Chapter Text
Felicity was at the edge of all reason. She’d yet to receive any acknowledgement for the letter of resignation she’d sent three days ago. Even if it was a polite thank you for your service, Ms. Smoak, she’d expected something from Lucius or Bruce. Adding to that, there was an issue with her mother… something the doctor’s had yet to disclose. Suddenly the conversation had shifted away from when she’d be coming home to if.
And none of that was mentioning Ed. Who had called her eight times in three days. A break-up was a break-up because something was broken. She was broken, didn’t he see that? Besides, it was never a… forever kind of thing. For her, at least. But maybe she’d never effectively communicated that to him?
The only part of her life that was working was life with Oliver. Which scared the shit out of her. They had a routine and starting-slash-ending her day with him every day allowed her to push through. As much as she wanted her Mom out of the hospital, Felicity knew she’d miss spending time with him on a regular basis. As odd as it’d been when she’d initially moved in with him, she found herself dreading the eventual move to Queen Manor.
Felicity was only willing to admit that to herself. She was embarrassed by the little crush she’d developed on Oliver since arriving in Star City. Much like the crush she’d had on Tommy when they were kids, Oliver was seemingly oblivious. And why wouldn’t she have a crush on him? He was essentially taking care of her. As much as she’d let him, anyway. Felicity’d never had a live-in boyfriend, but she imagined Oliver would be very good at being one. Since that first morning when she mentioned she needed coffee to survive, he had a pot waiting for her every day. The last two mornings he’d made her breakfast, even though she knew his usual breakfast was that gross-looking kale drink.
There was the car, which allowed her to go anywhere she wanted once she was ready. As much as she’d appreciated John, it was nice not having to avail herself to someone else’s schedule.
She squeezed her eyes closed and exhaled loudly. She could go over this and over this, but it wouldn’t change anything. He was still Oliver Queen, heir of Robert and Moira. Since Oliver was five or so, the expectations of how his life should go had been pressed upon him. While he’d bucked them for about ten years, Felicity knew he was now living up to those expectations. And nowhere in that life plan was there room for the daughter of the maid. If she’d learned anything, it was that life wasn’t a fairy tale. Just because Oliver looked like Prince Charming and had a billion dollars in his bank account, didn’t mean he was going to ride in on his white horse and rescue her.
With that thought, Felicity made herself get out of bed. It was after 7, and she’d lingered long enough. In the bathroom, she splashed some water on her face and rinsed her mouth out. “Coffee,” she whispered. “Everything will be better after coffee.” She grabbed the robe off the back of the door and marched toward the living area. Even she didn’t believe her lies anymore.
Unlike most other mornings, Oliver was in his pajamas too. Felicity glanced at the clock and confirmed the time. Yep, still after 7. “You oversleep?”
He gave her a lopsided smile. “Good morning.” Oliver busied himself by making her a cup of coffee. “I meant to tell you last night, but Walter asked if I could bring you by QC this morning.”
“What?” She glanced down at herself. “What for?”
He passed her the coffee. “I promised to not ruin the surprise.” Oliver poured himself a cup of coffee and pointed to the balcony doors. “With the rain, I thought I’d take a morning off. John and I will use the QC gym later.”
“That’s good,” she murmured. “I know you like a good workout.”
Oh Google. She couldn’t help herself.
His smile widened at her innuendo. “I do.” Oliver started making them breakfast, opting for a simple oatmeal with fruit and Canadian bacon.
“Why’s it called Canadian bacon?” Felicity wondered aloud. She poked the pork product in question with her fork. “It’s ham, Oliver. This is America, we should call it ham.”
“You’re still put out that I didn’t give in and make you bacon.”
He was correct, but she didn’t tell him that. Instead she offered, “Bacon, ham, it’s all pork. What’s the difference? Mom will still have a conniption and I’ll still the lapsed Jew eating pig by-products at Yom Kippur.”
“So, what I’m hearing is I should pick up some turkey bacon?”
Felicity tossed a blueberry at him. “Don’t you dare!”
