Chapter Text
Salt Water - 01
Felicity Smoak had a feeling. Something was wrong, she was sure of it. She’d checked all of the usual suspects and items, but they all seemed in order. Work was fantastic, she’d remembered to return the lease documents for her condo (not so much last year, but that was another story), and she was finally (FINALLY!) in a promising relationship with a great guy.
Still, she knew something was wrong. But what was it?
“Frak!” she shouted. Was that the time? She was going to be late! Felicity rushed to her closet for shoes. The pair she wanted (nude, silver stiletto heel) were not immediately visible. Glancing down at her cell, she didn't have time to look for them. She grabbed her black Louboutins and slipped them on, all the while tapping out a text to Bruce.
Within three minutes Felicity had her keys, purse, and tablet and she was out the door. It was luck that she hadn't parked her MINI Cooper in the residential garage when she got home hours ago. The cherry red car was waiting for her downstairs, two tickets for her expired meter on the window. She grabbed them and tossed everything into the passenger seat. She had seven minutes to make a fifteen minute drive into the city on a Friday night. If she was lucky she’d arrive as they were finishing appetizers.
Focusing on traffic and the upcoming meeting allowed Felicity to push her previous thoughts from her mind. When she arrived at the Gotham Grill she tossed her keys at the valet and ran for the maitre’d. “Wayne?”
“Are you Miss Smoak?”
“Yes.” She forced several calming breaths. “I’m very late for an important business dinner.”
The man smiled at her kindly. “Mr. Wayne insisted on waiting for you. They're having drinks at the bar.”
“Oh.” Felicity adjusted her purse and straightened her dress. Her cell phone rang in her hand, but she silenced it without checking to see who the caller was. “I'm ready then, I guess.”
As they started toward the bar, her phone rang again. She glanced down to see Donna Smoak’s face smiling up at her. Felicity hesitated, but she sent the call to voicemail and promised herself she’d call as soon as the dinner was finished.
When she made eye contact with Bruce, he said something to the rest of the group. Felicity watched the four men stand and turn to greet her. Bruce kissed her cheek warmly, as did Lucius Fox. “Gentleman, this is Felicity Smoak. She wrote the code for the software we’re here to discuss. She is the person in charge of our Cyber Security division at Wayne Enterprises.”
Felicity felt the eyes of the two men on her and smiled. She knew she was young, but she also knew she was the best. Taking a deep breath, she stuck her hand out, “Felicity Smoa—”
Her telephone ringing cut her off. When she saw it was her mother, Felicity knew she had to answer. “I'm sorry. It appears my mother is having a crisis. One moment.” Felicity turned around and took a few steps away from the men before she accepted the call. “Mom, it’s a really bad time. I can't help you setup your modem right now.”
“Miss Smoak, this is Moira Queen.”
“I—what? Mrs. Queen? Where's my mom?”
Moira sighed. “Miss Smoak, Felicity, your mother… I'm afr–she has been admitted to Star City General. She collapsed at the Manor this afternoon and Raisa called 911. Walter and I have been given very little information, as we are not family. I told the doctor I would call you.”
“Okay.” Her mind was going a million miles per minute. Donna hadn't mentioned anything the last time they’d spoken, but when was that? “I'll be there as soon as I can arrange a flight.”
“Do you want me to send the corporate jet for you? It would be no trouble.”
Felicity shook her head, even if the other woman couldn't see her. “I’ll call when I get the details worked out. Thank you, Mrs. Queen.” She didn't wait for a response and hung up.
Bruce. She needed Bruce.
She found their table easily from the bar, and Felicity forced a smile on her face. “Sorry about that, but I've had a bit of a situation come up.” Her eyes shifted to Bruce’s. “Can we talk in private?”
As she waited for the billionaire to excuse himself, Felicity thought about what she wanted to say. They were friendly, but she wasn't sure if they were friends. He’d recruited her directly from MIT, and definitely respected her intelligence, but was there a limit?
“Felicity?”
She'd been lost in her own head. “I have to go.” She took the tablet from her purse and handed it to him. “Everything you need for tonight is on this, and once I get to Star City, maybe I can work remotely, but I can't be here right now.”
“Felicity, who was on the phone?”
