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wineanddinosaur · 4 years

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The 15 Best Drinks-Focused TV Shows — and What to Sip While Watching

Binge-watching a favorite television show is a universal hobby, and that was true even before the pandemic. While we wouldn’t recommend binge drinking while doing so, pairing a can’t-miss series with a must-have drink is a natural combination. With moderation in mind, of course.

As it happens, many of the best television shows of all time are also the booziest. We’ve seen everything cross our screens at this point, from iconic television bars to cartoon characters who would handily drink anyone under the table — and even entire drink revolutions spawned by popular shows. The Cosmo, anybody?

Pull up your streaming service, find your favorite show below, and get ready to pop open a bottle or mix up some cocktails with these perfect TV-drink pairings.

15. ‘Succession’

Viewers of “Succession” were likely introduced to the idea of “hyper-decanting” (read: blending, as in, with a blender) your wine prior to serving. But beyond that questionable idea, the show has plenty to offer. “We think ‘Succession’ is the best show television has seen in a long time — from the acting, script, and the epic music, it’s a winning combination,” says Joseph Mintz, co-founder with Amanda Victoria of Siponey canned cocktails.

“Amanda is a huge fan of Scottish actor Brian Cox, who plays Logan Roy, and I would love to share a dram with Mr. Cox,” Mintz says. Not a bad idea, considering that Cox enjoys enduring internet fame for the video pronunciation guides for Scotch brands he made with Esquire. Pair with a hard-to-pronounce single-malt Scotch — only the best for the Roys!

14. ‘Dead to Me’

The Liz Feldman-produced dark comedy has gone through two seasons thus far, with a third en route. And while many shows have unofficial drinking games, “Dead to Me” and Netflix posted an official one before Season 2 dropped this spring. Highlights include drinking twice if someone drinks on screen, or finishing your drink if “Karen almost ruins everything” (trust us, it happens).

Wine is very much what’s being glugged on screen, though you’ll find a cast of characters willing to open a bottle of just about anything on this show. But for a pairing, go with a gluggable red or an orange wine, which gets name-dropped in the first episode of Season 2 by way of a sub-Reddit about menopause.

13. ‘BoJack Horseman’

Everything you need to know about “BoJack Horseman” the show, and BoJack Horseman the, uh, horse man, can be summed up with a scene where he’s looking for a drink to forget his problems, gets served vodka, and taunts the bartender in response, “What is this, breakfast?” For Ben Rojo, brand ambassador for Don Papa Rum, such a scene encapsulates the show’s ethos. “’BoJack Horseman’ is my favorite show of all time! It’s such an honest and human depiction of depression, through the lens of a giant cartoon horse-person,” he says.

For Rojo, the ongoing theme that setbacks are not the opposite of progress is a highlight, and one of the best reasons to watch. “The characters’ sublimation of trauma through substances is a little on the nose,” he says, “but there’s something oddly gratifying about watching Princess Carolyn down a bottle of ‘Catbernet’ after a rough day while sitting on your couch and doing the same.” “Catbernet” it is, though Cabernet will do in a pinch. Just don’t try to go drink-for-drink with BoJack.

12. ‘Entourage’

“Entourage” was either the show you loved or the show you loved to hate. But either way, you probably watched. And the freewheeling, big-spending lifestyle certainly lends itself to some fun drink pairings.

“So, with ‘Entourage,’ there’s one guy making all the money and a bunch of other people orbiting him and starting shenanigans; it’s like Seinfeld only everyone is super hot, and like all my favorite trash TV, it’s easy to get hooked whether you want to or not,” says Erica Long of Sourced Craft Cocktails.

She suggests going just as big as the characters might. “Watching ‘Entourage’ screams an occasion to be a little over the top to me and that means bubbles,” Long says. “A bottle of Moët and a bottle of Dom because Vinnie Chase would never pick just one.”

11. ‘The Simpsons’

“The Simpsons” doesn’t pull many punches with its social commentary, and the world of drinking is taken head on, too. Barney Gumble is the poster boy for a love of drink gone wrong, as is Duff for the ubiquitous big-brand beer that will sacrifice all for more profits. We’ve heard there are one or two scenes where Homer indulges in a few of the beers himself.

Then there’s Moe Szyslak and his eponymous Moe’s, a neighborhood dive if there ever was one. Until, that is, the smash success of the Flaming Moe, a drink Moe stole from Homer. Duh duh duh. If you’re feeling fancy (and have a fire extinguisher handy, just in case) make a flaming cocktail and you’ll feel like you’re right there at Flaming Moe’s, too. Otherwise, channel your inner Duff with Schlitz or Natty Boh.

10. ‘Archer’

If James Bond drank even more than he already does, followed even fewer rules, and generally caused even more mayhem, the result would be Archer, Sterling Archer. The title character of the show by the same name is famous for his one-liners, and none more so than, “All I’ve had today is, like, six gummy bears and some Scotch.” The man enjoys himself a drink or 12.

In the show’s world, Glengoolie is Archer’s Scotch of choice, a drink known as being “for the best of times.” At other times, though, Archer lambastes the use of sour mix in a Margarita, and praises the virtues of the Bloody Mary, saying: “Forget the glass, Woodhouse, just give me the pitcher. For I am a sinner in the hands of an angry god. Bloody Mary, full of vodka, blessed are you among cocktails. Pray for me now, at the hour of my death, which I hope is soon.”

You have plenty of options, clearly, for your drink of choice while watching. Of course, if you want the evening to be the best of times, Scotch is the way to go.

9. ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’

Pull me a pint at Paddy’s Pub and I’ll be a happy man. Just don’t make me do any Charlie work for the privilege.

“’It’s Always Sunny’ is the greatest show in general but drinking might help you get on the gang’s level a little easier,” says Nick Sadowski, distiller at Philadelphia Distilling. “The show comments on every hot topic in society, usually with some part of the gang taking one side and the other taking the other side.” The show is edgy, delving into controversial conversations that others might steer away from. What makes it work is that the characters have these un-P.C. conversations in a way that showcases their ignorance and obliviousness to the rest of society. “All the jokes are ultimately on them — with them or without them realizing it — and it’s the reason they’re still making the show 15 years later.”

Sadowski says he doesn’t want you to overthink your pairings here. “Rip some shots and drink a Coors or Hamm’s, or whatever you can find, bud,” he suggests. “Eat some rum ham and a hard-boiled egg while you’re at it.”

8. ‘Game of Thrones’

Raise your hand if you own an “I drink and I know things” T-shirt. There’s a few of you, at least. Meanwhile, in Westeros, the only thing more common than a dead royal is a dead royal who liked to drink too much. Siblings Tyrion and Cersei Lannister enjoyed more than their fair share, as did, of course, Robert Baratheon. But few characters didn’t imbibe heavily in the show, and who could blame them? Living in a world rife with betrayal and back stabbings, murders and coups, dragons and White Walkers and … yeah, that Dornish red looks pretty appetizing.

With the popularity of the show and its penchant for booze, some official options for your pairing pleasure were made available, including partnerships with Ommegang beer and Johnnie Walker Scotch. When you don’t want to go corporate, though, just fill up a beer stein with the strongest suds you can find — all the better if you opt for an old-school barleywine or mead.

7. ‘Futurama’

In the “Futurama” universe, robots must heartily consume alcohol as fuel, and the underpinnings of that metaphor are fairly clear. “Looking at Bender as a character representing the ‘working class everyman’ it’s easy to see why he’s literally fueled by alcohol,” says Sother Teague, beverage director of New York’s Amor y Amargo. “For him, it’s an absolute necessity to perform optimally. For us, it’s often a crutch to help cope with the things we either can’t change, disagree with, or don’t understand. Obviously this is an exaggerated characterization but one worthy of a little navel gazing.”

Even so, there’s room for bartenders in the show. “It’s also comforting to think that the role of bartender is still a valuable member of future society as portrayed by iZac, a parody of the beloved ’70s era barman of TV’s ‘Love Boat,’” Teague says. He’s going everyman with his suggestions, too, calling for you to find your favorite lawnmower beer, or what he prefers to call hammock beer, more properly fitting how he’d partake. “And on the side, Jägermeister! Plus, there’s a scene where iZac pours Jäger.”

6. ‘Absolutely Fabulous’

For Aubrey Slater, a bartender who’s worked at many New York bars over a 25-year career, British sitcom “Ab Fab” is the perfect call back to the neon-tinged ’90s, when “the economy was great, everyone had money to spend,” she says. “I was also a go-go dancer at Limelight and Palladium, and had a lot of friends in the vogue-ball houses. One of them introduced me to “Absolutely Fabulous”!

Slater describes the characters as icons who epitomized the decade as independent businesswomen, who were also fashionistas and party girls. “They had a frosted glass double-door refrigerator constantly stocked with Veuve and Bollinger, and they drank Stoli Martinis like water,” she says. As a perfect pairing, Slater recommends the Stoli-Bolli, a tall glass of Stolichnaya on the rocks topped with the Bollinger Champagne, which was created on the show.

