Chapter 7

October 26, 2014

Felicity called in sick. She never called in sick. She would rather work through the pain and ill, than saddle her coworkers with added responsibility, that and she did not trust anyone to be able to do her job. And she hated leaving things undone.

But this morning she called in sick.

She was unsure what to do, and was near to being distraught about the situation she found herself in. It pained her to think of herself in any manner but that of total control. She hated feeling the victim. But in this situation, she really felt like one. Her boss was her new dogs previous handler, and he wanted her back. To normal people, this would not be a big deal. To Felicity, her world imploded. Oliver Queen wanted her dog. Her dog. Sara was hers; they had a bond. But she was Oliver's dog first, he should get her back. Right?

Felicity pulled the pink and yellow checked duvet over her head and allowed a few tears to fall on her pillow. She didn't want to wallow in the melodrama, but she finally allowed herself to get lost, for just a moment and feel it. She knew, in her heart that she should tell Mr. Queen that she had Sara, but she just couldn't do it. She didn't want to give up Sara, and telling him would mean she would lose what had become an important part of her life. She could hear her mother in her ear. She could feel the disapproval that was surely directed at her, even from states away. The weight of the right choice sat on her chest, causing her thought to be in a constant state of constricted discomfort.

She was "just a dog" to most people, and yes she could find a new dog. She knew all of this in her head, but her heart was broken. So she called in sick. She could not bear to see Oliver, to lie to him, when she was so raw about the knowledge she now had. Felicity was a horrible liar, had always been. She needed to give herself time to believe the lie, or she would never be able to sell it to anyone else.

It didn't help that she was ridiculously attracted to him. Seriously, who wouldn't be? He was perfection. She knew her propensity to babble when uncomfortable would be the death of her with Oliver Queen. Luckily, she had been so preoccupied during their last encounters that it had not happened yet. But add in the fact that she was now hiding things from him, and that her cheeks got al flushed just sitting on her couch thinking of him. It was bound to be a disaster. It wasn't just his amazing body. He was a good person, who had proven to be a strong man, and she was knowingly deceiving him. Because of her, he was hurting and she had the ability to stop that.

She felt the weight of her new friend as Sara jumped on the bed. The covers moved a bit as Sara plopped down next to her. Felicity pulled her head out of the literal and figurative covers and looked at her dog. Sara looked her in the eye and cocked her head.

"You gotta go out?" Felicity asked.

She got her answer when her pup jumped off the bed and started circling in a nearly obsessive manner.

" Ok, ok, hang on, let me put some pants on." Felicity spoke to her like she would understand, and it seemed she did, because Sara stopped circling and ran out of the room, ostensibly to the front door, to wait for Felicity.

Felicity got out of bed and threw on some sweat pants and headed to meet her dog at the door. Her hair was mess, so she grabbed a holder from the counter in the kitchen and pulled her hair back in to a ponytail, grabbed the leash that was lying on the counter and attached it to Sara. The two headed out to greet the world.

When they returned home, Felicity checked her mailbox and found a letter from the Foundation. Her heart dropped and she fought the desire to crawl right back into bed and pull the covers over her head and hide. But she heard her mothers voice in her mind telling her to buck it up, that no problem was ever solved by hiding from it. So she took a deep breath and walked up the steps and into her house. She unleashed Sara, who immediately found a bone, jumped on the couch and settled in for a lazy day at home. Felicity looked at the letter and debated opening it. Now that she knew whom it was from and what that entailed, she ended up just staring at it for a while.

Thank you for giving my broken girl a wonderful home. She deserves a chance to be loved to have a good home that accepts her for what she is, and loves her through it.

If it's easier, you can email me, we could cut out the middleman. If not, I understand, but just in case my personal email is grnairo5 .

Thanks again.

