Until Death Do Us Part

[Oliver Queen]

Oliver would have been completley fine with walking to their room. It wasn't that far and yet, they insisted. As he'd established earlier, they couldn't do anything to isolate themselves. Most of the couples were overly intimate, which was probably a farce for them anyway. There was something very artificial about the lifestyle they tried to promote. Felicity had questioned whether this was a Swinger's Cruise and the more Oliver saw, the more he was inclined to agree. Even though he technically knew it wasn't. He got onto the cart, taking a seat and titling his head to the side a bit as Felicity was forced to sit on his lap.

The discomfort level in him grew at this far too intimate position for them, but he managed to appear completely normal, as if this was something they did all the time, or had no trouble doing right now. With no other place to rest his hands -- without looking awkward and uncomfortable that is -- he casually rested a hand on Felicity's bare thigh, with his other elbow resting on the window frame of the cart they were in -- since there was no glass. They really, really should have just walked there.

[Felicity Smoak]

She waited for everyone else to climb in, and even then just stood there for a moment, before climbing in her self with a soft smile. In truth she was about to panic! She was SITTING on Oliver's lap! Out of all the times she's thought of doing that--and it was a not even a double digit number anymore!--never had THIS come up!

At first she sat very still, but his hand on her skin (in places she had thought about it being on, but never so still and NEVER so public) made her feel edgy and warm. She shifted around a few times before she realized she was all but rubbing him down in public while on his lap--and all but naked! Her hand was on the back of his neck, and when they took a tight turn, she held on, and leaned in. It however put his face too close to her top, so she pulled back quickly.

[Oliver Queen]

She was shifting far too much over him becuase . . . well, it was not too difficult to explain why. She was a highly attractive woman -- one that he had strong, yet never-to-be-admitted feelings for -- she was clad in nothing but a bathing suit . . . and she was sitting on his lap. Shifting around. Yesterday a woman had decided to 'clean' up the water on his lap and letting her touch linger. Now Felicity was testing his resolve by shifting around over him . . . whether she meant to or not. He wanted to tell her to stop moving so that his body wouldn't go against his mind. He tried to focus on something else, anything else . . . like the case. Which is what they were here for. And he should be thinking about -- NOT his face in her chest. Which is what happened when the cart took a sharp turn.

He immediately turned his head and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, someone's wife was staring at him, as if to see if he was ok since apparently there was nothing wrong with a wife having her breasts in her husband's face. "I just get a little car sick," he said with a smile and a slight wink. The woman smiled in returned, satisfied with this answer and started talking to him about something or another that he was only half listening to. Instead, he straightened himself up and moved her hand from Felicity's leg. There was too much touching going on. And for the whole cart ride home, he wondered how he'd managed to actually keep himself calm, composed, and completely natural. He was going to need another shower when they got back to their room.

[Felicity Smoak]

Felicity felt Oliver shifting around, and she knew that he was as uncomfortable as she was. Everything felt tense, and his hand was warm, making her skin under it feel hot. When she had leaned into him for the turn, she could feel his breath across her skin. It left her feeling needy, and she hoped no one was paying attention to her, because 'it's cold' wouldn't work for explaining some things.

She bit her lip, and waited as they came closer to the drop off point, shifting once more without thinking about it, by pressing her legs tighter together. Once they stop, she jumped up and out, and waited for him there. Everyone said their goodbyes but she was quite for the most part.

The elevator up to their room, was almost as hard as the cart ride. Finally they arrived, and once in she knew she needed to change. If she had not taken a shower that morning she would use that excuse now to take a personal moment--a very personal moment. "I'm just going to put some pants on." She said softly, and hurried up the steps.

When she finally came down them, she was in her PJ pants for comfort, and a black top, that while was tight, covered everything. "I can check in with Diggle for you." It was something to do.

[Oliver Queen]

He was relieved when the cart ride came to an end, and even more so when Felicity was off his lap. They all got out, said their goodbyes and headed back to their rooms. The elevator ride up was quiet. He wondered if this was the best idea, having brought her here and making them go through all this awkwardness. But on the other hand, there was no one else he could have brought, and as he'd previously recognized, her skillset was an asset to this mission. When they got inside their room, Felicity vocalized that she was going to get some pants on -- thank goodness. Oliver went to sit on the couch, taking the time to re-gather himself. They would need to be prepared tonight.