5. ‘Billions’

In “Billions,” the only thing more important than having entirely way too much money is ensuring that the world knows it. Then there are a few subplots, like achieving those perfect moments of comeuppance, and planning new ways to screw over your rivals.

Both Bobby Axelrod and his cohorts, as well as Chuck Rhoades, know their way around a bar. Most typically, a whiskey bar, stocked with absurdly expensive bottles like Michter’s Celebration, or highly touted imports such as Kavalan. By all means, feel free to join in with a bottle of either. Or, just grab your favorite special-occasion whiskey from the shelf and pour yourself a dram of that.

4. ‘Sex and The City’

“Sex and the City” launched the Cosmopolitan to stratospheric heights, of course leading to its inevitable crash back to Earth. The Toby Cecchini-created drink is now often wrongly derided as a symbol of the darker years of cocktailing (when Appletinis and Long Island Iced Teas were the most interesting cocktails you could find).

Of course, there’s more to it than that. “’Sex and the City’ is the ultimate grab-your-girlfriends, veg-out-on-the-couch, and finish- off-your-favorite-bottle-of-booze show,” says Effie Panagopoulos, founder of KLEOS Mastiha. “That show was directly responsible for a huge increase in Cointreau sales in the ’90s, since it was a love letter to the Cosmopolitan and the city it was created in, New York.” For a classic combo, pair a “SATC” viewing session with a Cosmopolitan.

3. ‘Mad Men’

Ah, the good ol’ days of corporate life, when the two-Martini lunch wasn’t merely acceptable, but expected. From costume to set design, “what I loved most about ‘Mad Men’ was how incredibly detailed and on point every aspect of the show was,” says Alex Jump, head bartender at Death & Co Denver. “Of course, as a bartender, too, I appreciate how much attention they paid to the drinking trends and fads of the time, from how vodka was perceived, to Heineken’s role as a newer beer in the U.S. market.”

The bottle of whiskey at the desk channels Don Draper better than anything, and points us to the best show drink pairing. “Of course, I mostly drank whiskey while watching the show, particularly American whiskey for me,” Jump says. “I wasn’t trying to keep up with the guys on ‘Mad Men’ though, so sometimes I’d even enjoy mine as a Highball rather than slammed back in one quick gulp.” A modern solution!

2. ‘Scandal’

“Scandal’s” Olivia Pope, played by Kerry Washington, lives a very stressful life, putting out one political fire after another. And in times of need, wine is her friend indeed.

Crystal Sykes, a cocktail and culture writer based in the San Francisco Bay Area, says she thinks about “Scandal” every time she writes a story with a personal element. “There’s no Black woman alive who hasn’t felt gutted by being a superwoman placed in the shadows,” she says. “So, whenever Olivia Pope, at the brink of mental and emotional collapse, took solace in a glass — or bottle — of Bordeaux, I could almost swear it was cascading down my own throat as she gulped it down. And so did my homegirls.”

Sykes says that “Scandal” gave her friend group a reason to meet up on Thursday nights. “[We’d] drink wine and talk about how no matter how hard it may be to be a Black woman in today’s world, we’ll always be standing in the sun together,” Sykes says. A bottle of Bordeaux it is, then.

1. ‘Cheers’

“Cheers” depicts the platonic ideal of the neighborhood bar, the local, the “third place.” Sometimes — and we cannot stress this enough — you really do want to go where everybody knows your name.

“’Cheers’ is the ultimate drinking show because, well, it’s entirely set in a bar!” says Paul Hletko, founder of FEW Spirits. “It’s a caricature of bar tropes, sure, but the characters are all lovable but flawed, and, to a large extent, ‘Cheers’ was my first view into ‘bar life’ as a youngster unable to go to bars.”

Surely, this is no time nor place for a craft cocktail. No sir. “I would drink old-school for ‘Cheers,’ with a shot of FEW Spirits Straight Bourbon Whiskey and a High Life,” Hletko says. Beer and a shot sounds about right.

The article The 15 Best Drinks-Focused TV Shows — and What to Sip While Watching appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/best-drinking-tv-shows/

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johnboothus · 4 years

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The 15 Best Drinks-Focused TV Shows and What to Sip While Watching

Pull up your streaming service, find your favorite show below, and get ready to pop open a bottle or mix up some cocktails with these perfect TV-drink pairings.

15. ‘Succession’

14. ‘Dead to Me’

13. ‘BoJack Horseman’

12. ‘Entourage’

11. ‘The Simpsons’

10. ‘Archer’

You have plenty of options, clearly, for your drink of choice while watching. Of course, if you want the evening to be the best of times, Scotch is the way to go.

9. ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’

Pull me a pint at Paddy’s Pub and I’ll be a happy man. Just don’t make me do any Charlie work for the privilege.

8. ‘Game of Thrones’

7. ‘Futurama’

6. ‘Absolutely Fabulous’

5. ‘Billions’

4. ‘Sex and The City’

3. ‘Mad Men’

2. ‘Scandal’

“Scandal’s” Olivia Pope, played by Kerry Washington, lives a very stressful life, putting out one political fire after another. And in times of need, wine is her friend indeed.

1. ‘Cheers’

The article The 15 Best Drinks-Focused TV Shows — and What to Sip While Watching appeared first on VinePair.

Via https://vinepair.com/articles/best-drinking-tv-shows/

source https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/the-15-best-drinks-focused-tv-shows-and-what-to-sip-while-watching

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artificialqueens · 8 years

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New Man Part 3 // Rolling in the Deep (Biadore) - Fucking Awful.

A/N: Back with Part 3 of the New Man saga! Another 3500 words of Biadore angst that I swear is going to get happy in a chapter or so. I think there will be 5 chapters, maybe a 6th. Few things:

First, funny story: “Fucking Awful” was actually supposed to be the name of Chapter 2, but because I’m a dumbass and don’t understand the naming conventions it ended up as my author name. AND I AM SO HAPPY ABOUT IT because you know what, I am fucking awful.

Second: This is back in Danny’s POV. I like switching back and forth, but I feel I get Danny (or the version of him that lives in my trash brain) a little better. There are few train of thought moments, designated by italics.

Third: Back to song inspiration, this time from a different British redhead – the goddess Adele, and “Rolling in the Deep.“ (Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYEDA3JcQqw) No one is singing, its just a soundtrack to what happens here. Lyrics are in italics AND indented.

Fourth: Let me know if these are too long and wordy. It’s something I get critiqued on professionally, so I’m keen to reel in unnecessary words in my creative/for fun writing.

Alright that’s it, hope you enjoy this! XOXO Fucking Awful

“Oh shut UP!” Danny yelled at no one in particular, grasping blindly for his phone to shut off the alarm. “Fuck! Shit! Balls!” He finally managed to quiet the Marimba. 10:12am. An hour and 33 minutes until Johnny would be there to pick him up. Just enough time for a run – Danny was into fitness now – and a shower before brunch with his friends and…oh God.

Danny remembered he had to see Roy today, and out came a full body groan. He had spent the last 2 weeks telling his crew how excited he was for them to meet Roy – his Willow and his best friend, not just that guy from TV. But now everything was so utterly fucked, and after last night he could barely look at Roy let alone fawn over him at a bottomless brunch. Dragging himself out of bed and into workout clothes, Danny mentally prepared for what was coming.

Roy is cheating on his boyfriend. Roy is trying to cheat on his boyfriend with you. You basically told him to fuck off and that you don’t want to know him anymore. Now you are going to spend the whole day with him. Party.

He was now fully awake, partially from the blast of cold Seattle air but mostly from seething anger. What in the fuck did Roy think he was doing? The Haylock he knew wasn’t a cheater, he wasn’t even into open relationships. Moreover, he knew infidelity was the ultimate sore spot for Danny.

They’d talked about this a million times, and Danny had probably cried about it a million more. Adore’s free love persona had made a lot of guys think they could take advantage of Danny, both cheating on him and using him as an instrument of their own cheating. Every time it crushed Danny, made him feel worthless. A committed relationship is a committed relationship, and stepping out on a partner is the ultimate sign of betrayal and disrespect. Fuck that guy (Kyle? Tyler? Who cares.) that Roy was dating, but he still didn’t deserve to be cheated on.

And Danny didn’t deserve to be treated like a whore. That Roy thought Danny would be ok with being the Other Man was what hurt and angered him the most. Danny could feel his heart racing as he stretched. He had to calm down and play this afternoon all flazeda, so his friends wouldn’t ask questions. He knew they saw Roy making out with the stranger, something they were sure to ask about, but there’s no way they saw the 7 seconds in Heaven outside. If Danny could just act normally, he could help Roy deflect uncomfortable quest –

“Oh fuck THAT!” Again, to no one in particular. He knew what he was listening to for the next five miles, on a loop…

There’s a fire starting in my heart Reaching a fever pitch, and it’s bringing me out the dark

—

An hour and a half later, Danny was showered and getting ready – still blasting “Rolling in the Deep” on repeat.

