Thought I'd Swing By

[Oliver Queen]

Oliver was returning from Iron Heights after a very informative meeting with his mother. He had been attempting to create a strategy of how to save the company from falling under Isabel's control. It was all he knew how to do for his family. He had not even given thought to the investor that his mother had suggested to him. And while he had his hesitations about approaching Walter, they were not enough to completely deter him from taking that chance. It seemed to be the last hope that he had to save Queen Consolidated and keep it under his family's control. Mentally devising a way to bring this forth to Walter, Oliver was well aware that there was a great deal more to do. Despite his effort to put the Vigilante to rest, it seemed he was forever fated to have a target on his back. Only this time, it was as Oliver, not The Hood. At least as the Vigilante he was the one seeking out criminals. It was on his terms. This time, he had been caught completely off guard and he did not like that at all.

It was not even just him who had been put at risk. The others at the company meeting, Isabel Rochev included, Diggle, and the very person he was on his way to see now: Felciity. The three of them -- well, mainly two of them -- had a rather heated discussion regarding the future, or lack there of, of The Hood. Oliver was not planning to return as him despite both his friends' disapproval. But that did not mean he was going to ignore them or act as if they did not matter to him.

He had been in touch with Diggle who informed Oliver that they were at the Q Consolidated Head Quarters. He made his way to where they were. He first saw Diggle, ensuring that the peramters were safe. Oliver doubted the hooded men would attack here twice in the same day. They needed to be stopped, but it was not his job to do so. Still. He could not help but be highly disapproving of how they stole his catch phrase, and were completley misuing and abusing its true meaning. He exchanged a few words with Diggle before stepping into where he saw Felicity seated at her computer. His eyes searched over her face, as if he needed further conviction that she had not been harmed, before his gaze averted to the giant window, which now had a huge sheet of plastic over it. It was going to take some work to repair the damage, but what mattered most was that they were all safe. "Felcity," he greeted, his eyes still looking over the now under construction site, before finally resting on her again.

Location: Q Consolidated HQ
Time of Day: Night
Timeline: During 201
Tag: Felicity Smoak

[Felicity Smoak]

Felicity was sitting at Oliver's former assitant's desk. The woman had quit while he'd been out for three months, and Felicity had filled in for just today. A few hours ago she had worked no one was going to eat her bagels. Now she worried Hoods were going to kill Oliver because he refused to fight back. Tommy, Diggle had said. This was about his friend.

It was odd how far she'd come being just recently she had not wanted him to kill anyone, and even tried to stop him from killing. It was as if her old wish was coming true. The Hood wasn't going to be a killer anymore.

Yet after today, she felt afraid. This was one of the first and only times that her  . . . . friendship with Oliver had put her in danger. Felicity was feeling a bit shaken from that adventure, but trying not to show it. How did Oliver do it? Hide so much from everyone, and not let them see.

Speaking of Oliver, she turned to look at him when he said her name, and Felicity stood up. Her blue dress that she wore for this was somehow uncut and clean, but she knew why. eighteen floors up and Oliver backs himself out a window, and using the blinds, swings them into a window--both times blocking her body with his own. "Hey," She greeted, pushing her glasses better straight. "How's your Mom?"

[Oliver Queen]

When she stood and asked about his mother, he forced back the emotions from being evident on his face. He was worried. So extremely worried about the fate of his mother. The worst part was that it was so completely out of his control. He didn't know how to help. If there had been any way that The Hood could have helped her, he would. But now, it was dependent on a jury. On the justice system. Something that he had stopped trusting because of how corrupt the city had become. And now, his mother's fate lay in their hands. "She's fine," Oliver answered. She was not. His whole family was crumbling, yet he had to believe that everything would be alright. That things would go back to some semblance of normal.

"As well as can be expected," he added, not wanting to lie to Felicity or Diggle. They were perhaps the only two people that he could actually be entirely truthful to. "I came to see how you were," he said, stating the true purpose of his return. Not to talk about his mother, but to check on her since . . . yet again, she had been put in danger because of him. "So how are you feeling?" He asked, still not seeing any signs of physical harm, but that did not mean that the incident didn't take an emotional toll on her.

[Felicity Smoak]

He came to check on her. Felicity was both surprised and not by his actions. She was surprised because every time he did anything personal or directed toward her she was surprised. She didn't expect it, but it felt good. She wasn't because Oliver always made sure she was alright. Both unharmed and emotionally. Never once had he just assumed she would be alright, and not asked. She could tell that was one of his fears, failing his friends and getting them hurt. Especially since as Digs pointed out, Oliver felt he failed Tommy.

