Chapter Text
"Hello, Princess"
The words were not even entirely out of his mouth before Diggle had his gun trained at the intruder who only smirk bigger when the whole team followed suit and pointed at him as well from knives, guns and Sara with her boo-staff. But one glance across the table, Oliver watched in shock how calm Felicity was still sitting while baby Elizabeth kept playing with her red hair totally ignoring the tension of the entire room around her.
But was so shocking and confusing for Oliver was why Felicity was so calm when, not just anyone, but Floyd 'Fucking' Lawton aka 'Deathshot' had just break into the Diggle's house, the man who somehow had helped to cross his path with that adorable and amusing I.T blonde four years ago, but also the man who had killed their friend brother for a contract...
"Hello, Princess"
Oh.
Shit.
'Because they were together and probably watching each other backs in A.R.G.U.S. 'Tasks X Force', you idiot!' Oliver though when the knots finally got together.
That is why when he turned back to Lawton was sporting the softest face and eyes that Oliver had ever seen on the ex-hit-man while he stared at Felicity unaffected for all the Vigilantes or the weapons pointed at him. The usual effects that Felicity Megan Smoak, but not in a 'Romantic' way, Oliver realized 'Thank god'.
"WHAT. THE. HELL. ARE. YOU. DOING. HERE, FLOWD?"
He heard Diggle grunt with hatred, which again was more than understandable.
But still unaffected, Lawton only grin at him before answering. "Calm down, Johnny, just a friendly visit and hopefully a peace offering" the man calmly announced.
"Peace offer?. From who?" Lyla asked confused.
"From the one and only, Amanda Waller" Flowd say making their eyes go wide.
"Ah, I know there's a lot of tension going on, but maybe we should hear the offer" Tommy said looking at Oliver and then at Diggle who were currently sharing a stare, obviously deciding what to do next.
“Let me guess, this is one of the legendary Amanda Waller deals” Felicity spoke for the first time with calm while she kept feeding Elizabeth who was grinding between bite at her.
“Ah, why do you sound so excited if it was?” Thea asked in sarcasm, obviously not having idea what kind of soul sucking Amanda Waller deals were.
The only one that could completely understand was currently starting at Felicity who was avoiding his stare at all costs. But what the archer feared was just how deep his Wednesday girl acknowledged was of the darkness that Waller was able to put a person in, just like she had done to himself.
“Because that is never good, Speedy” Oliver responded gently, but not for his sister, but for Felicity when she finally met his stare with knowing eyes, with some sadness in those eyes that he adore which made his heart painfully clenched.
“So why are we even considering hearing this guy out, then?” Sara asked making them to break their staring after some time.
“Because, the fact that Amanda is willing to forget Lyla betray and to make a peaceful offer... Thing are worse than what we thought they were” Felicity responded coldly, looking at Floyd who nodded in confirmation.
"Indeed, Miss Smoak" a new feminine come out from the hallway before they saw the one and only Amanda Waller step into the dining room making Oliver and the Team go more tense than before.
After all she was the woman who had sent a killing order for Lyla.
But it didn't go unnoticed to Oliver how cool Felicity looked still feeding Elizabeth who was lost in her new aunt Felicity attention, it would have been adorable to watch if wasn't for Waller that was grinning at him, the woman who had destroyed his entire world when she took Felicity with her.
To say that Oliver was imagine thousands of way to make that witch suffer would be kind compared with what he was thinking.
"I suggest you to calm down, Mr Queen. Killing me like obviously you want to, will not help any of us" Amanda spoke calmly "I can see in your eyes how much you really want it"
"You're not wrong" Oliver grunted out with his Arrow voice and taking a treating step towards the woman who still had a grind on her face. "You didn't have enough with what you forced to do. But what you did three years ago, what you take from me is not something I can easily forgive" he stated with a dangerous low voice that make it see that he meant every single word, the anger radiating from his eyes as well.
But what shocked them was the laugh that Waller dropped.
"What is so funny?" Diggle asked with anger on his voice too.
"Is funny how clueless you all are, Mr Diggle. I didn't exactly force Felicity to do anything. I just give her a little incentive to take the right choice, and she decided to protect that she cared about" Amanda answered coldly and honesty.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Oliver asked confused looking from Amanda to Felicity who was avoiding his eyes at all cost.
He saw the stare that the two women shared freely before Waller talked again.
"What I am talking about or what I mean is that you and miss Smoak clearly need to have a little chat. Chat that have to wait" Waller spoke firmly "Because your friend Slade Wilson and Cayden James are making their moves while we speak"
'Shit, what now'
>>>>----------><---------------<<<<
'world's do collided' Felicity while she looked from the people of past and the people that stand by her side now, she was sitting on by Diggle's living room window that looked out at the suburbs outside.
After Amanda had said that Slade and James were moving things on with their unknown plan, Lyla had excused herself to put Elizabeth in her nap time after the little had ended up her breakfast and leave with a last kiss on Felicity cheek (apparently she was now under the spell that everyone ended up in).
