Chapter Text
Felicity sighed in to her latte as she examined the reports from the IT department. She struggled to understand how there was so much incompetence among her fellow technicians in their paperwork. She made a mental note to bring that up in their monthly department meetings.
She continued to work through the tiresome slog, despite resenting the paperwork that came with the job, she truly was grateful for her position to be here, and winced as she remembered how there were other positions she could be in at the moment.
A knock on the door startled her from her work.
“Miss Smoak? Mr Steele was asking if you wouldn’t mind rescheduling your appointment with him until further notice. He was saying he hopes you would understand following the recent developments regarding his family” said Amy, Walter Steele’s EA.
Slightly irritated by the lateness of the message, she sipped her latte and carefully looked up at the EA with curiosity, “what developments in his family?” she questioned.
The EA’s eyes widened and looked slightly confused, as if Felicity should have known what was going on, “Well, his stepson, Oliver Queen, was found alive on an island 2 days ago.’
Felicity Smoak, who was known to be cold and calculating, looked at the EA with her jaw dropped.
Needless to say, the EA fled the office in fear, because Felicity Smoak speechless was as terrifying as her being angry.
Meanwhile, Felicity was attempting to pick her jaw up from the floor, and right on time, she received an SOS text from Thea Queen. Hitting the call button, she quickly blurted out firmly, “I’ll be there in 20 minutes, meet me at my apartment and get the ice cream ready. Do not leave my place”
The response on the phone was a few sniffles and a quiet “I’m already here, my mom dropped me off here and she’s gone to get him. I just- Lissy, I-I don’t know what I’m supposed to do, or why I’m crying…”
Felicity’s heart melted at the vulnerability heard in the younger girl’s voice, “I know you don’t know and that’s okay, because I know he’s feeling exactly the same – I have some experience in that department”, she brokenly laughed.
“Screw 20mins, I’ll be there in 10 – just take deep breaths honey, I’m on my way home - and pretty soon your brother will be too.” With that reassuring thought, she hung up and quickly slipped on her heels from under her desk and informed her assistant and left.
No one would question why she was leaving work at 11:30am, because they must have already heard the news. She passed people on her way out, and she noticed all the sympathetic glances and the pitying looks. They must have assumed that she was conflicted with emotions, with the return of the prodigal son as the cause. Internally, she shrugged – it wasn’t as if she cared and it was true anyway.
After all, Felicity Smoak was on board the Queen’s Gambit when it sunk. She survived nearly four years away from home and was found washed up on a deserted island.
If anyone could relate to Oliver Queen in that moment, it was most definitely Felicity Smoak.
Felicity entered her townhouse and went straight to the living room to find Thea wrapped in a blanket, a pint of double chocolate chip ice cream in one hand, and a spoon in the other. Her eyes were red and puffy and she was sat on the sofa, staring at the news channel, which was evidently muted. The screen showed numerous pictures of a younger Oliver Queen, with flashes to Robert Queen and Moira Queen.
The first thing Felicity did was turn off the TV. Passing Thea on the sofa, she walked up stairs and quickly changed out of her clothes and put on some pyjamas and went back downstairs to the kitchen and grabbed her carton of mint chocolate chip and a spoon. She quickly sat down next to Thea and hugged her for a good five minutes as the younger girl began to cry again.
“What do I do Lis?!” Thea asked, once the tears subsided and she began eating her ice cream again.
Felicity smiled, “well, I suppose the first thing you should do is hug him and tell him you knew he would be back.”
Thea rolled her eyes, “well obviously, but I mean, like how do I adjust? If anything, you taught me that no one remains the same after something like that and I’m pretty sure Ollie isn’t going to be Ollie.”
“Well, then when you see him, just remember what you told me now.”
“Seriously Smoak? That’s your advice for this situation?!” Thea asked incredulously.
Felicity couldn’t help but laugh, seeing Thea regain some of her attitude, “Trust me T, the best thing to remember is that he’s not the same person anymore – just like you said. And I’m pretty sure once he sees you, he’ll notice that you aren’t the same person either. I didn’t really know Oliver from before, so it’s hard to say how he would have changed. Just be cautious – don’t push too hard, too fast. Trust me, my mom made that mista-” she cut off, suddenly feeling exposed.
