Well, I am humbled by all your kind words. Without further ado: finally Team Arrow makes its debut in Felicity's life… I hope you'll enjoy it :-)
PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
PART IV.
"Felicity Smoak? Hi. I'm Oliver Queen."
— Oliver Queen, episode 1.03
OCTOBER 2012
"Okay so the weirdest thing happened today at work! Oh hey Jason!" Felicity said when she spotted her best friend's brand new husband behind Taylor.
Jason waved happily in the background but Taylor pushed him out of the frame.
"I don't wave at your football players when they're playing!" she protested. "Leave me and my MVP alone!"
Jason skipped away from his wife, smirking gleefully and left their bedroom to give Felicity and Taylor more intimacy. Lilly had dropped by to say hi earlier, telling her godmother everything about her new teacher and how Jason had picked her up from school that afternoon. Like a good godmother, Felicity had listened to every word, sitting on her own piece of information like she wasn't just dying to tell her mother the news.
"Define weird," Taylor started again. "I'm not interested in knowing that you found the guys doing copies of their penises on the copy machine. I'm not saying it's not weird, I'm just saying that it's depressingly common."
Felicity rolled her eyes. "Everyone's too stuck up at QC to make copies of their penises. Or their boobs."
"Heh, you'd be surprised. I'm sure those executives are a lot more kinky than you'd think."
"You think that's kinky? Making photocopies of your genitalia? I thought it was just disturbing."
"Well, so is choking someone while they come but that's also in the kinky category."
"Right," Felicity conceded. Well that had escalated quickly. "But what happened to me was not that weird!"
"Okay. Can't say I'm not a little disappointed by that poor introduction but I'll bite."
Felicity rolled her eyes and grinned, but felt suddenly shy. She'd planned on telling Taylor the whole truth, the whole story, but the earlier interaction had been so weird, she couldn't help but keep some of it to herself.
"So this… volcano-hot guy comes in my office today, and tells me he needs my help retrieving stuff on his laptop because he spilled a latte on it."
Taylor's eyebrows rose on her forehead, as she shook her head.
"Urgh, I don't wanna know about how the super hot guy is into proportionally creepy porn. I have a vivid enough imagination as it is."
Felicity's shoulders slumped forward.
"Let me finish! So there he is, in all his massive womanizing hotness and he smiles at me delivering this blatant lie because as soon as he hands me the laptop I realize: even if the latte ruined it, it's been riddled with bullet holes."
This time, Taylor's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"Hold on, I'm worried about what you find weird in this situation. The fact that the guy was hitting on you, or the fact that he was using a very poor excuse to talk to you?"
Felicity blew a raspberry exasperatedly, because Taylor was obviously missing the point.
"He wasn't hitting on me! He was turning on the charm so I would do his bidding and not call him on his bullshit. It had nothing to do with me. The weird part was that he thought I'd be stupid enough not to notice the bullet holes."
Taylor shrugged, unimpressed. "Well, that was underwhelming. Way to talk a story up, Smoak. I mean, shit happens, isn't there a super bad neighborhood called the Glades?"
"That guy would never get caught in the Glades. He's like, the son of someone super important at the company," Felicity dismissed defensively (and no she wasn't pouting). She considered telling Taylor that the guy she was talking about was Oliver Queen but she knew she'd never hear the end of it if she did. Taylor would never let it go and push her even more than Felicity suspected she would be pushing her at the end of that story. "I just wonder why he'd lie about the bullet holes. It's not like he even tried to hide them. Honestly, his stupid lie raised more questions than I would have asked if he'd just told… I don't know, that he'd saved a poor guy's life with his laptop."
The side-eye that Taylor gave Felicity was plain awkward.
"Really? That, you would have believed?"
"I don't know. But why the hell would he be holding on to someone else's computer and say he spilled latte on it? It makes literally no sense. I can't even call it a mystery because it's… It's just weird."
Taylor's reaction was a mix of annoyance, resignation and excitement.
"I'm honestly sad that the most obvious explanation hasn't even crossed your mind. I swear, what am I gonna do with you Smoak?"
"What?" Felicity blinked.
"He came to hit on you, dummy! The hot guy comes in your office with a flimsy transparent lie with someone else's computer that he just 'happened to have'? That's like, How to Make a Move 101 silly!"
Felicity frowned, confused. "I really don't think that's how it happened nor the reason why he came. He genuinely didn't know who I was before he came in my office. He really wanted the information I gave him."
Taylor tilted back in surprise.
"So you did his bidding without calling him on his bullshit?!"
"I mean… what was I supposed to do? What if he tells his mom that I wasn't helping out and I lose my job?"
Taylor rolled her eyes.
"What kind of 'hot womanizer' dude — your words, not mine — would go whine to his mommy that the mean I.T girl wouldn't look into a shady fucking computer that wasn't even his in the first place?"
"I don't know. I just…"
"This was totally another pot-brownie situation, wasn't it?" Taylor asked knowingly, hesitating between being supportive and depressed by her friend.
"I was just being helpful!" Felicity protested vehemently. Too vehemently. "And I'm with Wade! I wouldn't…"
"Oh please! You were blindsided by his volcano-hotness and you helped because you're a sucker for people who don't even try to be good at lying. And flirting with a random hot guy whom you might never see again is not cheating on Wade. Which, for the record, I wouldn't judge you for doing. Much less so with a volcano-hot womanizer. How did it feel?"
Felicity grumbled. This was a trap, she could smell it from where she was sitting. Taylor hated Wade, the first nice guy she was actually dating since Mark in high school. She thought he was too boring for Felicity.
Still, Felicity walked right into the trap.
"How did what feel?"
Taylor's grin turned evil.
"Having your insides churned by the volcano-hot Laptop Guy? How good was it to feel all beautiful and tingly?"
Felicity rolled her eyes, sighing and blushing at the same time.
"It's just physical reactions. I'm telling you. He was not hitting on me. He's like… He's like Leonardo DiCaprio, only dating models that have legs that go for miles, who wear size zeroes and probably speak three different languages."
Taylor groaned.
"You always say that. What is it with you and people who speak three different languages?"
Felicity shrugged. "I don't know. I just find it hot. I'm so terrible with languages."
"Says the woman who masters seven different computer ones?"
"Oh, it's just logic and numbers! What's not to love?"
