Season 3: Rebuilding

3x04: What Happens In Vegas

Synopsis for Episode 4: When Felicity receives bad news she goes back to Las Vegas to deal with a family emergency, with Oliver and Diggle accompanying her. Little do they know that they are followed by someone who's been hired to reveal the Arrow's true identity…

---

3x04: What Happens In Vegas

As Oliver and Diggle made their way down the stairs into the foundry, they heard Felicity's soft voice from its usual place beside her workstation. Her tone may have been low and the words difficult to pick up, but the torment carried strong through the open space and reverberated back the guys. Her back was turned towards them, her shoulders, adorned with a yellow sweater, were stiff as a board. Oliver and Diggle exchanged a mute glance regarding the unexpected tension that greeted them, unable to look away for long from the young blonde who'd very much become part of their little family.

As they reached the end of the steps they made out the end of her phone call, "I will… Yes, mum. I'll call you as soon as I get a ticket. Bye…"

Oliver walked a few paces ahead of John. Their shoes barely clicked against the tiles as they cautiously approached. "Is everything alright?"

Felicity sat up a little straighter in her seat, but didn't acknowledge them for another couple of seconds. At last, she spun her chair around and looked up at her concerned friends. Her features seemed haunted and the guys stepped closer to offer whatever support she needed in this clear hour of need.

"I…" the blonde started. Her voice was smaller than normal and unsteady at best. She cut off every other sentence she tried to start, as if losing her trail of thought faster than she'd thought of it. "...That was my, eh, my mother. It seems there's been some recent development with my grandfather's health. His health just deteriorated very quickly. I didn't even know until now... He has stage three lung cancer. He's in the hospital and… they don't think he'll be going home. In fact, they don't think he'll make it through the weekend..."

Her words faded into nothingness and her eyes glazed over momentarily. In the silence that followed, Oliver didn't know what to say. When words failed him, he reached out and placed one of his hands atop her shoulder. She grabbed it and the offered comfort mutely, and he squeezed tighter. Her eyes remained downcast and distant in thought, already thousands of miles away where they belonged right now.

Diggle's voice lowered an octave as he tried to reach through to her, "Do you need anything, Felicity?"

The woman closed her eyes tight as she rose from the chair and Oliver's hand fell back to his side. Her cobalt eyes opened and revealed a pool of anguish, gazing up at them without any trace of hope. She swallowed heavily and shrugged, "Just some personal time. I should be there for him if he… I should be there for it, you know? But thank you for the offer. I appreciate it."

The sincerity carried strong in her voice, even as her teary eyes searched their faces for understanding.

"Felicity…" Oliver began slowly but his own voice faded into the shadows of the lair. He wanted nothing more than to make this right, but knew there was nothing he could say now to relieve her pain.

"I should get home and pack. Buy a plane ticket," Felicity rambled as she stepped towards the staircase, seemingly rushing for a quick exit before the floodgates opened. "I promised mum I'd call when I… I'm sorry."

Without another word she spun around and fled the area. Oliver and John knew her well enough not to chase after her. The news were too fresh and she wouldn't welcome their attempts if they tried anything this second. It still pained them both to see her suffer like this, though, to see her light diminished and overcome by shadow if even for a fleeting minute.