Finally I can see you crystal clear Go ‘head and sell me out, and I’ll lay your shit bare

The “chill” plan was no more. Some combination of Adele and adrenaline transformed hurt and disappointed Danny into a pissed off, vengeful queen. He was rocking an all-black look to brunch – hair tied back under a beanie, long sweater and t-shirt, jeans and Docs – but he painted on some red eye shadow for a little extra fire.

In the years he had known Roy, Danny had never been really and truly mad at him. Annoyed or frustrated, sure, but never angry. So this full-body heartburn of rage that was coursing through his veins and shooting out his fingertips was strange to say the lest.

See how I leave with every piece of you Don’t under estimate the things that I will do

“If you’re going to listen to music about a woman scorned, shouldn’t you at least play Lemonade?” Johnny let himself into the apartment, sneaking past Danny who was too wrapped up in belting along with the track.

“Beyoncé may be the queen, but Adele is still good shit.” Danny didn’t even glance up, finishing the smoky rust around his lids. “Plus this track fucking goes.” He turned up the stereo louder with one hand, swiping on mascara with the other.

Johnny reached over to stop the music. “Speaking of going, we have to. Jinkx is picking up Roy” – Danny flinched imperceptibly - “and everyone else is already there. If we don’t leave now we’re gonna be…Oh, I’m sorry. Is heroin chic a daytime look now?” Johnny raised an eyebrow.

Danny smirked and chucked his mascara at his cousin. “Fuck all the way off, let’s go.”

—

Baby I have no story to be told But I’ve heard one on you and I’m gonna make your head burn

Much to Johnny’s chagrin, the Adele fest continued in the car. The full 20-minute drive was spent listening to the thumping kick-drum and haunting chorus, Danny swatting his hand away anytime he tried to switch the music.

“Dude, c’mon. This is the eighth time; can we please listen to literally anything else?”

“No. I need to feel…empowered.” Danny didn’t want to elaborate.

“Empowered to do what? Look, I know some weird stuff happened last night – great job making it awkward, by the way, don’t think we didn’t all notice – but can we please not make a scene today? I have people to impress.”

Danny knew that Johnny was trying to date one of his new friends, and he was fully in support of his cousin getting it in. “It wasn’t me who – I didn’t – ok.” Instead of turning it off, Danny reached over and cranked the music louder.

Think of me in the depths of your despair Make a home down there, ‘cause mine sure won’t be shared

If he wasn’t going to say anything to Roy, at least he could feel the revenge fantasy for the rest of the drive.

–

The table of 15 was taking up the back patio of a little hipster spot in Capitol Hill. Johnny had almost immediately broken off to make romantical moves, so Danny settled into the open seat opposite Roy and Jinkx.

“Hey Danny! Doesn’t someone look nice today!” Jinkx had a smile plastered on his face, while Roy sat next to him looking more than a little sullen.

Danny reminded himself to keep it together, for Johnny’s sake. “Thanks! Felt pretty chill when I woke up this morning, but it wouldn’t be me without something a little ratchet.” Good, normal conversation.

“Well jeez, way to assume he was talking about you queen.” The words flew out of Roy’s mouth so fast, he almost looked like he was surprised he said them out loud. Danny reacted sharply, brow furrowed and lip curled as he shook his head ever so slightly.

“I was, of course I was!” Danny heard a muffled THUD under the table, and saw Roy flinch. “I love it. Seattle looks good on ya, kid. Doesn’t it, Roy?” Danny thought it was strange that Jinkx was speaking to Roy like he was scolding a toddler.

“Of course, I’m kidding.” More strangeness, Roy sounded almost sheepish. “You look great. You always look great.”

We could’ve had it all Rolling in the Deep

As angry as he was, Danny couldn’t help smile at the complement. How did Roy continue to have this effect on him?

You held my heart inside your hand And you played it to the beat

“Yeah well, adopting the finer points of your clown makeup has its perks. Color can be a good thing.” Roy smiled a bit at that, melting Danny like ice in the desert.

What the fuck are you doing? Remember how you feel!

Danny snapped out of it. “I’m fucking starving, what are you guys getting? Jesus, what food could we even fit here? There’s no space.” He made a show of feeling cramped, and hollered across the table. “Katie, can we try to –“

“Well hey there bitches, room for one more?”

Danny whipped around, as if he needed to see who it was to know the voice. Entrance sisters are forever, after all.

“Not for you, you sneaky little shit! You’re back early!” He jumped out of his seat to hug DeLa, who wasn’t supposed to be back from Australia for another three days. God, Danny was happy to see Ben.

“Yeah well, for a penal colony the Land Down Under is surprisingly low on eligible dick. I think I’ve made my way through the entirety of New South Wales at this point.” DeLa waved to the rest of the table before making his way over to Jinkx and Roy.

“Did you borrow my sailboat to get back here, you twat? Come ‘ere.” Roy stood up to hug the queen, too. Danny was surprised how happy Roy was to see Dela, they were friends but he didn’t know they were that close.

“No grandma, we have planes now. I left the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria safely in your boat house,” Ben quipped back as he went to hug Jinkx.

“Not bad, fruit fly. Not bad.” Roy sat down and Dela rounded the table back to Danny, who had made space for him.

“So, catch me up. How’s it going?” For half a second, Danny swore he saw Ben look meaningfully at Roy and then Jinkx. “Isn’t this just a great little reunion –” THUD. There was that muffled sound again, but this time it was Ben flinching.

“Sorry guys, I know it’s cramped and we keep hitting each other.” Danny apologized.

“It’s fine Danny, really. Everyone just needs to be a little more careful.” Jinkx smiled tightly. Now the pointed looks were coming from him, Danny was sure he saw it.

What’s going on? Why are they being weird?

Oh well, nothing a few Bloody Marias won’t fix.

—

An hour later the whole table was on the spectrum of tipsy to trashed, with the notable exception of the stone cold sober Roy. Danny’s sense of weirdness was replaced with the warm buzz of micheladas, tequila and good friends. There’s a reason the Lord blessed us with bottomless brunches on the Sabbath. Listening to the laughter and seeing the connection between friends new and old, Danny started to think maybe he could be chill.

Their food plates had barely hit the table when that image shattered, again. Poor Dela, he knows not what he does.

One of Danny’s new girlfriends, Sam, was telling him and Ben about her upcoming couple’s vacation. “So yeah, 5 days in Cabo to celebrate our anniversary, or month-iversary I guess. 5 days alone – I think I love that woman, but pray for me.” Sam took a drink.

“Damn, Sam. I didn’t realize you and Charlotte had been together for two months already. That’s rad.” Danny liked Sam a lot, and was glad to see her happy.

“Two months, that’s a big one.” Ben paused for a beat before winding around to face Roy and Jinkx, who were shouting across the table at Johnny and his new ‘friend.’

“That’s about the time you figure out if a relationship is going to work,” Ben continued. Another pause, and there was that damn pointed look at Roy again. Jesus, was he drunk already?

“Speaking of which – Roy, you’ve been with Sky for about 2 months now. How’s that going?”

Ben shouted the question loud enough to disrupt Roy’s conversation, which had the unfortunate effect of getting the whole table’s attention. The whole table who had been at the bar last night and witnessed Roy’s and Danny’s little display. Silence washed over them like goddamn Hurricane Katrina, leaving Dela very clearly confused if only for a second.

Danny immediately saw red. It wasn’t just the eye shadow creeping into his corneas, or the deep scarlet brunch cocktails – he was pissed. “Yeah Roy, how is Sky?” Danny asked, nearly shouting. He could feel the anger building.

You’re gonna wish you Never had met me

“Why didn’t you bring him with you? Didn’t think he would have fun?” The power of angry Adele was rising in his chest.

Tears are gonna fall Rollin’ in the deep

“I mean, what about this trip wouldn’t be fun for him? Jinkx has never met him. Dela hasn’t met him. In fact, neither have I. Wouldn’t he want to meet your sisters? Your best friend? Why wouldn’t he want to meet me, Roy?”

Johnny interjected. “I’m sure he was busy. Danny why don’t you switch over to water?” God bless him, like any good cousin was trying to stop the train of destruction. Danny was too far down this hill to pull back.

“Nah, I’m good man. Tell me, why didn’t he come here?” He focused all his attention, staring at Roy with enough intensity to clear his blurring vision while burning a hole in eyes of the man looking back at him.

Now it was Jinkx’s turn to try. “Danny, drop it. You’re yelling.”

“No I’m not. And you’re not my mom, Jinkx. I just want an answer to my question.” Danny never took his eyes off Roy, who’s body seemed to wilt while his eyes stayed locked.