PS- don't be too much of a softy on her. If you give her an inch she will take a mile. I let her in my bed for a while, until the night she growled at me when I tried to move her. She can be bitchy about things she decides are "hers", so don't let her claim anything you may eventually want back. She gives them up fairly easily, but she will make you take them back. Don't let her scare you, she is mostly bark. But if she sees an in, she will take advantage.

Felicity read the note over and over gain. Then she looked out of the corner of her to see Sara still curled on the couch, still chewing a bone. She got her big girl voice on,

"Sara OFF" she said forcefully, and was rewarded with not even an ear twitch in acknowledgment. Felicity thought back to what Roy had taught her and stood up and again gave Sara the "off " command. This time she got a look, a head tilt and lifted lip. Sara just growled at her. Felicity was shocked and taken back tot heat first thunderstorm.

"Oh, so that's how its going to be? Huh?' Felicity knew she would not win a fight, and while she was dubious about the fact that Sara would truly bring the fight, she decided to take a less confrontational route to get what she wanted. She turned and walked into the kitchen and shook Sara's food bag a bit. Immediately she heard the bone hit the hard wood floor and the pattering of Malinois feet headed her way. Felicity ginned internally, and gave herself a figurative pat on the back. She grabbed the leash from the counter and hooked it to Sara's collar and then went back to the couch. Sara tried to get jump on next to her, and Felicity attempted to block her with her leg. But Sara jumped right over and landed on the couch. Felicity grabbed the end of the leash and gently pulled Sara off the couch.

"Off" and then sat back down. Sara had other ideas, and for the next 20 minutes they danced around each other. Each time Sara got on the couch, felicity put her off it. Eventually Sara gave in, and lay at her feet, gripping her bone and chewing contentedly. It was a small battle, but it felt huge to Felicity. She was finally learning how to problem solve without needing to call Roy about every little thing.

She was so proud of herself that she wanted to share this ginormous accomplishment with someone, but there was only one person who would appreciate it, so she pulled out her computer and started her email.

Dear Sir,

I figured you were right and this was an easier way to keep in touch. Thank you for writing me back and giving me what turned out to be very helpful advice in regards to our girl.

When I first got Sara, we had some aggression issues. I realize now they were based, on both our parts, in fear and uncertainty. But they made me realize that I am a small woman and she is a pretty powerful dog. I know that I can't win in a physical fight with her, so I have to try to outsmart her. It's a bit sad that I have to work hard to outsmart a dog, but none of this comes naturally to me. My trainer has been amazing, guiding me in ways that keep me in control without having to show any physical strength. Just have to use my brains.

Tonight, Sara decided to not listen to me when I asked her to get off the couch. I asked a second time, standing, and she fully "flipped me the paw" and even lifted her lip at me. I took your words to heart and realized I needed to get control back now, before it became a bigger issue and I was relegated to the armchair for the duration of our relationship. So I TRICKED her. Went into the kitchen and jiggled her food bag, she came running. I leashed her up and went back to the couch. She tried, boy did she try, to get back up, but I was able to stop her or correct her, with the leash. She is now curled nicely at my feet.

I feel like I won a huge battle. I know, after what you two went through you will probably find that a bad analogy. So, sorry bout that. But as a geeky small woman, outsmarting this dog is huge!

Sara is doing fantastic. She has really settled and we are learning a lot from each other. I am starting her in a scent detection class, and I am sure she will be great and I will be the thing holding her back. But it's going to be great to get to watch her in her true element. I will send you pictures as she progresses. Seeing as how you worked her, any hints for reading her when she is working? I plan on using her toy as a reward, but the trainer wants me to use food at first so she does not get too crazy. Thoughts? You know her best. Figured you could give me an insight into her head when she works.

I hope this email finds you well. I am sure that getting back into life here in the States is not easy after what you have been through. I can't imagine what goes though your mind each day. I hope you are finding peace here at home, and keeping yourself busy as best you can.

This is my personal email address, so you can just reply to this email if you decide to. I check it fairly regularly.

