After leaving the grill, Felicity and the team walked back to the inn where they were staying. No one really said anything. Felicity really wished someone would say something. Anything. The silence was getting uncomfortable. As if hearing her silent prayer, Roy promptly asked, "Why did he call you Felicita?" Okay, maybe not anything. Anything but that. "What do you mean? It's my name." Noticing the looks of confusion, she further explains. "Well, it's my name in Italian."
"We didn't know you spoke Italian," says Digg. He sends Felicity a look that says, 'Girl! What are you hiding?' Oh. Digg if only you knew. If only you knew.
"You also never told us you were Italian? I mean, Smoak is a German name. Isn't it?" comments Sara. Felicity nods, "Yes. Smoak was my mother's maiden name, and my father was Italian, so technically I'm half Italian." She says cheekily, throwing them a sly smirk, "And well, no one really ever asked, and it never came up. Besides, it doesn't really matter." Felicity explains. In a somber tone, she tells them, "My parents decided to give me my mother's name when I was born." A moment passes before Tommy asks, "Why? Did something happen?" She could hear the concern in his voice, and she rushed to reassure the usually free-spirited billionaire.
"No. Well yes, but not between us." Felicity briefly thinks back to her father and all the moments they spent together. He had been her hero as a child and was eternally grateful for the man who had loved and cherished her with everything he had. "My father was great. We were pretty close considering how busy he was. He worked many hours and was always traveling. He tried to be there as much as he could, but his work often made it difficult for him." Felicity dreaded explaining the next part, especially considering how taboo, unorthodox, and completely unheard of during that time period for a man to take his wife's name. "My father had been disowned by my grandfather for marrying my mother. He thought her to be an unfit match for my father. So, when they married, he took my mother's last name." Felicity explained that hopefully no one would ask for specific details. Because she had no idea how she would explain the actions of her grandfather towards her mother, especially after she had risked so much to grant her great-grandmother closure. The bedtime story her mother used to tell had been the story of her great grandmother and her lost love. From what Felicity could recall her father telling her, her grandfather had not been pleasant and how he turned cold after her great-grandmother had passed. Her mother had told her that he was just heartbroken, and grief caused people to act in strange ways. Though Felicity understood the loss of losing a parent, she could not imagine closing herself off from the world or from the loved ones around her the way her grandfather had.
"I am sorry, Ms. Smoak. That is terribly tragic," consoled Walter. Felicity sent him a small smile of gratitude.
"Thank you, Mr. Steele. That is kind of you to say. But my father made peace with it long before he passed. We had a great life." Felicity reassured them once more.
Eventually The conversation slowly died out, and Felicity was left to her thoughts. Her mind drifted back to the conversation she had had with Damiano at the grill. She couldn't believe that he had been alive this whole time, and they had more than likely passed by one another on their travels without even realizing it.
He looked exactly like she imagined he would. She had received a photo of him in his military uniform; he looked completely dashing in his wool grays with his hair curling out beneath his cap. The black-and-white photo had not done him justice. The old image had failed to capture the piercing blueness of his eyes that always seemed to draw her in. His raven locks always had an idiosyncratic shine to them, even in complete darkness. Felicity couldn't help but let her mind wander to the possible outcomes at the conclusion of their trip. She couldn't just leave Mystic Falls and pretend that he wasn't alive. She had missed her friend too much to just walk away. She hoped he still wanted to be friends or at least become reacquainted in some form. The idea of going back to being alone again honestly terrified her. She didn't want to be alone anymore. If Damiano did not wish to have a relationship with her, then she would respect his wishes. She's happy that her friend wasn't alone and had his brother; she remembered how much Damon loved Stefan. The brothers had always had a strong relationship, and she was so happy to see how close they still were.
Completely lost in her thoughts, Felicity barely realized they had arrived back at the inn. As a collective whole, everyone set out to freshen up after their quaint little adventure before enjoying a quiet afternoon. It wasn't long before Thea burst into the shared sitting room the group had taken to lounging in, exclaiming how she had nothing appropriate to wear tomorrow night.
"What?" questioned Oliver, confused by his sister's choice of conversation.
"The dinner party tomorrow with the Salvatore's? We need to go shopping. I need a new outfit." Stated Thea like it was the most obvious thing ever.
"Wait! We're not really going to that, right?" Oliver turned to look at his mother expectantly. Moria eyed her son, "Why wouldn't we? We were personally invited." The look of disbelief that came over Oliver's face at his mother's comment was risible. Like he couldn't believe his mother would agree, much less say something so ridiculous.
"I don't see why not. It sounds like fun." Agreed Walter. This got a chuckle out of Tommy, who had been eyeing his best friend, whose face said that dinner at the Salvatore's would be anything but.
"You know buying a new outfit for dinner sounds like a great idea," commented Laurel before Sara seconded her motion. The sisters shared a knowing look of 'great minds think alike.'
"Darling, why don't you and the ladies take the car in the morning and make it a girls' event?" stated Walter, effectively getting the gentlemen out of a day of shopping. Smart man. With plans for the morning set in motion, the group got ready for their dinner reservations. Dinner had gone splendidly. The forty-minute drive out of Mystic Falls to a gracious family-owned Indian restaurant had been the change of pace the Queens needed.
Morning came sooner than Felicity would have liked. She was not ready to have dinner with Starling City's hotshot superhero and family. With a dash of the Salvatore brothers. Nonetheless, the girls had readied themselves for a day out on the town, with the better part of said day being spent looking for appropriate attire for the evening. Felicity was nervous for the evening. There were so many unknowns she didn't know how to prepare for them. What if someone asked the wrong question? What if more questions arose and her identity was compromised? What if she and Damon could no longer stand one another? What if he found her annoying? Oh, my goodness! What is she going to do? She needs to calm down. Breathe.
In all her panicking, Felicity failed to notice the car pulling up the long driveway. There stood a 20th-century brick mansion in all of its glory. She blinked, and then they were standing in front of the front door. Knock. Take a breath and just knock.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything. This story is intended for entertainment purposes only. I am not making any profit from this story. All rights and ownership reserved belong to its rightful owners, respectively.