Last night had been orientation, tonight he could not just let it be a casual evening. He needed to isolate the person, or at least narrow it down to maximum 3 people. It would be far easier to weed out Adams that way. Yes. This is what he needed to focus on. She came back downstairs, offering to check in with Diggle. "Sounds good," he told her. Diggle would probably want an update at this point and they should let him know that they were alright thus far. Who knows, maybe some new information came up over there that could come in handy. "Tonight, we need to narrow down the suspect pool as best as we can," he began to tell her. "I'm going to try to slip away for a bit, and search some of the rooms." He had ruled some of the people out, but there were still about six potentials. That was too many.

[Felicity Smoak]

Felicity sent a quick message to Diggle, updating him on what was happening and asking him to send them any updates that he might find while working on things from his end, with Roy. She told him that they would be in touch as soon as they knew something to tell him.

Turning to look at Oliver, she thought for a moment. "You said you had some motion sickness, you could suffer from something and go try to find some advil or something. If you had to go all the way down to the gift shop at supper time it would be crowded. Could take you a while," It could also be his excuse to disappear for just about an hour.

"I will program my tablet to have to codes in place, all you'd have to do is pick the room number, and tell it to unlock...then relock it" So he could move around as he pleased.

Her eyes stayed on his face, but it took some effort. Hands. She kept thinking of his hands. His large hands on her skin. Her thigh. Touching. Sliding up to-- "If you like the idea that is!" Cause she did....a little too much.

[Oliver Queen]

For once, her excuse could work. Provided he didn't tell the staff on the cruise. This was the kind of place where when you wanted something, you could get it instantly. The passangers were those kind of people. "I won't need longer than that," he told her. Mainly to assure her that he won't be gone that long and that she wouldn't have to excuse his absence much. "I've narrowed it down to about six men." Which was bad, but he supposed slight progress. "If I can in their rooms, I can get that list to one person." That was the major goal for tonight. "At the dinner, I need you to watch interactions between the staff and husbands. Some of the crew have to be involved." It was the only thing that made sense. So they needed to watch careefully.

Adams was an authority figure, one that had not been easy to locate or be told about since everyone seemed to fear what he could do to them. Money and power had that affect on people. Luckily for him, he only needed arrows and a hood to be convincing. So the crew would follow him, but not the typical way of a boat crew and passanger. It would be more than that. There would be a slight fear of him in them. There would not be direct conversations, but several eye contact. He knew Felicity was a keen observer and trusted her to uncover these things. So that when he returned, he could have a name and then they could start narrowing down the staff members that are involved.

[Felicity Smoak]

So they had a plan! Good! She felt better when they had plans! They could narrow down the targets, and work on getting everything handled before anyone's vacation was ruined with being a hostage. "I will set everything up!" She told him, and turned back to her tablet, while beginning to code everything for Oliver.

"I will make sure to have it be able to get to the hallway cameras too, so you can check the halls before leaving the rooms." That way he would not get caught. "I can also record their blank footage, and then replace the footage of you walking around--so no one will have records of Oliver Queen's unhooded crime spree." She grinned, rather proud of her work, knowing that while he was the one out there every night, she was the one who kept him safe, and able to be better! It made her feel special and apart of a real team--not his minion but a team member! Felicity Smoak, Crime fighter!

It also distracted her from thinking about his hands!! She shivered from the memory, and closed her eyes for a moment. Biting her lip to hold back a blushing smile, she got back to work.

[Oliver Queen]

He often wondered how he would have been able to do all this on his own, especially the technology aspect of it. The more she did, the more dependant he became on her and while he knew that wasn't a good thing . . . it was inevitable. With how involved both she and Diggle were, it was nearly impossible to not depend on them in many ways. "Sounds good," he told her, glad that she considered everything, including erasing any footage of them on the boat. They continued to discuss the plan and any other details they needed to cover. Before they knew it, the time was approaching for the next dinner event. Oliver quickly went upstairs to dress in another suit and tie and then went back down, telling her she could have the room for as long as she needed to get ready for tonight.