Ten minutes later Lyla had come back to the room to sit beside Dig in the couch. While Roy, Thea, Sara, Tommy and Laurel had taken over the largest couch in the room waiting anxious for what Waller had to say, all of them were. But just looking at across the room, Felicity could see anger and anxiety radiating from Oliver who was currently glaring at Waller and Flowd who was standing beside her.
'Weird'
Was the word that Felicity could think to describe this moment with the people she thought would never cross path with, at least not in this life. But here they were standing in the same room in silence, until Waller decided to start talking.
"Well enough of the dramatic pause" she said.
"Totally agree, so what the heck is supposed to meant that 'Slade and James are making their move'"? Felicity asked coldly.
"For the past couple of days, there's has been an incredible mount of movement from Helix in the dark web, and we know what that means. Miss Smoak" Amanda looked knowingly at Felicity, who only nodded back with a tiring sigh.
"Ah, will anyone would mind elaborating that?. You know for the new in the class" Thea asked with obvious sarcasm in her voice, but everyone besides Felicity and Lawton nodded in agreement.
"It means, miss Queen. That our baddies are buying new armament, supplies, and whatever they need for their diabolic plan" Lawton amused answered. "Including money or mercenaries"
"Okay, but can we go back about how Slade and this... Cayden James guy know each other, in the first place, and how the hell this is even mixt?” Oliver finally asked with exasperation and confusion. "What the hell is 'Helix'?"
That last one was looking directly into Felicity’s eyes from across the room.
The 'Please, Felicity, talk to me' clear in his eyes, just like they used to do back then.
'Focus, Smoak' she schooled herself breaking their stares to look out in the window before she started to talk, lost in thought.
"Helix is an organization that started with good intentions to help the world, but somewhere along the way it got corrupted by greedily wish of money and power of their leadership. And their hackers were like sheep's that followed their pastor into the dark hole. Very, very dark where they just stop caring about the innocent people in the middle" Felicity speak trying so hard too for the anger, sadness and the memories to the back, she didn't want to break in front of them, that was only for her alone.
"How bad?" Dig asked looking at her with sympathy because her sadness was clear as water in her blue ocean eyes.
"Very bad" She said swallowing hard. "We... I thought we were close to stop then, a year ago, but then the mission went to hell. we got the location of Cayden was on, we got everything ready to take them down but what we didn't know was that he had gained a new buddy in that year of investigation"
"Slade" Oliver whispered in understanding while he looked at her eyes. Because apparently he had gotten closer without her noticing it, but weirdly that was actually comforting.
"Yeah, so when we got there the place was a living hell, mothers with broken necks, bullets wounds and parents with a hole in their and..." Felicity voice broke a little. "Kids were killed too, some died in their mothers or fathers arms, obviously because they tried to protect their children"
She let out closing her eyes trying to bite back the tears that were threatened to fall, but thankfully she kept looking outside so the others didn't see it.
She heard faintly 'Oh, god' from Thea, Laurel and the others who were clearly affected by the horrors that Slade and James were capable of doing.
'Yeah, line forms behind me' Felicity though before she felt a familiar hand in her shoulder.
"Felicity..." Oliver muttered painfully, something that finally made her look back at his blue eyes, that were filled with pain and sadness, imagining the things that she had seen during those three years away from him.
"I am okay" Felicity whispered before gripping his hand back before letting it go. "Anyway, after some pity party and feeling guilty like never before, I started to try to find everything I could have of this 'new buddy' of Cayden and Helix. I followed their steps all over the globe, until I got my hands on a Hong Kong traffic camera and I finally was able to see this guy face, which allowed me to get my programs to work until those lead me to the Australian army services. Name : Slade Wilson. Ex Sargent from the tactic force, who had lost his life in classified mission to China..."
"Lian Yu" Oliver said bitterly.
"Yeah" She replied softly. "When I read the name everything was confusing for a while, but then I saw the news of Thea's kidnapping, in the video I could see the armor of captor and not really a surprise that matched with Slade old uniform, at least the mask, from there Amanda just fill me up about you and Slade story on the island... Then about a girl call 'shado' with whom apparently Slade is obsessed with now, that was when everything fall into place, at least when it comes to his part" Felicity ended up softly, trying to keep the bitterness out of her voice.
Because of course it was about a girl, after all it was Oliver 'womanizer' Queen they were talking about, which also included Sara Lance 'shocking'.
The frowning she was on Oliver's face was proof that maybe the bitter was still in her voice and made him feel between shame and offended.
"But how all that make you come back to Starling?" Sara asked breaking their stares.
But for some reason this question made Felicity react defensively towards the blonde.
"Oh sorry, Sara" She said, or better said grunted out making everyone eyes go wide for the harsh and sarcasm tone in her voice. "Did my return ruin your life or something?"
"Ah no, of course not, Felicity..." Sara tried to explain but Felicity only ignored her when she turned to look back at Amanda who was smirking proudly at her.
"Whatever. I come back because we find a way to destroy Helix once and for all" She replied coldly leaning into the wall behind her with arms crossed.
"Which is?" Diggle asked at her gently.
“The only way we can make a kingdom fall, Johnny” Flowd replied standing beside Felicity now.
