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I am not the kind of girl
Who should be rudely barging in on a white veil occasion
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Felicity’s hands were clenched tight around her steering wheel. She was sitting in her red Mini Cooper in front of the church where Oliver Queen was set to marry Laurel Lance in less than ten minutes.
The church doors loomed threateningly in front of her, visible in her line of sight from the dashboard of her car. Her heart was racing and her palms were sweaty. Was she really going to do this?
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But you are not the kind of boy
Who should be marrying the wrong girl
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Yes. She had to. She couldn’t let Oliver marry Laurel. It would be the biggest mistake of his life. Even though the couple have been dating for the better part of three years, Felicity knew, in her heart she knew, that Oliver didn’t love Laurel. Not anymore, anyway. The media thought that it was a match made in heaven, they thought that the two ‘lovebirds’ couldn’t wait to finally tie the knot.
They couldn’t be further from the truth.
Oliver’s relationship with Laurel might have started out genuinely, but fast-forward three years later, it was no better than a business transaction. Oliver’s mother was pushing for him to get married, settle down, project a good image of the company, and she had chosen Laurel to be the perfect person for that position. Moira Queen was grooming Oliver to be the next CEO, the next Robert Queen. Which meant that Laurel was going to be the next Moira Queen.
Felicity shuddered. One Moira Queen was more than enough for this world.
Felicity wasn’t supposed to wait until ten minutes before they tied the knot, but she had gotten cold feet. Hah, cold feet. Get it? She had been anxious about her decision for hours. This wasn’t pre-planned. She hadn’t decided to break up the couple beforehand, she wasn’t that kind of girl. She wasn’t a homewrecker. But Oliver and Laurel wouldn’t have had a home anyways. They would have had a cold, barren mansion, a poor excuse of a marriage. Their “home” have only projected the image of happiness to the media, but on the inside? It would have housed two very miserable people. That’s why Felicity had to do this.
With a determined nod of her head, she picked up her tablet from the passenger seat beside her. The program was up and ready to go. It was a little sloppy, because she had only created the code a couple of hours ago, but it should work just fine. She just had to press one virtual button. One button, and everything would change.
Taking a deep breath, she activated the tablet and stared at the screen for a moment. This was it. Go big or go home.
Felicity was never one to back down from a challenge. She pressed that button, and then she waited.
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I sneak in and see your friends
And her snotty little family all dressed in pastel
-----
She only had to wait a few minutes before her program caused the heavy security around the church to be redirected to new positons due to false instructions coming through their comms. She had pre-recorded a message in John Diggle’s voice, who was the head of security, using one of her old softwares. This gave her the chance to sneak in undetected and, more importantly, make her way inside without being stopped.
Felicity did a little fist pump of victory and hurried out of her car, careful not to let the door snag on her dress. She walked with trembling legs up to the intimidating double doors of the church.
She couldn’t back down now. This isn’t for me, she told herself. This is for Oliver. He deserves better.
She took one large breath, and pushed the doors open.
“I object!” Felicity yelled out.
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And she is yelling at a bridesmaid
Somewhere back inside a room
Wearing a gown shaped like a pastry
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Everyone in the church, from the many, many guests in the pews, to the bridesmaids and groomsmen lining the sides of the alter, to the startled-looking priest, and to the bride and groom themselves, turned to stare at her.
Felicity gulped. “That’s what you’re supposed to say, right?” she nervously asked a shocked looking woman sitting on the pew to her right. “I’ve never actually done this before,” she confessed in a stage-whisper.
Felicity had never seen a more affronted-looking woman in her entire life.
“Well, okay then,” she continued awkwardly when the woman just stared up at her.
Felicity focused back on the people by the alter. More specifically, one person. The groom. Oliver Queen.
Or as she liked to call him sometimes, the love of her life.
“Hi,” she mouthed, giving him a weak wave.
Oliver was looking at her with something akin to relief in his eyes.
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This is surely not what you thought it would be
I lose myself in a daydream
Where I stand and say
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Moira Queen’s voice came from one of front pews. “Just what do you think you’re doing, young lady?”
Felicity walked forward, ignoring all the guests, until she was closer to the aisle and to the person looking at her so accusingly.
“I’d like to second that question,” Laurel Lance spoke up, tone displeased.
“Aw Jesus,” Detective Quentin Lance’s voice groaned out from the bride’s side of the church. Felicity glanced at him. The older man looked weary, but not angry. Felicity sighed with relief. She respected the cop and didn’t want any bad blood with him. After all, he was dating her mother.
Who was sitting next to Lance. Felicity waved at her mother. “Hi mom,” she whispered.
