explained. "She reminded me that the Master wasn't the one I should be loyal to. She helped me remember that you were the one who really helped me. You kept me from becoming a blood wolf both before I turned for the first time and after I transitioned. You're the one I owe my life to, not the Master."
Tears burned in Felicity's eyes and she felt herself lean a bit closer to Roy. Her hands shook as she took in his words and the faith that he had in her. She knew that she owed it to Thea for helping him so much while they had been alone.
"I was worried, which was why I was so distant last night," Roy told her. "I wish I hadn't been, because all I really wanted to do was hug you and tell you that I missed you."
Felicity drew in a shaky breath, wiping at her eyes before she looked at Roy again. She knew that he didn't know the details of what had happened with the Count and Slade and she knew that she needed to tell him. They were being honest with one another and she needed to tell him everything in order for them to fully show that their trust was strong.
"I killed someone," she revealed.
There was shock written on Roy's face and she wondered just what Oliver and Diggle had told him and Thea when they had been catching up over the phone. She had been a wolf at the time and she hadn't wanted to hear anything. It had been more important for her to focus on not feeling anything in particular. Felicity told Roy everything, from the bombings to her kidnapping. She told him of the night that she had torn into the Count's throat and how Oliver had tried to intercept and take the kill upon himself by shooting Vertigo in the heart. It didn't make a difference though, because in the end, it had still been Felicity who had dealt the killing blow. Roy listened as she continued with how she had dealt with her pain and guilt; how she had run away from her problems instead of facing them. She didn't tell her anything more about her and Oliver, other than the fact that him being there for her had made them confess what they had always known was there. Then she kept going, telling him about what happened at the mansion with Slade. She explained that they now knew who the Master was and that they were going to stop him. They would fight Slade with everything that they had and they would win, she knew it.
What surprised her though, was that once she finished telling her story, Roy pulled her into his arms and embraced her tightly. The worry that she had felt before faded and she closed her eyes as she let her friend hold her. The young man she considered family was back, she could feel it. He might still be struggling with the bloodlust, something that he shared with her when it was his turn to speak again, but Felicity knew that he was truly there. Roy wasn't lost and they would be able to trust him.
"The world will still keep turning, no matter what happens to us in the end," Roy mused, and Felicity knew that his words were true. No matter what happened to them, they would fight this final battle together and end the Master, once and for all. Roy had faith in her, even after Slade had tried to manipulate him and program him to hate her. Felicity knew that Roy overcoming the sire bond on his own, like she had done, was a sign that they were a lot stronger than what Slade and his minions believed. She had faith in their family and she knew that once they finally faced Slade, they would be able to defeat him, as long as they stayed together.
Pulling back from Roy, she looked him in the eyes as her own flashed golden. There was a smile on her face as she spoke. "How about we see how fast you can run as a wolf?" she asked. Roy's answering grin and golden eyes was the only reply she needed.
-§-
Oliver sat quietly once he finished telling Thea what had happened during her absence in Starling City. She processed his words, a frown etched on her forehead as she worked through everything he had told her. Oliver had spoken about the Count, what had happened with Felicity and then later what they had learned about Slade being the Master. His sister had listened intently and he had seen the look of sadness that covered her face when Oliver told her about what the Count had done to Felicity. The anger had been evident in her eyes when he shared that their mother and Walter had been compelled by Slade. Thea hadn't stopped him from speaking though, something which Oliver was grateful for. He had wanted to get everything off of his chest as soon as possible. One of the reasons was that he hoped his sister would understand why they needed Roy back in Starling. The more people they had on their team against Slade's army, of hybrids, the better.
"I can't say that I'm surprised that mom and Walter agreed to leave the city without much argument," Thea finally spoke, her eyebrows still furrowed. "At least this way, they'll be safe."
"Mom agreed that it was the safest way to go," Oliver said. "She knows about what we're going to do and she has faith in us to succeed."