Thea noticed Felicity’s slip of the tongue and decided to file that piece of information for another time. She knew how to approach Felicity and she supposed that was how she was going to have to approach Ollie too.
Cutting Felicity and Thea from their thoughts, there was a sharp ring from the kitchen room. Recognising the ring tone, Felicity jumped up with a quick ‘excuse me’. Thea knew better than to follow, considering their previous conversation.
Felicity emerged from the kitchen five minutes later, with an apologetic smile.
“I’m sorry T, but I don’t think I’ll be here when Oliver gets back to Starling. It was one of my friends from college and she’s just called off her engagement – or well, her partner called off the engagement. And now she’s crying on the phone about how she’s gathering the troops to go ahead and get drunk as a group. Like I get being upset because the engagement was broken, but seriously? Why would you cry if someone doesn’t want you. I would be like fine and move on because you don’t need those kinds of people in your life and I mea-“
“FELICITY!” Thea said loudly to cut off the babbling blonde.
Felicity blushed and looked sheepish, “basically, I’m going out of town tomorrow, so I won’t be here for when Oliver arrives. I’m really sorry Thea, but at least you’ll get him to yourself...” she trailed off, looking guilty at the thought of leaving Thea.
Thea snorted at Felicity’s monologue, “don’t worry about it Lissy, I’ve got Tommy and Laurel. Though, I doubt Laurel will show, and before you say it, I texted Laurel and she said she had Tommy. I’ll let them know you’ll be out of town.”
“Thanks T. Do you want to watch a movie or something? Sorry to say but I don’t think I’ll let you sleepover tonight.” Felicity commented. Thea shrugged in response but got up from the sofa.
“I think I’ll head out now though. I need to sort my shit out before Ollie arrives and I think I need some time for myself now.” She said as she texted her driver to bring the car around.
Felicity brought Thea in for a hug and kissed her forehead. “I know you’re doing your ‘I’m Thea Queen – badass ruler of teens’ thing, but I’ll be back for you know it and you can introduce me to Oliver, well properly I mean. Just promise me you won’t go crazy.”
Thea gave her a half smile, “I promise not to go completely crazy.” Felicity laughed but made a note to text Tommy and Laurel before she left – Thea was known to be reckless when there was an emotional overload.
After promising to text her as soon as she got back, Felicity watched as Thea got in to her drivers car and gently closed her door shut. She began to tidy her house and quickly shot off a text to both Laurel and Tommy, urging them to keep an eye on Thea, and then went upstairs to arrange what she needed for tomorrow.
She went in to her en-suite bathroom and closed the door behind her. Fiddling with the mirror, she hit an edge, which let out a soft click. Slowly, the mirror unhinged from one side, and began to open, like a cupboard door. Opening the makeshift cupboard, she looked at what was hanging on the wall and picked up the duffle bag and her bow and arrow. It was time to get back to work.
Grabbing some random clothes, her toothbrush, two pairs of shoes, and a makeup bag that held nothing in it but would be noticed as taking makeup with her, she put all the items in to a suitcase from her closet and then took the suitcase and placed it in to her attic. Doing this made it look as if she was actually gone for a few days and knowing Thea, she might pop in despite Felicity not being there when she needed to get away from the family drama.
Moving back in to the bathroom, she changed in to her gear, which consisted of leather skin tight trousers – perfect for moving around, a black faux leather crop top – which was a hell of a lot comfier than an actual leather top, and a leather jacket which she zipped up to cover the skin that showed. She removed her glasses and tied her hair up and then put on a white haired wig that was also tied up. Lastly, she put on a pair of low-heeled boots, and her mask that covered her eyes.
Looking back in to the mirror, she was unrecognisable. She did not look like Felicity Smoak, head of the IT department at Queen Consolidated. The girl who wore flirty, business dresses with heels to die for, and had her tied up in to a tight ponytail, with her signature glasses and bright lips.
When the sharp ring comes from the kitchen, Felicity Smoak must disappear. In her place, the girl who stared back in the mirror came alive – accompanied by a bow, some arrows, and a few daggers.
This girl was stealthy.
This girl was deadly.
This was Artemis.