"Yeah," She tired to put on a brave face and pretend she wasn't shaken. "I mean, not the first time we've played Tarzan and Jane." Then she thought of the sexual undertones of that game. "I meant the swinging part. Not the jungle parts. But we were in a jungle, but I only meant the 18 story swing." 3...2...1..."I'm fine. Just . . . . . " He didn't want to hear about the Hood again. "Just fine."

[Oliver Queen]

Oliver just looked at her, growing quite accustomed to her ramblings. The more she seemed to explain her seemingly 'innocent' statement, the more she babbled. But Oliver never grew annoyed by them. If anything, she always managed to make him smile -- whether she intended to or not. Though minus her Tarzan reference, she did make a valid point: that this was not the first time they had swung to safety. More recently it had been to get her off a land mine. "This was however the first time that I had you crash through a massive window made of glass." Because he couldn't leave her up there with the hood gang. The thought of not guaranteeing her safety hadn't even crossed his mind. He had needed to make sure she was safe, and he had needed to see that for himself.

"It's ok if you're not fine, Felicity." He knew she went through a lot, because of him -- though usually it was because of him as The Hood. Not when he was Oliver Queen. "I just," he paused, not sure what he was trying to say. He knew that Diggle and her were not pleased with his decision and he didn't want it to cause a rift between them all. "Let me know if you need anything." Because that was all he could offer right now. Do to something within his power. Within his limitations as Oliver Queen, CEO of Queen Consolidated.

[Felicity Smoak]

"Thank you," For saving her, and for making sure she was alright. It was something she felt the need to say, and to make clear before she continued. She knew Diggle explained why Oliver felt he could not continue with the Hood, but he had done SO much good, beyond the killing. He had helped so many people. And as Felicity had suggested earlier, he could find other ways to help people. He could do this, and not kill.

"I know you said you didn't want to be the Hood, that you could not kill without dishonoring Tommy's memory, but you could still help people. These men from today could still come back. Or others like them. They are taking what you stood for, and mocking it . . . . and you are just going to let him."

"You might not think of yourself as a hero, but you were a lot of people's hero. They still need you." SHE needed him.

[Oliver Queen]

Oliver somehow knew the conversation would lead to her attempting to convince him to put on the hood again and become the vigilante that he once was. He had a strong feeling that neither Diggle nor Felicity were going to let this go. But that didn't mean he was going to give in. The ironic thing was that he stood for nothing. He thought he stood for justice, but what he did had not been justice. If it was, then his best friend would not have died believing he was a murderer. "I was never a hero," he said, speaking his words with a strong defensive tone. "What I was, was naive and foolish." A man on a failed mission. A trivial mission. Because it had done nothing good in the end.

"I don't know how I can make myself more clear, Felicity." His tone was getting sterner, even though it was not raised. "I did not return to be the vigilante." And he would keep saying that again, and again, and again, until both Diggle and Felicity accepted that . . . no matter how ,long it took, they needed to accept that. "Starling City will have to find itself a new so called hero." Because it sure as hell wasn't going to be him.

[Felicity Smoak]

"I liked the one we had." She knew he didn't want to hear it, but this wasn't something she would let go without her final word. "He was an honorable man." She gestured to the broken window, "He didn't let IT girls fall 18 stories." Then over to the rest of the room. "He didn't let the bad guys win." One was Oliver and one was the Hood. She was making a point he was still the same man.

But she also didn't want to fight, so she knew when to let things go. It wasn't easy, because she believed in a man who didn't believe in himself, but for now she would. "I used the computer systems to see how they got in, and Diggle is working on a better plan to prevent them from coming again. Passwords on the elevators maybe." She was trying to change the subject, but wasn't as smooth as she wanted it to be.

[Oliver Queen]

Honorable. It was a word that Oliver had butchered and destroyed the meaning of. He had thought that was what he'd been doing: the honorable thing. Honoring his father's memories. Honoring his family. Little did he know that he was doing the exact opposite. Shaming everything he had thought he was standing for. Why couldn't others see that? Diggle had opposed Oliver when he'd first found out that he was the vigilante. He called him a murderer. Felicity had been in disagreement with his methods, for he killed people. Laurel had said it. Quintin had said it. And Tommy. Tommy. That was the most painful of them all. Each person he cared about believed he was a murderer. And now that he was admitting they were right, everyone seemed to think otherwise. So no. He was not honorable. He was one of the bad guys. For a hero would not have been responsible for over 500 people's deaths.