I would like to keep in touch with you and let you get to see Sara as she settles into being a housedog with a hobby. So if you are open to it, I am willing.

Meghan

Felicity read the email a few times before hitting send. She wanted it back pretty quickly but allowed that feeling of panic to recede. She knew she was now blatantly lying to her boss. She had deliberately used a different name, purposely left out important details. But she came to a decision while writing to Oliver. She was going to do her best to find out about Oliver and his ability to care for Sara on both fronts. And when she was ready and when she was comfortable, she would come clean and they would deal with Sara and her custody. This is how she had to do it, she convinced herself and it was a perfectly reasonable course of action.

The next day, Felicity woke up and went through her normal routine, walk the dog, feed her and settle her into her crate for the day, then she headed to work. As expected, her office was disaster, piles of papers she needed to review, plans that needed approval, invoices that needed signing, messages that needed to be returned, her work email had 54 unread messages. Felicity took a deep breath and settled into the day, trying to catch up on all that she had put aside for her mini breakdown yesterday. She was not expecting to see Oliver Queen standing in her office later that morning.

"Felicity" he asked quietly. She looked up and saw him engulfing her doorway. He looked tense and she noticed his eyes would not settle.

"Oliver, sorry, Mr. Queen, sorry, that was a too familiar, not sure what I was thinking of course I don't get to call you Oliver, oh my god, now I cant stop talking, please make me stop talking" she took a deep breath and looked at him, a smile started gracing his face and before she knew it, he had actually let out a small laugh.

"Felicity," she shivered, actually shivered when he said he name, "Oliver is fine. Mr. Queen was my father." He continued to smile and Felicity felt the burn in her cheeks fade. She was so on edge around him now. She could feel the tension in her shoulders increase and knew another round of verbal diarrhea was about to spurt forth. She attempted to stave it off by asking a sort question.

"What can I do to you?" he laughed again and she felt her cheeks heat up in another blush, epic fail. "Sorry, sorry, for you. What can I do FOR you?" She resisted the urge to bang her head on her desk and then crawl out the nearest window.

'Actually, I was wondering if we could get lunch today. I want to get caught up on the Applied Sciences plans, and I'm hungry. Two birds, one stone and all."

"Lunch, yah, okay. I still have some work to finish up here, but I should be freeish around 12:30. That work?" glad her mind has not completely deserted her, she looked into his eyes for a response.

"12:30 is fine, I can order something and you can just come up to my office when you can get done?"

"Great, it's a date," she paused "not a date date, not like that, not that you would ever want to date me, but it's a plan." She heard him laugh again and this time she joined him, "Sorry, but my brain to mouth filter is on permanent disability.' He just smiled again and left her office, laughter on his impossibly perfect face.

Felicity spent the next 90 minutes finishing up the most important work left from the day before, and then gathering and organizing the plans for the Applied Sciences division, she wanted to impress him and to do that she needed to be fully prepared for whatever questions he may ask. She made her way, along with the blue prints, schematics, basic designs and some of the innovations, design ideas and amazing science experiments that would be happening once the facility was up and running.

She arrived at his office door at a few minutes past 12:30, Oliver's assistant waved her through as she was occupied on the phone and Felicity immediately got a whiff of Italian food.

"Ms. Smoak!" he sounded excited to see her, but she was probably imagining it. "I got Italian, I hope that's ok." He looked down at the food as he gave it a nearly picture perfect Game Show flourish with his hands.

"Italians perfect, thank you. I brought some plans and stuff for you to look at." She looked down at her nearly bursting arms and cringed at the extreme amount of stuff nearly falling out of her grip, a piece of paper did finally make it way loose and she tried to catch it, but ended up dropping everything in her haste.

'Well that was predictable" she said quietly, as she looked down at the huge mass of papers and plans on the floor of her boss's office. She bent down to pick it up and Oliver quickly came to help. Once everything was picked up they placed it on the table in the office.

