Arrow, "Dark Stranger" Felicity/Slade, Felicity/OIiver "Eight"
Fandom: Arrow
Title: Dark Stranger
Chapter Title: Eight
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
Sara was rounding up the last of the sex traffickers in Central City when her phone beeped. She continued to string up the criminals by their torsos on a low hanging crane, and she hurried through the streets out of plain sight as sirens blazed toward the free, yet still frightened young girls shivering outside the storage areas where they were imprisoned.
She finally got a moment to look down at her phone, only to feel her heart sink when she read the text.
“Felicity,” she said in a heavy breath. Dread pooled in her stomach and Sara didn’t have a good feeling at what Felicity was getting into. She hoped the woman would wait. She hoped that Felicity know what she was doing.
She ran back through the darkened streets of Central City and searched for a fast car parked on the curb, something that was going to get her home before Felicity put herself in danger.
---
Felicity was staring at herself in the mirror, trying to control her uneven breaths. Her nerves were a bundled mess, and she kept reminding herself that she had to stay calm, be cool, and play the perfect part for Will Shade when he picked her up for dinner at 7, the same time by the Corner Bakery, probably in another friggin’ limo.
She sighed deeply. She could do this. She did this when she counted cards at that underground poker ring with Oliver not long ago. She was very determined, and sure, she felt safer with Oliver whispering in her ear from the earpiece.
Maybe she should tell Oliver. Maybe he would agree with her plan and back her up?
“Not a chance,” she said disappointed. She knew exactly what Oliver would do. He would tell her to stay in the lair, in front of her computers, and research Will Shade from there while he, Roy, and Digg would search out Will Shade and take care of him themselves. And with Roy still raging from the Mirakuru, she wondered if they’d get any solid answers out of this man who called himself Will Shade.
She was glad, at least, that she told Sara. Felicity was relieved that after tonight Oliver would probably know about Will Shade, and she’d have his help in this after all. But for now, tonight, she had to find out more about him, and what he really wanted from her on her own terms.
She couldn’t do that, she reasoned, if Will Shade was suddenly spooked by her intentions.
Not too mention, Felicity had enough issues of her own trying to deal with the guilt of sleeping with this man when he wasn’t what he seemed. She knew that she hadn’t missed that encryption before; there was no way she was that lovesick the first go around when she vetted him.
That only meant that this Oracle person had been watching Will Shade and had known to tip Felicity off. Oracle had also known more about Felicity too, guessing she’d pick up on that encryption code easily when put right in front of Felicity’s face.
Felicity sighed again, put on a brave face, and finished her make up. She kept her clutch handy, purposely forgetting the overnight bag that Will had suggested over the phone.
“Oh, silly me! What was I thinking,” she practiced in the mirror, looking at her face and watching if it was convincing enough.
Sighing again. “It’ll do. Thank God I’m awkward enough already!”
She opened her clutch purse and checked at the contents inside. She felt a sense of mild relief knowing she had one final card up her sleeve. She had taken one of the tracking devices off of Oliver’s arrows and had manipulated it to serve as her own personal beacon the moment she clicked it on. The signal would go straight to the lair sounding piercing alarms that would rival The Canary’s sonic devices.
She only hoped that she didn’t have to use it.
---
Felicity took a shot of vodka before she left her apartment, hoping it would calm her nerves once Will Shade picked her up. She masked the alcohol with an overpowering breath mint, and she waited on numb nerves for him in front of the Corner Bakery again.
She was glad to be wearing a more subtle dress, white with large brown florals. She wore comfortable flats and kept stylishly warm with a brown cardigan with large white buttons. Tonight she was wearing her glasses, preferring to be herself and “see things more clearly” as she told herself. Felicity also hoped that the reflections from the lights onto her glasses might mask some of the anxiety in her eyes. She hoped.
Will Shade rolled up in another limo, and he let the driver guide her inside the door. She slid on the seat opposite of him and took in his appearance with a smile.
He was still gorgeous, but she could sense how deadly he was now. She wondered why it wasn’t as prominent before. She certainly felt the danger about him, and started to rethink her decision to leave Oliver out of this one mission. If she knew better, Sara had already rushed back after that text and had informed him that she may be in danger.
“You look lovely,” he said, and she let her eyes trace over his midnight suit, simple but not so plain when he wore it. Felicity wondered how many knives and guns he could stash in it.
Then she immediately regretted that thought as it had caught her off guard and brought up some of the fear she was trying to mask.