So when she changed the subject, he refrained from going back to the previous one. "Good," he stated plainly. "I would love to know how four men managed to bypass all of my security and charge into a meeting." He knew his tone with her was shorter than usual. And he did not mean to snap at her. He was just . . . he didn't know what he was. As the vigilante he knew how and where to channel his anger. Now, he was back in Starling City and didn't know how to deal with things. He didn't know how to help his mother, or Thea, or anyone for that matter. Inwardly, he took a silent deep breath to calm down and control his tone a bit better. After all, it wasn't Felicity's fault. Far from it. So he was able to make his next words more calm and gently spoken. "Passwords on the elevators is good. Have you found anything else so far?" Any other breaches so that he would know what to improve.

[Felicity Smoak]

He ignored everything else she said and focused on the men who came into his business. Felicity tried not to be disappointed, and tried to be the supportive friend she could. Oliver would come around--she hoped. She had to believe he would because Starling City was growing more dangerous and they needed men like Oliver who could do things the police could not. Without people like him, then more people would have died in the Glades. Maybe his mother would never have spoke up, maybe she would have. However without Oliver, Felicity would never have been able to help stop the first bomb, Detective Lance would never have been there. The bomb would have doubled the number of people dead, perhaps even more the doubled it.

"They had help from someone. Someone with connections or skills. These men were just thugs with guns. Who ever sent them here did the work from someplace else, and hacked our system to let them up. I can't trace it unless they came back in." Which being Oliver was alive, and they were here to kill him, it might happen. "Once I do then I will give it to Diggle, and let him turn it over to the police." Since Oliver would not be taking care of it.

[Oliver Queen]

Oliver wished he knew who had helped The Hoods; who had given them access inside the building. Today could have ended a lot worse than it already did. No one had actually gotten shot -- including him -- but they could easily make another attempt. And this time, no vigilante to bring them to a stop. He was relying on Felicity somehow tracking them, and the police arresting them. "Alright. That's good," he said, in agreement with what she would do with the information once she had it. Turn it over to the police. That was the right thing to do. He supposed that was it for the business, which made him realize that the objective of his visit with her was not business based. But rather, to see how she was doing.

"Have you eaten?" She had been here before he went to Iron Heights, and was still here when he came back. Which, told him that she hadn't left. And may not have eaten anything today. Part of making sure she was alright, went beyond just asking if she was physically harmed. It was understandable if she was still shaken from the events of today, and instead of her staying here where it happened, he wanted to take her to an external setting where she could hopefully unwind from the events of today. It was after all getting late.

[Felicity Smoak]

He was asking if she had eaten. It was almost surprising to hear the change of subject and him asking her if she had eaten. Oliver often checked up on her, and that was expected but his question seemed like it might be an opening for him to offer to go eat something with her. Which she would love!--not because eh loved him but because they were friends. Yeah, friends ate together sometimes.

She would just have to leave the other parts out of the conversation. She knew what she talked about with the Hood, but what did she say to Oliver Queen? "No I was . . . still adjusting to the mid-day flight." She joked, but wondered if he had eaten anything since his return. "Have you?" Oliver wasn't the type to eat much ever since she had known him, and she assumed the island. "If not, want to get a bit to eat?"

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[Oliver Queen]

Hearing that she hadn't eaten anything was all he needed to hear to determine their next destination. He hadn't eaten either, but he was more concerned about her. He knew it was his own fault for the most part, pushing her, instead of urging her to go home and get some rest -- or even offer to take her home. He felt like he was neglecting and disappointing everyone, but now that he was only Oliver, he would have the time to make up for it. "Sounds good," he said with a small smile. He turned to ask Diggle if he wanted to join them, but he said that he was just going to head home and get some sleep. Oliver turned back to Felicity.

"Where would you like to go?" Big Belly seemed to be the most regular place they went to, but he wanted to see if she would like anything different. Besides, he could eat anything. Being on the island, he had to eat practically raw rabbit, pheasant and who knows what else. So to say he wasn't a picky eater, was an underestatement. He waited for her to get what she needed to. Since Diggle, otherwise known as his driver and bodyguard, was headed home, they would be taking Felicity's car. "I'll drive. You should take it easy."

[Felicity Smoak]

Felicity turned to pick up her bag, and coat which were up here because of her taking this ONE day temp job of helping cover the meeting while Oliver looked for a new assistant. She would NOT be taking it more then the few hours she was up here. It was both NOT what she wanted to do with her life and apparently too dangerous for her taste.

She walked toward Oliver then with him to the elevator while he offered to drive. "The Big Belly Burger is fine unless you want something else." Oliver might have something else in mind, and she could eat about anywhere. It was not until the doors had just shut when he thought about what he said. "Does your car have four wheels?" Because she wasn't in anything bike worthy. Not that he had ever offered her a ride on the bike.