“It’s good to see you smile.” Oliver studied her face. “You haven’t done that a lot in the last few days.”
“There hasn’t been a lot to smile about.” She shifted under his gaze. Why did it feel like he could see right through her. “But you do seem to have a way to make things better.”
“I’m glad.” He considered his next words carefully. “I know you’ve got a lot on you right now, Felicity. But if you ever need to tell someone about your day, you can tell me.”
Her eyes closed and she felt some of the tension leave her body. Despite knowing he would listen, it felt good to hear he would listen. “Thanks.”
“So what’s up?” Oliver was careful to not press. He’d sat quietly by for three days, watching as she fell apart a little more. When Walter called last night and told him about his phone call with Bruce Wayne, Oliver knew he couldn’t sit by any longer. He was going to have to reach out and if she pushed him away, then he’d accept that. If not, then he would do everything he could to support her. “You can give me broad strokes, or tell me whatever details you want.”
“My mom is not doing well,” Felicity confessed. It was the first time she’d said it outloud. “She started backsliding a few days ago, and now it seems they’re constantly doing MRIs or other scans. But no one is telling me anything , especially not Mom. And I’m trying to trust them, but then I remember that Mom knew about this for months without telling me. I knew she was having migraines, and I hope that’s all this is and they’re just being cautious. But I need them to talk to me about what changed. Your mom hired three nurses who are waiting to start and Moira is already paying them and I just—”
“Breathe,” Oliver instructed. He stood and made them both fresh coffees, giving Felicity a moment to compose herself. When he returned to the table, her eyes were wet and she was picking at her nails. He took the seat closest to her, and sat the coffee in front of her. “Have you talked to Donna about this?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
She exhaled loudly. “I’m… I’m not her mother, Oliver. I’ve already lectured her about keeping secrets once. And really, she has so much going on. I’m here to support her, not mother her.”
“I see.” Oliver tentatively covered her hand with his. “So how can I help?”
“Oliver, you’re going above and beyond. You’ve opened up your home to me, even though I know I was never your favorite person, and really I can get out of here if you’re ready for me to go. I know this setback with Mom means I’m not leaving as soon as planned. But Moira would probably let me—”
“Hey,” he interrupted. “That’s not what I’m saying at all.” His hand further wrapped around hers. “I’m not even thinking about you leaving. I’m worried about you, Felicity. You clearly haven’t been yourself the last few days, and I’m trying to help. That’s all I meant.”
“Oh.” She was going to say more when she heard her cell phone go off from her bedroom. “Hold that thought.” Felicity only went to get her phone because of her mother. Once she picked it up, she saw that it was Ed. Again. It wasn’t even 5 a.m. in Gotham. She immediately sent him to voicemail and took the phone with her into the kitchen.
Oliver had moved back to his original seat. “Everything okay?”
“On top of the stuff with Mom, I broke up with Ed a few days ago. He’s not taking it well.”
“He’s bothering you?”
Felicity shrugged. “Just phone calls. Nothing I can’t handle.”
“You want me to talk to him?”
“And say what?” she asked. “I told him the truth, and he’s just…” Felicity sighed. “Clearly things were more serious for him than they were for me. I guess that’s my fault, too. I’m not going to be back in Gotham for probably six months, and with things as they are, I just don’t think it’s a good time for me to be in a relationship. Especially when I’m not all in to begin with.”
“All in?” he repeated.
“You know, putting all my eggs in his basket… Ed wasn’t the one, or whatever. It would’ve fizzled out eventually, even if he doesn’t see that now.”
“You’ve really got a lot on your plate, huh?”
Felicity smiled at him. “I guess.”
“You know what you need?”
“What?”
“A spa day,” he concluded. “Some time to relax and be pampered.”
“If only.”
Oliver picked up his cell phone. “Lucky for you, I know just who to call. Why don’t you go get ready for your day at QC and I’ll arrange everything.”