"I know, right?" Taylor mocked, smiling too brightly, giggling like a teenager. "Don't you wish they all could get along and make babies?"
"Oh, shut up!"
"Anyway!" Taylor grinned. "You'll see. Laptop Guy is going to be back. He'll be back with weirder and weirder requests because he wants you and you'll ditch that boring dude that you call your boyfriend to remember what it's like to have an orgasm."
Felicity burst into laughter.
"I highly doubt it."
"You'll see Smoak. Taylor Young is always right."
"No you're not! You totally didn't see Asshole Cole coming!"
Taylor shrugged, making a little shameless "heh!" face, dismissing Felicity's rightful jab.
"Detail."
DECEMBER 2012
It was the sound of the Skype ringtone that took Felicity out of her reverie. She clicked mindlessly, still caught in her thoughts, unable to decide what to do exactly.
"Hey!" Taylor greeted excitedly.
"Hey," Felicity responded, distracted.
"Are you okay?"
Felicity stared at the little notebook in her hand, turning it over and over between her fingers. She couldn't believe Walter had disappeared. Poof. And she had the proof that something was up. He hadn't just been kidnapped. Or if he had been, she knew the reason why. She was currently holding the proof that it was more than just about money. It was about secrets.
And if Felicity Smoak knew one thing, it was that secrets were there for a reason and when they popped open they hurt people. Though, to be fair, she hadn't discovered anything yet and already people were hurt.
"Smoak!" she heard.
"What?" Felicity startled. "Oh hey T. Sorry about that."
"What's wrong?" Taylor asked worriedly.
"I… Nothing, really. My boss was kidnapped."
Taylor blinked.
"Your manager? The bold forty-something?"
"No, Walter Steele. The man who hired me, the man who was making out with Moira Queen that summer? Remember?"
"Oh! Right! It made national news. That's your boss? Do they know why he was kidnapped? Did they make any demands?"
Felicity's eyes drifted back to the notebook that she had dropped near her keyboard. Maybe it was cursed. She hadn't dared to look into it anymore. What if she was the next one kidnapped? Or killed?
"No, no one knows."
Obviously, Taylor had not expected such a short answer and waited for her to expand.
"Do you think he's dead?"
Felicity jumped again in surprise. That was why she was so torn up lately. Was he dead? Was it just a kidnapping, in order to scare Moira Queen? Or was he dead because he was looking into stuff that he shouldn't have been looking into?
"I don't know," Felicity whispered. "I really hope not."
What was Moira Queen's own involvement in all of this? She'd always freaked Felicity out, reminding her of Mrs Young's cold demeanor. She'd always put it on the fact that she'd lost her son and her husband on the same day but… Could she be cold enough to order her new husband's kidnapping? News stories said that she was devastated and Felicity had heard an executive talk to a board member saying that she hadn't stepped in QC and had locked herself in her room.
Felicity didn't know if she believed it. She really wanted to.
"Okay, we're moving onto brighter topics then!" Taylor pressed, shaken by Felicity's quietness. "How's Laptop Guy? Has he shown up again?"
Oh. Laptop Guy. Oliver Queen. Was Walter's own disappearance somehow linked to his shadier and shadier stories? At first, it was kind of fun and until Walter's disappearance, she'd found herself looking forward to Oliver Queen's more and more unbelievable cover stories.
Oliver Queen was most definitely up to something. Maybe that was why she wouldn't tell Taylor who he really was, staying purposefully vague about him. He was the son of someone important at QC. He came in with lame excuses but always needed her answers quickly. Taylor could say whatever she wanted and think that he was into her, Felicity knew better (which didn't mean that she wasn't enjoying the flirty banter).
She didn't know if he was lying to her to make himself interesting, if he really was that stupid jerk he acted like on TV, or if there was something more to him. Frankly, Felicity had decided to dig around until Walter came with his shady notebook of coded names of people who incidentally ended up murdered by the Hood. That notebook was the Holy Grail of Mysteries and she'd completely tossed Oliver Queen's random visits aside, deciding that he probably wanted to make himself more interesting than he really was.
Didn't mean she wasn't glad to see him every time. And looking forward to his extravagant tales. It was like he wasn't even trying anymore (or maybe trying too hard? She didn't know).
"Smoak, dammit, you're worrying me!"
"I'm okay! He showed up quickly with another request. He was being his usual flirt to get what he wanted and was glad when I delivered."
"Did you deliver your vagina?"
That sentence actually brought Felicity out of her funk and made her grimace.
"Gross, T."
"So that's what it takes to make you react? I need to mention the v-word?"
Felicity rolled her eyes.
"How long has it been since Wade's taken care of your needs? I mean, doesn't he get suspicious when you jump him every day Laptop Guys pays you a visit?"
Felicity chuckled and shook her head in disbelief.
"I don't do that! I don't… You're the one who keeps bringing him up!"
"If I didn't, you wouldn't tell me about his bullshit stories. I half-believe you're making all this stuff up, you know."
"Ha. Well. Oh, and I… I think I broke up with Wade."
This sentence was met with shocked silence. Taylor tilted her head, mouth agape, and blinking slowly, as if looking for something to say and how to react. She was probably wondering if she was supposed to be witty or compassionate — Taylor had never liked Wade, but that didn't mean she wanted Felicity to be hurting.
"You think? Okay, Smoak we're going to need to talk about how to prioritize information. For example. Your boss disappearing? Important and creepy, but not that impactful on your day-to-day life or super exciting for me. Breaking up with the guy you were dating for the past year and a half? Maybe lead with that next time?"
"I don't even… I mean. I think we broke up. He hasn't called or anything this week. Haven't seen him for two since we had some sort of 'talk' I guess."
Again, Taylor looked torn between being dumbfounded or offended.
"TWO WEEKS and I hear about it now?"
"I've sort of been busy. That's why we broke up, I wasn't making enough time for him I've been too caught up with work. I don't know what's wrong with me."
Taylor arched an eyebrow and shook her head in frustration.
"There's nothing wrong with you. Come on, Felicity can you finally admit that he wasn't made for you?"
"Taylor, I really…"
"No, okay I didn't say anything other than the fact that he was boring so far…"
"You didn't even let us take pictures as a couple at your wedding!" Felicity cut. She was tired and worried, the last thing she wanted was to have to suffer through Taylor's opinions about her now ex-boyfriend. Taylor never really needed to say anything. She was more a passive-aggressive figure that scared the living crap out of Felicity's boyfriends. She was worse than a big brother.
