#and i would have to make the queen too emotional but i think the QC show may have helped humanize her more

[mabelmidnight-takeover]

first thing first, im just gonna throw whatever idea that comes to mind that i enjoyed here.

now going on with the story:

araminta wouldn't know QC is sophie's grandmother, just that her grandmother used to send letters and money for her debut. when QC sees sophie at the ball (at the end, when she's running away), she's caught off guard by the dress. she doesn't send the guards after her in fears of catching the attention of the ton, so she just stays still and stares. benedict sees the embroidery on the gloves, and asks for his mother's help to figure out who it belongs to. when violet says it's from the queen, he then asks his mother to help him have a meeting with her, who attends him. he wonders if there's any woman the queen could have gifted the gloves and the queen asks him what the lady told him at the ball. benedict is honest but leaves with no other info about the lis. the queen tells araminta to make her a visit and questions her about sophie, with the disguise of her being her goddaughter. that's when araminta realizes who sophie is and that she went to the ball. araminta expells sophie before the queen can act again. araminta could even spend the entire season maybe blackmailing the queen or threatening to with the info about her illegitimate grandchild (the queen puts her on her place sometime in the season, this is not about that). the queen searches for sophie as well as benedict. and when (considering LW's gonna continue after s3) lady whistledown talks about araminta chasing a maid from the bridgertons out (after weeks of reports of benedict's love life), she puts two and two together and sends someone to the jail when the whole thing between sophie, benedict, violet, kate (hopefully) and araminta is happening. the queen demands her release and legitimizes sophie by making up her mother instead of her father, and says she's her goddaughter from a friend from germany.

[olicitysecretsanta]

One Day

This fic is my gift for @feilcityqueen who loves missing moments. By @tangled23works

Rating: Teen and Up    Words: 1500    Relationship: Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak

I hope you’ll enjoy this one, my friend. It is set in Season 2, a little after Oliver makes that stupid mistake in Russia. Have fun reading!

November 2013

Felicity stared at the stupid gadget that her annoying friend from college had sent as a prank. The thing was built like a watch but it obviously didn’t function as a one or at least like any watch that she knew. For the life of her, she couldn’t figure what it was. She was tempted to break it with a hammer and claim it had been an accident but a bet was a bet and if she lost she would have honor it. Yup, that was not allowed. 

The continuous sound of metal clanking on metal disrupted her concentration. If her vigilante boss-slash-friend could stop doing that for one minute, she might have a chance to actually concentrate.

  As if he had heard her thoughts, he jumped from the salmon ladder on the unforgiving concrete. He made it seem effortless, moving quietly like a jungle cat but she knew it was the exact opposite. Felicity had once tried to climb on the thing, while Oliver was on a mission of course. Thankfully, Dig had caught her trying to get to the second rung before she could get hurt. It was higher than she had expected which had made her dizzy in seconds. That was the day she discovered her fear of heights was legitimate and not just a remnant of their break-in last year in Merlyn Global.

  “Fe-li-ci-ty”

  She jumped and turned around so fast that her ponytail smacked Oliver on the arm.

  “You need a bell. A big, brown, cowbell that rings whenever you move.” She made a mental note. “Yup, that’s what your Secret Santa is bringing you for the holidays. Not that I drew your name during this year’s Secret Santa at the office but if I had, I would definitely-”

  “Breathe, Felicity.”

  She fixed her glasses. “Why are you so sweaty?”

  His expression showed nothing but she could tell that he was amused. “Have you ever tried the ladder? It’s impossible not to be sweaty after thirty minutes on that thing.”

  “Wow, that’s the most words you have spoken to me since Russia. Are you sure you don’t have a fever or something?”

In hindsight, mentioning Russia and referring to Oliver’s escapades with TheOneWhoShallNotBeNamed might not have been such a great idea. The humour vanished from his expression and he reached for the nearest towel, turning his back to Felicity.

  “I know things have been fraught between us…”

  “Have they?” she mocked. “I hadn’t noticed.”

  “Felicity,” he sighed. 

  “You know, Oliver, saying my name isn’t considered a full sentence. Could you please use a little more grammar and syntax?”

  He grunted and threw the towel away.

  “And you’re back to brooding.” She threw her hands in the air. “Whatever, Oliver.”

  He put on a gray henley with a lot more force than was necessary.

  “What do you want me to say? I already explained-”

  “Yeah, let’s not revisit that particular discussion, thank you very much. It was hard enough to stomach the first time.”

  Their eyes locked for a few moments. In his gaze she could read the remorse and guilt eating him alive. There were a few other emotions buried under that but she had not mastered the art of deciphering his feelings yet. Suddenly, with a clarity that had been missing from her life for days she realized she didn’t want that. Making him apologize over and over would not make her feel any better. And Oliver Queen had enough things in this lifetime and the next to feel guilty about. He didn’t need her adding to that pile of misery.

  Russia had been a blessing in disguise. Her inappropriate dreams had just started to take shape when Oliver’s one night stand had delivered a blow more powerful than any lecture she could have given herself. The thought was like a bucket of cold water thrown to her face. Oliver didn’t see her that way. Sure, he liked her and she would bet her entire Doctor Who tea set that he respected her but it wasn’t the same. Still, the fact that he slept with that woman of all the women in the world, the one that tormented her and spread vile rumours in QC, rumours he had no idea about by the way, was a low blow.

“So,” she said with a forced lightness she didn’t feel, “I’m in trouble.”

  “What’s wrong?” He took a menacing step forward as if there was an invisible enemy he would have to fight.

  “Calm down, big guy!” Felicity rolled her eyes, then blushed a bright red. “I didn’t mean big like big down there,” her gaze dropped towards his cargo pants without meaning to, “even though I’m sure that your penis must be at least average-sized considering the size of your-”

  Oliver grabbed her shoulders before she could go on. 

  “Oh my God,” she squeaked and fell on his chest, “someone kill me now. Where is the damn league of assassins when you need them? Call Sara! I could use an assassin right about now.” She kept mumbling even though the sound was muffled because she was way too embarrassed to stop and apparently her brain to mouth filter was permanently broken. 

  Oliver’s hand was stroking her back softly, gentling her as he always did whenever she said something mortifying. He didn’t seem to mind that he was more often than not the focus of her inappropriate babbling. Most of the time he found it amusing and he never hesitated her to hold her. At least, he had never hesitated before Russia. These days they were overly polite and kept making sure no hands or arms or legs were ever close enough to touch. It brought tears to her eyes.

  “Hey,” he breathed.

  Felicity looked up at him biting her lip. “I’m sorry.”

  “There’s nothing to apologize for.”

  She took a deep breath, inhaling soap, leather and something that was pure Oliver and stepped back. He let her go but one hand lingered on her shoulder.

  “So,” she pointed to the device on her workstation to shake some of the awkwardness, “I have a friend from college. The only one I’m still in contact with and every year we place a bet. We find a gadget, something that is not accessible to the public yet and we send it to each other. This year it was her turn and this thing is driving me crazy. I know it might seem silly to you but I can’t lose, I just can’t.”

  “What happens if you lose?”

She loved the fact that even though he was a tough, scary vigilante he never mocked her concerns or laughed at her.

  “I have to wear a Christmas headband. A red one. With reindeer antlers.” She shuddered at the thought. “And I don’t know if I told you but-”

  “You’re Jewish.”

  “Yeah, which makes it even worse somehow. Anyway,” she stopped abruptly and stared at him in surprise. “You remember that?”

  “I remember everything about you, Felicity.”

  Cursing herself for her inability to control the flush that spread on her face, she harrumphed and picked up the watch that wasn’t a watch.

  “Wanna help me figure out this thing?”

  It was an olive branch and he knew it so he smiled and stepped closer. Felicity wanted to giggle at the thought that Oliver Queen, the man who couldn’t figure out the apps on his brand new iPhone would be able to help her in this case. It would be akin to her trying next Wednesday to shoot the bad guy with a bow and arrow.

  “Why are you laughing?”

  “No reason. I just remembered something.”

  “Huh,” he replied frowning and turning the device upside down.

  “Careful with that. I don’t know what it does and I don’t think that Martina would ever purposely send anything dangerous but still…”

  “This was made by Kord Industries.”

  Felicity grabbed the watch and lifted it closer. “How do you know? The Kord Industries logo is distinctive and I don’t see it here.”

  He took her finger and stroked the metal. “Do you feel the carving? It’s a beetle. That’s Ted’s idea of a joke.”

  “I don’t get it.” Felicity didn’t like the things she didn’t understand. Mysteries needed to be solved.

Oliver ignored the question in her eyes. “Guess who owes me a favor?”

  “Mr. Kord himself?”

  He nodded and smiled like a kid at Disney store. His eyes were filled with excitement and something else. Pure pleasure. Solving this small mystery together, working as partners was important to him. Perhaps, more important than she had realized. For a moment, she could see the child he once was, mischievous and happy, causing trouble along with his best friend Tommy. It was so rare for the Oliver that she knew to show any kind of enthusiasm that she felt a painful pang in her heart. So, even though things were still complicated and she was by no means ready to forgive and forget, Felicity knew in her bones that they would get past this. One day.

[tangled23works]

Run To You

Part 2 of Whatever It Takes. 

Read it on Archive of Our Own.

Felicity was not in a good mood. Sleeping alone in that huge bed had never been comfortable but knowing that Oliver was lying in the guest room so close and yet so far away? That had been torture. After a night of tossing and turning, she was ready to admit that she had missed him like hell. But when she had asked for divorce she had made a promise to herself; to be strong, to find out who Felicity Smoak-Queen was without her husband’s influence and not to depend on anyone else ever again. It was a promise she intended to keep. Starting today.

She hopped in the shower while trying to decide on clothes and make-up. She had an interview she couldn’t miss and her mother always said that if you wanted people to take you seriously, then you had to dress the part. Choosing an appropriate outfit took more than half an hour but in the end the elegant blue dress was worth it.

She grabbed her bag and walked into the kitchen in a hurry expecting to find Oliver gone. He always woke up at an ungodly hour and used to tease her about the fact that she could not stand mornings.

She stopped in her tracks when she spotted her husband standing at the counter, pouring coffee into her favorite mug.

“What are you doing?”

He rolled his eyes. “What does it look like I’m doing?” he asked and pushed the mug towards her.

When she hesitated, he smirked. “I’m not trying to poison you, Felicity. You’re the one who filed for divorce if you recall. I have no intention of getting rid of you.”

Felicity huffed and accepted his offer. He was joking (as much as the man could joke) but Moira Queen was definitely capable of murder. The truth was though that if his mother wanted to get rid of her, she would probably hire a hitman or something. Poison was an unreliable method and one that would cast suspicion on her son.

She slid onto a stool and watched Oliver put one plate of scrambled eggs and two muffins on the counter. He knew that she couldn’t stand eggs that early in the morning and that she had an affinity for sweets that he didn’t share.

He remained standing and was eating his breakfast without further comment when she bit into the first muffin. The taste of vanilla, raspberries and cream cheese filling burst onto her tongue.

“Oh my God!”, she moaned and swallowed. “Where did you get these?”

When he arched an eyebrow, realization hit her. “You made these yourself?”, she asked slack-jawed.

“Why do you sound surprised?”

Except that was she wasn’t. At least not by his cooking skills. Early on in their marriage, she had discovered the CEO of Queen Consolidated wearing an apron and making an authentic Italian meal that would put professional chefs to shame. Back then she had been totally impressed. In her opinion, CEOs did not cook lasagna and tiramisu for their wives; they had housekeepers for that. When she had pointed out that fact, Oliver had laughed at her and had continued to wow her with meals and desserts fit for a restaurant.

So, no. She wasn’t surprised by his cooking abilities; she was surprised because this was the first time in two months that he had decided to feed her. It brought tears to her eyes.

“Thank you,” she whispered and looked into her coffee mug.

He inclined his head in acknowledgement and didn’t comment on the fact that she had become emotional after a fracking muffin.

“I have to go. We have an early meeting with Starling Bank that I need to be prepared for.”

“About the funds they allocated to QC so that you could save it from the clutches of Isabel Rochev?”

Oliver stood still. “Since when do you keep track of the company’s financial situation?”

Felicity threw her hands in the air. “Be careful, Oliver. Your inner Moira Queen is showing. Next thing you know, you’ll be accusing me of being a gold-digger who married you for jewelry and money.”

He rubbed his thumb and forefinger together. “I didn’t mean it like that. I meant,” he clarified, “since when do you care about my job?”

“Since always.”

He nodded once and turned to leave.

Felicity was debating the merits of eating the second muffin when she heard his voice.

“You know why I never talk about the company?”

“Because you think there’s no way a girl from Vegas would understand what you’re talking about?”

“Felicity, drop the act. You couldn’t sound stupid if you tried.”

She actually blushed at his compliment. “Fine. What’s the reason then?”

“It’s because I didn’t think you cared.”

“Of course I care,” she countered.

But she couldn’t help but wonder if he was right. How would he know that she was interested in his work when she never questioned him about it? A large part of this distance between them was definitely his fault but maybe, maybe , there was a small part that was her fault too.

