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Oliver stared in shock through the window of the coffee shop, his eyes drinking in very single inch of her. Had fate caused his coffee pot to break today of all days, or was it blind luck? He was not sure but what he did know was that he would be forever grateful to whatever made him come to this coffee shop.It was her. Her hair was dyed with a pink streak and she had a few new piercings, but he would know her anywhere. Emotions and memories flooded back as he looked through the window at her and soon he was lost in the past.
FIVE YEARS EARLIER
Oliver and Tommy sat in their seats waiting for news of the mission they were about to undertake. They were both a part of the Bravo Squad, one of the best Green Beret squads to come out of Lejeune Marine Corps Base in the last 50 years. Oliver and Tommy alone had racked up 40 successful missions in the four years they had been a part of Bravo and had a reputation for being stealthy, quick and efficient. Today they were being assigned a new deployment and they watched as First Sergeant John “Spartan” Diggle mapped out the terrain on a special computer screen that combined video and digital images with a way to mark entrance and exit points as well as note specific locations on the screen. First Sergeant Slade Wilson, aka “Deathstroke”, so named for his record of 200+ enemy kills was standing to the side and they both turned as the door opened to the room.Oliver felt a shift of awareness course through him as a petite blonde, decked out in her Green Beret fatigues walked into the room. He felt a twinge of regret that her uniform did not conform more to her shape, but he swept that to the side as Slade walked to the front of the room with her by his side.“Team! I would like to introduce a new recruit that has come to us from Camp Pendleton. This is Felicity Smoak. She is highly trained in hand to hand combat and is a 10th degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and has trained in Krav Maga with an Israeli combat expert and Sambo with a Russian combat expert. She specializes in tech support and is one of the youngest women to make it into the Bravo Squad.Felicity smiled as she looked around the room and then her eyes met the skeptical blue-eyed gaze of what she could only describe as one of the sexiest men she had ever seen. She took a sip of breath and let her gaze continue around the room as Slade continued to talk and after greeting everyone she was finally allowed to take a seat. The only seat available was in front of Mr. Blue Eyes and she sat down nervously as his eyes followed her.“Now, let’s get back to business.” First Sergeant John Diggle got back to his briefing and soon Felicity was able to get her mind off the Marine with the blue eyes.Oliver sat staring at the back of the head of the blonde who had just been introduced as the newest member of their team. Her skills were quite impressive and as an expert in hand to hand combat himself, Oliver looked forward to facing her on the mat.“Queen, you daydreaming?” Diggle’s voice boomed across the room and Oliver glanced up with an irritated smirk.“No Sir.”John gave him a pointed look as laughter tittered throughout the room and when Tommy snickered beside him Oliver elbowed him with a glare. Soon another hour had passed, and John was finishing up as the time for lunch grew near.“Ok, guys that is all for today. I will meet you all at the sparring mats at 1300 hours.” Everyone stood to their feet to head to the mess hall and when Oliver stood he bumped right into the tiny blonde.“Sorry.” She had to look way up to look into his eyes and she felt an arc of electricity between them when he looked at her.“Soooo, Felicity, nice to meet you.” Tommy nudged his way between them and held out his hand to her. He gave her one of his charming smiles that melted the hearts of girls far and wide and Felicity smiled back, liking his boyish charm. “I am Thomas Merlyn, or Tommy if you prefer.” He indicated the tall brooding Marine behind him. “This big brooding pine tree behind me is Oliver Queen.”Felicity’s eyes flickered to Oliver. Now she knew his name.“So, can I buy you lunch?” Felicity laughed at Tommy's question because they both knew that you didn’t pay for food in the mess hall. His flirting was cute, but Felicity was not one to date her team mates, so she gave him a friendly smile.“No thank you. I have to meet with John and Slade before I eat but thank you.”She gave Oliver one last inquisitive look and when he did not say a word she turned and walked over to where Slade and John were standing talking. She could feel his eyes following her and she shivered in awareness before the feeling went away. She glanced out of the corner of her eye and when she saw Tommy and Oliver were gone, and let out a breath she did not realize she was holding.“Overwatch. We are glad to have you on the team. Colonel Davis speaks very highly of you and your skills.” John crossed his massive arms across his chest. He was one of the largest men she had ever seen, with muscles everywhere, but he had warm brown eyes and a friendly smile and she found she liked him instantly.Felicity smiled, “He is too kind.”“Well he doesn’t give out compliments easily, so the fact that he recommended you was enough for us to want you on our team.” Slade said and glanced in the direction that Tommy and Oliver had just walked. “I see you met Merlyn and Queen. They are our two best recruits. Get use to seeing their ugly mugs because you will be working closely with them both.”“What are their skills?” Felicity asked the question from a professional stand point but also realized she was truly curious.“They both are excellent in hand to hand combat such as yourself, but their weaponry knowledge is par to none. Both are also bi-lingual and have been useful in deciphering enemy intel.” Slade's australian accent hinted at pride and Felicity knew right away that Queen and Merlyn were the golden duo.Felicity was impressed. She had worked with very few linguist specialists and knowing how valuable that could be in the field she looked forward to finding out just what languages they could speak.“Why don’t you head to the mess hall and get yourself something to eat. Training today is going to be quite extensive and we can’t have you weak from hunger. I want our team to see exactly what you can do.”John seconded that, and so Felicity thanked them both and then headed to the mess hall. She took her tray and walked to a nearby table where a few of her team members were seated, aware that Tommy and Oliver were just a couple of tables away from her. Tommy had his back to her, but Oliver did not, and she found him staring at her on and off as she ate her food and conversed with some of her team. She found them pleasant and soon she had forgotten about broody Oliver Queen and was laughing at the story one of men was telling.Oliver had known the minute Felicity entered the mess hall and he could not help his eyes tracking her as she took a tray and walked to a nearby table. She sat down and started to converse with those around her and when he heard her laughter drifting his way, he frowned. He stood suddenly and giving her one last look turned in his tray with Tommy following close behind.“Hey man, what was that about?” Tommy had been surprised by Oliver’s sudden departure and he could see that something was bothering his friend. He and Oliver had worked closely together since they had joined the service, and both had been promoted up the ranks together. He knew Oliver as well as a brother and he could tell when something was on his mind.Oliver wasn’t sure why he had left the mess hall. A part of him had been irritated when hearing Felicity’s laughter. The feeling was new to him and as he made his way to the sparring mats he wondered why it bothered him so much.“Oliver.” Tommy grabbed his arm and stopped him saying, “Talk to me man. What is eating you?”Oliver placed his hands on his hips and lowered his head. “I don’t know.”Tommy’s smile turned knowing, “You have been acting funny since they introduced Smoakin’ Hot to the team.”“Tommy.” Oliver’s tone held a warning, but Tommy just grinned at him.He knew he had hit the nail on the head so he decided to poke the bear. He was going to enjoy teasing Oliver about this one. Oliver had joined the Marines after a bitter break up with an ex-girlfriend and Tommy had never seen any woman affect him like this woman was affecting him.“I am looking forward to getting her on the mats and seeing what she can do.” He made his tone intentionally suggestive and when Oliver growled out his name again he turned and walked to the mats hiding a grin. “I am going to have her begging by the time this afternoon’s session is over.”Oliver swore under his breath and then followed Tommy into the hangar. He had a feeling it was going to be a rough afternoon and he just prayed he could keep himself from strangling Tommy.***Felicity placed her tray on the conveyer and made her way toward the sparring hanger. She was looking forward to warming up her muscles and giving her skills a little bit of a boost. Combat had come easily to her for some reason and she was good; real good. She walked into the hanger and started to unbutton her shirt revealing a white tank underneath. She always found that sparring in her tank made her range of motion a hell of a lot better and she folded her shirt and laid it on the bench stretching her arms.As the team filed into the large room, she turned and started to loosen up, stretching her muscles to her satisfaction. Warming up always put her in a place of zen, her mind relaxing as her body did moves she had done a million times awake and in her sleep.She turned toward the sparring ring and saw Oliver across the room. He too had taken off his shirt and she wished he had not. The man was in amazing condition and she knew looking at him that he would be a tough opponent.She stepped closer to the ring as Slade and John moved to the center and the other’s gathered around.“Today we are going to work on hand to hand combat, specifically taking down your opponent. I want everyone to use a tap out as a last resort. We need to make sure each of you has the stamina to handle a real one on one situation.” Slade's words echoed through the large space and he stepped back as John looked down at his clip board.“Alright, Queen. Smoak. You two are up first.”Felicity’s eyes flew across the room to the piercing blue eyes of Oliver Queen. Felicity was not nervous. She had the utmost confidence in her skill as she had bested some of the largest men in her last squad. But none of them had looked like Oliver Queen, so she was going to have to call on all her training and make sure she was prepared for anything.She stepped into the ring and as Oliver stepped in across from her she gave him a wickedly confident smile.“Ok pretty boy. Let’s see what you’ve got.”Oliver’s eyes narrowed even more at her words and as he pushed all his feelings down into that place that allowed him to tune out everything except the fight he finally smiled. It was a cold smile and his words gave her goose bumps as he said in absolute perfect Russian, “Я весь твой Smoak (I’m all yours Smoak).”
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Oliver and Felicity circled each other, each trying to sense the other’s weakness. Their eyes were locked and they both seemed relaxed, almost casual, but if you saw their eyes you knew they were anything but relaxed. Oliver tried to tune out the digs that were being thrown his way at having to spar with the new recruit, but then Felicity threw out a taunt of her own in perfect Russian and caught him completely by surprise.“Вы отлично говорите по-русски, но как вы (You speak excellent Russian, but how well do you fight?)” When Felicity saw his eyes widen only a fraction she knew she had him and she made her move. She moved quickly and before Oliver knew what was happening she had her legs around his neck and was taking him to the ground. She tightened her legs around his neck hoping to cut off his air, but he surprised her when he slipped easily out of the hold. They both bounded to their feet and gave each other a look of surprise.Oliver had to admit it was the first time in a long time he had been caught off guard. “Wow, das war beeindruckend Smoak. Aber ist das das Beste, das du hast? (Wow, that was impressive Smoak. But is that the best you got?)“ They slowly circled each other and she grinned,“ Warum engagierst du mich nicht und findest es heraus? (Why don’t you engage me and find out?)“ She surprised him again but this time he was ready for her advance and when she tried to sweep his legs, using her smaller size to her advantage he read her immediately and grabbed her leg, twisting his body and taking her to the ground. Her legs were scissored and he was between them, her ankle in his hand and when he twisted, hoping the pain would throw her off her game, she twisted with his move and soon had him on the mat with her arm around his neck. He had to admit it was a sweet move and he heard the whistles of admiration as he wracked his brain trying to figure out the best way to break the hold.He had learned to hold his breath for up to 2 minutes, and so he waited a moment before he reached down and pinched a nerve near her elbow. It caused her arm to release and soon they were bounding to their feet again. “Come on guys, quit toying with each other.” They heard John’s annoyed voice coming in from the side, but neither one looked his way.They were focused on each other. “Your getting soft Queen.” Tommy grinned from the side of the mats. He had to admit he was impressed with how Felicity handled herself. She was no joke when it came to combat, and he knew that Oliver had no idea what he was up against. Oliver decided to surprise her by making a quick roundhouse kick and when he landed a hit and saw her lip bloody, he felt a tinge of regret. But then she smiled at him and the look held a hint of respect before she pulled out a move that would have the squad talking for weeks. Felicity moved so quickly that Oliver did not have time to react as she wrapped her hands around his neck and lifted her legs around his waist as if she was straddling him, but then she pinched a nerve in his neck that had his knees crumbling and he fell to the mat. She kept pressure there causing his lower body to paralyze instantly and the feeling had him tapping out.As she removed her hand and went to stand he felt the blood rush back into veins and he gave her a look of sheer and utter disbelief as she stood and then held her hand down to him to help him up. He stood to the sounds of the squad talking in utter disbelief and he held onto her hand, not allowing her to pull away. “Where did you learn that?” She could hear the fascination in his voice and she smiled and leaned closer and whispered, “I don’t give away my secrets Mr. Queen. You will have to get me drunk to find that out.” She had the audacity to wink at him and he released her hand as she left the mat, her comrades patting her on the back and giving her high fives.He huffed as he walked off behind her and when he heard Slade’s laughter he cringed. “Wow Queen, that is one of the few times I have seen you at a loss for words.”Oliver ignored him and went to grab his shirt and wipe the sweat from his forehead. He exchanged looks with Felicity and she looked at him a little unsure, but he just smirked at her, letting her know she would not get the upper hand with him next time. “Ok, Merlyn. Chase. Your up.” John’s voice bellowed through the hanger and soon the next sparring match was underway. *** Oliver took a sip of his beer as Tommy grinned at him from across the booth. They had decided to go to the nearby bar for their free time and have a few drinks and Oliver had been all on board when Tommy had suggested it. However, he had been teasing Oliver relentlessly since they sat down, and Oliver tried to tune him out. “Ohhh you should have seen your face when she spoke back to you in Russian.” Tommy laughed and took a swig of his beer. “It was just unexpected.” Oliver’s voice was grumpy but had to admit, Felicity had impressed him. “Unexpected is not exactly the word I would use. More like hot!” Tommy grinned, and Oliver glared.“I think I need to ask Ms. Smoak out on a date.” Oliver looked at Tommy in surprise. Over the years he had known Tommy he had dated some women off base but never anything serious. He however, had never dated anyone on base and the fact he was thinking about asking Felicity out left a bad taste in Oliver’s mouth. “Leave her alone Merlyn.” He sipped his beer again and Tommy looked at him with a mischievous look. “Why? You wanting to ask her out Queen?” “No. It’s just not good to date someone in the squad.” Tommy thought about that and even thought Slade and John had not exactly forbid dating within the squad they had never encouraged it either. “That might be just the thing I need. We would be working together and could get to know each other fairly quickly."“She’s not the girl for you Merlyn, so leave her alone.” Oliver was growing agitated again. It was the same feeling he had when he heard Felicity laughing at Davis’s joke in the mess hall. So why did he have this feeling again? Tommy gave him a shrewd look, “You like her don’t you.” Oliver huffed. “Of course not Tommy, don’t be stupid. She is a part of our team, nothing more.” Tommy did not believe it for one second, but he decided to back off. He could tell that Oliver was growing agitated and he did not want to spoil their off time. However, his eyes lit up when he saw the bar door open. “Well look who just walked in the bar.” Oliver did not have to turn around to know who had walked into the room. He could sense her, and so he kept his back to her and downed the rest of his beer.“Smoak!” Tommy yelled across the bar and when Felicity glanced their way she saw Tommy sitting in a booth with another man whose back was to her. But she knew who it was without seeing his face. She would know him anywhere. She ordered a beer and then made her way over to their table.“Merlyn, they didn’t card you?” She teased, and Tommy outright laughed.“Nah, the bouncer likes me. Here why don’t you join us?” He scooted over in the booth and Felicity hesitated for only a moment before taking the seat next to him. She looked up into the inscrutable expression of Oliver Queen and he tipped his head to her.“Great sparring match today.” “Thank you. You were a very worthy opponent. Very few people surprise me anymore.” “Same here Ms. Smoak.” They continued to stare at each other and Tommy cleared his throat.“So, Felicity, where did you learn that last move? That was amazing.” Felicity blushed a little as she remembered what she said to Oliver when he had asked her the same question.“That is a secret I can’t give up Merlyn.” She broke the staring match with Oliver and turned to Tommy. “You did pretty good yourself.” Tommy shrugged with a self-assured grin, “I am good at a lot of things.”Felicity ignored the flirty tone of his voice. She liked Tommy a lot. He was sweet and cocky, but it was platonic. She knew they were going to be great friends. Oliver on the other hand had her completely baffled.“So, Smoak, what made you decide to join the Marines?” Oliver asked the question because he truly wanted to know why a woman who looked like Felicity would join the Marines. But he also wanted to stop Tommy’s flirting in its tracks. “My scholarship for college fell through and I figured this would be a way to get a good education. I was sent to Star City and the rest is history.” Oliver thought there was more to her story, but he didn’t press her for more. That was for another time.“What about you?”“He broke up with his girlfriend and decided to join.” Tommy spit the words out before he could stop them and as Oliver glared at him, he decided he needed to make a peace offering.“Why don’t I go get us some more beers?” Felicity stood and let him out of the booth and watched him for a moment before she sat back down. “Is that true?” Oliver sighed, “Tommy has a big mouth.” “Well you’re not denying it.” Felicity watched him trying to figure out what to say. “I caught my long-time girlfriend cheating on me and needed a change.” She could tell that was all he was going to say, and she knew exactly what he was feeling.“Wow, we seem to have something in common.” She said the words sarcastically and Oliver looked at her with surprise. “You too?”Felicity nodded, “He was cheating with my best friend.” When Tommy came back with the beers and sat down Oliver lifted his beer bottle to Felicity and said, “To cheating exes.”Felicity clinked her bottle to his and they their eyes locked as they both took a drink. “What about you Tommy? Why did you join?” Felicity looked at him to break the spell that Oliver seem to be casting on her. He was dangerous for her well-being.“Abusive, controlling father.” Tommy said the words with a bite of sarcasm and Felicity felt a twinge of sympathy for him. But then Tommy quipped, “Best decision I ever made.” He held up his bottle for a toast an they all clinked their beers in agreement.“So, you ready for your first assignment with Bravo?” Tommy looked at Felicity inquisitively.“As ready as I will ever be. It has been awhile since I have used my computer skills, so I am looking forward to working out my finger muscles.” The beer was hitting her a little more than she expected, and she wiggled her fingers at them causing Tommy to laugh and Oliver just to stare with that intense gaze of his. “Smoak are you a lightweight?” Felicity looked at Tommy as he laughed.“Well if you are asking if I do a lot of drinking then the answer would be no. This happens to be my fifth beer.” Tommy’s look was incredulous, “Like ever?” She nodded, and he stood up and looked at Oliver, “I think we should escort Ms. Smoak to her barracks and call it a night.” Oliver agreed.They had a big day tomorrow as they were doing weapons training with Slade and he was a hard task master. He threw some bills on the table and when Felicity reached into her pants pocket to pull out some money, he shook his head and placed his hand on her wrist stopping her. “Drinks are on me Smoak. However, next time we spar, I will be the winner and you will be the one buying the drinks.” It was the first crack at a joke he had made, and it made Felicity feel warm all over. His touch was sending sparks of electricity through her arm and she looked up at him and smiled a grateful smile, trying to ignore her body’s response to him. “We will see about that Queen.” They all walked back to the base and when Oliver and Tommy waved her into her dorm she walked to her room and stripped off her clothes laying down on her bunk. Felicity settled into her bunk happy at how the day had gone. She had come in wanting to prove herself to her squad and to herself and she had done exactly that. Oliver had been an anomaly she had not expected, and she took a moment to think of him and the affect he seemed to have on her.Ok, he was gorgeous, that was a given, but she was not one that dated someone from her squad. She felt that getting into a relationship or having feelings for someone got in the way of doing the job they would be sent to do. She tossed and turned as her body tingled at the thought of his touch. His command of foreign languages was impressive, and Felicity knew he would be an asset in the field.She looked forward to working with him and finding out more about him and soon she was drifting off to sleep.
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Morning came way to early for Felicity. Ok, so she was a light weight when it came to drinking, but she only had two beers. So how could two beers give her a headache? She dressed quickly and made her way to the mess hall. She was hoping that some food in her stomach would help her feel better. She grabbed a tray and hurried to the closest table she could find. Luckily it was empty as she was in no mood yet for conversation.She jumped when she heard the thump of a tray hit the table across from her and she looked up to see Merlyn taking a seat across from her with a wicked grin.“Good Morning Smoak. How are you this morning?” His tone was slow and teasing, and she glared at him.“Leave me alone Merlyn.” Felicity grumbled the words as she sipped her black coffee. It was not her usual cream and sugar concoction, but it would do.Tommy motioned for Oliver to join them as he started to eat and laughed at Felicity’s grumpiness. “Oh, come on Smoak. You had two beers last night. It can’t be that bad.”She ignored him as Oliver took a seat next to Tommy and she snuck a glance at Oliver and groaned. Of course, he looked like he just stepped off the pages of a military GQ issue. Damn him.“Smoak here is having post-beer grumpiness this morning.” Oliver gave her a quick glance before he focused on his food. Despite the frown on her face, she still looked beautiful. She had her hair up in a tight ponytail and her lips were painted a shade of pink that made Oliver’s insides tighten.Felicity said very little as they ate breakfast, but she started to feel better and as they all took their trays to the conveyer and headed to the shooting range, she started to feel human. The other three teammates, Chase, Davis and Hansen were already there, and John quirked an eyebrow when he saw Tommy, Oliver and Felicity approaching.“Glad you three could join us.”Tommy smiled, and being the jokester said, “I was missing your sunny personality Sir.”John gave him a “don’t push me” look and Slade hid a smirk.“Ok guys. Our mission starts in exactly three days, so today we are going to do some weapons exercises. Merlyn, no funny business today. I don’t need any hearts shot into the target or in the groin area.” John admonished Tommy and Felicity looked at him in surprise. Wow, he must be a good shot.“Smoak, your up first. I want you to show these boys what you’ve got.” John grinned at her and so she stepped forward and grabbed the noise cancelling headphones. She pulled her M9 Barretta out of the back of her pants and proceeded to shoot the target directly in the heart. Her shots were so precise that the hole looked like one bullet had gone through, not four.Oliver crossed his arms and shifted on his feet as Tommy laughed in surprise, “Damn that was hot Smoak.”“Tommy.” Slade growled from behind them and Tommy gave her a wink. “Why don’t you be useful Merlyn and shoot the target.”Tommy stepped up and taking the earphones, he pulled his own gun from the holster and proceeded to shoot almost as accurately as Felicity. He grinned as he turned to her, “You inspired me.”Felicity rolled her eyes with a smile.“Queen, your up.” John looked at his clipboard and then looked at Oliver. Oliver stepped up and placed the earphones on his ears before taking his gun and hitting the target precisely in the heart four times. His target mirrored Felicity’s and she crossed her arms, trying not to think about the fact that he was slowly becoming her match in every single way.The three remaining members of the team did their target practice with a little less finesse but no less deadliness and when Slade was satisfied they moved to the M-16’s. Oliver, Felicity and Tommy again were the stand out’s and John made some notes on his clipboard. He wanted to discuss Felicity later with Slade. She was way to good to waste just behind a computer screen. Maybe they could work something out to where she could be out in the field but still have computer access. He was thinking a tablet might do just the trick.As the firearm training started to wind down Slade gathered them all around him and rubbed his hands together, “So team, we are going to do a search and rescue exercise today. The teams will be Queen, Merlyn and Smoak against Chase, Davis and Hansen. Adrian, you and your team will be the enemy. You will be holed up in an undisclosed location. Queen, I want you and Tommy to use your skills to search and rescue Smoak from Chase and his men. Any questions?”Oliver glanced over at Felicity as she started to gather her weapons. He walked over and leaned down, whispering in her ear in perfect Chinese, “ Wǒmen huì zhǎodào nǐ de. (We will find you.)” She turned and it caused their faces to be inches apart as she said, “Wǒ zhǐwàng tā. (I am counting on it.)”Their eyes stayed on each other before Oliver heard Slade yell, “Quit flirting Queen and get going.” He looked at her for one more moment and walked away with Tommy. Felicity turned and followed Adrian Chase and his team mates to a nearby jeep. She would be blind-folded and then taken to a site on base that was used for practicing rescue missions. However, Oliver and Tommy would not know where she was taken and would have to use their tracking skills to find her. As the blind-fold was placed on her eyes she had a moment of panic. She had suffered from claustrophobia as a child but had found a way to suppress her anxiety and she found herself taking small breaths and focusing her mind on something other than the darkness that was covering her eyes. She was not surprised at all when a pair of blue eyes invaded her thoughts. *** Oliver and Tommy walked to the equipment hangar. They separated, and both chose the items that they felt would best benefit them during this exercise. Tommy’s specialty was direction and tracking and together with Oliver’s tracking skills and intuition, they made a fantastic team. Oliver grabbed a pair of binoculars, a compass and two walkie-talkies as Tommy grabbed some rope, a knife and a map of the grounds. Oliver grabbed a pair of keys from the Marine manning the vehicles nearby and soon they were on their way. The exercise grounds were about five miles from the main base in some dense woods and as they pulled to the side of the road and started to get their things ready they both became hyper focused. Oliver handed Tommy the compass and they both sat and looked at the map, trying to figure out where the enemy would have taken Felicity. “What about the abandoned shed on the north side.” Tommy’s forehead crinkled as he looked over the map.“It is too small. There are three of them plus Smoak. They are going to want to have somewhere to place her that would be away from them. Like an extra room.”He looked the map over and then pointed to a location on the south side of the forest. “Here. It’s a two-story concrete building. The size would give them the advantage and they could keep Smoak on the second floor.”“Alright, let’s do this.”Tommy and Oliver grabbed their equipment and headed into the woods. Oliver hoped his guess was right. *** Felicity sat in the chair that she had been tied to on the top floor of a non-descript grey concrete building on the edge of the woods. It had been quite a trek and if Felicity had to guess she believed they had walked three miles. Adrian had been gentle when he had hand-cuffed her to the chair but the ties were meant to be realistic and so she bided her time as Chase, Davis and Hanson secured the room. Felicity turned her wrists from side to side testing the cuffs and she had to admit they were good. But one thing she had learned early in her career was how to escape any type of bondage. During her martial arts training she had been blessed to meet and train with one of the best. He had taught her meditation, martial arts, but also the art of escape, and she had picked it up quickly. She was going to wait. She had plenty of time and if she escaped so soon then the exercise would be spoiled, so she settled into the seat hoping that Oliver and Tommy were as good as she believed they would be. Adrian glanced at Felicity and then walked over and removed the blind fold. “You good Smoak?” She nodded, “As good as I can be while hand-cuffed to a chair.” Adrian grinned, and she noted he was quite handsome when he smiled. “Ok, we will be downstairs. Just holler if you need anything. Once Queen and Merlyn get here, all bets are off. We will turn into the enemy. Be prepared for anything.” Felicity gave him a smirk, “Always.” He gave her a look of uncertainty before he turned, and the three men left the room, leaving her alone and to her thoughts. She glanced around taking in her surroundings, seeing if there were things she could use as weapons or escape routes. There was a window in the room, but she noted it was glued shut and so escaping out the window would not be doable. She would have to go down the stairs, which meant she was going to have to engage her captors. “Be prepared for anything guys.” She whispered under her breath and then smiled. *** Oliver and Tommy had been traveling through the woods for the past half hour and they were about 2 miles into the woods. Their steps had been measured and slow, both trying to ensure they did not step into any traps or alert the enemy. Tommy’s head was bent down to the compass as Oliver read the map and when they came to a stream they both stopped and took a drink as the afternoon was growing warm. “How much further do you think?” Oliver glanced at the map. “About another mile. We should see a clearing coming up soon and it is on the far side.” “Any good observation points?” Oliver always was one to stop and observe the enemy before storming in and it had kept him and Tommy alive through many a mission. Tommy pointed to a hill on the map. “I think we can perch on this hill on the east side. It should give us a clear view of the building.” “Good we need to see the layout and make sure we are not sitting ducks during approach.” They stood and started on their route again. Oliver kept his M-16 across his chest with his finger on the trigger. The gun would send out a laser that tracked to sensors the enemy would be wearing. If he had a hit it would register on his gun and the gun would vibrate. They made their way slow and carefully and soon the clearing was just ahead. Tommy used hand signals to motion to the hill and they slid back into the foliage and made their way to the top. Oliver scouted the top and was able to find a hiding spot and he motioned to Tommy who quickly made his way to Oliver’s side. Having worked closely together over the last few years Tommy and Oliver had hand signals that they used in the field in lieu of speaking. It made them much more efficient and detection almost impossible. Oliver took out the binoculars and slowly scanned the building. There was no movement outside and he noted their best route would be around the north side and come in from the back. He squinted when he saw a flash through one of the upstairs windows. Bingo! They had them. Felicity decided enough time had passed and she quickly dislocated her thumb making slipping out of the cuffs an easy feat. She placed them on the chair and the made her way around the room, assessing every single inch. Anything could be used when engaging the enemy. She had learned that early on. Oliver motioned to Tommy and pulling out a mock handgun with the same technology as Oliver’s M-16, they slowly moved around the forest and to the back of the building. Oliver motioned that he was going to approach the building and soon they were running up and pressing their bodies close to the building as they surveyed their surroundings. Chase had made the decision to keep all three of his team inside the building instead of posting a lookout and that was working to Oliver and Tommy’s advantage. Oliver motioned to Tommy and they quietly made their way around the building, keeping low in case of windows. They finally reached the front door and preparing their weapons they busted in only to find the first room was empty. There was a stairwell to the left and another room to the back of the first one, and Tommy signaled that he would check the back room and for Oliver to head up the stairs. Felicity heard someone on the stairs and she hid behind the door, her mind completely in survival mode and her body ready to become the weapon she knew it could be. When the door opened, and Adrian walked through she quickly and quietly subdued him by taking him from behind and restricting his air flow. It caused him to weaken and she used a technique that would knock him out for a brief period before she took his gun and then searched his pockets for a knife. She cursed when she did not find one and then checking to make sure the Barretta was ready, she walked slowly toward the door. Oliver made his way quietly up the stairs. He could hear Tommy engaged in the other room, but Oliver was prepared all the same. He knew there would be at least one of the enemy upstairs and as he reached the landing he saw one door ajar. He quietly made his way closer and paused before taking a step through the door. Before he knew it there was a gun in his face and he looked past it in complete and utter surprise when he saw Felicity behind it.“It’s about time Queen. I was starting to think you and Merlyn had taken the scenic route.” Oliver looked at her and then down at Adrian Chase and a smile skirted along his lips. “Brachial Nerve?” He indicated Adrian and Felicity’s head flew around looking at him in surprise.“How did you know that?” “I’ll tell you later. We need to get out of here.”He turned and headed back down the stairs and after a brief pause Felicity soon followed. They found Tommy waiting at the bottom of the stairs and he smiled when he saw Felicity behind Oliver. “I feel like the Prince coming to the damsel’s rescue.” He teased, and Oliver rolled his eyes before glancing toward the room where Tommy had engaged. Tommy saw his look and answered without even having to be asked. “Two of the enemy are down and tied up. What about Chase?” Oliver glanced at Felicity and then back at Tommy, “Was incapacitated when I arrived.” Tommy looked at Felicity impressed. She was impressing Tommy more and more and he was starting to think Oliver would be a fool if he did not ask her out. It was not everyday he came across a woman that could hold her own with him. “Adrian will wake up shortly, so we need to be long gone. He can untie his teammates.” They all agreed and headed out of the building making their quickly back into the woods. They signaled to both John and Slade that they were heading back, and they had their target and when a siren sounded signaling a successful mission they all smiled. They soon found the jeep and as Oliver jumped into the driver’s seat, Tommy hopped into the back leaving the shotgun seat for Felicity. “So, Smoak. We make a good team. Want to see if that extends to our personal lives? How about going for a drink with me tonight? Just one, I promise, I won’t get you drunk. Unless you beg me to.” Tommy flashed her his patented Tommy Merlyn smile and Felicity glanced at Oliver who had suddenly become stiff, his hand gripping the steering so tightly that his knuckles were white. Felicity thought about it for a moment and decided why not. She was not interested in Tommy romantically but going out would be fun. It had been way too long. “Sure, why not.”Tommy hooted behind her as Oliver clenched his jaw. He was quiet for the rest of the ride back. *** Felicity pulled on a pair of casual jeans, a green blouse and then slipped into her favorite comfy pair of flats. She brushed through her hair, leaving it down and then pulled on her glasses. After adding a touch of lipstick, she grabbed her phone and walked out to meet Tommy. They had decided to meet at the bar and she was looking forward to having a casual evening. She would set Tommy straight right away that this was anything but romantic and then she hoped they could have a fun evening as friends. As she walked she heard her phone beep and looking down saw a text from an unknown number. She frowned and opened it, finding a message from Oliver. They had all exchanged numbers when they found out they were going to be a team, but she was still surprised to see a message.
Oliver: Are you really meeting Merlyn for drinks?
Felicity: Of course. Why? You jealous?
Oliver: Not at all.
There was a long pause and then Felicity found herself typing. Felicity: Tommy is sweet, but he is not my type. Just friends. There was another long pause and then Felicity saw the three dots blinking as Oliver typed. Oliver: What is your type? Oh my god, was he flirting? She was so very tempted to type “You.” Felicity: Adrian is more my type. She held back a grin as she waited for his response and started to get worried when there was none. She felt a little disappointed when he did not respond and so she sighed and started walking again. Maybe he thought she was serious, and maybe that was for the best. She really did not need any complications in her life right now and she had a feeling he would be a big one. She entered the bar and Tommy waved to her from across the room. He was in the same booth as the night before and she could not help but return his smile as she approached. He stood and gave her a hug. “I was worried you were not going to show.” Tommy said the words lightly but for once she could hear an edge of vulnerability. Tommy was not the totally carefree person he made himself out to be. “Of course, I was going to show up.”The waitress took their drink order and then Felicity gave him a soft smile. “Listen Tommy, I am very flattered that you asked me out for drinks, but I really don’t’ think of you that way.” Tommy laughed, and Felicity gave him a puzzled look, “Smoak, while you are smoakin’ hot, pun intended, I don’t think of you in that way either.”“I am confused. Then why did you ask me out for drinks?” “To mess with Oliver.” “Oliver? Why?” Tommy thanked the waitress as she sat down his beer and he took a sip before looking at Felicity.“I have known Oliver for a long time. In all the time I have known him I have never seen him date since his break up. Now don’t get me wrong, he has been with a woman here and there……” Felicity blushed at his implication. “but I have never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you.”Felicity took a sip of her drink and blew out a pfffff, “We are comrades. He is just impressed with my skills.” “Oh, he is impressed alright. You are the first woman that I have seen him jealous over.” “He is not jealous. We barely know each other. Don’t be ridiculous Tommy.” She waved the thought away. It was ludicrous. Tommy leaned across the table and captured her attention, “The boy is so jealous that before the night is over I guarantee you he will show up here. And you like him too.” Felicity thought about the text he had sent her. From what she could tell it was not like him at all, and she took a thoughtful sip of her drink. Was he jealous? She tried to deny what Tommy was saying, “I think of him as a friend.” Tommy busted out laughing, “Friends don’t look at friends like you two look at each other. It’s like you want to rip each other’s clothes off, location be damned.” No, they didn’t. Surely, they didn’t. Right?! “Well he is not here, so let’s talk about something else.” Felicity needed to change the subject because she was finding that Tommy was hitting way to close for comfort. Oliver had been on her mind too much as it was.“So, tell me more about you Tommy. Do you have any brothers or sisters?” Tommy sipped his beer, “Nope, I am an only child. Which is good considering my father was a low life abuser.”Tommy said the words casually and Felicity could tell he had come to terms long ago with his father. “He went to prison for 20 years on a plea deal when I was eight. My mother remarried a Royal Air Force Captain named Walter Steele who was a wonderful man and was like a Father to me through the rest of my childhood.” “Tommy, I am so very sorry.” Felicity placed her hand on his and he played with her fingers as he shrugged. Their touch was pure comfort and they both found it soothing.“It’s ok. Walter adopted me, and I credit him for my interest in the military. He has been good to my Mother and after everything my Father put her through that is all I can ask.” He smiled, and she smiled back. “So how is it that a guy like you does not have a girlfriend?” “Perpetual bachelor. I just am not ready to settle down. I will consider it more once I am out of the military. With the way we travel it is too much of a hassle.” Felicity agreed with that and they ordered a second round of drinks with Felicity settling for a tea instead of alcohol. They continued to talk, and Felicity found herself opening up to Tommy. She had not had a good friend in a long time and she liked Tommy a lot. “How about we play some darts?” Tommy indicated the dart board to the their left and Felicity grinned. “Your on, but I warn you, I was the Dart champion at my last base.”They stood, and Tommy grabbed the darts from the board as he grinned. “Ok, then how about a bet? If I win you buy the next round.” Felicity agreed, “And what if I win?” Tommy smirked, “Then he buys the next round.”Tommy pointed behind them and she looked to see Oliver standing in the doorway. Their eyes locked and Felicity knew at that moment that she could not hide her feelings for him any longer. He was too much of a temptation and as he made his way over she could not keep her eyes off him. Her intentions just flew out the window. “Oliver what a surprise.” Oliver paid Tommy no mind as he spoke. He was not sure what had caused him to come to the bar tonight. When she had texted that she and Tommy were just friends he had felt a sense of relief, but when she said that Chase was her type he had felt a tightness in his chest unlike anything he had felt before, and before he knew what he was doing, he was grabbing his wallet and phone and walking to the bar. When Oliver ignored him, Tommy gave Felicity the darts. “Oh, my look at the time. I turn into a pumpkin if I don’t get my beauty sleep.”He kissed Felicity on the cheek and then patted Oliver on the shoulder. “Bout time you got here buddy.”He whispered to him and then walked off whistling with a jaunt in his step. His work there was done. Felicity fiddled with the darts and then looked at Oliver. “Do you want to play a game?” Oliver stepped closer and took them from her, and as he ordered a beer from the waitress and turned back to her he did something that Felicity would forever consider the sexiest thing she had ever seen; he smiled. “Они не зовут меня Стрелка ни за что. (They don’t call me Arrow for nothing.”)
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
PRESENT DAY
Oliver’s hand trembled as he opened the door to the coffee shop. He did not take his eyes off her as he approached her and when she turned to take his order her name whispered from his lips.“Felicity?”Her brows furrowed as she looked at the man standing before her. He looked so familiar to her. He looked like the man in her dreams.“My name is Megan. What can I get you?”Oliver’s heart skipped a beat when she looked at him not recognizing him. He saw something flicker in her eyes, but it was quickly gone, and she stood there looking at him, waiting for him to place an order.“Do you not recognize me?” He had to ask. The woman he loved, the woman he thought he had lost was standing before him and he was not leaving without finding out what happened to her.“Should I?” She gave him a curious look. Maybe they had met somewhere when she was younger. Maybe that is why she had been dreaming of him.Oliver looked at her closely. She looked the same except her hair was longer with pink streaks, she had an industrial piercing in her right ear and instead of looking at him with love in her eyes it was if they were looking at a stranger.Oliver pulled out his wallet and took out a photo that was taken of them after their first mission together. It had been after that mission that they had finally admitted their feelings for each other and allowed themselves to be together. The picture showed them with their arms around each other looking into each other’s eyes and Tommy standing to the side, pointing at them with a smile on his face.Oliver looked at her and ordered a coffee black. “Megan, would you like to join me?” Oliver was nervous as he waited for her to answer. She might say no. What would he do then?Felicity looked him over and smiled, he was cute. “Sure, I can take my break. Give me a minute.”Oliver nodded and turned to grab a table. He found one toward the back and slid into the booth watching as Felicity said a few words to the girl working with her and then she took of her apron and walked toward him.God, he missed that walk, that smile. She slid into the booth across from him and gave him an expectant look.Oliver paused for a minute. He knew he needed to take this slow and careful. “Hi, I’m Oliver Queen.” He held out his hand to her and he saw her frown as she paused before shaking his hand. When his hand engulfed hers and the old sparks of electricity flew between them she quickly pulled her hand away.“Oliver.” She whispered the name wondering why it was so familiar to her.Oliver nodded. “You asked me earlier if we have met before? We did. Over six years ago.”Felicity looked a little relieved and she gave him a sympathetic smile, “I’m sorry Oliver. That explains why I don’t remember you. I was in an accident five years ago and I have no memory of anything before that time.”Oliver sat back with an understanding look. Ok, so that is why she did not recognize him. He took the photo out hoping that taking a chance would spark something in her mind. He slid the weathered and worn picture across the table to her and when she picked it up she looked at him in shock.“What is this? Where was this taken?”Oliver gave her a soft smile, “It was taken after our first mission together.”“Mission? What do you mean mission? I was never in the military.”“Yes, you were; you were a Marine. Part of the Bravo Squad.”Felicity’s eyes flickered to the picture and she slid it back to him and shook her head no. No that could not be possible. She had been dreaming of a Bravo Squad and of him. Why? It was too much for her to comprehend. Why was this happening?She stood up quickly from the booth, not able to take all this in right now. “I’m sorry Oliver you are mistaken. I was never a Marine.” She turned to walk away, and he called out her name.“Felicity wait.”She turned and gave him a sympathetic look. She needed to go before she started to have a panic attack.“I am not this Felicity you are looking for and I need to go.”She turned and walked back to the counter and whispered something to the girl before heading into the back of the shop. Oliver cursed under his breath.His eyes grew determined as he grabbed his coffee and walked out the door. It was her, he was sure of it and now that he had found her again, he was not letting her go.***
FIVE YEARS EARLIER
Felicity stepped over to the chalk board and wrote their names as Oliver got ready to throw. His Russian was perfection and she was curious where he had learned to speak so fluently.She turned and gave him a curious look, “So where did you learn to speak Russian so well?”Oliver lined up his first shot and almost hit a bullseye. It was just to the right.“My Father was in the military and we lived in Russia for two years when I was 12.” He lined up his next throw and threw again, this time hitting just to the left.“What about you?” He glanced at her and then lined up his next shot and this time when he threw he hit far left. Just looking at her had him distracted.“I trained in Sambo with a Russian Military specialist. He also taught me the language.”Oliver threw his last dart and finally hit the bullseye. Man, he was off his game tonight.Felicity marked the board and then walked over and grabbed the darts, she walked past Oliver as she made her way to the mark and her quiet “Excuse me” trembled just a little as her hand brushed his in passing.She lifted her first dart and aimed, and she hit slightly below the bullseye. Her eyes flickered to him and then she took a deep breath, focusing and sent her next dart flying. It hit bullseye and she almost pumped her fist.Focusing on the target she aimed again and sent her next dart flying and it hit slightly to the side of the bullseye. As she aimed her last dart she heard the waitress come by to ask about drinks and when she flirted with Oliver, Felicity’s dart hit wide right. Oliver looked at her last throw in surprise because he knew she was better than that.“Why don’t we just sit down and talk?”She smiled at him and grabbing her drink headed back to the booth. As they both sat down their eyes met again and Felicity blushed under the intensity of the look he was giving her.“So, Oliver, where are you from?”“I was born in Star City.”“And you?”“I am a Vegas brat.”He smiled at that. “Wow that must have been an interesting childhood.”She laughed, “If you consider growing up in casinos interesting then yes. My Mother was a cocktail waitress and I can honestly say that the one thing I took from my time there was I can count cards.”Oliver was impressed, and he took a sip of his beer as she asked, “And you?”“Remember I told you my Father was in the military and we traveled? He is a retired Brigadier General and so my childhood was spent in foreign locations all over the world.”“Wow, now THAT must have been an interesting childhood.”“If you consider changing homes every few years and having to leave your friends interesting then I suppose so.” He smiled at her and she sipped her drink before she asked.“What about your Mom?”“Interestingly my Mother was the first woman to be accepted into the Army Ranger program. She is retired now too. My parents met in the military.”Felicity was impressed. Oliver obviously had the military in his blood.Felicity played nervously with her glass,“My Dad was a software engineer, hence where I got my computer skills. He and my Mother met when his company had a Christmas party at her hotel. She was a waitress for the party and the rest they say is history.”She gave him a self-deprecating smile.The both drank their drinks a little self-conscious, the sexual tension between them thick enough to cut with a knife. When their knees brushed underneath the table, both looked at the other but neither one broke contact or tried to move away.“Your sparring skills are excellent. Besides training in Sambo what else do you know?” Oliver asked the question because if one of them did not talk, he was going to reach across the table and drag her in for a kiss that would embarrass them both.“Krav Maga.”That took Oliver by surprise, “That is Israeli.”She nodded and played with her glass as looking into his beautiful blue eyes was creating desire she needed to try to ignore. “I trained for a year with a Master of Krav.”“Wow, you are full of surprises Felicity Smoak.”“As are you Oliver Queen.”They finished their drinks both not wanting to leave but knowing it was getting late. Felicity glanced at the time and then smiled at him.“It is getting late and we have the obstacle course tomorrow.”Oliver agreed and when she reached for some money he placed his hand over hers. Feeling her soft skin beneath his touch made his breath quicken and he shook his head at her. “I got this.”Oliver let his hand linger before he reached for his wallet and threw some bills on the table. As they stood he moved aside to let her walk in front of him and he could not stop his hand from brushing the small of her back as he guided her through the bar.Felicity was trying hard not to tremble at his touch and the feel of him at her back and when they exited the bar she turned with a tremulous smile.“I guess this is goodnight?”“Can I walk you to your dorm?”She tried to stamp down her nervousness and nodded and they turned to walk to the barracks, his hand staying at her back. As they approached her building she stopped and turned and before she could say anything and before he could regret his actions he bent down and kissed her.It was not a kiss of passion or desire, but a kiss of newness with the nervous excitement that made them both pull back and let out a breath of air. She looked down at his lips. They were nice lips, soft and gentle and before she could stop herself she lifted a hand and gently brushed her thumb along his bottom lip wiping away her lipstick.Oliver stood rigid as her thumb pressed against his lip and when she pulled her hand away and showed him the lipstick with a smile, he felt a loss.“Well I had a good time Oliver.”“So, did I. Maybe we can do this again?”She smiled, “I would like that. Goodnight.”She gave him one last longing look and then turned and walked into the dorm. When she was out of sight she leaned against the wall and took a steadying breath. Jesus that man was temptation personified and as innocent and light as the kiss had been she had felt it all the way to the tips of her toes.Oliver turned and took his time walking to his barracks. He had kissed her, and it was nice. No, it was more than nice. That kiss as innocent as it was made the hair on his arms stand up and he wanted nothing more than to do it again. She had perfect lips made for kissing and he smiled as he thought of asking her out again.He ignored Tommy’s ribbing as he walked into the room, and Tommy tried to get Oliver to tell him how the evening had gone. Oliver did not say a word. That was his secret for now.He stripped down to his boxers and when he laid down and placed his hands behind his head his thoughts were of her.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
PRESENT DAY
Felicity rushed into the back room, her breathing ragged as she tried to control her emotions. What was happening? She leaned against the wall and sank to the floor as she thought of the dreams she had been having. They were dreams of him and dreams of Bravo Squad. Why was she having those dreams and why was she in that picture? And why was some man she had never met calling her Felicity?She really wanted answers, but she also needed to get control of her emotions. She felt something when she touched him. It had been electric. She thought of the picture and the way they had looked at each other. The love had been evident in both of their eyes.She thought of the dream she had just last night, and it made her tremble. She wasn’t sure how long she sat there, but she knew it was awhile and when her replacement arrived to take over her shift, she quickly shed her apron and headed home.Oliver walked into the gym he had opened with Tommy and John after they retired from the Military and when he entered John immediately picked up that something was wrong. Oliver had an intense look on his face and he made his way over to him with concern.“Hey Oliver, you ok?”“I saw Felicity.” Oliver looked at John with a haunted expression and when John heard her name he took a step back in shock.“What do you mean you saw Felicity? She’s dead.”“I saw her John. I talked to her. She is working at the coffee shop on 8th street. She is alive.”John was flabbergasted, “But how could that be? We found her bloody dog tags. We saw the plane wreckage.”“Yeah, we did. But we never saw her body.”John lowered his head trying to wrap his mind around the fact that Felicity Smoak was alive. "Oliver that doesn't make any sense. The Military even pronounced her dead.""I know John, I don't understand it but I saw her. I spoke to her."“So, did she recognize you? Why didn’t she find us? Why has she been silent all of these years?” John had a million questions.“She has amnesia. She doesn’t remember anything before the accident. She doesn’t even remember she was in Bravo Squad. She is going by the name Megan.”John blew out a heavy breath. “You ok man?”“Am I ok? No, I am not ok. I am stunned. John sitting across from her, talking to her, hearing her voice, not being able to touch her? Her looking at me like I am a stranger. It was like I lost her all over again.” He pulled the worn picture out of his pocket. “I showed her this picture.”“Did she recognize it?”“No, but I think it spooked her because she got a strange look on her face and then she just left.”“Then maybe she just needs some help getting her memories back or maybe she just doesn't want to remember?”Oliver rubbed his face with his hands. This was all so overwhelming. “I need to think man. I will be in my office.”John watched him go with a sympathetic expression. He did not understand what Oliver was going through or how it felt to lose the woman you loved. But John had lost a friend and comrade and to find out she was alive was amazing. He was going to give Oliver some time so process everything, but he also was going to make sure that Oliver did not give her up without a fight. They would help her remember.Oliver closed the door behind him and sat down at his desk. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes as one lone tear slipped down his cheek. Felicity. Just seeing her, hearing her had brought back that ache that had taken so very long to abate. He had never forgotten her and even though it had been five years Oliver had never dated after losing her. He loved her and would always love her. She was the only woman he would ever love.***Felicity hurried into her apartment and closed the door as tears started to fall. She was crying because she was confused, but she was also crying because based on the photo she had seen, she had obviously lost love. She walked to her bedroom and picked up the journal by her bedside. She often wrote in it after she dreamed and as she glanced through it seeing the notes she had made she saw two things; the name Oliver Queen and Bravo Squad.She quickly picked up her phone. She needed to call her Mom. Why had her Mother not told her she was in the Military? Donna picked up on the first ring and Felicity took a deep breath.“Baby, is everything ok? You normally call me on Sundays.” Donna’s voice was filled with excitement and concern. She loved hearing from her daughter and she looked forward to their weekly calls.“Mom, I need to ask you a question and I need you to be honest.”“Ok baby, what is it?”“Was I ever in the Military?”Donna sat back floored. How had Felicity found out about that? Were her memories returning?The silence was deafening, and Felicity asked again, “Mom. I need to know. Was I in the Military?”“What…..what makes you ask that question baby? Of course not.”Felicity sensed something more and she closed her eyes, “Don’t lie to me Mom.”“Baby, I’m…..”“Mom please.” Her voice was pleading and filled with unshed tears and even though she knew the answer based on her Mother’s silence she had to hear her say it.“Yes. Yes, you were in the Military. You were in the Marines.”Felicity’s world shifted on its axis and she let the phone drop to her bed. Everything that she had thought about her life was a lie and as the tears fell, her anger rose. She picked up the phone and Donna closed her eyes in anguish as she heard the betrayal in her daughter’s voice.“Mom? Was I in a car wreck?”Donna hesitated, but she knew she could not keep everything from her anymore. If Felicity was getting her memories back, she was going to remember everything.“No. You were not in a car accident.”“What happened to me?”Donna felt tears pricking her eyes as she took a moment and said, “You were on assignment in China. You were flying your plane and it crashed. You lost your memory.”"Mom, I have one more question and I need you to tell me the truth." Rage made her voice shake. "Is my name Megan?""Megan is your middle name. Your first name is Felicity." Tears were falling down Donna's face as she heard her daughters sobs.Felicity felt her arm slowly lowering as the tears fell unheeded. Her Mom had been lying to her. For five years she had been lying to her. She could hear her Mother calling her name over the phone, but she didn’t want to hear any more and she hung up the phone.She pulled her knees to her chest as her tears fell wondering what all she was not remembering. Would she ever remember? She quickly wiped her tears and picked up her phone. She had always been good with computers and so she quickly found Oliver’s cell phone number online and she dialed his number, her hand shaking.What was she going to say when he answered? She didn’t have long to think about that before he answered.Oliver closed his eyes as he thought of Felicity and when his phone started to ring, and he looked to see an unrecognizable number, he hoped for a moment that it was her.“Oliver Queen.”There was silence as Felicity struggled with what to say to him.“Hello?”She wanted to say something, anything and then she didn’t have to. Oliver sat up straight in his chair.“Megan?” It was the softest of whispers.“Oliver?”“Hi.”“Hi.”“How….how did you get my number?”“I am good with computers.” The sound of uncertainty in her voice was going to be his undoing.“I remember.” He paused, “So did you remember something?”She closed her eyes and leaned back on her bed. This was so crazy. Here she was talking to a stranger who was not a stranger and she had no clue what to say to him.“No.”“Felicity, I mean Megan. It is ok. I can help you with that if you want me to.”He waited expectantly, hoping, praying, wishing she would say yes.“Ok.” It was that one simple word. That one small word said so very small that made his heart burst into a million pieces. “Can….can we meet for coffee?”“Anywhere you want. You just name it.” His heart was beating so hard he thought surely, she could hear it through the phone.“There is a diner at 8th and Grand. Can we meet there now?”It was more than he thought possible. He thought it would be tomorrow, but she wanted to meet now. He had to grip the chair’s armrest to keep from jumping up and running to the diner.“Sure. I am at my gym. I can be there in five minutes.”“Ok, see you there.”He didn’t want her to hang up the phone but when she did he quickly stood and walked out to the floor. John saw him rushing by and before he could stay a word to him, Oliver was out the door. He bumped into Tommy on his way out and Tommy looked at him in concern as Oliver did not acknowledge him or even look back at him.“Hey man, where you going? Is there a fire somewhere?” Tommy watched him for a few minutes before walking into the gym and when he saw John he headed straight for him.“Hey what has gotten into Oliver? He bumped into me and didn’t say a word.”“Felicity Smoak is alive.”Tommy looked at him stunned. “Uhhh, what?”“Felicity is alive. She survived the plane crash. She has amnesia and has been working at a coffee shop on 8th street.”“John, oh my god.” Tommy could not believe what he was hearing. He had been by Oliver’s side the last five years and during the first couple of years when things were so hard for Oliver. He had been his friend and confidant and he remembered the anguish Oliver had endured thinking that she was dead. He could not imagine what Oliver must be feeling right now.“Just give him some time to process everything. He is going to need our help and Felicity might too.”Tommy nodded and then walked to his office. He sat down at his desk and opened the middle drawer pulling out a photo that he had kept near him for the last 5 years. It was a photo of him and Felicity and Oliver, arms around each other and smiles on their faces. It had been taken after they had done their first obstacle course together. He had kept it because in the time they had been together Oliver and Felicity had become his closest friends and when he had lost her it had been like losing a sister. He had kept it together for Oliver but deep down he had mourned her and what she had meant in his life.He looked at the photo and a soft smile curved his lips. “Don’t you worry Smoak. We are going to help you remember.”