“Oliver—”
“Let me do this, please.” He smiled at her warmly. “Walter made it seem like he would need you through lunch time, so I’ll arrange for John to pick you up from QC after lunch. He’ll drop you off at the hospital after you’re finished, and you can visit with Donna.”
“Do I even get a choice?”
“Just say yes.”
“You’re not going to let me say no.”
“Nope,” he said, popping his ‘p’. “And hey, if you’re up to it, we can meet Laurel and Tommy for dinner tonight.”
Felicity reached for her coffee cup and drained the remaining liquid. Once it was empty, she pushed her chair back and stood. “You can’t always get your way.”
“Just like 98 percent of the time.”
She shook her head, but smiled. “I’m going to shower.” Felicity glanced down at their dirty breakfast plates. “I expect real bacon tomorrow.”
____
John dropped them off at the front entrance of Queen Consolidated and promised to be back to retrieve her for lunch. He and Oliver exchanged a look, but she felt it better to not ask. Besides, she was too busy rethinking her outfit. When she’d packed in Gotham she hadn’t exactly planned on visiting the multibillion dollar business at all. The best she’d been able to come up with on short notice was dark jeans and a peplum top, paired with her favorite heels. Oliver pressed his hand to her lower back. “You look fine,” he promised. “Stop fidgeting.”
As soon as security opened the door for them, Felicity felt every eye on them. Oliver looked divine in his $3,000 Armani suit and she understood why they were staring at him. But she was an unknown. “Oliver, they’re staring.”
“Of course they are. Hold your head up.” He used his hand to guide her to the security desk and spoke to the guard there. “This is Felicity Smoak. Mr. Steele should be expecting her.”
“Of course, Mr. Queen.” The guard shifted his gaze to Felicity. “Identification, please?”
“Sure.” Felicity retrieved her wallet and license for the man. He quickly scanned it into the system and returned it to her. The guard directed her to a small camera and after an awkward smile, she was given a plastic guest pass with her picture and name. “Thanks.”
“I’ll take care of showing her to Mr. Steele’s office, if you don’t mind.”
“Thank you, Mr. Queen.”
Oliver led her to the executive elevators, and once inside he pressed the button for the 45th floor. “So, I’m not staying. I’m actually going to be off-site for most of the morning.”
“What? Why?”
He glanced down at her. “Just a few things I need to take care of, is all. But, John is going to pick you up from the Troubadour at 1:30 today and drive you to Salish, which is Thea’s favorite day spa. Your appointment is from 2:00 until 5:00, and then John will drive you to see your mother. At six, John will take you back to the apartment. We’re meeting Tommy and Laurel at 8:00 at Table Salt.”
“Only an hour at the hospital?” she asks. “But—”
“Hey,” Oliver stops her. “Mom and Thea are going to hang out with her. She’s not going to be alone. You need to take care of you today. Felicity, you can’t keep running yourself ragged, and we both know Donna would agree with me. Just take one day.”
Her mouth snapped shut. Felicity knew he was right and she hated it. “One day,” she agreed.
“Thank you.” The elevator arrived at the executive floor. Oliver smiled at Walter’s executive assistance. “Good morning, Janine. This is Ms. Smoak. Has the third guest arrived yet?”
“Yes, Mr. Queen. About half an hour ago.” The older woman smiled at Felicity. “Good morning, Ms. Smoak. Would you like some coffee?”
Felicity was confused by their discussion about a third guest. She tried to look around Oliver, but Walter’s office windows were frosted glass. “Coffee, sure. Black with two Splendas, Mrs…?”
“Call me Janine, my dear. I’ve been at this company since the late Mr. Queen’s father promoted him up to a vice president position.”
The blonde smiled warmly at her. “Thank you, Janine.”
“Ms. Smoak and I will be in Walter’s office,” Oliver told her. “I’ll have a bottle of water, if you don’t mind.”
“Of course, Mr. Queen.” The older woman stood and patted his cheek. “They’ve been expecting you. Go ahead inside. I’ll be back with your refreshments.”
Oliver took Felicity’s hand and lead her to the office door. He knocked twice and then pushed inside. She knew there was someone in there with Walter, but the last person she was expecting was Bruce Wayne.