“I get the feeling we’re going to have the conversation that we’re moving too fast,” Will Shade said.
Felicity laughed loudly. “It’s like you read my mind.”
“I do feel I took advantage, and maybe you are not wrong in thinking I was too forward last night,” Will said, and she almost hated how charming he sounded.
“It takes too,” she said, waving her hands. “Look, I wasn’t lying when I said I had a good time, but yeah, for me, this is super speed fast. I’m not sure what to make of it. It makes me… uh, a little nervous. Sorry.”
He nodded, and she could feel his gaze gliding over her, profiling her again. Even with one eye it was scary how he seemed to read her.
“I understand. I hope that at least we can have a lovely dinner,” he said cordially.
“Of course, who turns down dinner?” she said. “Plus, we can still… get to know each other. I’d still like that.” That was the total truth. She would like to know more about him, everything, even the lies. Why was he interested in her? She still wondered that. She knew that it was probably because of Oliver, but she wanted to know what reason this imposter would give her.
“I feel you have a question you’ve been wanting to ask me, Ms. Smoak,” he said.
Back to the formalities, she noticed. He only called her Felicity when it slipped, or frequently when he had her in his bed. She inwardly shuddered.
“Why me?” she asked honestly. “Why are you interested in me? I’m the girl no one notices until their computer breaks. I’m the girl that stands by someone’s side smiling dumbly while friends and family ask, who are you? I want to know why you ran into me and just didn’t move on, be polite and never speak to me again?”
Will shook his head. “You give yourself far little credit, Ms. Smoak. I imagine you have no idea how others see you, or the potential you have. Those people who see you and ask you who you are? They are threatened by you, more than likely. Your presence is deceiving, love, but your skills, your confidence and uniqueness, it shines even if you don’t see it.”
Felicity gaped. She wasn’t expecting such high praise. He was a convincing actor, whoever he was, and he knew the right things to say. If she wasn’t suspicious of him thanks to Oracle (and her own intuition) she might have fallen for him already. Damn the suspicions! She might have brought a very large overnight bag as well.
“Oh, I see. Well, I don’t, but thank you for giving me your input,” she said softly.
“You still don’t see it? You went from IT girl to Oliver Queen’s personal assistant in no time. There must be a reason for that,” he said.
“As we already discussed,” she said, and when the limo stopped, the conversation halted as well. They arrived at the French restaurant that Will had mentioned. He took her hand as they exited the limo, and she automatically took his offered arm. They strode inside, and she couldn’t believe how much more luxurious this place was compared to the last one.
“Wow,” she said.
“The champagne here is magnificent. Not sparkling wine either, the real stuff,” he said, leaning to whisper in her ear.
“I’m a lucky girl,” she said, and it wasn’t too hard to fake an impressed smile. It just made her more curious about Will Shade and his games. Felicity was more than determined to figure that out.
“Felicity?” a voice called behind her, and Felicity got a quick glimpse of a frown on Will’s face before turning to meet whomever spoke her name.
She was astounded to come face-to-face with Roy and Thea.
“Oh! Felicity!” Thea looked at her and then at her date, the towering Will Shade. She seemed shocked and slightly impressed.
Roy looked suspicious, sizing him up in a more primal way. Felicity was both terrified and relieved. If Sara didn’t get to Oliver in time, she knew that Roy would tip off Oliver right away. She met his questioning eyes, and she smiled demurely.
“I’m so glad to to see you guys. Nice place, huh?” she said, chatting as if they were old friends. Roy nodded solemnly, and Thea looked to Will with a charming smile, but there was cautious curiosity in her eyes as well.
“This is my date Will Shade,” Felicity said, pointing to him. He nodded at them, but said nothing. He stared at Roy and acted as though Thea didn’t exist. “If you’ll excuse us…”
Thea shook her head. “Yeah, uh, have a nice dinner. See you later,” she said, and when Roy said nothing other than glowering into Will’s eyes, Thea pulled him away.
When they left, Felicity saw a darkness washed over Will’s face. He didn’t seem pleased, but when he caught her looking at him, he immediately transformed into a different person.
“They seem nice,” he said, which seemed weird and cliche for him to say.
“Yeah, not bad for a Queen,” she said, and she pulled him along as they went to their table.
Will was right. The champagne was good, and it seemed to have a more dangerous effect on her than the wine of the previous night. It made no sense. Felicity considered herself a wine-and-spirits-drinking pro, but tonight she felt like an amateaur. Her head was fuzzy, her muscles felt tired and slushy, and she could barely sit up straight in her chair.
