PART ONE: FAMILY VALUES
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: QUEEN CONSOLIDATED
OLIVER & FELICITY, STARLING CITY, USA
Oliver hated them as he watched them step out of the car confidently before making their way off the screen and towards the diner. Felicity, on the other hand seemed happy as ever as she stared down the traffic camera, waiting for their return to it. She had been thrilled to hand them new false homeland security identifications when they had shown up at the office. He had to admit- they were convincing once their faces were shaved clean and they donned their crisp suits. He still wasn't sure how they got past security and to the top floor.
If he wasn't so known around the area, he might have had a go at the undercover gig himself. Then again, keeping up appearances as the Arrow filled his plate enough. He hated to admit it (and he would never say it out loud) but the more he thought about it, the more he was grateful for the Winchesters' presence. Diggle and the rest could only go so long without the Arrow making an appearance, the city would think something was up.
Through all of his musing, he hadn't noticed Felicity's intense stare. "What?" he asked, meeting her stormy grey eyes.
"They're legit, you know that right?"
Oliver shifted uncomfortably in his seat. They hadn't spoke about what had happened preceding the events in the diner and Oliver wasn't sure how to feel about it. "I know they saved your life," he responded evenly, not letting go of his stronghold. He looked away, pretending to be engrossed in the downtown traffic rush that had appeared on the screens. He refused to believe that they needed the duo, he refused to believe that with a rap sheet as long as they have, that they were good. Mostly, he didn't want to believe that she had just ran off with them. "What were you doing Felicity?" He asked, struggling to keep his composure.
"Oh, I was just checking the e-mail..." But her sentence died when she saw Oliver's expression as he turned back around.
"Not today Felicity, last night. Why were you at the diner with them? Why didn't you tell us where you were? I thought - I..." He thought he had lost her, but he couldn't bring himself to say it he couldn't admit that to her. But she knew, she always did, he could see it in the way she looked at him.
She debated on lying to him, telling him that she had called them to meet her. But the gravity of everything that had happened, coupled with the pained look on Oliver's face convinced her otherwise. She took a shaky breath and tried to figure out the words to explain it. She stood and walked to the other side of the room to the window.
She pressed her forehead against the cool glass and looked out at the city so far, far below them. She knew what she was about to say would hurt him more, so she closed her eyes to avoid looking at him. "I went to look for them," she finally answered, "I had intended to walk to their motel and-"
"And what Felicity?" he prodded, his voice so cold and emotionless it sent shivers down her spine.
"talk to them, I just wanted to talk to them. I couldn't believe they were bad people. Sometimes- sometimes the computer lies Oliver, sometimes the information isn't always right. You should know that, look at where that journal got you." She heard movement but didn't dare look in his direction. He didn't say anything so she took it as her cue to continue. "I was half a block away and someone approached me," she said quietly, the image of Crowley approaching her played through her mind.
Just like him. It hadn't stopped playing in her mind, just like him, just like him, just like him. She heard Oliver's sharp intake of breath and her eyes snapped open at the realization of how close the sound was. She found herself inches away from Oliver's chest, close enough to notice the subtle pattern in his grey tie. She slowly looked up to meet his blue eyes, staring down at her intently.
"Felicity?" He said her name is if it was a question, as if he needed reassurance. He did need reassurance. He tried desperately to focus on the moment at hand and not imagine what she was saying. Despite his efforts he imagined the worst case scenario, and his grip tightened on her shoulders as he suppressed the urge to pull her in to him. Something in her made him want to protect her from the world of evil, and yet he could never have her - not the way he wanted to.
"He said he could tell me who my father is Oliver," she said and it was hardly a whisper. He relaxed as she said those words, so relieved it wasn't anything worse. He couldn't help himself any longer and enfolded her in his arms. His relief was only temporary as he finally registered what she had said.
"Do you believe him?" he asked quietly, never realizing how important this detail seemed to her until now.
"I don't know," she said quietly, staring out the window again trying to imagine what her dad would look like. "Dean told me not to trust him. But Oliver how do I just ignore that?" He pulled back and she looked up at him with glassy eyes. His brow furrowed, if they were in leagues with someone who was bad news it didn't say much about them. He'd make a point of interrogating the Winchesters later.