While he waited, he sat on the couch, mentally going over what he needed to get done tonight, and how to go about doing it. Felicity had shown him how to work on unlocking the different rooms. He would just need to make sure no couples slipped away -- like he planned do -- and came into the room while he was searching it. When she was ready to go, they exited the room together and went to the formal dining hall where they were seated at a table with other couples. It started all over agian now.

[Felicity Smoak]

Felicity chose a wear a cobalt blue dress for the evening, and leave her hair down and slightly messy or soft loose curls that gave a thick wavy texture to her hair. The dress was one of her favorites, and was made mostly of lace, with her shoes once again matching the dress and giving her the extra height needed to not fade into the crowd.

Letting Oliver lead her to the elevator, she looked him over in the reflection of the doors. If one had to pretend to have a husband, she really scored. "I left the tablet on the table. Everything is set." She told him, not liking that she wasn't backing him up, but rather being his cover. If anything computer went wrong they'd be exposed. "Just make sure to lock the doors back." It wasn't automatic.

She stayed quite after that, as they walked toward the table and fell back into their roles. After today she knew she would be ready for bed, only this time she didn't know if Oliver would join her or spend another night on the couch. The bed was big, and they could put pillows between them so she would not roll over on him. "Hello everyone!" She greeted, as they took their seats. No Cindy in sight tonight, or at least not yet. One good point.

[Oliver Queen]

Oliver smiled politely, pulling out the seat for Felicity and tucking it in when she was seated, before resuming to his own position, in the chair next to her. They all exchanged pleasantries, and the conversation started almost immediately. As before, Oliver was only paying the minimum amount of attention. Enough to answer when asked a question, or give occasional comments, but not talking too much. The latter wasn't in extreme contrast to his personality -- at least the way he was after the island. So it was fairly easy to blend in in that regard. Everything seemed light hearted and amicable. But that didn't stop Oliver from being perceptive and paying close attention to all the details he had been before. He had limited time to narrow down who's rooms he was going to search. Since he doubted he had time to look at all six potential suspects.

He also knew the perfect time to make his escape, and that was right after dessert. If he left before, his empty chair would be noticed. Everyone would be distracted with finishing up, having drinks, and their own chit chat. They would be mingling as well, moving among the crowd so the chairs would be vacant for the most part, not singling his out. With that in mind, dinner was served and as usual, Oliver took a few bites, not too much. He could just use his later reason for escape as to why he didn't have a strong appetite. During dinner though, he did manage to narrow down the list, mostly people at their table. It was evident that none of the men were Adams. So that left about 3 other men which was good. 3 rooms could be easily searched.

[Felicity Smoak]

Felicity was trying to do her own investigating, while not being found out. She asked about travels, and cities. What people thought about the cities, and even about the crime rates--which she thought was subtle however one woman asked her if she was looking for a new city to raise a kid in. THAT comment made her eyes go wide, and babble something about her career before never touching either subjects again.

She wanted tonight over with so she could ask Oliver what he found out. She wanted to know that everything went smoothly, and who Adams was. With this she could help make connections of who was seen with him when and however. She'd have a starting point! Right now it was a waiting game.

[Oliver Queen]

Dinner came and went, dessert came and went, and by the time that was over, drinks and coffee was served and everyone was out of their chairs and moving around, Oliver decided to make his getaway. He excused himself from the current conversation, saying that he was feeling a little unwell and needed to take some medication. He then swiftly left the grand dining hall, his eyes darting around to make sure everyone was accounted for and that no one had returned to their rooms. He had very limited time to do what he needed to get done. He first returned to their room to get the tablet so that he would have access to the bedrooms. Grabbing it, he quickly left and started with the first one on his list. Felicity had designed it easy enough for Oliver to navigate. While he had some skills, hers far surpassed his when it came to computers. But it was managable. He unlocked the first room, entering and started looking around.

He captured a mental image of what the room looked like first so that not a single item would be moved or changed. His search was not in depth, but he hoped to find something -- anything -- that could tip him off. After a few moments, he decided that the first room was unsuccessful, and that it wasn't their guy. Even though he had previously narrowed it down to 3, he decided to check 5 of the men in question. It was best to be thorough. Leaving that room, he locked it up and then went to the next one on his list. In the dining hall, people were mingling, socializing, and one man in particular seemed to pay especially close attention to Feliciity. Noticing she was standing on her own he didn't think twice about approaching her. "It should be a crime for a woman like you to be standing all by her lonesome," he said with a smile. Apparently, that was his opening line.