“I didn’t mean to cause a problem guys, I –“ Dela looked totally panicked.

Fire. Heart. Fever. Scars. Breathless. Tears.

The combination of hurt, alcohol and electricity clashed like lightning, and Danny couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“Is it because you came here to cheat on him, Roy? You told him you were coming to visit your friends, but really you just came here to fuck some other guys and hope he wouldn’t find out?”

If he wasn’t yelling before, Danny sure was now.

“You think that’s who I am, that I don’t care about other people’s feelings and that I’ll help you hurt them? You think I would be a part of that, that after all these years of pining for you I’d be so goddamn happy for your scraps of attention that I’d do it? That I’d let you jam your tongue down my throat in back alleys and fuck me in secret like your side piece?”

Well, so much for keeping that kiss a secret, Danny thought as he caught his breath. Might as well bring it home.

“You’re a shitty person, Roy. You’re a bad, mean, hateful person. You don’t care if you hurt people, do you? I never saw it before, but that you would do this to your boyfriend – to me…”

Shit, shit. Don’t cry. Do. Not. Cry. Danny couldn’t understand why Roy, who had never been at a lack of words for a moment in his life, was just sitting there silently while he railed on. The indomitable Bianca del Rio just sat there staring, and increasingly – he thought, maybe – like he was actually biting his tongue.

“You don’t have anything to say? You can’t even defend yourself because you know it’s true. I don’t know if you’ve always been like this, if something changed, or what the fuck is going on.” Danny paused, starting to feel self conscious about the volume of his voice and the lack of chiming in from any of his friends.

“Jesus, Roy. I thought Bianca was an act but the real you is so much worse. I would say I hope Sky’s off fucking someone else too, so you know what it feels like, but you’d have to be a human with emotions to get it. You’re just a heartless evil cunt.” And with that, Danny was out of steam.

—

The next seconds crawled slowly and quietly enough to hear a pin drop. Danny knew this for a fact, because he literally heard the waitress drop her pen at molasses speed. Then the world slammed back into focus, with the same jarring effect as an astronaut getting ejected into space in a Star Trek movie.

Danny felt all eyes on him – 26 silent, unblinking eyes. The only person not still basking in his impassioned speech was Roy himself, who had finally broken the stare; his eyes were closed, maybe even squeezed together, while he rested his forehead on wringing hands. Danny had never seen this body language before, which was strange because Roy was a true creature of habit.

Feeling totally exposed – a feeling he wasn’t totally in love with at the moment – but still high on righteous indignation, Danny violently stood up to leave. He threw his credit card down on the table and walked towards the exit, speechless as a silent movie…until he heard a mumble.

“What did you say to me?” Danny turned on his heel, sure he heard Roy say something under his breath. He was ready to fight.

“I said he did, Delano. Sky did. He cheated on me. I walked in on him fucking someone. Two weeks ago.”

Danny didn’t go to school for fucking math, but something was clicking. Two weeks ago, cheating, no more Sky…damn the tequila fog.

“You guys have something in common after all – he said I was too cold to fall in love with. Didn’t think I would even care, I can’t feel anything anyway.” Roy wouldn’t look up as he spoke, his voice was calm and controlled. That was really freaking Danny out – this was his somber voice, the same one he used in the days after Danny’s dad died.

What’s going on? Danny was starting to wonder if he’d miscalculated something here. Fucking continuation school.

“You should be happy, turns out you already got what you want. I got cheated on, Danny.” Roy paused and finally looked up.

In one fell swoop, Danny realized he was so very wrong. The eyes Roy had been hiding were as red as his own, but colored instead by broken blood vessels and tears. Danny realized why he didn’t recognize the body language – he’d never seen Roy cry before.

“Happy, even if you’re wrong. I promise you I feel it.”

In that moment Roy’s voice wavered ever so slightly, and Danny felt his whole body come undone. He had to sit back in his chair to keep from falling over, seeing Roy like this turned him to actual human Jell-O.

Fuck. Fuck. Fucking fuck. Fuck. Danny’s mind raced, trying to figure out what to do. How he could fix this.

“I think I should go,” Roy said to Jinkx, who started to move in response. His voice was back to the unnerving calm. “No, stay. I’ll get an Uber, you guys have fun. Let me know how much I owe you.” Roy stood up. “Everyone, it was a pleasure to meet you in the daylight. Glad to know my friends are so well taken care of in Seattle.”

No no no, don’t leave. What is happening? What are you doing? Danny was screaming internally, but he couldn’t figure out what words to say or at this point how to even make sounds come out of his mouth.

“Bye, Danny.”

Roy said those two words with such a tenderness and finality, Danny started to panic. He needed to do something but he was immobilized, his brain fried by his earlier surge of emotion and the overload of new information.

The scars of your love, they leave me breathless I can’t help feeling we could’ve had it all

And just like that Roy was gone.

#bianca del rio #adore delano #jinkx monsoon #bendelacreme #biadore #angst #tw cheating #rpdr fanfiction #submission #canon compliant #fucking awful #new man

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withgraceandlight99 · 8 years

Text

The Sound of an Arrow - Chapter 24

Read on AO3 - General Audiences - Olicity AU - The Sound of Music AU

A/N: Happy New Year everyone! I pray that you all have a year filled with love and happiness, and hopefully an Olicity wedding!!!

“I don’t know if I can do this, Felicity.” Ellie set the curling iron down and fluffed her hair up. She looked at Felicity who continued to apply makeup, even if it would all disappear and wash down her cheeks at some point. Most likely. She set her mascara wand down and turned towards Ellie.

“I know what you mean. The idea of walking into that court room today makes me want to throw up. But,” she enveloped Ellie into a hug. “If Oliver can generate enough courage to walk in front of all those people while handcuffed, I think we can hide in the back. It’ll be okay. I promise.”

“Do you promise?”

Felicity moved away from Ellie to see Piper standing there in her purple dress, her eyes puffy. “Aww, honey. I honestly can’t promise. I wish I could. But. Though I can’t promise that everything will turn out okay, I can promise that we’ll get through it. Together.” Her hands caressed Piper’s cheeks. “Okay?”

She sniffled, but nodded. “Okay.”

“Good. We better get going. They said there’s spots reserved for all of us but the earlier we get there, the less we have to worry about media. Good news is that Dig is gonna take care of that for us. So let’s go!” She raised her voice on the last sentence to make sure everyone heard. Harper and Clayton already sat in the living room; William had announced an hour earlier that he would be waiting in the car. The other three followed her out to the humid weather.

Seven months ago, Captain Lance pushed Oliver into a cop car. Today was the start of one of the most talked about trials in the United States. And the Queens would be there. All of them. No one spoke as Diggle pulled out of the driveway and headed towards town. Even Annie stayed silent; only played with her princess dolls. Felicity stared out the window and rethought her last conversation with Oliver. The ‘I love you’. And the kiss. She smiled. Hopefully that gave him hope and faith for the coming days.

Diggle cleared his throat. “Everyone got everything they need? All the coloring books along? Because I’m not drawing anything for anyone to color in.”

Annie giggled. “Don’t worry. We all know how bad your drawing is.”

He let out a whine that sounded more like a mom than a bodyguard. “You’ve deeply wounded me, young lady.”

“I have not, because you are still living. So stop being dramatic.”

“Yeah, Johnny,” Piper mocked the nickname that Lyla had given him. “Stop being so dramatic.”

“I don’t think I’m being dramatic.” Diggle winked at Felicity, who nodded her thanks. “I think you’re the ones who are being dramatic. Clearly you woke up too early.”

“I woke up at nine.” Annie whacked him on the shoulder with her book. “I bet you woke up too early.”

“Seven thirty, young lady.”

“Yeah, but―what’s that?”

Felicity turned and looked where Annie’s finger pointed. “That, honey, is the media.” Cameras lines the streets, with yelling men and women behind them. When they realized who rode in the black van, with the tinted windows, they took off after them. Diggle swore and hit the gas. Felicity reached back and grasped Annie’s hand. This was why Oliver didn’t want to go to trial. Because of this. The media would do anything to get information. Even if it meant traumatizing the kids.

“When I stop the van, there will be security to take you inside the court house. Keep your heads down, do not engage, even if they something nasty.” Diggle looked back at the kids. Mainly Harper and Ellie. “They will say bad things, but you cannot lose your cool.”

“We’ll be okay. Promise.”

“Okay.” The van slowed down and then came to a halt. “Everyone out.”

Felicity jerked open her door and got the sliding door open before Annie could get it. “Alright, sweetie, let’s go.” She lifted Annie into her arms and turned around. A man in a suit took her elbow and guided her towards the court room. Couldn’t they have gone through the back? Not that it would’ve helped any. The press would’ve found them there too.

“Keep walking, Miss Smoak. The kids are behind you with their own personal security.”

“Thank you, random suit guy. You’re rather attractive.”

