Arrow, "Dark Stranger" Felicity/Slade, Felicity/OIiver "Three"
Fandom: Arrow
Title: Dark Stranger
Chapter Title: Three
Author: Paynesgrey
Characters/Pairings: Felicity Smoak, Slade Wilson, Oliver Queen; Felicity/Slade, Oliver/Felicity, and Oliver/Sara
Rating: M
Warnings/Spoilers: adult content, spoilers for "Heir to the Demon"
Notes: I'm shooting for about six chapters for this to be finished soon.
Summary: Felicity must make peace with Oliver's choice, even if it means turning her attention to a charming and mysterious stranger. Her attentions to someone else, however, do not go unnoticed.
Other Links: AO3 | FFnet | Dreamwidth
Felicity concentrated on patching up Sara’s wounds after they had come back beaten and defeated from the altercation at the stockyards that night. She was glad that there was very little tension between them, even though Sara was still giving her the “looks” wonder and guilt. Felicity just brushed it off, and now it seemed like Sara was keen on learning more about the stranger that Felicity had met before the big battle that night.
She really didn’t want to tell her anything. It wasn’t any of Sara’s business, and though Felicity felt like she wanted to be far away from the woman (for obvious reasons) she at least respected her and couldn’t hold anything against her. Sara had treated her with nothing but kindness, and she was never harsh or short with her.
Sara seemed to understand how important Felicity was to Oliver and vice versa, and yet she didn’t try to analyze or sabotage it.
Maybe Sara could even be considered a friend. It was weird. Felicity didn’t have “girlfriends” and certainly not the new (or old?) girlfriend of the guy she was obviously in love with. Well, according to Moira Queen it was obvious.
“Listen, Sara, about what I told you earlier…” Felicity started. Might as well get it out in the open. She could tell it was the question that was just on the tip of Sara’s tongue as she watched her tending her wounds.
Sara tried to sound unconcerned, but it wasn’t really working. The woman really was curious. “About that someone you met.”
“Yeah...can you do me a favor?” Felicity asked, and Sara turned to her, meeting Felicity’s eyes. Felicity bit her lip, and her voice fell low to a whisper. “Can you not...tell Oliver about it?”
“Why?” Sara asked quickly.
Felicity sighed audibly. “Because...the last time there was a “someone” he got really scary, and I’ve been thinking… I don’t really have a life outside…” Felicity waved her arm around the lair. “This and you guys, and I really don’t want this getting mixed with the other.”
Sara nodded, looking down at her patched up wounds. “Look, I get it. You want some kind of normalcy outside this. I don’t blame you. I don’t even know how you do it now.”
“You mean because I have no combat skills and am pretty much helpless?” Felicity said in a tone of self defeat.
“No,” Sara said simply. “What I mean is that you are normal and yet you chose this. You have a chance to have another life, one without danger and death. Some of us don’t have that choice at all. Not anymore.”
“You could quit,” Felicity said, and suddenly she felt like a jerk. Was she sounding desperate? “I mean, Nyssa is gone right? You’re released.”
Sara laughed in disbelief. “Oh no. Don’t be fooled by that. Nyssa isn’t gone, and I don’t really believe I’m released, Felicity. Neither should you.”
“Does Oliver believe that?” Felicity asked boldly.
“No.” She paused. “Which is why I’m not telling him about that someone you met. He doesn’t need to be carrying on the weight of something else.”
“What do you mean by that?” Felicity asked, feeling defensive.
“What I mean is, Felicity,” and she looked her straight in the eyes. “That Oliver worries about everyone who’s important to him. Even if you have a normal life outside of this, he’ll worry. As long as you’re in this with him, he’ll never feel that you are safe. He’ll always think you’re a target for his enemies because you have sided with him.”
Felicity didn’t reply, and she watched Sara pull the t-shirt over her clean wounds and head toward the stairs. Felicity’s gaze shifted to Oliver who was talking intently with Digg. He must have sensed her staring at him because when their eyes met she could see the weight of Sara’s meaning. Oliver would always worry about her, and if he found out about her dinner with the mysterious stranger that even Felicity wasn’t sure about, then he’d definitely interfere.
He’d always care enough to interfere.
---
Felicity headed home after wrapping things up in the lair. Her computer programs were running fine without her again, and even Oliver didn’t seem to think that there was much left to do for any of them that night. Diggle was the first to leave, and Felicity could tell his thoughts were of Lyla, and he didn’t want to be in Sara and Oliver’s company more than he had to be. Felicity couldn’t help but feel the same way.