Had there been something else in the champagne?
“Let me ask you something?” she said, pointing at him. There were moments of silence between them, and she wondered if while intoxicated she was blabbering like she usually did, hoping she hadn’t said something dangerous.
She saw Will motion for the check. He turned to her and gave his full attention. “Yes?”
“Have you ever done any of your negotiations under a different name?”
She saw his one eyebrow raise. “Oh, why would you ask that, Ms. Smoak?”
“You seem like the type,” she said, feeling her tongue getting looser in her mouth. She became worried. She had to focus. She had to get ahold of herself, and she couldn’t become vulnerable in the company of this strange man.
“Full disclosure, as long as you’ve asked, yes I have,” he said.
“I thought so,” she said.
“Well, you did want to get to know me better,” he said, and suddenly her eyes were getting heavy. She felt herself moving, but she didn’t know if he was helping her up, or if she was walking on her own. Cold air met her skin, and she realized that had come outside. The limo was waiting for them, and he was directing her back inside the vehicle.
“The thing is,” he said, and she became somewhat aware of her head resting on his shoulder. He began stroking her hair, but she couldn’t ward him off. She tried to grasp her senses, but she just couldn’t.
When she had a little of her consciousness left, Felicity realized he’d somehow drugged her.
And he continued talking. She was picking up pieces, and the one piece that frightened her into running was the last thing she heard before falling into the black.
“I know you wanted to take things slow, love, but I’m afraid I can’t. I’m leaving for Hawaii tonight, so I must insist that you come with me.”
---
“Yes, I need you to follow someone and take care of him before he gets to the Vigilante,” Slade spoke into his phone while Felicity rested on his lap. He was still stroking her hair, as if it was pleasing and therapeutic, like stroking a fluffy cat.
“Yes, his name is Roy Harper. Make sure the girl isn’t with him, but if you have no choice, take care of them both.”
The voice on the other end of his phone confirmed his orders.
“Roy must not make it to meet the Vigilante, do you understand? If he does, it’ll ruin everything. Don’t disappointment me.” He hung up his phone and looked down at the snoozing blonde, who was unaware of the danger in store for her.
“Well, love, pack your bags, we’re going on a tropical vacation.”
Nine
Title: Dark Stranger
Chapter Title: Eight
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
Sara was rounding up the last of the sex traffickers in Central City when her phone beeped. She continued to string up the criminals by their torsos on a low hanging crane, and she hurried through the streets out of plain sight as sirens blazed toward the free, yet still frightened young girls shivering outside the storage areas where they were imprisoned.
She finally got a moment to look down at her phone, only to feel her heart sink when she read the text.
“Felicity,” she said in a heavy breath. Dread pooled in her stomach and Sara didn’t have a good feeling at what Felicity was getting into. She hoped the woman would wait. She hoped that Felicity know what she was doing.
She ran back through the darkened streets of Central City and searched for a fast car parked on the curb, something that was going to get her home before Felicity put herself in danger.
---
Felicity was staring at herself in the mirror, trying to control her uneven breaths. Her nerves were a bundled mess, and she kept reminding herself that she had to stay calm, be cool, and play the perfect part for Will Shade when he picked her up for dinner at 7, the same time by the Corner Bakery, probably in another friggin’ limo.
She sighed deeply. She could do this. She did this when she counted cards at that underground poker ring with Oliver not long ago. She was very determined, and sure, she felt safer with Oliver whispering in her ear from the earpiece.
Maybe she should tell Oliver. Maybe he would agree with her plan and back her up?
“Not a chance,” she said disappointed. She knew exactly what Oliver would do. He would tell her to stay in the lair, in front of her computers, and research Will Shade from there while he, Roy, and Digg would search out Will Shade and take care of him themselves. And with Roy still raging from the Mirakuru, she wondered if they’d get any solid answers out of this man who called himself Will Shade.
She was glad, at least, that she told Sara. Felicity was relieved that after tonight Oliver would probably know about Will Shade, and she’d have his help in this after all. But for now, tonight, she had to find out more about him, and what he really wanted from her on her own terms.
She couldn’t do that, she reasoned, if Will Shade was suddenly spooked by her intentions.
Not too mention, Felicity had enough issues of her own trying to deal with the guilt of sleeping with this man when he wasn’t what he seemed. She knew that she hadn’t missed that encryption before; there was no way she was that lovesick the first go around when she vetted him.