“As I said, keep walking.”

How ridiculous. Did he not like a little ego boost?

“Felicity, what do you have to say about the rumors of you and Oliver Queen’s romance?”

Ignore, ignore.

“How do you respond to the rumors?”

Annie cuddled closer. “Felicity, what rumors?”

“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it. Just ignore them.”

“If Oliver is found guilty, will you stay as the Queen’s nanny, even if their father is a―”

“Don’t you dare!” Felicity whipped around and advanced to the reporter. “You have no right to say anything like that, you cocky, pig-headed―”

A hand clamped on her arm. Felicity stumbled towards William, who continued to keep his hand on her. The security man stood next to the reporter, looking scary. She looked up―yes up―at the oldest Queen son. “Thank you. Mostly for saving me from prison.”

“Only Dad can be in prison. We can’t lose you. Plus, if I could punch, I’d deck that guy. He was a jerk. And stop looking at me like that. I just want to get in there without any more problems.”

They climbed the steps together and walked through the open doors. William let go of her arm and moved ahead of her. Felicity turned around and counted heads. They were all here, including two extras. Now two more. She smiled. “Hey everyone.” Thea snuck through the crowd of people to give Felicity a hug. “We got here in the nick of time because we got the escorts. After I showed them my driver’s license proving that I am indeed the infamous Thea Queen.”

“Hey, Felicity. Good to see you again.” Tommy gave her a big hug. “I brought cookies for the kids.”

“And by the kids,” Laurel put her hand on her husband’s shoulder, “He means himself.”

“You know me too well.”

“Alright, Miss Smoak, we need everyone to go into the court room. Everyone else too.”

Felicity took a deep breath. Here we go. She took Annie’s hand as Piper grabbed her other hand. They could do this. She could do this. She owed it to herself and to the kids to do this. Maybe not always strong, but always there. She went first, followed by the rest of the family. The paparazzi and company moved with them until they reached the court room. A whole different crowd was in there to take care of photos, of course.

A man in a suit directed them to the front row. Felicity and the kids plus Diggle took the benches closest to where Oliver would be, while the Harpers plus the Merlyns and Raisa took the second row. Annie climbed on Diggle’s lap and pulled out her drawing book. The judge entered the room, followed by the jury. All they were missing was the criminal.

The man she loved.

********

“Mr. Queen, we’re ready out there.”

Oliver stood up before the guard took his arm. The handcuffs restricted his movement but he managed to adjust his suit. It felt weird wearing anything other than the regulated prison uniform. According to the lawyers, he looked less like a murderer and more like a human being in a suit. True, but there wasn’t any way to convince the jury that he wasn’t a killer, even if his lawyers had evidence and whatever lined up as far as the eye could see.

The guard paused before opening the door that led to the court room. “As a cop I shouldn’t say this, but as someone who has gotten to know you and your family, I truly wish you good luck on this trial.”

“Thank you.”

Oliver stepped into the court room. He’d been in here one time several years ago so the need to scan the room for exits wasn’t necessary. Instead, his eyes flew from the judge, to the jury, to the crowd of people. To his family. The kids at in the front with Felicity and Diggle.

To Thea. His little sister.

She smiled and waved at him. Oliver worked to keep the tears off his face. No use bothering with the fact that they were welling in his eyes. Even after all the nasty things he said and did to her, and his refusal to see her for five years, she decided to come to the trial. With Roy. The used-to-be cocky kid grinned at him.

“C’mon, Oliver.” The guard led him to the table where his lawyer sat. Oliver glanced behind him one more time as he took a seat. The cuffs came off one hand and was attached to a metal rod that would keep him seated until he would be called up as a witness. He forced himself not to look back again, knowing that if he did, the calm demeanor he’d worked so hard to show would go out the window.

Adam Donner stood up. “Six months ago, Oliver Queen confessed to being the vigilante who has terrorized Starling City’s streets for over ten years. Since he first put on the hood, he has committed countless murders, and put hundreds in the hospital. He also confessed to being a part of the Bratva. An organization that is known for murdering anyone and anything in their way.”

At least they never discovered the true power of the Bratva. Or the long list of skills that he had, including torture.

After Adam laid out the plan for the trial, Carly stood up. “Six months ago, my client told his family that for the past eight years, he had been the man who has saved countless lives on the streets of Starling City, which is more than most of us can say, and he also was able to tell them that for the past five years, he has been forced to work for the Bratva, better known as the Russian mafia. With the threat to his children, and now to others in his household, he became an assassin. He became that man because he needed to be one to keep his children safe.”

But he could have said no, and told his family. Moved on. Done his best to protect them. Instead, they were all here, having to suffer through a trial. Because he was stubborn enough to hide secrets for five years. Longer, if he counted the other reason they were here.

Oliver half-listened as Adam talked about the evidence, but then he announced that he would play the recording William gave to the police. He knew exactly what he said, but when he heard it, it became obvious why Carly told him that their best chance at winning was not proving that the recording was a fake. Not that he would have agreed to that, because that would leave William with an asterisk the rest of his life.

The jury had to know, right then and there, that there was no way Oliver wasn’t an assassin and the Hood. Every word in that tape was spoken as if they were the most painful thing that could ever happen. And in truth, they were. He could remember the pain on his kids’ faces―on Felicity’s face―as he crumbled their world to ashes.

Adam shut it off when Ellie screamed and the sound of glass shattering could be heard. “Clearly he devastated his family with these seconds. Enough that his own son turned him in.”

Carly took the floor. “But what Oliver left out in this explanation is why he became a part of the Bratva. He didn’t just volunteer himself. He was forced to.”

He stopped listening. Why listen to everything they’d already talked about a thousand times? Some people couldn’t tune out like that, but a long time ago he learned how to check out of his body and just think. Sometimes it would be the other way around, but today he needed to not hear the drama unfolding before him. At the end of this trial, it wouldn’t be him who decided the verdict. It would be the people sitting to the right of him, their eyes on Carly.

His brain floated to the people behind him. The kids sat in the front with Felicity and Diggle. The next row contained Tommy and his new wife Laurel. And Roy and Thea. His little sister.

After five years of not allowing her to come close to the kids, and after all those terrible things he’d said to her, she’d decided to come to his trial. If only he could halt the talking and go hug her and apologize for all the things he did. Even before he kicked her out. He’d never been the best brother; always obsessed with sports or hanging out with his friends. When Mom and Dad died, he took ahold of his grief and put it into the company, working his way up to CEO.

That was his problem, wasn’t it? When ‘better’ turned to ‘worse’, he turned away from what made his life better, and went straight to the parts of life that could cover him with their wings of secrets and keep him away from the pain. But instead, it sucked away the better part of his life, and it usually took the life that he loved away from him before he realized it.

“I’d like to call Oliver Queen to the witness stand.”

Oh. As he stood up, he glanced back at the crowd of people behind him. Felicity gave him a reassuring smile and Thea mouthed, “You got this.” Oliver swore over the Bible before stepping up to the witness stand. He took a deep breath.

“Let’s start with the Hood. When did you first put on the suit and become a vigilante?”

“The spring of 2003.”

“Why did you decide to become a vigilante?”

“After my parents died, I had a lot pent-up anger, and it just got worse over the years. My wife, Annie, suggested I take that anger and use it for something good. I’d already taken a lot of self-defense classes…we were rich, it wasn’t like we could walk down the street without problems.” At that, he looked at Thea, who nodded in agreement. She’d had just as much self-defense training as he had. “Over the next year, I worked my way up from knocking out purse snatchers to knocking out would-be rapists.”

“Did you go out every night?”

“No. I had a growing family and a company. Mostly my family. I went out whenever I could.”

“But Mr. Queen, if you cared so much about your family, then why did you go out? Didn’t you realize that you might be arrested? Or killed?”

“I did.” Might as well be honest. “At first.”

“And what do you mean by ‘at first’?”

Oliver steadied his breathing. “There were a few scary moments when I first started out.” And they had continued to this day, but no one needed to know that. “There were times when I thought about quitting. But I couldn’t. When I was out there, all the pain and anger that I had was gone. And…” he looked out past his attorney to his kids. “I saved people’s lives, which was more good than I had ever done before, even though I’d run a multi-billion dollar company for several years. When I’d go home at night, knowing that I was able to save someone from something, the thought of dying or ending up in prison didn’t seem very important.”

“Alright, good.” She nodded. “Let’s move to the Bratva. When did you first come in contact with them?”

“Not too long before Annie’s death. Six years ago, someone came to me with photos. They had proof that I was the vigilante. They told me that they wanted me to come with them. It was obvious that they were Russian. And I said no and told them to go to hell. The next day someone hacked into my computer and took a couple million dollars. Then they asked me again. Four days later, Annie died in a car accident.”

Carly took a moment to let that settle in the courtroom before she asked the next question. “What happened after that?”