"Okay, that was a dick move, but in the end wasn't I right? You won't ever want to see pictures of you at my wedding with Wade!"
"It's not your choice to make!"
Taylor clenched her jaw and looked sheepish.
"Fine. You're right. But it doesn't change the fact that nothing's wrong with you… You know, yesterday, I made Lilly spinach and when I put it in front of her, she looked up at me and made this face."
Taylor pressed her lips together in a sort of grimace and half-shrugged in total defeat and resignation.
"That's how you look when you talk about Wade."
Felicity opened her mouth in protest. "I have never once made that face!"
But Taylor was adamant and undeterred. Almost philosophical about it.
"Wade is your spinach. Healthy. Good for you. But not that exciting and it's okay. You were never the healthy type, have you seen what you eat? You could survive with ice cream only. You're into sweet things that make you melt."
As Taylor's words sunk, Felicity's eyebrows flew higher and higher on her forehead.
"Also, you showed more emotional turmoil about your boss disappearing than your boyfriend not calling you for a week. That says everything, don't you think? Spinach."
"Okay, okay! I get it. He wasn't made for me. I spent a year dating a normal guy like I'd always dreamed of and it's not all it's cracked up to be. I'll find someone who's a little bit more adventurous next time okay?"
Taylor's face showed her distrust in that statement.
"Yeah, I don't believe you. I just wish you could get some sort of repeat of Perfect Night. Couldn't you even consider that with Laptop Guy?"
And there it was again. Now that was becoming annoying. Oliver Queen might act the way he did but he was not into her. She had to remind herself of it. Because she was already craving his stupid visits knowing that he was just using her as a personal researcher, so if she let herself believe that his lies were true, that Taylor's perception from Felicity's descriptions was realistic, then she'd be a goner really quickly. She barely even stood a chance in the first place (though who couldn't be excited about a guy whose friends were into archery and organized scavenger hunts? She loved scavenger hunts!).
"Urgh, just let it go already. Please drop it. He even shows up with his bodyguard now. Who hits on a girl with his bodyguard sitting closely?"
Taylor made a face.
"Like, every celebrity. Is he a celebrity?"
Felicity felt panic seep into her chest as Taylor turned suspicious. Oh no. If Taylor even suspected that Oliver could be a celebrity she would literally never hear the end of it. Which, technically, he wasn't. Oliver more or less ranked along the Kardashian levels of 2008. People knew of them (Felicity didn't but that wasn't the point) but they weren't famous. It wasn't like Oliver had done any reality TV (which was surprising now that she thought about it. He totally could have. He had the face for it. Oh, what a face…)
"No, he isn't. He just has a bodyguard."
"Because he's seconds away from filing a restraining order?"
"What? No! He's the one seeking me out! I don't… Look. He has a bodyguard that follows him everywhere, and I've got enough of a foot to mouth problem to ask why the hell he feels the need to bring him along when he comes talk to me about scavenger hunts and weird arrows that I need to trace back, okay? Which he doesn't always do. Bring John Diggle along, I mean…"
"John Diggle?" Taylor cut.
"Yeah, the bodyguard. I think that's his name." Felicity mused. Yop. She was pretty sure she wasn't wrong.
"John Diggle!" Taylor repeated gleefully, with a slight undertone of wonder. "This is such an awesome name! Oh! I love it! John Diggle. His name rolls off your tongue. John Diggle. So cool. I might just remember it."
Felicity rolled her eyes, amused at her friend's antics.
"Cool. You'll remember the name of a guy you'll probably never meet when you still call Mark "Creepy"."
"I said might. Not will. And Creepy's real name was Mark?"
"My point exactly."
"Smoak, it was literally ten years ago. Way to hold a grudge," Taylor smirked shamelessly.
"Whatever."
"So are you flying in for Christmas?" Taylor asked hopefully.
Felicity smiled coldly. "Yeah. After almost ten years without seeing her, I'm actually showing up at my mother's doorstep because I ran out of excuses."
"You should take a page from Laptop Guy's book." Taylor taunted.
"No," Felicity sighed. "No. She actually wants me there for once. She wants to do a Smoak family version of Hanukah where she doesn't get me anything because she's broke and I feel guilty so I give her four hundred bucks. I'm like an overcompensating dad, I swear. I take daddy issues to a whole new level at that point."
"Yikes. Well, at least we'll get to hang out? Even for just one afternoon."
"And see you basking in your happy life?" Felicity groaned.
"Yep." Taylor grinned.
"Okay," Felicity smirked back. "But only if I can hang out with your fam and listen to you tell your mom that she's not getting another grandchild this year."
Taylor's eyes gleamed with gleeful devilishness.
"That sounds like a plan."
JUNE 2013
"You're sulking."
Felicity's eyes lifted up from where she was sprawled on her couch to meet her friend's amused ones.
"I'm not sulking," she grumbled. "I'm offended."
John Diggle sighed and sat on the armrest wiping his face with a tired hand.
"Felicity, it has nothing to do with you."
"I know," she snorted. "Trust me, I know. I'm very aware that I don't influence his life decisions."
"Now, that's not true. The body count has dropped significantly since you've been added to the team. You are a good influence."
"Was. I was a good influence," she corrected, playing with the cords of her M.I.T hoodie. "He's gone."
"Gone, not dead," Diggle insisted.
Felicity clenched her jaw and swallowed.
"How do you know he's not dead?" she asked in a small voice. "A man doesn't just drop a million dollars on his teammates' bank accounts before disappearing if he plans on reappearing."
Diggle shook his head dejectedly.
"I didn't know you could be so negative. He's not dead. Oliver didn't survive five years on a hellish island, he didn't become a vigilante, only to commit suicide when things go south. If anything, he wouldn't do that to Thea."
Felicity looked down on the floor, unconvinced.
"You saw him, Dig. He was broken. I've never… I've seen broken people in my life before. But never this…"
She couldn't help thinking back to her mother's puffy eyes all these years ago, and her constant refusal to get out of bed. She'd seen her empty eyes and heard her bland voice as she functioned automatically. For months, Felicity hadn't had a mother. She'd had a robot, who wouldn't talk however hard Felicity would try to get her mother to.