Most of the time she got the sense that Oliver was restraining himself. Perhaps it was the Queen upbringing. Be always in control, never show any human emotions. That seemed to be Moira’s life motto. Or perhaps Oliver was still fighting to be seen as a capable CEO and not the young reckless playboy he had been in college. No matter the cause, she had the impression that her husband was hiding and she was sick of never seeing his true self. Maybe by never pushing for more, she had made an ever bigger mistake than she had realized.

Well, maybe she could have accepted monosyllabic and curt answers before but not anymore.

“Have a good day. I’ll call if I’m going to be late.”

That was a fake promise if Felicity had ever heard one. “Don’t bother.”

“What does that mean?” He looked perplexed.

“Oliver, you’re always late.” It was a harsh but honest statement.

When he didn’t respond, she picked up her empty mug and put it in the dishwasher. This had been one of their biggest issues since the beginning. Felicity would always come second to Queen Consolidated.

Oliver was dedicated one hundred percent to his family’s company, to his legacy. Watching him save it from bankruptcy and turn it around would never cease to amaze her. She was damn proud of him. This success however was the reason why her husband was almost never home. Why he came to bed at two or three in the morning when she was already asleep. Why he traveled around the country making allies and earning the shareholders’ trust without ever thinking of inviting his wife to one of these trips. So, him saying that he would call if he happened to be late was just bullshit. And above all, it was bullshit that she didn’t have the time for.

She heard the door close and took a deep breath. Now was not the time to freak out about their marital issues. She had bigger fish to fry. After all, Oliver Queen was not the only one who had an important meeting to attend this morning.

“Well? How’s the operation ‘WBMW’ going?”

“Excuse me?”

Tommy went through the glass door and looked around wearily wondering if the CEO office was bugged. Not that he would put it past Moira Queen. In fact, Tommy would bet his sizable inheritance that Moira still had spies inside the company.

“Winning Back My Wife,” Tommy explained in a low voice. “I would call it ‘WBFSQ’ but it sounds weird. ‘WBMW’ has a nice ring to it,” he added, giving his oldest friend a cheeky grin.

“Fine.”

“Come on, buddy. You don’t expect me to believe that, do you?” Tommy walked towards the coffee machine, chose a pod and started pressing buttons. “I need details, Ollie. D-e-t-a-i-l-s.”

Oliver raised an eyebrow. “Such as?”

“Like, are you still in exile or has the lovely Felicity given you access to the inner sanctum?” Tommy knew he was evil for teasing the poor man but he couldn’t help it. Honestly, Felicity kicking Oliver out of the loft and her bed was the most fun he had had in years.

Oliver accepted the cup of coffee he offered and sighed. “Is that a euphemism for sex?”

“Everything is a euphemism for sex, Ollie.”

“In that case, sorry to disappoint but I’m still in exile.”

Tommy groaned. “Please tell me that you’re at least sleeping in the same room as your wife…”

Oliver shook his head and drummed his fingers on the table. He seemed agitated today like his life was out of order. And thanks to this visit, it was about to get worse.

Tommy grabbed the cappuccino he had meticulously prepared and sat down. The scent of cinnamon rose to his nostrils. “And what are you doing about it?”

Oliver narrowed his eyes. “I’m…” He looked confused for a few seconds and then settled for, “I’m working on it.”

“Really? Please, elaborate.”

“What do you want me to say? She’s determined to keep me away. I’m trying to win her back as you so elegantly put it. That’s it.”

“Jesus, Ollie! Having a talk with you is like pulling teeth. Do I need to use Vodka like the good old days to get you to share? I wonder if Felicity feels the same way.”

Tommy wouldn’t be surprised if she did, to be honest. In fact, he wouldn’t be surprised if Felicity was mad at Oliver for a lot more than he originally thought.

Oliver had always had trouble with words. Thea seemed to be the only exception to that rule. Apart from his little sister, his friend was a lot more comfortable with showing affection in subtle ways than talking about feelings. The fact that Felicity did not allow him to touch her must be killing him. He would never complain of course or share his thoughts but Tommy knew without a doubt that Oliver Queen was irrevocably in love with his wife. But how would the idiot convince her of that if they were determined to be apart?

Tommy cleared his throat. As much as he was enjoying seeing the overconfident CEO like this, he had come to QC for a reason and it was time to face the music.

“Anyway, I have come across an interesting bit of information. Actually, I’m not sure I should tell you. I mean, you’re probably gonna bite my head off either way but if you happen to find out later on your own, you’ll figure out that I knew all along and then you’re definitely gonna kill me.”

“What’s wrong?”

Tommy hadn’t felt so nervous since the night of his 25th birthday party when he had to warn Oliver about Thea’s sleazebag ex-boyfriend and drug dealer, Shane.

“As you know, I’ve been dating a lovely assistant from PalmerTech-”

“Get to the point, Tommy.”

Tommy ignored his menacing tone and continued, “Last week she had to take an appointment for her boss. You see, this would have been a mere blip on my radar if she hadn’t told me that her boss is the Head of Applied Sciences division and more importantly, if she hadn’t mentioned the name of the person who asked to see him.”

“Who?”, Oliver growled.

“Felicity Smoak-Queen. Your wife applied for a job at Ray Palmer’s company. Ray is aware of the fact that the two of you are separated and you know that he has had his eye on Felicity ever since your wife graduated from MIT. You know, Laura - that’s the assistant by the way - told me that Ray has actually been single since he...”

Tommy watched Oliver run out of the office faster than that red streak in Central City and smiled.

“Go get your girl, Ollie.”

[darweaniedraws]

Things Left Unsaid, Chapter 6: Unthinkable

Here is the penultimate chapter of my soulmates fic!

“Oliver and Felicity do the unthinkable in order to defeat Slade. Felicity just hopes they'll be able to pull it off.”

I hope you guys enjoy! I’m trying a new way to post my fics. AKA the usual way people post their fics on tumblr.

Read on AO3 or under the cut

Felicity clutches Oliver’s waist harder as he zooms them through the ruins of Starling City. It’s less of a “scared of flying off” grip and more of a “scared of her home getting so utterly destroyed” grip. Despite the issues she and Oliver have been having since he found out they are soulmates, the bond between them, no matter how fractured, still comforts Felicity to a certain extent.

The day after the Tockman incident and Oliver finding out, Felicity had returned to the foundry, determined not to let her wounds, both physical and emotional, get to her. It shocked her when Oliver called her phone, but she picked it up anyway. The voice on the phone was foreign and not directed toward her, so Felicity assumed Oliver butt dialed her and told Digg and Sara so in an attempt to deflect how awkward she felt about the circumstances of Sara and Oliver’s breakup.

But Sara found the voice on the other side of the phone the exact opposite of amusing. She explained to Diggle and Felicity that the man with Oliver is Slade Wilson, a man who tried to kill both of them on the island. Ever since then, Slade Wilson actively tried to make their lives a living hell.

And thus far, he’s succeeded.

He’d torn the Queen family apart. QC no longer belongs to the Queens, rendering all of Team Arrow jobless. He kidnapped Roy and turned him completely Mirakuru rage crazy, unable to help Team Arrow until they found a cure for the Mirakuru serum, courtesy of STAR Labs. The Queen siblings are now orphans, courtesy of a blade through Moira Queen’s chest.

Now, with his army of Mirakuru soldiers, Slade Wilson is laying siege to Starling City, and Team Arrow is struggling hard to stop him, even with the new Mirakuru cure, the SCPD, and the freaking League of Assassins at their backs.

The latest scuffle occurred at QC, where Oliver, Sara, and the League were able to take down a few of Slade’s goons and Isabel Rochev (God bless). However, Slade got away before Oliver was able to pierce him with an injection arrow filled with the cure.

Meanwhile, Detective Lance contacted Felicity, in desperate need of help because one of Slade’s minions kidnapped Laurel. She’d taken him to QC, but that had only resulted in him basically blaming the Arrow for the whole siege because of his hesitance to kill.

Felicity, despite the whole soulmate situation, believes in her soul that Oliver can stop this man and save the city. That is why, when she’d suggested Oliver make Slade out-think him instead of the other way around, she went along with his crazy idea.

So now, the two of them are on their way to Queen mansion, where Slade set up hidden cameras, so Felicity could be taken, Hopefully, it would give her the chance to get close to the enemy and cure him of the Mirakuru, allowing Oliver a fair fight to save the city and save the kidnapped Laurel.

It’s crazy. So incredibly crazy.

But it’s all they’ve got.

Before she knows it, Oliver pulls up to the mansion’s long driveway. He turns off the engine and gets off first so he can help her down.

At this point, Felicity’s heart is pounding. How in the hell are they going to convince Slade that he should’ve taken her instead of Laurel Lance? She’s been the love of Oliver’s life for years!

Even though Felicity and Oliver are soulmates, he made it pretty clear that they have no chance. That they are unthinkable.

It’s why Felicity has fortified her emotional walls. To keep Oliver’s intensity from creeping its way into her heart. (It’s obvious now that she’s completely failed, despite her best efforts and all the heartbreak that seems to Oliver. And her, if she thinks about it.)

Felicity is pulled out of her thoughts when Oliver lightly grabs a hold of her elbow. “Are you ready?”

She wants to say no. But she knows no one could ever be ready for something like this. And she needs to do this. To save her city and the people she cares about.

Felicity looks up from her gaze on the front door to Oliver’s eyes.

“Break a leg, Oliver,” she says.

Even with everything going on, she still manages to get Oliver to smile. He closes his eyes and lets out a breathy laugh, shaking his head at her. “Break a leg, Felicity.”

With her name being the last word on his lips, he pushes the door open. It’s showtime.

Hoping to every god out there that Slade is watching, she goes through the door first, asking, “Oliver, what are we doing here? The whole city’s falling apart!”

“I know,” he replies in a soft voice, just short of a whisper. Oliver takes a deep breath before exhaling and continuing. “You need to stay here.”

This is where they really need to sell it. Felicity prays that it’s believable.

“What?! Why?” she exclaims as she whips back around to face Oliver. If this was real, Felicity knows she’d protest as much as she could. “You can’t just ask me to–”

“I’m not asking.”

Okay, Felicity knows for a fact she’d be angry if this was real. She’s glad they hadn’t rehearsed this at all or she’d have a hard time conjuring up the look of disbelief on her face,

Oliver attempts to reassure her with a nod. “I will come get you when this is all over.”

He moves to leave turning his back toward her, but she protests, hoping to cause a scene for the camera. “No!”

“Felicity…”

“No!” She steps forward and gets up in his face. “Not unless you tell me why!”

Oliver turns back to her, making sure to keep steady eye contact. “Because I need you to be safe.”

Secretly, the two of them must be really good actors. Even though Felicity is part of the ruse, she still senses a hint of real desperation from the both of them.

“Well, I don’t want to be safe. I want to be with you,” Felicity admits. Immediately, she picks up on what her words could imply, so she quickly adds, “And the others. Unsafe!”

True to the scene, Oliver insists, “I can’t let that happen.”

With a mind of its own, Felicity’s right hand grabs a hold of Oliver’s left arm. “Oliver… You’re not making any sense.”

“Slade took Laurel because he wants to kill the woman I love,” he explains without breaking eye contact.

“I know. So?”

Taking a quick breath, he blurts out, “So he took the wrong woman.”

His words have Felicity in shock. They almost feel…. Real. Like he actually means it. And that he’s insinuating that she’s… No…

No. This is a ruse. A scene acted out to fool Slade.

Despite her doubt, Felicity let’s out a small breathless, “Oh,” and she’s unable to look away from the intensity in Oliver’s eyes.

For the longest moment of Felicity’s life, they just stare at each other. And it’s so much more different from when they’d stared at each other when he’s found out about her mark, or when he’d told her he couldn’t be with some he really cared about. Those times had been filled with so much heartache.

This time, it’s softer. Gentler. And unbelievably sincere. Like his next words are ones he truly believes.

“I don’t love Laurel… or Sara,” he adds. “Not like you. They are not my soulmate… But you are.”

Felicity doesn’t even realize how close they've gotten until she feels his breath on her face and his hand on her right hip, right over her mark. The action causes to mark to burn, just like it did all those years ago at a crazy college party.

“I love you.”

Her mark pulse and Felicity can tell Oliver feels it too, by the way he lets go of her hip and steps back in shock. But only a little bit. She can still feel how breathless Oliver is. Just like her, Because can’t believe how real this feels.

But then, Oliver gently hands the syringe filled with the Mirakuru cure into the hand that had been holding his arm. From the camera’s angle, Felicity knows that it looks like Oliver is just holding her hand.

“Do you understand?” he asks in a whisper.

The question is like a bucket of ice water. Right. This is all fake. A ruse to trick Slade. Not a real confession at all. Felicity blames her slight concussion for getting caught up in the moment.

She takes a breath before replying with a small nod. “Yes.”

It takes a long moment for him to leave. Oliver keeps staring into her eyes, like he doesn’t want to leave her for Slade to kidnap her.

Felicity is sure Oliver doesn’t actually want her to get snatched up by Slade’s goons. But she can’t help but think, by the way he just takes all of her in as if he’s trying memorize her, that Oliver desperately wishes he’s actually leaving her in a safe place. That, when this is all over, he would return to her and they would have a long talk about their relationship.

But then, he pulls away and leaves the building, another ice cold bucket splashing over Felicity.

The burn of their mark is gone, but the pulsing hasn’t stopped, even as Felicity hears Oliver’s motorcycle revv and fade away. Felicity pockets the syringe discreetly by putting both her hands in her coat pockets, hoping that it looks like she’s trying to calm herself down, and sits down on one of the steps of the mansion’s staircase.

