Felicity was surprised to find the next morning that she'd actually managed to catch a couple of hours of sleep. She stretched out and looked around the sparse bedroom, having been too exhausted last night to pay much attention to her surroundings, not even bothering to take her jeans off. She swung her legs over the edge of the queen size bed but didn't get down yet, taking a second to wake up.
`The only things in his bedroom were the bed, a cherry wood dresser and matching nightstand. There were a few pictures scattered between the dresser and nightstand, all of them of Moira and Thea. Her heart ached for him as she thought of how much he missed them. She had hope that Thea would come back, though forgiving Oliver was another thing entirely.
Shaking off her depressing thoughts, she grabbed some clothes for work out of her bag, along with everything she needed for a shower and to get ready. She quietly opened the bedroom and tiptoed out, not wanting to wake Oliver up on the off-chance he was still asleep.
She was too busy trying to be quiet to realize Oliver was already awake, leaning against the kitchen counter, cup of coffee in hand, watching her in amusement. "Morning," he said, startling her, causing her to drop some of her things.
She glared at him, painfully aware of the mess her hair must be, and scooped her things back up. "I'm going to buy you a bell and make you wear it around your neck, I swear to god."
He chuckled. "There's coffee when you're ready. I've already talked to Dig and he's going to be here within the hour."
She yawned in acknowledgment and shuffled into the bathroom. As she stood under the steaming shower, she was struck by the same surreal feeling that she'd had when she'd first woken up in his bed. She was in Oliver Queen's shower and she had to admit, she'd fantasized about being here but under completely different circumstances. She was nervous being here, knowing they needed to have a talk about what happened last night but she wasn't sure she was ready for it.
She hadn't meant to lash out at him in frustration. She didn't hold any resentment towards him over the events six months ago and she hoped he didn't think that. Honestly, she was mostly ok with everything that had happened or at least she had been. Everything that she'd learned last night had thrown her for a loop but it had been Oliver's moment of truth that really spun her head.
He'd meant it. There was a part of her that had hoped that he'd meant it but she kept that thought locked up tight, letting it out only in her loneliest of moments. Now that she knew for a fact that it had been real, she was equal parts giddy and terrified. She didn't know where they stood or what would happen from this point on. Just because his declaration had been real and he did love her, it didn't mean that they would be together and everything would be smooth sailing from here, it didn't even necessarily mean that he was in love with her. There was way more to take into consideration here than simply their feelings.
What they did at night was important, protecting the city was important, more so than her and Oliver's respective feelings. They needed to do this the right way, one that wouldn't jeopardize what they had built together.
Jumping out of the shower, her thoughts turned toward her father and the Cassavettes. She was going to have to do some information gathering today. Not that she was confident she was going to find anything, she'd already dug through tons of information on the Cassavettes and she'd spent years looking for any sign of her father, finding none. She was convinced he'd changed his name because it was that or he was too deep underground for her to find. She'd always wondered if maybe he died and that's why he hadn't come back home. That possibility had been knocked off the table last night but now she had a better idea of where to search, bringing her closer than she'd ever come to finding him. She wanted answers and she wasn't going to stop until she got them. She was going to do whatever it took to get some honest-to-god answers.
She finished getting ready in record time, joining Oliver and the recently arrived Dig in the kitchen. "Welcome to the party," she greeted while pouring herself a cup of coffee.
"Oliver filled me in on what's going on. Sounds like you had an interesting night." His tone was light but she could see the concern in his eyes.
She shrugged and tried to appear nonchalant. "Please. Mobsters and long-lost fathers are run-of-the-mill around here, nothing we can't handle."
"Mobsters, yes. Long-lost fathers," he trailed off.
"And I'll say again, nothing we can't handle." She smiled at him and lightly touched his shoulder. "I'll be fine, Dig."
Oliver cleared his throat. "We better get going. We can discuss this in the car."
"I'll follow you guys in my car," she said as she grabbed her purse and keys. She looked up to find both men staring at her with their arms crossed. She rolled her eyes. "We are not doing this. I will follow you in my car."
"We don't have time to argue, Felicity. It's more convenient this way—"
Her phone ringing from her pocket cut him off and she fished it out, seeing that it was Lieutenant Lance. "Fine. We'll take the same car," she conceded, following them out the door as she answered the phone.
"I'm sorry if I woke you but I didn't want to wait to talk to you."