That only meant that this Oracle person had been watching Will Shade and had known to tip Felicity off. Oracle had also known more about Felicity too, guessing she’d pick up on that encryption code easily when put right in front of Felicity’s face.
Felicity sighed again, put on a brave face, and finished her make up. She kept her clutch handy, purposely forgetting the overnight bag that Will had suggested over the phone.
“Oh, silly me! What was I thinking,” she practiced in the mirror, looking at her face and watching if it was convincing enough.
Sighing again. “It’ll do. Thank God I’m awkward enough already!”
She opened her clutch purse and checked at the contents inside. She felt a sense of mild relief knowing she had one final card up her sleeve. She had taken one of the tracking devices off of Oliver’s arrows and had manipulated it to serve as her own personal beacon the moment she clicked it on. The signal would go straight to the lair sounding piercing alarms that would rival The Canary’s sonic devices.
She only hoped that she didn’t have to use it.
---
Felicity took a shot of vodka before she left her apartment, hoping it would calm her nerves once Will Shade picked her up. She masked the alcohol with an overpowering breath mint, and she waited on numb nerves for him in front of the Corner Bakery again.
She was glad to be wearing a more subtle dress, white with large brown florals. She wore comfortable flats and kept stylishly warm with a brown cardigan with large white buttons. Tonight she was wearing her glasses, preferring to be herself and “see things more clearly” as she told herself. Felicity also hoped that the reflections from the lights onto her glasses might mask some of the anxiety in her eyes. She hoped.
Will Shade rolled up in another limo, and he let the driver guide her inside the door. She slid on the seat opposite of him and took in his appearance with a smile.
He was still gorgeous, but she could sense how deadly he was now. She wondered why it wasn’t as prominent before. She certainly felt the danger about him, and started to rethink her decision to leave Oliver out of this one mission. If she knew better, Sara had already rushed back after that text and had informed him that she may be in danger.
“You look lovely,” he said, and she let her eyes trace over his midnight suit, simple but not so plain when he wore it. Felicity wondered how many knives and guns he could stash in it.
Then she immediately regretted that thought as it had caught her off guard and brought up some of the fear she was trying to mask.
“I get the feeling we’re going to have the conversation that we’re moving too fast,” Will Shade said.
Felicity laughed loudly. “It’s like you read my mind.”
“I do feel I took advantage, and maybe you are not wrong in thinking I was too forward last night,” Will said, and she almost hated how charming he sounded.
“It takes too,” she said, waving her hands. “Look, I wasn’t lying when I said I had a good time, but yeah, for me, this is super speed fast. I’m not sure what to make of it. It makes me… uh, a little nervous. Sorry.”
He nodded, and she could feel his gaze gliding over her, profiling her again. Even with one eye it was scary how he seemed to read her.
“I understand. I hope that at least we can have a lovely dinner,” he said cordially.
“Of course, who turns down dinner?” she said. “Plus, we can still… get to know each other. I’d still like that.” That was the total truth. She would like to know more about him, everything, even the lies. Why was he interested in her? She still wondered that. She knew that it was probably because of Oliver, but she wanted to know what reason this imposter would give her.
“I feel you have a question you’ve been wanting to ask me, Ms. Smoak,” he said.
Back to the formalities, she noticed. He only called her Felicity when it slipped, or frequently when he had her in his bed. She inwardly shuddered.
“Why me?” she asked honestly. “Why are you interested in me? I’m the girl no one notices until their computer breaks. I’m the girl that stands by someone’s side smiling dumbly while friends and family ask, who are you? I want to know why you ran into me and just didn’t move on, be polite and never speak to me again?”
Will shook his head. “You give yourself far little credit, Ms. Smoak. I imagine you have no idea how others see you, or the potential you have. Those people who see you and ask you who you are? They are threatened by you, more than likely. Your presence is deceiving, love, but your skills, your confidence and uniqueness, it shines even if you don’t see it.”
Felicity gaped. She wasn’t expecting such high praise. He was a convincing actor, whoever he was, and he knew the right things to say. If she wasn’t suspicious of him thanks to Oracle (and her own intuition) she might have fallen for him already. Damn the suspicions! She might have brought a very large overnight bag as well.
“Oh, I see. Well, I don’t, but thank you for giving me your input,” she said softly.
“You still don’t see it? You went from IT girl to Oliver Queen’s personal assistant in no time. There must be a reason for that,” he said.