[Felicity Smoak]

And there he went. Felicity watched him leave, and then glanced at the large gold and crystal clock above the door. He said an hour! If he wasn't back in an hour she was going to be calling for help. Calling. Screaming. Whatever it took. Diggle could commandeer the Queen helicopter or jet or something. Trying to appear normal, she held a bit of conversation, but soon found herself drifting away from them.

Her mind was too filled with thoughts. If anyone found him in the room of the wrong person, then Oliver could be in trouble. Hearing a voice to her side she turned and offered a smile to whomever had walked up. "I was just taking a moment away from the conversations." She used the excuse. "Enjoying your evening?"

[Oliver Queen]

Oliver was in the middle of searching the other room and again, with no success. He hadn't found any incrimminating and while he still have a list of names to work through, he wished he could just find it and uncover the culprit so that they could move on from this case. With no success in this room, he left it, locked it and proceeded to the next. Only this time as he was making his way through the halls, he heard two people approaching, he qiuckly hid in the corner, pressing his back against the wall and stayed as quiet as possible. They were going the opposite way, but decided to pause in the hallway and have a conversation. Which was wasting his time. Because he couldn't go anywhere else without being found out.

So all he could do was stand there and wait. He checked his watch, only having half an hour left and this was not helping at all. He was going to be extremely frustrated if he did not get a chance to search all the rooms. It would be a wasted night otherwise. Meanwhile, back in the dining hall, the man smiled, his eyes slowly moving over her body, making his actions very apparent and not subtle at all. "I am now," he answered, a clear suggestiveness in his tone of voice. "I could be enjoying it more though," he added, taking a step closer toward her, very close. "What do you say, sweetheart?"

[Felicity Smoak]

Clearly this wasn't just a friendly conversation between guest. She felt slightly surprised someone was even hitting on her, and for a brief two second moment felt a bit glad--before the creepiness of what he was asking set in. She was married! EVERYONE was! He had said it so casually, too!

"My husband just stepped out a little bit ago. He will be back soon." She told him, trying to not comment on the invitation. She wished it could have been Oliver asking her these things, but she knew better then to let herself dream of that. "Which one is your wife?" She asked to try to distract the conversation.

[Oliver Queen]

Oliver's time was running out and he reached the unfortunate conclusion that he wasn't going to be able to search another room. By the time the two crewmen had left, he had to get back to the event. So he quickly returned to the bedroom, put the tablet back -- after making sure everything was locked up -- and hurriedly headed off to the rest of the dinner. Tonight he had failed. He'd meant to find out who Adams was and all he did in the time he was able to slip away was check two rooms. It was pathetic. He should have covered more ground and now another entire night would be wasted because of his lagging. It was moments like these that he wish he had his equipment or even bow and arrows to let off some steam. He wondered if there was a dart board somewhere around here.

"Guess that means we don't have much time. And that we had better make use of what time we do have," he said as his hand moved to rest on her hip, before leaning in to whisper in her ear. "There's a storage closet just down the hall," he added as his hand moved from her waist to her behind, enjoying the feel of her figure.

As the thoughts of his failure flooded his mind, he stepped back into the room, just in time to see a man whispering in Felicity's ear and his hand sliding to her behind. Oliver froze for a moment, slightly clenching his jaw at the sight. He didn't hesitate, even though there were un-named emotions that suddenly filled him. He walked up to the two of them, and once he was standing near, spoke to make his presence known as neither of them had seemed to notice him appraoching. "Am I interrupting?" He asked, a smile on his lips, but it was far from jovial, and he meant for it to be an insincere smile. "I was just saying that it isn't very wise of a husband to leave such an exquisite beauty by herself. You never know what could happen," he addd as he winked at Felicity.

[Felicity Smoak]

Wait, what? His comment was more then suggestive it was forward and he had just crossed into her personal space. Felicity put her hand up on his chest, to hold him back from going closer but the hazard of being a tech-girl meant she lacked a lot of the strength and fighting skills to drop him on the floor.

