Team Arrow: Front Row Seat

CHARACTER INFO – Charlie (OC) is a security guard at QC and has appeared in another story of mine! Picture a gruff, no-nonsense former Marine who married his high school sweetheart, dotes on his granddaughters and happens to enjoy watching Team Arrow and sharing his thoughts. Of course, he's s pro Olicity as well! :)

AN – This goes out to everyone who not only read You are the Vigilante and Go Team Arrow stories and then reviewed and asked for more Charlie (still so amazed by that)! I'll try to stay true to what you guys love about him but always feel free to let me what you'd like to see! The plan is to go back after this brief trip to the future and follow the upcoming S2 episodes so this will be ongoing!

SUMMARY OF PREQUELS – If you haven't read the 1st two stories, here's a quick summary so you aren't lost! In Vigilante, Thea and Roy discover Oliver's secret identity by the way he acted w/ Felicity then wanted to join in on the action and did help out on a mission (took me 9 chapters for this one sentence)! Team Arrow delves deeper into the characters, their relationships and how they became a team and adds a twist with Lance possibly figuring things out (6 chapters for that one and the Lance storyline continues separately as Man Behind the Mask)! There's a whole lot of Olicity in both! Now you are current so happy reading!

DISCLAIMER: Charlie is mine unless the CW wants to add him to the cast in which case I'm game! Everything else already belongs to the CW and no profit is being made!

A few years down the road…

Charlie was watching the group of five eat, drink and just generally be merry in a spare conference room as they celebrated New Year's Eve privately. Ms. Smoak had actually invited him to join the festivities but he had declined. He had seen on the news that the Club was currently a crime scene which meant QC was one of the few safe places for the group to gather together without attracting too much attention.

Charlie had seen them together for years now and knew they took care to maintain public images. It still amazed him that so few people saw beyond those images so cleverly crafted and yet so shallow.

They say hindsight is 20/20 but Charlie still considered his eyesight better than many men's half his age. Charlie sighed…Took me longer than it should have to figure out Oliver Queen was the Arrow…longer still to realize it was all of them who made the Arrow.

The Arrow remained a constant figure in the news and papers – his daughter and granddaughters loved the stories of daring rescues themselves. Charlie shook his head with exasperation and love for his ladies, but well, it wasn't the exploits that he wanted his granddaughters to know but the story of the people behind them.

The news and police had been saying for years that they would catch the…well, the Vigilante when the blamed him for something…they call him Arrow when they needed him or someone has been rescued. Anyway, no one is perfect – everyone makes mistakes and when he did, they'd catch him. All bluster if you ask me, not that they would bother to ask an old man like me, Charlie chuckled. They didn't seem to understand the Arrow wasn't a single person, was actually several people. Several amazing people really…Charlie thought as he turned his attention back to the security feed which he knew Ms. Smoak could have disabled at any point so she was still trying to include him.

Mr. Queen once told him it was a mistake that landed him in the back of Ms. Smoak's car. She had simply smirked at him and replied that is was clearly his best mistake ever. Charlie took a moment to watch the young woman that still reminded him of his own dear Lucy – beautiful, smart and feisty. Even those who saw both her intelligence and beauty still missed her stubbornness, her loyalty and her sweetness. She was the one of the few that Charlie ever witnessed arguing with Mr. Queen. Don't think I've ever seen her lose either Charlie thought with a laugh.

Charlie watched as she took Mr. Queen's hand even as she lightly swatted the young man on her other side, Roy Harper.

Charlie recognized that the boy had gained polish in the last few years but that really just made him more dangerous. He kept and honed those street skills that despite being part of his past were still what most judged him on. They overlooked his sense of honor, willingness to work hard and even the gentleness. It was hard to miss the tender looks he exchanged with Ms. Queen but it was more telling to see the boy's gentlemanly tendencies and softness directed to Ms. Smoak as the two were clearly close friends.

It didn't appear to bother Ms. Queen nor Mr. Queen that the two were often together but Charlie knew the rumors still ran rampant that Ms. Smoak and Mr. Harper were gold diggers playing the Queens for fools. People should mind their own business…especially when they are wrong, Charlie grumbled to himself. Fortunately those rumors often distracted the public from the real secrets shared by the group.

Ms. Queen herself was one who certainly handled the pressures of the Queen family name and society and often still stepped in to protect both her Mr. Harper and Ms. Smoak. People still thought of her as the baubles that she wore – shiny and pretty but only decorative. They didn't realize that tragedy and even later triumphs had dulled that superficial shine but left strength in its place. It had sharpened her mind, forged a backbone of steel and even softened her heart - all strengths and so surprising, Charlie's thought as he watched the young woman fondly.

Charlie noted that Mr. Queen and Mr. Diggle had exchanged a look before both turned and raised their glasses to him in a toast to the New Year. Charlie nodded back even though he knew they couldn't see him. Just the polite thing to do, Charlie excused his instinctive response.

Now, Mr. Diggle's contribution to the group was a bit more obvious – he was chosen as a bodyguard for his military training, reserved nature and willingness to serve. He brought so much more though with a sharp, analytical mind, dedication and deadly wit. Charlie couldn't help but laugh as he saw Mr. Diggle was now seated between Ms. Smoak and Ms. Queen with both collapsed against in him helpless laughter. Mr. Queen and Mr. Harper simply looked on with faintly amused expressions before returning to their own conversation.

I remember telling Mr. Queen shortly after Ms. Smoak confirmed the truth that it took an extraordinary man to bring together such an extraordinary group of people. He just smiled and said, "Charlie, it's not what brings them that matters but why they stay and they do that because of who they are not who I am." It was easy to see his pride in his friends and to note he didn't take nor need credit.

He appeared to be simply grateful and humble which certainly contradicted the public persona of Oliver Queen. Even as CEO of the now successful QC, Mr. Queen was seen more as lucky than good. His past exploits come up more often than his current good…if they only knew, Charlie laughed outright at that one before again watching the group.

While the individuals separately were above average, together they were more than the sum of their parts as Charlie knew was true of any good team of soldiers. Heroes, really, Charlie thought as he again noted how comfortable the group was together even though he knew that had taken time and effort. Things weren't always smooth but then…anything worth having is certainly worth fighting for and I've had a front row seat for many of the fights…Charlie thought with a chuckle as he started to reminisce about the past...

AN2 – So it's short but I hope you guys like the intro to Charlie's view! I'll continue when the new shows start next week and if there are no QC scenes in the upcoming episodes then I just may add some to let Charlie have his say! I do hope to finish Man Behind the Mask by next Wed so pls check that one out as I plan to have Charlie make an appearance there as well! Thanks again for continuing to read!