Not that Felicity needs to truly act shaken.

With the looming fear of Slade coming to snatch her up, the continuing pulse of her mark, and Oliver’s words replaying in her head, Felicity is shaken to her core.

Oliver didn’t really mean it, did her? He couldn’t have!

Ever since he confronted her about their marks, if it wasn’t Arrow or Slade related, he’d pretty much avoided her like the plague. And she did the same. Even when Sara left after almost killing a rage induced Roy, it continued to be the three of them, Oliver, John, and Felicity.

He never once tried to make amends about blowing up at her for not telling him they are soulmates. For awhile, Felicity had been pretty peeved that Oliver insinuated that the whole situation was her fault. That he hadn’t at all played a part in her refusal to believe in soulmates. His numerous interactions with other women would beg to differ.

But Felicity couldn’t exactly blame him for seeking comfort, now when she’d been hiding the truth for so long.

Witnessing the whole fiasco with Laurel, Tommy, and Oliver, Felicity had no desire to be with a man who could play with feelings like that. She was sure their marks had to be a mistake.

Then Tommy was gone and Laurel had gone off the rails. Back form from the island, Oliver seemingly cleaned up his act.

That is, until Russia. Felicity completely blames that on Oliver’s inability to stay celibate. Laying in bed with Isabel Rochev, especially now that they know she’d been working with Slade Wilson… It gives Felicity the chills, even now that she’s dead, thanks to Sara’s assassin girlfriend,

Speaking of Sara, Felicity completely understands why Oliver pursued Sara. Especially after that conversation she had with Sara before she left Starling again. Their relationship was a means to an end. To tie up the ending they never got because Sara had been pulled under water again, like when the Queen’s Gambit went down.

So while all these relationships with women hurt, Felicity understands. It’s not like she was set on pursuing Oliver yet anyway. Plus, with all the stress and tragedy Slade Wilson brought along, all of that had to be pushed under the carpet for another day anyway.

With everything going on, Oliver could not have possibly fallen in love with her. There’s no way his confession is real. They may be soulmates, but there’s nothing to say they should be together romantically. They are unthinkable.

The front door slams open, startling Felicity out of her thoughts. Two masked men march toward her and grab her from her seat on the stairs. Momentarily, Felicity forgets that this is all going according to plan. Even though she knows she’s physically incapable of resisting these guys, she still tries her hardest. She kicks and screams, putting up her best fight before she’s thrown in the back of a nondescript van.

Her heart is pounding and her lungs ache for air. Her arms are sore from the tight grips the men had on her arms. It takes Felicity the whole ride to wherever Slade is to calm herself down. She prays that Slade is so sure of how incapable she is that he won’t check her pockets and find the syringe ready to cure him.

The masked men pull her from the vehicle and shove her toward the building they’ve parked in front of. Felicity gets a glimpse at the surrounding area. She spots the reflection of fire on the Starling City Bay waters before she’s shoved through a door.

Slade’s goons drag her through a maze of pipes and tanks before coming to a halt. In the center stands the very terrifying Slade Wilson in full Deathstroke gear, save for that half orange, half black mask of his. He wears an unsettling grin on his face, and the eye patch he wear makes him look like a pirate, but in the least amusing, mostly frightening way.

A shuffle to the left catches Felicity’s attention. It’s Laurel, struggling in the arms of one of the goons that took Felicity from the mansion.

“How nice of you to join us, Ms. Smoak,” Slade greets her. Felicity opts not to answer, instead glaring daggers at the man plaguing her home. “I’m surprised Oliver decided to leave you alone instead of keeping you close to his side. Surely he should have thought no matter where he puts you,” the man steps close to her and grabs a hold of her chin, “I would find you. The woman that he loves.”

Laurel suddenly stops struggling at that, not going unnoticed by Slade. He turns toward her, still holding onto Felicity’s chin.

“Didn’t expect that, did you, Ms. Lance?”

Felicity appreciates that Laurel just glares at him, much like she is doing right now.

“I didn’t quite understand why our Mr. Queen has been so infatuated with you,” Slade admits. “I mean, he broke his vow to kill to save you from Count Vertigo. But then I spotted you two on the cameras I planted at the former Queen mansion. That moment you two had was illuminating.”

Felicity tries to appear shocked at the news.

“Considering how tech savvy you are, I’m surprised you hadn’t noticed them there.”

She’s vaguely annoyed that he’s right. Felicity hadn’t thought to check the mansion for any unusual transmission. Felicity decides to speak instead of dwell on that fact. “How exactly was Oliver dropping me off at the mansion ‘illumination?’”

Slade lets go of her chin and Felicity thinks he’s about to take a step back so he can start his evil villain monologue. Instead, he actually takes a step closer into Felicity’s space. Far too close for her liking. Then his left hand reaches inside her coat. A part of her jumps to the conclusion that he is about to do unspeakable things to her, but as time seemingly freezes, another part of her knows exactly what he’s doing. She sucks in a breath when Slade tightly grips her right hip.

“You share his mark,” he says. “That same arrow-shaped mark I’ve seen countless times. The one he ignored when he laid in bed with my Shado…”

Just mentioning Shado’s name ships away at Slade’s sanity. Felicity can tell. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. It’s like he’s concentration on listening to someone, even though no one is saying a word. Roy had told them about the talking illusions that the Mirakuru creates. How extremely evil and convincing they are.

Slade is so entranced by the illusion that he grips her hip painfully tighter. She must make a pained noise because his eyes shoot open and stare at her like he forgot she’s there. It gives her a chance to speak.

“Oliver is going to beat you,” Felicity says, mustering up all the courage she has so her voice doesn’t waver. She looks Slade dead in the eye. “He will.”

Slade smirks at that. “Oh? And how is that possible?”

It surprises Felicity how much she isn’t shaking in fear as she explains, “I can tell how much the Mirakuru affects you. Not just physically,” she adds. “Your brain’s messed up. It’s clouding your judgement. Manipulating you.”

The smirk on Slade’s face drops, his nostrils flare, and his cheek twitches. His gaze hardens into a glare. She’s struck a nerve. It gives her the boosts she needs to continue. Felicity just hopes it doesn’t get her in more trouble.

“I didn’t realize that the mighty Deathstroke could be so easily manipulated by a drug.”

Oh, Slade absolutely bristles at that. It’s enough for Felicity to pale and fear that her head will be ripped off.

Luckily, the masked man holding onto Laurel speaks up. “Sir? The men in the tunnel have been cut down.”

Felicity didn’t believe a person’s nostrils could flare any more, but she does now. Slade looks like he’s about to explode, but instead, he walks away from her and pulls out his phone, leaving Felicity in the arms of one of his last Mirakuru soldiers. She vaguely hears Oliver’s loud, “Go!”

Felicity watches as Slade taunts Oliver, practically waving her in the air like she’s some prize that he won. She doesn’t say anything, but she hopes Slade can feel her eyes stabbing him a million times, especially when he calls her weak.

It only takes Oliver a few minutes to arrive.

Slade starts babbling on into the air, talking to Oliver as he makes his way through what Felicity assumes is the Starling City water treatment plant. By the time Oliver appears with an arrow already nocked into position, Slade has already pushed his last man, excluding the one holding Laurel, to go find Oliver’s backup and pulled Felicity to his chest, resting his sword across her neck.

“Drop the bow, kid,” Slade commands next to her ear. He presses the blade into her skin a little more when Oliver doesn’t, so Felicity gasps when she feels it almost piercing her skin. “Do it.”

He does. Then, Slade’s goon comes walking in closer to them, Laurel gasping in is too-tight grip on her neck.

“Yes… Countless nights dreaming of taking from you all that you took from me.”

Felicity would be rolling her eyes if not for the fear quaking through her. She keeps her eyes on Oliver, trying to take in the instant comfort that their bond allows them when they are close.

“By killing the woman I love?” Oliver asks.

“Yes.”

“Like you love Shado?”

“That’s where you’re wrong, kid,” Slade says. “I could never love Shado like you love your women. Ms. Smoak here is your soulmate.”

Felicity notices Oliver suck in a breath, surprised that Slade had figured it out. But Slade continues.

“Yet, you go around with women, right in front of her. Laurel Lance. Sara Lance, Isabel Rochev…” he lists, his anger growing with each name. Slade moves his blade from Felicity’s neck and shoves her forward a little, keeping his left hand in a tight grip on her left shoulder. His voice raises as he continues, “How could you be with other women when your soulmate is right in front of you?! How could you trick Shado into falling for you when you knew you had a soulmate?!”

It’s then, in his rage, that Slade pushes her arm away from her side and slices through her coat, cutting the skin where her mark lays. Tears immediately spring into her eyes as she tries to suppress the pained gasp fighting to escape her lips. The pain coming from her mark is almost as bad as her bullet wound, the one that seems like an eon ago now. Felicity tries to focus on Oliver again, urging him to hurry and give her an opening so they can put an end to Slade’s nonsense. Oliver struggles not to grab his bow and fight Slade right then and there.

“You see Shado, don’t you?” Oliver takes Slade’s silence as confirmation. “Well, what does she look like in your madness, Slade?”

The words cause lade to shove Felicity to her knees. Hurry, Oliver.

“What does she say to you? I remember her being beautiful. Young. Kind.” Keep going, Oliver. He’s falling for it. She can feel Slade’s sanity slipping. “She would be horrified by what you’ve done in her name.”

That’s the exact moment when Slade loses it.

“What I have done?! What I have done is what you lack the courage to do!” Slade points a finger at Oliver. “To fight for her!”

Felicity can sense Slade’s blade almost touching the back of her neck, mimicking how easily he could slice her head off. She squeezes her eyes shut, willing Oliver to end this.

“So… when her body, your soulmate’s body, lies at your feet,” he drags the blade across her shoulder, wiping her own blood on it, “her blood wet against your skin, then you will know how I feel! ”

His blade no longer touching her body, Felicity turns her head slightly to see his sword angled away from her. His focus is completely trained on Oliver, who replies, “I already know how you feel. I know what it’s like to hate. To want revenge.”

Oliver makes eye contact with Felicity then, the first time since he arrived at the scene. It’s only a brief moment, not even lasting a second, but she knows he’s provided an opening for her. She doesn’t even need to hear his next words before she starts to rise to her feet, reaching into her pocket for the syringe.

“And now I know how it feels to see my enemy so distracted, he doesn’t see the real danger is right in front of him.”

Despite the pain from from the open wound on her mark, as she finally straightens up, her arm reaching to inject Slade with the cure, Felicity feels her mark pulsing once more. SHe knows exactly what it means. She and Oliver are in sync once again.

Once she injects Slade with the cure, Felicity scurries away, toward Laurel, hoping they are enough to take down the soldier holding onto her. They don’t have to though, because Sara shoots him with the cure, allowing Laurel to knock him out as the cure works its magic.

They run as the two remaining men begin their final battle.

The cold breeze from the night sky does nothing to calm Felicity’s beating heart. She can hear and feel the fight between Slade and Oliver inside the plant.

“He’ll be fine, Felicity,” Sara assures her.

“How do you know?” Laurel asks from beside her, just as out of breath as Felicity.

“Because,” Sara starts as she shoots Felicity a soft smile, “he knows his soulmate has his back.”

Even with all the chaos still going on, the slow bleeding from her right hip, the drone still headinding for the still burning city, and their bond recreating every hit Slade lands on Oliver’s body onto hers, Felicity can’t help but smile.

A few minutes later, that smile grows when Oliver’s comms turn on. “It’s over.”

The three women rush to where Oliver has Slade tied to a pillar. Not caring for the soreness of both their bodies or the fact that they still have a lot of things to talk about, Felicity runs to embrace Oliver, taking in his victory. They actually stopped the bad guy. Despite all his hardships and darkness, Oliver came through as a hero tonight.

Not even a day later, Felicity and Diggle are on the shore of Lian Yu, waiting for Oliver to finish with Slade in his prison cell.

“I still can’t believe Oliver had ARGUS build a secret super max prison on Lian Yu and didn’t tell us,” Felicity admits to John.

He huffs out a laugh. “You know him. He loves his secrets.”

Normally, that quality of Oliver’s would cause a scowl, but today, it causes a light smile.

The two of them remain silent for a few seconds, taking in the surprisingly relaxing breeze on the hellish island. Then Digg asks her, “So, are you two going to do anything about that?”

Felicity looks toward DIggle, her brow furrowed in confusion. Then her eyes follow down his arm to his hand, which points to her right hip.

“Oh…” Felicity’s not entirely sure what to say. Despite Slade’s defeat, things hadn’t really calmed down just yet. After a few ARGUS agents picked Slade up, the team had only managed to tend to their wounds and clean up before Oliver, Diggle, and Felicity were on their way to Lian Yu and Laurel and Detective Lance were seeing Sara off.

Felicity had pretty much knocked out once she sat down on the plane to China and then Oliver had been too busy piloting their small, less terrifying than the one she and Digg took, plane to the island.

“Well… Oliver and I haven’t exactly had the time to talk about anything yet,” she tells John.

“But you will be talking, right?”

“Oh, definitely…”

“Good.”

Another beat of silence occurs when Diggle continues, “You know, Oliver told me how exactly you two managed to trick Slade into taking you.”