It was then she heard the voice that saved her! She felt instantly safe rather then the way the other man made her feel. He was wise enough to let her go since her 'husband' was here now, and she took the chance to stumble a few steps backwards, and then moved to Oliver's side. The other man winked, but she just wanted to leave. The 1 percenters clearly had too much of everything, and things like loyalty, honor, or marriage vow meant nothing in the crime world! "And I was saying good night." Pulling Oliver's hand slightly, she encouraged him to leave with her.

[Oliver Queen]

Did he just wink at her? Oliver's already bad mood just got significantly worse. "Is that so?" He said, responding to the man's words. The false smile remained on his lips for a few more moments. The other man just seemed to be amused at the fact that he was getting a rise out of the woman's husbnad. To Oliver, nothing was amusing about this situation. With Felicity to the side now, Oliver stepped forward, standing directly in front of the man, close enough but with no friendly demeanor. His stance was one meant to be threatening, as the smile disappeared from Oliver's lips and instead, was replaced with a rather serious, stern and yet expressionless look instead. "Do not test me," he said in a low voice, but one that held the same threat his current position did. If he had his way, he would show the man exactly why. But the last thing they could afford to do was cause a scene.

The man began to scoff, trying to laugh it off, but Oliver did not move, and instead, gave him a look of dead seriousness. Eventually, the man reacted even if he did not show his defeat through his face. He did take a few steps back, cursing under his breath. Oliver's gaze followed him but not bothering to turn around to see him fully walk away. "We're leaving," he stated, leaving no input from her in the matter. Not taking her hand, or waiting for her to walk alongside him, he turned and left the hall, not even bothering to say goodnight to the other guests. In fact, he did not speak or stop walking until he reached their door at which point, he unlocked it and stepped inside.

[Felicity Smoak]

Instead of leaving with her as she had tried to get him too, Oliver moved closer to the man, and did that frightening and unnerving thing where he intimidated others with almost no words spoken. Somehow he jut knew how to be the one in control. Felicity didn't know if it came from the billionaire part of him, or from his time on the island. There were times when she liked it, but then there were times like this, when she wasn't so sure.

He just left, expecting her to follow! She wanted to be angry, but in the face of his recent mood, she instead turned and followed him. The elevator ride was brutal, but as they were not alone in it, she didn't dare speak. The silence only built the moment until he unlocked the door, and she could walk in.

She stood there in the room, her back too him, while he shut the door before turning to face him. She was not going to be made to feel like she was in trouble for something not her fault--but nor was she brave enough to say anything without testing his mood first. So she watched him, waiting for him to speak first.

[Oliver Queen]

When they were both in the room, he closed the door. She was standing there expectantly, but Oliver had no words right not to offer her about what just happened. He could feel the annoyance building up in him and knew it was going to affect what came out of his mouth and the tone that he spoke in. He walked past her, hardly looking at her, and sat on the edge of the couch, as he took off his jacket and then loosened his tie. "Did you find anything out tonight?" He questioned, his tone formal, serious, and . . . well, slightly agitated. He didn't know what it was.

Right now, he was just going to blame the fact that he was unsuccessful in his mission. But he knew deep down -- deep deep down -- it was something else. Which was why he didn't want to explore that avenue and instead, find a more easily explainable excuse. Though either way, he was well aware the frustration was going to come out on her. "Or were you too distracted?" He questioned. Though his tone also made it sound a bit like a statement, since she had looked rather distracted when he had come in. He knew the last time he had really questioned her work was when she had returned from Central City. Hen had a bad feeling that this was going to be somewhat similar to that.

[Felicity Smoak]

Fine! Business! They could talk business! They could pretend that they didn't come back mad every night! The sooner the cruise was over the better! She was just about to walk toward the steps and a clipped 'nothing' and use the steps to sit on while removing her shoes (instead of sitting behind him), when he spoke. "Or were you too distracted?" And she froze.

Turning her head to face him, she stared for a moment. "Excuse me?" Walking over toward him, Felicity stood there and looked down at him, since he was sitting. He wanted to through THIS in her face? This being just like last night, but the other way around! Only SHE had been making it clear that she was only 'here' for her husband! NOT as a closet romp! "If you have something to say to me, Oliver, say it."