“Oh my beautiful girl!” Donna Smoak clapped her hands in delight. She turned to excitedly smack Lance’s arm. “Isn’t this so romantic?” she gushed. Lance just looked at her fondly.
Felicity shook her head. Of course her mom would think this was romantic and not plain stupid, as Lance’s expression belied that opinion.
“If you’re done with your little chit-chat, I’d like that explanation now,” Laurel’s snide voice seethed.
Felicity turned to her. “Isn’t it obvious?” she replied glibly, faking some bravado. “I’m stopping this farce of a wedding,”
A vein popped in Moira Queen’s forehead. “You will do no such thing! Security!”
“Yeah… They’re not coming. I may have redirected all the security detail to other posts.” Felicity shrugged innocently. She wiggled her fingers at Mrs. Queen (not something she had ever imagined herself doing). “I’ve got magic fingers,”
Oliver looked proud. Felicity resisted the urge to grin. This wasn’t the time. There were still some matters to be settled. Like, say, breaking up a couple minutes away from tying their lives to each other.
“Ollie?” Laurel’s questioned her fiancé. “Who is this blonde bimbo?”
Felicity gaped at her. “Excuse me? I’ll have you know that I graduated from MIT. Bimbo is not a word to describe me. Actually, it’s not a nice word at all and shouldn’t be used to describe anyone,” she sniffed.
Oliver talked over her, easily drowning out half of her babble. “I can explain,”
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Don’t say "Yes", run away now
I’ll meet you when you’re out of the church at the back door
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Laurel crossed her arms. “Explain,” she demanded.
Oliver opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He looked at Felicity helplessly. She knew what was going on and it broke her heart, it broke her heart just as Oliver had broken it a week ago, when he had come to her office to break off their friendship.
Felicity and Oliver had met when Walter Steele, QC’s interim CEO, had recommended her as technical support. Oliver had come to her with a busted-up laptop and a charming smile. The first visit was followed by countless others. Each time Oliver had come up with ridiculous cover stories as excuses to spend time with her without her boss frowning at them disapprovingly.
Their friendship had developed against her better judgement, and it was the best bad call Felicity had ever made in her entire life. She couldn’t imagine her life without Oliver. He had quickly wormed his way into her heart and he was there to stay, dammit.
But last week, Oliver had come to her and explained that he was getting married in a few days – which she had known, because everyone and their cousin knew about the Queen-Lance wedding – and that he couldn’t drag her into his crazy life. It wouldn’t have been fair to her, he explained. He hoped she understood, he’d added. He wished her all the best in her life.
Oliver hadn’t given her a chance to argue her side. He had simply given her a sad smile, squeezed her shoulder one last time, and then walked out of her office. And her life.
Felicity had understood what Oliver was reluctant to say out loud.
And she refused to accept it.
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Don’t wait or say a single vow
You need to hear me out
And they said, "Speak now."
-----
“You can’t marry her,” Felicity implored Oliver.
She heard a faint, “thank God” come from somewhere behind Laurel. Felicity looked curiously towards the source and found Thea Queen with a supportive expression. In front of her, holding the bride’s bouquet of flowers, Sara Lance gave her a discreet thumbs-up.
Felicity was very confused, but she was willing to take what she could get.
Laurel gripped one of Oliver’s hands possessively. Oliver winced. Behind him, Tommy Merlyn, the best man, watched the scene unfold with attentive eyes.
“This is our wedding day,” Laurel hissed at Felicity. “We’re about to exchange our vows. What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“A big romantic gesture? Stopping the both of you from making the mistake of your lifetimes? Hoping to hell that I don’t get fired for this because I actually like my job in QC? Take your pick,” she offered.
She saw Oliver try to suppress a smile and she grinned at him, letting her own fly loose. As nervous and freaking terrified as she was, this felt like the right thing to do.
Mrs. Queen, who had been quiet up until that moment, chose to step forward and attempt to physically remove Felicity from the scene. Her cold hand gripped Felicity’s bare upper arm with bruising force and she tried to drag her away from the aisle.
Felicity gasped in pain and tried to dig her heels in. She wasn’t going down without a fight. She hadn’t come this far to let a big, scary blonde woman get in her way.
Felicity looked up and saw Oliver’s face twisted into a furious expression. He shrugged off Laurel’s hands on his and took one menacing step forward, towards his mother and Felicity.
“Don’t touch her,” he growled.
Mrs. Queen was so startled by the venom and underlying threat in her son’s voice that she actually dropped her hand from Felicity’s arm. Felicity rubbed at the sore spot, sure that it would bruise. Oliver’s eyes followed her movements and they glinted with something fierce.
“I’m okay,” she mouthed at him.
“Ahem,” the priest cleared his throat.
Felicity looked up at him expectantly.