Seeing Oliver come back to the foundry to help her out was exactly the same experience. His eyes were distant and empty, lifeless. He barely answered her, didn't even react when she noticed the gaping wound at his chest and Dig sawed him up.
He only stayed long enough for Tommy's funeral then fled away without another word. It was stupid, really, but Felicity couldn't help but take it personally. She'd opened up to that man. She'd let him in, when she'd been apparently very good until now not to let a man in, and he'd done exactly like her father had. He'd left as suddenly as he'd come, bloody and broken. Except this time, it wasn't the backseat of her car. It was probably with fake IDs that he'd hidden in his stupid case for so long, and she couldn't find his trace.
What could she do when even facial recognition failed her?
"Felicity," Diggle said, his hand falling on her shoulder. "He'll be back. Give him time to process."
Felicity stayed quiet, and somber.
"But why on Earth would he give me a million dollars? What a jerk. The guy promises wine that he never delivers when he's lying to my face and when we need him to be physically here to keep fighting the battle that he started in the first place, he's sending money? Do I look like I do this kind of thing for money?" she spat. "Wow, taken out of context that last sentence could really be awkward."
Diggle chuckled, but Felicity didn't lighten up.
"You said you'd only be there until Walter was saved."
Felicity's eyes flew up again, guiltily.
"Well now we're well past that. What kind of human being would I be if I stopped helping you guys when we obviously only started? The Undertaking made Starling City some sort of Ground Zero. More than ever, this city needs a vigilante. It needs a hero."
Diggle's smile turned a little sad.
"You're incredibly good at pep talks, you know that?"
Felicity snorted, shaking her head. If only he'd been willing to listen. Just to listen to her. Didn't he at least owe her that, instead of a million stupid dollars?
"I wish there was a way I could use that money to piss him off, but he obviously doesn't care enough about it. What's a million dollars for Oliver goddamn Queen, am I right?"
She suddenly stood up and walked around her kitchen counter to get to her fridge. She took a beer out and tossed it to her friend who was watching her, smiling and keeping quiet. It was getting on her last nerve, his whole 'everything's cool' attitude. Didn't he ever freak out? Felicity found that she'd pay good money to see John Diggle panic. Maybe not a million dollars but she'd consider ten grand.
"I told you it wasn't personal, Felicity," John said calmly. "He'll be back."
"Everything is in shambles. Everything is ruined. Did you read the news? There's a company looking to do a takeover of Queen Consolidated. Wherever he is, he must have access to the news. He must have at least heard about it. And where is he?"
Her voice wavered and she bit her lip to prevent it from wobbling. She hid her face by opening the freezer, grabbing the pint of ice cream she always kept in case of emergencies. She was freaking out. Now was an emergency.
"You can't even hood up to help people, the foundry's entire equipment's been destroyed," she added, taking the lid off with a hand shaking with anger.
Mostly, it was anger aimed at herself. She was an idiot. An absolute idiot. How could she have had a crush on him, of all people? He was everything she didn't look for in a man. Brawn over brains. A self-righteous attitude. A hero-complex. Urgh, she didn't need that. She'd experienced unavailable men with massive commitment issues enough when she was at M.I.T (hello Smug Bastard!). She really didn't need Oliver Queen to her list of men she crushed on.
And yet.
She was in over her head. And she knew she didn't stand a chance, but in the end it wasn't even about that. He'd come looking for her, he'd asked her to give him and his stupid crusade a chance. And she'd liked it. It had been exactly everything that had been lacking from her life since she'd finished college. She'd experienced excitement and laughter and buzzing energy for the first time in so long… She resented Oliver Queen for introducing all of this to her and then taking it away as if she didn't have a say in the matter.
What if she wanted to keep going? What if being the Hood meant more than crossing names off a list? What if being the Hood, a team, meant hope rather than dead bodies? What if it meant justice, and not just revenge? Whether he was aware of it or not, Oliver Queen had started something that Felicity knew could be more.
Sure, she understood why he'd left. Losing Tommy… What a price to pay. Felicity's throat tightened at the thought of losing Taylor. She couldn't even fathom the idea. Losing Taylor would be losing a part of herself. She could only imagine what it was like for Oliver, to feel robbed of his life, to get it back, get his friend and brother back, have another taste of what he could have only to lose it as fast as it'd come.
Maybe she'd leave town too, if Taylor died in her arms. Maybe she wouldn't be able to deal either.
"What are we going to do, John?" she asked, rhetorically.
What was she supposed to do now that she knew she could help? Now that she knew that there was so much more to life, now that she knew that she could be more? She wasn't a badass like him, she couldn't fight by herself. And Diggle didn't seem willing to wear the suit in Oliver's absence.
"We're going to take it one day at a time," he said quietly. "But you're right, maybe we should begin with the foundry."
"Do you really think he'll be back?" she asked, fighting the hope that was spreading in her chest.
"Yes."
Felicity bit a spoonful of ice cream and let it melt on her tongue, letting the taste calm her. She closed her eyes, and breathed in deeply. Okay. Freak out over. She could do it. She could wait him out. Oliver wasn't her father. Mostly, she couldn't let herself compare him to her father because this would soon become creepy.
Digg was right. What was up with this negativity? She was usually such a positive person! Felicity shook her head. Oliver needed them more than ever. He needed them not to judge, to give him space, to give him time to grieve. He needed them to believe in him. To him, he'd failed Starling City, he'd failed Tommy. He'd failed his entire mission.
Felicity couldn't fail him. She wouldn't use his money on her (even though she could really use a new car, one he hadn't bled all over). She frowned, calculating quickly.
"Then we'll begin with the foundry," she nodded decidedly. "Verdant wasn't too shaken by the earthquake, I think I read that Thea wanted to open it back in a month. From my horrified memories, I'd say that the main structure is okay."
A new state of the art computer, with massive processors and a fully protected server? That'd cost a lot but she knew a few people who might be able to help out and give her a discount. She'd need to make a list. Felicity loved lists. She picked a piece of paper and began writing down everything they were going to need if they were doing this.
"What are you doing?" Digg asked.
"How efficient are these massive biceps of yours at moving pieces of concrete around?" Felicity asked distractedly.
"Very," John chuckled. "You want to set up the foundry again?"
