Chapter Text
Sara is going to be so heartbroken when she wakes up. IF she wakes up. Felicity Smoak glanced around at the sea of black clothes and uniforms. When the Captain of the Starling City Police Department passed away “due to a heart attack,” the world paid its respects. It’s the cruelest irony they don’t know how he truly died, Felicity thought. Honorably and fitting of a man who lived to serve the people of his city. She couldn’t help but begin to cry again.
She glanced to her right. Laurel Lance was sitting next to her, back straight off the plastic folding chair, staring ahead at nothing and her face wet from her tears. Laurel was so strong. Only a few weeks ago, Ra’s al Ghul and her father met for the first time and Quentin Lance discovered a way to bring his dead daughter back to life. “Only a voluntary sacrifice of life can bring a dead person back TO life,” Quentin had told them.
In the end, his decision was easy. Quentin Lance had said his good-byes and sacrificed his life to resurrect Sara by the Lazarus Pits hidden in the mountains of Nanda Parbat. While Sara’s skin had begun to pinken and her breathing had become more regular, she had yet to wake from her deep slumber, resting peacefully in the lair.
Laurel understood the sacrifice. The trembling coursing through her body as she put her father to rest, however, betrayed her anguish. At least she got to say her good-byes, get some closure, Felicity thought. She briefly and bitterly thought of her own father but then shook the thoughts away.
On Felicity’s left sat the bane of her existence, who also happened to be the love of her life. Yes, I am crazy in love with Oliver Queen (emphasis on the crazy). Even Ray knew it before he broke up with me. Oliver was staring stoically at the coffin as uniformed officers performed some sort of ritual to honor their fallen Captain. Looking down at her lap, Felicity noticed that her and Oliver’s hands were intertwined and resting on her left thigh. Their hands had been clasped together for the vast majority of the day. It was a show of support as well as a need to be supported by each other.
It was certainly a change from the past several weeks, when she had felt more distant than ever from him. What could she do, after all, Felicity wondered, when Oliver was as stubborn about his decisions as the night was dark and water was wet? Oh, and my relationship with Ray was a factor, too, I suppose.
Ray and Felicity fizzled out as a couple as quickly as they had become one. After sleeping together and beginning a relationship afterwards, it became clear to both of them (or at least to her) that they were better off as friends, regardless of how well they got along. Or how good the sex was.
It was also difficult to continue a relationship when one party in the relationship clearly saw the feelings between the other party and somebody else. When Ray and Oliver had met for the first time (not counting the disastrous day Ray stole Oliver’s company from him), it had been as the Atom and the Arrow, respectively.
Whoo boy, Felicity thought. That was an interesting day to say the least.
*Flashback*
Felicity had been in the field for the first time in a very long time. In the middle of her assignment, however, she, with her genius-level intellect, had forgotten to turn her phone off. So when it rang loudly, three things happened at once: Oliver, on comms, cursed under his breath and took off to go save her; Ray, who had called her, heard what was going on through the phone took off to go save her; and most importantly, the guy who had “villain” written all over his face (well, not literally) discovered someone who was not supposed to be there.
Namely, Felicity.
And when the bad guy was down for the count, she had two men in masks facing off against each other in an effort to protect her.
Before Oliver could raise his bow again, Felicity stepped in between them, yelling out “Wait, both of you! Stop!” “It’s okay,” Felicity continued. “I’m okay.”
There was a beat of silence, and then— “Felicity. Who’s this?” asked Oliver in his deep Arrow-voice.
“Ummm. hey guys. Arrow, meet the ATOM. ATOM, meet the Arrow.”
“ATOM? What the hell is that? WHO the hell is that?” said a tense Oliver, his hands clenched at his sides.
“It stands for Advanced Technology Operating Mechanism,” Ray coolly responded, his voice also distorted by an artificial mechanism.
“Oh God,” Felicity moaned, looking up at the ceiling in exasperation. “Am I destined to hear distorted voices for the rest of my life?”
“You know, Felicity,” Ray stated, taking a step closer to her, “Everything about you just became a million times clearer.”
Oliver took a step closer as well. “Step away from her,” he growled.
“Excuse me? I know Felicity.”
“I don’t care what or who you know, Oliver stated through gritted teeth. “Step. Away. Now.”
“Alright, alright,” interrupted Felicity, placing one hand on each of their shoulders. “Let’s lower the testosterone levels, shall we?”
Felicity turned towards Oliver. “I know both of your identities, and I’m sorry to do this now, but it’s the only way the two of you will not go at each other’s throats, and who wants that, really—“
“Felicity!”
Felicity cleared her throat. “The point is, Oliver,” Felicity stressed, “that you and Ray are on the same side. Stand down and lower all your pointy and tech-y objects.”
Ray removed his visor and head gear, but Oliver stood stone still. “Felicity, can I talk to you for a second?” asked Oliver, his eyes still on Ray.
Ray sent Felicity an inquiring glance, but Felicity just shook her head and turned towards Oliver. “What?”
Oliver moved his hand to her shoulder, and glided it down to the crook of her elbow, gently pulling her to a corner of the room.
“What the hell, Felicity? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because it wasn’t my secret to tell, Oliver,” Felicity responded. “And if you haven’t noticed, things between us haven’t been exactly peachy.”
Oliver grunted. “Does he even know what he’s doing?”
“He’s doing okay with my help. He listens to me. Oh, and he doesn’t feel the need to protect me from himself,” Felicity said with a loaded look.
Oliver looked away. He sighed. “Just be careful, alright?”
“Hey, I know every hero in Starling,” Felicity smiled. “I’ll be alright.”
Oliver looked into her eyes, not responding.
In what might have been seconds or minutes later, there was a throat clearing in the background, startling Felicity.
Ray was staring at Felicity with a peculiar look on his face. “Come on, ‘Lis, let’s go.”
Felicity stepped back from Oliver and turned back to face him. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Yes, I think there are still some things we need to talk about, ” Oliver stated, glancing over at Ray. “Palmer,” he said with a nod.
“Queen.” Felicity rolled her eyes.
When Felicity left, she looked back over her shoulder, catching Oliver looking at her again, still with that tense look on his face.
Later than night, after several hours had passed since Felicity and Ray had gone to bed, she heard him murmuring something. “I guess that’s why you’re not coming with me to Coast City.”
Felicity, whose back was turned to him, said nothing. In the end, she just could not, no matter how hard she tried, muster up the same feelings Ray had for her.
They broke up less than a week later.
*End Flashback*
Felicity was pulled out of her thoughts by a light upwards tug on her hand. Oliver was standing, their hands causing her arm to pull up a little. People were dispersing. The funeral was over.