The other Lance girl

Disclaimer: I don't own Arrow, I'm not sure if I can even lay full claim to this story idea because there are an awful lot of Oliver and Felicity knew each other before the island stories out there, this is just my take on it.

Summary: Felicity Lance had not always been a Lance; her life began as a Smoak. She was adopted when she was nine and had lost everything. She went from being an only child to having two amazing Sisters. Laurel was always perfect while Sara was a free spirited wild child and Felicity; well Felicity was just the other Lance girl. When tragedy rocks not just the Lance's but Starling City as well Felicity has no choice but to step up and become the woman she never thought she could be.

AN1: Hi guys, I just want to say thank you for all of the wonderful feedback I have gotten it is always nice to know when people enjoy what I have written, I also appreciate when someone takes the time to give constructive criticism, it is just as nice to know someone wants to help me become a better writer. So, moving on here is the episode tag for Honour thy Father, as I mentioned before it is actually longer that some of the chapters, I want to put the blame on Oliver and Felicity, really I do but if I am honest I know it is as much down to me as it is them. This was actually one of my favourite chapters to write, I hope you enjoy it too. Happy reading.

Chapter 13

Honour thy Father episode tag

Felicity Lance was not stupid, far from it in fact, nor was she blind, she had always known her best friend was riddled with flaws but she had never realized that terrible acting was one of them, until she watched him purposely ruin his father's memorial by pretend to be drunk of his ass. The dedication of Queen consolidated applied sciences building was meant to be about Robert Queen and remembering his legacy but it (like most things lately) had become all about Oliver.

He had sent Felicity a text the night before, probably with help from Thea or Tommy, asking her not to come to the dedication. She had no idea why he would ask that of her but being the good friend she was Felicity had promised, then promptly found a way around her promise. Felicity had thought watching the live coverage of the ceremony was a good idea and watching it at the mansion along with Raisa had seemed even better but as she realised exactly what Oliver was doing she found herself desperately wishing she had stayed home.

Watching Oliver make a fool of himself was never easy for Felicity but having Raisa sat with her made it so much worse. The older woman was both shocked and disappointed, she loved Oliver like a son and it clearly hurt her to see him acting in such an awful way. The young billionaire was clearly in trouble with his pseudo mother, Felicity's understanding of Russian was very basic but she knew swearing when she heard it.

Raisa gave herself a moment to recover her calm before she got up to put together one of her patented hangover/sobering up trays for Oliver. Once it was ready she left Felicity in charge of making sure he got it, making her promise not to leave until he was home safe, then she returned to her many responsibility's.

Felicity didn't have to wait long before Oliver came stubbing through the door, she had to give him some credit for trying to keep up his act.

"Felicity, your here" he cheered raucously, throwing his arms up in greeting when he saw her.

"Oliver, your faking" Felicity cheered back right back at him.

The wide smile he had plastered across his face fell away as soon as she called him out on his performance and Felicity found herself once again facing the new surlier Oliver Queen.

"you didn't buy it for a second, did you?" he asked even though they both knew the answer already.

"not even one" Felicity confirmed in the most disappointed tone he had heard all week and considering the week he had had that was saying something.

"Raisa bought it though, she made you this" Felicity said pushing the food and drink towards him "do you want to talk about what happened to make you pull a stunt like that?" she asked softly.

Felicity's sad tone and somewhat subdued mannerisms made it clear to Oliver that she was expecting him to shut her out, like he had done to so many others since his return home and a huge part of him wanted to do just that. He wanted to tell her no he didn't want to talk, that it wasn't any of her business why he did what he did but Thea's words of warning from just a few days ago, pulled him up short.

He couldn't risk losing Felicity even if they would both be safer with her out of his life he couldn't give her up, so instead of running away from his friends questioning like he really wanted to Oliver did the exact opposite, he sat himself in a chair across from Felicity and did the very last thing he wanted to do, he told her the truth.

"Do you remember how we talked about me not being Ollie anymore?" he started with a question.

"You mean the conversation we had just before my second near death experience in as many weeks? Yeah I think I remember that" Felicity teased him gently.

"Well the thing is I know who I'm not but I'm still not too clear on who I am yet" Oliver explained. "What I do know is that I don't want to be my Father and my Mother just couldn't except that, so I followed Laurel's advice and showed her that I couldn't be who she wanted me to be" he concluded.

"Do you seriously expect me to believe that Laurel, the most upstanding person that either of us know told you to act like a buffoon at your Fathers memorial?" Felicity asked incredulously.

"No" Oliver almost laughed "but she did point out that when words don't work action is a good next move. I just need my Mom to give me time to decide what I want to do with this second chance I have been given. So, I pulled a stupid stunt to force her hand, I'm not proud of what I did but it is done now and it worked, which is the important thing" he said finally done with his explanation.

"The fact that it worked might be the important thing to you Oliver but I guarantee you that it won't matter to all the people you hurt and humiliated today" Felicity told him sadly. She sat staring at her clasped hands for a moment contemplating whether or not to add that she was one of those people.

It turned out that she didn't have to, Oliver seemed to know already, sometime she forgot just how well he could read her. One of his much larger hands slid across the table to gently rest on top of her interlinked fingers.

"I know it was stupid Felicity" he admitted "that's why I asked you not to watch" he sighed.