He eyed her carefully for a moment before letting his hands drop to his sides. He glanced at his watch and knew their moment was over, he had a meeting to prepare for. His brain flipped switches and he let himself turn into Oliver Queen of Queen Consolidated, his lesser used persona. Felicity nodded in understanding and he started to head for the door of the boardroom.
"We have to trust them Oliver, they're good people. I know they're good people." Felicity's confident voice followed him and he froze with his hand on the door and looked back at her. She hastily wiped away a tear that had managed to escape her and he swallowed back the comforting words he wanted to say. He looked away from her gaze for a moment in an attempt to regain his focus before looking back to see her already busy over her desk, organizing and straightening the office supplies.
With a deep, stabilizing breath he opened the boardroom door and left her words hanging in the hall behind him as he booted up the projector. He could hear her voice as she greeted the first of the attendees, and he felt a ghost of a smile cross his lips as he remembered the last meeting. Or rather the minutes after the last meeting when Felicity had nearly dumped a steaming cup of coffee over Mr. Caulder's head.
As the room filled up with the familiar faces of business men and investors Oliver felt a slight panic set in. As he carefully searched through the files on his laptop, it became apparent that one thing was missing - the presentation. Clearing his throat and forcing a smile upon his face he spoke to the group "If you could give me one moment, it seems we're experiencing some technical difficulties." His smile dropped nearly the instant he turned around and made for the door.
Felicity's head snapped up when she heard the door open and she frowned, they should already be started. Oliver's panicked face approached her and she immediately stood up and went to him. "What's wrong?" she demanded, trying hard to forget their interaction only minutes before.
"The presentation is gone," her murmured, trying not to be heard in the boardroom.
"What?"
"The presentation, it's not on my computer! Felicity, I can't lose these investors - we need them for the new year!"
"Okay, calm down. Which computer did you make the presentation on?"
"The desktop in my father's office."
"Okay, well then that's the good news." Oliver's shoulders relaxed considerably.
"Wait, if that's the good news..."
"Bad news is they all learn I'm not actually a secretary if I go in there and start hacking into your home computer."
"Wait, you can do that?" It was her turn to give him a deadpan look. "I'm just kidding, but you can get the presentation back right? Do it, we can't lose them!" She nodded and pulled the door of the boardroom open. With her chin held high she walked in and went straight for the computer. Oliver followed her, watching over her shoulder and noticing her nervousness though she was trying desperately to hide it.
She zoned in on the screen in front of her and tried to block out the faces of all the powerful people that filled the room around her. All of which, were staring up to the front of the room at her she shifted uncomfortably and stared at the screen. She took a deep breath, gently grazed her fingers across the top of the keyboard as if she could learn it's individual key spacing just by that and set to work.
Oliver anxiously watched over her shoulder, forcing a smile up at the waiting investors ever couple of seconds. The lighting of the room suddenly changed and he looked up to see Felicity's actions mirrored on the projector. Her key strokes and furious clicking gained more than a couple of curious looks by the time the lighting drastically changed again. He was suddenly looking at the exact desktop screen of the computer he knew to be sitting in his father's old office back home.
He looked around the room to see if anyone had noticed, two had raised their eyebrows considerably in surprise. Felicity's fingers didn't stop there though, she continued further and then shot a look over her shoulder at him. "You really did lose it, didn't you," she murmured.
"I told you," he muttered back as she started pulling fragments of the deleted presentation from the computer whose screen was now mirrored here. She would have said something more but pressed her lips shut tight as she remembered all of the onlookers.
With a few more keystrokes, the presentation flickered onto the screen and the tapping sound that had filled the room ceased. She turned and gave him a tight lipped smile before muttering the words she so hated to say, "Problem fixed Mr. Queen, if you need me I'll be back at my desk." She made to leave and Oliver grabbed her hand, stopping her before she even got a step away. She looked up to him and held his gaze for a moment and he hastily dropped her hand when a throat was cleared.
"Thank-you Felicity," he whispered and she gave him a nod before looking away and leaving the room without making eye contact with anyone. He struggled to regain his composure, clearing his own throat and focusing on the computer for a moment before looking up into the faces of the investors and smiling.
"Welcome ladies and gentlemen, to Queen Consolidated."
A/N - This was going to go through the footage and everything that Team Winchester was getting BUT I decided since it's been commented a couple times about Olicity that I'd give a little more of it! As a result, this is a bit of a fluff chapter but I hope you guys liked it! :D