FIVE YEARS EARLIER
Felicity looked out over the obstacle course trying to gauge everything they were going to do. She had done this course many times at Camp Pendleton, so she knew it well. However, this time she would be paired with Oliver and Tommy. As a team they would be tasked with helping each other and no one team member could complete the course by themselves. It was a team effort and teams finished together.She smiled softly as Tommy and Oliver walked up, both standing to either side of her.“So, Smoak. You ready for this?” Tommy looked at her, his warm brown eyes teasing.“Don’t worry Tommy, I won’t leave you behind.” She grinned and bumped his shoulder. Oliver was standing stoic beside her looking over the course as if he was memorizing it in his head.“What about you Queen? You ready?”He looked down at her and winked, “Just try to keep up Smoak.”John and Slade called everyone over and each team was given their orders. They had exactly 10 minutes to complete the course.“Now, listen carefully. We want you to picture yourself out in the field. If a team member falls behind you help them catch up. If you are the first one to the top of the wall, you pull your other team members up. This is all about working together.” John’s voice boomed out over the field and Slade smirked.“John has given you the basic rules, but here is the last one. For the run between the wall and the finish, two team members or one of your choosing is to carry another team member to the finish line.”Tommy laughed out loud, “Well Smoak is tiny so that won’t be an issue.”She glared at Tommy as John shook his head at him. “Stop the wise cracks Merlyn or I will make it mandatory that Smoak carry YOU.”Tommy smiled as they turned to walk to the starting point. Tommy, Felicity and Oliver huddled together.“So, I think we should attack this from a practical standpoint, once we get through the hurdles and to the wall, Oliver you are the tallest, so you should help us up and then we can pull you up. As for carrying someone to the finish line, I think we should carry Smoak.” Felicity had been listening and agreeing with Tommy until the last sentence.“I can hold my own Merlyn. Maybe Queen and I should carry you.”“Come one Smoak. I am not trying to be sexist. I just think since you are the smallest, it makes the most sense.”Oliver could tell by Felicity’s body language that Tommy was not making things better. “Why don’t we get to that point and go from there.” He was trying to be diplomatic. He knew that Felicity was someone that did not want to be treated differently because she was a petite woman and from what he had seen she could totally handle herself. However, Tommy was a practical thinker and the two of them were going to have to find a way to work together.“Sounds good to me.” Felicity gave Tommy a pointed looked and he finally nodded.“Ok.”Slade raised his arm and put the whistle to his mouth. They would all start at the sound of the whistle and as they heard it blow they all took off. They all breezed through each of the obstacles, the hurdles and bars coming easy. As they each climbed the rope and then clambered over the high bar, Felicity felt good. They were ahead. They each rounded the corner, seeing Adrian’s team on their heels and as they paused at the bottom and looked up at the wall they knew this would either make them or break them. They had gained an advantage over Adrian’s team during the hurdles because one of Adrian’s team members had tripped on the hurdles, but it was a small margin lead and they needed to work together to keep it.Oliver quickly moved to the wall and per their conversation, he stood and lifted Tommy first, giving him a foot up with his hands. Tommy quickly clambered to the top and then reached his hand down to grab Felicity. Oliver lifted her up with ease noting how light she was in his hands and when Tommy grabbed her hand and pulled her to the top, she had to take a deep breath. As Tommy helped Oliver up the wall Felicity had to count to ten, her breathing slowly going from ragged to normal. Oliver and Tommy did not know but she had a fear of heights. She had learned how to work through her fear, but she had to take a minute and work through her breathing. Oliver looked at her concerned, and when she felt confidant again she gave him a look that said she was ok so they could continue.As they hurried down the other side, they all reached the bottom with no problem. However, Tommy miscalculated his drop and when he landed he turned his ankle. He limped toward them with a grimace on his face.Felicity had to hide a grin, “Well I guess that face answers the question of who will carry who.”She and Oliver worked together and as Adrian’s team was about to catch up they took off carrying Tommy. The last run was grueling, especially carrying Tommy’s dead weight and when they crossed the finish line and set him on his feet John looked at them with a satisfied smile.“Nice time guys.”Felicity turned to Oliver and Tommy and hugged them both and as she felt Oliver’s arm around her waist and his breath hit her ear, she wasn’t sure if it was her or him that held on a little longer than necessary. Tommy limped over and grabbed his bag, pulling out his phone. He walked over and they all placed their arms around each other, Felicity standing in the middle and Tommy took their photo.Little did they know that one day that photo would help Felicity’s memories’ return.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
PRESENT DAY
Oliver entered the coffee shop, slow, his breath held, and his hands trembling. He looked around as his heartbeat echoed loudly in his ears and then he saw her. She was huddled in a booth towards the middle of the diner, a sweater wrapped around her, her hands cradling a cup of hot coffee, and his heart nearly broke when he saw the tear tracks on her cheeks. He walked slowly toward her and she looked up but didn't smile. "Hi."He took a deep breath and sat across from her, "Hi.""Thank you for coming.""Of course I came, it's you."She gave him a watery smile, "You’re very sweet." Her smile faded as quickly as it appeared. Oliver ordered his own coffee black when the waitress approached and then he looked at her trying to gauge what to say."Listen Oliver, I don't have memories of any time in my life before five years ago. However I have been having these dreams."Oliver frowned, "What kind of dreams?""Dreams of you. Dreams of a group called the Bravo Squad."Oliver's breath caught in his chest when he heard she had been having dreams of him. Maybe that meant her memories were returning? Dare he hope?"How long have you been having these dreams?""For the past year. Sometimes I wake up and I remember them vividly, almost as if I lived them. Others are vague. Now I know I did live them." She took a sip of her coffee and a tear tracked its way down her cheek. Before he could stop himself he reached over and wiped it away. She pulled back and looked at him in surprise. It broke his heart."Sorry." He wasn't sorry, but he didn't want to scare her off."No I'm sorry Oliver. I know that we were in love.""Yes we were, deeply. I still am.""But I just don't remember those feelings. Yes there is something there when you touch me that I cannot explain. But everything else is new."Oliver nodded, hearing what she was saying. He needed to be a little more careful."My Mother finally admitted to me that she has been lying to me for the last five years. She has been calling me Megan, which happens to be my middle name and she told me I was in a car accident. I didn't know it was actually a plane crash. My plane."”Why would she do that?”She shrugged, “I don’t know.”She saw pain shadow his eyes as he placed his hands in his lap. He couldn't risk touching her again. "You were a pilot for Bravo Squad and quite a good one at that. Our friend Tommy use to say that you were the "Smoakinest Pilot" in the Marines." He smiled softly.She looked at him curiously so he explained, "You, Tommy and I were a team for Bravo Squad. I opened a gym with him here after I was medically discharged and he left the Marines.""You were medically discharged? Why?""I injured my leg on the same mission that your plane went down. I was sent home and you and Tommy stayed to complete it. That was the last time I saw you alive."Those last two words almost stuck in his throat and she realized at that moment just how much he loved her. The pain was evident in every single word."Can you tell me more about that time? About me?" Her eyes were desperate, almost pleading."Are you sure Felicity? Because we can take this slow.""I am tired of everyone keeping things from me. Please?""Well if I am going to do that then I would like for you to come back to my gym with me. Tommy Merlyn is there and so is John Diggle."She looked at him as if those names were familiar but then it was gone. "We can talk in my office and if you feel like you have had enough, you can leave." He wanted to go slow and gentle with her. He wanted her to remember everything including their love.She hesitated for a moment, and then took a sip of her coffee. "Ok." She signaled the waitress to ask for a to-go cup and Oliver pulled out a $5 dollar bill and threw it on the table."I can pay my way." She said the words almost as if to reaffirm them to herself, and he smiled. "I want to pay. It's not every day the love of my life comes back into my life."She gave him a weary look and then stood up, not commenting on his words. Oliver stood too and when she walked past him it took everything in him not to place his hand at the small of her back like he use to do. Felicity passed him fully aware of him behind her and when they stepped out on the sidewalk she turned to him with a small smile. "Lead the way." He smiled and started walking and she fell into step beside him. He kept glancing at her to make sure he was not dreaming and when they approached "The Basics" gym, he opened the door and ushered her inside. John looked up from his clipboard as he was inventorying the protein drinks they kept on hand and he nearly dropped his pen. Oliver and Felicity approached him and all he could do was stare. "Felicity, I would like to introduce you to John Diggle."John held out his hand, his warm brown eyes glistening with unshed tears as he looked at the woman he thought he would never see again. He could not wait to tell Lyla. "Hi Felicity.""Nice to meet you John." She gave him a nervous smile and he clasped her hand warmly before releasing it and turning to a voice he would know anywhere."There you are Queen, where the hell............" Tommy stopped dead in his tracks as John moved and he caught a glimpse of who was standing there with his friends. Felicity Smoak. He approached slowly as tears clogged his throat and finally he said, "Smoaking Hot."Felicity looked at the handsome young man with warm brown eyes and what he said seemed familiar. He seemed familiar. She was trying to wrap her head around the fact that these were the men she had been seeing in her dreams. She would know their faces anywhere; she just did not know them."Felicity this is Tommy Merlyn, or as you liked to call him back in the day, "Pain in your ass."They all laughed and Felicity had to smile because it was totally something she would say."Listen, why don't we all go to my office? Felicity wants to hear about her time with Bravo Squad and I thought it would be nice if we all were able to tell her some stories."They walked back to his office and Tommy slipped into his for a moment and grabbed the photo from the day of the obstacle course. He felt a need to show her just how close they use to be.Oliver walked into his office and held out a chair for her before taking a seat behind his desk. Tommy and John came in soon after dragging their own chairs and when everyone was settled Oliver glanced at Felicity. "So how would you like to do this? Would you like to ask questions?"Felicity glanced around uncertainly and then nodded. She looked back at Oliver, "Tell me about the day my plane went down."Oliver let out a breath of air as her question hit him and all of the memories came flooding back. He had pushed them down so very far because they were painful too painful. All the guilt he had felt for leaving her there, for not staying with her had almost eaten him alive and so he had buried it. Now it was coming back fresh the pain almost took his breath."It is hard for Oliver to talk about so I can tell you about that day Felicity." Felicity turned and looked at Tommy as he reminisced.***
FIVE YEARS EARLIER - CHINA
Oliver sighed, frustrated because they had been in China for three days and still had no sign of their target. Their mission was to find and assassinate the leader of a drug smuggling and prostitution ring who was kidnapping young women as well as tourists. He, Felicity and Tommy were tired and ready to be back home but their mission came first so they all settled into the house that was being used as their base."He couldn't have just disappeared. There had been 20 sightings of him the day before we arrived alone." Tommy paced and tried to hold back the frustration he was feeling as well, but it was becoming difficult.Felicity's hands flew over the keyboard of the government computer she was using to track heat sensors at their target's last known location. So far she was not having any luck and so she decided to broaden her scope. She typed in the coordinates of each of the sightings and waited for her algorithm to go to work. “Merlyn will you stop pacing in front of me? It won’t make this process go any faster.” That was Felicity’s annoyed voice and they both knew that voice very well. Tommy stopped his pacing immediately and turned to Oliver. “Maybe we should go out and do one more reconnaissance mission.”Oliver didn’t want to go back out but they needed more Intel. They both grabbed their guns and Oliver walked over and kissed Felicity.“We will be back in two hours. If you don’t hear from us contact John.”Felicity always hated when he said that part. “I should be going with you.” Something was telling her not to let him go.“We need you here to monitor the searches. Don’t worry, Tommy and I have each other’s backs and we will be extra cautious.” She nodded as Tommy approached and puckered his lips leaning down.“No kiss for me Smoakin?”“In your dreams only Merlyn.” She did finally lean over and kiss his cheek and he grinned at her and said, “Don’t worry. I will make sure this pine tree comes back in one piece.”She gave Oliver one last look as they walked out the door and she turned to her computer and began to type.***Oliver and Tommy hurried down the street and into the alley. The car they had rented was parked about a block from their residence and they slipped inside and set the monitors that the car was equipped with. Tommy typed in the coordinates they would be checking that day as Oliver pulled into traffic and as they headed to the docks they both went over a plan. They discussed their hand signals and Tommy made sure that their homing beacons were ready to place in their pockets before he started typing in a description of the target into the cars computer system. Felicity had equipped the car with the technology to alert them if they came across the target while driving and it still fascinated Tommy. She was an absolute genius and he loved teasing Oliver about that fact.Tommy hit the comm. hidden in the shirt of his camos, “Overwatch, you copy?”“Copy Delta.”“Arrow, you copy?” Felicity’s voice rang out asking for Oliver to check in and Tommy grinned holding back a retort as Oliver said, “Arrow copy.”“Alright guys based on my calculations you are on the right track. I saw you typed in the coordinates Delta; I think you can find him in warehouse 18. I am getting a strong alert from that location.”“Roger Overwatch.”Oliver drove quickly to the location and they parked down the street, about two warehouses away. There were regular civilians milling about selling wares and Tommy and Oliver quickly made their way through the back alley ways to building 17.”“Ok, Overwatch, we have eyes on the location.” Oliver’s voice whispered over the comm. and Felicity quickly typed and pulled their images up on satellite.“I have eyes on as well.” Oliver felt better knowing she could see them and he lifted his gun giving Tommy the signal that they needed to move closer. Tommy signaled back that he was ready and they made their way to the side of the building. Oliver motioned that he had eyes on the door and he made his way quickly to it as Tommy moved around the building to enter through the front.Oliver tried the door and it opened easily. He placed his gun inside his trigger finger ready to move at a moment’s notice and he slowly worked his way inside. The warehouse level was empty and when he saw the front door open and Tommy sneak quietly inside, he motioned to him that he was going to make his way to a door on the far side of the room. Something did not feel right why would their target be holed up in an empty warehouse?He noticed Tommy moving with him on the other side of the room out of the corner of his eye and when he reached the door he told Tommy to hold his position as he listened. He could hear movement inside and he signaled to Tommy that he heard someone as he reached for the door handle. Oliver was careful his eyes scanning the room for any targets or the target they were after, but before he knew what happened, there were shots fired from behind him. He hit the floor as two bullets hit his left leg, one in the calf and one in the thigh.Tommy called his name as he went down and he dragged himself into the room and slammed the door. Tommy was soon engaged in gunfire as he fired back and he felt brief satisfaction as he hit two gunmen. However, he had a choice of going after their main target or saving Oliver and he quickly made his way to the door and stepped inside closing it behind him.Oliver was in extreme pain and Tommy could see he was hurt bad.“Arrow! Delta! Do you copy?”“Overwatch this is Delta we need a medic stat.”Tommy’s voice was calm over the wire as he quickly pulled off his outer camo shirt and tied a tourniquet around Oliver’s leg. He was losing a lot of blood and about to pass out and Tommy pulled a pill from his pocket and shoved it down Oliver’s throat. It would slow down Oliver’s blood flow to allow time for help to arrive but it would also knock him out so Tommy had to guard the both of them.“Delta this is Overwatch, help is on the way. Please is he ok?”“Arrow has been hit in the leg pretty badly, two shots, rifle fire from a distance.”Felicity quickly typed in the information to send to the medics, her hands shaking. Oliver had been shot. She should have been with him. She finished typing up her information and then grabbed her gun and headed out. She would meet them at the government medical location that they were using while in town.Tommy checked Oliver’s wounds as time seemed to creep by and then soon he heard the sounds of their men coming through the warehouse. He opened the door knowing the location was now secure and motioned to them. The medics quickly got to work on Oliver as Tommy walked over and briefed John Diggle on what happened. As they moved Oliver to the medical van Tommy made his way to John’s humvee. They talked as John drove them to the medical facility and when they arrived they saw Felicity waiting out front.Tommy’s heart almost broke at the look on her face and he made his way to her and gave her a hug.As they waited for Oliver to be unloaded she looked at Tommy with tears in her eyes, “What happened?”“I will tell you when we get inside.”They pulled Oliver from the gurney and rushed him inside and Felicity took off after them. She rushed up to his gurney and seeing him unconscious she said loudly so he could hear her, “I am here Oliver. I love you.”She watched as he disappeared behind the curtain and as they pushed her back and told her to let them work, she turned and buried her face into Tommy’s chest. He gently rubbed her back as he explained what had happened and as they turned to walk to the waiting area, she heard a sound that made her start to scream.Oliver was flat lining.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
FIVE YEARS EARLIER - CHINA
Screaming, that is all that rang out, that was all she could hear. She felt hands touching her, but they didn't really register. Then she realized she was the one screaming. It was a no that was so gut-wrenchingly heartfelt that nurses would talk about it for months. Tommy tried to hold her up as people ran behind the curtain where Oliver lay. He tried to hold Felicity up as her legs gave out his own fears being pushed aside as he tried to be strong for her. It seemed like eternity before he was able to get her to sit down and soon a doctor came to speak to them. "I am assuming you are here with Oliver Queen?""Yes Doctor. I am his best friend, and this is his girlfriend."Felicity could not even register Tommy calling her Oliver's girlfriend, his hand on her shoulder. Her eyes were focused on that curtain on any sound or movement coming from that room."We were able to stabilize Mr. Queen, but he has lost a lot of blood. We are working to get a transport for him back to the United States." John walked up about that time and heard the doctor. "Will he lose the leg?" John had to be matter of fact. He had to be the strong one. Oliver had become a good friend over the years but John needed to be something else today. He needed to be a leader for Bravo Squad.Bile rose in Felicity's throat as she started shaking her head, "No, no, no…”Tommy held her tighter and relief swept through all three as the doctor spoke. “He is not going to lose the leg, but he will need surgery and extensive rehab. We need to get him to the states, so they can do surgery as quickly as possible to repair the damage his leg sustained.”“Can she see him?” Tommy’s voice shook as he spoke. He wanted to see Oliver but at this moment Felicity needed to be by his side.The doctor paused and then finally shook his head. “Yes, but please understand he is still unconscious.”Felicity could not nod or speak, and Tommy held her as long as he could as he helped her toward the curtain. She made her way quickly to Oliver’s side and seeing him pale and lying there so very still made her heart start to race.She took his cold hand in hers and she whispered, “It’s me Oliver. I am here.”The nurses looked on with pity as Felicity stood there speaking to him and telling him how much she loved him and needed him in her life. And then their pity turned to wonder as Oliver’s eyelids fluttered open.“Felicity?” His voice cracked, and his lips were dry, and Felicity tightened her hold on his hand and leaned closer.“I am here Oliver. I am here. I love you so much. You need to be strong and get better.”“Felicity?” He held her hand and looked up into her eyes briefly. Felicity could see the pain in their blue depths and soon he had passed out again.“Ma’am, we have to prep him for transport.” One of the nurses walked over and placed her hands on Felicity’s shoulders, but she shrugged them off and stayed by his side. She finally leaned down and whispered in his ear, “I love you Oliver. I will see you soon.” She kissed his cheek and then the nurse ushered her out.Felicity walked numbly over to Tommy and he again hugged her close.“He is strong Felicity. He will be fine.”“I don’t want to leave him Tommy.”“He is in good hands. He will get the care that he needs and when this mission is over you two will be together for the rest of your lives.” Tommy knew that their missions were dangerous and that one wrong move could mean someone did not go home, but he was going to make damn sure that Felicity made it home.They stood there as the nurses and doctors rushed around prepping Oliver for his ride to the states. The military had sent one of their finest medic-vac copters to take him to the airport and when they wheeled him past her and out the door Felicity broke down and cried.***
PRESENT DAY
Felicity felt emotions start to flood her chest as Tommy described that day. She could see the haunted look in Oliver’s eyes and without thinking she reached over and took his hand. He looked at her in surprise but did not say a word, gripping her hand tightly. She was still looking at him as if he was a stranger, but the fact she had touched him gave him hope.“Maybe that is enough reminiscing for today.” John could see the toll it was taking on everyone and decided maybe they needed a break.“But I want to know more. I want to know everything.” Felicity’s voice was desperate and trembling and John placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled kindly.“You will learn everything Felicity. I promise.”For some reason she trusted him and when she looked at Oliver and noticed her hand still holding his she quickly let go. But she felt a loss and that ripped right through her.“I need to go to Vegas and talk to my Mother.” Felicity stood on wobbly legs and then looked at Oliver again. She was so drawn to him.“Oliver, will you come with me?” She knew that he needed answers as badly as she did and having him there for support was something she just needed.Oliver was surprised, and he nodded. He would fly to the ends of the earth for her. “Of course, I will.” He stood and walked to Felicity’s side. She turned and looked at the others.“Thank you for telling me this today. Can we meet again when we get back and go over more?”Tommy walked forward, and he looked at her lovingly, his caring for her evident in his eyes. “Felicity take this with you.” He pulled out the worn photo of the three of them and handed it to her. She looked down and she felt a jolt go through her at the photo. Oliver felt it through his body and he looked at her.“Did you remember something?” He tried to keep the hope out of his voice.“N…no.” She looked at Tommy with a bit of surprise and then she clasped the photo tightly. “I can see this means a lot to you. I will take good care of it.”Tommy nodded. He wanted to hug her so very badly, but he took a step back. It was not the right time.Oliver placed his hand at the small of her back as he led her out of the office. She clutched the photo and when they exited the gym, she stopped and looked at him. “I will purchase the tickets tonight. Text me your information?”Oliver grinned, trying to lighten the moment. “We used to text each other.”She looked at him in surprise. “We did?”He nodded, “Yes. We would sit in class on base and when John’s stories would go too long, or Slade’s diagrams became too intricate, we would text each other.”She smiled, a true smile. “Well then text me then.” She held out her hand for his phone and he placed it in her palm. She typed in her number and handed it back to him. She could almost believe they had just met and he had asked for her number.“I look forward to it.” His voice was deep and sweet, and she gave him a soft smile before she turned and walked home.Oliver watched her walk away, feeling more hopeful than he had felt in five long years.*** Felicity looked at the information Oliver had texted to her as she booked their flights to Las Vegas, the butterflies in her stomach making her sick to her stomach. She didn’t eat any dinner and as she thought about confronting her Mother she wondered, what would make her Mother lie to her for so long?She had always been close to her Mom and she knew that Donna had not liked it when she had joined the Marines. It had been just the two of them since she was small, and Donna wanted her close, safe she said. But Felicity had wanted to follow her own path and when she said goodbye to her the day she left, her Mother had cried.So, could she have wanted to keep her home? Keep her safe? At least in her eyes?She jumped as she heard her phone buzz and she looked down to see Oliver’s number again. She almost felt giddy as she picked up her phone, like a teenager. She took a deep breath and looked at the text, and it had her grinning.
Oliver: Why hello beautiful. So, I texted as you asked. Are we booked for Las Vegas?
Oliver sat looking at his phone nervously. He hoped that calling her beautiful was not too much but that is how he had started all his texts to her and it just seemed right.
Felicity: We are booked. I got you an aisle seat since you are so big, I mean tall.
Felicity bit her lip. Oh, she was truly losing her mind. She needed to try to calm down. She felt like her world was spinning and she was scrambling for something to hold onto, and she seemed to want to hold onto him.
Oliver: Good. What time do we leave?
Felicity: Tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m. I texted my Mom to let her know but left you out of it.
There was a pause and Felicity chewed on her bottom lip again before his words popped up.
Oliver: Everything will be ok Felicity. I will be right by your side.
Felicity: Thank you.
She paused as she thought of what to say to him. She didn’t want him to go just yet.
Felicity: My Mom and I were close when I was little.
Oliver: Yes, you told me she did not want you in the Marines.
She smiled, wow. She had told him something personal to her and he remembered it after five years. She wanted to know more.
Felicity: What else do you remember about me?
Oliver: You hum when you are deep in thought.
Felicity frowned and then typed furiously.
Felicity: I do not.
Oliver: Yes, you do. It’s cute.
She blushed.
Oliver: You also crinkle your eyebrows. You also are the smartest woman I have ever met.
Felicity: Is that a good thing?
Oliver: One of the best. Oh and you are a wiz at darts.
Felicity: Darts? Really? I have never played.
Oliver: Well maybe we will remedy that in Vegas.
Felicity walked to her bedroom and settled on her bed.
Felicity: Tell me something about you.
Oliver: I hate peas.
Felicity laughed out loud and grinned at her phone.
Oliver: I have one sister named Thea.
Felicity: Does she look like you?
Oliver: Nope she is cuter.
Felicity: What is your favorite movie?
Oliver: Die Hard
Felicity: You like Bruce Willis?
Oliver: What can I say? I am a man’s man. But I love to cook.
Felicity looked at her phone as if it had grown three heads. He loved to cook? Really? That completely took her by surprise.
Oliver: Did I lose you with the cooking thing?
Felicity laughed, but suddenly turned serious. She was having such a good time texting with him. But this was a man she was once in love with; madly in love. What if she never remembered?
Felicity: I’m scared I won’t remember.
Those words hit Oliver square in his chest. He sucked in his breath as if it was knocked out of him and then slowly typed.
Oliver: Then we will make new memories.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Felicity arrived at the airport two hours early. She had to admit she was nervous but she was also mad and if she was honest, sad. She took a seat in the waiting area placing her things next to her so that Oliver would have a place to sit when he arrived. He wanted to pick her up but she had needed some time to herself so she told him she would meet him there.She had barely slept last night, her mind going over all the scenarios and reasons as to why her Mother lied to her for all these years. She thought back over the time after her accident and her Mother had seemed anxious but Felicity had just attributed that to the accident itself and never gave it any serious thought. She never had a reason to doubt her Mother or her life. Until now.Felicity looked up to see Oliver approaching rolling his suitcase behind him and she marveled at just how handsome a man he really was. She watched as women’s head’s turned and she felt a bit of annoyance that, if she was being honest, she would have recognized as jealousy. However, Oliver only had eyes for her and he smiled as he approached and took the seat next to her.“Good Morning.”Felicity gave him a shy smile. He was even more handsome when he smiled and when a woman walked over about to talk to him Felicity looked up and glared at her. The woman gave her a look of surprise and as Felicity reached over and took Oliver’s hand in hers the woman walked away.Oliver looked at their linked hands but held back his grin. Jealousy was a wonderful look on Felicity; it always had been.Felicity turned back to him and gave him another shy smile, “Good Morning. Are you ready for the City of Sin? I mean Sin City? I mean Las Vegas?” Wow that was smooth!Oliver played with the fingers of the hand that was entwined with his and he gave her a soft look. “The question is, are you? Did you sleep at all last night?” He could see dark circles under her eyes and it made his heart ache just a little.“Not really. Can we hold off talking about my Mother? That reality is going to hit me way too soon. I want to live in denial for a few more minutes.”Oliver gave her a contemplative look and then nodded. “You told me once that when you were growing up in Vegas that your favorite thing was going to the shows.” He pulled out an envelope from his pocket and smiled. “I have two tickets to “Michael Jackson ONE by Cirque du Soleil”.Felicity looked at him in surprise, “You like Michael Jackson?”“I love Michael Jackson. And so do you. At least you use to.” Felicity grinned at him.“Can you do the moon walk?”Oliver blushed, “You had me do it once and then asked me never to do it again.”Felicity laughed out loud and people all around them turned to look at the beautiful couple holding hands so obviously in love.“Well then maybe I will pass on a demonstration.”Oliver laughed at that and soon the attendant was announcing time to board. Oliver was loath to let go of her hand but they had to get their bags, and so he let go for her to gather her things, before he took her hand back in his and walked with her to board. He let her go first and guide them to their seats and he was not at all surprised when he saw them in an aisle and window seat. She had told him that she got him an aisle seat because of how tall he was but he also knew from experience that she loved looking out the window when flying. So who as sitting in the middle seat? No one if he had any say about it.Felicity saw him looking at the middle seat and she grinned. “Don’t worry; I bought the middle seat too.”He remembered her telling him that she always did that so that the seat next to her was always empty. She hated being crammed into a small space and for once he was grateful for that quirk.Oliver placed their bags in the overhead bin and they took their seats, Felicity immediately looking out the window. She loved to fly and she particularly loved seeing out the window. She had been afraid of heights when she was young, but had grown to love the freedom that flying and being so high in the air could give you.As the attendant made her announcement they both settled into their seats and buckled their seat belts. Soon they were taxing down the runway and when they were in the air and the attendant’s started to take drink orders, Felicity let out a sigh of pure relief. They were on their way.***Felicity glared at the stewardess for the fifth time. She seemed to hovering around Oliver and it was driving Felicity crazy. Had it been this way when they were together before? Had she been this jealous? Or was it amplified by the fact she had lost him once? The stewardess smiled and lingered nearby and so Felicity reached over and took Oliver’s hand, just as she had done in the airport. He lifted it to his lips and kissed the back before tucking it into his lap and when the stewardess saw that move she gave him a look of regret and walked off. Felicity smiled and closed her eyes.Their flight was quick and even though Felicity was silent with her eyes closed, he knew she was aware of her surroundings. She always had been. He leaned his head back and tried not to think about all the reasons that would have caused Felicity's Mom to lie to her? Hopefully they would both answers soon.They heard the stewardess announce their arrival and so they prepared for landing. Oliver felt Felicity’s hand tighten around his and he squeezed it showing her that he was there for her.They grabbed their bags and exited the plane and as they walked off Felicity led him through some doors and outside. There was a cab waiting for them and Oliver placed their bags in the trunk before climbing in beside her. They were going directly to Donna’s house and he just prayed that they would get the answers they needed tonight.***Oliver heard Felicity take a deep breath as they pulled up to a quaint little white house with dark grey trim. There was stairs leading up to the front door where a bright pot of pansies sat on the porch. Oliver noted the spots of color around the house and the neatness of the yard as he paid the cab and they walked to the front door. Felicity had once told him that her Mother loved working in the yard on her days off and he could see the results.Suddenly the door flew open and a whirlwind of long blonde hair, jogging suit and squeals ran to Felicity and hugged her tightly. Felicity stood stiffly in her Mother’s arms and it only took a moment for Donna to realize that before she pulled back and looked at her daughter’s face. She glanced over at Oliver curiously and then stood back for them to enter.Felicity walked through the front door silent not saying a word, not even to introduce Oliver and when Donna once again looked at him curiously, he gave her a bland smile. “I’m Oliver Queen…..”Donna smiled sadly, “I know who you are.”Oliver looked at her puzzled and Felicity turned and glared at her. “You know Oliver?”“I know his name.” Donna walked numbly over and sat down in a chair and Felicity followed quickly her suitcase left in the middle of the hallway. Oliver moved them to the side before he followed her and at down next to her on the couch. He wasn’t sure what to do at that point so he just waited.“Mom. How do you know Oliver’s name? Did you know we were dating five years ago when my plane went down? Did you know he was a part of Bravo Squad?”Donna looked at her in surprise. She knew more than Donna thought she did and as a tear slipped from her eye, she decided Felicity needed to know the truth, before their relationship was tarnished forever.“Oh baby. I…..I don’t even know where to begin.” Donna sniffled and Felicity looked at her coldly.“I don’t care where you start, just start.”“The day I got the call that your plane went down in China and they could not find you. Baby it was the absolute worst day of my life. I…I didn’t know what to do. I cried for four days and called every single person I could think of with the Marines trying to get some type of news about you.”She glanced at Oliver and then continued, “Two months after I got the call, I received an anonymous message that someone matching your description had been found with memory loss in a hospital in Hong Kong.”“Did you say Hong Kong? That is 1,100 miles from China.” Oliver could not stop from asking. He was stunned.“I know. I was surprised. At first I didn’t know whether to believe the message but then I got a visit from someone. They looked official and told me that you had shown up in a hospital in Hong Kong and they showed me your picture. They said you had been working undercover for them and there had been an accident and your memory had been affected.”Felicity looked at her puzzled, “What agency?”“Ummm, they called themselves the C.O.S.” Donna looked at him noting he recognized the name.“The Covert Operations Squad.”Donna nodded, “Yes that is it.”Felicity looked at Oliver puzzled, “You have heard of them?”Oliver nodded, “They were a group of specially trained agents that were a step above Bravo Squad. They are the absolute best and the agency and their agents are top secret.”Felicity looked at Oliver concerned and then looked back at Donna, “Mom, continue please.”“They told me they would fly me to Hong Kong, put me up in a hotel and let me stay with you until you were able to leave. But only on one condition. They wanted my consent to “change” your memories. They said that if you remembered your mission that you and those you loved would be in very serious danger.”Felicity reached over unconsciously and took Oliver’s hand as she had done so many times before and he squeezed it, listening intently.“I didn’t know what to think or do. All I knew was that I wanted to see you. That you were alive and I was going to do whatever I had to do to get to you.” Donna’s voice was turning imploring, but Felicity’s face was cold as ice.“I asked them how they were going to “change” your memories but they told me that it was top secret and told me I had one day to make a decision. I didn’t hesitate. I agreed and the next thing I knew they were flying me on a private jet to Hong Kong.” Donna’s tears flowed as she thought of the day she walked in and saw Felicity alive.“Baby when I walked into that hospital room and saw you there, my heart just burst. You are my baby girl. You recognized me but were under the impression you had been in Hong Kong on a business trip for the IT department of a company you were working for and had been in a car accident. So, because of the agreement I had made, I could not tell you different.”Felicity stood and started pacing and Oliver had to let her go. He watched as emotions crossed her face. “So you basically decided that lying to me; keeping me from people I loved, people I cared about was ok?” Felicity’s voice was shaking and she turned to her Mother with tears and fury. “You and these people decided that it was ok to lie to me for over 5 years. To let me think I had lost my memories before the accident?” By now her voice was shaking and Oliver could see the betrayal in her eyes. He wanted to go to her and hold her but he could not; she needed to do this on her own.“Did you know that Oliver and I were in love? That he thought I was dead? Did you?” She screamed the last two words and Donna’s eyes closed at the hurt in Felicity’s voice.She just nodded, “Yes. They told me that Bravo Squad had been searching for you for days before they had convinced them that you were…..” Donna’s voice clogged with emotions. She hated saying this word. “that you were dead.”Oliver sucked in a breath and he felt the wind completely knocked out of his sails. “So they were the ones that planted the bloody dog tags.”Felicity turned to him trembling as he continued, “I wanted them to keep searching for you. But when they found your tags at the plane crash site, we were told we could not keep searching. That the blood was yours and that it proved you were dead.” Felicity could feel the emotion in his voice, “I was so frustrated because I was stuck here, undergoing rehab. I wanted to go look for you myself, but when Tommy came home and I saw his face, the look in his eyes convinced me that it would be useless.”Felicity turned and glared at her Mother, “Mom I get that you wanted to see me and I get that these guys convinced you that this was for the best.” Her voice turned vulnerable and her hands shook as she clenched them, “But you lied to me. You kept me from the man that I loved. You convinced me that the few memories I DID have of Bravo Squad were not real. I told you about the dreams, about the dreams of Oliver, of the Squad, and you told me that it was not real. How could you do that?” The last few words were spoken softly, and Felicity turned and walked down the hall to her room, slamming the door behind her.Oliver stood and his voice trembled too as he looked at Donna, “Just give her some time Ms. Smoak. This is a lot for her to process.” He looked at her for a moment, his mind trying to comprehend the information he had just learned.He looked down the hall and as he turned to go find Felicity, he heard Donna’s voice softly say, “I am so sorry Oliver.”He didn’t glance back but walked down the hall and when he heard Felicity sniffling behind the second door on the left, he knocked softly and then tested the doorknob. It turned and he opened the door and walked inside, shutting it softly behind him. Felicity was sitting on the edge of a bed, her eyes and nose red, and body trembling and Oliver could take it no more. He walked over and sat down next to her and pulled her into his arms. She collapsed against him, her body becoming drained from the emotions and lack of sleep and so he leaned back on the bed, placing his back against the headboard and then pulled her to his side.“Это будет хорошо, мое сердце. Я обещаю.(It’s going to be ok my heart. I promise).
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Felicity was flying. She was in the pilot’s seat of her Beechcraft C-12 Huron and she was approaching her target quick. She heard her voice, almost as if it was someone else was speaking, in a panic as she approached the home that Bravo Squad had been sent to infiltrate. Suddenly she heard an explosion and felt a jarring sensation and she soon realized that her plane had been hit in the tail. Smoke started to fill the cabin as she tried to keep her plane on a path that would hopefully lead her away from the neighborhood and civilians. She spoke urgently into her radio trying to alert John and the team that she was going down but when her plane hit a tree and came to a jarring halt, all she could hear were her own screams.Oliver jerked awake when heard Felicity screaming in her sleep. Her voice sounded terrified and he ran over from where he had been sitting in a chair, just watching her before he had dozed off, and sitting down he gently shook her.“Felicity wake up. You’re having a bad dream.”She heard Oliver’s voice as if in a fog and she jerked awake into a sitting position. Her body was shaking, and her breathing was ragged and when she finally was able to focus, and she saw Oliver sitting before her she leapt into his arms and buried her face in his neck.“Felicity what was it? What were you dreaming?”Oliver gently rubbed her back trying to calm her down and letting her know she was safe. “Can you tell me about it?”Felicity hugged him tightly to her and so he let her stay in his arms, not moving. He wanted to comfort her and so he waited for her to move. She finally moved back and looked at him and he could see confusion in her eyes. “I had a dream that I was flying an airplane and I was talking to John on the radio, when all of the sudden my plane was hit.”“Have you had this dream before? You said you have dreamed of the Bravo Squad. Was this one of your dreams?”Felicity wiped her eyes as she tried to remember, she had dreamed something similar but this time something was different. “I have had dreams where I am flying and sometimes I am talking to the team on the radio and other times they are in the plane with me, but I have never dreamed of my plane actually getting hit or crashing. This was different.”Oliver did not want to get his hopes up at all. So, he pulled her back into his arms and settled back on the bed. “Do you think my Mother’s story is influencing my dreams or do you think I am actually remembering?”Oliver did not know what to say or think, so he decided to just be honest. “I don’t know Felicity. It could just be your mind taking the suggestion based on what your Mother told you.”Felicity sat up and sighed. “I need to talk to her again. There are so many questions I have Oliver.” She stood and started to pace. “Like how I ended up in Hong Kong and how the hell did I end up working for the COS?”“We were not even aware they were in China at the time.” Oliver tried to remember if there had been any evidence that they were there. He came up with nothing.“What could I possibly know that they did not want me to remember?” Felicity was almost talking to herself and Oliver knew that if she continued she would drive herself crazy.He moved to the edge of the bed and held out his hand to her. “I don’t know, but we will figure it out. In the meantime, we have a show to go to tomorrow. Do you think you will feel like going?”She took his hand and sat down next to him. “I just don’t know. Can we just see how tomorrow goes?”Oliver nodded. “It is late, and you need to get some sleep and so do I. I will go get our suitcases and then you can show me to my room.”He walked out the door and Felicity watched him go, her heart beating out of her chest, almost in a panic. She did not want to him to leave her, she wanted him with her. Wow, when did she become so dependent on him?He walked back in a few moments later and placed her suitcase at the foot of her bed. She was just staring at him and there was a panicked expression on her face.“What room am I in tonight?” He looked toward the door and when heard her voice he suddenly became still.“Would...would you stay in here tonight? With me? I mean we can sleep on top of the covers….I just…….I don’t want you to leave.”Oliver really wanted to stay. But he felt that she might be asking him out of emotions that she still did not fully understand.“Felicity, I…….”She stood up and her eyes were pleading, but her voice was understanding. “I understand if you don’t want……..”Oliver did not let her get any further as he walked up to her and placed his hands gently on her face, “Don’t want? Felicity I am hesitant because I DO want. I still love you just as much as the day we met, and it takes every single ounce of discipline I have not to touch you or hold you or kiss you, exactly how I want.”They were close, so very close that Felicity could feel the heat from his body drawing her closer. She lifted her hand to his cheek and when she touched him, he closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. God it had been so very long since her hands had been on him. He placed his hand over hers and held it there and because his eyes were closed he did not see her lean up on her tiptoes. He didn’t see anything, but he felt her. He felt her lips hesitantly touch his, as light as air, and he stopped breathing.He tried not to move for fear of spooking her, but he wanted to wrap his arms around her and carry her to the bed and show her just how much he loved her. She pressed her lips a little harder to his and he let his hand slip to the back of her head, not deepening the kiss but letting her know he was feeling it too. She placed her other hand on his shoulder and leaned into him. The feel of her body against his was a bittersweet agony and Oliver was more than happy to endure the pain. As their lips parted, their breaths mingling, their hearts racing, he leaned his forehead against hers and they clung to each other.Felicity felt a tingling in every single cell of her body. Just being this close to him, kissing him had done that and she reveled in it, if only for a moment. As they stayed close she willed for him to stay. Please stay! Don’t leave me.He finally pulled back and his blue eyes were dark with his desire for her, but he reigned in his feelings and he took a step back. “So, if I stay here, how do we do this?”Felicity felt relief as a wave of fresh air move through her and she smiled softly, “We can sleep on top of the covers. I have a couple of blankets in the closet.”Oliver nodded and stepped aside so she could grab the blankets and as they settled on the bed Oliver knew he would get little sleep that night. But just being near her, next to her, close to her was worth it. Oliver settled on his side, facing her. He just wanted to see her and know that she was here. That she was alive.Felicity settled on the bed next to Oliver with her back to him. She tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable but she just could not settle down. She hesitated only for a moment before she scooted a little closer to Oliver, and when he didn’t move, she scooted even closer. By now she was touching him and when he finally slipped his arm around her waist she finally settled down and soon was fast asleep. ***Oliver found that with Felicity in his arms, he DID fall asleep. He woke the next morning to her still snuggled up to him, her arm across his waist, her cheek on his chest and her leg thrown over both of his. She had him trapped and it made him smile. It was exactly the way they use to sleep and the fact that she had gone into that position subconsciously made him happy.He gently stroked her hair as he looked at her face and he kissed the top of her head holding her tight. She started to move around, slowly waking and when it finally registered where she was and who she was draped across, she looked up into his blue eyes that were watching her with tender patience.“Sorry.” She sheepishly tried to pull away, but Oliver held her close.“Just give me a few more minutes.”Felicity heard his words and she knew she did not want to get up just yet, so she settled back against him and entwined their fingers.“So, are you ready to face your Mother again this morning?”“As ready as I'll ever be. I need to get more answers.” She paused, “Do you think I am wrong to be angry at her Oliver?”Oliver had to think about that for a moment. He did not blame her at all for being angry. He was angry too, no he was furious. But this was Felicity’s Mother, her family. She needed to find a way to forgive.“I don’t think you are wrong Felicity. But I do think you need to work through your anger and then try to mend things with your Mom. Family is precious Felicity and those we love are only here for a season. You don’t want to lose that time.”“You always were too sensible.” Felicity heard the words flow from her mouth without thought and they both froze.She just had a memory.***
FIVE YEARS AGO
Felicity and Tommy walked back into the house where they were staying both drained, tired and feeling lost. They had just watched Oliver being taken away and the emptiness they both felt was mirrored in their faces. Tommy as his friend and Felicity as the woman he loved. Felicity felt determination wash over her as she looked at her dear friend. She was going to find this person who had injured Oliver and she was going to kill him.“Tommy enough of this moping, we need to get to work.” She sat down at her computer and started typing furiously. She was hiding her emotions in her work and for now he was alright with that. “I need you to tell me everything you can remember about where you guys were when Oliver was shot. Maybe I can find some footage of our target leaving and get a read on the direction he was headed.”Tommy sat down and rubbed his hands over his face as he tried to remember every single detail. Felicity typed as he spoke and as the day turned into night she did not stop. The sooner they found the bastard the sooner she could return home and return to Oliver.She rubbed the muscles in her shoulders a few hours later and sat back with a satisfying huff. She had her algorithms running and she had a lead.“Why don’t we try to get some rest? It is only three hours until we have to be ready to move out and I want to make sure that we don’t miss a beat tomorrow.” Felicity said the words as if on autopilot. She had now gone from pushing down her emotions to ignoring them and Tommy had gone silent as well. Neither knew what to say to the other and so they said nothing.Felicity headed to her room and took a quick shower before crawling into bed. She tossed and turned for a while, her body seeking the person that it had grown use to sleeping next to at night. Oliver. She finally sat up frustrated and slipping out of bed she wandered down to Tommy’s room and knocked on the door. He answered the door in a pair of sweats, shirtless with his hair rumpled and his eyes dark and tired. She could tell he was not sleeping either.“Can I come in here with you?” It was a simple request; one born out of their friendship and their trust. Nothing sexual, just comfort. He stepped back to let her in and she walked over and crawled onto his bed. Tommy pulled on a t-shirt and laid down next to her and when she moved closer and laid her head on his chest he gave a soft smile. They had become close as friends over the time they had known each other and if this had been any other woman it would have been hard lying in bed with her and not thinking about sex. But this was Felicity and she was like a sister to him. He loved her with his whole heart and she loved him, but neither one would ever betray the man who was part of their connection. To do so was unthinkable.They drew comfort from each other and soon fell asleep. Felicity’s dreams were troubled, and three hours passed way too quickly. Tommy’s alarm was soon beeping, and she kissed his cheek before they both crawled out of bed. They had a job to do and the sooner they moved out the better. Today, they would find and kill the man who had Oliver shot.***Several hours later found them both in stealth mode as they followed the coordinates that she found while searching for their target. Tommy was working with the rest of the team on the ground and Felicity was going to be working from the air. She was a pilot, a good one, and the team had decided to utilize that skill during this mission. She would be flying her Beechcraft C-12 Huron and as she moved swiftly through the air she felt comfortable and in control.Felicity loved to fly. It had become a passion of hers after she joined the Marines. She had feared heights her whole life and when she became a Marine she decided that facing her fears and overcoming them was something she needed to do. Her first flight in a Beechcraft had been the most liberating moment of her life. Seeing the ground fall away beneath her and feeling the freedom of soaring through the air had been addictive and so she had joined the pilot program at Camp Pendleton.As she checked her instruments and her coordinates, she radioed John that she was not far from the target location. He responded that they were close as well and as they spoke she suddenly heard them engaged in gunfire. John warned her to keep vigilant as the weapons the enemy was using were sophisticated, not at all what they had been expecting.“Overwatch this is BRAVO 629 we are under fire, I repeat we are under fire.”“Copy Bravo. I am moving into position.”“Overwatch abort. I repeat abort. Enemy fire is heavy; ground to air missiles have been sighted.”Felicity cursed under her breath. She was so close, and she had confidence in her ability to handle the enemy from the air. Her evasive tactics were some of the best and as much as she knew she should obey John, she was not going to leave her team mates fighting for their lives if there was something she could do.She checked her coordinates and found she was fast approaching the house, and so she turned off her radar and tracking systems, hoping to keep her approach as stealthy as possible. She was using landmarks to guide her at this point and as she approached she readied her plane to drop the gases that Bravo Squad had worked up to incapacitate the enemy.“Bravo 629 this is Overwatch. Please prepare for airdrop.”Before John could respond to her radio transmission Felicity heard an explosion at the back of her plane. She knew at that moment that she had been hit and as smoked filled the plane’s cabin, she released her bundle on the target and then immediately started to maneuver her plane away. She needed to get as far away from civilians as possible before she tried to land because she knew it was not going be a clean landing.She called mayday into the radio as she fought with the steering and as the tail lost power she was no longer steering the plane at all. She was at its mercy. She tried applying her brakes so that when she came down it would be at a more tolerable speed, but as she hit the brakes and they kicked in another explosion rocked the plane and soon she was going down like a rock. The bottom of her plane started to brush the trees and Felicity felt her heart beating in her chest as the trees started to break at the momentum of the plane’s wings. She braced knowing the next few moments were crucial and when her plane finally hit a tree and stopped, she hit her head, and everything went black.Felicity was not sure how long she was unconscious when she slowly came to that evening. It was pitch black outside and the only light was the moon shining down on that clear night. She gingerly touched her forehead and moved her limbs praying that nothing was broken. As she slipped out of her seatbelt and felt around the cabin she found the radio and tried to call for help. She only received static and realized that the radio must have been damaged.She cursed slightly as she moved her sore body from her seat and tried to feel around for the emergency bag that she always carried with her. John and the team surely had heard her mayday, so she needed to just stay put and they would find her soon.She finally located the bag and taking it to the back of the plane she settled in for the night. More than likely their search would not start until morning, so she took out the blanket and the bottle of water and after taking a sip she placed it back in the bag and tried to get some rest. Her dreams were filled with images of Oliver and the day they had become more than just comrades and friends and it was with those happy thoughts that she drifted off to sleep.
Oliver was aggravating. I mean really aggravating. He was good looking and smart and sexy as hell, but he was also infuriating sometimes and that was how he was being now. It was the day after the obstacle course and they were supposed to be working on tactical moves and he was going too easy on her. Every single time she would execute a move he was letting her get to him. It might not be obvious to Slade and John, but it was obvious to her.
“ Давай королева. Вы сражаетесь как девушка. (Come on Queen you’re fighting like a girl).” Felicity spoke the words as they circled each other and when Oliver’s eyebrow raised and the words she had spoken sank in, he narrowed his eyes at her.“ О, тебе нравится грубый Смок? (Oh, do you like it rough Smoak?)” He grinned and winked at her and she rolled her eyes. “ В твоих мечтах королева. Кроме того, вы забыли, я могу избежать рабства любого типа. (In your dreams Queen. Plus, you forget I can escape bondage of any type).” She grinned at him and soon they were falling to the mat as she took him down.Their legs and arms entangled as she placed her arm around his throat and started to squeeze. She had him right where she wanted him and when he finally tapped out she jumped up with a grin. “Next time use your evasive maneuvers Queen.” Slade’s voice rang out over the hanger as Oliver stepped off the mats and approached Felicity. Yes, he had gone a little easy on her and he could tell she knew it. Something had changed between them since their night at the bar, since their kiss and he was done trying to ignore it. They needed to figure out where they were going from here. He approached her from behind and Felicity felt a tingle run down her spine when he was near. She smiled to herself before she turned to face him.