For a second time, all Felicity says is, “Oh.” She’s sure her eyebrows are high on her forehead. “Uh… when did he tell you that?”

“A couple hours into the flight to Hong Kong. You were too busy snoring to notice.”

Felicity scoffs. “I do not snore!”

Diggle chuckles. “You sure? Because I’m pretty sure–”

She jabs her elbow into his side, laughing all the while.

“Okay, okay!” he relents, raising his arms in surrender. Diggle laughs for another second before sobering up again. “You two will be talking about that though, right?”

Felicity gulps. She completely intends to talk about their conversation in the mansion, but it doesn’t mean she’s not nervous about it. She’s about to answer John, but then they spot Oliver coming out of the prison that holds Slade and heading toward them.

When he reaches them, Diggle not so subtly gives Felicity and Oliver some time to talk.

“Hey,” Felicity greets, moving from Oliver’s side to his front.

Oliver chuckles. “Hey.”

“Well, you did it.”

“I had help,” he admits almost sheepishly.

Felicity suddenly feels a little awkward, so she starts beating around the bush. “Yeah. That’s really smart. How you outfoxed Slade.”

Oliver doesn’t say anything. Is he really just going to stand there with those soft blue eyes turning her stomach into goo?

Felicity guesses she has to just get right to it, no matter how much she doesn’t really want to. “Talk about unthinkable. You and me, I mean.”

Frustratingly, Oliver doesn’t say anything. So she continues to babble, “When you told me you loved me, you had me fooled. For a second, I thought… maybe you might have meant it… what you said.”

Still nothing. Come on, Oliver.

“You really sold it.”

Finally, he answers, but it’s not really what Felicity is expecting. “We both did.”

The two of them play their usual game of staring into each other’s eyes, not actually saying a word, but their eyes speaking thousands. A wave of disappointment flows through Felicity the longer the moment lasts. Is he just going to leave it at that? He’s not going to acknowledge the fact that he’d told her he loves her in order to fool his enemy, all the while seeming like he actually meant it?

The disappointment must show on her face when she moves toward the plane because, unexpectedly, Oliver grabs her hand to prevent her from turning away.

“Felicity, wait.” Oliver waits for her to meet his eyes before he says, “I’m sorry.”

What?

“I’m sorry,” he repeats. “I screwed up. With us.”

Oliver gives her hand a squeeze, but Felicity is positive that it’s more to reassure himself than her.

“I should have told you the exact moment when I thought we could have been soulmates,” he confesses, pleading with his eyes for her to forgive him. “If I’d said something sooner, maybe we wouldn’t be having such a hard time working through being soulmates.”

His initial apology had rendered Felicity speechless. But his words just now call her into action. “I wasn’t exactly quick to let you in on it either, Oliver. I didn’t even tell you. Sara did.”

“Well, I didn’t give you a good reason to show you I was a good soulmate. In fact, I’ve been the worst soulmate. If I had been able to–to–”

“Keep your dick in your pants?” Felicity offers, not missing a beat.

Oliver laughs, and she swears she hears him mutter “Only you…” under his breath as he shakes his head. “Maybe we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“Do you mean this mess with our marks or the whole mess with Slade?”

“Both.”

Felicity sighs. “Oliver, we can’t dwell on what might have been.”

She watches as her words sink into his brain. A newfound confidence soars through him. She can feel it. Felicity’s not sure if it’s because of their bond reconnecting or just watching the man in front of her actually steel himself up.

“You’re right,” Oliver says with a nod. Wow, those are two words Felicity never thought she’d hear from Oliver Queen. “We shouldn’t dwell on the past. That’s why I’m going to prove to you that I’m worthy of being your soulmate.”

She furrows her brows. “Oliver, wha…?”

“I’m going to gain your trust.”

“I already trust you with my life,” Felicity promises. “These past few days should tell you that.”

“No, Felicity,” he says, squeezing her hand again. She didn’t realize he’s still holding it. “I’m going to prove to you that I am worthy enough for you to break down your walls. I’m going to prove to you that I’m not like your father. That I won’t leave you for other women, whether we’re romantic or not. That our bond is worth it.”

Felicity doesn’t know how long she stands there, wide-eyed and speechless. But it is enough time for her to search Oliver’s eyes for any uncertainty, any doubt, any lie he may be hiding behind his words.

She doesn’t find any.

So Felicity takes a deep breath, steeling herself up just like Oliver did moments ago. “You know, I built these walls up pretty strong over the past decade and a half.”

Oliver ducks his head in an attempt to hide his disappointment.

“But it couldn’t hurt if we tried.”

His head shoots back up to meet her eyes. “We?”

Smiling softly and nodding her head, she confirms, “We.”

Felicity doesn’t believe she’s seen Oliver smile so brightly before. His eyes light up and she can practically see all his teeth. It’s so contagious she can’t help but smile just as brightly. She squeezes his hand.

They continue to smile at each other for a few seconds before Felicity lets go of his hand so she can gesture. “I do have one condition though.”

Oliver nods eagerly. “Anything to get back into your good graces.”

God, why does he have to act like such a puppy.

Felicity takes another breath, already feeling the babble coming on. “I’d like us work on being friends for now. It’s not that I think you’d be a bad lover–creepy word by the way– it’s just that I don’t think I’ll be ready for that any time soon. I’d much rather work on the platonic aspect of being… of being…”

Geez, why can’t she ever say the word “soulmates” out loud? Felicity doesn’t think she’s ever uttered the word to Oliver ever.

Oliver rsaves her from her stuttering, sticking out his right hand as if to shake her hand. “Got it. Platonic soulmates. Deal?”

Their marks pulse when Felicity shakes his hand. “Deal.”

For now. The two of them have a lot of work to do, both with Starling City and with their relationship. But that’s okay.

They have the whole summer.

[originalhybridloverfics]