"What's going on, Lieutenant?" Oliver held the door open for her and she climbed into the car.
"There was a break-out at Iron Heights last night."
"I know. It was Shepard and William Tockman."
He chuckled under his breath before turning serious. "I should have figured you knew already and that should mean that I don't have to tell you to watch your back, right? Is our mutual friend aware of the situation?"
Her eyes slid over Oliver. "He knows and we're on it."
He was quiet for a second. "You have to play this smart, Felicity. I told you that you didn't want to be on the wrong side of these guys and with Tockman escaping too, I'm worried about you."
"I'll be fine, Lieutenant. I won't do anything to get myself in trouble, I promise." All three men managed to convey their disbelief without saying a word. She glared at the two she could see and reiterated herself to the one she couldn't.
"Something is brewing, Felicity. Tockman getting out makes me nervous and you should be, too."
"Tockman doesn't worry me."
Lieutenant Lance sighed heavily. "He should," he paused briefly. "Listen, when we first picked up Tockman, he tried to bargain his freedom with information."
"What kind of information?"
"Information about the blonde computer analyst who's assisting the Arrow," he let it sink in for a second before continuing. "Seems he took his arrest very personally, yelling your name all over the precinct. Thankfully, most people chalked it up to the ravings of a lunatic and no one cares who works with the Arrow now. I don't think this was a coincidence, I think he's involved with whatever is going on and there seems to be only one person he holds accountable for his arrest."
Damn. She had to agree with him that this didn't seem like a coincidence anymore. "Thanks for the heads up, Lieutenant." He made her promise one more time to be careful before finally hanging up.
"What did Lance want?" Oliver asked.
"He wanted to let me know about the breakout and to be careful. He seems to think William Tockman has it out for me personally." She tried to play it off like she didn't believe it but Oliver wasn't falling for it, swearing under his breath. "We don't know that for sure," she tried to reassure him. "I still think there's a small chance that this is all one giant coincidence."
"A very small chance, if there is one. Felicity, you're the reason the Clock King was caught."
"That's not true, we all did it. The guy outsmarted me, out-teched me, and shot me. If anyone should be taking things personally, it's me."
"You used his own program on him to take him down. No matter what, it's personal."
She suppressed a groan, frustrated by the entire situation. "Ok, so let's work under the assumption that the Clock King is helping the Cassavettes, that still leaves us at the starting point."
"I think I know where we can start," Oliver said and she knew what he was talking about without looking at him.
"My father, I know. We should get in touch with Roy, see if he can find anything out about Shepard and the Cassavettes through his contacts in the Glades. I'll do my best to find my father but I'm not guaranteeing anything. I've tried this before and come up short but I didn't have a location to search so I might luck out this time."
"All we need is one guy with ties to the family, and then the Arrow can have a talk with him." Oliver's tone implied a friendly talk it would not be.
They pulled up outside Queen Consolidated, the car coming to a stop. "I'm going to try to get this meeting over as quick as possible then we can head back to the lair."
"Do you need me to sit in with you?" She asked. "I want to get a jump on this stuff but I can, if you need me to."
He smiled at her and her heart fluttered in response. "I think I can handle one meeting with the investors all on my own, Felicity."
"Well, look at you. You're all grown up, Mr. CEO," she teased.
He narrowed his eyes at her but he didn't say anything. She followed him through the building as Dig left to park the car, the usual morning routine. Though, she was usually here long before either of the guys showed up.
The meeting had lasted two hours and Oliver had immediately gotten caught up in work that had piled up during the weekend so it had taken another hour before they finally escaped. Oliver and Felicity waited in the lobby for Dig to pull the car up and they were both on edge. She could feel Oliver's eyes darting around, keeping watch on their surroundings, and she was doing the same thing. She could act as nonchalant about it as she wanted but the truth was that she was scared. She had faith though, that everything would turn out ok. She had no other choice but to have faith.
"Diggle, drop me off at my place. I'm going to grab my bike and check some things out. And one of you should call Roy, let him know what's going on, have him check around the Glades, see if he can find someone connected to the family. Then, head to the lair, get started on tracking these guys down," Oliver told them as soon as they were in the car.
"I did some checking around while you were in the meeting and you remember that the Clock King was robbing banks to pay for a lung transplant for his sister, right? Well, said sister died four months ago." She'd been hoping the sister was still alive, giving them a place to start but their luck didn't seem to be changing anytime soon. "And I checked through his medical records seeing as he's terminally ill but his records actually show s no decline in his health during his incarceration, which is surprising. Don't get me wrong, he doesn't have much time but he's not much worse off than he was the last time we saw him."
