Chapter Text
Felicity Elizabeth Briggs was never supposed to be a Natural. Despite being the result of mutual attraction, teenage stupidity, and just one too many drinks, she'd never known a life devoid of love. Her parents, Veronica Sterling and Tanner Briggs, though young, had always been fiercely protective of her. Sure, balancing childcare with college classes and training at the FBI academy wasn't easy, but there had never been a pair more equipped than Briggs and Sterling.
He was a strategist, driven and competitive. He'd never met a challenge he could back away from. She was fearless, ambitious. She knew what she wanted and nothing would get in her way. So, if that meant she was going to be the youngest graduate of the FBI academy while simultaneously juggling a two-year-old then dammit she was going to do it. That and their best friend Scarlett Hawkins had a knack for thinking up solutions to impossible situations.
Needless to say, Scarlett's father Judd did a lot of babysitting.
But there had never been a little girl more loved than Felicity Elizabeth Briggs. She lived a normal, happy life. Maybe that's why when everything went so wrong, there was no going back.
The day started out normal enough.
Felicity was spending it with her aunt so her mom and dad could focus all their attention on their current case. Since Scarlett worked as a forensic scientist FBI laboratory, and was typically busy whenever Felicity's parents were, Felicity was used to spending days like this with Scarlett's father, Judd. However, today, Scarlett's father had been out of town, so Scarlett volunteered to work from home and keep an eye on Felicity.
Upon hearing that she was going to spend the day with her aunt Scarlet, eleven-year-old Felicity had been unable to contain her excitement. Not that Felicity didn't like Judd, he just didn't do fun things with her like make pillow forts and eat milkshakes for lunch with her the way Scarlett did. Even though she still had to work and would spend the day tapping away on her keyboard or solving equations with a somewhat dry erase marker on her apartment windows, Scarlett always made spending the day at her house fun.
She may have been working, but she did it inside their fort, a young Felicity reading chapter books curled up right next to her.
It was nearing the end of the day when they'd received the call. Veronica and Tanner had gotten a massive break in the case and were on the verge of nailing Nightshade—meaning Felicity would have to spend the night. Naturally, the answer had been yes, before they'd even finished asking. As the warm afternoon sun dipped below the horizon, Scarlet and Felicity drove over to Felicity's house to grab some things the young girl hadn't packed.
Everything had been fine, until it wasn't.
She didn't know what, but the second they got back to Scarlett's apartment Felicity could tell that something was very wrong. Her aunt—who had been laughing at Felicity's joke when they'd walked in the door—abruptly went silent and turned deadly pale, her eyes falling on the lone white flower that sat posed and perfect on her kitchen table.
Felicity moved towards the flower, unsure of how she'd missed the pretty blossom all day while she was in her aunt's house, "What's this?" she asked, reaching to smell it.
"Don't!" Scarlett snapped, louder and with an intensity Felicity had never heard before.
She pulled back, confused. "But-"
Scarlett shook her head, silencing the girl. Without even thinking about it, her hand immediately went to the phone in her pocket and dialed the number, her eyes never leaving the flower.
Felicity watched, confused, as her aunt held the phone up to her ear, the number ringing and began to pace, her eyes still trained on the flower. She didn't understand. What was wrong with the flower?
The person on the other line picked up, "Ronnie, listen-" Scarlett stopped, her breath suddenly dying in her throat.
Why would Scarlett call her mom? Felicity blinked, her head tilted in confusion. Whenever her mom and dad were working you were only supposed to call them if there was an emergency. That was the rule. But she didn't understand, what was wrong?
"Actually," Scarlett finally said, seemingly rethinking the call, "never mind."
On the other side Felicity's mom said something.
"No, no, no!" Scarlett said a little too hurriedly, "Everything's fine." She took a deep breath, "Everything's fine." She repeated. "Just," she paused again, her eyes going back to the flower, choosing her next words slowly, "work the case." she said, with a quiet intensity. "Nail this guy to the wall for me."
The person on the other line said something else before hanging up the phone, leaving Scarlett silently standing in the kitchen, a look Felicity couldn't quite decipher passing over her features. "Everything's fine." She said again, this time no more than a quiet whisper. "It's gonna be fine. They'll get him." She nodded to herself, "They're so close."
Gently, Scarlett set down the phone, a look Felicity recognized passing over her face. It was the look she always had when she was consumed with a problem, intent on finding the solution "They just need time." Scarlett whispered, seemingly forgetting the young girl in front of her, hearing every word, "time." her eyes moved away from the flower, her brain turning. "We've been targeted by a serial killer," she said, her voice strangely calm and contemplative. "They're on the verge of catching him, they just need time. What do you do?"
Was this just one of her aunt's typical games? It didn't feel like it. Usually when her aunt made up games, she was more chipper than this. She was missing her tell-tale smirk and bubbly tone that usually accompanied whatever fake peril she theoretically put them it. But instead of feeling like they were solving a fun puzzle it felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room. Scarlett closed her eyes, her lips moving, numbers and words Felicity couldn't catch coming out in rapid fire until they abruptly stopped, and a small smirk made its way across her aunt's features. "You go somewhere safe," she said, opening her eyes "and you work the case."
It was like a lever had been flipped in her aunt's mind, an intensity filling her words and movements. "Get in the car," she told Felicity as she moved suddenly towards her bedroom to grab somethings "I'll be out in a sec."
The young girl froze. "Where are we going?" She asked, unable to keep the small shake out of her voice as she tentatively followed her aunt into the room instead of following her instructions. Inside, Scarlett quickly scribbled something down on a sheet of paper by her bed before grabbing a stack of blankets and a few pillows.
"Field trip." Was all she said, throwing an extra pillow at Felicity, trying to lighten her tone. "Come on."