[Oliver Queen]

As they got into the elevator, Felicity suggested the Big Belly Burger. Which was one of Oliver's favorites. He enjoyed the calm atmosphere and the informality of it. "That sounds good." A low maintenance environment where they could just relax. And plus, they did really have the best burgers. "Any kind of fully cooked meat sounds good." He wasn't exactly a good cook on the Island, but Shado had given him a few cooking tips. Unlike her father who was a terrible cook. Both of them were incredibly missed. Oliver pushed aside these thoughts when she asked if his car had four wheels.

"Actually, Diggle drove me here," he began to explain, as they got to the level they needed. He waited for her to step out of the elevator first before he did the same. "So we'll be taking your car," he finished, extending his hand so that she could pass him her keys. The only other time he had been in Felicity's car was when he had gotten shot. And he was half conscious then, bleeding out in her back seat. At least this time, it would be a bit more of a positive experience. And by a bit, he meant a lot.

[Felicity Smoak]

He made a joke that could only be about the island, and Felicity laughed softly but she was always hesitant to laugh at his joke about the island because she didn't know if they were funny or ironic. There wasn't a computer application for human interactions and she knew she failed them sometimes.

She was distracted from having to say something embarrassing when he told her he would be driving her car, not his. "I'm still not sure how you fit in it the last time." She told him, looking up at from from the side. She turned her head to look forward again then turned her whole body to face his again. "Or how you unlocked it." Something she had not brought up. "Cause if I knew how you did that, I could put a code in to stop anyone else from doing it."

[Oliver Queen]

A small smile formed on Oliver's lips as she questioned how he had fit into her car. "With great difficulty," he said, not entirely kidding. Desperate times had called for desperate measures. And he had been desperate. He had needed her in that moment and she had come through for him. . . just as he knew she would. "But it really wasn't that bad. It gave me the concealment I needed." He had managed to squish in, and besides, at the time he hadn't been thinking about how small her car was. He had been distracted by the blood oozing from his body and the pain from the bullet.

He was just glad he had managed to stay conscious until she had arrived. That, was one of the more difficult things to do. But, compared to other situations he had been in, this was nothing. She then questioned how he had managed to unlock it, and to heighten her security to it. "Don't worry Felicity. Trust me when I say that no one will be able to get inside your car the same way I did." He just happened to have the skill needed to pick a lock . . . in a sophisticaed way of course. Setting himself apart from your every daily car jacker. He continued to hold out his hand as they neared her car. "Keys." He both asked and stated.

[Felicity Smoak]

He was the only one who could break into her car? She didn't believe that, and (after today especially) still wanted to find a safer model. Not that they were after her, but she wanted to be able to feel safe. That was becoming more and more important to her.

Oliver held his hands out for her keys, and Felicity pulled them out of her bag but instead of holding them out to him, held them in her hands. "Show me." Break into her car! She wanted to see him do it. "Come on mister big bad car breaking-in-er. Show me how to get into the car." She lifted her hand to hold the keys by her shoulder as a way of showing him that she would not just pass them to him, but he had to work for it.

[Oliver Queen]

Oliver paused when she stopped and looked at her. She seemed to want to watch how he broke into her car. Which, he wasn't going to show her. Then again, she was pretty ambiguous in her request. After all, she had only said to show her how to get into the car. She never specified that it didn't have to be the conventional way. So he walked toward her, standing very, very close to her, slightly leaning in toward her.

The close proximity gave him the access he needed, for as he was invading her personal space, keeping his eyes locked on hers, his hand moved to her hand which held the keys. His fingers intertwined with hers for a moment, as he opened her grasp, and took the keys from her. Still looking at her, he pressed the button, hearing the alert that the car doors were open. A slightly arrogant smirk played on his lips as he fully took the keys from her and leaned back so that he wasn't so close to her. "Satisfied?" He asked, somewhat rhetorically.

[Felicity Smoak]

Felicity stood there as Oliver leaned in, and hse felt her heart skip a beat. What was he doing. This was not car jacking this was something else. She could not look away from him as he stared into her eyes. She really loved his eyes. And his smell. All manly. His hand touched her's and she smiled up at him, while his fingers danced with her's. He was so much taller and stronger and bigger in all the right places, and he just--beep beep

It was hard to be mad at that charmingly arrogant smirk. He was so proud of himself and she was kicking herself for falling for it. "Satisfied?" He dared to ask her, while she turned away and walked toward her passenger door. "Not for a year now."