Remembrance Chapter Five

Felicity looked at the time on her phone after she sat down at her usual table at the rather nice cafe that was only a few blocks from QC. She prefered Big Belly Burger but it was nice to have verity plus this place was more convenient with how close it was to QC since it was her lunch hour, she was able to eat here for lunch without running late by the time she returned to the office. She was meeting Sara and Laurel for her lunch break. She was a few minutes early so she took the opportunity to just take a few minutes to herself, staring out the cafe window, watching people walk by absentmindedly. It had been a weird two weeks, she had seen Oliver a few times since they agreed to their deal, each time he was with his father, sometimes his mom as well but he had kept to his word and hadn't so much as said hello to her in passing. Still it didn't stop her from feeling his gaze on her when they passed one another, the heat of it, making her skin feel hot. It didn't stop her from practically feeling his fresh wave of want as it hit him and she had cursed under her breath every time because she in turn felt what he felt every time he saw her. It made her wonder though. If she could feel his emotions this keenly when they barely had any reactions at all how strongly would she feel his emotions if that bond Talina spoke of actually formed between them. The thought alone made her anxious and her stomach turn with an inkling of trepidation. Felicity was jarred out of her internal musings when the cafe bell sounded and she saw Laurel walk in and immediately start walking in her direction. "You won't believe the busy day I've had." She greeted, taking off her jacket and placing it over her lap as she sat down. "Do you want to talk about it." Felicity offered, whenever she was having a stressful day and needed to rant Laurel had always been willing to listen. "I thought studying for Law School was going to be hard but this internship is kicking my ass." Laurel complained. "It doesn't help that the higher ups treat us intern's like glorified slaves." Felicity grimaced, she remembered when she intern for QC the summer right before she finished MIT. It hadn't been a picnic. No one really wanted a girl in their field, always thinking they knew so much more than she did. "Yeah, I don't envy you. I hated interning." "The worst part is that a lot of them at the firm, don't even really care about doing their job and winning cases. They just care if they get paid." Laurel shook her head. "I want to become a lawyer to help people and all they care about is the dollar signs on the bottom-line." "Not everyone can have the conviction and determination that you do to make the world a better place by making sure justice is served." Felicity smiled, Laurel's desire to do the right thing and will to do so had always been one of her favorite things about her. "But it would make my life so much easier if they did." Laurel said, offering Felicity an appreciative smile for her words. "Sara's running late." Laurel commented glancing at her watch. "Did she tell you she was going to be running late?" "No but I'm sure she'll be here soon." Felicity shrugged. "She probably just had another late night." The woes of working at a bar she guessed or perks depending on how one looked at it. "I wish she would do something more than work behind a bar." Laurel sighed. "She has so much potential for more." Felicity bit her lip. Sara had confided in her that she was joining the police academy in a few weeks but she wasn't ready to tell her family. She knew Quentin wouldn't want her to because he didn't want her in harms way and if she told Laurel she might mentioned it to their dad before hand. "I think Sara is more than capable of realizing her own potential." "Not if that potential is just behind a bar." Said Laurel. "Maybe you should just trust Sara's judgment." Felicity said as the bell to the cafe sounded and she looked up to see Sara walking toward them. "Sorry. I'm running a bit late." Said Sara as she dropped in the chair next to Felicity. "So what did I miss?" "Nothing." Said Laurel. "I was just expressing my frustration about how interns are treated." Sara hummed as a waitress came by to take their order, she waited until after the waitress left with their orders before responding. "You should show them your take charge attitude that'll make them think twice before treating you like just another intern." "What about you?" Asked Felicity. "Is there any particular reason you're running late." "I had to work a longer shift than usual at the bar." Said Sara. "What about you guys? Anything new with you?" "Not really. Just been trying to finish up this internship and study for law classes. Tommy and I have turned date night into study night with his med school studies and my law school studies, most nights are study nights." "You guys should at least set aside one night for just relaxing." Said Sara. "I know how important this is for you guys. But you shouldn't over work yourselves." "Well you would know all about not working too hard. It's not like bartending is all that taxing." Said Laurel, the words coming out before she realized what she was saying. "I'm sorry Sara that was unfair." Sara glared, pursing her lips, seeming to be holding herself back from snapping back at Laurel. Felicity looked between the two warily, Sara and Laurel didn't always get along but she knew that mostly had to do with Laurel's high expectations of her sister. She was misguided with expressing those expectations but they came from a good place. "Oh, look, here comes are orders." She said, hoping to diffuse any argument that might arise between the Lance sisters. The waitress placed their orders in front of them and left with a polite smile. "What about you, Felicity?" Asked Sara. "Anything new with you." Felicity was relieved that the possible sibling tiff had past. "Emm, not really." There was the soulmate thing she was doing her best to ignore and her deal with Oliver but that wasn't anything they needed to know. "Okay? Good. I was only asking cause about two weeks ago Oliver kept asking about you, what your deal was, where you worked, that sort of thing and then he suddenly stopped." Said Sara, tearing a piece from her strawberry croissant and popping it into her mouth. "Knowing Oliver he's probably already moved on to the next girl that caught his eye." Commented Laurel, sipping at her coffee. Felicity ran her hand around the edge of her coffee cup, hoping that after her and Oliver's deal that was true. It couldn't be that hard for him to just forget about her could it? Guys forgot about girls all the time. "You're suspiciously quiet about this?" Sara narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Is there something your not telling us." "She probably just doesn't want to talk about a guy she could care less about." Said Laurel, looking to Felicity. "Right?" Felicity felt like a deer in the headlights with both their inquiring gazes on her, well Sara's bordered on more suspicious than inquiring. "Right. Your completely, right." She agreed with a jittery nod. "I mean why would I want to talk about some guy I've only ever met once." She gave a nervous laugh while mentally telling herself to shut up already. God, she was terrible at lying. "Okay, Sara may be right." Laurel narrowed her eyes at Felicity. "What aren't you telling us?" "It's nothing, really." Felicity mumbled avoiding their narrowed gazes. "Don't give us that, 'It's nothing'." Said Sara. "Like I haven't heard that before." For not being a fan of Oliver they both like to say it's nothing when they didn't want to talk about something. Felicity pursed her lips. "C'mon, Felicity, if you can't talk to your friends about what's going on with you who can you talk to?" Said Laurel encouragingly. Felicity heaved a long drawn out sigh. "The club wasn't the last time I saw Oliver." "What?" Asked Laurel, she frowned. "Are you hooking up?" "What? No! Of course not." Felicity's face scrunched up like she smelled something gross. "Definitely no." "So where did you last see him, than?" Asked Sara. "At QC, he was meeting his dad or something." "So that's why he stopped asking." Sara realized. "Cause he found you all on his own." Unfortunately, Felicity couldn't help but think to herself. "Was that the last time you saw him than?" Laurel questioned. "No, he stopped in and saw me a few more times since then." Felicity admitted, pursing her lips. "What else?" Asked Sara. "What makes you think there's something else I'm not saying?" Felicity responded in avoidance. Because you're doing that purse lip thing when you're trying not to say something." Sara pointed out. "You do, do that." Agreed Laurel. "It's a tale." "I hate that you two know my tales." Felicity complained, lifting her coffee to her lips and taking a small sip before setting it back down. "I kind of agreed to a date with him?" "But you don't even like him?" Laurel protested in surprise. "I know. I know. He's really persistent and it's complicated." Said Felicity. "Alright we have to get together for a girl's night." Declared Sara. "That way you can tell us everything." "We can have it at mine and Tommy's place later tonight." Laurel said. The last thing Felicity wanted to do was spend a night talking about Oliver Queen. "Don't you and Tommy have studying to do?" "It can wait a night." Laurel dismissed. "One night won't kill us." Felicity looked to Sara. "Don't you have to work?" "I can get Lisa to cover my shift." Sara dismissed. "I have other plans." Felicity tried. She didn't, not really, after work she had just planned on watching the latest episode of Game of Thrones with some red wine, relaxing from a long week at work. "No, you don't unless you count catching up on your DVR recorded shows." Said Sara. "Why do you have to know that." Felicity complained. "Fine. What time?" "Seven-ish." Said Laurel. "Plenty of time for me to kick Tommy out the door after making it up to him." Sara gave a laugh and waggled her eyebrows. "I'm sure he'll forgive you then." Felicity sighed. She did not look forward to a night of discussing Oliver Queen. Sara and Laurel may have wanted to know everything there was to know about what was or wasn't going on between her and Oliver but there was no way she was going to tell them about the soulmate thing. "Fine but we're watching Game of Thrones. If I have to spend the night talking about that playboy I will not be denied from watching my show." She pouted childishly at them. "And I want wine and mint chocolate chip ice cream." "I'll take care of the wine." Laurel agreed easily. "I'll bring the ice cream." Sara added. Felicity shook her head. She should have known she wouldn't have been able to say no to the both of them. And while she didn't like that they were going to spend and evening discussing Oliver, she did really enjoy just taking a night to relax and hangout with her friends. It wasn't something she got to do too often. So she could put up with a night of gossip. ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ "Okay, so let me get this straight Ollie's been seeking you out at QC actively putting real effort in trying to get you to like him?" Asked Laurel rather doubtfully. "Are we sure we're talking about the same Oliver Queen?" "I don't even know why it matters to him so much." Felicity complained, scooping a bite of Mint chip into her mouth. "I mean, he doesn't even know me. Why is he trying so hard. "Well you said that he couldn't stop thinking about you." Sara pointed out. "I don't think that has really happened to him before. Usually he can't even remember a girls name or face yet he can't stop thinking about you." "But who say he didn't just say that so he could rope that deal out of me." Said Felicity. "About that." Said Sara. "You don't have to go out with him if you really don't want to. I can talk with Ollie, get him to back off." While it was a tempting offer but she wasn't going to go back on her deal with Oliver. "As much as I love you for offering I can handle Oliver myself." "I wouldn't worry about it too much." Said Laurel. "Ollie rarely chases after a girl for that long. It's only a matter of time before he’s' distracted by some supermodel willing to do whatever he wants." "You think?" Felicity asked hopefully. If that happened at least some of her problems would be solved at least the one where she needed to stay away from him so no weird soulmate bond would form between them. Sara gave a laugh. "Oliver has a zero chance, even if you do go on that date with how hopeful you sound for him to forget about you with a supermodel." She scooped a bite of Felicity's mint chip. "Hey, that's my mint chip." She protested with a mock glare. "Sharing is caring, Felicity." Sara smirked, scooping another bite. "If you do end up going on this date what are you going to do?" Laurel asked, after taking a sip of red wine that she poured herself. "I don't know. But I figure if I'm the worst date imaginable he'll never want to see me again let alone continue pursuing me." Felicity eyes lit up suddenly. "You two know him really well, don't you?" "What are you getting at?" Wondered Sara. "You two can help me be his date from hell. You must know what he hates in a girl and I mean, stuff that he can't stand, things that'll send him running for the hills so fast it'll give me whiplash." "Commitment." Laurel said, leaning forward on her end of the couch. "He practically brakes out in hives at any real commitment." "Oh, this is going to be so good." Grinned Sara mischievously. "We can make this date one Ollie will never forget and one he'll give anything not to remember." Felicity giggled at their eagerness to mess with Oliver in this way. "I think we're getting ahead of ourselves though." Felicity said, getting momentarily distracted as the Game of Thrones theme video played across the TV screen, the show starting another episode. "How so?" Asked Sara, stealing a drink from Laurel's wine glass. "There's plenty more for you to get your own." Laurel took back her glass from her sister and Sara rolled her eyes pouring her own glass. "Well there's still two weeks of this deal and if I don't hear from him after than he forgot all about me which I’m completely okay with." Felicity took the bottle of wine from Sara when she was done and poured a glass for herself. "But if he hasn't you're going to want to have a plan set for this date to turn him off from you." Argued Laurel. "What's wrong with a little planning just in case." Felicity nodded in agreement. They had a point she admitted to herseld as Jon Snow was showed on screen. "Alright, I'm listening. What do you two have in mind?" Sara and Laurel looked at one another with matching grins full of mischief. They each loved Oliver, they'd been friends for a long time but that didn't stop them from enjoying messing with him, something they hadn't done in a while and this was a great opportunity to do so. Oh, this was going to be so much fun for them. Felicity looked at the two, quirking her eyebrow up in amusement. It was funny how eager they were to mess with one of their long time friends. ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ "C'mon Tommy, a couple shots is not going to kill you." Urged Oliver, pushing a shot glass toward his friend sitting beside him at the club, Saphire. "Alright, alright." Tommy said, reluctantly, taking the shot of tequila and downing it in one shot, allowing it to burn a pathway down his lungs. "That's more like it." Oliver clapped Tommy on the back before downing his own shot. "You know, I'm surprise you came out tonight." Oliver set the now empty shot glass on top of the bar surface. "I thought you be staying in studying, didn't you mention something about them testing you for an important grade or something with your med classes." "That was the plan but Laurel kick me out so she could have a girl's night with Sara and Felicity." Tommy didn't really mind, okay maybe at first because it was important to him that he did his best with Med-School but Laurel had been quite persuasive in making it up to him, that thing she did with her tongue sent shivers down his spine just thinking about it. Oliver had just about jolted at the mention of Felicity's name, sitting up straighter in his seat. "She's with Felicity tonight?" "And Sara?" Tommy nodded, arching up his brow. "What's with the look?" "What look?" Asked Oliver confused. "Like you actually care that Laurel's having a girl's night?" Said Tommy. "Which is just weird." "I don't. I'm sure its a boring night where they do nothing but complain about men and watch stupid chick flicks." Oliver dismissed, pausing for a moment hesitatingly. "How is Felicity?" "I thought you were done asking about her." Tommy laughed. "You haven't brought her up in two weeks. I thought you forgot about her." That was his problem, he couldn't for the life of him forget about her. It was a bit maddening to be constantly thinking about someone who didn't seem to like you at all. "I'm just curious is all." He tried to play off. Tommy hummed unconvinced. "What is it about Felicity that's got you so interested." Not that he didn't think Felicity was a great girl. After meeting her he had seen her a few times when she stopped by the apartment to see Laurel. And she was sweet, funny and genuinely a nice person. He just didn't know what it was that kept Ollie asking about her when usually his friend could careless about remembering a girl's name. "I don't know and it's driving me crazy because she's not interested." He complained, giving up pretending like he wasn't still interested. "And why isn't she? I'm hot, I’m rich, I'm amazing in bed. Practically any girl here would drop to their knees to please me." "Well, when you put it like that?" Tommy muttered sarcastically. "What is wrong with her? Why does she have such self worth?" "Shut up." Oliver glared half-heartedly, giving his arm a shove. "I don't normally have this problem. A little sympathy from my best friend would be nice." "I don't know. I think it’s nice that there's a girl who poses a real challenge for you. Take your ego down a notch or two." "Say's the one person whose ego could match mine." Oliver snorted. "True." Tommy admitted but since being with Laurel, he was less of a dick about it. She brought out the best in him. It was one of the things he loved about her. "But I'm serious why doesn't she like me?" Oliver complained. "I know I can be a jerk but I'm not a bad guy." "Well, have you showed her that. A girl like Felicity isn't just going to give you the time of day just because you're interested. Girls like Felicity know they deserve better than being a party boy's flavor of the week." Oliver frowned. "I can't exactly do that if she won't give me a chance to." "If you're not serious about being interested in her you need to just forget about her. Laurel and Sara will kill you for messing with her." Tommy told him. "But if you are, you need to show her you're not just Ollie the billionaire playboy the rest of the world sees. But Oliver Queen, the caring friend, the doting older brother, the good guy your real friends know you to be when you're not acting like a smug ass." Oliver frowned, rolling his friends words around in his head. It was true that his party personnel wasn't the one he usually showed to his friends and family. It was one he used for the public and one night stands. Being himself with his friends wasn't always easy, he feared not being able to live up to expectations of him. Especially his parents. it seemed more often than not that he disappointed them. The thought of showing Felicity a part of him that he only showed people he cared about was intimidating. The thought of Felicity not liking the part of him that was more real than the shallow playboy was not something he wanted to think about. He wanted Felicity to like him but for the first time he could remember he was afraid of being rejected. By her. The possibility of being rejected by a girl never bothered him before and it still didn't unless that girl's name was Felicity Smoak. There was something about the thought of her rejecting him, not wanting anything to do with him that tore at something deep inside of his being and he couldn't fathom why what she thought of him mattered so damn much. Why she mattered so much. "Hi." A sultry voice broke him from his thoughts and he looked to his left to see a girl, leaning against the bar next to him. "Can I buy you a drink?" Oliver gave her a once over, she had auburn red hair, and green eyes, with an ample chest that was all display in her tight deep open V-neck dress that clung to her body like a second skin, he allowed his eyes to travel further down her body, noticing she had great hips, her dress stopping a just a few inches past the mid-thigh showing off her long legs. She was really pretty if you like curvy red heads. "How about I buy you a drink instead?" He offered. It could be argued that anything with a pulse and a short skirt was his type but that's not what made his decision to just go for it with her. No, it was the fact that she wasn't blonde, she didn't have blue eyes, she didn't look at him with that piercing gaze that said she wasn't buying any of his bullshit. She wasn't Felicity. She was the opposite of her and that was what he needed. Someone to make him to forget the blonde that plagued his thoughts. Even if it was just momentarily. "I'd love that, maybe afterward you could join me on the dancefloor?" She moved toward him, brushing her body against his and giving him an enticing smile. "I don't dance." Oliver shot the idea down. "Oh, come on." She purred trailing her hand up his arm up over his shoulder and curled it around his neck, leaning in toward him. "I promise to make it worth your while." He felt her teeth tug on his earlobe seductively as her other hand slid down his chest to the buckle of his pants, giving it a tug. "I can make tonight very rewarding for you." She pulled back, biting her lip seductively. "What do you say?" Oliver let a smirk stretched over his lips and turned to the bartender. "Three more shots." The girl gave a delighted laugh. Once the bartender sent the three shots over to them. He slid one to Tommy who had watched the exchange with wry amusement. "No, I'm good, Buddy." He wasn't looking to get drunk. He was a little surprised that on one of the rare nights that he was actually out with Oliver with just the two of them that Oliver was ditching him but he supposed he shouldn't be when Oliver was clearing thinking with his dick tonight. Oliver shrugged and down his shot and then Tommy's. He smiled charmingly at the girl, holding her ordered drink out to her. She smirked at him, lifting it to her mouth and downing it in one go, setting it on the bar and tugging his mouth to her own. Oliver responded instantly, tugging her against his body and sliding a hand down to cup her ass. She giggled, breaking apart from him. "I'm Sandra." Oliver could careless what her name was but he wasn't stupid enough to tell her that not if wanted to get laid by her tonight. "Ollie." "I know." she giggled and tugged him out of his seat toward the dance floor. "I thought this was boy's night." Tommy called after him, half-joking. "Boy night's been cut short." He called over his shoulder with a laugh. Tommy shook his head, checking his phone to see how late it was deciding if enough time had passed for him to returned back to the apartment. It was a quarter till midnight. Screw it. He doubted the girls would mind if he came back earlier than planned, anyway. He stood up, waving the bartender over paying for his and Oliver's tab before giving one last look at his friend getting practically grinded on the dancefloor. He caught Oliver's eyes and motioned to the door letting him know he was heading out. Oliver gave him a nod that he got it, before placing his hand on Sandra's hips as she grinded her body against his. Tommy lips twisted in amusement, as he left the club, vaguely wondering when Oliver was going to move on from his own playboy antics like he had. Oh, well, it was Ollie's life, it was his choice whether he wanted to be more than the playboy personnel he donned so well. ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ Tommy closed the door quietly behind him. "Hey." He called out. "Any chance I cou-" He trailed off as he saw each of the girls had fallen asleep with Game of Thrones still playing on the TV. Laurel was curled up in the chair and Sara and Felicity were curled up on each end of the couch, fast asleep. There was wine glasses and a empty ice cream carton on the table. He grabbed the remote, clicking off the tv before gathering up the empty carton, the near empty bottle of red wine and the three wine glasses and carried everything to the kitchen. He tossed the empty carton and wine bottle into the trash and carried the wine glasses to the sink, turning on the water to wash them. He was just finishing up the dishes when he felt arms wrapped around his waist. "Hey," Laurel kissed his shoulder. "You didn't have to do that." "I don't mind." He quickly towel dried the glasses, settling them back in the cupboard before turning and wrapping his arms around her. "Hey." He smiled, leaning down and kissing her sweetly. Laurel smiled against his lips humming contently. "I thought Oliver would have kept you out longer." "Oliver got a proposition from a red head, I'm afraid I was traded down." He joked. "Typical." Laurel rolled her eyes. "But now that you're here you should take me to bed." Tommy smiled down at her, his hands moving to her lower back and rubbing his thumbs in a circular motion. "What about Felicity and Sara?" "Neither are in any condition to drive. They drunk most of the wine before passing out. We'll just let them sleep it off on the couch." "Then I'll be more than happy to take you to bed." He dipped his head, kissing her mouth before pulling back and tugging her toward their room. Laurel smiled contently, linking her fingers with his own. A warm feeling spreading throughout her body, just having Tommy there with her. ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ Oliver gave a sigh as he felt her mouth envelope him, his hand tangling in her red hair as he took pleasure in her ministrations. She was proving to be quite the distraction from his thoughts of Feli- Fuck it! He cursed, couldn't he go one damn night without thinking about her. He screwed his eyes shut in frustration with himself throwing his head back, smacking it against the wall and giving a groan of pain that Sandra took as a pleasured one as she moved her mouth over him faster. He ignored the throbbing in his skull and instead gave up trying not to think about Felicity and instead imagined it was her making him feel good. It was Felicity he allowed himself to fantasize about. His hand tightened on the girl's hair as he felt his pleasure spike, groaning in relief as he spent himself. "God, Felicity." "Who the fuck is Felicity?!" His eyes shot open to see Sandra looking at him angrily, standing up from her kneeling position, wiping at her mouth, face flushing. "Uh.. Did I say Felicity? I meant Cindy." A moment later he felt heat fann across his cheek after her hand came in contact with his face. "It's Sandra." She scoffed. "Don't call me." She growled, storming out of the alley behind the club in disgust. "Wasn't planning on it." He muttered more to himself than her, tucking himself back into his pants. He vaguely wondered if the women in Starling City was going to start getting a complex. It wasn't the first time he groaned Felicity's name during a moment of bliss with another woman and at this rate he doubted it would be the last time. Frankly he was starting to get used to being slapped. ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ "Hey," Oliver smiled at Felicity as she slipped into their apartment, slipping her coat off and purse by the door, he stepped up behind her as she slipped off her high heels, settling his hands on her shoulders, and kneading them softly. Felicity hummed leaning back against his chest. tilting her head back to smile up at him tiredly. "That feels good." Oliver leaned down placing a soft kiss to her lips. "Long day?" He asked. "And stressful." She turned in his arms, wrapping her hands around his neck and leaning up to kiss him again. "But coming home to you always makes things better." Oliver wrapped his arms around her waist, dipping his head down. "I'm glad." His lips brushed against hers right before he kissed her softly. Felicity returned the kiss, opening her mouth to his when he nipped at her bottom lip with his teeth. Oliver felt the tension leave his body as he kissed her thoroughly, he pulled back moments later with another quick kiss to her lips. "I know we planned to go out tonight but I was thinking we could stay in, watch some TV. I want you to be able to just relax if that's what you need." Felicity smiled up at him adoringly. "You're always so sweet to me." "I love being sweet to you." He let her go only to take her hand in his and laced their fingers together. "C'mon. You can pick the movie and I'll get us some snacks while you get settled on the couch." "What did I do to ever deserve you?" Felicity wondered. He stopped releasing her hand and cupping her face, before taking hold of her mouth in a brief but passionate kiss. "By being you." He grabbed the remote, handing it to her. "Pick something." He nodded at the couch. "Get settled." Felicity smiled after him, flipping the channel to something on TV, walking to their room and changing into a pair of shorts and a tank top. Once she was changed into more comfortable clothes she walked back to the living room, getting comfortable on the couch, propped up on her side. "So what did we settle on?" Asked Oliver, walking back into the living room with a carton of mint chip. Felicity eyes lit up at the sight of her favorite ice cream. "Mint chip!" She held her hands out for it. He chuckled, handing it over and sliding easily behind her on the couch, wrapping his body around her as she dug happily into the dessert. "Are you going to share that?" Oliver asked her, once he saw she had settled on a comedy. "With you?” Felicity scooped spoon full of ice cream. "Always." She held the spoon toward him. And he grinned taking the offered bite, licking his lips, right before placing a kiss to her neck. Felicity gave a squeal. "Your lips are cold." He gave a laugh, wrapping his arm around her stomach and tugging her flushed against him, wrapping himself completely around her and found himself watching her more than he did the movie. It was moments like these with her that he loved the most. To just be with her there wasn't anything he loved more. He placed a lingering kiss to her shoulder as she snuggled deeper against him. ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ Oliver rolled onto his back with a groan, staring up at the ceiling. Damn it all to hell. But more importantly damn, Felicity Smoak. Before he met her, his life was a whole lot more simple. Go out, get laid, forget whoever it was he woke up with the next morning. Now, he was still going out and getting laid but they'd leave as soon as he called them by another woman's name not that he cared that they left to begin with but that was only after they slapped him or called him a dick or another colorful name. But that didn't really bother him. He was a dick he knew that. What was starting to bother him was his damn dreams. At first they had been your typical guy dreams which consisted, hot sweaty sex but now he was having dreams of cuddling with Felicity on the couch or like the nights from a couple nights ago he had a dream about making her a romantic dinner and running her a nice bubble bath after she had a long day at work. His dreams about Felicity even though he fantasized about her all the time was becoming domestic and sweet like if they were in a long standing committed relationship. And even after waking up a part of him wished it was real. A part of him wanted that with Felicity. What the hell was that woman doing to him.