Felicity nodded. "Yep. It wasn't very well designed in the first place. More like terrible, really. And I'm not just talking about Oliver's use of Windows Millenium. I mean, does a vigilante have to stay in a place with barely any light?"
She didn't see Diggle's lips spread in a proud smile, but she heard him get up and take another sip of his beer.
"So we'll put my computers here, okay?" she showed him the schematics she'd quickly drawn of the foundry setting. "There, Oliver's whole gear. I think we should display his suit in a glass thingy so it doesn't get dusty, and we'll put his arrows over there, as far away from me as possible."
This time, she heard Diggle's short laughter.
"Where do you think we should put the training mats, for maximum efficiency?" she enquired.
Diggle looked her drawing over, and pointed at a specific place. "There, would be fine."
Felicity nodded, seemed think something over, then drew an odd 'H' right across her desk.
"What's that?" Diggle asked.
Felicity lifted her head and grinned, blushing.
"This, is where I'll put the brand new salmon ladder we're going to buy. If I'm spending my million dollars on the new foundry setting, you bet your ass I'm going to keep my eye candy. That? He owes me."
John burst into a genuine laugh that brought a full-on smile on Felicity's face. Yeah. The team was back.
"It's going to take a while," Diggle commented, reading the list that Felicity was quickly drafting.
The young woman nodded. "He has that long to come around. We'll set up the foundry, and we won't come after him as long as everything is not ready. Or, if that stupid takeover takes place, I draw the line at losing my job. Some of us have student loans to pay back."
"I thought you attended M.I.T on a scholarship."
Felicity looked down on her list awkwardly. "So did I, but I had to use some of it for family issues." Her tone was final. Diggle understood what she meant. "And how do you know that by the way?" she pressed on suddenly.
Diggle smiled, unapologetic. "Oh come on, like you didn't run a background check on me!"
Felicity grinned too, and shrugged. "As far as I knew, you guys could have both been psychos trying to make me work for evil under good pretenses, in an Alias-like situation. Working for the enemy I thought I was fighting against!"
Diggle arched an eyebrow. "The Hood targeted one percenters who were famous for being cynical assholes. Now, being a psycho? I'm not arguing against that, but an Alias-like situation? Come on!"
"I really do know how to pick 'em, heh?" Felicity joked, catching herself too late.
Well. It wasn't like anyone couldn't see through her, was it? Diggle's eyes softened as he tilted his head.
"Trust me on this, you want way more than what Oliver Queen can offer you," he eventually said, his voice and tone as kind as ever.
Once more, Felicity shrugged. "I know, I know. Urgh. I just wish he wasn't so damn beautiful. It'd be easier to focus on his flaws. God knows he has many."
Diggle chuckled again, as the bell rung from outside the door. Both friends stilled, worriedly.
"Are you expecting someone?" Diggle whispered, his hand flying to his waist to grab his gun.
Eyes wide, Felicity shook her head no. It couldn't be the police, could it? They always yelled "POLICE!" in the movies, to warn them. And Detective Lance had been demoted and had sort of let her know that he wouldn't go after her. He'd even destroyed the records of her interrogation at the station.
The bell rang again, and Diggle slowly and quietly stepped towards the door, his gun drawn, to peek through the peephole. When he looked back, he was frowning in surprise.
"What?" Felicity whispered. But soon enough, a barely muffled, very recognizable voice shrilled through the silence.
"FELICITY SMOAK OPEN THAT DOOR RIGHT THIS INSTANT OR I'LL ASK YOUR CREEPY NEIGHBOR TO TAKE IT DOWN. Yeah that's right I'm talking to you weirdo!" the voice added to someone.
Diggle's eyebrows rose dramatically on his forehead, as Felicity gulped upon identifying the voice.
"Friend of yours?"
"I'm in so much trouble," Felicity deadpanned, running towards the door, shooting a mean glare at Diggle's gun. "Put that back where it belongs! You'll freak her out with this thing! Oh drop the smirk you know what I'm talking about!"
Diggle did what he was told, holding his hands out in surrender, while Felicity opened the door.
"Taylor! What a surprise!"
"Really?" the young woman answered on an ice-cold tone. "This is a surprise? You go AWOL for two weeks and I'm not supposed to worry?"
"T…"
"What can I say," Taylor kept going, her voice growing angrier and angrier with each word. "Lilly was getting worried that her godmother wouldn't respond to my texts and calls. I thought you were dead."
Felicity winced, looking appropriately guilty.
"I'm sorry T. I really meant to call but so much happened over the last…"
"I know how much happened over the last few weeks!" Taylor snapped, and even Diggle could hear the worry in her voice. "Shit goes down but you always call back, Smoak! You might not want to talk to your mom and all, but you don't screen my calls, you take the time to at least facetime for a minute just so I can see your pretty face and make sure you're not laying in a gutter somewhere, being eaten by coyotes!"
Felicity frowned. "There aren't any coyotes in Starling City. Crows, maybe if you want to be metaphoric…"
"I don't want to be metaphoric!" Felicity's friend ground out.
"Well had I known you'd show up unannounced…" Felicity started.
"I always show up here unannounced!" Taylor cut, stepping inside the apartment, rolling a little suitcase behind her. "Even more when I worry about you!"
Diggle was still standing behind the door, shocked by the exchange that was taking place before him. He'd never seen such a weird interaction: he could see Felicity's happiness upon seeing her friend, feeling that was reciprocated, but he could also hear and witness the worry and the annoyance. Then his eyes crossed path with Felicity's friend's, who frowned and tilted her head.
"Who are you?" she said like he didn't belong here.
Oddly enough, Digg found that he liked that Felicity had friends who obviously looked after her. She was so often with Oliver and him since January, he'd often wondered if she'd stopped having a social life to join Oliver's crusade.
Apparently, she sort of had. He hadn't known Felicity had a goddaughter and a friend who felt so strongly protective of her. He suddenly understood where Felicity got that massive backbone that meant she wouldn't take Oliver's bullshit. Either she'd always had it, or she'd learnt it with the friend that was standing next to her.
Taylor whipped her head to look at Felicity, then opened her mouth, already pointing an accusatory finger at Felicity's chest.
"You forgot to answer my texts to hook up with Laptop Guy?" she screamed. "Not cool, dude!"
"Laptop Guy?" Diggle said, staring at Felicity, connecting the dots and barking out a laugh.