"He has nothing left to lose," Oliver said what she was thinking.
"Which makes him more dangerous than the last time," Dig offered from up front.
"Just what we needed, a psychopath with nothing to lose," Felicity contributed. Her phone buzzed in her hand and she frowned at the unrecognizable number. It was a Central City area code but she didn't know the last four digits. "Hello?" She answered warily.
"Felicity Smoak. You're an easy girl to find." She recognized Owen's voice right away. She couldn't help but glower and she didn't know if it was because he was an irritating person or if it was simply the reminder of her father that made her dislike this man.
"Wish I could say the same for you, Owen—what is your last name again? I don't think I caught it before I kicked you out of my house." She felt Oliver tense up but she didn't look at him.
Owen chuckled. "It would be no fun if I told you everything."
"Then tell me one thing."
"Shepard escaped Iron Heights last night."
"Tell me something I don't know. Like, maybe, where's my father?"
"I can bring you to him, if you'll leave the city."
"As far as I see it, I don't owe him anything. He's the one that owes me. So you can tell him that if he's as concerned for my safety as he wants everyone to believe, he can meet me and give me some answers. I think he owes me that much for missing the last twenty years of my life." She didn't wait for him to answer before she hung up. She took one deep breath to calm herself and then another when the first didn't work. Warm fingers slid into hers, squeezing her hand, and her eyes slipped shut, basking for a moment while his hand lingered in hers. What had started as a comforting gesture had turned into something else, a common occurrence between them.
Suddenly, her hand was cold and she knew the moment was over. Her heart resumed beating and she opened her eyes, keenly aware of Dig's eyes watching her in the rear view mirror. She glanced at Oliver, sending him a grateful smile before looking away and clearing her throat, returning to the business at hand. "Now hopefully that will work and I can get some answers."
"Are you sure you're ready for this, Felicity?" Dig asked.
"Not at all," she answered honestly. "But there isn't another choice." She resisted looking at Oliver as she echoed his words from last night. "We need answers and unfortunately, I think he's the one who has them. I have to do this."
A little while later, Dig and her sat in comfortable silence in the lair. She was running both Frank Shepard and William Tockman through facial recognition but so far, it had come up short. As had the search for Isaac Smoak and she wished she had a picture of him. She'd saved a few of them from the massive purge of his things that her mother had done the year after he left. She'd come home from school to find her mother burning everything out in the yard and she'd dashed into the house to make sure the three pictures she kept under her pillow were still there. By the time she'd left home at eighteen, the pictures were crinkled and barely recognizable and she'd made a decision to start fresh, leave her past behind and those pictures were her past. She could call Fiona to see if they were still at the house but she wasn't quite that desperate yet.
"Felicity?" Dig's voice came from behind her and it sounded like he'd been trying to get her attention for a minute.
She turned to face him, giving him a sheepish look. "Sorry."
He gestured towards the computer with his head, arms crossed across his broad chest. "Anything?"
She shook her head. "Nothing's hit on facial recognition and I've found nothing on my father since '94 when he took off."
"Do you think this Owen guy is telling the truth? That your father really sent him?"
"I believe him, I wish I didn't but I do. Owen called me something that he used to, something I haven't heard since he left so I'm convinced."
Dig nodded, choosing to not push her for more, changing the topic instead. "So how was Oliver's last night?"
She flushed, her face heating up. "I slept, alone, Dig, that's it."
He held his hands up in defense. "I never said you did anything else. Are you staying there again tonight?"
Crap. She hadn't given two seconds of thought towards where she was staying tonight since this morning. "I don't think so."
"Well, you know that you are welcome to stay with me and Lyla anytime you need."
She smiled. "Thanks, Dig, but I don't want to put you guys in any danger, especially with how pregnant Lyla is, I couldn't live with myself if something happened to either one of you."
"I appreciate the thought but you don't have to worry about us. We can take care of ourselves." His face broke out into a grin. "Even if Lyla is seven months pregnant."
She laughed. "I don't doubt that. Thanks again, Dig, but I just want to go home, sleep in my own bed."
Dig raised an eyebrow. "Good luck convincing Oliver of that."
She rolled her eyes. "I'm sure it's going to go over fantastically."