That didn't seem to surprise Thea either. She looked at him for a moment, searching his face for something else. Oliver didn't know what was going on inside his sister's head, but he knew that as soon as she gathered her thoughts, she would voice them. Something inside of his chest tugged at him and he looked out the window then, eyes focusing on the woods surrounding the house. Absentmindedly, he rubbed his hand over the place where his heart rested and he thought about Felicity. What was she doing? Were things with her and Roy okay? Was she in danger?
No, his heart told him. She was fine. He could feel the lightness in her, even though she wasn't anywhere physically close to him. Wherever she and Roy were now, they were all right. A longing still filled him though and he wondered how long she would be gone. They had been gone for a while already, but he understood that they had things they needed to talk about. It didn't stop him from missing her.
"You felt it too, didn't you?" Thea asked and he looked up at her. She glanced pointedly down to his hand that was still resting on his chest and Oliver found himself nodding. "Why don't you tell me more about you and Felicity?" Thea suggested. "I understand that you're together, but if you felt the same thing that I just did, I'm sure there's more to it than just doing something about the sexual tension that's always been there."
Oliver shot his sister an almost admonishing look. He didn't exactly feel comfortable with discussing his and Felicity's sexual chemistry with Thea. There were some things that needed to stay between him and Felicity. He knew that he had to give Thea something though, so he settled for the easiest confession, "I love her."
His sister's eyes lit up and he saw the smile playing on her lips. "It's good to see that you got out of your phase of denial," she teased, effectively making Oliver chuckle.
"I'll never live that down, will I?" he quirked an eyebrow.
Thea shook her head, "Never. Although, I could be bribed into not mentioning it on your wedding day, whenever you guys decide to tie the knot."
His heart stuttered inside his chest, a warmth coming over him once more as he thought about what it would be like. Since he had come back to Starling City, he had never thought about finding love and eventually marrying someone. It hadn't been in his future, he had been sure of it. All he had been able to think about these past few years was his father's list and saving the city from the Dark Ones. After meeting Felicity, he had shifted his focus to finding the Master and stopping him. Oliver had never thought that he would live as long as he had. Felicity had showed him another way, proven to him that not all Dark Ones were bad. Just calling them that in his mind felt wrong now. He had learned to separate the bad guys from the ones who only wished to live out their lives in peace. Some were born supernatural and it wasn't their fault that they weren't human. Oliver knew now that it would be a mistake to blame innocent wolves for what monsters did.
So imagining his wedding now, seeing Felicity walk toward him in a white dress with flowers in her hair as they made their relationship official in every way possible. He knew that he didn't need to marry her in order to be sure that they belonged to one another and no one else. His soul was hers until the day he died and a sheet of paper wouldn't make that any more real than it already was. They loved one another and that was enough. Although, it didn't change the fact that the thought of calling her his wife was enticing. Thea's words made him think about everything that a future with Felicity would entail after they took down Slade. They had already talked about kids and Oliver knew that with Felicity, he wanted everything.
"I regret wasting so much time, Speedy," he said quietly. "Knowing what we're about to face with Slade… I just wish I would have figured out my feelings sooner."
"Hey," Thea's hand rested over his. "You guys will make it. I believe in you two and not just because you're soulmates." His eyes drifted up and Thea shook her head, chuckling. "Like I said before, I felt it at the same time that you did. Your heart, doing a flip or whatever. The warmth."
"What does it mean?" Oliver wondered. He and Felicity were still exploring their bond now that they had both accepted it. Thea had had more time to figure things out with Roy.
"Well, I've learned that with Roy, it usually means that he's changed," Thea said. "Whenever he shifts into a wolf, our connection gets stronger. We think it's because his wolf-part feels emotions more deeply."
"Felicity turned into a wolf in order to keep her emotions at bay," Oliver pointed out.
"From what I've understood, that was because she needed to connect with her wolf-side so that she wouldn't lose control," Thea said. "Wolves can get possessive when it comes to their mates, but hybrids are a bit different. It's almost like they can shut down parts of their feelings and focus on one thing. In Felicity's case, it was not allowing herself to feel her guilt."