[Oliver Queen]

Oliver didn't watch her as she came up to him, but when she told him to just say whatever he had to say, he rose to his feet, standing in front of her and making eye contact. "We have a mission to complete," he began to say. It may be fairly obvious, but clearly not if she was busy socializing with someone else. "And it is not going to get done with you engaging in suggestive interactions with someone else's husband." Especially since she was supposed to be playing the role of his wife. And especially since . . . "I asked you to do a job Felicity. And when I came in it certainly didn't look like you were doing it." He didn't have much else to say, or more imporantly perhaps, didn't trust himself to say anything else.

So instead, he turned to walk away from her. Though he couldn't exactly go very far since they were sharing a room. Why was it tha they couldn't get through one night in peace? They seldom ever argued before yet on this cruise, in such close quarters, this was the second argument in a row. He knew that if he searched deep within himself he could find the answer. But he didn't want to. For that would mean making admittances that he shouldn't. Ones that he couldn't. So all he could do was blame her for not doing her job. Because it was easier than admitting anything else that dwelled in his heart.

[Felicity Smoak]

No! Oh hell no! He was lucky he walked away from her, or she'd have pushed him right back down out of spite! "Don't you dare walk away from me, Oliver Queen!" She told him, following him, and walking to block his way. "I have done everything you've asked of me, and more! You said be my personal assistant, and I did! You said be your wife, and I did! You said watch the couples and pretend, and I have!"

"And so far all that I have gotten out of it is everyone at the job I loved now thinks I slept with you to get to the top, and everyone here thinks you were off on your own sexcapade while I got in trouble for speaking to someone." Because down there he had acted like she was in trouble--She'd felt like she was in trouble when in truth she had needed his help in order to not feel like she was in over her head because some stupid man couldn't keep it in his pants!

"I have done everything you asked for, and wanted to do it! Wanted to do more even! And you know---" She stopped talking suddenly for a moment, and bit her lips together. When she did speak again, it was with a calmer, but still upset tone. "And you know this has been hard for me! I didn't want his hands on me! I don't want that to be what plays in my head all night! I don't want that to be-" He HAD to know how she felt. He teased her and took enjoyment out of making her babble and blush and . . . .

She pushed at his chest in frustration, but instead of it giving her the childish glee of watching him take a step back it more pushed her back. "And that would have been more imitating if you were a brick wall!"

[Oliver Queen]

She was blocking his path and went off on him. Which, he knew he most probably deserved though his extremely stubborn nature wouldn't admit it. She didn't speak anything untrue. She was right. She had done everything -- and so much more -- that he had asked of her. He knew she sacrificed a lot to help him. And that her reputation was tarnished because of the 'secret identity' he had to give her to work closely to her. He couldn't deny that anything she said wasn't true. But that didn't mean he could admit it. He didn't know what it was that suddenly snapped in him seeing her with that man. So when she spoke of how hard it was for her, of how she didn't want his hands on him, he had to use all his strength to remain in his current position and not go find the man to teach him a proper lesson. The thought of any man touching an unwilling woman was enough to make his blood boil and his heart race from pure anger and rage. He could blame her for not doing her job, but the truth was . . . he had not been there to protect her. He had asked -- or told her -- to come on this cruise, and anything that happened to her was his fault. Her being touched like that, and feeling that discomfort, was his own fault.

So in all she said, he couldn't disagree. In fact, he didn't know what to say at all. Even when she pushed him, though she was the one who seemed to react more to it than he did for he just stood there while he saw her lacking results. He just, didn't know what to say. He didn't know how to ease her mind. How to bring her comfort. How to make the situation better. He still felt anger, but less so toward her. He didn't know what emotions were replacing it . . . but he knew he couldn't act on them. So the strength he was using to keep himself in place from not going after the man, was now used to not letting himself do something that his emotions wanted him to. And it was getting harder and harder with each passing moment. He kept his head facing toward her -- as she was standing in front of him -- but his gaze averted to the side, so was no longer making eye contact with her. "You should go to bed." He knew his words were dismissive of, well everything. Of all that she had told him, all that she felt, and of her company too. But he feared not being in control of his actions. And was afraid of what the consequences of that would be. So he needed her to leave, before he did something he knew he shouldn't. That he knew he coudln't.