“Good match.” He gave her a look of appreciation and she shrugged.
“It would have been a better match if you had shown up.” Tommy’s words from a few feet away made Oliver turn and glare at him and he winked before grabbing his bag and walking off.
Oliver followed Felicity as she gathered her things and when she placed her bag over her shoulder and turned to him, all he could think about at that moment was kissing her again. “So how would you like to go play some pool tonight?” Felicity started walking toward the hanger entrance with Oliver in step beside her. She wanted to see him tonight, so she hoped he did not mind her suggesting pool. It had been several days since they had been alone, and she wanted to take things slow. “Sounds good. I will meet you at the bar at 7:00 p.m.” Oliver winked at her before he walked off and Felicity could not stop her eyes from wandering down over his ass. He was one fine specimen of manhood and she could not wait to see more of him.
She entered the bar later that night and Oliver was already there, nursing a beer and he smiled when she approached. She looked particularly pretty that evening in her sundress and sandals and as she took a seat and smiled at him, Oliver felt like he was basking in the sun.
“You look beautiful tonight.” She smiled at him, “So do you.”
Oliver blushed lightly and when the waitress came and took her drink they started talking. They were laughing and having a good time as Oliver regaled her with stories of him and Tommy and the trouble that always seemed to find them when they were out together. As the drinks flowed and the evening wore on, Felicity didn’t know how it happened, but she was soon sitting on the same side of the booth as him and he had turned to her with his arm along the back of the booth. She laughed at something he said and placed her hand on his chest and when she realized what she had done she suddenly felt a sexual awareness flare to life between them.
She tried to remove her hand, but Oliver’s quickly covered hers and before either of them could think about it they were kissing. This was kiss was more passionate, more personal than their first and when his tongue slipped between her lips and slid along her tongue she moaned.
Oliver felt that moan all the way to his toes and she shifted closer to him as his hand slipped to the back of her neck, their kiss becoming more heated. They were making out like two teenagers and neither one of them cared. Felicity moaned again as she leaned into his hard body and……… Felicity was jerked awake by the sound of voices coming from outside the plane. She tried to listen to see if she recognized them and when she did not her heart started to race. She felt around for a weapon anything and slowly crawled toward the front. She heard the voices talking on a radio and then the door to her plane opened."We have found the plane so but so far no signs of life. We didn't find a body on the outside, so it must mean she is still inside the plane."Felicity tried to scramble back her defenses kicking in as she moved. She prayed that John and Bravo Squad would show up soon because she did not recognize these guys and even though they were American they did not look friendly. The man that was looking inside spotted her instantly. “I have her Sir.” He spoke to someone behind him before he pulled out a gun. Felicity screamed as he aimed it at her and she only had a moment to register that it was a dart gun before her world went black again.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Felicity woke lying on a cot, her head throbbing, her muscles stiff. She looked around in confusion as she tried to sit up and hissed when the throbbing in her head turned to pounding. Shit! What was in that dart?She sat on the side of the cot and immediately noticed she was in a military facility. The walls were painted a dull grey and there was another cot across the room from her. A desk and chair sat against the wall between the two cots, almost like a dorm. She stood gingerly to her feet and swiveled defensively when the door to the room opened. “Felicity, I am so glad to see you awake.” She knew this man, his Australian accent distinguishable anywhere. She looked at him in shock. “Slade? What....what is going on? Where am I?” She looked at him as she swayed on her feet and when he reached a hand to steady her she quickly pulled away. “Why did you dart me and what the hell did you use?”Slade knew he had to be cautious and take things easy. He needed to explain things to her, but he was also very aware that if he made the wrong move she could escape easily. “Listen, why don’t we go to my office, get a cup of coffee, let you get your bearings and then we can talk?”Felicity looked at him hesitantly before she walked over to the door. She was still very defensive, but she needed to know what was happening. Why was Slade here and why had one of his men used a tranquilizer dart on her?Slade led her down the all and she noted doors with lots of activity going on behind him. She caught glimpses of computers and monitors and when he came to the last door in the hall and walked through she stepped through hesitantly as he closed the door behind her.“Please Felicity, have a seat. I will have my assistant bring us some coffee.” He stepped behind his desk and picked up the phone asking whomever was on the other side to bring two cups of coffee, sugar and creamer. She looked around his office noting the maps hanging on the walls and several memos. She was looking at one of the memo’s and noted the letters “C.O.S.” across the top before the door behind her opened and a young marine stepped through in her dress uniform carrying the coffee, sugar and creamer.“Thank you, Lisa.”The woman glanced up at her before she walked out and closed the door behind her. Slade took a seat and set a cup of the coffee close to her. She took it gingerly and adding sugar and a little creamer took a sip. The coffee was hot and good, and she closed her eyes for a moment before she flicked them back open and pierced him with a look.“Now, talk.” Her voice showed she was in no mood for games and so Slade decided to start from the beginning.“Have you heard of the “Covert Operations Squad?” Slade asked the question directly.“Yes. I mean I have heard the rumors that float around every military base.”“Well I am the director of this group. These are individuals that the military and government have singled out as being the best of the best. Some have specialties in arms, other computers and others in tactical situations. Our team handles only the worst cases that the American people and even some government officials never hear about. The President, Vice President and top military leaders are privy to this team and our missions are top secret.”“Ok, but what does that have to do with me and why the hell did you have me tranquilized?”“I am sorry about that, but we did not know how open you would be to helping us, and I wanted a chance to talk to you. Don't worry, the medicine is the most advanced sleep drug and has not been released to the medical community as of yet. I was assured you would suffer no side affects once it fully wears off." He smiled, "We have had our eye on you from the time you entered the military Felicity. I was put in place to assess you and report back as to whether you were COS material.”“So, you’re not a First Sergeant with Bravo Squad?”Slade gave her a self-deprecating smile. “No.”“What are you doing in China and how did you get to me so fast when my plane went down?” She had a lot of questions and the fact that Slade was not who she thought he was made her suspicious and nervous.“Well first of all we are now in Hong Kong, not China, and we knew about your plane because we have had someone tailing you since you started this mission.”She was floored. “Why? What do you want from me?”“We want your help to take down a threat that could possibly wipe out our biggest military base with just a push of a button.”“What kind of threat?”Slade stood and walked around to the front of his desk. He leaned back casually and crossed his arms over his chest.“One of our marines recently went rogue while on a mission here in Hong Kong. We spent weeks tracking him down and finally were able to locate some intel that he had joined an underground resistance group that was threatening to take out our largest military installation. He has been working with the leader of this resistance who is a known American citizen and has been in our line of sight for a while. Now we don’t’ normally take these small resistance groups to too seriously but then we found out that they have access to atomic bombs. Several atomic bombs. That information put them on our radar, and when we also learned that the leader is unstable, the stakes were raised. We needed to eliminate them.”“What do you need me for then? It seems you can just use whoever gave you this intelligence, find their location and wipe them from the earth. They should be nothing against our military.”“You would think so, right?” Slade smirked. “But see there is one problem. The man that is heading up this resistance group is smart. He moves from location to location and says that he can send the missiles with a push of a button from his computer.”She frowned. “Who is he? And again, what can I do to help?”“Well I know from working with you that your computer skills are some of the best I have ever seen and the because of who this man is, the higher ups and I feel you will be the best and most qualified person to help bring him down.”Felicity sat back and looked at him with a look of concern. There was something more going on here that she could not put her finger on, something that was making Slade anxious.“Ok, then who is this guy?”“Your father Noah Kuttler.”“My father…..what?……..how is that possible?”Slade walked back around and sat behind his desk steepling his fingers as he gave her a peculiar look. “Your father has been underground for years now. The government has been keeping an eye on him, but he never really dabbled in anything other than small crimes. Then two years ago he went radio silent. We completely lost track of him and even had presumed him dead. And then one day he just popped back up. He was working under his hacker name and as we started to track him he became cocky and started sending our computer techs messages through our very secure system. About a year before you started with Bravo Squad he sent us a message stating that there was some “cleansing” that needed to take place. At first, we just took it as the ramblings of a mad man but then he sent us proof that he had his hands on military grade missiles. Missiles that could carry an atomic bomb for hundreds of miles. It seems he has some backers with bottomless pockets, some in high positions of power in our government and others and their goal is to create a genocide of sorts and then slowly take over during the chaos.”She stood and looked at him, the shock seeping through her bones. “Slade, I have not talked to my father in over 20 years. He doesn’t care about me. What makes you think I can stop him or that I would want to try? I am sure you have men or women who are much smarter than me.”“That is the problem. We don’t. You are the best Felicity, and I believe you are the only person that can hack into his system and shut him down. As for if you would want to try, we have some incentive for you.” He reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a folder and slid it across the desk.She looked at it warily before she opened the cover and the pictures inside made her gasp. There was a picture of every single member of Bravo Squad and Oliver and Tommy’s pictures were right on top.“What is this?" She asked the question almost hesitantly as she thumbed through the images.“Your incentive. You see, we didn’t know if you would outright turn us down, but we wanted to be prepared. So here is the deal. You help us take down your father, or we will make sure that every single member of Bravo Squad dies. Plain and simple.”***
PRESENT DAY
Felicity looked at Oliver in shock. The words she had said just flowed out of her mouth so easily.“That is a good sign, right? I mean, me remembering how sensible you can be during a crisis is good, right?” She looked at him earnestly wanting to believe so badly that this was a good sign; and it was.“Yes Felicity, it is a very good sign. You’re getting back some of your feelings so that is always good. Your visual memories will come back too. I promise.”Oliver lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles but when Felicity leaned over and softly placed her lips on his he wanted to shout for joy. She was being affectionate with him on her own and she was kissing him, and he could not be happier. He placed a hand to her cheek but kept to his side of the bed and when she shifted closer and deepened the kiss he had to fight hard not to put his arms around her and lay her down.Oh, how she loved kissing him. Felicity allowed her hands to slide up into his hair and before she could think about what she was doing, she moved to her knees and crawled to him, straddling his lap. He was so warm and familiar, and he made her knees week and she wanted nothing more than to let her hands and lips discover everything single thing about him. Oliver let his hands rest on her hips loosely as she pulled back and looked at him. Her eyes reflected the desire that he knew was also showing in his own and she ran her thumb over his bottom lip as she stared down at him.“I want to take this further so very much. But right now, is not the right time. Do you understand?” She prayed that he did understand. She hoped he could feel how she felt about him.With her sitting there on his lap, the apex of her thighs so scantily covered pressing down on him and his own body alive and attuned to her Oliver wanted more. Oh, so much more. But she was right. Now was not the right time.He placed both of his hands to her face and the smoldering look he gave her almost made her melt. “Soon Felicity. I promise.” He leaned up and kissed her hard, letting her feel what he had been holding so neatly in check and when they parted, both panting, he set her to the side, not able to take her body so intimately pressed to his for another second. The promise was there, and he was going to make damn sure it was kept.“I am going to jump in the shower.”Oliver and Felicity took turns taking a shower and she dressed in the bathroom while he got dressed in her room. It was semi-awkward, but when she walked out and saw him standing there, she felt a sense of calm wash over here. She was not looking forward to seeing her Mom again this morning and having him there helped settle her down.They walked down the hall and Felicity gave her Mom a side glance as she walked over to the fridge and pulled out some orange juice.“Honey, did you sleep ok?” Donna’s voice sounded hesitant, as if she was afraid to ask and Oliver gave her a reassuring look as Felicity sat down on a stool at the breakfast bar and cradled her cup in her hands.“I slept fine Mom. Listen, I need you to tell me everything you know, from beginning to end about my time with COS.”Donna looked a little rattled, “Well I told you everything that I know. Because your memory had already been erased by the time I got to Hong Kong I didn’t learn anything about the mission you were on or who was heading it up. The men that came to my home and extended the offer were obviously stooges for someone higher up. But they were military, of that I am certain.”Felicity looked over at Oliver and she could see the wheels spinning in his head.“Oliver, there has been another man in my dreams. He was stocky with brown hair and brown eyes. But the thing that always stuck out to me was his accent. It was Australian.” She looked at him wondering if this man held key to the mystery. Did Oliver know him?Oliver looked at her in surprise, “You mean Slade Wilson. He was our First Sergeant. Interestingly he started working with John about six months before you started. He was a transfer.” Oliver’s brows furrowed as he thought back to those five years. “He helped with the search for you, but when we were told officially that you were dead, he fell off the radar. I asked about him but was told he had a family emergency back in Australia and he had moved back home.”“Do you think he could be our key to finding out more about my time in Hong Kong?” She felt hope spread through her chest, but it was quickly dashed.“Sure, but no one has been able to find him. When we opened the gym, we contacted him for the Grand Opening. No one could locate him. Not even John’s wife Lyla.” Lyla worked for a group called A.R.G.U.S., and they were known for being able to track anyone or anything down.“Well maybe I should try then.” She gave him a confident look.She was not giving up. She had a sick feeling that this Slade was the key and she was going to find him.
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PRESENT DAY
Oliver had been on the phone with Tommy and John for over 30 minutes filling them in on everything that had transpired since he and Felicity had spoken to Donna. They both were surprised at the details and John made it perfectly clear to them that he knew nothing about COS or if Slade was involved. Oliver ran a hand through his hair as he hung up the phone and walked back into the living room where Felicity was seated on the couch, her hair in a messy bun, glasses low on her nose and her fingers were flying across the keyboard of her laptop.“How did your talk go?” She looked up as he entered the room and he sat down next to her and sighed.“Tommy and John are just as shocked as we are, and Tommy wants to beat someone’s ass.” He gave a huff of a laugh and Felicity smiled. Oliver looked around and noted the absence of Felicity’s Mother.“Did your Mom leave for work?”“Yes, she is working a double shift, so we won’t see her until tomorrow morning when we leave for the airport.”“Have you thought any more about the show tonight?”Felicity had been so busy trying to track down some clue of the location of Slade Wilson that she had completely forgot about Cirque d’Soleil. “Oliver can we just stay in tonight?”Oliver smiled softly, “On one condition.”“What?”“You put that computer away in another hour and let me cook you some dinner.”Felicity glanced at her computer and then back up at him with a smile. “I can set these searches to run on their own and have them ping my phone so, you have a deal.”Oliver smiled and then stood. “Ok good. I am going to walk down to the grocery store and will be back shortly. One hour.” He leaned down and kissed her cheek before he turned and walked out the front door.Felicity stretched her arms and got back to work immediately. She wanted to make sure she had everything set to go when her hour was up.***Tommy and John had talked after hanging up the phone with Oliver and they had decided John needed to call Lyla and see what she could find out. A.R.G.U.S., was still heavily involved with the Marines and even had some highly classified files that they stored for them.“Johnny, hey what’s going on did you hear from Oliver?”John had Lyla on speaker phone as he and Tommy sat in his office. He prayed she could help them.“I have Tommy sitting here with me Lyla and yes, we just got off the phone with Oliver just a moment ago. We need your help.”“Sure, anything you know that.”“Felicity’s Mom told them about how Felicity went missing five years ago. It seems she was somehow intercepted by a group of the government called “COS” and after she completed a mission and was injured they wiped her memory.”“Oh my god that is awful.”“Yes. Also, Oliver seemed to remember that not long after Felicity was declared dead, Slade Wilson went missing. No one has been able to locate him since, and Oliver is wondering if there is some kind of connection.”“Johnny you know as well as I do that the “COS” is highly classified. I’m not sure my clearance goes up that far.”“I know Lyla, but can you look into this for us? The fact that they wiped her memory and made us believe she was dead. It’s crazy. We need answers but more importantly our friend needs answers. Felicity needs our help.”Lyla had never had the pleasure of meeting Felicity, but she had heard all the stories from John, Oliver and Tommy and she felt like she knew her.“I will do my best. But you owe me.” John could hear Lyla’s smile through the phone.“You are my better half Lyla.”“Yes, and don’t you forget it.”John hung up and Tommy sat back placing his hands behind his head. “What do we do now? I mean I can’t just sit here and do nothing. Felicity is my family.”“I think you and I need to pay a visit to the other team members.”Tommy grinned as he and John stood to walk out. “Now that sounds like a plan.”***Oliver grabbed the ingredients that he needed and headed back to Donna’s house. He was enjoying his time with Felicity and he wanted to cook something special. Something that would hopefully spark her memory. It was the same meal they had the night of their first date. They had met at the bar where they had first played darts and the evening had been going wonderfully. His steps slowed as the memory and feelings washed over him. It was the day that changed him forever.
Things were moving along wonderfully on their second date, and Oliver felt almost a giddy feeling in his chest as he and Felicity enjoyed each other’s company. She had slowly moved to his side of the booth and for the last 15 minutes they had been making out like teenagers, neither one caring where they were or that they were in public. Their chemistry was undeniable and after kissing until they were both panting and breathless Oliver decided that they both needed to slow down and eat something. He knew Felicity was a light weight as a drinker and he wanted to get some food in her stomach so that if things moved further, they couldn’t blame it on being drunk.
Being in a bar, burgers, fries, hot dogs and wings were par for the course. So, Oliver ordered two burgers with sweet potato fries and a side of ranch dressing. It was simple and fun, and the food was good. They laughed and talked as the evening wore on and when Felicity turned to him, a spot of ranch on her lip, he could not help himself and he pulled her to him and kissed it away.
Their kisses grew heated again as they forgot about where they were once again and just gave into their longing and need for each other.
“Oliver, we need to leave.”
Oliver frowned because she seemed agitated and her skin was flushed. “Are you not feeling well?”
She leaned closer, “I am feeling amazing and that is part of why we need to leave.” She leaned closer and whispered in his ear. “I want to be alone.”
Oliver’s eyes widened as he finally realized WHY they needed to leave, and he quickly threw some bills on the table as she stood and then he took her hand and led her out of the bar. He didn’t know where they were going to go since Tommy was in their room and so he stopped.
“Tommy is back in my room.” Oliver felt a little frustrated. Normally he enjoyed sharing a room with Tommy but tonight was one of those nights that he wished he lived alone.
“That is why we are going back to my room. Being one of the few females on base has its benefits.”
She took his hand and he followed her happily. They had been dancing around each other for awhile and their sparring matches had slowly heated up to the point that Tommy was constantly groaning and telling them to get a room from the sidelines.
They made their way to her room and when she opened the door and walked inside it was mere seconds before she had him pushed up against the door that had closed behind them. Her body was soft and hard and all things delicious as she pressed against him and kissed him senseless. Their hands roamed and tugged at clothing as moans and sighs filled the room.
Oliver loved the fact that she was his equal in every way and her taking control in this moment sent his senses skyrocketing. She gripped the bottom of his shirt and tugged it up over his head and when he tried to reach for hers she grinned into the kiss and moved away. She pulled him forward by the waist of his pants as she backed into the room and then she stopped and started unbuttoning her shirt. Oliver’s body was charged and the electric current between them had her fingers trembling and when she got to the last button and her shirt fell to the floor Oliver immediately pulled her to him and kissed her deeply. Their tongues danced as they nipped and sucked at each other’s lips and the feel of their skin touching was heaven to them both.
She reached behind her and unhooked her bra as their lips stayed connected and when their chests came together they both sighed, hers turning to a soft whimper as the friction from his chest caused her nipples to harden. They both made quick work of each other’s pants, their hands lingering in places that made the other groan and soon they were on the bed, Oliver’s body hovering over her as he held himself up on his hands and knees. He stopped kissing her to look down at her and seeing the desire and passion in her eyes he scooted back on the bed.
“Where…..where are you going?” Her words were a pant of surprise.
His hands slid between her thighs as he parted her legs, and he gave her a sensual smile as he settled between them. “Oh, I am not going anywhere until I have tasted every single inch of you.” Her head fell back as she felt the scruff from his cheek scrape along her inner thigh. He placed soft kisses to her skin as he lifted her legs over his shoulders. She moved up onto her elbows wanting to see him between her legs and when he kissed his way to the apex of her thighs she placed a hand in his hair her fingers flexing. He kissed and nibbled, as she rocked against him, her moans sweet music to his ears. She was panting and writhing beneath him as he licked and sucked around her nether lips and when he plunged his tongue inside of her, she arched her hips up off the bed and gasped. He held her hips with his hands, keeping her body in place as his tongue advanced and retreated. He could feel her body tightening and trembling and when he placed his thumb against her clit and started to rub she exploded against him.
He held her tightly to his mouth as she came, her juices coating his lips and tongue, and when she finally settled, her breathing ragged, he placed a kiss to her body before sliding slowly up her chest. Her eyes were half-lidded with satisfaction and Oliver leaned up and kissed her lips, letting her taste her body on his tongue.
“You taste heavenly.” He whispered the words into their kiss and then settled his hips between her thighs. His cock pressed right to where she was most sensitive, and she quickly moved her hands into his hair as the kiss deepened and he pressed his hips forward.
“Oliver.” His name escaped on a sweet breath as he slowly pushed forward and entered her. When he had pushed inside as far as he could go, and their hips were touching on every plane, he kissed his way down her cheek to her neck and gently nipped her shoulder. The feeling caused her to clench around him and he started to move.
She slid her hands down along the sweat slicked skin of his back as he pumped his hips and their bodies danced. She held his head to her neck as he pumped long and deep strokes, her body primed from her orgasm.
“Felicity….” He whispered her name as he let his body experienced the feel of being one with her. Their bodies seemed made for each other and they moved together effortlessly. His hips pumped into her grinding against her most sensitive parts and Oliver took her hands and gripped them tightly holding them to the side of her head as he sank into her over and over.
“Felicity…” Her name was becoming a litany from his lips as she met his bodies movements and she could feel the tension building inside of her again as his thrusts became deeper and harder.
She gasped again and again, rocking with him and when he tensed and suddenly reached his climax, she flew over the edge with him. They continued to rock together, still joined as they tried to calm their breathing and their bodies started to come back down from their intense union. It was everything they had thought it would be and more and Oliver pulled back and kissed her lips softly before he moved away from her and laid by her side.
She snuggled up to him and put her head on his chest and hearing the lull of his heartbeat soon had her sound asleep. Oliver looked down at the beautiful blonde that had changed his world and he kissed her head softly as he said.
“I think I am falling for you.”
Oliver stopped walking as he remembered that moment in time. It had been a moment he would never forget. He smiled softly as he thought of her waiting for him and he started walking quickly ready to be back in her presence.Oliver walked into Donna’s house with their first time still fresh on his mind. That had been a changing point for him in their relationship back then. It was the first time that he had acknowledged that he could love her, and it had not been long before he fell hard and fast.Felicity looked up from her laptop and when she saw him walk in she closed the lid and set it down on the coffee table. She jumped up and ran over trying to peek in the bags he was carrying.“So, what are you making?”“It’s a surprise. Let’s just say it was something we ate on our first date.” He grinned at her quizzical look.She hated that she could not remember that time in their life but the fact that he was here and trying so hard to help her remember made her body feel warm all over.Oliver kissed her quickly before heading to the kitchen and he threw five words over his shoulder that made her stop and place her hands on her hips in annoyance.“Stay out of the kitchen.”
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Oliver took his time getting the table set and the burgers just right. He wanted everything perfect for his first time cooking for her. He had never gotten the opportunity five years ago and it had been a regret. Once he had everything set, he walked into the living room to see Felicity had changed her clothes. She had been in jeans and a shirt, but she had changed into a beautiful cornflower blue sundress with flowers scattered over it and it fell to her knees showcasing the beautiful legs that he had always admired.“Dinner’s ready.”Felicity smiled at him and Oliver felt like the sun had just shined directly on him. She was so beautiful. She walked into the kitchen and when she saw what he had made she laughed.“Wait. We are having hamburgers?” She grinned at him.“Yes, why? Don’t you like hamburgers?”“I love hamburgers, but I was expecting something more elaborate like spaghetti or chicken cacciatore.”“Well there is a reason I made this meal.” Oliver walked over and pulled out her chair and she sat with a smile. Oliver moved to his seat and sat down across from her. “So, our first real date, you and I met at a bar near the base. I knew you were a lightweight when it came to drinking and we were going at it pretty hot and heavy in the booth so….”Felicity protested, but Oliver continued, “Sooo, I ordered us some food.”Felicity wrinkled her nose in that cute way he loved, “Ummm, hot and heavy?”Oliver nodded trying to stay serious, “Yes you jumped me in the booth and ……..”“I did not jump you in the booth, we were kissing…..” Felicity’s eyes flew wide. “Oliver….We were, we were kissing and making out in the booth.”Oliver’s heart lept in his chest, “Yes.”“And you order us some burgers and fries.”Felicity’s eyes teared up and she looked at him almost in awe, “That was our first night together.”Oliver’s eyes teared up as well and he reached across for her hand, “It was the first night we made love.”The tears dripped down her cheeks as she squeezed his hand, not wanting to let go. “It’s a little fuzzy but I remember we went to my room.” She looked at him with such a soft expression that Oliver’s heart skipped a beat, and then she giggled. “We ummm, kind of were in a hurry.”Oliver could not speak as he listened to her recall their first night together. He could see each time a memory surfaced about that night and it was all he could do not to push the table aside and take her in his arms right then.She smiled at him, a truly brilliant smile. “I remember that night.”Oliver could not stop himself and he moved around the table and leaned down and kissed her on the lips. She cupped his face and held his lips to her own as they kissed and laughed. He pulled back and brushed a tear from her cheek.“Do you remember anything else?”She paused and then shook her head no. “But I feel it Oliver. I feel the feelings we both felt that night.”Oliver sat down in the chair next to her, content at least for the small memory she DID have. Felicity’s heart was racing, and she looked at the food and then back at him. “Will this reheat?”Oliver looked at his food wondering why she asked that question and then he looked at her. She was staring at him with such longing and desire that it floored him. He had not seen that look in so very long.“I think it will reheat just fine.”She stood and took his hand and then led him down the hall to her room. Oliver followed her lead, his heart racing and his body attuned only to her. This was still new to her despite her memory, he was new to her, so he wanted to let her set the pace.She closed the door behind him and then turned and leaned against it. It was such a simple, sexy move that Oliver could only stand still and wait. She looked at him with a vulnerable expression that made his hands clench and then she moved closer to him. She placed her hands on his chest and licked her lips and Oliver shifted his stance, his body responding to her closeness.“I have so many feelings going on right now inside of me Oliver. So many emotions that I don’t know what to do with and it is a little terrifying. But one thing is a constant and something that I know deep in my soul. I want to be with you.” She looked up at him and he let his hands gently cup her face.“Felicity, I will wait for you as long as it takes. I’m not going anywhere.”“I don’t want to wait. Not for this.” She pushed up on her tip toes and pressed her lips softly to his and his hands tightened on her cheeks. He brushed his lips back and forth across hers and when she opened to him and his tongue moved along her own, she moaned sweetly. Jesus, he had missed that sound so very much. It was life to him.She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed closer and he deepened the kiss. She toed off her shoes, leaving her barefoot and then she tugged on his shirt, pulling it up and over his head. He broke the kiss to remove the shirt and then kissed her quickly again. She could feel him pressing against her, so hard and amazing and she wanted more. She felt greedy and so she kissed down his cheek to his chest, wanting to explore every inch of his delicious body.Oliver’s eyes closed as her hair scraped along his chin and he reached for the buttons on her dress. He undid them slowly wanting to savor every single inch of her and when the dress fell to the floor and he saw her standing there in just a pair of lace panties his body heated.She grabbed onto his neck and kissed him deeply and Oliver could not stop his hands from sliding down over her breasts down her hips to her thighs. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around him as he held her up, neither of them wanting to break the kiss.Oliver turned and walked to the bed and when he laid her down gently and then stood up all the love he had been holding back poured out in his gaze. She was there, laid out before him, beautiful, warm and alive and nothing would ever take this moment or her away from him.He undid his jeans and pushed them down his legs and when he stepped out of them and stood before her she looked him over with a hungry gaze that honestly made him harder. She quickly sat up and moved to the end of the bed. His body was right there in front of her and when she licked her lips and touched him he could hardly take it. Her touch was light and hesitant at first and Oliver closed his eyes trying to hold onto his self-control. He wanted her to get use to him, to the feel of him but it was difficult to not push her back and thrust right into her waiting warmth.Felicity’s touch grew bolder and when she cupped his balls and kissed the tip of his cock, he growled deep in his chest. She found she liked that sound, and she grinned and did it again. Oliver knew she wanted to explore and taste, but he needed her so badly that he finally pushed her hand away and lifted her underneath her arms up the bed. He crawled up between her legs and she arched her hips in need.“Oliver….” She held out her hands to him wanting to bring him to her, but he kept his body up and off her while he leaned his head down and took one of her nipples into his mouth. She moaned loudly and arched her head back pressing her chest up into his mouth. He sucked harder when he felt her hands in his hair and when he nipped her slightly her fingers tightened, pulling his hair. The pleasure pain was erotic, and he quickly moved his mouth across her chest to her other breast, not wanting to leave it untouched.“Oliver” Her voice was needy and desperate and his mouth was driving her insane and she knew that if his mouth was doing things to her like this, then when they joined it would be explosive. She dragged his head up to her mouth and kissed him deeply sliding her tongue aggressively along his and spread her legs to accommodate him.Oliver leaned his hips down so that he was between her thighs and his hard cock was resting right against her hot and wet core. He slid his right hand down between her legs, wanting to feel her and to be sure she was ready and when he touched her and felt just how wet she was he growled again in absolute primal need. This was his love, the woman he desire above all others and he stroked her hearing her whimpers and moans hit his ear.She slid her hands down his back, her nails lightly scraping and when her hands cupped his ass she pressed down. She needed him inside of her so bad that her core was throbbing and when he finally started to move forward she lifted her legs to his hips. He slowly entered her as their lips and tongues danced again and when he felt her heat he thrust in deep. She cried out loudly and remembering they were in her Mother’s house, she instantly slapped her hand over her mouth and giggled.Oliver laughed and adjusted his hips, wanting her to feel him. “Felicity? Your Mom is not here.”She removed her hand and laughed and then she leaned up and kissed him deep, swiveling her hips. “Move Oliver, please.”Oliver didn’t have to be asked twice. He started to thrust long, slow and deep and each time he bottomed out she cried out with a guttural “yes”. Hearing her and feeling her all around him caused him to finally lose all self-control and soon he was thrusting with an increased speed and intensity as the last five years of pain and anguish washed away with their joining. They were together again just as they were meant to be and when she leaned up and nipped his ear and he smelled her arousal he started to drive them both toward release.“Oliver…….I love you.” He heard those words. Those three words he had been waiting five years to hear again and as he continued to move he leaned down to her ear and whispered, “I love you too baby.”Their moves became frantic and passionate as they both chased their release and when Oliver reached down and flicked her clit with his fingers, Felicity exploded beneath him. Her body convulsed as she cried out his name and when he felt her orgasm milking him, he thrust in three times hard and came with a groan of complete release. Her name left his lips as he hit his high and as they started to come back down she held onto him tight, not wanting their connection to end.Oliver held her to him, his face nestled into the crook of her shoulder and she kissed his head and wrapped her legs tighter around him. He pulled back and looked down at her with a soft expression. “You said you love me.”Felicity gently stroked his cheek, “Because I do. I don’t know if this is me remembering or new feelings, but it is how I feel, and I wanted you to know.”They softly touched each other, still joined, just basking in each other’s love. He leaned down and kissed her softly pulling out and sliding to her side. He pulled her back into his embrace and gently stroked her arm as she settled on his chest.“I’m sorry for the pain you went through.” Oliver looked down at her when he heard her soft words.“It wasn’t your fault Felicity. Someone erased your memory, and I promise you we are going to find out exactly who that was and why.” He kissed her head and laid his head back on the pillow as his hand absently stroked her arm.“I am hoping my program will get us a lead on Slade's whereabouts. I mean he must be involved. Why else would he disappear?”“Well with your program and John and Tommy working on leads as well, I have no doubt we will come up with something.”Felicity leaned up on her elbow, so she could look at him. “When we get back to Star City, will you help me train and relearn all of my skills?”Oliver looked at her in happy surprise, “Of course I will.” He grinned. “You were good. You gave me a run for my money.”She crawled up on this chest and straddled his hips. “I did hu? You mean I could best big ole bad you?”Oliver laughed and moved his hands from behind his head to her waist. “Only because I let you. I liked being underneath you.”She quirked an eyebrow and lightly scraped his chest with her nails, “Oh you let me?” She tickled him and he pretended to squirm, but then he grabbed her hands and said.“Я посмотрел в твои красивые глаза, и я был потерян. (I looked into your beautiful eyes and I was lost).” Oliver spoke the words in Russian and she completely surprised him when she said.“Как будто я заблудился в твоем. (Just like I get lost in yours).” He sat up and kissed her deeply and they got lost in each other again. She was starting to remember. Felicity's Sundress
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Felicity and Oliver dressed and ate their dinner a few hours later. Their bodies were spent and screaming for food and Felicity didn’t care that the fries were cold, and the burger was reheated, it was the best dinner she had ever eaten. She was lost in thought as she chewed her burger, wondering what memories would return and would they return in full or in part? She wasn’t sure but the fact that she was remembering things about him, made her smile a soft smile.He was wonderful, and she leaned her chin on her hand and gave him a curious look, “Were you with anyone else in the last five years?”Oliver was stunned by her question. It wasn’t the fact that she was asking if he had been with anyone, I mean that was natural. It was the fact that her asking meant she cared. He could honestly answer that he had not been with anyone. He had undergone rehab for over a year after he was shot and then searching for her had consumed up most of his time. After the search for her had been called off he had drowned himself in his work and opening the gym. There had been many opportunities for him to be with another woman. The offers had been there, and he had been flattered, but something had always made him hold back and now he wondered if it was because something was telling him she was still alive.“No, I was not with another woman.”She gave him a skeptical look. “Really?”“Really. There was opportunities, but I just was not interested.” It irked her that women had obviously thrown themselves at him, but it was not a surprise. The surprise was that he had not given in and that made her warm all over.They finished up their food and cleaned the kitchen together, the scene feeling very domesticate and then Felicity dragged him back down the hall to bed, and their evening progressed all over again. Being with Oliver was easy and wonderful and truly amazing and as they lay a few hours later, both exhausted Felicity’s anger renewed as Oliver slept. He had been taken so cruelly away from her. They had lost five years together. She started to tremble, and Oliver drew her closer in his sleep. She would talk to her Mother again in the morning. She soon fell into a deep, troubled sleep.***Felicity woke early the next morning before her Mother arrived home. She wanted to talk to her on her own and so she slipped quietly out of bed and threw on Oliver’s shirt and some shorts before she made her way down the hall. She started some coffee and soon heard her Mother coming in the front door.“Baby, what are you doing up so early? We don’t have to leave for the airport for another three hours.”“I wanted to talk to you Mom, just the two of us.”Donna noted that her daughter was in Oliver’s shirt from the day before and she could sense that something had happened, something had changed.“Sure baby. Can I get a cup of that coffee first?”Felicity took her own cup and headed to the living room as her Mom poured a cup and soon they were settled in the living room face to face. She could see her Mom’s hand trembling and she steeled her resolve.“Mom, I want you to know that I understand why you did what you did five years ago. I know you were scared for me and as a Mother you felt like you were doing the right thing.” And she truly did understand but it did not make the fact that she lied to her hurt any less. “However, I was kept away from people that I loved for five years. Do you know how that makes me feel?”Donna had tears in her eyes as she saw the pain in her daughter’s face.“I feel violated and betrayed in the worst way. And I know it was not you that did this to me. But in a small way I feel like you did not protect me and that is going to take some time to get over.”Donna nodded because she understood what her daughter was saying, “When do you think we can start working through this?”“Soon. I just need some time ok? And if you remember anything else Mom, you HAVE to tell me.”Donna nodded, and Felicity walked over and hugged her Mother. She might not be happy with her at the moment, but she loved her, and she knew that what Donna had done had been out of love.They turned as they heard Oliver walk into the room. He paused in the doorway seeing them hugging, “Am I interrupting?”“No Oliver, please come in. I was just talking to my Mom like you said I should.”He walked over and kissed her softly and Donna smiled at them both. “Oliver, I see how much you love my daughter and I just want you to know how happy I am you have found each other again.” She walked over and hugged him, and he held her Mother lightly as Felicity shrugged her shoulders at him over her Mother’s shoulder. He needed to get use to her Mother and her quirks.***Felicity’s Mom dropped them at the airport a few hours later and they promised to come back and see Donna again soon before heading into the airport. The flight back to Star City was uneventful and Oliver held her hand the whole way there.Tommy had promised to pick them up at the airport and when he saw them holding hands a bright smile crossed his face.“Oh my god, please tell me this means what I think it means.” He was grinning from ear to ear and Oliver groaned as Felicity approached Tommy.She smiled up at him and touched his cheek, “I don’t have all of my memories back just yet, but I have a few. And I just want you to know Tommy. I WILL remember you.” She leaned up her on her tip toes and hugged his neck and Tommy’s eyes teared up. “I promise Merlyn.”Tommy hugged her tighter when he heard that. It was the name she use to call him and hearing it from her lips again made him smile even wider. He grabbed her bags and led them out to his car and Oliver filled him in on Felicity’s memory as they drove.“Felicity has asked me to help her regain her skills.”Tommy’s head flew around as he looked at Oliver in surprise. “Does she know how competitive you two use to be?”Oliver snorted, “I’m not like that anymore.”“Like hell you’re not. You’re the most competitive person I have ever met and the only person that almost stole that title from you was HER.” He jerked his thumb at the backseat as Felicity glared from behind.“Well it won’t be like that this time. She has a lot to remember. I am just going to help her do that.”Tommy threw back his head and laughed, “Good luck with that.”“Oh, you and John are going to help me.”That made him stop laughing quickly and he raised an eyebrow at him. “Really?”Felicity grinned, “Yep.”Tommy mumbled as he drove and soon they were pulling up to Felicity’s apartment. Oliver got out and grabbed her bag, walking her to the door. She turned and gave him a shy smile and he gently cupped her cheek. “I love you.”She moved closer and wrapped her arms around his neck, “I love you too. I don’t want you to leave.”Oliver could see the pain still lingering in her eyes and he leaned down and kissed her softly, “That is why I am going to go home and grab some clothes for tomorrow and come back. If you will let me stay tonight that is.”Oliver felt his heart swell as Felicity smiled and kissed him, “Hurry.” She moved away and unlocked her door and he waited until she was inside, and he heard the lock before he walked back down to the car. Tommy gave him a serious look, “I can’t believe we are getting her back.”“I can’t either Tommy. I am taking it slow because I am scared to death that I am going to lose her again. I can’t go through that Tommy, I won’t.”Tommy pulled out onto the road, “Well then aren’t you glad you have John and I to help you. John has Lyla working on finding Slade.”Oliver nodded, “Good. Felicity is searching as well.”“What are you going to do when you find him?” Tommy snuck a glance at Oliver as he drove. Oliver had been angry for a long time and visited a dark place inside after Felicity disappeared and Tommy had been there for him every single minute of it. He prayed his friend didn’t travel back down that road.“I don’t know Tommy. I honestly don’t know.”***Oliver returned to her apartment that night, and before they got distracted with each other they sat down and made a plan for the next day. Felicity had two more days off before she had to be back to work so tomorrow they were going to go to the gym. Felicity was excited, but the thought of more memories surfacing made her a little anxious. So far, her memories had been warm and wonderful, but she knew there had to be some bad memories hiding as well and that made her nervous. As they lay holding each other later that night she voiced her concern to Oliver.“I’m scared.”Oliver frowned and held her close, “Of what? You know I will never let anything happen to you again, right?”“I know and it’s not that. I am afraid of what I will remember.”Oliver gently stroked her arm as she talked. He didn’t know what had happened to her while she was working for COS, so he could not forewarn her. All he could do was be there for her in case her memories were hard to handle.“Felicity I am not going to let you go through this alone. I will be here for whatever you need. You are a strong woman and I know you will handle whatever comes your way.” He kissed the top of her head and she snuggled into him.“I just hope we get a hit on Slade.”“Tommy told me that John has asked Lyla to use her A.R.G.U.S., resources to help us try to track him down.”“Remind me to thank John tomorrow.”Oliver hoped they would find Slade soon too. He had questions he needed Slade to answer and he would make sure he answered them….With whatever means necessary.
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Felicity hit the mat with an ooompff. She had been sparring with Oliver for only 15 minutes and most of that had been spent on the map, face down, muscles aching. She was getting irritated. She knew this. John watched as Oliver held out his hand and helped her to her feed once again.“Come on Smoak. What are you doing?” John walked up as Felicity placed her hands on her hips trying to catch her breath. “You need to anticipate his moves and then react.”“I know. My body knows what to do but something is blocking me from doing it.” She knew what she needed to do but could not understand why her body was not reacting.John placed his hands on her shoulders. "Focus Felicity. You got this."“Давай, Смок, покажи мне, что у тебя есть. (Come on Smoak, show me what you’ve got).” Olive taunted her.He could tell she was holding back because she was afraid she would hurt him. He needed her to tap into that fearless woman she use to be.“Ты боишься? (You scared)”? Oliver continued to taunt her, and he could see the fire start to light up her eyes.John stepped off the mat and turned crossing his arms to watch. He knew what Oliver was doing and he hoped it worked because John believed that as her body remembered her skills it would trigger her other memories.“Конечно не королева. Я могу победить тебя в любое время. (Of course, not Queen, I can beat you any day).” “Затем покажите мне. (Then show me).”Oliver started to circle her, and Felicity kept her eyes trained right on him. Oliver waited patiently hoping to catch her off guard and when he thought the time was right he lunged. However, this time instead of him taking her down, Felicity was able to grab his arm, roll underneath and flip him to the mat. Oliver laid there winded with a grin on his face.“That’s my girl.” Felicity looked at him in shock at what she had just done. Oliver jumped up and they continued to spar, and this time Felicity’s body took over and her moves were automatic. She gave as good as she got and by the time they were done an hour had passed and they were both exhausted. “Now that is what I am talking about.” John high-fived her and she grinned. Tommy had been watching quietly and Oliver looked over at him surprised he had not thrown out any snarky comments. They could always rely on Tommy to lighten any mood but today he was pensive. He had not taken his eyes off of Felicity since they arrived at the gym.“You are awful quiet Tommy.” Oliver wiped his brow with his towel. Something had been on Tommy’s mind all morning and Oliver could tell something was bothering him. Tommy looked at Felicity with a soft expression and he frowned, “You know Smoak, the day your plane went down., I heard you calling for mayday and all I could think about was finding you. The day that John and I walked up on your plane crash and all that was left was your tags, I wanted to rip that area apart piece by piece until we found you.” Felicity walked over to Tommy as he started to get what he needed to say off his chest. “I should have been there for you. I should have found you.” Oliver heard the emotion in Tommy’s voice and he motioned for John to follow him, so they could give Tommy a moment with Felicity. She placed her hand on his cheek, “Oh Tommy. You were doing your job. There was no way that we could have known that I would get hit and no way of knowing that someone would come along and take me. None of it makes sense, but please don’t blame yourself for something that was out of your control.”He placed his hand over hers on his cheek as a tear fell. They both sat down on the mats and he said, "I promised Oliver that I would take care of you and I didn't."“Tommy, have you carried this around with you for the last five years? There was nothing you could have done. I will never blame you.”He reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of dog tags. He held them lovingly in his hand. Felicity gasped when she saw them.“Are those……?“After you were declared dead Oliver brought them to me and told me he could not bare to look at them. They reminded him too much of you and how he should have been there for you.” Tommy sighed as he remembered. “Oh Felicity, I pulled him back from the edge so many times after he lost you.” He held his hand out to give her the tags.“These belong to you. I dreamed that one day I would be able to give them to you and I can’t believe that dream has come true.”Felicity took the tags and held them tightly in her hand. She felt a completeness as her life started to fall back into place. These people were her family; they were her team.Her eyes told him thank you and she sniffled trying to hide her tears. “By the way Merlyn….” Felicity gave him a soft smile and she said something that made them both hopeful. "I don’t know what you are talking about in regard to taking care of me, I promised Oliver I would take care of YOU." Tommy looked at her with surprise because that was the same thing she had told him after they sent Oliver back to the states.Tommy pulled her close and hugged her tight and they just held each other for a moment.He was slowly getting his friend, colleague and most of all his sister back.***
FIVE YEARS AGO
Felicity glared at Slade from across his desk and she would swear at that moment that if the opportunity had presented itself that she would have killed him. He was threatening her team; her family."Slade you worked closely with Bravo Squad. How can you stand there and say that so coldly?" She truly wanted to know."Because this is for the greater good Felicity." Felicity’s anger flared, “Greater good? God I am tired of hearing you say that. Why are you keeping this so secretive? Why not let Bravo Squad help me."Slade shook his head no. "Very few people can know about this and even fewer can know you are involved.""Why?""Because COS is technically not suppose to exist and the government would like to keep it that way. Hence the secrecy.""So you are going to use me and insure my cooperation by threatening those you know I love?”“If it will get to you to take down your Father then I will do whatever is necessary.” Slade’s voice was hard as steel as he leaned over his desk, “Your Father is threatening the lives of hundreds of innocent men and women of the military. I cannot and will not let that continue.” He tried to temper his anger knowing he should try a softer approach. “You are the only one that can stop him Felicity.”“I want to go back to my cell.” Felicity crossed her arms, done speaking with him. He had betrayed her and the squad and for that she would never forgive him.“Your cell?”“That is what it is right? My cell? A place to hold me until I agree to your plan?”Slade did not respond, instead he picked up the phone.“Ms. Smoak is ready to go back to her room.”A few moments later two men came and escorted her back to her room. As she sat down on the cot and pulled her knees to her chin she trembled in anger. So basically, her own government was blackmailing her. She knew that Slade was right about the greater good. She had always believed in that, however the fact that he was using the people SHE loved, her family, made her angry.Her thoughts moved to her Father and she thought back to the last time she had seen him. She had been just 8 years old and he and her Mother had been fighting constantly for weeks. Normally her Dad would storm out, spend the night at the bar, and then come home late and things would go back to normal for a while. But this night her Father had walked out the door and never came back.She laid down on her cot and as she thought of her Father and soon fell into a troubled sleep.She woke the next morning and despite all her misgivings she decided to help the COS and take down her Father. She knew that the sooner she did the sooner she could get back to Oliver. There was no other goal besides that.She walked to the door and tried the knob and when it opened easily she peeked outside into the hallway. It was quiet and glancing at the clock on the wall she saw it was still early. However, she needed to talk to Slade, so she shut her door behind her and made her way to his office.She had committed the route to his office to memory and as she moved along the hallways she could see military men and women busily taking care of their business behind the closed doors.She finally came to his office and instead of knocking she just walked into the room. Slade was on the phone and he told the person he would call them back as he slowly placed it on the cradle.“Good Morning Ms. Smoak.”“Ok Slade, here is the deal. I will help you take down my Father but as soon as I do I want you to send me back to Star City.”Slade gave a mocking smile, “Back to Mr. Queen?”Her eyes narrowed, “Back to my family.”Slade smiled and then clicked a button on his computer. He turned the monitor, so she could see, and she gasped when she saw pictures of each member of Bravo Squad.“Just reminding you of what you have at stake Ms. Smoak. Now, let’s get to work. We need to come up with a plan and quick. We have intel that your Father is going to be traveling to Russia in a few days and we want to be ready for him.Felicity sat down across from him and a cold smile crossed her face as she steepled her fingers in thought. She would get through this as long as she was cold and efficient. This man was not her father, he was her target.“I have an idea.”***Oliver paced his hospital room. They had been searching for Felicity for over a month and had come back with nothing. It infuriated him that he could not be there looking himself and he was trying to get the Dr., to release him so he could travel back to China.He had been in touch with Tommy and so far, they had found her plane, but it had been deserted and the only thing left was a pair of dog tags outside the door. They were Felicity’s tags.Oliver heard his hospital room door open and he limped over as his Dr., gave him a reproving look. “The nurses said you wanted to see.”“I need you to release me. I need to get back to China.”“Oh Mr. Queen that is not going to happen. You still have several months of rehab if you want that leg to heal properly.”Oliver’s face became cold and angry, “I am fully prepared to check myself out of here. This would be a whole lot easier if you just released me.”“I can’t do that Mr. Queen.”Thea walked in as Oliver started to argue with the Dr. “What is going on in here?”“Your brother is asking to be released against my orders.”“I am not staying here another minute Thea. I need to go find Felicity.”Thea turned to the Dr. and put her hand on his arm. “Will you give my brother and I a few minutes?”The Dr. turned and walked out of the room and Thea quickly moved to Oliver’s side. “What are you doing? Oliver you have months of rehab left.”“I am not staying here Thea. Don’t ask me to. I cannot just sit here while Felicity might be out there lost and hurt.”“And you will be no good to her if you are crippled. John and Tommy and the team are searching for her Oliver. They are going to find her.”“Either you help me leave Thea or I will do it alone.”Thea could see that there was no arguing with her brother. She knew how stubborn he could be, and she could see he meant every single word he said. She sighed.“Ok. Let me go check you out. Be ready to go in an hour.”He waited until she left the room and he slowly started to dress. His body was stiff and his movements painful, but he was able to get his pants on and pulled his t-shirt on that his sister had brought to him a few days beforeTonight, he would catch a flight back to China and he didn’t care how long it took.He would find her.