Oliver thought about how Felicity had been back then. Even as a wolf, she hadn't shied away from him. She had sat with him, her head in his lap and she had allowed him to comb over her fur. He had known then too that it meant something, that she was letting him be that close to her. It had been the same thing when he had first watched her turn. He had reached out to her and she had allowed him to touch her. They had been connected even then.
"We slept together," he blurted. Thea scrunched up her nose and leaned further away from him and he quickly realized that he should have voiced himself differently. "I mean, when she was a wolf, she laid in bed with me. Shit, Thea, it wasn't anything like that," he said, shaking his head when he felt his cheeks warm. "I meant that despite her being emotionally detached, she still stayed close to me. She didn't mind me sleeping in bed next to her or my presence in her apartment."
"Oh, Ollie," Thea sighed. "That just proves that you're always connected, even when she isn't allowing herself to feel the human parts of herself."
Oliver wasn't sure how to respond to that, but fortunately, he didn't have to. A howl alerted him in the distance, making both Oliver and Thea spring to their feet. They walked together with hurried steps to the front door and stepped out on the porch. He watched, his heart beating wildly inside his chest for just second. Then, he saw the two wolves emerge from between the trees. Felicity's white pelt seemed even brighter in the sun, her golden eyes glinting as she and Roy, the brown wolf, circled one another. Oliver's worry faded when he felt Felicity's utter joy to be reunited with her beta as a wolf. The two of them were jumping over one another, a sight that would have been ridiculous to anyone who didn't know the massive wolves. Oliver looked at Thea who laughed at the sight of the wolves play-fighting. He couldn't keep the smile from his own lips as Thea leaned into his side. His arm wrapped around her shoulder as he looked at their mates who were still running around one another. In that moment, he didn't think about Slade or the dangers that they would be facing soon. All he could feel was Felicity's happiness that transferred to him.
"Imagine that we were both destined to end up with wolves," Thea said, her smile wide.
Oliver tightened his grip on her and pressed his lips against her temple. "Yeah," he breathed, his eyes connecting with the white wolf's golden ones. For a moment, he saw them shift blue before returning to their golden shade. "Who would have thought."
-§-
When Roy and Felicity finally got around to shifting back to humans, they both retreated to their respective rooms to get dressed. Oliver and Thea prepared some food together while their partners took a shower and afterward, they had dinner where the four of them discussed how to proceed. Oliver noticed the way that both Roy and Felicity seemed lighter somehow. They were more connected and there didn't seem to be any awkwardness there like there had been the day before. To Oliver, it almost felt like old times. Eventually though, they decided to go to bed. Felicity and Roy were tired from having turned and Oliver knew that he wanted to catch up with Felicity and tell her what he had talked about with his sister.
Oliver pulled his t-shirt over his head and threw it to Felicity who caught it instantly. She smiled gratefully at him, eyes moving over his bare torso before she tugged off her own shirt and bra and then pulled on his shirt. Removing the pants she had put on for dinner, she slid in under the comforter and settled in bed. Oliver licked his lips subconsciously. His mind wandered and for a moment, he thought about the skin that his shirt had exposed as it fell of her shoulder. He joined her in bed silently, his body curving around hers as she twisted so that her back was pressed flush against his chest. Kissing the back of her neck gently, he sighed, his hand finding its way under the shirt to rest on her hip.
Inside his head, his thoughts were warring. Oliver didn't doubt what he felt toward Felicity or her emotions toward him. There wasn't anything to doubt there. It was just that as he had been making dinner with Thea, he hadn't been able to stop thinking about Slade and what it meant for them. He felt as if they could never catch a break and that was why he was grateful for getting these few days away from Starling City. At dinner, they had discussed things and finally decided that they would head back to the city the day after tomorrow. He needed to contact Diggle in order to make sure that everything was secure for their return. While they had been gone, he had gotten updates from Tommy who said that things were slow in the city. Apparently, after revealing that he was alive, Slade had decided to go underground. It worried Oliver because he knew that his old friend and mentor was most likely preparing to execute his plan. Oliver didn't know what to expect when they finally did return to Starling City, but he couldn't help but imagine all the things that could go wrong.