The poor woman looked like she was stuck between a rock and a hard place, unable to decide how to play the situation out. She glared at Diggle, but the animosity was tamed by the awkwardness that she was feeling. He watched as Felicity pinched her nose and closed her eyes, breathing in and out as slowly as possible.
Oh this was going to be fun.
"Taylor, this is my friend John Diggle."
Taylor gave him a long once over, jaw clenched, considering Felicity's words.
"Laptop Guy's bodyguard?"
"Yeah," Felicity nodded, avoiding Diggle's eyes that she knew would be filled with amusement.
"It's a long title though," Digg intervened and she'd been right.
She could hear how much he was enjoying the situation in his voice. And she hated every single second of it.
"You can call me Digg," her friend introduced himself, holding out his hand. "And you are?"
"I'm terrible with names, so don't be freaked if I call you Beautiful or something. I'm Taylor Young, Felicity's best friend," Taylor claimed, taking his hand and shaking it forcefully.
Again, Felicity slid a worried glance in Diggle's direction. To his credit, he didn't even seem surprised anymore. Taylor couldn't have appeared in a background check, and Felicity had gotten used to never talking about her personal life. There was no way Digg could know about Taylor.
"Nice to meet you."
Taylor grinned, then twisted her head around to check over Felicity's shoulder. The I.T specialist followed her line of sight, confused.
"So, where is he?" Taylor enquired excitedly.
Felicity blinked, getting more and more confused.
"Where's who?"
"Laptop Guy of course! If his bodyguard's here, I would assume that he is not that far?"
Diggle watched as Felicity's face fell. Considering Taylor's candor regarding this entire situation, the ex-army was growing more and more certain that Felicity had not declined Oliver's true identity to her best friend. He'd never really been worried that Felicity would tell Oliver's green secret, but he wouldn't have blamed her if she'd told her friend that Oliver Queen was showing up randomly at the office with the weirdest requests.
When she'd brought Oliver down to the foundry the night Moira shot him, she'd said Oliver's behavior finally added up. But Diggle had never suspected that deep down, Felicity had always seen completely through his bullshit and known there was more at stake.
"You're totally sleeping with him, aren't you?"
Diggle blinked. Or, she'd known that her friend would harass her about knowing a "celebrity" and didn't want to be bothered. Made sense too.
"I'm not sleeping with him!" Felicity protested on a tone that proved that it was not the first conversation on that topic. "And he's not even here, he fled the country, that's why John's here in the first place."
Taylor smirked, and chuckled.
"He gave you the slip?" she mocked.
"Yeah," Diggle shrugged. "Left to party with a few beach girls in Europe for the summer. Said this whole Undertaking situation was too much of a bummer. I was hoping Felicity there could do some computer magic and help me find him."
Felicity nodded, appreciating the cover story. Which was realistic enough, considering the persona that Oliver insisted he needed to embody. Taylor waved the thing off, making herself at home as Diggle grabbed his beer back. Felicity was still eyeing the interaction with anxiety, and Diggle took note of her unwillingness to mix both of her worlds. The truth was, he couldn't blame her.
"Charming behavior from the guy," Taylor deadpanned. "You've got a real winner there, Smoak."
"I don't…" Felicity began, pinching her nose again. "Never mind."
"I should probably go…" Diggle began.
"Nonsense!" Taylor cut, as Felicity nodded furiously. "I'm finally meeting one of Smoak's non-lame friends from QC. No way am I letting you go. Finish that beer. Smoak is more of a red wine kinda gal for some weird reason. I'm surprised she even has beer."
"T, John has a meeting with his nephew I'm sure you of all people can understand that kind of commitment," Felicity chipped in, a little too fast.
John tried to bite back a smile and hide his amusement. "I can probably stay a few more minutes."
The look that Felicity shot him summed up a word: traitor.
"You've got a nephew?" Taylor asked, grabbing a beer for herself and opening it as Diggle acquiesced. "How old?"
"Eight."
"Oh! Almost like my daughter!"
Diggle blinked in surprise, but shook it out quickly. Not quickly enough, considering Taylor's own smirk.
"Heh, you're trying to do the math, right? Either I'm the hottest thirty-something you've ever met or I got knocked up at sixteen."
"Don't say 'knocked up'." Felicity grumbled, slumping on a stool at the bar, forfeiting her previous desire to get Diggle out the door.
"I wish I could say that I'd stay this hot in my thirties," Taylor continued, rubbing a comforting hand over Felicity's shoulders to soften the 'knocked up' blow.
"How's the monkey?" she asked.
"Mad that I didn't take her along with me and had to leave her with Jason. Have you ever tried to explain to a nine year-old that you're leaving her behind so you can go check if your best friend isn't dead without traumatizing her?"
Felicity winced again. "I'm sorry! I texted you back that I was fine!"
"Any serial killer could take your phone and text in your stead."
"She's right," Diggle commented.
Felicity shot him an annoyed glare. "Not you too!" Then she turned to face her best friend. "I don't even live in the Glades! That's the only part that has crumbled and fallen. I've just been busy looking for… Urgh, I hate saying it, looking for Laptop Guy."
Again, Diggle wondered why Taylor wasn't more interested in knowing the name of Felicity's mysterious guy. Which led him to wonder about what exactly Felicity had told her friend.
"For the past two weeks?" Taylor pressed.
Felicity bit down her tongue. She'd spent a day at the hospital for a check up, then she'd attended Tommy's funeral with Oliver and tried to assess what they'd lost in the foundry. Oliver had disappeared for hours at a time, sulking on his own until he'd finally split. She had been overwhelmed with a lot of things, and keeping track of Oliver had been a full-time job. Deep down, both Diggle and her knew that Oliver disappearing for good was a possibility. They'd both just wished it'd stay one.
"I'm curious," Felicity deflected, "what did you expect to find? Or do, for that matter?"
Taylor tilted her head, and gave her a long, hard look that reminded her of the ones she herself had thrown at Oliver when he came with his stupid stories. Taylor dug her fingers in the pockets of her coat and took a paper out.
"This is the list of all the hospitals and morgues in Starling City."
Everyone heard Felicity's gulp.
"You really thought that I was dead?"
"You wouldn't pick up!" Taylor opposed, frustrated. "What was I supposed to think? You've always called me! Even during that Spring Break after your night of debauchery with Perfect Night when your friends harassed me because you hadn't come back!"