They both heard the door shut and feet stomp down the steps. Roy came into sight, dressed in his signature red hoodie and jeans. "Oliver back yet?" They both shook their heads, neither having seen him since they'd dropped him off.
"I think I got something." He pulled a scrap of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Felicity. "One of the guys I used to run with said he's been hearing a lot about the Cassavettes making moves around the Glades, recruiting people, dealing drugs and guns. He said the guy you want to talk to is Chad Watkins, hangs out at the Cavern, it's a dive bar on the edge of the Glades."
The scrap of paper had Watkins' name and the address of the Cavern. Felicity grabbed her phone. "I'll call Oliver." She noticed a text that she'd missed from a number she assumed was Owen. It was different from the one that called her earlier but it didn't surprise her. The first number turned out to be a burner phone and she expected it would be the same with this one.
He's agreed to meet. Tomorrow. 9 p.m. Your place.
The man couldn't even send a text himself. She snorted, disgusted.
"What?" Dig's voice pulled her back.
"My mobster father's minion sent me a text letting me know he agreed to meet tomorrow night." She cringed at the bitterness that laced her voice.
"Uh—how are you doing with all of this stuff anyways?" Roy articulated.
"I'm fine," she repeated for the millionth time that day. "I'm going to call Oliver."
Oliver's entire body was vibrating with frustration. He'd gotten no where and the last few hours had been a giant waste of his time. He'd had a sliver of hope that the Bratva would know something but they were less than forthcoming. He guessed Alexei's death at the hands of Slade had made the rest of them reluctant to help. Hopefully this Watkins was of more use to him than the Bratva had been.
He had just pulled up to the lair when Felicity had called him. It hadn't taken them long to come up with a game plan. Oliver didn't want to burst into the Cavern and make things more difficult for them so they ended up deciding on trying to lure Watkins out of the bar, if that was where he was. Roy volunteered to go in, telling Watkins he had information about Felicity . Oliver would be waiting outside, ready to ambush Watkins while Dig would stay behind with Felicity.
Now he was hiding out in the alley next to the Cavern, waiting for Roy and Watkins to come out. He was listening through the comm and he was getting anxious as Watkins grilled Roy. It didn't matter though as Watkins agreed to step outside under the pretenses that Roy didn't want to pass along any information where he could be heard by someone else. Unfortunately, Watkins wasn't coming alone, bringing two goons with him.
They came into sight and Oliver waited until they were standing directly underneath him. He dropped onto one goon, knocking him down, punching him in the head once for good measure. Roy had the other one, leaving Watkins, who had backed into a corner, his escape blocked by him and Roy. He grabbed a bolo arrow out of his quiver, shooting it at Watkins, and securing him to the light post he'd been standing next to.
He marched up to Watkins, pulling another arrow out of his quiver and aiming it at Watkins. "What do the Cassavettes want with Felicity Smoak?"
"Aw, man, I don't know. They don't tell me these things," he whined.
He let the arrow go, close enough that it grazed his face before it hit the wall behind him. "What do they want with Felicity Smoak?"
Watkins laughed. "What do you think they want? They want this city! They want you gone and what better way than to take away your little blonde sidekick!"
Oliver almost released the arrow dead center into Watkin's chest but restrained himself. "How do they know about her?"
Watkins shook his head. "All I know is the big boss sent word around that he wanted her captured, alive. Rumor is there's cold, hard cash waiting for whoever delivers. Even if there isn't cash, it's an in with the family and that doesn't come by often."
Oliver gritted his teeth. "Why Felicity?"
"I don't know, man. Figure it out, yourself."
This time the arrow plunged into his shoulder, drawing a scream from him. "Ok! Ok! The official story is that she's not a threat and would make a good bargaining chip. Unofficially, they're saying someone in the family has a personal grudge towards her but no one knows who or why. That's all I know! I swear!"
Oliver put his bow down but moved until he was standing in front of Watkins. He punched him in the face, hard, knocking him out and busting his nose. He walked away, noticing Roy's eyes had widened. "Let's go."
They got back to the lair in record time, rejoining Dig and Felicity. The latter walked up to him, arms crossed across her chest. "How did it go? I heard Roy talking to him through the comm but it cut out after that." She narrowed her eyes at him, knowing that he'd taken it out before ambushing Watkins.
"Owen was telling the truth, the Cassavettes are you looking for you. Word's spreading around the Glades that they want you captured."
"Why? I don't get it."