“I knew right away that they’d killed her, and that’s why I shut the investigation down. The Bratva was good enough that they could’ve hid a murder, but I couldn’t risk that being exposed to the public.”

“And why couldn’t you do that?’

“The day after she died, I was sitting in our bedroom, and someone came through the window. He had Annie’s ring and a letter. It described, in detail, what would happen if I didn’t join the Bratva. I was instructed to leave after the funeral.”

Thea covered her mouth.

“I stopped the investigation then. Explained to them that I knew what happened, and it didn’t matter.”

“Did you go to the Bratva to train?”

“Yes. For the first several months I had to learn the ropes. Their fighting style was a lot different than the one I learned.”

“Can you enlighten us on the type of training you did?”

They’d agreed upon this, but it didn’t make it any easier to explain with all the people he loved watching him. “Stealth, weapons, how to and not kill people. And uh how to withstand torture.” He averted his eyes from everyone who would have a reaction to that. “After that, I went out into the field.”

The answers came easy after that. He and Carly had worked on this. The questioning took an hour. When his lawyer announced she was done, Adam took the floor.

“First of all, Mr. Queen, I’m sorry for the death of your wife. I can only imagine how awful that must’ve been. But I do have some questions for you.” Adam put his hands on his hips. “When you were talking about being the Hood, something came to mind. It’s not a pretty notion, but it’s a thought. You said, and I’m quoting you, ‘all that pain and anger that I had was gone’. I understand anger. And pain. It sucks a lot. But here’s what got me thinking.” His hand swept out towards the family. “Did you ever think about them?”

Oliver swallowed. “I didn’t―”

“Because if you did, you would have hung up the hood right away and went back home to your family. Your lovely wife, who basically dug her own grave by telling you to go out there.”

Carly jumped up. “Mr. Donner, do you have a question or are you going to spend your time making little children cry?”

“I do. It’s very clear. Did you ever think―” this time, Adam fully turned to gesture at the Queen family, the little ones now crying, before he looked back at Oliver. “About them?”

He didn’t want to look at his kids―or anyone―but he needed to. He needed to let them know that he was sorry. “I didn’t. Maybe sometimes I did, but―”

“So you’re saying that you care more about yourself and your mental health than your own children’s?”

You’re fine. You’re going to be fine. “No, I’m not saying that.”

“Then what exactly are you saying?”

Oh, God. Oliver glanced at Carly, who had her head down, taking notes. He looked at Felicity, who squeezed her eyes shut. What could he do? He’d been backed into a corner, and there was nothing he could do but tell the truth. “You’re right.” Several people groaned. “I didn’t think about my kids. I was the Hood because I needed and wanted to.”

“So we are supposed to believe that you were a part of the Bratva for your children’s sakes.” He scoffed. “I feel like we need to evaluate the truthfulness of the ‘I had to be a killer for my children’s sakes’. Because if you, as the Hood, decided to ignore the fact that your children would eventually have to sit here and watch this, or go to your funeral, how are we supposed to believe you on any of this?”

Oliver opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

“Mr. Donner, ask a question.”

“I’m getting there.” Adam paced the room. “Mr. Queen, here’s my question. How are we supposed to believe you?”

What could he possibly say? This was what he’d been telling himself for months. Years. Everything came crashing down onto him, and he had no way of doing anything.

“Answer the question!”

Harper started crying.

Oliver looked up at the ceiling and took a deep breath. “I-I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“No, I don’t. All I know is that though I didn’t think about my children as the Hood, they were the only reason I kept going in the Bratva. The only reason I possibly could’ve survived five years of that.”

“And how easy would it have been to ask for help? We understand that you know the Flash―a name you’ve refused to give up, which is fine for now given the fact that he doesn’t kill people. Why not ask him? Why not contact the FBI and get help from them?”

“I was scared.” There, he said it. “I thought about it, but as it became obvious what the Bratva could do, I couldn’t. They’re more powerful than anyone could ever imagine, and I couldn’t risk losing my family.”

“But this is coming from the same man who admitted to not caring about his family. The same one who didn’t care about his family’s safety or their happiness or their lives. If we’re being honest here, that all of this―your wife dying, your son hating you…this is all your fault. Do you realize that all of this started with you deciding to put on a hood?”

Diggle had to push Felicity back to her seat. Oliver tried to channel something resembling hope, but the look he sent her didn’t help with her anger. Or the pain in his chest. Adam knew the guilt he must have carried around for years. He knew how to tap into that and to bring it to light. On the witness stand, in front of his kids and a jury. Oliver took a deep breath to steady the emotions that were threatening to arise from the depths of his heart.

“Mr. Queen,” the judge glared at him. “That’s a question that needs to be answered.”

“Yes.” This time, Diggle put his hands around Felicity’s waist and kept her on the bench. Any other time, it would be funny. Oliver leveled his gaze at Adam. “Yes, I realize that, and it’s something that I’ve had to deal with for years.”

“Thank you, your honor. I have no more questions.”

Oliver let out a breath that he didn’t know he was holding. That was bad. He might not be trained in the art of lawyering and trials, but he knew a disaster when he saw it. And judging by the look on Carly’s and Felicity’s faces, it had gone just as well as he thought. Adam pointed out the obvious: Oliver Queen was his own worst enemy. Even in a courtroom.

The judge called for a break. Likely after enduring five minutes of sniffling from the Queen children. Oliver left the courtroom with the bailiff who deposited him in a room with bars on the windows. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise―he was being tried for murder―but sitting there, in a room that had bars on the windows, with the demeaning words from Adam still echoing in his head, brought all the bad things that had ever happened to him to his head.

His parents’ death.

Annie.

The baby.

His son turning him in.

The spiral deepened as the noise in the hallway stopped.

Adam was right. Everything that had happened had been because of him. All of it. The nightmares the kids suffered. The anger William harbored. Annie’s death. The fact that no one would ever know their brother or sister on this side of heaven. Everything. All because of him.

The door flew open. He jerked up, his hands raised in defense, but instead of an angry man with a gun or someone with handcuffs, Thea crashed into him, wrapping her arms around him. Crying.

He waited a moment to make sure he wasn’t imagining things before his arms came around her small frame.

Oliver closed his eyes. Cherished the feeling of his sister’s arms around him for the first time in six years.

And cried. It wasn’t just because he had his sister back after he pushed her away. She’d come back. But the tears were for the relationship he never got to have with his parents. For his wife. For the baby he never got to hold. For his son who hated him.

He rested his chin on her head and whispered, “I’m sorry, Speedy.”

“No, no, there’s nothing to be sorry about.”

“Yes, there is.” He pulled away from her and rubbed his eyes. “I sent you away. Kicked you out and never thought of you again. I didn’t even come to your wedding. There’s―”

“Because I yelled at you. I accused you of being a drunk and not caring when in reality you just came back from hell. You were saving the kids.”

Oliver looked up at the ceiling and shook his head. “How can you seriously stand here after being out there a few minutes ago and actually say that?”

“Because I know you.” She put her hands on his shoulders and looked up at him with a teary smile. “Yes, we haven’t seen each other for five years, but I grew up with you. You were never the kind of boy―or man―who listlessly did anything. Everything was done for a reason. With a reason. Besides the time you went out with Tommy and got yourself in the back of a cop car. That was done without a reason. Mostly because you were drunk.” She smiled when he chuckled. “The type of man that that jerk-wad painted in the courtroom is not Oliver Queen. It’s not you. That’s why I decided to come. I knew that you did everything for a reason, and that reason is obvious now. You needed to protect the kids.”

“I ended up having to protect the kids because I decided to put on a hood because I had the problem.” Oliver gestured to the barred windows. “And look where that got me.”

Thea scoffed. “Do you seriously think that this is your fault?”

“Yes.”

“Haven’t you been listening to Felicity at all?”

Oliver rolled his eyes. “Just because Felicity says something―”

“And when you stubbornly push back against what she says, it makes her even more right.” Thea looked up at him with that same look Mom used to give him when she was about to deliver a rousing speech. “You might’ve became the vigilante because of selfish reasons. Selfish reasons that are reasons to become a vigilante. I know how much anger you had, and I know Annie knew it too. But you know what? You continued being the hood. And not just because the anger went away. You told the jury that you continued going out because you saved people. There are people alive today because of you. There are women who don’t have to suffer from the effects of rape because of you. Children have their parents because of you!”

Oliver closed his eyes. Believe her, you idiot. He needed to accept that. To live, he had to. But each time he took one step to accepting that not everything was his fault, an image flashed in his head of Annie’s body laying there on the cot, blood stains on her body. Now Adam’s words echoed in his head. If we’re being honest here, that all of this―your wife dying, your son hating you…this is all your fault.

“Ollie, you can’t.”

And she and Felicity would never stop telling him that. Oliver smiled and pulled Thea back in an embrace. “You and my not-actual-girlfriend must be hanging out a lot.”