“My mom collapsed at work today. That was her employer, telling me she has been admitted to the hospital.” Felicity blinked away tears. “I'm sorry, I really can't talk about this. I need to be booking a flight and packing.”
“Hey, hey.” Bruce laid his hand on her arm. “I'm going to have my driver take you to your apartment, then he’ll take you to my private airstrip. My pilot will be there, waiting to fly you to Star City, okay?”
She shook her head. “I can't ask you to do this.”
“You're not asking, I'm offering. Now go. Lucius and I can handle this dinner. I'll make excuses for you.”
————
In less than two hours, Felicity was headed west towards Star City. Since she graduated high school seven years prior, she'd been back only once for Robert Queen’s funeral. She'd known then that there wasn't a life for her in Star City. Despite a generous offer from Walter Steele to come work at Queen Consolidated, Felicity had picked Gotham and Wayne Enterprises.
In Star City, she was never going to be more than the maid’s daughter. Felicity had vague memories of life before Donna went to work for the Queen’s, but what figured prominently in her childhood was her father’s trial and losing everything. After Noah Kuttler went to prison and their savings and assets were seized to repay the investors he’d fooled, Felicity and her mother were left with nothing. Before marrying Noah, Donna had worked as a cocktail waitress in Las Vegas, but those skills were wasted in Star City. If not for Robert Queen they would have never made it.
Still, things were different. The two Queen children and Tommy Merlyn grew up getting anything they wanted. Donna continued to struggle to keep Felicity in clothes that fit and buy necessary school supplies. If not for Felicity’s own job, MIT would never have been a possibility.
Felicity couldn't go back without thinking of the horrible crush she had on Tommy Merlyn most of her childhood. By the time her mother took the job with the family he was living with them. His own parents died in a mugging gone wrong near his mother’s free clinic in the Glades. Robert and Moira Queen took guardianship immediately. It reminded Felicity a bit of Bruce, but Tommy was not serious all the time. He also put someone else in charge of Merlyn Global and opened a nightclub with Oliver Queen. Bruce would never shrug off his parents legacy like that.
Her crush on Tommy had been immediate and consuming. When she was 10, he was 15 and well aware of the power he had over girls. More than that, he didn't treat her like the help, unlike Oliver. Tommy was kind to everyone, while Oliver was kind to his baby sister and Raisa. Everyone else he merely tolerated.
It took a year in Boston to get over Tommy. None of the boys at MIT knew her mother was a maid or that her father was in prison. They only cared about how well she could code, and it was better than any of them. When she flew back to Star City for Robert Queen’s funeral, Felicity was pleased that her old crush on Tommy seemed to be gone. He, Oliver, and Laurel were still attached at the hip, involved in their strange three way relationship. All Felicity felt was relief as she boarded the plane back to Boston and Cooper.
“Miss Smoak, we will be landing in Star City in less than half an hour.”
The pilot’s announcement pulled her from her memories. She hadn't thought about that time in her life in a long time. Cooper wasn't a pleasant memory, as he turned out to be more like Noah than she realized. He'd died in a prison riot two years before, and Felicity still felt guilty. It was her code that let him break into the Department of Education and attempt to erase those student loans. Even though she'd begged him not to.
Once they landed and Felicity gathered her bag, she readied herself to deplane. The pilot was waiting for her at the door. “Ma’am, Mr. Wayne instructed me to stay the night in Star City, in case you need the jet again in the next 24 hours.” He held out a card to her. “Here is my cell number and the number to the hangar, should you need to get in touch.”
“Thank you.” Felicity was touched by Bruce’s thoughtfulness and made a mental note to thank him when she called to check in.
The pilot followed her down the stairs. “Will you need a ride anywhere?”
“I was just going to call—” Felicity looked up and saw a cardboard sign with Smoaky written in black ink. “It appears I have a ride.” She shifted things around so she could reach her right hand out to his. “Thank you, again.”
The pilot smiled at her and turned back towards the plane. “Tommy Merlyn. They must've been scraping the bottom of the barrel when they sent you.”
He held his hand up to his chest like he was wounded. “That hurts, Felicity. I volunteered to come get you.” Tommy reached for her carry on. “This everything?”
“Yeah.” She shouldered her laptop bag and purse. “Thanks, Tommy.”