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Oliver's knee jumped as the plane headed toward China. He wanted nothing more than to be there with John and Tommy and he wanted to find Felicity. Tommy promised to be at the airport to pick him up and he had requested they go straight to the crash site. He felt frustration as people slowly exited the plane. He wanted them out of his way, so he could get to his destination. He was limping, and his leg was sore, but he didn't care. Felicity was his only priority.True to his word Tommy was waiting out front and Oliver threw his bag in the back seat and Tommy started driving.Tommy was quiet, not sure what to say. He had not seen Oliver since Felicity’s plane went down and he would be lying if he said he did not feel some guilt for not keeping her safe. He reached into the pocket of his t-shirt and pulled out the dog tags they found at the plane site. He kept his eyes on the road afraid if he looked at Oliver he would completely lose it. He was exhausted from searching night and day, but he was not going to give up.Oliver took the tags, his hand shaking. He knew they had found her tags but seeing them and holding them in his hand made everything seem more real and the thought that she might be gone shook him to his core.“How is your leg feeling?” Tommy needed to break the silence. He could feel the emotions that Oliver was fighting, and he wanted to try to distract him.“It is hurting but I am used to pain. Is John going to meet us there?”“Yes, he is on his way.”“Tommy?” He gripped the tags tightly in his hand. “Do you think she is gone?”Tommy paused because he knew his answer was important to Oliver, so he answered honestly.“I just don’t know.”Oliver nodded and looked out the window again, the tags gripped tightly, close to his heart. He didn’t know why but he could feel her. Maybe it was having something of hers to hold but something in his gut told him she was still alive. She was still out there waiting to be found.They arrived near the crash site and Tommy explained that there was about a mile hike to the site. Tommy walked to the trunk and took out two bottles of water before they set off through the woods. Oliver made sure to pay attention as they walked not wanting to miss anything and when they finally arrived at the site, the plane in pieces on its side, he approached it slowly.“Where did you find the tags?” He could not keep his eyes off the plane.Tommy walked over to the door and pointed to the ground. “Right here outside the door of the cargo hold.”Oliver peeked inside and toward the back and he could see a small area where there was a bag of survival gear. It had been rummaged through and something in his gut told him it had been Felicity. So, he knew she had survived the crash, there was no doubt, but something had caused her to leave. What was it?Oliver turned as he heard footsteps and John walked up glancing at Tommy before approaching Oliver. He looked around knowing what Oliver was going to ask. Oliver looked at John and asked him the same question he had asked Tommy in the car. “Do you think she is gone?”John had similar feelings to Tommy and he placed his hands on his hips, “I just don’t know Oliver. All we know is she was alive after the crash. The fact we found her dog tags outside the plane proves that. However, I cannot find any signs of a struggle and we have not found a body. We searched within five miles of the crash Oliver and there is nothing.”Oliver nodded, hearing what John was telling him and he turned back toward the plane. He slowly circled it and then looked out into the woods. Was she out there? Was she hurt? Scared?“Oliver why don’t we head back to the hotel and regroup. We do have a few things to go over with you that I think you need to know.” Oliver heard Tommy and he nodded still looking out into the woods as if he could will her to appear. He finally turned and followed them back to the car. His leg was hurting terribly, and he needed to eat something.They arrived at the hotel and Oliver checked in before following Tommy and John up to their floor. He placed his things in the hotel room and then made his way to John’s room. John had a suite with a sitting area and he and Tommy were already there talking when he arrived.“So, what did you find? What do you need to tell me?”Tommy and John exchanged a glance before Tommy said, “Slade is gone.”“What do you mean he is gone?” Oliver frowned. Slade was part of their team and therefore had been part of the mission and now all the sudden he was gone?“He left, and we believe he went back to Australia.”“But why?”“We are not sure.” Tommy looked at John and John nodded. They needed to tell him the rest. “Oliver, he refused to help us search for Felicity. He even went so far as to tell us that she was gone and we should move on. He had one of our superiors call off the search for her.”Oliver’s anger grew more and more as he heard what Tommy was saying. How could he do that? They had all been so close.Oliver’s eyes blazed with anger, “So he wants us to just leave her out there somewhere? To abandon her?”John sat forward and placed his forearms on his knees, “Oliver, the army has declared Felicity dead. Based on the wreckage and us finding her tags the case has been closed.”Oliver sat back stunned. They were no longer looking for her?“Tommy and I have talked, and we will do whatever you want to do man, but we can tell you that if Felicity is alive, she is no longer in China.”Oliver believed them, and he knew that they had not left any stone unturned in their search for her. He felt the air leave his lungs and he knew that without the Army’s support he could only stay and search for a few months before his funds would run out. He would have to leave.He pulled the tags from his pocket and the look that John and Tommy saw in his eyes was utter torture.“She’s out there. I know she is.”“Then we go back home, and we start our search fresh from there.”Oliver looked at his two best friends and saw the conviction in their faces. They would do whatever he told them to do. He could not ask them to stay and search because John was correct. Something was telling him that if she was still in China they would have found her already.“Ok. I will go back, and we can regroup from there. But on one condition.” Oliver looked at his friends, his comrades and they both gave him a reassuring look.“Anything Oliver.” Tommy’s voice was strong and filled with promise.“If this ever gets to be too much, you will tell me.”John and Tommy nodded, and Oliver stood to go back to his room. They both knew he needed some time alone to process everything and Tommy and John hugged him like brothers before he turned and walked back to his room.As he laid in his bed that night he cried. He cried for her and the life that he had started to plan with her before the mission had begun. He pulled the ring he had brought with him out of his pocket and stared at it, his tears falling unheeded. She had not known of his plans, but he was going to propose to her when the mission ended and they were home. That never happened.His heart ached as he let all of the pain and frustration and guilt overwhelm him and Tommy had found him that night, huddled in the corner of the room with tears on his face. If it had been anyone else Oliver would have screamed at them and told them to leave him alone. But this was Tommy, and he had picked him up, led him to the bed and sat by his side until he fell asleep. Oliver had dreamed of her that night. She was with him, her blue eyes sparkling with her smile and something like peace settled in his chest. He mumbled in his sleep and if she had been next to him she would have heard him say, “I will find you.” She didn’t hear it, but Tommy did.***The next year was one of the most difficult Oliver ever faced in his life. They ran into dead end after dead end and Oliver’s frustration grew. Tommy was there as he went through down times where he drank too much, and Tommy would take him home and tuck him into bed, making sure he was safe, just as Felicity would have wanted him to do. He went through times of anger where he picked fights with any male he came across. Tommy and John were there for those times and talked him down from many a ledge of anger and frustration.The pain that year had been excruciating for him. He knew she was out there, he could feel her and yet as he spent days going through physical therapy and nights searching it was as if she vanished into thin air, and the nights he he DID sleep he dreamed about her and those were the hardest.After searching for over a year the pain became too much for him and he had taken the dog tags to Tommy and told him to keep them. He couldn’t look at them anymore. He started to focus on getting his life back on track and opening the gym, but he never gave up on her.And then the day came when he walked down for a cup of coffee, looked in the window and his world had changed forever.She had been there bright and beautiful but with no memory and he had promised himself that night that no matter what happened he would not lose her again.EVER!
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PRESENT DAY
Slade stepped off the plane in Star City and gathering his bags hailed a taxi to take him to his hotel. He had been told that he was needed at A.R.G.U.S., and his curiosity was peaked. It has been a long time since he had been in Star City. Working for COS had allowed him to travel a lot so being back in Star City was bittersweet. It was the closest he had come to having a home since losing his wife and son, but that had all changed when Felicity Smoak’s plane had been shot down in China.He took his things to his hotel and then grabbed another taxi to go to A.R.G.U.S., headquarters. It seemed odd that he had been summonsed there but was also a tad exciting. He had hoped that one day he would be asked to join A.R.G.U.S., based his record with COS, so maybe it was finally happening for him.He walked through security and over to the security desk that was just inside and asked for Ms. Lyla Michaels. He was not familiar with her but was told she had top level security and so he was anxious to meet with her to see what she might have in store for him.He approached her office and knocked on the door and when he heard her call out to enter he opened the door. She was an attractive woman with short brown hair and warm brown eyes, but now she was not looking at him with warmth. Her gaze held surprise and just a hint of satisfaction.Lyla looked up in surprise when Slade Wilson walked through her door. She had put the word out through her contacts in the military as well as through agents hoping that she could catch his attention. She was hoping he was an ambitious man and that he might be intrigued by A.R.G.U.S., needing to see him and her gamble had paid off. She discreetly hit the security button beneath her desk alerting her men to head toward her office before she stood and shook his hand.“Well Mr. Wilson, I was not sure you were going to show.”“Well when one of the top brass for A.R.G.U.S., wants to see you then you make a point to show up.”“I am so glad you did. We have some questions for you regarding Felicity Smoak.”Slade tried not to let the surprise show on his face. That was five years ago. Why would she be interested in Ms. Smoak?“Felicity Smoak. She’s been dead five years.” Slade was proud that he kept his voice neutral but inside he was in turmoil.“Well it seems she is not as dead as everyone thought. She was found in Star City at a coffee shop with no memory.”Slade cursed inside. Damn.“I would hope that you will cooperate and answer our questions.”“Sure, I will answer whatever I can.”Lyla motioned for him to take a seat across from her and she sat behind her desk and leaned back comfortable yet on guard. She could tell from the few minutes she had been in his presence that Slade Wilson had a lot of secrets and she prayed that they could figure out what he might be hiding. Did he have something to do with Felicity disappearing all those years ago?“Slade you left and supposedly went home to Australia not long after Ms. Smoak was declared dead. Can you tell us why?”“I found out that my grandmother was sick. I went back to spend time with her and my family.”Lyla found what he said hard to believe. She had done some research on Slade and his file said he had no family. His wife and son were killed during a fire when he was on assignment for ASIS and he had been honorably discharged shortly after their funerals. His parents had died when he was a teenager, which was why he joined ASIS in the first place.“And so, you decided to stay in Australia?”“Once I was back I just felt like I was home. I left after my wife and son died and had thought I would never go back. But being there and feeling the memories. Once I got there I could not leave again.” Well that had been partly true. After Felicity’s memory had been wiped he had been sent to Australia for a cover. There HAD been memories of his wife and son and being home had been difficult. He had done what COS had asked him to do.“You were assigned to lead one of the teams that was searching for the target in China, is that correct?”“Yes, I was sent by my Sergeant Major to help First Sergeant Diggle with the mission.”Lyla was committing all of this to memory. John has spoken to her extensively recently about their mission and he had commented on how Slade would disappear for hours claiming he and a team were working reconnaissance. Had there been something more going on in China?“Listen Slade Felicity is trying to regain her memories from that time in her life and she and Oliver have been looking for you. I would like for you to come back tomorrow and speak with them.”Slade started to panic. Dammit! Were her memories returning? He needed to know.“Has she regained any memories at all?”“Last John told me she has only regained feelings and some small memories of Oliver, Tommy and the team. However, she has not recovered anything from the time after her plane went down and we are hoping that if she talks with you, since you led Bravo Squad, that it might help her.”Damn, he couldn’t say no. However, he wasn’t going to just sit around until she got her memories back. He needed to let the higher ups of COS know what was going on and soon.“Umm, sure. What time?”“Let’s meet here tomorrow at Noon.”Slade stood and schooled his expression. “I am so glad to hear that Lance Corporal Smoak is alive and well and I look forward to seeing her tomorrow.”He walked out of her office, and Lyla made sure that her team was ready to follow him. She wanted to make sure he did not try to skip town, so she had been prepared with Agents that would tale him 24/7.She picked up her phone as soon as he left and called John, excitement strumming through her veins. She could not wait to tell him the news, so he could pass it on to Felicity and Oliver.***Oliver and Felicity had grabbed some take-out that evening and were sitting on her couch watching rom-coms and eating their Thai food. It has been a good day and Felicity was truly starting to get her skills back, her muscle memory kicking in with each sparring match she endured and endured was the proper word. Oliver was competitive, and he loved to tease her. Being competitive herself it was becoming hard not to set him on his ass. She had a feeling that was coming real soon.Oliver’s phone lit up ringing, and he reached over and noted it was John.“John, hey!”“Oliver are you with Felicity?”Oliver glanced over at her. “Of course.”“Can you put me on speaker phone?”Oliver pulled the phone from his ear and hit the speaker button. “We are on John.”“Hi John.” Felicity looked at Oliver in surprise.“Hey guys listen I just wanted to call and let you know that A.R.G.U.S., was able to locate Slade. He came in voluntarily today.”Felicity tensed in shock as Oliver sat up straight, his feet hitting the floor from where they had been residing on the coffee table.“What?”“Lyla put out the word that A.R.G.U.S., wanted to talk to Slade in hopes that he was ambitious. Seems their gamble paid off. He walked into headquarters today to speak with Lyla. She had a conversation with him and convinced him to meet with you and Felicity tomorrow at Noon.”Felicity was staring into space when Oliver glanced at her. He could not believe their luck. They had Slade.“What makes you so sure he will show up tomorrow?“Well you are not the only one in love with a brilliant woman Oliver, Lyla is having him tailed by two of her best agents. They will be on him for the next 24 hours.”Oliver ran a hand through his hair excitement and anger coursing through him. What if Slade did not have something to do with Felicity’s disappearance. He wasn’t sure how he was going to handle it.“John we cannot thank Lyla enough.”“You can tell her that yourself tomorrow. She is looking forward to meeting you Felicity.”Felicity could not say a word, the emotions running through her making her speechless. Oliver noted the look on her face and he thanked John again.“We will see you tomorrow John. Thank you.”He hung up the phone setting it on the table before he turned to her. He was not sure if he should touch her or just let her be, so he waited.“Felicity talk to me.”She couldn’t, and Oliver was starting to get worried. She was staring into space, her eyes watering, her body tense and he could tell she was a hairs breath away from losing it. However, she finally did speak, and it tugged at Oliver’s heart.“What if he had something to do with this Oliver?”“Then we will deal with it, together. I am not going anywhere Felicity. I will be right by your side.”She suddenly stood and started pacing and Oliver watched her with worry. This was big news and a lot for her to take in and he wondered how much more she could physically take before she broke.Tears were soon falling down her cheeks and Oliver stood and walked over to where she was standing staring out the window. He placed his hands on her shoulders lightly and gave her his strength. She finally turned into his arms and they wrapped tightly around her as hers snaked around his waist.She clung to him like a ship in a storm and he was her anchor, her refuge.Tomorrow she would be seeing Slade and she prayed he could tell them something about her time away. She feared though that the worst would happen, and he would know nothing.Then what would she do?
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Oliver, Felicity, John and Tommy all walked into A.R.G.U.S., clearing security and heading to Lyla’s office. Felicity’s nerves were on edge and she was holding onto Oliver’s hand tightly. He squeezed her hand letting her know that he was there, that she was not alone. She had her family with her and John and Tommy followed close behind, the group seeming like a unit once more.John knocked on Lyla’s door and she walked out and gave Felicity a warm smile, her brown eyes kind and friendly. Felicity liked her instantly.“Felicity Smoak, it is a great honor to finally meet you. I have heard so many stories from John about you.” She hugged Felicity and gave her a reassuring smile before lead them down to a conference room where she had asked that Slade be taken when he arrived. Slade stood when the door opened and as he saw his old team file into the room he plastered on a smile. He needed to tread very carefully today.Oliver walked in with Felicity by his side and when he saw Slade he was filled with mixed emotions. He truly hoped that Slade was not involved in her disappearance but now that he was in the same room with him he was certain that if they found out he WAS involved, he was going to kill him.“John, Tommy…..” Slade walked over and held out his hand andTommy gave him a wary look before shaking his hand, as did John. They were tense, and he could tell they were suspicious of him.Oliver kept Felicity at a distance from him, so he walked over and gave her a smile, “Smoak. It is so good to see you. I am so glad that you are alive.”She looked at him with suspicion in her eyes but then she gave him a small smile and thanked him.“Now that we are all reacquainted why don’t all have a seat.” Lyla’s voice rang out through the room and she shut the conference room door for privacy as they all sat down. She walked over and sat at the head of the table, ready to moderate the meeting.She looked at Felicity and her voice was soft and kind, “Felicity, would you like to start?”Felicity cleared her throat and looked at Slade. Something was nagging at her and she could not quite put her finger on what it was, but she folded her hands on the table and started asking him questions. Lyla had filled them in on what she knew about where Slade had gone after she was declared dead, so she skipped those questions.“Slade were you involved in removing me from my plane when it went down in China?”Slade’s voice was calm and smooth, almost too smooth. “No, in fact I helped search for you at first, but then I got called away and when they decided to declare you dead I left and went back to Australia.”Oliver watched him closely looking for any signs of deceit. “You had a high clearance when you worked with Bravo Squad. Was there anything that you found back then when we were searching that maybe you forgot to share?”Slade looked at him and shook his head. “No, nothing.”Tommy sat back in his chair, his fingers strumming lightly on the table. They all felt that something was off with Slade but none of them could figure out what that was. John spoke up next.“Slade you were the one that told us that the Marines were calling off the search and declaring Felicity dead. Did you fight that decision at all?”Slade looked at John, “I couldn’t. That was coming from the pentagon and I had no say in the matter.” He looked at Felicity, “I wanted to keep searching for you Felicity.”She felt a shudder of revulsion go down her spine as she looked in his eyes and she felt anxiety set in as she had a flash of something. She was in an office sitting across from someone, but she could not see their face. She shook her head slightly and tried to clear her thoughts. She needed a clear mind.“Look, I know you guys think I know something more, but I don’t. Felicity’s disappearance is as much a mystery to me as it is to you. When the Marines had Felicity declared dead it took me by surprise and when I asked about it they just told me it was for the greater good. That the team needed to move on.”Felicity felt a shock wave push through her mind as flashes started to race through her head. She closed her eyes trying to stop them, but they kept coming out of order and fast. She placed her hands on her head and when Oliver looked at her and he saw the pain in her eyes he took her face in his hands.“Felicity. What is wrong?”She couldn’t speak her mind showing flashes at a rapid pace.“Felicity baby talk to me.” Oliver was trying to get her attention. She would not open her eyes and he could tell she was in pain. She was remembering.The flashes continued, and she screamed as they flashed faster until one memory stopped everything. She opened her eyes, tears flowing down her face and she looked over at Slade with angry accusing eyes. So much so that it caused him to take a breath. He knew she had remembered.“You.”Oliver looked at her confused, “Felicity did you have a memory?”She stood and glared at Slade, “You. You were the one that had me taken from my plane. You took me from the ones I loved and told them that I was dead. You told me that helping COS was for the greater good.”Oliver’s head flew to look at Slade and before anyone could stop him he was out of his chair and had Slade pressed against the wall with his hand on his throat. He punched him the face and Slade's lip busted.“You son of a bitch.” Oliver growled the words and Tommy and John flew out of their chairs circling the table and each one grabbing one of Oliver’s arms.“Oliver man come on.” John was trying to talk to Oliver and reason with him. The last thing they needed was for Slade to get angry and file assault charges.“Oliver, let him go man.” Tommy’s voice rang out along with John’s and it slowly started to seep into his head, but he did not lessen his grip. Slade’s face was bright red as he tried to catch some air and then Felicity was by Oliver’s side, her hand on his arm“Oliver, baby please.” Her voice was the one thing that started to get through to him and Oliver finally shoved Slade away, his eyes on him deadly.Slade gasped for air and Tommy stepped toward him vibrating with anger.“You bastard.” Tommy punched Slade in the face causing him to hit the wall and slide to the floor. He continued to cough, and Oliver pulled Tommy back as the both tried to get back in control.Felicity walked over and stood over Slade. “You fucking bastard. You wanted me to help COS take down my father, so you kidnapped me and threatened to kill my team, the people I loved, if I did not cooperate.”Lyla was taking this all in having heard only rumors of a group called COS. Now Felicity was making those rumors a reality. John looked at Lyla in surprise. “Have you heard of this COS?”She shook her head. “I have heard of a group called the Covert Operations Squad. But it has always been a rumor. Even A.R.G.U.S., could not prove they existed.”John looked back at Slade and picking him up, fisted his shirt in his hands, “You need to start talking Slade. Now!”Slade wiped the blood from his lip. She remembered which meant she could take the whole group down. There were men in the field that’s lives could be in danger if she said anything. He needed to make them understand that.“Please can we sit down and talk. I will tell you everything.” John roughly let go of Slade’s shirt and it took everything in Oliver’s arsenal to keep from grabbing Slade and pounding on him. Felicity patted his shirt, feeling the tension and when she touched his cheek for him to look at her, she reassured him with her eyes.“Everything is going to be ok Oliver. I am going to be ok.” She gave him a soft smile and he nodded, letting her know that he would be calm, for her.They all sat back down, and Slade started to explain about COS and their purpose. “We needed Felicity to stop a threat to our military. Her father was threatening to bomb several of our most important military installations and we knew that Felicity was the only one that could stop him.”“You erased her memory.” Oliver’s voice dripped with rage and he stood and paced his anger barely controlled.“We had to. When the mission was done she had requested to go home. No one knows about COS except some of the highest members of the government and military. It was the only way I could place her back as a civilian. And if anyone outside of this room finds out about COS it will place a ton of agents lives at risk.”Felicity looked at Slade with narrowed eyes. “Are you still a part of COS?”He sighed, “That is the reason I went back to Australia. They wanted as few people as possible available in case there were questions. I have worked for them on and off over the last five years.”Felicity stood. She had enough and wanted to leave. She had her memories and she just wanted to get as far away from Slade as possible. She walked around, and Slade moved to his feet looking at her warily. She slapped him hard across the face and as his face flew to the side she did something that took them all by surprise. She decked him.Slade hit the ground and groaned, his lip bleeding. She walked over and knelt next to him, “If I ever see you again. I will kill you.”Oliver walked to her side and looked at Slade with disdain. She stood and took Oliver’s hand and telling Tommy and John she would see them later and thanking Lyla she and Oliver walked out.***They were quiet on the way back to Felicity’s apartment. Felicity was trying to shift through the memories that had flooded her mind. She remembered laying in her plane going through her survival kit and then hearing the voices and then the mission that stopped her father. She knew she needed to talk to Oliver about it, but something was holding her back. She wanted to deal with the memories on her own first.They walked into her apartment and Oliver locked the door as Felicity walked over and sat down on the couch. She could see the concern in Oliver’s eyes and when he sat down and pulled her feet in to his lap she looked at him lovingly.“I remember the first time I saw you. I walked into that room as John and Slade introduced me and it was hard not to just keep staring at you.” Oliver’s cheeks turned red as she talked, she loved that about him. “Then when Tommy called you a big brooding pine tree, I knew immediately that you two were trouble.”She grinned as Oliver rubbed her legs and when she said that he tickled her legs. She laughed and moved over to straddle his lap, her arms looping naturally around his neck.“So, do you want to call your mother?” Oliver gently pushed her hair behind her ear and she reached down and started to unbutton his shirt.“Maybe later.” She reached the last button and then leaned down and kissed him trying to convey the emotions that were now residing inside. She sat up and took off her shirt and bra and Oliver’s arms banded around her as she leaned down and kissed him passionately. She nipped and played with his lips, her hips grinding on him as his hands slid over her skin caressing her back.All the love that they had both been denied those five years exploded between them. She kissed and caressed him as if it was the last time they would touch and when he tasted her tears he broke the kiss and gently brushed her tears away.“Make love to me Oliver.” Her words were a desperate plea and Oliver could not deny her anything. He held onto her and stood, urging her to wrap her legs around his waist and then he walked down the hall to the bedroom.Oliver gently set her feet on the floor and he knelt in front of her undoing her jeans and pulling them slowly down her legs. He kissed her skin as it was exposed to him, running his tongue down the inside of her thighs, his lips and tongue worshiping her, and she moaned. She stepped out of her pants and stood naked in front of him. He gripped her hips and buried his face in her stomach.Felicity wrapped her hands around his head and held him to her. “God Felicity, I love you so very much.” She heard the raw emotion in his voice and she could feel the reverence in his touch. He stood and leaned down and kissed her gently before he turned her and laid her down on the bed. She looked like a goddess and he stripped the rest of his clothes before he settled over her, his hips cradled between her thighs. She loved the feel of him pressing into her and when he moved ever so slightly his cock brushed against her clit. She moaned as she anticipated the feel of him inside of her, that feeling something that she could not get enough of. They kissed and loved each other their touch conveying everything they felt inside. She was everything to him and he made sure she knew that.Felicity’s hands stroked his back, her touch exploring every ridge and hard muscle as if committing it to memory. She was starting to ache for him and she shifted beneath him starting to grow impatient. Not able to stand it any longer she reached down and guided him home. He pressed into her with one slow deep stroke and when he was fully inside, her body cradling and sheathing him, he stopped. They both tested the other by squeezing and pushing, and when Oliver leaned down and she felt tears on his face their emotions both hit a new level.She was here with him and he felt like his heart was going to burst. His Felicity was back; the one he thought he had lost forever, and he slowly started to move his hips as they touched and stroked each other. Felicity wrapped her legs around him wanting to hold him as close as possible.Oliver moaned at the feel of her body gripping and squeezing his cock. He pumped his hips working them both with hard strokes toward fulfillment.Their arms wrapped tightly around each other, and Felicity felt her body starting to tense as she neared her release. Oliver did not want to let her go so he pushed harder and deeper and soon she was screaming below him as her body shuddered and coated him with her juices. The feel and smell of her, everything about her drove Oliver toward his own orgasm and when it hit, and he released inside of her with a shout of her name, and she clung to him just wanting him to stay with her.They held each other not wanting to let go and Oliver finally moved to his side taking her with him and keeping them joined. They pressed together nuzzling each other as their bodies recovered and she kissed him softly as she told him how much she loved him.They fell asleep that night still joined, their arms tightly wound around each other neither one wanting to ever let go.
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Felicity got ready for work the next morning, feeling better than she had in a long time. She had decided to continue working at the coffee shop while she decided what she wanted to do with her career. Now that her memory was back so were the goals that she had set for herself, and she was hoping to find something in the technology industry. She had enjoyed working with computers before and she wanted to work back toward that again.Oliver had breakfast ready for her when she walked into the kitchen and he kissed her softly before setting a plate of eggs and toast in front of her.“So, you ready to go back to the coffee shop?” Oliver had been supportive of her continuing at the coffee shop. It was close to the gym, so he figured it would be easy to check in on her in the afternoon.“I am more than ready. I love being here with you and I adore working out at the gym with Tommy and John, but I am ready to be working again.”They finished their food and gathered her things and Oliver walked out with her, locking the door. He was going to drop her off before heading to the gym.He pulled up to the curb and kissed her goodbye letting her know that he would be by for lunch later. Felicity felt a spring in her step as she saw her old colleagues and it did not take her long at all to get back in the groove of the shop.They had a busy morning and by 10:30, things finally started to wind down. Felicity was wiping down the tables and checking the sugar and creamer at the tables when she heard the bell on the door. She turned with a smile and then it fell away immediately. Standing in the doorway was Slade and two men that she did not recognize but something in her gut told her they were with COS.She felt her body tense as she moved toward them and her voice was tight with anger. “You are not welcome here. I am going to need you to leave.”Slade looked at her with a slight smile. “We just came to talk Felicity. Can you give us a minute of your time?”How dare he? How dare he come and ask her for a favor. It would be a cold day in hell before she listened to a word that any of these men had to say.“No.” She walked back behind the counter and before she knew what was happening Slade followed her and tried to pull her back around the counter. She immediately slipped into a defensive posture and knocked his legs out from under him as she felt the other two men grab her arms.“What the hell are you doing?” They started to drag her toward the door and Felicity was amazed as people just stood and watched. No one tried to help her.“Let me go you mother fuckers.” Her voice was loud, and she was kicking and wiggling, trying to get free. Slade stood up and straightened his clothes. They had her.Felicity tried to calm down. She had trained to get out of situations like this before, she just needed to bring those memories to the forefront and as they neared a large black SUV she brought her foot down hard on one man’s arch and then turned and elbowed the other in the face. She knocked them both to the ground and was about to escape when Slade pulled a gun.“I would cooperate Ms. Smoak. All I want to do is talk.”“If all you wanted to do was talk, then you could do that here.”Slade shrugged. “I thought we could use a little privacy. Now get in the car.”His men were struggling to their feet and when they stood they moved back a step from her. She glared at them all and then opened the SUV door. They did not realize she had her phone in her apron and when she sat down she immediately called Oliver.***Oliver was sparring with John and he had been doing quite well. Now that Felicity was back in his life he felt like his life was complete. He was making plans to take her away this weekend and ask her to marry him and as his mind slipped to that thought John caught him off guard and took him down.John helped him back to his feet with a laugh and a slap to the shoulder and they were about to start another round when one of the young girls from the coffee shop where Felicity worked came running in the front door. She was upset and when Oliver was finally able to calm her down she explained that Felicity was being taken away.“What do you mean taken away? Calm down Chloe and tell me what is going on.” Oliver’s voice shook as he tried not to think of what she just said. He needed to know everything.“These three men just came into the coffee shop and asked to speak with Felicity. One had a heavy Australian accent. She refused, and they grabbed her. She almost got away but the man with the accent pulled a gun on her and made her get into the back of an SUV.”Oliver and John both sucked in a breath and then Oliver heard his phone go off. He rushed over and when he saw Felicity’s name he answered immediately. All he could hear was her talking to whomever she was in the car with and he realized she had called him, so he could track her phone. John thanked Chloe and then they rushed to Oliver’s office grabbing Tommy from his office on the way.John called Lyla and she had one of her agents hack into Oliver’s phone and start tracking Felicity. Oliver was livid, and Tommy was pacing, and John was forming a plan in his head. They needed to go get Felicity.***Slade pulled up to a non-descript building outside of Star City and he led Felicity inside. When COS had found out that she had regained her memories panic had set in and they wanted him to make sure that she was not going to give away their secret. He led her into an interrogation room, and she took in her surroundings as a plan formed in her mind.She felt dread in the pit of her stomach and she needed to keep aware of her surroundings. There was no way in hell she was going to let them wash her memories again.She sat down, and Slade sat across from her and leaned back in his chair. He was watching her like a hawk and she knew that was because he was very aware of her capabilities.“Felicity, it really is good to see you again. Five years was too long.”“I wish I could say the same Slade, but I can honestly say that five years was not nearly long enough for me.” Her voice dripped with sarcasm and Slade laughed.“You are still as feisty as ever. That is one thing I like about you.”“Get to the point Slade. You have me here and have my undivided attention. What the hell do you want?”“Some of my superiors were surprised to hear you had your memory back. They are concerned that the secrecy that has kept COS working for all these years might be in jeopardy.” He sat forward and placed his hands together on the desk.“I can assure you Slade, the last thing I want to talk about right now is my time with COS. You don’t have to worry about me talking.” This was tiring and frustrating and Felicity just wanted to leave.“Have you told Oliver about the mission you were on during that time?”“No. I have been trying to come to grips with the memories.”“You can’t tell him.” Slade’s voice was firm.“I am not going to keep secrets from Oliver. You already kept us apart for 5 years….”Before she could finish Slade stood with anger in his eyes and it made Felicity flinch. “You cannot tell him Felicity. If you do, then I can no longer protect you.”Felicity had to laugh at that. When had he ever protected her?“What are you talking about Slade? You never protected me. You used me and once I had done as you needed you wiped my memory and sent me home.”Slade walked around the desk, so they were sitting close and he whispered urgently, “That is how I protected you Felicity. COS wanted to have you eliminated when your mission was done, but I talked them into wiping your memory instead and sending you home.”“What are you talking about Slade? I don’t believe you.” She looked at him baffled. What the hell was he saying?His voice was urgent as he tried to make her understand. “Normally the agents COS uses are expendable. They are either criminals or traitors. The program has always been to have them killed when their mission was complete. It was a way to get done what they needed and then not have to worry about them talking.”Felicity stood up and turned her back. That was not true. Was it?“But I am not a criminal or a traitor. I was a Marine.”“Yes, but when your plane went down the higher ups saw that moment as a way to use your plane crash as your death so to speak. You were the only one that could help us catch your father and since everyone already thought you were dead was going to be easy to eliminate you.”Felicity was about to respond when all of a sudden there was a commotion outside the door. It flew open and she saw John and Tommy, dressed in tactical gear, guns drawn as they rushed into the room. Oliver strode in behind them and his eyes searched the room until he saw her. When he was sure she was ok, he turned his rage to Slade.John and Tommy’s eyes blazed with anger as well and they held their guns on Slade as Oliver walked over and cold-cocked him with his gun. Slade fell to the floor and agents that Felicity guessed must be A.R.G.U.S., agents rushed in and grabbed Slade and drug him out of the room.Oliver and Felicity rushed into each other’s arms and he held her close, his heart beating. He kissed her head and her face as he reassured himself that she was ok, and then he led her out of the room.They all piled into an SUV and Oliver pulled her to his side, his arm around her as they followed the car with Slade back to A.R.G.U.S., headquarters. He was still radiating rage but having her by his side was slowly calming him down.Slade was taken to an interrogation room like one he had Felicity in earlier and when Oliver, Felicity, Tommy and John walked into the room, Tommy grabbed Slade and shoved him against the wall. It seemed as if they were having déjà vu. While John pulled Tommy back, Felicity pulled Oliver to the side.“Slade was telling me that he saved my life when he had my memory erased. COS wanted to eliminate me once my mission was complete and he talked them into keeping me alive and just erasing my memories.”Oliver’s enraged gaze flew to Slade. He didn’t believe a damn word out of the man’s mouth, but he believe Felicity. Lyla walked in as Felicity was relaying the story to the team and Lyla read Slade his rights before they informed him of what was going on and when they did his mouth dropped open.“it seems Felicity is right. COS was using criminals and such to handle their missions and then kiling them so they could not talk." She turned to Slade with a cold smile."COS has been disbanded immediately. You and the others will be charged for murder in the deaths of each of the agents that worked for you that were killed.” Lyla gave him another cold smile. “However, on top of that you will be charged with the kidnapping of one Ms. Felicity Smoak.”She saw anger fill Slade’s eyes as he looked around the room. “You have no idea just how high up the chain this program goes. They are not going to let this happen.”“They already have Slade. Each one has denied the program and it is being put all on you and the agents under your watch.”Slade was enraged. So, his superiors were using him as a scape goat. He turned his angry gaze to Felicity. “I should have let them kill you.”Oliver strode across the room and punched Slade right in the stomach. He was reigning blow after blow down on Slade and John and Tommy let him get out some of his anger before they slowly walked over and pulled him back. Slade was on the floor bleeding from his nose and mouth and groaning holding his ribs. Felicity walked up to him and just as she had before she knelt and looked him in the eye.“I am going to make sure that you never, ever see the light of day again. I will be the first to testify in you the case against you.”“Oh, they are going for the death penalty.” Lyla said the words from behind Felicity with a touch of satisfaction in her voice and Felicity gave him a cold smile.“Well then my face will be the last one you see Slade. I will be there to watch you die.” She stood and walked back over to her group and Tommy and John hugged her close, all realizing how close they had come to losing her once again.***Felicity hung up the phone with her Mom, feeling better about their relationship and where it was headed. She had called and filled her in on not only regaining her memory but on Slade. Donna had cried tears of joy that her daughter had her memories back and she was planning on coming to visit in about 3 weeks.Felicity walked over to where Oliver was resting on the couch and she laid down on top of him, her body sliding down in between his legs. She loved being with him and the way they fit together like a puzzle. He was her other half and they both relished the quiet moments when it was just the two of them. Oliver had seemed contemplative every since they left A.R.G.U.S., and she looked at him softly.“What is wrong Oliver? You have been quiet ever since we left.”Oliver gently stroked her face. “I almost lost you again. I made a promise that I would protect you and I didn’t.”Felicity touched his face with her hands and kissed him softly. “You can’t be with me 24/7 Oliver. That is not realistic. And I will have you know I handled myself pretty well until Slade pulled that gun.” She joked the last few words, but Oliver did not smile.He wrapped his arms rightly around her and looked into her eyes. “Felicity will you marry me?”Felicity went stock still and looked at him in shock, “What?”“Will you marry me? I was going to ask you the day we finished the mission in China and I never got the chance. Then I almost lost you again today. I can wait any longer.” He reached into the pocket of his camos and pulled out a ring. It was not in a box and Felicity could see just how beautiful it was.“Oliver Jonas Queen have you been carrying this ring around with you for the last five years?” She was stunned.Oliver nodded, “I kept it with me praying that one day I would get to put it on your finger. I never stopped believing that you were out their Felicity. Never.”She started to cry, tears flowing down her face at this beautiful, wonderful man. He had loved her for all for all this time, even knowing he might never see her again. He had remained faithful to her and she to him and she knew that there was nothing in the world she wanted more.“Yes.”Oliver looked at her with a happiness glowing in his eyes. “Yes?”“Yes.”Oliver smiled the most beautiful smile and she held up her hand grinning, tear tracks on her cheeks as he slipped the ring on her finger.They kissed sealing their commitment and after a breathless kiss she looked down at the ring with awe. Her final dream was coming true. She was marrying the love of her life.She was going to be Ms. Felicity Smoak-Queen.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
To say the last few weeks had been happy would be an understatement as far as Felicity was concerned. After Oliver proposed they had agreed that they did not want to be apart any longer and so she had moved in with him. They had decided to stay at his place because it was bigger, and Felicity loved that it was close to the gym and the coffee shop. She had gone back to work just a few days after the incident with Slade, even though Oliver had really wanted her to take it easy. Lyla had told everyone that COS had been disbanded but Oliver was still skeptical. So, in compromise she had gone back to work but he had walked down and either spent time with her on her break or had lunch with her every day.Today she was leaving work early and they were meeting for lunch and Oliver's sister Thea was joining them, along with Tommy and John. Thea had flown in that morning and Oliver had picked her up from the airport after dropping Felicity off at work. Oliver had assured Felicity that Thea was excited to meet her, but Felicity was still nervous. Her life had changed so drastically in the last few months that sometimes she still believed she was dreaming. Since getting her memory back Felicity had been dealing with a lot of emotions and it had been harder than she had expected. All the anger and frustration at having lost five years of her life was devastating and things were moving so quickly that sometimes it felt overwhelming. However, Bravo Squad had been her rock and Oliver had been there for her every single step of the way.Felicity had also developed a friendship with Lyla and they had spent a few Saturdays together doing lunch and shopping and having girl time and that had been a godsend, especially with the testosterone squad as she called them. Oliver, John and Tommy were constantly checking on her and making sure she was ok and at one point she had gotten so frustrated that she challenged each one of them to a sparring match. She beat them all and the satisfaction she had gained from that made her feel much better. Felicity walked into the diner they had chosen for lunch and when Felicity saw the young lady sitting next to Oliver laughing at something that Tommy had said, she took a deep breath and approached the table. Oliver saw her walk up and a gorgeous smile lit up his face. He stood and kissed her before turning and introducing her to Thea.“Thea, I would like for you to meet my fiancé, Felicity Smoak. Felicity this is my sister Thea.”The slender brown hair girl stood and smiled and then Felicity was engulfed in a hug. Thea pulled back with her hands-on Felicity’s shoulders and looked her over.“I am so glad you are alive.” It was the first thing that Thea said to her and Felicity let out a surprised laugh. “Do you know what this man was like after he thought he lost you?” Oliver rolled his eyes and motioned for Thea to take a seat.“We don’t need to talk about that Thea.” They all sat down, and Tommy laughed.“Oh, but I think we do. In fact, I don’t think we have talked about it enough my friend.” Tommy grinned at Felicity. “He was like a bear being poked in the winter. Grumpy, grumpy grumpy.Oliver glared at him as everyone laughed and Thea looked over at Felicity and smiled. “I have heard a lot about you Felicity and I am going to enjoy having another woman amongst this group. All this male testosterone can get stifling.”Felicity laughed and placed her hand in Oliver’s. He pulled it to his lap their fingers entwining, and the waitress came over and took their order.“So, Thea how does it feel being back in Star City?” John smiled warmly at her. They met when Oliver was going through some of his hardest times and Thea thought of both John and Lyla as family.“Nice. I mean I miss Roy, but it is good being back.”Oliver lifted an eyebrow. “Roy?”Thea nodded, “Yes Roy. You know, my boyfriend? He wanted to come but he could not get off work. However, he WILL be here for the wedding so make sure I have a plus one.” She winked at Felicity and Felicity assured her that despite what Oliver might say she would get her plus one.“Where are you staying while you are in town?” Tommy asked the question and when Thea said with Oliver and Felicity, he groaned. “Why don’t you come and stay with me? Those two are like two horny teenagers right now. You might cramp their style.”“Tommy!” Felicity looked at him giving him a what the hell look, and he just grinned at her. “Well it is true. You and Oliver are so sickeningly loving it makes even me want to go find someone.”They all laughed at that knowing Tommy was a perpetual bachelor and soon their food arrived. Thea and Felicity discussed wedding plans while the boys talked shop as they were considering expanding the gym. Felicity and Thea decided to go shopping on Saturday to look at wedding dresses and Felicity was really looking forward to it. They had both decided to invite Lyla and Oliver groaned when Thea brought up tuxedos."What are you groaning about big brother? You not looking forward to having to wear a monkey suit?"Oliver looked at Thea and then down at Felicity, "I will wear a knapsack if it means I get to marry this woman." He leaned down and kissed Felicity and everyone at the table groaned."See what I mean?" Tommy rolled his eyes.They all had a great time at lunch and soon it was time to head home. Thea decided to take Tommy up his offer to stay with him, so they could catch up and Tommy winked at Oliver when “giving Felicity and Oliver alone time” was mentioned.Oliver held her hand as they drove back to his apartment and he had a smile on his face. “Well that went well, don’t you think?”“I really like your sister Oliver.”“I knew you two would get along. I knew it five years ago.” He gave her a soft look and she smiled at him. “Of course, I hope you realize that she will be all up in the wedding planning. She loves things like that.”“I don’t mind. It will be nice to have someone to help. With me not having any siblings it is nice having your sister.”They entered the apartment and Felicity walked over and collapsed on the couch. “Of course, it is really ooogey having your sister give us some “alone time”. I am going to kill Tommy.”Oliver laughed as he threw his keys on the table by the door and then walked over and sat next to her pulling her feet onto his lap. “Yeah he is not exactly subtle.”“And he is wrong. We are not like two horny teenagers.” Felicity frowned.Oliver grinned at her, “I kind of have to agree with him on that one.”“What?”“Well you are all over me 24/7 and sometimes it gets quite embarrassing.” He was teasing her, and she took the pillow behind her and hit him in the face. He caught it and threw it to the floor before tackling her to the couch.“See, you’re constantly touching me, and it really needs to stop Smoak.” He grinned again.“Ummm, Mr. Queen? It seems you are the one lying on top of me so……….” She wrapped her arms around his neck.“Well when you touch and kiss me all the time how is a man supposed to resist?”“Oh, so you are saying I am irresistible?”“Most definitely.” Oliver leaned down and kissed her lingeringly. “So very irresistible.”Felicity moaned sweetly as he settled between her thighs and she ran her fingers along his jaw with a smile. “I think you are just weak Queen.”“When it comes to you I am weak, tempted, turned on, fascinated and totally enamored.”He kissed his way down her neck and took her earlobe between his teeth. She giggled as his breath hit her ear and she wrapped her legs around keeping him in his place.“I love your ears.”He kissed his way to her neck and she sighed softly, “and your neck.”She moaned as he kissed his way across her collarbone nudging her shirt down with his chin. The feel of his scruff on her chest made her shiver. “Oh, and have I mentioned how much I love your chest?”He reached down and pulled her shirt up, so it was just above her breasts and seeing the white lace that wrapped her skin made him a little harder. He thanked whoever had created a front hooking bra and he unsnapped it letting it fall to the side. His lips lingered around her breast as he let his tongue dance around the aureole and she arched her chest closer. “Oh, and your breasts are simply divine.”She moaned again as he let one go and moved his mouth to the other one giving it the same treatment. His cock was pressing between her legs and Felicity cursed the clothes that were in the way. Oliver must have been having the same thought and he sat up and pulled her to a sitting position. He pulled her shirt over her head and then slid her bra down her arms and when she was naked from the waist up he kissed her deeply, pushing her back into the cushions.Felicity’s hands went into his hair as he kissed his way back down her chest and when he got to her navel he tickled it with his tongue.Instead of giggling Felicity arched her hips. He was way to close to another area she wanted to feel his mouth kissing and she subtly gave him a hint. He looked up at her from between her legs and then grinned as he moved lower.Felicity’s hands fell away as he unsnapped her jeans and drew down the zipper and when he pulled her jeans down her legs and removed them with her shoes and socks she bit her bottom lip. He was still dressed, and she was almost naked beneath him and she wanted nothing more than to remove every stitch of clothing he had on.“Your overdressed Oliver.” She sat up and pulled his shirt over his head and when his face came back into view, she pulled him down into a hard-passionate kiss. He pulled away and pushed her back down in the cushions.“I am not done worshiping you Felicity. Patience.”He leaned down and let his hot breath hit between her legs through her panties. It caused her to arch and she closed her eyes. “Take them off Oliver.”He didn’t hesitate, and he pulled her panties down and off her legs and then slowly kissed his way up to her knees and then to her inner thighs.“I love your legs.” He nipped the inside of her thigh and she gasped with pleasure. He moved closer to her core and when he ran his tongue over her clit she moaned and pushed her hands into his hair again.“But this area here. This area I worship. This is where I long to be when I am sitting at my desk in the middle of the day or driving to meet you for lunch. Or when I see you just waking up in the morning with your hair all tousled and your eyes all sleepy.”He let his tongue slide down her folds and he slipped it inside tasting the juices that were gathering there from her arousal. “I think of how you taste and smell.”His words were igniting a fire inside of her that was causing her to whimper with every single word and when he sucked on her clit she called out his name. “Oliver!”He tasted how wet she was, and he slid a finger inside of her as he let his tongue flick at her clit. Each time he did she arched her hips mimicking the movement their bodies would make soon.“God Felicity you taste so damn good.”He slid in a second finger and started slowly pumping them in and out and when he looked up to see her face his body turned rock hard at the expression she was wearing. Her lips were parted, and her eyes half shut, and she was arching her chest, her hard nipples begging for attention. He moved up and took a nipple in his mouth again as he continued to pump his fingers inside of her.She cried out when he sucked hard and her hands immediately went to his jeans. His cock was pressing against the zipper and she undid the button and pulled the zipper down, so she could slide her hand inside. He kissed his way across her chest and took in her other nipple as a groan escaped his mouth at her touch. She gripped him tight and slid her hand up and down, keeping rhythm with his hand that was pleasuring her.She felt her body flying toward that pleasure that only he could give her and when he placed a third finger inside and let his thumb caress her clit she exploded. She cried out her body arching and her eyes closing, and Oliver worked her through it as she shuddered beneath him.Seeing her come undone like that was enough for him and he pushed his jeans down below his ass and taking her leg and moving it to his hip he pushed inside of her. She was still coming down from her orgasm and the feel of him entering her and filling her made her moan again as he started to thrust into her.His fingers were magic but when they were connected like this it was total oneness. Their bodies moved together in synchronicity and he knew just the right spots to hit. She was warm and wet and soft, and it was driving him toward the brink and when he started thrusting harder and faster and kissed her lips, she gripped his hair tight and held on for the ride.Oliver was so close but he wanted her to come again and so he reached down and flicked her clit with his fingers as he moved inside of her and when he pumped hard, his finger relentless, her body already primed from her first orgasm flew into another. Her body clenched and pulled at his and the feeling sent Oliver careening into his own orgasm with a deep moan of her name.They stayed connected as their bodies trembled together and he placed kisses along her cheek and forehead and down her nose. They kissed deeply again, and Felicity looked up at him.“Don’t pull out just yet.”Oliver adjusted his body, so he was not crushing her, but he kept their bodies connected and she held onto him tightly. She wanted to keep that connection just a little longer.“Oliver, I love you so much.”“I love you too baby.”She pulled back and placed her hands on his face, her eyes looking into his with a look of utter trust. “I want to tell you about the mission and what happened with my Dad.”Oliver looked down at her in surprise. He knew she had been dealing with those memories for awhile now and he had not bugged her about it knowing she would come to him in her own time.“Are you sure Felicity?”She nodded and kissed him.“I need to tell you so that I can move forward.”She kissed him again and pulled him down into a hug. He held her close as they both enjoyed being one. Felicity settled her face in his neck and sighed as she thought of telling him about her mission.It was time.
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Oliver felt her relax in his arms as he waited for her to talk. He was surprised that she was ready to tell him because something told him that it had not been an easy mission. He stroked his hand up and down her arm and soon she started talking.“After I was taken from my plane I woke up at COS headquarters. Slade showed up and he told me that COS was a military unit that worked on top secret missions. He said that my father was heading a group that was threatening to bomb some of the military bases and COS needed me to take him down. When I declined he showed me a picture of the Bravo Squad and threatened to kill each one of you.”Oliver felt her stiffen in his arms as she remembered, and he pulled her close letting her know she was not alone.“I could not believe it. He said that I was the only person that they had access to that had skills that mirrored my father. So, when he showed me the picture of the team again…” she paused, “and of you, I agreed.”“It took me a couple of weeks, but I was able to narrow down his location and then I was to contact my father. I had not seen him since I was a little girl and at first, he did not believe it was me. He was surprised I was contacting him after all this time.”Oliver’s fingers lightly stroked her arm and she tightened her hold on him. “When I saw him Oliver, it was like I was that little girl again that he left behind. I was thankful for my training because it took everything I had to convince him to trust me.”“It took me over a month for him to finally show me the program he was working on that could launch the missiles he had acquired. The whole time I was conning him and working late at night, I would picture you here. I would wonder what you were doing. If you were moving on.”Oliver’s breath caught at that admission. She had thought of him when all had been doing was finding ways to search for her.“The day that I finally was able to access the system, he walked in while I was on the computer. I was able to disarm the missiles, but he drew a gun on me and basically told me that the best thing he ever did was leaving me and my Mom. He was trying to get into my head and he did for a short period. The thought of you here moving on without me and him telling me that he never wanted me. It really messed with me. I mean they tell you not to let the enemy or the mark get into your head and I failed that.”Oliver wanted to hug her so very tight. He could feel her shaking as she relived the nightmare of that time. God why had he not been there?“But then I remembered something you told me. It was after the first time you told me you loved me. You held me, and you said that I was it for you. That no matter what happened on the mission we had coming up that you would never love another. Of course, at the time I was stupidly thinking nothing would happen. That we would go on the mission and complete it and come home and live the rest of our lives together.”She paused, and Oliver kissed her head as she hugged him even tighter. He was having a hard time breathing but he did not dare interrupt her. She needed this and he was giving it to her.“I was able to tackle my Dad and then wrestle the gun away and when I did he laughed at me. He said that I was weak and that I was nothing like him. That he was doing what had to be done for the betterment of America. I looked at him Oliver, and I did not recognize the man standing before me at all. He was not my father. He was a crazy person that was going to kill hundreds of innocent men and women.”“I had signaled my team and they were on their way and when they burst into the room it became chaotic. My father escaped, and I had to chase him down while the team swept the building. I caught up with him outside the door as he was running to a vehicle. I told him to stop and pulled the gun on him and he did. But then he smiled a cold smile and starting walking backwards.”Oliver froze as he had a bad feeling about where her story was going. She sat up and he let her go seeing the pained look in her eyes. He sat up as well against and he saw tears start to fall down her face.“I told him to freeze again and he just smiled at me and kept moving. Before I knew what, I was doing I fired a shot at him.”She started to tremble, but Oliver did not pull her back to him. She needed to get everything out because from what he could tell it was bad.“He…he fell and at first I thought I had hit him in the shoulder. So, when I approached him I expected to see him moving. But he wasn’t moving Oliver, he was just lying there. I nudged him with my foot trying to keep my gun on him and he didn’t move. His eyes were closed. When I knelt and felt his pulse, it was threadbare. That was when I saw that my shot hit two inches below his shoulder. The shot knicked his heart.”Oliver let out his breath as her tears fell harder. “By the time our medic on the team got there he was dead.”Oliver sat forward with a sigh and this time he pulled her into his arms and held her tight. She crawled onto his lap and buried her face in his shoulder as she wept at the memories that had been taken from her. She was forced to experience killing her father twice and it broke Oliver’s heart.He pulled back and placed his hands on her face. “Look at me Felicity.”She looked up with tears in her eyes and Oliver gently wiped the tears from her face. “He was moving Felicity. There was no way you could have known that you would hit him there. You told him to freeze and he refused. That was not your fault.”She knew he was right but her heart still felt the pain of that day and she wrapped her arms around his neck and sobbed into his shoulder.“When you told me that you were wondering what I was doing and if I had moved on……Felicity there was not a day that went by that I was not thinking of you. After the Marines called off your search and pronounced you dead I could not believe it. I didn’t believe it. I hired a private investigator to keep searching. Of course, I did not know at the time that the government was involved, and they hid their tracks extremely well. Even the PI could not get any more information than what we had. I laid in bed at night and just stared at your dog tags. I slept with them under my pillow in the hopes that it would keep me connected to you. Then one day I just got angry. I was angry for the time we lost, and I was angry at myself for losing concentration and getting shot. If I was not forced to leave I would have been there.”Felicity pulled back and held his face as he had done hers. “Oliver there was no way anyone could have known that my plane would get shot down and that COS would find me. You were shot. That is a hazard that goes with what we did back then. If you had not been sent back home, you might have never walked again. Please don’t ever be sorry for that.”“I gave your dog tags to Tommy because I knew how much he loved you and I knew he would keep them. I just couldn’t look at them anymore. They reminded me that you were not here. I didn’t give up, but I did distract myself with the gym. I had to do something to continue moving forward because there were days that I got drunk and did not want to continue living without you. Those were the days that Tommy said he pulled me back from the edge.”Finally, able to tell her story and hearing how much Oliver had loved her over the years was filling her with a light she had not felt in a long time.“Felicity your father was sick. You did what you had to do for your safety and the safety of your team. That is what a good marine does and that is what the woman that I fell in love with would do in a heartbeat.”She looked at him and kissed him softly and he held her tightly to his chest.***Felicity, Thea and Lyla walked from store to store eating their ice cream cones and just enjoying the girls time they were having that day. They had been to several dress shops and were on their way to a bridal shop to start looking for Felicity’s dress. She had talked to them about the wedding and how she wanted to incorporate her Jewish beliefs into the ceremony and they both told her that was a wonderful idea. Oliver had been supportive of it as well and was leaving all the arrangements to her.They finished their cones and then walked into the bridal shop and Felicity’s hand went to her chest as she looked around. It was full of lacey confections that made you feel like you had stepped into a fairy tale and when their sales person set them up in the back room with Champaign and finger sandwiches Felicity knew she made the right call in letting Thea handle the details.The sales lady smiled at her with the usual retail, commission smile and pointed around the room, “So Ms. Smoak, do you see anything that you would like to try on today?”Felicity felt a little overwhelmed. She had not even started thinking of dress designs yet, so she again was happy when Thea stepped forward and said, “Let us try start with an A-line and mermaid design.”The lady nodded and led Felicity back to the dressing room where she was immediately measured and then left alone while the sales lady went to pulls some sizes. She left Felicity with a strapless push up bra to change into. Felicity pulled it on and when she saw how it pushed up her breasts she took out her phone and grinned as she took a picture of just her chest. She texted it to Oliver with the caption, “The girls are happy.”