[thechasefiles]

The Chase Files Daily Newscap 9/12/2018

Good MORNING #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Wednesday September 12th 2018. Remember you can read full articles by purchasing MidWeek Nation Newspaper (MWN), via Barbados Today (BT) or Barbados Government Information Services (BGIS).

ATHERLEY: USE NOOSE – It is time to resume hanging people in Barbados when all their appeals have been exhausted. That’s the view of Opposition Leader Bishop Joseph Atherley, who on Tuesday maintained the death penalty could be a deterrent to some potential murderers. Speaking in House of Assembly during debate on the Offences Against the Person (Amendment) Bill, 2018, he stressed the death penalty should be executed expeditiously in instances where the courts have ultimately determined it to be the appropriate punishment for people convicted of murder. The bill, in the name of Attorney General Dale Marshall, was piloted by Member of Parliament for Christ Church East, Wilfred Abrahams. He said it was intended to bring Barbados’ laws into conformity with human rights conventions and to accord with decisions of the Privy Council, the Inter-American Court on Human Rights, and the Caribbean Court of Justice. (MWN)

MPS HOLD DEATH BILL – Lawmakers came as close as they have ever done to striking down a key provision of capital punishment, before putting a pause on the measure – the abolition of the automatic death sentence. The single-party Lower House withdrew the proposed amendment to the Offences Against the Person Act for further consideration by Government. The amendment was to bring the law in line with a Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) ruling that struck down the mandatory death sentence in in the appeal cases of Barbadian murder convicts Jabari Sensimania Nervais and Dwayne Omar Severin. Their separate appeals were consolidated because they both challenged the constitutionality of the mandatory death sentence for murder in Barbados. The justices ruled that a section of the Offences Against the Person Act was unconstitutional because it provided for a mandatory sentence of death. But legislators left a clear message that the death penalty will remain the law of the land. “Let there be no doubt that the Cabinet of Barbados has not made a decision to abolish the death penalty. Nothing we are doing here abolishes the death penalty. What we are doing simply is abolishing the mandatory nature of the death penalty and making corrections and amendments to legislation to give effect to that,” said Member of Parliament for Christ Church East Wilfred Abrahams, who piloted debate on the measure. “It is not as if we had a choice. While we might have delayed in following the dictates of the Inter-American Human Rights Court or following the dictates of the conventions that we are signatories to, from the time the CCJ made the ruling that the mandatory death penalty was unconstitutional the CCJ set out what the new law for Barbados was going forward,” he added But the amendment to the law was shelved immediately following concerns expressed during the speeches by three MPs – Ralph Thorne QC, Housing Minister Charles Griffith and Maritime Affairs Minister Kirk Humphrey. At the end of those contributions, acting leader of Government Business in the Lower Chamber of Parliament Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Bostic rose to table a successful motion that debate be suspended. Leading off the discussion when the House resumed its post-lunch session, an emotional Thorne was adamant that the provision in the bill which empowers a judge solely with the responsibility of sentencing a convicted person to death, should be removed. The senior attorney suggested that the decision should be made by jury, contending that it was too heavy a burden to place on the shoulders of one man or woman. “I want to submit to you your honour, and I want the public that feels very, very strongly on the issue of the death penalty, to consider whether the responsibility, the heavy and final responsibility of passing a sentence of death should fall on one person…whether it should fall alone on the shoulders of a judge or whether, as in some jurisdictions in the United States…that grave and weighty decision…should be made by a panel of 12 persons, and whether that panel of 12 persons would be allowed only to pass that sentence of death if they are unanimous,” suggested the MP for Christ Church South. He pointed to a murder case which was sent on appeal to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), in which it was the jury who had not only convicted the person but also condemned him to death. “Under the system that we are changing today at the urging of the Caribbean Court of Justice, in a very real sense, it was the jury that was not only convicting but was condemning that man to death. As I said, the judge’s role was ritualistic. This amendment today places that entire responsibility on the judge himself,” he said, adding that parliamentarians must now invite the wider public into this discussion. While the Queen’s Counsel was quick to point out that this discussion had no political borders but was a matter of conscience, he stressed that the masses now ought to have a say in whether a judge alone or jury by unanimous verdict should decide if someone should be executed. The senior lawyer also had issue with section 26 of the Constitution – the “savings clause” introduced in the Independence Constitution of 1966 to keep in force the full body of colonial law in force as the country ended 339 years of unbroken rule from London. Thorne explained that this provision ensured that the country maintained any “bad or unjust” laws which existed prior to independence in 1966. He recalled that a few weeks ago, the CCJ reminded Barbados that the clause should “not hold the country’s legal system hostage indefinitely. “That court remarked that in Belize, when they introduced their independence constitution, their savings law clause was expressed to be for five years. In other words, it was transitional. What the savings law clause does in Belize and what it ought to have done in Barbados 50 years ago, was to have urged the Parliament to get busy… that any law prior to independence which was unjust… any law that was ripe for amendment, the Parliament of the country was urged to amend that law,” he told the Lower Chamber. Thorne also remembered that the CCJ had said that the Barbados Parliament should get on with the business of correcting pre-Independence law as it related to this amendment. “What is being done today ought to have been done a long time ago and that we as legislators must spend our time looking constantly at law reform. There is so much law that needs reforming in Barbados. There is so much law that is antiquated. There is so much law that is irrelevant. There is so much law that needs to be updated with technological advances. “Except, if that law had been pre-independence, you cannot challenge it if you felt that law offended against the fundamental rights provisions,” he said, contending that parliamentarians had been brought to the House to approve the proposed legislation owing to the CCJ’s ruling. Thorne suggested that in the future, Parliament must use its initiative rather than have to act on the behest of external forces. He urged the Attorney General Dale Marshall that even when the amendment to the Offences Against the Person Act becomes law, he should return to the House soon to have it debate a system of degrees of murder as in other countries. “I think the time has come when the degrees ought to be extended beyond what we have presently. At this point in time, we only have murder and manslaughter. That’s all we have. And to be honest, sometimes you get a sense that a jury believes that the penalty for murder is so severe that what might otherwise be murder they reduce to manslaughter. I suspect there are juries who have found men guilty of the lesser offence of manslaughter simply because they don’t want the man hang,” added the prominent attorney. Responding to concerns expressed earlier by Opposition Leader Bishop Joseph Atherley, the leading defence lawyer assured that forensic evidence was alive and well in Barbados. “Forensics have made murder cases a lot easier. I think the first murder case that relied on forensic evidence was sometime around 2006. That is 12 years ago. So that we do have a forensic laboratory. It certainly has made rape cases a lot easier to deal with because the man cannot say he did not do it, if they prove the semen is his. A lot of men used to come to court and say, ‘me? Not me, I wasn’t there’.  But forensic evidence can place him there; quite literally and physically,” Thorne told the Lower Chamber of Parliament. In his speech, Minister in the Ministry of Housing, Lands and Rural Development Charles Griffith told the Chamber that he was only supporting the Bill because of the mitigating provisions which justified the abolition of the mandatory death sentence. Griffith, a community worker and MP for St John, sought to make a case for leniency for young men in particular, who come from dysfunctional homes, follow bad company and end up in court due to foolish decision. “Those socio-economic problems that we have across Barbados must be fixed, if we are to reduce the court system that we would see youngsters engaging in murder,” he said. The St John MP suggested that in handing down sentences for murder, courts should consider giving a second chance to those who are genuinely sorry and are willing to turn their lives around. “I believe that we should not deprive persons who are seeking redemption to have that redemption and have that redemption coming from the state. So therefore, those guys who found themselves in situations of bad company, or in a situation where, whatever it is that went wrong, and the remorse is actually there and we can see that there is remorse, must be provided with a second chance in life to show that . . . ‘I am prepared to give back to society,’” according to Griffith. The St John Parliamentarian urged the Government – and other legislators – to find a way to reintegrate these people into society. In his contribution, Minister of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy Kirk Humphrey called for wider public discussion on the death penalty, while at the same time supporting the proposal to abolish the mandatory death sentence. Humphrey shared the concerns of Griffith regarding the plight of persons from the lower socio-economic bracket in society who end up on the wrong side of the law. “I share his views entirely as it relates to the struggles faced by people of lower socioeconomic status; and I know it is disproportionate in the way that persons born into certain classes may find themselves, one, before the court and two, guilty. And that has always bothered me about the death penalty. But there will be a conversation for that another time,” added the MP for St Michael South. The sitting was adjourned until Tuesday, September 18 at 10 a.m. (BT)