Her friend and former boss was seated on the leather sofa across from Walter and smiled as soon as he saw her. “Good morning, Felicity.”
She dropped Oliver’s hand and rushed to Bruce. Her arms went around his waist and his wrapped around hers. “Friend!” she gasped. Felicity buried her face in his chest and inhaled deeply. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to discuss with Mr. Steele this ridiculous email you sent to Lucius.”
“Oh.” Felicity shook her head back and forth, not caring about anyone else. As each second passed by she felt her worries fall away. Eventually Bruce loosened his hold and led her to the sofa. She turned to look at Oliver and patted the empty seat. “Oliver, have a seat.”
Instead, Oliver took the second empty chair next to Walter. He held his hand out to Bruce. “I’m Oliver Queen.”
“Bruce Wayne,” the other man returned. “We’ve actually met.”
Oliver pursed his lips. “Really?”
“I was attending an alumni event at Princeton and I think you were visiting a girlfriend for the weekend. You were young, of course, probably 22 or 23. Not long before your father... “
“Say no more,” Oliver responded. “And please don’t hold it against me.”
“Of course,” Bruce murmured. His gaze shifted to Felicity. “So, I flew all this way to talk to you about this ridiculous idea that you need to resign from WE.”
“Bruce—”
“Felicity,” he interrupted. “You said you needed six months. I got you six months. We’ll revisit afterwards. I don’t think you should make any decisions, especially not major decisions, right now.”
“I agree,” Walter chimed in. He looked to his stepson. “Oliver?”
“You need to do what’s best for you.” Oliver’s blue eyes softened as he took in the blonde. “But don’t make this decision because you feel overwhelmed.” He felt his cell phone vibrate against his thigh. “I have another appointment, and need to go. If you’ll excuse me.”
Felicity stood and met him at the door. “I can’t thank you enough, Oliver,” her voice was a whisper.
“No thanks necessary.” Oliver pressed a kiss to her cheek. “I’ll see you at six, okay?” At her nod, he slipped out of the door.
Once Felicity returned to her seat, she looked at Bruce. “So what are you doing here?”
“Mr. Wayne and I have had some discussions, Felicity. We’ve determined, if it’s acceptable to you, that Wayne Enterprises will lend you to Queen Consolidated for the next six months. Because you took a leave of absence from WE, you will only be able to do contract work here, but it will allow QC to put you on salary.”
“But my mother—”
“You’ll be able to work remotely, of course, “ Walter assured her. “I’ve assigned you to the Research division in Applied Sciences, which means you’ll only be needed in-office a few hours a week, and given that there are full time nurses working with your mother, I imagine that will work out well. I’m not offering you a position as an IT girl, Felicity.”
“At the end of the six months,” Bruce cut in, “we can reevaluate. Determine if you’ll need another leave of absence from WE, or if you want to submit your resignation. If you do, only then will I accept it.”
“Okay,” Felicity agreed.
He leaned down and withdrew a sleeve of documents from his briefcase. “I had my lawyer draw this up before I left Gotham. I assume you’ll want someone here to look them over. Also, Curtis Holt and his husband recently put their townhouse up for sale and asked if you would be interested in subletting your condo while you’re out here. They understand it could be as little as six months, but their house sold in three days, which was much quicker than they thought, and they’re at a long-term hotel right now.”
“Of course! I’ll see if I can’t get a flight out this weekend and get my stuff together.”
“I can have someone do it for you,” Bruce offered.
She shook her head. “No, no. I don’t want strangers going through my stuff.”
“Okay.” He passed the documents over to Walter. “Do you want to call the company lawyers up to look at these?”
As the two men talked, Felicity exhaled. For the first time since she arrived in Star City, she exhaled slowly. Finally something was going right. She took out her phone and typed out a text message.
Felicity, 9:47: Oliver, I can’t thank you enough. THANK YOU. MWAH!