“Is this wedding going to proceed or not, Mr. Queen?”
It seemed like everyone in the church looked at Oliver with baited breath. Felicity looked at him too, hope and fear pounding a beat in her heart.
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Fond gestures are exchanged
And the organ starts to play
A song that sounds like a death march
And I am hiding in the curtains
It seems that I was uninvited by your lovely bride-to-be
-----
Oliver looked like a deer caught in headlights. His eyes flitted from his mother’s angry face, to Laurel’s expectant one, to Felicity’s, who was wearing her heart on her sleeve. She let every emotion she felt for him shine through her eyes. Don’t say yes, her blue orbs begged. Choose your own happiness for once.
But this wasn’t about her. Not really. There was nothing between Oliver and Felicity beyond friendship with some underlying sexual tension. Nothing had ever happened between them. But there was that delicious potential. Felicity knew that, given the chance, they could be happy together.
But for the most part, this was for Oliver. Marrying Laurel would make him miserable.
He knew that, yet he hadn’t objected thus far.
Felicity was suddenly flooded with doubt. Oh God. What had she done?
What if Oliver did actually want to marry Laurel? What if she had misunderstood the situation so completely that she had interrupted the wedding of the decade only to be absolutely humiliated?
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She floats down the aisle like a pageant queen
But I know you wish it was me,
You wish it was me,
Don’t you?
-----
“No,” Oliver eventually answered the priest, his voice ringing throughout the entire church so that no one could mishear what he had decided.
Felicity sagged down with relief. Moira let out a scolding, “Oliver!”. Thea squealed from somewhere to the side. Tommy, standing behind Oliver, began to loosen his uncomfortable looking bowtie.
And Laurel? Well, she let out a screech that would put a banshee to shame and raised her hand to slap Oliver across his face. Hard.
Oliver’s head whipped to the side, but his face barely reacted. He looked like he had expected the blow, which infuriated Felicity.
“Hey!” she yelled, stepping up to the aisle and getting in between the ex-(yay!)couple. “You can’t just slap him! What is wrong with you?” she demanded.
Laurel’s eyes narrowed and her normally gorgeous face twisted into something ugly. She raised her hand again, aiming for Felicity’s cheek. The blonde’s eyes widened and she braced herself for the sting, knowing that there was no time to get out of the way.
But the blow never came. Felicity opened her eyes from where she had squeezed them shut, to find Laurel’s hand inches from her face, suspended in midair by Oliver’s large hand wrapped around her wrist.
Laurel looked shocked. Felicity glanced over her shoulder to look at Oliver, but his eyes were focused on his ex-fiancé, a look of pure rage in them.
He shook his head, one deadly calm movement. “No,” he uttered in a hard voice.
Felicity was a little turned on.
Turning back to Laurel, she saw the lawyer’s lower lip trembling, moments before she let out an ear-splitting wail and wrenched her hand out of Oliver’s grip. With one last malicious glare at Felicity, the bride gathered up her dress and ran down the aisle, stopping halfway through to kick off her heels before continuing out of the church.
All the guests turned their heads to follow her exit. No one said a word.
-----
Don’t say "Yes", run away now,
I’ll meet you when you’re out of the church at the back door.
Don’t wait or say a single vow,
You need to hear me out,
And they said, "Speak now."
-----
Sara stepped forward from her position of maid of honor and came up to them on the aisle. Felicity looked at her suspiciously. Was she going to try and slap her too, on behalf of her sister?
To her utter surprise, Sara enveloped her in a hug before pulling back to grin widely at her.
“Girl, that was so awesome that I wished I had taped it just so I can watch it again,”
Felicity gaped at her.
Sara winked. “Took you long enough.” She looked past her at Oliver and nodded her head towards Felicity. “I like her, Ollie. She’s a keeper,”
“I’m so confused,” Felicity announced.
Sara just laughed. “You might has well get used to that. Anyways, I better go after Laurel. Maid of honor duties and all that,” she sighed, rolling her eyes.
Felicity nodded mutely and watched as Sara calmly walked down the aisle.
She let out an oomf when she felt a tiny body collide with hers.
“That was epic!” Thea Queen’s voice squealed in her ear.
Felicity patted her back, her ears ringing. “Thank you?”
Thea pulled back, her face beaming. “I cannot believe this,”
“Uh, in a good way I hope?” Felicity questioned nervously.
Thea laughed, delighted. “In the best way possible. Those two were all wrong for each other,”
Felicity had to admit, she hadn’t expected this reaction when she had been planning her entry. She felt a little at a loss.
Turning back to Oliver, she eyed him nervously. His was the only reaction that mattered.
-----
Don’t say "Yes", run away now,
I’ll meet you when you’re out of the church at the back door.