Oliver: (wide eyed emoji)
Felicity: How do they look?
Oliver: Can you bring that bra home?
Felicity grinned.
Felicity: Maybe. What do I get in return?
It took Oliver a moment to respond and when he did she busted out laughing at the picture he sent.
Oliver: This!
Oliver had taken a picture of himself from head to toe with a certain area of the body very happy to see the picture and he was smiling at the camera with a goofy smile.
Felicity: The girls approve. See you in a few hours. Be ready.
Oliver: (thumbs up emoji) (blowing kiss emoji)
Felicity put her phone down as the sales lady walked in with the first dress. It was gorgeous but when Felicity tried it on she found the mermaid style just did not work for her. She spoke with the lady for a few moments and the sales lady left and came back with a different style.Felicity pulled it on and when she turned to the mirror she caught her breath. The bodice was sleeveless and nipped in at the waist and the skirt flared just slightly as it fell to the floor coverd in lace and satin and she smiled. She walked out of the dressing room and both Thea and Lyla beamed when they saw her. She looked stunning.“Felicity, oh my god. My brother’s jaw is going to hit the floor. That dress is perfect.”Felicity turned and looked in the mirror and she had to admit, it looked like it was made for her. She could not believe that she found her dress after trying on only one other. She turned to Lyla who was looking at her in wonder. “Lyla, what do you think?”Lyla stood and walked over and too Felicity’s hands. “I think that man would marry you if you were wearing a paper bag. But when he see’s you in this, he is going to be stunned. It is perfect.”Felicity saw Thea clapping her hands excitedly and jumping up and down and she knew at that moment it was the one. The sales lady took her back to the changing room and took the gown telling her that the seamstress would contact her to make an appointment for any alteration. The dress needed few so Felicity felt confident things would go smoothly.She walked out to Thea and Lyla trying on bridesmaid’s dresses in the color of peach that Felicity had chosen, and they drank Champaign as dress after dress was tried on, the tulle that adorned most of them making them laugh until their sides hurt.Felicity walked into the apartment that evening exhausted but happy. It had been a great day and Felicity had enjoyed getting to know Thea and even Lyla better. They had so much fun and Felicity could not remember the last time she had laughed until her sides hurt. Oliver was in the kitchen cooking dinner and she dropped her purse and bag on the floor, took off her shoes and walked up behind him and placed her arms around his waist hugging him tight.Oliver smiled when he heard the front door shut and he continued to cook knowing she would seek him out. He was making her favorite spaghetti with meatballs and when she smelled the food she moaned sweetly, the sound making him glad he had made the extra effort for her.“That smells heavenly.” Felicity leaned against his back and he put an arm back around her as he stirred the sauce with his other hand.“Did you find something?” He turned the sauce on simmer and turned around placing his arms around her waist.She smiled brightly, and Oliver thought about how he loved to see her smile like that. “I did. The second dress I tried on.” She was proud of that and he kissed her softly before he tugged at the front of her t-shirt.“And the bra?” He tried looking down her shirt and she slapped at his hand with a smile.“In the bag by the door.”Oliver playfully frowned, “You didn’t wear it home?”Felicity wrinkled her nose, “No it itched.”“Well I won’t make you wear it that long.”“After dinner Mr. Queen. I am starving.” She turned and walked back into the living room collapsing on the couch. Oliver announced dinner was ready about 15 minutes later and they sat down at the table and drank some of her favorite wine and the dinner was delicious.“You should think about opening a restaurant.” Felicity moaned as the taste of the sauce hit her tongue.“No there is only one person I want to cook for and she bought a push up bra today that I am dying to see in person.” The laughed and finished their dinner and neither one would admit they finished it a little quicker than usual.Oliver took the plates to the kitchen and Felicity took that moment to hurry to the bedroom and change into the bra. She paired it with a white pair of lace panties that she had purchased while they were shopping and then she sauntered back down the hall. Oliver was bent over placing dishes in the dishwasher and Felicity leaned against the door jamb and admired the view. As Oliver was wiping his hands on a towel he turned, and his mouth dropped open when he saw her standing there.His knees grew a little weak at just how seductive she looked, and he dropped the towel to the counter and sauntered forward like a man on a mission.“So, Mr. Queen. Do you approve?” She stood there with her chest pushing her breasts forward the tops spilling out of the white lace bra. Her legs and feet were bare and the lace that barely covered the apex of her thighs called his attention just as much as the bra.He didn’t say a word, he couldn’t so he showed her. As soon as he reached her he pulled her into a kiss and she arched into him the feel of him so overwhelmingly wonderful. He reached down and picked her up, his hands cupping her ass he she wrapped her legs around his waist. He carried her down the hall to the bedroom and set her feet down as he kissed her thoroughly.“You are perfection.” He let his eyes and hands wander down over her soft curves and down over the curve of her hips and his eyes darkened when she ran her hands up and over her breasts caressing them in front of him.“So are you.” She reached over and pushed his shirt over his head, dropping it to the floor as she leaned forward and worshipped his chest with kisses. His hands roamed her back as she kissed and nipped her way through every groove and muscle on this chest. She let her tongue linger on his nipple and his hands moved into her hair as he groaned when she nipped him with her teeth.Her hand slid down to his pants and he toed off his shoes as she unbuttoned his jeans and lowered the zipper carefully over his erection that was pushing against the fabric. He had grown hard the minute he saw her, and she pushed his jeans down, letting her hand slide into his boxers and palm him gently.He tried to undo the bra a frustrating curse leaving his lips when he felt five hooks in the back. She giggled and reached back and undid them for him and let the bra fall down her body as Oliver’s eyes looked with lascivious appreciation at her rosy peaks. Her hand caressed him, and he leaned down and took one of her nipples into his mouth, just as she had done. He licked and sucked as her held fell back and her eyes closed and then he nipped her too.She gasped, and her hand tightened around him and she started to slide her hand up and down his length as he moved across her chest to her other breast.Their moans and breathing filled the room as the smell of sex filled the air and when Oliver’s hand slid down and rubbed her between her legs her hand tightened again. He slid his hand inside of her panties his fingers finding her slit and he slid them inside of her making her gasp, and her other hand grabbed his shoulder.They pumped their hands in rhythm with each other as their kisses and touches turned more passionate. Oliver knew if she kept touching him he was not going to last so he removed his fingers and after licking them clean, not wanting to waste one taste of her, he removed her hand and placed it around his neck before he picked her up and pushed her against the door. Her legs wrapped around him and she moaned in disappointment when she felt his hardness still covered with clothing.“I need you now Oliver.” She panted the words as he continued to work on her neck and chest, his kisses and tongue tasting her, and she reached down and pulled his cock through the hole in his boxers, stroking him tightly.Her hand was about his undoing and he finally decided what the fuck and ripped the lace panties from her hips before he thrust inside of her. Felicity gasped in total absolute wonder as he filled her completely. She didn’t care about the panties, she could buy another pair, all she cared about was the feeling in that moment. He started thrusting into her pushing her up against the door and she wound her hands tightly around his neck and kissed him deeply, their tongues mimicking the movement of their bodies. Her hands moved up into his hair and tugged as Oliver made a particularly hard thrust and the feel of her pulling his hair made him growl into her neck.She pushed her hips trying to meet his movements and his thrusts started coming harder and faster, the door lightly banging in homage to their movements. She was gasping and moaning and feeling every single sensation as her body started to work toward release and hearing Oliver’s groans and gasps as he pumped his hips sent her body over the edge. She cried out his name as she hit her peak and Oliver continued to work her as he chased his own orgasm.Oliver felt her body pulsing around him and gripping him tightly and he came soon after with a groan, his body pumping into her as he worked through his own release.Felicity tightened her arms around him as they both slowly came back to reality and he leaned up and kissed her lips before he turned and walked to the bed. He laid her down and crawled up next to her and he pulled her close as they continued to just kiss and cover each other with their affection.They soon became drowsy and crawled under the covers both exhausted from their day but happy and soon they were both sound asleep.
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Oliver threw punch after punch at the boxing bag as he circled and jabbed. Something was bothering him, and he could not quite put his finger on it. He knew that Lyla and A.R.G.U.S., had disbanded COS and he believed that it was no longer an organization but there had been a ton of high-ranking people in on that project. Yes, Slade was taking the fall for the operation and Oliver held no remorse for him but what about the others?He continued to punch until his muscles ached and his body was drenched in sweat and as he leaned on the bag catching his breath Tommy approached him.“What did that bag ever do to you?” Tommy crinkled his eyes at him. Something was bothering Oliver. “You ok man?”“Yeah.” Oliver’s response was short and clipped but not rude.“Everything ok with Felicity?”“Everything is perfect with Felicity. That is the problem.”Tommy frowned at that. Ok, his friend had officially lost his mind. “Uh, Dude. How can that ever be a problem?”“Because Tommy things have been too quiet.” He looked at his friend and Tommy could see the concern in his eyes. “Slade took the fall, I get that but what about the other people? There were a lot of people involved in this and I don’t think they are just going to let things be. I worry that they might try to get to Felicity.“Oliver, listen, I know you are worried about her. Man, after losing her once and then her getting kidnapped a second time, I don’t blame you. But there are a couple of things you need to consider. Those people are on A.R.G.U.S’s radar. I can’t imagine they would take a step toward Felicity or anyone else for that matter. And two, Felicity is in a much better place. She can take care of herself.”Oliver frowned as he hit the bag. He knew Tommy was right on both accounts, but he still felt edgy. He grabbed the bag, catching his breath. “I know you are right Tommy, but I would still like to stay aware.”Tommy slapped his shoulder, “I know buddy. So, listen, I am going to have lunch with your lady. Any message I can give her?”Oliver gave Tommy a funny look and Tommy grinned, “Hey, I have to get my time with her where I can. You guys are so sickeningly lovey dovey I can only stand you two together for so long.”Oliver rolled his eyes and smiled, “Just tell her I will see her tonight.”Tommy wiggled his eyebrows, “I will try not to wear her out.”Oliver threw a punch at Tommy and he ducked laughing as he walked away. Oliver turned back to the bag and started punching again.***Felicity sat in Big Belly Burger waiting for Tommy to arrive. They had decided to meet for lunch today, both wanting to spend some time together. It had been hard to do since she had been back. She was constantly with Oliver, which was understandable, but now she wanted to spend some time with the other love of her life.She smiled when he walked into the restaurant and his boyish grin crossed his face. She stood and hugged him tight and he kissed her cheek.“Your man sends his love and says he will see you tonight.”Felicity smiled, “So you told him you were meeting me?”“Yep, and I promised not to wear you out.”Felicity rolled her eyes at him and he laughed as the waitress approached. “What can I get you two?”Felicity ordered a BBB with fries and a shake and Tommy opted for a double BBB with just a shake. She knew he was going to eat her fries and so did he and that was the way of things.Tommy placed his hands on the table interlocking his fingers and looked her over. “How are you doing?”“Pretty good. I went dress shopping this weekend with Thea and Lyla.”Tommy laughed, “Oh boy I bet that was a hormonal shopping trip.”Felicity slapped his shoulder and he playfully said ouch as he grabbed it. “Not funny Merlyn.”“I am glad to see you happy Smoak, but how are you really?” Tommy always seemed to know how to get down to the heart of things with Felicity and she found she had missed that connection.“I am nervous.”“You sound like Oliver.”“Oliver? Why?”“He was beating up a punching bag when I left like it had offended him. I asked him what was wrong, and he just said he is worried.”“What about?”“About you.”Felicity sighed as Tommy continued, “Look Smoak, he spent five years searching for you, only to get you back and have you kidnapped again. The man is walking a thin line between spending every waking moment with you or tying you to the chair at home.”“I know. I can feel it. I just…I don’t know what to do. I know he is still worried that COS is not done with me and I try to reassure him. I am not the same person that Slade and his goons were able to kidnap then or now.”“I think he knows that, but he is struggling.” Their food arrived and they both bit into their burgers with a moan. They looked at each other and laughed at their faces. They both had a healthy appetite for food and it was something they both appreciated.“Oh, that is a good burger.” Felicity swatted Tommy’s hand as he reached for a fry, but he snagged one anyway.“So, are YOU worried about it too?” Tommy asked the question again. She had not answered him, and he wanted a real answer.Felicity slowly ate a fry as she looked at him and then she sighed, “Yeah. I have been thinking about it too. Slade told me that the only people that knew about COS were high ranking officials. Well Tommy, they are not going to just go away. They are going to try to save their sorry asses and if they think for one second that I might jeopardize that, there is no telling what they might do.”Tommy thought about that and he could not argue. He agreed. He snatched another fry. “So, what do you think we should do?”“Well one thing I am going to do is send my Mother on a little vacation. I want her to be away for awhile, so they don’t decide to try to get to me through her.”“And?”“And, I think Bravo Squad needs to band together and put a plan in place, just in case.”Tommy’s eyes lit up at that. “The old team working together? Ohhhh I like the sound of that Smoak.”She grinned at him, “I just need a little more time to think about things.”They finished their burgers and Tommy grabbed the last french fry, much to Felicity’s chagrin. They sipped on their shakes and spent the next hour just catching up. Felicity learned that Tommy had been seeing someone recently and even though he was not admitting it was serious his eyes seemed to light up when he mentioned her. That made Felicity happy. Tommy had always prided himself on being a bachelor, even back when they were in the marines. She knew one day he would meet someone and fall hard, and she smiled to herself as he talked. Maybe he already had.Felicity kissed him goodbye and walked back to the apartment her mind on COS. So, Oliver was worried too. She should have known. He had been walking around with a perpetual grumpy face and she knew something was on his mind when he was like that.Felicity took out her phone and called her Mom. She needed to set the first part of her plan in motion.“Baby!!! Oh my god, it is soo good to hear from you.” Donna’s voice boomed from the phone and Felicity laughed.“I just talked to you last week Mom.”“I know but I can still get excited every time you call me. So, what is going on sweetie? Everything ok?”“Everything is great. The wedding plans are moving along smoothly.” Felicity paused. “Umm, but there is one thing I wanted to talk to you about." She paused and then said, "I wanted to send you on a two-week vacation, do you think you can get the time off work?”“Two weeks? To where?”“I thought you might want to go back south. Mexico maybe?”“Oh my god honey, you mean to the beach? But why Felicity? What is going on?”“After what happened recently with Slade, Oliver has been worried that other members of COS might try to make a move. I just want to make sure you are somewhere that they cannot find you until we can get this taken care of.”“Sweetie, you know I can take care of myself.”“I know Mom, but please, just indulge me.”“When do you want me to leave?”“I was thinking tomorrow?”Donna sighed. Wow that was very short notice. She did have vacation time saved up, so maybe she could talk her boss into letting her go. “Well let me talk to Bruce. I have the time saved up, but I don’t know if he has the coverage.”“Talk to Bruce and then let me know. Once I get your ok I will make you the reservations.”“Hey sweetie? Do me a favor? These guys took control of your life once before.” Donna paused. She knew her daughter was tough, and she had all the confidence that she could handle whatever came her way. “You show these guys what Smoak women are made of, you hear?”Felicity smiled softly, “I will Momma.”“I love you baby.”“I love you too.”Felicity hung up feeling good about her talk with her Mom. They had come a long way since she had discovered the truth and they were getting closer every single day.Felicity heard the front door opening and she turned with a smile as Oliver walked into the apartment.“Hey.” She walked over and placed her arms around his neck giving him a soft kiss.“Hey you. How was lunch today with your boyfriend?” Oliver teased her, and she laughed.“I think Thomas is cheating on me.”Oliver’s eyebrow quirked, “Really? He hasn’t mentioned seeing anyone.”“I think it has thrown him for a loop, so he is trying to keep it on the down low for right now.”Oliver pulled her closer. “He always did confide in you.”“He also told me that you were working a punching bag like it was Slade’s face. Care to talk about it?”Oliver groaned and pulled away, “Of course he would say something.”“Come on Oliver. Tell me what is on your mind.” They walked to the couch and settled in with Felicity curling up into his side. He put his arm around her and pulled her close and then looked at her with a hint of concern.“I am still worried about COS.”“Me too.”Oliver frowned, “You are?”She nodded, “Yep, which is why I am sending my Mother on a vacation and you and I and Bravo Squad are going to figure out what we need to do to get this taken care of once and for all.”He gently stroked her arm as he spoke, “Why didn’t you tell me you were still worried?”“Because I am used to handling things on my own. I have been having to work at the sharing thing.”“So, what are you thinking?”“I don’t know. I find it odd that all of these high-ranking officials are just letting this go with Slade taking the fall.”“I know. Me too. I told Tommy I thought it was too convenient.”“Should we maybe try to draw them out?” She looked at Oliver as she asked, wondering his thoughts.“I don’t know Felicity. I don’t like the thought of putting you in their cross-hairs.”“I had another idea, but I don’t know if you will like it either.”Oliver sighed, “What is it?”“We make a deal with Slade and use him to help draw them out.”Oliver’s body tensed. Oh, there was no way in hell he was going to let that asshole get off easy. “No Felicity.”“Will you just hear me out? I am not talking about giving him a free pass. He will still take the brunt of the fall and will pay for what he did.”“But?”“But, we use him to draw them out. Make them think he is singing like a canary.”Oliver tried to get his anger in check. Just the thought of Slade skating on this was enough to make his fists clench.“How much time are we talking about offering him?”“He is looking at life without parole right now. What if we have A.R.G.U.S., work a deal for life with the possibility of parole?”Oliver thought about that, “He doesn’t deserve it.”“I know, but we will be there if he ever does get a parole hearing and we can make damn sure that he doesn’t get out.” She paused and stroked Oliver’s cheek. “We need him Oliver.”“I don’t know. I love you and I trust you, but I need to think on this.”“That is fair.” She gave him a kiss and they were about to deepen it when her phone rang. It was Donna.“Hey baby, I talked to my boss and I am good to go.”“Great Mom, I will get the reservations made and send you the information.”“I am so excited.”“I am glad. I will call you later.”She hung up and Oliver looked at her and shook his head.“What?” She looked at him puzzled.“You were going to do this with or without my consent weren’t you.” He knew her so very well.She shrugged. “Maybe. But I would rather do this with you.”He huffed out a laugh and kissed her deeply.“Then let’s get to work Ms. Smoak.”She smiled, they were moving ahead.
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Oliver followed Felicity into A.R.G.U.S. the next morning, his body tense and his jaw set. He really did not want to give Slade any type of deal, but he knew that Felicity was right. To draw anyone out that was still seeking to harm her they had to use Slade to do it. They both signed in at the security desk and then walked to Lyla's office. She was going to meet with them and then take them to see Slade who was being kept in A.R.G.U.S., custody until his trial.Lyla smiled when she saw them and gave them each a hug before gesturing for them to take a seat. "How are you doing this morning Felicity? Are you ready for this?"Felicity let out a deep breath. She didn't know if she was ready, but she knew they did not have a choice. "As ready as I can be.""Ok, well this is how it is going to go down. When we go in we will make Slade the offer. If he agrees then we will place a small chip under his skin to keep track of his whereabouts. If he tries to escape or leave Star City, it will paralyze him immediately until agents can get to him and place him back in custody.Oliver looked skeptical. "What makes you think this chip will work and how are you going to keep him from having it removed?"Lyla looked at Oliver and she could tell he was anxious. "The chip has been programmed to send out a signal and defend itself in a way, if someone tries to remove it. It basically burrows deeper into the skin.” She looked at Felicity. “We have used it in the field and it has been 100% effective.”Felicity reached over and took Oliver’s hand. He tightened his grip around hers and she asked, “So once Slade is released he will also be followed correct? I want to make sure there are agents nearby when he meets with his contacts.”Lyla nodded, and she was impressed. Felicity was sharp and strategic, and she would be lying if she said she was not considering offering Felicity a place on the A.R.G.U.S., team.“Yes, he will have a tail 24/7. Each member of Bravo Squad will rotate out every 12 hours. We will also make sure he is aware that if he fails in this mission he will automatically receive life without the possibility of parole.”Felicity nodded. She felt confident about the plan, but she could tell that Oliver was still hesitant. They had not discussed the part that Oliver was adamantly against and that was Felicity working alongside Slade. He was against using her as bait, but she did not feel they had any choice. Slade was good bait, but Felicity working with Slade was even better. If the people who were part of COS wanted her they then seeing her working with Slade would make them come for her.Lyla stood, “Ok are you guys ready for this?”Oliver frowned, “No. But let’s get it over with.”He held onto Felicity’s hand as they followed Lyla down to the interrogation room and he squeezed it tight before he released it and they all walked into the room.Slade smirked, “Well, well. I was not expecting you two.”Felicity sat across from him, but Oliver stood, arms crossed glaring. Felicity had asked him to let her do the talking and he had agreed. However, he had informed her that if Slade got out of line one time he would knock him to the ground.“Slade we are here to offer you a deal, are you interested?”Slade quirked his eyebrow at them. Ok, so he was curious. “A deal hu?”“Yes, do you want to hear what we have to say?” Felicity asked. She was keeping a cool head while Oliver seethed by her side and Lyla admired them both.“Well I don’t have anything else better to do.” He crossed his arms across his chest.“We need your help to take down the rest of COS. To do that we will free you to work with us, but during that time you will have a tracking chip imbedded in your skin that will keep you from running away.”Slade looked at them as if they were daft. “You are not serious?”“Oh, she is completely serious.” Lyla walked forward. “If the mission is successful you will be given life with the possibility of parole. However, if the mission fails or we find out you have told anyone outside of this room what is going on then you will be brought back to A.R.G.U.S. and will serve life with NO possibility of parole.”Slade looked at them cautiously. “What does this chip do?”“If you try to have it removed or if you leave Star City it will activate paralyzing you until an A.R.G.U.S., agent takes you back into custody.”Ok, Slade was impressed. He was not 100% sure he wanted to cooperate but if it gave him the possibility of parole and got him out of this hell hole for a period it might be worth it.“You would be working with me and Bravo Squad would be tailing you 24/7.” Felicity spoke this time and his eyes turned to her.“What do you mean I will be working with you?”“I need to know every single person who was involved in COS and what they have planned moving forward now that the unit has been disbanded. You will help me do that. You and I will come out as a team working to try and get COS back up and running despite A.R.G.U.S. I am hoping it will lure out some of the people behind COS who might still be after me.”Slade gave her a shrewd look. She was smart. Of course, he had seen that first hand when she had worked for him to take down Noah. “So, I work with you and out the remaining COS members and you will make sure that I get life with a possibility of parole?”Felicity smiled coldly while Oliver glared. “Yes. Are you in?”Slade looked up at the stone-cold face of Oliver and he figured why the hell not. He was an opportunistic man and what better opportunity to have a little bit of freedom than this. Maybe while he was out he could work out a plan to escape. He smiled to himself.“Deal.” He held out his hand to Felicity and she took it tentatively. But when Slade held it for a second too long Oliver stepped up and he quickly dropped her hand.“Let me be perfectly clear Slade. If you so much as sneeze in Felicity’s direction, you won’t have to worry about spending the rest of your life in prison because I will take you out immediately, you got me?”Lyla moved forward as things were getting out of hand. Oliver held Slade’s gaze with a look of steel as Lyla called for the agents to take Slade back to his cell.“When will this take place?” He looked Felicity.“You will be released tomorrow after they implant the chip.”He gave Oliver one last look before the agents led him out of the room.Oliver slowly started to relax and when he felt Felicity’s hand on his arm he took her hand in his and turned to Lyla.“I am just letting you know that if Slade gets out of line in any way or he hurts Felicity, I will kill him.”Felicity heard the conviction in his voice and Lyla saw it in his eyes. He walked out pulling Felicity along with him and she motioned to Lyla that she would call her later as they left.***Oliver and Felicity walked back into the apartment and as soon as the door closed he pulled her into a hug.“Felicity, I hate this.”“I know Oliver, but I don’t want to live looking over my shoulder every single day.” She pulled back and looked into his eyes.“I can take care of myself Oliver. I am strong, and I know exactly what I am getting into this time.” She slowly started to push him back toward the couch and when his knees hit the couch she shoved him down and climbed on top of him straddling his waist.“Plus, I will have this big strong man that I know watching over me.” She grinned as she circled her hips and Oliver groaned.“You are not going to distract me with sex Felicity.” He placed his hands on her hips to stop her wiggling.She grinned and leaned down kissing his neck, “Who said anything about distracting you?” She kissed and then nipped his neck and she felt him shudder. Oh, that was exactly the response she wanted.“You didn’t have to say anything. I know that devious mind of yours.” Oliver could feel his body responding to her and growing hard as she sucked on his earlobe and his eyes closed.She lifted herself onto her knees and then slid her hand down his body until she was rubbing him through his jeans. He groaned when he felt her touch.“Do you know my devious mind Queen? Do you know how my mind works?” She rubbed him feeling him grow hard beneath her touch and then she reached up and pulled her shirt over her head, her lace bra barely concealing her hard nipples.Oliver’s eyes darkened, and his hands tightened on her hips. But now he was holding her down on his hips instead of stopping her movements. He sat up quickly and took a nipple into his mouth gently laving his tongue over the tip through her bra. She gasped, and her hands went into his hair as she gyrated her hips on his quickly growing erection.Oliver moaned, “We will discuss this more later.”Oliver’s hips bucked up into her as she ground down on him and Oliver made quick work of her bra, throwing it to the floor. She lifted his shirt over his head and when their naked skin touched, her nipples dragging along his chest he pushed her up and off him until she was standing.His hands immediately went to her pants and he tugged them with her panties down her legs. God she was so very beautiful.He pulled her hips forward placing a soft kiss to her belly and her hands gripped his hair as he kissed and nipped her stomach. He could smell her, and it made him even harder and he stood up and quickly got rid of his pants before he laid back down and pulled her down on top of him.They kissed with a hungry fire that ignited every single time they were together, and Oliver lifted her over him before she lowered slowly down onto him. He fought the urge to push up into her hard and deep and he let her slowly slide down on him, her sweet moans intoxicating.She placed her hands on his chest and sat up slowly starting to ride him and Oliver’s hand slid back down to her hips again as he felt her sliding up and down. Felicity’s head fell back as Oliver started to thrust up into her and as their bodies moved together Felicity worked a rhythm that had him hitting her clit every single time he thrust up.Felicity started moving faster and slamming down harder taking him as deep as he could possibly go and soon her body tensed, squeezing him tightly as she came. Oliver watched her face as she let go, loving the look of pleasure in her features and when she squeezed him once again, her warmth and heat coating him he followed close behind her, releasing into her, his tension melting away.She collapsed onto his chest with a happy sigh and then kissed him softly, lingeringly before laying her head on his chest. He held her close knowing that tomorrow she would be working with the man that took her away from him his arms tightened.He and team Bravo would make damn sure she was safe this time and if Slade stepped even remotely out of line.Oliver was going to kill him.
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Felicity pulled her leather jacket tighter around her as she and Slade walked into the COS office in Star City. The fact that they had a branch there made her skin crawl, but she tried to ignore it. They had a job to do and they had to be convincing. He led her to the 5th floor and down a corridor to a non-descript door where several things caught Felicity's attention.The office looked like it was just closed for the day. There was no one inside but there were computers and phones and other office equipment and Felicity wondered how many people this office had housed before being shut down. Was this thing bigger than they had thought? She made a mental note to talk to Lyla.Slade led her to the nearest office and motioned for her to have a seat before he picked up the phone and made his first call. Felicity was surprised when she heard him address General Davis. He had been stationed at their base here in town and she had met him a few times while with Bravo Squad. The thought that he had been complicit in COS made her blood boil. Who else was going to surprise her?As Slade continued to call his contacts Felicity became more uncomfortable. This thing went way beyond just the Marines and even though she had known that, hearing just how far it did go made her nervous. She motioned that she was going to step out and make a call as Slade continued to talk and he nodded as she stepped out of the room.She took a deep breath and immediately called Oliver. He had not been happy about her going alone with Slade this morning. But there were things he needed to do at the gym and she had assured him that she could handle Slade. Also, Lyla had promised them that the chip had been implanted and was working properly.“Felicity? Is everything ok?” Oliver immediately answered the phone when he saw Felicity calling, his nerves on alert.“I am fine Oliver, but after hearing the names that Slade is calling………Oliver this thing goes way higher than I ever imagined. General Davis is one.”“Shit!”“There are some other names I have heard before but not met.”“Do you think there are some Senator’s involved?”“It would not surprise me.”“Have you talked to Lyla?”“No, I was going to call her next.”“Ok. Felicity, please be careful.”“I will Oliver.”“I love you.”“I love you too.”Felicity walked back into the office and Slade was just hanging up the phone. “Everyone has been notified that I am here with you.” He gave her a quizzical look.“So, Smoak, do you think this plan is going to work?”Felicity sat across from him, “I know it will work. These guys are worried about their names getting out in connection with COS that is why they had you take the fall.” She gave him a curious look. “Which makes me wonder. Why did you get involved in this in the first place Slade?”Slade’s eyes flickered with something and then he looked her in the eye, “The death of my wife.”Felicity looked at him in surprise, “Your wife?”Slade nodded, “Yes. She was my high school sweetheart and we married right before I enlisted. The marines sent me to China to work with a group there about two years into my Marine career. Everything was going well until I got sent on a mission to Germany. I was gone four weeks and while I was gone our house got burglarized and my wife got caught in the upstairs bedroom. They shot her.”Felicity felt a twinge of sympathy as she saw the pain in Slade’s face. “I came back, and they had already buried her. Unfortunately, the Marine’s were not able to get a hold of me due to my mission being top secret.” He paused and looked at her. “I never got to say goodbye.”“I am sorry for your loss Slade, but what does that have to do with you working for COS?”“When I was recruited they promised me that COS would help me track down the men that killed her. The police had been working the case for over a year and had nothing. I was angry because there was nothing I could do. Then General Davis contacted me and told me that they had information on who killed my wife. If I worked with COS they would make sure those men paid, and I could be there to make sure they did.”“So, you were recruited by General Davis?”“Yes.” Felicity found that interesting.“Slade is Davis the head of COS?”Slade paused. If he talked too much and they found out, they would make sure he never talked again. However, the fact that they were all running slightly scared right now gave him pause. He might as well tell her everything. Maybe it would favor him a little more leniency when time for his trial came around.“Yes. He started the squad because he wanted a covert group that worked under the radar. Ran by higher ups but no government interference. As long as his squad had results they were left alone to do as they pleased.”“No regulation whatsoever?”“None. So, he brought me in to make sure the squad ran smoothly.”Felicity was surprised at what Slade was telling her. She still did not forgive him for what he had done to her and the time she had lost, but she could feel a slight sympathy for the man that had lost his wife.“Now that we have called everyone we need to figure out a mission to undertake.” Slade sat back and entwined his fingers on his chest.“Lyla said she can help with that. She had a small mission that needs to be handled for A.R.G.U.S., except no one will know it is for A.R.G.U.S. She said it will be in Central City.”“When does she need us to go?”“Three days. Bravo Squad will be helping out under cover.” She wanted him to know that Bravo Squad would be with them. So far, he was behaving but she did not trust Slade in the slightest.She stood, “Let’s plan on meeting up tomorrow and you can let us know if you have had anyone contact you about me or about COS starting back up.” Slade nodded and stood as well. He walked her to the door and waited for her to leave before closing the door behind them.“I will get you the details as soon as I get them from Lyla.” Felicity talked as they walked down the hallway and as they reached the front door shots rang out. Felicity and Slade ducked as a hail of bullets exploded all around them.“Where are they coming from?” She yelled over to Slade who was against the wall on the other side of the door.“I think the street.” He yelled back to her and peeked around the wall. They both heard tires squealing and by the time they were outside the car was gone. Shit!“Did you see anything Slade?” She could see he as just as surprised as she was, and he shook his head no.“Damn. Well maybe the cameras from the building caught something. I am going to have Lyla’s team come and take the tapes.” She got on the phone and immediately dialed Lyla. As she hung up the phone she knew the next call was not going to go as well.The next person she had to call was Oliver.
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Oliver was fuming and there was nothing that Tommy or John could do to calm him down. Felicity had called a few moments before to let him know there had been a shooting outside the COS location, but she and Slade were ok.Tommy glanced his way as he drove as quickly as he could without risking a ticket to the building. Police cars line the street and there were officers everywhere and as Tommy slowed down to park Oliver jumped out of the car."Oliver!" Tommy yelled his name, but it was too late. Oliver was out of the car and Tommy had a bad feeling he was heading straight for Slade.Felicity saw Oliver approaching like an ominous cloud, his jaw set, his fists clenched and before she could intercept him he had Slade by the collar and shoved up against the police car behind them."You son of a bitch!" Oliver's voice was cold, and anger oozed from his words. "I had nothing to do with this Oliver." Slade tried to speak calmly but he was having a hard time breathing with the way Oliver was holding him. Tommy and John hurried up and pulled Oliver back as officers started to walk their way, and they assured them everything was fine. However, Slade could tell that if Oliver had his way, he would have strangled him with his bare hands.Felicity quickly intervened and put her hand on his arm, "Oliver, look at me. I am fine. This was not Slade's fault."He glanced her way and then put his eyes right back on Slade, "How do you know? He could have called someone when you were on the phone with me."Felicity looked at Slade. They had shot at him too. She did not feel he had set this in motion. Tommy and John struggled to hold Oliver back as Slade tried to catch his breath."Don't you think if I had planned this I would have had them shoot when I was not next to her?" Slade said sarcastically, and Oliver lunged at him again."I wouldn't put anything past you Slade." Oliver's voice dripped venom and Tommy finally made Oliver look at him. "Why don't you step aside with Felicity." Tommy gave him a knowing look and Oliver acknowledged it with a blink of his eyes before he pulled free of their grip and then turned to Felicity. He pulled her into his arms and held her tight tucking her head under his chin.He kissed her head and then cupped her cheeks with his hands looking down at her face. “God I am glad you are ok.”She placed her hands over his and smiled tightly, “I am fine Oliver.”“What happened?”“We were walking out of the building and all of the sudden shots were being fired. We ducked inside the building and the car sped away. It happened so fast we did not get a look at the vehicle. But I find it very convenient that they knew where we were. I think our phones have been tapped.”Oliver gently rubbed her arms as she spoke. “We need to get someone inside to verify that.”He looked down into her eye, his shining a deep blue as his emotions and anger mixed, “Are you sure you are ok?”“I am fine Oliver.” He nodded and then leaned down and kissed her before they walked back over to Slade, Tommy and John.As before Oliver was finding it hard not to punch Slade in the face but he held back as Felicity squeezed his hand. “So, Felicity seems to think that someone is having the phones in the building tapped.”Tommy looked at him with surprise, “If we can figure out who that is then we can find who ordered the hit.”Felicity nodded, “Precisely.”“You won’t if they used a ghost tracer.” Slade spoke and they all looked in this direction. Of course, he would know of technology they had never even heard of. That irked them all.“What is a ghost tracer?” John asked the obvious question.“It’s a device the government developed. It can trace calls at any location from 50 miles away. You just need to know the address of the building. There would not be a physical tracer on the phone or the phone system.”“Damn!” John swore and looked at Oliver and Felicity. “That is convenient.” His tone was sarcastic, and Felicity had to smile.“Have you guys forgotten about my skills?” She looked at the three of them dumbfounded. “There is no system that I cannot trace and hack, I just need the right equipment.” She turned to Slade and gave him a cold smile. “I need access to a P48 government system.”Slade cursed,” Shit Felicity, that might be impossible.”Oliver stepped into his face his mouth set, “Call one of your connections Slade, tell them whatever you have to tell them. Get her the computer.”Slade looked into Oliver’s eyes and then nodded, “Give me 24 hours.”“I think we have done enough today.” Tommy stepped up. “Why don’t we head back to the gym.” He turned back to Slade and stepped up to him, his eyes cold. “If we find out that you were behind this Slade. I don’t care what Oliver does to you, I personally will make you wish you had stayed in prison.”He turned and stalked off to the car and the three followed behind as Slade stayed back to answer any questions.Dammit! Whoever was after Felicity had almost killed him as well. Things were getting out of control and he needed to make sure it didn’t happen again.***Felicity stayed close to Olivier’s side as they drove back to the gym. They all walked to John’s office and once inside, Oliver let loose his anger. He slammed his fist down on the desk and then leaned over closing his eyes trying to take a breath.Tommy looked at Felicity, “So you want to share with the class what happened today?”“It’s like I told Oliver. Slade had just finished his calls and we were walking out of the building when the gunfire started. We were able to duck back inside and when the gunfire stopped the car was gone.”John looked at Oliver as he stood up and placed his hands on his hips. “How could this not be Slade’s doing?”Felicity piped in, “I don’t know how to explain it, but I truly do not think Slade was involved. I mean he endangered himself if he was involved. It just does not make sense.”Tommy crossed his arms over his chest, “Too bad the bullets missed him.”Felicity elbowed him and gave him a frown, but he just rubbed his ribs with an “ow”.“Ok, so if he was not involved and the person use this ghost tracer then we obviously hit a nerve with someone.” John sat down and steepled his fingers as they all moved to seats within the office.“Well if Slade can procure me a P48 then it will be easy to locate that tracker. Ghost or no ghost if it’s out there I can find it.” Felicity’s confidence made Oliver relax, but only a little.“I am going with you on your next meeting with Slade.” Oliver’s voice was adamant, and Felicity knew it was going to be hard to get him to change his mind.“You can’t Oliver. I mean you can be out there watching from a distance, but the players of COS have to think I am working with Slade, alone.”“I don’t care. You were almost killed. I am not risking that again.”Felicity sighed, he could be so stubborn. “Oliver, that could jeopardize the whole plan.”“I don’t care. I am not leaving you alone with that psycho. I had my reservations about doing that and I should have listened to my gut.”John and Tommy sighed, “She is right man. If you start going with her to her meetings with Slade that is going to tip off whoever is behind all of this.” Tommy tried to reason with him, but Oliver just glared at him.He stepped away and John tried next. “Oliver think about this for a second. We can be close by and we will have ears on her and eyes when we can. Tommy and Felicity are right if you start showing up out of the blue it could completely undermine the progress we have made.”“I don’t’ see progress, I see Felicity having to spend her days with that slime Slade and on the first day almost getting shot.”“Guys will you give us a moment?” John looked around the room and they all filed out. Felicity walked over and kissed Oliver’s cheek before she slipped out last and shut the door behind her.“Oliver you have to get yourself under control.”“John, I know I do. But every time I think of her alone with him I just want to…” Oliver clenched his fists and he did not have to say another word. John knew exactly what he meant and how he felt.“I get that Oliver, but we have to play this smart or she will be in even more danger. We have an opportunity to take these guys down and we cannot afford to screw it up.”Oliver knew John was right and so he agreed. “Ok John, but I am telling you right now, we have at least ears on her and if I so much as hear Slade say one thing out of line, I am going in.”John slapped his shoulder, “Tommy and I would be right behind you.”They called Tommy and Felicity back into the room and Felicity walked over and touched Oliver’s arm. “Everything ok?”He turned and looked at her and gave her a cynical smile, “As good as they can be. We need to figure out what our next move is going to be, and I promise to stay away.”She smiled at him and patted his cheek, “I knew John could talk some sense into you.”Oliver rolled his eyes and his lips twitched. She always knew how to make him smile.“Well once I get that computer I can work on finding who has the ghost tracer. However, I think tomorrow Slade and I need to make a few visits and see if there are any “missions” that COS needs to handle.”She saw Oliver’s body tense again, but he had to stay calm. “Once I get the first address from Slade you guys can get set up at the location and keep a watch.”Tommy leaned back in his chair, “What if you guys visit the person that tried to have you killed? I am not trying to rile Oliver back up, but I don’t like the thought of you just walking into an unknown.”John nodded, “Tommy has a point. We need to try to get that address tonight. I want Lyla to do some checking before we just send you in there blind.”“Good idea John.” Oliver looked at Felicity. “Can you contact Slade tonight and go over everything and see if he can give you an address?”She nodded and they all sat back for a moment.“This feels like old times.” Tommy grinned.Yes, and hopefully just like old times they would come out on top.***Oliver and Felicity walked into their apartment and Felicity could tell something was on Oliver’s mind. He had been quiet all the way home and had held her hand as if he did not want to let her go. She walked up behind him and placed her arms around his waist.“What are you thinking about?”He placed his hands-on top of hers and sighed, “A lot of things.”She walked around to face him with concern, “Talk to me.”Oliver took her hand and led her to the couch. There was so much going on inside of his head right now. It was hard to know where to start. “COS was the reason I lost you almost six years ago. Slade was complicit in that and just the thought of you having to spend your days with him makes me angry.”Felicity sighed, “We have been through this Oliver. I must help draw these people out if we want to get all of them. Otherwise we will be living the rest of our lives looking over our shoulders.” She stopped for a moment about to say something that had been on her mind lately. However, she was not sure how he was going to react. “What if we want to have kids someday? I want them to enjoy their lives without having a target on their backs. COS did not hesitate to use you and Bravo Squad against me. What do you think they would do to our children?”“I know you are right. But today when you called me and told me that someone had shot at you. Just the fact that I was not with you and he was made me so angry Felicity. The rage I feel when I see him is overwhelming sometimes. He took away so much of our time together.” He lowered his head and Felicity leaned forward and placed her forehead to his with a small sigh.“We can’t dwell on that any longer Oliver. It will just drive us crazy. We need to focus on now and being together and what our future looks like together.”He pulled her into a hug and they held each other as the emotions for the day settled between them.“So, you want kids huh? Oliver’s voice rumbled from his chest and Felicity grinned.“Oh yeah, at least five.”Oliver laughed and gently laid her back on the couch. He settled between her thighs pushing her hair back from her face. “I could totally see five of you running around a house in the suburbs.”She placed her arms around his neck, “Oh no it will be two girls and three boys that are just like their father. All broody and handsome.”He kissed her softly, “Five hu?”She nodded.“Well then we had better get to work.”He leaned down and kissed her deeply and seductively and they forgot all about COS and Slade for the rest of the night.
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Oliver and Felicity arrived at the gym early the next morning and kissing her he walked off to his office. He was going to change and do a few rounds on the punching bag while Felicity and Tommy went to breakfast. They were also going to meet with Slade and Oliver tried not to think about that. He had wanted to accompany her to the meeting with Slade, but he had been outvoted and so Tommy had volunteered.Oliver walked out of his office placing his gloves on his hands. John tightened them for him and as Oliver punched the bag he imagined it was Slade. He felt agitated and he knew that he was not going to relax until Felicity was safe and this whole charade was over and done.There were so many unknowns that it made Oliver nervous. They had no idea just how deep a reach the chain of command in COS was, and that unknown was dangerous.He punched and punched until his muscles ached and his body was dripping sweat but it did little to get his mind off of Felicity. He knew Tommy would keep her safe with his life but he could not help the feeling that he wished it was him.***Tommy and Felicity entered their favorite diner and took a seat in a booth near the back. Tommy had asked to talk to her this morning before they met with Slade and even though Felicity was excited to have some alone time with him she was a little hesitant. Tommy’s big brother instincts were almost as strong as Oliver’s protective instincts and at times the two could be a little much when they were both worried about her. But she loved Tommy, so she would hear what he had to say with an open mind.The waitress approached, and Tommy ordered two coffees and the special for each of them and Felicity smiled. He knew her so very well.He looked at her curiously and clasped his hands on the table.“Ok Tommy, what is going on?”“I’m worried about you.”Felicity sighed, “Not you too.”“Look Lis, I get that Oliver can be a little……”“Overbearing?”Tommy smiled, “I was going to say protective, but whatever works for you.” Felicity laughed.“Look Felicity. We love you and yes maybe we are being a little overbearing and cautious, but I don’t trust Slade and I know you don’t either.” He paused, “I have to ask. Are you sure that he was not behind that hit?”“I don’t trust him either Tommy. In fact, the man makes my skin crawl.” The waitress brought their food and they ate for a few minutes in silence before Felicity continued. “I heard Slade call General Davis.”“Holy shit!” Tommy looked at her in shock. General Davis had been the commander of the base for Bravo Squad and he was held in high esteem among the Marine community.“If Davis is involved in this then there is no telling how high up it goes.”Tommy let out a breath. Damn. He did not realize that things were this deep. “Does Oliver know about Davis?”“Yes, I told him yesterday.”Tommy chewed his food as he thought about what they could be up against. He had a feeling that Slade could tell them a lot more than he was letting on and so maybe he would talk to Slade on his own.“How is your Mom handling everything?” Tommy had not met Felicity’s Mom yet and he knew things had been tense between the two of them, but he also knew that Felicity had not hesitated in protecting her Mother.“She has been enjoying her time in Mexico but she comes home next week. I am hoping we will have this thing all wrapped up by then.”Felicity pushed her plate away and looked at Tommy. “Now onto a few personal matters. How are you doing Tommy?”He shrugged and smiled, “I am great. The gym is doing well and I have only worked my way halfway through Star City’s female population.”“Only halfway? Wow I figured you would have worked into the next county by now.”Tommy laughed. “I have seen a woman for more than one date.” He looked at her sheepishly and she grinned at him.“Thomas Merlyn, you give me details right now.”“Nothing much to tell. She comes into the gym and we started talking and I asked her out. We have fun and she makes me laugh.”“Names buddy. I need to google this girl.” As much as they both knew she was joking they both also knew she was serious.“Angel Harris.”“Angel?” Felicity looked at him in surprise.He laughed, “Yes Angel.”Felicity grinned, “She makes you laugh?”Tommy nodded and blushed, and Felicity grinned even bigger. “Why I do believe Tommy Merlyn is blushing. You really like this girl.”“Yes, but please don’t tell the guys just yet or I will never hear the end of it. I want to keep this to myself just a little while longer and see where it goes.”“Your secret is safe with me.”The waitress brought their checks and Tommy grabbed them both with a grin. “You have to be quicker than that Smoak.”“Have I told you lately how much I love you Tommy?”He smiled, “No, so keep saying it. Maybe one day it will sink in.” He gave her a soft smile. “I love you too.”He paid the bill and then they headed to the car. Felicity called Oliver to let him know they were headed to meet Slade so he and John left to get into position. Oliver had said that if he could not be with her then he wanted to be close by in case something like what happened yesterday repeated itself. They were meeting Slade at an A.R.G.U.S., safe house so they could talk privately and with no fear of being bugged.***Oliver and John grabbed their things and headed to John’s SUV to drive to the safe house. Oliver was grateful that Lyla had provided them a safe place to meet with Slade, especially after they realized their phones had been bugged at the COS location.They pulled up about a ½ mile from the house and Oliver set up the computer that Felicity had equipped with a listening device. They would hear the entire conversation with Slade and would be able to hear if something went south.They saw Tommy’s car pass by and so Oliver tested the audio.“Felicity can you hear me?”“Loud and clear.”“Good. We are about a ½ mile from the house and can be there in 10 seconds if you need us.”“Don’t worry Queen. We have this under control.” Oliver could hear the smile in her voice, but his face stayed serious. Anytime she was near Slade his hackles rose and he knew that would never change.“Everything is going to be fine Oliver. They are just going to get the computer that Slade was able to procure and then talk about their next steps.”Oliver kept his mouth shut and his jaw tight as he listened for any sound. He soon heard them greeting Slade and they both settled in and listened.***Felicity and Tommy followed Slade into the living room and Felicity walked over to the computer he pointed to on the table.“There is your computer. It’s clean but has all the usual governmental credentials.”“Thank you, Slade. I will sweep it one more time just to be sure.” She sat down and immediately started to type and Tommy thought this might be a good time to ask Slade a few questions.“Any idea who might have sent those men yesterday?”Slade crossed his arms and looked at Tommy, “None. However, the fact that they shot at us makes me wonder if I am now a target too.”Tommy’s eyes narrowed, “Well then you need to convince everyone that you are still on their side. These people cannot know that you are working for A.R.G.U.S.”Slade walked to the couch and sat down pulling a manila folder closer and opening it. He pointed to a picture inside, “It might not be that simple.” Tommy sat down slowly and looked at the picture.“Is that who I think it is?” He was in shock.“Secretary of Defense James Madison. I spoke to him a few times on the phone while working for COS. He is one of the biggest players in this whole thing. When I tried to call him yesterday he was in a meeting. He is the only one I have not reached.”“Slade does the President know about this?”“I asked that question one time and the answer I got at the time was no.”Tommy relaxed but only slightly. Shit! He had no clue how all of this was going to shake out, but this information was huge. He prayed that Oliver and John heard Slade say his name.***John looked at Oliver in shock. “Madison is involved in this?”Oliver’s hand hit the dashboard as a curse flew from his lips. “John this is becoming more and more dangerous.”John rubbed his face with his hands. Oliver was right. This was going way above and beyond what Bravo Squad could handle.“Oliver I think we need to fully involve A.R.G.U.S.” Oliver blew out a breath. They had been trying to keep Lyla’s involvement to a minimum but neither one of them could deny this was way over their heads.“I agree. We should bring them in but I also want to work with Felicity a little more on her defensive training.”John could not agree more. This was going way beyond what any of them had imagined and the reach had grown dangerously serious. They were dealing with a government official being involved and as they listened to the rest of the conversation with Slade they both could not get that fact off their minds.***Felicity had completed the sweep of the computer and as she closed it up she placed it in the bag that Slade had provided and walked over to where they were sitting on the couch.Tommy looked at Felicity and she could tell something serious was happening. “What’s wrong?”Tommy turned the manila folder around, so she could see the picture and her eyes grew wide as she looked at the photo and then at Tommy. “Madison?”Tommy nodded grimly.Felicity looked at Slade. “Have you known this?”“I was telling Tommy I had spoken to Madison a couple of times while working for COS, but I was not 100% sure until after my incarceration by A.R.G.U.S. I got an anonymous letter stating that not only was Madison involved he is the mastermind behind COS. It was his baby.”Felicity looked at Tommy. “This changes everything.”Fuck yeah, it sure did.
