My Mom & My Dad

Chapter 6: First Fight

Stephen:

In the brief history of Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak's friendship, I consider one particular event a milestone. As I've said, it was right about that time when school had started for me that they had begun to get close. As the leaves turned yellow and orange all around the city and fell to the ground by the millions to welcome Fall, there had been several memories of friendship shared between them. But that one time was the time when I knew for sure that they had crossed the line from friendship to a more serious relationship.

Emily:

What makes you so sure, Stephen?

Stephen:

Emily, I thought you were smarter than that. Just think about it. Only the best and truest of friends can fight like hell and make up like heaven.

Emily:

Oh, I get it! You're talking about their first real fight. I love that story. Come on, tell it. Tell it!

Stephen:

Okay, but we gotta tell it like they tell it. I'll tell Dad's side of the story, and you tell your mom's side of the story.

* * * * *

Felicity:

"You're making me nervous!" I said. "I thought you told me when I took the job that I didn't have to set foot at QC." I looked at Oliver with searching eyes. I loved solving puzzles, but I hate real-life mysteries. Last Friday he told me he needed me to show up at Queen Consolidated today, Monday, but he wouldn't tell me why exactly. He just said that Garber had something for me to work on, but that I needed to come get some documents myself. I sat with him at the back of his limousine, my heart throbbing in my chest.

He had introduced his driver and bodyguard, Mr. John Diggle. The whole trip from my apartment to QC, the man glanced at me every now and then from the rear view mirror. I wasn't annoyed by that, coz he seemed to be a really nice man. I was more annoyed by Oliver's secret. "What could be so important that he needed to bring me over?" I kept asking myself. He had even arranged for Lucia, his former nanny, to watch Stephen and Emily in the apartment while we're gone.

The limo stopped in front of the huge steps of Queen Consolidated's enormous building. "Stay here," Oliver instructed as he got out on the other side. Mr. Diggle opened my door and held it, as Oliver bent over slightly to offer his hand. I took it, and he pulled me out gently.

As he closed the door behind me, I said, "Thank you, Mr. Diggle." To which he responded, "You can call me John, Ms. Smoak." I smiled at him and said, "All right, John, if you promise to call me Felicity." He smiled back and nodded in the affirmative. I pulled down my black-and-white dress a bit to smoothen the wrinkles and straightened my glasses, and then Oliver walked me up the steps towards the main entrance.

It was a few minutes before 8:00 in the morning, and almost all the employees were just coming in as we arrived. Almost everyone stopped to greet Oliver "good morning." People – men and women alike – were staring at us. Some carried on, walking hurriedly to their respective offices and floors, but I could still hear them talking about us: "Who is she?" "I have no idea." "First time I saw her." I was starting to feel uncomfortable, but I kept my poise and walked confidently beside Oliver, keeping up with his gait.

We passed through routine security at the main entrance, but at Oliver's signal, the guards skipped the usual bag check and frisking. Security personnel in the x-ray area and those behind the counter in the lobby were smirking, mumbling things to one another. I wouldn't have thought that that had anything to do with me if they hadn't been stealing glances as soon as we passed through the main entrance. I wasn't being paranoid, but seriously, if I had eyes all over my body, I would have freaked out to see everyone staring at me from different directions as we crossed the spacious lobby and stopped in front of the elevators. I felt like a lone goldfish in a huge aquarium.