“From the inside” Oliver said with wide eyes in realization looking directly at Felicity “That is why you meet with Cayden and that monster from the Italian mob”
“Yes” She shrugged with pretend indifference, because she saw the exact moment the soft and caring face went to anger and shock.
“'Yes' is that all you have to said?” He replied with tension rolling off him walking towards her.
“What you want me to say?”
“I don't know. Make that you are kidding, because why in the hell will you meeting with a well known monster who was killed innocent people, raped multiple girls and God knows what else that son of bitch has done. Or maybe that I heard wrong about you trying to get undercover into Helix!”
Silence invaded the living room with his outburst, but he couldn't let himself to care because there was no way in hell he was going to let her anywhere close that monster again or that organization from hell.
But what had him still was the reaction in Felicity’s face that it went from shock, confusion and finally to anger, an anger he had never seen in her porcelain and perfect face.
“Who the heck you think you are?” She muttered slowly each word taking steps toward him until their noises were practically touching.
“Felicity, you have to understand...”
“What, Oliver? That you keep being the same jerk you were back then or that you still believe that I am the same naive, defendless blonde girl I was back then and you had the absurd need to protect to make yourself feel better”
“How could you possibly believe that, Felicity” Oliver say confused.
“Come on, Oliver. Let's be honest with each other for once. Or what are you going to throw another epic 'because the life that I lead' bullshit, again.” She said bitterly, but he could see the hurt those stupid words brought back in her eyes that make his immediately go soft.
“Felicity...” he whispered reaching out to touch her shoulder but his hand fall because she took a step back.
“No, not again” She said shaking her head and Oliver fell his heart hurt a little for her rejection. “But let's put this clear, I am the only one who decides what to do or not do, because is my life, my choice, remember?”
“I just want to protect you, Felicity” He said with trying to make her understand.
But she only shook her head with a heartbreaking smile. “I don't need your protection, because I learned in the hard way how to do it myself. Oliver” Felicity replied softly but still harsh voice before she turned and walked away.
Leaving him in shock and his chest hurting.
Because. What. The. Hell. Just. Happened??
>>>------------><--------------<<<
"Are you okay, man?" Dig asked joined him in the beach that was on his backyard.
Oliver couldn't help but to throw a bitter and humorless laugh while he shook his head.
"No, not really" He said honestly. "She hates me, Dig" Oliver whispered painfully. "And after all of this, I can't really blame her"
"She doesn't hate you" Dig signed out. "She is just confused, scare and just trying to protect herself... You must know how that feels" he sent the archer a knowing look that had him nodding back.
"Yeah, I do know how that is like and is because that has me scared, John"
"What?"
"Just imagining that she... Felicity saw the half of things that I had to do or see in my time away. Has me so scare" He finally whispered his worst fear since the moment he saw her in Lyla's and then her tattoos, scars in the foundry. "Because I know how all that can change you and the way you see life in general. That is something I always wanted to protect her from. From she by her eyes just how cruel and horrible life can be, that just start to see all around as broken lens"
"We can't think like that, Oliver"
"Just look at her, John. The way she is always looking around her, or she is always leaning into walls so the whole room can be in her eyes, like she is waiting for a threat to come out and try to kill her if she much distracts herself for a second... Just like a did when I decided to come home" Oliver voice broke like his heart was doing so since she had walked away from him. "I don't know what to do, Dig? She just keeps pushing me away" he said in a childlike voice full of fear.
"Well" Diggle put a hand on his shoulder to make Oliver turn to look at him. "You should try to do what she started to do with you, since the moment you guys met. That is being there for Felicity, even when she is stubborn as you were back then, because that is the way that she helped to bring back into the light, man. And now is your turn to do it for her. We, but mostly yourself have to show her just how much she means to you, how fucking hurt it was when you thought that you had lost her forever, that is going to help Felicity see how wrong she is when it comes to self value in your life. Because man what you did years ago, for sure leave scars in her heart and self-worth.... "
" John... "
"Nah don't give that crap look, Oliver. Because is time to be honest and you sure as hell knows what I am talking about, that bullshit move you put on with getting involved with Sara was low, man. I get that you needed to protect her, but breaking her heart was not the fucking way, less letting Sara rub that toxic relationship in Felicity face every time she got the chance. You have to be better than that if you want the chance to get to that high pedestal that Felicity had you on before Russia or Sara mess, because that was a big punch to the guts for her, Oliver. Because this time life was kind enough, but maybe next time it will not be as kind."
Oliver had tears on his eyes at this point, because he knew that all what Diggle was saying was nothing but the truth, of course Felicity was shielding herself from the jerk that constantly broke her heart back then, for the man that make her ask herself worth in life when she was nothing but perfection and precious, but all his stupidity made her feel inferior of the horrible choice of women he decided to sleep with. Instead of being with the woman who deeply he knew was the ONE for him.
'God I had been such a self destroyed idiot' he thought looking up at the sky.
But now it was going to be different.
Now he was going to be every second in her corner to help her see just how much she meant in his life and heart.
He was going to fight hell for her, and her only (not like he had failed back then).
Now Oliver Queen or the Green Arrow would be devoted to Felicity Smoak from morning to night.
And that was MORTAL LOCK.