She let out a little sigh. “You don’t even want to know.”

“I really am sorry, Thea. For everything. We missed out on a lot of time.”

“We did, but we have to move on. Get to know each other again. Because,” she grinned. “Your not-actual-girlfriend is getting closer to becoming…I don’t know. A Queen?”

“Can I come in now?” Felicity peeked into the room. “I’ve been dying to enter this conversation but I wanted to give you two a little bit of time, since you haven’t seen each other in forever.”

“Ollie would like a hug. Maybe a kiss.”

“We only do that in private.” She said something to someone outside and then came inside. Her hug softened the pain. “You doing okay?”

“How’re the kids?”

“They’ll be fine. I got them all put back together and gave them tissues. We had a talk, and everything should be fine. They’ll make it through today. Tomorrow…” Felicity rested her head on Oliver’s chest. “I nearly lit a flame underneath Adam’s butt. And I wish I was kidding.”

Oliver chuckled and continued to run his hand over her back. “This is not the worst thing I’ve had to endure.” Better to let them think that then worry about him.

“What else did you have to deal with? Grumpy cats?”

Never good when she started to make weird jokes. “Hey, Felicity.” She lifted her head to look at him. “You know you don’t have to be funny with me, right?”

“I’m okay, Oliver. I’m worried about you. Everything that happened…not many people could ever handle that.”

“Felicity, I’m okay.”

“How much of that is you trying to reassure me?”

He tightened his hold on her. “A lot of it.”

Before she could say anything, Carly entered the room. “Alright, Oliver. We need to discuss the game plane from here on out.”

Oliver let go of Felicity and took a seat at the table. “That was pretty disastrous, correct?”

“Because there’s only adults in the room, yes. That was very disastrous. There’s no other way of stating that. We’re not going to be able to make any rebound of anything until tomorrow. I’ll be calling witnesses from the hood days then. But for now, we just need to make it through the day without any other setbacks.”

“That’s hopeful,” Felicity muttered. Oliver squeezed her arm in order to keep the other mutterings silent.

“They’ll call everyone back in a few minutes.” Carly gave them a reassuring smile. “Just because we lost one fight does not mean we’re gonna lost the battle. This’ll take time. One bad thing isn’t gonna to set the jury’s mind on a verdict.” She glanced at Felicity. “Are the kids okay?”

“Sugar cures even the saddest of souls.” When the lawyer squinted at her, Felicity backtracked. “I gave them all chocolate. Maybe I should give you all chocolate. You look like you need it.”

*******

Felicity rolled out of bed before her alarm and knocked on the kids’ doors to alert them that they had to get up. At the last door, Annie opened it before she could knock. She sniffled and wrapped her arms around her waist. Felicity brought her into the hallway. “Hey, sweetie, what’s wrong?”

“I don’t wanna go.”

“What do you mean―oh. Can I ask why?”

“I don’t like seeing Daddy in handcuffs.” She started crying into her shirt. “And people are being mean to him. It’s not nice!”

“I know it’s not nice, honey.” In fact, there were a few moments yesterday when she wanted to jump and scream expletives at people. Diggle had to hold her down at one point. She hated watching Oliver struggle to form words on the witness stand to defend himself. It didn’t help that Adam Donner took the momentum and ran away with it. Today would be different, because the first witnesses would be called up. But nothing was guaranteed, and like yesterday, it could get ugly.

“I just don’t want to go.” Annie continued to cry. “I hate those people in there. And the cameras. I hate the cameras.”

“Everything okay over there?” Raisa came around the corner, holding a basket of towels. “Hey, sweetie. You doing alright?”

“She doesn’t want to go today.”

“Aww, I understand.” The housemaid set her basket down and wrapped Annie in a hug. “That wasn’t so much fun yesterday, was it?”

Annie shook her head.

“I’ll stay home with her. You just call me if anything interesting happens, though I’m sure the day will be well documented on TV. We’ll make cookies and then eat them while watching―”

“Not Nemo. I don’t like when the mom and babies die.”

A huff came from down the hall. William stood there with his arms crossed. “Guess I can’t ask to stay too?”

“No, buddy, you need to come.”

“It’s just gonna be Dad getting ripped again.”

“No, it’s not. Today―”

“They’re bringing up witnesses who Dad allegedly saved, blah, blah, blah. I know. Can’t wait to see how it backfires. And before you yell at me, I’m just going to say that I’ve already had breakfast and I will meet everyone in the car.”

When he stomped down the stairs, Felicity rolled her eyes and turned back to Raisa and Annie. “I will text or call you if anything happens. Hopefully it’ll just be a day filled with lots of talking. I love you, sweetie. And thank you, Raisa.” She gave them both a hug, and Annie a kiss. “See you tonight.”

“Will Daddy be with you?”

It was asked with the hope and faith that only Annie had. Felicity took a moment before answering. “I don’t think so, sweetie. The trial will last a little longer.”

“Okay, but if Daddy gets to come home tonight, make sure we know so that we can surprise him.”

Felicity shared a look with Raisa before she smiled at Annie. “I will do that.” She hurried downstairs to the living room where Thea and Roy sat, smooching. “Oh, my eyes.”

“Sorry!” Thea pulled away from him, but stayed on his lap. “William already came in.”

“Oooh, he’s probably scarred for life.”

“Naw.” Roy gave Thea a kiss on the cheek and then pushed her off so he could stand up. “How’re the kids?”

“Annie’s staying here with Raisa. She didn’t like what happened yesterday, and I don’t blame her. The idea of watching Oliver get taken to the woodshed again is not something she enjoys. Or me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m going and I’m gonna support him and maybe scream swear words at people and maybe, just maybe, hack into their cellphones and put porcupine sounds as their ringtones, but yesterday was not fun.”

“First of all,” Thea stood up and adjusted her dress, “I will sit and watch you put porcupine sounds on Adam Donner’s phone. And that basically gives you my other point. I would be very thankful if I became deaf for a few days so I didn’t have to hear anything. And blind. But, since that’s not gonna happen, I think we should all plan on making it through today without getting arrested.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Felicity winked at her friend and walked to the stairs. “It’s time to go!”

Ellie came down first, wearing one of Felicity’s sundresses. She glanced down and giggled. “I realized that you and I are about the same size and I’ve always liked this color.”

“It looks cute on you.”’

“Yeah, but it’d look cuter on me!” Harper yelled from the top of the stairs. She began her descent, one heavy, grumpy footstep at a time. “I got it from the closet first, but since Ellie didn’t need a belt to make it fit, she got to wear it but it should be me.”

“Oh, stop whining and be thankful that you don’t have to wear heels.”

“I don’t understand why we have to look nice to go to a trial. Why not show up in sweatpants and an ugly tank-top to express the displeasure at being there.” Harper flipped her hair up into a ponytail. “It’s ridiculous.”

“But we also want to show people that we are not frumps. Which is what you’d look like if you showed up wearing sweatpants. So instead of whining about things, skedaddle to the car because we need to go.”

“Skedaddle?” Harper raised her eyebrows. “Where on earth are you finding these words? Next it’s gonna be ‘dope.”

Felicity channeled her inner gangster and winked at her. “That dress is so dope.”

Harper burst into a fit of giggles. When she finally caught her breath, she whapped Felicity’s arm. “That was so good! You would totally pass as a gangster.”

“I highly doubt that. Now get in the car.”

An hour later, they sat in the courtroom as the first witness, Melanie Carter, took the stand after swearing over the Bible. She flashed Oliver a smile, and then winked at the group sitting behind him.

“Miss Carter, I understand that three years ago the Hood saved you.” Carly paced the carpet. “Is that correct?”

“Yes, it is.”

“And what did he save you from?”

“I was having a very difficult pregnancy, and my doctor prescribed some pain meds that knock a person out, and it also made me very dizzy. When I finally awoke, the apartment building was on fire and my home was filled with smoke. I fell several times trying to get out of there, and the last time, I couldn’t get up. Then the Hood appeared.” She laughed. “It was so loud in there that I couldn’t hear a thing but I remember the shock in his eyes when he saw my ginormous belly.”

Felicity looked at Oliver, who ducked his head. He was smiling.

“And Miss Carter, how was he able to get you out of the apartment?”

“He helped me up and guided me to a window. I screamed that I was scared of heights and that if I jumped, the baby would die, but he yelled right back that I was gonna do it. And to trust him. He fired an arrow out the window just as a beam fell down and blocked our path. He took his jacket off and wrapped me in it and then led the way out of the apartment. At some point I fell, and he picked me up.”

Carly and Melanie had rehearsed this, but Felicity hadn’t heard about that part. He picked her up? Pregnant women weren’t light. Not that she’d ever been pregnant, but they just weren’t. It was a well-known fact.

“And for those wondering, yes, he picked up all one hundred and seventy-five pounds of me. Carried me all the way down the hallway as stuff fell around us. At the end of the hallway he blew something up with his arrows and the firefighters were able to rescue me.”