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“Будь в курсе твоего окружения, мое сердце. (Stay aware of your surroundings my heart.” Oliver and Felicity circled on the mat in the gym. After finding out just how high the COS players went, Oliver had decided to work with Felicity on her defensive skills and this morning was the first session. Felicity grinned, “Я в курсе каждого твоего движения. (I am aware of every move you make my love.)”Oliver made a move to sweep her feet out from under her, but Felicity was able to jump, and his leg swept underneath her as she turned and pushed her leg out in a kick to his chest. Her move took him by surprise, but Oliver moved back, and her foot missed, inches from his chest. He grinned at her as she narrowed her eyes and he said, “Ты должен быть быстрее, чем моя любовь. (You have to be quicker than that my love.)” She gave him a look that smoldered, and he felt his body tighten as she moved around him like a predator. He loved when she got that look in her eyes and he met her gaze with a challenging look of his own. “Вы хотите меня, дорогая? Тогда вам придется прийти и забрать меня. (You want me sweetheart? Then you are going to have to come and get me.) The words purred from his lips and Felicity’s body responded immediately. She licked her lips. John approached Tommy who stood to the side of the mat watching. “How is it going?” John crossed his arms and looked on with interest. “They have lapsed into Russian.” Tommy’s droll tone said everything, and John laughed. Oliver made a move to grab Felicity’s arm and then pull her into a tight hold, but she moved to the left and all he grabbed was air. Felicity waited only a second before she moved forward quickly and wrapped her leg around Oliver’s legs taking him to the ground. She scrambled on top of him and soon had him pinned to the mat. “You did that on purpose.” She looked down at him panting slightly from their exertion, giving him a knowing look. “Did what?” He gave her an innocent look and she leaned down closer letting her lips stop just a hairs breath from his own. “You let me take you down.”Oliver moved quickly and before Felicity knew it she was on her back with Oliver on top of her. Tommy groaned, and he and John walked away. They knew when the Russian talk started how things would end and they did not want to be in the room. Luckily the gym was closed this morning, so no customers would walk in on the display. “А если бы я сделал? (And if I did?) Oliver her hands to either side of her head and when she tried to buck him off he just moved with her and smiled. “Есть что-то на уме, мистер Квин? (Is there something on your mind Mr. Queen?)” She finally freed her hands and wrapped her arms around his neck tracing his jaw with her finger.“There is a lot on my mind Ms. Smoak. But nothing I can discuss here.”She saw the look in his eyes and it made her body start to ache. She leaned up and whispered in his ear. “Why don’t we go to your office?” Oliver looked at her in surprise and then quickly stood pulling her up with him. He made his way down the hall and she laughed as he tugged her inside, closed the door, and then pushed her up against it. His lips were on hers just as fast and as the kiss grew heated and he pressed her into the door she moaned and ran her hands up into his hair, trying to pull him closer. Neither one of them cared that they were in Oliver’s office at the gym. For some reason they just needed each other right at that moment and neither one could deny the other. They held each other tight as their lips pressed together in a desperate heated need that always sparked to life between them. It was like their bodies were trying to make up for their time apart and they could not get enough. Felicity sighed as Oliver’s lips slid across her cheek to her ear and he gently pulled the lobe between his teeth. She writhed against him as the heat of his breath hit her ear and when her core clenched, the emptiness a physical ache, she quickly reached down and pushed down his shorts. Oliver groaned when he felt her hand grip him and squeeze and he slid his thumbs into the waistband of her shorts before he pushed them down her legs. “We have to be quiet.” Felicity mouthed the words against his neck as she kissed and nipped her way across his skin.She toed off her shoes and caught his mouth with hers again. Her skin was soft and warm as he ran his hands along her sides and then up to cup her breasts. Oliver tore his mouth away and kissed along her jaw before saying, “I am not the loud one.” She had been stroking his cock slowly and she ran her thumb up over the tip causing him to jerk into her touch. “Jesus Felicity!”“Oh really?” She grinned against his neck and Oliver pulled her hand away and lifted her up pressing her body tightly into the door.Her legs wrapped naturally around his waist and she arched against him as he let his thumbs glide over the tip of each nipple.“Fuck!” The word flew from Felicity’s mouth as his calloused hands worked her over and when she felt him long and hard pressing against her center, she writhed trying to get him closer.“Ok, so we both need to be quiet.” Her words whispered into his ear as she bit his earlobe and Oliver’s want of her became unbearable. He had to be inside of her now and so he pushed her panties aside and then lowered her body down slowly.She held onto him tightly as he entered her both of their eyes closed with pleasure. She muffled her moans into his neck as her hands gripped his hair tugging in desperation and Oliver read her like a book and tightened his grip before he started to move. His hips pounding against her, his cock stroking her was exquisite torture and when they heard the door start to bang, he turned and carried her over to his desk, keeping their bodies deeply joined.He placed her down and then leaned over her and the new angle along with their new position caused him to enter her deeper. Their bodies rocked and moved together as they both worked one another, their hands and lips straying wherever they could reach. Their bodies were primed due to the extra excitement of where they were and of the possibility being heard and it did not take long for them both to feel their bodies inching toward release. Oliver could feel Felicity’s body tensing around him and he slid his hand down and started rubbing her clit as he continued to move inside of her. As soon as Oliver’s fingers started working her Felicity moaned out loud and when the touch of his fingers on her clit pushed her into her orgasm she cried out, finally biting lightly on his shoulder to muffle her desire to scream.Oliver could feel her body wracked with pleasure and he moved his hands to her ass to hold her as he worked toward his own release. The feel of her juices around him along with the feeling of her body gripping him tight soon sent him over the edge into a hard orgasm and he pressed his lips to hers to muffle his own cries of pleasure as he came inside of her.Felicity could feel his body shaking as she held him tight and kissed him deeply and when she felt him starting to relax and his kisses become soft she gave him two sweet kisses before she pulled back and gave him a relaxed, satisfied smile. She leaned her forehead against his catching her breath and said, “Наши тела были созданы друг для друга. (Our bodies were made for each other.)”“Мы были созданы друг для друга. (WE were made for each other.)”Oliver kissed her softly and then slid out of her. She moaned softly missing his warmth and sat up on his desk looking around the room. They gathered their clothes and dressed quickly and when he felt her arms wrap around his waist from behind he smiled a happy smile. “More sparring tomorrow?” She grinned, “You are on.” *** Tommy glanced at his watch for the third time as they waited for Oliver and Felicity to get through their extracurricular activity. It was always like that with them and Tommy had to admit he was a little jealous. Not of Oliver, but of the connection they shared and he hoped that he would find that same type of connection for himself.He had been seeing Angel for a few weeks now and he smiled at the thought of seeing her again tonight. He had to admit she made him feel things that other women had not and as he took out his phone and glanced at her number he decided to call her. She answered on the second ring and Tommy could not help but grin as he confirmed their plans for the evening.She was beautiful and sweet and when he hung up the phone he felt a little sad that he could not still hear her voice. Now that Felicity knew about her Tommy decided that if tonight’s date went as well as he thought it was going to go, that it was finally time to introduce her to the team. *** Slade paced behind a building on the edge of town. He had received an anonymous note asking him to meet and as nervous as he was, something told him he could not say no. He waited patiently as the time for his meeting neared and when he saw the person walk around the corner his nerves shot up even more. Robert Queen approached him with an air of importance that few men could pull off. He had on a three-piece suit, and sported a nicely groomed beard and he played with the ring on his left hand as he gave Slade a look that made him take a step back. “Mr. Queen. I was not expecting you.” Slade’s voice held surprise and Robert stopped in front of him and glanced around. “If you had done as you were told I would not have to be here.” "I didn’t have a choice. Lyla Michaels and A.R.G.U.S., made me an offer and it would have looked suspicious if I did not take the bait.” Robert stepped closer and hissed, “Yes, but because you are working with Bravo they are getting closer to figuring things out and I do not like that one bit, especially where my son is concerned.”“You don’t have to worry about that. They are not going to find out you are working underneath Madison. They have no idea you are even involved.” Slade tried to appease him, but he could tell Robert was still upset. “Good, because if my son finds out I was involved with the kidnapping of Miss Smoak then I could lose him.”He stepped closer and whispered into Slade’s ear. “And if I sense that you are not being truthful with me. You will disappear from this earth, never to be heard from again.” The threat gave Slade pause and he pulled back and looked into Robert’s eyes and he could see he was deadly serious. When he had figured out that Oliver’s father was involved in COS he had been shocked. Robert worked directly below Madison and his part in COS was top secret. Slade had stumbled across the information when he was in China and having that knowledge was powerful, but dangerous. He knew needed to keep them as far as possible from guessing that Robert Queen was involved, or he had no doubt he would lose his life. Robert gave him one more silent but deadly look before he turned and walked away. Slade was angry that he was in this situation, but he also knew he could not go against Robert Queen. The man was powerful and lethal, and he knew that Robert would keep his word. He hurried back to his car and drove to the hotel where A.R.G.U.S., had him staying. He had some work to do before his meeting with Felicity tomorrow. He needed to make sure that when she researched the ghost tracers that they did not lead back to Robert. He entered his apartment and waved to the two Agents that were keeping an eye on him. He knew he had 30 minutes to get done what he needed before they came into the room to complete their check. It was a regular thing and so he set up the laptop that Robert had provided him a few days before and got to work. ***Tommy entered the restaurant late that evening looking handsome in a pair of black slacks, a white button up shirt and no tie. He had decided to meet Angel at a popular new restaurant that had opened recently and when he saw her sitting at a table looking beautiful as ever he smiled and walked her way. She looked up when she felt him approach and a smile crossed her beautiful lips as he leaned down and kissed her hello. “You look beautiful.” Tommy’s eyes looked her over as he took as eat across from her and she smiled shyly.The way he looked at her always made her body flush and she pushed a lock of hair behind her ear in a nervous gesture before she looked at him. “Thank you. You look quite handsome yourself.” Tommy grinned, and when the waiter approached he ordered a bottle of their house wine before he took her hand and held it on the table. “How was work today?” Angel worked in a law firm nearby and she shrugged as she looked over the menu."It was fine. I am working on a divorce case, which…. have I told you I hate divorce cases?” Tommy laughed. She had told him that several times but being the youngest lawyer at the firm it was par for the course to get the cases no one else wanted. She was proving herself every day and she looked forward to the day when she became partner, and could pick her cases. They continued talking as both ordered their food and she took his hand again once the waiter left and smiled at him.“And how was your day?” He sat back and gently stroked his thumb over her knuckles.“Things at the gym are going great. We have a new yoga instructor that starts next week, and we are thinking about purchasing the space next door and expanding. We recently got word that the bakery there now is closing.” “Oh, Tommy that is wonderful.” Tommy smiled and felt a little guilty that he had not told her about his involvement with Bravo Squad. She knew that he was an ex-marine and knew that he had worked with Bravo Squad but that was it. She did not know about the case with Slade or that Bravo Squad was working with A.R.G.U.S., against COS and unfortunately, she could not know. At least not right now.Their food was excellent, and Tommy felt good as their date proceeded wonderfully and later when they were back at his apartment, her head on his shoulder, he decided that he wanted more of this; more time with her. It scared him but also gave him a thrill he had not experienced before. Maybe Tommy Merlyn was ready for commitment.
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Felicity sat at the computer Slade had procured for her typing quickly. Today she was going to set a search to find out who was behind the ghost tracer. She could tell someone had been working to hide their tracks and it made her smile. Whoever had been working on it did not do a very good job. It would not take her long to figure out their identity and so she set the computer to search and then walked to the bedroom. Oliver was in the shower getting ready for work and she sat down on the bed to wait for him. She wanted to talk to him before he left.A few minutes passed, and she looked up when the bathroom door opened. A small amount of steam billowed out and Oliver stood there drying his hair with a towel, another towel hanging low on his hips. Felicity shifted on the bed and bit her bottom lip. God the man was beautiful, and she wanted nothing more than to rip the towel from his hips and have her wicked way with him, but they did not have time this morning.Oliver noticed Felicity sitting on the end of the bed, her hungry gaze sweeping over him and he willed his body not to respond to her look. He was in a hurry.“Hey! Everything ok?” He placed the towel in the hamper as he passed heading toward the closet.“It’s fine. I just wanted you to know I started the search for the person behind the ghost tracer and I am meeting with Slade at Noon today.”Oliver wanted to growl when she mentioned his name, but he held back. He pulled on his boxers and a pair of jeans and Felicity had to look away because Oliver Queen with spikey wet hair, no shirt, jeans unbuttoned, and no shoes was a temptation no woman should have to endure. She clenched the comforter to keep from reaching out for him.Oliver grinned when he saw Felicity sitting there trying to be good. He walked closer and tipped her chin, so she was looking up at him.“You promise me you will be careful today. And call when you are heading to meet him. I want Tommy or John to be nearby in case they are needed.”Oliver hated the fact that he was not available today. He was meeting with a realtor about acquiring the space next to the gym and so he was tied up.Felicity stood and placed her arms around his neck and he looped his loosely around her waist. “I promise. Plus, when Slade and I take care of our mission today, you will be there.” She kissed him and as the kiss heated up she heard a familiar beep. She pulled back and grinned.“My search has caught something.” She gave him a quick peck before she ran back to the living room and when Oliver walked out fully dressed a few minutes later, she had a frown on her face.“What did you find?” He walked up behind her and placed his hands on the back of her chair looking down at her screen. It was all computer code, so he could not decipher anything, but he could tell that she was not happy.“Whoever is trying to hide their tracks is not doing a very good job.” She typed a few lines and then her eyes widened. Was she really seeing that name?Oliver felt her tense up, “Felicity, what is it?”She quickly typed a few more lines and then looked up at Oliver with a stiff smile. “Nothing yet. Don’t you have to get to the realtor’s office?” He could tell she was deflecting but when he looked at his watch and saw the time he realized she was right.“I do.” He kissed her quickly. “I will check in with you later.”He grabbed his keys and headed out the door and when it closed behind him Felicity let out a sigh. Fuck!She grabbed her phone and dialed Tommy’s number.“Well good morning to the beautiful Ms. Smoak. How can I service you today? Or should I say be of service?” Tommy answered the phone with a grin.“Tommy, I need you to get to my apartment as soon as you can.” Felicity tried to hide the panic in her voice, but she knew she was failing.“That is what all the girls say but I never thought I would hear those words coming from you. Is Oliver not keeping up with his manly duties?” Tommy teased.“Tommy this is serious. I need you here now.” Her tone was almost frantic, and this time Tommy was serious as well.“Whoa. Ok, I am on my way.” They hung up the phone and Felicity typed a few lines again and stared at the name before her. Robert Queen. Shit. She did not want to say anything to Oliver until she was sure, but it was looking like he was heavily involved with COS and if that was true, she did not know how she was going to tell Oliver.***Tommy arrived 30 minutes later, and Felicity ushered him into the apartment and closed the door behind him.“I know you are anxious to have me Smoak, but I didn’t think you were that anxious.” Tommy was always one to try to break tension with humor, but Felicity was not in the mood; this was too huge.“Tommy I am going to tell you something and you have to promise me you will not say a word to John, but more importantly to Oliver.”Tommy frowned when he saw how upset she was, and he took her hands in his, “I promise Felicity. What is going on?”She led him over to the computer and pulled up the screen and pointed to the name that had been haunting her since she had read it that morning.When Tommy saw the name Robert Queen he looked over at her confused. “That is Oliver’s Father.”Felicity nodded, “I was trying to track the ghost tracer this morning and Robert’s name came up in my search.”Tommy frowned even more, “Could that be a mistake?”Felicity tried not to be offended. “There is no mistake.”“Shit! So basically, what you are telling me is that Oliver’s father is involved with COS.”“Not just involved Tommy, highly involved. He is high up in the organization.”Tommy’s eyes widened, and he cursed again. “You have to tell Oliver.”“I know I do. But how do I tell him that the man he loves; the man that raised him is involved with the group that had me kidnapped 6 years ago?”She was right. Damn. Oliver would go ballistic and it could break him, especially if they found out that his father was involved in Felicity’s kidnapping.“Tommy what are we going to do?”He sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. “I don’t know.”***Oliver walked out of the realtor’s office an hour later and made his way to the gym. His meeting with the realtor has gone well and he was excited to let John and Tommy know that the space was theirs when they chose to expand. He had placed a sizable down payment on the space to hold it and he was looking forward to working with Tommy and John on the specs.His mind wandered back to Felicity and he walked into the gym wondering what made her so tense this morning. She had stumbled across something in her search and as much as he wanted to press her on what she had found, he had decided it was better to let her come to him when she was ready.He saw John standing over by the free weights and waved to him as he made his way to his office. He wanted to look over some preliminary plans they had drawn up for the expansion so that he could meet with John and Tommy later that afternoon.Oliver took a seat at his desk and then glanced at his phone. Should he call Felicity? No. He needed to trust her and so he put his phone down and pulled the plans from his desk drawer.***Felicity arrived to meet Slade later that morning. She knew she had to put the information about Oliver’s father aside and focus but it was hard. She was meeting Slade back at the COS building, so made sure she had her gun at her back and then walked in and made her way to the office where Slade had made his calls a few days before.He was seated behind the desk and he leaned back in his chair and gave her a cynical smile when she walked into the room. “Glad you decided to join me this morning Smoak.”Felicity glared at him. She was not in the mood for his jokes. “If I had my way you I would not be here at all and you would still be in jail.”Slade glared back at her and then cleared his expression. “Today we have our first COS mission. I was able to keep it simple.”Felicity took a seat and listened as Slade explained the plan. There were some files that certain members of COS needed. It was up to Slade and Felicity to get a hold of those files. Felicity planned some things in her mind as Slade continued to give her the details. She liked working missions with people she could trust and the fact that she was having to do this with Slade was unsettling, but she trusted her skills. Oliver had been working with her every day and she knew that Bravo Squad would be close by if needed.She texted Oliver the information about the target site and soon she and Slade were on their way. The plan was to get Felicity into the building where the files were housed and while Slade kept the men inside busy she was to download the files to a burner phone that Slade had given to her. As they pulled up to the location she received notification that Bravo Squad was in place.Felicity took a deep breath as they approached the building and Slade led her inside. It was an old office building that looked to be mostly abandoned, and so Felicity glanced around taking in what she could of her surroundings. Oliver had taught her to always be aware and that had never been more important than it was right now.Slade tensed as two burly men approached wearing suits and looking like they could tear them apart with one hand and so he signaled to Felicity to stay close as they approached.Slade gave the men a charming smile, “Gentlemen. I am here to see Mr. Jacobs.” The men looked them both over and then motioned for them to follow. Felicity looked around as they were led down a hallway to two double wooden doors and as the men opened the door and ushered them inside Felicity tensed. The men closed the doors staying inside the room and Felicity placed a hand on Slade’s arm making sure he noticed.One of the men spoke up from behind, “Mr. Jacobs will be here shortly.”Felicity fidgeted as she tried to figure out how she was going to work her magic with these two goons watching her. They noticed a door to the left of the man’s desk open and the person she assumed was Mr. Jacobs entered. He seemed low key and looked like a man you would see dropping off his kids at school or grocery shopping at the local store. He smiled and held out his hand to Slade, but his eyes were on Felicity.“Mr. Wilson, it is a pleasure to see you again.”“Same here. I was glad that you accepted my meeting.”“And who is this lovely creature with you?”“This is my partner Felicity Smoak.”Felicity shook the man’s hand and her skin crawled when he clasped her hand with both of his and held on a little too long.“If I had known your partner was so beautiful I would have agreed to this meeting a lot sooner.”Oliver rolled his eyes from his position outside, as did John and Tommy. They were in position and Felicity had equipped them with a listening device. It did nothing to ease Oliver’s nerves, but it was better than nothing.Felicity carefully extracted her hand and gave him a bright smile. As he motioned for them to have a seat. Felicity discreetly pushed the button she had set up on the phone to scan the room and then placed her hands in her lap as Slade and the man spoke.“I was told you are looking for some military grade weapons.”Slade nodded. This man was known for his arms deals in the black market and their cover story was that Slade needed some special weapons for a covert operation. The story included a million holes, but it would do.“We wanted to get our hands on some ghost tracers.”Jacobs steepled his fingers and looked at Slade with interest. “Why does the military have interest in the ghost tracer?”Slade sat back looking comfortable, “There are a couple of covert missions coming up and we could use them. What business is if of yours?”The man looked between them and Felicity waited hoping he would take the bait. He finally agreed, and Slade was able to convince him to take him to the storage room where they were being kept. Felicity felt the phone that was tracking the files vibrate which meant the files had been located. Now all she had to do was make sure she was able to stay in his office while they downloaded.As Jacobs and Slade stood to walk toward the door Felicity stated she was not feeling well and asked if she could stay seated in his office. The man looked at her suspiciously but finally agreed asking one of them men to stay in the room with her. She felt the phone and hit the second button she had created and soon the files were downloading. She just needed Slade to keep the man occupied for 15 minutes.Felicity settled in for the wait and when the man that was watching her approached, she set her hand on her gun, just in case.“What’s a pretty lady like you doing working with Wilson?”She looked at the with surprise. “You know Slade?”“We have dealt with him before.” The man walked closer and Felicity grew a little nervous. She knew she could handle him should the need arise, but she was hoping that would not be the case.Oliver heard some man talking to Felicity and his fists clenched as the man was clearly flirting with her. He wanted nothing more than to rush in and let the man know Felicity was his but that would ruin the whole mission. So, he sat back, and Tommy patted his shoulder.“Competition can be a good thing.” Tommy teased him, and Oliver batted his hand away with a glare.Luckily Slade and Jacobs returned a short time later and Felicity checked the phone and gave Slade the signal that she had the information they needed. They both thanked Jacob and as he took her hand in his again he gave her a smile.“I hope our paths cross again Ms. Smoak.”She smiled at him and then followed Slade out of the room. She heard Oliver’s voice over the comm’s as they got into Slade’s car.“How did it go?”“We got what we needed.”“You almost got yourself a date Felicity.” They all heard Tommy’s voice over the comm’s and Oliver rolled his eyes as Felicity responded.“This is me flipping you off Merlyn.”He laughed, and they agreed to meet at the A.R.G.U.S., safehouse. Lyla had asked for them to get a look at the files and Felicity set to work when they arrived copying the files.Tommy, Slade, Oliver and John all stood talking as Felicity completed the copy. “Ok, we are good.”“What are the files about?”“It is all of Jacob’s contacts for his weapons deals.”“Any significant names?”Felicity looked uncertainly at them, not wanting to let them know she had read Robert’s name once again.“Nobody of note.”They talked to Slade for a little while longer and then he left and headed back to his apartment. Felicity pulled Tommy aside as John and Oliver talked.“I need to tell him Tommy. I saw Robert’s name again. He is in this deep and if Oliver finds out I knew his Dad was involved and did not tell him. He would never forgive me. He would never forgive us.”Tommy sighed and knew she was right. Oliver needed to know and so did John.Oliver approached Felicity and placed an arm around her waist. “You did good today.” She looked up at him and he could see worry in her eyes.“Oliver, I need to talk to you.”He frowned at her serious tone.“You need to know this too John.” She motioned for them to have a seat and then sat next to Oliver taking his hand in hers.“This morning when I was running as search for the source of the ghost tracer, I saw a familiar name.”Oliver looked at her as John sat forward. She could not put it off any longer.“Oliver it was your father’s name.”Oliver looked at her in stunned disbelief as her words washed over him.“What do you mean?”“I received an address for the location of the tracer and when I looked it up, it was your father’s home. Robert Queen.”Oliver was absolutely stunned. His father had a colorful career in the military, but he had retired several years ago. She had to be mistaken. But when he looked at her face he knew she was serious.He turned eerily still, “So are you telling me that my father is involved in COS? That he is involved in your kidnapping?”All Felicity could do was nod. “I saw his name again in the files I just copied for Lyla.”Oliver stood up absolutely devastated. His father was not only involved with COS, but he had been a part of Felicity’s kidnapping. How could his father have betrayed him like this? He had been aware of the anguish and pain that Oliver had endured when Felicity had disappeared, and he had said nothing. Oliver’s fists clenched as John stood,“Oliver are you ok man?”Oliver did not say a word as he walked over and stood with his hands on the wall and before anyone could stop him he punched.He punched it again and a hole opened and then he turned and walked out the door.
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Oliver walked outside, his body shaking and his mind racing. His fucking Father was a part of COS. He had been a part of Felicity’s kidnapping. The knowledge of that was searing its way through Oliver’s chest and the pain was almost unbearable. He walked to the edge of the forest that surrounded the home and placing his hands on the tree he took a deep shuddering breath.Did he Mother know about this? Was she involved as well?He had put off taking Felicity to meet his parents because at times they could be a little overbearing. Not to mention they had Slade to deal with and so he had planned on taking Felicity to meet them in a couple of months. He wanted to let them know about the engagement in person but now…..now that was all changing.The people that he thought were his family had betrayed him and as tears fell down his cheeks his anger radiated from him. Maybe it was time to make a visit to dear old Mom and Dad and find out just what the hell was going on.***Felicity paced wanting to go to Oliver. She could feel an aching in her chest and she knew that was the same ache he was feeling. John had told her to let him have some time; that Oliver needed to be alone to process but everything within her wanted to go to him, so she did.Felicity hurried outside looking around and spotted him standing near a tree at the edge of the property. His head was bowed, and his arm was braced on the trunk. She approached him slowly, not wanting to startle him and when she placed a hand on his back he shivered.“My father Felicity.” The whispered, tortured words tore at her heart.“My father.”She moved closer and she could see the tears on his face. She moved in front of him and placed her hands on his face wiping his tears. She looked up at him with compassion and love and she could see the fury in his eyes.“How could my father do that to you? How could he do that to ME? He saw how much I was hurting when you disappeared, and he did nothing.” He placed his hands on hers and pulled them away, her touch almost a physical pain for him at that moment.“I don’t know Oliver.” It was all she could say.“I am going to go see him. I am going to go see him and confront him.” He stepped back, not wanting his anger and betrayal to touch her more than it already had done.“I am going with you.”He looked at her in surprise. “No. I don’t want you anywhere near that bastard.”She stepped closer and placed her hands on his arms. “Oliver, I am not letting you go alone. I am going with you.”He just stared into her eyes and she placed her arms around his neck and pulled him close and after a moments hesitation his arms closed around her waist and he buried his face in her neck, sobs wracking his body. He was hurt, and he was betrayed, and she was his safe place. With her he could let all that anger and betrayal show. All the pain of those years without her that he now knew was because of his father was gut-wrenching.She held him for an hour, minutes, neither one was sure, but she did not move and neither did he, and when they heard footsteps behind them and turned to see John and Tommy he pulled away and his face turned cold.“I am going to go see my father.”“You are our brother Oliver. Whatever you need just know that we are here for you.” Tommy spoke the words as John agreed and Oliver gave them both a look showing that he appreciated what they were saying.“When will you go?”Oliver looked at Felicity and then back at John and Tommy. “We are going to go tonight.”Tommy walked over and placed an arm around each of them and John came close, their bodies creating a circle, a family.“Take care of him Felicity. Because this face is just too pretty to be in prison.” Tommy grinned at Oliver and Oliver shoved his arm off but there a smile that played along Oliver’s lips. Tommy pulled Felicity into a hug and John laughed as Felicity elbowed Tommy in the gut.This was their family. These people and Lyla were who they could trust, and he knew that when this was all said and done their trust would just grow stronger.***Felicity glanced at Oliver’s stoic face as he drove toward his parents’ home. He had contacted his Mom and told her and that he and a friend were coming by for dinner. She told him that the timing was prefect because his sister Thea was home and Oliver thought that was perfect. He was going to get some answers tonight and his sister needed to know the truth.Felicity wondered recently why he had not brought her home to meet his family before and so she decided to ask him.“Oliver, why have I never met your family?”He looked at her and sighed, “My relationships with my family has always been, shall we say, a little strained.”She reached over and took his hand off the wheel, holding it in her own.“My parents were not happy when I decided to go into the Marines. I was the prodigal son and my father wanted me to follow in their footsteps and join the Air Force. He was not happy when I joined the Marines.” He paused before he continued. “They both felt that I was running away from my ex-girlfriend Laurel Lance and when I got deployed to Iraq they quit communicating all together. It wasn’t until I returned and joined Bravo Squad that we started talking again.”“What about your sister?”He smiled a soft smile. “Thea was always my little shadow. She used to follow Tommy and I around everywhere. When I joined the Marines, she was devastated. She thought she was never going to see me again.” He squeezed her hand slightly. “She went off to school when I got deployed and we kept in touch with letters, but they were infrequent. I saw her when I returned and then on and off for a number of years, but it was mainly on holidays.”Felicity’s fingers stroked his hand as she listened to him talk. It sounded like his relationship with his family had been strained and that made the betrayal of his father cut even deeper.They pulled up in front of a large iron gate and it slowly opened leading to a long winding driveway. As they neared the home Felicity looked out the window in fascination. The home was huge and made from heavy ancient stone. This home must have been in the family for centuries.Oliver saw her look and gave his home a loving smile, “It was built by my grandfather’s grandfather. It has been in my family for generations.”“It is amazing.” There was awe in her voice and when Oliver stopped the car, she got out looking around in fascination. The home obviously sat on several hundred acres based on the setting and Felicity imagined Oliver and Tommy running around and playing on the vast estate.She approached Oliver and he took her hand and led her up the steps to the massive wooden doors. They opened smoothly and as they stepped inside Felicity’s breath caught. The home was exquisite. However, she barely had time to process it as a woman quickly approached speaking quickly but lovingly in Russian. She walked up and gave Oliver a hug and when she pulled back she placed her hands on his face and beamed.“Мистер Оливер, я так рад вас видеть. Я скучал по тебе. (Mr. Oliver it is so good to see you. I have missed you.)” Oliver smiled back at her with affection, “Я тоже скучал по тебе, Раиса. У меня есть человек, с которым я бы хотел, чтобы вы встретились. (I have missed you too Raisa. I have someone I want you to meet.)” Oliver pulled Felicity close to his side and the woman name Raisa looked at her with warm brown eyes and smiled. “Раиса, это моя Фелисити. (Raisa, this is my Felicity.” Raisa’s eyes teared and she held out her arms and hugged Felicity tight and scolded Oliver. “Я долго ждал встречи с этой прекрасной девушкой Оливером. Настало время, когда ты привел ее домой, чтобы встретить свою семью. (I have waited a long time to meet this beautiful girl Oliver. It is about time you brought her home to meet your family.)” “Я рада познакомиться с вами, Раиса. (I am happy to meet you Raisa.)”Raisa’s eyes flew to Felicity’s face and approval lit up her eyes. “You speak Russian.”She looked over at Oliver and smiled and then she started to fuss, “Now the two of you must come with me. I have refreshments set up in the parlor and your parents will be down shortly.” They followed her down the hall to a large sitting room and Felicity glanced around as Raisa set up the refreshments. The room was warm and inviting and had a coffee table flanked by two couches that sat sideways to a massive fireplace. Across the room was a huge bay window and Felicity approached the gorgeous wooden boat that sat proudly on top of the table in front of the window.“My father and I built that when I was ten.”Felicity looked at him in fascination. “It is beautiful.”“It took us a month of blood, sweat and arguments but I was so proud when it was done.” He smiled fondly and then they heard footsteps behind them.A gorgeous older woman walked into the room dressed impeccably in a jacket and skirt and she held her arms out to Oliver as she neared. Felicity could tell she had been in the military by the way she carried herself and realized this must be his Mother. “Oliver darling!” She pulled him into a hug and Felicity noted the love and relief on her face as she hugged him.“Mother.”He hugged her back stiffly and the pulled way, stepping back and pulling Felicity to his side. “Where is Father?” Moira gave her a curious look as she said, “He will be down shortly. He was on a call.”Oliver squeezed Felicity’s hip as she said, “Mother, I would like for you to meet my fiancé, Felicity Smoak. Felicity this is my mother Moira Queen.” Moira gave her a look of shock before she held out her hand to Felicity. “Fiancé?” Oliver smiled proudly and soon Felicity was engulfed in another hug as Moira hugged her warmly. “Oh, Felicity what a pleasure to finally meet you.” She pulled away and Felicity could see the sincere warmth in her smile. “I was so happy to hear that Oliver had found you. I am sorry for what you had to go through dear.”Oliver looked at his Mom and, like Felicity, he could see the sincerity in her face. Maybe his Mom was not aware of what his father had done. Robert walked into the room about that time and it took everything in him for Oliver to not grab him and demand answers. He would wait for the right time. Moira saw him walk in and she motioned to him, “Robert, darling, I want you to come meet Oliver’s fiancé. This is Felicity Smoak.” Robert flinched, and Oliver noted it immediately. He watched his Dad plaster a smile on his face and walk over and shake Felicity’s hand. “Ms. Smoak. What an absolute pleasure. We were so happy to hear the news that you were found and safe.” Felicity gave him a shrewd look as she smiled. “Thank you, Mr. Queen.” “Please, call me Robert.” Seeing his Dad touch her and greet her made Oliver’s anger rise again and he gave his Dad a hard look when he turned to him. “It’s good to see you son.” He hugged his Dad stiffly and Robert gave him an odd look as Raisa called them all into the dining room. Dinner was ready. “Where is Thea?” Oliver glanced toward the front door as they walked to the dining room. “She is running late as usual.” Moira answered drolly, use to her daughter’s schedule keeping skills. They all sat at the table and Felicity felt a sliver of unease as Robert looked her way before giving a smile to the group. He picked up his drink and held it aloft. “I think our son’s engagement deserves a toast, don’t you?”He looked at his wife and she smiled as she lifted her drink, “May you both share many years of happiness and good fortune.”They all lifted their glasses and toasted, and Felicity smiled at Oliver as she took a sip of her wine. It was delicious and soon they were engrossed in the wonderful food Raisa had prepared. As they were eating Felicity felt a whirlwind behind her and she looked up to see a short haired, slender, brown eyed girl run up and hug Oliver from behind. Felicity immediately recognized her as his sister and when he stood and hugged her tight you could see the love between them. “It’s about time you got here Thea.” Moira spoke as Thea pulled back and hurried over to hug Felicity. Oliver smiled at his sister. “Thea, be careful. Your hugging your future sister-in-law.”Thea’s eyes grew wide and suddenly Felicity was enveloped in an even tighter hug. Thea jumped up and down as she hugged her. “Oh my god I have been waiting for this day!!!” Felicity laughed as Thea hugged her tight and then stood with a big grin on her face. “I had to deal with this bozo when you were missing and to say he was broody and moody…..” “Thea!” Oliver growled, and Felicity laughed.She loved seeing them together and their connection was evident. “Thea leave your brother and Felicity alone and sit down and eat.” Moira scolded her, so Thea walked around and kissed her Dad’s cheek before she sat across the table from them. Oliver looked over at his Dad. He was being quiet and so Oliver decided to test the waters. “How’s retirement going Dad?”Robert looked surprised that Oliver had asked him a question, but he recovered and shrugged. “It’s been nice. I think your Mother is tired of me though.” He smiled at Moira and she waved her hand at him. “Not at all. In fact, your father has been running around so much that I don’t see him any more now than I did before.” Oliver gave his father a piercing stare. “Running around? Anything interesting?” Robert cleared his throat, “Umm no not really. Just going golfing, the country club, you know, things like that.” Oliver gave him another look and then poked a little harder. “Did you hear that Slade Wilson got arrested?” Moira looked at Oliver in shock, “Wasn’t he your First Sergeant in Bravo Squad?” Oliver nodded keeping his eyes on his father. His father did not seem surprised. “I did hear that. Do you know why?”Robert asked the question non-chalantly and Oliver had to admit. His father was not giving anything away. Felicity took a small bite of her food, but she could tell what Oliver was doing and she was growing nervous. She knew that as soon as he called out his father things were going to get tense and since she did not think Moira or Thea knew what was going on, it was making her stomach sick. Oliver kept his gaze solely on his father. “He was working with a top-secret squad called COS (Covert Operations Squad). Ever heard of them Dad?” Robert took a bite of his food and then looked at Oliver. “No. I cannot say that I have son.” Oliver leaned closer, “Some say the chain of command on this goes all the way to Secretary of Defense Davis.”He was about to go in for the kill. “You are close friends with Davis, aren’t you?” Robert stopped eating and took a sip of his wine and when he put down his glass Felicity noted a bit of nervousness in his eyes. “Yes. I have worked with Davis on a few things over the years.” Oliver was getting frustrated. His father was not telling the truth and he had enough. He stood and walked around to where his father was sitting and looked him in the eye with a chilling glare.“I know about your involvement with COS Father.” Robert stilled in his seat and Moira looked at them both in shock. “Oliver, what are you talking about?” Oliver did not take his eyes off his Father. “Did dear old Dad not tell you? He is head of the COS squad that kidnapped Felicity and told everyone that she was dead.” Moira and Thea looked at Robert in utter shock. “Robert is this true?” “Oliver that is ridiculous….” “Stop the lying Father.” Oliver’s voice rose as his frustration escalated. “Dad?” Thea looked at her father with confusion and disbelief. Robert looked at his son and the determination in his face. He knew. He was caught. “How did you find out?” Oliver’s eyes threw him a cold look, “Felicity stumbled across the information when she traced the location of the ghost tracer that was used when someone tried to kill her and Slade a couple of weeks ago.” Oliver grabbed his father’s shirt and gripped it tight. “Were you behind that? Did you send someone to kill Felicity and Slade?” “Oliver!” His mother gasped as she grabbed Oliver’s arm, but he was not letting go. Robert looked at Oliver and then at Felicity, his face red from the lack of air and Oliver yelled, “Tell me!” “Yes! Yes, I was behind the shooting at COS.” Everyone looked at him in shock and Felicity started to shake. Oliver’s rage overwhelmed him and before anyone could stop him he punched his father in the face and his father went down. His father rubbed his jaw and stumbled to his feet. “It was you?” Felicity looked at him in utter disbelief and Robert looked at her with a small amount of shame. “I did not pull the trigger, but I sent the men.”Felicity almost fell to the floor as she saw the look on Oliver’s face and on the faces of Moira and Thea. “You son of a bitch!” Oliver grabbed his father’s shirt again and his tone held hurt and betrayal. “You saw me grieving. You saw what that did to me, and yet you said nothing. NOTHING! And then when I find her again, you try to have her killed?” He screamed the last word and Moira and Thea clung together as Oliver vented his rage. “You let Felicity’s mother and everyone that loved her think she was dead. Why? How could you do that to her? How could you do that to me?” Oliver was panting as he glared at his father, hate shining in his eyes.Robert rubbed his jaw as he stared at his son. How did he tell him? How did he tell him that he did it because he had no choice? How did he tell him that he did it to save Felicity’s life? He would never believe him, and as he stared at his son, and felt the rage flowing from him he watched as his son turned and walked out of the room.
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Felicity looked at Robert and the hurt in her eyes was almost to much for him to bear so he looked away.“How could you do that?” She looked at him in disbelief. “How could you take my whole life away from me?”“I need to go talk to my son.” Robert started for the door and Felicity stepped in front of him.“I don’t think so. Oliver needs a moment. I will go check on him.” She glared at him and to his credit Robert took a step back. He would let her go to Oliver for now. But he was going to talk to his son.Felicity turned and left the room and Robert turned around to see Moira and Thea staring at him as if he was a stranger.“How could you do that Dad? How could you play God with Felicity’s life?”“More importantly, how could you hurt our son like that?” Moira looked at her husband, the man she has been married to for over 25 years, but all she saw was a stranger.“I didn’t have a choice Moira. If I didn’t do what COS needed me to do they were going to go after Oliver.”Moira’s face turned white. “What are you saying?”He gave her an earnest look, “I was told by my superiors that once Ms. Smoak completed her mission that she was to be eliminated. I knew that Oliver was in love with her and I knew that if something happened to her our son would be hurt. When I approached them and told them that I couldn’t do it they told me that she either needed to be eliminated or something would happen to Oliver.” He sighed, “I was able to come up with the plan to wipe her memory and make her family and loved ones think she was dead. Oliver would hurt but at least she would alive.”He looked toward the door where Oliver had disappeared, “I have to go talk to our son and explain.” He started to walk that direction and Moira stepped in front of him, her face stoic.“You are not going anywhere near our son. He is hurting Robert. More than you can ever imagine.” She stepped closer, “I understand that you did this to save our son and in the process Ms. Smoak. But what I cannot believe is that you got involved with people like this in the first place.” She gave him one last look that showed her anger, hurt and betrayal before she turned and walked out.Thea walked over and looked up at her father with tears in her eyes, “You are not the father I thought you were.”Robert looked at her with pain in his eyes before she turned and walked out as well. He bowed his head as he stood there, and the realization just hit him. He had been trying to protect everyone, but his actions has caused him to lose Oliver and more.He just lost his family.***Oliver stood on the back porch looking out over the grounds. His anger was still boiling inside, and it was taking everything in him not to walk back inside and beat his father to a bloody pulp. The betrayal was eating at his chest and even with the comfort that is mother had not known of his father’s actions, he knew his family would never be the same after today.He felt arms wrap around his waist from behind and he stiffened under her touch. How could she still be here? His father had tried to have her killed and Felicity was still here. She walked around to look at him and he could not look her in the eye. He looked away.“You shouldn’t be here Felicity.”“What are you talking about?” There was confusion in her voice. She placed her hands on his arms and he took her hands and removed them but held them between his own.“My father tried to have you killed. How can you even stay in this house?”“Because the man I love is in this house.” She gave him a soft smile, but he did not respond. He was hurting too bad.“My father tried to kill you. I am surprised you even want to be near me.” She sighed as he spoke. He was speaking out of pain and she needed to let him know that she was not going anywhere.“Your father’s sins are not your own Oliver. I am not going anywhere without you.”He gently cupped her face and leaned his forehead against hers. “God, I love you with every breath in me Felicity.”She smiled and simply said, “I know.”She leaned up on her tip toes and kissed him softly and as she caressed his lips with her own he finally relaxed and pulled her close.“You need to go talk to your father Oliver. You need to find out why.”He knew she was right, but he could not deal with his father right now. He just wanted to hold her.“I will, soon.”He took her hand and led her to a lounger and sitting down he pulled her down next to him and held her close. He needed to just be with her; to know she was safe. Confronting his father had brought up so many emotions.For now, he just wanted to be with her.***Robert walked into his study and slammed the door behind him heading for his desk. He needed to call David Masterson and find out how the hell his son found out about his involvement. It was supposed to have been scrubbed; cleaned if you will and it seems someone did a poor job.He took out his phone and dialed but ended up getting his voicemail.“David, I need you to call me fucking now!”Robert hung up on the phone in angry frustration and letting out a bellow of rage he swiped everything off his desk onto the floor.He had tried so hard to keep his son from finding out he was involved. He had worked hard to convince the players of COS that they did not have to kill Ms. Smoak and look where that had gotten him. His family hated him and his son wanted to kill him.He slumped down into his chair and placed his head in his hands. How had things gotten so bad? He knew his greed had been part of the problem. He had been offered a lot of money to work with COS and he had thought at the time that what he was doing was for the greater good. At least that is what they had told him.The day he found out they were going to kill Felicity was the day he started to realize that he was involved in something more sinister than he could imagine. There had been other agents that had gone missing after their missions, but those men had been criminals. Ms. Smoak was an innocent and not only that, she was the woman his son loved.When he heard the door open, he looked up to see Oliver entering the room. His eyes were ice cold as he took a seat across the desk from his father. He only glanced at the items on the floor before he looked back at his father.“Oliver….” Robert didn’t know what to say. Oliver was looking at him with disgust, but he knew they needed to talk. He needed to explain.“I am only here to find out from you why.”Robert let out a breath. “Because of you.”Oliver gave him a puzzled, disbelieving look.“When I joined COS, it was for two reasons. The money and what I thought was the cause. I was told that the work COS did helped everyone. That it was a necessary evil that helped to protect the people of this country. I thought they were doing good.” He rubbed his eyes, “And yes there had been many missions that we orchestrated, and the agents of those missions usually disappeared when they were complete. But I justified it by telling myself that those men were criminals and if they would have just rotted in prison once their missions were done.”“Disappeared?”“Were killed.”Oliver shifted in his seat, his anger returning.“However, when I heard that they were going to do the same to Ms. Smoak, it didn’t settle well with me. She was not only an innocent woman, she was the woman my son loved.” He sighed and leaned forward, placing his elbows on his desk. “They didn’t want to hear excuses though, and when I tried to tell them I did not want to harm her, they threatened you.”“Threatened me? How?”“They told me that they would kill you if I did not follow their plans for Ms. Smoak.”“This doesn’t make any sense Dad. Why would they kill her in the first place?”“Because they wanted to keep COS a secret. Anyone involved with the missions was expendable. The fewer people that knew of our existence and what we did, the better. They felt we could not be as affective if more people knew.”Oliver was disgusted.“When they threatened you, I did not know what else to do. I was finally able to convince them to just erase her memory. To tell her loved ones that she was dead. At least that way she lived. COS did not know that I visited Donna.”“You were the one that told Donna about Felicity?”“Yes, but I had to make her understand that she would never regain her memory. At least we thought she wouldn’t.”Oliver stood his fists clenching as he looked down at his father. “You took everything from her Dad. You took everything from me.”Robert stood as well but did not approach his son. “I didn’t know what else to do.”“You could have told me.” Oliver’s anger flared. “You could have told ME!”“I took a risk telling Donna. I didn’t want to involve you any more than you already were.” Oliver heard the conviction in his father’s voice and he realized that Robert truly believed he did the right thing. But he had to know more.“Why did you try to have her killed two weeks ago?”Robert sighed, “She and Slade were starting to get too close.”“You saved her life when COS wanted to kill her but now you want to kill her. Do you know how crazy that all sounds? How does that make any sense?”Robert’s eyes turned hard, “I would be ruined. Everything I had worked so very hard for would have been for nothing.”Oliver sucked in a breath. “You did it to try to save your own skin.”Robert did not look away and Oliver walked around his desk and grabbed him again, “You tried to take the woman I love more than life itself away from me again, just to save your own ass.”Robert flinched at his words. Oliver shoved him from him.“How could you be so selfish Dad?”Oliver needed to leave. He needed to walk away before he did something that he would regret.“Felicity and I are leaving, but I want to make one thing clear before I go. You are no longer my father. I don’t want to see you. I don’t want to hear from you ever again. You betrayed me in the worst possible way and allowed me to endure unspeakable pain to save your own sorry ass. I can never forgive you for that.” He took a step closer. “And if anyone tries to hurt Felicity again, or anyone comes after her. I will blame you and I will come after you.”Oliver’s face was stone cold and his tone deadly before he turned and walked out.***Felicity sat on the back porch thinking of everything they had learned in the past 24 hours. Her heart was broken for Oliver and his family but she knew there was nothing she could do to fix or change things. All she could do was be there for them.She heard footsteps behind her and looked to see Thea walking out the door. She closed it quietly behind her before she took a seat on the step next to Felicity.“I am sorry for what my father put you through.”Felicity looked at her in surprise. She was apologizing for her father?“Oh Thea. You have nothing to apologize for; you didn’t know.”Thea looked at her and Felicity could see pain in her eyes. “I was around my brother a few times in the years after he was told you were dead.” Thea’s eyes grew distant as she remembered. “God, that was the hardest thing I have ever seen him go through. He was absolutely devastated.” She looked at Felicity. “His eyes were dead as if he was no longer alive inside and he almost went over the edge numerous times. Tommy would call me and tell me how he was doing and hearing that he had drank himself into a stupor or holed himself up in his apartment broke my heart.” She took Felicity’s hand in hers. “My brother would not survive ever losing you again.”Felicity gave her a soft smile. “I’m not going anywhere.”“Felicity my father tried to have you killed just a couple of weeks ago.”“Now that we know he is involved, I don’t think your father would try that again.”She squeezed Thea’s hand as they both drew comfort from each other. Thea looked around. “Where is my brother?”“He went to talk to your father.”“I am glad I got to finally meet you Felicity and I am glad my brother found you again.” She leaned over and hugged Felicity and that is how Oliver found them a few seconds later.Oliver smiled as he looked at the two women he loved more than life itself and he just stood quietly watching.“I feel you back there big brother.” Thea pulled away and stood as Felicity rose to her feet.“How did it go?” Felicity approached him, and he put his arm around her waist.Oliver sighed, “About like I thought it would.” He looked at Thea. “Dad is dead to me Thea. He put Felicity through hell and he did it for selfish reasons. I can never forgive him for that.”She walked over and hugged him tight. “You still have Mom and I.”Oliver hugged her tight, “Yes, I do. Which by the way, have you seen Mom?”“I think she went to her room. She was quite upset.”Oliver flinched. He hated the thought that he had hurt his Mother.“Don’t even go there big brother. She is not upset with you. In fact Dad wanted to go after you and she stood in his way. She is hurt by Dad Oliver. He has been lying to her. He has been lying to all of us.”She kissed his cheek and then gave Felicity a soft smile before she walked back inside.Felicity felt his arm tighten around her and she looked up at him. “I told my father we are going to leave today.” Felicity nodded feeling like that was the best idea. “But I need to go see my Mother. Will you be ok?”Felicity nodded, “I will wait for you here. I have been enjoying the view.”He kissed her softly and caressed her cheek before he made his way inside and headed to his parent’s bedroom.***Moira heard a knock at the door and a loving smile curved her lips when she saw Oliver poke his head inside.“Mom, can I come in?”“Of course, darling.” She stood and met him halfway and pulled him into a hug. “Oh, my sweet boy, I am so sorry. I should have known something was going on with your father.”“It’s not your fault Mother. This is all on Dad.”She pulled back and crossed her arms and Oliver could see she had been crying. “I told Dad that he is dead to me. Mom, I can never forgive him for what he did to Felicity or for what he did to me.”“I know son. I have a lot to think of myself.”Oliver knew she did, and he did not want to influence her one way or the other.“I think I am going to go visit my sister Catherine for a few days and take some time to think.”Oliver nodded thinking that was a good idea.“Felicity and I are leaving tonight. Will you call me when you get to Catherine’s and let me know you made it safely?”Moira smiled softly. “Of course.”“What about Thea?”“She has decided to stay with her boyfriend for a few days.”Oliver’s eyebrow lifted, “Boyfriend?”Moira smiled sadly, “She was going to tell you at dinner.”Oliver felt terrible as his chin fell to his chest. Moira made him look at her. “Don’t you blame yourself for anything that happened tonight Oliver. The truth needed to come out, not only for our sakes but for Felicity’s as well.” She smiled softly. “I like her Oliver.”He smiled, “I love her.”“I know you do. Enjoy your time with her and take care of each other.”“Why don’t you plan on coming over for dinner when you get back from Aunt Catherine’s? We can invite Thea and this boyfriend.”They hugged tightly, and Oliver felt grateful that he still had his Mom in his life.***Felicity heard the door behind her and stood up smiling thinking it was Oliver. However, when she turned she saw Robert standing there and she froze.“What do you want?” Her voice shook as she tried to calm herself, but a part of her was terrified.“Just to talk.”“I have nothing to say to you.”“Well I have something to say to you and I would like for you to listen.”Felicity moved to walk past him, but Robert grabbed her arm and as Felicity turned to him and tried to jerk her arm away he held on tight.“Let me go.”Felicity tried to free her arm as she heard the door behind them open and she turned her head to see Oliver standing there and the rage on his face made Robert flinch and let her go.
Shit, this was not going to be good.