EX-PM WEIGHS IN ON NEW MEASURES – Breaking his silence on the Mia Mottley administration’s tax measures, Owen Arthur has singled out his opposition to some of the attempts to raise money, particularly in the tourism industry. Stating that he had deliberately stayed silent on the matter for some time, and that he was not about to be critical, Arthur went on to detail his objections, especially taxes on the island’s bread and butter tourism industry. “The move towards taxing tourism heavily is a reversal of an important policy,” Arthur said in response to questions from the audience during the lecture, which was held under the theme The IMF and the Caribbean: New Directions for a New Relationship. It was in her June 11 mini-budget that Prime Minister Mia Mottley announced a suite of taxes including three different rates of a new Room Levy on hotel rooms, a 2.5 per cent product development levy on direct tourism services, and a 10 per cent tax on the shared economy. In addition, international travel will attract a US$70 Airline Travel and Tourism Development tax, while travel within the region will attract a charge of US$35. “There are things that I did as minister of finance that I thought were the right things to do – when I inherited the ministry of finance there were about 11 different ways of collecting indirect taxes. I said I am going to abolish them and collect taxes via VAT [Value Added Tax]. That is what I did and that helped. I don’t believe that you should have a system where you have multiple taxes and little bits and pieces of taxes, and taxes upon taxes,” said Arthur. “I don’t agree that you should go back to a situation where you have a large number of different ways of collecting indirect tax. I do not believe that you should have taxes on exports. The Value Added Tax was introduced in Barbados to allow us not to have taxes on exports and investment, but taxes should fall on consumption,” he said. The former Prime Minister argued that growth and development would come through the expansion of existing enterprise, while suggesting that this would be more difficult if they were being heavily taxed. In her budgetary measures, Mottley, who is also Minister of Finance, Economic Affairs and Investment, announced that effective July 1, the highest percentage of corporation tax would increase from 25 per cent to 30 per cent, in an effort to raise about $57 million in a full year. However, Arthur said in order for Barbados to be the most competitive in the region it should have “the best corporation tax”. “I brought down the corporation tax from 40 per cent down to 25 per cent and down to 12 [per cent] to make Barbados the most competitive economy in the Caribbean from a tax point of view. I would not agree now to carry it back up to 30 per cent,” said Arthur. (BT)

PRIVATE SECTOR MUST HELP! – The private sector in Barbados has been challenged to step up and help to resuscitate the economy. It came from former Prime Minister Owen Arthur during a lecture Monday night on The IMF And The Caribbean: New Directions For A New Relationship. It was held at the Roy Marshall Teaching Complex, University of the West Indies, Cave Hill. He said economic recovery could be a hard road to travel, but stressed that “the state cannot carry the responsibilities of everybody”.  Noting inefficiencies in state-owned enterprises, Arthur suggested a model of private sector ownership but “with a high level of participation by workers”. He said privatisation would combine enfranchisement with a generation of productivity. (MWN)

BRIEF PSV MINI-STRIKE AT NEW RIVER BUS STAND – Just four days after the ‘real’ opening of the new Constitution River bus terminal and already there is controversy at the new facility for public service vehicles. Operators on the 3D Bridgetown-Airport route went on strike this morning, claiming that the current set up placed them at a disadvantage. Drivers took their vehicles off the road from 11 a.m. but returned at 2 p.m. after their representative body assured them that they would seek to have the matter addressed urgently. Chairman of the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT), Roy Raphael, told Barbados TODAY that the Route 3D operators were upset because the number 11 vans, which essentially operated a slightly shorter version of the same Christ Church route, were loading passengers on a separate concourse. According to Raphael, this meant that the number 11 vans were overwhelming the competition with sheer numbers. “We learned that the 3D men were off the road because they had some issues with parking. They felt that there should be a loading bay that carries everybody that travels on that particular Christ Church route,” said Raphael. The number 11 route has 75 vans on that route, he said, “which means that persons would congregate on the platform that has the most vans available”, he said. The AOPT chairman revealed that the matter has been brought to the attention of the Transport Authority with a meeting set for the morning. “We told them that there was going to be some issues but these are the early days. We don’t expect all of them to be resolved in a day but this one, which could be resolved in an hour. We tried to meet with the director of the Transport Authority today but he was not in office. “So we told them to go back to work and we would meet with the Authority at 10 am tomorrow and we expect that the matter is going to be easily resolved,” Raphael said. But the advocate for privately owned public service vehicle operators and owners, made it clear that in the unforeseen event that the issue proves too difficult to resolve, AOPT was prepared to ramp up action. “We should embrace the terminal and we understand that is a new way of operating in the sector. However, we certainly don’t want problems to escalate as they did today and we don’t want a situation where others come and join the strike. We are prepared to talk with the Transport Authority but if the matter is not resolved we are prepared to take further action on this,” said Raphael, who also suggested that route taxis on some of the more heavily subscribed routes be placed elsewhere. (BT)

FIRE DESTROYS HOME – Personnel from the Barbados Fire Service responded to a house fire at Buckingham Road, Bank Hall, St Michael earlier this morning. Reports are that the wooden structure was destroyed. Two tenders answered the emergency call around 6:24. More details as they come to hand.  (MWN)

COSTLY HABIT FOR CLARKE – A self-employed man will no doubt have to make some huge sacrifices within the next three months if he wants to avoid a 12-month stint at Dodds prison. That’s how long 26-year-old Sean Kent Omari Clarke has been given to pay a $7,000 fine to the No. 2 District ‘A’ Magistrate’s Court. Bridgetown Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant imposed the sum after he pleaded guilty to possession, possession with intent to supply and trafficking 584 grammes of cannabis as well as possession of apparatus for the misuse of the illegal substance. Police acting on a tip ventured to Clarke’s home earlier today where they found in the enclosed yard, a bag containing 19 wax paper wrappings containing the illicit drug and a blender with traces of the contraband. “You find the weed in here, it is mine,” the accused told police when asked to account for the drug in his possession. “I does use it to grind weed,” he reportedly responded when questioned about the blender. “That weed in that bag is mine too that I had stashed off,” he allegedly said when another quantity of the drug was discovered in a lunch bag located in the kitchen. In mitigating for a lenient sentence, attorney-at-law Shadia Simpson told the magistrate her client had made a “poor decision” but had taken full responsibility for his action by entering an early guilty plea. The drugs had an estimated street value of $5,000. (BT)

NO BAIL FOR BASCOMBE – Patrick Mark Bascombe has been remanded to prison at the ripe age of 61, accused of committing an offence almost a year ago. It is alleged that Bascombe, of no fixed place of abode, unlawfully and maliciously wounded Jamar Waldron on October 7, 2017. He has denied the criminal charge levelled against him. The prosecutor objected to bail for Bascombe on the grounds he was known to the courts – with over 60 convictions, most of them of a similar nature – and the fact that he had no fixed address and due to the seriousness of the offence. However, the accused charged that he had a Greenfield, St Michael address and had a job which he did not want to lose, and as such would like to be offered bail. Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant denied his application for bail and gave him an October 9 date to return before the No. 2 District ‘A’ Court. (BT)

MOLLY GONE – A sombre mood gripped the Bridgetown Fish Market as family and fisherfolk reflected on the life of Stephen Molly Small who died after he being robbed and stabbed last Thursday evening. Relatives and colleagues could not contain their grief, with some of them openly weeping for a man they said was a good man who did not deserve to die a horrid death. His grieving mother Elsa Small was visibly distraught as she sat at the Bridgetown Fisheries Complex where her son plied his trade. She told Barbados TODAY that she had lost the best child she had ever had and would bring him back if she could. “I cannot hold it any more than tell you that he gone. If I could bring him back I would but I cannot. The best child that I ever had he gone,” she said, the pain etched on her face as she reflected on her youngest son. And Small not only demanded retribution for his death but seemed certain of the identity of a woman as his killer. “I tell wunna so already bring she out, put she on that pole there and tie she and anybody that want she, look she here do wha’ wunna like. But I know wunna can’t do that; that is government,” Small said.  Reflecting on his earlier life she said that her son was an avid basketball player who played with the Hawks and when he came home with an injury she would tend to him. “I tend to he when he come home and he hurt he knee. When he come home and he hurt he knee I band it up just like how I got my one foot here band up right now,” Small’s mother said, likening the loss of her son to the limb now replaced by a prosthetic leg. “I got one foot and I lost my baby. That is one dey sitting down too [referring to his sister Sylvia Small]. If the first did dead I wouldn’t mind, if the second did dead I wouldn’t mind but praise God them carry along the best. If she wants he give her. My children live good if I beat one them gone in the corner like puppies and I would say ‘What you crying for and beat all three of them.’ I did not beat one and left the next the three of them live real good them only holding up now. The last is the one to go down and we not going to see him no more. We ain’t going to see him no more, I am not going to see my son no more,” she said. Small recounted that the last thing she did was to touch Molly’s toes after which she was told that her son was now deceased. “The last thing I did was touch my son’s toes and my son wriggle he toes in my hand and when I [went] back my child did [dead]. I am not going to tell you a lie but God hold me from then till now he tell me don’t cry any more. I take him out of his pain because he was in pain,” she said as she rested her head back on one of the stalls in the Bridgetown Fish Market. His close friend and work colleague with whom he shared a stall for almost 20 years, Sharon Bellamy-Thompson, said that she was shocked upon hearing the news that Molly had passed. “When I got the news I was shocked. I burst into tears. I would have known Molly . . . close to 20 years. He was a humble man, a great man. You know the market had a lot of noise but I have never heard Molly curse or be angry – this man is a gem. There is not another person in here that I can identify Molly’s ways with not one other person,” Bellamy-Thompson said, adding that he would give fish to persons who were in need or did not have enough finances to cover their purchase as that was the kind of gentleman he was. “You could ask him for anything. Many time older people that would come here to the fish market and they are short of money and they want fish or anything, he would have given it to them. He is always willing to help,” Bellamy-Thompson said. She also noted that Small would be sorely missed as they shared a close bond through the years as they plied their trade side by side in Stall #4. “It is very hard for me because he is the first person I see when I [get] here and the last person I see. I see him more than I see my own family as I spend about 12 hours at the fish market. He is known to us as our dad, our papa, as he is the senior to everyone in Stall #4,” she said. A fellow worker in Stall#4, Ricardo Layne, became distraught as he spoke about Molly whom he referred to as Papi because the love he shared for Molly was almost like if he was his father. “When I got the call the morning, Sharon called me and told me that Papi get stab up. I said, ‘How you mean Papiget stab up?’ I said, “You have the wrong person, not Molly. It hit me like someone actually hit me in my head with a rock I was so confused. I was in pain, I came to work and when I got to work the atmosphere was different in here was dead everything was down-spirited. Look, when I think about it, it does got me offset,” he said fighting back the tears. Layne said that on that fateful evening he was to receive a ride home with Molly as he normally did but an intervention from Sharon Bellamy-Thompson to go on an errand stopped him from witnessing the ordeal. “If I was there that night time they would have to kill all two of us. Cause I cannot stand and see anybody doing my Papi nothing. I figure if I was there that it would not have gotten so far, I do not feel that it would have gotten so far,” he said. There was quiet in the entire Bridgetown Fish Market as vendors openly grieved for a man who they considered to be a “good man” and a “gem”. In tribute, an empty chair remained by the table where Molly played cards – 30 hand tonk – with his colleagues. One of them was so upset he sat in his chair openly weeping with other colleagues embracing him. The fisherfolk have made a condolence board in the market for both patrons and workers to leave their signatures. (BT)

WARRIORS BOOK PLACE IN FINAL AFTER EDGING KNIGHT RIDERS IN THRILLER – Guyana Amazon Warriors booked their place in the 2018 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) final after edging past Trinbago Knight Riders by two wickets on a thrillingly tense night in Providence. Rain throughout much of the day resulted in difficult batting conditions throughout this Playoff clash, in stark contrast to a couple of nights ago when the Warriors blitzed the same opponents with a quick-fire run-chase in the final group-stage game. But the Warriors’ heroes from that night, Shimron Hetmyer and Sherfane Rutherford, combined again to rescue Guyana’s chase of the Knight Riders’ 122/7 from the depths of 52/5 after 12 overs. (MWN)

NO CONTINGENT FOR HUNTSMAN GAMES THIS YEAR – For the first time since 2004, Barbados will not have a delegation at the Huntsman World Senior Games, when they come off next month in Utah. This announcement came from Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, Cynthia Forde, at a recent meeting with the athletes.  She explained that some senior athletes who excelled in the National Senior Games meet, held locally on Whit Monday, were usually afforded the opportunity to travel to Utah to represent Barbados at the international meet. Minister Forde noted that given the current economic climate, the price tag to send a contingent this year was “simply too high”.  She added that it would be remiss of her to fund this trip, when there were so many other people who could be assisted with those funds. Forde, however, stressed that this decision was only temporary, and that the Ministry would resume sending a team to the overseas meet as soon as it was economically feasible to do so. (BGIS)