"Perfect Night?" Diggle wondered out loud. "Is that a name?"
Felicity hung her head down in defeat, opening her mouth and looking for an answer, but Taylor anticipated.
"Yes. Like I said, I'm terrible with guy names. I'm better at remembering details about them."
"Like the night they make you spend?" Diggle tried to understand.
"No," Taylor smirked. "Not me. This technique is for Smoak. She only dates dicks with one-syllable names but I just can't remember them. So I have a mnemonic way to memorize it. Creepy, McStalker, Asshole Cole, Smug Bastard, Perfect Night and Wade. Wade was so boring there was nothing interesting to remember him by. Oh, and Laptop Guy!"
"Whom I'm not dating, just like I never dated McStalker," Felicity insisted on mentioning, then she punched Taylor in the arm as Diggle eyed Felicity, impressed. "And you have to stop with this nickname nonsense, we're not seventeen anymore!"
"You weren't kidding when you said you knew how to pick them," Diggle mumbled.
Felicity rolled her eyes, really annoyed now.
"As you've probably figured out, T over here is a huge drama queen."
"Yeah, that's true," Taylor agreed. "But these names are earned!"
"No they weren't!" Felicity protested. "She's exaggerating! Please, let's talk about something else! Please, for my sake."
Taylor rolled her eyes, but took mercy on her friend and shook her head, taking a seat next to Felicity.
"So, bodyguard, heh? Aside from being ditched by your client, how do you like that?"
Diggle shrugged half-heartedly. "It sometimes feels like it's a little more than what I bargained for, I have to admit."
Felicity snorted. "You don't say."
"Is he still paying you?" Taylor insisted. "I'm only asking 'cause maybe you could consider his payment as payment to protect Smoak?"
Diggle chuckled as Felicity sighed in despair.
"Protecting Felicity comes for free. I've been teaching her a little bit of self-defense."
"You didn't tell me that!" Taylor accused, mouth agape.
"It slipped my mind," Felicity lied, eyes a little wide. "Sorry. Never had to use it though! It's just in case!"
"Mmh," Taylor mused. "So you've sort of acted like a bodyguard by proxy?"
Diggle pondered for a second, then nodded. "I guess you could say that."
"Good. I'll feel better now that I know Smoak has people looking out for her. It doesn't look like it, but she has the weirdest tendency to get herself into trouble even when she's trying to protect herself. Remember the pot-brownie incident?"
"How could I forget…" Felicity grumbled, holding onto the hope that Taylor wouldn't get into more details about what happened that day.
"I would be the worst client for a bodyguard," Taylor thought out loud. "Can you imagine? I think I'd spend my day singing I Will Always Love You and laughing hysterically at the joke because it would never get old for me. And the guy's growing annoyance would just fuel my desire to push things further."
Felicity barked out a laugh. "Hey, here's an idea."
Diggle could honestly say he had never, not in a million years, thought about this.
"Don't you dare," he warned.
"And you've never even heard me sing!" Taylor added. "I'm more of a rapping gal, actually… Oh, do you think anyone's ever rapped I Will Always Love You?"
"I sincerely hope not," Digg answered despite himself.
"How long did you say you were staying by the way?" Felicity said, feeling that John would not be enjoying the joke for a lot longer.
"Well, I'm only here for the week-end, I'd sorta invented that mantra that you weren't dead. Worst case scenario, you had both arms broken which prevented you from calling."
Felicity frowned. "Both arms broken? How could I have texted you then? It makes no sense."
"Well, Muscle-Man over there would have helped you of course. I mean, I didn't think this entire thing through obviously."
"Obviously," Felicity said, and Diggle thought at the same time.
"But now that I can testify that you're just a selfish jerk who doesn't think that her well-being is important to other people who have always been there for her," Taylor jabbed, prompting Felicity to groan, "I think we can skip to plan B, and I would absolutely love to invite Mr Muscle to come along."
The dread that Diggle saw on Felicity's face gave him an idea that he probably wouldn't like the offer.
"What's plan B?" Felicity asked flippantly.
"PARTYING of course! It's been so long and for once I don't have Lilly with me!"
Before anyone could say anything, Taylor kept on going.
"I've heard of this brand new fantastic club that everyone's talking about even in Vegas! It's called Verdant, I'm sure you've never been before, we should totally check it out!"
She would have added something, but Diggle was coughing, choking on the beer that he'd been finishing. The good thing was that it also worked as a distraction from Felicity's blushing face.
"Are you okay?" Taylor asked, as Diggle shook his head yes.
"Verdant is in the Glades, the area that has been hit by the earthquake," Felicity explained. "It's shut down until further notice."
"Oh… So you know of a few clubs!"
Felicity shrugged noncommittally. Diggle found himself admiring her talent at deflecting. She was scarily good, and he made a mental note to keep that knowledge in mind.
"Anyway, John couldn't have joined us, he has a girlfriend that he doesn't get to spend a lot of time with."
"What are you, his publicist?" Taylor joked, looking down on the bar. "Fine, we won't go to a club, we can just have a few drinks. You're no fun. Are you redecorating?"
"What?" Felicity asked, then she saw that Taylor was looking at the schematics roughly drawn before and tried to keep calm. "Mmmh, it's for Digg. His office. He was showing me his ideas."
Taylor looked Diggle straight in the eyes and he knew that Felicity hadn't fooled her friend. Once more, he couldn't help but wonder what Taylor knew about Oliver, about him, and their relationship with Felicity. She obviously knew that Oliver existed, and that Felicity was attracted to him. How had Felicity hidden the fact that Oliver was important enough to have a bodyguard without telling her his name? She seemed nosy enough to want to know everything that was going on in Felicity's life. How could she not be nosy enough to wonder what "Laptop Guy"'s real name was?
And most of all: how had Felicity managed to keep herself from blurting it out in almost a year? For all he knew, Oliver had started going to her with random stories even before Diggle was let in on his secret. Since Taylor seemed so… casual in her way to talk about "Laptop Guy", it meant that it was a topic that was often brought up.
He remembered when Felicity had been shocked the first time she'd literally witnessed a murder, and yelled at him to leave her alone at the foundry to sulk. He was only now understanding who she might have wanted to talk to about this. Her person of choice was sitting in front of him, obviously wanting to ask him questions. And he had an idea what she would enquire about.