"Actually, you asked me not to go, you never said anything about watching on TV" Felicity could help but point out, Oliver shook his head and gave a slightly broken chuckle while making a mental note to be more specific when making Felicity promise anything in future.

"So, you bought yourself some time, what the plan now" the blond asked.

"Now I figure out who I want to be" Oliver smiled softly.

"You got any ideas yet?" Felicity asked brightly trying to bring the conversation back onto light friendly ground but Oliver wasn't having that, she had encouraged him to talk honestly to her so that was what he was going to do.

"All I know right now is that I have to live the kind of life my Father would want me to and if I'm going to do that I have to hold onto the people that mean the most to me" he told her solemnly.

Felicity had no way of knowing that the life his Father wanted for him came with a mission of redemption but Oliver needed her to understand that she mattered to him. No matter what path their lives took in the future nothing could or would change that.

Slowly he shifted his grip on her hand until their fingers were entwined, just like they had been the night his alter ego saved her from her own bravery.

"Oliver?" Felicity gasped, he could see questions swimming in her eyes and hear concern in her voice he could only hope that when she finally gave voice to her question it would not be the one he dreaded the most.

"What do you need from me?" she whispered, glancing from their joined hands to his face.

"Don't leave me, even when you know I'm holding back and not telling you everything, still just trust me and be there, just be my Felicity" he almost begged. Oliver knew it was selfish of him to ask but whoever he became in the future he didn't think he would ever be selfless enough to let go of the girl who even dressed as a goth had bought nothing but light into his life.

"Oliver" she sighed pulling her hand free from his. "You know I want to be there for you but I can't stay where I feel unwanted " she warned him "you can't go around pushing me away and hurting me and the people I love and just expect me to still be your go to girl, that's not how friendship works" she told him firmly.

"I know" Oliver sighed getting up from his seat and beginning to pace back and forth. He had really thought this conversation was going to go differently.

"Do you really Oliver?" Felicity ask him crossly, sometime she was sure that the man in front of her really believed that her life began and ended with him and if that was the case it was time for him to learn just how wrong he was.

"Of course I do" Oliver stopped pacing long enough to snap at her.

"Are you sure about that?" she questioned him again "because this Felicity will always be there to fix everything mentality you have predates the island Oliver" she was yelling now "Oops, I broke Laurels heart again and now her Dad wants to kill me, oh well Felicity can fix that. Oh no, I forgot to go to Thea's dance recital because I was hung over, not to worry Felicity filmed it and lied to her for me. Oh, man I got kicked out of yet another college how am I going to tell my parents, I know Felicity will do it while I hide out in Vegas with Tommy" with every example she gave Felicity felt herself getting angrier and angrier at her friend.

Oliver wanted to interrupt her and tell her she was wrong but that would be a lie, the old Oliver really had used Felicity like that, she had been so good at fixing his life for him that at first he had just let her do it but then he had come to expect it and he had never once thanked her for it. Honestly he was surprised it had taken this long for her to call him on it.

"I know that you have always been a better friend to me than I ever was to you Felicity and I want that to change" he told her truthfully, taking the wind out of her sails.

"Oh" Felicity faulted in her rant, there wasn't much else she could say to that. "OK then" she said grabbing her bag and heading for the door. "Good talk" she said giving Oliver's arm an awkward pat as she passed by him. She wasn't sure why she was suddenly so embarrassed but she knew now was a good time for her to disappear.

She had the back door open and was almost free when Oliver finally spoke up again "Please don't give up on me" he called pleadingly and Felicity froze. She had known Oliver since she was a child and she didn't think she had ever heard him sound so open or vulnerable, not even when he was swearing he was in love.

She had her back to him and she was half out the door, she could run away and pretend she hadn't heard him but Oliver had been nothing but honest with her ever since he dropped the drunk act so she would give him the same in return.

Turning she gave him a small but genuine smile I couldn't give up on you if I wanted to Oliver, you know that, you always have" she reminded him.

"I don't deserve you" he whispered sadly and Felicity had to wonder who's words it was that he was parroting.

"I know but you're stuck with me anyway" she shot back brightly before rushing out the door. Normally she would end a visit with a hug or a kiss to the cheek but after all the high emotions that had been thrown around that morning she just wanted to make a clean get away.

Felicity had only gone a few steps when her phone began to ring, seeing Officer Winters name flash across the screen was a welcome distraction as was his invite to dinner. The plans were made before she had even reached her mini.

She wouldn't know for months that Oliver had followed her out and heard every word she said to the young officer and Oliver swore to himself that she would never know how deeply it hurt him to listen as she made plans for dinner with the other man.

He had promised them both that he would be a better friend to her and he was going to do everything in his power not to break this one. If that mean keeping quiet and being happy for her then he would do it, just like she had for him.

AN2: Hey everyone, hope you don't hate me too much for the end of this chapter, I promise there is a reason for everything I do. I actually have a quick question for you, hope you don't mind. I wanted this chapter to give you some hints about Oliver and Felicity's past and then leave you to ponder on them, seen as I know their back story it's kind of hard for me to tell if it worked or not, so if any could tell me I would love that. I would also really like to hear any theory's you might have about anything I eluded to in not just this chapter but others too.

Thanks for taking the time to read especially those of you that made it through both author's notes, I would love to know what you think.

Thanks again

Millie xXx