Oliver felt Felicity's hand cover his and he sighed against her, closing his eyes. He knew that she could feel his dread and he didn't want to worry her over nothing. Whatever they would end up facing, they could handle it together. It didn't keep the knot inside his stomach from twisting though. When he thought about it again, he realized that it wasn't just him thinking. He could feel Felicity's own turmoil and worry and it fueled his own. The concern she had was amplifying his.
"What's on your mind?" Felicity whispered, drawing circles on the back of his hand that rested on the warm skin of her hip.
"Do you think we made a mistake?" he wondered, not knowing if there was another way to voice his thoughts. There wasn't a way to explain it other than to say that their bond let him pick up on the question that was circling around inside her brain. His question was genuine and he was afraid that she might decide that it's all too much. With the threat of Slade just around the corner and everything in their past… He knew that she loved him, but maybe she didn't want to have to think about them at an uncertain time like this.
Her hand gripped his tighter and he heard her release a small breath. "Don't push me away," she said and he felt the way that fear consumed her for just a moment. "I told you that I'm with you. I will be with you until the end. I love you and I won't leave you, Oliver."
"I can't live without you, Felicity," Oliver confessed, his face still pressed against the back of her neck. A tear slipped from his eye and he tried to get a hold of himself, but he couldn't. Just the thought of her dying, the thought of losing her… It was too much.
"Oliver, you won't have to," Felicity said as she lifted his hand to her lips, kissing it. "I've said it so many times now, but you know that I would never let you go without a fight. Together, we're stronger and we'll make it. I know we will."
She was radiating love again and he could feel it envelop him. Her warmth surrounded him and Oliver pulled back a little so that she could lay flat on her back. Felicity lifted her hand to his cheek and wiped away the stray tears that had fallen from his eyes. He looked down at her, one arm resting close to her head, holding him up while he cradled her cheek and leaned down. Oliver brushed his lips against hers, closing his eyes to savor the moment. God, he loved her.
Felicity's hand came to rest on his shoulder for just a short second before her arm wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer in order to deepen the kiss. Her fingernails scraped against his skin, running over his short hair and he groaned against her when she bit down on his lower lip. Her tongue soothed the sting away and then Oliver pulled back and met her gaze again. Her pupils were blown, her iris a golden ring that made him once again lick his lips.
"Turn," he said, his voice gravelly as he gently moved her body the way that he wanted her. He returned them to their spooning position and his hand once again found her hip under the shirt. As he drew maddening circles on her heated skin, he kissed down her neck, nibbling and biting down on the skin gently, allowing his human teeth to scrape against her flesh.
"Oliver," Felicity whined lightly when he didn't do anything else for a while. Her back arched into him, her ass pressing against his rapidly hardening length. His boxers didn't exactly put many layers between them to make it less obvious. Grounding his erection against her, he managed to tear a broken gasp from her. He loved the breathlessness of her voice when she said his name; loved how her chest rapidly rose and fell, all because his touch was slowly driving her mad. His fingers trailed over her stomach, the pads of them lightly making their way up toward her breasts. Cupping one of them gently, he grinned against her skin as she arched her back again, seeking his touch. His thumb and forefinger found one of her nipples, pulling lightly on the tightened bud, making her gasp again. Oliver licked his lips, his tongue darting out to taste her too again.
"Oliver, fucking do something," Felicity practically growled when he moved his hand to her other breast. He hummed and threw his leg over hers, effectively keeping her trapped against him. She tried to wriggle, seeking friction and Oliver finally complied, leaving her breasts alone before moving his hand downward again. Using his leg, he nudged against her and then shifted so that she could throw her own leg over his. His fingers trailed over the soft cotton of her panties and Felicity once again let out a sound that was similar to a snarl. It amused him, but he wasn't just denying her what she wanted; this was just as hard for him as it was for her.