She watched as Sara left for the night, heading toward her newfound home at Detective Lance’s place. Oliver was the last to leave after Felicity said goodbye, but as she started to linger around hoping that Oliver would want to talk, she realized that his crippling silence remained steadfast. He gave her one last nod, and she could see a war of uncertainty raging in his eyes.
He wasn’t going to say anything, was he? Not about Sara, and not about how she had told him Moira’s secret about Thea’s birth.
Getting to her apartment’s parking garage, she turned to glance at the Corner Bakery, seeing that it was closed. Her mystery man was long gone of course, and she wondered if she’d ever see him again.
Instinct, however, told her that she would.
---
Slade Wilson wiped blood of his hands and surveyed the groaning bodies on the ground around him. He’d defeated them all in a round of rough sparring, and he didn’t even know their names. They all came here looking for a huge cash prize to just take a few jabs at him, and in the end, they were pawns to keep his anger at bay, to keep control of the monster hissing and scratching inside him.
Revenge filled his blood like black poison, but it was a good motivator and every one of these nameless men wore the face of Oliver Queen in his mind’s eye.
Olive was his friend, but someday Slade would be Oliver’s destroyer. He could see it as clearly as his intricate plans coming to fruition.
When Brother Blood could not take care of Laurel Lance in all his sloppiness, Slade felt that it was best to get to Felicity Smoak himself. Felicity was the one woman Oliver kept close, so close that he was sure the woman was as deeply in his heart as Shado had been.
The others like his family, Laurel and Sara were important to Oliver, yes, but not as coveted as the wonderful Felicity Smoak.
She was more than an asset to Oliver, and Slade wanted nothing more to exploit all the ways the young IT blonde was important to Oliver.
He could tell she was unhappy, somewhat rejected and sidelined to Oliver’s true feelings. The foolish kid was even keeping her at arm’s length - probably to protect her or for some other noble reason.
But what Felicity would have to prove to Oliver is that even the most trusted, most loved and most protected ones in your life can be hurt enough to turn on you. People were always in it for themselves after all. If Slade could get Felicity to believe that she could do better, that she didn’t have to wait to find happiness beyond Oliver’s hesitation, then Slade could take her from him. He can pull her apart bit by bloody bit, and the sooner the woman Oliver trusts most breaks away from him and is standing by Slade’s side, then the sooner his hardest work will be over.
The only thing left for Slade to do after that would be to drive one last arrow through his friend’s skull.
And there was nothing beyond that he wanted more.
Four
Title: Dark Stranger
Chapter Title: Three
Author: Paynesgrey
Characters/Pairings: Felicity Smoak, Slade Wilson, Oliver Queen; Felicity/Slade, Oliver/Felicity, and Oliver/Sara
Rating: M
Warnings/Spoilers: adult content, spoilers for "Heir to the Demon"
Notes: I'm shooting for about six chapters for this to be finished soon.
Summary: Felicity must make peace with Oliver's choice, even if it means turning her attention to a charming and mysterious stranger. Her attentions to someone else, however, do not go unnoticed.
Other Links: AO3 | FFnet | Dreamwidth
Felicity concentrated on patching up Sara’s wounds after they had come back beaten and defeated from the altercation at the stockyards that night. She was glad that there was very little tension between them, even though Sara was still giving her the “looks” wonder and guilt. Felicity just brushed it off, and now it seemed like Sara was keen on learning more about the stranger that Felicity had met before the big battle that night.
She really didn’t want to tell her anything. It wasn’t any of Sara’s business, and though Felicity felt like she wanted to be far away from the woman (for obvious reasons) she at least respected her and couldn’t hold anything against her. Sara had treated her with nothing but kindness, and she was never harsh or short with her.
Sara seemed to understand how important Felicity was to Oliver and vice versa, and yet she didn’t try to analyze or sabotage it.
Maybe Sara could even be considered a friend. It was weird. Felicity didn’t have “girlfriends” and certainly not the new (or old?) girlfriend of the guy she was obviously in love with. Well, according to Moira Queen it was obvious.
“Listen, Sara, about what I told you earlier…” Felicity started. Might as well get it out in the open. She could tell it was the question that was just on the tip of Sara’s tongue as she watched her tending her wounds.
Sara tried to sound unconcerned, but it wasn’t really working. The woman really was curious. “About that someone you met.”
“Yeah...can you do me a favor?” Felicity asked, and Sara turned to her, meeting Felicity’s eyes. Felicity bit her lip, and her voice fell low to a whisper. “Can you not...tell Oliver about it?”
“Why?” Sara asked quickly.
Felicity sighed audibly. “Because...the last time there was a “someone” he got really scary, and I’ve been thinking… I don’t really have a life outside…” Felicity waved her arm around the lair. “This and you guys, and I really don’t want this getting mixed with the other.”