____
Oliver slid into the backseat, his mood a little bit worse than when he’d left John almost an hour earlier. He couldn’t get the image of Felicity wrapped around Bruce Wayne, her nose buried in his chest, out of his mind.
“Where to?” John asked.
“The hospital,” Oliver answered. “I wanted to stop by and see Donna.”
“Oliver, man…”
The younger man dragged his hand over his face. “What?”
“What are you doing?” Diggle pulled out into traffic and started to maneuver the Bentley towards Star City General. “Does Felicity know what you’re up to?”
“What I’m up to? What do you think I’m up to?”
“I think this girl has you all spun up and you don’t know what to do about it. But I also think you need to stop and think about what this looks like,” the driver offered. “Felicity has a boyfriend. She’s leaving when this is all over.”
“She broke up with Ed,” Oliver responded automatically. He caught Diggle’s eye in the rearview mirror. “She told me this morning.” He motioned to a Jitters down the street from the hospital. “Stop here, I’ll buy you a cup of coffee.”
Once the two men were seated inside, both with black coffees, Oliver considered his words carefully. “She resigned from her job. Or tried to, at least. The meeting at QC was with Bruce Wayne. She was… very happy to see him.” He took a long swallow from his coffee. “I don’t know what I’m up to, honestly. I don’t know what I’m doing.
“I watched her grow up, Dig. I’ve known Felicity since she was seven. I knew of her before that. When she and Donna came to live in our carriage house, I felt sorry for her. I mean, they never had the money we had, but they were definitely comfortable. And suddenly her dad splits and her mom is cleaning my toilet. I couldn’t even look her in the eye.”
“She noticed,” Dig told him. “One of the first times I drove her, Felicity told me that you didn’t see her . She noted that when you were younger, you never talked to her and that sometimes you just looked right through her.”
Oliver had never considered it that way. “From the time I was sixteen until I was twenty five, I was a total fuck-up. You know that. And before that… it was weird. She was smart. Like, crazy smart. Even before I was a fuck-up, I still wasn’t great. Dad used to bring Felicity up as this great example of someone I should be like, and she was five years younger. It wasn’t her fault she was just a grade behind. So when everything went down with her dad, maybe I thought she deserved it…? And now that I’ve gotten to know her, really know her, I can’t help but feel guilty about that.” Oliver looked down at his coffee cup. “Besides, Felicity had her crush on Tommy until she went to MIT. I didn’t even realize she noticed me.”
“That may be true, Oliver. But Felicity doesn’t have a crush on Tommy anymore.” Diggle studied the other man, wondering if he was getting his meaning.
The businessman raised his eyebrows. “You’re not implying…?”
“Implying? Hell no, I’m straight up tell you that girl has feelings for you.”
“No,” he denied Oliver shook his head twice. “She had a boyfriend until days ago. She’s not that kind of girl.”
“That’s funny, she said the same thing.” Diggle finished his coffee. “And she had a boyfriend. You said so yourself.”
Oliver waved his friend off. “You’re seeing something that’s not there.” He stood and retrieved his wallet. He dropped a tip on the table. “I just want to visit Donna for a few minutes. Felicity said she was deteriorating, and I just want to check on her. Besides, Felicity agreed to take the afternoon for herself.”
“Hmmm.”
“Something to say, John?”
“Nope.” The man smiled wide at his employer. “I’m just the black driver. What do I know? Sir.”
Later that evening, Oliver drove the both of them to Table Salt in his Range Rover. Tommy and Laurel were already waiting at their table, and again Oliver found his hand pressed to Felicity’s back as he escorted her inside.
After they returned from the hospital, she’d changed into a looser dress and flats. She’d gotten a blow-out, facial, and manicure/pedicure at the day spa, in addition to the massage he’d booked for her. Her skin was glowing and she looked much more content.
The foursome greeted each other with hugs and cheek kisses, before they all took their seats. Tommy and Laurel had both ordered mixed drinks, but he ordered a bottle of Merlot for him and Felicity to share. After their dinner orders were placed, they group started chatting about their lives.
