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I always assumed I'd die on Lian Yu or in Hong Kong at the hand of Amanda Waller or one of her associates. I never thought I'd be back in Starling City but here I am standing a few feet from Maseo, black hood hiding my face while he speaks to an ARGUS Agent named Lyla Michaels in one of ARGUS'S front businesses.
The cool March air blows in through the open window and I turn, closing my eyes to feel the wind on my face. It monetarily takes me back to the Island. Except this is not the island. This is my home, or it used to be. Car horns blared, people rushing to get to their destination yelled at their cab drivers and there was a smell in the air I couldn't identify. Has it always been this noisy? And smelly?
A car door slams and my eyes jerk open. Being home takes a edge off me and I'm off guard for only a moment, just long enough to get me killed if there would have been a threat but it's a flash of pink that catches my eye and I step closer to the window for a better look.
There's a girl, not usually the type that catches my eye but she does stepping out of a cab. There's something about her, the sun glints off her blonde hair that is pulled back in a pony tail, the ends curling against her neck. Her face is devoid of much makeup except her brightly painted lips my sister would probably call fuchsia and she's wearing a grey sweater but I can see the peach collar of the shirt she's wearing underneath it, a black skirt and some tiny heels.
I know she can't see me so when she glaces my direction momentarily I don't move. Her eyes are bright blue behind her multicolored glasses that perch on her delicate nose and the smile on her perfect pink lips draw my attention. My appraisal only takes seconds but it's enough to take her in, to remember every detail about her.
The wind carries her voice and that of her companion. A boy about her height with brown hair. There's nothing memorable about him so my attention is immediately drawn back to her as she pulls a tablet from her bag fingers flying across the screen. The Cab driver rolls down his window and the boy fishes out his wallet and hands him their fair. "Queen Consolidated is 6 blocks ahead and to the right," he says as he looks at the traffic backed up for blocks. "Sorry I couldn't get you there."
"Thanks," she says. "But I've got it." She gestures to her tablet. The driver shakes his head,"You kids and your technology, one day those gismos won't be of any use and you'll need to know how to read a map."
"I can do that too," she said and smirks at the boy. "She's a genius," he says and points a thumb in her direction and then looks at his watch and curses.
"Felicity! We need to go or you're going be late for your interview."
"Oh no, I really want this job Myron, what if I'm late? And they see me as just another irresponsible college student, and I don't get a job and end up waiting tables with my Mother and what if-," I feel a real smile tug at my lips at her babble for what seems like the first time in two and half years.
"Felicity," he cuts her off. "You're the top of your class, you'll get a job. Calm down."
She takes a deep breath and I can see her chest expanding and deflating as she lets it out. I find myself hoping she gets the job at my family's company. She deserves it.
"You're right, I'm freaking out over nothing. I am Felicity Smoak, I went to MIT for goodness sakes. I've got this." Myron rolls his eyes and they start walking her nose pointed towards the tablet pink lips stretch into a smile while she laughed at something Myron said. He couldn't stop watching as she walked away.
"Felicity," I test her name out and am surprised when it rolls off my tongue so easily. Just the sound of it made me happy which was a rarity these days. It was like she was a light, so bright just looking at her made me feel like I could dim it somehow with my darkness.But like a moth to a flame I was attracted to it. She emanated peace, normalcy, and happiness. Not a threat, she was just a... a person.
What was it about her? She was just some random girl on a street corner but I can't help but feel it's the beginning of something. I didn't know what that was until two and a half years later sitting in a chair in Walters office listening to him talk to his assistant.
"Please take this to Ms. Smoak," he said as he handed her a blue folder. A memory flashed in front of my eyes and for a moment all I could see was blonde hair and pink lips.
"Ms. Smoak?" I say, my voice sounded foreign to my own ears.
"Yes, she works in IT. Smartest young woman I've ever met. Honestly I don't know why she wanted to work here. She easily could've been working for any one of the top companies in the country."
So she got the job. I knew she would, I just had a feeling. She was meant to be there.
I nodded my head. "Sounds like she's quite an asset to the company."
"Yes, she is. She's very kind, if you ever need help with anything, or just need to learn how to learn how to use the tech of the day I'm sure she'd be more than glad to help."
And that's all it took. I found myself walking into her cubicle bullet ridden laptop in hand, she was turned away from me looking over some papers in the blue folder Walter had sent to her.
"Ahem," I cleared my throat and spoke her full name for the first time in years." Felicity Smoak?' She turned to me, lips still a bright shade of pink, chewing on a red pen. Hair much like it was all those years ago. "Hi." She pulled the pen from her mouth. "I'm Oliver Queen."
"I know who you are. You're Mr. Queen," she smiled as she raised her hands.
"Noooo...Mr. Queen was my father."
"Right, but he's dead... I mean he drowned. But you didn't which means you could come down to the IT department and listen to me babble." She tapped the red pen against her desk, her blue eyes bore into mine and I can feel that smile that's just for her tugging at my lips again. "Which will end in 3...2...1.."
"I'm having some trouble with my computer and they told me you were the person to come and see," I said as I placed the computer on the corner of her desk. She pressed her lips together as she studied the holes and I scrambled for a excuse, believing that she wouldn't question me. "I was at my coffee shop surfing the web and I spilled a latte on it," the obvious lie tumbled from my lips. I'd been lying since I got home but for some reason I felt as though I couldn't lie to her.
"Really," she asked disbelieving.
"Yeah."
"Cause these look like bullet holes."
"My coffee shop is in a bad neighborhood."
She pressed her lips together and tilted her head and I found myself smiling at her again. No pretenses. Its real.
"If there is anything you can salvage from it I would really appreciate it," I say as I turn on my old charm. She looked at me for a moment and I knew she wouldn't fall for it but she nods her head anyways. "Mmmhmm...," she mumbles.
And that's when I realized I was a goner.
For a petite blonde IT Girl.
I didn't know at that point what would come of it. I just knew for some reason I could trust her.
Months later when I was pulling my hood off in the backseat of her car, shot and bleeding I got that feeling again. That it was the start of something. Something very important. Something life changing.
Another two years later I knew what that feeling was.
I was in love with Felicity Smoak.