"First things first, " he said, clapping his hands together, "lunch. I don't know about you, but I am famished." He moved towards the food that covered his actual desk and Felicity could help herself but to interject.

"There is lots t get through, maybe we can spread it out and go over stuff as we eat"

"Nope, we are going to eat first. Then work.' He seemed so confident and well, happy, that she could not help but question it.

"What's got you so chipper?" she was mortified the second the question left her mouth. "I am sorry, it's none of my business," she said as she moved towards the take-out containers.

"I am chipper. I got good news today, and for the first time I feel like things are moving in the right direction." He answered. She looked at him and saw a truly relaxed version of the man she barely knew, but one that she would never consider relaxed.

"Good, that's good"

"Yeah, it is." he broke into what can only be considered a doofy grin and Felicity felt a giggle escape. Before she knew it, she was full in the throws of laughter she could not stop. Every time she tried, it made it worse. He joined her. It was freeing almost, the nervous jitters disappeared and they were just two people, having fun.

After the impromptu giggles subsided, they both grabbed their food and sat down across from each other, digging in to the amazingness that was contained inside.

"So felicity, ell me something about yourself? How did you end up here at QC?"

She swallowed a bite of her food and thought about her answer. She needed to make sure that she never got her storied crosses, so needed to remember what she told him. She figured it was easier to be Felicity with him in person and make up something for Meghan.

"Not much to tell really, raised by a single mom, who worked hard in the casinos of Vegas. Full ride to MIT, graduated in 3 years, Summa Cum laude, offered jobs at QC, Wayne Enterprises, Microsoft, Google and Apple. Chose QC and here I am." She hated talking about herself. The thought that someone amazing and wealthy and powerful would judge her or her family was disturbing. He kept the details close to her heart.

"That doesn't sound like "not much to tell" to me. Sounds amazing really. More a story than my life." He looked down at his food and Felicity tried to get eye contact back.

" I don't know" she started, " you are a war hero, head of a multi million dollar technology company, that seems like a pretty good story to me."

" There are no heroes in war. And I inherited this company."

" You were brave enough to go. I get to sit here eating amazing food in an amazing office, and go home and watch Breakfast Club while eating ice cream, because of men and women like you. You may not see yourself as a hero, but I do. I can't imagine, I don't want to, what you saw and did. But I am thankful for it. As for this company, your dad may have built it, but you have the courage to take it on, knowing nothing, you are again, throwing yourself into the deep end. Taking a stand and trying; that's pretty remarkable."

Felicity figured she had over stepped her bounds when he did not acknowledge her for a few minutes. She felt bad and wanted to make things relaxed again, needing him to open up,

"So I read that you once peed on a cop car? That's a story that needs to be told." His head jerked and his eyes were wide and she as worried that she was about to get thrown out of the office.

"Totally not my fault, Tommy, Tommy Merlin, he dared me. He said there was no way any cop in this city would do anything to me, the heir of QC. He was wrong."

"Dared you huh? What were the terms? The terms are important in a case like this" and before she realized it, they were talking, actually talking, exchanging stories of sordid pasts, laughing at how ridiculous they were as kids, how every emotion as heightened. More than an hour flew by and they had not looked at he Applied Sciences information at all. A soft knock on the office door and a head poked in.

'I'm sorry to interrupt Mr. Queen, but Joe Riche is in the conference room for you 2pm." The head left as quickly as it appeared and the two began to straighten out the mess.

'Well, guess we need to try this again tomorrow, I really do want to hear what going on in my company." She felt the room, and her face light up with the thought of spending more one on one time with him and nodded her head in agreement. She had just about made it out of the office when his voice called out to her.

"Felicity"

"Yes Oliver?"

"Thank you"

"For what?"

"Just, Thank you" he smiled at her and she let it go, making her way back to her office to finish the rest of the work that waited for her. It was going to be along afternoon.