FREE RODENT BAIT AT EMERALD CITY ON SATURDAY –The staff of the St Philip Environmental Health Department will join forces with their counterparts at the David Thompson Health and Social Services Complex on Saturday, September 15, to educate the public about leptospirosis and other rodent related diseases. The event takes place on the grounds of the Emerald City Supermarket, Six Roads, St Philip, from 4 to 6 p.m.  During the event, information will also be shared about proper baiting techniques and rodent bait will be distributed to the public free of cost. (BGIS)

NATIONAL CLEAN-UP IN BRITTONS HILL ON SATURDAY – The Ministry of Environment and National Beautification will be taking its National Clean-up and Beautification Campaign to Britton’s Hill, St Michael, on Saturday, September 15, World Clean-up Day, starting at 10 a.m. Themed Many Hands, the campaign will be targeting bulky waste and derelict vehicles in the area.  There will also be some debushing.  Residents are asked to put out their old appliances, old furniture and other bulky items from as early as Thursday, September 13. This is to allow representatives of the Sanitation Service Authority to see exactly how much garbage is “on the ground” to be collected, said Waste Management Coordinator with the Project Management Coordination Unit, Thora Lorde. Brittons Hill residents are urged to place the bulky waste in areas that are easily accessible for collection. It is important for residents to separate items made of metal from other items.  “For instance, if you have old paling and old paint buckets, don’t put them in one pile; put them in separate piles because where the plastic goes and where the metal goes are two different areas. “Persons are encouraged to assist as much as possible in the clean-up programme. If people want to come out and use their whackers to do a little debushing please come out; we are looking for that type of community effort,” Lorde explained. Individuals, community groups, and non-governmental organisations across Barbados are also asked to join in the national campaign by organising clean-up activities in their communities. (BGIS)

For daily or breaking news reports follow us on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter & Facebook. That’s all for today folks. There are 111 days left in the year. Shalom! #thechasefilesdailynewscap #thechasefiles# dailynewscapsbythechasefiles

[charlinert]

As Easy as Falling 23/?

New Chapter of As Easy As Falling….

A/N: TISSUE ALERT! The angst continues....

Summary:  Felicity Smoak had everything figured out until tragic news causes her to rethink her life. As part of dealing with tragedy she embraces her adventurous side in the form of skydiving. Will love be waiting for her between the clouds or will she let tragedy keep her away from falling?

Read from the BEGINNING AO3

***************

CHAPTER 23

Felicity! 

Don’t go baby girl I still need you!

Felicity!

Don’t die, please don’t leave me!

Felicity!

Felicity!

I love you Felicity!

Felicity!

I can’t imagine my life without you!

Don’t go!

She wakes up with a scream. When she finally registers where she is, she’s on her couch under the blanket Oliver left there after their movie night. She must have fallen asleep after getting home from their babysitting outing that turned into her breaking up with Oliver. It’s cold outside, the first signs of fall approaching, but her hair is wet from the sweat of the nightmare. It’s no surprise to her anymore, since this is a reoccurrence for the last three weeks. The only time she hasn’t had one of these was when Oliver stayed over.

She sighs as she stretches herself out on the couch to gain her composure. She wipes her hands over her face and feels the remnants of the tears that must have fallen during the dream.

No one said that this journey is going to be easy, but if it only stayed with the side effects, that she could cope with, but now her mind is cooking up all these different scenarios of her friends and family not surviving without her and it scares her.

This morning Oliver confessed his love to her and all she wanted to do was tell him she feels the same but instead she saw the reality of a future slip away before her eyes and she knew by telling him what he wanted to hear was giving him hope for something that was never going to happen.

It is single-handedly the most difficult thing she’s ever had to since she told her mom that she has cancer.

After a while she feels that she’s tortured herself enough by giving over to her thoughts and needs some serious comfort. If she can’t have a man thanks to this terrible disease it will not stop her from devouring a pint of her favourite mint choc chip calling out to her from the freezer.

Deciding that coffee and sugar are now the best form of comfort food, she puts on her very expensive coffee machine while she retrieves the ice cream from her freezer.

She’s just about to put a spoonful in her mouth when there’s a knock on the door. She freezes at the sound and stands unmoving in her kitchen, hoping that whoever it is will think she’s either sleeping or not home and leave. The last thing she wants now is to talk to anyone…in fact she’s forced herself not to talk to anyone in the last two weeks.

Just when she thinks her plan has worked, there’s another knock. Who can it be?

“Felicity, I know you’re home, please open the door.”

Oliver, it’s Oliver. From everyone in the ‘I don’t want to talk to you list’ the person that’s right on top of that list is standing outside her door. She has so many mixed emotions. Her heart is calling out to him but her head is telling her to stay put.

His knocking becomes persistent. “Felicity! Open the door please.”

She sighs knowing that he’s not going to give up and she has no other choice but to open the door and face Oliver Queen.

She moves slowly taking steady deep breaths as she tries to regulate the rhythm of her racing heart. She takes a moment before turning the knob, wondering if he’s angry or if her heart is going to break with the look of disappointment on his face…she turns the knob and instead it’s neither one of the looks she saw in her mind’s eye…the blue orbs are bluer than normal and there’s so much love reflecting in them that throws her emotions in a frenzy. She starts sobbing in the doorway and without wondering, Oliver wraps her in his strong arms as she cries.

They stand there in the doorway for a while, no one moving. He smells so incredible to her. His presence has become a sense of peace to her and feeling him holding her calms her down. He gently breaks away from her and brings his hand to her face. His warmth is unnerving and right there she wants to take back everything she said to him but she can’t. If she loves him as much as she does right at this moment, she has to follow through.

“What are you doing here?” she asks.

“Can I come in?”

“Oliver, it’s not a good idea.”

“Why? Because you told me there’s no future after I told you I love you?” she can hear the frustration in his voice but he keeps his cool.

She doesn’t answer; in fact she doesn’t know what to answer.

“Look, I’ll get out of your hair and I’ll leave if you want me to, but first you need to make me understand what’s going on, because Felicity, this right here, this isn’t you.”

She knows he’s right, but she’s terrified if she lets him in it will be like last night, that she doesn’t want him to leave again. Despite her better judgement she moves aside for him to come in and closes the door.

He wastes no time and sits down on the couch. He’s obviously nervous but he hides it well. She sits next to him and for the first time since they’ve met it’s slightly awkward.

“Tell me what’s going on with you please?” he says, wanting to get to the bottom of this.

“I already told you, there’s no future for us Oliver.” she has no idea how she said that so quickly and with a straight face at that, her heart wants to break, but this is how it must be.

“Okay fine, two can play this game. Can you please explain to me why you would tell your mother I was taking you to the Medical Centre on the days she was supposed to do it?”

She can feel all the blood draining from her face. She feels sick and this time it has absolutely nothing to do with her actually being sick. How did he find out about that? Her mom wouldn’t have told him out of her own, she wouldn’t challenge Oliver on taking her for treatments, it’s just not who she is.

“Before you say anything else you should know that Curtis and your mom have been speaking to me.”

She gulps at the thought that they have been discussing her behind her back. She wants to be angry but she can’t. She lied and now he’s challenging her on everything she’s said and done these last two weeks. There’s no escape except for the truth.

“Okay…I…uhm…” she has no idea where to start.

“Just tell me…did you skip the treatments?”

“No, I never skipped any treatments. I…I made use of a taxi service because I knew I wouldn’t be able to drive myself.”

He gives a sigh of relief and it makes her heart hurt even more.

“Look Oliver, I didn’t mean to lie, I just…I didn’t…I have my reasons.”

“I get that Felicity, but I think you owe it to me and everyone else to explain those reasons. Like I told you before, I will leave you alone as you asked, but I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on and saying that we don’t have a future, when just last night you held on to me like you never wanted to let go, is not a reason.”

His gaze softens as he gently adds; “I’ll be making coffee over there,” indicating to the kitchen, “so, when you’re ready to tell me, you know where to find me.”

She doesn’t offer anything in response as he gets up to walk to the kitchen. She knows she owes them all an explanation but she has no idea how to even put her feelings into words.

After a few breathing exercises she finds some courage and walks over to the kitchen where Oliver is sitting on the counter drinking his cup of black coffee. She can see the concern in his eyes beyond the smile he gives her when he shifts his attention to her entering the room.

She pours herself a cup too and hops on the counter on the opposite side of him. She stares at him, knowing he won’t say a word, so it’s up to her to start and get this over with.

“I’m sorry I lied.” she starts. She can see that he’s not planning on interrupting her until she’s said everything she needs to say.

“I’m scared.” she confesses for the first time to anyone. “I’ve been having dreams…more like nightmares really…about dying, about leaving my mom, Curtis…and you.”

“My mom…I’m all she has. What’s going to happen to her when I’m gone? Who’s going to look after her, will she cope without me? I’m scared she’s not going to be able to deal with my death and I don’t want that for her. I’d rather she get used to not having me around than…”

“And Curtis?” he interrupts, not wanting to hear the actual words leave her lips.

“Curtis…my sweet Curtis.” She smiles thinking of her friend. “Do you know that since I’ve been home sick he’s phoned me every single day to find out whether or not the procedures he’s implementing are correct? He doesn’t trust himself at all and I know it takes time to grow into a new professional position but what if he doesn’t make it? What if QC decides he’s not good enough and he gets fired? Then he will be without a job and it will be my fault. So by pushing him away he’s learning to stand on his own two feet and not rely on me being there.”

“Fine.” he says but it’s not convincing. “I don’t understand why you’re pushing me away Felicity?”

“Your dad.”

He looks confused but he lets her explain.

“You hit rock bottom after your dad’s death and even though you’re speaking to Thea again, you still haven’t recovered from the guilt. To me I’ve almost felt like I was your second chance, a chance to do things differently, things you couldn’t do right with your dad. Now you say you love me and I can’t help wondering if you really do love me or if it’s mere words to get me to stay because I’m your little project.”

She can see the hurt in his eyes, but he asked for honesty and that’s what she’s giving him.

“I can’t have you feel like you failed again. I can’t have you feel the guilt that you couldn’t save me and fall into that dark pit again. I won’t be the cause of you hitting rock bottom again Oliver, I won’t!” she’s determined for him to see this situation from her point of view. “I’m dying...I’ve accepted it, maybe it’s time you did too.” she gulps back the tears and sips on her coffee to try and hide the emotion on her face.

He stares at her for a while, his expression unreadable and it’s driving her crazy that she doesn’t know what he’s thinking.

“Oliver, please say something.” she prods him for a response.

“Okay, let me get this straight.” he starts, his voice gentle without judgement. “You’re pushing everyone away because you’ve made up your mind that you’re going to die without finding out if the treatment even worked?”

“Who says it worked?” she counters.

“Felicity who says it didn’t? You will only have the results in a week and you’re making life choices without thinking this through.”

“Look, I can’t pretend to know what you’re going through, but what are you going to do when you find out that the treatment did work and you pushed away everyone you care about because you were scared?”

“Love.” she says ever so softly that he can barely hear her.

“Excuse me?” he responds with his cute furrowed brow.

“Everyone I love. I don’t just care about those people Oliver, I love them.”

She can see the moment the words dawn on him, but his voice is stuck in his throat.

“Yes Oliver, I love you. I think I’ve loved you from the start, but I…”

“No you can Felicity.” he interrupts her as he jumps off the counter and walks to her sitting on the opposite side of the kitchen.

He takes the mug from her hand and places it next to her. When he looks up at her, the tears she’s been trying to keep back spill over her cheeks. He uses his thumb to wipe them away and that breaks the wall, she sobs and he pulls her close to his chest and he lets her cry, whispering softly in her ears that it’s going to be okay.

She pulls back and immediately focuses her attention at the big wet mark on his shirt and lightly touches it with her fingers.

“Your shirt.” she says between sobs.

He covers her hand on his shirt with his own and gently places a soft kiss to her forehead and whispers, “it’s nothing.”

“Felicity.” he says and she finally looks at him with those beautiful eyes of hers. Those eyes that captivated him from the moment he saw them. “I love you,” he says but before she can argue he continues, “and not just because you’re my second chance, because you are, but because you really make me happy. I knew there was something there the moment I met you…there was just something about you.” he smiles recalling the day they met.

“I know this is hard, but I’m begging you…please, please don’t give up now…please don’t let go.”

His words are so raw and her heart shatters in a million pieces. She wants this, she wants him but is love stronger than fear?

“It is.” he says and she realises that she just said it out loud.

“You’re not alone Felicity. We love you and we don’t want you to go through this alone. Please…please say you won’t give up?” his eyes are pleading and despite her fear she presses her lips to his. It’s hard and honest. Her arms curl around his neck as she pulls him closer to her. Their mouths in perfect harmony, as the kiss deepens.

When they break away for breath, they keep their foreheads pressed to each other as they breathe each other in and lips still lingering, not wanting to let go just yet.

“I love you Oliver.” he closes his eyes at the sound of the words he’s been longing to hear.

“I want to fight to live.” she says breaking their contact but fixing her eyes on his. “I’m going to fight this. As long as I have breath, I’m going to fight this.”

“No,” he says gently kissing her. “We’re going to fight this…together.” 

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