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Oliver grabbed his father by the shirt, “Don’t you fucking lay a hand on her again.”Felicity quickly moved between them and Oliver let go of his shirt. “I am fine Oliver. I can handle your father.” She turned and looked at Robert.“Say what you have to say Mr. Queen.”“When you were chosen for the mission five years ago to help catch your father and I found out who you were, I tried to get them to choose someone else. They would not listen because they all knew just how good you were with computers and we needed that level of expertise to take him out.” He looked at Oliver who was still glaring from behind her. “Once I realized that they were not going to let you out of the mission I worked behind the scenes to make sure that you had everything you needed to make your mission successful. Of course, little did I know that they ere planning on killing you when it was all over.”“Mr. Queen with all due respect you have told us this already.”“The serum they gave you for your memory loss was supposed to be full proof. I don’t understand how you regained your memory.” He looked at her confused and Oliver stepped forward.“Then let me help you, Father.” He said the word Father with derision. “She didn’t start regaining her memory until she met me.”Felicity took Oliver’s hand in hers to keep him grounded. “It was your son who jarred my memory. You erased my memories Mr. Queen, but you could not erase my heart. When I saw your son again and we started talking the memories started flooding back. First in dreams and then in real life memories.”Robert clenched his fists. “Are you going to tell A.R.G.U.S., that I was involved?”Oliver laughed a cold laugh. “Still trying to cover your own ass Dad?”Robert continued to stare at Felicity and she finally stepped up, “Mr. Queen I have every intention of telling the truth.”Robert looked at her confused. Oliver saw his face and smiled a cold smile. “Which means yes we plan on telling them you were involved.” He stepped closer and Felicity held onto his arm to keep him from doing something to his Father that he would regret. “You tried to kill her Father and for that I will never forgive you and I hope to god you rot in jail.”He turned and walked away pulling Felicity along with him. He was done with his father. He did not want to hear another word from his mouth.He took her upstairs and into his room and when she closed the door behind them he ran his hands over his face and sat down on the bed.“I am sorry you are having to go through this Oliver.” She felt hesitant to approach him. His father might have tried to have her killed but he was still Oliver’s father.“Felicity come here.” He held out his hand and pulled her down on his lap.“Don’t you ever apologize. You were the victim in all of this. You lost not only your friends but your family.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and cupped his cheek.“The hardest part was losing you. I always felt that something was missing in my life. That there was a hole in my heart that I could not fill. I realized when I remembered us that it was you.” Felicity’s words were small balm to Oliver’s soul and he nodded.She kissed him softly. “Let’s go home.”He kissed her again and they walked downstairs and said goodbye to his Mother and Thea.“Thea, when Mom gets back from Aunt Catherine’s you are bringing your boyfriend for lunch.” The way he said the word boyfriend made Thea smile. She hugged him tight.“Sounds good big brother.” She then hugged Felicity and they held on tight as she whispered. “Take care of my brother.”Felicity pulled back and winked at her before Moira approached her. She took her hands and smiled softly at Felicity. “There are no words I can say that can atone for what my husband did to you. But I want you to know that if you and Oliver are happy that I am in your corner. I am so very grateful that you and Oliver found each other again.” She hugged her, and Felicity hugged her with a smile.“I look forward to seeing you again soon Mrs. Queen.”“Please from now on call me Moira.” She smiled and then gave Oliver a tight hug. “I love you son.”“I love you too Mother.”As they drove back to their apartment Felicity thought about the day and how things had progressed. It had been an emotionally exhausting day for them both and she could not wait to get home.***They walked into their apartment and Oliver immediately took her into his arms. He had been so quiet the whole ride home that Felicity had started to worry that maybe this had all been too much for him. The fact that his father had tried to have her killed was almost to much for her to comprehend and so she held Oliver tightly letting him draw comfort from her.He finally pulled back and looked down into her blue eyes, “I don’t want to talk about my father right now. I just want to be with you.”Felicity knew they needed to talk about things, but it could wait. She took his hand and led him down the hall to their room, the only thing on her mind was making him forget, even if only for a while. She closed the bedroom door and taking the bottom of his shirt pulled it up over his head. Oliver stood still letting her eyes look their fill as they danced over his skin. She slid her hands up his chest to his shoulders and leaned up and kissed him, the kiss deepening as their desire took over.Oliver was feeling so many emotions but the one foremost in his mind was how much he loved and adored this woman and how much he wanted her. He wanted to bury himself inside of her and forget everything.Felicity pulled her own shirt over her head and delighted in the look in Oliver’s gaze when she stood before him in her lace bra and jeans. They each toed their shoes off as they kept eye contact and shed their pants. Standing there, him in his boxers and her in her panties and bra made their breaths quicken but they did not touch each other just yet. They both just looked, their eyes lingering as they traveled over the person they loved more than themselves.Oliver reached out first and gently trailed his fingers down her cheek. Felicity shivered at the light touch and she reached up and placed her hand over his. She did not guide his hand but just let hers rest on his as he trailed it down her neck to her collarbone and then down her chest. His hand glided down over her right nipple and as it hardened beneath his touch his eyes darkened.Their gazes stayed locked as he lightly circled her nipple with his fingers before his hand slid to the other breast and Felicity bit her bottom lip trying not to moan.“You are so very beautiful.” The words were whispered softly, and she could see his body responding to her beneath his boxers.He reached behind her and unclasped her bra letting it fall to the floor and seeing her flushed skin calling out to him he leaned down and let his tongue travel around her nipple before he sucked it into his mouth. She couldn’t stop herself and this time she did moan as her hands moved into his hair. His tongue swirled around the tip before he moved to her other breast and he sucked it between his lips causing her to cry out again. Oliver cupped her breast with his hand lifting the peak to his tongue and as it swirled around he felt her body shudder. He loved how she responded to him.Felicity tugged on his hair pulling his head up and her lips captured his in a deeply heated kiss that made his body harden instantly. He picked her up and her legs wrapped naturally around his waist as he carried her to the bed and he laid her down, their lips never leaving each other.He pulled back and sat up looking down at her with lust filled eyes that mirrored her own. Placing his fingers beneath the waist band of her panties he pulled them slowly down her legs and off and then removed his boxer briefs.Felicity licked her lips when she saw him standing there so hard and long, her core aching as she shifted her legs trying to find relief. She knew the only way she would have relief was having him inside of her, so she sat up and took his hand and pulled him back down. He settled between her thighs and they kissed again as she wrapped her legs around him and enveloped him in her scent.Oliver’s hands roamed down her sides and over her chest and the calloused feel of his hands was sending shockwaves of delight all through her body. Felicity slid her hands down his back loving the feel of the muscles bunching and the softness of his skin and when he finally entered her she gasped and raked her nails along the curves.Oliver moaned as he felt her body enfold his own and the sharp feel of her nails reacting sent him spiraling. He gripped her hips in his hands and started thrusting hard and deep, and Felicity held him tight, riding out each thrust. She kissed along his jaw and to his ear and as he continued to move inside of her sighs of pleasure surrounded him.They moved together as one their bodies in tune with one another and as he gave and she took he pushed her to the limit.The tension in her body and the feel of him inside of her combined to create the perfect storm and Felicity cried out as she exploded beneath him. God, the feeling of her coming all around him sent him into a tailspin and he pushed harder and deeper until his body released and all the tension from the day melted away as his body shuddered and contracted into complete and utter fulfillment.Oliver buried his face in her neck as they both tried to calm their breathing. Her arms were tightly around his neck and they stayed joined, in each other’s arms.It was sometime later before they fell asleep wrapped together, still as one.***Tommy hung up the phone with a smile on his face. He had been talking with Angel and they had agreed that she would come by the gym and meet the team later that morning. They had been dating for weeks and Tommy was starting to realize that he had no desire to see anyone else. He enjoyed spending time with her and maybe, just maybe, she was the one.Oliver and Felicity had arrived back from his family’s home the night before and from what Tommy could gather they had a lot to tell the team. It didn’t sound like good news.He pulled on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and his tennis shoes and grabbed his keys as he hurried out the door. He wanted to get to the gym and complete his tasks that morning before everyone arrived.He parked his car a few minutes later and he immediately could tell that something was wrong. The glass in the front of the gym was broken but the alarm was not sounding. He always kept a weapon on him and so he grabbed his gun from the glove compartment and removing the safety made his way slowly inside. He looked around in utter shock when he saw the place was completely trashed. He got on the phone and called the police as he made his way back toward the office area.What the fuck was going on? Who could have done this? He knew immediately it had to have something to do with COS. He hung up the phone and texted John and Oliver before he stepped into the first office.All three had been completely ransacked and the computers busted or taken.Someone was trying to make this look like a robbery, but Tommy knew different.The police arrived a short time later as did the insurance agent and as they both investigated John, Oliver and Felicity arrived.“Oh my god!” Felicity looked around at the utter devastation of the gym. Nothing had been left untouched and Oliver cursed as they approached Tommy.“What happened?”“I don’t know. When I arrived this morning, I found the front windows busted. The odd part was the alarm was not sounding. Whoever did this knew how to disarm the system before they started.”Felicity knew immediately who had done his and her eyes flew to Oliver’s; he knew too.“COS was involved in this.” She said the words matter of factly.“That is my guess.” Tommy sighed as he looked around the room. “All three offices were trashed and the computers either taken completely or busted.”“They are sending us a message.”“Yes, but why the gym? John looked around confused. “Somehow they found out that Bravo Squad was involved in this as well.”Oliver cursed again and walked off. He knew exactly how they found out. His father.***Tommy waved as he saw Angel walk into the diner. They had decided to meet at the diner while the investigation at the gym continued and Tommy stood when she approached and gave her a kiss before turning to the rest of the team.She hugged him tight, “Tommy I am so sorry to hear about the gym.”He pulled back and gave her a soft smile. “Thank you, Angel. I would like for you to meet everyone.” Tommy and Angel turned to the table and John and Felicity smiled.“This is John and Felicity.”Oliver had not come back after walking off and as much as Felicity had wanted to go after him she felt this was something he had to handle on his own. They both knew exactly who had told COS about Bravo Squad.Tommy let Angel slide into the booth before joining her. “Angel it is great to finally meet you.”“Thank you. I am so excited to meet you as well. I have heard a lot about you.”“Sorry Oliver could not be here. He had to leave.” Felicity explained Oliver’s absence. “So, Angel. What do you do?”“I am an attorney for a law firm. Have you heard of The Davison Firm?”Felicity nodded as John settled back in the booth. “Yes, they are the largest firm in Star City. How long have you worked there?”“I have been with them for about 2 years. I moved here from Central City.”John smiled at Tommy. “What made you decide to go out with this joker?”Tommy smiled at Angel and took her hand in his, “We were talking at the gym and he finally got up the nerve to ask me out.”John lifted an eyebrow at Tommy, “I have never heard of you having problems asking a woman out before.”Tommy grinned, “Well look at her.”John had to admit Angel was beautiful. She had long auburn hair and blue eyes and was in very good shape. John had a feeling that Tommy was in for more than he had bargained for because he could not keep his eyes off her.“Felicity, Tommy told me about what happened to you. I cannot imagine what you must have gone through. I am so very glad that you and Oliver found each other again.”Felicity looked down and then gave a stiff smile. She did not feel comfortable talking to Angela about what had happened, but she appreciated her words.“Thank you, Angel. So am I.”“Me too because I kept having to fight Felicity off and there is only so many times a man can so no.” Tommy’s words made everyone laugh and as they were about to order their food Felicity looked up to see Oliver walking into the diner.She excused herself and stood meeting him halfway. “Are you ok?”“Yes, I will talk to you about it later.” He gave her a look that told her they would talk more when they got home, and she kissed him before leading him to the table. She introduced him to Angel as John stood.“Listen guys I need to go meet with Lyla and let her know about the gym.” Oliver pulled John beside before he left and gave him a synopsis of their visit with Robert.“I wanted you to have all the information to give to Lyla. I think they need to go arrest my father.”John gave him a sympathetic look, “I will talk to Lyla and call you later.” He clapped Oliver on the shoulder before he left, and Oliver slid into the booth next to Felicity and placed his arm around her shoulders.“Well I guess it is just the four of us. I feel like we are on a double date.” Felicity smiled across the table as the waitress came back and they all ordered food while Oliver got to know Angel. He was surprised when he heard what firm she was working for.“So, you are with the Davison Firm? They are very reputable. What types of cases do you handle?”“Criminal, civil, anything that comes through the door.”“Sounds interesting.” Oliver smiled politely.“Oh, it can be. But then again you have the boring cases which are all paperwork. I hate paperwork.” Tommy smiled as he listened to his two best friends talk with his girlfriend. Girlfriend? Wow, he never thought he would ever say that word.Their food arrived and they all continued to talk, and Felicity found that she really liked Angel. However, there was something more to her that she could not quite put her finger on and so she decided to remain cautious.“Oliver you were going to tell us what happened when you talked to your father?”Oliver glanced at Angel and Tommy could tell he was hesitant to say anything in front of her. Angel could tell that as well and she gave him a teasing smile. “If you are nervous about saying anything, you can pay me a dollar and I become your attorney. Then we both are protected by client/attorney privilege.” She smiled as she joked, and Oliver conceded he liked her. She seemed good for Tommy because he had not stopped smiling or staring at her since they had begun eating.“Thank you, Angel.” Oliver sighed before he began. “My father admitted to being there when Felicity was kidnapped. He supposedly was the one that convinced COS to erase her memory instead of killing her.”Tommy looked at Oliver in shock. “Oliver that is crazy.”“He also admitted to being the one that ordered the hit on Slade and Felicity. He was trying to save his own ass. He was afraid they were getting to close to exposing him and he panicked.”Tommy was absolutely floored. In all the years he had known Oliver, Robert Queen had been a stable force in the Military. What had caused him to go off the rails?“God Oliver, Felicity. I am sorry.” Tommy did not know what else to say. “So where do we go from here?”“I told John that he needed to have Lyla arrest my father. John said he would call me later.”Angel listened as the three of them talked about their next steps and she felt for Oliver and Felicity. They had been through so much already. She wanted to chime in and tell them what she felt they needed to do, but that would give away her secret, and she needed to keep that a little while longer.As their lunch started to wind down Oliver and Tommy walked to the front to pay the bill and when Angel stood Felicity approached her.“Angel it was a pleasure meeting you. I hope you will not be a stranger.” Angel was about to respond with a smile when she dropped her purse and as she hurriedly picked up her things, Felicity noticed something that made everything about Angel click into place.
Angel was with the FBI.
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Felicity kept thinking about Angel and the badge she was carrying in her purse. FBI. Was she using Tommy to get to COS? Felicity truly hoped not because Tommy was a goner for her. Felicity was about to get her lunch break at the coffee shop and she wanted to talk to Angel. No, she needed to talk to Angel. Tommy was like a brother to her and if she could stop him from getting hurt, well then that was exactly what she was going to do.The law firm that Angel had mentioned was not too far away and so Felicity hung her apron in the back and headed that direction. As she approached the imposing stone building where the FBI headquarters were housed, she took a deep breath and stepped inside.She looked around and found the security desk and approached with a smile. “Hi, I am here to see Angel.”The security guard looked at her with a stone expression. “Your name?”“Felicity Smoak.” She stood patiently while he called up and when he hung up the phone he handed her a badge and pointed her to the right.“Go down this hallway and take a left. Her office is the second door on the right.” Felicity thanked him and then walked down the hall. The building was cold stone and austere and Felicity could feel the intensity of the Agents as they passed.She knocked lightly on the door and Angel opened it and quietly let her inside. “I was wondering when I would get a visit from you.” Angel’s words were soft a she walked around and sat behind her desk. “Please have a seat Felicity.”Felicity took the seat across from her and placed her hands in her lap. “Are you investigating COS?”Angel sighed and nodded, “Yes. Yes I am.”“Are you using Tommy for that purpose?” Felicity’s question was straight and to the point and Angel had to admire that about her.“First in answer to your question, it was purely coincidental that I met Tommy. When I found out that he was involved with you and COS it surprised me.”Felicity found that hard to believe and Angel could see it in her face.“That is a lie.” Felicity knew immediately that she was lying. Ok, maybe she could tell Felicity the truth. She knew it would compromise her as an agent, but she might be able to help her. Angel stood and walked around the desk and sat next to Felicity.“My name IS Angel, and I am an attorney for the FBI. I have been trying to grow a case against COS for 5 years now. However, their secrecy makes it hard to infiltrate and get information. I found out that The Basic’s was owned by Oliver and Tommy, so I started working out there.”“Why?” Was she using Tommy to get to her?Angel’s voice became matter of fact. “Felicity everyone knows that Oliver Queen lost the love of his life 6 years ago in a tragic accident. But you must have high clearance to find out that it was you and that you supposedly “died” in a plane crash. When I heard that I got suspicious. COS has been wreaking havoc in people lives for years and despite the fact they do some good. They need to be shut down.”Felicity gave her a curious look, “This sounds personal.”“It is. They killed my brother.”Felicity sucked in a breath.“He had been in prison for some small crimes such as petty theft and breaking and entering. When COS approached his prison for “volunteers” to help their cause he jumped at the chance. He was trying to turn his life around and hoped for early release.” Angel stood and walked to the window as she remembered what happened. “They allowed him to come home for one week and during that time he told me about COS and that it was going to be his ticket to a new life. I was so happy for him. Finally, he was getting involved in something good. Two weeks later he left for his mission. I never saw him alive again.”“Angel, I am so sorry.”“They shipped his body back with an apology and a thank you for his service. But something just did not sit right with me, so I started looking into I on my own. I was able to find out that they had a pattern. Agent’s completing missions and then disappearing or coming back in coffins.” She turned and faced Felicity. “I had only been practicing law for about a year, but I needed to find out more. I needed to bring them down. So, I applied here and luckily got hired. I continued to gather evidence on my own and when I had enough to move forward I told the higher ups. We have been continuing to investigate COS since that time.”“Angel, why didn’t you just tell us? You could have told Tommy. He would understand.”“I know that now. At the time he and I started talking I was not so sure. But I started to like him and enjoyed his company. Then there just never seemed to be the right time.” She walked back over and sat down. “Felicity I am afraid if I come clean now that I will lose him.”Felicity looked at Angel and saw the sincerity in her eyes. She had been affected by COS like the rest of them. “Why don’t you come over to my apartment tonight and I will invite Tommy. You need to tell him the truth.” She tilted her head trying to gauge Angel’s reaction, “And maybe we can help each other take them down.”Angel looked at Felicity with a little bit of uncertainty. She did not know the whole story of what Felicity Smoak had gone through thanks to COS but something in her gut told her she could trust her. Something told her she could trust them all.“Ok.”“Why don’t you come by about 6 p.m.? Is pizza ok?”Angel smiled, “I love pizza, but please no…”“Pineapple!” They both said the word at the same time and they laughed. Felicity had a feeling that she was going to grow to like Angel a lot and just maybe Tommy would get his happy ending.She stood, and Angel walked her to the door. “Felicity thank you. I am glad you saw my badge.”“Me too.” She gave Angel a friendly smile and then walked out feeling so much better knowing that hey had one more ally to help take down COS, and that ally might be just what they needed.***Felicity returned to the coffee shop to complete her shift and when 4 p.m., rolled around she walked to the gym. She wanted to try to catch Oliver before they got home and let him know about Angel. She felt it would be a good time to inform John as well and she prayed that Tommy was busy or out.Luck was on her side. She ran into Tommy as she entered the gym. He was on his way out.“Well hello good looking.” He smiled and kissed her cheek.“Hey. Do you have plans tonight?” Felicity smiled.“I am never too busy for you. Now is Oliver going to be there or are you trying to get me alone?”“I wanted to invite you and Angel for dinner tonight.”Tommy looked at her in surprise. “Well I haven’t talked today so let me check with her.”“I already talked to her and she is available. So 6 p.m., tonight?” Felicity gave him an innocent smile.Tommy gave her a suspicious look. If he did not have an appointment to get to he would press her further. “Ok.” He said the word hesitantly and Felicity grinned.“Wear something sexy. We are having pizza.” She turned to walk inside, and Tommy’s voice followed from behind.“Pizza, well you sure are going all out Smoak. Trying to impress me?”She turned and winked at him, “Always Merlyn.”Tommy had to grin at that and he turned and walked away as Felicity made her way to Oliver’s office. She knocked softly and then peeked inside and he smiled when he saw her.“Hey there.” She walked over, and he pulled her onto his lap as she kissed his lips. “To what do I owe this surprise?”“Is John here?”Oliver pouted, “And here I thought you were just here to see me.”She kissed him again, “Oh I am but I want to tell you something and it would be good to let John in on it as well.”Oliver frowned, and picked up his phone to dial John’s extension. John arrived a moment later and she motioned for him to close the door behind him as she walked around to have a seat. “Angel is FBI.”John and Oliver looked at her in shock. “What? How do you know that?”“Yesterday when we were leaving the diner she dropped her purse and I saw her badge. I went to see her at the FBI headquarters on my lunch today and confirmed it.” She paused to let that sink in before she continued. “She has been investigating COS for several years now because they killed her brother.”Now that was a surprise.“He volunteered to be an agent thinking it would grant him early release from prison. They had him killed.”“Jesus.” John swore and then a realization hit him. “Tommy is going to be crushed.”Oliver looked at Felicity, “Has she been using him?”Felicity hedged on that question, “Well kind of. But she truly cares about Tommy and does not want to lose him. So, I invited them both to the apartment tonight. She is going to come clean and then hopefully we can all work together to bring COS down. She has been gathering evidence against them for years, so she might have some information that we missed.”Oliver didn’t want to ask, but he did. “Are you going to inform Slade?”“I am not sure just yet. I think I might wait and see what we uncover. I have a meeting with him tomorrow so if there is anything of value I can share it then. I just will not tell him where the information came from.”John and Oliver let her words sink in as she stood. “Ok, so I need to go get some things ready at the apartment.” Oliver nodded as he stood and walked around to kiss her goodbye.“I will be home soon.” She smiled and then walked out. She knew John and Oliver were going to talk more about the bombshell she had just dropped and that was ok with her. It was how they processed.Oliver looked at John, “The FBI is involved. Shit.”“We knew this was deep Oliver. Especially when we found out that Davis was involved.”“Yes.” He walked behind his desk and sat down. “Maybe Angel will have some information that will allow us to send Slade back to his damn cell.”John sat down across from him, “How do you think Tommy is going to take this?”“I think he will be hurt but Tommy is a forgiving person. He will come around.”“What else is on your mind?” John gave Oliver a knowing look as Oliver’s face showed he was still tense.“Nothing why?”“Oliver, I have known you a long time and you have a terrible poker face.” John sat and waited and finally Oliver sighed.“I am worried that Felicity has not fully dealt with everything that has happened to her. She had been going after COS since the moment we found out. You and I both know John that something like what she has endured can fester and grow until it overwhelms you.”John could not argue with that. He did know how not dealing with something that life changing could affect you and he did not want that for Felicity.“Maybe you guys should take a break. Go away for the weekend. Three days is not going to make or break this for us. Go and take care of her for a couple of days.”Oliver thought that was a great idea. John was right. A few days would not affect the case adversely.But would Felicity agree?
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Felicity walked in the COS offices the next morning to meet with Slade. The team had decided to let him know a portion of what they had learned from Oliver’s father so she was going to update him and see if he had made any progress in bringing forward anyone else that was associated with COS. Slade was sitting behind the desk working on a computer when she walked in and she gave him a cold smile as she slipped into the seat in front of him.“Well Ms. Smoak. You decided to come back to work I see. “His tone was condescending, and Felicity rolled her eyes.“I was only gone a day Slade and you will be happy to know that I stumbled upon some information that is going to help us while I was gone.”Slade lifted an eyebrow, curiosity showing in his expression. “Do tell.”“It seems that Robert Queen is one of the high-ranking members of COS. He is the one that tried to have us both killed.” She watched his expression closely trying to figure out if he already knew about Robert. Oliver had agreed that she should tell Slade about Robert and nothing more.Slade sat up straight in his seat and she could see the shock on his face. “Robert Queen. Why?”“He was afraid we were getting close to exposing him and he knew he would lose everything.”Slade stood and started pacing. Everyone was turning on him in the organization and he knew if he was not careful that he would end up with a worse sentence then his current one. “So, what is the plan?”Felicity opened the laptop that Slade had procured for her and started typing. “We are going to set a trap. We are going to let it leak that you and I are going to expose everyone, including Davis.”Slade looked at her in surprise, “Are you crazy? That is a death sentence.”“Bravo Squad as well as A.R.G.U.S., will be lying in wait ready for our signal.”“Felicity that is suicide. These people are not stupid. They are not just going to show themselves to us.”“I guarantee they will.” She glanced at him as she continued to type.“How can you guarantee that?” Slade had a look of disbelief on his face.“Let’s just say that I am going to be blunt and to the point. These guys are going to know that it is over for them.”Slade still did not understand, but he decided to not question her further. He had found that she only gave him what information she felt he needed due to trust issues, so he left it alone.Felicity worked diligently on the information that she wanted to make sure was received by those they were trying to draw out. Slade had gone back to working on his computer and they had lapsed into a comfortable but tense silence. She knew she needed to tell Slade more about what to expect but she was focused on her job for now. She would tell him more in the next few days.She finally completed her job and sat back with a yawn and a satisfying stretch. Slade glanced up at her as she stared at him. “Can I ask you something Slade?”Slade stopped typing and met her gaze. “That depends.”Felicity paused and then asked something that had been on her mind since the day she had remembered he was involved in her disappearance. “You worked alongside Bravo Squad. How could you just turn against them and make them dispensable?”“Simple really. My father taught me when I was little that the only person you can really count on is yourself. He taught me to look to the mission and that it was always the most important thing. When I was asked to run the COS team I did exactly that.” He leaned forward and clasped his fingers together. “Do you remember that I told you that the ends justifies the means? Well to me it did.”“So even after everything, after all of the pain that you caused everyone, you would do it again, wouldn’t you?”“I would.”Felicity nodded and stood closing the computer. Something inside of her told her that he would answer that way. She had tried to give him one more chance; to give him the benefit of the doubt. Never again.“I will call you tomorrow.” She turned and walked out of the office and Slade watched her go with a pensive look on his face. The woman was smart; almost too smart. He just hoped that her idea worked, or they would all be dead.***Oliver slipped into the apartment later that evening with only one goal on his mind. He had rented a cabin on the outskirts of Star City for the weekend and his plan was for them to spend the weekend, just the two of them. He could hear her in the bedroom, so he placed his keys on the table and walked down the hall. She was changing into her pajamas and he leaned against the doorjamb and just watched her as she mumbled to herself while pulling on a pair of shorts with happy face emojis on them. It made him smile.Felicity jumped with a squeak when she turned and saw Oliver standing in the doorway. For such a tall, muscled man he sure could move quietly, and Felicity knew that it had been part of what made him such a great agent.“Oliver, you startled me. I didn’t hear you come in.” She walked over and leaned up kissing him on the lips. He placed his arms around her waist and leaned against the door frame.“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. How was your day?”She leaned into him as he kissed the top of her head. “I got quite a bit done today. We should be ready to roll out the first phase of our plan soon.”Oliver was glad to hear that, but he had more important things on his mind. He wanted to talk to her about getting out of town for the weekend. He took her hand in his and started walking down the hall.“Come with me.”“Where are we going?”“I want to talk to you about something.”Felicity followed along behind him and when he sat down and pulled her onto his lap she curled her arm around his neck.She gently stroked his cheek with her other hand. “What is on your mind?”“Felicity I want us to go away this weekend. I have rented a cabin just outside of Star City and I thought it would be nice to take a small break and go away. Just the two of us.”Felicity looked at him in surprise. “Are you sure? Don’t you have things to deal with regarding the gym?”“Tommy has offered to handle the gym.” He gave her a soft smile. “I just thought that we could use some time alone.”She really liked the sound of that, but they had so much going on with the mission and the gym. She stood and walked a small distance away and Oliver readied himself for her to throw out her first excuse. He did not have to wait long.“Maybe we should wait until the mission with Slade is over. I don’t know about leaving right now.” Oliver watched her lovingly.“It will only be for three days Felicity.”“But what about the gym?”“I already told you, Tommy is going to take care of things while we are gone.”“I don’t know if I can get off work that quickly.”Oliver had that one covered. “I called your boss today and requested the time off. She was fine with it. In fact, your co-workers were more than happy to take your hours. They said you need to get away before they all gang up on you.”She frowned. “Why would they do that?”Oliver gave her a sympathetic grimace, “They said you have been a little grumpy.”“I have not been grumpy.”“Lisa said you wrote the name “Crabby Patty” on someone’s coffee cup the other day.”“Well that woman was being rude.” Felicity almost pouted and Oliver could not help the grin that crossed his face. He loved her so much and she was finally out of excuses. He walked over and took her hands in his with a smile.“Three days Felicity. Just give me three days. I had to go without you for five years.”Felicity looked up into his blue eyes and she sighed. Why did he have to pull that card? It was too hard to say no to that.“Ok, but we come back on Sunday.”Oliver held up his hands in surrender. “We will leave whenever you are ready.”A huge smile broke out over her face. “We leave tomorrow?”“Yep, all you have to do is pack. I have taken care of everything.”Felicity squealed and then jumped into Oliver’s arms wrapping her arms around his neck. He held her close as she kissed all over his face and then raced down the hall. “Where are you going?”“To pack.”He laughed as she disappeared into the bedroom and the grin stayed on his face as he walked into the kitchen to start dinner. He was glad that she was excited, because this weekend was going to more difficult than she knew. He was going to make her face her feelings.***Oliver and Felicity drove up to the cabin that he had rented for the weekend and Felicity looked down in awe. The setting was beautiful with a huge pond in the back yard and mountains at a distance. There was a nice breeze blowing as they got out of the car and while Oliver grabbed their luggage Felicity took a moment to look around. They were isolated, no other people were within miles of the cabin and that suited them both just fine.Oliver led her up the steps to the huge front porch that boasted two rockers and a small table, and she noted a porch swing to the far left. Oliver unlocked the door and when Felicity walked through her breath caught. The room was nice and cozy with a stone fireplace, a huge plush couch and two arm chairs. There were bookshelves on either side of the fireplace and the back wall was pure windows that overlooked the pond and mountains. The view was breathtaking, and she walked over and looked out with a satisfying sigh.Oliver set down the suitcases and then walked up behind her placing his arms around her waist. He pulled her back against him and kissed the side of her neck. “Beautiful isn’t it?”“Yes. I could stare at this view all day.”“Well it is for sale. Maybe I should look into buying it?”Felicity gave him an incredulous look. “Buy it? Are you crazy?”“No. It would be perfect for a weekend getaway. Then you could come enjoy this view whenever your heart desires.”“I think that is a little much but thank you Oliver.” Felicity looked around and her eyes fell on the fireplace. The thought of curling up on the couch with Oliver and a fire sounded like heaven. “I would however take a fire.” She gave him a pleading look and Oliver rolled his eyes teasingly.“So demanding Ms. Smoak. Let me put up our suitcases and then I will get that fire started for you.” Felicity grinned and then walked into the kitchen. It was fully stocked with food and Felicity had a feeling that Oliver had something to do with that. He had anticipated everything.Oliver set their suitcases in the master bedroom and then walked back downstairs to start the fire. He had a few things planned for the evening and wanted to make sure that everything was perfect for their evening. Soon there was a bright fire and Felicity sat down on the couch and pulled her feet beneath her watching the flames dance and spark. They were supposed to be relaxing but she was finding it hard to let go and a million things were flowing through her mind as she stared into the flames. Oliver could tell she was still anxious, so he hurried into the kitchen and pulled the bottle of wine from the wine cellar that was in the butler’s pantry. He had specifically bought a bottle of her favorite red and he poured them each a glass before walking back into the living room.“Wine. Oh, you are my savior.” She held out her hand for the glass and Oliver settled in next to her as they both sipped their drinks.“It is ok to let everything go for the next couple of days Felicity. It will all still be there when we get back.”“I know. It’s hard to do for me. I am so focused on catching these people and making sure they cannot threaten me or the people I love ever again.”“I know. That is why I wanted to get you away for a few days. You need to process everything.”She turned sideways and faced him on the couch, “I have processed everything.”Oliver gave her a soft look. “No, you haven’t. Once you found out your past you moved head first into catching these guys. I don’t think you have processed anything.”Felicity set down her glass and stood, walking over to the glass doors. “Maybe I don’t want to.”“Why not?”“Because if I have to face those emotions Oliver I am afraid they will break me.” She turned, and he could see tears in her eyes.Oliver set his wine glass down but did not get up and approach her. She was on the edge. “You are strong Felicity. Probably one of the strongest women I have ever met. But if you don’t face these feelings and get them out they are going to eat you alive.”“Oliver, I spent the last five years thinking that my life was something completely different than the reality. I spent that time away from the man that I love more than life itself.” She wrapped her arms around herself as if trying to ward off the feelings that were starting to surface. “Having to think about what you must have gone through during that time Oliver. It breaks my heart.”“Felicity I am not going to lie. Those were the hardest five years of my life. I wanted to destroy whoever it was that had taken you away from me, but I couldn’t. There was no one to hate, no one to hit.” He gave her a stiff smile. “You were just gone.”“Yes, and from what you have told me that almost destroyed you.”“Yes, it did. But I was lucky. I had people that loved me to help me navigate the pain and emotions. I want to do that for you.”She turned her back to him. “I can’t Oliver.”He finally stood an approached her and when his hands touched her arms she flinched but did not pull away. “Felicity, it is ok to be angry. You had five years taken away from you. Five years!!!”She started trembling and when the dam burst the tears started to fall. Five years! They had discussed superficially how it had affected them both, but this time was different. This time they were alone, and maybe he was right. Maybe now was the time to let everything out.“I think I need some time to myself.” Felicity said the words softly not sure how he would respond. She was not running away from him or them. She needed to deal with the emotions he was bringing to the surface.Oliver let his hand drop as a worried frown marred his brow. “Ok.”Felicity walked to the glass doors and stepped outside without looking back. She was afraid if she did that she would completely break in front of him and so she walked down the steps and decided to walk by the pond.Oliver watched her go with a worried expression on his face.Had he pushed her too far?
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Tommy had just finished up at the gym and was closing for the night when Angel walked up to him. She looked beautiful in a soft pink dress that stopped just above her knees and had short sleeves with a sweetheart neckline. The color made her skin seem almost flawless and Tommy smiled as he checked to make sure the door was locked before turning to her."Well isn't this a nice surprise." He leaned down and kissed her and he noticed her response was a little stiff. "Tommy, can we talk?"Tommy grew a little nervous as her expression was serious and he nodded trying to think of where they should go."Would you like to come to my place? I promise to keep my hands to myself." Tommy tried to joke but Angel only slightly smiled. "That is fine."He placed his hand lightly at her back and started walking towards her car. He opened her car door and when she got inside without saying a word he grew even more worried. Something serious was going on with her and his nerves shot up as he wondered if she was going to break things off with him."I will follow you there." Tommy stepped back and walked to his car as she shut her door and he blew out a breath. Why did he have a feeling he was not going to like this conversation?They pulled up to his apartment a few moments later and Tommy waited as he exited her car and followed him to the elevator. He pushed the fifth floor and when they arrived, and he walked to his door, he felt her hesitate."Are you ok Angel?""Yes, I just need to talk to you about something and I am not sure how you are going to take it." Her hand gripped her purse tightly and Tommy gave her a reassuring smile.He unlocked the door and ushered her inside before closing it behind her and throwing his keys onto the bar.“Can I get you a drink?” He walked toward the fridge to grab a beer. He was afraid he was going to need one.“Some water would be great.”Tommy grabbed a bottle of beer and a bottle of water and walked back into the living room. Angel had seated herself on the couch and Tommy handed her the bottle of water before taking a seat in a chair across from her. He wanted to sit by her, to hold her, but something in her expression and in her demeanor told him he should wait. He took a sip of his beer and watched her warily.“Tommy, there is something that I have not told you about me. Something that I hope when I tell you will not change how you feel about me.”Tommy sat forward in his seat, his curiosity peaked. “Please tell me.”Angel sucked in a breath. “I work for the FBI.”Tommy sat back in his seat with a frown completely stunned. “FBI? You mean you are not a lawyer?”“No, I am a lawyer, I am just a lawyer that works for the FBI and I have been working a case against COS for the past couple of years. My brother volunteered for a mission and when he was done they had him killed.”Tommy sucked in a breath still in shock and not quite sure how to take what she was telling him. On the one hand he could understand why she was after COS. When he found out they were behind Felicity’s disappearance he had been determined to bring them down. However, she had been using him.“Have you been using me to get to COS?” Tommy feeling like a total fool.Angel could see that he was starting to doubt her and so she stood up to approach him. He held his hands up to ward her off. “Just answer my question Angel. Were you using me to get to COS?”Her eyes were pleading, “Yes at first. My feelings for you took me by surprise. I really like you and I wanted to tell you the truth.”Tommy grew angry, “Then why didn’t you?”“Because I was scared.”Tommy laughed in disbelief. “Scared? Of what? That you would lose your connection to COS?”A tear fell down her cheek and Tommy tried hard to ignore it. “No. I was afraid of losing you.”Tommy turned his back and walked to the other side of the room trying to sort through his emotions. God how could he have been so stupid. There was a reason he had been a bachelor for so long. If you didn’t get seriously involved then you didn’t get hurt, and right now his heart was aching.“Angel, I think you should go.”“Tommy please. Let’s talk about this. I will tell you everything, please. Just give me a chance.”“A chance? To what? Use me some more?” He gave her an incredulous look and she could tell he was speaking out of anger. “I really liked you Angel. I was ready to put away my bachelor lifestyle and settle into a one on one relationship with you.”“We can still have that Tommy. If you will just talk to me.” Angel pleading but Tommy was done.“Please go.”He did not turn around and look at her, he couldn’t. She stared at his back for a moment before she walked to the door. She opened it and turned to look at him one more time.“I truly hope you will give me a chance to make this up to you. For us to start over.”She looked at him one more time and then she was gone.Tommy rubbed his eyes as they threatened to water and then before he could stop himself, he punched a hole in the wall.***Felicity stared out at the water with her arms wrapped tightly around her waist. She had no tears and she was finding that she felt nothing. If she felt nothing, then she could bypass the pain that was just lying in wait for her. Oliver was right, she needed to feel the emotions to get through this and move on, but something was stopping her.She knew a part of her had stopped dealing with the emotional side when she learned her mother had been lying to her for five years. She had been hurt once by her father and she did not want to feel the pain of her only remaining parent betraying her.Oliver wanted her to feel the pain of having lost the last five years of her life, but it was difficult.She heard footsteps behind her and she knew it was Oliver. She would know him if she was blind. Her body instinctively reacted to him. However, she stayed where she was, needing the distance.“Felicity?”She didn’t respond, and Oliver stepped closer but did not touch her. “You were shot down and then kidnapped by the people that you were supposed to be able to trust. Slade was a part of Bravo Squad. We considered him a part of the family. He betrayed you. He betrayed us.”Felicity closed her eyes trying not to hear his words, but they were enveloping her.“You were forced to go after your father, bring him down and then every single memory you had was erased. The love, your family, your memories. You were alive, but it was not living.”Felicity felt the tears start to fall.“Stop Oliver.”He couldn’t stop. He wouldn’t stop until she felt every single emotion.“They separated us for five years.”“Oliver stop.”“They stole that time from us and we can never get it back.” He pushed a little more.Her voice rose and octave as her anger took over. “Stop!”He pushed more, “They had your mother lie to you for five years.”Felicity turned toward him, and he could see the anger in her eyes along with the tears. “Stop.” She screamed the word and pushed at his chest and he stumbled back letting her take out her anger on him. She pushed him again as a sob left her throat. “Stop.” She repeated the word and pushed him again. Oliver moved back again and then she sobbed out, “Noooo.”She collapsed to her knees and Oliver was immediately there. He took her in his arms and held her to his chest as she shook her head, her tears falling, her anger a living breathing thing.“Why?” That word tore at Oliver’s chest.“Why? Why?”He didn’t have an answer and he knew deep down she was not really looking for a response. The question was to the universe; spoken by someone that was slowly breaking. Felicity buried her face in his chest and fisted his shirt and her body shook as the emotions finally poured from her.Oliver sat on the ground, not caring that his clothes were getting dirty. He didn’t care that he ground was hard and there were stones digging into his flesh. His focus was on her and only her and he would hold her for as long as she needed. The pain from the rocks was nothing in comparison to what he had felt when he lost her. Nothing would ever compare.He gently rocked and stroked her back softly. He did not say any words of comfort, because she did not need that from him. She needed his strength and his understanding and that is what he gave to her.He looked out over the water as she sobbed the light shimmering over the surface as bugs danced and played. He saw these things, but they did not register as he was only attuned to her.Her sobbing softened, and he just rocked her back and forth and when he heard her speak a sense of relief swept over him.“Why did they do that Oliver?”“I don’t know honey.”She pulled back and her hair stuck to her wet cheeks. He pushed it back gently. “We could have been married. We might have had kids by now.”Oliver smiled softly, “A small you running around would be a sight to behold.”He wiped the tears as they continued to fall. “I want them to pay Oliver. All of them, not just Slade.”That was his girl. She was starting to get her fire back. “So do I Felicity.”“I want them all to rot in prison for what they did, not only to me but to all of the people whose lives they took?”Their eyes met, hers shimmering from her tears, his filled with love.“Then we will make sure they do.”
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The sun was setting before Oliver and Felicity stood and walked back to the cabin. Felicity was emotionally exhausted, but she had to admit she felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Now she could enjoy their time away and her time with Oliver. Being alone with him for two more days sounded like heaven to her and as they stepped back into the cabin she turned to him.“So, what are we going to do this evening?”Oliver had a mysterious look on his face and Felicity was intrigued. “Well I thought I would cook us some dinner and then we could play some board games.”Felicity looked at him skeptically, “Board games? Really?”Oliver looked mildly offended, “I will have you know I am the board game Master in my family.”Felicity grinned at the affronted look he had on his face.“Ok, but I get to pick the game.”Oliver winked at her and walked to the kitchen. “I thought I would make us some pasta.”Felicity’s stomach rumbled at the word pasta. She loved Italian. “Oh, that sounds heavenly.”Oliver put on an apron and quickly got to work, and Felicity took a seat on the bar stool watching him. He refreshed her glass of wine and set it in front of her before he got started on the sauce. She was in utter shock when he took out fresh tomatoes.“Please do not tell me you make your own sauce.”“From scratch.” He beamed, and she was speechless.“After you disappeared Tommy and John made me see that I needed something to fill my time. I was just sitting in my apartment brooding. When I hit rock bottom, I finally realized that they were right, so I took some cooking classes. I always wanted to learn, and it was the perfect thing to keep my mind off you.”Felicity’s cheeks turned pink. “Can I ask you something Oliver?”He started to chop some garlic, “Anything.”“What would you have done if we had not run into each other?”Oliver’s hand stopped and hovered over the piece of basil he had started cutting. Her question had thrown him, but he knew the answer. He knew the answer like he knew he needed air to breath. He set the knife down and wiped his hands on the front of the apron he had put on. He walked over to Felicity and took both her hands.“I would have continued looking for you. I would have waited forever.”She felt her heart skip a beat and she pulled him down for a kiss. It wasn’t passionate or hungry, it was soft and loving and conveyed what words could not. Just how much she loved this man.He pulled back and smiled at her before he walked back over and continued preparing the sauce.“Is there anything I can do?” She took a sip of her wine wanting to help if she could.“Nope. I have everything under control. Why don’t you go pick out our game? There should be some in that bookcase on the far left.”Felicity walked over and sure enough there was a multitude of board games on the shelf. She saw Monopoly, Chutes and Ladders, Backgammon, Checkers, Life and then her eyes lit on something that she knew she was going to choose. She picked it up and turned around with a smile.“Did you find something?” Oliver looked over his shoulder.“Yep.” She hid it behind her back. She didn’t want him to see it until it was time to play. She walked over and hid it behind a sofa cushion before walking back to the bar and taking her seat. Soon the food was ready, and Felicity felt her mouth water at the smells. It smelled heavenly and tasted just as good.“Well I have to say I am very impressed Mr. Queen.”“I thought tomorrow we could take a picnic lunch down to the pond.”That sounded wonderful and as they fell into a companionable silence and enjoyed their food, for the first time Felicity felt content.She helped take the dishes to the sink and as they worked together to wash them and put them away Oliver looked over at her with a smile. “You seem happy.”“I am happy.” She dried the plate she had in her hand and looked at him. “Thank you.”He leaned over and kissed her softly. “You are welcome.”They finished up and dried their hands and Oliver grabbed the wine and their glasses and walked into the living room. He set them on the coffee table and took a seat on the floor and Felicity reached behind the cushion and grabbed the game she had chosen before taking a seat across from him.“So, what did you choose?” Oliver was curious and when she placed it in front of him he scoffed.“Are you serious?“Very serious.”“Cards? But that is so dull. There is no strategy. Why don’t we play Monopoly or Life?”“Oh but Mr. Queen. The way I play cards is anything but dull. We are going to play strip poker.”Oliver lifted an eyebrow at her. “Really?She grinned as she took out the deck and started to shuffle the cards.“Ummm one question though.” Oliver leaned closer. “Don’t you know how to count cards?”“I do, but I promise to play fair.”Oliver looked at her skeptically, “Really?”“Are you afraid of losing Mr. Queen?”Oliver’s competitive side perked up and he gave her a look, “Совсем нет, мисс Смоак. Я просто не хочу, чтобы вы расстраивались, когда проигрываете и сидите напротив меня великолепно обнаженным. (Not at all Ms. Smoak. I just don’t want you to be upset when you lose and are sitting across from me gloriously naked.)” Felicity shuffled and then passed out the cards, “Чувствуем ли мы себя уверенно? (Feeling confident, are we?)” Oliver took his cards and looked at her with eyes that smoldered. “Единственное, в чем я уверен, это то, что к концу этого вечера я собираюсь раздеть тебя в этой постели. (The only thing I am confident about is that by the end of this evening I am going to have you naked in that bed.)” Felicity felt her body clench at his words as she tried to feign indifference and looked at her cards. “Да неужели? И что ты собираешься делать, когда доберешься до меня? (Oh really? And just what do you plan to do with me when you get me there?”“Now where would the fun be if I told you that?” Oliver laid down a card and picked a new one, keeping his eyes on his cards.The awareness between them was almost crackling and as Felicity discarded and took a new card she looked at him over her cards with fire in her eyes. “Ты будешь меня трогать? (Will you touch me?)” Oliver felt his body harden at the look in her eyes and he trapped her gaze with his as he discarded and picked a new card. “Зачем? Вы хотите быть тронутым? (Why? Do you want to be touched?)” Felicity shifted on the floor, her body starting to ache for him. ”Yes.” Felicity discarded a card and picked one up and when she looked at her hand she smiled, “Flush.”She spread her cards out on the table for him to see and Oliver met her gaze and then he placed his on the table with a smirk. “Royal Flush.” Felicity looked at his cards and then back up at Oliver. “Good hand Mr. Queen.” Oliver watched her with eyes that reflected the love and desire he felt for this woman. He watched her stand and start walking toward the bedroom.“Where are you going?”“You said you were going to have me naked in bed.” She looked back over her shoulder as she started to remove her shirt. “I will be waiting.”She disappeared up the stairs and Oliver quickly extinguished the fire in the fire place and secured it before he took their wine glasses and headed up the stairs after her.He entered the bedroom noting the soft light coming from the side of the bed. There was a lamp casting a glow over the bed and the scene before him took his breath away.Felicity was splayed on the bed completely nude. Her hair was spread behind her in a blonde halo and Oliver’s eyes darkened as he walked around the bed and placed the glasses of wine on the side table.Felicity looked up at him with a smile.“Is this what you were imagining Mr. Queen?”Oliver felt his body harden and he slowly unbuttoned his shirt, his eyes staying on her as he removed it and let it fall to the floor. Felicity loved everything about Oliver but one of her favorite things was his chest. His pec muscles rippled beneath smooth skin that was marred here and there by scars that he had received from missions They were like a roadmap to his time in the military and Felicity loved tracing them with her fingers or her lips.Oliver unbuttoned and then unzipped his pants and he took them off leaving him in just his boxers.Felicity frowned and said, “Now that is not fair.”“Not everything is fair Felicity.”He climbed up on the bed and crawled to her straddling her legs with his and hovering on his hands over her. She looked up at him and he would have sworn at that moment that she looked like an angel. Her alabaster skin had a soft glow in the lamplight and her nipples were hard, begging for his lips. He leaned down and kissed her lips leisurely and Felicity felt her body light on fire. No matter how he kissed her, hot and passionate, or slow and seductively, she always felt it down to her toes.Her hands gripped the comforter as she tried not reach up and pull him down. He obviously wanted to take his time.He kissed down her cheek to her neck and his scruff scraped softly leaving red marks in its wake. She started to move beneath him, her body wet with desire calling to him. Oliver could tell what she wanted but he was not going to rush. His lips slid down to her collarbone and he kissed across her chest not leaving one area of skin untouched.He kept himself up on his arms, the only thing touching her was his lips and Felicity arched her hips up ever so slightly when she felt his stubble brush against her breast. They were sensitive and aroused and she wanted nothing more than for him to suck one into his mouth and make her see stars.“You are so beautiful.” His words whispered across her skin as he kissed his way down further. Felicity arched her chest toward him, offering him what was already his, but he skirted around her breasts, kissing under them and around them.“Oliver…” His name finally escaped on a sigh. There was a hint of pleading and he just smiled and continued to take his time.“Patience Felicity.” His lips moved lower, sliding down her stomach to her belly button and when he swirled his tongue around it she arched her hips. It tickled slightly but made her ache in the most delicious way and he nipped each of her hip bones making her gasp.Oliver moved lower, smelling her arousal and it made his mouth water as he thought of tasting her. He spread her legs with his hands and moved between her thighs and Felicity arched again, her hips begging him to kiss her there.“You said you wanted to be touched.” Oliver made her think about her words earlier. “Where do you want to be touched?”She placed her hands in his hair and pressed down, not wanting to say the words.Oliver grinned and planted a kiss to her inner thigh. “Here?”Her fingers tightened in his hair as she fought guiding his mouth to her core and so he kissed her other thigh. By this point Felicity was absolutely on fire and with gentle pressure she guided his mouth exactly where she wanted it.“Oh, I see. Here.” Oliver leaned down and slid his tongue along her slit and then up over her clit and she cried out as her hips chased the path of his lips. He settled on his stomach, his hips turned to the side. He was already hard for her, but he was not quite ready to claim her.Oliver started to play with her nub as he flicked his tongue and made her squirm. His hands held her hips as he tormented and teased. She was wet and hot, and his tongue slid inside as he worked her over. She tasted so good and he slid his left hand up her leg and slid one finger inside of her as his tongue continued to circle her clit. Her hips were arching and moving up toward his mouth and when he slid in a second finger she moaned loudly.Oliver’s fingers slowly moved in and out feeling how primed her body was for him. He moved his fingers and his tongue, using them to make her pump her hips and soon she could feel that all too familiar pressure that would lead to her body exploding on his tongue.Oliver worked her over and over and soon she was pushing her hips up, her hands gripping his hair and a deep guttural moan pressed from her lips as she came.Oliver took everything she gave him as she rode out her orgasm. He kissed her softly between her legs before he moved up her body. His chin and lips were glistening with her juices and she pulled him down and kissed him long and hard and deep. That was it for Oliver, and as Felicity pushed his boxers down his hips he positioned himself between her thighs and then pushed inside.Felicity was still extremely sensitive, and the feeling made her gasp as he started to move inside of her. It was like their bodies were synchronized and Oliver thrust harder as he worked to make her come again. She let her hands slide over his chest feeling every single dip and curve of his muscles and then she wrapped her hands around his back and her nails scraped along his back as they moved together. Oliver slid down slightly taking her nipple in his mouth and they tugged and sucked as his hips pushed and soon she was spiraling over the edge into pleasure again.Oliver felt her body tighten around him and as she trembled trying to come down he chased his own release. Oliver pushed deeper and harder and soon he released inside of her with a deep groan.Felicity held onto him tightly as his body shuddered and then slowly collapsed on top of her. She kissed his shoulder and his neck as he tried to catch his breath. Oliver moved to her side and Felicity turned toward him with a tired but satisfied smile. “I think I need to lose at cards more often.”Oliver kissed her nose and then stood up next to the bed.“Come on let’s go take a shower.”Felicity briefly hesitated, and Oliver reached down and picked her up and she laughed as she carried her to the bathroom.They both laughed and kissed as they cleaned up, but their passion took over again and as they made love in the shower they both had the briefest of thoughts that this weekend was turning out to be perfect before they were both swept away with desire again.