“As we already discussed,” she said, and when the limo stopped, the conversation halted as well. They arrived at the French restaurant that Will had mentioned. He took her hand as they exited the limo, and she automatically took his offered arm. They strode inside, and she couldn’t believe how much more luxurious this place was compared to the last one.
“Wow,” she said.
“The champagne here is magnificent. Not sparkling wine either, the real stuff,” he said, leaning to whisper in her ear.
“I’m a lucky girl,” she said, and it wasn’t too hard to fake an impressed smile. It just made her more curious about Will Shade and his games. Felicity was more than determined to figure that out.
“Felicity?” a voice called behind her, and Felicity got a quick glimpse of a frown on Will’s face before turning to meet whomever spoke her name.
She was astounded to come face-to-face with Roy and Thea.
“Oh! Felicity!” Thea looked at her and then at her date, the towering Will Shade. She seemed shocked and slightly impressed.
Roy looked suspicious, sizing him up in a more primal way. Felicity was both terrified and relieved. If Sara didn’t get to Oliver in time, she knew that Roy would tip off Oliver right away. She met his questioning eyes, and she smiled demurely.
“I’m so glad to to see you guys. Nice place, huh?” she said, chatting as if they were old friends. Roy nodded solemnly, and Thea looked to Will with a charming smile, but there was cautious curiosity in her eyes as well.
“This is my date Will Shade,” Felicity said, pointing to him. He nodded at them, but said nothing. He stared at Roy and acted as though Thea didn’t exist. “If you’ll excuse us…”
Thea shook her head. “Yeah, uh, have a nice dinner. See you later,” she said, and when Roy said nothing other than glowering into Will’s eyes, Thea pulled him away.
When they left, Felicity saw a darkness washed over Will’s face. He didn’t seem pleased, but when he caught her looking at him, he immediately transformed into a different person.
“They seem nice,” he said, which seemed weird and cliche for him to say.
“Yeah, not bad for a Queen,” she said, and she pulled him along as they went to their table.
Will was right. The champagne was good, and it seemed to have a more dangerous effect on her than the wine of the previous night. It made no sense. Felicity considered herself a wine-and-spirits-drinking pro, but tonight she felt like an amateaur. Her head was fuzzy, her muscles felt tired and slushy, and she could barely sit up straight in her chair.
Had there been something else in the champagne?
“Let me ask you something?” she said, pointing at him. There were moments of silence between them, and she wondered if while intoxicated she was blabbering like she usually did, hoping she hadn’t said something dangerous.
She saw Will motion for the check. He turned to her and gave his full attention. “Yes?”
“Have you ever done any of your negotiations under a different name?”
She saw his one eyebrow raise. “Oh, why would you ask that, Ms. Smoak?”
“You seem like the type,” she said, feeling her tongue getting looser in her mouth. She became worried. She had to focus. She had to get ahold of herself, and she couldn’t become vulnerable in the company of this strange man.
“Full disclosure, as long as you’ve asked, yes I have,” he said.
“I thought so,” she said.
“Well, you did want to get to know me better,” he said, and suddenly her eyes were getting heavy. She felt herself moving, but she didn’t know if he was helping her up, or if she was walking on her own. Cold air met her skin, and she realized that had come outside. The limo was waiting for them, and he was directing her back inside the vehicle.
“The thing is,” he said, and she became somewhat aware of her head resting on his shoulder. He began stroking her hair, but she couldn’t ward him off. She tried to grasp her senses, but she just couldn’t.
When she had a little of her consciousness left, Felicity realized he’d somehow drugged her.
And he continued talking. She was picking up pieces, and the one piece that frightened her into running was the last thing she heard before falling into the black.
“I know you wanted to take things slow, love, but I’m afraid I can’t. I’m leaving for Hawaii tonight, so I must insist that you come with me.”
---
“Yes, I need you to follow someone and take care of him before he gets to the Vigilante,” Slade spoke into his phone while Felicity rested on his lap. He was still stroking her hair, as if it was pleasing and therapeutic, like stroking a fluffy cat.
“Yes, his name is Roy Harper. Make sure the girl isn’t with him, but if you have no choice, take care of them both.”
The voice on the other end of his phone confirmed his orders.
“Roy must not make it to meet the Vigilante, do you understand? If he does, it’ll ruin everything. Don’t disappointment me.” He hung up his phone and looked down at the snoozing blonde, who was unaware of the danger in store for her.
“Well, love, pack your bags, we’re going on a tropical vacation.”
Nine