Felicity pushed back against him and Oliver choked out a sound when her backside once again connected with his front. He was painfully aware of his solid length that was without a doubt leaking precum, begging to be let into her heat. Swallowing thickly, Oliver finally pushed past her panties, fingers drifting gently over her wet curls before finding what he was seeking. A guttural moan fell from Felicity as he pressed one of his fingers into her. She was wet and her thighs were slick with her arousal already. When she rolled her hips forward, Oliver didn't need to be told what to do twice. Instead, he added another finger and steadily started pumping into her. Felicity threw her arm up, her fingers tangling in his hair as she sought out his lips with her own. He kissed her, catching the moans that fell from her and he couldn't help but grind his erection into her again.
"Come on, Felicity," he murmured encouragingly against her lips. "Tell me what you need."
"You," she choked out. "God, Oliver! I just need you."
Her hand released his hair, her mouth falling open as he continued to work her with his fingers. His thumb found her clit and he started circling it almost lazily. He felt her hand reach between their bodies and he lost his pace when she covered his hardness with her hand, rubbing over the material of his boxers. He pressed into her, biting down on her shoulder as he tried to get himself under control. He wasn't going to blow until he was inside of her.
Felicity seemed to be thinking the same thing as her fingers found the elastic band of his boxers and started tugging them down. Oliver pulled his fingers out of her for a moment, but only so that he could pull her panties down over the curve of her ass. He gave her enough room to kick the garment off and he did the same to his boxers before he once again pulled her leg back over his. Oliver knew there was no way either of them would be able to hold on much longer, so he grasped himself and tugged a few times before finding her entrance. For a split second his mind registered that he was going in bare, but he knew that they were both too far gone to stop now. His slight hesitation faded when Felicity pushed back against him, seeking him out with a low sound of desperation. She glanced at him over her shoulder and smiled, her eyes hooded as she gave him the briefest of nods. Felicity's fingers intertwined with his and she pulled his hand back to the juncture between her spread legs. As he entered her slowly, torturously from behind, Felicity guided his fingers into her again.
"Oh, fuck… Fuck," Oliver grunted against her skin, his hips pushing forward as he slid into her tightness. This was different from what they had done so far; the position wasn't giving him much room to move, but the small thrusts were enough and the angle made him reach spots inside of her that he hadn't touched yet.
"You feel so good," Felicity gasped and Oliver could feel her entire body shaking with the effort she was making to hold on just a bit longer. She was circling her clit on her own, applying some pressure there while his fingers stroked over her and his cock moved inside her.
Heat was rising inside of him, his muscles spasming as the knot inside his belly uncoiled. White noise filled his ears for a second and his mind went blank the second he felt Felicity's walls clench down on him. His release was immediate, following her as they fell into bliss together. He kept moving though, letting her spasm around him, drawing out both of their orgasms. His fingers slowed and Felicity's wetness coated his hand, mixing with his own. He was still inside of her as she twisted and pressed her lips against his in a hard kiss.
"I love you," she told him, her voice still shaky from the earth-shattering orgasm she had just experienced. He knew they needed to get themselves cleaned up before they settled in to sleep, but he returned her kiss with a softer one, allowing them another moment to catch their breath.
"I love you," he returned, "and I will never leave you."
Felicity smiled against him and Oliver shut his eyes when her lips found his once more.
Note: Phew! That was a long one! I hope it made up for my absence and that you liked it.
First off, I just wanna take a moment to thank everyone who has left reviews/comments, kudos, favorite/alerted this fic. It has been a blast to see everyone's thoughts and support. Honestly, without you readers, I wouldn't be anything. That is why I have decided to have this Q&A thing. I wrote a post on Tumblr about it, but since I'm still busy with school, I know that I won't be able to have it until afterward. I'm thinking, once I get chapter 31 posted too (after I actually write it...), I'll start accepting questions on both Tumblr and Twitter. On Twitter, I usually use the hashtag "HuntedFic" when tweeting about this story and my username is "Sugar_Pepper666". On Tumblr, I'm "author123456". Because of time zones and readers all over the world, I'll probably gather all of your questions, record a video of me answering them and then post it on my Tumblr/Twitter. In other words, if you have any burning questions regarding this story, feel free to send them to me either on Twitter or on Tumblr! :)
Thank you once again for reading and showing your support. You guys mean the world to me! Until next time, lots of love! xx