“Did you ever see him again?”

“No. As soon as the firefighters appeared, he was gone. But I got a necklace in the mail when my daughter was born two months later. It was shaped in a star, but I’m pretty sure it was made out of arrowheads.” A laugh exploded from Thea. Oliver looked back and glared at her, which caused Felicity to giggle. Melanie smiled. “I don’t know for sure, but I’ve always assumed it was him.”

Ten minutes later, the next witness took the stage. Alberto Krakness. The man glanced around the room and rubbed his thighs. Carly flashed him a reassuring smile. “Mr. Krakness, can you tell us how the Hood saved you?”

“Eight years ago, I was driving around a corner, and talking to my daughter. My wife had died a few years ago and she ran the household. That was her job, and she needed my help.”

Adam jumped up. “Not relevant, your honor.”

The judge sighed. “Mr. Krakness, please tell us how the Hood rescued you.”

“Sorry. I went around the curve and the next thing I knew, I was under the water, unable to get out of my car.” Alberto took a deep breath and glanced at a woman and a boy, who gave him thumbs up. His kids, likely. “I thought I was going to die. I knew I was going to die, because the water was flooding in and the doors were jammed. It was about four minutes in, and the water was over my head. My head was starting to pound, and then I heard pounding on the windshield. The Hood, or, I guess, Oliver, broke the glass and pulled me out.

“That man saved my life. Because of his bravery, I was able to go home to my eight kids who didn’t have a mom.”

After a few more questions from Carly, Adam stood up. “First of all, Mr. Krakness, I’m very thankful that you are alive today. Whoever saved you…it was a brave act. Which brings me to my question. Who rescued you that day? Or, let me check,” he flipped open a file. “It was nighttime. That man could have been a good Samaritan.”

“No, sir, it was him.”

“And how can you be sure?”

Alberto’s eyebrows rose. “Because not many good Samaritans have a quiver. And I don’t remember the good Samaritan in the Bible being completely clad in leather.”’

This time, Oliver chuckled. Carly elbowed him in the ribs, which elicited a giggle from Harper who sat closet to her father. The giggle fit got worse when Oliver glanced back at her and winked. Felicity slapped her leg to shut her up, but it didn’t help. Mostly because now Piper started laughing.

Alberto had burned Adam. To the ground. And they all needed a moment to revel in the smoke. For once, it didn’t make her eyes water. It just made her smile, while the rest of the kids laughed. After several more heartbeats, she gave them all a glare, and quieted them down.

“Well, now that we have calmed down the giggly Queen family, let us continue on with the questions.” Adam’s word caused Felicity to grind her teeth. ‘Giggly Queen family’. Ha! Did this family look like they were all giggly and frilly? The only thing frilly and giggly about them were the girls’ dresses. They were sitting behind the man being accused of murder on several accounts. Did they look like a happy family? Maybe right now. For once.

Four more witnesses came up, and were cross examined. Felicity focused her eyes on Oliver’s back. He could sit without moving for longer than anyone else. At least her. She had to be moving at all times, but he could sit there, still as a dead man. The good part about this situation was that she could stare at his well-sculpted back and hair. She loved his hair. A lot.

At noon, the judge called for an hour break. The family, plus her and the Harpers and Diggle, met in a room with bars on the windows. They’d come to deal with the prison feel, because it meant that Oliver could be with them, even if the ankle bracelet would beep when he moved, and a security guard sat in the corner.

“So Dad.” Clayton set the sandwich down. “Is this better than the food you ate in prison?”

“I think you could say that.” Oliver spoke with food in his mouth. “This is better than ninety percent of the meals I’ve had in the past five months.”

“Maybe I should bring some of my food and then everything will taste beautiful.” Felicity winced when a cloud washed over Oliver’s face. “Sorry. That was…not a good thing to say. You’re gonna get out of here, and then Raisa can cook.”

“No, it’s okay. It might happen. There’s no reason to be ultra-positive.”

“Well, today has been better.”

“At least no one’s yelling,” William muttered. “Yet.”

Oliver glanced at his son but didn’t say anything. Felicity choose not to comment on the remark. They’d long since decided that snapping back at William wasn’t going to help the situation. Instead, she flashed him a reassuring smile and continued on with her meal.

“Hey guys,” Carly peeked in. “Ten minutes.”

Piper dumped her food in the garbage. “How many more days of this?”

“I don’t know, sweetie.” Oliver sighed. “Hopefully not too many.” When he stood up, the thing around his ankle beeped. “I guess it’ll go as long as it takes.”

“Well, that was the most non-descript answer on the face of the Earth.”

Oliver shrugged. “What else can I say? I don’t know, and no one will until the jury decides that they have a verdict.”

Felicity sent Harper a look to keep a bitter remark about the justice system from coming out of her mouth. The healing moment that they had a few hours ago had dissipated, and they were all back to grumbling. And muttering. So much muttering. “Well, the good news is that we only have a few more hours in the court room. We can make it a little longer without throwing fits. And yes, I’m also talking about me.”

The door opened and the bailiff walked in. “Sorry, guys, but Oliver needs to come with me.”

“Alright, kids, let’s go.” Felicity ushered them out, but stayed behind to give Oliver a kiss on the cheek. “You got this.”

“At least one of us thinks that.”

“Oliver―”

“Miss Smoak, I’m sorry, but we don’t have time for one of your pep talks.” The bailiff cuffed Oliver’s hands behind him and tugged him away from Felicity. “They’re great, but not right now. We’ll see you in the courtroom.”

******

Ten minutes later, Adam began the afternoon with a list of the people the Hood allegedly killed. And apparently he had proof of at least a few of them. “This first video that we will show you is one from five years ago. This is a bystander’s video that we were able to acquire.” Adam hit a button to start the video, but it didn’t move. Behind him, Felicity muttered, “Great, now I’ll have to help the bad guy with his stupid TV.”

The screen crackled before going black. And then it came on again. With a man standing there, holding a gun. Cold rushed down his arms and to his fingers. Oliver tried to stand up, but the cuff around his wrist kept him sitting down. All he could do was stare at the screen as a man he worked with scanned the room as if he knew everything. And he did, didn’t he? He knew all about Oliver and his family.

“Oh, God.” William let out a cry. “Oh, God. Dad―”

“Hello, everyone. Hopefully you can all see me. Hello, Oliver. Felicity. Kids. Well, most of them anyways. A few of you might recognize me.”

Oliver gripped the table. Rage ripped through his body, threatening to cause an atomic eruption inside of him. The man’s words grated on his heart as it sunk into the depths of the ocean. He knew what was coming. Just as sure as he knew that his youngest daughter wasn’t sitting with Felicity. As Adam worked to turn the TV off, the man on the screen chuckled. “You won’t be able to turn it off. I’m the Bratva.”

People gasped. Oliver closed his eyes to hide the terror from the man who could destroy his world in seconds. Behind him, someone reached around for something in a bag and then swore. Felicity. She wanted to track the video. But they couldn’t have devices in the courtroom. Why would they be allowed? It wasn’t like people had done this before. Oliver gritted his teeth.

Adam lowered the remote and cleared his throat. “What do you want?”

“We want Oliver Queen to suffer.”

He laughed. “He’s right here. Now, unless you have bombs planted in the room, I don’t think that’s going to work.”

The man chuckled. The camera started moving. “We don’t have bombs. We have something much more valuable.”

Oliver titled his head and let out a little cry. But it wasn’t because of the words. The Russian accent. The fact that someone had hacked into the court’s network and was broadcasting a video.

It was the scream.

A child’s scream.

Annie’s.

His precious little girl screamed over and over again.

“Y’know, Oliver,” the camera moved with the man as he walked along a corridor. “I always found it ironic that your littlest is named after your wife. Annie. Such a beautiful name. In Hebrew it means prayer. In Russian it means favor and grace. Which is also ironic. Because your wife and this little Annie have had anything but favor, haven’t they? One died because of you and the other has lived a miserable life because of you. Because of the mistakes you made. And now, this little girl will die because of the mistakes you made.”

“Daddy!” The camera landed on Annie, who sat in a chair, rope keeping her seated. Her eyes were red, along with the side of her face. Blood. Oh, God. They’d hurt her. They’d hurt his baby. The man’s fingers traced her tears, his smile growing. He glanced back at the camera. “Your daughter will be die because of the mistakes you made.”

“Daddy, help me!” Annie’s screams heightened and filled the room. “Daddy!”

The camera jerked away from her, but her screams were still heard. She cried for her father, and for Felicity. Begging them to come get her. To save her from the bad men. But then they stopped.

The camera dropped to the ground.

“Don’t expect to ever find her. She’ll be dead before you even get your bow back to come rescue her.”

And then the screen went black.

#arrow au #olicity au #oliver x felicity #the sound of an arrow

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