“Not a big deal. Plus, you got hot! I'm always up for playing chauffeur for hot girls.” He smiled at her and wiggled his eyebrows. “Where to?”
“Star City General,” she answered. “I need to find out what happened. I'll worry about a hotel later. Once I know something I can call Bruce and get everything sorted.”
Tommy shifted the Audi into gear. “Your wish is my command.” As the car pulled out of the hangar, he looked at his passenger. “So you call him Bruce?”
————
The entire Queen family, minus Oliver, was waiting outside of Donna’s door. Her panic had increased upon learning her mother was in the ICU, something not previously mentioned. She rushed forward and greeted Moira Queen, who surprised her by wrapping her in a hug. “Do you know anything new?”
The older blonde shook her head. “I informed the nurse you would be here soon, and she said she’d let the doctor know. We can only wait.”
Felicity squeezed her eyes shut, willing away the sudden urge to cry. “Can I see her?”
“Of course.” Walter Steele stepped forward and pressed a hand to her shoulder. “I’ll escort you. Is there anything Moira can do while she’s waiting?”
“I―” Felicity’s voice broke, so she paused. “I need a hotel room. Somewhere close.”
“Of course,” the older woman agreed. She looked to her daughter. “Thea and I will arrange everything.” Moira pressed a hand to Felicity’s cheek and nodded. “It’s going to be okay.”
Walter stepped into the hospital room with her, but waited beside the door. Felicity slowly approached the bed where Donna lay, sleeping. There was a chair, so she sat and took her mother’s hand. “Is there anything I can get you, Miss Smoak?”
“Call me Felicity, Mr. Steele,” she replied. “And no. I’d like to be alone with her, though.”
She heard the quiet snick of the door as it closed and Felicity exhaled slowly. She took in all of the machines hooked up to her mother. The things you would expect in a hospital―blood pressure, heart monitors, and pulse. But there were wires coming out of Donna Smoak’s head that made Felicity pause. Was all of this related to her brain?
When the older woman moved, Felicity quietly asked, “Mom?”
“Felicity? Is that you?” Her eyes remained closed, but her fingers tightened around her daughters. “They shouldn’t have called you, my love.”
“Of course they should have,” Felicity admonished. “There’s nowhere else I would be. What happened, Mom?”
Donna shook her head. “Can you get me some water?”
When Felicity found the pitcher, it was empty. “I’m going to have a nurse fill this with ice, okay? I’ll be right back.” As she was exiting the room, she nearly bowled over Thea Queen. “Sorry!”
“The doctor wants to speak with you.”
“Oh, okay.” The blonde glanced down at the pitcher. “Could you get her some ice water? The nurse should be able to help.”
Thea smiled at her. “Yeah, I got it.” She took the pitcher and Felicity turned towards the crowd. Tommy had left, but Moira and Walter were talking quietly to a man wearing blue scrubs. She rubbed her hands against her dress and approached them.
“Hi.”
Moira placed her hand on her back and pulled her forward. “Alan, this is Donna’s daughter Felicity. She just flew in from Gotham. Felicity this is Dr. Alan Montgomery. He’s a neuro-oncologist.”
Neuro-oncologist. But that meant… he was… her mom had… “Nice to meet you.” Felicity stuck her hand out to shake his.
“Miss Smoak, I’ve examined your mother. She’s had a CT, MRI, and PET scan. I’m sorry to tell you that she has a glioblastoma that is pressing against her optic nerve. It has also entwined itself with her internal carotid artery, making it very dangerous to surgical excise. We can attempt radiation therapy to shrink the tumor—”
“How bad?” Felicity asked. She was aware that both Moira and Walter were holding her up now, but she was trying to process what she was hearing.
“It’s a Grade IV tumor. Given it’s placement and severity, I would estimate she has no more than four to six months to live.”
I would estimate she has no more than four to six months to live.
I would estimate she has no more than four to six months to live.
“And that’s with the radiation?” she asked. “Are you sure surgery is not an option?”
He directed her to a nearby chair. “Miss Smoak, I don’t know of a doctor in the world could get clean margins if they attempted to resect this tumor.”
“Of course we’ll want a second opinion, Alan,” Moira spoke up. “You know someone?”