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Tommy laid in bed staring at the ceiling. He had not slept a wink, his mind going over what Angel had revealed and how she had been using him. His anger had dissipated long ago, but there was still an ounce of hurt that just would not go away. He sat up on the side of the bed and decided he was going to take a shower and head into work early. They were still trying to do some clean-up before the renovations started so it was a good way to get Angel off his mind.He walked into the gym about an hour later and was surprised to find John already there sorting through the weights.“Hey man, what are you doing here so early?” John looked up from his task as Tommy approached.Tommy was unsure whether to share anything with John just yet. He wanted to figure out how to handle things with Angel on his own, but John had a way of cutting through the bullshit and giving good advice.“I couldn’t sleep.” Tommy’s face hardened. “Angel told me last night that she works for the FBI. She is a legal agent for them and has been working to catch COS.”John was stunned and then his eyes widened when he saw the crushed look on Tommy’s face. He knew what that look meant.“Tommy, I am sorry man.”“She said her brother volunteered for a mission a few years back and when he completed it they had him killed. She has been looking into them ever since.”“Wow, well I can understand that. We all know how we felt when we learned they were behind Felicity’s kidnapping and fake death.” He looked closely at Tommy. “How are you handling this news?”“Not well. How could I have not seen that she was keeping something this big from me? And how the hell am I supposed to get past the fact she has been using me and lying to me.”John didn’t know what to say to that. “I don’t know man. I guess you have to decide if she is worth giving another chance.”Tommy felt deep in his soul that she was worth it, but he just didn’t know how to move forward.“Why don’t you go talk to her?”Tommy looked around the gym. “I will.”John gave him a pointed look. “My advice would be, don’t wait too long. You really like this girl Tommy and despite the deception she was good for you. I think you deserve to see if you can move past this.”Tommy nodded because he knew that John was right. But for now, he just wanted to work his muscles until they were tired and get his mind off her for just a while.***Angel sat at her desk chewing on a pencil, her mind on Tommy. He had been so hurt when she left last night, and it had taken everything in her not to call him this morning. She needed to give him some time. She just prayed to god that she did not lose him. Tommy had been a complete surprise to her. When she had decided to start going to the gym to try to find out more about COS she had never expected him. He was good looking, funny and sweet and Angel had truly enjoyed getting to know him.She sighed and decided she needed to get to work. Today she was going to meet with Slade Wilson. He had been working closely with Felicity and her team to catch COS, but he had contacted the FBI yesterday asking to speak to someone in authority. When the agent had found out his name they had transferred him straight to her.She could tell by the sound in Slade’s voice that he was spooked and so when he told her that he had some information that might help her case she had been all ears. She had plans to tell Felicity and the rest of Bravo about him contacting her, but she wanted to hear what all he had to say first.She worked throughout the morning occasionally looking at her cell phone, hoping it would ring, and then it did. She saw it light up with Tommy’s picture and her heart skipped a beat as she picked up the phone.“Hi.”“Hi.”“I was hoping I would hear from you.” She settled back in her seat as her heart raced. This might be the only chance he gave her, and she was not going to blow it.“Tommy…..”“Angel…..”They both started to speak at the same time and Tommy said, “Angel. Let me go first. Can you meet me after work to talk? I am still hurt that you did not tell me the truth, but I am willing to listen to what you have to say.”Angel felt relief rush through her, “Yes, where would you like to meet.”“Well I am not ready to be alone, so I thought we could meet over dinner and talk. Why don’t we meet at L’Italia at 7:00 p.m.?”“Sounds great I am looking forward to it. And Tommy? Thank you for giving me a second chance.”Tommy did not respond, and he hung up the phone with a sense of anticipation. He was looking forward to seeing her tonight and even though he felt cautious he was hopeful that before the night was through they would have come to an understanding.Angel hung up the phone with a smile on her face. The fact that Tommy had called her and asked her to dinner was a good sign and she looked forward to being able to explain to him how she felt and tell him that she was truly sorry. Her friend had warned her that one day her obsession with catching COS would ruin her life, and it almost had because if she lost Tommy she would be heartbroken.She gathered her things as she quickly left the building to go meet Slade. She prayed he would give her something that would not only help their case but she could share with Tommy.She knew that despite how Tommy felt about her that he loved Felicity and wanted to see the people who kidnapped her put away. If she could do nothing else for him and if he decided that he wanted to part ways and never see her again, then she would accept his wishes. However, she would make sure that she helped him bring the hurt of losing Felicity to a close.***Felicity and Oliver had woken early the next morning feeling relaxed for the first time in a long time. Felicity was amazed at how much they still had to learn about each other, so they had talked over breakfast. Oliver had told her about how he had come to the decision to open the gym with Tommy. John had joined them later after he and Lyla married, and his daughter was born. He needed stable work, so when he had retired from the Military Oliver and Tommy had welcomed him with open arms. The fact that John had been there for him during the hardest time of his life had made the decision easy.Felicity had talked to him about dealing with her memory loss after her supposed “accident”. Her mother had convinced her she had a car accident and it had taken Felicity several months before she had even tried to get behind a wheel of car.She told him about deciding to work for the coffee shop and how she had hoped that one day she could buy it.“What about now, knowing that you are far more skilled then you knew? Do you still want to own a coffee shop?” Oliver knew he would support her whatever she decided to do, but he knew she was capable of so much more and he hoped she did not let her skills go to waste.“I don’t know.” Felicity answered honestly. She truly did not know what she wanted to do at this point. That was something she was going to have to figure out.Oliver placed his hand over hers. “Well just know I support whatever you decide, and I am here if you need to talk.”Felicity gave him a soft smile. “You know what? I am really enjoying my time here. We need to come back sometime.”Oliver smiled. “I can most definitely arrange that.” He kissed her hand and then stood to walk to the kitchen. “I am going to get our picnic lunch ready is there anything you want to do today?”“I thought I might go for a run. I thought it would clear my head.”Oliver frowned. He had thoroughly checked out the area and made sure the cabin was remote, but he didn’t like the idea of her going out by herself. However, he also knew that she would not like him hovering.“Ok but stay near the pond and do not go in the forest.” He gave her a stern look and she grinned at him.“Maybe when I get back you can help me wash my back.” She walked up and kissed his cheek.“Felicity, please be careful.”“I will.” He kissed her one last time and she ran upstairs to change into her running gear. She needed to think about everything that had happened since they arrived, and she knew that running would help her do that.Felicity put her headphones on and strapped her phone to her upper arm. Setting her music, she made her way downstairs and she glanced in the kitchen as she walked to the back door.Oliver was busy making their lunch for later and she smiled as she pulled her hair up into a ponytail and walked out the back door. The air was nice and cool, and she took a deep breath before she took off down the stairs toward the pond. She set her music low so that she could hear it, but it would not drown out someone coming up behind her and she set off at a steady pace.Oliver finished making their lunch and set it in the fridge to rest until later that afternoon. He had made some of her favorites and as he wiped his hands clean on the towel on the counter he pulled out his phone. He hated that their time at the cabin was slowly coming to and end. He dialed a number and sat down at the kitchen table with a pen and paper. He had an idea.“Ms. Lawrence, hi it’s Oliver Queen.”“Yes, we are having a wonderful time and the cabin is just great which I why I am calling. I wanted to make you an offer for it.”Oliver spent the next 15 minutes negotiating with the owner, who had mentioned to him when he rented the place that it was for sale. Oliver had thought about buying it but when he had broached the subject with Felicity on their first day she had brushed him off. However, after their talk this morning he was adamant that the place become theirs and he could not wait to surprise Felicity.He told Ms. Lawrence that he would have his lawyers contact her with the details and he smiled and walked to the back doors. He saw Felicity running on the back side of the pond and he was relieved to see that she was working through her feelings. Yesterday had been emotionally draining for her and Oliver had been glad to see her so happy this morning.Felicity ran for a good hour, her muscles burning but her mind clear. The air was nice and clean, and Felicity was finding that she truly loved it here. The quiet and having Oliver to herself was something that she did not know she needed until she had it, and as she headed back to the cabin she hoped that sometime soon they would be able to come back.She walked through the back door catching her breath and she smiled as she saw Oliver sitting on the couch writing in what looked to be a journal. He heard her walk through the door and he smiled at her.“Hey.”“Hey.” She walked over and collapsed on the couch beside him, the journal taking her by surprise. “When did you start writing in a journal?”Oliver closed the book and set it on the table beside him. “When I finally decided to come out of my funk and try to live my life, I saw a therapist for a brief period. She convinced me that I should put my feelings and thoughts down in a journal. It helped so I have been doing it ever since.”She looked at him and her face turned sad. “There is so much we still have to learn about each other.”Oliver gently stroked her cheek and gave her a sympathetic smile. “Yes, we do Felicity, but we have all the time in the world to do it.”She wanted to snuggle up against him, but she was sweating. Thinking of things, they had lost again made her sad. They needed to think of something else. She stood and started walking down the hall to the bedroom. “So, Mr. Queen. Are you going to come scrub my back?”She pulled her tank top over her had as she passed behind him and he looked over his shoulder with a gleam in his eyes.He didn’t say a word but stood and followed her down the hall. Felicity stripped as she walked to the bathroom and as Oliver noted the clothes strewn on the floor he immediately took off his own. He heard the water start and walked into the bathroom. Felicity was standing under the spray, her head thrown back and her eyes closed as the water washed away the sweat and dirt. He stood in the doorway for a moment watching the water slide down her alabaster skin.God she was beautiful. Oliver stepped in behind her and closed the shower door before he placed his arms around her and pulled her back to his chest. She melted against him and he buried his face in her neck placing soft kisses to her skin as she reached behind her and ran her fingers into his hair. His hands traveled over her slick wet skin and he kissed his way up her neck to her ear and gently nipped it causing her to moan.The position of her arms threw her chest forward causing her breasts to thrust forward and they called to him. He cupped them gently letting his thumbs brush over her nipples. He loved the feel of her body beneath his hands and as she relaxed back against him he felt her sigh.“I thought I invited you in to help wash my back.” Felicity’s voice was soft and husky, and Oliver lightly kissed her shoulder.“We will get to that.” His voice had turned husky as well and Felicity fell pliant in his arms. Oliver continued kissing along her shoulders and up her neck as his hands gently kneaded her breasts. He slid his right hand down her chest, the water making it like silk and when he cupped her sex she moaned and arched her body against him. She could feel his cock pressing against her and she ground back against him.That made him hiss between his teeth and Felicity turned in his arms and wrapped them around his neck before he lifted her and pressed her back against the wall kissing her with wicked intent. She flinched as her shoulders felt the cold tiles, but she did not break their kiss and she responded by wrapping her legs tightly around his waist.Where the night before had been slow and exploratory this was passion and desire pushing them toward the release that both of their bodies craved. He let his lips slide to her ear where he gently nipped the lobe again before he adjusted her position and slid inside of her. The water and her arousal made their bodies join easily and when he filled her they both stilled enjoying one another.Felicity slid her hands into his hair and pulled him back for a kiss as her excitement got the better of her and she started to move against him. The water cascading over them as they moved and thrust together was erotic and sensual and their passion grew more intense as Oliver pressed her tighter to the wall and started to thrust harder. Their hands were everywhere as they touched and tasted one another, and Felicity felt her body start to tense as he guided her hips at just the right angle, his cock sliding along her clit as he pushed in and pulled out.Felicity’s mouth opened in a silent sigh of pure pleasure and when Oliver could feel she was close, he slid a hand between them and stroked her nub sending her into an orgasm that made her body shake. Oliver continued to move inside of her as she trembled, her body trying to come down from her high.She could tell that Oliver was close as well and she tightened her legs and shifted her hips against him and when he groaned and felt her muscles tighten around him, he suddenly came with a hard thrust and an exclamation of her name.Oliver buried his face in her neck as they stayed joined and slowly started to relax. Oliver kept her pressed against the wall and she kissed down his cheek and caught his lips with hers before they both pulled back stared at one another.Their couplings were always explosive, but something had been a little different this time. They had been a little freer with one another.Oliver kissed her softly before he set her down on her feet and started to wash her body. He took his time and washed her from head to toe and when he was satisfied that no spot had gone untouched he turned off the water and grabbed a towel to dry her.Felicity watched with love shining in her eyes as the man who could take down an opponent twice his size dried her body like he was drying the finest piece of china. He kissed her stomach and each breast reverently and then picked her up and carried her to the bed.“Oliver it is early afternoon.” He grinned as she sounded so sleepy.“Yes, and the great thing is we have nowhere we need to be right now.”He pulled back the covers and laid her down and then crawling in beside her he pulled her closer to him.She settled against him and wrapped her arms around his waist and they both laid there, their bodies content wishing that they did not have to leave tomorrow.Soon they were sound asleep.
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Angel entered the restaurant where she had agreed to meet Slade. She had told him a public place and since he was being watched by A.R.G.U.S, he agreed. She saw a man fitting his description sitting in a booth and she approached him cautiously. Just what did he want with her?“Slade Wilson?”“Ms. Harris.”Angel took a seat in the booth and ordered a coffee and when the waitress walked away she looked at Slade with a shrewd expression.“So why did you call me here Mr. Wilson?”“Please call me Slade.” He smiled a charming smile, but Angel was having none of it.“I think I will stick with Mr. Wilson.” Her smile was cold, and Slade had to give her points for being tough.“I asked you here, Ms. Harris, because you are with the FBI and I have some information that I think can help you with the COS case.”Angel looked at him in shock, “How did you know I was working on a case for COS?”“That is not important. Do you want to hear what I have to say or not?”Angel looked at him for a moment and then said, “I am all ears.”***Oliver and Felicity woke up the next morning feeling even more relaxed and connected. They were both hesitant in leaving the cabin. Their weekend had been just what they needed and as they packed that afternoon they both harbored thoughts of how nice it would be to come back sometime soon. Little did Felicity know that Oliver had purchased the cabin just for her.Oliver had gone outside to start loading the car and Felicity walked to the back porch looking out over the view that had been in their back yard for the last few days. It was still amazing, and she felt a peace settle over her as she remembered back to why Oliver had brought her here in the first place.She heard the front door open and she turned with a smile on her face. It froze when she saw Slade standing there. Felicity tensed looking behind him, because surely Oliver was behind him. However, the man that walked in was not Oliver but Oliver’s father Robert.Felicity felt fear grip her as she looked between them and realized, Oliver was nowhere to be found.“Don’t worry Felicity. I didn’t hurt Oliver. He’s just taking a nap.” Slade smiled coldly and stopped in the middle of the living room as Robert closed the front door and locked all the locks.“What are you two doing here and how did you know where to find us?”Robert smiled but it did not reach his eyes. “So many questions Ms. Smoak.” He had a smug look on his face and Felicity realized the man standing before her was no longer Oliver’s father. He had turned into someone completely different.“We are here to deal with you Ms. Smoak, and as for how we found you, it is amazing what people will tell you when they fear for their lives.”Felicity gasped, “Tommy………”Robert laughed coldly, “Oh no. I knew he would not give you up and I knew the same of John.” He walked slowly into the living room looking around with an interested eye.“No, we had to bug the phones at the gym and when we found out Oliver was booking a cabin, we decided to pay the travel agent a visit.” Slade smiled at Robert’s story.Felicity felt a chill course over here. Where was Oliver and what had Slade done to him?Robert stepped closer and Felicity took a step back. “What do you want with me?”Slade gave her a cold once over, “Well as attractive as you are, we are actually here to make sure that you don’t share Robert’s secret with anyone or reveal anyone else’s involvement with COS.”Felicity gave Slade a look of disbelief. “You realize Slade that you have just blown your whole deal with A.R.G.U.S. They know you are here and will be here any minute and take you BOTH into custody.”Felicity’s anger took over as she looked at two of the men who had ruined her life. The fact that Slade had been stupid enough to leave Star City, knowing A.R.G.U.S., was watching him, she had to admit surprised her.He laughed, and it made a chill run down her spine. “Oh, I am not going to have to worry about A.R.G.U.S. Robert had promised me full immunity once we get rid of you.”Felicity looked at Robert with wide eyed shock. “You would have your son harmed and kill the woman he loves, again, all to save your own ass?”He stepped closer and coldly stated, “I am willing to do whatever I have to do to make sure I don’t lose everything I have worked for.”Felicity willed herself to be calm. She had confidence in her fighting abilities to know that she could beat Slade or Robert one on one, but she was not sure about taking them both on at the same time. Her mind raced with different scenarios as she tried to think through each move she could make to disarm them both. It came natural to her and Felicity knew that this was how she had felt back when her skills were fighting.Robert walked over to the back doors and looked out at the pond and mountains behind them. “Wow, Oliver did a good job picking this cabin. It doesn’t surprise me that he bought it for you.” Robert turned to her with hidden rage in his eyes as and she flinched. “Too bad you are not going to get to enjoy it.”While she was focused on Robert Slade had snuck up on her left side and as he went to grab her she saw him at the last minute and was able to duck beneath his arms hitting him with an uppercut to the jaw. He stumbled back, and it gave Felicity a moment to step back but now he was furious.“I didn’t want to do this the hard way Ms. Smoak.” He had a funny look on his face, as if he was almost sorry and then he pulled out a gun and pointed it right at her head. “But you have left me with no other choice.”“Slade. Just kill her.” Robert’s voice cut across the room and he looked at Robert but kept his gun trained right on her head.“I don’t want a mess to have to clean up. Just tie her up and we can decide what we are going to do with her.” Slade’s voice was just as hard, and Robert looked at him in surprised but finally agreed.Slade looked back at her with a grim expression and then he pointed the gun toward the kitchen. “Grab one of those chairs. Now.”Felicity watched him warily and walked toward the kitchen. She saw the knives sitting in the butcher block on the counter, but she knew he would shoot her dead before she could reach one. She had to think of something else.“Move Smoak.” Slade’s gun nudged into her back and she walked to the chair and picked it up and swung back at Slade. He anticipated her move and ducked quickly, and the chair went flying into the wall. Felicity was about to turn and knock Slade back when she heard him say, “I am sorry”, and then everything went black.***Oliver groaned and rubbed his head as he slowly opened his eyes. He startled too as he remembered that someone had hit him over the head from behind. They must have dragged him into the woods because he was several hundred feet from the cabin. He pulled out his phone and hit the app that A.R.G.U.S., had installed for just such emergencies. It was a direct line to them and did not need a phone signal to work. It was all through satellite and soon he was messaging with A.R.G.U.S., agents.He wanted to rush back inside and check on Felicity, but he knew that if both got caught that neither of them might come out alive. And he trusted her skills almost more than his own. He knew his girl could handle herself and he just prayed that A.R.G.U.S., John and Tommy could get there soon.***John hung up the phone with Lyla raced over to Tommy’s apartment. Lyla had called moments before and informed him that the emergency app had been triggered by Oliver. They all knew that is meant he and Felicity were in trouble and he explained everything to Tommy as he raced around his apartment getting his gun and bullet proof vest. Tommy did not hesitate, and he picked up his phone and while John drove quickly to the outskirts of town toward the cabin, he called Angel.He didn’t know why it was his first instinct, but something in his gut told him to call her. She had him text her their address and told him she and some agents would be shortly behind them. Tommy’s fingers twitched as John drove.“Do we know if Felicity is ok?”“From what Lyla said Oliver was knocked unconscious outside by the car. He is not sure who we are dealing with, but he trusts Felicity’s abilities to handle whoever they are. However, Lyla said that Slade has gone outside of his target zone and his two agents were found beaten within an inch of their lives.”“So, your guess would be it is Slade.” Tommy knew John well.“Bingo.” John kept his eyes on the road, but his mind was on Felicity. Yes, she had been one of their absolute best but that had been years ago. She had been retraining which had helped her to regain her speed and skills, but he also knew that Slade was good and if he was not alone, she might be in big trouble.Tommy was also thinking about Felicity. He checked the chamber on his gun and then pushed it into his holster at his shoulder. He then watched out the window, hoping that they would get they’re in time. He has lost Felicity once, he was not going to lose her again.He received a text from Angel letting them know the FBI was right behind them and when John looked in the rearview mirror, the guy gave him an A.R.G.U.S., signal showing that it was them.An hour later John neared the turn-off. Lyla had said that Oliver would be waiting by the road and sure enough when the made the turn he saw Oliver 50 feet ahead. He quickly climbed into the back seat of the SUV and John and Tommy could tell he was worried.“I tried to sneak back up to the cabin to check on Felicity and I saw my father’s car.”Tommy looked at him in shock and if John had not been driving he would have done the same.“Oliver, Lyla informed us that Slade has gone rogue. Do you think those two are working together?”Oliver hit his leg with his fist his anger radiating from his body. “How could that bastard do this? Has he not hurt my family enough?”Tommy turned and looked at Oliver, “I know you are upset Oliver, but let’s focus. Is there anything else you can remember before you were knocked out?”“No, whoever came up behind me was quiet. I never heard them approach.”“That has to be Slade.” Tommy looked at John and he nodded.“I agree.” John looked in the rearview mirror at Oliver. “So, what is the plan?”“I think we should approach from the back and let A.R.G.U.S., come in from the front. Maybe we can catch them with an element of surprise.”Tommy looked at him, “What about the FBI?”Oliver looked at him in surprise, “Angel?”Tommy nodded. “I hope you don’t mind. I called her after John told me where we were headed.”Oliver wanted to be mad, but they needed all the help they could get. He would talk to Tommy about Angel later.“Why don’t you tell her and her team to set up outside, just in case. I don’t want either one of them getting out of that cabin.”Tommy nodded and got on the phone as John pulled over about a hundred yards from the cabin. They hid the vehicle behind a cluster of trees and John handed Oliver a gun he had brought with him before checking his own.Tommy hung up and looked between them, “She said her team would be waiting.”They all exited the vehicle and made sure they each knew their positions before they approached the house. Oliver had filled them in on a few choice hiding spots. He had investigated the cabin thoroughly their first day, as he did with any dwelling where he stayed. It was a habit that was hard to break.John crept up on the far-left side, while Oliver had the center and Tommy took up the right. They had waited until all A.R.G.U.S., agents were in place and they knew the FBI agents were also there before they had started toward the cabin.Oliver needed to see Felicity to make sure she was ok. She had to be.***Felicity came to groggily, her head pounding from where she had been knocked out. Slade had tied her up while she had been out and now he was sitting across the room staring at her while Robert droned on about something. She could make out words here and there and when the word lake was mentioned Felicity tensed. They were going to kill her and dump her in a nearby lake.She started working her hands as they talked, Slade’s eyes not leaving hers and she saw something in them. Something she could not quite put her finger on. She continued to work slowly and methodically. There had been a time when there was not a pair of handcuffs or zip ties that could hold her. She needed to prove that right now.Oliver walked quietly up the steps of the back door, his gun drawn. He could see nothing through the window and he slid along the wall, his back flat as he scooted closer. He took a quick peek inside and he cursed when he saw Felicity tied to a chair. He could not see anyone else in the room and he tried to get her attention.Felicity was working her hands slowly and almost had her right hand free when she noticed movement in the window along the back wall. She looked closer and saw Oliver giving her a quiet signal and she gave him an imperceptible nod.If Oliver remembered correctly Felicity was good at getting out of handcuffs and he signaled with his hands that very thing. When she nodded again, he felt a small sigh of relief. He could not completely relax until she was out of that room and whoever had her was in custody.Oliver stepped closer and she tried to signal to him that there were targets on the far side of the room. He noted her movement and then quickly opened the door and aimed his gun to the right. Robert and Slade heard the door open and as Oliver moved slowly toward her Slade stood slowly and cautiously. Robert stood as well, and his anger flared.Oliver was going to try to stall them while Felicity worked her hands free.“Dad what the hell are you doing?”Robert gave him a smooth look, as Slade slowly shifted his hand with the gun. Oliver had not seen it yet and Robert smiled inwardly. Good.“What should have been done after she finished her mission. Tying up loose ends.”Oliver looked at him as if he was looking at a stranger. He finally realized he did not know his Dad at all and the saddest part about it was at one time they had been close. But that had been a long time ago and the man Oliver use to know was gone.Felicity listened to the interaction between them as she saw John and Tommy head up the back stairs. They walked quickly into the room, their guns drawn and aimed at Robert and Slade.“Tying up loose ends? Are you serious? Felicity is not a loose end. She is the woman I love. She is the woman I am going to marry.”His tone had turned ice cold and Robert could see he was no longer speaking to his son. He was speaking to a stranger.John saw Slade’s hand twitch and he aimed right for his head. “Don’t move an inch Wilson.”Felicity finally freed her hands and as Robert saw her move he could not stand the thought that she might get away and he pulled a gun from his back. She was not going to ruin things for him and she certainly was not going to leave this room alive. As he pulled his gun and aimed, there were four other’s who reacted instinctively and before Felicity could move…….Shots rang out around the room.
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As the chaos settled, Oliver noticed two things, Robert and Slade were down and Felicity was still on the floor. He turned, his sole objective to get to Felicity. He had watched her go down and his mind started screaming no as he got closer to her. He reached her side quickly and she reassured him she was ok. She had not been hit. Her head was still pounding from being knocked unconscious, so it was difficult for her to get back up.However, Oliver’s arm was bleeding, and he quickly realized he had been nicked by the bullet meant for Felicity. Felicity gently touched his arm her eyes watering as she realized that he could have been hurt even worse. They hugged each other tight.John had fired his gun as soon as he saw Slade moving, and Slade had fired his gun as well, just not in the direction anyone had expected.John looked to see Robert lying on the floor, a gunshot to his head and the bullet had come from Slade’s gun. He looked at Tommy in shock and then over at Slade who was sitting on the floor holding his arm. John had fired his weapon but had not gone for a kill shot and Slade had been hit in the arm.“Oliver?”Tommy called to him, wanting him to know that his father was gone. He turned and gave him a sympathetic look as Oliver stood up, helping Felicity to her feet. They walked over to where Robert lay on the ground and when Oliver looked down at him, he was sad to say he felt nothing. His father was not his father in the end and as sad as that made him, he was glad the man could no longer hurt those he loved.Angel and the FBI agents came racing into the cabin and she stopped when she saw Robert lying on the floor with Slade sitting beside him. He gave her a look and Tommy noticed the exchange.“What happened?” Angel looked around glad to see that the rest of the group was ok. Oliver was bleeding on his arm, but it was a superficial wound.“Oliver came in and found Felicity tied to a chair. He confronted Robert and Slade and during that confrontation Robert pulled a gun and fired at Felicity. His bullet grazed Oliver and Slade ended up shooting him and killing him. I shot Slade because I thought he was going to shoot Oliver.” Everyone looked at Slade when John said he had been the one to shoot Robert.“That wasn’t a part of our agreement Mr. Wilson.” Angel gave him a rueful smile and he shrugged, grimacing when he moved his arm.“I didn’t want anyone else hurt.” Slade’s words surprised everyone, but they were even more surprised by what Angel had said.Tommy looked at her, “Your agreement?”Angel nodded, holstering her gun. “Mr. Wilson came to me a few days ago and offered to help us catch COS in exchange for a lesser sentence.”Oliver was confused, “But he already had a deal with A.R.G.U.S.”Angel nodded, “Yes he did. So, I contacted Lyla and we were able to get them to agree to let the FBI handle his case.” She looked back at Slade. “After I heard the information that Slade had to offer, and he gave me the names of all the people that were involved we worked up a plan to have him out the highest government contact for COS. A.R.G.U.S., was more than happy to let us take this case knowing we already had information on COS that A.R.G.U.S., did not.”She looked at Oliver sadly, “Unfortunately that list included your father.” She looked at Tommy again, her eyes soft. “I heard through chatter that Robert would try to come after Felicity again, I just did not know when, so Slade offered to get close to him and pretend to work with him. He approached Robert and told him that if he could offer him immunity, that he would work with him to get rid of her.”Felicity looked at Slade and some things finally made sense. Like him telling her he was sorry before he knocked her out.“I am sorry I had to knock you out Felicity. But I had to make things look real to Robert, so I could hold him off until help could get here.” He looked over at Oliver. “I am sorry to you as well.”Felicity did not know what to think or say, so she just kept quiet.Tommy looked at Angel again. Just when he had been getting ready to give her another shot something like this happens. He did not know how to feel so he turned and walked out. Angel watched him go, wanting to call him back, but John touched her arm.“Just give him a few minutes. He is still reeling from the fact you are FBI.”She gave John a small smile and immediately turned to business. She started ordering her men to gather statements and find what evidence they could. She wanted to make sure she had everyone’s statement, including Slade’s so that when they returned to Star City, her bureau could immediately go and arrest the few others that were involved with COS, and that would include Secretary of Defense Davis. Angel’s Director had contacted the President and they were under strict orders to arrest them ALL.Felicity kissed Oliver softly and then indicated she was going to talk to Tommy. Their friend was struggling and when she found him outside he was leaning against a car staring off blankly.Felicity walked up, and he hugged her tight before kissing her forehead. “I am glad you are safe.”Felicity smiled up at him and then leaned against the car next to him. “You ok?”Tommy looked out across the driveway, “I don’t know what I am Felicity. I was at a point where I was willing to listen to what Angel had to say but now. I just don’t know.”Felicity nodded, “I know you are struggling with this and that is normal. But Tommy I think you need to take a step back and think like Angel. You are a soldier you know the things that make a mission successful. One of those is secrecy. She couldn’t tell you anything.”“I know you are right.”Felicity bumped his shoulder, “I also seem to recall you once giving Oliver some advice. It’s not every day you can find a woman that can kick your ass. I have a feeling Angel could do that easily. Don’t let her get away Tommy.”Tommy could not argue that logic and he smiled.“Why don’t you and Angel go out and talk. Give her a chance to explain everything to you, and you Mr. Merlyn need to listen.”Tommy looked down at her with an annoying smile, “You are so bossy Ms. Smoak.”“I have to keep you on the straight and narrow or 10 years from now you will be an old bachelor who has worked his way through all of Star City and Central City combined.” She playfully shuddered. “Oh, the thought of that.”Tommy laughed and placed an arm around her. “Oliver got the best woman.”Felicity smiled big, “I know he did. But Angel is pretty great too.”Tommy laughed and kissed her forehead again and they looked up to see Angel standing in the doorway watching them. Felicity slipped from his arm and winked at him before walking back into the house. Angel approached him slowly and leaned her hip against the car.“Hey.” Tommy spoke first, and Angel felt hope blossom in her chest.“Hey.” Angel paused and looked down before she looked up at him. “Did I blow my chance with you?”Tommy looked at her for a long moment. God she was beautiful, and she made him smile. Was he willing to give that up so easily? He finally realized that his answer was no.“No. I had some good advice from an old friend that reminded me that when you are working a mission whether for the FBI or Bravo Squad, that secrecy is important. I know you could not tell me about Slade.”“I wanted to Tommy. I really did.”He turned to her because he needed some more answers from her before he could just move forward. “Why did you not tell me who you worked for from the beginning?”She sighed and gathered her thoughts. “When I first realized that you worked with Bravo Squad, I will admit, I wanted to use you to try to get COS. I was filled with so much anger over my brother that THAT was my primary focus. But as we spent more time together and you started flirting I started to really like you.” She smiled softly as she remembered. “I found that you made me laugh and feel good about myself, and when I was with you I forgot about the bad things in my life because you made me focus on the good. You were a good thing in my life.”“I am pretty good at flirting.” Tommy grinned a boyish grin and Angel playing fully pushed at his arm. He caught her hand in his and pulled her closer to him. He had really missed her. “Not to mention that other good piece of advice was that when you find a woman that can kick your ass you don’t let her go. If I ask you out again will you make me a promise?” Tommy’s look was intense and at that moment Angel knew she would promise him anything.“Yes.”“Promise me we will have no more secrets from here on out.”Angel smiled up at him and then leaned up and softly kissed his lips. “I can absolutely make that promise because I told the bureau that after this mission is complete, I am leaving the FBI. I want to open my own law practice.”Tommy looked at her in surprise and then he cupped her face gently with his hands, “So Angel Harris, would you like to go out on a date with me?”She smiled brightly, the happiness she was feeling beaming from her smile. “Yes, Tommy Merlyn, I would love to go out with you. But I must warn you. I don’t put out on the first date.” She gave him a mock stern look and he grinned a sexy grin.“Then it is a good thing this will not technically be our first date.” He leaned down and kissed her sweetly and she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him closer deepening the kiss. She had really missed him, and she knew she was not going to blow things with him again.***John completed his statement to the agent he was talking to and then walked over to where Slade was still sitting, with his arm now bandaged.“Well Wilson, you surprised me.”Slade stood, and he almost looked uncomfortable as he looked at John. “I am sorry for everything John.”“Why the remorse now?”“Because I believed in COS and what I thought they were doing for this country, but this experience made me realize that this was man at his worst. Everyone was only out for themselves and anyone was expendable. Including me.”John huffed a laugh, “So it is still about you?”Slade gave a thin smile, “Oh I am not a completely selfless person John. You of all people know that. And there are things I am not ashamed of doing.” He glanced over at Felicity. “But having worked with her I realized she did not deserve to die.”John glanced at Felicity before he looked back at Slade, “No she did not.”John walked away and when the FBI agents came and cuffed Slade he saw Felicity approach him.“Slade. Thank you.”“For what Ms. Smoak?”“For working with the FBI to take down Robert and COS.” She didn’t want to say the next part, but it was true. “We could not have done it without you.”“You know Ms. Smoak I had high regard for you back when you were in Bravo Squad. You were as tough as they come. Today when you were fighting to escape I saw that toughness again. Don’t lose it.”They exchanged an understanding look and then Slade was led off to one of the agent’s cars. They would transport him back to FBI headquarters and then assign him a facility to finish up his sentence. It would be up to the FBI director to determine how long that would be.Oliver approached Felicity and pulled her into his arms. “You ok?”She sighed and settled against him. “Yes. Better than I have been in a long time. It is over Oliver.”Oliver could not believe it, but it was true. The people that had been a threat to them, a threat to her were going to prison and now they could relax and not have to look over their shoulder.“I thought, if you wanted, that we could stay a few more days here.” Oliver said the words hesitantly and then he smiled when Felicity jumped on the chance.“Oh my god I would love that Oliver, but don’t you need to contact the owners? They might have someone else scheduled to come stay here.”“Oh, that is right. I do need to ask the owner.” He had a devilish grin on his face and he stepped back a step.“Ms. Smoak? My fiancé and I would like to stay a few more days at your cabin. Is that ok?”Felicity’s eyes widened when she heard what he said. “My cabin?”“I bought if for us yesterday. I could see how much you were able to just relax here, and you seemed to love it. I thought it could be a weekend and summer place for us to get away. Especially when we have kids…”“Kids?” Felicity looked at him in shock.“Yes kids. I mean we can start out with three and then talk.” Felicity was speechless, and Oliver was loving every single minute of it.Before Felicity could respond they were ushering agents out the door. The FBI’s coroner had arrived to take Robert’s body and Oliver stood watching with a cold look on his face. He knew he was going to have to tell his Mom and Thea about Robert. Felicity wrapped her arms around him and held him as the men loaded Robert’s body and then drove away.John approached them as he watched them coroner’s van leave.“Do you need anything Oliver?” John was like his brother and Oliver was never as grateful for John as he was today.“No man. I am good. Go home to Lyla.”John hugged Oliver and then Felicity and walked to his SUV. Oliver let him know that they were staying for a few more days and that he would be in touch.Tommy and Angel left next and Tommy hugged Felicity tight. “Thank you for the advice Smoak. I don’t know what I would do without you.”“Your stuck with me Merlyn.” Tommy laughed and then hugged Oliver.“See you guys soon.” Angel smiled and gave Felicity a friendly hug.“I am so glad you are ok. Maybe when you come back to Star City we can meet for lunch.”Felicity smiled warmly at her. She liked Angel. “I would love that. Have Tommy give you my number.”Angel smiled at Oliver and then walked with Tommy to her car. They were going to his apartment to talk some more and Angel would be lying if she didn’t say she was hoping they ordered dinner in for the night.As soon as things were quiet, and everyone had left, Oliver and Felicity walked back into the cabin arm in arm.She walked over and stared out at the pond, just as she had done the first day. She loved that view and knew she would never tire of it. Her mind was racing as she thought of her and Oliver bringing their children here. She could see them running in the back yard or swinging on a swing set that Oliver and Tommy put together. She wrapped her arms around herself as a soft smile curved her lips. She could see it all and she wanted it all.Oliver’s arms wrapped around her from behind and she settled back against him with a soft sigh.“What are you thinking about?” His warm breath whispered over her ear.“Our children.”“Ahhh, so you are warming up to the idea of children.” He grinned against her neck as he kissed it softly.“The thought of a little you running around IS appealing.” She grinned at the thought of a miniature Oliver.“I was thinking more of several little Felicity’s.” Oliver kissed her neck again and she felt goose bumps along her skin.“Do you think Tommy and Angel will be able to work things out?” She asked the question as she Oliver kissed up her cheek. He stopped at her question.“I think they will. Tommy is a pretty forgiving person.”Oliver turned her around. “Now, let’s quit talking about Tommy and Angel. How are you doing?”Felicity placed her arounds around his neck, “I am fine. I am still surprised that Slade approached Angel and was working with the FBI. He had to know that he was placing his life on the line as well as his deal with A.R.G.U.S., by approaching them.”Oliver pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. He loved her hair, especially when she wore it down. “I think he finally realized that the only way he was going to have a shot at getting a better deal was by telling everything. That included every single person associated with COS.”She grinned at him, “I was able to free my hands from his ties. I have not done that in a long time.”Oliver grinned at her, “Maybe we should test you on that some more, you know for research purposes.” Oliver’s tone was suggestive, and she pushed his chest with a shy smile.Oliver leaned down and kissed her lips. Those soft, plump lips that use to haunt his dreams. He loved the feel of them beneath his own and on his body. Her arms wrapped around his waist and the kiss deepened on a sweet sigh. Felicity let her hands slide down and she pulled his shirt out of the waistband of his pants before pulling it up over his head. Oliver lifted his arms letting her remove it and when it hit the floor her hands immediately reached for his chest.She slowly let her hands trace every single muscle and ridge, tracing every line. She leaned forward and placed her lips over his heart and when he felt her lips on his skin, he closed his eyes savoring the moment. She kissed her way across his chest as she moved her hands to unbutton her shirt and she leaned back removing her shirt.They slowly undressed each other between kisses and touches that showed their reverence for one another and when they were both naked, skin to skin, Oliver picked her up and carried her to the couch.He laid her down and kissed her from her shoulders to her toes, letting his mouth worship the perfection that was her. She sighed and arched her body as she relished the feel of his mouth on her skin. They were so in tune with one another and when Oliver gently parted her thighs and kissed her body where she ached for him the most his sigh and her moan of pleasure were simultaneous.He held her hips as he kissed and tasted her, and the smell of her body was an intoxicating drug that he could not refuse. She let her hands rest in his hair as she lifted her hips towards him, and he took what she offered, sucking and licking her clit to the point that she finally exploded around his tongue.He made his way back up her body and settled between her thighs, his own body hard and pulsing for her. The way she made him feel was something that he cherished and when he slid inside of her he knew that he would never tire of her or how he felt when they were joined. It was absolute perfection.They kissed and touched as he languidly moved inside of her, the rhythm slow and easy and loving. Felicity’s hands touched every single inch of his skin that she could reach, and she slid them down over his ass urging him deeper.Oliver’s pace grew faster, as their bodies started to reach toward that feeling of ecstasy that would make their hearts pound, their breathing quicken, and their bodies shake. Felicity was already sensitive from the way Oliver’s mouth had worked her body and when Oliver leaned his head down and kissed and sucked her nipples, his mouth moving from one to another she shuddered and fell into an orgasm that made her whole-body tense and shake. Oliver felt her release around him and he thrust quicker and harder a few more times before the feel of her warm and wet release pushed him over the edge.Oliver tensed above her, and she held him tight as his body worked through the pleasure. They slowly came down as they continued to kiss and touch each other.“I love you Oliver.”“Я тоже тебя люблю. Ты мое сердце. (I love you too. You are my heart.)”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Epilogue – One Year Later
Thea was racing round the bridal room trying to make sure that nothing was overlooked. Today was Oliver and Felicity’s wedding and everything had to be perfect. Felicity stood staring into the mirror at her reflection, the white lace confection of a dress flowing in shimmering waves of silk and lace. She still could not believe this day had finally arrived and she could not wait to walk down the aisle and finally become Mrs. Queen.Donna stood behind her daughter with tears in her eyes. Felicity and Oliver had endured so much to get to this moment. Donna still had regrets about her part in everything, but Felicity had finally told her she forgave her, and the words had taken a weight off her shoulders that she has been holding for far too long.“Oh baby. You look so beautiful. Oliver is going to be beside himself when he see’s you.” She played with the curls that fell down Felicity’s back as she fussed over her.“You think so?” Felicity turned this way and that as she looked in the mirror.Donna placed her hands on Felicity’s shoulders and looked at her through the mirror, love shining in her eyes. “Darling that man is going to be speechless. He loves you so very much. He always has.”Felicity placed her hands over her Mother’s and smiled softly. “I love him too.”Thea walked up with Felicity’s blue garter in hand, “You can’t forget this Sis.”Felicity and Thea had become close in the weeks following Robert’s death. Thea had initially felt guilty for what her father had done, but Felicity had helped her to realize that his actions did not reflect on her and that she should not let him diminish all she had accomplished in her life despite him.Thea slipped the garter over Felicity’s ivory heel and then pulled it up to her thigh, then she stood and smiled. “There. Now you have everything.”Felicity fingered the beautiful diamond necklace that Moira had loaned to her as her something old. It had been her Mother’s necklace and she had presented it to Felicity the night before when Moira and Thea were at the apartment for dinner. It had touched something deep in Felicity because she knew that Moira had been the one struggling the most since Robert’s death. Trying to reconcile the husband she had loved and married with the man who had tried to kill Felicity was difficult. She was feeling better every day that passed and the wedding had been a wonderful distraction.“Ok everyone, it’s about time.” Thea rushed over and grabbed her and Felicity’s bouquet. “Oh Felicity! You look absolutely stunning.” She handed her the bridal bouquet and then leaned in and kissed her cheek. “My brother is a lucky man.”Felicity smiled and hugged Thea to her, “So is Roy.”They pulled apart and assembled ready to exit and finally walk down the aisle. Felicity had not seen Oliver since the night before and she missed him already. They had not wanted to be apart for the night, but Thea had convinced them it was tradition, so they had reluctantly agreed for one night apart, promising it would be their very last.Felicity took a deep breath as she stood listening to the music in the chapel play softly while Thea made her way down the aisle. Oliver had arranged for a chuppah to grace the stairs where they would exchange their vows. They were also going to break a glass as a nod to Felicity’s Jewish heritage and to signify a breaking of their past for a new beginning.Felicity smiled as she thought of Oliver on the other side of that door waiting for her and it made her heart race. She could not wait to see him.***Oliver stood fidgeting with his tuxedo tie as John and Tommy pulled on their tuxedo jackets. It was almost time for the wedding to start and for the first time in a long time, Oliver was nervous.“You ready for this man?” John looked at him with a smile.“I have been ready for this for over six years John. It cannot happen quick enough for me.”“I still cannot believe Smoak picked you over me. I mean broody versus good looking.” He gently patted his hair. “There is not comparison.”“Felicity has taste.” John looked at Tommy with an annoying grin.Oliver had to laugh at that and soon they were walking to the steps to wait for Felicity to walk down the aisle. He missed her so much last night. It had been hard for him to sleep because he was use to having her by his side.Oliver adjusted his bow-tie and smiled as Donna was escorted down the aisle. The usher who was taking Donna to her seat looked lost when Donna let go of his arm and rushed over to Oliver and kissed him on the cheek.“Oh Oliver. I am so happy for you two.”She kissed his cheek leaving two red lip prints and Oliver smiled at her as the usher took her by the arm and lead her to her seat.Tommy quickly removed his handkerchief and wiped the lipstick off Oliver’s face with a grin.“We can’t have Felicity seeing that, now can we?”Oliver rolled his eyes and then looked toward the door. He was quickly losing patience. He needed to see her. He played with his cuff links as his mother was escorted in and he had to admit she looked beautiful. He walked over and kissed her cheek and she gave him a soft smile and touched his cheek before taking her seat.Thea soon came down the aisle, the beautiful rose-colored dress that she has selected made her skin glow and Oliver smiled as she winked at him. He knew who was going to be next and so he straightened, and the music began.***Felicity heard the music change and then suddenly the doors were opening. She looked forward and her eyes locked with Oliver’s and the rest of the room just melted away. She slowly measured her steps, resisting the urge to run to him. He looked so devastatingly handsome in his tuxedo and even from the doors she could see he had tears in his eyes.Oliver could not take his eyes off her. She looked stunning and when she drew close he stepped down and closed the distance between them. His breath hitched, and it took him a moment to speak, his throat clogged with tears.“There was a time that I never thought this day would come. You look stunning.”Felicity smiled, her lips trembling as she tried her best to keep back the tears that were brimming on her eyelids. She placed her hand in his arm and they turned. They were being married by a rabbi and a traditional minister and as the ceremony started the minister spoke with the rabbi speaking after.It came time for their vows and Felicity stopped for a moment as tears started to fall. She had so much she wanted to say to him.“Oliver, when we met six years ago you changed my life. I found love and a companion for my life journey and I thought my life was complete. Then we were separated and even though I could not remember you or our time together, I knew something was missing in my life. It wasn’t until I saw you at the coffee shop that I started to remember, and when I did remember, I knew. That part of me that had been missing for so long was you. You are my other half.” She looked up into his beautiful blue eyes and he reached up wiping a tear that was trekking down her cheek.“I promise you Oliver that from this day forward, I will be by your side through thick and thin, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health for the rest of my life. I love you.”She smiled up at him her eyes beaming with the love that she had for this wonderful man standing before her.Each minister looked toward Oliver and he took a deep breath before he looked at her and spoke from his heart. “Felicity, the first time I saw you my heart leapt in my chest. You were so beautiful and confident, and you amazed me with your skills and your wit. I fell head over heels in love with you. Then one day you were gone. I felt like my heart had been ripped from my chest and I carried around a lot of guilt and regret for not being there. That was the hardest time of my life. Those five years I was not living. I was just a shell of myself. I existed but never really lived. Then one day I looked through the window of a coffee shop and my world was rocked again. You were there, alive and just as beautiful as I remembered you. I was so scared that I was dreaming.”Felicity reached up and wiped his tear just as he had done hers.“I wanted to run into that coffee shop and hold you and never let you go. In fact, for the record, last night will be the last night we ever spend apart.” Everyone laughed as he continued. “You are my whole entire world. Nothing is right if you are not by my side and I just want you to know that I will honor you, protect you and love you; for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health for the rest of my life. I love you so much.”They smiled at one another as their love beamed from their faces. They were eventually announced husband and wife and when Oliver leaned down and kissed his bride cheers erupted from their friends and family. They were finally married.
Two Years Later
Felicity waddled from the laundry room, her feet swollen and her back killing her. She was 7 months pregnant and her 18-month-old daughter had been running her ragged all afternoon. Oliver had been asked by Tommy and John to meet at the gym this morning to go over some finances. They were working on opening their second location in Central City and they needed to finalize some paperwork.Felicity plopped onto the couch as Mia came running into the living room, her plump little legs moving quickly.“Mommy…”“Hey baby, come here.”Felicity held out her arms as Mia ran to her and climbed up on her lap. “Juice.” Mia looked at her Mommy and said the word again, “Juice.”“Ok, Mommy will get you some juice in a moment. Mommy needs to rest for a moment.” Felicity leaned back on the couch and let out a sigh of pleasure as Mia scrambled down and walked over to some of her toys. She had them strewn all over the house and Felicity had planned on picking them up. However, she was way too tired.Her pregnancy with Lukas had been much harder on her than her pregnancy with Mia and she was fighting having to go onto bed rest. Her doctor wanted her to take it easy but as Felicity looked around the house she realized there was way too much to do.That is how Oliver and Tommy found her an hour later. She was still sitting in the same spot, the clothes not folded, and tears in her eyes.“Felicity? Hey, what’s wrong?” Oliver hurried over and sat next to her. He saw Mia playing peacefully with her toys, so he knew it was not her.“I am useless.” Felicity voice sounded pouty.Oliver could not help a laugh escaping from his lips and Tommy lifted his eyebrow.“You having pregnancy hormones again Smoak?” Tommy grinned at her.Felicity glared at him.“What are you talking about baby?” Oliver gently stroked her arm. He could tell she was worked up and he wanted to just calm her down.“Look at me.” She looked down at her swollen stomach. “I’m fat, my feet are swollen, Mia has jelly all over her face and this room looks like a toy story exploded.”Tommy laughed and glanced around. “Is this what Angel and I have to look forward to when our daughter is walking?”Oliver gave him a looked that told him he needed to tread lightly with Felicity in her condition.“Felicity, you are not useless. However, I do think you need some help. Why don’t I hire a maid to come in and clean for the remainder of your pregnancy?”Felicity sighed. The thought of someone coming in and cleaning and doing the laundry was tempting. “I don’t know Oliver. I am supposed to be a super woman. I am supposed to be able to do it all.”Oliver laughed and pulled her to him, “Baby don’t you know that ARE super woman? Your carrying our son while raising our 18-month-old daughter. I am in awe of you every single day. But if you need help all you have to do is tell me.”She pouted, “Oliver I need help.”He laughed and kissed the top of her head. “Done. I will call an agency tomorrow and have them send someone over.”Felicity looked up at Tommy who was trying to hold back his laughter. “Merlyn what are you laughing at?”Tommy put his hand over his mouth trying to hide his smile, but it was not working. “Oh, I just think you look awful cute Smoak.” She glared at him again. “It’s just with you going into hormonal meltdown over here and Angel just getting into her hormones I am amazed that I am still alive.”Oliver gave Tommy a wry look, “I think if you keep talking Tommy you won’t be for long.”Oliver leaned down and kissed Felicity. “I will take Mia and clean up her face while Uncle Tommy here folds those clothes.”Oliver walked off with Mia and Felicity sat back on the couch with a smile on her face. “Uh Uncle Tommy? We fold our towels in threes.” She gave him a smug look and he playfully glared at her before grabbing the basket and having a seat in the chair across from her.“So, Tommy how is Angel feeling today?”“Her morning sickness has let up just a little but that little girl of ours is making her life hell.”Felicity smiled. “I hope you are catering to her.”Tommy blushed, “Don’t worry Miss Smoak. I have been rubbing her feet and catering to her just like you said I should.”Felicity smiled at him. “You look happy Tommy.”He grinned. “I am. Being with Angel has been the best decision I ever made.”“I still can’t believe you two eloped to Vegas though.” Felicity glared at him and he grinned sheepishly.“Well we couldn’t wait, and it seemed like the right thing to do. Neither one of us wanted a big wedding. We just wanted to be married.”Felicity laughed, “I understand. Just tell her that we are still on for our Mommy make-overs next Saturday and tell her I will have plenty of cupcakes.”Tommy laughed. Angel had been craving cupcakes since finding out they were having a girl and he was constantly having to buy her different flavors.Oliver and Mia came back into the room and he set her down with a big smooch to her cheek. “Daddy loves you Mia.”“Wuv Daddy.”Oliver looked over at Tommy who was dutifully folding the clothes. “I see Angel has taught you well.”Tommy glared at him. “I was folding my own clothes before Angel, thank you very much.”Felicity looked at the two men in her life whom she loved more than anything. She and Oliver had a family and to say she was happy, and content was an understatement. Things had been going smoothly for them and Felicity could honestly say that they had moved beyond what his father and COS had done to them.Slade had been sent to prison with a caveat that he would be released for good behavior after 5 years. Oliver had wanted him to serve longer but they both realized that if it were not for him working with the FBI that they would not have caught those involved with COS. Every single member of the organization, all the way to Secretary of Defense Davis had been arrested.Felicity smiled as Oliver and Tommy continued to tease each other. She was so very excited that their son and Tommy’s daughter would be the same age and that they would grow up together. Mia was already the overprotective big sister and as Lukas kicked and tumbled in her tummy Felicity could finally say that her life was complete.She had remembered.