Oliver shrugged his shoulders. "Watkins didn't seem to know why either." He relayed what Watkins had told him about the speculation surrounding the reward for her capture and the reasons why they wanted her.
"That doesn't make any sense. I don't know what I could have done to personally piss off the Cassavettes. I looked and I didn't find anyone we've taken down that has connections to the family, at least as far as I could find."
"I think your father would know."
"I guess we'll find out tomorrow night."
He could tell this was starting to weigh heavy on her shoulders and he felt a surge of anger towards her father. Maybe the Arrow should have a private conversation with the man tomorrow, after Felicity talked to him. "Alright, I think it's time to call it a night, we're not going to make any progress. Where are you staying?" He directed the question towards Felicity.
Her face scrunched up and she fidgeted. "My place."
"Felicity." His voice was tense. He wasn't leaving her alone, that wasn't an option.
She held a finger up. "Do not Felicity me. My life is being turned upside and I want some kind of normalcy. So I'm going home, no arguments."
"Then I'm going with you."
"Oliver," she shook her head.
"Every person in this city that wants an in with the family will be looking for you," he snapped. "We can't take the risk. If you don't want me to stay with you, then let Roy or Dig. You can't be alone, Felicity, and I'm sorry but it's just the way it is."
"It's not about who stays with me, Oliver. I don't need a babysitter, my life has been in danger before this and I didn't need someone to watch over me then, what makes this so different?"
"Because they're targeting you directly! What am I supposed to do? Leave you alone, cross my fingers, hope no one comes for you?"
"You said it yourself they want to take me alive, why not let them? Get this over with already."
"Just because they want you alive doesn't mean you'll stay that way. We don't know what we would be walking into, for all we know they'd take you to Central City, don't forget that's where they're based. And then what are you going to do?"
"I've been bait before."
"We're not having this discussion. You are not going to be bait and you are not going to be alone until this is over or we come up with a better plan."
"What if there isn't another plan?"
"There will be. You still have to meet your father, he could tell us something that changes things. We should wait to make any plan until then." He stared down at her. "Unless this whole offering yourself up as bait is about something else? Maybe before we argue about this, we should finish the one from last night."
"Maybe we should take a step back here," Dig's voice startled him and he didn't think he was the only one who had forgotten that Dig and Roy were still there seeing as Felicity's eyes widened to the size of saucers when she heard Dig.
"Look, I get that everyone is feeling frustrated but we've got to keep our heads straight," Dig told them.
"I'm sorry, you're right, Dig," Felicity apologized. "I'm frustrated and I feel helpless and I hate it."
"We just want you alive and safe."
"And someone around here has to keep us in line. If something happened to you, the rest of us would be screwed," Roy offered, making Felicity smile.
"Ok, ok, I get it. But I still think we need a plan that doesn't rely on my father to tell me the truth or show up in the first place."
"On that, I can agree," Oliver piped in. "But I think that can wait until tomorrow."
Everyone's heads bobbed in agreement. Dig spoke up next. "If you really want to stay at your place, I think the three of us should do shifts with you."
"Ok," she responded. When all three men looked surprised at how easily she agreed, she continued, "Oliver's right, it's not safe for me to be alone. I don't like it but I won't fight it."
'For now,' Oliver added in his head. Out loud, he said, "I'll take the first shift." His and Felicity's eyes met but she didn't protest.
"I'll take the morning shift," Dig said.
"Good because mornings aren't really my style," Roy said. "What about Lieutenant Lance? He could probably put a patrol car outside your house, he'll probably do it as soon as he knows anyways."
Felicity thought about it for a second before shaking her head. "Let's wait. I want to talk to my father before we tell Lance what's going on."
"Ok, it's settled. And I don't think we should go into QC tomorrow, either," Oliver told them.
"You'll take any excuse to get out of work, won't you?" Felicity teased him.
"Never," he returned her teasing tone, happy the tension from earlier had evaporated.
"I'm going to head home. I'll see you in the morning, Felicity." Dig gave her a brief hug before leaving. Roy said his goodbyes, leaving Felicity and Oliver by themselves.
She turned to him and her eyes widened. "My car's still at your place."
He couldn't help but grin. "I guess we'll have to take my bike." He laughed when she paled. "You'll be fine, I don't wipe out, very often." He was rewarded with a glare but it only seemed to improve his mood. She always had that effect on him, even when she wasn't trying, and that told him more about his feelings than anything else.