As if on cue (making Diggle seriously wonder if Taylor didn't have secret powers), Felicity's cellphone started ringing. She threw it a surprised look when the name "WALTER STEELE" was displayed on her screen. He had been calling her often to ask her updates about Oliver, whom Felicity was trying her best to cover.
"It shouldn't take long," Felicity whispered nervously as she picked up.
"Take your time," Taylor replied with a predatory smirk.
She had barely walked out of the room that Diggle anticipated Taylor's questions.
"Whatever you're going to ask me, don't. I don't know what Felicity told you about him…"
"I'm not interested in Laptop Guy. He's a douche who strung her along by hitting on her and coming to her with flimsy excuses only to disappear to hook up with random chicks when she wouldn't put out. I hope he gets gonorrhea on his trip and that it itches like a bitch."
Diggle's eyebrow rose on his forehead. Of course Taylor wouldn't like Oliver. Of course Oliver had played the charming card, and of course from an outsider's perspective, Oliver had hit on Felicity only to get what he wanted.
"Felicity told you that?"
Taylor snorted. "No. Felicity won't talk about him, which proves that it matters to her. We don't talk about the men that matter."
"But you knew who I was," he couldn't help but notice, a little put off.
"Don't worry," Taylor smirked, "I only remembered who you are because your name is hilarious. Diggle. John Diggle. It's such an awesome name."
"So happy you like it," Diggle said wryly.
Taylor sighed, and swallowed.
"Look, I might be a handful but I take Smoak's happiness very seriously. The girl deserves it, and I won't have a moronic son-of-whoever at QC mess with her." She plunged her eyes in Digg's earnestly. "You look like a good guy, and you seem to really like her."
"I do," Diggle replied, trying not to smile. "For what it's worth, she can really take care of herself, you know."
It was funny, now that he thought about it, how much everyone seemed to want to protect Felicity when she was proving time and time again that she didn't need anyone. She seemed so independent, and yet so innocent…
"Oh, trust me I know firsthand that she can. She punched Asshole Cole in the face and mashed his family jewels."
Diggle would never admit it to anyone, and if he really thought about it he wasn't that surprised that Felicity had done so, but he couldn't help but feel impressed at that new bit of information. Felicity Meghan Smoak was definitely more than what she appeared to be, that was for sure.
"But if it ever gets out of hand, I'd appreciate another pair of eyes on her…" Taylor kept going. "I wish I lived closer to her so she didn't seem so damn alone all the time. She says she has friends at QC but that dick Wade was so freaking clingy I'm sure she stopped hanging out with most of them."
"You really don't like the guys Felicity dates, do you?"
"Heh. It's more complicated than that," Taylor admitted, staring at Felicity's bedroom door where they could hear her still talk on the phone. "They usually exploit her insecurities and I hate that. She seems to like you, Mr Muscle, so I'd advise that you don't mess this up. Once you have Felicity Smoak's friendship and loyalty, there's very little you can't count on her for. Don't abuse that."
"I had figured. But I'll keep it in mind."
She bit her lip, and looked away for a second.
"Does he even like her? Laptop Guy?"
Diggle found himself ill-at-ease with the conversation. Taylor had no idea what she was talking about, and Felicity was obviously trying her best to keep her away from all of this.
"She earned his respect and his trust. Believe me, that's way more than what he's felt for a woman in a very long time and that's as much as he can offer right now. He needs someone like her on many different levels, and whether she's aware or not, she is making a difference."
He saw in Taylor's eyes that he'd said the right thing, and took it as his cue to leave.
"Tell Felicity I'll see her on Monday. My nephew can only wait so long."
Taylor smiled, a true one that Diggle found he actually appreciated. "I usually drop by in August with my daughter and leave my husband to fend for himself back home since he works like a crazy person. I know your nephew and my daughter will think the other one has cooties but maybe it could be fun for her to have a friend her age over here and have a play date of some sort?"
Diggle smiled back. "Why not? I'll talk it over with Felicity. I guess I'll see you around then?"
"It was great meeting you, John Diggle."
"So I'm boring enough to get called by my name?" he joked.
Taylor shrugged one shoulder. "That, or you're actually the first man in Smoak's life that I approve of. I secretly call Wade 'Spinach-Wade' but it riles Felicity up."
Diggle barked out a laugh. "It was great meeting you too."
Spinning on his heels, Diggle let himself out of the door discreetly, sighing as Taylor started mumbling.
"…will alwayyyyyyys love youuuuuuuu."
As soon as she heard the door close (loudly), the young woman texted her husband, letting him know that she'd 'slightly overreacted' in regards to Felicity's health. Truth was, she had also been a little bit curious about Laptop Guy. Felicity had barely ever mentioned him but gotten home later and later, dodging a lot of her calls over the past months. She'd also noticed that Felicity didn't skype as much, preferring calls (that were often interrupted) and texts.
And now Laptop Guy had vanished into thin air, leaving Felicity and his bodyguard hanging? How shady was that? Taylor knew how reluctant her best friend was at opening up about things that bothered her. Hell, she never even spoke about her absentee father. Taylor knew how it was between the two of them. They waited until the other was ready to push them to talk.
Taylor opened her suitcase, digging the bottle of Patrón that she'd brought along with her thinking that best or worst case scenario she'd need it, just as Felicity was coming out of her bedroom.
"Oh, John's left."
Taylor's lips spread in a sly grin.
"Time to party Smoak. We have a toast to make: you've survived an Undertaking."
"Fine, fine. Let's get drunk."
The grin grew wider, thinking she was on the right path to get Felicity to talk about Laptop Guy and get over her crush.
She was very disappointed when Felicity stayed mum, even when she came back in August. She also found then that John Diggle was not one to trash talk about his clients. And that he most definitely had Felicity's back.
[NEXT: PART V — TEAM ARROW SEASON 2]
Author's Note: And that's how Taylor and Diggle met. I hope it delivered and you weren't disappointed by the lack of "real" Oliver presence. Next chapter is set during the summer after season 2 and is written from Oliver's point of view to make it up to you (and to me, I have to admit: I missed him). It'll also have Taylor's POV about Oliver and Felicity.
I hope you liked that penultimate chapter. Let me know what you thought!