Sara nodded, looking down at her patched up wounds. “Look, I get it. You want some kind of normalcy outside this. I don’t blame you. I don’t even know how you do it now.”
“You mean because I have no combat skills and am pretty much helpless?” Felicity said in a tone of self defeat.
“No,” Sara said simply. “What I mean is that you are normal and yet you chose this. You have a chance to have another life, one without danger and death. Some of us don’t have that choice at all. Not anymore.”
“You could quit,” Felicity said, and suddenly she felt like a jerk. Was she sounding desperate? “I mean, Nyssa is gone right? You’re released.”
Sara laughed in disbelief. “Oh no. Don’t be fooled by that. Nyssa isn’t gone, and I don’t really believe I’m released, Felicity. Neither should you.”
“Does Oliver believe that?” Felicity asked boldly.
“No.” She paused. “Which is why I’m not telling him about that someone you met. He doesn’t need to be carrying on the weight of something else.”
“What do you mean by that?” Felicity asked, feeling defensive.
“What I mean is, Felicity,” and she looked her straight in the eyes. “That Oliver worries about everyone who’s important to him. Even if you have a normal life outside of this, he’ll worry. As long as you’re in this with him, he’ll never feel that you are safe. He’ll always think you’re a target for his enemies because you have sided with him.”
Felicity didn’t reply, and she watched Sara pull the t-shirt over her clean wounds and head toward the stairs. Felicity’s gaze shifted to Oliver who was talking intently with Digg. He must have sensed her staring at him because when their eyes met she could see the weight of Sara’s meaning. Oliver would always worry about her, and if he found out about her dinner with the mysterious stranger that even Felicity wasn’t sure about, then he’d definitely interfere.
He’d always care enough to interfere.
---
Felicity headed home after wrapping things up in the lair. Her computer programs were running fine without her again, and even Oliver didn’t seem to think that there was much left to do for any of them that night. Diggle was the first to leave, and Felicity could tell his thoughts were of Lyla, and he didn’t want to be in Sara and Oliver’s company more than he had to be. Felicity couldn’t help but feel the same way.
She watched as Sara left for the night, heading toward her newfound home at Detective Lance’s place. Oliver was the last to leave after Felicity said goodbye, but as she started to linger around hoping that Oliver would want to talk, she realized that his crippling silence remained steadfast. He gave her one last nod, and she could see a war of uncertainty raging in his eyes.
He wasn’t going to say anything, was he? Not about Sara, and not about how she had told him Moira’s secret about Thea’s birth.
Getting to her apartment’s parking garage, she turned to glance at the Corner Bakery, seeing that it was closed. Her mystery man was long gone of course, and she wondered if she’d ever see him again.
Instinct, however, told her that she would.
---
Slade Wilson wiped blood of his hands and surveyed the groaning bodies on the ground around him. He’d defeated them all in a round of rough sparring, and he didn’t even know their names. They all came here looking for a huge cash prize to just take a few jabs at him, and in the end, they were pawns to keep his anger at bay, to keep control of the monster hissing and scratching inside him.
Revenge filled his blood like black poison, but it was a good motivator and every one of these nameless men wore the face of Oliver Queen in his mind’s eye.
Olive was his friend, but someday Slade would be Oliver’s destroyer. He could see it as clearly as his intricate plans coming to fruition.
When Brother Blood could not take care of Laurel Lance in all his sloppiness, Slade felt that it was best to get to Felicity Smoak himself. Felicity was the one woman Oliver kept close, so close that he was sure the woman was as deeply in his heart as Shado had been.
The others like his family, Laurel and Sara were important to Oliver, yes, but not as coveted as the wonderful Felicity Smoak.
She was more than an asset to Oliver, and Slade wanted nothing more to exploit all the ways the young IT blonde was important to Oliver.
He could tell she was unhappy, somewhat rejected and sidelined to Oliver’s true feelings. The foolish kid was even keeping her at arm’s length - probably to protect her or for some other noble reason.
But what Felicity would have to prove to Oliver is that even the most trusted, most loved and most protected ones in your life can be hurt enough to turn on you. People were always in it for themselves after all. If Slade could get Felicity to believe that she could do better, that she didn’t have to wait to find happiness beyond Oliver’s hesitation, then Slade could take her from him. He can pull her apart bit by bloody bit, and the sooner the woman Oliver trusts most breaks away from him and is standing by Slade’s side, then the sooner his hardest work will be over.
The only thing left for Slade to do after that would be to drive one last arrow through his friend’s skull.
And there was nothing beyond that he wanted more.
Four