“Yes. I’ll contact Dr. Wong in Central City and ask him to come up.”
“What happens until then?” Felicity asked.
“We make her comfortable. Control her pain, and find the right medications that work to make her quality of life as comfortable as can be. Talk to your mother and see what she wants, Miss Smoak. We’ll keep her in the hospital for a few more days as we find the right medications. I would recommend you hire someone to help out, in the meantime. You won’t be able to do this alone, Miss Smoak.”
She nodded in understanding. “Can I see her?”
“Yes, but briefly. She needs her rest.”
Felicity stood and walked back to her mother’s hospital room. Thea was standing next to her bed, talking quietly. The youngest Queen had always been different from the rest. She was kind and open-hearted. When she glanced back and saw Felicity, she dropped Donna’s hand and stepped away. Felicity could only guess what her face said, as Thea wrapped her in a hug. “It’ll be okay. Even if it doesn’t feel like it right now.”
“Thanks.” She resisted the urge to cry. “Can you give me a minute?”
When Thea stepped out, Felicity approached her mother’s bed. She leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I love you, Mommy.”
“You haven’t called me that since you were nine,” Donna answered.
“I talked with the doctor.”
The older woman exhaled. “It’s bad, isn’t it?”
Felicity nodded, even though she knew her mother couldn’t see her. “We can talk about it tomorrow. You should rest.”
“Will you stay until I fall asleep?” her mother requested.
“Of course.” Felicity retook her seat and tightened her grip on Donna’s hand. She listened as her breathing evened out. When Donna’s hand fell open, the blonde knew she was asleep. Felicity stood carefully and loosened her hand. She studied her mother, memorizing her features. “I’ll be back tomorrow.”
When she rejoined the others in the hallway, she was surprised to find Oliver Queen there too. He looked much the same as always, even though he was no longer wearing his hair floppy like before. If Felicity wasn’t dead on her feet, she might have noticed how handsome he looked. “She’s asleep.”
Everyone nodded and Felicity looked to Moira. “Did you have any luck finding me a hotel?”
The older woman glanced at her son. “We thought―I thought, you might be more comfortable staying with one of us instead of a hotel. Oliver’s penthouse is not far from here, he has a guest bedroom that’s all made up, and he agreed.”
Felicity swung her eyes to the Queen heir. “You did?”
He nodded. “If you don’t care.”
At this point she didn’t care where she landed, she just needed something to eat, a shower, and to sleep. In that order. “I need my bags from Tommy.”
“He dropped them off already,” Oliver told her. He gave her a brief smile. “I don’t know how much choice you were going to be given.”
Felicity narrowed her eyes at him. “This is just for tonight. Tomorrow I’m staying in a hotel.”
He raised his hands in acceptance. “Fine with me.”
The blonde looked at the rest of the Queen family. “Thank you, so much. I don’t know what I would have done… what we would’ve done without you.”
Moira stepped forward and hugged her. “I’ll start the interviews tomorrow, dear. And work on turning the green room into something suitable for your mother. I’m assuming you’ll be staying, too?”
“Wait, what?” Felicity had planned to stay in Star City, but she assumed she’d just rent something for the both of them. They couldn’t very well stay in her mother’s one bedroom utility together. “I was going to take care of that.”
“Nonsense,” Moira insisted. “Raisa and I will handle it. And the interviews for a nurse, as well. Do you want someone full-time, live-in, or someone who is only there during the day?”
“Mom,” Oliver interrupted. “I think you’re overwhelming her with information right now. I’m going to take her home and then we can all meet for lunch tomorrow to sort everything out, okay?”
Felicity knew the Queen matriarch wanted to say more, but she didn’t. She took the hint from her son and accepted that the topic was closed for tomorrow. Felicity smiled at Oliver in gratefulness. “You ready?”
“Yeah,” he answered. “I’m parked in the deck.”
She quickly said goodnight to everyone, giving them each a hug. Felicity knew she wouldn’t have made it through the day without each of them. “Thank you all.”
“You’re family, Miss Smoak,” Walter told her. “This is what you do for family.”
Felicity followed down the hall after Oliver, who led her to the elevator bank. As the two of them stepped in, she looked at him. “Is there a Big Belly around here anywhere?”