“Hey.” Laurel reached for a piece of bread. “Do you remember the last time we were all here? Tommy and me, plus you and Helena. What an awkward mess that was. Worse double date ever.”
Tommy laughed. “I can’t believe you dated her.”
“This isn’t a date,” Oliver reminded his two oldest friends. “And can we not talk about Helena?”
“Didn’t I hear she just got married?” Felicity asked.
“Yeah,” the other woman said. “I heard that her dad arranged it. I wonder if the guy is connected.”
Her fiancé rolled his eyes at his long time best friend. Tommy held up his hands and mimed two women talking.
“My mom said so, I think,” Felicity offered. “Her words were that they ‘married her off.’” She glanced at Oliver. “You dodged a bullet there.”
“Yeah,” he agreed. Oliver reached for his wine glass. “So what’s the story with you and Bruce Wayne?”
“We’re friends. He’s my boss.” The blonde’s cheeks reddened. “Why?”
“It looked a little more than friendly.” He glanced at Tommy, who was shaking his head. “It’s nothing. Nevermind.”
Felicity narrowed her eyes at him. “You sound—are you jealous? ”
“What? No.”
“Ollie,” Laurel cut in, “Bruce Wayne has been in a serious relationship for like 8 years. And his girlfriend is scary.”
“Scary doesn’t cover it,” Felicity told Laurel. “Selina Kyle could be some kind of vigilante or something. She is… wow .”
“Wow, huh?” Tommy asked. “What’s so wow about her?”
“Have you seen her?” She took out her phone and quickly pulled up a photo of the two of them from a WE fundraiser in Gotham. “That’s us at an event Bruce put on for at-risk youth last year.”
Tommy and Laurel both looked at the picture, and then Tommy passed it over to Oliver. “You both look smoakin’ hot.” He gave her a cheesy smile. “Get it?”
“Like I’ve never heard that one before, Merlyn.” She took the phone back from Oliver. “So Bruce and Selina have been together for awhile. Since he took over as CEO from Lucius, at least. She lives in the Manor with him.” Felicity glanced at Oliver. “Did Walter give you the details of what we agreed on today?”
“Hmmm?” His attention had drifted. So she and Bruce weren’t… “No, he didn’t.”
“I accepted a six month contract with QC, which allows me to receive a salary while I’m living here. At the end of the six months, I’ll reconsider my options. Bruce agreed to accept my resignation at that time, if I’m still needed in Star City for an undetermined amount of time. Or we can just extend my leave of absence if I think I might return to Gotham.
“Bruce also indicated that one of the head technicians is interested in subletting my condo while he and his husband look for a house. That means that I need to find a few days to fly out to Gotham and pack my things and ship them here, plus arrange for storage, and I don’t know how I’m going to make that happen. But it needs to happen ASAP, so—”
Laurel chimed in, “Let Tommy and I do it.”
“Laurel—”
“No, really,” the brunette cut in. She glanced at her fiancé. “We’d love to do what we can to help. Besides, neither of us work on the weekends, so it’s not exactly a hardship for us to take the MGG jet and pack up your condo for you. If you can get us a list of what you’d like us to bring back to you and what we can ship, we’ll take care of everything.”
Felicity reached across the table and placed her hand on top of Laurel’s. “The offer is enough. Are you sure?”
Laurel glanced at Tommy, who nodded. “Yes, Felicity. This is what friends do. What do you say?”
Oliver reached over and pressed his hand to Felicity’s back. “Just say yes.”
“Yes, absolutely. Thank you.” She leaned her head against Oliver’s shoulder briefly, reveling in his warmth and comfort. His hand moved from her back to her waist and then slipped down to her hip. “Thanks, Oliver.”
“Anything for you,” he promised.
She stayed like that, enjoying the company and conversation until their food arrived. When it did, Felicity straightened.
Oliver pulled his hand away, his fingertips dragging across her back. As hard as he tried, he couldn’t ignoring the sparks he felt all over his body. Maybe he wasn’t as immune to the petite blonde as he liked to tell himself.