Don’t wait or say a single vow,
Your time is running out,
And they said, "Speak now."
-----
“Hi,”
She wanted to smack her face. She just barged in on his wedding and broke it up, and the best she could come up with was hi?
Apparently, it was enough, because Oliver smiled warmly down at her. His eye crinkled at the corners and he looked so painfully handsome that Felicity wanted to cry.
“Hi there,” he replied.
“Soo… I just crashed your wedding,”
Oliver glanced briefly to the side, towards the rows upon rows of people raptly watching them. “And we have an audience,”
Felicity groaned.
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I hear the preacher say, "Speak now or forever hold your peace."
There’s the silence, there’s my last chance.
I stand up with shaky hands, all eyes on me.
Horrified looks from everyone in the room
But I’m only looking at you.
-----
Mrs. Queen stepped up to them, a hard look on her face. “Oliver,” she hissed. “You have to go after Laurel immediately. This is still salvageable,”
Oliver looked at his mother for a long moment, and then simply shook his head.
The Queen matriarch looked furious. “Oliver, you’re making the mistake of a lifetime,” her hard voice whispered, as if she didn’t want the guests to overhear. Too late to try and avoid a media scandal. Felicity hadn’t really factored that part in… Oh well, that was a problem for tomorrow. She could use her hacking skills to make sure the less favorable stories never make it out to the public.
Oliver smiled at his mother. “No, Mom, I’m not. The mistake would have been marrying Laurel,”
“You were with her for three years! You told Thea you loved her,”
Oliver shrugged. “And I fell out of love with her a year in. You’re the one who kept pushing us together. Laurel was the one with the grand aspirations of a socialite life and becoming the next District Attorney. This was never what I wanted,”
“This is your wedding day,” Mrs. Queen shrieked in disbelief.
Oliver grinned and Felicity wanted to clap. “No, Mom. This was my wedding day. And I said no,”
Mrs. Queen’s expression hardened and she turned to glare venomously at Felicity. “This is your doing. What did you do, cast a spell on him by spreading your legs?” she accused.
Felicity’s eyes widened. “Excuse me? Oliver and I aren’t together. Yeah, I may be halfway in love with him, but I stopped this wedding for his sake, not mine. You were the one who was about to condemn your son to a life of misery. Why you place social standing above his happiness is beyond me,”
“You’re halfway in love with me?” Oliver interjected, wonder in his voice.
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I am not the kind of girl
Who should be rudely barging in on a white veil occasion
But you are not the kind of boy
Who should be marrying the wrong girl
-----
Felicity froze. “I didn’t say that!”
Thea’s laughter tinkled from somewhere behind her. “You totally did,”
Tommy, standing behind Oliver, raised his hand. “I heard that too,”
Felicity groaned. “It’s not like it was much of a secret. It was kind of implied that I had feelings for you. I did crash your wedding, didn’t I?”
“You have the best ideas. You’re a genius after all,” Oliver declared proudly.
Felicity beamed at him.
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So, don’t say "Yes", run away now,
I’ll meet you when you’re out of the church at the back door.
-----
Mrs. Queen threw up her hands in frustration and stormed off. Walter Steele, who had been silently watching the entire scene unfold from his seat at the front pew, calmly stood up to follow his wife. Before he walked down the aisle, he turned to smile at Felicity.
“As always, it’s good to see you Miss Smoak. I trust you’ll be around more often after this… spectacle,”
Felicity blushed and chuckled nervously, sending an uncertain glance towards Oliver. She wasn’t sure where this left them. “I don’t know about that,”
Mr. Steele waved his hand dismissively. “Nonsense. I do know my step-son, after all,”
Felicity blushed harder, a tiny ray of hope unfurling in her chest.
“I’ll see you on Monday, bright and early.”
Felicity did a little internal victory dance. She hadn’t lost her job! “Definitely!”
Mr. Steele nodded at her before turning around and making his way out. The guests followed his departure as well, turning their heads in a scarily synchronized manner.
-----
Don’t wait or say a single vow,
You need to hear me out,
And they said, "Speak now."
-----
“Wanna get out of here?” Oliver asked her.
She looked up at him. There was an open warmth in his expression. He looked so happy that Felicity’s heart clenched. She wanted to reach up and trace his face, just so she could etch this moment to memory.
“With you? Always.”
He grinned at her and reached down to lace his fingers with hers.
Oliver and Felicity made their way down the aisle to the background noise of Thea cheering and Tommy wolf-whistling, hand in hand and smiles stretching their faces wide.
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And you say, "Let’s run away now,
I’ll meet you when I’m out of my tux at the back door.
Baby, I didn’t say my vows,
So glad you were around
When they said, "Speak now."
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