Wait! "Not that I meant that sexually. I meant with you. No, I meant because of you. I meant figuring you out. Solving the mystery. Not that your closed off, but that I tired . . . . 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . " She counted while she climbed in.

[Oliver Queen]

Oliver supposed he should have a ramble would ensue, but he had not expected it to go there. To, what she was saying. Then again, Felicity never failed to surprise him with what slipped out. And as much as he tried to fight it, it always made him smile a little. Like right now. He was trying to fight the smile, but knew a bit of it came out anyway. Luckily, she was already climbing into the passanger's seat so couldn't see him. Regaining his composure, he got into the driver's seat, having to adjust the seat as far back as it could go so he could properly fit his legs into the car and access the accelerator and break.

"Perhaps you should better define your perameters before offering me a challenge," he suggested. A bit of advice for the future, though he was really just teasing her. When he was finally properly in the seat, and the mirrors were adjusted, he started the car up and began to drive.

[Felicity Smoak]

He spoke of next time and she mockingly glared at him. "Next time I will just put them in my pocket so you can't just reach for them." Or would he? Would he!? Did she want him too? No! No of course not. Why would she? That would cross a line! Right, yeah! "AND define that you can't use keys!"

She wanted to see his skills! Now all she was his his eyes. His wonderful, so pretty eyes. . . . . . . moving on! "How was the meeting going before all the fake hood crashed it?" Would he save the company? Isabel wasn't the nicest woman. Felicity didn't want to bring down the mood but she wanted to know what he thought.

[Oliver Queen]

Oliver wasn't sure it was wise to comment about reaching into her pockets. That was just setting her up for another . . . little babble. But she seemed to catch herself and quickly add that she would emphasize that he woudln't be able to use keys. "I think we need to work on your strategizing skills," he said, again a bit teasingly. She then asked about the meeting, before the Hoods had entered with guns blazing. "Isabel is set on taking control of the company," he began to explain. More set that he had assumed, despite what he had been told about her. She was clearly ambitious, but if she thought that Oliver was going to just give up, she was greatly mistaken. This was where his mother's advice would come into play, and it was someone that he knew Felicity was fond of.

"My mother suggested someone who could buy the oustanding ten percent of the company," he began to say. Being partners with Isabel was better than letting her have even one percent more of the company than him. "She suggested asking Walter." Which, Oliver thought was a good idea. He liked Walter. Even though he and his mother divorced, he still considered Walter to be family. He still got along with him, and he knew Thea missed him too. He was a good man, and had been through more than he deserved -- thanks to Malcolm.

[Felicity Smoak]

"There is a reason that I hack computers and don't play chess." She teased them both, knowing she lacked the skills to think ahead like that. She could solve mysteries but not play the spy games that he could. She gave away her hand, and never thought ahead. It was because she was better at the aftermath.

He went on to explain about Isabel, his mother and then Walter! "Walter! I like Walter!" She'd not seen him in a while but then stayed in touch some through emails. She wanted to make sure he was alright, and to not loose touch. "I think that is a good idea. He was really proud of you, Oliver, and I think he really got close to you. He would like you going to him for this." She didn't say help, because Oliver didn't like asking for help--even when he needed it.

"Can I go with you? I want to see him. He was a nice man." Not many were very nice to her, but Walter was. "Like you. Most people get annoyed with my babbling, but he never grew annoyed and fired me."

[Oliver Queen]

He slightly smiled at her reaction to Walter's name. It was after all the reason that she had joined him and Diggle in the first place: to find Walter. He had appreciated her devotion to the man, since Oliver cared about Walter to. So to hear her say that Walter was proud of him . . . well, it was touching. He wished things had been different, but Walter had gotten caught in the middle of his mother's crimes. Oliver loved his mother, but he couldn't blame Walter for leaving. "Thea was also very fond of him." Is very fond of him. "He's a good man." Which was an understatement. Oliver only hoped he wouldn't take offense to him reaching out with this proposition, though he had a feeling he wouldn't. "Of course," he answered when Felicity asked if she could accompany him.

"He considers you a good friend. He'll be happy to see you." His mind went to when Felicity had visited Walter in the hospital; he seemed happy to see her. The two of them had investigated something so dangerous, it was no surprise that they had bonded from that. She said that most people got annoyed with her babbling, and that Walter didn't. Oliver didn't find Felicity's rambling annoying, but he did feel bad that other people did . . . thus, depriving themselves of getting to know a truly remarkable woman. "Have you talked to him recently?" Oliver asked. Since he hadn't been here these past few months, he wasn't sure how he was doing. He had been in touch with him after the divorce but with everything else that had happened, and then Oliver's absence . . . he hadn't spoken to him in months.