They ended up at the FBI laboratories.
Personally, when she'd said the words 'field trip' Felicity had been hoping for something a little more exciting. She'd been to the FBI laboratories before, but this time something was different. There was an intensity in the air that Felicity couldn't place, that she didn't understand. Scarlett led Felicity down the halls of the labs, nodding at the few people who were still in the building as the early evening began to give way to the later hours of the night before stopping right in front of her office. Opening the door, she pushed Felicity inside and used the blankets and pillows to make a makeshift bed, hidden underneath her desk on the floor for the young girl.
"We're sleeping here tonight?" Felicity asked, "Why?"
But Scarlett just waived her off. "We'll only be here for a little bit." She promised. "There's just a few things I need to work on for your mom and dad's case real fast, ok?" She pulled Felicity close, savoring the hug and planting a kiss on top of her head. "I need you to do something for me." She pulled Felicity back, tilting her head up so she could look in her eyes "I need you to stay in this room. Stay hidden under the desk and don't make any noise. Like hide and seek, yeah? Don't let anyone in. You stay under the desk until I come to get you, ok?" Her voice shook. "Promise me you won't let anyone in."
Felicity stared up at her aunt, knowing for certain now that something was wrong. Something was very wrong. The words her aunt had spoken in the kitchen earlier rung in her ears. We've been targeted by a serial killer. Maybe it wasn't just another one of her aunt's games. Felicity's green eyes shone with fear, "What about you?" she whispered.
"Promise me, Felicity" Scarlett's voice was ragged. "You won't come out. You won't let anyone in."
Fear coursed through the young girl's heart, "I promise."
The warehouse was empty.
Well, almost empty.
Empty in the sense that nothing they find there can be tied back to you. Not empty in the sense that what they will find there will put ice in their veins. Oh, how you wish you could be there to see their faces when they find the gift you left for them. Watch as the panic sets in the second they realize it was all a trap. That you beat them. That they played right into your hands.
But you have a job to do.
Getting rid of the agents was just part of the plan, now it's time to set in motion the main event.
With a smile on your face, you gently reach for the door to the FBI laboratory.
Now this, you are going to enjoy.
It was wrong. Felicity knew it was wrong.
Stay in the office, she'd said. Stay hidden. Don't let anyone in and don't come out.
She'd promised.
Only, she'd promised hours ago. As the time ticked by, Felicity had stayed silently hidden underneath her aunt's desk, a blanket wrapped tightly around her. Every time she heard footsteps walking by, she pulled the blanket closer, her eyes squeezed shut, certain this was it.
We've been targeted by a serial killer.
What did that mean?
Felicity didn't know much about serial killers. For the most part, her mom and dad were good at hiding those types of things from her. She remembered a few months ago when her mom had been taken by a serial killer. She had been missing for two days before she'd come back home. Felicity had never been more scared in her life than she had been in those moments for her mom. She didn't know what had happened, what it all meant. All she'd known was how scared her dad had been. The way he'd busted into the house, checking every room, unable to believe that she was really gone. The way he didn't sleep the entire time she was missing. Was that what was going to happen with her and Scarlett? Felicity didn't know.
Besides, it didn't matter because in the end it all worked out. Her mom and dad caught the bad guy. They always did.
Her mom had been ok, so they would be too, right?
Felicity didn't know how long she spent under that desk. Slowly, fewer and fewer people walked past the door. Though originally the sound of footsteps had filled her with fear, in their absence, Felicity quickly realized that the silence was worse. She could hear every time her heart beat, every time she took a breath, every scratch, every gust of wind, every time the building creaked. Yes, the silence was definitely worse. It made her realize just how much she hated being alone. She wanted her mom and dad; she wanted her aunt; she wanted to go home. Why couldn't they just go home?
She wasn't sure how long she had stayed under that desk, only that it felt like hours. The longer she stayed, the longer her mind began to fill with doubts. Something was wrong. Her aunt had been gone for too long. She promised she was coming back. What if the reason she hadn't was because she was in danger? Her aunt had told Felicity to stay hidden. She'd locked her in her office, turned off the light, and told her to hide underneath the desk. But then she'd left. She had hidden Felicity away but hadn't hidden herself. It didn't take much for Felicity to realize that her aunt was trying to protect her, but then who was protecting her aunt?
What if she needed help?
It took hours for Felicity to build up the courage to leave the room. She didn't want to break her promise but Felicity Elizabeth Briggs was her parents' daughter and if her aunt needed help, then she couldn't just sit and wait idly by. Once she'd started, she couldn't seem to stop. Her dark brown hair flew over her shoulders as she ran down the dark hallway, her small sneaker clad feet making a jarring slap against each tile of the floor. As she ran, the pounding in Felicity's ears grew louder. Scarlett had shown Felicity her lab before, she should've known where it was, but the darkness of the hallway and the pounding of her heart made finding the lab a near impossible feat.
That is until she heard the struggle.
Down the hall she suddenly heard what could only be punches being thrown, and her aunt crying out. A large crash echoed down the hallway as something heavy fell to the floor and shattered. Felicity's heart lept into her throat. She was right. Her aunt was in trouble. Without thinking, she pushed her way into the lab only to see her aunt engaged in a fight with a terrifying figure. She froze in the doorway where she stood, the fear making it impossible to move.
The man grabbed a glass flask and smashed it over Scarlett's head, causing her to crumple to the ground. As she pulled herself to her feet, her eyes caught sight of Felicity and her body went taut. A garbled sound made its way out of the depths of her throat. "Felicity run!" she screamed, her focus shifting from the man she was fighting to her niece, needing her to be safe.
But that second of distraction was all the man needed.
And Felicity watched as the man before her stuck her aunt with a needle, and she began to scream.